Chapter 6: Diplomacy and Self-Discovery

Naruto was bemused as he watched his student and her friends. Kiba – and did that name not bring up memories – had thankfully survived his punishment, including its indignity.

"If you feel embarrassed, I gotta tell you about the first guy named Kiba I ever met. In our first officiated match, he lost because I accidentally farted in his face while he was trying to attack me from behind. Getting disciplined by your superior officer isn't as humiliating as that. Keep that in mind," he had told the boy.

Afterwards, he had gone back to Pahaliah and Baldwin, who had begun talking with Sona about the – ugh – formalities that were about to ensue. Thankfully, those three were lost in their own world, and Naruto had the time to watch.

It was a sight to behold. Xenovia seemed to have left in a daze, but the others made up for her absence in spades. Issei was hilarious. The way he cried about losing out on his reward was highly amusing. Akeno, a young woman Naruto had not actually met before, seemed to think so as well. She was laughing about it, at least. Rias looked exasperated and relieved, as did Koneko. And Asia…

"Lord Pahaliah?" she asked.

Her coming had gone almost unnoticed. If she was this sneaky all the time, her ability to survive future combat scenarios was definitely higher than would seem obvious.

The Angel looked at her and asked back: "What is it, child?"

Asia looked down before asking: "Is it true? Is… is God really dead?"

Pahaliah hummed and then said: "For a given value of the word, yes."

The girl began to cry. She was taking the news very hard. Naruto himself had disliked the revelation. He would have loved to ask the father of the Angels about his sealing methods. He was not a follower, however, and could deal more easily with the information than Asia. She seemed inconsolable.

"Do not view this as a bad thing," said Pahaliah. "Indeed, it is better to view it as the thing it was: a second grand sacrifice."

"… A second?" asked Asia, tears trailing down her cheeks.

The serious expression on the Angel shifted into a softer one. "Tell me," he said, "what is the Holy Trinity made of?"

Asia answered immediately: "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

"Correct. Now think about it. Did you cry that the Son died?" asked Pahaliah.

She looked at him, startled. Her wide eyes bored into him as she replied: "No. Jesus died for our sins. I… I was taught that I shouldn't be sad about it. I am though. He should not have died like he did."

"… Your kindness is a credit to you," said the Angel. "But you are right. The Son died to absolve humanity of its sins. The Father has renewed this sacrifice. I firmly believe that he died to absolve the sins of all beings."

"That's not exactly the standard in the Church or in Heaven, is it?" asked Naruto.

"No," said Asia. Her look of puzzlement still rested on Pahaliah. "What makes you say that?"

He smirked. "On my last stroll through Third Heaven a few decades ago, I saw a handful of souls that were definitely not human."

"So… even I…" began Asia.

"Yes. Recall the tale of the Good Samaritan. What you are, where you come from, and what you believe don't matter. Good people can be found anywhere. I am most certain that you will one day, in the far future, find your rest in Heaven," said Pahaliah. "God's love has become harder to reach since the Father's passing, even for us Angels, but the Holy Ghost is still there, and it can be reached. Do not lose faith."

A broad smile appeared on Asia's face then. There were still tears in her eyes, but she looked happier than before. "Thank you, Lord Pahaliah."

"It was no problem, my child. Now rejoin your friends. They seem to be missing your presence. We have things left to discuss as well. Farewell," said the Angel.

Asia nodded enthusiastically. "Goodbye!" she said, and ran off to her Peerage.

"That was nice of you," said Naruto.

"I said nothing I did not believe," retorted the Angel.

"I didn't say you were lying, Pigeon. It's just that you're usually far grumpier," replied the blond.

Pahaliah snorted and said: "That is because I usually have to deal with sanctimonious clerics who think their shit does not stink but instead speaks the wisdom of Father Himself into everyone's noses. Seeing someone with genuine belief and the kind, innocent heart to go along with it is a welcome change."

"I agree, but we should get back on track. It won't be long before Satan Lucifer arrives, and we have now rudely ignored Miss Sitri for quite some time," pointed out Baldwin.

Sona inclined her head.

"Thank you for the consideration," she said. "As you will likely have guessed, your presence here complicates matters. Lord Lucifer will not expect to see a high-ranking Angel and a High Inquisitor in his sister's territory. I will attempt to send word, but it is unclear whether he will receive the message in time. What is clear is that he will come in any case. Rias is very important to him, and he will wish to ascertain her status."

"We're not here to threaten her in any way. That would run counter to our mission and our personal ideals," said Baldwin.

"Of that I am convinced," admitted Sona, "but Lord Lucifer will not know for sure. Be on your best behaviour."

