Author Note: This story is Adopted.
Summary: He was just an average student. Nothing stood out too much. Naruto Uzumaki was always smiling, helping others, and doing what he could. But as it turned out, he was much more than that. He would become the unknown factor in the world of Spellswords.
"Naruto." Speech
'Naruto.' Think
Warning: My English isn't the best, but I try to write to the best of my abilities.
"You know…" The voice of a man echoed through the underground tunnels from Midgar. Those tunnels were pretty long, and many criminal organizations used them to hide from the face of the population.
A blue-eyed blonde man in his late twenties with a soldier's physique looked in the direction where the voice was coming from. This was Zenon Griffey, a Swordsmanship Instructor at Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy and Alexia Midgar's fiancée. He was well known in Midgar for his exponential swordsmanship and creation of the Royal Bushin Style, an advanced and better version of the basic Bushin Style. He taught this style to many at the Royal Midgar Academy, and with time, it became a very well-known style that many practitioners had. He wore blue pants and a blue soldier jacket over a white shirt. The soldier jacket had golden lines and two pockets. He wore a blue cloak over his outfit, which fell to his knees. He wore a brown belt with his sword on his left side to finish his outfit, armor boots, and blue gloves.
He was holding his sword in his right hand when he heard the footsteps and the voice coming towards him. His eyes were focused on the darkness that illuminated the tunnel from where the voice and the footsteps came.
In the tunnel was also flowing a little stream of water, and in this stream of water was a young woman on all four limbs, watching in the same direction in which Zenon looked. She was 3 meters behind Zenon with a few bruises all over her body. This was Alexia Midgar, a student at Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy and the second princess of the Midgar Kingdom. It was visible to everyone that she had gone through something unpleasant. In her arms were multiple markings that a needle was injected into her arm. She was pale, and her eyes weren't as focused as they should be. She usually wore her academy uniform consisting of a blazer jacket, dress shirt, white stockings, and knee-high boots with crosscutting laces, but at this moment, she didn't have the blazer and the boots on. She only wore a white skirt, white dress shirt, and high white socks. The sword beside her also had a damaged blade and wasn't usable anymore. Her long platinum hair was known in the entire Royal Midgar Spellsword Academy with her red eyes.
"I never thought I would find my ex-girlfriend and the sword instructor so deep in the tunnels beneath the capital," said the male voice, which got closer each second. Slowly but surely, a shadow from a man could be seen the closer he got. His spiky blond hair was the first thing Zenon and Alexia noticed. Shortly after that, his ocean blue eyes and exotic six whisker marks on his face. Both knew directly who that person was. Both thought from the beginning that they knew this voice. This was Naruto Uzumaki, a student at the Royal Midgar Spellsword Academy. He was known to be a pretty average student. He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't a loser, either. He was an average student who learned how to become a Spellsword, and for his age and year in the academy, his accomplishments weren't too bad or good. Just an average student, one would think when they hear the name Naruto Uzumaki. Only one thing was known about Naruto Uzumaki overall: He was smiling most of the time and helped where he could. He was known for helping other students or older people outside the Academy. He wore a compulsory male uniform of Midgar Academy—the standard navy blue blazer with gold shoulder straps and a white dress shirt. A casual appearance was facilitated by keeping the black apron necktie loose. White loafers and navy blue trousers rounded out the bottom. His sword was attached to his left side like most did.
"I have to say I didn't think I would meet you down here, Naruto Uzumaki," said Zenon. "What are you doing here?"
"After I was released from the Knights because they had no evidence that I was the culprit who kidnapped Princess Alexia, I searched for answers and got some after a few hours," said Naruto. "I found a few knights doing nasty things in a dark alley with a little girl. After I spoke to them, they told me about this underground facility where the princess could be."
Zenon raised both eyebrows at this revelation. Now he knew why the girl who should have been here by now never came. "I understand, so it was you who rescued the little girl," said Zenon.
"Yes, and I had to say that I would have never imagined that you were interested in girls with the demon possession. After I helped the little girl, she began to trust me enough to tell me what was done to her. It wasn't exactly the brightest story she told me." Naruto looked into Zenon's eyes with his usual carefree smile. His posture was relaxed, and he didn't seem to recognize the situation as dangerous, even when one of the best Spellswords stayed in front of Naruto.
"And when I look at the princess, you guys did some nasty things to her too," said Naruto while his blue eyes looked into the red ones from Alexia. For a few weeks, he was her fake friend since he lost a bet to his friend, Cid Kagenō. He played along with her fake theater, and at one point, since she thought it was enough, she left him, so both weren't a fake couple anymore. It was a funny time when both got to know each other well.
