"normal speech"

'thoughts or flashback'

'kurama speech'

Chapter 9

x780 December Tenrou Jima

Crashes. Explosions. The sound of heavy footsteps in the air. Branches snapped and the earth trembled every few seconds.

Erza Scarlet was borderline panting to make it to the check point and complete the next stage of the S-Class promotional exams. Her closest rival was Mirajane and Erza was sure that she had been sidetracked by Gildarts.

Cana Alberona had already encountered Laxus on one of the rocky outcroppings on the island. Erza could still see the lightning magic at work even from this distance.

Naruto had refused to give her full details on this year's S-Class exam. He was one of the proctors of the exam so it would be unfair.

He had also refused to fully tell her what was in his own exam. Both of them. The one where Laxus passed and then the one a year later where he passed.

After each exam he had only told her how he either passed or failed and who he had to fight. Gildarts the first time and Makarov himself the second.

Of course his refusal might have been because of the fact that Erza constantly teased him. She always called Naruto by his nickname, 'Tempest', and tried to embarrass him by waving Sorcerer Magazine around. The magazine had run an article on him and declared him one of Fiore's most handsome and eligible wizards.

In the short year that Naruto had been made S-class he'd built up a fearsome reputation. He was both a heavy hitter when needed and could be discrete and quiet for other jobs.

There were times he was specifically requested to complete a job. That he always completed the job and with minimal fuss only served to further his reputation.

Erza often accompanied him on jobs so she saw everything firsthand. It also worked to give her extra ammo to use against him.

As of right now though she was in a dead sprint to make it to the checkpoint and pass on to the next stage of the S-Class promotional exam.

All four candidates taken to Tenrou Jima had been given a map of the island. They were told to find a specific item on the island but had to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles while doing so.

Those who crossed the checkpoint with their item would be allowed into the next stage. The puzzles given would, if solved correctly, also give them a trail and path to the checkpoint while avoiding any of the S-Class wizards stationed on the island to test them.

Erza was pretty confident she'd solved hers correctly but wanted to avoid being followed by that lazy and arrogant Mirajane. So Erza ran as fast as she could to avoid anyone following her.

The thicket of trees she was running through started to thin and showed a clearing ahead. Erza was beyond happy, she was sure that the checkpoint was directly ahead of her.

She sped up a bit, throwing caution to the wind and no longer moving as stealthily as before. 'Yes! If I can get to the next part I've got this exam in the bag. Then when I get promoted I can rub it in nii-san's face that I was promoted a whole 2 years younger than him!'

With an uncharacteristic whoop of joy Erza jumped out of the forest and into the clearing.

As she straightened herself up and dusted herself off, she looked around for the checkpoint. It was supposed to be something that she could set off.

The only problem was that it too was part of the puzzles as part of their exam. So it would be hidden or disguised as something. Like a stump or rock, with its only identifying feature being it was inscribed with runes.

If she found it she was to run her magic through it briefly and that would signal her arrival. It would also signal her completion of this portion of the exam.

Erza started to walk around and lift up random rocks and overturn logs. She was so focused on her work that she completely overlooked the person in the clearing with her.

"Maybe you should try that rock to your left."

"No. It's too small I already checked it." Erza replied distractedly.

"Hmm. Well how about that log over on the right. It seems big enough. Kind of rotted and stuff too. Sounds like something Master Makarov would hide the signal under." Amusement clear in the person's voice now.

Even so, Erza was too focused on finding the checkpoint marker. "No. That's too obvious. It has to be a rock or else it would be too easy to find. Since there are so many rocks here."

Nodding sagely the second and older person suggested one other possibility after a few more minutes of searching turned up nothing. "Well maybe it isn't here?"

Erza grunted as she dropped a small boulder she'd been lifting. "It has to be. The checkpoint is supposed to be in a clearing full of rocks, by a small stream and surrounded by elm trees."

"Ah I see. Well… it's definitely not here then." A casual wave around. "These are oak trees and the elm portion of the forest is about 2 km that way." A hand pointed north.

An exasperated sigh left her lips. "There are way too many trees on this island for anyone to know the difference. Thanks nii-san!" She chirped before she started to walk away north.

Naruto chuckled and counted down in his head as she started walking. '3… 2… 1… aaaand now she gets it.'

"Nii-san!" Erza whirled sword already in hand. "How'd you get here?"

"On a boat. Same as you." Naruto answered in deadpan.

The red headed girl scowled. "I meant how did you get here in this clearing? Not how'd you get on the island."

"Well you should have just said so then Erza-chan." Naruto replied in a faux snobbish tone.

