Chapter 18
Yuki stared up at the ceiling, contemplating about the two pieces of news she has heard from her father yesterday. The first piece helped exacerbate into another issue entirely and the other...was more disturbing.
It seems that word has gotten out that her father has apologized to her friend, Naruto. It wasn't exactly a state secret, he did ask her to apologize to the blond in an area that wasn't sound-proof or entirely secure.
It didn't change the fact that someone was eavesdropping though.
When there was already much unrest among many heroes about the current leadership of the Hero Tribe...this information only exacerbated the situation.
The 'Great Hero' didn't show weakness to an outsider. They represent the will and strength of the Hero Tribe as a whole.
At least that's what many irate heroes claim, whether they were just looking for a reason to agitate or whether they were being honest was something that Yuki couldn't help but wonder.
Her father was relieved that Naruto had forgiven him, but due to the unrest, he gave her a warning...
'Stay vigilant Yuki-kun. I'm sure I don't have to tell you...but during these uncertain times...not all heroes are going to be your friends. Choose your friends wisely and stay safe...my daughter.'
"...Don't worry otou-sama...I will." Yuki mumbled out loud, she knew that there was one person that wouldn't betray her trust...
...Unlike him...
She shook her head, unwilling to get caught up in bad memories of times past. She had to focus.
Focus on the illness that was seemingly taking hold of her faction...the Hero Tribe.
...
From what she understood, many among the Hero Tribe have become...aggressive against the supernatural factions in general. Forgetting that fighting against the supernatural was their secondary objective when compared to fulfilling their true mandate.
Protecting humanity.
Yet some heroes were acting out, arguing that since the devils have invented the Evil Piece System, they have been growing in strength and should be taken down before they are allowed to grow any further. Not to mention that many saw the system as inhumane, since many high-class devils take their new 'servants' by force rather than through mutual agreement. Something which rankled even the most peace-loving heroes...
Such as herself. She knew damn well that the Gremory were among the exceptions rather than than the rule of how devils got Peerage members.
Nevertheless, many heroes have been arguing that instead of remaining on the defensive against these issues, that they should aim at the ultimate solution...
Genocide.
A solution that a...disturbing amount of heroes began to see as the ultimate answer to their problem with the supernatural factions in general and the devils in particular.
Yuki shook her head, where were these ideas and beliefs coming from? Why were they spreading around like wildfire among the rank and file?
More importantly...what could be done about it?
The young hero sighed, mentally exhausted from the strife that was going on in her head. No matter how she thought about it, there was only one thing she could possibly do about the issue at hand.
Prove the detractors wrong.
Show that not only it is possible for devils to be good people, but that they can coexist alongside humans.
In short, she had to keep doing what she was doing. Leaving those who knew more about what was going on inside the Hero Tribe to those who were currently leading it. Worrying unnecessarily about what was going on would do nothing except stress her out.
...But there was another problem, besides the internal strife inside the Hero Tribe. The second piece of news from her father, something that she wasn't aware of until now.
The Hero Tribe was losing contact with some of their long-standing agents across the planet.
According to her father, several heroes that have either retired from active service or were undercover heroes such as herself, have seemingly lost contact with the main tribe. All attempts at finding most of them have failed.
...That meant that whatever was happening, she could become a possible victim of these recent strings of disappearances.
As she said...disturbing information. It was obvious why her father was so cautious about who she should trust.
Yuki combed her hair back in her frustration, she had no idea what was going on.
Too little information, too many questions, practically no answers.
She placed her head down on the comfy bed that she was laying on, she's been thinking about the issues all night. Her fatigue was beginning to get to her now.
Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt, this was a safe area under Rias-san's control after all, right?
So she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep and rid herself of the accumulating stress of the past day.
When Rias woke up today, she expected that she would have a humorous morning filled with the funny antics of the occupants of this mansion.
What she didn't expect was to see the thoroughly stoic woman that was her brother's queen.
"...Ojou-sama. Where have you been? Why aren't you at Kuoh Academy like usual? More than that, who are these people?" the stoic woman asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She wasn't happy.
Mio looked between her older friend and the maid warily, unsure what to do in this situation. Were they not supposed to be here?
"On-...Grayfia! What are you doing here!?" Rias exclaimed, she was so shocked to see her sister-in-law here that she almost referred to her in an inappropriate fashion while she was on-duty as a maid.
Grayfia gave the Gremory heiress a stern stare. "I've come to inform you about the planned engagement."
Rias' eyes widened. "What!? But I thought that the engagement was supposed to be held off until I graduated university!"
The maid would have responded, but she noticed that they had a bit of an audience by this point. Whether they were trustworthy or not, they were not allowed to listen in on personal business of the Gremory family.
"...Ojou-sama. From what I understand, most of your Peerage members aren't aware of your engagement. So perhaps we should take your Peerage and continue these talks elsewhere."
The red-headed teenager glanced at the uncomfortable Mio and the practically unconscious Naruto. She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for either of them...so perhaps it was best that they continued their talks somewhere else.
