chapter 24

The sun was particularly bright this morning, he noted. The heat radiating through the air was a testament to its brightness as he had long since discarded his shirt to avoid it getting drenched in sweat. It wouldn't do him much good to get sweaty so early in the morning.

Naruto was taking part in his daily ritual in a new section of the forest. A couple of days ago, he had finally wizened up and started to use clones to help in his purification process. With their help, he managed to get a lot more done in a very short amount of time. He managed to get so much done that he was actually starting to plan sending his clone out of the city and into the surrounding area, and eventually into other countries.

"Even with the clones, covering the whole world will take a while." Naruto sighed to himself as he broke his meditation. He always seemed to pick the hard goals that took forever to do. Though, he didn't really have anyone, but himself to blame.

"What am I thinking!" Naruto suddenly yelled out, disturbing the ring of animals that had settled around him while he was purifying the area. The animals gave him a quizzical look as he stood up to his feet with a wide grin stretched across his face.

"No task is too big for Naruto Uzumaki, and his gang of clones." He exclaimed before two clones popped into existence beside him. The three Narutos began to shake hands with one another and dance merrily, earning them each strange looks from all the animals. Seeing that their 'peace radiator' was now gone, the animals began to slowly disperse throughout the forest. After only a minute, a single animal was the only thing remaining with the blonds.

That animal's presence became known to the blond when it came sprinting from the edge of the forest. At the sound of the creature's yipping, Naruto turned his head towards it. His eyes immediately soaked in the sight of the tiny, evergreen fox that was sprinting towards him. His clones didn't get to experience his surprise as they dispelled seconds before the fox landed at the blond's feet.

"Where did you come from?" Naruto asked out loud as he kneeled down to inspect the animal. The little kit didn't make the task easy for him as it immediately hopped onto his outstretched arm and ran up it. The blond merely raised an eyebrow at the animal's behavior as it ran up the length of his body and planted itself firmly onto his shoulder.

"Well, you aren't shy." The blond rose back up to his full height as he glanced over at the kit. The little thing met his gaze and gave a curiosity filled look in return. In all honesty, if Naruto couldn't feel a not-so-hidden well of energy contained in the fox, he would've found the moment to be unbelievably adorable.

"You do know that animal isn't normal?" Kurama questioned as Naruto kept his attention on the kit. The blond let out a thoughtful hum as he absentmindedly lifted his hand and began to gently rub the fox's head. The animal showed no sign of reluctance as it immediately began to shove his head into Naruto's hand.

"I figured that out when it hopped on my shoulder. Foxes aren't really supposed to have supernatural energy." The blond ran his eyes over the creature. The thing was no bigger than his head, yet he could feel a power source that was equivalent to a devil radiating from it. Its white and yellow color scheme also made it pretty unlikely that the creature was native to Kuoh.

"You're just going to let it come with you?" Kurama questioned when his partner began to walk out of the clearing. Naruto gave a shrug at the kitsune's question, earning him a displeased look from the fox on his shoulder as the movement jostled it slightly.

"Why not? It's not like it can do much harm." Kurama huffed at his partner's response. The boy's lackadaisical attitude was going to get them both killed eventually.

It was only a matter of time.

"Naruto…"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have a fox on your shoulder?"

"Because I found it in the forest."

Koneko loved her boyfriend. She really did. But, things like this made her question the boy's thought processes and sanity. What sane person would pick up a random animal in the middle of the forest and bring it back to their cooking shop? Only Naruto would.

"I think it's rather cute, Koneko-chan. It fits him." Koneko's eyes drifted over to her sole companion at the counter. Akeno looked as happy as could be as she sipped leisurely at a cup of tea that had been prepared for her by Naruto.

After the debacle that had occurred at the school, the blond and the sadist had grown exponentially closer. This had immediately sent off warning bells inside Koneko's head, especially after hearing they spent time alone before hand. It didn't help that her boyfriend had been rather sparse in his detailing of the events that led to his sudden closeness with the devil/fallen angel. It took the combined efforts of Naruto and Akeno to ease away the girl's thoughts.

