"Having trouble, Yuki-san?"
Yuki didn't turn around, biting her bottom lip, her foot tapping the floor incessantly. "Yes."
Rias had to agree with this blunt assessment, as she glanced between the two humans that were occupying her base's living room.
Facing the no doubt frustrated hero, Basara was looking particularly contrite for the crime of not recalling his past, what with his hands folded on his lap and all.
"This isn't working." the hero claimed with a sigh, the blank stare that she was aiming at the ground in front of her being retracted.
The red-head didn't fail to notice the breath of relief that the young man in front of her released. "How long have you been at this, just out of curiosity?"
Relaxing into the cushions of the sofa she was resting on, Yuki hummed in thought for a moment. "About…an hour or so?"
To say that the devil's heart bled in sympathy for the youth subjected to this was an understatement.
She only came back here to get some paperwork done, which mostly revolved around the applications that some supernatural beings have sent to her to request entry to her territory.
Just one of those small constants in the daily minutia of controlling a piece of land, she supposed.
Back on the subject at hand however… "Don't you think that that's a bit much, Yuki-san?"
If the other female heard her, she didn't act like she did as she pursed her lips, eyes faraway.
Taking one good long look at her, the high-class devil could only shrug her shoulders in helplessness.
There was no saving that boy now, he was on his own when the hero was like this.
Cautiously moving around the two, Rias made her way to her desk, sliding into her seat right when the door to the room slammed open.
All eyes turned to the opened door, seeing a certain perverted boy crash into the living room, huffing as if he had just rushed here.
Honestly, he probably did.
"Hey, Buchou! Do you know if that guy is still…" Issei began, trailing off as soon as he saw Basara and Yuki on the couches. "Oh, he is."
Basara frowned, features pinching together as he looked at the newcomer. "You're…that perverted guy, right?"
Valiantly keeping himself in check from giving a harsh retort, the brown-haired boy turned to Yuki. "Hey, you're still having trouble in helping this freeloader remember anything, right?"
Behind her, Basara twitched, but was summarily ignored by Yuki. "Yes, do you have any solutions, Issei-san?"
Initially, the perverted boy responded with a grin, only interrupted by the sound of his fist colliding into his open palm.
"Easy!" he declared, exuberance and a tinge of righteous anger coloring his tone of voice. "All we need to do is have him unlock his instincts in a fight!"
Not even noticing his king blanche at the idea, Issei jabbed a finger at the resident amnesiac. "Hey, spar with me, would ya?"
At this, the messy-haired youth blankly stared at the other male, completely unresponsive.
Until a ghost of a smirk snuck its way onto his features, a bit of excitement lighting his emerald eyes.
The hero couldn't tell whether he was drawing from an instinct that he had grown through his time as a warrior, or whether it was just a masculine joy of fighting that was spurring him on.
Either way, he was looking livelier than she had ever seen him since he has woken up.
Even if she didn't personally agree with this 'plan'…it looked like it may actually accomplish something in comparison with her methods.
So she simply followed both of the boys as they made their way to their 'battleground'.
All the while, Rias was watching the proceedings unfold with some apprehension, wondering whether a fight between a reincarnated devil and an amnesiac hero would end well at all.
Especially when she knew that at least one of them was very hot-headed.
…Well, it wasn't like they were going to listen to her.
Yuki-san was probably one of the few that could safely calm Basara-san down should he…revert, so maybe it was for the best that she stayed out of this one.
As soon as the red-head reached this conclusion however, she raised her head when the sound of her door opening alerted her to someone else's presence.
She wasn't particularly surprised by whom she saw. "Akeno. And…Sona? Back already?"
From behind the door's expanse, the two dark-haired women entered the living room with two totally different attitudes.
One seemed to be having a really good day, if her pleasant disposition was of any indication.
While the other was…well, obviously not having such a great day.
It shouldn't be too hard to guess who was feeling what right now.
"Yes, unfortunately." the Sitri heiress grimaced, looking almost embarrassed to be back. "Not by my will, I assure you, Rias."
Rias wasn't too sure how her fellow devil could be unwilling to come here, after all; why would she be here if not for her own will?
"Just listen to her for a moment, Buchou." Akeno looked absolutely beatific as she made her suggestion, trying and failing to stay composed. "…It seems that our kohai has struck again."
Seeing someone like Sona, the epitome of rationality and poise, flinch visibly at the queen's words managed to pique Rias' interest.
Then she actually thought about what was said so far, and quickly connected the dots. "Naruto?"
Another flinch.
A fit of giggles that refused to stay contained.
Rias nailed it in one.
"What? Did he flood the Student Council room or something?" the red-head herself couldn't prevent the fond smile from reaching her features.
"…Not quite." Sona responded with a scowl. "He tricked me into allowing individuals that weren't students here to join his club. He probably intends to join the Ball Tournament."
"What? Did he outmaneuver you or something?"
"Worse." the bespectacled devil replied, almost ashamed to admit to it. "He…changed the rules."
Rias cocked her head to the side, decidedly confused.
"…Literally. He literally changed one of the rules in the official school rulebook in regards to club membership. It wouldn't have been a big deal if a high school professor didn't already sign the form, giving the rule some semblance of legitimacy." Sona was just ranting quietly to herself by now, an aura of depression surrounding her by this point.
Speechless, the red-head turned to her queen, seeking understanding.
"Ara? Are you just going to let our cute kohai get away with this?" Akeno asked, smirking openly by now, having fun fanning the flames.
With those words, Sona's downtrodden aura was washed away, her head snapping up back to the other ravenette, a clear glint of challenge in her violet eyes. "Not at all. He may have won this round, but I won't just allow him to have his way so easily."
Rias could only sweatdrop at how quickly her friend rebounded from her depression.
That sweatdrop only grew bigger when Akeno began to clap politely at this show of determination.
"…Is there anything else that you've come here for?" she hazarded to ask afterwards.
The Sitri heiress blinked. "You don't have to worry about helping me search for the one that meddled with my paperwork anymore."
That let loose another fit of giggles from Rias' queen, unable to help herself by this point.
Not that the crimson king could really blame her. "My…he got you good, hm?"
"Yes…I suppose so." Sona groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose. "But why does he garner so much pleasure from making my life more difficult? Does he simply have a distaste against authority?"
Rias hummed, considering it. "From what I've seen, that does seem to be pretty spot on. But I can't say for sure. Why don't you ask him?"
"Absolutely not."
The Gremory heiress rolled her eyes.
Her friend always did have a strange sense of pride that prevented her from asking her 'opponents' simple questions.
She'd rather solve something about them herself than just do the easy thing.
"I'm sure that you could gather something of his personality the more that you speak with him. He's pretty straightforward and blunt, as I'm sure you've figured." Rias offered, easily recalling how her friend and ally always spoke his mind.
