Chapter 5: The Exploration

Alright, let's go once again.

Always forget this but I don't own Naruto or High School DxD

Sorry this is so late I just couldn't bring myself to write for a while and I still can't figure out why

Amerikhan786 Answer: Too long so I didn't copy it. The reason is simply that it is home, yes his life was horrible there but it was his home and birthplace, and he still has unfulfilled desires and regrets that he wants to deal with. Such as all the people who were kind to him such as Jiraiya, Tsunade, Gaara, and some of the Konoha 9 However, if Naruto can return he will be able to go both ways, theoretically, and that is his current thought process. As for pairing, I was thinking of Yasaka actually but I'm not completely sure.

As for the poll that will run probably till this is posted

Room in Yokai Palace 11:15 pm

To say Naruto was confused was an understatement. The sweet, and admittedly stunning, girl that Naruto had met while in Aurelio had turned out to not only be a part of the supernatural world but was also an angel. The race that stood directly against the fallen whom Naruto worked for. Of course, if that wasn't bad enough she just so happened to be Azazel's sister, which automatically made her one of the six primordial angels that the biblical God created near the beginning of his rise to become a worshiped deity, and the only female angel amongst them was Gabriel, the very angel who he wished to meet due to their overlapping sensor abilities in the emotional domains, and the fact she was probably one of the most knowledgeable beings when it came to Merlin's magic. Now he was in one of the rooms that Yasaka had prepared for the fallen angel entourage, lying on his bed and thinking about how to approach his current situation. Deciding to put the thought of his rather disappointing first meeting with Gabriel in the back of his mind for now, Naruto focused on the other dignitaries, or to be more specific the ones his and Vali's age.

Originally Naruto assumed the four to be special cases, or promising upcoming devils, like him and Vali though he quickly dismissed that thought as he noticed the similarities between the two satans, who he recognized from some descriptions Azazel once gave him, and what could only be considered the chibi versions of them. From his best guess, he assumed the leading two were Satan's siblings and the two behind them to be the queens of their peerage, which a Satan's sibling would no doubt have. Other than that he could not guess anything about them except that the current Lucifer, younger sister's, queen had a serious problem with Baraqiel. Why that was Naruto hadn't the faintest idea, though he would probably ask him later.

"Sigh~" Naruto exhaled as he moved to stand up. Stretching, he turned his head and looked out the window to see a night sky full of stars and the moon was about an hour from its peak. 'This is getting me nowhere. Lady Yasaka did say we were allowed to explore if we wanted…Haa~, I might as well go and make a snack.' Naruto thought as he gathered the shirt that he had discarded after his shower, and walked out of the room he was staying in. Originally planning to head straight to the kitchen, Naruto paused as he tilted his head at the door across from him. His lips curled up as his eyes gained a dangerous glint, snapping his fingers he set up a small barrier that would block his magic signature from being detected. Walking towards the door Naruto placed his hand on it and channeled a bit of magic towards his palm and created a small, nearly harmless magic circle. In an instant, the magic seal activated and blew the doors off its hinges and sent it flying into the room behind it with a small boom, which the seal hid.

"FUCK" Was all Naruto heard before a small book was chucked at his face interrupting the sentence he was currently trying to get out.

"Hey Vali, what are you-" Bang. Naruto took a step back before he dropped into a crouch and covered his nose with his hands as he whimpered slightly in pain. "Danmit Vali, what the fuck was that for." Naruto cursed in a somewhat nasally voice due to him still holding his nose.

"Will you stop bargaining into my room by blowing the door off its hinges you little pyromania?!²" Vali exclaimed as he was not sitting on the edge of his bed slightly glaring at his friend. "What do you even want, it's eleven-fifteen and I'm really not in the mood for any chaos you have come up with." Vali sighed as he relaxed on his bed his glare slowly changed into a look of exasperation.

"I wanted to go and grab a bite to eat since I couldn't get to sleep," Naruto responded as he gently rubbed his nose, slowly stood up, and glared childishly at the relaxed-looking Vali. "Oh right, I'm cooking," Naruto added in an afterthought, though he saw Vali perk up at the comment.

"Alright, I could go for some food…What do you intend to make?" Vali asked as he got off his bed. While his friend was bad at multiple things, he was an excellent cook, a side effect of being an orphan, though apparently, it was a ramen shop owner and his daughter who taught him the finer points, as well as the ones who brought in other types of chefs to help with other foods, those that didn't hate him for being a Jinchūriki though.

"I don't know yet, either something sweet or some ramen…or maybe a bit of both." Naruto thought aloud as he slightly tilted his head in thought. "Oh well, I'll figure it out by the time we get there, and if I haven't, I'll just choose to make both." Naruto shrugged as he responded before he turned and walked out, hearing the familiar footsteps of his friend echoing quietly behind him.

"If you make sweets, make some Borma or Alfajores. As for ramen…well you are the ramen fanatic so I'll leave it to you." Vali suggested as they made their way to the kitchen. Tilting his head Vali looked around to see if there was anyone following them, though he failed to spot them, it was odd only he and Naruto were nearby yet Vali heard a second pair of footsteps for some reason. Looking around a bit more his eyes eventually paused on the blonde ahead of him and realized the second set of footsteps was coming from him. "How odd, I don't think I've ever heard his footsteps. Wonder what he is thinking about.' Vali thought as he directed a curious gaze at his friend, Naruto was raised in a village full of assassins and constantly surrounded by people who hated him, he was an expert when it came to being quiet, one of his biggest accomplishments was being a ninja while wearing a neon orange jumpsuit. So for Vali to hear Naruto's footsteps, even if Naruto trusted him second to none, it was still extremely odd and concerning.

