New Devil of The Gremory House

Life 60: Return

Happy Holidays!

||||||||Devil||||||||

"Why did he just dash off like that?"

"Naruto-San said he felt something appear in the city and had to go check for himself."

Sona let out a tired sigh as she rubbed her eyes free of strain. Here she was posted on the furthest building in Lilith to coordinate and watch the fighting occurring around its perimeter with Asia, Ophis, and Naruto's real body by her side. The two blondes were anxious about the fighting; Asia because she wanted to help heal anyone in trouble and Naruto because he wanted to participate directly and not just through his clones. But they both relented and stayed here posted on the top of the building with her.

Sona was starting to admire Rias for being able to reel in such rowdy people with just her charm.

And of course, Ophis just sat aside, staring off into the distance with barely any attention or interest in the attack or other things going on in the Underworld.

"Okay, well, things seem to be clearing up out there." Sona drew a screen wider that portrayed the last battle occurring on a grander scale than just immobilizing any rebellious Sacred Gear users or traitorous Devils attacking during the chaos. The sight of so many Devils and monsters trying to subdue the rampaging nine-tailed fox was a sight to behold. Even the Kyoto fox was struggling to hold it in place as it roared and fired chakra blasts in every direction. It was only when Shukaku took the opportunity to rush in and punch him across the face that they were able to get the fox on its back, "Soon they'll capture the last Bijū and I think we'll be through the worst of this endeavor."

{I don't think it's that easy.}

Sona and Asia jumped back in fright as a skeletal hooded figure formed from the darkness just above the roof. In an instant, Pluto reappeared over the startled Devils and drew a long scythe into his bony hand, {I'm glad to see we finally have a chance to meet face-to-face, Ophis.}

The Dragon God didn't react in any way to the Grim Reaper. That didn't stop Sona and Asia from standing in front of her defensively. Asia's hair already covered her eyes and she conjured a bubble of her healing power to cover all three of them from the Grim Reaper's reach.

His bony finger ran along the outside of the bubble and caused it to ripple slightly when he touched it, {Well, this is quite an impressive barrier. I'm sure it'd be able to hold against an attack from just about any enemy. Unfortunately for you…} He brought his scythe down, the point breaching through the bubble and startling the Devils inside. He pulled down with all his force and started to cleave away, {It didn't seem strong enough to stop me.}

As Asia tried to keep the bubble sturdy and Sona prepared whatever futile defenses she could muster against the Ultimate-Class Grim Reaper, Ophis finally made a move. She stood up and turned to look in Pluto's direction.

{Ah, finally starting to realize your situation, eh, Ophis? Even the Dragon God must understand when they're out of luck!} Pluto pushed down with extra force and cleaved through more of their defense, {Just a few moments and I'll be in there to put you in the-}

"You're here."

Ophis said the instant a bright, brilliant ray of silver light suddenly stopped just behind Pluto. The Grim Reaper turned in surprise-

To find an armored finger touching the center of his forehead.

"Compression Divider."

[DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!][DIVIDE!]

Pluto let out an agonizing death wail as the Grim Reaper started to shrink and compress into a singular point as his body and entire presence vanished completely. After the Ultimate-Class Grim Reaper was defeated in an instant, the Devil girls looked up at the resplendent silver figure in shock and disbelief.

Ophis stood and looked up at the floating figure, "You grew in power."

"I thought it would be helpful if I found a way to fully control the power of the Juggernaut Drive without that pesky insanity problem rearing its head." The helmet of the armored figure faded away and Vali looked down at the Dragon God, "I'm glad to see you back with us, Ophis. And I was quite surprised to see you and Issei Hyoudou working in tandem with Great Red."

"Vali-San!" Asia cheerfully called out as she dropped the green bubble and stepped across the roof to get closer to the White Dragon Emperor. She showed a relieved smile as she looked up at the silver-haired youth, "I'm so glad you've recovered, and that you're here!"

"I sensed Pluto so I thought I'd intervene." Vali calmly stated, "Seems the strength of your bubble may need some work, Asia Argento."

"Hehe, I guess so."

"Argento-San," Sona looked unnerved as she kept her distance from the former Khaos Brigade member, "Are you sure it's okay for him to be around?"

"It's good to stay cautious, Sona Sitri." Vali spoke with a hint of menace, "Because even though we may have a common enemy at the moment, there is no promise that soon I won't-"

"It's alright, Kaichou-San!" Asia quickly piped up with a smile, "We can trust Vali-San! He is a strong and reliable ally!"

No one looked more confused by Asia's testimony than Vali himself, "I believe you're mistaken, Asia Argento. I am not your ally."

"You aren't? But you've been of great help to us many times."

"That was only for my desire. That does not mean…" He wanted to argue but when he saw the innocent, admiring eyes of the young nun, he could only sigh and shake his head, "I can see how you tamed Issei Hyoudou so easily."

"Tamed?"

"What are you doing here?" Sona inquired while taking a cautious step forward, "This was the last place I'd expect to see someone of your abilities."

"I came rushing when I felt Great Red's power flare, and then the spikes of power from multiple locations. I also sensed that someone I wanted to fight was here. However…"

He turned towards the city, "I suppose I'll have to step aside and let another take this battle instead."

||||||||Devil||||||||

Not a word passed between them after their eyes finally met. One stood atop a building and the other was standing in the street, yet they both knew their glares were met by the unsettling feeling in their guts.

Naruto took a step forward and walked off the roof, falling through the air and careening towards the street before his wings expanded. Cao Cao's hair shifted as the wind from his wingspan rushed over before he touched down, pulling his wings back in as the two faced each other across the street.

Cao Cao broke the silence, "How are you still alive? You should've expired days ago after receiving that wound."

"My Sacred Gear coming in clutch to keep me alive and revive me to this state, along with some help from my friends." Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Although it isn't permanent. I hear the only way to do that…involves you."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to risk the chance of a fight with you at this point." Cao Cao tried to remain focused, composing his heart after his momentary lapse when Minato teleported them away, "I need only wait and the effects will take you anyway."

"Yeah, which is why I'm not waiting." Naruto channeled some Demonic Power into his hand, "Everyone else has done so much to help me, and this was the chance they were waiting for."

"A chance I'm not going to let you have." Cao Cao tried to ignore him, focus on defense and simply wait for Minato to return so they could-

"You lost today."

Cao Cao stopped in place before sparing a look at Naruto. The whiskered Devil glared at him and stood his ground firmly as he spoke, "All of your comrades have lost. The strongest monsters your Longinus could create have fallen. And we've taken back all the Bijū." He tapped his temple, "My clones told me. All that's left is saving Kurama and we'll have them all back."

"I popped your clone atop the kyūbi. And if you've gotten the information from the rest of your clones that means they've popped and you're the last one standing."

"I've already sent another clone out to finish the job."

"That's some good foresight. Which means I'm sure that's a bluff and you haven't done it."

Naruto smirked, "You can think whatever you want, but you've lost the battle and the war in every sense of the word." The blond pressed on, "Is this how you want your story to end, hero? The total defeat of your team and failure in your mission? With only one kill to your name - a kill that didn't die and helped ruin your plans?" The ninja continued, "Cao Cao…are you satisfied leaving it like this?"

…

The Hero leader hefted his True Longinus onto his shoulder and faced Naruto directly.

Naruto suddenly jumped up after Cao Cao spun his spear around his neck before swiping it at the blond. The young hero stepped forward and swung behind him, forcing Naruto to cartwheel back before he was cut by the legendary spear. Cao Cao followed after him with stabs and thrusts as Naruto sensed their path and dodged out of the way. Then with one last lurch, Cao Cao stabbed at Naruto's sternum-

The whiskered blond jumped up and stood on the side of a building as the spear pierced through the metal and glass. With a violent pull back, Cao Cao turned his glare up at the blond [Pawn] standing perpendicular to him.

Naruto smirked, "See, I knew you weren't satisfied."

||||||||Devil||||||||

("Naruto's fighting Cao Cao?!")

"How?!" Issei rushed through the air to try and reach Lilith before things escalated any further. He'd been on the way to hold back Kurama before he heard that the beast was being subdued and the Hero faction riding him had escaped. So with rapid speed, he rushed through the air to try and reach them before anything could happen, "What is Cao Cao even doing there?!"

("Cao Cao appeared with the help of Minato and now that he's alone, Naruto Uzumaki is attempting to finish their fight.")

Vali answered through their call to Sona. It was still a bit surreal to think his eternal rival was speaking so casually through the communication link but he wasn't going to look the extra intel the wrong way. He heard Rias take a sharp breath…

("Keep an eye out, we'll be right over there to help him fight-")

("Buchou-San, you can't!")

("What? Asia, why not?!")

("Because you'd all be a liability to him. The last time they fought, Cao Cao used Naruto's Uzumaki's affection for you all to land the finishing blow. If you recklessly charge in now, you'd only be repeating the events of the lobby battle.")

Vali's analysis might have been callous…but it was hard to argue his point. If they rushed into another person's battle - especially a high-level one like Naruto and Cao Cao's undoubtedly was - then they risked changing the flow of the fight and becoming a risk to their friend's victory.

("If anything you should be worried about Minato and when he gets back.")

"What do you mean?"

("Ophis sensed two arrivals further in the city before one of them vanished. We believe that means the Hero faction's transportation expert was here before disappearing again. If he returns and grabs Cao Cao before Naruto-kun has finished fighting him, then they'll get away. The Hero faction will escape, and Naruto-kun won't survive the return to his injured state!")

If Minato got back to the city and grabbed Cao Cao before the fight finished, Naruto would have no chance of surviving. He had to be stopped before that happened. But the boob marker Issei put on Minato during their fight in Kyoto had faded a long time ago. He wouldn't be able to use Oppaidar to find the whiskered blond.

["Issei-kun?"]

Issei's eyes widened before he delved into his subconscious. There, he arrived in the empty white space and found the older Naruto standing there to greet him, "Naruto-San? What are…" Issei's eyes widened as he looked around, "What's happening here?"

All the previous wielders of Boosted Gear were starting to fade from existence. And their formerly blank and lifeless expressions had been switched out for looks of…contentment and joy.

"When Ophis and Great Red recreated your body, and you resonated with their power due to your desire to - um, stir the passion in your life with your nun girlfriend - and accepted your [Evil Pieces] back, you reached a new level of power."

"I did?" Issei looked over himself, "I-I didn't even notice."

"You have. It's a level of power most of them sacrificed their lives and minds to achieve. To find you reaching it again with your sanity intact has helped them find closure. All of us are." Naruto raised his hand and showed that his fingers were translucent, "We're going to disappear soon."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We were just echoes of the souls that inhabited our Sacred Gears." Naruto looked around, "All of them can let go."

Despite the way he was wording it, Issei couldn't help but feel conflicted. Yes, these might have been the spirits of his predecessors that were lost in a daze of confusion…but now they were fading away completely. It might have been because he helped cleanse their corruption but it still left him feeling responsible.

"A-And Naruto-San, you're fading because of me too?"

"I was just a traveler picked up when you absorbed the Divine Dividing's crystal. I shouldn't have been here anyway. But since I'm here…" His blue eyes hardened, "Let me help you find my descendant."

"What?"

"He is lost and confused. More than that, he is hurting people and doing something wrong." The older blond stepped up and grabbed Issei's shoulders, "Issei-kun, if you use the signature of my soul, you might be able to pick up on where he is with your radar."

"And…when I find him…"

"I ask that you stop him before he walks down this path any further. I know it might be arrogant to ask you not to exact revenge on the person who killed you but-"

"No!" Issei's eyes filled with determination, "I won't kill him, Naruto-San! I can tell he's lost too! I need to stop him, but if it's what you want then I won't kill me! Just show me the way!"

