As Naruto stared at Nonaka's blade, he had to remind himself of something vitally important.
Something that he would definitely forget if he didn't remind himself constantly.
It was a simple fact that most people wouldn't really think too much about, and something that Naruto was forced to think about ever since he realized that he wasn't anywhere near the Elemental Nations anymore.
He was, without a doubt, a ninjutsu specialist.
Now most people would think that this wasn't vital information, that this was more of a bit of trivia rather than anything truly important.
Well they would be wrong.
Ninjutsu, in it's purest form, was a ninja art that was geared towards the destruction of the enemy.
It was, in every shape and form, all based on destroying the enemy by overpowering or overwhelming them.
Ninjutsu was rarely, if ever, truly subtle or quiet.
The fact that Kakashi-sensei's 'assassination' ninjutsu was a lightning attack that was as plain as Naruto's orange clothing should be more than enough evidence of that.
But more importantly; why does any of this matter?
Well, that's because Naruto really didn't want to gather attention to himself.
Ninjutsu would make him stand out like a sore thumb, drawing attention to himself thanks to ninjutsu's destructive capacity...and stuff.
That basically meant; no rasengans or any of their variants were allowed, or even too many clones, since too many copies of one person were bound to draw people's attention.
Even while learning more about the world, he only had so many copies roaming the streets, while giving them different looks.
He also had no idea how sensing among the supernatural worked either, so gathering natural energy for Sage Mode would be both; time consuming and eye-catching.
Thus that left Naruto with one thing left.
Taijutsu.
Now, while taijutsu wasn't Naruto's specialty, he wasn't a slouch in it anymore. He could now hold his own against Kakashi-sensei in taijutsu, and he was fast enough to be a match for him as well.
So that meant he was at least an A-rank in those categories.
It would have do for now.
After Naruto was done with his mental checklist, he turned back to Nonaka and answered her. "This may be difficult to believe, but I am a human. Though, I don't know who you are or why you are pointing your sword at me...you should know that I don't attack someone unless they threaten someone that I care about. That, or I am attacked myself."
He then lifted his chin, defiant. "Basically, I won't threaten the normal students here. I give you my word on that, and I never go back on my word."
To be blunt, the blond really couldn't back down to her right now.
No, he had to show her that he couldn't be bullied around.
...Then again, he also didn't want to antagonize her either...
Well, hopefully he found a decent middle ground.
Meanwhile, the human female continued to stare at the blond, pondering his words.
...Was he really a human?
No, that couldn't be true, right? Humans didn't contain strange and foreign energy signals.
Unless...it was a Sacred Gear?
No, if that was the case then the sensor that tipped the higher ups of her faction would have made note of it. This was new. Foreign.
That meant that the being in front of her could very much be a new supernatural entity.
And if that was the case, then were there more beings like him? Hidden from view to her faction and mostly unknown.
A dangerous possibility.
But more than that, did the 'human' known as Uzumaki Naruto pose a threat to the humans in the area?
Nonaka's thoughts raced around this...person's strange energy and its possible implications. As was her duty in this academy.
The Hero Tribe sent her to this academy as a 'watcher', which gave her two important responsibilities; to watch over the confirmed devils in the area while keeping a lookout for stray devils, and eliminating them if required.
As was her duty as a 'hero'.
...That being said, she has recently received two more objectives by her faction's leadership.
To find and determine whether the new foreign energy that a sensor of theirs has picked up near Kuoh Town was hostile to humanity or not, and to keep an eye out for the last descendant of the original Lucifer.
The Hero Tribe's duty must be fulfilled for the sake of humanity, which it has safeguarded for two thousand years as the best line of defense against the supernatural.
The organization was said to have been founded by the God of the Bible and has since spread across the world to continue their mission in secrecy, none of the supernatural factions were aware of their presence, but they were aware of the heroes that they created throughout history.
They were where humans with Sacred Gears were supposed to go if they wanted to fight instead of live normal lives.
Things have changed however...
The introduction of the devil's evil piece system has made recruiting new blood difficult, as many devils have snatched up any human with talent or a Sacred Gear like collectibles.
The Hero Tribe, thus, had to keep better vigilance over the devils and the other supernatural factions to prevent their fellow humans from being reincarnated into what they saw as a slavery system.
