Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the established properties mentioned in this work of Fanfiction.

The Last Shinto Kami

Chapter Two: The Island of Delos

Naruto pushed down on his pestle, applying pressure to mush up the various herbal agents. After a few minutes of work, Naruto finished perfecting his tonic. Setting the mashing tool on the table, he held a glowing hand over the bowl. He closed his eyes in concentration. It took some effort to move the glow from his hand to the remedy. When he finished, the paste emitted a shine only Naruto saw.

Happy with the end result, the blonde walked into the adjacent room. In the process, Naruto joined a young mother, who held a damp cloth against her slumbering son's forehead. The boy had been weighed down with a bad case of pneumonia for a few days now.

Initially, she thought the sickness would pass. When it got worse, not better, it was up to her to gather the courage and move her sickly son. When she arrived at Naruto's door, the fretful mother offered everything she had if Naruto could cure her son. He told her there'd be no payment until the boy recovered, but he never really planned on taking anything from Maera.

Only one thing could've drawn her attention from her bedridden boy. And that was the person who promised to heal her only child. Her face wore stress lines ripe with worry as she looked at the bowl sitting in Naruto's hands. "Is that it? It will make my Haecles better, right?"

Naruto pulled a chair to the free side of the bed. This way, he could speak and work at the same time. He used one hand to keep his patient's mouth open while his fingers scooped up a healthy gathering of paste. "Yes, it will. I'll put this under his tongue, and the saliva will break the paste down. Then, he'll swallow it naturally. You should start seeing signs of improvement within two hours. Three at most."

Sadly, Naruto couldn't cure the boy just like that. It wasn't feasibly possible. The amount of divine energy required would fry the child's body from the inside out. It didn't matter how he modified them. Naruto's powers weren't naturally restorative. Thus the limits on his healing skills.

"Oh, thank you so much, my lord! You must be blessed by-" Naruto almost didn't reach the thankful woman in time because he was busy wiping his hands clean. However, he made it in the nick of time to stop her from saying a name she shouldn't. Naruto didn't need an extra hurdle in his path. There was truth in the idea of names carrying power.

He appeased her desire to credit him with modest deflection. It was a practice unheard of in gods, who relished praise from mortals like they did ambrosia. "The only thing I have been blessed with is the chance to help people in need." One smile later and Naruto released her hands. Then came a gesture to the room around them. "You're welcome to stay here until little Haecles can travel home."

The tears rolled down her cheeks without an end in sight. However, this time they were a sign of abundant joy, not overwhelming worry. She didn't know why Naruto didn't want his credit, but if that's what he asked, then she'd oblige. "May I ask for your help once more, my lord?"

"What is it? Do you have an ailment as well?" While she didn't bring it up, she might be suffering from something also. It was a frequent problem among the people across Greece.

The youthful matron shook her head emphatically, rejecting the idea. "No! What I ask isn't for myself but for another. People in my village speak of a pregnant woman in the woods. They don't know what troubles her, but there is trouble." Sure, it came across as far-fetched... but what if it wasn't?

Naruto hadn't heard those rumors personally, but he'd also been busy with his healing practices. He didn't have the time to sit around and listen to idle gossip.

"As a mother, I can't imagine a more unbearable fate than being unable to see your child safely into this world. Perhaps you can help her as you have helped me? If it's not too much trouble, my lord." After seeing Naruto's skills firsthand, she bought into the hype around the sunny healer. It was as incredible as it was unbelievable.

True or false, Naruto knew himself well enough to know he was physically incapable of letting the rumor go. He needed to investigate it. That's just how he was built. So he answered with a nod. "I'll go right now and search this woman out. You were the last of my arrivals for the day, so please make yourself at home while I'm gone."

Naruto smiled when he watched the woman's shoulders sag with relief. Whatever burdens she put on her shoulders were finally no more, leaving Maera looking like she needed a much-deserved nap.

Excusing himself, Naruto stepped out of the building and let a trickle of his divine energy out into the open. He used it as a radar; it told the blonde of someone god-like nearby. "Huh. I should have noticed that a long time ago. Let's go see what's up."

