Naruto: the black dragon emperor

Chapter 13: freed the mad exorcist appears

"Na-Naruto-kun?" Raynare stammered, her cheeks reddening as she realized how close the blonde was to her. "I thought you'd be with Asia-chan."

"I'm just a clone," Naruto replied without lowering his guard. "But did you think I'd leave you alone, knowing this idiot was lurking around?" He pressed the kunai slightly closer to Issei's neck for emphasis.

"Who are you calling an idiot, you blonde fool?" Issei shot back, though his voice wavered. "And get this thing away from my throat before the police come after you."

Naruto smirked coldly. "They won't. I've put up a barrier, so no one can see or hear us. I could kill you right here, and no one would ever know." His tone was calm yet deadly. "But I'm not as twisted as you are, so you're lucky." With that, he disappeared in a black flash, taking Raynare with him.

"Damn blonde," Issei muttered, clenching his fists. "How dare he talk to me like that? I'm supposed to be the Red Dragon Emperor. Soon, I'll be the Harem King, and nobody can stop me!" He stormed off toward the academy, his confidence masking his unease.

Meanwhile, with the Real Naruto

Naruto strolled alongside Asia, the young nun, as they approached a small, run-down church.

"Wow, I thought churches were supposed to be cleaner," Naruto remarked, wrinkling his nose. This place reeks of Fallen Angels, he thought to himself. "Is this the place, Asia?"

Asia nodded, her gentle smile lighting up her face. "Yes, Naruto-san. Thank you for helping me. May God bless you." She clasped her hands together in prayer.

Naruto waved it off with a grin. "No problem. Just wanted to help a friend. But be careful walking around alone, okay?" He turned to leave, heading toward the academy.

As he walked away, a child tripped and scraped his knee nearby.

"Wait!" Asia called, rushing over to the boy. She knelt, her soft voice soothing him. "A little scratch like this shouldn't make a brave boy cry." She placed her hands over the wound, and a gentle green light emanated from her palms. Within seconds, the boy's knee was fully healed.

"Wow, that was amazing," Naruto said, watching from a distance. ("So, she has a Sacred Gear"), he thought.

Asia smiled shyly. "Thank you, Naruto-san. I need to hurry now; I'll be late." She gave him a small wave before entering the church.

Naruto's expression grew serious. "I'll have to keep an eye on her," he muttered. He created a shadow clone, who transformed into a pigeon and flew to a nearby building to monitor the area. "Alright, time to get back to the academy."

At Kuoh Academy

Raynare and Naruto's clone sat in class, paying attention to the teacher's lecture. Suddenly, the clone dissipated in a puff of smoke, and the real Naruto appeared in its place.

"Done," Naruto said casually as he settled into his seat.

Akeno turned to him with a teasing smile. "Ara ara, look who finally decided to show up. Where have you been, Naruto-kun?"

"Just handling some business," he replied nonchalantly.

Raynare leaned in. "You left Asia-chan at the church, right?" Naruto nodded.

"Well, at least she's not wandering the city alone anymore," Raynare said, jotting notes in her notebook.

"Asia?" Akeno asked curiously.

"She's just a friend I met today," Naruto said, keeping the explanation brief.

Later That Night

At Naruto's home, he and Raynare sat with Kalawarner, discussing the events of the day.

Kalawarner handed Naruto a crumpled piece of paper. "I found this in my pocket. It's a list of Sacred Gear users. Most of the names are crossed out—except for one."

Naruto scanned the paper, his eyes narrowing. "Even Issei's name is crossed out. Probably because he was reincarnated by the devils." He stopped at the last name, his expression darkening. "Asia Argento. Carrier of Twilight Healing."

Raynare gasped. "Asia? The girl we met today?"

Kalawarner's face grew serious. "Do you know her?"

"We met her before heading to the academy," Raynare said, realization dawning. "No wonder I felt something strange about her."

"We have to protect her," Naruto said firmly. The two Fallen Angels nodded in agreement.

IN ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY

Issei trudged along the dimly lit street, muttering to himself.

"Man, I need to figure out how to use that magic circle. Walking everywhere is killing me," he grumbled before stopping in front of a house. "Finally. Took long enough," he said, knocking on the door. "Hello? I'm Issei Hyoudou from the Gremory clan."

The door creaked open slowly on its own.

"Huh? Is it unlocked?" Issei said, hesitating before stepping inside.

The house was eerily quiet. Shadows stretched across the walls, and a strange chill ran down his spine as he moved deeper into the house. He wandered into what looked like the living room but froze in horror.

The room was a blood-soaked nightmare. Crimson stains covered the walls, and his client—crucified—hung grotesquely in the center. Blood dripped down the body, forming strange symbols all around.

"What the hell is this?" Issei stammered, stumbling back in fear, his heart racing.

A low, unsettling chuckle echoed from the corner of the room.

"Well, well... the guest of honor has finally arrived," said a male voice, laced with madness.

Issei whipped around to see a man step out of the shadows. He had wild white hair and wore a tattered priest's robe. His grin was unnervingly wide, and his eyes glinted with insanity.

"Who the hell are you?" Issei demanded, trying to steady his voice. His fists clenched as he took a defensive stance. "What do you want?"

The man laughed, his tone unhinged. "Freed Sellzen, at your service! And what I want..." His grin twisted into something more feral as he pulled out a holy sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. "...is to kill you, you filthy demon!"

Freed lunged at Issei with terrifying speed. Issei barely had time to react, stumbling out of the way as the holy sword slashed through the air.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a small dove perched on the window outside watched the scene unfold, its bright eyes glinting with an unnatural intelligence.