Ever since then, if Akeno wasn't with Rias or Issei, she could be found at Naruto's shop. The two clicked in a way that almost seemed like magic. The two didn't talk much, akeno being more than happy to just sit back and watch the interaction between the two lovers, but when they did, the conversation would surely be filled with laughter, and happiness.

"Thank you for the continued support, Akeno-chan." Naruto said in reply, earning him a large smile from the devil. Koneko rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's behavior before returning her attention to her plate of cookies. No matter what her thoughts on Akeno were, having the girl here was a million times better than Ophis. The Nekoshou couldn't have possibly been any happier to have the god out of her hair.

"She only supports you because you make her food." Koneko mumbled as she munched on a cookie. The blond scoffed at the girl's words before subtly glancing towards Akeno for confirmation. The devil was avidly avoiding eye contact with him while sipping from her cup, confirming the Nekoshou's words and Naruto's fear.

"How could you, Akeno-chan?" The blond whined out loudly, catching the attention of some of his customers, before dramatically slamming his head onto counter. His head bang sent a cloud of flour up into the air as his forehead thudded loudly into a pile of dough. The male's dramatic antics earned him two poignant glares from his companions.

"So dramatic." Koneko mumbled to herself as a small smile creeped its way onto her face. Despite her words, she couldn't help feel happy at her boyfriend's actions.

It was just one of the few things she loved about him.

The sweet moment came crashing to a stop when the doors to the shop slammed open. Everyone in the store, including the fox perched on the blond's, turned to face the entryway. Their eyes were met with the hulking form of a man as he seemed to stumble into the shop. Behind him trailed two individuals. The sight of one of them made Akeno tense up immediately. Both Naruto and Akeno picked up on this and moved to comfort the girl before she could react rashly. The sadistic devil felt a pair of hands land softly against her shoulder and thigh respectively. She tore her gaze away from the individual in order to send her friends a grateful look.

"Ey blondie!" Naruto briefly looked away from Akeno to gaze at the man who had just stumbled into his shop and was now yelling at him. To say the man looked unique would be quite the understatement. Everything from his clothing to his hair screamed abnormal. Most of his body was concealed by a large, sweeping blue cloak. He had on a strangely large hat that seemed to be adorned with a variety of precious gems. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch and he had a wrapped package dangled along his backside.

Though, his appearance wasn't the real thing that caught Naruto's attention. The power rolling off of the old man sent shivers down the blond's spine. It was overwhelming, yet so contained. It was a feeling he had only felt once, in Ophis' presence, and the fact that the old man was giving off that feeling meant no good for him.

"Then him." The blond's focus switched over to the male companion of the old man. Unlike the other two, Naruto was actually familiar with this one. After all, Baraqiel had been present at the peace meetings only weeks prior. Plus, he had heard plenty about the fallen angel from his distraught daughter. The man looked exactly how he looked weeks ago. His face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl as his eyes remained set onto him.

"You deaf or something, kiddo?" Naruto's attention was forced back onto the old man when he got directly up to his face. The blond scrunched his nose at the scent of the men's breath. It stunk of alcohol and meat. The harsh scent grated against his nerves, causing the boy to physically move his head away from the man.

"I'm not deaf, sir. What do you want?" Naruto questioned, attempting to keep up the act of the amicable shop owner despite the man's shitty behavior. The old man seemed to sense his intentions as a sneer quickly crossed his face before he heavily plopped himself at one of the counter stools.

"I said give me the hardest alcohol you got back there." The man half-slurred, half-shouted at the blond. By this point, everyone in the shop had their eyes on the interaction. Naruto could feel the roaring flames of agitation building within him at the drunkard's behavior. A shared look with Koneko was the only thing that stopped the teen from losing his composure.

