Phantom of the Underworld - Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Highschool DxD or any other anime I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners.

Arc II- The white empress

Chapter 14- Guilty Crowns

The early risen sun peaked into the room. Naruto immediately noticed he was up later than usual, which was an oddity for him. What was even more strange was the fact that he felt perfectly rested. Like after a train-ride home after a long day at the park with his parents.

Something he hadn't experienced in a while.

Rising from his bed he quickly got dressed, as he felt the familiar ache in his stomach. Sighing, he headed out the door.

Walking down the stairs, into the kitchen to retrieve something to eat. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day after all, even for a devil.

But when he got there, he noticed something in the dining room nearby… or should he say someone.

"Rias?" He called out.

And there she was, the red haired girl just waiting patiently at the table, her head low.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, as he walked into the room.

But he was met with no response, was she giving him the silent treatment? He didn't really blame her, although he hadn't spoken to her in some time, he hadn't purposely been avoiding her. He had just been busy, even then, he thought they left on good terms.

"Where's everyone else?" He wondered aloud, usually they were up by now. Well, Haku was, Hanabi too, Suigetsu wasn't a morning person. But the house was quiet, where nobody else could be seen.

"They're gone." She spoke softly, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"Oh really? Where did they go?" Naruto inquired. He hadn't assigned them a mission, maybe they went into the town? They didn't often do it, but sometimes they would go into the village on rare occasions.

"They're gone." Rias repeated, almost robotically

Naruto blinked, "Yeah. You just said that. Are you feeling okay?" He asked in concern.

"How could you?" She asked.

"What?" He asked in surprise.

"How could you?" She repeated.

"Rias, you're not making any sense." He stated worryingly.

Rias abruptly stood up from her seated position, knocking the chair she had been sitting on over in the process.

"I have to go!" She told him, as she began walking out of the room.

"What? Rias, are you okay?" He asked his friend, as he closed the distance and reached out for her.

His hand hit her shoulder, and she turned back towards him, revealing her face.

Rias's mouth was leaking blood, as if she had taken a blow to the gut. "How could you?" She choked out, as blood shot out of her mouth.

"Rias?" He asked in fright.

The room went black, dark as the night sky.

And then, he saw it. They were surrounded, the bodies of his peerage lied in pools of their own blood.

This was all familiar to him.

He looked back to where Rias had been, his arm still stretched out.

But she wasn't there, instead there was a silver-haired girl in her place. It was all wrong.

The problem?

His hand was warm, and a wetness leaked onto his hand.

His hand was directly through her chest, piercing her heart.

"How could you?" The girl spoke in a whisper.

This was all familiar to him.

As the darkness consumed them, only the deep crimson shadow of the moon illuminated them both.

XXX

Distressed eyes awoke in a startle, his breath was ragged, he greedily gasped to fill air within his lungs.

It had just been a dream, he realized, that even if it felt so real.

It was dark, the false moon was still high above the sky. How long had he slept? Three, maybe four hours at most.

He was in his quarters within the Uzumaki mansion again, gone was his hideout near Konoha. The room was large, but also barren. With only a bed, a small dresser and a mirror within the room.

His devil eyes saw through the darkness, spotting a fresh set of clothes on the small table. Had Haku placed them there? Had she expected that he would wake up so early?

A small dry chuckle escaped his mouth, one not filled with any joy, that girl always seemed to know how he was feeling, he didn't quite know how.

Quickly putting on the set of clothes, a black and orange jumpsuitc seriously, is that what Haku thought he wore all the time? He was complaining.

He quickly retreated to his main office, seeing a large stack of paperwork atop of his desk, them likely having been place by haku as well.

Sighing, he quickly went off to finish the documents.

However, he noticed a single document that laid itself across his desk, a scroll. Opening it, he found the information that lay inside.

7 days.

Seven days until his match with Sairaorg Bael, that had been the time for the rating game that Sairaorg requested, he obliged.

He had seven whole days to gather his scattered peerage. He had already recalled most of them, and seven days should be long enough to gather suitable numbers to deal with the Bael heir's peerage.

If he recalled correctly, Sairaorg's peerage consisted of a [Queen] from the extra devil House of Abaddon. A pair [Bishops] from the extra devil Houses of Andrealphus and Sabnock respectively. A pair [Knights] from one of the 72 pillars of Crocell and Furcas. A pair of [Rooks, from both houses of Balam and Buné. And a single [Pawn].

A [Pawn] that cost 7 whole pieces, and was the Longinus: Regulus Nemea. The Nemean lion from Greek mythos, said to have fought and been slain by Heracles himself.

Normally, he could be a problem, especially with 'the strongest youth' by his side.

But if his information was correct, the Nemean lion required a host, or someone he was bonded with to be near him, otherwise the lion would not be capable of battle. Sairaorg, with his Vapula blood, the clan known for taming lions, was no doubt the Nemean lion's master, as well as his [King].

This weakness would be hard to exploit under normal circumstances. And he doubted he would need it, but Sairaorg was a capable opponent, one who would not rest until his body was conditioned to defeat his opponent. The Bael heir no doubt knew that he was strong, but he didn't quite know how strong he was.

The information the Bael heir had gained on his abilities was minimal, as well as the information the male had on his peerage.

Even the underworld's news outlets had tried to gain more information on him, as well as information on his peerage. But he made sure their endeavors would come up short.

As far as they knew, to the underworld, he was a ghost, someone who didn't exist for 8 whole years. And the only information that had gotten was small sightings of him years ago.

They had even given him a nickname, in a way that was similar to that of the nickname his father gained during the war. They called him…

'The Phantom of the Underworld'

funnily enough, because they could find anything out about him, even when he was out in the open.

A ghost, someone whole only showed up when he wanted to, and who, despite talking to for hours, nobody really knew about.

And given his Mangekyou ability, the name was quite fitting, not that they knew about it.

Thinking of his upcoming match, along with his peerage members returning. It brought up memories, memories of how he met his [Queen].

XXX

6 years ago.

He'd sat there, staring at her sleeping figure, her hair was a white silver, that matched her stark white skin, for what felt like an eternity.

But more than that, he noticed the small details about her. Picking up the small details with the sharp eyes of his sharingan that his sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had helped cultivate in his time training him.

