The Night Before Assembly
Naruto stood next to Sasuke, the duo standing before the assembled group of Fairy Tail members. Erza, Mirajane, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, Cana, Jet, Levy, Azuma, Gajeel, Juvia, Lucy, and Freed all stood before the duo, solemn looks on their faces.
"I'm going to get to the point here, we're going to go put a stop to Oracion Seis. Permanently. Ideally we want them captured, but if necessary they will need to be killed. This isn't a game. This is a strike force to take down one of the members of the Balam Alliance."
Naruto's words hung in the air, the group before him hesistant to talk during it.
"You all will be fighting me to showcase how strong you are. If you're not at a level I deem acceptable then, you will not be allowed to come with us. I won't be going all out, but I will be fighting at far above what most of you are capable of handling individually. Your aim is simple, beat me. Go all out. Hold nothing back. Come at me, even with intent to kill, because if you don't..."
The blonde trailed off, letting his words sink in. The group nodded, each of them preparing themselves mentally for the start of the clash. Sasuke sighed, going to the center of the battle and raising his arm.
"Wait a minute," Lucy called. "Isn't this a little unfair? I mean it's all of us against you by yourself."
"That's the point," Sasuke stated. "Do you really think any of you except maybe Erza, Mirajane, and Azuma stand a chance against an Oracion Seis member on your own? They're mostly comprised of extremely powerful S-class mages. You won't be engaging against them individually. We're trying to have the numbers advantage, and even with it we cannot guarantee victory. That is just how powerful they are."
The girl's eyes widened before she looked at the ground. Sasuke nodded, before lowering his arm.
"Begin."
Everyone moved into action.
Naruto shot forwards, the golden hue of Meteor cloaking his body as he blurred forwards. Jet instantly sped forwards to match him, Gae Dearg flying forwards to meet Naruto's Thunder God Kunai. The weapons clashed in the center of the field, the duo locked in a battle of strength before two copies of Naruto bled off of his body, one shooting towards the group behind Jet while the other circled around the man to stab him in the back.
Jet panicked, trying to swing to deflect the blow only for the real Naruto to grab his spear, stopping the weapon from moving. Jet's eyes widened only for Erza to appear at his side in her Flight Armor, blocking the attack with her sword.
"I've got your back. Focus on him."
Jet nodded, turning his full attention to Naruto. He pulled the spear back before lashing out once more, only for Naruto to dodge with ease, a blue glow forming in his free hand.
"Energy-Make: Kamehameha."
The stream of energy leapt forwards, but Jet was prepared, letting Gae Dearg's Nullification Magic shroud the weapon and negate the attack in its entirety. If Naruto was surprised he didn't shot it, instead slipping forwards and sending Jet flying with a kick to the chest.
The clone that shot towards the group was under assault as well. Azuma instantly had roots spearing from the ground towards the clone, only for it to easily manuever it's way through the minefield. Before the blonde could reach him though Gajeel stepped in, iron scales covering his body before he released his roar, forcing the clone into the sky. It wasn't home free however, as Mirajane leapt after him in her Demon Soul, Darkness Magic swirling in her hands before she unleashed it at him in a destructive beam.
The clone threw the Thunder God Kunai in front of it, a sealing matrix appearing in front of it where the energy was absorbed. Mirajane's eye twitched, but she charged nonetheless, launching a punch that Naruto cleverly weaved underneath, a Rasengan spiralling to life in his hands before he cratered it into her stomach, sending her flying back to the ground. As Mirajane collided with the ground Natsu jetted into the air with assistance from his fire. The fiery Dragonslayer tried to launch a kick at Naruto but the blonde disappeared in an instant, suddenly next to Mirajane on the ground. He raised his blade to stab the woman only for Elfman to smash into him in his Weretiger form, sending him skidding backwards.
The clone glanced at Weretiger, making a hand sign in front of it. Energy crackled in front of Naruto before a wave of energy shot forwards, only for a wall of ice to appear in front of Elfman, shutting down Naruto's attack. Before he could react spears of ice shot from the wall, aiming to skewer Naruto only for him to easily dodge them. In his focus on the ice spears however he missed Levy, the girl sneaking into his range and smashing her club into his neck, crushing his windpipe. The clone disappeared in specs of light, causing her to smile.
She smiled, turning to see the others only for her eyes to widen as she saw Erza struggling to hold off a clone of Naruto. That...didn't make sense. The clones were strong, but they weren't actually as strong as Naruto himself was. So how was Erza struggling? That was when she saw it. The seals on the girls body.
"She has to be getting affected by some gravity or manipulation seals," she whispered. "Freed, go free Erza from the seals Naruto put on her! I'll stall him! Natsu, I could use your help!"
The duo of Freed and Natsu nodded, shooting forwards as Levy charged.
As they moved Gajeel looked at the remaining members of the group.
"Jet looks like he could use some help."
"I'll give him some close quarters assistance," Cana stated. "I can force him to back off."
"Juvia can also help. He cannot hurt Juvia because of Juvia's water body."
"I can keep him distracted with Sagittarius as well," Lucy said, summoning the spirit.
"Let's move," Gajeel muttered, the group charging forwards.
Freed shot towards the Naruto clone, wings made of Dark Ericture on his back as he did. The clone was quick to see the attack however, deflecting the blade before sending him flying with a kick to the chest. Erza tried to capitalize but her movements were sluggish, allowing Naruto to slip underneath the blade. Before he could lash out at her however Natsu was there, jets of flame propelling him forwards as his knee smashed into Naruto's forearm.
"Take this Naruto!"
