A Mortal God

Lahar had his eyes wide. This was a disaster. This was seriously a huge problem. He had known there had been an emergency when Doranbolt called him. But Lahar hadn't expected to see the Headquarters of the Magic Council in smokes. This was the second time the Council was being destroyed under his watch. The first incident had been when Ultear betrayed it. This was worse though. There was nothing left. Most likely, the members of the Council were all dead or would be killed if they were not careful. Without the Council, even if it was temporary, they could not do anything and dark guilds would surely revel in this. They would rejoice now that they were able to do whatever they wanted.

He looked around and found Doranbolt sitting by himself. He walked over to the man with a stern look on his face. "What happened here?"

"I was giving my report to the chairman when they appeared," Doranbolt. "It is Tartaros. They will start hunting other members of the Council now."

Lahar had thought this much but he hadn't thought that the dark guild would make a move on the Council. This was dangerous. What could they do though? They didn't even have much information on the Dark Guild. "How did you survive?"

"The chairman told me to escape," Doranbolt said. "We need help, Lahar. We can't allow Tartaros to get away with this. Who knows what they are planning with this?"

"Whatever it is, it is nothing good," Lahar grunted. "I know someone who might know something about them. No, I am positive that he knows something…" Naruto had made it his mission to destroy Dark Guilds. He surely came across Tartaros along the way. He hadn't even denied knowing something the last time they spoke.

But would the blond tell him anything? No, he had to tell him something. The situation was dire and they could not just sit back. He could not turn a blind eye on this. Naruto wouldn't either. But Lahar was quite positive that the blond would be happier that the Council was gone. They had been going after him after all. It was a problem. He surely would have his doubts if Naruto decided to take part in the reforming of the council. It would be naïve of him to think that Naruto didn't have his intentions when he did his things. But then again, so did Doranbolt.

Doranbolt turned to face Lahar. He knew the man had connections with Naruto. It wasn't questionable since the blond was one of the Wizards Saints, but on another angle, there was something happening between the two. "You must be speaking about Naruto."

Lahar nodded. "He had been destroying Dark Guilds before. He should know something about them…" he said. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of asking members of Oracion Seis for information. They are closest to the alliances so they should know something." He said.

Lahar frowned; more prisoners. It was bad enough that they had Jellal and Ultear running around. They didn't want those out as well. There would be no order in this world. "They will most likely demand to be freed in exchange for providing this information."

Doranbolt nodded calmly. "Which is why I suggest we follow your lead. If nothing comes out of it, we will do it my way," he said.

"I will try to get in touch," Lahar said. "What is going to happen now?"

"There are ways to deal with such issues. Retired members of the Council will know what to do," Doranbolt said. "But there will be a reform and it isn't something we can do anything about. You have to think that there are still the Ten Wizard Saints."

Lahar nodded. There was really nothing they could do except for fighting Tartaros. And fight the Guild they will. The Council had even given him orders to look into the guild. But they would need that man's power. Tartaros was at the top of the food chain with regards to dark guilds. They had to do something about them. Perhaps Naruto would be willing to play his role. If not, they would have to put a job request to legal guilds to get them to help with this issue. The magic world was surely not going to stand still and watch such events unfold without trying to take part.

"We just have to do what we must," Lahar said. "I will contact you as soon as I have learned something. It won't be long though. But I am positive I will learn something."

Doranbolt nodded. "I would like to be with you but I must also go somewhere…" he said. "We must move quickly." He paused for a moment before asking. "Do you know that the chairman had me investigate the royal family for the use of black magic connected to Zeref?"

Lahar displayed his surprise at this news. It was certainly news to him. "I didn't know…" he said with a shake of his head. "Were you giving him the report about it?"

"Yes…" Doranbolt said. "The royal family does have a history. After what happened when the Tenrou Island issue occurred, I was afraid that they might suggest turning Etherion towards Mercurios." That would be regardless of whether innocent people would be caught within the capital city. There was no justice in that, and that is why he had felt they didn't need to do so.

Lahar frowned deeply. Back then, the Council had been debating about wiping out Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart with Etherion. They didn't care if innocent people got caught in the crossfire. As long as they achieved their target, nothing else mattered. "Nothing bad came out I hope," he said.

Doranbolt shook his head. "No," he said. "But I know they do use black magic. This was the conclusion of the Council after the last Grand Magic Games…"

"Why didn't they do something then?"

"I handled it," Doranbolt bolt said without elaborating. "I guess this time around, they were just curious because Naruto is around the place."

Unknown Location

Naruto held out his right hand, his index finger glowing with magic. He scribed within the air as magic seals formed. He could understand why fuinjutsu was such a deadly art. You could do anything with seals. Even when you had little chakra, you could still use some powerful ninjutsu by storing away when they are directed towards you. You could then use them in a battle. It was sort of something like what Tenten used to do with her sealing scrolls. Fuinjutsu was special and in this world, runes were truly something else. Still, like in his world, this was something that not everyone was able to practise – a truly complex form of power that requires experience and concentration.

He sighed and snapped his fingers causing the seal to dispel.

"For someone who is as powerful as you are, you never truly do stop learning, do you?" Jellal said as he walked towards Naruto along with Ultear.

"You never do stop learning," Naruto said calmly. "Things are always changing every day; the way we think changes; customs and society changes. New ideas come and we must adapt. Magic skills don't always remain the same. What was famous today becomes something lost in the future. You can always improve by learning something. I think that no matter how powerful you are, you cannot stand back and think you have learned everything, there is always something you can learn."

