I'm proud to present you all with the 51st chapter of my story. Thank you all for the dedicated amount of reviews and as promised, I'm here with this latest update which will end the Original Arc. Now without a further ado my favorite group of people, let's get on with the show!


"…just what are you trying to say?" Kazuhiko asked in a grave tone.

"There's only one person that comes to mind." Naruto responded with his eyes still locked onto the troubled samurai leader, bracing himself for what he was about to reveal. "The bottom line is: the mastermind behind this war and the leader of the enemy forces is none other than your brother, Hiro Nobuyoshi."


Once he handed out those final words, the White Dragon Slayer became emotionless at the sight of the upcoming reaction. On instinct; hundreds of samurai dropped their swords while others gasped loudly – none of them had hypothesized that this would be the reason behind the blond's series of questions.

'I want nothing more than to challenge this claim, but the evidence is irrefutable.' Toma E. Fiore thought in alarm, downright appalled by the turn of events. Once he caught glimpse of the horrified Pergrande leader, more grief flooded his mindset. 'Kazuhiko-dono, what will you do now?'

Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, and Kamika were simply too shocked to voice anything out – they didn't how to even process this deranged information. The aged samurai already faced a tremendous burden when his subjects betrayed him and steered away from the Bushido Code. Now the man's only brother was the one who orchestrated such a dreadful event? It truly was a grave situation indeed.

'How could you do this, Hiro? To your brother no less.' Kimi thought in the utmost sadness, trembling the whole while.

Beside the shaky female elder, the three remaining council members were also deep in thought. Masaki was appointed Head Staff of the Royal Army Division by Takahashi Nobuyoshi, the former King and the father of Kazuhiko and Hiro. He watched the current King grow into the man he is today so he could understand the current situation. The council party did not always meet eye-to-eye on many matters but this time around, all of them were in agreement – Takahashi must be rolling in his grave right now.

"T-tou-sama… tell me it isn't true!" Ayumi cried shakily, tightening the hold she had on her father's hand.

"I…" Kazuhiko began with disbelief evident in his tone and features. "…I don't know."

"S-so you figured it out huh, White Flash.Well congratulations!" Nawaki roared in the utmost humor before coughing up a glob of blood.

Due to Kurama's enhanced hearing, he overheard the recent conversation and made sure his captive listened carefully as well. Even though the bijuu wanted to resume torturing his victim, he knew this human flesh bag could support his partner's claims. In return; the traitor in question took note of each and every source of evidence the blond shinobi dished out. He was left flabbergasted at how flawlessly the man pieced together the mystery – it made sense to call him Earthland's Most Wanted.

"You certainly live up to the rumors but that doesn't surprise me. I can see why Dark Guilds want to end your existence so much. Back to the topic of hand, my leader is indeed… Hiro Nobuyoshi." Turning his head, Nawaki bore through the pain and formed a dark smirk on his face. "So tell me, Kazuhiko-sama. How do you feel about your brother now?"

"No…" Kazuhiko's frail whisper of horror filled the now dead silent battleground. "Why would my own flesh and blood betray me like this?"

...no more words were required. It became clear that the White Dragon Slayer hit a bull's eye in his assumptions.

In the interim; Kento Nakajima lowered his head in shame and experienced a pain like no other when he heard how broken his Majesty sounded. He couldn't blame the aged samurai for reacting in such a manner - this was a mind-boggling revelation to say the least. He didn't need to see his fellow samurai at the moment because he knew they were also shocked to the core by this revelation.

"Kazuhiko-dono…" Toma E. Fiore muttered under his breath, while the other Fiore natives continued to watch on with severe depression.

"Why did Hiro-sama betray you? You'll have to ask him yourself." Nawaki sneered in satisfaction before his eyes bulged, courtesy of a claw embedding deep into his chest.

"Your services are no longer required, ningen. Goodbye." Kurama growled as he ripped out his torture subject's heart, ending the man's life as a result.

The nine-tailed fox then proceeded to burn the traitor's body, but he couldn't enjoy a chance to hum cheerfully due to the dead silence which made its presence known once more. Everyone with the exception of Kurama now had their heads turned – all of them could visibly feel the Pergrande King's emotions bubbling to the surface like a physical entity. This development did not bode well with the Pergrande natives and went double for Ayumi, who couldn't bare the sight of her father like this.

"Kazuhiko-dono. I know it must seem impossible but you have to get a hold of yourself, now." Naruto announced bluntly, finding no other way to reason with the troubled King. "You can't turn the other cheek this time around because what your brother has done is unforgivable."

The Angel of Death knew he couldn't afford to remain silent any longer – the aged samurai's emotional turmoil was clearly evident. As Kazuhiko breathed heavily to regain his composure, the Uzumaki-Namikaze clan head allowed the man to come to terms with this development.

After a moment in silence; Naruto sighed deeply before continuing, "Your brother organised this war and even went so far as to steer a significant portion of your own samurai astray. It's obvious he also planned out the kidnapping of the two Princesses, one of whom is your daughter. Now, are you going to stand there and tell me you're going to forgive him? Even after everything that has happened?"

The Allied Forces: both Fiore and Pergrande natives alike stood with unmeasurable grief plastered across their faces. They were in full approval of the White Dragon Slayer's attempts to restore Kazuhiko's confidence which had become shattered due to the events transpired. Kurama didn't pay attention to this talk and simply washed off his tails with a smile – he had enjoyed torturing his victims.

Like her father; Ayumi appeared to be an emotional wreck and no one could blame her. After all, her uncle happened be the greatest traitor of Pergrande, and that very traitor also played a major role in the mental scars she received when she got kidnapped earlier. Therefore; her emotional state was justified.

"My brother… my own flesh and blood." Kazuhiko gritted out at long last with tears rolling down his cheeks. Swarmed in a sea of emotions, he could barely feel the warmth of his daughter's embrace. "This war was nothing more than a manifestation of Hiro's petty jealousy. I kept giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking he was going through a phase and that he would move past it. However; I had no idea my brother had become such a vile human being."

Just then; the King of Pergrande's mindset went through a multiplicity of emotions once he felt his daughter brushing away his tears with tears flowing down her own face. Holding his precious angel tightly, he kissed the top of her head before gently wiping away her tears – Ayumi could only sniffle at the warm touch and then hugged her father tight.

Hisui E. Fiore wiped away her tears at the heartwarming sight and mirrored the action by crouching down and hugging her own father as tightly as she could – she was going to do whatever it takes to make good on her word. After been given a second chance, she knew she would never revert back to her former arrogant personality. In return; Toma smiled at his daughter's actions and rubbed her back in a soothing manner – he was so happy to have his darling offspring back to her normal and caring self.

The Allied Forces settled in and waited for Pergrande's King to continue with what he wanted to say, knowing the man wasn't finished his explanation. In one fell swoop; Kento and his fellow samurai smiled at the royal duo, while Kimi radiated in happiness because she had helped raise Ayumi, whose warm personality always seemed to light up everyone's mood. This heartfelt display allowed the observers to breath in peace – the recent war proved to be quite taxing on their mindsets.

Pulling away from his daughter, Kazuhiko's eyes became fierce. "If Hiro thinks he's going to get away with this, he is sadly mistaken. I've looked the other way for the last time." He announced strongly, catching the attention of each and every person on the sidelines.

Acceptance. A major lesson in the Bushido Code revolves around the fact how a samurai has to accept that he won't achieve everything he'd like to achieve or set out to accomplish. Every trained samurai in the nation of Pergrande knew this lesson very well but the most knowledgeable on the subject was Kazuhiko, who studied the coursework extensively throughout his life.

Noting the looks of acceptance from his subordinates, the samurai leader revolved his vision. A small sigh escaped his lips when he espied the emotionless blond shinobi, whose knowledge on the samurai way of life impressed him to levels beyond human comprehension. Though he seriously wanted to know how the mage held such knowledge, he understood now was not the time to ask such questions.

With his eyes locked onto the Fairy Tail mage, Kazuhiko announced, "It's because of you that I'm back, Naruto-dono. You have my sincere gratitude."

Following suit; Pergrande's King bowed his head as a form of respect because he knew exactly how patient the blond shinobi had been. Raising his head a moment later; he formulated a small smile on his face, a smile the young man mirrored – this display further pleased the soldiers on the sidelines.

'He has my sincere gratitude too, tou-sama.' Ayumi thought happily before hugging her father again.

Sighing contently; Naruto crossed his arms because he knew had it not been for Kazuhiko being a samurai, the man wouldn't have achieved such a level of acceptance. In the Elemental Nations, shinobi and kunoichi alike would've been able to cope as well since they readily accept the fact that death is around the corner. However; that ruling doesn't apply in Earthland since it inhabits mages, creatures, civilians, and samurai. Regardless, mages don't follow this belief to such a degree so their readiness to accept such an event is unlikely.

The virtues of the Bushido Code are quite extensive and to follow these teaching means one could attain enlightenment. According to the virtues, there is nothing more important in life than to what a samurai does at the present moment. A samurai's entire life consists of nothing more than one moment piled on top of another, over and over again. Once enlightened to this, the samurai has nothing else to worry about, because he realizes he has only to live in the present moment with the utmost intensity.

"Wisdom comes from paying attention to wise people, while love comes from always striving for the good of others and placing others before oneself." Kazuhiko reiterated the words spoken to him by his father – the words illustrated in the Bushido Code. "I think sometimes a person can become blind when it comes to family but no longer will that continue to blind me. I am going to make the correct decision, for the betterment of my Kingdom."

Toma E. Fiore wanted to approach his fellow King and further ease the man's state of mind but no longer sought the need to do so. It seemed his subordinate Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze truly did the impossible. Not only did the young man save his daughter and Pergrande's Princess, but he also took it upon himself to save everyone in this war, including the helpless civilians. Letting out a peaceful sigh, he formed a wide smile on his face – Fiore was truly lucky to have such an outstanding mage in its midst.

"Now here are my instructions. Listen very carefully." Kazuhiko voiced out, to which the gathered samurai immediately grew attentive. "I want ten soldiers to search each security tower. I'm positive that when Hiro planned out this war, he must've tinkered with the cameras to allow those traitors into Pergrande without getting caught in the process." Intensity now laced in his tone, he stood firmly on the ground. "Activate the emergency cameras and initialize our backup surveillance. Use every possible search query to find out where my brother is hiding. Redirect the angles of the cameras if it helps."

"You have your orders… NOW GO!" A second was all it took for a gathering of samurai to rush off into various directions, while the others remained attentive to their lord.

Toma E. Fiore smiled at his fellow leader's authoritative tone and nodded to himself at the conjured up plan – it was definitely the right way to go. This change of pace did put him at peace because he knew just how hard it must've been for the aged samurai to come to terms with Hiro's betrayal.

Ayumi simply hugged her father tight, overjoyed upon hearing his strong voice again. Meanwhile; the rest of the samurai remained glued to their positions. Naruto and Kurama had begun talking to each other at this point in time but were taking note of each word being shared.