"You're far too direct Natsu," Naruto muttered, smashing his hand against the fiery mage's chest. Natsu's eyes widened as pain erupted through his body, sending him to the ground only for Naruto to be forced to leap away as Erza swiped down at him again. As soon as he landed Levy was there, club swinging towards his windpipe once more. This time the clone slipped underneath the attack, a Rasengan forming in his hand that Levy just barely managed to create a shield to stop. Still, the attack blew her backwards, ending her back towards the group. Their distraction was successful however as Erza and Natsu stood, the Dark Ericture on their bodies having been removed by Freed.
"You ready," Erza questioned.
The group nodded.
"Good. Natsu and I will take direct engagement. We'll try and lead him into a barrier set up by you and Freed Levy. Then everyone give him your best shot."
The group nodded, prepared to act on Erza's plan only for Naruto to slam a hand on the ground, a frown on his face.
"Energy-Make: Gamabunta."
In an explosion of magic a gigantic construct of eneryg in the shape of a toad appeared before them all, towering above them. The clone of Naruto cracked its neck, before he roared, the construct moving to attack.
"What the hell is that," Natsu muttered, blasting away to avoid the construct's blade.
"I've never seen it before! This must be a new move," Freed called.
"No," Erza interrupted. "It's something from his previous life! An attack modeled off of one of his old friends!"
"How do we beat it," Levy asked, barely avoiding a swipe from the things blade. "It's too big for me to do any significant damage to it."
Erza frowned, watching the beast chase after Natsu, the mage's fiery propulsion being the only thing that kept him from its deceptively quick blade. "It can't use all of Gamabunta's abilities surely," Erza muttered. "It's relying on physical attacks, so in that case...Natsu, full power blast that thing with your roar! Freed, get ready to capitalize!"
The duo nodded. Natsu shot into the air, getting high above the construct before his eyes glowed with power, his mouth opening.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The tornado of flame descended like a strike from god, smashing into Gamabunta, pushing the construct down but not destroying it. Erza grit her teeth, briefly activating her Gate of Babylon to draw her blades. Spears flew from the portals, lightning crackling around them as they smashed into construct, detonating with force as they connected. The construct shuddered before it shattered like glass, revealing Naruto on the ground. Freed didn't hesitate, leaping forwards with his wings energy flickering off of his blade. Naruto deflected the weapon with his Thunder God Kunai, the residual energy from the clash carving trenches across the ground before Levy shot forwards, her club suddenly changing shape. Naruto leaned backwards to avoid the spear, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the weapon.
"A spear? But she shouldn't be able to-"
Naruto just barely avoided the club as the illusion shattered, his eyes wide.
"Almost," Levy called.
Freed didn't hesitate to capitalize on Naruto's position however, a beam of purple energy smashing into Naruto's chest before the clone roared, exploding as the spell took effect. As the particles of energy dissipated the group nodded to each other.
"The clones are down," they whispered.
"Time for the real one."
Arrows speared through the air, courtesy of Sagittarius towards the original Naruto, only for the blonde to deflect Jet's spear away before neatly dodging the flying projectiles. The blonde whirled, a third arm forming from his body courtesy of his Energy-Make to punch at Jet, forcing the man to block with the shaft of his spear. The force sent him backwards, but also just barely out of the way of a storm of water Juvia sent towards Naruto. The blonde didn't bother worrying about the attack, instead raising his hand, golden energy flickering around his hand.
"Jiu Leixing."
The blades of lightning shot forwards, smashing into the torrent of water, causing it to prematurely detonate. Juvia frowned at seeing her attack negated so effortlessly, but Naruto had no time to gloat. Roots sprung from the ground, threatening to wrap around his ankles only for him to speed away underneath the golden glow of Meteor. Azuma snarled, sending the roots after Naruto only for the blonde to suddenly disappear in a burst of speed. The man's eyes widened as Naruto was suddenly in the center of their group, smashing a fist against Azuma's chest. The man stumbled backwards, pain on his face but he stayed standing, reaching out with his hand to grasp Naruto.
"Now!"
Gajeel snarled, leaping forwards to smash his fist into Naruto's face, the blonde's neck snapping to the side from the force. Cana leapt in from the opposite time, seeing the lines on Naruto's body. She channeled energy in her fist as she aimed for a line on his center mass.
'I can do it!'
Her blow struck home, wrenching Naruto from Azuma's grip as the blow landed. Naruto flew backwards, the force of the blow sending dirt and grass flying in every direction. The blonde skipped off of the ground, before he flipped to his feet, blood trickling from his mouth. He glared at Cana.
"That's new."
Cana smirked, looking at the lines on the ground.
"If you liked that, you're gonna love this!"
The girl smashed her fist into the ground, putting her full attention to destroying the lines on the ground. The force detonated, the ground exploding apart towards Naruto. The blonde's eyes widened, leaping into the air to avoid the shockwave.
'This must be what Kakashi-sensei felt like when Sakura did that...'
"Now!"
Naruto's eyes widened as a deluge of water, a tornado of iron, and a beam of darkness shot towards him. The blonde grit his teeth, blurring into motion to dodge the attacks only for Jet to appear in front of him, Gae Dearg ready. The weapon launched forwards, cutting into the air in front of him. Naruto slipped underneath the lance, getting into Jet's range, aiming to send him flying with a palm thrust only for a giant, scaly arm to take the blow for Jet. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw Elfman grin, but was unable to do anything as Jet launched his lance once more, forcing Naruto to deflect the blow. The blonde tried to break through once more, but yet again he was met but Elfman. As Naruto deflected another strike from Jet he rolled his eyes.
"Good, but it's far too repetitive. Energy-Make: Pulse Wave."
