The Man Who Cried Saint

by KiShang

Assault an impenetrable facility. Check. Free two S-class prisoners from jail. Check. Search for a missing teacher. Double check. Starting a guild wasn't exactly as easy as Naruto Uzumaki had first thought it to be.

2. Lone-eyed fiends

Alright, here it is; the second part of my pilot.

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Chapter Two

The Man Who Cried Saint

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The entire facility was a mess.

At every corner, rune knights battled furtively against the now rampaging prisoners. The small group of intruders; who had broken into the Island for the sole purpose of seeking out a man, steered away from battle as much as was possible – but few could match the strength of a wizard saint like Jellal anyway, and any who even tried were instantly smote down.

They had just returned to the dungeons (the section of the facility wherein Jellal had been held), when Kyo finally broke the terse silence hovering over the group.

"There is no one here."

Of course, they could all see that. The area was eerily devoid of any activity, and none of the few cells (except Jellal's) showed any signs of having been broken in. There were signs of a battle though – and a few unconscious rune knights littered the area – however, if that was from their earlier passage through here or something else, they really couldn't tell.

"Were there any other prisoners like yourself down in the dungeons?", Naruto inquired, still managing to keep up with them perfectly despite his injuries.

"I'm not sure", Jellal replied him, "It was always pretty quiet down here; however, I do know that I wasn't the only S-class mage on the Island."

"Wasn't or aren't?"

"Does it make any difference?", Jellal sighed, "We'd probably find out anyway, won't we?"

With that said, they continued forward, the only sounds heard being the clopping noises Naruto's clogs made on the ground. The shadows seemed to devour them the deeper they descended; something which the trusty lacrima torch (now in Samui's hands) struggled to effectively dispel. Out of curiosity, Kyo lagged some ways behind, peering into cells as they passed.

"It is here."

"Here?", Naruto retorted dubiously, glancing at the un-used cell at the exact end of the dungeon Samui was pointing towards.

"Yes – here", the woman sighed, "I would know, wouldn't I? This entrance connects the dungeons to a tunnel that runs throughout the length of The Black. The wardens use them as escape routes in the off chance that any dangerous criminals broke free. It will lead us to the surface."

Naruto wrinkled his nose at the thought. He had always hated tunneling – and not just because it made him feel like a rat, or worse, some kind of fox.

"How safe do you think they might be?"

"Gee, Naruto-sama, I don't know", Samui griped, very much aware of his phobia, "About as safe as they are old – a hundred years, give or take."

"A hundred years?!"

"Maybe tunnels are like good wine", Jellal offered good-naturedly, "Get better with time, that kind of stuff?"

Naruto glared at the man, "You know; I'm starting to think that you must have been a pretty lame dark wizard if your jokes are any indication."

"I try my best", Jellal muttered dryly.

Kyo had just been re-joining the team when he was stopped by a scratchy sound coming from the cell nearest him. Pausing, he craned his neck to take a peek through the bars, only to reel back in shock.

"Gahh!"

The rest of the group gathered around him.

"What happened?", Samui groused, "Did you see something?"

"Yeah", Kyo muttered, "I think someone is down there."

"Someone?", Naruto began asking only to be interrupted by a wheezy voice; worn with disuse.

"Now this is a very peculiar sight..."

The blond's bright cerulean orbs sharpened instantly to deadly shards, "Who's there?"

"Well, what do you know?", the voice continued amusedly, "Quite a group you got there, un. The wizard saint; Jellal Fernandes, a blonde bombshell, and two other goofs I probably know nothing about."

"Hey!", Naruto and Kyo yelled, however before anybody could say anymore, Samui suddenly stiffened and began walking down the long passage way.

"Er, where are you going?"

"We have our work cut out for us, Naruto-sama", she replied icily, "We can't waste time dawdling."

"What do you mean?", Naruto frowned, but the disembodied voice had begun speaking once again.