Perhaps what he feared the most was someone rising to challenge him. He feared there being someone stronger than him. Yes, a challenge was needed, but if someone becomes more powerful and he is unable to do anything against them, what would be the purpose of living? What could he even do in that world when there was someone more powerful? It was not the will of the weak that was pushed in society. Those in power and authority were the ones who drove the agenda and the direction. Naruto didn't want things to come to a point where he was unable to influence anything. This is why he wanted to continue learning. Why he wanted to improve himself.

Ultear looked at Naruto oddly before speaking. "Not everyone is like you; some people have certain boundaries they cannot break. Well, that has to do with being a mortal person." She frowned at the thought – it was deeply displeasing being a mere mortal.

Naruto glanced over and Ultear for a moment before staring at into the sky. "Humans will always try to fly, but no matter how high we go, we will always return to this ground. We will always come back to the ground because that is where we belong. We want to live in the skies, but that is for birds and the things that fly. But even they do not fly forever. Someday, their wings give up and they land on a tree. That is life and we have to do deal with it.

"We always want to break through our shells, we want to step up and go places we never went before. We are curious beings, but we are limited. We do not live forever. Certainly, if we were able to live forever, we would be able to reach our goals one day. But because of time, because our bodies are fragile, we must end one day. I will also reach my end. I have my limits as well, and I will end somewhere. Admittedly, there are some places I cannot reach – At least for now."

Ultear looked amused upon hearing this. "That is surprising, even you have some things you cannot do," she said.

"Don't be like that, dear," Naruto said with a blank look on his face. "It was hard coming into terms with this fact because I once thought that there was nothing I couldn't do. Well, when you exist between life and death, you start thinking like that. You know, being immortal is something that many people have tried to achieve, but they fail. It is rare for one to master life and death, to be able to peer into both worlds."

"I don't think there is anyone who is able to look into both worlds," Jellal said. "You may be immortal but you can never see what is on the other side." He paused before asking. "When is your end?"

Naruto smiled. "Who knows?" He said with a shrug. "I have been working on something that enables you to go beyond your physical limits, and double your magical abilities." He then created a clone.

Curious, Jellal turned towards the clone.

It held its hands together and crossed them across its chest. It muttered a couple of words before marks appeared all over its body. You could see its form turning pale blue, a massive amount of magic being gathered around. The ground below it shattered and then it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jellal blinked and turned towards Naruto with a questioning look.

"Unable to handle it," Naruto said in a quiet tone. "There is a certain level of stress that your body is able to handle. Once you pass that, everything breaks. The spell gathers the magic from the atmosphere; this increases your magic power perhaps by tenfold. It doesn't do that only, but it increases your physical attributes. If you could only jump this high, you'll be able to reach the clouds once the magic is activated. It increases the strength of your spells. It is more like a berserker mode, but you are fully in charge. However, if your body is not strong enough, everything snaps."

"Are you not?"

Naruto shook his head. "Unfortunately, my body isn't that strong. I don't think even if you are immortal, it would give you the capacity to wield the magic. Your body still needs to be physically fit. At this stage, it would require many years of physical conditioning to be able to wield it," he finished with a frown."

"You sound very disappointed."

"Of course, I am," Naruto said. "Perhaps someone wearing the scales of the dragon could handle this. Yes, a dragon itself could handle the stress without any troubles." He said with a shake of his head. "This isn't the reason I brought you here, anyway."

"What is it?"

Naruto looked between the two. He was honestly happy that it had happened. He was happy; he had even grinned happily when he received the report. He stopped short of dancing in pure joy. He would not admit this to anyone; they would certainly question his moral values. But it could not be helped. The Council was gone, dead. Gone in smokes and he no longer had something worry about. He didn't have those hounds trying to gather above him to try to ruin him. Naruto could move freely and he could play his hand in the reforming of the Council. Yes, he was going to do that.

He would build a new council that would be worthy and guided by principles of fairness and justice. He didn't want immoral people with little care to the lives of innocent people handling the weapons of the Council. It would be a disaster if something like that happens.

"Tartaros has destroyed the Magic Council," Naruto said calmly. "Ah, yes, they just pulled something that you did, Ultear. I think this time around, they were much more serious than you. This is just the beginning of things nevertheless. I think there is more coming, which is why you need to be on your toes."

Jellal frowned. they still didn't have much information regarding the damn dark guild. "Are you going to tell us now?"

Naruto held out his right hand and a file appeared in a puff of smoke. He threw it towards Jellal before speaking. "That is just something that I have. I don't know everything and I had been avoiding them. But it seems that there is no choice now but to get to them. We will do that and see what they want."

Ultear was sure that Naruto wasn't sad the Council was destroyed. It wouldn't be far off to even suggest that he had been praying that someone does it. They were making things difficult for him and if they were gone, he had the chance to move things himself. He could do things on his own without them interfering. Perhaps he could even play a hand in the reforming of the Council.

"You are not sad, are you?"

Naruto stared at Ultear with a look of indifference. "Why should I be sad?" He asked in a cold tone. "Those people had no idea what was wrong and what was right. You cannot hold so much power and be in the side of good and yet still do questionable things. The Council sometimes acts as an tyrant. You two should know best since you were once members."

