Chapter 16: The Forgotten Ninja's Way
It's horrifying when the smoke leaves, the burning rubber fades from your nose and you have to pull yourself and your friends out of a wrecked car. But then you can thank science, your gods, or just plain damn luck that the only thing ruined out of that crash was some beat up old car.
To all you people out there who drive: Wear Your Seatbelts!
Take my advice; a sore hip and mild burns is a way better treatment then getting hurdled out of the front window of your car at 50MPH.
########Hunter########
Erza Scarlet was not a firm believer in being overconfident in your own skills.
She knew from experience that when a person had so much confidence in their skills like that, they become arrogant and stopped worrying about getting stronger.
She knew because she had fought so many mages and bandits over the years that it was almost expected that some of them would start monologuing and treat her conceitedly.
So she always strived to train as much as she could and get stronger then she was before. She knew that as long as you desired to move forward and grow stronger, there were never going to be any limits to stop you.
But even though Erza never bragged about her abilities, she knew she wasn't any slouch when it came to fighting. Her and Mira did enough fighting together even when that bitch wasn't starting something up. Naruto invited her to sparring sessions quite often and the two of them had gained much experience from the training. And she knew she was a pretty good fighter because Natsu and Gray always seemed to avoid her when she wanted to join in their fights.
Of the people she knew, Erza would probably only be completely outclassed in fighting by Gildarts and possibly Laxus.
So as she watched the supposed chakra wielding woman effortlessly sidestep Natuto's sword swings after she threw Erza across the clearing, Erza couldn't help but think she was at a disadvantage in fighting.
As far as strength and fighting ability goes, this woman could have possibly tied with Gildarts in pure skill. She moved like a calm wind around her and Naruto's sword slashes with such amazing footwork that Erza wasn't able to concentrate on the fight without focusing her attention on the next move the woman would make.
And even though she hadn't landed a direct attack on them, the surrounding damage her fists caused to the area was evident enough that her slender arms packed a ton of power. No, it wasn't that she hadn't landed a punch, it was more like she was only trying to intimidate them with close calls.
Naruto was doing everything he could to incapacitate the woman with non-lethal force. He kept sending magic into the two blades in his hands to activate their fire and wind elemental properties and swipe at the blonde opponent.
Before his blades could come into her personal space, she exhaled a long breath and lowered into a tight defensive stance. The woman's body emitted a soft light and her feet lightly stomped on the ground.
As Erza pushed herself up, she kept her eyes completely focused on the battle and waited for an opportunity to capture the woman. The Requip Mage watched as the unknown woman used her amazing footwork to avoid her friend's swords, leaving Naruto to hit only air. Even as he continued to attack, she used her odd stepping method to dodge him with minimal effort.
The woman took advantage of a gap in Naruto's barrage rhythm and she punched the hilt of the red sword, knocking it out of his hand. Naruto saw the Fire sword fly out of his peripheral vision as his opponent threw out a palm strike aimed at his chest.
On reflex Naruto immediately sent his magic into the wind sword in his right hand. A sudden burst of air exploded from the sky blue blade, causing the woman to stumble back from the sudden gale force wind.
Naruto shifted his feet and drove his left elbow into her raised guard, taking note of how the woman momentarily cringed from the surprising force he had in that arm. They jumped apart and started to punch at each other, redirecting and blocking the other's attack.
Naruto twisted his upper body and spun in circle, swinging his Wind blade out and made a compact vortex surrounding him.
"Gale Saber!"
The woman went wide-eyed and dove backward, barely avoiding the powerful winds that cut the ends of her clothes. Naruto smirked seeing that he had gained the upper hand and dashed forward to continue his attack.
As Naruto came closer to reaching her, he realized that she was glowing even brighter while down on one knee. She peeked her eye out over her arms and glared at the boy furiously.
The Light intensified and reached its apex, "Starlight Gazer!"
The Light surrounding her body was fired out and surrounded the teenage Mage. His eyes widen and he gasped in pain, being rocketed back several meters and through the trees.
Erza looked back in shock at the powerful Light magic that completely overwhelmed her partner so quickly. She turned back to their opponent and charged forward, activating her Requip and grabbing the Fire sword off of the ground.
"Flame Empress Armor," the light faded and the scarlet-haired Mage was clad in a new set of armor. A deep red, black and orange combination that covered her chest, legs and arms in dragon-like armor. There were long, wide wings that reached down her back and her hair was done up in twin ponytails.
Erza was swinging the sword as fast as she could at the taller woman as flames erupted around them. She grasped the flames with her red gauntlet and formed them into intense balls of heat.
The woman of Light blurred out of sight and instantly appeared several feet away, dodging the barrage of fireballs. She did this several more times before the the fires died down and the two woman stood facing each other with their respective fighting stances.
The Light user was amazed at the abilities these young mages exhibited. This girl was resourceful, taking advantage of having such a powerful weapon and using the most suitable equipment to manipulate it for the most useful attacks. And she had some of the most refined and sharpest swordplay that could leave most other men in shame of their skills.
"You're quite amazing for such a young lady."
"Thank you," Erza took the compliment with a nod of her head, not dropping her overhead sword stance for a moment.
She was calm, collected, and stayed completely focused on the fight at hand. A truly magnificent, talented young woman who had the potential to become amazing.
And although he wasn't as composed as the red-headed girl, that whiskered blond was also quite formidable in a fight. He was incredibly tenacious and determined to land a hit on a far stronger and more experienced fighter, but that did not deter him for even a moment. And while the girl had a strong style and form in her fighting, the boy was unrestricted and formless.
He was undeniably tough and continued to strive for his goal of beating her. And with all of the prolonged fighting, she finally noticed why this boy felt so familiar. Just like her and Ojii-sama, that boy had latent chakra reserves in his body.
Unlike them, he wasn't actively repressing his chakra to keep it hidden but his wasn't necessarily working either. It was dormant like a volcano, so powerful but it had been resting for too long now that it probably wouldn't work without help. And there was something wrong with his arm too, it felt detached but still somehow resonated a threatening presence.
Erza charged forward and the blonde woman prepared for any attack she prepared next. The moment before they crossed Erza shifted to her side and encircled the Light woman while she tried to strike the red-head down. The Scarlet girl dragged the Fire sword along the ground and created a trail of fire that rose up to make a circle of flames. She looked at her work and then up into the tree above her, nodding her head.
