Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 29: No Sin to Stop This Hunter

I said I would update with the next chapter of Fairy Tail. Just because it came out early, doesn't mean I can't do the same. I'm a man of my word.

Happy 400th Chapter! And 400K words! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

########Hunter########

"Are you sure there wasn't any answer!" Makarov yelled in a panic as he started walking back and forth on the countertop.

Mira nodded her head with worry evident on her face, "Yes, of course I did Master, but there was still no answer."

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Makarov rubbed his temples, "How? How could we let something like this happen again? Natsu was there when Naruto was punished for stealing a job but he still stole one!"

Everyone in the guild was in worry because Natsu, Happy, and Lucy had disappeared after stealing an S-Class job from the second floor request board. Apparently, Laxus had seen the blue cat fly through the window and steal the job but he didn't do anything to stop the matter. Now the three of them were off on a job they weren't fully capable of taking.

Hell, they had even sent Gray to go stop them but they hadn't received any word back from him all day.

They were trying to get people to go after them now that they had left Hargeon but Erza was out of town for another few hours and they hadn't been able to reach Naruto at all.

Lisanna was terrified as she sat at her seat and covered her face with her hands, "W-why would he do this? He-he can't-"

Eflman sat next to his little sister and comforted her, "It's gonna be okay, Lisanna. We'll catch them and bring them back. There's nothing to worry about."

But Lisanna couldn't help but panic. She was still terrified of the idea of taking an S-Class job when she wasn't ready for it. And just knowing that Natsu and Happy were foolishly running into one while dragging Lucy along did nothing but increase the pit in her stomach.

"Dammit!" Makarov grabbed the Communication Lacrima and started making the call to his whiskered S-Class Mage, "C'mon Naruto, pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up."

("We're sorry, the Lacrima you are trying to contact is disconnected. Please try again later or contact a communication service for help.")

"Shit!" Makarov threw the Lacrima on the ground before yelling, "What the hell could that idiot possibly be doing that's more important than this?!"

########Hunter########

"DODOSKOI!"

Naruto leaned to the side, barely dodging the massive palm strike that caused a burst of air pressure and completely obliterated the tree directly behind him. Naruto used the change in direction to spin on his feet and slash across the fat man's chest.

*Ching*

Once again, the pale white man used his bare hand to block his black blade and they bounced off each other with the sound of metal clashing. He still left small scratches against the man's skin but compared to the devastating cuts he was expecting they were nothing.

Kain swung his arm out for another powerful palm strike and scrapped against Naruto's cheek as he slid in to get in the fat man's space. He gathered Armor around his hand and yelled before planting his fist into the Dark Mage's ribs. But as Naruto's fist was about to break skin, Kain's body turned transparent and he expanding like a gas.

Naruto jumped back in shock and watched as Kain's face appeared in the mist before solidifying again into his normal form. He got into a fighting stance again and his skin started to shine before he pounced with extraordinary speed and tried to attack Naruto again.

Naruto and Kain continued to cross blows as sparks and earth started flying everywhere. The other three Dark mages watched as Naruto evaded and rolled over the ground before thrusting his sword at Kain's form, the fat man evading his dangerous blade by constantly switching properties between defensive and offensive.

They were the only people left in the area because they ordered the other Grimoire Heart mages to hide in the airship and fly off a few hundreds feet in another direction.

Zancrow, the man with the crazy eyes, placed his hands at his sides and groaned in displeasure at the fight. He started acting fidgety, "Man, why did we let Kain get the first go at killing the guy?"

"Because he was the first one to make a strike." Azuma was watching every move the reckless but surprisingly capable Mage made as he evaded Kain's attacks and took every small opportunity to go for a finishing blow. Even if he didn't know what Kain's magic was, to force the Dark Mage to constantly use his Lost Magic to evade a defeating blow was nothing short of impressive.

"Yeah but he didn't even call dibs or anything! He just attacked when the other guy called him fat and that was the end of it! How boring." Zancrow watched the fight continue before looking down at the short girl beside him, "Hey, Meredy, got any idea who this guy is anyway?"

Meredy kept her eyes trained on his form as he moved around, "I think so."

"Well do you want to tell us?"

"Need more time."

Naruto slid against the grass and dodged Kain's punch before gathering a gust around his feet and spinning on the floor to kick the fat man's legs out from under him. But Kain jumped dozens of feet up in the air and stayed floating for much longer than any fat man his size should.

Naruto spotted his floating form and tried to manipulate the wind around them so he could get a good hit on the floater. But then his body became shiny again and he came hurdling down towards the ground, "Iron Rush!"

Naruto felt danger flare in his mind and jumped back as far as possible as the fat man came crashing into the ground like a meteorite. Naruto watched as the dust settled and the pale man stood out of the crater he formed. Naruto sighed and stood up before scratching the back of his head, "Okay, I give up. I can't figure out what the hell you're doing. One moment you're heavy and strong enough to parry my sword with your hands, the next I'm cutting through you and you start floating like a feather. What the hell are you?"

The fat man was silent before he finally cracked a smile and laughed, "Woo-wee, l-looks like I've got you hanging on the ropes. You are t-too scared and unsure about what you face. The true power that stands before you." The fat man waved his arms around and lowered himself into a stance, "You will never be able to comprehend Kain Hikaru, member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Naruto stood there silently for a moment as a beat passed. Naruto raised an eyebrow, "So your name's Kain Hikaru?"

Kain was silent, "...No."

"I'm pretty sure you just said Kain Hikaru."

"I-I'm sure you are mistaken."

"I'm not."

Kain was trying to avoid eye contact with the whiskered man, "W-w-well, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to have my vengeance for the slander you used against me!"

Naruto raised his brow and thought back to what he might have said to his enemy that would have angered the man so much. He titled his head, "You're mad...because..."

"I am not pudding!" He started rubbing his hands over his fat, "This is muscle! I am a muscular man!"

Naruto averted his eyes, "Okay, I get it weirdo. Stop rubbing yourself."

"Ladies love a man with a lotta junk in the trunk! More for them to grab a hold of!"

"I'll take your word for that man." Naruto said uncomfortably while the large man seemed to admire his love handles, "I seem to be doing just fine with my girlfriend so I'll just stick with that."

Kain froze in place with a cold look on his face before he slowly looked up at the man in black. He shook a little, "Y-y-you have a g-g-g-girlfriend?"

Naruto answered, "Yeah."

"Y-you talk with her a-and hug her?"

"I-um-yeah, I guess."

"And...a-and you k-k-kiss her too?"

"Oh we do way more than just kiss but yeah that's the idea."

"WOO-WEE!" The man's body started to shine like a light bulb and he roared in outrage at the Fairy Mage. He sprinted forward and struck at Naruto, causing the blond Mage to widen his eyes in shock before leaning out of the way as a beam of light shot out of his hand and exploded the ground behind him.

Kain started to send a barrage of attacks that pounded against Naruto's black sword, causing a multitude of explosions against the blade and straining Naruto's strength. During the onslaught of attacks, Kain reached out for Naruto's head but he ducked under the large hand and uppercutted the Dark Mage's chin.

The Grimoire Heart member flew back from the strike to his chin before landing and skidding against the ground. He coughed up some blood that coated his mouth before looking back up at Naruto who had lowered himself into a defensive stance. Kain reached down to his side and pulled out one of the dolls strapped to his belt, "I've decided to put an end to you. And I will use my great Ushi no Koku Mairi magic to do so."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and tensed himself, "What does that do, exactly?"

