To replace buildings was not easy as destroying them. It was the same with life; easy to take it, but yet no man, no one who has claimed to be a saint or a god has learned the art of creating life. Even what is perhaps the greatest wizard to have ever graced this world, Zeref, was cursed by magic trying to create human life. It took a simple thing to take it nevertheless. A knife to the heart, a huge rock hitting one at the back of the head. Anything really, even food could take. But when it came to rebuilding their things, humans never tire. How long has it been since the capital city was destroyed? But now, work was already at some stages, the rebuilding would soon start to see the end product.

Yet, the life that was lost would never get to be rebuilt. A life lost was a life lost. Nothing could be done. At least in this realm of magic. In the shinobi world, the Rinnegan could perform this miracle that was impossible in this life.

He would essentially be a god if he possessed those eyes. Yes, a God. Removing the curses that stalked both him and Irene would be s much simpler process. He was nonetheless not a god. Just a mortal with limited capacity.

Naruto shook his head and turned away from the capital of Fiore.

"What are we going to do about the Magic Council?"

There was a degree of caution that he would have to practice now that the Council was on his case. He may have even made things worse by his refusal to submit to its power. But would he be Naruto if he allowed himself to be bullied? Irene would look down at him and even laugh. Hell, maybe even Acnologia would refuse to speak to him again. Maybe it was the pride speaking. But when you have reached a certain point, you refuse to submit to the will of those weaker than you. And maybe he was a little careless because of his power.

"Nothing as yet."

"But the problem isn't going to go away."

"Yeah," Naruto stared at the narrow road ahead of him. There were no trees; just a barren ground didn't seem to have any life in it. "But what can I do?"

"You can keep a low profile or just decide to go to war."

War would be overdramatic. There was no need for his sword to be pointed toward the Council. Naruto didn't think he had enemies to begin with. Even if Zeref tried to get in his way, Naruto didn't even consider the man as an enemy. If he adopted such a thought, he would have to end up destroying things. He wouldn't even waste time wielding all his magic destroy everything he considered enemy.

"Keeping a low profile is something I am good at. But at this time, I do not think I need to do that. I'm almost ready to begin the process reversing defects and regaining my humanity."

Kurama wondered what Naruto was thinking. If he was going to do that, he would sacrifice some of his powers. There was a possibility that he could even lose his dragon slaying magic. But he didn't seem to care about it. In fact, if anything, Kurama thought the blond resented the magic because of how 'selfish' he claimed it was.

"If we are going to do that, we must get rid of Acnologia and get this war with Zeref over with."

Naruto stopped for a moment and stared into the clear sky. After a moment, he continued walking in a slow pace, while absorbed in his thoughts. After walking for about an hour, he reached a forest and settled below it. He was not alone, but Ultear was sitting on a branch of the tree. He ignored her while he sorted his thoughts.

"We'd have to be serious." Naruto continued his conversation with Kurama. "It would be best to deal with Acnologia first than with Zeref. If Zeref attacks now, Acnologia is going to attack all the dragon slayers. They may die or not. I was hoping I would not have to face him, but we must make a plan."

"You haven't planned on how you will deal with Acnologia?"

Naruto smiled. "Well, I really didn't consider it something worth thinking about. I mean, it is not like it Is impossible for us to battle Acnologia to death. I just need to muster a little bit of confidence and we can deal with it. Maybe, think about the kind of damage that I may suffer during the battle."

Kurama shook his head. "You will get killed if you continue with this attitude of yours."

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged. "I guess we must urge Zeref to begin preparations for war. If we can do that while looking for Acnologia, then we can remove the problems before we begin everything. However, it is essential for Irene to continue living. I wouldn't mind taking her out of the war, but if I do so, it would make things less interesting."

"This is something I can offer my thoughts."

Naruto snorted. "Of course, you wouldn't have a problem with that. It is just going to be chaos and you have missed that."

"We have been fighting for all your life. It isn't like you have a problem with a bit of chaos."

"You make me sound evil."