Naruto took this chance Erza had created and jumped out of the tree over the woman. He spun through the air like a windmill with a concentration of Armor at the end of his feet. The woman in the center of the circle of fire looked up to see the blond boy come down at her. She raised her arms over her head and prepared for his full-body attack.
Naruto brought one foot down first and immediately followed with his second, "Dual Axe Charge!"
When Naruto's heels impacted against the Light woman's forearm, the ground underneath them cracked and splintered from the two opposing forces. He kicked off the outstretched guard and flipped through the air before landing on the ground.
The taller woman's right arm was shaking and she had a comically pissed off look on her face. "You little bastard," she said through her teeth while Naruto gave her a sly smile.
She could punch him right? Ojii-sama told her that it was too dangerous for her to hit people with her real strength but she could make an exception now, right?
She chambered her attack and concentrated her Light magic into her fist. She twisted her whole body and threw her punch, "Pollux!"
Naruto felt the wide magic attack come straight at him and reacted by pulling the black blade out of its sheath. The dragon blade guarded against the worst of the blast but it was still powerful enough to send Naruto flying through the air.
He pulled himself up to his knees with a groan and glared up at the woman. He was going to go in for another attack before Erza stretched her hand out in front of him. The whiskered boy and the blonde Light woman both looked at the red-head in confusion.
Erza didn't look back but used her Requip to change back into her base armor and braid. "That's enough Naruto. We have to stop now."
Naruto looked up at her in disbelief, "What? What are you talking about Erza?! You can't be serious!" He jumped to his feet and tried to argue with his friend.
"She isn't fighting us seriously Naruto. You could tell right?"
"Yeah I know!" Naruto said as he threw his free arm up belligerently in protest. "She wasn't trying but that doesn't mean we can just give up like that!"
Erza looked back at him and grasped his arm gently. "I know how much this means to you Naruto, but we were the ones who started this. We're the ones at fault." She spoke in a calming manner and lowered his arm back down, "We can't always jump to fighting as the solution."
She stepped forward and stood across from the tall blonde woman. She bowed her head deeply, "I am very sorry we attacked you like that. I understand that you don't want to tell us who you are but please, this is a very important matter for my friend and I want to help him as much as I can. Even if it's only for a little while, will you please listen to our request?"
The two blondes stared at the girl in amazement. She had put herself at risk and tried to diffuse this bomb before it became any worse.
Naruto looked down in quilt at his actions. Erza was going out of her way to stop this fight and appeal to that woman before they reached the point of no return. And she was doing it for his sake!
He sheathed his sword and walked up besides his friend, bowing his head just as deeply as she did. "Please."
The Light user looked between the two teens with their head lowered respectfully and thought about what to do. People that chased them because of their power never stopped attacking for a moment, from what Ojii-sama told her. And they wouldn't try to negotiate like this either.
She relaxed out of her fighting stance and stood up cautiously. If they were lying, she wouldn't hesitate to take them out before they made a move. "Fine," she spoke callously. "I'll hear what you have to say."
The two Fairy mages looked up at her and then smiled at each other. "But I don't have all the answers you want. Come with me, I know who you can ask."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. He thought it was possible but there really were more chakra users here? "Who?"
"My grandfather."
########Hunter########
The Third Master of Fairy Tail was completely baffled at the sight of the remote clearing in the woods. Somehow, far away from the large forest and town surrounding it, there was this tiny field that seemed to be inhabited by a small group.
Off to the side was a small, man-made wooden cabin. In front of the small home was a bonfire area they used to cook up the food they hunted around the woods. He looked around and noticed that some trees had deep scratches and even some kunai in them. And finally that the bag of supplies the woman had run in with was lying besides a small cot with blankets.
He couldn't believe this was all here, hidden from the rest of the world. This couldn't possibly just be a coincidence. Another human that could use a special skill that was incapable of being taught by the natives in this world. Naruto was brought here by some powerful unknown force but there was one group that had willingly crossed worlds like this before.
But...it couldn't be...
"This is what I get when not setting up the separation barrier in time, I suppose. I wasn't expecting anyone to ever be able to find us like this, least of all you." Makarov heard a strained, old but strong voice speak out behind him. He slowly turned around to look at the man steadily walking out of his hiding place and into the open. And the old Fairy Tail Mage felt his mind go blank.
He saw a tall old man walk forward slowly but with almost no immediate evidence of injury or aged movement. His face was very wrinkled, even more so than possibly Makarov's own face. Gone was the youthful smirk and vibrant black-hair of the seemingly unchanged man, instead there was a weary smile and sheet white hair that formed with a beard around his chin. And held tightly with a protective form was a bundle wrapped in blankets resting in his arms.
A kind smile started to stretch the wrinkles on his face, "It is good to see you again after all this time, Makarov-Dono."
Makarov looked up at the man in stunned disbelief, "Hashirama-Dono?"
The older man nodded his head and looked at the shorter man with sympathetic understanding. "You look a lot older."
Makarov scoffed at the comment, "You're one to talk. You're older than me." He then looked over the man and saw that even though he must have been past one-hundred years old, he didn't look nearly as withered as some people. "Although, you don't quite look it from my perspective."
Hashirama laughed until he had to let out a small cough. He looked back towards the much shorter man, "Yes, it's a trait of my family. We don't usually lose out to time as far as looks go."
"Hehehe you lucky devil." Both men chuckled before a silence settled between them both.
Hashirama stared off at nothing with a small smile, "It's almost like this could be a dream, right?"
Makarov realized his position and looked down with a sad smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
Hashirama also looked down with his own smile of regret. "All those grand and horrible things that happened all those years ago..."
"Sometimes I think that everything that happened back then was just a dream I made up, and that if I could close my eyes, everything would change back to what it was." Makarov said quietly as he remembered all the old memories he had buried, good and bad.
"Heh, the dreams of old geezers like us, huh?"
"Yeah, you're right."
They both stayed completely silent, the only sound was the rustling of trees and birds in the background.
And when they looked up again, they both had comically wide, quivering wet eyes. If it wasn't for their white hair and wrinkled skin, you would think they were children about to have a weep fest.
Makarov cried with a geyser of tears going down his eyes, "WAAAAAHHHHHHHH! HASHIRAMA-DONO!"