Naruto blinked in surprise before smiling, "Thank you."

Issei returned to his body and activated his Oppaidar ability. Through his radar, he sensed and pinpointed all the breasts surrounding him in a certain range of effect. But with the White Dragon Naruto's help, he extended his radar further and further…

"There!" Issei burst forward in a rush of speed, "Buchou! I found Minato! I'm going to stop him before he gets back to Cao Cao!"

("I-Issei-San!")

("Issei, the last time you fought-")

"I know, but it won't happen this time! Trust me!"

("Issei, we're counting on you. I know you won't let us down.")

("Good luck, Issei-San!")

("Stay safe, Hyoudou-kun.")

("Issei Hyoudou, if you are my rival, show me the strength you have gained through your miraculous resurrection.")

Issei smiled behind his helmet and rushed forth. He finally stopped, spotting in the distance the figures of Kokuō and Son Goku recovering from their fight after finally regaining their freedom. And probably somewhere around there was Heracles just waiting to be picked up. Issei took a deep breath-

"MINATO! I'M HERE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" His voice boomed over the landscape and he waited for a response, "I GUESS EVEN WITH THE SUREFIRE WAY TO KILL ME, YOU STILL COULDN'T FINISH THE JOB! LOOKS LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING PASSED DOWN IN YOUR FAMILY! Sorry, Naruto-San."

["All good."]

"SO ARE YOU JUST GOING TO KEEP HIDING OR - WHOA!" Issei jerked aside and avoided a knife flying up towards his chin. And the moment he dodged it, he turned and swung as a yellow flash appeared by the knife. Minato's foot pushed against the Scale Mail's fist and leaped off it as the blond sailed through the air before throwing his knife again.

He landed atop a peninsula and glared up at the Sekiryuttei, "Issei Hyoudou."

"There you are." Issei slowly lowered himself through the air, "I guess this would be round three or four, right?" His green energy flared from his wings, "Why don't we settle it this time?"

||||||||Devil||||||||

The battle between Naruto and Cao Cao had intensified since their first exchange of attacks. The True Longinus whipped about faster than the eye could see, carving through the side of buildings and the concrete of the street to catch his foe. Naruto answered in kind, his body empowered with natural energy as his punches rippled the air and his kicks cracked the ground. Their attacks were devastating…

But they hadn't landed a blow on each other yet.

Cao Cao kept Naruto at a distance by extending his True Longinus and not stepping into his range. Even though Naruto sensed the path of his attacks with natural energy, he couldn't close the gap to the Longinus-wielder as he kept his spear close to his form and spun it defensively whenever he got near.

Naruto clenched his teeth in annoyance. If this were any other fight then he'd be testing the waters and trying to find the most effective way to exploit the distance between them. But he was running on a timer and didn't have the luxury to fuck around right now! So what could he do?!

[Naruto, you alright?]

"Kurama?" He sensed his partner stirring awake again inside his Sacred Gear, "You finally back with us?"

[I kept getting woken up while you were getting my help bringing everyone back to normal. And just as I started drifting again, I felt you moving around like crazy. Are you fighting that spear kid again?]

"Looks like it."

[Be careful, alright. Last time this ended badly for everyone.]

"Well I'm trying to make contact with him while we fight but I'm struggling. I can't reach him with my natural energy and he keeps me at a distance with his spear. If I could just get past it I'd…oh."

[What?]

"I just had an idea."

[A good one?]

"I think it's pretty good."

[I don't find that distinction comfortable at all.]

"Well, Naruto Uzumaki, are you just going to keep standing there?" Cao Cao asked rhetorically, "If this is all you have to show then I don't mind wasting time with you until Minato gets back."

"Yeah, keep talking asshole." Naruto took a deeper stance and braced himself, "I promise this next one is going to hit."

Darting off the ground like a rocket, Naruto rushed towards Cao Cao with vicious intent. He suddenly stomped his foot and knocked up a slab of concrete. With one hand he gripped it and threw it with full force at the Hero leader before rushing in again.

The True Longinus extended in Cao Cao's hand and swung to break through the slab before it could reach him. The concrete projectile shattered and Naruto was forced to somersault over the spear that swung at his legs. The ninja landed and then leaned forward to close the distance to Cao Cao in one move.

The young leader drew his True Longinus back into his hands and stepped forward with a thrust. The tip of his spear sailed towards Naruto's abdomen as the blond Devil continued towards him. The wind started to kick up, Naruto no doubt conjuring the element in preparation to dodge and follow up with an attack. Cao Cao started preparing counters and tactics in his mind for this very-

The tip of the spear stabbed through Naruto's abdomen and spilled his blood. Cao Cao's eyes widened as the dodge or counter he'd been preparing for never came, and instead, his attack landed on the whiskered blond. But he had dodged attacks like that dozens of times during their previous battle! Why-

Cao Cao looked up and saw a strangled grin on Naruto's face as his eyes narrowed and the wind built up around his hand.

Crazy bastard.

"HA!"

Naruto punched and launched a point-blank blast of natural energy and wind into Cao Cao's face. The human's nose bent in and his face contorted from the rush before he was blown back, the True Longinus tearing out of Naruto's abdomen as the Hero leader slammed into the side of a building.

Naruto landed, finding his footing and touching down at the stab wound he received. Sage Mode stifled the pain, but he had to be careful about-

[THAT WAS YOUR IDEA?! GET STABBED BY THE SPEAR THAT KILLED YOU AGAIN?!]

Naruto shrugged, "He didn't expect it."

[OH! OH, YOU'RE DUMB! YOU'RE SO FUCKING DUMB IT HURTS!]

"GAH!" He looked over and saw Cao Cao fall out of the crater in the wall he'd made and drop to his knees. He hissed and groaned, his head lowered as blood steadily dripped out of his nose. With a hiss, he reached up and cracked the bridge of his nose back into place before looking up at Naruto. There was a bruise in the center of his face and he was panting with bagged eyes, "You let yourself get stabbed?"

"Yep." Naruto shrugged as he concentrated and the wind started to pick up around him, "I thought about it and it hit me; my body is going to revert to its broken state soon. Once it does and if you're not defeated, I'll be dead. And this body I have right now is temporary. So even if it gets stabbed or skewered, it'll just disappear." His hair started lifting, "I can't afford to be cautious or on the defensive. Not with this and not with you."

The wind of his Elemental Nirvana steadily rushed around him, "So get ready, Cao Cao…you're fighting someone putting everything on the line."

Cao Cao caught his breath and carefully stood back up. He was still a little dazed from the punch but quickly composed himself to face Naruto head-on in his challenge. If his body hadn't become more durable thanks to grafting Kurama's flesh to himself, that punch might have caved his head. Even still, it felt like his brain had been rattled and suffering from the shockwave of his punch.

And some traitorous, primal part of his brain couldn't help be feel…satisfied with this exchange.

Cao Cao started to whisper as the black orbs formed into existence around his back as he whipped the True Longinus to his side and faced the Devil directly.

||||||||Devil||||||||

The clap of thunder with flashes of lightning surrounded Issei's periphery. Minato rapidly flashed between his knives to try and disorientate Issei while his lightning knife gained more and more power.

The perverted [Pawn] had learned from the previous skirmishes he had with the speedy hero. His teleportation was remarkable and it had gotten the best of him many times before. It ended in his speedy defeat during their first skirmish, and when they fought in the collapsing dimension space he fought back a little more fiercely but it still ended in his death.

Yet now Issei wasn't as worried. Even though he had been defeated and killed, he felt more energized and ready for battle than ever.

Issei acted quickly and predicted Minato's movement, swinging his fists and forcing the whiskered blond to dodge when he appeared by him in a flash. With fast reactions and immense bursts of power from his jets, Issei was avoiding being blindsided by the speedy blond.

["Issei-kun, are you alright?"]

"Naruto-San?" Issei asked while still staying alert, "Are you alright? Wasn't something happening inside the Boosted Gear?"

["Yes, and I doubt I have long to last. But if you're fighting my descendent, I'll stay around as long as I can to help you see this fight through."]

"Thank you," Issei whispered, raising his fists as he spotted a flash of light from behind and looked back at the forest. He saw Minato perched atop a tree with his knives in hand and his face twisted in a scowl. Issei turned to him, "You done now? Ready to call it quits?"

"Shut up!" Minato snapped angrily, "I don't need you to question me or my commitment! Couldn't you have just done what everyone else does and stayed dead?!"

["You should tell him I'm here or would that just piss him off?"]

"Piss him off, and I don't think that's all that's irking him right now." Issei started gathering some of his Demonic Power in his hand, "What's wrong, Minato?! You aren't usually this emotional! Did something happen to - Dragon Shot!" He suddenly released a blast in Minato's direction before the young hero vanished out of the way, "Did something happen to get you riled up?!"

"Shut up!" Minato shrieked, bolts of lightning jumping out from his knives and even running up his arm. The whiskered blond paid no mind to any discomfort he might be feeling as he glared up at Issei, "Your damn [Knight] friend killed Siegfried in front of me! I had to watch him get sliced and shredded to pieces in front of me!"

"But you attacked them, didn't you?! You started this!" Issei lobbed blast after blast at the teleporting blond, explosions littering the forest as Minato dodged each attack, "Don't come complaining to us when you start losing numbers because you're the one that picked this fight!"

"He didn't want help! He wanted to face that man by himself! Even after his body had morphed and changed – even after he'd been cut down and bleeding - he just wanted to keep going himself! Even Cao Cao seemed to accept that! But how could he?! How could going out like that matter or be important to someone?! Going out like that is-is-"

"The way your ancestor did it." Issei announced, freezing Minato in his mumbling, "The way I did it when I was fighting you." Issei lowered his elevation so that he was closer to staring at Minato directly, "Are you worried? It must be pretty unsettling. Here you were having such a strong resolve and image of what you wanted. To be the hero who did what even your ancestor wasn't capable of and slay the Red Dragon Emperor. You did it! You killed me! But you ambushed me. You endangered Ophis to even give yourself an opening. I know you guys refuse to accept the normal conventions of being a hero, but you know that must have left a bad taste in your mouth!"

The way Minato's face twisted let Issei know he had touched a nerve. He pressed on, "So now you can't help but imagine that if giving your life for something you believe in is something your comrade recognizes as a hero, what does that make us?! Me, who tried to save Ophis and make sure my friends were safe even when you had a weapon to kill me! And your ancestor who died fighting to make sure the Red Dragon Emperor didn't hurt the people of Kyoto! And if that was heroic…" He went quiet before pointing at the distressed blond, "What does that make you?"

…

Minato didn't answer. He didn't say anything. He simply drew out his Dragon Slayer knife in one hand and another lightning knife in another, a bolt of electricity arching off of it violently as it discharged in every direction.

[Well, you've pissed him off. Way to go.]

["I agree. Issei-kun, if you have another idea, you should do it now."]

Issei started at the violent storm of electricity coming from Minato and focused his energy. He held out his left hand, "I, who is about to awaken, am the Red Dragon Emperor who has discarded the principles of domination," The jewels around his armor steadily glowed brighter and brighter, "I shall walk the road of righteousness by having infinite hopes and dreams," His power started to rapidly spike, "I shall become the King of Crimson Dragon," The green light formed around him until it started to burst red, and then an even darker crimson, "And I promise you all! I shall show you the future which shines in true crimson light!"

[CARDINAL CRIMSON FULL DRIVE!]