Naruto immediately jumped back to avoid a slash and had to duck afterwards to avoid a kick. "Whoa. Looks like you don't want to waste time playing around Erza-chan." He grinned as he blocked another kick.

She growled but bit her tongue and didn't answer him. She knew that he liked to mock and rile up his opponents during fights, so that he could exploit their weaknesses while distracted.

Naruto jumped on top of a stump to avoid a slash aimed at his torso. From the stump he immediately flipped backwards so that Erza's slash at his legs missed.

After a few minutes of running around and getting only a small cut on his haori Naruto took things up a notch. He grabbed a kunai from his pouch and held it in a reverse grip. At the next downwards slash from Erza he stopped the sword with his own blade.

Erza didn't have any time to react as he immediately grabbed her sword arm and twisted so that he could throw her over his shoulder. She avoided hitting the ground face first as she stuck her hand out and performed a one-handed handspring to get back to her feet.

Naruto quickly attacked her. "It's time to get serious Erza-chan. As the proctor for this exam I can't allow anyone that isn't strong enough or worthy of promotion get past me. You have to show that you have both the skills and the determination to be S-Rank if you want to pass."

Scarlet hair whirled around her face as Erza began an intricate dance to avoid Naruto's blows.

Making sure to play his role of exam proctor well, Naruto attacked in increasing levels of skill. His speed increased in trying to injure her as well as the strength behind each of his blows.

The blonde shinobi chased the armor wearing girl all around the clearing, trying to hit her. She was nimble though and managed to avoid most of his blows. It helped that he wasn't going all out though.

Tired of playing around, he closed the distance between them and feinted a slow low sweep of her feet.

Predictably she jumped over the incoming sweep, but Naruto had been counting on that and delivered a devastating combo of punches and elbows before she could move away.

As he was twisting because of the sweep, he used the momentum to deliver a heavy elbow to Erza's side. He followed up with two jabs to her torso and a roundhouse kick to send her flying.

Erza struggled to get up, more thankful than ever she wore armor all the time.

"I'm not like Gildarts Erza-chan. I won't just sit here and wait for you to come to me. You have to be able to fend for yourself as an S-class mage. How can you do that if I don't force you to defend?" Naruto asked even as he sprinted after her.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Naruto pushed Erza's limits as far as he could. He forced her to display all of her considerable skills in swordsmanship. He pushed her to show him how good she was in hand to hand fighting, and as the fight wore on she felt obligated to pull out what little jutsu and magic she had mastered.

"Kanso: Panisshā no Yoroi (Requip: Punisher Armor)" (1) She cried out as she donned her newest set of armor. It was one of the few sets she had been able to master requipping in the middle of a fight.

From what Naruto knew, the Panisshā no Yoroiwas an armor that gave Erza an increase in her offensive capabilities. Meaning she was both faster and stronger with it on.

"Crap. I'm going to have to step things up a bit." Naruto mumbled.

He locked blades with the much broader and heavier sword that accompanied the armor and thought up the best way to continue. He didn't want to go beyond the very basic jutsu when fighting her. This was her test after all and not his.

Already she had displayed quick thinking, a high level of strength and speed, as well as keen intellect if she was able to make it this far in the exam. She didn't have many jutsu available as Erza from almost the beginning told him that she was more of a melee or close range fighter.

The jutsu she did know were for when she had to attack from a distance or cause big damage. Plus she had recently decided to keep them as an ace in the hole so there was no need to use them all the time.

They would be beyond useless against Naruto anyways. She had a water affinity but like Naruto, needed water to be around to use it effectively.

Plus he was much better at ninjutsu than her so it really wouldn't be worth it.

The blonde teenager once more kicked Erza away from him to break their stalemate. They stood, eyeing each other up, silently debating whether to start the fight anew.

In the distance the flashes of light from Laxus' lightning had died down. Explosions and slight tremors that had been common earlier were no longer felt or heard. That meant that Gildarts was probably finishing up with whoever it was he tested.

A slight buzzing noise sounded out from Naruto's pocket. Sheepishly he waved a hand to ask for Erza to hold on a second. "Sorry sorry. Have to take this call. Hello. Who's this?"

From his pocket Naruto had pulled a small crystal orb, it was a communication lacrima.

Laxus' face showed up in the crystal, clearly irritated. "It's me idiot. Who else could it be? These things are the short range versions jiji gave the proctors so it could only be me or Gildarts."

Visibly cheering up Naruto waved at Laxus. "Hey sparky. What's up? You need something? I'm kind of busy at the moment."

