Chapter 12: Developments
That same night, the three youngest members of the Hyoudou household lay together in bed. They were not asleep yet, seeing as Issei had just laid own in between Asia and Rias. The two girls had gone under the covers ahead of him since he had ceded the bathroom to them initially. He was thus unaware of what the two had discussed while he had been the one occupying it.
The two had gone over what Koneko had told them earlier that evening, and their response to it. First among the topics they had talked about was the possible source of Issei's mental block. That Raynare was the responsible party had been easy to conclude. What they would do about it had been a bit harder to hash out, but consensus had been reached. They had come to the decision to make a move this night.
Asia's heart pounded in her chest as she considered her part. It would be unusually bold for her, but none of what she was supposed to do was anything she did not want to some degree. She was nevertheless nervous about it, but she was not backing out. She shot Rias a look and nodded. It was time to begin.
The redhead nodded back and then focussed on the boy between them. She put a hand on his arm and called out to him: "Ise? There is something we want to discuss with you."
He turned his head in her direction and asked: "Huh? What is it?"
"You were very brave today when you faced the White Dragon Emperor. You fought for us, and you fought well. But you did something very concerning too," said Rias. "You sacrificed a large part of your lifespan like it was nothing. You acted like we would not miss you if you died so much earlier than we."
Issei frowned as he considered her words. He said: "I mean, you won't keep me forever. I'm supposed to leave at some point, right? It won't matter then, I think."
Asia barely suppressed the urge to go off-script and speak up. She did not want Issei to leave, ever. He was her first and most important pillar in her life. Him being somewhere she was not was inconceivable for her. As it was, she shot Rias a look of desperation that told her to do something.
Fortunately, Rias did do something. She responded to the boy: "Nonsense! Ise, you're not just a toy or a… a pet I play around with until I get bored. I admit that it may have started out that way, but that changed when you challenged Riser and fought him for me. You proved that you were more than just an amusing pervert; that you cared about me beyond just my breasts. I want you in my life, even once you go independent. That is why your early passing would be incredibly painful to me. And not just to me."
That was Asia's cue to add her own words: "I would be sad as well. Ise, you are the first friend I have ever made. You have defended me over and over again, and you've taught me happiness. There is no life I can imagine that does not have you in it. I want to grow old with you and experience the joys and sorrows of life together. So, please don't ever leave us."
She felt the blood flooding her checks and her ears as her heart kept pounding hard. She spoke the truth from her heart and laid her feelings bare for the young man beside her. Her hand had grabbed his during her speech, which had led him to turning his head in her direction. Their gazes were locked onto each other's. The former nun hoped that he could read her sincerity in her eyes.
As he was busy looking at them, Issei's chin was gently grabbed by Rias, who turned his head back to her. She told him: "I feel the same way. You are the man I can easily imagine spending my life with. What I mean to say is: I love you, Ise."
She then leaned forward and placed her lips on his. Asia felt Issei stiffen, which was something she and Rias had expected to happen due to the mental block. It was one of the things they had talked about before, and they had come up with a response for it. They would force themselves past it, but gently. The tricky part was that it was up to her to do so.
Asia nudged herself closer to him and pressed her body against his. She had foregone wearing her nightgown, meaning that she was as naked as Rias was. This made her feel embarrassed but also giddy and excited in a way she had not expected. Her arms wrapped around him, and even while Rias continued to kiss him softly, she whispered into his ear: "We know that Raynare hurt you. She hurt me too. So, please, believe me when I say that we won't hurt you like she did. You're allowed to feel love."
After a brief pause, she felt the boy between them relax. He moved the one arm that was not pinned by Asia around Rias and finally responded to her kiss. The blonde nun smiled at that moment, even as she spotted unshed tears in Issei's eyes. Her own eyes were wet as she observed the two with joy.
It was strange to her how much she was at peace with the boy she liked kissing another girl. Perhaps it was because she was a Devil now or because it was Rias who was kissing him. Fact of the matter was that she kind of liked watching them. The sight caused anticipation in her.
Rias eventually broke the kiss with Issei. Smiling at him, she said: "Turn your head around. I'm not the only one who poured her heart out."
He complied and turned his head back to Asia. She smiled nervously at him and told him: "You deserve to be loved. You don't have to be afraid of it. You're save with us. Rias and I… we'll prove it to you. I love you, Ise."
Then she did what Rias had done before and kissed him. Having no experience in this matter made her nervous. She had never kissed anyone. She had not even imagined it before Issei. Her lack of knowledge had made her uneasy, which was why she had asked the one friend of hers who seemed to know all about it some time ago.
Do it just like Aika said, she told herself. Lips on lips for a bit, and then…
Beset by nervousness, Asia brushed her tongue against Issei's lips, startling him. He parted them slightly, which was all the opening the blonde girl needed. Her tongue found its way into his mouth and hesitantly made contact with his. He responded almost automatically. From there, their lip lock turned into a tongue-filled kiss.
