THE PROPHECY CHILD

Chapter 5: The tower of dreams!

"Talking"- Normal person speaking

'Thinking'- Normal person thinking

"Talking"- Demon/ Dragon speaking

'Thinking'- Demon/ Dragon speaking

Disclaimer: Neither do I own Naruto or fairy tail. I just own my imagination

[ With Naruto]

Naruto watched as his three opponents approached him intending to take him down with their numbers. The brown-haired one was the fastest among them and appeared in front of him trying to invade his guard and land a punch to his face with his magic.

"Bleve"

Naruto used the upper part of his palm to slap his opponent's fist upwards. At that moment a powerful blast of explosion was launched from his opponent's fists. Naruto was glad he deflected it and punched the man in his chest, he kicked him while back-flipping and avoided a black fireball sent towards him.

He looked forward, finding one of his opponents amiss. Naruto readied himself and scanned his surroundings, suddenly from behind him a black claw-like large blade made of some black-purple energy tried to strike him. Naruto side-stepped the strike and unsheathed his blade and quickly started forcing his opponents back as they tried to predict his moves.

'They are good, definitely trained with unique magic...How interesting!..but...'

Naruto used his one hand to quickly make some hand seals. His hands lit up in a purple fire and he slapped it on the silver-haired man's right arm.

"What did you do? What's this magic?!!" The silver-haired man exclaimed in shock as his arm seemed to be rendered useless or at least very hard to move. He was then kicked hard into the ground by Naruto and got the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"I ain't here to tell you about my magic. So just tell me what do you want?" Naruto again asked them in a monotone not betraying any of his emotions.

"Shut up weakling! I'll show you not to mess with someone who can slay gods. Hahaahah!" The blonde-haired one shouted out and suddenly held his hands out and a scythe made out of black flames materialized into his hands.

"Fire God's:Scythe"

He dashed forwards and held up the scythe above his head and tried to cleave Naruto in half...

'A straightforward attack, he is reckless...'

Naruto waited for a little and then used his sword to parry the strike to the side. But he didn't stop there and turned on his heels, and jumped in the air while giving the blonde-haired boy a cut on his shoulder.

"Ah! You Bastard stand still so I could just burn you to ashes!!" The blonde-haired one yelled out in frustration.

"Shut up Zancrow! both you and Rustyrose are in my way. This weakling is stronger than he lets on, let me take him down first!" The brown-haired one shouted and tried to step forward.

"Huh, you saying I'm weak? Don't make me laugh Azuma. This shit is nothing in front of me." The now named zancrow laughed on with glee.

"Your teamwork isn't so good. Why are you sent to fight me again?" Naruto asked them aloud as if talking to some lost child.

This infuriated his two opponents greatly and they again engaged him in a bout of hand-to-hand combat. His third opponent however thought that it was time to take it up a notch.

"Sacred Guardian Beast: Belcusas the Thunderclap"

An enormous heavily armored creature with immense physical strength emerged out of nowhere and fought on behalf of the silver-haired man.

The beast tried to stomp on Naruto but he escaped it just in time and kicked Azuma in the ribs that sent him back toward the beast's foot. Azuma's thinking quickly merged with a tree and disappeared from his view.

"Fire God's: Explosive flames"

Zancrow made a punch-like motion at Naruto from a certain distance. Flames were then released from his hands and headed straight toward him. He channeled lightning magic into his sword and with a vertical slash cut through the fire that exploded on either side after making contact with the ground behind him.

Naruto dashed forward and punched zancrow several times, which didn't seem to faze him that much, as he continued to grin maniacally at him. Naruto got frustrated from his lack of apparent strength and kicked zancrow in his abdomen hard!!

'Damn I am not strong enough...'

Once he was launched away Naruto landed on a tree beside him and started observing the black beast that was continuously trying to punch him. No physical attacks worked on it and it had a lot of physical strength. As he was musing, behind him a presence crept forward and...

"Tree fist"

A fist made of tree branches punched him from the back, strong enough to knock him to the trees in front of him and crash through them effortlessly due to his impact speed.