A noticeable twitch developed over Laxus' eye. "Just calling to inform you that I didn't get Erza to test out like you wanted to know. I got Cana. She wasn't quite cut out for the exam though."

"Oh I see." Naruto ignored the questioning look Erza had at hearing that. "Well that means Gildarts has either Enno or Mirajane. I wonder what he's going to do."

As if in answer to his question the entire island of Tenrou Jima started to shake. It wasn't as violent as an earthquake but the sudden pressure and spike in magical energy was no less worrying.

Birds everywhere took to the skies. Animals that were minding their own business took off to hide in the forest. In the distance near the beaches of the island, a pillar of magical energy shot into the sky.

"Show off." Naruto snorted. He knew exactly what that was.

Gildarts had just released a whole lot of magical energy. Probably to scare whoever he was testing as it was extremely doubtful there would be any need to get serious with the examinees.

Erza looked to the source of the spike in magic and was visibly shocked at the turn of events. "No way. So much magic. Who could possibly be that strong?"

"Let's get back to business then Erza-chan. I know you don't have all day. But now that Gildarts has gotten serious and Laxus has finished up its pretty much expected for me to buckle down too." Naruto explained after he put away the lacrima into his pouch.

She nodded and lowered herself into a two handed stance gripping her sword. "You're right nii-san. I have to pass this exam. I'm not sure how much you're holding back but I'll make you regret it. I'll show you my strongest armor. Well my strongest completed armor…" she mumbled at the end.

Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion. This was the first he'd heard of a new and strongest armor.

"Kanso: Benihime (Requip: Crimson Princess). I've been working on getting stronger nii-san. I'll prove that I deserve this promotion." (2) Gone was the all black and bulky armor of before. Replacing it was sleeker but no less protective flame red armor. Her broad sword that she'd been wielding was replaced too. Now she held a long sword wreathed in fire.

The element of this armor was obvious for Naruto. She had obviously at some point taken to practicing and mastering a fire based armor. Fire, the element that was superior in elemental advantage to his wind jutsu.

Erza was now more confident she'd be able to show how prepared she was to move up in rank.

He smiled and rose from his low defensive horse stance. "Looks like you're serious about passing then. Good. This isn't one of our spars. If you didn't come at me with everything you had and determined to win you wouldn't land a finger on me."

Erza tensed as he shook his head sadly though and closed his eyes. "Unfortunately it won't be enough Erza-chan. Not nearly enough."

A bright familiar glow started to emanate from Naruto. Slowly at first but then quickly he was engulfed in a bright yellow shroud of chakra. Black lines spread out from his shoulders down his arms, across his chest and down his legs.

His haori had turned yellow as well and had nagatama around the collar. His shirt and vest turned pure black and the seal on his stomach was evident over his clothes. A bright yellow spiral enclosed on all sides by more seal script.

On the back of his haori, the uzumaki spiral was displayed proudly. When Naruto opened his eyes again, they were no longer the brown and blue eyes of the last few years, but now were golden in color to match his cloak of power.

The armor clad girl gulped, visibly nervous at the prospect of fighting Naruto now.

Surely he wasn't going to go all out to fight her right? But even if all he did was dodge she knew she wasn't nearly fast enough to hit him. His speed was amazing while in his recently re-mastered Bijuu Cloak.

Naruto smiled grimly at Erza's shocked expression. "Sorry Erza-chan but I'm not quite done yet. Did you know Erza-chan that as a proctor of this exam I have full rights and can decide whether or not to pass someone? Whether or not to disqualify them based on my observations?"

In a daze, Erza shook her head no.

'Are you sure about this Naruto? This could all blow up in your face brat. Can you live with yourself if that happens?' Kurama asked his container. He already knew what Naruto was planning on doing.

Normally he wouldn't care but this plan of Naruto's had too many risks for his taste. Especially since he risked hurting Erza, the one person besides Naruto he could tolerate. Sort of.

'I'm sure.' Really he wasn't but the pros outweighed the cons in this instance. If barely.

"Erza-chan as proctors we were told that it is up to us to determine when a participant can pass. But… since you're my wonderful imouto," a warm smile spread across his lips, "I have a higher responsibility to you. I have to make sure you are strong and that no harm comes to you."

Frowning slightly at his explanation, Erza waited patiently for him to get to the point. She doubted that he was giving this speech out only because he wanted to see how strong she was. That could easily be discovered by continuing their fight.

'So it's time then huh brat? I want you to know that I do this under protest'Kurama rumbled deep within the seal.