He vanished with a golden flash of light, transporting himself to the heart of the nearby forest. The smell of the sea on the coast welcomed Naruto. He noticed how alive the land under his feet was, and it wasn't his doing... this time. This piqued the juvenile godling's interest.

Naruto scoped out the trees surrounding him upon feeling eyes on him. He couldn't find any offenders, but Naruto knew someone was there. Opting for the diplomatic route, Naruto called out, "You don't have to hide from me. I have no desire or reason to harm you. I actually want to help you if I can."

The woman who stepped out was a handful of inches taller than Naruto. Her blonde hair and fair complexion glimmered in the late evening sun, leaving the Shinto legacy stunned by her beauty. Naruto never saw his mother or sister in this way, which meant this woman was the most beautiful woman he'd seen in his young life. And it wasn't even close.

"What brings a young man so far off the traveled path?" Leto was accustomed to men looking at her with intent. Eventually, she grew numb to the looks of lust she'd receive. However, this young man's stare was different.

It was innocent. It was appreciative- maybe even awed if Leto was reading him right. The unspoken compliment left her with a smile. She was pleased to know she could still turn heads this deep in her pregnancy.

"I heard there was a woman in need of some help. A pregnant woman..." Naruto paused and looked at Leto's protruding stomach. "As something of a healer, I thought I might offer a helping hand."

"My name is Leto. I'm sure your talents are considerable and thank you for offering them to me. However, I'm afraid there is little to be done. Even for a god such as yourself." Leto saw no reason to dance around the subject. She knew what Naruto was and wasn't hesitant about sharing the knowledge with her fellow blonde. Leave the games and schemes for Olympus; she had no need of them here.

A ghost of a smile played itself on Naruto's lips. Well then, it was only fair he responded with the same respect Leto showed him. "If things are already dire, then another perspective couldn't hurt. Could it, titaness?"

Her lips pursed in pensive thought before the motherhood entity relented to Naruto's valid point. Who knows, maybe he could help her. "No, I suppose it wouldn't."

"Then, if I may?" Naruto waited until Leto consented to put one hand against her pregnant stomach. He tapped into some of his godly domain and immediately detected something that left him with a frown. What he discerned caused the hairs on his forearms to rise in apprehension. "Someone placed a curse on you? Your power is fighting off the worst of it... but I can sense it clinging to you. What cruel mind spawned this?"

Their contact became a two-way street, allowing the expecting titaness mother to detect something about Naruto. Her curiosity got the better of both her and her tongue. "Your signature is different from any god I've met. Would you tell me why that is?"

Naruto rolled the idea over in his head. Leto seemed like a trustable sort. She had this aura around her that was agreeable to his senses. Plus, sharing something about himself might build the requisite trust necessary to make Leto talk.

Screw it. What's life without some risk?

"I'm Naruto-Omikami. What you're sensing right now is something traced outside of this pantheon. Me and my lineage belong to another group. I'm a Shinto Kami." Naruto resolutely avoided using the words last Shinto Kami since it was a wound he still hadn't made peace with.

Naruto stepped backward when Leto gasped out of the blue. Her eyes were drawn wide in a look of total surprise. And a hint of familiarity if such a thing was possible. "A Shinto Kami? My father told me stories about them in my younger days, but I thought they all disappeared. As the titan of foresight, her father had an incredible depth of knowledge on just about everything.

"Miracles can happen, even for gods." Leto couldn't help but think Naruto's smile wasn't entirely genuine. "Can you tell me about this curse? Like the specifics?"

Leto hesitated for a second. If it wasn't only her fate at stake, she'd politely decline Naruto's request. But it wasn't just her. There were two others she needed to think about. "I lapsed in judgment, which ended in an affair with the king sitting on Olympus. While I regret my part in that, I will always cherish the gifts of our connection, my children. It doesn't matter what anyone says. The queen herself included. But her anger at me wasn't enough. Her wraith extended to the product of our affair... my unborn children."

