Hi guys Azza here!

Baranx – I have a basic idea of where the story is heading and create the things within the arcs as I go along. As I demonstrated last chapter when shadow465 asked if Guts could be in there I put him in simply because it fit what I wanted to see so you never know I chuck in fan requested characters all the time though I'll have to do research first since I don't really know who Onaga is I know all the basics from MK like Raiden, Scorpion, Sub Zero, Goro and all the classics but none of the more obscure ones but if I do put Onaga in it will be after I have a good idea of the character since I try to portray them as close as I can to the original.

And hey feel free to ask anytime I've got no problem answering stuff as I'm sure you've seen me with replies that take up a page and then some in some chapters. Always happy to answer any questions or potential requests as long as it's constructive you know haha.

Shadow465 – Glad I did him justice I was seriously sweating bullets wondering if I portrayed him right. I figured that putting him in the Berserk Armor combined with Dragon Slayer would be the best bet since he's pulled off what I consider to be his greatest feats with that combo.

The newspaper stuff will come back I'm just working on an appropriate time to insert it again. As for shards another one is coming just before the time skip.

Now as for what is coming I had to consider answering that one and I suppose there isn't any harm revealing the next location for Vol III. So running with the theme that the Narutoverse has a high level of Gods Aura in it and its very God-centric Vol III will be set in the One Piece Verse with Devils and stuff surrounding that being the main focus.

Now I know some people might think I'm crazy for putting him there after the Narutoverse but there are actually opponents in the One Piece verse that could give Natsu a run for his money plus my unique spin on things will see power scaling work quite differently.

Don't really want to spoil much since it could very well change by the time we get there but the One Piece verse is definitely Vol III confirmed. I've been considering Bleach for Vol IV for quite some time however there were a few characters I'd considered making Servants …

Etherious X – That was the plan, perfect excuse to put in characters who I either couldn't directly visit their verse or couldn't decide if they should be a Devil or not.

So with all that out of the way on with the story!

I do not own Fairy Tail, Naruto or the Nasuverse.

Cracked Bonds

/Valley Of The End/

Natsu and Mordred stepped out of the portal atop the statue of Madara, both could see the fight well enough and decided this would be a safe enough distance to observe the battle that raged between the two former comrades.

"Natsu I hate to sound like a pain but my entire body is killing me so I'm leaning on you."

"I could always take you to get medical attention you know?"

"It will heal I just need a little time," Mordred replied as the two sat down with Mordred resting her head on Natsu's shoulder, her armor replaced with her casual outfit once more now that her fight was over.

Ignoring her Natsu focused on the battle that seemed to have found a momentary pause as both Naruto and Sasuke stood across from each other panting quite heavily. Countless kunai and shuriken littered the side of the cliff and the bottom of the lake and it appeared the two were fresh out forcing them to rely on their own skills.

"Let's see how you stack up Naruto."

Down on the water's surface Naruto wiped some blood from his mouth as he raised his last remaining kunai in a defensive stance.

"I never thought you'd be this strong Naruto, you've gotten quite strong under Natsu's tutelage," Sasuke said as he adjusted his footing slightly.

"Just as you have with all that one on one time you got with Kakashi," Naruto replied which Sasuke had the decency to look down at his words.

"True he didn't have a right to play favourites I see that now though I won't defend his actions nor will I defend my own, I'll take any training that is offered to me as would any self respecting shinobi."

"I suppose I can sympathize with that," Naruto said as he created several Shadow Clones without hand seals. "Before we continue I wanna know something, did Natsu Sensei confront you before I arrived?"

Sasuke paused as he and Naruto unblinkingly stared at each other, his initial thought was to simply admit it but he was then forced to consider the supposed favour he had done for him. After a few seconds of thought he sighed and decided it would be better to simply tell the truth, Natsu preached that didn't he?

"Yes he did."

"And he let you go?"

"He said he had several reasons to and he also did something to hurt Orochimaru should he try anything against me."

"But why would he let you leave the village!"

"His reasons aren't mine to say Naruto you'd have to ask him yourself but I will say this," Sasuke said as he prepared for the next round of fighting. "If there was anyone in the village who could understand pain better than you or I then it would be him."

"What-?"

"Enough talk Naruto I'm falling behind and the rest of the Konoha nin will be here soon," Sasuke said sharply snapping him back to attention.