Azuma on the other hand gestured to the silver-haired man with his hand and prepared another attack while zancrow headed to the opposite side of Naruto. Once they were in position...

"Ramus sica"

Several sharp roots emerged out of the ground and tried to pierce his body all over. He dodged to the right where Zancrow was waiting grinning with bloodlust.

He breathed in a large amount of air and puffed out his cheeks. Seeing this Naruto's eyes widened as he knew what was to come.

"Now taste the power that slays a god, Fire God's Bellow"

'Shit!!' Naruto thought as he was flying mid-air and a large black fireball was heading towards him fully capable of turning him to ashes. This time he made a single clone and had it throw him in the opposite direction.

The fireball burnt his clones and he winced at the memory of his clone getting incinerated. But it wasn't over yet as several tree roots emerged from the ground and entangled his limbs to immobilize him.

"Now Rustyrose, do it!!!"

"Yeah now take this attack head and you will be crushed to my heart's desire!" The now-named Rustyrose exclaimed with overdramatization.

The black beast jumped upwards and started descending on his body with the sole intention of crushing him under its weight. Although it wasn't just that...

"It's not over yet! Chain burst"

Many powerful explosions rang out from behind him on the branches holding his limbs and started approaching his body.

At that moment Naruto poured more lightning magic into Ascalon and concentrated it much more than before. The lightning changed its color to pitch black. The tree roots holding him were shredded before they could explode by the sheer power of lightning and Naruto assumed a quick-draw stance and with a thrust of his feet...

"Lightning style: Thunderclap and Flash"

Naruto quickly unsheathed Ascalon and used a very fast strike imbued with lightning to cleave the black-armored creature in half.

Naruto turned towards the one controlling the beast, he already had on gravity seal on his right shoulder and he was a nuisance as he continued using those strange creatures to support his teammates. So finishing him first would be the best option.

"Lightning: strike"

Naruto made a chop motion with his hands towards Rustyrose who was readying another of his troublesome summon. A snake-like creature of lightning raced towards rusty rose who saw the attack coming and summoned a defensive shield.

"Golden Shield"

The attack was repelled and Rustyrose came out unscathed. Zancrow took the opportunity and spread his arms and legs wide...

"TAKE THIS!! FIRE GOD'S KAGUTSUCHI"

A giant ball of black flames was thrown from zancrows body towards Naruto. At the last moment, Naruto used his blade like before to cut down the ball in half. But this time the flames didn't dissipate and he had to make a hasty retreat by jumping backward but his legs received a nasty burn.

Deciding to surprise his opponent, Naruto created a clone and had it throw him up in the air. After reaching a certain height he had another clone throw him behind zancrow. Caught off guard by this unexpected action zancrow wasn't able to dodge and Naruto caught him in a headlock before hitting him hard on the top of his skull with the jolt of his sword.

"D-Damn Y-you,..."Zancrow managed to croak out before he fell back on the ground unconscious.

"Linear Explosions"

A thin shockwave traveled towards Naruto's location, nothing happened for a moment but powerful explosions started heading towards him along the length of the shockwave.

Naruto had no other options but to take the unconscious zancrow out of the way of the explosions and drop him off unceremoniously on the ground and jump backward as several razor-sharp leaves which were swirling dangerously, embedded themselves in the ground like Shurikens.

He jumped backward but that was a lethal mistake...

"Tower of Dingir. Now scatter in the world of darkness.." Rustyrose used his attack and started rattling about his "cries of heart" or something.

Naruto was caught up in a tower that conjures up from the ground and immobilized him from moving. He used a quick hiraishin out of the tower which exploded in a large boom! Which resounded throughout the whole area reaching the nearby towns.

Rustyrose, Azuma, and the spectator from before observed. After a while, there was nothing at the site.

"Oh! I killed him, but my orders were to..." He was cut off as Naruto appeared behind him with red glowing eyes and a terrifying glare that sent chills up his spine.

Naruto slashed him across his back before knocking him out with a chop on his neck. He then turned towards Azuma who was still shocked by his sudden appearance out of the tower.