"...Fine. But I'd like to leave my newest pawn here for now. He's unconscious from the training he has done yesterday and I would prefer that he gets some rest." Rias stated. The rest of the Peerage had no such excuse, so they would be going with her.
"That's fine. I will meet you in your headquarters at Kuoh Academy, we will speak more over there." Grayfia replied, before a magic circle enveloped her form and whisked her away from the mansion.
All that was left was silence after she left.
"...Rias-sempai. If we are causing you trouble here, then maybe we should-" Mio tried to say, before getting interrupted.
"Nonsense, you are all my guests in this summer home. This is just an...issue that I have been quarreling over for a while now." Rias claimed, a comforting smile playing across her lips. Reassuring her kouhai that everything was fine. "We will be back soon, so please try to keep your brother from destroying the house?"
Mio smiled. "Of course. You can count on me."
The older red-head smiled in approval and turned to wake up the Peerage members that would join her for this...interesting discussion.
The younger half-devil watched her friend leave to wake her Peerage members up, all to address a bizarre issue that she wasn't aware her friend had...
Engagement? As in an arranged marriage? Was there really such archaic things in modern devil society?
She glanced at the knocked out blond on the table, he seemingly fell asleep soon after the maid; Grayfia, appeared.
She supposed that he had every reason to, he must be exhausted...but he sure did have bad timing when it came to falling asleep. Maybe he might know what to do about the situation?
Well, from what she heard, nothing was going to be decided yet. It wasn't like this would be solved today or tomorrow. So they could ask about what happened later.
For now, best to just be patient.
Too bad though, she was hoping that she could spar with Rias-sempai today. Looks like she'd have to ask Maria then.
She left the room, wondering how to ask her eccentric guardian for a spar.
Unbeknownst to all of them however, a certain shinobi wasn't as unconscious as he seemed. Although to be fair, he was getting dangerously close to that.
He managed to keep himself awake during the minor back-and-forth between the maid and Rias-san, but like Mio, thought that he couldn't really do anything about it...yet.
He wasn't sure about the 'whys' or the 'hows' behind the engagement, but he was aware of just how not happy the Gremory heiress was about it. That was what really mattered here. But unlike most issues he dealt with...he couldn't really afford to just punch his way through the problem.
He also doubted that he could preach to her family about just how not cool their actions were.
After all...if they wouldn't listen to their own damn family member about the issue, then he doubted that an outsider like himself could make a dent in their beliefs.
That left one option...finding out how the stupid thing could get cancelled.
But he couldn't do that until Rias-san talked to him about it. So at least for the moment...he couldn't do much.
It was after he figured that out, that his exhaustion finally hit him hard.
Alright...well...since he couldn't do anything about the issue at hand until the high-class devil returned from her discussions...he may as well just sleep until then. Not like everyone else needed him to babysit them.
He could afford some time for himself.
So he closed his eyes, mercifully allowing his tired mind to rest for a good chunk of the day.
Soon after Rias left to wake her Peerage up from their rests, they left via magic circle back to the Kuoh Academy club building. Their expressions would let anyone know just how seriously they were taking the issue at hand.
Although, when Naruto actually woke up from his nap, he didn't expect for practically the entire mansion to be empty.
After regaining a sense of his surroundings and getting rid of the blurry drowsiness of his sleepy state, he looked around to find that the mansion was seemingly empty of life.
He frowned, he remembered that Rias-san was having a meeting with that maid and that most of her Peerage went along with her...but where did everyone else go?
He looked around for clues of his allies' whereabouts, and quickly stumbled upon one such clue.
To be specific, a note.
'If you see this note, it's likely that me and Maria haven't returned from our sparring session. We are training in the forest and plan to stay there for most of the day. Last I checked, Yuki was knocked out and so was the pervert. Although I don't know when you will see this note, can you check up on them for me? Make sure that Yuki is ok and I can't really trust the pervert with Asia-san...'
Naruto grinned at the note, Mio was such a worrywart sometimes.
Although he could understand why she was worried about Asia-san at times. He did have a record that most females wouldn't appreciate.
With this new knowledge, he got up and stretched his arms, enjoying the cracking noises that arose from the action. Time to check up on everyone.
First up was Yuki, he headed straight to her temporary residence in the mansion and knocked on her door. He learned from experience to never open the door to a girl's room carelessly.
Bad shit tended to happen.
After waiting for a second or two, he knocked again, with more force this time.
He waited for a little bit longer before announcing his entrance and opening the door.
What he saw was expected.
Yuki was laying on her bed, seemingly knocked out. Although he noted that she didn't change to her sleeping clothes at all, did she fall asleep by accident?
He let out an indulgent sigh, she even forgot to put on her blanket, she must be freezing...
So he quietly walked up to her bedside and grabbed the bed cover, pulling it slowly over the young hero's form. The shinobi grinned, she was completely out of it.
He silently left her room, making sure to quietly close the door behind him.
So Yuki was fine, but what about Issei and Asia-san?
He ventured forth, intent on finding the unlikely duo and whether they were doing ok. Honestly though, they were probably fine. Issei seems to act more gentlemanly around her...to a degree anyways.
