CHAPTER 4

Sasuke picked up a cloth and began to polish his sword. Finally, it was relatively quiet. He hadn't got much of it since the three new members joined the year after he and Laxus had formed their team.

The first one to join was Gray Fullbuster. He wore a sword-shaped pendant around his neck, and had spiky black hair. He used a extremely unique style of magic, Maker Magic. Ice Make Magic, to be exact. It was very creative, since you could make anything out of your element.

If you were creative enough, it could be formidable. Although it was relativly common, but no creations were the same. You could literally make anything out of your element. But he had a weird habit. Stripping. He often removed his clothes without even realising it. Sasuke could never understand how he do it without realising it. Most of the time he ended up walking around in his boxers.

The next was Erza Scarlet. She was a year younger than him. She wore her red hair in a plait. She used to wear a eye patch over her right eye but it had been removed. She wore armour and carried a sword by her side. She always wore her armour and held her sword tight. They seemed to reassure her.

She would probably end up using sword magic, which wasn't very powerful on its own but he had seen her talking to Bisca so maybe she would use requip magic. She was quite uptight with other members and if she got strong enough, and maybe one day she could carry out her threats she made to the more destructive and rowdy members.

For example, Natsu Dragneel. He was a boy with pink hair and a scaly scarf, which he was never seen without. He was a year younger than Erza and the same age as Gray. He was loud, brash and always eager to fight. He normally challenged Gray, who happily accepted. Natsu and him were like fire and ice.

Natsu was literally fire, he used Fire Dragon Slayer magic. He had been taught by Igneel, the fire dragon. He was immune to fire and explosions, and he could control fire and use it to attack. He could also eat fire. It looked cool, but it had been more impressive the first time when Laxus had eaten a bolt of lightning out of the sky.

Apart from Gray, he challenged Erza once, but she must have petrified him, because he rarely challenged her after that. Laxus was the same. The older wizards refused, telling him he wasn't old enough. Sasuke had been on a mission the time Natsu had joined. When he came back the pink-haired boy had jumped at him screaming,

"Fight me!"

Sasuke's insitnicts had kicked in and using all his power, he had buried Natsu into the ground. The boy stayed away from him after that.

A stool flew across the room and just missed his head. Sasuke turned round, scowling.

"Who was that?"

A sheepish face popped up from the crowd.

"Sorry about that, Sasuke."

Most people didn't want him fighting in brawls. He was too strong and although he rarely interfered, he was like Erza when he did, ending in quickly with no mercy. He hadn't fought in many brawls anyway.

He was strong, but he didn't have as much destructive power as Laxus, especially when he used his Dragon Force. He became slightly more ferocious and his power became harder to control, plus it wore down his stamina faster. But he became faster, stronger and his attacks were much more destructive and powerful.

His jutsu's were powerful, and he was one his way to creating some, but his progress was slow. It would take time, but once they were finished they would be formidable.

One of them, the Chidori Blade, involved channelling his lightning chakra into his sword. The electricity locked up the muscles, rendering the victim unable to move, easy prey for the attacker. But it was difficult to manipulate his chakra into his sword.

There were five chakra natures: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning. Sasuke had unique chakra, he could three of the chakra natures: Lighting, Wind and Fire. These were all natures were geared towards attack, which fitted with Sasuke's fighting style. The Uchiha's specialised in fire style jutsus, and Sasuke found that Lighting came naturally to him.

But he found Wind tricky. He was sure it would become easier with practice, but since he was lucky and talented enough to have access to be able to use three chakra natures, he knew he should make the most of it.

Water and Earth were generally for more defensive purposes. They didn't suit Sasuke at all, really.

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. It was quite high-pitched, and he couldn't make out what they were saying. He concentrated and manage to make it out.

"Fight me!"

He knew that voice. It was Natsu Dragneel. The Dragon Slayer had jumped at him, fists aflame. Sasuke simply leaned to the side and the boy sailed past, slamming into the wall. However, he quickly recovered and leaped at Laxus, who was the closest. The teen smacked Natsu on the head, flattening him into the floor.

Sasuke shook his head. Laxus sometimes took it slightly too far to stop people annoying him. Natsu managed to get up, which didn't actually suprise him. Natsu had taken much harder hits than that from Gildarts.

The boy was extremely durable. Sasuke wondered what he'd be like when he got older. He would certainly be able to take hits. Sasuke noticed Natsu was walking over to him, a curious expression on his face.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"What?"

"I was er, talking to Macao, and he said that it could help me if I controlled my fire so it didn't burn anyone."

"And?"

"I was erm, wondering if I could make constructs with my fire, like the stripper does with ice."

"I suppose that would be possible."

"Huh, thanks."

Sasuke was impressed. Natsu did have a brain in his head after all. It was interesting how he wasn't thinking of using just force. Sasuke would see how it developed. Natsu had just strolled off with fire spiralling of the top of his finger.

Most people assumed Natsu wasn't very bright, and in most instances he wasn't. But when it came to fighting, he showed flashes of intelligence, and maybe even brilliance.

He turned back to the boy, who was punching Gray. He sighed. Somethings never changed. Erza marched up behind them and smashed their heads together, breaking up their scrap. He frowned at Erza.