"We don't serve alcohol here." Naruto's response earned him a sneer from the man. A stream of incomprehensible speech left his mouth before he turned to face his female companion.

"Can you believe this guy? 'They dont serve alcohol'." His voice was mocking as he spoke to the girl. With his back turned, he couldn't see the agitation finally break through the facade Naruto had erected. Not even the calming touch of his girlfriend was enough to calm him now.

"What type of rinky-dink, shit hole doesn't serve alcohol? What a tra-" That was as far as the man got before he found the collar of his shirt seized in Naruto's grip. Before he could even move to react, the blond jerked his arm down violently, sending the men's head slamming against the counter.

"Listen here, you drunk piece of shit. You insult my shop one more time and I'll shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll be tasting my sandals. Now get the hell out of my shop!" With each word of the final sentence, Naruto moved. At the final word, he lifted the man from his stool before sending him flying through the air. With an embarrassingly high-pitched scream, the man crashed through the front doors of the shop and onto the sidewalk outside. Everyone in the shop was silent as the blond released a huff before casually returning to his treat making.

"Such an idiot." Baraqiel muttered to himself as he watched his charge go sailing out of the chart. He supposed he should've cared, but having to deal with the man's antics for the day had left him less than empathetic.

The fallen angel moved his attention over to Naruto, sweeping over Akeno with his eyes in the process. The blond could be heard muttering obscenities beneath his breath as he aggressively rolled out a piece of dough. A small sigh slipped past his lips as he approached the counter.

"Naruto-San, I apolo-" The man was put to a rather quick silence when the blond shot his palm upwards. The fallen angel found himself staring at the center of the teen's palm as Naruto continued his diligent rolling, now with only one hand. His confusion kept him silent for a few long seconds before he attempted to speak again.

"Is there an-"

"Shush!" The fallen angel general blinked owlishly at the rude gesture. This wasnt how he had expected this interaction to go. He hadn't even been aware he was going to talk during all of this, and now he was being hushed by some teenager. Despite his usual calmness and apathy, Baraqiel felt the tiniest amount of irritation well up within him.

"Excuse m-"

"Do not talk to me until you've talked to her." Baraqiel once again found himself silenced by the boy at the sound of his words. The fallen angel didnt even have to look to know who the blond was talking about. Even now from the corner of his eye, he could see the eager and hopeful look on his daughter's face.

"I…" The man began as he turned to face Akeno. The shop fell deathly silent as the father and daughter met eyes. The words that seemed ready to leap from Baraqiel's throat became stuck. His mouth remained agape as he saw his own reflection shining back at him in the teary eyes of his daughter. A choked gasp threatened to break the men's silence as for the briefest of seconds, the image of Shuri Himejima overlapped the form of her daughter. The similarities between the two were astonishing, and the fallen angel couldn't help but become mesmerized as he tried to observe them all. But, before he could, the vision flashed away, leaving him staring back into Akeno's eyes.

"I … I apologize." Baraqiel's words were rushed as he spoke. He didn't bother to wait for any sort of reply as he quickly turned on his heels and rushed out the door. He passed the stumbling form of the rude man that Naruto had thrown out on his way out. His departure left the store silent, even as the old man limped his way back up to the counter.

"Its so hard to get good help nowadays. What type of guard just leaves their client like that." The man grumbled as he sat himself back down at the counter. His words went completely ignored as Naruto and Koneko focused the entirety of their attention on Akeno.

"He apologized…" Akeno mumbled softly as she stared at the spot where her father once stood. Koneko swiftly made her over to her friend and placed a comforting hand on her thigh. Her action did not go unnoticed as Akeno offered up a soft smile in return.

"Are you okay, Akeno-chan?" The girl's attention was brought away to the Nekoshou. Akeno nodded at her fellow devil before climbing off of the counter's stool.

"I'm fine Koneko. I'm actually better than fine." She commented mysteriously before beginning to sway her way towards the door. Koneko and Naruto watched the girl exit the shop before disappearing from their sight around a corner.