Jellal could never forget those days. Back then, he'd always enjoyed those moments; he had always been a fan of those sparring sessions with other members. They certainly did whatever they wanted without regards to what anyone was saying. What the Council says was wrong, was wrong, anyone who said anything otherwise was dealt with. "Despite the Council's many flaw, we cannot deny its importance in the magic world."

"I never said the Magic Council wasn't important. It is a fundamental pillar that stands before the abuse of magic and against dark forces in this world. it is truly important. This is why the people who form part of the Council must be principled people who know what they are doing," Naruto said in a firm tone. "Without the Council, the Alvarez is now free to attack Ishgar," he said with a shake of his head.

"Last time they were repelled because the Council used Etherion, and if the Council isn't there, they can attack again," Jellal said with a frown. "Are we sure that Tartaros isn't the same thing as the Empire?"

Naruto shook his head. "The Guild is led by demons created by Zeref. But they have no relations with the Alvarez Empire," he said calmly. "Either way, we have two problems. I will keep watch, you guys can move with Tartaros. There are no humans, just demons; we don't have to worry about removing them from this world."

Ultear smiled. "If it is you, you are certainly going to go all out in turning everything to ash as you did before."

"Don't accuse me of such things, my dear," Naruto said, he was still smiling nevertheless. "Demons don't have to be in this world. They have no good intentions anyway. Perhaps you might find some that are good, but anything that is associated with Tartaros must be destroyed. If not, I have a prison for evil things."

"What are you going to do exactly about the Alvarez Empire?" Jellal asked carefully. "You have stated that without the Council, they will launch their attack on Ishgar. I fully agree with you on that point, but we must have a plan in motion to counter their movements."

Naruto stared at Jellal before shaking his head. The man was a member of the Wizard Saints but he was still not strong enough. He had been right to say that these people were weak. He wondered how they would be able to handle the pressure of the powerful wizards from that other side. No, they wouldn't do much. Not in their current level. It was one of the reasons he was trying to develop new forms of magic. But the things he was coming up with could not be used. They could not be used in the coming war because you needed the body preparation to handle the stress. If he had someone like Lee, it wouldn't be a problem. The green clad shinobi could handle the stress.

"Let us be realistic about certain things my friends…" he paused and tilted his head to the side. "It is fine if I call you friends, right? I think we are becoming more than just colleagues."

Jellal nodded with a small smile on his lips. "I think that can work," he said. "Friends, huh? I betrayed my old friends. I used them… but I don't think it will be bad being friends with you."

"Please don't ruin the moment with all the self-loathing. I'm getting tired of it. Yes, you screwed up – badly. But you realize that most of the people you hurt are willing to forgive you if you express remorse. If people forgive you and you continue to hate yourself, you are simply pissing on the forgiveness…" Naruto said in a stern tone.

"That is easy for you to say," Ultear said.

"I don't think so and you know it, my dear," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "The truth is that none of you are any match for the Spriggan 12. You'll be defeated if you face them. Perhaps if you worked together against one member, you could do something, but for now, you can't do anything."

It was unfair that people who wanted to do something good in this world didn't have the power to do anything. The evil bastards were always the strongest and the good guys had to work together to defeat the evil one. When was this script going to be flipped that you had almighty powerful people who protected the innocent and justice?

"Perhaps that is right, but we cannot simply stand aside and say because they are strong, we cannot fight them. We have to try. If we are not going to even try, we may as well be dead," Jellal said in a firm tone.

Naruto smiled upon hearing those words. "Keep hoping like that and make an effort. I assure you, when you die, you will leave with a smile. There is nothing more satisfying than dying knowing that you did everything you could have possibly done…" he said. "I will keep you informed about the empire. For now, focus on Tartaros. You must have some leads, follow them and one day, we will join forces and crush them. It should do well for your Guild. Perhaps you get yourself new recruits."

"We were thinking of following something," Jellal said. "If we are going to war, we will need to get more members in the Guild." He turned towards Ultear and spoke. "Let us move on. We'll meet up with Meredy."

Ultear looked at Jellal for a moment before turning towards Naruto. "I will join you in a couple of minutes; I need to speak with him."

Jellal looked between the two before nodding quietly. "Don't take too long, we have a long journey ahead of us. Tartaros could be planning something even as we speak."

"I won't take long," Ultear said before walking towards Naruto. She stopped in front of him and stared with an unreadable look on her face, eyes almost never blinking.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Something wrong, dear?"

Ultear frowned. "Will you stop calling me that?"

"Why?"

"Do I need to explain things to you? You have a woman that you love and want to have a relationship with… you don't love me. I am not dear to you. Can you just not make me feel like I am dear?"

Naruto smiled. "I have always called you this and you never complained. Why now? Do you want me to love you? Is it because of what happened the other night?"

"There is nothing to speak of about the other night," Ultear said in a sharp tone. "I just never took notice of those little things. I have been around you for a while now, so got used to it. But there was always a boundary we never crossed. We have done that now."

"You are thinking about things too hard, dear. And you are contradicting yourself. Either way, I cannot deny that I do not have that love for you. But what does it matter? You are a miserable person. I once experienced misery and loneliness at some point in my life. I needed someone then. Maybe there are things you cannot share with Jellal or Meredy, but you can with me. If I can at least put a smile on your lips, shouldn't that be enough?"