"If you were a good person. You wouldn't wait for Zeref to launch an assault on Ishgar. You'd actually launch the attack yourself. You have those dragons and can create an army of clones, armed with dragon force and have them attack the Empire. There are no casualties on the good side if you go that way. But you have no intention of seeing things like that. You want the war to happen."

"I disagree with that. The war is going to happen. I'm just not going to stop it from happening. There is a difference." Naruto said a bit firmly. He released a long breath and then stared up at Ultear. "Get down."

Ultear waited for a moment before doing as instructed. He had sent a word for them to meet at this place, and he had demanded she come alone. Jellal would have liked to meet with him to find ways they could become stronger. She knew, he wanted to talk about the magic of time.

"How do you walk around normal people?" Even though she has seen him in action, Ultear couldn't get her heart to settle in his presence. His face looked harmless, but there was nothing harmless about his presence.

"I usually keep my real body away from humans and send a clone to walk among man. It is less of a troublesome situation that way. Even when in my real body, there is a degree of control over my power that I must keep. Over the years, I have been absorbing some magic orbs that contain pure magic into my body to strengthen my reserves." Of course, he kept that magic locked away and had stopped trying to absorb the magic for his own safety.

"You were not going all out, where you?"

A part of her wanted to deny this reality, but if it was so, then what more power was he holding back? Who could even defeat him in battle if that was not him going all out?

"It wouldn't be going all out if I wasn't even in my dragon form," Naruto waved his right hand in a dismissive manner. "But don't be too impressed. It is nothing compared to what Acnologia can do."

"You speak highly of him yet when you met him in my presence, you didn't seem bothered."

"I'm hardly bothered by anything unless it is personal. Enmity. Dark wizards, the magic council… even Acnologia… all these are merely side shows that I do not care for. But not disregarding that they can be dangerous. I'm just a little selfish."

Ultear smiled. "I think you have mentioned that. But if you are selfish, wouldn't you want to protect your life from Acnologia?"

"If I was afraid he could kill me, then I would be worried. I don't worry because I don't think he can accomplish it. There is no one who can accomplish it." Of course, this was a lie. If he thought it was impossible for his death, he would have fought Acnologia already.

Acnologia was a mean beast. He was just raw power that made most of his magic useless. He was always going to be limited in his options. He could put up a fight. He was also hard to kill. But whether he could deliver the killing blow was another question he dared not answer by practice.

As if she could read his thoughts, Ultear spoke. "I beg to differ. Self preservation would compel you to kill Acnologia. You hold his power in high regard. The reason you stay away is because he can kill you."

"Scandalous."

"You deny it?"

"Yes. Maybe not long ago, it would have been possible. No, it was not a question of possibility but whether Acnologia was willing or not. But thanks in part to you, I have learned a magic that ensures that I cannot be killed."

Naruto held out his right hand and then weaved hand signs. A huge magic circle formed below them. The thing that stood out from the circle was the clock on it. While he stood up, a massive outpour of magic forced Ultear to take a step back. He then placed his hand on the trunk of the tree.

Ultear watched with interest. The tree slowly seemed to shrink. She blinked, looking at the seal below. The clock was moving backwards and the tree seemed change, become a little smaller. Had he turned back the time of the tree? She had not thought he would've had made a breakthrough in such a short time. After all, it had taken her years to learn her magic and it had been just months since she showed him.

Naruto settled down and then faced Ultear.

"I'm surprised you learned to use Arc of Time so quickly."

"I had a head start and I don't create the time bubbles that you create in order to use your magic. Of course, the one major problem with Arc of Time is that it doesn't work on humans."

"Which is somehow what you want. Last Ages turns the time of everything. So, it works on everything as it turns the clock of the whole world."

"It is true that Last Ages is a powerful spell. So powerful I think only gods should wield that kind of power. The likes of the Magic Council would no doubt 'kill' anyone who could manipulate time at will. In any case, you mustn't use that magic, regardless of how desperate you become."

"I understand that it would cost me." Ultear smiled bitterly. She developed the magic. Of course, she knew that it came at a cost.

Naruto shook his head. "Far more than what you imagine," he replied in a stern tone. "You do not have the magic power turn back the clock of the world for even a minute. I don't think I would rewind time that far off. I won't even practice it because I know it would require a limitless amount of magic and time to accomplish that feat. I think I would also die if I attempted to use that magic."

