Hidden Guild: Silent Leaf
Chapter 21: Holes
Disclaimer: I own neither Fairy Tail nor Naruto they belong to Mashima Hiro and Kishimoto Masashi respectively
A/N: I'm really excited to get into the story now. It's time to truly get into how Silent Leaf works and what has happened to the other guilds' members after the war. But was this chapter a real bitch to get started and I had to rewrite their return to Silent Leaf several times.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Demon/Dragon Talking"
'Demon/Dragon Thinking'
"Telepathic Conversation"
'Flashback'
Magic/Magic Item
Location/Time Change
Fairy Tail Guild
Inside of his office, Makarov listened to the reports of the mages that had been sent out to fight against Oracion Seis and its forces. His face betrayed none of his thoughts as he listened in silence. Six guild members had been sent away to fight against the dark guild, but only five had returned.
"-after that, Cait Shelter disappeared and I invited Wendy and Carla to join our guild." Erza finished.
Makarov hummed in thought while examining the redhead. She was such a strong person, but life had not been kind to her. While she put up a good front, he could see past that to the hurt that she was hiding inside of that armor. But that would have to be dealt with later, now he had an emotionally drained and stressed little girl to deal with. He looked down at Wendy with a kind smile. "Of course you are welcome." He reassured her and her cat companion. Makarov's kind face radiated a calming effect on the pair. "Why don't you go ask Mirajane, the waitress with white hair, to give you your guild stamp and settle in?" He offered. Wendy nodded her thanks and turned to leave. "Remember, Wendy," He called out before she left. "You're part of our family now."
She gave an enthusiastic nod this time and left before the others would see her tears, but Makarov had seen the shine appear in her eyes. With that out of the way he turned back to the others with a serious expression. "Is it true?" He had to ask even though he knew that they weren't lying.
"Yes." Erza confirmed. "Naruto had been acting strangely as the fighting went on and Wendy confirmed that he went off on his own to confront Zero. Based on his death, Naruto most likely killed him." Even with all the time she had to get used to it, Erza's voice still hitched at the mention of Zero's death by Naruto's hands. "Along with that, Neji reported the death of Racer after he also confronted the mage alone. It is most likely that they were also working with the mage that had killed Hoteye and the two that had attempted to kill Jura. Sakura's defeat of Angel was especially brutal and Lyon backs Gray's account of Kiba's attempt to kill Midnight." She reported.
Makarov let out a sigh. "I was afraid of that." He said in a low tone.
The others were surprised by his words. "Master…?"
"After taking the dark mages and suspects into custody, Lahar and his men were ambushed and the prisoners were rescued. One of his trusted officers engaged the kidnappers, only for Sakura and Neji to be freed and help them fight. They seemed to know who the kidnappers were and assisted them in fighting, forcing his man to retreat." Makarov gravely told them. The Council had informed him of the situation and had told him to keep things under wraps until they made an official statement, but his children deserved to know the truth. He was going to tell the entire guild later, but these five deserved to know first. "Naruto, Sakura, Neji, Kiba, Choji, along with Ino Yamanaka, Lee Rock, Hinata Hyuga, and Tenten are all listed as criminals associated with the Hidden Guilds. In addition, the councilmember and Sage of Fiore, Myoboku, was murdered by his former student and his disciples, who were also in league with the Hidden Guilds. Soon there will be an official statement, but from now on these thirteen mages are some of the most wanted people in the country and any remains of the Hidden Guilds take precedence over any other threat."
They all stared at Makarov in shock. His announcement had floored them all. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected something like this to happen, at least, not a part that they liked to acknowledge. "But, Gramps, that means-" Natsu began.
"Yes. Naruto Uzumaki is now our enemy." He said in a serious voice. It hurt for him to have to say that probably as much as it hurt the others to hear it. "He already erased his guild mark and has been officially excommunicated from Fairy Tail." There had only been a total of three people that had been banned from the guild in its history, all of them by Makarov. Only the ruling of the guild master could change that status, and there was no swaying the short man's mind. The safety of the entire guild outweighed his personal thoughts on the matter. When he had been informed of Naruto's status by the Council, he had immediately banned Naruto on the spot.
"That can't be right!" Natsu protested. "He must have been taken against his will, someone else must have killed Zero, it can't be Naruto…" He began to trail off at the end and Lucy put a hand on his shoulder. "It just can't." He recalled one of the first times he truly talked to the blond.
'Naruto had joined the guild when he was fourteen and had fit right into Fairy Tail, fighting and laughing with them no matter how crazy things got. But shortly after he joined Lisanna had died and Natsu had been stricken by grief, Naruto had approached him one day at his table with two glasses of alcohol and had set one down in front of him. Natsu had told him that he didn't drink, but Naruto left the glass where it was. He had looked at his own glass for a bit before he began to speak. "My parents died when I was seven. After that I didn't know what to do. I just kept expecting to see them around the corner or in the house, but they weren't there. My godfather was taking care of me at the time and had given me some of the best advice I've ever received. "People aren't gone because they're dead. They still live on inside of our hearts every day that we're alive. So live your life in a way that would make those that have passed on proud, and never forget that they are with you."." Naruto quoted to Natsu. "People say that you never know what you have until it is gone, and that's bullshit. You always know what you have, you just never expect to lose it." He raised up a glass to Natsu. "Let's drink, not to the memory of those who have died, but for the memories of them that live on in our hearts. And then we can get drunk and go kick Gray's ass." Naruto's smiled foxily to Natsu. The Dragon Slayer looked at him for a minute before wiping the tears from his eyes and clinking glasses.'
That moment had cemented their friendship and had been what had helped Natsu get over Lisanna's death. Out of all of them, Natsu had the most trouble accepting Naruto's betrayal.
"I know that it is hard, but it is the truth." Makarov gently said. "I'm sorry that this happened, but the next time that you see him, you'll be enemies."