Alvarez

Was it beyond them destroying the Magic Council? No, of course not. If Tartaros could do it, then they could have done it. It was just perhaps convenient that they stopped after the Council fired Etherion. Besides, it hadn't been counted that the Council would step into the fray to halt their movements. Back then, it was maybe convenient because their Emperor hadn't even been present. Either way, there was no denying that with the Council out of the picture, there was an obstacle out of the way. They would have surely done it themselves if they felt that it was indeed time for them to make a move on Fairy Tail.

For now, Invel was still a bit concerned that they had yet to even find the body of their emperor. There was no telling where Naruto had buried it. They had searched so far, and there was no luck. He didn't want to end up sacrificing God Serena, but if there was nothing they could do, they would have to do something about it. Was there a way to even go about the situation without sacrificing God Serena? The man was a valuable asset to their military strength, no doubt. It wouldn't cripple them to lose him and for the Emperor, it would be worth the sacrifice.

"What are you thinking about?" August asked Invel in a calm tone.

"I'm thinking about our situation and how to get out of it." Invel said. "Time is running out and we still haven't been able to find His Majesty's body. If this doesn't happen, that man won't do anything, at least for now unless we give him Serena. There is no doubt that he is going to kill him if we offer him the 'sacrifice' he demands."

"That would be most unfortunate… can't you just find his body before time runs out?"

"We are not having any luck on that," Irene said. "Perhaps we should have just forced him to do it," she offered with a smile.

"That would have complicated things," Invel said. "What of the issue of Serena? We still haven't decided about it." He was sure that August would be against sacrificing one of their own. Of course, if the choice were to come between Zeref and Serena, they would all choose the former without even question. August insistent would be that they find another way to deal with the issue.

"Why don't we make Naruto choose?" Irene asked. "We could ask him to choose between Serena and protecting what he values."

"What do you have in mind?"

"There are a couple of people that he seems to value, we could get one of them and make him choose between Serena and them. If he is naïve, he will choose to save them rather than taking Serena and we still get Serena." Irene offered. She was positive that Naruto was a person who held attachments to people. He would pay for it dearly.

"If it backfires?"

"We will deal with it," Irene said calmly. "Can we agree on doing this if we can't find Zeref's body? Or perhaps we should do it either way because we are not getting any close. We can't simply just play by his rules."

Fairy Tail

"The moment you appear out of the shadows, something always has to happen," Makarov said to Naruto as the blond walked towards him.

Naruto smiled and sat on a stool beside Erza. He greeted the woman with a smile before turning to Mirajane. He gave her a smile before responding to Makarov while looking at the white haired mage. "You are being cold, old man."

"I'm just stating the facts," Makarov said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Can you believe it Mira?" Naruto asked with fake disbelief. "The master thinks I attract trouble. You are with me on this right? You know that I am a good person who is just being blamed for something that I have no control over."

Mirajane smiled. She was a bit surprised that he was still able to look at her like that while Erza was still sitting beside him. He wasn't sending her glances, shifting his eyes between them even though he was speaking to her. Perhaps he didn't want to make it look like she no longer existed because Erza was around. This was about how a conversation with him would start. Her smile deepened. He was such a pleasant person. It was indeed a pity she could not go back to the past and undo what she did back then.

"Well…" Mira started with a thoughtful look on her face. "Now that you have come out of hiding, things have started to change and are becoming dangerous. It is your power that attracts all this kind of things."

Naruto looked betrayed by Mirajane. "You traitor!" he said before turning to Erza with a charming smile. "You stand with me, right?"

"I think I have to agree with Master on this one," Erza said. "I do think you have no control over it but it still doesn't change that trouble does seem to follow you."

Naruto frowned. Erza seemed a bit too serious. Did she not get that he was being playful? Mirajane got it. Perhaps it was because he had that kind of a relationship with the white haired made. They certainly made light conversations. He was usually on the emotional and serious roller coaster when he was speaking to Erza. He needed to change it. It definitely had to change because there would be no fun there. It would be a boring relationship. Well, there was no guarantee that there would be a relationship, but it was no sin being hopeful, right?

Naruto turned towards Mirajane and asked with a smile on her lips. "Because you think trouble follows me, is this why you refuse to welcome me with the love I demand?"

"Love you demand?" Erza asked curiously. "What is that about?"

Naruto glanced over to Erza before responding. "I asked Mira over here to welcome me with a warm hug just to make sure that I keep coming here to get those warm hugs from her. But she has been stingy with those."

"Erza is here, why don't you ask her?"

Naruto stared at Mirajane before asking. "Do you really want me to suffer?" He asked, causing Mira to laugh at Erza's confused expression.

"I'm sure she has learned a couple of things now," Mira said with a smile.

Naruto looked doubtful. "Last time I had her shake my hand, she nearly crushed it…" he said.

It finally clicked on Erza's mind and she stared at Naruto. "I didn't see you suffering the other day in town when you appeared before me," she said with accusation.

Naruto merely smiled and then turned over to Makarov. The aged Wizard Saint had been staring at them with an amused expression on his face. Perhaps he was enjoying the show before him. "Something in your mind?"

Makarov shook his head quietly before speaking. "Just keep being that way," he said with some seriousness on his tone.

"I don't plan on changing," Naruto said. He had been miserable for long enough to even think about returning to those days. If he changed now, he would only become a cold person and that was just going to give him loneliness. He had too much of it in those dark days within the Hidden Leaf. He could not experience those days again. Not in this world where he had a choice about everything.

