(A/N Welcome back to the second chapter from Maelstrom's Path. I hope you will enjoy this chapter and we will see each other in the next one.)

Summary: "I am a devil, huh?" Naruto was thankful that she gave him a second chance and he would pay off his debts, but he wasn't a servant. He would never be a servant. He was his own man, and he could decide what he wanted to do. He would protect what was precise to him.

"Speech."

'Think.'

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or High School Dxd or other elements from other anime, which will be used in this fanfiction.

Warning: Naruto was born in the dxdverse and not in the elemental nation. He will be a reincarnated devil with a Longinus Sacred Gear.

Naruto sighed as he walked into his house. A lot had happened today and so much was still unclear. It felt strange knowing now that he was a devil. That, of course, explained his new abilities, but it was still odd. He wasn't human anymore and who knows what that meant for Naruto now?

Would he never go to heaven if he died? Would he ever have to go to hellfire if he committed too many sins? He did not know. But that day had one good thing.

He had someone who could explain everything to him. After all, he had a massive golden lion as a partner. He took off his shoes and put them on the shelf that was just to the side. He walked down the long hallway and looked at the pictures on the wall. There were some paintings and also some photos of his parents. He was only in a few because most of the photos were from when his parents were about Naruto's age.

He went into the living room, where there was a large couch with a small table in front of it. Across from the couch against the wall was a dresser with a TV mounted on the wall above it. Otherwise, there were 2 small closets in the room for different things inside. Of course, there was also the door to the garden.

Naruto sat down on the large couch and leaned back. He closed his eyes a bit and thought about everything that had happened. Today his entire life was turned upside down. Yesterday he still had his normal everyday life as a person, where he went to school, did something from time to time with his friends from Tokyo, exercised every day, listened to music, visited his parents and so much more.

Everything was different today. He was now a devil and had a Sacred Gear housing a massive golden lion. 'Regulus?' thought Naruto. He was home now and with the sun still high in the sky it would be weird to just sit here and think. He needed answers or he would go insane.

"Yes Master." Naruto heard Regulus' voice in his head. 'Now can you explain everything I need to know? I'm going crazy.' thought Naruto.

"Of course, Master. I'll first explain everything about myself and what my abilities are." Regulus said. Naruto leaned forward and just looked at the floor. He just wanted to know how he could become a devil in the first place. He was human after all, and he had never heard of a human becoming a devil.

"I already told you that I protected you from any projectiles. In addition, my axe form possesses massive power. With just one hit you can tear massive fissures in the ground and if you ever master this form 100%, you could even split the earth in two." Regulus explained.

Naruto tried to remember everything. 'Can you take another form? I'll be honest, wielding an axe didn't feel natural. Can you also take on a form I can use to fight with my bare fists?'

"That would be possible, but you would have to reach a special level of Sacred Gear to do so. You are currently not strong enough for this level. You've only been a devil for a day, and while you've gotten increased Physical Power and Defense that way, that increase in power isn't enough."

'A special level?'

"Yes. Each Sacred Gear has a so-called Balance Break, which greatly increases the power of the wearer. The power of the balance break is much higher than the normal form."

'What form would you take then if I mastered and achieved that balance break?'

"I would become a golden armor that would protect you. The tremendous power of the axe would spill over into your punches, and along the way you'd be much stronger, faster, and have more defense overall. Of course, I would still protect you from any projectiles."

,Understand.' Naruto liked that explanation. That the brutal power of the axe would flow into his fists was just perfect. So, he could continue to fight with his body and be in his element. It would also make him faster, stronger, and have more stamina. Of course, he would be immune to all projectiles.

"Now that I've told you all about my abilities, it's time to tell you all about devils, fallen angels and angels."

(A/N If you don't understand everything yet, you should take a look at Regulus Nemea at wiki/Regulus_Nemea. Everything about the Sacred Gear is explained very well there.)

For the next 4 hours Regulus explained everything Naruto needed to know about the supernatural races. What kind of beings were there, what kind of relationships did they have with each other and other things.

Regulus had only explained the devils at the end because he explained more about them than about the other factions. Especially because of the Evil Piece system, which devils used to turn other beings into devils.

