AN: The first scene may appear heavy on the fanservice side of things. It does have small plot relevant points, however. Plus, according to my research, it was basically cut almost completely from the anime (apart from Azazel's buzzer nonsense). It was in the Light Novel, however, if somewhat differently.

Chapter 15: Hot Springs, Strategy, and Training

The disastrous public meeting had come to an end. The shouting match Kiyo had instigated had caused an uproar so big that the Satans had nearly forgotten to announce the date of the match between the Young Devils. The Gremory Peerage would be fighting the Sitri Peerage on the 20th of August, twenty-three days hence. Azazel had been assigned as their training consultant; the Peerages of the other Young Devils would be assigned other coaches. In the end, the Peerage had gone ahead and returned to the Gremory estate while the old Devils were still stuck screaming at Kiyo and his teammates.

While planning for the training had already begun, and with its beginning scheduled for the following day, Rias had decided that the Peerage would spend the rest of the day relaxing. The first and most significant point on the list of relaxing activities was a visit to the hot springs of the estate.

Koneko was determined to enjoy it, even if it brought a conversation with itself she was not all that comfortable thinking about. It would happen regardless, however, so she was prepared to receive inquiries. So, as she entered the bath and took off her towel, she braced herself for the inevitable commentary.

"Wow, you've grown a lot," said Rias.

And there it is, thought Koneko. She said: "Yes. It was getting difficult to hide, especially the height."

Akeno also said something: "Though the bust would be just as difficult to conceal. You're bigger than Asia by now, even though she's grown a bit too."

"I have?" asked Asia.

The [Queen] made a lewd smile and said: "You're a Devil. Even if the ability won't be at full capacity for a few years, your appearance changes according to your desires. Besides, I pay attention to such things."

The dark-haired girl's gaze travelled rather unsubtly to Asia's chest, making the girl blush. Xenovia, who was silent for the time-being, followed the older girl's example with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Koneko cursed the faint hint of arousal Akeno's statement evoked and instead responded with: "In any case, despite the adjusting spells, my uniform won't fit me anymore after summer break. I will need a new one."

Rias hummed. "That can be arranged. Although I do wonder why you are growing so fast compared to Asia."

"I thought Sensei told you," said Koneko. "My body is catching up to where it should be, and Senjutsu speeds up the process."

"Where it should be?" asked Asia.

Koneko nodded. "I was not human before becoming a Devil. My body needs natural energy to grow properly, and I didn't let it for years."

"But why?" asked Asia. "That does not sound like a good idea."

"I didn't know, and my reasons are… private," answered the white-haired girl.

That brought on a bit of awkward silence before everyone relaxed. The girls got comfortable and enjoyed the bath. All the while, the others began filing in on the men's side of the bath.

That much became obvious when the commotion started.

"Damn it, Gasper! You're not a girl. There's nothing for you to hide up there or be awkward about!" sounded Issei's voice.

"Nooooo! What if someone sees?!" shrieked Gasper.

"I told you there's nothing to see!" shot back Issei.

"Eeeh, Ise is a pervert!" shouted Gasper.

A splashing sound followed.

The interaction caused giggles and laughter on the women's side of the bath. None of them honestly believed that Gasper was in actual distress. He would have fled beforehand. The interaction between the two boys was highly amusing, however.

Say what you want about him, but he has his moments, thought Koneko.

As she finished that thought, she spied something potentially distressing on their side of the bath. Akeno had a mischievous smirk on her face. If Koneko had to guess, it was probably related to whatever Azazel was discussing with Issei on the other side of the bath. The Nekoshou could not make it out, but Akeno sat closer to the separating barrier and could likely make it out. The idea that conversation seemed to give the [Queen] gave Koneko a bad premonition.

"Azazel is questioning Ise about what he's done with Rias' breasts, ufufufu," whispered Akeno. "And since we were talking about this beforehand, it would be the perfect moment to check on something I've been wondering about."

"Check what?" asked Rias warily.

Instead of answering straight away, Akeno grabbed Rias breasts and squeezed them, surprising the redhead. "Oh my, your chest has gotten bigger again. You like it when I grope you like that, right?"

Koneko could see that Rias was fighting hard to suppress the moan that threatened to leave her mouth. She was not struggling all that much either. I want to touch them too, thought the [Rook], enraptured by the sight.

Still, Rias barely managed to keep her composure and answered: "Well, ye- I mean, this is a bit indecent. And haven't you grown more than me? You might need a new bra soon."

The [King's] face was nearly as red as her hair, but she still responded like that. Koneko could not help but think: She's into it. But is it because she thinks it's hot or because she wants to tease Ise as well? Maybe both…. I hope it's both.

