Chapter 14: Insecurities and Hostility

It was the day of departure for the Gremory Peerage. This was an annual affair, and it was therefore not particularly hectic, but there was something different about it this year. There would be not just the annual gathering of Young Devils but also a Rating Game tournament attached to it. There were thus certain stressors attached to this year's journey to the Underworld.

I'm still too weak, thought Koneko.

This was the one thing that bothered her greatly. Koneko had not been able to contribute that much in the last few engagements the Peerage had been involved in. Her performance had certainly been far more satisfactory than it would have been without Naruto's training, yet she knew that she was still too limited in her arsenal. It drove her to great distraction.

Fortunately, she had not descended into some kind of funk. Sure, she was not as aware as usual, but it was not too bad. Naruto had messaged her the night before, telling her that handpicked supervisors for her and Issei's training would accompany them. The knowledge that her Sensei had put together a training plan for her was calming. It was therefore not distraction but anticipation she felt as the Peerage descended to the Kuoh train station's secret level.

It was there that Naruto and three strangers awaited them next to a grumpy-looking Azazel. The blond man had a smug smirk on his face that widened into a grin as he spotted them.

"'Sup, kids?" he said. "Don't mind Mister Grumpy over there. I've just told him to bin part of his super mega ultra training plan of doom, and he's not happy about it."

"Don't diss it, you brat. I put a lot of hard work into that," protested Azazel.

Naruto snorted and replied: "Brat? Maybe compared to you, old-timer, but I wasn't born yesterday. I've been training people to use chakra for thousands of years. Besides, if you need 'a lot of hard work' just to write down 'train the basics and stop holding back,' your work sucks."

"Screw you, brat," groused Azazel.

"I'd rather screw my wife," snarked Naruto.

Koneko blinked. How? she asked herself, She's a ghost.

She decided that actually asking that question out loud would raise too many questions at her in turn, and she discarded that train of thought. It was beside the point in any case.

As Azazel shook his head in exasperation, Naruto went on: "Anyway, the thing he's grumpy about is that I aborted his training plans for the Little One and modifying those for Pervy Kid slightly. Instead, I gave Kiyo, Haru and Shizue here a basic overview of what I expect the Little One to train while she follows Azazel's regimen for Pervy Kid."

The three unknowns introduced themselves.

"My name is Kiyo, pleased to meet you." said the first one. He was a muscular man of average height, sporting brown hair and eyes. "I'm a master of medical Ninjutsu and will ensure that you come to no permanent harm during your training."

"I am Haru," said the other man. He was blond and had blue eyes. He had a runner build and was rather short at 155 centimetres. Despite this, there as an implacable aura around him. "I am a Sage. Although I am nowhere near as good as Lord Uzumaki, I will provide secure oversight and prevent any Senjutsu-related accidents."

"How do you do? My name is Shizue," said the woman of the group. She was a slim woman of average height. Her hair was purple and her eyes amber. "I'm also a Sage, so you can rest assured that you're in good hands."

Naruto took over from there again: "With those three, you'll have no trouble following your regimen, Little One. Pervy Kid might also learn a thing or two from them if there's time for spars. I'm certain that you're going to improve while you're in the Underworld. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your training."

.

Some time later, the train was speeding along the tracks. It had passed the dimensional portal to the Underworld only a few minutes ago, and the conductor had verified everyone's identities. The landscape of the Underworld was in sight now. Koneko was used to it, so she did not take it in as much as the first-time visitors did. She spent her time distractedly staring out the window while contemplating her situation.

Training would soon begin, she knew. She had no idea what Azazel had in store for her and the Peerage's [Pawn], but she was sure that it would be intense. Naruto would not have felt the need to send a medic otherwise. She wondered how it would go and how much stronger she would be by the end of it. There was no way she was going to be stuck as a burden to her friends.

Speaking of said friends, two of them took her out of her thoughts with the minor commotion they were starting. When she saw which two, she tempered her surprise with cynicism.

Of course it's those two, and of course it's perverted, she thought.

Akeno had climbed onto Issei's lap and held her face dangerously close to his. What made the thing even steamier was the fact that she had grabbed his wrist and put his hand on her thighs… and under her skirt.

"Perverts," muttered Koneko while shaking her head.

She did not look away, however. As much as she was not a fan of public indecency, she had to admit to herself that it looked hot. She was sort of jealous, and she was slightly unsettled that she did not entirely know whether she was jealous of Akeno or of Issei. She blamed it on puberty.