"I'm hurt, Samui-chyan. Is that any way to say hello to your brother?"

The woman immediately wheeled on her heels, "You are not my brother."

"Un, I know, but close enough, right? I'm about as much as the only family you have left."

Naruto swore he had never seen Samui's eyes look steelier.

"Let's go, now", she finally hissed.

However, their blond leader was having none of it. He was intrigued now, and really wanted to discern more about the current situation. There was also that little part of him that felt bad that he had never actually cared to know much about the girl's past before now.

"Oi, you in there", he called curiously, "Who are you?"

"Un, Captain Deidera, at your service - bomber for hire."

Naruto nodded approvingly, "The magic is back on. What are you still doing in your cell?"

The voice snorted, "What should I be doing out of it? I have no interest in joining the ruckus outside – this is the best part! Besides, I had a feeling you junkies were gonna come back in here."

"Oh, so you want to battle?"

"No! I told you I'm not like the other idiots out there! I want to escape with you guys!"

Naruto pondered this for a while, "Hmm, and you were waiting for the off-chance that we'd return to tell me this? What are you in here for anyway?"

"Why? Do I need to take a passport and a survey in order to join you guys?"

When Naruto didn't reply, the man finally conceded, grumbling, "Picky, aren't ya? Well, if you must know, I was put in here by the Council. The fools could never understand my love for true art so they stripped me from my position and threw me in jail!"

Naruto exchanged a wary look with his subordinates.

"Well, sorry, dude", he eventually announced, not sounding anywhere near sympathetic, "We kinda have one mass murderer on our team already. We're crowded enough as it is."

"Good luck getting out of here though", Kyo finished, getting ready to leave.

"Wait!", the man cried in alarm, "I can help you escape!". When he didn't get an instant reply, he continued; a certain smugness to his voice, "It's easy to see that Barbie over there stole the memories from one of the captains, however, what you don't know is that I'm actually the only one here capable of maneuvering through those tunnels."

"Don't listen to him, Naruto-sama", Samui grit her teeth, "He's slime. He'd do anything to have his way."

"Oh, but you know I'm telling the truth, un, Samui-chan?", Deidera called back, "Who knows what treachery lies within those dark holes?"

Naruto shivered at the thought of the tunnel, "Ugh, I get your point."

"We have a torch!", Samui yelled.

"Bet you can't use that to see booby traps coming", Deidera scoffed.

"Jellal?", Naruto finally asked, deciding that he would need more input on the matter.

The tattoo-faced man frowned, "Err, associate Deidera; former captain of the fifth unit of the Custody division. He was imprisoned for his blatant disregard for the lives of his fellow men and taxpayer's property. That's about all I remember. He's been locked up even before I joined the Council."

Naruto's voice hardened; his attention once again on the prisoner, "Do you pose any threat to my men?"

There was a pregnant pause, one which Deidera savored before finally answering, "No. Not really. Living in a small, dark cell can do those sorts of things to ya, you know."

"Well, get out of your cell then."

Ten minutes rolled by – when Deidera still hadn't emerged by that time; the whole group sweat-dropped.

"What's the problem now?", Kyo asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm kinda tied up over here."

Groaning, Naruto strode forward and smacked the door off its hinges. Behind it was Deidera, who was seated on a bunk, his back pressed against a wall. His luxuriant blonde hair and nails had grown dirty in his imprisonment, and his skin had grown pale from the lack of sunlight, however, none of them could miss the maddened look in his visible eye.

"You are not tied up", Naruto noticed irritably.

"Well, yes, but I'm pretty much useless anyway – what with these strength-draining walls and my lack of art materials."

"How can you help us, then", he inquired as Deidera strolled out of his prison, a small limp in his steps.

The prisoner smiled, swiping a lock of his hair away to reveal his artificial right eye, which was designed like a telescope.

