Through The Anima
Chapter 1: The End Brings Forth New Beginnings
Naruto Uzumaki
Rank: Hokage, S-Class
Alias: The Orange Hokage
Likes: Ramen!
Dislikes: Vegetables
A lone figure sat atop the broken gates of a burning village seemingly uncaring about the destruction surrounding him. The man was Naruto Uzumaki and it was not the he was uncaring, but was simply used to it.
The lone survivor of the aftermath was sitting atop the gates staring into the distant burning horizon. For it was not just this village that bathed in flames and rubble but possibly the whole nation, or very well nations.
It was an unpredictable event that caused this state of destruction for after the allied nations victory peace seemed obtainable, no it was not obtainable it was expected. But even allied nations could not stop a god that seemingly wanted the end of the Elemental Nations. For barely a year after the allied victory over Akatsuki the unpredictable and unstoppable happened.
'A god damned meteor' Naruto thought even now not being able to fully fathom what had occurred.
'After all that, after all the effort we gave it was for nothing due to a god damned meteor... who would've thought it.' He paused his thoughts to run his hands through his spiky and unruly blond hair.
He was dressed in dark blue pants with matching sandals his long sleeved orange shirt was tucked into the pants and covered by his green Jounin vest, covering his face was his deceased sensei, Kakashi's, very own mask. Admittedly it was a bit weird to be wearing it but he had wanted something of his departed sensei and this seemed the best thing. Adoring his forehead was a headband with the kanji for oil in memory of the late Jiraiya.
He sat there for several for more moments contemplating what he should do next, but he would not have to wait longer. For the sky once again gave something to the nations, a portal opened and the sky and he could vaguely make out golden trails leading to the ground about a mile out. His mind made up he made his way to the destination.
Fairy Tail
"W-what?" was the only sound as the terrible news was broken, Lisanna Strauss was dead.
The Remaining Strauss siblings could say nothing but the occasional sob from the goth clothed Mirajane filled the room with her sibling Elfman's tears ran down his face. Nothing could be said but the guild showed that it was indeed a family, and during troubling times as this a family sticks together. The members were there for her in her time of grief and even Erza was there to support her. For no matter what fights and rivalries anyone had, they were still a family.
Remains of Konoha
Naruto came to a stop when he picked up a foreign signature , coming into the clearing he saw what had fallen. A white haired teenager with the signs that she was in a battle. Looking up into the sky he saw that the portal was seemingly becoming inverted. Looking down at the girl once more he let his thoughts run.
'she must come from somewhere far different, im picking up a signature but its not chakra. That portal may be able to get her back though, but why should I?' He looked around his desecrated home, despite the fact that it had been four days since the impact fire was still burning through the village.
'There all gone, my friends, my family, my village there dead. And this world is to, I can sense the natural energy slowly dying away.' He looked once more at the girl laying there, she looked innocent. Far to innocent for this world.
'My precious people are gone, but she might still have some where she comes from. I couldn't save their lives, but I might be able to save this girls.'
His mind made up he drew the blood necessary and summoned one of the few friends he had left. In an explosion of smoke a giant toad emerged, the Chief Toad Gamabunta. Gamabunta looked down with sad eyes at his charge.
"Naruto, what purpose do you have for summoning me?"
"See the giant swirly thing in the sky? Your gonna need to get me and this girl through it."
Bunta looked at him with a raised brow "And just how do you expect me to get you through it?"
"Look at the clouds around it, there being pulled into it. Meaning theres a pull, if you can launch us close enough to it then hopefully we can get through." Naruto replied while picking up the girl bridal style.
"Or it could kill you, and just who is this girl?"
"The reason im almost fifty percent sure we wont die. She came here through the portal. And if we die so what, you can feel it to Bunta. This world is dying, the world is dying and so are the people." Naruto could not truly understand what drove him at this moment, he was tired and he was more the ready to die. But he knew that his death would also mean the death for the girl currently in his arms. And the death of this seemingly innocent girl was something he would not tolerate.
Bunta looked up into the sky and took a drag out of his pipe, blowing the smoke out with a sigh he turned his gaze down to Naruto.
"Very well, but, provided you dont die, summon one of us." The chief took another drag out of his pipe and another sigh escaped his lips. "Your one of the greatest people I've met kid, you didnt deserve this tragedy."
"No one did Bunta, no one did" Naruto gave one last look around his home, knowing this would be the last time he saw it. "Lets do it Bunta."
Bunta's tongue came out and wrapped itself around the two and returned to the toads mouth. Tilting it's head up he aimed at the portal. With a great spit the two went up into the sky.
Naruto struggled to look up towards the portal the wind causing a great strain on his neck with the speed they were traveling. The wind was running through his air and the portal was getting closer. He could feel a pull coming from the portal directing him to it.
'Goodbye Konoha' Was his departing thought as the portal did its job and felt them being pulled through.
Fiore, unknown location
Golden wisps departed from the sky and down the ground, from the wisps two figures emerged. Naruto holding the unknown girl in his arms landed safely on his feet as if he had not just fallen from the sky.
