Chapter Sixteen
The Arrival of an Idol
Naruto dusted off his hands as his gaze turned to the Tribune once more. She was now surrounded with fear; the Cherry gray of the strong emotion made his mouth water and he couldn't help the smirk coming onto his face.
"Are you willing to cooperate now, little fox?"
The Tribune gave a cutting hand gesture and the remaining hellbeasts made a dash for him.
Fire, Earth, and Wind returned to their standby positions and instead the mark of Water was crushed. Instantaneously, an orb of liquid surrounded the blonde before the demons could reach him. They bashed against the dome in a frenzy of fists and claws and teeth.
The mark of Fire was crushed once more.
Boil.
The water bubble began to bubble and pop rapidly until it finally exploded. The hellbeasts cried out in pain as they were coated in the scalding hot liquid. Steam wafted off them as boils and ruined patches of fur and skin could be seen on their bodies.
Some who were unlucky had even lost their eyes to the heat and were crying in misery.
The marks of Water and Fire returned.
Naruto glanced around to see that everyone was dead or incapacitated, both the results he desired from the technique.
He looked up to see the hellfox was shaking and pale in fear, her eyes wide and disbelieving. He flexed his arm and his wings extended out before gracefully flapping. He was lifted a few feet into the air easily and quietly even as the wind caused by his flying began bucking up dirt and small rocks.
His scarlet eyes then looked down on her and it was then that she wet herself with how the blonde looked. His hair arced above his head and with the light of the sun, she could only describe the visage as nothing more than angelic and fallen.
For the briefest of moments, she would have even claimed that it was Lucifer's demon transformation that she had witnessed.
The fact that this was just a Sinner was lost on her at that moment.
"Are you ready to try again?" Is what he said.
When was the last time she had been here? One hundred? Two hundred years? It was the American Revolution- or was it their Civil War?
She couldn't remember anymore, that mortal nation had been in so many wars at this point. Either way, they had been watching the final battle of the war while on a picnic together. It was a nice time and they had a lot of fun making fun of the mortals and their wars with each other.
But shortly after that they had stopped talking to each other. Eve had been annoyed with Adam as the man was constantly harassing and flirting with the female Exterminators under him. Their relationship was pretty much burnt to ash at that point and his actions had made it even worse.
Eve had moved from Heaven and come down to Hell but she lived so far away from the other demons that no one had known she was here. None but Lilith and her husband.
So when Lilith knocked on the door of the modest home made of stone and wood, it was a surprise for the two sisters. Eve was surprised that her sister had come to see her, and Lilith was surprised by the man that had answered the door. She recognized him for all the years he dominated Cannibal Town, and the one who killed so many previous Overlords there had been a power vacuum for a decade.
"Alastor…"
"Greetings, my lady," the Overlord greeted the woman with a smile. "May I interest you with some of the cider or tea?"
"No that's fine," Lilith looked at her sister. "I would like privacy as I talk to my sister."
Alastor looked at the brunette woman and got a nod from her. He bowed and left.
Lilith waited for the door to close before speaking. "Moving on from Adam finally?"
Eve scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Really, Lil? No, I'm not moving on with another man after Adam's behavior, but as a side note do you really think that I would move on to Alastor of all people?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow at the question and shrugged. "I don't know the Sinner so I can't speak on his character."
Eve smiled at her sister's uncaring shrug. "So what brings you here so suddenly? Not another one of Luciel's attempts at a threesome, I hope."
Lilith chuckled while her sister tittered at the final, exasperated words. Lucifer had, at one point, been keen on having a threesome with the two sisters. He had said that it would really get on Adam's nerves but Eve was not into the fallen angel. Not even the slightest.
It had served as a good joke between the sisters, one that was teased at Lucifer at times as well.
"No, nothing of the sort," Lilith looked at her and her expression became serious. "Was there any word of a savior appearing on Ninkai?"
Eve's eyebrows raised in surprise but showed nothing else in her expression. "A savior? Not that I know of, why?"
Lilith hummed and her eyes looked down at the table as she thought about Naruto, the boy she was sure had some kind of connection to Father. "There's this kid that arrived a few years back and his spirit just reminds me of Father. It felt like when I first met Jesus when he was stuck in Hades."