Damn, I want be where she is. And damn it, I want to touch those thighs too, came the unbidden thought.

Before it could go any further, Issei's unsteady words took her head out of the clouds.

"Akeno, I can't! I'm very tempted, but it's just not possible," he protested.

The dark-haired girl chuckled softly and then said: "And why not? Do you not enjoy my body?"

"I do! You're very attractive, and normally, I'd jump at the chance, but I can't. I'm with Rias and Asia. I don't want to make them cry," said Issei.

Too late, thought Koneko.

Asia was next to the two, and she had unshed tears in her eyes already. That she was simultaneously fighting a slight smile at Issei's words made her look a tiny bit comical, but the situation took the humour out of it.

Akeno visibly hesitated upon seeing that, but he pressed on: "That's not a problem for me. I thought you wanted a harem, Ise."

"Yes, but my girls should have a say about new members," countered Issei. "I won't lie; I like you, Akeno, and I'd love to have you, but that's not for me alone to decide."

"Indeed it is not," came a cold voice from the door to the wagon in front of the one they were occupying.

There in the doorway stood Rias, a scowl on her face. Yes, she was definitely not happy about the scene she had walked in on. She stared Akeno in the eyes and glared.

Surprisingly, that was enough to get the [Queen] to back off.

"I think that is enough for now, ufufufu," she said and dismounted from Issei.

"Enough?" said Rias. "I'll give you enough!"

As the train ride descended into a squabble, Koneko sighed and returned to gazing out the window. She did briefly notice Issei's concerned look in her direction, but she was not curious enough to delve deeper into the matter for now. She was still in thought, and there were stressful times ahead.

Issei was no stranger to stress. He had been subjected to it almost constantly since he had become a Devil. Although there were thankfully sufficient breaks to not overburden him, it was sometimes a bit too much for him to handle. The current situation fell into that category.

After the tumultuous train ride, the Peerage had journeyed a bit more through Gremory territory. They had even taken a coach to get to the main estate they were now at. The highlight had been meeting Grayfia and Milicas, but Issei had mixed feelings on the rest. On the way there, he had borne witness to Rias' popularity. The people cheered for her like she was some kind of idol. In his wonderment, he had nearly not noticed how uncomfortable it had made her, but he had, and he had taken her hand in his and squeezed it supportively. The smile this action had earned him had made him determined to be more attentive. Sadly, that attentiveness had the side effect of causing him stress, as was evidenced by the predicament he was presented with during mealtime with Lord and Lady Gremory.

The noble and imposing presence the two had made it almost impossible for him to focus. He knew nothing of high society and its rules. As a result, he did not even know how to eat properly due to his lack of distinguished table manners. On top of it came his earlier faux-pas with Lady Gremory, or, as she had told him to call her, Venelana. He had mistaken her for Rias' older sister and had exclaimed as much. He was only fortunate that she had taken it as a compliment and that her husband Zeoticus had not taken offence. Nonetheless, Issei was wary of stepping on either one's toes by accident.

The tension fortunately did not become unbearable. It instead found a release in conversation. It was started by Lord Zeoticus.

"Welcome to our home, servants of my daughter. I am pleased to host you. If you have need of anything, please ask the housemaids without hesitation. They will take care of it," were his opening words.

After a bit of time had passed and everyone had taken their first bites, he addressed the [Pawn]:"Issei, how have your parents been?"

That was an innocent enough question, Issei thought. His parents had made fast friends with Rias' parents during visitation day.

He answered: "They're doing well, though I think they're glad to have the house to themselves for once. They only asked me to bring a souvenir and then sent me off."

"A souvenir, you say," hummed Zeoticus and waved over a servant. "Prepare a castle for the Hyoudous as a souvenir. Should it be western or Japanese?"

"I-it would be a bit too eye-catching," commented Issei awkwardly.

"Dear, I do not think that castles are a suitable gift these days, especially for commoners," said Venelana.

"Is that so?" wondered Zeoticus. "Then I will have to think about a more suitable one."

Issei was saved from further awkwardness by Rias, who said: "Please don't think of something extravagant. Something simple will do. Ise's parents do not have much in terms of worldly desires."

Zeoticus looked a bit pensive as he said: "I see."

Then, he dropped the topic, although he quickly switched to another. "Issei," he said.

"Yes?" asked the boy.

"You may call me Father from now on," said the man calmly.

Issei's mind short-circuited. "Eh?" he pushed out eloquently. After a second, he said: "Th-that's a bit… I don't… It's an honour."

