A.N: What's up, everyone? Bet you weren't expecting this so early, eh? In the end, there are just times when ideas just come to me. Anyways, consider this an early apology for the following message: I am going to see my grandmother this week and won't be able to get the next chapter out in my usual time, family comes first after all. I should be back next week and back to work from there.

Also, I would like to take this moment to apologize to anyone who was disappointed with the previous two chapters. While I do not regret what I posted in the end, I do understand your criticism and will admit that I could have done better. As such, I will take it upon myself to continue improving more and more as a writer and continue the success this series has been having.

One more thing: 400 reviews people! Thanks to your continued support, I have reached yet another great milestone. Thank you all, so much!

Anyways, not much will be happening here, just a chapter tying up a few more loose ends (including the mystery of Natsu's newfound powers). Enjoy everyone.

Chapter 35: Fallout

When Kakashi Hatake's eyes opened, he had expected to be bound and in a Coalition prison cell. Imagine his surprise when he found that he was not only unbound and not in a prison cell, but lying peacefully on a cot. He looked around to see that he was in a medical tent set up by the Medical Division.

"Good to see you awake, Kakashi." A familiar voice spoke up. "I'd hate to have one of my best ninja out of action for too long. Especially a Division Commander."

Kakashi looked to see Tsunade standing over him. He frowned behind his mask. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, Lady Tsunade, but I really would have rather not woken up here."

Tsunade was confused by Kakashi's statement. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Kakashi sighed. "I guess Mirajane refused my order." He mused.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this. There was something odd about Kakashi's words. "What order did you give her, Kakashi?" She asked.

"That man, Kizaru, gave Mirajane an ultimatum, save two and leave the others behind." Kakashi explained.

Tsunade nodded at this. She had heard plenty of the details of that situation from Mirajane herself. "I wanted to make things easy for her." Kakashi continued. "I told her to leave me behind."

Tsunade's eyes widened. She then frowned at Kakashi, trying to restrain herself from smacking Kakashi across the head. "Do you have any idea how disappointed I am in you right now, Kakashi?" She asked. "I thought you were better than that."

Kakashi was surprised at Tsunade's tone. "I…don't understand…"

"What do you mean you don't understand, do you need me to spell it out for you?" Tsunade was shouting now.

Kakashi was genuinely confused. "Damn it, Kakashi, you are the commanding officer of the Third Division. You are their leader, they need you."

"Jūshirō could have replaced me." Kakashi tried to justify his actions.

"Listen to yourself!" Tsunade shouted. "You are the leader, not Jūshirō. You can't be lazy about this, Kakashi, and you certainly can't be selfish, either."

The choice of words shocked Kakashi. Calling him lazy was something he could understand, he knew he had a reputation for being a lazy person. Selfish though, that might have been a bit harsh, even for her.

"Selfish, Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi inquired.

"Do you even realize the kind of position you put Mirajane in?" Tsunade asked angrily. "She knew she couldn't leave you behind for reasons I have already explained to you, yet you insisted that she did. You made things even more difficult for her."

Okay, maybe that was unfair for Mirajane, but was it really selfish? "I was just trying to make things easier for her…" Kakashi was still trying to justify why he did.

"It was still selfish. Not only were you essentially abandoning your job as Division Commander, but you put Mirajane in a very difficult position."

"But I…"

Tsunade glared at him, daring him to continue. This ordeal was starting to anger Kakashi greatly. "Are you that eager to die?" Tsunade asked him.

"No!" Kakashi had finally lost his patience with his Hokage of all people. "I just wanted to be able to protect someone else for a change! Minato-Sensei, Rin and Obito all died saving me. I couldn't save my father from himself. Naruto has saved me more than he should have to. I…I'm a failure, even though I'm a genius. I can never save anyone when it counts."

Tsunade's expression softened at this. "And I couldn't save my little brother and fiancé when it counted."

"Then shouldn't you be able to understand why I tried to do what I did?'

"I do," Tsunade admitted, "but sometimes we don't get to take the route that benefits us, especially when there are still people counting on us."

"We are leaders, Kakashi, both of us." Tsunade continued. "We have soldiers looking to us for guidance. Being a leader is about doing what is best for the group, not for yourself. You should know that by now."

Kakashi thought over what Tsunade said and realized that she was right. "I messed up didn't I." He said somberly.

Tsunade nodded. "I should apologize to her." Kakashi decided.

Tsunade nodded again. "You should." She said in agreement.

"However, before you do that, I have something else I feel like I should discuss with you." She suddenly said.

Kakashi was surprised at this. After all of that, she still needed to discuss something else with him. "What is it?" He asked.

"This is information that only I know at the moment, but as his superior officer, you have every right to know."

"Who?" Kakashi inquired. "What information do you have on one of my subordinates that's so secretive. Don't doctors have a patient confidentiality rule to uphold or something?"

"They do, but this information is vital to the Third Division's success in the future." Tsunade explained.

"Okay, but can you now tell me this mystery subordinate of mine."

Tsunade nodded. "Gladly," she said, "I'm not sure if you know this, but Natsu Dragneel was among the injured from the previous battle."

This surprised Kakashi greatly. "Natsu was injured? How bad was it?"

Kakashi was genuinely concerned by this. Due to Natsu's connection to Naruto, Kakashi had already felt a kindred spirit with the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Natsu had a unique charisma that was similar to that of Naruto's that drew Kakashi to him.

