Chapter 25
"...So Naruto-sama...what exactly happened?"
Naruto shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware that Maria's eyes were boring into the back of his head, wanting answers.
He supposed that she had a genuinely good reason to...what with Toujou Jin relaxing on a living room couch, Mio being exhausted, and himself wearing the ragged remains of a fancy suit.
That reminded him, he had to apologize to Rias for ruining it, he borrowed it from her after all.
Oh wait, it was her older brother's.
Never mind.
"...Many many things happened." Naruto eventually replied, staring resolutely away from the prying succubus.
Her eyes were dry as she regarded him, obviously not letting this go.
Then she simply sighed.
"Look...I can understand the secrecy, really I can. But if you're going to do this, the least you can do is spare Mio-sama from it." Maria stated seriously, reprimanding the blond.
The shinobi finally looked at Maria, confused at her statement, she was getting weird ideas again wasn't she?
The succubus shook her head sadly, before giving the blond a sympathetic look. "Now now Naruto-sama...if you have a 'thing' for older men, who am I to judge? Don't worry! I will keep this as our little secret."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"Wh-! Wh-!? What the hall are you talking about!? Why do you always come up with the most ridiculous scenarios!?"
Jin glanced towards the bickering teenagers, a slightly amused look on his face as the blond brat tried to squash any misconceptions that the silverette had.
Or did she do it on purpose? Hard to tell.
"...I don't know Naruto-sama...what else can it possibly be? You two came here in the cover of night? You both looked roughed up? Why...what else could I assume, except something raunchy of course!?" Maria claimed, a growing perverted smirk growing on her face.
"No! Just no! This is Yuki's father for crying out loud!" the shinobi retorted hotly.
Maria's eyes widened, glancing towards the Great Hero at the couch, who was just watching them silently.
"N-Naruto-sama...y-you would start an affair with one of your friend's parents...? Just how much of a pervert are you...?" Maria asked hesitantly.
The blond teen threw his hands up into the air, he should know full damn well by this point that no matter what he said, she would twist it through her own perverted delusions.
It was practically a fact of life by this point.
"...Hmph, you sure have some interesting friends, huh? Although I can't say if that's a good thing or not." Jin drawled lightly, comfortably laying down on the couch now.
Maria perked up at this while Naruto just scowled.
"Don't encourage her..." the shinobi grumbled, making sure to grab the succubus' head to keep her from doing anything, all while ignoring her petulant pout in his direction.
All he had to do was wait a little more...
Almost as if on cue, the doorbell ringed.
Naruto immediately let go of the silverette and made to run towards the door, eager to prevent Maria from saying even more embarrassing things.
"Wait!" the Great Hero cried out, suddenly looking more tense and alert than before. "I thought you would...you know...? Smooth it over for me...?"
The blond teen already passed by the hero, only pausing once and turning to look over his shoulder to regard Jin with a foxy smirk.
"...I never actually agreed to take the job dattebayo." Naruto chirped, before finally moving in to unlock and open the front door.
Maria watched in interest as the blond opened the door and Yuki's father made to try and make himself look more presentable, clearly nervous, all while cursing a certain blond under his breath.
Heh, so he was extra nervous about facing his daughter? How cute.
The shinobi opened the door, allowing for familiar yellow eyes to peer at the blond teen with curiosity.
"Naruto, glad to see you back." Yuki said, a small grin growing on her face regardless of the strange late night call.
Though she'd be lying if she claimed that she wasn't curious about it, if he just wanted to say hi then he could have done it tomorrow morning, couldn't he?
"Heya Yuki, sorry for the late night call from Maria, but someone here wanted to include you in the talks that we were about to have." Naruto apologized, giving her a sheepish smile.
Yuki's small grin was wiped off of her face, replaced with an unreadable expression.
"...You weren't going to include me in these 'discussions' until someone asked you to...?"
Naruto's shoulders twitched, intensely aware that he may have made an error, but not entirely sure where he made it.
"Well...uh, I would have told you tomorrow...I just wanted to let everyone rest is all." Naruto said quickly, hoping that that would placate her.
It did the trick, as the hero's eyes softened, before turning curious once more.
Maria was cheerfully watching the exchange, it looked like a juicy opportunity to have some fun...at Naruto-sama's expense of course.
So she moved to greet the young hero herself, but inexplicably, someone quickly moved past her to give their own greeting.
"So who asked for me? I don't know too many people that would..." Yuki began, trailing off as she stared at something behind her friend; the shock of which caused her eyes to widen.
"...Otou-sama."
The Great Hero waved at his adoptive daughter sheepishly, trying to put on a more confident expression.
But he couldn't, not with her. Not with the last...
"Yuki-kun." Jin greeted quietly, expression drifting from looking nervous to diffident.
Naruto glanced uncomfortably between the two, feeling that maybe he should have intervened in the Great Hero's issue. This was just flat out awkward...
The silence stretched out for a few seconds, both heroes; young and old, staring at one another without a sound.
Then Yuki took a step forward, face stoic, as she confronted her adoptive father.
She raised her arms to grasp Jin's hands, clasping them together in front of her and cupping them with her hands. Almost as if confirming to herself that he was really there. Then she stared at the elder hero in the eye, silent in every aspect.