Pahaliah gave Naruto a look of despair, and said: "We're lost with you here."

"I'll have you know that I have a winning personality, believe it!" retorted the man in question. "If anything, my charisma will blow his socks off."

"Naruto, your charisma works at its best in a fight. You're not diplomat material," pointed out Baldwin.

"Then he and I are gonna have a little tussle. No big deal," said Naruto.

"It is a big deal!" protested Sona. "Fighting Lord Lucifer? Are you insane?"

Naruto just sighed. "Fine. Ruin my fun. I bet he'd love to spar a bit, but if you're this upset about it, I'll leave it be."

"Your spars tend to devastate entire stretches of land. Consider where you are," said Pahaliah.

"I got it, I got it!" replied Naruto while rolling his eyes.

Sona pinched the upper part of her nose and sighed. "Thank you for not fighting while you establish diplomatic contact."

"Is there anything else we should know?" asked Baldwin.

Sona shook her head and answered: "I cannot say. Let me do the introductions to facilitate a smooth beginning of your talks. I will leave you to it afterward. There is an injured ally to tend to in my home."

.

Only a few minutes later, a magic circle appeared on the ground. According to Sona, it was Satan Lucifer's personal symbol.

"Time to face the music," muttered Naruto.

Several people emerged from the glowing magic circle. Considering that it was not an army, Sona's message had likely gone through. But it also meant that these people were likely the heavy hitters of the Lucifer's retainers. Such preparations had to be made in case of false information. It was easier for powerful elites to escape a potential ambush, after all. Fortunately, none appeared to be hostile.

Most prominent among them were a beautiful white-haired woman in a modest but equally beautiful maid outfit, and a man with very distinct crimson hair wearing what appeared to be decorated armour. Both of them looked exceedingly serious. Their eyes were analytical in their sweep across the recently silenced field of battle. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that they had good combat instincts.

The focus of their sharp eyes shifted, however, when they were greeted by Sona: "Lord Lucifer, I am happy that you have come so quickly. Did you receive my latest message?"

"I did, Sona. Thank you for sending word about… our surprise guests," answered the red-haired man.

She responded: "It was my pleasure. Shall I make the introductions?"

"Please do," replied Sirzechs.

"The man to my left is Baldwin, Patriarch of the Coptic Church and High Inquisitor. Next to him are Pahaliah, a high-ranking Angel of some renown as I understand, and Naruto Uzumaki, a mercenary."

"And Koneko's teacher in matters of chakra and Senjutsu," added the blond man.

Sirzechs nodded at this, and said: "Pleased to meet you. As you know, I am Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the current Four Great Satans. This woman here is my wife and [Queen], Grayfia Lucifuge."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," she said.

Sirzechs resumed: "Sona, you may leave now that introductions are over. Get some rest. The reports can wait until tomorrow."

Sona bowed. "I shall take my leave, then," she said.

As she departed, the red-haired Devil looked back to the three men he was talking with. He spoke: "I would like an explanation as to why you are in my sister's territory. You were not given permission to do so, and your presence could have easily sparked another incident."

"Preventing another incident or war is precisely why we are here," said Baldwin. "Considering that the Vatican has dispatched only two exorcists against a being of Kokabiel's level, and in 'hostile' territory at that, suspicions of corruption and treason were brought before us. After we had reported the situation to Lord Uriel, the High Overseer of the Inquisition, Pahaliah and I were ordered to observe the situation and intervene, if necessary, in order to secure the exorcists for questioning and possible witness testimony. We did intervene when it became clear that the local forces could not secure victory against Kokabiel. If he had killed the exorcists and the little sisters of two Great Satans, war would have ensued. That we had no permission to be here was secondary to our standing orders to avoid triggering a war at all costs."

Sirzechs took in that information before he replied: "I don't like it, but I will accept this answer for now. That does not explain you, however, Mister Uzumaki."

Naruto scratched his cheek, and then said: "I already told you that I was Koneko's teacher, didn't I? Besides, I'm a resident of Kuoh. I live here."

"I find that a bit suspicious. Sona mentioned that you were a mercenary. Claiming that your presence and involvement here are a coincidence is a bit much," said Sirzechs.

The blond man raised an eyebrow, then laughed. He said: "I never said anything about a coincidence. I specifically settled down in Kuoh because I sensed little Koneko's chakra and got curious. And yes, I am a mercenary, a Shinobi to be exact. That said, aren't you Devils mercenaries as well? You do contracts with your clients, which often involve gathering information or fighting or fetching an item of interest."

Sirzechs hummed. "Very well, but what was your motivation for intervening in this battle?"