"It's eye magic, un - kept it hidden from the Council. Pretty good long range and night vision, ya know?" He jerked his head down the dungeons, "Plus... I'm not the only one."

"There's someone else?", Jellal asked cautiously.

"Yup, and he's got eyesight almost as good as mine!" The now unconstrained prisoner walked over to the cell opposite his and gave its door a solid kick, "You can come out now, hottie!"

It took a while, but the group finally caught sound of a timorous voice which they would have missed had they not been trying, "Leave me alone!"

"Leave you alone?", Deidera gawked, "You mean you were being serious all this time? I thought you were just being a jerk when you didn't want to use your magic to help me break free."

"Who's that?"

The former knight-captain turned to Kyo, "That's Hoteye. He used to be a member of the Oracion seis, I think."

Jellal gasped, "I… I remember him! I had no idea he was in here too! He's a pretty powerful mage!"

Deidera waved him off boredly, "That was back then. He's pretty much copped out now – always keeping me awake at night with long diatribes of love and happiness, you know, boring stuff."

A man rose to peer at them through the small viewing bars. They were all surprised by his deep-set eyes and oddly-shaped jaw. However, what shocked everyone the most were the tears which were streaming down his face – despite the fact that his painted lips were twisted in a smile.

"Are you Hoteye?", Naruto ventured.

The man's smile widened, "Exactly!"

"Are the other members of the Oracion seis in here too?"

Hoteye shook his head, "Angel and Cobra are being held in Crocus, while our leader; Brain, is dead. I have no idea where the rest are."

"Alright... you are a powerful mage. I guess you can be allowed to join us."

"Naruto-sama", Samui warned, uncomfortably, "We can't have another dark wizard on the team… especially one from that guild."

"Don't worry", Hoteye declared, the tears still flowing down, "I have no intention of going anywhere!"

"Wha - why?"

The huge man retreated from the bars, choosing to return to his mattress, "What is your name?"

Naruto didn't miss a heartbeat, "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Very well, Naruto Uzumaki, I will tell you why I have no wish for escape. I have seen the light and have been forced from the darkness that had earlier consumed me. No more shall I feel that unquenchable lust for money and precious stones. All I wish for now is to spread love!"

"But how does that affect anything?", the blond retorted, confused.

Hoteye smiled once more, though it remained hidden behind the walls of his cell, "My newfound repentance and consequent stroll in the light do not negate the bad things I have done. In fact, they buttress it. I promised myself that I will atone for my sins, Naruto-dono, and that is what I will do, exactly! My only desire outside these walls is to be reunited with my long-lost brother, and when I do so, it will not be as a hunted man. Therefore, I shall stay here and carry out the entirety of my sentence if it means that I can finally be free!"

"What a goof", Deidera mumbled - but Naruto backed away from the cell; a grin on his face.

"I respect your wishes, Hoteye-dono. It would take more of a man to do what you just did". He paused, "But you are a man, aren't you? Not some tranny in a costume?"

"I am man, Naruto-dono."

The toad sage gave him a thumbs-up, "Very well, then. I wish you good luck! I hope you meet up with your brother some day. Let's move, people!"

As the group filed towards their escape route, Hoteye grinned and hugged his scripture book tightly against his chest, "I wish you all the best too, Naruto-dono, exactly!"

Kyo noticed Jellal's forlorn look as they left Hoteye's cell behind.

"What's the problem?"

"It's nothing", the former wizard saint sighed, "I just... I guess I used to have a pretty strong conviction too."

"Oh... well, if it'd make you feel any better, you were placed on death row, after all", Kyo shrugged, "That's probably a stronger heart changer than Nirvana itself."

"I'll keep that in mind", Jellal muttered dryly.

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The journey through the tunnels hadn't exactly been refreshing. For one, it had taken everything to actually convince Naruto to go through with it - especially after Samui had revealed that the entrance was hidden beneath the lone toilet in the cell.

"... but... but, there'll be roaches!", Naruto had groaned, "I think it will be better if we just battle our way to the top!"

