The Return of Mammon

"My son, approach."

Within a castle tower, the cobblestone interior bathed in crimson light, a young man stood inhabiting a throne room of sorts. Of average build and height, what stood out most about him was the stark contrast his golden blonde head of hair had offered comparison to the dwelling's décor, made mostly of sharp and vile things twisted in unnatural directions and covered in what could easily pass as blood.

He acknowledged the order with a curt nod, his body bending forward. Blue eyes flickered toward the throne, tinged with the shade of a robin's egg.

Before him, a throne of blackened claws dominated the middle of the room with its presence. One other person was present, and her soft behind sat naked upon the seat with no complaint. Tomato red hair cascaded down her back and fell upon the black spikes, offering her lithe body a soft cushion.

"Mother..."

The young man could not help but track his eyes across the matriarch's supple, white skin. Her voluptuous breasts were hidden behind just a few thin locks of hair. The idle motion of her crossed legs shifting from one side to the other served as a distraction he could not simply ignore.

In his mind, he imagined she teased him like that on purpose.

Kushina, ignorant to her son's vivid imagination, shifted comfortably in her seat. Today was a joyous day, and she had no intention of squandering it. For it was finally time for her son to make his first trip to the human realm, and how anxious she was for him to start. Too long had they been forced to hide themselves away from the other devils, in the corner of the world where no one would pay attention to.

It was time for their clan to return to greatness, and her son would be the one to bring them back on that path. She had waited so long for this moment, that she had to bite her tongue to cull her excitement.

"Naruto, you know what you must do. Don't you?"

It was more of a rhetorical question than anything. She had been preparing them for the past few years. Her son knew what was at risk, more than anyone.

"Yes, mother." Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "I take it the preparations for living have been made?"

"Of course." She waived his concerns. "Your things have been packed?"

A simple nod was her reply. There really was little else to say. Pleasantries aside, she knew her son was stalling for time. He had never left her sight since he was born, and no doubt he had secretly detested the contents of the day's itinerary. But, just as he was weaned from her milk, he would learn to live without her in the same home.

"Very well then." She waved her hand and a magic circle appeared beneath his feet. "Are you ready?"

Naruto took another look around what had become a very common, boring sight for his relatively young life. As much as it would pain him to leave, the excitement of traveling to a new realm was not something lost on him. If his mission would bring happiness to his mother, then he would complete it without fail. When his father died, it fell to him to protect the family and see his mother's desire come to fruition.

No one would stop the rise of the Mammon, as long as he was still alive.

"Mother, before I go..." He struggled to express his desires.

As a devil and a noble, he was raised to make clear his wants and needs and even take whatever he pleased. The only one he could not express his will to was his mother, who ironically taught him everything he would need to make his wishes come true. Somehow, she had never once acknowledged him past that of an heir, and perhaps a tool to be used.

"Mm..." Kushina shifted on the throne, pondering her son's hidden request. "This just won't do, will it?"

Then, she rose from the throne and began to make her approach. Each step was even with the other as his mother showed off the royal etiquette she was raised with. More noticeable was each step she took caused her sizable bust to sway and slap the skin beneath.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, cradling his body in her grasp. With just a touch, the resistance in his body gave way and he fell into the hold. As if she were a fragile piece of art, his arms were slow to wrap about her waist.

"There, my child." One of her hands forcefully grasped his hand and placed it on her waist. "One last embrace before I let you go."

"..." Naruto was muffled as he was buried into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

He felt something wet pressed gently against his cheek.

Mother is kissing me?!

It was too much to bear. He was so close, yet so far. The stimulation stunned him into inaction, and he was slowly wrapped around his mother's finger.

"I have one last gift for you, before you leave me." She pushed away, allowing them to have some breathing space.

Kushina held up the palm of her hand, as if to offer something to him. A small blast of energy erupted, and two chess pieces came into being. One was a blood red king piece and the other a pearlescent white pawn.

After only a moment of existence, the pawn transformed into the shape of a bishop, then a knight, a rook, and then a queen. It continued to switch between shapes at random, and Naruto had difficulty identifying just what it was he was looking at.

"For you, my son." She thrust her palm out toward him, and the pieces gravitated toward his chest. "Two evil pieces: a king for yourself, and a mutation piece I obtained some time ago."

