Chapter 30
Light.
That was the first impression that Yuki got when she began to regain consciousness.
Yellow eyes fluttered open, squinting at the brightness of the morning sun. Before getting up and stretching her limbs, trying to work out her aching muscles.
"...Time to go." Yuki mumbled lightly, eyes turning to look at the sleeping succubus besides her who was snoring faintly in contentment.
The hero stared at her fellow female for a heartbeat, contemplating whether she should let her have a few more minutes of sleep. She looked quite content...
That idea was squashed quickly, they didn't have time to kill.
So Yuki nudged Maria, intent on waking her up so that they could get a move on.
All that managed to do was make the succubus giggle in her sleep, turning her body to instinctively get away from her nudging.
Change of plans then.
A green aura surrounded her hand as she materialized her katana, before swinging it unerringly at the half-devil's neck-
"AHHHHHH!" Maria screamed shrilly, rolling out of her comfortable spot on the floor to avoid the blade. "What the hell!? Yuki-san!?"
"Sorry." Yuki said as she de-materialized her blade. "It was the quickest way to get you up, besides...I stopped the blade before it reached you."
The succubus didn't look impressed. "...Cold comfort when you wake up to a sword swinging at you. What, you couldn't have thought up of a better solution?"
The hero leaned down and grabbed her bag, throwing her arm around it's strap. "The fastest way. Also...Naruto told me that he would be moving out early in the morning, which means that he will be vulnerable again."
Maria's eyes softened, realization lighting up her purple orbs. "...This is about Naruto-sama, huh? Worried about him?"
Yuki stopped, considering.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm worried. It's really only a matter of time before someone finds him, but most likely...it'll be at the head of a group at least. With the little kyuubi to take care of, it will be difficult to protect himself to the best of his ability as well. He can make a lot of stupid mistakes that he might not have if he didn't have to worry about her well-being. So the faster we clear this up, the better."
The half-devil nodded slowly, standing up and grabbing her bag as well. "Alright, fair enough then. Just...try not to swing your sword at me again anytime soon. Let's not make this a habit."
Yuki felt her lips twitch upwards for a split-second.
She could definitely agree to that.
It was a new day, as evidenced from the bright sunlight that peeked through the clouds and lit up all that was under it's observation.
To many, the dawn of a new day meant that the troubles of the day before was washed away, all to make a new and clean slate.
Well...it did for those who had a bad day anyways, like Mio.
Mio winced as she kept walking to her destination, still smarting from the 'training' that she was put under. Rias-sempai really did go too far...
Though her complaining didn't really mean much if she was literally going back to train so early in the morning. She sometimes wondered if she had some masochistic tendencies...
Ah well, no one could claim that she wasn't stubborn at the very least.
The young female finally snapped out of her musings when she reached the front of the old school building, her sempai's base of operations...
She resisted the urge to jeer at it, she was still pretty sore about how much fun the high-class devil had in 'training' with her.
So the half-devil knocked on the front door, waiting for someone to open it and let her continue where she left off yesterday.
...
...
No response, great.
"I'm coming in!" the red-head declared, opening the door and looking around to see whether anyone was inside.
After a quick check, she determined that she was alone in here.
Well...that left two options then; leave and come back later or go to the training center anyways.
The answer was obvious, damn Naruto for rubbing off his spontaneous nature to her.
Mio felt a pang in her heart at the thought that drifted through her head...Naruto...
How was he doing? Was he ok? Did he finish his objective?
Those thoughts and worries impacted her the second that she thought about the hyperactive blond, nearly causing her to trip over herself.
She missed him. She missed him a lot.
Mio sighed as she combed her hand through her bangs, why was it suddenly so quiet...? Almost oppressively so.
Where were the mischievous smirks that lit up her day? The constant hidden excitement of what crazy hijinks he would instigate that would spice up her school life? The constant security that he always gave just by being in close proximity?
The red-head quickly shook her head, he'd be back before she knew it, she just had to keep getting stronger. Stopthinking about it.
If she couldn't handle being alone in a silent house for a few days, then how could she look at him in the face and claim to be strong?
Though...that was just it, wasn't it?
Whether she liked it or not, she wasn't just doing this for herself, but also for him. She simply couldn't stay this weak...so weak that she could be the back door that his enemies used to get to him...!
No!
She wouldn't be that way, that was why she was going to keep coming back here.
She wouldn't watch another family get destroyed.
Not again. Never again.
With new-found determination in her eyes, she opened the door that led to the elevator and went inside, heading to her destination.
"Wakey wakey! Rise and shine, kid!"
Kunou grunted softly, pulling the blanket over her head in protest. Unwilling to get up.
"Come on kid...you do want to eat, don't you?"
She did. But not enough to get up.
"...Don't want to..." Kunou grumbled out, slurring her words faintly.
Naruto rolled his eyes in exasperation, look at her...she was a far cry from the distrustful and wary princess that he initially met. Now she was just another child...
The shinobi then grinned, there was a very simple and effective way to get a child out of bed.
As soon as the idea sprung into his mind, he began to enact it by moving stealthily closer to the resting kyuubi with his fingers moving around in a threatening manner.
Then he struck.
"Ah...! No...wait! Please!"
Naruto gave no quarter, he wouldn't let the kid go...no matter what!
Kunou's ringing laughter was echoing across the cave, showing no signs of stopping as the shinobi kept tickling her without mercy.
"Give up yet!?" the blond questioned with a grin, completely merciless.
The little yokai tried to wiggle out of the older boy's torture, refusing to admit defeat, but the teen was relentless and followed her as she kept trying to roll away from him.
The tickling began to be unbearable, as her face grew red and tears began to overflow from her eyes from the constant laughing.
Then she broke.
"Ok...! Ok! I give! I give up!" Kunou shouted at the top of her lungs.
Naruto was smug as he backed up from the little kyuubi, he knew that he'd break her with his tickling.
Kunou finally gave out a sigh of relief at the reprieve. "...That was mean, you jerk."
The shinobi shrugged as he walked back to the still crackling fire. "I know, but then again...it is time to eat dattebayo."
The yokai princess looked up at the older boy from her position on the floor and stood up, moving to join him by the fire with her miko outfit fluttering faintly behind her.
"So..." the older blond began, after passing a ramen cup to the little girl. "I suppose we better get a move on today, we will be heading towards Kyoto...and if we run into more yokai, then hopefully we can explain the situation to them. If we got some half-way decent luck, then maybe we won't run into your kidnappers either."
Kunou absentmindedly agreed as she blew onto the cup on the palm of her hands, taking the chopsticks that Naruto just offered her right afterwards. "Ok, got it. So when are we going?"
Naruto grinned. "The second that you finish. We are going to take another way out of here instead as well, best not use the entrance in case there are...unpleasant people lying in wait."
As the young teen slowly began to put his things back into his bag, he moved his head towards the cave that he wanted to go to, implicating it. "We're going that way. Where you found me talking on the phone. That still moves us to our destination, so we won't lose that much progress anyways."
All he heard in response to his statements was the constant slurping sound of noodles, with the kyuubi eating ravenously. Boy...she must have been hungry.
It was only after she stopped gorging herself and put the cup down, that she responded.
"K."
Naruto blinked.
"...Well...you seem to be more easy-going." the whiskered teen pointed out bluntly.
Kunou just beamed. "Yep! It's 'cause I know that I'm going to be ok now!"
The shinobi chuckled, the pleasant feeling that her words gave him felt nice. "Of course you will, it's me after all."
With that said, the shinobi stood up and stretched slightly, before offering a hand to the small blond. "You ready?"
