First Reading.
"I'm more surprised that you only brought the DxD characters; normally you'd bring so many that frankly it would be impossible for you to manage them all—commented the sociopathic end-of-the-world controller, observing that only the Gremory clan members, Sona and her entourage, along with Azazel, Michael, Odin and a few other characters were present.
"I couldn't stand Cid for more than ten minutes without wanting to punch him in the head," I openly admitted. After all, Cid was, by far, the most detestable person I'd ever met. The anime had toned him down considerably, since he's even more insufferable in the novel. This was ironic, because the anime ruined Issei by turning him into a complete screamer, whereas in the novel he was quieter and more introspective.
"I suppose that makes sense," said the control, and shrugged—metaphorically speaking, since it didn't have shoulders.
"Very well, now that you've read the pamphlet," I said, capturing the attention of the guests in my reading room. Yes, I had started using explanatory pamphlets; it was much easier and faster than the kidnapping session, reassuring them and answering pointless questions. "Do you have any questions, or can we begin?" I asked with a smile.
"Yeah... How messed up is the world with an older sister who has two younger siblings?" Azazel asked. If Sirzechs, with just one little sister, was already an overprotective idiot, Azazel didn't even want to imagine what he'd be like with two.
"There's not much difference, other than that with Naruto in their lives they're... let's say, much more interesting," I said with a smile, knowing how much, really much, Naruto had done to make that world a much, much more interesting place.
"Why does the way you're saying it give me a bad feeling?" Grayfia asked, though she didn't know why, she now felt that instead of taking care of one hyperactive child with serious attention problems, she would have to take care of two.
"That's your business," I said. Then I simply gestured to control Sociopath of the end of the worldso that he would give it to her.playto the first chapter.
Chapter 1: Naruto's Diary Entry 1 — A Difficult Beginning
Trying to summarize my life would be dishonest; the truth is, there's no way to condense it. So, I suppose I'll have to start at the beginning, the old-fashioned way.
"Oh, this doesn't look good," Rias said with a grimace.
"Why do you say that?buchou"?" Issei asked, genuinely confused. He couldn't see how the story could have such a bad start with just that one paragraph. Or, in this case, with just that one introductory line of dialogue.
"When a story begins with that specific dialogue... it usually means he's had a hard life, or..." She paused. She didn't really want to consider the idea that his family might have been a bad family that had abandoned him; that just didn't feel right.
"Or?" Asia asked, genuinely curious to know what was worrying her older sister figure so much.
"Or his family abused him," Vali said dryly. Come on, it wasn't that hard to imagine, although to be fair, his grandfather killed and raped his mother, so he definitely wasn't the most stable person in the room.
"Yes, that," Rias said with a grimace. She really didn't want to consider that possibility; she hoped it was just some kind of late-onset development in him.
"We tell you," said Control, suppressing laughter at the hasty conclusions these subjects had drawn based on a single dialogue, a single dialogue.
"Nah, let them find out for themselves" I said with the same smile.
I am Naruto Gremory, a member of the Gremory family, a high-class demon clan. This distinction is important, as my family holds the title of Dukes within the Ars Goetia, placing us among the ten most powerful and influential clans not only in the Underworld, but in the world at large.
Despite my position, my life wasn't easy. I was born a twin and was the older brother, but it was my younger sister, Rias, who garnered the most attention. Honestly, I couldn't blame anyone. She was an incredibly beautiful child and inherited the most distinctive Gremory traits: crimson red hair and sparkling aquamarine eyes.
"Oh no..." Rias complained. "Why did it have to be one of those stories?"
"Calm down, Buchou, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," Issei said, trying to soothe the redhead. After all, he didn't want her to get angry and start destroying things.
"Besides, I'm sure all of this is being taken out of context," Koneko pointed out, in her usual calm voice.
"Why do you say that?" Akeno asked.
"The remote has a camera," replied the young woman with white hair, pointing directly at the talking remote, which did indeed have a camera in front of it.
"I told you to play it cool!" I yelled at the control room. Damn it, now they'd be watching what was going on!
"I don't have hands, you idiot. I'm a damn self-aware talking remote!" the remote retorted.
My family is famous not only for our unparalleled beauty—modesty and ego aside, of course—but also for a considerable array of abilities. Among them is an innate capacity to enhance our physical and magical performance at the cost of damaging our own cells. Then there's my older brother, the current Demon King Lucifer, and one of the most powerful demons in history.
"Can we do that?" Rias asked her father, not really knowing they possessed that ability. In her defense, the Power of Destruction was far more effective.