The duo quickly arrived at the kitchen and Vali sat at the small table. The kitchen Naruto had walked to was different from the one used to prepare food for feasts or large gatherings but instead one of the small kitchens for family meals that Yasaka had permitted the three factions to use. Walking to the pantry Naruto quickly riffled through it in search of the different ingredients he would need. Having not decided what he wanted to make Naruto decided to make the two suggestions of Vali and some ramen paired with unagi. He was glad they were currently in Japan as any other country was unlikely to have the ingredients he needed. Quickly gathering everything he needed, and taking the rest out of a storage seal on his person, Naruto made his way to the counter and prepared to start cooking.

Knowing it would be a bit before the four dishes were done Vali pulled out a book on Norse magic and picked up from where he had left off after chucking it at Naruto. Speaking of the blonde former assassin, he was currently making his way about the kitchen, having created three shadow clones, and was flawlessly making the desserts and meals. However, Vali noticed the four pause briefly before continuing to walk, only now his footsteps had returned to their absolute silence. Quickly hearing the reason why Vali noticed footsteps approaching the kitchen, from a quick guess he noticed two pairs.

The owners of the footsteps eventually revealed themselves as they rounded the corner with obvious curiosity in their eyes, most likely having smelt Naruto's food. However, they paused as they saw four identical blondes working in perfect harmony and a silver-haired boy sitting at the island with a small book in his hand as he casually observed them. While the leading girl, the one with red hair, raised an eyebrow in faint amusement and interest, the girl following her though, had her expression sink as she recognized the two boys that were a part of the fallen angel entourage.

"Well, this is definitely an odd sight" The leading redhead spoke in a relaxed, almost childish, manner as she noticed the two Japanese foods Naruto and his clones were making.

"Be more specific, are you talking about a blonde idiot with whiskers cooking? Or the fact that there are now four identical blonde idiot's with whiskers." Vali spoke without looking up from his book though he quickly tilted his head to dodge the knife that lodged itself in the wall on the other side of the room. Turning his head he looked at Naruto who hadn't even turned to face him and was just continuing with his cooking.

"You two are welcome to sit if you two are hungry," Naruto said before either of the girls responded to Vali's question. By now he had finished prepping the three meals that needed to be put in ovens and finally started cooking them, while he finished the ramen he was making for himself. "If you two have any requests y'all are free to make them…" Naruto paused as he finally turned around to gaze at their unexpected company. "We have yet to introduce ourselves to each other haven't we?" Naruto finally asked after he thought back to the day's proceedings.

"I don't believe we have." The leading redhead responded with an amused smile as she stared at the blonde who stood by the oven. "Since we are the ones who appeared unannounced I think we will introduce ourselves first" She spoke before she took on a serious expression and stepped forward slightly. "My name is Rias Gremory, I am the heiress to the Gremory clan and the younger sister of the current Lucifer." Her tone was heavy and serious, completely different from earlier.

"I am Akeno Himejima, I am the queen of Rias-sama's peerage and a reincarnated devil." The now-named Akeno spoke in a slightly indifferent and distant tone as if she had no real interest in being there or talking to them, or introducing herself.

The two boys momentarily paused as they gazed at the black-haired girl. While they were not particularly close, both boys had interacted with Baraqiel quite a few times and were somewhat aware of his relationship with the Himejima clan. Though they didn't know why a Himejima clan member was serving a devil, nor why she seemed to hate Baraqiel specifically, and so much at that.

"I see, nice to meet you two. My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto responded with a small smile as he dusted bits of powder and sugar off of the small black apron he had found earlier. After doing so he turned to Vali and gave him a rather pointed glare which Vali responded to in kind. After a few seconds, Naruto saw Vali sigh in annoyance and turn to the two girls.

"My name is Vali." Was his short reply before he turned back to the Norse magic book.

"You could at least pretend to be a nice person." Naruto sighed as he turned back to the ramen which was almost done.

"You came into my room at eleven-fifteen and blew my door off its hinges then promised me food. Which I still haven't got yet." Vali shot back with annoyance dripping from his tone. Naruto though didn't respond and instead just glared at Vali knowing he was being impatient and childish just to annoy him much like Azazel did whenever Naruto offered to cook their meals…though the beginning part definitely had some credibility to it.

"...Right, anyways, do you two have any requests," Naruto asked as he refused to admit he did anything wrong.

"I'm good with anything Japanese related/I don't have a preference either way" Rias and Akeno responded in even tones. However, Rias's tone had a hint of excitement and anticipation hidden beneath it.

"Alright then, I am making some Borma and Alfajores for sweets and some ramen paired with some unagi…Do either of you have a certain ramen preference?' Naruto explained before asking a new question.

"Not particularly. You seem to know what you are doing so I'll leave the choice up to you." Rias responded lightly.

"Can you make Hakata ramen?" Surprisingly Akeno, the one who seemed to have something against the fallen angels, was the one who requested a certain type of ramen to be made.