An explosion of wind and power burst off of Issei's form, sending a shockwave in every direction. Minato withstood the force of the wave, the wind rushing over him like a typhoon and whipping his hair back before steadily coming to a stop.

Issei's armor had become a deeper shade of red. A dark crimson with a hue that extended to the wings growing from his back.

The power coming off of his armor was staggering. Minato almost felt like he'd been forced to stop breathing just from the pressure he felt facing the new armor. But he forced his nerves down and gripped his blade tighter, feeling the tingle of electricity run through his hand and up his bones to help get him settled. Minato took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as he faced down Issei.

His crimson wings gave a fierce flap before his voice echoed out, "Okay, you ready?"

||||||||Devil||||||||

"Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, that feels like Issei." Naruto said while the wind started settling under his feet to keep him afloat, "But that's a crapload more power than he usually puts out."

Cao Cao nodded in agreement, "For someone who died disintegrating from Samael's poison, him coming back riding on the back of Great Red certainly made him livelier."

"Yeah, and I think he's stronger now too. Strong enough to throw out power like that. But whatever…" Naruto started bouncing, the wind under his feet keeping him floating as he loosened up, "We wanna keep talking about other people or are we going to get started?"

"Right. No point wasting any more time."

The two men stared each other down unflinchingly in the abandoned streets of Lilith. Naruto's Elemental Nirvana steadily formed around him like a blanket of wind. And Cao Cao's Balance Breaker, Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin, had finished forming into seven black orbs floating around his back. They stared at each other and waited-

Naruto burst forward in a rush of speed, a vortex swirling in his palm before he thrust out and sent a spear of wind at Cao Cao. It never reached the young hero as he used Assaratana to immediately teleport out of the path of Naruto's attack. But the young Devil extended his senses and noticed where Cao Cao popped back up, swirling around and whipping a blade of wind in his direction the instant he reappeared.

Cakkaratana formed in Cao Cao's hand, extending into another spear that he used in unison with True Longinus to block and disperse the wind blade before it could reach him. A flurry of other wind attacks quickly followed, Cao Cao blocking and diverting the attacks as quickly as they came. Naruto projected more and more until he suddenly rocketed off the ground, flying like a bullet through the air and swerving around his attacks to strike Cao Cao from behind.

But before he could land a blow, Cao Cao's Maniratana raised in the path of the wind attacks, redirecting them away from Cao Cao and launching them back at Naruto instead. His eyes widened and he quickly held out his hand to counter the blades of wind with another rush of air.

A black orb rushed through the cascading wind, breaking through Naruto's defense and sailing straight towards him. Was it the orb that teleported people? Or was it the one he used that transformed into a weapon? There was no way to tell and the longer he waited the more it would all be in Cao Cao's advantage. With a roar, Naruto kicked and sent the black ball flying to the sky before it could do anything.

But another orb attached to the back of his leg stayed there, Cao Cao grabbing hold and easily swinging him around before spiking him towards the ground. Naruto went darting back towards the street and stopped his rapid descent with a burst of wind. As he steadied himself a few feet off the pavement, he saw the glint of a light overhead.

The whiskered blond blasted off down the street as the light from True Longinus pierced the concrete he'd been floating over. The beam of light cleaved its way through the blacktop and then through any buildings or structures that got between it and Naruto. He kept bursting forward in a rush of wind and speed as he felt the destructive beam of the Longinus draw closer and closer.

Naruto came to a sudden stop, spinning back and deftly avoiding the beam of light before rushing up to reach Cao Cao. The young human remained floating on a platform made by Cakkaratana before he whipped his hand down. Gahapatiratana went sailing down, creating several clones to meet Naruto before he could reach him.

Naruto grits his teeth and crosses his fingers, creating clones of his own to match and counter the lifeless copies Cao Cao sent to him. With a fierce battle between clones separating them, Naruto focused his energies again and extended his hand. With a yell, he created another fierce vortex of wind that enveloped all the clones and Cao Cao above them.

The Hero faction leader looked down from his position in the eye of the storm, seeing Naruto under the conflict between their copies and clones. Even with all the fighting, he was somehow keeping his composure and calmness. A surprising trait for someone so hotheaded and whose life was on a timer.

Underneath the fighting and the vortex he created, Naruto closed his eyes and focused.

The clones he had sent out had popped after he had been stabbed by the spear, so their memories had flooded into him. Each one uses a different element with Elemental Nirvana due to the situation they found themselves in.

His control over the wind still wasn't as perfect as when Sun Wukong helped perfectly align his natural energies with the Demonic Power he was channeling, but it was leaps and bounds better than it had been. And that experience had helped his clones with channeling the other elements.

So while Naruto still pushed out wind and air from his hand, he imagined the perfect swirl of Demonic power and natural energy that forged into a wind that appeared around. That wind rushed and rushed, perfectly swirling and forming inside him.

And then…just imagine a single spark…

The rough whirlwinds along his wings suddenly burst with flames and the wind rushing from his hand to create the vortex was engulfed in fire. Cao Cao's eyes widened as the small hurricane around him suddenly lit up like the sun.

A giant flaming explosion burst over the skyline of Lilith and sent a shockwave across the entire city. Cao Cao arrived on the top of a far-off building after teleporting with Assaratana. Catching his breath and wiping his cheek of sweat after nearly being swallowed by the flame, he smiled, "Channeling a different element for an instant so that your control doesn't destabilize like it did in Kyoto? That's certainly a clear idea-"

He saw a flash of light fill his eyes and Cao Cao immediately dropped backwards. Just in time as a lightning-covered Naruto's fist sailed right over his face and then past him entirely. Naruto sailed forward before dispelling the lightning around him and slowing to a stop. Clasping his hands together, he channeled water instead, "HA!"

A highly pressurized beam of water shot out between his fingertips and shot straight towards Cao Cao's head. The young Hero leader raised Maniratana in its path, causing the beam of water to shoot off course once it hit the black orb. It immediately shot down and at an angle, cleaving through a corner of the building Cao Cao stood on like a knife through butter. Naruto stopped the rush of water and dispelled the energy he was channeling to instead switch out to the wind, "Shit, I'm gonna get chewed out for that. I'm pretty sure they wanted to protect as much of this city as they could."

"Eh – ehehe – ahahaha!" He looked over and saw Cao Cao start to double over with laughter. The Hero leader bellowed, grabbing his stomach and using his legendary God-killing spear as a crutch before he caught his breath and wiped his eyes dry, "Hehehe, this - this is so strange." He jovially shook his head, "It's - it's so pointless trying to plan or figure you out."

"It is?"

"Yes, you are a complete waste of time trying to comprehend and predict. You're on your last legs and going to die, yet you let yourself get stabbed by the same spear that killed you. You can't fully control this technique, yet you willingly risk changing the elements to gain whatever advantage you can amid battle. This entire scenario is stacked against you…" He touched his nose, his eye slightly twitching from the bruised flesh of the punch he took earlier, "Yet here you are."

"If I stopped every time I was in a situation with the cards stacked against me…" The whiskered blond blinked and tilted his head, "Shit, I'd probably still be sitting outside the academy pouting about failing the clone jutsu."

"I know I should just cut my losses, leave you to die, and wipe my hands of it…" He clicked his teeth, "But I can't…I want to fight you…and end it on my terms."

"Alright then," Naruto raised his hands and outstretched his palms, channeling the wind again, "Then let's do it."

Cao Cao's Hatthiratana floated away from his back and hovered over his hand. He threw it to the ground by his feet where the corner of the building had been sliced off…and then slowly lifted it.

Naruto's eyes widened as Cao Cao easily lifted several dozen tons of concrete and broken glass with the black orb in hand. The blond gulped nervously, "Oh…fuck."

||||||||Devil||||||||

Bolts of plasma and lightning burst out in every direction with the crash of thunder. Moments between the bolts, the shine of green light engulfed everything as emerald beams shot out and carved through the landscape. These phenomena occurred in rapid succession, and the two sources circled each other in furious battle.

Minato yelled, swiping his blades rapidly at the armored Devil in hopes of cutting through and killing him once more.

Issei stayed mobile and avoided the Dragon Slaying blade after feeling the effects a single cut could cause.

Minato threw a blade like a bolt of lightning only for Issei to dodge.

Issei flew forward and punched at the immobile blond only for the aspiring hero to teleport.

Minato threw multiple knives only for them to be knocked back by the wind pressure.

Issei fired immense blasts of Demonic Power only for Minato to block them with a knife and send them elsewhere.

Each young man tried to land the decisive blow but was countered.

Minato was more charged and powerful than ever with the burst of lightning empowering him.

Issei's boost in power from the elements of Ophis and Great Red inside him allowed him to reach the [Queen] level of his Promotion and achieve a new realm of strength.

Despite these raging powers and the ferocity of their battle…both boys raged because they couldn't land the decisive blow.

"WRRAAAHHHHH!" Electricity coursed through Minato's body, illuminating his skeleton for a brief instant as he threw a bolt, "JUST DIE!"

"NO WAY!" Issei tanked it, rushing forward and ignoring the pain as he tried to grab the whiskered boy before he could attack again. He vanished in a flash and Issei followed the flash of lightning to see Minato had teleported away from his reach again, "DAMMIT!"

["Issei-kun, I know that technique! It's one I tried to harness back in my day along with that teleportation jutsu! I could never figure out how to make them work but I was warned about how dangerous it could be! He might have mastered the teleportation but that lightning-harnessing one is dangerous at this level!"]

[That means you could win by holding out long enough for his body to start failing. A war of attrition might be risky but-]

"NOPE! I'M NOT GONNA LET THIS KID KILL HIMSELF!" Issei denied the two voices speaking to him. He could feel their surprise as he yelled, "HE'S UPSET AND MISGUIDED, AND THROWING A TANTRUM! THIS LITTLE TURD DOESN'T NEED TO BE KILLED - HE NEEDS A SPANKING! AND I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO LOOK NARUTO-SAN OR SENPAI IN THE EYE IF I CAN'T DO SOMETHING TO STOP HIM!"

["I-Issei-kun."]

[Well, I won't try to convince you otherwise if you're sure. Just make sure to stay ready for everything, okay?]

"GOT IT!" The jets at Issei's back burst with green energy as he exploded forward, crossing the sky like a comet straight toward the center of the lightning storm. Bolts shot out in every direction, grazing Issei for a moment as he just kept pushing forward, "THIS ALL YOU CAN DO NOW, MINATO!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" The young blond's voice was strained and difficult to hear over the crash of thunder every few seconds, "AS LONG AS I CAN BRING AN END TO YOU, THAT'S FINE!"

"HA!" Issei guffawed as he took the brunt of an electric blast on his arms. The manic blond rushed forward and started swinging with killer intent. Issei made sure to evade the Dragon Slayer blade, only blocking the normal knife when it came swinging at him. Even still, the lightning-enchanted blade left gouges and cuts on his crimson armor. But the brunette pervert took it in stride, "So what? Are you going to try and do what we did? Risk your life in a vain attempt to kill me and - what? Earn the title of hero you've been chasing after?!"

"SHUT UP!" Minato's eyes started to go white from the strain, pushing forward with furious swipes, "W-WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO TO END THIS, I WILL! EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!"

"E-Ehehehe - ahahaha!"

"W-What?!" Minato snapped when he heard Issei laugh, "What's so funny?!"

"So now you're going to go the self-sacrificing route?" Issei mocked while flying back and avoiding Minato's lightning-quick attacks, "Was it Siegfried's loss? Reconsidering your ancestor's actions? Or maybe you're just taking a page out of my book?"

"Y-You - SHUT UP!"