Eventually, he'd succumbed - after much scuffling and biting - and they'd descended into the treacherous tunnels, Deidera leading the way. This far under the ground, they could hear no more of the on-going battles between knights and mages, however, they were soon poised with another problem; once it came to be time to resurface.

"This would pretty blow if this tunnel doesn't take us beyond the walls", Kyo grumbled, eying something slimy on the rocks distastefully, "I'd hate to have to be thrown directly into the fray after slugging through all this."

"Duly noted", Deidera agreed, forcing the latch at the end of their journey open... only to surface right in the middle of a standoff, with the garrison troops on one side and the Island prisoners on the other. All eyes immediately fell on him as he rose from the rather inconspicuous slab of rock on the ground, and it was with a groan that he slapped a palm to his face and muttered, "Yup. You just had to jinx it, didn't ya?"

"GET 'EM!"

The two forces charged each other, and the rest of the group scrambled up the tunnels and out of the way as the battle commenced – Jellal and Samui almost losing their heads to magic attacks in the process.

"What do we do now?!", Kyo yelped, forced to join in on the skirmish. Above them, lethal spells flew haphazardly, felling mages and knights alike.

"We have to get Jellal close enough to cast his spell on the runes", Naruto grunted.

Samui, who was attacking foes left and right; irrespective of affiliation, yelled at their blond leader, "We need some space, Naruto-sama."

The sage nodded but was beaten to it by Jellal who turned on the garrison troops and positioned his palms in a unique symbol, "Grand chariot!"

Seven seals materialized before him, forming a constellation that fired off high impact beams at the advancing knights. The ground beneath their feet erupted, and a good number of them were thrown into the air.

Naruto grinned, recognizing the challenge, and faced the other end of the battlefield. Placing both palms around his mouth, he summoned his magic and bellowed, "Toad magic: Oil flame bomb!"

A ridiculously huge ball of fire billowed out his mouth, instantly causing the wizard attackers to run for cover or end up being turned into barbecue.

"Hey, not bad", Jellal smirked.

"Yours could do better", Naruto countered.

The other members of their rickety team sweat dropped.

"They're good", Deidera observed, watching as they continued to fell foes left and right; Jellal with his heavenly beams and Naruto with his toad magic.

"Tell me about it", Kyo and Samui muttered.

"Don't just stand around - move!", Jellal roared, once he and Naruto had finally cleared a safe enough path.

"Oi, you're not our boss!", Kyo retorted, but he did move when he saw his leader hurtle past him.

The crowds of opposing forces were just regaining their footing when Naruto and his small group reached one end of the barrier.

"What do we do now?", the blond sage growled. The enchantments were still up in full force and had even resisted the futile attacks some of the prisoners had thrown at it. Perhaps, due to Samui's machinations, the conjunctive glyphs were now colored a vibrant pink rather than the deep amethyst it had once been.

"I'll cast a self-destruct sequence on the runes", Jellal announced. He walked towards the barrier, arms poised, "It would likely take some time to activate so..."

"We don't have some time", Samui warned him, pointing to the approaching group of angry mages and knights.

"Well, what options do we have left?", Jellal yelled, "It would take you eons to rewrite the enchantments, and it is now obvious that you guys didn't come up with any particular plan when storming the pla – !"

"My, my, Jellal, where did you pick this rowdy bunch from?", a rather seductive voice called out, "This wasn't part of the original plan."

"Ultear!", the blue-haired man enthused.

"I told you before, I don't know any ultears", Naruto grumbled.

"No, not that", Jellal shook his head, "That!", he ended his statement by pointing to the portion of the outer wall right above them.

"Oh, good, and now, he objectifies me", Ultear feigned hurt, placing a dainty hand upon her sizeable bust.

Naruto took a long look at the woman. She was definitely a femme fatale, with full lips, dark locks and an explicitly attractive figure - but there was something else he noticed.

