Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson.

The Last Shinto Kami

Chapter Nine: Up Your Arsenal

We join Naruto at the end of a story.

"With Ares and his violent presence disposed of, the war reached a natural conclusion. The remaining Trojans either retreated or fought to the last man in small pockets of resistance throughout the city. However, I focused on getting civilians out of Troy before the army sacked the city." That was how Naruto ended his account of the terrible Trojan War. With his story done, Naruto finally had the chance to run a hand through his hair, which was golden once more, a most obvious sign of an exasperated soul.

Delos' sole inhabitant sat directly opposite the young god with a warm smile, listening to his tale attentively. Seeing Naruto again after so long was reason enough for Leto to smile. "Yours is quite the story. I guess I was right to worry about you. I would scold you for being so reckless, but I know your heart was in the right place. Which is more than I can say about the father of my children..." Her brief pause was more than enough time to click her teeth and roll her eyes, but the annoyance didn't last. "I'm glad you've returned safe and sound, Naruto."

Naruto's answer was brutally honest. They were words from the darker corners of his subconscious. "Sound might be an exaggeration when it comes to me. War is where decent people suffer. While the wicked spread their cruelty. I saw it. There was more than once where I wanted to burn everything to the ground, Leto." His guilty admission led Naruto to look down at the table in shame. So were the standards Naruto held himself to.

Leto allowed Naruto to vent, saying nothing as his troubled thoughts spilled forth. The titan matron was wise enough to understand an ill-placed word could do irreparable damage in this situation. When the silence became too heavy, Leto offered her piece while taking her fellow blonde's clenched fist into her hand. "Naruto... your measure isn't about what you thought in a moment of weakness. No, it was about how you acted when faced with adversity. And you couldn't have done more. You were great, and the people were lucky to have you."

In what was a habit for the son of Amaterasu, Naruto searched the titan woman's eyes for sincerity. He found the honest affirmation he desired in droves. "Thank you, Leto. That means a lot to me." He gave a reassuring squeeze before releasing Leto's hand.

Content with knowing she successfully advised the young man who offered her a life after Zeus and Hera, Leto beamed positivity. Such was the power of her presence that the somber mood began lifting around Naruto. "I'm happy to help! If you don't mind my asking, what happened with the assassins Helen mentioned in her secret message? They never came up in your story, so I'm curious."

Initially, Naruto sat with his head tilted ever-so-slightly in confusion. Until understanding settled in. The assassins were something he skimmed over as unimportant. In mentioning them, Leto showed how attentive she was when he spoke. "Right, I almost forgot about those guys. It turns out their bodies were among those Ares butchered before we fought. A turn of luck, I guess...?"

Shaking her head amusedly at Naruto's casualness, Leto laughed at her young friend's antics. "Even brutes have their uses under the right circumstances." Her ponderings drew a nod of agreement from her guest. "What about Helen? Did she make it home safely?" The mother in her made Leto's heartache for the young woman turned into a pawn through no fault of her own.

Helen's mention gave Naruto a reason to smile. She was one of the more normal people Naruto encountered. So it was natural for him to keep an eye on her until she was back where she belonged, safe and happy.

"Helen returned home without incident. I can't say the same for others like Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Paris. Those three were among many punished by the gods for their less than savory behavior." Any other time, Naruto would've been against the severe punishments levied for petty offenses, but Naruto felt they had it coming for one reason or the other.

A quiet hum passed between Naruto and Leto. There was a beat of silence before the titan woman's latest inquiry. "How about Atalanta? What happened to her?"

There was an unmistakable pride in Naruto's voice as he recalled his most recent meeting with his best friend and trusted ally. "Atalanta was offered a new chance at life. She decided her place was with the Hunters of Artemis, founded by your daughter. And I'm glad. Atalanta deserved it."

Naruto planned on getting a reaction by bringing up Artemis, but what Leto gave him went beyond reasonable expectations.