The mages were dismissed and Makarov was left alone with his thoughts. It had hurt to have to banish Naruto from the guild. He still remembered the day that he had walked through the guild's doors, with a confused look on his face and a ruffled appearance that could only be gained by days of hard travel. He had told a sympathetic Makarov of his old guild's destruction and had been welcomed into the guild with open arms, but that had all been a lie. White Fang, the monthly meetings he had pledged to have with his old guild members, all had been a clever ruse designed to cover up his true intentions of spying on Fairy Tail. Naruto's betrayal hurt Makarov even more than his status as a Hidden Guild member. He had never been a true member of Fairy Tail, he had been a spy. While the old man couldn't condone the concept he could still feel hurt by the fact that one of the core members of Fairy Tail, who had joined while he was still young, had been the one to do it. It would take some time for the hole in the guild where a bright yellow sun had shone to heal, and even longer for the hole in his children's heart.
"Master…" He glanced up to see Erza hesitating at the doorway. She had hung back in order to discuss something with him in private while the others went to help Wendy and Carla adjust to the guild. She had been rather insistent that they do that.
"Yes?"
"It's about Wendy…"
The old man's eyes closed. "Ah. Yes, I was planning to speak with her later today, after she had adjusted to the guild. She will be devastated by this news. If I recall correctly, Sakura was her teacher and the two of them were quite close." That was not a conversation he looked forward to. It was never a pleasant thing to watch a child cry in grief, even less so if you were the messenger.
"That's true, but I'm not sure that will happen." Erza said after a moment. Makarov furrowed his brows in confusion and motioned for her to elaborate. "After Cait Shelter had disappeared, I asked her if she wanted to take some of Sakura's things with her, but she had only grabbed medical supplies and equipment and left all of her personal items behind. When I questioned her about it she said that she wouldn't be able to give them back to her sensei if she took them away."
"She knew that Sakura wasn't going to come back." Makarov concluded.
"I believe so." After Sakura had been taken away, Wendy had burst into tears and had been inconsolable, even by Carla. At the time they had assumed it to be stress and the impact of Sakura being arrested, but now she wasn't sure.
"I'll ask her about it when I talk to her, but won't push."
"Thank you, Master." Erza told him before leaving his office. She had a feeling that her authority was needed elsewhere.
Makarov let out another heavy sigh. He glanced over to a picture on his desk that showed him with his old team back in his prime. He really was getting too old for this. Maybe it was time to choose a successor. The old man was left alone with his thoughts for the rest of the evening.
Council Building
The new Council had convened to discuss the final actions to be taken in regards to the Hidden Guilds, especially Silent Leaf.
"Going off of the metal plate we recovered from Kakashi's corpse, it is best that we announce that the Hidden Guilds are officially back." One of the councilmembers said. "Or at least Silent Leaf."
"We should put out a warning for all of the Hidden Guilds, not just one of them or else they'll just switch symbols." Another argued back.
The meeting continued to go back and forth like this for several minutes before an older man with a long gray beard and a cape slammed his staff onto the floor. "Enough." He declared. The others fell silent at his declaration. "We will focus on the Hidden Guilds later, right now tell me what we know of these defectors. We still have to get their bounties and a description ready for the official announcement."
"There's a problem with that, Chairman Doma." One of the members began, "All of the information regarding them has been destroyed, along with information on the White Fang guild and several important records from the archives."
"WHAT!?" The Council burst into a babble as they each tried to have their questions heard over the others. Only Org remained silent. He had been brought out of retirement due to Myoboku's death and was not exactly thrilled to be here. The incarnation of the Council he had essentially been in charge of had failed its duty and he didn't feel like he deserved to be here. 'Myoboku, what would you have done?' He wondered. He had been shocked and saddened to learn that the eccentric sage had died and had only returned out of respect for the fallen councilmember.
The Chairman had managed to regain control over the meeting. "So you mean to tell me that while the spies were inside of our buildings they managed to get into all of our archives and completely delete themselves and their comrades from official record." He asked in a tight voice.
"Yes, sir."
"How?" He demanded through gritted teeth. "How were they able to bypass our security? How were they allowed access? How did they know where it was?"
The council members glanced at each other uneasily, not wanting to invoke the Chairman's wrath by telling him the truth. Eventually, Org spoke up. "We let them." Gran Doma's face was thunderous and the air vibrated around him.
"Why?" He hissed out through teeth clenched tight enough to crack.
"They came in under the disguise of Myoboku's apprentice and his apprentices. Myoboku had full access to all of the archives in order to conduct his investigation and the power to use any of the Council's forces needed to help him. They abused that privilege and got into everything. While fighting with him, the others must have gone and destroyed the documents." Org told him in a calm tone. "We have nothing to go on other than personal knowledge of the people in question, and that can't be trusted as true."
Not for spies that had been undercover for years. The Council had no idea of how long the spies had infiltrated the various guilds around Fiore, they didn't even know if all of them had been found. All they had was guesswork and a country worth of people that were expecting an announcement on the Hidden Guilds. Declaring a future announcement about them and then having nothing for the announcement was going to make the new Council look even more incompetent than the old one and drop the people's faith in them even further.
The Chairman's hand clenched even tighter around his staff. "Those bastards…" He growled out at the train wreck that they were left with.
Quatro Cerberus, Several Days Later
Inside of the guild Bacchus, a young man with his black hair in a bun that was wearing loose brown pants and dark blue armor on his shoulders and arms, sat with his head in his hands while idly drinking. A torn up newspaper was littered around him as he nursed his mug. Now wasn't the time to be binging. "This can't be right." He muttered out. "Those guys can't have done that." Bacchus said in denial of what the paper said. "This isn't wild at all."
The rest of the normally rowdy guild was equally subdued. Two of their S-ranked mages had bounties placed on them and were accused of being members of the Hidden Guilds. Lee and Kiba's faces stood out in the middle of the paper's front page with a reward offered for their capture or information on their whereabouts. Even Goldmine wasn't trying to lighten the mood. He had known about the announcement beforehand and had spent his time hitting the bottle pretty hard. He had liked those kids.
Bacchus burst to his feet and slammed his mug into the bar, breaking it and cutting his hand in the process. "I don't believe it." He declared. "I don't believe it!"
"Bacchus, where are you going?" Goldmine asked as the mage strode to the doors.
