Titania and The Hunter
Chapter 17: Damnation From The Forest
This is the beginning of my Damnation arc. It won't be too long and hopefully I'll be able to run through it quickly because this story is literally one of the first things I was thinking about before I even started writing this fanfiction.
Hope I can keep to it.
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The man effortlessly lifted up the large bag over his back and readied himself for his long expedition. He shifted his shoulders, adjusted his leaf headband and turned on his feet towards his apprentice. He smiled at the younger man, "Alright Sarutobi, I'm leaving things to you while we're gone."
The man with the brown goatee looked at his mentor in worry as a small group of men and women started to gather their supplies. "Hashirama-sama, I'm still reluctant about your choice to undergo this travel. We don't know what is on the other side of that path. It is far too dangerous."
"That's just it Saru, we don't know what could be on the other side. If there is a place we can thrive in, a world we can all find peace in, that's something I would risk my life for a hundred times over."
Hiruzen looked at his master in doubt. Even though Hashirama-sama was unmatched in power to others in the ninja world, they could not be certain what lied on the other side.
"It's alright Hiruzen, I'll make sure Otou-sama doesn't get into any trouble on the other side." The Third Hokage turned his head to see a gorgeous woman with long brown hair walk up to them with a cheerful smile. "Just keep everything good on this side and we'll be back as soon as possible. And keep an eye on Tsunade and Nawaki while I'm away, alright."
"Yukiha-San..."
"Well said Yuki! Love the spirit." Hashirama turned towards the rest of his group, made of seal specialists and special ANBU to follow his lead, they nodded their heads and followed in his step. The sealers made an intricate circle around a single point around the room and started going through a long sequence of hand-seals.
This was a grand variant of the Second Hokage's Hiraishin technique. In fact, it was only possible because Hahsirama had looked over his brother's scrolls and made his own pseudo-version from his late brother's genius.
Hashirama raised his hands and used his immense chakra to concentrate and stabilize the space in the center of the seal. After a moment, the air started to ripple and crack, revealing a small black portal that started to grow larger and larger as the moments passed.
When the black tear finally reached an appropriate size, Hashirama motioned for his team to gather together and finally pass through.
The father of the modern ninja world smiled exuberantly as he took his first step into the great unknown world. Ready to make a difference in history.
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December X780
"Come on Erza, don't give up! Keep pushing!"
"Hai!"
Erza used her Requip and in a flash of dazzling light, her armor changed into a gallant, silver plating with metal wings on her back. Several long-swords encircled the red-head in her Heaven's Wheel Armor as she lunged for the blond woman covered in radiant light.
Mahiro smiled proudly and charged her Light magic to encompass her entire body. She started stepping back and parried Erza's swords with the back of her fists. The young Fairy Mage charged forward with her swords flying around her and swiping at the blonde fighter, chasing her through the withered tree-line.
Mahiro couldn't help but swell up with pride at how the young lady in front of her was so easily keeping up with her Vega Grace. Her Light magic was something she felt like she could brag about for hours. It was powerful, fast, and as long as the user had a vivid imagination, it had an infinite number of uses. In fact, this current ability increased her speed and mobility so much that most other people probably wouldn't even be able to catch her.
But that didn't seem to intimidate or deter Erza from chasing her so intently. She was following her, matching her speed and tenacity with her will and her vast source of magical armors. In fact, the young lady was even smiling while she chased her comrade through the empty, frost-covered forest.
The Senju woman flipped through the air and planted her feet against the branch of one of the trees, using it as a post to jump at Erza with her fist at the ready. Erza took her challenge, grabbing two of her swords by the hilt and flying up with the other blades surrounding her. The two women clashed and the force of their attacks blew the snow away around them.
Mahiro had the two swords Erza was using clasped between the flat of her fingers and palms. The other blades the young Mage was using had been kicked off course and imbedded into the environment around them.
Mahiro gave the girl a big smile and chuckled, Erza following after with a small smile of her own. The two of them stepped back and stopped their magic. Mahiro wiped her forehead, "Phew. That was close Erza. You've gotten way better since we started these lessons."
Erza was covered in a light and she was temporarily stripped naked before her basic armor appeared on her again, except with her hair out of its usual braid. She ran her hand through the back of her hair and started to strand them over, "I might be getting better, but I still have a long way to go before I reach your level Mahiro."
Mahiro laughed and patted her back exuberantly. "Ha, come on honey. You're just trying to flatter and soften me up. You know if I ever took it easy on someone like you I'd be regretting it for the next week in a body cast."
Erza looked over at her with a deadpan stare, "Sure, but look me in the eyes and tell me that you were as serious fighting me as you are when you spar Gildarts."
Mahiro froze for a moment, staring at Erza who just looked at her with a cold, blank gaze. She slowly turned her head away from the red-head and scratched her chin. She chuckled, "Well~...when you say it like that..."
Erza smiled and slightly shook her head. She knew full well how powerful Mahiro could be when she decided to pull out all the stops. Even though she didn't take regular jobs like the rest of them did, she could prove her strength by taking difficult requests and barreling through them with minimal effort.
Plus Mahiro did it because she felt like she owed Naruto some rent for letting her and her daughter sleep in his spare room.
She even had a spar with Gildarts to keep active, once or twice. And there was never a clear advantage that could be decided from those exchanges. Still, she was strong enough to get all the girls in the guild to see her as a goal they hoped to reach; sorta like how all the boys looked up to Gildarts.
Erza concentrated on her hair while she gave a rather pensive look off to the side. "I really do have a long way to go." She felt her shoulders being gripped firmly by Mahiro and looked over to see her with a empathetic smile on her face.
"These things take time Erza. It doesn't take too long for some people, and for others it might take years, but it takes time. That's why we come out here, isn't it? So that we can make progress, slow but steady. And you can't get it without a lot of effort." Erza gave a still smile and nodded her head before she felt the blonde woman's hands run through her hair and lift her head to look directly at her. "But you know when I look into your eyes, I see something amazing. I see the look of a girl who is going to become so great, I won't be able to help but look up at you in pride. That's what I see when I look at you Erza."
Erza looked at Mahiro like she was suddenly frozen in time, looking at her with so much belief and pride in what she could do and become. Like how she always felt her own mother would look at her if she could. Erza nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Thank you Mahiro."
Mahiro giggled and smiled at the girl she looked at like another daughter. Over the last year; she had worked, lived, fought with and helped Erza with anything she asked her for. And when she had to go out on a request for some money, Erza watched over Koyuki like an older sister. She had grown so attached to the red-head that when one of the boys wanted to hold the baby girl she would cry and hold onto Erza tighter. If Koyuki could look up to a girl like Erza as someone she believed in, then Mahiro couldn't be happier.
The blonde Senju ran the scarlet hair that wasn't in the braid through her hands. She tilted her head to the side, "You know, you might want to think about letting your hair out more often."
Erza stopped her folding and looked down at her hair. "Really?"
"Yeah, I think you would look amazing if you let your hair down. A real image change, but that's just my opinion." She stated jokingly before she looked down and noticed how scratched up and worn out the younger woman's armor had become. "Also you should probably consider that it might be time for you to change out your armor choices. This thing looks like it has done its time."
Erza looked down at her breastplate and pulled it out in discomfort. "I suppose. It actually doesn't feel the same as it did a few months ago. It feels tighter."
"Yeah I bet."