Kushina narrowed her eyes and for the first time since the beginning of their talk appeared to be genuinely concerned.

"Do not waste their power on weaklings. You will only have one chance to use it."

He could do nothing but hold his chest and feel the power emanating from the artifacts. The trust his mother gave him to hold onto such things meant she was no longer willing to hold back on him. There was no turning back, for either of them.

"My dear Naruto, please come back soon."

A magic circle appeared beneath him again as crimson light covered his vision. In the middle of the embrace, his mother had summoned another circle and sent him through. Now, he found himself hurtling through space and time with the portal to his home growing more and more distant.

His mother had given him the tools. Now it was his turn to show he knew how to use them.

The damn sun is going to make living here a lot more annoying.

Atop a building's roof, Naruto looked down upon the city his mother had sent him to. Set within a valley, it was the very model of peace and seclusion. The central piece was the human academy, named after the town of Kuoh. It must have been a school day, as he saw many humans the same age as him in their school uniforms heading toward the city center.

The sun was sweltering hot, even after he had changed into the school blazer and matching pants. He had no idea how the humans could handle that kind of heat. The rays of light beat down on him and sapped all the energy in his body. It would definitely take some getting used to, and he would have to move around at night primarily if he wanted to keep it from permanently affecting him.

Not to mention, he could not allow the humans to notice his presence. Luckily, no one was around to see him use his wings for the moment or two he needed them, but he was sure it would not remain that easy. Devils were fortunate enough to look very similar to humans naturally, so no one had given him an odd look quite yet.

That was good, considering his objective here was focused on not attracting unwanted attention. Until he had followers or at least some powerful friends, the shadows were not going to be safe for him to roam in.

Just have to keep my eyes on the prize.

The faster he completed his objectives, the faster he could return to his mother's side. If that was not enough to spur him forward, his personal goals aligned well with Kushina's wishes. His mother always told him the Mammon were well known for wanting more than they could have: sometimes for better, but often for worse. He planned to turn his family's curse around, one battle at a time.

Him being sent to the town of Kuoh was not by chance, either. It was a well known fact throughout the Underworld that this place held great significance for all three of the major factions. That meant that, apart from other devils, he would be dealing with both variants of angels: fallen and otherwise.

Though he had never met an angel, from the stories he heard from his mother, they were not ones to be underestimated. Especially the fallen since they fell from their God's grace for one reason or another. Tricks and underhanded tactics were their namesake, and so he would keep his guard up if he were to find one.

But, he could care less about how politics boiled down between the three groups. He was raised as one of the Extra Demons, after all. Ousted, voluntarily or otherwise by the current Devil government, the Mammon were among those who avoided the 72 pillars at all costs. If his mission were successful, however, his mother hoped their name would return to the forefront of devil society.

Naruto leaped down onto the street below and joined the crowd headed for the school grounds. Humans were the treasures and lifeblood that kept the three factions going after the Great War. They were the primary reason why Naruto had come to Kuoh in the first place. For if the Mammon were to return, they would need influence and the easiest way for a devil to gain influence was through martial strength.

Sacred Gears, artifacts of power only born to those with human blood in their veins, were the key to gaining any kind of power in the world. Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils all were attracted in some way to that power and had found ways to incorporate these valuable humans into their ranks. At least with the devils, they had created the evil piece system that Naruto was now a part of with the king piece embedded inside of him.

Though he only had one other piece to use for now, with time he could grow out his peerage to span the entire set. To grow and nurture that family was Naruto's goal, and it worked well with his mother's desires of total domination. If they were going to have any chance at returning from the outskirts of society, they would need a strong group of followers.

And so, Naruto began his hunt for the strongest of humans within the grounds of Kuoh Academy. Known to host the most gifted of humans, he had high hopes for what he would find inside.

Unfortunately, he was quickly disappointed when he saw a group of boys being beaten senseless by a crowd of young women. Screams and shouts hinted that the culprits had been found peeping on the girl's locker room. If that was the kind of resource pool he was looking at, things were grim.

Naruto continued with the crowd and found himself inside the school building as the bell began to ring for the first series of classes. Inside, the floor was a checkerboard tile and the building reeked of grandiose western architecture. There was a feeling in the back of his head that he was being watched. With a few cautious glances, he took in his surroundings in an attempt to locate the source of his discomfort.

