EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

"I was unconvinced when Minato first revealed there were worlds other than our own, but now that that's been established, I'm far from the only one curious to know how many there are," commented Jiraiya, leading the way through a network of samey, talisman-covered corridors carved from stone. Vahn and Azazel followed close behind him, while half the group of Shinobi tasked with greeting them trailed behind them in two lines.

"If we're referring to planets alone, the number is so large that it may not even have a name in your world," stated Vahn, cool as a cucumber despite the tension in the air.

Sparing Jiraiya the need to ask, Vahn appended, "As for habitable worlds, the number is significantly lower but still estimated to be in the billions in a given universe. On a multiversal scale, the number is essentially infinite, but as far as the Tower of Ascension is concerned, there are precisely one thousand candidate worlds that have been chosen to form its basis."

"Fascinating..." hummed Jiraiya, crossing his arms, caressing his chin with his right hand, and raising his gaze to the ceiling as he asked, "And do the people of these one thousand worlds look similar to us? If so, I'm going to have a lot of new material for the book series I'm starting..."

Nodding, even though Jiraiya wasn't looking his way, Vahn affirmed, "The vast majority of those invited to the Tower are a variety of humans to keep things simple. They may have different names and genetic sequences, but their baseline features are similar to foster a sense of familiarity and make it easier for Ascendees of various worlds to interact without the barrier of regarding the other party as alien."

"A wise decision," affirmed Jiraiya, closing his eyes and exhaling from his nose as he revealed, "I'm not sure how it is in other worlds, but here, even superficial differences like facial structure and skin tone can drive people to resent or outright hate one another. It shouldn't be an issue as long as you have an escort, but try not to take offense if you walk around and the villagers give you a wide berth due to your skin tone..."

"People fear the unknown and those different from them, no matter the world..." sighed Azazel, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He knew that many of the societal, cultural, and geopolitical issues of the formerly fictional worlds were ultimately a reflection of their own, but after dealing with such insensibility for more than six thousand years, he couldn't help feeling weary of it.

"Which is precisely why we're here, getting to know one another," stated Jiraiya, peering back at Vahn and Azazel with an ostensibly genuine smile. However, while he sincerely wanted to befriend and work alongside them toward mutual prosperity, a lifetime of being entangled in wars made him cautious and skeptical as a matter of course.

"I'd rather try your alcohol and get acquainted with the local delicacies if you catch my drift~" hummed Azazel, sporting a playfully wolfish grin that Jiraiya immediately recognized.

'Well, at least this guy will be easy to deal with...' thought Jiraiya, adopting a wolfish grin of his own as he stated, "Then, you're in luck, as I happen to be a connoisseur of the finer things in life. Once all the politicking is out of the way, I'd be happy to show you around."

"Sounds good to me," said Azazel, shifting his gaze to Vahn as he asked, "How about joining us, Vahn? Wining, dining, and generally cavorting with the representative entities of affiliate worlds is a good way to establish a positive rapport and strengthen relationships."

"That's precisely why I brought you here with me," responded Vahn, his expression and tone casual as he asserted, "I'm better suited to the role of an intermediary or an arbitrator. Once I'm assured things can proceed without me, I will return to my palace."

"Oh, come now. This is a rare opportunity. I get that you have your harem of beautiful women and other duties to attend, but it's important to spend time with other guys," argued Azazel, his tone playful as he gently nudged Vahn with his elbow.

"Hooo? You have a harem...?" asked Jiraiya, meeting Vahn's gaze over his right shoulder. Minato's reports mentioned his fondness for attractive and particularly well-endowed women, but he gave off such an aloof aura that it was difficult to imagine him fooling around or making merry.

"I am extraordinarily blessed..." affirmed Vahn, adopting a faint, almost wistful smile that took Jiraiya aback. He had seen such looks before, but they were always worn by men deeply in love. It wasn't an expression he expected to see on the face of a man known to consort with no less than five and presumably many more women...

'This guy is dangerous...' thought Jiraiya, though not in the sense that Vahn would bring ruin to their village or world. Rather, with his looks and extraordinary means, Vahn was a threat to all men...

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"Welcome, Vahn Mason-dono, Azazel-dono. We are honored by your presence..." greeted a middle-aged, going-on-elderly man with spiky brown hair, a fading hairline, and sharp, angular black eyes with deep laugh lines. His attire appeared simple at a glance, consisting of a loose red robe with an obi, scarf, and haori jacket that were all ash-grey, but the diamond-shaped hat positioned on the table before him, red with a white section bearing the Kanji for fire in bright red, symbolized his status as Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure and one of the five most powerful and influential Shinobi in the world.