Without fail.
"...Is he though?"
Sona wasn't the one that asked that question of her.
Both high-class devils turned in surprise to the only other person that could have possibly asked such a question, but the red-head among the two was obviously a bit more nonplussed than the other.
"What do you mean by that, Akeno?" she had to ask of her close friend, finding her words to be...strange to say the least.
Akeno, previously having a difficult time in stopping her giggling fits when hearing of her kohai's actions, was now frowning, visibly serious.
"I mean just that, Rias." her use of Rias' actual name proved just how serious she actually was. "Is he actually as straightforward and blunt as we think?"
Rias couldn't quite believe that she had just heard that question come out of Akeno's mouth. "Um...are we talking about the same person right now?"
To the red-head, nothing fit the description of the blond as; blunt and straightforward.
Maybe mischievous worked too, but she wasn't going to argue about which trait defined him more.
And while the other high-class devil stayed silent following that exchange, her quirked eyebrow was proof enough that she was also skeptical of Akeno's doubts.
"I've…just been thinking about it recently, about how Naruto is like with us." the queen admitted, tapping her bottom lip with a dainty finger, thoughtful. "Especially after what he told me yesterday."
The Gremory heiress piqued a bit in interest, leaning forward a bit, waiting for her friend to expand on that last bit.
Even if she had to stamp down on the reflexive question that she wanted to demand; 'When did you two get so close?'
"Oh, if you're curious, then you'll just have to ask Naruto-kun himself, Buchou." the designated Yamato Nadeshiko of Kuoh Academy deftly rejected her king's wish to hear more, much to her frustration no doubt.
But, perhaps seeing how the Power of Destruction was leaking off of the crimson-haired beauty, Akeno felt it was wiser to at least give her the highlight of their conversation. "That being said…he admitted something incredible to me, Buchou. Something that I never would of thought him capable of before. Not him."
At that admission, the black miasma that represented Rias' signature power retreated back into her form, the dark look that she sported fading away as innocent curiosity took its place.
What could he have possibly told Akeno to have her think so deeply about how he interacted with them?
Was it even that big of a deal?
Seeing that she not only had grasped her own king's full attention, but the focus of her Sitri counterpart, the ravenette folded her hands over her skirt and spilled the beans. "Buchou…Naruto-kun has actually hated someone before."
Blue-green eyes blinked.
The owner of said eyes then sagged a bit. "…Is that it? Oh come now, Akeno…I don't think there's a person alive who's never hated someone else before."
Indeed, she's hated Riser for trying to take her hand in marriage, so even someone like her has hated someone before.
Was it that far-fetched for the spiky-haired blond to be the same?
Sona, standing beside her, felt her face pinch up. "I don't think that the two of you are using the word in the same context."
Akeno nodded, looking mildly uncomfortable. "Yes, Sona-kaichou. Buchou…it's hard to explain, but what I'm talking about is worlds apart from what you felt with Riser. If anything; I'd liken it more to how Kiba-kun felt about Excalibur than anything else."
Flashes of the young man and his borderline insane actions popped up in Rias' head, evoking a frown.
Comparing and contrasting such raw and destructive behavior with both blonds; Naruto and Yuuto, she found that she couldn't even fathom it.
"Are…you sure?"
"He told me himself." Akeno replied, brushing a stray bang so that she could clearly meet her king's gaze. "And…that made me realize that maybe I don't know him as well as I should."
"…And perhaps…that he's hiding things from us." Sona remarked quietly, unwilling to believe it, but knew that she'd be remiss to discount the theory.
While that remark earned her a scolding look from her fellow high-class devil, it had to be noted that she didn't refute her either.
Rias turned away from Sona, sighing as she took a few steps back and plopped back onto her seat, crossing her arms together as she fell into deep thought.
Mostly falling back towards several moments that spoke out to her, in regards to the whiskered teen.
One moment in particular stood out like a sore thumb.
Just a mere two days ago, when every supernatural being affiliated around Kuoh Academy met in her clubroom to discuss the series of events that hit them all throughout the past few days.
She remembered clearly how reticent Naruto was when he spoke of that faction that his group fought in Kyoto; the Hero Faction, if she recalled correctly.
Especially when the subject of the group's elites was broached.
She took a single glance at the blond's expression, his tone of voice, his reticent attitude, and quickly decided to let the matter drop.
Even when she wanted to ask more questions about what happened out there; from what the objectives of this 'Hero Faction' was, to where it came from, and more…she didn't.
She didn't for the same reason why she didn't probe him over what he was exactly.
"I-I know." was all the red-head said at first, biting her lip. "I know."
Akeno and Sona alike turned to her, giving her a concerned and quizzical look respectively.
Neither had a chance to open their mouths however. "I already know that Naruto isn't telling us everything…but…is it really that important?"
That's right.
She still adamantly believed that the young man that they were referring to was blunt and straightforward.
Rias just happened to believe that there were exceptions to that general rule, for whatever reason that she couldn't quite decipher.
But was it really so important?
If Naruto didn't want to disclose something, then surely, they shouldn't pry?
Was what happened in Kyoto, what happened on his journey back, hell; his general past so important as to possibly endanger the trust that they've earned from him?
To possibly endanger their relationship with him?
Her relationship with him?
No…best to just forget about this subject, move past it.
After all, if he deigned to keep such information, then who was she to dig deeper?
"You…knew?" Sona started slowly, face scrunching. "So why haven't you done anything to rectify the situation?"
The Sitri heiress herself wasn't entirely sure whether the blond was keeping things from them or not until just now, seeing as she only recently spoke to him on a constant basis recently.
Rias on the other hand, knew and spoke to him for longer periods of time, so what was her excuse?
"There's nothing to rectify." she replied resolutely, turning her head away from the two eyes pinning her down. "Obviously, he's left his past in the past, there's nothing to fix there."
Akeno's tiny frown revealed her feelings on the matter, without needing to say a word.
Sona wasn't nearly so reserved. "Rias, I may not know much of the effect someone's past has on their present selves, but surely it leaves behind some influence on them. You can't be naïve enough to think-"
"Of course it has left an influence on him!" the red-head snapped, scowling now. "But whatever his past may be, it obviously wasn't severe enough to leave him as anything but a well-adjusted young man. So of course I wouldn't try and go further!"
Recoiling at the forceful way that the Gremory heiress spoke to her, as well as how genuine her belief was, her fellow king had to at least accede to her point.
From what she's seen of the blond, there was nothing that suggested that he was troubled, if anything, outside of his annoying tendency to prank people and his ridiculous confidence, he was actually among the sanest in their little group.
…Not that that was saying much, since she could've placed Kiba Yuuto in such a category two weeks ago as well.
"Rias…" Akeno tried to speak up, hesitating, before making the plunge. "Maybe prodding into his personal life before we met him may seem intrusive, but, for what it's worth, I'm not actually too worried about the fact that he's hated someone before."
