ch 37 - pt 2

What should I do?

A sense of helplessness overcame Issei as he realized he might not be able to give Sensei the time he requested. He felt pitiful, pathetic. He'd been training so hard to protect his loved ones, but all that training had amounted to nothing.

Tears of shame poured from his eyes as he realized how hopeless his situation was. He couldn't do what Sensei asked of him, Kunou's mother was beyond his ability to save, and his friends were all injured. He didn't want to give up, but he couldn't see a way to win.

What should I do?

[Are you crying?]

A voice inside of him spoke up. That voice! It was…

"Elsha… san…?"

[That is correct. Now, why are you crying?]

"It's because… I'm so weak."

Elsha-san was a former Sekiryuutei. It seemed all the previous Sekireyuutei were sealed away inside of the Boosted Gear. Issei had met them before, though almost none of them talked to him at all. They just kind of sat there. Only Elsha-san talked to him.

[Well, you are a bit weak, but did you forget what the fallen angel governor told you? You embody limitless possibilities.]

Issei remembered the conversation he'd had with Azazel before. He'd said that all the past Sekireyuutei had been devoured by their own powers until they were killed. Out of all of them, Issei was the only one who had retained his sanity… and the reason was because his powers didn't come a desire to fight or greed. They came from breasts.

Breasts… That's right. Even though I want to protect the people I love, my powers comes from my desire to see breasts, to touch them. It's a unique way to grow stronger that only I can use.

[That is it exactly. Hm, this is much more like you. This is more like the man Belzard and I saw, who seemed to have infinite possibilities. Now I believe it is time to release your potential!]

A bright glow emitted from his shirt pocket. Issei took out the object inside. It was the jewel that Azazel had given him. It was giving off a red light.

What the heck?

[Raise that jewel and summon them!]

Summon them?

[Yes! Go summon the person you long for! Summon the breasts you long for!]

Oppai…

Oppai. Oppai.

Ah. Oppai.

Lots of oppai.

Many oppai.

Numerous lights floated out from the jewel, taking on a humanoid shape. One. Two. Three. They multiplied quickly.

[This jewel has been transferred from one human to another all around Kyoto. These figures you see have been formed from the residual memories of those people.]

Issei felt a bit guilty hearing that. His potential had basically been floating around Kyoto and turning innocent people into molesters. He felt the need to apologize to all those people.

Oppai! Oppai!

Oppai!

Oppai oppai oppai!

As the lingering memories repeated the word "oppai" over and over again, Issei wondered if maybe he was dreaming and this was some kind of hentai exhibition. Really, it was just too surreal even for him.

"What are these?" asked Cao Cao. He and the others were standing stock-still. It seemed they were in shock.

The lingering memories arranged themselves into a circle before Issei and melted into the ground. A powerful light surged from within the circle. Symbols carved themselves in the center, forming a magic circle several times larger than anything Issei had created before.

[Everything is ready! Now summon that person! Summon her now!]

Issei didn't have to ask who Elsha-san was asking him to summon. He knew. Even without her name being stated, he knew because there was only one person in the world aside from Asia who was on his mind, and between the two, only she had the breasts that Issei went mad over.

"Summon breasts!"

In a massive explosion of light, the word "oppai" appeared within the magical script. There was another bright flash of light, and then, a figure appeared inside the circle.

"Ara?"

Akeno looked extremely confused as she stared at her new surroundings. She was only wearing a bra and panties. The g-string didn't leave much to the imagination, and her breasts spilled out of her bra as though it was several sizes too small to contain her large helping of cleavage.

"What is… going on here? Have I been summoned to Kyoto?"

[This girl is the switch to opening your possibilities, Issei. In order to unleash your potential, you must poke Akeno's nipples!]

As if her words were some kind of prophecy, Akeno's niples flashed as though filled with holy light… which made no sense to him. Wasn't she half-devil and half-fallen angel? Well, actually, fallen angels could use holy power, so maybe that was why.

In any event, there was a problem with Elsha-san's words. No matter how much Issei might want to touch Akeno's breasts, to poke her nipples, he couldn't. They weren't dating anymore. While he hadn't given up on her, Issei had agreed to back off and not push her into anything she didn't want to do. It felt like if he did this, then he would betray his words.