"Of course," Naruto replied happily as his eyes crinkled slightly and his smile grew. While Naruto didn't mind if people left the food choices up to him, he did prefer when people made certain requests as it made it feel nicer, why was that? He had no idea. Quickly turning back to the pantry Naruto went and grabbed the extra ingredients in the process missing Akeno slightly turned her head to hide the small blush at Naruto's delighted smile, though Naruto did hear Vali snort in amusement he brushed it off.

Yokai Castle Hallway 12:15 pm

"It is twelve-fifteen Dulio, please remind me once again why we are wandering about the castle so late" Griselda sighed as she stared at the back of her fellow reincarnated angel, and the one who held the position of joker in Micheal's deck.

"I told you that someone was making something good…While I can't smell it I just know someone is." Dulio responded in a lazy yet somehow excited tone.

"You really are obsessed with food aren't you?" Griselda asked in exasperation, already familiar with Dulio's love for sweets and most other types of food…of course she was aware of the reason why he constantly sought out sweets but never brought it up in public.

Currently, Griselda was following Dulio around the Yokai castle as he had knocked on her door a few minutes earlier asking if she wanted to eat something. Why had he asked her? Simple, "Lord Micheal is already asleep and I don't want to bother Lady Gabriel in case she was also sleeping already." was his answer when she had asked. OF course that did not mean she was his last choice, it simply meant that she was the only one of the three he could ask to join who was still awake. Why she had agreed to join him for his late-night excursion she could not figure out, but she had and now she was here wandering around the castle aimlessly relying only on Dulio's gut to guide them.

"-Good, I can see why Vali-san was anticipating the food." A young female voice eventually reached Griselda's ear. She saw Dulio perk up as a wonderful scent hit the two reincarnated angels at the same time causing them to momentarily pause in surprise at how nice it smelt. Turning her head she went to say something to Dulio only to realize he was no longer there and had disappeared at some point without her noticing. 'He really needs to be more careful in a castle full of people who aren't even our allies.' She thought before walking to the open door.

_Kitchen

"Hello There~" Of all the people Naruto had expected to see pop up, with him expecting Azazel or even someone like Sirzech, he was without a doubt not expecting to see one of the reincarnated angels. It was for that reason that Naruto, and the other three in the room, stared at the man who had just waltzed into the kitchen with an overly happy, in Rias, Akeno, and Vali's opinion, greeting and a warm smile on his face.

"Hello?" Naruto responded with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. "While I don't mind, I would like to ask why you are here…" Naruto left the sentence hanging in the air to signal he didn't know the other party's name.

"His name is Dulio Gesualdo and mine is Griselda Quarta." Surprisingly the voice did not come from Dulio but instead, the second person who walked in the door, the one Naruto recognized more easily as she was the queen of Gabriel's cards. "As for why we are here…This…child said he had a gut feeling that someone was cooking something and decided to look around the castle to find it…I must admit I'm a little annoyed he was right." She explained with a slightly twitchy smile as a shadowy veil seemed to cover her eyes under her hood.

"Oh…That's certainly interesting." Naruto said as he scooted behind Vali to avoid being in her direct line of sight. "Though I am cooking food, and you two are welcome to join us if you would like. I have finished making the Borma and Alfajores…I also went ahead and made extra ramen and unagi in case others showed up so there's that if you want any…If there is anything else you would like you are welcome to request it" Naruto offered with his smile again returning to his face.

"That would be great," Dulio exclaimed as he leisurely approached the table and sat down in one of the empty chairs, followed by Griselda who sat on his left. "I don't think I have actually ever gotten around to trying either of those so this will be nice," Dulio muttered as he swept his gaze over the gathered foods and his eyes sparkled in excitement. "Plus I do enjoy a good bowl of ramen every once in a while."

"Thank you for the food." Turning her Griselda looked at Naruto with a small smile before slightly inclining her head in something reminiscent of a nod of gratitude. Naruto, being Naruto, simply chuckled and waved his hand stating that it was no problem for him and that he enjoyed cooking. The three duos would then spend an hour chatting and eating as Dulio and Vali bonded over the food, Naruto, Rias, and Griselda talked about their respective leaders/Older brother, and Naruto and Rias lamented the fact he drew they drew the short sticks, and Akeno watched with a slightly amused expression.

Eventually, both Rias and Akeno bid farewell and left the dining room to go back to sleep. While the angels, Naruto, and Vali stayed a little longer to eat and talk about miscellaneous things before they also left for their respective rooms and went to bed.

Stretching his hands above his head Naruto turned to look out his window and gaze at the starry night sky. He sat on the bed and traced the constellations in his mind as he overlapped them with the ones he remembered seeing when he would look at the night sky back in the elemental nations. "...Home." It was a whisper so faint that even if someone was standing right behind him they might not have heard it. Yet, the seemingly infinite conflicting emotions carried within it were so deep even Azazel and Vali, who understood him the best, would struggle to figure out what he truly wanted to convey with the word…Even Naruto himself was not completely sure.

