Chapter 31
*Tick Tock Tick Tock*
"Buchou, are you ok?"
The Gremory heiress broke from her self-imposed silence, looking up from her table to look at her worried Queen.
"Ah...yeah. I'm just in a daze from all the training that we've been doing. It almost seems unreal to be honest." she admitted, shaking her head lightly to get the mental cobwebs out.
She was supposed to be working, but for some strange reason, she couldn't really concentrate. Her head was quite simply, stuck in the clouds.
Why? Well...because it was so quiet. Almost deafeningly so.
The room then shook lightly, very faint, but the two devils in the room did notice it.
"Seems Mio-chan is still determined to follow Naruto's words to the letter..." Rias mused faintly, a ghost of a smile growing on her lips.
Akeno smiled too. "You don't seem to be too different though."
The red-head had the decency to look away sheepishly. Placing her hands on top of her lap to hide the numerous scratches and burns that were on them.
They were on her feet as well...probably because she went too far.
"You say that...but aren't you just as bad?" the high-class devil countered eventually, a challenging glint in her eye.
Akeno's body was also covered in small wounds, thanks to the high voltage that she kept using for training.
"I never claimed otherwise." she stated, a pleasant smile still on her face.
Rias huffed, leaning back on her chair. Trying to force herself to work.
"It's quiet." she decided, seemingly arbitrarily. "That's the problem. It's too quiet."
The sadistic black-haired woman tilted her head, giving her friend a look of understanding. "You miss him too, hm?"
The red-head coughed, a little red staining her cheeks. "I wouldn't put it like that...but in essence, I do miss him and his antics...a little bit."
A slow smirk began to crawl it's way up the queen's face, a teasing glint in her eye.
"Don't." Rias warned, eyeing her friend warily.
Akeno raised her hands up, guilty as charged. She was just looking for a little bit of innocent fun.
...At her friend's expense, as usual.
The Gremory heiress turned away from her thoroughly infuriating friend, turning to the window outside, eyes scanning the skies to seek some sense of serenity.
At first, she succeeded with her goal, as she watched the calm skies above with a calmer mind. Trying to move past the minor annoyance of a Kouh Academy without anyone to make it more lively.
...But was that really all that she had a problem with?
The red-head unintentionally snorted at the thought, what was she thinking right now...
Akeno watched her king with some concern, knowing intrinsically that her close friend was dealing with some...internal issues as well.
Hopefully those 'issues' would lessen over time...
As Rias continued to watch the skies outside, her self-depreciating state of mind suddenly began to shift, turning serious.
This shift came as her blue-green eyes continued to study the skies, watching as the dark clouds from afar began to move closer to them.
"A storm is coming." she stated evenly, sure of her assessment.
Akeno turned her eyes outside, scanning the clouds herself. "Yeah...it seems so. It's coming from the west...Kyoto is in the west, right?"
Rias nodded, it was.
The storm that was coming...it gave her an ill feeling, it was instinctual.
Yuuto hasn't been showing up to school, Naruto was gone, and now this deep sense of unease was gnawing at her.
They should be careful, should anything happen to them while they were in this condition...
They would have to handle it on their own.
At that exact moment, the door to the training center slammed open, revealing an exhausted Mio, looking annoyed.
Both 'Great Ladies' looked at the young teen in surprise, it was rare to see her look so...aggressive.
"Hah...this training that Naruto gave me...is really hard." the red-head stated abruptly, no doubt in her mind.
Akeno walked up to the panting red-head, patting her back soothingly. "You don't have to keep going at it you know? The instructions he gave you are...strange. I've never seen anyone use elements like your brother is asking for you to do. It's an incredibly high order. To be honest, Rias and I figured that the training he's pushing you to do is just meant to enhance your elemental manipulation, not to necessarily accomplish your goal."
Mio laughed breezily at that, shaking her head lightly. "That sounds like something he could do...but I don't think that's what this is. I'm going to keep trying...mostly so that I can shove it in his face with a grin."
The high-class devil snorted rudely, she had no idea whether sibling rivalry or sibling affection was driving her fellow red-head. It was hard to tell sometimes. Perhaps a bit of both?
"...It's too bad that school's about to start. I have to get ready for class." the half-devil groaned, stretching her limbs and moving to leave the building. "I'll see the rest of you later!"
The Gremory heiress blinked, before turning to the clock, groaning herself. "Shoot...lost track of time. We have to get ready too."
As she said this, the door to the training center opened again, revealing Issei, Asia, and Koneko. All looking incredibly weary themselves.
"Ah...Buchou." Issei mumbled out, with bags under his eyes. "We...really shouldn't be doing all-nighters for this sort of thing. I feel like shit."
Rias and Akeno regarded the group, noting that Asia was nodding off while standing up and that the rook was swinging back and forth, as if about to topple.
Both teens sighed, offering each other exasperated looks.
These kouhai of theirs...
Yasaka watched, unable to move, as her daughter's protector got ready to face the ones that would do them both harm.
...Yet she was one of those who would do them harm.
How did it come to this...?
Several moments earlier...
Golden eyes stared stoically ahead, lips set in a firm line, as the leader of the yokai faction kept up her momentum. Moving deeper into the forest that was next to the city of Kyoto.
Getting close...
"Yasaka-sama...we're getting close." one of her bodyguards reaffirmed, trudging ahead of her just in case.
Yasaka didn't respond, she kept all of her attention onto her senses, seeking to find the strange burst of power that resonated to her.
She knew it must be her daughter's kidnapper...and when she found this strange being...she would do everything in her power to inform him of just how displeased he had made her.
Never cross a mother's children.
"Ah...seems I finally found you."
The powerful yokai's pupils flickered to the sides of her eyes, a deep frown growing across her face as a masculine voice addressed her from behind the group. How did he...?
Her two bodyguards immediately flanked her, growling menacingly to the young man.
She slowly turned her body around, grace and power exuding from her form as her miko outfit flittered against the cool forest floor.
"...Who are you?" Yasaka demanded coolly, getting straight to the point.
The young man's grin widened at the complete lack of niceties. "To the point I see? I suppose you are in a bit of a hurry...well I apologize. This won't take too much of your time...you will see your daughter soon enough."
The atmosphere quickly dropped several degrees, the yokai leader's bearing became increasingly more hostile and cold at the statement.
"...Then you're with the kidnappers, I presume?" she asked quietly, her golden eyes locked onto Cao Cao's unerringly.
The hero leader shrugged. "You're about half-right. He isn't necessarily working for me...but he is still working in my favor."
Then the grin on the human's face grew even further, a dark glint in his eye as he regarded the kyuubi.
"He is very much unlike you of course...you'll be working for me from now on. No questions asked."
Yasaka bared her teeth, incensed that this man had the gall to-!
The air was knocked out of her chest as she nearly fell over, eyes wide, as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Sound seemed to have become muted. All colors gave way to gray, white, and black.
...What...?
"My my...such basic fear for those you love...with your mind as frantic as it is and your heart as emotionally vulnerable as it is...this shouldn't be too difficult now should it?"
Yasaka tried to growl, to angrily demand who that was, to threaten, to scream, to rage...
But she couldn't.
Realization hit her like a wrecking ball.
She couldn't.
Limbs that used to respond were now sluggish, eyes that scanned now refused to do so, and her body...
Her body wasn't responding to her commands...it was almost as if everything she was was suddenly given the back seat to...something else.
No...not something else...nothing else.
Then she saw it, above her, in the sky. A visage that only she could see.
A single red slit staring down at her.
Cold and calculating.
Cruel and sadistic.
"...Impossible..." she breathed, eyes wide. "When did you do this...? When did you place your illusion on me...? There aren't any abilities or Sacred Gears that could do this without my knowledge!"
Despite the fact that the kyuubi couldn't see her enemy's face, she could very well hear the smug smile that he had.
"Knowledge is power. Your lack of knowledge is what damned you to such an easy trap...but then again, considering your current emotional state...it would have been doubtful that you could've resisted me anyways."