Hades, unlike hell, is the place where those from Earth are sentenced in Purgatory. Hades served as the temporary place of residence for the dead souls who did not have a bad life but there was yet a Heaven for humans. Heaven didn't allow humans to live there until God had a talk with Jesus and they had an agreement - which led to his resurrection.
Hades now served as the area Lucifer kept the ningen in when they arrived in Hell.
Granted, some slip through the cracks. And that's how Naruto ended up staying in Hell.
"Do you know his name?" Eve asked, her hazel eyes narrowing behind her hand. "I'll try to see what I can learn about in Heaven."
"His name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Eve nodded her head. "I can go see about it right now. It would be concerning if a savior had been condemned to Hell outright. Can you keep this to yourself until I can find out? We don't want a panic from Heaven, especially with Extermination Day coming up soon."
Lilith nodded her head and got to her feet. "Of course. I appreciate you doing this, Eve."
"Think nothing of it, Lil," Eve went to her sister and gave her a tight hug. "It was good to see you again. Visit more often whenever you want."
"I will," Lilith smiled into the hug
With a final farewell, Lilith left to return home.
Eve, however, narrowed her brows dangerously before calling out. "Alastor. Get in here."
The man quickly entered, unabashed as the woman knew he was right next to the door listening to their conversation. "What can I do for you, madam?"
"Go to Pentagram City and look for the boy. Only observe, approach if it is fine to do so."
Roo's eyes, no longer a hazel but a deep scarlet, looked at the Overlord. "Do not disappoint me."
The man felt his lips tingle and they were forcefully curled into a smile. "Of course, ma'am."
41K, or Clone Number 41-K, is the scout in charge of the twenty square mile area surrounding Rosie's Emporium. Because of the volatility of the area, being the heart of Cannibal Town, a new clone has always been necessary. There are too many times where he is caught by an exceptionally crafty or sneaky cannibal Sinner.
Hence why he is the letter K, all previous letters have been killed in some way before.
None of the Sinners of this area understand why when they catch Clone 41 and begin disemboweling him he disappears into smoke. Then to find him again, his replacement, a few hours later as if nothing happened? They just found it a fun game at this point, and their hunts kept the clones sent here on their toes.
41K is the longest lasting clone so far, having lived for a whole twenty-seven hours now, but now he was bored. His duty is to just keep an eye out for anything abnormal or for any ningen that may arrive. Gaara had made it clear that it is likely to happen as a war was escalating and other Jinchuuriki may be arriving as well.
I hear steps. His ears twitched and he could swear he knew the owner of the steps just by their sound. It was light and rhythmic, but it had a sharp clack to it. Then there's the smell. The smell of…
"Achoo!"
Space dust?
"Gesundheit, my friend." The newcomer greeted, showing himself to be Stolas Goetia. "What are you doing up here again?"
41K looked over his shoulder to see the bird demon giving a soft-hearted smile while standing a respectable distance. That's weird, considering his status as Prince is greater than anything the blonde Sinner could hope to reach. At least, without marrying into the Ars Goetia or the royal families.
"You spy on me, Stolas-dono?" 41K relaxed and waved the man over.
"I wouldn't call it spying," Stolas gave a light laugh as he took a seat on the cement next to the blonde. "Just a curious itch. I wish to observe you for many reasons but none of them are necessarily bad."
"Feel free to enlighten me if you wish, my lord."
Stolas gave a twinkling glance and he leaned forward in a slouch; a posture that his father would say is unbecoming of a demon of his status. But he was not like his father and was apparently being more like his grandfather Bael than anything. The former King is the only one to look at Sinners and hellbeasts and imps as demons with the potential to be as great as the fallen angels.
It is this same attitude that made the Prince interested in the blonde Sinner in the first place. At first he found the young boy cute, and the picture he had of him and Helsa together was the most adorable thing to him. But then he saw the danger in the boy when he fought and killed the mercenaries that threatened his life, and then ended the leader when he held the Princess hostage.
He could have left it at that, seeing the boy as a very strong and dangerous Sinner who will most certainly climb to be a formidable Overlord in due time. He could have accepted all of that and not be bothered.