"Naruto you know Natsu doesn't do something without good reason and becoming distracted by the thought of why he did will only lead to the Uchiha escaping."

"F-fine then but I will be asking him next time we speak and you'd better back me up!"

Kurama simply grumbled in response as Naruto returned his focus to Sasuke as the pair circled each other. It was at the moment the two came back to their original positions that Sasuke quickly realized something crucial he'd overlooked.

'The clones-!'

An explosion went off in the water directly beneath him sending him flying into the air allowing him to come face to face with several other clones that were standing along the side of the cliff weaving hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fox Fire Jutsu!"

Sasuke was shocked as all four clones each fired nine massive tail shaped blasts of flame directly at him as he dodged and flipped through the air to narrowly avoid them. Landing on the water's surface once more he took off toward the real Naruto who had already summoned more clones forcing him to mow each and every one of them down in order to reach the original.

The second he arrived in front of the real Naruto he blocked a punch to the chest and a kick to the side of his head before being knocked backward by a follow up kick to the chest. Flipping and weaving several hand signs in the air Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Sasuke spat out a massive fireball that easily dwarfed the ones Naruto had seen him perform in the past forcing him to summon several clones to throw him out of the way as he narrowly avoided the powerful attack.

Sasuke used the momentum he'd gained from falling and landed a blow to the top of Naruto's head before landing a knee to his face sending him stumbling backward slightly dazed. Pivoting he attempted to trip Naruto however Naruto managed to jump over it and flip over Sasuke landing two blows to his back as the Uchiha grit his teeth.

"What style of Taijutsu do you even use?"

"It doesn't really have a name since it's a combination of several styles," Naruto replied as he blocked several punches and kicks before jumping backward separating the pair momentarily.

"The old you wouldn't have stood a chance against the Uchiha Style."

"Yeah well times change Sasuke and we all grow stronger alongside it, I'm sure if you asked Natsu Sensei he'd be willing to teach you too, you don't have to go to Orochimaru Sasuke!"

"He probably would teach me if I asked," Sasuke replied as Naruto was about to speak only to be cut off. "But this is something I have to do for myself."

"Sasuke …"

"I've always had things handed to me simply because I asked or because I threw my name around, I had the ear of the Council and not even the Hokage bothered me. All this time they fawned over me, gave me anything I wanted out of pity and to for their own selfish desires."

"The Council has always been out for themselves but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Danzo was on that Council Naruto, the man that has most of if not all the answers and now he's with Orochimaru. You never had any parents Naruto, never had any family so you could never understand what it's like knowing that one of the conspirators to their murder had been dangling himself in front of your face for most of your life!"

"Try having the entire village torturing and attempting to kill you on a near daily basis because they believe you to be the second coming of Kyuubi," Naruto shot back as Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"That's different."

"How, we both have suffered greatly because of things beyond our control!"

"But are you suffering now Naruto because until I've brought all those responsible to justice my suffering will never end!"

"This morning the Council tried to have me executed when they found out Natsu was away from the village," Naruto said softly as Sasuke's expression shifted slightly to that of surprise.

"What!"

"They still hate me Sasuke, despite what I've done the majority of the village still sees me as a threat that needs to be put down before it grows strong enough to escape control."

"But surely Natsu wouldn't allow-!"

"Natsu won't always be here Sasuke, earlier today proved that to me as he came to stop them. He told me that had I been sentenced it would have been execution for me, obviously I would've fought tooth and nail to avoid that fate but what can you do when the entire village sees nothing but the beast?"

"…"

"So in a way Sasuke we are quite alike, I've been forced to hide my true self in order to protect myself which in turn stunted my growth and had slowly begun to drive me to the breaking point. Had Natsu not arrived I don't know how much longer I'd have lasted before snapping …"

"Then why bother staying in the village if they all want you dead!"

"If I ran … if I fled from my problems it would spit in the faces of the people who have been there for me," Naruto replied with a small smile. "Iruka Sensei, Natsu Sensei, Pervy Sage and even old man Third I'd be essentially throwing away everything they gave me."

"But is that worth the price of suffering Naruto?"

"To me being there for those who've been there for me is something I'd suffer through the fires of hell and back if it would but bring a smile on their faces for even a moment."

