Nonaka Yuki was a well trained hero.
That was a belief that many in the Hero Tribe held in good authority, at least in terms of her generation.
But not only was she considered a well trained hero, but she was also a well motivated hero, something that many in the Hero Tribe felt was, perhaps, more admirable.
That being said, there were some who worried that she was just a tad too...zealous in her attitude.
A sentiment that the female teenager didn't even entertain as being remotely true whatsoever.
To her; the Hero Tribe was a vital organization that was meant to prevent the supernatural from thoroughly abusing their human counterparts, and protecting it was absolutely paramount above all else.
From any threat, from without...or within.
Her fervent need to defend her faction, as well as her drive to push herself beyond her limits, was based on a simple 'goal' per-say, one that very much became the cornerstone of her beliefs.
The want, no, need to became a 'true hero'.
She wanted to reach that stage where, no matter who she fought, she would emerge victorious against whatever antagonist stood against her.
Like in the legends of old, where great heroes would smash and break through every obstacle that stood before them, no matter who or what they were.
In the past, she wanted to reach that goal so desperately that she would consistently train herself until she could no longer move and her instructors were forced to order her to stop, lest she hurt herself.
Practically none of the other aspiring hero children would understood why Yuki would go through such lengths to become a 'true hero', very much as confused as the adults were.
To them, they would become heroes as soon as they received their weapons and capes.
To them, that was their end goal.
So it befuddled them; why would this girl want to go even further?
To them, the girl was an oddity.
They couldn't understand, none of them could.
The origin of her ambition, which had brought her into conflict with a certain blond teenager, stemmed from a certain incident that has left a scar on the Hero Tribe to the present day.
Unfortunately, this incident has left an even bigger scar on a select few from the upcoming generation, changing their outlooks and beliefs irrevocably.
This 'incident' revolved around former heroes that were looked up to as role models by many around her, though she only knew of one personally.
They were the heroes that would change the world for the betterment of humanity, and one in particular was widely thought as the future leader of their faction, such was his skill and talent.
That prodigy was everything that she wanted to aspire to back then, a beacon to aim for with the rest of the hero children.
Those that came before couldn't understand the sting of betrayal that ran deep, and those that came after wouldn't understand that pain of loss.
She was Nonaka Yuki, and she was a hero that would never let an incident like that happen ever again.
From within or without.
Not from him.
And not from the blond boy that had the gall to act innocent in front of her.
The hero made the first move by raising her sword; Sakuya, up high, before slashing downwards in her enemy's direction, seemingly for no reason.
At least at first it seemed so, as the maneuver was made while she was nowhere near Naruto for her steel to make contact, but the green wave that coalesced from that movement spoke differently.
Moving out from the razor-edge of her katana, a green sickle-like wave sped towards him, made up of some unknown energy.
It was new to him.
But it wasn't a problem for him anyway, so no worries.
Naruto easily side-stepped the wave, the energy close enough for him to feel it's heat as it passed, before moving to walk towards his opponent with hardened eyes.
Yuki narrowed her own eyes at the blond, clenching the hilt of her blade a bit tighter.
He was not taking this seriously.
She would make him regret that decision shortly.
Twisting her arm, the hero viciously swung her sword, making several more slashes while charging at him to engage him in close quarters combat, aware that that's where they both excelled in.
But she also knew that she had an advantage due to her knowledge about his abilities, compared to his lack of knowledge.
Since he wasn't taking this seriously...she would use this chance to remove what she believed was his one true advantage; that speed of his, by keeping him in close quarters.
Little did she know that Naruto was more interested in watching how she fought compared to actually fighting, as he figured by this point that conflict with the Hero Tribe was a likely possibility by this point.
One of their members was attacking him right now after all.
So, in case Naruto had to face an even tougher opponent than Nonaka, it would be nice to see how these 'heroes' fought.
So far he wasn't really impressed, yeah, she had a strong sword, no doubt about it, but that was pretty much all she had so far.
Then again, he also knew that she was still holding back a little for whatever reason. The real fight would begin soon.
Naruto ended his musings by twisting his body around to dodge the incoming green waves that would have hit him if he hadn't moved, immediately bringing a kunai out from under his right cuff to defend himself as he moved.
Enhancing it with wind chakra so that he could block the slash that was aimed at his hips from Nonaka Yuki's Sakuya, catching it before it made contact.
The bluenette immediately ducked when Naruto brought another kunai from his left cuff to stab her torso, only barely managing to respond in time, and kicked out her foot to knock out his legs from under him.
In turn, the blond jumped up from her attempt to trip him up and soared over her head, stopping himself short as he threw his hand out and grabbed the crown of her head with his limb.
Like that, he was literally hand-standing on top of the hero's head.
Before she could even register what he had done, the young man quickly pushed himself off of her head, flipping over her, and kicked the back of her head as he moved away, knocking her onto the hard ground all the while.
Crashing down and sent sliding, the teenaged female forced her fingers into the ground to slow down her fast movement, successfully doing so after a few parse seconds.
Quickly getting up and turning to where she last saw her erstwhile enemy, getting back into a defensive position and looking at him with wary eyes.
This wasn't going as well as she'd hoped, he was moving faster than she expected.
Or rather, he was moving at comparable speeds to his fight with those stray devils, but whenever he had to dodge her attacks, his speed would increase a bit in those exact moments.
Just enough to make sure he ended up unharmed from her attacks as a matter of fact.
In those exact instances, he would become a blur to her...
Such an increase shouldn't be possible...unless he was holding back?
No, that was illogical. She saw how strong and fast he was when he fought those stray devils before, all while aiming to save the devil princess and her succubus.
He would have no reason to hold back then since he was fighting to save them.
The only reason he would hold back in such an instance would be if he noticed her spying on them during the battle, but that couldn't be the case since he was surprised by her knowledge about his intervention.
So how was he moving faster...?
Was she, perhaps, overthinking this?
Was he doing this on purpose in order to confuse and distract her?
As Yuki continued to hesitate due to her own doubts, Naruto raised an eyebrow at her new cautious approach. "Hey, hey...what's wrong Nonaka-san? I thought you were gonna beat me? How are ya gonna do that by standing all the way over there?"
The hero peered up at her enemy, narrowing her eyes at him as he continued to speak.
"Ya know..." the shinobi input, confidence in every faucet of his manner and tone. "We can stop this whenever you want, especially since you can't beat me."
As expected, his opponent bristled at his goading, much to the blond's amusement.
Because, to be blunt, he had ample reason to be sure of his chances against her.
He had yet to use anything except pure taijutsu so far, and if this kept up, then he wouldn't have to use anything more either.
Which was a good thing, as the less he showed her of his abilities, the less she could report back to her faction.
Especially since he really didn't want to kill her and become a full-blown enemy of this...'Hero Tribe'.