But his precious star, his daughter, was what made him keep an eye on the blonde. She had been a shut-in for a while ever since he and his wife were having trouble in their relationship. He wasn't sure if it was the power of the blonde or love at first sight, but Octavia had entered her later stages of puberty and mating. A process which a bird demon goes through to appear more enticing to their prospective partner.
Octavia had been molting for a while now, and the process has been continuing for longer than it should have. She has gone through four plumages in the span of seven weeks, which has left the bathroom and her bedroom a mess of purple and black feathers. It seems that her magic, which has imprinted upon the blonde's magic at the party, is unsure of what will entice the blonde and therefore is going through many different colors and designs.
That means one of two reasons.
One, the blonde has no true idea of what he finds beautiful - whether in general or of a bird's feathers. That means that until he accepts her plumage and makes it known verbally, Octavia will continue to go through molting.
Two, the blonde's idea of perfection and beauty is changing all the time or too complex to be achieved. This will cause stress on Octavia's magic, and her molting, to the point she will lose her feathers entirely.
"You know I can perceive your emotions," the Sinner spoke up and his scarlet eyes glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. "Your anxiety and stress will do you no good, my lord."
Stolas blinked in surprise as he realized he had been spacing out. "Oh dear, I'm sorry. There just seems to be a lot more to worry about than I thought."
41K shrugged and waved the man off. "Do not apologize, I understand how you feel. You need to let some steam off before it starts to affect your personal and professional relationships. There's no reason to keep it in."
Stolas was warmed by the blonde's kind words and nodded his head appreciatively. "Thank you. You know this from experience?"
41K chuckled and shook his head. "Not entirely. In life, I did not stress about much and most of it was simply because of my living conditions. Now that I'm dead, I care not for what others think or say about me. I control my own life and I do what I want."
Stolas smiled and rested his chin in his palm. "Must be nice. I'm just concerned about my little girl." Suddenly, he just gained a bright idea. "I heard you are opening a new restaurant. Need any new employees?"
41K whipped his head to look at the Goetic Prince in surprise. "Why are you asking, Stolas-dono?"
"Do you remember my daughter?" He got a nod in response. "Home life… isn't very stable right now. Her mother and I are not doing so good and our constant arguing, I fear, is hurting her mentally and emotionally. I just thought, since you are employing the Princess and von Eldritch heiress, that you would be willing to hire my daughter."
41K could see that there was more to it than that but he just sighed and nodded his head. "A similar contract as to the one I made for the royal family, then? I will employ your daughter until a week before the Extermination Day to which I will send her back to you. While employing her, I promise not to intentionally put her in harm's way, to demean or abuse her, or do anything that I would not do myself. If that is agreeable, we can shake on it right now and you can send her my way."
Stolas was surprised by the promise on the boy's part, his mind never really considering that should the boy desire he could have done anything he wanted if he had not made the stipulations himself. It truly proved that he was a decent kid, a better person than most of the Sinners that find their way down here. It actually began to give him hope for his daughter, knowing that this blonde has treated the Princess and Helsa with respect from that statement alone.
It would be good for them all to get close.
Ignoring the fact he is the first Goetia to get close to a Sinner Overlord in quite some centuries, or attempt to gain friendship with the royal family, he held out his hand for the blonde to shake. "I agree to your terms, Naruto."
Naruto ducked under the dagger in the Tribune's hand before cocking back his fist. The mark of Earth was crushed and his fist was quickly coated in rock and stone before he put his all into an uppercut. The impact was explosive, whipping around dirt and leaves from the burst, and the hellfox flew back into the air.
She righted herself in the air and, on her descent, pulled out her second dagger. "Die, bastard!"
He stepped back and used the mark of Wind to send her flying into a tree the moment she got close enough to the ground. The tree creaked and whined from the sudden impact before roots could be heard snapping. The tree finally tumbled over and the Tribune was laying on top of the trunk.
"Come on, get up." Naruto slowly marched up to the hellfox, his own tail whipping up a violent tempest before his wings carried him into the air. "I said get up!"
He created a gigantic Rasengan above his head, easily dwarfing his figure in its shadow, before launching it down.