"It was bad," Tsunade admitted, "Natsu's injuries were fatal. If it wasn't for Jūgo's interference, we would've lost one of the Four Acts of Order…and really early at that."

That would have been really bad for morale. Kakashi knew how crucial Natsu, Naruto, and the others were to the morale of the Alliance, due to being the Four Acts of Order. If any of them died, a part of the Alliance would die with them mentally and emotionally speaking.

"Well, at least he's alright." Kakashi said. "But is this the information you needed to give me? I'm not going to shelter him just because of how important he is to morale if that is what you're getting at."

Tsunade shook her head. "Goodness, no," she said, "Natsu is far too important to us to shelter from the battlefield. Hell, we'd have a fight on our hands to do that."

Kakashi could not argue with that. If there was one thing the Four Acts of Order all had in common was they were all stubborn. Naruto did not take being confined well when he discovered that he was being confined during the Fourth Great Ninja War, and Natsu will not take it well either, that was a definite fact.

"Okay, if it's not that, what exactly is this information you want to share with me?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, Jūgo has a unique body structure, due to his clan having the ability to harness Natural Energy, the main reason why Orochimaru used him as the base of the Curse Mark."

Kakashi nodded. He certainly remembered that much. "Jūgo has an ability that allows him to heal those who are compatible with the Curse Marks that allows him to transfer his own cells into their bodies. That was how he saved Natsu's life."

"Are you saying Natsu is compatible with the Curse Mark?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

"Theoretically, yes, but that's not what has me interested in the results of this healing method."

"What else could have possibly happened?" Kakashi asked.

"Well," Tsunade said, "due to this unique method, I decided to run some tests on Natsu's body while he was incapacitated, and what I found surprised me."

"What did you find?"

Tsunade took out a file. "This file contains the results of the tests I ran on Natsu's body, you are going to want to read it. And for crying out loud, read it word for word, don't skim it."

Kakashi nodded and took the file from her and started reading. Its contents absolutely surprised him…

(With Mirajane Strauss)

"Did you hear what Captain Strauss did?"

"Yeah, she apparently left behind Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Muguruma to save Commander Hatake and Captain Dreyar."

"I can understand Commander Hatake, but why Captain Dreyar? What made him more important than Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Muguruma?"

"Oh come on, of course she'd save Captain Dreyar, they're part of the same guild, right?"

"Man, I can't believe her, you think you can trust someone with your life, but in the end she looks out for her own guild mates before anyone else."

"What about us, right? Captain Hitsugaya is our captain. She just left behind our captain."

"Yeah, and Captain Muguruma is our captain."

"Che, we'd better watch out if we're ever with one of those Fairy Tail wizards, if we get in trouble, we're probably going to get left behind by her in favor of that wizard."

Mirajane Strauss held back her tears and the feelings of guilt and shame as she listened to the Soul Reapers from Squads 9 and 10 talk about her. There were a few Soul Reapers from the other squads, along with a few Allied pirates as well, but they were not as prevalent as the ones from Squads 9 and 10.

It was an interesting thing, how news seemed to travel quite fast amongst the Alliance. Only a few hours after the battle and everyone already knew just what she did.

Their words hurt, there was no denying that. But she would take them, she deserved such words for leaving Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Muguruma behind. She would gladly shoulder the burden as a pariah as punishment.

The words then suddenly stopped, much to Mirajane's surprise. "Shameful, do they even realize what kind of situation you had been put in?"

Freed Justine had walked up to Mirajane without her even noticing. A steely glare had silenced the speakers. "Don't do that." Mirajane said softly. "You'll just make it worse."

Freed shook his head. "It's not fair for them to say such things about you." He insisted. "You were put in a situation that had no right or wrong answer."

Mirajane was surprised that Freed knew the details of what had happened. "How do you know about what happened?" She asked.

"Laxus just woke up." Freed said. "I was right there the minute he woke up."

Mirajane raised an eyebrow at how dedicated Freed was to his 'leader' but said nothing about it. "He told me what happened, and that while he's upset that you couldn't save everyone, he understands that it was an impossible situation you were in. He's grateful to you for what you did, he doesn't blame you for what happened, Mira, and you shouldn't either."

"I left Tōshirō and Kensei behind, Freed…"

"I know you did, but do you really think things would've turned out better if you had chosen differently?"

Mirajane did not respond to that. "The Soul Reapers blame you for losing Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Muguruma, while the ninja and wizards praise you for saving Commander Hatake and Laxus." Freed reminded her. "However, if you had saved Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Muguruma instead, what do you think would've happened?"

Mirajane still did not respond. "Well, I know what would've happened. The Soul Reapers would've praised you for saving their leaders while the wizards would've called you a traitor to your own guild mates and just about everyone would've hated you for leaving our commanding officer behind." Freed told her. "I'll even admit it, I would've been furious with you for leaving Laxus behind."

"Mira, the decision you made had no right or wrong answer. Someone would've ended up hating you and someone would've ended up loving you." Freed continued. "That's the cruel reality of living in a world where you are surrounded by the masses, rather than a group of close comrades like we usually are. No matter what happens, everything we do will be praised by some and condemned by others. You can't make everyone happy."

Mirajane could not argue with that. "You're a good woman, Mirajane, and the fact that you were able to make a choice as hard as that, knowing that there would be repercussions, speaks volumes of your mental strength." Freed told her, smiling lightly. "Just remember that."

Mirajane wanted to cry after hearing this, just let out all of her emotions at once. In the end, she simply settled on saying: "Thank you, Freed."