Her clothing, while it appeared to be old, was initially very expensive, perhaps she was from a well-off background. She had faint, few scars across her porcelain white skin, as well as harsh calluses across her fingers that showed she had been through harsh labor. Her eyes were red, as tears stained her face, showing she'd been through harsh sadness.

The man he's fought earlier said she didn't have anything left.

Perhaps her family had been wealthy, but they'd been killed off by assassins? Similar to that of his old family. It would explain why she had been trying to fight off her pursuers.

Perhaps she was an heir to a clan? But he didn't recognize her from any of the heirs in the underworld he had seen.

It was a plausible theory, but it still didn't explain the scars, they likely happening years prior, then there were the calluses. She was put through harsh labor.

There was also another thing about her. The girl's magical reserves were large, larger than most devils her age. It was large enough that it even rivaled his own clan's when it came to sheer size at her age.

He couldn't come up with any explanation that was plausible enough to explain her circumstances.

For some reason, he wanted to understand her, he didn't know why, but it was as if something within his very soul compelled him to do so.

The underworld was a harsh place, filled with the lowest of the low. The devils, and other species that live in the underworld were vicious, cruel, people. There were many underground rings scattered around, many bandit camps that the government was unable to take care of around the outskirts of the underworld. This girl was lucky, had he not been there, he could only imagine what would happen.

Lost in his thoughts, he only barely registered that she had begun to wake up.

As the girl rose, she looked around the room in confusion, rather than worry, that was until she had stared direction.

Spinning red met a cool blue, her eyes went wide, he noticed that he could see small speckles of silver within her pupils.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake." He spoke, seeing his new 'tenant' had finally awoken from her slumber. He spoke softly, but clear enough so she could understand him, in an effort to try to calm her down slightly.

"Where am I? Who are you?" She demanded, as she tried to get up from her sitting position, her body aching as she did so.

Naruto raised a hand to try to placate her, "it's alright, you're fine, you need to calm down," he told her, walking towards the girl.

But that only seemed to startle the girl even more. "Calm down? You want me to calm down when I—" a gentle hand reached her shoulder, as she flinched away.

Naruto backed up, "I'm sure you have many questions, so I will try to answer a few." He said softly, "You're in a remote cottage located just outside Konohagakure no sato, located on the west side of the outskirts of the underworld." He told her.

Vali narrowed her eyes, "that still doesn't explain how I got here," She said.

"When I…" he hesitated, as he closed his eyes, "found you, you were pretty injured. I didn't know where else to take you, so I took you here to my home." He explained, opening his eyes once again. This time, the girl's silvery-blue eyes stared straight into his cerulean ones.

Vali searched his eyes for any hint of a lie, and her inner tenant did all as well. They could find no such lie, even if Naruto didn't tell her the full truth.

Vali looked down and spoke softly, "I see…" she had a lot to think about, but first, she needed to talk to Albion. Luckily, the boy seemed to give her the opportunity to do so,

Abruptly, he stood up, moving away from her. "you've been asleep for quite some time, you must be awfully hungry, would you like for me to make you some food?" Naruto asked.

Vali wanted to accept his offer, but a loud rumble emanated from her stomach, as a red hue crept itself up from her neck.

"I-I would like that very much," she stuttered out in embarrassment.

And despite his efforts, Naruto couldn't stop the small smile that formed across his face, nor the light chuckle that emerged from his lips.

Vali pouted, "it's not funny," she told him.

"Yeah, I don't know about that," Naruto retorted, as he left the room.

Vali huffed, before she went to talk to her tenant.

'What do you think of him?' Vali asked her inner voice.

[Vali, I want you to be very cautious of the boy] Albion told her.

'What, why?' She asked, the boy seemed nice enough, but she trusted Albion's judgement on the matter.

[His eyes, did you see them?] the dragon asked cryptically.

Vali thought back on it, his eyes seemed strange. When she had woken up they were a bright red, but later in their conversation they had changed, to a royal blue, almost matching her own blue orbs.

'He had some strange Doujutsu, perhaps it's some kind of family bloodline?' The girl thought.

Bloodlines were rare, but not entirely uncommon among the devil clans, Doujutsu even more so.

The boy had told her they were outside Konoha, so perhaps he had been a demon? She didn't quite catch his name.

[You are correct, but think of the pattern of his eyes] Albion told her.

As she thought back, his eyes were a blood-red, but there was more than that. His black pupils were smaller, but she had also seen that there had been three small comma-like marks that had been encircling it.

'Was it those three marks in his eyes?' She asked.

[Indeed, those marks are known as tomoe, and his doujutsu is known as the famed sharingan] the vanishing dragon informed.

'The sharingan?' Vali asked, not having heard of such a bloodline.

[The sharingan is a powerful doujutsu, known only to be possessed by two clans…] the dragon paused, but he knew he had to tell the girl if this. [the Uchiha's and the Uzumaki's] Albion informed.

'The Uchiha's!' Vali realized she had heard about the Uchiha's from her father. They were a powerful clan, allied with the Old devil faction. If this boy was one of them, she could be in big trouble.

Was this all a trap? If so, she expected a fight in the near future. She tried to get up from her bed, and no matter how much her body ached.

[Vali calm down, there is still a possibility that he could be an Uzumaki] he told her.

'The Uzumaki?' Valiana questioned, she couldn't remember hearing of such a clan before, but the name did sound vaguely familiar.

[yes, and although they are distant relatives of the Uchiha's, last time I heard they were allied with the new Satan faction, there is a possibility they will help you.] The dragon said, although the possibility was a slim. She was the heir to the Lucifer clan, even if she hadn't been stated as such. But surely the new satan faction would want a powerful asset such as her. It would make alot of the older Satan never join them should she ride within their ranks, given enough time.

But there was also the chance they would kill her on the spot, being a child born from the older faction.

But Albion resolved to protect that girl if that were to happen, but currently joining the newer devils was the best option. Vali could stand up to the Lucifers just yet.

[However, I believe there is another problem…] the dragon spoke up.

'But what?' Vali asked.

[His sharingan had three tomoe, and there is only one person who can have three tomoe with those eyes] Albion informed.

'Three tomoe' Vali repeated, 'what so special about three tomoe?' She asked, but the dragon was silent, remembering the powerful man. But that was before he spoke...

[The only person with a three-tomoe sharingan is the reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki.]

