Mio, for her part, felt her shoulders sag, mentally tired from the back-to-back problems that seemed to have come barreling in as soon as her Na- brother, left.
She felt like she could practically sleep on the floor at this rate.
But thankfully, now, she would finally be able to get some rest.
As she turned to follow along with everyone else that was leaving, she idly saw that the fallen angel was, surprisingly, staying behind to speak with the two high-class devils. For what reason, she wasn't exactly sure.
And while she was curious, her exhaustion easily won out over it.
She was officially done with serious discussions for a while.
So, when the young red-head managed to leave the club room, and then Kuoh Academy grounds, all without a hitch, she was fairly content.
That feeling was shattered when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder while she was heading home.
Mio slowly turned around, seeing the determined look of a certain pervert gazing at her.
As well as the nervous, yet courageous emerald orbs of a certain nun.
And finally, the stoic, yet very emotional set of hazel irises of a certain rook.
Mio had only one thing to say to all of them.
"...Don't you people get tired?" she couldn't help but wonder, her left eyebrow twitching, knowing what they were going to suggest just by looking at the pleading expression on Hyoudou Issei's face.
Issei just smirked in response. "Not tonight, besides, I'm used to doing all-nighters."
"...Really? Doing what?" the half-devil almost dreaded to ask.
"Finding new ways to peep, of course." the perverted boy responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Frankly, Mio wasn't surprised, since the more serious side of his personality only came out during life-and-death struggles.
"...Mio-san." Koneko piped up, dragging Issei away from her by pulling at his shirt, literally dragging him backwards as she took a step forward. "...Despite what Buchou said, I don't think...that letting a friend stew by himself is the smart thing to do."
"So you want to find him...again." Mio remarked, disbelief in her tone obvious. "And how exactly would you know that talking to him right now is the smart thing to do?"
Koneko just closed her eyes, a soft smile forcing her lips to twitch upwards. "Because...if I was in his position...I wouldn't want to be left alone."
The first-year of Kuoh Academy stared at her fellow first-year blankly, trying not to think sigh too explosively.
Mio quietly wondered whether she was too soft as she uttered her next words.
"...Fine. Then we'll go look for him." she allowed, despite her reluctance. "But I still-"
"Awesome!" Issei declared, all energy despite the fact that it was well past midnight by now. "Let's move then! We'll definitely talk sense into that bastard this time!"
Without warning, Mio felt someone grab her arm, and bodily drag her through the streets in search of a certain knight...again.
Not for the first time, Mio wanted to bemoan the fact that Naruto wasn't here yet.
Thankfully though, she stopped herself from doing so.
Instead of hoping for the whiskered teen to be here and solve...well...everything, she instead opted to silently hope that he was faring better than she was.
Naruto was not doing well right now.
That was what the shinobi figured out as soon as he realized that he was trapped inside Ophis' barrier, with no way out...except through her.
And, if that lady in the sky was telling the truth, then he would be forced to face an opponent that is considered to be way stronger than any opponent that he has fought so far in this world.
Truth be told, he was curious whether this being was as strong as Pain was back in his world.
...Actually, scratch that, he didn't want to know.
"Hey~ When are you gonna make a move down there~? You know that thinking of a way out of this won't work, right?" a certain black-haired woman claimed from the sky, laying on her suspended magic circle high above.
Naruto ignored her, focusing far more on the literal threat that was right in front of him.
That literal threat, in the form of a little girl, apparently lost whatever restraint that was holding her back while he was brainstorming, because the ethereal snakes that she has formed had decided to make their move.
Lunging forward, the energy-based reptilians opened their mouths wide and made to tear at the blond's skin as soon as they got close enough.
Instincts in full effect, the shinobi leapt backwards as his eyes took in all of the attacks that were advancing towards him, bringing his hands together to make a cross.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto declared, flaring his chakra a little and activating his technique, calling forth a plume of smoke as the snakes charged inside.
As soon as the snakes cut into the smoke however, several blurs shot out of it, either dashing out of view or heading straight for the powerful entity in front of them.
Soulless grey eyes stared ahead blankly as the blurs closed the gap between them, recognizing those blurs as copies of her target.
She didn't move a muscle as they raised their fists to attack, thrusting them forward with the intent to smash her into the ground.
It turned out, that she didn't have to.
The clones soon crashed into the stoic 'child', slamming their fists into her with all of their might, feeling their fists connect...
Then feeling their fists crumble.
Pairs of blue eyes widened in horror as the fists that impacted against Ophis' cheeks spewed out blood, the bones inside their hands collapsing after hitting something that simply wouldn't give way to their strength.
Immediately after, the clones popped out of existence, without the powerful being having to do anything.
Right afterwards, another blur emerged from the plume of smoke that the original Naruto created, charging forward with a small ball of energy swirling in his hand.
"Rasengan!" Naruto exclaimed as he charged forward, throwing his left arm forward so that his attack would connect with his enemy's stomach, keeping his body low so that he'd be a more difficult target.
Fortunately, Ophis didn't even bother to try and move, only bothering to take a glimpse of him as she made eye contact with him.
When she did, the grinding attack was shoved into her stomach, the vicious whirling sound that accompanied it actually managing to drown out all other noises to their ears.
So the blond pushed, cerulean eyes fierce as his powerful attack ground in deeper, somewhat confident that he was doing decent damage.
At least, until he felt something wrap around his neck.
The shinobi's head was snapped upwards by a forceful pull, his neck caught in the grasp of the snakes that he dodged before, forcing him to look directly at the small girl from his lowered position.
"...You're...the real one?" she pondered, not at all concerned with the small orb that was still pressing into her stomach.
Naruto, or rather, his clone tried to put on a teasing smirk, which didn't quite succeed. "M-Maybe, why don't you let go for a sec and find out?"
She stayed silent, regarding the young man, before tilting her head. "You're not real."
The clone couldn't even get a word in edgewise before the snakes applied pressure to his neck, eliciting a sick *snap*from it.
Ophis has already moved her attention past the deceased clone, which disappeared from her grasp in a puff of smoke anyway, and stared at the plume of smoke that the original Naruto created with his technique.
She was focused onto that because of the loud sound of wind cutting through the air completely dominated her ears, as well as the fact that the smoke was being violently pushed away by something from within it.
The cause of this strange phenomenon was none other than the real Naruto, who was standing beside a clone with a shuriken-like attack raised over his head, buffeting everyone with gale-force winds.
"I don't care whether you're considered the world's strongest or not!" the shinobi declared, eyes flaring as his spiky hair shifted in the vicious winds that his rasenshurikenwas making. "If you're made out of cells like every other living being...then you will be disintegrated by this next attack!"
If Ophis was concerned, she didn't express it as she retained her stoic demeanor.
Not that Naruto was looking for that anyway, he knew damn well that nothing less than this would take such a being down.
He simply couldn't afford to hold anything back, not here, not now.
So the shinobi blitzed forward, the spinning shuriken on his left hand tearing at the ground whenever one of it's blades made contact with it, making something of a cloud of dust form behind the young man.
The little girl really didn't do anything in response to his latest attempt to assault her.
But she did react to it, not with action, but through a simple expression.
Ophis smiled.
And why did that simple fact alone send a chill down his spine?
Maybe it was because that smile was one that spoke volumes, one that told the blond exactly one thing.
That he had passed a test.