Ultear had already known it may have been hopeless, but that wasn't the reason she was now in this journey. But hearing that she could do nothing to change what she had done made her feel bitter. And that the magic she had spent years developing couldn't even amount to any change. She smiled bitterly. Naruto had no reason to lie, did he? But why develop a magic that was specific to a target? What did he want to achieve?

"Are you saying that my life is worth less than a minute?"

"Yes. Maybe even less than that."

Even less than a minute? Ultear chuckled. So, she would have failed. She chose not to focus on what he had said about her magic. "You have been playing with time before, haven't you?"

"There is a fiery woman named Dimaria. She is one of the Spriggan. Within her, resides the God of Time. I have been studying her magic for a while and its limitations. While the thing inside her is a god, what Dimaria does with its power is honestly disappointing. She does nothing but stop time, only certain ranges. She has no free will to manipulate time according to her will."

"Why?"

"As you greedily studied magic and burnt anything in your way in your pursuit, I also do the same. The difference is that I don't include innocent people in my schemes. But you were not completely wrong to think that Zeref can be a key. It is just that at this moment, he doesn't have the means. This is why there is going to be a war. He needs the key to gain a limitless supply of magic that would mean he would be able to do anything he wants… at least I think so…" Naruto sighed. "I want to reverse time. But not of everyone."

"Why would you want to reverse about yourself?"

"I didn't say about myself." Naruto smiled. "I'm an imperfect being. But there is nothing I lack." Except for being human. But he wasn't going to tell Ultear that. He couldn't trust her. Maybe he could but he just didn't care to tell her.

"You lack something, or want something… hence your study of this magic…" Ultear said in a suspicious tone.

Naruto waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "I wanted to show you this magic variation of Arc of Time."

"How is a variation? You did less than what I do with my magic?"

Naruto smiled. "Do you really think I would just call you to show a inferior magic compared to yours? I am Naruto. I have my pride. I have lived longer than you have lived, for you to best me in understanding time magic when I have studied with the God of Time would be humiliating."

"Then what is it?"

"Something I want you to figure out on your own. Learn, struggle, devour any book you can find and when you have failed, will I help."

"That's unfair considering that I showed you my magic."

Naruto shrugged. "I am in the position to demand things from you and even take them. You're not in that position."

Ultear shook her head in response. Then again, Naruto has never been the one to pretend to be a saint in all her conversations with him. She smiled. At least he was honest about his intentions. At least some of it. He was not willing to tell her just what he wanted to reverse.

"You sound a lot more human." Ultear managed a small smile on her lips.

Naruto raised an eye brow and then settled down. "By admitting that?"

"A child could say the same thing. You understand your position and you're not afraid to show it to anyone."

"You just compared me to a child." Naruto stared and then smiled. Well, he was at times so careless about the things around him, his attitude could be considered to be that of a child. "I have nothing more to say to you. You may leave."

Just like that? But it didn't seem like he was ready to be moving to anywhere. Did he even have any place he called home? He seemed like a person who just popped up into places and then disappeared whenever it suited him. Everyone had a history but what was his? Surely, it would have some relevance to his personality and objectives. Getting an answer to that would of course require she get a mind reader to read his mind. The thought itself was a pipe dream. But nothing wrong with hoping? Right? And not just the lie people told themselves for comfort.

"What are you going to do about the Magic Council?"

Naruto's eyes immediately shut the moment Ultear asked her question. He didn't open them as he responded.

"Not on my mind."

"We are talking about the Magic Council."

"I know. But it means little to me that I would bother to make a plan. I'm not indifferent to it, just not going to think too deeply about it. I've done nothing wrong – so I will deal with the situation when it shows itself."

Ultear had a feeling Naruto was no longer going to respond to anything she would say. After a moment of staring, she shook her head and then turned around but she twisted around when something came up.

"Did you apply the Principle of Last Ages in reverse? In other words, are you stealing the time of any object you contact to make it you own?"

