Alright, before starting Chapter 2, it's time to give the only two answers to the comments I received.
Rachlnoah: I'm not scared, a fanfic is something that copyright holders generally don't care about. They usually let you do it, and most authors of the original characters strongly ignore them. But a comic is already major leagues of copyright, and I've seen people whose lives go to hell for it, and I prefer to stick to just fanfiction and YouTube rather than risk something like that. If you want to make my story into a comic, go ahead, I won't stop you. As a friend of mine says, "once something you authored is on the internet, it stops being yours and becomes the property of any idiot who wants to take it," and no, I'm not calling you an idiot, those were his exact words when he was almost sued for taking the idea from a fanfic.
Now, for Elkenn: I don't understand what you mean by as long as it's not another OC. All Naruto fanfics are OCs; I mean, they rarely behave like Kishimoto's canon Naruto. But well, regarding your suggestions, well, Alpha is certainly an interesting perspective, especially since I've already overused Erza too much. Regarding Delta... she was already contemplated in my idea. Still, thanks for your suggestions.
Chapter 2
A couple of hours after Natsumi's departure, Naruto simply let out a heavy sigh, the air escaping his lungs like a silent lament. With a brusque gesture, he crossed out a small paragraph he had written in his notebook, the black ink erasing the letters with contained fury.
"It's another dead end," he thought, feeling a mixture of anger and frustration rise through his throat like bitter poison. The worst part was that Natsumi had left with his notebook and locked herself in his library, leaving him stranded in a sea of thoughts without being able to put them into his research on magical minerals.
Which was incredibly annoying, like a constant itch on his skin, due to the ease with which his mind jumped from one thought to another. He could remember the old ones, of course, but... it would take a while, given the speed at which his mind worked, a whirlwind of ideas that overwhelmed him.
These thoughts made him lose his gaze in the void, sinking into an abyss of reflection, leaning back in his chair as he began to spin on it repeatedly in an attempt to relax a bit, the circular motion an attempt to calm the storm within him, while his eyes never left the material scattered on his desk, a constant reminder of his failure.
People thought he hated his brothers. The truth wasn't like that, he was just disappointed in them, a disappointment that weighed on his shoulders like a burden. The younger brother was supposed to admire the older ones, but what was there to admire in his older siblings? Rias had no ambition, she was a spoiled princess who expected everyone to do her homework, Sirzechs was an imbecile without real ambition... although they had their uses, a bitter admission that revealed his pragmatism. And the shattered material on his table was proof of them, a silent testament to his frustration.
About a month ago, his sister, in an attempt at fraternization, showed him one of her favorite anime manga series... he preferred manga, it was rawer and didn't have as many inconsistencies, but that wasn't the point right now, a passing thought that briefly diverted his attention.
Saint Seiya, that was the anime she showed him, and besides being fascinated by the power system, which by the way he considered the most absurdly broken of all due to the ease it had to allow you to quickly climb the ladder, he was fascinated by something else: the Cloths, sacred garments forged from a mysterious material that were capable of evolving as the cosmos of their wearer evolved, an object of fascination that awakened his insatiable curiosity.
Unfortunately, in his world they didn't exist. The gods, although it was certainly a good thing given how Hades and Poseidon were, were nothing like the Saint Seiya versions, but the point in this was that, since they were nothing like in that series, they didn't have those armors that he could get to study and, with some luck, replicate, a frustrating obstacle that blocked his path.
Because of this, he had to move on to the other way to do it: study the damn manga, its Databooks, everything he could to have all the information possible about those armors and, with some luck, find a way to replicate them, an obsessive quest that consumed his time and energy. He managed to identify all their materials: Orichalcum, a rare metal present only in the Greek world, but since they had it in abundance, they sold it without problems to those who bought it; stardust, rare but easily obtained if you knew where to get it; blood of the god who commanded the army... difficult, but since he wanted the armor for himself, he supposed he could replace the god's blood with his own. The problem was the fourth material: Galium, a completely fictional metal with unique properties that could not be replicated, or at least that until now he had not been able to replicate no matter how many materials he tried to study, a frustrating enigma that defied his intellect.