Regardless, Naruto shoved his apprehensiveness away and focused on the here and now, making sure that he moved his left hand to his front so that he could ram the attack into the powerful being.
Like last time, that attack connected, without her even trying to get out of the way.
The rasenshuriken buffeted both combatants with it's power, as the wind blades dug into the ground once it expanded after connecting into Ophis. Very quickly pushing the child off of her feet.
From there, the jutsu sped forward like a missile, carrying her as the screeching shuriken began to destabilize.
The attack literally ripped apart everything that was in it's way across the rocky terrain, literally smashing her into a rock formation as the powerful ability finally detonated.
*BOOOOM*
Naruto could only raise his arm to protect his eyes as a massive wind dome enveloped several rocky formations near the one that he sent Ophis crashing into, trying to ignore the prickling pain on his left hand as he watched the devastation.
The wind dome continued to expand in width and depth, everything held within it's diameter getting ripped apart by the microscopic wind blades that were released, obliterating it all into nothing.
Of this, Naruto had no doubts.
So the shinobi was already getting ready to turn around and face that woman in the sky, figuring that she was either gonna make a break for it, or attack him while his back is turned.
When he completed his turn, to his slight surprise, he met the amused golden slits of a completely unconcerned Kuroka on her perch. "What...? Do you think that you've won, nya?"
Naruto frowned as her words echoed across the mountainous valley, registering the words but not really believing it.
The young man then spun on the spot eyes widening as his danger senses screamed, leading to one overarching word to dominate his mind in that very moment.
Move.
The shinobi did just that, backing up from the ferocious vortex that his rasenshuriken created just as a shadow began to emerge from it's confines, slowly making it's way out of the dome.
Soon enough, a pale hand emerged from the wind, and soon after, the rest of Ophis' intact body pushed through, with only superficial scratches across her form.
Naruto just stared at the 'child' with a gaping mouth, unable to believe that she just walked out of his jutsu with only minimal damage at best.
"Nyahaha~! I bet you're super surprised, right? That your powerful attack barely did anything? Well, don't worry, if it was almost anyone else, that attack would have destroyed them." Kuroka exclaimed with a toothy grin, her eyes drinking in the young man's form from above.
Blue eyes remained on the Ouroboros Dragon, now willing to admit that she could, in fact, not be bluffing about how status in this world, and he kept his focus even as the woman in the sky continued.
"Really though, if it wasn't for the fact that I had senjutsu, I wouldn't have realized how powerful that attack was. It was faint, but I felt the tiny wind blades inside that attack, so tiny that they could probably enter someone's skin without having to break through it...right?" the black-haired woman purred. "I bet you thought that those wind blades would destroy Ophis-sama from the inside, right? Well, you'd be right...if it wasn't for one thing."
Naruto's attention never wavered, but now he was making sure to listen carefully to his -optional- opponent above.
Kuroka shuffled her body closer to the edge, just enough that she was able to dangle her head over the edge as she flipped onto her back, her golden slits intensely focused on the blond. "Ophis-sama is a Dragon God, literally the highest tier of dragon in existence, which in turn, have among the hardest natural armor in existence. Despite Ophis-sama's appearance, her skin is very much protected by her powerful scales, her power to shapeshift simply doesn't affect her natural defense. So, I bet that those teeny-tiny wind blades that you were hoping for were mostly destroyed when they crashed into Ophis-sama's scales before they reached her skin. Too bad, so sad nya~"
The shinobi felt his teeth gnash together in annoyance, her words managing to get under his skin more than he'd like.
It was the simple concept that the rasenshuriken could be stopped that got under his skin.
Still, Naruto was grimly determined not to lose heart, and shifted his immediate goal to accommodate the situation.
With a plan in the works, Naruto opted to try and use a different jutsu, one that was more familiar yet new at the same time.
...Kind of.
From above, Kuroka hummed, curious about what the blond below had in mind, looking forward to his 'next trick'.
It wasn't like he could actually do anything to harm someone so powerful, so she was expressing something akin to a childlike curiosity of what a magician could pull out of his hat.
So when she saw the young man hold his left hand out far from his body, while his right hand began to make grabbing motions on it, she was very much eager to see what her -possible- future mate would do next.
At first, what appeared on the palm of his hand actually disappointed her, as she remembered that she saw that attack used against Ophis prior, with little-to-no damage done.
Was he running out of ideas?
But soon after that, her interest was piqued again thanks to the fact that the teen simply didn't stop pouring more power into the orb, making the attack grow larger.
At first, the sphere neatly fit into the palm of his hand, but as time passed, it continued to grow to the point that it became as large as a basketball.
It didn't stop there either, as a matter of fact, it grew more and more to the point that it was practically almost as big as the teen himself, forcing him to raise the sphere over his head.
For a split-second, the blond looked like he was about to lose control of the technique, as he scrunched his eyebrows together in deep concentration...
But he apparently got it under control, as his intense concentration left his face, allowing him to glance at the being that refused to let him go.
Kuroka just stared at the attack, acknowledging it as essentially a massive variant of the same attack he utilized against the Ouroboros Dragon mere moments ago.
So surely, despite it's size, it shouldn't do that much, right?
At least, that's what she felt, but that opinion would change a bit shortly.
Nothing changed when Naruto first jumped into the air, raising the attack over his head, preparing to crash it into Ophis with it's largess.
Her lack of concern basically stemmed from the 'little girl's' reaction, which, as always, was a blank.
So when Ophis was smashed into the ground by the massive sphere, literally digging her into the earth, the black-haired woman wasn't particularly concerned.
However, after a few moments of the two combatants going in deeper into one of the mountain's foundations, a certain whiskered teen hastily jumped out of the hole, making a break for it.
Kuroka just watched with a twinge of concern, literally seeing the young man run away from his own attack actually gave her pause.
What really made her reconsider her lackluster response to his ability, was when the very earth itself began to shake, violently.
So violently that she was able to see it, as she was high in the air, too far away to feel the rumble.
Before she could even think to question how it was possible for an earthquake to hit the area when they were in a barrier-
Kuroka was literally knocked off of her feet, sent sprawling away from her position near the edge of her foothold in the sky, nearly sent flying off of it as a matter off fact, such was the force that slammed into her.
At first, with her mind in a jumble, the black-haired woman could do nothing but mindlessly wonder what the hell had just happened to her, especially as she felt several small objects pelt her on top of her head.
It was only after she crawled back to her previous position that she managed to figure out what exactly had happened.
At first, she couldn't quite believe her eyes, but the simple fact that there was a veritable hail of pebbles that was consistently hitting her head persuaded her that she wasn't imagining things.
Before, Naruto smashed his enlarged attack onto the base of a mountain, taking her 'leader' deep underground.
That very mountain, the natural wonder that jut out high into the sky like a skyscraper, was gone.
Rather, it was completely obliterated, as there was only a crater left to indicate that it ever existed in the first place.
Golden slits could only stare at it, trying to grasp the knowledge that the blond actually did that.
She knew he was strong, but she didn't expect this!
...But instead of being frightened of this display of power, this display of power only served to spark a fire within her...and turn her on a little.
Not that she'd ever admit to that last part.
So when she saw the teenager warily peer into the crater he had just made, she couldn't help but smile in anticipation, eager to see what else he's got.