A sentiment that Nonaka nominally agreed with.
Now, with this strange power in this ostensible human, there was another point of concern to the heroes of this world, one that, given their already difficult circumstances, they couldn't let pass.
Which was why the young woman continued her intense stare, finally moving her sword away from his face after a few more tense moments. A green aura appearing on her arm once more, which took her armor and sword away from her.
"I will trust your word for now, Uzumaki-san. But if you give me a reason to doubt your sincerity...then I, Nonaka Yuki of the Hero Tribe will end you." Nonaka Yuki stated with utmost certainty.
After all, she was well-trained, and she was sure that she could deal with whatever this boy could throw at her.
Her warning to him was not really for her own benefit either, but more for the ordinary humans around them.
For the sake of humanity.
That was the duty of a hero after all.
Naruto could have cried in relief, happy that he didn't have to show his hand in a school filled with supernatural beings. He could go back home and regroup from this unexpected wake up call.
"Understood, Nonaka-san, I promise you that I won't cause any trouble here! In fact, I was forced into Kuoh because a police officer said I was too young to be working. So I'm not here of my own free will, ya know?" Naruto stated, in the hopes that she would see that he had no ulterior motives.
Nonaka didn't bother to respond as she turned around to leave the rooftop, heading towards her next class since school was still ongoing. She just needed to make sure that Uzumaki wasn't a threat before he could be allowed to leave the premises.
Moreover, how stupid did she take her for? There wasn't any kind of law in Japan that dictated that teenagers had to go to high school.
Either he was lying, or he was tricked.
Though, she was pretty confident that he was lying.
Meanwhile, as the blond watched the young woman leave, he couldn't help but believe that he seriously needed to get back to his house in order to figure out how to approach this new problem.
Apparently there were also strong humans among the other strange creatures that inhabited this world, giving him moreto worry about.
He just couldn't catch a break here could he?
The worst part was that...if this girl knew about him, then it was possible that other groups knew about him too.
The blond quickly left the rooftop in order to leave the academy and get back home, where he wouldn't feel like everyone was waiting for him to blow his cover.
It was suffocating for someone like him to constantly be aware, forced to be on edge all of the damn time, and keep himself from standing out too much.
It just wasn't what he was used to. Even if it wasnecessary...he still didn't like it one bit.
He, very simply, needed to wind down a bit in a place that he could feel like himself without being constantly watched.
Hopefully this would be the last 'incident' with this world's supernatural that he would have for a while.
Naruto quickly jogged at an 'average' human pace towards the front of the academy, getting ready to leave, up until he muttered a curse under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, he ran head first from one problem into another, this time in the form of one of those strange beings that he still didn't really know about...yet.
The girl in front of him was a teenager with black hair that has been shortened and shaped to a bob-cut style, with piercing violet eyes that were framed by a pair of glasses focusing on him as he approached.
She wore the typical Kuoh Academy female uniform and had a petite figure, usually befitting one of her age.
She went by the name of Shitori Sona; the student council president of this academy, and quite possibly a supernatural being that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
"...Uzumaki Naruto...the transfer student." Sona stated matter-of-factly, giving Naruto a sudden chill from her tone.
It was the tone he was somewhat familiar with now, the tone of an upcoming lecture.
But before Naruto could make an attempt to escape, the student council president continued. "The transfer student that should be in class in order to continue his education, rather than roaming around the school, skipping class, and sleeping during lectures."
By this point, Sona's glasses took in the reflection of light, which gave her a natural glare without having to make the expression for it.
He had to admit, that was pretty cool.
"Listen I had a good reason for it..." Naruto began, before getting cut off by Sona again.
"I'm sure you have your reasons, Uzumaki-san, but attaining an education is your most important goal right now. It is what you should be focusing on so that you could become a good and prosperous citizen. This is for your future." Sona claimed with conviction.
Naruto was momentarily stunned at the complete faith that she held in her statement, thrown off by it a bit.
Admittedly, he wasn't sure what he should expect from these so called 'supernatural' beings. Were they just like humans, where some were good and some were bad?
Or maybe they all fell into some sort of personality category? But so far, if he used her as a benchmark, maybe they all weren't so different from humans at all?