Blue-green eyes flickered to meet violet, a hint of confusion within their depths now. "Then why are you so eager to dig?"
The queen tilted her head, looking about as innocent and innocuous as she actually was at that point. "Because I want to know more about someone that I care about."
It happened in a flash.
So quickly that, beside the other ravenette beauty, Sona almost missed it.
A subtle twitch of her lips downwards, almost twisting into a scowl.
Hoh?
"You think that I don't?" Rias demanded, her demeanor aggravated.
Obviously, considering the growing grin on Akeno's features, she noticed. "Hmm? Do you? If you wanted to, then surely you would've tried and learn more about him before this, no? Or maybe you could stop making excuses?"
Oh dear.
Seeing the red-head grow increasingly agitated, it became clear to Sona that she was now in the middle of a veritable minefield.
She remembered hearing the mumbled stories from the rest of Rias' Peerage about how her queen would sometimes get under her king's skin enough for it to come to blows.
She thrived on it apparently.
Well, it looked like it was about to reach that point, and the Sitri heiress wanted no part in it.
Taking a few cautious step back as the air became charged with power, the young devil was going to let these two go at it without comment and come back later.
When they weren't going to destroy the environment around them.
At least, that was her original intention.
Such an action was kind of difficult when a sizable rune circle flashed underfoot and cut off her attempt to move away.
Thankfully, the magical construct's appearance garnered not only Sona's attention, but everyone's attention, distracting the two would-be combatants from actually going at it.
Normally, this would be a good thing.
But Sona wasn't sure whether Rias and Akeno coming to blows wasn't preferable to this when she recognized the symbol upon the magic circle.
The transportation circle.
"Oh great…"
Koneko was late to class.
No, more than that, she was late to school.
Lunch period was already over, and she was only just entering the gate that led to Kuoh Academy.
Though, the rook wasn't particularly worried or anything, it wasn't like she did something like this often or anything.
Unlike some people she could name off anyway…
Hazel pupils flitted across the sparsely populated main square of the Academy grounds, seeing no one except the backs of frantic students racing towards their next class.
Normally, she'd follow their lead, but today was somewhat…special.
No, she'd go so far as to say momentous.
She had spent almost all of her time resting so that she could clearly think upon what she wanted from the training she was undergoing.
Or, rather, whether the fears that still boiled within the pit of her stomach would prove to be unfounded or not.
Which was why the teenaged girl was trudging, not towards the school building, but to the old school building.
Where she knew that her king's headquarters were located.
And, she hoped, where a certain blond was prepared to continue where they left off.
"Aha! There you are!"
Speak of the devil.
Koneko tilted her head upwards and over her shoulder, seeing a blond student jab his finger at her from the school building's third story, a grin befitting of a predator adorning his features.
She was completely unperturbed by the fact that, as soon as the other teen made his announcement, he jumped over the window ledge, despite being on the third floor of the building.
Landing in a crouch, his legs bending in order to absorb the impact of his fall, Naruto rose and walked up to the expectant first-year, prepared as she ever could be for what was going to happen next.
"Ready to get started on your real training?"
Staring without comment for a few moments, the white-haired girl finally deigned to open her jaws to give a proper answer.
At least, until she saw her sempai glance back at the window he jumped out from warily, as if expecting something.
And, following his line of sight, she came to the conclusion that she was correct in her observation.
Upon the third floor, a red-head was jogging down the hallway, her profile plainly visible from their angle, and was obviously looking for someone.
The evidence was in the furtive glances she was sending everywhere.
"C'mon, tell me later." Naruto urged, pushing the smaller form next to him lightly. "For now, uh…well, just run with me, yeah?"
Koneko didn't want to do that.
She had found some semblance of resolve that was needed to actually partake in this training.
And…if she were perfectly honest, she wanted to share it with him.
To let him know verbally that she was prepared to take this extra step into the unknown.
But, as the two drifted away from the school building, and the blond studiously acted as if he wasn't avoiding someone, he sent her a wry grin as they made their way to the only place where they could train in peace.
Somehow, even without words…
She felt that he knew anyway.
Honestly, she wouldn't put it past him.
"Ready, Basara-san?"
Basara cracked his knuckles idly as he stared down the other boy, a fire lit in his stomach, urging him.
Both young men were practically alone in the middle of the training area below the old school building, prepping themselves for a spar.
A little session that the both of them seemed to be looking forward to.
Without preamble, Issei conjured up a crimson gauntlet that covered his left forearm, tightening his hands into fists as he fell into a fighting stance.
Something that, surprisingly, received an echoed response from the 'new guy' as he instinctively followed suit.
However, even as his legs spread out and his hands cupped together in front of him, he knew that there was something missing.
Something vital. Key.
The perverted boy was about to comment on how he weird he looked, looking like he was standing in a guard position with a weapon when he had no such thing within his clasped hands.
But he never had the chance, as a look of concentration washed over the scarred youth's features, body shivering in…something.
At first, nothing happened.
Then; in a lightning-quick motion, emerald eyes snapped to the crimson gauntlet that occupied most of Issei's arm.
A powerful green aura overtook his hands, which were occupied by holding an imaginary hilt, clasped tightly against air.
That didn't remain to be the case.
Within seconds, a hilt formed in between his palms, materializing within the wild aura that he controlled, yet didn't.
Bending his legs, the amnesiac kept his hands together as he threw his arms to the side, taking the classic stance of a samurai drawing his katana.
The reality of what he was about to do wasn't too far off from that, since the green aura expanded further, forming a wicked blade that was silver in color and curved.
"…Brynhildr…" Basara murmured, brows scrunching, confused, yet certain.
Absolutely so.
This burst of knowledge, this…illumination.
Emerald eyes stared into the orb of power that glowed bright green within the ring that was connecting the hilt to the blade itself, his features illuminated by this power that was until now; unknown to him.
"Hoh…?" Issei's smirk was more prominent, excited even. "Sheesh, that's a badass sword right there. But, then again, do you even know how to use it?"
"I…think so?" the way that Basara phrased his statement made it come out as more of a question than anything else, but the shaggy-haired youth still turned to face his opponent with a serious attitude. "Let's find out."
To Issei, he had surged forward towards the blade wielder, his fist raised and primed to launch, holding himself back just a bit in his speed and strength so as not to intimidate his sparring partner.
He needn't had bothered.
In Basara's eyes, as soon as the battle began, time just seemed to…stall.
It was as if a switch had been flipped in his head, bringing forth instincts that were honed in what felt like another life.
His body moved appropriately to the threat; his feet spreading and his arms brought to the side in preparation to swing.
But more than that…
…
Was…Issei always so slow?
Indeed, in the young man's eyes, the other boy was charging at him in slow motion.