Taking notice of his surrounding he took note of the signs of a battle, not sure if the area was safe but not wanting to move due to not knowing the area he gently sat the girl down and created ten clones to scout the area and gather materials for camp.
Fifteen minutes later he felt nine of the clones dispel and a moment later another clone emerged from the area carrying kindle and started to form up a fire.
The original Naruto sat back against a tree and gathered his thoughts, they were in a wooded area and the battle seemed to have stretched for quite a distant. The animals also have seemed to vacate the area, so they wouldn't be able to stay here for long but there was a stream nearby so there was at least that.
The sound of the girl waking up broke his thoughts, her blue eyes opened and looked around her surroundings in confusion and when her eyes landed on him the confusion was even more evident, and he even noted a hint of fear in her eyes. Not that he could blame her, waking up after a battle to see a strange masked man probably did not give her the same comfort it would have for him. He decided it would be best for her to speak.
"Um, mister... who are you? And where are we?" she asked her voice low and bashful still rightfully scared.
'Shes still scared, hehe this ones for you Ero-sennin' Naruto thought with a chuckle.
"Who am I? Who am I?" When he stood up the girl slid back a few feet the fear in her eyes increasing. That was until he started his dance.
He hopped on one foot in a circle dropping a small smoke bomb, when the smoke emerged he planted one foot in front of the other and gave a dramatic pose with his right hand out to her.
"I am the man who's face had to be hidden from the public as to stop women from across the world from instantly falling in love with me! I am the man who's mere presence will silence a crying baby! The man who kids idolize and other men wish they could be! The mere mention of my name will make enemies drop their weapons and run in fear! I am the great Toad Sage Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki!"
The girl merely stared at the strange man who she now knew as Naruto. The fear she previously held was now replaced curiosity, she held her hand up to her mouth and gave a short giggle which soon erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha well Naruto im Lisanna Strauss, and you still didnt answer my second...wait I know..." she stopped her sentence to look around at her surroundings for the first time. She remembered the battle and her brother loosing control over his take over. She jumped up and began frantically searching around the area.
"Hey, hey where are my brother and sister! Mister have you seen them?" She asked her voice getting higher and the fear slowly returning to her eyes.
"whoa whoa hang on there girlie I haven't seen anyone else around here and Ive already scouted out the area. But judging from your appearance and the appearance of the area there was a battle, a battle which you were apart of" He leveled his eyes onto Lisanna, she returned the gaze and blue eyes met blue.
"Yea we were doing a mission, to stop a beast that was terrorizing a nearby village." She stopped her sentence and grabbed her arm. "It went wrong, way wrong. The beast was stronger then we thought and well..."
Naruto stopped her by holding his hand up. "Its fine if you don't want to talk about it, but I do have one question." He stopped and looked to her for a confirmation to ask it. When he saw her nod he continued "You said mission, are you apart of a village military or something of that sort?"
She looked at him with mild confusion "Um im part of Fairy Tail." She said as she showed him her mark on her left shoulder.
'So she is a fighter then, but im still not picking up any chakra from her. Just something different, definitely not chakra but something else. But what is Fairy Tail? An organization?' His thoughts were running a mile a minute so he decided to voice his confusion.
"Fairy Tail? Im new to the area so would you mind explaining? And how were you going to fight the beast? I didn't see any equipment laying around the area nor do I see any on you." He asked hoping the question wasn't an obvious one he had just over looked.
The confusion that showed in her face and eyes was evident as she answered his question.
"Were mages, and Fairy Tail is the guild we belong to. You haven't heard of us?"
'Mages? So the signature she's giving off is magic? Where did the portal take us?' Naruto thought, he looked up into the night sky looking for any constellations that were native to his home land.
'Nothing, could the portal really have taken us to another world? Or at least me to another world. This appears to be her homeland at least.' He looked at her once more saw her state of confusion.
"Well then girlie I suggest we set up a camp for the night, then we can get you back to Fairy Tail. In the morning, where ever that is." he said as he began to lay down next to fire.
"Mister have you really never heard of Fairy Tail? And where exactly are you from?" She asked as she sat down next to the fire and brought her legs up to her chest.
"Oi stop calling me mister, the whole point of the introduction was to get you to remember my name. Plus it makes me feel old." He said as he began to absently pick his ear.
"Well then stop calling me girlie, and you still didn't answer my question" She said with a pout that reminded him of his own self proclaimed little brother Konohamaru.
"Ha fair enough, well Lisanna to answer your questions no I in fact havent heard of Fairy Tail and where im from isn't important. Now we should get some sleep we gotta get you to your home tomorrow after all. The statement however was unnecessary as the girl was already drifting off to sleep the fire illuminating her face.
'Like I thought, far to innocent'
Sleep did not come so easily to Naruto however, and when it did come it was plagued with nightmares of his village burning... his friends dying.
The following morning
When Lisanna awoke she was greeted with the smell of cooking fish. She sat up and greedily looked at the delicious smelling food but was hesitant to reach out to take it.
