The Top Ten

V

Somewhere in France

(4 months left till the Core Stone resurfaces)

“This guy really does not know how to blend in, does he?” That was the first thought that came into Jiraiya’s mind when he saw their guests, especially at the sight of the main guest.

The archangel Michael was handsome, there was no doubt about that. He had that innocent ‘Ikemen’ look that a lot of females would definitely be attracted to. But Jiraiya’s issue was not with his look, it was with his attire. If Jiraiya would have to describe what kinds of clothing Michael was wearing in one word, it would be… hideous. The archangel was wearing a red robe with a gold cross on the front of his white alb and had golden shoulder plates with a white sash. He even had his freaking halo dangling on top of his head.

Jiraiya could not help but subtly look at himself and August. Both of them were wearing a simple yet elegant looking tuxedo. He even trimmed his hair to suit the location. For God’s sake, he did not book a private room in the Mirazur restaurant all the way in France to see this!

“This is a marvelous place,” Michael said with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Jiraiya and August were already on their feet the moment their guests came in. Of course, Jiraiya was the first to follow up, “It is a pleasure to meet you Lord Michael. And both of you as well,” Jiraiya smiled at the exorcists before looking at Michael again, “And, I am glad you liked it. I chose a neutral ground for our meeting. But thought why not take it up a notch?” Then he pointed at the glass walls and the table beside him, “stunning panoramic view, world-class cuisine; perfect to set up the mood, do you not think so?”

“I have to say, I am really impressed with your choice,” said Vasco Strada,

The last one in their group, Griselda Quarta, just nodded back with an expressionless face.

And as usual, the exorcists were also following their leader blindly. Just looking at their appearance would make anyone feel as if Michael and his troupe came here to exorcise the whole city. Yes, they were using multiple high level illusion magic to make them appear normal in front of normal humans. But why take all take these complex steps when you can simply wear the attire to match the surroundings to blend in. Could it be that they did not know the simple art of subtlety?

“Please, take a seat,” August’s word snapped him out of his trance.

As everyone sat down, Jiraiya noticed that Griselda was completely ignoring him. But he could not ponder on it as Michael spoke up, “I was hoping for your king to be here.”

“I do apologize for this, but currently he is occupied and cannot leave our Capital,” August politely answered.

“So, you are telling us that whatever your king is doing right now is more important than meeting the first archangel and the leader of the angels of the Heaven faction?” Griselda did not raise her voice at all, but her words were sharp as a holy sword.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow in amusement. It seemed like she was acting as the bad cop of their team. And if his hunch was right then Michael would be the one playing as the good cop. The classic ‘Good cop and Bad cop’ move, might have worked against others but unfortunately they were dealing with him.

“Please, do not take it the wrong way, but Lord Michael here is not the leader of the Heaven faction, now is he?” All three of them flinched. Seeing that, Jiraiya immediately followed up, “What I mean here is that both of our leaders are not here. But their right-hand men,” Jiraiya then pointed at Michael first then at August, “are here. And I think that they are more than enough to carry on our discussion.”

“I agree with Lord Jiraiya,” Michael spoke up, but Jiraiya noticed the slight hesitation.

“How about we order something? The quality of the foods here is top-notch.” Jiraiya picked up the menu but Michael shook his head.

“If possible we want to start right now.”

“I should have just picked up a random food stall beside the city streets,” Jiraiya did not voice out his thought, rather he nodded at the archangel indicating he was fine with the decision.

“The reason we hoped for your king to be here is that this discussion is quite sensitive,” Michael immediately continued without giving Jiraiya any time to retort, “First of all, we the Heaven faction would like to deeply apologize for what had transpired between the Avalon Kingdom and the Devil faction. Please be assured that their actions do not reflect the Biblical faction as a whole.”

Michael paused for a moment but neither Jiraiya nor August said anything back. Releasing a deep breath, Michael continued, “In order for us to create a better future for both of our factions, I propose for an alliance.”

Now that got a reaction out of both Jiraiya and August. But again neither of them said anything back.

“I know we cannot build a strong alliance right from the beginning, but we are hoping that we can achieve that in the future. Of course, for that to happen both of our sides will have to work on that future.”