Naruto knew a few things about Alexia Midgar. Alexia was shown as a well-mannered young lady whenever she was in school. Still, she was spoiled and abrasive, looking down on others and thinking they could be swayed easily if offered money. This is best exemplified when she tries to buy Naruto with money, but she promises him other things since he isn't interested in money like that. When Naruto knew why Alexia had even become his girlfriend, he wanted to end it right then and there, but she wanted to keep being his fake girlfriend for a while longer. She tried first to buy his alliance, but since he wasn't interested in this, she asked him and promised this wouldn't become public knowledge and that she would make one thing possible: whatever Naruto wanted. Having the princess in debt by someone was a positive thing, and since Naruto couldn't look away when he saw her look, he accepted the terms and was a while longer her fake boyfriend.
This stemmed from feelings of envy, being constantly compared to her sister, Iris, and her wish for people to see her based on her own merits. After spending time with Naruto as a couple, she started showing a kinder side, developing fondness and even respect for him. When she was kidnapped, Alexia expressed worry for him. Deep down, she was a genuinely good girl who would put her life on the line to protect others she cared for. She reminded him of a bit of Sakura.
She was also a kind-hearted girl but had a terrible temper and a few quirks, making her who she was. He had loved her all his life, but that was another story. He couldn't ignore Alexia Midgar then and thus got to know her even more.
"Well, the man who did this to her is already dead," said Zenon. Naruto looked into Zenon's eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I was just about to rescue her before you appeared."
Naruto chuckled and said, "Sorry, Zenon-dono… but I heard everything you and the princess discussed. I know that this facility is yours, and you paid the man to experiment on her blood. I guess her blood was for this cult you two talked about. Even when I don't know all the details, I can't allow you to go away and take Alexia with you."
Zenon smiled the entire time and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that's a shame. I personally liked you, Naruto Uzumaki. You always brought a smile to my face with your charisma and happy nature. I will miss both things after I killed you." Zenon slowly raised his sword and held it in Naruto's direction.
Naruto's right hand touched the grip of his sword and pulled it slowly out of the sheath. After the sword left the sheath, Naruto held it to his right. "But I must say I would have never thought the princess was right about you. I couldn't think you were a corrupted member of an unknown cult or however you named this organization."
"I hope you will forget me, Naruto Uzumaki. I always enjoyed the talks we had about this or that, but as a future knight of round, I can't allow you to live," said Zenon and took a fighting stance. Naruto nodded and said, "I also enjoyed our little talks."
Zenon closed his eyes for a second to smile gratefully at Naruto before he opened them. "This is goodbye then, Naruto Uzumaki." He charged forth and thrust his sword forward. A cloud of dust was unleashed when Zenon hit the wall where Naruto stood. Alexia had to hold a hand in front of her face because of the little gust of wind that blew dust in her direction. When she removed her hand after a second, her eyes widened when Naruto stood in front of her, completely unharmed.
"So… shall we begin?" asked Naruto as his smile disappeared. He took on the fundamental fighting stance from the Bushin style, held his sword beside his head, and looked at Zenon.
Zenon looked a bit surprised at first but smiled afterward. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think you could dodge my thrust attack, but as it turns out, I am not the only one hiding some things from others." He went into a basic stance and looked into Naruto's blue eyes.
"We all have our little secrets, aren't we?" said Naruto.
Zenon chuckled a bit before both dashed forward and swung their swords. Naruto's and Zenon's blades collided, and a metallic sound was heard in the nearby surroundings. A few yellow sparks flew through the air on impact before vanishing.
Naruto blocked a sword slash from the right and another from the left before he swung his sword and tried to hit Zenon. Zenon blocked the sword slash and countered with a thrust attack. Naruto stepped to the side and dodged the sword thrust before blocking the following slash from Zenon.
Both weapons were rubbing against each other, with yellow sparks flowing around the blades. "You are something else, Naruto Uzumaki, but I will show it to you," said Zenon while large amounts of black-red mana appeared around him. "The strength of a future knight or rounds!"
Naruto felt how much more pressure Zenon was giving him right now. "NAAAAHHH!" Zenon yelled a bit before the ground cracked, and Naruto got thrown back 2 meters before landing with his boots in the little water stream.
Alexia was now standing and thought, 'His magic is powerful,' thought Alexia. She also looked at Naruto, who was holding his ground against one of the strongest Spellswords in the country. It was unbelievable, but he was stronger than she believed. She had trained with him under Zenon a few times and knew that he had some weird methods to warm up his body, but she thought he was beneath her in terms of swordsmanship and magic. As it turned out, he was a better Spellsword than she was.