Naruto didn't open his eyes as he replied, but he did clap his hands. "That may be true. Cool, wouldn't it be? We can almost say it is taboo. You can live for all eternity if you could steal the time to add it to your own. But what I showed you reversed time, not steal it. If you're merely stealing time, the thing that has its time taken ages quickly."

Ultear shook her head. "If it merely reverses time, it would still be inferior. You're just not willing to tell me this much. But I will figure it out applying Last Ages in reverse and see what happens."

"If that happens, you will become worthy of being a woman in my life. I may just fall for you."

Ultear blinked at the thought. She wondered if he was serious but his expression was just blank of any emotion, so was his tone. She was tempted to ask him to open his eyes but after a moment, she shook her head and then walked away from him. Someone's woman? Ridiculous. She hadn't thought of something like that.

After a couple of moments, Naruto opened his eyes and then stabbed his staff on the ground.

"Rest?"

"Yeah… need a good sleep before going ahead. We are going to move a bit from now on. I want to settle the nerves."

Silver stopped in front of Naruto and could not think of anything but that he had hit the jackpot. The blond looked human but he couldn't sense anything human about him. Who even slept at a place like this and just continued to be reckless about it? He didn't seem to have felt his presence, yet. Was he that much of a deep sleeper? Either way, he had a mission and he simply had to erase a problem for Tartaros. After his showing at the capital, there were problems Mard Geer raised. He did have an extra motivation because he didn't think the blond was human to begin with.

Without wasting time, Silver waved his right hand, trying to freeze the blond. To his surprise, the blond was engulfed by the ice but the staff on the ground was not. Was it supposed to be so easy? It was really disappointing. He'd expected more.

He moved closer and then tried to pick up the staff. He grabbed it with his right hand but it appeared as if it was rooted to the ground. He couldn't lift it. He thought he wasn't doing it right and tried pulling it with both hands, but the staff still didn't budge.

Crack

The sound made him take a step away from the blond. He watched curiously as the ice slowly started to crack, but the blond kept his eyes closed.

"Wasn't the whole point of putting your staff in that position an attempt to put a barrier around you to ensure nobody successfully attacks you while you sleep?"

"I forgot to activate the spell."

"You really are going to get killed when you become human again. It is going to take some doing to get used to the fact that your life is fragile and thus you cannot afford to put measures to protect your life."

Naruto shook his head. "When you are weak, caution dictates you. Besides, who'd thought that someone would attack me?"

"You're an enemy of the Magic Council. The Wizard Saints may not be all powerful but they are still strong humans who can kill you if you're not careful."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "You worry too much."

His eyes snapped open but did not say anything as he waited for the ice to completely evaporate. Once that was over, his eyes became fixed on the huge man standing before him, looking down on him. For a moment, Naruto thought of amusing himself by refusing to look up to the man. After a moment, he shook his head.

And held out his right hand. "That is a rather curious magic." He commented without looking at Silver but at the palm of his right hand.

Silver was on-guard. The blond wasn't bothered by his attack – in unnerved him. He'd tried to permanently freeze him and he just shook it off as if he'd hurled a bucket of water over his head as a surprise. Instead of responding with anger or shock, he responded with curiosity – not at the attack but the magic used. What was he even dealing with here? Powerful, yes. But this wasn't how things were supposed to go.

He smiled. "I'm a bit lost now…" he said a bit carelessly.

"I can imagine. This isn't how things go, yes?"

The man shook his head. "I should've been walking away by now. Not talking to you. I didn't expect you to shake it off just like that."

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look. "Perhaps I should've have just waited for you to leave. It would have made things simpler. But you caught me while napping, so it couldn't be helped."

Silver held himself from laughing. The blond was rather casual about this. There was no malice. No criminal intent even though he just admitted to trying to freeze him forever. Was he that powerful that he saw no harm in all this or he just didn't see him as a threat? This was truly a unique situation.

"Are you human?"

Naruto stared at the man for a moment and then stood up. "That is a good question, but…"

The words were left hanging, even if he spoke, Silver wouldn't have heard them because he was trying to focus on keeping hold of his guts. The moment he'd started talking, a murderous intent, so potent that it frightened the core of his soul. He was almost certain that if he'd not dragged it down, his soul would've have left his body, undoing the magic that brought him back to this life.

When Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, he looked nothing threatening. After all, compared to his figure, he looked small. Yet, even when those crimson demonic eyes were staring up to him, it felt like they were looking down at him. He felt insignificant.

He was left to ponder what the hell happened when his armor suddenly shattered and he found his view changing from Naruto to the sky. He was down on his back, buried on the ground. It had happened in the blink of an eye he didn't even see Naruto move. The blond's right foot then stomped on his chest. A brutal placement that resulted in his ribs breaking. He didn't need to feel the pain – he heard the sound.

The blond leaned in, now staring at him with clear blue eyes, a small smile on his lips. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes." Wait, he could speak? Silver hadn't been able to utter a single word, not a sound once Naruto stopped in front of him.

"What are you doing to do about it?"

"Kill you… at least I wanted to do it. But it doesn't seem possible." He couldn't move. Not even his damn hands even though Naruto wasn't touching them. It was magic that kept him restrained. He could feel it but couldn't shake it off. Physically, it was like he was being held under the paw of a dragon.

"I see… You must be the demon hunter. Aren't you part of Tartaros?"

Silver blinked. "You know me?"

"I know all members of Tartaros… at least their faces. Well, the demons Zeref created. You're not one of them…" He pressed. A bone snapped. He blinked as if he'd done it unintentionally. "Sorry…" he smiled apologetically. "Been long since I removed some restraints."

After saying that, he removed his foot and then took a step back. Silver didn't immediately get up. He just watched. The blond gave him his back as he went back to his position. Yet, it felt like there were eyes watching him and a wrong move, he'd burn. It was just a feeling. A feeling that kept him from moving until Naruto had settled in his position once more.

Silver slowly got up. Ignoring everything he felt in his body. Staring at Naruto; he felt it was a little wrong to stare up at him from a high position and then sat down. His actions seemed to amuse the blond.

"I guess I must be this person now. With challenges ahead, I cannot afford to hold back. And the reputation will be good for when I'm no longer at this peak."

Silver knew the blond wasn't talking to him. This was just wrong. Everything about this encounter was unnatural.

"Who are you?"

"Not a demon." Naruto answered slightly. "Why did you attack me? Is it even right to call that an attack?"

Silver felt like Naruto was mocking him but he didn't respond to it. He just answered the question. Besides, it didn't seem like the blond truly viewed it as an attack worth worrying about it. He was certain, if that had been the case, things would have been different.

"I thought you were a demon and Tartaros wants to get rid of you."

He'd done nothing against the Guild. Then it had to be Zeref. Was the man manipulating his pet demons? "It is possible to just wipe out the entire Guild. It could prove to be a nuisance. But I want the book of E.N.D first."

"What do you want to do with it? Revive the demon?"

Naruto smiled. "It is laughable when people cannot see things right before them. I expect it from humans but not demons. Well, sometimes, there is no difference between human and demon. It is merely just appearances."

Silver narrowed his eyes. "Demons are evil. They kill humans without care and for their enjoyment."

Naruto waved his right hand. "This contempt for demons sounds personal. I care not to ask. But humans murder other humans, for money, love and enjoyment. There are sadistic people who have no regard for anyone but their gain. It is just easy to exaggerate hatred towards demons because they are not your kind. From where I stand, there is no difference." He paused. Where was this even going?

"It is not exaggerated. You ha-"

"It is pointless to argue. Leave. Or if you want to continue with your mission, I will free your soul a lot quickly."

It did take a couple of moments but Silver finally left him in peace. Naruto released a long breath. Pulling the all mighty persona was taxing. He wasn't going to do it again.

"What do you say to living like a human, Kurama?"

"I'd prefer to live with those dragons."

"But that would be far from me. Once things are over, I want to enjoy my humanity. And it would not be fair if I were to do it without you. I don't think I can do without you."

"I'm sure that woman can fill the gap."