After a moment, she finally smiled.
"...Don't worry otou-sama, I'm not upset. Your safety is all that matters. So please calm down." Yuki said, softly conveying her relief at seeing her family member alive and well.
Almost as if on cue, Jin's shoulders relaxed and his expression softened, relieved that Yuki was being reasonable about this.
Unfortunately, he missed one minor detail.
The Great Hero of the Hero tribe suddenly felt a chill go down his spine, what was-?
"However..." Yuki muttered quietly, light-blue hair shadowing her eyes. "I don't think that you should do something like this again, don't you agree? Otou-sama?"
Naruto shivered slightly, she may be acting calm, but he knew full damn well that the feeling that she was giving off...wasn't too far off from the angry mobs that chased his old master for peeping.
Righteous fury, something that made even the bravest squirm.
The blond didn't even know that Yuki had such a side to her...this was infinitely more intimidating than when she lost her composure a while back.
Jin for his part, was sweating slightly, trying to think of a way to placate the obviously angry young teenager.
Damn those hormones...!
"Now Yuki-kun, you know me by now. I had ample reason to do what I did! If you'd just give me a moment to explain-"
Her hands clutched his own even tighter, moving into his personal space and moving her face closer to his.
Her eyes were still shadowed and hidden, somehow that made it even worse...
"...Please don't do this again." the younger hero demanded quietly, unrelenting.
"Y-Yuki-kun...-"
"Please don't do this again." Yuki repeated.
...
Jin sighed, shoulders deflating as he finally gave in to his daughter's demands.
"...Fine, you win. I promise that I won't do this ever again, ok?"
The female hero's yellow eyes finally emerged from under her bangs to stare at the brown eyes of her father.
After another moment of silence, she finally moved out of Jin's personal space and let go of his hands, a pleasant smile on her face.
"Thank you for seeing reason otou-sama."
Naruto felt a sweat-drop forming, did...did she just browbeat the strongest hero of the Hero Tribe?
Naruto and Jin were sitting opposite from one another, the older man laying lackadaisically on the couch and the blond sitting upright on a chair opposite of him.
Yuki was right next to the older man, applying first aid on Jin's left arm to stop the bleeding, keeping one ear open to listen in on the conversation.
While Maria was just sitting on an adjacent couch, watching the proceedings with an interested look, curious to what was going on.
"Alright, we're all here now. What's so important, Toujou-san?" Naruto asked, getting their talks started.
Although he'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to get this all over with already, he had a long day.
Jin was just finishing up his latest cigarette, pulling it out of his mouth to puff some smoke, allowing the nicotine to calm his nerves.
The Great Hero's brown eyes trained themselves on the blond's blue. "I suppose that I'm ready to begin, now that Yuki-kun is here. Before I truly give you the information that I recently discovered, I think it would be a bit prudent to give you some...backstory."
Naruto leaned in, curious to what he had to say, but didn't actually say anything. Giving the older man his tacit approval to continue.
"...Yuki-kun knows this, but the Hero Tribe has quite a few powerful sensors among it's ranks. Sensors which are vital in keeping the location and the identity of our faction a secret from other supernatural factions. However, these sensors aren't just used for protecting our faction from discovery, they're also vital to help locate and pinpoint targets that could possibly harm innocent humans." Jin began, giving Naruto an apologetic look for a moment before continuing his explanation.
Not before the shinobi raised an eyebrow in interest however.
The Great Hero coughed onto his hand, consciously looking away from the blond before answering. "Well...I'm sure you remember that Yuki-kun's posting in Kuoh Academy was meant to observe the younger sisters of two Maous and the Original Lucifer's daughter. What you don't know is that our sensors faintly sensed your power a week or so before you were enrolled in the high school, and one of our members masqueraded as a police officer to trick you to attend the high school...by my order."
Naruto stared at the hero, expression unchanging as his eyebrows began to twitch.
"...News to me." Yuki mumbled, staring steadily at her adoptive father as she finished wrapping up his arm. Tightening it a little more than she intended, causing a stray wince from the older man.
Maria just dryly glanced at the blond teenager, finding amusement in the fact that the person who always loved to trick people; was tricked.
Jin shrugged. "Hey, we had to make sure that you weren't a threat. Besides, now you have a viable way to protect your new friends, right?"
The shinobi said nothing for a moment, staring at the hero blankly. Naruto's entire plan to stay out of the limelight in beginning of this strange world was thwarted by the Hero Tribe...but more specifically by the man in front of him.
In short, all of the stressful shit that he has had to endure for others, was because of Toujou Jin.
Beautiful.
Naruto glanced at the two teenaged girls in the room; Yuki was pinning her father with a stare, obviously expressing her silent disapproval and Maria was just playfully smirking at him.
The succubus was enjoying this far more than she should.
The blond teenager sighed, it wasn't like his entrance at Kuoh was a completely horrible event. He had new goals to pass the time before his Kuchiyose no jutsu worked properly. Not to mention the friends he had made here.
