Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or High School DxD. All I own is a shitty laptop that I recently upgraded.
Chapter 8
The Destroyer of the World
Two months ago…
Naruto stretched his body and took a deep breath.
Airplanes were something that he was starting to love. Especially the convenient way to travel from one place to another.
Of course, he could have run to China, but that would take too much effort, and why would he work hard when he had all the time in the world?
That's why he had booked a flight from Finland's Helsinki to China's Beijing, and eight hours later, he was already out of the Airport terminal in Beijing.
The morning sun shone brightly at him, and everything seemed fine until his habit kicked in. He absorbed the nature energy that he circulated through his body.
And suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he lost his breath. He started breathing heavily, and sweat pooled on his forehead.
'W-What the hell?' Naruto thought to himself.
"Hey, are you alright?" An unknown man passing by him asked.
Naruto looked at the man and gave him a strained smile. "I am fine. Thanks for asking."
The man nodded but looked skeptical. He gave Naruto one last look before walking away.
Naruto took a deep breath and looked towards his left, where a glass reflected his image. And he looked pale.
And why would he not?
The nature energy was so vile that it made him want to vomit. He knew that this world's nature energy was far more corrupted than in the Elemental Nations. But the vileness in the nature energy here made every place else look great.
"What happened in this country?" Naruto mused to himself before sighing to himself. "Anyway, I need to go find a hotel."
He boarded a taxi and asked the driver to take him to a good hotel.
An hour later, the taxi stopped in front of a 'Kerry Hotel' hotel. It was a five-star hotel. Now, don't take Naruto as materialistic. Still, when you had hundreds of millions in your bank account, even you would want to experience some luxuries.
Naruto thanked the taxi driver and went inside the hotel, where he booked a nice suit to stay for an indefinite time. He wished he could bring Asia and Gabriel with him. But he did not want Asia to get involved in a crossfire, and bringing Gabriel could be seen as if he was here for some Christian business.
One day, he could bring them here. But for that, he would need to meet and befriend the Buddhist gods.
With that goal in mind, Naruto decided first to have something to eat and then go out looking for them.
Naruto was in a nice restaurant, sitting at a table and waiting for his order.
He was scrolling through Instagram reels when someone sat on the chair opposite to him.
Naruto looked up from his phone and noticed that it was a young man probably a few years older than him. The man had long black hair and a goatee and was wearing a red cap.
The man noticed Naruto's gaze on him and smiled.
Naruto returned the smile and went back to scrolling reels when…
"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto blinked and looked up from his phone once again. He frowned in confusion before answering, "Yes. I am. But how do you know that?"
The man smiled gently. "That is because the Supreme Leader of Buddhist Heaven sent me to contact you."
Naruto put his phone down and leaned closer. "You mean you were sent by Buddha?"
The man's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and his smile became almost non-existent. "No. Lord Jade Emperor sent me."
Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance and leaned back more relaxed.
The man raised a curious eyebrow. "You don't seem interested."
Naruto ruffled his hair before saying, "I would if you told me that you could help me meet Buddha."
The man smiled again. "I can't, but Lord Jade Emperor can help you."
Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement. "Wait? He can? Alright, I am interested now."
"But you see, no god does favors without getting a favor themselves."
The man's words caused Naruto to bang his head against the table. "Argh! Why can't someone be selfless for once and help me?"
"Come now, Naruto. You should never ask for a stranger's help without helping them first. Only a good friend and your parents will ever help you selflessly."
Naruto released a groan. "I guess you're right. What does Jade Emperor need from me?"
"Don't worry. You will appreciate the information I am giving you.
"Are you going to tell me or not?" Naruto deadpanned.
"You see, some weird things have been happening in this country for the last few months. People, ranging from infants to adults in their thirties, are going missing. Unknown creatures are attacking people. Something weird is going on here."
"And let's see. You want me to go and investigate?"
"Exactly. You got it."
"Why aren't the gods getting involved?"
"Unfortunately, we can't. We suspect that this is not related to supernatural."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are you implying that the source of these problems is human interference?"
The man nodded gravely. "I know this isn't a comforting conclusion. But this is also the only conclusion we can come to. And that is why the gods can't interfere."
"Is there a particular reason why gods can't interfere here?"
"There are many, but gods of every Pantheon jointly agreed that they will not interfere with Human's decisions. Why do you think World War 1 and World War 2 happened? But don't worry. We have our people amongst the humans investigating these."
"I see…"
"Anyway, are you going to take the task? Or should I go and contact someone else?"
Naruto shook his head. "Don't worry. I am going to take care of it."
"Very well." The man stood up. "I have already paid for your meal, by the way. Enjoy it."
"Thanks, but what should I call you?"
The man smiled. "Yuushi."
One month later…
Naruto sat on a chair in a local tea shop in Golmud, a city near Tibet.
The shop owner had handed him his tea half an hour ago, but Naruto had yet to drink it. He was absentmindedly stirring his tea while his mind was somewhere else.
The last month, he had gone around the most known places in the country trying to find anything he could about the disappearances that Yuushi was talking about. China was a large country with too many cities to check and investigate.
The first couple of days in the Chinese public had been awkward. Naruto's blonde hair and whiskers distinguished him greatly from the locals. It made him stand out in the crowd. After being interrogated by the police countless times in just two days and being stared at wherever he went, Naruto decided to just henge himself into someone resembling the locals.
And so he had.
He had henged into a person looking like a typical Chinese man with short black hair, narrowed eyes, and white skin. He did not want to be racist, but it was the best he could do to go unnoticed. And thankfully, it worked.