The impact shredded the wood and leaves until nothing was left but the hellbeast was able to get away before being caught in the attack. His eyes tracked her easily and saw that she was trying to get away. He anticipated her direction and he appeared in front of her with a fist raised.
Naruto sent the Tribune hellfox flying into the mountainside with a final, precise punch to her face.
Their fight, if it could even be called that, was more just him beating the hellfox to a pulp at this point. If it wasn't for the fact that whoever hired them had them fanatically loyal, he would even feel sorry for them. But there was nothing to feel sorry for anymore.
He turned his attention from her impact in the mountain to the driver that had not moved ever since his fight started. His eyes softened and he approached the corpse. The body was injured in many places and it was surprising he lasted as long as he did considering some of the injuries.
Yang. Life.
Naruto got to his knees and put a hand on the man's chest, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The mark of Yang was crushed and with it a rush of white energy enveloped Naruto and traveled down to his hand. The moment it came into contact with the hellhound's body, the energy turned a void black.
Still, the energy covered the corpse and began sizzling.
Vigor. Life. I control both. Naruto pushed the Yang chakra more into his hand.
Flashes of memories came to mind as he did so, and with them the emotions he held at the time.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on Iruka-sensei!"
Ah, the time he protected his sensei from Mizuki's attack. It was the moment he earned his headband and proved himself worthy of being a shinobi. It's one of the happiest moments of his life.
But he had also learned that he held the Kyuubi. At first, it made sense why he was called a demon brat or a disgusting monster. For a second he believed Mizuki's words and thought he was the Kyuubi, too. But Iruka defended him, validated his individuality and his own life, and was willing to die believing in him.
It is both a good and a bad memory.
"What's wrong, idiot? Scared?"
The needles. The blood. He had almost died because he couldn't be stronger than his enemy. It was the first time anyone had ever protected him - and it was from someone he thought couldn't stand him! The bastard of a brother he had!
The irony is that his ally had been the one to betray him and his enemy is now his best friend and bartender. The way the future likes to twist things is amusing and annoying. It brought a smile to his face nonetheless.
"We love you, Naruto. Grow up big… and strong."
This memory is blurry - and he is so small! He felt anxiety, holy shit why is there so much anxiety and pain? He wanted to cry out as his vision took in the blob of red and the blob of yellow.
He winced as the red got closer but the face cleared up to show a beautiful woman. Her violet eyes looked at him softly, tiredly, and he knew now what kind of memory this was. This is his mother - the last time he ever saw her.
It brought tears to his eyes.
"You will be a hero, Naruto. My son."
The yellow got closer and his eyes widened as he recognized that face. It had life to it but he had seen that face. He had sat on his head! My father is-?
"Hn- what happened?"
Naruto looked down at the hellhound to find him breathing and moving. He's alive! He didn't actually think this would work but here he is! Wincing and trying to take a look at his surroundings!
"Oh, thank fuck you're alive," Naruto laughed in relief and moved back a bit to give the man some room.
"Woah, what happened to you?" The man's eyes widened upon looking at Naruto's transformation.
"Demon transformation," Naruto answered shortly and seriously before glancing up when he heard and felt the hellbeast running closer to them.
But there is now someone trailing behind her. They are much, much stronger than the hellfox Tribune.
"There's not much time. I want you to go and get Bee." Naruto stood up and turned to face the newcomers. "She will need to be notified of this event, and hopefully stop whoever is sending these demons."
The driver nodded his head as he suddenly felt the need to listen to this Sinner. He didn't even question this feeling. "What about you?"
"I'll try to keep them here until you guys arrive."
The man was surprised by the Sinner's shrug and uncaring attitude. "Will you survive?"
"There's always a bigger fish," Naruto shrugged again but looked back at the hellhound this time. "What's your name? If you don't mind sharing, that is."
The hellhound bit back a laugh and shook his head. "It's Vortex. If you live, come to the club and have a few beers on me."
"Of course, and I'll treat you to some of my ramen that had even the Queen Bee complimenting," Naruto laughed before waving him off. "Now go before they try to stop you."
Vortex nodded his head and began running as fast as his recuperated and reinvigorated body could handle.