The little kyuubi nodded, confident.
"Yes!"
"How much longer do we have to wait? I'm absolutely itching to fight...I've heard more than a few rumors about the man that we will be fighting." Heracles complained audibly, tapping his foot incessantly.
"Oh calm down Hera-kun~ We're gonna go as soon as possible~" Jeanne cooed easily, as she was laying down on the floor. "Besides, we still have to actually find him! He's going to be our new recruit I hear!"
The descendant of the great greek hero snorted, both at his comrade's assertion and his nickname. "I don't think our great leader entirely feels that way...about recruiting Uzumaki I mean. Also...don't call me that."
Jeanne shrugged, completely ignoring his words about his nickname, although to be serious...she had no idea what went through their leader's head sometimes.
Both heroes were currently stationed at the small outpost that their faction has created as a temporary base of operations, a forward base for their ambitions in Kyoto.
For now, two of the most powerful heroes in the Hero Faction were simply killing time, waiting for their time to deploy and defeat their erstwhile enemy.
"My...seems our meddler has some new fans, hm?"
Both heroes turned around to see Siegfried walk towards them, a rare playful smirk adorning his face.
"Oh~? You seem to be in an awfully good mood. Something good happen?" the female hero wondered aloud, curious.
The handsome descendant of the original Siegfried only smirked wider. "It turns out that I'll be joining you in your little expedition. I'm surprisingly anxious to get started...it's been a long while since I've faced a worthy opponent. It's a shame that he isn't a swordsman."
Heracles looked surprised at this admission, but his growing grin belayed any evidence of his disapproval with the idea. "I see! Then we shall all occupy the battle together! I pity Uzumaki then...unless he's as powerful as the rumors claim he is...there's no way he can get out of this alive!"
Siegfried grunted in affirmation, he agreed, there was no logical way for their adversary to get out of this one.
"Hey Sieg-kun...speaking of mysterious figures...do you know anything about the weird guy that hangs out with Cao Cao?" Jeanne whispered to the silver-haired hero, big blue eyes shining with excitement at some juicy info.
The swordsman twitched slightly at the nickname, but tanked through it regardless. "...Unfortunately, not much. The man's as much a mystery as he was when we first met...I just don't know what to think about him. Cao Cao won't say anything about him either, maybe he might be more willing to talk if we destroy the Japanese branch of the Hero Tribe..."
Heracles raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Why the hell would you say that?"
Siegfried eyed the burly hero. "Because the last time he was so forthright with information about his past was when we obliterated the Chinese Hero Tribe. Whether we admit it or not, that armored...person...is a part of Cao Cao's past."
"Ohh...makes sense." Jeanne wondered childishly. "Still, he kinda gives me the creeps."
Both men couldn't agree more.
As the trio of heroes continued their talks, another individual walked towards them with anticipation, intent on sharing the news...
It was starting.
"It should almost be here by now...looks like we will finally have an easier time of getting to Kyoto. It's about damn time!" Maria complained, relieved that they wouldn't walk anymore.
Yuki couldn't help but agree, the taxi that they called up in Kyoto should be moving to them now, cutting down the time they would have taken significantly.
All while making sure that they didn't use any supernatural methods to get there, they didn't want to needlessly antagonize the yokai after all.
So hopefully they will be able to explain the situation to the yokai leader, giving Naruto some leeway and ending this little crisis before it could further get out of hand.
She was actually a little hopeful, maybe she wouldn't have to deal with that hero-trained warrior again...
But as she kept moving forward in the hopes of catching their taxi, her hopes were quickly beginning to fade.
"...It's here." Maria whispered besides her, glancing around nervously.
Fog.
"Maria." the hero spoke out with authority. "How far away is the taxi?"
The succubus quickly scrambled her own phone out, scanning the time to better find out where-
"It should be right here..." she mumbled out, eyes scanning the dense fog to see if there was a motorized vehicle in their somewhere.
Both females tried to look through the fog to see if they could find their ride, hoping that it would reach them before their enemies did.
After a moment of silence, the duo saw twin lights break through the mist, catching their attention.
"That's it! It has to be!" the succubus cried, charging forward towards the lights.
Yuki followed shortly after, a bad feeling crawling up the back of her spine.
She had this feeling before, when the last time that this fog appeared, except if anything...it was worse this time.
With that worrying thought present in her mind, the hero kept moving, eventually moving close enough to see the form of the car. As well as the taxi driver, who was glancing around, thoroughly confused.
"Hey-!"
As the succubus tried to call out the driver's attention, the fog surrounded the motorized vehicle from view, thickening to the point that the lights seemingly couldn't pierce through it.
Nevertheless, Maria kept moving forward, remembering where the general direction of the car should be.
She then reached it, causing her to stop in her tracks as she stared at the empty ground.
Gone. It was gone.
"...Where did it go...?" Yuki asked quietly, eyes scanning around as she caught up with the loli.
The car disappeared right in front of their eyes, vanishing into thin air as if it was never really there.
Yuki had no doubt now; the fog definitely had something to do with this.
The fog conveniently appeared when that armored being first attacked them, then it disappeared along with the fog...and now this.
They were interconnected somehow, maybe some sort of teleportation...?
She couldn't ponder the issue further, as a new sound entered her ears, one that immediately made her bad feeling get worse.
The scrape of metal against concrete...
The duo quickly closed the distance between each other, with Maria bringing her fists up and Yuki materializing her katana. Ready for whoever was coming from the fog.
As if alive, the mist slowly rolled back and revealed the dark figure that attacked them the other day, standing stoically still as if it was nothing more than a statue.
"Look Yuki-san." the succubus drawled. "Our stalker is back, maybe he hasn't had enough of us, hm?"
The hero didn't say anything, she only raised her blade higher so that it would point at the mysterious being, refusing to be cowed or to lose focus like last time.
"Who are you? What is your objective? How did you find us?" the human female demanded, voice firm.
The armored warrior was silent, standing stoically in place as if it really was just a statue.
Yuki grit her teeth, lowering her center of gravity in order to pounce-
Clapping.
Random, but consistent clapping echoed around them.
Both females quickly looked around, slightly unnerved by the unreserved clapping, trying to discern where the sound was coming from, as it almost seemed to echo around them.
The hero in particular glanced around, the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach getting worse and worse as the clapping continued to echo.
Nevertheless, she stayed firm externally, her yellow eyes unyielding, as they searched for their potential enemy.
Those eyes would eventually zero in on a spot behind the mysterious warrior, as a form began to coalesce while the mist began to lighten up.
Yuki raised Sakuya higher, making sure her defense was up to prevent any kind of-
The hero froze, the grip on her katana loosened to the point that it almost slipped through her fingers, shock replaced the steel in her eyes.
She could make him out now...it was him.
"No..." Yuki whispered, taking a step back at the visage that appeared in front of her.
Maria chanced a look at her partner for a moment, before looking at the young man that emerged from the fog, walking towards them in a self-assured manner. Still clapping.
The mysterious man eventually walked up right next to the armored warrior, patting it on the shoulder as if it was a pet. Before turning his pitch-black eyes to the two females.
"...It's been a while...Yuki-chan."
The succubus' eyes snapped to the hero besides her, uncertainty dancing in those orbs.
Yuki merely continued to stare at the older man, jaw clenched and eyes stormy, with several emotions flitting through her eyes so fast that Maria couldn't see them.
"...It has...sensei..."
Naruto peered into the darkness of the cave, trying to make sure that he didn't crash into a wall and embarrass himself for such a stupid reason.
