Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DXD if I did this story would not be here

Chapter 3: Whispers and Shadows

A few months had passed, and Naruto's bakery had become a local sensation. It seemed like the entire town was talking about his delicious pastries and cakes. Sasuke had decided to lend a hand during the day, though he still went bounty hunting at night. They had settled in the small town, tired of the flashy hotel lifestyle and finding peace in the simple bakery routine.

"Who would've thought this shop would get so popular?" Sasuke mumbled to himself as he cleaned some dishes, Naruto doing the same at the counter.

"Umm, I did," Naruto replied with a grin. "You can never underestimate my baking skills! So what if my stuff doesn't have ninja jutsu? These sweets are the real deal."

"Hn. I still think you should've stayed in a normal job," Sasuke muttered.

"Not my style," Naruto shot back, opening the door as another customer entered.

"Naruto! Hi!" Irina ran into the shop, dragging a reluctant Xenovia with her.

"Hi, Irina! How are you? And who's your friend?" Naruto greeted, turning to her.

"I'm well! And this is the friend I told you about, Xenovia," Irina replied with a bright smile.

Naruto smiled, extending his hand to Xenovia. "Nice to meet you."

Xenovia nodded, looking around the bakery with curiosity. "Nice to meet you, too."

"You finally convinced her to come get a bite here, Irina?" Naruto asked, watching as Xenovia took a hesitant step closer.

"You bet I did! It took her long enough, but once she tastes your cakes, she'll be hooked, I tell you!" Irina beamed, pulling Xenovia further into the shop.

"Well, come on in! You're the first to come in today," Naruto said with a smile as he led them to a table. "Hi, Sasuke!" he called as Sasuke emerged from the back, nodding in their direction.

"Hn."

"Still so cold," Irina whispered to Naruto.

"He drives people away sometimes," Naruto shrugged. "Lighten up, Sasuke!"

"Shut up," Sasuke replied, his tone as curt as ever.

"Haha, have a seat, girls! What will it be?" Naruto asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Pastry and coffee for the both of us," Irina replied, motioning for Xenovia to sit.

Naruto nodded and jotted down their order. "I'll be with you in a bit." He gave them a quick smile and then disappeared into the back.

"Naruto—" Irina started, leaning in towards him once he returned.

"Yes, yes, I know what you're going to say," Naruto interrupted, his voice low. "They're from the church, so they can't be trusted, yadda yadda."

Sasuke sighed, clearly unconvinced. "So why are you so lax?"

"I understand your concern, Sasuke, but I've already told you," Naruto said, dropping his voice even lower. "Irina doesn't have any bad intentions, and neither does her friend."

"Fine," Sasuke muttered. "But I still want to get out of this town."

"And go where?" Naruto asked, pouring two cups of coffee.

Sasuke merely shrugged. "Anywhere that isn't here."

Naruto sighed and handed Sasuke a cup before placing the other one on the table for Irina and Xenovia. "Here you are, ladies. I already had these brewing. Hope you enjoy."

"Hey, Naruto, Xenovia was wondering why you're always so cheerful. Can you pleeeaaassseee tell her?" Irina leaned forward eagerly, breaking the momentary silence that had settled over the table.

"Irina!" Xenovia blushed, looking mortified. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Oh, I don't mind! I guess I've always been like this," Naruto laughed. "I've had a pretty good life, all things considered. But hey, enough about me. How's the food?"

Xenovia smiled. "It's really good! Maybe I'll come back more often."

"That's the spirit!" Naruto replied, grinning as he cleared away the empty dishes. "I can make any of these your new favorite dessert if you want!"

"Thanks, Naruto," Xenovia said with a smile. "I think I will."

"See, Xenovia?" Irina said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I'm telling you, Lady Gabriel will enjoy this when she gets here."

CRASH!

Naruto flinched at the sudden loud noise from the back, and Irina stood up, her face worried. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

"I'm fine! Sit down, I'll be there in a bit," he called back, glancing over his shoulder. He found Sasuke staring at him with a mix of concern and frustration.

"Did she just say what I think she did?" Naruto asked, lowering his voice.

"You mean that a fucking Angel is going to find us?" Sasuke hissed under his breath.

"It doesn't have to be an Angel," Naruto said quickly, glancing nervously at the door. "It could be someone named Gabriel, you know?"

"Ask them," Sasuke replied tersely, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the door.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Hey, Irina… Who's Gabriel?"

"Oh! Well, she's kind of our superior," Irina replied, glancing between Naruto and Sasuke with a knowing look.

"Haha, okay." Naruto laughed nervously as he made his way to the back.

"We have to get out of here," Sasuke whispered to him.

"Aren't church people nice? I'm sure an Angel is even nicer."

"I don't know if they're nice. It's always some lackey that tells me what my job is whenever the church contracts me."

"How did you even manage to have them contract you? I thought you said we shouldn't use our powers so easily."

"I didn't use them. I just brought them the heads of some stray exorcists and demanded they pay me."

"So, when is your boss getting here?" Naruto asked the girls as he gave Xenovia her second serving.

"Not sure. Lady Gabriel was running some errands in the Vatican but she said she'll be here soon."

"Haha, okay." Naruto laughed nervously as he made his way to the back.

--

With Irina and Xenovia...

"So, when did you meet these guys?" Xenovia asked, eating her cake at a slower pace.