"Huh, what was that?"
Mahiro shook her head, "Nothing. Come on, let's go see how Ojii-sama is handling the brat." She jerked her head in the opposite direction and they headed through the forest.
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Hashirama looked at the minuscule flakes of snow that lightly fell from the grey clouds over their heads. He smiled and looked down at the little toddler in his lap that was trying to grab the sword handle placed beside them. He looked down at her, "Look Koyuki, snow. Just like you."
The little one-year old in the bulky winter clothes stopped fiddling with the end of the black hilt besides her grandfather's lap and looked up at the falling snow. She saw the little flake float down in front of her face and tried to clasp her hands around it. When she opened them up again there was a little spot of water on her gloves. When she looked up and they were falling on her nose, she giggled cutely.
Hashirama smiled down at his great-granddaughter, "Haha, good girl. You like snow?"
"Maaa!"
Hashirama chuckled and started to bounce the little girl on his knee while she let out baby cheers of happiness.
"Hey old man! Do you mind paying a little more attention on my training here?!"
Hashirama looked out to the middle of the lake with a very dry look, "What are you talking about? You're doing just fine without me watching over you Naruto."
Naruto struggled to pull his head back enough to look over at the shore and glare at the old man sitting on another self-made stump. "Yeah well this ain't exactly a routine work-out Hashi-Ji! I'm working on my chakra here, dammit!"
"Then are you just gonna bitch or are you gonna get back to work?"
"Gaoooouuu!"
"See. Koyuki agrees." Hashirama let the little toddler grab his finger and played with her as Naruto stared angrily at the old man using the precious baby to his benefit.
Naruto looked back down at the hand holding onto the surface of the water. The ripples ran over his right hand as his left was placed in the fold of his back. He was putting his concentration in the task of using his chakra to keep him over the water while holding a wooden cube at the soles of his feet. It was a difficult exercise but very useful in perfecting his chakra control.
It seemed like a difficult concept at first but once he started to practice, Naruto loved walking on walls and water. It was a very useful skill to have for maneuvering around the environment in a pinch and it helped when he was on a request as well. He especially enjoyed scaring everybody when he ran up the walls of the guild and atop the lake behind the building. Natsu was so jealous of him that he tried running up the walls as well...it ended hilariously, as expected.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and started to mold chakra around his arm and legs. Wind started to form around his limbs like wild, condensed tornadoes around his body. The spiraling wind started to pick up its pace and cause the lake water to ripple and spread apart. He tensed up and lowered himself closer to the water, the winds picking up more and more speed.
"Wind Style: Cyclone Palm!"
The water beneath his hand exploded in a wide pit around the blond boy as the wooden cube held at the sole of his feet exploded into splinters. Naruto was floating in the air with a huge grin on his face as Koyuki giggled and clapped her hands in amusement. Naruto spun through the air and cheered triumphantly, "Woohoo! See that Hashi-Ji! No one's gonna be able to stop me now! HaHaHaHa-"
"Heads up."
Naruto didn't turn his head fast enough to see the large boulder slam into his side and crush him into the lake water. Hashirama and Koyuki looked at the bubbles slowly fade from the surface before looking over to who threw it. Mahiro came out of the forest yawning while Erza followed behind her, "Looks like he could still use a little training, huh Ojii-sama? Was Koyuki alright?"
"Of course she was!" Hashirama smiled and looked down at his youngest family expectantly, "She loves spending time with gramp-gramp, don't you Koyuki?" The toddler struggled to pull herself out of her great-grandfather's grasp and hold her arms out to her mother while giggling. Mahiro swept in and picked up her daughter while spinning on her feet, getting the little Senju girl to squeal happily.
Hashirama froze in his seat while the mother and daughter pair were laughing with each other. His head lowered dejectedly while Erza walked up behind him and patted his back, "There there. It's okay."
The edge of the water blew up as Naruto pulled himself out of the lake. He shook the water out of his hair and pulled the soaking wet shirt off over his head before he froze to death. He started to wring the water out of his clothes and flap it out until it was dry. Doing so showed the body and muscles he had developed over the last few years.
Mahiro sighed and held Koyuki closer to her chest, showing off the yellow Fairy tattoo on her left forearm. Another thing she took notice of over the last year was that the kids were starting to hit that certain biological phase. The boy's were starting to grow taller and their bodies had started to gain some definition in their muscles. And the girls had started to, well, grow out of their old clothes. Which explained why Erza's armor was starting to get too tight.
Naruto summoned his fire dragon sword and laid his sword on the blade, activating it just enough to generate heat to dry his shirt. He looked over at Mahiro with a miffed scowl, "Seriously Mahiro, did you have to throw stuff at me like that?"
The Senju woman just smiled and laughed. "Well you looked like you were getting a big head so I had to bring you back to Earthland."
His scuffed and looked back down at his sword, "But into the lake? During winter?! What if I had frozen to death?"
"Naruto, Gray walks around in weather like this all the time. Naked! I'm pretty sure you're safe for a quick dip."
The whiskered boy sighed and Requip his sword away until he just had his shirt again. He sensed something coming at his head and raised his hand to catch it. He looked down at the pink towel in his hand and blinked in confusion.
"It's better you dry yourself off before you catch a cold." He looked over to Erza as she walked up to him with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a smile on her face. "Don't want you to get sick before the announcement."
Naruto smiled and started to wipe down his face and hair with her towel, "Thanks Erza."
Erza looked up at the falling snow while Naruto dried his body. Even though his magic and chakra had leveled incredibly over the last year, he still earned new scars from all of his work. But even though they riddled his body with damaged skin, he took pride in surviving his fights and walking away stronger from each one. She lowered her head and smiled, "It looks like your training is coming along very well. Any more and you'll probably be able to create real-tornadoes in no time."
He laughed at her little joke and handed the towel back to her. He started to pull his shirt back down over his body, "What about you? You're showing Mahiro who the toughest girl in Fairy Tail is, right?"
Erza kept her smile even while she shook her head. "I think she is taking it easy on me. Slowly working me into her pace, I think is what she told me." She and Naruto both laughed at their training styles as Hashirama and Mahiro looked at them off at the side. The two young adults stopped laughing and stayed in a mutual silence.
"I'm really nervous."
"Yeah, me too."
"Do you think we'll make it?"
"I hope we do. We've worked our asses off this last year! After Jiji kept giving me shit about that probation crap from last year, I deserve this!"
Erza punched him over the head for his ranting. "What you did last year wasn't something you can just throw off as a little mistake. You stole an S-Class request! Master had every reason to be upset with you."
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto grumbled and rubbed the back of his head. He looked over at his shoulder as she looked up at him, both of them smiling. "If we get picked, only one of us is going to make it, you know that right?"
"Of course. But that would only mean that we still had a ways to go." Erza and Naruto nodded their heads and turned around, facing each other directly.
They crossed their right arms together in an 'X'. "One of us is going to be an S-Class Mage!" They both cheered out in unison, ready for whatever happened after the S-Class Exam Nominations this afternoon.
Mahiro nudged her grandfather with her elbow, "They're so cute, riling each other up like that."
Hashirama chuckled, "Must be their honeymoon phase." The Senju members chuckled at their little conversation before they heard a loud yell reach their ears.
Naruto was waving to them over his head with Erza by his side. "Come on you two! You coming or are we just going to leave you here to freeze outside?"