When Yuushi told him about the disappearances, he had been worried and had gone to investigate immediately. Till now, he had visited most of the major cities in the country, and he had discovered an exciting detail.
No one in the big cities was aware of the disappearances. It made him conclude that either the people were out of the loop or this phenomenon of people disappearing was only happening in the isolated areas of the country.
He wished he could talk to Yuushi again to confirm this theory. But unfortunately, he did not hear from him after that day.
It was as if Yuushi had disappeared.
The only other way for him to confirm his theory was to contact the Buddhist Pantheon through Gabriel and ask them about it.
He knew that Gabriel would be happy to help him, but he did not want to drag her into any problems if he did something stupid. Because he knew if she got pulled, the whole of Heaven would join the fight, and it would go from something he could handle himself to an all-out war between two Pantheons.
And that was the last thing Naruto wanted to do. He trusted himself and his abilities, but when it came to attracting problems, he was like a candle attracting moths.
That left him with only one option. Visit the villages and check for himself.
And once again, he thanked Gabriel for blessing him with the Translation spell. Otherwise, he would never be able to converse with people of such diverse groups.
Suddenly, his phone beeped, indicating that there was a notification. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, expecting a message from Gabriel. Instead, he noticed a notification for a Mercenary Contract.
"Weird," Naruto muttered under his breath. "I think I told Gabriel to direct the Mercenary Contracts to Clone S."
Clone S was a shadow clone that acted as his secretary. This clone handled most of the Mercenary Contracts when he was absent and distributed the contracts amongst numerous other clones depending on their location. The exciting aspect of this clone was that it was reinforced with chakra and yin-yang release. Unlike a standard clone that would disperse every time it took a critical hit, the Clone S was much more durable and long-lasting. It existed as a separate entity, and its memories weren't transferred to Naruto.
Opening the contract, his eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened dramatically when he noticed the amount of money the contract was paying on completion.
"W-What the hell? $700 million? Who the hell is paying this much?"
If he accepted the contract, this would earn him a thousand times more than what he earned from hunting stray devils and demons in a week.
He read through the contract and noticed that the client's location was in Germany, and that information about the contract was to be discussed in person. Curious about the contract, he decided that contacting the client would be better.
So, he texted the client about his wish to contact them and discuss the contract at length.
Expecting a call later, Naruto put the phone in his pocket, only to start ringing a second later. He noticed that the call was from an unknown number.
"Hello," Naruto answered after picking up the call.
"Is it Naruto Uzumaki I am speaking to?" A female voice spoke from the other side of the call.
"Yes," Naruto answered. "I am Naruto Uzumaki. Who am I speaking to?
"My name is Venelana," the caller said in a regal tone. "Are you a mercenary?"
"Well, since you sent me a contract with that much money, I hope you already know the answer.
"Hm." The female called hummed. "You are not wrong, but it would still be nice if you could confirm it."
Naruto sighed and replied. "Yes. Yes, I am a mercenary."
"Good." The caller said. "Would it be possible to meet you in…say…two months?"
"Hopefully, yes."
"Then let us discuss the details of the contract when we meet. Can you meet me on 18th May in Bulnes?"
"Bulnes? Where is that?"
"Don't worry about it. I will send you the location. If you can meet me, that is."
"Uh… Sure, I can meet. But I have to confirm something. This contract does not involve me killing humans does it?"
"Not at all, Mr. Uzumaki."
"Oh. That's good. Then I will meet you in Bulnes."
"Alright then, Mr. Uzumaki. I will send you the location before the meeting date. Have a nice day."
The line went dead. Naruto put his phone down on the table. "What a weird woman," Naruto mused to himself.
Why was the woman paying him this much money? Why indeed.
He gulped down the tea that was now cold and was about to leave when he heard something.
"Hey, did you hear about the disappearances in Ranwu?"
Naruto paused, and his eyes were drawn to a group of three men sitting on the table before him. They looked like ordinary locals.
"Yeah! Similar disappearances occurred in Pangda as well." A different man said this time. "And that village was built two years ago."
Curious, Naruto decided to join the three men. Walking up to their table, he greeted them with a smile. "Hello, friends. May I have a seat?"
The men smiled and welcomed him. Naruto took the empty seat in the table of four.
"Mind if I order you three drinks? They are on me, of course," Naruto offered with a friendly smile.
The man sitting beside him laughed heartily. "Sure, comrade. A man should never refuse free drinks, right?"
The other two men made sounds of agreement.
Naruto smiled and ordered three beers.
While they waited, Naruto decided to start the conversation about the disappearances. "So, I heard you say something about some disappearances in villages. Can you tell me something about them?"
The man sitting opposite to him nodded sagely. "Ah yes, the recent disappearances. Truly horrifying. People ranging from those in their thirties to infants are disappearing overnight."
"Oh. Where exactly are these disappearances taking place?"
"Villages." The man, sitting diagonally opposite to Naruto, said. "Just yesterday, an infant, a teenage girl, and a man disappeared in Ranwu. Similarly, last week, five men disappeared in Pangda."
Naruto nodded. "Can you tell me anything about these villages?"
The man sitting beside him scratched his chin in thought. "The only I can tell is that they are in the Tibet region where these disappearances are at peak."
"How long have these disappearances been taking place?"
"A couple of months. Maybe a little more."
'It aligns with what Yuushi said.' Naruto thought to himself. "Are there any other villages where these disappearances have occurred before?"
The men shook their heads, and one leaned toward Naruto and whispered in his ear. "No. Unfortunately, news like this is often suppressed by the government. So, it is hard to know where else these disappearances are taking place."