This time it was not Rias but her mother who spared him the need to stumble over his words anymore than the already had: "That's a bit too fast, dear."

"But it fits so well; crimson and red-"

"I said it's too fast. There is a proper order for this," insisted Venelana.

Zeoticus sighed. "I guess I was indeed being too fast."

Venelana gave him a pleased not and then turned to younger brunet. "Issei… May I call you Issei?"

"Of course! You're Rias mother, so it's only natural," he replied.

She laughed softly as she heard that, and then she asked: "Will you stay here for a while?"

He nodded and answered: "Rias is here, so I will, yes."

"Excellent," said Venelana. "This will be the perfect opportunity for you to learn more about gentlemanly behaviour and manners."

A hand banged on the table.

"Father! Mother! I don't appreciate you trying to arrange things without my knowledge!" she said, an angry scowl on her face.

Venelana was not happy with that interruption, and she made her displeasure known: "Be silent, Rias! You already cancelled one engagement. There will be no more of this selfishness from you. It was already a precarious thing to gloss it over for the public. That you cancelled it with the legally dubious interference of a legendary dragon is already pushing it. You may be the sister of a Satan, but even you cannot just do whatever your please."

"Brother has nothing to do with this!" protested Rias.

"Officially, maybe, but we all know that Sirzechs cannot deny you. That much is public knowledge at this point. If you continue to run to him, our reputation will suffer, and we will be known as the House that always has to go to a Satan to get help. Our reputation has already suffered. Do you even know how difficult it was to soothe tensions among the nobles? Do not act like a spoiled Princess when you have already caused this much trouble! In the future, we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from you anymore," lectured Venelana.

Even if her tone was calm, she appeared like a force of nature. The tension was palpable, and Issei was wracking his brain to find a way to booth soothe her temper and comfort Rias at the same time. Only one thing came to mind.

"Uhm," he spoke up, "I think I can help, with the nobles, I mean."

Rias looked at him with a questioning look while Zeoticus and Venelana raised their eyebrows. The latter said: "I am curious about this. Why do you think you can help?"

Issei was sweating bullets as he answered: "W-well, as you know, I'm Rias' boyfriend. I want to marry her some day and have children with her, but I also know she's a noble. I don't know anything about Devil nobility at all, but it doesn't seem likely they'll accept a commoner like me easily. That's why I tried thinking about building a reputation with a business idea, and I think offering it for free to the most insulted nobles should pacify them."

Rias blushed furiously as he spoke, though she also looked happy about it. In general, his words seemed to have a positive effect.

The somewhat unsubtle air of doubt gave way to one of intrigue. Zeoticus, whom Issei would later recognise as the more business-savvy of Rias' parents, said: "Describe this idea. If it truly does reduce tensions, we would be very grateful for it."

Issei nodded nervously and explained: "As I said, I know little about noble Devils, only that they have a low birthrate and are concerned about bloodlines dying out. My talents are also limited since I'm a pervert, and I have just Boosted Gear. My idea came from combining these things.

"While using Boosted Gear in fights, I received the ability [Transfer], which can gift my boosted power to someone else. In the fight against Kokabiel I learned how to transfer it to two people at once. I experimented some more when we had an off-day at the pool and used [Transfer] on my eyes to enhance my eyesight. That means it's possible to use [Transfer] on organs. I wondered if I could apply that to the problem Devils have with the birthrate. The idea I arrived at was to use [Transfer] on reproductive organs to increase the chance of conception."

Silence greeted him. He nervously added: "It's not tested yet, but if it works, it should do well as a marketable service, right?"

Venelana and Zeoticus exchanged glances before they engaged in hushed whispers Issei could not understand. After a few seconds, they slowly nodded at each other.

Venelana then spoke: "It is an unorthodox use of Boosted Gear, to say the least. However, you are right that this is indeed a service that would warrant a high price. We have decided to test it."

"Mother!" interrupted Rias.

"Hush," shot Venelana back. "I know I am too high-profile for such an experiment. We will test it with Alicia."

"Who is that?" asked Issei.

"She is a member of Zeoticus' harem and a lowborn pure-blooded Devil," answered Venelana. "She has long since wanted a child, but she has not been so fortunate."

That statement hung over the rest of the evening, at least for Issei. Details were discussed and dinner continued, but he found it hard to enjoy it. Something about this situation bothered him immensely. It was only after dinner had been concluded and he had been introduced to Alicia that he had an inkling as to why. It took him until after he had used [Transfer] on her and Zeoticus that he found words for it.

