A.N: Whew, good to be back after a week hiatus due to some personal matters. But, now I'm back, and I intend to return to my regular schedule. So, anyways, a lot's happened while I was gone, especially in Fairy Tail.
*Spoiler Alert*
One Piece: Anyone else laugh at Cavendish's fight within against Hakuba. It was like a comedic version of Ichigo vs. Hichigo. Also, to see Bartolomeo take out Gladius with his 'homage to God' was awesome.
Fairy Tail: Holy crap where do I begin with this. There were three chapters that came out while I was gone and they were insane. First, Igneel dies, then the dragons are revealed to be dead as well, Doranbolt was always a member of Fairy Tail, Makarov disbands Fairy Tail, Natsu decides to leave for a year to get stronger, and to top it all off (and this just makes me beam with pride because my prediction came true) END is indeed Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Fairy Tail certainly has come a long way from being the most lighthearted of the four. Seriously, things are about to get real, really fast.
*End Spoiler*
Although, I feel like I should tell you all, from this point on, I will be writing as though Fairy Tail was reformed shortly after everyone returned from getting stronger (which will probably happen).
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as we prepare for the next major battle of the series.
Chapter 36: The Battle of the Red Willow
Natsu Dragneel had been practically jumping around excitedly the minute he had learned that he had the power to become the very first Dragon Sage. However, that excited mentality ended the minute he realized something: How the hell was he going to train? He did not know the first thing about being a ninja, let alone a sage. Talking to Naruto was certainly out of the question, since he was busy in the Fifth Division. Furthermore, he was the only Dragon Sage, who the hell actually knew how to become a Dragon Sage?
"I'm in trouble." He muttered to himself.
Natsu decided to confront the person who told him of his new condition and ask for her advice. Finding Tsunade was not difficult, she was currently going over each medical report of the injured.
"Umm, Grandma Tsunade?" Natsu asked.
Tsunade sighed in exasperation. Clearly, Natsu was not going to stop calling her that. "Yes, what is it Natsu?"
"I forgot to ask…how am I going to train in this? I'm not exactly familiar with how to harness Natural Energy."
Tsunade thought this over. "Well, normally, you'd have to train with the animal you are contracted with. Since you don't have a summoning animal, becoming a sage would normally be impossible. However, since you have Jūgo's cells inside of you, you naturally gather Natural Energy, therefore, you don't have to worry about that."
Natsu was still confused, as he had no idea what any of this even was. "So…" He said, trying to egg her on.
"So, if I had to guess, I'd say that all you need to do is use the Natural Energy you absorb just like you use your magic. However, you still need to transform into your Sage Mode. Following that kind of logic, I'd theorize that you can transform into a Sage just like when you use Lightning Flame Dragon Mode."
That at least made sense to Natsu. He has become quite familiar with his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode. "Well, okay, I guess I could try that. Thanks a lot, Grandma Tsunade."
Tsunnade took a deep breath, still getting used to the fact that Naruto was not going to be the only one calling her Grandma. At this point, she could only hope that Luffy and Ichigo did not do the same.
"Of course," she said kindly, "it's no problem. As Commander of the Medical Division, I am obligated to share any information along these lines."
Natsu grinned. "Awesome, that's totally awesome." He said. "Man, Naruto was totally wrong about you."
Tsunade blinked in surprise at this. Natsu turned and started to leave. The Fifth Hokage narrowed her eyes as Natsu walked towards the exit.
"Natsu, what did that brat say about me?"
Natsu ignored her and left the tent. "Natsu!" Tsunade yelled. "What the hell did that brat say about me that he's wrong about?"
The woman still did not get in answer. She started grinding her teeth in anger. "That damn brat," she growled angrily, "who does he think he is, talking about me with his new friends like that?"
Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk, splitting it in half instantly. "He's dead!" She declared. "I'm going to give him a beating worse than the one I gave Jiraiya after I caught him peeping on me!"
(Later)
Natsu soon found himself in a clearing. He grinned happily, wanting to get started immediately.
"Okay!" He yelled exuberantly. "Time to become a Sage."
Natsu rubbed his hands together. "Okay," he said, "Grandma Tsunade said that using Sage Mode will be like using my Lightning Flame Dragon Mode."
Natsu took a deep breath and started channeling both Lightning and Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and entered Lightning Flame Dragon Mode. Natsu smirked triumphantly and exited that mode just as quickly.
Natsu released a breath he found himself holding. "Okay," he said, "now I just have to channel that feeling and enter Sage Mode."
Natsu froze when he realized something. "Oh crap," his eyes widened, "how the hell do I even channel the Natural Energy in my body?"
Fire surrounded Natsu's body as anger started to overcome his very being. However, he soon managed to calm himself. That being said, he still wanted to tear his hair out in anger. "Argh, I'm never going to kick Grimmjow's ass like this." He lamented.
"Okay," Natsu said, trying to think now, "think, Natsu, think! How the hell do I channel Natural Energy. If it's like using Lightning Flame Dragon Mode than how can I do the same thing with Sage Mode that I do for that?"
Natsu wracked his brain for the answer to this question. "Argh!" He yelled again. "Thinking hurts!"