"Good," Makarov said. "You came because of what happened with the Council?"

There was a question mark, but it certainly didn't feel like a question. Naruto still nodded nevertheless. "I also felt that I could not miss these two ladies for far too long," he said with a wide smile. "You know, they have smiles that just melt my heart away."

Mirajane looked amused. "You'll make someone jealous by admitting that it isn't her smile only that melts your heart…" she said, causing Erza's eye to twitch slightly.

"Why would I be jealous?" Erza asked.

"I wasn't talking about you," Mira said. "I was talking about Master."

"Don't bring me into this!"

Naruto just shook his head at this. Perhaps it was good that they were having a light moment like this. There was trouble along the way. It wasn't just a wild guess – it was a sure thing. There would be tears. There would be pain in the coming battles. It was memories like this that gave you reasons to fight for survival. If they could remember things like this, they would know they have something to return to do, something joyous that was waiting for them at the end of the journey.

"You should know it was Tartaros which is responsible for this attack," Naruto said to Makarov. "They are probably planning something big. Maybe we have reasons to be concerned."

But Naruto wasn't that concerned despite what he was saying. Perhaps he was underestimating the dark guild. He certainly didn't think much of the demons. Maybe it was because demons also thought humans as inferior beings – Loathsome creatures. The demons of Tartaros were nothing but just creations of Zeref. Naruto didn't fear them. He believed he could destroy them if he so wished. He had already taken care of Zeref himself, he could handle his creations.

Perhaps the might of a full powered END would be something that could excite him. But as he was, Natsu did not make his blood boil. The bigger threat in the current situation was the Alvarez Empire. Maybe even the nation would even decide to destroy the Guild because it was nothing more than a nuisance to their plans.

"You cannot say that if you don't know what Tartaros is planning," Makarov said with a shake of his head. "If they started with the Council, there could be something they are planning – Something big."

Naruto didn't deny Makarov's words. He had just been thinking something along those lines. "Admittedly, my arrogance gets the best of me at times. One day I fear I might regret it. Perhaps I will like that day."

Makarov just shook his head. "You sound excited about it…" he said calmly. "What are you going to do?"

"We need to call upon the remaining Wizard Saints to start thinking about reforming the Council. At this stage, I will send out messages to the others so that we can discuss the issue," Naruto said calmly.

He was going to drive the changes in the Council. Naturally, he would also need to step away from certain things but he would take the driving seat when they discuss the reforms. He would nevertheless move aside once people have agreed to the reforms. He wouldn't take many roles when he would already have to deal with his responsibilities within the royal family.

"I will skip on that," Makarov said. "Once the issue with Tartaros is handled, I'll have to see if I can't go to the Alvarez maybe to stall and see if I can't change anything…"

Naruto wouldn't recommend it but he would still not tell Makarov what he must do. If the Guild Master felt that he had to go, then he should go. "I'm busy working on things…" he said.

"What things?"

Naruto shrugged. "Gathering information about what they might do…" he said. He then quickly changed the subject. "You do realize that without the Council, the empire will move."

Makarov nodded with a deep frown. The threat from the Council has always been a stumbling block to them. But without the Council, they could do anything they wanted without the fear of the Magic Council's weapons. "I know," Makarov said in a stern tone. "This is why I decided that I must go…"

"Good luck with that…" Naruto said.

From his conversation with the first master, Naruto knew he would have to make a move on Fairy Tail's secret before the Alvarez does something. This way, even if they manage to arrive at the Guild, they would not be able to do anything. They would have to cut him open in order to get what they want. Naruto would get to work on that. He didn't need to tell Makarov anything.

"You don't sound particularly enraged that the Council was destroyed," Mira started calmly. "I know they were not anyone's favourite but still…"

"I can't pretend," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "You have to remember that they were likely to make a move on me any time soon. I get a stay of execution as things are now…"

"But that doesn't mean that the next Council won't follow the same path," Erza said. "You could also be suspected of being part of the destruction."

Naruto frowned. "That would be stupid…" he said. But it wasn't going to happen because he was going to be on that council. He wouldn't say that to Erza or anyone; at least not now when he had yet to even speak to other Wizard Saints.

"But you have to admit that it isn't something the Council hasn't done before," Mira said.

"Yeah…" Naruto said. "Hopefully everything will work out well…" he then stood up from his stool. She gave Mira a warm smile before smiling. "It is always delightful seeing you, Mira."

"Likewise," Mira responded with the same smile.

When Naruto turned to walk away, Erza followed him silently. Naruto just walked out of the Guild hall without saying anything to the woman. It was until they were outside that he stopped walking and stared into the sky. Even though there was trouble coming ahead, he didn't have to worry about Erza. She was strong; she could handle herself. He only had to worry about Hisui and the royal family.

"You get along with Mira," Erza suddenly said, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

Naruto glanced at Erza with an amused look on his face; she was staring at him intently. Naruto had been sure something like this would come because of the way he handled things with Mira. Perhaps he did want to how she would react to it. "Oh yes, we get along quite well. I'd say there was a point she was the only friend I had in Fairy Tail."

"And now?"

Naruto smiled, "Well, I have you as well…" he said. "Of course, Mira is someone I see as a friend. I simply can't forget that she was the one person who welcomed me into the Guild and was very pleasant with me." Without Mira, he would have been quite honestly bored. He had spent much time with her whenever he was present. It was possibly why he grew to like her.