The blond knocked on the brown-haired boy's room, waiting for a response. After he received none, he cautiously opened the door, half-expecting it to be filled with...'magazines'.
After a quick look around, he determined that the 'magazines' were hidden, but also that the two people he was looking for weren't here.
Naruto sighed, Mio wouldn't like that. But like he said, he trusted the teenaged boy enough to leave Asia-san's safety a priority.
Nevertheless, he decided to look for them just in case anyways, maybe he could help them out with whatever they were doing?
So he left the mansion and headed towards the forest, intent on finding something to help him kill time until Rias-san came back.
"...What is your wish my king?"
"...To kill a dragon and to claim my prize, like the fairy tale stories of old. It seems that fortune has smiled upon me again now that the Gremory girl has left, a truly perfect opportunity."
All was silent for a moment as the two shadowy figures stopped speaking, one waiting for her king to give his command.
He did.
"The magic circle is set, transport on my mark and make sure not to stray too far away from me...the gift that I've received from my master won't work if we are separated. Keep your target occupied for as long as you can muster, with your life if necessary. Don't disappoint me...or else."
The other figure bowed her head in submission, she learned to never disappoint her king.
His punishments would make many beg for death.
"My life is yours..."
"...Then we shall go."
Naruto was currently jumping from tree branch to tree branch, moving at a casual pace while enjoying the feeling of the wind pushing against him.
It's been a really long time since he has relaxed while tree-hopping, kinda like back at Konoha.
Although he was relaxed while moving around in the forest, he was out here for a reason. To have some fun with Issei and Asia-san!
He was bored.
Anyone who knew anything about Uzumaki Naruto...would know that a bored Naruto...was a dangerous Naruto.
So this was in everyone's best interest anyways.
However, just because he was relaxed, it didn't mean that his natural-honed instincts were dulled in the presence of any danger.
Something he just learned.
Then Naruto stopped his movements, locking his legs in place to stop himself form moving to another tree branch. Eyes widened as he sensed something.
That something being that feeling that he has been getting all throughout this training trip.
Someone was there...
The shinobi's head snapped towards the ground as he felt multiple sources of killing intent, that was all aimed at him.
Sneak attack!?
Not wasting any time, he moved away from his spot on the tree branch on to another branch, all in an effort to dodge the magic bullets that smashed against the place he was standing just a second ago.
The second he landed on the other tree branch, he focused on the situation.
Such as...
"...How the fuck did they get in here?" Naruto mumbled to himself, thoroughly confused at how these obviously hostile individuals got here.
Rias-san said it herself right? No one should've been able to enter this area without permission.
But while that was a pretty serious question, he had a bigger one.
...Why couldn't he couldn't sense them?
He couldn't sense them at all.
That should be impossible...yet the only reason he was able to react to their attacks in time was because of their killing intent.
Even that was dulled considerably when compared to normal...
He couldn't ponder the question further as more magic bullets smashed into his current position, forcing Naruto to jump to another tree branch once more.
This was beginning to get annoying.
But he knew where they were attacking from now, since he was paying attention to the source of their attacks this time, so time to take the fight to the enemy!
He jumped away from the tree branch he was standing on to the trunk and used it as a springboard towards where the intruder's attacks were coming from.
He obviously surprised the attackers, since they did not have any sort of defenses set up for him to break down.
Perfect. Just how he liked it.
Without bothering to look, he brought one of his attackers down by pulling on their large cloak and sending them crashing into the ground as he finished his own descent. Using the momentum of his jump to slide away from the rest of that person's comrades.
He took this chance to check on what exactly he was dealing with.
The first thing he noticed was that most of the people in front of him were wearing long cloaks to cover their features, giving them a mysterious appearance to go along with their slightly unnerving ability to avoid detection.
The second thing he noticed was that there was one specific individual who didn't follow along with what seemed like the standard uniform of this group. Naruto couldn't help but notice just how...fancy this person's clothes were, as if he or she was going to go to some important event rather than fight.
For all Naruto knew, they probably were. Wouldn't be the strangest thing he has seen before.
But unlike the cloaked group of people, this person wore a black mask that completely covered their facial features from view.
The only thing he was able to see from the person's face...was a set of orange eyes that gave him a stare that the blond was all too familiar with.
A patronizing stare, eyes filled with nothing but disgust as they stared at the shinobi as if he was worthless trash in their eyes.
He already wanted to clock this guy.
"...Who are you people. What do you want? How did you get here?" Naruto demanded from the group, a stern look on his face.
If possible, the assumed leader's eyes became more poisonous.
"...You don't have the right to speak to your betters like that...human trash."
The shinobi tilted his head, a slow smirk beginning to form on his face. "...Careful there buddy. Keep going and I will ram my foot up your ass in compensation for each and every insult that you throw."
The masked person then turned to their comrades, ignoring the blond's words entirely.
"...Hold him off. My enhanced magic won't protect you from here on out. Don't fail."
The cloaked figures saluted the masked individual, then a magic circle appeared under the leader's feet.
Naruto's eyes widened. This feeling...!