A wave of magic blasted from the blonde, threatening to send the duo flying only for Jet to negate the attack entirely thanks to Gae Dearg. That was what Naruto was counting on however, blurring into range before the duo had any chance to react, Rasengan's spiralling in his hands. Before they could react both mages were hit in the chest, sending them both flying backwards.
"I already saw that trick Jet. It won't work consistently. You're not invincible just because your lance has Nullifcation Magic."
Naruto had no more time to lecture as more arrows courtesy of Sagittarius were sent his way, only for the blonde to easily snatch them out of the air.
"Lucy, surely you don't think mere arrows are enough to stop me?"
"No, but they're useful for distracting you."
Naruto whirled, shocked to see Erza's blade descending at him. The blonde slid to his side, barely avoiding the weapon only for Natsu to smash into him, his body coated in fire. Naruto bounced across the ground, gritting his teeth before he stood, realizing that he was surrounded on all sides by his opponents.
"Give up Naruto. Even this is a lot for you to handle," Gray stated.
Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "I admit you all have proven to be above my expectations. While not all of you are stronger, you certainly fight as a team well. Defending one another, covering weaknesses and strategizing. Never giving me a second to rest. That is something you will need to defeat the mages we are going to face. Still, it's not enough."
The group frowned, clenching their fists. Sure they weren't really winning the battle, but they certainly weren't losing. They were pressuring him. At this rate they should eventually be able to defeat him.
"I wonder. How many of you are capable of handling me when I take it up a notch?"
The group paled as the winds howled, readying themselves. Then, Naruto moved, blurring towards their weakest link. Lucy paled, completely unprepared for the sudden movement only for Erza to appear before her, stopping Naruto's stab with her blade. She grit her teeth, barely able to withstand the force only for Azuma to appear next to her, launching a kick that Naruto blocked with his forearm. Still, the force blew him backwards, directly towards the waiting Natsu and Gajeel.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
The attacks merged as they spiraled towards Naruto, only for the blonde to stop the attacks dead with his own Sky God's Bellow. The two stood, stunned that their combined power had been matched so easily. In their momentary shock Naruto blurred forwards, water swirling around the spiralling orb in his left hand and fire swirling around the spiralling orb in his right hand. The twin Rasengan's smashed into the duo, blowing them backwards in an explosion of the respective elements.
"Head in the game," he muttered before he blurred into action again, this time being met by Mirajane. Naruto grit his teeth, smashing a kick into her forearms to leap away from her towards Elfman. The blonde cocked his arm back, ready to smash it against Elfman's scaled defense only for his momentum to suddenly stall.
"What?"
A punch from Mirajane smashed into his face, sending him skidding across the ground. The blonde shook his head, confusion on his face as he tried to understand what happened only for him to feel pressure on his body as he was forced to the ground.
"Again?"
"Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!"
Gray roared as he sent a storm of ice towards Naruto from the magic-made cannon, smashing into the blonde. Naruto grit his teeth, flipping across the ground before he rose to his feet, ready to continue the fight only for more arrows to come his way. The blonde didn't even bother paying them any attention, his winds shredding them before they got close. Still, it gave ample time for Jet to reach him, lance spearing towards his chest. Naruto caught the weapon, wrenching it from Jet's hands before he spun it, its backside smashing into Jet's temple and knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
Naruto was forced to use the lance as a shield as Levy came, smashing her club down towards his head. The blonde grit his teeth at the girl, only for her to smirk as she waved her hands in front of her face.
"Solid Script: Fire."
A storm of fire flew towards the blonde only for his winds to buffer it out entirely before it reached his body even across the small distant. Levy's eyes widened, causing Naruto to smirk as he pushed up with the lance, sending Levy's club flying backwards before he smashed his leg into her stomach. The girl kneeled, barely able to stay conscious from the blow before Naruto raised his hand.
"Sky God's Boreas."
The assault of wind sent Levy flying, unconscious as well.
Naruto turned to face the others, frowning as he realized he was missing Mirajane and Erza. He saw the shadows descending before anything, leaping away before the two hit the ground, the impact of their attacks cratering where he once stood. Mirajane raised her hand towards him and once more he felt that intense pressure, falling to the ground before he had any time to react.
Azuma acted instantly, roots wrapping around him in preparation to detonate only for his body to disappear, reapparing in front of Mira, his arm covered in a dark glow. The blonde smashed the punch into her stomach, her eyes going white as she crumpled to the ground, completely unconscious from the power behind the attack.
"There's that gravity manipulation done with. I get enough of that from Sasuke."
Erza swung her blade, trying to cut off Naruto's head only for him to raise his arm, the blade breaking upon contact with the appendage. Erza's eyes widened, and that brief moment was all Naruto needed to capitalize, smashing his fist into her and making her crumple to the ground.
Sasuke felt this with his sensing as the blonde decisvely began to pick the team apart.
'Well he's certainly fighting like a shinobi. I know he said he wouldn't be going all out but this is still a bit much. The amount of magic he's pumping into every individual attack is ridiculous. He's fighting at a level far above an S-class right now. He was already fighting like a low-level S-class in the beginning.'
Gray, Lucy, Azuma, Cana, Elfman, Juvia, and Freed stared at the carnage, shock on their face as they realized everyone other than them lay on the ground, unconscious.
"That's ridiculous, he was beating them in one move," Lucy whispered.
"How on earth is he that monstrously strong," Freed muttered.
"Is it possible to beat him, even with teamwork," Gray questioned.
"It's not like we have much of a choice," Azuma muttered. "If this was the real thing we'd all have to beat him or else we'd be dead. Simple as that. Now follow my lead."
The group looked at the newest addition to Fairy Tail, surprise on their face. Still, they nodded nonetheless. Someone had to be confident in the face of an overwhelming enemy.
