Whatever this power was doing to him...he wouldn't let it control him...!
Calm down...!
Claws dug themselves into the ground, easily cutting through it as if it was paper.
The chakra cloak that surrounded his body slowly began to fizzle out, retreating into tanned skin, as the blond gulped in air to heave it out.
Come on...!
Red slits furiously stared at the ground, dilated, as their owner desperately tried to suppress the rage inside, pushing back against the 'need' to destroy the defeated yokai...
The virulent red bubbles petered out, disappearing from view as the chakra cloak finally faded away.
Naruto gasped, falling to the ground as his arms and legs gave out, heaving as if he was about to throw up the contents of his stomach.
Red slits eyes opened up to the world again, far less angrier than prior, the darkness hidden within finally repressed.
Cautiously, the shinobi got back up, carefully surveying his surroundings as if just he was just seeing them for the first time.
Before tilting his head downwards, looking at his own hand carefully when he raised it up to his eyes for scrutiny.
These hands...they did so much today.
The fact that these hands took life today wasn't the problem with what he did...it was more about...
How much he enjoyed it.
The blond shivered at the thought, the dark chakra was leading him down a road that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.
But why did it influence him like that...? The kyuubi's chakra wasn't like that before.
He got angry, sure, but up until he reached his third tail, he didn't usually try and murder innocents...
Then there was that strange voice...just what was happening to him?
Naruto shook his head, clearing it of all thoughts, he'd deal with it later...first things first.
"...I don't know why you helped me..." the young teen whispered under his breathe. "But...you did. Thank you...kyuubi."
He didn't receive a reply.
Naruto quickly walked up to the downed Yasaka, checking her for injuries, silently praying that she would be alright.
After a quick scan of the eyes, he quickly determined that she took quite the beating...but she would be fine once she got some good medical attention.
Ruby eyes narrowed as they shifted away from the yokai, flicking to the side of his eye to look at the last loose end he had to tie up.
Cao Cao was almost there, dragging himself to his precious spear, knowing that if he could just make contact with his precious Sacred Gear...
He could create a miracle.
The hero leader was merely a few inches away, as his hand outstretched to reach for the weapon, eyes gleaming...
A foot stomped on the weapon, preventing him access to it.
"Nice try...but no dice." Naruto murmured, eyes boring into his enemy's head as he kept his foot and body in-between the human and his weapon.
Cao Cao grit his teeth, turning his eyes upwards in order lock them with his enemy's, prepared for it to be his final act...
But what he saw surprised him; gone was the strange red cloak that took him over, and more than that...his eyes were...
They weren't filled with that animalistic rage like before, it was more calmer...far more akin to what he was before the strange transformation.
As if reading his mind, the shinobi responded to the unasked question. "I managed to get a rein in on this power again, but don't get it wrong...I'm still on a knife-edge here...so it's best if you don't piss me off right now."
Then his expression smoothly changed to self-depreciation, offering a wistful smile.
"Of course...considering all of the people I've killed today...I'm actually not very keen on stretching this out. Sorry."
Before the hero could retort or answer, the teen grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him up enough to bring him to his knees as the blond kept his grip firm.
Cao Cao's eyes were wide as he struggled to break free, trying to move Uzumaki's hands from his neck, trying to find a way to live.
But, as if on auto-pilot, unintended words came out of his mouth, expressing his true feelings on the blond in front of him.
"...Monster..." he rasped out, wheezing.
The shinobi flinched, hard, as if physically stabbed.
Naruto clenched his eyes shut, remembering the feeling of chakra arms holding onto the mangled bodies of the female blond and the muscular man...
Their looks of fear as he went about snuffing out their lives.
"...You know..." the blond murmured, smiling faintly at the hero. "You actually may be on to something there..."
Cao Cao frowned for a moment, genuinely confused about-
"Sorry...and goodbye."
*Crack*
Black eyes snapped to red, shocked pupils meeting saddened ones.
Before the light left those eyes and the body which it belonged to slumped over.
Naruto let his grip loosen, allowing the body to fall over and collapse into the muddy ground, unresponsive.
The sound of the body hitting the ground echoed to the blond's ears, drowning out all other sounds in the process.
Afterwards, the sound of rain pelting the ground replaced that sound, muffling out everything else in it's consistency.
The shinobi turned his head to the sky, allowing the raindrops to cover his face. Eyes melancholic.
