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Chapter 6

X777

"It's been five years already." Tsunade muttered under her breath while marking an X over July seventh on the calendar hanging on the wall. "Damn idiots forcing me to come back here of all places because they ignored my advice about training medics." Tsunade grit her teeth trying to calm down since she had to pay for the things she broke now with the money being short everywhere.

She still remembered the following days after the dragons attack four years ago and the team Minato sent to track her down. Her and Shizune were some of the lucky people not in a major village during the chaos that followed from the five great villages being close to completely destroyed in one night and for that Tsunade was thankful. The chaos didn't end when the dragon left though because with most of the major villages being crippled around the same time it left a power vacuum that some of the minor powers hurried to fill.

Tsunade could still hear the threat as plan as day when the Anbu leading the team hunting them gave her the ultimatum. 'Return to the village or your protection from the other villages and traveling rights are gone.' That annoying tone in the masked Anbu's voice when he ordered her a Sannin of all people around annoyed her in ways she couldn't find possible until his second and command showed her the papers signed by Minato. A knock on the door brought Tsunade out of the more darker ways she could pay Minato and Jiraiya back for forcing her hand as she went to answer the door.

"What, its my day off!" Tsunade barked out seeing another Anbu standing in front of her. The Anbu blinked at her only getting Tsunade's grip on the door to tighten slightly seeing it was one of the few Root that weren't at the village during the attack. She always hated Danzo's methods for making his little army and even after the warhawks death and Jiraiya helping fix all the seals on them Tsunade couldn't stand looking at them for any longer than she had to.

"Lord Hokage requested your presence for an urgent meeting." With that said the Root Anbu vanished leaving behind a fuming Tsunade about ready to pull her hair out.

After downing a bottle of sake and stopping to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down Tsunade finally made it to the new Hokage tower. "What did you want brat?" Tsunade asked walking into Minato's office without knocking to see the tired form of the villages Kage along with his wife and Jiraiya waiting for her. "Your brats are fine and healthy even with Kyubi's chakra vanished from their systems so what do you want with me now?"

"I know your assistant Shizune files reports weekly about their health but that's not why I called you here." Sliding a folder across his desk Minato locked eyes with the villages greatest medic. "This is a copy of a Kumo medical file that sensei managed to get past the border."

Picking the folder up Tsunade started reading through it her eyes widening slight at everything she read. "Any signs of the Hachibi vanished from Kumo's Jinchuriki around the same time the Kyubi's chakra vanished from the brats. All this along with the other seven Jinchuriki means someone or something could be behind the events four years ago." She kept on reading through the folder her eyes taking in the medical reports from several different doctors included in the back. 'Strange it looks like his chakra is more potent for some reason just like Mito and Menma's are but his shows something extra in the reports the medics couldn't scan are even come close to identifying or tracing back to a source.' Tsunade's thoughts were racing through everything she knew and studied trying to think up anyway possible something like this could happen.

"So what do you think?" Kushina asked her trying not to show how nervous she really was. The grip on her hands tightened slightly hearing Tsunade hum as her eyes raced across the pages.

"Its possible but I'd need more than just this to work with. I mean a lot more than what we currently have and even then I'd be a long shot to try getting something out of this." Tsunade sighed before looking over at Kushina knowing she was the one pushing for this. "Even if you could gather up a team to try tracing the strange energy to a source we only have three former Jinchuriki left to test the method out on and even if they survive it we don't have a single clue on what could be strong enough to steal all nine Biju without a single person noticing something."Closing the folder Tsunade just shook her head not wanting to touch something like that. "If you want my opinion just leave it alone Minato. The Biju are gone from this world so we shouldn't start prying into things we didn't understand to begin with." With her piece said she turned walking towards the door to go home but stopped in the open doorway glancing back at them over her shoulder. "You've already thrown away one child because of a stupid prophecy don't throw away the other two just to get a weapon for the village again. It's not worth the pain if you fail it never is."

42-42-564

X784

ZZZzZzzzzZZZzzzzzzZZzzz...

Twin sets of snores could be heard all throughout the compartment as the train raced down the tracks towards its next stop. "It's a good thing Asura studied Sleep Magic big brother." Aries said with a small giggle watching both Dragon Slayers and their cats fast asleep on the seats opposite them.

Turning away from the window he was looking out of Loke glanced at the pair leaning against each other before answering her. "Yea Aries I heard how bad Natsu's motion sickness normally is so the both of them being asleep for long trips like this helps keep things calm without them getting sick." Loke's eyes softened when he glanced at Asura sleeping peacefully like that before glancing down at the black colored key pouch at his side.