"MAKAROV-DONO!" They both embraced in a hug and cried their eyes out with a blaring yell. While it was a touching moment of reconciliation for the two old comrades, it was a rather awkward and disturbing scene to see out of context.
"Uh-hum." The two sobbing men stopped their crying immediately and looked over their shoulders to see two teens and a young woman give them a deadpan stare.
The older woman coughed into her fist and turned around on her heel, "Come along kids. I don't want to see where this is going."
"Okay(x2)." Naruto and Erza replied flatly as they turned around and followed.
"W-wait! N-Naruto, Erza, it's not what you think!"
"Mahiro, don't just leave like that!
"Umph-uhhhhhh-WAHHHHHHH!" A baby's cry rang out and made Hashirama stop in place, holding the little bundle in his arms with great care.
"Sorry, sorry. Shhhhh~, I didn't mean to scare you. Shhhh~."
"Ah, dammit Ojii-sama. What did I tell you about handling her gently?!" The woman now known as Mahiro turned back around with a stern look and walked over to the tall elder.
Naruto and Erza just stared at the incomprehensible scene in front of them. "What the hell is going on?"
########Hunter########
The Fairy group was sitting on the ground across from the two chakra users. Naruto and Makarov were sitting cross-legged while Erza was resting on her knees. Hashirama was also sitting Indian-style while the woman, Mahiro, was holding the baby in her arms besides him.
He was rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling weakly, "Well, I guess we sorted out that little misunderstanding." After several minutes of trying to calm down the situation while the baby cried in her mother's arms, they finally ended up facing each other like this.
He coughed into his hand and looked at his three new guests. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Hashirama Senju, I'm an old acquaintance of Makarov-Dono's from a long time ago." He gestured to the young woman sitting next to him, "This is my Granddaughter, Mahiro Senju. And the little one in her arm's is her newborn, Koyuki."
The older blonde bowed her head with a soft smile, "It's nice to be formally introduced to you now." Naruto hesitantly bowed his head while Erza didn't seem to even register what they were saying, looking at the baby the woman held in her arm.
Makarov bowed his head respectfully, "Nice to meet you. My name is Makarov Dryer, Third Master of Fairy Tail." Mahiro's eyes widen in shock at the realization that this group was none other than a team from Fairy Tail. There wasn't anyone in Fiore who didn't know that legendary guild by name. She now felt a little guilty for fighting with two of its junior members so heatedly.
"You've already met my little youngsters here," Naruto scoffed at the old man's description. "These are..." Makarov noticed that Erza wasn't paying any attention to the conversation at hand, which wasn't how the strict young woman usually acted. "Erza, you aliright?"
The red-headed girl jerked up in response and saw that everyone present was looking at her. She waved her arms in front of her embarrassingly, "Oh, I-I'm fine! Really! I was just-um..." She tried to hide her gaze as she looked back at Mahiro and her new daughter.
The Senju woman realized what the girl wanted to ask and smiled. She scooted in closer to the armor girl until she was sitting right next to her, surprising the scarlet-haired girl. "Do you wanna see her?"
Erza looked up at the woman before slowly nodding her head with a small blush. Mahiro adjusted herself and lowered her arms to show the small baby easier. Erza looked down at the newborn that was sleeping in her mother's arms, no longer crying from being startled awake when Master and Hasirama-San were reunited. The little child had a small tuft of dark brown hair on her head. She looked so amazing and beautiful, yet so fragile and sensitive to her surroundings.
Was this what she looked like to her parents?
Naruto watched as Erza was completely captivated by the baby that nestled into the blanket covering her. This baby, Romeo; everyone always dropped what they were doing when it came to babies. The girls in particular always had their attention on the little newborn. Probably because they were so cute, Naruto couldn't deny that.
Happy wasn't amused with being outclassed in the adorable department though.
"How old is she?" Erza asked as she kept her focus on the little baby, waving a finger over her head to try and get her attention.
"She's about two months old," Mahiro replied as she watched her newborn reach out and grasp Erza's finger with her whole hand. She chuckled a little when the red-head let out a quick squeak from the innocent action.
Erza sheepishly looked up from the baby towards the older woman and bowed her head, "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm sorry that we antagonized you like that earlier." The woman of Light just smiled and dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand.
"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki." The whiskered Mage noticed a slight change in expression across the very old man's face for a moment before he relaxed it back into his former smile.
"And from the look on your face, you have something you want to ask, right?" Naruto kept up his firm glare before slowly nodding. The old Senju elder could tell this kid had some serious conflicting ideas running through his head at the moment. Which only made him, along with the fact he had chakra, that much more interesting. Hashirama chuckled, "What do you want to ask me?"
"A lot of things."
"Then start with the first one that comes to mind."
Naruto looked down and thought about what question seemed appropriate to ask. He looked back up, "How do you have chakra?"
"Well we were born with it of course."
"That's not what I meant. I mean how do you guys have chakra here in this world?"
"Well then let me ask you something in return." Hashirama shifted in place and looked at the younger man, "Where did you get your chakra?"
Naruto took note of his tone when he asked his question. Like he didn't need to hear an actual answer because he already knew the conclusion. "You come from the Elemental Nations too, didn't you?"
The old geezer gave a big smile and nodded his head, "Yep, born and raised. I came to this world a long, long time ago but I was originally from the Elemental Nations." He cupped his chin in a mildly smug manner and smirked, "In fact I don't usually toot my own horn but I was actually the very First Hokage."
He slowly opened up one of his eyes to see the stunned boy's face but was disappointed to see no change in his expression. "The First Hokage...you know who that is right?"
"No clue."
Mahiro and Makarov were trying to console the extremely depressed ninja as a very dark cloud was floating over his despondent head. "Ah. I see. Even the new youngsters are forgetting about me huh? That's fine. Not like it matters."
Naruto raised his eyebrows at the strange situation in front of him before he pointed at the woman sitting besides his childhood friend. "What about you? If you can't use magic then what kind of Jutsu was that earlier?"
The woman just gave him a stale, empty look before casually lifting up one hand to cover her baby's face while raising the other one in front of her.
A bright light enveloped the tip of her fingers and shined so brightly that the entire area was covered in a white light. A second later when the light died down, everyone except Mahiro had dazed looks on their faces.