She even chuckled when she noticed Naruto look at his own handiwork with bewilderment, almost like he himself couldn't believe that he did so much damage.
How cute.
For his part, Naruto indeed couldn't believe that he did so much damage, as although ero-sennin told him that the Chō Ōdama Rasengan (Ultra Big Ball Rasengan) could destroy mountains...he never actually saw it for himself.
Well...he'd be damned.
From his position on the floor, the shinobi pushed himself onto his feet and slowly made his way to the crater, his caution obvious to anyone that saw him.
He was inching forward, senses on high alert...
Then he jumped.
Up and away from the crater, as if he was avoiding something.
Turned out that he was.
Almost immediately after the teen ascended to the air, several dark rope-like objects pierced through the ground and shot towards him from an unknown source.
The identity of those 'ropes' became obvious when they threateningly began to hiss at him as they closed the gap between them.
Normally, as Naruto saw the snakes get closer to him within each millisecond, he would grab a kunai from his tools pouch and defend himself swiftly.
But for some odd reason, he didn't bother trying to defend himself in any capacity, seemingly content with watching the snakes capture him.
Fortunately, several blurs emerged from several rock formations which were unharmed from the nearby detonation thanks to their distance away from the mountain, racing to cut off the snakes.
Those blurs would do just that, slicing off the heads of the energy-based reptiles before they reached Naruto, giving the blond shit-eating grins as they made their pass.
Naruto could only smile, his clones timed that perfectly.
When he first made the clones, there were a few that sped off immediately from the get-go, remaining on standby for emergency reinforcements.
...As well as to guard the clone that was gathering that.
Anyway, the shinobi quickly landed back on his feet after evading the enemy's snakes, coolly regarding the ground where the energy attacks came from, knowing intrinsically that their owner should be showing herself soon.
It took a few moments for her to finally reveal herself, but he noticed some movement through the side of his eye, pinpointing where his enemy was.
To his eyes, a small girl slowly floated up from the edge of the crater, staring at him without emotion, minor scratches all across her form following his attack.
More importantly, the slithering reptiles that she always utilized were coming out of her sleeves, pulsating and twitching erratically as they pulled themselves from the ground.
As he expected.
"I figured that that wouldn't kill you!" Naruto shouted out, not at all surprised to see the apparent 'Dragon God' relatively unharmed. "Too bad for you that I have a trump card, just for moments like these! You better be prepared for it, cause I don't think that even someone like you can get out of this without some serious damage!"
Behind him, his clones raised his arms in a cheer, fully confident in their leader, like cheerleaders almost.
Ophis regarded him silently, her dull grey eyes about as flat as one can possibly imagine. "...You can't win."
Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch, annoyed in spite of himself. "Oi, brat, I don't care whether you're some super powerful god that's never lost to anyone before. Don't be so cocky."
"...No, you can't win. It's impossible." she insisted.
The shinobi frowned this time, stopping himself from reacting in a knee-jerk manner when he realized something.
She wasn't trying to insult him, she genuinely didn't understand him.
"Look, Ophis, right? Strength and power means a lot, don't get me wrong." the blond started, his frown becoming more emphasized. "But strength and power doesn't mean everything. The powerful can be defeated by those who are weaker."
"It's impossible." Ophis repeated, her voice betraying no uncertainties of this notion.
"It isn't." Naruto retorted. "I've done it myself throughout my entire life, it's possible, I'm living proof of it."
This time, the 'child' went silent for a moment, looking up at him, searching his eyes with her own.
Then she closed her eyes.
"...Not this time." replied quietly, no doubt in her voice whatsoever.
Naruto studied the being which was considered to be among the strongest in existence, considering.
Instead of replying to her words, he just smiled, knowing that his last, and best chance was about to arrive.
Right at that moment, hidden behind a rock formation which just so happened to be guarded by clones, a single clone popped.
And the energy that that clone had gathered immediately returned to it's creator.
From above, Kuroka snapped her gaze away from the stare down between Khaos Brigade's 'leader' and Naruto, smiling as she felt senjutsu chakra move from one of the copies towards the real blond.
It was inefficient and wasteful in her eyes, to spend so much time gathered natural energy, but perhaps they utilized different senjutsu powers altogether? Or maybe even chakra?
She wasn't entirely sure, but she was eager to find out when they finally became more...personal.
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Kuroka refocused back onto clash, sensing the shift in the original Naruto.
And so did the whiskered teen himself, as new power strengthened his body to an extreme extent, with only his eyes being an indication of the transformation he has undergone.
His blue eyes turned yellow as a horizontal bar appeared in the middle of his pupils, giving him a toad-like appearance, especially as orange pigmentation materialized around his eyelids.
With this new power, Naruto felt ready to really push against his enemy.
"Hey, you lot." the shinobi murmured, speaking up to his clones. "You guys know what's gonna happen now, right?"
His clones, which previously had his back, nodded all around him as they dispelled themselves.
Yellow eyes drifted to Ophis, amusement slightly them up. "Well...this is it. My best and last chance to beat you. If if fail here, I'm pretty much screwed."
Maybe it was just him as he studied her features, but for a moment, he thought he saw a faint bit of emotion flit past her grey irises in response to his words.
Naruto could only smirk.
Then, without anything giving away his intentions, he jumped.
The blond teen skyrocketed into the air intensely focused on what he was planning to do as he reached the ceiling of Ophis' barrier.
As soon as he reached the top, the young man brought his hands together, forming a familiar seal with them. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
As expected, several plumes of smoke appeared around him, along with his newly created copies, splitting his chakra among them.
Which meant that his senjutsu chakra was also distributed among them, leaving his overall reserves to be somewhat diminished.
It was worth it though, to create roughly thirty clones.
"Hey, boss!" a clone beside him called out, a shit-eating grin splitting across his face. "We're gonna be doing this the old fashioned way, huh? No need for fancy techniques and all that stuff!?"
The real Naruto huffed. "You make it sound like I don't want to use my newer abilities and jutsus..."
His clone laughed airily, knowing exactly how frustrated the real blond was with how he was forced to skip on using his more recent skills.
But the fact was that he had no other choice.
So, becoming serious, the shinobi moved his left hand in front of him so that his right hand could form the beginning of the rasengan.
Chakra formed into a ball as it was spun around like a mini tornado, which at first neatly fit into the palm of his hand, but very quickly grew to larger proportions.
All around him, his copies followed his lead, raising their left hands as their rasengans grew in size, pouring more and more power into it.
None of them would stop until they formed rasenganslarger than their own bodies, which, when achieved, they kept above their heads so that they could smash into the ground when ready.
Kuroka, who had a clear view of what was going on due to her elevated position in the air, could only let a shaky smile appear on her features. "T-That's a bit much nya~"
However, even as she felt her caution rise exponentially at the prospect of several of those mountain-destroying attacks being used in a relatively enclosed barrier, she hadn't reached the peak of it yet.
That changed almost immediately.
She felt more than saw her -very possible- future mate enhance the sphere in his hand with senjutsu, bringing extra power into the mix, as well as raising it's size to gargantuan proportions.
The young woman literally took a step back in rising fear as she saw his clones follow his lead, making the entire ceiling of the barrier become crowded in spheres that have become comparable in size to small skyscrapers.
Especially as they began to fall towards the earth.
By this point, only one realization kept replaying her mind, her survival instincts taking over as she raised a hand behind her to open a portal.
