Does anyone know any good Xianxia? Currently, I'm waiting to splurge on Swallowed Heart, Coiling Dragon, Stellar Transformation, Battle Through the Heavens, and Zhang Long. Amongst other titles.

Springtime of Youth: Towering Saplings

Naruto slipped behind a pair of guests amiably gossiping and tasting high class wine, without a doubt was used for special occasions as he picked out the aged scent accredited to the red liquor. He wore black track pants, a navy blue jacket, and a tangelo orange short sleeved undershirt. His attire was completely out of place for the occasion which was to celebrate Rias' first victory in a Rating Game. Originally, the party was reserved to commemorate Rias' and Riser's marriage, but that route was irrevocably ended due to Riser's loss.

He released a breath and eased the tension from his muscles; by now, that woman should have given up the search for him. Or not. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the distinct head of silver hair moving through the amorphous sea of people hunting. Hunting, for him. She stopped, then turned in his direction and moved with renewed vigor. Naruto glided across the smooth marble floor, his footsteps left no sound. He ducked behind a waiter and disappeared from sight.

The reason he was being so shady was because he wasn't, technically, officially, invited to the party. Well, Rias gave him an invitation. And Grayfia promptly revoked it. Revoking was saying it nicely, when in fact, she took his invitation, sealed within a crisp and white envelop, and tore it into pieces right in front of his face. Just to rub it in, she encased the scraps of paper in ice before shattering it into oblivion. He observed as this happened with a blank face, betraying no emotion.

What, did she honestly believe that would stop him from attending? It was the right of the teacher to celebrate his student's accomplishment. Sure, Grayfia posted guards at every corner and entrance, but Naruto wasn't going to be stopped by it. He had a variety of ways to enter the hall announced; however, he settled on the most direct way, the front door. No one would ever suspect he would waltz straight in, which he did.

Dropping out from the shadows of a wall, Naruto brought the can of hot coffee, he had liberated from the somewhere, a vending machine maybe, and drank it. Without turning his head, Naruto asked the person next to him, "Are you enjoying yourself at the party Yuuto-san?"

Yumi's shoulders jumped in surprise. The realization it was Naruto settled in, and she answered with a small nod. Her ten day experience wasn't enough to acclimate herself with Naruto's antics. As Naruto's eyes fell upon her dress, she felt her cheeks heat up. She hoped that her dress wasn't too revealing while still presenting a mature charm. Her black dress opened up in the front revealing a moderate portion of her alabaster skin and breasts. Her dress had a slit running down it from the thigh, and her leg peaked through the folds. Her radiant hair was fashioned in an elegant bun. She cast her sapphire eyes downward avoiding Naruto's gaze. It was embarrassing to have Naruto look at her. For one, she never wore woman's clothing; instead, she wore the male's student uniform and male's gym uniform. Secondly, he was the person who saw through her pain, and promised to split it. Thirdly, she never had interacted with a person of the opposite sex before. Gasper didn't count in that regard, and she never talked with Issei.

"You look nice," Naruto said. He scratched his head, "Sorry, if you wanted more input than that, but I'm not the best with words."

"No,no," Yumi, her face was red, said, "That's fine."

Naruto, leaning against the wall, took another sip from his canned coffee. He would have opted for an alcoholic beverage, if there were any that could get him buzzed. Vodka was forty percent alcohol. He hardly felt it. Though, the canned coffee was still a good substitute. In fact, if he had the chance to expand his store he would include coffee and sweets such as tiramisu or crepes and cakes. It was a weird addition to a ramen cafe, not that he cared though.

Yumi and Naruto stood side by side soaking in the silence. Usually, they would fill the silence by talking; however, Yumi found it assuring. It was the two of them. No loud guests, no clattering platters, no gleaming decor, no room, nothing mattered. She was a Devil, and he was a human. Nothing mattered. It was the two of them.

She shot furtive glances at the lackadaisical man while she inched herself closer to him. She wanted to rest her head on his shoulder saying that the fatigue had caught up to her. As she leaned towards him, "Here is where you've been Namaki," the voice of Grayfia rudely interposed.

Yumi blinked.

A hand descended on Naruto's shoulder right in between her and Naruto, "As I recall, Namaki you were blacklisted from the precession. As my duty as a maid of the Gremory family, I shall have to escort you off the premises."

"Blacklisted? That wasn't how I remembered it, you stole and ripped up my invitation," Naruto shot back. She began tugging on his jacket as to throw him out, "You will to be more persuasive than that Lucifuge-san."

Grayfia felt the wind blow past her cheek and blinked. Amazingly, Naruto slipped past her grip as she was left holding his track jacket. The guests gave the Ultimate Queen wide berth when they noted the dark aura simmering around her. She maintained her image of a proper maid, but was failing due to part of her twitching smile and closed eyes. When she found Naruto, this time around, she was going to encase him in a tomb of ice. She'd like to see how he would escape from that.

Thankfully, her search for the elusive gray haired man ended shorter than she thought.

She heard the collective gasp, and turn her sights to the epicenter. In the middle of the crowd was a nonchalant Naruto and a certain Riser Phenex. The blonde man was wearing his burgundy suit though it had an eye-catching addition. There was a dark splotch of coffee on his chest that muddied the jacket and white dress shirt. An irate Riser had latched his hands onto Naruto's shirt. The intent to murder Naruto gleamed from his narrowed eyes.

'This is not going to end well,' thought Grayfia.

"Oi, you bastard," growled Riser, "how you plan on reimbursing me for this?"

"Honestly? I have no clue, I mean you walked into me. I doubt anyone here would vouch for an indistinguishable, a nobody," said Naruto. He adopted a thinking pose, "How about this, we'll have a friendly exhibition match. If you win then I'll persuade Gremory-san into reconsidering her marriage with you. In the slim chance that I win, there's nothing that I want."

Riser considered the offer with care. The option seemed obvious: accept the offer and wipe the floor with this lowly Devil. Based on the way he spoke of Rias, his words merited truth.

"I accept."

Naruto broke out into a sly grin, "Lead the way Phenex-san."

Trodding past Grayfia, he picked his jacket out of her hands, and slung it over his shoulder. The jacket acted as a cape by waving about him.

Was Grayfia the only one who thought it was strange that there was a draft inside the room?