Hashirama was rubbing his eyes fiercely and let out a long groan. "Aw, dang it Mahiro, can you warn us before you do something like that again? Ah, there's nothing but dots."
"Sorry Ojii-sama. He just kind of strikes me as a kid who won't believe you unless you give him an example." She said that as Erza gave a cute little look of dazed confusion and fixed her eyesight. Along with her, Makarov was lying on the ground trying to look down at his hands and Naruto was stumbling around, waving his arms out in front of him. "See brat? Just cause I've got chakra doesn't mean I can't have magic."
"No, it's not supposed to work like that! People with chakra aren't supposed to even be able to interact with magic properly." Naruto said in the opposite direction of the woman he was accusing. Mahiro snapped her fingers and waved her hand to try and get his attention.
Naruto turned around and rubbed the spots out of his eyes until everything around him was a coherent blur. "So how did you get the ability to use it like that?"
Mahiro raised her eyebrows at his experienced word in such a complicated matter like this, "Well how did you get your magic then kid?"
Naruto's body went stiff and his eyes lingered over to Erza for a moment, the red-head sharing the same uncomfortable look he had on his face. He looked back to the older woman, "It was a gift. Something to help me survive when I needed it the most. Alright?"
Mahiro saw the look of anger Naruto pointed towards her after he answered her question. She decided to drop the topic there because it seemed to be a rather sensitive issue for the two teens. "The reason I've got these abilities is because of my parents. My mother was born with chakra, like you and Ojii-sama, and my father could use magic. And when they had me, I could use both."
Everyone except the two Senju looked at the woman in surprise. They couldn't believe something like that was possible. Naruto only got his magic through a surgery to save his life, but this woman was born with it. And she had these abilities for so long already!
Makarov finally realized another important bit of information that had passed in the moment. "So then you really are a Senju? But then that means..."
Mahiro nodded her head, "I am the daughter of Yukiha Senju. You knew my mother then Makarov-San?"
The wrinkled old master nodded his head with a faint smile. "Yes, when I first met up with Hashirama-Dono and his group all those years ago, she was one of the people who came on the exhibition with him." He noticed the pained look on the faces of both Hasirama and Mahiro when he mentioned the powerful comrade from so long ago. "What happened to her?"
Hashirama looked over at Mahiro as she gently cradled Koyuki in her arms. "She and my father passed away several years ago. It wasn't anything horrible. They were sick but they passed in their sleep. Peacefully."
With how her mother lived and who was after her blood, a peaceful death was more than she could ever ask for.
The atmosphere around the small group became rather solemn. Makarov looked between the two Senju clan members and could sympathize with their pain and loss. He lifted his head with a strong gaze towards the older ninja, "Hashirama-Dono?"
The older man looked over to the short Fairy master as he asked for his attention. Makarov looked at him with an unwavering sight...
"What happened back then? What happened after Tonewa?"
Hashirama looked up at the clouds over their heads while everyone looked towards him with waiting ears. "After your team helped us from being captured by Serrento, we tried to find a place we could open another portal to go home. But all of our necessary supplies were destroyed in the first attack, and we couldn't stay in the same place for too long."
Naruto's eyes widened at the mention of the leader of Damnation. He wanted to say something but a hand from Makarov told him to stop before he could go any further.
"So we traveled and looked all over this country for a safe place to travel home. But..." Hashirama's eyes narrowed at the thought of his past, "Sorrento continued to chase us everywhere we went. We couldn't stay in the same place for more than a week without risking the chance of getting arrested. And the longer it went on, the more...obsessed he became. After a while he wasn't trying to protect his kingdom, he was just trying to end us."
The elder Senju shifted in place as he continued his story. "About a year after we arrived, Sorrento cornered us close to a small town. And he had a weapon with him, a massive cannon that fired magical power like nothing I had ever seen before. It was...powerful, I might have died if it had made a clean hit."
The man had a long stare in his eyes as he looked past the Fairy Tail mages like they weren't even there, unnerving the younger duo. "But it didn't. I dodged it and..." He sighed and rubbed his face with his hand, "It hit the town. Everything went up in a column of smoke, all in an instant. I tried to run down there and save them but...I couldn't make it in time. There were so many people; men, women and children. And it was all over just as fast."
Erza felt a chill run down her back at the expression the older man had in his eyes. Naruto could only swallow the lump in his throat. They had heard so many stories about the tragedy that happened at Tonewa's destruction; this was the first time they had ever listened to someone with a first-hand experience at ground-zero.
"Sorrento lost it after that. He killed everyone in my team except Yukihira, she had escaped before he could reach her. And he came at me to finish everything off but he was injured by the debris and almost killed. I couldn't do anything to stop him or save the civilians because it was already too late. My team was gone, his team had run away and there was nothing left of the town to save."
He looked down in silence before sighing and looking back up, "It didn't matter how much we wanted to go back home, our expedition team were the only ones who could keep the pathway open for us. After Tonewa it was just Yukiha and I, but we couldn't keep running...I couldn't keep running. If we stayed out any longer, more and more people would have suffered because of us. Yukiha went off on her own, fell in love with a new man and had another daughter...but I knew she never forgave me for separating her from her other children." Mahiro looked off sadly, remembering the smile her mother showed her whenever she looked at her, and the horrible pain she hid behind that smile.
"And I kept to the shadows, making sure I never disturbed the peace of this world ever again. I hid in the forest, mountains, wherever I could go to keep away from the rest of the world, never staying in one place for too long. When I hid, I used a barrier Jutsu I had to keep myself out of the attention of travelers and people. I thought it was enough that I was going to leave the world alone again...but then I learned that Sorrento survived."
Makarov kept a level look as he crossed his arms, "It wasn't your fault that he started to do what he did. That man became a psychopath because he couldn't handle the weight of his own mistakes. Don't blame yourself for what he has done Hashirama-Dono."
Hashirama just had a regretful smile and a dark gleam in his eyes. "It isn't that easy Makarov-Dono. I came to this world in an attempt to help find a place my people could escape from war. A utopia of peace those that had suffered could come to, and I was sure this was it. There were no constant wars, no clans snapping at each other's throats for superiority, no tension between fellow nations for rights to rule their border lands, nothing. And yet I was here for less than a year, and I destroyed this world's peace."