.

"I don't think I want a relationship like your parents have," he told Rias.

It was late evening now, and time to go to bed. Rias would be sleeping in her own room while Issei would be sharing his room with only Asia. Rias would sadly remain in her own room for the entire stay in the Underworld as a matter of decorum, but in the near future, Xenovia would share a room with him and Asia. He did not mind. Xenovia was an attractive girl with big boobs, and she was clearly interested in him. He did not know why his girlfriends permitted her sleeping in the same bed as him, but he hoped it would lead somewhere. Alas, that was a subject for another time.

Before he left for his room, however, he wanted to speak with Rias and Asia. He had asked them for a private word in an empty section of the corridor, which had led to the current conversation.

"What makes you say that?" asked Rias with a frown.

Asia nodded. "They seemed like nice people."

"I agree," said Issei, "but the thing that bothers me is that it was only them."

Asia scrunched up her face in a way that made him want to hug her, but he held himself back for the sake of the conversation. She asked: "Who else should have been there?"

"Rias' mother said Lord Zeoticus had a whole harem. They should have been there," he answered.

Rias shook her head and said: "They are members of his Peerage. As such, they would not be invited to a semi-formal dinner like this. It's a matter of station."

Issei argued: "But that's wrong! Doesn't your father love them? If they're part of the family, they should be there."

"It's just not seemly," said Rias with a sigh. "Why does this bother you so much?"

He frowned and answered: "Because I'm thinking of the future. When I introduce my family to people, I want everyone there. I don't want to make Asia or any other girl feel like they're not part of the 'real' family."

Asia hugged him tightly as she heard those words. "Ise," she murmured, apparently not finding any other words.

Rias, on the other hand, had a complicated expression on her face. It was a slightly alternating mixture of a smile and a thoughtful frown. She said. "That is really sweet of you, Ise. It could lead to political problems, however. The noble families might be insulted."

"I don't care," said Issei. "I'm sorry if that causes trouble for you in the future, and I'll deal with the consequences, but there are no compromises here."

"Such a stubborn boy you are," said Rias with a sigh. "But that honesty is one of the things I like about you."

She then took his chin in her hand and, uncaring of Asia still hugging him, gave him a deep kiss, which he returned in kind. After it was over, she said: "It is about time I turned in for the night. You as well. Have a good sleep."

As she departed, Asia finally spoke up: "Thank you, Ise."

"Hm? What for?" asked Issei.

She answered: "I… I'm afraid you'll get bored of me some day and leave me. My breasts are not as big as Rias' or Akeno's, and I thought-"

"I'd never do that!" protested the boy vehemently, interrupting her. "I know I'm obsessed with boobs, but you're way too deep in my heart for that to even matter. You're mine, and you'll stay mine!"

He did not know whether it was his dragon instincts that made him speak this way, but he realised that he meant it just like that. It appeared that he was just as possessive of Asia as Rias was of him. He hoped the blonde would take it well.

Fortunately for him, she did. Asia nodded and buried her head in his chest as she went on: "I believe that now. What you said just before… There are no words that can describe how much that means to me."

She tightened her grip around him. In response, he defaulted to patting her head and returning the hug.

"I love you, Ise," she said.

Before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him passionately. She had taken the wrist of the hand that had patted her head and was no leading that hand downward. That movement stopped when his hand was on her chest. She let out a slight gasp at the contact.

"… You can p-play with them for a bit. We have some time before we need to go to sleep," she said shily and kissed him once more, pushing his hand harder against her breast.

It ended up being a quarter of an hour before they returned to their room. It took almost another full hour before they were asleep.

The next day, it was time for the gathering of Young Devils. Koneko had not been looking forward to it. While it sounded exciting on paper, the meeting was little more than grandstanding on behalf of the noble Houses. She had just finished explaining the minutiae to the attaché her Sensei had arranged, and the response surprised her.

"Heh, sounds exactly like the Chunin Selection Exams. Well, the finals anyway," remarked Kiyo.

Shizue nodded and added: "The pomp and entitlement we can expect from this will be a match for our so-called nobility at home."

"And the Satans are like the Kage in that analogy," commented Haru.

"All in all: A bunch of stuffy busybodies who don't know jack-shit about anything thinking they're the non-plus-ultra of their society. In other words, professional state parasites," finished Kiyo.