Mahiro reached down and helped her old grandpa up to his feet. They followed the younger duo as they ran out of the forest and towards their guild for the special announcement.
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A young knight fell on his butt while the crowd surrounding the training area clapped in amazement. The man rubbed the back of his head and held his slightly bruised chest from the powerful strikes of his opponent. He looked up to his opponent/leader offering a hand to stand back up. He smiled in admiration, "Wow! You're just as strong as ever Captain Sorrento!"
The tall, silver-haired Squadron Chief chuckled as he lifted his subordinate back to his feet. "Haha, that's just from years of practice kid. Give yourself some time and you'll see just how far you can push yourself with a little effort." He brushed his hands on his robe and faced the rest of his present army, "Okay men! Who wants to try me in the next round?"
All of his men took a step back, "NO THANK YOU, SIR!"
Alexander bursted out laughing, "Alright then. I expect all of you to get some training in today. That's an order!"
"YES SIR!"
The captain of the royal guard walked off the training grounds and headed for his personal chambers. Today was his day off, and he was spending it training his troops and relaxing in Mercurius castle. As he was approaching his room, he heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway.
"Captain Sorrento, do you have a minute?"
Sorrento turned towards the voice of the man who had asked for his attention. He saw a tall young man, dressed in formal garments and with a small scar along the left side of his nose. He turned to the young man, "Um...Darton-San, right? What are you doing here?"
The young appointed Minister of Defense bowed his head in respect to the powerful captain. "I'm sorry that I have to disturb you on your day off sir, but I have an urgent report that you need to see." He lifted up a folder in his hand and held it in front of the captain.
Sorrento took the folder and started to file through it with an attentive gaze. He flipped through graphs, multiple statistic analysis of weather and several crude pictures. Until finally he landed on the reports filed by their experts on the cause of these strange happenings. After a few seconds his interest was peaked, "An unknown entity is causing strange phenomenon to occur outside of a local town?"
"Yes captain. We've received reports from numerous civilians that they see something moving through the forest and stealing their supplies from under their noses. A matter like this would usually be taken up by a magical guild, but with such an oddity in the energy readings, we would just like to check up on it."
"And that's where I come in, right?" The Royal Captain noted innocently with a confident smile. "All right. Let me grab my gear and rally a team."
Darton bowed his head deeply in gratitude to his superior. "Thank you Captain Sorrento."
"Think nothing of it. Protecting this nation whenever and however I can!" He walked back out with his Cherry Blossom Chief Knight armor, his Wizard Saint medallion strapped to his shirt collar. "That's why I took this job."
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"Gildarts, you have to train with me!"
The orange-haired ace of Fairy Tail didn't know what was happening at the moment. The guild was bustling, arguing and in a general excitement about the announcement that was coming up in a moment. But the strangest thing that was happening now was that one of his juniors was actually asking him for some combat training.
And no, it wasn't the usually excitable little rosy-haired brat he had come to expect.
He dug his finger into his ear with a stunned stupid look plastered on his face, "I'm sorry... What did you just say Mira?"
The young woman in the black gothic clothes slammed her hands against the bar, causing her bangs of white hair to sway around the frame of her face. "I'm telling you I need your help in training for the exam! So will you get off your lazy ass, sober up and fight with me!"
Gildarts wasn't the only person who was completely blindsided by Mira's sudden request. All of the younger generation was looking on in complete, dumbfounded disbelief at the sight of the oldest Strauss girl asking the older S-Class Mage for help.
Gray slowly rubbed his eyes clean before looking back over at them talking. "Is...is this really happening? Is Mira seriously asking the old man for help? Or am I dreaming?"
Cana reached over, grabbed Gray's cheek and twisted it violently until Gray's head was bent forward. She let go and looked back at the scene in front of her, "Nope, you're not dreaming."
"Ow! That isn't how it works Cana!"
She stoically drank the light alcoholic beverage from her mug as her friend fumed at her. "Well I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't stuck in your dream too."
"Ain't it obvious?" The kids looked over at Natsu as he got out of his seat and smiled smugly. "Mira knows she's probably gonna have to fight us in the exam so she's getting ready. She's so scared she probably can't even think straight."
The young Fairy mages just sighed and shook heir heads in disappointment. The little blue cat that was sitting on the table unfolded his wings and flew up in front of Natsu, "Are you sure about that Natsu? I thought Mira could just pick you up and throw you across the town like you were a pansy punk?"
Natsu glared angrily at his little blue companion. "What the hell Happy?! Aren't you supposed to help cheer for me during stuff like this?"
The little cat just giggled into his paws, "I know. But I'm also more realistic than you in every way. And I know when you are going to get your butt handed to you on a platter."
"GAH! Traitor!"
Elfman shifted around nervously in his seat at the table. This little action stressed the table a lot due to the fact that the middle Strauss child had started to go through a huge growth-spurt. He basically started to tower over the rest of the kids his age and was even getting to pass some of the adults. He looked over at his older sister with a hint of worry, "I hope Nee-chan doesn't do anything rash before the announcement. She doesn't need to be in anymore trouble after all of her damage reports."
Lisanna looked at her older sister with similar concern in her crystal blue eyes. "Mira-Nee..." Her sister was continuously training and going out on as many requests as she could over the last few months. Her motivation over the last few weeks; Win the S-Class Exam!
"Please Gildarts! Just a little help would be enough for me!"
Gildarts placed his drink down before turning in his chair. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold on kid. Why do you want 'me' to train with you?"
Mira huffed and tried to take a calming breath before she looked like she was going to have a meltdown. "Naruto asked Old Man Hashirama to help him train and now he's walking on walls and water. And Little Soldier Erza got Mahiro for herself and I feel like runner-up if I asked her to spar with me too."
Gildarts scratched his head in confusion. "Well if you wanted to spar with someone stronger than you, why didn't you ask Sparky?"
Mira just looked at him with a flat stare. "Do you really think Laxus would agree to help me prepare for the exam?"
"Probably not. No." He wiped his scruffy face with his hand before looking over to the young woman in her gothic clothing. "So you want my help because without it, you don't think you'll stand a chance in the exam?"
"Oh no. Definitely not that." Gildarts blinked in surprise at her immediate answer. She crossed her arms and stared down the stronger man confidently, "It doesn't matter if you agree to help me or not, I'm going to beat that exam and become an S-Class Mage too. I just wanted your help to make it easier, not to make it possible."
Gildarts looked at Mirajane before he started to match her smirk with one of his own. "Well said kiddo. I guess I don't have anything to lose then."
"Hey! We're here! We didn't miss anything big, did we?!" Naruto announced proudly as he marched into the guild with Erza, Hashirama, Mahiro and Koyuki following behind him.
Gray waved over at the two young Fairy mages, "Hey Naruto! You won't believe it! Mirajane is actually asking Gil-GAH!" The Ice Make Mage was abruptly interrupted by a bar stool beaning him in the face. Naruto and Erza looked over to see Mira with her arm outstretched and a red flush across her face.
"Shut up Gray! Don't talk about things like that so nonchalantly!" Naruto and Erza looked between the Take-Over Mage and young man who was currently holding his face, screaming on the floor.
"Wait. What's going on with Mira?"
"Mira-Nee is just embarrassed because she doesn't want you guys to know she's asking Gildarts for some fighting lessons."
"LISANNA!" Mirajane yelled at her sister in disbelief at her blatant betrayal.