"When they first opened. I was one of their first customers!" Irina puffed out her chest proudly. "They're super nice! Well, Naruto is. Sasuke's usual responses consist of grunts and sighs of exasperation."

"They seem like really good friends even though they're both the reason they're missing an arm." Xenovia looked at the two bickering boys, "Are they always fighting?"

"Oh, yeah. They find the smallest thing and argue about it." Irina giggled, "Naruto says it's because they think differently but Sasuke just says it's because Naruto's an idiot." She sighed and looked back at the two guys with a smile.

Xenovia stopped mid-slurp and blinked, "Irina... Don't tell me..."

"Huh?"

"You like both of them?"

Irina blushed, "What? No, no, no!" She waved her hands profusely in denial but then slumped her head, "Yeah."

"I thought you said you liked some boy from Kuoh?" Xenovia asked as she resumed eating.

"Yeah, but I haven't seen him in so long and Naruto and Sasuke are so great in their own ways." Irina slammed her head on the table, "And I just can't decide!"

"Xenovia? Irina? Oh, I do hope this is the place."

"In here, Lady Gabriel!" Irina waved enthusiastically.

Naruto and Sasuke froze as soon as they saw the woman.

They both had to admit she was extremely beautiful. They could safely say she was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen.

She was a tall blonde woman with white robes that did nothing but accent her curves.

"I told you she was big-breasted."

"Those things are almost as big as Tsunade's... It's weird." Sasuke shuddered.

"Now that I look at Irina's and Xenovia's, I can tell that they're as big as Ino and almost the same size as Hinata." Naruto noted.

"What the hell is up with these women and their big chests? There's no way there're more of them like that... Right?"

Naruto shrugged, "Who knows? Anyway, I'll go say hi."

"Oh, I'm just so happy you could join us, Lady Gabriel!" Irina squealed.

"Do forgive us for taking up your time," Xenovia apologized.

"You don't have to apologize. It makes me happy being able to spend time with everyone!"

"Hello, I'm Naruto. What can I get for you?" He asked with a smile.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Lady Gabriel?" Irina poked her.

"Oh! Sorry! I, um, haven't had pastry in a long time, so I'll just have what they have."

Naruto smiled warmly as he walked to the back to prepare Gabriel's order, still processing the calm and gentle aura she carried. Her polite and humble nature made it easy to feel at ease around her. Despite the quiet, there was a certain warmth about her that was hard to ignore.

Sasuke, still at the counter, glanced at the group but remained silent. His eyes lingered on Gabriel for just a moment before he turned away, not wanting to make any assumptions, though something told him there was more to her than met the eye.

Back in the kitchen, Naruto quickly set to work preparing a fresh batch of pastries. He couldn't help but be curious about Gabriel and her companions, but he was also glad to be in his element—baking, a simple and comfortable task.

After a few moments, Naruto brought out a fresh tray of pastries and placed them in front of Gabriel. "Here you go, Lady Gabriel. I hope you enjoy these."

Gabriel's soft smile lit up the room as she looked at the pastries. "Thank you, Naruto. They smell delightful."

"I'm glad you think so!" Naruto said with a grin. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Gabriel paused for a moment, her golden eyes sparkling with genuine kindness. "Everything looks perfect, Naruto. I must say, it's been so long since I've had something so simple, yet so comforting. It's very refreshing."

Naruto chuckled, pleased by her words. "I'm glad you like them. We pride ourselves on making everything from the heart."

Sasuke, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke up, his voice neutral but still carrying a hint of curiosity. "It's not every day we get a visitor like you. What brings you here, Gabriel?"

Gabriel's gentle gaze shifted to Sasuke, her smile unwavering. "I'm just passing through. I've heard good things about your bakery, and I thought I'd see for myself."

Irina, always eager to keep the mood light, leaned in with a bright smile. "Lady Gabriel, you should try the honey cinnamon rolls next! They're Naruto's secret specialty!"

Xenovia, who had been quiet until now, added with enthusiasm, "And the chocolate éclairs are amazing too. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything here."

Naruto laughed, feeling the lightheartedness return to the room. "I'll make sure to get those for you next time, but I have a feeling you'll be back soon enough."

Gabriel nodded with a smile that reached her eyes. "I'm sure I will."

The group spent a little more time chatting casually. Sasuke, who had been silent for most of the time, finally asked, "So, Gabriel, do you plan on staying long?"

Gabriel's smile softened, but her eyes held a hint of thoughtfulness. "I don't have any particular plans, but I do find this place... peaceful. So I may stay for a while."

Naruto, sensing the sincerity in her voice, nodded. "Well, you're always welcome here, Gabriel."

As they finished their pastries and made to leave, Irina smiled and said, "Thank you for the warm hospitality, Naruto and Sasuke! We'll be sure to visit again."

Gabriel, with her ever-polite demeanor, gave them both a nod. "Thank you for the lovely treats. I'll be back soon."

As they left, Naruto turned to Sasuke, his mind still wandering. "Do you think we'll see her again?"

Sasuke shrugged, his expression calm. "I'm sure we will. People like her tend to leave an impression."

Naruto smiled, feeling more at ease than before. "Just another day at the bakery, huh?"

But Sasuke's gaze lingered on the door for a moment longer. Despite Gabriel's kind and innocent nature, he knew things were never quite as simple as they appeared.

--