"I'm going to get some answers from those two." He announced, ignoring the blood flowing from his hand. "And then I'm going to drag them back here for a wild time." The door slammed behind him with a bang that echoed throughout the guild. No one made a move to go after him, nor did they say anything to dissuade him. They all wanted their guildmates back, but none of them were strong enough to force them back. Even Bacchus had a hard time fighting against Lee on the occasions when they sparred. Nothing was said after he left, but all of them wished Bacchus the best of luck in their hearts.
Those same hearts had a hole in them that could only be filled with a green jumpsuit, a white dog, and a tattooed face.
Mermaid Heel
A slim young girl with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail by a white ribbon had her knees pulled up to her chest as she sat on a rock that allowed her to overlook the ocean. She was wearing a light purple jacket and skirt and had black leggings tucked into her dark boots. Lying at her side was a nodachi with a white scabbard and wrappings keeping it sheathed. She had stalked out of the guild earlier after she had read the paper and had been sitting there for nearly an hour, remembering.
'"Kagura-chan." A younger Ino called out to an equally younger version of the girl dressed predominately in white. "Don't I look great in this?" She asked while showing off a jacket she had found. Kagura had been dragged off to go shopping by Ino after she decided that the girl was spending too much time "being serious".
Kagura normally didn't spend much time worrying about clothes or her appearance like some of the other guild members and felt uncomfortable and out-of-place in the clothing store. "It looks nice." She hesitantly told her. Why Ino needed her opinion was beyond her. She would be better off asking someone like Risley.
"Come on, Kagura-chan, loosen up." Ino told her after changing back to normal. She added the jacket to the growing number of bags she had been collecting from her shopping spree. A gleam entered her eyes and a conniving look crossed her face. "I know just the thing."
Kagura really didn't want to know what Ino was thinking, but was compelled to ask. "What?"
Before she knew what was happening, Ino had grabbed a handful of clothes off of a rack and threw them and Kagura inside of a changing room. "You need to try on some new clothes. You need something more than just your usual white ones."
"But, Ino-san I-" Kagura began.
"No buts!" Ino cut her off. "Everyone needs something to wear that makes them feel good. Who knows? You might even get asked on a date."
Kagura's face became beet red as she sputtered out denials to no avail. Ino had swiped her sword before she had thrown her in there and was using it to jam the door shut. Kagura admitted defeat and began to look through the stuff she had with her. She was only doing this to get it over with, not because she enjoyed it.
By the end of their trip Kagura was the not-so-proud owner of four new outfits that weren't white. Ino had even bought her a light purple jacket to match the darker one she had gotten. Ino walked with Kagura back to her place and stopped in front of the door. Kagura awkwardly shuffled her feet before speaking. "Ino-san, thank you."
"You're welcome, Kagura-chan. It's good to go out and treat yourself occasionally. You can't spend all of your time training or working." Ino easily told her. That was all that she had seen Kagura do since she had joined and it had made her worry about the girl. "If you ever want to go shopping again just tell me. I know some great shops that you will love."
"That's very kind of you."
"What are friends for?" Kagura looked up sharply as Ino began to walk away. "Goodnight." She called back before turning the corner.
Kagura watched her go with a strange feeling. She had spent all of her time in the guild taking jobs or training to become stronger in order to kill "him". She hadn't tried to get to know any of her guildmates. It was a new experience and she liked it. It felt… nice. She went to go back into her house with one last look over her shoulder. 'Goodnight, my first friend.' She thought before walking inside.'
Over the years Kagura had been able to open up more around others thanks to Ino and had developed better relations with the guild. Her circle of friends had increased over time. Albeit slowly, but it had increased. She was able to forget some of the pain from her past and started to enjoy herself more, but now things had changed again. Her best friend was gone, she had left her without a word and left a hole that Kagura wasn't sure could be filled nor if she wanted it filled by something else. She wasn't even sure if the friend she knew was real or if it was just an act.
Kagura finally stood up and took off her jacket, the same one that Ino had gotten her years ago. She held the piece of clothing in her hands before throwing it into the air. Her sword lashed out and split the jacket in two without leaving its scabbard. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she watched the two pieces float down into the water. Even after they disappeared she stood there crying, whishing that the pain would go away as well.
Blue Pegasus
The Trimens were seen moping around the guild instead of tending to their customers as per usual. Even the normally positive Ichiya was shrouded by a cloud of gloom. Master Bob said nothing as he allowed the foursome to take a day off from hosting. He knew that they needed it. Not only were most of them still recovering from the injuries they gained fighting against Oracion Seis, but they had also been there when Neji was taken away, even if they weren't awake for the event. It was hard to lose a comrade, and to return and find out that Tenten was missing as well didn't help at all. The announcement of their status as suspected Hidden Guild members was just the icing on their misery cake. Even if they were to try and work today they would just scare the customers away.
Bob gave out a small sigh as he glanced over to the table that no one was willing to approach. It was empty and would most likely remain that way for a while. Memories played through his mind of Tenten and Neji. How the pair seemed to be opposites, with Neji; cool, calm, and serious always thinking things through and Tenten; a happy spirit that was the fiery where Neji was cool and easygoing when he was serious. The two of them were an entertaining and dependable pair. They may not have fit in with the guild right away, but they had adjusted. Another sigh escaped Bob. It was such a shame.
He turned away and went back to the bar, leaving the empty table where it was.
Lamia Scale
Lyon and Sherry stood over Jura's bed in Lamia Scale's infirmary. The large mage had been bedridden since they had gotten back from Cait Shelter. He had put up a brave front while there to avoid making Wendy work after Lahar had taken away her teacher, but now it was taking its toll. He would be left with a scar on his chest where the Hidden Guild assassin had nearly killed him and was forced to rest for at least a week to take care of his wounds and overuse of magic.
The Ice-Make Mage cursed himself for the thousandth time for allowing Jura to get hurt. He had second-guessed himself about the Hidden Guild mages and it had nearly gotten them killed while letting them escape. Lyon turned and left the room in a hurry. He glided through the guild on a purpose. He didn't allow himself to look over to the food bar that was empty without Choji's presence packing away food. He forced himself to stop glancing around the guild to locate Hinata's shy figure trying to fade into the background. They weren't going to be there. Nobody knew where they were.
For now.