Azuma looked into his eyes and felt afraid after a long time. He saw him charge with the same move from before with a quick draw stance. He knew how fast and quickly he knocked back Rustyrose's creation and smirked.

"Lightning style: Thunderclap and Flash"

He spread both his arms to the sides and shouted at the top of his lungs...

"Tower burst"

A very powerful explosion was summoned in his immediate surroundings and spread upwards like a tower of flames. After the explosion died down he saw Naruto's body charred and burnt on the ground.

"hahaha! Now what about this, huh? The same trick doesn't..." He was cut off as a cold voice from behind interrupted him.

"That was an illusion... weakling!" Naruto said as the one in front of him turned into small burning birds who merged with him.

Just as Naruto was about to knock out his last opponent, a very powerful blast of invisible force knocked him back with so much power that he broke some ribs in the process while crashing through the trees.

He looked upwards as the last hidden enemy showed himself and started clapping.

"Well, nice you defeated three of our kins. You have talent brat! Let's make a deal, you join us. Our master wishes for such young talent to work for his cause...! And I am Bluenote Stinger!!"The man named bluenote told him with no emotion present on his face.

Bluenote is a tall, muscular middle-aged man with extremely long dark hair, which is gathered on the back of his head, leaving his forehead exposed, and tied in a clothed ponytail, reaching down below his waist, adorned by thin, dark strips crossing its whole length, and having his hair sprout from its end in a large tuft. Bluenote has a large, mildly hooked nose, and prominent bags under his eyes. He has very thin eyebrows, as well as an upper lip, and possesses bushy triangular sideburns angled upwards, and some stubble around his chin and lower face. On the back of his left wrist is a dark tattoo with an open rhomboidal shape, resembling a large arrow bent in two angles to point towards its back.

Bluenote wears a light-colored, sleeveless cloth, reaching down to his knees both on the front and, larger, on the back, which is open on the sides, but held closed around the waist by a light sash. On the front, the part of the cloth covering Bluenote's legs is adorned by a large, stylized dark-colored sun, and its lower chest has a pair of dark wings, with their stylized feathers extending sideways, over it. The cloth's edges are decorated by four stripes, with the dark two being the central ones, and the other, light-colored ones flanking them on both sides. Below such cloth, Bluenote wears a dark-colored shirt with a high, round collar adorned on the front by a small metal plate, with its shape resembling a rounded, capsized pyramid, and sleeves reaching down below his elbows. His legs are covered by a pair of dark baggy pants, with a light stripe going down each leg's side, which is tucked inside a pair of bright-colored boots. Over his entire outfit, Bluenote wears a large, bright-colored overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape, with his arms out of its sleeves. The coat has a high collar and edges sided by a line of small, dark triangles pointing sideways. On its back is a large kanji, meaning "Blue" (蒼), likely about Bluenote's name, and both of its sleeves are also emblazoned with a larger version of the same symbol that Bluenote has tattooed on his left wrist.

Naruto on the other hand was not in the condition to fight and this man was many times stronger than the others while he had already unlocked 4 of his 12- layered magic seals. He had burns on his legs, broken ribs, and many cuts due to the tree man's attacks.

He had to make a retreat now and find Ultear. Then he would make sure she was safe and leave her at her mother's home. He couldn't risk her life on his journey and also he couldn't help her with maker magic anyways.

'I've bought enough time, I hope you are safe right now Ultear...'

"What is this 'cause' of your master that you speak of?" He questioned and made a plan to retreat safely away from here.

"Can't Tell right now. But if you refuse we would have to exterminate you. You are too powerful to let grow into a light mage" Bluenote spoke with a threatening tone.

' Light!! That means it's a dark guild...' Naruto thought with wide eyes before trying to use his kunai to run away but Bluenote noticed this and used his gravity to make Naruto fall to his knees on the ground.

"Let's see. Can you fly? No!!... then fall!!" Bluenote used more power and Naruto collapsed to the ground flat!!

After a moment the force increased and small popping and crunching sounds along with screams of pain and agony were heard by Naruto.