Intermission

"Here Buchou, I brought drinks," Rias heard the call of Issei's voice. They were standing outside on the veranda in the cool night air.

"I say, Ise, you look quite sharp in your suit," Rias said. From her smile, Issei felt his heart skip a beat.

The first thing that happened with Issei woke up was Rias dragged him to a tailor shop, and had his measurements taken. He stood still as the tailor poked and prodded him with a needle. He wouldn't complain if Buchou liked it.

He laughed sheepishly, "Buchou that dress is amazing on you."

She smiled at him, "Ise, I want to thank you for all that you've done for me. You've gone above and beyond for me. You and everyone, saved me from a loveless marriage. I'm grateful, Ise that you like me as 'Rias' rather than 'Rias Gremory.' Really, thank you Ise."

"Ise, why do you like me?" Rias asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Issei entrusted his weight to the stone railings. He stared off into the sky. Rias joined and stood next to him, "Remember what I said at the villa? 'I don't understand complicated stuff, but to me the usual Buchou is the best.' The usual Buchou is compassionate and kind. She loves her servants like her own family. She's hard working and smart. Above all, Buchou is Buchou. Great, now I am re . . ."

Issei's words were forestalled, because his lips were blocked. The thing blocking lips were Rias' own. She put her hands on his cheeks and put her lips on top of his.

A kiss.

It wasn't a deep adult kiss involving her tongues dancing tango, but a simple chaste one. Regardless, he felt the Rias' feelings from the soft kiss.

After a minute of silent kissing, Rias' lips left his. She laughed. It was a delightful laugh. He liked her laugh. Issei marveled at the phantom feeling of her lips. They were soft and gentle, radiating warmth.

'Kiss? I just had a kiss with Buchou! Kiss! Kissssssss! My brain is on the brink of exploding! This is a lifetime experience.'

"My first kiss," she told him, "It's something that girls consider important in Japan right?"

Issei calmed his throbbing chest, "Er, yes it certainly is . . . Wait, you gave your important first kiss to me? Are you okay with that Buchou?"

"After all the effort you put into training? Consider it a reward from me. After all, there's no one else I wanted to give my first to than you Ise."

Her hair fluttered in the gentle wind as it blew past them. Issei drank the pristine sight greedily like a parched man in the desert would after stumbling upon water.

"Speaking of my first kiss, do you want my virginity?"

If he were the old Issei his first impulse were to shout, 'Ah, I do.' He would be lying if he said that he didn't, but well spent time with Naruto ironed out his perversion. Safely put, Naruto directed his perversion into tangible growth by instilling in him a goal to strive for.

Issei cleared his throat and said sagely, "I don't think that's a good idea Buchou. I think we should get to know each other better and develop our relationship to that point. You no longer have to worry about a forced engagement as I will beat down anyone who dares try to taint my dear Buchou. As such, there is no need to rush."

Rias blinked at him, "Wow, I didn't think you could think in such a way Ise. Did Naruto cure you of your perversion?"

"No." He answered instantly. Rias scrunched her face in confusion, "I have embarked on a magical journey through space and time. No longer am I, Hyoudou Issei, a simple, regular pervert. No. I've surpassed mortal restraints and have become a Super Pervert. What lays before me is a realm of unexplored oppai! Only after mastering this unexplored and treacherous territory, will I obtain the coveted title, God of Hentai. I will fulfill the dreams of young men all over the world!"

Rias had a troubled expression, but was smiling. Ise wouldn't be her cute pawn without his strange fascination and obsession for oppai. She started to pat his cheek.

Issei was glad Rias was smiling again.

"Ise-san, Buchou! There's a commotion, and Naruto-san is involved in it," Asia came running in and delivering the message between gasps of air.

Rias pressed her hand against her temple.

What was he up to now? She was debating whether or not the man's appearance was a blessing or a curse.

Intermission

It was a curse she surmised.

After spending ten years of her life worrying about her engagement and then breaking that engagement, she should be happy, right?

Naruto, in all his saintly wisdom, spilled coffee on Riser. He, then, made a bet with the blonde Phenex on the grounds that if Riser won then her engagement with him would be reinstated.

She wildly grasped at the air imagining her hands choking the life out of a Namaki Naruto. Rias knew Naruto was a human, a point he iterated on several occasions, and was skilled. She also knew Riser wasn't a pushover either; he surrender because he cut his losses short to save face. Presented with an irresistible offer to gain prestige through marriage with Rias, he would be a fool to refuse.

Amongst the crowd, two people believed in Naruto.

"Go Aniki!" This person was obvious.

"Fight, Naruto-san!" The blonde nun cheered next to him.

"Wipe the floor with him, Namaki!"

Actually, it was three with the rare inclusion of Yumi.

Naruto, hearing their voices, turned to them and smiled lazily. He was lax and calm about the whole fiasco.

"Lowly Devil if you would stop joking around we can start our match," Riser's voice echoed from across the impromptu stage. It was a flat, open platform. A magical barrier was enacted as a boundary. There match would be broadcasted from cameras and displayed on magical screens to the guests. Based on the betting pool, the odds were stacked heavily against Naruto.

"Fine," Naruto's lazy voice intoned. His arms languidly reached into a pocket. Bringing out a coin, "We'll start immediately when the coin strikes the ground."

He flipped it.

The collective eyes of all the Devils were glued onto the coin as it spun in the air.

It hit the ground.

Rias instantly flung his arm forward. An orb of searing flames flew at Naruto, who stood there and had evidently submitted to his fate. A column of fire covered his body.

And that was the end.

The crowd roared for Riser to destroy the upstart Low-Class Devil. It was sheer stupidity to think that he, a Low-Class Devil, could fight evenly with a High-Class Devil. It took another level of stupidity to fight a Phenex.

Or so they thought.

"Don't be so hasty," Naruto chided with the flames simply vanishing, it would have made sense if Naruto used magic, but none was detected, "There's a procedure to these sort of things. First, we have to introduce ourselves, then we have to write out our death haiku." He sighed seeing Riser's confused expression and elaborated, "What? Haven't you seen Ninja Slayer? . . . Fine. I'll show you how it's done."

Naruto pressed his hands together with the fingertips aimed up, "Hello there, I am Chef-san. Wasn't too hard was it? Now, it's your turn Riser."