Michael paused again but this time Jiraiya spoke up, “Lord Michael, what you are suggesting is something our king will be very pleased to hear. And knowing him, he will do his best to achieve that future you are talking about. But, this alliance you are proposing, it is not a verbal and mutual agreement between us, now is it?”

“I am sure both of you know full well that a simple verbal agreement sometimes is not enough in our world. It can fall apart at tough times. So, we are hoping to start our alliance with a more symbolic relationship.” Vasco spoke up from Michael’s side.

“And may we know how you want to achieve that,” August asked in a neutral tone.

Hearing that, Michael looked at August, “We are hoping that faeries will help us reforge Excalibur. And in return we will bestow your city with the ‘Shield of the First Heaven’.”

Jiraiya almost facepalmed, almost.

It was true that faeries were the one who forged Excalibur but the power core of that sword was provided by the Heaven faction. It was the same case of Caliburn. But it was also because of this that the faerie faction had to go into hiding since all the other factions started a widespread hunt for their unique magic-crafting skills. But what the Heaven faction was offering was not something small either. ‘Shield of the First Heaven’ was one of the strongest defensive spells ever to be created. It was because of this spell that the Vatican City was still standing even after the Great war four hundred years ago. Unfortunately, the problem was elsewhere…

“Please, do not think that we are not taking your words seriously; and by no means, we are trying to offend you here,” Jiraiya noticed how Griselda tried to hold back her snort at his words, “But please, I urge you to reconsider this offer. This offer has more disadvantages for us than you think.”

Griselda did not try to hide her snort this time, “Of course, the strongest defensive spell is not enough for you people. You want…”

August raised his hand to stop Griselda form speaking, “Both of us cannot deny that your offer is more beneficial for us. But what you are not seeing is how this is going to affect us. For one, it will put all the faeries into the spotlight again. After we forged those two swords for you, the manhunt for us begun. And even though we did not actively participate in the Great war, the casualty that our faction suffered was one of the highest. And for two hundred years, this continued.”

“I deeply apologize on behalf of the Heaven faction, for our inability to protect you.” Both August and Jiraiya had no doubt how sincere and truly regretful Michael was when he spoke those words. Those words were not lies, but…

“Thank you, Lord Michael. But believe me when I say that we do not hold the Heaven faction responsible for this. We, the faerie faction, took a side in the Great war and we suffered the consequences for our choice. That is all there is to it. To make things clear, I am not bringing out the past to accuse the Heaven faction. What I want to point out is that our actions have consequences. If we help you to reforge Excalibur, the faeries and in extension the whole Avalon Kingdom will be targeted. There is no doubt about that.” August calmly explained.

“Are you sure about that?” Vasco interrupted, “I mean after what your king did and with our backing, I do not think anyone will be dumb enough to pick a fight with your people.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jiraiya really tried but with all naivety these people were spouting, he could not keep his sarcastic tone down. He turned toward Michael and sighed, “I understand that you have zero ill-intention. But think of this from a different point of view. We almost started an all-out war with the devil faction. And now we are trying to reforge Excalibur, one of the strongest holy swords ever to exist. I do not think the Devil faction and Grigori will take this as a simple alliance. I do not know about you, but…”

“You should watch your words, you are speaking to Lord Michael,” Griselda snapped.

“Okay, not a bad cop act; she seems to truly hate my guts,” Jiraiya looked at straight at Griselda whose gaze clearly told him that she was murdering him on her head, “Have I done something to you?”

“You perverted youkai! You bewitched my best friend!” Griselda almost jumped at him, if it were not for the reprimanding look she got from Michael.

“Best friend? Wait, it’s her?!” It was at that moment that Jiraiya knew he should be anywhere but here, “Hey, Do not make it sound like I took advantage of her. I properly courted her and I married her. She is my wife.”

“She is ONE of your wives!”

Well, he did not have any comebacks for that so he looked away from Griselda.

“How about this? Since the situation… I mean the alliance offer is quite delicate, we discuss this matter when both of our leaders are present?” August tried to defuse the situation but the way both of the exorcists flinched made Jiraiya think that August was doing a terrible job.