Naruto answered: "Koneko's my student. Like Hell am I gonna let some two-bit maniac kill her or her friends. I also have my ramen shop here, so I couldn't let the town get wrecked. Plus, I like peace. Letting a war start in my backyard isn't on my list of plans, believe it!"

"Hm… So you like peace despite being a mercenary?" asked the red-haired Devil.

Naruto shrugged. "There's still plenty of work to be done during peace time. It's just different work."

"We are also interested in preserving the peace," commented Pahaliah. "We of the Church and Heaven can attest that Mister Uzumaki is very adept in performing peacetime missions."

A small smirk appeared on the Satan's face. "Well, I consider peace a priority as well. Let us speak further of this…"

Later that night, Naruto was on his way home. To be honest, it was not a true home. No place could ever be that without Hinata. That said, there were places he felt comfortable at. One such place was the flat above the ramen shop he sponsored (and technically owned through a complicated series of fabricated legal entities). It was cozy, accommodating, and secure. It even looked a bit like his childhood home. It was also in a good part of town. That led to him often walking sedately instead of speeding his way back to his domicile, so he could enjoy the sights.

It also conveniently left him with time to think the events of the evening over. There had been a few close calls, such as with Irina, but he had been able to keep his abilities hidden for the most part; revealing his power usually came with a massive hassle. He had also had to observe Koneko's progress. She was already significantly stronger than before her training had begun. Still, there was a lot of room for improvement, and he would soon start guiding her towards it. Her friends were also decent, even if most of them had horrible technique and power economy, the latter of which he was intimately familiar with from his own experience in his youth. They had not been up to the challenge Kokabiel had posed. Fortunately, Pahaliah, Baldwin and he himself had been; he had even gotten a large amount of holy power to experiment with. Satan Lucifer's arrival after Kokabiel's defeat had also led to some interesting results.

"I wonder what he's cooking up," he muttered.

He discarded that thought as he came near his shop. It was late at night, and he wanted to catch some sleep in a bit, not think of diplomacy. He did want to tinker a bit, however.

He had not been lying when he had told Koneko's friends that he was interested in the sealing work of the Biblical God. The deity had been an absolute genius, and analysing the data he had gotten from Issei's Sacred Gear was a pleasure Naruto did not want to delay any further. He also wanted to see how the holy energy he had taken from Kokabiel would interact with the seal matrices he had managed to copy. He would not get far this night, but he would enjoy the work anyway.

"It's a shame I got started so late in life," he said to himself as he entered the building.

Naruto had discovered his passion and talent for sealing only after his fiftieth year had gone by. All his life, he had won fights with Shadow Clones and Rasengans, even against opponents like Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki. He had had the inborn massive chakra reserves and great potential by being Ashura Otstsuki's transmigrant, but he had had no talent. Nothing but the Shadow Clones had ever come easy to him, and even being a transmigrant did not guarantee power or fame. There was a reason why the only two transmigrants before him and Sasuke of any sort of renown had been Madara and Hashirama. And so, he had assumed to be talentless. The thing that had changed that had been a birthday gift from Hinata. She had given him a primer on Fuinjutsu along with an anecdote of the old Uzumaki Clan's specialty. He had then tried it on a whim, and soon, tinkering with seals had become his biggest passion after Hinata.

He had advanced remarkably fast through the subject. By the time he had been seventy-five, he had become one of the foremost seal masters in the world. Further progress had taken the backseat after Hinata's passing, but after he had achieved his goal of transcending death, he had resumed his studies. He had soon surpassed all current and previous masters of the art, and he had used his long life not only acquiring more Jutsus but also gaining an unparalleled understanding of Fuinjutsu.

And it all still paled in comparison to what the Biblical God had done. The intricacies of the seals, their numbers, their specificity… Even the small part Naruto had so far managed to copy from Issei's Sacred Gears was hard to decipher. The seals entranced the Shinobi. He wanted to learn more about them, truly comprehend them, and add them to his own arsenal.

As Naruto entered his sealed-off and secure study room, he hummed to himself and smiled. He hoped to at least decipher one of the seals he had made progress on the previous night, and then he would go to bed. He did not want to stay up too late. Plenty of restful sleep was important, after all.

Despite her exhaustion and the phantom pain from her recently healed injuries, Koneko's sleep was not restful at all. She was plagued by dreams. They were not unpleasant. In fact, the opposite was the case. That meant, however, that they were very distracting. She tossed and turned in bed as she experienced another one.

It was one like the previous two she had had this night. It was based on something she had seen. A few times now, she had stumbled on Rias or Akeno draining the dragon aura from Issei's arm so it would retain its human shape. Only, like it had been in the previous dreams, the event was not like she remembered.