"...Monster...huh?" Naruto whispered out loud, ignoring the water that got into his eyes.
He stayed like that for a few moments, just standing there, trying not to lose himself in his self-disgust.
Then his eyes snapped to the ground, knocked out of his trance when the ground rumbled under him, as if a small earthquake has hit the area.
Red slits snapped to where a large amount of dust flew up into the air, a long ways away from his current position, that was...
That wasn't the yokai group, that was for sure.
That only left one other group...
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he brought his hands together and made a cross seal, prepared to move out. Knowing full well that the clones he had before were all destroyed because of his use of the version 1 cloak.
The clones would protect Yasaka and Kunou...while he would go.
All of this fighting...would end now.
"Haaah!"
Basara snarled as he brought Brynhildr out to stop the vicious attack aimed at his torso, preventing it from making contact.
But the blow still managed to knock him back, sending him crashing into already toppled trees and ripping them to shreds as he passed through them.
The second he managed to stop sliding, was moment when his eyes managed to catch his enemy's attempted surprise attack.
Maria jumped high into the air, raising her leg up high into the air, then brought it down when she reached the berserk hero.
Basara immediately spun around to get away from the attack, barely dodging it as the foot smashed into the ground mercilessly, bringing forth massive stone pillars from the displaced earth.
Purple eyes narrowed when the former apprentice of Cao Cao finished his spin by swinging his broadsword to cut the succubus in half, a triumphant grin on his face.
The young woman raised her hands up in defense, barely doing so in time to stop the powerful blade from hitting her body...
*Clang*
Maria smiled faintly as she stopped the blade from cutting her into two, using the new metallic gauntlets that she summoned for her hands to block the attack.
...But still...
"You really are quite amazing...Basara-san." the succubus murmured, impressed. "To think that you are strong enough to not only break through my gauntlets...but to actually cut my hand while in this form is incredible."
Indeed, Brynhildr managed to break through her gauntlet and reach her hand, cutting the skin deep enough to draw quite a bit of blood from it.
Instead of responding to the compliment, the young human pulled back his blade and spun around, this time aiming for her back where she didn't have any sort of defense.
At that same moment, the half-devil charged into the powerful warrior, using her shoulder to body slam him back and to interrupt his attack.
She was successful, as Basara was bodily slammed backwards once more, this time causing him to trip over himself due to the abrupt interruption.
The 'hero' tucked himself into a roll, managing to recover quickly from his impromptu tumble, eyes gleaming dangerously in the dour atmosphere.
However, at that exact moment, the ground shook, heavily.
At that split-second, while he was trying to get up, he slipped back onto the ground with a *thud* thanks to the slippery ground.
Using this opportunity, the succubus immediately created a magic circle, one that was as large as her new body. Attempting to push her advantage and keep the momentum that she gained.
Far faster than last time, a large demonic orb grew from the rune-like circle, prepped and ready to fire.
So she did just that.
The orb flew off from the magic circle, shooting towards her adversary with incredible speed.
But not fast enough, as Basara recovered quickly enough to stand up again and swing Brynhildr at the incoming attack, using Banishing Shift to cancel it out.
The moment that the blade made contact, he was forced to slide back a little, the ground not helping to keep traction.
Soon enough however, like every other time, the ball of power was split into two, canceling out the attack in it's entirety.
Once more, Maria managed to close the gap between them after he got rid of her attack, bringing her fist out to hit him square in the stomach. Hoping that it would be enough for a knockout.
Unfortunately, the former apprentice managed a last-second defense, using all of his strength to present the flat-end of his sword and backing it with both of his hands, he stopped her attack cold.
The shockwave ripped apart the ground around them, creating a harsh wind that picked up any debris near them and flung them away.
Both combatants stayed locked like that, with Maria stuck in an awkward position thanks to the fact that her body was stretched out for her punch.
It was at precisely at that moment, that another mini-earthquake rumbled under their feet, an extended one, with the muddy ground facilitating in destabilizing their shaky balance.
Except this time, it was the succubus that lost her footing.
Purple eyes widened as the young human pressed her back thanks to her loss of balance, before outright smacking her fist out of the way and leaving her wide open.
Instead of bringing his large sword out and around to slice the silverette in half, due to it's unwieldy nature, Basara quickly opted to smash his metallic fist into her stomach, refusing to give her time to recuperate.