Internally, the amnesiac couldn't help but note that he had nothing to worry when it came to his opponent's speed.
No, he had to worry about the strength that his fists carried.
Which was why, his body on autopilot, he moved forward and intercepted the perverted boy in front of him.
Chocolate-colored eyes widened, the Boosted Gear user barely managed to react to the slice by raising his gauntlet to block the wide arc.
Sparks lit both of their features, with both teens meeting each other's gaze at they clashed.
Issei obviously underestimated his opponent, and his improved reaction time was the only reason he was able to block the attack that could've left him with a pretty vicious wound.
"…You were holding back." Basara accused, his lips forming a fine line. "You were moving slower before, but you sped up when you reacted to my attack."
The pawn chuckled nervously, keeping the wicked blade away from his skin. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't holding back that much though…I'm just pretty decent at reacting to things thanks to the shit I've been through."
His features, formerly lax, grew taut with his growing sense of tension.
"Serious time now."
Boost!
Making its declaration, the Boosted Gear doubled its wielder's power, signifying the beginning of his re-energized assault.
Something that Basara took keen note of as the pawnjumped forward, displaying speed that he didn't have until now.
It wasn't hard to deduce that his glowing gauntlet had something to do with it.
Tilting his head to the right of the brawler's left hook, which just so happened to release enough air pressure as to nick his cheek, the amnesiac followed his instincts and spun around to swing his broadsword at his opponent's back.
He wasn't exactly enthused to find that he only shaved off hair instead of leaving a gash on the other male's back, since he reacted to his swing by ducking underneath the arc.
It was only made worse when the perverted boy cocked his fist back, aiming to elbow the holder of Brynhildr in the stomach, using the fact that he was within his guard to his advantage.
However, proving that he still had the superior speed, Basara pushed against the ground and flew back and away from the incoming elbow, making space between the two teens.
Brown eyes widened, then narrowed just as quickly, prepared to move right on in after him.
So he did, using his already bent legs to springboard to his retreating opponent, confident that he could at least score one good shot off of him.
At least, he was, up until the swordsman slammed his broadsword into the ground, slowing down his momentum.
Then, with precision that could have only come from extreme dedication in honing his skills, he propped his feet onto the hilt of his blade, which was still carving into the ground.
And then pushed off of it.
Literally, Basara jumped into the air, cutting into his former momentum.
All while completely avoiding the devil that had just reached his former position.
To make matters worse, he hadn't even jumped that high, leaving Issei at his mercy since he was out of his fist's range while still being within Brynhildr's.
By the time that the pawn had realized this, and began turning to intercept the swing that would inevitably carve into his exposed back, Basara was already in the process of bringing his blade down.
Emerald eyes shined in triumph, the first he had felt ever since he had woken up.
It was in such a moment that he felt truly like he was alive.
This clash that forced him to react and try and to outmaneuver his opponent was just like one of those old legends that he recalled.
From where, he didn't recall, but he knew that an event like this would be considered as the prelude of a 'turning point'.
Something that he saw only a certain group of people accomplish, he somehow knew.
A group of people that adhered to the name of-
Boost!
A crimson gauntlet smashed into the sword of stainless steel, knocking both weapons back from the recoil that both suffered the sudden clash.
Basara stared and met with the determined gaze of the teen below him, getting further away due to the force that pushed the airborne youth further high up.
"Don't get cocky!" Issei growled, spinning around once to take control of the recoil before stomping his foot onto the ground and aiming his Boosted Gear's open palm at the flying Basara. "This ain't over yet, buddy!"
Demonic energy was built up into that open palm, resulting in a small crimson ball that occupied that space, radiating in its barely contained shape.
Issei tensed, the jewel within his Boosted Gear glowing brilliantly as he fired.
"Dragon Shot!"
Following the loud declaration, the crimson orb flashed forward as a beam that was almost as big as the teen himself, following the trajectory that was given to it.
The amnesiac stuck in mid-air.
Basara cocked his blade back, gripping its large hilt with both hands as he prepared for a mighty swing, somehow confident that he could at least stop the attack from doing too much damage.
More than that; he was pretty sure that he could completely 'kill' it.
Whatever the case, the young man held Brynhildr behind him, elbows bent with wound up strength poised to be unleashed, prepared for a mighty swing as words spilled from his lips.
Not even once wondering about the completely instinctual actions that he had just undertook in this fight.
"Banishing Shift!" came the roar, an emerald aura coating the young man's body as the sword made its powerful curve and made contact with the beam.
Smaller columns of the beam's original form spread apart as the broadsword was held in front of it, forcing Basara to squint at its proximity.
His arms shook at the impressive force lodged against him, struggling to carve through the energy attack, feeling like it should be easier.
Through grit teeth, a stray thought imbedded itself within his mind, far away, and yet…so intimately familiar.
'Is this all you have?'
The beam began ebbing, its power becoming unstable.
'This power is nowhere near enough to justify the name that you have adopted for yourself.'
Whatever aura enveloped him, its flow waving up and down his body, reaching his blade.
'Aim higher, and truly become one with the title you that you've adopted…and surpass it…my apprentice.'
A roar tore through Basara's throat then, a foreign and completely familiar power giving him the strength to complete his cut straight through the crimson energy.
Instead of getting split apart by the slash however, instead, it simply…
Evaporated.
No, more than that, it was completely erased.
Banished beyond this plane of existence.
Eyes that were the same shade as the grass, alive and fresh, peered open, staring at the blade in front of him.
A word unintentionally escaped his lips then.
"…Hero?" he murmured, distracted.
So distracted that he completely missed the fact that the fight wasn't over.
"ORRRRYYYAAAA!"
Neck nearly cracking, Basara saw stars as a fist knocked him down from the air, sending him down to earth like a ragdoll, leaving quite the crack onto the ground, despite how it was reinforced by magic.
Gasping, the amnesiac coughed as he tried to get the stars out of his sight, the taste of copper registering in his tongue.
"O-Oh shit!" he heard his erstwhile opponent curse under his breath, before going loud. "Hey! You alright there!? I didn't think that I'd get you with that punch!"
Basara forced himself up as soon as his brain stopped rattling in his skull, a dry chuckle rumbling in his chest. "Y-Yeah…my bad. I got distracted there for a second there."
Issei landed right next to the downed teen, rising up to give him an incredulous look. "Hey…don't apologize for getting knocked onto your ass, that's weird."
A dry grin etched its way across his features on that admission. "Sorry."
"You just did it again."
Breaking out into a fit of laughter, the shaggy-haired youth laid back down onto his back, wincing only a bit at its soreness. "Got it, got it. But…I don't know, there was something liberating in that, I think. I feel…at ease even."
Legs giving out beneath him, the perverted boy joined his counterpart on the ground, shooting him a tired smile. "Yeah…I know what you mean. It's pretty cool, fighting like that when there aren't any stakes in it. Just throwing all you've got against someone else, one on one? It's one hell of a stress reliever, I'll tell you that!"