Also...well trouble would have found him eventually, it was more of a matter of 'how' or 'when' he got into trouble, not 'if'. It didn't change the fact that he was upset at the information, just that he couldn't really blame him for it.
So with that in mind, Naruto motioned for him to continue, silently stewing anyways.
"Alright, with that in mind, our sensors have begun to notice strange increases in demonic energy recently, impossibly sharp increases. With multiple individuals. It should be noted that this troubling information was relayed to me and the rest of the higher-ups at least a year ago, so we only recently began an investigation about it. Incidentally...we found a link to connect all of these strange power ups; a terrorist organization." Jin explained, solemnly remembering the events that culminated with his own private investigation.
He didn't notice how Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Wait...that sounds familiar..."
Everyone's eyes trained themselves on the blond, purple eyes widening in particular when it's owner just remembered something.
"Naruto-sama! Now that I think about it, you never told us what happened at the devil party!" Maira pointed out loudly, eyes shining with anticipation of what he had to say.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Ah! That's right!" Snapping his fingers at the epiphany.
Yuki gave him a dull stare, did he forget about the party already...?
Ignoring her stare, Naruto quickly explained. "Toujou-san, I just remembered! Phenex Riser's demonic energy and power with flames increased dramatically as well! He challenged me at the party and grew in power twice in total; with the second time turning into a phoenix. Does that sound like what your sensors felt?"
Jin straightened his back, frowning. "It does, suspiciously so. Then perhaps this devil had dealings with this terrorist organization..."
Then he stopped, blinking as he realized something.
"Wait...did you say he turned into a phoenix?"
Naruto nodded, it sounded insane now that he put it into words, but it wasn't the absolute craziest thing he has ever seen.
"...On behalf of Naruto-sama, I apologize, he is obviously exhausted from all the events that happened today." Maria apologized, bowing her head to the brown-haired hero.
The shinobi gave the succubus an annoyed glance, quickly raising his hand to her and flicking her ear in retaliation.
Maria yelped at the sudden action, pouting at the blond for the gesture, before sticking her tongue out childishly.
Ignoring the both of them for a moment, Yuki regarded her father carefully. "Have you ever heard such a thing, otou-sama? Devils becoming powerful beasts?"
Jin didn't respond for a moment, scratching his head at the information. All of this was very quickly becoming more complicated...
"...I suppose it could happen, if someone's demonic energy became too powerful for them to control, but for one of the Phenex clan to lose control...well...the power increase must be incredible. Which doesn't bode well for any of us." the Great Hero eventually responded, before coughing to gain Naruto's attention again.
Naruto finally stopped fighting with the silverette next to him by roughly pushing her face away from him, she was trying to pull his cheeks in recompense for his flick. No way would he let her.
"Uh...right." The shinobi said awkwardly. "Continue."
Yuki's lip twitched upwards for a moment, trying to hide her amusement.
Jin just obliged the whiskered teen, puffing out some smoke before continuing. "Alright brat...this is where it gets interesting. We didn't have much information on this terrorist group, except the fact that they were against the current government in the Underworld, but that was obvious. So, I unanimously decided to get more information from the group themselves by pinpointing their location and asking politely."
Dull stares were directed at the hero, everyone seriously doubted that he just 'asked politely'.
A wry smirk made it's way on the Great Hero's lips. "Well...we sent more than a few scouts into the Underworld, researching into the location of this terrorist organization. We eventually learned of the name, the purpose, and where the home base of this group was."
Maria raised her hand, she was finally free from Naruto's grip on her head. "Question; how did you get scouts into the Underworld in the first place? As far as I know, humans don't have the demonic energy to create magic circles to get there. Also, it's not like devils or fallen angels would willingly let you in."
Jin said nothing for a moment, wry smirk still in place, only answering after slowly laying himself back on the couch.
"Who knows...?"
Naruto and Maria shared deadpanned looks with one another, expressing their discontent with his answer.
"Alright, to be serious for a moment, I can't just give you classified information on the Hero Tribe now can I?" Jin pointed out, before continuing. "Now, in light of the information that the scouts have gained, I've learned of a couple of things. First; this terrorist organization was called 'The Old Maou Faction'. Second; this organization had connections with other...morally suspect groups, possibly other terrorist organizations. This is what prompted me to go and personally face them myself."
Yuki frowned. "Otou-sama, why would you do something so reckless? Surely you could have simply had some scouts to investigate the home base of this...'Old Maou Faction'?"
Naruto nodded, eyes narrowing. "She's right, you didn't need to take that risk. You could have slowly gleaned information from those who were supporting this faction, carefully gaining more info without putting yourself in danger. Why rush this? You're pretty damn important, right?"
The Great Hero, still relaxing on the couch, just plastered a reassuring smile on his face.
"Now now, who said that my life had that much redeeming value?"
All of the teens stared at the older man for a moment, silent as many of them tried to process what he had just said so...casually.
Yuki said nothing, closing her eyes in resignation after processing his words. Even now...he was like this.
Jin just shrugged casually after seeing everyone stare at him. "To put it simply, I'm old. Really old. Isn't it the duty of the older generation to protect the younger ones? If I can't risk my own life, then I have no right to risk someone else's. It's just that simple."