"You truly were alone weren't you …"

"It's why I'm here now Sasuke to stop you from making a mistake you'll come to regret. I get that you want to avenge your family but there are better ways to go about it!"

"Perhaps," Sasuke said softly as he jerked his neck violently to one side as black markings began to appear across his body. "But this is my life and it is mine to choose to do with what I wish Naruto, as grateful as I am for you coming this far for me it simply isn't enough to change my decision!"

"The curse seal is acting up again but something seems off about it, last time a sense of malice came from it but now I don't feel anything other than a strange calmness," Kurama noted as Naruto narrowed his eyes as they turned a slight reddish colour.

"It isn't the same as last time Kurama it's almost as if someone has modified it."

Kurama hummed in thought as he analysed what Naruto was seeing immediately realizing it was Natsu's work and wondering what his plan was.

"I don't want to use this against you Naruto but you aren't an ordinary opponent!"

Naruto was about to access Kurama's power when he felt the Gravity Seals placed on him switch off making his body feel much lighter.

"Kurama did you-?"

"Go."

Naruto turned to face Sasuke who was standing across from him, the water around him letting off slight sparks as he shot off towards Naruto hitting Naruto's guard only to be forced to block a knee to the gut with his free hand.

"You were holding back!"

"My Gravity Seals have been released," Naruto replied simply as he and Sasuke continued to trade blow after blow as they danced around each other simply waiting for an opening to appear on either side.

"You kept training with them then?"

Naruto nodded stiffly as he blocked a punch and retaliated with a kick to the side of Sasuke's head which the Uchiha blocked with his forearm. "Of course I wasn't about to turn down the training of someone who was actually willing to see me for me."

'And what training it was Naruto, I doubt you've truly noticed how impressive your speed has become. If I didn't have the Sharingan …'

Sasuke's musings were cut short as the two met each other's fists bouncing back slightly as the pair each placed their back foot down firmly and went in to throw another punch, narrowly missing each other's fists and punching each other in the face knocking each other down with only their chakra to support them on the water's surface.

Sasuke quickly recovered and leapt back a considerable distance, landing and rising to his full height as Naruto did the same. The two again met each other's gaze as Sasuke held out his right hand and placed his left over his arm.

Naruto watched as the sound of chirping birds met his sensitive ears, blue Lightning began to crackle in the Uchiha's hand as Naruto raised his own right hand as the Wind began to pick up and a sphere began to form.

"Are you sure you want to go this far Sasuke?"

"I told you Naruto that my path is my own, I won't back down."

Naruto stiffly nodded to the Uchiha accepting that mere words wouldn't be enough to bring Sasuke back, only through fists could he truly get his point across.

As if on some unspoken cue the pair took off towards each other almost dragging their attacks behind them before meeting up at the centre of the lake as they both raised the attacks to meet each other without a word.

Natsu's eyes narrowed honing in on the two attacks noting the power each one contained. Naruto's Rasengan was easily the strongest one he'd produced yet not including the one he beat Gaara with and Sasuke's modified version of Kakashi's Lightning Blade was also lethal in its own way.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

The two attacks met and Natsu winced as a loud grinding sound assaulted his ears, looking over to Mordred he realized she had fallen asleep from fatigue and decided to let her be for the moment.

"Her loss," was all Natsu said as he watched Naruto and Sasuke struggle for supremacy.

The two attacks were equal in power however it was their design that would ultimately decide who would win the clash. The Chidori as Sasuke had dubbed it was the textbook definition of an unstoppable force designed to punch through even the most armoured targets. The Rasengan however whilst having offensive capabilities was in its nature defensive, a swirling mass of power still left untapped it merely was waiting for someone to give it form and thus was the immovable object.

The two teens grit their teeth as the attacks pushed against one another with a level of ferocity rarely seen in the Leaf since the Third Great Ninja War. Attacks with intent, attacks with purpose, attacks with the potential for lethality should they land.

And land one of these attacks did as Sasuke's Chidori found its way toward the outer edge of Naruto's Rasengan and subsequently bouncing off and found its home in Naruto's chest.

Naruto was shocked as the Rasengan dissipated however it was Sasuke who was even more alarmed not having actually intended to land a fatal blow with the attack as he swiftly ripped his hand free from Naruto's chest revealing a rather large hole in its place.