Nodding to the change of pace, the aged samurai looked directly at his subjects. "I want everyone else to search the land in case those cameras don't pick up on Hiro's location. I know this is an overkill of resources but quite frankly, I don't care. The sooner we can find my brother, the sooner we can put this war behind us." He stated powerfully before leveling a glare at the crowd – the samurai in question cowered under the strong gaze. "Kento Nakajima is going to lead this search party and that means his orders are absolute. If any of you question his judgment, I will consider it an act of treason."

In return; Kento bowed his head, pleased at the fact his Majesty had such faith in him, while the rest of the samurai populace gulped at the last part of their King's explanation. Not willing to waste any more time, the search party leader turned around with a stern expression – the samurai immediately submitted and without a word, waited patiently for their mission leader's orders.

"I want four teams to scour the land. All of us will head in the same direction at the start but then we'll disperse in the distant t-crossing. I'll explain this in greater detail on our way there." Kento voiced out in a regal tone before twisting his body around. "Now follow me! We have no time to waste!"

Since no more words were required, the Pergrande guards dashed off into the distance and the speedy takeoff caused dust to hover. In return; the once populated crowd plummeted in number due to the absence of the samurai. Now only Toma, Hisui, the Fiore guards, Kazuhiko, Ayumi, the Pergrande council members, Naruto and his partner Kurama remained on the utterly destroyed battleground.

"Naruto-dono, I hope you don't mind my samurai leading this investigation." Kazuhiko announced with a heavy breath as he turned to face the blond shinobi. "You've done enough for our nation and quite frankly, I'm not sure how I can possibly hope to return the favor. You saved us and I'll always be in your debt." He then quickly raised a hand up in protest once the youngster narrowed his eyes. "Don't argue, Naruto-dono. I know you don't wish to be repaid but rest assured, you will be awarded for your bravery. Surely you can understand my mindset, considering the fact you hold such extensive knowledge on the Bushido Code."

Naruto merely kept his arms crossed and nodded his head without saying a word – sometimes holding such knowledge sure had its downsides. He certainly did not want to get treated any different because of his actions in the war, however, that no longer seemed possible. Meanwhile; Kurama let out an amused chortle at his partner's predicament, enjoying the reaction he received in return.

"What about me, Your Majesty?" Kimi couldn't help but express her concerns. Neither she nor her fellow council members had said a word since they got here. "I want to help out as well. I may not be able to provide physical aid, however, I can easily help strategize the search."

"There's no need. I'm sure a thousand samurai are enough for a search, but thank you." Kazuhiko answered with small sigh, easing the woman's concerns. "Nobuo, Masaki, Shiro, Kimi. I want the four of you to head back inside the palace where the civilians should be present. Please calm them down and reassure them that everything will be all right."

The council members immediately gave a firm nod, making their leader smile. With a sigh, Kazuhiko turned towards his fellow leader Toma and was about to say something, but then felt a fierce tremor from afar which alarmed him to no ends. Reacting quickly; Naruto formulated a Fuinjutsu barrier around the group and prevented them from feeling the shockwave – this development was troubling.

Just then; a loud blast made its presence known which resonated for miles on end, but due to the security barrier, the debris simply became absorbed and saved everyone from any danger. A long sigh of relief escaped everyone's lips as they faced the blond shinobi with pleased expressions.

"Milord, someone detonated the underground passage way!" A panicked samurai shouted from inside one of the security towers. "The cameras installed downstairs weren't active and neither were the emergency cameras so I wasn't able to see who was behind this travesty."

"I have news, milord!" A samurai from another tower spoke through a loudspeaker, adding to the first guard's input. "I looked over some footage and saw Naruto-sama's clones activating some sort of barrier which stopped the blast from harming the samurai who were near the source of detonation. I'm going to try redirecting the angle of the other cameras now."

Kazuhiko fumed at the sudden development, however, he couldn't help but resonate a sigh of relief when he realized his subjects were saved from harm's way, and it was once again due to the blond shinobi's interference. Catching onto this development, Naruto palmed his face and groaned inwardly – this was going to further add to his reward which was something he didn't want in the first place.

In the interim; Ayumi giggled at the blond's reaction but felt overwhelmed at how much the man in question did for her nation. That powerful mage saved her, protected the Kingdom from destruction, and helped her father recover from his recent shock. She just didn't know how to thank him.

'Oh you are dead, princess.' Kamika growled in her mind once she caught onto the Pergrande leader's heir's fond smile. 'Do you think I'll allow you to get so close to Naruto-sama? Not on my watch!'

Kama ignored his female subordinate's outraged expression because he had no time to deal with her petty lustful attitude towards Earthland's Most Wanted. If he didn't take care of her soon, she would die at the hands of that man's wives and that was a fact. Meanwhile; Arcadios and Soshu shook their heads at the sight of the female Garou Knight because they too were annoyed by her antics.

Just then; the White Dragon Slayer turned towards the council members. "I'm going to create a shadow clone who will take you all to the tower. I want the four of you to hold hands and for the two closest to my clone to place their hands on his shoulders." He formed a hand sign, to which a replica of his emerged in a cloud of smoke. "There's no time to waste. Go and keep the civilians company. Make sure they understand the situation and prevent them from stepping outside until further notice."

The council members nodded gratefully at the young man's response before following the instructions handed to them. After holding hands, Shiro and Nobuo placed their unoccupied hands on the replica's shoulders. With that; the group vanished in a black-tinged white flash.

Meanwhile; Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, and Kamika remained silent since they had nothing to add towards this development. Ayumi and Hisui stood by one another and began a small conversation, mainly focusing on how lucky they were to be alive right now. Before Toma could say anything to his fellow King, he narrowed his eyes upon tuning into a sudden voice making its presence known.

"Greetings, brother."

In response to the echoing sound, Pergrande's King clenched his fists. It didn't take him more than a second to identify who the voice belonged to. Following suit; Ayumi stopped talking to her fellow Princess since she also caught onto the man's voice – it was none other than Hiro Nobuyoshi. When the others saw the duo's reaction, they immediately hardened their expressions as a unit, while Naruto and Kurama looked on impassively and waited for the traitor to begin the conversation.

"I'm sure you must have a million questions, but you're just going to have to wait." Hiro, the now recognized man spoke in a slithering tone, instilling anger to the Pergrande leader. "Come to the Shinto Training Ground and we'll have our round of questions and answers."

Not wasting a second, Kazuhiko charged towards the designated location with a singular thought process – making sure his brother would be dealt with once and for all. Kurama quickly hopped onto his partner's shoulders, while the partner in question took off in a blazing speed. Without saying a word, the remaining group members followed their peers' example and ran in the same direction.


(Shinto Training Ground)


Since a majority of the samurai forces were closer to the designated location, they were the first to arrive. All of them heard Hiro's voice loud and clear and since their mission was to locate the traitor, their decisions were made. Kento Nakajima, the leader of the search party supported this decision and called the other samurai to the same location. The samurai forces wanted to make sure their Majesty wouldn't get harmed in this meeting – they would kill the traitor themselves before that could happen.

Letting out a light pant, Kazuhiko Nobuyoshi approached the area with a hardened expression, ignoring the presence of his subordinates. He didn't see his brother anywhere which made him grit his teeth out of frustration. Behind the aged samurai stood the White Dragon Slayer with his partner Kurama on his shoulder, both of them glancing around the surroundings. A few minutes later; Toma E. Fiore and the remaining members of the group also made their presence known.

"Show yourself, Hiro!" The samurai leader hollered loudly, loathing this deadening suspense.

"Calm down, brother. I'm right here."

Turning his head; Kazuhiko's features darkened as he saw the door to a nearby shed open wide, revealing a newcomer who didn't require any introduction. This newcomer highly resembled Pergrande's King, causing the Allied Forces to look on impassively. The man had a few scars on his face alongside a tattoo near his lower jaw and had long black hair. He donned a full-body armor along with a red-colored sash, similar to one the traitors wore during the war.

this was Hiro Nobuyoshi, the opposing side leader.

In return; hundreds of samurai raised their swords and those near the man began inching forward, eager to teach this monster a lesson he would never forget. This vile human manipulated their own people to become traitors, and was the mastermind behind the war. He will die here and that was a fact.

"You have some nerve, Hiro." Kazuhiko growled in a repulsed manner and pulled his precious daughter into his arms. He would not let her get in harm's way ever again. "You betrayed me, your filthy subordinate kidnapped my daughter, and you brought banished samurai into my nation. Do you have any idea what you've done? Answer me!"

Scoffing, Hiro matched his brother's glare. "Do you have any idea what you've done, you self-righteous bastard?!" He spat sharply whilst ignoring the presence of the Allied Forces. "Do you actually think this innocent façade of yours will work on me? By bringing other nation soldiers into our samurai country, you betrayed our father."

Without allowing his brother a chance to respond, traitor continued venomously, "Tou-sama told us that the Pergrande Kingdom would forever be a non-magic wielding country. That's the reason why he never interacted with other countries and why none of our secrets were leaked out. This is what our forefathers wanted as well. You on the other hand broke that vow and invited Fiore, the strongest nation of Earthland… for a treaty signing."

A large number of Pergrande samurai seethed in rage at the comment while dozens went over the words being shared. Sure some of them were not pleased at their Majesty's decision of inviting Fiore for the treaty signing, but they weren't going to lash out for such petty reasons.

The White Flash single-handedly turned the war in their favor so it would be foolish for them to be so narrow-minded. They should be thanking Fiore's King for his willingness to provide aid, not living in the past. No more did the samurai care for such matters and now, the sight of their leader's brother made them furious. That traitor deserved to die and they were itching to witness the execution firsthand.

"You think I'm unaware of our forefather's message?" Kazuhiko countered in the utmost seriousness, submerging into his King personality. "By inviting Fiore, I did not betray our father's trust. This treaty signing was created for a singular purpose: to improve the lives of the Pergrande Kingdom, and to advance along with the rest of Earthland. How is that a sign of betrayal?"

Toma E. Fiore nodded his head to the words being shared – he couldn't find a flaw in his fellow King's input. Only heartless and cold-hearted leaders wouldn't want to improve the lives of their subjects. Therefore; he was in full approval. Hisui stood by her father's side with a smile on her face because her father loved Fiore with all he had, and it was clear Kazuhiko loved Pergrande in the same manner.

Hiro espied the reactions and clenched his fists, outraged by the fact no one agreed with him. Not even a single Pergrande samurai on the sidelines seemed interested in his point of view. It didn't make sense whatsoever. He planned on creating a revolution which would make him a dictator so he could instill fear to everyone in Earthland. He wanted to establish world dominance. He hated being ignored!

Pergrande's traitor then tightened his clenched fists to the extent that he drew blood when he saw Naruto talking to a small-sized fox. He loathed not being given the attention he truly deserved. Oh, that infuriating blond would pay for this embarrassment. The others on the sidelines were seriously wondering what was going through the traitor's mind and if they should end the man's existence now, while Kazuhiko frowned deeply at his brother who he could no longer see as his flesh and blood.

"You gracing Pergrande with your presence wasn't on my agenda." Hiro spoke in a slithering tone; his loathing for the blond shinobi was never more evident. "But I should've known you'd come to foil my plans of establishing supremacy over Pergrande. Though it makes sense why my minions were destroyed and so easily, I must add. After all; they were up against Earthland's Most Wanted."