He honestly held out hope that there could be a way for him to stop this incident from making him a target of this group that she was a part of, but that wouldn't happen if he killed one of their own.
So he waited, prepared for her next move.
Yuki grit her teeth at his confidence, trying not to let Uzumaki's words get to her as she considered her options.
Obviously she needed to get one clean hit on him at the very least, if she could then his little 'speed boosts' should be negatively affected at the very least, as well as his overall ability to dodge her attacks.
She could beat him...she just needed to let go of her restraints.
So, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes, the young woman began to center herself, tapping into something...within.
Naruto, who figured that she was just calming herself for their next clash, raised a single brow as her body began to glow with a yellow aura, enveloping the young hero completely.
That aura pulsed as it surrounded her body and quickly dispersed after a parse few moments, with Yuki standing at the same spot as before, completely unchanged.
It was only when she opened her eyes again that he noticed the...change.
A change that temporarily brought back memories of red eyes and spinning tomoes...
Thankfully for the sake of his sanity, her eye color didn't change, but her eyes had gained a new appearance thanks to...what looked like a pair of cross-hairs that were placed over her pupils, with a circle conjoining in the middle.
Naruto couldn't help but feel that the fight was about to change.
Eye powers tended to do that.
For a half-second, the bluenette didn't make any move whatsoever, content with holding his eye, before she finally spoke again.
"Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto." Nonaka Yuki started, genuinely impressed by her enemy's speed. "You have forced me to rely upon my trump card, as your abilities obviously outclass my own by this point."
Clutching her katana's handle tightly, she continued, the edge of her lips twisting upwards a bit. "My hidden power...very few have faced me with my True Sight in battle, and only two have actually managed to defeat me with it activated. I hope , for your sake, that you've prepared yourself for a hard fight."
Naruto blinked, not responding one way or another, having faced way too many eye powers back in the Elemental Nations to truly be intimidated.
Honestly, he should be a little wary, but all he really felt was a sense of exasperation at this 'new' eye power.
So, splitting the difference, he decided to simply end this all in one shot by moving at speeds she couldn't follow, not letting her eye powers give her a chance to turn this battle around.
With that in mind, Naruto charged in with clear supersonic speeds and aimed a fist at the hero's stomach, keeping her cross-hairs in sight, making sure that she didn't try anything funny with those eyes.
Strangely enough, as he kept eye contact, her focus remained on him, reacting to him, aware of his movements.
Something that shouldn't have been possible at his current speeds...
Yet, to his shock, before his fist could connect with his opponent's stomach, she managed to tilt her body away from the blow, leaving the blond to swing at nothing except air.
Reacting quickly, he pulled his fist back and launched his leg to the side of her head, keen to end this in a flash.
She wasn't giving him that chance however, as she just as quickly ducked under his attack, dodging it just like the last one.
Except now she brought her blade out to occupy the space that her head used to be in, allowing the blond's leg to slam into the business end of her weapon.
But Naruto wasn't having any of that, opting to aim his foot at the very side of the blade, aiming to kick it at it's flat-side in order to knock it out of Nonaka's hands.
A move which Nonaka herself moved to make sure to use to her advantage, turning her blade just enough to make sure his foot slammed onto it's sharpened edge, aiming to incapacitate.
And, for a moment, it looked like it really would incapacitate him, as the foot continued to approach.
Until, at the last moment, when the errant limb halted right before it made contact with the knife-edge.
A standstill immediately followed, with neither opponents moving for a breathe of an instant.
That changed quickly, with the hero deciding to go all in and swing Sakuya around to cut into her enemy's limb.
Naruto, grinning, totally expected that.
Using his other foot, which was firmly placed on the ground, he pushed himself backwards as he retracted his other foot, allowing Nonaka Yuki to overextend herself as she swung at the spot where his extended limb used to be.
Allowing himself to fall backwards at the sudden movement, the shinobi got into a handstand on the ground before he could hit the ground and aimed both of his legs at the flat-side of the girl's blade, and knocking it harshly away from it's original trajectory.
Stumbling from the sudden move that nearly ripped her weapon away from her grasp, the hero found herself unable to continue her assault, leaving Naruto the chance to back up and back-flip back up to his feet.
Blue eyes peered back to the stumbling female, narrowed in suspicion.
How could he not? Nonaka Yuki was not this fast before, yet not only was she fast enough to respond to his moves, her moves suddenly became much more crisp and calculated after she got those eyes.
It was obviously because of her changed eyes, but what exactly did they do?
"Impressive, Uzumaki-san." Yuki spoke up, getting up from her downed position to face the blond again. "You were much more faster than I gave you credit for...but as you see, I have the speed to keep up now, and it's only a matter of time until you make a mistake."
Listening to the teenaged girl's boasting, Naruto had to quietly admit that whatever she did was effective, but he also knew from experience that no power was perfect.
Her so-called True Sight had a weakness, he just had to find it.
And he would.
Without warning, the shinobi charged at Yuki once more while throwing his kunai at her as a distraction, intent on closing the gap between them.
She dodged it as he expected, but seeing her widen her eyes at his tactic, as well as noting how she only narrowlydodged the little knife as it clipped some of her hair threw him off.
What happened to all her speed just now...?
Naruto cursed the fact that he couldn't publicly carry kunai and shuriken, he could've really used some right about then.
Unfortunately, while he still had one more on him, he didn't want to throw his other kunai at his enemy, as he still needed it to help him curb his opponent's blade advantage.
So he had to deal with it for now, annoyingly.
Regardless, Naruto was already on top of Yuki by the time she had turned her attention back to him, using his distraction to full effect.
Caught his eyes with her own, the hero quickly slid her body to the right to dodge the blond's downward kick, retaliating with a vicious slash by her katana, which just so happened to release a wave of green energy at it's very edge.
Forced to back up, lest he get cut, the shinobi attempted to raise his slammed foot from the ground as it impacted the spot where Nonaka Yuki once stood, trying to back up from the attack, aware that he had to move quickly before his opponent managed to take advantage of his bad position.
Through the cloud of dust that the blond picked up, Yuki moved to do just as Naruto predicted and slashed her sword towards Naruto's right side, aiming for clear bisection.
But, to her surprise, the other human raised both of his hands out while tucking his kunai in-between two of his fingers, then slammed both limbs onto the speeding flat-edges of the deadly katana, halting it's movement.
Uzumaki Naruto had just caught the blade between his hands.
Nonaka Yuki, with her eyes wide, just stared at the phenomenon with slight disbelief, never seeing such speed before in her life with a single exception.
Naruto just grinned at this, amused if anything, before he viciously lashed out with his left foot towards the girl's stomach, taking advantage of her stilled body.
Yellow eyes sharpened as the left foot was efficiently dodged when she twisted her body to the right, narrowly moving out of the foot's way.