Naruto blocked another sword slash from Zenon and countered with his own. After Zenon dodged Naruto's counter slash, he swung his sword vertically. Both blades met again and made a few yellow sparks. Naruto and Zenon exchanged sword blows three times in quick succession before both blades met again and were now rubbing against each other.
Like before, red-black Mana appeared around Zenon. "Naaaaarrrrrghhhh!" Zenon tried to push Naruto away like before, but this time, Naruto didn't back down, and after a few seconds, Zenon could feel his sword getting pushed back a little. His eyes widened when Naruto pushed him back, and he stumbled a bit back before he got hit by a fist on his backside. Zenon fell forward into the water and held his sword at his side while he was cursing, "Shit!"
The tip of a sword was being held in front of Zenon's face. Zenon opened his eyes, surprised, and looked up into Naruto's face. His face was severe and didn't show the usual warm and gentle nature he usually showed.
"Stand up, Zenon Griffey. I will make you pay for what you did to Alexia and every other victim you held hostage," said Naruto. His blue eyes were cold like the deepest winter. Zenon gritted his teeth and stood up. "You will die now, Uzumaki!" said Zenon before he stood up and slashed his sword at Naruto.
Both exchanged two sword slashes with each other before a wild sword fight broke out. Alexia stood a few meters away from both but could still feel the wind unleashed when both were blocking, attacking, and countering the sword slashes from the other. Their slashes were only a blur to Alexia so fast were they sword fight. The ground, the walls, and the ceiling got cracks and were partly destroyed by the shock waves Naruto and Zenon were unleashing with every sword exchange.
Both were using mana to strengthen their bodies. She couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. Naruto Uzumaki, an average student, was holding his ground against a sword genius like Zenon Griffey, who had a great deal of raw magic. He even pushed him back and smacked him on the backside of his head.
While Naruto blocked, countered, and attacked himself, Alexia watched his way of fighting. He never moved his body unnecessarily, and every movement had a purpose. The way he fought was simple but efficient. Zenon was a known sword master and creator of the Royal Bushin Style, which became more popular with time. He was a recognized genius for the sword, yet Naruto blocked every attack from Zenon with little to no effort. He only used basic moves to parry, block, and counter Zenon's attacks while Zenon was using every move he knew.
The way Naruto swung his sword was just a piece of art, beautiful and deadly. She couldn't believe that Naruto was using just that basic sword style to fight against Zenon, which she had already trained with Naruto a few times. Here he was, using only the basics to fight against a renowned genius of the sword. She hated this sword style since it reminded her of every moment she and her sister were compared.
She hadn't always hated it. When she was younger, she loved sword practice. Back then, she pictured a fighting style different from the ones her sister and her instructors had practiced. One that was not based on talent, speed, or strength. Instead, it was centered on the fundamentals and steady improvement—a fighting style based on nothing but honest effort and hard work. She believed in it for a time and followed the path with genuine enthusiasm.
But then came the looks of disappointment, the comparison between her and her older sister, the whispers and the talk about mediocre swordplay. As time passed, she grew to hate it and see it as lacking and inferior to the actual schools.
But now, right before her, she could see it working. Naruto's fighting style was her path taken to its final form. Just watching it made the road he had to travel to reach this point obvious. How many thousand hours must he have devoted to perfecting every aspect of his fighting style? He honored every single basic movement to the utmost limit with no more way to improve them. Every sword slash, every angle he held his sword to block Zenon's slashes, every shifting of his feet when he blocked or countered Zenon… simply everything was perfect with no room for error. It was simply beautiful, a work of art. It was so effective that even a genius like Zenon couldn't find a mistake in Naruto's movements.
Was this how her sister saw it, too? She clearly remembered how her sister told her she liked her fighting style. Was this an honest compliment back then when her sister told her that and not because of pity? Alexia thought about her sister when she saw the fight before her and couldn't help but smile a bit. Naruto complimented her fighting style, too, and now she knew why. He used her fighting style in perfect form, and because of that, his compliment was genuine.
Naruto blocked another sword slash and kicked Zenon in the rips. Zenon stumbled back a bit before Naruto swung his sword. Zenon got wide eyes when he felt how Naruto's sword sliced through his flesh and made a cut on his right side. He went onto one knee and held his side with his free hand while he gritted his teeth.
"You… who are you?" asked Zenon. "You are far too strong to be a simple student! It doesn't matter how good you are; you could never hide so much strength from everyone!"