Invoking Artemis' name and confirming their paths crossed revealed an entirely different side of the titan matron. She went from serious to a gushing mother in the time it took to blink, including clasping her hands beneath her chin and prattling a seemingly endless line of questions. "Oh, you met my moonlight? How wonderful! Did the two of you hit it off? What did you think of her, Naruto? Was she doing okay? I know you two will be perfect friends with time! Tell me everything! Please?"

Leto's unexpected bombardment left Naruto bewildered beneath blank blinking. There were so many questions, almost too many! Deciding to ignore most of Leto's motherly enthusiasm, Naruto answered the one question he felt comfortable answering. "I think she's interesting, I suppose. She's on guard but not reckless. I felt like Artemis was aware of everything around her. Even the small details most people miss. It's sort of like a predator waiting for a moment of weakness. I guess that's what makes her a good hunter."

His hastily constructed but fitting analogy elicited laughter from Artemis' proud mother. Her daughter was a fierce woman. Of that, there was no doubt. "Yes, that does sound like her, my moonlight. Arty is as serious as they come, almost too much at times. But under all that is a heart of gold."

"You should see her when she is with children! Arty turns into a mother bear through and through. And as her mother, I love seeing her heart open like that." Leto couldn't stop her hand from resting against her cheek. Nor the longing sigh which followed. A grandchild from her daughter was Leto's dream.

'A love for family and a strong sense of duty to her precious people... just like me. Maybe Tsuki isn't so bad.'

But while Naruto retreated into his thoughts, Leto had her thoughts and plots to tease Naruto.

"You two should marry. I think you're the perfect match! You'll be so good for each other~! A mother knows these things!"

Blindsided by Leto's attempt at matchmaking, blood rushed to Naruto's face as he instinctively scrambled back, nearly knocking his chair over in haste. "Marriage? No way- I don't know- I..." On top of flustered denials, Naruto waving his hands almost broke Leto, but she held out against her laughter.

Rising elegantly from her seat, Leto flowed gracefully around the table and advanced on Naruto. She got in close enough to go chest-to-chest with him, which made leaning toward his ear a formality. "Or perhaps you're looking for someone more experienced to call yours?"

Was it possible for a sun god to burn? Because Naruto felt like his face was on fire. Unable to make his tongue work, he settled for internally cursing his lack of experience dealing with women, even if it was harmless, like what Leto was doing now. Mother, Nyx, nor Meg bothered educating him on the finer points of courtship. He was totally helpless here.

Things shifted around for the better, and Naruto avoided further floundering when a localized surge of godly power washed over the area. Both blondes shared a look before their confused expressions turned toward the home's ceiling. "Did you feel that?"

Though he offered a nod, Naruto remained hyper-focused on the prodding power he felt looming around the island. "I do; it feels like someone is looking for something."

"You don't think it's Zeus? Do you?" Leto knew better than most how jealous her former lover could be. She also knew Zeus was doing his best to pull her location from their twins. The idea of the thunderer arriving caused an understandable frown. The Titaness was wise enough to realize what a meeting between Naruto and Zeus looked like.

Taking an extra second to confirm what his senses told him, Naruto eventually responded by shaking his head. "No... it's not him. This power feels like it's coming from somewhere higher than the sky. And now that I have a lock on it, it's two presences combining to make a single presence."

'Higher than the sky...' It was Leto with the answers. Then without warning, she pulled the startled blonde from the house, leaving them standing on what was essentially Leto's lawn.

"Open the barrier, please. Let our guests in, Naruto." His face mirrored his inner uncertainty, so much so that Leto addressed the issue before it festered further. "It will be alright. Trust me..." A firm, unshakable smile sealed Naruto's choice.

"If that's what you want." Naruto aimed a hand toward the invisible barrier of ethereal energy around the island, and with his eyes blazing with power, he twisted his hand. The veil shimmered into existence just before a hole gradually opened in the bubble, resonating with the decisive motion. In through Naruto's invitation came a beam of pure light. Which, upon crashing into the ground, bathed the whole island in a white glow.

When the blinding light faded, two people were left opposite Naruto and Leto, a man and a woman.

The man stood proud, a look not diminished by the age lines around his eyes. What stuck out most about him was the blend of white and gold hair that glinted in the sunlight. Beside him, the woman stood elegantly in her flowing gold and blue robe with a smile that brightened the world around her.