Then, in a move which the hero took as a small triumph, she moved her right hand from the blade's hilt in order to use it to catch the offending limb into a hold, tucking it under her armpit and keeping it there.
Naruto, ever positive, kept his grin despite what has happened.
And why did that unnerve Nonaka Yuki more than any angry raving ever could?
From out of nowhere, the shinobi hopped up on his remaining leg, using her hold on his left leg to keep him suspended in the air as he kept his own hold on her blade secure.
In that position, he lashed out with his other limb towards the bluenette's face, aiming for a clean and powerful connection.
Barely keeping up, the hero was forced to bend her back in a perfect parallel to the ground to dodge the foot, silently thankful that she was so flexible as to move out of the way of such a attack in such close-quarters.
But she soon realized that the foot that she essentially ducked under was still hanging over her head, like a guillotine...
Nonaka Yuki couldn't help but open her mouth to curse before the foot descended on her, like a falling axe, she was smashed in the face and dug into the ground without mercy.
Feeling his heel make contact, Naruto quickly disengaged and backed up to assess the damage he has done, unable to stop the growing smirk that was splitting his face.
Silence prevailed over the area for a split moment, only being interrupted once the teenaged female slowly began to push herself away from her hole, raising her head to look at the shinobi.
Her glower at his direction, as well as the nasty bloody nose that she's got, let him know that she was quite in a lot of pain.
...But more importantly, he found it.
Throughout this fight, his opponent has managed to hold her own against him despite her poor performance against him earlier, somehow managing to keep u[ after she got those eyes of hers.
Well, he was pretty damn sure that he found her eye power's weakness.
That being said, it would be way too annoying to exploit it the conventional way, so he decided to do this the old-fashioned way.
By this point, the hero steadily got up from her place on the ground, her nose covered by one of her metal gauntlets as she glared at the blond's insufferably cheerful smirk as he waited for her to get up again.
Was he really that confident that he would win?
She would disavow him from that notion soon enough, especially with her next move.
Naruto charged forward again, intent on ending this once and for all as their eyes met once more, determination burning burning in both pairs of irises.
A wind-coated kunai clashed with a magic sword as both combatants met with their faces mere inches apart.
Just by taking a cursory glance at their clash though, one could easily see that it was by no means an equal fight, as Naruto was definitely pushing back the female with his greater strength.
This became more obvious when the blond made to knock Sakuya from Yuki's hands, hooking his smaller weapon and attempting to yank it from her fingertips, managing to pull it away from the both of them and leave her wide open for his weapon.
Naruto hesitated for a split-second, before making to stab his kunai towards Yuki's stomach, intent on incapacitating her.
That split moment's hesitation allowed for the girl to back away safely from his stab, making sure that she got away unscathed, but still weaponless.
The shinobi clicked his tongue at that, annoyed at how careful he was being in not doing any permanent damage to her, as doing so could definitely keep him in her faction's shit list.
Still...at least he was able to disarm her.
His optimism vanished about the same time as the hero's sword did, vanishing in a flash of green and reappearing right in the palm of her hand.
That was totally not fair.
Nonaka Yuki, by this point, was now visibly tired, breathing in short and shallow breathes to feed her lungs as she raised her blade again to meet with this...unknown being in open combat.
Her Sacred Gear...it allowed her to raise her own speed to give her the chance to keep up with her opponent, not match them, an ability that absorbed an exorbitant amount of stamina to utilize properly for extended periods of time.
She needed to end this...now.
The hero raised her sword high up above her head, gripping it's hilt tightly as it began to light up with a green aura...and swung.
But unlike all the other times before, the green wave that she had just materialized stayed in place, as if frozen by time.
She twisted her arms and swung her katana twice more, intersecting the first one using different angles, and those waves stayed in place as well.
With her brows scrunched together, focused, the young woman swung Sakuya five more times, creating waves of power that remained still in front of her.
Staring at the waves of power, Naruto suddenly realized that he was in real danger this time, as in front of him were several of those green waves weaved together like a spider web, reminding him of Hinata's special jutsu.
Nonaka Yuki then pointed her sword at Naruto, and uttered one word.
"Fire."
As if the green waves were given life by the singular command, the series of sword slashes moved forward and soared towards the shinobi at frightening speeds, each wave propelling the other to faster speeds as they remained intersected.
Naruto paused for a heartbeat, before quickly moving towards the onslaught with a determined glint in his eye, believing that he wouldn't be able to dodge the incoming attack by running around or jumping over it since it's speed was quickly rising to higher levels.
All that was left was one option.
Going through it.
Naruto ducked, dodged, weaved, jumped, shifted, and ran through the attack like the world's most dangerous obstacle course, feeling some of the waves narrowly clip a bit of his clothes and hair as he made it through.
As expected, the blond managed to dodge the last wave and stepped foot on the solid ground as soon as he was safe again, with nary a wound on his body, despite the cuts all across his clothing.
But when he turned to find his opponent again, he found her eyes to be far closer than he would have liked.
"Got you."
That was all Naruto heard as a sharp blade ripped right into his skin, ramming all the way through his body as it exited out through his back.
Blue eyes widened in shock as blood leaked from his mouth, staring at the sword that had impaled itself through him, blinking rapidly as he only just begun to register what had just happened.
Yellow eyes looked at him with a solemn air that the hero didn't really expect to be feeling, somehow...uncomfortable with watching the young man's life pass before her eyes.
He said it himself...maybe it didn't have to end this way.
"It's over." Yuki claimed quietly, waiting for the blond to lose his life, somewhat listless in her demeanor as she watched.
She honestly wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, but it needed to be done, of that...she had no doubt.
Then, in a sudden jerking motion, the hero snapped her eyes in shock as she heard something that she shouldn't have heard from the blond.
He was chuckling.
Nonaka Yuki gaped at him openly as Naruto finally stopped chuckling, unable to believe that he was able to do such a thing in a time like this.
Still, the shinobi tilted his head up, with blood still dripping from his lips, meeting her eyes with his own.
"Bzzt." Naruto said with a bloody grin.
"...Bzzt?" Yuki couldn't help but repeat, such was her confusion.
Then suddenly the blond man *popped*, as if he was a party balloon full of smoke that was just popped.
Yuki had absolutely no idea what had just happened, as she was terribly confused.
Then she heard the voice of the source of her confusion, which didn't sound anywhere near death's door.
"WRONG!"
Her eyes widened as she tried to quickly turn around to-
Too late.
A fist smashed against her stomach and embedded itself in her, a distant part of her mind that wasn't reeling from the pain couldn't help but compare the feeling to the force of something like a freight train.
It was really that bad.
She was sent flying and crashing through several trees like a live wrecking ball, before making a human-sized crater into the forest floor, with dirt and dust being sent high up into the air.
Yuki just stared up into the sky, thoroughly tired and disoriented after suffering what felt like back breaking injuries, unwilling to move lest she genuinely shatter what was left of her spine.