Meanwhile, Kunou was holding his hand tightly, gripping it to make sure that she didn't lose track of him in this dark cave. She definitely didn't want to get lost in here...
"No worries, kid." the shinobi stated assuredly. "We just have to go a little further."
The smaller blond looked up at the person who helped her so far, gratitude in her eyes. "...Thank you for helping me so far, I honestly don't know what I would have done without you..."
Blue eyes turned to look at her, mirth in those orbs apparent. "I'm sure you would have thought of something, you've got quite the backbone when you need it."
Kunou beamed at that, pride swelling in her chest at the compliment. "Thanks! Kaa-chan always tried to teach me to be strong, for the sake of our faction. So I try."
Suddenly, a shadow descended upon her new friend, as his eyes darkened faintly, and a frown began to taint his usually positive face.
The yokai princess was taken aback. "Uh...I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
Naruto blinked and shook his head, trying to get certain thoughts out of his head, before shooting the kyuubi with a wistful smile. "Nothing...it's just that I'm proud that your mother got to taught you some things. Not everyone can say that, you know?"
Kunou tilted her head cutely, unsure what the whiskered teen meant, but accepting it nonetheless.
The two fell silent afterwards, with the older blond focusing on where they should go next as his priority.
"Do you want a kaa-chan!?" Kunou suddenly shouted.
Naruto jumped, caught off guard. "...What?"
The younger blond shifted uncomfortably. "Well...you seemed sad when I talked about my kaa-chan...so...I thought that maybe..."
The shinobi scratched the back of his head, slightly nervous. "Uhh...it isn't quite that simple dattebayo..."
Kunou leaned in, eyes shining brightly. "No! It's fine! You can just spend time with me and kaa-chan! That way you won't be sad anymore!"
Blue eyes widened slightly at that statement, so that's what this was about...
"...Hey kid...honestly, thanks for the suggestion. That was very kind of you." the older blond began gently, patting her head. "But I'm sorry to say that I can't spend too much time in Kyoto, I just came here to talk to your mother about something personal. After that, I gotta head back home and make sure everyone is safe."
Naruto moved his eyes forward again while he was talking, assured that the little girl that he was escorting was still following him since he was still holding her hand.
But, inexplicably, her smaller hand slipped through his fingers.
In response, he quickly turned around, worried that something was wrong.
"...You're...you're just gonna leave? Just like that? So quickly...?"
The shinobi stared at the yokai princess, wary at her shift in demeanor. "What? You expected me to stay here?"
Kunou looked towards the floor, biting her lips in the process. "I just...hoped that you would...you know? Stay with us for a little bit? Maybe a week?"
Even while the little girl was making her plea, the teen started shaking his head. "I can't, I'd like to...if only to dodge more classes. But I have a responsibility to my friends back at Kuoh Town."
As he was speaking, the shinobi went to take the younger blond's hand, grasping it and tugging so that they could continue. He wanted to make sure that they would cover as much ground as possible.
The little kyuubi was silent as she was now hurried along the cavern, watching as the darkness of the cave grow more apparent as they moved further away from the warmth of their campfire...
"...I thought that you were going to protect me..." she whispered, practically silent.
Naruto didn't say anything at first, he kept moving forward, searching for the right words.
"...I am." was all that could come out of his mouth.
Then all of a sudden, he felt Kunou pull at his arm.
"Then why!?" she demanded. "What happened yesterday...I can still feel it...you're the only one that made that feeling go away! So please...!"
She glanced down again with glassy eyes, tiny fists balling up.
"Help me get away from this fear...make me feel normalagain..."
The shinobi went stock still, eyes widening at her words.
Of course. Even after getting rid of the accumulated stress of her day yesterday, there was still a...scar. One that wouldn't heal so quickly.
But despite this revelation, there was something else that he focused on. A word that triggered a memory of a time that seems so...long ago.
A vision of long red hair and hopeful pink eyes, that begged to attend school with him...
All to feel normal.
Was this not the same thing? A reprieve for a stressful time in order to live again?
He did it for her...should he not do it for Kunou...?
"Please!" Kunou wailed, hugging his leg desperately.
The little girl kept holding him, refusing to let go, clenching her eyes as she waited for his response.
After a few more moments of silence, she finally got it.
"...Kunou-chan."
Golden eyes snapped open, glancing up at the towering teen with shocked eyes. Did he just...?
"It's kind of funny..." Naruto began, a wistful look in his eye. "Someone had actually asked me to do something similar for them, ya know? It almost seems like a lifetime ago, but the request is practically the same."
The older blond then tilted his head down, looking back at the still-shocked yokai.
"I accepted her request then."
Kunou gasped audibly, lips spreading into a smile, then that means...!
"That being said...I'm sorry, I still can't stay."
Almost as quickly as it came, the smaller blond's smile cracked and fell apart, eyes looking entirely betrayed at the seemingly cruel decision.
She was so taken aback by the young man's words, that she didn't protest the fact that he was pulling her again towards their destination.
Naruto quickly moved forward, they wasted too much time as it was, but it didn't change the fact that he hoped that the kid would understand why he made his decision.
In time, but now wasn't the moment to deal with it.
So the two kept moving forward, deeper into the cave, until they hit a snag.
A big one.
"...Damn it..." the shinobi grumbled, glaring at the route that they were taking, which was suddenly ending in form of a stone wall.
He thought that this was a way out...damn, maybe he should have actually checked.
The shinobi moved to check if there was another way, maybe a hidden entrance like how he got in the first place?
But someone held firm, refusing to budge.
Naruto sighed, looks like he really couldn't leave this for later, huh?
With that, the blond turned around and knelt on one knee, facing the yokai princess. Intent on ending this discussion once and for all.
"Kunou-chan..." Naruto started. "I know that my declination of your wish has upset you, especially since I've accepted something similar from someone else...but there's a reason for this."
The little girl refused to respond, she only surly turned away.
Undaunted, the shinobi continued. "Despite the similarities of the request, the situation surrounding that request was...quite a lot different than yours. So different...that if I helped you actively on this, that I'd be violating one of my principles."
Kunou's eyes snapped back to the teen's, surprised despite the silent treatment that she was giving out.
Before she could ask however, he answered.
"...To put it bluntly, I can't fight this battle for you. I definitely can't fight every battle for you, this is actually for your sake."
...
"Wh-What?" the yokai princes blurted out, breaking her silence. "What the heck does that even mean!?"
Naruto sighed, looking somewhat tired of the question-and-answer session. "It means that if I go ahead and stay to help you get over your fears...I'll be depriving you of some valuable experience. I know this isn't the nicest thing to do, but I'd like to help you only to the point where you can't help yourself. Especially since I believe that you can face this fear that you're carrying."
The shinobi turned his head towards the ceiling, eyes unseeing. "You see...life can be cruel, can throw curve balls, can rip your life out from under you in a single day. That is a fact, no matter how old you are, what gender you are, what race you are. So if someone would help someone else with everything that may hurt them...then how are they supposed to deal with greater pain in the future? How can they become stronger? How can they take life's challenges?"
Kunou stared at the older blond with intensity, watching as he turned around and walked towards the end of the cave.
"...If I can, I want to prepare everyone I care about...prepare them for the harshness of reality, for their own sakes. As for the person that I did help? Well, her circumstances were far more extreme, she was on the run for a long time and was reaching her stress limit. Although she framed it as a question...she needed that reprieve back then."
After a few more seconds of walking, he reached the end of the cave, right in front of the wall.
"The point of all of this, is that stronger people won't always be around to help you solve your problems."
He stared at the wall for a moment, before moving to turn around.
"There are going to be times where you have to face your demons..."