Grayfia, sitting with her King and Rias plus her peerage in a special sector allotted for them, pressed her palm against her head, and seated beside her, Rias mirrored the action.

A searing fireball struck Naruto in the chest, flinging him backwards courtesy of the blonde Phenex. His body erupted into a cloud of smoke, which upon its dispersing revealed empty space. The grey haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't be so hasty," Naruto's voice came from over his shoulder, "I'm starting to sound like a broken record now, great."

Riser's first instincts were to create distance between him and his opponent. The second Riser spun around he had his teeth smashed by the pommel of a shinai that Naruto had pulled out of a storage spell. The impact sent Riser rocketing across the platform until he struck the barrier.

"At the very least, let me read the haiku I prepared in advance," Naruto grouched. Once he secured his weapon between his arm and chest, Naruto took out a strip of paper. He unfolded it and read the content.

Yasa No Kaze [やさ の かぜ]

Ramen Hiyakasu [ラメン ひやかす]

Dattebayo [だってばよ]

The translation: The gentle breeze . . . cools the ramen . . . dattebayo

Naruto refolded his haiku and pocketed it.

"Don't screw around with me!" Riser surged forward with a yell as his fists were set ablaze. Naruto leaned off to the side as Riser's fist flew harmlessly by. As Riser's other hand neared him, Naruto swept Riser's leg from under him. Standing on one leg and off balance left him open for a jab to the rib from the shinai's tip. Naruto mounted an assault whose aim was to inflict pain. He aimed for joints and soft spots such as the eyes. Every blow landed with a satisfying crunch. Naruto gave credit where it was justifiably due as the blonde took the full brunt of the assault, and came out healthy. No broken bones or swollen eyes or missing teeth. It was as if Riser hadn't spent the last two minutes being violently and brutally thrashed. With that regenerative speed, Naruto easily saw how the Phenex Clan was one of the more prominent families in the Underworld.

Staring down Naruto, Riser turned to spit out blood to the side.

That was a mistake.

He fixed his sights back on the gray haired man only to find, to his disbelief, Naruto had vanished. Riser felt a presence appear from behind him, and pivoted to strike at air. Not air exactly when a shadow, in his opponent's shape, stood motionless in front of him. A thwack to the back of his head sent Riser sprawling to the ground.

Riser stood up and sprung backwards as Naruto descended from a jump, shinai poised to strike. Naruto's wooden weapon kicked up dust. From his recent experiences, Riser knew Naruto enjoyed abusing hit-and-run tactics. In accordance, Riser's nerves were on edge. Once again, Riser felt a a shadow pop up behind him. His time, though, he chose to ignore it, knowing Naruto would wait for him to stupidly turn around.

Once again, that was a mistake.

The blow impacted with an audible crack that sent Riser's head cocked to the side. The blonde felt his brain rattle within his skull, and quickly shook his head, relying upon his blood heritage to mend the concussion. Before Riser could dodge, Naruto drove the pommel of his shinai into Riser's temple. It was certainly a good thing Riser was a Phenex or else he would have permanent brain damage for the rest of his natural life at the rate Naruto kept smacking him upside the head.

Naruto stood impassively. His mind, though, was breaking down the workings behind the Phenex's regeneration. He wondered if a Phenex could turn it off, or was it always an automatic response? Surely, their was a cost for using the ability. They used magic, so the first thing that came to his mind was mana. For his plan to work, he, first, had to test to see if, in fact, the healing leeched off Riser's mana.

Naruto took to swinging his shinai in a lazy arc as Riser staggered unto his feet, and leveled a glare at the grey haired man. Naruto's grin had Riser's eye dart around for any signs of deception, or tricks Naruto had for him. Naruto's next action confused everyone when he began sprinting away from Riser. Concurrently, a shadow popped up in front of Riser; he brought up his arms in a simple guard. Eying the shadow warily, he took note of its likeliness with the original. It had his outline but lacked any defining features such as a face or creases in the clothing. So far, Naruto showed he could use the shadow to distract his opponent, and the shadow could mimic his attack. With Naruto running away in front of him and the shadow being ten meters away, Naruto was limited in his actions unless he had ranged attacks.

Well, that was what Riser thought before Naruto switched himself with the shadow. Riser was unable to react to the sudden displacement. Naruto touched the ground, pulled the shinai to his waist, and twisted his waist to the limit.

"Iaido: Tanwa (Single Wheel)."

He slashed drawing a full circle. Since Riser was in ground zero, he took the full brunt of the drawing technique in the rib cage. The force of Naruto's attack caved in his ribs, puncturing his lungs which soon filled up with blood. In reality, the magnitude of the injury was enough to outright kill a normal human, but Naruto wasn't dealing with a normal human, rather he was dealing with a High Class Devil with uncanny healing. Naruto watched the ribs heal while idly confirming his theory that a Phenex automatically used mana to bolster their regeneration through his sensory feedback.

Now it was time to start his plan entitled: Springtime of Youth.

Intermission

Yumi sat next to her teacher in the way of the sword, Souji Okita. Souji, a man in his late twenties, wore a hakama and haori over his kimono. A white cord known as a tasuki hugged his chest and was tied off around his back. Souji was renowned in the Underworld as the Fastest Knight. He moved at speeds almost impossible to see. Currently, Souji had one arm stuffed inside his kimono and the other cupping his chin. His eyes were glinting with curiosity at the supposed Low Class Devil.

Eyes fastened to the arena he asked Yumi, "Yumi, in a battle between him and I, who would you think would emerge victorious?"

"I, I don't know" Yumi replied hesitantly.

"I'm unsure myself," Souji said, "There is no wasteful movements in his motions, all the muscles in his body work in tandem to produce the most work for the least amount of energy. His sword style is undefined. One moment he's using Iaido drawing techniques, and the next he's using broad strokes befitting medieval knights before he effortlessly shifts into a fencing styled thrust. He's unpredictable."

"Not only that, Namaki-san has Ghost Light Firefly."

"Ghost Light Firefly?" Souji rolled the name on his tongue, "What is that?"