"My Lost Magic." He held up the crude little doll in his hand, "This is Mr. Cursey. He's how I utilize my magic. With this, I am capable of controlling anyone I please with only a strand of their hair." He pointed to a little strand of black hair placed on top of the doll's head, "This is my hair. With this, I can change the properties of my body to whatever material I want. Iron. Cotton. Mist. And even Light. And when I have your hair, then I will torture you and make you regret ever insulting me." He held out his hand and screamed, "Now give me your hair!"

...

Naruto looked at the man strangely for a moment as he continued to hold out his hand.

Naruto shook his head, "No."

Kain looked at him with horrified shock, "W-what?! Why not?!"

"Because you'll hurt me if I do."

Kain was distraught when Naruto said that and he fell on his hands and knees.

The other members of the Seven Kin either sighed or shook their heads in disappointment. He always did this. He always explained his magic in detail before attacking someone. It was ridiculous.

"Fine then!" Kain placed his spare doll at his side again before jumping in the air, "If you won't surrender it willingly, then I will take it from you!"

Mr. Cursey's body turned into iron and Kain's body started falling back down at Naruto. The Mage gathered Wind around him and created a barrier of currents to block the heavy blow before the ground cracked and exploded around them.

Azuma, Meredy, and Zancrow stood there unaffected as a blast of wind covered them and was followed by a dust cloud. The crazy-eyed Dark Mage looked over at his comrade, "What do you guys think about this dude? Gonna be able to fight much longer against Kain's attacks?"

"He isn't injured so far and he seems to be saving his energy for something else. He is extremely capable if he's been able to avoid Kain's attacks."

Meredy didn't add into the conversation as she continued to look forward through the dust.

Zancrow scoffed, "Whatever. This guy was digging his own grave the moment he tried to attack us and if he can't handle Kain then he won't be able to handle any of us. This guy is as good as-"

Naruto appeared out of the dust and leapt over Zancrow's head while pushing his head down like he was playing leap frog. The Dark Mage stumbled forward while holding his head and turning towards the running man, "Hey you fucker, watch where you're-"

Kain followed behind and knocked Zancrow over into the dirt while Meredy stepped back to avoid injury.

Naruto and Kain ran all over the clearing and exchanged blows as the Dark Mage's iron hand was parried by Naruto's sword. Both of them disappeared in a burst of speed, followed by a clash of power, and appearing ready for another strike. Naruto dashed forward with his sword extended for a thrust but Kain changed to mist and let him pass through.

Kain changed to iron and turned around just as Naruto pulled a hand back and countered Kain's palm with one of his own. They pushed away from each other and rolled along the ground.

Naruto lifted himself up and looked back up to see Kain pushing himself back up. But the Dark Mage started to chuckle heavily and looked up with a smirk before raising his hand. He opened his hand and revealed a strand of blond hair in his fingers, "I have you."

Naruto scowled while Zancrow clapped his hands, "Yeah! Way to finally show some competence, Kain!"

Kain reached for another Mr. Cursey doll on his belt and placed the strand of hair in the doll's head. He held it out, "You are now under my control. Anything I desire, you will be forced to do it. You are a puppet under my whim." He started raising his hand around the doll, "What shall I make you do? Bend you back until it snaps? Crush your arms until they become puddy? Anything is possible."

"You think it matters?" Naruto stood back up and glared Kain down, "Do whatever you want to me, it won't matter. Crush my legs...break my arms...plant me in the ground...I won't stop!" Naruto sheathed his sword before holding his arms out and trying to intimidate the Grimoire Mage, "Do your worse! It won't do anything against me!"

Kain furrowed his eyes, "F-fine! You think my magic won't work on you!" Kain raised the doll over his head, "Then let's see what happens when I plant your face in the ground!"

Kain brought his arm down and slammed Mr. Cursey into the ground at his feet. Kain heard the sound of the earth shattering from someone slamming against it. He chuckled and raised his head with a smirk...

Before his eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw went slack.

Naruto was still standing there, a big shit eating grin on his face and repeatedly raising his brow like he was expecting Kain's surprise.

Kain looked down at his doll and was confused by what had happened. This was his hair! Blond hair! If it wasn't his, then who...

Kain flinched and looked behind him. His eyes widened when he saw Zancrow's face planted in the ground and the man's body was unmoving, with Meredy and Azuma looking down at him in surprise.

Kain's brain started to work in overtime as he tried to figure out what happened for Zancrow to receive the damage from his attack. They were running around...attacking each other...the whiskered Mage jumped over the other members of the Seven Kin when-

...

He grabbed Zancrow's head, pushed off it to run away, and kept that hand closed until he pushed Kain's hand away.

Kain's pupils shrunk, "Oh no."

Naruto appeared next to him with a smirk, "Yep."

Naruto grabbed Kain's side before landing his fist in the pale man's face and sent him flying across the clearing. The fat man rolled and bounced off the dirt with a bruised chin and bloody mouth before looking back at Naruto, "I-I won't be stand for this anymore! I'll finish you off and-"

Kain reached for his Mr. Cursey doll but realized it was missing from his side. He panicked and looked around him to try and find the catalyst to his magic but it was nowhere in sight.

"Yoohoo."

Kain looked up to see Naruto with a cheeky smile holding his curse doll in his hand.

Kain's jaw fell to the ground.

"So~, whatever this thing does, you do it too, right?" Naruto put his fingers between the doll's legs and pushed them out into a complete split.

"Owwwwww~!" Kain followed the doll's movement and did a straight split in the air.

Naruto held the doll upside down and started shaking it.

"Ahhhhhhhh~!" Kain started shaking in the air and getting sick.

"Break dance!" Naruto started making the doll dance and watched as Kain followed along helplessly. Moon walk. 360 Flares. Pop and lock.

"And a crotch grab for style!"

"Ohhhhhhhh~." Kain moaned while grabbing his crotch and winking in a different direction. Before realization dawned on him and he slid to Naruto's feet and begged, "P-please give that back! Master Hades will be so cross with me if I misplaced Mr. Cursey again! He was already mad when I lost it in the frigde! And left it in a fire! And dropped it out of the ship! Please~, give it back."

Naruto watched the man grovel at his feet before smiling, "Okay, you can have it back. I'm a generous man."

Kain nearly cried, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Naruto held his hand out and dropped the doll, letting it fall through the air and to Kain's waiting hands.

Kain didn't even seem to notice as Naruto lifted his leg so high it was almost perpendicular to the ground. Naruto silently whispered, "Hikaru..."

"BURST!"

Naruto kicked the doll with his full power and sent it flying into the sky, Kain following after as he screaming in the air, "WOOOOOO-WEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee-"

*Twinkle*

The Grimoire Heart disappeared in the sky like a twinkle before even his echo faded. Azuma looked between his flying companion and Zancrow as he was still lying in the dirt. He looked back up towards the blond Mage as he was now glaring towards him. Azuma was feeling an overwhelming need to fight the man standing in front of him.

"I'll defeat him."

Before Azuma could make a move, Meredy started walking past him and towards the taller blond in front of her. Azuma watched as the short girl marched forward until she stood directly across from Naruto by at least ten feet.

Naruto was silent until he asked, "Okay, and what's your deal?"