She shook her head. That was not how she normally thought. Puberty was really messing with her. But all commentary about perverts died on her lips before she could say it. She found the scene too enthralling.

Akeno's response to Rias did not help at all: "It's a bit tight, but I'll keep the old one. It makes showing it off easier. I do have a person I want to show it to. A woman gets bolder when she has someone like that."

She emphasised her statement by squeezing the redhead's breasts harder.

Rias stammered: "Y-ou're not w-wrong, but don't overdo it on Ise."

"I make no promises," said Akeno. Then she whispered in Rias' ear: "I want him to desire me, Rias. You told me I could have my shot, and I'll take it. Being number three isn't bad. In fact, it's exciting."

Rias shivered at the tone. Koneko could see that she was struggling to find her words.

She was saved from having to respond by Asia, who said: "I'm envious of how big you are…"

"Even if you have grown too? Poor Asia," teased Akeno.

The former nun answered. "It's not like I can compete with you two. I want to be bigger."

"I heard they grow faster if you rub them," said Xenovia. "Like this."

Her hands quickly came up and caught Asia's breasts and rubbed them.

"X-xenovia, stop! That's for Ise alone," said Asia.

Koneko commented: "That rumour you heard is wrong, Xenovia. It might work with Senjutsu, but not on its own." Why did I say that?! What is wrong with me? she thought

She was ignored, however, as Xenovia mused: "The feel is quite different from mine. Perhaps this excites men too…"

"Oh my," said Akeno to Rias. "They're following our example. The privilege of youth, hm? And by the way you feel, you're really growing daily."

Her hands kneaded the redhead's chest thoroughly at this point.

Rias could not stifle her moan any longer. She responded: "Will you t-take your hands off my breasts? The way you touch them is- Ah… Where did you learn that?!"

"Ufufufu, but I like touching your breasts so much. They feel so good. How about I do this?" said Akeno

Her fingers began to encircle Rias' nipples and play with them.

"Ah!" exclaimed Rias. "Stop that! That's for Ise only. I want him to be the first to do this!"

She finally batted away Akeno's hands. That did not deter the dark-haired girl much, however.

"Ufufufu, then I'll have to do it again once he has done it. Maybe we could do it together," she teased.

"I want to first!" blurted out Asia.

Xenovia had in the meantime stopped rubbing her breasts. Koneko was slightly disappointed to notice this, but she was also relieved. It meant she could cool down a bit, despite the nature of the conversation that was taking place.

"Oh my, how bold of you, Asia," said Akeno. "But I can only recommend it. Rias' breasts feel very nice to touch."

"Would you stop talking about my-" began Rias.

"Woaaaah!"

Only to be interrupted by Issei's surprised shout.

Splash.

He had landed in the women's bath. Going by the trajectory, it was clearly not his own doing.

I won't beat him up for it. It's not his fault this time, thought Koneko.

Not that the others were either. It seemed none of them cared, which was not surprising when one considered the subject matter of the discussion they had had before Issei's sudden arrival. Rather, it seemed that good times awaited him.

"Oh dear, did Azazel throw you over the wall? Did you wash yourself properly? Let me help," said Rias.

"How daring of you, Ise. Ufufu," commented Akeno.

The two horndogs, and Koneko did not include Issei in that statement for once, approached the boy. Akeno got to him first and embraced him from the front.

"Mmm, your body feels good, even if it's just like that," she said.

Of course, that instantly reduced the boy to a stammering wreck. "A-Akeno, if you k-keep this up, there's going to b-be a reaction…!"

"Ufufufu, maybe that's what I want, Ise," she said.

Before he could say anything in response, Rias reached him and embraced him from behind. She spoke: "Akeno, let go of him! He's not your boyfriend; he's mine and Asia's!"

Akeno licked her lips and said: "I can't do that, Rias. I enjoy his body too much. Besides, I can be his girlfriend too."

"I'm serious, Akeno! This is going too- Ah, I am getting excited. Maybe it's because of what you did before… or because I'm touching Ise like this," said Rias.

Rias, why are you even mentioning this? That weakens your position… Unless you want that. That's it, Rias is a pervert too, lamented Koneko in her thoughts.

She was not the only one watching, however. One of the spectators was roused to action.

"H-hey, I want to embrace Ise too!" said Asia as she quickly approached the entangled trio.

From the side, Xenovia mused: "I see that I will have to up my game."

Koneko shook her head and turned back to Issei. She noticed that he looked directly at her. And only then did it hit her that her breaths were heavy and her cheeks flushed. Watching him and the other girls had excited her; was still exciting her. As she stared the boy in the eyes, a thought went through her head.

I'm a damn pervert too!

