AN: NOTE – Alltariss –

I've read a lot of fics that include gods/goddesses into their story. Most of the time they're the usually Japanese gods from the Shinto religion. The manga/anime of Naruto vaguely makes references to other nations and cultures and then never touches upon the subject ever again. This is made even worse since you see some of these foreigners in either a movie, or game, or filler episodes.

The NarutoVerse I created not only has the nation that Naruto and friends live in, but also a variety of other nations that were created to give those foreign characters a place to come from and some context to their behaviour and differences .

For example, where did all the characters that are of African descent come from? And why are they all situated in Kumo? And what about the guys that appeared in the second Naruto Movie "Legend of the Stone of Gelel" who wore Western styled armour? Where did they come from?

Masashi Kishimoto has never answered any of these questions as far as I am aware. I haven't found the answers in the manga, anime, or even the databooks. Thus, I created the context for their existence.

On the topic of religion, since there are multiple nations and varying cultures, I included more than just the standard Shinto gods and created a method by which they can function together. Without starting some sort of religious world war. All of this ties into the mechanics of the Verse and its fabric of reality.

VERY IMPORTANT!

This chapter makes references to the Multiverse Theory and as such the deities tend to behave in a somewhat modern fashion.

Chapter 6

Devil Design

The fluted walls of the room were decorated with a repeating triskelion pattern. An imagery that was made by the equally repeating pattern of tomoe's in sets of three. The entire left side of the wall was covered by shelves of books, each volume decorated beautifully with gold letter engravings. Opposite was the fireplace which was currently providing the room with warmth of both temperature and lighting. Around the fire were a set of six chairs placed in a semicircle with equal distance between them.

"So what are your thoughts regarding this issue?" Lucifer asked his guests.

He had gathered them all together for the purpose of forging an alliance. He had their friendship, but an alliance was an official pact that would ensure that he would have backup no matter what.

Alto needs this. He survived with minimal assistance for now, but this is when the game really begins. No restarts or extra lives to be found here. If he dies he'll have to pay the price.

"How do we know that the man's master isn't just saying he'll conquer our realms as a figure of speech? He could simply want to assert himself as a conqueror of gods by making himself more powerful than us in the minds of the populace."

He turned to the woman and quickly replied. "Quite simple milady, I've met his master and he's a god just like us."

She paused and appeared in thought for a moment. Carefully considering his words, as in her opinion they held weight. In the end she nodded and waited for the others to answer the Devil's question.

Lucifer admired her constant questioning and evaluation of him. It proved to him that she took him seriously as not just an equal in terms of gods, but also as a friend and confidant.

Not to mention that she's easy on the eyes. That's always a plus in my book!

She was slim, but her hips were round and her legs had somewhat of a soft line to them. There was something voluptuous about her, like if she let herself go she would get fat. Her face clearly showed her Indian heritage as did her coffee skin, with a nose that broke high which went with the way she held herself. Her eyes were big, black, but levelled out straight which made them have a kind of sleepy, impudent look to them. Her lips were full and lipstick applied to them.

"Keep looking at me like that and Shiva will get pissed again," she said, adjusting the sari* she wore.

Lucifer laughed. "Like he did when I painted him red? Come on Kālī *, watching him rage so easily is greatly amusing."

Kālī shook her head and sighed.

How you survived his wrath I'll never know.

"If he is a god like us then we can't move against him simply because he proclaims to one day overthrow us," said the man next to Kālī.

He was heavy built, something that could easily be seen as he was apparently wearing a shirt that was one size small. His chiselled face bore a grim expression. The wavy locks of his beard were outclassed by his medusa–like hair, with wild and thick locks. The charcoal colour of his curls made his milk-white skin seem even lighter.

"Until he actively makes a move against us we can't do much. He has to strike the first blow."

Kālī nodded in agreement. "Hades* is right. The law is clear when it comes to such things."

"Unless we trick him into striking first," Loki* said, sitting next to the empty sixth seat.

Loki was trim figured, wearing a dark grey tailor-made suit. Sharp-featured, light-complexioned, and clean-shaven as always, his lips wore a smirk of dark mischief. He looked to the others whilst casually playing with a small strand of his hair which was slicked back.

"I'd prefer if we didn't have to kill some no-name god who probably has only a handful of patrons."