"What's wrong, Yuki-chan? Aren't you happy to see your old teacher?" Cao Cao mocked lightly, grinning uncharacteristically.
Yuki didn't respond, she only raised her blade back into a defensive position. Trying to regain some semblance of serenity to fight properly.
Even if it was...him...
She had to...Naruto was counting on her.
She wouldn't fail him. She wouldn't fail someone so precious to her ever again.
Naruto turned back to the little kyuubi, with his blue eyes reinforcing how passionate he was about this.
"...And rise above them. Despite the pain that those demons gave you, despite the scars that you still held. Despite it all. Sometimes...you just have to push through."
Kunou couldn't help but hang onto every word, in awe at what was coming out of his mouth. Was this really Naruto...?
This time, the shinobi turned around again, facing the wall and holding his left hand out, bringing his right hand close to it.
"The fact is Kunou-chan...I want you to be able to stand without my support. I want everyone to be able to stand without my support, and I won't be able to do that while everyone is leaning on me all of the time. I want them to grow stronger!"
Mio reached the training center again, noticing that, like last time, she wasn't alone.
Almost everyone in the Occult Research club was here, using their free time to train...
The red-head grinned, she couldn't let them get too far ahead now...!
She walked forward, waving as several of her friends happily greeted her when they saw her.
They would all get stronger, in preparation for the future, she had no doubt about that.
The yokai princess' eyes focused on the little ball that the older boy had formed in his left hand.
Watched as it brought light to the oppressive darkness that surrounded them.
"...More than anything else...Kunou-chan." Naruto declared, voice confident and stance implacable. "I believe that it isn't my duty to solve everyone's problems, even if I could. No...I'm not going to solve your problem..."
The shinobi brought his left hand back, bringing the small maelstrom of power in his hand to bear.
"...But here's what I'm going to do...!" Naruto roared, swinging his left arm forward and into the wall in front of him.
Kunou quickly crossed her arms over her face, protecting herself from the debris that came flying when the blond smashed the orb into the wall.
She then fell over backwards when a shockwave pushed her back, dust flying everywhere and clouding up the cave.
The little kyuubi coughed thanks to the large amount of dust, only opening her eyes once everything has settled down...
Her golden eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, this was...!
Light.
Naruto's outstretched arm led to a rather large opening in the wall, with the sounds of wildlife becoming more apparent with the hole that was created.
With that hole, came the light of the day, bringing forth illumination into the formerly dank cavern.
The shinobi turned around to look at the little girl, the light embracing him as if he was made from the piercing rays. Especially as Kunou watched in slight awe as the sunlight framed his golden hair like a halo and brought his bright blue eyes to life.
"...I'm going to show you the way forward." was all he said.
All the yokai princess could do was nod.
She believed him.
With that statement made, Naruto held out a hand, an offering.
"But at the very least, I can help you with the problem that you are in no way ready to face. Let's get you back to your mother, shall we?"
Kunou could only grin.
She got up and took the hand.
"...Oh my."
Immediately after the traitorous hero made that statement, he opened a single eye and smirked in satisfaction.
It was a split-second, barely noticeable, but it was also unmistakable.
It was Uzumaki, he recognized that energy signal anywhere.
But...now that he was searching for energy signals after all this time, he couldn't help but make an interesting observation...
Didn't this power feel similar to a yokai's chakra?
Not so similar that they would seem like sibling powers...but they did seem to have a passing similarity. He honestly would not have been able to notice if it wasn't for the fact that he was used to sensing yokai, thanks to all of the time he has used up here.
It didn't change the fact that they were still different, just similar. An interesting thing to ponder about.
Nevertheless, he should probably inform Cao Cao and the rest of the faction.
Shiba's face broke out into a grin, he was sure that the hero leader was having a wonderful reunion right now.
Maria's eyes were snapping from her human ally to the the mysterious man that appeared from the fog, which began to recede. Uncertain about what was going on, but sure that the man was bad news at the very least.
After the initial round of questions were bandied about, everyone stood perfectly still. Caught in something of a standoff.
Especially between teacher and student.
Cao Cao was grinning, as confident and self-assured as ever. But also interested, curious to see what his erstwhile student would do in this situation.
More importantly, how she would do it.
Yuki for her part, was now giving the older man a look that alternated between anger, fear, wariness, and outright confusion.
After a few more moments of silence, the female hero finally opened her mouth.
"Why are you here..."
The hero suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to speak but unable to.
"...sensei?" Yuki eventually spat, eyes harsh.
Cao Cao merely smirked. "Why indeed? But let's leave those...'heavy' questions for later, this is a reunion after all. So tell me...how did you get involved with Uzumaki?"
The young female frowned, eyes narrowed into slits. "...Answer my questions first, then I'll consider yours."
"...Hm? It seems that you've become more defiant after all of this time." the hero leader muttered, interested. "Is that confidence? Or simply enmity? More than that...your eyes have changed since the last time I've spoken to you..."
"I'm not the same person as that little girl that you took under your wing." the female hero ground out. "Nor am I the same as the girl that you selfishly left behind. I've changed for the better."
The hero leader tilted his head, increasingly interested, fishing for answers. "...You are different, aren't you? You're not the well-adjusted little girl that I met or the bitter little girl that I left behind. I even heard that you increasingly became extremely distant over time...but you're not like that right now. If anything, you're more like what you were when we first met."
Cao Cao's dark eyes locked with his former student's yellow ones.
"...The question is then, why did you change?"
Yuki kept her eyes locked with her former sensei, refusing to show weakness, refusing to show how much he was getting to her.
So she stayed silent.
A brief moment of quiet descended upon them again, with the two willful individuals challenging one another through their increasingly darker glares.
Until Cao Cao finally broke it.
"...Did it have anything to do with Uzumaki?"
Yuki's facial features flinched imperceptibly, completely unnoticeable to almost anyone else.
But the former member of the Hero Tribe did.
Ah...he understood.
"Well then, this is a very interesting turn of events. I'll make sure to get all of the details once I speak to him."
The moment he made that claim, yellow eyes flared, lips revealed bared teeth, and Yuki's face twisted into anger.
"Don't you touch him!"
Maria bit her lip as she continued to watch the events unfold in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to intervene in such a charged and personal conversation. But it was becoming obvious that her partner was quickly losing her cool.
Meanwhile, Cao Cao began feigning ignorance for a moment, giving her an easy-going grin.
"Oh come now, don't be upset. Your friend is already falling into a trap that my comrades set up, so it's not like I'll be doing anything to him."
The young hero's form went rigid, a trap!?
Her hand twitched as they sought to move to her pocket, where her phone was, if she could just inch her hand slowly to it and contact her friend...
The succubus heard her partner gasp, forcing her to twist her head to see what happened-
She froze, eyes wide as she saw the older man bent close to the female hero, arm securing hers as they aimed for her pocket. When did he...?
Cao Cao smirked at the thoroughly shocked look of his former student, before leaning closer to her and placing his face near her ear.
"There'll be none of that." was all he whispered.
Yellow eyes widened in fury, as the owner snarled and brought her katana towards the man who dared-!
The hero leader immediately backed up from her, retreating back to his ever-loyal servant that stayed still for the entire conversation. "My, quite jumpy are we?"
Yuki only glowered at the black-haired man in response. "...Don't. Touch. Me."
Cao Cao shrugged, raising his hands in the air as if guilty, humoring her. "Very well. But I still can't allow you to alert our blond friend, now can I? But don't worry, I have a solution to our dilemma."