"None of you directly engage. You're not strong enough. Just give me support in tight spots. If he's coming towards you, do your best to hang on until I get there, clear?"
"Yes sir," the group responded.
"Good," Azuma stated.
Azuma blurred forwards. Naruto's eyes widened slightly, not expecting the sheer speed showcased from the man.
'He's faster than I gave him credit for.'
Naruto blocked the punch with his forearm, launching a punch of his own to counter. Azuma slipped the blow, before he thrust out with an open hand. A fruit formed in his hand before it detonated, sending Naruto skidding backwards. Before the blonde could recover roots shot from the ground, wrapping around his wrists. Naruto snarled, winds shredding the roots to pieces before they could detonate, causing Azuma to frown. The man raised a hand in front of him.
"Bleve."
The wave of explosions shot forwards, only for it to part like the sea around Naruto, his winds not allowing the attack to touch him. But the location of the blonde was all that was needed. Gray raised his arms, a grin forming on his face as white magic swirled around him.
"Arctic Magic: Winter Storm!"
Hundreds of needles of ice swirled around Gray before they shot forwards just as the explosion ended. Naruto's eyes widened as the attack neared but he didn't panic. His winds increaed again, deflecting the needles away from him. Gray smirked at seeng that, watching as the needles surrounded Naruto, failing to pierce his shield.
"Ice-Make: Ice Prison!"
The needles morphed, forming a giant prison of ice. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the prison.
"Shit."
"Now!"
Sagittarius disappeared in a burst of light, replaced by Loke who unleashed a blast of light directly at Naruto. That was not the only attack however, as Juvia unleashed a deluge of water in Naruto's direction, Freed transformed into his Dark Ecriture: Darkness form and unleashed a wave of Darkness Magic at Naruto, and Gray fired another wave of ice courtesy of his Ice Cannon. Even Cana used her Card Magic, drawing upon Heaven, Reverse Death, and Mountain to unleash a blast of Summoned Lightning.
The attacks swirled towards Naruto, slipping through the gaps of the prison to approach the blonde. Naruto smiled. Just as they were about to connect massive tornado of black winds sprung to life, shattering the prison and negating all of their attacks. The tornado howled, extending high into the sky as the crater it carved into the ground grew ever larger. Azuma grit his teeth, leaping away from the attack to avoid getting caught in its destruction. When the tornado finally dissipated it revealed Naruto standing in a deep crater in the ground, an impressed look on his face.
"I'll give you guys credit. I was not expecting that. Good trap Gray. And good job trying to capitalize. Shame I just have the sheer power to make it all useless. Almost had me there."
Azuma grinned.
"Almost?"
Naruto's eyes widened as the ground beneath his feet exploded with roots, wrapping around him tightly before exploding. The explosion shook the ground, the group staring at Azuma with shock on their face.
"Are you trying to kill him?"
"Yes," he stated plainly. "That's what he said to do."
"And he's right," came the call from Sasuke. "If you're not trying to kill Naruto you've been making dumb decisions throughout this fight. From my perspective only Azuma, Mirajane, and Levy were really aiming to kill Naruto here. The rest of you just injure. While I'm not expecting all of you to be ready for something like that, you have to be ready to go when the situation is real."
"Well it's easier said than done to be fair to them," Naruto stated, blowing the smoke from the explosion away. His clothes were destroyed and there were burn marks over his body. Still, he looked perfectly capable of fighting. "But we can't risk them dying here. Let me end this so we can talk."
Azuma's eyes widened as Naruto was suddenly in front of him, the speed he moved at even faster than what he had initially believed the blonde was capable of.
"Wha-"
Naruto's fist smashed into his gut, Altaris covering the appendage.
"You were certainly a surprise at the end there," Naruto muttered, before he turned to the group staring at him, mouths agape. "Well you can't just sit there and watch me beat down on your friends," Naruto muttered, blurring into the formation of the group.
Gray tried to react but his ice was easily shattered by Naruto's fists, before the blonde kicked him into the air. A clone split from his body, hammering into Gray with a Rasengan before the original turned to face the remaining members. In a flash nine blades of lightning formed behind Naruto, spearing towards Juvia who just barely managed to avoid the attack. Naruto wasn't aiming for her though, the blades flying forwards towards Lucy and Loke standing behind her, electrocuting them both. Before either had any time to recover the blonde was in front of both of them, smashing dual Rasengan's into their chest and sending them flying. Loke dissipated into flecks of light.
Naruto turned as Elfman charged in his Weretiger form, attempting to slash Naruto to ribbons only for the blonde to duck underneath the assault. Elfman attempted to catch him but it was no use. Naruto was too fast. The blonde's arms glowed with black winds before he shot them forwards, lacerations covering Elfman's body as the man collapsed in front of the blonde.
Freed charged forwards, his fist covered in Darkness Magic only for Naruto to catch it, looking at his fellow Dark Ecriture mage with pity.
"No can do Freed," Naruto muttered, smashing his fist into his stomach. In a whirl Freed's transformation disappeared, the teen's eyes wide. Naruto didn't bother explaining how he did it, instead forming another Rasengan. Fire swirled around it before he smashed it into Freed's chest, sending the man flying. Naruto turned to face Cana and Juvia, the duo gritting their teeth before him. Juvia fired a blast of water that Naruto easily bifurcated with his wind only for Cana to leap in front of him, punching and kicking at him with no avail.
"I'll admit, your strength surprised me there. But it's nothing if you can't hit me."
Cana grinned, launching another punch Naruto dodged.
"This is getting sad Cana."