Loki pouted good-naturedly. "Why must you always ruin my fun, Apep?*"

Loki was as usual the laidback sort that preferred to delegate tasks to those under his influence. This includes a multitude of champions under his authority that each cause mischief with his blessing.

"Because Lucifer refuses to reign in your immaturity, even worse, he joins you on your mischief making."

Apep was of a sinewy build that was hidden beneath his loose hoodie. Clean-cut face with a five-o'clock shadow that blended with his copper skin, he seemed to be a mixture of youth and ruggedness.

He turned to Lucifer. "You showed us this particular memory and have spoken at length of this god's motives and plans, but we can't actively conspire against him without proof."

Lucifer nodded in agreement. "I understand your reasoning, and I agree with you."

All his guests turned to him with wide eyes.

"But you've spent all this time trying to convince us to declare war," Kālī said.

"I had to make sure that you all were at least considering the idea and realised its significance," Lucifer replied. "I'm very well aware of our own laws when it comes to declaring war, which is why I'll be showing you the proof required tonight."

Kālī leaned forward in anticipation. "So I'll finally get to know who our mysterious guest is." She gestured to the empty seat.

"Yes, I've been wondering about that myself," Hades said.

Lucifer chuckled. "I'm surprised you'd say that considering you know him very well."

"Hades, how could you? You've been in cahoots with Lucy this entire time!" Loki exclaimed.

Hades turned to the Norse god in comical confusion. "Huh? What, I don't who he's talking about."

"Let me give you a hint," Lucifer said, with a devilish smirk. "Time."

All of the gods thought about his words. Each one wondering who it could be, but only Hades figured it out. His face paled as snow as he realised exactly who the Devil was referring to.

"Fuck me," Hades moaned, his head in his hands.

"I believe that's Persephone's* job."

They all turned to see the mystery guest.

He had a robust body which was surprising since he looked quite old. Weathered and rough faced, his grey hair was mostly straight with only a few broad curls.

Lucifer rose to greet him and the two shook hands. "It is good to see you again, Cronus*."

Hades simply sat with his head in his hands, unable to believe what was occurring.

"Cronus? Isn't he supposed to be locked away?" Kālī questioned, looking to Hades.

"Ha! My sons are strong, but they're billions of years away from outsmarting me."

Cronus took his seat next to Loki. His face seemed to have a permanent smile as he observed his son's embarrassment. Loki was laughing aloud at Hades, Apep was shaking his head at this latest debacle, and Kālī was as usual simply curious.

"How long were you out of your prison?" Kālī asked.

Cronus stroked his beard in thought for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure. I never knew how time flowed in Tatarus, but I know it wasn't very long. I've been out for quite a while."

He looked to Hades and smirked. "I do know for sure that Hades was well aware of my escape."

Loki laughed outrageously, banging the arms of his chair before attempting to speak. "By the All-Father! You never told your brothers about his escape? How have you kept this hidden all this time?"

Lucifer was the one to answer that question. "He couldn't because then they'd think that Tatarus is an ineffective place to keep the damned. And Zeus is known to be unforgiving when handing out punishments."

Hades lifted his head and slammed his palms on the arms of his chair. "I had no choice! I told them that Tatarus couldn't hold our father, but would they listen? No!"

He waved his arms in a grandiose gesture. "I'm the King of Olympus, I can never be wrong! I'm the Lord of all Waters, none is greater than I!"

He sank back down further into his chair and heaved a great sigh. "I knew that father would break out eventually. Mother told us as such, but since when has either of my brothers ever listened to reason?"

Cronus gave a sympathetic look towards his son. "To be honest it wasn't your fault that Tatarus couldn't hold me. As far as I know it's a great place to keep the damned, but not so good for those who stand on equal grounds to gods."

Apep clapped his hands, gathering the attention of everyone. "If we can get back to the issue at present that would probably be best."

Lucifer nodded and turned to Cronus. "I spoke at length about our problem and Cronus here has the proof needed to appease the laws."

The room quieted as they all waited for the answers they sought for. The titan of time leaned forward to continue where Lucifer left off.

"The god's name is Chaos, and I know that it sounds as if he's just like any other low level cult-born god. Except that he has somehow got his hands on the Words."

The group of gods each reeled back in shock. Loki looked serious as opposed to his usual jovial self. The Norse trickster immediately responded.