He walked up to the request board where a set of bounty posters had been added. His brow furrowed in anger as he ripped them down. No one said anything as he left with a thunderous expression on his face, the posters clenched in his fists. He had a job to do.
Deep within the Forests of Fiore
The former undercover mages looked upon Silent Leaf with a smile. It had taken them several days of evading Rune Knights, traveling by dark, and various disguises in order to get back, but they had made it. The sight of the trees that gracefully twisted and grew throughout the guild and its surrounding buildings was a sight to behold. Homes were interconnected by trees both above and across from each other depending on where they were on the branches. One could travel through the entirety of Silent Leaf's grounds without touching the ground if they wanted to. This allowed the guild and guildmembers to be closely packed together and helped to keep Silent Leaf hidden with its small size and similarities to the surrounding forest while still offering some privacy.
"Let's go." Jiraiya told them after letting the fact that they were actually home sink in. He began to enter only to be stopped by Naruto's voice.
"Wait."
Jiraiya looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and then saw why he was told to wait. He nodded in understanding and stood off to the side in order to form a line with the others on both sides of the entrance. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had grabbed hold of Sai's body and were carrying it between them down the middle of the lines like a funeral procession. They had arranged themselves so that Sai would be the first person to return home.
With their friend honored, Naruto's clones escorted Sai's body and the prisoners to the morgue and prison respectively. The rest of them walked into the actual guild building in the center of everything with their heads held high. They had all managed to pull off the first successful infiltration of the Fiore guild system. It may not have gone as planned and they may have ended prematurely, but the true objective of learning as much as they could about the big names in the business had been successful. Every dirty secret of the Council had been discovered and they had first-hand experiences and accounts of some of the strongest mages in the country. The future was looking bright for Silent Leaf.
As they stepped into the guild they were met with the sight of the various mages lounging around while hopefully waiting for a job, heading out for a job, or just socializing. All conversation stopped when the mages realized who had just walked through the door. Master Hiruzen Sarutobi rose. He had been waiting for them to arrive for several days and was the first to greet them. The guild remained silent as they waited for the old master to speak. He gave them all a pensive stare for a moment before a kind smile broke out on his wrinkled face. "Welcome home."
His words seemed to have opened a floodgate as friends, acquaintances, and teachers all started to crowd around the returning mages. They all eagerly started to catch up with each other and a happy atmosphere descended on the guild.
Master Hiruzen had slipped back into the background and watched over them with a smile as he puffed away on his pipe. Next to him stood a younger looking buxom blonde woman with her hair in two loose ponytails, brown eyes and a purple rhombus on her forehead in a gray sleeveless blouse under a green haori, dark blue-gray pants, and high-heeled black sandals. Jiraiya maneuvered his way to stand by their sides and accepted the woman's offered sake gourd.
"It's good to have you back, Jiraiya-kun." Hiruzen told his student. "I take it the mission was a success?" He asked in a knowing voice.
"Yeah, we're back safe and sound." Jiraiya said before his gaze dropped to the side. "We'll most of us." He finally admitted. There was still one man out there and another was residing in the morgue. In an obvious effort to change the subject, Jiraiya held up a stack of papers in one hand. "There's some stuff that needs decoded, but most of it was fairly easy to obtain, the Council really needs to beef up their security." He handed Hiruzen the papers. "This is the summary."
"Quite a long summary." Tsunade remarked as she took back her gourd. Her eyes glanced through the crowd and locked on to where Sakura was talking with her other student, Shizune - a slim young woman with shoulder-length black hair in a dark kimono with white trim. "Where did you send the prisoners?" She asked.
"Naruto had a couple of clones drop them off at the prison. Ibiki and Inoichi will probably get around to squeezing answers out of them after the reunion is over." Jiraiya told her. Looking into the crowd would find the two men wearing black overcoats, one was a man with pale blond hair in a long ponytail that had an obvious relation to Ino and the other was an imposing man with a bandana on his head and two scars on his face. Jiraiya's face took on a more serious note before continuing. "That one mage that they picked up is a goldmine. He's got Sound Magic so powerful that he can hear others' thoughts, it's a spy's dream. The others, not so much. I doubt that they know anything useful, one's powerful, but spent most of his time sleeping and the other's best trait was summoning a Celestial Spirit that could copy someone completely."
"What about the last one and the snake? Why did you bother bringing that back?" Tsunade asked. She didn't need that thing to get loose and go after her pet pig, Tonton.
"Jellal's got some sort of memory problem. They're coming back, but it's taking time. Ino did some work and helped, but she didn't have enough time to completely fix him. As for the snake, Cobra, the Sound Mage, is fond of it and it could be leverage. There's also something that feels off about it that I can't quite place." He explained.
"Alright, but if someone shows up to my hospital with snake bites I'm blaming you." Tsunade warned him. Jiraiya just waved her concerns off.
"It's not the time for that, it's time to celebrate our triumphant return." He snagged her gourd of sake back. "Don't you know that I'm a celebrated hero? It was in all the papers." The official announcement of the Hidden Guilds' spies and the "death" of Myoboku had made front page news throughout the entirety of Fiore shortly before they had managed to return to the guild and they all had a good laugh over their success and the new Council's obvious attempts to cover up the fact that they didn't know squat about them with all of their files burnt. It helped distract them from the thoughts of their friends and former guildmates who were undoubtedly finding out about their betrayal.
"So was your obituary, but you don't look like a corpse to me." Tsunade pointed out as she attempted to get her drink back. Shizune had been on her case about her alcohol intake again and she wanted to drink as much as she could before she got caught.
Next to them Hiruzen gave out a small chuckle as he watched the going-ons of his guild. It had been too quiet without most of the younger mages and Jiraiya here. He continued to smoke his pipe and wait for the excitement to settle down before getting their reports, after all, they had earned it.
The Next Day
The interrogation process had been completed overnight and it was time for the trials of the dark mages to commence. Inoichi had been able to drag everything that he needed out of the mages' minds without a problem and now all that was left was for them to be tried. In the past, trials were only done to handle inter-guild problems as all the criminals were sent to either Fiore's judicial system or the Council, but now the Hidden Guilds were the judge, jury, and executioner and they didn't bother with a fair trial. The criminals' minds were read by Inoichi,—and if that didn't work Ibiki "talked" with them—a decision was made by Silent Leaf's master and the representatives of the other guilds, and the prisoner was informed of their crimes and subsequent punishment. Only special cases actually had a trial and that would only happen if the criminal in question could be useful to the Hidden Guilds' agenda.