A dark snarl escaped the Pergrande traitor's lips when he realized the White Dragon Slayer still wasn't paying attention. He would have to speak louder, now. Oh the humiliation!

Forcing down the urge to stomp his feet; Hiro continued in the same slithering tone, "You've become a thorn in everyone's side, you infuriating blond. No wonder why Dark Guilds despise you so much to the extent that they've begun to flee from Fiore. I'm not even a dark mage and I hate you with every fiber of my being. You make me sick!"

Kazuhiko, Toma, and the Allied Forces hoped the blond shinobi wouldn't kill the traitor outright for the comment because Hiro had to be put to trial and be dealt with accordingly. Pergrande's leader then remembered the Fairy Tail mage was familiar with the Bushido Code and by recalling one specific law, he crossed his arms with a small smile on his face, knowing he had nothing to worry about.

"…and that is what we'll do on our next Dark Guild buffet." Naruto finished coolly, patting his fox partner on the head with a smile on his face.

"Oh that does the heart good. You've made me very proud, Naruto." Kurama chirped in a cheerful tone, pleased at what he just heard from his friend.

Blood pressure boiling; Hiro's features darkened as he shrieked at the top of his lungs, "WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

"Calm down before you blow your pacemaker, you piece of trash." Titania's husband answered in a professional manner, to which Pergrande's traitor turned red out of rage. A majority of the Allied Forces couldn't help but chuckle at the humorous comment. "No I wasn't listening to you but I can hypothesize. You tried swaying some more samurai to join your cause by creating a sap story. By doing this, you thought your brother would pardon your actions and things would then turn back to normal."

Naruto then crossed his arms and nodded to himself at his own words, while Hiro's facial expressions had become downright comical at this point in time. Kurama could barely contain his chortles since he thoroughly enjoyed the times when his partner riled up enemies. He was more than eager to try out some condescendence towards dark mages on their next Dark Guild buffet.

Eyes morphed into iced chips, the White Dragon Slayer continued, "Sorry but that isn't happening. Your actions are unforgivable. You will pay for your transgressions against the Pergrande populace."

Without giving his brother a chance to respond, Kazuhiko voiced out, "Naruto-san. If you don't mind, I'll take it from here. This was a long time coming."

The Uzumaki-Namikaze clan head simply illustrated a curt nod as he felt his presence was no longer necessary. He knew Kazuhiko needed to do this on his own and he wasn't going to deny the man either, fully aware of the basic principles revolving around the samurai's way of life, the Bushido Code.

"Hiro. You think I've brought shame to our father and forefathers?" Kazuhiko voiced out with his eyes narrowed, unwilling to give his brother a shred of compassion, here. "Let's see if you remember this: to find a retainer with a loyal heart one need look no further than the house of a warrior who is faithful to his parents. A warrior should remain committed to his parents from the depths of his soul, or else after they have passed away he will be filled with regret for what he should have done."

The Pergrande King made an abrupt pause and a lone tear trickled down his cheek as he gave out his input, while his brother froze at the nostalgic word exchange. On the sidelines; several of the Pergrande samurai breathed heavily upon hearing their leader speak – Ayumi could only smile at her wise father.

'A powerful saying indeed. It aligns perfectly with the virtues of the Bushido Code.' Naruto thought from his position, smiling at the aged samurai's input.

"That message was passed down from generation to generation: from our great-grandfather to our grandfather, from our grandfather to our father, and from our father to the both of us. You dare question my loyalty?" Pergrande's King added into the speech and took note of the flash of uneasiness he saw in his brother's eyes. Wiping away his tears, he turned dead serious once more. "Our mother succumbed to her injuries when we were young and our father passed away ten years later. I remained committed to my parents and everything they stood up for, and still do to this very day. I will never betray their trust nor will I ever betray their teachings. As a result, I don't have any regrets."

Naruto framed an impassive expression at the sight of Pergrande's traitor. Kurama? Well, he simply settled for a bored yawn. Ayumi slowly approached the blond shinobi and tugged on his battle coat, bringing out a raised eyebrow from the man in question. Without saying a word, she shook her head vigorously and stood beside him with a blush on her face, while the blond smirked at the sight.

Eyes wide from the display; Kamika gritted her teeth. "You… you good for nothing bitch." She muttered under her breath, outraged by the actions of the Pergrande Princess.

'You draw far too much attention from the opposite gender, kit.' Kurama thought in amusement, eager to see where this development could lead.

Toma E. Fiore took this time to move closer to the two samurai, an action his daughter Hisui mirrored. Kento stood with a sharp gaze aimed at his Majesty's sibling, just in case the traitor decided to do anything out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, the remaining Allied Forces stayed attentive to their surroundings but none of them kept their eyes off their leader. They couldn't afford to take any risks.

"You on the other hand have stomped on the Bushido Code by undermining my leadership. So here's my question: are you still on that same path? The path of our father and forefathers?" Kazuhiko spoke with so much coldness, that Hiro couldn't help but flinch in return.

Before the Pergrande nation's King could continue, he saw another flash of uneasiness – it was clear to him that his brother's mindset had begun to crumble. On the sidelines, Toma E. Fiore and his guards became overwhelmed by the emotional conversation, wondering where it may lead. Knowing the Bushido Code by heart; the samurai forces could tell what the end-result would be, and judging by Naruto's facial expression, it was obvious the blond also held such knowledge.

"You're too soft, Kazuhiko." Hiro gritted out after regaining his composure. His self-righteous sibling's words did a number to his mindset. "If our dear father had done his job and had executed those samurai, they wouldn't have been a part of today's war. If you didn't have outside help, victory would've been mine. I deserve to be leader, not you."

Through clenched fists, Pergrande's traitor stood tall. "There's only one way to settle this and both of us know it. You and I will face each other in a battle to the death." He continued whilst setting a glare directed at his saddened brother. "Here are the stipulations: If I win this match, I'll become King of Pergrande. But if you win, my betrayal is purged in blood."

The Pergrande samurai narrowed their eyes at the traitor, outraged by the word exchange. None of them would never accept such a cold-hearted and callous individual to be their leader. Kento could glance at his Majesty in nervousness, not knowing if the aged samurai would agree.

"Kazuhiko-dono. You shouldn't approve of this." Toma E. Fiore announced in a stern fashion, hoping his fellow leader would make the right decision. "Your brother's trying to turn things in his favor. Why even give him the pleasure by agreeing to those terms?"

"He's right, tou-sama." Ayumi added to the talk with a deep frown plastered across her features. "Uncle deserves to be executed for his actions. You shouldn't face him in this match!" A few tears rolled down her cheeks upon further thought on the stipulations. "What if you lose?!"

Naruto remained silent because the look on Kazuhiko's face told him what the answer would be, and he wasn't going to argue against it. This was between the two samurai. Whispering this into his fox partner's ear, he leaned back and smiled at the sight of the bijuu's nod.

"I agree to those terms." Kazuhiko answered in paramount determination. Ignoring the loud gasps resonating from his response, he looked directly into his smirking brother's eyes. "If I don't do this, I will never forgive myself. You think I've become soft in these times of peace? Well then; I'm going to show you exactly why I was named King of Pergrande in the first place."

The aged samurai then revolved his vision to face his daughter. "I won't lose and that's a promise, Ayumi-chan. Now I want you to stay by Naruto-dono's side." He said in warm tone before forming a small smile upon observing his precious little girl's nod.

With that; Kazuhiko turned his head yet again before voicing out, "I want all of you to move back. That is an order."

None of the samurai could say anything in protest since they didn't have the will to question their King's judgment. Though they were very nervous about this change of pace, they simply obliged with the order and moved back a safe distance away.

Toma, his daughter, and his guards moved back as well. Fiore's King couldn't help but frown at the turn of events but he could understand his fellow leader's decision. Keeping in tune with his choice to let the two samurai handle their business, Naruto stood firmly with Kurama by his side. Ayumi gave out a sad sigh before inching back beside the blond shinobi, who placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Your father is the King. Don't underestimate his abilities." Naruto whispered into the Princess' ear before removing his hand from her shoulder.

Ayumi didn't have to say a word since her expressions spoke volumes of her answer. She simply hoped that her father would emerge victorious and return to her safe and sound. Kamika could only snarl at the Pergrande Princess getting so chummy with her handsome seduction-target. Now standing at attendance, the gathered crowd watched on as the two samurai braced themselves.

...the battle for the Pergrande Kingdom had begun yet again.


(Kazuhiko Nobuyoshi vs Hiro Nobuyoshi)


The air surrounding the two Pergrande natives suddenly condensed as the duo got into their respective stances – it seemed like even the atmosphere knew the importance of this death battle. Unsheathing their swords in perfect synchronization, both opponents kept fixed eye-contact with one another while brainstorming their individual strategies. Neither of them could afford to make any mistakes.

Hiro glared at his brother with so much hatred, it almost appeared to have manifested into a physical entity. He knew what this match meant. If he were to won, he would become King and finally establish his dominance over the populace. Otherwise; he would lose everything, including his life.

Kazuhiko became emotionally conflicted at the sight but quickly regained his composure. He knew his brother's leadership would completely destroy Pergrande and cause hysteria among the populace. Not to mention the fact his sibling brought a tremendous deal of torment by conjuring up that war. He also made a promise to his daughter that he would emerge victorious and he planned on keeping it.

A light breeze formulated once the two samurai finally got over their thought processes, while their eyes narrowed as they dashed forward. By twisting his body around in a fast succession, Kazuhiko stretched out his sword-wielding arm at a forty-five degree angle. Emitting a powerful slash from his weapon, he made a powerful slash from his sword before growing tense – it seemed his brother escaped the blow at the last second and used that second to the advantage. Without getting a chance to get back into his battle stance, he winced as a blade pierced his flesh, and quickly skidded a few meters away.

Hiro tightened the grip he had on his weapon while a smirk etched to his features at the sight of his brother. If the battle continued to go at this rate, victory would surely be his. Not wasting another second, he dashed forward with his sword held upright, confusing his opponent. Using the confusion as a window of opportunity, he twisted his wrist and made a downward-diagonal slash, to which a loud ringing sound resonated the area while a heavy barrage of wind made its presence known.

With their blades collided; the duo stared into each other's eyes and dug their feet deep into the earth in order to keep themselves balanced – a battle for control had now commenced. A heavy breath escaped Kazuhiko's lips as he tried pushing his sword forward, but the action was immediately countered by his opponent who had no intention of making any errors whatsoever. Just then; Hiro conjured up the strength and effectively forced his way through, while the Pergrande King's eyes widened upon experiencing the full-force of his foe's strength firsthand.

'Hiro's training has definitely paid off.' Kazuhiko thought analytically before jumping back to a rock-formation a few meters away. 'It's obvious if I don't become serious, I will surely lose this battle. I can't afford to make any mistakes, here.'

"Like our dear father said when you and I were young: If you keep your sword drawn and wield it about then no one will dare approach you and you will have no allies. But if you never draw it, it will dull and rust and people will assume that you are feeble." Hiro spoke into the silence with a wide smirk on his face, noting several degrees of anger coursing through his brother's face. "Have you finally come to the realization? While you've lost sight of your samurai instinct, I've been honing my skills each day. Victory shall be mine."