Meredy was staring up at the man before speaking in a monotone voice, "You are Naruto Uzumaki. S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail. Better known as The Hunter."

Naruto stared at her before nodding his head, "You know who I am."

Meredy contiuned, "Master Hades told me that you fought with him once. And you left marks on each other."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, that's right."

Meredy furrowed her eyes, "You are #2 on my list."

Naruto inquired, "What does that mean?"

"Maguilty Sodom!" Meredy threw her hands out and several magical swords appeared behind her. She swiped towards Naruto and her swords flew through the air until the Fairy Mage pulled out his sword and parried all of them.

Sparks started to fly as Naruto's Kokuryū scrapped against Meredy's magical blades. The Grimoire Mage threw her hands and tried to follow the whiskered man as he flipped and jumped away from her swords.

After rolling along the ground, Naruto stood back up and started waving his sword and parrying the magical swords away as they dissipated into dust. He narrowed his eyes, "I don't know who you are but I don't enjoy hitting children." As Naruto blocked all the blades, one started coming at him from the side and he held out his left hand to break it, "You can't beat me just from summoning swo-"

Instead of making physical contact, the sword phased through Naruto's prosthetic before it disappeared.

Naruto's eyes widened in unimaginable pain before he dropped his sword and grabbed his metal arm in agony, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto nearly toppled over as he held his arm and was panting for air. T-that was impossible. This arm was dead. He hadn't felt a single sensation in it for more than 8 years. But he felt that sword go through his arm. It felt like the sword was slowly being forced through the bone and skin in his arm and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

More of the pink-haired girl's blades floated over him and prepared to skewer him. He dove for his sword and blocked her swords before jumping back as far away from her as possible. Naruto didn't know what that was, but it caused pain through a limb he hadn't been able to feel for nearly a decade. Those things were dangerous.

"Even if you try to block my blades with your false arm, you will still feel the sensation of steel craving through your flesh. You can't stop it."

Naruto raised his head and glared coldly at the girl, causing her to flinch a little at the sheer hostility she was feeling from looking in his eyes. She steeled herself and summoned a dozen more swords before sending them soaring at him.

He leaned and dodged the first blade before falling forward and sprinting close to the ground at immense speed. In just a few seconds, Naruto was at one end of the clearing to another while destroying her swords and preparing to attack her. He didn't feel good hitting children but she was still a Dark Mage, so if he had to incapacitate her then that was the best choice.

Meredy was scared as she watched the powerful man storm towards her. She held her index and middle finger out as they glowed pink before she swiped at herself and the Mage running towards her.

Naruto appeared before her and placed a hand against her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. But just as he hit her, he felt immense pressure against his chest and all the air leave his lungs.

Both Naruto and Meredy stumbled backwards while clutching their chests, Meredy falling on her butt while Naruto coughed painfully. He cringed before lifting his shirt up only to see there was no bruise or physical injury on him. As he looked himself over, he noticed a glowing pink seal with a heart on his wrist, "W-what the hell?"

"S-Sensory Link." Naruto turned his head to look back as Meredy struggled to stand back up on her feet. She succeeded with a pained look on her face and panted before looking up at Naruto. She raised her fist and revealed a similar seal over her wrist, "O-our senses are linked. Anything one of us feels...we both experience. Pain. Injury. If you try to defeat me, then you will only be hurting yourself in the process."

Naruto looked down at his wrist while he tried to comprehend what she was saying. It was true. He felt like he was wearing something on his head. He could feel the sensation of breathing even when he wasn't. He could even feel a pulse through his left arm like it was flesh and blood again.

Meredy ignored the strange feeling of having a prosthetic arm and stood back up, "People are hesitant to get into a fight when they know that injury is certain if they do." She held out one of her arms and a magical sword appeared over her.

"But I'm prepared to give myself away for the purpose of helping my guild!"

The sword came down and phased through her arm before disappearing.

Meredy cried out, "AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto held his arm, "GAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Another sword appeared and cut through her leg. And then her arm. Her forearm. Her shoulder. Her feet. If she couldn't land a hit on him directly, then she would break him through agony and pain. All that mattered was he would weaken or pass out from pain and then Azuma or Zancrow could finish the job. That's all that mattered. Those thoughts ran through her head as her body was filled with agony and pain.

Naruto felt like swords were slashing through his body and carving through him, even as no physical injuries appeared on him. He gasped for air and even felt tears run down his face as the pain started to settle. He looked back up to see Meredy cowering and holding herself as a few tears came out of her eyes.

She was just a kid. And she was doing this.

Another sword was about to come down and slash Meredy's body to stimulate shock until the sword was stopped in its place. Meredy widened her eyes to see Naruto standing over her and holding the sword by its grip before crushing it and making it disappear. After it was done, Naruto opened his eyes and glared down at the girl before raising his other hand.

*Smack*

Meredy almost fell over when Naruto's slap struck her face. He ignored the stinging sensation in his cheek and yelled, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO YOURSELF?!"

Meredy held her cheek as the tall blond man yelled down at her, "How could you torture yourself like this?! It hurts right?!" Naruto rubbed the tears forming in his eyes, "How could you willingly do something like this to yourself?!"

Meredy shook on the ground before shaking her head and yelling back with equal ferocity, "What would you know?! You know nothing about what we are willing to risk for our goal! If I have to, I will give my life away without a second thought!"

Meredy was grabbed by her collar and lifted to Naruto's face-

"EVEN WHEN YOU'RE SCARED AND PRAYING FOR HER TO HELP!"

Meredy's eyes widened when Naruto said that before he grabbed his head, "I couldn't see it but you were screaming for someone to help you! Someone you love, right?! Would they be happy knowing you sacrificed your life like this?! Hurting yourself like this?! While you were scared?!"

Meredy felt a new surge of emotions flow in her while his words rang through her ears. Sadness. Pity. Empathy. Anger. Disappointment. Understanding. But...they weren't her feelings.

They were his.

Even as he yelled and held one of his enemies close to him like this, he still looked at the pink-haired girl with eyes of sadness that she was willing to do something like this for their purpose.

Meredy was too shocked to answer.

"Meredy! Drop the link!"

On reflex, Meredy deactivated the Sensory Link and closed her eyes. Naruto barely had any time to react as he dropped the girl in his hand and tried to guard himself from a burst of black flames covering his vision.

They stuck to his body and Naruto was rolling on the ground screaming as Meredy watched. She heard footsteps come besides her and looked up to see Zancrow with a bloody forehead and the same psychotic smirk on his face. He walked past her and towards the burning Fairy Mage, "I'm takin' it up from here. So get outta way."

Meredy looked back to see Naruto trying to rip off his cloak before she struggled to stand up and limb out of the way of Zancrow's sight.

Naruto jerked on the ground before ripping off his burning cloak and throwing it to the side in a panic. He patted his body checking for injuries before he watched as his cloak turned to ash because of the intense black flames. He was worried for a moment before looking down at his wrist and seeing that the link he had with the girl was deactivated, so she didn't feel the heat from that last attack.

"Sup fucker, you feeling the power behind my flames?" Zancrow held out his arms and his entire upper body was coated with black fire as he cackled, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Naruto watched the crazy Dark Mage laugh maniacally while increasing the heat of his flames. When Natsu was weak or tired, his body would sometimes exude blue flames. Usually, his were red and orange flames because he felt excited or pumped up. And sometimes, his flames would even go white if he was really pushing himself.