Naruto could remember everything so far because he always had short breaks. He had also written down the most important information. He also kept looking at the notes he was writing down. He had to ask a few questions about certain topics about what Regulus meant exactly or ask him something again about a topic.

For example, at first, he didn't quite understand why angels and fallen angels had multiple wings and devils only had two. The number of wings on fallen angels and angels showed how strong they were. By devils it was a different matter. You couldn't tell by the number there.

Naruto had also asked several times about the Evil Piece System in some places. Especially with the characteristics of the individual characters. Naruto was reincarnated as a devil by a rook and thus he had high strength and defense, but he was not as fast as others. Naruto, of course, was glad that it made him stronger. But being slower than others was also a problem. However, Regulus had told him that with hard training he could also become faster. The training he had always done before would change a lot. He now had skills that would allow him to undergo much more intense training. He would also focus on getting faster because that was his biggest weakness at the moment. Of course, he didn't have anything for ranged combat, but that's what he had his Sacred Gear for, which protected him from any projectiles.

There was also one big thing he didn't like about the Evil Piece system at all. Not only did devils turn others into new devils, but they also turned the born-again devils into servants. Naruto was reincarnated from a devil who was the king piece and thus his master. Normally Naruto would automatically become part of this King's peerage, but he never would.

He was not born of either his parents only to be enslaved or to be a servant afterwards. He was Naruto Uzumaki and not some devil's servant. Of course, he owed the devil something because he was only alive because of the devil. He would pay his debts, but he would not become a servant.

Naruto was momentarily standing in the garden looking up at the sky. He just let his thoughts wander at the moment, because he understood everything now, but hadn't really come to terms with it yet. Although he knew everything now, his current situation didn't make it any better. There were many dangers in the world that had never even appeared in his wildest dreams. As a devil, he had more enemies than angels or fallen angels.

He also understood now why he had such a strange feeling near the church. He had ignored it, but now he knew. He would be doing himself a favor if he stayed away from churches from now on.

He shook his head and looked behind him. Of course, he still had a big advantage now that he was a devil. He was just trying to bring this one out. He was trying to move several muscles in his lower back and at one point they appeared all at once. Naruto got a little startled because his bat-like wings suddenly appeared at such a high speed.

They twitched slightly as he tried to move them. It felt pretty natural. He touched them and could feel everything exactly. He let go of his wings and tried to flex the muscles he was using last before his wings appeared.

"WOW!" Naruto suddenly yelled as he took off. He just flew up in a straight line, getting further and further away from the ground. ,Crap!' Naruto relaxed his muscles a bit and that made him just stay in the air. Now he was floating there and not moving. He gasped a little and calmed his breathing a bit. His breath caught when he saw the view. He'd seen a lot, but this view was… he couldn't describe it. He looked at the sun, which had already turned an orange hue as it slowly set on the horizon.

Everything was bathed in an orange light which made the entire landscape look just incredible from the air where Naruto was at the moment. His blue eyes reflected the orange sun and he smiled. He didn't even notice the time ticking by while he was floating up there in the air.

After an uncertain time, he looked around and was a little confused when the sun was no longer visible. 'Huh? I just watched the sunset. What happened?' thought Naruto. He shook his head and looked down at the floor. He had to get back down somehow. He couldn't stay up here forever and not move. Naruto somehow tried to fly back towards the ground. It took him a few minutes, but he was beginning to get a feel for using his muscles to control his wings.

He landed safely in his yard after 20 minutes and then his wings disappeared right away. Naruto looked behind him and smiled. 'Being able to fly is awesome! That way I never have to worry about being late for anything again.' thought Naruto. So far, he was flying very slowly, but he would practice until he could fly very fast.

He looked at his watch on his wrist and could see it was 8pm. 'I'm not tired yet... maybe I should test how much my body can take now.' thought Naruto. He still had no idea how much his new body could do and how strong it was now. He looked at the house and nodded once to himself. He would now do another long training session and test his limit.

Naruto was about to go into his house when he sensed something strange. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. He had already noticed it when he woke up. Something was around him. It was as if an unknown kind of energy was all around him. Over the course of the day, he could feel this unknown energy more and more. She felt weird. It was warm in a sense, and yet he could feel something dark about that energy.

'Regulus?'

He could feel his partner's presence as he heard the voice in his head. "You summoned me, Master?"