Yasaka tried to shake her head. She had a basic knowledge of Sacred Gears and abilities that could rip away her free will, it was necessary since she was the leader of an entire faction. Yet...she's never heard of anything like this before.
"...Apologies, but we're in a bit of a hurry...we'll be taking control of your body for a while. Please try not to resist too much...my abilities are quite...unique you see...and I can be very inconsiderate if I really want to."
The beautiful woman could only grit her teeth, who were these people? What were their aim? Why target her?
Then her golden eyes widened.
What about-!?
"Ah...so she's available to implicit suggestions now?" the enemy leader called out, summarily bored.
Yasaka finally managed to rip her attention away from her dilemma, but doing so only confirmed her fears.
Her bodyguards were left to face the man alone once she was taken out of the picture by his ally...
Their corpses laid about her, while her clothes remained unstained, the forest floor could no longer say the same.
Cao Cao placed his finger to his ear, opening up the line to his hidden ally. "Shiba, how is your control over her?"
A beat passed before his old comrade answered.
"Stable." the traitorous hero stated, voice clipped, lacking the confidence of before. "But not stable enough that I'd feel comfortable in leaving her unattended should I have to rest. We may need her daughter after all...to act as a guarantee. To keep her obedient."
The hero leader nodded, eyes narrowing, ignoring the feeling of droplets that was beginning to fall on his head.
"...You said that keeping your target emotionally despondent was another option, yes?" the former apprentice of Jin questioned, another idea popping into his mind.
He could feel his ally's agreement despite the lack of words.
"Then...perhaps...killing the child is another option." Cao Cao wondered aloud. "Surely that should be more than enough to break her in. The question is...do you think you can retain total control over her after that?"
Silence once more reigned on the other line, before Shiba answered. "It would work if you succeeded in killing her daughter. But that being said, having Yasaka face her daughter in a battle could cause her resistance to rise to intolerant levels. It's a risk."
"A risk we'll have to take." Cao Cao responded, eyes sharp. "Tell me, where's Uzumaki? Has our strike force made contact?"
"Yes." Shiba responded, all business. "But it seems that they have been recently defeated...do you want their coordinates?"
The hero leader nodded, allowing for one of the black orbs surrounding him to move closer to him. Grabbing his new pet all the while so that they would both be transported.
Yasaka could only watch helplessly, watching all the events that would transpire like some sort of horror flick.
She saw the black-haired man teleport the both of them behind two blondes, her daughter, and -to her shame- her protector. Proving that she really did have the entire situation wrong.
But it was too late now.
Her heart would bleed at the panicked plea from Kunou, trying to get her to see reason.
She would listen with a tinge of admiration as the blond boy; Naruto, would decline her captor's offer. Despite the odds he was faced with.
But as the two men were about to clash again, she tried to open her mouth to scream. To give a warning to the teenaged boy that was protecting her daughter. Of the group that was about to ambush him from behind.
Once more, she could do nothing but watch, as Naruto was taken by surprise and slowly, but surely, overwhelmed by the attacks that were specifically aimed for her daughter.
To her eternal shame, her flames were among them.
As the 'heroes' gloated over their victory, and as the yokai leader feared the worst for her daughter and her protector...something changed.
Despite taking heavy damage, the boy stood, a new and powerful aura surrounding him as he did so.
Her heart leapt in her chest as she watched the young man turn to face his enemies, a vicious red slit accompanying the change.
Maybe there was still a chance to turn their situation around?
But as Yasaka watched, newly hopeful for a better conclusion, she still couldn't help but note something...dark about his change.
Those eyes were still reminiscent of the passionate and hotly righteous blue of prior...but there was a darker tint to it now.
There was an aspect in those eyes, that reminded her of the eyes of the one who controlled her.
A cold and ruthless darkness hidden deep inside.
Nevertheless, he was her last shot.
Very simply, she still held out hope, that darkness was deep inside after all. Hopefully it would simply stay that way.
Golden eyes clenched shut, prepared for whatever he had to do to protect her precious child.
As long as Kunou lived...that was all that mattered.
'Naruto' smashed the back of his kunai into his enemy's head, smashing him to the ground, knocking him out instantly.
Another one down...
The clone was still partaking in the battle between the yokai and the strangely powerful humans, pushing back their enemies steadily and with no casualties so far. Thanks to the fact that the few dangerous moments where death could have happened... were shut down by the clones quickly.
They had to be careful, they still had no idea why these people were attacking, or what their objectives were. For all they knew, this could be a massive misunderstanding, so killing these people could only make things worse.
Or more than that, erupt into a full-fledged war. Diplomacy was still an option if the causality list stayed low.
Besides, they weren't a threat anyways, but those other humans that his brothers fought on the other hand...
The muscle-head, the six-armed swordsman, the glasses-jerk, and the crazy-happy lady. Those guys were different, they were among the higher-ups in the group. He hoped that the boss secured them by now...
'Naruto' gasped as he suddenly clutched his stomach, as an intense burn spread across his body from it, crippling him for a split-second.
It wasn't just an isolated incident, as his brothers also stopped what they were doing and clutched their stomachs, feeling the same sensations that he was going through.
He recognized this feeling...but the boss wouldn't resort to that...right?
Then the dark chakra hit him like a freight train, causing his eyes to widen at the familiar feeling.
Kyuubi...
At that moment, a violent burst of dark chakra erupted from an area much further away from them, piercing the sky with it's power.
The power wasn't just noticed by the clones.
Yokai and human alike stopped fighting for a moment to turn and look at the pillar of dark power, surprised and wary of it's sudden existence. Uncertain of how to take it.
But 'Naruto' was more worried about something else, more importantly, about just how...different it felt.
The chakra that was erupting felt very much like the kyuubi no yoko's power, but it felt more...darker.
More sinister.
At least that new aspect of the chakra felt somewhat faint. So while it was worrying, it wasn't some kind of emergency or anything.
It was still disturbing however...the initial stage should only make their boss angrier, more easier to enrage. But this feeling felt more oppressively darker, more harder to control.
But more than that...what about the pain the clones just felt?
The chakra that they sensed wasn't like the feral rage that he associated with the version 1 chakra cloak, or like the mindless blood-lust of the version 2 chakra cloak...
No...this was just the initial stage, he could tell.
But, the initial stage shouldn't be hurting them as clones! The version 1 cloak was when that started to happen!
So why were they in pain...?
Nevertheless, while he was thinking on it, the other clones didn't wait around to find out, instead they decided to take out as many of their opponents as possible now that they were distracted.
The humans, once distracted, rallied at the assault, and the yokai soon joined in. Trying to finish this as soon as possible so that they could find their princess.
'Naruto' got up and joined in, feet pushing him forward and ignoring the annoying sound of his shoes hitting the muddy ground caused by the rain.
He hoped that the boss knew what he was doing...
Yuki used her single arm to raise her katana, prepared to use lethal force if necessary.
Though the thought of using lethal force at this particular enemy was...disturbing.
"Yuki-san, do you know this guy?" Maria asked, cautiously eyeing their adversary, unsure of what to make of the change of his appearance.
The young man, Basara, panted repeatedly, as if exhausted from an extremely strenuous work out. Smirking at them with an insane look in his eye...
"...You can say that." the hero replied, eyes making sure to lock on her former partner, trying to rationalize the fact that he was even alive.
She last saw him when they were just children...when their mentor stabbed them in the back.
The memory was vivid, she could still see the little boy charge at their sensei, furious green eyes locked onto his enemy. Wielding the legendary blade; Brynhildr, with unusual strength.
She remembered the crater where the little boy once stood.
Gone. Just like that.
Yet here he stood, flesh and bone, alive and well.
Working for him.
As the thought crossed her mind, a new-found desperation engulfed her, pushing her to drop her weapon. Pushing her to walk up to her long-lost ally and simply hug him.
To say hello, to ask how he's been, to drag him back to his father so that they could be what they once were...
But she knew it was impossible for them to perfectly emulate those days. Too much has happened between all of them for that to happen.