Yokai Palace Garden 2 days later

Naruto was tired, after three hours the first meeting with Yasaka had ended and Naruto was strolling through the garden while Yasaka talked with the devil envoy. How the Yokai queen was able to sit through those meetings all day was beyond him. From what he had gathered so far from the meeting, the siblings of the two Satans wanted to go to a school in Japan. Micheal and Azazel were worried about them gaining too much leeway with the Shinto pantheon and Yokai causing the two to want to establish certain restrictions so the devils didn't get too bold in their actions, as well as to make sure no one tried to pin the blame on the angels or fallen in case the two girls died.

Now he was wandering about the garden he had asked one of the servants about while Vali had headed out of the castle on personal business, having even specifically requested that Naruto not flash to him unless it was a dire situation. Naruto had felt his emotions fluctuate slightly though nothing so bad that it would worry Naruto. Azazel and Baraqiel, meanwhile, were supposed to be working on small issues with the next talk that they wanted to address, though considering the fact their marks didn't seem to be anywhere near their rooms he guessed they weren't.

Stopping, Naruto crouched and brushed a hand over a bundle of Red spider lilies that were growing in the garden. He had to admit that whoever cared for this garden did an amazing job. They cared greatly for the flowers and made sure to take care of them daily.

"They are quite beautiful aren't they?" A female voice came from behind Naruto.

"...Yes they are…Most of the flowers appear to be arranged in a way that they improve the appearances of those nearby rather than just looking pretty themselves." Naruto responded calmly, having already heard the approaching person's footsteps that they didn't bother trying to conceal.

"...Care to join me for a chat?" The woman asked. Naruto slightly turned his head to look at her while observing the flowers. Her golden hair still flowed slightly past her waist except there was now a pure white lily in her hair, most likely a gift from one of the maids or someone else. She was not wearing the formal angel robes nor the clothes that she had first met Naruto in but instead, a form of Japanese kimono that consisted of a loose-sleeved white top that hid any skin and a light purple bottom half that was held in place by a light purple sash. Her green eyes were warm and playful, which seemed to be almost permanent, with underlying hints of warmth and curiosity. Her shoulders were relaxed with no sign of tension or weight. She wore no jewelry or the Ferronnière that she was wearing yesterday when she arrived, allowing the hair to fall unrestricted and some bangs to frame her delicate face, only amplifying her beauty. Though looking more closely using his sensory ability he noticed the way her emotions seemed slightly relaxed, almost completely at odds with how Merlin described her.

"I don't mind at all…Lady Gabriel." Naruto responded as the two finished observing each other. Standing up he gestured towards the garden's center and got an affirmative nod. With a small smile, the two started to head toward the inner garden where there was a small clearing for picnics or small gatherings. There was a small part of the clearing that had two trees that provided a perfect spot for Naruto and Gabriel to sit down and chat in the shade.

"...You are quite skilled when it comes to fighting." Gabriel was the one who decided to start their conversation after the two got comfortable on the grass.

"You saw my hunt in Aurelio I'm guessing," Naruto replied with a small chuckle.

"Yes. Originally I went because I thought I had sensed an old friend's magic though it turned out I was wrong." Gabriel chose to explain, though Naruto noticed that her emotions seemed to dip as she finished up her sentence.

"...Merlin…right?" Naruto asked as he turned his head towards the sky. He could hear Gabriel's hair rustle slightly and felt it when her eyes landed on him.

"So my guess is right…You have inherited his magic." Gabriel whispered, knowing her voice would still reach him. Her voice was sad yet also contained hints of relief…as if happy that she finally learned what happened to her friend, after all, if 'he' gave someone his magic and made him 'his' successor then obviously he faded peacefully.

"Yes…I wasn't awake when 'he' appeared…I fell unconscious and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the Grigori…He saved my life…Originally due to the way I ended up unconscious, I should have died but I'm guessing he appeared and took pity on me which led to him saving me by giving me 'The Authority'." Naruto responded as he closed his eyes and thought back to how much he truly owed the man nicknamed the Father of Human Magic.

"I see, it's good to know that he was able to choose a successor before he faded," Gabriel muttered as she directed a brilliant yet sad smile at him. "...Anyways, talking about this will do neither of us any good as it will only push us into memories we likely don't want to deal with right now…so why don't you tell me how far you have delved into 'The Authority'...Only if you are comfortable letting me know, of course, Whiskers." Gabriel clapped her hands on her cheeks as she let her usual happy personality return to the forefront. Her eyes seemed to sparkle slightly as she asked about his magic, no doubt wanting to find a common interest between them to make the task easier.

"...Whiskers?" He questioned with an incredulous tone.

"Yup," She replied cheerfully, more so than before. "I hadn't learned your name till last night and so I had to have some way to address you and I thought it fit…plus it's cute," Gabriel explained while sagely nodding her head with her eyes closed and arms crossed under her chest.

"Ugh." He bemoaned. "Just please don't tell Azazel…He already has enough nicknames without others helping him in creating new ones." He begged slightly

"No promises~" Was her giggled response as she slightly stuck her tongue out and winked at him. "Anyway on to the magic." She said choosing to steer them back to the original topic

"...Right. So far I have only used 'The Law', 'The Sage', and the beginning parts of 'The Walker' though that branch is much harder than the other two originally were," Naruto replied excitedly, happy to talk to Gabriel about it considering she was one of Merlin's oldest surviving friends and would be able to help him better understand the branches of 'The Authority'. "I have only recently gained 'The Star' and still don't know what it's capable of. I have had 'The Law' from the moment I became Merlin's heir and have found almost all of the ins and outs of it along with 'The Sage' which I gained about 2 years later." He explained.