"Azuma he called you a weakling. Finish him off. No one can call us a weakling and live another day!!" Bluenote stated calmly like he was ordering food in the restaurant.

Azuma frowned. This wasn't how he wanted to kill this blonde bastard but his sadistic side agreed and he smirked darkly.

"I'll kill you with honor. You were stronger than me! So taste my best attack before you die, Terra Clamare"

Several roots of trees entangled themselves around Naruto like a mummy. Azuma used every ounce of his magic power and a massive, extremely intense explosion engulfed Naruto.

Naruto's eyes suddenly glowed intensely and just as he was about to be burnt alive he uttered the same words from his past.

"Kamui"

But this time he was gone from the sight with a swirling vortex that went unnoticed by everyone due to the large explosion.

"What a waste! Tch let's go brat. Take the others with you!" Bluenote stated coldly and Azuma followed his instructions and took away with his unconscious teammates.

Bluenote smirked. Now his master's plan will play perfectly and they could have one more kin in their ranks.

[ Earlier, At the town borders]

Ultear was running through the mist with all of her strength. She had an unnatural feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was really worried that perhaps something might happen to her friend.

She decided she would go to the town and ask for someone's help. She was about to reach the town when...

"What's the matter, Child? Why are you running towards the town in such a hurry!" An elderly but very authoritative voice from behind her interrupted her sprint.

A tall, elderly man with long, slicked back, silvery white hair, revealing his forehead emerged from the forest. He also has a mustache, and a similarly long yet mildly thin and curly beard, reaching down to his lower chest. He has some wrinkles on his face, as evidence of his extremely advanced age; nonetheless, despite this age, his figure is muscular and well-defined. His right eye is usually seen covered by a simple eye patch.

His attire consists of a dark shirt paired with armored shoulder pads and shiny gauntlets, as well as chain-mail covering the parts of his arms remaining exposed, simple light pants with flames near the edges - held up by what looks like a light belt composed of two straps with the relative buttons, possibly part of the pants themselves, and dark, simple shoes/boots. Over this outfit, he wears a large, dark cape, bearing his guild's symbol on the back, and sports a mantle with a high collar, lighter-colored borders, and jagged lower edges. Sometimes he's also seen wearing a helmet matching his armor, with a prominent metal plate protecting his forehead, with two lines of studs on the front, siding his face and jutting out in a protrusion on each side, and a darker rear part, adorned by a crest reminiscent of those seen on Greek helmets.

Ultear sensed the power within him and a twinkle of hope appeared in her eyes," O-Oji-san...My friend is fighting some dark mage. Please! Help me. Will you come with me to help him?"

'So one of the children stayed back! If he has accepted the offer then my kin is assembled. But if he hasn't...then Bluenote will get rid of him and manipulating this girl will be easy!'

Hades just nodded his head and headed towards the area where large explosions were heard from. Seems that boy did push his kin to use their big guns. But he was sure that Bluenote can easily handle the situation without trouble.

As they neared a very large explosion was heard and for many minutes both Ultear and he waited for the heat and light to subside. By the time he was sure his guild members were gone he walked into the clearing and observed the damage.

There were craters, roots of trees, and many unusual knife-like weapons scattered across the field. Two big craters formed by the two louder explosions he heard were the most interesting sight. In one of these craters, a small black cloak with blue flames was burning, seemingly caught up in the explosion.

Ultear immediately recognized the cloak and began panicking. It was his cloak, no doubt but where was he? She wanted answers but the thoughts clouding her mind were making her cry.

"Oji-san can you sense anyone near us?"

"No child it seems the fight has been over for some time now and the last explosion must've marked its end. Meaning whoever was caught up in such an explosion would be dead" Hades told her in a monotone.

Ultear's world shattered and she felt a clenching at her heart after hearing his words. As long as she knew Naruto didn't have many flashy moves like the one she saw. So that meant that he was...