Hashirama slowly closed his eyes and angled his head back, "Perhaps that is the fate for us bred in the battlefield."
Mahiro looked away in shame and guilt at her inability to console her own grandfather. Makarov and Erza also couldn't keep up their look without feeling some shame. Could they even try to persuade the man when they themselves never experienced such horrors? Did they have the right?
"No, it's not."
All of the people in the camping area looked towards the young blond boy who was leaning against his hand and fiddling with the gravel at his feet. "You aren't cursed to carry the pain of war or anything like that. It's hard to lose people you love and come back alive, but you shouldn't think that you deserve to die because of it. If you make it off the battlefield, that's a miracle you need to cherish, not a sin you struggle to bear with. You're not a monster for wanting to find a better life for people in misery, you're just human."
Hashirama was caught off guard from that statement. And apparently, no one else was expecting him to add in such personal thought on the matter. The former First Hokage started to size the boy up with his full attention; mismatched eyes, whiskered cheeks, he guarded himself like an experienced fighter, he was trying to avoid making eye contact with both him and Mahiro, and despite being rather inert, his chakra reserves were quite impressive.
No, not just that. This faint chakra...it was familiar. Not just because he was an Uzumaki.
Hashirama adjusted himself and looked at the blond teen. "What happened to the Elemental Nations after I left? Do you know what happened to Konohagakure?"
Naruto eyes turned towards Hashirama and stuck to him, the Senju's eyes doing the same to him. His left hand slowly tightened into a fist at the topic he had chosen. He could see that other ninja lady and Jiji both looking at him, and Erza was reluctant to look at him as well. She knew just how much he hated to relive his past before the tower, but she also knew that it was probably the right thing to do at the moment.
Naruto turned back around and kept his gaze on the ground, not even attempting to look up at the very old ninja. "I remember the countries were at war. Constant war. They were fighting about...I can't remember the reason anymore, but it was enough to start hostilities across the entire nation."
Hashirama's eyes widened in worry, "What about Konoha? What did Saru do about the war?"
Naruto shook his head negatively. "I don't know about any guy named Saru. I only know the names of two men from back then; Kakashi and Danzō."
Hashirama's eyes narrowed when he heard that old name again. Danzō Shimura. A fellow student and competitor for the Hokage seat alongside Sarutobi. He was driven, brilliant, and completely devoted to the betterment of Konoha's future.
His only glaring flaw, he may have been too devoted. When it came to the mission, he was willing to do anything and everything to succeed. And he put the safety of his comrades on the backboard for his mission.
"He made me and-" Naruto unconsciously gripped his shirt over his belly as he cringed in discomfort, "-my friend kill so many people. Every chance he could take, anything he could do to advance the state of the village's power, he used me as a weapon. And after a few years, the balance of power broke."
"The next thing I remember happening, I was in a canyon. There were so many soldiers, all of them were killing each other as fast as they could. Then a bunch of these monsters, larger than this forest, started wiping out ninja left and right. A massacre."
"And then...there was this massive explosion in the center of the valley. I can't remember anything after, it all just went dark and silent. I started fading in and out, seeing these new bastards start a fight with all the nations, and winning. And then..." Naruto stopped his tale and looked up at the sky, noticing that it had started going darker in color. He looked down and saw Makarov, Mahiro, Hashirama and Erza putting their full attention on his story.
"I saw my friend, standing over my broken body, and fading away into light. All of the fighting had stopped, he stopped it. He looked down at me, told me that everything was going to be okay, and then he disappeared. And when I woke up, I was here."
Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I don't know what happened to the ninja villages after that. Some of them might have survived, they might have all died, I don't know. I just know the fighting was over after that." Naruto looked towards the wizened old ninja with a solemn stare, "I'm sorry."
Hashirama sighed sadly and shook his head, drying his eyes before they started to water. "How long ago was that?"
"9 years ago."
So it was too late anyway. By this point, they had either started to rebuild their power or they had finally started to die out. It didn't matter anyway, he couldn't change anything from here no matter how much he wanted.
For the first time in a long while, he had started to feel guilt for what he left behind to travel here. Tsunade. Nawaki. Good lord, he made their mother abandon them just to help him on his mission. Were they alright? Did they grow up well, even with what he had done?
The old Senju gave a weak smile and nodded his head towards the young blond, "Thank you Naruto. I needed to hear what happened back in our world, even if there wasn't anything good." Naruto had a worried look at what he had said but just nodded his head in acceptance.
Hashirama turned towards the Fairy Tail master, "Thank you for everything you've done for us Makarov-Dono, but I think it's time for you to go back home."
Makarov tried to argue, "Hashirama-Dono-"
"I know you want to try and help, but I think it's too late for that. I think it's time this old man just rested out here...please." Makarov and Mahiro looked at the old man, seeing him resign his remaining time to live in solitude. After the life he lived, blaming himself for the pain of so many people for so many years, this might have been the only way he thought he could live anymore. Naruto didn't say anything, leaving the old man alone might have been the best choice by this point.
"Not like this! You can't!" Everyone looked towards the scarlet-haired girl that glared at the oldest Senju with a defiance. "I know it hurts, I couldn't even begin to understand the pain you've had to go through Hashirama-San, but crawling away to die isn't the answer to atone for it!"
She turned towards him and did not falter for a second, "If you want to repent for a mistake you think you made, you have to live on and make up for it, not lay down and wait for death! Naruto said-" she looked towards her dearest friend for a moment before looking back at the old man. "He said he did a lot of horrible things back when he was a child. And even though I don't think he is to blame for them, he is willing to take that burden and make up for it everyday by helping people and living his life with those he loves. And compared to the person he was when he first came to this world, he has found family, friends, and he has grown strong enough to hold those thing close to him forever. I think he is a good person who has proven he more than deserves to live his life how he wants!"
Naruto looked at Erza in surprise at her belief in him, "Erza..."
She looked towards the older woman and the baby in her arms. "And it isn't just you who is affect by this pain. Mahiro-San loves you, her family, enough that she would stay with you until you breathed your last breath. But is that the life you want her to live? Do you want her and her daughter to live on, carrying your burden of pain with them? Because that is a far worse fate than what you have set for yourself."
Everyone was stunned. Flat out shocked at how the young Requip Mage had chewed out the old Senju on his own self-punishment. But more than that, they were surprised about her ideals of redemption and forgiveness for others. Not just for her best friend, but for a complete stranger.