"You are..." affirmed Vahn, nodding slowly before adopting a relaxed smile as he looked around the oval-shaped conference room and the ten people who were present besides the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. They were much younger than their counterparts in his memory, but he recognized three of the eldest, particularly a man with spiky brown hair and a black eyepatch, as Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokada Homura. As for the rest, he could infer they were the heads of Konoha's most influential Clans as he recognized three as Uchiha Fugaku, a surprisingly young Hyuga Hiashi, and a man he suspected to be the father of Yuhi Kurenai as he had raven-black hair and distinct crimson eyes with concentric circles.

Completing his quick sweep, Vahn settled his gaze on Hiruzen, seated at the head of a long and wide rectangular table, his smile broadening as he casually appended, "However, even though there is a drastic difference in our comparative statuses and titles, you don't need to mind your manners or choose your words carefully. This is ultimately your world, and the two of us are outsiders. We will respect your customs so long as you don't go out of your way to offend or antagonize us. And, even then, we will simply leave."

"The two of you may be outsiders, but you're also our respected guests," stated Hiruzen, offering an affirming nod as he assured, "There are those among us who have questions about your godly status and the claims of Namikaze Minato, but we would rather forge a beneficial relationship with your world than make an enemy out of your Dragon's Pavilion."

"It's good to question things, especially when it concerns claims of godly status," affirmed Azazel, nodding approvingly as he stood cross-armed to Vahn's left. Then, adopting a brazen smile, he added, "But what you really want to know is how powerful we are, right? Because if all we have on our side is advanced technology and the means to travel between worlds, you could have your people capture us and steal the knowledge directly."

Meeting Azazel's gaze with slightly narrowed eyes, Hiruzen responded, "I can assure you, Azazel-dono. While it is true that we have a keen interest in the capabilities of the Transdimensional Travelers, we have no desire to capture or steal from you."

"That might hold for some of you, but not all..." retorted Azazel, his violet eyes shifting to Danzo, causing the middle-aged man's perpetual frown to deepen.

"Azazel..." muttered Vahn, gazing back at the black-and-gold-haired Fallen from over his left shoulder. He was just as aware as Azazel that Danzo was a monster and the root cause of many problems in the world of Naruto, but it wasn't their place to fix things using their knowledge of the plot. It would be one thing if they were prepared to settle in the world and address any problems that came about due to their interference, but so long as they remained outsiders, it was best to render assistance when requested. That way, the karmic burden fell to the requester, leaving them responsible for the fallout.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." responded Azazel, maintaining his almost perennial smile but shaking his head and exhaling audibly from his nose.

Returning his attention to Hiruzen and the gathering of Konoha's affluent, Vahn adopted a faint smile and stated, "As your people create a foothold for themselves in the terminal world and the Tower, your understanding of our power and the capabilities of other worlds will expand naturally. But, if it helps discourage future incidents, I will allow you to try to seal me using your most powerful Sealing Jutsu. Once you comprehend that I cannot be killed or sealed away, I imagine that relations between us will be amicable moving forward."

Seeing how casual Vahn was as he made his proposal, the already tense atmosphere in the room became palpable. In preparation for the meeting, various countermeasures had been discussed, just in case Vahn became antagonistic or attempted to threaten them. Sealing him was one of their last resorts, so hearing him casually inviting them to try made everyone in the room understandably tense.

"Just to be clear, that invitation only extends to him," said Azazel, smiling cheekily as he casually contended, "I'm confident I can endure just about any attack you throw at me, but even though I'm more than six thousand years old, I'm far from immortal and unsealable. Those are traits unique to Vahn here."

"Six thousand years old? You scarcely look twenty—thirty at the oldest..." remarked Danzo, ostensibly annoyed due to the knowing look Azazel had given him previously.

"Oh? And what do you expect a six-thousand-year-old man to look like? An emaciated, waxy figure decked out in tattered bandages?" countered Azazel, snorting contemptuously before causing everyone in the room to tense as he abruptly materialized his wings, adding, "I'm what's known as a Fallen Angel, a being created by the God of the Bible. Unless I go out of my way to change my form, it remains the same no matter how much time passes."

"How enviable..." remarked Hiruzen, his tone joking and sporting a smile as he pulled out a pipe, began packing it, and stated, "More to the point, while we appreciate Vahn-dono's consideration, we will forego trying to seal you if for no other reason than to give us peace of mind. The reason we invited you here today is to confirm a few things and discuss how our respective villages and worlds can benefit from one another."

Shaking his head, Vahn calmly asserted, "That's something for you to figure out yourselves or discuss with people like Azazel. Because, even without accessing a world directly, there are few things I can't personally obtain or create using my power. It's your side that seeks benefits, and so long as you can offer something of equal value, virtually anything you can imagine can be provided. That is what differentiates God-like beings from mortals..."

"I see..." muttered Hiruzen, puffing his pipe thoughtfully as he began to accept that Vahn might actually be a God. Just him hailing from another world was already tremendously significant, but if he could truly create anything he desired, there was nothing they could offer that put them on equal footing. He would always stand above them in any negotiations, so the questions then became, what did they desire from him, and what were they willing to give in exchange?

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