He turned away then, looking a little chastened. "It's kinda hard to explain to be honest, so much so that I can't really get Asia to understand. It'd be nice if I could help her understand eventually."
Indeed, Asia really didn't get how a spar like this could benefit anyone much, and honestly, given her upbringing, may never get it.
Not that she tried to stop him or anything, rather, she just always tilted her head in confusion whenever he brought it up.
He'd like to change that one day.
"Asia?" Basara echoed, propping his elbows on the ground to raise his upper body a bit. "That's…that's that blond girl, right? What, are you two married or something?"
If anything could have broken Issei's composure, it was definitely a question like that. "Huh? What the hell kinda question is that? We're teenagers!"
"Well…I don't know. From what you've said, you two sound just like a married couple or something. Am I wrong?"
"Yes!" Issei cried, sputtering. "We're close, but we haven't reached that stage yet!"
Basara couldn't help but notice a key word in the other teen's sentence. "Yet?"
The perverted boy huffed, rolling his eyes. "Leave me alone, damn it."
A snort was all he got as a response, the amnesiac's elbows giving out on him as he fell onto his back, inexplicably satisfied and calm.
This atmosphere was nice to him.
And he had a feeling that he wasn't the only one to feel that way.
"My arms hurt." he complained lightly, eyes staring at the ceiling above. "That last energy attack of yours packed a punch, you know that?"
He couldn't see his sparring partner from his position on the ground, but he could imagine him scratching his cheek nervously regardless. "Ehehe…I actually got a little caught up in the moment to be honest, I didn't mean to throw that much power into my Dragon Shot."
Craning his neck to look at Issei, Basara gave him a flat look.
Obviously, the pawn had to defend himself. "Hey, I could've maxed out on my boosts if I wanted to, you know? I made sure to keep myself in check!"
The new guy didn't reply, opting to rest his neck by staring back at the ceiling again.
…
"…Sorry."
"Now look who's apologizing?" Basara muttered dryly, a twinkle in his eye.
Twin sets of chuckles emerged from that comment, coming from both boys as they relaxed on the ground, carefree.
At that moment, Basara felt that he could grow to like these people.
And, in that moment, at a secluded area away from the two combatants, another young hero watched the two teens speak with the smallest of smiles.
It looked like Yuki had nothing to worry about here.
Fire.
While Sona was expecting as such, it came as a bit of a surprise to the other two devils in the room, who didn't even notice the magic circle until now.
Rias and Akeno finally turned away from one another to focus on the magic construct in the middle of the room, spewing fire in all directions in a manner which was eerily familiar to the both of them.
Especially to the red-head. "Oh no…not now…"
While neither of the ravenettes made a verbal comment to that effect, their expressions made their opinions about the situation just as easily known.
The only possible positive about consolation about this, was the fact that the flames were significantly toned down, comparatively.
Still, it was a cold comfort for any of them when a familiar head of hair emerged from the ground through the demonic-powered rune circle.
Accompanied by aristocratic features and piercing blue eyes.
"…Riser." Rias spoke up levelly, the other two devils next to her shifting close to her, closing ranks against an external threat. "What are you doing here?"
In the middle of the room, with his hands stuffed into his pockets, was Riser Phenex.
One didn't need to be a genius to figure that Rias could have gone through her entire life without needing to see him again.
A fact that the blond devil must have picked up on as he turned to look at her with a neutral expression. "Nice to see you too, Rias."
"Let's skip through the niceties, shall we?" Sona cut in, recognizing the telltale signs of her friend's rising anger once she squared her shoulders. "Surely you aren't here just to antagonize us, correct?"
Riser didn't react to her words one way or another at first, simply choosing to slide his gaze across the assorted group in front of him.
It wasn't until he did a thorough scan that he actually opened his mouth to speak.
"Trust me, I don't want to be here anymore than you do." the high-class devil remarked, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he did so. "But I was ordered to do so, so here I am."
"Ordered?" the Sitri heiress repeated doubtfully. "You? Who exactly would-?"
Her words died before she could even bother asking.
All thanks to the finger that was raised, pointing straight at Rias, leaving no doubt as to who the young man was referring to.
"Her onii-chan." he stated dully.
Rias blinked. "Onii-sama? Why would he-?"
"Throughout the past two weeks or so, I've been working with Maou Lucifer-sama in regards to an investigation." Riser explained, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes. "Today however, he has sent me to seek you out and give you a message."
Rias and Sona exchanged concerned glances, not sure whether such an action by the Maou Lucifer could be considered a good or a bad thing.
It was Akeno that pointed out a missing component in this puzzle though. "Buchou, Kaichou, I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps this contact has something to do with our inability to contact the Underworld?"
Blue-green eyes snapped to the queen, widening as her mind raced at the implications.
She needn't have bothered. "Actually, this is exactly about the recent breakdown of communications."
All eyes turned back to Riser, who was now casually leaning against the back of the couch in the middle of the room. "As you seem to have noticed, all communication to and from the Underworld has been disrupted, making it almost impossible for anyone to reach through across the dimensions to speak or see one another. So don't even bother right now."
The Gremory heiress craned her head forward, incredulous to say the least. "I've never heard of such a large disruption before, as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that this is unprecedented. Unless you're talking about the Underworld during the war, but that's understandable for obvious reasons."
"Rias is correct." the Sitri heiress murmured, pushing her glasses back up high on the bridge of her nose. "Discounting the times when there was civil strife, something like this is…unheard of."
The blond devil amongst them blinked slowly, breathing out a drawn out sigh.
As he raised his hand to wipe at his eyes, Rias couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes…
"That's just it." he spoke out finally, sounding resigned. "There is civil strife going on in the Underworld as we speak."
If anyone could describe the feeling that hit all of his listeners, it would probably be surmised as; the feeling of a lead weight falling in their stomach.
And Riser was probably someone who noticed this. "Relax, while it sounds bad, the unrest hasn't reached a critical point yet. It's just enough to worry plenty of devils enough to completely overwhelm the magical servers that regulate communication between the Underworld and other dimensions. That's all."
While Sona audibly eased up from the tension that entered her frame, Rias on the other hand, did not.
"…You've changed, Riser."
Riser scowled at that. "Don't remind me."
The resident red-head gazed upon him in wonder, having difficulty connecting the man that almost forced her into an arranged marriage and the one before her now.
It was bizarre to say the least.
"Getting back on topic…" Sona felt it necessary to actually figure out what was going on rather than ask about personality shifts. "Why did those servers break down? Surely Maou Beelzebub-sama could simply accommodate the influx of discourse between the Underworld and other dimensions?"
It was a reasonable question.