Naruto just smiled. He expected nothing less of her. That was just the kind of person he knew Erza was.
Makarov smiled as well and pushed himself up to his feet, walking towards the old ninja. "Hashirama-Dono, we can't force you to change your mind no matter how hard we try. And if you still want to stay here, then we shall leave and keep this place a secret for the rest of our lives. But I want you to remember that I once gave you an offer years ago..."
He slowly stretched out an open palm towards the older man and gave him a kind smile. "And that offer will stand as long as I am breathing. It's a long and beaten path to take, but you won't have to take it alone."
Hashirama looked forward at the short man standing before him with his hand offered to help. Naruto was looking off to the side, a small smirk with how his master always gave his help to those he trusted. Erza smiled proudly at her Master. Mahiro was wiping a tear away from one of her own eyes at the kind act. And Hashirama...
After so many decades of running and hiding away from others like a hermit. After blaming himself for all the pain and trouble this world had experienced because he had fought against a man who was determined to capture him. Seeing a man he thought he would never see again put faith in him, it was overwhelming.
It was unbelievable.
It was wonderful.
So much so that the First Hokage had started to cry. From joy, instead of dread.
########Hunter########
"Gildarts! That frozen Dickwad turned my sandwich into a freakin icicle, again!" Natsu complained to the veteran Mage in charge as he swung his ice covered lunch over his head.
An empty mug impacted against the back of his head, "That's only because you burnt my soda into nothing, Charcoal-Nuts!" A half-naked Gray yelled as he marched up and put his forehead against the Dragon-Slayer's.
Cana shook her head from her spot at the table. "Gray, your clothes-"
"They can wait! This is more important!"
Cana actually looked a little disturbed by that announcement. "Okay. Gray chooses fighting over clothing. This isn't going to bode well for us."
Gildarts placed his mug back down on the counter before turning in his seat to face the two young men. "Okay brats, you wrecked each other's meal. What do you want me to do about it?"
Natsu pointed at Gray with eyes full of rage, "Make him get me a new sandwich!"
Gray pointed at Natsu with his own unrivaled anger, "Make him get me a new coke!"
"Death-match! Death-match!" The spunky little blue cat announced as he floated over his friends head. "Last one standing win-"
"Happy! Bad!" Lisanna grabbed the cat by the tail and harshly pulled him down to ground level, smothering him under her weight so he didn't antagonize the fight anymore.
"Boys?" The young men looked to the side and felt two heavy loads fall on their heads and plant them into the floor. Gildarts look down at them with a sneer, "Will you two pansies quit yer bitchin'! I'm supposed to be in charge while the old man is away, not the mediator between your stupid slap fights! You're gonna ruin my rep when the geezer comes back and sees you two have wrecked the place!"
Mira shook her head and scoffed, "Too late for that."
Gildarts looked at her with a raised brow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"No offense Gildarts, but as far as responsible leaders go, you're kind of trailing behind a mentally challenged monkey." Mira said with zero tact in her statement.
Gildarts was kind of pissed off by that analogy. "Okay. What makes you say that?"
Everyone in the guild looked between each other, before in perfect sync they all pointed in different directions of the guild. The Crash wizard looked around and noticed dozens of man-sized holes in the walls of the wooden building. All of them about his size, height and build.
"What? If anything that just shows I'm willing to help people get into the guild easier."
Levy looked towards him rather meekly, "Sorry Gildarts. But you kind of just sit around, drinking beer and wasting the day away."
"And how does that make me any different than the old man?"
"Not by much, but Master doesn't make a new doorway anytime he wants to come in." Wakaba added while he took a drag on his cigarette, getting the entire guild to laugh at the expense of the S-class Mage.
"Rahhhhhhhhhh! Gildarts! I'm gonna take your spot as Master!" Natsu yelled as he popped out of the ground, Gray already walking back to where the rest of his food was.
Happy popped out of Lisanna's grasp, "Anarchy! Anarchy!"
Gildarts laughed and slowly got out of his seat, "Ah. I see. A mutiny? I knew this day would come soon enough-"
"In what? The last few days you've been in charge?" Mira questioned.
"-But I never would have guessed it would be you Natsu-"
"He is literally the only person who would fight Gildarts for the spot of interim master." Elfman noted off at the side.
"Come Natsu! I shall face your anarchy until the end!" Both idiots yelled and charged at each other, ready for battle.
"NO ANARCHY YOU DAMN MORONS!" Everyone looked back towards the entrance, missing the chance to see Gildarts flip Natsu over his head and through a wall with one hand, again.
"I'm gone for a few days and the guild looks like hell's local bar!" The short man complained as he marched into his guild, Erza and Naruto walking back in by his side. And coming in behind them were an old man and a woman with a baby in her arms.
"That's your own fault old man! Why the hell were you gone so long?!"
Makarov pulled Naruto in front of him, "This is why."
"Figures." Muttered Gildarts, Gray, Mira and everyone else in the guild.
"The hell assholes? I was helping kids through a monster infested forest! Don't play me as the bad guy!"
"That's your excuse for everything nowadays." Cana mused as she took a sip of her drink.
Gray got the master's attention, "Hey Jii-San, who are those two?"
Makarov turned to the elder and woman with small bags of their belongings on their backs. "These are a few of our new friends. And they're going to be staying with us for a while."
Erza walked in front of them and turned towards the two ninjas. "This is Hadhirama Senju-San, he's an old friend of Master's. And this is his granddaughter, Mahiro Senju-San and her daughter, Koyuki." The Senju family bowed their heads towards the guild of mages. And they were getting the complete attention of the rest of the guild as they looked at them in wonder.
Mahiro adjusted the newborn that had started to kick herself awake. "Makarov-San, is it alright if I take a seat?"
"Of course you can young lady." She smiled and nodded her head in gratitude before walking over to the bar stool and giving her baby her full attention. After a moment, she looked to her side to see a bunch of young girls around Erza's age looking up at her and her child.
A young girl with her white hair done in a ponytail and wearing strange black gothic clothing walked forward and coughed into her hand. "Erza said your name was Mahiro, right?" The older woman nodded her head with a smile, getting Mira to smile as well. "My name is Mirajane Strauss, nice to meet ya! And who's this little cutie?"