'Who are they?'

Leto was the one who answered Naruto's unasked question. "Aether... Hemera, how long has it been? It's wonderful to see you again."

Lord of the Upper Air and protogenous, Aether nodded gruffly. However, his eyes did possess a moment of kindness that came and went in a flash. "Leto."

His wife and the embodiment of daylight, Hemera, was much more enthusiastic in her greeting. She rushed across the green grass and swept Leto up in a hug that she returned happily. "Too long, Leto! You look wonderful! Motherhood suits you."

Parting from the hug but keeping her hands on Hemera's shoulders, Leto's smile exuded motherly pride. "Thank you, dear. Being a mother comes with challenges, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I can't imagine life without my darling twins."

"We need to set something up! I'd love to meet them myself. Maybe hear you embarrass them while we're at it~!" A pair of giggles went off before their conversation faded into whispers too soft for Naruto to understand.

Feeling Aether's cold blue eyes on him is enough to steal away the young kami's attention. Something about the man's stare rubbed Naruto the wrong way, a feeling Naruto wasn't hesitant to share. "You have something to say to me? Or are you going to stare at me all day?"

"I'm looking for what others seem to see in you. But all I see is little more than disrespectful whelp." Aether didn't bother mincing words. He said what he meant, something in short supply in this world. But Naruto was beyond taking slights like that sitting down.

"To be frank, I don't give a damn what you think about me. You're entitled to your opinion, but that doesn't mean I need to care." Like Aether spoke to him, Naruto gave it to the older man straight. The pre-war version of himself would've been more accommodating. However, this edition of himself had no time for unwarranted disrespect.

"Watch your tongue-" Hemera's timely intervention prevented further escalation. She squashed the argument with a simple yet effective slap against the back of her husband's head, the force from which snapped his head downward momentarily.

While Aether grumbled under his breath, Hemera took it upon herself as his wife to scold the ancient man for his behavior, much to Leto's amusement. "Enough of that! You can't act like a boar and expect others to smile and bear it."

"Hemera!" The prideful protogenous found himself suitably mollified by the actions of his other half. Had he been a younger or lesser man, being scolded like this would've resulted in an embarrassed flush.

"Don't Hemera me, Aether! You wrought what your behavior deserved. Drop it, or I'll lock you out of our home again." Her warning shut Aether down in his tracks. Pleased with her defused husband, Hemera turned to Naruto, where her frown turned into a genial smile. "Let me have a look at you, Naruto."

Naruto blinked when the woman took his face into her hands. His surprise became a minor annoyance when the touchy goddess turned his head in different directions against his will. This forward handling created a twitch in his eyebrow. "Look at you! Mother Nyx wasn't wrong about how bright you are. Not to mention how handsome you are~!"

"I forgot you two are Nyx's children." The revelation of familial relation drained Naruto's indignation. Instead of snapping, he stood there with a smile. Naruto was always happy to meet more of his extended family. And his massive smile showed it. "It's nice to meet you, Hemera. I'm Naruto-Omikami."

Being confronted with Naruto being polite was too much for the bright woman. With no hope of holding herself back, she hugged him. And embrace him she did, quite fiercely, in fact. "How precious! I see why Mother Nyx beams with pride when talking about you."

Until now, Leto contented herself with silence, opting to watch this peculiar first meeting. However, she felt obligated to point out something Hemera missed in her excitement. "Hemera, I believe the young man would like some space to breathe."

Genuinely oblivious to the plight of the young man in her arms, Hemera hadn't noticed Naruto's struggle against her strength until she looked down and saw his flailing. "Oh! I am so sorry!" She quickly released Naruto, letting him stumble back with a rushed breath.

'Gods! No one has done that since I was a child!' At the very least, Naruto had a newfound respect for how strong the unassuming woman could be.

"Hah... don't worry about it. So what are you two doing here? Did you come to see Leto or something?"