Naruto nodded. "Thank you for your time," he said before walking to the counter and paying for the men's drinks.
At that point, one thing was clear to Naruto. The people here were mighty afraid of their government. He had lived in a military dictatorship, but the people of this country feared their leader so much that they would not even whisper a word.
Walking out of the shop, he noticed a commotion going on. Opposite the shop, there was a police station. He stood there and watched as two policemen dragged a woman out of the police station and threw her down on the pavement.
"Please! You have to believe me! She is not dead!" The woman screamed.
"Dammit, you insane woman." One of the police officers yelled at her. "We told you she is dead. Accept it and let her go."
With that, the two policemen entered the station, leaving a crying woman at their doorstep.
His heart clenched as he noticed the woman sitting on the pavement and sobbing. Deciding to go and comfort her, he walked up to her and squatted before her.
"Miss? It would be best if you did not sit here like this," Naruto spoke gently.
The woman hiccupped and looked up. Her face scrunched up in a confused look. "W-Who are you?"
Naruto shrugged and smiled. "Just a friendly passerby." He gently grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go. That shop there," Naruto pointed at the tea shop he was in earlier, "We can go talk there."
"Hey man," one of the men from the crowd yelled for his attention. "I would leave that woman if I were you. She is insane."
Naruto frowned in irritation. "I am quite sure I can judge who is insane and who isn't."
The man shrugged and walked away, but not before saying, "Your choice, man. Don't regret your decision later."
Naruto glanced at the woman who was fidgeting in her place. "I guess you don't want to be here?"
"Then come. I know a good restaurant not far from here," Naruto said as he started walking with his hands in his pocket. He briefly glanced back and noticed that the woman was following him, which was good in his opinion.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, in which the woman would quietly sob, the duo reached a restaurant. Glancing around, Naruto found an empty table for two at the restaurant's corner. Asking the woman to follow him, he took her to the table, where he helped her into a chair before taking a seat himself.
The woman wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. "Thank you for coming with me. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you."
Naruto smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. How about we have some food before you tell me what forced you to beg like that in front of a police station? Oh, by the way, I am Naruto Uzumaki."
The woman tried her best to smile. "I am Mei Li."
The woman had fair skin and looked like a typical Asian woman. Her hair was dark, and she looked to be in her fifties.
Seeing the woman nod affirmatively, Naruto called the waiter. Naruto ordered a bowl of noodles while the woman ordered rice and fish fry.
Thanks to the relatively low number of customers, their orders were delivered within fifteen minutes, and the two ate silently.
Naruto finished his noodles in less than three minutes and then spent the next half an hour in his seat, awkwardly scrolling reels while the woman finished her food.
Finally, the woman was done, and Naruto released a sigh of relief mentally.
"So, let's talk, shall we?" Naruto prompted. He placed his elbows on the table and joined his fingers, forming a bridge where he put his chin. "Why were you in front of the police station and begging like that?"
The woman looked down at the table and clenched her handkerchief. "It's about my daughter."
Naruto raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh? What about her?"
"She went missing a year ago."
"Went missing?" Naruto repeated worriedly. 'Is this somehow related to the disappearances in the villages? But she went missing a year ago, and the disappearances only started happening recently.'
"Yes. I reported this to the police immediately. At first, they showed enthusiasm, but three months ago, they came and told me she was dead. When I asked to see her body, they said they never found it and declared her dead."
Naruto did not want to say it, but he needed to. "How do you… ya'know… know that your daughter is missing? The police's words hold some credibility. Your daughter could very well be dead."
"I-I know she is alive. There is no way that she is dead." The woman argued.
Naruto released a sigh. "I can understand where you are coming from. Losing your child must have been hard on you, but I think it is time you let it go."
The woman clenched her eyes tightly. "You're not getting it! No one is getting it!" Her loudness had gone up a notch as she ranted. "Xiao… Xiao can't die. I know it. I know it!"
Naruto felt terrible about the mother, and his heart wanted to help her. "You know what," he suddenly said, "If you want, ma'am, I can search for your daughter to the best of my abilities."
Mei looked at him incredulously. "You will? B-But… Are you some detective?"
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, something like that. And it would help me if you could tell me something about Xiao."
She snatched her purse from the table and scrambled through its contents before fishing out a photo. She handed the picture to Naruto.
Taking it from her, Naruto looked at the picture. The picture was that of a girl in her early twenties. She looked almost like her mother, but unlike her mother, she had a much younger face and brownish hair.
"My daughter's name is Xiao Li. She was a martial arts master at Shaolin."
"Shaolin?" Naruto asked, looking up from the photo.
"Yes. The temple of Martial arts."
"I know that. But she was a master there?"
"Is. And yes, she left for Shaolin when she was ten to train there."
"Ten? Why would you send your daughter to Shaolin when she was only ten?"
"Call it tradition. The members of my husband's family sent their children to Shaolin to train. So, when Xiao turned ten, I sent her to Shaolin to train like her father, uncles, and cousin."
"What about your husband? Was he okay with your decision?"
"He died. My husband worked as a construction worker. Five years after Xiao was born, he went to a nearby village for work. But he never returned. They say some machines malfunctioned, and his body… His body…"
"I am sorry," Naruto said and stared at the woman sadly. She had started weeping again. It must be hard to lose your husband and your daughter like that. But what made him suspicious was that her husband's and daughter's bodies were never retrieved. Could this be a simple coincidence? Or was something more going on under the bush?
"That temple is cursed," the woman raged. "I tell you. That temple is cursed. It killed my husband. And now it took my daughter, too."