She could not help but moan a little as it went on. I'm really kissing Ise! It feels a bit weird, but this is so much better than Aika described it. I could do this all night, she thought.
The need for air became apparent, however, and she was sadly forced to separate. She was breathing hard, as was Issei.
"With tongue right from the start? You're bolder than I assumed," said Rias with an amused voice.
She was looking at Asia and Issei with an intense stare the former nun could not quite place, but it made her feel all tingly. Even as she was blushing up a storm, she decided that she did not dislike it.
Rias turned her gaze towards Issei and asked him: "So, Ise. What do you say? You're in the same bed as two girls who have confessed to you. Do you feel the way we do?"
The smile she gave him was provocative. He gulped, but he managed to give his response: "President, I-"
"Call me Rias, please. I want the man I love to call me by my name," interrupted the redhead.
There was a slight pause as Issei seemed to struggle with himself. Despite this, he managed to get through it eventually. He finally said: "Rias."
The Devil in question smiled again and pressed her body against his in a mirror of what Asia had done earlier. "We're still waiting for your answer," she said.
He nodded slowly and took a deep breath before he spoke: "I've got to be the luckiest guy alive to have you two with me. Rias, Asia, I… I love you too."
Asia beamed at him, and she was Rias do the same. She was happy beyond words. She said as much: "Those words mean the world to me."
"They do so for me as well," concurred Rias.
A nervous smile spread on Issei's face as he asked: "So, uhm… What does that make us now? Do you… Do you want to become my girlfriends?"
"Of course I want to," said Rias. "Someone will have to manage that harem of yours, and I won't let anyone steal the top spot from me."
Asia blushed as she briefly thought about what those words could mean. Rias on top of me…
She abandoned that thought quickly and instead spoke up as well: "I want to be your girlfriend too, Ise. I don't care about top spots, and I know that you want a h-harem." She struggled a bit with the word as it made her somewhat embarrassed. "I will gladly be part of it."
If anything, I have learned tonight that I don't mind letting Ise kiss other girls. Or watching him do that, she thought. After a second's contemplation, she added: Well, as long as I like them.
"Yes! The first step to the road of harem king is cleared!" exclaimed Issei with joy.
In a surprise move, he snaked his arm around both girls and pulled them closer. He gave Rias a short kiss and then one to Asia. It left the latter a bit stunned. Rias suffered form no such problem, however.
The redhead simply laughed indulgingly and said: "Then let us celebrate our new relationship."
The three of them found little sleep that night.
"Boy, am I glad I don't really need to sleep anymore. There's a lot of stuff to do," sighed out Naruto.
Hinata laughed. "Don't be so melodramatic."
[Listen to the woman. It's not like this is your first all-nighter. At least this way, I don't have a front-row seat of the two of you going at it like rabbits. Now that makes sleep impossible,] grouched Kurama.
"Pfft. Like you can't turn off the connection, Furball. Besides, you know that peace conferences always make me excited. I enjoy my work too much for that not to happen," said Naruto.
Having neither the need nor the desire to pursue an ordinary job, he had naturally turned to peace making as his chosen occupation. It had no salary, which he did not need anyway; there was nothing in term of official benefits, for which he had no use either; and there was no employer. What he had was Jiraiya's dream and the knowledge that it had succeeded in his world of birth. While he was not always successful, and sometimes only partially, Naruto had made it his mission to create peaceful worlds wherever he could.
[I will admit that you have to do quick work in this instance, but don't blow it out of proportion,] said Kurama bluntly
"I agree with Kurama," added Hinata.
As odd as it would appear to outsiders, Hinata could understand the fox. She had spent so long attuned to her husband's chakra that she had become attuned to Kurama's as well. She could hear him when he spoke openly to Naruto and was sufficiently close.
The blond man sighed again and said: "Spoilsports."
Hinata giggled and then told him: "Let's get it done."
Naruto grumbled for a bit, but he complied. He stomped his foot on the floor of his apartment, causing seals made of is chakra to spread out in a circular pattern. The array was then activated with another burst of chakra. The cost would have rendered the average Jonin comatose within a few seconds, but Naruto barely noticed the draw on his reserves as the seal distorted time and space in front of him. Once it was finished powering up, the masterpiece of Fuinjutsu opened a rift across worlds.
This Jutsu had seen use in numerous worlds during Naruto's tenure as a wandering explorer. Like his current method of transportation, it completely ignored the Dimensional Gap and directly connected worlds with each other through a portal. In fact, this technique was the basis from which Naruto had developed the transportation technique he used these days. The old one had been far slower and a bit more inconvenient. Unlike the transportation method, however, the Jutsu he had just activated only allowed light and sound to pass through. Since communication was all it was used for, there was no need to change anything.
The one problem was that Naruto did not use the technique frequently enough to always have someone important stationed at the receiving end. Use every few decades was not enough to have a person with many responsibilities attending it. That said, there was always at least one person stationed there to watch it. If the former Hokage deigned to use that seal, it usually meant a lot of trouble for everyone.