Natsu roared in anger. However, his mind suddenly found itself wondering back to his training with Igneel
Flashback: Several Years Ago
"This is so hard!" Young Natsu Dragneel screamed. "Igneel, why does using fire have to be so hard?"
Igneel the Flame Dragon King simply sat patiently, listening to his adopted son rant about the difficulty of learning Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. "I did everything you said to do, Igneel." Natsu told him. "Everything! I even took a deep breath and held it until I turned blue!"
"I never told you to do that, Natsu." Igneel deadpanned.
Igneel took a breath and let out an enormous blast of fire that burned the tree in front of the two. "You did the same thing I did!" Natsu pointed out.
"No, you did not." Igneel told him. "Natsu, using Fire Dragon Slayer Magic is about doing the most with the least amount."
"Huh? What does that mean, Igneel?" Natsu asked.
"What I mean, is that it is not about pushing your body past its limits, and it is certainly not about taking deep breaths and holding." Igneel explained. "While I'll admit that it does require you to train your body to higher levels than normal, that is not it."
"Than what is it about?" Natsu inquired.
"Natsu, Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, no, Dragon Slayer Magic in general is about harnessing the Magic Energy that naturally flows within your body. The minute you can do that, you do not need to breath deeply or anything else you've been doing today."
"Harness the Magic Energy in my body? How do I do that?" Natsu asked.
"For one thing, concentrate!" Igneel told him sharply. "Second, considering your brand of Dragon Slayer Magic, you must simulate the feeling of the part of your body that you are using to attack with. If you wish to breath fire, than heat up the Magic Energy inside of your lungs and ignite it. If you wish to punch and kick with fire ignite the Magic Energy in your hands and feet. Do you understand now?"
Natsu got into a thoughtful position and nodded a few moments later. "I think so."
"Do not worry, Child," Igneel continued, "it will become easier as your body adapts to your dragon physiology that shall grow with you under my care."
Igneel pointed to the burnt tree. "Now, attack the tree again, and remember what I told you! Go, Natsu, show me that you are my son! Are you my son, Natsu?"
Igneel's speech seemed to fire up. "Yes!" He yelled exuberantly. "I am your son! I am the son of Igneel and I'm going to master this magic!"
End Flashback
"Concentrate, huh?" Natsu remembered that day clearly. "If harness Natural Energy is like harnessing Magic Energy, than I suppose that I can try that first."
Natsu took a deep breath, as he remembered all of his lessons he had with Igneel. "Okay," he continued, "let's get started."
(With Kagura Mikazuchi)
Kagura panted in exhaustion. The wizard had aged several months once again from training in the Precipice World. She collapsed to her knees as the black coating on her training sword faded. Currently, the ace of Mermaid Heel was training her Armament Haki. Damn, she thought, frustrated, I never thought just focusing would be so difficult.
Silvers Rayleigh watched this happen and shook his head. "You need to concentrate your spirit more, Kagura." He told her. "Armament Haki is about concentration."
Meanwhile, Mifune watched Kagura with a hard gaze, waiting for her to get to her feet. He had been taking it easy on her, per Rayleigh's orders, until she could hold her own against him in a one on one spar.
Rayleigh's gaze softened. "However, you are getting better." He told her. "Every day you slowly advance the time you can maintain Armament Haki. Once you've mastered it, you can maintain it as long as your 'spirit' allows it."
Mifune frowned at this. "Don't coddle her, Rayleigh." He told her. "She needs to get better, it's as simple as that."
Rayleigh frowned back. "Easy there, Mifune." He said. "We're in no rush, remember? Time moves slower here than the real world."
"No, he's right, Master Rayleigh." Kagura interjected. "I do need to get better. The sooner I get back out onto the battlefield, the sooner I can be of more help to my comrades."
Rayleigh shook his head at this. "You may need to get better, Kagura, but you won't get better rushing like this. If mastering Haki is all about focusing your spirit, than you need to slow down."
Kagura could not argue with Rayleigh's logic. "Take it slow, Kagura." Rayleigh told her. "Take it slow."
Mifune sighed, realizing that Rayleigh was right. "I'm sorry, Kagura." He told her.
"You were only doing what you thought was right, Master Mifune, do not apologize." Kagura gave him a small smile.
Mifune smiled back. Kagura felt happy from seeing Mifune's warm and friendly smile. However, she noticed that his smile also showed…sadness? Why?
Meanwhile, Squad 12 Third Seat Akon observed the training, taking notes. "Interesting," he said to himself, "it appears that while she is progressing at a rate similar to that of someone from the Pirate World. Than again, it would've been better if we had someone from the Pirate World who had just awakened Haki to accompany us as a control group."
Akon sighed. "Oh well, beggars can't choosers."
Akon looked over at Isshin Kurosaki, who was still keeping the flow of the Precipice World at a complete stop. "Are you still good, Isshin?" He asked.
Isshin lifted his head. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said. "I could probably still go for another month or so."
Akon nodded. "We'll stop you around that time." He said. "We'll rest outside of the Precipice World afterwards."
Isshin nodded and let his head drop low again. Meanwhile, Kagura managed to get to her feet. "Okay, Master Rayleigh, Master Mifune, I'm ready to go again." She told them determinedly.
Rayleigh looked at her thoughtfully, wondering if she really could go through another session. Deciding to place his trust in Kagura's judgement, he nodded. "Very well," he said, "Mifune, prepare to spar with her once more."