"You don't have to say anymore, ma'am. You can rest. I will try to find your daughter to the best of my abilities."
Mei wiped the tears away from her eyes and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you very much, Mr. Naruto. You don't know how much I will owe you for your help."
Naruto smiled. "But before that, I will need to know about your daughter."
Mei nodded and clenched her handkerchiefs. "Xiao has always been a cheerful girl. Her father, my late husband, died when she was just five. But he left an impression on her in the few years he had spent with her. She always wished to go to Shaolin like her father and become a Shaolin Master. And, of course, as a family tradition, I sent her there to train.
Everything was going fine. Every year, she would come home during the Chinese New Year, and we would celebrate. Not seeing her for so many days in a year was painful, but I could only pray for her safety and hope for a day when she would come home permanently.
But a year ago, she sent me a letter saying that she was being sent on a mission by Shaolin. She did not tell me much, but it was a crucial mission. She said that it would take her a few days to finish the task and that she would write me again, but she never did.
At first, I thought she was just tired and that the mission must have been difficult. I waited for a month, but I never heard from her. So, worried, I wrote to Shaolin. They replied that she had not returned from her mission and would take a few more days to return. But even after another month, I received no news about her return. So, I contacted Shaolin again, and they did not even reply.
It was then I realized something was wrong. I went directly to the police, and they agreed to investigate. As I said, they were enthusiastic about the search, but seven months later, they came to me and announced her death.
Just like that.
They did not show me her body. They did not give me anything that remotely belonged to her. They just came, told me she is dead and left."
Naruto listened to her patiently while his mind calculated what could have caused this disappearance. While researching the Buddhist Pantheon, he learned much about the Shaolin Temple. And even he was impressed by how the Masters of Shaolin had enhanced their bodies through physical training.
"Is that all you know, ma'am?" Naruto asked politely.
Mei nodded. "Yes. That is as much as I know."
Naruto leaned back in his chair and ruffled his hair. 'That was not much information.' He thought while chewing the inside of his cheek. 'I guess I will have to visit Shaolin for further information.'
Naruto leaned forward again and smiled warmly at the mother. "Ma'am, you don't have to worry. I will go and search for your daughter myself."
Mei smiled back gratefully. "Thank you so much, Mr. Naruto."
After that, they exchanged their numbers before parting ways.
A mother with hope for her daughter's return.
And Naruto with too many questions in his head.
That night, Naruto found himself lying on his bed in his hotel.
His mind was plagued with thoughts of the disappearances.
Especially with what Mei had told him. If he had to make a guess, he would say that Shaolin was also investigating the disappearances.
Yuushi had told him that humans aligned with the Buddhist Heaven were also investigating the disappearances. And who better than Shaolin to be part of the Buddhist Heaven?
Naruto decided to take a walk because his mind was troubled and needed a break from all the thinking he was doing.
He quickly put on his pants and a T-shirt, put his purse in his pocket, and headed out of his hotel room.
He slowly walked through the streets with his hands in his pocket, enjoying the cool night breeze. Most of the shops were being closed. He could see drunk men returning home. Some men looked sober enough to walk straight, while others walked weirdly.
~Meow~
Naruto blinked and looked at his feet.
"Huh? A cat?"
The cat Naruto looked at had shiny black fur and big hazel eyes.
The blonde shinobi squatted down and stared at the cat. "Huh? What are you doing here, little fella?"
The cat meowed again and circled him before starting to rub itself against his right leg.
Naruto let out a smile and petted the cat's head. The action caused the cat to let out a pleasured meow. "Alright. It was nice meeting you. But I have to go now."
The cat let out a disappointed whimper, and Naruto was almost tempted to carry it home but decided against it. He did not have much time to look after a pet anyway.
Naruto stood up and started walking away. A minute later, Naruto looked back and noticed the cat following him. He shooed it with his left hand, and the cat jumped into an alley. He started walking again, only to see that the cat was following him again.
He released a sigh and squatted down.
The cat hid behind a light post this time as if afraid of him.
Naruto's lips quirked up in a smile, and he beckoned the cat to him.
The cat initially looked hesitant but finally decided to walk up to him a few seconds later.
Naruto petted it gently. "What is it, little one? Want to come with me?"
The cat meowed as if agreeing with his statement.
Naruto shook his head in amusement. "Well, I guess it will not harm having a partner on this trip. And I am sure Asia would like having a cat, too."
Naruto picked the cat in his arms, and it was then that he actually noticed something weird about the cat. Instead of having one tail, the cat had two tails.
Naruto's eyebrows knitted together in thought. "Uh. Why does it have two tails?"
The cat meowed again, and Naruto stared at its face. The cat, in response, tilted its head to the side and let out one of the most innocent meows that Naruto had ever heard.
The sound brought a smile to Naruto's face, and he let the cat climb his shoulders. "Alright. I guess I will take you to a veterinarian tomorrow."
The sound the cat released this time almost felt like it was dreading its visit to the veterinarian.
The first thing that Naruto did the next day was visit the nearest veterinarian for a check-up on his new cat.
The veterinarian was just twenty minutes away from his hotel.
When Naruto showed the two-tailed cat to the veterinarian, even the latter was shocked. The veterinarian had asked to perform a few check-ups and even took blood samples for the cat.
He asked Naruto to come later in the evening to take the report.
And following his words, Naruto once again visited the veterinarian in the evening.
"So, did you find anything?" Naruto asked. The cat was curled up on his lap and was napping comfortably there.
The veterinarian was a woman in her forties. She had an Asian look with long black hair and red-rimmed glasses.