"Listen you brat!" Issei caught the knife in his hand, weathering the shocks through his system as he dragged the startled whiskered blond in close, "You can't make up your mind, can you? First, you want to kill me to do what your ancestors couldn't! Then your friend gives his life and you think that's what makes a hero! And now you're going to risk your life killing me? Mixing the two? Heh, your mind is going a mile a minute trying to get your thoughts in order, isn't it?"

Issei kept a grip as he stopped flying and dragged Minato with him back towards the ground. Minato couldn't think straight, as his mind was torn between trying to weather the pain of the electricity tearing into him and the anger welling up from Issei's provocation. The dissatisfaction of taking his life lingered in his gut. The shock of watching Siegfried die in front of him and being told to stay away twisted in his stomach. The confusion at Cao Cao's words and the indignation of Issei saying that he was closer to a hero than Minato was. All of it caused the blond boy's thoughts to turn into a jumbled mess he couldn't comprehend in the heat of battle.

He pulled his hand out of Issei's grip, kicked off his chest plate to gain some distance, and spiked another knife at the Red Dragon Emperor. Issei barely dodged the flying knife as it went past him. With another flash of yellow, Minato appeared right behind him ready to strike.

The young whiskered blond drew out his Dragon Slayer knife and thrusted at Issei's back. Once this pierced through the crimson armor…then the fight will be finished…and he'll-

The crimson armor around Issei burst off his body before the knife could pierce through. Minato closed his eyes and flinched as the shards of armor blew past him.

Issei's gauntlet rushed forward and grabbed Minato's shoulder before the blond hero could make a move. Minato looked up as Issei, devoid of his Scale Mail, grit his teeth with a vicious smirk and clenched his fist, "You have a lot to think about…a lot to fix about yourself…and a lot you need to make up for, kid. But before any of that…"

"YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

Issei's fist slammed into Minato's cheek and rippled through the younger man's face. His eyes went white from the force of the impact and the electricity around him swelled and glitched before disappearing altogether. Minato's grip on his knives weakened as his consciousness faded.

Issei kept a hold of the whiskered teen as his body went slack. As his wings unfurled from his back and he caught his breath, Issei looked down at his defeated foe and realized that the battle had finally finished. A frantic smile came to his face, "I-I did it. I did it! Haha! I-I won!" He cheered while hoisting the unconscious Hero faction executive onto his shoulder, "Naruto-San, did you see that?! I won! I won and he's still alive! He-"

[Issei.]

"Ddraig? Did Naruto-San see that? He must be relieved-"

[He's gone.]

"What?"

[He's gone, as are the rest of the remains of the other users of the Sacred Gear. They started passing on after you came back and regained my power without using the Juggernaut Drive. And Naruto only held out so long. When you were rushing at Minato he faded away.]

"O-Oh."

[But he smiled. He didn't see it…but I'm sure he knew you'd win. And you'd save his descendent before he ended up squandering his own life.]

"You…think so?"

[I do. You did good, Partner. Be proud.]

Issei was. He was proud that he had finished the fight, won, and stopped his foolish enemy before he caused irreversible damage to himself. He honored the memory of the spirit that had lingered in Sacred Gear and given him advice from time to time.

Yet still…it was lonely knowing they were all gone now.

With a sigh, Issei started flying off to rejoin his friends. And hoped the Naruto he knew was finding a way to save himself as well.

||||||||Devil||||||||

A portion of a building went sailing far over the street towards Naruto.

Naruto channeled lightning through his body and blitzed through the chunk of the building to pierce through the other side.

But a beam of light swung down and cleaved the building before Naruto could come out the other side.

The piece of building shined and exploded in a flaming hot explosion that sent bricks and mortar in every direction. From the explosion, a flaming star rushed out and straight towards his enemy.

From the center of his flaming rush forward, Naruto screamed and charged at Cao Cao. The Hero leader spun his spear around before extending it, forcing Naruto to dodge out of its path and divert from rushing right at him. The True Longinus swung along even as extended and Naruto dodged around before in towards Cao Cao. Clasping his hands together, he brought his fists down on the Hero executive and sent him flying down into a building with a vicious explosion.

Naruto channeled wind around his body and jetted down to chase after Cao Cao. He narrowed his eyes as he got faster and faster, surging after his foe to catch him while he recovered from the attack. But a beam of light shot out of the hole in the side of the building and aimed right at Naruto. He barely avoided the beam and still rushed in but before he could reach the interior of the building, Cakkaratana shaped like a blade shot forward and nearly pierced him. He dodged but found himself in the path of the True Longinus as it swung towards his head.

An explosion of wind blew him out of the path of the spear before it could cleave through his head but left a gash along his cheek and down to his shoulder. Cao Cao spun the spear in his grasp as Naruto tried to steady himself further inside the office floor of the building. The two men glared each other down, tense and ready to make a move with the first attack.

Water flowed around Naruto's body, clasping his hands together and sending out a sharp stream of water at Cao Cao. Cakkaratana flew forward and formed a circle to shield him as he started rushing through the office for an advantageous position. He jumped over the black orb shield and thrust a beam of light from the tip of his spear.

Naruto dodged aside and then tried to counter, but saw another orb float by Cao Cao's side before he teleported. The blond [Devil's] eyes widened as he jumped up and avoided the swipe from behind, "HA!" He threw out a kick and felt it land against the shaft of the spear before he was knocked away. Cao Cao charged at him and attacked as he finally landed, and Naruto shifted from water to fire as flames enveloped his limbs.

A blinding rush of palm strikes and kicks covered in white hot flames blurred at Cao Cao. The young human warded off the assault by deftly parrying each attack Naruto threw at him. The blond persisted, throwing attacks faster and faster as the temperature started to climb around the room. Their attacks crossed and clashed at unbelievable speeds before Cao Cao swiped at Naruto's legs.

The blond Devil jumped up and landed on the ceiling, sticking to it and launching another wave of attacks at Cao Cao as the wind covered his hands. Cao Cao danced and weaved around Naruto's attacks and countered with his own. The two young men circled and attacked each other, Cao Cao stabbing up from the ground as Naruto avoided and threw wind attacks from the ceiling.

The office floor started getting shredded to pieces with their fight. The ceiling fell apart as the ground shattered and cracked beneath them. But neither man cared, focusing only on crushing the other in their flurry of blows. Some cuts from the spear lightly marked Naruto's body as he was more focused on attacking than dodging. The force of Naruto's punches carried on the wind and impacted Cao Cao's body, bruising and breaking the flesh as the young hero focused solely on the fight.

Naruto moved with another massive burst of wind, kicking up dust and blinding Cao Cao for a moment. In that instant, Naruto changed the energy around him from wind to earth and clutched his fists together. Even with the stiffness and fatigue that started to fill his body, Naruto jumped with all the force he could muster and brought his fists down on Cao Cao as the aspiring hero turned to attack.

The building exploded with the force of their attack and Cao Cao came shooting out of the building like a bullet before he hit the street and skidded for dozens of meters. As the building fell apart around him, Naruto looked down at the trench his attack had made and the spot Cao Cao had stopped in. He had to get down there and follow up. He had to finish this while he still had the upper hand.

No need to pay attention to how the cuts from the spear were starting to hurt.

Or that he was feeling the kind of winded he recognized when his Sage Mode was nearing the end of its rope.

As Naruto struggled to take a step forward with the properties of earth still weighing him down he shifted to wind again. And when he did he noticed that his breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

Uh-oh.

[This, Naruto! This is why you shouldn't let getting stabbed be part of your strategy making!]

He took the logical complaint in stride as he jumped off the building and slowed his descent until he reached the ground again. After he landed he floated forward and spotted Cao Cao sitting at the end of the trench. There was blood seeping down his head and dripping out the sides of his mouth after the fierce attack. The young human sat up and leaned the True Longinus on his shoulder before looking towards Naruto.

"You're exhausted, aren't you?"

"Nah, I can keep going."

"You might be landing more blows by taking this 'risk the temporary body' tactic, but there's no way all these cuts from the True Longinus aren't taking their toll on your body. And switching up between elements is impressive but it's a method that drains a lot of energy. Like turning a car on and off repeatedly."

"You're analyzing the shit out of me but what about you? You haven't been able to siphon off my chakra this time around so there were no boosts in strength and endurance. That arm you got from Kurama might be making you a little sturdier but it isn't making you invincible. Trust me, I know you can still get hurt even when you have his help on your side."

"That's right." Cao Cao grunted as he shifted around and stood up, "I hate to admit it but I don't think my body will be able to take many more hits. So we could just continue, making this a battle of attrition to see whose body crumbles first from the damage."

"Or?"

"Or…" Cao Cao lowered his stance and spun the spear in his hands before suddenly making it stop and pointing the end at Naruto. Something powerful started to emanate from the spear, "We end this, once and for all. O Spear. The true Holy Spear which pieces through God."

Naruto felt a chill unlike any other run through his body as Cao Cao uttered those words and the True Longinus started channeling its power. It reminded him of many moments in his life when unrelenting fear filled his system. Facing the Mist ninjas and Zabuza for the first time. Gaara and Orochimaru when he was younger. Pain and Nagato. The Ten-Tails the first time. Something he should have conquered and triumphed over time and time again…

"What is that?"

"This is the full power of the True Longinus. Truth Idea. God's will released from the core of the spear. To be frank, anything could happen when I do this. I'm not sure what the results will be. But they'll end this battle - that I'm certain."

[Naruto.]

"I know," Naruto growled and focused, the steady wind around his body picking up until it kicked like a vortex. He couldn't take the risk of switching out the elements anymore when his body was starting to feel fatigued. His Sage Mode was running low and would probably stop after one more attack…so he had to make it count.

"Suck the ambition of the King of Domination,"

Naruto closed his hands together, forming a Rasengan between his palms that steadily compacted in his grasp.

"Sleeping within me, and pierce through the gap of blessing and destruction,"

Naruto focused, drawing the Demonic Power and natural energy around him towards the Rasengan. He had it catch and form around the orb, spinning around it faster and faster as the wind around his body moved with the jutsu at its core.

"You!"

Naruto braced himself and jumped forward.

"Announce the will!"

He reared the Rasengan back and charged at Cao Cao as the spear glowed and its energy reached its peak.

"And turn into a glow!"

The spear shined like the sun and engulfed everything as Naruto faded in the light.

"TRUTH IDEA!"

||||||||Devil||||||||

Asia, Sona, and Vali stared at the light that glowed like the sun in the center of the city.

Ophis recognized the touch of the Lord of the Bible coming from the weapon.

||||||||Devil||||||||

Issei saw the shine increase and sped up to reach the city faster.

||||||||Devil||||||||

Rias and the others saw the light and felt something instinctual inside them telling them to run away as fast as possible.

Rias ignored her instincts and rushed in to save the man she loved.

||||||||Devil||||||||

Naruto. Kurama. The street. The block. Even Cao Cao was absorbed into the light of Truth Idea. Everything basking in its light would fade away…

Only for the light to disappear in an instant.

With nothing having changed from the effect of the Truth Idea.

Cao Cao looked down at his ancient and powerful weapon in shock as Naruto was stunned that nothing had happened.

But he wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

"RASENGAN-"

He thrust the orb forward, dragging the wind along with it towards Cao Cao's chest. The human tried to defend at the last moment-

"-MAELSTROM!"

An explosion of typhoon-level winds burst through the streets and down every alley of the city. Cao Cao was sent flying through the building behind him like a bullet, and then the next one, and the next one. A mighty crash and several buildings were toppling over as a result.

The gust around Naruto quickly thinned and faded as his control over it waned. His feet touched the ground and he steadily made his way forward through the trench and the hole Cao Cao made through it.