(In Crocus)

"Thank you for relaying this to me, Kisuke." Chitsujo told him.

Kisuke had just finished relaying the situation arising from the loss at Hargeon to Chitsujo and the other leaders of the Alliance. Everyone had a somber expression upon hearing just how bad the situation was.

Kisuke bowed. "It was my pleasure, Sir. Do you have any orders you would like me to relay to Kakashi?"

Chitsujo shook his head. "None at the moment. Although I do believe that we need to capitalize on the destruction of their ships."

"How do you propose we do that?" Mei Terumī cut in.

"Ships are used for two things." Chitsujo explained. "Transferring troops and transferring supplies. We've already destroyed one method of transportation, I think it's time we do the same to their railroad."

Makarov Dreyar's eyes widened at this. "But Lord Chitsujo, are we really going to destroy the railroads? They are crucial to Fiore's economy."

"Railroads can be rebuilt, Makarov, lives cannot." Chitsujo reminded him. "I'll admit, I only wanted to destroy the railroads as a last resort, due to the need to transfer troops quickly at times. However, after the setback we have suffered at Hargeon, I believe we need to forgo the original plan."

Nobody could argue with this. "Relay this to Kakashi as soon as you can." Chitsujo told Kisuke. "I want Hargeon put under siege. Also, find out who is commanding the Stealth Subdivision nearest to Hargeon. I want them to destroy the railroad coming straight out of Hargeon. We will starve them out and wait for them to attack us out of desperation. We will force their hand and make them fight on our terms the second time around."

"Understood, Lord Chitsujo."

"Furthermore, with Hargeon under siege, the Third Division will be unable to complete their objective of taking the railroad cities." Chitsujo continued. "So send a message to Sabo. Tell him to turn back once they are at the last city, Clover Town. From there, they are to take each city and eventually form up with the 2nd Division and launch a joint assault once they come together."

Kisuke nodded and left the room. "Now than," Chitsujo said, "with that out of the way, I believe it is time we discuss the main reason why we must be more aggressive in our tactics."

Chitsujo brought out a file. "This file contains information brought to us by the Stealth Subdivision led by Captain Soifon. Information concerning a weapon that is currently under construction, or reconstruction to be more specific. A weapon that if completed, may very well be the death of us all."

Chitsujo looked at everyone before continuing. "Nirvana." He said lowly.

Makarov narrowed his eyes at this. "So, that accursed weapon has returned?"

Chitsujo nodded. "The information detailed here says so." He told them.

"Forgive my rudeness, Lord Chitsujo, but most of us are out of the loop here." Shanks reminded him. "What exactly is Nirvana?"

"Makarov, perhaps you would like to explain, as your guild, along with Bob's and Ooba's, were the guilds that dealt with Nirvana when the Oración Seis used it."

Makarov nodded. He now had the floor. "Nirvana is an ancient weapon created by a tribe of people known as the Nirvit. To put it simply, it uses a very dark and evil form of magic, capable of turning light into dark, and vice versa."

"Light into dark?" Sting Eucliffe was confused by this. "What do you mean?"

"I think I understand." Gaara interjected. "It is a weapon that can turn good into evil and evil into good, right?"

Makarov nodded grimly. "From what Erza told me, it is quite effective in its purpose. It turned one of the Oración Seis good."

"Why would the Nirvit create something like that?" Mei wondered out loud. "The very concept of it is horrible, forcing people to change who they are instead of appealing to their better natures."

"Obviously were trying to stop wars." Monkey D. Dragon replied. "They thought by creating a weapon that could turn evil into good, they could create world peace."

"What they didn't count on, however, was that the magic could work both ways." A noted.

"Could it really be that simple though?" Ōnoki inquired. "I've been alive for a long time, and I've never once seen a single power that was strong and simple at the same time."

"From what Erza told me in her report, at first, it only works on those who are teetering between light and darkness." Makarov explained. "However, I can imagine that in its later stages, it grows more powerful in that regard."

Everyone remained silent for a long time. "Well geez, obviously we have to do something." Sting broke the silence. "If we let them rebuild this thing, we'll be in serious trouble."

"Sting is right," Mei said, "we need to focus all efforts on destroying Nirvana before it s reconstruction can be finished."

Chitsujo hummed in acknowledgement. "I know," he said, "that is why I am sending new orders to Shunsui and Jellal. We have Nirvana's coordinates detailed in this report, I'm going to have the Intelligence Division relay this information to both men. From there, we're going to have them form up once they are close and then lead a joint assault on Nirvana."

"Destroying it will be difficult, especially if it reaches its final stage." Makarov interjected. "If that happens, its destruction will become…complex."

Ōnoki frowned. "And that would be…"

"We will have to destroy all six Lacrima that are powering it at the exact same time."

"But we can bypass that by destroying it while it's under construction, right?" Mei inquired.

"Theoretically yes." Makarov said. "What exactly does the report detail about Nirvana's layout, Lord Chitsujo?"

Chitsujo opened up the folder. "Structure-wise, the layout is generally the same. The ruins that make up the body of Nirvana serve as the gathering place for the Coalition soldiers. Each of Nirvana's six legs holds a Lacrima that serves as its power source. However, there is one crucial change that bodes badly for us."

"And that would be?" Shanks egged Chitsujo on.

"Cannons have been added to the top of Nirvana, aimed straight at the sky."

"What? Why at the sky?" Sting asked, confused.

"We've hypothesized from the information gathered by Kazushi Aburame in this report, that the cannons will fire Magic Energy into the sky…and from there, the magic will rain down in large radius, affecting anyone caught in the radius."