There, two young women on the second floor balcony overlooking the lobby. One leaned against the railing, with brown hair cut short away from her bespectacled eyes. The other was a stunning vixen that momentarily reminded Naruto of his mother: long red hair and a set of crisp aquamarine eyes. What was even more noticeable and surely appealing to such perverts outside was her incredible bust size, especially in comparison to her shorter compatriot.

Neither of them seemed threatening, in fact the crimson haired beauty was smiling. If it was not for the fact he had lived with a woman for his whole life, he might have passed it off as nothing. But he could tell that behind those eyes, menacing plans were being concocted. If their familiar energy was anything to go by, the suspicions they had of each other were right.

Devils, the lot of them.

Interesting to see they had a similar idea of infiltrating the school to gather their pieces. No matter, as long as they did not approach him he would give them the same courtesy. When another group of kids came around the corner to head for class, Naruto got up from the column he had been leaning against and disappeared with the crowd.

"Time to see what the 'school of the gifted' has to offer," Naruto said, as he entered a classroom at random.

"Rias, what do you think about him?" Sona, the student council president, asked as the crowds began to fade for the first classes of the day.

The other devil's presence had been quite obvious, even before he had entered the school building. Lucky for him the humans could not feel such other worldly energy, otherwise he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. He must have been new to the human realm to make such a common mistake.

"Hm.." Rias hummed, leaning against the rail next to her friend. "I'm not sure who he is, but you could feel the energy inside, right?"

"Yes." Sona adjusted her glasses. "A king piece. Odd to find another one of us here."

"Is it really though?" Rias had a hard look on her face. "We can't be the only ones to see the value in this place. It was only a matter of time, really."

"I suppose so." Sona conceded. Her eyes flicked down the hall where Tsubaki, her vice president, approached. "Do you plan on meeting him?"

Rias paused for a moment to consider her answer. Then, she just shrugged and gave her old friend an assuring smile.

"I don't think so. He doesn't seem like a troublemaker, so I think I will take a 'wait and see' approach. With luck, he's just visiting."

The chances of a devil with such natural power just visiting their quaint little town were slim to none. Rias and Sona both had an obligation to keep the peace, and so of course the blonde's presence was a bit concerning. However, arranging a meeting out of the blue would only escalate the situation.

With time, new opportunities would arise to meet with the new Devil.

"Then, I'll leave first." Sona waved to her friend and passed her vice president, who bowed and followed her from behind.

Rias hesitated a moment longer, her eyes lingering on the hallway their new 'friend' had disappeared in. Her soft lips quirked as a bit of excitement came over her. Someone new to town was not always a bad thing. She hoped that if he were a friendly devil, they could make an acquaintance one day. For a Gremory, an acquaintance one day soon meant an ally the next.

And Rias Gremory was always looking to expand her family.

See you later, Devil-kun.

Naruto slumped back into his apartment, feeling quite exhausted after the first day of classes. What a boring set of material the teachers had them go over. The things the other children were learning was something Naruto had been taught many years ago. Perhaps humans were not all that similar to devils after all.

To rest his body, he was thankful his mother had already prepared a dwelling of sorts in the human world. How she managed it, he had no idea, but the single bedroom flat would serve his needs well. The couch looked particularly inviting as he laid down on the dark cushions and felt his body sink into the material's creases.

Now that he had a moment to think, he replayed the day over in his head to try and see if anything in particular stood out. He was not expecting any humans to openly brandish their powers, but at the same time, he had hoped there would be some inkling of potential in the masses he had surveyed during his outing. Unfortunately, apart from the female devils, none of the people he had come into contact with made their hidden strengths obvious.

It seemed as though his objectives would take longer than he thought. For a moment, he even feared the other groups had gotten to the sacred gears before he had. But, if that were true, there would be little reason to stay in the town. Buried treasure must have remained then, and it was up to him to find it.

What little rumors he had pointed to the existence of at least one Sacred Gear in the city. Obviously, it had been identified, though its user was not described. It was a variant of the Twice Critical, a relatively common dragon-type gear. Whether or not it had already been claimed was unclear, but Naruto had to bet all three factions were scrambling to get a hold of it.

If he kept an eye on those other devils, they might point him in the right direction. They could just as easily steer him wrong though, and until he met them, he could only assume they had no plans of helping him find his way.