"It's pretty simple," said Naruto. Zenon looked at him, confused, while Alexia looked at her ex-boyfriend's back. She still couldn't believe that this was Naruto Uzumaki. It was more than unbelievable. "Deception is your answer. Never show your true strength to anyone, not your closest friends or family. This world is rotten and corrupted because of people like you, and when it comes to suppressing my strength... let's say I have better control over my magic than most and can suppress it almost completely."
"Is that everything you got, Zenon Griffey? I expected more from a genius like you," said Naruto.
Zenon stood up and took something out of his pockets. He was holding a little bottle with red pills in it. He was holding the bottle in front of him with a smirk. "All right. I will become serious, but don't complain afterward," said Zenon. "I will become awakened with these red pills. A normal human couldn't control the power they give to someone, but I can control it, and because of that, I will become a member of the Knight of Rounds." He opened the little bottle with his hand and let a few of the red pills fall into his mouth before he bit on the red pills and let the almost empty bottle fall into the water.
He smirked before his body was enveloped in a pillar of red-black mana, creating a strong shock wave and a gust of wind that blew the water away and created a few more cracks in the ceiling, walls, and ground. Naruto looked at the spectacle, unimpressed.
He could feel how the magical power got stronger, but it was just a more magical power without the necessary control. It didn't matter how much magic you had; when you couldn't use it properly, this wouldn't matter. Naruto had taken his time learning how to control his magic perfectly.
When the red-black mana vanished, Zenon changed. Zenon mutated, his hair volume rising straight up with the sclera of his eyes and pupils turning black and red. His body mass increased into a monster-like figure to the point where his clothes were ripped apart, and his skin turned dark. His veins were also visible from engulfing dozens of those red pills.
"Awakened, third," said Zenon with a smirk. He swung his sword once to his side and created a little shock wave that destroyed the wall and created a little hole. Alexia felt how much stronger Zenon became, but she was still more disguised than shocked by this power increase in magic.
Zenon raised his sword beside him, ready for a thrust attack. Black-red mana appeared around his sword and then around his entire body shortly after. "I will show it to you, Naruto Uzumaki! The strongest power a human could wield!" Zenon charged forth and thrust his sword at Naruto. Naruto blocked the sword thrust, and when both blades met, a shock wave was unleashed, and the tunnel was lit up by the red-black mana that Zenon had created. Naruto thought how much mana was wasted in this one attack. The mana spread out of Zenon's body and crashed into the walls, the ceiling, and the ground, breaking it a little more than before.
Alexia had to cross her arms before her face to protect her eyes from the flying debris. "I will tell you something," said Naruto while both blades rubbed against each other. "Something like the strongest power doesn't exist." He pushed Zenon back, punched him in the face, and kicked him into the rips. Zenon stumbled back a bit before he got another fist into his face. He grunted because of the pain he felt. Naruto wasn't done and punched him twice in the face before Zenon concentrated on swinging his sword two times. Naruto dodged both sword slashes, raised his feet, and kicked Zenon in the face. Zenon flew onto the ground, and Naruto placed his foot on it.
Naruto was surrounded by white mana, which spread over the ground, the walls, and the ceiling and bathed everything in a white light. The white mana stopped before Alexia and formed a wall before her. Zenon opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A white light lit up the entire tunnel with red lines that appeared to disappear and appear again.
Naruto held his sword by his side and said, "I've seen enough. You are a bastard who isn't worth saving, Zenon Griffey."
"I-is that magic? That can't be! The magic from a single person can't be this strong!" said Zenon, shocked and desperate. Alexia could only look when Naruto raised his sword over his head.
"I hope you are ready to meet your creator, Zenon Griffey. You will pay for your sins to experiment with innocent girls and women." Naruto's sword had red lines all over the blade before the red lines spread, and his blade was glowing red. Naruto made a downward slash, and after that, the entire white mana that lit up the tunnel vanished before a massive explosion rocked through the tunnel.
On the surface, the ground began to tremble. The water began to ripple, and a few trees got uprooted before the ground was ripped open by a white pillar of magic that rose into the air. The white magic pillar split the clouds, shrouding the entire capital in white light. Every single person in the capital saw the massive pillar of white magic.
A beautiful girl with long gold-blond hair saw the pillar of white magic. Her eyes widened when she recognized the color she had seen five years ago. She never saw him again after he had saved her from her demise. After this person rescued her from her fate, the person left with a few parting words for her. "I wish you the best and hope you will go your way. Never give up, and always believe in yourself. This world is dangerous, but I know you will make it. I wish you the best, farewell." She could only remember his bloodred eyes with black slits instead of round pupils, his six whisker marks on his face, and the black spiky hair the person had shortly after; she met Shadow and found a new task.