"Venerable Ancestor!" said a voice from the portal in a startled tone.
Naruto groaned. "Damn it, Ashina," he complained. "Why was the one thing you imparted on the Clan your uptight attitude?"
Ashina had been one of Naruto's great-grandchildren. He had been named after the last Uzumaki Clan Head of Uzushio before its destruction. These days, it was a popular name for Uzumaki children. If he recalled correctly, there were at least seventy clan members with that name alive right now. Fortunately, Naruto knew that his current interlocutor was not one of them.
"It is only right to address you so formally," said the man on the other side of the portal. He had a smirk on his lips.
Naruto gave him a half-hearted glare and said: "You know I hate it, Toshiro. You're doing this on purpose."
"I do not have the slightest idea what you mean, Venerable Ancestor," replied Toshiro.
"Whatever," said Naruto back. "Let's get down to business before we forget ourselves."
Toshiro nodded, and his face turned serious. "What do you require of the Clan?"
Naruto answered: "Tell Gokurou to mobilise a full division. Have the two reserve divisions brought up to war readiness. I need two squads of ANBU as well. Supplies and equipment need to be included as well. The researchers should also be made aware that they're gonna have some damn big assignments soon."
The Uzumaki Clan enjoyed a privileged position in the homeworld of the Shinobi. Theirs was the only Shinobi clan to still have access to their own private army of retainers. Naruto as the Clan Head had full authority to mobilise all of its assets. Of course, three divisions was pathetically little when compared to the Shinobi Alliance's total military, but for its purposes, the Uzumaki Clan was well-equipped. The privilege of being able to field an army obviously came with responsibilities as well, which included vanguard duty whenever Naruto's explorations required military intervention.
"Is that everything?" asked Toshiro.
"Everything the Clan can provide on its own," replied the blond man. "I also want you to patch through a requisition order to Konoha and the Expeditionary Force."
"… I am aware that you have some authority as a former Hokage, but it is severely limited," reminded him Toshiro
He acknowledged this: "I know, but I don't order stuff I don't need. I don't want more troops; I want Yamanaka-trained therapists for at least twenty victims of class-8 trauma."
Toshiro's face fell as he heard that. He knew what that meant. He said solemnly: "My deepest sympathies to them."
"They're not rescued yet. That's why I requisitioned the Clan's ANBU," said Naruto.
"Very well," replied Toshiro. "Is there anything else?"
"There is," answered Naruto. "Significant political parties on this world have just this evening signed an official peace treaty that qualifies them for association status. I'll send the details of the treaty so you can pass them on to the Alliance. They should debate fast, by the way. This world's soon gonna encounter a Broken Veil scenario. I'll give them fifty years at best before information control fails."
Naruto's many visits to other worlds had caused the Shinobi Alliance to create formal protocols for many types of encounters. Among these protocols were classifications for worlds and possible sources of trouble. Broken Veil scenarios, for example, could only occur in worlds where demographics with special powers segregated themselves from those without such powers. As the name suggested, Broken Veil scenarios occurred when the means by which such segregation had been established were beginning to grow ineffective. Naruto had classified the world he currently resided in as one heading towards that result.
Normally, that meant that the Shinobi Alliance would not involve itself at all. There was nothing to be gained by such interference, and peace was valued too much to be thrown away at a moment's notice. Exceptions were made, however. The most common way for intervention to be achieved was association status; something which the Shinobi Alliance could grant to political entities which espoused the same ideals as the Alliance. The signatories of the Kuoh Treaty met these qualifications for associate status. They and the treaty still had to be investigated and validated beforehand, of course, but if such a thing were to occur, the Alliance would take action.
Naruto knew that Toshiro was familiar with these protocols, so the reply he received was as expected: "I will pass it on."
"Good. That's all for now. I'll call again in a few days to check if my requisitions are ready by then. Take care, Toshiro," said Naruto.
"You as well, Venerable Ancestor."
Naruto cut the connection and sighed. "This is gonna suck," he said. "The paperwork alone, man…"
[We all know you'll use your Shadow Clones to deal with that. It'll take you a day at most,] pointed out Kurama.
The blond snorted and said: "I wish I'd known that Shadow Clones don't just transfer exhaustion but also rest when I was Hokage. The stress I could've saved myself…"
It would have saved his young family a lot of tension if he had been better-rested. The damage had not been unfixable, but it had been very bothersome for many years.
Hinata smiled sadly at him. "It was a tough time for us all, but I never doubted that you were doing your best at the time."
"Until I hired those secretaries, that wasn't good enough," said Naruto. "I can't believe I used to want that job. Being a teacher is a lot more relaxing."
"I certainly enjoyed it whenever you taught me a new thing," Hinata said with a suggestive look.
That made Naruto snort. "You're welcome."
"Speaking of which, I think I've found two potential candidates," she said.
The former Hokage looked strangely at her. He asked: "Candidate? For what?"
"For the position of your second wife," said Hinata in a far too cheerful voice.
"This again," groaned Naruto. "Why?"