"Wasn't aiming at you," she muttered as her fist touched the ground. The explosion forced Naruto into the air, gritting his teeth as he realized her goal was to send him away from her. Juvia capitalized, another deluge of water shooting towards Naruto that he just barely managed to form a shield of wind to deflect. With a grunt Cana unleashed her follow up attack, her cards unleashing ice towards the blonde. Naruto slipped through the attack, charging forwards once more, only for Cana to meet him halfway, her punches forcing Naruto to dodge for fear of her destructive power. Cana tried to blast him away once more, but this time Naruto knew better, instead catching her attack by the wrist before having Altaris cover his arm once more as he smashed it into her stomach. The girl crumpled to the ground.
Juvia stared at Naruto, a frown on her face.
Naruto grinned.
"Jiu Leixing."
The nine blades of lightning descended from the skies far too quickly for Juvia to dodge, electrocuting the girl and dropping her to the ground.
Naruto stood in the field, everyone before him unconscious on the ground.
"Well, you won," Sasuke stated. "They pushed you a little harder than you admitted though."
"Oh? You don't think it was just the sheer numbers that made me increase the power of my attacks beyond normal?"
"Who knows? Like I said, you won. All that matters at the end of the day."
Naruto grinned, looking at his fellow shinobi.
"Was there ever any doubt?"
"We lost," Natsu muttered. "But I was sure we had the power to beat you!"
"You had enough power to do more damage to me than you did, but then again I wasn't going to make it easy on you. All things considered I'm not disappointed," Naruto stated. "You gave me some surprises throughout the fight that I wasn't expecting."
"Well that's good to hear," Gajeel muttered. "Still feel like I could have done better though."
Naruto shrugged.
"Tell us," Levy stated, her eyes hard. "Who are you taking with you to fight Oracion Seis?"
Naruto frowned, looking at them. "I'll start with an individual breakdown. Gray, your support skills throughout the fight we superb. You mixed a blend of defending your allies, attacking, and trapping me all well. You took orders well and knew when to capitalize on weaknesses. At the same time you didn't really make me react to you much. I was reacting to your allies. You're one of the strongest people here. You need to be better at taking an engagement and twisting it to your advantage."
"Yeah that's true," Gray stated. "I sat on the sidelines a lot this fight."
"Still what you showed was satisfactory. You pass."
Gray smirked, nodding. Naruto's attention shifted from him to his other resident blonde then.
"Lucy, overall I didn't see much growth from you. You knew how to be a distraciton, but that's it. A distraction. You didn't do much else. I'm not mad at you, your magic is one that is particularly hard to get significantly stronger at, but I can't in good conscious send you out there with full confidence you would survive. I'm sorry you didn't pass."
Lucy's smile was clearly fake but the girl nodded nonetheless, quiet. Naruto's heart went out to the girl. She was clearly facing a wall that was impedeing her growth. As soon as they got back he was going to work with her to help her. She was part of Team Natsu. Surely she felt left behind with everyone on the team but her showing significant improvement. Still, this was the better option. He wouldn't have her death on his hands. The blonde turned to look at Erza next.
"You were good overall Erza. Great reaction times, although I wasn't expecting you to need help against my clone. Strength and skill wise you're easily at the level. Your main issue is the one we discussed prior to your training. You tried to kill sure, but Still, I'm satisfied for now. You pass."
Erza nodded, understanding the thin line she had scraped by on. Naruto was likely only passing her because he believed she would be able to overcome her hurdle in the near future. Otherwise he would not have had her join them.
"Mirajane, I have no complaints. That gravity manipulation is nasty. You came at me with intent to kill. Good work. You pass."
Mirajane smiled, the praise being all she needed to here. Acknowledgement of her improvement.
"Natsu and Gajeel I may as well put you two together. Your offensive firepower is still good. I didn't see either of you in your Drive states, but I can't be disappointed with your power. Your raw technique still needs work, both of you. Not to mention you both get stuck stargazing at times when someone is able to match you. You'll find that many of the Oracion Seis will be capable of that. Still, that aggression and firepower both of you have is invaluable. You both pass."
The Dragonslayers nodded, glancing at each other.
"Freed, while I was impressed at your abilities to negate my seals overall you didn't provide much. Your strength is nothing to sneeze at, you're surely bordering the level of an S-class mage, but you took no initiative. And unlike Gray your teammwork wasn't at the level I was expecting of you. Unfortunately I'm going to have to fail you."
Freed frowned, but nodded his head, green hair covering his eyes in disappointment.
"Levy I am very impressed. You took initiative, capitalized on my weaknesses and showed a lot of killer instinct out there. You led teams naturally and your illusion work had me surprised in moments. I wasn't expecting you to start incoperating words like Illusion into your magic but it does a lot to open up opportunities in your battles. You had the best performance. You pass."
Levy smiled, throwing her arms up and letting out a slight squeal in her excitement before she calmed herself, looking at the ground in embarressment.
"Jet you as well. Your growth is visible. You held your own with me in a close-combat weapons engagement, at least to the point I didn't pick you apart until I stepped it up a notch. Your speed is impressive as well. You're easily S-class there, even though your speed training isn't going exactly as planned."
"You knew about that?"
"Of course," Naruto said, smiling. "Besides, Nullification Magic is a serious boon. While it should only surprise them once, if you can capitalize with that speed you're a lethal weapon. You pass."
Naruto then turned to Azuma.
"You are...interesting. Your power is at a level I wasn't expecting. I know you fought Midnight to a draw last time, but I must say I'm impressed. I can see how. You're an S-class mage. Your teammwork wasn't half bad either. You pass."
The man nodded. "As long as I get to fight strong opponents."
Naruto frowned, noticing his motivation but chose not to comment. He could make sure Azuma had his head in the game later. In private. No need to do so in such a public location.