“Look, let’s order. You know what they say…” Jiraiya could not even start his bullshit before Griselda abruptly stood up.

“I apologize Lord Michael, but I want to be excused.”

As Griselda was storming off, the awkwardness level between the two groups started to rise.

Naruto always told him that his perverted ways would come back to bite him hard on his charming ass. The brat was not wrong. Truth to be told, this was not the first time when an important discussion went south because of his perverseness. And even though he had more control over his perverted ways after he got married, something told him that this definitely would not be the last. And everyone thought that the path to be the true harem king was nothing but full of rainbows and sunshine. Oh~ How fucking wrong they were!

“Well, it isn’t like I can do anything about this,” With that thought, Jiraiya turned toward Michael and Vasco and let out a charming smile, “So, who would like to order?”

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X

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Maldives

(3 months left till the Core Stone resurfaces)

Every power came with responsibilities and consequences. That was the reality, the truth of their world.

It was what Arjuna believed.

For example, being a demigod would grant you powers that normal mortals could not even imagine. Arjuna had no qualm with the powers, he knew how to control them and he also knew how to handle the responsibilities that came with the power. But power was not the only thing he received as a child of a God. His issue was with the looks and physique which would garner unwanted attention. Like now, he was in Meeru Island and was on his way to meet his father. Of course, he dressed according to the place which unfortunately attracted the attention of the opposite sex.

“Je suis désolé,” Arjuna politely declined the French girls. He knew the girls meant well, he hoped they did. It was just that he was not good at handling these kinds of forward and aggressive type of women. And as usual the girls took it as a challenge which at the end made him to use magic to get out of the mess.

Finally, after what it seemed like an eternity, he found his father.

Indra was laying down on a long chair, looking relaxed and carefree. His colorful Hawaiian shirt and big sunglasses really matched the overall mood of the place. No one would have guessed that this stylish middle-aged man was actually one of the top strongest being in this dimension.

“Good afternoon, father.”

Indra acknowledged him with a small nod of his head. He then motioned toward the empty chair beside him. Arjuna bowed again before politely sitting down.

“Relax boy, we are here to chat. No need to look so formal and stiff.”

With a small nod, Arjuna laid down onto the chair. He tried to be relaxed, to be in the mood but failed hard to do so. In his defense, the topic he was about to discuss was not something that can be done in such a relaxing manner.

“Why not you start with what is stressing you the most?”

As always, Arjuna knew he could not hide anything from his father, “Father, with due respect, may I know what your plans regarding the upcoming cold war are?”

“Nothing.”

Whatever Arjuna thought his father’s answer would be, this was far from it. He did not know how to react to this, as a result, he could not follow up with the conversation. But it seemed that Indra predicted this as well, “I am not planning anything for this Cold war because at the end it is pointless. Can you take a guess Arjuna? Why do I think that this pointless, hmm~”

Arjuna tried hard but he really could not come up with anything solid. With a sigh, he shook his head.

“Then let us try this from a different angle, do you know why this so-called Cold War occurs?”

Now, this was something he knew, “Cold war is where middle class factions will take passive-aggressive steps to fight against each other, in order to show supremacy amongst themselves and at the same time making sure that the high-class factions do not get too involved. In a way, for them this is the best opportunity to become stronger.”

“Correct, but why do they want to be stronger?” Indra took off his sunglass and looked at Arjuna. He almost flinched at the cold gaze of his father, “They are clawing and crawling to get back their glorious old days; when they were at their primes, when the mortals feared and revered them. Because of this, they are exploiting every loophole and every opportunity they can find, regardless of the consequences. This is the simple truth. But many in our faction and the entirety of the Biblical faction do not see it in this way. For them, these factions are fighting for their survival. This is why, these factions are being left alone as long as they do not cross the line.”

Arjuna frowned, “Is there no other ways, no alternatives? Can we truly not take any action even after seeing the cruelty and injustice done to the innocents.” Arjuna clenched his fists as he recalled what he had seen, “The war has not even begun and the Greek faction has already started their campaign. They are destroying so many innocent lives and no one is doing anything about it.”