While the three Shinobi ignored the outraged yet amused face of Rias, Koneko contemplated what they had said. She had never heard any Devil noble say anything useful. They were typically obstructive, condescending, and cruel. She remembered what had nearly happened to her because of them. The list of good things they had done was painfully short as well. In the end, she could not help but agree with the human trio, though she kept her opinion to herself.

"Isn't that going a bit far?" asked Issei.

That earned him a snort. "You've never met an aristocrat when they were playing politics. They're all state parasites."

"Would you talk like that about your own leaders? The Uzumaki Clan sounds like it is comprised of nobles as well," said Rias.

"We do it all the time," said Haru with a laugh. "Lord Naruto encourages it; says it keeps his fellow clan members from becoming jackasses."

"Speaking of which, I believe we are just about there," said Kiyo. He pointed at the stadium.

Before said stadium was a young Devil with a tall build and bulging muscles. He had a confident smirk that held no arrogance, and his stance exuded the same. Rias recognised him instantly.

"Sairaorg!" she said in greeting.

"Hello Rias," he replied. "Are you ready for this little get-together?"

Rias sighed. "I wish," she said.

Sairaorg commiserated: "Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the squabbling either. I don't know why the old guys think it's beneficial for us to meet before the actual meeting. Something always goes wrong."

His words were proven true when they entered the stadium. There was already an argument going on between Zephyrdor Glasya-Labola and Seekvaria Agares. The chauvinist attitude of the former had clearly irritated the latter, and their dispute had raised Sairaorg's annoyance.

"Every damn year," he muttered.

He approached the two of them and went on to solve the problem. He did so by punching Zephyrdor into a wall, much to the protest of his Peerage.

"That's enough out of you," he said. "Get him presentable for the meeting. Seekvaria, compose yourself too. You let him get to you every time."

"I'll keep that in mind," she squeaked out.

Koneko was amused by their interaction. He's gotten even stronger since last time, she considered.

Sairaorg had always been strong, but it was getting out of hand. Considering that this year's meeting also included Rating Games amongst the Devils, it boded ill for the Gremory Peerage.

A short while later, the actual meeting was about to begin. The noble Devils were filing in, as were one or two Ultimate Class Devils. They were ranked above even the nobles thanks to a law the Satans had been able to squeeze through. As long as they were not Ultimate Class themselves, an Ultimate Class Devil could give even nobles orders. There were, however, few Ultimate Class Devils who were not related to or sponsored by nobles. This explained their low presence at such functions. The actual counterweight to the Devil nobles were the Satans, and they, too, were filing in. It appeared that everything was now ready for the event.

"Welcome once more to the annual gathering of Young Devils!" said a bearded old Devil. "Before us is the next generation waiting to showcase the promise they hold for the future."

It was Sirzechs who continued in the man's stead. "Seeing as the youngest of this generation will soon reach majority, it has been decided that this year's gathering shall be their debut in the Rating Games. As their ambitions will clash in the field, we thought it appropriate for everyone to introduce themselves and declare their ambitions to the others in order to add more excitement of the matches."

"I have a question before that," said Sairaorg. "After these exhibition matches are over, will we participate in battles against the Khaos Brigade?"

Sirzechs did not appear phased by the interruption. Instead, he answered: "Not if we can help it."

"Why not? Is this not why we are doing this?" asked the youth.

"To prepare you for the worst; that is the reason," retorted the current Lucifer. "You are the future of Devilkind. We would be poor leaders indeed if we risked your lives while you are still so young. You're at the age where your power and abilities grow fastest. It would be foolish to deliberately send you out before you have realised your potential. Is that answer satisfactory?"

"…Yes," said Sairaorg with begrudging acceptance.

While she was listening to him, Koneko noticed Haru nodding approvingly at Sirzechs' speech. "That one knows what he's talking about. When I think of the times of Lord Naruto's youth, I can't help but think of wasted potential."

"Why?" asked Koneko warily.

It was Shizue who answered her question: "Shinobi got deployed aged twelve or thirteen back then. It was peace time, but the mortality rate was in the double digits; percentage wise, I mean."

"That's nothing on the Warring Clans era before the Hidden Villages were founded. The clans would send kids as young as five into combat. Most died on their first or second deployment," chimed in Kiyo.

That casual tone of that statement chilled Koneko to the bones. The callous disregard for children's lives was not something she was comfortable with. What kind of madness would lead to wars waged like that? Yet that posed another question whose answer she suspected she would not like.

"How is it that we don't know about this?" she asked. "This should be common knowledge!"

