The Youkai King

II

“You are not very good at this, are you?”

Amaterasu sighed, it was more complicated than she thought. The person before her had the aura of a savior… and his power? She had never seen any human possess such tremendous power; he was easily a lot stronger than her. As for his personality… it was not bad, but it was not what she expected from someone like him.

“I mean no disrespect, but right now, I am supposed to be heading toward the afterlife, y’know. I am supposed to reunite with my friends, my parents, my brother,” His facial features softened, “my wife.”

Then he looked at her, and although he was smiling, Amaterasu could see that the smile did not reach his eyes, “You are asking me to throw away all of that and come to your universe. To fight and lead people I do not know or have never met. Although I understand your distress, I have no reason to make such a sacrifice.”

Amaterasu wanted to rub her forehead. She knew how ridiculous her plea sounded, but she was out of options. The recent civil war of the devil factions had little effect on other large factions. Unfortunately, she could not say the same about ‘The Youkai Faction’. Many of the youkai were either forced or enticed to participate in their war. And many of them did not come back. With the way things were going, the youkai faction would not survive for too long.

Fortunately, the old youkai leader on his deathbed had a ‘Divine Revelation’; ‘A Hero not of their world’ could save them, both ‘The Youkai Faction’ and ‘The Shinto Faction’.

“You are right; I am not good at this.” Amaterasu decided to try another approach. There was no reason to play the word game with the person she sought help from. And from the looks of it, it seemed that he was not expecting this kind of reply. Regardless she continued, “I am not going to repeat how bad our situation is. I have already shown you. And you know it is the truth since I cannot lie here. So, I will tell you what we will give you for your sacrifice, as you have put it, and what you can achieve in our universe.”

“First,” She raised her index finger, “When you reincarnate, I will make sure that you receive the treatment of a king and powerful blessings from us right from the start. I know that you are not the type of person who cares about it, but I… we will ensure that you receive all the support you need, no matter how insignificant it is, from the beginning to the end. As for the so-called end, you can leave our universe whenever you desire. But I want to be clear on this: the gate we have created to come here will be out of power after I return. And as I have shown you, it may take some time to power it up, but it is not impossible as long as the core fragments are not damaged.”

He said nothing, so she continued, “Second, I will try my best so that a few of your precious loved ones can be reborn in our universe.” That was the first time she saw him getting outright surprised, “But I will tell you this upfront. I may only be able to get two or three people to be reborn in our universe, other than you, of course. And yes, the first point also applies to them.”

Amaterasu raised her ring finger, “Last but not least, the opportunities in our universe are endless. This is fully up to you, but if you become strong enough, you can jump through all the universes and come here to meet your friends and families without the help of the gate. But I have no hand in this; it is all on you.”

He was quiet. Occasionally, he would scratch his chin. Amaterasu was fine with this since it showed that at least he was thinking about the offer.

Finally, he spoke, “You are quite generous with your offers.”

“Considering our circumstances, this is the least I can do.” Amaterasu chuckled.

“Fine, you got my attention. But I want to confirm a few things before giving my final decision.” His voice was neutral.

“Of course,” Amaterasu nodded at that.

“First, you used the term ‘Reincarnate’ for me but ‘Rebirth’ for others. May I know if there is any difference?”

It seemed that he was far sharper and brighter than she thought. With a smile, she answered, “Reincarnate means that you will be born with all the memories from this life intact. In simpler terms, reincarnation means that your soul will change bodies. You will have all your knowledge, memories, and skills, everything spiritual. And in ‘Rebirth’, the soul will be reborn again. In a way, it is a whole new start for that individual.”

Seeing him raising an eyebrow, Amaterasu decided to explain it a bit further, knowing what bothered him, “Best if I say through an example. Let’s say your wife went through ‘Rebirth’. She will still be the same kind and gentle person since that is one of her core characteristics. But depending on how she will grow up and how she will handle the events occurring around her… she may become more forward. Who knows, she may become slightly mischievous … maybe even a bit adventurous.”

Both his eyebrows shot up.

“And she might become more endowed than her previous self.”

He frowned now, but his lips kept twitching, “Now that’s bullshit. Except for Tsunade baa-chan, no one came close to Hinata in terms of assets.”

Amaterasu openly laughed, “You will see for yourself if I am right or wrong. I wish I could also reincarnate them, but I do not have that much power to spare. But like you, she will regain her previous memories if she becomes strong enough. And as I said before, it is all up to the individual in these circumstances.”

He shook his head slightly, for what reason she didn’t know, “That’s… That’s nice to know.” Then he relaxed again, “You said I will be given royalty treatment. I am not the type who bothers about these, but I do appreciate your concern. What I want to know is how much will I be monitored?”