It made her want to sink into the ground. Why did she have to deal with this? This was all her Sensei's fault!

"This is your fault," said Metatron.

Naruto snorted. "Not like we'd be working on this if I hadn't levelled the fortress. At least that way we discovered the tunnel system before their main force escaped through it."

"It was still reckless," countered the Seraph.

The Shinobi raised an eyebrow. He argued: "It's not like our allies were around. Any Angel who Fell recently and is working for Azazel was ordered to surrender in advance. I only hit lackeys of the Khaos Brigade."

"Yet your wanton destruction of the fortress likely damaged vital information," said Metatron. "I thought Shinobi were supposed to be subtle."

"I'll grant you that, but we wouldn't have gotten our hands on it anyway. By the time we would have broken through the old-fashioned way, they would have had destroyed it. And Shinobi don't always get to be subtle. Sometimes, brute force is the way to go," reasoned Naruto.

Metatron grimaced and nodded.

"Besides," said Naruto, "the majority of our troops are now free to be deployed elsewhere. I'm still worried the Khaos Brigade is gonna attack some very important place today while we're distracted hunting down traitors."

"Yes, I agree. It is indeed worrying. How certain of this are you?" asked the Angel.

Naruto hummed and said: "Well, it's a bad move to sacrifice so many people for a mere distraction, but there is a sort of inter-service rivalry of some sort within the Khaos Brigade. Reports I've already stolen from some of their bases paint the picture of loosely allied sub factions led by megalomaniacs and narcissists. Cooperation isn't any concern of theirs. It's very likely that a faction within the Khaos Brigade are gonna use this opportunity to advance their own schemes."

Metatron was pensive. "I see… It would be best to prepare a rapid response force."

The former Hokage nodded. "That would be smart. I'm keeping two battalions in reserve. Two more will reinforce allied troops in ongoing battles. One's gonna remain here and search the tunnels with a fine comb."

"Sensible," considered Metatron. "I shall-"

"Lord Naruto!" shouted a Shinobi.

In her hands she carried a stack of folders. They were covered in dust and blood, and one or two looked a bit singed, but they seemed intact. She held them out for her commander to take.

Naruto took them off her hands and asked: "What have you got for me?"

"Dossiers on other branches of the Khaos Brigade, my Lord. They detail operations in Italy, China, and Romania, and speak of suspected bases elsewhere. There are also plans for potential offensive operations on these branches and acquisition of their assets," said the woman.

"Excellent work!" praised Naruto. "Our suspicions were proven correct. But tell me, where did you find those?"

The subordinate Shinobi answered: "We converged on the position with the most remaining life signs and found a group of Fallen and Stray exorcists attempting to destroy these documents. About half were lost according to preliminary interrogation of the captives."

The Uzumaki clan head hummed. "That's both good and bad. Ah well, take them to the gathering point. After we're done packing up here, we're gonna put on a show of intimidation with them and cart them off to T&I afterwards. Tell your team to start with the process."

"Yes, Lord Naruto," she said before disappearing in a Body Flicker.

Metatron looked at him warily and asked: "What exactly have you planned? And what is T&I?"

"My plans are a surprise for now, at least to you. I told Michael and he agreed. As for T&I… It stands for Torture and Interrogation. Nasty business, but necessary."

"I do not feel comfortable with such methods," protested Metatron.

Naruto actually approved. "Good. No one should be."

"Torture is also an unreliable instrument of gaining intel," reasoned Metatron.

Naruto snorted and replied: "Say that again after you've had your mind siphoned by Uzumaki seals or Yamanaka mind walkers."

"That statement does not inspire confidence in the ethics of this method," said Metatron.

"When we have the time for it, we do use subtler and less painful ways," countered Naruto. "Besides, it's not like the Church is very different in that regard. Mind-reading Sacred Gears don't sound pleasant."

Metatron grimaced. "They're not," he conceded

"Guess we're on the same page, huh?" asked the Shinobi sardonically.

The conversation was interrupted by a Shinobi from the Uzumaki forces once again. "Lord Naruto, we have received a classified communiqué!"

He handed Naruto a folded and sealed sheaf of paper. The man took it and undid the seal before reading the contents of the message.

Targets secured. Handing over to Konoha forces. Commotion caused. Diplomatic attention required.

Then, the message went up in flames.

Naruto smirked and said: "It looks like our distraction succeeded. Cheer up, Metatron, you'll soon have a reason to celebrate!"

"Why?" asked the Angel warily.

"Classified~"

"Lord Naruto?" asked the Uzumaki retainer. "What is your response?"

"Oh, that," said the blond human. "Tell them 'Proceed as planned.' That's it."