"Cana your strength was impressive. Still, I didn't see quite a lot of versatility from you."
The brunette winced, staring at the ground.
"I was going to fail you, but that showing with Juvia at the end there impressed me. You knew that neither of you would last long up close against a me. I mean you both stood no chance anyway, but you still knew when to pick your battles. Your patterns were slightly repetitive, something to work on, but you kept a level head. You didn't panic upon seeing everyone else go down and naturally moved to the defense of your fellow guild member. You pass."
Cana smiled, clenching her fist at seeing her progress become realized.
"As for you Juvia, you weren't that impactful. You didn't hurt the group but you didn't help it either. So I'll ask you, why should I pass you?"
Juvia's eyes widened, not having expected the question. "Em, Juvia's magic would work well with Gray's magic. Plus, Juvia has a water body. That would surely surprise the enemy and give Juvia an opening to do damage. Plus, Juvia has experience dealing with Dark Guilds in the past with Gajeel."
Naruto rubbed his chin, a frown forming on his face. The man stared at Juvia for a moment before he nodded, the blue haired woman letting out a breath she did not know she had been holding. Finally Naruto turned to Elfman.
"Elfman, you were a solid team player. Still, I didn't see the exact firepower I wanted to see from you here. You didn't use your Alpha. Why?"
"It's tiring," Elfman stated, trying his best to cover his lie. "Using it for brief moments at a time drains me immensely. I wanted to be at full strength for a fight against Oracion Seis."
"So you're saying you'd only be useless against more than one member? Any group with you is going to need your firepower at full blast to win."
Elfman winced, but kept talking nonetheless. "Yeah, but I wasn't expecting us to have to fight multiple Oracion Seis members other than you and Sasuke. Is there expectation for us to?"
"We never know. We will likely engage them multiple times. Your lack of stamina is concerning, but there are ways around that. You pass, but tentatively. Be aware to bring supplements on the mission to be able to fight more enemies."
Elfman nodded, allowing the comfort of knowing that he passed to wash over him before it was quickly replaced with the fear and doubt in the realization that he had lied.
"So this will be the group going with Sasuke and I to face Oracion Seis with the combination of other legal guilds. Erza, Mirajane, Jet, Cana, Levy, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Azuma, Juvia, and Elfman. Any questions?"
The group was silent.
"Good. We leave tomorrow morning. Go get some rest."
Lucy walked along the lake running through Magnolia as she walked home in the darkness. Plue walked next to the girl, trying to comfort her sad state. The blonde turned to stare at the lake, sitting on the stone next to it as she looked down into it.
"Damn it," she whispered, tears falling from her face. Her blonde hair covered her eyes, but she knew what she looked like. Tears falling from her eyes as snot fell from her nosee. A failure.
"I was useless. I couldn't do anything at all! Some type of Fairy Tail mage I am!"
The girl clenched her fists, tears streaking down her face and into the lake. Plue walked up to her, trying to comfort her only for it to fail. "I couldn't be useful at all. The entirety of Team Natsu is getting so much stronger. Gray, Natsu, Erza, they're all amazing. Naruto too. And here I am...useless. Everyone's going to face an incredibly powerful enemy and I'm doing what? Staying behind because I'm weak!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself you know."
Lucy turned, not expecting anyone. She wiped her eyes, surprised to see Naruto standing behind her, a kind smile on his face.
"Naruto! I...I didn't know you were there..."
"Kinda the whole point of the shinobi thing," Naruto stated. "Can I join you?"
Lucy nodded quietly, turning to stare at the lake as Naruto sat down next to the girl.
"You know Sasuke and I used to be one a four man team back when we were back home. In the Elemental Nations."
Lucy looked at the blonde, confused to what he was saying. What did that have to do with anything? Plue stared at the blonde, shakily walking next to him. Naruto smiled, lightly rubbing the Celestial Spirit's head.
"Me, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan. We were fresh out the Academy when Kakashi-sensei got his hands on us. Damn bastard. Lazy jerk didn't bother to really train anyone but Sasuke if I'm being honest. He trained me when I got older, but fresh out the Academy it was pretty much our skills against the world. Unfair really. Sasuke, the prodigy. Rookie of the Year. Class genius. Honestly, Sakura and I had no chance of catching up to him without a lot of training."
"But you and Sasuke are equals now," Sakura questioned. "How did you catch up?"
"I got trained by some of the most legendary people on the planet and had a demon in my gut," Naruto stated plainly. "Frankly, I had more help than Sakura did. Outside of Baa-chan, she wasn't really trained by anyone. And she became one of the most legendary kunoichi out there."
Lucy stared, star struck at the words. A girl who was only trained by one person became that recognized?
"I mean, Sakura became the first person to make sure a Jinchuriki was able to survive a Bijuu being extracted. She became the best medic of all time. Even surpassing her own teacher who was legendary in her own right. And her strength. Sheesh, punches from her hurt. And all that just from mastering one persons style."
Naruto looked at the water, the somber reflection staring back at him quite telling of how much he missed his old world.
"I wonder what she could have become if she had been blessed with genetic advantages like Sasuke. Or had been given the gifts I had been given. Or even just had more than one teacher. She was plenty powerful on her own, but if she had gotten all of that, I mean she could have been even more of a monster!"
He turned, turning to look at the girl next to him, a small smile on his face.
"But in the beginning it wasn't always like that. No, even though Sakura was considered the best kunoichi to come out of our class when we were fresh out the Academy she felt useless a lot. Sasuke was expected. He was a genius. But she felt less useful than me. The deadlast. The idiot. The class clown. I imagine that weighed on her a lot. Every day actually. It was clear she was trying to prove herself constantly. She felt left behind. Sasuke and I always handled the more dangerous parts of the missions when we were together. Hell, Sasuke almost died and got attacked by a snake sage. I had to fight and beat a legendary demon. That's a lot for your regular person to measure up against."