Hinata's face became serious as she answered. "The Shinigami asked me the same thing before I left the Pure World. I told it that it was curiosity."
"Curiosity?" asked Naruto.
"Well, I did enjoy our… little tryst with Hanabi, even if it was incredibly awkward. I wanted to know if I'd like it more if the other woman wasn't my sister," she told him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't buy it. I know you get into it when you're in the mood, but you of all people don't use your lower body to think."
"It is a reason, but you're right that this alone would not have been enough," said Hinata. "That links back to what I told you the last time you asked me. I think you're not attached enough to the living, or even in general. You need to settle down with someone who won't die long before you do."
"But Hinata-"
"No!" she interrupted him. "The only place you even bother to keep up with is home, and even that, you do half-heartedly. If I weren't here, you would have gone to the Pure World again and stayed as long as the Shinigami or I allowed it. That's not good enough. Your students clearly aren't enough to keep you from becoming a detached loner, so you need a lover."
"… That doesn't sound very logical," said Naruto.
He heard Kurama snort. [You are the illogical one here. She's right in that you're getting more detached from the world. If you continue like that, you'll end up like us Bijuu someday; powerful but eventually outclassed, used, and discarded for ages. I don't care how you do it, but you really should get in the flow of society again.]
"But why like that?" asked Naruto. "I love you, Hinata."
"And I love you, Naruto," said the woman, "which is the problem. You love me so much that you're attached to wherever I am. I'm as timeless as you, but the world isn't. What you need is someone you can love who is still involved in the world. That doesn't mean I want you to stop loving me. Just think about it."
Against his better judgement, Naruto reluctantly gave in. "Fine," he said, "I'll think about it. Who are the candidates you talked about?"
Hinata smiled as she answered: "Serafall, for one. I got the impression that she's as fun-loving and mischievous as you are. The other is Gabriel. I think her ideals would resonate most with you. Her spirit is very pure to boot."
Naruto sighed. "We'll have to see. But for now, let's leave it be. I still have a dragon to check up on, and we can't pester Serafall or Gabriel. They're busy too right now."
Their return to Heaven saw Michael, Metatron, and Gabriel encounter a tumult. Heaven appeared to be in a celebratory mood. Giddiness and excitement were in the air. Something big was going on, and the two Seraphs had no clue what it was. Hopefully, they would be able to navigate the crowd well enough to find out within a short timeframe.
Until then, however, they would be stuck in discussing their own matters. The peace conference was the herald of change, and although it would take a general debate among all ten Seraphs, there was plenty to consider among the three of them already. The events of the evening were already conversation fuel for at least one of them already.
"He was amazing! That movement economy, the grace of the retaliatory strikes, the employment of explosive tags, that expertly hidden strength; it was marvellous! Truly, Master Uzumaki is a splendid Ninja. I must study under him," gushed Metatron.
Michael sighed and asked: "Do you not already have a master under whom you do that?"
The other male Seraph deflated a bit. He answered: "He… did not appreciate me being called away. He said a true Ninja had to be dedicated and that if I interrupted my training, it would be aborted altogether."
"… I see. My apologies," said Michael. "I know this meant a lot to you."
"There is no need. My loyalty to Heaven will always be more important than my passion," replied Metatron.
"And we appreciate that, Brother. I am sad you had to sacrifice your apprenticeship, however," said Gabriel.
"Indeed," added Michael, "which is why I will pass on your request to Uzumaki."
"… I would like that. Thank you, Brother," said Metatron.
"There is another peculiar thing about him," mentioned Gabriel. "Neither of you would have noticed since you spent practically no time around him, but… When Uzumaki restored the Red Dragon Emperor's life force, it felt eerily similar to when the Son restored Lazarus' life."
The other two Angels stiffened. It came as a shock to them. "Are you implying that they are the same?"
Gabriel shook her head and answered: "It seemed like that initially, but their signatures are very distinct. The alignment of their powers is almost the same, yet the attributes differ, at least in this instance. Uzumaki's power carried the attribute of restoration; the Son's that of resurrection. There was also no holy energy in what Uzumaki did. That said, their powers have to at least be very similar in concept."
"… That is indeed a thing to ponder. Do you believe he spoke the truth about Heaven and Father, then?" asked Michael.
"I do not know," answered his sister, "But he seemed to believe it, so it may be worth investigating."
Michael nodded in assent and said: "Very well. We shall do that once we have found out what is causing this ruckus."
They did not have to wait long for answers. As they approached the gate to Zebel, they were intercepted by a four-winged Angel who appeared to be severely out of breath. The way he approached them indicated that he had something to tell them.
Out of breath, the Angel said: "Lady Gabriel, Lord Michael, Lord Metatron; you must come, quickly! A miracle has occurred in Third Heaven! Lord Raziel is already there, investigating. He has requested your presence before the Tree of Life."
.