Akeno looked around, observing the situation, eyes lingering on the Hero Faction, who remained where they were, standing still with uncertainty. Well, this was an unexpected situation. After that, she turned her attention to him.

The smile that appeared on her face was quite wry. "It seems you have found yourself in some trouble."

"Um… I'm sorry," Issei apologized.

"For what?" asked Akeno.

"Well, I summoned you, so…"

"Ara. Yes, that makes sense. I see. You summoned me because… you needed my help?" Akeno asked. Issei nodded and looked down. What should he say? What should he do? "Ise-kun… why are my breasts glowing?"

"Uh…"

"Is this some kind of perverted role play you're trying out in order to make me come back to you?"

Issei shook his head. "N-no. Of course not. I mean, I know how you feel. I would never do that to you. I love you too much to force myself on you. I just…"

"I think I understand the situation," Akeno finally said. "You want to poke my nipples, don't you?"

He looked away. He did. It was more than just circumstantial. Even though Akeno had dumped him, his feelings for her hadn't changed in the slightest. He had even decided not to create a harem until after he'd convinced Akeno to come back. However, it was precisely because he loved her so much that he refused to say anything. He didn't want to make her hate him.

Akeno sighed. "You know this won't change anything, right? Even if I let you touch them, I'm not coming back. I can't."

Issei bit his lip. Akeno surely knew that he hadn't given up, but he'd promised to give her space, so he didn't say anything.

With another sigh, Akeno's smile turned more genuine as she undid the clasp on her bra and revealed her breasts. Issei was almost blown back by a nosebleed. Not only was he staring at the familiar breasts of the woman who had taken his and Asia's first time, but they were emitting a faint glow.

"You can touch them. Just this once."

"Are you sure it's okay?" asked Issei.

Akeno shrugged. "You need to, right? Go ahead."

Issei warred within himself, but he ultimately decided not to hesitate. Akeno had given him permission. Taking a deep breath, he reached over and pushed his fingers into Akeno's nipples. She released a loud moan, and the combination of that sound and the sensation of his fingers sinking into her soft breasts shot straight to his brain.

As though her job was done, Akeno was enveloped in a bright light and rose into the sky, where she soon vanished.

Huh? Where'd she go?

[Back to wherever you summoned her from.]

So… Akeno had been summoned all the way to Kyoto just so he could touch her breasts? That seemed kinda anti-climactic. No, not just that. It was rude. Issei sighed. When he got home, he would prostrate himself before her and apologize.

"What… what the heck just happened?"

Issei looked back at Cao Cao and his faction. All of them were gawking at him like they couldn't figure out what was happening. It was like the events of a few seconds ago were simply too much for them to comprehend. Of course, they had been expecting to summon Great Red, but Akeno had arrived instead.

As all these thoughts crossed his mind, Issei felt an intense beating from deep within his chest. Then a loud voice spoke up.

[It's coming!]

As Elsha-san's voice rose in volume, deep crimson light overflowed from the jewels on his Welsh Dragon Armor. His body was encased in warmth. Power flowed from his body like nothing he'd ever felt before. What was this power?

"Ah. This is quite nostalgic. What you're feeling now is my original aura. It feels like the time when I still had my material body, when all I cared about was fighting the White One."

Ddraig seemed quite happy. Issei didn't really understand everything his partner was saying, but if it made him happy, then it couldn't be a bad thing. As this thought took hold in his mind, his entire body burst with the red aura and covered his surroundings in light.

~Devil Ninja~

Deep within the seal, Naruto and Kurama continued calmly going through their hand seals. Strings of chakra like wisps of smoke tethered them together, binding them and creating a vortex that would be shaped and controlled by the hand seals. They were more than halfway finished.

"I sense something happening outside."

"It looks like Ise is about to get serious."

"Do we even need to do this?"

"I don't think Ise will win. This new power of his is certainly something, but he doesn't have any control. The fact that you and I can feel it from inside the seal is proof."