With that; Kazuhiko's eyes ignited in fury and became downright outraged by the word exchange. The only reason why his skillset somewhat dimmed was due to his daughter's birth. After all, he had to make sure his precious child would always have a dedicated parent by her side. Otherwise; his deceased wife would've haunted him from beyond the grave. Now realizing his brother was trying to craft confusion into his mindset, he gritted his teeth while Hiro framed a smirk on his face. Shaking off a train of thoughts that filled his brain; he wrapped his right hand around his sword and ran forward with a speed that surprised his opponent, who was completely caught off guard by the sudden switch.

Reacting quickly; Hiro cursed under his breath and rushed towards his sibling whilst pressing his weapon horizontally across his chest. With another ringing noise sending echoes to every corner of the battleground, the duo collided with each other and stared deep into the other's eyes. Getting pushed back by the wind that came into the picture, the opponents never once lost eye-contact, even though the hovering dust made it become quite difficult. Brainstorming an idea that popped into his head, Hiro lunged ahead and before his foe could get the chance to retaliate, he began moving around in circles, which brought forth even more dust to float around in a heated fashion.

Kazuhiko squinted his eyes due to the unfavorable turn of events – he lost all vision of his opponent but he knew the opponent in question didn't lose sight of him. Without getting a chance to get into a defensive stance, he let out a pained cough as a blade pierced his shoulder. Before he could jump back to avoid another blow, he gritted his teeth once he received yet another sword-strike. Now regaining his composure, he slashed his sword diagonally, to which a sharp metal clang made its presence known.

With a dangerous smirk; Hiro charged forward yet again, knowing his brother had become significantly weaker in these times of peace – just like he said. Descending with a downward slash, his smirk vanished as his brother jumped out of the way and successfully blocked his attack. Snarling, he went for a full-on offensive series of strikes, which Kazuhiko began matching in perfect synchronization, much to his outrage and frustration. Just then; he took note of his brother's lapse of judgment and used the window of opportunity to his advantage.

Kazuhiko panted lightly whilst using most of his hindered skillset. What his sibling didn't realize was the fact he was trying to put up a weak front in his stance, making it seem like he wasn't anticipating another sword-strike. With that; he twisted his body around, which caused his foe to lose his balance and skid sharply against the rocky surface. Into the momentum, he brought down his sword in a swift manner and finally began to gain the upper hand in this battle.

Not given time to steady himself for the upcoming maneuver, Hiro gnashed his teeth together as his opponent's sword went through his sword-wielding arm and forced him to drop his blade. As blood oozed down his injured body part, Pergrande's traitor wasn't even given a second to pick up his sword as his brother ran forward with a horizontal slash. Eyes widening at the change of pace, he tried moving away before gritting his teeth once he realized his feet became trapped in a rock-formation. Attempting to break the hold, he didn't even see his brother coming his way. As a sword-strike slashed through his body armor, he let out a roar since the blow almost tore through his protection.

"Aarrghh…" Hiro growled out of desperation as yet another attack made its presence known, forcing him to fall back-first onto the rocky surface.

Kazuhiko then made a succession of downward slashes, while his face became blank at the sight of his brother thrashing around on the battleground. Though he didn't want to inflict any harm to his sibling, he couldn't let the man get away. Not this time. With another slash, he successfully struck his opponent across the chest, penetrating through the heavy armor. Knowing his brother was unable to counter-attack, he raised his sword but at the last second… he hesitated.

Mentally thanking the hesitation, Hiro rose to his feet and dashed towards his dropped sword, while his enemy gritted his teeth at what just transpired. Now holding his weapon tightly, he stared down at his brother with a heavy glare, unwilling to be put to such a disadvantage again. Rushing forward with a diagonal strike, the traitor suddenly changed his footing and made a powerful slash, causing his opponent to jump back in response to the action. Utilizing his speed, he ignored the pain he had coursing through his body and began raining down a continuous barrage of sword-strikes. A relieved sigh escaped his lips once an attack successfully broke through his brother's defense and through that attack, his opponent fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ummph!" Kazuhiko grunted through the fall while becoming wide-eyed as his sword escaped his grasp.

Pergrande's traitor then lowered his weapon and pierced his opponent's foot and released a maniacal laugh once he saw the pain the man was going through in return. Kazuhiko coughed up blood and felt his vision blur through the attack, which showed him that his brother was not kidding around. Deciding to bring a deal of torture into the picture, Hiro loomed over his foe's body with a devious smirk. His plans were foiled because of that infuriating blond shinobi, however, he could still emerge victorious.

On the sidelines; Ayumi started leaking tears of misery when she saw her father on the ground and her uncle stretching out a fist. A battle that was once thought to be even had now morphed around with this disadvantage. Not knowing how else to react, she rushed forward from her position but was held back by the Slayer of Acnologia, who appeared to be emotionless as he could ever be. Tugging on his coat endlessly, she pleaded for him to stop the death match, however, she knew there was nothing that could be done. This was the samurai way.

Kento winced as a punch landed on his leader's face by the hands of Pergrande's traitor and couldn't do a thing about it. His position as Kazuhiko's most trusted guard made the situation grave since he didn't have it in him to see his Majesty in such pain. Turning his head, he saw his fellow samurai looking on in horror but all of them slowly formed expressions of hope, praying for their leader's safety. Toma E. Fiore and the other Fiore natives shared the Pergrande Allied Forces' expressions of hope.

"I won't lose, Hiro." Kazuhiko announced as he forced his brother back through sheer willpower, to which the man let out a gasp of disbelief. "For the sake of the Pergrande Kingdom and for the sake of my duty to them as their leader, I will not lose."

Hiro's eyes widened at the strength his sibling just displayed. He didn't know how such a thing was remotely possible. He thought the elder samurai wouldn't be able to move, but thinking it over now, he realized he had severely underestimated the man's capabilities. Grasping onto his weapon tight, he charged forward but before he could even perform his attack, he coughed up a glob of blood once he met the receiving end of a sword-strike.

'H-how did he change the entire course of this battle?' Hiro thought in alarm, his disbelief couldn't be more evident.

Kazuhiko quickly applied force to his grip and smacked his brother on the head with the hilt of his sword, sending the man to the ground with gurgles escaping his lips. With that; he began delivering a variety of slashes at the downed man, bringing forth loud whimpers of agony. Even though the pain from his injured foot made its presence known, he didn't waver in his movement. He couldn't afford to make the mistake of underestimating his brother. Flicking his wrist, he pierced his enemy's shoulder with his blood filled blade, feeling the flesh getting torn apart from his ruthless actions.

"I can never forgive you, Hiro." Pergrande's King stated in a flat tone whilst digging his weapon deeper into his opponent's body. "You have done far too much damage. All of this was created from your jealousy. You are no samurai. You have no honor."

Hiro's eyes bulged as a hole formed in his abdomen and could literally feel air flowing in and out of his injured body – he could tell he wouldn't be able to make it at this point. Coughing loudly from dust shoving itself down his throat, he felt his vision fading by the second. The damage had become far too serious to neglect any longer. He didn't know how his sibling endured such pain. Groggily looking into the man's eyes, he could see through the man in question's troubled state. He realized Kazuhiko once again began to hesitate and the mere sight caused him to growl.

Using the hesitation to rise to his feet, Pergrande's traitor struggled the whole while, and released another growl once he understood his brother had allowed this change of pace. Staggering forward, he got back into his fighting stance, an action the King of Pergrande mirrored. Dust hovered slightly as Hiro jumped midair and tried slicing his blade across his opponent's chest, however, Kazuhiko saw the move coming and successfully blocked the attempted strike with his own weapon.

For what could be felt like hours, the two opponents delivered successive strikes and both of them matched the other's movement. Because Hiro's injuries made it become difficult for him to continue moving at the same pace, he realized the battle had definitely taken a toll on his body. Kazuhiko didn't pay his injuries any mind and continued to use his skills to their fullest capabilities. A quick slice to the chest caused the mastermind behind the recent war to skid back, allowing Kazuhiko to gain a window of opportunity. Descending his sword downward, Pergrande's King quickly pushed his weapon deep into his sibling's already injured shoulder, panting heavily in the progression.

Hiro grunted in pain as blood seeped through multiple parts of his body, and could only grit his teeth through it all. Gathering up the strength, he forced himself to skid back into a nearby boulder and quickly hid behind it, hoping to gain a few seconds to allow him to catch his breath. Just then; his eyes widened once he heard a loud cling and with that, the boulder split wide open like a watermelon. Caught off guard by the turn of events, he revolved his head only to tremble in return.

Bending his shoulder at a forty-five degree angle, Kazuhiko made a gigantic slash and sent his brother propelling against the split portion of the boulder, cracking the man's skull effectively. Meanwhile, Hiro thrashed around the ground in extreme pain, knowing he was just about done here. A sharp wince formulated when his bruised body connected with several sharp rocks, and he could literally feel his essence of living daring to escape. Pergrande's King then landed on his brother's back, almost destroying the man's spinal cord in the process. With that movement in play, he twisted his enemy's arm around and bore through the whimpers and shrieks that seemingly became one.

The not-so hidden emotion of dread became easy to visualize as Kazuhiko saw his brother in so much pain. Forcing the look down underneath a hardened expression, he knew the consequences of his sibling's actions and with a heavy breath, he loomed over his foe.

"End it…" Hiro growled through gritted teeth, wincing the whole while. "Please just end it brother."

A few seconds later, Pergrande's traitor opened his eyes and saw his brother staring down at him with an expression of hesitation that was clearly evident. Realizing he would have to take matters into his own hands, he almost felt his life flashing before his eyes as he rose to his feet. Without giving his brother a chance to snap out of the hesitation, he dashed towards his niece a safe distance whilst panting in severe pain, forcing Kazuhiko to finally regain his composure.

On the sidelines; Ayumi trembled at the sight as she understood her uncle planned on killing her and couldn't help but shed tears of horror. The Fiore travelers and Pergrande samurai wanted to retaliate but hesitated upon observing Naruto and Kurama, both of whom were giving them the signal to back down. In return; the Allied Forces inched back to their original positions.

With a full-on dash, Kazuhiko knew he was better off than his sibling in speed, and poured every ounce of power he had to protect his daughter. Gnashing his teeth together as his ankle got twisted, he continued his pace, and ignored every shred of pain he had in his body. Approaching the sight, he meandered his sword around and forced it forward, letting out a lone tear as the blade lunged its way into Hiro's heart, which paved way to the final move of the battle.

"F-finally. You finally made the right decision, brother." Hiro trailed off in a whisper, only to be heard by his flesh and blood. "A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm. You did well, King. I'm sorry…" With those final words parting his lips, he closed his eyes for good with a small smile on his face.

'Hiro…' Kazuhiko thought as he removed the blade from his brother's body, while tears began flowing down his face.


(After the battle)


With puffy red cheeks; Ayumi approached her distressed father and hugged him from behind – she couldn't begin to comprehend how the man must be feeling right now. In return; Kazuhiko took a few deep breaths as he laid eyes on his deceased brother, experiencing pain in his heart.