"It's a highly coveted ability," Zeoticus agreed. After all, it was an ability that every son or daughter of the Gremory clan inevitably awakened, unlike the Power of Destruction, which only a select few could manifest.
Personally, I didn't believe the popular claim that he was ten times stronger than the original Demon King Lucifer. Such a statement had too many weaknesses. For example, he was born around the same time the great Demon King was still alive, and Sirzechs himself admitted to not having God-like strength, while the original Lucifer rivaled His power on equal footing. Nevertheless, I understood the origin of such an assertion; propaganda was, after all, a useful tool for controlling the masses.
"There... he's clever," said Sirzechs. He wasn't offended; after all, his little brother had said so. He understood the reason for the propaganda, but he would have liked his statements to have been, at least, a little milder.
"I'm surprised more people haven't figured it out before," Serafall remarked. She had never claimed to be stronger than the original Leviathan, knowing that doing so would have exposed the lie. Yet, she wondered how it was possible that, after nearly a thousand years, no one had discovered it yet.
"I'm surprised it even worked," said Azazel, who could only deduce that demons, besides being idiots, were extremely self-indulgent.
Especially considering that Sirzechs was never known for his intelligence. In fact, most of the Demon Kings of this generation were a bunch of spineless idiots.
"I don't like your brother Sirzechs," Serafall remarked with a pout. She understood that he was resentful, but she didn't understand why he was attacking them, who had nothing to do with it.
"I like her," Vali declared. She was definitely someone she'd like to get to know.
"You're crazy," Bikou replied, rolling his eyes.
Sirzechs was a slacker who was always looking for ways to shirk his responsibilities; Ajuka didn't even work, he was only focused on his experiments. As for the incestuous one, the less said the better for my sanity, and I don't think I've ever seen Falbium awake for more than five minutes at a time.
"You're right," Michael commented dryly, while Azazel nodded, because, without a doubt, he had them completely identified.
And Vali... she simply couldn't help but laugh at the incredibly accurate descriptions Lucifer's younger brother had given of the four Satans. Hell! He hadn't even bothered to mention Serafall's name, opting instead to call her "incestuous."
"Brother, Vali scares me," said Le Fay, hiding behind Arthur.
"Me too, Le Fay, me too," Arthur replied. Damn it, he'd never seen Vali laugh before, and he'd rather not have.
Of course, though I considered them functional idiots... some more than others. I don't deny their power by today's standards. After all, the original Leviathan was famous for being able to destroy the world, while, as far as I know, Serafall can barely freeze a country... though that doesn't say much, since Monaco was also a country, and I know of larger islands.
"What is Monaco?" asked Issei, who had never heard of the place, which wasn't strange, since it wasn't exactly famous.
"It's the smallest country in the world," Rias replied, paying little attention to the question and preferring to focus on her brother's story.
The truth is, I don't hate them at all; in fact, if we ignore Serafall's incestuous nature, she's quite pleasant to be around, and if Sirzechs would stop being such an overprotective jerk—and maybe a bit of a geek—he'd be pretty great. Seriously, I like them, but some things are undeniable. It's a fact. I know because I tried to deny reality when I was a kid and ended up spending two weeks in the hospital after burning my retinas trying to block out the sun with my finger.
Koneko let out a soft snort. She struggled to stifle a laugh. She found him endearing in a way: funny and cute, yet incredibly sweet. Especially since he was trying to act like a bad boy, insulting people she actually liked.
Of course, Rias found it funny. But Rias laughs at fart jokes, so her sense of humor has never been particularly sophisticated.
What did you expect? Some tragic, clichéd story about how my parents discovered my magical power was inferior to my sister's, or that I didn't inherit the power of Destruction and am some kind of outcast? Please, this isn't that kind of story! If my parents are known for anything, besides being incredibly attractive, it's for being, quite possibly, the best parents in the Underworld.
"Thank hell," Rias exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. "I still didn't understand what the hell was wrong with my brother; if his parents loved him, why was he so angry?"
In terms of power, Rias and I are pretty evenly matched. It's true she has a natural gift for the power of Destruction, but I'm no slouch either; in fact, I'm more efficient. I prefer knowing how to destroy to simply destroying, and there's a considerable difference between the two, believe me. Despite the amount of power she infuses into her beams, Rias has never been able to defeat me using the power of Destruction. Although we're competitive, we get along very well. Sure, her geeky antics exasperate me, but what siblings don't have their disagreements?