'Can you tell me what that weird energy is? I can feel a weird energy around me all day.'

"If my guess is correct, then you can feel the life force around you."

Life force? I do not quite understand.' Naruto was even more confused after that statement than he already was. What was this life force supposed to be? Of course, the word already said something about it, but could Naruto really sense how long other lives could still be? He would be able to understand this concept better if he could only feel this energy in other living beings. But even now he could feel this strange energy all around him.

"Life force, also known as Ki, flows in every living organism and is particularly strong in nature. Even humans possess life force/ki, but very few ever become aware of this power."

'So, I can feel this ki in nature?'

"Yes. One of your parents must have had an innate ability to sense and use ki. It could be that you inherited the same ability and after becoming a devil this hidden ability might have been released."

'A devil should really use ki? I thought devils have demonic power and not the power to use ki. If I understand correctly, mastering ki could also be used to manipulate nature.'

"There are several variants of Ki application. However, you are right that with one of these abilities one could influence nature itself or rather the plants and earth. In very rare cases it could happen that a master of this ability could also influence the wind to a certain extent. However, this ability has never been confirmed and it's just a rumor."

'What is this ability called?'

"Senjutsu."

'Could I really learn this skill?'

"You are one of the very few devils who could actually learn this ability. After all, you can already feel the ki around you and so you can do something that 90% of all devils can't."

Naruto just nodded and walked into the house. He sat down on the couch and took another piece of paper and a pen. 'Okay Regulus… please explain everything about ki to me. I want to know everything about it and what I could do with it.' So far, he had only understood that there was life force/ki in all living beings and especially in nature like plants. So far, he only knew about the ability to influence nature.

But he couldn't imagine that this ability was the only ability that could be used through the use of ki. This ability sounded very versatile and if he could master this power alongside his new powers then he would have a good arsenal of skills.

"Senjutsu is the power to control the flow of life energy or ki in living beings. Using it, one can strengthen both their internal and external bodies or even cause vegetation around them to bloom or wither. Senjutsu users are able to sense the ki and auras of others thus letting them track targets from far away distances. It can be used to see through illusions by detecting the flow of the spirit or ki of others. Senjutsu is also capable of dealing interior damage to others by targeting their blood vessels and internal organs, and through disrupting the ki of their opponent's ki or severing it, it is possible to cause direct damage to their spirit and life-force and using this as an attack could result in killing their opponent. As such, there are very few ways to defend against Senjutsu. Senjutsu can be used to disrupt the aura of others, thereby preventing them from using their abilities. Senjutsu is also capable of forcefully putting others to sleep. By controlling the ki of others, Senjutsu can be used to extract curses and poisons from their bodies. Senjutsu can also be used to hide one's presence and avoid detection. Senjutsu also has healing capabilities that are effective for either one's physical or mental condition, relieving any fatigue and restoring one's lifespan, however, this method requires physical contact."

"Another common Technique is called Tōki. Tōki is, in essence the external manifestation of one's life-force, in other words their Ki, which would be wrapped around them as an aura. Using this, a person achieves heightened offense, defense, and speed. It also had the added effect of damaging others from the slightest touch and defending a user from a wide range of attacks, while knocking their foes back too. "

Naruto just wrote everything down and couldn't quite believe how many possibilities mastering Ki would bring. Especially Senjutsu and Tōki were impressive. Those two skills alone would help him a lot. Being able to hurt someone with the slightest touch was impressive. Of course, all the other skills were impressive too. He didn't know why he had this ability; he could sense ki and thus he could be one of the few devils who could learn senjutsu.

As he put down his pen, he looked at his notes. 'If Regulus was right... then either mum or dad would have to be able to sense ki too. So, they should have known about the supernatural as well ... Is that why dad started training me so early? Wasn't one of them human?' thought Naruto. He was confused and had many questions at the moment. Had both of his parents been truly normal people, they would never have the ability to sense ki.