Behind the duo stood the Pergrande samurai, all of whom stood in dead silence, unsure how to ease their leader's state of mind. Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, and Kamika could only frown into the momentum because they didn't know what to do at this moment. Meanwhile, Toma E. Fiore inched towards his fellow King with his daughter walking by his side.

"Kazuhiko-dono, you did the right thing." Toma whispered into the silence, causing the Pergrande King to lower his gaze. "Your brother was too far gone. He placed your entire nation at jeopardy and tried overthrowing you for a senseless ambition of dictatorship."

"Hiro… he wasn't that far gone as I had envisioned." Kazuhiko spoke in a whisper, but everyone heard him perfectly.

Breathing heavily, the Pergrande leader dropped his sword and stared down at his hands. He knew his brother ordered the kidnapping of his daughter, he knew the man manipulated several Pergrande soldiers into the opposition, and he knew his flesh and blood was the mastermind behind the recent war. Even with those thoughts in mind, he couldn't help but feel vulnerable at the moment.

"Kazuhiko-dono's brother realized the error of his ways midway into the battle." Naruto said on behalf of the Pergrande King, catching everyone's undivided attention. "There were moments in the battle where Kazuhiko-dono hesitated in making a final move. Hiro saw this and made it seem like he was taking this opportunity to his advantage. That isn't in the least bit true. Hiro actually had one or two opportunities to win this match but he didn't take any of them."

The husband of the Uzumaki-Namikaze ladies then took note of each Allied Force member staring at him, mentally pleading for him to continue. Kazuhiko held a shocked reaction at the words being shared because he didn't know how the blond pieced such information together.

With a sigh; the White Dragon Slayer continued, "The only reason why Hiro approached Ayumi-san is because he knew there were no other alternatives. He knew his brother wouldn't hold back then. Of course that brought the battle to a close when Kazuhiko-dono used the final killing blow. At the end of it all, Hiro wanted to die at his brother's hand in order to seek redemption for what he had done."

Mages and samurai alike froze upon hearing the blond shinobi's explanation as they couldn't believe what they were hearing. How did the youngster gather so much when they couldn't? Turning their heads to see a shocked to the core Pergrande leader, it was obvious the man hit a bull's eye in his input.

'That… that means… uncle didn't want to kill me?' Ayumi thought to herself, trying to keep calm through this revelation.

"H-how?" Kazuhiko muttered at long last, staring intensely at the young man.

"I drink plenty of juice that enhances my brain power." Naruto answered with a shrug, to which hundreds of samurai facepalmed at the word exchange.

Kurama couldn't help himself and broke down with a few snickers – he found the way the Pergrande King's jaw dropped at the random answer to be downright hysterical. Toma E. Fiore became bewildered at the blond's random answer, but watched on as the fox continue to release amused chortles.

Seizing his chuckles from the King's reaction; Naruto turned serious as he answered, "It wasn't too difficult to figure it out. As you're already aware, I'm quite familiar with the samurai way of life. Plus I could read Hiro's facial expression in the battle."

A small smile worked its way to Kazuhiko's features as he let out a chuckle. Within seconds, the chuckle turned into laughter once the blonde's former response sunk in. Ayumi followed in her father's example and laughed melodically into his chest at the events transpired. Realizing the young man had tried to lighten up the mood, the Pergrande leader turned his head – it seemed like his subordinates were clearly enjoying the hilarity of the situation, much to his approval.

A smile worked its way to Naruto's features upon viewing the overall reaction. 'Every morning a warrior should recommit himself to death. Once he is out of his front door, he is surrounded by death. Once he leaves his gate, he is surrounded by enemies.' He thought to himself, reiterating a passage he read when he first looked over the Bushido Code virtues.

'Bushido is realized in the presence of death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. There is no other reasoning. Both ninja and samurai share the same fundamental belief regarding death and readily embrace it each day. Mages aren't that in tune with this belief but that doesn't matter because this way of life doesn't apply to them.' Red Death's husband continued his thought process and widened his smile – the sight of the Pergrande King and Princess made everything worthwhile. 'I'm sure it must've been hard for Kazuhiko-dono to accept his brother's death but I know he's all right. If he hadn't been such a staunch follower of the Bushido Code, there was no way he would've accepted any of this. He truly deserves to be King.'

Meanwhile; Toma E. Fiore and his daughter laughed along with the general populace – the short man felt a serene level of happiness from watching his content fellow leader. Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, and Kamika immediately joined in on the laughter because after spending such a mind-taxing day in war, they deserved a chance to take the edge off.

Regaining his composure; Kazuhiko nodded his head. "You're absolutely right, Naruto-dono. My brother realized the errors of his ways and tried his best not to let it show. I wasn't aware of his attempts at the start but all of that changed when he made that final move by charging after Ayumi-chan." He explained in a sagely tone and took note of each nearby reaction – especially the blond shinobi. "His parting words to me were: You did well, King. I'm sorry."

Though he had accepted his sibling's death, the Pergrande leader couldn't help but sigh sadly – if only his brother decided not to perform such treason, he would still be alive. He knew there was no point in pondering on the possibilities because what happened is in the past, now. There is only the present, just like what the Bushido Code states.

"I know this can't help my brother's case. He has done far too much wrong for it to be rewritten. It's obvious he knew this as well and that's why he wanted to die by my hands." Kazuhiko announced into the silence before staring down at his brother's lifeless body. "Regardless of whatever transpired; Hiro Nobuyoshi had a death worthy of a samurai."

The Pergrande Allied Forces couldn't help but nod to the man's words, even though Hiro's seemingly regretful character gave them severe stages of confusion. The Fiore travelers couldn't say anything here once again because they felt their input wouldn't be appreciated – none of them knew the conduct of the samurai so their words wouldn't hold any merit whatsoever.

"People of Pergrande..." Kazuhiko trailed off, to which the samurai grew attentive. "Tomorrow, we'll host a funeral for the samurai that were killed in this war. Even though they turned traitors, they were still a part of this nation."

Observing the numerous nods, the Pergrande leader turned his head. "Toma-dono. Just give me a few days to get everything in working order. After that, we'll finalize our treaty signing." He immediately raised up his hand once saw the short leader's reaction. "It if wasn't for your acceptance to come to our nation in the first place, I wouldn't be here right now. Therefore; it would be my greatest honor to conclude the terms of the treaty."

Toma E. Fiore couldn't help but smile at the elder samurai, pleased at the change of pace. Hisui hugged her father when she saw the look he had on his face. The remaining Fiore travelers shared the reaction of happiness since the recent events were definitely tiring to say the least.

"Naruto-dono. You by far have played the greatest part in ensuring Pergrande's safety." Kazuhiko continued with a bright smile before chuckling as the blond began waving him off. "I won't ever forget what you've done for me and for this nation. Regardless if you want to be thanked or not, you will have to accept our gratitude."

The Pergrande samurai with the inclusion of Kazuhiko and Ayumi bowed their heads in unison, showing the sincere respect they held for the White Dragon Slayer. Raising his head shortly after, the Pergrande King chuckled at the sight of the blond's blank face – the fact that Earthland's Most Wanted didn't wish to receive more attention amused him to no end.

'Ah, Naruto-dono. You truly are interesting all right.' Toma E. Fiore thought with a smile, proud of the powerful Fairy Tail mage.

Naruto simply sighed at the events transpired before nodding his head. He understood there was no point in arguing so he didn't even bother with it any longer. With a yawn, Kurama hopped onto his partner's shoulders and hoped this boring conversation would come to an end soon.

"All right. Let's head back." Kazuhiko finished, to which the gathered crowd began shuffling around.

the war had now finally come to a close.


(1 Week Later)


A lot had changed in the nation of Pergrande.

After setting up the funeral service, Kazuhiko personally buried the enemy samurai that weren't completely annihilated, which were surprisingly only a handful. However; once he thought it over, he shook his head at the realization – Naruto and Kurama were nothing shorter than catastrophic.

Recalling how those banished samurai hailed from Sin and Enca respectively, Naruto sent a shadow clone ahead to search those two nations in order to see if there were any more samurai present behind their walls. Kurama took the opportunity to join in on the action since he couldn't help himself – a chance to kill some more ningens and quench his thirst for bloodlust? Easiest decision ever.

The White Dragon Slayer also created hundreds of shadow clones to amplify the reconstruction of Pergrande. Since the grounds outside the palace were completely destroyed, it required an extensive amount of manpower to handle such a feat. Kazuhiko and his subordinates were shocked when they saw so many replicas but quickly regained their composures. After witnessing what the blond shinobi was capable of firsthand, they felt the emotion of surprise towards him didn't seem to apply any longer.

The underground passage way became reduced to smithereens from the result of the recent detonation. Due to this; the royal carriage was obliterated along with other means of transport downstairs. However, this wasn't a cause for alarm since Toma E. Fiore ordered another carriage from his Kingdom, which arrived in two days thanks to a powerful airship carrying it onboard. When two carriages arrived outside the palace, Toma smiled as he presented his fellow leader with one, an action that shocked Kazuhiko. Thanking the short man profoundly for the gift, the Pergrande leader graciously parked it outside his palace and made sure he would use it on an everyday basis.

Each night; Naruto made sure to contact his family but the first night's conversation was comical. Once they learned about the war, the ladies went through a consensus expression of alarm, though the tense atmosphere vanished when they realized their husband was perfectly fine. Kushina and Mikoto were the first ones to overcome the feeling since they shared their own times of war, while the rest of the ladies calmed down shortly after.

Then came the whining. Now understanding their lover wasn't going to come home for another week, the ladies couldn't help but complain at how cruel the world was. They could barely handle their husband's absence at the current moment. Now they had to face more loneliness? Naruto immediately waved off his wives' concerns and simply explained how there was nothing to worry about. Leah and Wendy were surprisingly the first ones to understand the situation, which made their mothers embarrassed – the children somehow appeared to be more mature than the grownups at times.

Nonetheless; The White Flash shared everything that went down at the Kingdom and even showed his family a tour of the castle by submerging into his Ninja Art: Transparency Jutsu. The ladies immediately became overwhelmed by the palace's beauty and began to make preparations for a visit to Pergrande in the future. Kushina, Mikoto, and Erza drooled over the thousands upon thousands of swords placed inside the storage area nearby one of the many training grounds.

all in all, Naruto and his family remained connected and they couldn't be happier for it.

Toma E. Fiore became shocked when he realized how much his daughter had changed. After Hisui came back safe and sound, she underwent a tremendous amount of development. No longer was Fiore's Princess a smug personality. Now she was a gentle-hearted and sweet girl who wanted nothing more than to spend her time in the presence of her wonderful father. She also went out of her way to interact with Pergrande's Princess which made the elder woman very happy indeed.

In the following days; Hisui approached the blond shinobi and begged him to forgive her for how she had acted in the past. Naruto simply waved off the Princess' apology with a smile, stating he didn't mind the previous attitude but was happy she was coming around at long last.

Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, and Kamika took this time to interact with the Pergrande natives, much to their approval. Knowing they would be staying here for another week, they decided to make the most of their time and help out wherever it was required. One day; Kamika staggered around Pergrande with a pale look on her face but no one could figure out what happened to her. The upcoming days were no different since whatever struck the female Garou Knight's mindset seemed to be permanent.

Kazuhiko couldn't be more pleased at these turn of events. His Kingdom was safe and his nation was on its feet once again. The past days were indeed difficult but by interacting with the Fiore travelers, the time flew by and that made it all worthwhile. His expression of happiness was because his daughter Ayumi wasn't harmed from the recent events. He knew he had only one person to thank for it all. During the week, he shared extensive talks with his nation's savior and became very impressed at the youngster's knowledge on samurai life. They even had a few sparring sessions in which Pergrande's King became wide-eyed at how powerful the mage truly was in the art of swordsmanship, but that didn't surprise him in the slightest. He had witnessed the man obliterate an army of samurai without much effort, after all. Once he heard Naruto's request for bringing his family over later on in the future, he immediately agreed and told him the Pergrande Kingdom would welcome the Uzumaki-Namikaze family with open arms, much to the blond's contentment.

and like that, a week had passed.


(The Pergrande Kingdom Council Chambers)


Inside the council chambers; Arcadios, Soshu, and Kento were standing by the large windows, Kama and Kamika were standing at the far-east side of the large room, while Ayumi and Hisui were indulged in a cheerful conversation on the other side of the structure. Masaki, Shiro, Nobuo, and Kimi were seated in their respective chairs, awaiting the arrival of the remaining occupants so the meeting could commence.

At the current moment; Kazuhiko Nobuyoshi and Toma E. Fiore were out on a morning stroll to see how Pergrande's recovery process panned out. Since today was set towards finalizing the treaty, Fiore's King wanted to make sure everything went according to plan – the samurai leader simply wanted to look over the new changes that were made to his nation. Naruto also went out on the morning stroll because his presence became a priority – he was responsible for the aforementioned changes. Due to the fact Kurama couldn't stand the sight of anyone else, Kurama chose to stick by his former Jinchuriki's side.

In the past week, the White Dragon Slayer took it upon himself to place a series of Fuinjutsu seals at every necessary location to enhance Pergrande's security. The gates, border walls, and the security towers were now fortified with Fuinjutsu barriers – no intruder could ever penetrate the borders without facing severe consequences. Apart from that; each training ground in the nation became secured with seals that allowed automatic regeneration to prevent any damages. Therefore; Naruto's presence was a necessity because neither Kazuhiko nor Toma understood the fundamentals of Fuinjutsu.

"All right now spill." Kama whispered with his arms folded against his chest – he could not remain silent any longer. "What's gotten into you? You've been acting strange in the past couple of days and I want to know what the matter is."

"Okay but you can't tell anyone, understood?" Kamika hissed in a fierce manner, staring impassively at her leader. Observing the nod, she gritted her teeth. "Three days ago, I got a call on my Communication Lacrima. It surprised me because I have a handful of contacts and none of them can reach me unless I turn on the device. Somehow, this call connected. I thought it was a glitch in the programming before I realized just who made the call."

Following suit; the male executioner became slightly on edge upon hearing the woman's venomous tone. He knew she could be a handful at times but never did she lash out at him in such a manner. Nonetheless, he regained his composure quickly and kept his arms crossed – it was obvious something happened to the female mage and he intended on finding out one way or the other.

"…well who was it?" Kama asked flatly, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"It was them." Kamika whimpered in a dead tone, clenching her fists the whole while.

"Are you going to explain or do I have to drop this topic entirely?" Garou Knight's leader growled, irritated by the change in the woman's attitude. "His Majesty is going to be back at any minute so it's best if you get this out of the way now. What do you mean by: it was them?"

Kama's expression then morphed into paramount concern when he saw his subordinate's pale face and how her teeth chattered in the progression. Intensifying eye-contact, he knew she was undergoing a level of fear – like she was recalling her worst nightmare. Before he could try and get her to answer him, he tuned into her cracked tone and what he heard caused his eyes to go wide.

"Black Death, Red Death, The Ice Princess, The Demon, The Time Mage, and Titania."

"You mean…" Kama's concern only grew from the shaky response. Almost every mage in Earthland knew of those monikers. "…you mean to say Naruto-dono's wives called you?"

"H-hai… they called me." The female mage whispered in a dead tone, trying her best to regain her broken composure. "I don't know how they found out about my communication details, but Ultear-san told me she had ways of finding out such information. I couldn't even turn off my lacrima because she somehow hacked into the device."

Understanding this was a serious situation, Kama placed a hand on the woman's shoulder in order to give her some sort of comfort, but knew this was going to happen sooner or later. With that; he waited patiently for her to continue because quite frankly, his interest was highly piqued.

"They… they told me to stay away from Naruto-sama. They also told me that if I don't…" Kamika trailed off with another shudder – it was a common habit of hers nowadays. "…then they would torture me in ways that even an executioner like myself would rather die than to witness. Haku-san stated she was an expert in the field of medicine so she could prolong the torture. The rest of them then began to explain how much they loath their husband's fangirls." She then grasped the hem of her dress with her body trembling from the memory. "Their threats still haunt me to this day. They... they scare me so much."

"I would say I told you so but that seems redundant at this point." Kama spoke into the silence before scratching the back of his head. He needed to take a blunt approach, now. "Just take their advice. Don't fool around with Naruto-dono or trust me when I say, that man's wives will definitely carry out their threats. Should you proceed further, well, let's just say your only saving grace is the man himself and I get the distinct feeling that he wouldn't care enough to stop them."

Kamika didn't need to respond since she agreed wholeheartedly. It was going so well at the start. With the blond shinobi dealing with the reconstruction, she had begun to plan out a whole series of methods to win him over. However; all her plans were ruined when she received that call.

Looking around the council chambers; Kama let out a sigh of relief – it appeared none of the other occupants present in the large room heard a word of this conversation. He thought adding more stress to his already shaken up subordinate would not be a good idea at the moment.

"…and that's what you need to know regarding the customs of a Princess here at Pergrande." Ayumi finished, smiling at her younger companion.

Nodding her head, Hisui smiled back at her fellow Princess. "Wow. I can see now why the samurai customs place such emphasis on how a Princess should act in the Kingdom. I'm grateful you took the time to explain everything in such detail, Ayumi nee-san." She voiced out in a kind tone, fully submerged into her new formulated warm personality. "You really helped me understand the samurai perspective of being a Princess and quite frankly, we share the same customs back home in Fiore. I enjoyed the tour we took around the castle yesterday and I'm awed at how beautiful those ancient artifacts were. I hope you can come to Fiore in the near future because I want to be there to show you all the sights."

Ayumi widened her smile at the word exchange and nodded back at her surrogate little sister. Truth be told, she was blown away at how much Fiore's Princess had changed during the past week but it didn't seem all that hard to believe. After the kidnapping incident, both the women went through a great change. Though she was already soft-spoken and gentle towards everyone around her, the samurai Princess became more in tune with the Kingdom and took it upon herself to live life to its fullest, and also made sure to spend every second she could with her loving father.

"I'll be sure to mention this to tou-sama, Hisui-chan." Ayumi said warmly, to which the Fiore Princess grinned in approval.

Likewise; Hisui went through a great change in the past week when she rendered her previous smug personality obsolete and turned into a very gentle and kind-hearted young woman. She became happy beyond belief when the blond shinobi forgave her, even when she acted so foolishly around him. That man saved her life and she owed him a tremendous debt. After being pardoned by him, she grew determined and declared that she would never act like her former-self again.

Following suit, the Fiore Princess started interacting more with Ayumi, who accepted the friendship without a second of hesitation. The duo shared everything with one another and went on many trips around the Kingdom, observing wildlife or learning the other's way of life. However; one of the most game-changing event in the past week was when the two Princesses began referring to one another as sisters. When they heard of this development, Kazuhiko and Toma smiled at their daughters and accepted the change of pace wholeheartedly. This further strengthened the treaty.

"I can't believe it only took a week to fix the damages." Kento Nakajima whispered from his position, observing his two companions intently. "When Naruto-dono used that final technique in the war, it made a crater in the earth and destroyed everything in a mile radius – grounds were destroyed, including the surrounding agriculture and wildlife. Now, it's like there the war never took place."

In return; Soshu Tanaka shook his head. "Well I'm not too surprised." He responded calmly and smiled at the events transpired. "Naruto-dono certainly has a way to do the impossible and I think all of us can agree on that fact. Not only is his skillset impressive, but his knowledge on the art of sealing is also phenomenal."

"I second that, Soshu." Arcadios added with a nod, sharing his partner's smile. Like the Fiore Princess, he had also fully parted from his former arrogant personality. "I guess I was shocked when Naruto-dono created so many clones because I couldn't even count the exact figure. With that in mind, it's not a surprise to realize that with the additional manpower, it minimized the workload significantly."

Following suit; the trio smiled as they looked outside the nearby window, Ayumi and Hisui continued to chat away with one another, and the two silent Garou Knights remained glued in their positions a safe distance away. At the same time; the council members were indulged in setting up the papers for the upcoming meeting – they couldn't afford to miss a single document.

Just then; the door to the chambers opened wide, causing everyone to turn their heads before smiling at the newcomers. Steeping inside the large room, Kazuhiko and Toma smiled back at the occupants, while Naruto walked behind the duo with his partner Kurama positioned on his right shoulder.

"Thank you all for your patience. Now that we're all here, let the meeting commence." Kazuhiko announced in a bright tone before taking a seat, an action his fellow King mirrored. "Members of the Pergrande Kingdom Council, I'd like to start things off with the final touches that were made to the treaty and move on from there."

Nodding; Kimi, Shiro, Masaki, and Nobuo shuffled up a stack of papers they had placed on the conference table, while Naruto stood a few meters away from the remaining occupants of the large structure. Espying their leader's hand gesture, the council members became serious.

"The terms of the treaty have finally come to a close. For the exchange of a portion of Pergrande's agriculture: Fiore will provide us with high-quality iron sand and coal so our swordsmiths can continue to produce high-quality weaponry." Kimi, the Head of Pergrande's Agricultural Department stated in a regal tone, staring at the two Kings intently. "At this time, Pergrande can last a year before the need to import those items makes its presence known. However; the sooner we begin the import-export process, the sooner we can learn on how to keep everything under control. To ensure quality-control on our end, I'll personally overview the agriculture export and will make sure each and every product is examined thoroughly before it is sent out of Pergrande."

In return; the two Kings nodded in unison – this half of the treaty was already discussed a week ago so they found no problem accepting it. Fiore had an almost limitless supply of iron sand and coal so it favored them to exchange it for healthy import of agriculture. On the other hand, Pergrande had unmeasurable amounts of agriculture so trading that a portion off to help their swordsmiths seemed fair. Seeing no objection whatsoever, Kimi nodded happily before sitting back down on her seat.