The young man then spread his arms apart, as if inviting someone to hug him. "I am very curious to see how well you've grown you see. So I'm willing to compromise on the issue by giving you the chance to contact him...if you defeat my apprentice."
Yuki's eyes traveled to the dark warrior, who was staying completely silent, even now.
Maria, finally finding a way to jump in, leapt at the opportunity. "We accept! If we work together, then we can totally-!"
"No." the hero leader interjected calmly. "Not the both of you...just Yuki-chan. If you do try to intervene their fight however...then I'm afraid that you'll have to deal with me."
The succubus took a step back, alarmed. "T-That's..."
"Maria-san."
Maria glanced at her partner carefully, reading the grim determination that laced her features.
"...You're going to take his offer? Is that a smart idea?" the half-devil questioned, frowning.
"It isn't." Yuki admitted. "But the alternative is worse. We simply cannot afford to take on my old teacher...we would be crushed. Especially if he has that weapon with him..."
The succubus' face scrunched up, annoyed.
"...That's not all however." the young hero said after a few moments of contemplation.
Yuki straightened her back, eyes still tumultuous when facing the self-assured hero leader. Fists clenching around the hilt of her trusty blade, the katana that would get her through this...
"I want to beat him in his own game. I want him to see that I've moved past him, that I've become a hero beyond his expectations!" the female hero declared, taking a step forward and allowing a green aura to envelope her form.
She emerged from the fierce energy donned with a hero's armor, cross-hairs in her yellow pupils, Sakuya ready to fight.
Cao Cao could only grin, bringing his hand up, aimed towards the sky. "Interesting~! Now...show me how much of a hero you've become! Show me whether your definition of 'hero' is greater than my own! Show me your resolve!"
With that said, the hero leader swung his hand down, pointing at his former student.
"Go."
The black figure immediately obeyed, charging forward and bringing forth it's large sword.
Yuki brought her katana forward, charging forward to meet the anonymous being in a contest of steel.
Their clash of blades echoed across the forested field.
Naruto was piggybacking his little friend, glancing around momentarily to make sure that they weren't in the middle of an ambush. Damn, he hasn't been this cautious in a while.
Kunou for her part was also looking around worriedly, that attack that he blatantly used to get them out of the cave...she felt it's latent power. The energy.
It was like chakra...but more, so much more.
The energy that was flowing through her body, it felt like something similar to his...but his felt more...alive.
Vibrant, not just in quantity, but in quality.
It was weird!
There wasn't a power that was like chakra, right? Not that she knew of...
The little yokai huffed, annoyed that the blond that was carrying her was more confusing than she initially thought. More than that, he had a penchant for saying really good things out of nowhere...
He was weird.
"...Why do I suddenly want to throw you off my back?" Naruto grouched, glaring at the kyuubi through the side of his eye.
Kunou immediately looked away, sweating lightly. How did he know?
The shinobi kept glaring at the yokai princess for a little longer, before turning back to what was in front of him.
"Kunou-chan, how long do you think it will take for your people to find us?" he eventually asked, eyes scanning their surroundings.
The little kyuubi plopped her head on top of his golden spiky hair, thinking. "Hmm...not sure, but I think that they would have found us soon after you broke us out of the cave. By the way, why did you do that? I thought you wanted to stay hidden?"
Maybe he had some kind of elaborate plan in the works? Some way to make sure that the yokai that her mother sent would listen?
Naruto twitched, moving his head to flash the younger girl a shaky smile.
"I sort of acted without thinking...I was caught in the moment, ya know? I actually didn't even know that breaking through the wall would break us out."
Kunou deadpanned. Seriously?
He was so confusing...
Naruto's eyes snapped away from Kunou, turning to the sky as a mysterious form flew overhead.
Now that looked familiar.
"Looks like they found us." the shinobi pointed out blandly.
The yokai princess looked up as well, before shifting her head to the forestry around them. If that karasu-tengu was there, then...
A roar reverberated across the forest, gaining both of their attention spectacularly.
"Not that thing again..." Naruto couldn't help but groan, remembering that creature and it's ridiculous tail.
The duo stayed at their current position and waited for the yokai to reach them, both entirely sure that they'd be alright.
Well...Naruto was, Kunou was just trusting that he would have a good idea to keep them safe.
To be honest, he really didn't.
Soon afterwards, several yokai emerged from the general surroundings, moving towards them threateningly and with ill intent.
The whiskered teen regarded them cautiously, making sure that the yokai princess was in full view over his head, hoping that they would notice.
Eventually they did.
"Ah...! It's Kunou-sama! She's awake!" the crow-like yokai from above shrieked, moving closer to the two as it made that observation.
Immediately, the hostile atmosphere dissipated, shifting to confusion at the knowledge that their kidnapped princess wasn't trying to escape her supposed 'kidnapper'.
Kunou quickly utilized the lull in hostility. "Everyone! Please listen to me before you do anything!"
As expected, everyone attention focused thoroughly on the yokai princess, latching onto her words after several days of absence. To many, she was very much like their daughter or younger sister.
The kyuubi kept going, trying to keep the momentum up. "I'm sorry for worrying all of you, but there has been a hugemisunderstanding! You see...this young man was the one who actually saved me from my kidnappers! Not the one that actually attacked me!"
Several gasps came from the yokai group, audibly expressing their disbelief at the situation. It was almost fantastical.
Yet here their princess was, telling them to stand down...
Meanwhile, Naruto decided to stay quiet during this little bit, allowing for the young girl to make her case without his input. She could convince them better than he ever could.
However, it was while he was letting her speak that a new phenomenon emerged, something that subtly put him on edge.
Fog.
There was a slightly dense fog that was rolling in, getting thicker as it began to surround them.
Kunou continued as the weather condition got more serious, ignoring it for now. "I understand that some of you have concerns over my present state of mind as well, but don't worry. My resistance as a kyuubi is strong, so unless I begin acting strange...that should be enough of a reason to figure out that I'm still me."
As she spoke, mutters began to rise out of the group of yokai, the karasu-tengu watching from above to continued to observe the situation in uncertainty.
But as the yokai continued to watch, a heavy weight smashed into it's side, throwing it into the forest and hiding it from view.
The mist had become so thick that no one noticed, but the shinobi did get a growing feeling of unease as time progressed.
"So please...believe me, help me get back to Kyoto, and clear my savior's name!" Kunou declared more than asked, bowing her head infinitesimally to her rescue party.
Now the muttering ended, giving the little yokai time to actually try and gauge her people's reaction.
She didn't have to.
Among the group, a single yokai moved forward, moving towards the twin blondes with intent, it's eyes sharp and it's canines vicious.
Naruto's eyes took in the large creature, it had to be the one with the snake tail, didn't it? Couldn't just be a nice and friendly little one?
The creature, the nue if the shinobi remembered right, walked up to them, before inclining it's head and moving one it's large tiger-like paws in front of the other. Bending it's knees and closing it's eyes.
It bowed to them, acquiescing.
As if a signal had been made, the other yokai also made to bow, deferring to their precious princess.
Both blondes let loose a sigh of relief, they managed to convince them-
"Guh...!"
Naruto's heart sank, suspicions confirmed as he heard a wet gasp, as well as the sick sound of metal impaling flesh.
They weren't alone.
All eyes moved back to the back of the yokai group, several creatures falling down with weapons sticking out of them, their wielders right behind them.
It took all of a second for Naruto to bellow what everyone was thinking.
"Ambush!" he shouted.
Chaos immediately erupted after that declaration.
The whiskered teen didn't do anything immediately after his shout, opting to debate the pros and cons of staying to fight and risk Kunou or to leave.