It felt like those times before...when he thought that someone was watching him! Was this that person? Then that meant that every time he thought he felt someone...it was just this person who was using a magic circle.
If that was true, then no wonder he couldn't catch this person. The second he noticed this guy's energy signal, they would already be transported away.
This realization helped the mysterious leader of the group escape, as Naruto was too shocked by the newly found information to properly stop him in time.
That was so ridiculously annoying, that he didn't really have words for it.
A moment of silence reigned as the shinobi contemplated on what to do, they were holding him off...but for what reason?
"Hey. Do any of you mind telling me about your friend's plan?" Naruto asked genially, hoping to catch a lucky break with his unorthodox questioning.
He was disappointed as all of the cloaked warriors charged at him with dark intent.
Well, he should be used to this he supposed.
On another, completely separate part of the forest, Issei and Asia were training.
Well...to be more precise, Issei was training. But Asia was training in a sense as well.
The brown-haired boy came up with a new idea due to his experiences of hell-training recently, all thanks to the demon-disguised-as-a-human; Naruto.
After getting thoroughly physically exhausted through the many exercises he has been pushed to do, he noticed how many times Asia has healed him. The perverted boy couldn't help but notice how easily she healed wounds, as if they weren't there to begin with.
If he received a lot of physical stress, then he would still be tired despite Asia's healing abilities. But what if Asia kept healing him constantly instead of when he needed it!?
It was brilliant! Sheer brilliance! That way he could push his body to the limit without dying everyday!
An unintentional side-effect of his use of Asia's powers to help him out, was that the muscles that he was tearing apart from training would get reformed even faster than usual. Allowing for his body to essentially keep rebuilding itself after every heal.
Asia for her part, was more than happy to help out Issei, admiring how far he was going to get stronger. Her constant use of her healing powers was also helping out her stamina as well in the long-run, although she wasn't thinking in such terms.
Basically, it was a pretty successful training method, despite how clueless both individuals were in accordance to such things.
But the training was about to come to an abrupt halt.
Issei was wiping his arm across his forehead, getting rid of the sweat that was beginning to get to his eyes. Taking in the soothing feeling of Asia's Sacred Gear was the best.
"Are you sure you want to keep going Issei-san? Maybe you should take a break?" Asia asked worriedly, unsure if the brown-haired boy could take this for much longer.
For Issei, compared to Naruto's training...this was a hell of a lot easier. He was literally just doing several sets of those exercises that the blond recommended when they first started training the other day.
Fifty push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and several other exercises...
Several sets of them.
Naruto was a demonic sensei.
But unlike the thoroughly merciless Naruto, this time Issei had Asia to help him out. All of that horrible pain that he suffered when he finished a set could now be healed. The pain he has come to expect from a merciless eraser...won't be thrown his way now that the blond was napping at the mansion!
His own style of training!
He was serious about this...he just didn't want to die everyday, preferably.
"Nah Asia, I'm too tough to get a break. I can handle this." Issei claimed, showboating in front of a girl was something he always wanted to do.
His first real chance at doing that.
She got all starry-eyed at his boast, thoroughly impressed by his show of determination. It helped recover some of his lost self-esteem which has been brutalized from Naruto's relentless training.
He would try to enjoy the moment as much as he could, like a monster from a scary book...he had no idea when the blond would find them.
Then he heard the rustling of leaves.
Ah...shit.
That was totally him wasn't it?
"...Damn it Naruto. I was totally hoping that you would give me a break. Just let me and Asia train together instead of the usual 'sessions', ok?" the perverted boy asked while turning to face that rustling bush. Assuming that the only one who would intentionally find them would be the blond.
While it was a safe assumption when considering the information he had, it was incorrect.
Someone wearing what looked like a masquerade mask that covered his entire face, emerged from the underbrush and faced the unlikely duo.
Issei's eyes narrowed in suspicion, who was this guy? He's never seen this guy here before...
He quickly moved in front of Asia, determined to protect her if the guy in front of him tried anything.
"Hey! Who the hell are you? What do you want?" Issei asked harshly, despite his strong front though...he was getting a little unnerved by the mysterious man's silence.
The masked man said nothing, he simply raised a hand towards the duo.
"I want nothing more than what I deserve. You are in the way." the man said simply, before a green magic circle appeared in front of him and launched an orb of magic towards them.
Light flashed in front of Issei's eyes, as a deadly magic attack soared towards him at incredible speeds.
He didn't think.
He immediately turned around and caught the female nun behind him into a hug, using his own body to protect her from the incoming attack.
All he knew was that there was a blinding flash behind his eyelids as he clenched them shut.
He felt nothing for a moment, seemingly safe from the attack, as if someone had saved them from a terrible fate.
He cautiously opened his eyes, hoping that Naruto had managed to save them again like back at the abandoned church...
But all he saw was an orb of magic that was floating in front of his face. Motionless. On standby.
And cruel amusement that danced in the masked man's eyes.
Before he snapped his fingers.
"...Disappear."
Naruto had a dilemma, he had no idea where the masked guy went and he wasn't able to sense him unless he used that magic circle again. No idea why that magic specifically...but that was the case for the moment.