Lisanna looked over at her sister with a kind smile, "It's nothing you should be ashamed of Mira-Nee. I'm proud that you want to train for something like this. It just shows how determined you really are in winning this fairly." She finished what she said with an excited grin on her face.
Erza looked over at Mirajane as she seemed to get nervous and try to draw attention away from herself. She walked up to her rival with a smile on her face, "Is that true Mirajane? Are you gonna train with Gildarts for the Exam?"
Mira lifted her head and glared at Erza, the red-head not losing her smile. She huffed and crossed her arms under her chest, mirroring Erza's stance. "Yeah, who cares. I'm just doing this because you went ahead and chickened out, asking Mahiro for help instead of handling this stuff yourself."
Erza's faded into a look of surprise, before changing into a scowl at the white-haired girl, until finally she was smirking and laughing. "Is that it Mirajane? Scared that I'm going to leave you in the dust?"
Mirajane just scoffed, "Please Erza, you don't have to keep that cute little tough-guy act up with me. I know you're shaking in your little boots at the idea of finally facing me seriously without anyone stopping me from serving your fat ass up."
"It's tough-girl, dumbass."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that Butch."
As the girl's were glaring each other down, Mahiro walked over to the kids' table with a big smile on her face. "Happy~, I've think your #1 fan wants to come and say hello to you again."
Happy panicked and started to try and fly away from her. "No Mahiro-sama! Not again! My little kitten ribs can't take anymore-GWAAAHHHH!" The blue cat was pulled down violently by his tail and glomped tightly by the little Senju toddler.
"Gau!" Koyuki exclaimed happily as she hugged Happy so tightly his eyes started to pop out of his head. Despite his groans of pain, it was so damn funny to see that everyone was laughing at the sight of it.
Until they heard a door slam open behind the bar counter.
"What's with all the ruckus now?" The old Third Master of Fairy Tail demanded as he waddled out of the back from and jumped onto the counter to take a seat. When he opened his eyes, he saw all the young mages gather around expectantly.
"Jii-San! Who's it gonna be, huh?"
"Yeah! Come on! Come on! Tell us!"
"Jiji, we're ready now!"
Makarov stretched out his massive palm and pushed the kids back so far they were squished against the tables. He retracted his arm, "You little brats shouldn't get too excited just yet. I'll give the announcement later, so be good little rugrats, sit on your hands and wait until I'm ready."
The most anxious of the teenagers gave their master miffed looks while some of the calmer members decided to wait out the time period. As Hashirama was making his way to the bar, he felt someone grasp the end of his shirt to get his attention. He turned around and looked down to see a young short girl with shoulder-length blue hair smile up at him.
"Hello again Hashirama-San!"
"Hello Levy, you look quite excited. Getting ready for the announcement?"
Levy chuckled nervously, "Yeah. But I don't think I'm going to qualify anytime soon."
The old man smiled down at the young Script Mage. "Don't be like that Levy. I'm know one day you'll grow into a brilliant Mage, and you'll be a wonderful S-Class wizard."
Levy blinked in surprise before nodding with a small smile at his words. "Hashirama-San, can you please keep telling me more about those stories from your old hometown. I want to hear more about the conflict between your family's business and your friend Madara's family."
Hashirama ruffled Levy's unruly hair and chuckled happily. "I'd love to, but not today. I'll tell you again some other time, alright?" Levy nodded her head and turned back towards her table with Jet and Droy. He enjoyed talking with the plucky young Script Mage. She was very well educated and was always invested in listening to his abridged past, a real history buff. And when he heard about her past and dealing with Damnation, he felt like he was partially responsible to listening to whatever she wanted.
He felt like that too all the people affected by Sorrento and his men.
Hashirama walked over to the bar counter and sat next to Makarov as he poured out two mugs of booze. He slid one mug over to the old ninja, "You've been telling them stories about your home?" Hashirama accepted the drink and nodded his head silently. "Business?"
"I censored my story for the kids. Better to give them the half truth than nightmares that'll haunt them at night. Plus they seem to really like my stories and it's fun to see their reactions to my past." He took a swig of his drink while Makarov hummed in agreement. Hashirama looked at all of the guild converse happily with smiles on their faces, which made him smile in kind. "This guild always seems to be in high spirits."
"It helps to go through each day with a smile and friends than to be alone, doesn't it?" Makarov swirled his drink in his mug as he looked off fondly at his children, "That's how we've always been."
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The short Fairy Mage begrudgingly walked through the town center with his arms behind his spiky blond head. "Ugh, is there even anything we can do about this request? It seems more like a rumor about a thief than a phenomenal beast!"
The well-dressed man looked over the request in his hand and looked around the town plaza. "I'm telling you Makky-chan, the people are spooked about these sighting. But you might be right about this being a theif." Bob cupped his chin in thought, "It might be some kind of ghost..."
"Or maybe it could just be an animal roaming around town? It would make sense that a starving animal would take what it can from the sources around it." A young pink-haired woman added in her thought as she looked around the local shops around her and her friends.
"Porlyusica-chan has a point too. Maybe this is just a bum deal we picked Makky-chan. I guess that'll be the last time we let you pick our next job, huh?" Bob added with a charming smile and laugh while his friend turned his head and glared at the pretty boy.
"Shut up Bobby! Not like you would have picked any better!"
"Hahaha, calm down you two! No reason to make a scene in front of all these poor people!" Porlyusica, Bob and Makarov looked over to see the rest of their team arriving, each with a bag of supplies in their arms. The largest man in the group, Rob, had a big smile behind the apple he had in his mouth, "We picked up a few snacks."
Goldmine smirked and fingered through his grocery bag, "And some tips, too." He pulled out three cans of beer and tossed one over to each of his teammates.
Makarov looked down at the beer. "You sure? We've been thinking it over...it could really just be a thief or another animal doing all this crap."
Rob took a big bite out of his apple. "Yeah, well Makky, some people in town might think otherwise." Yajima walked up besides him and looked through the supplies he had bought.
"The witnesses and owners of the shops said that when their stuff was stolen, they saw something move in the corner of their eye. And when they turned around, all they saw was a shadow or some leaves falling down on the floor. Which means we're dealing with someone that can escape from a crowded town in a blink of an eye without leaving a trace."
Makarov smiled and chugged his drink in less than a minute. He crushed his can and threw it over his shoulder, "A quick, smooth, faster than the eye thief, huh? Hehe, I'm anxious to meet them."
########Hunter########
Hashirama fiddled with the bonfire in the middle of their camp grounds, surrounded by his expedition team. He looked around at the forest they had found themselves in and smiled fondly at its peaceful nature. "This place...it really is beautiful."
"Hokage-sama, please concentrate on the task at hand."
The First Hokage looked back at the leading specialist he was conversing with about the exodus plan for this world. "Right, sorry about that. You were saying Ango."
"Yes, well, this world doesn't seem to be in any state of warfare from what we have been able to discern from the information gathered through the adjacent town." The specialist fixed her glasses and flipped through more of her notepaper, "There is a non-aggression pact between the countries that promises no interference with each other's personal states of being. It is similar to what you agreed to with the other nations, but this seems to have been initiated decades ago and it is still holding very strong."
Yukiha walked in on the conversation with a surprised look. "Well, that's good to hear. At least there doesn't seem to be any fragile peace negotiations, unlike back home."