Get out!
And she would do just that, letting the magic circle under her feet fade away as she jumped into the portal, escaping the space inside the barrier so that she could get to the real world.
On the ground, the 'child' that stared at the sky didn't really care that the yokai escaped, as she was simply far too enamored by the spectacle that was quickly descending towards her position.
Seeing the bright blue orbs completely block her view of the sky did nothing except make a small smile reach her face, as it's power could not be denied as they neared.
"...It's beautiful." was all she claimed.
Those would be the last words that she would employ before the overwhelming assault touched earth and the world became covered in light.
But she did hear one more thing before the light overtook her.
"Senpō: Chō Ōdama Rasen Tarengan!" (Sage Art: Chō Ōdama Rasengan Barrage)
Kuroka blew out some air in an uneasy breath, relieved that she managed to get out of that situation with all of her limbs attached.
Golden slits took in the desolate area that was the Akaishi Mountains, seeing no trace of human life in the area.
Then again, it was really early in the morning by this point, maybe only about an hour until the sun will begin to peek out from the horizon.
Regardless, she was thankful that she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her cut through space like it was nobody's business.
As for what happened in there...
Well...how could she even explain it? It was simply mind-boggling how much power that boy had.
She was pretty sure that, at least in a contest of pure power, she'd lose against a guy like that.
...Then again, it wasn't like Ophis-sama did much to actually stop him from attacking or anything, she seemed to be letting him throw everything he had at her.
Was it to gauge his strength, she wasn't really sure. She had no idea what went on in that head of hers.
Kuroka continued to think on what exactly went on inside the barrier, until...something flashed before her eyes.
At first, the young woman thought she was hallucinating, but for a split-second, the very earth under her disappeared.
Literally, the rolling rocky area around her, the mountain range, all life surrounding her, simply vanished.
And below her, was absolutely nothing.
Nothing except a hole which encompassed the entire mountain range, which in turn, seemed to dig so deep that there was nothing except pitch darkness staring back at her.
There seemed to be no end to the hole...
No...not a hole...a void!?
As soon as the yokai attempted to grasp the situation, in a flash, the hole was suddenly covered up by the rocky area of the Akaishi Mountains, almost like the ditch never existed in the first place.
Like the vision she saw was either an illusion or a reality in some alternate dimension.
Then, like a freight train, it hit her.
That was a reality.
She came to this conclusion thanks to the simple fact that her senjutsu-enhanced senses felt something crumble just a moment ago.
That something was the barrier that once veiled the entire area in a space that mimicked this reality. Though, it was obvious that that reality was all but destroyed.
But then...if that was true, then it was quite possible that Ophis-sama was...
*CRASH*
Kuroka jumped as something crashed practically right behind her, smashing into the ground with such force that it blew her forward.
Whirling around, she was very much ready to fight if necessary against whoever thought it was a good idea to try and-
She paused, gazing at the battered form of a young man with blond spiky hair, who was wheezing for air as if his life depended on it, with his bleary toad-like eyes staring at the sky.
"...You..." she murmured in realization, taking note of the numerous gashes that were all over his body, and the blood that was pooling from his open wounds all over the ground.
Naruto barely registered the woman's words, too busy trying not to let his many wounds get to him.
The detonation...was too close to him.
"...Hey, after all of this, are you really gonna die?" Kuroka asked bluntly, genuine in her slight concern, not really wanting someone with such fine genes to actually die.
The shinobi tried to answer, but it only really came out as a groan instead.
"...He'll live." another voice answered for him, making his blood run cold through his veins.
Kuroka blinked, registering the words, as well as the power, then smiled in satisfaction when she looked up.
Descending from the sky like a god from classic mythology, was Ophis, who coolly regarded the downed teen without malice. "...It seems that his attack was unstable...because he didn't give himself enough time to get away..."
Naruto couldn't help but allow for a pained smirk to appear on his lips. "Yeah...I didn't actually practice that one before...does too much damage, ya see..."
Ophis nodded, seemingly agreeing with him. "You destroyed my barrier...even though it was strong enough to hold in an attack that could destroy this country...as well as some of the surrounding lands..."
Kuroka' golden slits snapped to the weary toad-like ones, surprised, and more than a little impressed.
"...Nice to know." was all that the shinobi could really manage.
And it really was a nice thing to know.
"Though...I think I'm more satisfied with the damage I've done to you." he admitted readily enough, his pained smirk growing larger as he looked at her side.
The Ouroboros Dragon followed his gaze, slight surprise lighting up her eyes as she noticed something.
Her sleeve was just flapping in the breeze, mostly because she didn't have an arm to occupy it.
She had lost an arm in that explosion, and she didn't even register it.
Ophis stared at the armless sleeve for a little while longer, before turning to the blond. "...You still lost. So now..."
The little girl took a step forward raising her hand, slowly moving it closer to grab the young man's face now that he was downed. "...You're mine."
Naruto's eyes widened in alarm as the hand inched closer, a primal fear shooting through his body, giving him the energy to ignore his wounds for a moment so that he could crawl backwards.
But Ophis just kept inching closer, her hand becoming overbearing as it began to block out his sight, leaving it in more and more darkness the closer she got.
It was that primal fear that slowly morphed his iris.
At first, his pupils slowly shifted in color, moving from yellow to a bleeding red.
As soon as that shift occurred, the horizontal bar that occupied the center of his pupils, was suddenly intersected right down the middle by an animalistic slit, making the design reminiscent of a cross.
If Ophis noticed this change, she didn't indicate that she cared, so focused she was on her prize.
Her soulless grey eyes were locked into those crosses, looking deeply into them as they dilated, drinking in their visage.
And in those eyes, she saw a reflection of herself, moving closer as she did.
Then, all at once, in a blink...
Everything changed.
Instead of the cross pupils that she was focusing on, she was instead focusing purely on a pair of massive red slits, which just so happened to be held back by, what looked like, a massive jail cell.
The sudden change made her blink, as she registered that she was no longer near her prize anymore.
Her grey eyes made eye contact with the monster behind the jail, faintly seeing nine orange tails swaying behind the large beast. "...Who are you...?"
The massive being with red slits began to narrow them faintly, then spoke without preamble. "...You can say that I am someone who's interested Naruto's welfare."
If Ophis cared, she didn't indicate it, instead choosing to check her surroundings. "...Where am I?"
"In Naruto's mindscape." the kyuubi explained, earning her attention again. "I brought you here, like I did Orochimaru before you, when he unintentionally brought forth a piece of my power..."
Once more, the 'child' didn't care who this 'Orochimaru' was, focusing more on the fact that the monster in front of her could possibly get her out of this...'mindscape'. "Let me out...before I destroy you."
The beast bared it's teeth as it pushed itself from the ground to reach it's full height. "You wouldn't be saying that if I was at full power... But never mind that, I'm not here to fight...even if that does sounds like an appealing option right now. To be perfectly honest, I'm here to let you in on a little secret about the one that you want to capture so badly."
Ophis tilted her head, interest slightly piqued.
Seeing this, the kyuubi continued. "I have inhabited Uzumaki Naruto for a long time, and if there was one thing that I have learned about that brat...it's that he's someone that grows more stronger the more adversity that he is forced to face. In time, he will grow even more powerful than he is now...but that will change if he doesn't believe in who or what he's fighting for."