...However...that didn't mean that they couldn't forge a new relationship based on what they had. It didn't mean that there was no hope for him to be her ally again.
So the hero opened her mouth, getting ready to try to-
Brynhildr was enveloped by a green aura, surrounding it whole as the former hero brought his blade up with an insane grin.
Both Yuki's and Maria's eyes widened, remembering what that entailed.
So the brown-haired teenager brought his sword down, which as expected, brought forth a vicious green wave from the tip of the blade. Thankfully, the pair of allies were already in the middle of moving out of the way.
The female hero opted to run towards the attack at an angle, closing the space between the combatants as she made enough distance to be safe from the attack.
Sakuya was engulfed in a green aura as well when it was swung towards her former comrade, intentionally aiming for the man's sword arm.
She never got the chance to finish the swing.
A knee viciously hit the hero at her abdomen, stopping her dead in her tracks at the sudden blow.
Yuki gasped as she was brought to her knees, eyes dilated as she wheezed desperately for air, trying to bring back oxygen to her suddenly empty lungs.
But she was given no reprieve as a fist slammed into her cheek, knocking her at just the right angle to set her sliding against the now-muddy ground.
Meanwhile, after tucking and rolling away to dodge Basara's attack, Maria finished her roll and faced the berserk warrior. Only just in time to see her ally get knocked back towards her.
The succubus opened her palm to create a magic circle, concentrating a large amount of demonic energy into her creation. She needed one clear shot...!
There was no way she would be able to hit her enemy while he was moving, this was her best chance.
As Yuki slid back to Maria, she managed to keep the green aura around her blade intact. The volatile energy was more unstable than before...but it should still be ready to launch regardless.
So as a parting shot, the hero swung her blade as she finished her slide.
At the same time, Maria launched a ball of demonic energy that was bigger than her head from her magic circle, heavily charged and primed to explode.
Both attacks soared to the insane young man, moving at him from the same general direction.
Basara merely watched the attacks come, the glint of insanity still bright in his eyes as he brought his sword to bear, preparing to swing like a bat.
The moment that the attacks came close enough, he swung.
Brynhildr was pit against both attacks, stopping them both in their tracks as his weapon began to glow, the latent power within was being released...
Banishing Shift!
The green wave and the purple orb were both cut in half, before dissipating from view. Disappearing into the rainy atmosphere like smoke.
Maria gaped, what...what just happened? Her attack was primed to explode! If something was strong enough to cut it in half, then it should have detonated like a grenade!
"...Great...he can use Banishing Shift at will..." Yuki murmured, eyes focused onto her enemy's eyes.
The succubus didn't turn, opting to watch their enemy, a large frown on her face. "Banishing Shift? Is that his special ability or something like that?"
"You can say that." the hero responded levelly, staying focused. "Suffice it to say that as long as we use energy attacks...it's likely not going to work."
Maria bit her lip, considering, then as she was now...she was useless in this battle.
With True Sight, Yuki can actually fight with something resembling a chance but...she wasn't in any condition to take him down either.
She had to use that.
Maria turned her head to say something to her partner, as she continued to look at their enemy through the side of her eye. "Hey...I have an idea-"
The abandoned apprentice vanished from view.
Purple eyes widened at the incredibly fast movement, only catching a blur move out of her line of sight. Where did he go!?
Yuki on the other hand, saw.
Her eyes barely managed to keep eye contact as her enraged former-comrade moved swiftly around their position, obviously to try and kill them from behind. However, her current speed was only fast enough to react, not enough to actually stop him.
When the powerful warrior reappeared behind them, his large blade at the ready to cut them both in half, Yuki was ready.
The female human still had her enemy in her sights as she jumped backwards, pushing her partner and raising her blade to take the attack. Knowing full well that with only one arm, trying to actually stop his attack wasn't going to work.
She was proven right.
When Brynhildr smashed against her guard, both females were launched back, set crashing against multiple trees harshly without stopping, bringing forth a lot of broken bark and splinters from their impacts. Before finally hitting the muddy forest floor in a heap.
Yuki groaned as she tried to lift her her body from the mushy ground, doing her absolute best to ignore the stinging pain from her broken arm.
"...As I was saying." Maria grumbled out, getting her face out of the mud since she fell into it face-first. "I have an idea. I need you to buy me a little time to transform."
Yellow eyes turned to purple ones, intrigued, but still wary. "...You can transform?"
The succubus nodded quickly, eyes wide. "Yeah! This isn't technically my 'true' form you see. As a succubus...my body is supposed to be quite a bit more seductive than this...but that's not what's important. What is important, is the fact that I'm much more powerful in that state in comparison to now. I'm a hindrance as I am now...and the only way we can win here is to fight together."
The hero listened carefully, weighing her options, as she saw her former ally walk back into view. Using the fallen trees as a psuedo-breadcrumb trail to them.
Then those glowing emerald eyes locked onto hers again.
Accompanied by a dark smile.
"...This transformation of yours better be powerful...!" Yuki bit out, before standing up again and placing her katana in a defensive position.
Maria was already on it, as she summoned a small magic circle and materialized a small item from it.
A key.
The key floated closer to her, as she carefully aimed it to her chest...
Her costume always had a strange addition to it's appearance; that addition being a keyhole that was resting over her collar.
It wasn't there for show, it was a seal, meant to lock her power for emergencies only.
That time being now of course.
As Maria continued, Yuki took a step forward, prepared for the inevitable clash between her and the berserk Basara.
As expected, the young man charged forward, a dark grin spread across his lips as he raised his weapon too, preparing to kill her with one swift stroke.
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The hero was nearly knocked off her feet as a powerful wind physically pushed her back, coming from a bellow that echoed from somewhere far off. She was unable to tell where though, since they were fighting deeper into the forest now.
But what really caught her attention was the power that accompanied it.
It was like before with that red pillar of energy...except the dark feeling was worse if anything else, as the energy was completely filled with feral anger and dark intent.
Just what was going on over there...?
She didn't have much time to dwell on it though, as Basara was also caught off guard by the attack, knocking him off his feet and onto his knees from the surprise wind.
Chance!
The female human once more surrounded Sakuya with a green aura, before slashing the air with it.
As the green wave coalesced from her sword swipe, Yuki swung again, intersecting the wave with another slash, her sword still covered in green energy.
She did this repeatedly, making sure to use every ounce of concentration to keep the attack from moving yet.
It needed to be as powerful as possible to do any damage. Also to hopefully be too much for Brynhildr to cancel out...
Her window of opportunity was closing quickly though, as Basara managed to get up relatively quickly, despite the heavy armor that was weighing him down.
Finally, after having several green waves intersect one another like a complicated calculus problem, Yuki allowed the attacks to move. Letting the waves compound one another as they sped towards her opponent.
Glowing green eyes finally landed back towards the young hero, snarling as the attacks soared to him at rising speeds.
Like last time, he aimed his large weapon at the attack, slamming it with brutal force as his sword made contact.
But unlike last time...the attack didn't give way so easily.
The former apprentice of Cao Cao grit his teeth as the waves conspired against him, pushing him back steadily as he attempted to cancel the attacks.
Yuki gasped as she fell to her knees, using her katana like a crutch to keep her from falling flat on her face, thoroughly exhausted.
That...was it. That was all she had.
Sweat intermingled with the rain droplets as she panted, hard. Taking comfort in the knowledge that her last attack would hold him back for a little bit.
Those green waves that she used were all separate attacks, enhancing each other as their own entities instead of a single united attack.
Because of that, her old comrade had to separately cancel out each wave, not getting any reprieve as he did so.
Good thing too, as her stamina was thoroughly shot by this point. Using True Sight for extended periods of time, having her arm broken, and continuously fighting with such intensity would do that to you.
Not to mention her last attack...
"Aaaargh!"
Yellow eyes snapped back to her adversary, horror lighting up her pupils, as she saw her attack get cut.
Those numerous green waves were all cleanly cut through, canceling it out and forcing it disappear into the air.
Just like that.