Shizue smiled mysteriously at her and said: "Lord Naruto will tell you soon enough, I think."

"History lesson's over. The event is continuing," said Haru as he shushed them.

It seemed that Sairaorg was finally answering the question that had been posed by Sirzechs before his interruption. "I will become a Satan," he stated boldly.

Murmurs broke out among the aristocratic Devils in the audience. One said: "It is unprecedented for a member of the Great King' House to leave it."

Duh, thought Koneko, suppressing an eye-roll. Only four Devils have ever left their Houses. It would be unprecedented for all other Houses as well.

Of course, she was aware of the subtext in the old Devil's statement. They regarded the Four Great Satans as patsies and powerless bureaucrats. The power lay with them in their minds. Leaving the Bael House to become Satan was not a promotion at all if one thought from their perspective. To them, it was a demotion in status.

Sairaorg was unphased by the veiled insult and responded with one of his own: "When there is no choice but to acknowledge me as a Satan in the minds of the Underworld's people, I will become one."

The insult there was even less obvious than the one that had been levelled at him. Essentially, he called them irrelevant and snubbed his nose at their feudal system of political power. His statement hinted at a democratic streak within him. The funny thing was that none of the old Devils seemed to even realise that they had been insulted, as none commented further.

The next of the Young Devils to speak up was Rias. While Koneko dearly loved her [King], she had to admit that the redhead's ambition was painfully generic: "My short-term goal is to become a splendid Head of the Gremory House, and to go undefeated in the Rating Games."

Seeing as there were no comments, Sone was the next person to speak, she said: "I wish to establish a school for the Rating Games."

This declaration sowed a certain amount of confusion among the old nobles. One said: "Such a school already exists."

Sone countered: "That school only admits High Class Devils and those who are otherwise privilege. My school will be for all Devils, including Middle Class and even Low Class Devils. It will be a place of learning with no discriminatory practices."

Mocking laughter was the response she received.

"Hahahahaha," was the sound that came from the old Devils.

"That is hilarious!"

"A sense of humour on that one."

"Ridiculous."

"What a childish ambition."

"Building a school for Low Class Devils is a waste of time. Only those with the talent to use it should receive such an education."

Koneko could see that Sona was restraining herself from responding in anger. Sadly, Saji lacked that impulse control.

"Stop looking down on Council President- I mean Lady Sona's dream! Who are you to say what will happen and what won't?! This is serious business!"

The old Devils stopped laughing and started looked displeased. "Lady Sitri, restrain your-"

"Mister Saji, don't bother talking to the crusty old bastards. Arguing with morons never gets results," interrupted Kiyo.

Everyone went still at the interruption. It was a diplomatic faux-pas; one that had clearly upset the old Devils. Koneko paled as she looked at the Medic Nin.

"The audacity! Lady Gremory, this commoner in your retinue is-"

"Shut the fuck up. Sit your entitled ass back down before I smack it back in the seat by force," interrupted Kiyo again. "If you can dish out insults, you can also take them. Then again, that hypocrisy is to be expected. Hearing losers like you lecture anyone about manners or talent is hilarious. When was the last time you did something useful for Devil society? You spend your days starting shit and then running to the Satans to protect you from the consequences of your actions like a bunch of whiny children crying for their parents. News flash: The Satans are your government, not your lapdogs. It's time you started acting like it. Honestly, with dumbfucks like you in charge, it's no wonder your species is on the brink of extinction."

"Who are you to speak with us like that?! Do you even know who we are?" yelled a noble Devil.

"You're a bunch of weak leeches on the Underworld's government. Besides, if you're asking who I am, you haven't got shit to say. Just so your ignorant ass knows, my name is Kiyo, and I'm an official delegate from the Uzumaki Clan!" responded Kiyo.

The reply was quick: "A foreign dignitary would compose himself with more decorum, you lying cur!"

"I have more decorum when I'm talking to people with actual positions. Last I heard, you're neither the Minister of Foreign Affairs nor a Satan. What you are is a state parasite," countered the Shinobi.

This agitated the nobles further. A shouting match ensued between Kiyo and the noble Devils. Koneko as well as the other Devils present stared at the proceedings in horror. This was a diplomatic incident in the making.

"How did Sensei allow this man to come here?" asked Koneko.

Shizue promptly answered: "He did so he wouldn't have to come here in person and do it himself. Lord Naruto has… little patience for obstructive politicians anymore. He tolerated them in his youth, according to the history books, but these days, he prefers barrelling through them."

"I see…," muttered Koneko.