She saw Rias on her knees, naked as the day she was born. Her head was moving up and down, and the thing she was sucking on was definitely not a finger. Rias' outline blurred, and suddenly, it was Akeno who did these movements. She was more intense, faster, more seductive. The display was lewd, dirty, and loud.

The dream blurred and shifted. The perspective had changed, but the scene had stayed the same, with some exceptions. This time, Rias and Akeno were there together, but so was another person. Right in between them, just as naked as they were, was Koneko herself. Her mouth hung open as she stared at Issei's crotch. He, Rias, and Akeno put their hands on the back of her head, and-

Koneko woke up with a shuddering gasp. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She was bathed in sweat, and she was shaking.

"What the fuck was that?!" she swore, something she did very rarely, and never this explicitly.

It unsettled her deeply. She had never had dreams like that before; she wasn't a pervert, damn it! Something was messing with her head and depriving her of her sleep. Was something or someone manipulating her thoughts? A deep fear took a hold of her as she considered that.

"It can't be…," she whispered, trying to convince herself.

She tried to reason logically what was happening. Those dreams were not normal, so the source of the problem had to come from recent changes. There was the battle to consider, but then she recalled that odd thoughts had made their way into her head before that. Was it the presence of the exorcists? Unlikely. The only other recent change she could think of was her training.

A look of revelation came on her face. "That must be it," she said.

She scrambled to climb out of her bed, and made a beeline towards her phone. She punched in her teacher's number and pressed call. She waited impatiently for a few seconds, nervously tapping her foot until she heard his voice.

"Little One? I didn't expect a call from you at this hour," he greeted jovially.

Koneko was too tired and irritated to argue and instead simply said what she wanted to say: "Sensei, something's wrong with me. I think it's because of our training."

His voice turned serious as he responded: "Is it serious? Do I need to come over?"

"… I don't know if it's serious, but you should come. I shouldn't talk about this over the phone," she answered.

"I'll be there in a moment," he said.

The line was cut, then. Koneko stared at her phone for a second before she set it down. She sighed and went back to her bed, sitting down on it as she waited. She wondered how long it would take.

Just as she had that thought, she was startled by a knocking sound on her bedroom window. Her head snapped into its direction. There, right outside the window, crouched Naruto. His feet were affixed to the side of the building with chakra. His speed in getting there must have been remarkable.

"… How did you get here so fast?" she asked.

He answered: "When my student needs my help, I hurry. So, what's the problem?"

Koneko hesitated a bit. It was embarrassing, which was why she had not wanted to discuss this over the phone. It was still incredibly awkward, however. Still, she eventually spoke.

"I think our training is influencing my mind. I've been having thoughts I didn't have before… and… dreams."

Naruto frowned as he heard that. "What sort of thoughts or dreams?"

"… I'd rather not say," answered Koneko.

"Koneko, if you think something is messing with your head, I need to know what it is so I can fix it," he told her with a serious voice.

The Nekoshou was still hesitant to answer for a bit, but eventually, she said: "Recently, I… have been thinking about things… lewd things. And dreams like that too, just tonight."

Naruto blinked at her. "That's completely normal," he said.

"It is not!" protested Koneko. "I've never had thoughts like that before I started training under you! Especially not about-"

She stopped herself before she could say too much. If she had told him about the subject of her thoughts and dreams, she would have died of shame.

Her teacher simply laughed, however. It was of a cheerful sort, and he seemed to enjoy her distress a great deal.

"This isn't funny!" she said.

He sobered almost instantly at her tone. He looked her in the eyes, and said: "Listen, the reason for this is… it's not trivial, but it's not a problem anymore either. Do you remember what I told you when we started Senjutsu training?"

"What part of it?" asked Koneko warily.

He answered: "I told you that without Senjutsu, your body would not develop as it should. Now that natural energy is flowing through you, your body's gonna catch up. The fact that you've had your first wet dream at sixteen is telling. Usually, people start having those much earlier. Heck, I've had my first one at eleven!"

"I'm a Nekoshou, not a human like you," said Koneko.

"And I've extensively researched Nekoshou. Your physical development for the first twenty or so years is almost identical to humans'," countered Naruto. "Your body's now trying to make up for the years it missed, Koneko. And one of the important things that starts around the teens is puberty. You're gonna have to bear it. It's gonna suck too, since your body's pushing to squeeze the whole thing into a shorter period. Expect to have a lot of dreams in the future."

Koneko had heard "horror stories" of going through puberty from older students and from a few adults. If what Naruto was saying was right, it would be even worse for her.