With each step, he got a little slower.

At some point halfway through the walk, the natural energy in his body faded and his Sage Mode disappeared.

Naruto continued to trudge forward, even though blood started to profusely seep and drip from his cuts while the familiar feeling of struggling to breathe or stand up started to inflict him.

But he finally made it to the giant cracked crater in the side of the building where Cao Cao's body had finally come to an end. The young hero had picked himself up, using the True Longinus to steady and keep himself balanced. He tried to move forward but the moment he tried he vomited a mix of bile, phlegm, and blood. Cao Cao toppled forward, falling to his hands and knees as his spear clattered to his side.

With his vision blurring and breathing short, Cao Cao saw a pair of shoes arrive in his view. He struggled to lift his head and looked up at Naruto, all strength and vigor in the blond's face having drained with the surge of power his Sage Mode gave him. He spat out a glob of something in his mouth before panting, "I…I suppose the final blow is yours."

Naruto struggled to stay steady on his feet, "Why didn't your attack work? It was supposed to be the strongest power of the spear, right?"

"It is the remnants of God's will still inside the spear. When released, theoretically anything could happen to my enemy. You could have disintegrated. You could have lost your will and become my servant. The possibilities are vast."

"So what happened now?"

"I can't fully control Truth Idea with my current level of power, so what it does is greatly dependent on the whims of the will inside it. So while the possibilities of it simply misfiring or short-circuiting are possible…" Cao Cao looked up at Naruto solemnly, "God recognizes that your will and resolve were stronger than mine."

"…"

"You've won. So land your finishing blow and end this."

…

Cao Cao waited for the attack that would end his life at the hands of his triumphant foe. He looked back up at the whiskered blond, "Well?"

"I wanna end this…" Naruto's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, landing on his butt as he hung his head forward and took raspy breaths, "But I don't have any strength. It's - it's taking everything I've got just to stay awake."

[Naruto! I-I can feel the limit of the Balance Breaker coming! Hurry! You have to do something!]

Cao Cao heard Kurama's desperate update to his partner. The Hero faction leader tried to catch his breath, "I suppose…if I just wait it out…you'll succumb to your injuries…and I'll win."

Naruto panted, "Yep…I guess."

"I'll win…" Cao Cao spared a look at his spear, "I'm beaten and broken beyond the ability to move. My team has been systemically taken out of the fight. And even my greatest weapon betrayed me in the final hour because it saw you as more righteous than me. But I'll win." He spat another glob of something filling his mouth, "Wonderful."

As Cao Cao took some ragged breaths, Naruto recognized the tone of defeat and reluctance in his voice. Even as the blond felt his body scream in pain, he looked over at Cao Cao, "I managed to provoke you? All the times I've met you face-to-face I've never seen you get stirred by insults or challenges, and I bet a lot of people have thrown them at you."

"They did."

"So why did this one manage to get your attention?" Naruto inquired, "Because I said you failed?"

"Not that. Not entirely. It's the fact…that I could finish the fight with you." Cao Cao said candidly as Naruto raised his brow in confusion, "Fighting had always been a means to an end towards victory. Victory for my team and myself was always the most important thing. Even fighting Devils of Gremory prestige or the Red Dragon Emperor was just supposed to be obstacles in our way. That's what you were too…until you ended up being so intriguing. You faced us down even after losing your Balance Breaker. You used a technique you hadn't fully utilized before. And you even took my hand."

Cao Cao looked down at his furry, clawed appendage, "I probably could have just gone with a regular prosthetic to replace the one I lost, but I decided to go with the flesh from the kyūbi instead. To better control the other beasts and utilize this chakra you use…but I think I wanted to get a raise from you as well. I challenged you all to a fight and enjoyed it…but I also realized I needed to focus on the mission my team set out on. So when I endangered the people you loved, used them as leverage against you, and landed the final blow. I did what I set out to do…yet I wasn't satisfied with what I'd done."

"You…wanted to fight me properly?"

"Evidently." Cao Cao could only scoff, "I compromised the whole mission to end this fight with you properly. But not only did I lose, but I realized my weapon believes in my enemy more than me." He shook his head, "How could I have ever become a hero like this?"

…

"Hehe."

Cao Cao heard Naruto chuckle, "I'm sure this must be amusing for you."

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you." The whiskered [Pawn] wiped his face, "It's just hearing you talk about being a hero kinda…well, it reminds of me when I wanted to be Hokage more than anything. And what someone told me about that."

"Hokage?"

"It's the position of leader in my village. The strongest, most capable, most reliable ninja is trusted with the responsibility of leading the village. When I was a kid no one liked me, mostly because they thought I was just the vessel of the demon fox that had been forced to run amok in their village and destroy it. I didn't understand why they hated me and wouldn't until much later. I got angry and upset, but most of all I was just desperate for them to see me for who I am. So I decided from a young age that I would become Hokage - the greatest Hokage the village had ever seen - and make them see me for who I am."

"And that reminds you of my desire?"

"It does. You want to become a hero so badly that you would face any enemy or obstacle to earn that title for yourself. I thought if I kept pressing forward and did everything possible, I would be able to become Hokage and finally be recognized by my village. But someone said something to me years ago about what it meant to become Hokage. And I think the same principle can be said for what it takes to become a hero."

"And that is?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "You don't become a hero to be noticed and recognized by people. The people around you who you help and save and work with and connect to…they're the ones that recognize you as a hero." Cao Cao stared at him in silence as Naruto shook his head, "No one reaches their goal by themselves."

…

There was a silence between the two men while Naruto's words sat with Cao Cao. The blond coughed and felt his strength wane with a rush through his breath. His shortness of breath became more and more dire as he felt a familiar loss of strength return, "H-Hey," He groaned out, "I won this fight, right? We can agree on that, right? So do me a favor; leave my friends alone. The club. The Bijū. All of them."

[Naruto-]

"I know it sounds like a last request, Kurama, but just leave it be. Cao Cao," He spoke, "Can you honor that?"

The young human looked up and saw the pleading look in Naruto's eyes. Here he was at the end of his rope - mere moments away from his fate - and he was pleading for the safety of his comrades. It was something Cao Cao couldn't wrap his head around.

Maybe…that was something Truth Idea saw in him?

[3! 2! Naruto!]

Cao Cao reached out with the last of his strength and grabbed his spear.

[1!]

"I concede."

Cao Cao fiercely tapped the base of his spear on the ground as Naruto's body glowed with light and returned to its natural state. The glow from his wounds intensified for a brief moment before dispelling completely.

Cao Cao had released the affliction plaguing Naruto's body…and assured his life was safe.

"AH!" He let out a pained gasp and fell over in a coughing fit, "W-What the-"

"Oh, I released the poisonous effect from the True Longinus' attack but your body was still affected by it for quite some time. I'm sure your system is going into shock-"

"NO SHIT, FUCKER!"

"Naruto-San!" Asia called out from above as she and Vali came over once they saw the fighting had finished, "Hold on! I'll help you!" She quickly stood by the older blond's side and bathed him in a green glow to ease his pain, "A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He grunted, lying on his back as he caught his breath, "I'm fine, Asia. I'm not dying anymore. Just - just let me catch my breath."

Vali spared a curious look towards the recovering blond before looking down at Cao Cao, "I've never seen you so badly injured."

"A first time for everything."

"Must have been quite the fight."

"It was." He wiped the blood from his mouth and nose, "One I didn't expect I would enjoy this much."

Vali nodded, "There are a lot of promising fighters to still meet in battle. And these don't seem to be anywhere close to stopping getting stronger. Is that why you released the lingering damage from your spear?"

"I suppose." He nodded, "But I think the more important reason is that there's still more he can do for this world."

"Naruto!"

"Senpai!"

Naruto looked up and saw Rias rush through the sky towards him while Issei flew over with Minato over his shoulder. Cao Cao spotted his comrade over the [Pawn's] shoulder and worried that he might have pushed himself too far in his fight as well. Rias landed, quickly jogged over, and dropped to her knees to hug Naruto in the basking glow of Asia's Twilight Healing, "Are you okay?! Y-You're not hurt are you?!"

"I'm fine." He squeezed her back and gently patted her head as the Gremory heiress hugged him tightly and buried her face in his neck, "I'm just tired. I'm not dying anymore but my body has to catch up to the good news."

"I'm glad you're okay, Senpai."

"You too, Issei. I felt that crazy surge of power. You alright?"

"I am. Minato's alive too. It was a close fight but we're all settled now."

"Not yet," Rias muttered, pulling away from Naruto and allowing the joy from his recovery pass for a moment before her eyes turned hard. Her gaze fell on Cao Cao as a rage and murderous intent filled her entire being. A miasma of Destruction started building and pouring off her hands as she slowly walked forward, "Not until we finish this."

"Rias, wait. He can't fight anymore-"

"And he needs to pay for everything he's done. To you. To us. To everyone in the Underworld and Kyoto. His crimes are immeasurable, and as the highest ranked authority present, it rests on my shoulders to do something about it." She stepped up by Vali's side and spared him a look, gauging if the Hakuryuukou would step in and do anything to stop her. But Vali simply stepped aside, allowing her the room to stand over Cao Cao as she lowered her hands, "You understand why this is happening, right?"

"I do."

"Good." She raised her Destruction, "No forgiveness or redemption. This is punishment for your-"

A knife whizzed by her hip and bounced off the cracked wall beside Cao Cao. They all looked back in time to see a yellow flash and then turned back around to see Minato panting and grabbing Cao Cao by the collar of his shirt.

"NO!" Rias immediately swung her arms and whipped her Destruction about to swallow the two heroes up. But the flash of yellow before her Demonic Power obliterated that portion of the wall made her realize she hadn't made it, "Dammit! Sona!" She quickly contacted her friend, "Put out an alert! Cao Cao and Minato have escaped!"

("What? How did they-")

"They jumped together! They couldn't have gotten far! Make sure everyone knows they're on the loose! We can't lose them! We can't-"

She felt a tight squeeze on her hand and looked back in a start. But she calmed down when she saw Naruto back on his feet, Asia and Issei standing behind him as they looked at her thoughtfully. The red-haired [King] looked between her friends and felt like she needed to keep pushing and pursuing after the escapees.

But Naruto gently pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly. And as she felt him squeeze her, after being so uncertain and scared that he might not recover from his fatal predicament, she couldn't help but feel that knot of tension building in her gut unfurl and her entire body felt relieved.

Asia could barely contain her tears and she stepped up and took the next hug from Rias. Issei and Naruto shared a fist bump knowing they had turned up triumphant today.

||||||||Devil||||||||

There was a massive crowd watching him as he carefully made his way towards the bounded and restricted nine-tailed fox. The other members of the ORC watched him with bated breath, hoping Kurama's mindless form wouldn't try to take a bite out of him. Yasaka and the other High-Class and Ultimate-Class Devils that helped restrict him watched as well. And finally, all eight other Biju formed a loose circle around him to watch in case anything happened.

Naruto stood in front of the blank, lifeless eyes of the snarling beast as it struggled to free itself. There was no mind or consciousness behind those eyes indicating that any part of his partner was still in there. Just like all the other Bijū.

But that would change now.

Naruto reached up and gently pressed his hand against the snout of the fox as it growled. As he held it there, the giant monster slowly seemed to calm down and relax. Its eyes steadily lidded over and Naruto did the same.

From across his entire body, ethereal orange flames of chakra enveloped him and covered his body in their familiar glow with black lines across his chest and limbs. His power with no help from his Sacred Gear or Balance Breaker to reach it. This power was his once again.