"Unlike what it sounds like, it is not the name of a single attack. It is a technique that never defies the flow. Riding the flow, it's characteristics is a continues release of attacks. It doesn't matter if the attack missed or was blocked. Ghost Light Firefly will fly with all its momentum, recoil, and ride on the impact instead of defying it. It's a technique that never stops to flow. Utilizing the enemy's flow, it allows the user to achieve even greater speed. When Namaki-san showed it to me, I was overwhelmed by the endless stream. It was like a sword dance." A small grin broke out, "Thanks to that I created the foundations for Conjoined Cranes. The objective of Conjoined Cranes is to break my opponent's flow. My aim is to chain a series of succeeding attacks into a ceaseless flow."

"Ghost Light Firefly . . . I would lose in a pure match of skill. I may be able to beat him by using my speed."

At his max speed, Souji Okita was claimed to travel near the speed of light. Yumi thought about Souji's words. If Naruto couldn't read his opponent's flow because he was moving at absurd speeds then Naruto's Ghost Light Firefly wouldn't work. She thought that originally, until Naruto showed her those eyes.

A dark pupil in the center, a single tomoe rotating around it, and red iris. Those eyes were the crux of Ghost Light Firefly. An eye of insight she was told. In combat, it allowed Naruto to perceive fast moving objects or people. It offered predictive capabilities by anticipating the opponent's movements based on the muscle tension in his body. It was impossible to fully utilize Ghost Light Firefly without the eyes. She remembering him mentioning that his eyes were incomplete. This was only the first stage, and there were several forms following it.

That left her with the question.

Who was Naruto?

Grayfia was asking herself the same question.

She couldn't follow Naruto with her eyes, but she had seen faster in her spars with Souji and still was able to track the man's movements. She came to the conclusion it was a ploy of masterful misdirection. Grayfia was a veteran, so she couldn't be deceived by tunnel vision. Even then, she still didn't know how he pulled it off. It had to do with the shadows. Whenever they popped up, Naruto seemingly vanished. She had an epiphany.

Killing intent. The thing everyone threw around like candy to bring their opponents down to their knees. She swore, it was like a pissing contest, to see whoever could outdo the other with killing intent.

And so Naruto used killing intent to divert their attention onto the shadow. Anyone of her caliber and higher reacted instantly to killing intent. They were conditioned by battle after battle and assassination attempt after attempt. Naruto had turned their reflexes into a double edged sword. It sounded like the perfect trick for an assassin, but it was easily countered by a senjutsu user, who could detect him regardless.

Only if she knew.

If she knew.

Intermission

Naruto stuck his hands into his pockets and whistled a jaunty tune, "Riser, do you want to know why you are and will never be able to beat me?"

Naruto wasn't one for a 'You can't win' speech. It only sat well with him since he was using it to teach and better a misguided youth. Riser growled and tossed another fireball which Naruto easily sidestepped.

"You're young Riser, and you have a bright future ahead of you. You have potential to surpass Sirzechs Lucifer, yet at this rate, you won't even be able to put a scratch to me."

Riser willed to flames to gather in his hands. He brought his hands up . . .

"What are you doing?"

Riser was ready to incinerate Naruto when Naruto hugged him.

"Embrace it Riser."

"Embrace what?"

"Embrace it!"

"What! What do you want me to embrace?"

"Your youth! The Power of Youth resides inside of you."

"How am I supposed to do that?" the blonde asked.

Riser decided to play along with Naruto's mad ramblings, hoping that if he did then it would be over sooner.

Naruto released his hug and grasped Riser's hand. Their arms were bent. Naruto gave a wink along with a smile. He struck a nice guy pose, "I'm glad that you asked my youthful student. Worry not, I shall light the way! The body's capabilities is limited by pain. The body has a limit to restrict muscle strength to roughly twenty percent. Pain signals do not immediately travel up to the brain. They encounter neurological gates at the spinal cord which determine whether or not the pain signals should reach the brain. By blocking these gates, can the body use one hundred percent."

Naruto knew he was skipping steps, quite a few of them . . . and that was the point.

"How do I close these gates?" Riser asked.

"You can't, not by yourself until you've had proper training. That's why I am here."

Focusing his energy into his left hand, Naruto pressed it against Riser's chest and injected a burst of energy.

Riser didn't feel a change at first.

Then it hit him.

If asked later to describe it, Riser would describe it as a stream which began at the base of his spine. It started small with a tingle crawling up his spine. The tingle grew in magnitude and frequency as wave after wave of strength surged through his body.

On the outside, the spectators were introduced to the sight of Riser's body glowing with unbridled power. Streams of fire twirled around him, feeding themselves into the wings of fire jutting out from his back.

In shock, Riser clenched and unclenched his fist.

What was this power?

It made him giddy. He couldn't stand still.

Move. Move. Move. MOVE!

His body, bursting with energy, yearned to move.

Was this the power of youth?

"The state of restlessness are you experiencing is a miraculous phenomenon. It is called . . ."

Springtime of Youth

Naruto laughed heartily, "Shall we put your aspiring youth to the test?" said he with a gleaming grin. Naruto didn't wait for a response as he threw his shinai like one would throw a baseball. The shinai missed him by a long shot, it landed clumsily on the ground behind him.

Riser blinked owlishly. Naruto had a few screws loose.

"Should you be spacing out now?" Naruto's voice woke him from his daze. Tucking his temple into his shoulder, Naruto's fist sailed over his head in the form of a hook. In range, Riser fired an uppercut that connected with Naruto's chin. His head snapped back from the impact.

For the very first time since they began fighting, Riser scored his first blow on the gray haired man. The elation galvanized his fighting spirit.

"Good! The flames of youth burn brightly within you!"

Naruto rode the momentum, riding the flow, behind Riser's fist. Bending backwards, he planted his hands on the ground and used them as a focal point. He spun like windmill, scoring a jarring kick into the ribs on Riser. As it landed, Riser reduced the incoming force with his burning aura. His heels drew small trench lines in the ground, Naruto's kick had a lot of power behind it. Riser threw off Naruto's leg, and responded with his own front kick. The grey haired man adroitly landed with a crouch before sliding under the outstretched leg. He felt the air being displaced above his head.

Immediately, Naruto spun and extended his leg to sweep Riser, who nimbly hopped over it and lashed with his own spin kick. Naruto blocked it. Riser, using his guard, kicked off to create space. Riser landed on his feet as Naruto stood up, rubbing his forearm.