The man nodded and disappeared. "By your order."

"What was that?" asked Metatron.

"That was a plan going well," answered Naruto. "Now let's hurry up and pack up. There's still something I need to do today, and it's going to draw a crowd."

It was evening, and Irina was once again in the cathedral of Canterbury. This time, however, there were a lot more people present than during her last visit. She recognised many of them, for she had fought at their side earlier in the day. According to Lord Michael, there was going to be some sort of ceremony she was to attend as a witness. She wondered what the occasion was, especially at a time like this.

"Lord Michael, what is going on?" she asked.

The regent of Heaven answered her honestly: "A demonstration of power, and of consequences, but also reward. I am under no illusion that absolutely everyone here is loyal, so we will use the spies in our ranks as vectors of intimidation against our enemies. Kokabiel's powers were taken, and that was no fluke. They serve a better purpose now. It will be the same for the powers of the captured Fallen Angels today."

Said Fallen Angels were led in front of the altar by a group of Angels. There were about a dozen, Irina guessed. None of them looked happy. They sneered and glowered, but their restraints kept them from doing much else. At the tail-end of the small procession were Naruto and Metatron.

The blond Shinobi nodded at Michael once everyone was in the place they were apparently supposed to be. Irina looked over to the Angel who had just before spoken to her, and listened.

"Today we have captured some of those who have proven themselves unworthy of our Heavenly Father's gifts. They are before you now, to serve as an example. Blatant treachery is worthy of punishment," said Michael. "It is only fitting that this punishment is used to reward those who are truly loyal in the same stroke. Bring forth the selection!"

This was when Irina saw a group of exorcists, priests, and nuns approach the altar. Their number equalled that of the capture Fallen Angels. Each one of them stopped in front of a Fallen.

"Mister Uzumaki," continued Michael, "you may begin."

"On it," said the man.

He stomped on the ground, and from his foot spread seal formulae. Each formula formed two connected circles; one for the Fallen and one for the human opposite to them. The seals then briefly lit up, and the screams began.

Michael narrated the event: "As they have proven themselves unworthy of the holy light of God, they shall now be deprived of it."

Spheres of light came forth from the chests of the Fallen Angels. Their screams stopped, and they slumped over, falling into unconsciousness.

Michael went on: "These men and women have been selected for their faith, their purity of heart, and their moral integrity. The Father's light shall now judge them."

The spheres were absorbed by the seals. A pulse then travelled to the humans connected to the formulae, and the light seeped into them. Only a short few seconds later, halos appeared above their heads.

"They were judged worthy. Welcome our newest additions to the ranks of the Saints!"

Applause broke out and cheers filled the hall. It began clamorous, and it continued to be so for several minutes.

As the impromptu celebration showed no sign of abating, Irina went to ask Michael something that bothered her: "Lord Michael, what would have happened if one of the chosen ones had been found unworthy?"

"That is a good question," said Michael with a smile. "No halo would have appeared, and Mister Uzumaki would have extracted the light again."

"I see. Not that I doubted your judgement," said the girl. "It must be an honour to be chosen for something like this."

Michael then told her: "To be honest, I considered you as well."

Irina's eyes widened. That surprised her. She did not think the leader of Heaven held her in such high esteem. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. I decided against it because there is another position I wish to assign you. You see, during the peace conference, we received the Devils' data on Evil Pieces. Our scientists are close to creating similar devices for the use by Angels. Once they are finished, I intend to offer you reincarnation as an Angel. What do you say?"

The girl was stunned. She would never have expected this. Neither her skills nor her power were exceptional. Despite this, her answer was clear: "Yes! It would by my honour, Lord Michael!"

"That is wonderful to hear," he replied. "Your help will be invaluable in what is to come."

That sounds ominous, thought Irina. "Do you mean the future fights with the traitors?"

"Not quite," he answered. "You are aware of the building dissent in the Church, correct? Recent policy changes and the Kuoh treaty have not been well-received by everyone. The tension is close to boiling over, as I am sure you have noticed today. Some exorcists were not as eager to follow orders as others."

"Are you saying that there is another wave of traitors among us?" asked Irina, outraged.

"Potentially," said Michael. "I would like to deal with this at the negotiation table. The traitors cooperating with Khaos Brigade would certainly have ensured the opposite, of course. The purpose of this spectacle here is to discourage their interference. Uzumaki and his troops will keep hunting down their members, which will hopefully keep them too busy to inflame tensions."

"I see. That makes sense," said Irina after some contemplation.

"There is some risk left, of course. An additional complication is that the surprise we were expecting did not come. That is dangerous," cautioned Michael.

