Disclaimer: I own none of this. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and Fairy Tail is the Property of Hiro Mashima. All other references to other media are the property of their respective owners. So please don't sue me!

Chapter 2: Awakening

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself on his back, half-submerged in water. Naruto got to his feet and began looking around. The walls were a uniform color and unblemished. Naruto walked down a corridor looking.

"Where am I?" Naruto asked as he wandered about, observing his surroundings. As Naruto walked, he saw multiple doors. They were all different colors; some were red, a few were yellow, but most were blue. Finally, Naruto walked over to one of the yellow doors and opened it.

(Flashback)

It was a late night in Konoha. The stars were glimmering in the sky in the reflection of the lake. A slightly younger Naruto was sitting on the edge of the lake, a fishing pole in his little hands. As he sat on the edge of the lake, the rod in his hands began to twitch. Naruto started pulling on the line to reel in the fish on the end of the line. After a few minutes of fighting the fish, Naruto pulled as hard as possible, and the twisting fish shot caught on Naruto's line from the surface.

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed as he reeled in the fish; he lit the fire with some flint. Naruto cast his line back into the water, the fire raged beside Naruto, and he caught five more fish. By the time Naruto had fully cooked the fish, the sun had nearly vanished beyond the horizon. Naruto pulled one out of the fire and began munching on it when an old man got near his fire and was smiling.

"That smells quite good." The old man commented.

"Wh-who are you?" Before he could answer, the old man's stomach growled, causing him to blush. Naruto started laughing, and a few seconds later, the old man joined him. Naruto held out a cooked fish, a smile on his face. "Here, Ji-chan, take this."

"Oh, thank you. Oh, this looks so good." Naruto and the old man sat, eating fish, laughing as they enjoyed each other's company. "Look at those stars." the old man commented as he turned his gaze to the heavens. Naruto stopped eating and looked up too. "Yes. This world is boundless."

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, his childish excitement showing again. "You sure know a lot, Ji-chan, 'Ttebayo." Naruto looked back up at the sky. "No kidding, this world is big, huh." Naruto and the old man's stomach growled again, causing them both to blush, then burst out laughing. "Do you want some mushroom soup, Ji-chan?"

"Are you sure you can spare some?"

"Yeah, you tell great stories." The two spend most of the evening talking.

"Jiji," Present Naruto thought as he watched the scene unfold.

(Outside Naruto's mind)

Sarutobi, several Anbu, Jiraiya, and Kakashi arrived at the wall of rock that Naruto had walked through earlier. The energy waves that had exploded over the sky had blasted open the hidden doors. Jiraiya and Sarutobi recognized this place, and the dread they felt earlier was intensified.

"Anbu," Sarutobi spoke, "On me, Jiraiya, you know seals like none other, I want you to disarm any we come across, the rest of us will follow close behind."

"Got it, sensei," Jiraiya replied. The group walked slowly through the halls of the base, Jiraiya disarming any traps they came across until they saw Naruto lying on the floor. Sarutobi ran over to his surrogate grandson while the others followed. When Sarutobi reached Naruto, he looked down, hoping against hope that Naruto was still alive.

"Boar," Sarutobi commanded. "Check his vitals."

"Sir," An Anbu with a boar mask knelt down to place a hand on Naruto. Boar quickly withdrew his hand, which was now smoking. "I can't touch him; his skin is too hot."

"Let me," another Anbu spoke, and he started weaving signs. "Suiton: Ugoku Suikyū no jutsu."(Water style: moving water sphere). A large water bubble surrounded Naruto leaving only his head out of the water. Then it began floating off the ground. The water started bubbling and boiling almost instantly.

"Anbu," Sarutobi commanded, "let's move."

"Sir." Everyone present responded; then, as one, they all began moving at high speeds towards the hospital.