"I see." Bringing his eyes from the clouds, Naruto turned his head to see Gabriel with her head slightly tilted, her eyes closed, and a slightly thoughtful look on her face. "If I'm not mistaken there were…five branches to the magic…You already know about the first three and I am aware of the fourth one though I never had a chance to learn the name or abilities of the fifth one. 'The Star'...As far as I know deals mostly with replication, traveling, and strengthening and weakening of all seals. The next one that I know of is often referred to by Merlin as 'The Genie' though I believe the original name for it was 'The Miracle' as it dealt with granting wishes as its primary magic with Theft, Shapeshifting, and Historical control as subsidiary magics." Gabriel explained in a tone reminiscent of a teacher or instructor. "As for the fifth branch…Merlin was always really jumpy when it came to talking about that one so I don't know its name nor its focus."

"I see, I have already learned a bit about luck manipulation but I haven't even delved into the time or cycle abilities yet," Naruto muttered to himself as he tried to guess what the main sub-spells of the branches would be. "As for 'The Miracle'...Could it have a form of consciousness or sentence which is why Merlin would name it something like 'The Genie'?" Despite talking out loud Gabriel was able to tell he was talking to himself, though even if he had asked her she wouldn't have been able to help or give an answer. "...I'm very concerned about the fifth branch…If Merlin felt the need to keep it a secret then it must have been something he didn't like or feel comfortable using." Naruto muttered once again, trying to sort out the various trains of thoughts that were running amok due to his ADHD.

"Well, I'm sure you will learn more about them once you delve deeper into them. But for now, I would like to get to know you…If you don't mind. I must admit that I'm curious about the person that Merlin chose to make his successor and heir" Gabriel proposed, it had been bothering her since she first guessed he was Merlin's successor, she wanted to know what his personality was like, and if he would truly make a good heir to the Mage God, and wouldn't tarnish his name and reputation. She already knew a little about his personality due to a talk she had with Griselda the day after she and Dulio met him in the kitchen and had a chance to chat with him. Griselda, having known of her curiosity, had manipulated the conversation in a way that helped her learn about his personality, likes, dislikes, and small quirks or interests. Knowing all of this Gabriel wasn't too interested in confirming most of these things, not right now at least, but instead was interested in confirming his true personality and bearing in a way that was unique to her, through sensing his emotions and looking into his soul and seeing how it felt.

"...What would you like to know?" Naruto asked, just as curious to learn as much about Gabriel as she wanted to learn about him. Though Naruto could not sense souls and positive emotions he was adept at reading people, something Azazel had made sure to drill into his head in case he ever met anyone who could offset his negative emotion sensory ability…not that he believed he ever would as even Gabriel couldn't fully block him out when she felt sad or her emotions dipped into a sensible range.

"Whatever you feel comfortable sharing with me…though I do want to ask why you are serving Azazel." Gabriel posed the question in a calm voice, there was no hint of judgment or wariness but instead, she just seemed curious.

"...When I first woke up I was in a place I didn't recognise and surrounded by people I had never met…On top of that the people there weren't human but instead a race that I had never heard of…And to pile on even more I quickly learned that I was far, far away from home and had no conceivable way to return anytime soon…or at all…At that time what I sought the most was anything familiar…If I hadn't been stuck in the Grigori then Japan and its gods would have probably been the familiarity that I would have sought out…But in the end, the familiarity I found was not what I was expecting…It was Azazel's personality and pervertedness that served as an anchor that helped keep me in one piece." He saw Gabriel's eyebrows furrow when he said that obviously confused, and not particularly happy, about Azazel's pervertedness being his anchor. "...Back home I had…three teachers…Ah, I guess it would be best to explain where I came from first…The place I am from is full of humans except we can all use chakra…There was an era called the Warring Clan Age which lasted around 200 years…After that came to an end due to Madara and Hashirama five villages were formed before Hashirama distributed the biju…beings of pure chakra and malevolence…to the other villages in a bid for peace…Hashirama and Madara had a falling out and both died…After that, all hell broke loose leading to three world wars…so many people died and it led to so much residue of hatred and resentment…My home is built around Ninja, Mercenaries, and Assassins. We are trained from 8 to 12 before we become shinobi and are sent on missions…the day I was born the strongest bijuu…The Kyuubi attacked the village and killed a lot of people…My father…the reigning leader sealed it in me in hopes I would be viewed as a hero…I wasn't…My teacher in the academy, Iruka, originally didn't like me as almost all viewed me as the Kyuubi incarnate instead of a human being. Later he warmed up to me in my last year there. After I graduated I went under the tutelage of Kakashi Hatake, who I later found out was my dad's student…Though neither I nor the majority of the village knew I was the son of the fourth…He was supposed to teach me and my two teammates but didn't do all that much. Later he ended up personally training one of my teammates and left me with someone else…Eventually, I met Jiraiya…He was the only teacher who didn't hate or despise me upon our first meeting, like Iruka, and trained me, unlike Kakashi…He…He…" Naruto realized he was rambling…his breathing was becoming more strained and uneven…the more he delved into the old memories, even the ones from his stint in team seven, the more he felt his throat constrict and eyes burn. He felt his body slightly tremble from chills despite the rather warm weather, his palms became clammy, and his chest started to hurt as if someone was pushing down on it. His eyes were now shut, trying to stave off the panic attack that he could feel was starting to cloud his mind, it was useless though as it only got worse…And then it all disappeared as he felt two soft hands pulling his head down into the warm comforting embrace of the woman sitting next to him as his head lay atop her chest. He froze slightly as a single thought ran through his mind. 'Soft.'