"Understood, Rayleigh."
(With the Fifth Division)
While the Fifth Division had been extremely disturbed by the Third Division's defeat at Hargeon, the knew that they had to march on. All they could do was continue to play their part in the Alliance's plan of victory and hope that the others did their part as well.
With this in mind, they were all surprised when Jellal called for them to stop and rest for a bit. A few of the more perceptive members, namely one Shinji Hirako, noticed that Jellal had done so shortly after receiving a message from one of the Intelligence Division's messengers.
As Jellal went over the message again and again, Shinji walked up to the Commanding Officer of the Fifth Division with a curious look on his face. "New orders, Commander Fernandes?" Shinji inquired.
Jellal nodded. "Command's sent me these as a response to the failure at Hargeon, as well as one of the Stealth Division's discoveries of something…horrific."
Shinji raised an eyebrow at this. "Something horrific?"
Jellal had a grim look on his face. "There are some dark things in this world, Shinji. Some very, dark things."
Shinji nodded. "Do our new orders change anything?" He asked.
Jellal shook his head. "Not in the end, no."
Using his own Telepathy Magic, Jellal relayed the following to his entire division. "Listen up, everyone, we have new orders coming straight from Command."
"Our orders do not change very much. The Second and Third Division will be responding to the failure at Hargeon. However, we have just received a new, high priority target from Command." Jellal began.
"We are to form up with the First Division further along and together we will launch a joint assault on the extremely dangerous magic weapon, Nirvana."
Meanwhile, Erza Scarlet and Lucy Heartfilia's eyes widened in horror upon hearing the name of the weapon they had thought they had destroyed during the Oración Seis incident.
"Many of our wizards here already know the dangers of Nirvana," Jellal continued, "however, for those of you who do not understand the gravity of the situation we are in, allow me to explain just how dangerous Nirvana is."
"Nirvana is an ancient weapon created by a tribe of people called the Nirvit, a group who desired world peace. In order to do so, they created the mighty Nirvana, a weapon with a very specific purpose: To change darkness into light. In other words, change evil into good."
There was a collective gasp amongst the majority of the Fifth Division. Naruto Uzumaki in particular was stunned; horrified as well. The idea of changing people against their will reminded him too much of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"However, magic works both ways." Jellal continued. "Where darkness can be changed to light, light can also be changed to darkness. In other words, Nirvana can change people from good to bad as well."
Jellal had a grim look on his face, remembering the Oración Seis incident well. "According to the intel provided by Command and the Stealth Division, it is still currently being reconstructed. In other words, we still have time to stop it before it can be operational once again and be used against us."
"I do not think I need to tell you how crucial it is that we move fast and do not allow anything to slow us down." Jellal told them. "If this weapon is made operational once more, it may very well mean our complete destruction."
"So, as a reminder, our new orders are to continue moving forward. However, a few miles from Nirvana, we will be falling in with the First Division and will be launching a joint assault on Nirvana together. This assignment is crucial to our success in retaking Fiore, failure is not an option. That is all."
Jellal cut the mental link to everyone in the Fifth Division. He closed his eyes in contemplation. Konton…the Being of Chaos, he mused to himself, he's recreated a weapon that was nothing more than pure chaos.
Such an obvious move, we should've seen this coming. Jellal berated himself. Especially since he's brought back the dead to fight against us. If he can do that, he can rebuild a weapon like Nirvana.
"You okay?" Shinji suddenly asked.
"Yeah," Jellal replied, "just…thinking."
"Hey, Shinji," Jellal turned to the Squad 5 Captain, "do you think we were prepared for this war?"
Shinji thought this over. "Honestly, it's hard to say." He said. "We shared our techniques, our foes, and we're all familiar with our own worlds and enemies."
"However," he continued, "there's still so much that we don't know."
"What do you mean?" Jellal inquired.
"Well, think of it this way." Shinji said. "We came into this war with a lot of knowledge, that is certainly true. At the same time, there's still so much we don't know about the Coalition, which is obvious when you think about it; you rarely know much about the other side in a war other than geographical advantages and probable military strength."
"In the end," Shinji said grimly, "there's only so much you can do to prepare for a war. In fact, I'd say that nobody can truly say they are fully prepared for a war."
Jellal could not argue with that kind of logic, especially considering how much he had grown to trust Shinji. While it was not the level of trust he had with someone like Erza, or his fellow members of Crime Sorcíere, Shinji had managed to establish himself as Jellal's proxy since they had begun their campaign in Fiore.
Shinji may have come off as childish, but he was still one of the most intelligent and powerful men Jellal had ever met. Jellal trusted him.
"Thanks for the chat, Shinji." Jellal gave him a small smile.
"Heh, no problem Commander." Shinji gave his superior a toothy grin.
(With Naruto, Kiba, Lucy, and Erza)
Being the observant person she was, Erza Scarlet had immediately caught onto how disturbed both Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka looked. Lucy Heartfilia, on the other hand, simply looked stunned at the prospect of Nirvana being active once more.
"Are you two alright?" Erza inquired.
Naruto gave Erza a small smile. "Yeah, don't worry about us, Erza. I think Kiba and I were just having flashbacks to the same thing."