She looked down at his cloak and picked it up while hugging it tightly and muttering his name," No...No...NO! WhY! WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO KILL HIM? WHAT WOULD THEY WANT FROM US? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE ME? EVERYONE I LOVE EVENTUALLY IS TAKEN AWAY FROM ME...why...it's not fair..."

Hades heard her cry and listened carefully. He didn't even try to comfort her. He was just waiting to make his move on the perfect opportunity that would present itself.

Once she quietened down a bit he walked up to her and put a hand on her trembling shoulders, "Nothing is fair in this world child, people do evil for no apparent reason. Magic is used for selfish reasons. No one knows what the purpose of one's life is and most importantly what the purpose of magic is. Although only one person can make it possible for us to understand magic and achieve all our dreams. So tell me what is your dream from now on?"

Ultear calmed down a bit but she was skeptical of where this was going. She wanted nothing more than to believe that Naruto wasn't dead and he had just gone to search for her. But Naruto would've sensed her and found her right away after the fight. Maybe he was injured and needed her help and once he got better they could continue with their peaceful journey. The time she had with him was the best of her life, he was her best and her first friend or maybe something even more...

New tears formed in her eyes as she sobbed again. If only they would've never come here...

Then she heard the old man's question and began thinking. Now without him, there was no dream alive for her. She just wanted to be like this traveling with him forever until the end. If only she could go back in time and change this...

"Can we go back in time with magic, oji -san?" Ultear questioned.

"No, not now but one day we could," Hades answered in his same monotone voice.

"When can we do that? I want to go back and make my life just like I want it to be!" Ultear asked again with conviction.

Hades decided this was his chance," I don't know. But I want to discover the Ultimate magic world and find the true magic. The origin of all magic. The one magic. Only one person can help us discover that and I am currently trying to revive this person."

Ultear looked at Hades with confusion. What was he talking about? She didn't know much about magic but she knew enough to know that once a person was dead then they can't be revived.

"No one can revive the dead. I know at least that much about magic Oji-san!" Ultear looked at Hades with indignance.

"Zeref-sama isn't dead. He is just asleep and we will awaken him from his slumber. Zeref-sama can revive the dead as well, he can do the impossible. He has unimaginable power that exceeds every aspect of human imagination." Hades explained and noted the change in Ultear's expression as she thought about his words.

If this person could revive the dead then she could ask him to revive Naruto. But why would he do so just because she asked? He would agree if she helped reawaken him but if he refused even then... She would become strong and find a way to go back in time herself. The idea of him returning to her now was too hopeful to let go, if she never had such a thought she would've accepted his fate and returned to her mom but now it was impossible.

She decided then," I want to go back in time oji-san. So I will also help you in reviving this person you speak of!"

Hades just nodded and smirked at her declaration. He started walking into the forest towards his airship. Ultear followed him while clutching the cloak in her hand tightly.

"And from now on I am not oji-san, call me master hades..."

"Yes! Master Hades!"

[With Naruto]

Naruto appeared at a beach with no one around in a swirl of space distortion. He was aching all over, he didn't know how many muscles of his body were torn, bones broken, and blood loss but he knew one thing. That man had the worst magic and timing to encounter him until now.

He was very sad and angry at himself, he had activated 4 seals and exhausted himself. Even if he used his maximum 8 seals he would've lost. He understood now that he was still weak! That made his blood boil. Just like in the past he wasn't able to protect and ensure his friend's safety.

Now he couldn't move and hadn't eaten in a day. He had fought almost half the night and now it was near dawn. He wanted nothing more than to get up and search for Ultear or at least try and contact her but in his condition, it wasn't possible.

He let the sweet black abyss of sleep invade his mind and rested at the beach without any regard for his injured state which was slowly healing itself.

[ Some hours later]

In a desert, a row of caravans traveled toward the beach. In the back of the carts; men, women, and children were all tied up. Two men complained of the heat around them.

"Uh, it's too much to ride in this unbearable heat. Why did we have to do this?" The man asked as the sounds of people crying were heard from behind him.

"Because we had to bring as many people as we could find back to the tower. That is what the master told us to do." They continued in silence until he saw something in the heat. "What is that?"