"Should we go after her?" Koneko questioned worriedly after several seconds of silence. She turned to Naruto only to see him giving her a shake of his head while a small smile played against his lips.

"Not right now. She'll come back if she needs us. For now, let her be." The blond stated as the fox perched on his shoulder nodded along to his words. Koneko rolled her eyes at the strange sight before giving one last glance back towards the door. She would have Naruto and her friendship with Akeno in order to move forward.

"Now thats the type of girl you hate to see leave but love watching her go, if you know wha-" The drunken man's perverted statement came to a quick and conclusive end when a half eaten cookie managed to slip into his open mouth and down into his throat. The treat got stuck halfway into its journey, causing the man to hack and spit in a vain attempt to dislodge it. It became very clear to the man that his efforts were for naught as his face began to turn an unpleasant shade of blue.

"Odin-sama, you idiot." The dating duo heard the choking man's remaining escort say before slowly sauntering towards his choking form. She stood over his hunched position for several seconds while a disappointed and disgusted gleam shone brightly in her eyes. Then suddenly, without any warning, she brought her hand up before bringing it crashing down onto his back. At the moment of impact, the cookie went flying out of the man's mouth and smacked against the noise with a wet flopping sound.

"That is disgusting." The woman said as the now revealed Odin collapsed to his knees. His face was slowly returning to its original color as he sucked in huge gulps of air. From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see several of his customers getting up from their seats and creeping towards the entrance. They were no doubt a little put off by the sight of an old man hacking up cookies in the middle of them eating.

"Thank you so much, Rossweisse!" The man all but yelled as he began to climb to his feet. "I'm surprised you actually knew what to do in that situation. After all, a boyfriend-less girl like yourself probably doesn't have much experience with gagg-" Odin found hugging the ground once more as the girl's closed fist came slamming onto his back. A loud huff left his mouth as she then proceeded to begin stomping against his back.

"Shut your mouth, you dirty, useless, worthless perverted God!" The woman growled out as she continued her stomping. At the counter, Koneko and Naruto shared a look with each other as Odin suffered beneath the heel of his bodyguard.

"Did she just say Odin?" Naruto asked his girlfriend in a low tone. Koneko could only nod silently at his question as she watched the supposed God get manhandled by his guardian. This couldn't be the same Odin, King of Asgard and God of the Nords. This drunken pervert couldn't have been the same person who rode the steed, Sleipnir and contained the knowledge of the universe. It just couldn't be.

"Im not dirty nor useless! I climbed Yggdrasil for god's sake, you boyfriend-less virg-Ack!" A particularly large glob of golden blood came flying out of the man's mouth as the woman landed a very hard stomp onto his back. Koneko could only sigh as the god's words only confirmed her sinking suspicion. She had met yet another god and he turned out to be yet another pervert.

"We've all heard it. 9 days and nights. When will you stop talking about it?" The woman sighed before bending down and grabbing the scruff of Odin's cloak. With an almost practiced ease, she lifted him up into the air before deftly throwing the god over her shoulder.

"I apologize, Candy-Sama. He had too much to drink and didn't mean any disrespect. We'll be on our way now." The woman said as she turned to face the duo. She gave a small bow to them both before turning on her heels and walking out the door. All the while, Odin sat content on her shoulder, his eyes continuously trailing south to the rear end of his handler. The duo walked for several moments in silence, catching the attention of several pedestrian, before disappearing around the same corner Akeno did minutes ago.

"Why did she call you Candy-Sama?" Koneko questioned several moments after the duo disappeared from the shop. Her response came in the form of a frustrated mumble as he began to punch angrily at a pile of dough.

"Stupid evil angel and their stupid plans." The Nekoshou managed to pick out from the blond's incomprehensible mumbling. The girl could only shake her head at her boyfriend's behavior before returning to her seemingly never-dwindling plate of cookies.