Gently running her hands through his hair Gabriel used a portion of 'The Sun' that she controlled to calm him down and help him get his emotions under control. If it were anyone else then Gabriel would not go so far as to hug them especially not so close to her chest, but throughout his explanation of his home, to be more specific, the warring clan era and the wars she sensed so much sadness and grief. Despite not having participated in it nor having known anyone from that time personally he still, at his core and deep in his soul, grieved for the people who lost their lives, enemies, and allies, and felt sadness just briefly touching upon the topic. Gabriel believed she was finally starting to understand who he truly was at his core, he was a person who would grieve for the deaths of both enemies and allies, someone who would feel sadness over the death of anyone no matter if he knew them or not. He was a person who would neglect his own pain and sadness if it meant helping others, and he was a person who would most likely tend to lean towards things such as self-sacrifice.

"Normally if someone had such a bad reaction to old memories I would not encourage deeper diving into them…But in this case, I believe talking about it would be best…I don't mind listening to you ramble on…If there is something that causes you pain I will listen and help you…If there is something that makes you laugh I will laugh with you…If something makes you grieve and feel sorrow I will do it with you…So talk…Let it all out and let me help you." Gabriel whispered in his ear as she continued her movements. She felt his breathing turn softer and slowly return to normal as his body slowly stopped shaking. She wasn't sure but if she looked into his eyes she would guess the pupils returned to the original size as well. She felt him move, most likely attempting to sit back up, though she stopped him and kept him leaning against her. "It's alright, I can more easily calm you down with my magic like this. Plus, I've heard it is easier to confront problematic memories when one is comfortable and feels safe." Gabriel said without pausing in her stroking of his hair.

"...I see…Jiraiya was…well he was an idiot, but a lovable one…He was the great sage of Myoboku and one of the three legendary sannins. He took over my training and taught me somewhat of a fighting style since I had never been properly taught in the academy and was more of a clumsy brawler than anything else…He was supposedly planning on teaching me more but with only a month he couldn't." Gabriel could feel his smile. These memories were far more pleasant. "...He wrote a series called Icha Icha Paradise…It was just a porn book…He liked to proclaim himself to be a super pervert…not the super pervert." Gabriel could feel his shoulders shake as he chuckled slightly. "He did not bother hiding that he was a pervert and got beaten up a lot when caught peeping. Though he was back on his feet seconds later…It was what made me gravitate towards Azazel and view him as an anchor…Azazel and Jiraiya's personalities seemed so similar that for a moment I thought they might have been the same person…plus the fact he was willing to take me in and mentor me without any real problems reminded me of Jiraiya…It was just so easy to ground myself by relying on Azazel…Without him, I probably would have broken down and never recovered back then…I probably still would. Those two are the closest I have ever had to family." Naruto sighed as he felt his shoulders sag. The weight seemed to slightly lessen.

"...I see, I think I can understand why you are working for him…You mentioned teammates…do you wish to tell me about them…or the bijus…or the villagers in general." She asked, knowing they would most likely not get a chance to talk like this again for a few days or even longer and wanting to get to know more about him.

"...Haha that's a whole other problem…" Naruto chuckled mirthlessly as his expression continued to darken the more she mentioned before thinking about the best place to start, then quickly deciding his birth was the best point.

Kyoto

Vali had to admit he was starting to get very annoyed. He had been wandering around Kyoto for almost an hour now looking for something yet had failed to catch even a glimpse of it. He knew what he was looking for was in Kyoto due to some of his personal contacts and he needed to find it soon before the chaos began. While this would have been easier if he had Naruto to help him with his sensory ability he didn't want to get him involved in his plan just yet as he knew Naruto would be the most difficult person to convince to side with him.

Weaving through the crowds Vali spread out his senses hoping to catch a hint of the unmistakable chakra of the person he was seeking out. His steps paused as he noticed something different from the other yokai around him that swiftly disappeared, seeming almost rushed or flustered in its disappearance, not that Vali could actually tell what emotion was behind it, he could only guess from what he knew about the person he believed it to originate from.

Slipping away from the crowds and into a secluded alley Vali paused in his movements and took the time to locate the chakra signature, knowing that if he rashly chased after it they would have an easier time losing him, much like Naruto does in their forest spars. Luckily he had a lot of experience sensing chakra rather than mana due to Naruto's belief that versatility triumphs over raw power, though he only started believing that after passing through the dimensional gap and getting Merlin's inheritance.

Rather Quickly he located the chakra and noticed that it was on the move…and headed in a way that would make it easy for Vali to cut them off. Vali knew it would be easier just to activate his balance breaker and cut them off that way but it would defeat the whole purpose of keeping a low profile and not getting caught by the yokai…or Azazel.