Hashirama grunted mindlessly at her statement. It was true that even though the Elemental Nations made negotiations to keep the peace between their borders, they fell through too easily. In they could have kept talking and reached a favorable agreement, then maybe the World War wouldn't have happened.
Maybe Tobirama would still be alive.
"Yes but even though there are no international disputes happening in this world, it has a higher rate of crime and in-fighting in the nations then ours does." The specialist pointed out as she laid out several notes, "This 'magic' is something they use on a regular basis and can be taught and learnt by anyone with sufficient enough abilities. No prior consideration of the user's mental state or supervision from a reliable teacher will lead to unstable factions being formed against the local government."
"Ango's right. I've heard around town that there are more and more groups separating themselves from their primary authority and are dealing with darker mission requests. Like assassinations and terrorist bombings." Yukiha looked over at her father as he focused on the details, "It wouldn't be safe to bring civilians into a state of disdain like this."
Ango pushed up her glasses and looked at her leader seriously, "And also, there is something about this world that doesn't feel natural. Your chakra signatures feel extremely diluted and the Spacial Jutsu can't stabilize as well here. We can barely keep it open long enough to send our reports back home, and even then we cannot be certain if they make it to the other side."
Yukiha nodded in agreement. "She's right Otou-sama. It wouldn't be ideal for our village to move here until we properly make contact with the local government and discover a means to live here and keep our chakra."
"Yes, you're right about that. But still, this place is very peaceful in comparison to our home. It would still be of benefit if we-" Hashirama stopped talking and looked up in shock.
"Hokage-sama?"
"Otou-sama?"
"Someone is coming."
The entire expedition team jumped to their feet, the ANBU ninja jumping in the front to intercept whoever might come to walk into their base. Ango looked around, "I can't sense them! Without chakra, I can't tell-"
"Chakra? What might that be, exactly?"
Slowly, out of the shadow of the tree-line, the light from the fire started to reflect off of a shiny metal surface. The sound of metal boots crossing the dirt rung through their ears as a youthful man with silver hair walked out into their sight. Slowly, a dozen more men dressed in basic knight armor followed at his back. His cape wavered as he settled into place and smiled at the ninja expedition team, raising his arms in peace.
"Don't attack. Please. I mean you no harm." Sorrento said with small smile one his face. "My name is Alexander Sorrento, Chief Squadron Leader of the Royal Guard and the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights."
The ANBU and Yukiha tensed at his words, and the seal specialist teams took their own inexperienced fighting stances. Until Hashirama raised his arms in front of them and walked forward ahead of his group, ignoring the whispers of concern from his expedition team. He looked back at them with a small smile before stopping a fair distance away from the armored man.
"Hello Sorrento-Dono, I am Hashirama Senju. And we wish you no harm as well."
"That's great. It's nice to meet you Hashirama-San. Now what on Earthland are you and your little group of scouts doing out here?"
"Hold your tongue!" One of the ANBU yelled out in anger as he glared at the armored knight. "This is the First Hokage you are talking to fool! Leader of Konohagakure and the God of Shinobi! Show him your respect!"
Hashirama looked over at his loyal follower, "You don't have to defend me. It was just a harmless question."
"Silence yourself, heathen! Don't you know who you are talking to!" One of the Royal Knight Guards roared in fury as he defended his captain. "This is Alexander Sorrento-Sama! The man personally chosen by the royal family to be Captain of the Royal Guard and one of the Ten Wizard Saints! You will show him your respect, bastards!"
Sorrento gave the younger man a calming motion. "Now, now, don't get hostile. There isn't any reason we need to antagonize these people without cause. I'm sorry about that Hashirama-San." He looked over at Hashirama and summed the man up with a calculating eye. He didn't seem scared or worried about the situation at all, keeping a calm mind even while the rest of his team was concerned about the whatever could happen next.
"Its fine. You don't need to apologize."
"Oh, I think I do. Cause you see, even though you apparently have such a high standing among your colleagues, I've never heard of you. Even among our best information networks, I've never heard of Hashirama, the God Of Shinobi." He kept his confident smile strong even as the strange older man and his group narrowed their eyes at his deduction. "And I like to keep myself modest, but most men in this world would panic at the idea of fighting one of the Wizard Saints. So, who the hell are you?"
Hashirama swallowed a small lump in his throat at his analysis. He gave a weak smile and nodded his head, "You have quite a keen eye for detail, able to take note of something like that."
"Yes well if it was a threat from any other random ninja I've met over the years, I would've just ignored what they said. You see, ninjas around here aren't as well-equipped and numerous as the mages in Fiore. But neither you or any of your team hold yourselves like amateurs. You each have a solid, experienced look in your stances that says that you do this for a living. And if there was a group of people as able bodied as you out in the world, then there should be even a little bit of information that could be passed through the grape-vine."
"I understand." Hashirama looked towards his team and ordered them to lower their weapons. They were reluctant at first but after the former Hokage gave a look at his daughter, Yukiha also ordered them to stand down. He looked back over to the Wizard Saint, "I am not a resident of this country, or even this dimension. None of us are."
Sorrento and his men looked at the man in surprise at his statement. He did not lose his serious gaze, "My team and I, we all come from a different world, where the idea of magic and mages exist only in books. There...our primary occupation is that of ninjas. And we use our own form of power to create techniques similar to yours, with chakra. I know this is odd, and probably unbelievable, but we truly mean no harm. We only wish to co-habitat with you all in this peaceful world away from warfare."
All of the knights were looking at them in disbelief, before most of them started to laugh in mockery of his tale. The only one who did not react negatively was Sorrento, who kept his stone expression on staring at Hashirama. He faked a chuckle and relaxed his posture, "You'll understand if I have a hard time believing in your story. It sounds a bit too fantastical, like the ravings of a mad man."
The ANBU ninja hissed in anger and fingered their weapon packs and blades. The knights in turn gripped their weapons in preparation to retaliate. Hashirama just calmly nodded his head, "Yes. I understand. But please, our people back home are in a dire need of safe keeping. War has ravished our lands and depleted our nation's resources, leaving hundreds of people destitute and forcing them out of their homes.! I wish to meet with your head of state and negotiate a deal with him! Please, I need to meet him!"
Slowly, Sorrento's smile started to fall and turn into a flat glare. "I don't know if I can believe in your story or if it really is just a lie, but I can't let that happen." His hands slowly lowered to his sides and his eyes met with Hashirama's. "I do know that you and your group are literally at the epicenter of strange activities and energy readings fluctuating in this area. And for whatever reason you maybe here for, I've come here to take you in for questioning."
Hashirama's peaceful nature faded and his glare matched Sorrento's in ferocity. "I can't let you do that."
"I'm not asking."
Slowly, the tension between the two factions grew heavier and heavier. Each subordinate started to adjust their posture for the most favorable mobility while the two leaders just faced each other down.
Faster than the eye could see, Sorrento's fist flashed and a shockwave of power rocketed towards Hashirama's head. The First Hokage leaned to the side, dodging the magical attack by a hair's width and blasting through the tree behind him. As he evaded, he reached into his pack and threw a kunai at the Wizard Saint's forehead, not surprised that the man caught it between his fingers.
The ninjas and royal knights sprinted from their positions and attacked each other. Sparks started to fly when swords clashed and Jutsu and magic started getting thrown around in every direction. The two leaders jumped out of the way and started running through the forest.