"Don't try to devalue our relationship like that. No human, demon, dragon, or god can come in between us." Naruto stated in a firm tone. "I can still seal you within a demon. They are creatures made from magic, a bit like you. A creature made from chakra. Once I have done my part, you occupy a body but not as a host but take over it and make it your own. You can always transform. Demons do that. They have human forms and their true forms. It would make it easy for you to move about. And if we do end up returning home, you can be free."

"Who did you have an mind?"

"The leader of Tartaros is the strongest demon. We will get him and keep his body for that use." Naruto stood up. "Let's go tie up some loose ends. You know, there are still those Five. We do not know what they are up do."

When was the first time Naruto appeared before her? More than 15 years ago. He has always been interested in the concept of time she kept in guard. Because she knew in the wrong hands, it could be dangerous. What bothered her was that Naruto wasn't a bad person but he was selfish and did nothing for no one. He had the power to kill Acnologia but did not do so. Zeref himself has admitted that it was a possibility even though he didn't know the extent of its power because Naruto never revealed too much and went at great lengths to hide his true power.

Seeing him again before her, Anna forced a smile, just wondering what he wanted this time.

"You must not be like that Anna." Naruto started in a casual tone. "I thought since I complained to Zeref, he'd come to you to tell you that I am actually a delightful person."

"Zeref of now is not the same as then."

"Well, then, he helped you create the Eclipse gate and the plan to kill Acnologia. You opened the Gate and came to this time along with those little ones. But they are powerless against the Dragon King. It has been years, I wonder if I should just rip them from the inside."

"You would destroy years' worth of planning if you did that."

Naruto shrugged. "It bothers me. But I have held myself."

"What do you want?"

"You are a kind hearted woman, Anna. You gave up everything and taught those kids what you knew. You want to kill Acnologia because you know eventually, he'll destroy this world. I have nothing against it. And I respect that. And the sacrifices you've made. However, if you are going to stand in my way, it causes me to think if I should cripple you."

It would be a horrible thing to do to this peaceful woman. But what other choice did he have? Her problem with him was that he didn't plan to save the world but to solve his own problems. What was wrong with that? He'd lost something and he wanted to regain it. He'd already given up everything for the world, including his life. He didn't have to do it again.

"You'd go that far?" She asked in a quiet tone.

"I met your descendant. She is a lovely girl. Naïve but a kind girl like you. I wish I had met Layla who opened the gate on this side." He shook his head.

"You didn't answer my question."

"There is no need to answer it." Naruto replied. "Would it ease your worries if I told you that now that I finally see the end, I will put on the armor of god and fight Acnologia?"

Anna stared him, wondering if he was joking or not. "Why now?"

"It is convenient. And I know the threat that he is. If I become human with him still alive, I won't enjoy that humanity. I'm likely to just die before I enjoy it. So for my future happiness, Acnologia has to die."

"You never told me what you want to do with the Time Rift."

"There is a woman who has learned a magic called Last Ages. It consumes your own time to rewind the time of the world. But it has its own negative consequences. I'm not eternal, so if I used that magic, it would reduce me to nothing. My time is not limitless, but within the rift, Time is limitless. It is time itself. I want to gain control of this concept to make my dream of becoming human a reality."

"You want to reset the time of this world?" Anna responded a little shocked.

"No… I would cease to exist if I did that."

Alvarez

"If I could tell that you are here, then others will surely know," Irene said as she appeared before Naruto. He was sitting on a boulder on a mountain, overlooking a large forest.

"Hmm… It doesn't matter. But I don't think they will. You and I have a special connection and I wanted you to find me so we could talk."

"You could have come to my place."

Naruto glanced at Irene from the corner of his eyes. She was standing behind him, with seemingly no interest in coming in front. The look on her eyes was as cold as usual. It looked as if she was ready to stab him with that staff of hers. Still, Naruto could overlook that cold exterior. She was a beautiful woman. Her provocative features made him think twice each time he looked at her. He wasn't that of a pervert like his former sensei that he would be giggling while trying to lift her clothes to see if she wore any panties or not.