(Back in Naruto's mind)

Naruto had explored several doors by this point, reliving many of his own memories, and eventually, he reached a large building. It took on a shape reminiscent of a pagoda, with each floor smaller than the one below it and sitting on the latter's roof. The roofs also resembled a pagoda, consisting of extremely long, arched tiles lined up one after the other and possessing simple curved protrusions jutting upwards on the building's angles. On the highest roof, topping the summit of the building, sat a simple, round, and pointed dome, in a design Naruto didn't know, which bore a flag on its point. The roof below the dome housed a large banner with a weird symbol Naruto didn't recognize, held up by a pair of vertical poles. The building's large entrance was the same design as the roof, with its shape reminiscent of the dome on the summit. Stylized heart shapes were also visible on the frames of the numerous, large pentagonal windows located on each floor, with the top floor housing smaller, arched windows partially covered by banners. Naruto walked over to the doors, which swung open when he got near them. Naruto walked inside and saw it was similar to a large lunch hall. There was a parquet floor, and a mezzanine held up by wood beams overlooking it. Several long benches and the related tables stretched across its length with a bar, but what drew Naruto's eye was the eight people standing there, all of whom were looking at him. The first had long, wavy, pastel yellow-blonde hair that reached down to her feet; large green eyes with no pupils; peachy skin. Naruto saw she was wearing a frilly, pink layered robe with a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. Around the chest are three blue diamond patterns with two blue triangles above. Each series of these is outlined in hot pink. She wears wing-like adornments around her ears and small hoop earrings. What caught Naruto the most off guard was that she was barefoot. Standing next to her was an elderly man with long, slicked back, silvery-white hair, revealing his forehead. 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. However, his figure is muscular and well-defined despite this age. The next was an extremely short, elderly man. He has black eyes and is growing bald, with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also has a thick white mustache. He was wearing a white shirt with the same black symbol on the flags outside in the middle under an orange hoodie. He also wore matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat.

"He looks funny." Naruto had to stop from laughing as he looked at the next man. The fourth was a man with excess wrinkles, a receding hairline, and an extremely prominent mustache. He was wearing a long, light-colored jacket with darker edges, sporting a large and high collar and dark cuffs reaching down to his wrists, which is now paired by a light vest under it, held closed by three round buttons, worn over a simple dark shirt. His pants are dark and plain. However, his shoes remain intricately designed, with this pair, in particular, is designed with clashing light and dark designs. The fifth is a tall, muscular man with shoulder-length slicked-back orange hair and a stubbly beard. He was wearing a long, black, high-collared, tattered cloak with shoulder plates and a simple belt around his waist. He also wears loose-fitting dark pants, complete with armored waist-guard bearing plates similar to those on his shoulders, tucked inside simple boots. The next was a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. She wore armor, a blue skirt, black boots, and diamond-shaped silver earrings. "She is really pretty." The seventh was a very tall and muscular young man with orange eyes. His blond hair is slicked back, its numerous spiky strands pointing back. However, some falls in a small tuft on his forehead. He has a distinct lightning bolt-shaped scar on his right eye. He wore a dark shirt under a long light jacket closed by a simple belt, loose dark pants below his knees, and boots. He also has a small belt visible on his upper chest, crossing it horizontally. The final person was a tall, young woman with ample breasts and long blue hair. Her attire consists of a very revealing cerulean-colored top with a thin white trim, which tapers off at her waist and on her bust into multiple spiked points. Decorating the front of this top is a sky blue bow tied in the center of her chest, and she wraps up her overall appearance with a pair of white capris shorts.

"Hello." The blond girl spoke, and Naruto turned to her. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"H-How do you know my name?" Naruto stuttered, backing up slightly.

"Because child," The tall man standing next to the girl spoke, "we are in your mind. As such, we know all about you."

"You don't need to be afraid of us," The small old man spoke, smiling warmly at Naruto. "And for the record, I do not 'look funny.'" Naruto's face turned red.

"Give him a break, Jiji." The man with the lightning bolt scar spoke. "He's just a kid."

"And yet you weren't nearly as rude as he is when you were his age."

"He's had a rough past, lay off, will ya?"

"Laxus," The girl with the red hair chastised, "it's rude to talk about someone as if they aren't in the room." She then turned to Naruto. "And I thank you for the compliment." Naruto blushed a bit.

"Not to be rude," Naruto started, "but who are you people?"

"My name is Mavis Vermillion," the blonde girl spoke, "Fairy Tail's First Master."

"My name is Precht Gaebolg," The man standing next to Mavis spoke. "I am Fairy Tail's, Second Master. But I have also gone by the name 'Hades."

"My name is Makarov Dreyar," The tiny old man said, "I am Fairy tail's Third Master."

"My name is Macao Conbolt," the man with the mustache spoke, "I am Fairy Tail's Fourth master, but admittedly I wasn't very good."

"My name is Gildarts Clive," The man with the orange hair spoke, "I am Fairy Tail's Fifth Master, but mine was the shortest of us all, wasn't even Guildmaster for half a day."