Kyoto 1 hour later

She had noticed him. That was the only explanation as to why her seemingly reasonable movements had kept putting her out of his interception reach for over an hour now. His patience was starting to wear thin, he had no idea how long that group would wait before they would start with their plan. Quickly cutting around a corner, Vali easily scaled a nearby wall and landed on the roof, recognizing he would have to be a little brash if he wanted to get back in time.

Jumping across the roofs Vali noticed he was catching up with her…and also noticed she was starting to move faster, confirming his guess that she knew he was chasing her. Using a bit of magic he quickly displaced his presence making it seem like he was going to cut her off when he wasn't, it was something he had learned from watching Naruto use his shadow clones, though he could not do it as well as he couldn't use the clones.

He quickly arrived at her location just as the magic wore off and his actual presence was revealed. He watched her tense up as he dropped to the ground behind her. "Hell-" He wasn't even able to get the first word out before the woman in front of him was lashing out at him with her claws, seemingly intent on bisecting him. Raising his hand he let his sacred gear manifest on his arm to block the chakra-infused claws. His ears rang as a noise similar to someone's plate with a fork rang out in the alley when their respective attack/defense met.

He noticed her flinch in pain as she shot backward and gently rubbed the ears atop her head. She wore an expression that easily conveyed her annoyance as she scanned his body with predatory, yet wary, eyes.

"Don't you devils ever get tired of hunting me all the time?" The black-haired woman asked as she stretched her hands above her head, which only seemed to have the effect of, rather erotically, making her rather large chest strain against the fabric of her already rather revealing battle kimono that she was wearing.

"Hah, please don't compare me to those idiotic beasts you have dealt with in the past." Vali scoffed as he slightly glared at the woman across from him, not even the slightest bit interested in her display which was most likely meant to distract him if the annoyed task was anything to go by. "Besides I don't even work or serve the devils…I work under someone else…But that's not the point." Vali said as he lowered his hand and relaxed his stance in a sign of peace. "I want your help, I'm not here to fight you." He could see the disbelief and mocking expression on her face.

"Oh, you want my help? Well then just tell me what to do and I will do oh great master~." She mocked as she shifted into a rather familiar battle stance. One Naruto had learned while training to control nature's energy.

"Sorry Naruto, but this is going to take longer than I thought." He whispered to himself as he tensed and prepared to engage the now sage-infused woman before him. "Well then, show me if you are as worth my time as I was led to believe…Misfortune queen Kuroka Tojo." And with that the two shot forwards fully intent on not losing. One for his pride and the other for her freedom.

Yokai Castle Inner Garden 2 and a half hours later

By now Naruto and Gabriel had been in the garden for almost three hours simply talking. Naruto had talked about his childhood, not fully getting over the trauma but lessening it. He then talked about his time as a genin while keeping the fact that he was from a different world a secret, while he enjoyed the company of Gabriel his home was still his biggest secret and he just couldn't bring himself to tell her just yet, though Gabriel could probably guess it if she thought about this conversation later and noticed some inconsistencies Naruto couldn't fully hide or explain. After he had finished talking and sat up, Gabriel finally let him go, Gabriel decided to tell him a bit about herself and her past. She didn't talk about her magic, since he already knew about it, but instead talked about the pre-humanity age and talked about her likes, dislikes, and the things or activities she wanted to do soon. He had also learned why she didn't seem as burdened as Merlin had described her, and the answer was quite simple. Naruto admired her beauty, and Gabriel was aware of that, but he did not have any lustful desires or anything similar and simply wanted to get to know her. Of course, she could still feel the remnant lust from some of the more…instinctive…yokai, but it was easier to ignore so far away from everyone.

For the first time in a long time, Naruto wasn't worried about anything. Even back in Konoha he still never got to truly relax all that often as he was on missions or something big was happening in the village, over the past few years in the Grigori Naruto had either been mastering Merlin's gift or going on jobs for Azazel so this was a nice reprieve. Even so, he wasn't so relaxed as to completely let his guard down and had constantly kept his sensory abilities active, both his emotional one and the one from 'The Sage', which was probably the only thing that made him able to react when he suddenly felt a massive amount of malice a few feet behind him and a massive build-up of unstable magic. Faintly in the back of his head, he felt something seem to respond to his situation like someone gently brushed against his mind or consciousness.

Before he had even realized his body was moving his hand was on Gabriel's arm and Naruto was already flashing away toward the closest, and safest, 'Hiraishin' that was in the castle. He felt Gabriel's muscles finish tensing as soon as his hand landed on her arm, indicating that she sensed the same thing, if only a little slower than him when it came to instinctual reaction, though that was most likely due to the different ways they were taught to fight. Quickly everything was consumed by gold as Naruto felt the heat from the explosion glance his skin before it vanished just as it appeared and Naruto and Gabriel found themselves standing in a moderate-sized room with four other people, those being Azazel, Baraqiel, Micheal, and Dulio, two of whom tensed up and summoned weapons when they heard the explosion outside. Both Dulio and Micheal were surprised to see Naruto and Gabriel appear but quickly brushed it off simply relieved that Gabriel was alright.

"What happened," Azazel asked while looking at Naruto.