So he needed information. Information that he had no doubt that this group had.
Problem was, the longer that he took while beating up these people, the longer that the other guy would have to complete his objective.
The shinobi wasn't very fond of that idea.
At least there was some good news though, the second that the leader of the group left, was the second that for some reason...he could sense this group's energy signal again.
Their demonic energy to be specific...devils huh?
So maybe the masked person could cover up energy signals? Maria could do something similar...but this one was far more extensive and seemingly affected this guy's comrades.
So one minor mystery solved, about ten more to go.
The cloaked adversaries started the battle off in excellent fashion by spreading out all around him, intent on attacking him on all sides.
Two intruders charged at him, moving in to attack him using hand-to-hand combat from opposite sides.
The shinobi casually brought his left arm to block the fist that was sailing towards his head and his right arm to block the foot that was heading to his hips.
All without taking a glance.
While the two cloaked figures were stopped in their tracks, two more cloaked figures moved to attack him from behind while he was distracted. Utilizing their fast speed to catch him unaware.
But this plan was foiled as the low and high kicks from the two attackers were dodged by jumping in-between both attacks.
As he was in mid-air, he grabbed both of his initial assailants from their fist and foot respectively and twisted his body around, allowing for the momentum to do his bidding rather than using his own strength.
With that momentum, he swung both intruders towards the faster pair and let go, allowing for them to smash against on another and send them all towards the ground.
All without him actually having to fight yet.
Hopefully they all got the point of what he did.
"Look. You're all outmatched here. Just tell me what I want to know and you all could leave here peacefully." Naruto reasoned, hoping that the group would see just how outmatched they were in every way.
The only reason he hadn't outright knocked them all out was because he had no idea where the hell this bastard was. He could be anywhere in this damn summer home and using clones would take too long to find him.
He needed this information.
"...You won't be able to convince us to stop. We would never betray our king. We live to serve him." one of the cloaked individuals spoke quietly.
This was the first time that he heard any of their voices. Their distinctly feminine voices.
"So you won't talk huh? Then I'll have to make you talk." Naruto declared, he would have to take out a couple of these cloaked women in order to intimidate some to talk.
Then he felt it again.
His head snapped towards another area of the forest, just like the magic circle...he barely sensed the usage of energy.
He could take a guess that he used demonic energy as well.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. There was no way that Naruto could have pinpointed where the energy came from.
But he knew that the bastard is somewhere in the forest...when Mio, Maria, Issei, and Asia-san were in the forest.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He couldn't waste time.
Thinking that he was distracted, one of his adversaries created a magic circle and aimed to hit him.
Big mistake.
Faster than her eyes could have seen, he disappeared and reappeared right in front of her.
"Enough."
The shinobi smashed a fist into her stomach, faster than she could have reacted and harder than she could have handled.
Spittle came flying out of her mouth, mixed in with a little blood as she lost consciousness from the blow and fell over to the forest floor.
One.
All was silent as the blond stood up from his crouched position and moved to address the rest of his enemies.
But before he could, the who spoke for the group before, spoke again.
"You won't stop us with words Uzumaki Naruto. We won't stop. We will never stop. Even if we should all die here, we will accomplish our duty." the cloaked woman claimed, as the rest of her comrades prepared to attack all at once.
Naruto shook his head, a shame. But he really couldn't play nice this time. His friends could possibly be in serious danger.
So once more, he showed his true colors.
Before any of them could have reacted, he disappeared in a burst of speed and attacked.
He reappeared behind one of his enemies and chopped the back of her neck, efficiently knocking her out.
Two.
Her comrade in front of her noticed his presence and tried to create a magic circle to bombard him with magic bullets.
But before she could send the spell towards him, he climbed the falling body of his last victim and pushed himself from the body to send him towards his next target.
He smashed her face with both of his feet and sent her down towards the ground.
Three.
A pair of cloaked figures were charging at him, intent on attacking him as a unit instead of as separate entities.
As the two closed in, the shinobi charged them in return, seemingly about to face the duo head-on.
But right before they reached him, he jumped over both of his adversaries and pushed his feet towards their backs, causing them to smash into the ground before they even knew what hit them.
Five.
He wasn't done yet.
Another intruder came towards him with a fist raised, but it was redirected by the blond by slapping the arm away from it's original trajectory. Allowing it to keep going, but to a different target.
The target was one of her comrades, who was moving in to help and received nothing but a punch for her trouble.
As the woman covered her broken nose and the other tried to turn in order to engage the blond again, they were both surprised to instead feel hands grip their heads...
Then for those hands to smash their heads together.
Seven.
Naruto quickly hit the deck, as a high kick went soaring over him from another of the hostile females.
As he was on the ground, he made a handstand and pushed his body up towards the airborne enemy. All in order to smash his knee into her jaw.
Eight.
Turned out that she was a distraction, as five of his cloaked enemies rushed him with the intent of smashing him into the ground while he was in his vulnerable state.
Unfortunately for them, he wasn't vulnerable at all.