He hoped so, that way, if push came to shove, then he could possibly reach an agreement with some of these people so that he didn't become their target.
At least, that was a possible plan for the future.
"Thank you for your concern, Shitori-san. But I...uh...I have to take care of my younger sister at home! So I have to leave school early." Naruto lied through his teeth.
He was never a good liar to begin with, but this one was so bad that even he had to admit it.
Well, maybe he can just have a clone henge into Naruko or something, in case suspicions arose later...
The president raised an eyebrow, before a small smile grew on her face. "Very well, Uzumaki-san, but keep up with your studies from here on out."
Sona, apparently, approved of his actions, if her more supportive attitude was of any indication.
To her, it was good that he wanted to go home and take care of a sibling, so she didn't want to stop him, but she also didn't want to encourage his lax behavior in regards to his studies.
She, perhaps, had a soft spot for elder siblings, who rushed to take care of their younger siblings.
Now...if only her own elder sister wasn't so embarrassing, then maybe...
"Thank you, Shitori-san! I'll see ya later, alright?" Naruto said loudly, desperate to make sure that he wouldn't be caught lying by getting out of there as soon as possible.
He once more began to run at what he considered to be an average human speed, but what he considered average actually appeared to Sona as speeds that only the fastest human runner in the world; Usain Bolt, could achieve.
Sona was, of course, shocked to see an ordinary teenage boy run so fast.
Either the boy was a naturally gifted runner or...perhaps he was something exceptional among his fellow humans?
Regardless, that burst of impressive talent got her to ponder whether he could be a potential candidate for her Peerage, as she had quite a few opening left to fill.
She decided to look into the matter later, but first, she had to have a conversation with her best friend; Rias, about potential candidates for their Peerages, and how best to divide the spoils between them.
Fair was fair after all.
"Looks like Kuoh Academy truly is a place where potential congregates, right, Tsubaki?" Sona asked, at first to what seemed like no one in particular.
Though it turned out not to be the case, as one of her closest friends, her queen; Shinra Tsubaki, appeared to the right side of the bespectacled girl without prompt.
Tsubaki was a well-endowed young woman with straight-black hair that reached her knees, along with heterochromic eyes with her left eye and right eye being violet and light brown respectively. Her own glasses glinted in the light mysteriously as she regarded her king and responded.
"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto would indeed be an excellent addition to your Peerage, Sona-kaichou. He seems to be a better prospect than Hyoudou Issei at the very least."
The student council president narrowed her eyes faintly, oh yes...the young man that Rias had her eye on, the one with the suspected Sacred Gear.
Neither of them really knew what the boy held within him, and Sona disliked taking chances, especially when she considered that Hyoudou already had quite the reputation throughout the school already.
It wasn't a good reputation.
Which was why, so far, Uzumaki was the better choice for her.
But first...
"Come, Tsubaki, we should be on our way, Rias is expecting us." Sona stated, turning around and heading towards the direction of the Occult Research Club building.
They had much to discuss.
Naruto was jogging his way back home, despite his impatience.
After the run in with Nonaka Yuki, he really didn't want to run the risk of tipping off his abilities to her, lest he incur the girl's suspicion and make a new enemy in the visage of this so called 'Hero Tribe'.
Also, he had to find a place to train in order to prepare himself for what seemed like a probable conflict.
Since he was busy gathering information on the world and the supernatural, he never really registered that he needed to train...what with how noticeable that action would be.
It seemed stupid as a matter of fact, why would he ruin his anonymity by training every now and again when he wasn't in any danger?
...That, and he had no clue where he could find a place to train.
But now, of course, there was at least one faction that knew that he wasn't...'normal', so he needed to get himself back into shape. Just in case.
The only problem that he really had was that he was quite a bit slower; physically, and in reaction speed, than when he fought Pain.
...He was regretting his decision now.
That being said, it wasn't like he was weak or anything, he was more than positive that he was stronger and faster than most of these supernatural beings.
It was more of a...long-term problem than anything else.
So, the best thing for him to do would be to find a nice forest near Kuoh Town, and use fuinjutsu to hide his energy signal.
Fuinjutsu...