"Is that really true?" she asked.

He nodded and answered: "Yeah. The longer you prevent natural energy from entering your body the worse it gets. I reckon if we had waited only a few months longer, it would've gotten to the point where your body would have crammed everything in at once and triggered a premature mating season. That's only supposed to happen in adult Nekoshou, and then only every few years. And if we had waited a year, your body would've remained like this forever."

The blood drained from Koneko's face. A mating season before the body was mature was bad business; that much she knew. During that time, a Nekoshou was almost guaranteed to conceive, and also likely to seek out the nearest potential mate in a thoughtless drive to fornicate. With a body like her, that would result in catastrophe. Dealing with a supercharged puberty was preferrable to that. Koneko also did not fancy being stuck in her current form. She had no desire to be stuck in a child's body for her whole life. That she had even been at risk of that happening had come as a nasty surprise. It vexed her that she knew so little about her own kind that she did not even know the dangers her heritage posed.

"I need to learn more about myself," she said. "Sensei, can you show me what you have on Nekoshou? I only know a few things I've been told by my tutors and… someone else when I was little."

"You're still little," teased Naruto. "But sure. This is stuff you should know. I'll have copies ready when we have our next training session."

"I'm not little," said Koneko tiredly. "Though, speaking of training, there's something I'm curious about."

"Does it have to do with the subject?" asked Naruto.

She shook her head and answered: "No."

That was not entirely true. Her question had a connection to the main subject of her overactive imagination.

"Okay. Shoot anyway," said her teacher.

Koneko then asked: "What did you tell Ise when you trained with him alone? He's been a bit more… restrained is the wrong word. He's still as much of a pervert as ever, but he's more focussed in his attentions."

Naruto seemed to not have expected that question, and he asked back: "What brought this on?"

"You're here, I can't sleep, and I'm curious," said Koneko.

"Well, alright then," said Naruto with a laugh. "I'll tell you."

-
Flashback

Issei avoided the punch aimed at his shoulder with a backstep. He raised his own fist to attack and already took on the appropriate stance when a cloud of smoke distracted him.

Out of it stepped a busty brunette with a seductive smile and an enticing gait. His eyes were stuck to her. This led to the predictable result.

"Ow!" yelped Issei as Naruto's fist crashed into his ribs.

Standing over the now sprawled-out boy, the older man shook his head and said: "Stay focussed!"

"I can't help it, okay?! I love boobs!" proclaimed Issei.

Naruto sighed. "And I love ramen. Doesn't mean I'm gonna lose my shit every time I see a cup of crappy store-grade instant ramen."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Issei.

"You gotta differentiate," answered the blond. "According to my student, you got a lofty goal. Harem king or something like that. Listen, I don't get why you want that, but I got some advice for you. Just because you're going for several women doesn't mean you should go after every woman. You can't afford to."

The boy pointed an accusing finger at him and said: "Hey! I want a big harem with lots of women in it. I need to cast my net wide."

"Not the point, Pervy Kid," replied Naruto. "How is any girl you get together with gonna think you appreciate her if you stare at her like you stare at every other girl? She'll think she's just interchangeable to you."

That seemed to get Issei to think. He frowned pensively. He admitted: "You have a point. But what does that have to do with fighting?"

Naruto sighed again. "You're as dense as I was when I was kid," he complained. "What I'm saying is that you shouldn't get overly distracted by the body of a random girl who flashes you. It's hard not to stare, I know, but you still gotta pay attention."

"That's easier said than done," said Issei with a sigh.

"And that's why I'm beating the lesson into your head and trying to motivate you," retorted Naruto. "Differentiate and stop getting distracted."

"How?" asked Issei.

The Shinobi thought a bit about how to get the boy to understand what he was trying to say. It was surprisingly difficult to do so. He had never taught anyone like Issei, at least no one with his ambitions. The task required some mental gymnastics on Naruto's part. Fortunately, he eventually found an avenue of approach.

"Let me ask you a few questions first," he said. "Do you like Red?"

"Do you mean the President? Of course!" said Issei instantly.

Naruto nodded and continued: "Do you like her more than normal? Is she special to you?"

"Yes! The President is the best!" answered Issei yet again.

"So, we've established that you go after girls who are special to you, yes?" asked Naruto.

Issei nodded.

Naruto flicked his forehead in response. He said: "Then start looking for special girls, not any girl. Now stop getting distracted by random ones."

After saying that, he used the Sexy Jutsu and socked Issei in the jaw.

-
End of Flashback

"He talked about it again when we were close to wrapping up. That's when I told him about not taking shortcuts to his goals, like there weren't for mine," concluded Naruto.