Naruto filled in the blanks left by the names Leto wouldn't say. He mentally thanked Nyx for her hard work teaching him everything Greek. Without her help, he'd be so lost. Naruto was dragged out of his thoughts when Leto spoke her curse aloud.

"No land with roots in the earth will receive you, Leto. Your children will have no roots, no home. This is your punishment."

"But I can only give birth when I am on the ground, hence the source of my woes," Leto admitted with a notable frown on her beautiful face. She still wondered who told Hera about her most private secret.

"That is spite in its most thorough form. But there must be a weakness, like..." Naruto trailed off as his mind started putting together the pieces of something unorthodox. His devious creativity must have shown if Leto saw enough to coax him onward.

"What are you thinking, Naruto?"

What Naruto was about to say was crazy. He only hoped Leto didn't think he was crazy for suggesting it. Taking a breath, he let his idea out. "An island, but not in the sea. What about an island in the sky?" His glinting, golden eyes stared back at the much older woman, waiting for feedback.

Leto didn't make it to where she was without intelligence. Despite lacking details- the broad picture was painted and implanted in her brain. Untethered, a surge of hope flooded Leto's eyes as she cradled her stomach tenderly. "Then I'd be able to give birth to my twins. Though does a place like this exist?"

The blonde-haired sunspawn shook his head. "No. Or at least, not yet." Naruto thought back on the stories Chaos told him about Amenonuhoko. He recalled how his grandfather and grandmother used the jeweled spear to create the first islands. It wasn't going to be easy, but Naruto was willing to try for Leto's sake.

"And you plan on making one?" Leto wanted to believe, yet this task seemed impossible. This felt like an undertaking only mother earth herself could achieve.

"Yes, but not without some preparation and this..." Naruto willed his inherited weapon to his side, the legendary Amenonuhoko. It was different from last time. In correspondence with Naruto's growth, the jewels inlaid in the spear's shaft pulsated the same color as the sunset. The sudden power flowing through the blonde pulled an exhilarated exhale out.

Leto also felt the presence radiating off the weapon firmly in Naruto's grasp. That spear, it gave off a feeling similar to Kronos and his scythe. She only saw it a few times, but she wouldn't forget the time titan's diabolical disposition. And she couldn't believe it, but the spear felt more formidable than the favored scythe of Zeus' father.

"Would you please follow me, Leto? The sea shouldn't be far." With that said, Naruto turned the other way and led the titan into the forest. His spear became something of a walking stick during their journey to the sea.

That same walking stick became the focal point of Leto's focus. She was so enraptured by its looming potential that she couldn't remove her eyes from it. Mixed in with her respect was a healthy amount of fear. "That's quite the fearsome weapon in your hand." Titan or not, Leto had no plans on being on the receiving end of Amenonuhoko anytime soon.

"Oh? This?" For a split second, Naruto was tempted to twirl the spear. However, he thought better of it. "It's a tool like any other. Sure, it can cause destruction. However, it's capable of creation... which I hope to show you shortly." He held both qualities of Amenonuhoko in different regards but personally valued the latter more.

The sun doesn't destroy; the sun gives life. It creates for all people.

"I hope I'll see it as well..." The murmured comment passed without a response from Naruto as he kept focused on the path in front of them. After a brief walk through the forest, Naruto and Leto stood at the precipice of a steep cliff. "This spot should do nicely."

Moving the kanji from his brain to the real world wasn't hard, but the process took time. The air became a canvas for the creation of his latest seal. When the last pieces fell into place, it was time to trigger the fuinjutsu by calling out its name. "Shinsei no kyu. (Sphere of Sanctity.)"

"What was that?" Leto didn't see what Naruto did, but the shiver moving across her skin made sure Leto felt it. However, wherever she looked, Leto found nothing out of the ordinary.

