"This is it kiddos! Welcome to the Fairy Tail guild hall!" Makarov declared with pride, gesturing to the... quaint building that was pretty much a flag waving 'Hey! Fairy Tail is over here, like you didn't know that already!'. The old man was clearly not daunted by the fact that Naruto was a foot and an inch or two taller and proceeded to walk to the doors. The white haired Dragon Slayer had his eyes closed as he felt two presences he knew perfectly approaching, a few minutes away. There were two familiar but foreign signatures along with them, small.

"Excuse me sir, can we wait a few minutes for someone I know to arrive?"

"Sure."

And so they waited. About 4 minutes later the four signatures reached them and dropped down into the street. Three Narutos were now next to Natsu and Makarov. The pair were clearly shocked by both the three Naruto's and the two girls, a single one in the two new Naruto's arms.

"Uh... what?" Was the old man's response.

"A little trick I borrowed from... someone I'd rather not talk about. Shadow Clones. I pumped them full to the max so they would last this long." Naruto explained. "The night before he left, Igneel asked me to take care of the other Dragon Slayers. When he was gone that morning, I, the original, stayed with Natsu but sent these two off to find the two Dragon Slayers I could sense a few miles out. Since then, they've been making their way to meet up with me."

Silence.

"So let me get this straight. You can make perfect clones of yourself that are entirely independent of you and can last a few odd weeks. Anything else?" Fairy Tail's master deadpanned.

"Pretty much. And only I and that person I borrowed it from can do it, so don't bother asking if you can learn it Natsu." Okay, a little lie there, any Jonin who knew the jutsu could do two clones. But he was fairly sure only he could make them last this long and that far away from him.

"AWESOME!" Both Natsu and Makarov yelled excitedly. Original Naruto took the girls in his arms and checked his clones' levels. They were still good enough to last for a day or few. His right arm slashed through the clones' torsos and they dispelled in puffs of white smoke. The memories assaulted his mind but he quickly assimilated them.

So, these were daughters of Grandeeney the Sky Dragon and Baragon the Earth Shaker. Wendy Marvell and Atsuko Cole. Wendy had a cute bob cut of deep blue hair, more vibrant than even a sapphire and a round face. As she bit on her lip, seeing Naruto and the other two, sharper than normal human canines were shown. Her pupils were slightly more oval than circular, a clear trait of Dragon Slayers. She was 5 years old. Naruto gave her a warm smile, speaking softly to her.

"It's okay Wendy, these two are very nice people, although Natsu is always hyper as anything. You trust me don't you?"

"... Y... y... yes... I t... trust you B... Big Brother..." Wendy mumbled, snuggling into his bare chest. Atsuko was still asleep so he didn't have to assure her just yet.

Speaking of Baragon's child, she was almost a forest of color. Her hair was chocolate brown and her skin was a little darker than his own tanned skin. If he had to take a random shot in the dark, one of her parents had been mixed race and the other was white. Her face was round like Wendy's. According to his clone's memories she had forest green eyes that were a nativity of green. She was 3 years old. By his sensor ability, she did indeed have Dragon Slayer Magic in her but it hadn't been used much. She was only 3 after all, Baragon had probably raised her from a baby to her present age. He had at least given her his magic so Naruto would be able to teach her in time but it would have to be off his own style. Pain in the rear.

He gently lifted Atsuko off Wendy and set her down with one arm, holding the toddler in the other. The sapphire headed girl hugged his leg as he stood up and they turned go inside. The master threw open the doors and walked inside, avidly followed/stalked by Natsu. Naruto sighed and followed suit, letting Wendy hide behind his leg.

Inside was a warzone. There were mugs flying everywhere, some people brawling in a corner and all round chaos. It all stopped when the master cleared his throat.

"What were you brats thinking?! Starting an all out food fight..." Okay, scary. "... without me?!"

Naruto felt the overwhelming urge to go over to the nearest table and start smashing his head against it repeatedly with all the force he could muster. No wonder that mayor had said this guild was for the irresponsible and destructive, they had started an all out war in their own hall of all places! Already he was visualising various ways to hang himself from the rafters, stick a kunai in each of his ears and eyes, burn himself to death with his magic and other various forms of self murder.

'The actual hell?'

'Shut up and don't ask me brat! I am trying to sleep here! ' Ah, Kurama, ever the insulting roommate in Naruto's body along with the thankfully dormant primordial chakra entity.

'I 'd tell you to go do one and stop being rude fox but I am currently envisioning various forms of my own death.'

'Just shut up!'

'Well sor ryyyy Captain Grumpy. '

Naruto stopped spacing out and grounded himself in reality once more. Natsu had followed the old man to the bar where Makarov was reaching under the counter for something. As he did so he was talking to the rosette. Natsu shook his head vigorously and Makarov pulled out a stamp from under the counter. So Natsu wanted to join the guild, that was fine. If they all did, he could keep an eye on the younger fire user and try to raise Wendy and Atsuko at the same time. He reached down and took Wendy's hand and led her over to them, being slow so that she could take in the sight around her with that adorable open mouthed look on her face.

"Wanna join too kid?" The old man asked him.

"Sure. I need to keep my eyes on these 3 anyway and this guild is perfect for that, so long as no one tries to give any of them alcohol yet."

"Hahaha! You're a funny kid."

Natsu took off his red jacket and exposed his right shoulder so the master could imprint the mark on his shoulder. When it came away, a red emblem adorned the Fire Dragon Slayer's shoulder. Makarov turned to him.

"Where you want it and what color?" Naruto took a moment to think about that.

"Hm... I'll take it on my chest on the other side to my scar. As for color... wait, how does that stamp work?"

"Well, you put it on the desired place, push magic into it and think of the color." "Can you put it where I want it and I use my magic?"
"Sure."

Makarov pressed the stamp to his right pectoral (Where Gray has his) and Naruto laid his left hand on it. He pushed the required amount into it and the stamp printed. The old man removed the stamp and it became visible. It was midnight black with what could only be described as a bloody crimson outline. The snow haired boy traced the emblem with a finger. It felt... right. He was proud of his scar that Atlas had given him, it was a permanent memory. The black scorch mark from the cauterised wound had faded over the years and it was now like something had carved a cross into his flesh. If he ran his fingers into the scar, they would actually dip into his chest. No more was the unmarred skin from his childhood.

"Interesting choice."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement.

"So, are the other two joining the guild as well?"

"Not yet. Neither are old enough for the work of a job. When they reach 10 I'll let them join but until then, they don't join."

"Well since you're technically their guardian despite being underage yourself since their parents left them to you, that's your call. I can sort out things so that you can live together and when you're 18, you can officially take guardianship of them. That is, if you want me to." The master offered.

"Thank you, I'd like that. Until I'm 18, can you be their legal guardian? I don't think I trust anyone else to."

"Sure, how do you think half the kids in this guild get by? I'm their legal guardian by rights. Well, the ones without parents or blood family. Now then..." he cleared his throat again and Naruto quickly covered Wendy's ears to prevent her from getting a headache as the old man yelled.

"Listen up brats! As of today, we have two new members of the guild! Meet Natsu Dragneel..." He gestured for the aforementioned boy. "... and Naruto Flame. Please note that Natsu and the youngest two companions are not allowed alcohol until Naruto deems they can."

Then he let them dissolve into chaos again, getting himself a mug of beer from behind the bar. Natsu and Wendy wandered to the other kids. Atsuko was still asleep in his arms.

"So Naruto, why is it you're allowed alcohol and the other three aren't?" Makarov asked the 12 year old. Naruto put down his mug and spoke.

"You know how those summoning spirits live in another world right?" "Celestial Spirits. And yes, I know that they live in the Celestial World."

"I'm from another world too but one that's not close to this one at all. In my world, there is no magic users, only those who are able to use chakra, an alternate energy. An example of chakra is my Shadow Clone Jutsu. That's a S rank jutsu, only those with large chakra reserves can do multiple ones like I can. As such, instead of wizards, we have Shinobi, also called ninja. As a general rule in the Ninja Villages, once you graduate and receive your headband, you are the lowest rank, a Genin, and are an adult. I graduated 3 and a half years ago and have been considered an adult since."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Cloud headband. "I am a Genin, have been since I was 8 and a half. As ninja, we take any job for money, even murder. And with that comes the saying 'Old enough to kill, old enough to drink.' As of yet, I haven't had a mission that involves killing. But someday I will."

"That's horrible."

"I know."

A pause.

"So how many clones can you create?"

"Enough for a army, even a legion if I used Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu but I don't really want to since I like versatility. My twin sister can create literally thousands and spams them like they're going out of style. Her whole style revolves around clones, the odd kunai and shuriken, the Rasengan and a street brawler hand to hand style. One of the pluses is that if I give them the ability when I make them, when they dispel, I get their memories."

"Pretty useful technique if you ask me, so many uses."

Naruto looked down at the headband with its folded cloth in his hands. Was he ready to wear it again? The Chunin Exams couldn't be far away now. He had to.

With a sigh, he unfolded the cloth and raised it to his head. He drew his long, snowy spikes of hair back and pressed it against his forehead. Bringing the ends of the cloth around his head, he made sure it wasn't pulling his long hair and tied it with a double knot then let the large white thorns of his hair fall over the cloth, hiding it. His long fringe fell across the metal, obscuring some of the symbol. Now his fringe was level with his eyebrow, if a little longer and overall it was shoulder blade length. Not yet long enough to get in his eyes.

He began to wonder what things were like back in the Ninja World. Yugito had to be waiting for him to come back now, by a few years. Luckily he'd left an anchor back there, a piece of himself. When his arm had first shed the scales that armored it, as all reptiles did, not that he was one, he had left one in a box which was in his apartment. Once he entered the cosmos that Chronus/Time's domain, he could trace that marker and not only land in the world but also in the right time. It had been trial and error and a couple of times he's ended up in random worlds and the odd couple hundred years back to the Clan Wars once or twice. Now that was a pain. Of course he'd have to leave a marker here. That could be another scale, a recently shed one. He had shed it little over a week ago so it would work.

...

"Alright. State your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams for the future. Come on, it's just a get to know each other thing."

Sharingan Kakashi was their teacher. For Naruko, it felt like her dad had just dumped them with Kakashi since all the other Jonin were taken. He was 3 hours late, used a crappy excuse for being late and said his first impression of them was he hated them.

"Uh, how Sensei?" There went Pink Banshee... sorry, S akura Haruno.
"I'll demonstrate. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I like some things, I don't like other things. My

hobbies... my business. My dreams for the future... never thought about it."

After a round of facepalms and sweatdrops Kakashi happily continued. "Pinky, you're first."

Sakura smoothed down her dress and began. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I really like..." she looked adoringly at Sasuke. "I don't like perverts and the demon who fled the village!" Clearly aimed at the gone for 6 years Naruto. "My hobbies are..." looked at Sasuke again. "And my dreams for the future are..." yet a nother look at Sasuke.

Kakashi sighed and moved on. "Brooder."
Sasuke 'hn'ed and spoke darkly.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are a lot of things I don't like, so there are few things I do like. My hobbies are training and learning new skills. My ambition which I w ill make a reality is to kill a certain someone and find out what happened to the boy he took, not necessarily in that order.

'Dark much.' The copy ninja thought. "Blondie, go."

"I am the great Naruko Uzumaki Namikaze, daughter of the Fourth Hokage! I like ramen and pranking people. I hate the time it takes for ramen to cook and waiting for people! My hobbies are pranking and training. My dream for the future is to find my twin brother, kick his ass until he sees sense and bring him back here!"

'O kay, so I've got a fangirl, a brooder with superiority, inferiority and avenger complexes all in one and a cocky brat who wants to bring her brother home. Why Minato Sensei, why?'

"Okey dokey, meet me at training ground 7 at 6 tomorrow morning for your r eal Genin test."

And then he was gone in a leaf Body Flicker. Naruko left the roof of the Academy whilst ignoring Sakura's screeches about already doing a Genin test. She shoved her hands in her jumpsuit pockets and strolled down the streets to her house, deep in thought, a rare occurrence to anyone who was around her usually. When she got in, she found her mother making lunch. Ever since the Nine Tails incident when she was born, Kushina hadn't been able to return to active duty as a full time Shinobi. Her chakra coils and network had been damaged by the extraction of the Nine Tails, a permanent condition she lived with despite her Uzumaki heritage. Now she worked in the house and did the occasional C rank to make herself feel like she was still a ninja.

Her little sister was sat at the table with a smile on her little face. Tsukiko had been born four years ago and was like a carbon copy of Naruto and her. She shared their whisker marks, albeit closer together, at the edge of her face and looked more like scores in her cheeks than lines, and and sun blonde hair. Her hair was more or less the same spiky but slightly thinner and curled a little, like the ends of Naruko's own hair that she wore in two pigtails with a fair length fringe, parted into three, bangs that went down to her middle whisker marks and a center fringe that was an inch or two shorter, going down between her eyes.

The older girl's headband was tied around her neck, hanging from it. She wore an orange jumpsuit with deep blue from the shoulder up, leading to a thick white collar. Most days she kept it unzipped as it was now and underneath she wore dark brown tank top that exposed her midriff from her ribcage down to her waist. Matching orange shorts followed and her legs were bare from mid thigh down to her dark blue ninja sandals.

"How did orientation go Naruko?"

"Okay I guess. I'm on a team with Sasuke and Sakura and Kakashi is our sensei. I wonder why Dad gave us him though?" She answered, sitting down opposite her little sister.

Kushina moved the pot from the stove and lifted the lid off, letting out the aroma of a soup. She then got bowls as she continued the conversation.

"Well, it's probably because Sasuke might have the Sharingan and Kakashi is the only one who could teach him to use it. That and you, since you're his daughter Minato might have played favourites a little and given you him to make sure you get good training. Why do you say it was okay, it sounds like you got a good team and sensei."

"We had to talk about our likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams and... you know..."

"How could I forget? I'm sorry for bringing it up darling." Kushina hugged her daughter and the blonde murmured into her hair,

"It's okay Mom. I w ill b ring him home, no matter what Itachi did to him."

It was well know in the Namikaze household that it was Naruko's dream to find her twin and bring him home so they could be a family again. That letter that had suddenly appeared 9 months after he left had been heartbreaking but she felt he hadn't written it and every word was a lie, made up by the rogue Uchiha. Minato had clearly seen the Sharingan on Naruto's eyes the night he was taken, proof that Itachi had controlled him with Genjutsu.

They ate lunch and Naruko went upstairs. But she didn't go to her room. She instead entered Naruto's sparsely decorated room and stood by his bed. To think he had last slept in this bed 6 years ago now. It felt like almost yesterday he had been here and forced to run away. A dark chuckle came from inside her mind. Next thing, she was in her sewer mindscape, facing the cage of the Nine Tails. White sclera and crimson eyes with slitted pupils were the only thing visible inside.

"What do you want, stupid fox?"
"Hehehe... I have something to tell you, filthy fleshbag. A message from my other half inside your wretched brother."

"Then why the dramatic pause? Tell me!"

"Patience human! My other half says this to you. Exactly this: 'You will see your twin soon. Await the snow haired dragon in the forest to south at midnight under the full moon, at the zenith of the night when the second exam is over. The dragon shall guide your eyes to your other half.' Now, shut up and leave me in peace you foul creature!"

"Wait! What does it mean?! The 'snow haired dragon'? The 'second exam'? Guide my eyes? At least give me..."

"LEAVE!"
With a deafening roar, the Nine Tails threw her out of the seal. She was back in Naruto's

room. Sitting on his floor, she began to ponder the meaning of the message in her head.

The first sentence was straightforward. She would see Naruto soon. But the part about the 'snow haired dragon' made no sense, was it someone she was to meet? 'At midnight under the full moon' was a clear reference to the time she was supposed to meet this person or thing. When it was full moon she would go to the south forest for midnight and wait. The sentence 'The dragon shall guide your eyes to your other half.'... While 'guide' her eyes made no sense, 'other half' was definitely her twin, no doubt in her mind. Overall she got the impression this 'dragon' would tell her where Naruto if she met him. But when was the whole thing?

The message ringing in her mind, Naruko made her way to the room she had shared with her twin until they were 5. Then they had been given separate rooms in the estate that was her home. The mobile hung above the crib in the center which had held both of them once, then Tsukiko. On it there were stuffed plushy toads and the symbols of the Namikaze and Uzumaki on small discs. Further into the room was the twin beds, side by side that they had slept in. A memory of the pair of them seemed to fill the beds, the light on as Kushina read them a bedtime story. Naruto had never been interested in them. But then it faded and she was standing in the dark room again. Tears threatened to fall as she reminisced the short time they had together when they were young. 4 years they had been close. Then he started to drift away and Naruko, cursing herself, remmebered her stuck up attitude as she had ostracised him from their friend group.

"Whoever plays with Naruto won't be my friend anymore!"

Damn her insensitivity! She knew now that she had pushed him further away, without even trying to reconnect with her twin brother. Then the horrible night when she was told he had been controlled by Itachi to help slaughter the Uchiha Clan and flee the village.

"Mummy? What's wrong?"

Her response was a sob and being pulled into a tight hug she returned with confusion and curiousness. She didn't want to believe what she heard next. "Naruto has been forced out of the village."

"What?"

"Tonight. Itachi Uchiha murdered his entire clan, only Sasuke was left alive. He controlled Naruto to help destroy them, your father and I saw the blood all over him, the kunai in his hand. He was holding Satsuki in his arms and crying. I... I think he had broken free for a moment because of what he was forced to do. But the moment Minato tried to talk to him, he changed. He was nothing like what we know him to be Naruko, he was a mindless slave only able to fight and get angry. The Sharingan appeared in his eyes and that's when your father realised he was being controlled. He attacked, no rhyme or reason to it either. He said horrible things and he was desperate I think. An Uchiha trying to get away attacked Minato and Naruto lost his arm. Then he went Nine Tails. He summoned four tails and went on a rampage. Itachi appeared, killed the Uchiha and reinforced his control, sending Naruto out of the village. The search parties have gone out but they haven't found either of them yet. "

He hadn't been in control at all except when he was crying. Satsuki Uchiha had always been Naruto's best friend, even after she turned the rest against him. She had defended him from them and even had Shisui behind her. As her older brother, Shisui had sided with her and protected him, taking them both away. After that, she only ever saw Naruto at some meals, sometimes he didn't even come home until late. Maybe he had been eating at the Uchiha's house, she didn't know. Her blood had stained his soul that night. He had cried tears of blood and been controlled to leave. Going to her own room now, Naruko laid down on her bed, lying on her side with her hair splayed out around her, her headband on the side, without even taking off her jacket. And she lay there, thinking about him for hours. When her mother came up to call her for dinner the blonde, whiskered girl said she wasn't hungry. She wasn't. How could she eat when she didn't even know if her twin was alive?

When night came she slept restlessly, each moment turning over. Her dreams were nightmares, plaguing her.

"You caused this Little Sister. It's all your fault! If you hadn't pushed me away, Itachi wouldn't have been able to control me that night!" And she believed him. It was her own selfishness and attention hogging that drove him away. She made everything about her and left him to try and feel like he was living.

Desolation raged around them, a fiery inferno of a landscape. Buildings were burning, collapsing in on themselves. In the center of it all had her twin, his sclera black and eyes glowing red with slits. Roars came from above and the mythical creatures known as dragons breathed more fire and death down on the devastated city. One landed behind him and screeched. It had the appearance blazing skeleton, roared wings and tail, snarling horns and body. It roared at her from above him and her twin was dragged back by flame whips, lashing around his limbs and torso, dragging him into the thing's chest. His face, full of hatred and anger, was the last thing to go as he screamed at her.

"I hate you!"

The dragon imploded, funnelling into his body through a cross shaped wound on his chest. He was taller than her and looked to be the same age. His hair was the color of untouched snow and his burning eyes were marred by knife slit pupils. His right arm was covered in bone white scales and he wore nothing on his chest or feet. He turned into a burning skeleton too, wings and a tail spawning. The same flames as the dragon's body blazed about his hands and he spoke, draconic and menacingly.

"I will wipe you from existence by my own hands! This dark fire shall herald your end! Dispair in purgatory as you are consumed by the Flames of Hell! I will eradicate the things you hold so dear and you shall watch everything you love... B URN!"

"Big Brother, please stop! Don't make me watch this! Stop it!"

"Everything you know will be consumed by darkness! The fears that once controlled me will set all ablaze! My soul is the engine that will burn your world down to the ground! One thought ignites my hatred! I was never loved, and I will never love!"

In the embers of the burning city, all her friends were there, screamed and trying to escape as the hellfire burnt them, scorching their skin and incinerating them particle by particle.

"Please! Don't do this! Stop! Don't kill them, I beg you!" He was so cold it burned.

"Let them burn! Nothing you care for shall escape my wrath!" He spoke words that shook her to the core and would actually say at some point in life.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion! Through passion, I gain strength! Through strength, I gain power! Through power, I gain victory! Through victory, my chains are broken! The Dragon King shall set me free!"

She woke up sweating. Such darkness! If he had truly fallen into darkness and become that, what hope was there? Then, once again, Naruko cried, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth.

"Please be able to still see the light... I love you... Big Brother..."

AN: And that's that. Sorry about the Star Wars The Old Republic reference but I had to slip it in there. Please review and enjoy.

Translations:

Shadow Clone Jutsu - Kage Bunshin no Jutsu