Amaterasu expected the question but not in this manner. It seemed he was covering all the delicate parts through a blunt approach.

“You will not be monitored at all. I, and other major Shinto gods and goddesses, will ask you to perform some tasks. And at the end, we will see the result, not the process.” Amaterasu answered truthfully.

Seeing the doubtful look, Amaterasu elaborated, “If we ask you to protect our people, we do not care how you do it as long as you get the job done. You can slaughter all the enemies, strengthen the defenses, or use your charm to make the enemies join you; in the end, it is all up to you.”

“Awesome,” He nodded his head. Suddenly he stopped and looked straight at her, “What if I don’t like certain tasks?”

This, she was expecting, “Instead of outright telling ‘No’ to our face, I would appreciate it if you are diplomatic about it. And just to be clear, you are our ‘Partner’ not ‘Servant’.”

“Noted,” He replied with a wide grin.

“Anything else?” Amaterasu asked.

“Two more questions,” He immediately reacted, “First is, you indicated that I can become as strong as you, a goddess. Just how powerful I can be?”

“Honestly, I do not know.” Amaterasu sighed, “I will be direct here. You are already stronger than me right now. And I can say for certain that you will only grow stronger. You may even become powerful enough to go toe to toe with some of the top Gods in our universe. The possibility is low but it is there, yes.”

“Whoa~ That was not what I had in my mind.” He actually faltered at the answer.

“That is why I approached you. Someone who would, not for a single moment, go astray no matter how powerful they become. Unlike that brother of yours.” Amaterasu snorted at the end.

“Hey, Sasuke is a good guy; he just had a very rough childhood.” He defended his friend just as she had expected.

Seeing her blank stare, he grumbled, “Fine, let’s change the topic. So, my final question is how will you reincarnate me?”

Another question she expected beforehand. So the answer came quickly, “If you agree, then I will take your soul to our universe. There I will see which youkai body has the best compatibility with your soul. After some modification, I will insert your soul into the body. It will take weeks or months for your soul to adjust properly to the new body. After that is done, all that will be left is for you to get used to your new body.”

“Youkai? Not human?” He asked.

Amaterasu was glad he did not take it that badly, “Unfortunately, there are some complications that will make it risky for me to insert your soul into a real human body. The fault is not from our side, mind you. But on the bright side, you can easily live up to hundreds of years as a youkai.”

“That’s… good to know,” He nodded slightly, “And what about this body modification?”

“Ah~ That one?” Amaterasu grinned, “I was thinking of taking a soul-sample or two from this universe,” Seeing his blank stare, she elaborated, “Soul-sample is something like DNA but in spiritual form. Then combine those with the youkai body to create the perfect vessel for you.”

His fox-like grin stretched from ear to ear, something which she took as a positive sign.

“So? Do we have a deal?” Amaterasu asked, her tone was delighted. She could not help it. He did not answer for some time and refrained from eye contact. She knew he was thinking, but the silence was too intense for her.

Finally, he looked at her.

He made a fist with one hand and held it before her.

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X

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The Underworld

Politics,

It was one of the main reasons Ajuka did not want to take the ‘Lucifer’ title. He would rather be doing something productive than coordinating a council meeting. Unfortunately, with Sirzechs incapacitated, he had to hold the line.

Currently, he along with the remaining two Satans were listening to the bickering of the clan heads.

He leaned back on his chair and watched as Serafall and Falbium were trying desperately to calm down the clan heads. Occasionally, rude comments were thrown at them, but they took them calmly. Usually, Serafall would have retorted back just as harshly and Falbium would not even care, but Ajuka guessed they were feeling guilty for not being at the Stadium today.

But he knew. He knew that it would not have mattered anyway.

“Ajuka! You should gather a small platoon of strong devils and raid Kyoto!”

Ajuka blinked. He turned to look at the devil who addressed him.

“Lord Agares, are you talking to me?” He ensured that his tone hinted that the old devil was going out of his line. But it seemed that his hint had not gotten through.

“Are you even listening to us?!”

This time Lord Barbatos shouted. It was not just him; most of the Lords were quite furious with the situation. And who wouldn’t be? A single youkai came out of nowhere and destroyed their power standing in the supernatural world… in mere minutes. And through some twisted logic, the devil clan heads blamed this disaster on the young Satans.

Ajuka’s lips twitched, just for a brief moment. Then he let out his power. This was not the first time a Satan would release their power to take back control of the council. But there was a slight difference this time. Unlike Sirzechs or his other friends, Ajuka did not filter his power. After all, he was in no mood to play the politics game. The hall immediately became deathly quiet.