'Aries, Caelum, Polaris.' He already knew about the three keys Asura already had contracts with but his eyes drifted to wear Loke knew the other three rested waiting to be used by the Dragon Slayer. The first key was gold in color even if it fell under the set of black Gate Keys ending in a spade-like tip that is connected to the key's bow by a dark serpentine figure that spirals around the blade of the key. 'Ophiuchus.' Loke knew finding a single black key was rare enough in itself if not suicidal depending on which Spirit the mage tried making a contract with but Asura somehow found one. The second one was another silver key with the bow shaped like a hexagon with rounded edges while at the center is the crest of Pyxis colored black with the blade shaped like an anchor. 'Pyxis.' He always had a soft spot for the Spirits belonging to the silver keys going out of his way to warn the younger Spirits trying to make sure the didn't try making contracts with just anybody that could summon them. The last key was platinum in color ending in a bird shaped claw gripping a dark green sapphire with the designs of small feathers running up it to the bow shaped like a five larger feathers merging together. 'Suzaku.' An elder wind Spirit that refused to make a single contract with anyone after watching how greedy most humans became over the years until Asura's stubbornness wore him down. Loke chuckled under his breath still finding it funny that for three months straight Asura would summon Suzaku at the same time each day asking to make a contract only for the wind Spirit to shout no before leaving. He couldn't help but find it funny watching how Asura wore him down repeating the same thing each day begging, bribing, offering him fried fish and everything in-between until Suzaku finally agreed to be summoned once a month as long as he could get a minute alone.

"And he did it all for me so I could go home." Loke muttered under his breath as he lost himself in the past remembering everything that happened that day missing the worried look Aries was giving him.

{Flashback}

"Loke's key... please...I'm begging you to give it to me." Asura begged his head touching the ground ignoring Loke trying to get him to stop.

"Asura stop I've made peace with my past and everything I've done! You don't need to do this!" Loke shouted his hands banging against the barrier keeping them apart. Nothing happened for a few seconds as Asura kept his head bowed to the dirt waiting for any kind of response. As the seconds passed he didn't budge from his position not even an inch trying his best to block out Loke's pleas for him to stop and the fact that time itself stopped when the being in front of him appeared moments ago to his attempts at calling him.

He was the Celestial Spirit King ruler of the Celestial Spirit World and a being that brought a fear to Asura's soul that not even the Kyubi could when towering over him all those years ago. It wasn't that the Spirit King was hostile towards him but just the power rolling off of such a powerful being from even this far away made his draconic instincts run wild. They screamed at him to either run because he couldn't win or fight with fight being the loudest calling his every fiber into action urging, screaming for him to test his skills against such a powerful opponent.

"I cannot." Asura snapped his head up to stare at the Spirit King when he said that. "You are still young so you might not know this but the celestial law at work must be followed by everyone human male."

"He only did those things to protect Aries from further harm! Karen was a monster to her Spirits using them as things to do whatever she wanted with! The things...the things she made Aries do make me sick to my stomach just thinking about it and your punishing Loke for just defending her!" Asura's hands were shaking in rage as he stared up at the Spirit King. "Just ask her! Please just call Aries here and see what happened to one of your twelve golden keys. She's reduced to nothing but a timed girl unable to think for herself or talk around me without expecting some kind of punishment!"

His instincts were screaming out at him to attack the Spirit King for overlooking everything Loke did in the past to help all the other Spirits under him. "He did nothing wrong I looked up her last job when Polaris told me who Loke really was and Karen tried taking on a dark guild arrogantly believing she could take on a job over her head without her Spirits acting as shields."

"So please...please..I'm begging you. Give me Loke's key...so I can send him home." Asura pleaded glancing back at Loke who collapsed on the ground begging him to stop as his fist pounded against the barrier begging him to stop. "Please let me send him home and I'll do anything, anything you ask of me. Just let him go home to the family waiting for him."

The Spirit King watched on his eyes taking in the form of the human male bowing his head to the dirt begging him for Leo's key. His eyes softened at the scene before him seeing the image of a red-headed being overlapping Asura bowing in the same fashion before him begging for his family's safety. 'Only a truly special being would throw away his pride for someone else like that.'

"A single labor is all I ask of you human male." Asura's head snapped up with hope in his eyes hearing that. "Agree to find the four Guardian's keys scattered across Earth Land, find them and bring them together once more and Leo's key is yours to use. Will you still do this for my old friend even if it means he can no longer make any new contracts or even return to the Celestial Spirit World until your task is complete?"

{Flashback End}

"They're doing it to help you big brother." Aries mumbled breaking Loke from his thoughts. "Natsu's even helping and they agreed to keep it a secret from the guild like you asked so please quit blaming yourself for what happened." Loke looked over at her seeing her flushed face as she tried speaking her mind. "You saved me from her so please let someone help you for a change." Loke nodded slightly adjusting his glasses before giving her a warm smile agreeing with what she said even if his heart still didn't believe he deserved any of it. As the train speed across the country side Loke's hand traced over the runes Asura drew over his heart knowing the only reason he could even fight at full power now was because it slowly siphoned off power from the sleeping Dragon Slayers in front of him.