He pulled his hand away and looked down at his right arm, waiting for Kurama to speak up and say something.

"Heh," Naruto looked up in a start when he heard Kurama's voice not come out of the Sacred Gear. He saw the fox had opened his eyes, his lips turning up in a faint smile, "Glad to see you from the outside again."

"E-Ehehe," A chuckle spilled out and Naruto covered his mouth to try and control his smile, "Welcome back, Kurama."

"Thanks, Naruto."

The Bijū cheered and celebrated, except for Shukaku who cursed and said he preferred him as a mindless beast. The ORC rushed forward in glee and swarmed Naruto to congratulate him on finally doing what he'd set out to accomplish.

The Bijū were back and finally free.

||||||||Devil||||||||

There was a lot of work to do after that. Clearing up Lilith would be left to some professional who could quickly fix things back to normal. Naruto felt incredibly guilty because so much work had gone into preserving it from the Beast Riot only for him and Cao Cao to run roughshod through the whole place.

Baraqiel had offered to take in the Bijū until a more permanent solution could be worked out. He assured them that Samael would do his best as the new Governor-General to see them treated well.

Cao Cao and the others still hadn't been caught. The people charged with watching over Georg, Jeanne, and Heracles had reported that Minato had flashed in and grabbed them before disappearing. If they were anywhere in the Underworld they were going to be hunted after until they were finally found.

The ORC was sent home after things started to settle down. They may have been some of the integral heroes in the Beast Riot incident but they were still young and exhausted. There weren't any complaints from them as they made their way back home on the edge of exhaustion.

When they arrived in the human world again, they were so tired that everyone decided to just stay at Arashi Heights instead of making their way to their respective homes. They were all so tired they passed out the moment they reached their rooms.

Well, except for-

"Mmm!" Naruto and Rias moaned into each other's mouths as their hands traveled over each other eagerly. The door slammed behind them and Naruto found himself getting pushed further and further back until his legs hit the bed and he tumbled back into it. He panted and looked up, "Are we-"

"Yes!" Rias crawled up the bed and straddled him, pressing her hands on his chest and keeping him pinned as she started kissing him again in the heat of passion. Her rapid kissing and groping left Naruto stunned as there was little he could do to counter her. But his hand found some space and reached up to tightly grip one of her breasts, "AAAHHhhh~!" The redhead moaned delightfully before she looked down at his hand and him with a heated smile, "You can squeeze them both a little harder, you know~?"

Naruto's other hand slipped out from under her knee and latched onto her other breast, squeezing both as tightly as he could as her head rolled back with a moan. The gorgeous redhead reacted to each squeeze and pull of her tits, her body shuddering and her hips grinding on his growing hardness underneath her. Naruto grew more aroused every second watching her moan and move atop him. He caught his breath and growled, "I was only gone a few days. Did you miss sex that much?"

"I missed you." She moaned, fingering the buttons of her shirt as they came undone. Naruto pulled his hands back and watched her feverishly pull her shirt open, her brassiere-clad breasts eagerly bouncing even within their tight confines. Once they were exposed, Rias reached back and quickly undid her bra. As her breasts bounced in their new freedom, Naruto couldn't wait any longer as he lunged up and latched his mouth around one of her nipples, "Aahhh~!" Rias moaned, looking down and feeling Naruto's mouth and tongue eagerly stimulate her nipple while his hand reached up and groped her other tit. The redhead couldn't stop the pleasurable moans that slipped out but smiled as she hugged his head, "Looks like you're just as eager as me."

As he sucked on her boobs, Rias pulled his fly down and grabbed hold of his cock. As it stood fully erect in her grip she started to rub it up and down to stimulate him in turn. She felt a stiff growl through her nipple and knew that she was stirring him on exactly how she wanted. Taking her hand off his shaft, she rubbed his hair lovingly and was so relieved to have him back with her. She purred as he continued to latch onto her breast, "I hope you're ready because all night I'm going to make you-"

"O-Oohhhhh!" Naruto's mouth popped off her nipple as he let out a surprised, guttural groan underneath her. His eyes rolled back and noises kept slipping from his mouth every second.

Rias blinked in confusion, "Naruto? Are you okay? I haven't even gotten around to - KONEKO?!"

"Mmmm~." The young [Rook] let out a small moan as her mouth settled around the head of his dick and gently stimulated it. The Nekomata opened her hazy eyes and looked up at both Rias and Naruto's shocked faces. Her mouth popped off the top as her small hands settled over his shaft. Her ears twitched cutely as she lay naked at the end of the bed by his waist, "Sorry, Buchou, did you say something?"

"W-W-W-What are you doing?!"

"I'm sucking Naruto-senpai's dick." She said innocently, her hand causally stroking it up and down, "I saw it standing up here and thought I'd jump in."

"Y-You can't do that!"

"I just did."

"K-Koneko," Naruto blushed and gulped, "You don't know where that's been."

"In Buchou's pussy, I'm guessing." Koneko smiled while blowing a soft breath over the tip and slyly smiling when she felt him tremble, "I don't mind."

"It's been a long day and we all need to relax." The two lovers were stunned silent as Xenovia walked over, pulling her shirt and skirt off to reveal her mismatched underwear, "So why don't we have some fun before going to bed?"

"Xenovia?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

"Well, I originally was going to sleep with you after you came back from your test as a way to congratulate you."

"You were?!"

"But the Hero faction had to drop in and ruin everything so that was a bust. And I didn't want to keep waiting and try to find another moment when the opportunity would be perfect. But I saw the way Rias-Buchou looked at you and how Koneko snuck up behind you. So I decided now would be the chance and to just take it."

"And I helped heal you with Nee-sama's assistance, so I feel like I deserve a reward for that."

"B-Both of you, get out!" Rias shrieked with red cheeks, "You can't be here right now!"

"Buchou, you're being very greedy right now." Koneko frowned before leaning in and kissing Naruto's tip. As he flinched and Rias looked at him in disbelief, the freshman hummed, "I don't think Naruto-senpai minds us being here~."

"I'm surprised you got the jump in first, Koneko," Xenovia noted as she tossed her bra aside and crawled up the bed as well. She stopped by Koneko's side, leaning in and watching the [Rook] gently lick and suckle on Naruto's dick. Xenovia reached over and grabbed it, her hand overlapping Koneko's as she marveled at the peculiar appendage, "Wow, it's much hotter than I expected. And it likes when you lick it?"

"Oh yeah," Koneko whispered huskily, looking up at Naruto with slitted eyes that sent a shiver down his back, "I can tell."

"Then let me join you."

Xenovia started running her tongue along one side of his shaft as Koneko eagerly did the same on the other side. Soft sounds escaped from the duo's mouths as they jointly performed oral on the whiskered blond. As Naruto's head rolled back and he gritted his teeth to stop the moans building up in his throat from slipping out, Rias just looked between all of them in shock. From her panting boyfriend to her own [Rook] and [Knight] running their tongues and gently kissing his manhood. E-Even she hadn't tried to-

"Naruto!" A panicked scream slipped from Rias in fright as she leaned down onto his head and smothered his face with her breasts, "Here you go! Don't forget there are these breasts you love!" As her tits molded around his face and completely enveloped him, Rias held his head as her eyes started to swirl, "I was here first and love you the most! Okay!"

Between the suffocating pressure of Rias' pillowy breasts on his face and feeling Koneko and Xenovia's tongues run up his cock, Naruto couldn't figure out where to put his attention. His mind told him to try and suck on the breasts pressing up against his face so he could try and distract Rias' from her obvious mania. But each time he felt their tongues run along a vein or up the shaft before settling on his throbbing head, his mind went blank. It felt like there was nothing in this world he wanted more than to just close his eyes and let them do the work.

But he wouldn't just sit back!

Naruto's teeth lightly squeezed Rias' nipple, startling the redhead out of her frantic muttering as her head flew back. Xenovia was distracted by the moaning she heard as she opened one eye while still suckling the side of his cock. Koneko on the other hand was entranced in blowing Naruto, her hand not encircled by Xenovia's lowering to gently cup and squeeze his balls. The short Nekomata pulled her mouth away from his shaft and settled it over the top, eagerly sucking and licking it to get him excited.

Naruto's eyes widened as his mouth popped off of Rias' breast, "OH SHIT!"

"MMMMMmmmmmm~!" Koneko's eyes opened halfway as he started cumming in her mouth. The [Rook] quickly gulped in everything that came out as her hands gently jerked off his shaft to drain out every drop. After a few moments of Naruto bucking into her mouth and being watched in surprise by Rias and Xenovia, Koneko let out a small hum in his head. She pulled her mouth back, keeping it closed as she sat up and covered her lips. Her eyes stayed closed before she looked at them and opened her mouth, "Tada."

"K-Koneko-"

"That was nice, Senpai." Koneko mumbled with a hot pink hue on her cheeks, "I wouldn't mind trying that again if you want~."

"Wow, Koneko, you're amazing." Xenovia admired the younger girl, "I had heard it was difficult to swallow semen like that, especially for the first time."

"No, not when I know that I'm making Senpai feel so good." Koneko panted as she wiped her mouth clean. But when she looked down and saw Naruto's cock stay rigid and start to rise again, both girls couldn't help but get excited at the prospect, "But it looks like he still wants a little more~."

"H-Hold on!" Rias interjected before the two girls could pounce, "You can't just jump on Naruto like this! You - y-you - oh, you two don't have your pills from Azazel's lab, right? You shouldn't risk it-"

"I already had mine." Xenovia informed as Rias' voice caught in her throat, "I had them ordered before the test, remember?"

"And I asked for some to be made as well." Koneko purred, "I asked after my heat cycle ended and I could think properly, but they arrived during all the panic in the Underworld so there wasn't a time to use them. But now-"

"Nope!" Rias exclaimed, shedding off the last of her clothes as she climbed up on Naruto and straddled him. She took hold of his rod and lined it with her slit, "If anyone is going to do it with Naruto, it's me! His girlfriend!

As Rias prepped herself, Naruto looked up at his panicking girlfriend with a skeptical expression, "Rias, are you jealous right now? Seriously?"

"N-No! Of course not! I'm not - shut up!" She lowered herself, letting his tip poke the folds of her pussy, "I've been the one that longed and waited for you to return the most. Waiting for you to open your eyes and come back to us. These two might be eager," She plunged down on his cock and a pleasurable shudder ran up Rias' spine. The redhead's voice caught in her breath before a shaky exhale came out and she looked down at her lover with a heated smile, "But I've been craving this for so long."

The wind in Naruto's lungs rushed out as after all the fighting, healing, and strain his body had been through, the sheer ecstasy of feeling Rias' pussy tighten around his cock nearly drove him mad. He shut his eyes and his hands instinctively fell on Rias' hips as she started to bounce and ride atop him.

As the beautiful redhead panted and moaned atop him, grinding her pussy on his dick and letting her hips bounce, she couldn't help but feel the euphoria with each movement. Her voluptuous breasts hypnotically bounced and her hands fell back on his thighs to keep herself steady as she rode him.

Even though Koneko and Xenovia had been eager to do the deed with Naruto and were miffed that Rias beat them to the punch, they couldn't help but stare as their [King] rode the man they loved. She was so entranced and enthralled with each movement she felt that she almost seemed to forget about their presence. This was the first time both girls had gotten a better look at their sexual activities since that night they spotted them through the door. And though neither of them wanted to admit it, the mixture of moans coming from Naruto and Rias was quite arousing to hear.