“Did they anyway offend us or the Biblical faction?” The answer to Indra’s question was easy, Arjuna knew it but it felt wrong to him.

“I am guessing the reason you are so restless because you may have finally seen what the Greek faction are willing to do for their goal. If so, then you have my condolences. The Greek faction… they are spineless cowards who are only good at fucking and trampling the weak,” The sheer loathe in Indra’s voice actually surprised Arjuna. But he was not done, “They will never fight someone who is on equal terms with them, let alone someone who is stronger. They will always target those who they consider as easy preys. They always have been. Truth to be told, if it was up to me, they would have perished long ago.”

“Then why?”

“Every action has a consequence, my son,” Arjuna blinked at that statement but did not say anything allowing Indra to continue, “The Hindu faction is a top-class faction because of the Trimurti. As long as they are alive and well, even the Biblical faction as a whole will not dare to cross paths with us. No one can deny that. But there is always a chance that this balance may be broken. So to make sure that does not happen, the Trimurti had set some rules. From our faction’s perspective, these rules are here to help us prosper and at the same time to make sure as a faction we are always on the neutral side. But if you look at the bigger picture, there are cases where these rules are restricting us.”

“May I know what these rules are?” This was the first time Arjuna was hearing this.

“I will… when the time is right,” Indra answered as he put the sunglasses back on and relaxed again on his chair, “But one thing I can say for sure is that this cold war will not affect the Hindu faction in any way.”

“But innocent people are dying.” Arjuna tried to hold back his anger as much as he could, but some of it was able to sip out out through his tone.

A smile formed on Indra’s face, “I am chained by the rules the Trimurti had set… but you are not.”

Arjuna was again stunned at the response but it took him mere seconds to fully understand what his father was trying to do. Immediately he formed few plans in his head, “Father, do you know where the Greek faction are hiding?”

The Greek faction was one of the cruelest faction Arjuna had seen. Yet, they had survived for so long. And the reason for it was their cunningness. Everyone knew that they had created a new base after they had lost the Mount Olympus, but no one knew where it was. There were many speculations. Some believed that, with the help of Poseidon, they created their new base under one of the Oceans. Some believed that Hades hid their base in the Underworld. Yet, with all these speculations, no one had found their base.

“That is something you have to figure out by yourself,” Indra answered, but before Arjuna could protest, he asked, “So how is your stay at… what is it called again… Hero faction? I hope it is productive.”

Arjuna sighed. His father blatantly changed the subject, meaning he did not wish to discuss about that subject any further. Pushing this matter would do him no good, he knew that from experience. So he could only comply, “Yes, it is. I was finally able to figure out the true purpose as to why Ophis created the Khaos brigade and I also know how utterly she will fail to achieve that goal of hers.”

Indra did not say anything but his wide smile filled with pride told Arjuna that he got his interest, “Her ultimate wish is to remove The Great Red from the dimensional gap and take back her place. She knows that she cannot do it alone so she wants to tip the favor to her side by gathering strong individuals.”

The prideful smile on Indra’s face was completely gone. He took off his sunglasses again and started to rub the bridge of his nose, “Are you telling me that one of the strongest beings in our dimension, a Beast class being is this dumb and naïve?”

Arjuna understood his father’s frustration, after all he was feeling exactly the same when he first learned about it. How could any of them help Ophis against the Great Red? No matter how many individuals she would gather, all of them would be considered as less than harmless insects compared to the Great red, unless they are at least Super class individuals. “But this is not the main reason why she will fail. I believe there is someone else who is pulling the strings from the shadows and controlling the movements of the Khaos Brigade.”

“Do you have any idea who it could be?”

Arjuna sighed and just shook his head. It was not because of his lack of trying but because this individual was always a few steps ahead of him. And he knew he could not be too persistent otherwise his position would be in danger.

Indra was rubbing his chin as his eyes were focused on the calm sea in front of them. Suddenly out of nowhere, he smiled, “Then why not take advantage of the situation?”

Arjuna knew why his father stopped there, it was to see if he could understand what opportunity he was pointing at. But seriously though, what could an organization this messy could offer. Everyone there was after their own goal…

His eyes widened and he could his father smiling at him, “You want me to create a team of my own.”