The veterinarian looked at the documents in her hands and fixed her glasses. "Hm. We did the required examinations. It turns out that the cat has a rare genetic mutation."
"Oh." Naruto felt worried. "It isn't anything serious, is it?"
The veterinarian shook her head. "Nothing serious. Such genetic mutations can occur in street cats. And other than that, we haven't found anything concerning."
Naruto released a sigh of relief. "Oh. It's a relief."
"Have you decided on any name for the cat, Mr. Naruto?" The veterinarian asked with a polite smile.
Naruto looked at the cat on his lap. Interestingly enough, the cat sleeping a second ago was fully awake now. "Huh? I did not get that far. I just found it last night."
"The cat is a female, by the way."
"I am sorry?"
The veterinarian smiled politely at him. "You called the cat 'it'. It's both rude and disrespectful to call your cat like that."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh. I-I see. Anyway, about the name. How about Tora?"
The veterinarian hummed. "Why don't you ask your cat?"
Naruto looked down at the cat and asked, "So, do you like Tora?"
The cat replied with a growl.
"Guess she does not like it." The veterinarian concluded.
Naruto scrunched up his eyes. "I guess it's better that way. The Tora cat that I know is nothing like her." He made a thoughtful noise before saying, "How about Black Mamba?"
In return, the cat gave him a scratch, causing Naruto to yelp in surprise.
"Guess she did not like that name, either." This time, the veterinarian had a strained smile.
"How about Sasuke?"
GROWL!
"Alright. Alright. Don't scratch me!" Naruto pulled his hands away from the cat. The cat had started scratching him aggressively.
"Why don't you try naming her something simple?" The veterinarian suggested.
"Simple, huh?" Naruto stared at the cat for two long minutes before his eyes lit up, and he smiled excitedly. "How about Kuro?"
Instead of scratching him this time, the cat let out a happy meow.
The veterinarian smiled happily, too. "Not a very interesting or unique name, but a name the cat likes nonetheless."
Naruto lifted the cat and raised her high into the air. He had a joyous smile as he said, "Alright. From now on, you're Kuro."
Kuro meowed joyfully and jumped out of his arms and onto his shoulders, where she nestled comfortably around his neck.
The blonde-haired ninja thanked the veterinarian and left.
Naruto once again found himself walking through the streets of Golmud, accompanied by his new pet. Kuro had wrapped herself around his neck and was napping there comfortably.
Naruto glanced at the sleeping cat and smiled. "I will have to buy you some food. Let's go and see if I can find some cat food at the store."
Naruto started walking toward the store, and he was only halfway there when suddenly the ground started to rumble.
The rumbling of the ground stopped Naruto in his tracks, and he looked at the ground in confusion.
Kuro had also woken up. Her ears twitched to and fro as her head snapped towards the south side of the city.
Naruto looked at Kuro questioningly. "What happened Kuro? Did you…"
It was then that Naruto sensed something. It was as if –
Not wasting a single second, Naruto jumped on a building and ran toward the roof through its wall. Reaching the roof, Naruto then ran toward the south side of the building and jumped on the railing.
The scene that greeted his eyes was enough to cause them to widen in shock.
"What the heck?" Naruto's mouth was slightly open, and the cat on his shoulders meowed anxiously.
Because from the south side of the city, a horde of something unknown was rushing towards it.
"What are those things?" Naruto asked.
The darkness of the night hid them well, but the dust that was being kicked by the things headed toward the city was enough to expose their position.
And the speed with which they were covering the distance was also alarming.
The next moment, Naruto ran towards his hotel room at full speed. Reaching there in a few seconds, Naruto opened the door and rushed towards his bed, where he placed Kuro.
"Alright, Kuro. Stay here and be safe. I will come back soon!" Naruto spoke fast and, a second later, left the room, leaving behind a dazed cat.
Once again, Naruto rushed from the top of one building to another at top speed. As he jumped on top of the tallest building, he noticed that the unknown creatures would reach the city in under five minutes.
Naruto wasted not a single second as he increased his speed. His mind was plagued with worry. 'What the heck are those things? Are they demons?' Naruto thought to himself as he raced through the roofs.
One minute later, Naruto was already out of the city.
The horde of the unknown creatures was heading fast toward the city, and Naruto could see their silhouettes. Whatever those things were, they were large.
Naruto's senses were tingling. He had spent days hunting down demons of different varieties. But none of the creatures rushing toward the city felt like they were demons. They weren't stray devils, either.
So, now Naruto's mind had only one thought.
'If they aren't demons or stray devils, then what are they?'
It did not even take more than ten seconds for Naruto to reach the horde, and when he saw them, his body went cold and rigid.
He finally understood why his senses were tingling.
His eyes widened in shock and pain.
His mind had gone numb.
And he stood rooted in his position as the horde passed by him.
But what made Naruto react like that?
It was because the creatures were none other than humans.
No! They can't be called that.
The creatures were more like transfigured humans.
Something had caused the humans to transfigure into demon-like creatures.
And the worst part of it all was that their souls were intact inside their bodies. Their souls were being tortured by this cursed existence.
It was similar to a stray devil. But a human that was transformed into a stray devil had their soul corrupted, unlike these creatures whose human souls had not changed and had remained the same.
As Naruto stood there motionless, he could feel the anguish and pain of each and every soul inside the creatures that were passing by.
The cry for help.
The wish for a release.
The wish to see their children.
All those feelings of the thousand souls were rushing to Naruto and had paralyzed him.