The shinobi glanced quickly from the father-and-daughter duo, confused. "Wait, you may seem old in my eyes, but you're not that old. You're like...what? Around your 40's? You have plenty of life in you, don't squander it."
The Great Hero shook his head. "Brat, you don't get it. Do you know why I'm regarded as a legend? It was because I was able to face the Original Lucifer and stalemate him in one-on-one combat...now this wouldn't tell you how old I am...unless I added one more specific detail."
The brown-haired man leaned in conspiratorially, as in he was about to confide with everyone and share a big secret.
"I stalemated him during the Great War. Which ended about...oh...give-or-take three hundred years ago."
Naruto's eyes widened slowly, that was...
"Wait! How the heck is that possible!? You're a human, right!?" Maria cried out incredulously, eyes bulging out from what she has just heard.
Jin gave her a sardonic smile. "Quite incredible, isn't it? The devil leader was also very much surprised to see me as well, but he hid it much better. In the Hero Tribe, there is a method for legendary heroes to gain an extended lifespan, although it's reserved for the absolute best. So for all intents and purposes; I'm immortal, unless I fall in battle that is."
The shinobi whistled, that was some pretty impressive stuff.
Though the blond still gave the older man a sympathetic look, it was obvious that the longer lifespan wasn't exactly full of positives. Hell, if you thought about it, he very well could have outlived most of his family and friends.
Long-lasting life wasn't worth it for that kind of price...
The Great Hero shook his head. "We are getting off topic...where was I? Oh...right. So I personally invited myself into the premises of the Old Maou Faction; it's home base which consisted of a large citadel. I quickly cleaned the place up, eliminating the numerous devils that were inhabiting the structure and learning more about the faction. As I suspected, it's a group that aims to overthrow the current relatively moderate rule of the Yondai Maou, seeing their policies as a betrayal of their species. More importantly...I've learned that they have been keeping in-contact with other shady groups...one of which just so happened to be..."
Jin trailed off of his train of thought, sighing and placing the palm of his hand on his forehead.
He glanced silently at Yuki.
"...This is part of the reason that I wanted Yuki-kun to be here. There have been new developments involving the political situation of the Hero Tribe...you see...prior to my decision to go at this alone, there was an incident. Similarly to how we lost contact with some agents, we've lost contact with an entire branch of the Hero Tribe in China." Jin explained quietly, ignoring the shocked looks that he had garnered from the teenagers around him, Yuki in particular.
"I interrogated one of the devils that worked in the citadel, he happened to have been involved in communications so I believe his words hold merit; apparently there has been quite a lot of communication from the citadel to China...roughly around the same time that we lost contact."
Naruto straightened his back. "So you think that this faction...is connected with the loss of contact?"
Jin nodded, entirely serious.
The shinobi glanced down, frowning. These guys sounded like bad news, no matter how he looked at it, add in the fact that they were against the current devil government...
Well, Naruto had his work cut out for him if he wanted to change devil culture.
"...I also met the leader of the Old Maou Faction. He was young by devil standards, still a brat really. But he was well trained, no doubt about it, by who would be an interesting question however." the Great Hero muttered, scratching his chin.
The blond scowled, so this guy was tough then, huh? "What's his name?"
Jin took out the cigarette out of his mouth, puffing some smoke smoothly, looking at the young man in front of him seriously.
"His name was Leohart, second son of the Original Lucifer."
Sirzechs Lucifer was staring up at the ceiling, slowly twirling the wine glass in his hand, not paying any attention to the wine inside the drinking glass.
He was sitting in his throne room, contemplating his current situation in the luxury of his room.
"What are you thinking about, Sirzechs-sama?" Grayfia asked lowly, standing by his side, as always.
The red-headed Maou sighed, placing the wine glass down onto the small table next to his throne. "To be perfectly honest; many things. The recent string of incidents that have taken place are...troubling, to say the least. Add on to the fact that Naruto-kun made that little speech before he left and...well, the repercussions of that may very well be far-reaching."
The maid nodded. "What should be done about it?"
Sirzechs shrugged. "What can be done? It's happened, the damage has been done; for better or for worse. All we can do is react accordingly to the consequences."
The queen of the Maou Lucifer nodded slowly, word will slowly spread through word-of-mouth about what has happened today, it won't take long for the media to get a hold of it either.
From there, the information could easily be accessed not only by other devils, but by other biblical factions as well; especially the fallen angels.
Grayfia's eyes narrowed. What would Azazel do about this when he hears of what happened today...?
Hard to tell, that man was slippery.
Before she could continue her musings, a large magic circle appeared in front of them, much to their interest.
Especially for Sirzechs, considering the crest it displayed.
Phenex.
Out from the magic circle, came two individuals; a man and a woman with blond hair and dark blue eyes.
The man looked like an older version of Riser, having similar blond hair which was spiky at the back and the same dark blue eyes.
While the woman looked like an older version of Ravel, also having blond hair and dark blue eyes, except with her hair raised high with ornate hair decorations.
"...Lord and Lady Phenex; to what do I owe the pleasure?" Sirzechs inquired genially.
Lord Phenex bowed to the Maou, indicating his respect. "Greetings Maou-sama, we have come in the hopes of catching the young man that has apparently fought and defeated my son today, is he present?"