"Hmm…"

"Besides, don't you want to get outside and stretch your legs?"

"Good point."

"Exactly. Let's keep going."

Though he said that, Naruto's hands felt like they were cramping. Unlike most jutsu where he could blaze through seals, he and Kurama needed to take this process slowly. If they moved too fast, they could make a mistake… and then at least half of Japan would disappear as a result.

"By the way…"

"What is it?"

"If we die using this jutsu, my spirit is going to haunt yours."

"… Shut up and keep making hand seals, stupid furrball."

~Devil Ninja~

"I AM HENTAI!"

The shout that came from Issei upon regaining consciousness made everyone present stop whatever they were doing and stare at him. However, Issei didn't seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention.

"Let's do this! Boosted Gear!"

Red light flashed around Issei's body, engulfing him in a powerful aura that leaked out and caused cracks to spread across the ground. It flowed out from the depths of his heart, from within his body. He'd never felt anything like this before.

"Ah… yes. This is it, Partner. This is my original power, which God had sealed. It's been so long that I forgot what it felt like."

"That so? It feels pretty good. Let's use it to beat these guys!"

Right. Let's show these fools the true power of the Red Dragon Emperor!"

Desire. Diabolos. Determination. Dragon. Disaster. Desecration. Discharge. Voices entered his mind one after another, and through them, the method of using and understanding this new power flowed into Issei's mind. He wondered if this had something to do with the adjusted Evil Pieces inside of him, but he dismissed the thought. It didn't matter.

Thanks to the interruption, he was no longer promoted, but that was fine. He could just promote himself again. He didn't even need Asia's confirmation this time.

"Mode change! Welsh Blaster Bishop!"

Once more, Issei promoted himself to Bishop. He gathered the red aura of his power around his shoulders. A backpack formed along his back, and then two massive cannons took shape on his shoulders. They were even bigger than the last ones he'd used. The true power of Ddraig certainly was amazing.

"That… looks dangerous," Cao Cao muttered as Issei began concentrating all of his magical power, raised through his promotion to Bishop, to the cannons in his shoulder.

Issei thought about how this battle had played out. How his comrades had been defeated. How pathetic he felt that he couldn't protect them. He was going to put all those feelings into his cannons and shoot Cao Cao in the face.

"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"

"Disappear! Dragon Blaster!"

The shoulder cannons fired a gigantic blast of concentrated magical energy. The power flowing out was so strong that Issei nearly lost his own balance. The recoil was just that powerful. To keep himself from flying off, he created a tail from his back and speared it into the ground.

"This looks interesting! I'll take this attack from the legendary dragon head on!"

Heracles stepped forward, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"No! Don't take it! Evade!"

The man, despite being two meters tall and probably weighing a couple hundred pounds, was sent flying away as Cao Cao smacked him with his spear. Once Heracles was out of the way, the others also fled the area.

A massive explosion tore the air apart. It shook the entire space like a seismic quake, and then the city located behind Nijou Castle disappeared in a flash of bright light. When the light died down, it showed that nothing was left. The scenery of the city, created by this artificial dimension, was completely gone.

"H-He destroyed an entire city! Hey, hey! What the hell kind of power is that?!"

"I've never seen anything like this," Siegfried muttered in surprise. He was no longer smiling. "Another attack of that caliber, and this entire dimension will shatter."

"CAO CAO!"

Issei ignored the surprise of his opponents and focused on the one he wanted revenge against. He released the cannons on his back, which dissipated into particles of light. Right now what he needed was not unrivaled magical power. It was speed.

"Mode Change! Welsh Sonic Boost Knight!"

The dragon wings jutting from his back spread wide as he flew toward Cao Cao, the boosters on his back spewing out a torrential flame of magical power. The air screeched as he tore through it. Not enough. Gritting his teeth, he shed the heavy armor covering his body and poured out even more power. He gave up on defense and focused purely on offense.

Issei's body complained as immense G-forces slammed into it, but he ignored all the warning signs and hurtled through the air.

Despite how fast he was going, it didn't seem to be fast enough. Cao Cao had seen him. The man entered a stance with his spear held in front of him. Issei snarled. He was going to show this asshat what happened when someone messed with his friends!