Among those tormented souls, he could also hear the cries of children and infants. Mothers asking for someone to help their child. Fathers asking for someone to release their child from this torment.
Naruto's hands clenched, and tears pooled in his eyes.
"The hell is going on?" Naruto cursed and gritted his teeth.
The soul's anguish was becoming his anguish.
Their pain was becoming his pain.
Their wish was becoming his wish.
But why was this happening?
Naruto knew that he could read souls and their memories when he touched them with his chakra, but this was the first time he felt their wishes, anguish, and pain without any form of direct contact.
Were his abilities evolving with time?
Or was he always capable of doing that, and this was the first time he noticed it?
But all that could wait.
Because there was a stronger signature in front of him.
Naruto raised his eyes and saw a tall and imposing figure standing meters away from him.
This creature was different from the other ones. It had a weird, lizard-like, scaly body and a tail. But its face looked like a weird combination of a human and a tiger.
"So, are you their leader?" Naruto asked angrily.
The creature made a noise that seemed similar to a lizard, too.
Naruto was about to pounce on the creature when the screams of actual humans echoed through the area.
Naruto's eyes widened, and he turned toward the city. 'Shit! I completely forgot about the creatures due to their human souls.'
But in that scant moment in which the blonde ninja lost his composure, the creature pounced on him.
Grabbing Naruto by his head, the creature smashed him into the ground, creating a crater in the process.
Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'Fuck! I let my guard down once and this happens.'
The creature stared wide-eyed at Naruto with clenched teeth. Its hand gripping Naruto's head tightly. "G… Go…. Od… Go…G..O..D!" It let out a shriek. "K…Ki…KILL!"
"I don't know what you're saying, but…"
A bright golden-colored Rasengan formed in Naruto's right hand.
"FUCK OFF!"
With that, Naruto smashed the Rasengan against the creature's torso. The impact of the Rasengan with its body caused a mini explosion and sent the creature flying away.
Naruto immediately got onto his feet.
Without glancing at the creature, Naruto rushed towards the city.
And as soon as he entered the city, his eyes widened in horror.
The transfigured humans had already started attacking the humans. There was mass panic. People were running away from the creatures, but the creatures would chase them down.
At least a thousand people had already been killed.
Fathers were protecting their families.
Mothers their children.
Children themselves.
There was chaos everywhere.
A massacre was going on.
And Naruto had to stop them.
'There have to be more than ten thousand of these creatures here.' Naruto thought as his eyes traveled all around the city.
Naruto had no other option but to kill these creatures. He did not know what would happen to their souls once he killed them. But to save living humans, he would have to kill the transfigured ones. He could just hope that their souls would be able to rest in peace.
Naruto closed his heart off. No matter how painful it would be for him to kill these humans, it would be a million times less than what the souls of the transfigured humans would be feeling.
It was necessary.
The lesser evil.
It needed to be done.
At that moment, Naruto understood what it meant to be a ninja. He knew what a Shinobi was, but a Ninja was a ruthless killer who discriminated against none.
And it was time for Naruto to shut his Shinobi side and let out his Ninja side into the world.
He took a runner's pose and breathed deeply before dashing into the city at full throttle.
He killed!
He beheaded!
He kept going and going.
Faster and faster.
He was nothing, not even a blur.
No one could see him. That was how fast he was running through the crowd of people.
The only thing that he could see was the transfigured humans.
The only thing he cared about was saving humans.
With each millisecond, the kill count increased by a thousand.
He went left, he tore them off.
He went right, he beheaded them.
He went up, he ripped their guts out.
He went down, he ripped their limbs apart.
It was cruel.
Naruto had to be cruel.
To make sure that all their sins were transferred to him, Naruto had to kill them more brutally than they had killed people.
At the time, that was the only theory that he considered. The only way for him to ensure that these tormented souls could reach Heaven.
Naruto did not waste a millisecond as he went from one block to another, killing the transfigured humans.
He could not waste a second in this.
And so, in just 2.99 seconds, Naruto Uzumaki had killed 10,000 transfigured humans with just pure speed.
Naruto panted heavily. Blood was smeared against his face and clothes. His heart was aching. His mind was reeling.
Naruto Uzumaki. The boy who advocated peace and understanding. The boy who had never killed anyone in his life has just taken the life of not one but ten thousand humans in just three seconds.
The impact of this fight would haunt Naruto in the coming days, but for now, Naruto was more focused on someone else.
Naruto's cerulean eyes were glowing with power. He turned his head back towards the direction where he had met the leader of the creatures. He could still feel its signature.
"I am going to kill you," Naruto whispered dangerously.
And a moment later, Naruto rushed out of the city and toward the creature.
Reaching its location, the first thing that Naruto did was grab it by its head and smash it against the ground before dragging it through the rough terrain for a mile.
He then threw it a few meters away, where it crashed painfully into the ground.
Naruto gracefully landed on the ground and stared with dead eyes at the creature.
"I don't know what you are," Naruto said menacingly, "And I couldn't care less. But you're going to tell me everything you know."
The creature shrieked and dashed toward Naruto, its right arm raised back as if to throw a punch.
Naruto simply performed a half Ram seal.
And just when the creature was inches away from Naruto, it was trisected diagonally. One part of the trisected sections consisted of its left shoulder, one part consisted of its head and half of its torso, and the other part consisted of its right shoulder and legs.
The pieces fell to the ground pathetically.
The creature tried to move, tried to do anything, but to no avail. Its body had been cut like slices of meat. And the pathetic actions did not even earn sympathy from Naruto.
Naruto walked up to the creature and kneeled on one knee.
The creature tried to get away from frantically but could not do so.