And even with the Six Eyes at his disposal, which allowed him to see the very flow of energy and the properties of everything with exceptional clarity, they were not proving useful in this damn task, a bitter admission of his impotence.
Therefore, and after letting out another sigh, this time of resignation, Naruto took the small metal sample on his desk and dropped it into a trash can next to him. "It's a pity," he thought, with a slight hint of sadness, a shadow of disappointment darkening his gaze. "I'm running out of materials to explore and none are even close to replicating Galium." Finally, he closed his notebook with a dry thud, the sound echoing in the silence of the room, and got up from his chair, his knuckles paler than usual due to the force with which he was gripping the armrest, the accumulated tension manifesting in his body.
"I'm starting to think this is a lost cause," he growled to himself through clenched teeth, frustration boiling inside him. The idea that he was working on a project with no future was, frustrating, a dead end that defied his intellect.
Without a clear destination in mind, but knowing he needed to relax a bit before blowing up his room, he simply left his lab and began to wander the mansion's corridors, his steps echoing in the opulent silence of the place. The opulent silence of the place did nothing to calm him down, in fact, quite the opposite, it made him feel even more uncomfortable, oppressed, as if the mansion itself was suffocating him. The walls adorned with tapestries and portraits of his ancestors seemed to observe him with disapproval, judging his impatience with silent stares. He hated this place, everything, absolutely everything except his room and the library reminded him of the mediocrity that had taken over the Gremory clan, of the arrogance in falsely mastered abilities that led his sister to be a spoiled little bitch, a resentment that burned inside him like an incandescent ember.
"Well, there's no point in thinking about this," he lamented softly, his voice a whisper laden with frustration, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten a bit, the anxiety twisting inside him. "At the end of the day, only my project matters."
As he walked through the marble corridors of the mansion, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the prevailing silence, Naruto heard a light muffled curse, a sound that broke the monotony of the place. Something that made him raise an eyebrow in curiosity, a flash of interest shining in his eyes. His feet led him almost without thinking to the room from where the sound had come.
Recognizing the door to his father's office, he felt a pang of interest awaken within him, a spark of curiosity igniting his mind. It wasn't that he cared too much about what his father did or didn't do, but... the man rarely cursed, and because of that his natural curiosity awoke with full force, a relentless force that drove him to explore the unknown, that pushed him to find out what had caused the curse, an irresistible impulse that guided him towards the mystery.
With silent steps, he approached the door and tried to peek inside, spying like a curious cat. However, a clumsy movement of his hand caused the door to open with a slight but audible creak that his father noticed, the sound breaking the silence like a gunshot. His heart raced in his chest and a sensation of inexplicable fear ran down his spine, a freezing current of dread that paralyzed him for an instant. His father, his face contorted in a scowl, appeared in the doorway, his eyes as blue as his siblings' fixed on him, but as soon as he recognized his youngest son, the man's expression softened, transforming into a mixture of surprise and guilt, a sudden change that disarmed Naruto.
Looking at Naruto, with his dark glasses that always covered his slightly droopy eyes revealing his strange bright and crystalline eyes, his body tense with fear, Zeoticus felt a pang of remorse, a remorse that squeezed his heart. In a way, the image of his son reminded him of a young Sirzechs, spying in forbidden places with a mixture of curiosity and fear, a bittersweet memory that awakened his conscience. At that moment, the ancient demon realized how long he had spent absorbing the role of Lord Gremory, that he forgot his responsibilities as a father, a silent admission of his negligence. Therefore, with a slow sigh, he smiled at Naruto trying to dispel the tension that had been created between them, an attempt to repair the damage with a show of affection.
His father's kind gesture had the desired effect, Naruto's fearful expression quickly fading, replaced by his usual mask of indifference, a shield that hid his emotions. And his dark glasses returned to cover his eyes as usual, concealing his penetrating gaze behind a barrier of opacity.