As the group entered the range for close-combat, he continued his handstand and twisted his body to allow for his body to spin on place, like a prepped top that was about to be unleashed.
Then he spread his legs out as much as he could...
Finally, he spun his body around like a twister, allowing for the feet to smash against the faces of his standing enemies. Sending them all onto the ground in a heap.
Thirteen.
One left.
Once he finished his maneuver, he stood up and stared down the remaining member of the group. Intent on making her talk.
She didn't look intimidated or upset at how he just defeated her comrades.
Instead, she just created a magic circle and shot magic bullets at him.
He didn't even bother to dodge, allowing for the attack to hit him as he strengthened his body with chakra. The attack doing practically nothing to his body as he stalked forward towards his only conscious enemy left.
She once more, didn't appeared afraid at all.
Although it could just be that her cloak shadowed her eyes, preventing him from being sure.
As he kept moving forward, she created a larger and more powerful version of the same magic circle as before. Trying to stop him.
But before she could even try it, he threw a punch towards her face.
The punch never landed.
It stopped right before it could connect, but the force behind it was strong enough to smash the tree behind her and throw off the hood that was covering her face.
It was a warning.
But that wasn't what Naruto was concentrating on at the moment.
He stared...he stared at the woman's face, seeing something inherently wrong with it.
At a casual glance, she seemed to be quite the attractive young woman. Someone any straight male would be proud to be with.
That wasn't the issue though.
...Her eyes.
What was wrong with her eyes...?
The shinobi swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at her thoroughly and completely dead eyes.
There was nothing in them.
No hope.
No peace.
No life.
Just...emptiness.
"...What happened to you...?" Naruto asked quietly, trying to stop the growing dread in his stomach. Trying to stop himself from thinking too deeply about what this woman went through to get eyes like that.
The woman was silent.
Then she smiled.
"Master's punishments are well-deserved."
Something in Naruto wept at the woman's words.
"...Please tell me where this guy is. You don't have to listen to him anymore. I promise." Naruto stated quietly, trying to suppress the anger that was building inside of him.
The woman smiled again.
"...There is never any escape. Master loves me. Even in death. So I will do my duty, as I was born to do." she said quietly, before pulling out something from her cloak and putting it into her mouth.
The blond's eyes widened, he moved to stop her, heart in his throat as he saw the woman's eyes dilate and then roll to the back of her head.
Then she fell over.
Dead.
Just like that.
Naruto's eyes were wide as he stared at the corpse in front of him.
She just...committed suicide.
He looked around at the bodies of the cloaked warriors that he has defeated, were they like this woman...?
His eyes widened in alarm.
His friends were in grave danger!
Not only that, but he had no idea where this masked guy was!
He only had one choice left...
"Tajū Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
Several explosions of smoke erupted around the shinobi, clones erupted from the smoke and spread out towards the forest around them.
All with one order.
"I don't care what you have to do...just find everyone and make sure they're safe!"
There was too much at stake to fail!
Issei gasped as he felt immense pain all over his body.
The explosion was small, but he power behind it was massive to the brown-haired boy, he couldn't move at all...!
"Issei-san!" Asia cried out, she moved forward and began healing his wounds with her Twilight Healing.
The perverted boy sighed as he felt the pain beginning to dull, he was never so happy that Asia was there.
He looked around, trying to figure out where they were.
They were still at the initial training area...
That meant that...!
"...My my. What a useful Sacred Gear you have. That will be useful in the future. But I think you are looking at that boy a little too passionately..." the masked man observed, before he began walking towards the two.
Issei snarled and tried to get up, determined to not let this guy anywhere near Asia. The healing was doing the trick, healing him up and allowing him to fight again.
The brown-haired boy then raised his left hand, calling on his own Sacred Gear...!
A red light engulfed his hand, a small red gauntlet appeared over his hand...Twice Critical.
"Alright asshole! You asked for it!" Issei called out, he hoped his training was enough for this...!
Now!
Boost!
Issei felt his strength multiply. The power coursing through his veins...! He could do this! He could actually-!
A fist smashed him across the face, sending him flying to an adjacent tree. Causing him to crash and make a large dent into it.
Blood came seeping out of his mouth as he felt the his cheek bones give way to the attack.
...What was that? Was that the masked guy? He couldn't tell...everything felt fuzzy...
...
Was someone screaming his name? So hard to hear...
These thoughts were all going through the head of the wielder of Twice Critical. But unfortunately, he didn't have time to think.
Mere moments after the attack, the masked man appeared in front of him again, tilting his head as he regarded the nearly motionless form on the floor.
"...Is that it? Is that all you had? Well then...it's a good idea I didn't use any magic. Wouldn't want the other human to locate my position...but I'm almost disappointed in how easy this was. Maybe I should inspire you a little more...?"
Issei barely understood him, he was just that far gone.
But he heard his next words.
"...Do you know why I am torturing you? Why I want to give you such pain?"
He didn't. He didn't understand at all.
The masked man continued, as if the young teen actually asked him.