"No, we came looking for you. There is a request, one Hemera and I plan on fulfilling to our mother." This time Aether was much more personable, making it easier for Naruto to pay him mind. His being serious meant Naruto could take him seriously in return. "We want to train you. With some help, you can inch closer toward your full potential, young Omikami."

Naruto felt himself falling into a frown, showing some of his confusion. In Naruto's opinion, their offered assistance was coming out of nowhere. "What do you mean? Forgive me if this sounds rude, but how could you help me?"

"Your powers are impressive for someone so young. As you are now, you're a credit to your lineage, yet you can still improve. I doubt you realize it, but you possess an affinity for wind. That is something we can work on together, Naruto."

Hemera followed her husband's lead, sharing her plans for Naruto with the young blonde. "I want to teach you how to use pure light. What do you think? Will you come with us and learn?" The young kami almost agreed to the offer based on the brightness of Hemera's smile.

"However, if you agree to our training, there won't be half measures. Once you're in, there is no going back. That's why you need to decide right now. Is this what you want?"

Naruto's molten eyes hardened with a determined glint upon being challenged. It was just a part of him to never back down when confronted with a challenge. Call him stubborn. "If you're serious, then I am too. I'm in..."

For the first time, Naruto saw something close to approval sketched across Aether's stoic face. Along with it came the beginnings of a smirk. "Good. The sooner we start your training, the better."

"Sure. Let me get my goodbyes in before we head out." Naruto didn't bother getting permission. Instead, he wheeled around and smiled at Leto. "I'll be sure to stop by when my training's finished. Hopefully, it will be sooner than ten years this time."

The remark made in good humor sent Leto headfirst into laughter. Shaking her golden-haired head, the titan mother matched Naruto's smile. "I'll hold you to that promise."

"You got it; see ya soon." And with that, the three visitors departed Delos Island in a pillar of light, leaving Leto with her thoughts.

"He's one step closer to revealing himself to the world. I can only imagine what kind of storm you'll unleash when all is said and done, Naruto."

The Upper Air

The divine trio arrived at the heart of a sprawling throne room. It was fitted with many colorful windows, letting light into the room through a tint of rainbow coloring, creating an ambiance that was difficult to match. And everything converged on the matching golden thrones, which glittered on and off like fireflies in a darkened sky.

Sadly for his curiosity, Naruto wasn't allowed time to examine the room. Aether took control of the quiet room with his authoritative voice. "I'll be preoccupied with matters of the realm for the rest of today. Tomorrow, training begins when the sun rises. Don't be late, and come ready to work."

Gone in a buffeting burst of wind, Naruto blinked at the blunt man's abrupt exit. It was probably best that Hemera looped her arm through his because it left little time for Naruto to think about life training under Aether's taskmaster personality. "Here, let me give you a tour."

Under Hemera's guidance, Naruto spent hours learning about the day-to-day aspects of the Upper Air Kingdom. In being shown around, Naruto was introduced to the many air nymphs that helped maintain the realm.

Evidently his warm demeanor and overall friendliness made Naruto an immediate favorite of the beautiful nymphs. Sure, the attention was flattering, and the air-attuned women were nothing short of stunning, but Naruto could've gone without the subsequent teasing from a tittering Hemera.

During their sightseeing spree, the two divine beings also began learning more about each other. The mutual exchange of personal stories commenced with an innocent enough question from the younger blonde. "Is it true you move into Tartarus during the night?"

Staring out at the ever-present layer of clouds in the distance, Hemera giggled melodiously at her future pupil's probing. "I'm afraid that's a little wife's tale. I diminish my hold over the light when Mother Nyx's night comes around. Nothing too terribly exciting or fantastical."

"I guess that does sound a little silly. Doesn't it?" Rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, Naruto sheepishly chuckled when he realized how absurd his question sounded when said out loud. Not to mention wildly inconvenient.

"What about you, Naruto? Tell me something about yourself." Hemera accidentally dragged Naruto into the past. For a second, he saw another woman with golden hair taking an interest in him. Or that's how it looked on the surface. The truth was more cynical. It was based on lies.