XXX

(Meanwhile)

As Naruto exited the room and moved into the living room, he was met with the sight of a grinning fox, lazing about on the floor.

"So, How is the little miss?" He asked lackadaisically.

"She fine, if a bit startled about her situation," Naruto told the fox.

"Did you find anything out about her?" Kurama asked.

But Naruto only shook his head, "I have a few suspicions, but nothing concrete. But if I had to guess, she's probably around 11 years old." He told him.

The fox put a human-like hand to his chin, "hmm, so she's about your age," he said while grinning.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "it's nothing of the sort, and you know it."

The fox only raised an eyebrow, "Oh, but with the way you were her knight in shining armor, going in to save her from all those 'dastardly men'." The fox enunciated the words, exaggerating the story like it were some children's tale.

"Honestly, I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't there, what were you thinking?" Kurama asked.

Naruto sighed, "honestly, I have no idea," he told him truthfully.

The fox shook his head disapprovingly, "Alright, but you do realize that you could have put us both in danger. You brought her to where we live, if word gets out about us... about you, all we've been working towards will be for nothing." He told him.

"You don't think I know that!" Naruto snapped, before quickly calming down, placing his hands over his face, as he sat down.

His hands shook slightly as he remembered the image of 'that' girl. A year ago, he watched her die, and he was powerless to save her. He'd thought he'd grown stronger, that he would be eventually able to legitimately avenge his parent's death. And he was, he would be able to bring his parents to rest.

But that one mission had messed with him a lot more than he'd like to admit. Maybe even as much as his parent's deaths.

Remembering that day was the reason he'd saved the girl.

"I'll have to take responsibility," he told the fox.

"Responsibly?" Kurama repeated, "how do you plan to do that?" He asked.

Naruto thought about it, "Get her some clothes, get her food, something like that," he answered, although he didn't know entirely what he would do.

Kurama nodded, before frowning slightly, "that might work for now, but she's your age, you clearly aren't able to care for a child of your own," he told him, and Naruto knew he was right.

"But even more than that," the fox continued, "What if she wants to leave? What if she wants to go off and tell everyone that you're alive?" he asked. "She could be a threat, to you and everything you care about."

Naruto frowned, "let's hope that doesn't happen," he told him, "because I'd have to take responsibility for her," he said darkly. His hand shaking ever so slightly.

XXX

He was sourly broken out of his thoughts, as a large gust of wind blew open his doors, with a blinding light reaching his face.

Covering his eyes, the bright blue glow dissipated down, just enough that he was able to see a figure approaching.

"Vali?!" He said, in shock.

From the time since they'd be met she'd certainly grown to become a beautiful woman.

He skin was white as porcelain, and smooth as silk. Her hair was long, and as silvery white as moonlight.

She wore an outfit which consisted of a black leather jacket over a pair of black shorts, a black top that showed off some of her ample cleavage. A silver belt, that matched her hair color, and a pair of black knee-high leather boots that contrasted nicely with her pale legs.

But the most peculiar thing about her was her eyes.

Her normally cool blue orbs filled with speckles of silver were now a deep azure blue that encompassed each of her entire eyeballs.

She just stood there, staring towards him, not moving a single muscle.

Honestly, he felt like something was wrong, as all of his senses were on edge.

"What are you—" he was interrupted, but not by Valiana's voice.

[Indra, I suggest you bring Vali into your pocket dimension, she won't keep hesitating for long] Albion's voice reverberated around the room.

Not wasting any time, he rushed towards the other side of the room. Grabbing onto her arm, his eyes morphed into his evolved state as his sharingan spun.

"Kamui!" He stated the name of the technique.

And they were soon engulfed in a dark spiral, leaving the room's items scattered about. Hours later, many of the building's staff would enter the room, wondering where their estranged master went, including one very worried Haku.

XXX

(Within Naruto's pocket dimension)

Arriving within his personal kamui dimension, a world of darkness, with only large, concrete cubes that floated about within the endless void.

They landed in a heap, Naruto went to question his estranged [Queen].

"Valiana, what are you—" the blonde began to speak, before he was once again interrupted.

As Vali's fist slammed towards him, he was barely able to block with a magic circle. With an audible grunt, her blow was strong enough to send him flying back.

Quickly getting to his feet, "Vali, what is going on?!" He questioned, as his [Queen] sent several daggers made of pure darkness at him.

On instinct, he quickly manifested a small magic circle within his palm, as a large bust of wind shot out of it. 'Gale-Palm!' He thought.

"The time for talking has long since been over!" Vali called out, as she manifested her divine dividing across her back. Summoning a large lance made of pure darkness within her palm.

Naruto frowned, not wanting to fight his long time friend. But judging by the look on her face, something was wrong, as he reluctantly unsealed his own weapon, the Sword of Totsuka.

"So it seems," he said, readying his blade into a defensive stance, as Valiana pointed her lance towards him.

On an unspoken signal, Vali charged towards him at insane speeds, using her wings to boost towards him.

He blocked, channeling magic to his feet to keep him on the ground. He pivoted, trying to strike her from the side. If he could hit her with his blade, he could surely seal her power away, enough so that he would then be able to calm her down.

She predicted his attacked, slashing her lance towards him, and he was forced to block her own strike.

A palm was sent towards him, but he used his offhand to parry her own strike, not wanting to get touched by her.

But this was only a distraction, as she then spun around to deliver a vicious kick to his side.

Quickly recovering, he leapt back, as he unsealed several kunai off his body. As he channeled wind-magic into them as he launched them towards her.

But the girl only blocked them with her lance.

"You've gotten better," he smiled, but the girl only glared towards him.

"You still aren't going all out," she growled, and Naruto conceded.

He still wasn't going all out, he didn't want to hurt her, only stop her long enough to try to reason with her.

Vali manifested a second spear within her other palm. As she sped towards him, sending a flurry of slashes towards him.

With his sharingan, he was able to track her movements, but she had two weapons, both with longer reach, he only had a single sword. Valiana had the superior advantage when it came to weaponry.

Even his sword's sealing capabilities weren't working on her own set of blades.

No, that wasn't it, he could see with each strike they crossed that his superior sword's ability was working, as her lances grew smaller and weaker with each strike. But the fact remained that her weapons were made entirely of her own magic. Each time her lances weaken, she rebuilds them from her own magic.

Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but with her unique Devil physiology, her magic was much denser than most. Add that to her magical reserves, and this was a feat that not many could pull off. A thought struck him…

She had specifically designed this technique to face his sword.

Lost in this thought, she was able to graze the left side of his cheek. Quickly leaping back once again, he could feel his Phenex healing abilities knitting his skin back together.

But Vali continued with her onslaught, as she sped towards him.

Luckily, he was able to form another magic circle, 'Fire style:Great Fireball technique!' He thought, as a large fireball shot out of his mouth.

She quickly used her wings to change her direction, as she flew high into the sky. Casting down several lances of darkness towards him.

Forming another magic circle, a large burst of wind shot out of his mouth. Thanks to his 'Wind Release: Great breakthrough' he was able to blow away her projectiles.

Valiana used this time as a distraction, providing her long enough to form another lance made from pure darkness, one that was larger than all the others before.

She sent the large pillar of darkness towards him, he struck down with his sword, as a large explosion formed.

As the dust cleared, Naruto stood proudly with his legendary blade, showing that he used his sword to seal away a large majority of her attack's magical energy.

Vali shot towards him with an open palm, he was only barely able to register her attack. Dodging, Vali's blow missed… but she was able to land a single finger across his face.

[Divide!] Albion's voice rang out, as he felt nearly half of his magical energy leave his body.

It was then that Naruto had realized that Vali had used her small attacks, and then her large technique all as a distraction, just to divide his power in half. Had she predicted that he would block his attacks? Had she known him and his fighting skills that well?

Well, he knew her abilities too.

He knew that he had ten seconds, from the point when she divided his power there was a ten-second window in which she would not be able to use Albion's power once again.

Quickly spinning on his heels, he sent a strong kick to her side, sending her flying. He used his intense speed and rushed towards her, catching her in her descent and sending a vicious punch towards her. As he sent one final kick towards her stomach, furthering her flight.

As she landed, she formed a small crater that sent a large cloud of dust floating throughout the air. He hoped that would be enough to put her down for good.

But as that obstructed his view dust settled he heard the sound of moving ruble, he frowned slightly.

"Vali, don't you think this is going too far?!" Naruto shouted, as he tried to reason with her a little. As those robotic, gem-like eyes focused on him.

She growled loudly. It was a sound that sounded almost like an animal or wild beast.

'Albion, I need more power!' She howled in her mind.

[Valiana, the Indra is right, your feelings are overwhelming you, I suggest you calm down] the entity within her told her.

'Don't tell me to calm down!' she snarled, 'I need more power, Naruto is barely taking me seriously right now.'

[The Indra is only playing on the defensive to try to not hurt you] the dragon reasoned [Do you still want to continue with this foolish endeavor?] he asked.

And Vali thought about it, hesitating for only a second. 'Of course!' She thought.

The dragon hummed at her request, [… Very well.]

Silence, until…

"Balance Break!" Vali screamed out.

[Vanishing Dragon…] Albion's voice rang out.

Suddenly, her form was engulfed in light, as a pale armor began to morph around her form, with both white plating and a set of blue jewels lining her elbows, knees, shoulder plates and chest.

She looked heavily fortified, and judging from the presence he felt, he could tell this armor set her on a new level of power. Although oddly enough, there were significantly large gaps in her armor, that showed off her silky smooth skin across both her naval and thighs.

[Balance Breaker: Scale Mail!] Albion announced, as her wings extended, and she flew throughout the air, her long tail-like appendage flowing across her back.

"So you've unlocked it!" Naruto said in both a mixture of pride and surprise. They had been working on this achieving her balance breaker before their falling off, but he didn't know she'd actually been able to unlock it.

Valiana shook her head, a feral grin beneath her mask, "Not only have I unlocked my Balance Breaker, but I have mastered it!" She yelled, as she pointed a gauntleted finger towards him. "Now get ready, because I will show you just how much I've grown!" Valiana said, as she changed towards him.

Naruto barely had any time to react, as she charged at him with blazing speeds, much faster than he could dodge.

So he elected to form a magic circle to try to shield him from the massive blow. It was a better alternative than allowing her to touch him. His knees buckled as they threatened to give way, if he didn't do something fast, Vali would surely defeat him.

She'd surely gotten stronger in her time away… but so had he. Naruto resolved himself.

It was then that Vali sensed a surge of power emanating from his very being, as Naruto's eye's morphed.

"So, you've decided to use 'that' power?" Vali realized, "show me what you got!" She screamed out.

It was then that Naruto was able to push her back. Had he gotten stronger? No, that wasn't it, he wasn't stronger, the change in his eyes allowed him to better control his magical energy better. Him using his magical energy to amplify his strength.

Backing off, she once again took to the sky, raining down an even faster and larger barrage of dark lances in her wake.

Naruto dodged, easily tracking the hundreds of lances that she threw towards him with his evolved eyes. Grasping one of the incoming projectiles, he redirected it back towards his [Queen].

She easily caught the object, "you think you can hurt me with my own lance?" She scoffed.

It was then that the lance she was holding caught fire. And it exploded in a shower of black flames of Amaterasu.

Toning down his flames, not wanting to burn Vali alive, he hoped to see a seated Vanishing dragon in its wake.

What he got was a disgruntled Valiana charging towards him, her armor slightly burned but otherwise fine. He was only barely able to react, but his eyes warned him of her attack. He manifested another large magic circle, it cracked under the pressure.

His Mangekyou spun, as he leapt back, awaiting her follow-up attack. She descended upon him once again, and landed a powerful blow on his figure.

Or so Vali thought, as the figure she had attacked shattered like glass. Turning around, she saw another 'Naruto' behind her. Quickly forming another dark lance, she threw it toward him. The figure once again shatters to pieces.

"Come out and fight me!" She snarled, getting angry with his tricks. "First you coated my own lance with your flames without me noticing, and now these illusions, where are you?" She demanded.

It was then that a dark lance was sent at her, much like the ones before. But this one was different, stronger, oozing with power.

A second, larger, explosion occurred, this one more powerful than the last.

The first was just a normal lance made of Valiana's darkness magic, coated in the flames of Amaterasu he'd toned down enough to not make it entirely visible. This one was different, as it was made purely out of the flames of Amaterasu.

Hundreds of fires poured out as the lance exploded, coating the area in a dark abyss.