Riser was amazed at how light his body felt.

Naruto's spiel about youth was starting to click inside his head.

Naruto was right, the blockade stifling his growth was none other than himself.

He wasn't being youthful enough.

Naruto had enlightened him.

Later, Riser would need to find a notebook and jot down notes for future reference.

That would happen after the fight.

The fighters paused.

Eying their opponent, they synchronized their breathing.

Riser's wings of flames shrunk back into his back causing the aura around him to explode outwards. The energy saturated the air to the point, it formed a thick shroud around him before dying down and leaving him with an effervescent glow.

Naruto praised the Phenex. He honestly hadn't expected Riser to last this long. It may have sounded suicide to help his opponent unlock his potential. Originally, the influx of power was supposed to tax his reserves and burn the blonde out. Surprisingly, he handled the boost fine.

Naruto played with the idea of taking Riser under his wing as a disciple as he did with Issei.

The rivalry would be good for them.

On an invisible signal, Riser kicked off the ground, creating a shockwave that punched a crater in the ground. He moved at a speed a few of the High Class Devils found hard to follow, including his parents. Riser swung in with a left hook at the same time Naruto's threw a right straight. They gritted their teeth and braced themselves for the incoming fist. Both their punches landed with the sound of a rifle crack.

Naruto and Riser held their stances despite the spray of blood that erupted from their broken noses. Consumed by the thrill of battle, Riser was unaware that his nose wasn't healing itself. The energy normally used to heal him was, instead, being redirected to feeding the outrageous supply for his Springtime of Youth mode.

Riser vacantly wiped away the blood leaking down his face, a wide grin on his face, and charged at Naruto with a boisterous shout.

The rest of the fight could only have been described as a sloppy brawl.

Naruto and Riser abandoned any pretense of blocking or dodging, and began taking shots at each other. There was no form to it. If Riser slugged him in the face, then Naruto weaved a swing around it. Soon enough, their punches lightened in intensity and frequency, a sign that exhaustion was taking his toll.

Throwing one last and light jab that connect with Riser's face, Naruto dropped his arm to his side and began easing his nerves as Riser stood there.

Still.

He had passed out standing.

And that decided it, Naruto was going to properly educate Riser on the principles of youth; the blonde had the potential. First of all, he had to get the Phenex to grow out his eyebrows and fashion his hair in a bowl cut. Afterwords, Naruto would seek out a tailor to, what else, tailor an orange jumpsuit and green leg warmers for the blonde.

Naruto began moving towards Riser to check up on him until a blonde girl got in his way. Ravel mustered a small glare at Naruto, who chuckled mirthfully. Limping up to the small girl, Naruto ruffled her hair playfully, and got an elicited cry of, "Hey!"

Then came a distant cry, "Get your hands off of Naru-tan!"

He promptly ignore her chagrined cry alongside the random outburst, and smiled disarmingly at her, "Riser should be lucky that he has a caring sister like you. Heh, don't worry, I'll just do a small check-up on your brother. I promise I won't hurt him." Naruto reverted back into his accent with one last note, "I don't break my promises, ya know."

Ravel, despite her flushed cheeks, brushed his hand off and sharply turned her head to the side, "Hmph, go ahead and do whatever you want."

'That was a CTR or Classic Tsundere Response. May fortune smile upon whoever she takes a fancy to.'

Intermission

Naruto groggily sat up with a throbbing head while his throat felt as parched and dry as the Sahara.

'Wait a minute,' he thought, 'How the hell did I get drunk? I can't recall the last time I got hammered.'

Picking himself off the ground, another observation he tucked away for later, Naruto stumbled his way into his bathroom door. Fumbling with the knob, Naruto eventually managed to turn and push open the door.

Unfocused and heterochromatic blue-magenta eyes blinked as a pair of astonished, dark blue eyes stared at him.

Her hair was wet. Droplets of water dripped of from the ends of her hair. Her cheeks were tinted pink as her white and unblemished skin. Her chest jiggled lightly. A light screen of steam wafted around her slender form.

No words were exchanged as a very naked Ravel, who had just left the shower and was putting on her panties before Naruto walked in unannounced, stared vacantly at him.

'Is that steam coming out from her ears? Better yet, why is Ravel Phenex in my washroom. Nay, why is she in my house?'

Ravel blushed deeply. Her arms shot up to cover her breasts, "Hentai!" she shouted as she stormed past him.

'That was weird . . .'

Ravel brushed past him, "I f-forgot something!"

Reaching for the white panties laying on the ground, Ravel gave Naruto an unadulterated view of her ass. It was a fine ass, round and firm yet soft . . .

Then there were her breasts. They were a beautiful pair of breasts. Her clothes did her figure no justice. She was not flat as her clothes had betrayed; instead, they were large enough for him to cup in his hands. From her hair, water trailed down her thin nape to her breasts before collecting on her pink nipples.

B85-W59-H84.

He cursed.

Hanging around Issei was detrimental to his mental health. Nay, his health overall was at jeopardy.

Naruto heard the door slam behind him while Ravel's feet echoed down the hallway.

'Oh yeah,' having suddenly remembered the previous night.

Intermission

The barrier was taken down as a team of medics came in and performed a diagnosis on Riser. Seeing no anomalies besides an extreme case of exhaustion of the physical and magical kind, they prescribed rest. Riser would be up and about in a couple of days.

Naruto, turning to leave, wondered how to go home as he walked into the hallway when a blur attacked him. Serafall wrapped her legs around his chest in a painful vice grip. The back of his head rested between her chest as she blocked out his vision with her hands.

"Naru-tan, you cheater!" he heard the pout in her voice.

"Eh?"

Serafall puffed her cheeks as she began shaking Naruto violently. Naruto couldn't understand what was going on the childish adult's mind.

"Can you stop shaking me?"

His pleading fell on deaf ears.

"If you don't stop, I'm not your friend anymore," Naruto pulled out that card, "Serafall."

The Maou known as Leviathan quelled her rampage once she heard the solemnity in his tone.

Naruto pulled her off, and set the short girl on the ground. Ruffling a certain teary eyed and pink wearing girl's hair, Naruto said, in a soft tone, "I'm sorry if that sounded harsh, but I don't enjoy being throttled akin to a rag-doll for no apparent reason."

