Chapter Twenty-Three
A Favor For A Favor
"Come on, he's gotta be this way!"
Charlie was running with Helsa, Tayuya, and Stephen in the direction they saw Naruto fly by. None of them had thought it was Naruto at first, considering he was flying with wings and had glowing eyes. But they had a hunch that it was him as he was the only one who would be out in the opening fighting angels.
The reason they are out here as well is because they were called by Rin from the other restaurant. She said that she could sense Minato entering the city with four other people. After what Naruto said about him being controlled, they had to come out and let him know before he is trapped between angels and whoever is trying to get him.
"Oh no, there's angels coming!"
Stephen's panicked shout had everyone looking to see a group of three flying overhead looking below. They were surprised they weren't caught, considering they must have seen them when passing by, but then they heard the screaming. At least seven of them were heard and the panicked running followed like the roll of a drum.
Looking down another street, they saw a large group of Sinners come running out of an abandoned building they were hiding in.
"Come on, let's take this as our moment to leave," Tayuya hissed hurriedly as she nudged Charlie forward. "There's nothing we can do for them."
Charlie winced and glanced towards the group running in their direction. She really wanted to go help them but… there was nothing she could really do. Order the angels to stop? They would sooner laugh at her than listen. Then she would be endangering Stephen and Tayuya.
"O-okay," Charlie nodded her head and took a step forward.
"Mommy!"
A child's scream could be heard and they looked over to see a young eight-year-old holding his mother's hand. They were running down the sidewalk before taking a turn down an alley. It seems that one of the Exterminators was following them while the other two laughed at the cowering Sinners huddled together.
It seems they were gathering them together but had lost the mother and son.
"It's a child, Taylor," Stephen whispered, horrified as the cries could still be heard.
Tayuya grit her teeth and grabbed her hair in frustration. She looked to see if she was going to get any support from Helsa but the woman was looking at her with that look. "Aaah, fine! Fine! Let's go help!"
"I know where that alley leads!" Charlie hurriedly turned on her heel and ran across the street. "This way!"
The others followed her and they ran around the corner, hearing the cries get louder. They had made it near the exit of the alley and when they turned to look inside, the mother and son quickly ran by in a rush. They barely sent a glance at them before disappearing into a building that was designated as a bunker.
"Aah!"
Charlie gasped at the new scream before running into the alley.
"Charlie, wait!" Helsa shouted before grunting and following the Princess inside.
Tayuya hissed before grabbing Stephen and pulled him after the two girls. They straggled a bit behind but when they caught up, they were surprised by what they found.
An Exterminator is on the ground while bleeding from her left eye. She has white hair cut to the length of her chin and her white and black wings were curled into her body. But the most surprising thing is that Charlie stood between her and the other two angels.
"Stop!"
"Do not get involved, demon," one of the angels said before moving forward.
Charlie gasped and screamed as she was grabbed by her hair and dragged away forcefully. She cried out in pain but she struggled against their hold to stay in place. She was largely successful, but then the other Exterminator aimed their spear into her stomach.
"Move out of the way, bitch!"
Charlie stared back at the mask defiantly. She would not let them kill the angel they claimed let the Sinners get away. If she could do that for them, then she would do that for her.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
The angel holding Charlie's hair barely comprehended the noise of someone above her before she suddenly felt cold. Then her forearm and hand fell detached from the rest of her arm, leaving a bloody leaking mess.
"Wha- aaaah!"
The other angel whipped around but her head went flying before she completed her turn.
Charlie yanked the angel's detached arm off her head. She threw it on the ground, shaking in fear as she stared at the lost limb in horror. Looking at her hand, she found angelic blood covering her palm and she began breathing rapidly.
"Kōtaishihi Denka?"
Charlie looked up to see Naruto in front of her but not in his transformed form. "N-Naruto?"
"I'm a clone," he said as he approached her. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her hand before clamoring to hold him, shivering into his chest. It was just like her birthday. She had been in danger and Naruto had saved her.
