Devil Ninja

All Actions Have Consequences

Naruto didn't know how to feel about his current situation.

When he had allowed Kuroka, Bikou and Arthur to capture him, he had done so under the belief that he was doing the right thing. Whoever these people were, whoever was in charge of those three, clearly presented a danger to himself and his friends, and he needed to discover who they were and what they wanted quickly. Those had been his thoughts at the time, and he had been so certain that his choice had been the correct one.

Now he wasn't so sure.

He surveyed his surroundings with gritted teeth and a heavy heart. Kuoh Academy was in ruins. The once beautiful school had been reduced to rubble. Walls had caved in, the roof had collapsed like a glass house struck by a hammer. Nothing remained of the place where he, Rias and the Occult Research Club had spent so much time together. Nothing but rubble.

And it was all his fault.

"Now is not the time for self-recriminations," Kurama growled inside of his head. "You can angst like your brooding Uchiha friend later. You've got an enemy to defeat right now."

"You're right. Sorry for being such a downer."

Naruto looked at the man responsible for destroying his school, for hurting his friends, and he did everything possible to keep from letting his anger bubble to the surface.

"I will give you one last chance to leave," Naruto spoke quietly, yet his voice carried to Kokabiel and the Fallen flying above them easily. "Leave Kuoh Academy and never return. Do so, and your lives will be spared."

Kokabiel chuckled. "Aren't you a magnanimous devil. Do you really think any of us would leave while we're on the cusp of victory? If so, then you are even more foolish than your pathetic king. One devil cannot stand against the forces I have arrayed against you. You cannot even stand against me on your own. I am--"

Naruto had heard enough. With a burst of chakra to his feet, he exploded into action, closing the distance between him and Kokabiel in the blink of an eye. The Fallen Angel barely had time to blink before Naruto's fist plowed into his face. A loud bang! like the crackling of thunder, like the roar of a cannon, echoed across the clearing. Kokabiel was launched off his feet and sent sailing backwards, where he slammed into the ground with bone-jarring force.

The ground cratered. The earth splintered. Cracks appeared along the once grassy field, spreading from the place where Kokabiel's body lay in dazed shock.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked up. The many Fallen Angels above him were hesitant and shocked. They seemed unsure as to what they should do. Should they help their leader? Did they want to risk the wrath of the one who slammed him down in the first place? Naruto could see the questions in their eyes, the uncertainty, the fear. While a part of him disliked being the one who put it there, another part knew this would benefit him. Enemies who feared you were less liable to pose a threat, after all.

"D-damn you..."

Naruto returned his attention back to Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel stood to his feet, dust and earth fragments falling from his frame. He wasn't injured too badly, just a split lip where Naruto had punched him.

"That," Kokabiel wiped the blood off his face, "was an awfully solid hit. I had not realized there was one such as you among the rabble here in Kuoh Academy."

"Then you must not watch news," Naruto quipped. "I've been told that I'm a rather popular figure in the underworld."

Kokabiel shrugged. "I have no need to listen to the drivel that comes from the mouths of devils, though now I'm beginning to think I should have at least started paying attention to rumors." His lips curled into a cruel smile. "It matters not. You might be powerful, but I shall destroy you either way. The real battle begins now."