"If that's the case then we should eliminate him. It's one thing for a popular god to gain power, and then obtain the Words. In Lucifer's case he had plenty of power, but had to be accepted into the higher echelons of the hierarchy before he could obtain the right to wield Words. It's not a good thing if they're only an obscure god who can't handle the power of the Words."

"Exactly," Apep agreed. "If a person who isn't strong enough to wield the Words then he could wipe out entire universes at a time."

Cronus clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. He looked at each one of them as if to ascertain their capabilities.

"This isn't going to be easy," he said. "I have observed him personally and have come to the conclusion that he intends to destroy the True-Verse."

"Is he insane?!" Hades exclaimed. "Doing that would wipe out all of the universes. It would kill us all!"

"We should inform the rest of the hierarchy. Surely they would assist us in destroying him."

Kālī elicited a negative response from Lucifer.

"They won't do anything," he replied through gritted teeth. "They'll never accept the words of Cronus, and you can be sure that Zeus will care more about his father being free than a god trying to kill us all."

Kālī crossed her arms in frustration and huffed. "Why wouldn't they? This isn't something that anyone would make a joke about, or worse, cry wolf."

"It's because Chaos has covered all his tracks hasn't he?"

Everyone looked to Apep. He was speaking directly to Cronus who looked anywhere except at them.

"Exactly how do you know for sure that this Chaos guy is going to attack the True-Verse?"

The titan leaned back and sighed tiredly. "I tricked him into thinking I was an ally."

Loki snapped his fingers and had an expression of realisation.

"Of course! As a person who escaped Tatarus and was sent there by his own children, Chaos would think you'd do anything to get revenge."

Then the Norse god had a look of bewilderment.

"Although I'm surprised that Chaos would be stupid enough to actually believe that you would assist him in a plan that would result in your own death."

Cronus gave a derisive snort. "If there's one thing I know from watching him, it's that he lacks any normal methods of thinking. He's insane, but that simply means he won't conform to normal behaviour patterns."

Lucifer nodded. "And because of that he tends to make mistakes, and those mistakes are what we can use to our advantage."

"How so?" Kālī asked.

Lucifer opened his mouth to answer but Cronus beat him to it.

"He tried to use the Words but nearly ended up killing himself so he isn't eager to try it again. Instead he's causing chaos by using champions to wreck world after world, in verse after verse."

"So essentially living up to his name?" Apep asked.

"Pretty much," Cronus replied.

Lucifer cleared his throat, gathering their attention. "Which is why I've chosen a champion to attack his own agents in various worlds. My champion will need help not in the form of other champions, but rather support from all of you, to help guide him on his quest."

All of the gods were surprised by this startling news. It was well known amongst them that Lucifer preferred to do things personally. Proof of this was his 'Faustian Bargains' that he makes with mortals for amusement. This was the first instance that Lucifer had ever chosen a champion.

"And who exactly is this lucky individual whom you've selected?" Kālī asked with great enthusiasm.

He actually decided to get a champion. After all these years of Loki and I pestering him to find one.

"His name is Alltariss although he prefers to be called Alto," Lucifer answered, hoping that they wouldn't ask any more questions.

Unfortunately for the Devil, Kālī could sense his apprehension and continued with her line of questioning.

"What exactly makes him so special that you chose him? You've always avoided champions like the plague and now you just suddenly decide to get one? I'm not buying it."

Lucifer licked his lips nervously as he answered. "He was simply one of the demons I created a long while back, nothing really exceptional."

"Bullshit," Loki sang mockingly. "You did something didn't you? Something to make this Alto fellow more to your liking."

Loki's question made him gulp audibly.

"You may as well come clean, Lucifer. Hiding the truth will only make things worse," Cronus suggested.

Lucifer clenched his hands into fists, his eyes focused on the floor.

"Fine," he relented. "I shared my blood with the boy."

The following silence was thunderously loud to him. He felt as if time suddenly stretched itself, making each second elongate into years.

Apep was the first to find their voice. "You…actually did that? It would make the boy connected to you, even after death until you decide to take your blood back."

"I know that this crisis is more important than anything we've faced before, but to share blood is a bond that one makes after much consideration is taken." Kālī whispered.

She was worried for Lucifer. She knew very well how he acts in both public and private. Lucifer was the type of person who would pursue a goal with an unshakable faith in himself, and would go to lengths others would shy away from. To share blood with a mortal is to create a bond much alike the one shared between a god and their children. Specifically the bond between a demigod and the god parent, their lives would be entwined for as long as the bond held.