"For the exchange of the remaining portion of Pergrande's agriculture: Fiore will also export new and current technology so we are up to par with the other countries of Earthland. At the current moment, Pergrande uses outdated surveillance systems among other obsolete technological items so therefore, upgrading towards a new age of technology is a necessity. Fiore on the other hand, has state of the art technological development agencies and their surveillance system is ranked first in Earthland." Nobuo, the Chief of Technological Development gave out his input, smiling at the two leaders. "Since this portion of the treaty is related to my line of work, I'll gladly converse with whoever is going to operate Fiore's exports in order to see what's needed here at the Kingdom. Kimi will handle the remaining agriculture that is to be exported from Pergrande."

This time around, Fiore's King nodded firmly, making his fellow leader smile. After observing some of the items present in the Kingdom and security towers, Toma understood that Pergrande required a serious level of upgrading – Fiore was definitely in a league of its own in respect to technological development. Since his nation readily produced numerous items each day, exchanging some of it for agriculture did seem like a reasonable trade. The old man wanted his people to be properly nourished, after all.

Kazuhiko smiled at his fellow King and knew the man had agreed to this half of the treaty. He wanted to upgrade his security systems and provide his people with the latest of lacrima communication technology, but he couldn't find a way for that to happen. Now with this treaty, he would be able to gift his subordinates with whatever they desired – this thought process pleased him to no ends. At the same time; Nobuo grinned at the acceptance before taking his seat, pleased at the events transpired.

"This is a recent entry: we can host a battle of the swords which will be a triennial event hosted by the Pergrande Kingdom. It'll be hosted here but we'll promote contestants from Fiore to enter in order to strengthen our treaty. At the current moment, this idea is not applicable but we'll initialize this plan 5 years from now." Masaki, the Head Staff of the Royal Army division announced in a noticeable giddy tone. "This event will begin with a preliminary round in order to skim the number of contestants. After that, the event will consist of a: quarter-final, semi-final, and a final match. This will solely be based on swordsmanship, nothing more. I'll even take the liberty of looking over the contestants and providing them with tips on how to improve their stance. I'm sure if this idea is given acceptance, Kento-san will also wish to extend a hand and help out."

Taking a small breather, Masaki grinned at the excitement he found forming in the two Kings' eyes and mentally patted himself on the back for his idea. Giving the duo a chance to let this information sink in, he crossed his arms and widened his grin at the nod of approval Kento Nakajima aimed his way.

Espying his Majesty's hand-gesture; Masaki continued, "A fixed amount of currency could be given to the winner of the tournament but we'll also make another notion. Should the winner be from Fiore, he or she will be awarded with a sword handcrafted by our chief swordsmith, along with a chance to train under the tutelage of His Majesty in the art of swordsmanship. Should the winner be from Pergrande, he or she will be granted a chance of promotion in the Royal Army. With this tournament and exchange in play, I am positive that our nation's reputation will begin to flourish. I know our forefathers didn't want to extend such an open gesture to other countries, but it's about time we took the initiative forward. I truly believe Fiore and Pergrande can learn a lot from one another. That is all."

Almost everyone in the council chamber became awestruck at the idea, but the most prominent reaction was present on the faces of the two Kings, both of whom went into deep thought.

Toma held the knowledge that in Fiore, there was an event similar to this one, but the idea of sending some of the best Fiore sword-wielders over to Pergrande made all the difference. Not only could this encourage a portion of his nation's civilians to take up swordsmanship, but it could also further give the sword-wielders a chance to harness their skills for the sword-battling tournament. Due to the mages, the art of swordsmanship in Fiore plummeted in number – this idea could very well change everything.

Kazuhiko didn't even need to think about the idea. He loved it. After the events of the war; he wanted a way to unite Fiore and Pergrande together and this seemed like the best possible way. His samurai could continue to harness their skills in anticipation for the tournament, while Fiore could send over their best swordsman to challenge them in a lengthy series of battling. In his mind, he had already decided that if the tournament was a hit, he would make it become an annual event instead of a triennial one.

The others on the sidelines were on the same page. Kento agreed on the man's input and was quite proud of the idea. Ayumi high-fived her surrogate little sister Hisui because this tournament would give them a chance to meet every so often and to keep their friendship strong. Arcadios and Soshu framed wide grins since this event could encourage them both to improve their respective skills in the art of swordsmanship, while Kama and his female subordinate nodded in contentment.

'I better make sure none of my wives enter this tournament. If Erza-chan, Kushi-chan, or Miko-chan choose to participate, no one will ever stand a chance against their level of Kenjutsu.' Naruto thought with a smirk on his face before shaking his head. 'I'm also out of the question. It wouldn't be fair if I participated, either. The samurai here have witnessed my skill in the art so I doubt they'll agree to me fighting against them. Heh, I guess the Uzumaki-Namikaze family is just going to watch the event.'

Meanwhile; Kurama simply gnashed his teeth together. 'I could be torturing numerous ningens and hearing their screams right now but no…. I have to sit down and listen to this pointless talk.' He growled inwardly, digging a claw deep into the marble floor. Just then; a sigh escaped his lips once the final council member rose to his feet. 'Oh by all means, talk away, you chubby ningen.'

"The final addition is based on currency exchange. Fiore contains an extensive line of clothing shops and has one of the largest jewelry markets in Earthland – it even surpasses Joya by a margin. On that same token, Pergrande produces high-quality weapons of all shapes and forms. Therefore; I do believe trading should be implemented as soon as possible." Shiro, the Head of Finance began warmly, looking over at the two Kings. "At the moment, Pergrande holds an immeasurable amount of Jewels which could be exchanged for the personal items Fiore has at its disposal. I'm sure Fiore has a lot of weapon shops but I'm also sure they could use some high-quality weapons that we can easily provide. I'll work out the details at a later date and through this import-export, both nations can prosper."

Nodding along to the latest term; Kazuhiko and Toma smiled in approval. Both leaders knew there were some more details that could be ironed out, however, the basics of this treaty seemed perfect. Giving a hand-gesture, Kazuhiko silently asked for the documents and without a word shared amongst them, the council members immediately rose to their feet. Presenting the duo with two separate stacks of papers, the four elders sat back in their seats and allowed them to look over the terms of the treaty.

Silence was observed in the council chamber as the two Kings continued to flip page by page, viewing over the terms and conditions of this treaty. Even though the two men now shared a level of friendship, this didn't extend to the treaty signing because business was a whole different matter. In order for the import-export scenario to flourish, both nations had to benefit, not just one.

"Is it possible to die from boredom? Because I think I'm dying here." Kurama grumbled, annoyed by the political conversation.

"Just endure it for a while longer, Kurama. We'll be done shortly." Naruto whispered with an amused smirk – his fox partner could certainly lighten up the mood sometime.

Remaining silent; the occupants of the council chambers continued to watch on as the two Kings glanced over the large pile of documents in great detail. The council members simply framed eager expressions in the hope the duo would agree to the terms - it would help both nations out considerably.

After what felt like ages, Toma E. Fiore leaned back into his seat. "I think these terms are acceptable." He stated kindly, to which the council members perked up. "I found not a single term out of place and quite honestly, I think both our nations will prosper from this treaty. Don't you, Kazuhiko-dono?"

"I agree, Toma-dono. Now let's move onto the next phase of the treaty." Kazuhiko responded brightly and smiled at his fellow leader.

Turning towards his excited council; Pergrande's King continued, "In order to plan out this import-export, we need to have a very efficient method of transport. The route that's currently available to us is not acceptable and therefore, we need to correct that problem."

Without allowing the four elders a chance to formulate a response, Naruto walked towards a map of Earthland that was positioned at the center of the chambers. Glancing over the map in great detail, he hummed to himself and ran over every possible scenario in his head. In return; the occupants of the large room revolved their visions, wondering what the blond shinobi had in mind.

"I have a solution so I want you all to listen carefully." The White Flash spoke into the silence and smiled at the consensus nods he received. "The safest route from Fiore to Pergrande is through Bosco, Stella, Joya, Desierto, and Bellum. However; the quicker route would be to exit Fiore, enter Bosco, move into Iceberg, and then carry on towards the Pergrande Kingdom. Now I know that would be a difficult method of transport for vehicles, but I know a way around that." Observing the silence met in response, he took a deep breath. "I already took the liberty of placing seals all the way from Fiore to Pergrande, and I'll have a clone of mine place seals in Iceberg when this treaty signing is finalized. Iceberg's climate will prove hazardous but a few seals of mine can remove that problem. Those very seals will form a barrier which will negate the cold temperature and allow vehicles to travel back and forth with ease."

"Problem solved. I hope this proves to be acceptable." Naruto finished with a smirk – the sight of the awestruck Kings caused him to chuckle inwardly.

Kazuhiko and Toma were simply blown away by this revelation, however, after seeing the blond shinobi in action firsthand, they knew he was full of surprises. Meanwhile; the council members and the other occupants of the structure shared looks of shock – this certainly took them by surprise. Noting the overall reaction, Kurama matched his former Jinchuriki's smirk and let out an amused chortle.

"I-I agree!" Toma exclaimed, nodding his head the whole while. "Your seals could make the entire journey a breeze, Naruto-dono. Thank you for that explanation."

"Y-yeah, I second the notion." Kazuhiko stammered out and tried to regain his composure. "I've seen your seals firsthand, Naruto-dono. If you can do all of that, we have no problems whatsoever."

Smiling; Naruto nodded back, to which the two Kings grinned in appreciation. Since there was nothing left to be said regarding the import-export scenario, the council members leaned back into their chairs as a unit with content expressions etched to their features – their excitement blazing. Now, the only thing that remained was for the two leaders to sign the treaty at long last.

Without a word; the Kings of Fiore and Pergrande grabbed hold of their respective pens and began signing on the dotted lines present on the documents to finalize the treaty. Flipping paper by paper, the duo continued their task while the entire atmosphere of the chambers became bright – the council members were jumping for joy at this point. After finalizing the paperwork, the duo took long sighs of relief and then gestured for everyone to gather around them.

"Oh right. I almost forgot." Kazuhiko announced with a smile as he took out a piece of paper. "Naruto-dono, this is for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto took the paper in his hand and looked it over before narrowing his vision at what it contained, while Kurama formed a fanged grin of approval. Meanwhile; the others present beside the blond shinobi went wide-eyed once they realized the importance of this paper.


Name: Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze

Age: 19

Personal Status: Married

Affiliation: Fairy Tail

Monikers:

* The White Flash

* Ace of Fairy Tail

* Slayer of Acnologia

* Slayer of the Apocalypse

* Angel of Death

* Earthland's Most Wanted

* Paladin of Pergrande

Occupations:

* S-Class Mage

* Clan Head

* Wizard Saint

Wives:

* Erza Uzumaki-Namikaze

* Haku Uzumaki-Namikaze

* Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze

* Mikoto Uzumaki-Namikaze

* Mirajane Uzumaki-Namikaze

* Ultear Uzumaki-Namikaze

Appearance:

The target is a tall, physically fit young man with spikey blonde hair and blue eyes. His most prominent feature being the 3 whisker marks along each cheek. He has been seen wearing a black and dark blue colored long-sleeved coat which is scale-like in nature. The back of the coat displays a dark blue colored circle shape design and within the circle is a depiction of two dragons curled up into a Yin-Yang sign. Underneath the coat, he has been seen with a complete attire consisting: a jet black colored shirt, similar colored pants, black fingerless scale-like gloves with metal plates on the knuckles, and black shoes with dark blue colored streaks.