"It's because I take pleasure in seeing certain individuals in pain. The looks of utter anguish as they realize that they don't have a way out. The look of fear at how easily I could break them. The look of shame as I defile them...! It's just all so...entertaining!"
What...?
"But even more than that...it's the sheer and utter hopelessness that I get when they give up on ever finding happiness that really gives me the goosebumps! It's just so...exquisite...!"
...What was he...?
"...I look forward to seeing that look on little Asia's face. Don't you? So seeing her beloved like this...is a good place to start."
Issei's eyes shot open.
His mind's eye remembering Asia's seemingly broken body on a cross.
Remembering the hopelessness of watching someone truly special taken away from him.
"...Don't..." Issei mumbled quietly, gripping the ruined forest floor with stressful energy.
The masked man tilted his head. "Don't what? Don't do this to little Asia? No way, I will enjoy riding her as long as I can you know?"
The teenaged boy said nothing, he only silently dragged his battered body up to a crouching position.
'...I look forward to seeing that look on little Asia's face...'
"...I won't let you..." Issei whispered, something inside him breaking free as he spoke.
"...Hah? Won't let me what? Maybe you've gone mad? How pathetic..."
Issei's eyes locked towards the masked man.
Furious eyes.
"I won't let you fucking touch her...!" the teenaged boy declared, the gem on his Sacred Gear began to brighten, as if responding to his emotions.
Never again...!
He can't watch her suffer like that again...!
The green glow on his Twice Critical began to expand, the light enveloped his hand as his will and desire to protect someone he cared about grew stronger.
...He wouldn't let her suffer like that again!
Dragon Boost!
With a red aura beginning to swirl around him, Issei charged at him again. If he could just get one punch in...!
But the masked man merely twisted his head, a mocking look in his eye as he raised his leg and smashed his foot into the beleaguered human-turned-devil.
This sent Issei to another tree, nearly breaking it on impact.
"Why bother? You may be strong for a typical human...but you are as weak as a typical low-class devil." the masked man mocked, grinning at the pain he has caused.
The brown-haired boy got up again, ignoring the pain, taking a quick second to check if Asia was alright.
What he saw shocked him.
She was bound up on a tree, held up like a prize to be taken at someone's leisure.
Boost!
Feeling new-found anger rush inside him, he charged the masked man again, wanting just one hit...!
Issei's adversary merely created a magic barrier, using it stop the teenager's approaching punch. The casual maneuver meant to instill into the young teen one thing.
Hopelessness.
"Face it. You are far too weak to stop me. It's over." the masked man mocked, while keeping his hands away from the magic circle to show just how much he was taking this battle seriously.
Not at all.
Issei gritted his teeth. Hopelessness was beginning to envelop him, the man in front of him wasn't trying at all! Issei wasn't like Naruto...he couldn't stop him. If only he could get one punch in...!
But he couldn't. He was too weak.
Always too weak.
Then he remembered something.
Words from what felt like a lifetime ago.
His eyes sharpened, it may seem impossible...but this guy wasn't taking him seriously...so maybe...
"...Hey asshole." Issei said quietly, practically whispered as he tried to do what Naruto would do.
Try a tactic.
"What? Going to beg for mercy?"
The young teenaged boy shook his head, instead he grinned at his enemy.
"A certain someone once said to me...that nothing is over until it's over..." Issei started.
Boost!
A stalling tactic...!
Issei's grin grew. "I just have to say that I prescribe to that philosophy!"
Explosion!
The teen's gauntlet seemingly grew on the boy's hand, enveloping his entire left hand as he felt new-found power overwhelm his senses.
Just enough for this...!
The magic circle which seemed so impenetrable before, immediately cracked under the new-found strength of the young man.
Then just like that, it shattered under the stress.
The masked man's eyes widened.
How!?
He wasn't given enough time to react, as Issei charged at him with his fist raised.
"Fly you son of a bitch!"
Then smashed it into the masked man's face, sending him flying into the forest and smashing him into a tree, breaking it in half.
Just like that, Hyoudou Issei defeated the masked man.
"...I...I did it...!" Issei breathed, shocked that he managed to win.
But he couldn't celebrate. First things first.
He dragged his tired body to Asia, who was wiggling around in her restraints on the tree. Trying to talk from the bound on her mouth.
The perverted boy wanted to admire the pure perverted gold in front of him, but he figured that this wasn't the time for it.
He immediately freed her from her restraints and hugged her, deliriously happy that she was safe.
"You did it Issei-san! That was incredible!" Asia exclaimed with sparkly eyes.
Ah Asia...if only he had such assurance in himself.
"Yeah...I really did it didn't I? I guess that I can become something worthwhile if I keep this up." Issei said with a smile.
Looks like everything would be fine now. All they had to do was get back to the mansion and have someone deal with that sick bastard properly.
"...Did you think I was dead?"
Issei's eyes widened. No way...he put everything he had into that punch!
The masked man emerged from the dark forest, a furious look in his eye as he glowered at the newest devil.
"...How dare you...how dare you hit my face! You will pay...! Do you hear me!? YOU WILL PAY!" the masked man howled, before creating another magic circle.