Demeter…

Amaterasu's son quashed his troubled memories as quickly as possible while reminding himself that he was firmly in the present. He told himself Hemera wasn't following the same agenda the harvest goddess hid from him. Family. Hemera was family.

"I guess life has been a lot of fighting lately. That and me trying to help the people put the pieces back together after a decade of war. It's been... it's been rough." No amount of work on his part stopped the continuous cycle of pain. The long line of broken families left after the Trojan War seemed endless, even for a god. He allowed their pain to become his own. It was the least he could do for the suffering people.

A well-timed application of pressure on his forearm courtesy of an attentive Hemera pulled Naruto away from his depressing thoughts. The understanding eyes of his hostess stirred Naruto back to the present. "No, tell me about yourself, not your actions. I want to hear what makes you who you are."

"That is a complicated question." His golden eyes fell shut, momentarily masquerading a majority of his expressiveness. As he thought about the inquiry, particular faces emerged, which played a part in his heartfelt answer. "I cherish what little family I have. If I can make those around me happy... then I am happy as well."

Hemera couldn't contain the smile spreading across her face. That was her way of showing approval. Naruto gave the correct answer, but not a common one. "What about the power you hold? It's an incredible feeling... correct? How do you deal with wielding such responsibility?"

Her question wasn't a new one for Naruto. Perhaps that's why the answer came so naturally. Or perhaps, it was how comfortable the bright-eyed woman made him. "I believe fire does more than destroy. It's my honor to represent the sun, a true force of life. I'd much rather spend my time bringing life to the world than death and destruction."

"Mother Nyx was right; you possess a healer's soul. It's good I plan on teaching you how to harness the true healing power of the light." She saw this partnership going well since she preferred using her powers to help people whenever possible. Unfortunately, her time with the mortals was limited by her duties.

"I look forward to learning from you, Hemera-sensei."

Months Later, On Olympus

It wasn't an exaggeration to say Zeus hadn't felt this good since defeating his tyrannical father. Because through his superior intellect, he successfully wiped out countless threats to his throne without lifting a finger. Zeus called it pure brilliance worthy of song. With that damned prophecy in the past, he could focus on living a king's life. Parties and beautiful women seemed an appropriate way to celebrate his success.

Any chance at a potential party reached a premature end when Zeus sensed someone entering the sprawling boundaries of his palace-temple. The arrival of his beautiful sister was a welcome surprise. It spurred the bearded lightning lord to smirk at his one-time lover. "Demeter! It's lovely to see you. Would you care to join me for some quality alone time?"

Wheat-shaded eyes were rolled prior to Demeter's suffering scoff. She didn't care enough to humor the flirtatious attempt, not after Zeus' failure to defend their daughter from Hades' machinations. "Not a chance in Tartarus. I wouldn't do that to our sister. I'm here to share something important with you."

The king's face wrapped around a stormy expression of displeasure, one born from Demeter's blatant refusal. The sour look on the bearded god's face wasn't uncommon, despite Zeus' repeated attempts at defending himself against accusations that he was prone to emotional outbursts. "Fine! Be that way if you must. What are you here for?"

Demeter breathed in, resisting the urge to comment on her baby brother's terrible attitude. It'd be better to focus on the reason she visited him in the first place. "One of my children had a dream-"

"What does that have to do with me?" Zeus' ego drove his interruption. He saw no reason why he needed to care about one of his sister's offspring. Who cared what dream they had? His time was better spent elsewhere than listening to meaningless prattle. A king such as himself was above this menial trite.

Or so he believed.

"Shut your mouth, and I'll get there!" Demeter growled through her frustration. An insult here was unnecessary. If she wanted to get back at her brother for the disrespect he showed, all Demeter needed to do was deliver her message. Her temperamental brother's reaction would prove more satisfying than any back-handed comment. "They dreamed of Olympus in flames. Dark flames. Our gold palaces burned, and the white clouds turned black from soot. They saw your reign end in ash."

Thunder shattered in the distance as the supreme ruler of Olympus exploded to his feet. Zeus' frown reached a harshness that caused a deep crease in his brow. Meanwhile, his seething glare included the stray spark of poorly-controlled lightning. "Are you threatening me?"