Fuinjutsu was something that he recently dabbled in, seeing as he had the tools necessary for it, and he practically had nothing better to do with his free time.
The fuinjutsu scrolls which ero-sennin gave him for his training, which were left in a seal, always accessible to him, if he wanted it.
Never touched while he was back at Konoha, far too concerned with real tangible power and strength than the mysterious art that his master was so advanced in.
His perverted old man of a master forced him to keep it as a precaution, hoping that the blond would, one day, try and do something with it.
Naruto laughed it off at the time, but it turned out that the old pervert was a hell of a lot smarter than he gave him credit for.
The shinobi twitched, becoming more somber at the thought.
But then he shook his head, deciding to exit from that train of thought, knowing nothing good would come from it.
First and foremost, he had to focus on finding a place to train.
...But before he even did that...
He needed a nap, as well as a nice feast of ramen to cool his nerves.
One could not train on an empty stomach after all.
Night was rapidly approaching when Naruto woke up from his nap.
As soon as he was lucid enough, the young man immediately began to gather all of his supplies and tools, aware that he should probably make the best of his training.
Ero-sennin gave him quite a bit of paper slips to practice fuinjutsu on, giving him plenty to practice on if he so wanted.
He has actually learned about fuinjutsu before, so he knew the basics; like how to make a paper bomb for instance.
Though, muffling energy signals were definitely a bit more complicated than that. And something that he, only recently, managed to nail down.
Basically, he wasn't a master by any means, but he had a decent grasp on what to do.
Naruto barely dabbled in fuinjutsu back in his world, but now, in this world, it suddenly became much more important to learn about.
Especially when he remembered all of the incredible things that fuinjutsu could legitimately accomplish, which inspired him to actually, really, give it a shot.
It was rough at first, but he thought that he was doing alright, all things considered.
Though he doubt that he'd ever become good enough to use fuinjutsu to head back home or anything...so that idea was out of the question.
Naruto was still thinking about his actions throughout the last two months as he was putting on his casual clothes and walked outside, prepared to start his search.
Since, by this point, it was quite dark, he decided to forgo his usual practice of fitting in and just began to jump across the rooftops at breakneck speeds.
Thankfully, as he was moving, and after doing some brainstorming, the blond quickly remembered that there was a forest-like area at the northwestern part of Kuoh Town, having passed by it when he entered the town in the first place.
Perfect.
Changing course slightly, the shinobi soared through the many buildings of the human settlement reaching his destination in a matter of seconds.
When he actually arrived, he quickly gave the forest around him a once over, determining whether it would work for him.
"...Not bad, nowhere near as impressive as Konoha's forests, but I doubt that any forest in this world can top that." Naruto said with a grin, as he decided to drop his supplies on the ground to begin.
He needed to actually draw the seals that would suppress energy signals, one that would work for a decent enough area for his training.
Thankfully, he had plenty of practice with his two month time frame.
As soon as Naruto finished drawing those very seals, the blond twitched, cut off from his work as he felt...something.
It was a spike of energy from a way's away, supernatural energy, which he has gotten used to thanks to his two month stay in this world.
At first, the shinobi didn't recognize it, but he did sense that, whatever it was, it was further up north in the forest.
For a few moments, he stayed like this, trying to grasp at this feeling.
Then it clicked in his head, an image of bat-like wings on an individual's back appearing in the forefront of his mind.
He didn't know what it was called, but he did know which group this feeling belonged to.
One of those weird supernatural creatures; devils.
So...magic? Maybe? He wasn't sure.
Regardless, Naruto grabbed his supplies again and resealed them, taking them with him as he began sprinting to the source of the energy, frowning visibly.
Whatever was out there, he had to check it out before he could begin any training, besides, he was curious.
Considering the spike of energy, maybe there was a fight sparking out ahead or something, which could actually be a good stress reliever for him to watch now that he thought about it...
Naruto eventually ended his musings when he came upon a peculiar sight once he reached his destination; a battlefield.
A battlefield that was recently made thanks to the people that were occupying this piece of the forest.
And right in the middle of it were two females, who were very much surrounded.
Standing back-to-back against one another, those two girls were amidst a virtual sea of creatures of all shapes and sizes. Which were obviously here with deadly intentions.