"Mah go ahead and take one, I cooked them for the both of us." The voice startled her at first until she remembered the previous night. With gusto she took the stick that held the fish and began to eat her makeshift meal. When she looked up at her traveling she was startled by the look in his eyes. The were devoid of life, he was aimlessly staring into the fire and seemed so downtrodden. She felt bad for the person that had saved her, and an idea came to her head.
"You know if you keep staring at me like that im going to have to assume that your developing a crush on me, not that I could blame you. I am quite the looker." Her thoughts were put to a stop when she heard this and a blush enveloped her face as it took on a look of shock.
"N-no! Thats not it at all!" She declared
"Aw. Lis-chan doesnt like me. Is it cause im ugly?" He asked as his eyes widened and started to water, even under the mask she could tell he give her a pout.
"Ah! No! Its..." She stopped herself and gave a sigh to collect her thoughts. "I was wondering if when we get back to Fairy Tail. If you would like to join?"
'Asking me to join? So its more then likely an organization. But is this anything like Akatsuki?' He stopped his thoughts and gave a look at the girl sitting across the fire absently chewing on her fish while looking at him. 'Hehe no, nothing like them.'
"Mah I don't see why not, I dont know anyone here other then you and it couldn't hurt to meet some new people." He stopped and began to stand up. "Well before we depart to this 'Fairy Tail' could you tell me where 'here' by the way?'
The look she gave him was one of happiness when he said he would join and then turned to confusion at his question.
With another sigh she stood up and gave a wave for him to follow, knowing if he didn't even know where he was she was going to have to lead the way. After putting out the fire he followed after her and listened to her as she explained to him where they were, magic, and this place called Fairy Tail. Admittedly, it sounded like a great place
The air in the guild was still one of somber and heavy grieving. Mirajane was sitting next to her brother with tears rolling down her fact, Erza was sitting across from her with sad eyes knowing the pain that she felt. And Natsu was just sitting there, the normally loud and hyperactive child was deathly silent as he was sitting with his partner Happy and his rival Grey. Master Makarov was sitting atop the bar with a sad look cast towards the ground. The guild was silent and dressed in black, for they had just returned from the funeral of their departed family member. The silence was not to last however as the door to guild was opened and the worst possible sentence was uttered from a strange masked man.
"Man, who died?" The tone of was one of jest and the eyes of the man turned into close sort of smile. The atmosphere of the guild turned from of somber to anger and the and the anger was lead by none other then the demon Mirajane.
"Who the hell are you! Coming into here! How dare yo-" her sentence was cut short as she heard a scream coming towards her and the familiar face of the supposedly departed.
"Mira-nee! Elf-nii!" was the scream of the girl running towards her. Her eyes took that of one of shock and disbelief. It was turned into eyes of extreme happiness as tears ran down her eyes. She took her little sister and enveloped her into a bone crushing hug and then the both of them were lifted up as their brother Elfman lifted the both of them up with tears running down his face as well. The rest of the guild watched on in shock at the reunion which then morphed into one of happiness as cheers resounded through the crowd.
"W-wait how though? I saw you carried off by that...that thing." The question came from Mirajane and she pulled her sister off her to look at her in the eyes looking for her answer.
"Im not sure, when I woke up Naruto was there. He said he found me." Was the reply of Lisanna as she took a step back to point at Naruto who she thought was at the door. "What! Where did he go!"
"Over here Lis-chan!" came the reply of the person in question he was over at the bar with 3 empty mugs around him and was holding a fourth one in his hand. " As long as the beer keeps coming id be more then happy to take you up on your offer!' he said with a slight slur and a raise of his mug.
She swirled back around to the sound of the voice and her face took one of shock and disbelief "You drink?" she asked with her hands on her hips and a disappointed look on her face.
Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Is there any other way to consume liquids? Have you been keeping secrets from me Lis-chan? " he turned his eyes down as cried fake tears. "I thought we had something special!" he cried out with a clearly fake wail.
Lisanna face was once again covered by a blush, she absently noticed he was able to get that reaction out of her far to easily. She was about to retort when her sister beat her to it.
"Oi! Who the hell are you? And what do you mean something special." She didn't notice her sister cover her face when she asked the question. She knew what was coming, no one else however had any idea.
His eyes narrowed at the girl who asked the question and took pride in how she put her guard up and took a step back.
"Who am I? Who am I?" Once again he spun around on one foot and dropped a small smoke bomb. He finished off the rest of mug making sure no one could see his face and threw it into the air. He then put one foot in front of the other and put his hand out in his dramatic pose.
"I am the man who's face had to be hidden from the public as to stop women from across the world from instantly falling in love with me! I am the man who's mere presence will silence a crying baby! The man who kids idolize and other men wish they could be! The mere mention of my name will make enemies drop their weapons and run in fear! I am the great Toad Sage Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki!"
Looking around at the reactions of her guild mates she couldn't help but smile, she knew that Naruto would fit right in here.
'And maybe, ill be able to help him out with whatever is causing his sadness. I promise Naruto, im going to help you.' Were the thoughts of Lisanna as she smiled at her blond friends antics.
A/N: Well thats the start, a bit shorter then I would like but I felt I did a good job. Please review with anything you think I could improve on. Flames are welcome as long as you point it out.