Also, she couldn't help but think that speed types never punched so hard.
That meant that he wasn't just a speed type, yet another thing that she learned about Uzumaki Naruto that she should have before this fight.
She continued to stare at the sky listlessly until she saw a flash of blond hair, aware of who it was.
Uzumaki Naruto walked out from the bushes to reach her fallen form with a small grin.
She couldn't help but notice that he had no stab wound.
"...How?" Yuki asked with difficulty. Everything hurt, just moving her lips felt like hell at the moment.
Naruto just nervously scratched the back of his head. "An old technique of mine, it's called kage bunshin no jutsu and it allows me to create copies of myself." he answered easily.
To him, honestly speaking, it was fine that he told her about this, since she just saw it in action anyway.
That being said, he wasn't gonna tell her the fact that he could make a lot of them, or that they share intel when popped.
He had to keep some things to himself.
"...When?" Yuki asked, now staring up into the night stars.
When had night fallen?
"When I smashed you into the ground, I replaced myself with a clone and let him fight you. It was the only way to get around your Sacred Gear's powers without the battle taking too long." Naruto explained easily, even though he wasn't exactly being factual.
He had other options...it's just that those would probably have killed her.
"...I see...well it seems...that you are the winner...Uzumaki-san...kill me if you wish..." Yuki murmured, resigned to her fate as she closed her eyes.
No matter how kind of a man he was, Uzumaki was still her enemy, just as she was his. This was how the world worked.
She couldn't begrudge that of him, she would have done the same in his shoes.
Everything was silent for a moment as Nonaka Yuki waited for the inevitable blow, faintly feeling herself unwound from the worries that plagued her about her faction.
It was almost...peaceful.
That silence was broken by her enemy's voice.
"Why do we have to be enemies?" Naruto asked, a genuine tone to his voice that supported his earnest expression.
He honestly didn't want to kill her, seeing no point in it, especially when this entire fight was based on nothing more than a misunderstanding.
If anything, if she just chilled with the 'me vs them' mentality, maybe they could even be friends.
Yuki opened her eyes and stared at Naruto, a faint bit of incredulity coloring her orbs as she answered him. "It is impossible. I am a hero and you are an ally of devils. There is no middle ground."
Naruto shook his head and leaned down towards her, unable to agree with that line of thinking.
"Isn't it a hero's duty to do the impossible for the betterment of those they protect?" Naruto asked with a frown, he didn't know much about the history of this world, but he was sure that the word 'hero' wasn't different from his world's version.
"No, the duty of a hero is to protect humans from the supernatural..." Yuki replied quietly, having no idea where was he going with this.
Naruto regarded her for a moment before turning away to look to the stars.
"If that is what the definition of a hero is in this world...then I feel sorry for it." the blond claimed listlessly, before turning back to the now openly glaring Yuki.
"A hero is a person who does their best to protect the weak against the strong, someone who stands for justice, someone who stands for peace." Naruto began, his voice getting more passionate, heated even. "A hero is supposed to be a symbol, something to aspire to that others wish to follow, and a beacon in the times where others would fall into despair and give up!"
Yuki's own eyes flared at his words. "You don't think that's what we do...? We protect humans from the abuses of the powerful supernatural factions, standing as defenders and champions of the group that can't protect themselves...of humanity! We are heroes!" Yuki ground out, her own voice tightly wound up due to the high emotional tension.
Naruto just looked at her with hard blue eyes before shooting her down, refusing to let the matter go so easily.
"Then why are you hunting down Naruse Mio like a criminal? What has she done to you? To anyone? What gives you the right to dictate whether she lives or dies because of something she can't control!" Naruto shouted, knowing that feeling all too well.
"She may have not done anything now, but in the future..." Yuki tried to say, shaking her head warily before getting cut off.
"How the hell do you know that? Mio was just a normal teenaged girl just a year ago! What kind of heroes kill people because of what they 'might become'!?" Naruto growled, baring teeth as his temper grew more fiery.
The shinobi quickly turned around for a precious moment after his tirade, taking a deep breathe to calm himself before turning back around to the tired hero.
"...What do you want from me Uzumaki Naruto...?" Yuki questioned with a sigh, emotionally and physically tired from the day's events.
"...I want you to act like how a true hero should." Naruto said simply.
Unknowingly to the young man, he striked a chord with the girl, making her tense faintly as the words was bandied about in her head.
A true hero...
Nonaka Yuki closed her eyes, trying to forget what the words meant to her, staying quiet to gather her thoughts again, centering herself.
"In your opinion..." Yuki spoke up softly, her yellow gaze opening up to see the night sky again. "What would a true hero do in this situation?"
The shinobi just smiled and gave her his hand before replying. "In my opinion...a true hero would wait and see if the bad guy was really a bad guy."
Placing his other hand on his chest, Naruto flashed his teeth in a shit-eating grin, blue eyes bright in the dim light that the moon provided. "I never lied when I told you that I never go back on my word, and I'm not lying now when I say that I would never harm innocent an innocent human as long as I live. You can bet on that dattebayo."
Yuki looked, just looked at the blond, before tilting her head enough to focus her attention on the extended hand as if it was a bomb that was about to go off.
Of all the things that the hero thought could happen today when she woke up, she didn't expect this.
Just looking at the inviting gesture from her former enemy, she could easily admit that she was tempted.
Everything about him seemed genuine, his words were earnest and spontaneous, a far cry from the pre-planned speeches that were made to evoke something out of a person.
This was just...spoken from the heart.
She could see that from his eyes which seemed blindinglyvivid to her at the moment.
Without even thinking about it, she stretched out her hand to meet his own, drawn to him.
'Now now, Yuki-chan, did you really think that I stood for stupid shit like 'peace and justice'? You shouldn't trust so easily next time, Yuki-chan. It'll do you well to remember this feeling the next time that you feel like being soft, as a matter of fact, use it in order to propel yourself forward and become a wonderful human...a realhero...'
As if she just touched something foul, she immediately retracted her hand after dark memories resurfaced.
Memories of broken promises.
"How..." she rasped, clutching her retracting hand tightly, shielding it. "How do I know that you won't betray my trust...?"
The shinobi's features pinched up, opening his mouth to reassure her that she had both both worry about.
He didn't get the chance.
"Your words...feel genuine, but I've been fooled by the charismatic words of bad men before." she claimed solemnly, on guard. "So...how do I know that your words actually mean anything...?"
Even as she was speaking, Yuki's features were becoming more wary and leery.
"How do I know that you won't betray my trust?"
Naruto was speechless, completely thrown off by the hero's complete shift in behavior, not sure what to make of it.
That being said, the blond recovered admirably.
"Wait, just hold on a minute...where did this come from? You were ready to give me a chance here, what changed?" Naruto asked in confusion, seeking understanding.