Naruto's form hadn't changed as he talked to Erza. His chakra cloak only grew a little darker, glowing a dark golden color instead of bright yellow.

His posture was still the same, but when he closed his eyes again… everything was different.

A colossal pressure descended on everything in the clearing. The rocks around them started to shake. The trees were groaning under the pressure, the air was stifling. Nothing was left untouched or unaffected by the invisible force pressing down.

Erza reeled back in shock. This was magic! It wasn't the normal chakra feel that she had grown to be familiar with whenever Naruto trained, no this was actual magic. Similar but yet very different to chakra.

How in the world could Naruto, who himself admitted not being a mage, use magic? And why was it so strong and potent that it was starting to scare her?

When he opened his eyes again, they remained golden in color but his pupils were no longer round. Instead they were slitted and his features grew feral. Lines like whiskers appeared on his cheeks.

'I'm in control of your body now Naruto but I'll let you do the talking.'Kurama explained. He had no wish to really test out his magical prowess, it was only recently that he had even been able to try out what he could accomplish with magic.

Naruto would never be able to use magic for himself anyways, this was all Kurama. The bijuu himself didn't really know where to start but was glad most of it seemed instinctual. The only downside seemed that his magic was only accessible and usable when Naruto used the Bijuu Cloak.

"For that reason and that reason alone, I cannot allow you to pass the S-Class exams." Naruto continued his monologue.

"Wh-what?" Erza choked out, dread seeping through her stomach like an acid pill. Her confidence from earlier starting to falter in the face of all the magic washing over her.

"Erza-chan. I'll say it one more time. I have a higher responsibility towards you. I have to make sure no harm comes to you. Ever if possible. Harm that S-Class missions would put you at risk for." As he talked the magic he was putting out rose higher and higher reaching phenomenal levels.

Erza was breathing hard now, the pressure and density of the magic around her making it difficult to take in air. She broke out in a cold sweat and didn't really register what Naruto was saying.


All around the island those who were able to sense even a modicum of magic looked in Naruto's direction. Everyone else just wondered what could possibly be up with Gildarts showing off again.

For his part Gildarts just smirked after having sent Mirajane off towards the recovery tent. She hadn't been quite able to meet the benchmark Gildarts set for her. 'So, this is your power Naruto. I can tell you can't fully control it. The magic is wild and erratic right now, but I can't wait to spar with you again. It should be fun.'

Makarov who was tending to both Cana and Mirajane in the recovery tent just deflected the questions they were asking. "Tenrou Jima is a place sacred to Fairy Tail girls. Not even I know everything that happens here. Its possible Gildarts just feels like stretching his legs. Or if it's something else like Mirajane thinks then I can assure you nothing bad will happen to you."

Inwardly though he was a little worried. If Mirajane was here and Cana failed too that left only Naruto. 'You've been holding out on us Naruto. I'm sure you have your reasons. We all have our secrets. Just don't take it too hard on little Erza.'

Laxus who was on his way back to the boat to return to Magnolia only smirked as he walked away. He didn't even look back to see what the commotion he felt was. 'Looks like it's you who ended up finding Erza Naruto. Don't know how or why you're magnifying your magic so much but this just means when we spar it'll be more interesting. I hope it's not fake power like from a lacrima or other magical item though. That'd be boring.'


"You won't get past me Erza-chan. You won't pass this exam. The road to your promotion ends with me." Naruto continued monotonously.

By this point, tears were beginning to run down Erza's cheeks. All her hopes, all her dreams, to prove herself strong, to prove that she didn't need Naruto to always hold her hand, were in danger of being shattered.

She had hoped to pass this exam and prove she had grown stronger, prove that not only did Naruto raise her well but now he no longer needed to protect her as much. That perhaps, she could protect him if he needed it.

"Give up now Erza-chan. Give up so that I can keep you safe from harm by failing you." He requested. "You aren't cut out for this exam. Not as you are." The silent, 'perhaps not ever', went unsaid.

'You're playing a dangerous game brat.' Kurama warned.

'It has to be this way. I have to be certain she'll be safe.' Naruto replied.

Once more a wave of power surged out from Naruto. It washed over everything in the area but focused on Erza.

The sword edged in flames fell from her limp hands. She dropped to her knees and looked at Naruto despairingly. Hoping beyond hope that she misunderstood him. "I'll pass. I have to pass nii-san. Even if you don't want me too I'll just pass next year. I don't care. You can't keep me from passing." She whispered fervently.

Naruto sighed sadly. "That's where you're wrong Erza-chan. Even if you take the test every year from now until I have gray hair, I will make sure to face you each and every time. And fail you each and every time."