Though the fact that he didn't notice them until they were right there disturbed him a little...it was like that freak from the forest a while ago.
The nue that bowed to them turned around to assess the situation, watching as it's comrades rallied and charged the humans. Obviously intent on crushing their new enemies.
Then it saw the blond human place their princess down, obviously intent on joining the battle after making his decision.
"No!" the creature roared out, turning it's fierce eyes towards the young man in protest.
Naruto stopped for a moment, eyes uncertain. "...Why? Don't you want my help?"
The nue shook it's large head, turning it's eyes to the little kyuubi. "Our duty is to protect the princess...and you wish to exonerate yourself, right? Well then do me a favor; go. Take the princess to Kyoto where she will be safe. She's the objective for our enemies, we must not allow her to fall to their hands. Especially since..."
The creature lowered it's head for a moment, cutting itself off, despite the sounds of conflict around them due to the battle at hand.
"...Especially since her mother has left Kyoto to rescue her."
The shinobi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "What!? What do you mean!?"
The nue turned to regard the human, eyes cool for the first time that Naruto saw them.
"We sensed you due to your strange power, human. Do you truly think, especially when we're so close to Kyoto, that Yasaka-sama wouldn't come to retrieve her daughter herself?"
Blue eyes blinked, understanding the situation quickly. Silently acquiescing to the yokai's point.
They both had their duties in this case.
However...
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
Several eruptions of smoke later, and suddenly a small army of clones surrounded the blond, shocking the nue and anyone else that was watching.
"...A parting gift." was all the teenaged boy said, as he turned around and picked up the young yokai, making a break for it towards Kyoto.
Several clones followed, intent on backing up the boss in case there were anymore tricks up these assholes' sleeves. With one breaking off silently to go and hide.
The rest?
"Reinforce the yokai! Save as many as you can!" one clone ordered out, charging to help their new allies as the rest followed in with roars of approval.
The nue could only let loose a sharp grin, the kid wasn't so bad after all!
It joined the battle soon afterwards.
Meanwhile, Naruto held Kunou tightly behind him, jumping away the second he made his parting gift. Flanked by several clones, knowing full damn well that the kid he was holding was the real target.
The question was, was this really it? The ambush? These strange human's attempt at getting Kunou-chan?
It felt too easy...unfortunately.
Though the screams and sick sounds of flesh getting cut open helped belay that notion, especially since they only grew in frequency and volume despite the fact that he was making some space between the two groups.
Kunou, with all of the hectic decisions that was made in such short notice, was entirely silent, watching the devastation behind them as they moved away, eyes wide in horror.
"Naruto!" she cried out, trying to wiggle out of his grip after a second of hesitation. "What are you doing!? We have to go help!"
The shinobi could only shake his head, eyes flitting around the thick fog. "We can't! The nue was right, it's my job to keep you safe! I won't put you in danger by staying to fight, let them do their jobs so that we can help later! No worries, I left some clones to help out. They will be alright!"
The yokai princess could only stop moving, golden eyes clenched shut at the sounds of fighting that was finally beginning to recede.
Just when she thought that she made a difference...
"Boss! Move!" a clone screamed.
Kunou yelped as both blondes were bodily pushed away from an incoming barrage of ice, impaling the blond copy that pushed them away from the attack.
Naruto grit his teeth, eyes wide.
He didn't even sense that until it was too late to move...
He had no idea why he couldn't sense them before, but he at least had a rough idea on who was attacking him and how to counter.
Humans again, thanks to their subtle lack of energy signals.
As for how he knew where they were? Well...
"Heya! Sieg-kun! We found him~! This onee-san wants to kill him already~!" cried a female voice, suspiciously chipper in tone.
"Tell him to hurry up, or I'll just have to kill him before any of you even get to fight him!" roared another voice, this one just filled to the brim with confidence.
...Their killing intent was palpable.
Blue eyes scanned the area around himself, noting that the fog was still thick.
Good, he'd use it to his advantage to keep the little kyuubi safe.
"Boss." a clone muttered beside him, giving the original blond a look.
Yeah, he knew.
The yokai princess looked at the identical teens nervously, unsure of what they were about to-
She let out a way-too-loud yelp as the group of humans surged forward as a group, using their greater numbers as an advantage, moving at similar speeds as their original.
Maria watched in faint trepidation as the two warriors clashed their weapons together, red visor against yellow with cross-hairs.
The moment that they clashed together, Yuki made to sidestep the new apprentice of Cao Cao before it could really utilize the full strength of it's legs to push her back.
The movement allowed for her to take advantage of the momentum that her katana had when forced backwards to twirl around and force her blade to the warrior's unprotected back.
However, the mysterious being brought one of it's gauntlets out, obviously intent on catching the sharp edge of her sword in the confines of it's fist.
It was as she was finishing her twirl and moving Sakuya to attack, that her head faced the dark figure's head in passing.
As did her True Sight.
The same second that her eyes connected with the dark figure's, was the same second that her movements became more swift. Giving her the chance to shift her weapon's trajectory over the awaiting hand and onto...
A sharp *clang* echoed around them, signaling that a strike has been made.
Cao Cao could only grin, amused.
Yuki simply grit her teeth, staring at her katana.
But more importantly, looking at the armor which it crashed against.
She cracked the armor, but only that, there was no damage done whatsoever to the person inside.
Yuki determined that her current position was impractical, her close proximity made it difficult for her to move around. So she made to temporarily retreat so that she could-
A fist quickly grabbed her by her form-fitting top, lifting her from the ground and over the dark figure's shoulder's.
Ah...
Before throwing her into the forestry, smashing her against a tree without mercy.
The young hero gasped as she hit the large plant hard enough to nearly knock it off of it's roots, causing her to see stars.
She managed to recover quickly however, as a vicious swipe forced her to push herself to the ground before it managed to catch her neck in the attack.
The overhead attack easily cut through the wood cleanly. Giving her a small window to move out of the way before the warrior hit her properly, with unpleasant results no doubt.
Yuki efficiently sprinted away from the armored being, moving away from her downed position to make some space between the two combatants.
Good thing too, as the warrior attempted to swing their blade around in an arc to catch young human, but only narrowly missed the shot due to the running start she had.
Although because of the dodge, the attack would hit the ground instead, bringing up a lot of dust into the air and clouding the area up.
The young hero stopped once she made enough distance, eyes scanning the artificial cloud, she needed a clean shot...
Almost as if on cue, a green blur broke through the cloud, heading straight towards her at breakneck speeds.
Yuki allowed for a green aura to envelop her katana, before swinging it down in an arc to produce a vicious green wave that sped towards the blur, intent on catching her enemy by surprise.
Indeed, the two blurs did clash, but now that the blur got closer, she noticed in rising shock that the blur was...
Another green wave, one that only heroes knew...!
"Cao Cao...!" the hero couldn't help but growl, furious that he would go so far to teach that move!
But she didn't have time to worry about that, as a looming shadow began to move towards her quickly.
Yellow eyes turned to the sky, seeing her shadow fall towards her, causing her to spread her legs as she prepared to move from her position in short notice.
As expected, the armored warrior came sailing down upon her, using that attack from before as a way to distract her for a surprise attack.
So Yuki quickly backed up a little bit, making sure that the metallic apprentice of her former sensei would be too far to hit her, but close enough to counterattack the moment it landed.
Except that it didn't work out like that.
The mysterious being instead covered their broadsword with a green aura, before slashing it towards her position.
The female human quickly brought her blade up, catching the errant attack before it could reach her, but still pushing her towards the ground with it's force. Causing her feet to begin to crack through the ground due to the pressure.