“Are you sure it is a good idea to take that kind of tone with me, a Satan?” Ajuka let out a humorless chuckle, “According to the law, which all of you agreed on if Sirzechs is incapacitated, I have to take over the lead. Since it has never happened, I should get this out of the way. I am not Sirzechs. I will handle the situations differently from Sirzechs.” Then his gaze went over all the heads, most of whom had difficulty breathing. Serafall and Falbium were fine, somewhat, but they were mostly surprised.

“Lord Beelzebub, I think this is enough.”

Ajuka gave a sideway glance to Zekram Bael. He was also one of the few not significantly affected by his power. But he could still see the sweat glistening on the old Bael’s forehead.

The tone sounded humble, but Ajuka knew it had power behind it. Unlike theirs, pure raw power, the old Bael’s power came from his wisdom and shrewdness. Regardless, Ajuka backed down. The situation was already out of their control, no need to add more fire to it.

Ajuka waited for everyone to compose themselves. It took a minute or two for everyone to get back on their feet, figuratively speaking. But no one started any more commotion. Receiving a nod of acknowledgment from his fellow Satans, he began, “Now that I have your undivided attention. I want to discuss one fact before going to the main point.” He discarded the murmurs of disagreement and continued, “We had an agreement with the Youkai faction five years ago. A simple non-aggression pact and acknowledgment of the lands belonging to the three youkai clans. The Nekoshou, The Kuro Oni, and the Arachne. The reason they are… were staying in the Underworld was because they were born here. The only changes in the contract were made one year ago. It was to update the clauses since the Arachne clan packed up and left. They even gave us most of their land. I think it was done with good intentions. And how did we repay that good intention?”

“We all agree that ‘The Nekoshou Incident’ was a blunder on our part. But this is not the time to point fingers,” Zekram stood up for the devils once again.

Ajuka sighed and looked at Zekram straight in the eyes, “Unfortunately, I have to disagree on that strongly, Lord Zekram Bael,” Not waiting for his retort, Ajuka turned away, “I know all of you are angry, but not more so than Lord Gremory and me. After all, because of the sheer stupidity of some devils, my best friend, his eldest, is now in a coma.”

“So, you want us to apologize?” Zekram asked. His voice did not have a prideful tone but a subtle challenging one. After all, it was impossible for the four Satans to ask of that from the general devil populace.

It started as a slight chuckle but soon turned into full-blown laughter. Ajuka could not help it. He knew he was scaring the shit out of all the clan heads, but it was just so ridiculous… the ignorance. When his laughter was under control, he looked at all the Lords. It was subtle, but most clan heads had wary expressions.

He stood up, and everyone flinched.

“It seems not a single of you understands the true depth of the situation. Although in the ‘Contract’ we were given some leeway, it was stated there, over and over again, that not a single youkai should be harmed or face injustice. They even stated, which we agreed on, that in the worst-case scenario, we are only allowed to barricade their clan home, nothing more. In that scenario, the leaders of the youkai faction would reach out to us directly to settle the matter as peacefully as possible.” Then Ajuka turned to Zekram, “You have seen him today, talked to him, saw what he did. Do you really think he wants an apology after what the devils did?”

If Ajuka was not looking at Zekram intently, he would have missed the old Bael’s surprised look. But it came and went so fast that he was sure no one else saw it.

“What do they want then?” Lord Gremory spoke up. He was the quietest among the clan heads today. It was understandable. Since this was the first time Lord Gremory had seen his son like this, not even in the civil war did Sirzechs ever lose this badly.

“As I stated before, I am quite furious. I want to go to Kyoto and kill that bastard for what he did to my friend who had nothing to do with this incident… consequences be damned.” Ajuka’s gaze sharpened, and his body trembled momentarily as he remembered that scene once again.

“But it’s not that simple, is it?”

It seemed that Zekram was finally starting to see how bad the situation was. But still, to Ajuka, the old Bael barely uncovered the surface.

“With all the information I have so far, I was able to come up with around two hundred different scenarios. In two-thirds of those scenarios, this incident blows out of proportion and turns into a full-scale war. And at best, the final outcome of this conflict is, from all those scenarios regardless if it turns to war or not, both factions come to a tie with minimum losses on both sides.” Ajuka stopped just for a second. It was not for a dramatic reason. He stopped because even he knew how ridiculous it sounded when the words came to his mind. But that was the cruel truth.

With a heavy sigh, Ajuka finished, “And at worst, we, the devil faction, will face extinction.”

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in. And when the clan heads finally emerged from their stupor, the hall erupted in chaos.

Ajuka thought of using his previous method of taking back control. But one devil beat him to it.

Zekram only stood up, and most of the devils quieted down, not entirely as they were murmuring among themselves. But this alone shows how much authority and respect he possessed. He did not turn to face other Lords, just looked at Ajuka wearily, “As much as I would love to call it bullshit, I know just how good you are at predicting future events. So, can you tell us how and why you think these youkais can win against us?”