Now you might be wondering: why did I title this first entry "a difficult start"? The answer boils down to two main reasons: the first is Sirzechs, and the second is politics.
"Oh... yes, now I understand," Rias said, glancing sideways at a certain Phenex. It seemed that in this world, the one betrothed to the Phenex clan was her twin.
"Why don't we look at the history and avoid jumping to conclusions?" Sirzechs suggested. After all, it was obvious that he had included him in her complaint, and he hadn't been involved in his younger sister's engagement to Clan Phenex; moreover, he had used all his political influence to break it off.
"What else could it be?" Rias asked, not noticing what else would have her younger brother so upset.
"I think I have an idea," Grayfia remarked to herself.
The situation can be summed up in one point: Sirzechs has to deal with very prominent political enemies. In addition, there are other troublesome factions, such as a group of fallen angels led by Kokabiel, whose sole aim is to unleash a new great war for the sheer pleasure of senseless slaughter. There's also the faction of the former Satan; while I'm not entirely sure of his exact goals, I know that Rizevim isn't seeking to create a new infernal order or power. In fact, no one knows for sure what the hell he wants, which, come to think of it, makes it quite terrifying.
"Oh, that's it," said Sirzechs, instantly understanding the situation. His younger brother was, for all practical purposes, someone who longed to become independent and explore beyond the limits, but his family prevented him from doing so for protective reasons.
The point is, Rias and I, as her younger siblings, face two major problems. Number one is the pressure of immense expectations, and number two is such brutal overprotection that it prevents us from reaching our true potential. Okay, Rias is inherently lazy, but that's something I can easily fix by getting that cute little ass of hers going... Yes, I said "cute little ass"; I'm a demon, incest and sin come pre-installed.
"Then why did you call me incestuous a moment ago?" Serafall roared. Damn it, she'd already called her incestuous twice.
"I don't know why that is," Sona said dryly. After all, the boy had only said that Rias had a nice butt, while Serafall... well, she had proactively declared that she would kill any potential boyfriend she might have, just because she wouldn't allow anyone to steal her sweet little sister's virginity.
I'm not a hypocrite when it comes to Serafall. I called her incestuous because her obsession with Sona is excessive; she's even declared she'll kill any suitor because her little sister is only hers!
Vali couldn't suppress another burst of laughter: the boy on the screen had given the precise reason why Serafall was labeled incestuous. The fact that the person in question could only mumble and babble made the situation even more hilarious.
But again, I digress.
Returning to the main point... because of this situation, we've been unable to "spread our wings"—literally in this case—and broaden our horizons to improve as devils. It's true that we can learn from the best tutors, and Sirzechs even allows his peerage to train us if we wish. This applies more to me, since Rias, once again, demonstrates notorious laziness; if I hadn't warned her that excessive junk food consumption would make her fat, she wouldn't even be keeping herself in shape.
However, constant training with the same teachers will inevitably lead to stagnation. But Sirzechs and my father have been adamant: they will not allow us to venture out into the world on our own unless we prove ourselves strong enough to at least hold out until help arrives.
Objectively, I understand the reasoning, but applying that same objectivity, how am I supposed to measure that sufficiency? Facing a Stray—who are usually weak, though incredibly annoying—isn't comparable to, say, one of Azazel's children. While the latter aren't as brilliant as the Fallen commander, they are considerably powerful and particularly sadistic.
I just wanted to write this to vent. Honestly, my desire is to be strong and make a name for myself, but this "golden cage" is simply unbearable.
"Why do I have the feeling that imprisoning him will backfire on us?" Venelana asked.
"Oh, believe me, he'll give you more gray hairs than Vali will have dark locks next to him" I said with a smile, aware of how many times Zeoticus and Venelana had had to apologize on behalf of their idiot son before he became the 'golden boy' of the Underworld.
"You don't have to try to sell me on it anymore, I already like him better than all of these people," Vali himself interjected, pointing at his group.
"Hey!" they all shouted, visibly indignant. It wasn't their fault that most of them were sane.
End of entry.
And that's all for this chapter. Remember to like, subscribe, and comment to help the algorithm, and above all, leave suggestions for the nobility of Naruto in the main story.
Reina Oliver (Alpha)
Bishop - Natsume (Beta)
Bishop - Tamamo No Mae.
Knight. Shiron (Epsilon)
Knight: Lilim (Zeta)
Rock: Sarha (Delta)
Rock: Leave your suggestions.
Pawns:
Eta:
Luna (Gamma)
Juvia.
Konan.
4 free pieces.