"What life did you guys live my goodness," Lucy muttered. Naruto chuckled at her disbelief, shaking his head.
"A wild one."
"Don't give me that! Your lives sound like something out of a horror movie!"
"Well we were kid soldiers."
Lucy sombered at that, staring at the lake. "Right...so how did she? How did she close that gap between you three?"
Naruto smiled. "She turned that self doubt into resolve. She trained hard. And while she couldn't exactly close the gap once Sasuke and I got blessed by God-"
"What?"
"-she became plenty strong in her own right," Naruto continued, not bothering to explain the situation to Lucy. He rather enjoyed surprising Fairy Tail mages with the exact details of his life story. "All through hard work."
Lucy smiled, looking at the ground. "She sounds amazing."
"She was. She was incredible. I wonder how she handled Sasuke and I dying often. I'm sure she was more than capable of leading the village. But that's not what I was really trying to get at here."
The blonde turned to face his female counterpart, smiling at her.
"Don't get down on yourself because you don't think you're at the level you should be at. You have grown stronger since you joined the guild Lucy. Everyone grows at their own pace. Some of the most legendary people in history start off where you are now. Don't get down on yourself. You have plenty room to grow. Keep working on your magic. Expanding your skillset. You can become great. I see it in you."
Lucy smiled, but Naruto was able to tell it was fake. The girl didn't bother hiding it however.
"Thanks, but those all sound like platitudes. There's no way I can compete with people like Natsu and Gray, or Erza, or even you. Your magics are just so strong. So versatile. There's no way I can-"
"You can," Naruto stated, his words hard. The blonde stared into Naruto's eyes, shocked at the conviction in them. "Strength isn't something determined by the magic you use. Nor the circumstances of your birth. You need to prove that to yourself."
"But how," Lucy cried. "Everyone is so impressive and I'm just me!"
"When we get back," Naruto stated. "When we get back you and I are gonna go on a training trip. Just us. And when we return I assure you, you won't be able to recognize who you are. Have some faith Lucy. You have plenty of potential. Sometimes it's just a matter of knowing how to access it."
Lucy stared at Naruto, shock written all over her face. "Do-do you mean it?"
Naruto smiled, one of his classic grins before he threw her a thumbs up.
"Of course I do! I swear it on my ninja way!"
Lucy balked, almost falling into the water.
"That was so corny!"
"Shut up!"
Mirajane sat on top of the Fairy Tail guild hall, looking out across Magnolia, the cloudy, dark night sky illuminated by the lights of the large city.
"Can I join you?"
Mirajane turned to the side, surprised to see Sasuke standing behind her. The woman smiled, patting the spot next to her. Sasuke took the invitation, sitting down next to the woman to look over the city. Of course, he saw nothingness.
"I wish you could see the sky and city now," Mirajane whispered. "It's beautiful."
"I'm sure," Sasuke stated. The Uchiha turned to look at the girl.
"Are you worrie-" Mirajane quieted him with a finger to the lips, shaking her head with a soft smile on her face.
"I know this is you I'm talking to here, but relax for once. You can't stay so ready to fight all the time. You need time to just relax. Don't be so wound up all the time."
Sasuke turned to face the ground, not quite sheepish but something close. "Sorry," he whispered.
Mirajane laughed, shaking her head. "I can't quite blame you," Mirajane chuckled. "You've been through a lot throughout your life. Both here and back in your home. But even a big brooder like you needs to stop frowning all the time."
"I don't brood."
"And Gray doesn't strip," the girl chuckled.
Sasuke grumbled, causing her to laugh. The white haired woman placed a hand on his, looking at him with a smile on her face.
"Still, you're so hard on yourself. It is okay to relax Sasuke-kun."
"It's weird," Sasuke muttered. "Relaxing wasn't part of my life. Always just chasing one battle after the next. I'm not sure how."
Mirajane smiled, her heart lurching in her chest as her stomach flipped several times over. Nerves made her body feel like it was on fire. Still, she steeled herself.
"I could show you."
Sasuke turned, confusion on her face.
"Show me?"
Mirajane gently grabbed his chin, smiling as she looked into his eyes. Analyzing the way his raven locks slid downwards, framing his face neatly. The way his eyes reflected the lights of Magnolia. The way his lips, moved, and how he glanced at her lips without even knowing that was where he was looking.
"Like this," she whispered before bringing their lips together.
Electricity flew from them both as their lips met, nerves burning through Mirajane while shock and...acceptance flew through Sasuke. The kiss was chaste, sharp, but it communicated her feelings. As they separated Mirajane stared at the ground, her cheeks burning with embarresment.
"I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking," Mirajane stated, rushing to speak and cover up her embarresment only for Sasuke to smile.
"No, I...liked it," the Uchiha muttered, getting an eep from the girl. She turned, her face still beet red as she saw him look at her.
"You...did," came the whisper.
"Yeah...I think I'd like for you to showme how to relax some more."
Mirajane winced, a small smile coming to her face.
"That line was a little rough."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, elicting another laugh from the woman.
"Still, I could show you a thing or two," she whispered.
And the two's lips met again, all the tension in the air gone. Only comfort in each others arms.
Naruto groaned as he stepped out of the shower, a towel across his waist as he stepped into the larger room. Erza sat there, in her armor, reading a book.
"I'm out," Naruto muttered, stretching his muscles. The redhead glanced back at him, a smile trickling onto her face.
"And looking quite good at that."