"Sa…skue," Naruto gasped as he fell flat on his face floating face down in the lake as the water below quickly turned blood red due to the profusely bleeding wound.

"Naruto I-!"

Sasuke paused and turned his back on what he assumed was Naruto's now dead body as he began to walk away suppressing any shred of emotion he would have otherwise unleashed at that moment.

"Is that all you can do Naruto, the village did worse to you?"

"Maybe I should let him go, clearly he's dead set on leaving Konoha so maybe I should let him leave?"

"What is this, where has all your former courage vanished to! You really want the Uchiha to end up in the den of that snake to be nothing more than another experiment or puppet!"

"Of course not! But Natsu Sensei seems to be letting him go so maybe-?"

"Stop thinking about what Natsu would do, stop thinking about what anyone else has, will or would do and focus on yourself boy! You brought us here to this valley to stop Sasuke Uchiha from heading to Orochimaru and after one blow you call it quits!"

"Kurama …"

"If you don't put your all into bringing him back I guarantee you that you'll regret it for the rest of your days. If you truly want Sasuke back then get up and use everything to bring him in!"

"But if I use everything-!"

"The Uchiha is still holding back quite a bit as well Naruto all that happened was that a lucky blow was landed in the heat of battle."

"Are you sure I should do this?"

"The real question is are you," Kurama responded as Naruto began to feel Sasuke's signature leave and a determined expression wormed its way onto his face.

Sasuke was almost to the edge of the lake when he heard the sound of splashing and turned around to find Naruto standing on his feet almost at full height as he looked at his right arm seemingly deep in thought.

"I think I understand you Sasuke … but understanding the reason behind someone's actions doesn't justify them and so-."

Sasuke watched as Naruto's slightly red eyes began to darken slightly until they were an almost crimson red colour like his Sharingan except his irises were slits instead of tomoe. Around his body a thin crimson aura began to form as the outline of a tail appeared trailing behind him.

"-I'll use everything," Naruto growled as he grit his teeth revealing them to have become sharper and more elongated.

"The power of the fox," Sasuke said in all but a whisper. "He can actually use its power?"

Naruto took a rather erratic step forward that gave of a strange maddening vibe as he constantly twitched and licked his lips with his eyes darting around seemingly looking for something until they locked onto Sasuke once more.

"I won't let you go to Orochimaru!"

Deep within Sasuke he felt a string of emotions, he was touched and almost joyful someone cared this much however other emotions began to surface that brought the beginnings of a scowl to his face.

"Why," he muttered just loud enough to make the strange ears above Naruto's head twitch. "Why are you doing this, why go so far for someone like me!"

"You ask why as if you don't already know, Sasuke."

In truth Sasuke already knew but he vehemently denied any association with the word, that which would grant him a weakness, something he needed to eradicate if he was to ever face his brother again.

"Friendship," Sasuke growled as his skin began to darken. "You go this far because you see us as … friends?"

"The bond we share Sasuke is something hard fought, cultivated over time, trial and triumph," Naruto explained in a slightly less savage sounding tone. "I've never been good at forging connections with others so I'll fight to the end to maintain the ones I do get … even if it kills me."

Naruto watched with an almost saddened gaze as Sasuke sprouted two greyish coloured wings from his back which ripped away his Uchiha branded shirt as black Lightning began to crack in the air around him.

"How dare you … how dare you declare such a thing, YOU DON'T KNOW ME, YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY PAIN AND SUFFERING!"

"I know of pain and of suffering, though they aren't the same I can still understand more than most. The path you are heading down Sasuke is one that Natsu saved me from, you want to kill those who wronged your clan and I get that but it will ultimately ruin you in the end."

"Ruin me," Sasuke replied surprisingly calm as he raised his arm out towards Naruto before clenching it firmly. "If that is what it takes to restore the Uchiha name and remove the stain upon its honour then so be it."

"The boy has begun falling Naruto, the longer the fight drags on the further he will begin to solidify these beliefs."

Naruto growled as the Wind began to pick up around Naruto's right hand as a bluish coloured blade began to form reaching all the way to the water's surface.

"Devil's Wind Style: Rasentan."

"A blade made of pure Wind Element," Sasuke said as he held out his own hand and an almost matching blade instantly zapped into his hand with a loud crack. "Lightning Style: Chidori Lightning Nodaichi."