Valiana flew high above the sky.

'Damn, I used up all the power I siphoned,' she tsked, angry that in dodging Naruto's attack, she had pushed her armor to its limits. Choosing to use up most of the power, she had previously divided in an effort to out speed the explosion,

'Albion! Why aren't you dispelling his illusions? Where is he?' She asked her tenant.

[I assumed you wanted to fight him on your own. But even then, his illusions are quite powerful, with several layers woven together, it would take some time for me to dispel them all] the dragon explained.

'Tsk, fine, just get it done,' she ordered, accepting his answer, and accepting the fact she needed his help.

[hmm… alright, he's over… there!] Albion told her, as she spotted a space off in the distance cracking apart, distorting the air and revealing what was beneath.

"There you are!" She shouted, spotting Naruto's figure in the distance.

She saw Naruto frown, figuring out that she'd broken free of his illusions.

She formed one more lance in front of her, this one much more powerful, and much denser than all the ones previously. Using the last of all of Naruto's power that she had divided before.

Naruto's right eye spun, as he formed another lance of pure black flames within his palm, using his Phenex bloodline to mold his flames together.

They both threw their attacks at one another, as a much larger explosion occurred. Leaking both shards of darkness and black flames within its wake.

Naruto waited for a counterattack, having expected it from the girl so far, but none came.

Vali observed him from a distance, this wasn't working. Naruto's flames were stronger than her own darkness. No, that wasn't quite it, Naruto flames were strong, but they required an immense amount of magic to produce. She could produce a similar result, but it would require just as much, if not more, magic than Naruto used in his attack.

She needed to do something to gain the advantage, if she could just lay a finger on him, this fight would already be over.

A thought struck her, 'Albion! Are you ready?' she asked her inner dragon.

[Do you really want to use 'that' technique?] Albion asked, realizing what she meant.

'Of course, I need to show him just how strong I've become!' Vali screamed in her mind.

[Vali, I think you're letting your draconic instincts get the better of you.] Albion told her. [You're becoming just like my wielders in the past, you should stop this endeavor, now] he suggested, but that only seemed to cause the girl's anger to spike.

'What are you saying, I'm doing just fine, I just need a little more power!' She yelled.

[You've bottled up your feelings long enough, don't you think it would be better to stop this foolish endeavor and talk this out with the Indra? Don't you think this is hurting him too?] Albion reasoned, pleading to the girl, hoping his words would have some effect on her.

It seemed like they did. 'Tsk, I don't… I… I can't—' Vali hesitated, before her goal became clear once again, 'Albion! Are we going to use that technique or not?!'

Valiana, in her madness, didn't want to listen to his words, she couldn't. However, a small part of her, in a part of her subconscious… it realized some truth to what the dragon was saying.

[… Very well then] Albion complied, [Get ready.]

Vali soared through the air, right above Naruto, as her wings extended, spreading the eight, energy-like feathers out and extended both her fingers and palm forward.

'What is she doing?' Naruto questioned, as he prepared for another attack.

[Half-Dimension!] Albion's voice rang out, as Vali closed both her thumb and pointer finger.

Vali's feathers glowed, but that wasn't the only effect, as Naruto collapsed towards the ground.

"Ack!" Naruto painfully said, as he was held down on one knee, it was like his entire body was convulsing all at once. It was like she was dividing his power once again.

No, it wasn't just that, looking around him, he saw a few pebbles on the ground, their size deteriorating right before his very eyes.

This was some sort of dividing technique, like she was dividing the surrounding space.

This technique was incredibly powerful, and he needed to do something quick, or eyes he didn't know what else would happen.

"What will you do, Naruto? I know you've got more in your sleeve than that!" Valiana goaded, and Naruto complied with her request.

Both Naruto's Mangekyou eyes spun, and it was only then that he was able to stand up. And it was then that he invoked the name of the Mangekou's most powerful technique:

"Susanoo!" Naruto shouted, as ethereal flames wrapped around his body. They coiled around his figure, and coating him in a deep black everglow… the same color of his Amaterasu.

A skeletal rib cage formed around his body.

Forming a magic circle within his skeletal cocoon, he breathed in deeply, as he exhaled a large fireball, one larger than any others he had launched at her before.

The fire morphed into a large dragon, 'Fire style: Dragon fire technique,' he named.

As Vali dodged the technique within the air, staring straight as his new form.

"So, that's what you've been hiding, how many other things have you been keeping from me?" Vali growled, angered at the fact that Naruto was able to so easily counter her powerful technique, and perhaps something more.

Vali charged, from what she gathered, Naruto couldn't move very well while performing this technique. She hoped this would allow her to finally get to lay a finger on him.

Charging forward, she dragged him through the air in a blaze of light, making swift turns as she did so.

[Divide. Divide. Divide.] Albion called out, trying to cut the magic within the technique in half, but it was no use, her sacred gear wasn't working. Deciding to try and break his shell, she let go of his form and cast him down towards the ground, forming a huge crater as he struck the floor.

She watched from the sky as he got off the floor, wiping imaginary dust off his shoulders as he did so. "Valiana! You've done well, but you can't defeat me with my susanoo active, give up! Please," he tried to reason with her once again.

This was the pinnacle of Mangekyou techniques, it served as both offense and defense, labeled the 'ultimate doujutsu technique' within his clan.

"Oh really, it seems your technique is falling short!" Vali remarked.

And she was right, there were small cracks and patches missing from his susanoo. While Vali's attempts at dividing his power proved unsuccessful, it seems that they managed to do something else. His susanoo protecting Vali from dividing his own power, it seemed she was able to scrape off some of the magic he had been channeling to his technique. And that, along with the added blows she performed on him, had allowed her to crack his susanoo slightly.

He couldn't beat her this way, he needed to take this up a notch. His eyes spun once again, this time, his skeletal rib-cage healed itself. But it wasn't only that, skeletal-like arms formed on each of his sides. As the rib-cage's spine expanded, a skull formed above him, with golden eyes peeking out of the darkness stared out at the Vanishing dragon.

Internally, Naruto's whole body screamed out in pain. While this defensive technique allowed protection from Valiana's devastating technique, it was at the cost of damaging his body. It was something that he used sparingly, and not something he could perform with such little magical energy. It was then he realized just how much of his magic he had expelled, as well as just how much Vali had siphoned off of him.