She could only grit her teeth in frustration, there went her plan...
While she was temporarily preoccupied with that, the armored warrior actually smashed it's blade onto the ground, using it as a stopgap and then as a makeshift pole to launch itself straight towards the young human.
Yuki only just destroyed the wave that was sent against her, leaving a clean shot to her body as her former sensei's apprentice raised a metallic fist to do immense damage to her person.
She could only raise her left arm for defense.
*Crack*
The hero bit back a yelp as she felt something break in her arm, but was unable to do anything about it as she was sent crashing across the ground, sliding away in a rolling heap before hitting another tree. This time, knocking it off of it's roots.
Except, due to the angle that she hit it, it became obvious that she would be in it's falling trajectory.
With this in mind, she grit her teeth, tucked her left arm to her chest, and rolled out of the way. Hearing the unique sound of a tree falling down where she once laid.
She could only groan at the turn of events, this wouldn't be easy...that's for sure.
The young traitor of the Hero Tribe sighed as he continued to sense the ebb and flow of battle close to Kyoto, making sure to keep his 'eye' on the important players.
As of now, the strike force was engaging the yokai group, as well as several copies of the 'unknown variable'...
Shiba couldn't help but smirk, boy...did he live up to that name.
Speaking of which, the blond wonder himself has begun his engagement of the some of the most powerful heroes in the Hero Faction, ambushing him.
Although it was a shame that Georg's last-second teleportation to Uzumaki's location didn't allow for a quick win...those clones of his saved him. A shame.
As for their brave leader? Well it seemed that he was enjoying spending quality time with his old apprentice.
The young man then revealed a red slit eye, suddenly serious.
...Looks like new players were entering the board.
Ah...but they were expected anyways, so it wasn't anything serious.
Nevertheless, he should contact Cao Cao, he would definitely want to know about this movement.
Shiba also needed to know when he should release control of his monster, especially if he wanted to control someone else...he could only do so much after all.
His senses shifted back to Uzumaki, a bright light of power still burning bright.
He wondered how much that light could take before it was snuffed...?
Naruto surged forward with the rest of his clones, intent on breaking through this human-made blockade.
As expected, there were at least two humans laying in wait, with presumably one more incoming.
Thanks to their great numbers and their identical appearances however, he had no trouble getting through. Their presence alone shocking his enemies into stopping to watch.
Heh! He knew that he was too good for these bastards!
"Uh...um!" Kunou attempted to talk.
Not now, kid! He was basking in his own brilliance! Let him have his victory!
The yokai princess didn't listen to his mental commands however, and continued to look agitated as she tried to spit out what she wanted to say.
Then she managed it.
"Well...! Aren't we different from the other clones?" the kyuubi asked, genuinely confused on what the plan was.
The shinobi blinked.
"...Oh shit..."
This abrupt realization came at a pretty bad time as well.
"Hahahaha! You really are an idiot, aren't ya!? You're the only one holding our target after all! Well, that's alright! I like idiots like you!" a boisterous voice claimed as they moved onto the blondes.
Naruto groaned as a large man charged him from behind, raising a large fist to hit him with.
Right behind him was a young woman with a sword brandished, covered in ice and about to swing at his direction.
Well fine then! He would just have to try to use his training back at Rias' place to full effect!
Naruto dug his hand into his back pouch, grabbing several stars to utilize quickly.
But he added a little something into them.
"Catch!" the shinobi declared, jumping ahead and then twisting around to swing several shuriken at his opponents.
Heracles smirked as several metal stars were sent towards him, throwing his fist at the metallic objects so that they would get blown away by his fists!
As expected, the man's fist blew up the metal stars.
"Gah!"
Naruto smirked as he landed on his feet and kept moving forward, the idiot fell for it.
As the shuriken moved past the hulking brute, it moved towards the female hero who was following shortly after him.
Jeanne responded quickly, using her sword to create a storm of frosty wind, quickly freezing up all that was in it's path, aiming for the deadly weapons that were heading towards her.
Except that they weren't stopping.
The young hero's eyes narrowed as she saw her icy wind begin to freeze up the star, but how it kept getting ripped apart before it could settle.
Almost as if something was protecting it.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that her fellow blond's throw was obviously weakened by his awkward angle, it was still heading towards her fast.
So she stabbed her sword into the ground, creating several walls of ice, using it as a shield against the dangerous weapons.
The wall of ice didn't work.
Jeanne ducked the second that she heard the harsh crunching sound of ice getting ripped apart, barely moving out the way in time.
As they passed by though, she did hear the sound of sharp whistling.
Wind.
"Aha!" she declared, standing up once the danger has passed. "You can't fool this onee-chan~! I found your little trick!"
Heracles was just gritting his teeth as he glared heatedly at the blond that was moving away from them, all while covered in minor cuts and deep gashes. "Damn him...!"
Jeanne ignored the furious man, instead opting to tap her ear and contact their other partner. "Sieg-kun? Yeah...turns out that our friend is heading to you now! So...maybe we can have a party there instead?"
She went silent, listening to the other line for a moment, before smiling.
"Roger that! We're gonna catch 'em! No worries!" she chirped, before cutting off the connection.
"Hey, hey...Hera-kun! We are gonna hang out with Sieg-kun now, is that ok?"
Heracles growled in response, eyes still on the receding irritant.
Jeanne could only grin. They still had one more player to use, that hadn't revealed themselves yet.
Meanwhile, the blond duo continued to make their way to Kyoto, hoping that they would intercept the yokai matriarch along the way.
"...Hey, they seem to be giving up the chase." Naruto pointed out, confused, but also unwilling to question their good fortune.
Kunou was also watching for enemy attacks from the humans, wary that they were let go so easily.
Then, almost as if he somehow predicted it, the yokai princess felt her protector swerve to the right, dodging a fierce volley of magic missiles that nearly hit them from the front.
Naruto held the little girl firmly, barely moving fast enough to swiftly sidestep, duck, and jump over several magic missiles, all of which were fired from some shrubbery that hid the attacker.
The shinobi quickly retaliated by digging a free hand into his pouch, grabbing some shuriken and enhancing it with wind chakra. Intending to throw the more powerful projectiles to end the battle quickly.
He quickly went ahead and did so, flinging the razor-sharp weapons where the magic attacks were originating from.
The attacks ceased the moment that the weapons sailed towards that position, shredding everything apart the second that they passed through.
The teenaged boy stopped moving for a split-second to scan the area where his enemy once was, he didn't hear anyone getting hurt or moving...just gone.
Also, when the hell was this mist supposed to subside!? It was seriously annoying!
Naruto then felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
The shinobi twisted about to face the magic missiles that were streaming towards him from behind, the same ones from before no less.
This time, the teen was forced to back up quickly, buying some time to grab a kunai from his pouch and cover it with wind chakra.
Then, with quick and deft hands, he began to swipe and parry all of the quick magic shots that were set against them, refusing to let any of these ethereal attacks get close to the yokai princess.
Once more, the volley ended prematurely, with the shooter disappearing into the mist like a ghost. As if his attacked never existed.
Naruto glanced about himself, cautiously waiting for the inevitable attack to-
"Ha!"
Blue eyes snapped to the sky, widening as he saw a silver-haired man raise his large sword and swing it towards the ground-
"Shit!" the shinobi growled as he moved Kunou -much to her discomfort- around to a bridal carry and tucked her close to him. Before rolling out of the way with a mere second to spare.
The moment that the sharp blade hit the ground, all hell broke loose, much to the blond's rising annoyance.