Ajuka Beezlebub was the Chief Advisor of the Technology Department of the Underworld, and was, by all accounts, a genius when it came to his job.
Such a problem should've been nothing to such a competent man in such a position.
"Normally, yes. But ever since Maou Beelzebub-sama has heard of Diodora's criminal status, he's been rather…distant."
Sona's cheek twitched.
Diodora Astaroth.
An insane devil that had committed nefarious actions by attempting to kidnap both; Asia and Mio at differing times.
As well as the overall crimes that come with attacking other devils and invading their private property.
And Ajuka Beelzebub...who was once known as Ajuka Astaroth.
She could already see the possible issues here.
"…I thought that Maou Beelzebub-sama was very distant with his younger brother." Rias murmured under her breath, her disbelief plain to see.
The Phenex shrugged, unable or unwilling to give his opinion on the matter.
After that small pause though, he continued on as if nothing had happened. "Anyway, the only reason why this came up as a problem in the first place is because of that strife that I mentioned earlier, plaguing the Underworld. Which brings me to the second reason of why I'm here…"
Blue eyes sharpened, pinning Rias with a stare.
"Do you know where-?"
At that moment, the creaking sound of a door opening was heard, causing every devil in the room to focus upon it.
Riser's eyebrows creased at what he saw.
"Speak of the devil."
"What will you be teaching me, sempai?"
Naruto stopped, turning to look at the loli next to him, only about a minute's walk away from their destination.
He regarded her for all of a second, before turning away from her, thoughtful. "Well…I think I mentioned this before, but I can't teach you much. I can only teach you techniques that your chakra allows you to."
The rook cocked her head to the side, decidedly puzzled, even when she had an inkling about what he was talking about.
Seeing this, the blond elaborated. "Well, I'm sure you've noticed, but your chakra and my own are similar, but not exactly the same. My chakra has a bit more mixed in to allow me to use certain techniques…abilities that you're unable to use without it."
Hazel eyes crinkled. "Techniques like what?"
Naruto didn't respond verbally.
Instead, he raised his hand, as energy swirled on his palm, spinning to coalesce into a very familiar sphere.
The devil stared at it, transfixed, always impressed by its hypnotizing visage.
"Like this." the shinobi claimed, allowing the incomplete rasengan to fizzle away.
Back while he was in Kyoto, he recalled where he and a certain yokai faction leader compared notes about their respective energy sources.
Apparently, the chakra of the yokai of this world had an imbalance of energies mixed within it, in stark contrast with the balance present with the chakra of the shinobi.
An imbalance of spiritual and physical energy; Yin and Yang.
An imbalance that left the spiritual energy as the dominant force.
The shinobi couldn't remember the specifics to save his life, but he knew that physical energy was vital for ninjutsu in general.
So that left Koneko, and literally every other yokai in this world, absolutely no access to those kinds of techniques.
That being said… "I may not be able to teach you that, but I can show you how to do this."
In a flash, the blond brought his hands together in order to weave a single hand sign, causing an explosion of smoke to hide his self.
Then, through the smoke, emerged a pair of hazel eyes.
Hazel irises met with an exact replica of hazel irises, with the original set registering that everything else was an exact replica as well.
Koneko was currently staring at Koneko.
Before she could even be taken aback by the bizarre situation, another explosion overtook her copy, camouflaging 'her'.
Thankfully, Naruto's looks reverted back to what they once were, sporting a playful grin as he laid his hands down.
"Henge. While it's harmless on its own, if you try and think outside of the box, you could really do some amazing things with it. Take my word for it." the whiskered teen explained, that grin of his ever present.
"Oh…" the reincarnated devil leaned forward a bit, the only sign that she was interested since her features remained stoic. "I see…but is that it?"
"One more." Naruto replied, bringing his hands again to form a hand seal. "It's similar to my kage bunshins, but this one is illusionary."
In a puff of smoke, as expected, a copy of the blond appeared right by him, a clone to its very core.
But, interestingly, Koneko witnessed Naruto wave his hand through the clone, proving that it wasn't solid by any means.
"This is just an ordinary clone, one that is much easier to make than the corporeal clones that I make all of the time. I'm sure that I don't have to explain the advantages to having this baby in your arsenal, eh?"
A correct assumption on his part.
Without prompt, the illusion faded away without making a sound as the blond crossed his arms and hummed, raising his head towards the sky, peering up at the clouds above. "Now, besides those two, I'd like to see if I could teach you another technique, but that one might be a bit more difficult to grasp to be honest. We'll have to wait and see. But the rasengan and the kage bunshin are impossible techniques for you to learn, just so you know dattebayo."
The rook nodded, taking this all in, already trying to figure how these abilities could be used to her advantage in the future.
But before she could delve too deeply into that train of thought, her ears twitched.
"Someone is coming."
Naruto frowned, opening his mouth to ask what she meant by that.
"F-Found you!"
He may as well not bother.
The shinobi froze on the spot, growing pale when a familiar set of pink eyes pinned him down, accusatory.
"M-Mio…" he gulped, shying away from her uneasily. "What's up?"
Mio took a menacing step forward, the eerie light of insanity touching her eyes.
Naruto may have squeaked when she did so.
Maybe.
"What's up? What's up!? Do you have any idea how I found you, Naruto!?" she practically raged, eye twitching.
Violently, he may add.
Obviously, his precious imouto was on a roll, so Koneko decided to do the smart thing and shuffle quietly away from the new ground zero and support her new sensei from the sidelines by giving him a thumbs up.
It was obvious what she was trying to say to him.
'Good luck, sempai.'
Lucky little…
"I found you thanks to the puffs of smoke that you kept releasing here!" Mio dragged his attention back to her, much to his chagrin. "If it wasn't for the fact that I was looking for you and cutting class, others could have noticed it! Why! Do you! Endanger yourself! Needlessly!?"
The red-head heaved, her breath spent as she paused to take a gulp of air.
Meanwhile, Naruto blankly looked at her as she did so.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Were you worried about me, Mio?"
The scion of the Original Lucifer tripped over air over that one, recovering only enough to gape at him as her cheeks blew up metaphorically.
"Y-You…"
Mio tried to deny it, she really did, but his earnest expression made it difficult for her to garner the necessary indignation for her to keep herself angry.
She turned away, suddenly embarrassed, hand digging into her skirt pocket, seeking out the notes that contained her sempai's nuggets of wisdom.
Naruto stared.
"Ok." he murmured to himself softly, lips forming a flat line as he steeled himself. "This has gone on long enough dattebayo…"
Koneko, who was standing at a fair distance away, still managed to hear him thanks to her supernatural hearing, and felt her interest pique.
Striding towards the flustered girl, the shinobi firmly grasped her shoulders and forced her to face him, cutting her sputtering short.