But never had he seen black flames before. And in the hands of this lunatic then Naruto was not eager to stick around and see what it was like.

He pulled out his sword and attempted to stand back up but fell to a knee and grunted in pain. Zancrow laughed, "Oh, sowwy, looks like the pain Meredy caused you is still a little too fresh, huh? Don't worry~." Zancrow threw his hands out and a massive wave of black flames engulfed Naruto, "Uncle Zancrow's gonna make it all better!"

Naruto didn't waste any time. This guy was way different than Kain and Meredy. His magic was purely offensive and he didn't have any qualms about how he used it.

Naruto braced himself on the ground and pushed off with Storm Step, maneuvering through a small gap between the flames and blowing them all away with the massive air pressure.

Zancrow watched Naruto escape before cackling and waving his arms around with a massive torrent of black fire, "What's wrong Fairy boy, I thought you were tough?! What happened to all that bravado?! Realize you can't win against a real fighter?!"

Naruto rolled along the ground before swiping his sword and blowing the black flames away from him. He manipulated his Wind chakra and started swiping the flames away with an even stronger gust while matching Zancrow's glare with his own.

But Zancrow just widened his grin and started to manipulate the form of the flames until they appeared like large toothed animals. They started chasing Naruto and attempting to smother him in flames but he flipped over them with amazing agility. But as he kept moving, more and more of them started to pile up until they attack on all sides and covered him in a ball of black fire.

The ball of black flames expanded before it burst apart with red flames mixed along. Zancrow raised an eyebrow when he saw Naruto kneeling on the ground with another sword in his outstretched hand, a sword with a deep red pattern and slowly exuding flames from its blade.

Naruto charged forward with his Kokuryū in his right and the Fire blade in his left. Zancrow swept his leg and threw a wave of black fire at Naruto's feet but the S-Class Mage vaulted over them before bringing his sword down on the Dark Mage. Zancrow pushed his sword back with hands ablaze and they started exchanging attacks.

Zancrow blocked the sword and evaded the swipes at his head while cackling like a demon, "That's a little better! Maybe you aren't so much of a disappointment as I thought Fairy! Still pathetic but better than I thought!"

Naruto growled, "You talk a lot of shit for a freak who looks like he's gonna bite into human flesh at any second!"

"And you look like you're trying really hard to hit me with these puny little flames of yours! What, can't get them up properly?!"

"Good talk freak, but I'm just waiting for the point where you break and bleed trying to match these dragon flames-"

Naruto swung his elemental sword and Zancrow caught it in his mouth, flames and all. The whiskered man's eyes widened in shock as the Dark Mage breathed in and sucked all the flames off the sword until it was just a hunk of metal. He grinned around the sword before biting down and breaking it off into pieces.

Naruto's eyes widened as Zancrow looked at him and grinned, a trail of blood going down the corner of his lip.

"FLAME GOD'S BELLOW!"

Naruto raised his arms in a guard as the extremely powerful attack hit him at point blank range and sent him flying into the forest. He impacted through several trees before slamming against one and groaning in pain. He fell to the ground, smoke and steam coming off his body while his sleeves and a portion of his shirt had been burnt away from the intense flames.

Zancrow rubbed his mouth, "Surpisingly appetizing flames for something created by a shitty dragon, but still not worth a damn in front of me. So~, have you realized yet?" Zancrow's body became engulfed in black flames and his eyes became red saucers, "Before the might of my Flame God-Slayer magic, you and all your little tricks are useless."

Naruto lifted himself up to his feet and his arms hung at his side while Zancrow grinned. He held out his hands before the flames morphed into mouth-shaped forms. They jetted out of his arms and came on either side of Naruto, "Flame God's Supper!"

Naruto looked back up and used Storm Step to blast off the ground and nearly take Zancrow's head off with his knee before the crazy man leaned out of the way.

Naruto skidded against the dirt before sprinting forward and swinging his sword at Zancrow. He dodged again but Naruto followed through and tried to knock him down with a roundhouse and hook kick.

Zancrow blocked and pushed back the powerful kick and swiped at Naruto's face but he leaned back and sent a kick straight up towards Zancrow's chin. His boot scrapped against the Dark Mage's jaw and Naruto spun through the air and blasted him back with a gust of Wind chakra.

Zancrow skidded against the dirt before flipping back up and throwing his hand out, "FLAME GOD'S KAGUTSUCHI!"

Naruto punched, "STORM FIST!"

The two elemental attacks blew the mages away while a massive explosion occurred between them. Zancrow spun through the air and formed his flames into a scythe, "Flame God's Scythe!"

Naruto flipped through the air and over the scythe as he sheathed his blade. When he landed his hands glowed and the Wind sword appeared from his Requip before he held it over his head. He brought it down and summoned a typhoon a razor winds at the Fire Mage, "Infinite Storm Blade!"

Meredy flinched and watched in surprise as the entire area was covered in explosions of wind and flames. They had been fighting for much longer than the Fairy Mage spent fighting her and Kain. All of Naruto's tactics and forethought had been substituted to pure power and techniques to defeat the God-Slayer. While Zancrow was no longer trash talking but still cackled like a demon while he tried to burn the other blond to a crisp.

Azuma continued to watch the fight play out before him and narrowed his eyes.

Zancrow came falling down with his hands overhead before slamming down on the earth and sending waves of fire in every direction. Naruto switched out his Wind sword for his Earth cleaver and stabbed it into the ground. Dozens of rock spires popped out of the dirt and the sea of black flames parted away from Naruto's form.

Zancrow was left standing in a field of smoke and dust as the only distinguishable figures in his sight were the pillars. He scoffed and held his arms out in a challenging manner, "What~? Is this it? Big bad Fairy can't fight anymore so he's decided to stay hidden? That's pathetic man!"

There was a whoosh through the air and Zancrow's ears perked.

"Flame God's Bellow!"

Zancrow spewed black flames and completely destroyed one of the spires behind him. But even with the impressive display there wasn't any sign of Naruto to be found behind it.

He sensed the sneaky Mage move around behind him again and destroyed another pillar.

He disappeared and destroyed another.

The Grimoire Mage was jumping back and forth while destroying the rock formations and furiously trying to find the Fairy Mage.

He grew tired of the game and yelled, "Enough! If you're just gonna hide like a mutt with his dick between his legs then I'm gonna reduce everything here to a pile of ash!" He took a deep breath, black flames pouring in around his mouth and his magic power flaring to its highest point. He screamed, "FLAME GOD'S-"

Before Zancrow's attack was initiated, one of the spires broke apart and Naruto came bursting through it. He threw out his palm and stuck Zancrow's neck, nearly destroying the other man's Adam's apple and collapsing his throat.

Zancrow stumbled back while grabbing his neck before Naruto tackled him to the ground and held him to the dirt. He raised his metal hand and gathered a massive amount of Armor into it to deliver the finishing blow.

Zancrow was in immense pain but he knew he could at least kill this man before he ended everything. He set his hand on fire and thrusted it towards Naruto's ribs.

Naruto roared and brought his fist down on Zancrow's face. The power from his fist was powerful enough to create an air wave that blew the dust and smoke away from around them.

But it didn't connect.

Naruto's fist was hovering just an inch over Zancrow's face while the Grimoire mage's hand was blocked by a tree root before he could deliver a finishing blow.