Naruto rolled his eyes, walking to his closet to slip into a shirt and sweats, ignoring Erza's gaze the entire while.
"If you're going to eye-fuck me you could at least make it subtle."
"I like the way you squirm."
Naruto groaned, walking up to the girl. "You know," he whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You don't need to where this all the time."
Erza smiled, looking up to see the blonde leaning over her. "I know. I overcame that when back at the Tower of Heaven."
Naruto snorted. "Then why are you wearing armor sitting in a chair, at night, reading a book?"
There was a flash of light before Erza was wearing nothing but shirt that was slightly too large, a coy smile on her face as she saw Naruto's face redden immediately. The blonde stumbled backwards, not expecting the sudden outfit change.
"Like I said, I like the way you squirm."
Naruto grumbled, marching away from the redhead onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as Erza returned to her book. The two sat there, in a comfortable silence before Erza glanced up at him.
"Naruto, what was your life like after the war?"
Naruto turned, confused. "Back home?"
"Yes. You didn't tell me much about that time."
Naruto smiled, his mind elsewhere. "It was great! The villages all unified after the war. Not politically of course, but conflict between them was nonexistent for the most part. Old wounds had been sealed shut. What do with Orochimaru and Sasuke gave us some problems, but for the most part we were able to reach tenable solutions for everyone. And Kakashi-sensei became Hokage afterwards! And then..."
The blonde kept rambling, his smile widening even more. Erza watched him, a small smile forming on her face. A somber one.
"Do you miss it?"
The blonde paused, clearly not expecting to be interrupted. He turned, looking to see the redhead sadly smiling. Naruto smiled, reaching over and pulling her over onto his chest, his monstrous strength showcasing itself in a movement with no leverage. The redhead fell on his chest, surprise on her face as he kissed her forehead.
"Erza I can never not miss it. That much is true but..."
The blonde tilted her head up to look her in her eyes.
"I love it here. I love you."
Erza's eyes widened, a small smile forming on her face. One absent of sadness. Naruto smiled back. The two lay there, covered in each others embrace before they drifted off.
A quiet response was the last thing Naruto heard before he fell asleep.
"I love you too."
"You probably shouldn't be tiring yourself out like that right before we go to battle."
Cana turned, surprised to see Jet standing behind her. The speedster leaned against a tree, watching Cana smash her fists into trees. Several of them already lay on the ground. The woman wiped sweat from her forehead.
"How did you know I was here?"
"The sound of trees falling is quite obvious."
"Whatever," came the response, the woman grabbing a bottle of alcohol and taking a swig.
"Worried?"
"More than you know. I'm not sure how I'll measure up against these titans. I mean Naruto took it up a notch and then started decimating us. Even Erza who is an S-class in her own right. Mira, hell even Azuma. It's like we weren't a match for him. What if they have the same ability?"
"Naruto is a rare case, even among S-class mages. He's a monster among monsters."
"And the guy who put master in a hospital?"
He was silent at that, a frown forming on his face. The speedster sighed.
"We shouldn't have to deal with him. I expect Sasuke and Naruto are going to handle him directly."
"But what if they fail? They're not infallible."
Jet thought about it, glancing at Gae Dearg. The lance that could negate any attack. The weapon that let him stand a chance against even the most powerful of combatants. Even if he was outclassed. How he had managed to stand the brunt of Naruto's attacks.
At least until he had simply blitzed him, but that could be solved with him activating Double Accel.
"Then we'll work together. And I'll run him through with this lance of mine."
The snort that permeated the air was enough to kill any confidence he had.
"Jet you are not strong enough to that."
"Maybe not alone," he muttered. "But with you helping...maybe we can get in a lucky shot?"
"Oh? You think I'm that special huh? Well I certainly suppose I'm strong enough to create one opening, however small."
"That's all I'll need."
She smirked.
"So teammwork huh? That's your big plan. Just trusting in Naruto's and Sasuke's gameplan huh?"
Jet smirked. "Not their gameplan," the speedster said, walking up to the woman. He placed a hand on her shoulder, a smile forming on his face.
"You."
Cana snorted, waving his hand off and walking away from him, towards her home.
"You're a corny guy you know that Jet?"
Jet gaffed, staring at the ground. He was trying to be motivational!
"But you've got a point. I'll be putting my faith in you two big guy! Get some rest."
Jet smirked, clenching his hand.
"Of course!"
Juvia walked up to the ice mage as he left the stall, noting how odd it was that he was only wearing underwear.
"Gray is your name, correct?"
Gray turned, not expecting to see the blue haired woman standing there.
"Ah yeah. You're Juvia right?"
"Yes. I wanted to say it will be a pleasure to work with you more as we go to engage Oracion Seis."
"Yeah. Sounds fun I guess. Hopefully this time I can fight a S-class a bit better than I did against Chuck. Thanks for the save back then by the way."
"Juvia was just doing what any other Fairy Tail mage would have done."
"Yeah well I'll be sure to return the favor," Gray stated, a smirk on his face. "If you ever need me at all just call me out. I'll take them down."
"We will be engaging as a team regardless. Therefore, you need not worry about individual battles."
Gray smirked. "Yeah that's the goal but, things change. Plans are only useful to a certain point."
The teen turned on his heel, waving at Juvia.
"I'll see you later Juvia! Remember what I said!"
"Wait, before you leave."
Gray halted, turning to look at her.
"Why are you not wearing any clothes?"
"Ah crap!"
Ok it's kinda surprising how many people are asking when Sasuke will get his eyes back. I thought the hints and powers I dropped should explain how each of them get their powers back very well. Sasuke's eyes especially, but also just in general how their seals will be broken. Not sure if that means I'm doing a good job or a bad job haha.