Crashing into Cao Cao with the godlike speed granted to him, he sent the man flying back with nary a thought. Cao Cao skidded along the ground. Issei frowned. He'd expected the man to get pulverised.

"Hahahaha! It is just like you to charge straight at me from the front, but are you sure that's such a good idea? Since you've decided to give it your all, I've increased my own power. Can your thin armor stand up to my spear? Let's find out!"

Issei knew that Cao Cao was right. His armor right now was thin and elegant, but that meant it wouldn't stand up to the Longinus. In that case, he just needed to change his armor.

"Mode Change! Welsh Dragonic Rook!"

What he needed right now wasn't speed, but overwhelming offensive and defensive capabilities. He gathered the red aura around himself, reforging the armor he'd shed. However, he didn't stop there. He made the armor thicker, denser, and then he created a heavy shield.

"I see." Cao Cao yelled. "It looks like you've decided to change your armor again. If I want to defeat you, I'll need to destroy this impressive defense of yours!"

Cao Cao raced forward and began attacking him with his spear, but Issei couldn't even feel them. He would have said it was like a fly buzzing around. However, even that didn't seem to really describe the feeling of Cao Cao's spear grazing his armor.

Issei caught the spear in his left hand, and then he raised his right hand and prepared himself.

"Don't look down on me, you bastard!"

He slammed his fist into Cao Cao, who finally flew backward faster than a bullet. He slammed into what little remained of the palace, which honestly looked less like a palace and more like a desert. There really was nothing left.

A massive cloud of dirt had been kicked up by what happened, obscuring his vision, forcing Issei to wait. The other members of the Hero Faction didn't move. They didn't seem sure about whether or not they could win against him.

Issei was determined to wait and see what else he could do, but just then, all of the energy went right out of him. His armor disappeared. Then he fell to his knees, panting as a strong fatigue washed over him. He winced.

My… my stamina…

"Partner, thanks to how you unleashed my original power, the countdown to enter Balance Breaker has decreased. Furthermore, the total time you can spend in Balance Breaker has increased. However, entering Balance Breaker now will also consume more stamina because you're using more power. This is especially true when you change modes like you just did."

"D-do you think it will get easier?"

"I suspect that once you get used to your power, the amount of stamina you consume will be lessened."

"Oh, good… I don't… wanna feel… this way… every time I do… this!"

"Me neither."

As Issei slowly climbed to his feet, he looked at the area where Cao Cao had struck. The dust had settled now. Cao Cao was also getting to his feet several dozen meters away. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth, but he planted his spear into the ground and wiped the blood away.

"So this is the Sekiryuutei's true power. That was quite terrifying. In terms of direct offensive power, you might even be able to rival Vali without his Juggernaut Drive. I am impressed."

Issei didn't know how he should feel about this man's words. It sounded like he was being praised, but according to Cao Cao, Vali was still more powerful than he was if he used that Juggernaut Drive thingy.

"Still," Cao Cao continued, "that attack of yours consumed more stamina than it should have. You are far from mastering it. Even if you do master it, I imagine it will still consume a lot of stamina. I estimate that you won't be able to remain in that form for more than ten minutes at most."

Issei clicked his tongue. "Damn. You really are a troublesome opponent, you know that? You calmly analyse my abilities like it's nothing. I thought you'd underestimate me."

"No, no. I definitely underestimated you slightly in this instance. You are a truly formidable adversary." Cao Cao began tapping his spear against his shoulder. "This was quite exhilarating. I haven't felt this way since the last time I dueled Vali. Fighting legendary dragons really is the greatest thrill a human like me can have."

Issei almost groaned. This idiot was another battle maniac. He really hated people like this. All he wanted was to make up with Akeno, and then begin building his harem so he could live the rest of his days in peaceful bliss…

Before his thoughts could progress any further, the entire world suddenly froze. Not really. However, Issei felt as if he'd been transported under the polar ice caps. A chill spread through his body, and the gravity around him felt as if it had undergone a one thousand increase. He wasn't the only one feeling it either. Cao Cao and the other Hero Faction members had all frozen solid.

