[I do not own Naruto or High School DxD or any of its characters.]

Tobias Hardwood could confidently say that he made his parents proud of him. Both grew up poor and later started to lead poor lives, which made both of them put a lot of pressure on little Tobias’s small shoulders. After all, his parents wanted more for him than they got. Tobias understood that early on in his life and delivered. Even someone that hates his guts would be hard pressed to find any flaws in his life. He aced school while making a ton of friends, which he still hangs around with, having a healthy social life. After graduating, he began to study medicine to become a doctor, just like his parents always wanted. All in all, he was living a mundane but respectable life.

Currently, Tobias was walking from the train station to his parents’ residence. He ran a hand through his raven hair, while his equally black eyes were tightened in annoyance. The reason for his vexation was the sweltering heat that was currently assaulting him, which gave him a sticky feeling from all the sweat. Safe to say Tobias didn’t like it, but that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering him. There were also the fucki-

*bark*

Fucking dogs! Stinky, dumb, pushy, and sometimes downright dangerous annoyances. The streets were brimming with them, assaulting people with their loud barking and the putrid stench they were ejecting from their body. And if that was not enough, one of them decided to get up close and personal, with a cute woman in tow and a young girl, which, Tobias assumed, was her younger sister.

“I’m sorry for that. Olga usually dislikes anyone she is not familiar with.” The young woman smiled at Tobias, not looking apologetic. Though, after she saw Tobias’s face, her smile grew wider. “Name’s Sarah, by the way. What’s yours, handsome?”

Tobias regarded her with an impassive look. “Get that dog away from me!” he spoke in a clipped tone, sounding unamused while he took a step back from the monstrosity that was straining against its leash.

Sarah’s smile became fixed. “Now, now, she just wants to play. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

He bristled at her dismissive tone, his face turning into a scowl. “English, woman! Do you speak it?!” The easiest way to piss off Tobias was with a dog. “In what way did you not understand ‘Get that dog away from me?’ I’m not interested in the mutt’s usual behavior, or whatever you have to say to me. I will ask a last time. Will you get that thing away from me, or do I have to do it on my own?” Tobias glared deeply into her eyes, ready to kick the mutt away if she doesn’t comply.

At that, Sarah’s smile fully melted away and turned into an angry pout. “Hmph, what a dick! I just wanted to talk to you because Olga likes you and you look cute, but clearly good looks are not everything. Let’s go Mary, we are obviously not welcome here!” With that, she turned on her heel and stomped off, dragging Olga with her.

Mary peered solemnly into Tobias’s eyes and spoke to him in a low tone. “Mister, only bad people hate dogs, so that makes you bad as well. Be better.” With that, she took after her older sister.

“Hah?!” Tobias couldn’t believe the bullshit he was hearing. “Hitler loved and owned a dog. How about that brat?!” He saw Mary briefly turn her head back to stick her tongue out. Tobias was fuming. With his mood utterly ruined, Tobias also went on his way, ignoring the weird looks of the surrounding people. “Seriously, in what way does liking something that eats its own poop make you a better person?” He muttered to himself. “Ridiculous!”

This brief exchange reminded him that there was something that he even hates more than dogs. Humans. Since he reached puberty, all human interactions, and the drama that came with them, drained him. People really thought they are more important than they truly are, so they assume they can push their constant bullshit on other people. Tobias would rather not deal with them, or anyone, but sadly, being a recluse would make his parents sad, and that wouldn’t do. So he hangs out with his friends that he secretly hates and enters relationships with women that are doomed to fail because at one point he can’t stand their crap anymore and ditches them. He does all that to appear normal and healthy to his parents. They took care of him splendidly, even though they were poor. So Tobias wants to not make them worry, and waste all their hard work by becoming a social reject.

A sigh escaped Tobias and a somber look flashed over his face while he was walking through the lively streets of the town. Lately, he kept thinking about the path of his life more and more. Obviously, he thinks he is doing the right thing, because he wants to make his parents proud. But why does making his parents happy make him unhappy? What cruel irony!

Shaking his head, he puts his doubts to rest for the time being and focuses on a more pressing problem. It was a while since he broke up with his last girlfriend, and his mother will definitely inquire about his love life today. He has to take care of that soon, or she will make a tremendous fuss about him not being able to ever give her grandchildren. His mind momentarily flashed to the cute girl Sarah, that showed interest in him. No, he vowed he would never date a dog owner. Not only do dog owner, and their houses, stink like wet dog, but many of them also swap spit with their beasts, which is the most disgusting thing ever. Yuck! How can you date someone like that? He also would never let a mutt be anywhere close to his future children, so that’s a hard pass. ‘Sigh, it’s time for Tinder again, I guess’.

“No, Olga!”

