The city felt restless that night. The moon hung low and red-stained in the sky, painting the football field with a ghostly glow. Naruto stood on the edge of the bleachers, one hand resting on the hilt of Purgatory strapped across his back. The bleachers were silent, but his instincts screamed otherwise.
Kurama stirred in the back of his mind.
"Something's wrong. The air's heavy. They're not going to come at you directly."
Naruto's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yeah… I know."
Three names ran through his thoughts: Martin, Leah, Henry. They'd each gone their separate ways that night after training—normal routes, normal lives. But nothing felt normal anymore. The pattern was too clean, too quiet.
"Damn it." Naruto formed a seal, chakra flaring faintly around his body. In three sharp pops of smoke, shadow clones appeared at his side. They didn't need words—each knew their purpose. Without hesitation, they sprinted off into the night: one toward the downtown diner where Martin closed late, another toward the neon district where Leah often cut through alleys on her way home, and the last toward the outer residential streets where Henry usually biked back to his apartment.
The real Naruto stayed behind, waiting. Watching. Because he knew the real hand behind all this hadn't shown itself yet.
The first clone reached Martin's diner just as the lights inside dimmed. Martin had just stepped out the back door, tossing a rag over his shoulder. The man stretched, muttering to himself, when the air shifted—a low growl echoing from the shadows.
"Not tonight…" Martin froze, then spotted the figure. A hulking, gray-skinned demon peeled itself from the alley wall, eyes glowing ember-red, claws dripping with saliva that hissed against the concrete. Two more crawled over the dumpsters, snarling.
Martin stumbled back, horror spreading across his face.
Naruto's clone dropped down from the rooftop, Purgatory in hand, landing between Martin and the demons. "Stay behind me."
"Y-You again…?" Martin whispered, half in relief, half disbelief.
The first demon lunged. Naruto met it with a clean upward slash, the jagged edge of Purgatory tearing through its chest in a spray of dark ichor. The creature howled, dissolving into smoke.
The other two circled, snarling. Naruto moved calm, precise. A quick sidestep, blade carving one across the knee, dropping it to the ground before severing its neck. The last tried to leap onto Martin, but Naruto pivoted, driving his blade through its chest and twisting hard. The body crumbled into ash before it could touch the man.
Martin fell to his knees, breath ragged. Naruto turned slightly, voice calm but firm. "You alright?"
Martin swallowed hard, then gave a shaky nod. "Yeah… thanks to you."
The clone glanced back toward the shadows, scanning. No more movement. "Get inside. Lock the doors. Don't open them for anyone until sunrise."
And before Martin could say another word, the clone dissolved into smoke, its mission complete.
The second clone moved fast through the neon-lit streets. He found Leah cornered in an alley, back against a brick wall, a broken bottle clutched in her hand as three sleek, blade-limbed demons prowled around her. Their bodies shimmered unnaturally, thin and sharp like living shards of glass.
Leah cursed under her breath, trying to keep them at bay.
"Not exactly your usual crowd," Naruto's voice cut through the tension. She jerked her head up as he stepped into the alley, Purgatory resting over his shoulder.
"About time you showed up," she snapped, though fear trembled under the sarcasm.
The first demon darted at him, limbs slashing like razors. Naruto blocked with the flat of his blade, sparks showering as he twisted and slammed the creature into the wall with brutal precision. A second demon leapt at his back—he ducked low, pivoting in one smooth motion, and severed its legs.
Leah watched, wide-eyed, as the creatures fell one after another, Naruto's movements efficient and unflinching. He didn't boast, didn't smirk—just fought, each strike measured, deliberate.
The last demon hissed, body flickering, splitting into mirrored copies. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Trickster." He slammed his palm to the ground, sending a quick burst of chakra through the alley. The illusions flickered and died, leaving the true one exposed. One downward strike cleaved it in two.
Silence fell. Leah's breathing was ragged, but she lowered the bottle, her knuckles white. "You… you saved me."
Naruto gave a small shrug, resting Purgatory against his shoulder. "You'd have cut them up eventually. Just… not fast enough."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're insane."
He gave a faint smirk. "Probably. Now go home. Take a different route next time."
Before she could argue, his form wavered, dispersing into smoke.
Leah was left staring at the empty alley, her heart racing.
The last clone reached the outer district just in time. Henry's bike lay toppled on the pavement, its wheels still spinning. The young man was cornered under a flickering streetlight, a towering demon looming over him. This one was different—thickly armored, its hide like stone, each step cracking the pavement.
Henry shouted, swinging a broken piece of pipe uselessly. "Stay back!"
The demon roared, swiping the weapon from his hands effortlessly.
Naruto landed between them, blade already drawn. The demon slammed its fists down, shockwaves cracking the asphalt. Naruto blocked, but the sheer force drove him back several steps.
"Tch. Tough one." He darted forward, slashing across its chest, but the blade barely cut through the armored hide. The demon backhanded him, sending him skidding across the pavement.
Henry cried out. "Naruto!"
The clone rose, shaking the sting from his arm. He charged again, feinting low before slashing upward at the demon's throat. A crack appeared in its armor—but it wasn't enough. The demon roared, claws raised high, its massive frame blotting out the streetlight.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. No time to drag this out. His right hand stretched out, chakra swirling violently into his palm.
The night air itself seemed to shiver. A deep hum filled the street, building into a roar as wind whipped in every direction. The Rasengan spun faster, grinding like a storm contained in his hand, its light casting wild shadows across the walls.
Henry froze, eyes wide, as his hair and clothes whipped in the chakra wind. "W-What is that…?"
The demon bellowed and charged, earth trembling under its weight.
Naruto lunged. "Rasengan!"