Naruto sighed and reached for the coffee table in front of him. The remote was there, and he figured the best way to get in touch with humans was to immerse himself with their media. Somehow, he doubted the experience would be as enlightening as he had once hoped.

At the school, while he observed his classmates, he had kept an eye on the adults as well. There was nothing stopping a sacred gear from remaining dormant until a human had reached that age. That authoritative position also gave them a perfect camouflage.

His homeroom teacher was particularly odd in that she seemed more interested in seducing her male students rather than teach them. In fact, her attention was on him the entire day. The other male classmates were not particularly happy about that, but Naruto had passed it off because he had posed as a new student. He did not need to be an expert to know her attitude and methods were very different than what was generally expected of an educational institution. She could have been someone, or something, of importance too.

"Those with power attract others with power." Naruto quoted his mother aloud.

The sound of humans speaking to one another somehow lulled Naruto to sleep as his body slumped further into the couch's embrace. Living on his own was not so bad after all.

In the dead of night, an explosion of energy rocked the landscape of the quiet town of Kuoh. More accurately, a sudden release of a large amount of ki. Any kind of supernatural creature would be sensitive to such a strike and surely feel it. Humans, however, would never notice such a thing had happened right in their own backyard.

That was what served to wake Naruto up from his nap as he almost rolled right off the couch. Holding his head in pain, he got up to the window and tried to pinpoint just where that energy had come from. He could still feel it inside of him, churning his stomach inside out. It was not something just any person could do; that kind of energy was reserved for very powerful, very rare individuals.

And the only reason they would have to release that much is if they were in the thick of a fight.

Unfortunately, whoever released that energy was completely off the radar now which should not have been possible. A release of energy like that was basically a beacon for someone to lock onto and follow. It should not have dissipated given that small amount of time. It could only mean that someone created a barrier to keep such emissions contained and hidden.

Someone must be in real trouble for them to go that extent.

Dealing with someone with that kind of power was exactly what Naruto was looking for. Going alone was asking for trouble, but beggars could not be choosers. He had to buy into the pot at some point, and the jackpot was looking better and better the more he felt that energy build up inside.

"Let's see what we can find." Naruto opened the balcony door and revealed his pair of devil wings.

With a kickoff to get him started, he leaped from the apartment railing and into the sky above Kuoh. Many lights were still on as the moon just began to crest. There were not very many people out for a stroll though, so it made things easy when he did not have to worry about being seen.

The only problem was, he had no idea where the barrier might have been setup. If whoever built it was smart enough, they would not make it easily visible either. His best chance was to cover as much ground as fast as he could, and hope he ran into some sort of detectable magic presence.

A release of ki like that has to leave behind some sort of residue.

Much to his frustration, nothing of the town seemed ordinary. The apparent skill these guys had to hide from him pissed Naruto off. When he found them, they were not going to get off easy.

As Naruto flew over the park, he felt the familiar tinge of magic manipulation in the back of his head. When he passed into the area, the light bended around him and he could have sworn something pushed back against his body. Upon further inspection, he realized that his surroundings were imperfect replications of human trees, park benches, and other landscape touches that made the mark of an amateur.

"Jackpot," Naruto said, licking his lips in delight.

He flew up until he exited the barrier and deployed his own magical circle. The crest of Mammon was a swirled pattern, colored in crimson. Using the circle as a focal point, Naruto pushed inward and forcefully made his way into whatever pocket dimension the people inside had created.

Naruto was not one for subtlety, after all.

The barrier quickly began to crack under pressure as Naruto poured more magical energy into his attack. Sparks flew as opposing magical forces met one another, but the glass-like barrier eventually shattered under the weight of his spell. Like a crystal ball dropped onto the ground, the light-bending wall shattered into millions of pieces.

With the barrier down, Naruto flew toward the center of the park and landed on his feet.

With one quick glance to take in the situation, Naruto realized he was outnumbered. In front of him were six people, of varying shapes and sizes, surrounding someone else whose energy matched that which he felt before. The park itself was wrecked from one hell of a battle. Both sides had taken a momentary break when the barrier went down, and neither group seemed to know what to do about his entrance.