The harvest queen armed herself with a shroud of divine essence. If her brother decided to go on the attack, she'd be ready for him. "They saw a black sun behind a man with golden black hair. Wherever he walked, the flames bowed to him. My child saw his burning golden eyes, and then the flames went black and consumed everything."

Olympus in ruin? Black flames? Preposterous! They were the most dominant force on the planet due to his power. Not the dwellers in the desert. And certainly not the barbarians in the frozen north! Nothing could touch their sacred grounds of Olympus. "I have no time for the overactive imagination of some child! Begone before you anger me further, Demeter."

His older sister shook her head with a touch of sadness scattered across her otherwise flawless face. Zeus still wasn't understanding. She'd give it to him straight, no clever verbal twists or tricks. "Don't you get it? The man in the vision isn't some random figment. It's the same man you had me spying on."

Zeus needed a moment to recall who she was talking about. When he finally remembered the boy, the response was underwhelming. Zeus scoffed at Demeter's overdramatic assertion. He was so unbothered he even waved away her concern. "You speak of the boy with the strange name? Don't make me laugh! We haven't heard nor seen a hair of him since. That boy is dead."

Seriously, sometimes it was like trying to talk with a wall. "I tried; that's all I can do. If you listen to reason, the consequences are on your shoulders." As she turned and walked away, the smirk on her face was there. She knew this would bother him long beyond her exit.

Breathing out through his nose, Zeus shoved the events of the past few minutes from his mind. Or at least, he tried banishing them. But it wasn't long before the things shared with him crawled back into his thoughts. Nervously, his fingers beat against the arm of his opulent throne. "What if... what if the prophecy was wrong? What if the threat is still out there waiting in the shadows?"

Zeus attempted to slam a lid on his troublesome thoughts. Same as his fist smashing against his chair. The small web of fractures was repaired instantly, but the god king's irritation remained. "No! Nothing has changed! The throne of Olympus is mine! We shall stand for an eternity! I am the one-and-only king!"

But what if those flames descended upon his kingdom?

These dark thoughts plagued Zeus like the storms that plagued Olympus for the next week.

Two Years Later...

Floating off the ground at the heart of a sky-rending tornado was none other than the blonde kami. Naruto flexed his power, and the wind itself answered his call. It whipped around the sunny blonde in a howl as the air grew heavy and polluted the sky with murkiness.

Naruto's bleak silhouette threw its arms outward, commanding two pillars of highly-condensed air blasting forth. Those twin terrors ripped trenches into the ground that continued for as long as the eye could see. That's when one of Naruto's clones illuminated the gloomy space by peppering the original's tornado tunnel with spat firebombs. Alone, the clone's attacks did nothing as the crushing cycle of blunt-force wind snuffed out the flames.

It wasn't until two more clones joined their brother. Their combined front forced Naruto from his violent wind veil, lest he be turned into a bonfire. Naruto crash-landed amid the trio of clones with humming buzzsaws of pure wind levitating above his open hands. The clones on the flanks weren't quick enough, but the center duplicate saved himself by taking to the sky.

That was a mistake. In the sky, there was no defense against Naruto's new command over the wind. All it took was Naruto clasping his hands to create two grinding walls of concentrated atmosphere that crushed the airborne clone like a bug.

The satisfied sunborn didn't revel for long before he was forced into flipping. Hanging upside down, Naruto brought a wind-covered foot up and sent an orb of divine energy into the clouds with a kick. The orb's distant boom announced a new challenger's arrival. "You should pay more attention to your surroundings, boy."

"And you need to learn how to relax, old timer!" His bit of quick wit became a grunt as he was forced to defend against Aether's closed fist. Nyx's protogenous son followed his punch with a series of kicks that sent Naruto backward. The golden kami saw his trainer charging his way on the tail end of two propulsive jets. Aether's frontal charge left Naruto with a smirk. "Let me show you why charging a hothead is stupid!"

A spark of fire on the left.

A whisper of wind on the right.