Maria coughed out some blood as the blow sent her sliding back, her feet breaking apart the ground as she tried to stop her movement. Even hunching over to smash her fist into the ground to contribute.
She finally managed it when she crashed into a tree, doing enough damage to it to rip it off of it's roots, loosening it.
Basara didn't let up, as he charged in, this time keeping his blade ready to finish off the succubus once and for all.
With blood spilling out of her mouth, the half-devil grinned a little when he approached with incredible speed.
Before he reached her, she whipped her arm around the tree behind her, pulling it to her and bringing it down onto the incoming berserker.
Glowing green eyes narrowed as a snarl emerged from the human's lips when they saw the falling tree, responding without hesitation by slashing straight through the bark and jumping on top of what was left to get to his enemy.
Except, the large piece of bark moved.
Basara nearly lost his balance when the remnant of the tree moved higher to the sky, getting higher and higher as if...
"Big mistake!" Maria crowed from below, holding the lumber on her hands and swinging it over her head...
Before swinging it down, with the human now falling off of the large log and smashing him under it's largess.
A large amount of leaves and splinters flew into the air after the fall, floating a little before they landed on the forest floor again. The rain helping it's journey down.
The half-devil heaved a sigh of relief, before casually patting herself on the back for a job well done. She didn't even mean for her plan to end up like that, but she wasn't gonna complain.
After a quick breather, she started scanning the fallen lumber with a critical eye, unsure of whether her enemy would be alright.
As soon as she got close, the harsh sound of wood breaking apart entered her ears.
Suddenly, a large amount of bark was thrown into the air when something created a large hole through the tree.
The large sword that ripped through the timber was likely the culprit.
Shocked that the young man could tank through such a hit so easily, she wasn't ready to respond in time when he suddenly cut through the rest of the tree and attacked.
The succubus could only bring her arms up in defense again, prepared to-
Once more, the ground rumbled underfoot, destabilizing her footing as she tried to form a defense.
Unfortunately, that proved to be enough of an opening for the young human.
Maria let out a gasp as the broadsword cut through skin, leaving a gash that crossed from her shoulder to her hips, knocking her back hard.
The half-devil was sent sliding into the ground, splitting the earth apart as she was sent away at an incredible speed.
She didn't stop until she crashed into a rock formation, making a large dent into it as she clutched the wound across her body, wincing in pain, trying to stop the flow of blood.
"...Man..." Maria couldn't help but mutter with a grin, despite the harsh situation. "Boys can really play rough...huh?"
She chuckled at her own joke, as she tried to use the large rock that she crashed into to help her up, trying not to flinch every time she moved her body.
As she tried to get up, the ground continued to rumble unabated, as if whatever was causing the ground to shake was happening repeatedly.
Purple eyes took a moment to watch the ground, genuinely worried that whatever was causing the mini-earthquakes was getting worse. Who could that possibly be...?
A fond smile grew on her face, that had to be Naruto-sama...a troublemaker as usual, even in such circumstances.
Maria finally managed to get up, arm crossing her wound, preparing herself for the inevitable confrontation.
As expected, Basara stalked towards her, eyes gleaming in the the rain, with Brynhildr getting dragged through the soil.
Still slightly delirious, Maria noted idly that the young man had a new addition to him that she didn't notice until now.
He had a crescent-shaped metallic object that was pointed towards the sky attached to his back.
How weird...
Still grinning faintly, after finally gathering her wits about her, the succubus raised her dukes. Knowing full well that with her wound...she wouldn't be able to fight at full strength anymore.
But still, she had no intention of going out like this, she still had to make Naruto-sama blush after all!
So with a breezy laugh escaping her lips, she lowered her center of gravity to get ready for the human to continue his assault.
The former apprentice quickly obliged, charging forward, moving faster than before.
A vicious blow smashed into her face, pushing her into the rocks behind her, leaving a body-shaped hole inside it's hard surface.
Basara grinned as he completely forgoed the use of his sword to smash his fists onto the weakened half-devil, relentlessly hitting her open wound and digging her into the rock.
Maria did her best to block as many of the blows as she could, gritting her teeth as she tried to ignore the pain that was ripping across her whole body.
After a few more moments, the succubus was smashed through the entire rock formation, sending her crashing to the ground. Groaning as her entire body ached.
Nevertheless, Maria forced herself back up, shakily crossing her arms together to form a defense, her body quickly becoming numb to the stings that she felt.