The red-headed Maou slowly shook his head. "He left already, I apologize."
Lady Phenex placed her hand on her cheek, frowning. "Oh my, it seems we were too late. A shame."
The clan leader of the Phenex clan sighed, they were hoping to get here in time, Riser only recently woke up and told them the story of what had happened.
Sirzechs leaned away from his seat, eyeing them warily. " Lord and Lady Phenex...why do you seek to speak with Naruto-kun, if I may be so bold in asking?"
He honestly wasn't sure if he should allow them to get close to Naruto, if they wanted to pay him back for defeating their son, then he would have to do his best to lead them away from the human powerhouse.
It would all very simply blow up in their faces, Naruto-kun didn't seem to take the concept of authority too well...
Lord Phenex faced the Maou Lucifer, a no-nonsense look in his eye.
"I wish to thank him."
Sirzechs nodded. "Alright then, that makes sen-"
Then he paused.
Wait...thank him?
Lord Phenex must have noticed the growing incredulity in the Maou's expression, because he immediately attempted to explain himself.
"We haven't really talked about it, but my son-"
Lady Phenex pinched his sides, causing him to wince and quickly rectify his mistake.
"-Our son; Riser, has obtained something of an arrogant streak, something that he has obtained due to his overconfident belief in our regeneration abilities. So imagine our surprise when we found Riser to be...different after he awoke from his unconscious state." Lord Phenex mentioned, thinking back to how different their son acted when compared to the last time they saw him.
Lady Phenex nodded. "I thought he would have been traumatized from such a defeat, but instead he seems to be rather contrite. Honestly; how Uzumaki Naruto managed to help my son learn a valuable lesson about the limits of our abilities without scarring him is something I'd like to know. Checking the pride of a high-class devil like Riser isn't easy after all."
Her husband raised an eyebrow in her direction, didn't she just pinch him over calling him 'my' son...?
Meanwhile, Sirzechs was shaking his head. Naruto-kun was really too much by this point.
He also couldn't help but wonder if they knew about his declaration yet...?
"Very well, I suppose that you'd like to thank him personally then? Perhaps you would like to accompany me when I next visit the human world?"
Lord Phenex perked up at that. "We would like that very much, Maou-sama. Thank you for being so understanding. His actions truly mean a lot to us."
Before the Maou could respond, something else interrupted him.
A green magic circle appeared on the opposite side of the throne room, illuminating the entire room with green luminescent light.
Everyone watched as a young-looking man with green slicked back hair emerged from the transportation device. A bored look on his face as the magic circle finished it's work.
He momentarily looked around, turned to face Sirzechs Lucifer in the face as his equal.
Practically because for the most part, he was his equal.
"Well...many things seems to have happened while I was away, but better late than never, right?" the young-looking man intoned.
Sirzechs merely grinned, as if gazing upon an old friend.
"Yeah, I suppose that's true...Ajuka."
Naruto was seeing the leader of the Hero Tribe off, shaking his hand as a farewell outside of the house.
"Really, thank you for telling me what you've learned." the shinobi said. "But why would you go through such lengths to tell me all of this?"
Jin's eyes panned from him to the blue-haired hero that was waiting for them to finish their goodbyes, staying silent, before moving back to the blond.
The older man then simply gave him an enigmatic smile. "Who knows? Perhaps on a whim? Or maybe I'm just beginning to like you?"
He shrugged. "We may never know, brat."
Naruto snorted, a strange bastard as always.
Jin's expression went serious for a moment, leaning closer to him.
"But maybe...I'm just hoping that you will protect your friends with everything you have, no matter what comes your way...all of them." the hero whispered conspiratorially.
The shinobi grinned. "Do you even need to ask? If there's anything that I'll do, it's protect those I consider precious."
Though after that statement, the blond shrugged, a self-depreciating smile on his face. "Although, considering the shit I've done today, maybe I might make everyone's lives a bit more...exciting than I'd like."
The Great Hero raised an eyebrow, he did something stupid recently, didn't he?
He had a feeling that he didn't want to know.
"One more thing." the brown-haired man said. "This man...Leohart; he's different from all of the devils you've fought so far, no doubt about it. Almost all devils have the same weakness, one you've probably exploited up until now. But this man...unlike the others, he's a close-combat specialist that was trained specifically to take down long-range fighters."
Naruto's eyes widened. Seriously? That was ridiculously rare in this world, at least from what he had saw.
He could be trouble.
With that last warning given, Jin turned around and began his trek away from the blond's home.
Yuki began walking after him, but turned to the blond after passing by him.
"...See you tomorrow?" Yuki asked quietly.
The blond raised a thumbs up in response. "Of course! Though how long you'll see me is a different question."
The young hero grinned a little, she would expect nothing less.
"Yuki-kun, come on. Let's let the nice brat and loli have their rest!" Jin drawled a ways away.
Yuki didn't respond, only staring at Naruto in the eye for a second longer than anticipated...
Then turning away, jogging after her father and walking step-by-step in tandem with him as they walked away.