"Mio." he spoke, voice firm and unyielding, demanding to be listened, refusing to be interrupted. "Listen, I don't know why you've been acting so strange recently, but…I'm beginning to get worried about it. Ever since I came back, your actions have been weirding me out 'ttebayo! I have no idea what's going on in your head anymore, if I were honest…"
Pools of cerulean blue shifted downward to the forest floor, troubled. "I-I'm not too sure about what to do. So…well…"
He fell into silence, having difficulty expressing what he wanted to express.
Until he gave up entirely and shoved his hands into his pocket, snatching something up and offering it up to the red-head.
Mio blinked, peering at the open palm that was presented to her.
It took a moment for her to register what it was, but when she did, it made her breath escape her lungs.
"Naruto…" she whispered, transfixed. "This…this is…"
"…I just noticed that you didn't have one anymore, that's all dattebayo…" he scratched his head, decidedly nervous, but trying to play it off. "I mean, I don't know if it meant anything to you, but I figured that…it'd be nice, ya know? A nice gesture, I guess?"
If Mio was paying attention, then she gave no indication of it, far too focused on the item that she was holding up to eye level.
It was a small thing, really.
Small things.
It was just a twin set of black strings, nothing more or less.
But she instantly knew that these were for.
Hand absentmindedly combing through her red long hair, she knew instinctively that there was nothing there holding her hair up.
Usually, she'd have a pair of strings to tie the sides of her long hair into twin pigtails.
But ever since her fight with Diodora, that hadn't been the case.
Mostly thanks to the fact that he destroyed them during that very clash.
…
If she were honest, thoughts of those strings have only passed her by occasionally, and rarely if ever haunted her.
So consumed was she by Diodora's parting words, that she barely noticed its absence.
Yet, the second that she touched these strings, a shock of nostalgia gripped her.
Instead of a rough and calloused masculine hand offering out the accessory set to her, for just a moment…they were feminine.
A soft and motherly caress, soothing her as those hands deftly combed through her long hair and tied the strings through her long tresses.
Warm mocha-colored eyes looked down upon her, a smile expressed without needing to make one.
Always so expressive, never shy to act on her feelings for her adopted daughter.
It was a visage of a young brunette whose hair was tied into a bun, wearing an apron and wielding a spatula after having just left the kitchen, cooing quietly as she gave her a look of adoration.
You look so beautiful, Mio-chan~
And then, just as quickly as the vision appeared in front of her, it faded away.
Leaving a very nervous blond in its place, squirming at the silence.
Mio rolled the strings over her fingers, distracting herself from her shaking bottom lip, her eyelids fluttering.
"…That's not fair."
Naruto finally pulled it together. "Eh?"
The red-head said nothing, simply raising the strings up and deftly combing them through her long locks, mimicking the actions of the woman from before.
With practiced hands, she sectioned off some of her hair and tied them up with one of those strings, before moving onto the other side and doing the same to it.
As soon as she was done, she brushed her hair back, and took a shaky breath, calming her beating heart.
After all of this time, she had stayed quiet.
And it didn't change, even when she plucked the notepad from her skirt once more and scanned it blankly, not actually reading it.
Then, she let it fall through her fingers, hitting the ground without bothering to try and get it.
With all of that said, she finally turned back to Naruto, who was looking mighty confused.
"Naruto." she said simply, the edges of her lips twitching upwards into a smile. "Want to go out for ramen as thanks for this gift? I'm paying."
The shinobi gazed at her, inexplicably befuddled even further.
But…unlike the other times that she invited him out, there was just something…casual about this.
Very different from before, which almost seemed to be characterized by desperation than anything else.
So, lured by the prospect of ramen, and eased by the more positive shift in her demeanor, the shinobi grinned.
"Sure." he nodded, pumping his fist. "Let's do it."
Mio grinned herself, folding her hands behind her back as she twirled away from him, making her way to the ORC clubhouse. "We'll figure out the details later then. For now, let's see how everyone else is doing, hm?"
And, just like that, the young woman casually walked to the older red-head's place, humming a tune to herself all the while.
Naruto watched her go, his features softening, and his concerns dimming over her behavior.
He had no idea what had just happened, but…
It looked like she was gonna be alright.
"…Welp, might as well get going, eh, Koneko?" Naruto called out, turning to look at the devil that had dodged that entire mess.
Near him, the rook was also watching the first-year go, an inexplicable expression dominating her face, which shifted back to her usual stoicism as soon as the blond called for her.
Chancing one last look at Mio's retreating back, the reincarnated devil walked up to the shinobi, nodding firmly that she was ready to continue.
Then, as a group they walked towards the old school house, reaching it within the predicted minute time hack.
Before either of them could have actually climbed the steps to reach the front porch though, Mio spun around again and faced the spiky-haired blond, a smile from ear-to-ear on.
"Hey, Naruto." she said, eyes bright. "We're family, right?"
The shinobi was taken aback by the query, opening his mouth to retort in a smartass manner about the stupidity of asking such a question.
But before he said a word, something deep inside him roiled.
It was hard to explain, but just at that moment, the sheer thought of answering that question caused something deep-seated to rebel, raising its ugly head to lambast against it.
To push the thought, the idea away.
To banish it, where it could never hurt it again.
Remember before, where you considered others to be your 'family'.
Naruto faltered, looking uncertain.
Where is that 'family' now?
He glanced down, uncomfortable, throat clenching.
Pain borne from broken bonds…don't fall victim to that pain again-
"Because I do."
Blue eyes glanced up, meeting the brightest of pink, shining even.
"I probably said this before." she piped, all positivity. "But…I'm really happy that I met you, Naruto."
Taking a stance, executing a flourish, the young woman kowtowed before her adopted sibling, expressing profound gratitude by action and words.
Externally, Naruto didn't react to the move.
But internally, the fog that had encroached into the depths of his mind were suddenly pushed back, fading away deep into his psyche.
The treacherous words that came from within grew more distant, more difficult to hear or pay attention to.
He couldn't have possibly known that the words that his imouto had just given him had, temporarily at least, beaten back whatever had been plaguing him ever since Kyoto.
But, for now at least, his eyes cleared, and his conviction had been reaffirmed.
With that reaffirmation, came that in/famous boat load of confidence that Uzumaki Naruto was known for.
"Of course!" the shinobi bellowed, huffing loudly and haughtily. "Sheesh, even now, you insist on asking really weird questions dattebayo…"
Mio straightened herself, a sound that suspiciously sounded like a giggle coming from her. "Yeah, yeah. I know, it's just nice to say it anyway, ya know?"
"What's the point of saying it when it's a fact though?"
"…Mou, can't you just accept a nice gesture?"
"Nope, I'd be screwing up my duties as an 'onii-chan' if I didn't give you crap for stupid stuff like this."
"Hmph…maybe you really are a bully…"
"What was that!?"
Koneko rolled her eyes, unable to take the back-and-forth between the two siblings as they walked slowly up the steps, bickering as only they could.