She nodded.

"Good, can you tell me why you did what you did? I promise I'm not mad anymore."

"When I saw you patting that girl's hair I felt conflicted? I've never felt this sort of feeling before. My stomach felt knotted, and my heart felt constricted. I thought you had forgotten about me." She murmured, "When you said you would be my friend I was happy. Growing up, I had to play the role of heiress to the Sitri household. I had to act proper, behave like the perfect child. Children within my age group were acquaintances at best."

She took a breath, "And rising tensions between the what is now known as the Old Satan Fraction and dissenters of the old way, the Anti Satan Faction, served to complicate matters. Sides were formed, and the children were forced into one. The situation in the Underworld was a powder barrel, all it took was one small spark. One small spark to erupt a civil war. I won't bore you will the details."

Awhile ago, Serafall and Naruto had sat down on the ground with their backs against the wall. She stretched her hand out towards the ceiling, "From the ashes, the Four Great Satans were formed, and I was promoted the position of Leviathan. I created my Maou Shoujo persona to make friends." She sighed, "If being an heiress made it hard to make friends, then being a Satan meant it was high near impossible . . ."

In the middle of her depressing talk, Naruto placed a finger in the middle of her forehead. She paused to peer at him with her blue eyes, tilting her head in confusion.

"Stop," he curled his finger back, "Stop right there."

He flicked.

"That hurts," cried Serafall nursing the red spot.

"You wound me Sera-tan," said Naruto in mock hurt, "There's no way I would forget about my friend. After all, she is the one and only Maou Shoujo, Levia-tan." He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Serafall, reaching up and pulling Naruto's face lower, pecked him on the cheek.

"Thank you Naruto."

Realizing her actions and with a blushing face, Serafall turned into particles of light.

After that, Naruto wondered about aimlessly until he ran into a pair of adults strolling down the hallway. The party promptly resumed after the conclusion of his match, but he was sure Grayfia was stilling trying to sniff him out; he swore, she was out for his blood.

Imagine his slight surprise when the man and woman who bore uncanny resemblance to Riser and Ravel stopped in front of him. The man had short blonde hair, a blonde stubble on his chin, blue eyes. The women shared the same blonde hair and blue eyes. Unlike Ravel, her hair was short, tied off, and was slung over her shoulder. They were dressed accordingly in a red suit and dress with gold accents.

Eyes twinkling with interest, Rynart proclaimed, "Ah, the man I was hoping to meet. The fight between my son and you was interesting. I've never seen Riser pumped up and full of energy, and never would have thought it was possible until today."

"If you're here to enact vengeance for Riser, I have no regrets. Your son needed a good lesson in humility. I was simply in the right place at the right now to awaken the youth inside of him, because his hubris was liable to get himself and others killed." While he spoke with a carefree smile, his hands were stuffed in his pockets.

Rynart Phenex brushed off the concern with a wave of his hand, "My wife and I hold no hard feelings. It's as you said Chef-san, my son definitely needed to understand that the Phenex Clan, despite the claims of immortality, is not truly in fact immortal. Certainly your name isn't Chef-san. I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Rynart, Phenex."

Naruto shook his outstretched hand, "Likewise, Namaki, Naruto. Don't tell anyone, but I'm not a Low-Class Devil. Nor am I a Devil. I'm just a normal human."

"A human?" parroted Rynart in confusion, "You can't be serious Namaki-san?"

"One hundred percent human," he said curtly. Waiting for the couple to break out of their stupor, Naruto popped open another can of coffee, and patiently sipped the bitter beverage.

"A human," they muttered.

"Repeating it several times won't change the fact that I am a human nor will it magically turn me into a Devil, jus sayin."

"My husband and I were surprised that a human exhibited such a profound mastery of . . ." spoke Rosa for the first time.

"Youth," Naruto finished for her.

"Yes, a profound mastery of Youth."

"It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Naruto turned and waved, "If there's nothing else, I'll be along my merry way."

"Wait," called out Rynart, "Why not stay back for a drink?"

Naruto's feet stopped. He stood, playing with the idea, "Thank you for the offer, but I'll regrettably refuse. There isn't a liquor out there able to get me the least inebriated."

"You'll be interested to know that those of the Phenex household produce special drinks with an alcohol content of ninety percent, guaranteed to knock out casual drinks after a glass and heavyweights after two. A Phenex, normally, purges alcohol from his system before he can feel the affects. Therefore, my grandfather, a man who loved his drink, crafted our Firebrand series. The Firebrand wine has the lowest, an eighty percent, and our hard whiskey and vodka have ninety-five percent."

Naruto, grinning, appeared next to Rynart with his arm slung over the blonde man's shoulder, "What are we waiting for? Lead the way."

Naruto tasted the wine before setting the down the glass, "Man, that's the stuff."

Rosa laughed daintily, "Glad you enjoy it Namaki-san."

Rosa passed furtive glances from her husband to Naruto and back which he caught, prompting him to ask, "Is there something wrong, Lady Phenex?"

"You don't have to be so stiff," chortled Rynart, "You can use our first names, drop Lady Phenex this or Lord Phenex that. In exchange, we'll address you by your first name."

"As you say Rynart-san, while I'm not entirely comfortable with using proper titles and whatnot, I've learned that it saves me quite a bit of trouble in the long run."

The matter Rosa was hoping to bring up was soon forgotten, and they began downing glass after glass of wine. When they found it unsatisfactory, they broke out the whiskey, and had gotten slightly tipsy.

Her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, Rosa suddenly remembered, "Naruto, what do you think about my daughter, Ravel?"

Blinking, Naruto shook his head, "Ravel? She's a little rough around the edges, but she's a nice girl."

"She is a caring and thoughtful child. She expresses it differently than most people. Although, you've caught her attention."

Arching an eyebrow, he looked dubious, "Really now."

She began to elaborate, "She greatly respects her older brother Riser. She also strongly believed that it was impossible for any one to defeat him. She can be childish at times," Rosa sighed.

Naruto chuckled wryly, "Give her time Rosa-san. She may be the daughter to a prestigious clan, but she is still a teenage girl. She'll grow as she accrues life experience. My childhood is a testament to the fact."

"That is true; however, you make it sound easier said than done."