"Haaa…" The sound of someone taking a deep breath echoed behind Issei. "It really has been a long time since I've been able to stretch my legs. Naruto was right. This is nice. However, this form feels a bit awkward. I'm not used to looking so… so human."

Issei wanted to turn around, but something was preventing him from moving. His knees were shaking and his body had seized up. An indescribable sensation similar to fear but altogether different had made it impossible to move.

"What… what kind of power is this?!"

"D-Ddraig?"

"I've never… in my entire life… felt something like this. Partner… whatever you do, never fight whoever this power belongs to. Even if you mastered all of my abilities… you'll never defeat this person."

Issei couldn't believe what he was hearing, but then, with this overwhelming presence bearing down on him, he really had no room to say anything. It felt like even the slightest movement would cause his body to tear itself apart.

Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap.

Footsteps echoed along the now mostly silent battleground. They were coming closer. Closer. Issei wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, but even that small movement was unavailable to him. The footsteps stopped next to him, and then a hand patted his shoulder.

"You did a good job giving Naruto and I enough time to activate our jutsu," the voice said. "Leave the rest of this to me."

The figure began walking again, and Issei, finally able to gather some strength, looked up. What he saw was a man with blazing red hair, red fur covering his arms and legs, two red fox ears sitting on his head, and ten tails swaying elegantly behind his back.

~Devil Ninja~

The air gently caressed Kurama's face and ruffled his fur. It felt nice. So nice. He could not remember how long it had been since he'd felt this sensation. Of course, he and Naruto had gone to great lengths to make his seal more comfortable, but no seal could simulate real life like this. Now that he was outside, he felt this difference distinctly.

"You…" Cao Cao gasped for breath. Sweat poured down his forehead in rivulets. "Who… no… what are you?"

Even as Kurama pondered why this man looked so nervous, he decided to humor him. It had been so long since he'd spoken to anyone aside from Naruto, after all, and this would extend his stay outside for a little while.

"My name is Kurama," he said, and then paused. He should add a bit more information, shouldn't he? "I am the entity sealed within Naruto Uzumaki. Hmm. I suppose you could say that I was the original reason Ophis took such a great interest in him."

Back when Naruto had been kidnapped by the Khaos Brigade, the reason was because they had used a small fraction of Kurama's power to create a chakra shroud so he could battle Kokabiel. Ophis had felt that power and wanted it.

Thinking back on it, what they had done was really stupid. Kurama was honestly surprised Japan hadn't sunk into the sea. He guessed it was because, at the time, Naruto hadn't lost his chakra to that strange draining phenomena. In terms of power, while his friend was far weaker than he was, he was far stronger than most other beings they had met so far—save for Ophis herself.

"You are… I see… It is… no wonder… Ophis took such an… an interest… in you…"

Cao Cao stabbed his spear into the ground and used it to pull himself up. He leaned against it like a man who was on his last leg. Once more, Kurama couldn't help but wonder why this man had trouble standing. Surely his fight with Issei hadn't been enough to so thoroughly exhaust him?

"RRAAAAAGGGHHH!"

A scream interrupted them. Kurama turned his head as Heracles rushed toward him. The man's eyes were wide and bulging, drool leaked from his mouth, and he had raised his hand as if to smash Kurama's face in. Fear had overwhelmed his ability to comprehend what was happening. It hadn't given him any strength, but it had overwritten his thought process. Perhaps this was what happened when a human couldn't accept what was in front of them.

"Heracles… don't!" Cao Cao tried to shout.

Kurama clicked his tongue. "Annoyance. Disappear."

Striking Heracles with a trickle of his power, Kurama watched with an impassive gaze as the man exploded into ash. Everyone else stared at the spot in shock. Cao Cao's eyes had gone wide. Jeanne, Siegfried, and Georg were gawking as they stared at the spot Heracles had been standing on.

Kurama looked at Georg. "If you do not stop that ritual this instant, I will destroy you the same way I destroyed him."

It was not a request, or even a command. It was just a statement.

"G-Georg… stop the ritual…"

"Cao Cao… are you… sure?"'