"I'm not saying you should forget," Erza said a bit firmly.

She said those words and stood there in front of him, without saying anything. Naruto could make it awkward by just standing there without saying anything, but he wasn't like that. It would be cruel of him. Besides, it was always nice to see Erza outside of the armour. "Next time I come, we will go out on a date or something. How does that sound?" He asked with a smile.

"I don't think I agreed to do anything with you…" she said.

"I didn't say you did," Naruto said. "But I was thinking that it would be pleasant if we spent some time together. You know, there are some parts of you that I don't know. Besides, you don't hate being alone with me, do you?"

Erza shook her head. "No," she said in a quiet tone.

Naruto beamed, "Then there is no reason we shouldn't go out, is there?" He said. He placed his right hand on her shoulder with a smile. "We will talk then, Erza." He said. "For now, I have got to run about things. You know, there things regarding the Council and Tartaros demand my attention."

"Do you need any help?"

"I already have the help that I need," Naruto said. "But I might need someone to spar with me some day. You know, I don't think we have done it since the last time around. I'd like to see just how much you have improved over the past years."

"I'll be waiting for that day," Erza said with a smile.

Mercurios

"Naruto out again?" Toma asked Hisui.

Hisui nodded, "Yes," she said.

Toma frowned; Naruto's disappearances from the castle were starting to worry him. He really didn't want the blond to be straying too far away. Yes, he could be here within seconds if something was happening because he could teleport, but it was still a problem that he wasn't around. Besides, a second could be the difference between life and death. Toma didn't mind what happened to him, he had lived long enough but he wanted his daughter to be protected, he wanted her to be safe. Naruto had put up things to protect the castle, but there was the difference with him being here. It really looked like there was no separating the blond with the Council. Toma didn't want to go as far as to give Naruto a choice regarding the things he should protect but his daughter still had to come first.

"Where has he gone to this time around?" The king asked in a curious tone, his eyes watching his daughter curiously. She didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that her guard wasn't present with her – it was indeed a curious case.

"There are things that have happened with the Council," Hisui said calmly. "The Magic Council was destroyed. You should know with what was happening, Naruto would want to have the front things to watch over things."

It wasn't a bad thing that the Magic Council was destroyed. But Toma knew it would be reformed once more. It wasn't like this was the first time this has happened. Perhaps if Naruto was there, they wouldn't have to deal with the Council's probes and suspicion anymore. Yes, it would be safer this way. "I can understand why he must go," he said.

Hisui smiled, "It also means that he won't have to worry about the Council doing anything that would force him to leave this place," she said. Perhaps considering the situation, she shouldn't be relieved, but Hisui was; she was happy that she got to keep Naruto around this castle.

Toma nodded. He had already solved that with Naruto but he wasn't going to say anything to Hisui. "The Prime Minister has been taking you through some of the customs that we must follow as the royal family. You are going to be future Queen of this Kingdom; it is my duty to make sure that you are fully prepared for the responsibilities. You'll have to focus more on your duties than magic, Hisui." He said a bit sternly.

Hisui smiled. "That is a lot coming from you, father," she said.

The king looked amused; he knew he did tend to get excited a bit. "But I do make sure I always handle my responsibilities." He said. "What is happening between you and Naruto?"

Hisui tried her best to keep herself from showing anything to her father that might get him thinking things. She didn't think he would ask this question just like that. There was something going on but she wasn't going to admit it. Naruto still hadn't said anything. She would not lie to her father but she could avoid answering the question. "Why do you ask, father?" She asked in a measured tone.

Toma stared at his daughter for a moment before shaking his head. Perhaps he was reading things wrong, he thought. But he thought he saw something in Hisui's eyes. He knew she liked the blond. How long as it been since they have been around each other? "As you are going to be Queen, you need to start thinking about your own future… marriage I mean. You need to get married to a person who'll love you, a person who deserves you and someone we can trust."

"I will give it some thought, father," Hisui said.

Toma nodded, "If you don't make any effort, I will offer my suggestions. You don't have to accept anything if you don't like it…"

Hisui smiled. Her father had never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do. He always gave her the options and she did things on her own. It has always been like this since she was young. She has always been moving on her own without her father asking too many questions. If you didn't know any better, you'd say he doesn't care, but he did care. Hisui knew.

Magic Council HQ

The last time Naruto had stood in a scene like this; it had been when Ultear had gone bananas and destroyed things. That damn woman had disappointed him at that point. He had surely thought of just smiting her or sending her to the Timeless Void. He had spent too much time trying to work on her but she was just a corrupted wizard with loose screws in her head. Well, that has changed now and perhaps he could thank Zeref for this. Yes, if she hadn't come across the black wizard, nothing would have happened. There was also what Gray said to her. Maybe the Ice-make mage's words to her had changed things for the better. She was certainly a better person now, miserable and still sadistic but no longer crazy.

Naruto could never understand the thought behind putting old and weak people in positions like this. Yes, they were wise but they shouldn't be the ones in charge of things. Because they were weak, they could easily be destroyed. They could easily be manipulated. Certainly, if he had the ability, he could have simply manipulated their memories to avoid the talk of their contempt for him. Things could have worked out that way. Strong people wouldn't be easily destroyed. If members of the Council are as strong as the Wizard Saints, there would not be things like this. A person like Ultear wouldn't have been able to destroy this place.