Unable to bear looking at his eyes for some reason, the human teen turned her head away from the oceanic gaze of the blond and looked at the sky instead.
"You wouldn't understand."
Naruto frowned at this. "Hey, for all you know, I may understand more than you think. I myself had a pretty rough life in the beginning, ya know?"
Parting with this tidbit wss meant to help the young woman to relate to him, at least, that wss the idea.
Instead of serving to reassure her however, this only managed to worsen her already darkening mood.
"What do you know...? How can someone whohas such a bright smile ever understand how painful it is? How painful it is to know that someone you trusted with your life could so casually just...throw it away. You don't understand a thing." Yuki hissed with venom, her pent up frustration and anger leaking through as she glared at the blond for reawakening old memories.
She then turned her head to focus on anything else except her enemy's eyes, not willing to let him see the tears that were building up around her eyes born out of impotent frustration.
She felt spent.
Tired.
Numb.
She definitely wasn't expecting this to happen today.
The downed hero stayed like that to numerous beats, feeling herself tense when she didn't get any response from the young man that hung over her.
Did she, perhaps, push him far enough to convince him to end this...permanently?
She had no idea, so she had to turn back to look him in the eye and see see herself what fate awaited her.
So she did, slowly, taking in his features, preparing for the worst.
Except, yet again, she would not be able to predict this boy's actions, which explained why her eyes widened at what she saw.
He was simply...sitting there, right next to her, contemplating the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
But that wasn't what shocked Nonaka Yuki.
It was the mournful look that overtook his usually positive disposition that stopped her short, as well as the glassy eyes that accompanied them.
The far-off look in his eye also helped the hero to recognize that the blond was remembering something, something that brought pain to the young man.
What she didn't know was that he was remembering his sibling in every sense of the word except blood.
The sibling that he had gained through friendship and lost to hate.
The sibling with that damned fan symbol on their back.
Those glassy eyes finally regarded her with a quiet, almost wistful smile.
"...I do know..."
That was all that needed to be said.
She took the hand.
Nonaka Yuki couldn't help but wince at every step as Uzumaki carefully helped her walk out of the forested area that they fought in, taking extra care not to excacerbate her battered bones.
She hated to admit it, but he really did a number on her.
Still...the outcome of this fight ended up being far more positive than she initially imagined, even if she was pretty battered.
No one died, and despite her fierce belief in keeping the Hero Tribe safe from all potential threats, she still preferred to preserve life rather than take it.
Yes...this ended much better than she could have reasonably expected.
The hero, who's head was high above the clouds, quickly ended her musings when a large red circle with intricate symbols appeared near their location.
Practically right in front of them as a matter of fact.
Both humans stopping to stare at the glowing symbol that appeared out of nowhere, but both had varying reactions to it.
Naruto stopped out of genuine confusion and curiosity, wheras Yuki stopped out of shock at the absolutely terrible timing that she had in coming here.
Yuki just sighed at her misfortune.
There went her cover in Kuoh Academy...
Out of the magical circle that illuminated the dark forest with crimson light, was none other than Rias Gremory and her Peerage, emerging from it with the assurance and confidence beffiting those that were at ease in their territory.
Rias, for her part, gathered her Peerage in order to respond to the bursts of energy signals that were coming from the forest in the northwest of Kuoh Town, unsure of who or what was causing the disturbance.
According to Akeno, who was the one who sensed the disturbance in the first place thanks to her superior sensing abilities, the power that popped in her radar was unfamiliar to her.
Yet...not completely foreign.
To be perfectly honest, the Gremory heiress expected to see a being from a supernatural faction that they have not yet met before, or a cocky stray devil from that was once a being that they were not yet familiar with that had to be put down.
Either or seemed plausible.
Which was why she was going to have Koneko use her advanced and sensitive eyes, nose, and ears to find out more before they engaged with this possibly hostile intruder.
At least, that's what she was planning on doing until she noticed that they were being stared at as soon as they entered the forest.
To be blunt, she did not expect to see was the boy that Sona and herself were interested in; Uzumaki Naruto, who was holding a battered girl that wore the Kuoh Academy uniform.
She could do nothing except stare at the rather bizarre situation before realizing that two humans have just witnessed a transportation magic circle, something that was not supposed to happen.
But before she could even try to salvage the situation, she noticed all of the damage that had been done to the forest around her.
There was definitely a fight that occurred around here, but where were the combatants?
Her eyes fell back to the girl that Uzumaki Naruto was carrying and looked at her wounds, then it clicked.
"So...you two were the ones reponsible for the signals that we sensed, huh...?" Rias questioned with a small sigh, having hoped to meet with the blond in better circumstances.
But now she had no choice but to reveal her true identity.
Though she had to wonder whether he was already aware of it, as he did not seem to gape like a fish when a group of teens emerged from the ground like some sort of horror flick.
He did seem curious though.
Naruto on the other hand was initially confused with who these people were, until he felt their energies, energies that felt just like Shitori Sona and his two freeloaders back home.
Devils.
Great, that was just great.
And, in accordance with his luck, he guessed that the beautiful crimson-haired girl was someone important to boot, besides probably being the leader of the group.
"Greetings, to the two of you, it seems that we found ourselves in a unique position haven't we, Uzumaki Naruto-san?" the red-headed girl began rhetorically, an enigmatic smile touching at her lips.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at that, he has never introduced himself to her yet, so how did she know his name?
Undeterred by his rising wariness, the young devil continued.
"I think...that considering the circumstances, that it would be best for us if we talked about our rather...unique situation. You must have some questions that need answering, I'm sure." Rias smoothly continued, doing her utmost to seem inviting, lest she push the blond away from her.
Though she wasn't sure what had happened in the forest, she was far more focused on the young man in front of her for the time being, seeing a golden opportunity.
Remembering his curious gaze on them when her Peerage first arrived, she was willing to bet that Naruto didn't know much about the supernatural, so speaking with him about this would be a great way to, at the very least, make him see that she wasn't an enemy.
And, as she figured, she saw the young man's interest get piqued, if only faintly.
Yuki coolly regarded the Gremory devil and then glanced back at Naruto before speaking. "Perhaps...it is best if we speak in private as well, Gremory-san."
The wealthy high-class devil blinked, shifting her attention to the young woman by Uzumaki Naruto's side.
She genuinely forgot that she was there.
"I apologize if I seem rude, but who are you exactly? You seem somewhat familiar, and you are wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform...but I don't recall..." Rias frowned, tilting her head to the side.
"It seems that she's a student in our school, but we haven't really met in any official capacity, Buchou." Akeno supplied helpfully, side-by-side to her king.
It was obvious that she was very much acquainted with the supernatural, as the teenaged girl with light blue hair wasn't the least bit surprised to see her Peerage emerge from the ground.
As a matter of fact, she almost seemed displeased.