As if on cue, the former apprentice brought his sword out and jumped high into the air, swinging it down in a brutal arc towards his weakened opponent.
The ground under them gave way as the succubus managed to stop the attack, forming a large crater that quickly obliterated any wildlife that was near them.
More importantly, was the fact that the silverette's gauntlets finally gave out after that blow, falling apart on her hands as blood pooled down to the floor.
But Maria still held firm, gritting her teeth as the sword tried to dig deeper into her skin, fully aware that if she tried to back up...it was over.
So she held firm like that, holding steady as her enemy's weapon slowly pushed into her skin, despite her new strength and power.
The succubus could only offer a shaky smile at this situation, she was in a really tight spot right now...!
Basara kept up the pressure, beginning to cut deep into his enemy's hands, reaching important muscle tissue, a manic smirk on his face.
Then that smirk disappeared, replaced temporarily with confusion.
A growl emerged from his lips as a sharp pain emerged from his back, caused by a sword slashing him from behind.
The sudden attack loosened his defenses, allowing for the individual responsible to twist around him and bring her foot to separate her ally from her former comrade.
Yuki did just that.
Her foot smashed into Basara's face, knocking him away from Maria as he was sent backwards, sliding on the ground in a heap.
The young hero turned around, eyes sharp. "Maria-san!"
Maria blinked for a moment, confused.
Then it hit her.
Forcing her body up, the succubus got onto her feet again and charged forward to their downed adversary, using the opportunity that the female hero provided to her.
She forced as much energy into her fist as possible, prepared to land at least one powerful blow, one that would completely outstrip anything that she has...or will dish out.
Basara managed to recover quickly enough to get to his feet before the half-devil reached him, baring his teeth as he brought Brynhildr up to slash her before she reached-
*Clang*
Green eyes were wide as his weapon was knocked out of his fingers, thanks to the sharp object that was smashed into it.
Yuki's hands was outstretched as she flung Sakuya at her former comrade, hoping that would be enough of an opening for the succubus, knowing full well that this was there last shot.
Maria closed the rest of the gap between herself and the enemy warrior, raising her fist high into the air...
Before swinging it down on Basara's torso, smashing him straight to the ground, creating a massive crater that sent all of the soil and dust into the air, as if a large mine was set off.
The female hero was knocked on her back, covering her eyes from the shockwave of the attack, rain, dirt, and dust pelting her continuously.
Until finally, silence.
Yellow eyes peered into the cloud of dust, frowning as she tried to see whether both combatants were alright...
Shortly, the dust began to clear out, giving a clear view of Maria standing over her opponent, who was seemingly unconscious on the ground.
Yuki jogged to her fellow female, moving to grab her katana as she carefully regarded the downed warrior that was her former comrade.
"Is he...?" the hero asked quietly, trailing off, afraid to complete that question.
"No." the succubus reassured, as she knelt down to check his condition. "He's going to be alright, Yuki-san. He's a tough one."
The female human let loose a sigh of relief, kneeling down to also check on the young man's condition more closely, stretching a hand to touch a vein in his neck.
As she tapped the side of his neck, feeling a pulse, her eyes wandered to check his face.
Green eyes stared back at her.
"Ba-!" Yuki nearly shouted out, before a hand clasped around her neck, pushing her back.
Another hand shot out and grabbed Maria by the neck as well, catching her off guard as her throat was suddenly constricted.
Both females were pushed back as Basara got onto his feet, a large gash on his torso, but the vicious glow in his eyes still very much apparent.
The duo clawed at the teen's hands, trying to break free from his grasp, but their weakened state made it hard, both still exhausted from the long bout.
"W-Wait..." Yuki wheezed out, trying to appeal to her former acquaintance, hoping that there was a spark. "It's...me..."
If the young man heard her, he didn't act like he did, instead...he opted to put more pressure.
Except, once more, that pressure ended abruptly for both females, allowing them to breathe again as they both plopped onto the ground again, gasping.
"...Sorry for taking so long." a familiar voice rumbled out.
Yellow eyes snapped open, turning to find the source of the voice.
Her eyes locked onto the broad back of a young man, with tanned skin peeking out from burned clothes and golden locks plastered against him. Facing away from her and against the insane former apprentice.
She didn't need to confirm who it was.
"Naruto-sama...!" Maria cried out, reassured. "You made it! Hey, hey! Did you see my my new body? I bet you find me irresistible now, right!?"