Irina frowned. The situation may be worse than I feared. There is no going back, though. Service to the Lord was never supposed to be easy. "I will face that possibility if I must," she said.

Michael seemed pleased. He nodded at her and said: "It is good to hear of your conviction. Conviction alone will not win you any fights, however. As such, I have arranged for you to receive additional instruction in the art of the blade. Griselda Quarta will not be your only teacher anymore."

That was a daunting prospect. Griselda Quarta was a woman with no mercy when it came to teaching. To hear that she would receive training even beyond that level was… intimidating.

"I-is there a special occasion for this?" she asked with an unsteady smile.

Michael smiled back at her and said: "That you will find out as your training progresses."

Koneko was somewhat nervous as the Peerage gathered. Azazel was about to give everyone the rundown of the training regimens. She was excited to see what was in store for her. There was a delay, however. One of their number was late.

Just as she thought this, the door to the meeting room opened and Issei stepped in. "Sorry for the delay. I was stopped by Lord Zeoticus and Lady Venelana. They wanted to double down on the… uh… experiment."

"A single success might a fluke; two successes are almost a guarantee in this case. A wise choice," said Azazel with a sage nod.

Rias, whose face was beet red at this point, exclaimed: "Could we please stop discussing this and get to the point?!"

"You are right, of course," said Azazel. "We are pressed for time here, so I will give you a quick summary.

"Kiba, your part is the easiest. There are many Sacred Gear specialists in the Grigori with a focus on swords. You will have an expert providing you coaching. You might want to brush up on your basics, though."

"I plan to start my training from scratch with my old master," said Yuuto in turn.

Azazel nodded in acknowledgement and continued: "Asia, you too will focus on your Sacred Gear. While it is already impressive, it can still be improved further. Considering your nature and personality, you will never be able to make it differentiate between friend and foe, so we will be focussing on range and versatility. That also means improving your reserves of demonic power."

The former nun accepted that assessment without comment, so Azazel went on: "Next, Gasper. You are a clear-cut case of Sacred Gear training. Gaining control of an ability as powerful as Forbidden Balor View is essential. A specialised Grigori facility will help you with that.

"Then, Rias. Your demonic power is already high and you have all the basics covered. There is no specialised training for you to follow since you have no glaring weaknesses to cover."

Koneko disagreed with that. Rias had a very big weakness, in fact. "What about hand-to-hand combat?"

"She is a wizard-type. If the enemy gets close enough to hit her physically, too many critical mistakes have already been made," said Azazel.

I'm beginning to understand what Naruto meant when he said that Azazel falls victim to conventional thought, realised the young Nekoshou, though she said nothing to that effect.

"Now then," continued Azazel, "Akeno, you are much the same as Rias, but you need to realise something. If you keep restraining yourself, you will never reach your full potential."

Akeno scowled and said: "I hate that man, and I won't dirty myself by using his power."

"Yet you carry his blood. Denying that power will only hurt you and those around you in the long run. It nearly already has. If you had not held yourself back, you could have resolved the incident with Riser Phenex by yourself," countered the Fallen Angel.

The [Queen] proceeded to stew in silence. That meant the Grigori's governor zeroed in on his next victim.

"Koneko, your problem is the same as Akeno's. Unleash what is within you. Hiding it will only hinder you," he said.

I know that! thought Koneko. "… I will work on it."

It would be hard, she knew. The issue was rooted deeply in her psyche, and it would not be dislodged easily. Yet the prospect did not seem as daunting as it would have without the support she had available. There were safety precautions, after all.

"Good," said Azazel. "You will otherwise be sharing Issei's training. Speaking of which, your instructor should arrive soon. You had best get ready."

.

The instructor whom Azazel had arranged was certainly more than Koneko had expected. A massive red dragon had shown up and introduced itself.

"Greetings, I am former Dragon King Tannin. How do you do you?" he had said.

After a short round of greetings, she, Issei, and the trio of Uzumaki Shinobi had mounted the dragon. They were now on the way to the training area while Tannin and the Shinobi hashed out certain details of the training regimen.

"Well, I do see the benefits," said Tannin. "While I agree with Azazel that the kid needs to learn how to fight like a dragon, he'll mostly fight human opponents. Your input will be appreciated. Besides, I've never trained two people at once. This might keep me on my toes."

"I'm glad we are on the same page, Lord Tannin," said Shizue.

Before long, they arrived at their destination. It was a large mountain mostly covered in trees. Tannin was flying them further up, however. The journey took them to a small mountain lake, where the large dragon finally set everyone down.

"This was not originally planned, but consider this lake a safe zone. You will only be able to return here every few days, however. This is where you will be practicing whatever techniques require high concentration. The rest of your time on this mountain will be one continuous survival exercise," explained Tannin.