Yuki quickly tried to raise her eyes to meet Basara's, getting ready to use the last bit of strength she had to-
A metallic hand closed themselves on her throat, stopping her train of thought cold.
Too late.
The hero saw stars as she was slammed back to the muddy ground, the back of her head getting dirty from the contact, as the hand that was enclosed around her throat slowly clenched shut.
"...Ba...sa..." she tried to cough out, only to stop as more pressure was put to her neck.
Yuki struggled, trying to claw at the metallic hand and get more air, feeling the darkness beginning to call as her eyesight began to blur.
No...!
She quickly began to lose strength, the hand that was trying to pry her opponent's hand free slowly stopped doing so. As everything slowly began to fade to black...
...Like this?
Was it...going to end like this...?
Flashes of memories began to drift across the forefront of her mind, important moments that defined the young woman that was laying on the ground, staring up at the rainy sky.
A little girl, who was excitedly latching onto anything that her sensei dictated, with a little boy who she considered a brother of sorts.
A little girl, who was staring at the broken bodies of the heroes that tried to stop her former sensei. The body of the boy nowhere to be found. As her eyes leaked tears...while bitterly refusing to acknowledge her former sensei's wishes. Refusing to become her own 'hero'. Instead...just to spite him...choosing to become just another member of the Hero Tribe.
The leader of their faction, accepting her with a hug after the tragedy, when no one would. Trying to suppress his own pain for the good of their people.
Then the young hero saw flashes of that little girl growing up, training her body to the limit, ignoring the taunting words that that man left behind.
She wasn't a 'hero'...she was just another soldier that was working for the Hero Tribe.
Then everything shifted, a seismic change in what she believed in, with the mission that would change her life.
And the person that would change it.
She remembered vivid blue eyes, and a hand that was stretched to her...
Naruto...
Was...he safe?
Was...he ok?
Those were the only thoughts that occupied her mind as the darkness began to swallow up her sight...
"Gah!"
As if given a second wind, the darkness disappeared from her vision, as all color returned to the world when the young human sucked in some desperately needed oxygen to her lungs.
Rain pelted her face, a minor part of her noting that Basara was nowhere to be seen as she stared up at the rainy sky again. Panting.
"...Looks like I made it in time. You ok, Yuki-san?"
Bleary yellow eyes, bereft of cross-hairs, focused on a flash of silver hair.
"...Maria-san...?" she rasped, voice nearly unrecognizable.
Was that...really the succubus?
The girl that entered her vision had the same long silver hair and the extraordinarily similar facial features to Maria...but everything else about her was different.
"...You really are a succubus aren't you?"
Purple eyes shone with amusement at the statement.
"Impressed by my new body? It is meant to easily seduce men after all."
Yuki could see that.
Gone was the half-devil that looked like a little girl.
Now Maria looked like a young woman, body filled out in just the right places to drive the opposite sex insane with lust. A true succubus' body...
But the hero turned serious again, moving her one good arm to the ground, attempting to pick herself up to fight again.
"No, wait." the silverette muttered, placing a hand onto her partner's stomach before she could get up. "You did more than enough, rest a bit...let me handle this fight by myself for a while."
Yuki clenched her fist, not entirely willing to leave this all to the succubus. "I can still-"
"No." Maria cut off, standing up to her full height, staring down the feral human that got up from her surprise punch. "As you are now...you'll only slow me down. Rest. Don't worry...I'll do my best not to kill him."
The human's eyes widened imperceptibly, before closing shut. Knowing that the half-devil was correct.
"Fine...but be careful. I don't want either of you to die."
"Of course!" Maria chirped, stretching her arms out. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon! I still have to see Naruto-sama blush! In my current form...I bet I can accomplish that!"
Yuki could only let loose a small grin, allowing the tension in her frame to ease up in order to get some rest.
The succubus smirked, turning around and slamming her fists together, newly confident that she would be able to put up a fight this time.
"Now then...let's get more acquainted to one another, shall we?"
Rain drops continued to pour onto the ground, unrelenting.
Along with the rain, the clouds overhead were dark and brooding, as if reflecting off of the mood of the area.
That's what it felt like to Cao Cao, as he stared at the monstrosity that was facing them.
Two menacing red orbs were staring them down, glowing ominously in the darkness of their surroundings.
Those eyes...just what was with those eyes...?
"...Cao Cao...just what are we dealing with exactly?" Siegfried whispered out, a new-found nervousness creeping it's way into his voice.
The hero leader opened his mouth to answer, but...
"...What's the matter?"
Everyone shut their mouths, as the new gravelly voice that emerged from their erstwhile enemy shocked them into temporary silence.
Naruto spread his arms, as if about to hug someone, almost inviting.
"You don't seem so eager to fight anymore. What's wrong? Did something change? Was it something I said? Come on. Come on. Come on."
The blond then began to chuckle, amused, shaking his head slowly.
"Man...it's been so long since I've felt this sensation before...it feels kind of different though. Hm...I feel less...restricted? Yeah, that's the word." he continued, putting his head on the palm of his hand, contemplating.
As the rain continued, the water pushed the blond's hair to his scalp, moistening it to the point that his locks were sticking to his face.
The hair quickly began to cover his eyes, only giving glimpses of the madness and seething rage that was hidden underneath the surface, it was all those red slits emanated.
"...Cao Cao...we should leave." Siegfried requested quietly, hissing to his leader.
Cao Cao didn't respond, he simply continued to stare at the dangerous time bomb that was Uzumaki.
It was morbid fascination that was keeping him still, he knew...he just knew that his enemy was going to explode.
Then those evil eyes focused back on the group of humans, putting them all on edge again.
"...You know...I actually seriously wondered about how I should deal with you lot. At the beginning, as usual, I fight the baddies without the absolute intent to kill. I do it because I wanted try to minimize the amount of times I have to kill others...and because I don't fully understand what their goals are. For all I know, it could be understandable, right? Plus you guys weren't really a threat in the beginning..." Naruto began, wistful, but his killing intent began to become palpable.
The ground began to rumble, shaking faintly as the teen's aura increasingly became increasingly volatile...
"Buuuuuut...you crossed the line, didn't you? You got reinforcements, and even got your own kyuubi to fight me! Not only that, but your goals and ambitions aren't anything to be happy about! Really...the fact that you actually aimed for the kid really pissed me off, you know...? Even if I wasn't like this...I probably would have aimed to kill after that..."
A red slit peeked through the golden locks that were plastered to his face, the lack of aggression in them only unnerved those who saw it.
It didn't speak of rationality, it spoke of unpredictability, of the calm before the storm.
"What I should be doing now is calmly trying to figure out the best ways of killing all of you quickly, after all...those Sacred Gears proved to be more dangerous than I thought. So yeah, taking you out before you do more dangerous things is best..."
Then, all of a sudden, as if a switch has been flipped, fury began to overtake his eyes as they dilated.
"The thing is, I don't want to."
Cao Cao flinched, shaking faintly at the statement, before he quickly tried to get a grip, refusing to be cowed by a boy.
He was the leader of a faction...! The Hero Faction! He was the face of the newest and greatest generation of heroes!
He wasn't going to be cowed, intimidated, or frightened by a boy...!
So with that new-found determination, he wiped the water that was beginning to cloud his sight and glared at the blond-
All he saw was red slits, boring into his eyes.
The hero leader took a step back, eyes wide, as he stared at the teen that practically materialized in front of them. He was on top of the yokai faction leader along with them, leaning towards them, sharp eyes regarding him specifically with dark intent.
Then, slowly, he raised a hand and moved it closer to him, claws extended as they reached for his throat...
Cao Cao could only stare, unable to move as he watched the horrifying visage that moved closer to him. He desperately tried to move his body to no avail.
Move...
Closer.
Move...!
A few inches...
Move!
A blade viciously slashed horizontally towards Naruto's position, forcing him to retract his hand and take a step back to avoid the slash. Snarling at the attack.
"Cao Cao! Come on!" Siegfried shouted, moving closer to his leader and utilizing the dragon arms and preparing to attack.