Magic:

* Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Water - (Different from normal magic and of unfamiliar origin)

* White Dragon Slayer Magic

* Black Dragon Slayer Magic - (Unconfirmed)

* The target also been known to have strange teleportation magic which allows him to disappear in a black-tinged white flash. Do not underestimate this ability.

Notable Kills:

* Jellal Fernandez - (Unknown affiliation)

* Brain - (Oracion Seis)

* Midnight - (Oracion Seis)

* Naked Mummy Dark Guild - (Entire populace)

* Over 1,000 dark mages - (Unknown affiliations)

* Grimoire Heart Dark Guild - (Rumored to have killed entire populace)

* Acnologia - (The Apocalypse Dragon)

* Army of enemy samurai (Amount unknown: estimated to be in the thousands)

Bounty:

* 100,000,000 Jewels - (Placed by Oracion Seis prior elimination)

* 250,000,000 Jewels - (Placed by Grimoire Heart prior elimination)

* 1,000,000,000 Jewels - (Placed by Tartarus - old bounty)

* 5,000,000,000 Jewels - (Placed by Tartarus - current bounty)

Additional Note:

It's highly recommended that you DO NOT fight this man under ANY circumstance. Should you encounter him on the battlefield as an enemy, either retreat or surrender yourself and hope he holds mercy for you.


"K-Kami…" Arcadios mumbled incoherently, not knowing what else to say.

"5-5 Billion Jewels. His latest bounty is weighted at 5 Billion Jewels." Kama whispered in utter shock, to which his female subordinate squirmed uncomfortably.

Likewise; the remaining occupants could only gaze at the blond shinobi with their eyes wide as saucers, wondering what the man would say in response to this latest development. Many of them overlooked the fact that there was yet another moniker added onto the mage's already numerous monikers – they were too awestruck at the notable kills section and bounty to realize it.

"Kazuhiko-dono. I believe you're responsible for this?" Naruto asked plainly, staring at the samurai leader.

"Hai, Paladin of Pergrande." Kazuhiko answered in a crafty tone and chuckled at the Fairy Tail mage. "I discussed this with Toma-dono a few days ago and he agreed to order your current bounty sheet from Fiore. I told you that you were going to be rewarded whether you like it or not and that's the reward I came up with. You single-handedly turned the war in our favor, you saved my daughter from harm's way, and you protected my nation as a whole. Quite honestly, this was the very least I could do."

Though Ayumi wasn't informed of such a decision earlier, she could only smile in contentment because she truly believed her father had made an excellent decision. Hisui smiled along since she knew this latest title could further the Fairy Tail mage's reputation. Meanwhile; Arcadios, Soshu, Kama, Kamika, and Kento were just shocked to the core by this development.

"Though the bounty Tartarus has now placed on your head is new. From what I've heard, it was added a little over a week ago." Fiore's King added to the conversation before scratching his chin. "I don't know what they're up to but to place such a large bounty is not good. No one has ever seen Tartarus operate nor has any mage seen them out and about which is very troubling. I do believe something has to be done for the safety of Earthland. We cannot allow them to operate in such a secretive manner."

Naruto crossed his arms and sighed to himself – he needed to formulate a well-organized decision to counteract this problem in his head before he could voice anything out. This required a dedicated amount of thought, after all.

'Hmmm… I can just smell the next bloodbath. I like it.' Kurama chirped inwardly, eager to rip those trash dark mages to shreds.

After what felt like ages; Earthland's Most Wanted looked over his nation's leader. "I'll take care of Tartarus when the time comes, Toma-dono. Fairy Tail's spy network is still looking out for the existence of every Dark Guild and Tartarus is its number one target. I'll also join in on the hunt later, but for now I can't say anything. However; you can rest assured that those dark mages will die." He explained in a sagely tone and mentally planned to call his former sensei soon.

Toma E. Fiore simply nodded his head in return, not wanting to question the blond's judgment. From what he knew, Naruto held the most dark mage eliminations in Earthland's history so the man's thought process outweighed his by a margin. Meanwhile; Hisui and the Fiore guards shivered – they knew that Dark Guild wasn't going to survive if the blond shinobi was planning on taking matters into his own hands.

Turning his head, Naruto smiled at the second leader. "I'm honored that you went out of your way to extend such a warm gesture, Kazuhiko-dono. Thank you for granting me with this moniker. With this, my reputation has become more wide-spread and hopefully it'll bring Tartarus out of hiding." He said warmly and widened his smile at the man's bright expression.

"No need to thank me, Naruto-dono. You've earned the moniker." Kazuhiko matched the young man's warm tone before taking a deep breath. "Oh and you're right. Your reputation has indeed become more wide-spread. This updated bounty sheet was sent back to Fiore last night and today morning, Toma-dono and I were informed that your new title has become the topic of discussion all over Earthland."

The occupants of the council chamber were left speechless at the word exchange. It was no big surprise to understand that the blond's reputation extended to almost every part of Earthland, but to hear how the man's latest moniker had become the talk of the day was a whole different story. After regaining their composures as a unit, the Fiore travelers smirked smugly – their nation was quite lucky to have such a powerful mage in its midst. Ayumi still kept her smile intact because she truly felt happy for the blond, while Kento slowly snapped back to reality and nodded his head in approval.

"Now… I do believe it's time for me to return home, Kazuhiko-dono." Toma spoke into the silence and extended his hand forward. "I wish I could prolong my stay here but I can't postpone my departure any longer – Fiore requires my services and I can't neglect my duties. Thank you for your hospitality and I look forward to keeping in touch with you. I've had a great time here at the Pergrande Kingdom."

"I look forward to our future conversations, Toma-dono." Kazuhiko replied in a kind tone and met his fellow leader for a firm handshake. "Though I wished for you spend some more time at Pergrande, I understand that you need to fulfill your obligations as King of Fiore. We'll begin initializing the import-export portions of the treaty once you arrive back to your Kingdom. Now, I'll take you all downstairs."

After separation; the two Kings smiled at one another, showing the respect they had for the other. Since it was early morning, the Fiore travelers were full from their recent feast – the sheer amount of cuisines present made one hell of a meal to say the least. Without saying a word, the occupants began making their way to the lower portion of the castle, while basking in the warm atmosphere. A joyful set of conversations were shared along the way which everyone took part of – Kurama was the exception because he wanted to depart as soon as possible, much to the blond shinobi's amusement.

Arriving outside the palace a few minutes later, Kento whistled for the closest guard to bring out the royal carriage that was parked underground. Once the vehicle finally arrived; Soshu quickly opened up the engine compartment and made sure everything was in working order – his knowledge on mechanics certainly made it easier on the Fiore travelers.

"I'll call you when I arrive back to Fiore, Ayumi-nee." Hisui whispered as she hugged her surrogate older sister, smiling the whole while. "I can't wait to show you my palace. So you better visit soon."

"I will, Hisui-chan. Now take care." Ayumi said softly and tightened the embrace, pleased at her sister's caring attitude.

Toma observed the duo with a delicate smile – he knew his daughter had longed for a sibling and now she finally had one at long last. This mission not only secured his nation's stability, but it also made his precious angel beyond happy so he was very satisfied from the events transpired.

'I'm so proud of you, Ayumi-chan.' Kazuhiko thought in the utmost warmth, looking over at his beautiful young daughter.

In the interim; Arcadios approached his partner Soshu and glanced at the engine, while Kento arrived to the scene on his specific method of transport. Kama took this time to ease his female subordinate from the shaken up state she was in – it seemed Kamika still could not zone out of the troubling conversation she had with the Uzumaki-Namikaze ladies. Meanwhile; Kurama transformed into his larger form and growled to himself in the hopes to depart right this instant.

Kazuhiko then approached each Fiore traveler and met them individually for a firm handshake, and the group eagerly returned the action with smiles on their faces. The King and his daughter then helped Toma and Hisui into the carriage, to which the duo smiled in appreciation. Once Soshu Tanaka finished with his task, he sat down on one of the benches present on the carriage, an action his mission teammates mirrored. At the same time; Naruto hopped onto his fox partner's back, ready to depart.

"Have a safe journey." Kazuhiko announced as he waved his hand, observing the waves the others were aiming his way.

"Bye everyone!" Ayumi chirped in a cheerful tone and also began waving at the Fiore travelers.

With a final wave, the Fiore King and his entourage blasted off into the distance, while Kento led the group to the gates of the Pergrande nation. Standing at attendance, every Pergrande civilian and samurai waved cheerfully at their honored guests – none of them wanted to miss out on the chance to say farewell to their heroes.

"So tell me, Ayumi-chan." Kazuhiko spoke with a smirk on his face, looking over at his confused daughter. "I take it you didn't confess your feelings to Naruto-dono?"

In return; Ayumi blushed beet red and sputtered incoherent sentences. She didn't know her father knew of the feelings she had piling up for her homeland's savior!

Ever since the Fairy Tail mage rescued her and saved her entire nation, the Pergrande Princess grew rather fond of him and made several longing glances at him over the past week. During that time, she took it upon herself to get to know him better and always became fascinated whenever he spoke, but knew she couldn't act on those feelings. After realizing the man was married to such powerful women like the Uzumaki-Namikaze ladies, she just didn't want to get on their bad side.

"T-TOU-SAMA!" Ayumi cried embarrassingly at her father's smirk before rushing back inside the palace.

Cackling up at the humorous sight, the Leader of Pergrande made his way inside his home, while pondering on the ever-growing crush his daughter had on the blond shinobi. Stopping a second later, he turned around and formed a wide smile at the looks of contentment his subordinates had on their faces as they continued to watch the Fiore travelers depart. With his smile intact, he breathed peacefully at the events transpired before walking back into his Kingdom.

as the saying goes: happiness can exist only in acceptance.


Author's Notes:

The White Flash, Ace of Fairy Tail, Slayer of Acnologia, Slayer of the Apocalypse, Angel of Death, Earthland's Most Wanted, Paladin of Pergrande. The list just keeps growing, eh? Review! Review! Review!

I hope you all liked this Original Arc and what it contained. I'm sure a lot has been revealed as to why this arc was important. A treaty between Fiore and Pergrande, the character development of Toma, Hisui, Arcadios, Kama, Kamika, and Soshu, and the full-extent of Naruto's reputation in Earthland. All of this holds an equal amount of significance. I didn't want to give Naruto another moniker, but it would've been wrong not to. Apart from me wanting to screw with canon which I always take great pride in doing, I wanted to take it upon myself to be the first author to ever utilize such a detailed journey across Earthland. Now, Naruto and his fellow travelers are going back to Fiore.

That's about all I had to say. Thanks to all that reviewed and continued to provide me with a reason to write while I'm undergoing these infuriating personal life matters that just don't seem to stop. I've also been burdened with the task of editing my own work which has become a bothersome task since my beta left 5 chapters ago. Taking all of that into consideration, I think I did all right with this chapter. Right?

You're all awesome and I'll see everyone in the next chapter. Later! :)

- Egyptian God Phoenix