What Leto failed to find, Naruto saw clearly. He watched the ethereal film of his sphere spread out in every direction. It continued without issue until it reached the limit set by the kanji. Then the nearly-invisible wall fizzled out as the Fade worked its magic. "That was me temporarily cutting ties with the sky and sea. I don't want thunder head or the seaweed swimmer sticking their nose in what comes next. Oh, and please, keep this to yourself."

"I swear on the-" The word Styx never made it past Leto's lips thanks to Naruto's knowing interruption.

Naruto turned his head just far enough to leave one golden eye visible over his left shoulder. "Your word is enough, Leto. I don't require or want that dreadful oath hanging around either of us." How messed up of a world did they live in where a threat of eternal death was needed to ensure someone kept their word?

They had only known each other for around an hour, and Leto already had a good idea about the character of Naruto. Without realizing it herself, Leto found herself comfortable with the idea of her children becoming gods like the one standing in front of her. But even if they didn't, she'd love them dearly because that's what a mother does.

The amused laughter Leto put behind her hand served as background noise for the start of Naruto's project. He began by folding both of his hands around the spear in prayer. There was a soft hum in the air before an explosion of untamed power came off Naruto, blowing Leto's long hair backward. Even pieces of the ground splintered from the pressure he exerted on the area.

'Absolutely incredible!' What else was there to say when watching small rocks go against gravity, only to end up vaporized by the energy field surrounding the young god. Then without warning, Naruto braced the spear against his inner forearm and jumped into the waters below with a distant splash.

Sprinting to the cliff's edge, the titaness stared down at a whirlpool forming in the previously calm water. Against the sound of the rough tide, Leto managed to pick up the noise of fracturing land. When the peak of a submerged ridge broke the sea's foamy surface, Leto felt her mouth drop in silent awe. 'I was right. Naruto is already more powerful than most of the gods I know, and I would've never expected it from looking at him.'

The entire ordeal of elevating the land chunk from the sea took the better part of two hours. He returned to land eventually, but he did so drenched in seawater. Standing at the threshold of two previously unconnected land masses, Naruto took a breath and lifted his famed spear overhead.

Streams of salt-stained water were still running down Naruto's face as he drove the entire length of his spear's blade into the ground with an audible grunt. A moment later, the land sported a complex system of glowing, white veins that resonated with how much power Naruto was channeling into the ground at his feet.

Not even a full second later, the ground jerked violently. Leto looked up and found the sky getting closer. Naruto had done what he promised. He created a land without roots, an island in the sky.

When their island transportation finally ceased its ascent, the blonde mother felt like she could reach out and touch the clouds. That's when it hit her. Realizing what this meant for her and her family nearly brought Leto to tears.

Leto looked to congratulate Naruto on his incredible feat but found the young man on a knee and breathing hard. Reaching his side, she helped him back to his feet, getting a tired smile from the younger blonde.

"Phew... I told you... it was a piece of- scratch that. It was a pain to make that stubborn soil move." Without the mental focus needed to keep Amenonuhoko at his side, Naruto relied on Leto to help keep him balanced.

Leto found herself with plenty of reasons to smile. Whether it was because of Naruto's light-hearted attitude or the chance to finally have her children. This was a debt she could never repay. "I'm forever in your debt. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

An unflattering snort made itself known right quick. Naruto used his free hand like a baton, swatting away the idea of a debt. That really wasn't his style. "Forever is too long for us immortals. How about you do something for me, and I call us square?"

Leto's smile remained in place as she looked at Naruto from the corners of her eyes. From what she'd seen, she shouldn't have expected any less. "And what is that?"

"I need you to name this place." Naruto chimed in with a grin wide enough to show his white teeth in their entirety.

"Name it?" Naruto's odd request left Leto blinking in confusion. Why did the land need a name? Did it not already have a name?

"Yeah, a name. This isn't Mykonos anymore. Mykonos is down there. Your island... your home needs a name." Naruto would've been more emphatic about the whole thing if he wasn't so tired. But for now, he'd make do by pointing south. Hundreds of feet down, Mykonos and this island were officially two different entities.