Erza who had been silently letting her tears fall to the ground, her hands gripping the earth and holding herself up, snapped her head up at that. "I don't care. I will pass. I don't care what you say nii-san! I'm going to pass this exam."

Scarlet hair whirled around her as Erza called her own magic forth. While not at the same level as any of the current S-class wizards, it was still impressive. "I'll show you I'm cut out for this. I'll show you that you can't intimidate me into backing down. I'm strong. Even if I'm not strong enough right now, all I'll do is train and grow stronger. Until I can beat you and show you that I can protect you just as much as you can protect me."

Her body glowed a bright white before her armor disappeared and was replaced. "I don't have a name for this armor yet, it's not completed. But I'll show you how strong I am. You said I can't even put a scratch on you. Well I'll prove that I can do that and more."

Gone was the predominantly red armor from before. Her new armor, her apparently unfinished armor, was mainly blues and whites. Some red trim existed on the gauntlets and yellow around the cuffs, but it was nevertheless an impressive looking armor.

Naruto smirked as the ground beneath him cracked and splintered as he once more raised the output of magic around him. He had to be absolutely sure she could stand up to him.

She got to her feet and glared defiantly at him.

"Aah! I won't let you keep me down Naruto-aniki! I'll show you exactly what I'm made of. I don't care how many times I do this, I will beat you!" In her hand an electrified spear appeared.

The older boy's eyes widened in surprise as he sensed both magic and chakra being used. Normally this would be cause for alarm because of what that meant for Erza, but since they were in the middle of the promotional exams he let it go.

She had tried using both magic and chakra at the same time once before. The results were surprising.

Just like Naruto knew that Kurama's chakra was thrown out of control because of the eternano in the air, he guessed that something similar would happen to Erza.

He was right. If she tried using both magic and chakra, it wreaked havoc with her control. Not so much her chakra control but her control over her magic.

Somehow and for some reason it acted like an accelerant. It forced her to output as much magic as possible all at once as soon if she used the barest of chakra.

Like a flame following a trail of gas, if she used chakra while using magic she opened the floodgates to her magic reserves and poured out too much. It resulted in her fainting from exhaustion. It wasn't lethal though, which is the only thing Naruto cared about, as he repeatedly asked Porlyusica when she treated Erza.

The attack she'd been prepping when she started using both sources of energy though was incredible. While it had actually flickered out and dissolved since she passed out, the power it contained was astonishing. So while using both chakra and magic obviously had its large drawbacks, its advantages were extremely high as well.

It made any of her previous attacks pale in comparison. That's just how powerful it was.

She was far from mastering it though. Naruto didn't know if she really could master it, since she was the first person able to use both. That didn't mean she wouldn't try, but she was a long ways off.

With a wild dash and something that looked a lot like Shunshin yet different, Erza charged straight at him. Naruto met her head on, determined to see how this would unfold.

A deafening boom exploded from their clearing. A cloud of dust erupted into the air from their clash and a crater was formed.

Most noticeable though was the absence of magic from earlier. The absence of that absolute colossal source of power that had everything in the area scared.

Erza didn't realize she had fallen unconscious after her charge. She didn't know that she had exhausted herself and fainted from all the magic she released.

Her only thoughts at the moment had been to prove beyond a doubt that no matter what she faced, she would keep trying to get stronger and beat Naruto. To show that even if she wasn't strong enough at the moment and Naruto had vowed to fail her, she would just keep coming back over and over again.

So when she woke up and noticed she was moving along through the forest she didn't quite understand what was happening. It was only when she noticed that she was being carried that she remembered and realized what must have happened.

She was so focused on landing at least one hit on Naruto and then training for the next year to do it all over again at the next exams that she blocked everything else out. Normally she would have stopped or tried to do something to keep from passing out but it just didn't happen.

Slowly she blinked in order to get her eyes to focus. "What's going on?"

"Quiet down Erza-chan. Go ahead and get some rest. You've certainly earned it." Naruto answered, even as he kept on walking forward. He didn't even bother to turn his head and look at the girl he was carrying piggy-back to the other side of the island where the rest tent was.

She yawned and nodded her head tiredly. "Ok. I'll get you next time nii-san. Just wait and see." She mumbled, almost missing but too tired to do anything about what she heard next.

"There's no need Erza-chan. You passed. I'm proud of you. You're the newest S-Rank mage of Fairy Tail." He told her.

A small happy smile appeared on her face for the briefest of moments before she once more fell asleep. There would be plenty of time to celebrate later. For now she just enjoyed the fact that she could rest again.