'I finally found you again,' thought the beautiful woman with elf ears, blue eyes, and long blond-gold hair. Her black-gold bodysuit reflected the white light, which lit up the entire capitol.
The pillar of white light drew the attention of everyone, not just a certain elf girl with long gold-blond hair. A confident woman also looked at the massive pillar of white light from a distance. She was searching for her little sister like mad and couldn't find her. Iris Midgar was the Midgar Kingdom's first princess, known as Midgar's strongest swordswoman.
Iris was a red-headed beauty with fiery straight hair and red eyes that reached down to her back. She wore a knight-order cape, a royal dark violet uniform with light edges and black shoulder straps, with cuffs folded back one-third of her arm from the wrist. Part of her attire required her to wear white gloves for dressing, a black shirt with matching edges to her uniform, and a ruby-like gem with a single ribbon necktie that stretched down into her uniform. Iris wore white tights and knee-high heeled boots with single-tie laces at the collar, which fold over, and she could usually be seen with her sword adorning her side on her waist belt.
Iris was a brave, diligent, and prideful swordswoman who earnestly strived to fulfill her duty to protect her kingdom. She was revered as an exemplary warrior and princess by her people and the world. Ever since Iris was young, she was held in high regard for her abilities and accomplishments, which led to her people regard her as the pride or icon of Midgar. She worked diligently to uphold her father's and her people's expectations of her as a symbol of hope, protection, power, and victory.
She looked at the massive pillar of white magic and didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen anyone so far, even when at more than one place in the capitol, a few houses were destroyed in explosions. It was as if a group of people were attacking those houses at the same time. She had this feeling that her precious little sister was where this massive pillar of white magic was created. She jumped from a house and ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the white pillar of magic enhanced with mana.
She hoped that her little sister was still alive and ok. She would never forgive herself if Alexia would be dead.
Someone, the elf girl with long gold-blond hair and blue eyes, came to another part of the capitol. "Alpha!" said another woman. Alpha looked behind her and could see a comrade from her. "What's wrong, Beta?" asked Alpha.
Alpha was a young, slender, voluptuous, ravishingly beautiful female elf with long golden blond hair and blue eyes. Those who once saw her are said to become utterly mesmerized by her captivating beauty. Even Shadow described her as an unparalleled beauty, standing in a league of her own among the most beautiful individuals. She appeared to be the perfect embodiment of elegance, with features so refined that it seemed as though someone had sculpted her out of stone, meticulously chiseling her body with the most graceful and exquisite features. She adorned herself in the customary slime bodysuit, with the chest area exposing her cleavage. There were also unique decorations around her uniform, reminiscent of her gown's décor, with numerous gold accents displaying status. She wore Shadow Garden bracers with golden ends, lining, and design, signifying her authority. The lining of her shoulders connected at the throat, where a bodysuit piece was stylistically placed over her sternum. Under her breasts, a gold diamond shape was centered atop her diaphragm, with two parallel gold trims starting from her bustier at the exposed cleavage and descending to where her torso meets her pelvis. Along her hips were ornate golden stripes, with symmetrical decoration of two belts originating from her inner thigh and a third belt around the center of the femur. On her feet, she wore platform high heels with gold-edged collars.
She was the second-in-command of Shadow Garden, the first of the original "Seven Shadows," and a descendant of the "Elf Hero" Olivier. After being cured of Demon Possession by Naruto and being found later on by Shadow, she devoted her life to finding others like her and helping Shadow fight the Diabolos cult. She grew his organization rapidly into a world-class superpower in only two years. But she never forgets the boy five years ago who allowed her to hear the truth about everything. Only because of that boy five years ago did she have the chance to meet Shadow and hear the entire truth. Only because of the boy five years ago could she go the new path she chose.
"That magic… what should we do? This isn't from Shadow-sama. Someone else has caused this massive pillar of white magic," said Beta, a bit worried. No one except Shadow himself could create such a massive magic explosion. No one else in Shadow Garden, not even Alpha, could cause such an overwhelming disaster. Looking at this massive pillar of white magic that split the heavens and evaporated the ground and everything it touched was overwhelming. The location where the pillar began was also the location where one of the facilities was targeted. Shadow wanted to deal with this facility himself, but now, seeing how an unknown individual was causing such a massive explosion, every member of Shadow Garden worried. Everything would have been fine if Shadow had caused this massive magic pillar. Still, the arrival of an unknown individual who could kill everyone from Shadow Garden and maybe even threaten Shadow himself was terrible.