While the two Spirits talked quietly a young girl with long dark hair walked passed them hurrying to the next compartment where her seat was. "Slow down we're not going anywhere." An older voice called out causing her to jump slightly. The girl turned around quickly an embarrassed look on her face to see the stern look on an older red-head a few steps behind her along with a matching disapproving look from the white cat riding on his shoulder.

"Sorry." The red-head just shook his head slightly as they walked towards the next compartment brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead revealing a strange-looking tattoo. Nearing the door the red-head stopped suddenly a chill running down his spine before turning around his eyes scanning everyone in the compartment for a few seconds looking for the source. With a shake of his head the red-head brushed the thoughts running through his head away when he couldn't feel nothing but faint pulses of demonic power for more than a few seconds at a time.

42-42-564

Hours later the members of Team Natsu finally made it back home to Magnolia with Asura dragging a whining Loke by his ear down the street. "Flirt with the girls later 'playboy' I want to get home and unpack." Hearing muffled laughter Loke shot Natsu and the two cats riding on his shoulder and head a murderous glare seeing them laughing at him behind Asura's back.

"Ow, ow, ow. Come on Asura I said I was sorry and they were enjoying spending time with us." Loke tried in vain to free his poor throbbing ear while trying to ignore the amused looks people were giving their team after getting use to him being punished by Asura by now. "Would you let me go if I started complementing your as- OWWW!" He screamed out almost in tears feeling his poor ear getting twisted even harder under Asura's iron grip. 'Worth it at least.' Was the thought both Natsu and Loke had at the same time but for different reasons seeing Asura flustered like that.

"Finish that sentence and you can forget me cooking the team dinner." Asura threatened but everyone could see the slight pink on his cheeks that only got worse when Natsu gave him a possessive look over Loke's shoulder when nobody was looking. Hurrying towards his home forgetting he was still gripping Loke's ear Asura ran past Lucy who was glancing through the store's windows at the clone sitting near the register in the back reading a copy of Sorcerer Weekly.

"Hey loony."

"Wasn't her name lucky?"

"Hiya blond lady." Natsu, Happy and Cole greeted walking past Lucy with a wave into the store snapping her out of her thoughts as she quickly followed him inside.

"It's Lucy." Lucy corrected following him towards the stairs when she ran face first into a barrier. "Wait a sec, what is this?" She asked holding her nose while her left hand felt the barrier Asura placed to keep people he didn't approve of from getting upstairs.

"Lucy was it?" Asura's clone asked looking up from the magazine in his hands when she looked his way. "Sorry about that but only members of Team Natsu and a few others outside the team are keyed into the runes keeping you from following them upstairs. Boss should adjust them to let you up later on tonight if you come back wanting a free meal but they just got back so he'll be cooking dinner first." Lucy just sighed wanting to talk to the original for a while now since Asura's clones didn't have any keys when they were created.

"Let him know I'll be back later then." She called with a wave heading back to the guild for now. The clone watched her go smirking to himself knowing she'd let it slip that the Boss was back home and cooking.

42-42-564

Sure enough like the clone predicted before dispelling Lucy came back with Cana, Levy, Gray, Jet, and Droy following her after they learned Asura was cooking dinner for his team. Walking up the stairs Lucy looked around at Asura's place seeing the wooden walls as she followed the others past the living room that had two couches next to each other in an L-shape a coffee table with a few magazines on it and bookshelves with an assortment of things scattered around them and old job request Team Natsu went on. When they reached the kitchen most of them were already hungry smelling the food from blocks away and Lucy could understand why when she took in the sight of all the different types of dishes Asura cooked in the last two hours.

Zosui, teriyaki chicken, yakitori chicken, oyakodon, yakizakana with daikon, sushiu, onigiri, agemono, and all the different types of ramen sum she couldn't even place with dozens of sweets off to the side slightly. All the food was freshly made waiting for them to enjoy as they each took a seat at the table with Loke still rubbing his sore ear. "Come on Natsu just say 'ah'." Looking towards the stove the girls saw a slightly flustered Natsu leaning against the counter with his mouth open trying not to look embarrassed as a grinning Asura fed him a piece of kompeito. 'That's a point for me.' Asura thought with a grin leaning closer to lick some crumbs off the side of Natsu's lips enjoying the way his eyes dilated and the flush spread further.

Gray just averted his eyes choking back the taunt he wanted to say eating a piece of chicken without thinking about who it belonged to. "What the hell snowflake I was saving that for last!"