While she observed the commotion Kiyo had started, she noted that the Young Devils looked worried and confused. There was an exception, however.

"Wait… Where are Diodora and his Peerage?" she asked.

Shizue and Haru smiled calmly. The latter said: "Kiyo began medical training because his big mouth always got him into trouble back home. He is an excellent distraction, isn't he?"

Koneko connected the dots immediately. Naruto had planned this. Sensei, what the Hell were you thinking?

"I think we ran into a contingency plan here. These guys were prepared to get kicked out," said Naruto as he observed the battle.

Heaven and the Church had started the hunt for the expelled traitors as soon as feasibly possible. Tracking teams had followed them to the best of their abilities, and the support company of Hunter Nin from the Uzumaki Clan had increased their effectiveness even further. Exorcists, Angels and Shinobi had immediately taken up pursuit. The largest group of these traitors was comprised of several hundred recently expelled Fallen Angels and thousands of their followers. The Church's response had been to send the largest available force after them, which Naruto had reinforced with five whole battalions.

The pursuit had taken them to a rural region of Poland. A vast fortress lay hidden behind barriers there, which had turned the situation from an open battle into a siege. The outer perimeter was well-guarded and well-defended by a garrison that had already been in place before anyone's arrival. This meant that the attackers were now at a disadvantage. The only fortunate thing about this was that there was no need to conceal urban warfare from the regular humans.

Conversely, siege warfare meant that assaults were gruelling and costly, yet something was not right with how the defenders behaved.

Metatron, who had accompanied Naruto to observe him and his Shinobi in action, voiced these thoughts: "They are behaving erratically, though. If they were focussed on holding out and winning, they would just hunker down and bombard us from the safety of their walls. Instead, they are conducting sorties and attacking our positions at random."

"This isn't about the battle," said Naruto in response. "Take this as Shinobi lesson number one: Always look underneath the underneath, as my late teacher used to say. The enemy actions don't make sense from a tactical point of view. So, either they're really dumb, or their benefit is strategic. You're a smart man, so you can figure this out, believe it."

Metatron observed the field for a bit. It did not take him long to reach the conclusion Naruto he arrived at. He said: "This behaviour is meant to bind as many of our forces as possible. Some other battle, smaller yet more significant, is taking place right now or about to take place soon. They intend to keep as many of our forces away from it as they can."

"Heh, I knew you could do it," commended the Shinobi. "Let's rain on their parade, then. I've been wanting to try out my new powers in actual combat."

Those words referred to the holy light he had taken from Kokabiel. It had had a peculiar reaction with the Shinigami's energy within him and had also been changed further by the contact with his own special chakra. Naruto had studied the phenomenon, of course, and had already tried it out for a bit. He wondered what his current companion would think of them.

"Maybe I'll even get to dunk on Madara during my next visit to the Pure World", he said to the Bijuu within him.

Kurama laughed and said: [I'd pay to see that. I only wish you hadn't tested that particular technique in my pocket dimension before it was finished. Fixing that was a chore.]

"Sorry about that," replied Naruto with some embarrassment.

Kurama went on: [Stop apologising and get to work, you brat. Didn't you want to test that new power of yours before you give them the big one?]

"Right," said Naruto out loud.

A bright light shone, and above his head appeared a halo. Its colour was similar yet distinct from the halos of Angels. It was pale gold and held a deathly quality to it. The Shinigami's power within Naruto had clearly had its effect on the light powers, which led to the next change in the Shinobi's appearance. From his back sprouted four new limbs in the same golden colour as the halo.

"That can't be," commented Metatron. "Even if you took an Angel's power, that should have only made you a Saint, but to become an Angel is-"

"Look again. Those aren't wings," interrupted Naruto.

A flexed the new limbs. The movement revealed them to be skeletal arms. Naruto suspected that this had more to do with his heritage and chakra than the Shinigami's interference, apart from the skeletal look. He could, after all, summon a gigantic chakra avatar with six arms, either with Kurama or without. Whatever the reason, though, he could at least fall back on familiar fighting styles when using them.

Metatron noticed the physical irregularities to his initial suspicion. "I have never seen anything like this," he said with a thoughtful frown.

Naruto laughed and replied with: "A lot of people say that when they see me fight for the first time. Now let's get to it. I've been itching to use this power."

Spheres of holy light formed in all six of Naruto's hands. He had initially tried making spears, but they had come out unstable and seemed instinctively wrong to him. He had thus fallen back on the shape of the Rasengan, his most used Ninjutsu technique. It helped that spheres had great structural stability.