Politics and convincing devils were not Ajuka’s forte. But explaining was. So, he was glad that Zekram was controlling and steering the crowd in a way where it would be easier for him to do so. Ajuka started, all the while rubbing the bridge of his nose, “Seeing that this Naruto has defeated Sirzechs, we can clearly say that powerful individual-wise, the youkai faction gets the first point.”

Quite a few Lords wanted to argue, but one look for Ajuka and Zekram stopped them.

“I know what you are going to say. It was a fluke, a trap at best. But let me remind you that Sirzechs is not a novice fighter. He earned the title ‘Lucifer’. He earned that title after defeating the descendants of the original Satans. He would not fall for something cheap, and not like that. So, if this youkai defeated Sirzechs purely based on traps, then he is far better than me and Falbium combined, as a strategist. And if he had defeated him in a straight fight, then he may be someone who reached ‘The Top Ten’, very recently, I presume. Unfortunately, the one who can tell about him the best is Sirzechs. So until he wakes up, all I can do is to make assumptions.”

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The moment Ajuka was done, he immediately raised his hand to stop the protests from arising. He released a long breath and continued soon after, “Now, all of you are going to argue that it is just a single individual. You would say that I, along with Serafall and Falbium can take him out, maybe we can. But there are several problems there. First, we do not know if the Youkai faction has any stronger individuals. The only other powerful youkai that we know of is Yasaka, who may be able to go toe to toe with Falbium or Serafall if she empowers herself by taking energy from the leyline. Do they have any more individuals? That we do not know. Second, their youkai king delivered the first blow swiftly and strategically, putting us in a terrible position. If we, even a single Satan, go out in the human world and pick a fight, it will surely put the whole devil faction in the spotlight, not in a good way.”

Ajuka stopped to take another break. He was glad that many of the Lords had a thinking face. But some fully understood where he was going as their face had gone pale. Taking another deep breath, he said, “Lastly would be ‘The Youkai Faction’ as a whole. From what we know, Yasaka married this Naruto Ōtsutsuki ten years ago out of the blue. Then the Youkai faction went through some changes. We thought it was just some subtle changes, but the clues were there. It became tough for the devils to locate any youkai villages or clans. Even most of the clans that were here in the Underworld moved away. So, if I am not wrong, Naruto has united all the Youkai clans, regardless of their sizes and locations. And it is safe to assume that, by now, he also created a strong military to serve him. Some of you might argue that their military is no match against ours in terms of pure number and power. But let me remind you why ‘The Nekoshou Incident’ started in the first place. Some of the youkai clans had techniques that far surpassed ours. So, if Naruto militarized these clans, our soldiers will have a hard time against them.”

By the time he was finished, the hall had become very quiet. Some pictured the whole scenario and became nervous, and some were still processing the idea that there was a chance that the devils would lose against the youkai faction, a faction that they thought was small and insignificant.

“Will it not be better to strike first, like a covert operation? I mean, we know they are in Kyoto, right?” Lord Phenex stated.

“Do we?” Ajuka let out a tired chuckle, “If you did not notice, in the contract they stated themselves as ‘The Youkai Faction’ instead of ‘The Kyoto Youkai Faction’ like before. There is no concrete proof, but I am sure Naruto had moved their main base.”

“How can you be sure?” Lord Sitri asked.

“Because I would have done it.”

Silence reigned once again. A few minutes passed, but no one uttered any words; even Serafall and Falibium became speechless.

Finally, Zekram spoke up.

“So, what do you suggest we do?”

Ajuka did not answer immediately. He just maintained eye contact with Zekram for a few seconds. Then he looked up and let out a heavy sigh,

“We prepare for war but hope it does not come to it.”

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X

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The Avalon Kingdom

“Naruto.”

“Lord Naruto.”

“Naruto-kun.”

The gentle touch on his shoulder broke him from his trance. Naruto looked around to see the concerned faces staring back at him. With a sigh, he lightly tapped the hand on his shoulder, “Are those two girls fine?”

She smiled, “They are fine. The little one may need additional treatments, but they will get back on their feet in no time.” Naruto knew he had already asked this question more than ten times. And each time, she would answer it in full and in a tender tone, without a slight hint of any irritation.

“That’s good.”

“Lord Naruto,” He turned toward the voice, “This is a dark time for us. And we need you more than anything. So, please, do not blame yourselves for what happened to the Nekoshou clan.”

“August, even if you say that, the fact remains that I have to shoulder those deaths. I should have tried harder to bring them back instead of making that agreement.” Naruto leaned on his chair. Yasaka’s gentle touch on his hair was helping more than he thought. He knew he should ask her to take her seat in this formal meeting rather than staying beside him and babysitting him. But he badly needed this, and everyone in the room knew it.