"What is she doing?"

Jellal followed his gaze and grinned, "That's the arc of time!"

"Of course, that's what it is", the lascivious brunette teased, "I'm glad that you were smart enough to attempt an escape during this commotion, Jellal. I didn't want to go searching for you in this mess." She paused to observe him better, "Is that a beard? For real? Wow, you really look like shit."

The addressed man flushed.

Naruto, on the other hand, had been studying the seal in Ultear's hands, then the barrier; which was now turning a sickly green. Glancing at the woman, he spoke, "You're eroding the enchantments with what I'm guessing is a form of lost magic. Someone as powerful as you – are you also one of the wizard saints?"

A tick mark appeared on Ultear's forehead as she mistook his use of you for Ul.

"Shut your mouth!", she yelled back at him, much to Naruto and the gang's surprise.

"I can only give you so much time", Ultear continued over the din, her hair being displaced by the massive amount of magic she was exuding, "These seals are designed to be pretty durable but I can age them for only a minute or so before they replenish themselves."

"Go", Naruto ordered the group, turning now to face the raging mob; half of whom were ecstatic that the barrier was now being brought down.

The moment a window was visible in the runes, Jellal sprung into action. Activating his meteor ability, he grabbed Kyo and Samui, and rocketed upwards. Soaring through the barely large enough aperture, he landed by the side of a visibly strained Ultear.

"Naruto!", he turned to call to his new friend.

"Yeah, don't worry about me", Deidera grumbled, "I'm safe too."

Naruto, meanwhile, had cast his magic on the surrounding area. His gigantic earth styled wall rose to life from the copious amounts of mud he had spat before him. Sadly, it had already begun to crack under attack from rune knights and mages alike on the opposite end.

"I can't hold it much longer", Ultear groaned, as Jellal prepared to take off once more.

"We're not leaving them behind!", Jellal snarled, diving down to grab a hold of the two men. Naruto shrugged him off as he strained to keep the wall up against the onslaught.

"Keep moving! I'm right behind you!", the blond ordered.

Jellal spared him one worried glance then took off with the artist. The toad sage risked a last look to make sure they were all safe before finally letting his wall crumble. Getting a running start, he made a giant toad leap into the air even as a few magic attacks came close to striking him. Jellal grabbed his hand before he could fall.

"Gotcha!" The man grinned; then added as he pulled the blond up the wall, "Show-off."

"Ha!", Naruto cheered, once he had joined them atop the wall and the barrier had been restored. He grinned down at the mob below - who were looking at them rather forlornly - and blew a raspberry, "Nyah, nyah, nyah, we beat you, you pansies!"

"Er, Naruto-sama...", Kyo interjected.

The blond turned to him, "What?"

"We haven't exactly escaped yet..."

Behind them, waiting in front of the outer wall, was yet another squad of rune knights – most likely, Lahar's troop of reinforcements. They looked up at them, shock written all over their features.

"They've escaped! The prisoners have escaped!"

"The Black has been breached!"

"It hasn't been breached yet, you dimwits", Samui sighed, "Your prisoners are still inside -". She was cut off as the army unleashed a volley of gun magic at them.

"Shit! Which way now?", Jellal cursed, grabbing the still weakened Deidera and racing along the length of the wall.

"Meredy's waiting for us at the shore with a stolen council ship", Ultesr instructed, "Our best bet would be to get there before the knights do - luminous minutes!". Her trusty lacrima erupted into numerous fragments, crashing down on the unsuspecting knights below.

"I can help with that", Kyo smirked at her, "Use your best magic!"

He placed his palms in the signature position and summoned a seal beneath Ultear's feet just as she powered her lacrima once again.

"Mag x100", he declared, the same time she performed the move flash forward.

Instantly, a thousand orbs appeared out of nowhere, zooming towards the surrounding knights and incapacitating them.