"Yes." Cao Cao stared at him instead of Georg. "Even I… am not willing to fight against this creature."

It looked like it was becoming easier for them to talk. Kurama watched and waited as the magic circle surrounding Yasaka stopped glowing. The kyuubi leader of Kyoto had already ceased moving the moment he'd appeared, but now it just stared blankly at nothing. He tilted his head. He didn't think she was brain dead, but perhaps something else was keeping her from speaking.

Kurama turned away from Yasaka and glanced at something off to his left.

"You two. Stop hiding and come out."

"It seems we've been found out."

A small gap in the sky, like a distortion in space, appeared and two figures came out. One of them was a slender dragon with green skin and glowing eyes. It had no arms and no legs. That said, it did have large wings on its back.

"That's… the Mischievous Dragon, Yu-Long!" Cao Cao shouted.

Kurama filed the name away, but most of his attention was on the smaller figure who'd walked out. He dropped from the gap in space, landed a short distance away, and approached Kurama with small steps. Tiny. That was the first thing that came to mind. This being was short, about the height of a young child. He had brilliant golden fur and a face lined with wrinkles. He carried a staff in one hand, prayer beads lined his forehead, he wore shades, and he was smoking a pipe. It was an incongruous appearance.

A tail was growing out of his back.

"You are… quite the powerhouse," the old monkey yokai said as he stared at Kurama. "I never imagined there'd be someone with this kind of overwhelming power living in our world. The Buddhists are going to have a field day."

"What is your name?"

"My name is Sun Wukong."

Kurama nodded. "You must be the reinforcements Azazel spoke of."

"I am indeed, though…" He glanced at where Heracles had been. "It looks like you don't really need my help." Kurama shrugged, prompting Sun Wukong to glance at Cao Cao, still leaning against his spear. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? Looks like you've grown up a bit."

"The great Victorious Fighting Buddha. I never imagined you would be confronting us as well. I hear you've been demolishing our bases and ruining our plans all over the world."

Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes. "I hope you realize how much trouble you are in. It took a lot of work for me to convince everyone to have these talks with the Kyuubi leader on behalf of the Heavenly Emperor, and then you went and kidnapped her. I am… not pleased."

"Ah haha," Cao Cao laughed, but it was strained. "I suspect you would not be, but you can't expect us to just not take such an opportunity when we are presented with it."

Sun Wukong sighed as though tired, and then, without any warning, he extended the staff he held, smacking Cao Cao in the chest with one end. The Longinus user was lifted off his feet. He flew through the air and crashed to the ground, coughing up several globs of blood.

"Do not try my patience, boy. I am not in the mood."

Kurama let the situation play out. He wasn't interested in any of this. He only had one job to do.

"Kunou."

"Y-yes?"

Kurama turned to the little girl, who'd been gazing at him with wide eyes, and gestured her to him. She looked at the others. Asia, Kiba, Irina, Rossweisse, and now Xenovia all looked unsure themselves.

"If… um… this is the Kurama sealed inside of Naruto, right?" Asia said, smiling with uncertainty. "It should be, um, okay… right?"

"I will not harm her." Kurama frowned. What did these people take him for? He wasn't a monster, damn it. "I am merely here to help Naruto fulfill his promise. We're getting your mother back."

At those words, Kunou perked up. While she didn't lose all of her hesitation, she did trot over to him, her desire to see her mother returned safely overriding whatever fear she had of him. The others looked like they wanted to stop her, but they couldn't move.

I wonder why no one seems capable of moving except that monkey and the dragon…

"I think it's your aura. It's kind of overwhelming, you know."

Kurama frowned as Kunou stood before him. "But I am suppressing my aura."

"Yeah, well, it's still leaking out. I imagine you can't suppress it enough."

"Tch. Annoying."

Speaking out loud, he said to Kunou, "Follow me. You're the only one who can bring your mother back."

Kunou nodded and followed Kurama as they walked over to Yasaka, whose fox form had gone slack. The kyuubi leader was staring at Kurama with blank eyes. It was like she recognized he was a threat, but her mind wasn't cognizant enough to deal with him.