Those massive set of red slits focused on her again, intense. "Let him go. Let him get stronger as he faces stronger opponents, and eventually he may become strong enough to face this 'Great Red' that you spoke about."
Grey eyes scanned the great fox-like monster's features, searching for lies.
Then, suddenly as it began, she wasn't in front of the massive beast with nine swinging tails.
No, she was once more in front of the boy that she wanted to fight by her side against Great Red, her fingers so close that she could feel his body heat.
As she locked into those cross shaped pupils, which emanated fear, yet also shone with grim determination, she quickly made her choice.
Her small hand retracted steadily, the little girl taking a step back as she turned away from him, feeling his confused eyes boring into her back.
"...Kuroka...we're leaving." was all she said, as she slowly floated into the air, meaning every word of it.
The black-haired woman in question gaped at the order, her head snapping between the two in her complete befuddlement. "W-What!? Why!? You have him! Isn't this what you wanted!?"
Ophis didn't answer, she just continued to drift off away from the two senjutsu users, leaving them both as confused as the other.
Kuroka had no idea what went on in that powerful entity's head, and she wasn't sure that she ever wanted to find out.
All she knew was that she was skimped out of a chance to the young man's genes before she even got a shot at them.
If one were so inclined, one could even say she was 'cock blocked'.
Crude, but that was how she felt then and there.
So, with a pained grunt, the young woman whirled around to glare at the teenaged boy, who was just staring at Ophis' back in shock. "...Looks like you lucked out, somehow."
Naruto turned to her, his breath normalizing again. "Y-Yeah...I guess so."
A very unhappy frown made it's way to her face, unable to believe her lost chance.
"...Tch! Well fine! I'll just spend my time looking for Shirone then!" Kuroka claimed in her disgruntlement, turning away from the young man so that she could rip through space and make a portal.
A few spare seconds later, and both of his enemies have disappeared, leaving to parts unknown without a trace.
Naruto could only gape at the location where the two beings vanished, in shock.
Yet his senses wouldn't lie to him, especially since they were still enhanced by senjutsu by this point, and he didn't sense either of those troublemakers anywhere.
He had truly lucked out.
Realizing this, the shinobi got onto his feet, feeling the aching of his muscles as he did so, yet noting that it wasn't as bad it was before.
He never realized that he drew on a little bit of the kyuubi's chakra, which was helping him to restore his body a little bit.
Mostly, he never noticed because, unlike last time, his personality didn't change thanks to it's influence.
If one was observant enough, someone would be able to tell the difference between last time and this time.
Yet Naruto wouldn't figure it out, because the kyuubi's chakra would disappear from his eyes, as well as the evidence that he ever used it to begin with.
Besides, the teen was focused on other things.
Now that he had senjutsu on, his abilities were well beyond his normal capabilities.
But, at the same time, he might get weakened after his senjutsu chakra is spent, like last time.
So the blond decided on the spot to forget the 'advisable' approach and just book it back to Kuoh Town, before his senjutsu ran out.
Plan in place, Naruto jumped high into the air, moving to get back home as quickly as possible, not liking all of the 'incidents' that have befell him so far.
Issei sighed, already feeling a pair of annoyed pink eyes bore into the back of his skull.
It's been quite a while since the small group recruited Mio into having a little private talk with a certain knight, and the length of time that they were spending looking for him was very much grinding on her.
At least, that's what he supposed.
Not that he could really blame her though, she was the one who took the brunt of Diodora's wrath, initially without anyone to back her up.
Still though, this was something that he felt was important.
Not just him either, Koneko has felt the same way; that the more people that showed up to meet with Kiba, the more he'll be convinced that there are people that give a shit.
At least, that was the general idea.
"We're not getting anywhere like this." Mio voiced out, not doubt in her voice. "We can't just keep going everywhere to look for him! This is practically a repeat of last time by this point!"
Koneko, who was trailing next to the red-head, turned to eye her. "...What would you suggest then, Mio?"
The half-devil faltered, frowning quite visibly as she thought about it, unsure.
They only found Kiba Yuuto last time because of the news, and it wasn't like they'd get a clue like that so easily again. Especially since this has far more to do with his internal conflicts than any external ones.
In short, it wasn't like he was gonna destroy a building or anything that could grab anyone's attention.
If they could just get a clue of some sort...or maybe even a hint of where he was last, then they could get somewhere.
"Maybe there's someone we can ask?" Asia piped up, placing her hand on her chin in thought. "It's possible someone saw him before, right?"
"At this hour?" Mio muttered doubtfully, not exactly open to the idea. "Who would be awake right now except us? Let alone if someone actually saw him-"
"Hey, there's someone awake." the perverted boy cut off the red-head abruptly, pointing ahead as he saw someone ahead of them.
The half-devil just clamped her mouth shut after that.
Indeed, ahead of them was a figure who had their back turned away from them, staring at the sky in the empty streets.
If Issei's perverted senses were correct, he'd guess that the figure in front of them was a female, which was roughly confirmed thanks to the person's long hair and...uh...rather generous figure.
Seeing no reason not to go ahead and ask if she's seen the blond that they were looking for, he jogged up to her.
The rest of the group followed, though among them, Koneko was beginning to frown imperceptibly.
She didn't know why, but there was something...about this person...
"Hey! You over there!" the pawn cried out, waving his hand to grab the woman's attention. "Boy, I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to see someone else awake at this hour! Do you mind if I ask you a question about-"
Issei cut himself off as soon as the woman turned around to look at him, eliciting a shiver from him at the...glint in her eye.
Her ruby eyes took stock of him, a hint of recognition flitting through them as she continued to study him, before shifting her gaze to take in everyone around him.
Swallowing the lump in his throat that chose that moment to appear, the brown-haired boy tried again. "H-Hey, look, I don't want to take anymore of your time, but I was wondering whether you could-"
"Why are you still talking to me?" the woman quietly wondered, a threat inherent in her voice as she glared at him, her disgust obvious.
Issei was almost a loss for words. "E-Excuse me?"
The woman tilted her head, her long purple hair slightly hiding her ruby gaze, which seemed to be regarding him as lowly as an insect. "I'm wondering why you think it's proper for someone as lowly as yourself to speak to me...Sekiryuutei."
Brown eyes blinked, frowning at the unfamiliar term. "Sekiryuutei...?"
Sekiryuutei was...Red Dragon Emperor?
Why the hell did she just call him-?
"Issei-sempai!" Koneko shouted at him from behind, grabbing his elbow in order to pull him back. "This woman...! She knows about your Sacred Gear...!"
The perverted boy's eyes widened at her claim, suddenly remembering that his red gauntlet was supposed to house some kind of dragon, which it drew it's power from...
Even as he was getting pulled back, his eyes were taking in the ruby-eyed woman's darkened features, as time felt like it slowed down to a crawl.
"...More than that...you dare retain your title as Sekiryuutei...an Emperor, in my presence..." the mysterious female whispered, so quiet that he barely heard it. "Unfortunately, I can't tolerate it when those who are of lower statures try and usurp my authority as a king..."
He had no idea what the hell this crazy lady was talking about, but he did feel the hair on the back of his neck rise up as time slowly crawled by.
That feeling was only compounded as her words echoed across the empty streets. "...There is only one way to rectify this insult, and that's to establish who's dominant..."