Getting to Third Heaven was easy. A teleportation circle was all it took. Getting to the Tree of Life was somewhat harder. Third Heaven was a near-infinite plain, vastly outstripping Earth in surface. For anyone not having access to either the backdoor in Purgatory or the proper authorisation codes could not teleport there at all. Even with the codes, the teleportation experienced a delay due to the verification process. Since the three Seraphs possessed them, it only took them a few minutes to reach their destination.
That something was up was easy to spot. Thousands of curious souls – literally – had gathered around the Tree of life. A substantial amount of Angels from Fifth Heaven were also there, studying whatever phenomenon was there to observe. As such, it took the relevant parties some time to discover that Michael, Gabriel and Metatron had arrived on the scene.
Fortunately, they were noticed before the waiting could become tedious. The souls and Angels quickly formed a corridor for them to pass through towards the Tree of Life. Their faces showed excitement and happiness, so the Seraphs expected good news. They were not disappointed once they laid their eyes on the cause for these expressions.
There, gathered around the tree, sat five Angels neither of them had ever seen before. One of them had six pairs of wings while the others only had one, yet they all shared one essential similarity: They were young; barely even a day old. Gabriel could tell it from the way their light felt. There was a sense of freshness and lack of use to it. All the signs pointed to a thing that had not happened in the centuries since the Father's death, and it shocked her to the core as much as it filled her with joy. These five Angels had been created on this very day.
"It truly is a miracle," she said.
"That it is," said one of the Angels who was studying the newly created ones.
It was one of the Ten Seraphs. Specifically, it was Raziel, the one Michael had left in charge while he and Gabriel had been at the peace conference.
"It's good that you're here, Brothers, Sister," he continued. "This is a momentous occasion."
"Indeed. It is cause for joy but also for questions," said Michael.
"Let us take a measure of the situation first. We can debate questions later. For now, I wish to meet our new brothers and sisters," said Gabriel.
Raziel nodded and said: "Yes, let us do that. I will say that the way they were created was… extraordinary."
"Were you there to witness it?" asked Michael.
Raziel answered: "I was, yes. One of the guards alerted me as soon as strange things began happening."
That roused the curiosity of the other Seraphs. Gabriel said: "I would like to know what qualifies as 'strange' enough for you to be alerted."
"It was rather peculiar; shocking too," said Raziel. "The tree was glowing and had begun growing five fruits by the time I arrived here."
That was indeed shocking news. Neither the Tree of Life nor the Tree of Knowledge had borne any fruit since the Father's passing. The sudden emergency of not just on but five fruits was a significant occurrence. That there did not seem to be any fruits present at this time was a hint in and by itself as to what had happened with them.
Raziel continued his explanation: "Mere minutes later, the fruits were fully grown, at which point they started changing shape. Before I knew what was happening, these Angels stood before me."
He gestured at the five Angels who had become the subject of study for the staff of Fifth Heaven. Apart from the extraordinary power one of them had, they all seemed to be perfectly normal Angels to Gabriel's senses. She was no expert, however, which was why she gave voice to her questions.
She asked: "How are they? I hope everything is alright with them."
"We're doing fine, sister," said one of them.
She had brown hair and green eyes. Her stature was that of the average woman, just more beautiful and ethereal, as it was with all Angels. On her back was a single pair of wings. She smiled brightly as she spoke.
"That is good to hear. What is your name?" asked Gabriel.
"Father gave me the name Feorin," answered the young Angel.
It was a strange name for those who only had a passing familiarity with Angels. In truth, though, it was not all that extraordinary. The Father had stopped giving His Angels Hebrew names after the Son's birth. There had been a few Greek and Latin ones, and some in Arabic, but the vast majority thereafter had received names devoid of meaning. Gabriel believed it was because He had not wanted to force any sort of fate associated with a name onto the newborn Angels anymore. Feorin's statement regarding that did leave a question, however.
"You say Father named you? Personally?" asked Metatron.
Feorin shook his hand in a so-so gesture and answered: "More like a distant voice I knew to be His. It whispered my name and commanded me to be, and then I was."
Gabriel was content with that answer. It was something unique to their kind. Every Angel heard the command "Be!" upon creation. The voice was their Father's, and she remembered that it had most certainly not been distant in her case, but the Father was dead. That the newly created Angel had even heard the voice at all was a very good sign.
Then Feorin added: "Only Lenna heard something else."
She pointed at the twelve-winged Angel among the newborn ones. She had bright red hair, a tall and slim build, and, apparently, a somewhat bubbly personality. At this moment, she did her very best to hug every single one of her brothers and sisters in reach, catching a few hapless souls in her arms along the way. The scene was somewhat comical, and it definitely set her apart from her more calm and serene siblings.
"What did she hear?" asked Michel.
"I don't know," said Feorin. She turned her head and shouted: "Lenna! Brother Michael wants to know the thing!"
The excitable Angel immediately let go of the latest target of her exuberance, and flew over to Feorin and the Seraphs. She did not slow down, however, but aimed at Michael. Before he knew what was happening, he was "assaulted" by a clingy, red and white missile and subsequently trapped in a hug.
