Innocence
Naruto slowly opened his eyes and gave a large yawn before grumbling to himself. He lifted his head to see that he was covered by a blanket and had a pillow below him.
"You're all right!" Wendy was beside him and sighed in relief. He noticed a fire and that it was night. "I managed to heal those burn marks. But how did you get those when you weren't hit by flames?"
"Isn't it obvious? His magic caused it." A voice called out, with Naruto tilting his head to see that behind Wendy was the same blonde boy with the lightning scar that saved them from the wyvern earlier. "You're still learning to control your powers, aren't you kid?"
"You're the guy who saved us. Thanks for that!" Naruto got up and bowed. 'Dad said to always say thank you to those who help you.'
"Don't worry about it. Just answer the question kid, you can't control your magic. Isn't that right?" He asked again.
"Yeah. I just to practice a little more and I'll be able to use more powerful spells. Right now, I can only use normal spells without hurting." Naruto was a little disheartened, but he was also determined. Even his normal spells were powerful for what they were and in time they would become more powerful as his magic grew and when he becomes older, but he wanted to able to use more powerful spells in case situations like the ones with wyvern occurred again.
"I see but using your magic like that all the time won't help you. By the time your body learns to handle it, you'll already have lost the use of your arms or any other body part you use for spells." The older boy told Naruto, not holding back anything. "You were lucky that your friend Wendy is here, she managed to heal you using her magic." Naruto then remembered that Wendy said she healed him earlier.
"I see….. Thanks for healing me, Wendy! I guess that what you mean by support magic." Naruto praised her, much to her embarrassment. "By the way, I'm Naruto! Nice to meet you, erm…."
"The name's Laxus. Laxus Dreyar. Got to say kid, even though your magic hurt you, you have some skill." Laxus complimented Naruto, who just rubbed the back of his head, a little too happy of being praised. "But back to what I said earlier, why don't you use a medium to use your mre powerful spells?"
"Huh? What do you mean by medium?" Naruto was confused by Laxus, Wendy also did not understand what he means by that.
"A medium as in an object. There's more than one way to use magic. Caster Magic is when the magic comes out from our own bodies." To emphasise, Laxus channelled lightning into his left hand. "But Holder Magic is a type of magic where your magical power is channelled through objects." Laxus took out a knife and then let lightning flow through it. "Your Darkness is just like my Lightning. It can be used through a weapon just like this knife." Laxus threw the knife, which hit a large boulder, breaking it instantly. "And that was me holding back."
"A-Amazing!" Wendy acknowledged Laxus' power with Naruto looking at the knife.
'Can I do the same thing?' Naruto was fixated on what Laxus did with the knife, rather than what he destroyed.
(Orochimaru's Laboratory, 1 day later)
'Yes! I have almost solved all of these equations…soon I will gain power beyond this mortal shell!' Orochimaru had a sinister gleam in his eye, believing he will gain new power to surpass Hades. His current thoughts suddenly stopped as he felt a presence he felt for a long time. "Long time no see, Jiraiya. I'm surprised that you managed to find me here?"
"It has been a while. Good to see that you still have your deranged hobbies." The man named Jiraiya joked. He was tall, his wild spikey white hair was tied into a ponytail. He wore a short green kimono with matching pants. He wore a red waistcoat over it that had a yellow circle on each side. He had a silver horned headband with the kanji for oil engraved on it and wore sandals. He also had a red line underneath each of his eyes. "But I'm not here for you, I'm here for Naruto." If Orochimaru was surprised, he did not show it.
"You're here for ramen topping? You can find them from merchants you perverted idiot." Orochimaru joked, only to be met with a completely serious Jiraiya, which only made the pale-skinned man's smirk increase. "I guess you aren't buying that. If you're talking about a blonde-haired child, then you just missed him a few days ago. He's out on a training mission."
"You're being awfully cooperative. Any reason why?" Jiraiya was holding back his magic power as he could tell that there are many people in the island, with some even possessing extraordinary magical power, thanks to Jiraiya's sensory abilities.
"I may think you're an idiot, but you were also our old teacher's best spy and informant. And whilst this pains me to say this, my equal in combat." Orochimaru admitted, with Jiraiya somewhat happy to know Orochimaru what he's known for years.