"I-I'm not sure. We were in the garden talking and then someone was suddenly behind us wielding a large amount of dangerously unstable magic." Naruto explained as his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and confusion. "...But the problem is I didn't even notice anyone else had entered the garden until the magic was already collapsing in on itself…And that also includes me not sensing any magic buildup till the very last moment." He said with annoyance starting to seep into his tone. Naruto wasn't a boastful person but he did truly pride himself on two things, the first was his skill in direct fights, and the other was his sensory abilities. Thus the fact that someone seemed to effortlessly sneak up on him and almost kill him without being noticed was extremely annoying.

"That's…That's concerning," Azazel muttered as he knew just how good a sensor Naruto was, out of the corner of his eye he could also see Baraqiel shift worriedly. "What are the statuses of those in the castle that you have marked over the last few days?" Azazel questioned as Micheal finished questioning Gabriel and getting an almost identical answer, who was still standing near Naruto.

"Most of the royal guard is near the room in which the devils and Yasaka-hime are having their meeting, Vali is still in town and seems to be fine and others appear to already be making preparations." He suddenly paused before a flash of confusion colored his expression. "Did I miss count?" He whispered as he quickly brushed against all the marks that he had inside and around the castle. "How did I not notice this earlier?" Five, Six, Seven times, he must have recounted more than ten times before Azazel grabbed his shoulder and his focus snapped back to the people in the room.

"Did something happen?" Azazel questioned with an uneasy tone to his voice, it was rare for Naruto to lose focus in a situation such as this one.

"They're missing." Was his simple response

"What's missing" Surprisingly, it was Micheal who asked the question as Azazel already had an inkling of what Naruto was talking about

"The 'Hiraishin' marks that I left on certain people…Almost twelve are missing." Naruto explained with shock coloring his tone.

"'Hiraishin'?" Micheal questioned.

"...One of my techniques," Naruto responded simply. "But even if the bearer of a mark dies the mark should still be there just harder to reach…But right now…It's as if they never existed." Naruto muttered, choosing not to actually explain his ability. "The only way that's possible is if someone has studied the mark…but I always remove them once I'm done to make sure no one has the chance…Unless…No that's not possible…only someone from the way…" As he continued to talk he kept getting quieter and quieter until the other in the room couldn't even make out what he was saying, though Azazel had a guess.

"We can address that…concern letter. For now, we need to figure out who's attacking and why they are doing so." Azazel said as he snapped Naruto back to reality once again. "For now can you check on all those who have been marked and see, or feel, how they are doing?"

"Right-" He abruptly paused, something that put both Azazel and MIcheal on guard. He knew what he was sensing was wrong…There was no way one of them could be here…or in this world for that matter…But it simply wasn't possible for anything else to feel so similar to it…And that's when he sensed it. Like a malevolent, slimy beacon radiating arrogance and dark, twisted amusement, it was a chakra signature that stirred a dark hatred in his heart. Before he even fully processed it he was already flashing building up the chakra necessary to flash to that mark…the mark of a kunai not his own. Faintly he felt a hand land on his arm, only one person close enough to react, but dismissed it in favor of rushing to that presence.

Once again the gold appeared and disappeared in a flash as he was now standing in one of the many open spaces of the castle. Looking around he saw bodies, both yokai and other races, piled around the area. Yet his eyes immediately looked for one presence that he despised more than anything else.

There he was, sitting atop a small pile of corpses with an amused expression as he gazed back at Naruto with those dark, cruel snake-like eyes. Still dressed the same as when he saw him during the chunin exams, he twirled the 'Hiraishin' kunai on his finger with languid ease and precision.

"Every time I see you, you remind me more and more of your father…Dear Naruto-kun." The man spoke with a voice that sent shivers of fear down Naruto's spine. The easiest way to describe it was as if a massive amount of malice and deceit were taken and made into a voice…a voice perfectly fit for the serpentine-like man sitting regally upon the corpses. He felt Gabriel gently squeeze his arm, having reacted so quickly as she felt his emotions drop before the chakra alerted the others in the room earlier, he knew Azazel would be mad later but he couldn't be bothered with caring right now.

The words dripped with so much venom that even Naruto was surprised it came out of his mouth. He did not blame Sasuke, he could not forgive him but also didn't blame him. He didn't blame Itachi for forcing Sasuke down the path he was on or Kakashi for neglecting to train him in favor of Sasuke alone, or anyone else…There was only a single person he blamed for all his problems…From the day before he became a genin all the way till he was sent to a completely new world…There was only a single person to blame in Naruto's mind."...Orochimaru."

Fucking finally got it finished. I just couldn't do it for so long for some reason till I forced myself to sit down a write since I didn't have school today.

Anyways as for how Orochimaru is here, that will be explained next chapter…though that will take a bit to get completely right.

Kinda fucked up how I wanted Gabriel and Naruto to interact but this was the closest I could get. The easiest way to describe it is that high-ranking Angels can view people's souls while talking to them to see what they are like and that was what caused Gabriel to be so relaxed around him, going so far as to hug him even though they barely knew each other. As we all know Naruto might as well be the god of fucking saints with how kind he is, and even with Azazel slightly fucking with his moral compass it's only related to Naruto never killing, minus the one dude who was already dead in Shippuden.

Originally I was going to pair Naruto and Kuroka but that seemed boring so I'm going somewhere else with her in this story.

Let's hope this is as nice as I want it to be. As always please point out where I messed up and I will try to fix it.

There is a chance that this will happen again and I won't post for a while but I will try to get to it eventually...or I will force myself to if I think its taking to long