Through the side of Issei's eye, he saw Koneko finally drag him far enough for her to charge forward, as well as Mio raise her hands to create an elemental attack through the palm of her hands.
At precisely that moment, a whisper, no, an order became known to all who was present.
"Grovel before me."
The young man gasped as he felt his forehead smash against the pavement, his hair slightly sticking to it as a little bit of blood leaked out of the sudden wound.
But...why...?
Why was he face down on the floor, in a seiza position, inclining his head forward so far that it touched the ground, and keeping his hands cupped together in front of his head...?
...Why was he bowing to her in a reverent fashion!?
Issei tried to twist his head to the side to see if his companions were alright, barely managing to move his own head enough to get a glimpse to his side.
As he feared, he saw Koneko to his right in a similar position as him, bowing deeply in a seated position, her hazel eyes wide in confusion.
"...Ah...that's much better." the woman that was probably responsible for their strange behavior claimed, the threat in her voice gone. "It's good to know that others know about their place in the world, after all, there can only be one true king...or dictator, if you so prefer. I don't particularly mind."
As she spoke nonchalantly, the people who she was oppressing were trying, with great difficulty, to get back on their feet, but were unable to force their bodies to function properly.
It simply felt like their bodies were no longer their own.
Still, the 'king' continued to speak anyway. "...Though, even I must admit that I'm somewhat...disappointed. I was hoping that Naruto would have arrived by now..."
Ruby eyes snapped to the group as a certain red-head among them took in a loud and shallow breath at the mention of her brother, the dull look in those ruby pupils making everyone there feel disconcerted at best.
It only got worse when she narrowed those eyes. "But...I suppose I can deal with some appetizers until the main course arrives...and I hope he does arrive soon...for all of your sakes..."
The tyrant coldly shifted her attention across the people that she has subdued, individually inspecting them, sizing them up in order to ascertain who could entertain her the most.
Among them, she was only aware of the identity of one of them; the Sekiryuutei, and only then because she was extraordinarily knowledgeable about Sacred Gears.
As for everyone else...she supposed that they were simply beings that weren't as special as her.
So she almost didn't notice when the one in the back, the red-head, was slowly forcing her body to obey her commands without the king's input.
Almost.
"Y-You..." Mio coughed out, gritting her teeth. "H-How do you know about Naruto...? And what do you want with him?"
The tyrant barely acknowledged the teenaged girl's presence, sparing her, at best, a cursory glance.
But the half-devil refused to stop until she got an answer. "H-How do you know Naruto?"
This time, finally did get an answer.
"...What's it matter to you?" the woman questioned blandly, practically dismissing her with her voice alone.
The red-head barely managed to lift her head enough to glower at the purple-haired 'king', her bangs only slightly in the way. "...He's...my sibling, that's why!"
It was only after that little tidbit, that Mio's enemy actually turned to face her fully, walking forward to get closer. "Hoh...? As far as I was aware, Naruto didn't have any siblings...perhaps you mean to say that you two have a quasi-sibling relationship?"
Pink eyes quivered faintly as they locked onto ruby, visibly seeing the dull quality in them up close and personal. "...Yeah, that's exactly it."
Her answer elicited a strange response from the tyrant, one that served to make her tremble.
The first true instance of emotion flitted through those ruby irises; condescension and pity.
Mio didn't tremble in fear, she trembled in anger.
"...Tell me something, do you feel close to the one that you call your 'brother'? Do you, perhaps, believe that you two share a special bond?" the tyrant asked for some reason that the red-head couldn't fathom.
A snarl unintentionally emerged from the half-devil's throat, but she was cut off before she could really answer, as her enemy continued unimpeded.
"Because, I can assure you, that the bond you two share, whether it be familial or otherwise, is nothing in comparison to the one that connects me with him." she proclaimed without shame, raising her chin as she looked down on the teenager, literally and figuratively.
Mio growled lowly in response, finding some hidden reserves within her to force herself up a little further, trying desperately get to her feet. "W-What the hell are you talking about? Naruto's never mentioned you before...so quit talking nonsense!"
"You don't have to believe me." the oppressive woman assured easily. "I don't require your validation to know the truth. Besides, I'm willing to bet that you don't even know your 'onii-chan' that well anyway."
As the red-head slowly was getting onto her hands and knees, she was able to notice through the side of her eye that Koneko and Issei were also steadily making progress to get to their feet.
One thought immediately shot through her head from that point.
Stall!
"What are you on about now...?" the half-devil ground out, intrigued, yet still making sure that she didn't lose focus. "What do you know that I don't?"
"Plenty actually." came the inevitably cool reply. "But, if you really must know, then let me give you an example."
The tyrant's hand shot out towards Mio, the action so sudden that she didn't have any time to react to it.
A hand clasped around the young red-head's chin, grasping it as she tilted her head upwards so that they could connect with each other face-to-face. "...Did you know, that the Uzumaki Naruto that you've come to known for all of this time...didn't exist once upon a time? That, despite existing for roughly sixteen years, this Naruto has only existed for about ten of those years?"
Pink eyes widened, trying to take in the information that she has just heard, even as two of her comrades get onto their knees, half way to their feet.
"Sixty percent." their enemy suddenly stated, an order as much as a statement.
Suddenly, Mio's head smashed into the pavement, her body involuntarily going back to a reverent bow without her input, shock interlacing her features.
And, if the gasps around her were of any indication, she'd say that this happened to her comrades as well.
"What? Did you think that I didn't notice?" the tyrant asked rhetorically, crossing her arms despite the fact that no one could possibly see it. "Don't take me for a fool, a ruler must always be aware of the possible ways that their subjects could become insubordinate."
"Damn you...!" Issei growled darkly, his gauntlet appearing on his left hand, preparing to strengthen himself.
She ignored the curse that was thrown at her as she perked up slightly, completely forgetting about the presence of the people on the ground as she turned away from them to look up at one of the nearby apartment buildings.
Specifically, at the roof of it.
What she saw apparently pleased her, as a small dark smirk graced her features once she locked eyes with a pair of azure irises.
"Well..." she started slowly, drinking in the features of the battered, yet strong form of a young man with spiky blond hair. "It took you long enough to arrive...Naruto."
"...I'll admit, that does actually sound pretty bad, though, sorry to say, I have no idea what may have caused this lack of communication." Raynare insisted, shrugging her shoulders in a casual fashion.
"I was afraid of that..." Rias said with a complicated expression, still considering what could have possibly happened.
In the ORC club room, the two high-class devils in Kuoh Town and their queens were speaking with the ambassador of the fallen angels; Azazel, and asking her a few questions.
The discussion took quite a bit of time, since Rias had to inform her of their issue before they could possibly get an answer, but it seemed to be for naught anyway.
Both heiresses were questioning the fallen angel about whether there was a loss of communication with herself and the fallen angel's section of the Underworld, and had received...less than stellar information.
Basically; Raynare didn't even have any possible way to communicate with the Underworld to begin with, so she had no clue.
Next, they asked her whether she had any idea why the devils couldn't communicate with their Underworld government, wondering if she's heard anything.
Once more, they received a less than informative answer.
So they could all be forgiven if they were a little frustrated.
"...Figures." Akeno couldn't help but mutter dryly, voicing out that frustration.
Unfortunately, she didn't make that comment quietly enough for the other black-haired woman not to hear her, seeing as Raynare had shot her a dark look for it.