Naruto stood up and looked at the clock. Another 2 hours had passed with all the explanations. He had asked a few more things after the original explanation. For example, there was also a special kind of ki that only yōkai could use. This special type of ki was called yōki, which allowed yōkai to create various supernatural phenomena. That was sort of their kind of magic, if Naruto got it right. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't use that particular kind of ki, but he didn't need to either. Of course, he couldn't use any kind of ki at the moment, but he could sense ki at least and thus had the best possible basis for learning how to use and master ki. For example, Senjutsu had a danger that Naruto learned from Regulus after the original explanation. He had been feeling this weird "darkness" in the unknown energy around him all day. If you are not careful while mastering Senjutsu, you could go insane because you were absorbing the Menace of the world along with the Natural Ki and you could quickly go insane.

But there were also ways and means. In order to be able to learn Senjutsu, Naruto would first have to be at peace with himself. He would have to get to know himself completely so that he could also understand the nature around him. That would mean a lot of meditation. He had meditated before, so he knew exactly what was important. His martial arts training also involved training his mind and meditation was the best practice for this type of training.

'Slowly I'm really starting to get the feeling that dad had specially trained me like this. As if he knew that one day, I would discover my hidden powers. I just wish I could ask him that myself.' thought Naruto.

Naruto went to his room and laid on his bed. He didn't want to train anymore today. All the information had to have an effect on Naruto first. All he wanted now was to sleep and rest. His body might still be fit and not tired, but his mind was. Learning so much in one day was a bit much for Naruto. He closed his eyes and fell asleep pretty quickly.

2 golden eyes looked through the window of Naruto's room and saw Naruto sleeping there. He hadn't even removed his clothes because his mind was so tired. He just fell onto the bed and fell asleep. The black cat was exactly the same one Naruto rescued today. There would only be one thing that would be different than before. Instead of one tail, her tail ended up splitting into 2 tails. You could tell right away that this cat wasn't a normal cat.

'I understand why Ophis let me watch him.' thought the cat. She had felt it in him. The ability to sense ki could also be sensed by other ki users if they were truly masters of senjutsu. Naruto seemed to be more than it first appeared. Of course, his Sacred Gear was interesting, but discovering that he could sense Ki and eventually use it was even more interesting. This meant that his ancestors must also have been Ki users. He wasn't a yōkai, he was a human before his reincarnation as a devil.

She looked up at the sky and then jumped off the window frame and landed safely on all 4 paws. She ran into the darkness of the night and just disappeared before a small bat flew to Naruto's window. The bat hadn't seen the black cat again because it had disappeared in time.

Naruto was earlier awake than he thought. The sun hadn't even come up and he was already waking up and feeling great. He was just sitting in bed looking out the window. 'Do devils need less sleep than humans?' thought Naruto. He wasn't tired anymore and according to his watch he could sleep an hour before he would have to stand up. He generally got up an hour before he had to go to school so he could do his morning workout and still have a shower and eat.

He decided to get up and then stretched once. He walked out of his room and turned right. As he walked down the upstairs hallway, he stopped in front of a photo of his parents. Naruto looked at the two of them and didn't know why, but the photo seemed different than usual. 'Was there always that shimmer in the photo around mom?' thought Naruto. There was a white glow around his mother in the photo, as if a white aura surrounded her. He couldn't remember there being such a white aura around it in this photo.

He walked on and after a few meters he reached the stairs. He went down the stairs and turned into the kitchen. He started his morning as usual. He drank a glass of water and then he refilled the glass of water and went into the living room. He now had an hour more to train and he would use those 2 hours. After all, he had to try new things, which would have the most impact. Regulus wanted to give him a few tips right away. It was a great advantage that you had a powerful lion as a partner, who not only could explain everything to you, but could also give you tips on training.

Naruto just walked out of the house and locked the door behind him. He smiled as the sun shone down on him. When he woke up, his head was still a bit full of all the information, but he was feeling better after the long and intense workout. It had always been the case that a good workout helped him. It cleared his head because he wasn't constantly thinking about something specific and concentrating on the workout.

Unlike usual, he hadn't taken a break between the different exercises he was trying out today. Regulus had given him several exercises he could do. The exercises were very intense, but he liked the new challenge.

Naruto put the key in his pocket and slowly walked away. He had enough time so that he could get to school on time. As he slowly walked toward Kuoh Academy, he thought about how he would handle the situation that was bound to arise. He still didn't know who exactly had made him the devil. But he would certainly be approached by this devil soon. After all , the devil would want Naruto to be part of the peerage.