"Delos. We shall call it Delos." A newfound sense of inner peace filled Leto's soul as she put the name of her home out in the universe.

"I'd call it ironic, but you did see the island come out of the waves." Truth be told, Naruto would have approved of any name Leto selected because it was her home. The adopted son of Chaos let a peaceful moment pass before adding something uneasily. "So you don't need any help with the birth thing, right? Because I don't have the foggiest idea how to make that work."

Leto felt the anxiety coming through their skin contact. She thought the nervousness he showed to be adorable. Hence the uncontrollable giggling. "No, I don't need any additional help. Don't worry; I already have plans in place for this moment.

Naruto slumped in relief, nearly tumbling over in the process. The aftereffects of his draining task became apparent to him as his eyes drooped with fatigue. He respected what his grandfather and mother did even more than before after this. [2]

"That's fantastic news. I'm gonna go take a three-day nap, at least. Oh, and before I forget, I carved something into the bottom of the island. It will render Delos invisible to anyone who doesn't have your permission to see it." Naruto liked to think of it as his housewarming gift to Leto.

"Mere words can't express how truly thankful I am for everything you have done, Naruto." Just like it was in Naruto's nature to avoid praise, Leto felt obligated to give Naruto the thanks he was owed.

"Nonsense, I'm nothing but a nosy kid. Good luck, Leto." And to a degree, what he said about himself was the truth. He only crossed paths with Leto because he couldn't let the words of another mother go.

"This is your home as much as it is mine. Don't be a stranger, Naruto." The blase attitude surrounding Naruto finally cracked. From its husk came a peaceful smile, bright and radiating warmth. It was like whatever baggage on Naruto's shoulders went away for a moment.

Personally, Leto found the sight to be beautiful. She preferred it over the wry grins and measured smirks that often covered the blonde's face... like a mask.

"I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye for now, Leto."

Zeus' Temple, Olympus

King of Olympus, Lord of the Sky, Zeus looked up from the plate of food he was indulging in. Zeus put his midday meal aside for the moment before acknowledging his fellow god with a stoic nod. "There you are, Boreas. We have some business to discuss post haste."

Boreas showed deference to the king by bowing to him, which hid most of his courteous smile. The honor of being in Zeus' temple was something many gods would die for. Boreas wanted to make the most of it. "When you call, I'll always do my best to answer, Lord Zeus." Anyone with a shred of common sense understood winning Zeus' favor meant playing on his super-sized ego.

The satisfaction sketched across the thunderer's face showed how effective it was as a tactic. He seemed over the moon as he stroked his august beard. "Good. Good. Olympus could use more loyalty like yours." Olympus was a den of schemes. Though most of them were afflicted on the mortals living in the shadow of their mountain.

"What is your task, my lord? Name it, and I'll do my utmost to achieve it." Normally, Boreas wouldn't commit himself to something without knowing what it entailed, but negotiating with Zeus required a different approach. So it was when dealing with someone that held all the power.

"A week back, there was a strange sensation, a disruption. I was preoccupied at the time speaking with Hera..." Boreas wisely kept his mouth shut. When Zeus said speaking, he meant arguing with his wife over another affair. Boreas wondered if it was a mortal or immortal this time. "...to check on it. I want you to act on my behalf. Go forth and see if you can sniff out the cause. As you're aware, a challenge on my domain is equivalent to treason."

"May I ask where this crime took place?" Other than a nod, Boreas refused to add anything to the discussion. He wanted to get to work as soon as possible. Hopefully, his hunt was going to be short and fruitful.

"After a day of calculation, I believe the source to be Mykonos. Though it'd be wise if you included all the islands surrounding Mykonos in your search." Zeus may have worded it like a suggestion, but make no mistake, this was very much an order from the king to his subject.

The only correct response was complete obedience.

"Then I shall leave right away!" Offering one more bow to the respectable king, Boreas got to his feet and turned to leave. He was one step away from the temple's archway when Zeus' thunderous voice stopped him.