Koneko snarked: "… I didn't know you possessed such 'wisdom.'"

He snorted and retorted: "I mostly paraphrased my godfather's book Makeout Tactics: Enlightened Perversity. At least some good came out of being forced to proofread that thing."

"… This is surreal. Figures that the pervert would respond to that sort of thing," said Koneko.

"I'm kinda glad it went how it did. He's a good kid once you dig deep enough, but he's an idiot. Once you get him to think, though, he gets where he needs to," countered Naruto.

Koneko stared at him and said: "Getting him to think is the hard part. Hopefully, he'll tone down his perverted antics because of what you said."

Naruto snorted. "Either that, or he'll dial them up for Red. He's got it bad for her from what I've seen."

"… Please no. Why can't he just tell her he loves her like a normal person?" lamented Koneko.

Her teacher laughed, and said: "Some people are just dense. I know I was. It took me years before I got together with my wife. She'd loved me for such a long time, and I was too stupid to see it like I should have. So, give them time."

"I'll believe it when I see it," replied the young Nekoshou.

Naruto laughed. "That you will. You feeling better now?"

Koneko blinked at the question, then contemplated it. She was not stressed anymore. Her heart rate had gone back to normal, and she was calm. She was even a bit amused.

"Yes," she said with a nod.

He smiled at her. "Good. If you don't need me for anything else, I'm gonna go home and hit the hay."

Koneko shook her head again and said: "No. That's all. Thank you for coming."

He then moved to the window again and stepped out of it, sticking to the wall. He grinned at her and said: "Sleep well."

"You too. Goodbye," she replied.

The grin widened, and he added: "Sweet dreams. And prepare for some growing pains."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Her eyes only caught the remnants of a cloud of smoke. Naruto had disappeared with a Body Flicker.

What had he meant with growing pains?

A few days later, Koneko concluded that Naruto had not been kidding about the pain and where it came from. Her bones and joints ached something fierce, and doing contracts had become quite difficult because of it. The results spoke for themselves, however. She had shot up at least three centimetres since those dreams had started. Her body was indeed catching up on its natural development. The cost for this was the severe pain.

She was fortunate that there was someone who could alleviate it. Asia, kind soul that she was, tended to Koneko whenever she had the time. The smiling blonde was a treasure, and her healing hands soothed pain quite well, even when there was no injury to speak of. The sad part was that she was in high demand.

It was for this reason that Koneko was now waiting for her and Issei to come to the club room. The wait was fairly uninteresting except for one detail. One of the exorcists, Xenovia, was in the room as well. Koneko had not yet asked about her being here as she was too busy dealing with the ache. She was still curious, but she refrained from asking. The details would come out as soon as either Issei or Asia asked.

The merciful coincidence of their imminent arrival occurred soon. The two of them entered the club room together, very much giving off the appearance of an adorable but dorky couple. She could kind of see why Rias was irritated by that. Then again, the pureblood Devil should not have been surprised, considering Issei's personality and stated life goal as well as Devil nature concerning relationships. Today, though, it seemed that the ORC president was not as bothered by it as usual. Instead, she seemed happy that every active member was here.

They, in turn, also looked happy. Their expressions shifted to confusion, however, when they spotted the addition to the usual number of members.

"Xenovia? What are you doing here?" asked Issei.

The blue-haired girl answered: "I reported to the Vatican. When I told them that I knew about God's death, they threw me out. I went to Rias and became a Devil as an act of self-abandonment. It turns out that I'm not all that great; Durandal is, so it only took one piece to reincarnated."

Seriously? That girl is reckless, thought Koneko.

Issei seemed to share that thought. "Isn't that kind of rash? What did Mister Pahaliah and Mister Baldwin say about that?"

Xenovia shrugged. "I told them after I was already excommunicated. They were furious, though not with me. What's done is done. I'm now a member of the Peerage and a second-year student of Kuoh Academy. Let's get along, Issei."

She breathed out a short burst of air through her nose after she had finished speaking.

"Don't make a cute sound like that with that kind of serious voice!" said Issei.

"… It seems like copying Irina is more difficult than I'd thought," she said in response.

"Now that you've brought her up, what about her? What does she think about all this?" asked Asia.

"She was very upset. She didn't hear about God's death, so she has no idea why I became a Devil. Lord Pahaliah told her not to be angry with me. She is probably confused, but I think it helped that I gave her Excalibur Destruction to return to the Church," answered Xenovia.

The blonde girl frowned and replied: "That's sad. I hope you can stay friends with her."

The former exorcist seemed to be honestly surprised to hear that. She said: "Thank you. Also, I want to apologise. I told you that God's love should have been enough, but it doesn't exist, so you could not feel it."