Naruto and Maria watched the father-daughter duo leave in silence for a few seconds, calmly taking in the atmosphere.
Until Maria broke it that is.
"By the way Naruto-sama, when are you going to get rid of those dirty clothes of yours. You look like a bum on the street, don't you know?" the succubus pointed out playfully.
The shinobi looked down at his present state of dress, frowning.
Right, burnt clothes from giant fire-breathing bird. Probably needed changing.
"Don't judge, I've had a rough day. I don't see you taking down legendary creatures, do I?" Naruto retorted smartly.
Maria shrugged. "Well I don't ever get into these situations, unlike some people I know. You're just a trouble-magnet after all."
Oh boy...she couldn't even imagine how right she really was, life was just unfair at times.
The silverette turned around, walking to the front porch with her arms clasped behind her head.
"Hey Naruto-sama."
The shinobi perked up at his name being called, following the succubus into the house. "Hmm?"
She turned around, facing the blond with a thoughtful expression.
"With all that's happened recently Naruto-sama...I think that taking some time to relax with your friends is something we should be looking forward to, don't you?"
Naruto's looked shocked, honestly surprised to hear that from the usually playful succubus.
"...Yeah, you're right. I suppose it's times like these that you gotta appreciate the small things, right?" the blond replied, playfully rubbing the top of Maria's head.
Aiming for a goal was great and all, but without taking some time to relax, he would definitely have a much harder time when dealing with the more serious moments in life. Sometimes, just enjoying life was what was called for.
Unbeknownst to Maria, Naruto's expression went serious for a moment.
It didn't mean that he shouldn't have an idea of what he had to do next though, before he concentrates on his objectives with regards to peace and devil culture...there was something else he had to do first.
He knew exactly who to talk to about it.
Bleary pink eyes revealed themselves to the world.
Mio wiped the drowsiness from her eyes, trying to survey her surroundings and get some idea of where she was.
She was...in her room.
The red-head blinked. She was in her room? When did she get here?
Mio struggled to remember the events of last night for a moment, remembering the party...the reveal of her past...the duel...her tirade...Naruto's declaration.
Then blank.
She must have knocked out after a while, not exactly unexpected with the day she has had. She thought she soldiered through it pretty well, all things considered.
The half-devil slipped off of her bed to place her feet on the ground, only just noticing that she still had her dress on from yesterday's 'function'.
So...they pretty much just dumped her onto her bed then? Nice.
She quickly took her clothes off and got changed into more comfortable clothings, leaving her room to get food and greet her two annoying/lovable family members.
Except there was only one there.
"Maria? Where's Naruto?" Mio asked, scouring the living room as she looked for the missing blond, was he asleep still?
Maria looked up from the pot she was stirring and grinned at her charge. "Morning to you too sleepy-head! Breakfast is almost ready, but Naruto-sama was too impatient and left to school early today."
The daughter of the Original Lucifer stopped moving, eyes wide as she realized what she has just heard.
...Naruto going to school early?
Was this some kind of evil prank? Or was the world legitimately ending?
Just what kind of twisted reason did her brother possibly have in going to Kuoh Academy early?
Naruto suddenly had the urge to bonk a certain red-head upside the head.
No idea why, it was just an urge.
Nevertheless, the blond was currently jogging towards Kuoh Academy, moving at a reasonable pace for ordinary humans so that he could speak to Rias and Sona-kaichou.
It was very important, as a personal issue anyways.
As Naruto was making his way towards school however, he met some familiar faces...
Meh, he had some time to kill anyways, he left a little too early.
"Issei! Asia-san! Morning you two!" Naruto cried out, waving his arms frantically in greeting.
That definitely garnered their attention.
"Ah...hey! Naruto! What's up?" Issei called out, inclining his head in greeting.
"Naruto-san! Good morning!" Asia also cried out, bowing very quickly in her nervousness.
The shinobi grinned at the two, quickly walking in step with them and then taking notice about what was different about the duo.
"Asia-san, you're wearing the Kuoh uniform! I guess that Rias managed to get you in then, huh?" Naruto noted, curiously looking at her new clothes.
The nun nodded excitedly. "Yes! I'm starting to attend Kuoh Academy today, though to be perfectly honest, I'm a little nervous."
Issei sighed, scratching the top of his head. "Yeah, Asia has a pretty noticeable accent, so both of us are afraid that she might get bullied by some pricks. Though I will kick their asses if they ever did it, it could still isolate her."
Naruto sniffed, that is a pretty annoying problem. But...
"I don't know Issei, to put it bluntly...a lot of the guys at school wouldn't exactly object to seeing a new pretty face." the shinobi pointed out bluntly, an amused smirk plastered on his face.
The brown-haired boy's hackles were raised at the thought. "They leer at her, I'll beat them up."
"Issei-san, please don't hurt others." Asia reprimanded, gazing up at him with her innocent green eyes.
The pawn of the Gremory group just huffed, it was hard to stay mad when Asia was so innocent.
Meanwhile, the whiskered teen rolled his eyes. "Issei...aren't you being a bit of a hypocrite right now? Don't you practically leer at any pretty girl that has a big chest? Hell, aren't you a part of the infamous 'Perverted Trio'?"