Everyone's eyes widened at this. "How large is the radius?" Reina Mikazuchi inquired.

"Unfortunately, we don't know." Chitsujo admitted. "The only possible way we could learn such a thing is if we witnessed them fire the cannons. Obviously we don't want that to happen at all."

Everyone present nodded. "Is there anything else?" Goldmine asked curiously.

"The Lacrima are heavily guarded." Chitsujo replied. "As are the cannons."

"That is to be expected." Gaara nodded. "This weapon is their trump card, after all."

"Indeed," Chitsujo said, "but regardless of its difficulty, we cannot fail, no matter what."

"If time is of the essence, can't we just send in the Stealth Division?" Sting asked.

Chitsujo shook his head. "We can't," he said, "after the incident with Soifon's subdivision, the area will be far too heavily guarded for an attack like that. No, we have no choice but to use a frontal assault. Even if it takes awhile for the First and Fifth Division to reach Nirvana, that is a chance we have to take in order for this plan to have a chance to be successful."

Nobody could argue with this. "That is it for today, everyone is dismissed for the time being."

With that, everyone got up and left the war room. Well, almost everyone left. Dragon remained behind as there was clearly something else he wanted to discuss with Chitsujo.

"Is there something you would like to say to me, Dragon?" Chitsujo inquired. "You know that whatever you had to say, you could say it in front of the others."

Dragon shook his head. "No," he said, "after a loss like the one we just had, this is something that must be kept between you and me."

The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces folded his arms. "Gaara called Nirvana their trump card, and you agreed with him." He noted. "Nirvana is their trump card, Chitsujo? You and I both know that it's not. Nirvana may be a threat, but it's not the real threat."

Chitsujo sighed. "I know," he said, "I know it isn't."

"Than you know what their real trump card is, I certainly do." Dragon said.

Chitsujo nodded grimly. "The Acts of Chaos."

Dragon nodded back. "Is there a reason why you are downplaying the threat they pose in favor of Nirvana?"

"I'm not downplaying them at all, Dragon." Chitsujo shook his head. "I'm simply not leaving anything to chance. If Konton finishes Nirvana, than he will be able to create the chaos he loves so much. I know that the Acts of Chaos are the true threat, but I cannot ignore Nirvana."

Dragon could not argue with this. "Furthermore," Chitsujo continued, "they will not have to worry about the Acts of Chaos."

Dragon raised an eyebrow at this. "You're going to send those boys against them aren't you? You're just going to send my son and his new friends against the likes of the Black Wizard, Madara Uchiha, the Quincy King, and Blackbeard."

"I don't want it to come to that." Chitsujo admitted. "If anything, I would rather face them myself. While I do not particularly like getting involved on the battlefield due to the damage that my power can cause, I will if I must."

"However," Chitsujo continued, "keep in mind that I created those boys to defeat them in the first place. You should have more faith in them Dragon."

Dragon smirked at this. "I guess you're right." He said. "But Luffy is my son, Chitsujo. And while he may be able to take care of himself, he's still my son."

"I understand perfectly, Dragon." Chitsujo said. "And you need to believe me when I say I would not put Luffy in that kind of situation if I did not believe he could handle it."

"I do, Chitsujo, I do believe you." Dragon said to him.

Chitsujo smiled lightly at Dragon, happy that he had gained the enigmatic man's trust. "Thank you." He said kindly.

(Back with the Third Division)

Mirajane Strauss had been expecting Kakashi Hatake to call her in for a meeting in the medical tent. After disobeying a direct order to leave him behind in order to save someone else, she expected him to read her the riot act for what she did.

Mirajane pushed open the flap and entered the tent. "You wanted to see me, Commander?" She asked.

She then noticed that she was not the only one in the tent. Sasuke Uchiha stood next to Kakashi. "Oh, Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Mirajane inquired.

Sasuke gave Mirajane a curt nod. "I was just checking on Kakashi." Sasuke told her formally. "A lot happened while he was in the city, so I decided to tell him what happened."

"Thank you for telling me this, Sasuke, even if the information is rather disturbing." Kakashi said.

Sasuke nodded. "Mirajane." He said calmly.

Mirajane nodded back. "Sasuke."

As Sasuke began to leave, Mirajane turned her attention to Kakashi. "You wanted to see me, Commander?"

"Yes, Mirajane, I'd like to discuss with you what happened in Hargeon."

What the two did not know was that Sasuke had stopped just outside of the tent and was listening in. Sasuke had heard of what had happened between Kakashi, Mirajane, and the others, and was curious to see how Kakashi would handle this.

"You don't have to say anything, Commander, I disobeyed a direct order from you, and I will take any punishment you give me." Mirajane said calmly

Kakashi shook his head at this. "No, I won't be punishing you." He said. "There's no reason to punish someone for disobeying an unreasonable order."

"Sir, there was nothing unreasonable about the order."

"No, it wasn't." Kakashi insisted.

Mirajane was confused at what Kakashi was implying. "Mirajane I put you in a terrible situation." He said somberly. "I told you to leave me behind when you knew that you couldn't. I made your decision more difficult, and for that, I'm sorry."

Mirajane nodded sadly. "A part of me wanted to follow your order." She admitted. "But…somehow I knew that in the end I couldn't leave our Division without our Commanding Officer."

Kakashi nodded at this. "I know," he said softly, "it was selfish of me, trying to sacrifice myself like so many people I care about have, and yet I still made your decision even more difficult. I'm sorry."