"Will they be alright?" He asked.

She waved her hand dismissivly. "They'll be alright. Plus," She lifted a couple of papers from Gray's pockets.

Sasuke reconized them. "Damage reports?"

"Yes, looks like they've caused a lot over the past few jobs. It might become a cause for concern. The Master is a little lenient with everyone."

Sasuke could see what she meant. Makarov didn't care about the Magic Council, and while that may of made the guild for free and unique, the money was wracking up.

If the Magic Council could authorize and create guilds, why couldn't they dissaprove them and disband them as easily? Hopefully the guild would get better at controling there magic and causing less damage, but he didn't see that happening, especially with Natsu and Gray.

He decided he should go on a job. Laxus was away on a job as well, so he didn't have much to do anyway. He took a nearby flyer and walked out of the guild. He spotted Natsu in the woods nearby, and was that Gray? He strolled over to them.

"Fire Dragon's Construct Claw!"

A thin stream of fire flowed from Natsu's hand. It was moving away from him slowly. Natsu concentrated hard, and the stream stopped moving.

The end grew out into some sort of claw. Natsu strained, and it started to resemble more of a claw. Natsu let out a deep breath, but his concentration broke and the claw disspated into the air. Gray corrected Natsu's stance.

"Feet closer together. You're too tense, you need to relax if you're gonna use that in battle."

The Dragon Slayer nodded. "I wish Igneel was here, he could help. Was it good?"

Gray smirked. "No, it still needs plenty of work."

"Take that back, you pervy popsicle!"

Natsu kicked Gray with a flaming foot. Gray kicked him back. They were interesting. One minute they were training, the next they were beating each other into the ground. They would be a powerful duo when they grew up. All of the young members of the guild had potential.

Erza was quite strong and should be one of Fairy Tail's strongest when she grew up. He had exchanged a couple of words with her, but they hadn't sparred, which was suprising since they were both sword users. He hadn't really seen her use her sword she always carried though. When she ended fighting, she usally used her fists.

Natsu was too eager to fight, but his magic had lots of raw power, and if he could build on that, he would become very strong. His constructs Sasuke had seen him developing were unorthdox for a Dragon Slayer, and he probably shouldn't use the constructs all the time, but if he kept them in reserve they could catch his opponents off guard.

As for Gray, well he could think of more structures to Ice Make, but Sasuke couldn't think of anything else. Gray should train his body, becoming more agile and strong, so he could use his magic to it's full extent. He wondered if Gray would benefit from helping Natsu. Probably. It would help them both. All three could only get stronger.

That was good. Sasuke liked a challenge. Laxus and him were on a similar level and he had never fought Gildarts. He hoped he would. The man was made out to be a monster, and Sasuke was eager to see how he measured up against Fairy Tail's Ace. The guild could only get stronger. He was looking forward to it.

Sasuke yawned. His boots echoed off the ground. He had grown out of the clothes from a year ago. He was wearing black leather with the Uchiha symbol on the back, with metal knee and elbow pads along with boots. He wore a chain shirt under the leather with his sword secured on his back with bandages.

He also wore bandages around his forehead. Along with this, he had a gauntlet on his left wrist, woven with metal that could block blades. The job had been easy and boring. He had finished had he had to do, and collected the reward. But he had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a barren wasteland on the outside of Kunigi.

Sasuke looked around. What was that sound? Were those footprints? That shadow definitely wasn't his. Things was getting interesting. Was someone following him? He had learned to trust his instincts, and they were telling him that he was being followed. His sensetive ears picked up a sound. A small rock moving across the ground. He knew it.

Sasuke twisted, bringing his sword out from his bandages, bringing it round in front of his chest. A person had slithered in front in him from somewhere and swiped at him with a kunai. The person had long hair, quite a long face, plain-looking and slightly creepy.

Sasuke pushed with his sword, but the person pushed back equally strong. They disengaged. Sasuke kept his sword up, guarding himself.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I am... Orochimaru." The voice was soft, mocking. He reminded Sasuke of a snake.

"Why are you attacking me?"

"Sssss." His tounge moved over his lips.

That's creepy. Sasuke thought. He knew he shouldn't engage, he didn't know who Orochimaru was, or why he had attacked him. He went to run, but Orochimaru managed to get in front of him. Sasuke went to change direction, but again the way was barred.

"The mighty Uchiha... running? I thought you would give me at least some challenge." Orochimaru mocked.

Sasuke knew he was provoking him, but that didn't stop him. He didn't care. No one should sully the name of Uchiha!

He pointed his sword Orochimaru right between the eyes. He closed his eyes, chakra surged through him. When he opened his eyes, they were a deep crimson. The Sharingan.

"Fine. If it's a fight you want, a fight you'll get."

Sasuke jumped in front of Orochimaru and lashed out with his sword. The snake jumped back, avoiding the blade that whistled past. Then he came back at Sasuke, who blocked the attack.

He jabbed, and Orochimaru swayed past the attack and came at him. He was fast, and Sasuke knew he was dangerous. Did he use chakra? Magic? You could normally tell but sometimes it was harder to identify.

