The Legacy of the Most Unpredictable Ninja

by RekkingPride

After checking up on a strange rift in space and time, Naruto ended up in a foreign land where new allies and enemies await. However, his wish to bring peace to his home still resonated...so he will do everything he can to return home, no matter what! 3 Crossovers mixed right, with a 4th on the way. A new narrative with believable characters! Strong!Naruto and mostly in-character!

38. Chapter 38

AN: Alright, another OST suggestion since the feedback I got was positive. Look up;

naruto ultimate ninja heroes 2 light and retrospect theme

Of course, wait for the sign below to use it. Until then, enjoy! :3

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Maria stared curiously ahead when she heard Yuki-san say something to the person that opened the door to the ORC building, not really paying attention until then.

After all of this time, she was still carrying Yuki-san's childhood friend around, leaving her arms both; occupied and a little tired. So she could be forgiven for not really noticing the atmosphere.

That changed as soon as she heard her socially awkward friend speak again.

"Oops."

'Oops'? 'Oops'? What the hell did she mean by that?

Her questions would have to wait however, as the cloaked women in front of her were tensing up in response to something that the succubus didn't catch, leaving her befuddled.

The succubus shuffled closer, about to ask what was up, until it was answered in a roundabout manner before she even got a chance.

"...Fallen angel? Did you just say...that this woman was a fallen angel?" Xenovia demanded, her hand slowly inching towards the cross-like object that was wrapped on her back.

The black-haired woman that opened the door for them took a step back from the entrance, newly wary of the visitors. "...Yeah, she did say that. What's it to you?"

Both cloaked women glanced at one another, neither looking particularly pleased by these turn of events.

When the two cloaked individuals went silent, another voice popped into the conversation, very much confused if their tone of voice was to be believed. "Raynare-san? I heard voices while inside, is there someone outside...?"

Shortly afterwards, Rias and Sona joined the fallen angel at the doorway, both quickly wising up to the fact that their seemed to be something of a standoff going on.

Though the red-head among them quickly forgot about that as she looked past the newcomers to see two familiar faces.

"...Yuki-san! Maria-san! You guys are back!" Rias exclaimed, her blue-green eyes wide, before she gasped in realization. "Wait! If you two are here...then that means that...!"

Yuki watched as the high-class devil began to scan the area around them with her eyes, obviously searching for someone.

It took her a moment to realize who, and it made her frown.

"Excuse me, Rias-san...are you looking for Naruto?" the hero questioned, making sure to keep an eye on their...'guests', uncomfortable with their strange behavior.

"Yeah, where is he, did he head home already?" the Gremory heiress asked earnestly, genuinely feeling comforted by the fact that the young man has made it back to her- them.

The female human looked at her apologetically, shaking her head slowly. "Sorry, Rias-san, but Naruto split off from us to...meet with someone, it was personal business, so we didn't travel back home together."

Just like that, the red-head's earnest expression slipped off of her face, deflating. "Ah...I see, well, at least you guy returned alright..."

Rias suddenly cut herself off, looking at the returned females closely, recognizing something.

Yuki, while standing tall, had a cast covering one of her arms.

While Maria had some bandages that were wrapped around her body, her stomach specifically.

"...Looks like you guys had it rough yourselves, huh?" she couldn't help but note, her wry smile obvious.

"You could say that." Yuki replied evenly, not really wanting to get into the details. "That being said, is Asia-san here? We could really use her abilities right now, as you can see."

"Yes, of course, but she isn't here right now unfortunately." Rias responded, eyeing their injuries, before she noticed that Maria was carrying something...no...someone on her back. "Hey, who's that-?"

"Rias Gremory."

All eyes turned to look at the female with short blue hair, with that weird green fringe on it, as she openly glared at the Gremory heiress. "Yuki-san here...she called you 'Rias', did she not? And your appearance matches well with the general description that we have, so you must be one of the owner of this territory...correct?"

Everyone there refocused back on the new faces among them, the red-head in particular focusing on the one with the wrapped...cross-like object on her back, getting a tingling feeling as she chanced a glance at it. "...Yes, I am Rias Gremory."

Xenovia nodded once she received her answer, right as her partner decided to take the chance to pipe up. "Umm...if you're Rias Gremory, then that must mean that you're Sona Sitri, right?"

Sona blinked as the girl with chestnut-colored hair pointed at her, inclining her head just a bit to give an affirmation.

That very female; Irina, turned to her comrade and shot her a quizzical look.

Xenovia dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement, turning to the devils and the fallen angel with a grim expression. "Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, the both of us have initially come here in order to inform you about a certain incident in the Church...but it seems that that is no longer necessary."

The Sitri heiress narrowed her eyes, remaining on guard as she regarded the two. "So...you two were sent by the Church then? That means that you are Church agents...probably exorcists at that. Well then, I think that I speak for all of us when I say that I'm very interested in hearing about what you have to say."

Irina flashed a shaky smile, scratching her cheek in a nervous gesture. "Ah, well...about that..."

The -possible- exorcist of the Church hesitated before she finished her sentence, grasping for words most likely.

Her partner did not have such reservations. "Why would we converse with devils that have already begun to collude with fallen angels? Especially now of all times..."

"...Collude?" Rias echoed doubtfully, not really understanding. "We aren't conniving together or anything of the sort, you do realize that, don't you?"

"Oh really? That sounds awfully convenient when one considers how beneficial it would be for devils and fallen angels to get rid of the Excalibur swords...they are holy blades after all." Xenovia countered, her countenance heating up. "Especially when they have been last seen in this area."

Even before the exorcist finished speaking, Rias' expression darkened at the charge laid against her. "...Are you implying that you suspect that we're a part of a rogue fallen angel's foolish plot?"

At this point, the human female raised her chin a fraction, challenging. "Depends, does the shoe fit?"

The Gremory heiress' eyes slowly shifted in color soon afterwards, dark miasma coloring her blue-green orbs crimson as she glowered at the young woman.

It was one thing for her to be suspicious, it was another thing entirely to declare that she was, without a shadow of a doubt, a part of this lunacy.

For the other woman to so thoroughly disregard her and simply place her in the 'enemy' category, especially so soon after her Peerage was just sent through the grinder, truly put her at the boiling point.

Though, to the young Church agent, her reaction was nothing more than further proof that she was guilty. "...If it really is the case that you devils are standing with the fallen angels on this matter...then I suppose..."

Xenovia swiftly brought her hand to the wrapped cross-like object on her back, gripping it with experienced hands and tugging it from it's place, bringing it to bare.

All of the devils in the area flinched, hard, as the 'cross' was pointed at the high-class devils, the wrappings slowly slipping from it as she held it with both hands on it's long handle.

"...We may as well get rid of all of you." Xenovia finished, meaning every word of it as the last wrappings on her 'cross' slipped away from it.

Everyone's eyes focused on the 'cross', which revealed itself to be nothing less than a massive blade which was, at least, about as big as the woman herself.

It was a bronze-colored broadsword which had three tips at it's edge, almost like a 'w', with axe-like hand guards near it's grip, giving it the air of power and prestige that only an ancient sword could achieve.

But, more than that, was the very real danger that the large sword was emanating from it's very presence, making every individual that had an ounce of devil blood within them feel like they were looking at their natural predator, so to speak.

"That sword..." Sona managed to force through the lump in her throat, aiming for a brave front. "That's...one of them, isn't it?"

Xenovia's dark yellow eyes slid to the teenaged devil, a modicum of grudging respect. "Very good, devil. You've figured it out. Yes, this is one of the Excalibur fragments that you and the fallen angels have not been able to steal. I'm sure you know what it is, but this is the Excalibur Destruction, the most powerful of all of the pieces of the legendary blade...and we'll be taking them all back with it. And you won't be able to-"

The exorcist suddenly cut herself off, as she felt the very faint, yet very much noticeable, sharp edge of a blade right up against her neck.

"...Xenovia-san, we haven't known each other for very long, for an extremely short amount of time to be specific." Yuki stated, keeping her katana right at her acquaintance's neck, keeping her still. "But, despite that, I'm not just stopping you here because I want to help out Rias-san and Sona-san...but I also want to make sure that you don't get yourself killed as well."

Alarmed by this sudden shift in events, Irina prepared to attack the hero, ready to utilize her weapon as well.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." a certain succubus dryly suggested behind her, her balled fist lightly tapping her lower back in warning. "It isn't a smart idea right now."

The normally happy-go-lucky teen choked on air when she realized that she was flanked. "O-Oh...well, this isn't looking too good..."

Her partner couldn't help but agree as she felt the cold and hard steel of the katana on her neck, giving her the chills. "...I didn't expect that you were a combatant yourself, Yuki-san. More than that, I thought that you were just a normal human...?"

"I'm human." Yuki replied bluntly. "But I'm definitely not a 'normal' one, as I'm fully aware of the supernatural world...and more than that, I'm ostensibly allied with the devils that you've just threatened. I apologize for deceiving you."

Xenovia tilted her head a bit to the side, just enough to look at the other human through the side of her eye, a bitter smile on her face. "...So you were lying when you claimed that you were just 'reading' about devils? I must admit, I was completely fooled..."

Maria wanted to retort that moment that the blue-haired human literally had no reason to believe in Yuki-san's obvious lie, but decided to stay quiet instead.

"...Before, you claimed that you not only wanted to help the devils, but you also wanted to help me by not getting myself killed..." the blue-haired Church agent began, tightening her grip on her piece of the legendary Excalibur. "But how do you know that I'll die trying to defeat them? I'm the one with the powerful weapon, one that can destroy high-class devils with one clean swipe. So how can I be in danger?"

The hero with light blue hair didn't really respond verbally, choosing instead to raise her head to the sky above them.

Frowning, Xenovia followed her line of sight, feeling her stomach fall at what she saw.

A large yellow magic circle was hanging right above their heads, it's formation obviously charged to a powerful extent by someone.

And right next to it, were two women hanging in the air with their devil wings out, firm in expression as they glared at the two who threatened their kings.

"Akeno...Tsubaki-san..." Rias breathed, impressed that they prepared such an attack overhead without their notice, so engrossed they were in what was happening on the ground.

Xenovia gulped slightly, recognizing that she and Irina were outplayed.

"...Like I said, I was saving you from yourself." Yuki stated with nary a doubt in her voice. "Now...please calm down, would you?"

Dark yellow eyes shifted back to the other human female, a little bit of her obstinate attitude remaining in her.

But that bit of her slowly died down, and with it, so came the Excalibur Destruction, which was lowered to the ground in a non-threatening manner.

Seeing this, Irina followed her lead by lowering her arms, not exactly as eager for a fight as her anyway.

"...Thank you." Yuki eventually remarked, actually a little grateful that the two agents did as she asked, before turning to the high-class devils. "Well...what do you two want to do with them?"

Rias and Sona shared a look with one another, saying nothing, yet exchanging volumes by sight alone, such was how well they knew each other.

After a few tense seconds, Sona broke away from their silent conversation in order to confront the two Church-aligned humans, serious. "...You two were sent by the Church in order to retrieve the stolen fragments of Excalibur, am I correct?"

"Hm? You're still pretending that you devils aren't in cahoots with the fallen angels?" Xenovia murmured in disbelief, shaking her head. "I mean, do you really expect us to believe your words after clearly seeing you devils meet with a fallen angel?"

The Sitri heiress completely ignored the exorcist's biting response, staying on topic. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. So tell me; if you were so intent on speaking with us to inform us about the Church's situation, why didn't you contact us beforehand to set up a meeting? Surely that's standard operating procedure, even in the Church."

This time, it was Irina who answered before her partner could, trying not to anger the ones that literally had their lives in their hands. "Well...that's the thing. We tried to contact you two yesterday when we arrived in Japan, but you never answered our calls..."

Sona straightened her back, remembering what both of the high-class devils were doing yesterday.

Searching for a certain knight throughout Kuoh Town with their Peerages in tow.

So their story actually checked out, as she was too busy to even think about checking for recent unknown calls from Church agents.

"One more question." the high-class devil pushed resolutely, violet eyes narrowed. "If we actually managed to speak to one another cordially instead of throwing fists at one another off of the bat, what would you have wanted us to do in terms of your mission objective?"

"To stay out of our way." Xenovia answered without rancor, not giving the other agent a chance to sugarcoat it. "We don't trust devils, and we figured that you wouldn't trust us either, so working independently without clashing was the best we could hope and aim for. That's all."

Then she snorted, turning away from her. "Not that it matters anymore..."

Sona set her lips in a fine line, eyes introspective, and then twisted her body so that she could face her fellow high-class devil. "Well, you heard them, so what do you want to do, Rias?"

Rias jerked slightly, not expecting that at all. "Wait, you want me to make the final call?"

"In the end, you're the owner of this territory." her glasses-wearing friend reasoned easily enough, shrugging almost casually. "So I supposed that you should be the one to finish this, it's only fair."

The Gremory heiress wasn't sure how she felt about that line of reasoning, but acquiesced easily enough.

Waking up to the two exorcists slowly, she considered her options.

No matter what she, or anyone else said for that matter, she had no doubt that the exorcists would not believe their claims that they were not a part of Kokabiel's little conspiracy.

They would remain hostile, and having hostile individuals running around unmolested was, very simply put, a disaster just waiting to happen.

But it wasn't like she wanted them dead or anything, so perhaps she should just kick them out of the area?

...Yes, that was probably the best thing to do, before violence broke out, it was best to get them out of the area before a life-and-death battle took place between the two groups.

And she didn't have to be a genius to realize that the optics of the imouto of a Maou harming or killing agents sent by the Church, while they held a Excalibur fragment, would send the exact wrong message to their faction.

So, with her mind made up, Rias opened her mouth to give her answer...

But those very words died in her throat, as a memory flitted through her mind's eye roughly at that moment, reminding her of something important.

Words said a while ago, accompanied by a confident grin, and blue eyes that spoke of wry altruism as they locked with her own.

The young man that wanted to promote something that seemed impossible.

"...Rias? Are you alright?" Sona questioned, quickly noticing how distracted her friend seemed to be acting.

Blue-green eyes returned back to earth, a sardonic glint in her orbs as she refocused on the other high-class devil. "Nothing really, just remembering something that a certain unpredictable teenager told me once...and that I promised that I would back his goal. That's all."

The Sitri heiress raised a single brow in interest as she watched the red-head move past her to speak to the exorcist on the floor.

When she reached the two Church agents, she began to seriously wonder to herself whether her choice was wise...or completely stupid.

Probably the latter.

"You two..." Rias began slowly, picking her words carefully. "Your objective, in the end, is just to focus on getting back the fragments of Excalibur, correct? Then...is it possible for both of our groups to simply forget about this little episode and split off from here? Without clashing?"

Xenovia scrunched her own eyebrows together, analyzing the devil's features for the truth. "...You'd just let us go if we leave each other alone? So easily? And you expect us to believe that...?"