The hero glanced at her partner, amazed that she could think about that in a time like this.
Then again...with them all back together again, she supposed that the sense of familiarity and security helped.
But strangely enough, instead of offering a humorous retort or a good-natured reprimand...he didn't respond at all.
Instead, he continued to stare at his newest adversary, almost as if in a trance, refusing to face his friends.
It was at that moment, that Yuki noticed something...odd about the blond, something that put her on edge.
His hands...the fingernails on those limbs were now long and sharp enough to be claws...
His hair...already wild and spiky, were almost feral now...
Those strange whisker marks on his cheeks...were much more thicker and darker than before...
But most importantly, was his aura.
She didn't notice it before, as the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins and her relief at seeing the blond had prevented her from seeing.
Or more precisely, from sensing it.
But she could now.
Every danger sense she has ever acquired through her time as a hero was telling her to get away, to run from something, to fight it.
That feeling was evoked from the boy in front of her.
It seemed that Maria got that feeling too, as she became more wary as time went on, unsure of whether the blond in front of them was the Naruto that they knew.
So Yuki took a step forward, heart beating wildly, as she raised a hand up to touch his back-
"Don't."
Her hand stopped, merely inches away from the burnt orange shirt he still wore.
Naruto had his head bowed, still facing away from his two friends, clenching his fists.
Before slowly turning his head around, allowing for both females to see the red slits that peeked through golden locks.
"...Please...don't."
No more explanation or words were given, the teen just turned away from them again and charged forward, a grim look in his eye.
He ignored the alarmed cries of his allies as he quickly zeroed in on his fellow male, lips twitching as he appeared right in front of him.
This was the man that was choking his friends to death...
A powerful blow rocked the forest when Naruto smashed his fist into Basara's stomach, causing him to spit blood as he was sent crashing into multiple trees. Bringing them down as if they were made of paper.
Monster...
The shinobi bared his sharp teeth as he ran, quickly catching up with the flying warrior, jumping up when he reached him during mid-flight and smashed him to the ground.
Basara crashed into the ground, hitting it hard enough to knock his body back up into the air for a split-second...
A knee embedded itself into the young man's stomach, bringing him higher into the air.
Before two clenched fists brought themselves down onto the warrior's back, viciously bringing him to the ground, making a deep hole that was shaped like him.
Naruto glared harshly at the ground, red slits hardening as the same thought kept getting recycled in his head.
Monster...
Monster.
Monster.
Basara growled darkly at the the blond, trying to claw his way out of the hole he was in, still holding onto his sword as he-
The shinobi interrupted the teen's actions by smashing his fist into his face, disorienting him for a split-second.
Except he didn't stop.
Naruto used one of his hands to hold him down, before repeatedly sending devastating blows to the 'hero', sending him deeper into the ground as the earth cracked around them.
Red slits were dilated as the blond continued his relentless onslaught, streams of water flowing down his face as the rain continued to pour.
Fists that were meant to protect were slowly turning red with blood.
Suddenly then, as if a switch was flipped, the blond stopped raining down the punches on the now-unconscious young man below him. Red slits stoic, losing their ferocity.
He was in control still.
"Naruto!" Yuki shouted, grabbing the shinobi's attention.
Those demonic eyes shifted to regard the two females carefully, completely calm.
"Should I kill him?"
Yuki and Maria froze at the question that just came out of their friend's mouth, leaving them gaping.
"W-What?" Yuki breathed out, eyes wide.
"...I asked; should I kill him?" he repeated blandly, still calm.
Maria took a step forward, hands up in an attempt to soothe the teen, believing that he wasn't in his right mind. "Naruto-sama...maybe you should step away from him, I don't know what happened...but we should talk about it. Let's just let Yuki-san handle him and-"
"No." Naruto interjected, voice guttural. "I already have blood on my hands..."
Then suddenly, the shinobi raised a clawed hand up into the sky, red slits aimed at the young man under him.
"...What's another after all?" he finished grimly, before bringing his arm down to Basara's neck.
The hand stopped before it reached it's destination, held back, not by morality, but by a young woman's hug.
Yuki held her friend from behind, shocking him into stopping.
"Ah...Yuki? What are you-?" Naruto began, before he felt another set of arms surround him.
Maria also took the chance to embrace him, stopping him from finishing the dark deed. "Naruto-sama...stop, please."