"Um…"

"Hmm?"

Kurama looked down as Kunou bit her lip. "What happened to Naruto?"

"He is still here." Kurama placed a hand against his chest. "He and I have currently traded places. Do not worry. He'll be back. This jutsu only lasts ten minutes."

"I-I see."

Yasaka's fox form really was quite big. Kurama would say her fox form was about as big as his had been, maybe a bit smaller, and it was more slender. He supposed that meant her fox form had a sense of femininity about it, though he was no master on such subjects.

"Call out to her," Kurama instructed as he placed his hands on Kunou's shoulders. "I will help amplify your power and create a link between your heart and hers. Now reach out with your voice."

"Um. Okay." Kunou took a deep breath. "M-mother… can you hear me?"

Yasaka was unresponsive. Tears began streaming down Kunou's face, but she sucked them up.

"Mother… I promise I won't be stubborn anymore… I'll eat those fish I hate, I won't fly out of Kyoto at night… I'll do everything you ask of me… so please… please come back to me. Please don't leave me all alone!"

Kurama felt a tight throb in his chest. He couldn't figure out if this throb had come from him, Naruto, or both of them. Unlike his overly sensitive friend, he did not have the same level of empathy.

"Ku… nou…"

A faint voice echoed from Yasaka. Her lips had moved, though not much. Kunou snapped her head up to look at her mother.

"Mother! I'm right here! Kunou is with you! Please sing that song to me again! Please teach me to dance again! Kunou… Kunou will be a good girl from now on! I want to be with you! I want to stay with you!"

A gentle light engulfed Kunou as Kurama sent just a small sliver of his power. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Damn it. He had already known this, but doing delicate work like this was harder than just blasting shit apart. The strain of keeping his power from blowing the girl up was giving him a headache.

The kyuubi leader soon began glowing as well, and then she shrank, her body growing smaller and smaller, until she was the size of a regular human. Then she transformed again. Now her body was no longer that of a fox. Instead, a human woman with hair spun from gold and a bosom that could match Naruto's main girl greeted their vision.

"W-where am I? What is going on?" the woman asked.

"MOTHER!"

Kunou rushed forward and plowed into her mother's chest, sobbing. While Yasaka still appeared confused, she hugged the crying girl and stroked her hair, a tender smile appearing on her face.

"Sob!"

Kurama twitched. "Are you crying?"

"I'm not… sniffle… I'm not crying!"

"Oh, gods. You are crying!"

As Naruto and Kurama argued, Kunou clung to her mother as though her life depended on it, and her sobs echoed out for all to hear.

~Devil Ninja~

The battle had come to an end. Cao Cao and the other members of the Hero Faction had managed to escape. Naruto had berated Kurama for not at least capturing them, but that only caused the giant fox to argue back by stating they were so far beneath him, he hadn't noticed when they left. Aside from that, he had also killed Heracles. Really, Naruto should be thanking him for getting rid of such an annoying character.

Naruto felt a little put out by the whole ordeal since he honestly didn't get to do much. In point of fact, once the battle with Cao Cao and the others had started, all he'd done was make some hand seals and let the others do the rest. As a prominent member of "take action first and ask questions later" committee, he felt rather disappointed in himself.

Everyone was exhausted after the battle finished… except for Naruto who'd done nothing at all. That was why Naruto decided to create shadow clones and carry his friends back to the hotel. While Issei had complained that it wasn't cool for a man to princess carry another man, Naruto had shut him up by transforming the clone carrying him into Naruko—his female version. Even then, Issei had complained a bit about his pride being hurt.

Naruto had spoken with Sun Wukong for awhile after they made it back, but the conversation mostly consisted of the old monkey praising his abilities and giving him a warning. According to Sun, Kurama's power was so vast that it was likely to have been felt by many powerful beings. Sun said he would not be surprised if various gods came looking into him. After all, the kind of power he possessed was definitely a threat to the balance of this world. Something like that.

Everyone but Naruto was still tired the next day. Kiba had to drag his body out of bed, and Irina had even used Naruto's shoulder as a pillow during breakfast. That said, they did perk up after some coffee, and once all of them had eaten, they were able to get some souvenir shopping done and even see Kyoto Tower.