He stared at the forest. He considered releasing a spell just to destroy everything he saw below him. For some reason, he felt frustrated and wanted to destroy something. He hated this feeling that he didn't feel like he didn't have control over himself. Perhaps it was because so often, he was controlled. Naruto smiled. Who was he kidding? He didn't control himself. He did as he pleased. The only restrains he put on himself was on the use of his magic. But that was precisely the issue in this scenario, wasn't it?

"I was not sure of how things would go."

Irene stared at Naruto's back, wondering where this was coming from. Was the air around them tense? It was an unfamiliar environment. Regardless of what has happened, there has never been tension between them. "What bothers you?"

"Life in general. I'm a little displeased with what my life amounts. But not so much as I am with you. I've always tolerated much from you." Naruto sighed, letting loose of a long a breath. "I was in the presence of your daughter once more. But I didn't make the move I wanted to make. I decided that it was best to let things be simple."

"That is a conversation we will not ha-" Irene trailed off. Naruto turned around to her. She saw his eyes, that crimson eye that outpoured with demonic energy peered into her soul. The overwhelming aura that he has always attempted to hide, in all its nature, gripped her tightly. She saw herself being gripped tightly by the paws of a huge nine tailed beast. She reminded herself, it was the beast she has often seen with Naruto. She had never truly seen its power, but she knew, it most likely as powerful as Acnologia – not that Naruto ever displayed that strength.

"I'm going to fan the flames of war to ensure that we battle soon enough with the Empire. And you will not do anything suicidal. Nor will you try to kill you daughter. Anything that goes against such wishes will not be tolerated. You must start being honest with your feelings. This cold sadistic person is indeed you, but you do love your daughter and I will not permit you to act otherwise."

"You're being brave." Irene replied, her tone stern. She made no attempt to free herself. Perhaps it was because she was shocked that Naruto would go this far. He hadn't ever acted this way toward her.

Naruto shrugged, easing his grip on Irene. "You force my hand at times." He sighed once more. "I will accept that there will nothing personal between us for now. But I will not permit jealously from your side."

"You're going to fool around with that girl?"

"I won't answer that." Naruto replied. "Zeref must have come to talk to you about my magic. What did you tell him?"

"Nothing that he didn't already suspect. You think I would do something like tell him your secrets?"

"The thought did come to mind. You seem to be overly loyal to Zeref and his Empire. I feel betrayed that before he came, I was around. But because he gave you something you 'desired' you have now come to love him more. It is disappointing really."

Irene stared. She took a step forward, simply just because she wanted to feel the freedom of mobility. To think she would feel inferior to Naruto. Though, despite being cynical at times, she never quite expected him to be stern toward her. She knew, he treated her like a child. She didn't necessarily hate it.

"You are the one who disappeared from me for years without saying a word. I don't think you have any right to complain. Is there a need to be loyal to you? You knew where I stood when you decided to leave the Empire. You mustn't act surprised now."

"You're still bitter about that," Naruto shook his head. "We will deal with it when the time is right. I have made some good progress for you to regain your humanity. No, I'm there. This is why I want to remove these problems."

Was it right to say he has made good progress? He had the magic. And he was now in possession of the Concept of time. If he took Irene there, he could reverse the time. But he didn't know how it would affect her mind. There was still that research he needed to do.

"You mean starting war?"

"No. I'm not the one starting war. It is a war the Empire wants to start. I just want to see that it starts quickly before both you and I become human. If I become human with Acnologia alive, I'll be killed. So I must remove the problems so that I can enjoy my hegemony."

Irene was silent. She had never thought Naruto would manage things. But she knew more than anyone, his desire to be human again was true. Irene had never dared to dream about regaining her humanity. To eat and drink, to feel pain and laugh like any other normal person. She had truly missed being human. Even with her thoughts, she dared not smile, though, she couldn't deny the ting of relief she felt inside of her heart.

"It is not good to offer hope when you cannot do anything."

"You know better than that. I just want you to know that you're not allowed to die in the coming war with Ishgar. Because you and I have a short life to live after it, to enjoy our humanity and maybe you can be a mother."

"You're still going to fight Acnologia. We have never spoken about how you would fair in a fight against him."

"One thing is certain, one of us will die at the end. I have a future to hope for… and I will make preparations in case something unexpected happens. I want to face Acnologia before you people attack Ishgar."