Beta was the second member of Shadow Garden, being one of the original "Seven Shadows." Beta was a beautiful, young, voluptuous elf with blue pupils and shoulder-length silver hair. She had a left braid behind her ear and a mole underneath the corner of her eye on the same side. Those who once saw her were said to be utterly mesmerized by her captivating beauty. Her Shadow Garden outfit was a low-cut dark slime suit that exposed her cleavage with golden decorations around her chest, shoulder, arms, and waist. Her collar was styled with shoulder guards that latched onto two ribbon capes, each ending with golden clasps adorned with tassels. The torso of her bodysuit had an edged one-piece black bustier dressed atop ink gray leggings, which also had golden trimming from the center of each breast to where her abdomen meets her inner thighs. Her sleeves were black with matching cesti around her forearms and black gloves on her hands. Along her waist was a black belt with golden buckles and gold plating on her hips, acting as a decorative armor. The leggings were connected to her boots, lining down the fibula of her legs, which wrapped the insides of her legs, decorated with gold rings and lining. Her suit had an asymmetrical aesthetic, where a single belt looped around her right leg above the knee. Within the golden parts of her attire were violet gemstones resembling the color of her master's magic.
"I know," said Alpha while a slight smile was attached to her face. "We will go there immediately." Alpha jumped from the high building she was currently on the roof of, but she didn't give Beta time to answer since she jumped to the location immediately. Beta followed Alpha and trusted her like always. Alpha was a trusted leader since Shadow wasn't directly involved in every decision Shadow Garden made. They only saw him when something huge happened, and since he always knew anything, Shadow Garden didn't think that Shadow needed to be informed since he always appeared when necessary.
The other Shadow Garden members, who were also in the capitol at the moment, made their way towards that massive white pillar of magic. When everyone began to make their way toward the source of the explosion, the pillar of white magic began to dissolve and revealed a massive crater that had destroyed a few house blocks, streets, and other things. The hidden tunnels beneath the capital were all visible from the edge of the massive crater.
Alexia Midgar looked into the cloudless night sky with an absent look. She stood at the crater's edge in the tunnel, observing the fight between Naruto and Zenon. She looked around and couldn't grasp what had happened just a few seconds ago. In one moment, Naruto was fighting the genius and her kidnapper and directly followed a blinding white light, which blinded her. When it was gone, she stood at the edge of a massive crater.
She felt a touch on her neck, and after that, she widened her eyes while her body didn't hear her anymore. She was falling forward, and her vision became a blur before she became unconscious. Naruto held her and gently laid her on the ground. He couldn't let her see any more than he already did. He was driven by rage when he met Zenon and Alexia. He usually would have disguised himself as his fake identity, but he didn't think about it in that situation. He wanted to make Zenon Griffey pay. His gold-blond hair began to change to pitch black and became even a bit longer, with two long bangs now framing his face. His blue eyes became blood red, and his round pupil changed into a black slit. (Author Note: Look at the cover image; you will know exactly how he looks.) He stood up, took his jacket, and covered Alexia with it. He stood up and looked down at Alexia.
"I have to say, you were faster here than I first anticipated," said Naruto with a deeper voice. He manipulated his voice with magic to make it sound different from his original voice. He turned around and saw Alpha and Beta standing next to each other. They were wearing their hoods so only their lips could be seen because of the shadow of the hoods from their body suits.
"Who are you?" asked Beta with a severe voice.
"That isn't important," said Naruto, his blood-red eyes shimmering dangerously. His whisker marks were also more feral-looking than before. He looked at Beta and could see her twitch from his look. "You should probably go because the big sister from little Alexia here is on her way."
"What is your goal? Why did you help the princess, and with whom are you working?" asked Beta. She wanted to get as much information from this unknown individual as possible. Maybe he would never become an enemy of Shadow Garden, but it could well be that he would attack Shadow Garden. Nothing was known about this mysterious, dangerous man in front of her. She didn't feel safe even with Alpha beside her. She was sure neither of them had a chance against this dangerous man with the frightening red eyes.
"You should know when to retreat, woman," said Naruto, grabbing the grip of his sheathed sword. "I guess I simply have to deal with you right now."
"Wait!" said Alpha. Naruto stopped pulling the sword out of its sheath and looked at Alpha. Her hoody vanished, revealing her stunning beauty to Naruto. "Alpha-sama! Why did you do this?" asked Beta, shocked. She couldn't understand why she revealed herself to this dangerous man.
Naruto looked surprised and sheathed his sword again before relaxing his body stand. "So, your name is Alpha… you have come a long way from the first time I saw you five years ago," said Naruto, smirking.
"Yes… I found my way and never gave up. I found new comrades and a purpose in my life," said Alpha with a smile. She could still feel the sensation from five years ago—the sensation of freedom and relief when she saw how her body was back to normal.