'Looks like things worked out for you brat. Lucky bastard. It was a risk playing with her head like that. I thought you said you didn't like it when it happened to you at your own exams back in Konoha?" Kurama growled out.

'I didn't. But that doesn't mean it wasn't necessary and effective. Those chuunin exams really sucked but they taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes you need more than just brute strength or skill to measure you worth. Your mental fortitude is just as important.' The blonde jinchuuriki answered his grouchy tenant.

As he walked forward, moving closer to the tent where the rest of the guild was, he looked over his shoulder to the red haired girl on his back. He smiled proudly at how far she'd come.

His plan had been risky, but he still felt that the end results were justified. She had proven how strong she was, how determined she had grown. It was good that his fears hadn't come to fruition and he was fully prepared to apologize for messing with her head when she woke.

For now though, he'd just let her rest and recover after such a tiring day.


Erza once again woke up slowly and had to blink rapidly to focus her vision. The last words she remembered from Naruto played in her head. She smiled as she sat up and looked around.

"Finally up sleepy head?" The tent flap was open to allow Naruto and a couple of his clones entry as he walked in.

"Nii-san! Did you mean it? Did I really pass?" Erza rushed to ask him.

Naruto smiled and pointed at the sleeve of his haori, showing her the small tear in the fabric. "Well you didn't pass out from seeing how awesome I am that's for sure. I didn't know you've been training so hard lately and I gotta say, I'm impressed. Even if you only barely managed to scratch me, but to answer your question, yes. You did pass."

Whoops of joy were heard by all those outside the tent and no one was quite sure who it came from. Most didn't believe Erza capable of being so excited and others hoped Naruto wasn't still that childish.

Naruto took a seat next her bedroll and grinned. "You surpassed all my expectations Erza-chan. I'm sorry for saying all those things earlier but they were only to test you and you did great. Everyone one of the proctors had something different they wanted to test. Laxus tested strength, Gildarts maturity and decision making, and me I wanted to see your mental fortitude."

Erza beamed with pride and wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'm glad you got to see how strong I am nii-san. Even if you had to be sneaky about it."

Naruto shrugged. "I think that since you've proved how strong you are its time I answer your question. Now I don't have to worry about anyone possibly finding out the truth about me and going after you."

Erza paid rapt attention to Naruto, knowing exactly what he was talking about. From almost the very beginning of their relationship, Naruto had let her ask him one question a day that he promised to never lie about, in order to trust and get to know each other.

At first she had kept her questions to his skills and missions as a shinobi. Eventually they had moved on to his past and accomplishments. Finally she had asked the one question that she both wanted most to know and dreaded the answer.

She asked him of his family, his parents, siblings and name. At the time he'd only looked at her with a melancholy expression and asked her to hold off on the question for now.

Erza was at first worried that he had a real family to go back to. People that missed him and that he would leave her for. A sister, brother or parents that he would eventually seek out and leave Erza behind. Eventually he explained that it wasn't the case. He explained he was an orphan too but couldn't let her know his last name in case something bad happened.

Naruto hated to do it, he knew how sensitive Erza was about family since her own parents had abandoned her in her village before the slavers captured everyone, but felt it necessary at the time. He'd spent years searching high and low for any news on Sasuke when Kurama had asked him a question so obvious he couldn't believe he missed it.

If he was so sure that Sasuke had gone with him and both left the elemental nations, then why was he sure that the ROOT agent that they had fought hadn't come too? Especially since Kurama didn't know how they got to Fiore in the first place and perhaps the curse seal the ROOT shinobi had used was a trigger that flung them to the Tower of Heaven.

So to protect Erza he'd been forced to hide and keep his clan name a secret from her.

At least until she was ready and strong enough to defend herself in case anyone found out she knew and was, on paper, related to Naruto Uzumaki. It didn't help that she looked so much like his mother Kushina either.

That would only make it worse for her since she could pass for an Uzumaki well.

"Before I get into all the details though, what was that last armor you used? It sure packs a punch let me tell you." Naruto's grin grew even wider.

It was no exaggeration. If it hadn't been for his Bijuu Cloak, that armor would definitely have hurt him. It was deceptively strong, but obviously drained her far quicker than was good at the moment.

She pulled back from the hug she had given him and coughed into her hand, looking away and blushing in embarrassment. "It's my newest armor I've had custom made. It uh, well it's kind of embarrassing but I can't even use it for too long without getting tired."