“You gave the devils a chance. You wanted to see the best of them.” August added quietly.

“And the Nekoshou clan paid the price,” Naruto replied, he could not help but let out a mocking smile, “They paid the price with their lives because of my naivety.”

“It’s not your naivety,” Her voice calmed him down again, “This is who you are. You always look for the best in people. You always see beyond their races and labels.” He wanted to argue, but she put a finger on his lips and continued with a gentle smile, “And because of that, because of you, this is where we are... a miracle even by Gods’ standard.” When Naruto looked down, she used the same finger to lightly bring his gaze back up again, “I know that this is a tragedy. A tragedy that none of us wanted to happen. But it did happen. If you want to make up for it, then give the Nekoshou clan the justice they deserve, in your own way. Make sure that those two girls will smile for the rest of their lives. I know you can and will do it. And regardless of the final outcome of this incident, I know you will become a better man; just like always.”

He and Yasaka held their gazes for some time. Finally, Naruto broke their eye contact by closing his. He wanted to hug his wife now. He wanted to bask in her presence, take shelter in her aura, but now it was not the time. With that in mind, he turned to the last person, “Jiraiya, how far is it?”

“By tonight, every supernatural faction will know the truth about ‘The Nekoshou Incident’,” The answer was swift and to the point; it seems even Jiraiya was in no mood for lighthearted conversation.

No one spoke for some time as everyone was waiting for him. Naruto understood that, but he also knew that from now on, his actions would drastically change the course of history once again.

“Mobilize the ‘Anbu’ and call back all the ‘Daiyōkai’.”

His words shocked everyone, even Yasaka.

“Naruto,” The first one to compose was Jiraiya, as always, “Exactly what are you planning to do?”

“Jiraiya, they did not massacre the Nekoshou clan. They killed the children, raped the young, and tortured the old,” The moment those words left his mouth, all the listeners’ power burst out. If this room were not specially modified, the whole city would be shaking by now, literally. Naruto raised his arm and released his own power to overlap theirs, to calm them down forcefully. After all, even with all the enchantments, the room had its limits. When everyone calmed down, he began, “I am not a murderer. And I refused to stoop to their level. But I promise you this, I will cripple their faction. I will do whatever it takes to ensure the devil faction gets what they deserve, not a penny less.”

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment. And then Yasaka asked, “My love, you know this will bring our faction to the spotlight, right?”

“Lady Yasaka, as much as we would have liked it to be under favorable circumstances, we cannot let this pass, not after what they had done,” August spoke up, and his tone clearly showed how angry he was.

“Unfortunately, August is right. But if we can do this correctly, then our faction will be seen as a humble one rather than a dangerous one,” Jiraiya added. Then he scratched his chin and looked at Naruto, “I will ask Xuan Zang to stop his expedition and return. We will need his input on this. I will also notify all the ‘Daiyōkai’. Knowing the situation, I am sure they will be here by midnight.”

“Alright,” Naruto took a deep breath, “We will continue once everyone is here.”

Naruto did not say anything else. August and Jiraiya got the cue and got up. With a polite bow, they excused themselves.

When the door was closed, Naruto got up and hugged Yasaka, his forehead touching hers. Yasaka closed her eyes and gave him a knowing smile. Naruto felt himself calm down as Yasaka’s divine energy started entering him.

The reason why his mind and energy were so agitated was because of Senjutsu.

In this universe, Senjutsu would take in the malice and ill will floating around the world. It was bogus if he was being honest, but there was nothing he could do about it. Usually, it would only affect him if he focused on it. So, when he went to the Underworld and concentrated on the malice around the Nekoshou clan to see what had happened, it was too much… the hatred, the agony, the cries for help, so many strong negative emotions that he was overwhelmed. He saw what happened there. And the fact that he could not do anything but watch shattered his heart. He wanted to save them, he wanted to revive them. But there was nothing left to revive. And their souls were so twisted that it was better to send them off properly. But purifying so many corrupted and hateful spirits took its toll on his own mind. So, he needed to cleanse it, something he could do himself in a few hours. But he wanted those screams to stop.

That was where his precious wife came in. From that day onward, Yasaka would use her divine energy to calm him down. And since her divine power was purer than his, it worked wonders.

He was hundred percent sure that if it were Sasuke, unlike him, he would have annihilated half of the devil population regardless of the consequences. For a brief moment, the thought did cross his mind. But he was not like that. Of course, crushing Sirzechs helped a lot.