Issei twitched, annoyed that he was called out at that precise moment, especially with Asia right there.
Dick move damn it.
Asia glanced up at Issei, horrified. "Issei-san! Is that true!? That can't be true, right?"
The perverted boy raised his hands in up in surrender, breaking out in sweat a little due to being put on the spot. "Now...I wouldn't say that. I just happen to have a...healthyadmiration for the female body is all."
Naruto snorted in the background, much to Issei's annoyance.
Nevertheless, Asia sighed out in relief, thoroughly believing the perverted boy.
She never noticed the dark look that Issei threw at the orange-loving teen beside him.
"You know Naruto...maybe some people can claim that I have a little too much interest in bishoujous, but at least no one can claim that I have none at all." the brown-haired boy claimed with a sly grin.
Naruto's head snapped towards Issei, stopping in his tracks to stare; flabbergasted, by the insinuation he was making.
Low blow damn it.
"Hey! It's not that I have no interest, it's just that...I've been busy." the shinobi retorted lamely, realizing prematurely how stupid he sounded.
He really was busy though, by the time puberty really hit him, he was facing the ever-present threat of Akatsuki and focused on saving one of his closest friends. When he got to this world, he had to deal with the ever-present issue of getting back home.
Excuse him for being busy!
"Hey hey...don't worry about it, Naruto. I'm sure you can one day be as honest as I am." the wielder of the Boosted Gear crowed, ignoring the rising annoyance of the blond, which was exhibited by his shaking shoulders.
The shinobi's eyes sharpened and a crooked smile grew on his face when he found some ammunition against his friend in his memory banks.
"Funny...you claim that you're honest, but are you really? If you were a really honest perv-...'healthy' boy, then I wonder why you never stare at Rias or Akeno-san with your perverted eyes, huh?"
Issei took a step back, almost as if physically slapped, horrified by what the dastardly blond was suggesting.
"...Ar-Are you claiming that I'm not a true pervert!?" the brown-haired boy exclaimed, pointing an offending finger at his accuser.
A mocking grin on his lips, Naruto shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Defend yourself against the accusation then."
Issei straightened his back, belatedly realizing that his very identity was being called into question. He had to make a stand here...
He would be fighting for the honor of perverts everywhere!
...
...
...
"I'm a little scared of them." Issei admitted after a moment of silence.
Asia was patting him on the arm, not sure how, but still sure that he needed some comforting.
The shinobi said nothing for a split-second, deadpanning at his male friend, before finally deciding to ask the question that a part of him really wanted to ask, but another part of him really wanted to ignore.
"...Why?"
The perverted boy gave Naruto an annoyed look at the obvious disbelief in his voice. "...Picture this for a second Naruto, you are a normal human that has lived with the assumption that there aren't people who could obliterate you as easily as breathing. Then you find out that you're wrong, and get thrown in the middle of a battlefield where fallen angels are practically carpet-bombing the area. Do you think that you could act completely normal after such an incident?"
Naruto blinked slowly, staring at Issei as if he had just grown a second head.
"So...a part of you is afraid of supernatural girls? Is that it?" the blond inquired, honestly curious.
Issei shook his head. "No, I partially take back what I said. I'm not really scared of them, just...wary. It's just hard to see them entirely as...girls, ya know? Believe me, I've tried to."
"Really? You've tried?"
"Yeah. Buchou was taking a shower inside the club room, it was before we left for that training trip. So I really had the urge to see her bountiful oppai, but...Koneko-chan happened." Issei reminisced, shivering at the memories.
Naruto's eyes became sympathetic. She was a tough one.
Then the perverted boy perked up, pointing a finger at the bridge of the blond's nose and making a declaration. "But! Make no mistake! This is merely the exception to the rule that makes up my perverted code! Even then, one day...I will overcome this trial! One day, I will gaze upon their lovely oppai! Just you wait!"
The pawn of the Gremory group then began to cackle loudly, attracting the attention and derision of many of the female students that were making their way to school as well.
Issei stopped laughing and gave his friend a triumphant smirk. "So? What do you think? Pretty badass, right?"
Naruto didn't respond, too focused on something else at the moment.
"...Asia-san's about to cry." the blond commented, almost as if he was taking note of the weather.
Issei snapped his head towards the nun by his side, she was red-faced in embarrassment due to the the attention that the brown-haired boy had garnered with his words. Tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she bravely attempted to ignore the snide remarks coming towards their general direction.
The dam broke soon afterwards.
"Uuuuuuu...!"
Panicking, the perverted boy frantically waved his arms. "Ah! S-Sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't cry Asia! I didn't mean it!"
The shinobi stared at the strange duo; a perverted boy with no shame and a nun with too much innocence.
He needed some popcorn next time, just in case.
"When did you two form an alliance?"
The Sitri heiress was staring down her childhood friend, they were both alone inside the club room of the ORC building at the moment due to them both arriving early. Rias to do some work that she has to catch up on, and Sona for her own duties as a student council president.
Sona needed to discuss this with Rias.
Rias didn't bother looking up from her work, focused on jotting something down with intensity. "A few days after he's enrolled I think...? I don't quite remember."