"I also know that you are being treated badly by the Soul Reapers." Kakashi continued. "I can fix that if you want?"

Mirajane shook her head. "Their anger is understandable."

"It's not fair though." Kakashi insisted, his mind going to a certain blonde's treatment growing up.

Mirajane nodded. "That may be, but I would've become a pariah among some of them anyway, no matter who I saved and left behind."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. That was, indeed, a decision that had no right or wrong answer. "Alright," he said, "it is your decision in the end."

"After all," Mirajane said, "we can always save them, if we can."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Well, there was always a chance that they could save Tōshirō and Kensei if they were not immediately executed by the Coalition. He hoped that they were okay, he wanted to save them too.

Mirajane then gave Kakashi a genuine, bright smile. "Will that be all, Commander?"

Kakashi returned Mirajane's smile with his own patented eye-smile. "Yes, that will be all, Mira."

With that, Mirajane left the tent. However, she was immediately stopped by another voice. "They are probably still alive."

Mirajane almost jumped in surprise. "Oh, Sasuke."

Sasuke was leaning against the tent. "Kakashi told me what happened," he said, "and they're probably still alive."

Mirajane was confused by this. "What makes you say that?"

"There was this demon, from Tartarus." Sasuke. "I think his name was Franmalth."

Mirajane nodded, old wounds suddenly aching from the battle with Tartarus. "He had this power, an ability to absorb people's souls inside of his body and then use their power as his own." Sasuke continued.

Mirajane's eyes widened at this. She then remembered Natsu bragging about slamming a large chunk of rock against a demon who kept absorbing his attacks. This had to be the same demon.

"What are you trying to say?" Mirajane asked.

"What I'm saying is that they are probably still alive because Franmalth is there." Sasuke told her. "From what I could tell, he was a greedy monster, and he probably requested that they be kept alive so that he could absorb them himself to increase his strength."

"And this doesn't kill them?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I doubt it," he said, "where there's a way in, there's always a way out. Powers like that work both ways. Kensei and Tōshirō are alive, Mirajane. We can still save them."

Mirajane smiled happily at this. "Thank you for telling me this, Sasuke."

Mirajane walked away. Sasuke smiled lightly. "Your welcome, Mira." He said softly.

"Excuse me?" A new voice spoke up.

Sasuke turned to see one of Chitsujo's soldiers standing next to him. "What is it?" He asked.

"Is this the tent where Commander Hatake is resting?"

"Yeah, it is." Sasuke nodded.

"I bring a message from the Intelligence Division and Lord Chitsujo." The man said. "They are new orders for the Third Division."

Sasuke was surprised at this. So soon after their defeat? "He's in there right now." Sasuke said. "Go ahead and see him."

The soldier nodded and went inside. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the soldier enter. "New orders so soon after the fight, huh?" He mused. "Well, we certainly could use something to get everyone's spirits up after the hell we just went through. A little direction is always nice."

(With Natsu)

Natsu Dragneel and Happy sat patiently. Tsunade had told him earlier that the test results would be coming in soon and that she would be delivering them personally.

Natsu then heard the sound of the tent flap opening up. "Hello, Natsu." Tsunade greeted. "I'm here with your test results."

"Awesome," Natsu said brightly, "and then I can leave here, right Grandma?"

Tsunade frowned at being called Grandma again, but managed to smile slightly. "Yes, you can, Natsu."

Tsunade opened up the folder. "This is a bit confusing, so bear with me."

Tsunade first showed Natsu an x-ray of his body. "This is an x-ray we took of your body while you were unconscious." Tsunade explained.

Tsunade pointed to one particular design. "This diagram represents the flow of Magic Energy through your body."

Tsunade then pointed to another design. "This diagram, however, represents something completely different."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"Natsu, if I did not mention this before, I apologize. Jūgo's body structure is rather unique. You see, Jūgo's body naturally draws in something known as Natural Energy. It allows him to access something known as Sage Mode."

Natsu nodded. "When we noticed something different about the inside of your body after running the tests, we took a closer look and what we found was surprising."

Natsu braced himself for what Tsunade was about to say next. "Natsu, you're body has naturally reacted to the cells Jūgo gave you when he healed you with them. This diagram represents Natural Energy flowing through your body like Magic Energy."

"Natsu," Tsunade continued, "you have gained access to Natural Energy. You are on your way to becoming a Sage."

Natsu's eyes widened. He had seen Naruto use Sage Mode during that fight they all had in Chitsujo's garden. "How is that possible?" Natsu asked. "I'm not a ninja like Naruto is."

"I was actually rather surprised about it myself when I first discovered it." Tsunade admitted. "But I do have a theory."

Tsunade gave Natsu a quizzical look. "Your Dragon Slayer training altered your body slightly, correct?"

Natsu nodded. "Yep, my body has taken on a few qualities of a dragon. I have dragon lungs for breathing fire, dragon claws for attacking with fire, and dragon scales to handle the fire." He replied.

Tsunade nodded. "That explains it than."

Natsu was confused. "What do you mean?" He inquired.

"Well, to explain my theory, I'm going to have to explain a bit more about Sage Mode."

Tsunade pulled up a chair and took a seat. "You see Natsu, Sage Mode is something that is accessed by training with an animal you have signed a summoning contract for."

"For example," Tsunade continued, "Naruto, more specifically, became a Toad Sage after training with toads."

"Whoa that is so cool!" Natsu interjected excitedly.