“You know what I hate the most Arjuna,” Indra had his smile but his eyes turned cold. Even though he was looking at him, Arjuna could see his eyes were seeing something else, “I have no issues with someone having great powers and decided to just sit on it. After all, not everyone can be responsible. No, what angers me is when those irresponsible individual stops others from taking actions. They do not know how to lead, and yet they do not want other capable ones to lead.

Suddenly, Indra’s cold smile turn into a warm one as he focused on Arjuna, “Take this Cao Cao for example. He is the wielder of the True Longinus, the strongest Longinus ever to exist. The things he can do, the possibilities… they are endless. He could change the world for the better, or for the worst. He could literally re-structure the power balance of our world. But all this power did not make him a good leader. I believe that other than his blind followers, everyone in the Hero faction knows that you can be a much better leader than him. He knows that as well, and that is why he is trying to make sure you cannot take that position.”

Indra was not wrong. Arjuna knew it, he felt it. He also knew what the right course of action was but taking that step meant, “Yes, there are quite a few who are not satisfied the way Cao Cao is handling the team. And it is not just him, there are a lot of individuals… good individuals who are frustrated at the way the Khaos Brigade is working. But they are shackled.” Indra did not say anything but Arjuna understood the silent question, “Yes, I can gather almost all of them to work with me. But this would accelerate their plans greatly.”

Seeing Indra giving him the questioning look, Arjuna started to rub the bridge of his nose, “All of the so-called factions inside the Khaos Brigade have their own agenda, their own mini plans leading to a grander one. Right now, everyone is taking it slow because nothing major is happening. But if I take this step, if I gather all this individual in one team, it will disrupt their plan and the balance inside the organization.” Arjuna looked at Indra, to make sure he understood his message clearly, “If I take this step, some will come after me and my team. I am not afraid of them. What I am afraid of are those who would take drastic measures to make sure they could achieve their ambitious goals. They will not care about any consequences; which will result in lots of innocent people dying.”

“Lots of innocent people are dying right now.”

Arjuna was not finished but his words got stuck at Indra’s ruthless statement. It seemed his father wasn’t done yet, “You wanted to know what the Greek factions are doing? They are targeting and enslaving any low-class factions or magical tribes. Their aim is to gather knowledge related to anything remotely magic. And the reason they are taking an aggressive approach is that almost all other middle class factions are still working on their defenses. And why they are focusing on magical knowledge is because they are trying to upgrade their already existing anti-magic and anti-supernatural weapons. Keep in mind that they are also testing these weapons along the way. As for how they are testing their new weapons, I believe you had already witnessed it, at least the aftermath of it.” Indra leaned toward Arjuna, the intensity of his gaze almost made Arjuna look away, “So trust me when I say that you do not know yet how truly ruthless and atrocious they are.”

The tension was there for only a moment and then out of nowhere, Indra stood up and slowly he started to stretch, “Arjuna, you should learn from Naruto Ōtsutsuki, the Youkai King. During the events of the Nekoshou massacre, he knew his actions would have consequences, but he still went for it… to have justice for his people. And if I am being honest, he really did a fine job at handling the situation. Yes, some factions took advantage of this to start a cold war. But is he sitting down and biting his thumb wondering what to do right now? No.”

Indra turned to Arjuna, “And your earlier comment about no one doing anything about the Greek faction, you are wrong there. Avalon Kingdom is also taking very active and aggressive steps against the Greek faction to defend the innocents. Like the Greek faction, the Avalon Kingdom is also being sneaky about their moves. That is why not many knows about this.”

Indra started walking, Arjuna immediately followed him, walking side by side, “So, I should also move under the radar like the Greeks and the Youkai.”

Indra snorted, “Son, I am not telling you to do anything. It is your life, your choice. My only advice for you is to accept the fact that every action has its consequences. Every person has a limit. You cannot make everything go the way you want. Life does not work this way.”

Arjuna gave a dry laugh. He had to admit, Indra was really good at pep talk, “Sometimes I wish things were a bit easier.”

“Don’t we all wish that?” Indra answered with a rueful smile.