Naruto looked at his good friend. "You thinking the same thing, Kiba?" He asked.
Kiba nodded. "Yeah," he said, "Infinite Tsukuyomi, right?"
Naruto nodded. "Inifinite Tsukuyomi."
Kiba's disturbed look was replaced by that of a sheepish one. "You know, I've never really told anyone this, but my dream was actually kind of amazing…like I actually wouldn't have minded staying like that."
Naruto frowned. "You do realize that was the idea of the jutsu, right?"
"I know that!" Kiba said sharply. "It's just…Naruto, I was the Hokage in my dream, and I was about to make a national holiday for dogs."
Naruto nodded at this. "Yeah, that was the idea, you were shown your greatest desire."
Kiba shuddered at this. "I'd have been living in a fantasy for all of my life."
Akamaru, who was at Kiba's side as usual, whimpered at that. Lucy was brought out of her stunned state by Naruto and Kiba's conversation and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Umm…what exactly are you two talking about?" She asked. "And what does this have to do with Nirvana?"
Naruto ignored Lucy's question. "I hear you." Naruto said. "But now, I just can't believe that this world at some point tried to destroy people's free will."
Lucy was shocked at Naruto's blatant distaste of Nirvana. "Destroy people's free will?" She repeated. "Naruto, they were trying to stop wars."
"And so were people like Madara Uchiha." Naruto replied. "Whether it's making people live in a fantasy or changing people's feelings, it's still destroying free will. What these people, the Nirvit, tried to do, was noble, but wrong."
"Weren't you listening?" Lucy was starting to get angry at Naruto's dismissal of the Nirvit. "Naruto, they were trying to stop wars; trying to stop people from going through the pain that we're all going through right now."
"I'm inclined to agree with Lucy this time, Naruto." Erza admitted. "While Nirvana was ultimately used for an evil purpose, the Nirvit still had good intentions."
Naruto sighed and gave Erza a sad smile. "And that was great of them," he said, "but there have been some horrible things done in my world with good intentions."
"Infinite Tsukuyomi was an attempt to control people under the guise of ending wars." Naruto explained. "An old rival of my surrogate grandfather, the Third Hokage, used to commit immoral acts 'for the good of the village', the Fourth Mizukage once wiped out hundreds of bloodline users believing they were a danger to the village. They were all done under good intentions."
Erza and Lucy were stunned at the horrific events that Naruto had described. "Good intentions, horrible actions." Naruto continued.
This certainly gave Erza and Lucy food for thought. Naruto smiled warmly at the two. "Don't feel bad," he said, "you didn't know."
"Did people really do that kind of stuff?" Lucy asked.
Kiba nodded. "Yeah," he said, "the Bloodline Purge was talked about for years, and that old rival of the Third Hokage, Danzō Shimura, not many people had knowledge of his actions until Lady Tsunade released documents of his acts as a show of good faith to the other villages shortly after the Fourth Great Ninja War. As for Infinite Tsukuyomi…"
Kiba shuddered. "Living in those dreams may have been enjoyable, but it was still no way to live."
Naruto frowned at the contents of some of those aforementioned documents. "Some of those things Danzō did…they weren't for the good of the village, they were for the good of him in his own selfish quest to become Hokage."
"Naruto, I agree with you that all of those things were horrible, but what does this have to do with Nirvana?" Erza asked.
Naruto had a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you know what the Nirvit and Madara had in common? They both tried to create world peace, and their methods were quite similar."
"How?" Lucy asked.
"Both of their plans involved destroying people's free will. Granted, it would've been done in different ways, but the end result would've remained the same."
Erza's eyes widened in realization. "I see now, people who would've been affected by Nirvana would've lost their free will in the sense that they would not have made the decision on their own to turn good."
Naruto nodded. "Bingo," he said, "and with Infinite Tsukuyomi, people would've lost their free will in the sense that they would not be living their own lives, but rather dreams instead."
"People shouldn't be forced to change." Naruto said. "Nor should they have to live in a fantasy in order to find peace. Peace is something that everyone must choose in order for it to be true peace. To choose that, everyone must understand one another, not be forcibly changed to thinking the same thing."
Lucy looked saddened at the thought. "To lose that freedom must be unbearable. I've never even thought of it that way. I always thought Nirvana was simply an experiment gone wrong. I actually even thought that it might've done a lot of good if used right."
Erza nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we never should've thought that, especially when some of our comrades are living proof that people can change."
Naruto smiled encouragingly at the two girls. "Hey now, don't beat yourself up about it. We all make mistakes."
Erza and Lucy smiled back. "Thank you, Naruto." Erza said kindly.
Naruto nodded, showing his thankfulness for Erza's gratitude. Erza then took notice of something common in Naruto's words. "These are deeply held beliefs, Naruto." Erza pointed out.
Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly at this. "Well, yeah."
Erza had a thoughtful smile on her face. "Is that why you fight? So people can have the opportunity to choose peace for themselves?"
Naruto nodded. "Finding peace, breaking the cycle of hatred that has plagued us all for so long, that was the dream of my master, a dream that was entrusted to me when he passed on."
"I'm going to break that cycle somehow." Naruto stated with absolute resolve. "And if that means winning another war, going through more pain, and getting four different worlds to understand one another, than I'll gladly do that in a heartbeat."