Sona leaned in, eyes narrowed as she critically studied her friend's facial features. "You never mentioned this 'Kuoh Pact' of yours...why? I'd think that would be something pretty important to know."
The Gremory heiress finally looked up from her work, locking eyes with Sona, refusing to be browbeaten. "I didn't think that the pact would last, it was supposed to be used as a method to buy time to figure out how to deal with the special circumstances. If I told you without Naruto's consent, it would have broken the pact, thus breaking any trust I might have garnered. Besides, you already knew that Naruto was...'special'."
The heiress' of the Gremory and Sitri clans were currently having a row, discussing the specifics of past events that have led to their current predicament.
Specifically, about Uzumaki Naruto.
"I know that, what I mean is the fact that he was able to defeat a fallen angel army. I'd think that that would be pretty important, wouldn't you?" Sona stated dryly.
Rias sighed, laying back on her chair. "I only learned about all of that when Naruto told me, by then he has proved himself to be trustworthy. I should have told you then, yes, but the whole training trip occurred right afterwards. I was distracted, it doesn't excuse my negligence mind you. But at the same time, I assure you Sona, neither you or your Peerage was in any danger. I would never purposefully do such a thing."
The two childhood friends kept their eyes on one another, purple and blue-green, logical and determined.
Sona closed her eyes. "Fine, that's fair. But I expect to be informed the next time something of consequence occurs in Kuoh Academy, you should be more aware of the people around you."
Rias nodded slowly, she would have to speak with the whiskered teen about it, but she was sure that he would agree that she should be included in anymore...'events'.
"Maybe she should be more aware of people around her too, eh Rias?" a familiar voice asked with a joking tone.
Sona's eyes snapped towards the ceiling, shocked despite her calm exterior, whereas Rias practically jumped from her seat in surprise.
"Naruto!" the red-head exclaimed, before her shock turned into annoyance. "Why do you always insist on making fancy entrances? Is knocking on the door like a civilized person that difficult?"
The shinobi smirked, hanging upside down on the ceiling and looking down on the two females. "Nah, it's much more fun this way."
Naruto released the chakra that was holding him up on the ceiling, landing in the middle of the room without making a sound.
"Sorry for barging in, I just needed to talk to the two of you, so this is perfect for me." the blond said, the self-confident smirk on his face remaining.
The two high-class devils glanced at one another, this would be good...
"...What do you need, Naruto-san?" Sona asked warily, fully aware that the process of 'planning ahead' when this boy was involved was pretty much impossible.
Better to just find out what he wanted now and respond from there by this point.
Naruto raised his eyebrow silently when he noticed that she has begun to use his first name, but quickly moved on. "I need another extended leave of absence from school."
The Sitri heiress' eyes widened at the blond's audacity. "Are you serious...? You've been away for practically a week by this point, yet you want to leave again?"
Rias sighed, Naruto seems to have gotten it into his head to go on another hare-brained scheme.
Naruto ignored the kaichou's protest, turning to the red-headed devil instead. "...And you're going to help me."
Said devil blinked at that. "I am?"
The blond only nodded in return. "You are."
Rias gave him an amused look, crossing her arms across her chest in challenge. "Now why exactly would I help you with this new scheme of yours? This has nothing to with the goals that I pledged to support, right? This is personal it seems. I can't just go out of my way to help you in absolutely everything, you know?"
Naruto grinned. "Of course, I'd expect nothing less. Which is why I am cashing in my favor now!"
The Gremory heiress went silent.
...She forgot about that.
Sona, now annoyed that she has been bypassed, interjected. "Naruto-san...Rias will most certainly not be helping you skip school. I allowed it without comment last time because I figured that it would be healthy for her to unwind, but this is just a personal vacation! You have to concentrate on your education!"
Scratching the back of his head, the blond turned to face the one individual who was still opposed to his second attempt at skipping school. "Look, I don't expect you to like this, but Rias is right, this is something personal that I have to do. I'm not going to leave immediately, but I am going."
Before Sona could interject a second time, Rias spoke up. "Sona, I owe him this. Sorry, but he's correct. On the honor of the Gremory clan, I will fulfill my end of the bargain."
The Sitri heiress turned to face her childhood friend again, facing her again like before Naruto had came by. "Now...Naruto may have your support, but he doesn't have mine. This is for his own good, he's staying so that he could become a productive member of society. That's final."
With that statement made, Sona immediately turned around and left the club room, not allowing anyone to stop her.
"...Damn, she seems dead set on this." Naruto mumbled, staring after where she left.
"Don't worry, I'll get to her eventually." Rias responded, before turning to the blond.
"By the way, thanks for dragging me into this, with all of this work that I need to catch up on, I really needed more work. Just in case I got bored." the red-head drawled sarcastically, a dry look on her face.
Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look.
Rias sighed. "Whatever, like I said, I will get to her. Now is there anything else, or do you want to make other momentous proclamations?"
Naruto looked offended. "Hey, that speech was heartfelt, it was an epic proclamation, momentous is way too pompous."
The Gremory heiress rolled her eyes in amusement, trying not to let the grin on her face show.
The shinobi's face then turned serious.
"...What can you tell me about yokai?"