And for some reason, his eyes stung, but he ignored the feeling.

"Give up, you can't pierce my armor," Naruto told her confidently.

But Vali only seemed to get more angry, her jewel-like eyes blazing in rage.

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" She cried out, he anger rising. "You're always so good, so righteous, even if you don't know it. Can't you see that it drives me crazy that someone like you would be so hung up on me? It drives me mad? Mad that I… I..." Vali cut herself off, as she clutched her head in pain.

Looking back up, she stared at high robotically, as she held her hand out in front of her body.

A dark lance formed in front of her, one much larger than any she had formed before. As she channeled nearly all of her accumulated magical power into her attack.

Naruto gazed far off at her figure. He felt as if he could see her, far better than he had in a long time. Her eyes, what were once both sapphire and silver, were now blazing blue gems so filled with anger and rage it shocked him, but there was something else. Some emotion that he couldn't quite place.

Just what had happened to them?

What had caused them to turn out like this?

Deep down, he knew the reason, but he refused to accept this.

It was all his fault.

But he knew he could change things, he would, or he would die trying. All his efforts, all his plans, everything he had built his life up to this point was wrong if he couldn't

As she prepared to fire her last attack, Naruto prepared for their final clash.

His skeletal susanoo formed an ethereal blade within its grasp, one made of pure black flames shooting out of an ordinary sake bottle. He ok channeled as much magic as he could into his blade.

Valiana shot her attack off, a vile darkness.

Just as Naruto slashed forward, shooting an encompassing eclipse.

Their attacks met… and a bright light followed.

XXX

A knock came at the door, causing Vali to turn her head abruptly to the sound. It wasn't soon after that the entrance opened, and the blonde boy she had met earlier revealed himself, carrying a small tray of food.

"Sorry for the wait," he apologized, as he brought the food tray towards her. "I hope this is up to your standards," he said, getting close enough that she could catch a whiff of the delectable smells.

And Valiana's mouth watered, not bothering to wait for him to place the tray down, she swiped it from his hands and scarfed it down.

It was good, better than most of the stuff she had been given at the Lucifer mansion. But in all honesty, with how hungry she was, it could have tasted terrible and she still would have eaten it.

Looking back up at her company, she at least had the decency to be embarrassed by her actions. She had at least been taught manners as a servant.

"Sorry," she said bashfully, still having her face filled with food.

Naruto shook his head, "No, it's alright. You must've been very hungry." He told her politely, as he changed the subject.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any clothing for girls your age," he said, as he saw the rags she was currently wearing. "If you know what size you are, I can go run by the store in the village nearby and get you some," he told her, as he made to head towards the door, preparing to leave.

[Vali!] Albion's voice roared in her head, causing her to clutch her hair in pin at the slight headache his voice caused her.

'What is it?' Valiana asked.

[You should ask to go with him, this could be a good opportunity to escape from the Indra] Albion told her.

'Escape?' Vali said in confusion. 'I get that father could still come after me, but we just got here. This boy doesn't seem so bad. Don't you think we should rest for at least a few days?' She asked.

[No, I'm certain this boy is dangerous, it's best if you leave now] the dragon said, he hadn't been sure of it before but now, he felt like his senses were on overdrive.

Telling him to get Vali away.

Valiana hesitated, but she trusted Albion's input enough for her to listen to him.

"Wait!" Vali said, rising to her feet off the bed.

However, her body refused to answer, as she collapsed to the floor in shock.

Or she would have, had Naruto not crossed the distance first and caught her.

'Fast.' Vali thought. Maybe Albion was as right about this boy, he wasn't what he seemed.

"Are you alright," Naruto asked, steadying her to her feet.

"I… yeah, I am." She said, trying to catch her breath. "I don't know my measurements, can I go with you" she pleaded, throwing in a lie to help her case.

Naruto looked her in the eye, squinting, trying to ascertain her true motivations.

"…please?" She pleaded once again, turning away and not meeting him in the eye.

"Alright," he told her nodding, "we can go."

he wondered how this would play out.

XXX

The hidden village was certainly not something she expected. It stood smaller than most of the devil cities she had heard of, and yet it had quite an appeal to it. Its architecture was like a mix between the modern human world and some of the pictures she had seen of old Japanese architecture.

All the people stood smiling, and it honestly reminded her of a sunrise.

The company she had wasn't awful, and he hadn't given her any reason to be wary of him, like Albion had said. And yet, she hadn't learned his name, he had been mostly quiet throughout the entire trip, not that she minded.

No, she hadn't wanted to learn his name, because if she were to leave it wouldn't matter. The black-haired boy seemed to respect it.

He wasn't a terrible companion, he mostly kept to himself. He seemed to be well off, not complaining in the slightest whenever he had to pay for an entire new wardrobe for her.

Her new wardrobe, this boy had bought her something so large for no particular reason whatsoever. She couldn't fathom it. Sure, her mother had snuck things in for her whenever she could. But the stuff she snuck in was done sparingly, and she had never been given so much.

He had sealed the clothes in a scroll, a scroll which he had trusted her enough to have given her. Showcasing that he wasn't hopeless when it came to their presumed Devil abilities. But then again, there was that time he had caught her.

Most devils were low class, but they were only as strong as the common human athlete. So no ordinary devil could move that fast.

She had seen this boy's home, and he seemed moderately well off, if a bit normal in appearance. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. But there was no other sign of life, save for a sleeping pet-fox, that she had seen.

She honestly felt bad. Albion had suggested she'd wait until the day was over, at least then she would be able to get a new set of clothes out of the interaction. Plus, they were hoping the boy would be at least mentally or at least physically exhausted enough to allow for a chance for her to escape.

She had initially agreed to Albion's suggestion, but now she wasn't so sure.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she only barely noticed the approaching figure, as she ran face-first into the back of the dark-haired boy she had been trailing.

"Hey, is that you Shikamaru?" Naruto said, stopping in his tracks. Not faltering in the slightest when his white haired companion ran into him.

Readjusting her eyes, she met the person her companion was talking to.

He was a lazy looking boy, about the same age as her companion. He wore a loose long-sleeved shirt, with a pair of khaki shorts, with his dark hair tied into a spiky loose-ponytail that honestly resembled a pineapple.