Naruto turned his head to see that wood had popped out of the ground and encircled itself around his waist, shoulder, and forearm to stop the force of his attack. He tried to break free but the wood was far stronger than he expected.

It started to move and slowly pull Naruto off of Zancrow before they both heard footsteps approaching them.

The tall man with the stern face stood there with the same stoic expression while staring at Naruto. He spoke without looking to his comrade, "Zancrow, you're injured. You and Meredy need to head for the airship and get the men to treat your wounds."

Zancrow gurgled and coughed while giving the man a death glare.

"Since you can't argue anymore I'm just going to take that as a yes." He yelled over his shoulder, "Meredy, help Zancrow up and head back to the ship."

Meredy came walking in slowly between all the others and tried to help Zancrow up. But the God-Slayer protested and swatted her hands away until she finally got a hold of his arm and started pulling him away. While retreating, she looked back and her eyes met with Naruto's until a massive wall of trees popped out of the ground and blocked their escape route.

Naruto covered his body in Armor and broke out of his restraints before wiping himself off. He took a moment to catch his breath from the intense fighting before looking up at the slightly taller man. He spat out, "And who might you be?"

"Azuma."

Naruto looked back at the massive wall of trees before looking the muscular man over once again. He could generate and manipulate trees at whim. They popped out of the ground like weeds without him even trying.

It was like he was facing Hashirama again.

Naruto looked over the massive tree wall, "I didn't think you would do something like hold me off to save your comrades. I'm impressed."

Azuma kept his stern face, "Don't misunderstand, I only did that so they wouldn't get in the way."

Naruto matched his cold expression, "Get in the way of what?"

Azuma didn't answer and just looked the man over. Blond hair. Mismatched eyes. Metallic left arm. Whiskers. S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail.

Azuma spoke again, "So you really are Naruto Uzumaki of Fairy Tail, aren't you?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "That's right."

"Hades told me that he once fought a boy many years ago. A foolish and weak child that challenged him and attempted to beat him. But he was completely outclassed and beaten despite the fact Hades was extremely weakened from recent surgery. It seemed certain that he was going to die, but then the boy tapped into his most primal instincts and rage and pushed his strength further than humanly possible. Because of that little oversight, Hades lost his first Demon's Eye, was beaten near death, and earned those scars down his face." Azuma looked Naruto in the eyes, "He says that boy grew up into a man in the Fairy Tail guild. Are you that boy?"

Naruto's memories resurfaced of that horrible and painful day he was stupid enough to try and fight Hades. He still remembered the overwhelming fear and pain he felt from being decimated by that old man's power. He growled, "Does it matter?"

Azuma started walking towards Naruto, not making an attempt to guard themselves as they felt neither was going to make the first strike. Azuma stood directly in front of the man just a few inches shorter than him and spoke, "Hit me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You are tired and weary from fighting Kain, Meredy, and Zancrow. Whether you thought they were difficult opponents or not does not change the fact you are beaten. If you are too weak to fight, then there will be no point in me even trying. So hit me and-"

It was instantaneous.

Naruto's fist dug straight into Azuma's stomach and actually lifted the man off his feet. Azuma's eyes widened and blood came out of his mouth as Naruto followed through with his punch and sent the man flying into his wall of trees behind them. Despite the tree's extraordinary durability, it broke under the power Naruto had sent Azuma flying and he burst out of it and into the other side.

Naruto slowly pulled back his outstretched fist and looked at the man lying on the ground unmoving. He shook his head, "It was your own fault for underestimating me."

"You're right."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked up to see Azuma rolling on his hands and knees while clutching his stomach. He groaned and coughed up globs of blood until they marked the dirt beneath him.

Naruto was shocked as Azuma slowly but steadily lifted himself back onto his feet while facing away from him. He put all his strength into that hit. Naruto wasn't trying to stall fights with these people and he tried to beat this guy with one overwhelming punch. But he took it. And not only that, he was standing after it!

Azuma stumbled a little and held his head, "That was powerful. If it was a normal person, that would have destroyed their organs. You...really are as powerful as the stories say."

Azuma lowered his hands and stood still for a moment until a chuckle could be heard. And then he started laughing, "You're strong. Really strong. I remember Hades telling me that story for so many years now. And I always thought, always dreamed, of fighting this person that had terrorized my guild so greatly."

He turned around and had a large grin on his face as he flared his magic, "You're the one, Hunter. Someone I've been waiting to fight for years. Someone worth my time."

########Hunter########

A bird flapped its wings and landed on the mop of black hair that was perched on the side of the tree.

Kain waved his hand and the bird flew away as he sighed and held onto the large tree he had finally landed on after flying for who knows how far. He found Mr. Cursey lying on a branch and he picked the doll up but he was still stuck in this tree.

He sighed, "I'm hungry again."

He heard the sound of rustling air and a whirling engine and looked behind him to see a massive ship hovering hundreds of feet in the air. He felt his whole body start to glow before he disappeared from the tree top.

He reappeared inside the airship and fell to the floor with a grunt. He lifted himself up and rubbed his head before looking up and freezing.

The old man sitting in his throne spoke, "What might you be doing all the way out here, Kain?"

########Hunter########

Azuma summoned a tree trunk out of the ground beneath him and manipulated it to pull back. It snapped forward and threw the Dark Mage at staggering speeds at the unsuspecting Fairy Mage.

Naruto raised an arm and winced while blocking Azuma's first punch. The man's strength was incredible but as long as he could block then-

"Bleve."

*BOOM*

An explosion blew up Naruto and he screamed in pain as he was blasted away. He stumbled and stood there in surprise before he noticed smaller explosions occur around his body. They ignited into one great big blast and Naruto yelled in pain at the unexpected move.

He opened an eye after the explosion to see Azuma sprinting at him for a second attack. Naruto planted his feet in the ground before ducking Azuma's punch and uppercutting the man in return.

Despite the strike to his chin, Azuma didn't stop grinning as he grabbed Naruto's outstretched arm and punched him across the face again.

Naruto winced before he covered his other fist in Armor and struck Azuma's cheek. He didn't stop and covered both fists in magic and started swarming on the Dark Mage.

Azuma was struck back and forth with each of Naruto's punches that landed on his face. He blocked a punch before he kneed the Fairy Mage in the rib and punched him in return.

Naruto rolled against the ground and looked back up to glare at Azuma's stern but excited face.

They sprinted off the ground and started sending a barrage of punches at each other. Naruto's magic covered fists staggered and bruised Azuma with every strike that landed. And Azuma's powerful and explosive punches injured and weakened him in return. They would send knees, elbows, kicks and whatever else they could to try and get a lead in the combat but they were evenly matched.

A massive root popped out of the ground at Azuma's feet and lifted him away while knocking Naruto back. He snarled and jumped on the root as well to give chase to the man. Azuma was still crouched on the top of the massive rising root so Naruto spun and kicked in the air to send a sharp Wind attack ahead of him.

Azuma saw it coming and jumped off the side as a second tree came growing out of the massive barrier surrounding them. Naruto skidded on the root and watched as Azuma raised above him again. In fact, the Dark Mage was taking this battle opportunity to increase the size of their battlefield, letting branches, roots, and trees pop up everywhere around them. He was making the tree barrier so tall that it started to dwarf the trees of the forest around them.

Naruto clicked his teeth and jumped up so he was standing along the side of the other root. Azuma threw his hands out and a series of quick explosions occurred around the entirety of the branch.