"When do we begin?" asked Koneko.

"Now," said Tannin, and spat a fireball at her.

And so, training began.

.

Only two days in, Koneko was already beginning to regret going along with this. She had not slept a wink since the start of the exercise. She had been far too busy evading Tannin's crazy attacks and coordinating with Issei to fend of attacks from Haru, Kiyo, and Shizue. The boy by her side was not doing much better either. His situation was a perfect copy of hers.

BOOM

"Old Man Tannin, are you trying to kill us?!" he questioned

Laughter was the answer he received. "If you can't take something like this, you're just trying to die. Now fight back!"

Not that it was that easy. There really was no time to retaliate, especially not in the open and without cover. It was why she had advised Issei that they should go further down the mountain to find some hiding spots. At least that way it would be easier to do what the dragon had asked of them.

Koneko was unsure whether the training was showing any results yet or not. She was too drowsy to notice. Two days of non-top running had exhausted her too much for her to even care.

At least it seemed that Tannin had trouble finding them in the foliage. Where the other three instructors were, she had no idea, but a quick check with Senjutsu showed that they were at least not near. It seemed she and her erstwhile teammate had caught a break.

The quiet rustling of leaves made her turn her head toward the boy in question. "What are you doing?" she hissed quietly.

"I'm making camouflaged bedding. You need to rest," he whispered back, neglecting to tell her that he needed it too.

He looked as bad as her in that regard. Bags under his eyes, scratches on his skin, and tears in his clothes dotted his body. He needed sleep as badly as she did.

"Fine," she said, "but I'm taking second watch."

She laid down on the surprisingly soft assortment of leaves he had spread out for her. As her head hit the leaves, her mind was already beginning to drift off into dreamland. She vaguely noticed the feeling of more big leaves being put on her body as she fell asleep.

.

"Stop slacking and show proper form!" shouted Shizue as she kicked Issei around the lake.

Koneko snickered slightly at the sight, only to be whacked in the head by Haru. "Ow," she said.

"Keep your head in the game, Miss Toujou. Senjutsu is not merciful on careless practitioners," admonished the man.

It had been a few more days since the beginning of training, and it was time for the first day at the lake. While the threat of Tannin was now a distant one, it did not mean that training became easier. Issei was just as harried as before, and Koneko saw herself faced with greater challenges in Senjutsu.

Case in point was that during her little slip of focus, a patch of skin on her hand had nearly turned to stone. It was a delicate process; generating Sage chakra while moving and fighting. Imbalances caused mutation, petrification, or madness. It did not help that her personal issues were a barrier in the way of her progress.

"I will do better," she said.

"That remains to be seen," commented Haru. "You have made remarkable progress in very little time, but you have hit a ceiling. Even worse than that, it is a ceiling of your own imposition. Unless and until you overcome that internal block, any more time used on Senjutsu is wasted. We will switch to elemental manipulation instead."

That was a field Koneko felt lightly more confident about, mostly because there was no pesky past trying to catch up with her there. Her chakra had already been tested before the beginning of the training. The affinity that had come up as a result was fire. As such, her assignments in that regard consisted of learning low-level Fire Release Jutsu while learning elemental manipulation.

That said, it was not an easy task either. She knew that she would have been covered in burn scars by now if not for Kiyo. Power and finesse were necessary in equal measure.

The method with which to train fire chakra was not without hazards. The first stage, which she was only just beginning to master, required her to set fire to a leaf with nothing but her chakra. The difficult part was to then keep that fire steady and let it burn on chakra alone as the leaf was consumed. A glove and a uniform sleeve had already suffered from her failed attempts. It was getting easier to avoid accidents, however.

An hour later, Koneko was pleased to note the presence of two small flames in her hands. They burned steadily, although they were growing weaker. Koneko had exhausted most of her chakra with the day's training.

"We'll stop here," said Haru. "Any more, and you will suffer chakra exhaustion, which would put you out for up to a week. But good work so far. We will begin stage two next time."

"… Understood," said Koneko, breathing hard.

Haru nodded. "Get a few hours of rest. Mister Hyoudou too. It's back down the mountain tomorrow."

.

As the end of the first week came around, Koneko was forced to realise that she had neglected one important component of the training trip: clothes. Hers were already torn apart and no longer usable, and her underwear was in the same state. She had caught Issei staring at her body a few times, although he had quickly averted his gaze – Naruto's beatings had trained him to be more aware of his surroundings even in the presence of a naked woman. Koneko would have hit him for it if she had not been staring at him just as often, for he was in the same state of undress. He was already a lot more muscular than before they had begun, and he had lost that baby-faced quality of his. He looked quite handsome right now instead of just plain. The visibility the lack of clothes afforded was not the only problem, however. The mountain was a cold place to be at night, and the lack of clothing had not improved their lot.