"Believe what you want, but I don't really wish to start a war over such a stupid misunderstanding." Rias retorted sharply, firm. "More than that, I vowed that I was going to help a friend of mine with a goal of his...and starting a battle with exorcists would impede that...a lot."

Irina's eyes widened as she heard the devil's reasoning. "So, basically, you'd let us go for a friend's sake? Wow, that's actually very...nice of you. Not very devil-like at all!"

The Gremory heiress wasn't sure how she should respond to that, so she just let the comment pass. "So? Will you go in peace?"

Xenovia searched through her enemy's blue-green eyes, still trying to find any semblance of deceit or treachery, as she would expect from a devil.

She found none.

"...If what you're saying is the truth, and you will truly leave us unmolested...then fine." the exorcist slowly allowed, cautious, yet hopeful. "We'll stay out your way, and you'll stay out of ours. That being said, don't expect us to hide what has happened here from our superiors. We will not lie for you, Gremory-san."

"Of course." the high-class devil accepted, already aware of that.

But she was, at the very least, hopeful that this act of clemency would reflect well on them, allowing for the Church leadership to see that this was simply a misunderstanding.

Barring that, then they could at least make a case for it.

If not even that...well, then at least she tried.

"Do you have anything to input to this, Raynare-san?" Sona called out as she stood by Rias' side, turning around to face the fallen angel that has stayed quiet throughout this conversation.

Raynare, for her part, was not exactly spoiling for a fight either, so she simply shrugged her shoulders at the devil. "Not really, you two seem to have this under control. That being said, I would be lying if I claimed that I was 'ok' after they acted so rudely to me earlier. If it wasn't for the fact that I really don't want to spark a war, then I'd add that they should apologize to me while bowing for causing me so much trouble...but that's probably not gonna happen."

Both exorcists sent dull looks at the fallen angel, and thankfully, both high-class devils just flat-out decided to ignore her, much to the fallen's slight annoyance.

Rias shifted her gaze between both Yuki and Maria, nodding at the both of them so that they'd let go of both of the Church agents.

Yuki swiftly pulled her katana away from Xenovia's neck, trusting that she'd follow through with the agreement.

Maria on the other hand, hesitated for a bit, and then slowly backed up from Irina, far more cautious then her comrade.

Xenovia and Irina slowly stood up straight again, both letting out some air as they finally got out of their troublesome situation.

Especially after the two devils in the sky dispersed their demonic-powered attack, which was above their heads. Apparently managing to figure out that the standoff was over.

As soon as Akeno and Tsubaki began to descend to the ground, the exorcists were forced to regard the two kings in front of them; one with grudging respect, and one with a nervous smile.

"...I suppose that's it then." Xenovia concluded stiffly, dragging her Excalibur Destruction close to her so that she may wrap it up again. "We'll be getting out of your hair, as per the agreement."

Irina nodded excessively, her nervous smile slowly morphing into a more genuine one. "Y-Yeah! And God willing, since we'll doing our best to focus on our objective, we may never cross paths and bother each other again while we're here! After all, there's no reason for us to fight heathens anyway!"

Rias wasn't sure how she should respond to that as well, so she just accepted it as Akeno landed by her side. "Very well, though, just to be clear, it's not like we're enemies or anything...we're just taking precautions, that's all."

Both exorcists shared a glance with one another, unreadable to those that just met them, before Xenovia turned to the devil and inclined her head. "We'll keep that in mind, let's go, Irina."

Just like that, with a flick of her shoulder-length hair, the young exorcist whirled around and began walking away from the group, her powerful blade back in it's place on her back.

Her partner, after hesitantly giving the group a wave, quickly trailed after her, her long chestnut-colored twintails fluttering behind her as the duo pulled their hoods back onto their heads.

The devils watched them go without a word as Yuki and Maria joined their ranks, the only sound interrupting the silence being the hero sheathing her katana.

"...Looks like we accidentally dragged you all into an unfortunate situation, Rias-san, Sona-san." Yuki stated, a slightly apologetic tone in her voice. "We didn't think that they meant to do you all harm."

"It's alright." Sona responded absentmindedly, crossing her arms. "According to them, they didn't either, at least initially. Though, it seems that Raynare-san's presence had some unforeseen consequences..."

Said fallen angel huffed as she leaned against the door frame, annoyed that she was getting partially blamed, though she was aware on some level that the black-haired devil wasn't actually blaming her.

Yuki dipped her head in understanding, before taking a quick glance at Maria. "By the way...is there a place where we can drop off my friend? I'd rather not leave him out here in the hard ground...like Maria-san so leisurely did."

Rias blinked, taking a moment to glance about, then noticed something that she didn't catch in all of the commotion.

Earlier, when the two first arrived, the silver-haired girl was carrying an unconscious young man on her back.

That young man wasn't on her back anymore.

But after taking a second to check, she found that young man to be laying back on the wall of the ORC building, probably laid there by Maria.

"Buchou." Akeno spoke up helpfully. "We can take Yuki-san's friend inside the club room so that he could rest on one of the couches, it's not like anyone sleeps there anyway."

"Yeah, good idea, Akeno." Rias thanked with a smile, turning to glance at Maria. "Hey, you can take that unconscious friend of yours inside if you want, though, I'd like to know who exactly he is later, if you don't mind. It isn't a good idea to just let anyone in our base of operations after all."

The succubus chuckled sheepishly as she moved to do just that, wondering whether anyone even saw her put Basara down so that she could help subdue those exorcists before.

"As for everyone else!" the red-head exclaimed loudly, enough for everyone to hear her. "I think, after everything that has happened, it's about time that we-!"

"Wait!"

Rias stopped speaking, recognizing the voice that echoed across the area as a familiar form approached the group, surprising her. "...Mio-chan?"

Yes, it was her kohai, racing towards her with panic and worry being among the foremost emotions visible on her face.

All eyes were trained on her as she rushed towards them, even the succubus stopped what she was doing to stare, though she gained a small smile when she saw her charge again.

But before greetings could even be given out...

"E-Everyone! It's bad! It's really bad!" Mio shouted out, panicking. "Naruto's back! But there's someone strong fighting him! A-And we tried to fight her, really we did! But we couldn't do anything, and Naruto told us to get away, but I didn't want to, but still-!"

"Ok, ok, ok! Calm down!" Rias tried to calm down her kohai, alarmed by her rambling. "...Wait, did you just say...'Naruto'...?"

Around her; Yuki, Maria, and Raynare all perked up at the name being used, paying closer attention.

"Yes!" Mio practically wailed, breathing heavily as she reached her sempai, desperate. "And...we left him there. You should have seen him, Rias-sempai...! I've never seen him so...so...!"

By that point, the half-devil had to pause, so flustered that she was at a loss for words.

But everyone got the gist of it.

"Mio-san! Where's Asia-san? Do you know?" Yuki demanded, tension lining her voice as she took an aggressive step forward.

It was only then that the daughter of Lucifer finally realized who was there. "...Eh? Yuki-san? Maria!?"

"Focus!" the hero ordered crisply, intense. "Where's Asia-san!?"

Mio was jerked back into focus, answering reflexively. "S-She's with Issei and Koneko, they stopped roughly halfway from here to where Naruto is, so that they could keep track of where he goes from there."

Rias narrowed her eyes, grim. "...Then we've got to go. Maria-san, hurry and get your friend inside, then we'll depart as a group in order to help out Naruto. Hurry!"

The succubus didn't even bother trying to refute that he was her friend, using all of her energy to speed into the building so that they could reach their blond friend as quickly as possible.

In a surprise move to almost everyone there, Raynare slowly got off from her position in the doorway to saunter towards the group, her violet irises intense. "Need some help? I wouldn't mind helping you devils out in this instance."

Yuki frowned, chancing a look at the fallen angel, just really meeting her for the first time since that incident at the abandoned church so long ago.

"...Is she trustworthy?" she asked no one in particular, looking for an answer regardless.

"I'm not sure." Sona dryly retorted before Rias could. "...But Mio-san claims she is, so we'll take our chances. If Uzumaki-san is in trouble, I'd like as much help as possible."

Rias nodded, agreeing. "That's right, now...as soon as Maria-san comes back, we'll follow Mio-chan to where Naruto is, everyone got it?"

Murmurs of agreement were among the general responses that she received, but they were, at the very least, all affirmative.

Mio clenched her fist, turning back to where she ran off from, knowing that her blond family member was over there, somewhere.

Naruto didn't have to worry; they were coming...all of them.

---

The moon was falling, unwavering as it neared the horizon, slowly giving way to the early morning.

Kiba Yuuto was staring at it, conflicted, yet taking some comfort in the natural beauty of the celestial body.

It truly helped him ease his frayed nerves, especially as large masses of water vapor sometimes covered it up from sight, making it more prominent in his eyes.

The knight always was somewhat introverted, and the sight of the clouds overhead was something of a soft reminder of that.

He really was someone who had their head in the clouds on a constant basis, thinking about his options with vigor, perhaps to the point of overthinking.

And he was doing it again.

The swords that his family of orphans died to try and gain the rights to utilize...they were here, possibly.

Though, knowing his luck, the one that stole those swords has probably moved on from Kuoh Town, so there seemed to be no point in chasing after the robbers.

But...still, didn't he owe it to his dead comrades to try anyway?

They died to save his life, they died choking and sobbing on poisonous gas as tears streamed down their youthful faces.

Yet he was alive. Because of them.

Didn't they deserve to receive justice by destroying the things that they dedicated their lives to, to no avail?

Those fragments of the legendary sword was what gave them hope for a meaningful life, their linchpin to the future, yet all they received for their faith and dedication was betrayal.

More than the ones responsible for the massacre, Exaclibur symbolized the source of all of the orphans' suffering, so it's overall destruction was what would truly validate all of the suffering that they have gone through.

...But, that single-minded focus is what allowed their enemy; Diodora, to split them all up and do serious damage to them as a group, wasn't it?

It was what gave him the opportunity to nearly kill or capture Mio-san...

His actions nearly got his comrades in the here-and-now killed as well...could he really risk their safety a second time?

No, wait, that was a special situation, just because he messed up once, it didn't mean that he was gonna mess up a second time.

Compared to last time, the knight already had a reliable lead from a reliable source this time, different from when he received information from a...less than trustworthy person.

So, surely, if he just searched a little bit to double check, it wouldn't hurt anyone this time?

...But then, that begged the question, what would he do if the man that was once a part of Grigori; Kokabiel, was still in the area? How would he react?

Yuuto groaned, stuck in indecision as he gazed at the sky above, wondering if his goal was truly worth pursuing, even now.

...Goal...

Goal...?

There it was, that word again.

Once upon a time, he asked another blond teen about what he considered to be a 'good goal'.

His answer, in retrospect, didn't seem so out of character for the usually permissive young man, but at the time, it seemed surprisingly...unyielding.

Was his answer based on something that happened to him personally? Because that was definitely the impression that he received...

The belief that if his goal was one that could do harm to himself or those close to him...that it was selfish...right?

But, wasn't that a bit much? Wasn't it up to the individual to choose what they wanted to do, regardless of outside influence? How could an individual choice be selfish?

It wasn't like Yuuto wanted his comrades to come and search for him, to try and help him...no, he didn't want that at all.

Yet they did it anyway.

...Was that what Naruto cherished? That bond between individuals that could push them to help someone that didn't even want the help?

It wasn't like he needed an intervention or anything though, he wasn't under duress, he wasn't sick, so would it be so bad for them to simply support his choice?

Yuuto sighed, peering at the masses of water vapor slowly drifting in the wind, envying their simple existences.

However, his silent musings would have to wait, as something quickly forced the young man to sit upright, as stiff as a pole.

"W-What...?" the knight wondered aloud, his body shaking uncontrollably as a feeling entered his body.

It was instinctual, primal even.

Get away.

That's what every pore of his body was telling him to do, as what felt like a growing feeling of sheer rage began to emanate from somewhere close by.

He's...never felt anything like it before.

What was it? Where was it coming from?

He had no idea, but another thought entered his mind, one that took precedence over the one of self-preservation.

Everyone...!

If there was that kind of feeling from somewhere, then that meant that there was probably a fight going on, which meant that...

One of his friends was in trouble!

Yuuto was already up and about as he twisted his body to find the source of his feelings, going on instincts alone.

Before his brain finally caught up, stopping him cold as he realized what he was doing.

The thought didn't occur to him until then...but wasn't he doing the same exact thing as his comrades before him?

Going to an ally's aid, despite not knowing anything, or knowing whether they needed that help to begin with.

No, regardless of his friend's feelings on the matter, he was fully prepared to move and help.

...Which is exactly what his friends did for him.

It took a few spare seconds for the young man to fully appreciate the irony in the situation, but when he did...

He laughed.

Very simply, he bent over backwards a little, and let loose a healthy belly laugh, something that he's practically never done before in his life.

It was something that was done out of acceptance and acknowledgement.

Acceptance and acknowledgement that he was, without a doubt, no different from everyone else.

Without thinking about it, he was getting ready to help a comrade, like they all did for him, so he literally had no right to complain when they all moved to help him when he acted out.

They were just doing what they thought he'd do for them.

And they were right.

So, then and there, Yuuto made a quiet decision.

He had no idea whether he would still seek out the fragments of the legendary sword; Excalibur, but he did know one thing...

Whenever someone he cared about was in trouble, or whenever he even had an inkling of it...he would come running.

Of that, he had no doubt.

So, just like that, Kiba Yuuto spread his wings and jumped into the air, seeking the source of the disturbance, fully prepared for a fight.

Though, just a few moments after he left, a sole individual would just so happen to pass by where the knight was laying, looking like he was searching for a fight.

It was an insane-looking man, wearing what looked like priestly clothing as his red eyes shot about himself for a victim.

His long grey hair, which reached shoulder-length, was rustling faintly as he kept snapping his head around, very much paranoid despite being alone.

More important than his features, was the very...'intricate' sword that he was carrying on his hand, which pulsated with holy power.

If either Yuuto or any exorcist worth their salt saw the blade, they would have recognized the power that the sword was giving out immediately.

It was one of the fragments of Excalibur, which just so happened to have been stolen.

Yet, for better or for worse, Yuuto just missed him, and the insane priest in turn missed his chance for a fight with his new toy.

So the knight raced to help a comrade, and the 'priest' left the area in a huff, annoyed that he didn't get to spill any blood that day.

---

Naruto was angry.

No, angry was an understatement.

The tyrant was well aware that she had pressed several sensitive buttons in regards to his life, and knew damn well that she was getting to him if his furious red slits were anything to go by.

But...there was something strange going on here.

There was something...underlying beneath the surface of his anger, something that gave her pause.

Whatever it was, it gave her a slight chill.

But it wasn't a bad chill, to the contrary, if anything, she liked it.

That underlying vibe that she was feeling spoke to her, unlike anything she has experienced since...

Since...

Her ruby eyes peered at the feral features of the young man that she has got to know for most of her life, dulled eyes fluttering as, for a split second, she didn't see a battered young man.