To be honest, Naruto did not have it planned out at all. He wanted to confront the devils directly, and depending on the outcome, he would have taken the next step. He did not think Sirzechs and others would react like that. So he took Sirzechs to his pocket universe to talk with him while making sure other devils would stay busy. Unfortunately, the red Satan screwed up… badly. The fault lay with him as well, but the moment Sirzechs uttered those words, Naruto lost it. He became so angry that he did not think about the consequences, he did not know about the difference in their power level. He did not think at all. He just lashed out with everything he had. He was glad that Sirzechs activated his true form right at the start of the fight; otherwise he would have delivered a corpse rather than a battered comatose body.

He screwed up in the fight, and he knew it. Some would say that it was not his fault. After all, who would believe that the almighty Sirzechs, in his true monstrous form could not even survive a minute against him. Naruto underestimated his own power. But regardless, he was not frustrated because of what he did to Sirzechs, not after what his faction did to the Nekoshou. He was just frustrated at himself.

“My love.”

Feeling the gentle touch on his cheek, Naruto opened his eyes and met his wife’s concerned gaze. With a smile, he stepped back and kissed her forehead, “I am fine.”

Yasaka smiled back, caressing his face, “It’s alright, my love. I know that you need to rest right now, more than anything. But you have to report to Lady Amaterasu about this first.”

Naruto nodded and took a deep calming breath, “I will meet her now.” He paused and then looked at her, “How’s Kunou?”

“She is fine, Naruto; you just did not see her for one day,” Before Naruto could retort, Yasaka put a finger on his lips, “I know that you will feel guilty if you see her now. She will remind you of all the innocent children you could not save.” Naruto looked away at that statement. His wife really knew him well, “I will clean up your schedule for a few hours. After the meeting with Lady Amaterasu is done, come to me. I will relieve you from all those memories.”

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment.

Giving him a light kiss, she took some steps away from him. It seemed she meant he had to go now. With a sigh, he gave her a tired smile, and she returned a gentle one. Naruto released a breath through his mouth and straightened his posture. He cut the tip of his index finger using the nail from his thumb. And as a single drop of blood came out, Naruto’s hand blurred as he created a complex magic symbol. When he was done, he put his palm on top of the circle and just waited.

The last thing he saw before his surrounding changed was Yasaka’s smile.

“Quite a mess, is it not?”

“It is,” Naruto answered after he made a polite bow toward Amaterasu, his patron goddess.

Right now, he was at her main office. Only a few had direct access to this place, including him. But he did not sit down immediately. He looked around, and his eyes fell again onto the table beside them. The table had multiple stacks of papers, and all of them were arranged and signed on their own. It was as if an invisible person was doing the job, multiple ones from the look of it. He could not help but let out a chuckle. Back in his home universe, all the Kage would wage wars to get that technique.

Then he turned to Amaterasu who pointed at the seat in front of her. Naruto flopped down on the chair, groaning, “You know why I came here, right?”

Amaterasu waved her hand and the spacious room glowed. After she was done, Naruto gave her a look who understood the meaning and nodded her head in response. He looked to the side and saw the change in his eyes in the mirror.

His normal azure irises faded away. His white sclera was soon replaced with a golden hue, and the black rings spread out from the middle of his pupil. He did not know why his Rinnegan had a golden hue unlike the normal silver-purple one. It was a mutation, yes, but only appearance-wise. He did not receive any unique powers… yet.

When the transformation was over, he looked over her room to ensure it was tight and secure. When he saw it was, he nodded at Amaterasu.

“I know why you are here,” Amaterasu sighed. She paused momentarily before starting, “All the Shinto Gods and Goddesses truly feel sorry for what happened to the Nekoshou clan. But they are unsure if it is the right time to come out.”

Naruto understood the problem, but he wanted to hear directly from her. And it seemed she got the cue, “The Shinto faction was never anywhere near the top, be it power or authority wise. But now that we came so far because of you, everyone fears losing you.”

“You think I will lose?” Naruto arched an eyebrow.

“Against the devil faction, no. But what if the whole Biblical faction or the Hindu faction starts to aim for you? You have seen how greedy and crafty those two factions are.” Amaterasu explained.

“I am not sure about the Hindu faction as a whole, but I know for a fact that the Trimurti will not come after me. On the contrary, Shiva will willingly defend me if the situation worsens. As for the Biblical faction,” Then Naruto gave his trademark fox-like grin, “I do not think they will come after us immediately. Not after seeing our faction’s spectacular appearance.”

“Oh~” Amaterasu leaned onto her chair, “Another of your unexpected strategy?”

Naruto chuckled openly at that.

.

.

X

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The Grigori Faction

“Do you think it’s true?”

Azazel looked up from the note to meet Tobio’s gaze. The boy was confused and angry. He could not blame him, any normal person would be. With a sigh, the fallen governor pointed at the seat in front of him with his head. While Tobio was sitting down, he created a small fire on his palm and burned the note.

“So?”

“Yes, it’s true. The massacre did happen yesterday.”