The one being accosted was a nine tailed fox, one of the Kyuubi Youkai. Her blood red tails that fanned out behind her human form outed her pretty easily. He knew a bit about the Kyuubi, as his mother told him that Naruto's father had been closely acquainted with one in the past. They were incredibly powerful creatures, but rarely were their kind ever found outside of Kyoto, where they ruled the other Youkai species.

This particular Kyuubi, apart from a few scratches, was no worse for wear from whatever battle that had already taken place. Her long hair that flowed down her back was colored the same as her enemy's blood: crimson and dark. She wore a battledress of some kind: a black bodysuit that covered from her thighs to her neck with matching boots and gloves.

Those beady red feline eyes targeted him, sizing him up. She must have assumed he was another enemy, but perhaps she hoped he could be an ally as well. Lucky for her, he had no plans of attacking someone of her caliber.

Though, her opponents did not look too bad either.

From what he could tell, they were an assortment of devils but none that he could immediately recognize. They must have been from the Extra Demons, or perhaps they were strays. That would not explain why they were targeting the Youkai, except perhaps for her energy. But to fight a youkai on their level was asking a little too much.

"Who the hell are you!?" One of the men shouted as Naruto finished analyzing the motley crew.

The six assailants all looked like they were going to have a prickly demeanor. Well, he found out their secret so it made sense, he supposed.

"How did he make it through the barrier?" Another one said, slightly worried.

It was a considerably elaborate shield, and he was very lucky to stumble onto it. However, if they were to imply the barrier was powerful enough to keep him out, then they would be sorely disappointed. His mother would have punished him severely if something like that had defeated his magic.

"Doesn't matter, keep on the Kyuubi!" The first man turned his attention back to the nine tails and ice shards grew from his hands.

The devils slowly diverted their attention back to their original target, leaving Naruto alone. What a rude bunch, he thought. He preferred to keep cool in these kinds of situations, but the one thing that really set him off was when he was ignored. To be insulted or belittled by an enemy was one thing, but to have your presence rejected was something else entirely.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as powerful demonic energy began to build up in his body. Attacking the Kyuubi was their first mistake, but forgetting about him would be their last.

"Oi, bastards!"

The vulgar language got them to turn around again.

The Kyuubi had readied a fireball in her hands, but hesitated to retaliate when Naruto made his declaration.

Naruto sneered, his switch had been flipped. Whenever his adrenaline got pumping, things started to get a bit loopy for him. His control slipped, and he started to enjoy the blood lust inside of him.

"You got some balls, turning your back on me." Naruto's hands soon became fists as he fought to control his instincts. "Let's see what you guys can do."

A magical circle appeared in front of Naruto, not unlike the one he created before.

"Wha-"

His opponent's confusion quickly turned to shock as a dozen chains launched at them. Made of pure demonic energy, those chains were harmful to whoever their owner willed them to be. Right now, Naruto was not in the mood to hold back his strength as he directed the chains forward with an extended arm.

The chains were also fast, too fast for the other devils to easily avoid. In quick order, the chains wrapped around two of the devils, pinning their bodies down. Pain quickly broke through their resistance, and they were forced to scream as the chains developed barbs that hooked deep into their skin.

"My...energy!"

"The chains..our powers!"

The devils writhed on the ground as the bonds continued constrict around their bodies further. They tried to describe the suffering as their bodies were enveloped by a powerful shroud of energy. The dark fields of power were not Naruto's, but their own magical energies forcefully being pulled from their bodies.

"That's right," Naruto said with a sinister looking grin, "These chains of mine can absorb energy, too."

Naruto had planned to hold them down long enough until he had almost completely absorbed their power. Without the energy to use magic, devils were almost as worthless as a normal human in a fight. The chains were linked to his own demonic powers, and Naruto began to sense something dark rearing its head from inside their bodies the more energy he took from them.

He narrowed his eyes as he tried to determine the source.

What is this? This isn't from the devils...this is something much bigger!

Deep inside of them, there was something foreign in their bodies that was releasing a foul energy. The cloaks of power around their bodies were quickly overtaken by a dark shroud. So strong was its release that a shock wave pushed outward from the two captured devils, and forced everyone to shield themselves.

Naruto covered his eyes, taken aback by their incredible strength. He thought for sure that he had them on the ropes, but this unknown strength had surfaced when their backs were against the wall. Before long, the dark energy began to sink into his chains, turning them a sickly dark color.