Her boyfriend was weird and sometimes it was better to just not ask question. After all, something crazy would happen soon enough that would show her the truth.

This was Naruto we're talking about, after all.

It was another day and thus, another morning in the surrounding forests of Kuoh for Naruto. He was in a brand new area, having completely purified the chakra in the original clearing. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady as he drew in the surrounding natural chakra. Perched on his shoulder was the same fox from the day before. The creature seemed to be in its own meditative state as it laid on the broad shoulder of the blond with its own eyes closed. The duo made for a rather good looking pair as they sat in their serene states within the center of the clearing.

The serenity of the moment was shattered as a light giggle rang out through the clearing. Naruto's eyes shot open as the melodious sound seemed to rebound throughout the forestry. The fox on his shoulder was slow to react as it give a long, weary yawn as Naruto rose to his feet. The blond seemed to be on high alert as he began to scan the clearing's edge in an attempt to deduce the origin of the sound.

"So this is the Candy God I've heard so much about. You look as sweet as your moniker makes you out to be." A harmonious voice suddenly replaced the giggling. The person's voice was distinctly male but it carried such a sweetness to it that Naruto almost mistook it for the female. Despite the sweetness, the blond could sense a strong undertone of power ringing out through his words. This and the fact that someone had managed to escape his senses so well tipped him off that this wasn't some normal person.

"Another god." Naruto couldn't help but sigh to himself as the thought of dealing with another god-like being. His first meeting with the supposedly "all-knowing" King of Valhalla had left a rather sour taste in his mouth and he wasn't in the mood to deal with another God at the moment.

"Hey you! Come out of the trees so we can talk face to face." Naruto's words came out blunt as his limited patience reared his head. When silence greeted him, regret soon filled the blond at the thought that he potentially pissed off yet another deity. His worries were put to a rather quick and uneventful rest however when he heard the soft plop of feet behind him.

"You're a straightforward one, aren't you?" As soon as Naruto turned to face the man, his senses lit up like a flame. He found himself momentarily stunned as a mad rush of natural energy assaulted him. The person standing in front of him seemed to be a beacon for the stuff. His very presence breathed life into the surrounding areas. If there was any doubt beforehand, it had been wiped away from Naruto. He was surely in a presence of a God.

The man's appearance did little to dissuade. The best way to describe the God would be as a beautiful youth. His curly hair and full beard were stained an earthly brown. His pointed ears twitched every so often as his green eyes stared down Naruto. A soft smirk played against his lips as his bare chest was pointed proudly into the air. One hand clutched a set of wooden pipes while the other tapped lightly against the furry lower half of the men's body. Overall, the God looked like a strange mixture between a human and a goat.

"I'm happy about that." The God started up again, briefly interrupting the blond's observation. "The rest of the gods can be so uptight sometime. Dionysus is the only one without a stick shoved up his ass. Silvanus, Aja Qu and Frey can be such prudes most of the time."

.

.

.

"What?" Was the only thing Naruto could articulate after hearing the man in front of him speak. He only understood about half the words that came out of the god's mouth. The rest was mere gibberish that made zero sense to the blond.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself." The man looked genuinely apologetic as he spoke. The bashful look didn't last very long however as in the next instant, the god raised his flute up to his lips. Before Naruto could even begin to question what he was about to do, the man began to play.

The heavenly sound that flowed out of the pipes was enough to almost put the shinobi in a trance. If the God had decided then to try and slit his throat, he may have actually succeeded. The effects of the music were similar to a genjutsu and it took everything in Naruto not to fall into its full lull.

"I am Pan~ Greek God of the Wild, Nature and the Mountains. It is very nice to meet you." Pan sung in an equally as pleasant tone as his flute. Naruto could do nothing but blink owlishly at the introduction. Its uniqueness was on par with Jiraiya's.