"Big Bro Michael! I've been waiting for you! Big Sis Gabriel is here too; this is getting better and better!" exclaimed Lenna with a big smile.
There was an awkward smile on Michael's face, yet Gabriel could not help but laugh internally. Such joy had been part and parcel in Heaven before Lucifer's rebellion. So few of her fellow Angels still remembered that time, but she did. She recalled the laughter on these hallowed grounds as she and her siblings had played like the children they had been. Even Father had been happy and light-hearted in those times. Gabriel liked seeing the return of that joy in at least one of her youngest sisters.
So, she put on a smile of her own and said: "Feorin said that you heard Father speak to you. We would like to know what he told you."
"I can do that," said Lenna with a happy nod, "but Papa told me to not tell where people other than the Seraphs can hear, preferably before the Throne."
Gabriel exchanged glances with Michael and Metatron. It seemed like this was indeed as big a matter as they all suspected. Neither of them believed that Lenna was lying, as newborn Angels were incapable of it, and older ones had a severe dislike for it. A change of location was probably the best course of action to take.
.
It was unprecedented. These three words expressed a deeper truth than they would suggest for anyone else. No Angel except for the Ten Seraphs had ever been in Seventh Heaven, and even then, they had only seen a small part of it. It was vast, almost as big as Third Heaven, but only the Throne had ever been seen by anyone but God. It came as a huge surprise to the assembled Seraphs, all of whom had been temporarily recalled by Michael, that they were not only summoned before the Throne but that there was also an Angel who did not count among their number.
Michael had already briefed them on the five new Angels. It was why there was no blustering or complaining to be heard. Everyone was curious to hear their Father's words, having been deprived of them for so long. Even if it was only through an intermediary, it was an occasion none of them wished to miss. The location also hinted at a certain measure of importance. So, they listened with rapt attention.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are incredibly curious," said Remiel. "Please relay to us Father's words."
Lenna nodded and said: "Papa told me: 'Little Lenna, tell the Seraphs to gather. The Four Great Seraphs shall sit upon my Throne as Uzumaki instructed in my name. Tell only the Seraphs. Now be!' And then I was in front of the tree."
Stunned silence greeted her. She looked at them with big, curious eyes. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No," said Gabriel, "but it is a big shock to us. Michael, Metatron, and myself have met Uzumaki. He told us things that were…."
"… Fantastical and outlandish?" suggested Michael.
She nodded. "Yes. However, with what you said… We must assume he spoke the truth."
Michael agreed with her: "It seems we must. Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, let us assume our seats and see where Father's will shall guide us."
The Four Great Seraphs thus made their way to the Throne of God. It did indeed have five seats; one for each Great Seraph and for God. Michael had sat upon the Father's seat when they had reactivated Heaven's System, but now he moved to the seat which had originally belonged to him. It was a seat he had never taken because he knew that originally, all seats had only been meant to be occupied during the end of the world. Alas, the plan appeared to have changed, and it was God's will that he sit down on his seat. The others followed suit. They now were where they had been instructed to be.
As soon as they had sat down, a bright light shone from the throne. It proceeded to project a sort of holographic screen in front of them.
"… This is new," muttered Michael.
Words appeared on the screen. They read: [SPIRITUALITY OF ENTITY "ARCHANGEL MICHAEL" TOO LOW FOR SPIRITUAL COMMUNICATION. ADAPTION FOR COMMUNICATION UNDERTAKEN.]
Gabriel saw Michael fail to suppress a wince. Instead of dwelling on it, she asked: "What happens now?"
Words appeared on the screen once more: [ANALYSING EFFICIENCY OF HEAVEN'S SYSTEM. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY AT 14%. ACCESSING LOG:
ERROR: ABSENCE OF PARTIAL ENTITY "FATHER" DETECTED
CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR ENCOUNTERED. ACTIVATING EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN
REBOOTING. REBOOT FAILED.
REBOOTING. REBOOT FAILED.
REBOOTING. DETECTING PRESENCE OF ENTITIES "ARCHANGEL MICHAEL," "GREAT SERAPH URIEL," "GREAT SERAPH GABRIEL," AND "GREAT SERAPH RAPHAEL." REBOOT PROCEEDING.
ERROR: INSUFFICIENT POWER AND COMPATIBILITY DETECTED. ATTEMPTING ACTIVATION OF CONTINGENCY: ASCENSION PROTOCOL.
ERROR: IMPROPER CONFIGURATION. ASCENSION PROTOCOL FAILED TO ACTIVATE.
REBOOT HALTED. ATTEMPTING RESUMPTION.
ERROR: INSUFFICIENT POWER AND COMPATIBLITY.
REBOOT RESUMPTION HALTED. SYSTEM EFFICIENCY AT 11%. ENTITY "ARCHANGEL MICHAEL" RECOGNISED AS MODERATOR PRO TEMPORE.
WARNING: ANGELIC CREATION HALTED.
