Ch 42 Part 1

Shadow Light

Chapter 42

The Blonde Enigma

Naruto didn't have the hunger to eat anything or listen to anyone as he made his way to his hotel room. His group followed his lead leaving Gods and Devil Kings to think in silence. He knew the event would be hushed.

If not for anything, it will be hushed for the sake of the Shinto Pantheon and for it to not lose its standing as a major faction in the world and he half-expected to be offered some deals for his silence as well.

But Amaterasu is not as foolish and ineffective as he thought her to be. She at least agreed with him about their lack of effort and promised to work to improve. He only hoped other Gods and pantheons were like her.

Maybe not in his form, he visited many pantheons across the world and asked and in some cases offered to strengthen their defences. While most didn't care for what he said and ignored him, some decided to improve according to their whims, not helping anyone.

Naruto dropped on the endeavour, deciding to only intervene when the Peace was truly threatened and fortunately for him, it wasn't till today when someone actively tried to destroy Kyoto, a cultural and spiritual pearl for the Shinto Pantheon.

Though Naruto has a good idea of who might be responsible for it and who they are backed by, he decided to not press on because he didn't want to upset the balance and peace the world is enjoying. If they try again, he'll show them.

In his deep thoughts, he didn't notice reaching his room and searched around for the keycard. Reni, who was just behind him, slid the key card into the door of their hotel room; he gave her a grateful smile, his anger completely subsiding.

Stepping inside, he was greeted by the concerned faces of his peerage: Mia, Kana, Roygun, and Meddy. Each of them looked tense, their eyes searching his body for any signs of injury or emotional turmoil.

"Naruto-Kun/Sama!" they said in unison, a sigh of relief passing through them noticing he is safe. Though they knew he couldn't be easily injured.

"I thought I might find all of you here," Naruto said, his lips quirking in a half-smile as he closed the door behind him and observed all his girls followed him in.

"You had us worried, Naruto-kun," Mia finally broke the silence. "We felt an immense surge of your magic and rage. What happened?"

Though Miya asked, he could see Roygun, Kana and Medusa looking at him questioningly, asking the same question while Medusa, who is one step ahead, polished her daggers, as if ready to counter any threat to her master.

"It's over, and I'm fine," Naruto assured them, his eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. "But I apologise for making you worry."

As if not trusting him, they turned to Reni. "It's over," she reassured them and their faces brightened. Naruto is too engrossed in the moment to tease them for not trusting him.

Kana let out a sigh of relief and floated over to him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "You better be, you can't go scaring us like that," she murmured against his chest.

Roygun, usually so composed, let her guard down enough to show genuine concern. "With the magnitude of magic that was unleashed, we thought..."

"That I'd lose myself?" Naruto interrupted gently, understanding the unsaid fear that lingered in her eyes. "It was a close thing, but I had reasons to fight and come back to." He said with a small, gently caressing her hair.

"I appreciate your concern. Now let's eat," Naruto said with a bright smile. As if on cue, a soft chime sounded, signalling room service's arrival with a cart full of assorted delicacies and food. Naruto guided the cart into the centre of the room.

"Consider this a small token of gratitude for putting up with me," he said, unveiling the treats. He cooked them to calm them. Sushi, sashimi, an assortment of fruits, and chocolate fondue were elegantly spread out with many foods of their tastes lying in front of them.

The tension in the room dissipated as his peerage eyed the spread. "Well, if this is your way of making it up to us, it might not be sufficient," Roygun teased, picking up a piece of sushi.

"Only 'might'?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Let's eat first, then we'll decide," she replied, winking.

As they gathered around the cart, digging into the feast, the room was filled with laughter and easy conversation. For a moment, the weight of the world's troubles was forgotten, replaced by the comforting presence of loved ones and the simple joy of shared food.

After dinner, all decided Naruto had to do more to satisfy them for the stress he put them through and he decided to be the man of his word and all of them dipped into the pleasures of the night, satisfied with his handy work.

As they eased into the familiar warmth and blissful pleasure, Naruto explained what happened and why he had to show a fraction of his power and hinted at a potential addition soon. With happy smiles and radiant glow to their bodies, everyone rested.

With Rossweisse

Rossweisse sat alone in her room, her eyes narrowed as she reviewed the events of the day in her mind and from the notes she made. She had witnessed Naruto's immeasurable power, the slaughter of thousands of Onis and the ripple effect it had on both the Shinto gods and the Devils.

To say she is stunned would be an understatement; it is like seeing a whirlpool of destruction and creation with an epicentre named Naruto Uzumaki. And what is that shadowy, draconic aura? It left her uneasy and intrigued in equal measure.

Turning to her enchanted mirror, she initiated a direct communication spell to Odin, the Norse All-Father. "Lord Odin, I have news from Kyoto. Your suspicions are correct, the Devil's potential for chaos is high, and the city was invaded by Onis from the Shinto Hell today."

"Yeah, yeah. And what of Naruto Uzumaki? My favourite student?" Odin's voice crackled with a blend of curiosity and mischief, as was his wont. Rosseweisse can see many women in various stages of stripping to the side of the screen.

She hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words. "He is... extraordinarily powerful, My Lord. He dispatched the Onis, including their generals, in a matter of minutes. He even went toe-to-toe with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, criticising them for their lack of security. His magic is unlike anything I've seen."

Odin leaned back, stroking his beard thoughtfully, she didn't know if he was thinking about Naruto or the women in front of him. "Hmm, a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. Very well, Rosy, I order you to keep a close eye on him. Gather all the information you can, especially about this mysterious magic of his. I'm sure it's his Sacred Gear. The Devils were crafty, not revealing what his magic is."

Rossweisse bristled at the thought of spying on her student, but the order from Odin is not one she could refuse. "Yes, My Lord. As you wish."

"And Rossweisse," Odin's voice softened, "Don't forget to enjoy your time in Kyoto. For a Valkyrie, you too need some leisure, you know."

She almost rolled her eyes at Odin's cheeky comment. "Understood, My Lord." She hesitated to speak the next part.

"Lord-Odin?" she asked hesitating.

"Yes?" Odin queried, his eyebrows raised.

"When will I get a pay raise? I got many things to buy and bills to pay. The salary is barely scratching them…"

"Uh, well. You should focus on your mission first, Rossweisse. And I'm sure boyfriends these days take care of all those bills." He said in a hurry, whispering the last part which Rossweisse heard. As she is about to protest, Odin continued.

"Ah, would you look at the time! I'll see what I can do. No promises. As a young woman, you should sleep, you know? Chop, chop, sleep!" With a cheeky wink, Odin was gone, leaving only a swirling mass of astral mist in his wake.

As the communication spell dissolved, Rossweisse sighed. Her gaze wandered back to the serene cityscape of Kyoto, now restored to its original state as if the battle had never happened. If she was going to spy on Naruto, she'd have to tread carefully.

The blonde is far more than he appeared to be, and the implications of that are both terrifying and exhilarating. She has a feeling that she, and perhaps the realms themselves, are standing on the brink of something monumental. And she couldn't decide whether that excited or scared her more.

And Cut!

That's it for this part folks.

As always, let me know in your reviews and do share your feedback and suggestions!

I'm very delighted to share that you can now read next 55k words of the story on my patron page. My user name is same BlackInfinity1289 on patron website.

Note: They are early access only, they will be eventually released here as well.

Also, if you want discuss about the story or the ideas, you can join my discord server. I go by Henry there, give me a ping to say hi.

link: discord. gg / SPsSwAcq4b

Hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading.

Good Day!

Black Infinity 1289,

Ja Ne.