"Huh? Oh, it's you," the now-named 'Shikamaru' drawled, his voice leaking out how tired he was.

"Yeah, it's me. Did your mother kick you out again?" Naruto asked.

"Of course she did, the troublesome-woman said I needed 'more sun'." Shikamaru complained. "So anyways, do you have time to for a game?" He ask.

[Vali] Albion's voice suddenly reverberated in Valiana's head, surprising her a little.

'Albion, what is it?' Vali asked.

[You got what you came for, and now is the perfect chance to run off, while the Indra is distracted] Albion told her.

He was right, it had been hours since they had left, he was sure to be tired. Plus, he seemed to be close to this boy.

He was sure to go off with him, leaving her alone. Him helping her was likely a fluke, she knew he was sure to get bored with her soon enough, just like the many others had done before.

So why shouldn't she run off now? She asked herself.

Yeah, he will soon forget about her anyways, nobody else would help her, so she needed to help herself. She—

"No, I can't right now, I have to look after her for right now," Naruto told Shikamaru, motioning to the silver haired girl next to him.

What? What did he mean by that? Was he not going to abandon her?

"Yeah, I figured," Shikamaru sighed, "so, what's with the girl anyways? I didn't know you had a sister." He asked, slightly curious about the subject.

"Huh?" Naruto said in confusion, before recalling what he meant. "Oh, she's the daughter of a friend of Hiruzen-sensei, she needed somewhere to stay while she's here, so I offered to house her. So she'll be staying with me for a while," Naruto fabricated a believable enough story.

Shikamaru stared at him, trying to ascertain the truth in his statement.

"Troublesome," he sighed, "well, I guess I'll be off, see if Choji is up for something," Shikamaru said, taking his leave.

While Vali was engrossed in her thoughts, thinking upon Naruto's words. He said she 'will be staying with him for a while.' Did that mean he wasn't going to abandon her?

"Who was that boy?" She asked.

"Huh, Shikamaru? He's just some guy I met at the park, I usually play shogi with him since he's an awfully good player," he said offhandedly, as he walked off, expecting the silver haired girl to follow him once again. He only walked a few steps before he called out to her.

"Hey, are you coming?" He asked.

"Huh?" Vali asked, staring at him in confusion.

"It's late, we might as well get something to eat while we're here," Naruto reason, motioning to the setting Sun above them

Had they really been together this long? She couldn't believe it, that she spent so long with this boy, and that the boy wanted to spend this long with her.

She was so lost in that thought, she forgot all about using the opportunity to leave.

XXX

Vali found a delicious scent, and Naruto followed. The delectable smell led them towards a small ramen stand in the middle of town.

"Ichiraku Ramen," Naruto read aloud, as the girl got too excited and ran straight into the stand, not bothering to wait for him. A small smile graced his lips as he slowly followed suit, spotting a young brown haired woman, likely a worker, dressed as a waitress and standing at the front desk. No other customers seemed to be sitting within the restaurant.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's, home to the best ramen in the underworld," the woman greeted. "My name is Ayame, I'm sorry to say that my father isn't here at the moment, but I hope that the food will be up to our usual standards." She informed.

"Are you with the girl?" The now named Ayame asked, to which he nodded.

As Naruto then spotted the silver haired girl had already been sitting down with a menu within her hands. Her being so engrossed in the many options to be able to notice he was even there.

"Alright, would you want me to take your orders now or wait until—" Ayame started, before she was interrupted.

"I'll have the pork ramen," Vali told the waitress, as she pointed to the aforementioned meal on the menu.

"I guess I'll take a miso ramen," Naruto said, choosing to go with his usual go to and his favorite ramen, as he sat down in a seat next to the silver haired girl.

They sat in an awkward silence, one only filled by Albion's remarks within Vali's mind. [Valiana, what are you still doing with him? I thought we had planned to leave long ago.]

'But—but there's ramen,' Valiana whined within her mind, the smell of her favorite dish permeating throughout the air, clouding her mind and not allowing her to think of anything else.

The Vanishing Dragon sighed, not understanding his newest host's fixation with such a dish.

It didn't take long for the brown haired older girl to return with their prepared meals. "Alrighty, one Miso and one Pork ramen, I hope it's up to our usual standard," she said as she placed down the bowls of soups.

Vali's mouth watered, reaching for the meal. Even Naruto had to admit that it smelled good, he could only imagine how such a dish would taste.

A voice brought him out of his thoughts, as he turned to see their brown haired waitress. "Hey, since it's your first time coming here, why don't I say that these first bowls are on the house?" She suggested, as she gave him a small wink, "just don't tell my father," Ayame teased, as she then went towards the back to prepare for more customers that would later come inside.

Naruto tentatively reached towards his spoon, using it to gently pick up some of the broth as he slowly went to take a small taste. The soup was hot, but not overbearingly so that it would burn somebody's mouth.

Admittedly, it had been some time since he had tasted ramen, longer than he thought. Remembering the last time he had eaten it brought back poor memories, memories of…

He tried shaking his head from those thoughts, as he brought the broth to his mouth. In nearly an instant, he was sucked up in a world of his own making.

Suddenly, the surrounding area changed… he was back in the Uzumaki mansion. His mother was there, shaking her fist in indignation, as a fearful chuckle left his father's lip. Kakashi was there too, as well as a few of his red-haired cousins. Each and every one of them was happy, and each and every one of them had a smiled marring their faces.

He was home.

His breath hitched, his mother gazing upon him with those familiar warm violet eyes.

The sound of sniffling brought him out of his thoughts.

"Mother…" Vali said in sadness, her own visions showing her an image of something else entirely.

A dark tendril rolled off of her small form. As Naruto could sense her magic energies spiraling out of control. Darkens energy spiraled around her.

[Vali! You must—] Albion tried to snap her out of her trance, to no avail, as she could not hear him.

"Mom… I-I, I'm so sorry… why did you… go away?" Valiana apologized, pleading aloud, but she was in her own little world. Naruto panicked, not knowing what to do in such a situation.

A small part of him empathized with the girl, but the main part of him was worrying about the bout of destruction this girl could unleash .

He froze, but as he sensed her magic spike, he made a hastened decision. Quickly getting close to her, he forcefully turned her body to face him, her silver eyes meeting his red and spinning black. Forcing her into a blissful sleep as her whole body went limp.