"What -?", the woman balked, but she was forced along by Jellal, who took advantage of the wounded state of the knights to make a break for the shore.

The team practically rolled down the hill, the knights in hot pursuit as they did so. They had only just landed on even ground when - in the far distance - they spotted a petite, pink-haired girl running their way.

"Ultear!", she called out, waving her arms in despair.

"Meredy!", the addressed woman cried, "Why aren't you with the ship?" And it was then that they noticed the knights gathered in pursuit behind her.

"Cool. At this rate, we'd be sandwiched between the two sides", Samui casually observed, as if the prospect of capture didn't daunt her at all. They caught up with the young girl and made for the edges of the shore – in a perpendicular direction to the two forces. The sea was calm and steady, true, but its vastness made swimming across all but impossible.

"I'm sorry, Ultear", Meredy bawled, "I lost the ship…"

"So, this is the end of the line, yeah?", Deidera whistled, "Some rescue this is."

The time mage half-glared at him but quickly turned her attention to Jellal, "You can use your meteor ability to get away from here! Take Meredy with you!"

"Are you crazy?", the man gasped, "I'm not leaving you guys behind! Besides, I can't hold that ability for too long. I'd crash into the sea!"

They continued arguing back and forth, completely missing Naruto who had been busy drawing a semicircle around the group with his finger. The exact moment the soldiers reached them, he rose from his position, stomped his foot on the ground and formed a magic seal.

"Toad magic: Summoning!", he whispered.

The small group vanished from sight.

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It was some two hours later, when a small toad surfaced from the water bed and hopped inland across a small marsh. Once it had spotted sufficient enough dry land, it stopped and croaked once, before swelling to unimaginable proportions and bursting to release its gut load.

"Gahh!", Meredy cried, tearing animatedly at her hair, "What the hell was that?"

Ultear simply knelt in stupor, much too shocked to move apart from the occasional twitch of her fingers. Her body shook with small tremors and she muttered continuously beneath her breath, "Stomach acid... digestive enzymes... toad... Stomach acid…"

Jellal smirked amusedly at them then turned towards the whiskered blond.

"That technique you used; toad magic", he began, genuinely curious, "It is one of the lost sage magics, isn't it? Tell me; are you acquainted with the legendary toad sage Jiraiya?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes. If you have heard of him, then you would understand why I am so adamant on locating him."

"He's the friend of yours that went missing", Jellal realized.

The blond man sighed in confirmation, "Teacher, actually. The pervy sage vanished mysteriously not too long ago. He was supposedly heading towards Fiore when this happened. However, I have reason to believe that he might still be alive."

Jellal pondered this carefully. For Naruto to have gone through such lengths in order to simply gather information to aid him in his search, Jiraiya must have probably meant a lot to him. That, or the blond was just bat-shit insane.

Either way, Jellal could tell he was speaking the truth. He decided to concede, if nothing else but to honor his word. "I will help you in any way I can, as per our agreement – but you must understand why I find discussions on the topic of Zeref to be very sensitive."

"Sensitive indeed - considering you risked a steady job on the council, your title as a wizard saint, and the life of the woman you loved in order to resurrect some stupid mage."

Both men turned to gape at Kyo.

"Sorry", the black-haired mage muttered, scratching boredly at his chin, "but word does get around."

Jellal stuttered, choking a bit on his saliva, but then he composed himself and returned his gaze to the toad sage, "I started the tower of heaven project ten years ago, taking over the abandoned work of a dark guild known then as the cult of Zeref…"

It was difficult talking about the tower, especially considering that the whole ordeal was the most vivid portion of his memories, and the part of all his actions that shamed him the most.

"Wait, ten years ago?", Naruto interrupted, "What were you back then? Like thirteen?"

"I was eleven", Jellal deadpanned.

"Right", Naruto drawled, rolling his eyes, "Carry on, Einstein."