Naruto's smile turned into a frown and he turned back to face the two incoming enemies. He wasn't sure if he should prepare Fire and Wind for Scorch for the first strike, or if he should use a more defensive nature like Steel. With the new enemy that was clearly an ally of the hellfox, he had to be more careful.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to run!"
The hellfox landed on all fours in the clearing, the impact kicking up her dress violently. She wasn't wearing underwear. Huh!
"Why would I run?" Naruto cracked a grin and rolled his eyes. "Just because you got one reinforcement?"
The hellfox cracked a grin and began snickering, which quickly turned into a guffaw. "Hahaha! This is the strongest soul that was given to my master so he can carry out our goal! Beg for your worthless life!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow before the breeze moved just slightly, shifting from behind him. Someone had appeared behind him so easily he didn't even feel them coming.
If they wanted me dead… it would have been so easy.
Naruto turned to look behind him, expecting some kind of demon or even his first encounter with a Legate. But what he found instead is the most human-looking person he has seen in Hell - or should he say ningen from the large amount of chakra he is feeling.
"Naruto?"
Naruto reared his fist back and threw a punch instinctively, sending the blonde man staggering backwards. His breathing became unstable as he got a good look at the man that just appeared and said his name. With blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and a very familiar cloak, he knew who this person was.
His idol.
The Fourth Hokage.
And apparently, his fucking father.
Minato Namikaze rubbed his jaw and nodded his head. "I can… understand the reaction. Why are you here, Naruto? You look barely into your twenties."
Naruto said nothing as he tried to not hyperventilate, which was getting harder as he realized that staring at this man was almost like looking into a mirror. How could he have not seen this? It.. it all made sense!
"My father… is the Fourth Hokage."
Minato raised an eyebrow at his son's surprised statement, even more concerned by the look of hurt and betrayal on his face. "Well, yeah? Didn't Hiruzen tell you about Kushina and I growing up? I'm pretty sure I left a toad to tell him that."
"Hiruzen knew?!"
Naruto was now hyperventilating. He grabbed his chest as his legs started shaking and he staggered back. He collapsed to his knees and began wheezing as breathing became harder. "He knew! He lied to me! All my life… I've been played."
His eyes widened and he curled into himself even more. "No, no, no. Not the old man. why wasn't I told?"
"It's okay, son," Minato walked forward and got down on his knees. He slowly reached out and put a hand gently on his son's shoulder. "He probably did it to protect you. I understand what you're feeling-."
"How could you understand?!" Naruto winced as his shout caused him more pain in his chest. "How would you feel finding out the one person you looked up to, died wanting to be like, was your father? And I found out in Hell!"
Naruto pushed the man away just as his emotions reached their breaking point. The marks of Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Water were crushed behind him one after the other.
Never before had the elements come together like this by any mortal. Only one nature was created with three types and that had created the Dust Style. It could vaporize anything it touched.
But with these four elements in this order the blonde Sinner had created something magnificent. Something that ended up being felt throughout the seven Rings of Hell, in Purgatory where angels weeded out ningen, and inside Heaven where the Seraphim's meeting was happening.
Stardust. The cosmic energy of Existence. More than the spatial magic of the Ars Goetia.
"I HATE YOU!"
Naruto's cry came with the rush of a veil of purple and black. Twinkling stars exploded inside the veil as it consumed the ground, the trees, and everything within. The very area surrounding the blonde shifted and it was almost like a new, powerful black hole had just opened up. Ravenous. Endless. Unbalanced.
Minato had been given the task of getting his son and bringing him to Mortifer and Óðinn. But one thing they could not overcome is the soul's desire to persist, and that's what made the blonde man be able to fight back against the control on his mind. He will definitely be sent out again but at least this time his son gets more time to prepare.
I'm sorry, Naruto.
The scream of his son hurt him deeply, knowing that right now he was the worst person in his son's eyes. And his cries through the veil of forming stars made a few lines of his own tears fall down as he grabbed the Tribune and made a run for it.
But he gave one last statement to him.
"Prepare. They will come again."
Naruto, however, did not care that his two enemies had run away. His sobs and his yells for a relief to the internal pain he was feeling was all he could focus on. With it his Stardust began consuming more of the area, swallowing anything and everything.
With a final scream, the veil of stars and infinity exploded in a pulsing array of rainbow colors.