Have to cut the spell before it reaches back to me!

With a wave of the arm, his spell circle was released. The chains disappeared from his opponents, their bodies slumped over in exhaustion. From the looks of them, their bodies were still suffering despite their power boost. If anything, Naruto's original goal to take them out of the fight had succeeded. That power could have been hiding in the others, and so Naruto was hesitant to try the same move twice.

"Now!"

The other four had chosen to sit out of the fight earlier and not help their comrades. At first, Naruto had believed they had collared themselves to prevent their friends from coming to further harm, but he started to realize they had no desire to help one another. More magical circles appeared, and a torrent of energy was launched at him, with their wounded comrades in the way.

Too fast for him to dodge, Naruto was forced to create a circle of protection to stave off the attack. The torrent of energy sped across the battlefield, vaporizing the downed opponents in a split second. Blinded by the attack's overwhelming power, Naruto was pushed to the brink as he tried to maintain his shield.

No good...four against one is too much!

Under great pressure, the protective spell broke apart in front of him. By instinct, Naruto held up his arms to protect himself. He then felt a presence at his side, and then a great force pushed him to the ground. When he recovered, he saw the Kyuubi in front of him, containing the enemy attack with one hand. With a smack from the back of her hand the attack was sent flying away.

Fireballs formed in each of her hands, and above each tail. They were tinged white with Naruto recognized as the infamous strength of Kitsune fox fire. She unleashed the barrage of attacks, forcing the remaining devils to scatter across the battlefield to escape.

Each fireball exploded into a fiery mess upon impact, taking with it a chunk of the surrounding area. Somehow, apart from glancing burns, the remaining four had managed to avoid lethal damage. This earned them a harsh glare from the nine tails as she began to build up an insane amount of power.

"Stay out of my way, boy," she said with a threatening growl attached.

Getting saved by the person you were supposed to be rescuing was not the best feeling in the world. His eyes could barely follow her movements as she launched forward with incredible speed, appearing next to the closest devil. With one punch, she was able to break their magical defense and send them hurtling into the ground. Such strength was not focused solely on her human extremities, as the tails whipped at the devils too foolish to get close.

Naruto dusted himself off and hesitated to leap back into the fight. He would probably just get in the woman's way, or worse, get himself attacked. Still, the adrenaline pumping through him refused to let him stay out of the way for long. He noticed that a couple of the devils had managed to avoid the Kyuubi's focus and were creating a large magical circle between them.

Releasing his wings, Naruto flew at them in an attempt to halt their counterattack. A combination attack required a great amount of practice, considering the depth of the calculations involved in most magic. If they were able to pull something like that off, then the attack was too dangerous to let them complete it.

Moments before he reached them, an army of chains were unleashed from the depths of wherever the magical circle led to. Naruto shielded himself, but quickly found out the attack was not meant for him as it sailed past. The chains quickly found and latched onto the Kyuubi, ensnaring themselves around her body like a bad weed. Her scream of pain echoed as the spikes dug into her skin, and he could feel the energy forced out of her body as the chains absorbed it all.

This attack, it's so similar to mine. But these chains aren't feeding the energy back to the devils...

Where was all of that demonic energy being taken? The answer lied on the other side of the magical circle, as Naruto quickly figured out that the spell was not to create the chains, but summon them from another location. Different from his mother's spell in which daemonic energy is given shape from the user's own body, these chains were physical creations imbued with the same dark magic he felt from the other two devils.

The restraints forced Kyuubi down to her knees as the remaining enemies joined in with their own chains. So, they were after her energy, after all.

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. What was their objective? What were they planning to use that energy for?

Whatever the results were, they could not be good. The nine tails would die at this rate if he did not do something.

Do I have to use...that?

The power left behind for him by his father, passed onto him from Kushina. This might have been a good time as any to unleash it. But, if he could just break their concentration then the fox might escape. No, he would find another way; it was not time to reveal his trump card yet.

"I told you guys..." Naruto scowled, building up more energy. "Not to ignore me!"

With the release of his magic, a maelstrom of energy released and forced the ground beneath his feet to buckle and crack. A shroud of demonic power built around him as Naruto summoned another magical circle, then three more, and soon a dozen appeared in the sky surrounding them.