"Uh … hello. My name is Na-"

"No need to introduce yourself, my friend!" Naruto found himself interrupted once again as Pan seemed to almost warp into his personal space. The man was radiating happiness as he flashed the blond a pearly white smile.

"I know about you! We all have. Naruto Uzumaki, the Candy Sage! Tamer of Ophis and Slayer of the Fallen Angel, Kokabiel. Able to elude angel, devils and fallen angels alike. God of Nature, and Sweets, an odd combination, if I say so myself, but its oddness makes you unique!"

At the mention of his titles, Naruto wanted to release a groan as realization stumbled upon him. Instead, he swallowed down the urge and looked the god straight in the eye.

"I am not a god." Naruto's tone was firm and conclusive. His response came in the form of a blank expression as, for the first time since meeting, Pan went quiet. This treasure didn't last for very long as the nature god soon burst into a fit of laughter. An irritated mask donned itself upon the blond's face as the god's laughter continued for a solid minute before slowly tapering off into a set of giggles.

"I'm sorry for laughing, but that is honestly a first. I've never heard a god deny their godhood before." Pan said in between his giggles, serving to only agitate the blond further.

"I'm not denying my godhood. I'm just not a god!" Naruto shot back.

"Yeah, you are."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"If you're not a god, you shouldn't be able to block this!" Pan's words were the only warning Naruto got before the man disappeared from his sight. An instant later, the blond twisted around and caught the hairy leg of the god moments before it would've slammed into the back of his skull. Pan had a wide grin on his face during it all. Even when Naruto proceeded to send him slamming roughly to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto shouted as he stood over the downed god. The laughter that followed his questioning only served to drive his anger even further.

"It was a test and you passed!" Pan exclaimed before sinking into the earth. Naruto let off a solitary blink before turning again. His eyes immediately locked onto the god who was now leaning casually against a tree with his ever-present grin still on his lips.

"Not many people can even begin to dodge my attacks when I'm in my natural element. You blocked it! Thats shows you're special!" Before Naruto could speak up in his defense, Pan was once again in his face.

"I can feel it inside you! Nature is in love with you and you with it. There's no denying that. You can't hide from the wild. I can feel it roaring inside you. Its in love with you! It follows you with each step and breathes with every beat of your heart. You two are so intune that its making me jealous!" Pan's voice raised to an almost frantic level as he shouted in Naruto's face. The groan that Naruto held back before now came flowing from out of his lips at the god's words. This was not supposed to happen. This is exactly what he did not want.

"I can't wait to see how you'll turn out." The god continued to speak, completely unaware of the strife his audience was going through. "Maybe you'll join another pantheon. We could use another nature god. Though, you look like you'll fit in better with the nords … maybe even the Japanese. Maybe even a new pantheon! Oh, that would be interesting. Hopefully you don't have to go through the whole crucifixion thing like Jesus did. That looked painful. Jupiter enjoyed that kid's torture a little too mu-

"Shut up!" Naruto finally shouted out. His words served to finally silence the nature god. With his newly acquired silence, the blond took the time to sigh. This was quickly becoming too much to handle. Being a god wasn't all it was cut out to be.

"Can you just leave? I need some alone time to process all this." Naruto managed to force out after several moments of silence. He needed some time to process this all and the greek god's presence wasn't helping whatsoever.

"That's fine. But don't expect it to last very long. Im sure the rest of the gang are already on their way to greet you. Even Artemis will eventually find some time away from her troops to come say Hi. You better believe it~" Before the blond could question the god about using his catchphrase, Pan sunk into the earth, masking his presence more. Naruto was once again left in the clearing with his fox companion, more confused as ever as the morning sun continued its slow climb into the air.

"More gods…" The blond mumbled before falling to his ass. If what Pan said was true, he had to expect several more visits from gods. If any of them were as lively as the greek god was, he was in for a major headache.

"Why can't life be more simple?" The blond muttered to himself seconds before his head was consumed by a cloud of smoke.

Nothing could ever be simple for Naruto Uzumaki.