The shinobi clenched his eyes shut, refusing to look at either of them. "Damn it...! Neither of you understand!"
"You're right." Yuki mumbled, voice muffled as she pressed her face into his shirt. "But there's something that both of us can see quite well I think. You're...in pain, Naruto. You don't want to do this. I can see it in your eyes."
Naruto still didn't look at them, he just continued to stare forward.
The hero moved one of her arms off of him, instead using it to grasp the blond's face and tilt it towards her, needing to see him. "...What's wrong...? Naruto...?"
Yellow eyes locked with puffy ruby ones, water streaming down his face as it was twisted up in self-disgust and confusion.
His eyes, once formidable and unyielding, now looked at her with real fear in them.
"...I tortured them...and I enjoyed it..." he said quietly, a whisper in the rain.
Slowly, as she continued to watch, ruby eyes began to bleed away, giving way to sapphire blue again.
"...I'm a monster...didn't you know?" he continued, eyes fluttering close, as a sea of exhaustion hit him.
Maria held him tighter, shaking her head as he spoke. "Naruto-sama..."
Yuki also hugged him closer, trying to convey as well as understand.
As Naruto slowly began to let his exhaustion overwhelm him, he saw..
He saw...
Hundreds...if not thousands of backs turned away from him...dark words talking about him in hushed tones...
"...Stay away from him..."
"...Kyuubi-brat..."
"Don't look at him...!"
"Monster..."
The shinobi could only shake his head in desperation, clutching at both of his precious people, pleading.
"...Please don't..." he mumbled out, before his eyes finally shuttered close.
Both females stayed close to their unconscious friend, trying to understand what could have possibly happened...
"...We can't stay here." Yuki stated with authority, quickly determining that staying out in the rain would help no one. "We have to find shelter, he's no doubt tired from everything that happened today...let's let him rest."
Maria nodded slowly, still holding onto her friend closely, remembering the haunted look in his eyes as well as his words.
"Just what's wrong...Naruto-sama...?" the succubus whispered, holding him close, brushing his hair away from his face.
It was at that moment that they heard footsteps moving closer to them, something heavy.
Purple eyes locked with yellow ones, quickly choosing between them on who would go and who would watch after Naruto.
Yellow eyes strayed across the half-devil's body, scanning the wounds that she received throughout the fight that they were juts embroiled in.
Then the hero turned around, eyes firm. "Rest up Maria-san, I'll handle this."
Maria didn't respond, she merely turned her eyes back to their unconscious ally and brushed his plastered hair away from his forehead.
Yuki raised Sakuya, making sure that she had a means of defense just in case the being that was coming was hostile...
Then she lowered it, recognizing what came out of the bushes immediately.
"...You're...that yokai; the nue." she realized immediately, registering the beast that separated them from Naruto in the first place.
The chimera-like being that emerged from the underbrush smiled, flashing sharp canines. "Indeed, and you must be Naruto-sama's ally...tell me, is he here?"
"He's here!" Maria chimed in, completely interrupting Yuki before she could even open her mouth.
The nue dutifully turned to the succubus, finally finding the blond hero. "Ah...excellent, so he's safe. After his copies were destroyed, my comrades and I feared the worst. Especially since he looks like he may need a place to rest..."
Yuki's eyes snapped to the yokai, catching onto the wording of his statement. "Are you offering?"
"Of course." the yokai replied, nodding. "The copies that were protecting Yasaka-sama and Kunou-sama told us everything once we found them, informing us about where their creator went to as well. We owe him our gratitude for keeping our royalty safe. The least we can do is provide hospitality."
The hero turned around, locking eyes with her partner, looking for her thoughts.
Maria just raised an eyebrow, her opinion obvious.
She then turned around and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, we will take your offer."
The nue nodded, before turning around and going back to where he came from. "Excellent, follow me, we will be going back to Kyoto while my fellow yokai focus on taking Kunou-sama and Yasaka-sama back home as well. Yasaka-sama is still in her kyuubi state you see. We will also have a yokai pick up that unconscious man over there as well."
Both females didn't wait long to grab their things and help their unconscious friend up, throwing his arms over their shoulders to carry him to Kyoto.
Their ordeal was over...
"Shiba-san, what's taking them so long?"
Shiba didn't answer immediately, he simply continued to 'watch' the situation carefully, tracking the movements of all parties involved in this mess.