"Eh, you could try sending her to the human would and having her attend Kuou with Rias. It did Rias good, I'll bet it will do the same for Ravel. In college, students are advised to study abroad in a foreign country. They experience another culture unlike their own and expand their perceptions. Send her off to study in the human world then. The change in pace will only be beneficial for her."

Rosa looked at him strangely for a few seconds.

"Enough of that topic," proclaimed Rynart, "Let's drink! I challenge you to a contest Naruto-san."

"Bring it on yakitori," Naruto shot back.

The rest of the night became a blur as shot after shot was downed. Surprisingly, Rosa admitted to wanting to join, and the two man accommodated her request.

"Neh, Naruto-san," said a drunken Rosa, pacing Naruto shot for shot. Her husband was passed out on the couch, "You mentioned sending Ravel off to the human world. I was thinking about it. It wouldn't be too troublesome if I asked you to be her guardian would it?"

"Sure," slurred Naruto blinking several times as he saw multiple copies of Rosa, "But my shop is quite small."

"The Phenex household will use its resources to remodel your shop."

"Shake on it."

And they drank themselves until they blacked out. Just before though, Rosa summoned Ravel, and explained the situation. Ravel, while not completely happy with it, consented nonetheless. A magic circle sent them back to Naruto's shop where the gray haired man hit the floor.

Intermission

'I should get some more of the alcohol.'

Hand on the faucet, Naruto began to twist it when a sense of nausea overwhelmed him. A bubbling, twisting sensation welled up inside of him. His hands sought out the sink for comfort as he was struck by intense vertigo. Lurching forward, Naruto retched into the sink, painting the white porcelain with his blood. He recovered only to spew up another mouthful of blood. After several rounds of this, the onslaught eased up, and his symptoms were gone as quickly as they appeared.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Naruto grimaced taking in the sight festering in his sink. It was not clean by any sense of the word. Now, blood usually was red from the oxygen flowing in the veins, not a putrid black unlike the pool of blood sitting in the basin.

Naruto knew it was common to vomit after a night of hard drinking. Though, the blood leaving his mouth was particularly uncommon. And that was not because of his hangover. He had overexerted himself in his fight with Riser, since his body was stilling addressing another problem.

Naruto frowned.

Cleaning up the blood was going to be a huge hassle.

It had to be done. Ravel had enough stress to account for now, and he didn't want her to worry about this.

Locking the door, Naruto began the arduous task.

Releasing a sigh, he closed the door behind him. With his stomach grumbling from hunger, he ventured into his kitchen where he found a sandwich, covered with plastic, sitting on the table and a note next to it. Naruto read the note, a small chuckle rose from his throat.

It's not like I did it for you or anything. I had free time that's all!

His fingers picked apart the plastic. Wrapping his fingers around the sandwich, Naruto brought it up and took a bite. The lettuce nice and crisp, the tomato was juicy, and the meat was tender and succulent. As he idly ate his breakfast, he wondered where Ravel acquired such fresh ingredients when his shop only had ingredients for ramen and basic Japanese meals. His ears picked up the sound of construction which was weird since there were no projects he knew of planned for this month.

Two sharp knocks resounded from his door. Opening the door, Naruto was met with a middle aged man with short sandy hair. He was dressed appropriately in blue workers overalls, and a hard hat was slovenly stuck onto his head.

"Are you Namaki Naruto, the owner of Ichiraku?"

"Sure am."

"Great," he said in relief, "Then I'll need you to read this and sign here." The man held a clipboard out to Naruto.

Naruto took it from him, and read the papers. He zoned in especially on the words typed in fancy script, Phenex Constructions. It was a contract meant to renovate his shop by adding an expansion to the aged building.

"Do you have a pen?"

The man handed him a nice fountain pen, and Naruto signed his name on the line. The man tucked away the clipboard; he turned to the right and shouted, "Alright you guys, start working!" Turning back to Naruto, "It'll be loud for you to open shop. The Phenex Corporation offered a monetary sum to make up for any lost business. But we should be done by the middle afternoon."

Naruto, not wanting to impede on their work, quitted the store front.

Intermission

By the time he returned, Naruto almost couldn't recognize his store. Apparently, they just tore his old shop down and rebuilt it from the ground. Now, it was more than three times the size of his old one, and had a second floor where he was to sleep. He stepped inside. To right of the frame was neatly organized pile of luggage, Ravel's clothing and essentials sent from her mother. Running his hand over the black marble counter, he marveled at how smooth it was. He checked the kitchen, the tables, the chairs, the chopsticks, the bowls, the stove, and everything else in between.

They were diligent.

The chime by the door alerted Naruto to his first potential customer.

"I was wondering if you were open."

"Come in, what can I get you started on?"

"A bowl of your finest ramen."

"Take a seat, and I'll get started on your order."

A few minutes later, Naruto walked out holding a bowl of steaming ramen, and placed it before his customer.

"How can I humor the All Father who has visited my quaint, small store?"

"What? I can't come by to see how you and Mistilteinn are?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Mistilteinn has cut off the connection, but I can tell that she is on the roof, for what reason, I don't know."

"Mistilteinn has been sealed since Baldr's death. Her social skills are stunted because of this, but I have no doubt that you'll be able to break through."

Leaning on his elbows against the counter, Naruto said with his eyes closed, "What an odd pair. Mistilteinn and I."

"By the way, Naruto how is your condition?"

"Thanks to Mistilteinn, it's been better. I've been wanting to know this for awhile now, do those two know the truth?"

"No, they still hold a grudge against you."

Naruto chuckled wryly, "I wouldn't see why they wouldn't after what I did. However, I was asked to keep it a secret from them so they wouldn't blame themselves. It's fine if I bear the hatred, sorta been doing that since my birth. But hey, I mean compared to what I have on my person, it's nothing."

"When you appeared before me on that day, and I had Gungnir aimed at your throat poised to lob off your head; I wanted to kill you for you transgression. Boy, was I glad that I acted logically and stopped myself. The world would have ended that day consumed by that because of my rash actions."

"Don't worry about that too much," Naruto answered in an aloof manner.

The old man slurped down the rest of the soup. His bowl hit the counter emitted a clanging sound.

"Naruto, you are the only one I can ask at this point," said the man in a sober tone, "The ones that I've sent . . . I haven't been able to locate them."