Midnight and Angel had already gone through their "trial" and been found guilty of numerous crimes before being sent off to be executed. Now it was Cobra's turn. The dark mage was brought forth looking worse for wear. Sakura had healed his shoulder to the point that he wouldn't bleed out, but that was all that had been done to help him. He had spent the rest of the time either trapped in Shikamaru's shadow, stuck inside of Jiraiya's Runes, or in a prison cell and it showed. He was escorted to a desk placed in front of five raised podiums that was surrounded by Runes. His handcuff was removed and he shot an angry glare at his guard before looking up to his judges.
Hiruzen sat at the middle podium with three people in the other four, one of which was left empty. To his left was the representative from Dust Devil, a man wearing a loose fitting white robe and a cloth wrapped around his head with a section that covered the left side of his face, with his right side having two red tattoos that went back from under his eye, and the empty podium representing Red Stone. On his right were the representatives from Blood Mist and Lightning Shadow, Mei and A respectively. Mei was a younger woman with green eyes and long auburn hair that disappeared under the podium, had a top-knot, and had a bang that covered her right eye with two more crossing under her chin that wore a blue dress that left her shoulders bare. A was a large and muscular man with dark skin, combed back blond hair, a small beard and mustache, and a distinguished face that was wearing an open white jacket that showed off his impressive build and the lightning bolt-shaped scar above his stomach and a pair of golden vambraces on his wrists.
"Well, get on with it, old man." Cobra said while shooting Hiruzen a dirty look. He was tired of all the secretive bullshit that he had gone through. He knew that they were all as good as dead now that they were here. He had heard every rumor about the Hidden Guilds that there were and none of them contained mercy for dark mages. They had received their death sentences the moment they had been captured, he didn't need to hear their thoughts to know that. His only hope was that Cubellios would be released because he was a snake, but he knew that it was unlikely.
"In a minute, Erik-kun." Hiruzen used Cobra's real name while pretending to sort through some papers. He watched the dark mage stiffen in surprise out of the corner of his eye.
"How do you know that name?" Cobra demanded. He hadn't gone by that name in years, he doubted that anyone other than Brain knew it and he was dead.
"That's not important." Hiruzen told him with an air of indifference, which only served to make him angrier. "What is important, is your crimes. Such a long list." The old master said with mock sympathy. "Assassination, murder, extortion, theft, blackmail…" He listed off all of Cobra's crimes while the mage in question became more and more anxious.
'How the hell does he know all of this? Could one of the others have told him? No. Angel and Midnight couldn't have known all of these things. How?' Cobra's thoughts raced while he toned out Hiruzen's ramblings. He needed to buy time. It might not be much, but it was all he was going to get. "So what, old man? I'd bet money that your list is even longer than mine."
"Yes, that's true." Hiruzen admitted without shame. "However…" The atmosphere in the room seemed to have changed along with his tone. "I didn't kill a Hidden Guild member." Cobra unconsciously swallowed to wet his suddenly dry throat. The old man in front of him hadn't done anything, yet he felt like a snake on the middle of a rock while an eagle swooped down on him. Silent Leaf's master wasn't joking around anymore. "You're lucky that you're talking to me and not Ibiki right now." He motioned to the tall man in the front row. "Normally we would have skipped the trail and gotten right to the part where your head is left rolling on the ground. But… you could actually be of some use to us."
Cobra didn't know why, but he felt that he would be better off without his head. "And how's that, old man?" He asked without his former confidence. His mocking tone had been replaced with a wavering voice that betrayed his poker face.
"Your magic allows you to hear what others are thinking in a fairly large radius. We could use that." Hiruzen told him.
"Fuck you, old man. You guys killed my guildmates and took my arm, what the hell makes you think that I'll help you?" Cobra shouted.
"Did I say that we needed your cooperation?"
Cobra's eyes widened as he watched Hiruzen pull a purple sphere with a dragon's head on it out of his robes and placed it on the podium. His hand pulled back his coat and he inhaled sharply at the stitched scar on his chest. They had taken out his Lacrima while he was unconscious. "You bastards…" He growled out with his fist clenched tight enough to draw blood.
"You have two options here, Erik-kun." Hiruzen told him with a superior smile. "One, we hook you up to a device that amplifies your magic and essentially turns you into a living listening device and you waste the rest of your years away being trapped in a machine while aware of your surroundings and the passing of time without any contact. Several of my colleagues have pushed hard for this option."
"Then why give me a choice?" Cobra interrupted. "Why don't you just hook me up to the machine and be done with it?"
"Because I think that this would work much better if you cooperate." Hiruzen said. "Now, the second option is that you become our spymaster and train the next Poison Dragon Slayer."
Cobra gave him an incredulous stare with a slack jaw. The old man had to be senile. Who in their right mind would let their enemy run their spy network? "Is this some kind of joke?! Give me one good reason why I'd ever work for you."
"I can give you several: We replaced your Dragon Slayer Lacrima with an Explosive Lacrima, it saves you from a life as a glorified machine, you get to keep your head, but I think the most important one to you is this." Hiruzen gestured to a large Lacrima that was in the middle of the room.
A video began to play that had Cubellios in the middle of the sphere. "Cubellios." Cobra said in both fear and hope. His friend was still alive.
"Okay, so what do you think is wrong with this thing?" A young man with a purple shirt, glasses, and his gray hair in a ponytail asked from his wheelchair. "I've still got kids to watch over."
"Relax, Kabuto, this shouldn't take too long. You'll be back at the orphanage in no time." Jiraiya reassured the man. "I sensed that there was something off about it and wanted you to take a look. You were Orochimaru's brightest student."
"That makes sense." He grudgingly admitted. "I'll see what I can find." He placed his hands out over the snake and closed his eyes in concentration. After several minutes he opened them and gained a small smile. "Interesting."
"What?"