########Hunter########
Sorrento started concentrating his Shock magic and threw a barrage of explosive punches while Hashirama ran past them. He was tired of seeing the ninja leader dodge his blows and opted for a grand area attack.
He clasped his hands together while the air around them started to become severely distorted. A loud ringing started to reverberate through the air and he aimed for the older man, his hands emitting ripples of bright white energy.
"Shock Front!"
Resonating with a loud bang, the large magical attack flew at Hashirama at unnerving speeds.
The ninja leader was not scared by the unknown attack, clasping his hands together and molding his chakra. A large spire of wood rose up between the Senju man and the magical attack, stopping the shockwave attack but shattering the Mokuton creation into splinters.
As Sorrento was so surprised by the unprecedented technique that he was almost caught when Hashirama started creating dozens of trees from the ground and aimed them at the younger man.
"Mokuton: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
The trees started sprouting out and tried to coil around the Wizard Saint. The Royal Captain desperately dodged the trees but was continuously hunted down by them. He started running up the growing wood but found that the trees were growing around him, constricting around his limbs like they had a mind of their own. They captured the Royal Captain and held his arms and legs together, until he sent a massive shockwave off his body and destroyed the wood that held him down.
Hashirama furrowed his eyes when he saw the man pull off that feat. The magic the people in this world had was numerous and various, and unlike Jutsu, they didn't need to build up their power with hand-seals.
Sorrento focused his shock waves into the soles of his boots and launched himself off the air, diving at the ninja below him at rocket-like speeds. Hasirama flipped through the air and evaded as the Shock attack impacted into the ground and cratered the earth beneath him.
The Wizard Saint jumped out of the dust cloud and started trading blows with the older Shinobi. With each swing he threw, the power from his Shock magic uprooted the ground around them and created massive blasts of sound. But the Shinobi was not affected by this boost in power, parrying each strike with the back of his arms.
As Sorrento became more desperate to land a hit, Hashirama kept his fierce glare centered on the knight. Finally throwing out both fists, Hashirama caught them by the wrist and held the knight down in place. Sorrento froze in shock when he was captured by the more experienced fighter, looking up from where he was caught.
Hashirama's eyes were covered by the shadow of his hair while the pressure of his grip tightened around the knight's wrists, causing him to hiss in pain. "I wanted to come to this world in peace, hoping a world without warfare would sympathize with those that have suffered the pain of battle. But I suppose even here, there are those that won't help others without breaking the status-quo." He lifted his head and glared at the knight, making Sorrento shake in fear at the sight of the man's cold eyes and the immense pressure he exuded.
"Then I will help my world find peace, with or without you!" He threw the man up and pulled his fist back. Sorrento fell back down and held up his guard, putting as much of his Shock magic as he could around his arms to protect himself. Hashirama's fist imbedded into the Shock guard, causing Sorrento to gasp in pain and buckle from the unbelievable force behind his simple punch
The Royal Captain was sent flying through the newly made tree line, leaving a large trench in the forest. Hashirama looked away from where he had sent his opponent and back towards where his group had camped. Without another thought he jumped through the tree line and headed back to his team.
Moments later, the ground exploded and the Wizard Saint pulled himself out of the debris. Despite being sent flying through several meters of wood and ground he looked no worse for wear, only a bloody lip and some scuffed up clothes.
That Hashirama man was strong. Too strong. He ran away but his punch was powerful enough to stun a Wizard Saint long enough to escape. That wasn't normal. He looked around the area anxiously, "Damn it. Where'd that bastard go?"
Sorrento ran back to where his group was fighting the 'ninja' team, only to arrive to see his team alone in the clearing with a wall of towering wood blocking their path. One of the man's subordinates saw his superior return to the battlefield and ran to his side. He immediately went into his salute, "Captain Sorrento! The criminals escaped sir! We were holding off most of the team before their leader arrived and cut off their route with this wall!"
Sorrento looked between the man and the aforementioned wall. "Why didn't you pursue?!"
His subordinate seemed to shrink at that question. "Sir, we would have pursued them but one of our men suffered a fatal injury!" Sorrento looked over to see the rest of his men surrounding a fallen soldier with pale skin, empty eyes and a large pool of blood underneath his slit jugular.
Sorrento eyes stayed wide in shock at how one of his men was so easily killed so quickly. These-these people were dangerous. And that Hashirama...he was too strong.
He couldn't let these people go.
The Wizard Saint slowly started to clench his fist in anger, walking over to the wooden wall and placing his hand on its structure. The wood was distorted for an instant before it blew apart in a spray of jagged wood and splinters. His men all looked towards their captain as his cape flapped with the wind from his technique. Sorrento turned towards his men with a righteous fury in his eyes...
"Come on. I will not let them get away with disgracing us like this. We are not letting them escape."
########Hunter########
Yukiha looked out of the curtain in the wagon she and her group had found themselves in. The town they had arrived in was now becoming more and more of an image in the distance. But thankfully, the group of knights they had run into were out of sight as well. She leaned back into her seat and sighed in relief.
"Hmmmmm, you seem tense milady." The well-dressed Fairy Tail member scooted over to the young Senju woman's side and grasped her hand in his. "You know, it's a shame to see such a beautiful and...gifted young lady such as yourself seem so troubled. If you like, you and I can get off somewhere and I can help melt all of your troubles away~." The handsome man said in a sensual voice as he kissed her hand.
Yukiha looked down at the man uncomfortably, worried that she was sort of stuck in this current situation with no preferable escape. "Um, that's very nice of you, uhhhhhh-"
"Bob~."
"-Bob-San, but I'm quite fine feeling a little tense. It helps me keep on my toes." She grasped his shoulder and turned him around to face the ANBU ninja that were staring heatedly at the Fairy Mage as he tried to court the Yukiha-sama. "But if anyone should feel tense, it's you with the way our men are looking at you."
Bob just stared at them stoically for several seconds before he got another lustful smile on his face. "That's fine with me too. The only thing better than one-on-one is a group party. What do you say boys?"
The ANBU...didn't know how to react to that. It was creepy. And they felt uncomfortable now in the small space with the party man.
Yukiha giggled while watching the strange man put his sights on their professional assassination squad and actually make them uncomfortable. She looked across from her seat to see her father rubbing his stiff forearms, "Otou-sama, are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine Yuki." Hashirama said with a smile on his face to hide his concern. He wasn't going to look at it but he knew that his arms were severely bruised from the punches that 'Wizard Saint' brought at him. He didn't notice at the time but that man was quite formidable and if Hashirama didn't incapacitate him when he did, their fight may have gone on for even longer.
He didn't know what a Wizard Saint was but if they were all as strong as Sorrento, they must have been the equivalent of the Kages in this world.
"If you want, I'll take a look at any of your injuries after I've helped your friend." The young, pink-haired medic said on the floor of the wagon as she fixed up some burns one of seal specialist suffered in the fight. In fact, most of the team seemed to have sustained some damages from the squad of knights. And the knights in turn were also hurt in kind, in fact one poor man suffered an assassination technique at the hand of one of their ANBU.
That did not help with their first ideal of coming here in peace.
As Ango was looking through the seal scrolls she was able to grab before they escaped, the voice from the front of the wagon yelled back at them. "Hey, whoever's the boss of you lot, get up here would ya?"