Naruto held her and soothingly rubbed circles along her back. His eyes, however, stared down at the Exterminator still on the ground. He took in her lost eye and ruined wings but he could see that she would recover if given time.
He had come to save the group of Sinners he had told to keep put while he went to get others. He never expected a group of angels to come by while he was gone. Much less finding one of them disobeying their orders.
What to do with you? He shushed Charlie softly and kissed her temple. "It'll be okay, Charlie-hime."
Letting go of the woman, he approached the prone angel but made sure to kick the heavenly steel weapon away. He will not risk her deciding not all Sinners deserve mercy when he comes to check her wounds.
"So," he said as he finally crouched down and looked the girl over. "Welcome to Hell. You are now one of us."
His grin widened as, when he finished speaking, the woman's white feathers began falling out to make room for the black ones that took their place. The newly fallen angel writhed on the ground as the white feathers slowly turned to glass.
It was a remarkable process, one the clone watched in interest if not for the original to digest later. It did not take long and the girl was shakily breathing and quivering in her curled form.
Now that it all ended, he coated his hands in Yang chakra.
The Exterminator looked at the white energy and her eyes widened before trying to scoot away.
"Do you want your eye back or not?" Naruto's question was looked at with disbelief and shock. "Just let me touch your injury and that's it."
She sneered at him but did not move away as he leaned forward. The moment his hand touched her skin, she gasped at the cold feeling and jerked away unintentionally. "Tu puta madre!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her glare, but also because he didn't understand the language. "I'm going to assume that it was some colorful language. Stop moving or I'll leave you like this."
Her glare only grew but she nodded her head.
"Good girl."
"Chúpamela!"
Now that the two opposing forces that both wanted to kill him were gone, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He transformed back into his true self and hung his head back to give a loud, frustrated groan. He just couldn't have that peaceful afterlife anymore.
Two years is the limit to my peace, I guess.
"Damn, brat, you look a lot like a fox." Jiraiya inspected his godson curiously. "Because of the Kyuubi, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, much like how your attachment to toads made you one," Naruto nodded his head.
"Well, that was sure fun!" Lucifer turned to the blonde and white-haired man who were both taller than him. "So, who are you, ningen?"
Jiraiya blinked at the man. "Who are you, if you don't mind sharing first?"
"Of course, my name is Lucifer Morningstar!"
"He's the King of Hell," Naruto supplied for his godfather.
"Ah," Jiraiya bowed respectfully. "The name is Jiraiya, formerly of the Densetsu no Sannin in life, Morningstar-sama."
Lucifer hummed joyously as he enjoyed actually getting respectful answers from people. So many demons seem to forget why he is still King and tend to make snide remarks. But the ningen have been very respectful of his title and he wouldn't lie and say it didn't boost his ego a little bit.
"Alright, Jiraiya, you will have to follow me now."
Jiraiya tilted his head confused. "To where?"
"To your new home!" Lucifer grinned as he turned around to begin leading.
"Actually, Lucifer-dono," Naruto interrupted the man, getting his attention. "I was wondering if you would let him stay with me. He was my godfather and all and I would like to spend more time with him after two years."
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow and hummed to himself. "I don't know, Naruto, I'm supposed to be separating ningen when they've arrived."
"And yet I've stayed," Naruto argued respectfully. "I've met at least two or three other ningen and yet they are still here with other humans. Can you not overlook this one time?"
Lucifer is silent as he thinks about the boy's request. If he was honest, he would not care to deny the boy's request. It was not that big of a problem when ningen slipped through the cracks, mostly because they were not that big of a problem at that moment in time. But he had the problem that this wasn't one of those moments.
He could feel that the ningen standing next to the blonde was more than enough to be a problem. He was strong and the fact that he would now be closer to his prime than the moment at which he died is more cause of concern. He could not rightfully let someone like this travel freely.