"Then I am glad," said Naruto. "What do you want from me? With your three comrades at your side…" When Naruto said this, two other girls in bodysuits landed next to Alpha and Beta. "You aren't here to talk about the past and to thank me because I cured you five years ago."
"No… all we want is to know what happened here and where Zenon Griffey is," said Alpha with authority that left no room for her comrades to say anything else. One of the girls even shook when she looked into Naruto's bloodred eyes.
"Didn't you see the massive pillar of my magic?" asked Naruto. "I got a little tip that the second princess was held hostage here. It turned out the genius Zenon Griffey was the one who was responsible for all that was happening in this facility, and he was also the one who experimented on girls with demon possession. I fought him for a while before I blew everything up. Nothing more is to say about the event in the tunnels."
Alpha nodded and said, "Thank you for your answer. It makes things easier for me and my comrades. We will leave today, but I am sure we will see each other again, Menma."
Naruto turned around, took the princess into his arms, and held her like a bride. He looked over his shoulder and said, "We will see about that, Alpha." He looked forth and walked deeper into the dark tunnels.
"Alpha, why did you just let him leave? I am sure he knows more than he lets on! In this facility, we had important information we needed, but now we can't find this important information!" said one of the two newcomers.
"We go for now, Epsilon. The first princess will be here any second." Alpha turned around and jumped away, mana enhancing her body. Every other person followed her, and just in time before Iris Midgar appeared on the edge of the massive crater. After the four members of Shadow Garden were a reasonable distance away from the crater, they stopped.
"Alpha, what was the meaning of this?" asked Epsilon. Epsilon was the fifth member of Shadow Garden, being one of the original "Seven Shadows." Epsilon was a young Elf with a highly refined posture and a beautiful, smooth face. She had long, light blue hair tied into pigtails. The color of her eyes was purple, different than the color of her hair. Those who once saw her were said to be utterly mesmerized by her captivating beauty. She had a curvy figure with fantastic curves, good buttocks, and giant breasts. As a member of the Shadow Garden, she used a dark-colored slime bodysuit with a distinctive pattern adorned on the chest with a mix of colors, gold, and sapphire. There was a gold decoration on the arms and shoulders and purple sapphire accessories on the arms, shoulders, and stomachs. She used a long purplish-colored scarf with gold accessories and purple sapphire at the edges.
"Look at Delta," said Alpha. Epsilon looked at Delta and got wide eyes when she saw her. Delta was crouching in a corner and whimpering. Her entire body was shaking as if she were fearing something. Delta, formerly known as Sara, was the fourth member of Shadow Garden and one of the original "Seven Shadows." As a Beastkin Wolf, she served as the organization's primary combat force but lacked other noteworthy talents.
Delta was a beautiful teenage girl with long black hair and large wolf ears on top of her head. She sported purple eyes. Her body was a slender build with an ample bosom. As a Beastkin race, Delta possessed the species' natural traits: her large wolf ears and thick tail. She wore a customary slime bodysuit with black and bronze decorations on the shoulder, stomach, and thighs. The setting was open in her stomach, and she wore feather accessories around her neck.
By the typical personality of any Beastkin, Delta was often described as a musclehead and depicted as excitable and immature, akin to a child. She also referred to herself in the third person. As a member of Shadow Garden, Delta loved fighting. She was shown to be ruthless and sadistic towards enemies, leaving none of them alive. This made her dangerous, as she would go overboard in brutality and even unnerve her master and comrades. This was a trait of Beastkin, who would follow the most potent life form, regarding them as their leader when Delta acknowledged only strength, and she swore loyalty to Shadow in awe of his overwhelming power. She's very bloodthirsty, and her nature as a Beastkin makes her prone to react impulsively. She almost often resorts to killing as the solution to any problem they had or merely due to boredom.
This beast, who mainly reacted on instinct and was merciless when she was hunting her prey, was whimpering in the corner like she saw an overwhelming force that she wouldn't dare to touch because she was confronted with an overwhelming being that could quickly kill her. She was also the one who was shaking when she saw Naruto. His blood-red eyes and aura were too much for Delta. She had only ever felt such an overwhelming aura from Shadow himself, and back then, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as the aura she felt today.
"W-what?" asked Epsilon, unsure what she should make out of it.
"Delta felt how strong the man who stood just 3 meters before us a few minutes ago was. Her instinct told her he was too dangerous, and now she reacted like she had the first time she had seen Shadow. She wouldn't dare to attack someone who was so much more powerful than her," answered Alpha while she looked over the capitol.
"T-that can't be. No one is as strong as Shadow-sama," said Epsilon. She couldn't believe it.