The boy that questioned him was a relatively new addition to their organization; Leonardo, a boy that was convinced to join them thanks to Cao Cao's charisma.
But...of course, the boy's loyalty, like many among their group, was hinged on the leader himself.
Which was why the traitorous hero was seriously contemplating on whether he should inform his fellow humans about the utter catastrophe that befell their leaders.
More than that, how should the Hero Faction proceed from there? Was it doomed to fail now?
No...there was a way.
"Boy...your name is Leonardo, right?" Shiba questioned, turning to face the boy beside him.
Leonardo nodded faintly, staring at him with a straight face. "Yes sir."
"Leonardo...I want you to inform the rest of the our comrades to get the chopper ready. We are going to the battlefield...something has happened and you all need to see it yourselves."
The boy blinked, focusing on something else for a moment, before nodding again. "Ok...but, do you need medical help first?"
Closed eyes opened ever so slightly as the young man wiped the blood that was slowly leaking from his forehead. "Ah...this. Don't worry, this is merely a consequence for using my abilities...that and Uzumaki can hit pretty hard. Now go. Hurry."
Leonardo finally made a sloppy salute and went on his way, moving to inform his comrades.
Shiba closed his eyes again, contemplating his next move. The fact was that the elite of the Hero Faction was obliterated and that they were now a bit too low on manpower.
First things first, they would collect as many of the fallen bodies as possible. He knew full well that the yokai were focused on taking their leader back to Kyoto while she was in her kyuubi state, meaning they had to focus on carrying her. Leaving the fallen bodies alone for them to return to.
That would be their time to strike. He should thank Yasaka for creating that light barrier around the area...it would have been difficult for them to hide their helicopters without it.
Once that's complete, the entire group would retreat from Japan entirely for a while and temporary make a base on the ruins of the Chinese Hero Tribe headquarters. It should still be a while until other Hero Tribe branches check it out.
They had time to recuperate, thankfully.
But they needed a distraction to lick their wounds...especially to prevent Uzumaki from snooping around into their activities a second time...
...He had a few ideas.
"Leonardo!" Shiba called out, grabbing the boy's attention. "...I want you to do one more thing for me...make contact with the Old Maou Faction for me. I wish to speak to their leader about a...business opportunity."
The traitorous hero felt a very specific power up before...one that he was confident that Lucifer would recognize.
During the battles that were raging across the forest, next to Uzumaki's rise in power, was the rise in power of a certain devil...
It was a half-devil...and he only knew two that were affiliated with Uzumaki...and this one didn't feel like a descendant of Lucifer.
No doubt he could trade this information for quite a bit, and even refocus their blond friend's eyes away from them and back to the devils again.
It was only fair, Leohart purposefully gave them information about Uzumaki so that he could focus on them, so it was time to change hands.
Now...unless the powerful...'human' felt like losing the daughter of Lucifer, he should probably hurry back home~
Violet eyes stared up at the sky, watching it with the fascination of a little girl.
She was currently on her break anyways, so it didn't really matter that she was wasting time like this. She was a busy woman at the slowest of days.
Raynare let loose a sigh, letting the stress of her work slide right off of her.
Research on what was going on with their faction was slow and arduous; the numerous interviews, interrogations, dna testing, and the occasional explosion of anger...or whatever the patient was afflicted with.
She didn't want to elaborate on what happened when fallen angels exploded with 'lust'.
It was consistently stressful, so she was thankful for this time off-
"Raynare-sama! Where are you? Azazel-sama needs you!" Kalawarner called out, exiting the building to find her charge laying on the grass.
The young fallen groaned, glancing up to stare at the blue-haired woman with annoyance. "Can't it wait...? I just started my break..."
The older fallen shook her head. "Sorry, but it's urgent."
"No need to convince her to come Kalawarner...I'm already here anyways." a masculine voice interrupted.
Both sets of eyes turned to see the leader of their faction walk up to them, exiting the building to give the young female on the floor a grim look.
Violet eyes narrowed warily, what was going-
"Raynare, we have more information on Kokabiel's whereabouts. As we feared, he has built a presence in Kuoh Town...we need you to go there and explain the situation. We don't need to raise tensions with the devils there at a time like this." the powerful fallen explained briskly, all business.
Both females there stared at him with wide eyes, so it has come to this...
"Got it." the young woman agreed, getting up to stretch her two pairs of wings. "When do I go?"