The front cart stopped, and the men jumped off and walked to what they had seen. When they arrived at it, they were surprised.

On the ground was a blond boy with several burn marks, cuts, and a lot of blood pooling under him. The thing that caught their eye was however the boy's belongings. He had around six scrolls and an expensive-looking ring. From the way he was sleeping, it appeared like he was unconscious. Both of the men grinned and collected each of his belongings to keep for themselves. One of the men placed his fingers on his neck, feeling a faint pulse at this point.

"He's alive, but I don't know if he will wake up. What should we do?" He asked his partner.

The man had an evil smirk. "What else? We put him with the rest."

They both smiled as they grabbed the boy roughly and threw him in the cart, closing the bars.

They continued the trek towards the beach, arriving at the boats. When they did, they moved all the captured into the brig, even the unconscious child. And then, they sailed off to their destination.

To the skyscraper on the sea. The Tower of Heaven.

[Sometime later]

Naruto was awakened by the sound of heavy waves crashing into the side of the ship they were being carried on. The sounds of birds flapping their wings and people sobbing around him were pleas...

WAIT! WHAT!

He looked around and found several people, adults, elders, and children alike tied up and gagged sobbing with hopeless and fearful expressions etched on their faces. He observed till he found himself also in the same condition as themselves. All of his clothes were there but he still felt like something was amiss.

He looked down to find his belongings all gone! This time he panicked and almost screamed in desperation for his precious sake holds. Now, this was something he couldn't accept, all his belongings were extremely important to him and above all, they were the only things connecting him to them.

He was full of anger and rage. He wanted nothing more than to just blow up the whole ship and take his belongings for himself. But he stopped such thoughts from consuming himself.

Just wait for the right time to strike. Yes! These were perhaps some bandits or pirates that took his belongings for money and even if they wanted they would never be able to unseal his scrolls.

Besides...

He had tracking seals on all of them. No way he would let such important stuff be unguarded and without any precaution.

He closed his eyes and tried to locate them.

'There... two concentrations and where is Ascalon...'He panicked again as he thought his mother's sword was now gone. But then he remembered sealing it away after the battle so that he wasn't mistaken for a criminal or such.

He sighed again and this time memorized the signatures that had his belongings in their possessions. He would make sure to give them extra pain!!

Then suddenly the ship slowed down and after some time later came to a stop. Naruto looked upwards to note that he was taken to some isolated island with no life whatsoever. Just in front of him was what looked to be a very tall but incomplete tower.

The bottom and the main body of the tower were comprised of overlapping and intertwining lengths of metal tubes that wound together from the ground and straight up into the sky. These giant pipes were held together through a series of smaller tubes that linked the main sections as well as many different-sized and shaped golden decorations which looped over and around the frame of the tower, adding to its unruly presentation. Around the main form of the building a twisted staircase wound.

He was then pushed forwards toward the tower's direction with what appeared to be a magic weapon of some sort. He complied but observed every single slave he came across and there were no mages in there. That would explain why they were so afraid and worked without stopping out of fear despite none of the dark mages having high magic power.

Such inappropriate use of magic! This was why combat magic was needed! To beat the crap out of such people!

He sighed again. The dark mages took him towards a long circular hallway full of prison cells.

[Inside one of the cells]

Inside one of these cells, an old man with a long white beard was looking at the new batch of slaves with sadness and hopelessness. It had been years, and not even a single hope of escape has been lit up in this hell hole.

By his side, his cellmates were also observing the new arrivals with curiosity and interest. Suddenly the last of the slave, a young boy around ten years with blonde hair, a white t-shirt, black pants, and bright blue azure eyes walked by their cell. His eyes held only worry which was a surprise as most if not all people coming here were sad, fearful, or extremely desperate to escape.

Naruto on the other hand sensed a decent amount of magic and looked to his left to see a very old man sitting in a cross-legged position observing everyone. Their eyes met for a moment before he gave a once-over to the old man. He winked at him letting him know that he had sensed his magic power and hoped to work together to escape. He gave one glance towards the others in the cell and noted the cell number for the future. The old man recognized the look and was surprised beyond belief, a boy with no magic power was able to sense his magic by the looks of it.