'Maybe I should try talking to the devil first. Perhaps the devil understands my point of view and would not ask to be part of the peerage and I could simply pay off my debt.' thought Naruto. That would be the best scenario that could happen. But he had a hunch that the conversation wasn't going to be that easy.

Naruto looked back into the alley as he passed, which was actually always dark. But as before, he could see everything. He knew now and he had accepted that he was a devil. At least for the most part, but that didn't matter now.

He still had to learn a lot and train a lot so that he could distribute himself. He was fine against fallen angels with 2 wings, but he wouldn't stand a chance against particularly strong fallen angels or devils at the moment. But that would change as soon as possible.

He also wanted to find out the truth behind his ability to sense ki. How could he? Even now he could feel the ki in the area. The ki of the people or the ki in the trees where he passed it. He was sure that his father or mother was much more than a normal person. He'd bet they both knew about the supernatural world.

But before he could search for answers, he would have to become stronger so that he would be strong enough to take on any enemies in his search for the answers. Until he was strong enough, he would lay low and just train. That was the plan he had been thinking of so far.

Of course, the issue with the devil would have to be dealt with first. If he was always getting annoyed, then he wouldn't have time for anything. No matter what it would be about. He stopped when his phone vibrated. He looked down and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He looked at his screen and read the message he got. He raised an eyebrow at the message, wondering what that meant. He responded with his own message and then put his phone back in his pocket.

'How should I understand this message?' thought Naruto. A good friend from Tokyo had written to him that he would come to his school today. Of course, Naruto was looking forward to meeting his old friend, but he was also a little nervous. After all, he was now a devil and no longer a human. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he definitely didn't want to drag his friends into this dangerous world.

As he walked into the school yard, he saw Issei Hyōdō making weird faces with his two friends once again. 'They seem to be back to normal.' thought Naruto. When Sona suddenly went towards the three, Issei turned white as a sheet and bowed directly, seemingly apologizing to Sona.

Naruto really wouldn't have thought it possible, but it looked like Issei was now part of the student council. Issei went along with Sona and just looked down, defeated. Naruto ignored it and walked into the building. He walked the long hallways of the school, dodging some students.

"Naruto!" said a male voice. Naruto stopped and turned around. As usual, Yūto was surrounded by several girls, but he was able to talk to Naruto briefly. "Hey Yūto."

"Do you have a moment?" Yūto asked.

"Sure." Naruto said. Lessons wouldn't start for another 15 minutes, so the two had a little time to talk. Of course, all the girls had to keep their distance . Otherwise, Yūto wouldn't be able to tell him the things he should tell him.

"I'm sorry, I'll talk to Naruto for a moment." Yūto said to his female fans. All the girls didn't want him to move away from them. But they agreed and respected the Prince of Kuoh's wish.

All the girls left the two boys alone for a moment. "What's wrong, Yūto?" Naruto asked. He had a vague idea. Even earlier on the school grounds, where he saw Issei and Sona, it was weird. The ki of the two felt different than the ki of the others. He had a hunch that Issei and Sona were devils too. That would mean that Issei was now a servant of Sona. At least that's how he assessed the situation. Yūto's ki felt similar, so he could already guess what it was about.

"You already know, right?" Yūto asked.

Naruto sighed and just nodded. "Yes. I'm a devil now, and I've been reincarnated as a human by either you, Gremory, Tōjō, or Himejima. You want me to be part of the peerage now. I shall serve the king and become a servant." Naruto said.

Yūto was a bit surprised that Naruto already knew about it so well . He was actually just implying that there was something different about Naruto. But it looks like Naruto already knew a lot.

"Listen Yūto… you are a good friend and I like you. I will also come to your club sometime to talk to the king of your peerage. But I won't join the club. I owe your king one for giving me a second chance at life. But I'll never become anyone's servant." Naruto said.

"You seem to know a lot." Yūto said.

"I learned everything yesterday after fighting the fallen angel. I know about everything and also about the Evil Piece system. I was reincarnated as a Rook, so I have increased Physical Strength and Defense." Naruto said.

"I can imagine that you think nothing good from the mentioning of master and servant. I can assure you that we are not slaves. We are treated like family members. We are not forced into anything and can do what we want." Yūto said.