"Open your eyes, Epsilon. Just look at the massive crater the man created with his magic attack," said Alpha, mentioning the massive crater Naruto created. Epsilon knew it but didn't want to believe someone else was as strong as her beloved master. Shadow-sama was always this untouchable force, king and being that no one could reach. Now, seeing how someone had displayed a power only someone as strong as Shadow could unleash was shattering the image of Shadow as the perfect being who was unstoppable. With Shadow as their leader, Shadow Garden couldn't lose, no matter the situation. The appearance of this man in the picture… changed everything.
"I know that!" said Epsilon. She knew it but didn't want to believe in this new reality. She was intelligent enough to know it was true, but she didn't want to believe in it.
"What should we do now, Alpha?" asked Beta. From the start, she realized that someone had appeared who could destroy everything Shadow Garden stood for. This man was more dangerous than any member of the Cult of Diabolos. She could only hope that this man didn't choose to fight Shadow Garden.
"Nothing. Overall, the operation was a success. We destroyed all locations and facilities of the Cult of Diabolos in the capitol. We will retreat and shape new plans," answered Alpha.
"What is your connection to this man? You know him, do you?" asked Epsilon.
Alpha nodded and looked to the sky, where all the beautiful stars shone. "He was the one who cured me five years ago. Shadow wasn't the one who saved me from the curse; it was Menma." 'At least that was how he named him five years ago. I am sure that is also just a codename to hide his real identity,' thought Alpha. She had searched for Menma over the past five years but couldn't find anything about a boy named Menma.
"I understand," said Beta. She knew they had a certain connection. She only hoped that this connection would protect Shadow Garden from Menma, who cured Alpha five years ago.
"It was only because of Menma that I met Shadow and heard the entire truth from him. Menma was why I could join Shadow Garden and search for others with the curse. Only because of Menma are we here today," said Alpha.
"Do you mean Shadow-sama wouldn't have cured us without you present?" asked Beta with narrowed eyes. Alpha looked at Beta with a smile. "I don't say anything here. The fact is that Shadow helped every one of you, and I was the one who found you before Shadow came and cured all of you."
Alpha turned around after that and walked away. Beta looked after Alpha and didn't say anything. She was one of the most intelligent members of the seven shades. She was the one who constantly analyzed all the information they got, and during a meeting, she was the one who presented a short and compromised form of critical information to the other shades. She could see Alpha's connection with her statement; even when she wanted to deny that claim… she couldn't. The statement Alpha made was true to a certain extent. She was the second shade who joined Shadow Garden, and before they found Gamma, Shadow hadn't done anything to find other girls. Alpha and she were the ones who found the other shades, and Shadow followed them when the time came. She went after Alpha; her thoughts were full of what happened today. It was as if the appearance of just one man changed everything they knew, believed, and much more.
Epsilon also followed them, buried in her thoughts about the entire event that took place today. Delta was left behind, but that wasn't a problem. She always found her way back to the other members of Shadow Garden. She just needed a bit more time to work things out independently. Naruto just looked at her once, enough to dominate her completely. His power was just too massive in her eyes, and because of that, her instincts went into overdrive. She must calm down first and go on a sound hunt before returning to Shadow Garden.
"Alexia!" yelled Iris while she was going down the massive crater. She stopped when she heard footsteps from one of the revealed tunnels. She got wide-eyed when she saw her little sister being carried like a bride by an unknown man with spiky black hair, blood-red eyes, and six feral-looking whisker marks on his face.
"Iris Midgar," said Naruto. "Your sister is safe and simply needs a bit of time to recover." Both were standing right in front of each other. Naruto bent a bit forward, and Iris took Alexia without thinking. After Iris held Alexia in her arms, she sighed in relief. She didn't see how Naruto turned around and went deeper back into the darkness of the tunnel.
"Wait!" said Iris. Naruto stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What happened here? What caused this massive explosion, and who are you?"
Naruto didn't say a word for a few seconds. His blood-red eyes shimmered in the darkness of the tunnel he was standing in. Iris narrowed her eyes at his silence. "Zenon Griffey was the one behind all of this. He was kidnapping girls who were infected with the demon possession and did experiments with them. Your sister was also a victim of his power-hungry self. I killed him and blew the facility up like you saw just 2 minutes ago. I was the one who saved your little sister from her demise. My name isn't important as you will not see me again after today." That was the moment he walked into the darkness of the tunnels and vanished in the darkness.
Iris would have followed him if she hadn't Alexia in her arms right now. She turned around and went to where she could help her sister, but she looked out of the corner of her eye at the tunnel where Naruto had vanished. She would get behind all of this and who this mysterious person was.