"Whatever I thought you didn't want it since you were still over their with water boy." Gray countered with a shrug smirking slightly as he looked away. Natsu just glared at him seeing Gray smirking like that and with a quick glance behind him to see Asura distracted with Happy and Cole quickly grabbed the dango off of Gray's plate stuffing it in his mouth.

"That was my dango sulfur breath!" Gray yelled slamming his hand down on the table standing up.

"You had it coming for stealing my chicken ice-cube!" Natsu shouted back standing up as he butted heads with Gray both of them missing Asura walking towards them.

"I was saving that for later instead of eating everything at once like you do!" Gray growled out as Levy laughed slightly under her breath whispering for Lucy to just watch.

"Tough luck, you ate my chicken so I ate your dango!" Cole and Happy were snickering from their spot on the kitchen counter seeing Asura standing right behind them tapping his foot slightly.

"You wanna go stripper!?" Natsu challenged his fist catching fire getting ready to jump across the table.

Gray got into the stance to use his Maker Magic. "Anytime your ready match stick!"

BAAM! Faster than Lucy could blink both of them were on the ground holding their heads in pain while a grinning Asura stood over them his fist coated in pressured water. "You two know my rules if you want to keep eating free food." In the time it took the others to blink the both of them were on opposite sides of the table giving Asura a look like he just threatened to set an orphanage on fire.

It surprised almost everyone at first when they learned Asura could cook most dishes he knew better than Mira and didn't mind when random people from the guild stopped by looking for a free meal. Gray was one of the handful of people who learned the hard way that Asura also had a vicious side to him when it came to his home and if they wanted to keep getting free food then they followed his rules while inside its walls.

"Why are all the good ones either with somebody already or gay." Cana muttered under her breath after gulping down the free alcohol Asura normally keeps around for her getting Levy to agree with a sigh of her own. Levy missed the way Jet and Droy's jaw dropped hearing her say that before glaring at each other knowing they needed to beg Asura to teach them how to cook if that's what she wanted in a man. "Thanks for the free meal seaweed brain."

"Yea dad is the best."

"No he isn't Natsu is."

"I meant at cooking big brother."

"Well enjoy the free food while you can because I heard Erza's due back any day now." Gray told them in-between bites of all the delicious food. Everyone besides Lucy shivered at hearing that piece of information knowing how she normally acts after coming back from a long job. A few of them glanced at Asura who was sitting beside Natsu matching him plate for plate. Everyone at the guild knew how Asura didn't get along with Erza and the feeling was mutual between them ever since she refused to help him test some of his armour when he was starting out. So they already knew it was either going to be another fight between the two of them or Team Natsu would be gone before Erza gets back and from the looks Asura was giving Lucy and Gray they might be getting two temporary teammates just to annoy her.

Seeing the news about Erza had everyone slightly tense Cana leaned over whispering something into Lucy's ear and got the reaction she was counting on. "What do you mean his rent is 10,000 Jewels cheaper than mine!"

Author's Notes -

Erza is a grey area for me but don't worry I'm not going out of my way to bash her there's just going to be a few times where she clashes with Naruto/Asura over a few things.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR IDEAS AND SUPPORT!

The events during the flashback is something I had planned in advance only altering it slightly to fit the OC keys into the story. I wanted him to do something to get Loke's punishment overturned and people might disagree but I always felt it was a little to easy for Lucy to just shout at the Spirit King yelling he was wrong then 'poof' everything's all better now. It just annoyed me to no end so I had the idea about Naruto/Asura doing something and changed the labor from what I had originally planned out to something slightly different adding the OC keys.

The four OC keys he has to find are as follows.

Seiryu, Dragon of the East Gate - An elder shadow Spirit and strongest of the four.

Genbu, Tortoise of the North Gate - An elder water Spirit, slowest of all but also the wisest using his gathered knowledge in ways no other cane.

Byakko, White Tiger of the West Gate - An elder lightning Spirit the fastest Spirit known to the world. Not the strongest of all physically but makes up for it with unparalleled speed.

Suzaku, Phoenix of the South Gate - Weakest of the four Spirits relying on cunning and tricks to stay a step ahead of his opponents.

None of my readers are getting more than that until they show up. But wow, people really have a lot of ideas on which keys Naruto/Asura should have and why. Most people who sent me a suggestion had the same kind of thought using the Chinese Zodiac but with their own little twist to it. There's a few more OCs Spirits I might bring in but for now I'm sticking with what I already have planned out so sorry in advance if I don't use your idea.

Response -

goop: You and a few people had the same idea with those four constellations.

Green Piratee: About Loke's key I don't know. I couldn't make up my mind so I've been asking a few of my readers and the people who sent in suggestions about the gate keys what they think and decided to leave it up to whichever one gets the most people behind it. Though if Loke does go to Naruto/Asura than I'll be giving Lucy some of the OC keys to counter it.