Among them, the shorter one was a short girl with childish features, with very risque clothing...if it could be called that anyways.
She wore what looked like a black leather top that only covered her up to her ribs and two black straps crisscrossing to make an 'X' over her stomach.
She also wore pink and white striped stockings, as well as a pair of, quite visible, black underwear.
Her long silver hair, which reached to the middle of her back, was flailing around as she jerked her head around her, and her purple eyes were glistening sharply at the dangerous situation that she found herself in.
Naruto frowned, narrowing his eyes, studying her closer as he noticed something framing the crown of her head.
...
Wait, were those horns?
Naruto couldn't help but do a double-take at the sight of the little horns on the girl's head, but quickly snapped himself out of it.
Now really wasn't the time to stare.
So, taking chance that was given to him in the apparent lull in the fighting, the blond focused his attention on the other figure who, he assumed, to be the silverette's partner.
The other girl was far more, physically at least, likely to be around the blond's age, and thankfully didn't make him feel like he was committing a crime by staring.
She had vibrant red hair, which was partially pulled into two separate pigtails that were held together with a pair of long black strings, with the rest of her hair flowing freely down to her waist, framing her pink eyes.
In terms of physique, she was practically the polar opposite of the other girl; as she had quite the voluptuous body, which was contained in a pink top that was hanging on her shoulders, and a frilly blue skirt to complete her ensemble.
All in all, the duo was quite the interesting pair. One that most wouldn't see everyday.
And they were both clearly under great distress, since they were up against multiple monsters on all sides.
Naruto stared at the two of them for a moment, stuck in indecision.
If he wanted...he could just leave and pretend that this never happened, after, all they weren't his problem anyway, hell, he didn't even know if they were good people or not, so maybe helping them could be a bad thing?
He was supposed to lay low, so helping random people would just garner him attention from unnecessary people, and he has no guarantee that they were even worth the effort.
The smart thing to do here...was to turn away and pretend that he didn't see anything.
...Yeah, the smart thing.
...
Sighing, the blond swiftly took out a hidden kunai under his right sleeve, already knowing that he never was good at doing the 'smart thing'.
If things got rough for him for helping out others, then so be it.
Much rather that, than bear with the guilt of abandoned people in need to monsters.
Without making a sound, the shinobi charged in, intent on getting those girls out alive and unharmed.
The first of the monsters that took notice of the blond was an ugly half-human/half-fish monstrosity, which barely managed to notice him as it turned around, making an attempt at roaring out to grab the attention of the other beasts.
It was far too slow.
With eyes so sharp that it was unbefitting on the face of a teenaged boy, Naruto swiftly swung his fist at the stomach of the beast, knocking all of the air in the monster's body.
With that done, he quickly and efficiently stabbed his kunai through the monster's throat, ending it's life before it ever got the chance to warn it's comrades.
Unsurprisingly, the shinobi wasn't too concerned about mindless monsters, as he felt nothing but blood lust from them.
Not waste any time, he moved onto the next one; a man that had a pincer for a mouth and sharp claws for hands.
A combo that was pretty damn gross if you asked him, but hey, it wasn't about to matter in about a second, as the shinobi finally decided to announce his presence to ally and foe alike in a true Naruto-like fashion.
"I hope you bastards didn't try and start the party without me!?" Naruto shouted in exuberance as the bug-man quickly turned around, only to be met with steel for it's trouble, as the kunai dug deep into it's -probable- brain.
The bug-beast fell like a stone, with Naruto charging towards his next victim.
As soon as blond's declaration rang out, it stopped the fighting that was about to start anew for a split-second, long enough so that everyone there could acknowledge the newcomer in slight shock
That shock vanished for the monstrous creatures when they saw that two of their comrades were down, and who exactly was responsible.
Two monsters quickly flew into a frenzy and charged the blond, getting him to start a new round of clever -in his mind- quips, before he noticed that the third and final monster was about take advantage of the girls' momentary distraction.
"Oi, don't gawk at me! Look out!" Naruto shouted to them, breaking both of them out of their reverie.
In alarm at the incoming attacks, they both moved to dodge the final monster's assault, but the red-head was too slow, and was stabbed by one of the monster's sharp legs right through her shoulder.
