Chapter 31: Biblical
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Naruto shrugged before answering easily, "A number of different church groups."
Rias frowned at the answer. Sighing, she commented, "That is what I feared. I'm sorry Naruto, but for your own safety I can't allow you to go."
And that caused Naruto to frown. His eyes hardening, he bluntly informed her, "Yeah, this wasn't so much me asking for permission to go as it was more me telling you that I'm going."
Naruto cut her off by crossing his arms to form an X and declaring, "No way, Rias-chan. You might be my king or whatever, but I am not going to stop going to that soup kitchen just because you are worried.
The people there are nice, and I help people. Just because you tell me they are my enemies doesn't make it true in my mind."
Shaking her head in slight annoyance at his defiance, Rias argued, "Think this through, Naruto-kun.
If any members of the Christian church find out you are a devil, they could send an exorcist after you.
Humans blessed by the biblical god. When a devil is exorcized, there is no fixing it. No healing or revival possible. You are dead as dead can be."
"Your point? They don't know, and I wouldn't care if they did. Even if they did send an exorcist after me, which it isn't certain they would, then I am confident that I could escape," Naruto retorted stubbornly.
Rias sighed as that and pointed out, "Don't get arrogant. Many of the exorcists of the church are far stronger than you currently are. Plus, they specifically target the weaknesses of devils."
"And you shouldn't be paranoid. Just because they are from the Christian church doesn't mean they are immediately our enemies," Naruto reasoned persistently.
"But they could be, and I have no intention of putting one of my servants at risk," Rias asserted, not backing down.
"Clearly your idea of risk is different from my idea of risk," Naruto retorted, not about to back down either. By now Naruto had stood up, and the two were facing off with each other.
Akeno and Koneko both watched with wide eyes. This was unexpected. Naruto had been getting along with Rias overall, probably more than anyone else in the club.
This argument came out of nowhere, but you could tell neither were about to back down.
Knowing it needed to be diffused before it escalated any further, Akeno stood up and separated the two with her hands.
She then spoke in a calming voice, "That is enough you two. Naruto, Buchou is just worrying about your safety.
And Buchou, you are acting without even considering the feelings Naruto obviously has towards that soup kitchen. Now I suggest both of you take a deep breath and calm down."
Both Naruto and Rias reluctantly followed the suggestion. Crossing his arms, Naruto looked away with a huff.
Despite his defiant body language, he muttered, "Sorry, Rias-chan. I still won't stop volunteering at the soup kitchen, but I will do my best to stay safe. That's the best I can do."
Rias rubbed her brow as she replied in a disgruntled voice, "And that's probably the best I'll get out of you.
I can't stop you, but there are rules you must follow. You still have to perform your duties. Handing out fliers and meeting clients during the night.
If you can do that, I guess I can't stop you from doing what you want during the day. Be careful though. Devils and religions have never gotten along well."
"Maybe that's cause both sides allow stupid preconceptions from allowing them to try," Naruto retorted directly. Decided nothing else needed to be said, Naruto walked out of the clubroom.
And there is his natural unruliness acting up. Earlier than she expected, but she apparently touched on a rather sensitive topic.
Rias sighed before explaining, "I told you before that the Biblical God is the leader of heaven and the angels, and thus our enemy.
The system he created ensures things related to him harm us. We can't pray without migraines. People doing it near us also harm us.
Light magic, holy water, crosses, and bibles will also harm us. Thus an event organized by the Christian church is simply too dangerous. Not to mention most religions don't take kindly to devils. For safety you can't-"
That could have gone better. Naruto knew it would have eventually happened. It was inevitable.
As a kid Naruto had been a disobedient hellion. Kakashi had managed to teach Naruto to accept the little stuff. He knew how to work together with each other on a team, but the big stuff never went over so well.
Naruto admitted he wasn't the smartest or most philosophical guy in the world, but he still has his own beliefs. And he was willing to stand by those beliefs. He wasn't going to bow to the will of another.
Even Rias, despite willingly becoming her servant. Naruto had little doubt Rias was far more intelligent than him, but that wasn't enough.
Naruto could see in her eyes she was woefully inexperienced. Experience was one thing Naruto had. His will and beliefs had been tested by the likes of Pein, Obito, and Madara.
Nothing Rias came up with could possibly compete with that. Her apparent belief that followers of the Biblical God should be treated warily, to the point of considering them enemies, didn't sit well with Naruto.
It reminded him of how the hidden villages used to see each other. Perceptions like that only increase the likelihood of conflict and the continuation of the cycle of hatred.
So of course he wasn't just going to fall in line. That probably made him a crappy servant. However if he abandoned his beliefs, then he'd be a crappy person. The choice was clear for Naruto.
That meant this wouldn't be the last argument the two of them had. Whether she even realizes it, Rias expects her peerage to follow her lead.
With Naruto not doing so, the tension would build and build. Naruto hopes they can resolve this before things go bad. He honestly liked Rias.
She was a genuinely good person. Disagreeing with her views doesn't change that.
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