"Ah! Ah!" Rias grunted with each plunge and lift. Her nipples started to protrude and get harder as her arousal grew with each passing second. She swallowed and caught her breath before mumbling, "You see, girls. This is what it takes to jump into bed with someone. You can't simply watch from the door and think you know what to do next. It takes time and experience to make a move. If you don't have that then you'll - AH!" Rias shrieked in surprise and looked back, "W-What-"

"That's impressive, Rias-Buchou," Xenovia stated while grabbing hold of Rias' wrists and pulling them off of Naruto's thighs. As the [King] freaked out trying to look back at her and pull her arms out of the Exorcist's grip, Xenovia held on firmly and stared intently where Naruto and Rias connected from behind, "Can you do those movements again without the use of your hands? It looked like your hips were the primary point of movement."

"X-Xenovia! Let go of me!" Rias pulled and thrashed about, still having Naruto sheathed inside her, 'You can't just hold my arms while I'm - AHH~!" A breathy, startled moan shot out of Rias when someone firmly grabbed her breasts. She looked down and panicked when she saw the small hands molding into her boobs, "Koneko?!"

"These were bouncing around like crazy so I thought I'd give you a hand and keep them steady." The little Nekomata bitterly said as she watched her hands dig and disappear into Rias' pillowy breasts. Admiring just how soft and springy they were, Koneko kept groping her, "These things are crazy huge, but wow they feel so nice. I think I kinda get what the boys are all horned up for about."

"K-Koneko, s-stop!" Rias protested, her mouth hanging open between the stimulation of having her tits and nipples played with while Naruto was still buried inside her. And with her arms being pinned behind her there wasn't much more she could do, "Naruto, stop them!"

The whiskered man was silent, looking up in wonder as Rias was restricted in her movement and had her breasts played with above him. The heated look on her red face spurred him on more than he expected as he grinned in response. Rias flinched as his hands tightly gripped her waist, "Why would I do that? Wasn't this what you've been craving?"

Having her words thrown back at her like that, Rias stammered and tried to argue but couldn't make it in time. Naruto easily lifted her and pulled her back down as his hips bucked. The deep moan that echoed out of her throat when he poked her womb caused the Gremory heiress to throw her head back and scream.

In tandem, the trio started to tease and play with Rias as she got fucked. Xenovia tightly held on her wrists, staring intently where she could watch Naruto's cock pull out to the head before slamming back into her down to the root. Koneko had only meant to tease her [King] but as Rias was made to bounce and kept a firm handle on her breasts, the young Nekomata couldn't help but get entranced by how it felt to hold them. And Naruto grew more excited the more he made Rias mewl and shudder with each thrust.

He wanted to get more out of her. He wanted to make her scream in bliss and delight. So one hand slipped off from holding her waist and reached down, touching and rubbing her clit between her bounces on his cock.

"A-AHHH!" Rias exclaimed, looking down past Koneko's hands on her tits to Naruto's cheeky grin. Bolts shot up her body each time she felt him rub her clitoris as she gasped, "N-Naruto! You c-can't do that! S-Stop it!" His smirk deepened, adding a little more pressure that made the redhead squirm, "I-It's not fair!"

It was all too much. Xenovia's hold on her arms did not give even a little. Although Naruto still had one hand on her hip, Rias was now having to lift and drop herself in time as well to keep up with his thrusts. Koneko's hands were small, but the way they kneaded her breasts and tweaked her nipples caused her voice to catch in her throat. And finally, as Naruto played with her clit while fucking her, her mind started to blank.

Too many stimulating actions one after another. Her breasts felt so sensitive and her panting grew quicker. Her clit was rubbed and teased and he fucked her so hard she felt it through her whole body. Too much. I-It was too much!

"Cumming! I-I'm cumming! AAHHHHH!" They all stopped as the redhead threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs, her entire body stilling aside from some trembling and shivers that made her spasm. Xenovia released her wrists and Koneko let go of her breasts as their [King] started panting. She leaned forward and placed her hands on Naruto's chest to keep herself upright as she tried to catch her breath. But she looked down at Naruto and frowned, "Damn you."

He smiled cheekily, "You seemed to enjoy that~."

"S-Shut up."

"Congratulations, Buchou. That sounded like a great one."

"The way you scream during orgasms is very sexy, Rias-Buchou. I thought so last time too"

"Shut up!" She blushed deeply and pouted like a girl unbecoming of her station, "That was the first time we did it where I came first." She bemoaned, "And I wanted our time together to be special."

"Heh," Naruto chuckled as he sat up, wrapping his arms around Rias gently and giving his sulking girlfriend a light kiss, "Rias, you're so cute."

"I-I am?"

"If you want me to finish with you, I can do that."

"What do you - KYA!" Rias squealed as Naruto scooted to the edge of the bed while holding onto her. He stood off the mattress, his hands settling under her butt as her arms and legs desperately coiled around him to stop from falling off, "N-Naruto, what are you-"

"Hold on, Rias." He purred to her, startling Rias with his intensity as he smirked, "We're going to feel this together."

He tightly held her waist and pulled back before thrusting forward at full strength, Rias gasping and grip loosening for a moment as she felt his head pump into the deepest reaches of her pussy. Her arms and legs instinctively tightened around his body as he started pulling out and thrusting in, clapping his hips against hers so quickly and loudly it was the only thing other than Rias' moans they could hear.

Her breasts bounced up and down from the force of his humping, her voice and breath jumping out of her throat each time. Rias panted and looked down, staring at the spot where his cock plunged into her pussy without stopping. Rias wanted to try and talk but she couldn't articulate her words as her toes started to curl from the way he rammed into her. Pants and grunts rushed out of her as she clung as tightly as she could to try and weather through Naruto's relentless fucking.

"See?" Naruto panted with a red face and sly grin, "Aren't you liking this?"

"I-I-"

"I'm pretty sure you are." Naruto pulled her in and thrust up at once, making her throw back her head and let out a coquettish scream when he did, "After all, you're squeezing me so tightly I have to think you're loving it."

"I-I-It-"

"Hey, Rias," He purred, "You think if I let go, you'd still be able to hang on with how tight you're squeezing me? Your pussy-"

"Don't!" Rias cried, hugging and squeezing him tightly as her breasts molded against his chest. She said it not out of fear that she'd be dropped, but because she didn't want him to let go of her. With misty eyes, she looked at him and mumbled, "H-Hold on to me tighter. A-And fuck me even harder."

He leaned in and kissed her, Rias returning the kiss and clinging onto him even tighter as he started fucking her again.

Xenovia and Koneko watched enthralled at the way their hips clapped together so fiercely. The [Knight] started rubbing and teasing her breasts to the sounds of their moans and clapping. Koneko panted as well, her senses peaked watching them have sex while she reached down to play with herself.

"Rias," Naruto pulled back and started pumping harder as Rias' voice peaked with each thrust, "Here I come! I'm cumming!"

"I-I can't hold on anymore, Naruto!" Rias cried out, eyes watering as she held on tighter and felt her climax building up again, "I-I don't think I can take it! I-I just came and-"

"Rias! Rias, here I-"

"A-AAAAHHHHHH!" The redhead screamed and kicked her legs out behind him as Naruto buried his cock inside her and started cumming. Her grip tightened on his shoulders as she trembled and gasped, "O-Oh fuck, y-you're cumming so much. I-I can feel it rushing in."

Naruto turned and leaned over, dropping Rias back on the bed as the heiress lay exhausted after their session. Koneko looked down at the way Rias closed her eyes and panted, a spasm running through her body once in a while as she came down from her euphoria. His semen started dripping out of her and a shudder ran up Koneko's spine at the thought of feeling that.

"S-Senpai, how about I-"

"Hey Naruto," Koneko and Naruto looked over at Xenovia after she had crawled further up the bed. She bent herself over, reaching back and spreading her moist pussy open for him to see. With an alluring look back she smiled, "If you've still got the energy, how about I congratulate you for all your hard work, hmm?"

They were both left silent from what they saw. But as Naruto started to stiffen up again, Koneko knew she had been beaten. The blond crawled onto the bed and made his way over to where Xenovia still presented herself. With one hand on her firm but shapely ass, he grabbed his cock and lined it up with her opening. He pressed forward and Xenovia flinched feeling him start to enter.

He pushed through to enter her, startling the swordswoman with the sensation as her breath escaped her lungs. As Naruto felt how tight and warm she was, he rubbed her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt it's just not how I expected it to feel." Xenovia admitted, "I've only ever used my fingers before. You're bigger than my fingers."

"Do you want me to go slow? Or-"

"I've been waiting a long time for this. I don't need you to hold back."

He shouldn't have expected anything less.

Naruto gripped her hips and slowly pulled out, feeling her tighten and tense as he did. She may have said he didn't need to be careful but he didn't want to rush or make her first time terrible. So with a steady force and rhythm, he started to draw back and push forward.

Xenovia struggled for a moment before she remembered to breathe while she felt Naruto inside her. It was such a new and unfamiliar sensation that it was almost overwhelming. But the longer it went on, the more Xenovia started to feel pleasure spread through her whole system. A feeling of bliss and euphoria crawled through her body, more intense than any masturbation she had practiced with herself. His heat. His force. His weight bearing down on her.

"Aaahhh." Xenovia moaned as Naruto's hips clapped against her ass and made it ripple. The blue-haired beauty couldn't close her mouth as grunts and groans slipped out every second. She buried her face in the bed, engrossed in the rapture of finally experiencing sex and the way it made her feel. Her boobs pressed into the comforter as drops of sweat and other liquids started dripping as well. She felt him slow down and a weight settle on her back, "Naruto?"

"So," His hands wrapped around her chest and found her boobs, squeezing them as he leaned into her back and whispered by her ear, "Is this what you were hoping?"

"Ha, I can see why you want to have sex with Rias-Buchou all the time, horndog. It feels so fucking good."

"It'll feel even better if we do this." With his grip on her breasts, Naruto pulled her up off the bed, squeezing her back into his chest so she sat upright with him. One hand settled on her nipple as the other trailed down to her clit, "Are you ready?"

Xenovia's answer was to turn her head and kiss him, one hand reaching back to hold his head while the other overlapped his hand where they connected. Naruto took that as a sign to proceed, reciprocating the kiss as he resumed.

Naruto's hips bucked into Xenovia from behind, her pussy now more accustomed to his cock and taking him in eagerly. Their tongues curled and wrapped around each other, her grip tightening in his hair as his fingers started to rub her clit in tandem with the thrusts. The [Knight] was getting wetter and wetter with each pump, the stimulation of her clit revving her up as Naruto continued fucking her.

Rias started to finally get some energy back and looked up to see Xenovia and Naruto having sex. It was a little uncomfortable watching Naruto have sex with another girl, but the apprehension she had at even allowing their copulation to happen had passed. Honestly, it was intriguing to see what sex looked like from the outside instead of always wondering about it herself.

"Naruto!" Xenovia gasped out his name, her hands tightly gripping his arms as she weathered through the rising pressure she filled her body, "I-I'm cumming!"

"Xenovia!" They screamed each other's names as Naruto came inside her. He bucked his hips a few more times, releasing every last drop he could muster as Xenovia gasped feeling him cum inside her. With the last few pumps, Xenovia felt her orgasm as well, shuddering and shaking in Naruto's grasp as his arms wrapped around her.

"O-Oh."

He panted, "You okay?"

"Yes," She moaned, "That was amazing. That…that was worth the wait." Xenovia caught her breath and looked at her lover resting his chin on her shoulder. She kissed his cheek before nodding, "I think someone else is waiting."

"S-Senpai."