Kiba grinned. "And we'll be right by your side while you do that, Naruto." Kiba said. "Me, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, everyone."
"And since you are an honorary member of the Fairy Tail Guild, you can count us in your honorable quest as well, Naruto." Erza smiled.
"Honorary member, when did this happen?" Lucy was surprised.
"Do you have a problem?" Erza asked.
"Oh no, not at all." Lucy waved her arms. "I was just…surprised."
"Naruto's quest is a noble one." Erza said. "And I too would like to see the day where people don't hate one another. Hatred gave birth to monsters like Zeref and everything else that happened because of his existence. I will gladly support a quest as noble as yours, Naruto."
Lucy could not argue with Erza's logic and smiled. "As will I." Lucy said. "I'll do whatever I can, Naruto."
"You guys…" Naruto was speechless.
Naruto smiled, wiping a lone tear from his eye. "Thank you," he said, "let's push forward and break the cycle together."
(Several hours later)
Lake Willow was well known for being Fiore's largest lake and one of the largest bodies of water inside of Fiore in general. With over 5,000 square miles and 500 feet deep, the lake was absolutely massive. Many of the people who lived outside of this particular world were all left breathless at the size of the lake.
Erza Scarlet smiled lightly as she reminisced about an old memory from before she joined Team Natsu. Naruto noticed this and grinned. "What's with that smile, Erza?" He asked.
"Oh nothing," she said, "I just remember that I've been here before. I was going out on an S-Class job to eliminate a sea monster that had been terrorizing nearby locals and a lakeside resort."
"Whoa, that's awesome." Kiba had listened in.
Erza nodded. "As an extra reward the owner of the resort had the sea monster's scales made into a dress."
"A dress?" Naruto was surprised.
"It was actually quite beautiful." Erza told them. "The scales were so beautiful. The dress actually ultimately won me the Ms. Fairy Tail pageant that year."
"Cool, think we'll have to fight one of the monster's offspring?" Kiba grinned.
Naruto shuddered at this. "Don't joke about that kind of stuff, Kiba."
Kiba grinned. If there was one thing Naruto hated as much as cold ramen was anything scary; like ghosts and monsters.
Naruto kept shuddering. "At that point, I'd rather meet a Coalition force…"
"Hold!" They all suddenly heard Jellal's voice in their mind.
Everyone froze at this. "Our sensor has just sensed a large amount of presences nearby. They are numerous enough to be an enemy force." Jellal told them. "Prepare for a possible confrontation!"
Kiba and Lucy both glared at Naruto. "Nice."
"Oh shut up! I didn't jinx it, that kind of crap is a load of bull!" Naruto shouted.
Erza gave Naruto a stern glare. "Naruto, I believe you." She said. "But just in case this is your fault and you are somehow clairvoyant, you are hereby prohibited from saying anything else for the remainder of this war."
"What, you too, Erza?" Naruto was exasperated.
Erza ignored Naruto's distress and stared out onto the lake. "Well, you all heard Jellal; onward!"
(In another area by the lake)
A tall muscular man in a Vice Admiral's coat crushed a large cigarette underneath his heels. A Sound Ninja nodded towards him.
He sighed. "Looks like our enemies are waiting for us." He noted. "Or more accurately, we've met each other in a chance encounter and they're waiting for us to come to them."
An even more muscular man who was dark-skinned with long blonde hair stood next to him. "Indeed, personally, I hope they are ready for us. I have faith that they are, but…"
The dark-skinned man suddenly clutched his head in pain. The Vice Admiral almost immediately knew that Konton was exerting his control over him.
The Vice Admiral took out another cigarette and started to smoke. He knew that the muscular man was under Konton's control. It made the Vice Admiral sick to his stomach, in fact it was one of the few things he openly despised in the Coalition. However, he knew that he had to remain on this side of the war. Otherwise, the universe would be left in worse shape than it already is.
"Vice Admiral Smoker, what are your orders?" Smoker's longest serving subordinate, Tashigi ran up to him.
Smoker the White Hunter took a long drag of the cigarette in his mouth. "Well, we could go around the lake, but the problem with that is that it will take longer and the Alliance definitely knows we're coming at this point."
"Are you absolutely certain of that, Vice Admiral?" Tashigi inquired curiously.
"Our sensor has just confirmed it." Smoker gestured to the Sound Ninja. "They're several miles out, and they've just stopped marching."
Smoker looked at his trusted second-in-command. "What do you think, Tashigi?"
Tashigi blinked in surprise. "Me, Sir?"
Smoker nodded. "Yes, what do you think?"
"Well, Sir, I thin—and I'm thinking about the men in this case—that going around will just tire the men out. I think we should go across the lake somehow."
Smoker nodded. "An excellent point. This lake is wider than it is long so the distance we have to travel to cross it won't be as much. Also, I doubt the Alliance will be expecting us to come at them directly."
Smoker had a thoughtful look on his face. "The only question is how? I can't exactly travel across the water. And most of our heavy hitters aren't good on the water."
Smoker looked at the dark-skinned man next to him. And I certainly can't trust someone who's fighting his own war inside of his head to lead the ones who can travel on water across the lake.
"Excuse me, Vice Admiral," a youthful voice suddenly spoke up, "but I may have a solution that will benefit all of us."