"Aye!" Happy chimed in. "Talking toads, we cats aren't alone anymore!"

"Don't interrupt me!" Tsunade said sharply, smacking Natsu and Happy across the head.

"Oh man, she's scarier than Erza." Natsu noted.

"Aye." Happy muttered.

Tsunade growled, but continued. "Now, this doesn't just go for toads. There is also the Snake Sage Mode, the Slug Sage Mode, and much more."

"What does this have to do with me though?" Natsu asked.

"I was getting to that." Tsunade shook her head at yet another blatant show of disrespect. "Now, when training with these particular types of Sage Mode, sometimes you take on the qualities of the creature that corresponds with the Sage Mode. For example, my former teammate Jiraiya used to take on the qualities of a toad because he could never perfect it. Naruto's eyes also become toad-like when he uses Sage Mode, however, he managed to perfect it. Also, according to the information we received from Sasuke Uchiha after the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kabuto Yakushi took on a few snakelike qualities as well."

"The point is, Natsu," Tsunade continued, "is that Jūgo's cells interacted with the dragon qualities in your body. Jūgo's healing method and the dragon physiology in your body have combined to create a brand new type of Sage Mode. Inside your body is the makings of the very first Dragon Sage."

Natsu and Happy's eyes widened. Tsunade waited for at least one of them to respond. She was surprised at what Natsu's reaction was. "I'm gonna be a freaking sage, this is so awesome!"

"Aye, Sir!" Happy cheered.

"Naruto!" Natsu yelled. "I'm gonna be a stronger sage than you, you hear?"

Far away, one Naruto Uzumaki sneezed. He stared out confusedly, as the sneeze had been rather unexpected. Is someone talking about me? He wondered.

Naruto shrugged and continued marching with the Fifth Division, still trying to figure out who was talking about him in the back of his mind.

A.N: And cut! While I'll admit that this chapter does not move things along much, it was necessary to clear up a few more things as I've mentioned before. Next chapter, when it does come out, will start moving things along again as best as I can manage.

Now than, onto the Q&A

To Theburper, theoretically she could. I do have a few things in mind to free the captives.

To Lightningblade49, all good choices, and I certainly do have plans for Kizaru. Just wait and see.

To Guest 1, Baby 5 will serve with the Coalition under Konton's control. As for your question concerning Zoro and Kenpachi, most of Tartarus would be stunned at their power, wondering if they're demons as well. Silver in particular will lament the fact that his Devil Slayer Magic will not work as well as he'd like.

To GlitterVan, if you like Tsunade, you'll love what she'll do later on.

To firegodvargas, don't worry, I have a few things thought up.

To Painlover792, oh no, she has it. It's just that from what I saw when she killed Äs Nödt, that Bankai covers a wide range and kills anyone caught in the blast. Rukia did not use it because she did not want to risk any allies getting caught in the blast.

To Devilslayer420, if I told you who Natsu's pairing was, I'd be spoiling the surprise. Honestly, I seriously doubt anyone could beat anyone from Dragon Ball Z. That series seems to just pride itself on overpowered characters.

To Guest 2, for the response to Naruto, in order.

Whitebeard: I see great potential in you, brat, I also see that you are most certainly not what people claim you to be. The Strongest Man in the World just told you that you have potential, brat! Believe me, not those fools!

Ace: Poor kid, the world hates me for what I am too, you know. But you know something? I've found comfort in the people I care about. Find someone you can call a friend, family, and you won't ever feel that way again, okay kid?

Orihime (sobbing): You poor, poor thing! How could they say such horrible things about you.

Bartolomeo: Don't believe them, Naruto! You will grow up to do great things, things that are almost godlike!

Halibel: Poor child, so young and has made a sacrifice that he had absolutely no say in. Oh how I wish I could train this boy to be something more, but I cannot risk altering the future.

Apacci: Damn, can't believe a stupid brat is pulling at my heart strings.

Mila Rose: Wipe those tears away, kid. You're going to become strong in the future, so you have no reason to cry now!

Starrk: Loneliness is truly a terrible thing, isn't it? Power may be great, but it can also lead to loneliness. But eventually you can find someone who won't be afraid of your power, who can handle being around your power. Don't give up, kid.

Lillynette: Starrk's right, loneliness is never permanent. Don't you worry at all, Naruto.

Ichigo: Maybe I care because it's just natural for me to come to someone's aid when they need help? Regardless, you don't deserve the treatment you get, and I promise you one day you'll find someone precious to call your own, Naruto.

Natsu: I've met actual monsters before, and if you're a monster, you're the least threatening monster I've ever seen in my life. Don't ever believe what those people tell you, you hear? Go out there and prove them all wrong!

Luffy: I care because you're gonna be my best friend in the future, Naruto. So don't give up until than, because I don't want a future member of my crew to get all moody when he finally does join me.

Momo (to herself): How could the Fourth save a village that does such things to a child that he would say things like this?

Komamura: To be judged like that is truly unfair, isn't it, Naruto? I can promise you this though, one day there will be people who accept you, because nobody is meant to be alone forever.

To the villagers, in order…

Whitebeard: You call him a monster? Why don't I show you what a monster really looks like?

Ace: People like you…you who say that others don't have the right to exist…I won't stand for it! I can take it when it's said about me but not about an innocent kid!

Orihime: How could you all say such horrible things? He's just a little boy!

Bartolomeo: How dare you insult a future friend of Luffy's? I'll cut all your tongues off so you can never speak again!