No, instead, she saw a child, one that had eyes like much like her's, even back then...

Back when she first reached her conclusions.

---

The young woman that was challenging Uzumaki Naruto wasn't always a tyrant, as a matter of fact, in the beginning, she was practically the opposite.

When she was born, she was a natural prodigy in almost every way imaginable, so unbelievably talented that many around her began to believe that she would grow up to be a woman that would change the world, beyond anything that they could have possibly imagine.

In a sense, they would be correct, though her delivery came at a high price for her birth family.

During childbirth, her mother, a woman that she would never meet, died, apparently due to a heart attack.

Back then, it was simply a sad incident, nothing more or less.

But, as she got older, a part of her began to believe that the woman that gave her life only existed so that she could give birth to her.

That, once the tyrant was born, her mother's duty to the world was complete, and she passed away, having no other reason to exist if not for her.

Though, that belief wouldn't become entrenched until later in her life.

As she got older, her talents quickly gathered the attention of the many adults around her, thoroughly impressing them by her level of understanding during her first year of life.

She was, put simply; an abnormal child. One that grew at an exceptional rate, learning things that no normal baby should.

And it was precisely because of that exceptional streak that her troubles began.

As a child, the tyrant was, very simply, so unbelievably special that the many adults around her began to feel inadequate in her presence. Jealous of her level of knowledge at such an early age.

That inadequacy would grow to colossal proportions once she began to learn about their many professions, and then, to their shame, would eventually grasp all of the knowledge that have taken their whole lives to learn about.

Literally, the information that they have absorbed from childhood to adulthood, was absorbed by the future king in a matter of months, at most.

Truly, she was a child that was born once every thousand years, a one-of-a-kind genius.

So much so that, in their despair, many of those adults would give themselves over to alcohol or simply give up altogether in their shame. Knowing that their entire lives, which was dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge...was surpassed by a mere toddler.

Their diligence in life was made futile. All thanks to her.

It was only then, that the child would begin to wonder about the futility of life.

This dynamic would not change, as many people would suffer by her hands, losing faith in their own abilities and in their self-worth as her talents broke those that made a serious effort to work on their dreams.

A sort of heavy guilt would begin to pile onto her back then, making her wonder if she was a curse, a blight on this world, as all she knew was the suffering of almost everyone around her, barring a few exceptions.

And with her advanced mind, she began wondering about things that no toddler should think about.

Why did she exist?

What was her purpose?

Why did she keep hurting people?

She would find no answers to these questions, not until...that fateful day.

After many more incidents such as those, her birth father would eventually take her to a hospital which studied...'atypical' children.

Specifically, at the time, children with...atypical mindsets.

It was there, while waiting for her turn to speak to one of the examiners, that she just so happened to meet a boy, just two years older than her.

A boy that would speak to her, and give her that last push to find her 'truth'.

"...Don't you think that it's interesting? That all these adults, with all of their knowledge and intelligence...could be missing the point so magnificently?"

She could remember his words, even now.

Was it because of the influence that they held over her? Or was it because, even now, she could remember how hollow his bright eyes and smile was back then?

Regardless, his words set her down the path she walked today, though she definitely couldn't blame him for it.

As, even back then, she knew that she was heading towards this path anyway, reaching for this truth.

Which was why, years later, she would not be beholden to that boy at all, as he didn't help her see the truth...he only helped her reach it a mere few weeks before she would conclude it herself.

Still, the words that he spoke that day were worthy enough to live by, and enveloped her whole philosophy in the modern day.

"Everyone is born without a purpose, everyone lives for no reason, and everyone dies for nothing."

Those were the words that that boy imparted to her.

And she would accept it in a heartbeat, finding it satisfactory to what she has experienced up to that point.

Though, she would find one flaw in that idea.

Yes...everyone was born without a purpose, everyone lived for no reason, and everyone died for nothing.

Except for one.

Herself.

Soon after she met that boy, she was admitted to the hospital room, her new beliefs reinforced as the researchers asked her asinine questions about things that didn't seem to matter to her.

Life?

Happiness?

Effort?

Relationships?

Meaningless. Weak. Wasteful. Pathetic.

It didn't take long for her to escape the questioning while the doctors and nurses weren't looking, seeking solitude as she contemplated her new-found knowledge.

In another life, unbeknownst to her, she would have accidentally found herself in the nursery room of the hospital, where she could have met another child who could have challenged her beliefs before they became too entrenched.

But something else happened that day.

After leaving the room, the little girl moved into the hallway swiftly, her small feet taking her to the corner of said hallway so that she may hide for a little bit from the many doctors and nurses.

Though, because of her negligence, she very nearly crashed against an elderly man that was standing right in the corner, as if he was waiting for her.

Considering what she would learn about the man's abilities in the future, she wouldn't put it past him.

The words that he gave her that day were still fresh on her mind.

"Your eyes...your eyes remind me of a child that I've had my eye on for a while..."

At the time, she was, at best, slightly interested in this 'other child' that the old man was referring to.

Which was why the old man continued speaking, his words carefully selected so that he could coax an interest out of the nihilistic girl.

"...Your talents are remarkable, I can see it just by looking at you, child. Perhaps...you feel the same as I do? That this world of humans is rather...limiting, am I correct?"

He was.

"But, what if I were to tell you that there is another world? Filled with nothing but the abnormal...?"

Back then, while she was skeptical, she could at the very least claim that she was interested in his claims.

Later in life, she would attribute this choice to be among the best she has ever made in her short life.

As soon after her initial meeting, she would be introduced to the elderly man's power...no...his vision.

She wouldn't learn about all of the intricacies of his Sacred Gear, or even what Sacred Gears even were until later, but that wasn't the focus of her attention.

Her focus would be on the very first vision that he would show her, meant to drag her into the supernatural world.

She supposed that the awesome power of the humans of that world, of a place known as the 'Elemental Nations', was what the old man intended to draw her in.

But that was a supplementary in comparison to the focus of the old man's vision.

Why it focused on a child was still a bit of a mystery to all of them, but perhaps...the Sacred Gear was responding to an individual's potential, and focused on them.

Regardless of the reason, that vision was the first time that she met the boy known as Uzumaki Naruto.

Back then, in her observations of the child, the one thing that truly stood out to her was...how thoroughly established his own hopelessness was.

His dull eyes, which were reflected onto the mirror that he was staring at, was weary as it was tired, as was the small body that it accompanied.

As if weighed down by a heavy burden, the boy was trudging forward through life, bereft of any chance of redemption.

Most people would pity the child, for whatever issues that he may have been dealing with was obviously taking it's toll on him.

But the future tyrant didn't feel pity, no, she felt the first slivers of admiration.

To her, who had just reached her own conclusions about the futility of life in general, she has now met someone that has not only had those views so firmly entrenched that it was weighing down his young body, but he's reached it on his own.

Back then, that would have put him slightly above the boy that helped her trigger her new philosophy...though that changed quickly.

Through repeated visions, she was able to piece together more of that blond's life, seeing how he tried to hide his growing jaded personality from those in his 'village', trying to prank others for attention, for some semblance of recognition or warmth...

But he rarely found recognition, even the bad kind, and he never found warmth in almost everyone.

Truly, to him, the entire world seemed to hate him.

A major difference to someone like...the red-haired jinchūriki that he would meet in the future, who, by this point, still had family who cared about him.

What truly stood out to her back then though...and even now for that matter, was his constant attempts at smiling.

It was truly perfected by that boy, his smiles, always assuring that old man that occasionally checked up on him if he was alright, as well as all of the adults in his village.

Yet she knew, deep inside, how much of a lie those smiles were.

And the longer that she watched his early stages of life, the more fascinated she became with the boy, unable to tear her eyes away.

The future tyrant remembered when Naruto brought his hands together in order use a ninja 'jutsu', successfully transforming his appearance into something else, something which was completely foreign to her as a child.

And, much to her shock and awe, she couldn't copy him.

For the first time, ever, she couldn't simply learn or copy what someone else did.

Of course, since there were other students learning how to use their powers in his world, one could assume that she would grow to admire them too.

However, that wasn't the case.

The tyrant wasn't so arrogant as to assume that she would always be better than others in every subject, after all, sometimes there were individuals that surpassed her in a certain area due to their diligence in it.

Of course though, the difference here was that Uzumaki Naruto surpassed her in two.

He reached the truth by himself for a longer period of time than she has, and could utilize a power that she couldn't.

That boy has surpassed her in the ways that mattered most; power and logic.

A first for her in her entire life, which was why, in another first, her heart stirred for someone.

It wasn't in a romantic sense, it was more like...in a sense of camaraderie.

Of kinship even.

Back then, she felt like she has met someone who could be as extraordinary as her, just in a different sense, a feeling that she retains to the present.

This belief would only be furthered when she noticed his lack of talent for the first time.

At first, she was disappointed, but that dispirited attitude was clearly wiped away when she saw him...try and train.

It was absurd at first, someone who has given up on the concept of life should not be trying to improve his abilities for a class, or at least that's what she believed.

To be perfectly honest, she still wasn't too sure why, back then, that boy occasionally trained on his basic jutsu...

Though, it was possible that, on some level, Naruto wasn't entirely convinced that there was absolutely no hope in getting the love and respect of his fellow villagers. So, a part of him deep inside continued to get him to try.

And considering the state of the shinobi now...that theory held water.

Regardless, while his lack of talent and lackluster abilities were off-putting at first, she would later come to the conclusion that this only interested her more.

As, precisely because of this lack of talent and lackluster abilities, the boy would take a different path to her during a combat situation.

The shinobi of that world were all very intelligent as a whole, using abilities to their fullest effects whenever they received the chance. Placing contingencies within contingencies.

However, Naruto was different, as his inabilities would force him to use his prankster mindset to fool his opponents with flashes of brilliance and unpredictability.

It was then, she realized, that he served not as an inferior, but as a foil to her.

Vice-versa as well.

He may not have the talent, but she on the other hand, did.

In contrast, while she held intelligence, he held a mindset which made that intelligence practically obsolete.

At least, that was the case back then.

But never before has she felt such a sense of basic excitement prior to that moment, as she felt she had found someone who would serve as a polar opposite to her...in the best way possible.

The world was colored in nothing but grey to her, but that boy...gave that world the breath of new life, bringing color into her existence.

For, only when she was watching, would she know how it felt like to be alive...

And that opinion would never change, even when she was forced to face a harsh truth.

That harsh truth being; that Uzumaki Naruto would not remain as he was as a child.

It would be a few years after she met that boy, during which she ran away from home in order to fully embrace the supernatural world, as well as her own exceptionalism, where she would notice the shift.

She only ever saw flashes of his life, so she wasn't entirely sure when he...changed, but he definitely changed, of that she had no doubt.

The eyes.

It was his eyes.

Once upon a time they held that dull quality that revealed his realistic attitude towards the world, proving that he truly understood how vapid and pointless it all was.

More importantly, it proved that, despite their large differences, they were still connected via similar beliefs and ideologies.

That they were connected.

Yet the first words that she heard from his mouth after a period of absence, which was spoken with bright blue eyes and a toothy smile was;

"I'm gonna grow up and become the Hokage!"

Hokage.

The leader of his village; his home.

To say that she was furious was an understatement back then.

She didn't understand what had happened to change him, almost didn't want to, but she couldn't deny how she felt back then.

Her sense of betrayal cut deep, even though she knew that it shouldn't.

As much as she was aware that he had no clue about her existence...it still didn't change the fact that his movement away from his former jaded worldview felt as much of a rejection of her as it was of their shared beliefs.

And it stung, truly, she's never been outright rejected before...by anyone frankly.

Rather, she's received an emphatic 'no' before, but her mix of brutal authority and incredible talent has always changed that 'no' quickly.

But she couldn't do anything to him, he was in another world, which meant that she was forced to simply deal with it like a normal person.

Yet another new experience thanks to him.

Though, it didn't change the fact that she gained a new-found bitterness for the blond, one that would stick with her, building into an eventual love-hate relationship with him.

Which was why, through that bitterness, she forged a goal that ran antithesis to his.

If he was going to be a Hokage...then she was going to be a tyrant.

A king.

At first, this was far more like a petulant retort to the whiskered boy's answer, but that thought would take hold of her soon enough, bringing forth grand ambitions that would only grow in scope and magnitude.

And she had him to thank for it.

"I want to crush him."

That's what she claimed to the former hero, in the best and worst way possible.

To crush this Naruto, and to bring forth the one that she had grown to...

"Then you need power." he claimed.

She was aware, and she was prepared.

"...I want to bring the power of the shinobi to this world, as their elusive and unique abilities would do everything to confound the world of the supernatural. And I have made steps in doing just that, thanks to the power of Sacred Gears..."

In the past, she wasn't entirely sure how the elderly man accomplished that, but in the present...

Well, now she knew the answer.

Artificial Sacred Gears.

Actual Sacred Gears found within an individual's soul was created by the God of the Bible, meant to serve as a method to counteract against supernatural beings that would try and control humans.

However, it seemed that that crafty old man had managed to devise a way to create artificial Sacred Gears within an individual, many of which were based entirely on the powers of the Elemental Nations.

But not all, but they all shared something similar with one another.

Practically none of them could be conquered through sheer power alone, something that was completely foreign to the power-focused beings in this world.

Simply, the Sacred Gear would depend on who it was given to, as the power would manifest according to the individual's personality...which was precisely why that hospital was meant for those that had 'abnormal' mindsets.

Without knowing any of that though, the little girl would desire whatever power she could gather.

Yet the wily old hero wasn't done.

"...However, to truly crush him, you won't just need Sacred Gears which defy logic and reason, but the true power of the humans of his world as well; chakra."

She felt that that would be necessary too, though she wasn't sure how she should go about gaining that power.

"I'm sure that you don't understand how you'll get that power, but there is a way to achieve it for yourself, though, in order to do that, we must...'go' to the past."

The past? The past would help her receive power?

It seemed illogical to her, yet he was correct in what he claimed.

As it turned out, this world held a secret, one that was closely guarded for generations by two powerful groups, which were introduced to her via the symbols they left behind.

One group had a symbol that consisted of a horizontal line with a vertical line right down the center of it, and with two rib-like protrusions near the ends of the line, pointing outwards, giving the ends of the lines a trident-like appearance.

While the other group had a symbol which seemed...familiar to her.

The symbol was a simple fan, with the upper half of it having a red hue to it while the bottom half was the purest white.

Regardless, the owners of both symbols were long dead, left behind by their brothers and sisters to protect a secret that should never become public knowledge.

A secret that the old man, thanks to his ability to see, to truly see the history of the world through unfettered eyes, was privy to.

That secret being; that this world had access to a gate, a dimensional gate to be precise.

One that, if opened, would serve as a bridge to another world far off to this one.

Yes...once upon a time, this world was connected to the world of the Elemental Nations through that very gate.

A gate, which if the hysterical old man's words were to go by, was likely created by a being of immense power, possibly even a god.