The genius mage frowned at the nickname but ploughed on anyway, "The tower is known as the Resurrection system, and is - in reality - a giant structure of crystal lacrima. It allows for the restoration of a deceased person at the equivalent cost of someone else's life. However, there are two requirements for its activation; a human sacrifice that has magic power equal or close to that of a wizard saint, and a power source of approximately two point seven billion Edeas."

"Two point seven billion?"

"Yeah. No single mage can produce that sort of magic power – in fact, the only source of such magic power on Earthland is the satellite square: etherion owned by the magic council."

Naruto scratched his chin in thought, "So, after you've met these two requirements?"

Jellal shrugged, racking his brain to remember the specifics, "The sacrifice is fused with the charged lacrima and the body is then broken down and reconstructed to form that of the person you wish to revive."

Kyo let out a low whistle, "That's some pretty bad mojo."

Naruto fixed the former wizard saint with a black look, one that made Jellal feel ashamed of his actions all over again, "What prevented you from going ahead with your plans?"

"Fairy tail", he responded with, despite himself, a smile, "I had already captured my sacrifice and convinced the magic council to fire the etherion, but Natsu - Natsu Dragneel stopped me."

Naruto's black look didn't waver, "And what happened to the tower?"

Jellal faltered. This part of his memories was always sketchy at best. "I-it… it was destroyed in our battle. I fused with the lacrima, I think, and redirected the unstable magic power skywards before the tower could crumble completely."

Uzumaki seemed satisfied with his answer because he visibly relaxed, but it seemed there were other questions still running through his mind, "Was it just the one that the cult created?"

"No", Jellal frowned thoughtfully, raising a hand to the blue ruff of his beard, "Now that I remember, the cult of Zeref created eight R-systems and seven of them were destroyed by the Council. The eight one was just beyond the coast of Caelum kingdom, south of Fiore; and that was where I was enslaved."

Naruto perked up, "Is there any possibility that there were more, or maybe, that any other persons created an R-system?"

Jellal stopped short at that one, "I… don't think so. I had the resources of the Council so I kept a pretty sharp eye about. Besides, even if someone out there created another tower of heaven, they'd have no way of powering it."

Naruto didn't see the logic in that, "You found a way to power yours, right? And I don't want to believe that the cult would spend a large amount of money on such a project in the first place - if they didn't have alternate means of utilizing it."

And it was then that the blunette decided that Naruto was actually far smarter than he seemed, even if the trait remained largely concealed behind his daredevilry and constant foolhardiness.

"I have... I have no idea", he finally conceded.

Naruto nodded again, seemingly content with what he'd gathered, "Thank you. If I were a mage requiring two point seven billion Edeas, I'd have no idea where to go either."

"You're welcome", Jellal smiled tiredly, "but I guess I owe you some thanks too."

"Hey", Meredy suddenly piped, interrupting their blooming bromance, "Has anyone seen that other guy, you know; the one with the locks?" – and it was true, they realized; looking around the small clearing, Deidera was nowhere to be found.

"Well, that's what you get for helping dangerous criminals – no offence there, Jellal", Kyo noted, "We free him from prison and he bails on us the first chance he gets."

"He couldn't have gotten very far, right?", he eventually asked his leader, "I mean, this is still treacherous territory. Hangman's Isle is the closest port to Yoshino, even more so than Hargeon, so they are bound to start looking for us here."

"I told you he was a pig", Samui spoke indifferently, "There's a good reason he has been locked up for so long."

However, Naruto didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden disappearance of their prisoner friend. Instead, he retained his attention on Jellal, a confused expression making its way on his face.

"I hope you don't mind my asking", he finally muttered, "but what exactly motivated you to start the tower of heaven project? From what I've seen of you so far, you don't exactly do your reports justice – except maybe you're some closet lunatic or that kind of stuff…"

Jellal felt an uneasiness pool in the pit of his stomach. He had been hoping this topic wouldn't be breached but it seemed Naruto was far too inquisitive for his own good. How the hell do you admit to someone the true reason behind the undertaking of possibly the darkest, most-inhumane scheme to everbe conceived in all of Fiore?