The only solution to the latter problem they had been able to come up with was to huddle together at night and share their plant-based bedding. This led to an awkward conversation starter that evening.

"Grope me and you die, pervert," said Koneko as Issei hugged her from behind.

He protested: "Hey! I've never intentionally touched a girl without permission… except that one time when I thought it was a dream."

Koneko raised an eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

"… After Raynare killed me. I woke up with Rias naked in my bed. I thought I was dreaming, so I touched her breast," he answered.

Koneko stared at him.

"What? It's not like I thought this would ever happen!" he said.

"… Fair enough," admitted the white-haired girl.

It was a reasonable assumption, she had to admit. The scenario was incredibly outlandish for a normal human without context. Waking up in bed with a highly attractive naked woman with no idea how they had gotten there did sound like a dream. Dream or no, however, being naked in the same "bed" as another person was now her reality.

"Just keep your hands where they should be," she said.

He sighed. "I'm sorry I'm always causing problems for you with my antics."

She scoffed, but her tone softened. "You're not that bad when you're not being a pervert."

"I can't help it! It's my life's essence!" He said with conviction. "Besides, I've toned it down a lot. I've taken Master Uzumaki's lessons to heart."

Koneko could not help but snort. "You've toned down nothing."

"That's not true! I haven't been staring at any woman who isn't special ever since the peace conference!" he said in protest.

The young Nekoshou had no idea what his criteria for being "special" were, but she did have to concede the point. On their journey to the Underworld so far, Issei had spent far less time staring at the chests of various Devil women than she had expected. Even Grayfia and Venelana did not draw his eyes much. That said, he was still just as much of a pervert as before when it came to the girls in the Peerage, even her.

"Well, you've been staring at me and awful lot," she said.

"… That's because you are special," he replied quietly.

That bought her thoughts to a halt. She blinked and turned in his grip until she stared him in the face. "Explain," she said.

"I can't," he said while making a strange face. "I just know you're special the same way Rias, Akeno, Asia and Xenovia are. I'm sorry, but I really can't explain it any better."

"… Whatever," said Koneko as she turned away.

Nothing more was said between them, but she was thinking furiously about what he had said. It made about as much sense as when her Sensei started talking about "precious people;" meaning that a vague sense of importance was established, but not much beyond it. Despite the nebulous content of the wording, however, she felt… good that Issei considered her "special," whatever it may mean.

Perhaps the lack of understanding in that regard could be remedied. There was a technique to that effect, after all. It was not like she could sleep like this, even if she felt oddly protected in the boy's warm embrace. She needed answers, and she needed them now.

In her sleep-deprived mind, she failed to consider the consequences of her actions as she reached out with her chakra. She brought her spiritual energy into contact with his even as drowsiness overtook her. Before long, the process of Ninshu had begun.

As she felt out his spirit, she could make out the contours of his personality. She did not know why that surprised her, but the first thing she could make out was a burning need to prove himself worthy of love; be it his parents' or Rias and Asia's. She also felt a passion to protect those dear to him by any means necessary. There was also a deep pit of fear. Whatever the boy feared deeply, it felt very similar to loneliness, although it was also quite distinct.

Emptiness, thought Koneko after a moment's consideration.

Perhaps this was why he clung so tightly to his obsession with boobs. He abhorred being devoid of a goal or purpose. Whatever else was there remained closed to Koneko, however. She was tired, and she was no true expert at Ninshu, despite the many hours of practice.

She thus drifted off to sleep without having gained the answers she had sought, although she had gained insight she would later appreciate. Before that time, however, she would have to confront the problems that resulted from the ill-considered attempt at deciphering Issei's thoughts.

.

It was on the next day that things became hectic. Not only was Tannin chasing the two young Devil's around the mountain, but the trio of Shinobi joined in on the action.

Koneko narrowly avoided a fireball from Tannin. She jumped to escape the kunai knife Shizue threw at her in the same moment. This sadly put her right in the trajectory of Kiyo's heel kick. Before it could connect, however, she felt her wrist being grabbed by a dragon's hand. It belonged to Issei – his hand had reverted to draconic appearance since neither Rias nor Akeno had been there to extract the dragon aura from it. That scaly hand now pulled Koneko out of harm's way.

Issei was sadly not so fortunate. The distraction cost him as Haru smashed his elbow into the boy's solar plexus. Koneko did her best to pull him away, but she was far too slow to avoid the three Shinobi's combined attacks. A fist crashed into her gut while a kick hit her in the back of the knees, and a punch hit her in the chin.