Though, despite his discovery, it wasn't like he was able to get into it.

...But, along with the gate, he did find something just as, if not more, valuable.

The bodies of the ancient shinobi that once guarded the gate, deceased for many years, that still carried bits of their DNA.

The old man, with the bodies, was able to barely scramble together enough of their DNA to legitimately create a potion, one that would help someone form their own chakra coils once drunk.

Complete chakra coils.

However, because of how old the DNA was, the potion could not be replicated.

So, with the DNA of the two groups, the former hero was only able to make two potions in total.

One for her.

And the other for...

...Him.

But now, thanks to that potion, her body had slowly managed to form chakra coils, albeit, while giving her body an immense amount of pain for it.

Yet she had it, and with it, she would be connected to that boy that she had met so long ago on a deeper level.

On a deeper level still, if the DNA she has taken into her system was to be believed.

One could even call them...extremely distant cousins, but cousins nonetheless.

Though, it was only when she allowed for her benefactor to give her a Sacred Gear that she had truly transformed into the woman that would face Uzumaki Naruto in the modern day.

It was a powerful Sacred Gear, one that would become far more powerful if more and more artificial Sacred Gear users existed in the world.

However...something happened.

The blood that was coursing through her veins, thanks to the DNA implanted into her, was affecting the Sacred Gear in her body, mutating it into something far greater.

Something befitting her sublime status.

As the blood of the people that she would come to know as the 'clan of a thousand skills' helped to slowly evolve her Sacred Gear into an ability that truly matched her genius as an ordinary human being, she knew that she was becoming truly beyond exceptional.

That ability that she has gained would one day be shorthanded into a single phrase, one that, once more, fit her more than anything ever could.

The End.

---

"Hey...asshole."

The tyrant blinked, her mind returning back to the present as she focused on her opponent once more, locking with red slits.

"...Ah, apologies, Naruto." the young woman murmured, drinking in his feral features with her eyes, doing her best to memorize the feeling of it. "I was just reminded of something is all."

"Yeah?" Naruto growled, his demeanor nothing if not aggressive. "Well do that in your own damn time! Face me, now!"

"...You seem to be more aggressive than I remembered you being while utilized the kyuubi's chakra...did something happen to elicit such dark responses from you?" she questioned, curiously seeking more information now that her target was right in her face.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be in a talking mood.

"Stop talking already..." the shinobi warned, his slits narrowing dangerously. "And face me already...before I come over there myself."

In response, all the feral ninja received was a cocky smirk, before she jerked her head to the side, beckoning him to her.

Naruto didn't hesitate at all.

With a heavy step that cracked the concrete underneath him, the shinobi surged forward with red chakra swirling around him, moving at such speeds that the cars parked around him were violently being pushed back against the air pressure he made.

A slow smile split apart her face as she felt his incredible force come to bear on her, the familiar tingling of excitement surging through her chest at the sheer concept.

She had been through many battles prior to this, but she knew that she wouldn't feel this feeling of rush anywhere else.

Not necessarily because this may be her toughest battle yet, but because this was also personal.

The complicated mix of emotions that fluttered in her heart as the blond thrust his fist out to smash her in the face...

That very intensity that it invoked in her...

Admiration.

Disgust.

The tyrant shifted her head to the side just enough to allow for the attack to merely flick her long purple hair aside, using her own fist to viciously hit her opponent across the face.

Naruto though, was prepared, smashing his foot into the ground as soon as her attack sailed towards him.

He would use the force that he made to push himself away from his stationary position, putting him into a spin as he swiftly moved around her front to attack her flank.

Without missing a beat, the young woman cancelled her attack mid-swing and bent her knees, bringing herself to the ground as her enemy was swinging around her with incredible speed, bringing his foot out to hit her in the side.

As soon as the leg crossed over where her head used to be, she brought her own feet out and promptly scooped his feet from right under him.

Losing his footing, the young man growled as he brought his arm out, catching himself before he fell onto the ground.

Though the tyrant wasn't finished, as she continued her spin, increasing her momentum to greater heights as she raised her foot and smashed her foot into Naruto while he kept his handstand.

Superiority.

Inferiority.

Caught off guard, Naruto was sent flying backwards, where he only recovered by twisting his body and bringing his hands out to use his claws on the ground, cutting off his momentum with friction.

His claws did the trick, slowing him down enough to land on his feet, despite the deep marks that his nails left on the concrete streets.

Both of the combatant's eyes locked with one another, both ruby, mirrors of one another.

"I love you." the tyrant stated without reservation, her words echoing in the abandoned streets.

A flash of confusion flitted across Naruto's features, unsure of where her words came from.

And the aspiring ruler definitely couldn't blame the teen for his confusion, as her own volatile emotions were far too...mixed to properly grasp properly.

So she just said what she felt then and there, without pausing.

Yet, there was one more thing she had to express fully...

She smiled as she made her next rare expression of emotion, meaning every word of what she was saying, and relishing it.

"I hate you."

Those words echoed just like her last ones, leaving no room for misunderstandings.

As the young man puzzled even more over her words, she raised a hand to point at him with, her ruby eyes glistening despite their dull quality.

"Now grovel before me."

As if a massive weight slammed into him, Naruto's body began to fold, trying to bow down to his enemy without his say or his input.

Red chakra swirled around him like a tornado, fury making his human sounds give way to growls and grunts, enhancing his ability to resist whatever magic was forcing him down.

Just barely though, as while he didn't get into a seiza position, he was still struggling with keeping himself upright.

"...Hoh? So you've managed to stay upright despite the fact that I'm using full power...? Not bad." the young king murmured softly, her voice managing to travel to the blond's ears despite how quiet she was. "But I wonder...how will you fight while in that state?"

The shinobi had his brows scrunched together as he steadily forced himself upright, his chakra flaring even more as he resisted the impulse bend over.

He was so busy that he wasn't really paying much attention to his enemy.

That being said, he was keeping her visible through the side of his eye, making sure that she didn't make any sudden movements.

Problem with that, was that she wasn't making any sudden movements.

No, she was slowly and methodically preparing herself for her next attack, raising her left leg so that she could slip her foot out of her shoe.

This seemingly innocent action slipped through Naruto's notice, the kyuubi's chakra enhancing his frustration in his limited movements, which in turn clouded his mind.

It wasn't until his enemy slipped out of her other shoe and then hopped up that the shinobi took notice.

The tyrant, in what looked like a childish move, began hopping up and down in place like a child would do on their bed.

More than that, they weren't supernatural hops or anything, they were normal human hops, ones that didn't extend into several feet into the air.

It was a strange sight to the blond.

Even weirder, soon after she began to go and up and down in place, the sounds that were emitting from her feet's contact with the cement was...off.

Yes, off. As in, while her feet tapped against the ground physically, he didn't hear the sound of the tap until a second later.

...A time lag?

Suffice it to say, the blond was confused, and this served to, if anything, infuriate him even further, as he felt like this would be a prime opportunity to strike before she tried anything.

If he was more clear-headed, he would have been more cautious of the warning signs, but right now, all that dominated his mind was to attack.

And the tyrant didn't waste that opportunity.

"...Don't die." she ordered crisply as she continued jumping up and down, her long hair flailing softly due to her movements.

Naruto finally managed to straighten himself out, preparing for a merciless charge as he blinked, clearing his focus.

Then, in a flash, his enemy suddenly vanished from his view without a trace as soon as he opened his eyes again.

Sensing imminent danger, he managed to snap his eyes downwards, catching movement through the side of his eye at the last second.

That movement being a flash of purple.

Red slits widened to the size of saucers as the blond bent his knees to get out of the way, ordering his body to move.

Instead of jumping, his knees buckled down thanks to the strange powers that was being used against him, conspiring to prevent him from attacking or dodging.

With a gasp, he felt more than heard his opponent zip past him with incredible speed, the air contorting around them following her pass.

For a split-second, nothing happened.

Then it suddenly felt like Naruto was smashed by an explosive pressure, the ground underneath him ripping apart along with him.

Cement was split apart into rubble as they were thrown into the air, with a large amount of dust covering the affected area following the shocking attack.

A silence followed, which was only broken after a voice spoke up in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You know...I'll admit that a part of me has felt that naming that attack would be nice. But then I remembered how imprudent that would be in an actual battle situation, so I've abstained from doing so." a feminine voice reverberated in the streets, explaining things that had almost no basis on the matter at hand.

Ruby eyes were focused on the dust cloud that she had made, lightly tapping her feet idly, wondering how the blond had handled her attempt at breaking the sound barrier...right next to him.

No, not just breaking the sound barrier; shattering it.

Truly, the energy that was flowing through her had done wonders in making her body durable enough to not wreck it after such a move.

Stretching her legs a little, she watched as the cloud began to disperse, barely managing to see the silhouette of the young man that she was targeting.

Only after a few tense moments, did her ruby gaze register Naruto's appearance, which at once seemed strong, yet haggard.

He was standing upright, his back straight, with his right arm up in a guard position right next to his face, and his shirt shredded to reveal his right pectoral and sleeves, along with a lot of his skin in those areas.

Though, with his red chakra still swirling around him, his open wounds were mending themselves, leaving no traces of the damage he had sustained.

More importantly than that though...was when Naruto swerved his head to the side to glare at her, his red slit locking onto her through the side.

The look she received was backed up by the fact that his chakra began to grow more unstable, rising into the air like a twister as the rubble began to fly up in suspended animation.

Rather than be intimidated by this scene however, the tyrant was more...puzzled.

She has seen him in this state before in the visions, but she was under the impression that, while he would become more aggressive, he still wouldn't lose his basic strategic functions.

Yet...he reminded her of a brute rather than the strategic minded fighter she has come to know.

...Has something happened to him since the last time she saw him?

Her thoughts on the matter would have to wait however, as, right before her eyes, the blond changed.

The mindless aggression that characterized him before was erased, as his feral features smoothed out into a more calmer and balanced facade, his red slits becoming more calculating.

"...Hoh~" the shinobi huffed, turning around with a heavy step, still under the affects of whatever his opponent used on him. "Well...this is interesting. But not bad I guess."

Now it was the young woman's turn to be confused, cautious by the massive shift in demeanor.

Yet Naruto continued, almost looking amused. "Wow, this feeling I'm getting is...kinda like last time. I feel good...no, great even. Liberated. Yeah, that, it's that. Though these...what is it? Weights? I guess, yeah, weights...they're annoying, ya know? Care to take them off so that I could rip your throat out?"

The tyrant raised a delicate eyebrow, intrigued. "My...this is quite the change. You've lost your mindless aggression, yet you've kept the violent tendencies that I associated with this state...no, actually it's worse. I don't think I've ever heard you threaten death on someone quite so casually...and mean it."

The shinobi shrugged in response, chuckling casually as if he was sharing a joke with her. "Yeah~ I agree, it's kinda weird. But I don't hate it, no, I think it's great! Why you may ask? Well...I guess it's because..."

A foot smashed into the ground, viciously cracking it apart as the teen suddenly used it as a springboard to soar forward, his body trying to force itself back into a bow, but unable to because he was in mid-air.

So shocked was the king by this maneuver, that she could only stare at the incoming claws that were aiming at her throat, eyes wide.

If it wasn't for another ability that she has gained throughout her clashes with other...'abnormal' individuals, she would not have been able to dodge the incoming attack.

Literally, her body was bent backwards without her input, as if she placed it on autopilot, and narrowly dodged the claws that swiped against her throat, feeling the chakra that coated his arm make very slight contact.

Landing by her right in a grunt, the teen was forced to take a second to recover now that his body was trying to bow again.

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on..." the tyrannical female proclaimed steadily, eyes sharp. "But it doesn't change the fact that you're still dangerous...and that I fully intend to show you the correct way of thinking."

At least, that's what the blond thought he heard.

He was too busy dragging his nearly unresponsive arm up in a defensive position to intercept the foot that was about to crash against him.

Somehow, he managed to bring that arm up in time, feeling bone creak as he was sent sliding back, his feet scraping harshly against the cement underneath, using his other hand to try and grab something in his pouch to fight back with.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the tyrant was about to let up any, as she very much chased after her opponent with her fists balled, ready to pummel him while she had the chance.

In quick succession, the young woman let loose lightning-fast blows that rained on him the second that he stopped sliding backwards, feeling each one connect since he could only use his nearly unresponsive arms as a shield.

He only managed to throw an open-handed hand at her in a pathetic attempt to push her back, which was painfully slow and uncoordinated, most likely due to her ability still in play.

Naruto couldn't do anything.

Well aware of this, after knocking the blond's head to the side with her fist, drawing blood from his mouth, she spun around and attempted to hook his feet from under him, about to deprive him of any semblance of a chance to fight back.

But, to her shock, Naruto hopped up as soon as she finished her spin, her feet connecting with nothing, as though...

As though he was waiting for her to do that...

Ruby eyes narrowed as she watched the young man smirk at her through bloody lips, raising his arms to make his own attack.

A simple thought occurred to her at that moment; could someone bow in mid-air?

She supposed they could...in a sense, but when she made her order, she very much imagined the picturesque bow in a seiza, something impossible without the ground.

Her influence over his body wasn't necessarily cancelled, but it did help counteract it.

An unbidden smile pulled at the side of her lips, not really expecting such a move, relishing in that fact.

...Though, it wasn't like she had to make him do that bow, she could simply order his body to do something else, but she didn't necessarily want to show off her abilities yet.

"Naruto..." she murmured, her ruby eyes glistening. "Let's enjoy ourselves further, shall we?"

The shinobi flashed his sharp canines, an insane glint his slits. "We can't enjoy anything if you're about to die!"

Still in mid-air, the young man raised his arms in order to slash at his enemy, fully intending to rip apart her head in a gory display.

But he was cut off, as a foot without a shoe was smashed into his stomach, making his breath hitch.

With a dancer's flexibility, the young woman on the ground raised her foot to catch the whiskered teen in the air before he reached her, her leg longer than his arms.

This action sent the shinobi back again, into the air, seemingly getting pummeled.

But, unbeknownst to her, Naruto only smirked even wider as he flew back, his plan about to be put into action.

A plan that his oppressive enemy wasn't aware of until she felt something tug her arm, shocking her.

Taking a very close look at her arm, she saw a very long and thin string that was wrapped around it, dragging her towards...

"Got ya!" Naruto crowed, deadly intent in his eyes once he pulled at the shinobi string that was on his fingertips.

Back when he was sent sliding backwards and before his opponent began pummeling him, he managed to grab some shinobi string on his other hand, wrapping it around his limb.

Then, while she was in the process of beating him with her fists, he threw his hand at her with an open palm in order to wrap it around one of her arms, being long enough to not be noticeable until he was sent really far away.

Which, he just was.

And now, thanks to the fact that he was in the air and not as affected by her ability, he would be able to properly fight back.

Thanks to her intelligence, the tyrant quickly became aware of his plan, his smile growing wider in anticipation as she dug her fingers around the wire.