Naruto saw the blasts come towards him and let himself fall off the side of the tree before he landed on a lower branch and jumped up at Azuma.

The tall man swiped his hand, "Burst Claw!"

Naruto held his arms up to guard before an explosion followed with his hands swipe and blew him up. He lost his momentum and started falling before he opened his eyes again and seemed to step in midair. Azuma's eyes widened and Naruto yelled, "Void Storm Step!"

Naruto jumped off thin air and soared at Azuma with the intention of crashing into his ribs. But Azuma's body turned into wood and he sank into the tree at his feet, barely missing Naruto attack and letting the blond man fly off the side.

"What?!"

Naruto flipped in the air and landed on another tree while looking up at the spot where Azuma disappeared. Apparently, he could blend in and merge with the trees he summoned. Which means he could be anywhere because their entire view had been filled with trees.

A hand popped out of the trees and grabbed Naruto's leg before Azuma's upper body appeared as well. He spoke, "Tower Burst!"

A massive explosion occurred around them with Naruto at the center of it. The blast could be seen for nearly a mile as the people hiding in the smaller airship watched as the wooden area was filled with light from the explosion.

Naruto yelled as Azuma let go of his leg and let the blond fall from the tree. He fell onto a lower root and the Fairy Mage was gasping for air after the powerful attack had injured him. He groaned and pushed himself up to his knees, noticing that most of his shirt was missing now and part of his pants had been burnt off as well. He ripped the last of the cloth off his chest before standing up and taking a deep breath, wincing at his sore ribs and injured skin.

He looked up as Azuma appeared standing upside down from a root above him with his arms crossed, "You have strength but if this is all you have to show for yourself then I'm disappointed."

Naruto circled his shoulder around to limber up, "I can't help it. It's a pain in the ass to fight someone who can appear out of anywhere he wants."

Azuma raised an eyebrow, "Are you asking for a handicap?"

"No. Don't trouble yourself on my account." Naruto slowly lowered his hand to his sword and gripped the handle while his other hand held the sheathe in place. He lowered himself into a horse-rider stance and closed his eyes.

Azuma watched the man stand still with his hand on his sword.

*Swish*

There was the sound of a blade being drawn and the black sword was barely taken out of its sheathe. Naruto whispered, "Vacant Eye."

The sword clicked back into its sheathe. And most of the extending branches, roots, and trees that littered the space above him were sliced into pieces.

Including the one Azuma was merging out of.

Naruto pulled his sword out and jumped up at the falling Tree Mage. He held his sword overhead and slashed down, leaving a deep cut over the outsides of Azuma's arms before another tree appeared and carried him away. Naruto grabbed onto it before charging after the retreating Mage.

Despite Azuma's surprise, his stern look didn't falter as he threw his hands out and hand shaped wood started heading towards Naruto. The Fairy Mage gripped his sword with both hands and sliced up the tree attacks before they exploded behind him.

Naruto's sword came swinging in but Azuma raised an arm and several thick roots appeared to shield him from the blade. While Naruto's blade was stuck, he punched Naruto in the face and made him nearly fall back. But the Fairy kicked out and nearly toppled the Dark Mage over before dislodging his sword and swiping across Azuma's chest.

The Grimoire Mage stumbled back before looking down at his chest and seeing the large gash across his pecs. He swiped his hands towards the blond and hundreds of branches flew at him, "Ramus Sica!"

Naruto jumped back and started destroying most of the branches by cutting through them. But a few of them evaded through his swipes and cut along his legs and forehead.

He grabbed his sword and swung down with a mighty cut, slicing the root in half and causing both him and Azuma to plummet down to the root beneath them. He gathered Armor into his fist and prepared to crush the Grimoire Mage when they landed but Azuma merged into the root and Naruto's fist destroyed it when he landed.

He jumped off the falling bark and landed on the side of the tree wall before he sprinted across it to make sure Azuma didn't come and grab him again.

The Tree Mage grew out of one of the roots and looked up to see the Fairy Mage running along the trees. Naruto jumped off the wall and flew towards Azuma before he held out his hands, "Burst Claw!"

Naruto sent a one-handed barrage of Armor attacks, "Knights' Crusade!"

The magic and explosion attacks intercepted with Azuma and Naruto crossing blows in the smoke cloud.

Azuma grabbed Naruto's arm and tossed him aside before creating another root and planning to use it to end the fight. Naruto jumped off the tree and high into the air over Azuma before using his Wind to stop overhead and aimed his sword down.

Naruto propelled himself downward with his Kokuryū thrusted forward, "Void Storm Step!"

Azuma threw his hands up and ignited all the trees around them, "Ultimate Tower Burst!"

All the trees they had used as their battlefield glowed orange before exploding upwards into a tower of fire. The massive explosion was so powerful that the residents of Datura down could see it all the way from their homes. It could even be spotted by the huge airship coming over the forest.

The remains of the smoldering trees fell to ashes as the huge smoke cloud spread in every direction.

Naruto came flying out of the smoke and crashed against the burnt ground several times before just rolling along with it. Once he finally started moving, he noticed that his entire body was injured with gashes, bloody bruises, and terrible burns. He forced himself up by using his sword as a crutch while waiting for Azuma to appear.

He took a few deep breathes to try and still his blurry vision. He could barely feel and magic left in his body. His chakra was running dangerously low. His whole body was hurting and he knew he couldn't continue this fight for much longer.

"A-Ah..."

Naruto looked back and saw a figure slowly walk out of the smoke. He stumbled and nearly tripped but he finally emerged to face Naruto.

Azuma was covered in blood, soot, bruises and burns. He had a pained look on his face and he gripped together his right arm, the limb sliced through the middle up to the elbow from where Naruto's sword thrusted through. Blood was gushing out in every direction and the bones were visible.

Naruto nearly vomited at the sight but he heard Azuma let out a laugh between the gasps for air. Azuma looked up with livid eyes, "T-this is it, Hunter. This is a fight unlike any other. The one I've been waiting for. Thank you for helping me realize that."

Naruto stood there and watched the man prepare to continue their fight even as blood seeped out of his grievous wound.

He closed his eyes and sheathed his sword, "I'm done."

Azuma looked at him in shock, "W-what?"

"I'm done. I won't fight you anymore." Naruto pointed to his ruined arm, "If you don't get that thing fixed, you're going to die. And I'm not fighting some fool who's gonna bleed out just to satisfy his bloodlust. Leave with your guild, leave the village alone, and don't ever come back. If you hurry, maybe you can-"

*BOOM*

Naruto opened his eyes and looked over in surprise as a smoke cloud started coming off of Azuma's arm. A second later, there was a thud and Azuma's forearm and hand landed on the floor after they had been blown off.

Naruto watched in horror as the smoke blew away and Azuma's right arm was nothing more than a stub at the elbow, cauterized by the explosion that blew the rest of it off.

Sweat dripped down Azuma's face but he kept his stern expression while looking at Naruto, "This fight...isn't over...until one of us is dead."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and decided to finish this stupid fight now. He sprinted forward and prepared to knock the battle-loving psychopath unconscious-

But several dozens blades with intricate and unusual designs riddled the ground directly in front of him.

Just as he stopped, another figure appeared out of the sky and kicked him in the jaw, sending the Fairy Mage flying back from the unexpected strike.

Naruto held his chin and sat up to see the two figures that appeared out of nowhere. One was a young man with a fluffy collar, wearing glasses and his silver hair done in a pompadour style.