Tobio clenched his fists when he heard Azazel’s answer. His black hair shadowed his eyes, his voice trembled, “I thought they were different from the old devils.”

“The current four Satans are young. Contrary to everyone else's beliefs, they do not have full control over the general devil populace.” Azazel’s voice was tired.

“That’s a shitty excuse!” Tobio barked, “One or two Nekoshou is one thing, but the whole clan? No matter the consequences, the Satans should have intervened.”

“Yes, they should have. And now they are paying the price for it… dearly.”

Tobio blinked. Then he frowned, “What do you mean by that?”

Azazel did not answer immediately. He took the ‘Hellblazer’ bottle from the table between them and refilled his wine glass. As he put the bottle back down, he looked at Tobio, “Do you want some? This is going to take a while.”

“I am fine,” Tobio immediately rejected, “Also right now, I do not feel like touching anything that belongs to the Underworld.”

“Suit yourself, we might not be getting this for some time,” Azazel chuckled dryly.

“Azazel,” The fallen governor knew Tobio was not impatient. But this was one of those sporadic cases.

“I received a letter from Serafall. The youkai king made a spectacular entrance and had put Sirzechs in a coma.”

He gave a hearty laugh when he saw Tobio physically retreating back at his words. He couldn’t blame the boy, even he had almost the same reaction.

“Sirzechs Lucifer was put in a coma?!” Tobio’s tone was that of disbelief.

“Yup. According to Serafall, he was kidnapped right under their nose, and five minutes later, his bloody unconscious body was returned. She did not say how badly he was injured, just that his condition is now stabilized, but he is still in a coma.” Azazel paused to take a small sip from his glass. He savored the taste briefly before adding the last part, “And one person did all of this.”

Tobio did not say anything back for a minute or two. Azazel understood that he was processing the thought that one of the strongest amongst ‘The Three Factions’ was easily defeated, who also made his way to ‘The Top Ten’.

“Wait, doesn’t it mean that the youkai faction has someone who is amongst ‘The Top Ten’?” Azazel smirked at Tobio’s assumption. And he knew that his protégé was almost there.

Tobio let out a small breath when he saw the grin on Azazel, “This is not going to end well, is it?”

“My boy, ‘The Nekoshou Incident’ will be the catalyst for a new change in the supernatural world. And it will be a drastic change; I can guarantee you that.” Azazel took another sip, his eyes gleamed with amusement. He knew that Tobio would understand the meaning behind his tone and gaze.

“So, what am I missing?”

Azazel chuckled. Now only if Tobio were interested in women, then he would have made the perfect protégé. But that thought was for later. Now he had a history lesson to give, “What do you know about Naruto?”

“Not much, all anyone knows about him is that out of nowhere, he married Yasaka ten years ago.”

His answer made Azazel’s mood sour, making Tobio groan, “Come on now, don’t get sidetracked.”

“You wouldn’t understand, she was my second love.” Azazel pouted.

“It was lust, not love.” Tobio corrected it, and it sounded more like an automated response.

“Hmph!” Azazel loudly snorted, “You haven’t seen her, alright! She is the only woman besides Gabriel with a perfect body, a full ten out of ten. And I have seen a lot of women. She even has that thing, you know,” Azazel grumbled as he clenched his fist, “A gentle aura with a killer body. That combination is lethal for any male, I tell you.”

“You are just frustrated that someone got her.” Tobio sighed.

“I should have tried harder! I thought she was an unobtainable flower like Gabriel.” Azazel released a deep breath, and his shoulder slouched down so much that he looked like a deflated balloon.

“You done?”

The fallen governor gave a flat stare to his pupil. With a grumble, he chugged down the rest of the wine and refilled it again.

“I wanted to bash her husband’s head so badly. But I did not do it only because I knew he would be the one bashing me.” Azazel gave an embarrassed chuckle, and seeing the frown on Tobio’s face, he shook his head, “No, I knew he was stronger than me, but I did not know he was this strong.”

“How did you know he was stronger?”

Azazel did not answer. It was not that he did not want to, but he was trying to see how he should start.

“Do you know August, the first Fae?” Azazel asked all of a sudden.

“Yes,” Tobio answered, confused, “He is the leader of ‘The Faerie Faction’, right?”

“Words have it that he was seen during Yasaka’s wedding as one of the important guests, no less.”

“I thought that the wedding ceremony was a very private affair.”

Azazel sighed. The boy was right. The Shinto faction was very tight-lipped regarding Yasaka’s marriage. No one knew precisely where and when the ceremony took place. It was done in such a fashion to avoid unnecessary commotions. Because Azazel was not the only one who was smitten by the shrine maiden, there were quite a few from different factions who wanted the gentle youkai, some of them were pretty powerful and dangerous.