"The bond has had some unforseen effects on Alto," Lucifer continued, tentatively. "He looks like me and shares some of the same qualities."

"That isn't supposed to happen," Loki said, looking perplexed. "The bond only establishes a connection on a spiritual level; it doesn't change anything else other than the strength of the bonded soul. The body remains untouched by the connection."

Lucifer nodded in agreement. "I suspect it's because of the previous connection that Alto and I share."

Hades mumbled to himself before speaking his theory to the group.

"The bond between the creator and created is what caused the changes. The boy was already one of your creations. There was already a bond between the two of you and the sharing of blood not only created a new bond, but also amplified the pre-existing bond."

"A sound explanation until further investigation," Kālī replied. "This is something that could alter the laws regarding champions."

"We can discuss the effects of the bond later," Cronus stated. "Right now we need to know if everyone is in agreement that Chaos has to be dealt with."

The titan waved his hand and an image of a planet appeared before them. The globe was mostly blue with large continents spread around the world. It was clear from the shape of the land masses that it was not Earth.

"Chaos will strike at this world next," he explained. "This world doesn't appear to be any different from countless other worlds that we as gods create."

His tone and visage suddenly became serious as the image of the planet changed into a world that was nothing but scorched earth.

"What Chaos is seeking is a set of artefacts called the Cards of Fate and the Cards of Destiny."

Each of them looked confused; turning to each other hoping one of them knew what the artefacts were.

"I can assume none of you have heard of such things, which is normal judging by the look on your faces."

The image shifted and dispersed into nothingness with a wave of his hand as he continued his explanation.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret that you must never reveal to anyone without the consent of us all," he said, stressing its importance. "The artefacts aren't something that was created by any god or goddess that we know of or recorded in the archives. They're objects that are apparently older then the True-Verse."

Kālī laughed derisively. "An impossibility! There was no mass before the True-Verse, therefore such a thing couldn't be possible. Even the gods of time including you have confirmed such."

Cronus nodded in agreement. "I know that," he conceded. "But these artefacts contradict that theory."

"How can you be so sure?" Kālī questioned. "The only reason anyone would believe such a thing is if… is if…"

Cronus smiled. "Is if they had one of the artefacts."

"Where is it?" Apep asked, leaning forward with a slightly eager disposition.

"I have implanted it within the boy, Alto," Cronus replied. "The boy can use the artefact as a weapon against any agents that Chaos sends against him."

"Exactly what power do the artefacts give to the person that wields them?" Loki asked. "Judging by the names I can assume that they enable one to mess around with time in some capacity."

Cronus shook his head. "I honestly have no idea, that's why I implanted them in the boy to begin with. I hope to observe him and see what they do, the last thing I want is to mess with something that could cause massive damage."

The Norse god nodded in agreement and looked to Lucifer who was looking rather peaked.

"Are you alright Lucy?" he asked.

"I'm just worried about Alto. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but…"

Lucifer didn't know what to say. Or think for that matter. He had met with Cronus on several occasions regarding Chaos, but even with all the titan's assurances that things would work out he couldn't help but worry.

"Ah yes," Loki said, knowingly. "I'd forgotten what it felt like when you first get a champion. You feel so attached to them."

He smiled at him reassuringly. "Relax, it's normal to feel the way you do."

"So what is this world that the boy is going to?" Apep asked.

Cronus adjusted himself in his chair taking a more relaxed posture.

"It's a strange world. I've never quite seen one like it," he started. "It's a world that has a blend of old and new. I'm not sure who created it, but I think it's a naturally generated world."

"Really?" Hades exclaimed. "Those are not common, but neither rare. And you're sure the artefacts are in that world?"

His father nodded. "I'm certain of it. I believe that these artefacts are all located on natural generated worlds. The pieces that I found were located only on those types of worlds."

"Pieces?" Kālī asked. "Exactly how many pieces of these artefacts are there?"

Cronus shrugged his shoulders in response. "Unknown, but we can't afford to let Chaos get his hands on them. No matter the cost."

Kālī, Loki, Apep, and Hades left Lucifer's house to return to their respective homes. The Devil returned to his library and collapsed into his chair exhausted.

"Did we do the right thing?" he asked.