Natsu was no longer sitting back casually observing but was now inwardly panicking from the sudden increase in power he was detecting from the pair. The weapons they had just produced were even more lethal than their previous attacks not to mention with Naruto harnessing at least a Tails worth of Kurama's own power and Sasuke using the modified Curse Seal this fight was about to get ugly fast.

"You cannot interfere."

Natsu snapped his neck to his free shoulder and saw Eliza gazing down at the sight with a contemplative look in her eyes.

"You can feel it can't you, from your training with the Master and Felicity?"

"Yes."

"I've spoken with our recently ordained Lady Fate; Khaleesa has confirmed this is a fixed thread as has Felicity."

"But they're kids Eliza!"

"As were you once, Scarlione during the year X79-."

"Don't," Natsu said putting a hand up to silence her. "I'm in no mood for a trip down memory lane right now when I have to watch these two fight in what has now devolved into a battle of wills that will likely kill one of them."

"Now you understand how the rest of us felt watching you fight against the countless horrors you fought."

Natsu didn't comment and simply returned to observing not noticing as Eliza sat down next to him with thoughts of her own running through her mind.

'If only he knew the future these two have yet to experience, a shame he is involved or I'd tell him in a heartbeat if it could alleviate his suffering he goes through far too much of it these days.'

Back on the water's surface Naruto and Sasuke both stood opposite each other with their elemental blades held at forty five degree angles as they slowly began running toward each other picking up speed as they went until finally clashing at the centre of the lake as slicing winds and black sparks shot out from the clashing weapons.

Sasuke's wings moved to attack Naruto however the earlike protrusions atop Naruto's head formed into hands and held them back locking the pair into place until they both pushed against each other hard enough to push each other back slightly.

Sasuke was the first to counterattack as he tried a horizontal slash only for Naruto to duck under it and try a thrust attack which Sasuke avoided by flapping his wings and propelling himself backward slightly.

"Devil's Wind Style: Razor Wind!"

Making slashing motions in the air Naruto released several swift blasts of air that Sasuke was forced to block using his blade pushing him further into the air before prompting him to retaliate with his own attack.

"Lightning Style: Nodaichi Raigo!"

Pointing his blade at where Naruto was standing the Jinchuuriki immediately jumped out of the way of a bolt of Lightning that was fired directly from the blade followed by several more.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Several clones of Naruto appeared all wielding the same sword as they began firing more Razor Wind's at Sasuke who parried or dodged them all before swiftly flying down and slicing two clones in half.

With his left hand Sasuke covered it in black Lightning and pierced the chest of another clone before quickly spinning around and blocking a downward strike from the real Naruto.

"Tch."

Sasuke found himself blown back as two fists made impact with his gut sending him flying and impaling him into the nearby cliff as he looked at Naruto who appeared to be almost snarling at him.

'So this is the power of the Nine Tailed Fox …'

"The Uchiha certainly has some interesting skills doesn't he?"

"That attack doesn't look like it did much to him though, perhaps his skin hardened when it changed colour?"

"Don't quote me on this kid but from what I can sense that Curse Mark Orochimaru placed on Sasuke is eerily similar to the Snake Sage Mode, not completely but it is close enough to what I would call a replica of sorts."

"A replica of Sage Mode, could such a thing truly exist?"

"When I felt the power before it had Orochimaru's signature all over it so it was harder to tell however now that Natsu played around with it a little and removed all the Orochimaru-centric parts I can feel Nature Energy coming from that power."

"And since Nature Energy is what allows someone to reach the level of a Sage you think that Sasuke is using a base form of Sage Mode?"

"Close but not quite. To use Sage Mode you have to understand that which you are embodying and the snakes are probably the last group to allow someone to freely give that kind of power away. So I believe what we're looking at here is the Curse Mark acts as a kind of container that stores and absorbs the Nature Energy only being released at the request of the person with the mark or its creator."

"As much as it pains me to admit it if there was anyone who could come up with something that crazy it would be Orochimaru."

Naruto frowned as Sasuke ripped himself free of the rock wall and landed gracefully on the water's surface as his blade zapped back to his hand in a moment before being pointed at Naruto.