The devils, at first completely focused on the task at hand, quickly grasped the danger surrounding them. Unfortunately, they were either unable or unwilling to cease their absorption of the Kyuubi's strength and offered no defense against his attack.

"This ends now."

From the circles came more chains with sharpened ends, all headed straight for the devils. The spears pierced straight through their bodies, forcing them to double over in pain. They wailed in pain as more and more of the attacks collided with their body; no mercy was offered, even after they were forced to release their own attack on the Kyuubi.

"Devils are pretty resilient..." Naruto tightened his hand into a fist as the chains began to constrict. "But, we all have our limits."

Only when the last devil's body ceased moving did Naruto release his spell. The chains receded back into the portals, and he felt his energy return. Despite winning, he could not find it in himself to be proud of the bloody spectacle in front of him. True, his mother had taught him to fight with no heed for his opponent's life, but he detested the brutality he was forced to deploy against them.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the kitsune struggle against the few chains still wrapped around her body. Despite their circles disappearing, the physical bonds remained attached to her body. He could not tell how much energy they took, but he was sure that the creature in front of him was severely weakened from the encounter.

With a strangled roar, the Kyuubi shook off the rest of the chains. From the strength she had left, the nine tails carried herself some distance from Naruto in a vain effort to find safety. Her skin began to fizzle and smoke as the wounds healed themselves, albeit slowly. She was out of breath, and he was then very sure she was unable to fight him even if she wanted to.

Naruto walked over to her, cautiously taking each step in an attempt to not antagonize her.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

The youkai shied away from his touch. Despite their common enemy, she still did not trust him. He thought that it was fair for her to feel that way, considering he was a devil too. Still, he could tell those wounds were going to be difficult to handle without enough energy, and he could barely feel her presence at all.

Kyuubi collapsed to her knees from exhaustion. Instinctively, her hands covered her chest as pain wracked her body.

Naruto decided to keep his distance and respect the demon's privacy. If he were to go to her, he had no healing ability of his own to help anyway. His concern was useless to the Kyuubi.

"Ugh! Damn them...those chains, stole my energy." Kyuubi's breathing was irregular and her speech came out in labored pants.

When the wounds remained on her body after the energy had dissipated, Naruto knew that her power alone was not enough to save herself. The only thing Naruto could think of was to use his evil piece, but that would bring her back as part devil. He knew of the pride associated with the Kyuubi Youkai, and a full blooded one like her meant that she would not be a fan of such an idea. But, they were running out of options.

"Hey, I think I have an idea of how to help."

"Sh-shut up, devil. I..do not need..your help." Her words were harsh, but she did not even have the energy to push him away.

Naruto knelt down next to her and was glad to see she offered no resistance; whether it be from weakness or an acceptance of his help, he could not tell.

"Come on, at least listen to what I have to say." When she offered no words of resistance, he took it as an invitation to continue. "I have something that can bring you back to full strength, but it's going to turn you into a half devil."

Just the thought of it instantly made the Kyuubi cringe, but she remained silent. Hopeful, Naruto continued with his pitch in hopes she would accept. If nothing else, it would save her life.

"It means joining my family, too. I know how powerful the nine tails are, since my father was partnered with one once, so I don't plan on holding you back. The thing is, this is a deal you can't go back on."

Naruto hiked a thumb over his shoulder, toward where the devil remains were.

"I'm going to guess they aren't the last ones to show up trying to get your power. I can protect you more than if you were to go on your own. How about it?"

The poison inside of her had taken most of Kyuubi's energy, making it difficult for her to speak. Her features remained stiff as she thought over the offer that was clearly not to her liking. Naruto always believed everyone should be given a choice with what happened in their life, but Kyuubi's choice was not particularly flattering either way.

He would rather not watch her die though, so when she gave him the slightest of nods, he began to smile brightly. From within his chest, he beckoned the mutation piece to come forward and held it in his palm. With his king ability, he could sense how many pieces Kyuubi would be worth. Lucky for him, a mutation piece could be used on someone for any position, regardless of how many pieces they were worth.

11 pieces. His eyes lit up as if he had found the buried treasure of some long dead pirate. Coming to Kuoh was not such a bad idea then, if he found a powerful vixen such as this. Not to mention, he could not ignore her feral allure.