Naruto had already seen a version of it before, but it was a lot more exciting seeing the top of Kyoto Tower without the threat of death. Irina and Asia had been particularly excited. The smiles they'd worn were something that wouldn't be leaving his memories any time soon.

However, after a good few hours, it was finally time to leave Kyoto. The Kuoh Academy students all gathered at the train station. Kunou and Yasaka were there when they arrived, having apparently waited for them. While most people didn't spare a glance at Kunou, Yasaka had the eyes of nearly everyone on her. Of course, she was a hot blonde woman, so this was understandable.

"Naruto-sama." Kunou's eyes lit up as she called out his name. She was holding her mother's hand.

"You don't need to use such a formal tone with me," Naruto said. "Just Naruto is fine."

"… N-Naruto, then." Kunou wore a shy smile as she blushed. Daw. Naruto just wanted to scoop her into a big hug. "Are you going to come back to Kyoto?"

"Of course I will." Naruto knelt down and grinned as he thumped his chest. "I hope I can count on you to show me around some more when I come back."

"O-Of course! I will definitely show you even more of Kyoto's historic sites!"

"Hmm! I'll be in your care when the time comes."

A high-pitched whistle echoed from the train. It looked like they would be leaving soon.

"Azazel-sama, Naruto-sama, Sekiryuutei-sama and everyone else, you have my sincerest apologies for the trouble I've caused. Also, I would like to thank you. I am prepared to speak with Leviathan-sama and the Victorious Fighting Buddha. It has been my hope for a long time now that we can strengthen ourselves through mutual understanding and cooperation. I do not wish to see Kyoto terrorised again."

"I'll leave everything to you, then," Azazel said with a smile as they shook hands. Jjust before they could let go, Serafall placed her hand on top of theirs.

"Ufufu, we might be returning home for now, but later on, Yasaka-san, the monkey ojichan, and I will enjoy the sights and sounds of Kyoto together!"

There wasn't much more time to exchange pleasantries, so after saying their goodbyes, everyone climbed onto the bullet train. Kunou was still on the platform. As Naruto looked out the window, he found her waving at him. With a smile, he waved back, causing her to wave her hand with even bigger motions. She looked like a human windmill.

"You really do have a thing for kids, huh?" asked Irina.

"I've always liked kids," Naruto admitted as he scratched his head. "But I think a part of that is because I never really had much of a childhood myself. I was pretty hated growing up. Nobody would give me the time of day, and I was always alone. At some point, I decided that I wanted to have a big family with lots of children. However… devils apparently have a low birth rate." He smiled at her, and though it was not bitter, he did feel a bit sad. "I guess a part of the reason I'm so soft on them is because I feel like spoiling and pampering them makes me feel a bit like a parent."

Irina's eyes were wide as he spoke. Standing beside her, Xenovia, who would be traveling with them to Kuoh, cupped her chin.

"I had no idea," Irina muttered.

Naruto shrugged. "Most people don't. I think only Rias, Ravel, and Koneko know this about me. Well, now you do too."

The bullet train doors soon shut, and there was a loud squealing as it began moving down the tracks. Kunou was still waving to them as she ran along the train. Naruto masked his frown when he saw that she was crying. A lot had happened during these past four days, so he guessed it made sense that she'd be sad by all this. Kunou was still just a kid, after all.

As the train began picking up speed, a loud cry went out.

"Nnnoooooo!"

Everyone turned around to find Issei clawing at the door as though he wanted to pry it open. While Asia and Irina wore looks of shock, Kiba looked rather bemused, while Xenovia just seemed contemplative. There was a strange gleam in her eyes as she stared at Issei.

"What's wrong, Ise?" Naruto asked his friend.

Issei turned around and, with tears streaming down his face, he grabbed onto Naruto's shirt. "I forgot to ask Yasaka-san to show me her breasts as a reward!"

As a trail of sweat ran down Naruto's scalp, he realized that no matter how powerful his friend became, some things about him would never change.

Well, he supposed that was a good thing.

Last Chapter Next Chapter