The two rushed toward each other locking blades as they met each other's gaze again and began trading a series of blows sending sparks and razor sharp wind out in all directions with neither one gaining the upper hand.

"Who taught you swordsmanship Naruto, time was you could barely even use your fists correctly?"

"You know who taught me Sasuke," Naruto growled back as the pair continued to trade blows as rain began to fall with roar of constant thunder being the only other sound than the two elemental blades meeting each other creating loud cracking noises.

Both Naruto and Sasuke had been fighting for some time and it had been taking a toll on their reserves, Naruto's wound had also been hindering him in the fight as he avoided placing pressure on it by choosing to block from different angles and pressing the attack only at key moments.

The pair traded one last blow each channelling as much Wind and Lightning as they could into their swings and the moment their attacks met the overcharged blades exploded in their hands sending them flying backward to opposite ends of the lake as they smashed into the surrounding rocks on either side.

There was a minutes silence as naught but the dust from where the two teens had landed stirred and the thunder above roared as witness to their fight. The two boys slowly began to get up and were both heavily wounded with Sasuke covered in lacerations across his wings, chest and face from the Wind and some burn marks from the Lightning.

Naruto had several slash marks across his upper body and his jacket and undershirt had been torn to shreds with the rest still burning on him though he was too focused on getting back to the fight to care.

Both boys were bleeding heavily from their wounds however neither refused to back down as Sasuke held out his hand with black Lightning beginning to form in his right hand. Naruto copied his motion and a crimson sphere appeared and the two took off toward each other running alongside the cliff face and jumping off at the divide toward each other.

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

To the pair everything seemed to go in slow motion as they brought their two final attacks in front of them as they met in the centre of the waterfall beneath the statues of Madara and Hashirama.

"Cursed Chidori!"

"Vermillion Rasengan!"

The two attacks met and almost immediately sent shockwaves out either side as a black and crimson aura clashed with two attacks at their centre. Naruto and Sasuke had looks of pure fury in their eyes as they each tried to force the opposing attack back without success.

"With this power I can win Naruto!"

"I won't allow it to end in your win Sasuke, it won't end this way!"

Naruto began to suddenly push an enormous amount of power into his attack which shocked Sasuke, until Naruto faltered. His previous chest wound had come back to haunt him as he angled his body the wrong way and felt nothing but agonizing pain causing him to momentarily lose concentration.

A moment was all Sasuke needed as he managed to pierce through Naruto's Rasengan and again pierce his chest leaving a second hole within it. This time however Sasuke's eyes were wide as he looked down to see Naruto's other hand with what looked eerily similar to a chakra scalpel piercing his stomach as the two fell down to the bottom of the waterfall.

Naruto hit the ground first as he landed on a rock face first with Sasuke ungracefully landing on the rock opposite in shock as he clutched his stomach in a mixture of shock and sadness as the Curse Seal regressed him back to normal.

Even after two holes to the chest and landing front first into the rocks from such a height Naruto looked up at Sasuke and extended a hand to him to which the Uchiha's lip quivered.

"Sa…sk..."

Naruto went limp as Sasuke stared at Naruto's now unconscious form in shock. He didn't move for several minutes as he processed exactly what had just occurred until finally he placed a hand atop his Leaf headband and ripped it off.

"For what it's worth I truly am sorry … Naruto," Sasuke said as he grabbed one of the kunai that happened to land nearby and sliced a straight line through the middle of the Leaf insignia and placed the headband next to his unconscious form.

Slowly turning around Sasuke stumbled away leaving Naruto alone at the bottom of the waterfall bleeding out as Natsu turned to Eliza.

"It has passed, go to him."

Gently picking up Mordred and handing her to Eliza the pair warped down to the bottom of the valley and Natsu quickly rushed to Naruto, turning him over and gasping.

"My God," he choked as he looked at Naruto's bloodied and beaten form. "He truly did use everything he had."

"It was a remarkable battle for one so young," Eliza murmured as Natsu gently picked Naruto up and the group warped back to the Leaf with Naruto appearing directly in front of Tsunade who launched out of her chair in shock.

"Natsu what the hell is the big-!"

Tsunade froze as she saw Naruto's form before looking up into Natsu's eyes and saw nothing but tears.

"Save him!"