"Speaking of our old teacher, did you know that he considers Naruto a grandson?" Jiraiya smirked as Orochimaru's own smirk dropped. "So, it would be in your best interests to give me his location. Especially now that he's back to fighting shape."
'That is troubling. Sarutobi-sensei was quite powerful, but…' Orochimaru's mind conjured an image of Hades releasing a dark aura. '…..Master Hades is on another level. Fitting for a man named after the God of Death.' "Unfortunately, I have no idea where Master Hades sent him, but if truly wish to find the boy, then you can ask him." Orochimaru's smirk returned as he pointed behind Jiraiya, who suddenly became tense as he felt a powerful and malignant force behind him.
'T-This malevolent feeling!' Jiraiya turned around and jumped back, avoiding a small blast. 'Who is this guy!?' Jiraiya is now face-to-face with Master Hades.
"Orochimaru, what have I told you about bringing guests without telling me?" Hades sounded a little amused. "I would have prepared refreshments. Forgive my subordinate, Jiraiya the Gallant, I'm afraid he isn't the social type. But you should know that better than anyone."
"My apologies, but Jiraiya dropped in unexpectedly. He's here for Naruto." When Orochimaru mentioned Naruto, Hades simply chuckled.
"I see. Unfortunately for you, young Naruto is not here. And even if he was, he belongs to Grimoire Heart now. So, you can leave here without Naruto and with your life or you can stay and lose your life." Hades told Jiraiya, with the latter wondering why Hades was being a little too generous.
"And you're not worried about me telling the Magic Council about your location?" Jiraiya spoke carefully, but his right hand was twitching. 'He must have a contingency plan if he's letting me go this easily?'
"It will not matter soon enough, and I'd rather avoid killing you since you are the Magical Council's number one informant. But make no mistake, I will not hold back if you choose the path of violence." Hades then spotted the book in Orochimaru's hands. 'That cursed book of Belial again…I will have words with you after this Orochimaru.'
"Well since you put it that way, I guess I could go with option A instead of option B, but there is another option." Jiraiya's right palm slammed to the ground and the ground, creating a black swamp.
'My hunch was correct, he used his Dark Swamp spell to launch a predictable but deadly attack. Unfortunately, even if Master Hades is caught in that, he cannot be beaten so easily. It would take both of us at least to even stand a chance and I don't plan on betraying this monster anytime soon. Though judging by that brief look he gave me when he spotted this book, I feel like my time with Grimoire Heart may be up soon.' Orochimaru leaped into the air and then clung to the ceiling. Orochimaru may have shown bravado earlier, but that was when he was certain that Hades would not kill him for any form of insubordination.
"Phoenix Wing!" A voice called out and then a fire blast shaped like a bird came out of nowhere and hit Orochimaru. Orochimaru emerged from the flames unscathed.
"That spell…I see. You've brought some backup with you, but it won't be enough to defeat us!" Orochimaru's point was proven as Hades, who allowed himself to get caught by Dark Swamp, used his magic to create a shockwave and undid Jiraiya's spell.
"Damn! Who is this guy Pervy Sage?" Another man appeared next to Jiraiya and was at least in his early twenties. He had spikey brown hair and wore orange goggles. His attire consisted mainly of a blue jumpsuit. This man is Obito Uchiha, a member of Jiraiya's group.
"Grimoire Heart's leader. And I told you not to call me that in the middle of a battle!" Jiraiya told Obito with some anger, but the older man did not let his guard down despite seemingly turning his attention away from Hades. Hades motioned his left as if it was a pistol and shot a magic bullet at Jiraiya. Jiraiya simply tilted his head to the side.
'So, he was alert after all. And that brat, he just used one of Madara's spells.' "You seem to have made your choice then." Hades then looked at Orochimaru. "Leave Jiraiya to me. You can deal with the brat next to him." Orochimaru jumped back down and rushed Obito, with the two disappearing from thin air. 'That was Spatial Magic, that brat has some talent.'
"Bad move old man. As soon as I discovered it was Grimoire Heart, I brought a small group with me. Your guild only just made a name for itself recently and proved yourselves dangerous enough that some insurance was needed." Jiraiya told him with confidence in Obito's abilities as well as his teammates. 'Grimoire Heart was considered a low threat just 2 years ago and now they're on the council's radar. I better be on my toes if this guy can order around Orochimaru of all people.'