Hashirama looked through the fold of cloth separating the carriage from the wagon. He saw a young man with very large, spiky blond hair guide the horse-driven vehicle and look over his shoulder at the tall ninja. "Hey."
"Hello."
"I left the rest of my team back in that town so they can try and calm the townspeople down before things get out of hand. Hopefully they'll be able to make it down our way into the next town without any trouble."
Hashirama sat himself down and bowed his head towards the shorter man. "Yes. And thank you for your assistance. Not many would take us off the streets and heal our wounds when we have injured comrades."
Makarov nodded his head and hummed in agreement. "Yeah, well in their defense they aren't used to seeing people with bloody clothes and scorched skin walking through their hometown like a parade. But you don't have to thank us." He whipped the rope and looked over at the man through the corner of his eye, "But even we have to take notice of an odd problem like this."
Hashirama tried to hide his worry but couldn't help clench his hand, making Makarov just smile contently. "I'm not going to throw you out, not while you're injured and you have no home to go to. But if you want our help, you need to tell me everything that happened. Who are you? And where are you from?"
Hashirama smiled and chuckled lightly. He looked over at the Fairy Mage, "My name is Hashirama Senju. And it's a long story."
Makarov just smirked widely at the old Senju, "Well my name is Makarov Dreyar, and we've got time."
########Hunter########
The old Fairy geezer looked up from his still drink and out at his young children; happily talking, arguing and fighting with each other. Despite how all of these young kids acted, they all had experienced pain that defined their pasts. His and Hashirama's pasts were not easy to forget either. Mistakes, pain, loss and fear; it could consume your life and leave you an empty shell if you could not find a way to deal with it.
But here, between these walls and with these people, they became new and improved. They found friends. Rivals to help make themselves better. Those they could look up to and those that they believed they had to lead.
But more than anything, when you were in Fairy Tail with your family, your pain could be handled together. They were never alone as long as they had each other. And as long as they had that to believe in, Makarov could feel like he fulfilled his purpose.
The wrinkled old Senju grasped his mug a little tighter at the thought of how much his life had finally changed for the better over the last year. He looked out fondly at the sight of his granddaughter fondly encouraging all of the younger mages. "Makarov-Dono..."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. I know you probably believe that I shouldn't need to say that anymore but...thank you. For everything."
Makarov just smiled and chuckled lightly, "Kehehe, no problem."
########Hunter########
"ALRIGHT YOU BRATS LISTEN UP!
Quickly the noise in the guild hall died down and everyone looked towards the bar counter to see their master standing on the counter with his staff in hand. "Well everyone, it's that time of year again!" Cheers of joy and wolf whistles followed his gleeful statement.
"It's time...FOR THE S-CLASS PROMOTION EXAM!"
"YEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"All of you have made me proud over this last year with your strength and heart! But just like every competition, not everyone can come out on top! And this year, several of your comrades have proven themselves ready for the next step!"
Everyone became dead silence when the master took his pause.
"The participants for this year's S-Class trial are..."
"MACAO CONBOLT!"
The people around the scruffy looking man with dark blue hair patted the man on his back in a congratulatory manner. He chuckled weakly, "Well I guess everybody gets a last chance to try."
"WAKABA MINE!"
"Yahoo! I'm gonna drink myself happy tonight!"
Makarov smiled at his guild, "CANA ALBERONA"
Everyone looked over in surprise at the young brown-haired girl with the mug up to her mouth. She blinked in disbelief, before everybody around her started to cheer for her.
"Yeah! Way to go Cana!"
"One of the kids actually made it!"
"Cana, way to go!"
The young Card user couldn't believe she had been picked for one of the largest events in the guild's history. A slow but wide grin started to form on her face until she couldn't control herself and glomped the closest thing to her, which in this case was a cheerful Levy.
"MIRAJANE STRAUSS!"
"Hahaha! Yeah!"
The oldest white-haired girl cheered and got her little brother and sister into head locks as they had huge smiles on their faces. Everybody was congratulating her and cheering for the reckless Take-Over Mage as she had the biggest smile on her face.
"And finally..." Makarov froze and looked out as everybody stared up at him with baited breath.
"ERZA SCARLET!"
Erza froze in shock. She could only blink her eyes in disbelief to try and anchor herself to reality. Mahiro had her arms around Erza's shoulders and was hugging her tightly, cheering and congratulating the scarlet-haired girl. Koyuki was happily giggling in Erza's lap, not understanding what was happening but everybody was happy and that was enough for her.
Erza was still so surprised that she barely noticed Natsu start yelling angrily about him not qualifying or that Mira was spinning around with Elfman and Gray screaming at the ends of her spiral. But as her shock started to fade, a big smile started to form on her instead.
"The trial will commence in one week's time! Prepare yourselves for anything and good luck!"
Mahiro started to shake Erza back and forth, "Erza! You did it! I knew you could! Ahhhh, I'm so proud of you!"
"Yeah," Erza said with disbelief in what was happening at the moment. She shook her head and looked up at Mahiro in confusion. "Wait, why aren't you in the exam Mahiro?"
"Come on Erza, I barely take any requests as it is. I spend most of my time here at the guild with Makarov-San and Koyuki anyway. And don't worry about me! You made it Erza! You're gonna be an S-Class!"
"Jii-chan! Why did Erza, Cana and Mira make it but I didn't! That's not fair!"
Makarov sighed and looked over at the rose-haired boy that was anxious to argue his point. "Natsu, you're strong, believe me. But it doesn't just take strength to become an S-Class. You have to have skill, experience, heart, brains and a strong sense of justice to earn the title of S-Class."
"Then how'd the hell did Gildarts pass his test?! He ain't got any of that crap!"
"Cause I'm just so manly that it made up for everything else brat." Gildarts ignored the pure contempt in Natsu's eyes and took a swig of his booze.
"Hashiramajii-chan, you've got to put some sense into them! Please!"
The ninja could only laugh at the Dragon-Slayer's attempt to compromise. "Sorry Natsu, I can't help you there." Natsu's head fell in despair, similar to how Hashirama so easily fell into depression as well. The little blue cat flew through the air and landed on Natsu's head.
"Haha, maybe next year Natsu. But I doubt it."
"Erza!" The red-head looked over to see Cana come up to her with excitement beaming in her eyes. It was taking everything she had not to run around in joy at qualifying for the exam. "Can you believe it! We actually made it! I'm so excited!"
"Believe it Cana!" Mira walked over with a grand pride in her step, leaving a dizzy pile of Gray and Elfman behind her. "We earned this! But we can't all celebrate for long!" Her prideful smile changed to a challenging smirk directed at the two other girls. "Only one of us is going to win the S-Class, and they will earn the title of Queen of Fairy Tail. You two up for the challenge?"
They were reluctant at first before they both matched the Strauss girl's smirk and nodded their heads. Mirajane looked over with a coy smile, "So~, what's with Naruto?"
The girls looked over to see Naruto with his face planted into the table they were seated at. "I didn't make it. How could I not make it? What the hell happened?"
"Aw~, there there." Mira came over and started to pat his head with a patronizing affection. "Just let big sister Mira take care of you~."
"But I'm older than you?"
"Shhhhh. Don't fight it."
Naruto abruptly slammed the table and pushed himself up with a scowl on his face. "I'm gonna ask Jiji what the hell is going on!"
"Don't Naruto, I talked with Makarov-San about who I thought earned a place in the exam." Naruto and the girls looked over at Mahiro in shock at her confession. "I gave some suggestions to him about who he should consider for the placement, any final decision made were on his part."