But then again, this boy was vouching for him and he had not given Lucifer reason to doubt him. His own daughter trusted and loved him, enough to stay in one of his bunkers during Extermination Day.
So what can he do?
"You know what," Lucifer turned back around and approached Naruto. "How about you owe me a favor and I will allow it. No matter what, you must do me the favor once I ask for it. Deal?"
Naruto nodded his head immediately and held out his hand. "Thank you Tennō Heika. I agree."
Lucifer smiled and shook the boy's hand. "Don't make me regret this, alright."
"I'll keep him out of trouble," Naruto nodded and the man gave one last look before turning away.
He watched the ruler leave while digesting some of his clones' information as they began popping themselves with their replacements made. The angels are completely out of his territory after they wasted a lot of their time either chasing him around or fighting his clones. Even his mother had left the district.
"So, brat," Jiraiya approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's the deal with this place?"
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face him with a narrowed stare. "We have a lot to talk about, pervy sage. Y'know, like my mother and father who were both right here trying to kill me or capture me."
Jiraiya's jaw clenched and he sighed as he hung his head. "You know about that, huh?"
"I also know that I've had a lot of people around me who knew but never told me; like his sensei, his student, the Third Hokage, maybe even Tsunade," Naruto glared at the man. "You are lucky that I want to give you a chance to explain yourself. Otherwise I would have left you to die to those angels. And death from them is permanent; there is nothing afterwards."
"I get the point," Jiraiya groaned and nodded his head. "Want to do this in the open or get a place to stay until this blows over?"
Naruto nodded his head before turning and walking in the direction of his restaurant. "Follow me."
"Careful with her," Charlie warned as she held the door open.
"I know, I know," Naruto said as he carried the exhausted and defeated Exterminator.
"What the fuck?" Loona quickly got to her feet as she saw what was brought in.
Octavia's eyes widened and slowly stepped away as Naruto passed by with the angel in his arms. "Why are you bringing an Exterminator into the bunker? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of this place?"
"She's no longer one," Tayuya answered while carrying the spear carefully.
"What does that mean?" Loona growled lowly as she watched the angel get put on the bed.
"She's a fallen angel now," Naruto answered smoothly while maneuvering the girl into a more comfortable position. "She's unarmed, I've already checked her for any secret weapons."
Despite the assurance from the blonde, everyone but Charlie kept their distance from her. They were apprehensive and unsure of the blonde's choice but they would not argue with him. They trusted him, whether they thought it was stupid or not, and they would just make sure they were prepared for if she turned violent.
More like when, Tayuya humphed to herself as she had no expectations for this to remain peaceful.
"Naruto, do you have another pillow?" Charlie asked as she frowned when the angel winced uncomfortably. "Maybe two so we can keep her head elevated for now. She could have a concussion."
Naruto shook his head but easily produced a pillow with his chakra. "She won't have a concussion. My chakra would have fixed that injury when healing her eye. But it would be good for her to stay comfortable."
The clone stood up after doing what he could and stretched with a few pops coming from his shoulders. The angel still looked at him distrustfully but was much more cooperative now.
"So," he started and sat on the bed by her legs. "What's your name?"
She crossed her arms and scowled. She looked away from him but when she did she ended up looking into Charlie's concerned gaze. She looked down to see the girl being protectively watched by the octopus-like girl.
"My name's Charlie," the blonde smiled kindly as she introduced herself. "That's Helsa, Tayuya, Stephen, Loona, and Octavia."
"A-Agatha," the now-named fallen angel answered hesitantly. "Why did you protect me? They could have killed you."
"Unlikely," Naruto said with a tired sigh. "They wouldn't hurt a hellborn, let alone the King's daughter."
That made Agatha's eyes widen and she looked at the blonde to see if he was joking. He wasn't. "Since when did Lucifer have a daughter?"
"Surprising how you don't know," Naruto hummed softly in thought. "This must be your first Extermination, then. Or just not very aware."