So the question was; which faction did she belong to?
The hero continued to stare at her blankly for a moment, but internally, her gears were on overdrive over an important question.
Should she tell her?
The young devil was probably already suspicious when she saw Yuki and Naruto in the middle of a devastated area, probably already guessing that it was due to a battle.
So there was no doubt that Gremory thought that she was from a supernatural faction, given her condition.
It was possible that she could lie and pretend that she was affiliated from another religion entirely, one that had no quarrel with the devils.
Yes...that would be the smart move.
Then she glanced at the blond that was helping her up through the side of her eye.
The only problem with this plan was the simple fact that her conversation with Naruto was clashing with her inner pragmatism, making such an approach seem almost...distasteful.
'A true hero would wait and see if the bad guy was actually a bad guy.'
She remembered watching over the activities of the devils of Kuoh Academy, so sure that they would eventually drop their masks and reveal themselves to be monsters that would prey on the weaknesses of humans.
After hearing the stories of the past atrocities of their kind, she was so sure...
Yet, to this day, they never did anything approaching the word monstrous.
To the contrary, as a matter of fact, outside of their dealings with the supernatural, they tended to act just like ordinary humans would.
Even the usually reprehensible evil piece system wasn't used against the recent human-turned-devil; Genshirou Saji's will.
He did it entirely by his own consent, a far cry so far from what she had heard of the devils of old.
Did she, perhaps, allow her distrustful nature to control her actions?
She couldn't answer that question definitively yet, as she had only just begun to question her actions, but she at least knew one thing.
A true hero...wouldn't see these devils as evil beings, not after studying them for a bit.
No, instead, a true hero would be more likely to meet and become acquaintances with these new devils, these different devils.
After all, if more devils were like them, then less humans would be abused by the faction as a whole, wouldn't they?
Promoting harmonious co-existence instead of other harmful emotions and motivations.
But to do all that, she had to lay down her own distrustful disposition first.
She had to open dialogue, she had to believe that they were trustworthy.
Suddenly, a hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed in reassurance.
She couldn't stop the small smile that was growing on her face even if she tried.
At least she had one supporter.
So, with a surprising calmness, the battered teenaged girl took that dangerous first step.
"I am a hero." Yuki revealed, as if she was talking about something that was obvious.
Rias, prepared to hear a lot of things, just blinked in response to this, processing the fantastical knowledge that was just passed onto her.
Then she widened her eyes in shock.
A human hero was standing right in front of her.
At the moment, that hero didn't look too impressive, but it didn't change the fact that a sworn enemy of devilkind was standing in front of her, announcing her presence.
The shock wore off the second that she realized that, despite the lack of a threat she held in her current state, there was a distinct possibility that the blond helping her stand was also a hero.
It seemed that her Peerage had the same idea cross their minds as well, as they all began to get closer to their king in case hostilities arose, closing ranks against an external threat.
Naruto quickly noticed the rising tension, raised one of his hands up in a placating manner before things got ugly. "Woah, woah! Hold on there, weren't we gonna talk about this, Rias-san?"
Seriously, he was not looking for another fight so soon after the last one.
Besides, pissing off another faction was just a stupid idea, and so was needlessly showing off his abilities while dealing with them.
Rias snapped her attention back to Naruto with caution, who had already bent her knees a little to prepare for any fast movements required if hostilities emerged. "It seems that I was mistaken, Naruto-san. I'm sure that you can understand our...hesitation about bringing age-long enemies with us."
Naruto widened his eyes at that statement, connecting the dots.
'Enemies.'
Plural.
She thought that he was a hero!
"Rias-san, it seems you are a bit mistaken here...I'm not a hero. Only Nonaka-san here is a hero." Naruto tried to convince her earnestly.
"And how do I know that you're telling the truth exactly? After all, I can tell that you're definitely human, and you're helping her right now, like a good ally. So what other explanation is there when one of those humans just so happens to take the mantle of 'hero'?" Rias refuted, her guard not brought down at all.
Naruto's expression slid from faintly nervous to deadpanned in a matter of seconds, before slowly using his hand to point at the girl to his side.
"Because I just recently beat the crap out of her." he retorted.
Rias blinked at the statement before gaining a light blush due to her embarrassment, as it made sense that they weren't on the same side considering the condition of the hero.
Her wounds went beyond that of a spar between friends, since she was obviously in quite a lot of pain.
Nonaka just twitched at the reminder of her recent defeat.
"Yeah, we were enemies earlier today. But we came to an understanding after I beat her up, and I was helping her get to her house when you guys showed up. So you don't need to worry about having me as your enemy since I have no reason to fight you at all." Naruto eased the devils in front of him, hoping his logic would temper the tension here. "If anything, talking to you would be good since I finally get to find out what is going on with all of these supernatural factions."
The devils all shared looks with one another, apparently checking with one another to see if they believed the blond's story.
"...While I would advise caution, I think that he is telling the truth right now, Buchou." Akeno advised, sparing the two humans a look.
"...Not lying." Koneko agreed, her powerful ears at work. " Heartbeat is stable, not speeding up."
The Gremory heiress said nothing as she listened to her two Peerage member's council, moving her eyes back and forth between Naruto and Yuki.
She quickly made her decision.
"Very well, we will trust in your sincerity and believe that you mean us no harm, Naruto-san. We will all go back to my club room in Kuoh Academy and...go over our interesting circumstances." Rias said finally, aware that she was taking a huge risk by taking them back to her home base.
Then again, maybe not.
After all, if all she had to fear was a beat up hero, then the combined forces of her Peerage would be more than enough to overwhelm the her.
Of that she was sure.
It was the one that gave her the wounds that she was worried about.
Idly waving her hand, the red-head reactivated the magic circle underfoot in order to transfer everyone back to the ORC base, where they could speak without fear of any normal humans listening in.
The crimson circle then expanded, enveloping the ground under all those who were present.
Then, in a blinding flash, they were all transported away.
To their lack of knowledge though, it failed to transport another soul who was watching nearby, attracted to the battleground like the Gremory group was.
However, strangely enough, no one there even noticed his presence, despite their incredible abilities.
Regardless, the figure, which turned out to be a young man, quickly left to tell his master about the knowledge he has obtained.
Naruto blinked as he fell on his butt when the transportation was over with, along with Yuki, who was also now sprawled on the floor, moaning in pain at her sudden re-acquaintance with the ground.
All the devils in the room looked on with amusement as the humans slowly stood back up, getting over their sudden and unpleasant feeling of being teleported.
Naruto, ever curious about the supernatural, looked around and took note that the room he was in was pretty damn spooky and dark, utilizing candles and incense instead of light bulbs and air fresheners.
Honestly, it's sorta what he would expect from a bad guy's lair, especially with all of the fancy furniture that was definitely not Oriental in style.