Better find out. Sasuke stopped his attack and jumped back. Orochimaru took advantage, feinting low and switching to a high attack. Sasuke spun away, but the blade of the kunai caught him on the cheek.

He knew he should be attacking but he was curious about what power Orochimaru used. He threw all his power and speed behind his attacks, but the snake weaved passed them all.

Damn, this was tricky. Sasuke got faster and faster, pouring more effort into his strikes. He slashed diagonally and Orochimaru jumped back. The snake made a hand sign and air rushed from behind him, sending Sasuke flying back, head over heels. Chakra it was.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu."

A fireball rocketed across the space between them. Orochimaru managed to jumped away, barely avoiding the flames. He somersaulted away, trying to get some space, but Sasuke didn't let him.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu."

A dragon of flame arced across the sky. Orochimaru's mobility in the air was limited but he used some air to send himself sideways. He avoided the brunt of the jutsu, but still took half of it full-on. The snake landed, his face melting. Sasuke smirked. The first bit of real damage in the battle.

But Orochimaru reached for his face and pulled it off, the layer of skin dripping onto the floor. Disgusting. The new layer had white skin, narrow eyes and a cruel smile. A long tongue dragged itself across his lip.

"Now I can fight seriously." He smiled.

Sasuke yelled and cut for the head. He wasn't getting anywhere. He launched a back kick. Blocked. That's how it was. Back and forth they went, with Orochimaru on top. He smacked Sasuke, sending him flying back.

But even then, he managed to dig his hand into the pouches on his waist, and throw a kunai. Orochimaru deflected it with his own. Then he sprang back at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked a punch and threw one of his own. But Orochimaru dropped onto the floor with unnatural flexibility and speed.

He extended his sleeve and a large white snake shot out. Sasuke was suprised, but his quick reactions took over. His sword flashed, taking the snake's head. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, and he pressed forwards, chakra appearing round his hand. He moved fast, faster than Sasuke and sliced at Sasuke's neck.

On instinct, Sasuke brought the gauntlet up, blocking the blade. Orochimaru poured chakra into the blade, forcing Sasuke back. Sasuke gritted his teeth and pushed, but he was forced down. Orochimaru kicked him, and Sasuke flew back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Orochimaru spread his hands and snakes erupted, forcing Sasuke to jump back to avoid the snakes. Sasuke took a handful of shuriken and hurled them at Orochimaru.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."

The metal stars peppered the ground around Orochimaru, who somehow managed to avoid them all, expect one which grazed his face. Sasuke tried to follow up on this, somersaulting towards Orochimaru with his sword at the ready.

"Soft Physique Modification."

Orochimaru's arm grew long and flexible, grabbing Sasuke by the throat. He reeled his arm in, still holding Sasuke. He laughed, a hissing mocking sound.

"You're worth nothing." He hissed.

Sasuke felt his sword slide from fingers. He tried to fight back, but oxygen to his brain was being cut off. He flailed, but didn't hit anything. However, with his last reserves of strength he managed to focus some chakra into his foot and kick Orochimaru, sending him sprawling.

He landed, sucking in air, and started to run at Orochimaru. He focus, harnessing his chakra. Lightning crackled around his hand, growing in size. Before Sasuke struck, Orochimaru heard a sound.

The sound of birds.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke bought his hand up, which was covered in blue lightning, and stabbed. His hand burst through Orochimaru's chest. He looked down, an empty look in his eyes, blood gushing from his mouth. He tried to clutch at Sasuke's wrist, but his strength was gone. Sasuke smirked.

"Don't... mock... the Uchiha."

He withdrew his hand. At least he tried. But his hand was stuck. Orochimaru liquidfied, but then solidified around Sasuke hand, trapping him.

"Well, you fought well. You'll be a great subject."

Sasuke turned. Orochimaru was there. He had a small cut on his face, but otherwise he was unharmed. He smiled, enjoying the panic in Sasuke's eyes. He began to weave hand signs. Sasuke tried to move, to do something, but whatever he was trapped in, it was sapping his strength.

Sasuke thought Orochimaru was going to unleash a jutsu but instead he pressed a single finger to Sasuke's neck. Searing pain shot Sasuke's body. He arched his back, teeth gritted and sweat rolling down his face.

He tried to stay upright, but the pain became too much, and he passed out onto the ground. Before everything went black he heard Orochimaru speak.

"Remember... if you ever need power... you know who to go to now."

Sasuke woke. He ached all over, and his neck was especially sore but there wasn't any lasting damage. He managed to get up, started the walk back to the guild.

He had told Laxus what had happened, but he had never heard off Orochimaru. He knew Laxus didn't show it, but he was concerned. Anyone would be if their friend got attacked by a mysterious figure. He didn't tell any else though. He knew he probably should of.

But there was just a nagging feeling in his stomach. After, he doubled his training to make sure something like that never happened again.

But something like that was going to happen again. Very soon.

A/N: There we go! New chapter up. Enjoyed writing this fight.

As for Fairy Tail well, a bit weird. Zeref and Mavis... well. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a follow, favourite or a review!

Cheers,

Katsu :)