But this one was far more powerful than anything he threw so far...!
No...there was no way that Issei could stop that!
"You won't be able to stop this attack! Die like all scum should!" the crazed man screamed out as he prepared to fire the attack.
Then something happened.
Before he was able to fire the attack, a blond blur sped towards the unsuspecting intruder with a deadly attack on his hand.
"He may not be able to stop it...but I can!"
All eyes snapped towards the source of the voice.
One set in fear.
The others in elation!
...Naruto!
The masked man immediately canceled his attack on the brown-haired boy and created new magic barriers to stop Naruto's attack.
Naruto sped on through, sailing from the sky onto the one who truly deserved this attack in spades!
"Rasengan!"
The blue orb smashed through each and every magic barrier that was created to stop it. Soon enough, it reached it's intended target.
The masked man's face.
The rasengan quickly ripped through the material of the mask and began grinding onto the mysterious man's face.
He immediately let out blood-curdling screams as the attack pushed forward into his face, ripping apart skin, muscle, bones.
The explosion was the finishing touches to the most horrible pain that the man has experienced in his entire life.
The attack sent him spinning back into the forest, smashing him into several trees and creating a human-sized crater when he landed.
Naruto landed in front of the pervert and the nun, making sure that their adversary couldn't attack them.
"Issei! Asia-san! Are you two alright!?" Naruto asked quickly, making sure that his two comrades weren't hurt.
"Ye-yeah...we're fine. Thanks for the save, Naruto." Issei responded, immensely glad that the blond came in time to save them.
"Incredible Naruto-san! You beat him in one hit!" Asia cried out, amazed that her fellow blond was so strong.
Normally, the shinobi would grin at this praise. But the close-call put his nerves on edge.
"Hey Issei, I don't know what you did to piss him off, but good call. If he didn't make that charged up magic circle...then I wouldn't have found you guys." Naruto explained quickly, peering into the forest to make sure that this guy didn't try anything funny.
"...Yeah well...I'm learning from someone who is pretty damn good at pissing people off." Issei said dryly, but thankful for his words nonetheless.
The shinobi didn't respond, he sensed the usage of magic again...
Then it disappeared.
He got away.
"...I don't know whether to be angry or thankful..." the blond muttered, feeling intensely mixed feelings about the man's escape.
He couldn't sense him without his use of more powerful magic and since both Issei and Asia-san were essentially easy-pickings...they would be hard to defend. Even with clones, since they would have to react to attacks they couldn't sense unless he used killing intent.
But on the other hand...he got away and escaped his comeuppance.
...He had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last they saw of him though. So he'd deal with the bastard later.
"Issei. Asia-san. We're going." Naruto said, quickly grabbing both of them and speeding off back to the mansion. Ignoring any and all protests along the way.
He wanted to get out of the forest as soon as possible.
The second that the trio arrived at the mansion, they were met by the remaining occupants of the summer home.
"Naruto! We got here as fast as we could when we sensed that foreign demonic energy! What happened?" Mio shouted out in worry, noting the grim look on his face as he carried a battered Issei and a worried Asia.
"I'll explain everything in a minute. For now, I want everyone to get inside the mansion. We have an intruder inside the summer home." the shinobi explained quickly while making a beeline towards the confines of the building.
"Huh!? But Naruto-sama, what about our training? Surely you dealt with the issue right?" Maria claimed with a befuddled look on her face. Why was Naruto looking so spooked?
Yuki was staring at her blond friend, worried at how he was acting. Naruto wouldn't get like this without good reason.
"...I don't know why you are acting like this, but I trust your judgement. Let's get inside, everyone." Yuki said with conviction.
Naruto sent a grateful glance towards the hero.
Uneasily, the group moved back inside the mansion. Many of them, unsure about what exactly was wrong.
Naruto for his part, needed to make sure that everyone was safe and accounted for. If that masked man was still out there somewhere...then it was better for all of them to stay at one place and in a secluded area.
As an extra precaution.
He needed to make sure that they would be safe in here from now on.
Like a father that heard that there was an attempted break-in to his house while his children were there, he needed to make sure that his friends could safely leave the mansion again.
For his own piece of mind as much as theirs.
As he was leading the group away, his clones were scouring the forest. Making sure that the area was safe again.
He would have a talk with Rias when she returned. Her summer home was compromised.
The masked man reached his home via magic circle.
He was clenching his face as he stumbled across his mansion to reach the bathroom, needing to see the extent of the damage that was done.
When he reached the bathroom and looked at his face on the mirror, the extent of the damage became clear.
The entire left side of his jaw had it's skin ripped off, leaving nothing but bloody muscle and bones.
Not only that, but the entire left side of his jaw was hanging, as if the joint that held the jawbone to the lower part of his skull had been obliterated from that attack.
The damage was too extensive, too thorough. Whatever that attack was, it disintegrated the bones that he needed to replicate through healing magic in order to fix the damage.
He was mutiliated.
Diodora Astaroth stared at his mutilated face with insane eyes, repeating one phrase in his head repeatedly.
'You will pay Uzumaki Naruto...you will PAY!'