"Mio-sama!" the little silver-haired girl cried out, charging forward to engage the final monster, her face twisting in worry. "Hang in there!"
Right at that moment, Naruto realized that, while holding back was important, this was not the time for doing so, as those two were now barely holding out.
So, with practiced ease, he dodged both the flying goblin's nose dive, and the standing pit bull's hard fist, before channeling wind chakra through his kunai...
In a blink, the shinobi moved to the side of both monsters, sliding, in order to line them both up for a shot.
Without hesitation, he threw the kunai at speeds neither of the beasts could react to, and cleanly pierced both the pit bull and flying goblin through their chests.
Both beasts fell in short order.
Though Naruto didn't actually see them fall, as he was already moving to back up the kid, confident enough in his skills to know that they were down.
As the blond ran towards the final monster, which was preoccupied with the scantily-dressed girl, he brought out the kunai hidden in his shirt's left sleeve and channeled wind chakra through it as well.
Ducked under the body of the strange hybrid of a spider and a woman, he sliced off each one of it's legs before the monster even realized what had happened.
When 'she' did however, it screamed out in pain and stumbled back on her stumps, giving the scantily-clad girl the opening that she needed.
The silverette then brought her small fist out and smashed her fist at the spider-woman's body, sending it through a tree, practically taking it down and killing the monster instantly.
And, just like that, the little battle was over.
Naruto wasn't focused on that however, as he moved to the red-headed girl which had received the stab wound, face tight with slight worry.
He wasn't a medic by any means, but thankfully, he did have a basic knowledge of some basics, thanks to being around Baa-chan and Sakura-chan.
Taking a cursory glance, he quickly figured that the wound wasn't bad, it was superficial.
Still, she was unconscious, though he doubted that it had much to do with the attack itself.
As he was checking her out, he quickly noticed the dark bags there were under her eyes, making his lips flatten.
The girl was exhausted.
If she was already at the brink before she actually got stabbed, then that could have probably made her collapse thanks to sudden the pain, shocking her system enough to knock her out cold.
In short, she needed rest, desperately.
While this was happening, the silverette cautiously moved to the blond man's side, anxiously waiting for whatever he had to say.
The two of them were in a bad spot, so while she didn't trust him completely, he did prove to, at least, want them alive. Something that she couldn't say that a lot of people wanted.
More than that, he helped them fight off a lot of stray devils when it would have been easier to just stay out of the whole affair altogether.
Plus, if she really thought about it, she doubted she could really do anything to stop him anyway, since the skills he used to take out the insane devils were outside of her abilities.
...Unless she used her trump card, but she wasn't willing to risk it with Mio-sama in such a state.
"The girl is fine, just tired, the wound ain't too serious either, so she will be alright as long as she gets some rest and cleans up the wound." Naruto finally spoke up with a small smile of reassurance.
The girl let out a sigh of relief at the news and nodded her thanks, moving to her young charge in order to pick her up with her strength.
In the process of this, she was going to thank their savior properly, before she froze up.
Naruto frowned at the silverette's sudden reaction, becoming wary of another attack. "What's wrong? Are there more of them?"
"No, no...it isn't that." the girl with the 'horns' replied, her eyebrows scrunching as she pondered on their bad position.
The reason that she was locking up was simple, the both of them were moving around during the middle of the night for good reason, unfortunately, as their last refuge was found out by the very stray devils that were hunting them down.
No doubt, to them, they were probably just like two tasty snacks to be devoured.
If they returned to their last refuge now...then she had no doubt that they would be attacked by even more stray devils, especially the ones that were instinctively looking to raise their own strength.
Her young charge was half-human, and the unique smell that she had thanks to her...ancestry, helped attract stray devils from quite the distance away to her, in the hopes that they could eat what they viewed as a delicacy.
Not only that, but the red-head was also unconscious...
Before she could fall into despair due to their situation, an idea sprang to mind idea, which could probably buy them some reprieve; a temporary home.
A safe place to rest.
Internally preparing herself, she quickly turned to their blond savior and pitched her idea. hopeful. "...My young charge is wounded and unconscious, while I am tired from the day's fight. Taking that into account, I'd like to ask you whether you could offer us a temporary home where we could recuperate. In return for this favor...I wouldn't mind doing whatever you want for payment."