Jeanne and Heracles also stepped up, forming a defensive barrier in front of their leader, prepared to fight for their lives against this grave new threat.
Georg for his part, also began calling on his Sacred Gear. Trying to shift the environment to their favor, hoping that with the mist as their ally a second time, they could overwhelm Uzumaki.
All while the hero leader backed up, regaining his nerve as he swung his spear around, prepared to kill this...thing in one fell swoop.
The heroes were getting ready to counterattack, confident that they could push back against this monster.
They were heroes after all!
But just as those hopes grew...they were shot down, as the blond that they were planning against disappeared from their view.
Cao Cao coughed up spittle, as he hunched over from a vicious blow to his stomach, eyes wide.
...When did he...?
Uzumaki was standing in front of him, crouched low, his fist embedded into his stomach.
"Don't die yet." was all he said.
The blond then moved his fist away from the man's stomach, allowing him to double over and heave breathlessly.
Before a kick smashed into Cao Cao's cheek, sending him spinning towards the ground from the kyuubi's back, crashing and sliding away in a heap.
Once more, before anyone could respond, he disappeared from view again.
*Crack*
"Ah..."
That was all Georg could say as he felt both of his elbows snap.
The human didn't say anything at first, he just stared at the horrifying visage of two red slits for a moment, trying to comprehend what happened.
Then he felt it.
The bespectacled man screamed in pain, trying to wrestle his arms away as the blond held onto his elbows, which were bent at an awkward angle.
"No more of that." Naruto growled, holding tight as he applied more force onto his hands.
Georg desperately tried to break free, begging pitifully as hot tears began to fall down his cheeks, feeling his bones in his elbows crumble into fragments.
"Enough!" roared Siegfried, as he charged the monster with his swords swinging, dragon arms moving in synchronization to attack.
As the hero charged, Naruto's face stayed neutral, eyes unseeing as an idea was posited inside his head...
Strange...not something he would usually do, but...
...
A dark glint entered his eye.
The wielder of Dimension Lost whimpered, shaking his head as Naruto watched him through hooded ruby eyes, completely unsympathetic towards the pain he was inflicting. Looking very dangerous...
Georg knew, somehow he knew...
The blond swung around, still holding onto the hero's arms, a dark smirk spreading across his lips...
Then he flung him at Siegfried, right when the man was on top of him.
The blades that were meant for his enemy then, instead impaled Georg, skewering him with all five blades.
A moment of silence began after the abrupt and horrifying incident, stretching on as almost everyone watched the young hero cough up large amounts of blood. Going limp upon the silver-haired man's demonic swords.
"Sieg-kun! Get out of there!" Jeanne screamed, charging forward desperately with a rapier, trying to stop the inevitable.
Siegfried finally snapped back to focus, trying to back up from his bad position...!
Naruto didn't bother to wait.
The shinobi blitzed forward, disappearing and reappearing into view in front of his fellow males, bringing his foot out and smashing it into Georg's back. Pushing him into Siegfried and sending them careening off of the kyuubi leader's back.
Both humans were sent crashing against a tree, which didn't slow down their flight at all, allowing them to continue to crash against several trees after the first. Sending a large amount of dust into the air as the forest floor became a giant mess; thanks to the splinters, logs, branches, and hundreds of leaves that have fallen to the ground.
Jeanne and Heracles looked at the damage wrought to the forest in horror, both realizing that the blond had either become several times more powerful than before...or wasn't using his full physical strength this entire time.
"Yasaka...!" a voice rasped from the ground. "I...I order you to attack! Eliminate Uzumaki!"
The controlled yokai leader didn't respond at first, she just stood still, staring blankly, as if in a trance.
Red slit eyes turned to Cao Cao, who was just forcing himself up from the moist dirt, using his spear as a crutch, glaring harshly at him. "Do it! Obey me!"
This time, Yasaka did indeed react, her fur stood on end as she began to growl, golden eyes turning feral once more.
The two heroes remaining on top of the beast thought that it was best to move while the going was good, as they quickly jumped off to get away from the beast.
Naruto on the other hand, moved to her head, gritting his large canines together as she began to thrash around. Trying to get him off her back.
Undeterred however, the shinobi ran up to the yokai faction leader's head, jumping to land on her snout and look at her golden eyes.
"Hey...! Quit it already!" the teenaged boy growled, ruby eyes harsh.
Yasaka didn't listen, as she instead bared her razor-sharp teeth to him and raised her front leg to swipe at him from her nose.
Naruto jumped over the attempted swipe, landing safely a few feet in front of her. His eyes becoming increasingly feral.
Before the kyuubi could do anything, the shinobi charged at her with reckless abandon, speeding across the desolate battlefield to reach her.
Faster than she could have reacted to, Naruto jumped and raised his fist when he was right under her head, giving her a hard uppercut as his fist made contact.
Yasaka was knocked off her front legs, the blow forcing her to use her hind legs to stop herself from tripping as her head was knocked back.
However, the blond wasn't finished, as his ascent slowed down right where her head currently was in the air, smarting still.
So the young man spun around in a somersault and brought his leg out, bringing it down onto her head with a lot of force.
The great creature was smashed into the ground, it's largess ripping apart the wildlife that was still standing in the aftermath of prior battles.
While he was still in the air, red eyes snapped to the side as several missile-like projectiles were screaming towards him, all from Heracles' Sacred Gear.
The missiles smashed into his form, causing a decent-sized explosion to rock the air, shaking the ground due to it's power and proximity.
Heracles himself smirked in satisfaction, feeling much better now that his attack finally connected.
But his smirk dropped quickly as the shinobi emerged from the smoke completely unharmed, no worse for the wear as he descended back to the ground.
"Impossible...!" he whispered, horrified.
As the powerful human tried not to fall into despair, a large dragon-like creature moved up next to him, made up of what looked like hundreds of holy swords. Of which was formed by Jeanne, who was focusing all of her energy on the still-falling teen.
She jabbed a finger at him, internally ordering several blades that made up her dragon to launch themselves at Uzumaki.
As if alive, the dragon flicked it's head and allowed for several holy swords to break away from the main body. Moving to the blond at breakneck speeds to impale him.
Naruto acted quickly, crossing his arms against his chest in a way that was reminiscent to when he had wind coating his entire body...
But this time he was using out-and-out force.
With a mighty swing, both arms backhanded the air and created a powerful gust of wind, just from the sheer power behind those arms. Pushing all of the swords away from their original trajectory.
Jeanne gaped, her happy demeanor all but gone, how exactly were they going to stop him at this rate...?
Cao Cao just grit his teeth, coughing up a little bit of blood from the attack he suffered, there was no way that he'd die like this...!
Naruto landed on the ground shortly after the he dealt with the last attack, allowing him to watch all of his adversaries cautiously. Especially the kyuubi, as feral features studied the powerful creature to make sure that she was actually unconscious.
Golden eyes snapped open as he watched, soon after, an intense amount of fire began to flow out of her closed mouth as more power was concentrated into it. Causing a small overflow.
Sharp red eyes narrowed as the blond spread his legs, prepared to tank through the attack that the yokai faction leader was prepared to release. Slightly confused.
Just what the hell was she up to...?
Then his eyes widened, as he snapped his head behind him to look at the slumped form behind him...
The kid...she was still there...!
"You..." Naruto growled, as his red slits dilated dangerously. "You'd try to attack her again...? You're really trying to piss me off aren't you...!?"
Yasaka didn't respond as she released the flames inside her mouth, scorching the ground and lighting up the area with her fire. Aimed at both of her victims.
To everyone else, the shinobi just stood there, furiously glaring at the harsh fire that was enveloping the world around him.
The fox fire quickly swallowed up his current position, relentlessly spreading across the destroyed forest, burning anything that was still standing up.
After a few more moments, the stream of fire ended, as the powerful yokai ceased her attack by slamming her mouth shut and surveying the area for her 'enemies'.
By this point, Cao Cao had managed to get back on his feet, still hurt, but still managed to jump onto Yasaka's back and check the devastated landscape.