These two elements fostered in Naruto's respective hands, growing more powerful by the moment until their danger couldn't be denied. Aether noticed the threat but couldn't stop his charge in time. "Boom!" Nor could the older man prevent Naruto from slamming his hands together and making a massive explosion that devoured both fighters in a concussive dome of fire and wind.

Aether emerged from the aftermath first, landing feet first on solid(ish) ground. Other than singed clothes, he came out of the attack unscathed. The shield of golden power he erected in front of himself proved wise as Naruto came crashing down a moment later with an orb of red energy grinding into his defenses. [1]

The two training foes locked gazes, giving a disapproving Aether his chance to offer a critique even as his shield cracked under the ferocity of Naruto's attack. "You need to add divine power to your attacks! Pure elemental manipulation isn't enough! That last attack should've done more damage!"

Naruto refrained from rolling his eyes at the older being's super serious attitude. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was trying to hit you!" His golden eyes blazed as his power signature raised exponentially. "Fine! You want power? You can have it!"

Using Aether's construct to leap backward, Naruto created plenty of room to launch his next move. And it all started with the blonde holding a hand above his head. From the cradle of his palm came a pulsating orb of crimson energy. The ball grew until its spiraling mass shadowed the entire clearing.

Emerging out of the volatile core was a harrowing whistle and four ethereal blades of wind that jutted out of the four cardinal directions. Those deadly protrusions began to rotate, gaining speed with every full rotation.

When those spinning blades reached full tilt, they generated hurricane-force winds and absorbed the reddish tint from the attack's nucleus. Which gave the wind-made extensions a bloody pink hue. Aether was forced to brace himself against the jarring headwinds. When the older man realized the true extent of the danger, he turned and ran, but it was too late. By now, Naruto's attack was the size of a mountain range.

"Rasenshuriken!" As if the ball of chaotic ruin was overjoyed to hear its name, the spiraling orb's whistle turned into a piercing shriek. Naruto's hand fell away, releasing the crimson sphere of destruction to rise into the sky. It went hundreds of feet before stopping. Standing under the looming doom with arms crossed, Naruto unleashed pure devastation with a single word.

Katsu

On Naruto's command, the crimson orb imploded, unleashing a ravaging shockwave of severing wind power in a dome stretched for thousands of feet. When the wild howling of divine fury faded, the scar left on the land was there for all to see. Not only was there a massive chasm torn into the planet's surface that'd make Tartarus envious. And it was directly underneath a stoic Naruto's feet as he floated above the gaping drop.

"You can come out now."

A few seconds later and out stumbled Aether. The man was still alive, but the entirety of his right arm wasn't so lucky. Having his arm cut off would've been kinder than what Aether got with his mangled limb hanging by a thread at his side. "You could wipe out all of Greece..."

Naruto didn't say anything. His actions delivered a clear message on his behalf.

"Then we are fortunate Naruto would never do something like that." In one sentence, Hemera dashed any tension left in the air after Naruto's staggering display of might. Her soft words soothed her husband and brought a smile to Naruto's face. "Naruto, would you take care of this mess while I fix up my foolish husband?"

"Of course, Hemera-sensei." Fixing the damage he unleashed on the landscape was surprisingly easy, thanks to his Fade Barrier. "Shuri..." The kami for repair manifested across the previously intangible bubble, and in seconds, the ruined setting reverted to its past glory.

"She is sensei, but he calls me an old timer." The only indication anyone acknowledged Aether's indignant grumbling was the smile on Hemera's face as she healed his arm. She was unapologetically pleased to be Naruto's favorite.

"None of that~! Now that you two have gotten that out of your system, we're having a feast before Naruto leaves us!" It was time for the Upper Air to celebrate!

END

[1] Greek divine power manifests in gold, while Shinto energy appears crimson red.

Writer's Note I: Personally, I don't enjoy doing training chapters. I find them boring to read and write. However, in this case, a cooldown chapter was necessary. On the bright side, I furthered Naruto's relationship with Leto, introduced more family for Naruto, and made our resident kami more like the canon Naruto.

Plus, there's the stuff going on with Zeus... so it's not entirely filler. See you guys and girls soon! Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate every one of them!