Devil Ninja

Chapter 38

After leaving the hotel, Naruto and his party hurried toward Kyoto Station. They planned on taking the next bus to Nijou Castle from there.

Naruto was no longer wearing his school uniform. The black pants he had donned rustled as he moved, while white bandages wrapped around his calves before disappearing into his custom made shinobi sandals. His sleeveless shirt was orange. The ninja pouch attached to a belt at his waist jingled as he moved swiftly in front of the others.

Issei, Saji, and Kiba were still in their school uniforms, unlike him, but that was likely because they didn't have any official battle attire. Asia was wearing her black and white habit from her days as a nun, while Irina was dressed in the skin tight black outfit of the Church. Rossweisse had likewise not changed out of her business suit, which she wore when teaching.

It didn't take more than fifteen minutes to reach the station. They stood by the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive, but just as Naruto began to grow impatient, someone suddenly collided with his back.

"Naruto-san! I am coming too!"

Turning around, Naruto found himself staring down into the determined eyes of Kunou, once again dressed in her priestess clothes.

After the battle on the Togetsukyo, Kunou had gone back to the inner capital. He had assumed she would be staying there until the situation blew over. However, it looked like the girl had other plans.

Naruto placed his hand on her head and rubbed it. "Are you sure you want to come with us? This is going to be incredibly dangerous."

Shaking her head, Kunou clung to him, her hold on his waist tightening. "I want to rescue my mother, too. I don't want to be the only one not doing something. I can't take the idea of just sitting around while everyone else does what they can to save her." Naruto squirmed in discomfort as the girl's chin ground against his ribs. "Please. I'm begging you. Take me with you."

While he wasn't sure how other people might respond to this girl, Naruto's first inclination was to tell her she could come. Kunou wanted to save her mom. Far be it from him to stop a girl determined to save her mother. That said, he also knew that all of the higher ups wanted Kunou to remain out of harm's way.

"What do you guys think?" he asked, looking at the members of his part. "Can we take her along?"

"Um... I think we should take her with us," Asia said, though her tone was uncertain.

"That girl wants to save her mother, right?" asked Irina. "I understand how she feels. We should let her help out."

Saji crossed his arms. "Don't look at me. I'm just following orders."

"I'll go with whatever you decide, sensei," Issei added.

"You're the leader here," Kiba said. "If you decide to take her with us, we'll of course comply with your request."

Naruto nodded at everyone's answers, which were about what he had expected, and then he looked at Rossweisse. She was a teacher, so she technically had some level of authority over him. However, he was the leader of this mission.

Rossweisse gazed at him for several seconds before sighing. "I do not believe bringing such a young girl is a good idea... but if that is what you want, then I'll do my best to help you keep her safe."

"Thank you." Smiling in gratitude, Naruto glanced back down at Kunou. "You heard them. You can come with us."

"R-really?" asked Kunou, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"Really. However, make sure you stay with me. Don't leave my side for even a second, okay?"

As Kunou nodded along, her head bobbing so emphatically she looked like those bobble heads on car dashboards, Naruto wondered if maybe he was too soft. Oh, well. It wasn't like it mattered. He wanted to respect Kunou's feelings and was willing to take full responsibility for her well-being. Everything would turn out fine. He was sure of it.