"I'm still upset about that." Makarov glared at Gildarts.

"As I said, I wasn't cut out for the job."

"My name is Laxus Dreyar," Laxus spoke, "I became Fairy Tail's Sixth Master after Jiji kicked the bucket."

"My name is Erza Scarlet," The girl with red hair spoke, "I am Fairy Tail's Seventh Master and your ancestor."

"Don't you mean Erza Fernandes?" Laxus questioned, "after all, you married Jellal, didn't you?" Erza's face turned red.

"SHUT UP, LAXUS!" Laxus and the others laughed at her embarrassment. Then the girl with blue hair walked forward.

"My name is Wendy Marvell," She spoke. "I'm Fairy Tail's Eighth master, and I was Master until the guild fell over a thousand years ago." Wendy started walking over to Naruto, then tripped on a table leg and fell flat on her face. "Oww."

"Still a clumsy ditz, eh Wendy?" Laxus asked, smiling.

"Laxus, that's not nice."

"So," Naruto spoke, "Why are you all in my head?"

"Because the Lacrima you touched in that lab called us from beyond the grave." Laxus replied, "Now the eight of us are here to judge you and see if you're worthy."

"Worthy of what?"

"Worthy of becoming Fairy Tail's Ninth master." All eight previous masters replied at once.

"Heh." A dark voice spoke, and everyone turned to see a large cage that extended to the ceiling. Behind the cell was an enormous fox, lying on its stomach, with its paws crossed in front of it, and nine tails extended behind the fox, all moving lazily.

"Something you find funny?" Laxus asked, glaring at the fox.

"I don't owe you an explanation, human."

"Who are you?" Precht asked, " a demon from the books of Zeref?"

"If you must know," The fox rose to its full height, towering over everyone. "I AM THE KYUBI NO KITSUNE, THE STRONGEST OF THE NINE BIJU! A SINGLE FLICK OF ONE OF MY TAILS SENDS TSUNAMI CRASHING TO SHORE AND LEVELS MOUNTAINS!"

"How did you get here?" Mavis asked. The Kyubi glared at her then pointed at Naruto with one of its claws.

"This stupid brat is my Jinchuriki. I was sealed inside of him that YONDAIME-TEME!"

"HEY!" Naruto shouted at the fox, "DON'T YOU DARE INSULT YONDAMME-SAMA LIKE THAT! HE'S MY HERO!"

"Tch," The fox countered, "little brat thinks he can talk tough now because he has eight S-class wizards behind him."

"How did you know our ranks?" Gildarts asked. "I don't recall ever mentioning that to you."

"Just as you can touch Naruto's mind, I can touch yours, with a strong enough connection." The Kyubi looked at Precht. "You interest me, human. Want to let me out? Do this, and I will give you power beyond imagining."

"I made a deal that cost me my soul once," Precht replied, "I will never do it again."

"Seems you learned from your time in hell," Laxus commented. "That's good, cause otherwise, I was gonna kick your ass again."

"We're getting off-topic," Erza interjected, "we're here to make sure Naruto is worthy of being the Ninth Master, not debate with some monster with an overinflated ego."

"YOU'VE GOT SOME NERVE!" The Kyubi shouted. "TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT !"

"Shut up." Erza glared at the fox, her magic power flaring to life. The Kyubi backed up and lowered its head to the ground.

"Y-Yes, ma'am, sorry ma'am."

"She's kinda scary," Naruto commented, hiding behind Mavis.

"Oh, don't worry," Mavis replied, "She may act scary, but she's really nice. Now, you need to stand in front of us; we're going to begin." Naruto did what he was asked, silently dreading what would happen if he wasn't worthy.

(Konoha Hospital subfloor)

Jiraiya and Sarutobi were standing over an unconscious Naruto strapped to the bed. A constant flowing of Liquid Nitrogen was chilling the air in the room as all other methods of bringing Naruto down to a safe temperature had failed. Several Anbu stood behind Sarutobi, ready to defend their Kage, while others were stationed outside. Naruto was hooked up to several machines that were monitoring his vitals. Sarutobi's face was wrought with despair as he watched his surrogate grandson dance between life and death.

"What kind of horrible man am I?" Sarutobi asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've let this happen, over and over again; how could I do this to Minato and Kushina's son?"