The other was a goat man, with a black jacket that stopped just over his abs and black pants that ended at his knees.

Naruto was speechless when looking at these two newcomers that interrupted their fight.

The swords all faded into dust while the goat man looked over his shoulder at his injured comrade, "Azuma, that's enough fighting. It's time for you to come back to the ship."

Azuma glared at the goat, "Caprico, this doesn't concern you. Get out of the way."

"This concerns all of us Azuma." The quirky dressed man spoke with his hands in his pockets, "Blood dripping from your body...friends and comrades laid across the field...truly this is the scene of a horrible tragedy playing before our eyes."

Azuma shook his head, "No Rusty, this is proof of a strong opponent. A real fight I haven't gotten to experience in a long time. So don't interrupt."

Naruto narrowed his eyes while he examined these two new men. They were strong, he could already tell that much. They must have been more of those Seven Kin members showing up. That made six so far.

Caprico looked at Azuma, "He will be angry with meh if you don't come back soon."

"Not until I'm done."

"Your excitement and lust for battle clouds your pain. Come back with us so we may-"

"I said not until I'm done with the fight!"

"Azuma...get in here now."

Everyone shut up when the gravely and assertive voice filled the burnt clearing. The Grimoire Heart airship lowered into their sights behind Azuma and there was a man standing on the edge of the deck with his arms folded in front of him. His presence was horrifying. His glare was staggering. His long white hair was covered by by a horned helmet and a long white beard came down from his chin. His muscular shoulders were covered by a black cape. And he had three long scars coming down underneath his right eye that was covered by an eyepatch.

It was him.

The guild master of Grimoire Heart.

One of the people he hated most in the entire world.

Hades.

Hades spoke with a gruff voice, "We found Kain sitting in a tree a few miles away. We picked up the other airship and have Meredy and Zancrow in the infirmary. We're done here. It's time to move out."

Azuma breathed raggedly before looking back at the old man, "This is the fight I was promised when I joined you. The fight I've been waiting for. One where I'm truly alive. I'm not going to walk away from it now."

"We aren't here to entertain your fantasies, child." Hades' voice completely destroyed all intentions of an argument as he narrowed his eye at the mutilated man, "We did what we were supposed to do. Our men are in need of fixing. There's nothing more to do with that village. So we are leaving now. Besides...it appears like your foe has completely forgotten about your existence at this point."

Killing intent spread through the whole area and caught everyone who didn't have their guard up by surprise. They all looked back to see the whiskered blond flaring his remaining magic and chakra to their highest point while glaring down the white-haired man.

Hades cracked a small smile, "Hello again boy. I see you grew up quite well. And you still have that look in your eyes after all this time. Very good."

Naruto took a step forward with his voice laced with fury and hate, "I've been waiting...to see you again...for a very long time."

"And I'm sure you're eager to have another bout. But things have changed considerably since we last met. And I don't have time to play with you right now." He turned around and headed inside the airship again, "I'm sure you and I will meet again some other day, but we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with so we will be making our way out."

Naruto pulled out his sword and sprinted forward, "Oh no you don't!"

Hades turned back around and shot his Chain magic at the blond man, catching Naruto around the neck and lifting him up before throwing him back into the forest. When Naruto crashed through the forest, Hades looked down below him, "Azuma, close him off."

Azuma reluctantly followed his order and summoned a massive tree barrier to block them off from Naruto's attacks. Caprico clapped his hands and captured Azuma and Rustyrose in small pods before jumping back up to the deck and walking inside. The ship started to lift off and raise itself hundreds of feet into the air.

Hades was making his way inside before a figure in the shadows of the throne room spoke, "Hades..."

The guild master of Grimoire Heart stopped and looked back to see Naruto standing on the top of the tree barrier, with sword in hand and gasping for air. He smirked, "You really did grow to be quite tenacious, didn't you?" He looked to the man in the shadows, "Take care of him."

Naruto watched the ship start hovering and prepare to take off. He summoned up the last of his strength and jumped up with a Storm Step with his hand outstretched, "HADES!"

The man in the shadows raised his hand and Naruto stopped in midair. Before the gravity around him increased ten fold and he fell to the ground like a falling meteorite. Naruto crashed into the earth and made a crater that rocked the entire area before the ship disappeared with tremendous speed.

There was a smoke cloud from where he came hurdling down to the forest and small animals were sitting on the edge of the crater that had formed. A hand shot out of the smoke and the animals ran away when Naruto pulled himself out. Blood was dripping from his head and his eyes were glazed over before he looked up at the sky...

"W-wait...get...back...he-"

Naruto passed out from his injuries and fell on the grass in the forest with no one in sight to help.

########Hunter########

"He's waking up."

"Someone, get the mayor, quick!"

Naruto's eyes slowly peeled open and everything was white until they readjusted and he realized he was in a hospital tent. He blinked and slowly looked over to the side to see several nurses surrounding him and several people standing just outside of the tent peering in.

Naruto slowly started to sit up and cringed when he felt pain and soreness run through his whole body. One of the nurses came to his side, "Please, be careful. You've been sleeping for the last few days now."

Naruto looked himself over to see bandages wrapped around his head, arm, shoulder, chest, stomach, legs, and basically any other place on the human body where you could wrap gauze around. He realized he wasn't wearing a shirt and looked to the side to see his blade resting on top of a grey t-shirt folded besides his bed. He rubbed his head, "What happened?"

The front of the tent flapped open and the middle-aged mayor walked in. He saw Naruto was sitting up in his bed and looked at the nurses, "Could you give us a minute?"

They nodded and left the tent, leaving only him and the resting Mage to talk to each other. He pulled up a seat by Naruto bed and sat down, "You've been sleeping for the last two days. Some of us were worried you might never wake up."

Naruto stretched out before grabbing the spare shirt and pulling it over himself. He fixed the edges, "How did you find me?"

"There were explosions and fires occurring all over the forest around you. We had to come and see what was going on. When we did, we found you resting on the edge of a crater nearly dead and exhausted." He sat up in his chair, "The doctors say you may need another week before your injuries start to properly close up-"

"No need." Naruto pulled the Sky sword out of his Requip and placed it against his chest before it started working its magic. He breathed out in relief as he could already feel some of the pain and soreness start to relieve itself.

The mayor watched the young man heal his wounds before asking, "Why did you do this?"

Naruto shrugged, "Well I'm thankful for the hospitality and everything but this thing does great work and I've got to get back home soon. I'm sure they're gonna have my ass for being gone for so long without contacting them."

The mayor shook his head, "No, why did you fight that Dark Guild? Didn't you say you wouldn't take the request?"

"I said I wasn't going to take your request because I didn't want anyone else getting involved with this matter. Grimoire Heart was going to destroy your town no matter what so I had to take action while I still could." He didn't feel like mentioned that he had a grudge against that guild and wanted revenge against them as much as possible.

The mayor looked at the young man, "Then please, let us pay you for what you've done."

"Why? I didn't take the request? You can't pay me for doing that."

The mayor looked at the blond in confusion before shaking his head, "T-then what can we do to repay you for what you've done?"

"Just help your people. They've suffered a lot and they're lost. They need someone to help them along again." Naruto looked at the mayor, "So make sure to do that. That's all that matters."

The mayor was silent before he nodded his head. He took the man's hand and bowed his head, "Thank you. Thank you for saving these people. For saving all of us."