Black eyes scanned warily, unwilling to count his enemy as dead unless he saw a body.
Then his eyes finally found his body, pushing him to gnash his teeth together in frustration.
The body happened to be very much alive, as Naruto stood on top of a small hill away from the trajectory of the attack, staring down at them with a dark expression.
More importantly, he was holding the smaller kyuubi under his arms, safe and secure.
The hero leader could only narrow his eyes, his speed was seriously incredible if he managed to blitz everyone here and dodge Yasaka's attack at point-blank range...whilesaving the little girl.
It would have been admirable if it wasn't so dangerous...which was why he needed to go.
Meanwhile, Naruto slowly set down Kunou, eyes never leaving the group of humans, trying his absolute hardest not to let the burning rage inside boil over.
He could feel it...he was at the precipice.
The blond once more vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing right in front of Yasaka again, eyes even moreferal than prior.
"...You did it again." he whispered, voice guttural. "You aimed for the kid again...!"
The hero leader didn't respond, he only slammed his foot down onto Yasaka's back. "What are you waiting for? Kill him! Kill him now!"
As ordered, the kyuubi's mouth formed heavy doses of fire, preparing to release powerful fox fire onto the teenaged boy.
But something quickly changed, causing the remaining heroes to shiver at the new sensation.
"...You..." Naruto murmured, anger blinding him with a sudden need.
That need began to push him to the ground, growls shifting from human-like to those of an animal. Features growing increasingly filled with rage.
Some kind of substance began to emerge from the teen's skin, embracing him as it coated his body. Red bubbles...
Then it hit all of the heroes left like a run-away train, causing them to choke at the oppressive atmosphere.
Killing intent.
Cao Cao unintentionally took a step back, his comrades following suit, as the killing intent coming from the boy pushed them back as if it was a physical force, pressing on them harshly.
"Yeah...for some reason...right now...all I see is red..." the shinobi whispered, heart rate beginning to accelerate as his red slits locked onto Cao Cao's. "Right now...all I want to do is rip you all to shreds...!"
The killing intent grew even worse the longer he spoke, becoming more and more thick with each passing moment.
It got so bad that almost all of the heroes saw...things that made them question their sanity.
They saw visions...
...Visions of their deaths.
Of the many horrible ways that they could get killed by their adversary, by this being that seemed intent on their complete and utter destruction.
However, it was obvious that the hero leader took the brunt of it.
The powerful human was shivering now, as he watched in growing horror as the red bubbles began to coalesce into some sort of creature that covered the blond. With a single tail poking out from behind, waving lazily as his animalistic eyes bored into his.
Then, still under the power of someone else, Yasaka fired it's fox fire, straight at the coated human.
The shinobi watched the fires come, staring them down.
Before opening his mouth, breathing in to take in a lot of air...
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!"
An unearthly roar emerged from his throat, bringing forth massive wind pressure from the power of his lungs, completely wiping away the flames that were heading towards him into nothing.
The roar also finished what the kyuubi started, bringing out any trees that were knocked over and smashing them further away from the epicenter of his scream. Sending all matters of debris into the air.
Cao Cao himself held onto the yokai faction leader for dear life, grabbing onto her golden fur to stop himself from flying off, desperately trying to think of a way to stop this monster.
But as the sky darkened and the air grew colder at it's encroaching and all-encompassing power, he began to wonder if there even was a way to stop this thing...
Then, as it seemed that the dark being that emerged from Uzumaki would eventually engulf them, his hands clenched something that could possibly turn the tables...
Black eyes wandered to the spear in his hand, remembering what it was that he held so tightly...
The True Longinus...the spear that was used to pierce Jesus Christ himself...
Was this not the weapon that could enact miracles? Was this not the most powerful weapon among all Sacred Gears?
No...he had a chance...he just needed to use every ability that he had to it's greatest effect. Even...his greatest secret.
...Too bad, he was hoping that he could keep his abilities a secret for a later time...but no such luck he supposed.
With that, the seven orbs that the True Longinusutilized...the Seven Treasures...surrounded him, prepared to be used in accordance to his will.
Jeanne also appeared beside him while riding her StakeVictim Dragon, nervous, but seeing the hero leader regain his will to fight, was also able to look past her fear.
Heracles also came by, appearing close to Cao Cao by jumping on top of Yasaka as well. Missile-like protrusions all over his glowing body, thanks to his Detonation-MightyComet.
They were ready to face off against this vicious power.
As if on cue, Naruto roared again, sending gale force winds to impact their bodies, before charging towards them at horrifying speeds. Nearly instantly closing the gap of space between them.
Having only milliseconds to react, Cao Cao let one of the orbs surrounding him touch him, activating it.
"Atsusa Ratana!" the hero leader whispered.
Immediately, the man vanished without a trace.
As this was happening, Heracles launched numerous missiles from his body and Jeanne launched several holy swords from her dragon, as well as utilizing the holy swords within to send two streams of electricity and flames to the beast.
All the while, Yasaka turned around, displaying her long tails and using them to slam the berserk shinobi to the ground.
Naruto just growled in response, charging forward on all four limbs like an animal, eyeing all of the attacks that were incoming.
To the heroes, it looked like the blond was just going to let the attacks hit them, giving them hope that maybe it would be enough to at least begin doing damage...
But, as if he could teleport, the feral being disappeared from view once more, moving at speeds that they couldn't even fathom.
Immediately afterwards, the missiles that were heading straight to the blond's initial position fell apart, all of them got shredded to pieces inexplicably and without warning. Blowing up in the air prematurely.
Heracles grit his teeth, eyes scanning the skies to try and see where he went...
There!
A red dot in the sky just finished it's ascent after ripping apart the missiles, falling down towards it's enemies at terrific speeds. Like a falling comet bent on their destruction.
"Everyone! Above!" Heracles roared, trying to destroy the monster before it reached them.
Jeanne snapped her head to the sky, locking onto their fearsome enemy, before aiming her considerable arsenal to the sky.
Yasaka also noticed, turning fierce glowing eyes to the sky, with her jaws clenched as she was about to launch another round of fox fire.
The dragon and the kyuubi both released fierce elemental attacks, electrical and fire alike, aimed towards the sky. Intent on obliterating the one-tailed beast.
Naruto glared harshly at the ground, seeing the elemental attacks. But instead of worrying or trying to move out of the way, the blond instead sucked in a lot of air, puffing up his chest...
Before letting loose a harsh and feral bellow, releasing an insane amount of air pressure from his lungs that pushedagainst both attacks.
Despite the fact that the twin attacks worked together to hit the blond, they couldn't pierce through the air waves that he made from his scream.
Nevertheless, both attackers kept up the pressure, as the air waves sent from the blond continued to whittle their attacks down to nearly nothing.
"...This onee-san is really concerned now..." Jeanne started, an uneasy smile on her face. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..."
As she was regretting her choices in life, something pierced through both attacks, speeding straight towards them.
Jeanne's eyes widened as an ethereal-looking red clawmoved towards her, grabbing her before she could do anything and knocking her off her creation, hitting the dragon along the way at just the right angle to send it toppling. Smashing her into the ground without mercy as her great construct fell down onto her.
Red liquid began to flow from under the dragon-like construct...
A similar fate befell Heracles as another claw grabbed him as well, but this one instead pulled him up, taking him into the air as the owner of the claw finally landed onto the ground.
Naruto glared balefully at the man he held, before pulling both long arms of chakra back to him, letting go of the remains of the blond human but dragging back the muscular one to him.
The chakra arm did indeed drag the descendant of the original Heracles to the blond, bringing him close enough to see the fear in his eyes.
At first, the blond just watched the brutish hero, not doing anything while he was in his grasp, seemingly content to simply hold him.
But then...the hero began to feel it.
Heracles began to struggle, sweating as he felt the prickles and burns that was accumulating around his body from contact with the large claw that was holding him.
He then began to plead with the beast; to beg, cajole, threaten, whimper, and apologize. All to break free from what was quickly turning out to be an acidic substance that was eating into his skin.