He made no response, but removed the magic suppressor and shot a quick blast of magic at the snake. It was covered in a flash of light and its form began to change. When the light disappeared, a young girl in a frilly green dress with violet hair and green eyes had taken its place. She glanced around nervously before looking at the two men. "H-hello. I'm Kinana. Where am I? And who am I?" She asked in confusion.
"A human girl." Jiraiya said in shock.
"She must have been forced into a transformation when she was young." Kabuto deduced. He adjusted his glasses and spun his wheelchair around. "You'll probably want to have Inoichi examine her mind and see what he can do about her memories." He advised. "I'm going back to my kids."
"Thanks again, Kabuto." Jiraiya called out before going to help the girl to her feet.
The video stopped playing after that and Cobra was left stunned in his seat. Cubellios was human and a girl? He couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. "This has to be a trick!" He said aloud, but without any conviction in his voice.
"Are you sure?" Hiruzen motioned to the Lacrima again and it began to play a different video. "Maybe this live feed will change your mind."
The girl from before appeared next to Kakashi in what appeared to be a waiting room. She looked up in surprise before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Erik!" She said in happiness. Her face got closer to the Lacrima as she began to talk to the stunned mage. "I'm so happy to see you. The doctor said that you had been in here to treat your arm, but that you had already left. Where are you? I'll be over to see you as soon as I'm cleared."
Kinana continued to go on while a pale Cobra sat there unresponsively. He could finally hear his friend's voice. His prayer had come true. He looked over at Hiruzen with fear in his eyes. "What's the catch?" He asked in a small voice.
"Ms. Kinana has been quite a wonderful guest here. Of course, there is the matter of the people she killed while under the name Cubellios." Cobra's eyes widened as Hiruzen continued. "She also is currently unable to use any form of magic despite showing the capabilities. There's not much worth in keeping her around, really."
"YOU BASTARD!" Cobra roared out as he burst out of his seat and slammed into the Runes confining him. "I'll kill you if you touch her!"
"Calm down. We wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen, would we?" Hiruzen calmly told him with a glance back at the Lacrima. Behind Kinana, Kakashi had drawn a tanto and was holding it up in the perfect position to stab the girl in the back.
"Kinana, run!" Cobra shouted, but to no avail as she continued to hold a conversation with herself.
"She can't hear you." Hiruzen informed the dark mage. "Kakashi-kun has her under an illusion." Cobra sank back down into his seat in defeat as he numbly watched what was happening. "I forgot to add a few things to my offer. Your choices are to either watch this woman die in front of you and spend the rest of your life knowing that you could have saved her while trapped inside of a machine that barely keeps you alive, or you could live your life as our spymaster with this woman by your side and you even get your own student. The choice is yours."
The video feed was cut and Cobra bowed his head. He knew that he had been beat. The old man in front of him had outmaneuvered him at every turn like a chess master with a kind smile on his face. He had two choices, if you could call them that. Let Kinana live with him and work for the bastards with the constant threat of death hanging over him, or get her killed and spend the rest of his life alone with his thoughts regretting it. There was no real choice. He finally spoke after a long silence.
"What happened to my guild?"
"Dead."
"Alright." He had been expecting that. While they were making their way back to Silent Leaf he had overheard the mages talking and had learned that Brain had been killed. The lack of other prisoners implied that the others were dead as well. He raised his head up to look Hiruzen in the eye. "When do I start?"
"You'll meet your student now." Hiruzen told him. He signaled to a guard at a side door and it was opened to let a person in. She was a young woman with short dark purple hair in a spiky fanned ponytail, a curvaceous figure, and brown eyes that was wearing an open tan overcoat, dark orange skirt, gray knee-high combat boots, and skin tight mesh armor. She had a small wooden toothpick hanging out of her mouth. "This is Anko Mitarashi, the future Poison Dragon Slayer and your new student." Hiruzen introduced her. "She'll show you around the guild."
Anko sauntered up to his side and gave him a large mocking smile. "Nice to meet you, sensei." Her tone matched her smile.
Cobra could already tell that this woman was going to be a major pain in his ass. He let out an exaggerated sigh and rose to his feet. "Let's get this over with."
He was allowed to exit the Runes and Anko started to lead him out. "Oh, and Erik-kun." Hiruzen called out before they left. He threw the Lacrima at Cobra who caught it. "Kinana has a matching Lacrima to yours. If it goes off then so will hers."
Cobra made no response other than to turn away from the Master of Silent Leaf and follow his escort out. He could hear everything now and he knew the score. If he even considered putting a toe out of line he wouldn't be the one on the chopping block, she would. They all hated him, but knew that he was useful. If he did anything wrong Kinana would die and he'd be put into the machine. It wasn't built yet, but they had the plans ready and it would only take a few days to make. He was trapped in the place that killed his friends and was being forced to work for them. His life had apparently come full circle, he was a slave once again.
Several Minutes Later
Jellal was the final trial of the day and he was escorted into the courtroom just like Cobra had been. Unlike the dark mage, he looked significantly better due to not resisting his captors or fighting as much. His shoulder had been healed in the hospital without a mark left from Brain's attack. The only thing off about him was his eyes. Inoichi had managed to restore all of Jellal's memories and the blue haired man wished that he hadn't. The torture he had put his friends through, the way he treated them, manipulated them. He had killed Simon. He had nearly killed Erza. God, he was a monster. He only hoped that his death would atone for these sins. Erza may have talked him out of suicide in the Woodsea, but now he was in the hands of Silent Leaf. The Council was probably going to have had him executed anyways, did it really matter who gave the order and who took his life.
"Yes, Jellal-kun." Hiruzen said while looking over several papers. "I see that your memories have been restored."
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. You're free to go." Hiruzen and the representatives stood up and began to gather their things.
Jellal sat in his chair stunned as the Runes dropped around him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you serious?!" He demanded after recovering. "After all those things I did you're just going to let me go?!"
"What do you mean, Jellal-kun?" Hiruzen asked.
"I killed people! I ruined lives! I fired Etherion! You know all of this and are still letting me go?! Why?! What makes me different from the others?!" He demanded. His mind was a wreck filled with emotions. He had been expecting to be killed, not disregarded as if he shouldn't be on trial. As if he was innocent. Tears began to flow from his eyes and he fell to his knees. "Please. Why don't you punish me?"