Halibel: To think that sacrifice is spat on in a village with the ideals that it supposedly has. You are all disappointments.

Apacci: Oh yeah, takes big men to insult a little kid.

Mila Rose: My master taught us the concept of sacrifice and how important it is to honor it. You have all wasted the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice.

Starrk: I don't like fighting, but I'm certainly not turning my back on a kid as lonely as me. Leave now, or I will hurt you all.

Lillynette: Yeah, leave now or we'll kill you all!

Ichigo: How could you people say such things? He's a hero who protects you every day? Is this how you treat your heroes? Your protectors?

Natsu: My guild preaches camaraderie and togetherness. Jerks like you would never make it in Fairy Tail!

Luffy: Hey, Leaf Jerks! Say that crap about Naruto again and I'll pound the living crap out of you!

Momo: This is wrong! How could you all spit on the Fourth's sacrifice like this?

Komamura: I will not allow you to hurt this boy. I too know what it's like to be mistreated and ostracized and as such I refuse to allow a boy to go through what I've been through!

To Mizuki, in order…

Whitebeard: The only beast I see is you, brat. Now leave or I'll kill you. Better yet, stay right there so I can kill you.

Ace: A bastard like you has no right to decide who gets to live and who doesn't. Why don't you leave before I show you why I'm called the Fire Fist.

Orihime: No, I won't! You leave Naruto alone before I hurt you!

Bartolomeo: I will not let you hurt Luffy's future friend!

Halibel: It appears that I must sacrifice you so this boy may find peace of mind. Very well, it is of no great loss in the end.

Apacci: Prick, I'm gonna kill you, but first I'm gonna castrate you so just in case you do get away, you can't reproduce and we'll have to deal with your prick-offspring.

Mila Rose: If you want to see what a murderous beast looks like, I'd be more than happy to show you my Resurreción.

Starrk: You mean to tell me that the reason Naruto is lonely is because of something that isn't his fault? I don't like killing, but today I'm going to make an exception!

Lillynette: Yeah, kill his ungrateful ass, Starrk!

Ichigo: As far as I'm concerned, you should be on your hands and knees thanking Naruto. Since you won't, I'll just protect Naruto from you.

Natsu: What a load of crap, Naruto's not a demon. A real demon is someone who'd kill a little kid.

Luffy: No way, Naruto is my friend. I'm not gonna let you kill him. Besides, having a demon sealed inside of him is so cool!

Momo: I refuse to let you do such an unspeakable thing, Mizuki! No, I will protect this boy.

Komamura: To think the Fourth Hokage gave his life to save people like you. This boy is a hero and yet you wish to kill him? I will not allow you to harm this boy. Not only is he like me, but it would be wrong of me to stand by and let this happen.

The response to Inari, in order…

Whitebeard: And you think crying is going to change anything, brat? How foolish! Let me tell you something, brat, the world is a harsh place, it's no place for someone like you.

Ace: You think you've suffered, kid, you don't know the meaning of it. Ever had your very existence cursed by an entire government?

Orihime: You're wrong, as long as there are people willing to fight back, there will always be heroes. That's why there's never a reason to give up!

Bartolomeo: There are still heroes in this world, I know several. 9 of them are pirates, and 3 others are just super cool people.

Halibel: While I won't deny that a hierarchy exists between the strong and the weak, the weak can always overtake the strong if they come together.

Apacci: I haven't suffered, huh? I haven't been treated like dirt? Ever been hunted just because people think you're easy prey, kid? Didn't think so.

Mila Rose: We've all been through rough times at some point, kid. The key is to come back stronger than ever.

Starrk: Look, it's not like I want to fight. But if I don't fight, nothing's gonna get better. Sometimes you need to do what's right in order to make things better.

Lillynette: Starrk may be lazy, but he's right. Crying won't solve anything, kid.

Ichigo: I've put blood, sweat, and tears into getting stronger, Inari. Don't you ever tell me that it's for nothing!

Natsu: You're wrong! Sometimes, there are things in this world that can beat the strong. It's that emotion you feel, the power of feelings, and that's stronger than any power you can possibly have. It's the strength to never give up, and believe that you can win no matter what!

Luffy: I'm not wasting my time at all. One day, everything I do is gonna pay off, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!

Momo: There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, Inari, you just have to keep looking for it.

Komamura: Why you…I don't know what it means to be treated like dirt? Look at my face, brat! Look at my face, and ask yourself if I really don't know what that's like!

To Guest 14, well, technically they are still human, they're just souls of humans. Thanks for telling me about the manga chapters by the way. Happy New Year to you too.

To Guest 3, that…is a secret.

To The Free-loader, as I've mentioned before, I'm not entirely sure if her Bankai can tell friend and foe very well (when she used it on Äs, Byakuya was just out of the radius, as I think it effects anyone in front of her for a certain area), so that was part of the reason on Rukia. As for the implications, I've shown you some of the results (that includes the plans for Nirvana). And thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot to me.

To Anaklusmos, that would be rather interesting.

To PhoenixOfApocalypse, it works on Mages and Soul Reapers, but not Pirates unless they develop a Chakra network, Eternanos, or Spirit Energy. Kakashi possesses Kamui's intangibility but he does not have the mastery Obito had and therefore cannot use it as well.

To TheSolInvictus, in order.

The Gotei 13 would view Madara's and Obito's as a threat to the balance they keep and the destruction of free will, although they will respect Obito for changing his mind. They would sympathize with Nagato, but ultimately disagree.