"It's not your fau-" Jiraiya started.

"Yes, it is," Sarutobi cut off his student. "I repeatedly denied you the right to raise Naruto as his parents wanted, and now look what it's come to." Sarutobi steeled his resolve and looked at his student. "My indecisiveness and fear have allowed this to happen, no more." Sarutobi's face hardened, "Effective immediately, you are to raise Naruto. All I ask is that you don't tell him about Minato until he is ready."

"You have my word, Sensei. But even when Minato and Kushina were alive, I had little knowledge of their Dragonslayer magic. So how am I going to train him to use it, let alone master it?"

"I have been watching Naruto for years, watching for even the slightest sign of draconic power, the same as his parents. Minato and Kushina left behind several notes should this day ever come; they will be helpful for Naruto's development."

"Where should we raise him?" Jiraiya asked. "Minato's old house is out of the question."

"If I recall correctly, you own several properties in the village. I'm sure you could update the security to ensure you and Naruto wouldn't be spied on."

"It would be child's play for the great Jiraiya." Jiraiya puffed out his chest.

"Excellent," Hiruzen nodded, "as soon as he's cleared to return from the hospital, you'll begin training him." Just then, a groan was heard, and all three adults turned to see Naruto starting to sit up in his bed.

"Naruto," Sartuobi smiled at Naruto. "Glad to see you're awake."

"Jiji," Naruto greeted, "where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

"I found this weird room; I touched a glowing crystal, then I felt a lot of pain, then passed out."

"Are you okay?" Sarutobi asked, concerned.

"I-I think so." Naruto looked down at himself, "but I have a question."

"You can ask me anything."

"When were you going to tell me about the Kyubi?" Sarutobi's and Jiriaya's eyes widened in shock.

"H-how?"

"When I was asleep, I met some nice people, but we also met the Kyubi."

"Who were these people?"

"They were the previous masters of this guild 'Fairy Tail.' They wanted to judge me to see if I was worthy of being Fairy Tail's new master."

"What were their names?"

"Mavis, Precht, Makarov, Macao, Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, and Wendy."

"And what did they say?"

"They said I was worthy." Naruto looked over at his left shoulder, which now had the same mark on it as the building did, only it was orange. "I am now Fairy Tail's Ninth Master."

"What's that mark on your left shoulder?"

"The Fairy Tail Guild Mark, all members were this mark." Naruto smiled. "Jiji, I want you to join. I have to rebuild Fairy Tail from the ground up, and I want you to be a part of it."

"I would be honored." Sarutobi smiled at the young Jinchuriki. Naruto held out a hand to Sarutobi, who grabbed it. Sarutobi tingle over his heart, so he pulled his robes away from his body and saw the same logo on his chest that was on Naruto's shoulder, only instead of orange, it was a dark green.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Jiji."

"Thank you, Kyudaime Master of Fairy Tail, Naruto." Naruto blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. Then Naruto and Sarutobi burst out laughing at the look on each other's faces.

"As heartwarming as this is," Jiraiya spoke, "We should probably get Naruto looked at and discharged, if possible."

"Neko," Sarutobi turned one of the Anbu. "Please fetch Tajima."

"Hai," Neko replied, "Hokage-sama."

"Jiji," Naruto started as he looked over at Jiraiya. "Who is this guy?

"I'll let him introduce himself." Sarutobi replied with a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you asked!" Jiraiya started as he started hopping slightly to the left on one foot. "I'm the man who has no enemies in the North, South, East, and West." Jiraiya stopped hoping, then started rolling his head, causing his hair to swing in a large circle. "I am the one of the Sannin, the great Gama-sennin of Mount Myoboku. The great Jiraiya." Jiraiya finished his dance looking at Naruto, who was watching with unwavering attention.

"THAT WAS SO COOL, 'TTEBAYO!" Naruto shouted, and Jiraiya smiled.

"Naruto," Sarutobi spoke, gaining the blond's attention. "Could you not shout? This is a hospital, and people are trying to recover here."

"Sorry, Jiji." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"There is one other thing you should know," Jiraiya spoke, and Naruto turned to look at him. "I'm also your godfather, and it was your parent's will that, should anything happen to them, I was to raise you." Naruto looked down, a shadow covering his eyes, and the temperature in the room started rising as Naruto glowed. "Uh, Naruto."