Hiruzen walked up to troubled man and put a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't do any of that, Jellal-kun. You were under the control of a dark mage from Grimoire Heart. Ever since the day you and your friends tried to escape from the Tower of Heaven, Ultear of Grimoire Heart used a dark magic to control your actions into completing the Tower of Heaven. The man before me is not the man that did those things. Any traces of the magic you were under have been removed completely. The way you are now, would you have done the same things as before?" He asked.
"No." Jellal answered.
"There, you see? From what we've heard you're a very brave and kind soul. You don't deserve to be punished for that." Hiruzen said.
"Then what do I do now?" Jellal asked with confusion evident on his face.
"That's for you to decide." Hiruzen told him while helping him to his feet. "Your life is yours to live for the first time in eight years. If you want to leave then we'll have someone escort you out and then erase everyone's names and faces from your memories along with anything that could lead you back here. You'll never see us again and we'll stay out of your life unless you turn dark. Or you could stay here if you want."
Jellal looked at the Master in surprise. The old man just gave him a kind smile and patted his shoulder. "Just think about it." He stood up and left the room, leaving Jellal alone with his thoughts.
He got up and went to sit on a bench that was made for spectators of the trials. He folded his hands in front of his face and placed his head on them. 'What should I do? Where should I go? If I go back to Fiore then I'll be arrested. I'm a wanted man where could I go?' An image of Erza's smiling face leapt to mind and was then quickly banished. 'No, I can't get her involved. I already put her through too much.'
A hand came down to rest on Jellal's shoulder. He looked up and was met with a man wearing a Red Dawn robe with pale skin and long red hair that covered his right eye. His left eye was a strange pale purple color with a ripple pattern. "Hello, I'm Nagato." The man introduced himself.
"Jellal."
Nothing more was said for several minutes until Nagato spoke up. "I understand how you feel. Confused, conflicted. The Hidden Guilds have a completely different view on life and the law than everyone else and it goes against everything you know. They kill people while working for peace. They protect people by hunting others down. They seem to be a dark guild in all but name."
Jellal found himself nodding along with Nagato's words. That was why he hadn't immediately accepted Hiruzen's offer. The Hidden Guilds were too different from what he was used to. They were like a shadow, created by the light, but still dark in nature.
"When I was first brought here by my future sensei I was with my two friends. We had been captives of a dark guild—that's where I got these eyes—and we didn't know what to think. They were kind to us, yet they had been as merciless to our captors as they had been to us. It was strange to see someone so brutal and dark who was yet so kind and light. As time passed we were taken under their wing and trained to be a Hidden Guild mage. We realized the good that they were doing despite their methods. The Hidden Guilds have their own set of rules that they don't break. If you give them a chance you'll see that." Nagato advised Jellal.
The tattooed mage took his words into account. He remembered talking to Naruto and Sakura, and the way he had been treated while he was a prisoner. They weren't cruel and had always made sure that he had what he needed. Despite that he still couldn't do it. "Sorry, but I don't think that I could ever be a Hidden Guild mage. Their ideas and morals are just too different." He told him. Instead of the anger or disappointment that he had been expecting, Nagato's face had split into a smile.
"I was hoping that you'd say that." Seeing Jellal's confusion, he elaborated. "I am not a member of any Hidden Guild. I am the leader of the independent section of the Hidden Guilds, Red Dawn. We answer to no guild master but ourselves." He reached into his robe and pulled out a white ring with the kanji for boar on it over a green background. "I want you to join Red Dawn, Jellal. You'll basically be an independent mage, doing whatever you want. You'll only answer to me, and we don't interact with the Hidden Guilds unless it's a matter of grave proportions. You can gather your own subordinates if you want. You'd normally have a partner, but we're still missing a member. What do you say, Jellal?"
Jellal stared at him in shock. "Why me? You barely even know me."
"But I know of you." He pointed out. "We like to think of ourselves as the anti-Wizard Saints, and who better to join us than a former Wizard Saint himself?"
Jellal looked between Nagato's face and the ring he was offering. He swallowed nervously as he thought over his choice.
Outside the Room
Jellal exited the room and pulled his blue cloak around his body as he walked with his head down.
"Yo."
He glanced up at a blond man leaning against the wall. "Naruto?" He said in surprise.
"Jellal." He greeted him with a head nod.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you."
Jellal's face became guarded and he subtly tensed. "Why?"
"To talk." Naruto told him and gestured to a bench. "Got a minute?"
After a moment Jellal nodded and they both sat down on the bench. Jellal went first. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Erza Scarlet."
The name froze Jellal's blood in his veins. It was a subject that he hadn't allowed himself to think about, even after he had learnt of his freedom. "Erza, not Neechan?" He asked in an attempt to deflect the question.
"Neechan was what Naruto Uzumaki called her. He never existed. I'm Naruto Namikaze, son of the Fourth Master of Silent Leaf." He shot a hard look over at Jellal. "That being said, what are you going to do about her? And don't dodge the question this time."
Jellal weighed his options and opted to get straight to the point. "I don't know what to do. I did such horrible things to her. I'm not sure how to make it up. I think that I'll just avoid her. It would be best for the both of us if she believes that I'm dead."
"No." Naruto told him.
"What?" Jellal said in surprise.
"I said no." Naruto repeated. He grabbed Jellal by the collar and lifted him up so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "I'm not as dense as I pretended to be. Erza loves you. She may not know it yet, but she does. I've seen the look in her eyes before and it's the look of someone in love. When she saw you again in the forest her whole face lit up like a firework." His eyes narrowed and he poked Jellal in the chest. "And I can see the same thing in yours."
Jellal tried to deny it to no use. Naruto dropped him back into his seat and loomed over him. "You can say whatever you want, but we both know the truth. You two are in love and nothing will change that. I know the shit that you put her through at the Tower of Heaven and she still sees you the same way. You may think that she deserves better, or that she's too good for you, and you'd be right." Naruto's words cut through Jellal like a knife. "But what matters is what she wants and what will make her happy, and what she wants is you." Naruto lowered himself to Jellal's level and his tone brightened. "So do your best to make Neechan happy." He told him with a smile. "Because if you don't I'll skin you alive, cover you in salt, and then dunk you in lemon juice." He offered a hand out to Jellal. "I've got a meeting to go to now, are we clear?"