Naruto didn't let go.
Because Naruto didn't care.
The shinobi's single tail twitched, then it moved to intercept the blow from the powerful spear that Cao Cao thrust against his back.
Cao Cao grit his teeth as his attack was stopped from Uzumaki's energy-like tail, as the repercussion of the attack obliterated the ground under them. Making a large crater that was at least a story deep.
All fighters fell in, with Naruto still stopping the True Longinus cold and Heracles still burning up while trapped by the chakra arm.
As they fell in, Yasaka joined in the fight again, roaring as she brought a massive paw and aimed it at the enraged blond, trying to crush him now that she technically had the high ground and he was stuck inside the crater.
With red slit eyes turning to the great beast, the shinobi brought his left arm up and extended his chakra arm, before expanding it as she got closer.
It expanded dramatically, growing larger and larger as the kyuubi charged.
By the time she got close enough to attack, it was too late.
The chakra arm shot over her body as Yasaka brought her paw up to slam it down, but was brutally interrupted when the chakra arm smashed her into the ground as it grabbed her entire body with it's massive form.
Naruto had a dark smirk on his face as he pulled his left arm back, dragging the yokai faction leader into the air as the claw held onto her tightly.
Then the arm swung around, driving itself towards the ground without mercy...
When the claw smashed Yasaka into the ground, it did so with the force of a freight train, shaking the ground with incredible force. Causing something akin to a mini-earthquake as the earth rumbled.
As the blond was distracted from beating back the kyuubi, Cao Cao called on one of the orbs to move towards him. Hoping that the monstrous creature wouldn't notice.
Kahabatei Ratana!
Immediately after he called upon one of the Seven Treasures, a large group of humanoid-beings emerged from the orb, preparing to charge at the feral 'human'.
Naruto shifted his focus back at Cao Cao again. Before he slammed his tail back at the hero leader, knocking him back hard and then swiped his tail across all of the recently formed humanoid warriors that were just formed. Cutting them all down with the severe force that the appendage was packing.
The hero leader snarled as he quickly backed up, letting one of the orbs touch him to make even greater space between the two combatants.
Hatsutei Ratana!
Cao Cao began to float as he gained the ability to fly, using it to elevate himself from the blond monster.
After dealing with Yasaka and the humanoid beings, Naruto turned back to the hero that was still trapped under his chakra arm, noting that the man had finally fallen silent.
He opened up the claw, letting the mangled body of Heracles fall down to the earth, still silent.
Ruby eyes stared at the body, seeing the burns that was inflicted on the hero; muscle, blood, and bone was all that was really left of the remains.
It was no doubt a prolonged death, filled with nothing but agonizing pain. Very much unlike the quick death of the bespectacled man or the female human.
A twinge of emotion flitted across those ruby eyes, causing the blond to hesitate, despite the elevated state of aggression he was in.
As he watched the body, still in his trance, several humanoid beings took the opportunity to charge at him from the edge of the crater he was still in.
Almost as if the attack was an afterthought, the blond casually flicked it's single tail towards the beings, ripping them all apart before they could even get close.
Then his eyes widened, sensing killing intent in...
Front of him...?
He raised his eyes from the body to look at the angry face of the hero's leader, raising his spear with an orb laying on the tip of it. Angling it straight towards him.
Teleportation...!
Naruto raised a clawed hand, still coated with powerful chakra, to intercept it. Moving fast enough to prevent the man from doing anything serious.
But when that hand made contact with the orb, the shinobi quickly realized his mistake.
A maniacal smile grew on Cao Cao's face as the orb made contact, this was it...! His most powerful attack in his entire arsenal!
"Balinayaka Ratana!" the hero shouted in triumph, pressing forward with his spear.
Naruto felt like he was suddenly smashed by an airliner, sending him crashing into the ground while still inside the crater.
Because of the angle however, he was sent digging underground, as the forest floor above was split into two. But as his momentum kept going, he eventually reached a piece of forest that wasn't obliterated yet...
The end result was obvious, as trees were ripped from the ground and sent to the air due to the massive disruption that was occurring underground. Knocking down and smashing apart other trees that were caught in the crossfire.
Until finally, the blond crashed into a large rock formation, destroying it's base and causing the entire thing to fall in on itself. Collapsing as a massive amount of dust piled on into the air from the chaos.
Several moments passed as the rock settled in and the trees settled down, but eventually there was silence again.
Cao Cao panted harshly, trying to inhale a large amount of air as he fell to his knees, a deliriously happy smile gracing his face.
H-He did it! The monster was gone!
There was no way he'd survive that!
Getting smashed through solid rock, crashing into a large hill, and then having that hill fall on top of you?
Yeah...Uzumaki was done.
Even if he wasn't, he sent him so far away that if he tried to attack him...the hero would be able to teleport away fast enough to get away and catch him off guard a second time. He was set.
Just as he began to chuckle at his stroke of fortune, he felt something grip his ankles, holding him in place.
Black eyes snapped downwards, staring at the red-ethereal claws that were holding him tightly, coming from the ground as if...
Cao Cao slowly turned his head back to where he sent his enemy, wishing that his hunch was incorrect.
It wasn't.
Uzumaki was there, standing among the dust that was still up in the air, the energy that surrounded him being the only thing that he could see through the dust cloud.
The energy coating him made him look like a fox...
But more importantly than that, was the fact that the teen's arms were pushed into the ground.
As if on cue, the monster dragged his arms out of the ground, and the energy-like arms that connected with the claws ripped out of the ground as well.
Before he could even try and negotiate, he was pulled with incredible force, catching him completely off guard as he was moved to the blond's position.
The moment he could see Uzumaki's face, was the same moment that he truly realized it, the fact that he had hoped to stave off or ignore despite how blatant it was.
He fucked up.
Cao Cao stared at the monster holding him, quickly losing whatever hope he had prior after noticing a horrifying addition to his new abilities.
The blond's body was barely damaged after taking an attack that could level an entire city block, his right hand was bleeding quite a bit and there were some cuts here and there around his body but...that was it.
But more importantly, was the fact that his hand and cuts were healing.
Instantly, the hero leader remembered how the boy's burns were completely healed after he first obtained this new power...
...He had no choice anymore. There was only one thing left he could do to end this threat.
Meanwhile, red slit eyes lost what little bit of emotion that emerged when looking at the body of Heracles, now his eyes were filled with nothing but unrelenting fury.
Faster then Cao Cao could have perceived, the blond whipped his good arm around, motioning the chakra arm violently.
The red claw obeyed and followed suit, as it swung around in a large arc and smashed itself into the ground a way's away. With it's captive still in it's clutches.
The hero leader grit his teeth in pain as he felt his body slam into the moist, yet hard, ground. Trying to call on his Seven Treasures to him in order to teleport away.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the blond wasn't done.
The chakra arm pressed down on the black-haired human's body, pressing him firmly into the ground, before clutching him with a powerful grip...
Then the claw began dragging him through the ground, keeping him down as the chakra arm kept moving around the battlefield, ripping up large tracts of land at the same time.
Naruto kept this up for a while, giving no mercy as Cao Cao took immense physical damage from the continuous onslaught of dirt and rock.
Until finally, the claw lifted him from the ground while still keeping it's previous momentum, and flung him into the air.
The hero leader flew up high, thoroughly disoriented as he tried to get a grip on where he was, as the world spun around due to his haphazard flight.
He tried to call on his Seven Treasures, hoping to use them to get out of his predicament, maybe to transport himself somewhere far enough away so that he could take a breather and plan his next move.
But that plan was thwarted as soon as it crossed his mind, as Naruto wasted no time in chasing after the flying human.
The monstrous blond ran after him, moving with terrifying speeds on all four limbs and launching himself into the air like a speeding bullet. Straight towards the fumbling hero.
Cao Cao desperately moved his spear, trying to intercept Uzumaki before he could reach him, wincing at the numerous pieces of rock that were embedded into his body and all of the horrifying gashes that accompanied it.