"I must digress, why is it that you want Naruto? I mean that is your purpose for being here, is it not? And why bring a small group with you for that purpose?" Hades knew the reason why he brought a group, but just wanted confirmation. He also knew why Jiraiya wanted Naruto, as Orochimaru told him some of Minato's history.
"You don't need to know about why I want Naruto, just know that he is important to me. And I originally came alone, but I'm no fool. I can sense extraordinary magic here, especially yours and Orochimaru's. But that's enough talk…..It's time for some action!" Jiraiya rushed Hades, his arm now covered by rocks.
'Earth Magic again? Don't disappoint me Jiraiya!' Hades had a maddened look on his face now as his own empowered fist collided with Jiraiya's. Because of this clash, they created a shockwave, which caused the equipment to be destroyed and the laboratory to be damaged.
(With Obito and Orochimaru) (One Piece Stampede OST-Rookies Entrance)
"You're going down Orochimaru!" Obito made circle with his left hand and launched a powerful stream of flames at Orochimaru.
"You've improved Obito. And you also learned Spatial Magic, just like your former teacher. Who taught you?" Orochimaru remained calm and was in fact smirking.
"As if I'd tell you that!" Obito then smirked. "But I can tell you this, Pervy Sage and I weren't the only ones who came here." Orochimaru wasn't fazed by this and expected as much. He did not expect who though.
"You shouldn't underestimate Obito, Orochimaru!" A woman with short brown hair and purple markings around her face appeared from, summoned by Obito's Spatial Magic. She then released purple mist from her mouth and it hit Orochimaru directly.
"Nice shot Rin!" Obito gave Rin a thumbs up, only to realise that Orochimaru was not affected, and he teleported to Rin's side, grabbing her and avoided a dark purple snake construct.
"Please don't insult me. Have you forgotten that I have an affinity for poisons? I have a resistance to your pathetic magic." Orochimaru then stepped out of the way from a katana which had lightning channelled through it. "That was close. Out of the three of you, you are the one who has the slightest chance to defeat me, Kakashi."
A young man around the age of Obito and Rin held the lightning-enhanced katana. He had silver gravity-defying hair and wore an attire with plated armour. His left was closed and had a scar over it.
"That means a lot coming from you, Orochimaru." Kakash was side-by-side with his companions. "Rin, Obito. We need to work together to defeat him, so don't engage him one-on-one unless I give the signal."
"Understood!" Rin nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Obito grumbled out as the three prepared for their toughest battle yet. "What's the plan, closet perv?" Obito whispered to Kakashi, who looked annoyed.
"I only read Lord Jiraiya's book because he would not stop bothering me." 'Well, I did actually like it, but these two don't need to know that.' Kakashi then sighed. "Rin, Orochimaru is resistant to your poison but that does not mean he is immune, so your Poison Magic can affect him if you find the right mixture, but we don't have the luxury. Use Strength Magic. Obito, your Spatial Magic is the key for us to take him out. We'll use your teleportation to launch our attacks, but you must avoid his attacks. If something goes wrong, you are the only one who can get us out of here. Understood?" Both Rin and Obito nodded, all three kept their guards up in case Orochimaru attacked, though strangely he did not.
'He could have attacked us at any time. He's waiting for us to make the first move and he's also not taking us seriously!' Rin was cautious but also felt slighted, these thoughts were shared by her teammates.
(Back with Laxus' group) (OST End)
"Stop trying to force yourself. You need to be patient and when you manage get the hang of it, then you can go wild all you want. Right now you need to focus on pouring magic into a stick and use it as a weapon." Laxus told Naruto, who was breathing heavily and in his hand was black dust, caused by pouring too much magic. 'He doesn't realise that the stick is more fragile than his own body, but if he can learn to control his magic though an object, he'll be able to use his more powerful spell without injuring himself within time.'
"You can do it Naruto!" Wendy cheered him on as the blonde was given another stick. The reason Naruto was given a stick was because Laxus did not want him to destroy his knife until he was certain that the smaller blonde could channel his magic with ease.