He shouted his thanks for the meal, as he quickly carried the girl's form out of the restaurant.

XXX

(Present)

The resulting explosion shook the pocket dimension. They both had put everything they had within that attack. And the resulting explosion sent Vali flying through the air and plummeting to the ground.

But although she had a few cuts and bruises, she was mostly fine… Naruto had taken the brunt of the attack.

She quickly rushed over to Naruto's previous position, and there was a large crater that their attack had formed. With no sign of Naruto, that was, until the dust cleared…

"Naruto!" She rushed to his side, sliding down the slope of the large hole they had formed. Before she stopped, doubt seeped into her mind. After all, she had been the one to put him in such a sorry state.

There he stood, in the center of all the destruction. His clothing was ragged, with many holes cut throughout his body. Blood marred his skin, his healing factor wasn't working, he had just expelled too much of his to be able to sustain it.

He turned to her, as red eyes met restored silvery-blue. She didn't see any hate, or disappointment, within his gaze. He just smiled towards her, his eyes forming a set of slits as he tilted his head ever so slightly.

"It's good to see you again," he told her, as if it were the first time he hadn't seen her in years, although in many ways, it was.

Vali held her head low, her hair shadowing her eyes, "Why?" She asked lowly.

"Why what?" He asked in confusion.

And it was then that Vali raised her head, showing her face to him, as tears fully welled up within her eyes.

"… Why would you just take it? Take everything!" She yelled. "You shouldn't have tried to block it, you should've tried to run away, or targeted me before I prepared my attack. Or… or—" a faint chuckle interrupted her ramblings.

"I already told you," he said as he got close to her. Staring straight into her blue and silver speckled eyes. Honestly, he loved seeing them.

"You and I are each other's family. If I didn't block the attack, it was possible that it could have backfired on you. It's only natural that I'd want to protect you," He reasoned.

It was then that Naruto could see a set of tears rushing down her porcelain skin.

"Idiot…" she called him, as she tried to wipe away the tears falling down her face, and yet as hard as she tried, even more followed. "After all I… I've hurt you so much, and it's much fault that—" her tirade was ended when she saw Naruto cough into his hand.

Blood covered his fist, as it was then that the blonde collapsed to the ground. Or he would have, had Vali not rushed to his side and caught him.

"Damn it, I can't let it happen now," she heard him whisper under his breath. And she didn't think he'd intended for her to hear it, though.

She saw his sharingan flickering, changing designs in its entirety. And she could tell that he was trying to stop whatever was happening.

Until he closed his eyelids, as blood rushed out of his left eye. It wasn't long after that his world was engulfed in darkness

Although a few worried screams echoed words through his mind.

"Naruto?" Vali screamed, "… Naruto!"

XXX

She couldn't believe it… her mother was dead.

She had known such a fact, but up until that point it had not registered within her mind.

Vali saw images of her mother, from a time when her mother had brought her favorite meal within her bedroom. She looked like her mother, talked like her mother, but somewhere she knew… it wasn't real.

Her mother was dead, her mother had left her, leaving her completely alone. Even Albion's voice had gone silent.

Her magic spiked, tendrils of uncontrolled dark energy coalesced around her, her distress causing her magic reserves to fluctuate out of control.

Quivering hands wrapped around her, as it was then that she brought her face up. It was that boy again, the one who had found her. He looked like he was in pain, as it was then that she noticed her magic was rolling off of her, ripping up his clothing as his skin melded itself back together quickly.

As a wave of dark energy hit him, she noticed his hair began to change, from a midnight black to a sun-kissed blonde. And honestly, she thought the color suited him much better.

"Who… who are you?" She asked quietly, not knowing why someone would go so far for her.

The boy seemed to hesitate for only a minute, before his face etched into a resolved expression, "my name, is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," he told her.

Vali turned away for only an instant, but for some reason she felt as if she could relate to this boy, as if something within her demanded she get close to him.

"I'm...V-Valiana, Valiana Lucifer," she told him, introducing herself, and slightly worried as to what the boy's reaction would be. She felt she couldn't lie to him, after all, he had already been so kind to her.

Naruto noted her name for only a second, not caring in the slightest about her ancestry at the moment. Something within him told him, that she could understand him, that she knew the same pain as him.

"Well, Vali, I can tell you've lost someone, just as I have, how you would you like to be each other's family from now on?" He asked.

And it took some effort, but he'd managed to form a true smile across his face, trying to calm her slightly as his eyes formed slights.

Vali's heart fluttered, for reasons she didn't know why. But as tears poured at the corners of her eyes, she said, "yeah… I'd like that," she told him.

No other words needed to be said. But she did end up grieving her mother's death, Naruto's shoulders proving her comfort as she cried upon his shirt.

It was only hours later that she noticed she was in the same room that she had woken up in previously, Naruto's house.

No!… it was their home.

XXX

"Well, it was certainly unexpected," the fox remarked.

"Indeed," Hiruzen replied, as they both watch a recording of the scene play in front of them, something the fox had taken.

"But it is good for the boy, he's been needing some connection to help tether him" the old man told the fox, as the canine nodded.

Naruto Uzumaki was a flawed boy, who had experienced a great deal of burdens in his life, more than most. He had watched his entire clan, his entire family, die off in a single day right in front of him, leaving him the only survivor.

And although the reason was still unknown to them, they both could tell that he blamed himself for their deaths.

The had tried to help him with his sorrow, but even then the process was slow.

And in addition to the mission he went on about a year ago, they could tell it was son that reawakened his trauma. He had nearly closed himself off, and had it not been for the persistence of both him and Kurama it would likely have been for good.

He foresaw a deep darkness within the boy, one that almost reminded him of his twisted student in many ways. If he continued down that path, there would be no stopping him.

But there was also an intense love, one that had the capacity to connect himself to others. Sadly, his heart was still closed off, something they had only barely made progress on in their time together.

"I'll go tell the toad to give Naruto a bit of break from missions for a while, give Naruto some time to bond with the girl a little," he fox told him, and the old man nodded.

This girl was different.

From what they could tell, this girl had a similar past to his own. It would help them both connect and understand each other better. And he hoped they would eventually find solace in one another.

Especially with what he suspected was to come

The young Uzumaki had a long journey ahead of him. Naruto needed people around him to help him carry his burden.

End Chapter.