Smoker looked surprised at just who was offering him a solution. However, he still chose to listen in the end. He was curious as to just what this solution was after all.
(Back with the Fifth Division)
Naruto Uzumaki, Killer B, Tsume Inuzuka, and Shibi Aburame stood in the lead of the Ninja of the Fifth Division. Naruto had a smile on his face. "Damn, I can't believe I'm up front like this. Does Jellal really think I deserve to be up here?"
Shibi responded. "You may still be a Genin, Naruto, but the fact of the matter is that you have the charisma of a great leader, just like your father." Shibi told him. "Furthermore, as one of the Four Acts of Order, you need to be up front to inspire morale."
Naruto blushed slightly at the emotionless mans words. "Keep in mind, Naruto, you, like the other three, are the kind of men that people look up to."
"Shibi's right, kid." Tsume grinned. "You're the Fourth's brat, and it shows in your ability to bring out the best in people. Don't worry about it, you deserve to be right up here with the big kids."
"We've got four warriors out at front." Killer B rapped. "You're a warrior now, Homey, not some runt."
Tsume glared at Killer B. "Will you stop rapping you damn idiot!" She screamed.
Shibi raised an arm, signaling that they were prepared to move. This silenced both Tsume and Killer B. Back on the shore, Jellal watched them prepare to leave. He had ordered the Ninja to act as the 'vanguard' of the Fifth Division, so to speak.
Erza watched this all happen as well. Be safe, all of you. She thought.
Meanwhile, the Soul Reapers of the Fifth Division were standing in the air. They too were acting as the Fifth Division's vanguard. Shinji Hirako stood out front. Sajin Komamura stood at his side.
"You ready for this, Sajin?" Shinji inquired.
"As ready as I can be, Hirako." Komamura replied.
Before anyone could move, a giant platform came out of nowhere above the lake. "What the hell is that?" Naruto exclaimed.
Tsume narrowed her eyes. "Looks like they've found a way to cross the lake."
In the sky, Shinji narrowed his eyes. "I take it you've noticed it as well, Hirako?" Komamura asked.
Shinji nodded. "Yeah, that's Fullbring."
Shinji turned to the Soul Reapers in the air. "Everyone come down. We're going to take the fight to them!"
Shibi watched as the Soul Reapers came down from the sky. "It appears that Hirako is thinking similarly."
"No kidding." Tsume muttered, before shouting the next part. "Onto the platform!" She yelled.
The Ninja leapt onto the platform while the Soul Reapers landed. Jellal watched all of this happen. "Jellal, should we go with them?" Erza inquired.
Jellal shook his head. "We don't know if it's a trap yet." He said. "Just be ready. We'll join them when we see the enemy."
The Soul Reapers and Ninja of the Fifth Division were now on the platform. "Naruto," Shinji and Komamura quickly joined the four leading Ninja, "create a large contingent of Shadow Clones and send them ahead. We'll follow close behind."
Naruto nodded and formed the Hand Sign for his signature Jutsu. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A small army of Shadow Clones appeared in front of them. "Charge!" Naruto yelled.
The Shadow Clone army rushed ahead. Several miles out, several were suddenly struck by bolts of black lightning. Naruto winced. "Looks like they've decided to make this our battlefield." Naruto noted.
Jellal had seen this as well. "All units, onto the platform, move!" He ordered.
As the wizards and pirates all leapt onto the platform, the Coalition Army came into view. Soon, the entire Fifth Division was charging to meet the Coalition in battle.
So soon after the the Alliance's first major setback, another bloody battle was about to take place. And with that, the Willow ran red…
A.N: Here we go, to all those people who wanted to see Naruto in a battle, there you go. Granted, this wasn't a response to the requests to see him (I had planned for this order from the beginning), but still.
Okay now, onto the reviews.
To Firegodvargas, I won't reveal too much but Natsu won't be creating a new type of Sage Magic. However, he will introduce a new repertoire of attacks.
To ActionTReaction, the seal works both ways. You won't see much of Edo Tensei at all.
To Lightningblade49, you won't see him train with Naruto, mainly because unlike Kagura going off with Mifune and Rayleigh, Naruto is in one of the Fighting Divisions and as one of the Acts of Order, he cannot be spared.
To Son of Iris, shockers are what I strive for.
To Guest 1, in order.
Madara: Such phenomenal power…it's just as much as Hashirama's, maybe even more!
Zeref: I'd expect nothing less, I wonder if it is even possible to defeat him.
Akainu: Well done, sacrificing the weak to achieve victory is what I'd expect of you.
Hades: Unbelievable, even I cannot hope to match such power.
Brain: It will all be over soon…power like that will destroy them.
The Oración Seis' response would range from fear to awe.
The Nine Demon Gates' response, other than Silver (who would respond warily), would be disbelief, noting that he surpasses even Mard Geer.
Doflamingo: Heh, of course the noblest of bloods carries the strongest of powers, that is the natural order of the world, after all.
Mard Geer: Mard Geer cannot comprehend something like this. Mard Geer will not accept that a meer human is stronger than he.
Crocodile: Well crap…
Enel: No, impossible! I'm God, not him!
The Akatsuki would range from shocked (Konan and Nagato), to gleeful (Deidara, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu), to wary (Itachi and Sasori).