That was going to change. He was going to change things. But others would have to allow him but he was going to make things simple. He was going to put ideas that no sane and rational person could ignore. He would not want any position for himself but he would have others take the positions. He already had other positions.

"Should you be standing here lost in thought?" Lahar asked Naruto as he walked towards the blond mage.

Naruto glanced over at Lahar with a raised eye brow. He tilted his head to the side and asked. "Aren't you the one who called me, here, Lahar? I thought you wanted to talk me about this that has happened. If you don't want to talk, I can leave. I'm tired of moving around, I could use some rest…"

Lahar stared at the blond for a couple of moments before asking. "How can you think of resting at a time like this?" He asked. "The Council has been destroyed and we must destroy those responsible."

Naruto shrugged carelessly before looking away from Lahar. "I am a person too, you know. I get tired as well. I have been moving around a bit too much over the past days. I just want to forget about things and you know, rest a bit without thinking about troublesome things that surround us."

"How can you be so careless about this?" Lahar shook his head. "Sometimes I really do question your motives. Well, it can't be that you are troubled that the Council was destroyed. You never liked them anyway."

"The feeling was mutual," Naruto added. If the Council didn't have problems with him, Naruto wouldn't have come to dislike them. But those people had been somehow and really liked to control everything. There was no clear with them. They could flip in the blink of an eye. That wasn't needed for those in authority and power.

"You don't have to remind me," Lahar said. "If you are not going to do anything about Tartaros, please tell me what I want to know so that I can work out things. We can't afford to fold our hands at a time like this."

Naruto glanced at Lahar for a moment before looking away. He wondered what the man thought he could do against the demons of Tartaros. Perhaps he was thinking of calling on the help of legal guilds. They would certainly not disagree with it. "Tartaros was part of the alliance that included Oracion Ceis and Grimoire Heart. Those two have been destroyed, so it is just the guild now left within the alliance. You can't count the small fries under the alliance. But this is something that you already know, right?"

Lahar nodded. "Anyone should know this," he said.

"Tartaros is a guild made up of demons created by Zeref. They are not doing things under the direction of the black wizard. I don't know what drives them, but I will find out. Once I have found out about them, I will destroy them along with my friends. You need not worry about them. There are some members who are perhaps spread across the kingdom, you can worry about those," Naruto explained.

Lahar stared at Naruto before speaking. "I don't know if I should just leave this on you," he said.

"Ara, you are starting to question me now," he said, showing an amused expression. "Well, you don't have to take orders from me. Do as you like. I will do what I have said I will do. You need not take my word for it," he finished with a shrug.

Lahar nodded. He was going to do exactly as the blond had said. He would not simply just sit back and allow Naruto to run the show. It was obvious that the blond would move on his own pace. He would perhaps speak to Doranbolt about this and they would see what they could do. He didn't want to think about releasing criminals in the streets. It was just going to create trouble. "What are you going to do about the Magic Council?"

"Why do you ask me that, Lahar?" Naruto asked calmly. "Last time the Council was destroyed, I was still around and I wasn't the one who did anything about it," he said.

"I doubt you are just going to sit back this time around," Lahar said. "There is more at stake this time. Last time, you were having a good relationship with the Council. Even though they still kept a close eye, they were not openly hostile towards you."

"I have contacted the other Wizard Saints about this. We will soon sit down and discuss about how we should proceed with things. We don't want to repeat this process over and over again every time. If people are able to do such things, there should be something that is going wrong. We are going to sit and evaluate the situation before discussing what it is that we must do," Naruto said calmly.

Lahar absorbed those words silently. He nodded his head. That wasn't what he had been thinking. He had certainly been afraid thinking that Naruto would try to do things on his own but he was glad that things were moving this way. If Naruto was going to discuss things with the other Wizard Saints, then he could at least be hopeful that the blond's influence would be limited. He would not be able to do everything he wants.

"I hope a decision is made soon," Lahar said. "The Magic world cannot operate smoothly without the Council."

Naruto nodded. Things were not going to be done quickly. Naruto didn't have a problem about dragging out things until the empire has decided to fight. If Makarov wasn't going to be within the process, then it was just fine with him. If the old man was in the process, he would certainly push for a quicker reform in order to be able to halt the Alvarez Empire's march.

"Is this all you wanted to talk to me about?" Naruto said.

Lahar nodded. "I also had a conversation with Doranbolt. He told me that he had been tasked with investigating the royal castle. It does appear that the chairman was starting to doubt me," he said.

"Perhaps," Naruto said in thought. "Or maybe he felt that it was important that you continue with your search with Tartaros. Either way, we will never know because he is dead. It doesn't even matter anymore because a new council is going to be created. You'll get to do things over again. The investigation into the royal castle was carried out while I was away. It was nothing troublesome as I was told."

"You should speak to Doranbolt. He seems to know a lot more…" Lahar said. He was certain that Doranbolt knew a lot of things that he didn't know. He did have his questions about the man. But he would not voice them; he would not say anything to anyone. There was nothing that made him suspicious about anything.

"I will do that," he said calmly. "I guess that is about it then…" he paused waiting to see if Lahar would say something else. But the man did not and Naruto disappeared in a flash.