"What the hell Mahiro?! Is this because I didn't change Koyuki's diaper last week because that's just pathetic!"
"No you idiot, nothing so petty! The reason you didn't qualify is because you aren't fully ready for the position." She saw the look of confusion on Naruto's face and turned to face him fully. "Naruto, I believe that you are strong enough and I know how hard you work. And when the time comes, you can find a way to pull yourself out of a crappy situation and kick ass. But you haven't learnt to take responsibility for your actions and to fully trust in your team."
She continued her explanation through his quizzical look, "We were talking about the S-Class request you took last year Naruto." She knew that struck a chord because his eyes widened in realization when she said that. "His reasoning for that was because you didn't even try to team up with Gildarts or Laxus, you took several artifacts from your mission even if they were copies, and you didn't really finish your probation."
"Yes I did!"
"No you didn't! You finished all of your jobs but you were late in each one and when Makarov-San wanted to give you another one you were too occupied with your chakra training! Speaking of which, since you've started using your chakra your damages reports have gone through the roof over the last year!" She got out of her seat and tapped the stone-faced Naruto on the shoulder, "I'm sorry kid but until you can prove that you can handle the responsibilities and power you have been given he can't promote you. Maybe next year."
Mirajane gave a cheeky smile and patted the boy on the back before leaving as well. Cana gave her older friend a quick apology before she went off to go celebrate her nomination. Leaving just him and Erza at the table before he just slammed his face on the table again.
Erza smiled weakly at her best friend's misfortune and wanted to cheer him up. "Naruto, if you want we can go out to get some ramen and cake. And afterwards-"
"Erza..."
She stopped talking and let him raise his head. Contrary to what she thought her whiskered friend had a confident smirk and a happy gleam in his eyes. "I'll just have to reach S-Class next year or something. But you've still got a chance right now to get ahead of me. And you made a promise too. Which means that you've got to win the exam no matter what, got it?" He raised his arm in front of her at an angle.
Erza matched his smile and nodded her head, crossing her arm with his and making an 'X'. "Damn straight."
########Hunter########
Resting a few miles outside the border of Fiore and Seven was a massive mountain range that stretched through both countries. And hidden between the space of two of the largest mountains in the range was a large metal building that reached halfway up the mountain's height. And on the front of this structure, the insignia of a fist covered in flames was carved into the metal.
This was one of many of Damnation's bases that were built across Earthland.
The large building structure hidden in the valley started to shake and crack violently from the immense pressure being released inside of it. Many of the local members started to pour out of the front door in panic, pushing each other out of the way to get to safety.
Inside the massive building, a large man and thin woman were storming down the hall where the massive energy was located.
The tall man was 'War Blade Uvogin', former gun-for-hire and 2nd Division General of the Damnation Guild. The large sword on his back was bouncing around with his movements as he ran down hallway, "What the hell is happening? Is someone going after Master?"
The younger woman besides him was 'Marika the Disassembler', master assassin and 3rd Division General of Damnation. She chuckled while panting, keeping up her pace towards her master's personal quarters. "I don't know, but Jii-chan shouldn't have any problem with any little punk who tries to come after his head! This is something else!"
They arrived at the door and Marika gripped the handle to pull it open. Only for the door to get blasted off its hinges and sent down the hall, Marika's arm still connected to it. The two Generals looked at the flying door before they looked down at the woman's shoulder that was missing an arm. She held her stump out and her hand flew back from its place down the hall. Her arm reattached itself with its Break-Apart magic and she smiled, "Good as new."
The two Generals ran into the room, only to be met with a massive wall of pressure being released from the man in the center of the room. Inside the wall of pure pressure, the 90-year old man with the large scar down the right side of his face was holding one of his subordinates by the collar like he was lifting up a piece of paper. In the other hand was a report that flopped around from the incredible wind.
The man releasing this immeasurable Shock power was the former Wizard Saint and Captain of the Royal Guard, 1st Division General and Guild Master of every Damnation unit across Earthland.
'The Tyrant King, Alexander Sorrento.'
"HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THIS?! WHY WASN'T I INFORMED WHEN YOU RECEIVED THIS INFORMATION?!"
The grunt in his hand was panicking, fearing for his life at the hands of this powerhouse he followed. "I-I-I'm sorry sir! We-we had many other reports that were more important an-"
"NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS! NOTHING!"
Both of his arms were immediately pinned by Marika and Uvogin, the grunt fell on his ass and sprinted away from the area before he was killed.
"Master! You have to calm down!"
"You're gonna give away our position, Jii-chan! Hell, you might just wipe out the whole mountain if you don't breathe!"
Both of the powerful criminals were thrown back from the power their master released, fuming in unbridled rage as he looked down at the piece of paper again. Usually it was just a field report on the legal and illegal guilds in Fiore that they monitored just in case of emergency. Along with some images of the guilds they tracked and files with images of their recent activities.
But this was different.
This was Fairy Tail's most recent roster and image update.
In the sheet of official names they were able to gather from local information, there was one name that stood out among others.
Mahiro Senju.
And in one of the pictures, there was an old man conversing with a bunch of snot-nosed brats. An elderly man, at least over a hundred years and wearing old robes that covered most of his body.
But Sorrento recognized him. He would never forget that face, even after all these years.
"I knew...I knew one of them must have survived...I didn't know how but it just felt like they were still alive...but after all these years...after all this suffering, you finally show yourself again Hashirama."
Sorrento's magical power started to disappear and the ringing noises started to fade. Marika and Uvogin looked up at their master as he lowered his arms to his side again.
"Uvogin..."
"Yes sir?"
"Marika..."
"Yeah?"
"Gather as many of your men as you can spare. We have been betrayed by one of our nations own guilds. They house a weapon that can destroy the very foundation of this world. And now, we must stop it before it does anymore harm."
He turned around, showing off the sheer rage and fury building up in his only eye as veins appeared on his face. "THIS WILL END BEFORE HE CAN CAUSE ANYMORE HARM! FIRST HASHIRAMA...AND THEN, FAIRY TAIL!"
########Hunter########
Done
I won't get into an argument about whose stronger, Wizard Saint or Kage. But if freaking Hashirama was your opponent, and you had no idea who he was or what he could do, I'd say you would an ass-whooping. Or at least get caught off guard by his sheer OP.
And for why Naruto isn't going to be in the S-class with Erza. I didn't want them to compete together and I wanted Erza to keep her record of youngest to receive S-Class in Fairy Tail. I don't like those parts in other stories where Gildarts spars him or Makarov sends him on a difficult mission and he immediately gets S-Class. I don't care if he is the main character or not, in my story he has got to earn that title like everybody else!
So Naruto is going into a one month hiatus and won't start again until the end of the year or beginning of next year. That sucks. Oh well, I'm pretty sure I know who wins my manga of the week anyway. One piece. It's not even half way through the week yet, but I can confidently say that nothing else I read this week will get me to laugh as hard as Robin's shocked face.
F-U-C-K-I-N-G Priceless.
And to any writers out there, what is the protocol for lemons? Every one I've read has that [Lemon Warning: 18+ Ahead] before it actually gets to the naughty stuff. Is that mandatory or can I just put my lemon warning on the top of the chapter to warn people, because putting it there before feels like its breaking the flow of the chapter.
Anyway,
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