With slow and silent steps, he entered the office, an elegant and vast space that he remembered visiting only a couple of times in his young life. The walls were covered with shelves filled with ancient books and parchments, silent witnesses of countless secrets. A large, solid wood desk dominated the center of the room, a bastion of power and knowledge. Zeoticus, sitting in an imposing leather chair, now observed him with a mixture of curiosity and affection, a look that tried to decipher his son's mysteries.
Naruto, with his usual apathy, sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, adopting an indifferent posture that hid his curiosity. His eyes fixed on his father, like two sapphires scrutinizing every movement, it had been a long, really long time since the last time he had been alone with him, and the words seemed to get stuck in his throat, a knot of emotions that made communication difficult.
With a slight gesture of weariness, an expression that reflected the weight of his responsibilities, due to his son's way of acting, a way of acting that no child should have, in the end the man simply let out a heavy sigh, a silent lament that filled the room. "I guess you heard my outburst," he began formally, with a tone of voice that made it more than clear that he was exhausted, a fatigue that permeated his words.
"I did." Naruto's tone was soft, showing no hesitation, just the natural curiosity of a child, an innocent interest that hid an analytical mind. Something that, in fact, made Zeoticus relax his shoulders, apparently unaware of something that many servants of the mansion knew: Naruto's curiosity was dangerous, a hidden edge behind a harmless appearance.
"I guess you'd like to know why," Zeoticus asked, receiving only a nod from Naruto in response, which made the older man exhale the air he was holding, feeling the tension slowly dissipate from the atmosphere, a relief that relaxed his tense muscles.
"I just realized that the lands where we had been building warehouses to store supplies are too close to our territory's border for my liking, and now I have to finance the construction of new warehouses and the relocation of all supplies closer to the territory's capital... so to speak," he explained to his son, with a hint of concern in his voice, a restlessness that disturbed his tranquility.
Naruto, who had remained silent until that moment, lowered his dark glasses and gave his father an incredulous look, an expression that reflected his disbelief. "Why the hell didn't you check a damn map?" his expression seemed to say, with a mixture of surprise and reproach, a silent reproach that filled the air with palpable tension. After a few seconds of silence, he put his glasses back on, hiding his blue orbs from his father's view, a shield that protected his thoughts.
Zeoticus, unable to contain himself, let out a small chuckle at his son's reaction, a sound that broke the tension with a spark of humor. With a quick movement of his hand, he snapped his fingers and used a simple spell to make the map hanging on the wall levitate next to him. Naruto could see it more clearly now, a gesture that offered a clearer view of the situation.
Naruto observed the map attentively, his gaze scanning the lines and symbols with astonishing speed, analyzing every detail with relentless precision. He felt a slight surprise to perceive the ease with which his father had used the spell, a silent admiration for his father's ability. As soon as his eyes showed him the flow of magic, he had to admit that it was quite simple to do. "Something to practice later," he thought with interest, a fleeting thought that revealed his insatiable curiosity, before refocusing his attention on the map.
That was one of the few things he had managed to figure out about the Six Eyes: they had the ability to see the flow of magic and an energy that he was not yet able to decipher, in such detail that, with proper practice, he would be able to replicate it, as long as he could decipher its workings, a power that offered endless possibilities.
However, he looked at the map for a few moments before snapping out of his thoughts, returning to reality with a brusque movement. Suddenly, he tilted his head when a thought appeared in his mind, with a glint of anticipation in his gaze, a spark of curiosity that lit up his eyes.
"What's happening with the old warehouses?" Naruto asked, with a plan beginning to take shape in his mind like a lengthening shadow.
"They will have to be abandoned, unfortunately..." Zeoticus replied with regret, his voice laden with frustration. "Although, fortunately, these were not the heavy warehouses we have near our house. Still, they cost us a small fortune," the older man complained, with a hint of frustration in his voice, worry painting his face.
"Could I use them?" Naruto did not stutter or hesitate when asking the question. By this point, he was completely indifferent to many things, his indifference a shield against emotions. According to what some of the servants had told him, that was not healthy, but honestly, he didn't care much, to tell the truth. He was sure he was mentally healthy, he was simply indifferent to his family. And he was fine with that, a cold acceptance of his own solitude.