A red-haired girl to his right side noticed this and was intrigued about the blonde boy herself, " Who was he Rob jii-san? Do you know him?"

The old man just shook his head in denial and kept quiet for the time being. If this boy was a mage then he would make a move to escape but he hadn't succeeded yet. The boy didn't possess any magic energy or it was so minuscule that he couldn't sense it.

[ Inside a prison cell]

Naruto turned another corner and now it was his turn to enter the cell. He was shoved forcefully into the dark cell although he was very compliant with the orders these guys were giving him. He guessed they were trying to act authoritatively to keep the slaves in fear.

Naruto stumbled forward a bit but then he steadied himself and sat down on the cold floor until he noticed several eyes following him from behind.

He turned around to look at the other occupants of the cell...

In front of him were six separate kids roughly his age. To the right was a boy about his height with short spiky brown hair, silted grey eyes, and lightly tanned skin. The odd thing about him was what appeared to be a small purple snake wrapped around his left arm. Next to him was another boy with flat black hair and strange blonde eyebrows, most unusual was his nose shaped like a long pointed cone. To the left of the two was a slightly larger boy with orange hair that resembled cotton green eyes and large lips. The fourth member of the group didn't appear strange at least not physically. He had spiky black hair and red eyes but was on the ground in a ball holding his hands to his head. The fifth member was a young girl Naruto's age. She wore a simple light blue dress and had short bowl-cut white hair and grey eyes. A single white feather could be found on her left arm. The last one was the tallest of the group towering over the others by at least three inches. Despite appearing the same age he was far more muscular with dark grey hair and oddly silver-colored eyes.

Everyone waited for a reaction from Naruto. The blonde boy just shrugged and started thinking again about his predicament. This caused the group to fall over comically.

Naruto was thinking about how to get back his belongings and escape this tower. He turned around to look at the group of kids who were his age. He tried to stand up and greet these people but fell over because of the lack of energy.

The white-haired girl from before ran up to him and helped him sit up straight. Naruto looked up with half-lidded eyes to thank the girl but stopped when he saw the girl looking at him in worry.

"Ah! Are you okay?"

'Are all women so considerate...' he thought as he observed the girl trying to check the extent of his injuries. He looked her in the eyes and only one word came out of his mouth," Angel..."

The girl heard him say that and blushed in embarrassment while looking into his eyes.

"Huh?!"

" I said you look like an angel from heaven trying to help me like this, miss...oh I'll just call you Angel," He told her with a small smile on his face and then proclaimed enthusiastically.

The other guys in the room were dumbfounded while the girl was trying her best to not look into Naruto's eyes and control her blush the best she could.

He once again looked at them questioningly, prompting them to introduce themselves. The white-haired girl caught onto his line of thoughts and cleared her throat getting his attention.

"I am Sorano Agria. And who are you?"

Naruto looked at her and smiled again. Girls are always smarter than boys so he guessed she would be the first to answer his unasked question.

"Yo! I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. And who are you guys?" He looked at the boys with curiosity and waved at them.

The boy with slitted eyes grunted but complied seeing no problem with the new boy's request," I am Erik and this is cubellios"

The boy with orange hair and block-like jawline also introduced himself but not with any enthusiasm," I am Richard."

The boy with red eyes and black hair still holding his hands over his head simply didn't say anything but the boy with a pointed cone-like the nose did it for him." Oh! This is Macbeth and I am sawyer"

The one with silver hair and a bulky body glared at him for no apparent reason Naruto could make out and turned to the other side.

Naruto was about to call him out on his rudeness but was stopped by Angel who whispered into his ears," He is Zabrock. Don't mind him he is the violent type and doesn't like anyone much!"

Naruto nodded his head and observed every one's expression. They seemed pretty sad and frustrated at the same time. He guessed this is how every slave must be feeling in this tower.

He sighed again. He wanted to do so many things but was unable to accomplish any at the moment. He had thought he would go search for Ultear once he recovered but now he was stuck in some tower.