The silence between father and son lasted for a few long minutes before Arjuna stopped walking. Indra took a few steps before he stopped as well. Taking a deep breath, Arjuna looked at his father, his tone filled with conviction, “Father, I would like to be released from your personal army.” Indra nodded with an emotionless expression, “And I would also like to withdraw from my current mission.”

“Granted, but may I know why though.”

Arjuna did not answer immediately. Not because he was not sure of his answer, it was just that he needed a bit time to say it properly, “I will make a team of my own. And as you said, this action will for sure have consequences. And I want to be ready for those consequences. Not just that, I plan to see my actions until the end before I can go after the Greek faction.”

Indra did not say anything, he just raised his right hand, palm facing up. And a second later, the all too familiar weapon appeared on top of his palm.

“Vasavi Shakti!” Arjuna could not help but be awed at the weapon. But the surprise did not end there,

“Take it, it’s yours.”

Arjuna was truly speechless after hearing his father’s words. This was not a normal weapon that his father was giving him, this was a weapon meant to be used in a fight between Supreme class beings.

“I …”

“The question is not whether you are worthy or not? The question is whether you are willing to take the responsibility of wielding such a weapon or not?”

It seemed that his father was firm on his decision. The only reason he was hesitating was because the power Vasavi Shakti possessed. If he could utilize even half of the power it possessed, he could … Then it hit him. The real reason as to why his father was giving him Vasavi Shakti.

Arjuna slowly came forward and knelt in front of his father; a moment later, he raised his hands and took the weapon. The weapon was light but the power that resided in the weapon made it feel like it was heavier than the Himalayas.

“I will see you soon, my son,” With that, Indra disappeared, leaving a very determined Arjuna.

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X

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Unknown location

(2 and a half months left till the Core Stone resurfaces)

It had been seventy years, give or take, since Naruto started using this unique energy. This energy was different than both this world and his old world’s chakra. It was a variation of life-force energy that only Naruto could use it, a result caused by Amaterasu as she wanted to create an energy type for him which was as close to the chakra from his original world.

While this body and this energy was quite different from his old one, he got used to them very quickly. And with the help of Rinnegan, he was able to relearn his old techniques as well as learned a lot of new ones. And for any limitations, any blocks he had faced, he always found unique out of the box solutions to overcome them.

Except for one…

Any techniques fell under the domain of Life, Death, Creation, and Destruction… Naruto could not use them. Yes, for certain techniques, he had found roundabout ways to use them; but at the end, they were bastardized versions of the original ones. And he had to accept the fact that he would not be able to use those techniques. It was not that he was giving up since it was just simply impossible to learn those techniques using his current body and energy. It was as if a Hyuuga trying to awaken a Sharingan, it went against the natural order.

Well, according to both Amaterasu and Jiraiya, the solution to this problem of his was quite simple.

“How are you feeling, love?”

Naruto did not answer Yasaka. He just hugged her tightly and put his chin on top of her head. He closed his eyes and focused on his new energy. He was not surprised when he found out how soundly it was resonating with his wife’s Divine Energy. Heck, if he would go deeper he knew he would find that his energy was resonating with everything around them.

That thought was kind of scary to be honest. But he knew that with time, he would get used to; just like always.

“You are acting a bit odd, not Naruto-like,” Yasaka said with a light chuckle, but Naruto did not miss the worry in her tone, “Did you push yourself too hard again?”

He was fine, somewhat. But instead of saying it out loud, he squeezed her to relay his message. And by the way her body relaxed, it seemed she got it loud and clear.

The solution that Amaterasu and Jiraiya came up with was quite simple in terms of theory. Naruto had to ascend to Godhood so that he would have access to Divine Energy. What they deduced that this world has some natural restrictions for which Naruto could not use any techniques related to certain domains. There was no bypassing these Laws of Nature. The only solution to this was for him to ascend so that he could attain Divine Energy. But that was not all. Jiraiya also pointed out that Naruto had to attain at least the third level of divine energy if he wanted to use techniques from higher domains.