'Okay, using magic through an object is trickier than I thought. But I can't give up now! If I learn this, it can help get stronger and I can use my magic without hurting myself!' Naruto then recalled his first time using his Darkness Magic. 'That's right….If I keep working hard I'll get the hang of it! But, using a stick bites! I mean I can break it with my bare….hands! That's it!'
'He must have got it. Let's see if he put it into practice.' Laxus then saw Naruto turn to him and then Laxus passed him another stick. Naruto then stood in front of a tree and breathed in deeply, holding the stick with both hands.
'Now!' The stick in Naruto's hand was now covered by darkness. Naruto then looked at the boulder in front of him and swung the stick, cutting the boulder in half. "Yes! Did you see that? And look, the stick is only slightly charred!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Congrats kid. If you keep practising, you'll be able to use stronger attack with this and maybe you'll be able to use your hands for that spell without hurting yourself." Laxus was referring to Naruto's Dark Blitzkrieg.
"It's called Dark Blitzkrieg. It's my strongest spell for now and it takes a lot of magic. But my body isn't used to it. That's why you had my practice with sticks, you wanted me to learn a way of fighting without injuring myself until my body is used to stronger spells. But I won't stop there!" Naruto told him determination.
"Is that right?" Laxus smirked when Naruto pointed the stick at him and looked at him a smirk of his own.
"Yeah! I'll learn how to use a sword and create all sorts of awesome attacks and then I'll master Dark Blitzkrieg! Watch out Laxus, I'll be stronger than you in no time!" Naruto's smirk changed to a look of determination.
'He's challenging Laxus!' Wendy looked at Naruto with concern on her face, remembering how Naruto still wanted to protect her from wyvern despite being injured and now he's challenging Laxus, someone who easily took down that same wyvern.
"Ha! Then I'll just become stronger and leave you in the dust!" Laxus laughed, not maliciously, but a genuine and joyful laugh. Unbeknownst to Laxus, he started to form a bond with Naruto that would impact him years later.
(Back at Grimoire Heart's Headquarters)
'T-This guy is demon!' Jiraiya was covered in bruises and his attire was damaged, with some blood coming out of his mouth. Meanwhile, Hades has a few scratches, and his cape was ruined, but he stood across Jiraiya, staring at him calmly. Hades no longer had his helmet on and Jiraiya was out of breath.
"I commend you for forcing me to fight seriously. You are truly a wizard worthy of praise and belong in the same class as Orochimaru. However…." Hades magic flowed and frightened Jiraiya. "….you have not yet reached my level."
'I won't give up here! I can't!' Jiraiya finally caught his breath and got his second wind. 'I have to get to Obito and the others. I may have guts but retreating is the best option. He said that Naruto wasn't on this island, and I don't think he's lying. So, us being here is pointless apart from locating Grimoire Heart, but he said earlier that I could leave. Does this mean they're relocating? Doesn't matter, if what he says is true, Naruto is somewhere outside in the world, and I can find him.' "I don't suppose your offer of leaving with my life is still on the table?" He joked, causing Hades to chuckle briefly.
"I'm sorry, but that offer has expired…And so will you!" Hades smirked causing Jiraiya's false bravado to crumble.
'Guess I'll have to fight my way out. If I can get to Obito, we can teleport out of here.' Jiraiya took a stance again as magic danced around his body again. 'I can't afford to lose here, so I'll have to surpass my limits!'
End. Sorry for the delay but I got stuck a few times and wanted to make sure this chapter was consistent. Also, previous chapter, I wrote Laxus as being 14-15, I think I made a little mistake. He should be 15-16 right now, since he was born in X761 and it is currently X777, sorry about that.
Naruto's more powerful spells are too much for his young body to handle, so I thought I would have him learn how to channel his destructive magic into weapons without hurting himself for the time being. He will eventually control better and use more powerful spells later. As you can see that I am deviating from canon already and if you're wondering if Naruto will join Fairy Tail early on, just wat and read. Please review and no flames, just be constructive.
Also, in this world, there are no Jinchuriki's and definitely no Otsutsuki, I don't like the Otsutsuki Clan and a lot of the new characters introduced in Boruto, well except a few. Rin is still alive, so, Obito has not lost faith in the world.