"I don't know," Zeoticus replied, confused by the request, surprise reflected in his eyes. "Simply, that they would be wasted is something I don't like very much, let's say."
The truth is that he had a few things he could do with the warehouses, but none of which he would discuss with his father. After all, for demons, curses were not something to play with, and he really wanted to experiment with domestication... although not before finding a way to heal his body. Explaining the lack of his fingers would be quite annoying, a pragmatic thought that hid a dark secret.
Zeoticus's eyes softened a little at those words, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he saw his son so apathetic, a pang of pain piercing his chest. For that very reason, he simply got up and walked towards Naruto to try to ruffle his hair, a gesture of affection that sought to connect with his son. However, as he extended his hand, he noticed something... a kind of invisible space between his hand and his son's hair, which made him stop dead in his tracks, an invisible barrier that separated them. Surprise was reflected in his eyes, and noticing that Naruto seemed uncomfortable with that action, he felt a pang of guilt, a remorse that squeezed his heart.
"I will let you use them, only if you promise not to do anything bad," he spoke in a jovial tone, trying to lighten the atmosphere, a false joy that hid his concern.
But his face fell when he realized that Naruto thought he was being completely serious, the realization of the emotional distance between them like a blow to the stomach. A slight tremor ran through his hands, and his gaze clouded with worry, the unease growing inside him.
"Nothing illegal," Naruto said in his usual distant tone, shrugging indifferently, a disinterest that chilled the atmosphere. It was not illegal what he planned to do, only potentially dangerous since he would have to experiment with materials to try to replicate the properties of Galium with a completely artificial material... which was not illegal, just incredibly dangerous, a dangerous secret that hid behind his indifference.
"Alright, I'll talk to you about this later, okay?" Zeoticus said in a conciliatory tone, an attempt to keep the peace. "Now I think Rias invited Sona over to play, why don't you go say hello?" he suggested with a forced smile, a request that sounded more like an order.
Naruto rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses and left the room without a word, a silent escape from an uncomfortable situation. He knew his father would ask Rias if he had gone to visit her, so, to avoid problems, he would go for five minutes and then leave. He was not in the mood to deal with Rias and Akeno. He could deal with Sona; she was relatively pleasant if you overlooked how rigid she was. Even he, who was indifferent, was not that rigid, a cold pragmatism that guided his actions.
As soon as Naruto left, Zeoticus closed the door and dropped into the chair his son had just sat in. He exhaled heavily, a sound laden with weariness and frustration, a silent lament that filled the room. And he covered his face with one hand, a gesture of silent despair.
"Father of the century," he thought ironically, dragging the words with bitterness, a sarcasm that hid his pain.
He straightened up in his chair and returned to his desk, looking at his work with a somber expression, the weight of his responsibilities crushing him. Piles of parchments and documents were stacked on the solid wood surface, each representing a responsibility, a decision, a weight that seemed to crush him. "I have failed as a father," he thought sadly, feeling the weight of his mistakes on his shoulders, a burden of guilt that consumed him.
XXXXXXXXXX
A few minutes later, Naruto finally stopped in front of Rias's room, taking advantage of the silence of the hallway to organize his thoughts. He had taken the path from his father's office to this place to think about all the materials he would need to start his experiments, a whirlwind of ideas that overwhelmed him. So far, he only had a couple of ideas: number one, ask Ravel for her books on alchemy, and number two... trick a god blacksmith to, with some luck, convince him to help with the research, ambitious plans that clashed with reality. However, both were things he would have to do later, for now, he simply knocked on the elegant wooden door, a sound that broke the silence of the hallway.
After a brief silence, the door opened with a soft creak, revealing Rias in her crimson splendor. Rias, with her long crimson hair and bright blue eyes, looked at him with surprise, disbelief reflected on her face.