"And remember, the punishment for this injustice is death, Boreas. Don't fail me." With the severity in Zeus' voice, one would think he was accusing Boreas himself of the crime.

"Never, my lord." The response was delivered after a moment of thought. Then the wide-bodied god excused himself from Zeus' home on Olympus. Once he was off the temple steps, Boreas' kind smile became a look of contempt. A twisted look of envy, sibling of jealousy.

'The thunder-brained blowhard is truly insufferable. He thinks with his cock more than his brain, but he has the power to make my ambition a reality. So if I must, I'll lick his boots, no matter how sour the taste.' To achieve the station he rightfully desired, Boreas of the North Wind would suffer the indignity of being commanded like a peasant by Olympus' number one man-whore.

But that did bring up something Boreas should at least consider. 'Perhaps I should look into taking a more permanent woman to my bed. The mortals of Greece often wither with time. An immortal woman would be best. I could make that Oreithyia woman from Athens mine.' That one caught his eye. She was by far the most enticing of the mortal women on offer.

"Business first, then I can focus on pleasure."

Mykonos, Greece

Naruto lingered around Delos for a few days, just putting some finishing touches on the island. He only stopped when he felt the amount of divine presence on the island triple. Leto must have given birth to two fully grown beings. And that told Naruto it was time for him to leave Delos for the time being.

He returned to Mykonos, and all was good for another handful of days until an odd chill in the wind descended on the island. The people around Naruto shrugged off the unnaturally cold mornings, but the blonde Shinto knew better. Someone had come to Mykonos.

Confident that this had something to do with him, Naruto spent less and less time in the village center. Whenever things came to a head, he didn't want the collateral damage on his conscious. That meant moving into the uninhabited forests around Mykonos and waiting.

Naruto stroked the back of his feathered friend's neck with a finger. The hooting chirp of content he got for his efforts left Naruto chuckling. "It's time you fly away, my friend. Things are about to get dangerous around here."

The brown-feathered owl looked in the same direction as Naruto. The large avian ruffled its feathers before taking off. Left alone to face the forthcoming trial, Naruto felt oddly comfortable with the situation.

Naruto put on a welcoming smile as Boreas pushed through the nearby treeline. Unlike the blonde on the log, the older deity was quite annoyed with his surroundings. He was tired of pulling twigs from his hair! "Hello, sir. Welcome to Mykonos. If you're looking for civilization, you're a hundred miles in the wrong direction."

Boreas did not share the same humor Naruto displayed. In fact, the playful nature of Naruto's voice rankled the wind deity's already worn nerves. "Do not play games with me, boy. Are you Nahruto, the healer in these parts?"

He refrained from rolling his eyes at the old man and the butchering of his name. "I've been called that, yes," Naruto admitted with a drawl, folding his hands together against his lap.

"Tell me, which god sired you, and where are they now?" The barked demand came with a matching scowl. Seeing a lack of perceived respect from Naruto plummeted what was left of Boreas' good mood. He refused to be disrespected by some half-blood child.

"Aren't you full of questions?" The twinkle tucked away in Naruto's gilded pools showed amusement. He knew precisely what buttons he was pushing. It wasn't Naruto's fault that most gods took themselves too seriously. Where was the fun in life with a stick up your ass? Boring.

"Answer the question, child!" For someone who represented winter, Naruto thought Boreas had an ironically short fuse on his red hot anger.

Maybe he should offer the white-haired man a nap? Oh, right. He made a demand. It'd be improper to ignore him.

"No."

"No? NO!?" Watching the man come undone at the seams was more entertaining than it had any right being. Naruto couldn't help but prod him with the metaphorical stick and see what happened. After dealing with modest people daily for months, this god felt like a caricature of an actual person.

"Yup."

"I grow tired of these games! Zeus wanted anyone suspicious dead, but you'll be brought to him in chains. Then you can tell our esteemed king which of his relatives is the traitor." A hoarfrost whipped up around Boreas as gusts of unseasonably cold air answered the fuming snowman's call. It wasn't the show of power that caught Naruto's attention. It was the threat.