First level of Divine Energy was known as ‘Blessed Divinity’. Any non-divine being could obtain it if they are blessed by powerful Gods or Goddesses. It could also be obtained through Sacred Artefact. This was why all ‘Longinus’ wielders had access to ‘Blessed Divinity’. Second level was known as ‘High Divinity’. Powerful Gods, Goddesses or children of such Divine beings possessed such energy. It was possible for non-divine individuals to have access to this if they had a patron who was a major and powerful Divine being. Yasaka was such a case. She obtained ‘High Divinity’ because she had Amaterasu as her patron Goddess. Third level was known as ‘Pure Divinity’. Only a handful of Divine beings possessed such power.

Divine Energy so potent and powerful that it became something different altogether. That was the fourth level of Divine Energy, also known as ‘Cosmic Energy’. There was an example Amaterasu gave long ago to portray just how frightening ‘Cosmic Energy’ was. Those who possessed ‘Pure Divinity’ could use techniques from absolute domains such as Life, Death, Creation, Destruction, Time, Reality, and so on. But those who possessed ‘Cosmic Energy’ could manipulate those absolute domains entirely.

Naruto truly understood Amaterasu’s point after he had met Shiva. The way he controlled the power of ‘Destruction’, Naruto wholeheartedly agreed with Amaterasu on how frightening ‘Cosmic Energy’ could be.

“It seems you still have some ways to go before you can fully use your newfound powers, Naruto,” Amaterasu commented from the side.

Naruto smiled and shook his head. He cleared his throat first before speaking, “You are in for a surprise.”

Amaterasu paused before chuckling, “I know that I should expect the unexpected from you. After all, who would have thought that you would be able to obtain ‘Cosmic Energy’. And here we are.”

Amaterasu was not showing it but he could tell that she was worried. Naruto could not blame her. When she first learned that he obtained ‘Cosmic energy’ after his ascension to Godhood, she outright fainted. It was funny until August and Tsukuyomi fainted as well. The situation back then got too hectic to be taken lightly.

Feeling Yasaka getting worried again, he squeezed her again.

Naruto’s ascension to Godhood… it was something to be celebrated under normal circumstances. But unfortunately, for Naruto, this was not the case. As Amaterasu pointed out to him before, he did not receive a portion of Divine energy, no, all of his internal energy turned into Divine energy. And he obtained the highest level of Divine energy. Because of this, his control over his power became quite unstable. It did not go to the point where his power was lashing out uncontrollably. It was just that he had to train and go over the foundation once again.

If it was any other time, it would not have been an issue. But, with the Core Stone resurfacing within few months, Naruto wanted to focus on other important matters instead of training in a secluded sealed realm.

And to make matters more complicated, since he did not have a good control over his power, Yasaka and Amaterasu had to constantly accompany him. Even Jiraiya dropped by from time to time to check on him.

Yes, it was an event that no one had foreseen. Also, it was an event that he could not have avoided. After Amaterasu pointed out how and why he was ascending, Naruto travelled to many corners in Avalon Kingdom, in disguise of course. He was stunned by what he had discovered. Regardless of the races, everyone was singing songs of him and his deeds. They were singing with such passion that it could easily be interpreted as prayers. Even in Shinto faction, Gods and Goddesses of different origin and power were doing the same.

With a sigh, Naruto dropped his head, his nose touching the side of Yasaka’s exposed neck. Her smell, combined with her aura, helped him to focus.

Yes, he was stuck training and practicing his newfound powers. But just as always, he had decided to do it in his own way. He had given himself a goal, a purpose which gave him the motivation to push himself. Instead of training because he had to, he was training because he needed to.

Now finally, he was ready.

With one last squeeze, Naruto let of Yasaka and turned toward the large empty field in front of him.

“Are you sure about this, love,” Naruto could not help but chuckle at Yasaka. These past few days Yasaka was quite worried about him, and so she was doing her best to take really good care of him even though she was quite busy herself.

“I need to do this, Yasaka,” He gave her a foxy smile that she adores so much. Feeling her relaxed again, he turned toward Amaterasu and nodded.

The first thing he tried to use after his ascension was ‘Creation of all things’ technique. He could not describe how happy he was when he found out that he could use that jutsu, albeit there were some complications.