Eyes scrunched and his head tilted to the side in confusion Naruto waited for her to say more. When it became clear she wouldn't he instead shrugged it off to talk about some other time. "Anyways, you already know my reasons for keeping my clan name secret."

Erza nodded.

"There's no point in babying you anymore then Erza-chan." He took a deep breath and let it out, "I was born in the village of Konohagakure no Sato in Hi no Kuni to the Yondaime Hokage and the Nidaime Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko."

At a wave of his hand his two clones stepped forward and formed the Dog, Boar and Ram hand seals. A puff of smoke later and it cleared to reveal two very distinct and precious people to Naruto, despite the extremely small amount of time he spent with them.

One was a blonde man wearing a haori similar to Naruto's but with a flame like motif at the bottom. The other was a beautiful, crimson haired woman, slightly shorter than the man but with a wide grin and mischievous look.

Erza stared wide eyed at the two people standing on either side of Naruto.

He had never shown her a picture of them before but she easily recognized his mother and father. There had never been a reason to see them before really; Erza was an orphan too and just assumed he found it painful to talk about his parents just as much as she did.

"I know it might not mean much Erza-chan," he continued a little sadly as it was a sensitive subject, "but if my parents were here, they'd be just as proud of you as I am. I know that for a fact. They would love you and would be glad that I found a wonderful imouto to look after and keep me in line too."

Tears once more built up in her eyes and Erza quickly blinked to try and clear them away. She hadn't been this emotional in a very long time but she found that she didn't really care and wasn't as ashamed of crying as she should have been.

"I know that you'll never get to know them but I present to you my father Minato Namikaze," The clone of Minato smiled warmly at Erza, "and my mother, who I swear you really could be a miniature version of, Kushina Uzumaki." The older scarlet haired woman waved cheerfully at Erza's shocked expression.

Erza looked longingly at the two clones that represented Naruto's parents and threw herself into his arms. She hugged him for dear life and kept mumbling into his chest over and over, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Naruto rubbed small circles into her back until she calmed down. When she pulled away he smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead. "It's not much Erza-chan, I know that I can't ever replace or be a substitute for your real family," she scowled at remembering her real parents, "but I want you to know that I was very serious when I said I'd be your aniki from now on. You're my wonderful imouto, my precious, beautiful and strong little sister, and even though I grew up as Naruto Uzumaki, I never once will regret taking up the role of Naruto Scarlet to be closer to you."

A choked sob and eyes full of happiness was the only response he got. All he cared for really.

Some more heartfelt moments later and after the emotional rollercoaster had ended Naruto broached the last topic he wanted to talk to Erza about. She watched curiously as he pulled out a containment scroll and unsealed its contents.

In his hands he held a long thin box. He handed it over to her and watched as she opened it up, eyes full of curiosity. "What's this nii-san? Why did you just give me the hilt to a sword?"

The excitable blonde's megawatt grin could have lit up the darkest of nights. "Oh but Erza-chan how you underestimate me so. That isn't just any sword. And yes I did in fact say sword not just hilt. Run a little chakra through it. Or magic. Go on."

A bit wary of the confirmed sword in her hands, Erza nevertheless did as she was told. When she poured a small amount of chakra into the hilt she gasped as lightning crackled and a blade made entirely of electricity burst into existence.

She'd heard from Naruto about this legendary blade but she never imagined he would show it to her. "Nii-san! Is this the Raijin no Ken (Sword of the Thunder God)?" (3)

"Yep!" He chirped cheerfully, "And it's yours now. Think of it as a congratulations present for passing the exam. Ah, they grow up so fast." He teased as he wiped a fake tear away from his eye.

Not quite over the shock of seeing the legendary blade of the famed Nidaime Hokage in her hands, the young and fearsome mage only nodded numbly in thanks.

Naruto had regaled her with stories of the man's prowess in battle and she was awed at holding a blade wielded and created by such a powerful warrior. Soon awe was replaced with excitement and happiness at having such a powerful weapon. 'This will help me out a lot with my new armor too. Since nii-san said the blade's made from real lightning and barely uses any chakra at all.'

"Ok Erza-chan lets wrap things up here we have to get a move on." Naruto said as he started to tidy up the tent.

"What's the rush?" Erza protested. "Aren't the exams over and we can go back anytime to the guild?"

"Yeah yeah, but if we hurry we can make it back to Hargeon Town before the last train leaves for Era." He explained impatiently.

Erza frowned. "Why would we go to Era?"