"Is there really nothing that you could tell us? At all?" Sona inquired, grim-faced, getting back on topic.
The ambassador turned to the Sitri heiress, exasperated by this point. "I told you, I don't know anything! This is as much new to me as it is with you lot! And I can't contact Azazel-sama now, even if I wanted to, since I don't have the means to."
An uneasy sigh was all the response that anyone needed, courtesy of Sona. "...It seems we're back to square one, Rias."
The young Gremory would have to agree, even if she didn't voice it.
By this point, the room fell silent in order to accommodate the heavy thinking that this situation brought.
Which was why, seeing as there were no more questions, Raynare decided then and there to make her leave. "Look, I'm sorry that I wasn't much help to all of you, but I as I stated, I don't know anything. So I hope none of you mind if I take my leave for now?"
She didn't even wait for anyone's input before she turned around to leave the room, prepared to leave the building altogether.
What she neglected to mention however, was the fact that she was going to be staying behind Kuoh Town for a little bit before she returned to Grigori, for one reason and one reason only.
Not that any of them needed to know that.
Neither Rias or Sona bothered to stop the fallen angel, both of them accepting the fact that the woman had nothing for them, so they saw no reason to bother her further.
So, it stood to reason that there would be no more problems in regards to the fallen angel today.
Which would have been a solid bet, until Raynare opened the door to leave the building.
Because beyond that door, was a group of four people, with a teenaged girl with short blue hair that had a fringe of green leading them, carrying a large cross-like object on her back.
Seeing the unfamiliar faces, Raynare locked up, staring at the group with a questioning look.
But before anyone else could actually say anything, someone spoke up.
"Ah..." Yuki piped up, her yellow eyes lighting up in recognition. "Aren't you that fallen angel that Naruto helped back at the abandoned church?"
Almost as soon as the words left the hero's mouth, she regretted them, as both strange cloaked women suddenly tensed and sharpened their eyes in regards to the fallen angel.
As a commotion began to roar up following this faux pas, Yuki could only mutter one thing to herself.
"...Oops."
Naruto was breathing harshly as he reached the outskirts of Kuoh Town, his blue eyes staring firmly ahead, a massive lump in his throat that refused to go down.
He had to hurry.
He had to hurry!
His senjutsu chakra had finally run out as he neared Kuoh Town, and fatigue had really set in afterwards, just like that time that he faced the 'heroes' of Cao Cao, weakening him for some reason.
By this point, he may as well call it a sickness.
Hmm...senjutsu sickness...?
The shinobi viciously shook his head, forcing himself to focus, noting that he was seriously feeling on edge at the moment-
Focus!
Naruto finally took a deep breath, calming himself slightly so that he could think clearly.
...Before, back when he still had senjutsu, he sensed something as he neared Kuoh Town with incredible speed, becoming more apparent to him the closer he became.
What he sensed back there, was what was making him nearly panic.
This was no joke, what he felt back there was something that he had to make sure that his friends didn't meet.
The shinobi continued to soar through the air, hopping from building to building, almost reaching his home in the small town, mere seconds away...
Then he stopped, landing on top of a building, his facial features going cold.
Slowly, the young man turned his entire body to it's side to face the streets, clenching his fists as the sensation that he felt just then crawled up his spine.
Whatever...no, whoever he felt earlier, they were here.
And, just like that, he locked with a pair of ruby eyes, which decided to focus on the ceiling of the building that he was on right at that moment.
Naruto couldn't help but flinch slightly, a piece of him deep inside recognizing the dull gaze that was focused on him.
As he was shying away from the person's stare, a rather dark smirk made her lips twitch upwards, looking far too pleased to see him than he was comfortable.
"Well..." a very feminine, yet authoritative voice emerged from the the source of his uneasiness. "It took you long enough to arrive...Naruto."
She knew his name.
She knew his name.
The uneasiness that he was feeling earlier was quickly wiped away, his fear of the situation escalating to the point that his fears quickly turned to anger.
This girl, whoever the hell she was, could not be allowed near his friends-!
"...Naruto...?"
Naruto gasped, snapping his eyes to a spot near the authoritative woman, recognizing both; the face and voice.
Pink irises trembled as they latched onto the blond, unable to truly believe that he was actually here, practically right in front of her.
A part of her was fully expecting to see the shinobi break into a wide smile and to make a clever quip, but all she received by her sibling was a look of horror.
"M-Mio!" Naruto exclaimed, flabbergasted by her appearance, made even worse when she noticed that she wasn't alone. "Issei! Asia-san! Koneko-san! What the hell are all of you doing!? Get away from her! She's dangerous!"
Issei was just about ready to retort back that they weren't exactly down on the floor by choice or anything like that, but he didn't get the chance to when their enemy spoke up. "It would be wise for all of you to do what he says, while I'm still feeling merciful."
As soon as the woman with ruby eyes advised them on their next course of action, the intense weight on all of the group's body suddenly lifted, freeing them.
Seeing this as an opportunity, the half-devil among them turned to the building's roof, about to suggest that they take on this woman together; as a group.
Yet she was forced to pause once she actually got a good look of Naruto's face.
It wasn't the clenched fists, the gritted teeth, or the fact that the young man's form was shaking faintly that truly made her stop speaking.
No, it was the real and genuine fear in his eyes that stopped her, all focused on the woman that claimed that she was a 'king'.
...Just who was she...?
"Everyone!" Naruto roared out, making everyone jump involuntarily. "What the hell are you all still doing here!? Leave! This fight is mine, and mine alone!"
"B-But..." Mio tried to interject, her words not much more than whispers.
Blue eyes shifted to his imouto, the edge still there, but was now softening a little bit as he spoke to her again. "...Mio, look, I'm sorry that this reunion of ours is pretty shitty, but this is important. Please, for my sake as much as your own; leave. Our enemy is not ordinary."
The red-head opened her mouth, an argument right at the tip of her tongue, which was cut off as soon as she felt a certain pervert place their hand onto her shoulder.
"...We're going." Issei remarked, nodding to the whiskered teen with full confidence. "I doubt that this bastard can take Naruto down that easily, he'll be fine. I think it's more important that we tell Buchou what's going on actually."
The daughter of the Original Lucifer switched her focus between the two teenaged males, biting her bottom lip in frustration, before nodding slowly in acquiescence. "Just...be careful, Naruto."
Naruto gave her a thumbs up, which the red-head was unable to see once she was getting rushed away from the potential battlefield.
"...How cute." the tyrant observed, quirking an eyebrow as she kept her attention on the young man, ignoring all else. "As well as unbearably sentimental, all things considered. The fact is, you've made a tactical blunder; you could have utilized those four as bait for you to kill me while my back was turned, so why didn't you do so?"
Disgust flitted through the whiskered teen's features, appalled at the concept in of itself. "Comrades-in-arms aren't meant to be bait! They're there to fight alongside you, but this time, I didn't want or need that help to deal with you."
That pair of ruby eyes remained on the blond's face, returning to her original stoic demeanor, reining herself in a bit. "...But you didn't always believe that, am I correct?"
The shinobi narrowed his eyes into slits, feeling like he was getting cornered, getting him to bite out in response. "What the hell are you talking about? You don't know me, so what the hell are you-?"