Naruto decided to take this time to study all of the devils there, having the chance to do so.
There was a young woman with a buxom figure with very long black hair and violet eyes, standing besides the obvious leader of the group, probably as a second-in-command or something.
Her hair, which was incredibly long, was tied in a long ponytail which reached all the way down to her legs, held thanks to her badass orange ribbon.
There was another girl that was of similar build with Maria. She had hazel eyes and white hair which was styled in a bob cut except with several strands hanging on the sides of her face which was reaching her shoulders.
The only male devil here was a good-looking guy with short light blond hair and grey eyes. He had a mole under his left eye and carried himself like one of those gentleman that Naruto read about.
All in all, a very varied group of people.
That wasn't even counting the apparent leader of the group.
Gremory Rias -or was that Rias Gremory?- was a young woman that had a similar build with the girl with the badass ribbon. She had long crimson hair, a couple of shades darker than Mio's which stretched to her thighs and an ahoge that was defying gravity. She had green-blue eyes which was currently shining in amusement at the human's wandering gaze.
Naruto finally ended his examination of the group and decided to start things off.
"Ok, so what is a 'devil' exactly, Rias-san?" Naruto asked to get things started.
Almost as if a switch was turned on, the room suddenly gotten slightly darker with the lights becoming dimmer. The remaining light gave the devils on the other side of the room an almost eerie presence with the darkness covering parts of their faces.
Naruto wondered if this was a 'thing' with devils as he remembered Sona-san and her glasses.
They just seemed to like their theatrics.
"Well, Uzumaki Naruto, to be blunt, devils are beings that live in a different dimension known as the Underworld, chosen by the founder of our species; the Original Maou. We are all, essentially, the descendants of the Original Lucifer and his band of rebels against Heaven, who utilize magic to combat our enemies. We are...very powerful beings, Naruto-san." Rias explained, her tone getting lower as she continued.
Yuki narrowed her eyes at this blatant admission of her species' power.
What was Gremory up to...?
Just because she acknowledged that she wasn't all bad didn't mean that she trusted her to not use certain situations to her advantage.
Naruto, oblivious to the change, nodded for her to continue.
"Devils have been fighting their Biblical counterparts and sworn enemies; angels and fallen angels, for at least two thousand years in a conflict simply known as The Great War. The conflict has only in recent times been called off due to a ceasefire, but the devil population has been decimated due to the many years of fighting...the problem has only recently been solved due to the introduction of the Evil Piece system." Rias claimed with her eyes locked onto Naruto's.
The hero, wary at first, just found cause to be even more concerned as the devil emphasized her people's need for new blood.
Connecting the dots in her head, the young human felt something click in her head when she finally realized what Gremory was aiming for.
She was going trying to get Uzumaki Naruto into her Peerage.
Clenching her teeth together, Yuki was about to take a step forward to warn him but stopped herself short.
As much as she hated to admit it, Gremory wasn't using any magic or anything of the sort to influence him in any way, except through words.
Despite how she was loath to admit it, she had no right to interfere in this instance.
...It was times like these that she hated her own moral compass.
Naruto just stood there, soaking up all this information as Rias continued her explanation.
"The concept of a 'Peerage', a term to describe those who are made subordinate to a king, was born from the Evil Piece system. The system itself uses chess pieces to change the genetic make-up of an individual and turn them into a devil and a servant of the possessor of the Evil Piece. For humans, it makes them far more powerful than what they were originally due to the fact that devils are naturally more stronger than humans, as well as live far longer. Eventually, when those reincarnated devils become strong enough, they can form their own Peerages and achieve great wealth in the Underworld." Rias said with a sly turn of the lips, eyeing the blond's features for the telltale signs of interest.
She thought that she was doing a good job in selling her case before she even suggested it, making him see the positives of becoming a devil without outright stating her wants.
Hopefully, with just one more nudge, she could ensure her offer's success rate.
"The people you see around you are, as a matter of fact, members of my Peerage. Unlike others though; I see my Peerage as family, as my comrades and friends. They are people that I treasure, no matter what." the Gremory heiress took a breath, prepping herself for the final pitch. "I...don't know much about you, Naruto-san, but from what I've seen and heard, I'd like to think that we could understand and help one another out. Which is why, after everything I have said...I would like to ask you to join my Peerage and become a part of that family."
By this point, the Gremory heiress looked like the pitch-perfect example of a confident older woman who had her fingers wrapped around an inexperienced younger boy, exemplified by her borderline coy smile.
What about her offer wasn't attractive?
Longer life, more strength, promise of camaraderie and respect.
She was sure that he would accept her offer.
"Nah."
And when he did, she could-
...
"Huh?" Rias asked, dumbfounded. Her visage of confidence and experience fell apart completely at the stupefied expression.
Did he just say no?
Yuki, on the other hand, stared at Naruto with wide eyes, shocked and more than a little pleased that he rejected the red-head's offer, though she honestly wasn't sure why.
"Well...all of that sounds nice and all, but won't I have to give up being human? Not that being human is great and all, but it is a part of who I am. A piece of what makes Uzumaki Naruto...well...Uzumaki Naruto. While I would love to get a family, I don't want to get it while giving up a part of me. Besides, I have a dream that I have to fulfill...and becoming a devil would be a big detriment to that dream. So thanks...but no thanks, Rias-san." Naruto said simply, not at all wavering from his decision.
It was a nice offer, really, but he didn't want to give up a piece of himself just so he could get something else in return.
It just wasn't who he was.
Instead, he would earn everything that he could through his own blood and sweat, that was his usual way of getting things done.
Rias just stared at the blond for a moment before sighing in disappointment, her shoulders sagging a bit.
She was so looking forward to getting another Peerage member that she honestly didn't consider that he would refuse her.
"However..."
Rias perked up at Naruto's voice, turning back to him to listen to his words.
"...It doesn't mean that we can't become friends and allies, right?" Naruto asked easily with a grin.
Feeling her eyelids open just a bit wider than usual, the red-head waited for the other shoe to drop.
She was certain that the blond in front of her didn't just reject a way to improve his body in every way imaginable and become a part of her family...just to offer her his hand in friendship.
Why would he go for the lesser of two options? What was the point in that?
From what she knew of most humans, most would jump at the chance to live longer and improve their body. Especially if she was genuinely sincere about him becoming a part of her family.
So she was understandably stupefied that the teenaged boy gazed upon her expectantly, waiting for her response.
...He wanted to be friends? Allies? Just like that?
He made it sound so easy...
Still, she couldn't stop the amused chuckle that came out of her mouth due to the craziness of it all.
He denied a chance at being stronger, faster, better in almost every way just because he didn't want to lose a piece of himself.
Then he turned around and claimed to want to be friends.
Who did that?
Rias stopped chuckling and looks at Naruto with a smile. "I suppose that will have to do, Naruto-san."