Asia smiled sadly, and rebuked Xenovia: "I accept your apology, but what you said is not true. Lord Pahaliah told me that the love of God still exists. It's just hard to reach now, even for Angels. So, I pray that it still reaches you, even if you have become a Devil like me."

This girl…, thought Koneko.

If there ever was anything like a true saint, then Asia was it. The seemingly infinite compassion of the former Holy Maiden was astounding. The Church had probably lost two thirds of its moral integrity when they had thrown her out.

Xenovia was also stunned, so it took her a few seconds to respond. "… Thank you. I shall do the same for you," she said.

It was at this point that Rias cut in. She announced: "As you have just heard, Xenovia is the newest member of our Peerage. She is my second [Knight]. Make her feel welcome."

Xenovia nodded and said: "It is kind of scary to be in the same school as the sisters of two of the Great Satans. Please treat me well."

"Sure thing."

"Of course."

"Certainly."

"It's no trouble."

"… OK."

Koneko's response was rather lukewarm, but that was because Xenovia was a former enemy. She had been rather aggressive and hostile initially. The Nekoshou wanted to know whether Xenovia would integrate well into the Peerage before she could warm up to her. It had taken her some time to get along with Issei as well. Asia, however, had been a special case. It was impossible to not like her. Everyone else had to wait before she approved, though.

Rias then went on: "There has also been another development. Due to the incident with Kokabiel, the Church and the Great Satans have opened communication channels. The Grigori are involved as well. They have denounced Kokabiel as well and declared him a rogue. The impact of the combined victory of the Church and the Devil side on the Grigori is lessened a bit. There is still a lot left to talk about, however. As such, there will be a meeting between the Three Factions to the discuss the incident in full."

It was good to hear that. Lowering tension was a positive. Koneko dreaded the idea of having to fight in a war. It was a relief that the battle with Kokabiel would not lead to one.

"We have also been invited to the meeting. We will have to give a report about the battle, so be prepared for that. Additionally, the White Dragon Emperor will likely be there as well. He is a member of the Grigori and is considered the fourth-strongest of them all," finished Rias.

"Seriously?" asked Issei.

She nodded and said: "Yes. He is your rival, but he outclasses you by far. He would have been able to defeat Kokabiel on his own quite easily."

"Oh man…," complained the boy.

Honestly, Koneko sympathised. It was not easy to have a destined foe who could kill one as easily as he breathed. Issei was not strong enough to survive a confrontation like that.

"… I'll fight by your side if he attacks you," she said.

His head whipped around to her. His wide eyes gazed into hers, and he smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I'll make sure to not be worthless in that fight so you won't have to step in."

That statement could have been construed as patronising, but she had a feeling that he was more concerned with her safety. He really was a moron to worry about those stronger than himself, but it was also kind of sweet.

"I will fight by your side as well," said Kiba.

"I will too!" said Asia.

Akeno laughed softly. "Ufufufu, I can't just abandon Ise if he's in need of help."

"We all will stand by you if it comes to that. If," said Rias. "But that is a worry for the future. For now, we can relax a little."

"I can't. I still need to do work to register at the school," said Xenovia. "I should go now to work on that."

She was interrupted by Asia: "Uhm, Xenovia? We're going to the arcade on the weekend. Will you be coming along?"

Xenovia shook her head and said: "Next time. I'll be too busy with getting everything organised for school. But, if you want to, you could show me around school soon."

Asia beamed and happily replied: "Of course."

Xenovia then turned to Kiba. "And I haven't forgotten about you. Let's have a rematch one of these days. You should be much more of a challenge with a clear head than you were last time."

He said with a smirk: "Sure, I'm looking forward to it. This time, I won't lose."

Surveying this situation with a content smile on he face was Rias. She clapped her hands and said: "Since we're all assembled again, let's resume our club activities."

"Yes!" replied everyone

"… Before we start, could you help me, Asia? I'm in pain right now," said Koneko.

"Oh. Of course!" said Asia.

She quickly came over and laid her hands on Koneko's back. A glow came over those hands and spread through the smaller girl's body. The young Nekoshou had to suppress the urge to purr. It simply felt too good.

I get why Ise always frets over her. This is pure bliss. Sweet relief, thought Koneko.

With the pain fading, she could finally relax a bit. Hopefully, it would go away on its own by the weekend. She wanted to attend the celebration of their victory.

The afternoon had gone by in a blur. The arcade had been thoroughly trodden by the merry band of high schoolers. Matsuda and Motohama had bin dragged along, and Kiryuu had been invited by Asia. All three were even behaving themselves somewhat. All in all, it had so far been a very enjoyable experience.