"Uzumaki Naruto; born and raised in Konohagakure without parents, mistreated and abused by his fellow villagers due to their misdirected anger, someone who lived with the fact that he is a hated being in his own home..." the woman started without preamble, quiet.
Naruto felt his chest contract a little bit, air leaving his lungs as he took a step back, struck by the words that hit too close to home.
And his adversary was well aware of this. "...Uzumaki Naruto; the one that was betrayed by someone he considered a 'sibling', who had to live with the fact that his master was killed by an organization that was after him, that lived with the fact that the leader of that very organization would then destroy his home and kill his sensei...while looking for him..."
"Shut up."
The king stopped mid-speak, slowly closing her mouth as she cocked her head to the side, ruby eyes hooded. "...Did I hit too close to home?"
The shinobi didn't respond at first, keeping his head bowed instead as his blond hair shadowed his eyes.
More than that, his body was now trembling visibly, in what seemed to be a herculean attempt at keeping himself in check.
It took more than a few spare moments for the young man to finally speak again.
"...As I thought..." Naruto started quietly, his eyes still shadowed by his long locks. "What I sensed from you...means that you that you really do have a connection..."
His enemy stayed quiet as he continued to speak, his anger building the longer he continued, as his tightly clenched fist exemplified.
"...But I don't understand how you could possibly have that...or know what you know...so how...?"
The tyrant's eyes narrowed this time. "...You've noticed then."
"Shut up!" Naruto screamed, raising his head so that he could glower at her, red slits replacing his usual blue irises as his features grew more animalistic. "Don't you dare try and play games with me! What I want to know, right here, right now...!"
The feral ninja pointed his clawed finger at the young woman as his eyes dilated, a snarl emerging from his throat. "Is why I sensed the chakra of my world in your body!?"
An airy chuckle was his only response, as the mysterious woman gazed at the roof of the building, meeting ruby with ruby. "Ah...why indeed? That is a question that I can only answer if you do something for...my group, first."
The woman then spread her arms out in a gesture of welcome, a hint of excitement in her orbs as she regarded her opponent. "Uzumaki Naruto; a decrepit failure of a 'hero' wanted me to extend an invitation to a certain plan of his, so that you may advance the concept of a 'hero' with the abilities of the people of your world."
If anything, Naruto snarled became even more virulent at what he heard. "What the fuck kind of nonsense are you spouting!?"
Though, instead of looking disappointed, his opponent only looked more pleased at this obvious rejection. "...Good...I'd have been disappointed if you took the invitation, now we can get to the reason for what I'm here for."
Naruto faltered, unsure why she seemed satisfied with his answer, but she continued still.
"Naruto...I have watched you for almost as long as I've lived, seen what you were capable of, and have seen your explosive growth outpace almost everyone else in your generation." the king admitted readily, locked onto the blond unerringly. "But, I know that you could be capable of so much more."
She stretched a hand forward with her palm held open, offering it to him, as if beckoning him to her. "You are different from the useless sheep of our worlds, you are special, you have seen the truth, yet you fruitlessly try and deny what you once held as fact for a dream that could never come into fruition...and that's what's holding you back now. So I ask you, here and now, to return to what you once were, so that you may achieve greatness...as you should."
-0-
Her words were spoken like someone who truly believed in them, like a radical preacher that was pushing for someone to accept their 'truth'.
The young man peered through his blond locks, fierce and deadly eyes meeting dulled and nihilistic ones.
"...Fuck off and die." was all he said, meaning every word of it, not aware of how much he was being affected by the chakra that was swirling around him.
If the tyrant was displeased, then she didn't express it physically at all. "Well...I expected that you'd do that too. I see that the naivety that you've adopted from your master, as well as your home village has poisoned you from facing the truth. That's fine though...all I have to do is show you how...misplaced your faith in your 'comrades' are. That again; like your best friend, like your sensei, like your master, like your very home itself...you'll be abandoned. All. Over. Again."
As expected, the king felt herself get yanked into the air as the blond grabbed her collar, his eyes expressing nothing but unbridled fury as he brought his claws out, a genuine roar coming through rows of razor-sharp canines.
And the mysterious woman couldn't be more pleased, as the eyes that were boring into her's were becoming more and more jaded than when she last saw them in his world.
More and more fearful, that the beliefs and ideas that sustained this 'Naruto' up to this point...really were just ideals.
That he was truly correct back then, and that she was truly correct right now.
Little by little, bit by bit, the 'Naruto' of the past was returning, and she would see to that man's return.
"...How must have it felt..." she wondered quietly, as she stared at the slitted eyes of the man that she privately admired. "To know that all the work that you've placed in getting recognized, in receiving the love and care of a family, in being respected...was all for naught? To know that you're right back to where you started..."
The grip on her collar tightened, threatening her explicitly.
But instead of allowing the shinobi to continue, the tyrant smoothly brought her own hand onto his wrist, her other hand stretched forward to cup his cheek.
"It's ok though..." she whispered, her words like poisonous honey. "I'll relieve you of your suffering soon enough..."
Applying strength to the hand on Naruto's wrists, the tyrant heard a sick *snap* as her opponent let go of her, snarling.
Naruto took a step back, grabbing his broken wrist, already feeling his chakra mending the bones as his enemy continued to speak; her words filled with venom despite her wish to 'help him'.
"It'll be ok, Naruto...once you're like me, you won't need to hope anymore...and without hope, you'll never be crushed like that again..."
And that venom was slowly reaching his battered heart, whether he liked to admit it or not.
An elderly man was steepling his fingers together on his desk, considering what his greatest achievement was going to do to the boy that they needed to achieve their goals.
He knew that she had her own reasons for seeking him out, but he wasn't exactly sure what, but surely her aim didn't run counter to his own?
She owed him, whether she appreciated it or not.
Regardless, Uzumaki Naruto was necessary for the former hero to achieve his aims, as the boy had the one thing that would complete his help him complete all of his experiments...
Chakra.
As he claimed before, the elderly former hero had the ability to peer into the past, present, and future...though that last bit was more limited than he cared to admit.
Still, he have been able to see into another world, one filled with humans with incredible abilities; some of which couldn't be fought against unless you knew how to.
And that was the biggest difference with that world and the one that he resided in; many shinobi had control over abilities that were thoroughly broken in terms of what they could do.
Sacred Gears were powerful, and so were the many abilities in this world, but almost all of them could be countered with pure strength and power alone, which was precisely why this world was so focused on power in the first place.
Those that held the most power, would be victorious, barring a few miraculous circumstances.
But the most powerful of shinobi had abilities that could notbe countered against so easily, and certainly not through power and strength.
So if he could harness those abilities into a new generation of powerful humans...
A grim smile made it's way to his face, satisfied with his plans, pleased with the work that he has accomplished so far.
He has already made copies of...certain jutsu that he has seen through his visions, and he knew that the world was not prepared for such abilities.
His heroes would be unstoppable, once they truly harnessed the power of chakra.
And once he was done with his experiments, this power would be given to as many people as possible, remaking the shinobi in this world.
All done, in the name of his plan.
The Flask Plan.
His dark smile didn't leave his face as he picked up a phone near his desk, putting in the numbers to make contact with his little strike team.
The strike team made up of an initial group of six, now eight, that he has sent to the Hero Tribe in Japan.
He only said one thing to the person on the other line once the call was picked up.
"Proceed with the attack."