"This is Koyuki. Honey, wanna say hi?" She angled the little blanket covered baby towards the young teenager as she looked down at her and childishly cooed at her.
"M-Mira-Nee! Don't hog her, I want to see her too." Lisanna nudged Mira out of the way and got in front of the little baby. "Ohhhh, she's so cuuuuuute!"
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Me too!"
Cana, Levy, Laki and every other girl in the guild started to crowd around the woman and her child, making the baby start to whimper and sob. The girls started to panic and back off, scared that they had frightened the baby girl with their constant cooing.
Mahiro started to sway her arms, "There there baby girl, don't be scared. Everyone just wants to come and see you." The young mother continued to calm her baby down before noticing there was a new presence that appeared behind her.
A man with shaggy orange hair and a cheeky smile was leaning on the bar counter and eyeing the beautiful blonde woman. "Hello there madam, I couldn't help but notice you might need some help with your little girl."
She smiled and shook her head, "I've got it, thank you."
"Well alright. But I would love to see more of your skills in care-taking. Such a lovely young woman, yet so experienced in the hands on activities." The teenaged girls just groaned at the ace's pick up attempt.
Mahiro chuckled, "Well I suppose a proper introduction is in order for such a nice gentleman." She saw Erza come walk forward and she carefully trusted Koyuki with the armor-clad girl. She turned towards Gildarts and smiled.
Her fist centered into his cheek, catching him by complete surprise and sending him rocketing through the wall and out of the street. Everyone in the guild was speechless at the sight of this new woman punching Gildarts in the face. And even more surprised that she was actually getting a result.
"My name is Mahiro Senju. 33 years old, single mother. And I don't take kindly to gigolos."
Mira looked at the woman in complete disbelief, "H-Holy crap."
"Yeah, she's ridiculously strong. She handled me and Erza like we were punks. Kinda unfair, actually." Naruto noted as he jumped behind the bar to make himself a drink. Erza nodded her head with an agreeing hum.
Hashirama looked down at Makarov, "I-I'm very sorry about that. She a good girl but she doesn't know how to act around people."
The third master sighed tiredly. "Irrational, punches people for almost nothing and is wrecking havoc in my broken guild. Yep, seems like she's gonna fit in just great."
Natsu popped out of the hole Gildarts had just involuntarily made. "Did someone just beat up Gildarts?"
Everyone paying attention to the young man pointed at the blonde woman at the bar. He ran up to her, "Awesome lady! You must be super strong!"
Mahiro smiled smugly and brushed her nails on her shirt. "I do pretty well."
"You must be some kind of crazy amazon lady like Erza, right?" His scalp was palmed in an instant and he was slowly raised to eye level with the blonde woman, who had a nasty snarl on her face.
"What was that?"
"Um-I mean-"
"Stop Natsu!" Gildarts stumbled in through the hole he made when he was thrown by the punch, his eyes covered my the end of his hair. "That woman...she is...she's..."
"Wonderful!" He declared with passion in his voice with admiration and desire for the woman in his eyes.
Mahiro froze in horror when she heard the man say that, dropping Natsu on his butt. "What the hell? I punched him through a wall he should be out for a week!"
"He doesn't usually follow the rules people set out for normal living people." Erza muttered tiredly, most of the girls nodding their heads in agreement. Cana just looked away and shook her head disappointedly.
Gildarts skidded in front of her, "Please! Let's go off into the sunset together and find paradise!"
"Stay away from me you creepy bastard!" Mahiro's legs started to flash around and try to kick Gildarts in the jaw but he continued to dodge with an expert grace. The guild started to cheer for each of them to succeed in what they were doing. Whether it would be kicking the strongest Mage in the guild in the chin, or scoring a night with the beautiful new woman.
Hashirama watched as his granddaughter started to chase the man around with extreme prejudice, knocking anything out of her way as the Crash Mage continued to laugh wholeheartedly. Despite all the destruction and Makarov's orders to stop, he noticed that everyone was laughing and cheering them on like it was just a friendly spat.
And even though she looked like she could tackle a bull right now, Mahiro looked livelier than he had seen her act in a while.
He smiled and wiped his eyes before they started to water again. For the first time in years, he was happy to be around other people like this. Basking in the light of joy and hope instead of the shadows of despair.
It was wonderful.
########Hunter########
Naruto was sleeping peacefully in his bed after a long couple of days, hoping to put them past him. And after all the work of delivering Master Bob's information and meeting up with an old ninja and his powerful hybrid granddaughter, he felt pretty entitled to some rest. So he cuddled up with his pillow on his bed and turned off like a light.
A figure slowly moved towards the side of the bed, crouching closer to the young blond man. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and softly jostled him, "Naruto? Wake up."
The whiskered boy mumbled before ignoring the voice and curling up more in his bed.
The man grabbed his shoulders and shook him harder, "Wake up kid, come on."
Naruto groaned and peeled his eyes back to look up at whoever was shaking him awake. He was met with the white-haired, wrinkly old face of the ninja man he had met yesterday standing over him, "About time you woke up."
"AH!" Naruto threw an uppercut into the man's jaw on reflex as he spun out of bed in the other direction. He popped out and saw the old man rub his chin to soothe the pain. He breathed out in relief, "What the hell are you doing in my house old man?!"
"I wanted to talk with you in private. Ow, you've got a hell of a left hook kid."
Naruto looked at his clock and saw it was only 4:13 in the morning. "It's 4 in the morning! What the hell could you want to talk about that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
Hashirama motioned for Naruto to follow him outside to his backyard. He looking in the direction the elderly man had gone and huffed sharply before he pushed himself up and grabbed a shirt out of his closet.
Naruto walked out of his house and saw the old ninja sitting down on a wooden stump that wasn't there before. He grumbled and yawned into his hand, "Alright gramps what's this about?"
Hashirama stared at him for a moment. "Your friend, the ones you mentioned in your story, it was the Kyūbi wasn't it?"
Naruto didn't react in any way as he just kept looking at the old man, "How'd you know?"
"I could tell by your arm. It gives off the same presence the NineTtails had when it was fighting. Powerful, unyielding, dark. And the whiskers on your face helped as well." Naruto rubbed the birthmarks on his face unconsciously at their mention. "My wife was like you too. She was the Jinchūriki when she had the Kyūbi inside of her. And if you had it then that means that she has moved on as well."