"THEN WHY AM I ALONE!?" Naruto shouted as he looked at Jiraiya, tears spilling from his eyes, and the bed he was on burst into flames. Naruto strained against the machines he was hooked into.

"Naruto!" Sarutobi shouted. "Stop!" Naruto didn't listen, and he pulled the IV and other devices off him and threw a punch at Jiraiya, who blocked it easily, then recoiled his hand, which was steaming.

"WHY?!" Naruto punched again. This time, Jiraiya dodged. "TELL ME WHY?!" Jiraiya slammed a palm on the ground, and a sealing formula spread ensnaring Naruto, freezing him in place; then Jiraiya knocked out Naruto with a chop to the back of the neck. Finally, Jiraiya rounded on Sarutobi with a furious look on his face.

"What have they been doing with my godson?"

"I haven't been completely honest with you," Sarutobi sighed. "The villagers see him as the Kyubi reborn. So they either shun him or form mobs to try and kill him. I placed a law that would forbid anyone from telling the younger generation, but it's clear that this wasn't enough."

"To what end, sensei?" Jiraiya glared at his teacher. "You and I know hatred better than anyone. What made you think that just placing a law would be enough?"

"I've been a senile old fool. I didn't consider that the villagers would tell their children to ignore Naruto. If I had, maybe this wouldn't have happened." Naruto groaned again as he returned to consciousness.

"Naruto," Jiraiya hugged the young boy who stiffened in fear. "Please don't hate me, I have been pushing sensei for years to take care of you, but he would always turn me down."

"Why?" Naruto asked Sarutobi, "Why didn't you let him, Jiji?"

"Jiraiya has a vital role in the village," Sarutobi replied mournfully. "That's why I haven't allowed him to, until now. I hope you can forgive an old fool."

"I won't be alone anymore?"

"No," Jiraiya replied, lowering himself to Naruto's level, "not anymore. I swear I'll fulfill the promise I made to your parents before you were born." Naruto looked into Jiraiya's eyes.

"You know who my parents are?"

"Yes, while I can't tell you your father's name, I can tell you that when he found out your mother was pregnant with you, he was so happy."

"What about my mom?"

"Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a fiery Kunoichi and beauty like few before her. I can tell you've inherited her love of ramen and her catchphrase, though her's was slightly different."

"What was mom's?"

"Her's was 'Ttebane' she'd say it whenever she was excited."

"D-did they not want me?" Naruto asked.

"No, very much the opposite, your mother and father loved you very much. In fact, they gave their lives to save yours."

"You called for me, Sandaime-sama?" a new voice called, and Jiraiya, Sarutobi, and Naruto all turned to look at the newcomer.

"Yes," Hiruzen replied, "Thank you for coming, Tajima."

"Hi, Tajima-san." Naruto greeted the doctor.

"Hello," Tajima replied, smiling at the boy, "Naruto." Tajima turned to face the Sandaime. "I assume you want me to check on him, make sure everything is okay."

"Please."

"Hai," Tajima looked back at Naruto. "Naruto, can you answer some questions for me?"

"Sure." Naruto nodded.

"Excellent." Tajima pulled out a clipboard. "Do you feel any pain or discomfort?"

"No, I feel just fine."

"Good, now do you feel like you are about to collapse, or are you having trouble standing?"

"Nope."

"Good," Tajima made some notes on the clipboard. "Can you raise your arms over your head?" Naruto raised his arms over his head. "Good, any pain or discomfort?"

"Nope."

"Can you cover one eye for me," Naruto covered his eye. "Now, how many fingers am I holding up?" Tajima held up his hand, holding up three fingers.

"Three, Tajima-san." Tajima lowered one.

"And now?"

"Two."

"Alright, now can you cover the other eye." Naruto did as he was asked. "How many fingers do you see?"

"Still two, Tajima-san."

"Alright, final question, any blurriness in your vision?"

"No."

"Excellent." Tajima turned to the Hokage. "From what I can tell, Naruto is clear to leave. As usual, his recovery rate is astonishing." Tajima turned back to Naruto and unsealed a lollipop from the clipboard. "There you go, Naruto, enjoy."

"Thanks, Tajima-san." Naruto beamed at the doctor and put the lollipop in his mouth.

"Come on, Naruto," Jiraiya called out, "we're heading to your new house."

"Hai, Jiraiya Oji-chan. See you later Jiji."

"Thank Kami-sama," Sarutobi thought as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I haven't broken our bond."