"But you also have to carry out orders and complete certain tasks. I really learned all about it, Yūto. I'm sorry but I don't like this system at all. No matter how well you are treated. The basic problem remains that you are a servant and must listen to the king. You're not free either, as you implied. You must always be ready should your king need you. You can't just visit a good friend in another country overnight or just go on vacation somewhere in another city. I'm sorry but no matter how hard you try to sugarcoat it... I will never like this structure and I will never become a servant." Naruto said.

Unfortunately, the girls got closer again and that's why the two had to break off the conversation. Naruto could still say, though. "I'll still come with you to your club later. At least I have to thank your King and clarify some things with him/her. I owe your king something and I will help you and pay my debt. After that, however, I will first pursue my own goals without you."

After that, Naruto walked on and arrived in the classroom very quickly. Once in the classroom, he went straight to his seat and sat down. Now it was time to wait until he and Yūto would go to the club afterwards, where he would have to clarify a few things.

He was also curious when his friend from Tokyo would arrive here. He had also written in his message that he would be accompanied. Naruto wondered if the guy had found a girl by now. He's always been relatively popular with a few girls. Especially with 2 girls, which Naruto was also allowed to get to know. But that would all be shown later.

During the first break, Naruto walked down the halls of the school towards the stairs. He wanted to go back up onto the roof to get some rest. He just wanted to relax a bit before the interview and the negotiation.

As Naruto walked up the stairs he just looked straight ahead. He went up the stairs on autopilot and after a short time he had arrived at the desired floor. He went to the room that only he was using and put his hand in his pocket. It only took him a few more steps to get to the door, so he took the key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He put his bag on the floor and opened the window. As he jumped out the window and grabbed the gutter, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He landed on the slope of the roof and looked towards the old school building. He could have sworn there were several people there just now.

He looked briefly in the direction and then shook his head. He walked up the incline and straightened up. 'Did I just imagine that?' thought Naruto. He could have sworn he just saw a group of 6 people walking towards the old school building. All the students' school uniforms were not from Kuoh Academy. He shook his head and closed his eyes while stretching out both arms.

The gentle breeze blew against his body, and it made him smile. It was always nice to be on the roof of the Kuoh Academy. After a few seconds he just laid down on the roof and clasped his hands behind his head.

He also thought briefly of Asia Argento. She was an innocent nun who didn't harm anyone. She had a very rare Sacred Gear that could heal other beings. But Naruto shouldn't get involved with her anymore. Of course, he had nothing against the nun. But she was a nun and therefore allied with the church and as a devil Naruto already had enough enemies. He wouldn't have to make the local church his direct enemy as well. He would simply be doing himself a favor if he stopped thinking about Asia.

He shook his head and just looked up at the sky. He watched the clouds float over the city at a slow pace. He remembered the angel with 12 wings he had seen briefly yesterday. 'Why would such an angel be here in Kuoh?' thought Naruto. That would have to have been an angel of the Seraph class and those angels were normally never seen on earth. Seraphs usually stayed in heaven.

His cell phone was vibrating in his pocket, so he reached out and took his cell phone out of his pocket and held it over his head while he was still lying on the roof. He unlocked the screen and read the message he just got. He narrowed his eyes and settled into a sitting position. It was a slightly longer message, so it took him a moment to read the entire message.

He just looked at the screen and at the message from the unknown sender. Naruto couldn't believe what he had just read. He didn't know exactly what to make of it. He kept looking at the first few words of the message and then scrolled down a bit and looked at the end of the message.

He got up and put his phone in his pocket. He went to the end of the roof and just jumped down. He grabbed the gutter and swung himself back into the room. He landed safely in a crouch and then straightened up again. He turned around, closed the window behind him and then picked up his bag from the floor. He walked out of the room, locked the door again and started walking straight away. He never thought he would get such a message. There was also a photo from a certain person, which was added to the message. Would it not be for this photo, he would not react like this. He would simply ignore the message, but the photo was proof enough for him. He had to meet up with someone, before he would go to the place where he should go.

(A/N I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter of Maelstrom's Path. Always remember to create nice memories with your close ones and laugh/smile a lot in your life. Life is too short for negative things. I know that all of you will make it somehow. I believe in you all out there! Stay strong, King and Queens.)