Kyuubi groaned in pain, shaking him from his reverie. Without anymore time wasted, he inserted the piece into her chest and observed the energy of the evil piece surge through her body. The healing she once struggled to complete started again, but this time the wounds began to close with great speed. In under a minute, the fox was already up onto her own two feet without his help.

Devil life force now flowed through her veins, just as her youkai did. As a kitsune, she was already on the high end of spiritual energy and power among her kind and with nine tails she was considered equal to some of the most powerful devils. Now with devil blood surging through her veins and an evil piece embedded into her chest, she had ascended to a level rarely reached by any newly resurrected devil.

Naruto watched as she began to stretch her body and get used to the new strength. This was his first time seeing someone be resurrected, not to mention by his own hand.

"Not bad." Kyuubi offered as her observation.

"Welcome back," Naruto said with a friendly thumbs up.

The crimson haired woman scowled, not amused by his little joke. She crossed her arms and seemed to wait, impatiently, for him to say something.

"So, what am I supposed to do? Do not expect me to bow or call upon you with honorifics. You have not earned it." Naruto sighed, starting with conditions of the relationship was really exhausting.

"Hey, I'm not trying to make you a slave or anything. Like I said, we are partners." He shrugged. Maybe she was educated enough to know about the devil system? It was worth a shot.

"If you know anything about the evil piece system, you know that as the head of a family or peerage, I have the king piece. Their most powerful partner and member of the family is the queen piece, which is what I made you."

Kyuubi's eyes lit up upon hearing that she was considered a 'queen', though it should not have been all that new to her. If his memory served, the nine tails often acted in leadership roles for the Youkai so she was already royalty anyway. Still, that bit of interest he hoped was enough to keep her from arguing against it.

"So, Queen-san, what would you like me to call you? Do you have a name?" He gave her a cheeky smile as he leaned in close to tease her.

The nine tailed creature pushed him away, quite forcefully. His usual attitude did not seem to mesh well with her serious personality.

"You have not earned the right to know my name, let alone call me by it. For now, Kyuubi will suffice."

"Hmph. Okay, Kyuubi. You can call me Naruto." There was an awkward moment after the introductions were over until Naruto remembered what time it was.

"Come on, we better get back to my place and rest. I can fill you in on my plans tomorrow."

Kyuubi shrugged and followed behind him without another bit of interaction. The silence was uncomfortable, but Naruto had to remember the entire situation was pretty foreign to her. The idea that he had just gotten a queen, and a powerful one at that, had not completely sunk in with his mind either.

And so, the two partners left the battlefield of the park. Despite it being their first meeting place, both were eager to leave it behind.

"Rias, they've gone. Shall we follow?" Akeno reported, still in her miko shrine outfit.

Rias and the rest of her peerage hid within the trees of the park. They had come in the middle of the battle and had expected to take part, but were pleasantly surprised to see the new devil and his nine tailed friend finish the interlopers off.

"No, that won't be necessary. They have dealt with enough trouble for the night, I'd say."

Despite the battle being resolved, Rias was not smiling. She would have to report such an incident to her brother and Sona to determine just what those devils were doing out here, in the human realm. Not only that, but hunting a Kyuubi of the ruling clan?

The only saving grace was that the devils were not affiliated with any of the 72 pillars, and so she could only assume they were strays. However, they were quite well organized for a bunch of random servants, so she wondered if they could really be Extra Demons.

Her curiosity did not end there. Who was that blonde devil? What was his clan? What were his intentions? Whatever he wanted could not be so innocent to pass up a wounded Kitsune as he brought her into his peerage. She would not forgive him if he caused trouble in her territory, so she would need to keep a close eye on him.

That magical circle...and that crest. Who is this Naruto?

Indeed, she had many questions for her dear brother that night.

Sorry to re-upload this. I was struggling with myself whether to leave it up or not, but I realize that it was well liked and there is not enough content in the crossover section. I did change some things, mostly in the fight scene, as I expanded exactly what I want Naruto to be capable of.

Surprisingly enough, my notes for the story are pretty well expanded despite me not releasing a second chapter.

This initial arc is for Naruto to gather his peerage and be introduced to everyone. Then, it is off down the long road to make the Mammon return to the 72 pillars and become respected again.

Lastly, as appropriate of Highschool DxD, consider this a harem. It is a relatively small group of girls, but they are not all going to be a part of his peerage.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD.