Hey everyone, I'm alive! Well, it's not like I was missing for that long, but it has been a while since I updated this story. Damned muse took a holiday, that or I was preoccupied with real life crap. Anyways, here we go, enjoy the chapter, review! It is your destiny!
T-Minus 90 minutes
Miles and miles of water surrounded Naruto as he speedily planed across the ocean surface, his newest method of chakra related travel sending plumes of water into the air. As the monotonous mass of water continued on, Naruto focused on his inner world so he and Kurama could discuss the current situation.
'So, do you think we'll run into any opposition?'
'No way, the psychopathic megalomaniac that's hellbent on activating a tower that can resurrect anyone that has ever lived has obviously sent us away from our friends and comrades for a little down time, since he knows we're both so overworked!'
'Hey, are you being sarcas...'
'OF COURSE I'M BEING SARCASTIC!' Ignoring his partner's outburst, Naruto squinted his eyes as he looked ahead.
'Ocean, ocean, more ocean... Kurama, where the hell are we?'
'Let's see,' Naruto chuckled at the sound of a map being unfurled, the shinobi waiting patiently as Kurama hmm'ing softly while studying said map. 'Well, according to this huge ass map you made, nice job on making the chakra construct act as if it was paper by the way, I'd say we're just about to hit the coast. We should be near... huh, Lamia Scale. We never did return those books we borrowed from Jura, did we?' Naruto chuckled nervously as he scratched his cheek.
'Uhhhh... oh look, there's the coast!' Naruto sped up as saw a strip of land slowly peaking over the horizon. As the shinobi drew closer, what had once appeared to be nothing but a beachhead soon towered over the blonde, a large cliff blocking off any entrance from the sea at this spot. Leaping towards the massive stone wall before him, Naruto's hands latched onto an outcropping, the shinobi dangling over the ocean as he watched the powerful waves slam into the cliff. 'Ok, so how are we doing on time?'
"Let's see... If we trust the megalomaniac...'
'HAH, as if...'
'Then we have about two and a half hours. I say... shave off an hour, just to be sure.' Pulling his legs up towards his chest, Naruto attached his feet to the sheer rock, the shinobi grinning as he studied the path laid out before him. 'Looks pretty flat, perfect place to get to the top of this cliff. ' Naruto 's hand relaxed slowly, the shinobi standing straight as he began breaking the normal laws of gravity once again.
'Ahhh, chakra, you kill my enemies AND routinely break the laws of physics, I love you.'
'Wait, you know what physics are?'
'Shut up.' Naruto raced towards the top of the cliff, his arms trailing behind him as he raced towards the top. A quick flip forward once he reached the edge and Naruto was once again on solid ground, the shinobi taking a moment to orient himself once more. Once he was ready, Naruto raced forward, his legs pumping rapidly as he raced onwards.
'There better not be anymore distractions on my way there, or else I'm gonna get pissed.'
Jellal sat atop his throne once more, a smile appearing as he studied the chessboard at his side. "And so the strongest piece now races to Era, hoping to stop Etherion from taking his loved ones from his arms." Jellal pulled a lacrima from his robes, the crystal brightening as began hovering over his open palm.
"Jellal... what is the meaning of this interruption? You know that I am in the middle of important research and cannot be bothered for trivial matters!" Jellal smirked faintly as he chuckled softly.
"Of course, my apologies, Brain. But I thought it best to inform you that your two guild members were on their way back to you, after failing in their duty to protect the island. It seems the mage they were battling, Uzumaki Naruto, managed to fool the both of them into abandoning their posts. Incidentally, both Cobra and Racer are being given a rare opportunity to fix this oversight, that is if you're able to contact them."
"Damn them both, allowing a mage from a light guild to fool them. And of course I can contact them, Jellal. Just who do you think provided the council with these communication lacrima? Now, where is this Uzumaki heading?"
Chapter 11
Era – Council Chambers
T-Minus 60 minutes
Tension's were running high amongst the councillors, each of them continuing to snipe back and forth regarding the use of Etherion. Org had managed to placate several councillors that had become concerned after Naruto's claims that he would 'handle the situation'.
'Even when the brat's not here he causes more work for me. Org coughed loudly into his hand, attracting the attention of the men and women surrounding the table as he leaned forward. "And so, in regards to firing Etherion at the Tower of Paradise, the votes are 4 for and 5 against. As such, Etherion will not be fired."
Siegrain pushed himself our of his chair forcefully, his scowling visage glaring at Org as the elder councillor halted his announcement. "None of you seem to grasp the situation that we are in!"
Org's gaze focused on the the insistent mage, a sigh passing his lips as he dropped a sheet of paper to the table. "Sieg, this debate has gone on for far too long already. There are peaceful ways to approach this situation. Besides, Uzumaki is on the island, he has most likely diffused the situation by now."
Sieg stood tall, a mocking laugh escaping him as he looked at each councillor. "PEACE?! While we waste time debating petty moral victories, history is about to be altered forever!"
Yuri, one of the oldest councillors, cocked an eyebrow at Siegrain's words, his posture becoming guarded as he studied the agitated man before him. "Sieg, we still don't even know if the R-system at the tower is even functional! It's premature to resort to violence, especially when Uzumaki is there."
"Oh really? And when was the last time we got a message from Uzumaki?"
Org scratched at his chin, a bead of nervous sweat sliding down his brow as he swallowed loudly. "It's been an hour. As he requested, Etherion is in the process of being prepped, BUT! We are not going to fire it unless we know for a fact that Uzumaki has been incapacitated. There are many reasons that the Lacrima may not be functioning, and as such..."
"As such," Siegrain interrupted his colleague, his intense glare silencing Org as he took control once more of the ongoing debate. "We need to take matters into our own hands. Can't you feel it? The sensation of shadows and darkness gathering as we speak... just who do you think Jellal is trying to resurrect?" Every eye in the chamber turned towards Siegrain, their thoughts running rampant with the myriad of possibilities for resurrection through the tower. "I'll tell you... Black Mage, Zeref."
Every eye focused on the young man before them, their eyes widening in terror at his proclamation. Leiji was the first to recovery his powers of speech, his voice nearly breaking from the intense fear that permeated the room. "Sieg, how could you possibly know this?!"
Siegrain took a deep breath, his hands curling into fists as he focused on the various papers strewn before him. "I...I didn't want to cast any unnecessary suspicions upon myself, so I didn't tell mention this. I know Jellal, and I know what he intends to accomplish."
Meanwhile...
"DAMMIT! I TOLD YOU RACER!" Cobra shouted angrily, one hand clutching a communication lacrima tightly while the other pulled Racer towards the incensed Dragon Slayer. Racer growled loudly, the speed obsessed Dark Mage managing to pull himself out of his partner's grasp before jabbing an accusing finger towards Cobra.
"Shit! Cobra, stop acting like this is my fault! You felt the explosion and it's shockwave, hell, you even saw and SMELLED the damn smoke! How were we supposed to know that it was all a trick?"
'Never mind that! You need to cut Uzumaki off, Jellal needs you to buy him some time. If you can slow Uzumaki down for twenty minutes, then his plans should come to fruition. Now go, you'll be able to catch up with this pest at the banks of the Savio river, that will be your best point to hold him off! And just to make sure you are successful, I'm sending in some backup."
Cobra growled loudly, the Dragon Slayer pocketing the inert lacrima as his eyes quickly closed, the mage activating his Sound Music once more. "Now that Uzumaki isn't nearby, I should be able to pinpoint his location with my Sound magic. Then..."
Racer's gaze shifted towards Cobra, the Slowing Mage tugging at the collar of his jumpsuit as he began to think of a plan to take on Uzumaki again. "Then?"
"Then..." Cobra bared his fangs, a malevolent smile appearing as he patted Cubellios' scaly hide, the flying serpent swinging towards the distant river. "We'll stop him... permanently."
T-Minus 45 minutes
Naruto's eyes tightened as he maintained a steady pace, sweat dotting his brow at the amount of running he was forced to do. 'You do know that we have plenty of time to get there, right? You don't need to use full speed, we're already way ahead of schedule.'
'Do you really think that things are going to go perfectly? Besides, I've got a baaad feeling about this...'
'Oh come on, you're a gold mine of good luck! How many times have you had a mission go straight down the...'
'The Land of Waves with Haku and Zabuza?' Naruto leaped into the air, the shinobi effortlessly landing on a large tree branch before catapulting himself towards he forest directly before him. As the blonde bounced form one branch to the next, a soft grunt returned his attention to the conversation.
'Good point.' Naruto gritted his teeth as he forced more chakra to his legs, his speed increasing once more as he continued towards Era. 'Look, I know your worried about...'
'Don't even go there, Kurama.' A sigh was Kurama's only response, the shinobi focusing once more on his sole concern at the moment; reaching Era and stopping Etherion. As the forest started thinning around him, Naruto grinned at the sound of rushing water. 'Sweet, that's the Savio river, it means we're almost ... SHIT!' Naruto's eyes widened as rolled to his left, the agile shinobi managing to dodge the majority of the Dokuryū no Hōkō that had been aimed at his back. As the blonde skidded towards the nearby river, a hiss escaped his lips as he raised an arm upwards, his eyes narrowing as he watched Cobra's magic swiftly eating away at his shirt sleeve and the skin beneath it.
'Ah dammit, I've got this! Pound the shit out of those fools!'
Naruto gritted his teeth as he felt the familiar burn of Kurama's chakra, Cobra's Dragon Slayer magic fighting valiantly against the dense chakra, but the battle was soon lost as Naruto felt his arm healing once more. 'Easier said than done, they're both fighting for keeps, why do you think I used that fuin to trick'em before?' Looking towards the sky, Naruto's eyes focused on the winged snake hovering over his head, the shinobi watching Cobra's gaze harden at the sight of his regenerating arm. Racer stepped off of the flying snake's curved form, the blonde speed freak as he landed heavily in a crouch.
"Well, that explains why it was so hard to kill you before. I hate regeneration magic, it always makes things more difficult. Racer, time to make this bastard bleed." Naruto raised his uninjured arm towards his face, a kunai sliding into his palm as he deflected the rapid dagger thrusts from Racer, the dark mage's hand flashing out towards the backpedalling shinobi swiftly as he continued to push him away from the forest.
'You know, these guys are really pissing me off. Why don't you just use Sennin Modo and crush'em?'
'Because, we still don't know if this is all we'll be facing, we may need it later... dammit did he get faster? Or am I slower because of his magic? Dammit, to quote my ol'buddy Shika, magic and it's effects are so troublesome... Shit!' Naruto's eyes widened in shock as Racer broke through his guard, a line of fiery pain trailing along his arm as the dark mage's blade bit into his skin. Hissing loudly, Naruto's kunai fell from his fingers, a maniacal grin appearing on Racer's face as he raced towards the the wounded shinobi. Naruto grimaced as he clutched his wounded arm to his chest, his feet still taking him backwards as he tried to get out of range of the advancing dark mage. Just as Racer reached the fallen kunai, a smirk appeared on Naruto's lips, his hands forming a snake sign.
"Heh, boom."
Racer froze in fear but it was too late, the explosion from the tagged kunai sent the mage flying through the air like a rag doll. Naruto grinned evilly as he raised his arms, wincing at the lingering pain from his injuries, as chakra gathered around his hands and forearms.
"FUTON: KAZEDAN!"* Naruto's fists punched out towards Racer with a one-two combo, the shinobi grinning as he watched a pair of dense wind spheres racing towards the airborne mage. Racer screamed loudly as the first sphere hit him, his body immediately into a nearby tree. Groaning loudly, Racer lifted his head and a raised single shaky hand towards Naruto moments before the second sphere slammed into him, the dark mage gasping before he passed out. Naruto grinned as he turned towards his remaining foe. 'Not too shabby... I'm going to have to come up with some more variations involving futon chakra. Now for... whoops!' Naruto rolled to the side, the patch of ground he had been standing on melting away rapidly as Cobra's poison seeped into the ground.
"You little fucker! I'm gonna kill you real slowly..." Naruto grinned as he raced towards Cobra, the furious Dragon Slayer launching a wide swath of Dokuryū Ringa in the shinobi's path, the blonde grinning widely as he swiftly dodged the incoming storm of scale shaped poison.
'Wow, his aim sucks! So, how long do you think he can keep this up?'
'Hmmm, I'd say you've got a little under 40 minutes...dammit kit, I think we've got more company!'
Naruto's eyes widened as a new presence entered his sensor range, but it was too late for the shinobi to react as the ground beneath him roiled angrily, waves of liquified soil wrapping around the trapped shinobi and holding him solidly in their earthen grasp. Growling loudly, Naruto struggled against the clinging soil, when a brilliant beam of energy lanced towards the trapped shinobi, the blonde's eyes widening as the deadly stream of energy continued on it's course towards the entrapped man. Just before the beam of energy stuck, Naruto growled softly, his eyes never wavering as he saw his approaching doom.
"Shit."
Cobra smirked at the sight of the trapped mage, the blonde struggling valiantly to free himself from the mire surrounding him. But before he could even begin to free imself, a blazing blast of energy careened towards the trapped mage, Cobra cackling madly as he watched the energy near the trapped blonde. "Now we finally see what your really made of! Die, trash!"
As the beam of energy reached it's target, a powerful explosion threw dirt and debris across the clearing. Cobra grinned maniacally as he raised one of his arms over his face to wards off the falling debris, blocking his view of the dense cloud of smoke before him. Several moments passed before Cobra lowered his arm, the Poison Dragon Slayer's grin widening as he surveyed the deep crater in place of the infuriating Uzumaki. "Heh, not even a body! I guess we've done more than just held him up... wouldn't you agree, Angel? Hoteye?"
Cobra looked over his shoulder towards the darkened forest, his eyes making out the shadowed forms of his comrades as they stepped into the light. Angel yawned loudly, the white haired beauty crossing her arms under her large bust as she surveyed the demolished area before her. "Cobra, Racer, did you really have that much trouble with that fool? We barely had to even try to destroy him, what have you been doing this entire time?"
Hoteye chuckled loudly, his hands clutching his book against his chest while he also studied the scene before him. "I know, right? And after all their talk about being more than enough to guard the Tower of Heaven, I'm surprised to see the two of you loosing to a piece of cheap trash like that dearly departed blonde pest, right?" Cobra growled loudly at the pairs smug attitudes, the Dragon Slayer turning towards his fellow guild members angrily. Racer meanwhile had finally woken up, the groggy mage struggling to rise to his feet as he heard his comrades belittling the hellish nightmare that the duo had just been through. Cobra growled loudly as he glared at the smug pair before him, his fangs bared as poison dripped from his clenched fists.
"Don't get cocky, bitch! The only reason you even killed him is because the both of you caught him off guard! If Uzumaki had gotten even a whiff of you, he..."
"He would have created an elaborate escape plan, allowing him to remain hidden until it was the perfect time to spring a counter attack against the three of you... ne?" Cobra's eyes widened as his entire body went ridged, the sensation of a muscled arm thrown over his shoulder causing the young man's head to slowly turn to his left. In the same spot that Racer had just occupied there now stood a grinning Uzumaki, his undamaged body stunning every member of Oracion Seis into silence. "Now, I must admit, that wasn't bad... but in all seriousness, that ambush was kinda, well, childish. The boss' first sensei was harder on him when he was thirteen, and lets not even talk about what he'd do to him when he was older."
Cobra's elbow slammed into the blonde man's gut, a move that blanketed the field in dense smoke. Hoteye coughed loudly as he thrashed about inside the dense smog, while Angel quickly covered her mouth and scanned the dense cloud enveloping her. Cobra tsk'ed loudly, poison dripping from his hands as he relied on his superhuman senses to locate the blonde. "Dammit, this is exactly what I meant, this guy is insane! Where the hell are you and what did you do with Racer?!"
A burst of wind pushed the dense smoke away, the trio's eyes landing on the unconcerned mage before them. Naruto folded his arms over his chest, his expression turning introspective as he tapped his foot softly against the ground. "Racer? Racer... oh, you mean the other blonde. He's fine, see for yourself!" The sound of rustling leaves attracted the three mages gazes, their eyes widening comically as a tightly bound Racer fell from a tall tree, his reunion with the firm ground being halted swiftly by a thin wire.
Angel giggled softly as she watched the struggling mage sway gently back and forth, his body language clearly communicating his intense anger at his current situation. "Oh, he's going to be pissed off when he gets free. Now I see why this Uzumaki character has been so hard to stop, he's a very resourceful man... not to mention quite handsome. You know, I'm kinda lonely, how about keeping me company? You could leave Fairy Tail and join Oracion Seis! We can use someone of your obvious talents and I'm sure you and I could... find something to keep the both of us 'busy'." Angel crossed her arms under her bust, a saucy grin forming as she watched the blonde's eyes lock onto her partially exposed chest.
"Well that's new. I'm flattered, cause you're hot, but I already have a girlfriend. And I don't think she wants to share me."
Angel chuckled softly, her gaze slowly darkening as she licked her lips. "Oh, you silly boy, she wouldn't need to share you, we'd take her out of the picture completely! It'll be just you and me, nothing would be able to stop us." Angel smirked as she moved towards the still blonde, her hips swaying enticingly as she neared the wide eyed mage. Cobra and Hoteye stared dumbfounded at the situation before them, both men unwilling to interrupt the scene and risk earning Angel's wrath as they continued to watch the events unfolding before them intently.
"Besides, I'm not the jealous type, I'm more than willing to let you sleep with any other girl you want! Actually," Angel paused, her expression turning playful as she pulled a golden key from her keyring, the magic construct flashing brightly as it's spirit was summoned. Angel's grin grew as she watched the blonde's eyes focus on the curvaceous form of Aries, the shy spirit's gaze shifting towards the ground shyly. "I'll let you do anything you want to little Aries here, she's more than willing to let you treat her like your slave whenever you want, isn't that right, Aries?" A hesitant nod was the spirit's only answer, the smirking Angel leaving her spirit's side until she was in front of Naruto. Reaching towards the still blonde, Angel wrapped her arms around his neck lovingly as she pulled him towards her, her head cocking to the side as she studied the blonde's blank face. "So what do you say, stud?"
Meanwhile, in Naruto's Inner World...
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Mira is gonna kill you if she ever hears about this, kit!"
Naruto grinned as he and Kurama watched the scene unfolding out in the real world, the pair having decided to wait and see how it all played out before the shinobi responded to the white haired girl's offer. Naruto's humorous expression soon shifted to one of anger, the blonde shaking his head as he watched the shy spirit walking towards his still form, her body language screaming that she didn't want to be the blonde's slave, while her actions showed that she was unable to refuse her master's order. "Yeah well, I guess we'll have to leave this part out then. I wish there was some way to free that spirit, but the only way I know how to do that is by killing her summoner. Maybe Lucy would know a better way..."
"But then you'd have to tell Lucy about this."
Naruto had been stroking his chin as he contemplated the situation, when Kurama's final words registered with the blonde, his gaze shifting slowly towards his partner. "Good point. We'll never speak of this again, deal?"
"Deal. Now, what's next?"
"Oh you'll see..."
Naruto's grinned roguishly, his hands rested gently on Angel's hips as he licked his lips. Angel smiled sensuously as her arms tightened around Naruto's neck, the pair drawing closer until their foreheads were gently touching. "Well, beautiful, I have just two words for that amazing offer."
Angel giggled softly, shivers running down her spine as she felt the blonde's muscled form molding to her own. "Really? And what would those be?" Both Hoteye and Cobra were watching the scene before them, the dumbfounded pair blown away at how the bastard they couldn't beat was falling for Angel's little show hook, line and sinker!
"Bushin Daibakuha." Angel's eyes widened in fear as the clone she held in her arm's began to glow brightly, the Dark mage swiftly drawing her arms towards her exposed face and chest. "ARIES, PROTECT M..." Angel's shout was cut off as the clone exploded, flinging the young woman across the open field like a rag doll. Coughing loudly, Angel slowly stood, clumps of burnt wool falling to the ground as she her glaring eyes swiftly scanned the clearing for the real Naruto. Growling loudly, Angel's glare shifted towards a laughing Cobra, the Dragon Slayer falling to the ground as he witnessed the explosive scene. Hoteye stood silently, hoping that his silence was enough to avoid attracting the volatile woman's wrath.
"Oh, I can see that he 'loves' you sooooo much! Hah, serves you right, you bitch! Come on, let's just kill him and call it a day!"
Before Angel could throw out a retort, Naruto dropped out of the tree he had been hiding in, his hands brushing away several stray leaves and branches as he approached the three Dark Mage's arrayed before him. "Yeah, I think it's time to stop playing with you guys. I've got somewhere else to be, so I'll leave you with a small parting gift." Raising his left arm, Naruto grinned happily as a green seal exploded to life around his forearm. "Sennin Modo."
T-Minus 25 minutes
Yamaji slammed his clenched fist angrily against the bannister before him, his eyes tightening as he watched the flurry of activity throughout the chamber. "This is wrong, we can't sacrifice the lives of the people on that island. There has to be another way..."
"Target acquired, adjusting spatial coordinates."
"The mountainous region to the west is causing coordinate calibration issues, compensate by increasing the satellite's altitude."
"Charge at 60% and climbing, fire control has finished the integration process with Etherion's seal. We will be able to fire in 25 minutes."
Growling softly, Yajima scanned the balcony overlooking the main control room, the old man studying his fellow councillors expressions as the preparations continued. Each of them appeared fearful and worried, something that was expected after Siegrain had told them all that resurrecting Zeref was Jellal's objective. 'Speaking of Sieg...'
Yajima's gaze shifted towards the youngest councillors, his experienced gaze studying the pair as they watched the preparations of Etherion. Both exhibited signs of nervousness and apprehension, similar to how they had acted during the recent meeting. But underneath it all, it almost seemed as if the pair were... excited. Stepping away from the bannister, Yajima stepped into a shadowed portion of the circular balcony, a magic seal flaring for a brief instant before the old man disappeared completely.
Siegrain's hands rested against the cool stone bannister, the young man's intense gaze following ever action made by the mages controlling the powerful spell that would soon be unleashed against the Tower of Heaven.
"The time is almost upon us, Sieg-sama." Siegrain continued to stare at the busy floor below him, his attention never wavering as Ultear stopped at his side. "Very soon, the plans that you have concealed for these long years can be revealed for all to see."
"I take it you're not afraid, Ultear?"
Laughing lightly, Ultear raised s hand to hide the musical sound from the other councillors. "Of course I'm not afraid, not even a little. After all, I have complete trust in you, Sieg-sama"
Standing tall, Siegrain put his hands behind his back, his gaze shifting towards the dark haired beauty at his side. "Yes... I see. After all, it's not your life in danger, is it? Personally, I find myself trembling as the anticipation grows. If this succeeds, then my plans will finally come to fruition. If it fails, then I die." Sieg paused for a moment, his lips curling into a malevolent grin as he shifted his gaze back towards the mages scurrying around below him. "But this is worth putting my life on the line... after all, this is my dream."
Ultear nodded as she stood beside her partner, her own gaze focusing on the proceedings below. But unbeknownst to the two powerful mages, their conversation was not as private as they had hoped. Safe behind a large pillar, the flat image of Yajima closed his eyes in confusion, the old man trying to understand the reason behind the words of doom that had been spoken. 'He'll die? What the blazes are those two playing at?'
T-Minus – 20 minutes
'Seriously. What the hell is wrong with you?'
'Eh?'
'They're still alive! How the hell are you letting this mockery to continue? The moment you went into Sage mode, I thought we had everything sewn up and we could make it in time to stop the council. This is bullshit, kit.'
Naruto held in a frustrated growl as he ducked under another wave of poison, the sound of the tree behind him snapping under it's own weight sending the shinobi scurrying away from the corroding trunk. Reaching into his weapon pouch, Naruto threw a smoke bomb at the ground, the shinobi swiftly hiding behind a tree as he caught his breath. 'Kurama, how do I normally fight?'
'Duh, you leave openings big enough for Reedus to pass through then capitalize on your enemies stupidity... wait a minute.'
'Oh, are you finally starting to use that erratic, misfiring hunk of machinery you call a brain?'
'Bite me.'
Naruto leaped over another blast of energy from Angel's mechanical spirit, the enraged woman screaming loudly as she gestured angrily at the nimble foe. "Dammit, just take it like a man and die! Keep firing, Caelum, fry the bastard!"
Naruto dodged several blasts before his chakra coated feet stuck to a nearby tree trunk, the shinobi looking towards Cobra and Hoteye with an expression of disbelief. "Seriously? Please tell me she isn't so bat shit insane to think people should just roll over and let her kill them?" The blonde shinobi growled softly as Hoteye sent another wave of liquified earth chasing after him, while Cobra continued launching wave after wave of poison at his foe while keeping Cubellios behind him. "Geez, tough crowd."
'And there we are, standing completely still and the only one that is even attacking me seriously is the pissed of chick and that was before I stopped moving. Once I can understand it cause their being cautious... but over a dozen times? Something stinks here... and it ain't Natsu's laundry.'
'Ugh, don't remind me, that stuff should be considered a bio-hazard.'
'Agreed, now do something useful and tell me how much time I have left before we think Etherion's going to fire.'
'20 minutes, give or take.'
'Shit, gotta speed this up, we'll save the mystery for later... which means we're gonna need them alive.'
'Awww, you suck!'
Naruto grinned cheekily as he continued to dodge around the roiling ground at his feet, his mocking expression causing Hoteye to growl loudly in irritation. 'Now now, we'll go kill some deserving bastard later...whoa!' Naruto's eyes widened as he dove towards the ground, the blonde covering the top of his head as a sand twister, courtesy of Scorpio, engulfed the tree at the shinobi's back. Naruto looked over his shoulder as the sand filled tunnel of wind swiftly ground the tall tree into sawdust within moments. 'Yeah, that's it, that twister had enough power to strip the skin from my bones, that's enough trying to figure this shit out! It's time to put'em in their place!' Naruto swiftly rolled on his back before performing a kip-up, the shinobi landing in a crouch before he slammed his hands together, an aura of chakra flaring brightly around his still body as he faced the trio of dark mages. "FUTON: KAMIKAZE KABE!"**
Naruto grinned evilly as he watched the three dark mages watch in wide eyed fear as a dozen tornadoes raced towards them, the deadly funnels of air pausing in their path of destruction as they formed a circular barrier around the now frozen trio. Naruto grinned as rose to his feet, the shinobi cackling softly as he approached a feebly struggling Racer. Naruto grinned evilly as he sliced the wire holding the struggling man aloft, the dark mage screaming weakly as he was flung towards the wall of stationary tornado's. A twitch of Naruto's hand parted a pair of the wind funnels, allowing the weakened man to roll to a stop beside his fellow dark mages. Pulling several items form his pouches, Naruto created several clones that swiftly formed a square around the trapped mages.
"LET US OUT OF HERE, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Naruto looked towards his clones, each of them staring at a red faced Angel, her breasts heaving as she continued screaming loudly at the original.
"Man, and I thought Erza had temper problems. Well, it's been fun, but I gotta split. The boys here are getting your room ready, so just was a sec and we'll be on our way. Ready guys?"
"YOSHA, BOSS!" Each clone charged a single tag before slamming the chakra enhanced paper into the ground, their hands continuing to feed their chakra into the tags as a red barrier rose towards the sky. Naruto's grin widened as he watched the tornadoes keeping the members of Oracion Seis pinned in place dissipate once the barrier was complete.
"Shisekiyōjin, successful!" Naruto walked towards the glowing barrier, a grin forming as he watched Angel jab her finger angrily at the shinobi, the irate woman apparently shouting several obscenities that Naruto was unable to hear. "Wow, that woman sure does have a mouth. Ok, you four, keep this running for as long as you can, I'm heading to the Council headquarters." A quartet of confirmations were the last sound Naruto heard before he raced towards Era once more, his Sennin enhanced speed allowing him to make up the lost time swiftly.
'You're cutting it REALLY close, kit.' Naruto growled softly as he raced towards Era, his eyes tightening as he hoped that he'd be in time.
'If I'm too late... then they'll all die, it's as simple as that. First, the council, then we grab these assholes and use some tried and true interrogation...'
'Torture.'
'Yeah, like I said, interrogation. Then we'll make them all pay. I've gotten a real family after more than 20 years, I'm not willing to let them go quietly.'
T-Minus – 30 seconds
Yajima kept his gaze focused on Siegrain and Ultear, the old mage running their conversation through his mind over and over again. All around the council, the final preparations were being wrapped up, the Satellite Square's resting directly above the Tower of Heaven. 'I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but there's no way to stop this, forgive us for what we are about to do.'
"OOORYAAAA!" Yajima's head spun around, the loud, familiar shout attracting the old councillor's attention.
"It can't be... Uzu..."
"..maki! You will stand down immediately, you have no authority here, the council had ordered us that they are not to be disturbed!" Naruto growled loudly, his hand grabbing the pompous Rune knight's arm and throwing the protesting man out of his way. Naruto's eyes narrowed angrily as he fought against the dozen men trying to hold him back, the blonde's hand reaching out towards the nearby doors that lead to Etherion's control room.
"FUCK YOU! LET ME THROUGH, THERE'S NO MORE TIME! THE COUNCIL'S BEING PLAYED!" A newly arrived squad of Rune knights leaped at the struggling shinobi, but Naruto had finally had enough as a burst of wind chakra exploded from his body, pinning the now screaming knights to the walls of the corridor. Racing forward, Naruto burst through the doors leading to the control room, his eyes widening as he saw a beam of light racing towards the magic seal hovering near the ceiling.
Siegrain looked over his shoulder, a evil grin forming as he saw Naruto's eyes widen in fear. "Thus we pray to the sacred light... ETHERION, RELEASE!"
Mira turned away from Erza and Jellal as the scarlet haired mage spoke softly to the defeated man beneath her. Looking towards one of the many large windows surrounding her, Mira sniffled softly as tears flowed down her cheeks, her gaze focusing on the brilliant white light that shone down on the tower. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Mira smiled sadly as she pulled a familiar necklace from between her breasts, her fingers gently caressing the gemstone before looking up once more. "Goodbye, Naruto." Clutching the necklace tightly, Mira watched as the light increased in brightness, her hands clutching the stone desperately as everything went white.
Naruto fell to his knees, the lacrima screens showing nothing but smoke as the blonde shook his head in denial. "No... no... she can't be..." Looking towards the members of the council, Naruto's gaze fell on the smirking Siegrain. Yellow eyes widened in shock, shock that swiftly turned to fury. Naruto roared loudly, Kurama echoing his containers rage as he unleashing his killing intent. Naruto raced towards the blue haired man, his forearm pressing against his throat as he slammed the mage against a stone pillar. "YOU SON OF A..."
"UZUMAKI, RELEASE HIM!" Naruto's yellowed eyed gaze shifted towards a red faced Org, the older mage sweating from the intense aura that Naruto was putting out as he pinned Siegrain to the wall.
"You don't understand, ossan! He's been playing you, this ain't Sieg! Can't you tell that he's a..."
"Thought Projection." Silence met Sieg's revelation, the majority of the councillor's shaking their heads in denial as the watched the scene unfolding before them. "All of you will want to look at the viewer, I guarantee that you don't want to miss this." Every councillor's eyes shifted towards viewer, while the projection of Sieg began to softly laugh. Naruto tore his gaze from the laughing mass of energy, , his eyes tightening angrily as the viewer showed the clouds of dust dissipated slowly. Several moments passed when finally a drastically different Tower of Heaven was revealed.
"You bastard. You wanted them to fire Etherion! You needed..."
"Two point seven billion edeas, more magic than any one being could hope to gather in a lifetime. I must thank you all for making this possible, and now I believe it is time for me to go resurrect my master." Naruto growled loudly as the thought projection faded from sight, the shinobi grabbing Org's robe and hauling the old mage off of his feet.
"And this is why I said that you shouldn't use shit like this! You never know when it's gonna come back and bite you in the ass! All I can say is you're all lucky that Mira's not dead, otherwise... eh?" Naruto paused in mid threat, his head tilting upwards as he felt several small stones gently landing on his head. "What the hell?" As the shinobi looked towards the stone rafters over his head, Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched a multitude of cracks rapidly growing along the various supports above him. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw streams of magic flowing from the decaying building, each of these streamers leading towards the still form of a smirking Ultear. "Crap baskets. Get out, NOW!"
None of the councillors felt the need to argue with the visibly furious shinobi, their tails firmly planted between their legs as they ran out of the disintegrating building. Naruto watched as the remaining councillors escaped from the collapsing structure, the shinobi growling as he raced towards a still smirking Ultear.
"Come now, Kage. I am far beyond your skills, you should run with the others while you still have the chan..." Ultear's voice cut off as Naruto's hand latched onto her face, the shinobi tossing the shocked woman contemptuously through a crumbling wall. Ultear screamed in fear and pain as she sailed through the air, her body slamming painfully into the ground. Groaning softly, Ultear slowly rose to her feet, her furious gaze locking onto the man that had tossed her away as if she were nothing more than trash.
Naruto cracked his knuckles loudly, a pair of kunai appearing in his hands as stared down at the furious woman. "Where I come from, I have a name that I've neglected to share with the council. Friends and enemies both agreed that I had earned the name 'Number One Unpredictable Shinobi'. How about I show you exactly what that means, ne?"
And we'll end it there. Read, review, tell me if you liked or even if you hated it, but please keep flames constructive, if you have a valid point I'd love to hear it. Just saying it sucks doesn't help me fix problems.
Technique list
Bushin Daibakuha – Great Clone explosion... nuff said.
FUTON: KAZEDAN – Wind Release: Wind Bullet – Revision of Renkūdan, wind chakra surrounds the user's arms and releases wind bullets with each punch
FUTON: KAMIKAZE KABE – Wind Release: Divine Wind Wall – Revision of Kamikaze, a dozen tornadoes encircle a group of enemies
Shisekiyōjin - Four Red Yang Formation, a barrier powerful enough to trap the Juubi