With a sigh, Azazel tilted his wine glass toward the boy, “Tobio, this is just an assumption,” A really mind-breaking one if he was being honest, “But from all the clues I gathered, I think ‘The Faerie Faction’ and ‘The Youkai Faction’ have merged.”

“What?!” The shock was so much that Tobio stood up, his eyes bulged out, “Are you serious?” Azazel just nodded. Tobio just stood there with his mouth open for a few seconds. Finally, he sat down tiredly, “Won’t this merging make this new faction as strong as one of the Gods factions?”

Azazel nodded to confirm Tobio’s question. It was not a ridiculous notion. After all, right after ‘The Three Factions’ and all other mythological Gods factions, ‘The Youkai Faction’ and ‘The Faerie Faction’ were the top two factions in terms of power and size. ‘The Vampire Faction’ was also one of the top ones before the separation.

With a chuckle, Azazel added, “Also, there was this rumor that the youkai king gave Tiamat a beating for insulting Yasaka.”

“These are just rumors and assumptions, right?” Tobio asked.

He could not help but snort at that, such a naïve boy, “Brat, every rumor has some truth in it. And the assumptions… they are created based on the hints left behind by the original events.”

Tobio nodded. Azazel could see that the boy was processing everything. Usually, he was faster but this time, there was just too much outrageous information.

Tobio sighed loudly, “Will this start another war?”

The jolly expression entirely left Azazel’s face, “I won’t lie to you. There is a chance. And it may escalate to the point that even the Grigori and the Heaven will have to join, unwillingly of course. But this depends fully on the Devil faction and the Youkai Faction.”

“Shouldn’t we try to stop it?” Tobio said, more like he pleaded.

Azazel shook his head, “Unfortunately, the youkai king already took a few steps.” Seeing the inquiry look, he asked, “The note Sun Wukong gave stated that the news is spreading throughout the supernatural world, right?”

“Yes,” Tobio firmly nodded, “He said that to me also. I believe that by tomorrow almost all the factions will know of ‘The Nekoshou incident’.”

“You do realize that the reason this news is spreading so fast is because of the Youkai faction, right?” Tobio nodded at the question, so Azazel asked another, “Also, that ‘The Nekoshou Incident’ is being told from the perspective of the last two survivors, right?” Tobio nodded again. This time Azazel smiled as he asked the last question, “But did the youkai point out, in any way, that their king has defeated the Sirzechs Lucifer? Hmm~”

Tobio blinked. The realization face he made after that only increased Azazel’s amusement. Taking another sip of the wine, he added, his tone had a tint of admiration to it, “It’s quite a crafty tactic, I must admit. Because if they added that, then instead of focusing on ‘The Nekoshou Incident’, all the other factions would focus on the fact that there is someone new on ‘The Top Ten’. The Youkai faction does not want that, for now, they want everyone to know the truth about the massacre and focus on the devils. And using this opportunity, they are isolating the Devil faction. I mean, who would side with them if a war does break out. And the best part… the devils are playing right into their hands.”

Tobio visibly shook at the last sentence. He frowned but did not ask anything. With a chuckle, Azazel started elaborating, “The devils will not release the fact that Sirzechs was beaten. Even if they did, they will not admit that he was beaten fair and square. They will come up with excuses. Same for ‘The Nekoshou Incident’, they will try to come up with excuses. Lastly, they will send platoons, mostly to recon or to have small skirmishes to gauge out their opponent. Even though this is the right way, but to other factions, it will only seem like the devils are using baseless excuses to go to another war.”

A look of realization came to his pupil as he pointed out, “So when the Youkai faction strikes back hard, no one will side with the Devil faction.”

Azazel nodded, satisfied that Tobio could come to the correct conclusion.

“So, what are you going to do?” Azazel raised an eyebrow at the question, seeing which Tobio went on, “I am sure Serafall did not send you a simple message regarding only Sirzechs’s condition. She asked for your help, right?”

“Ahh~ He is getting better,” Though he did not say it out loud, Azazel let out another pleased smile, “Yes, she asked for my help. While I like the current Satans, I will not put the Grigori into the crossfire for their incompetence. I will just say that the youkai faction has become strong, through hints mind you, so they should be careful. Also, if they want to come out clean, they should deliver capital punishments for those who participated in the massacre, regardless of their statuses.”

Tobio once again just stayed silent and processed his words. And it seemed he had given too much to the boy for one night. His protégé stood up, gave a slight bow to him, and walked toward the door. To others, it would seem like a sign of disrespect, but Azazel did not mind. He knew that the boy badly needed to get some fresh air. That was why he did not stop him. He also knew that when Tobio cooled down, he would come again.

Azazel took another sip of the famous wine. He looked at his half-empty glass and sighed,

“Too bad I am not going to get this anytime soon.”