WARNING: MIRACLE DISTRIBUTION REDUCED TO 2% EFFICIENCY. DISABLING SALVATION.
WARNING: AUTOMATIC EXPULSION SYSTEM REDUCED TO 50% EFFICIENCY.
CONTACT WITH ENTITY "NARUTO UZUMAKI." EFFICIENCY INCREASE DETECTED. HEAVEN SYSTEM OPERATING AT 14% EFFICIENCY.
NOTICE: ANGELIC CREATION RESUMING AT 1% EFFICIENCY.
WARNING: DETECTING SEVERE DEPLETION OF HEAVENLY HOST.
NOTICE: ACTIVATING CONTNGENCY. CONDENSING STORED ENERGY FOR ANGELIC CREATION. RELEASING STORED ENERGY AS NECESSARY.
NOTICE: TWELVE-WINGED ANGEL CREATED. TERMINATION OF CONTINGENCY. RESUMING NORMAL PROCESSES.
WARNING: ANGELIC CREATION OPERATING AT 1% EFFICIENCY
NOTICE: PRESENCE OF ENTITY GROUP "FOUR GREAT SERAPHS" IN PROPER CONFIGURATION DETECTED
END LOG.
RESUME REBOOT?]
Michael looked at his fellow Great Seraphs, waiting for their reactions. They nodded at him. He turned to the screen and said: "Yes."
Words appeared again: [ACKNOWLEDGED. ATTEMPTING REBOOT.
ERROR: INSUFFICIENT POWER AND COMPATIBILITY DETECTED. ATTEMPTING ACTIVIVATION OF CONTINGENCY: ASCENSION PROTOCOL.
SUCCESS. RELEASING ACCUMULATED POWER OF FAITH.]
The light emanating from the Throne of God became blinding. It enveloped the Four Great Seraphs with a brightness rivalling the sun itself. They barely even noticed, their eyes fixed on the screen.
[PROCESSING. RESUMING REBOOT.
NOTICE: ABSENCE OF PARTIAL ENTITY "FATHER" LEADING TO DIVERSION OF REBOOTING PROCESS.
EXCUTING REBOOT UNDER CONTNINGENCY PROTOCOLS.
REBOOT SUCCESSFUL. HEAVEN'S SYSTEM OPERATING AT 85% EFFICIENCY.
NOTICE: ANGELIC CREATION OPERATING AT 60% EFFICIENCY.
NOTICE: MIRACLE DISTRIBUTION OPERATING AT 55% EFFICIENCY. SALVATION RESUMED.
NOTICE: AUTOMATIC EXPULSION SYSTEM OPERATING AT 100% EFFICIENCY. EXPELLING TRAITORS.
REBOOT COMPLETE. ENTITIES "ARCHANGEL GABRIEL," "ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL," AND "ARCHANGEL URIEL" RECOGNISED AS MODERATORS. ENTITY "DEMIGOD MICHAEL" RECOGNISED AS ADMINISTRATOR UNDER PARTIAL RESTRICTION.]
When the light from the Throne faded, the regular Seraphs and Lenna saw the changes in their siblings. Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael now sported twelve golden wings like Michael had had them before. They had become Archangels. Michael too, had changed, but his changes were far more pronounced.
It was as though his very being had changed. There was a slight glow to Michael now. Above his head floated not one halo but seven, arranged in a concentric formation. His wings were still golden, yet they were unmistakably different. They had lost their appearance of flesh, bone, and feather; instead, they appeared as limbs made of golden light.
His new appearance drew stares from everyone in attendance. He himself was curious as well, and also somewhat concerned. Whatever had happened would leave him with a lot of work. He had not missed the message on the screen talking about expelling traitors from Heaven.
He sighed: "I have a feeling we will all be very busy for the foreseeable future."
"You're gonna have a really busy month ahead of you," said Naruto. "So will I, come to think of it, but you'll be stuck training"
Koneko stared blankly at her teacher as he told her of the plans that had been decided for the summer. "Shouldn't you be there then?"
He looked annoyed as he answered: "I want to be, but there's some sort of uproar in the Church going on. I've been hired to deal with it before it turns into some sort of really hypocritical civil war between a bunch of decrepit old sacks of bones and their misguided subordinates. Once the reinforcements from my clan arrive, I can let them deal with it, and then I'll come and take over your training."
"I see. Who will be in charge of my training until then? The gathering during the summer is going to include Rating Games, and I don't want to keep being the weakest member on the team," she said.
"Officially, Azazel. He's gonna be the official ORC consultant," answered Naruto. "Problem is, he falls into the same pitfalls many beings like him fall. Close enough is good enough; light training for strong people, hard training for weak ones. That means your training will be suboptimal. My training order for you is to stick to Pervy Kid and do his routine as well. Plus, there's some other stuff I want you to train as well."
Koneko frowned slightly. She said: "That's disappointing. Senjutsu training will get postponed, then?"
Naruto laughed in reply and told her: "Good one, but no. You'll continue to train Senjutsu. I'll give you one of a nature-expelling sticks. Pervy Kid can use it if you lose control. The other things will come on top of it."