The orb slammed into the demon's chest with a sound like thunder tearing the sky apart. The armored plating didn't just crack—it imploded, shards flying outward as raw chakra ripped into flesh and bone. The spiraling force crushed inward, grinding the demon's body apart in an eruption of blue light.
The air was filled with a deafening howl as the Rasengan expanded, its force blasting dust and debris outward in a shockwave that rattled windows and sent Henry stumbling back. The demon's roar was cut short, its body disintegrating into smoke and ash that scattered violently into the night sky.
For a heartbeat, the street was silent—then the hum faded, the light dying out in Naruto's palm. He lowered his hand slowly, breathing steady, eyes calm.
Henry stood frozen, his chest heaving, as if the entire world had just cracked open before him. "Th-That… what the hell was that…?"
Naruto turned to him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Insurance." He sheathed Purgatory over his back. "You'll live. Go home. And stop cutting through empty streets at night."
Henry could only nod, still trembling.
The clone's form shimmered, dispersing into smoke, leaving Henry alone beneath the shattered streetlight.
Back at the football field, the real Naruto exhaled slowly as the memories of all three fights flooded into him at once. He stood alone under the blood-red moon, his jaw tightening.
"They're testing me," he muttered, hand tightening on Purgatory's hilt. "And testing the people around me."
Kurama's voice rumbled quietly. "And you know who's behind it."
Naruto's gaze sharpened toward the shadows at the far end of the field. "Yeah. Time to draw him out."
And from the darkness, a slow clap echoed. Damien Veyl finally stepped into the moonlight, smiling.
...
The football field was deathly still. The grass whispered faintly in the night wind, the blood-red moon casting everything in hues of shadow and silver. Naruto stood at the fifty-yard line, body still, breath measured.
From the far end of the field, slow applause echoed, each clap deliberate.
"Impressive," Damien Veyl's voice carried smooth and sharp, like silk drawn over a blade. He stepped into the moonlight, black coat billowing faintly, eyes glinting with a predatory gleam. "Three rescues in one night, simultaneous no less. I expected you to choose… not to succeed at all three."
Naruto didn't move. His hand rested casually near Purgatory's hilt. "You put them in danger just to get my attention."
Damien tilted his head, lips curling into an easy smile. "They were bait. Nothing more. But the fact that you could divide yourself like that…" His eyes narrowed with intrigue. "Shadow clones. A rare art. No wonder the higher circles are whispering about you."
"Don't care about whispers." Naruto's voice was steady, calm, almost cold. His gaze sharpened. "What I care about is you crossing the line. You wanted me? You got me. Leave them out of this."
Damien gave a soft chuckle, drawing a sleek black rapier from his side. Its blade shimmered unnaturally, veins of dark energy pulsing faintly along the steel. "Ah… but crossing the line is what I do. And you—" he raised the rapier slightly in salute— "are tonight's test."
The two men stood in silence for a heartbeat, the weight of the confrontation stretching across the field.
Then Naruto moved.
The air cracked as Naruto vanished from his spot, reappearing before Damien in an instant, Purgatory arcing down in a brutal cleave. Damien raised his rapier just in time, the impact ringing like a bell, sparks cascading into the night. The ground beneath Damien's feet cracked from the sheer force.
"Strong," Damien murmured, pressing back, his eyes glinting with excitement. "But raw." He twisted, using the rapier's thinness to redirect the heavy blade and slide away, countering with a lightning-quick thrust toward Naruto's heart.
Naruto pivoted, Purgatory coming around in a blur to deflect. The clash rang again, their movements a blur—heavy cleaves versus surgical precision, brute force against sharp calculation.
Damien grinned, eyes alight with thrill. "You fight like a storm. Wild. Relentless. But storms can be weathered."
Naruto's expression didn't change. Chakra began to hum faintly along Purgatory's edge, a pale-blue aura extending inches beyond the steel. Sword qi—his own chakra sharpened into cutting force. He swung, and the extended edge sliced a line clean through the goalpost twenty feet behind Damien, the steel screeching as it toppled.
Damien's smile faltered for the first time. "…Interesting."
The duel intensified. Damien's rapier darted like a serpent, striking in blinding flurries aimed at Naruto's joints, throat, heart. Naruto blocked most, sidestepped others, but one thrust finally knocked Purgatory from his hand, sending it spinning across the field.
Damien smirked. "Disarmed." He lunged in for the kill.
Naruto didn't flinch. His hand snapped out.
Purgatory!
The blade answered instantly. From where it had landed yards away, Purgatory ripped itself from the ground, streaking through the air like a summoned wolf. It slapped cleanly into Naruto's palm just as Damien's thrust neared, and with one fluid motion, Naruto parried, twisting into a counterstrike that forced Damien back several paces.
Damien's eyes widened, then narrowed in fascination. "…A bonded weapon. Now that is rare."
Naruto gave no answer. The blade pulsed faintly in his hand, almost alive.
Damien adjusted his stance, lowering into a duelist's crouch. "Let's see how long you can keep up this tempest."
Naruto inhaled slowly. Kurama's deep growl rumbled in his chest. "Let me lend you some teeth."
Chakra surged. This time, it wasn't Naruto's clean-blue sword qi, but Kurama's fiery, oppressive red. Purgatory flared, wreathed in demonic aura, the blade seeming to grow heavier, darker, more feral. When Naruto swung, the air itself howled an arc of crimson sword qi ripped through the field, carving a gouge into the earth that stretched for yards.
Damien leapt aside, landing gracefully, but his smirk was gone. His eyes gleamed with something else now focus.
"That… was no ordinary sword strike."
Naruto leveled Purgatory at him, the blade's red glow casting his face in shadow. His voice was calm, steady, but carried an edge that cut deeper than steel.
"Your test is over, Damien. Now it's judgment."
...
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