"Naru, don't be mean," Charlie gave an exasperated stare. "She just nearly died to the other Exterminators so have some compassion."
"This is my compassion," Naruto answered before wincing when he was hit. "What the hell, Helsa-chan?"
"Don't be sarcastic."
Naruto shook his head and glanced at Agatha. "Either way, just relax. We will figure out how to help you out once the day is over. Sleep, you'll need the rest."
He patted Agatha's legs gently and got to his feet. "I'm going to dispel so the original me knows what's up. I'll be seeing you guys later!"
With a wave, he disappeared with a poof.
Now that the blonde was gone, Agatha eased a bit into the bed and relaxed her aching body. She wouldn't admit it, but that blonde set her on edge. She knew of clones because of her mentor but she had never seen her make as many as this boy. Kushina claimed it was impossible for even the strongest ningen to make more than a few dozen.
So if the strongest couldn't do it, what did that make the blonde who not only made a few dozen but nearly hundreds of them and didn't even look fatigued. Kushina said that using too much chakra exhausted a person yet there are hundreds of not exhausted blondes but very strong and experienced ones. It frightened her that the blonde had more power at his fingertips than her mentor and she was being carried by him!
She glanced at the girl they called Tayuya who was holding her spear, feeling defenseless without her weapon. She didn't like not having her weapon and being surrounded by hellborn and Sinners whom she and the other angels were hunting.
Her gaze seemed to catch Tayuya's attention. "Don't even think about it, bird."
Agatha tensed at the rough, hostile tone but knew that she had nothing at her disposal to fight back. She was too weak to fight with her hands, and she doubted she'd be able to make a run for it if she had to.
"Can we not do this right now?" Charlie threw her hands in the air. "Naru said that we are to take care of her until he gets back. Being aggressive and making her uncomfortable is not what will help her recover!"
"I'm sorry that I don't have trust for an angel that would have killed us given a chance," Tayuya replied defensively. "If she hadn't been abandoned by the other Exterminators I'm sure she'd still be out there hunting us down. We aren't even people in her eyes, just a target to cleanse!"
Agatha tensed at that claim and gave her own glare. "I had not been told my targets would have been families or children! I was told I'd be hunting the most despicable of society that deserved to be sent to Hell!"
"Calm down, both of you," Haku calmly spoke out loud.
His dark eyes looked at the two with a narrowed gaze as he sat with Stephen on the bench at the table. He was resting his head in the palm of his hand while lazily gazing at them.
"Naruto did not hurt her and therefore it is safe to assume she is not like the rest of the Exterminators," Stephen commented hesitantly.
"Agatha is a fallen angel now after disobeying orders, there's nowhere for her to go," Haku continued with a smile sent to Stephen. "That means she's our responsibility. We will take care of her like Naruto-kun said and we will do so kindly."
The last word was said with a look at Tayuya, who glowered but relented. She sat in her own chair and sagged into the cushions while holding the spear.
Charlie smiled and turned to Agatha, who blushed at the bright smile on her face. "Don't worry! Naru will make sure you are safe! He's a good guy you have nothing to worry about!"
"You sure have grown up, Naruto," Jiraiya complimented while they turned down a street.
Naruto had said they were going to a place he owned, a restaurant apparently. He found it amusing his former student had taken up such a normal business in the afterlife. Truthfully, he shouldn't be surprised as the boy had a tendency to do things out of the norm.
"Comes with being betrayed and sentenced to Hell at thirteen," Naruto shrugged with an amused smile. "Heard from Gaara the real world ain't doing so hot right now."
Jiraiya raised his eyebrows at that. "You've seen Gaara, too?"
"He works for one of the Ars Goetia, a large royal family loyal to the King," Naruto answered the man with a nod. "He told me that the Akatsuki are hunting Jinchuuriki."
"Yeah," Jiraiya sighed. "They are led by a former student of mine. I died fighting him, gathering as much information as I could to send it to Tsunade-hime."