Looking over, he saw Koneko panting with a bright red face and eyes slitted like a cat. Her fingers were wet after watching from the side but couldn't stand waiting any longer. She laid back on the bed, holding up her legs and looking up at Naruto with hazy eyes, "P-Please don't make me wait o-or watch anymore. I-I've been waiting like a good girl. P-Please."

…

He swallowed, crawling over the bed until he was looming over Koneko and her pussy being presented to him. All the thoughts about whether this was right or he should be careful seemed to be silent in his head. He wasn't even sure how he was still hard but he was and he still had one last lady to take care of tonight.

Koneko's breath hitched as Naruto grabbed hold of his shaft and started to line it with her pussy. The little white-haired Nekomata looked down and started breathing heavily when she felt his large hand settle on her waist. She could feel herself tremble against his touch as he aimed the tip of his cock down.

It touched the lips of her pussy.

Koneko stopped breathing as she felt him push in with a little more force. She closes her eyes and grits her teeth to try and weather through-

The head of his penis pushed through her entry and Koneko felt her lungs empty from the shock.

Finally, she had gotten what she had waited for so long to achieve, but she couldn't enjoy it because her body was so tense.

"K-Koneko," Naruto mumbled to the trembling girl, grimacing as she felt too tight to even enter in this current state. He tried to get her attention but her eyes were closed shut and her hands bundled up in the covers. He fretted that it might have been too soon and was about to pull out-

"Koneko," Rias gently whipsered the [Rook's] name as she crawled over by their side. She came up by the young girl's head, gently lifting her to rest her head on her lap. She looked down at the tears pricking the edges of Koneko's eyes and spoke softly, "You have to relax. I know you were excited but this can't work if you're too tense."

"I-I-"

"Naruto, you need to comfort her. Help her relax."

The blond man looked down at his young lover, seeing her look up at him in a mix of affection and apprehension. He realized that Rias was right and slowly picked Koneko up, drawing her in so he was hugging her to his chest. She panted and trembled against his body as he gently rubbed her head. As he did his eyes lingered on the fluffy ears sticking out of her white hair.

Well…no harm in trying.

He leaned in and gently nibbled on the ear by his face.

"NYYAAAAHHH!" Koneko exclaimed in a mix of a pleasurable and startled meow. Her eyes nearly rolled up as she held onto his shoulders and gasped feeling Naruto softly bite the edges of her ears. She stammered, "S-S-Senpai."

To her surprise, her body started to ease and her tension faded. In doing so the tightness around his cock started to lessen and he could get further in. It wasn't his whole length, but Naruto could feel himself enter deeper. He kissed her ears, gently blew air into them, and kissed her crown before rubbing her back, "I wanna make you feel good too, Koneko. Just relax and let me do what I can."

"S-Senpai."

Koneko leaned up and kissed him before Naruto returned the kiss in kind. He gently lifted her up and down, trying to help ease the tension in her body while pleasuring her. The purrs and moans she let out while he did let him know she was feeling it.

It wasn't like with Rias or even Xenovia just a few moments ago. Koneko may have been strong but she was young and small, so he had to be careful how he treated her. Her pussy was squeezing so tightly, even after she had relaxed that he thought something might go wrong if he pushed any harder. The way she gripped onto him and clenched so tightly around his cock was enticing, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

They shared a kiss and Naruto kept moving her before she gasped and Naruto felt her insides clamp down on his dick like a vice. Koneko shuddered against his chest as a quick but intense orgasm rocked her body. Naruto felt her cum and gently pulled out of her, hugging her gently to ease her experience, "Are you okay?"

"S-Senpai, I'm sorry-"

"Shh," He patted her head and slowly placed her back down on the bed so she could rest, "It's okay. As long as you're okay." As he looked down at his little lover and watched her catch her breath, he sighed a breath of relief and closed his eyes. He might just follow her example and go to-

"AH!" He flinched and looked down, "RIAS?!"

"Mmmmm~," The redhead moaned as she wrapped her lips around his cock and sucked it. Her mouth popped off, one hand settling on the base of his cock as she put a finger to his throbbing head and ran her tongue along his length, "You didn't get to cum, did you? I guess that's not fair to you. I can help with that though~." She dragged her tongue along the underside and up to the tip as she watched him squirm, "You were so sweet and gentle with her. It was cute. But why aren't you ever that sweet with me, hmm?"

"I-I-"

"Well, not that I hate the way we do it." She gave his tip a soft kiss, "But a change of pace would be nice once in a while."

"I'd like to try it again." As Rias continued to blow him, Xenovia came up to his side and grabbed his hand. She put it on her chest and his hand settled into her boobs as she smiled, "There are so many positions and things I want to try with you. I don't think I can stop after just one."

"But-"

"Senpai," His other hand was taken and his fingers found their way into a moist, tight hole. Koneko shivered as she looked up at him longingly, "I think I just need a little more time to get used to the feeling. I may have cum first, but we'll cum together from now on."

One hand groping breasts. Another inside a wet and tight pussy. All while Rias' succulent lips sucked on his cock like there was no tomorrow. It was just too much stimulation and Naruto couldn't handle it. He had cum so much already and he was exhausted. He couldn't possibly do anything more. And yet-

With a groan, his hips bucked into Rias' mouth as he came down her throat. The redhead swallowed the ropes filling her mouth and sucked his cock clean. Once she was done she pulled her mouth back and sat up, Naruto staring up at her as he caught his breath.

Rias licked her lips clean and coyly smiled down at him. She straddled his waist, Xenovia still rubbing his hands between her boobs and Koneko made his hand wet, "We've still got time tonight. So how about we go a few more rounds?"

Naruto was glad he had his full powers back…

He was going to need the energy.

||||||||Devil||||||||

They were on the run. They were desperate and beaten. This was the worst state the Hero faction had ever been in.

All the executives were gathered in a forest in the Underworld where they found solitude to try and lick their wounds. Minato had flashed to all the spots they had been captured to recover Georg, Jeanne, and Heracles before they were arrested and sent away into prisons where they could never escape.

But now the extraordinary youths were left defeated and exhausted, trying to regain their strength before the Underworld forces found them

Georg took off his cracked glasses, "I-I just need a little more time. I'll use Dimension Lost when I've gotten enough strength and we can escape."

Jeanna groaned, "Is that safe? Won't we be screwed if you lose control?"

"What other choice do we have?"

"Dammit," Heracles stood up, pressing his hand to the cross-cut on his chest, "I can't believe we all lost. Even Cao Cao…" He spared a look to their leader who simply stared ahead with his spear in his lap, "What do we do?"

"I-I'll get us out of here." Minato panted, "J-Just give me a second-"

"Mina-kun, you can't."

"Any more exertion and-"

"I'll do it. I won't let any of us die." He swore, "I couldn't protect Sieg. But I will protect all of you."

"Inspiring, but kind of a moot point when you're all exhausted."

The young heroes prepared for a fight when they heard the voice…and immediately realized they were screwed when they saw who it was.

"I-Indra-sama."

"W-What are you-"

"I came to find all of you." The King of Heaven said, pulling his sunglasses down as he looked around at his sponsored team, "I see you guys didn't fulfill your goal. Your enemies survived. Ophis is still alive, albeit weakened. And you lost the last few special weapons your club had. They were not happy about that by the way. I had to part with a special little something to assure your safety from them." Indra sighed, "When I sponsored your group, it was in hopes that you would shake things up and start some fun. But all it's been so far is half-assed victories and setbacks. It might be time-"

"Don't!" The young heroes quickly stood up in defense against the God, "We did not come all this way to die here! No one-"

"Oh?" Indra raised his brow, slowly stalking his way toward them as they sweated and buckled under the pressure of fighting the higher being in their current state, "If you're willing to fight, then there might still be a little hope for you guys."

The tip of the True Longinus swung up and pointed at his neck. Even in his injured state, Cao Cao stood between the God and his comrades. He grunted, "You will not hurt them. Not even a hair on their heads."

…

Indra's hand swept in and yanked the Longinus out of his grasp. Cao Cao was left disarmed as Indra looked at the weapon he confiscated, "Without this, there isn't much you have going right now, do you? Convictions have wavered. Your battle spirit has been crushed. For the new generation of heroes, this is a rather pathetic showing." The God put the spear on one shoulder and snapped his fingers, "You're all going to need to prove that you're still worth investing time into."

A giant circle formation formed around the exhausted executives of the Hero faction. Cao Cao glared up at Indra, "Where are you sending us?"

"To the depths of the Underworld. As the heroes who are going to change the world, a trial like this should be nothing. Try smoothing things over with Hades while you're down there."

The Hero faction members were absorbed in the light and blinded by it before they reappeared in a new location. No longer were they in an isolated forest in a territory of some Devil's domain.

They were surrounded by an icy hell, with the growls and roars of far-off monsters echoing to reach even them.

"C-Cocytus!" Georg said with a shiver, "He sent us to Cocytus! He's trying to kill us!"

As the others tried to figure out what to do next, Cao Cao looked around at their current predicament. This was dire. Cast into the lowest point of the Underworld and tasked with tiding things over with Hades. Indra may have very well sent them to their deaths. Not only that but they were tired, weakened, and now in the domain of-

A mighty roar drew all of their attention to the side as a giant monster stalked out from behind a massive spike of ice and stone sticking from the ground. It spotted them, roared, and charged to attack them. The injured Hero faction members stood in preparation to defend themselves as best they could.

Until what sounded like a thousand chirping birds drowned out the stomping of the monster.

Something slammed into the side of the monster like a lightning bolt. It let out a dying whine as it stumbled over its legs and crashed down in front of them. The Hero faction members shielded themselves from the rush of ice particles and snow that blasted into their faces after it crashed. Cao Cao was the first to clear his eyes and look up.

A young man stood atop the dead monster's carcass, an electrified blade in one hand while the other crackled with several different magical electricities. To anyone else, this might have seemed like the strangest coincidence that could occur to save their hides.

But Cao Cao knew better. This wasn't just some random stranger. He had heard rumors of someone working under Indra in secret in recent years. Someone nobody in the world recognized but who did the work of the King of Heaven when his other subordinates could not spare the time. The rumor almost seemed baseless, so the name attributed to this unknown stranger had been…

"Heaven's Shadow."

The black-haired man looked back at the Hero faction with an uninterested gaze, "Indra told me to come down here and help guide you lot through safely. I'll help, but I'm not going to hold your hand. If you're going to survive down here, you're going to have to get better."

"Who are you?"

"Does that matter?"

"Shouldn't we know who you are if we're going to work with you?"

The black-haired man spared Cao Cao a look before jumping down to face him. The two men stared at each other unflinchingly before the stranger hummed and turned around, "I see that idiot did some work on you."

"What?"

"Nothing. You'll get my name if we survive long enough." He summoned lightning to his hand again, "So come on. No point wasting time. If you want to find a place to heal, I suggest we get moving."

The Hero faction seemed reluctant…but quickly followed Heaven's Shadow into the depths of Cocytus on their new mission.

||||||||Devil||||||||

Done

And so we've passed…well, I don't know if it's the halfway point of the story or not. But we've hit a benchmark.

The Bijū are reclaimed. The harem has laid together. And Naruto has his power back. I know there's more volumes but I might as well end things off on a high note! With our main character getting his chakra back, there are no more threats to be had in the world of DxD! The end! All things work out and nothing could ever bother our heroes again! Feels nice to finally be on the same page with all the people who have written over the years that there is no fight if Naruto had his power.

…

Although, I do have plans for the second half of this series. And fair warning, the songs I associate when thinking it all up are All Things Must Die and For Every Life from RWBY or SPECIALZ from the new season of JJK.

Take that as you will.

ReadxReview

Thank You and Bye