Kizaru: Scary…but necessary.
Orochimaru: Power like that is out of my reach. I could never make him my next host.
Aokiji: Damn, he's going too far with Aüshwallen!
Sengoku (silence)
Garp: Bastard…
The Seven Kin would range from fearful to gleeful. Ultear and Meldy would be downright disgusted, however.
The Kage would be disgusted.
Makarov: To use your own children so selfishly…you are no man, nor are you a god! You are a monster!
Gray: Sacrificing your own comrades for strength may seem like a good idea, but let me tell you, it'll just make you weak in the long run.
Erza: I don't care if that is how you and the Wandenreich choose to act. Discarding your comrades for power is nothing more than an act of cowardice!
Jellal: I once nearly sacrificed the one closest to me for power…I doubt there will be any reasoning with you.
Laxus: Just because they are weaker than you doesn't give you the right to decide who lives and who dies!
Lucy: I should be angry that you would do something like that, and I am. But I'm happy too, because Fairy Tail would never do something like that. Watch as we all defeat you!
The Straw Hats would all be shocked and disgusted, especially Luffy, who would try to punch Yhwach afterwards.
Thank you for the battle suggestion, I'll keep it in mind for the future.
To SolInvictus, due to the fact that Naruto no longer has the Sage's power, no he does not have Yin-Yang Release (that means no Kekkei Genkai either, other than Wood Release because his new arm is from Hashirama's DNA). I want Naruto to learn the other Releases the way he always does (Shadow Clones and hard work).
As for your reaction questions, in order…
Ichigo: A bond like that…I'm glad that things worked out for you two.
Uryū (silent, as he would be reminded of his own mistakes)
Natsu: That's awesome, you never give up on your friends. But Sasuke, dude, what the hell were you thinking?
Gray: Geez, I wonder if things would turn out like that if it were Natsu and me…
Luffy: Shi shi shi, man you two really beat the crap out of each other.
Law: Even after all that you'd still call each other friends?
Ace: Heh, you certainly are persistent, Naruto.
Lyon (solemn, reminded of his mistake with Gray): I'm glad you two forgave each other.
Gajeel: Glad you didn't take my arm, Salamander…
Grimmjow: What a load of crap…
Brain: What raw power, this war will be over soon.
Hades: Even I cannot hope to reach such power.
END (or should I say, Etherious Natsu Dragneel): This should be fun.
Starrk: Well crap…
Baraggan: Impossible, how could ants surpass a god?
Halibel: This is the power that defeated me…no, it's even greater than that. And Madara, nobody should have power that great.
Ulquiorra (silent)
Nnoitra (laughing maniacally, wanting to fight them)
Grimmjow: Oh man, they are worse than Aizen.
Zommari (silent)
Granz: And studying them is off limits…dammit.
Aaroniero (silent)
Yammy: Grr…can't believe those two are stronger than me.
Crocodile, Kuma, Law and Mihawk (silent)
Jinbe: We must stop them somehow!
Hancock: Luffy can still beat them!
Buggy (screaming in fear)
Doflamingo: Heh, of course the noblest of bloods would have the greatest of powers.
Moriah: I should not try and take their shadows…
To Theburper, you haven't seen anything yet.
To Guest 2, Sorry, since I haven't played Asura's Wrath, or have watched Toriko for that matter, I cannot say.
To directorbones17, umm…what were you trying to say?
To Devilslayer420, you will see them team up, yes.
To Gray Matrix, Gin is with the Coalition.
To Guest 3, in order.
Natsu: I don't care if it was to stop a war, you still killed your own family!
Damn, Nagato, you definitely lived a rough life.
You did some horrible things, Obito, but I'm glad you figured it out in the end.
Lucy: Killing your own family is wrong…but a civil war would've been bad too.
Nagato…God, I'm so sorry.
You plunged an entire world into darkness because you lost a friend. Obito, did you ever once consider that maybe she would've wanted you to stay the path you were on?
Gray: I don't know what to believe. In the end though, it's admirable that you sacrificed your place in history to stop a war.
Losing everything like that is painful, huh? But there's always hope in the end, Nagato. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
You're not going to try anything else crazy like that, right Obito?
Erza: You sacrificed everything for the sake of the village you loved so much. What you did was horrible, but it was still admirable, Itachi.
Orphans who've lost everything, call me crazy but I feel a kindred spirit with you, Nagato.
You ruined Naruto's childhood, killed many, and nearly created a horrific world where nobody would be free to find their dreams on their own. And yet I still forgive you, Obito because you found the path of light in the end.
Makarov: You sacrificed a lot for peace, Itachi, you are a good man.
Poor child, I wish you had lived in this world, I could've done something for you.
I suppose in the end, there's always a chance to return to the path of light, eh Obito?
I'm afraid I cannot come up with the others off the top of my head, so onto the Straw Hats.
Luffy: You killed your own family to stop a war? Come on, there had to have been another way.
Man, your life sucks Nagato.
You're still mean for almost ruining Naruto's life, masked jerk.
Zoro: If they couldn't be reasoned with that was probably the best solution. You did good, Itachi.
I wonder if any of us would do the same thing if it were one of us dead instead of Yahiko…
I don't want to dream about becoming the greatest swordsman, Obito, I want to be the greatest swordsman.