"Were you at least successful?"
Jiraiya gave a grin and laughed. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I was! Tsunade should be getting the second report after the other information I've gathered!"
"That's good," Naruto smiled as he was honestly glad and relieved his home will be ahead of the curve should something happen.
Suddenly, a shiver traveled along his spine as memories came flooding in from a clone.
A black scythe. A lazy grin. A halo.
He's being hunted by someone way stronger than the Exterminators. He wasn't even wearing their uniform.
"We gotta go!"
Naruto dashed forward without waiting for a reply.
"Wha- why the rush?" Jiraiya caught up to him slowly after the sudden increase in travel pace. "What happened?"
"There's an angel even stronger than the Exterminators hunting my clones!"
Naruto was getting more flashes in his mind with each clone killed.
"Where is the real you, Promised Child?"
Promised Child? What the fuck is going on?!
Naruto could see his restaurant just up ahead. "We're almost there! Come o-!"
Naruto instinctively transformed into his other form and protected his body with his arms when he was suddenly attacked. He was sent into the side of the street, damaging a building, but he survived. His wings wrapped around him and protected him.
He pulled himself out of the wall and looked up to see who attacked him.
An angel with large black wings landed in the middle of the street, a long black scythe held in their hands. He was as tall as Jiraiya, about a head taller than Naruto, but his small lithe form made him look like a pole. But he looked effeminate, almost as much as Haku, but his black hair is short and wavy.
His power, however, was frightening to the blonde.
"Who are you and why are you hunting me?"
"My name is Azrael," the man bowed his head in greeting. "I've spent a long time looking for you, Promised Child."
Jiraiya's eyes widened at that and glanced at his godson to see him unmoving. He remembered seeing that in many of the reports. Naruto was the Promised Child? The Child of Prophecy that he had been looking for all these years?
Naruto grit his teeth and stood up, looking down to see that while he had successfully blocked the attack he was still injured. His forearms are bleeding heavily, a black viscous liquid dripping to his fingers, but he ignored it. They'll have to become scars if he can't heal them.
"I'm no Promised Child," he finally said with a sigh. "You are clearly mistaken."
"Hmm," Azrael smiled down. "I don't think I am. You are Naruto Uzumaki. You died three years ago against your friend. Your birth had been prophesied by Father many millennia ago to either become a savior or a destroyer."
Naruto glared up now as he felt uncomfortable with how much this angel knew about him. He was prepared to use Stardust again if he had to. "What do you want with me? Clearly the prophecy failed now that I am in Hell, right?"
"No, no, no," Azrael shook his head. "The prophecy is still being written. You are the judge of all existence and something as simple as your mortal death will not stop it. But it is no longer set that it will be a good outcome, it is becoming more and more likely that you will destroy everything."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. He was going to ask more, to get more information, but he was horrified that Azrael had appeared in front of him. His scythe is in full swing now. Jiraiya had noticed too late and was barely breaking out into a sprint at the moment.
"Die."
Boom!
Naruto winced as the gust of wind and power exploded from the strike landing. He was surprised that he wasn't dead as he knew that the strike should have landed on him, but it did not. There were large golden chains blocking the attack, protecting him from certain death.
"You do not have business down here in Hell, Azrael."
Naruto and Azrael turned when they heard the new voice and the angel had a look of annoyance on his face now.
"What are you doing here, Mito?"
The woman walked towards them with a calm face that betrayed neither joy nor anger. But the multitude of golden chains coming from her back cracked and clanged against each other eagerly. Her old robes and dress told Naruto that she was from long ago on Ninkai. The red swirl that he keeps seeing now was adorning her outer robe but this one was more intricate and complex.
"I should be asking you the same thing," she said and this time her chains moved.
Azrael had to dash backwards to get away from the chains that slammed into his position. They caved in the ground and sent concrete flying from the force.
"Leave now, or I will show you why even the Virtue of Meekness was hesitant to fight me."