Naruto grabbed the creature by its head with his right hand, which started to glow bright golden.
Suddenly, images started playing in his mind. Images of a man practicing martial arts in a hall, the man being awarded by an old man, the man meeting a woman at the construction site, the man going on a date with the same woman, the man looking down at a girl being held by the woman; the man laughing with a five-year-old child; the man reading a letter about some illegal experiments; the man going to investigate and then there was darkness.
As Naruto pulled out of the memories, he felt himself break into a cold sweat. He gulped and looked down at the pieced creature apprehensively. The woman in the memories seemed familiar, and so did the child.
"Don't tell me…" Naruto breathed out. "Don't tell me that this creature was once Mei's husband."
The creature fidgeted in its place, its mouth opening and closing as if it were trying to talk. "G…Go…Od…God… X… Xi… Xiao… Go…d sa…ve… Xi…ao."
Naruto's whole face was etched with horror as he heard those words. His eyes were shaking violently, and his hands were trembling. "W-What h-have I done?"
And the pressure of killing ten thousand souls and then a father finally took its toll on Naruto as he vomited on the ground.
Naruto panted heavily as he looked at the creature lying motionless. "W-Who the hell could have done that?"
Naruto sat there for what felt like an eternity before he realized that he needed to hide the corpses of the transfigured humans that he had killed before someone could get their hands on them.
So, with a heavy heart, Naruto stood up and did a small prayer for the dead husband and father. His hands flashed through seals before ending in a tiger seal.
The corpse of the creature was caught in flames that burnt it out of existence.
He glanced up at the sky, and the image of Mei Li flashed before his eyes. "What am I going to tell her?" It was then he remembered something.
Mei Li was in the city during the attack.
His eyes widened in horror, and Naruto immediately found himself dashing into the city.
Naruto instantly found her location thanks to his ability to sense a person's aura, but Mei's was faint and was dimming fast.
Her signature was coming from two blocks away from his hotel.
In a matter of seconds, he was by her side, but what he saw there made his heart break into pieces.
Lying on the ground before him, missing everything from the waist down, was the upper body of Mei Li. Her once beautiful face was smeared with her own blood, a river of blood flowing down from her bisected torso.
It was a horrifying sight. One that would be etched in Naruto's memory for eons.
The blonde protagonist knelt beside her body. His eyes stung due to the tears.
The world around him seemed to dim down, and time itself seemed to stop. He felt someone standing in front of him.
Raising his tear-filled eyes, Naruto saw the soul of Mei Li standing in front of him.
"M-Miss M-Mei? B-But how?"
Mei smiled at him. "You will have to ask yourself, Mr. Naruto."
Naruto gulped deeply and looked at her sorrowfully. "I am sorry that I could not save you, Mei."
Mei shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, Mr. Naruto. This wasn't your fault."
Naruto shook his head violently. "No! No! I wasn't fast enough. If I was fast enough, if I had not messed up, you would still be alive. If only I knew…"
Mei's soul paused for a brief moment and looked at Naruto sadly. "Are you a god Mr. Naruto?"
Naruto gave her a confused look and shook his head. "No. I am not."
Mei's soul smiled. "See. You are not a god Mr. Naruto. You are a gifted human, yes. And a human can make mistakes, right? That is what makes us human. The ability to make mistakes and learn from them."
Naruto gritted his teeth in anguish. "A mistake that led to the death of this many people? This isn't a mistake. This is a blunder!"
Mei's soul laughed as if finding his words hilarious. "You are a such a good man, Mr. Naruto. Anyone else would shift the blame on someone else. Do you know what makes you different from gods?"
Naruto looked at the soul questioningly.
Mei's soul extended her arms out and gestured at the destroyed city. "Look around yourself. All this destruction and yet, do you see any god here coming to help us? They did not but you did. If you had not come and killed those creatures, this whole city would have ceased from existence. But it did not. It did not because you were there to save it, Naruto."
Naruto felt fresh tears well up in his eyes. Those words had touched his heart. "How? Why aren't you angry at me? Why aren't you blaming me?!"
Mei's soul gave him a sorrowful smile. "Because there is nothing to blame you for."
"But you're dead!"
Mei shrugged her shoulders. "At least now I can meet my husband and my daughter if she is indeed dead."
Naruto's head dipped down, his hair shadowing his eyes. He could not find words to say. And what could he even say to someone who had been killed because he had let his guard down?
"About your husband..." Naruto whispered.
"Don't worry. I know already."
"Y-You do?"
"Yes. I met him already and he asked me to thank you for releasing him from the torment."
"I... I see..."
Naruto was glad that at least something had gone right. He at least could live with the fact that most of the transfigured humans were able to meet their beloved ones and hopefully go to heaven.
"Mr. Naruto. Can I ask something of you?"
Naruto nodded, keeping his head down.
"Can you look after the humans of this world? There are many who are struggling in this world and it would be wonderful if someone like you could alleviate their suffering."
Naruto sniffed and nodded. "Yes. I will."
Mei's soul smiled brilliantly. She moved forward and hugged Naruto.
Naruto felt the warmth radiating from Mei's soul as the latter hugged him gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered into his ears, "And please. Find my daughter if she is alive."
With that, Mei's soul finally left the land of the living.
The world brightened again, and time seemed to start flowing like normal.
Naruto stared up at the sky. The stars shining at him were telling him to get up and move on.
It took him considerable effort to get back up on his feet. He felt exhausted and tired. And all he wanted to do was go back to his hotel and fall asleep.
But before that, he needed to take care of the corpses of the transfigured humans.