In the end, the hero leader managed to bring his spear in front of him for an appropriate defense, but was unable to use it to actually stop the attack. He only just managed to use it to take the brunt of the attack that was about to smash into him.
It wasn't enough in the end.
The blond appeared right in front of him in the air, bringing down his powerful claw onto the spear that was held defensively...!
*CRACK*
Cao Cao bit back a scream when he felt bones on both of his arms crumble into other bones, as his skin ripped apart and revealed muscle and blood underneath from the mighty blow that he withstood.
But he managed to redirect the attack regardless, surviving as the blond's claw knocked the True Longinus from his clutches, sending it to the ground.
In return, due to the fact that his attack didn't really hit anything to stop his momentum, the shinobi began to spin around into a mid-air somersault.
Before the young hero could breathe a sigh of relief from his survival then, the blond continued his spin and intentionally brought his single tail out...
Cao Cao was smashed upside the head, sending him crashing to the ground viciously.
When the human impacted the ground, he created a human-shaped crater deep into the ground, bringing out large cracks across the ground near him, blood spurting out from his many wounds.
The hero groaned in pain, unable to respond to anything else as he felt blood trickle down from his forehead, matting his hair with the red liquid.
Rain continued to pour down on the battlefield, intermingling the water with his blood...
...Now that he thought about it, wasn't this a very similar situation to when he first defeated Uzumaki...?
Oh...how the tables have turned...
As those thoughts drifted across his mind, he saw, just through the side of his eye...the beast.
Naruto landed on the ground harshly, eyes gleaming in the darkened atmosphere, focused unerringly on the downed human being.
The monster took several steps forward, moving like a predator that was about to pounce on his prey...
Cao Cao could only watch, now numb to the pain he's suffered.
He was bereft of his spear, his comrades, and his allies...what was there left to do...?
Then he clenched his eyes, frustration lacing his facial features as the blond moved closer, if only he still had his True Longinus...! He could have used his trump card...!
Truth Idea...
But as Uzumaki, now merely a few feet away, stalked closer, he realized that he may not have the luxury to 'regret' anything ever again.
As Cao Cao lost whatever hope he had left, the very thing he was hoping for occurred.
A miracle.
A massive dose of flames impacted against the blond, hitting him from the sides, it's proximity hurting the hero leader despite the fact that he wasn't really that close to it.
When the flamethrower ceased, Uzumaki stood there, completely unharmed, red slits turned to the kyuubi that launched the attack.
Yasaka roared in challenge, smashing her front paws onto the ground, obviously getting ready to attack.
Black eyes watched the beast in amazement...there was no doubt in his mind that Shiba was behind this...
This was his last shot...!
If he could just reach his spear, he could activate Truth Idea, the ability that could create miracles based on the user's will and wishes...
The hero leader began to claw himself out of the crater he was in, using his shoulders to pull his body up and his legs to push him forward. Wincing at his broken arms.
Meanwhile, Naruto glared down the kyuubi that attacked him, ruby eyes not really registering who he was fighting.
Just that she was the enemy.
With that, the jinchūriki charged forward, moving so fast that the yokai didn't even respond fast enough to shift her eyes to her enemy's new location.
Right in front of her face.
Naruto blitzed her, smashing his claw onto the side of the yokai leader's head, knocking her off her feet and onto her sides. Causing her to growl as blood poured down her cheeks and whiskers from the wound that he inflicted.
Once more, fire emerged from her throat, engulfing the cloaked shinobi, fox fire burning everything in it's path.
Except for it's actual target.
A massive red claw emerged from the flames, closing around the kyuubi's head and slamming her mouth shut, before using force to smash her head into the ground without mercy.
Naruto's hand was outstretched, simulating the chakra arm's movement as Yasaka struggled to break free from the powerful ethereal claw.
Instead, the shinobi brought his other hand out, allowing a chakra arm to outstretch from it and expand.
Finally, he brought out the other giant red claw to the subdued kyuubi, smashing it on her head and bringing her further into the ground.
More blood pooled down the yokai's face, as she clenched her teeth from the attack, struggling to get back up.
This time, both chakra arms retreated for a moment, letting Yasaka go, as if giving her a breather.
Except that wasn't it at all.
Instead, the chakra arms moved away from her to grow even bigger, big enough to encompass half of her entire being...
Then both of those of ethereal-like claws clenched together into fists and came down upon the hapless yokai, smashing into her back as she attempted to get up.
The kyuubi yelped as she was brought down again, shaking from the violent take down.
Then those chakra arms came down again, crushing her under their size and strength, pushing her deeper into the ground as a consequence.
Yasaka began to whimper in pain, blood pooling under her from the repeated barrage.
The rain continued to pour relentlessly.
Red slit eyes watched in mindless rage as his arms moved on their own; clenched fists going up and down...
Up and down...
Up and down...
Once more, his chakra arms brought their massive claws down onto Yasaka's body, bringing forth a large amount of debris and dust into the air as the great beast's struggle lessened.
When the chakra arms retreated for a moment, preparing themselves to smash their beleaguered opponent again...their owner hesitated.
Naruto watched as she eventually tried to get up again after he smashed her down, legs struggling as they did their best to support her weight. Before pathetically failing her, causing her to collapse onto the ground.
Golden eyes slowly revealed themselves to the blond, those orbs bleary and unfocused, full of pain and weariness.
But also...full of silent acceptance and understanding.
He twitched as he stared the legendary kyuubi.
...
...
Red slits blinked, uncertain, but he still kept his chakra arms clenched above the yokai's body, as if prepared for her execution.
...Kill...her.
Naruto growled as a splitting headache hit him, pushing him to shake his head violently, trying to make it stop.
...What are you waiting for...? Do it...
Angry ruby eyes snapped to the fallen form of the yokai leader, thoroughly defeated, unable to fight anymore.
She won't stop...just end her...it's for Kunou-chan...
She couldn't fight anymore. Why was he still trying to...?
KILL HER!
The shinobi's face twisted in anger, as he raised his hands again, preparing to bring down one last attack down onto the yokai faction leader.
"...Is this really all you have? Naruto..."
All actions ceased, as shock reverberated across the blond's entire body at the familiar voice rumbling in his head.
"...Kyuubi...?" he rasped out, gravelly voice rumbling.
All he got was silence for a split-second, as if the bijū within thought of how he would phrase his next words.
"You're pathetic."
Naruto's red slits widened.
"...Admittedly, I don't understand why my chakra is much more...darker than before. But is my jinchūriki truly so weak as to lose himself to this power? Are you truly going to lose to whatever is inside you so easily? I always pegged you for an idiot Naruto...but not as a weakling."
The kyuubi jinchūriki flinched, his face twisting up as his inner demon's words pierced the fog of anger that invaded his mind.
It also helped clear away the whispers...
All of the subtle influences underneath the surface...
The very dark feelings that pushed him to throw the bespectacled hero to his comrades' blade with the thought of intentionally causing more pain.
The assurances that they all deserved to feel pain, to suffer. Instead of just simply offing them.
The influence that...made him contemplate...killing...her.
Ruby eyes traveled to the yokai faction leader, noting that she lost consciousness.
No...not just her.
In his mind's eye, he remembered...
When the controlled Yasaka moved to breathe out her fox fire onto both himself and Kunou before he got the version 1 cloak...he had reacted by grabbing her at the last second and moving her out of the way.
While the blond was focused mostly on keeping the girl safe from the humans and her controlled mother...another...very, very faint thought drifted across his mind.
He didn't know back then that there was more to that stray thought, but it did make him look at the little girl differently for a split-second.
The thought was simple.
...Wouldn't it be easier if he just left her there?
Wasn't this the little girl that forced him to take numerous attacks to protect her? Why care about her safety...?
But those thoughts disappeared as quickly as they appeared, dismissed in their entirety as the shinobi held Kunou close and eventually laid her down onto that small hill.
Those feelings were minor in the grand scheme of things, but the fact that he had them at all was...
Naruto growled as his face twisted up, clenching his eyes shut as he swallowed the anger inside, trying to calm down...