Immediately after contact, the sword created a massive crater with it as it's epicenter, one that obliterated the forestry around them and forcefully pushed the shinobi away with it's incredible force.
The best he could do was tuck and roll to make sure that his fellow blond didn't get hurt.
Naruto indeed rolled onto the floor, only stopping after he slowed down enough to forcefully push his hand to the ground to utilize as a brake.
Not even a few seconds afterwards, a large shadow enveloped his form, with an overbearing figure raising it's fist to bring forth onto the vulnerable teen.
Again, he managed to push himself out of the way, but due to the short notice, he was only able to use the hand that was already on the floor to push himself.
So when an explosion rocked him as he moved out of the way, his loose grip on the little girl under his arm allowed for Kunou to tumble out of his hands. Separating the two from one another.
The blond tried to rectify the situation, but once more, he was cut off.
An icy wind blew onto him, which literally began to form ice on his clothes and to slow his movements significantly.
"D-Damn it!" he couldn't help but snarl out, this wasn't good...!
"Well, well, well...looks like we finally caught him." a young masculine voice drawled, approaching him from the side.
Siegfried moved closer to the nearly frozen ninja, studying him as if he was an exhibit from an expensive museum. "So...you're Uzumaki Naruto? The unknown variable? I have to admit, I didn't quite expect for you to go down quite so...easily."
Naruto merely returned with a toothy grin. "I'd like to see you do better with a kid to protect."
The right-hand man of Cao Cao inclined his head to accept the point. "I suppose even the most powerful would have trouble in such circumstances, what with Georg's use of his Sacred Gear and all."
As he spoke, a young bespectacled young man emerged from the ruined forest, wiping off the dust from his robe.
Blue eyes widened. "You! But...I thought that-!"
"That this was the last time that you'd ever have to deal with me?" Georg finished, a self-depreciating smile touching his lips. "You should know that life doesn't work like that."
Another human walked closer to the small group, but moved to the little kyuubi on the ground. "Welp~! It's about time that we grab our mission! Cao Cao asked us to do it after all, right? This onee-chan wants to keep her good reputation!"
Jeanne leaned to the unconscious girl, lightly grabbing her underarms to pick her up and-
*POOF*
The human female blinked as the young girl popped into nothingness, confused and horrified.
What the heck!?
All eyes quickly turned to the blond that was partially frozen, who had a massive shit-eating grin on his face.
"Come on now, did you really think it's be that easy?" Naruto asked rhetorically, looking about as smug as one would expect.
*POOF*
Then he exploded into a cloud of smoke, disappearing.
...
"Damn him!" Heracles roared, gnashing his teeth.
Siegfried stared at the position where their enemy once stayed, a slow smirk growing on his face.
"Well then...this is much better."
Jeanne walked closer to the silver-haired young man, pouting. "Shoot, it seems he tricked us. How did he do that though? This onee-chan is confused~!"
He wish he knew, but there was one thing he could be relatively sure of.
He wasn't far from them.
It was during that time that the earpiece in Siegfried's ear buzzed, grabbing his attention.
"Hello? Shiba? What's going on?" the young man asked, sensing something wrong.
He stayed silent as the other line spoke, widening his eyes after a moment.
"What's wrong Sieg-kun? Bad news?" Jeanne inquired, curious.
Siegfried turned off the earpiece once he was done, glancing at his comrades. "We have a position on our target again, follow me there so that we could finish this. But first..."
Several fast projectiles shot out of the woods near them, ripping across the air towards them at furious speeds.
The silver-haired man grinned sharply as he turned around, Twice Critical activating and then...taking it even further...!
Balance Breaker! Chaos Edge-Asura Ravage!
Four arms grew out of his back, with one of them holding another blade...
Before impaling it into the ground.
"Dáinsleif!" Siegfried roared, calling upon the demon sword's power.
Immediately, a massive pillar of ice emerged from the ground, one that took the metal stars, barely stopping them despite the sheer size of the pillar.
"...First we take out the trash." the descendant of the original Siegfried finished.
Heracles grunted, taking a step forward. "Fine by me, I want to relieve some stress anyways. There's no way that these fists won't crush him!"
Jeanne beamed in agreement. "I want to kill some of those weird copies too~! Let's all kill him, together!"
Georg stayed silent, he just studiously watched as several of their enemy's copies emerged from the woods, ready to fight.
They didn't waste any time. As the corporeal copies surged forward, with some bearing sharp objects on their hands.
The clones crashed against Siegfried first, who had brought out a few more demonic blades for his other arms, making five in total.
'Naruto' had two kunai out, wind coating them as he set them against the six-armed warrior.
Two demonic swords were swung down by the silver-haired hero, with the blond copy catching them with his own enhanced metal knives.
*CLANG*
'Naruto' grit his teeth as the powerful swords pushed his feet a couple of feet deeper into the ground, obliterating a huge chunk of ground from right under them, leaving them in a crater.
Siegfried quickly disengaged his two swords, grinning wildly as his other arms began to swing the other weapons at their enemy in successive blows.
The clone reacted quickly, catching the sharp objects before they reached him by knocking them away from their trajectory, making sure to glance them instead of take their full brunt.
However, it became quickly apparent that these swords of his had special abilities that the clone wanted no part of.
Every time 'Naruto' managed to knock a sword away, he only knocked it's effect away from him, he never stopped them from actually happening.
So when he batted away the hero's Gram, there was an inevitable explosion of dust and dirt that ricocheted from the ground where the sword hit.
As the sharp echoing rings of weapons clashing continued, completely unabated, large pillars of ice began to pierce the ground around them, and vicious whirlwinds formed around them, buffeting them with it's fierce power.
Other blond copies joined in during the confusion, attacking the group of humans to keep them off the boss' tail.
They won't get past them that easily!
'Naruto' landed at a relatively well-hidden grove, receiving the memories of the clones that he sent out.
Alright, good time to release the henge.
*POOF*
An explosion of smoke erupted at his position, covering the two individuals that were covered by the jutsu.
"Whew...! Looks like my idea worked. They didn't suspect a thing until it was too late." the shinobi noted, grinning at the little girl besides him.
Kunou was looking around, completely dazed. "W-What did you do? That was...that was weird..."
Naruto rubbed the yokai princess' head. "Sorry, it was kind of in short notice, I just had to use the mist to our advantage to fool those bastar- uh...jerks. It's called a konbi henge (combination transformation), which made us look like we were just one person. Pretty useful, huh?"
The little kyuubi couldn't disagree with that.
Naruto then plopped down onto the ground, relaxing. "Alright then, all we gotta do now is wait."
Kunou frowned at that, leaning in. "Huh? Why? We got away, right? Why not try to go to Kyoto or maybe even find okaa-sama along the way?"
A indulgent sigh was her first response, much to her slight annoyance.
"Kid...don't you find it suspicious that these guys found us in the middle of a thick mist? How easy they pinpointed us? The problem is, even if we lose them for a little bit...they will probably just pull another disappearing act and attack us when we're distracted. So I'm planning on ending this fight before we keep going."
The yokai princess nodded slowly, made sense. It was pretty weird how easily these people kept finding them.
But...why wait here then? Why not just go and face them?
These questions were bandied about in her head, as her golden eyes bored into her protector's skull.
Yet he simply stayed still, waiting.
She huffed finally, relaxing back onto the tree that she arbitrarily chose as hers.
She honestly didn't get it, but she trusted him. So no need to go out of her way to prod Naruto for answers.
A few minutes passed in silence, with the sound of battle echoing from somewhere relatively far away.
Then, almost out of nowhere, Naruto stood back up, stretching his limbs.