"They can't know the real details," Cronus answered. "Do you really expect me to tell Hades that I'm not really his father, that I'm just using his body as a vessel?"

"No, I suppose not." Lucifer sighed. "Now about the world I just sent Alto to…"

"I created it." Cronus replied.

"Just like that?" Lucifer questioned, giving him a sceptical look. "You didn't happen to base it on something? Every god bases the worlds they create on something. Most of the time it's based around some simple concept."

The titan remained silent and preferred to look anywhere except at the Devil.

"I know you spent a lot of time collecting all sorts of things from the True-Verse."

Cronus relented with slack shoulders and gave in to his friend's interrogation.

"I've been reading a lot of manga lately and I thought I would create a world based on one."

Lucifer blinked, and blinked again.

"Are you telling me that you built an entire world based on some manga a person made in the True-Verse?"

Cronus nodded. "We can't let Chaos mess around with worlds that the other gods built, because their worlds are built for worship. If he destroys those worlds it would weaken the gods substantially."

He walked towards the seat closest to the fireplace and sat down.

"So what is this manga that you built this world based on?"

He snapped his fingers and summoned a small book. He tossed to Lucifer and leaned back into his chair.

"Naruto, a world of ninjas and Chakra?"" Lucifer pondered. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

He closed his eyes and focused his mind to scour the True-verse for all details about the manga, utilising the power held within the Words. The information was slightly disturbing to him.

The Devil gave a look of disbelief. "You have way too much time on your hands if this is what you read from the True-Verse. Please tell me that this world based on the manga isn't exactly like the book."

Cronus looked affronted. "I'll have you know that the manga is quite cool. You'd be surprised by what the humans can come up with. They no longer believe in god like they used too, but their imagination is top-notch. It's perfect for people like us because we actually have the power to bring these worlds to life."

Lucifer was less than pleased. "A world in which a traitor is never held accountable for his crimes? Where he is simply forgiven because he said sorry? A world where people can really be that stupid? Or clueless? It's a tale meant for kids, where everything is black and white. It's a fucking mess!"

"Relax," Cronus pleaded, raising his hands in surrender. "I didn't create the world exactly as it's depicted in the book. I altered it to make it far more real. After all we're dealing with real souls, who need a world in which there is no black or white, but an infinite shade of grey."

Lucifer took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.

"You better hope this works or we're in deep shit. I won't let my champion turn into an idiot incapable of killing someone, because it's not family friendly. And did you even consider that Alto will bond with these characters?"

Cronus scratched his head. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

Lucifer wanted to bang his head against the wall.

"Alto will learn to care for these people, even love them. At some point he may bond with them, binding their destiny together."

"I fail to see what's exactly bad with that," the titan replied, still confused.

"Let's assume he bonds with this Naruto kid," Lucifer started. "Eventually we would reveal ourselves to Alto and Naruto and enlist their help against Chaos. By allowing them to know that they are agents of gods, they can perform their duties for us much better. But…"

He raised a hand to his forehead to stem the impending headache.

"How do you explain to Naruto that he's actually a character from some manga a guy wrote? That his existence not natural, that him and his entire Verse is a fabrication. A result of a god who had far too much time on his hands. That unlike everyone else, he was never real to begin with."

Cronus blinked a few times with wide eyes, before his jaw dropped in shock.

"Shit…"

Explanations for Japanese culture and certain ideas/concepts that I have used, as well as words/terms/names used.

Sari – A sari or shari, is an Indian and Bangladeshi female garment that consists of drape varying from two to nine yards in length and two to four feet in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff. There are a LOT of different styles of sari and some are worn in specific circumstances.

Kālī – Kālī, also known as Kālikā, is a Hindu goddess. Kālī is the Goddess of Time and Change. She is sometimes depicted as dark and violent, in some cases as a figure of annihilation of evil forces.

Hades – Hades is the ancient Greek god of the underworld. According to myth, he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated the Titans and claimed rulership over the cosmos, ruling the underworld, air, and sea, respectively.

Loki – In Norse mythology, Loki, is a god or Jötunn (or both). Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr.

Apep – Apep or Apophis is depicted as an evil god in ancient Egyptian religion. Often depicted as a snake/serpent and a dragon, and as the deification of darkness and chaos.

Persephone – In Greek mythology, Persephone, is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld. Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld.

Cronus – In the most classic and well known version of Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son Zeus and imprisoned in Tartarus.