Naruto just accepted the mayor's thanks with a smile, "No problem."

########Hunter########

Naruto was walking out of Datura town, with his pack over his shoulder and wearing the grey shirt and white pants he was given. Everyone he passed in town came up to him and shook his hand. Some gave their most earnest thanks and some even fully embraced him in a hug. He smiled and took their thanks with a grin...

But he didn't feel any better. And it wasn't just because his entire body hurt.

Grimoire Heart still got away. Hades was still out there and they were all planning something horrible for the future. Sure, he knew there was a team of extremely powerful mages called the Seven Kin, but even with him going all out in his fights, they still proved a challenge.

"I'm sure you and I will meet again someday..."

That was an understatement. Until Hades was defeated and Grimoire Heart was destroyed, Naruto was not going to let them succeed in their plans. He would be ready next time. And he would win this time.

He stopped walking before he hung his head and sighed. He spoke loudly, "I know you're following me! I noticed you since I walked out of the tent! C'mon out and tell me what it is you want!"

Naruto turned around and looked towards a tree he could sense a presence from. Slowly, a figure walked out from behind the tree...

And revealed a small cat with red fur standing on his hind legs, wearing a white vest. He was shaking a little but he didn't stop looking up at Naruto.

Naruto was surprised by the sight of a cat with a familiar appearance to Happy. He raised an eyebrow, "What the hell?"

"HYAH!"

Naruto absentmindedly raised his arm and blocked a surprise kick to his head from behind him.

His short assailant landed on the ground before jumping back up and attempting to punch Naruto in the face. But Naruto just easily blocked his fists with his palm without even looking in his direction.

The child kicked at him. And punched at him. But still there was no result from his attacks.

When he kicked again, Naruto grabbed his leg and tossed him to the side gently. He watched the kid land on his feet before talking, "All right kid, that's enough. Stop it before you get yourself hurt."

The boy took a deep breath and his chest and cheeks puffed out.

Naruto had seen that attack pattern dozens of times before, "Oh no."

"WHITE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

A beam of light shot out of the blond boy's mouth and hit Naruto, causing a big dust cloud to form in the area of attack. The blond twelve-year old watched the dust cloud expectantly before he realized that the Mage wasn't coming out again. He raised his hands in the air and cheered, "I win!"

"Not even close."

The young boy felt someone grab his collar and lift him a foot off the ground. He waved his arms and legs in the air, "Hey! Let me go you jerk! Let me go!"

"Calm down. I'm not doing anything!"

Naruto felt someone tap against his shin and looked down to see the red cat waving his little fists, "Let Sting-kun go you bully!"

Naruto just ignored the cat's punches and turned the boy around so he was facing him. Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You're the kid who was being held back by all those adults, right?"

The boy being held up by his collar had spiky blond hair going out in every direction, with black eyes and a thin scar going over his right eyebrow. The boy stubbornly looked off in another direction away from Naruto and didn't answer.

Naruto shook him a little, "Aren't you?"

The boy grumbled a little before mumbling, "Y-yeah."

He leaned down and picked up the red cat by his collar as well before holding them both up at the same level. He looked between the two of them, "And you guys are friends I'm guessing?"

"Y-yeah."

"Yes sir."

Naruto sighed and lowered the two down to their feet before looking between them, "Okay, and who might you two be exactly?"

The boy was hesitant but he pointed at himself, "My name is Sting. And this is Lector."

Naruto looked at the short blond, "And you're a Dragon-Slayer, right?"

Sting looked off to the side and nodded his head.

Naruto looked between the young boy and the red cat that stuck to his side. A Dragon-Slayer...with a talking cat by their side.

Geez, three for three.

"What exactly are you trying to do Sting?"

Lector answered while pointing up at the Fairy Mage, "Sting-kun is gonna prove how strong he is by beating you in a fight, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto looked at the cat, "Oh really?"

Sting stood up, "That's right! All the adults in the town stopped me from fighting against that Grimoire guild when I could've helped! So I'm gonna prove how strong I am by beating the guy that beat them!"

Naruto hummed and nodded for a moment, "Except I gave it my all and couldn't beat all of them. And now, tired and injured, I'm not even a little winded from stopping your attacks. So~...I think you owe those adults some thanks for saving your ass."

Sting's confidence shrank a little and he hung his head, "Uhhhhh."

"But Sting-kun is super strong!" Lector argued while looking up at the whiskered man, "He beat a dragon all by himself!"

He looked to the boy with the scar down his eyebrow. Naruto asked, "Do you know a dragon called Igneel?"

"No. I don't know any dragon other than Wiesslogia."

"And did he vanish too?"

"No. Wiesslogia never vanished. He's..." Sting's eyes hid some pain and he looked away, "He's just gone."

Naruto stood there for a moment before scratching the back of his head, "Sting, why do you want to get strong?"

Lector and Sting looked up at him in confusion, "Huh(x2)?"

"I said why do you want to prove your strength? Why do you want to be strong?"

Sting blinked for a moment before announcing proudly, "I-I want to become strong so I can make Lector proud! He believes in me so I'll get stronger and prove myself by beating strong people too! Dark Guilds! Mages! Someday, I'm gonna beat Salamnder, Nastu-San, in a fight and prove myself!"

This kid wanted to fight Natsu? Were all male Dragon-Slayers ambitious idiots or something?

"Instead of trying to get strong to prove yourself..." Naruto pointed to a Lector, "Why don't you get strong for him?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Well obviously you want to make him happy, right? And he's your friend?" Naruto knelt down and poked Lector in the stomach, earning a little giggle from the standing cat, "What would you do if someone tried to hurt him?"

"Never!" Sting stood in front of Lector protectively while glaring at the whiskered Mage, "I will never let anyone hurt Lector or make him sad! He's my friend!"

Naruto looked at the young Dragon-Slayer glare at him before smiling and standing up, "Good. Maybe you'll find some strength in wanting to help Lector and anyone else you become friends with down the road. That's how I became stronger."

Sting and Lector looked at the older blond before looking between each other in confusion. Naruto started walking away before Sting realized he was leaving, "H-Hey, what about our fight?! I still wanna face you!"

Naruto didn't turn around, "I'm not feeling up to it right now. We'll just have to put a rain check on that fight, okay?"

Sting grumbled a little before yelling, "Naruto-San!"

Naruto stopped and looked back as Sting pointed at him, "I'm gonna become strong! Whatever way I can! And when I do, I'm gonna beat you and Natsu-San! And then I'll be the strongest! So you better prepare yourself for when that day comes, got it?!"

Naruto looked at the stubborn and defiant blond boy glare down someone stronger than him and say he wasn't gonna stop until he won a fight.

Was this that déjà vu thing he heard about?

Naruto laughed and turned around before waving over his shoulder, "Sure! I'll be waiting for you then, Sting!"

Sting and Lector watched as Naruto disappeared over the hill and out of their sights. Lector looked up to see Sting looking down at his own palm and think about something, "Sting-kun?"

Sting closed his eyes before gripping his fist and smiling.

"Someday."

########Hunter########

Done

This is a mile stone for Fairy Tail! 400! I feel like we're reaching the end! And Naruto too! The Last movie is coming in December and we're reaching the end of the manga too!

This is monumental.

The next chapter starts the next big arc with the introduction of our favorite piercing loving psycho. You all know the one I'm talking about.

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