The complications came because ‘Creation’ was not his domain. Yes, he could use techniques based on ‘Creation’ much better than before, but they were not perfect. And since he now possessed ‘Cosmic Energy’, he had to figure out which ‘Domain’ he had control over. His domain could be an original one or a variation of an original. Regardless, it would take quite some time for him to find that out. He just hoped that Amaterasu was wrong and it would not take decades.

Still, just because he had not figured out what his domain was, it did not mean he could not use ‘Cosmic Energy’.

Naruto took a deep breath. He did not want many people to know what he was about to do, not until they fully figure out how to handle the fallout and the consequences of his action. He stopped walking when he made some good distance between him and the ladies.

He took out a small scroll and lightly bit on it just so he could hold it with his mouth. Then he raised both his hands and started to focus on his energy. It took few seconds for his energy to fully resonate with his thought and his will. When he felt his energy fully stabilizing, he bit down on the scroll hard. The scroll broke and the essence stored inside it was released. His energy immediately absorbed the essence. He felt his energy understanding the core of the essence, and through his will, started to replicate it.

It took him full five minutes, but at the end, he was able to perfectly visualize of what he was about to create.

“Creation of all things!” Naruto shouted as he struck the palm of his hands against each other.

He could see it, right in front of his eyes, a part of his energy separated from him, and then it started to morph. The shape it was taking was abstract at first but slowly the outline of the shape looked like what he had imagined in his head. That was not all. The core of the energy also changed entirely to match the essence he had absorbed just moments ago.

The process took one single minute to complete, but it was one of the longest minutes for Naruto. And when it was done, when he finally saw the result of his newfound powers, raw emotions surged up inside him. He felt his tears flowing down. Yasaka was immediately beside him and hugged him.

In front of Naruto, there were two one-year old babies sharing one blanket. They were not normal babies, each of them had catlike ears and two tails.

Amaterasu was beside them in an instant. She gently picked them up. As she turned to Naruto, her eyes held nothing but gratitude and wonder, “The Nekoshou clan lives again.”

With a face-splitting grin, Naruto nodded back. He took a moment to wipe his tears before walking toward Amaterasu, Yasaka following him from his side.

“They are perfect,” Yasaka let out a large motherly smile as she took the babies from Amaterasu.

Naruto disagreed. They needed one last thing to be perfect. He gently touched the crown of one child’s head. It was a male Nekoshou who had white hair and tanned skin, “Shirou, that will be your name,” He felt his energy gently caressing the child as he gave him his name. He then touched the second child the same way. It was a female Nekoshou with black hair and fair skin, “And your name will be Kuro,” Once again, he felt his power embracing the child.

With this, it was done.

“Lady Amaterasu, can you call the rest and let them handle from here?” Naruto turned toward Amaterasu.

“I will do that,” Amaterasu waved her hand and created two small foxes which immediately disappeared.

“I know this is not the right time, but there is something I want you to consider.” Hearing the tone of Amaterasu, Naruto gave her his complete attention.

“Susanoo, Tsukuyomi and I had a long discussion,” Naruto knew she was going to drop a bomb by how she was not meeting his eyes, “When everyone will gather at the Core Stone, we want you to officially announce the alliance between the Avalon Kingdom and Shinto faction.”

Naruto waited patiently knowing full well that she was not done. And he was right, “With your current power level, we believe you are almost or already on par with the Four Horsemen. It will make quite a few individuals and groups to take note of you, and in extent at the Kingdom.”

Amaterasu stopped after that, it seemed she was still not sure how to say what she truly wanted to say. Although Naruto was patient, Yasaka was too worried about him, “Lady Amaterasu,”

Yasaka’s urgent tone seemed to do the trick. Taking a deep breath, Amaterasu finally looked at him, “We were thinking if you could merge the Avalon Kingdom and the Shinto faction. It will make the Kingdom bigger and stronger.” She immediately raised her hand to stop Naruto from speaking up, “We still have two and a half months before the Core stone resurfaces. Take your time and think about it.”

With that, she focused on the Nekoshou children.

Naruto just sighed and looked up.

“Troublesome.”