Nami: Weren't they still your family, Itachi?
(silent and solemn on Nagato)
You did all that for a girl? I should be horrified, but it's actually kind of romantic.
Usopp (he would just be terrified of all of them).
Sanji: All that to stop a war, huh? Was it worth it, Itachi?
You should've been focused on love rather than pain, Nagato. Especially with a beauty like Konan-swan at your side!
You did it all for love, Obito. Horrible, but admirable. You are a man.
Chopper (scared, but also saddened for their reasons).
Robin: I don't care if it was to stop a war, you don't get to decide who lives and who dies!
You should've found comfort in the friends you had left, Nagato. You had a friend who never left your side and you all but abandoned her to teach the world pain.
You had friends and yet you still turned on them. You should've returned to them Obito, they would've never abandoned you.
Franky (he would cry over all of their reasons)
Brook (he would also cry)
To Zack25king, actually, it's already been explained. Konton created the Acts of Chaos specifically to try and gain control over the four worlds. Chitsujo created the Acts of Order to stop them. How this was done will be explained later, however.
To Guest 4, Hiyori would address her as old hag. Mashirō as granny. Shinji would actually be respectful, but would simply call her Tsunade. The others would refer to her as Lady Tsunade.
If Shinji and Hiyori said that, Tsunade would try to beat them up, obviously. Love, Rose, and Hachi would apologize profusely for their rudeness.
Lisa's response: I like to think that a little…happiness would do wonders for their recovery.
To Guest 5, in order.
Whitebeard: Get mad all you want, you're still just a brat.
Chinjao: I suppose I still have enough strength left in me to quell your anger.
Sai: I can bend my grandfathers mighty drill-head. Beating your pissed off ass will be easy.
Kurama: I too am a beast of anger, let's see who's stronger.
A: I've fought Tailed Beasts, fool, this is nothing!
Sakura: Well…this may be tough.
Sanji: Hate to break it to you, but love is much stronger than anger.
King Elisabello II: Well than, let's see if my King Punch is stronger than that anger.
Ace: You're getting pretty heated, big guy. You're still not hotter than my flames though.
Luffy: So what, I'll still kick your ass!
Yammy's statement to Shirahoshi: Can't believe they stuck me with this stupid assignment. Let's make this quick.
To Guest 6, honestly, I'm not sure. I don't watch Dragon Ball (I'm already preparing for fans to form a mob to track me down right now).
To Guest 7, not sure where it says that, honestly. But how would you see if light could not pass through. Darkness is the absence of light after all.
To Guest 8
Natsu
Reiatsu: The thing that kinda rhymes with my name!
Luffy
Reiatsu: Ray-achoo
They'd both actually get Chakra right.
The old men would refer to all of those people as brats, no matter what.
To Reader, it's all a matter of opinion. Also, as for the romances, most of them won't have much of an impact on the story. They'll be side-plots if anything. The only ones that will have an impact are the ones concerning Ichigo, Natsu, Luffy, and Naruto.
To Guest 9: Oh my God, Shikamaru has a long-lost relative in Hueco Mundo!
To Guest 10: That's not a bad idea either.
To Guest 11: Considering how Kurama has become since Naruto befriended him, he would actually act as a mentor to Hollow Ichigo, trying to get him to have a better relationship with Ichigo.
Shinji, Kensei, and Hiyori would all refer to Luffy as Straw Hat. Everyone else would just call him Luffy.
To Guest 12: That's actually a great theory.
To Reader: The answer to that…is a secret.
To King: I'll be considering a lot of things for Natsu, along with everybody else.
To Guest 13: I see, sorry for confusing you.
To Guest 14: They would all be stunned about the events that night, and also disgusted with Doflamingo. Some of the more emotional members would cry over Scarlet's death.
To Guest 15: In order.
The Response to Luffy: They would all just sweat-drop at how stupid he is.
The Response to Nami:
Shinji: My first love has rather expensive tastes
Hiyori and Kensei: Like hell we'll be giving you that kind of money!
The other response to Luffy:
Lisa: Well, Luffy, that's because they are doing something that is…very fun.
The response to Chopper:
Lisa and Mashirō: He's so cute!
Shinji and Hiyori: I'm gonna barf.
Hachi: I wonder how good a doctor he is…
The response to Brook:
Hiyori: Hell no you perv!
Lisa: Sure.
Mashirō: Sorry, it's kinda hard to get out of this jumpsuit.
The response to Sanji:
Hiyori: Get the hell away from me you creep!
Mashirō: Aww, he's so sweet.
Lisa: Sanji, I think you'll love this.
The response to Zoro:
Lisa and Mashirō: What? did you say something?
To Lewis, the only question remaining is that whether Natsu is END, or is END a completely different entity (the split theory I mentioned earlier). If Natsu is END, I hope Fairy Tail doesn't end like Bioshock Infinite.
To King, interesting idea. I'll keep it in mind.
To Guest 16, seems so. I can't wait for that conversation to come up between Natsu and Zeref.
To Guest 17, well, I've already attempted to tie up that loose end, as you can see through my AN at the beginning of this chapter. While I'll admit that the ongoing manga may cause issues, I intend to stay the course I am currently on.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned as we prepare for the Battle of the Red Willow.