Notably, the lower and more adult-like tone of her voice had faded once she recovered from his offer, and instead was replaced by her normal tone.
Naruto decided that he liked the normal Rias better.
Turning to look at Yuki, who was standing off to the side and watching the events unfold at a distance, the shinobi motioned to her to come towards the assembled group.
Yuki raised an eyebrow in response, before moving slowly to the blond as he turned to now regard the entire group.
"Everyone." Naruto said with a grin. "I have a proposal to make."
Naruto would share his proposal.
And Kuoh, as they say, was never the same again.
Naruto carefully tiptoed inside his house, peeking around to check if anyone was still awake at this late hour.
Thankfully for him, the lights were off, and he heard no sounds.
It seemed that he was in the clear.
Slowly walking inside the house, the blond casually dropped the groceries onto the kitchen floor in order to put it away in the fridge, making sure to be as quiet as possible.
With this accomplished, he then stealthily made his way back to the living room in order to get to his room and rest.
Honestly, he lucked out, since he managed to find a grocery store that was open this late at night to gather some necessary foodstuffs…and stuff.
Now he could just sleep the rest of the night away without much worry.
…Well, mostly.
Now that he had made his 'proposal', and somehow pulled everyone; devil and hero alike, into it, now he had the enviable problem of making sure that it stuck.
That would be a hell of a thing to keep stable.
Before the shinobi could retreat into the safety of his room by passing by the living room, an irregular shape at the edge of his sight caught his attention.
Tilting his head, he easily noticed something irregular on the couch and froze.
"...Mio." Naruto muttered.
On one of his comfortable couches, Naruse Mio was just laying there, resting.
…Well, sleeping was more like it, but why was she there instead of in her new room?
It took all of a few seconds for something to click inside his head leaving his eyes to widen in genuine shock.
Was…
Was she waiting for him to come home?
Throughout his life, no one had ever waited for him to come home before.
This was…just an absolute first for the young man.
So much so that he wasn't sure how he should take it.
Naruto's eyes fluttered, blinking away the faint bit of glassiness that nearly overtook them for a second at the warm feeling spreading in his heart at the gesture.
Rebounding quickly, the youth shuffled past her and went to his room, grabbing a spare blanket to place on the resting red-head.
Cutting himself off mid-action, he thought better of it and snagged two.
Returning to the living room, he then placed one on her and tucked her in softly so that she wouldn't wake up, then he went to the chair that was next to the couch and sat down.
Keeping himself silent, he then placed the blanket on himself and grinned fondly at the girl on the couch.
"Thanks a bunch, Mio." Naruto remarked as quietly as a whisper, settling into his seat to fall into the confines of sleep.
His last thoughts before he drifted off were of acceptance.
As far as he was concerned, these two freeloaders could stay as long as they needed.
If he couldn't bring himself to regret saving the two devils in the forest on that fateful day, which seemed so long ago, then he probably never would.
To many people, the area that a certain wealthy young devil was traversing would be considered to be cold and dank.
Even to him it was so, as he wasn't used to dealing with desolate and unforgiving accommodations until recently.
But then again, why would he? He was a high class devil after all, so he deserved only the best the Underworld had to offer.
But he would tolerate it.
Or rather, he had to tolerate it. His life was at stake if he made his...benefactor upset.
Even though the young devil did all he could to earn his new master's favor, it just seemed that he never held his loyal servant in such high regard at all.
Peering through the opening and the end of the hidden cavern that he was traversing, orange eyes narrowed, a calculating glint within their depths.
Maybe he could change that after this meeting.
Reaching the end of the cavern, the youth halted in front of a shadowed figure that was standing tall on an elevated position in front of him, surrounded by the darkened area that helped protect his anonymity.
Not even a devil's sensitive eyes could quite pierce through the shadows to see his features.
Face to face with his benefactor, the high class devil bowed his head deferentially, waiting for his lord to speak.
"...And? What have you discovered that is so important as to drag me away from our base of operations?" the deep voice rumbled.
To the young devil, it felt like the air itself shake in accordance to his lord's voice, his own body trembling in response.
"...There has been a change Lucifer-sama." spoke the young devil, keeping his voice deferential. "As of now, there is another individual that has decided to protect the daughter of the Original Lucifer…and he seemed powerful, Lucifer-sama."
His pride was strong, but it was nowhere near as strong as his sense of self-preservation.
"Hoooh...? So the girl has another that is willing to back her, hm...? Very well, for now, it is of no concern. Is the sisters of the current Maous still in Kuoh?" the voice asked.
"Yes, they still reside in Kuoh Town." his loyal servant answered him, sure of this, until he ventured to glance up to look at his master. "...Um...pardon me for asking Lucifer-sama, but what are you planning to do with them?"
Of course, he was referring to the younger siblings of two of the current Maous; Lucifer and Leviathan.
But seemingly deciding to ignore his servant's query, the powerful being known as simply 'Lucifer' turned away from the lower devil, sounding almost whimsical when he spoke.
"What am I doing to do? Well, it should be obvious...I'm going to start a second Civil War in the Underworld...and take back what's mine." the voice said with conviction and certainty.
Behind him, the young devil smiled darkly at the proclamation, contemplating the power and prestige that he would receive due to being a part of the initial formation of the new order.
At least until the voice spoke up again. "Now leave me...or don't you have a nun to break, Diodora...?"
The remainder of the nun that he was going to break eagerly brought about a sick smile to the young devil's face.
Oh the delicious screams he would get when he-
"I said begone you cretin...!" the voice bellowed again, breaking the young Astaroth out of his sick fantasies, getting him to scramble out of the cavern of his lord.
All was silent for a moment following the youth's retreat, which was only broken once a feminine voice spoke up in clear derision.
"Is it ok to let such a nasty little creature live...? asked the feminine voice, the disgusted tone in her voice obvious.
Instead of the shadowed figure in the middle responding, it was another voice, a masculine one, which rose up in response to answer her query. "Don't worry...he will outlive his usefulness soon enough. Then I'm sure you will get the pleasure of destroying him yourself, won't you?"
One more voice rose up from the darkness in response. "Not that it matters anyway. Soon enough, we will destroy the pretenders calling themselves 'Maous', and claim the titles for ourselves, as it should be. And it's all thanks to you, milord."
The last voice, also obviously belonging to a man, spoke as such to shadowed man, who was staying quiet as he listened to his comrades.
To his fellow heirs.
"The time is approaching my friends…soon we shall strike against the pretenders and take back what is rightfully ours. Our government, our Underworld, our people. Prepare yourselves accordingly." the cloaked man finished, his determination to complete this task as crystal clear as the stars in the unseen night sky.
As one, his companions hidden in the shadows enthusiastically voiced their support for the strongest among them.
For the man that they unequivocally trusted to bring forth their dreams.
"""Hai! Lucifer-sama!"""