"This is it...! This is what it means to feel alive...!" she whispered harshly, breathing harshly, embracing the sensation that she only felt in circumstances that involved this teen.

With practiced ease, she finally began to use the energy that was originally from the shinobi world, focusing it on the soles of her feet, sticking to the ground.

And pulled.

Due to the shinobi's lack of leverage, thanks to the fact that he didn't have anything solid to hold onto, he was quickly yanked back towards the ground at significant speeds.

Which, even then, was something that was in Naruto's favor, exemplified when he brought his claws out.

Between the two combatants, he was the only one with anything sharp to utilize as a weapon, which meant that he could end this all with one swift stroke.

...If he had the chance.

And she just gave him that chance.

Catching onto his plan, the tyrant jumped backwards in an attempt to get away from his attack, wary.

But she quickly found that she couldn't, as her back met the wall of an apartment building, preventing her retreat as the blond charged forward with deadly intent.

With red slits colored with glee, Naruto thrust his hand forward, claws jutting out to pierce his enemy's heart in one clean impalement.

At the very last second though, before he reached her body with his hand outstretched...

He heard something.

It was quiet, and even, but it was something that he had more than enough time to become familiar with, though it wasn't really something that someone would even think about twice about in their daily lives.

Breathing.

Quiet breathing.

So quiet that it couldn't belong to an adult...so it was a child's?

But it had a slightly lower pitch to that of a girl's...so it was a boy?

Since it was even...that child was asleep?

No. More than that.

The breathing was coming from beyond the wall.

Right behind her.

If he continued with his attack, he would have ripped apart a little sleeping boy.

Naruto stopped his hand right in front of the tyrant's heart, not piercing her skin at all, using the very tip of his foot to stick to the ground with his chakra.

His red slits were locked with her dull ruby, his own wide with disbelief, sanity returning to those orbs of his.

He couldn't speak.

He had no idea what to say.

"You almost killed him." was all she said, voice even.

Naruto's breath hitched, feeling like he received a sucker punch.

"...Do you feel guilty?" she wondered, retaining that almost clinical tone of voice, not necessarily judging. "That you would have prematurely ended a young life?"

Red slits shifted to the floor, shaking, his eye fluttering open and close in small intervals.

"So you do then?"

He didn't answer, whether it was because he was still in shock or because he just didn't want to was another question entirely.

"...I don't understand that mindset." the young woman admitted quietly, her irises studying him.

The blond snapped his head up, his eyes wide in even more disbelief.

"He isn't anyone important..." she started quietly, only gaining steam as she continued. "It's not like anything important will happen to him, or he will do anything important...he's just...a normal child that will grow up. Grow up doing nonsensical things, useless things, contributing into a society that does nothing but promote useless things, while singing about useless platitudes..."

"...Useless...?" Naruto echoed, his voice barely a whisper.

"Useless." the tyrant affirmed solemnly. "And you know why that's the case? Because, simply, they pay homage to life itself. When life itself consists of nothing except struggles upon struggles, a constant battle to simply cling to life...a battle in which everyone will lose in the end anyway."

Now the oppressive female focused intensely on him, her eyes searching his. "You...understood this once, right? You accepted this philosophy as fact..."

"No." Naruto shook his head, taking a step back from her. "No, that's...no. What you're talking about is just a bad time in my life, a time that's long gone. They aren't meaningless platitudes, they're real."

"Oh?" the tyrant wondered aloud, her features scrunching slightly. "So...you're telling me that a part of you didn't simply wonder whether you should just finish me off while you had the chance? That the life of that child was worth the price for my death?"

The shinobi opened his mouth to loudly deny the claim, vehement at the sheer thought of what she was suggesting.

Yet nothing came out, stunned, suddenly uncomfortable.

"...You did, didn't you?" she drawled, a slow smile creeping onto her lips. "A part of you, deep inside, didn't really care, right? Just like when you were a child, despite the fact that you gave up on getting love from your fellow villagers...a part of you still silently hoped. Well, it seems to be the opposite now, with a part of you retaining that apathy from your past."

Naruto bowed his head again, clenching his fists, his entire body trembling, stuck at an impasse.

Recognizing this, the young woman took a step forward, her arms outstretched, reaching for him. "...Why resist this, Naruto? All of this moralizing has done nothing except make your life more difficult for you, hasn't it? Just...let it go. The life of that child, the life of your many enemies, as well as allies...they are all meaningless. You have no need to feel guilty about taking a life of someone that is insignificant..."

She cupped her hands on his cheeks, eyes beseeching him, trying to get him to understand.

"Let go."

The shinobi kept his eyes on the ground, his pupils quivering slightly in indecision...

Until they lit up.

"You..." he started slowly, his eyes refocusing on her's. "Is that why you did it?"

The tyrant frowned, unsure of what he was talking about. "What?"

Naruto blinked, breathing out steadily, before trying again. "...You said that the lives of insignificant people aren't important...that I don't have to feel bad about taking their lives. So...I was just thinking...maybe that's why you accept this belief? Maybe...you don't want to feel bad about crushing the lives of others? So you're using this philosophy...so you don't have to feel guilty for your actions...?"

The shinobi was suddenly sent forced back, pushed back by her as if she was touching something scalding hot, her ruby eyes glowering.

"You...!" she snarled. "That's not-!"

"I think I just struck gold." the shinobi retorted back, not even letting her get a word back in, silently thankful that she pushed him away.

He could take a second to recover; mentally.

It took the tyrant a split-second to calm herself down, caught flat-footed by the sudden inquiry. "You...really are something. I don't recall the last time that someone has managed to throw me off my balance quite that easily."

"I have a talent for pissing people off, I think." Naruto dryly noted, retaining his kyuubi enhanced features, but now back to a more stable state of mind.

As he was now, he had returned to a reasonable level of control over the initial transformation of the kyuubi's chakra.

Possibly thanks to the shocking fact that he almost killed a child.

Now...all he had to do was stay this way, as he actually did need to use this power to fight on even terms.

Unfortunately, the senjutsu that he used back in his battle with Ophis had left him weakened, as this corrupted natural energy really did seem to have negative effects on him after he was done using it.

He was weaker than usual to be perfectly honest, and his level of fighting right now was weaker than his usual base form.

But he didn't want to go further than this in borrowing the kyuubi's power, or use senjutsu a second time.

He'd have to work with what he had.

But first...

"What's your name?"

The tyrant blinked, straightening her back in caution, mentally preparing herself for whatever her crafty adversary was up to. "Why does it matter? Now? Of all times?"

Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea what to call you, so I'd like a name for future reference."

"...I don't have a name."

"Everyone has a name."

"I don't. I threw it away." she maintained, growing ever more suspicious the longer that they spoke. "...What's your angle here? What are you plotting...?"

The shinobi cocked his head to the side. "I...don't really have one to be honest. I just wanted to know your name. I can't really just call you 'purple-haired king wannabe', can I?"

The tyrant twitched involuntarily at the name. "...You seem far too upbeat right now, especially after your demeanor prior."

"Oh. Don't get me wrong. I'm feeling ridiculously stressed right now." Naruto retorted with a bitter smile, before returning to his more positive attitude. "I'm just doing a really good job at suppressing it right now, for this, because it's important to me."

"My name?"

"Exactly."

"...And you think that acting in such a manner will make me more malleable?" she questioned with genuine amusement, crossing her arms.

"It put you into a talking mood, didn't it?" the blond shot back, crossing his own arms in response.

The tyrant's amused expression slid off of her face after that, falling into a more thoughtful one. "...I suppose it has, hasn't it?"

Her ruby eyes fixated on the shinobi again, flashing a genuine smirk. "Truly, I have never been so amused by another individual...or surprised by one, either. Very well, I'll tell you my name...after one more round between us."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, sensing that she was itching for another go at him, aware that he didn't have much more time for questions.

"Alright, but I have one more thing to ask before the second round begins." he started, making it quick. "...You keep saying how much you want to make me 'see the error of my ways' so to speak, but...you don't seem too concerned about changing my mind right now. No, you're so focused on just beating the shit out of me. I hope you know that you won't change my mind by beating me, right?"

The tyrant leaned forward a little, her ruby eyes hooded. "...What? Do you want me to convince you...now?"

The shinobi wasn't amused, stonily staring at her with a firm expression.

For a few moments, the both of them simply stared each other down, challenging one another.

Until the mysterious woman finally leaned back again, smoothly returning back to topic. "I'm in no rush to convert you back to normal, no rush at all as a matter of fact. I'm satisfied enough by simply meeting you in person and..gauging your abilities. Besides, I've already begun the process of showing you the truth...you will realize the error of your ways soon enough."

"You've already-?" Naruto repeated, before his blood suddenly went cold. "Wait...what do you mean by that?"

The tyrant went silent.

Taking an aggressive step forward, with all pretense of civility and serenity gone, the shinobi bared his sharp canines and demanded answers. "Hey! That last thing you just mentioned...what the hell did you mean by that!? Answer me!"

At first, all he really got was an enigmatic smirk in response.

But her next words did absolutely nothing to make him feel any better with the situation.

"Let's just say..." she rasped. "That you will begin to agree with my point of view soon enough."

---

A young man with long brown hair was impatiently tapping his fingers on the desk he was leaning on, waiting for his opportunity.

Which, by this point, seemed like it was never going to come.

Shiba, a traitorous member of the Hero Tribe has been waiting for the adoptive child of the Toujou Jin; Nonaka Yuki, to call her father in order to inform him of his biological son's survival.

Such an event would no doubt distract the powerful man enough to allow for Shiba to make contact with the old man that he has...'allied' with, completing the deal that they have made with one another.

The young man was uneasy, at best, with keeping a contract incomplete, as it allows for a debt to accumulate, and he hated the very concept of a debt.

Still, to his frustration, he hasn't been able to complete his deal, mostly because Toujou Jin was not under any duress, suggesting that he was not dealing with the fact that his son was, in fact, alive.

Which meant that, for whatever reason, Nonaka Yuki has not called her adoptive father.

...That or Jin was a great actor.

Regardless, he had to make contact with that old bastard...and soon...

"...Yo, Shiba, haven't seen you in a while..."

Shiba felt his brows crinkle at the rather familiar voice, quickly getting himself back into his 'loyal' hero persona. "Ah...it has been a while, Takashi-kun."

To his side, a young man wearing the formfitting standardized hero outfit walked up to the traitorous hero, a small grin on his face. "Heard that you were almost immediately dragged into the newest meeting of the elders the second that you got back. Must be rough."

"Eh, it's not so bad." Shiba remarked with a smile, sticking to his facade. "It helps to know that I'm just doing my part for the Hero Tribe."

Takashi merely hummed, taking a seat by the other hero with a casual air. "Maybe."

Shiba didn't really look at the younger man, teen really, and kept his pupils focused ahead.

But he was taking in his profile through the side of his eye, suspicious at his timing.

Hayase Takashi; a well built young man with short messy blond hair, which was slightly dyed dark brown at the fringes, and sharp blue eyes.

Put simply; he was a new and talented hero among the numbers of the Hero Tribe, someone who mostly kept to himself...except for a few exceptions.

Shiba being among them, for reasons that the hero wasn't so sure about.

Between the two, they were practically polar opposites, nothing really to connect either of them with one another.

So...why did the younger man seek him out? Was it really just for inane small talk?

...Or maybe he was simply becoming way too paranoid?

As Shiba continued to weigh in on his suspicions, Takashi himself was staring at the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the world for him.

He was seriously having doubts as to why he was here, and why the Great Hero even needed him here in the first place...

Toujou Jin; the Great Hero, has asked him about a month and a half ago to keep an...eye open for any strange actions that the hero; Kyouichi Shiba, might make.

Whether their leader was correct, or simply becoming a little too mistrustful after recent events was something that Takashi was seriously wondering about.

...Maybe the whispers that Jin was, perhaps, no longer fit to be their leader were true...?

"Takashi-kun."

The young man blinked, getting back to his objective. "Ah, oh, sorry, was distracted."

Shiba smiled at him while keeping his eyes closed, friendly as always. "Apologies, Takashi-kun, but I'm curious, what are you doing here in the recreation room?"

Takashi shifted uneasily at the query given to him, aware that he really didn't think up of a decent reason to actually be there.

Both males were in the recreational room near the conference room for the the higher ups, a place that most heroes didn't really pass by casually without a reason to.

The blond opened his mouth to respond, thinking up something on the spot. "I-I was curious to hear about what really happened, so I was hoping to hear it from a possible first hand source. That's all."

In reaction to his lie, Shiba's smile grew even wider than before, some could say that it even went mischievous. "Hah~ I see, that makes sense. Though, I'm sorry to say that that information is top secret, as the elders have forbidden me to tell anyone about what has happened until they deem it alright. Information can be a dangerous thing after all~"

Internally, the traitorous hero was very much satisfied in seeing the flash of frustration in Takashi's features.

He had no idea whether the younger man was here under orders to get information, or whether he was genuinely trying to quench his own curiosity, but either way, he was more than happy to upset him in anyway he could.

And he was about to take it even further, made even worse by the fact that Shiba did actually need to go.

"Anyway, sorry about this, Takashi-kun, but I need to find and speak with Jin-dono about...certain things, mostly about the loss of the Chinese branch of the Hero Tribe." he apologized, smoothly standing up from his seat so that he could do just that.

Takashi smoothed out his annoyance quickly, offering a small smile instead to his acquaintance. "Ah...no, of course. You're a busy man right now, no need to apologize."

As the traitor swiftly made his way to the door, prepared to take his leave and give a final farewell to the teenaged hero, he paused.

Right at the very handle of the door.

The door that the traitorous hero was about to leave through would have led him to the hallway of the relatively sizable western-style castle that he was in, one that had plenty of guards since this was a place where the elders consistently adjourned in.

Guards...which he didn't sense.

Shiba always had a strong ability to sense other people, something that made him into a dangerous force against other groups the second that he entered the battlefield.

And, even while inactive, he could always feel the people who are not that far from him via distance.

Yet, right then and there, he couldn't sense any of the guards past this door.

With a newly found cautious air, Shiba slowly opened the door, eyes keenly aware.

What he saw made him freeze on the spot, unable to register the very real, yet thoroughly unimaginable scene in front of him.

It was simply impossible, yet there it was.

In front of him, in the long hallway made of fine brick and mortar, was red.

Lots and lots of red.

'Red paint' was splattered across the walls, as their owners, impaled and staked all over said walls, were simply...hanging there...loosely.

"...What is this...?" Takashi whispered from behind Shiba, horror lining his voice as he walked up to his fellow hero.

Shiba was too stunned to try and even retort to the other human, but that wasn't the only reason why he didn't say anything.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

The echoing sound of two hands impacting against one another in a leisurely fashion became known to the young man's ears, bringing forth a genuine chill to his spine.

...He didn't sense anyone in the hallway.

He heard the sound of clapping, but he didn't feel their presence.