So she decided to take the initiative and move ahead of them, opening the door to the Gremory group's base of operations, ignoring the pang at her chest.
It must be nice…having such banter between siblings…
Those thoughts were immediately killed as soon as she opened the door though, taking in a familiar and decidedly unfriendly surprise.
It didn't take long for the bickering siblings to notice her pause, with Naruto in particular glancing over the rook'shead to check out what was going on.
He felt his shoulders sag.
"Speak of the devil."
That wasn't him.
"Son of a…"
That most definitely was.
In the middle of the main room of the building stood an aristocratic blond devil that no one in particular was exactly eager to see again.
"Riser…" Naruto drawled, shoulders squaring. "What brings you here, of all places?"
The Phenex stared stonily at the teenaged human, saying nothing.
From behind the high-class devil were some familiar faces, all giving varying greetings in accordance to their personality to said whiskered teen.
Sona gave a respectful nod.
Rias smiled and waved.
Akeno just shot him a sultry smile.
About standard.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Riser spoke up, sighing with the same breath of his words. "To be honest with you, I feel like I should owe you for your actions during our last encounter rather than resent you for them, and it's a shame that we couldn't meet under better circumstances, but…"
He frowned deeply, so much so that it left large creases on his forehead, obviously not taking pleasure in what he was about to say.
"Naruto…I'm here to inform you that large protests have broken out across the Underworld against the current status quo of devil society."
Eh?
"…And that many among them are crediting using that speech of yours back in that party as inspiration for it." Riser claimed bluntly, eyes sharp.
…
…
"Eh?"
That was all Naruto could really say about that.
"He's late."
An elderly man was casually sipping on some tea as he allowed his greatest experiment to vent, unflappable as ever.
Across from him was that very experiment, aggravated as she had her arms crossed and tapped her finger repeatedly.
A being that he intended to have as the first true human of this world to master the power of the humans of the 'other' world.
A young woman that had forsaken her past and her name on her path for power and perfection.
A young woman, that just so happened to be standing in front of his desk, glowering down at him with those dull ruby eyes of hers.
"Late?" the old man asked, playing dumb. "Whoever could you mean?"
Those eyes, typically dispassionate, grew poisonous, as they were liable to do when this specific individual was involved.
"You know exactly whom I'm referring to."
The elderly man, otherwise simply known as Shiranui, shrugged his shoulders lightly, taking the chance to take another sip of his tea.
Glaring down upon the aged human, the teen once known as Kurokami Medaka took a step back, taking stock of the situation that she had returned to.
She had hoped to return back to her domain with all of the pieces necessary to continue putting pressure upon a certain blond, challenging the ideology that he had adopted to the breaking point.
If there was anything that she had learned of that boy, it was that; if he had enough time, he could very quickly recuperate and come back with a plan or with renewed vigor.
If nothing else, he was not someone that anyone could afford to ever hold back again, not if they wanted to defeat him.
He could be given no time to rest or relax, it had to be a constant pressure.
And yet, the first essential step that she needed to defeat him physically could not be achieved, not without her second-in-command.
Not if she wanted to remain anonymous and not receive a large target on her back like Uzumaki Naruto had garnered by showing his hand for the world to see.
Her next evolution was ready, but she couldn't achieve such a thing here.
She needed to get more information about artificial Sacred Gears, and she couldn't get it here.
No, there was only one place where such information could be readily available and accessible, and she would need Kumagawa's…unique abilities to remain undetected.
Not that the old man in front of her was even aware of what she was up to.
"So, child." Shiranui finally spoke, raising his wrinkled head to regard the young woman. "What is your opinion of the sole shinobi of this world?"
She didn't hesitate. "He was weakened by the time I fought him, but he still proved to be a fierce warrior. I haven't been able to fight like that in a long time. And…if I were honest, I doubt that I could defeat him as I am now."
The former hero felt his eyebrow rise. "Hoh? Quite the admission from someone as proud as yourself."
"It wasn't unexpected." she explained, features neutral. "He's as special as I am after all."
Shiranui didn't respond to that, waiting patiently for his creation to continue.
And she did. "…That being said, the mission was a success for you, chairman. It seems that the Sacred Gear that you artificially created within me allowed me to copy not only other artificial Sacred Gears, but jutsus as well. The kage bunshin no jutsu is an ability that I now have access to."
A smile overtook the elderly man's features at this piece of information.
The tyrant idly noted that she didn't like it.
"As I'd hoped…research into the jutsu of the shinobi is progressing, as I'd intended. However, seeing as that seems to be all you have, that means that The End is still incomplete, yes?"
Ruby eyes narrowed, but their owner didn't say one thing or another.
There was a reason why Shiranui sought out Uzumaki Naruto, and it wasn't just to have a guinea pig to learn about and eventually spread the power of chakra to others.
It was also to perfect her.
"…If that is all you need, then I need to change clothes and make sure that my subjects haven't done anything to…unsavory while I've been gone." she eventually said, turning on her heel, her long purple hair following her trail.
She could feel the old man's gaze piercing into the back of her skull.
But she didn't particularly care about it one way or another.
In reality, she didn't care one bit of Shiranui's ambitions, or about the goals of the other 'special' people here.
She didn't particularly like the idea of the blond becoming a guinea pig either.
No, she sought the destruction of the current Naruto, that was all.
Something that sounded so simple and petty, but which could be considered to be almost an impossible task, and one that had many personal stakes.
In some ways, she knew, her goal placed her in tandem with the old man, for now at least.
But in other ways, they were opposed.
She knew damn well that there were other groups out there that had their own ambitions, and that the one she sought to change was probably a nominal enemy to each and every single one of them, knowing him.
But she knew that he could handle them.
Just like she knew that he could handle Kumagawa.
No, if there was anything that she feared, it was that Kumagawa knew about her efforts and would try and attempt to sabotage them.
Just the thought of that occasionally insubordinate boy made her fists clench tightly, providing enough pressure to crush boulders under the pressure.
She swore…if that boy did anything to jeopardize her plans, then she'd have to devise a way to kill him repeatedly for his treason.
Breaking out through the doors of the building that she was just in, she gazed up at the sky, ruby eyes glistening in the starry night.
She wondered…
Was he also preparing for the future? As she was?
Eventually, they'd face again. But whether they'd go through other enemy factions before each other or deal with the other first was what she was curious about.
"Whatever you're doing out there…" Kurokami Medaka murmured, staring at the beautiful sky. "I hope you're prepared for whatever there is to come…Naruto…"
She raised her hand up, offering it up to the sky, waiting for someone to grasp it, so that she may drag them down with her.
To her 'truth'.
"I will be the one to change you…just you wait…" she whispered, determination pouring out of every pore of her body, the wind brushing past her features.
"Just you wait…"