That night, Naruto returned to his hotel room exhausted and defeated.
His hand held a packet of cat food. He had also bought a bowl for Kuro.
He placed the bowl on his bed. Cutting the packet open, he put some food in the bowl and beckoned for Kuro to eat.
And after that, he collapsed on the bed, lying on his back.
It had taken him some time to collect the corpses of the transfigured humans and dispose of them properly. But by the time he had finished his task, the police were already on the spot.
Knowing the government, the news of this incident would not reach the masses, but there was still a possibility that some information would leak out.
It would cause massive problems if humans came to know of the incident. So, a major memory-cleansing operation needed to be done.
Naruto suddenly felt something furry rubbing his right hand. Naruto turned his head to the right to see Kuro nuzzling her face in his palm.
Kuro seemed to notice his gaze on her as she lifted her head and meowed worriedly.
Her concerned sound brought a smile to Naruto's face. "Don't worry. I am fine, Kuro."
Kuro meowed happily and cuddled close to his hand.
Naruto's attention was suddenly attracted to the knocking on his city-faced window. Naruto looked at the window to see an owl knocking on his window with its beak.
Naruto pushed himself to his feet and slowly walked to the window. As soon as he opened it, the owl dropped a letter on the windowsill and left.
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto picked up the paper. Unfolding it, he saw that there was something written in it.
Meet me on the roof
~Yuushi
Naruto quickly climbed out the window and used his chakra to stick to the wall. He was living on the twentieth floor, only twenty floors below the roof.
Running along the side of the building, it took him another second to reach the roof, where he noticed Yuushi enjoying the breeze.
"Yuushi!" Naruto called out. "What the hell was that?"
"Naruto!" Yuushi greeted happily. "Congratulations on saving so many people, Naruto."
Naruto scoffed. "Give me a break. Tell me what the hell were those things? Were they the same creatures attacking people?"
Yuushi's smile diminished, and he nodded. "Yes. They were the same creatures that were attacking people. But this is the first time they have attacked on such a big scale and targeted a whole city."
"Do you know why?" Naruto asked worriedly.
Yuushi shook his head negatively. "No. I don't have any idea. We did not expect these creatures to have this large of a force. But there are a few theories."
"Theories?" Naruto asked curiously.
"The leading theory is that they were attracted to something powerful."
Naruto's face soured in a frown. "Something powerful? Are you trying to tell me…"
Yuushi nodded sadly. "Yes. We believe that they were attracted to you, Naruto Uzumaki."
"But that makes no sense. Those creatures did not even touch me. They attacked the city directly. Except for their leader."
"And exactly why this is just a theory," Yuushi replied in a soft tone. "There is nothing concrete to prove that they were attracted by your power to this place."
The two of them stood there silently before Naruto spoke up.
"About the creatures… The humans. They saw them."
Yuushi nodded. "I know. But don't worry. Lord Jade Emperor has sent some people from Tian to wipe out their memories."
"I see…"
While this trend of wiping out human memories was something that Naruto loathed, even he had to agree that it was better to not have humans involved in the supernatural.
"Anyways, did you have any more questions?" Yuushi asked.
"Is Shaolin affiliated to the Buddhist Heaven?"
Yuushi nodded. "Yes. It is."
"That was all I needed to know."
"Alright, then. I will be going." Yuushi bid Naruto goodbye before walking to the roof-access room and walking down the steps.
Naruto stood there watching the clear night sky. Now that the problem with this attack's information leaking to the human world had been stopped, Naruto felt no need to contact Gabriel. He did not want to make her worry even more than she already was. And if she knew that there were humans who were transfigured like this, she would herself come here to solve the problem.
He really needed to get to the bottom of this.
And he needed to do it fast.
In another part of the city, two figures were standing on the terrace of a building.
One of them was leaning against the railing and enjoying the beautiful city view, while the other was standing a bit deeper in the shadows.
"Naruto Uzumaki truly is something else, isn't he?"
The figure standing deeper on the roof stared at the back of the other figure. "It is not something to be proud of, you know." The figure's voice was similar to a woman's.
The other figure laughed and said in an apparent masculine voice, "I know. But even then, to kill ten thousand of our transfigured humans just like that. It is truly commendable."
The woman glared at the man. "I don't know if you realize this but that was eighty percent of the force we had. It took us ten years to achieve those numbers."
The man laughed again and waved his right hand dismissively. "Don't worry. We have the resources to make more. Those transfigured humans did not die in vain."
The woman had a frown on her face. "So, Naruto Uzumaki passed your test."
The man looked back at the woman and smiled. "For now, he did. But only time will tell if he will succeed or not."
"You really think Naruto Uzumaki would be able to kill the Victorious Fighting Buddha?"
The man shrugged and turned his head upward toward the sky. "Before he reaches Buddha, he will need to defeat Buddha's guard, the Monkey King – Sun Wukong. And who knows? He might be able to kill them. After all, he is the…
"He is the what?"
The man let out a cruel laugh and said in a dark tone.
"The Prophesized Destroyer of our world!"
xxx
Author's Note: I forgot to give a reaction for the Egyptian Pantheon last chapter. Silly me!
Author's Question 1: Can someone please tell me if I use Yahweh as the Biblical God's name, would it be alright? Calling him Biblical God, especially through the mouth of other gods seems weird.
Author's Question 2: Do you guys want a harem? Or do you guys want a single pairing? Or should I do no pairing at all? I can't decide which way should I go in pairings, so if you guys could tell me it would be nice. I will be doing a poll, so do go and vote there.
Sayonara (Shinobu style)!