Despite this, Shiba turned his head to follow the source of the sound, one of his eyes opening wide at what his optics registered.

Right next to one of the many impaled bodies, nearly hidden from sight by using that very body as cover, was a young man.

That young man, at first glance, was the definition of 'average'.

He had an average height, an average build, average short black hair, and average looks.

If the heroes who were staring at him didn't know any better, they'd guess that he was just a normal high school student that got lost. Especially considering the black jacket he wore, which had a white collar, five yellow buttons lined down the middle, and matching black pants.

But...there was something wrong with this boy.

Ignoring the fact that Shiba couldn't sense his presence...at all, there was also the fact that there was something patently...twisted about this child.

It actually reminded the young man about that old man's pet project...that girl with the purple hair...

No...it was similar, but not quite the same.

That weak-looking boy, now done clapping, would finally push himself away from the wall that he was leaning on and face the duo, spreading his arms out as if he was about to hug them.

「Hello there, fellow humans!」the teen cried out in an exaggerated fashion, a wide smile on his face. 「Apologies, apologies! I'm here on behalf of the Space Federation to kidnap a brave soul for ransom! Would any of you fine gentlemen like to give yourselves up for the cause?」

Shiba and Takashi shared glances with one another, concerned about the mental stability of the boy in front of them, before Takashi decided to take aggressive step forward. "...Were you the one responsible for this?"

The unknown young man blinked, his blue eyes scanning the area around him, as if just acknowledging the fact that everyone around him was dead. 「Hmm~? Oh! You mean all of these people? Please, don't jump to conclusions! Truth be told, they all already looked like this when I got here.」

As the black-haired teen waved away the accusation, Shiba couldn't help but notice how...bloody his clothes were.

And almost immediately after that, the traitorous hero soon realized grimly that all of the guards that were nailed to the wall...happened to be nailed by what looked like...

Shiba frowned, the weapons looked kind of like...screws, as the business side of the metallic object had a spiral motif, and the...handle, so to speak, looked just like a Phillips head screw.

With a wide smile, the teen then raised his arms while holding onto those very same screws, which just so happened to also be covered in blood.

「Now...I don't know what kind of dastardly individual could have possibly been responsible for this.」he admitted, shaking his head mournfully, before flashing a friendly smile as blood dripped from his weapons. 「But, I can assure you one thing!」

Right at that moment, an annoying ticking sound began to reverberate in the hallway, becoming overbearing in how loud it was.

And just like that, Shiba suddenly felt the intense energy signals of up to seven other beings, quickly closing in on them from the outside of the relatively old western-style castle.

It was coming from...!

The teenaged boy in front of them smiled his pleasant smile as the very ceiling fell apart due to an unknown force, looking about as innocent as a little child.「This isn't my fault.」

The ceiling from above suddenly exploded, the force of which literally blew back both heroes, and, to their own shock, completely caught their twisted adversary in the center of it.

Though, by that point, they didn't have the luxury to even think about him anymore, as ceiling fell on top of them once the world as they knew it gave way to a blinding light.

---

"No."

The tyrant raised a delicate brow at Naruto's emphasized 'no', curious.

Red slits fluttered close for a moment, as the blond took a deep breath, calming himself. "...I know what you're doing. You're trying to piss me off, to disrupt my center to get me to make stupid decisions. Well, that isn't going to work."

A chuckle was his only response, one that did it's best to emulate the emotions behind an actual chuckle, while failing on some fundamental level. "I'll admit...that was partially my aim, but that would have only been a nice addition to my main goal. Not necessarily my true objective."

Naruto stared at her, lips set in a fine line, making sure that he didn't let himself run rampant again now that he had control.

The tyrant returned the stare with a blank expression, before she tilted her head to the sky. "...To be blunt...Naruto, dreams are...nice things. But every dream, inevitably, will end in time. All I'm doing is showing that this dream that you've been experiencing, no, this nightmare, is going to end. So that you can embrace what you once were."

Her ruby irises focused on him again with pinpoint accuracy, her regard intense. "This...belief of yours; in the bonds between people, or, to be more specific, your faith in those that you trust as comrades..."

---

Hayase Takashi was trying to breathe, trying to fill up his lungs with oxygen instead of the myriad other dangerous gases in the air that was let loose following the explosion.

He couldn't though, it was too much, too sudden.

More than that...his eyes were still recovering from the sudden flash of light, leaving him temporarily blind.

To make matters worse, the cloud of debris that was created by the explosion earlier was not only suffocating him, but it also severely muffled his vision.

To his relief though, it didn't muffle his hearing.

"...Hurry up...grab him and...their leader finds us...!"

Fragmented words were all he really managed to catch, but nothing to put those voices to.

Thankfully, by this point, his blue eyes slowly began to recover from the bright light from earlier, so he slowly began to peer into the devastation that was wrought onto the castle in the Hero Tribe's hidden space.

And the first thing that Takashi noticed as he looked into the dusty atmosphere, was a young man that was standing upright, curiously looking about himself at the destruction.

To the hero's rising shock, he realized that it was that strange teenager that got rid of the guards, the one that was practically at the center of the explosion from above.

Yet...if his eyes didn't deceive him...he didn't see a single wound or scratch on him.

Takashi himself was practically rendered immobile, despite being at a decent distance away from the epicenter of the blast...yet this guy was completely unharmed...?

「Oh...! Hey! You're alive!」the other male exclaimed as he noticed his blue eyes locked onto him, a happy smile plastered on his face. 「I wasn't sure if you would survive the blast or not...so congratulations! You're not dead!」

The hero ignored the strange words he was hearing and focused his energy on his own. "...You...how did you not die from that explosion...?"

The young man of average height and of average build regarded him for a little bit, his smile growing wider as his eyes narrowed, growing sharper, more menacing.

「...Who said that I survived the blast?」

Takashi was taken aback by the question, with another one right at the tip of his lips-

But before he could, the freaky male shifted his demeanor again, becoming bright and chipper, with the menace of prior disappearing. 「Ah...sorry! I can't answer anymore questions today! Unfortunately, we have to leave before your leader gets here, since we've got what we came for, and none of us want to deal with a 'Great Hero'...」

The young hero growled as he forced his arms to push him up from the ground, the dust slowly parting way as his adversary smiled and walked away from him.

As he tried to get back on his feet, he watched the other male jump high into the air, parting the dust clouds, and landing right next to a silhouette.

Thanks to his quick movements, the dust was partially parted enough to catch a glimpse of the other silhouette, who was very much possibly a partner.

And that partner would turn his head to look at him.

Cerulean blue eyes.

Lightly tanned skin.

Untameable spiky blond hair.

And, most strangely, three sets of whisker-like lines on both sides of his face.

That young man turned to him, looking down at him from above, a small grin reaching it's way to his youthful face. "...You know...I could kill you, but it's not like anyone will ever believe that a guy like me would ever do something like this. So...just for shit's and giggles...I'll let you live...dattebayo."

Fury spiked in Takashi, remembering the heroes that were killed in the hallway, as his enemy apparently felt that he wasn't even worth the effort.

"You...!" he roared out with his last bit of energy, as the world around him began to fall away to his blissful unconsciousness. "I'll never forgive you...do you hear me!? I'll never forgive you!"

All he heard was a breezy laugh as the invader turned away from him, confident in his victory...

---

"...That faith in those that you trust." the tyrant continued sharply. "I'll show you how foolishly idealistic that belief is."

Naruto grimly regarded her, sensing that the woman ahead of him truly had done something, not knowing what though.

"No more talking." she finally proclaimed, her patience wearing out. "It's time, Naruto!"

Without hesitating, the tyrant rushed forward with terrific speeds, remembering how her opponent was still affected by her ability to force him to bow, prepared to utilize that to it's fullest-

A balled fist viciously interrupted her charge, hitting her hard across the face before she could connect her right hook at the blond.

Her eyes were wide in surprise, as the shinobi actually managed to move fast enough to cut her off mid-swing despite his handicap.

No...wait.

His movements weren't as sloppy as they were before, when they were weighed down.

No, his movements looked crisp and precise, the same as they were prior to when she used her ability.

"...Did you think that I was gonna be affected by that weird technique of yours forever?" Naruto questioned with a smirk, his countenance suggested that he was victorious in something. "Well, sorry to say, but I'm, for the most part, beyond it now!"

As his enemy took a few steps back, losing her balance following the surprise attack, Naruto quickly shifted his body into position, ready to pounce. "The answer to dealing with whatever it is that you did to me...isn't power, no, it's something that defines me far more...!"

Before the tyrant recovered, a powerful punch knocked her off of her feet and made her slide harshly against the battered cement streets, hearing his triumphant roar.

"It's will!"

With a grunt, the young woman forced herself into a roll while getting sent away, internally satisfied with the new state of affairs.

Her ability wasn't infallible, and it seemed that the blond in front of her had found a weakness that she herself wasn't even aware of.

Impressed by this, the same moment that she managed to recover and stand upright again, was the same moment that she decided to divulge a bit of her powers, a show of her respect.

"...Weighted Words."

Naruto perked up, seeing her back up with a red mark on her cheek, but outside of that, no worse for the wear. "Huh?"

"Weighted Words." she repeated, raising her right hand, where a small ball of electricity occupied, crackling with power. "An ability that I picked up a few years ago from a...failed king. This power allows me to control basic electricity in general, and specifically; electric signals at will...including, say, the electrical signals that your brain uses to control your body."

She then shrugged her shoulders, completely at ease. "Really though...it's more accurate to say that the electrical signals that your brain began to use became too powerful for me to control when you, literally, put your mind into it. Simply put; the many neurons in your brain have sent more powerful signals to the rest of your body once your emotional state became more firm with your 'willpower'."

The shinobi blinked, not really understanding, but catching the gist of it.

But instead of searching for more information, he decided to question her about something more glaring. "...Why did you just tell me that?"

The young woman allowed a small smile to grace her features, which, of course, was distorted at best. "It's a nod to your impeccable penchant for reaching conclusions that seem...unsolvable. My way of expressing my respect, if you will."

In an unsettling move, she then raised her chin ever so slightly as her smile grew. "That being said...I haven't told you everything..."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what her next move was-

His red slits snapped to the ground, shock interlacing his features as the very earth rumbled beneath him.

Jumping backwards, he narrowly avoided a pipe which suddenly pierced from underfoot, electricity dancing on the palm of his enemy's hands.

"Machines are under my purview as well." she stated blandly, as numerous pipes that connected to the many apartments around them were forced to try and impale him.

Naruto was forced to continuously make back-flips as more and more pipes pierced the ground, aiming for him with pinpoint accuracy, never letting up.

To make matters worse, despite the fact that she was controlling the pipes that were trying to impale him, she also began to move towards him with incredible speed.

Taking a second to check her out before he was forced to slide to the side, he noticed that, through sheer speed alone, she was creating afterimages of herself, multiplying herself every second.

Then, to his rising concern, those afterimages began to move independently from her, spreading out to target him from multiple sides.

Clicking his tongue after he stopped his slide by using his chakra to stick to the floor, thus preventing a pipe from impaling him by predicting his momentum, he quickly brought his hands together to make a familiar hand seal.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" he exclaimed, as several copies of himself formed around him, prepared to do battle.

Unbeknownst to him, the young woman in front of him only smirked in triumph at the many clones, not looking dismayed at all.

Still, by that point, the real tyrant slowed down to a halt as her many clones rushed ahead, moving to engage.

Naruto just frowned at this tactic, already aware that the clones that were about to attack him were, in fact, just images, nothing more than that.

Perhaps she thought that his clones were images too...?

If so, the shinobi was about to utilize that belief to his advantage, as all of the blondes rushed forward towards their real opponent.

One of his enemy's afterimages raced to meet him, raising their fist so that they could crash it against his face.

Smirking, the shinobi let it.

And, as expected, the fist came sailing through him, not affecting him whatsoever.

As he thought, they were just distractions.

The same thing played out to all of his clones, as they all ignored the afterimages so that they could rush the original.

Smirking, the young woman then ran at them again, closing the distance quickly as several more afterimages appeared at her heel, rushing alongside her.

Narrowing his eyes, suspicious, the shinobi kept moving forward, moving to who he knew was the real one.

But before he could reach her, one of her afterimages rushed ahead and raised it's foot to hit him against his stomach, intercepting him.

He completely ignored it.

Once more, like last time, the leg came sailing past him, proving that it was ethereal.

With that out of the way, Naruto viciously collided with his adversary, smashing his arm against hers in a contest of strength, his red slits contacting with her dull ruby ones.

"I don't know what the hell you were trying to accomplish, but it sure as hell didn't work!" he proclaimed easily, flashing his sharp canines in a grin.

In response, the tyrant merely cocked her head to the side, expression cool. "...Are you sure?"

He wasn't able to get a word in edgewise.

Memories rushed into his skull, as yelps rang out from among his clones after some of them were caught in sneak attacks.

He didn't even need to be informed about what had happened.

"B-Boss! Some of her clones...! T-They're real! Like us!" he heard one of his clones cry out in warning, newly wary of the many afterimages surrounding them.

Naruto grit his teeth, glaring at the tyrannical female in front of him as she continued to match him in physical strength. "...You knew how to make corporeal clones? More than that, you hid them among afterimages..."

A low chuckle was what he got as a reaction to his unspoken query, at first.

"...Come now, Naruto, don't give me credit where credit isn't due. I didn't have this in reserve at all..." she drawled in a light tone, almost mocking. "To be honest, I actually only learned how to make corporeal clones just now."

The shinobi's eyes widened, shock painting his face. "W-What...?"

What she just said, what she just claimed...was fake, right?

The way she just phrased that...made it sound almost as like she had just copied his jutsu...

"...You're beginning to understand just what you're dealing with, aren't you?" she whispered, her words at once sounding like she was truly understanding him, yet also sounded like she was pitying him. "Despite all of your strength...you can't beat me, not truly."

Naruto growled lowly in his throat, rebelling at the very idea that there was no chance to beat her. "I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you! There's no such thing as an ability without flaws, not in this life! I'll find a way to win, as I always do!"

Despite his declaration against her, the tyrant smiled. "...I'll be looking forward to it."

With a snarl and a mighty heave that was backed up by swirling red chakra, Naruto pushed against the young woman with so much force that it not only knocked her off of her feet, but it also sent her into the air as well.

Without missing a beat, he quickly rushed after her.

The sounds of their clones clashing left their ears as the two airborne humans focused on one another, colliding against each other again above the myriad of buildings.

Their clash was explosive, violently pushing away the air as both powerful beings gave as good as they got.

When the blond threw a right hook at his enemy, snapping her head to the side and nearly making her see stars, she retaliated just as quickly with her leg, smashing into his abdomen hard enough to knock the air out of his body.

Both combatants were knocked from the air after this first clash, crashing on top of buildings on opposite sides of the streets.

They both recovered quickly, staring each other down from opposing streets.

Then, in a surprise twist, the tyrant turned her body around and ran down the building to jump to the next one, moving parallel to the streets.