Naruto urged him to continue.

"An unknown signature of magic has been detected in Niflheim. A surveillance team was sent to investigate, but they never returned. My son offered to go. He too never came back. Please, Naruto, there is no one else who can do this."

The message was clear as day. He wanted Naruto to sneak into the Niflheim. Once there, Naruto's job was to sleuth the missing team and the old man's son. Naruto could have refused, but the old man helped him in his time of need. And he had never seen the geezer in a saddened state as this.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Thank you Naruto. Sadly, you'll have to wait until the summer to enter. The balance between the worlds has been unstable as of late. We've predicted it will stabilize around then."

"That will give me time to prepare which is good. However, by then who knows what could have happened."

"I'm aware of that Naruto. I, I want to know what happened."

"Even if they're dead?"

"Yes. If they're dead then I wish that you . . ."

Intermission

In no hurry, Naruto followed the haze in the depths of his soul, feeling the connection he had with Mistilteinn. Climbing the stairs to the second floor, he opened the window, and climbed out onto the rooftop through the frame.

A light wind hit his face. His sight was turned to the turning sky. In his mind, he vaguely remembered that Ravel would be home for dinner due to club activities with Rias.

He wasn't here the stare vacantly at the scenery.

An azure colored person was sitting on the edge of the roof. Azure hair, azure dress as well as azure eyes. Her hair was fluttering in the wind. She looked lonely sitting there by herself. Strangely, there was a bag next to her filled to the brim with bright, red apples. The only source of sound on the rooftop came from the munching of apples.

Naruto trodded up to her in silence. He stopped next to her, standing.

"So this is where you've been. Wait, there was construction this morning. Where did you go then?"

*Munch*Munch*

His question went unanswered.

"You have a lot of apples. Mind if I take on-"

The azure haired girl picked up the paper bag and took distance from him.

"I don't happen to be telepathy. I know I can be hard headed and stubborn, but I can't apologize if I don't know what happened."

*Munch*Crunch*

"Hey, don't eat the cores as well," Naruto said dryly. The formal name of the azure girl was Mistilteinn. Her other name was Lapis Lazuli or simply Lapis. To the Aesir she was known as Mistletoe. The same Mistletoe the Trickster Loki used to deceive Hodr into killing Baldur.

Pressured by the other Aesir, Odin's hand was forced to seal her away, and had her labeled as a dangerous Magical Heritage, which was a substance that harbored magic. Amongst the Magical Heritages, Lapis had a human form, a rarity.

That was the case until Naruto came along seeking out Lapis for her unique property. She had the Twilight Property. A powerful and unique intrinsic magic belonging to the her. With it, she could absorb and render any magic that came into contact powerless.

It even affected the progenitor of magic.

The other reason, was the contract he had with her. Continued usage of Lapis will lead to his soul assimilating with Lapis. He was placing his hopes that the contract would be enough to stem the darkness currently inhabiting his soul. Naruto knew calling it the darkness was lame, but he didn't feel like being creative with its naming.

Usage of his powers would exacerbate the darkness. Otherwise, Naruto worked slowly and diligently to purge the darkness from his soul. Only he was qualified to bear the burden as he did before in another time.

However, his condition went critical two hundred years ago. If the darkness consumed him or he lost control, it will not stop until it devoured everything. In the end, there will be an empty void.

His only option left was to form the contract with Lapis, and enter a two year slumber to fuse their souls. In the end it was only a partial fusion. Nonetheless, Naruto purified part of the darkness.

Naruto kept calling it the darkness. The truth was it was the core of Trihexa which also went by the name of Apocalyptic Beast. It was a monster made of pure, unadulterated hatred. If Great Red was an existence with the power of dreams, and was born from the illusion of dreams then Trihexa was Great Red's opposite.

How Naruto had the core was for another time.

"When the stomach is full depression subsides."

Speaking her first words, Lapis stopped eating the apple for a moment.

'Depressed huh, that means I did something to upset her.'

"I hurt you."

It was a terse statement.

"Hurt . . . there are no confirmed scratches on the blade, so you don't have to worry."

Though her intonation was flat and lifeless as ever, there was an undertone of rejection in her words.

"You are quite obstinate. I would be calling the kettle black, in that sense we're both idiots."

"There is not further need, after all you aren't my host."

He frowned, "I don't think I understand."

"It is just I said. You let go of me. That's all."

"When did I . . ."

It was when Naruto tossed Lapis to the side and fought Riser fisticuffs style.

"I didn't have any intention of discarding it. I was caught up in the flow of the battle."

"I don't blame you. It merely means that I was not worthy of as an instrument to fulfill your wish."

Lapis thought of his actions of abandonment. However, her words about her being an instrument didn't stick with him. It reminded him eerily of the White, whose beliefs become the foundation for his.

He moved to stand on the edge of the roof, "Lapis you are not an instrument, you are not a tool. You are my partner. And as your partner, I apologize for being a bad one. I should not have let go of you. I'm sorry. Can you give this idiot a second chance?"

Without responding, Lapis started to eat another apple.

"It's fine if you don't answer now. I know that you are a Magical Heritage. You are my comrade, my partner."

Lapis moved the apple away from her mouth, wrapping it with both of her hands, and looked into the distance.

"I don't understand how you can be so determined."

"I'll tell you what I told someone else, 'You can give up on trying to make me give up.'"

Naruto dropped to a crouch, "Is it wrong for me to want to us to understand each other?"

He leapt off the roof leaving Lapis, alone, to her thoughts.

"How was school BiriBiri-chan."

"Did you jump off the roof- Wait! BiriBiri? What kind of name is that?"

"You're right. You can't control electricity . . . How about ByuuByuu or MeraMera. No, they aren't cute enough."

"I have a name, in case you forgot Namaki-san."

"I guess Ravel-chan will have to do. Thanks for the sandwich, it was delicious."

Ravel felt her cheeks grow warm with the praise.

"While you were at school, your parents had my shop remodeled. Let's get you settled in."

I'm pretty sure my character interactions felt weird. It's a work in progress. A long work in progress. My character development is about par with my character interactions.

My norm for Chapter length is around five to six thousand words. I splurged on this Chapter, and somehow wrote ten thousand words. That's a record for me.

Hope you people enjoyed the chapter.