"And there you go," said Naruto as he launched the spheres at the outer fortifications of the fortress.

BOOM!

There was a moderately sized hole in the outermost wall now. It did not look all that impressive, but the defences were meant to withstand attacks from Ultimate Class beings according to the assessment team of the Church. Naruto had no way of gauging how his power output compared, however.

"How was that?" he asked Metatron.

The white-clad Angel said: "It was good. Not quite on the level of a Seraph, but it was close. Let me show you the difference."

A series of light weapons showed up in Metatron's hands. They ranged from kunai to shuriken and every other sort of weapon traditionally associated with Ninjas. He then proceeded to throw them at the outer wall of the compound. As soon as all the weapons had struck the target, there was a huge explosion, and when the dust cleared, a large section of the wall was simply gone.

"If you want to master holy light, you must find specific uses for it. I use mine as Ninja tools that double as explosive notes in function. Well, I say exploding, but it comes closer to an implosion," said Metatron. "Every Seraph has unique applications of holy light."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks for the lesson. I'll make use of that. I'm gonna show you something in return now. Michael told me you want to learn the Shinobi arts from me, right? I've decided to show you an S-rank Ninjutsu."

Metatron could not help but sport an excited expression on his face. "I'm looking forward to it."

The Shinobi smirked. "We need to change the barrier a bit though."

There was currently a semi-spherical barrier over the battlefield. It obscured it and prevented regular humans from picking it up, even by technological means. It was not the right shape for Naruto's technique, however.

"Kurama, if you would?" he asked his friend.

[On it], said the fox.

Naruto's eyes flashed red for the briefest of moments. In that little time, the barrier the Church forces had erected was shattered and replaced by a cylindrical barrier formed by Kurama's magic. It reached dozens of kilometres into the sky, yet it remained open at the top, and thus gave Naruto the perfect conditions for his technique.

Suck on this, Madara, he thought.

The Jutsu Naruto was about to cast had been used by the man originally, and he still boasted about it in the Pure World. He believed that a Sharingan or even Rinnegan was needed to use it, simply because Madara himself had needed Susanoo to cast it.

The Uchiha was wrong, however. All that was needed were six hands to form the appropriate three hand signs simultaneously as well as chakra close to the point of transcendence. And Naruto now conveniently had six hands.

A shadow descended on the battlefield. Most of the combatants were too embroiled in the fight to notice, but those of higher ability noticed the change in their surroundings. They looked up, and they stilled. A gigantic meteor was descending on the fortress.

"What the f-"

CRASH!

Thousands of metric tons of chakra-reinforced rock fell onto the fortress, crushing it in the process.

CRASH! BOOM!

A second one followed.

CRASH! BOOM! SHATTER!

A third one fell, to add insult to injury.

Naruto observed the devastation he had wrought and said: "I got the drop on them; believe it!"

Metatron next to him could only gulp nervously. This was not how he had imagined the battle to go.

AN: Welcome back, one and all.

It appears I was faster than usual this time. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. I didn't expect this since I had to go back and re-read parts of the novel to get the sequence of events right. I had to change certain things, though. I'm not here to copy canon but to build on it.

Rias, Asia and Issei got their little heart-to-heart as a result. Their relationship also got Issei to think a little. He got his kick in the emotional ass early enough to finally engage his brain a bit, and he got a business idea from it. I hope you like that one, by the way. It's been in my head for year, and I've never seen anyone implement it, so I think it's quite original.

Speaking of original, Alicia is an OC. We never get to see any members of Zeoticus' harem, which is honestly a missed opportunity. That they were neither present nor even mentioned at the original family dinner in canon is even more so.

Naruto has sent a trio of troublemakers along for the ride to the Underworld. The consequences of Kiyo's "political discourse" are not going to be pleasant for a lot of people, though likely not in the way the old noble Devils suspect.

And finally, there was a scene on the Church front. Before anyone asks: No, Naruto did not drop the meteors on his allies. None of them were in the fortress when he flattened it.

Leaving that aside, Ishibumi once wrote in the afterword of the pertinent volume that the Church Rebellion was originally supposed to take place right after the peace conference, but then the gathering of the Young Devils scrapped that plan. I'm glad to say that I'm running both arcs with some variations simultaneously.

Now then, I would like to thank my readers for sticking by this story. Special thanks to those who followed, favourited and reviewed. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments.

With all that said, I now bid you farewell. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!