Notably, she was moving away from the center of Kuoh Town.

Naruto realized this, but opted to give chase anyway, running parallel to her by jumping from building to building on his side of the street.

Running at equal speeds, the shinobi saw the young woman jump high into the air, towards his side of the street, moving to intercept him.

Refusing to play her game, the teen jumped high into the air as well, moving to intercept her interception, crashing against her in the air with overwhelming force.

Trading blows, the duo threw their fists at one another as they passed each other by, trading places with their respective streets.

However, the second both of them landed, they continued running forward, conducting a running battle that increasingly focused on their intermittent clashes in the sky, where they met.

If anyone was watching them, they'd only see a yellow and purple blur occasionally crash against one another as they moved further and further away from the center of Kuoh Town, reaching the outskirts as the air blew away from them every time they met.

On one of those many occasions, the two met in the air again, both becoming increasingly wounded from their run-on fight, and traded blows once more.

This time, with incredible speed, the tyrant caught a punch aimed at her shoulder, and then brought her knee up to try and hit the blond in the stomach.

Reacting quickly, Naruto brought his own knee out and crashed it against her's, stopping it cold, and brought his other fist out swiftly, prepared to take this chance since she was caught off guard.

The young woman's head was snapped to the right, as Naruto's right fist impacted against her cheek and sent her back.

Refusing to let her go however, the shinobi grabbed her small white jacket before she could be sent too far away, and brought his fist up again, knowingly concentrating the swirling red chakra around him into that limb.

With a mighty swing, the teen practically smashed his fist into her, splattering quite a bit of blood towards the ground due to the new wound he had just made.

Yet, to his shock, she wasn't sent flying this time, even though he had let go of her.

That was probably because of the fact that she managed to latch onto the arm that swung at her.

As soon as his arm was secure, she, in a thoroughly impressive feat of martial prowess, swung him around her and towards the building on her side, using the momentum that he gave her to her advantage.

At first, it kind of seemed like their little run-on battle was going to continue.

But that was before Naruto realized that he wasn't heading towards the roof of the building that he was sent flying to.

No...he was heading straight towards...

*Crash*

...One of it's windows.

A pained grunt later, and the whiskered teen crashed harshly against a wall inside of the apartment complex that he was thrown into, which in turn, toppled the bookcase which was right next to his crash site.

More than a few of the books fell on top of him, much to his disgruntlement.

That being said, he didn't really have the time to worry about that, as he had a feeling that his adversary wasn't planning on giving him a break.

So he took a quick scan of his surroundings, quickly grasping that he was in an abandoned apartment complex, probably used as a storage by the owner, if all of the boxes and dust said anything.

Perfect. As long as no innocents were endangered, he could fight without worry.

That being said...

Naruto quickly took the chance to merge with the dark atmosphere in the room, preparing a surprise attack once the young woman came by here.

Never let it be said that the blond had honor, he was still a shinobi after all.

Just like that, the shinobi began to wait for his enemy, his heart hammering inside his chest, listening to any vocal cues...

...

...

Red slits snapped to the floor, hearing, the sound of a door opening on the floor below, not at all conspicuous in entry.

So she wasn't the sneaky type then, huh?

This belief was entrenched further when he heard her storm upstairs through the main lobby, before practically slamming the door open to this specific apartment.

It took a little longer, but eventually, the purple-haired 'king' entered his view, her eyes scanning around, searching for him.

...Actually, now that he was not in the middle of deadly combat, or stressing out over the words that she goaded him with, he could actually look at her.

That is to say; inspect her appearance.

Looking at her now, the blond began to expect that her severe appearance attributed to his belief that she looked older than she actually was, as now that he looked at her...she looked to be roughly his age.

Though, despite her youth, she was very...advanced, for her age.

As for her clothes; she was wearing an open white jacket that was was held together at the collar, which framed a nearly form-fitting black t-shirt that showed off her stomach, a pair of black form-fitting arm warmers, and a pair of dark blue jeans.

...She also wasn't wearing any shoes, since she took them off for that little attack of her's earlier.

Overall, the -probable- teenager was wearing casual clothes with a rather dull theme. reflecting her overall attitude he believed.

That being said, even with her dull ruby eyes, she was still a beautiful woman with long purple hair that stretched to her waist.

Still, she was his enemy, and he would take her down, here and now.

With his resolve strengthening, Naruto prepared to pounce on her, his red slits sharp.

"...I know you're here somewhere, Naruto." the tyrant muttered out loud, her voice confident. "But since you're unwilling to come forth yourself..."

Her ruby eyes narrowed as she raised her fist above her head in a threatening manner. "...I'll just force you to reveal yourself!"

With tremendous force, the young woman brought her fist towards the floor, shattering it as if it was made of paper mache.

Naruto couldn't help but shout out in surprise as the floor underneath him gave way, making him tumble downwards in a heap.

With a grunt, he swiftly pushed himself back up to his feet, ready for a fight, as everything from above was coming down to their new arena.

And the tyrant apparently agreed with that sentiment, as she gracefully landed in front of him, locked eyes with him, and then moved to engage him.

Naruto moved forward as well, raising his fist as red chakra enveloped him once more, more than ready to start the fight all over again.

Yet both combatants paused, as an the object from above literally crashed right in-between the two of them, cutting them off from each other before they could get going.

The shinobi growled, registering only a large cloak which covered the object up from sight, before he saw it loosen up a bit from the fall.

Then, right before his eyes, he saw a pair of red slits.

Naruto paused from there, all of his previous thoughts erased as he took in the pair of red slits, marveling at the ferocity in them.

It took him a second to realize what he was looking at.

Or rather, who.

The cloak that covered the fallen object fell off to reveal a large and expensive frame, one that held reflective glass in it's confines...which allowed anyone that was looking at it to see their reflection.

He was looking at himself.

Naruto studied the mirror for a moment, eyes wide as he took in his own countenance, seeing all of the cracks that lined his visage due to the impact that the mirror itself endured.

And, even as he was watching, those cracks were getting larger, expanding ever forward.

Just by looking at it, the blond felt...uncomfortable, like he was steering too close to something that he didn't want to broach on a fundamental level.

Those cracks weren't getting better...no, they were getting worse.

He could see it right in front of him, as obvious as the sun itself; that eventually...little by little...

It would break.

As predicted, the glass in front of him finally shattered into pieces, falling apart right in front of his eyes as a pair of ruby eyes became visible to him again.

His opponent stared at him, silent, solemn even. "...Your eyes...they're back to normal."

Naruto blinked, raising his hand, noticing that his claws have regressed back to his normal fingernails, and that the aura that signified his use of the kyuubi's chakra was gone.

Did he do it subconsciously after staring at that mirror...?

"...Naruto."

The shinobi glanced up again, surprised to see the very faint...vulnerability that his opponent was expressing, as if she herself was spooked by something.

"...What did you see?" she asked quietly, ruby irises peering into his cerulean.

He have her an honest answer.

"I-I don't know." he admitted.

She nodded in return, a bitter smile tracing it's way onto her lips. "Yeah...me too."

Both of them then raised their heads to look at one another, something meaningful passing between the two as she opened her mouth.

"You know...this is ironic I think." she began, closing her eyes. "Here we are, speaking to one another, with the frame of a mirror between us..."

The shinobi didn't say anything, but he understood what she meant.

Regardless, she went on. "...In a sense, deep inside, I think...that I've come to see you as my own reflection, as everything that I'm not. I have talent, while you don't. You know effort, while I don't. I have nihilism...while you have hope. It...really does feel like we're reflections of one another, doesn't it?"

Naruto lowered his gaze, refusing to answer, yet acknowledging the opposing forces that they seemed to represent.

Still, he didn't want to admit it.

He didn't want to truly admit to the fact that...her eyes...

Her eyes...

...They looked so much like his, once upon a time, during a very dark portion of his life, before he changed.

When he looked at her...he...

Naruto blinked, staring at her, recognizing the young woman that he has fought throughout Kuoh Town.

Then, in his own vision, through a trick of his own mind...

He saw himself.

Just as he was, yet different.

As he had the same dull eyes as she did; reflecting someone that had grown apathetic to everyone and everything.

Someone that had given up.

Then, as he blinked again, the young woman from before replaced that disturbing visage, staring at him.

The shinobi blew out some air, trying to stay calm. "You...what do you see...?"

The tyrant peered into his bright blue eyes, silent.

For a split-second, whether it was her head playing tricks on her or not, she didn't see the young man that she was fighting against just now.

For a split-second, she saw bright ruby eyes instead of bright sapphire.

Everything he was, reflecting her in a way that she didn't want to consider.

The young woman closed her eyes at the visage. "...I don't know."

Both teens stayed like that frozen in their respective sides, on opposite sides of the frame, sapphire and ruby remaining in constant conflict, as they rejected each other.

Yet, the one with ruby eyes still tried, in her own way, to reach out.

To close the gap between them, to bring him to her, so that they wouldn't have to merely remain as reflections that couldn't connect.

In a way, she wanted that connection, seeking to force it's creation, even if she had to wrest it forth by making dubious claims.

Such was the case as her eyes snapped open, gleaming as she took a step forward, leaning into the mirror frame. "But...I know what you saw. You saw what you will become, what your ideals will inevitably lead you to...which is disappointment."

She took another step forward, beseeching him once more. "...Naruto, please, turn away from the path that you're walking...don't suffer anymore needless pain."

Naruto pursed his lips, recognizing what she was doing, and feeling all the more uncomfortable for it.

What she was doing...was very similar to what he did for others.

He would tell them, inform them, preach to them about the errors of their way, trying to steer them into a path which he believed would be to their best interest.

Was this how he looked to others? While he was speaking to them with such powerful charisma?

In a sense, even in this, she truly was like a reflection of him...

"...I can say the same about you." he returned, flipping the table on her. "Why do you...obsess over me as you do? Before, you mentioned that I kept bringing out these...emotions from you. How you truly felt while in my presence. How we are special..."

The shinobi raised and extended his hand, palm open, offering it to her.

"...To me, it sounds like you want to live." he maintained, serious. "Maybe...deep inside, you want to feel again, you want to have friends, you want to have loved ones...and you're using me to get access to that. So, instead of getting me to follow your way of thinking...why not try and follow mine?"

The tyrant's eyebrows rose so high above her head that it completely disappeared on her face, hidden behind her bangs. "You...you're trying to change me?"

Naruto shrugged. "Why not?"

The sheer incredulity that was on her face spoke for itself, before she recovered and shook her head slowly. "That...that's the first time that someone has tried to convert me from my way of thinking...you truly are someone special...aren't you?"

No, he wasn't.

"...I understand." she proclaimed, straightening her back so that she could reach her max height. "This will be our dynamic; you will try and change me, while I'll try and change you. Connecting with one another through our thoroughly differing goals, yet with similar attempts at conversion. Mirroring one another..."

Naruto regarded her, setting his lips into a fine line.

He could only say one thing in regards to her statement.

"...You're wrong."

She paused, confused.

Seeing this, he elaborated. "...I'm not here to necessarily force you to my way of thinking. I just..."

The shinobi cut himself off, biting his bottom lip, remembering what was most important, out of everything.

"...I just want to protect those that I care about, and help who I can afford to along the way." he claimed. "But sometimes, in order to preserve what I have...I have to pick and choose my fights...so if helping you means that I'll sacrifice those that I care about now...then that leaves me with no other choice."

To put it simply, he couldn't help everybody.

He couldn't save everybody.

And...this woman in front of him...may be one of those people that he couldn't help. Not without getting those that he cared about caught in the cross-fire.

The tyrant blinked, watching him with surprised ruby irises.

Then she smiled.

It was a genuine smile.

Yet, it was very much a sad one.

"...I do believe...that this is the second time that you've truly rejected me today." she whispered, closing her eyes. "...Hopefully that will change, soon. But until then..."

Her hand stretched forward, reaching for the blond, hooking around his neck and pulling him closer to her.

Naruto stared into her eyes, his blue irises reflected by her ruby, her face inching closer as she dragged his head lower towards her's.

Only when they were mere inches from one another, their foreheads touching, did the shinobi firmly stop her from pulling him in further.

"...And here I was wondering if you'd let me continue." she murmured, her eyes boring into his.

Naruto's expression changed not a whit. "You wouldn't have gone all the way anyway, right?"

A small smile graced the young woman's face. "You know me so well already...you're correct, I simply have to share my gratitude with you for indulging in one of my precious few wishes."

He didn't want to ask him what that 'wish' of her's was, so he stayed silent, letting her continue.

"...The old man that wanted you to join him in his quest to recreate the concept of 'heroes'." she whispered to him, her words low and voice serious again. "He has a powerful Sacred Gear within him that allows him to see visions, visions that allow him to peer into the present, past, and future. Now, I'm not going to tell you everything about his abilities...but I will tell you one thing. His ability to see into the future, isn't written in stone. Rather, they take in the variables of the present to make somewhat accurate predictions of the future."

The shinobi's eyes widened at this rush of information, realizing very quickly how important this was, as well as the vicious blow she has just dealt to the old man she was referring to.

"...If he twisted it up a little bit, he could have tried to convince me that it was destiny for me to join him, or something like that." Naruto figured, his brain running a mile per minute. "Yet you just..."

"I'm not done." she cut him off, all business despite the fact that their noses were touching, and their lips were only a step away from one another. "There are others like me, nowhere near as powerful, but many of them with abilities that cannot be overwhelmed by sheer power alone..."

Rambling now, the tyrant kept up her barrage of information, not letting up. "...The old man that I was referring to has found a gate that is supposed to be affiliated with the Elemental Nations. How or why is unknown."

The blond's eyes widened to the size of saucers at that last one, getting him to open his mouth to demand for answers.

Yet he couldn't once she locked eyes with him again.

She paused after her last information burst, searching his eyes, her own eyes softening as she spoke again.

"...My name..." she started slowly, whispering so lowly that he could barely hear her. "...Is something that I've discarded once I ran away from home...but, since you're so eager to know...here it is; it's Kurokami Medaka."

Naruto breathed in, finally labeling her with the name that she was given from birth, musing that it actually fit her really well.

The kanji; 'Kuro' meant 'Black', while the 'kami' meant 'god'...

So her last name practically meant 'Black God'.

If that didn't fit her personality, then the blond didn't know what would.

The teenaged girl known as Kurokami Medaka, with hooded dull ruby eyes, regarded him carefully, her arms slowly unwrapping from his neck. "...I don't believe in destiny, Naruto, but if I did, then I'd believe that we would be fated to clash again, until one of us became victor of our bouts. So...with all of the information I have bequeathed to you, I only ask one thing from you in return."

She clutched at her burnt and battered shirt, looking at him directly in the eye. "...Don't fall to anyone else, not until I face you again."

Naruto didn't verbally react to her plea, instead opting to raise his chin in defiance, as if taking the challenge she had offered.

Medaka was satisfied with that.