She and Issei went flying, only coming to a stop some fifty metres away from the area they had clashed. Both of them groaned in pain.

"That's enough," said Kiyo.

As he was the medical expert, his fellow instructors, even Tannin, followed his order. Further attacks were halted. He went to check on Issei first, considering the type of attack he had taken. A hit to the solar plexus could shut down pulmonary functions. Fortunately, everything seemed to be in order in that regard, and he quickly switched to Koneko.

"Alright, both of you seem to be in decent condition. We can continue after a short breather. There is one strange thing with Mister Hyoudou, however," he said.

"Huh? What's wrong with me?" asked the boy.

Kiyo smiled. It made Koneko nervous for some reason. As it turned out, there was a good reason for it. Kiyo addressed her: "Miss Toujou, would you care to explain why Mister Hyoudou seems to have a chakra pathway system?"

Oh shit, she thought with sudden realisation.

"… I didn't mean to do it," she said.

Kiyo sighed. "That's not what I was asking. Why does he have a network?"

Koneko answered: "I performed Ninshu on him."

"Uhm… What's Ninshu?" asked Issei.

Shizue answered him: "It is… a form of religious rite, I suppose. Ninshu uses chakra to connect the spiritual energies of two or more people. It's a sacred form of spiritual communication… if you're practiced. Otherwise, you just exchange blurry impressions of each other's personalities."

He made a noise of comprehension. "Oh, so that's why I suddenly know about Koneko's… uhm. Never mind. That is probably private."

Koneko suddenly felt ashamed. It was private, yes. She was thankful that Issei did not just blurt out whatever he had learned about her. In the same vein, she now felt shame for the invasion of privacy she had committed.

"I'm sorry about not asking permission," she said. "I… sensed things that you probably would not want others to learn."

He grimaced, but he replied with: "Well, it happened. Let's forget it and move on."

"As admirable as that stance is," said Haru, "that is not possible. Fact of the matter is that the boy now has chakra. I'd even call it a good thing."

"How so?" asked Shizue.

Kiyo interjected: "I agree with Haru. Mister Hyoudou's biggest problem, according to our reports, is that his body cannot withstand his aura. Chakra should enhance the body's resilience. To be honest, I would have recommended he be given chakra eventually."

"My thoughts exactly," said Haru.

"Additionally, it might also further the evolution of his power. Chakra connects energies, even those diametrically opposed to each other," pointed out Kiyo.

"You do have a point," said Shizue. "Looks like we have a plan."

"I… don't quite understand," said Issei.

Shizue grinned at him and said: "You will in time. We just need to intensify your training."

Issei gulped.

"The same goes for you, Miss Toujou," said Haru. "If you have the energy to carelessly perform Ninshu, we clearly aren't pushing you enough."

Koneko gulped too.

Help, she thought meekly.

AN: Greetings, dear readers! I hope you enjoyed reading this most recent chapter.

As stated in the introductory AN, the hot springs scene is largely canon. So yes, Akeno is canonically aggressively bisexual; you may rejoice. That said, I used to scene to set up future events on the romantic front.
Koneko has also visibly grown. It seems her days as school mascot are over.

Next up, Naruto is playing 4d chess in a checkers tournament again. Confusion on all sides ensues. Jokes aside, some juicy intel is secured during the raid on the Khaos Brigade's fortress. Incidentally, this leads to the immortal knucklehead becoming a bogeyman to Fallen everywhere, especially those affiliated with the Khaos Brigade.
Now, what is the thing the cheeky buggers did during this whole shebang?

And finally, training begins! The actual content of Issei's training was rather lacklustre in the novel, and to be honest, I didn't spice it up by much. I did introduce the human element via Kiyo, Haru, and Shizue though. Koneko and Issei will emerge differently from this training trip than they did in canon.

Some of you (or most) may be beginning to question what Issei means with "special" when he talks about certain women. The answer for that I plan to give you next chapter, but in case I don't get to it then, I'll give it to you ahead of time: These "special" women are all deemed compatible by Issei's dragon aura.

Now then, thank you all who have read this story so far. Special thanks to those who followed, favourited, and reviewed. Your continued support makes this story a joy to write. As usual, do not hesitate to contact me in case you have questions or have encountered consistency errors.

Concerning next chapter, I reluctantly announce the possibility of a delay. I'm currently suffering from a rather nasty bacterial infection in my lungs. Additionally, my suspicions of a developing carpal tunnel syndrome have been confirmed. I've been informed that the surgery will be rather minor, but I have no idea how long the recovery period will be. So, be prepared for a delay in the next chapter.

With all that said, I now release you into the rest of the day. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!