"Naruto? What are you doing here? Weren't you working on your secret project in your room?" she asked in a joking tone, a teasing that tried to hide her bewilderment. Of course, it was an open secret... that is, everyone knew... that Naruto was trying to replicate the armors of the Knights of the Zodiac, an obsessive project that fueled his curiosity.
However, her smile instantly vanished at the impassive look of her younger half-brother, a face that revealed no emotion. His orbs, normally hidden behind glasses of absolute darkness, fixed on Rias with an intensity that made her uncomfortable, a penetrating gaze that stripped her of her defenses.
Rias felt a pang of insecurity, Naruto's gaze always seemed terrifying to her, a silent scrutiny that made her feel vulnerable. So penetrating and analytical that it seemed to judge everyone with it, stripping her of their weaknesses and fears. Little did she know that Naruto was not even paying attention to her, but rather to her queen, Akeno, who, standing next to Rias, with her violet eyes, watched Naruto with a dangerous glint, a spark of threat that did not escape Naruto's sharp perception. Naruto did not trust her at all, he always thought she was too unstable and therefore, every time they were together, Naruto never took his eyes off her, a constant watchfulness that revealed his distrust.
"Father told me to come see you," Naruto finally commented in his usual calm and soft voice, a simple answer that cut through the tension.
"Well, be careful," Rias said in a warning tone, frowning, veiled concern in her voice. "My father has terrible judgment about what is and is not good."
Naruto nodded silently, showing no emotion, a mask of indifference that hid his thoughts. He knew what was coming: one of Rias's tantrums. And he preferred to avoid it. Something that made him remain silent, knowing that upsetting Rias would be problematic for him. "Luckily, Sona doesn't have to deal with Rias's tantrums," he thought with some amusement, a fleeting thought that distracted him for an instant.
"Even if Raizer is unpleasant, it's still a very important marriage," Sona commented, with a serene and analytical voice that contrasted with Rias's agitation, a cold pragmatism that clashed with Rias's passion.
The speed with which Rias moved to stand over her made Akeno and Sona jump in their seats, a brusque movement that broke the serenity of the atmosphere. Naruto, for his part, raised an eyebrow in curiosity, a flash of interest shining in his eyes. His gaze followed the movement. "That was really curious," he thought, remembering Rias's usual clumsiness with her feet. "It seems that desperation has made her more agile," an analytical observation that revealed his calculating mind.
"You say that!" Rias exclaimed, her voice full of indignation, fury coloring her words. "You and Naruto managed to get out of yours because you beat him in a chess game!"
"When did that happen?" Naruto asked, genuinely puzzled. His glasses slipped a little on the bridge of his nose as he tilted his head, a gesture of bewilderment that hid his surprise. He remembered Sona asking him to let her win in a game, but when was it that he was engaged to her? It's not that he had problems with that; as a noble, he knew that his marriage would probably be political, and among the possible partners they could have chosen, Sona was one of the four best possible. But, damn, he would have appreciated being told, a frustrated thought that reflected his lack of information.
"I don't have that luck!" Rias exclaimed, her voice resonating with a mixture of frustration and anger. A crimson aura of power began to manifest around her, coloring the air with a palpable tension.
"Rias, please, try to calm down," Sona pleaded, her voice maintaining composure, although a thin bead of cold sweat rolled down her temple as she perceived her friend's growing destructive energy.
"Calm down?!" Rias roared, her eyes flaming with contained fury. "I have to marry that pig, and unlike you, Miss 'my parents care about my feelings,' mine don't seem to matter! I'll be trapped in a stupid loveless marriage, stripped of my position as heir to the Gremory clan!"
The crimson aura surrounding Rias intensified, crackling with an energy that threatened to overflow. The furniture in the room trembled and the walls seemed to groan under the pressure of her uncontrolled power.
Naruto, anticipating the imminent outburst, cautiously backed away. "Raizer is a pig, I'll grant that," he thought indifferently, "but there are always loopholes, escape clauses in every contract. Sona proved it with her own marriage, although I must admit I found out late."
The sudden sound of tearing fabric and Rias's sharp scream snapped him out of his reverie. Akeno had tried, unsuccessfully, to save Rias's favorite teddy bear, an act that unleashed the final fury of the Gremory heiress.