"I wish you luck in that battle but I wish you'd tell me how you plan to making me human before anything happens to you."

Naruto smiled. "Now, that I won't tell you. I'll not die. But if I do die, join me in misery in the afterlife. After all, not everything does work out as planned." Naruto jumped from the boulder and then walked over to Irene. He stopped inches away from her and then placed the palm of his right hand on her belly.

Irene felt the hand twist, feeling Naruto's fingers trying to grab her. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm… I just wanted to test something." Naruto closed his eyes. "I will see you in war, Irene. Or maybe if you care, after my battle with Acnologia. I wouldn't want Zeref to take advantage of the situation to kill me while weakened."

"This is the reason you came here. To get me to act as your guard to ensure nothing happens to you."

"Well, there is no one I can trust."

"I refuse."

Naruto blinked with surprise. After a minute, he simply disappeared away from Irene without saying another word.

Dimaria dropped her smile, feeling her intestines cringe when she saw Naruto. Did he enjoy tormenting her with temptations that he would just appear before her whenever he pleased? She'd always hated this side of him. The kind of attitude that made him come and go whenever he felt it was convenient for him. She hated him. Sometimes she even thought of just driving a dagger through his heart and slowly watch if the life within his eyes would slowly die out. She doubted it would ever happen. She slumped down on her couch and stared at his back. He stood by the window, watching the streets. She was truly tempted to hurl a knife toward him.

"I was wondering why I felt the need to sharpen my dagger today. My gut must have been telling me that a traitor was coming."

"What does that make you, dear?"

"Don't call me that. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Naruto glanced at the woman for a second and then stared back at the streets. "Now, you're just being mean."

"Not like you don't deserve it. You place me under a difficult situation."

"You're supposed to kill the traitor..? August wouldn't be thrilled to know that one of the shields was sheltering a traitor." Naruto replied slowly turning around but he did not move away from the window.

Dimaria stared at his expression; it was different. He looked like he was wearing a formal façade in preparation to meet judgment with the Emperor. Had she ever seen him without a smile? He was always smiling – regardless of the situation. Seeing him serious made her skin crawl. She was positive even August would sharpen his eyes and strengthen his grip on his staff if Naruto gave him the look he was giving her.

"You didn't come here for personal reasons."

Naruto shook his head. He didn't have to worry about her dying in battle against Ishgar. In this world, people thought four times before they killed someone. In the shinobi world, death was a daily occurrence. But here, even evil people merely took joy in tormenting people but hardly killed as those in the shinobi world. Perhaps there was more respect to life than in his world. But then again, things here were truly easier. There was none of that hardcore torture found in the shinobi world.

"There is that. I do miss you when I'm far away."

Dimaria scoffed. "Why shake your head?"

"My thoughts. I'm just telling myself that I do not have to worry about you when things become a little difficult in the near future." A future that was like tomorrow or the day after. Anything could happen but a timing suitable for him would be if he was able to attract Acnologia's presence sooner.

"When have I ever needed someone's help?"

Naruto released a long breath and walked over to Dimaria. A proud woman who had the ultimate confidence in her powers. When you have not faced anyone who's threatened you, such a spine grew, nurtured by arrogance. He wouldn't tell her this arrogance would get her killed one day. But perhaps he could do her a favor just once but showing her what true power is.

Once more Naruto decided against acting on whims. He had to be serious now. Acnologia posed an ultimate threat to his very life. He couldn't afford to be careless.

He sat down beside Dimaria and he noticed she inched back slightly. He smiled. "I won't pounce. I didn't come here for our personal fun… as much as I enjoy playing with you, I must deny myself that opportunity. We must talk about time."

"When we spoke last you said it was the last time."

"I changed my mind. Got a problem with it? I'm not against forcing you to talk to me. It would be fun that way. You're a sadistic woman who enjoys making others suffer. It would be justice to those who've suffered at your hand if I made you beg for mercy."

"Sometimes I think you're as cruel as Irene. Maybe even worse. At least she doesn't pretend to be a good person."

"You're being mean. I'm a delightful person."