Mercurios

When Hisui walked into Naruto's quarters, she found the blond lying on a couch. She didn't try to sneak in. She knew he would notice her. No one seemed to be able to get in behind him. She had tried a couple of times, and even Aika had tried, but the Mage was always on guard. He did seem to have eyes on the back of his head. Even when sleeping, when you appear before him, he would just open his eyes and look at you with an amused look. Perhaps it was because at times she had been tempted to kiss him in his sleep. It was a naughty thought, she knew. But the urge had just been there.

Hisui stopped beside the couch; he always looked peaceful when he was sleeping. She didn't feel like sneaking a kiss, she just wanted to snuggle in and lay beside him. She wanted to feel the heat of his comfort. She wanted to be comfortable in his presence. She hadn't done this. His eyes were not opening, so she could do as she pleased, right? It wasn't like they were strangers anyway. They had taken the first step, so, she could do things like this.

Fiore's Princess smiled warmly before stepping onto the couch. She pushed her body close to Naruto's and rested her head on his chest. She felt a bit giddy about it. She could feel his heartbeat. It was slow. He was just a mortal like her. He didn't have two hearts. It was one, in the same position as hers. She smiled and listened to the sound with her eyes closed. She felt comfortable, she could get used to this.

"You are becoming bold, love," Naruto's slow and quiet voice snapped Hisui out of her thoughts, but she didn't move away. She just smiled.

"And you just allowed me to do this," she responded in the same tone as his.

Naruto smiled and wrapped his hands around the princess. She felt warm. If a blanket could be brought here, he wouldn't mind falling sleep here. This was just right. He did care for this woman. He did like her. he would never wish for any harm to come to her. He would always protect her not because it was his duty, but because he cared for her. She probably knew that. They have been close for a while now. He had been breaking their personal space since they met. Back then, they would talk about magic for hours and he would openly flirt with her.

He tightened his grip on her; he had missed doing something like this. His heart didn't feel cold. It was in moments like this that he felt he too deserved to be happy. There were days he felt just cold, the deaths he had caused haunting him. There was a pile of corpses behind him. He had killed many, with his hands, and he was here smiling. This was his second chance to live. It didn't matter anyway, the Elemental Nations were peaceful now because of his actions and he should be happy because of that.

"I was thinking that if I pretended that I didn't sense you, you'd kiss me," Naruto said with just one eye slightly opened.

"I thought about it for a moment but with how things are, I don't have to go about things like that," Hisui said calmly. "I thought this was much better than that. I get to feel safe and secure being held like this. What is more important, expressing the sexual desires or the warm feelings inside?"

"Both would be good," Naruto said. "But I have to agree with you, this is just right," he said. He opened both his eyes and shifted them towards the clock on the wall. It was already 11pm. "What where you doing here around this time? It is very late and most people are sleeping."

"I didn't see you during the day, and I thought it was better to come see you," Hisui said. "I feel relieved now that the Council isn't coming after you. I feel that I can hope for the future."

"What kind of future are you looking for?"

Hisui didn't need to think about it. There was no need. She had already thought about it many times before. She had dreamt about it many times before. She was staring at it now. It looked like a reality. She had certainly even wished for moments like this. This was the life. Who else could make her feel so comfortable that she wouldn't need to put up her guard and yet have little to worry about? She didn't worry about Naruto doing anything to her she didn't want to do. She didn't worry about something happening to her. In his presence, she felt cared for and protected.

"A happy future. I want to be happy, I want to smile and laugh around you. I want to be a good queen to Fiore. I want to learn more about magic and create new things, I want you to be with me forever," Hisui said with emotion. "You are not going to leave me, are you?"

"Forever is a long time, love," Naruto said in an amused tone.

Hisui thought of biting him but she lifted her head and positioned her body above Naruto's. She felt more comfortable now. She buried her face on his chest for a moment before shifting it to the side. "You know what I mean," she ended up saying.

"I know," Naruto said after a few moments of silence. "I won't leave you, Hisui. I'm not just going to stick around you, I'm going to love and care for you. It wouldn't be happiness if you were not loved, now would it?"

Hisui nodded but she didn't respond immediately. When she spoke, it was in a whisper. "Admittedly, I do think that sometimes you have your eyes somewhere. You were thinking about someone else, right? I mean over the past year. I wonder if you are not going to blame me for anything."

Naruto only tightened his hold on the princess and kissed her above her head. "You really do smell nice. Then again, you are a princess, you'll always smell pleasant." He said before falling silent. "Yes, I did admit that I was thinking about someone else. Perhaps there will also be someone else in the picture, but my promise to you is that if I cannot love you, I won't stick around you, Hisui. I don't want to waste your time. I don't want you to be in a loveless relationship because of my selfish desires. My love, you will get because you deserve it and nothing less."

Hisui smiled, "I was talking to my father. He said that he will propose someone for me if I don't tell him who I intend to marry," she said. "But I am sure that he has you in mind. Either way, I didn't want to say anything because I thought it was only proper if you spoke to him."

Naruto closed both his eyes and summoned a clone. It had its instructions. This was moving a bit quickly but he could not avoid it anymore. "Our marriage, huh?" He said. "Yes, this is a relationship now. I guess I can't deny that. I will speak to your father soon."

Hisui nodded but didn't say anything in response.

After a minute or so, the clone returned with a blanket and placed it over the two. It then dispersed. "I want to sleep tonight like this; you don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Hisui shook her head. "I couldn't wish for a better way to sleep," she said.

End of chapter

There have been some interesting reviews. Some people have asked for the story to just be deleted. No, I won't delete anything.

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The Omnipresent Sage