Jellal shakily returned Naruto's smile yet still shook his hand firmly. "I understand." His grip tightened and he stared Naruto in the eyes to show his resolve. "I'll make her happy."
Naruto nodded in satisfaction. "Good." He walked away and raised a hand in farewell.
Jellal returned the gesture before heading in the opposite direction. He absently twisted the new ring on his right pinkie. He had a new set of clothes to pick up.
Separate Building across the Guild
Naruto walked into the room that contained a single circular table. There were already seven people sitting there, with two spaces being empty. He took his assigned seat and brought out the Horse Demon Slayer Lacrima and placed it at the last empty spot.
The Demon Slayer Meeting was ready to start.
Jiraiya-sama's Hellish Boot Camp
Jiraiya mentally groaned as he approached his newest victim. He had been dreading training Lee since day one, but knew that it had to be done. If he was anything like Guy then Jiraiya would be suffering from a splitting headache when they were done.
His predictions were proven correct when he made it to the training grounds to find that Lee was already hard at work on one-handed pushups. "560… 561… 562…" He counted aloud making Jiraiya sweatdrop.
'This kid's a monster.' "All right, gaki, that's enough." He called out.
Lee stopped his pushups and stood in front of Jiraiya. "I am ready to begin training, Jiraiya-sama!" He exclaimed in a loud voice. "I will do whatever you need from me in order to fan my Flames of Youth!"
"Relax, kid." Jiraiya told him. "You use Guy's version of Strength Magic, right?"
"Yes!"
"That means that you have no form of ranged magic whatsoever."
"That is correct. My magic revolves around hand-to-hand combat!" Lee told him with a smile. He was very proud of himself for being the only person that Guy had deemed worthy to learn his magic. Even someone that used a Mirror Eye or similar type of magic would be unable to replicate their techniques. Guy's rival, Kakashi, confirmed that after he copied his magic once and then put himself in the hospital trying to use it. Even now he still could only use the basics thanks to the intense physical training he had gone through.
"Yeah, we're going to have to fix that." Jiraiya bluntly said.
"But why, sir?" Lee asked in confusion. "I'm fast enough to be able to hit anyone that tries to use ranged magic."
"That's not the problem." Jiraiya walked away from Lee and stood in the center of the clearing. He slammed both of his hands on the ground and used his Earth Magic to create a muddy swamp around him. "Can you reach me from there through this stuff?"
"Yes! And if I can't I'll do five hundred sit-ups, and if I can't then I'll do-" Lee began only for Jiraiya to cut him off.
"Great, now show me."
Lee shot off with a burst of speed that left an imprint of his sandal in the dirt. He began to make his way over the swamp, but was soon hampered by the mud that rose up to wrap around his legs. He was only able to make his way through about a fourth of the swamp before being stopped. Jiraiya walked out to where Lee was stuck in the mud and looked down at him. "You see what I mean? You need a ranged attack if you are all alone and you can't reach your opponent." He explained.
"That may be true, but I refuse to go against Guy-sensei's teachings. I'm sure that there is a way to overcome this with my magic!" He declared while struggling against the mud.
"Knock yourself out, kid." Jiraiya began to walk away from the swamp. "Call me when you decide to listen."
Jiraiya spent the next couple of hours watching as Lee struggled to run across the swamp to reach him. Each time he got stuck, Jiraiya would leave him there for three minutes and then toss him back to try again. No matter how many times he failed Lee continued to try and beat the swamp. Eventually he got bored and approached Lee after his most recent failure. "Oi, gaki. You want to know how to beat this swamp?"
"Hard work and determination?" Lee guessed.
"Maybe, but that'd take too long." Jiraiya crouched down so that he was looking Lee in the face. "All you have to do, is punch or kick—your preference—as hard and fast as you can."
"But that's what I've been doing." Lee pointed out.
"No. You've been punching the mud. What you've got to focus on is hitting the air." Jiraiya revealed.
"Hit the air?" Lee parroted.
"That's right. If you hit it hard or fast enough then you'll be able to punch out a blast of air that will hit as hard as your regular punch would." Jiraiya then demonstrated by striking out with his hand in a blur that sent a blast of air into a nearby tree and blew the bark off of it. "You do that and then you'll be able to follow your sensei's teachings and have a ranged attack."
"Really?" Lee asked with shining eyes.
"Yeah, I bet Guy would have taught you this already if you hadn't have been sent on this mission." Jiraiya knew that it was actually possible to use this technique and that Guy did use it on occasion, but his example was a little fudged. He could use the technique, but only when using his Sage Magic. He didn't feel like busting that out for just a little practice session and had used Wind Magic back there similar to Naruto. But judging from Lee's expression it had worked.
"Yosh! I will master this technique by the end of the day! And if I can't do that then I'll do a thousand squats, and if I can't do that then I'll do fifteen hundred laps around the clearing, and if I can't do that…" Lee stopped listing his future plans when he noticed something off. "Jiraiya-sama, the mud isn't letting go."
The white haired mage raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Isn't that a good thing? It would be better exercise to work out in the mud, wouldn't it?" He innocently asked.
"Well, normally yes, but I can't move my arms or legs." Lee pointed out. He had sunk up to his neck in the mud and wasn't showing signs of stopping soon.
"Huh? Then consider this part of your training." Jiraiya glanced up at the sky to determine the time and nodded to himself. "That mud will dry in about two hours and then you'll be stuck there. You have until then to bust yourself out without your magic in order to begin your training."
"Yosh, I will do it, Jiraiya-sama!" Lee exclaimed.
Jiraiya could tell that he was going to go off on another one of his rants and made him sink in the mud up to his mouth. He went back to his dry spot with a content smile on his face. Now he would be getting some peace and quiet.
A/N: And done. That was a pain to finish and I think it's the longest chapter I've done so far. We see what the effects of the Silent Leaf mages leaving has had on the other guilds and Council along with wrapping up most of the loose ends for the Oracion Seis Arc. All that's left is too meet the Demon Slayers next time.Till then, later.