Even as she was speaking, she was cringing at the possible degrading things that she may have to endure, well aware that offering herself up like that could very well remove the young man's inhibitions.
But...it was fine, as long as it was for her charge's sake.
She was her guardian, and even if she rarely conversed with her, she was still someone that she would guard, no matter what.
Which was why she was locking eyes intensely with the blond, showing him her grim determination.
Naruto didn't say anything at first, the only cues being that he raised his arm up slowly into the air, hanging there, as if he was raising his hand for the teacher to call him.
Then he suddenly swiped his arm back down, slamming his hand down onto the silverette's skull.
Hard.
The girl yelped as she faceplanted onto the ground with a comical bump upside her head, recovering after a spare second as she looked up at the blond with teary eyes.
He didn't look amused.
The shinobi, for his part, was very upset at the thought that someone would think that he was heartless enough to take advantage of the situation.
Among the duo; the red-head was out cold, and needed rest, while her...'guardian' was exhausted, leaving both incredibly vulnerable in the middle of the forest where they could get attacked again.
For all intents and purposes, he was going to offer them a place to stay anyway...
Plans to lay low and avoid garnering attention to himself be damned when he saw good people in such a desperate situation.
Despite his anger however, he couldn't help but be impressed by the silverette's actions, as she obviously hated what she was doing, but still did it anyway for her friend.
Who wouldn't respect something like that?
"...Why don't you try asking nicely next time, hm?" Naruto questioned, his eyes now reflecting how many points she had won with him.
The girl in question blinked in shock, before trying again, hoping against hope. "Uh...um...will you please give us a place to stay so that my friend here can get better, please?"
"Sure!" Naruto replied cheerfully, nearly making the girl faceplant with how easy it was. "Now...introductions! Something simple. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Your turn!"
"Huh? Oh...! Well, my name is Naruse Maria, and the unconscious girl here is my charge; Naruse Mio." the now dubbed Maria said, a growing smile splitting her face.
Naruto blinked at that, the red-head was Maria's charge?
Huh...
This world kept getting weirder and weirder.
Shaking his head, the shinobi scooped up the unconscious Mio and turned to the direction of his home, walking towards it with Maria following in tow, nonchalant about his current situation.
It wasn't like helping two random people that were involved in the supernatural would get the world's attention anyway, right? So no harm done.
"Oh, by the way, Mio-sama is the daughter of the previous Maou Lucifer, so please make sure she is safe. I'm counting on you Naruto-sama!" Maria piped up cheerfully, moving up to the blond and walking side-by-side to him.
Naruto suddenly froze, only just registering what she had said.
...
...Eh?
...
EEEEEEHHHHHHH!?
Yellow eyes locked onto the screen of her cell phone, which was ringing, the caller id identifying who it was.
Things have changed dramatically since earlier that day, and required her to contact the Hero Tribe's leader so that he could be aware of the exact circumstances, at least before she could proceed with anything.
In the northwestern area of Kuoh Town, there was a forest area that was perfect for someone who didn't want to be found to do some exercises.
Keeping in shape was paramount for her career as a hero.
Yet, as she was in that forest, she very quickly found that she wasn't alone in the area.
Before she could even start back then, something quickly caught her attention, distracting her from her training.
It was noise, a lot of noise.
Specifically, it was the extraordinarily familiar sound of battle that caught her ear.
Opting to go and check out what was going on, she sped towards the source of the sound while trying not to alert the combatants to her presence, cautious.
What she would run into was a scene of a battle, one where two females were holding their own against a small group of stray devils.
Before she could even do anything productive, a certain blond would enter the fray, turning the tide of the fight and saving the two girls.
She was barely able to hear what they were conversing about, but she managed to catch enough to quickly determine that the red-head among them was, in fact, one of her targets.
And her other target; the blond troublemaker himself, had just thrown his lot in with them.
This was, simply the worst possible scenario.
Two of her targets were now seemingly allied with one another for whatever reason.
And of all of the possible scenarios that could have occurred over the, internally dubbed, 'unknown variable'...the absolute worst has occurred.