Also, the issue with his scrolls and ring was nagging him continuously. He felt incomplete without them. Seliah's book too was sealed in one of the scrolls. He could feel them being kept on the upper floors.

When he was walking there, he noticed several runes etched on the walls. Likely traps or such things were used for extra security. It was pretty simple to break out with his magic but at the same time, he had to get more information to avoid any mistakes.

He turned towards Angel and this time asked her the question he had since he entered this island," So, exactly where are we?"

Everyone had sad and downcast expressions on their faces. Angel suddenly started sobbing loudly which caused Naruto to panic. His kaa-chan told him to never make a girl cry and he just did the opposite. The results could never be good when he made mistakes regarding girls!

"H-Hey please don't cry! Alright, I'll not ask any further. I mean I will know everything with time right? Just relax no need to worry" he tried to soothe her with a nervous smile on his face.

"No! You deserve to know! After all you too are stuck with us now!" Angel said with tears eyes but before she could continue Zabrock cut her off.

"This place is what you can call hell. The name of this place is the Tower of Heaven. Here, you will have to work relentlessly and keep quiet without barking back or you'll get punished severely." He finished with an angry and rage-filled expression.

"So has anyone tried to get out of here before? Or are we all stuck here forever..." he was cut off when Angel slapped her hand on his mouth and whisper shouted at him.

"Don't talk about running away so loudly. If they hear you they'll kill you" She exclaimed with a fearful expression.

Naruto noticed her fear and nodded tentatively. These dark mages were killing people who tried to escape and bringing in more slaves from outside to replace them. Despicable!

"Don't worry! I will get out of here one day. After all, if I remain here how am I supposed to reach my dream?" He asked rhetorically with so much conviction that it made all of them turn towards him in surprise.

Zabrock on the other hand was furious. This new guy was going to get them all killed. He was foolish and naive, he had witnessed so many executions that the thought of running away made him shiver with fear.

He stood up and walked towards Naruto. He picked him up by the collar of his t-shirt and slammed him on the wall behind him.

"Listen here new boy, you will not try anything. You will remain quiet and not mess with the guards here. I don't care what you want or think but if because of you we are elected for execution, I'll personally beat you to a pulp."

Naruto struggled and got out of his grip before kicking the large boy in the stomach. This caused Zabrock to look at him in rage and ready to tear him apart.

But before he could move from his spot, the sound of footsteps made him stop dead in his tracks...

"Oi, brats don't make noise. Or should we just shut you up with our spear" one of the guards threatened while pointing his weapon at Naruto.

"I'll advise you to get rest new boy. We don't give breaks to workers here!" The other guard ordered and both of them left the hallway to continue their patrol.

"See! Now you know what happens when you go out of line, blonde! So shut up and follow their orders quietly and if you wanna die do it alone!" Zabrock snarled and returned to his place.

Angel again looked at him in sadness and replied with a defeated tone," Don't bother, no one has been able to escape from this place until now. It's hopeless! And sorry about Zabrock too. He doesn't get along with anyone."

Naruto just nodded his head and looked at her curiously. This girl had a familiar presence, almost like he had known her for a long time now. He touched her forehead and flicked it to feel her innate magic.

'This feeling. She is...'

As Naruto was thinking hard about his discovery about his only friend here...yet. Angel was blushing up a storm because of his familiar touch. When he called her angel she felt very warm in her heart and she wanted to hear him say that again.

She didn't know what it was but she guessed he was someone special to make her feel like that. She just hoped they can one day escape this place and find true freedom!

Naruto lay down and looked up at the ceiling with a determined expression...

' I'll help everyone escape this place...'

{Author's Note}

Sorry for the delay guys! I was traveling so it wasn't easy for me to write. Also, the fight was pretty interesting I think and perhaps after this more cannon characters will enter the fray.

I was hoping you all could tell me more about an idea I was planning on. So should I go with the normal flow and now introduce the cannon parts? Also, should I write an S-class exam for Naruto or just skip it?

Please review and let me know!

Ja Ne!