Fairy Tail would be furious, as they thrive on free will. They would also disagree with Nagato, citing the fact that showing people similar pain accomplishes nothing.

Ichigo's group would heavily disagree with all of them, especially Ichigo who immediately expresses a desire to protect everyone from Madara, Obito, and Nagato's peace.

The Straw Hats would also be furious, as they thrive on free will.

Urahara would try to point out the dangers of controlling people with Genjutsu or by threatening everyone with pain in order to bring peace.

Other guild members and pirate captains like say, Shanks or Jura would point out the need for free will, and try to explain to Nagato that two wrongs do not make a right.

To I'mthinkingaboutchangingmyname, I'm sorry that the last two chapters disappointed you. Kakashi knew ahead of time the powers of the Logia (as does everyone else), he simply was not certain on whether Kamui would work. He was also certain that he could outlast Kizaru after having fought Tōshirō, Kensei, and Laxus. He didn't use it against Natsu because he didn't want to risk seriously injuring a comrade. Kakashi was low on Chakra by the time it was clear he would lose and getting everyone out would've been next to impossible. Aokiji is with the Coalition, for reasons I will explain later on.

To Guest 4, okay, in order.

Blackbeard: Agh! No, I cannot be fated to die already! What the hell is Gremmy doing?

Zeref: Such a thing still isn't strong enough to kill me…

Madara: Well, this is exciting.

Doflamingo: What the hell does Gremmy think he's doing? That idiot is crazier than I am!

Crocodile: Damn idiot…

Deidara: ART IS AN EXPLOSION!

Hidan: I won't die from this, praise be Jashin!

Kakuzu: Gremmy has more screws loose than Hidan does.

Kisame: Oh crap, that Gremmy kid has gone off the deep end.

Nagato, Sasori, Konan, Itachi, Obito, and Zetsu would not react.

Orochimaru: Damn, I must escape before it hits! Such power though, perhaps I should make him my next vessel!

Kizaru: Whoa, how scary.

Mihawk would not react.

Hordy Jones: As if something from a puny human could kill me!

Magellan would not react.

Caesar would simply give off one of his overdone shocked expressions.

Mard Geer: What does that foolish human think he's doing?

Akainu: If I must fall for the sake of Absolute Justice, than so be it.

Aokiji: Damn, Gremmy's taking things way too far!

Lucci would not react.

Kaku: This isn't fun anymore.

Jabra: Oh crap! What does Gremmy think he's doing?

Blueno would not react, he would simply get in one of his doors.

Kumadori: Yoi yoi! I can finally die right!

Fukuro: Cha pa pa, this is not good! Nobody here wants to die! Jabra still wants to beg for his girlfriend to take him back, cha pa pa!

Kalifa would not react.

Spandam: Somebody save me!

I don't see many of the Nine Demon Gates actually reacting, most of them aren't the fearful type. However…

Silver: Whoa, should've figured Gremmy had a few screws loose.

Franmalth: This mistake will cost him dearly…

Rustyrose: And so, a massive ball of fire comes streaking out of the sky, marking all beneath it for death.

Kain Hikaru would simply scream in fear.

Zancrow: What did that mental idiot do?

The others would not react.

Brain and Midnight would not react.

Cobra: I can hear everyone's fear…and my own fear at that.

Angel: It is time I become an angel…

Racer: Crap, I need to run…

Hoteye: It appears that my days of gathering wealth are over, oh yeah!

Aaroniero, Zommari, and Halibel would not react.

Granz: Now I really want to experiment on him…of course, I'll have to survive this first. Who am I kidding, I'm the perfect being, of course I'll survive.

Grimmjow: When I get out of this I'm going to tear that kid's spine out.

Nnoitra: Gremmy is dead for this!

Ulquiorra: Hmm, it appears that Gremmy has decided to take a more drastic route.

Baraggan: Foolish brat! I cannot die from this!

Starrk: Ah geez, and I was sleeping, too.

Yammy: That kid has really pissed me off!

Aizen and Hades would not react.

To Humbertorojo96, You will see Zangetsu and Zanegetsu, yes.

To Guest 5, one world at a time. This is going to take awhile.

To Guest 6, maybe. I'm going to get things done one at a time though. Or I'll just be overwhelmed.

To Guest 7, it's because of the whole darkness vs. light. They cancelled each other out.

To Guest 8, thank you for the request.

To Guest 9, it was destroyed.

To ActionTReaction, perhaps, but it would be blocked by Konton's anti-resurrection seal.

To Ultra Battle99, well, first I'd have to see what this Clamp is all about. Second, it's really not a trilogy. It's going to be much longer than that. The prologue and this campaign are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. For the record though, it's not silly, you're just making a request and I'll respect it. I won't make any promises, but I'll respect it.

To Guest 10, okay in order.

Response to Chopper

Halibel: I don't particularly enjoy, slaughtering people, Chopper. I simply fight to protect those I hold dear, that includes anyone I consider a comrade. Any new comrade I have is a new comrade who will make my group stronger, for there truly is strength in numbers.

Response to Usopp

Apacci: Oh just admit it, you are scared, you long-nosed wuss.

Mila Rose: Don't be so mean, Apacci, you're afraid of Baraggan's powers too.

Response to Zoro

Apacci and Mila Rose: You were the one who was lost you bastard!

Response to Wendy

Lillynette: Starrk envies the weak because they never have to be alone. It's lonely at the top, Wendy, and Starrk has almost always been at the top, and he hates it.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, see you in about two weeks this time. Peace out!