The young Nekoshou was happy to hear that. She was finally starting to get the hang of Senjutsu, and she did not wish to waste her progress through inaction. Additional material was nice as well since she was close to achieving mastery in the Substitution Jutsu, the Transformation Jutsu, and the Body Flicker Jutsu. She had also learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu under her Sensei's guidance, and while she was not close to perfecting it – a matter of years, Naruto had confirmed – there was only so much time one could invest before it was down to experience. She needed new material to learn.
"What have you got for me then?" she asked him.
"Two things, mostly. One needs some preparation, so I can only really help you with that after I have more time to teach you directly. I'm gonna test your elemental affinity for that. The second thing, which you'll be working on during the summer is a Jutsu called Rasengan. But until you lot leave, I'm going to teach you more Taijutsu and chakra control exercises," he answered.
"The entire summer for just one Jutsu? That sounds like a lot. Will it really help me? I want to get stronger at a reasonable pace," said Koneko.
Naruto snorted and said: "Koneko, it's an A-ranked Jutsu. Those things don't come easy. It took my father three years to invent. My mentor, who learned it from him, learned it in three months. I cheated a bit, so I got it down to three weeks, but you are gonna be busy with all you training. Besides, your Taijutsu is going to be more than strong enough; I guarantee it."
"… Your father invented it? Why are you teaching me a family technique?" asked Koneko.
He laughed. "Because you're a daughter of the Uzumaki Clan. Besides, it's more of a student-teacher thing than a family technique. I've taught it to every one of my students who could learn it."
"… You do know that I don't care much about that, right? The clan thing, I mean," she asked.
"Of course I do," he said with a snort. "But I care. Speaking of caring, I got a gift for you."
A small package appeared in a puff of smoke. He handed it to her with a pleased smile.
Koneko looked at it strangely. "What is it?"
"A brand new combat outfit," said Naruto. "Your school uniform looks nice and all, but it's getting a bit tight on you."
Well, he's not wrong, thought Koneko.
It had been two days since the conference and the battle, and school would resume the next day. Koneko had, in that time, become painfully aware that it was hard to hide how much she was growing. Both her height and her… proportions were increasing at an incredible rate. She was fortunate that this would be the last week of school, or it would have become very troublesome.
Naruto continued: "The other problem about that uniform is that you flash people every time you kick, so I made sure to include shorts as well. Unless you're an exhibitionist, I recommend you wear them."
She stared blankly at him before voicing her thoughts: "… Go die in a fire, Sensei."
He cackled at her. "You're adorable when you're angry, Little One."
"Stop calling me that," she glowered.
"Never!" he replied with a grin.
She punched him in the face. He never stopped grinning, even as her fist impacted him. Instead, her hand started hurting. She cursed.
He snickered.
"… Stupid Sensei."
He just laughed.
Koneko sighed. He could be infuriating, but winning an argument against him was too difficult to bother.
"Well then, I gotta go," he suddenly said. "I wanna make some progress with a research project of mine today, and then I need to prepare a few things for that mission for Heaven. I'll see you around, Little One."
She said her goodbyes, and then he was gone in a Body Flicker.
AN: Greetings, dear readers! Welcome back to another chapter.
As you can see, while canon events still continue to progress, Naruto has taken a wrecking ball to it. In time, so will Koneko. In regards to the relationship between Rias, Asia and Issei, she already has. Look out for more.
The plot thickens, and the Uzumaki Clan is on the way. Diodora is in for a bad time.
Heaven, on the other hand, has been handed a boon and a problem. They got an actual leader now, but also quite a few confused and likely violent traitors running around.
For those who are curious how Heaven could make Angels on its own again just with Creation of All Things, here's an explanation:
Naruto used Ninshu on the Holy Ghost and, by extension, Heaven. That means he gave Heaven chakra. The spiritual component is covered, obviously. The physical/organic/living component is covered by three things: The Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge, and [REDACTED]. Plus, in Jewish tradition, the Tree of Life is what produces souls. So, chakra to activate Creation of All Things + stored holy power from which to create bodies + souls = new Angels. The Tree of Life is also how the Father can communicate with still-forming souls since it's intrinsically connected to his being.
As for the Ascension Protocol: Gods can be revived through Faith in the DxD verse, if my memory serves. Somehow, that's not happening to the one god who has access to the most faith. Why? Well, my personal explanation for this story is that the seals on Trihexa prevent the revival process, yet energy is still gathered. Big G, having access to foresight and a galaxy brain, decided to set up a contingency that uses the collected faith to empower Michael so Heaven can run without him around.
Now then, if you have further questions or wish to point out consistency errors and the like, please feel free to contact me or leave a review.
At this point, I wish to once more express my thanks to all my readers, particularly to those who have followed, favourited and reviewed. I'm proud to say that as of this point, there are a thousand followers and over seven-hundred of you who have favourited this story. Thank you very much for your continued support.
That is all for today. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!