Naruto: the black dragon emperor

Chapter 8: The power of a mere human

Naruto stood calmly, a confident smile curling his lips as he locked eyes with the fiery redhead before him. "That sounds interesting," he mused, his tone laced with defiance, clearly unbothered by the tension in the air.

Rias Gremory's crimson aura flared in response, her magical power swelling as she tried to intimidate the blond. However, much to her frustration, Naruto remained completely unfazed, as if her rising power meant nothing to him.

"Are you threatening me?" Rias demanded, her voice sharp with anger. Doesn't he feel my power? She wondered, growing more frustrated by his calm demeanor.

Naruto met her gaze with a calm, almost mocking look. "And what if I am?" he replied coolly, his voice carrying an undertone of challenge. "It's not like I care."

Rias' eyes narrowed dangerously. "You think you're so tough, huh?" she growled. "You're just a human—" she started, but trailed off when she noticed Naruto was no longer paying attention to her. Instead, he had pulled out a book from nowhere and was casually flipping through the pages as if she didn't exist.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Naruto asked absentmindedly, scratching his ear in a way that reminded her of Kakashi. His lack of concern only stoked the flames of Rias' anger.

"That's it!" Rias snapped. "You've attacked me, and now you'll regret it. Kiba, take him down!"

Kiba, who had been standing on guard, nodded. "Hai!" he responded, before charging at Naruto with blinding speed. "Don't underestimate me!"

But as Kiba's blade sliced through the air, it only hit a fading afterimage. Kiba's eyes widened in shock. "What the—?" He quickly turned his head, only to find Naruto standing behind him, still reading his book.

Before Kiba could react, a powerful kick slammed into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was launched into a nearby tree, crumpling to the ground in pain.

"Too slow," Naruto commented, lowering his leg and turning a page in his book as if nothing had happened.

Koneko, silent and swift, appeared behind him, launching a powerful punch. But Naruto effortlessly caught her fist without even looking up from his book. The shock in her eyes mirrored the stunned expressions of everyone else watching.

"You're weak, Koneko," he said, not sparing her a glance. As he held her there, another attack came from Akeno—a bolt of lightning tearing through the air. Naruto tilted his head slightly, allowing the lightning to pass by him harmlessly, obliterating a tree behind him.

"Sorry, but you're still not there yet," he sighed. In a swift, fluid motion, Naruto gripped Koneko's wrist and spun her around, using her small frame like a hammer to slam into Kiba, who had been trying to sneak up from behind. Both Kiba and Koneko were sent crashing into the trees, groaning in pain as they lay defeated on the ground.

Naruto closed his book with a snap and looked at the fallen devils. "That was pretty pathetic, honestly. I expected more," he said with a smirk, the wind gently ruffling his hair as he pocketed the book.

"This... this can't be happening," Akeno whispered, eyes wide in disbelief as her fallen comrades lay unconscious at Naruto's feet. "He beat them like they were nothing."

(This isn't an illusion... he's faster than Kiba and stronger than Koneko.) Rias clenched her fists, her crimson eyes locking onto the blonde intruder. "What the hell are you?!" she shouted, anger flaring in her voice. "You can't be human!"

"With a calm expression," Naruto closed the book in his hand, tucking it away. "I'm just a simple human," he replied, his tone indifferent, almost mocking. "And this human just defeated you." In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing behind Akeno. "But this," he said, raising his palm to her chest, "is a real attack."

"Palm of Emptiness."

A violent burst of wind erupted from his palm, slamming into Akeno and sending her crashing into a nearby rock with brutal force.

"A-Akeno!" Rias screamed, her heart racing as she watched her queen collapse. Rage and desperation swirled inside her as she gathered her Power of Destruction. But before she could act, Naruto was already in front of her, his red eyes—filled with bloodlust—piercing through her like daggers.

Her legs gave out, trembling uncontrollably as fear overtook her.

"What's the matter?" Naruto's voice was low and dangerous, his fox-like eyes glinting with menace. "Did you run out of courage, Rias?"

Suddenly, three clones of the blonde appeared, dragging the unconscious bodies of the Gremory clan demons—Akeno, Koneko—toward Rias. But Kiba was held separately, still in the clone's grip.

"What... what are you doing?" she gasped, voice shaking as she struggled to hold back her tears. "Let him go, please!"

Naruto glanced at Kiba, then back at Rias's. "I warned you, didn't I?" he said coldly. "I told you if I saw another spy near my home, I'd kill them," He placed a kunai at Kiba's throat, his grip unwavering.

"NO! Please!" Rias fell to her knees, her pride shattered as tears streamed down her face. "You can do whatever you want to me, but spare him! I'm begging you!" Her voice broke as she cried, pleading desperately for Kiba's life.

Naruto paused, then threw Kiba's unconscious body at her feet without a word.

"This ends here," Naruto declared, his tone authoritative and final. "Tell your fallen angel friends the same. Tomorrow, we'll talk about this like civilized people," His eyes flickered toward the beaten Gremory members one last time before he disappeared in a flash of black lightning.

As the dust settled, Rias was left kneeling, clutching Kiba and Koneko in her arms, her tears staining the ground.

"Rias!" Sona's voice broke the silence as she rushed over to her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern lacing her words.

"Okay?!" Rias screamed, her voice shaking with terror. "He almost killed Kiba! What kind of human is he?" Her body trembled as sobs overtook her, and she held onto her unconscious companions even tighter.

Sona sighed, kneeling beside Rias. "Calm down. Let's get them inside." She offered a gentle smile, helping her friend to her feet. "We'll figure this out together."

As they carried the wounded toward the Occult Research Club building, Sona couldn't help but think, (Naruto... I hope you can find it in you to forgive her).