It was one thing to deal with the first Maou Lucifer's final daughter and her guardian, as their abilities were, she figured, not too impressive when all things were considered.
But Uzumaki Naruto on the other hand...
She knew that he had a massive source of power, but she thought that he never really got the chance to learn how to use it properly.
So, initially, he didn't really seem like a threat
At least, before she saw the thorough slaughter that the blond had engineered against the stray devils.
He was, without a doubt, someone to be wary of.
Ostensibly though, if his rush to help the two devils were of any indication, he was probably aware of their relations. Which could only mean that the blond was aware of the supernatural by the time that she talked to him.
This thesis was backed up by his complete lack of surprise by the sight of the many stray devils, as well as his confidence in dealing with them.
Thankfully, Uzumaki's focus on the battle most definitely allowed her to study him, so she had to thank her good fortune.
Because now...she could, mostly, determine how powerful the teenaged boy really was. If that incident was an accurate representation of his skills at least.
Still, what really bothered her...
Even as she was thinking it, her yellow eyes were hardening.
Uzumaki Naruto had broke his word.
He claimed that he wouldn't do anything to harm the normal students in the Academy? Well, now that he's thrown his lot in with those devils, he's effectively done just that.
Devils and humans had never got along. Especially since devils have always tried to control humans for their own gains.
She had no doubt that the two devils in Kuoh Academy were the same.
More than that, she was a warrior with a sense of honor, and Uzumaki had broke that sacred honor. Willingly and irrevocably.
He was trash to her now.
...But he was still very powerful trash, so, for that reason alone, she was contacting her superior.
Her musings ended when someone on the other line picked up the phone and answered.
"Yuki-kun. Anything to report?"
Straight and to the point, good.
"There have been complications with the new targets you gave me. The former Maou's daughter has allied herself with the 'unknown variable' that you told me about...and that variable has turned out to be very strong." Nonaka Yuki stated with a frown, obviously displeased at the turn of events.
The voice on the other end paused, taking in this information, before responding.
"I see...well then, I'll ask you one question, Yuki-kun. If he's truly that powerful, then I'd prefer it if you didn't face this...'unknown variable' by yourself. However, if you think you can, I'll give you the go ahead. So, can you do it?" the masculine voice on the other line asked, serious.
Yuki took a moment to ponder that; both of the devils were weakened after their fight, which left them as nothing more than burdens rather than reliable comrades.
That only left Uzumaki...
He was fast, faster than her no doubt, but from what she saw, it wasn't by much.
She had fought with speed-types before, and she had no doubt that Uzumaki Naruto was a speed-type. More than that, he was a short-range fighter, and heavily depended on those two strange knives that he utilized.
She now knew how he fought, while Uzumaki had no idea how she fought...
The young hero clenched her fist, remembering her duty. Her training.
She was a soldier and she would do her duty.
"I can do it." Yuki claimed with conviction, prepared to eliminate Uzumaki Naruto if he gave her a reason to doubt his word.
"Very well, you have my permission to continue forward." the masculine voice stated in a firm voice. "Your main objective is Uzumaki Naruto, since the daughter of the Original Lucifer is being hunted down by the fervent supporters of the recently made government in the Underworld, so best to focus on watching her. She will probably die in time, but this...'unknown variable' must be dealt with, understood?"
Yuki nodded in understanding, recalling what she has heard about the situation in the Underworld.
Apparently, only recently has the previous Lucifer actually been caught and executed by the Underworld's government after he escaped from his defeat at the hands of Sirzechs Gremory and his comrades.
Now, while the current Yondai Maou don't support the zealots, they really couldn't do much about it, even if they tried to force the issue.
The group was pretty popular with those that wanted to completely prevent any possible counter revolution from occurring.
Many devils who have found themselves at the receiving end of the Original Lucifer's heavy hand in the past now had a perfect scapegoat in his daughter, and, despite how relatively unknown she was, they continued searching for her.
Of course, outlawing such a disorganized group would only draw angry mobs without actually stopping it from continuing it's work, business as usual.
So they didn't, and the Hero Tribe only recently got their hands on such information, but it was definitely valuable in determining who was the more important target.
"I won't fail." was all Yuki said, before hanging up the phone.