Hashirama got off of his make-shift bench and started to walk around the clearing. "In my time it was a ferocious monster that was known throughout the lands as one of nine that could throw the world over on its head. But that it had started to lose its anger and actually stopped that war from escalating any further...I never would have thought the Kyūbi would have changed so much."
"Kurama."
Hashirama turned back towards the boy after hearing him mutter that name. "What? What was that?"
Naruto gave him a flat, expressionless look. "It wasn't Kyūbi. His name was Kurama. And I know everything about what he did and how he fought against other people before I was born. I don't know if what he did was because he was doing it out of redemption or he was just sick of seeing us humans fight each other like idiots. But I do know that everything people thought about him being an unholy demon beast, they were wrong."
Hashirama looked at the boy in shock before thinking about what he said. He looked back at Naruto, "I'm sorry."
The young Mage shrugged his shoulders, "It's fine. I knew what he was really like, that's all that matters." He looked around the open area and early morning sky, "Is that it?"
Hashirama smirked and walked back over to the stump he was sitting on. He clasped his hands together in his Snake sign and the stump started to grow. Naruto actually jerked back in surprise at the sight of the wood structure that formed besides the man, making a clean and spotless wooden beam.
Hashirama placed his hand against it. "I've grown weaker since I've come to Earthland, but not just because I'm an old man. You said you got your magic through a surgery, right? So you should know how magic takes front priority in this world over us with chakra. We aren't able to mix very well with this world's nature."
He had grown far weaker in his time here compared to when he was in his prime. Mokuton was harder to utilize. And Sage Mode took far too long to use, to a point where it was damn near impossible to incorporate in battle. People with chakra, they weren't made to function well with Earthland. And it didn't help that his body couldn't even handle the stress of fighting anymore because of his age.
Naruto nodded in agreement. He remembered how Rob-jichan couldn't heal him with magic when he got hurt because his body rejected magic like a disease.
"I thought we would never be able to survive in this world. But I realized something when I started taking care of Mahiro. How we use our chakra, it clashes with the nature of magic to the point where our bodies fight against it. But her body had grown accustomed to both the chakra in her system and the magic she could channel. When they clash, it is a mess...but when they can work together, a person can become stronger than they ever believed."
He smiled and banged against the tree beam at his side. "I want to teach you how to use your chakra."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You're gonna teach me how to make trees?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, this is a Hashirama exclusive sadly. But each person has their own style for using their power, and I want to help you find yours."
Naruto looked off to the side in thought before a question popped in his head, "What kind of Jutsu does Mahiro use?"
"She doesn't use any kind of Jutsu. When she started growing up, she didn't learn to mold her chakra into an element or any kind of special style. But she does use her chakra to increase her strength to superhuman levels. She's become so good at it that it's almost unconscious for her now."
Well that explained why she hit like a freakin freight train.
"And you are actually lucky your learning so late like this." Hashirama smiled and started going through hand-seals like a second nature. "Most kids your age have been hard-wired to mold their chakra by using hand-seals as a catalyst. But you've spent your life being able to channel magical power through your body by imagining it. So if you could use your chakra without hand-seals, you could create a brand new, free-style Jutsu form for yourself."
Naruto looked down at his hands in amazement, slowly closing and opening them. He looked back up at the old man, "And this will make me stronger?"
"That's up to you, and how you decide to use it. But I promise to help you along the way. And just as a bonus," he winked and gave the boy a massive grin. "I'll even teach you a foolproof method of winning against opponents stronger than you."
Naruto scoffed and shook his head, "There is no 'foolproof' method to fighting."
"Hehe, well you're right about that, but this will definitely help you along the way." He stepped to the side and leaned against the wooden structure. "If you want to, all you have to do is start with this board."
Naruto raised a brow with a smile and started walking towards the wooden beam. "Okay, what's this about?"
"Back when I was a kid, we discovered our individual Jutsu affinities by channeling our chakra into our surroundings and seeing the results. Sometimes the environment would burn, sometimes it would become damp, it depended on the person. So place your hand against this wood, channel your chakra, and let's find your style."
Naruto smiled and raised his hand, placing it against the beam and closing his eyes. He concentrated, sending his power through his hands and into the wood. He slowly pulled his hand back and...
Nothing.
Naruto and Hashirama looked at it dumbfounded, and then back down at Naruto's hand. "D-did you do it right?"
"I don't know if I did it right! I just channeled by power through my hand and into the board like you said!"
"Well are you sure it was chakra? You might've become too accustomed to magic to tell the difference!"
Naruto blushed and squatted down into a horse stance. "S-shut up alright! I can't even remember the last time I used chakra! Just give me a sec!"
"Well hurry up!"
"Shut up old man!" Naruto grumbled angrily as he focused on channeling his old chakra. He tried to remember all those old lessons Kurama taught him about molding his chakra and focusing it through his hands. But it had been so long that he needed some time to remember.
Naruto placed his hand against the wood and continued to concentrate on his power. Come on! Come on!
*Swish*
Naruto opened his eyes and slowly pulled back his hand to see the result of his work, Hashirama looking on as well. A long, deep slash ran up the side beam.
The old Senju smiled and chuckled, "Well...I'm anxious to see the kind of wind you make, Naruto."
########Hunter########
Done
I'm sorry this was so late, I've had a pretty busy month. And contrary to what most might think, it wasn't spent playing GTA V (beat that thing in less then a week, had better things to do). Car crashes, family reunions, College football rivalries and assignments out the freaking wazoo.
Alright, is anyone else psyched for Tartarus? I love the way they started this. They weren't slowly building it up or giving it back story, just straight into slaughtering the magical council. Fantastic!
Also, I know this is way off topic, but I saw that Avatar special with the first Avatar, Wan. I thought it was awesome. It also helps that they got Glenn from Walking Dead to voice him but hey I might just be playing favorites.
Over the last week or so I've gotten very hooked on Highschool DxD, and not just for the glorious fanservice. I was asked a few months back if I could make a crossover with Naruto, but I dismissed it because another new crossover just came out in that category and it was doing very well. But it got me thinking and I started coming up with ideas. So there might be a chance I could make one sometime next year if time permitted. Tell me what you guys might think.
ReadxReview
Thank You and Bye