Suddenly, Tobias’s musings were interrupted by a familiar shout. He saw the brat from before and her cute but bitchy sister standing on the sidewalk opposite of him. Their frightened eyes were trained on the dog that was stupidly chasing a ball across the street while a truck was approaching.

Everything slowed down. The commotion of the surrounding people, the distressed screams of Mary, and the tooting of the truck’s horn, all the noise faded away. A thought wormed itself inside Tobias’s brain. ‘Am I really going to do this? This seems like a starting scene of a mediocre isekai story.’ He looked at the tears that were dripping down on Mary’s cheeks. He looked at the dog that was happily chasing down the ball, none the wiser that its death was approaching. ‘Damn, I hate dogs, but I don’t wish death upon them. I also don’t want to see little children getting traumatized! I hope I won’t regret this…’

His decision made, he promptly took off towards the dog while the truck was closing in. At the moment, it seemed the world itself was holding its breath. The honking got louder, and there was an outcry from the crowd watching. Tobias came closer and closer towards the dog and… took it in his arm and made it safely to the other side, while the truck passed behind him. ‘Hah! This would have been a typical starting scene of a mediocre isekai story if I was a nonathletic, basement dwelling weeb like all those isekai MC’s. But thankfully, because of me lifting weights and practicing western swordsmanship, this was easy. Almost anticlimactic. I guess I’m just built different.’

With a smug look, he handed the dog to the sisters, while trying to stop the overexcited thing from licking his face off. In the corner of his eye, he spied people filming him, and he couldn’t stop himself from sticking his chest out. ‘Seems like my heroic deed will be all over the Internet, heh.’

Mary slammed into him, her small arms desperately hugging him while choking out. “I’m sorry mister for being rude before. You are not bad at all!”

Tobias chuckled at that. He patted her head and spoke in a condescending tone. “See Mary? I told you. Hitler liked dogs and killed others. I hate dogs and save others. The conclusion of this? Fuck dogs!” Tobias hoped many generations will quote this in the future. An exasperated snort escaped from Sarah and she was rolling her eyes, but she was smiling.

Tobias couldn’t stop the warmth from radiating throughout his whole body. He removed Mary from him with a massive grin. ‘I can’t wait to tell my parents about this. They will be even more proud of me!’

Suddenly, Tobias was taken out of his own world by the gratitude of the dog he saved. Olga excitedly jumped on Tobias, taking him by surprise and making him fall backwards. He hit the back of his head on the pavement. Hard. As darkness was encompassing him, his last thought was. ‘I knew it! Dogs are evil…’

Konoha Hospital 7th July Year 64

On a hospital bed, an animalistic looking woman was holding two infants in her arm. An unusual soft look was on her face as she was smiling at her newborn twins, making her fang markings on her cheeks stretch. Next to her stood a handsome, black-haired man. A lazy look was in his equally black eyes, but he was also smiling. “Heh, at least one of them inherited my good looks. I suppose all good things come in threes.”

The woman next to him scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. He already looks better than you!”

“Ouch, anyway, what will we name them Tsume? How does- “

“No! I’m the leader of the pack, so I will name them.” The woman named Tsume expertly ignored the muttered “troublesome woman” from her husband, and regarded her sons with a critical eye. “I will name the right one Kiba.” she decided while her husband nodded his head in agreement shortly afterwards. She stared intently at her other son, her gaze lingering longer on him than Kiba. “And I will name the left one Inugami Inuzuka!”

“Huh,” At that name, even the lazy former Nara lost his cool. “What kind of pretentious name is that? You basically named him ‘The Dog God of the Dog Hill’. What the hell Tsume?!”

“Silence!” Tsume barked at him, making him instantly shut up. “Do not insult my senses. It took me only one glance at him to realize it.”

Her husband stared at her and asked in a tentative tone. “Realize what?”

“He will be finally the legendary ninja our clan needed all this time. So, of course, I will have to name him accordingly.” The pride was already dripping from her.

“Uh-huh…” The former Nara couldn’t help but feel skeptical, but his attention broke by an intense coughing fit racking his body.

“Tch, it gets worse every day, huh?” Tsume was looking at him with a concerned frown. “By the way, where the hell is your deadbeat father? He didn’t show up at Hana’s birth, and now the twins as well. At this point, he won’t even show up at your funeral.” At that, Tsume couldn’t help but chuckle.

Her husband looked at her, baffled. “Have I ever told you how weird and messed up your sense of humor is?”

“Too many times.”

“Troublesome woman…”

‘Inugami Inuzuka, hmm…’ the father of three was staring at at his son, as Tsume ignored him, to fuss over the new members of her pack. ‘Let’s see if Tsume’s senses are spot on.’

Two weeks after the birth of his twins, the former Nara died from a fatal illness. Two years after his death, Inugami Inuzuka, formerly known as Tobias Hardwood, would gain consciousness, horrified at where he landed. Marking the start of a new journey with an uncertain ending.