Azazel smiled as she accepted the responsibility smoothly. "As fast as possible, we need to clear up any misunderstandings before things get out of hand. Thank you for taking this responsibility, kid."
Raynare offered him a small grin. "This is in my interest too, I have no intention of fighting on the battlefield until my mother is better. The sooner I finish with this, the better."
With that, the black-haired woman jogged past him, intent on grabbing some food for the trip; to-and-back.
This wouldn't take any longer than a day or two.
*Drip*
The sound of dripping water echoed across the sewer-like area, a constant that someone would have to get used to while they stayed there.
In this pseudo-sewer, was a massive gate, one that held back one of the most powerful creatures in the Elemental Nations.
The kyuubi no yoko, the most powerful of the bijū.
That creature had recently intervened with his host's...'situation'. One that could have ended up doing immense damage to his emotional well-being in the long run.
Which was why 'he' was confused.
...Why did you intervene...kyuubi?
A single eye opened up, revealing a massive red slit, staring into the darkness of the sewers.
"...So you were the one..." the bijū muttered out loud, eye narrowed.
Yes...me. Now answer me.
The kyuubi closed it's eye, turning away stubbornly, refusing to answer.
...How strange, I didn't anticipate your intervention...that's annoying. If anything, I anticipated your approval of what I was doing. Did you have a change of heart...?
This time, both red slits revealed themselves. "You...you're Naruto's 'remnant'...right? His 'excess'."
Wrong. I am Naruto...or at least...I was.
"Until he abandoned you, forgot you existed...right?"the great beast retorted casually, eyes sharp, remembering this feeling in his jinchūriki once upon a time. "When he tried to move past his hatred..."
Lies...he never moved past it...he only shoved it away, pretended it never existed...well...I'm still here. Biding my time. Waiting.
"For what exactly?" the orange fox questioned, genuinely curious. "Do you really think that you can conquer the dominant personality so easily?"
...You misunderstand me. I had no intention of destroying the current 'Naruto'...simply reforming him.
The powerful kyuubi frowned slightly, not understanding.
You don't get it? Heh...don't worry, it's something that you've learned yourself...right? Never to trust.
Massive red slits narrowed imperceptibly at that statement.
Am I wrong? The current Naruto...the 'fake' one if you prefer...is living a lie. Living while clinging on to the hope that people will accept him for who he is, while refusing to show others any negative sides to his character.
The bijū didn't respond, he merely continued to stare into the darkness, listening to the disembodied voice.
For example; Koneko-san and his senjutsu...oh...he made logical back-flips to justify it to himself. But in the end, with his refusal to admit to his past as a shinobi and to your power...he proves that deep inside, he doesn't have confidence in others accepting him thoroughly. He is just pretending to live otherwise. All I'm going to do...is make it more apparent for him, by showing how easily his bonds are broken when he isn't as perfect as he portrays. How no one could ever accept our darkness. Our 'true' self.
The great creature finally got a glint of understanding. "I see...not only that...but now that I pay attention..you're stronger now too, aren't you? Now that I think about it, I remember feeling the negative power of this world's natural energy earlier. The negative energy didn't really affect Naruto himself...but it would enhance any negative feelings hidden deep inside...wouldn't it?"
Ah...now you're getting it. Indeed, the natural energy didn't affect him at all until it enhanced my influence. Temporarily weakening him, and temporarily allowing me to have more control over his psyche. Though...my influence was negligible until he used your chakra. Just like natural energy, your chakra works more like a multiplier of negative emotions. His anger is usually what pushes him to use your power, thus...it enhanced that anger. But in this case...it enhanced my darkness as well, his inner hatred became manifest when he used your power.
The bijū went silent, contemplating the implications of the situation. Naruto had no idea what was going on inside himself...
Are you going to tell him?
Red slits shifted to look at the darkness, an ugly blob that tainted an already battered area.
"No." the kyuubi stated simply, closing his eyes and setting his head to rest.
The darkness didn't respond, it merely faded away again, as if it was never there to begin with.
Silence surrounded the sewer again, allowing the great beast's next words to echo in the empty room.
"...If you can't face the piece of yourself that stares back at you in the mirror...then I will never be able to call you my equal...Naruto." the massive fox muttered. "If you ever want to call me your 'friend' one day...start cleaning your own house first."
With that, the great kyuubi no yoko fell asleep.