In a flash, the tyrant backed up from him, backing up to the section of the wall that was collapsed following her destruction of the floor above. "...The last of my clones were destroyed by an interfering magic attack, and despite the fact that your clone was taken along with mine, the destruction should give them all an idea of where we went. So I'll leave you with this, Naruto."

She jabbed her finger at him, her countenance fiercely determined.

If only he knew how strange her actions were in comparison to her normal behavior, how she was always apathetic, yet now she was far more...expressive.

But he couldn't have possibly known that.

"I'll be the one to reform you." Medaka claimed, confidence abundant. "You can bet on that. So until I save you from yourself...stay alive out there."

And with a jump, the purple-haired teen escaped through the apartment and rose towards the ceiling of another building, her long hair trialing behind her as she left the area without looking back.

His adversary had simply disappeared, going away as quickly as she had appeared in the first place.

---

Medaka sped past the many buildings that she had previously battled on with little effort, only wincing every now and again as some of her wounds smarted a bit.

Truth be told, she's never been as battered as she was then since...oh, since the very beginning of her entrance to the supernatural world.

Before she truly became a king to be reckoned with.

Yet look at her; covered in dust, cuts, and dried blood, some of which wasn't even her own.

Needless to say, she was very satisfied with the blond's power, even more so when she realized that, if his visage was of any indication, he was already pretty weakened before they even fought.

She was very interested in seeing what he could do when he was at full capacity...

This...rush that she felt whenever they traded fists was definitely something she could get used too.

By this point, the tyrant shook her head, focusing back on the important matter at hand.

She meant it when she claimed that she was going to reform him, and she wasn't joking when she claimed that she had already started the groundwork for such a transformation.

Old man Shiranui's plan to 'save' his 'comrade'; Shiba, should have been well underway by now.

And, to be frank, she didn't really care if his plan succeeded or not, as long as her vice-president completed his task by framing Naruto in the attack, that was fine.

If anyone was watching her then and there, they'd notice how the young woman's demeanor slowly reverted back to a more dispassionate stance when compared to her attitude when facing the shinobi, her 'normal' so to speak.

And that attitude was reflected when her lips merely twitched upwards instead of outright smirking when she remembered what she had her subjects do.

Her vice-president was too join the group of six and help their objective, using his unique powers to full effect.

Knowing him, he's just erase his presence entirely...

Outside of helping the group, he'd have that little friend of the fake king mascaraed as Naruto, in essence, using the ability that was inspired by the shinobi's henge no jutsu.

The important thing was for someone to see him, so as to sow the seeds of distrust.

She was confident that this seed would sprout, and further Naruto's disillusionment with his beliefs, and only further the decline of 'this' Uzumaki Naruto.

It would only be a matter of time now...

Medaka's ruby gaze narrowed as she saw several forms up ahead, quickly moving down the battered town streets, forcing her to hide behind the stairway entrance on the roof, spying on them.

As she expected, she saw the many friends and comrades that the blond has made in Kuoh Town, rushing towards his aid ostensibly, prepared to fight if necessary.

How quaint.

How useless.

Regardless, this was an excellent chance to take memorize the more important ones for later, just in case.

Ahead of the group that was soaring through the air, keeping an eye out, was a red-headed woman with blue-green eyes, wearing the Kuoh Academy girl's uniform.

If she remembered anything about this territory, then she could make an educated guess and say that that was Rias Gremory.

Looking at her now, she easily dismissed her as not talented enough to pose enough of a threat to take seriously, even with her inherited power.

And if that was the Gremory heiress, then that must mean that the woman with short black hair and glasses must be the Sitri heiress...

Just like her counterpart; she quickly concluded that she wasn't worth the effort to remember properly.

After a quick scan, she pretty much dismissed each and every single one of the entities that were rushing to help their comrade, not seeing anything special in any of them.

At best, some of them had mediocre talents, but none of them had the strength to even back the shinobi up, let alone help him in a fight.

If anything, they were liabilities.

And she would show him the truth of that belief soon enough.

With a flourish of her hair, Medaka left her hiding spot and continued on her way back to the old man's institution, planning out her next move.

She learned quite a bit from her battle today...and she felt that an...'upgrade' was needed.

The next time that she faced Naruto, she would be far more powerful.

He'd better be prepared for her by then...

---

"...Man, what they hell happened here? Did someone start a war or something?"

That was Issei's rhetorical question, though his query was something that everyone there could have asked with a serious expression, and most people would probably take it seriously.

It really did look like a war was waged here, in this street.

The group that was moving to aid their friend was split into two groups; the flying and the runners.

This way, if Naruto's enemy had any friends, they could hopefully become aware of them before they got ambushed.

For all intent's and purposes, they were moving through enemy territory by this point.

"Did you two catch what happened here, Issei-san, Asia-san?" Sona called out from above, looking downwards at the street.

Both teens turned upwards to share a look at the devil above, both shaking their heads in near unison.

They were pretty far away from the actual clash, though they did hear parts of what must have been quite the fight.

Though, by the time that the group arrived, it was obvious that both combatants had moved away from their original location, taking their fight further away from Kuoh Academy.

More disturbing though, was the fact that they met a copy of each combatant duking it out where they used to be.

The fact that someone could create a physical copy of themselves like Naruto could was...disturbing, to say the least.

Too bad Rias prematurely shot the copy before they could even ask it any questions.

Back in the present, Mio, who was running alongside Yuki, was staring grimly ahead, nervous at what she'd find once they reached her blond, remembering how spooked he was when she first saw him.

"Hey, Mio-sama."

The red-head turned, meeting with the purple orbs of Maria, giving her a measure of ease at the familiar visage.

"He's going to be alright." she soothed, an easy smirk splitting her face. "This is Naruto-sama that we're talking about, he'll make it back to us in one piece."

Mio turned away from her, staring ahead, praying, ironically, that she was correct.

As they were running, she felt a hand casually place itself on her shoulder, tightening slightly in silent comfort.

She didn't need to turn around to know that Yuki was trying to ease her as well.

"Hey! I think I see someone ahead!" Rias called out from above, squinting at something ahead.

All eyes snapped ahead, registering the form that was ahead of them.

It was someone that needed no introduction.

A teenaged boy was ahead of them, wearing an orange t-shirt which was ripped apart, dark blue jeans which were filled with holes, and orange-black sneakers which were extraordinarily worn.

Uzumaki Naruto was staring off at somewhere in the distance, focused, before he slowly turned around to face the group, features blank.

The racially mixed group all stopped within a few feet from the young man, the ones in the air landing with everyone else on the streets.

Everyone stared at him, taking in the fact that he was there, right in front of them, alive and well.

This silence dragged on until a certain pervert piped up.

"You look like shit."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah...I feel like shit too."

Just like that, the ice was broken.

What must have felt like thousands of questions suddenly streamed out of everybody's mouths, wondering about what had happened, who he had fought, and whether he was alright.

It actually overwhelmed him a little, hearing so many things and seeing so many familiar faces in what felt like...well...forever.

But what really caught his eyes was the young woman that strode forward ahead of the group, rushing towards him with obvious intent.

Her flash of long red hair, which, for some reason that the blond couldn't fathom, was let down to cascade down her back, made the person's identity obvious.

He didn't manage to say a thing before she wrapped him up in her arms, hugging him as if her life depended on it.

"...Naruto..."

Naruto's eyes softened, recognizing the emotion that she probably couldn't put into words. "...Hey there, Mio. It looks like...that you've been through a lot, huh?"

She didn't' answer, she just pushed her face deeper into his shirt, clutching at the fabric with a vice grip, her shoulders trembling.

How would he look at you...?

Mio clenched her eyes shut, remembering the haunting words of Diodora as he burned, trying to dispel the idea that he placed in her away from her mind.

The shinobi stayed silent as he wrapped his imouto in his arms, holding her close, the words of the warrior that he fought just now also echoing in his head.

That again; like your best friend, like your sensei, like your master, like your very home itself...you'll be abandoned. All. Over. Again.

"...Naruto...?" the half-devil started, her voice quiet and small, fearful even. "...Do you...?"

Naruto put more force into his hug, silencing her before she even really began.

"...We've been through a lot, Mio." the blond admitted solemnly, welcoming the feeling of the embrace. "So...for now...there's no need to talk. Just for a bit, let's just...keep going."

Mio lifted her head up, her pink eyes reflecting off of his blue as he smiled at her.

She didn't say another word, she just tucked her head back into his chest, breathing in his scent, taking comfort in his presence, feeling the stress of the long days begin to slide off of her.

Naruto...

His name, unspoken in the depths of her heart, grasped at what it represented.

The two of them stayed like that, letting the moment help them with their respective problems, at least on a basic level, letting them know, simply; that they were not alone.

And that was a moment that everyone around them was letting them have.

It took a little bit for Naruto to finally begin the process of letting her go, but he knew that he had to speak to the others, aware that they looked battered as well.

Mio let go of him reluctantly, not really wanting to, but accepted it regardless.

"...Everyone." the shinobi started, scanning all of the familiar faces around him, registering one prevalent thing among them. "...You've all been through a lot too, right?"

The myriad of reactions that he received was telling enough of how correct his assumption was.

Koneko, who was still recovering from nearly losing Yuuto, winced, remembering the creeping feeling of natural energy...and the one that she knew utilized it.

Beside her, Issei clenched his jaw, remembering the burning man that he impaled with his fist, unwilling to admit that he...sometimes saw him whenever he closed his eyes.

Floating down from the sky, Akeno shifted her gaze slightly to focus on the fallen angel that was behind her, her violet eyes crinkling in aversion.

Asia followed her lead, looking at the black-haired fallen with a faint bit of nervousness in her pupils.

As for Raynare, a flash of uncertainty danced in her violet orbs, remembering the exorcists that nearly started a fight because of her appearance. Knowing that a war could have sparked from it during a time when she was focused on trying to cure the sickness plaguing her people.

These many reactions were obvious to Rias, who was watching carefully, making her deflate a bit at what everyone was forced to endure.

Though, unbeknownst to her, and everyone there, a certain knight had arrived to the scene, watching them all from the roof of one of the apartment complexes nearby.

For him; he very much remembered the series of events which led him to hunt for the fragments of Excalibur, in honor for the memories of those that died before. Truly getting him to empathize everyone else's trials.

And, for the most part, Naruto saw all of these myriad reactions.

"...I'm not exactly sure what has happened while I've been away, but I can tell now that almost everyone here has, at least, faced a crisis of character, right? I should know, I literally just faced one."

The shinobi paused, letting his words sink in, before moving on.

-0-

"However, there is one thing that I do know about these kinds of problems...and that's that you either have to overcome them, or let them overcome you." he maintained, serious.

Many of them glanced away from him, some of them getting the impression that he was reprimanding them more than anything else.

Then, much to almost everyone's confusion, his frown, very much, turned upside down.

"And I completely, with full confidence, believe that all of you can overcome such trials dattebayo!" he declared, a bright smile piercing through his serious demeanor.

Behind him, Mio was smiling, sharing in his infectious optimism, sorely needing it.

She had a feeling that everyone else needed it too.

"...The person that I fought just now believed that you guys were useless, liabilities even, that you would never match up to me or contribute to my well-being." Naruto explained, his smile turning into a feral grin. "But she didn't see what I saw! She didn't see the potential, both in normal people, and in you sorry lot! I...really do believe that you all could get out of this funk, and become stronger for it. That you all could surpass your current selves to become something even greater!"

Before everyone's eyes, smiles were growing, hearts were lifting, blood pressures were rising, and eyes were lighting up as the young man continued, truly bringing them all up.

A light piercing through their foggy grittiness.

"Because, no matter who we are, we all have to keep moving forward, regardless of where we come from and what we believe. And I believe that we all will." the shinobi proclaimed, expressive.

Yuki crossed her arms, sharing a small smile with Maria next to her, a breathy laugh escaping through her mouth.

This, very simply, was so Naruto of him.

"I may have only known most of you for about a month or so...but I know that all of you care for each other, enough that you'd hate it if anyone here got hurt. For your information, that's the inspiration that all of you need to face your personal trials right there! Those bonds will push you to new heights, either through personal inspiration or by working together with those you care about!" he exclaimed, taking a step closer to everyone else, reaching out to them through his words.

Naruto raised his fist, punching out at them all, a toothy and teasing smirk easily seen on his slightly bloody features.

"I have faith in you bastards!" he declared. "So...if I can do have that, then you lot should have enough faith in yourselves to reach that new summit, right!?"

Rias and Sona shared a smile with one another, seeing everyone's spirits rise to new heights.

Laughs were heard when Issei roared out in agreement.

Dull looks were spared when Akeno claimed that the shinobi should quit while he was ahead before someone fell in love with him.

Nervous smiles were shared when Yuki walked up and asked Naruto whether they could share a bath in celebration for his return.

Mio just smiled at the scene, expression brighter than it has been in a while.

They were back together.

On one of the roofs, Yuuto also shared in their raised spirits, smiling as he turned around and moved to join them.

As he was coming down, he saw the first inkling of light peeking from the horizon.

Sunrise.

It felt fitting.

They had a lot of problems to face in the future...but they'd deal with it.

As best as they could while having each other's backs.

---

AN: Welp, this is it for a while. I'm going on hiatus following this chapter as I get shipped off. I hope you all enjoyed the fic up to this point, and that you're all satisfied with where I left off.

Leaving off with hope instead of despair felt fitting to what I wanted from this Arc. I get that some felt this fic was getting dark, but it's a dark before the sun peeks out, as is fitting.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the OST, was it good? Hope it was. I love OSTs, so I practically have an entire favorite list of OST on youtube whenever I want to emphasize a certain moment. Though it was hard, choosing between the second round between Naruto an Medaka and the last heart-warming moment of this chapter. Hope I made the right choice. :P

And, yeah, the fourth crossover is indeed Medaka Box, I had this planned since the very beginning of this fic, so yeah, this was a long time coming. I have explanations ready for how their powers make sense in the universe I have built, so no worries about that.

Though, I didn't want to leave the mystery of how Medaka got chakra hanging, so there was a bit of exposition in this chapter, it will all be explained in deeper depth later in this story, but the mystery of "gate" is something that is actually found in the Narutoverse itself. Mind you, it's non-canon, but the gate between world will be something vital later on in the story.

Another thing, some people feel that there's a lot of stuff in this story, and that's true. I wanted everyone to know that...while Naruto is an important player in this world, the world does *not* revolve around him.

There's a lot of other groups in the background, and while it feels like there are a lot of "bad guys", it's more like there are a lot of groups with their own agendas that might clash with our favorite blond in the future.

I guess I had enough of single-focused villain versus single-focused hero tropes. Ya know?

Finally, before I am completely gone, I've gotten some suggestions for getting a "Reading" fic for this...uh...fic. You know what I mean, right? Do you all think I should issue a challenge like that so that you lot could have sometihng to read while I'm gone?

Just a thought, this is my last chapter in a while so...

-RekkingPride out!