"Can you? Bring me back in chains?" There was a subtle shift in Naruto's tone. An understated element of intense danger usually hidden by Naruto's noble spirit. However, the careless callousness being shown by Boreas brought out the darker side of Amaterasu's heir.

"Why don't you come and find out, boy?" Extending his arms toward Naruto, the North Wind called upon his domain to produce an icy wind. It flowed toward Naruto, but the young blonde was ready for it and countered with his own godly gifts.

Naruto lit the atmosphere ablaze with the cruel heat of his fire. The creeping chill of winter's grasp stood no chance against the sun's fury. As soon as Naruto's burning wraith hit the wind, the flames and heat spread. In a flash, they swallowed the Greek god in a pillar of fire. The pain Boreas voiced was immense. Meanwhile, Naruto slowly took to his feet.

He allowed the man to burn for an entire minute in the flames of his judgment. When the blonde finally called his fire off, Boreas' body was covered in scorching wounds. The damage inflicted on him made Boreas shake catatonically before he collapsed to his knees. It seems like the minion of Zeus was barely conscious.

Naruto's measured gait was as methodical as a predator stalking its prey. It didn't matter how injured Boreas appeared. Naruto wasn't in any rush to put him down. Let the fool feel the pain of overstepping. "People like you, who speak so candidly about robbing another of their freedom, should never hold power. Perhaps that is why you're still a minor god, Boreas of the North Wind. You're weak, spirit and body." The heat coming off Naruto's body started undoing the frost damage caused by the winter spirit's brief outburst.

Palming the older being's forehead tightly enough to make Boreas cry out in pain, Naruto followed it up by crushing the servant of Zeus into the ground. Boreas slammed into the dried ground three times before his eyes rolled back into his head, and the world went black.

"Normally, I'd abhor doing this, but I have no desire to be drawn into the thunder king's game of paranoia at this time." Dropping the limp body into the human-shaped indent in the ground, Naruto gazed at the seal he imprinted on Boreas' forehead. This particular piece was a memory seal that would trick Boreas into believing he found nothing during his hunt. Nothing... that is what he'd report to Zeus.

"My mother's name would provide me protection. However, I won't use Chaos as a shield. Until I can protect myself from people like the so-called Big Three, I will remain in the shadows." He loved his mother dearly. However, Naruto didn't want to use her name.

He wanted to make a name for himself, a path of his own. If that meant training his body for months at a time until he collapsed from exhaustion, then that's what Naruto would do. He wanted to make this world a better place. And no amount of work would stop Naruto-Omikami from doing just that.

END

[1]: Whereas the Greek divine used the Mist to hide their world from mortals when necessary, the Fade is similar but different. The Fade is the spiritual realm, a realm of raw, primordial matter connected to the planet. When properly manipulated, it can do anything from imprisoning monsters to changing the fundamental nature of existence. It's a lost art known only to Chaos, Order, the Fates, and Naruto (through Chaos).

[2]: For those of you who are unaware, Izanagi and Izanami used Amenonuhoko, among other items, to create the lands of Japan. They turned droplets of water into land. While Naruto doesn't have that type of power, here was a modified version of that creation story.

Writer's Note I: Hello, everyone! I'm back with the second chapter! The original plan was to push this out last Monday or Tuesday. However, with Mother's Day and then my sister giving birth on Monday, I wasn't doing much writing.

Let's talk about the story. Lots of you wondered what the first Naruto and Artemis interaction would look like. Sure, it wasn't direct, but Naruto's first involvement in her life was giving Artemis a home. Plus, it allowed me to pull in more of Naruto's Shinto heritage with some slight modifications.

Then we got to see a one-sided beatdown. Not all fights will go like this, but Naruto will have the power advantage over most minor gods. He is the son of Amaterasu, after all.

And finally, please take thirty seconds to leave me a review. Share your thoughts, ask questions, make suggestions, or just say you're looking forward to the next one! All I ask for writing this stuff is audience interaction. Until next time folks!