The last stop of the day was the karaoke room. Koneko herself was not interested in singing, but it was fun watching the others do so. She simply enjoyed her totally not strange combo of ice cream an pizza as she observed the others.

Issei was currently making a fool of himself singing his favourite anime's theme song. He was a surprisingly good singer, but the acoustics of the room and the wild gesticulating he did as he sang made him look positively ridiculous. Then there was also the fact that he kept missing beats because he glanced in Asia's direction every now and then.

The reason for that was evident. Instead of her school uniform or her nun outfit, she wore a Gothic Lolita-type dress. It honestly looked really good on her, even if it seemed out of place for anyone who knew her character. It was probably Kiryuu's idea; that girl just could not let any opportunity to corrupt Asia slip by. And to be fair, she was rocking that outfit. Koneko could actually understand why Issei was so distracted by her with how hot she looked.

Koneko froze mid-bite. Wait a second. Am I… attracted to girls?

Her eyes wandered back to Asia an to Kiryuu as her thoughts went to Rias and Akeno. She knew that they were all attractive, but was that enough to say that she was attracted to them. What spoke for it, though, was that she found she liked the thought of them wearing certain things… or nothing at all. On the other hand, she thought the same of certain boys.

Well, that settles it, she thought while suppressing a grimace, I like boys and girls. That makes things more complicated. By the Satans, I'm starting to hate puberty.

Koneko was saved from further ruminations on the matter by Issei. The boy had finished his last song and was now lost in the clouds. The blood running down his nose was a good indicator of where his thoughts were.

"…You have a nosebleed, Ise. You're thinking of something lewd again, aren't you?" she asked flatly.

He winced. Her suspicion was proven right.

"Oh my," said Kiryuu. Her glasses seemed to flash as she used that weird power of hers. "You're certainly growing down there."

I could have done without that sentence, thought Koneko.

Asia glowered. "Were you thinking about the President?" she asked with a frown.

Issei looked a bit nervous now. He said: "It's…uh, nothing. I need to go the bathroom real quick."

Koneko nearly snorted as she heard that. More like he was going to erase the evidence of his lewd thoughts. He would likely be back as soon as he finished cleaning up the blood. He tended to be pretty diligent about personal hygiene. He smelled far less of… relief to her enhanced senses than most boys and even most girls at the school. In that sense, he was less of an irritant than others with the recent changes she was undergoing.

Abandoning that thought to the future, Koneko sat back and enjoyed the festive atmosphere. Kiryuu had finally chosen a song to sing, and the young Nekoshou was ready to hear her. She bit into her pizza and relaxed as the music came.

She soon forgot about her troubles. She had come here to have fun, and fun she would have.

Whatever may change about me, I'm still me. I enjoy food, I cherish my comrades, and I love the life I have with them, she thought.

AN: Well, hello there, dear readers!

Welcome back to The Dragon's Hell Cat and the Sage. I hope you liked the new chapter.

As a side note before I talk about it: I'm not sure if the karaoke room scene was in the anime or not. It was the last scene of Volume 3, though. So, if it wasn't in the anime and you're confused about its presence, you can reference it there. My version is, of course, different from the original, but only about 200 words shorter.

Just as I promised last time, this chapter has been focussed mainly on the characters. I delved a bit deeper into Naruto's background, but do not fear, there's still more I'm keeping in reserve until the appropriate time. Koneko's has also started to develop in several ways. The reasons for her Koneko-atypical thoughts have become clear, and they will be responsible for more changes to come.

Going into these changes, most of what I'm writing about Nekoshou is made up. I simply wanted to develop Koneko a bit more, both mentally and physically. That was actually the plan long before I started writing this story, back when I was bouncing around story ideas with a pen pal. That said, I tried my best to integrate my additions into existing lore.

As for Pahaliah and Baldwin: We've not yet seen the last of them, but I've got now big plans for them either. Whether they'll fade completely in the background or not is currently up in the stars.

I'm certain there are those among you who want to see more of Naruto. Don't worry, he'll soon get his own plot to worry about. The way it' (roughly) planned out so far, it will smoothly slide into the next two arcs before he finally gets to do his own thing. He will be more involved by the next arc already, though. A man so dedicated to peace will obviously want to attend a peace conference.

On a final note, I will endeavour to publish the next chapter in under three weeks, but I suspect I'm developing carpal tunnel syndrome. If that proves to be true, and if I have to get it fixed, the next update might be delayed.

I think that's all for now. A big thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed, and reviewed. I appreciate your support, criticism, and questions. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any.

Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!