Without a word Tsunade nodded and ordered him to get them to the hospital immediately, opening a portal she appeared and within a minute had Naruto on a stretcher being wheeled away as she prepared to try and save his life leaving Natsu sitting in the waiting room visibly shaking as he continued to see Naruto's broken form.

"Father …"

"What have I done Aava, I could have stopped this!"

"Remember what Eliza said before Father, what occurred down there was ordained by Time and Fate, a fixed point."

"But I gave Sasuke that power Aava, the regular Curse Seal wouldn't have granted him that much power and yet I gave it to him and he used it to try and kill Naruto!"

"You couldn't have known Father …"

"I should've known I should've done something!"

"As much as I don't want to interrupt your moping I need you," Kurama's voice echoed inside Natsu's head prompting Natsu to freeze. "My power can only go so far in terms of healing so I need yours as well, open a connection to me and I will send it to where it needs to go."

Without question Natsu did as instructed by Kurama allowing him full access to his power as he sat and prayed that Naruto would be alright.

"I'm sure Naruto will be alright Father he's been through quite a lot and from what he's told us the villagers have done stuff like this to him for years."

As morbid as it was Natsu actually took comfort in that knowledge, grim comfort that the torture poor Naruto had gone through as a child from the villagers would finally serve a purpose.

"Excuse me Lord Natsu?"

Natsu slowly raised his head and saw Shizune standing in front of him with a concerned look in her eyes as his initially hostile gaze softened.

"Yes Shizune is Naruto alright?"

"Lady Tsunade basically sent everyone out of the room once she saw the full extent of his injuries saying that there was only one way she could fix him and it wasn't for us to see so …"

"I see," Natsu sighed. "So what do you need?"

"I couldn't help but notice that you are also covered in blood and … well part of your face is um, how do I put this exactly, hanging off."

Natsu looked at her slightly confused as she pulled out a small mirror for him to look at his reflection and he realized that he hadn't healed his face from when Guts relentlessly smashed his head into the ground.

"Ah I forgot about that," Natsu sighed as Shizune watched in fascination as his face seemed to simply fix itself almost instantly although the dried blood remained.

"So that is the famous regeneration ability I've heard about?"

"Yes … wish Naruto had access to it right now though."

"Naruto is a strong kid he'll pull through," Shizune said supportively when an idea popped into her head. "How about you visit Yugao she's on this floor?"

Seeing a momentary spark in his eyes was all Shizune needed to pull him up and drag him down the corridor towards a private room where a sleeping Yugao lay, bandages wrapped securely around her eyes.

"I'll come inform you of any updates regarding Naruto," Shizune said kindly as she closed the door leaving Natsu alone with Yugao in the dimly lit room.

Looking at her bandaged eyes he couldn't believe that Sasuke gave her those eyes, the same kid who just left two holes in Naruto's chest and left him to die at the bottom of the valley. How should he approach the Uchiha next time he saw him, would he kill him, put him in the same state or let him go in repayment for what he'd done for Yugao?

Taking weary steps toward the bed he felt pain in his head as the room flickered to that of one he remembered from long ago. There was his past self sitting at the bedside of Wendy after she had been viciously attacked by Azuma of Grimoire Heart.

"Why am I seeing this now," he wondered aloud as he saw Erza and Elise in the background watching him with sad looks of their own. "What is there to be gained of looking in the past at such a horrid memory?"

"This isn't a memory Father, we've gotten stuck between two points again just like that time during the Chunin Exams."

"This can't be mere coincidence?"

"Perhaps not, maybe there is a reason why we keep slipping between the two realities?"

As he looked around the other time he couldn't help but smile seeing the whole Tenrou Team gathered around the campsite. His smile faltered as he suddenly found himself back in the hospital room with Yugao however though it returned when he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Perhaps it is a reminder Aava?"

"A reminder, lapsing between two realities is a reminder?"

"Perhaps it is a reminder to appreciate what I have in the present and protect it with the lessons of the past. When Wendy was beaten down it finally broke her free from her shell and allowed her to fully embrace what she would grow into, perhaps Naruto too will finally shed the cocoon he had wrapped himself in and grow into the man he was always destined to become?"

"I hope that is the case Father I really do," Aava said softly as Natsu took a seat at Yugao's bedside mentally reassuring himself that what he thought was indeed the case.

It had to be, for his sake.

Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!