Naruto looked at her in disbelief. "To register you as the newest S-Class mage of Fairy Tail of course." Erza blushed a bit in embarrassment at forgetting that tidbit, "And because Ultear-chan said that our meal was interrupted too soon last time she stopped in Magnolia and there needed to be a make-up date for it." Ah, well now his impatience made sense to the ruby haired teen.

"So… you can't wait to go see Ultear-san can you? Is there something I should know about?" She questioned teasingly.

Naruto laughed. "No. I just want to get you registered already and she said she wanted to hang out with us with less people around."

That didn't sound like Ultear. While she obviously liked Naruto and was interested in Erza, she never complained about the company they kept whenever she visited the guild. "What were her exact words nii-san?"

Naruto tapped a finger on his chin in thought. "Well… she did say she liked spending time together but that next time it might be better if we had more privacy. Since Natsu, Happy and Cana won't be around this time to eat up all our food I bet I can get her to finally go to that ramen place I found in Era."

Erza sweatdropped at his continued obliviousness to her intentions. Seriously, was he really that dense? Or did he just purposely ignore her and have selective hearing whenever food came up. "I-I don't think that's quite what she meant nii-san. Maybe I shouldn't come with you when you go out to dinner." She tried interrupting.

"Nonsense Erza-chan." Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "Of course that's what she meant. She likes you just as much as me."

Any and all protests made to the contrary were promptly ignored. Hours later and after informing Makarov of their intentions, the Scarlet siblings were off to Era to see Ultear.


Magic Council Headquarters

"Now where could she be hiding at this time?" Naruto asked himself as he walked around the council building.

Everyone that was around just ignored the blonde as he'd become something of a regular at the headquarters. If he wasn't popping in and out on errands for Makarov or some sort of S-Class job, then he was visiting the aide to one of the members of the council, Ultear Milkovich.

Naruto had tried looking for Ultear at her usual haunts in the building to find her. She wasn't in the cafeteria, which was good for him as he'd been planning on taking them all out to eat, she wasn't in the archives, and she wasn't in Belno's office.

He'd sent off Erza to register her new rank at the Request Distribution Office and update her profile in the Guild files the Council kept. They promised to meet up in the main doors of the building after they were finished with their things.

The creak of a door opening and a familiar voice caught his ear. He twisted his head slightly and looked over his shoulder in the direction of the noise.

"…now if you follow me I'll show you where these next files go. It's really just a lot of-" Ultear was saying to someone in the room she was walking out of.

"Ultear-chan!" Naruto waved to catch her attention.

Ultear turned to see who could possibly be calling for her while at work. When she caught sight of the blonde locks of hair and familiar set of brown and blue eyes her expression shifted from annoyed to slightly happy.

"Naruto. How good to see you. What are you doing here?" She inquired politely but with an undertone of happiness.

"Oh well I just came by to ask you to dinner with me and…" his words trailed off as he caught sight of who Ultear had been talking to.

Naruto used his years of hiding behind a mask of cheerfulness to keep the shock, anger and disbelief from showing on his face at the person behind Ultear. He did a good job of keeping his expression neutral and only a flicker of emotion registered in his eyes before that too was hidden away.

Ultear only just caught the glint of recognition from him before she turned to introduce the person behind her to Naruto. 'This should be interesting.' "Naruto, I'd like you to meet the newest intern here at the Council of Magic Headquarters. He's quite the up and coming mage himself and hopes to one day join the council but he has to start somewhere right?"

Naruto nodded with only a hint of reluctance.

"Naruto meet Siegrain. Siegrain Fernandes."


A/N Is it bad that I read and reread my own stories as much as I do others? I don't know if that's weird or could be considered arrogant that I like to read my own work.

This chapter was meant to show how seriously Naruto takes protecting Erza as well as showing how careful Naruto is with the information on his own background. I hope you guys liked it and there are only a few more things I must sort out before jumping into canon events, like Lisanna, maybe Mystogan, Ultear and Hades etc.

Anyways, please leave all reviews, questions and comments on your way out. As always I appreciate them and will respond accordingly.

(1) It's an original armor but won't make an appearance again. This was meant more to be like the training wheels for Erza's requip magic. The weaker armors she no doubt replaced as she grew older. Like how, say track stars, train in sneakers but race in track spikes.

(2) Once more, this armor won't show up after this chapter. It's just the prelude or training wheels necessary to master before Erza eventually started wearing her Flame Empress Armor.

(3) Naruto and Sasuke recovered the sword during their time in ANBU. Naruto offered it back to Tsunade as it is a Senju heirloom but she said it was a weapon not a piece of art and should be used in battle not hanging in her office on display like it would end up doing if she kept it.