Naruto, with surprising agility, jumped to the farthest corner of the room, seeking refuge from the imminent explosion of power.
The explosion illuminated the hallway and the room with a blinding light, a deafening roar that resonated throughout the Gremory mansion. The air filled with dust, debris, and an acrid burning smell, irritating Naruto's nostrils. When he finally looked up, he observed with impassive indifference the chaos that Rias had unleashed. Half of the ceiling was gone, a wall had collapsed, and three soot-covered figures coughed and cursed among the rubble.
"And this is why I never understood why they pampered her so much," Naruto thought with contempt. "Even Zekram Bael himself, whom I rub the wrong way, agrees with me that Rias is perhaps the clumsiest user of the Power of Destruction. Her emotional control is non-existent, and her response to frustration is always the same: indiscriminate destruction."
The scene before his eyes, a room shattered by a childish whim, only reinforced his disdain for his half-sister. "Blessed Lucifer, protect the Gremory if this woman inherits the clan," he reflected with somber concern. "If they continue to overprotect her, she will never mature."
He watched with disapproval as Akeno and Sona tried to console Rias, fueling, in his opinion, her immaturity. "They're not helping her, they're only making the problem worse," he muttered with frustration. The butlers and maids, with their exaggerated bows and empty words, only contributed to the disaster.
"I don't deny that the ability to disintegrate matter at an atomic level is impressive, but in the hands of a volatile, spoiled, and capricious brat like Rias, it's a latent danger," he concluded bitterly. "I only hope that we don't get to the point where not even Dad, Mom, or oni-chan can pull her chestnuts out of the fire when she commits an epic stupidity."
With a sigh of resignation, Naruto walked away from the clamor that still echoed in the destroyed room. He had fulfilled his father's mandate, and now he had more pressing matters to attend to, such as diving into the arduous task of deciphering the composition of Galium. That was, without a doubt, his long-term goal, the pinnacle of his obsessive research.
However, before he could reach the solitude of his room, the sound of hurried footsteps stopped him dead in his tracks. Turning around, he found the radiant figure of Natsumi, her blonde hair glowing under the pale light of the torches that illuminated the hallway. Her four tails moved with palpable enthusiasm, and her hazel eyes sparkled with contagious emotion. A sudden thought crossed Naruto's mind: Why, in the 21st century, with his family's economic resources, were they still lighting the mansion with torches? And more importantly, how had he not noticed this anachronism until now?
"Naruto-sama, I have found some species that could fit perfectly into certain roles! I hope this information is useful to you," Natsumi began in a firm and confident voice. However, as she approached Naruto, her voice lost momentum, becoming a soft whisper. Finally, with a slight blush on her cheeks, she extended the notebook she held in her hands towards him.
Naruto took the notebook and examined it with curiosity. The pages were filled with detailed notes and intricate drawings of mythological creatures and supernatural beings, each accompanied by a precise description of their abilities and powers. Natsumi's calligraphy, elegant and neat, contrasted sharply with the indecipherable scribbles that Naruto used to jot down in his own notes. "Rias was right," Naruto muttered with a slight growl, "my handwriting is a hieroglyph." Despite his wounded pride, he couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration for Natsumi's efficiency and dedication.
"This is very well written and reasoned," Naruto murmured, with a tone of approval that lit up Natsumi's face with a proud smile. Although his handwriting was an enigma to most, Naruto's eyes seemed to decipher the words with ease, as if he could read Natsumi's thoughts directly from the paper. "We'll investigate this thoroughly at another time," Naruto added, "now, let's go back to my room. There are a few things I'd like to ask you." The truth was that Naruto had not only forgotten to ask Natsumi if she had breakfast after her training with Grayfia, but he had also overlooked a crucial detail: the deplorable state in which Natsumi had returned. It was evident that Grayfia was putting her through rigorous combat training, and Naruto was eager to learn about the new skills that his older brother's queen was imparting to his assistant.
End of Chapter.