"Uh… I don't really remember…?", he tried skirting around the matter, but Naruto trained his sharp gaze on him until he eventually succumbed.

"You might not believe this", he murmured lowly, feeling his chest constrict painfully as he did so, "but I was actually possessed by the spirit of Zeref himself."

That got everyone in the clearing to freeze.

"Zeref's spirit?", Samui repeated skeptically.

"It's the truth!", Jellal argued, feeling unreasonably defensive, "It was Zeref who approached me and gave me the power I now possess. He's the one who convinced me to complete the R-system and revive him!"

Naruto adopted a sour look at his words but it was Ultear who stepped forward for the first time since they'd begun the discussion.

"There's something I have to tell you, Jellal."

"Ultear...", Meredy whined.

The long-haired brunette crossed her arms around her mid-riff, but she kept her chin tilted up defiantly, "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, but it is the real reason why I wanted to break you out of The Black in the first place."

Jellal stared at her warily, a sudden sense of unease niggling at the back of his head.

"There was no Zeref. That night, when you were chained in the torture room, it was I who approached you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am saying, Jellal", Ultear continued, looking him in the eye, "that I am the one you know as Zeref. I used possession magic on you, under the orders of Master Hades."

Jellal's face twisted hideously, "That's impossible! I know what I saw. I faced Zeref! He's the one who gave me power!"

Ultear frowned at him, "No one gave you power. It was already within you. I simply unlocked it using my second origin technique."

What?

"She's telling the truth!", Meredy interjected, "The real Zeref is still out there! You were only one of the keys to restoring his former self!"

"The real Zeref?", Naruto seemed to awaken from thought, but Jellal was having none of it.

"Get away from me, the both of you! I will listen to no more of your lies!", he spat.

"Sensory link!", Meredy began, but she was stopped by Ultear who draped a hand across her wrist.

"No", the brunette intervened, "He needs to come to terms with this, himself. He spent his whole life under the belief that he was serving a demon. To be fooled like that... he has no right to forgive me."

"Wait a second, Jellal". Samui stepped beside Naruto, a pensive look on her face. Her blue eyes glowed. "These two are telling the truth. The both of them are former members of Grimoire Heart, and they abandoned the guild a year ago, during an encounter with Zeref on Tenrou Island."

Jellal stumbled in shock; grief and confusion written all over his features.

"How do you know this?", Ultear asked, appalled.

Samui met her gaze piercingly, "My Mind eye magic sees through all. There's nothing you can hide from me."

"Tenrou Island", Jellal choked harshly, his face turning almost as blue as his hair. But, that's where Erza...! "What did you people do to them?!"

"We didn't destroy Fairy tail, Jellal", Ultear sighed, "Grimoire Heart did battle with them but we didn't manage to kill anyone from that guild. The real cause of their deaths was Acnologia – summoned by Zeref himself. He's the one who vaporized Tenrou Island."

Naruto already knew this from the information he'd received from his old mentor's spies – well, minus the Zeref part, of course. Acnologia - the black dragon of apocalypse, had wreaked havoc on the sanctuary of what could possibly have been Fiore's strongest guild, and had taken half of its mages with it. It was a tale for the ballads that was for sure - half of Fiore would definitely doubt its credibility - but it was true.

"We should leave", Naruto declared, turning to face his subordinates, "Our work here is done. We've gathered the information we need."

"B-but we still don't know exactly what Jiraiya-sama was searching for", Kyo groaned, "If Zeref lives, then why would he keep notes on the R-system? Wouldn't he have been trying to locate him instead?"

"Maybe he didn't know", Samui mumbled, "We are only finding out about it now, after all. The Council must have kept it under strict wraps in order to prevent a mass outbreak of panic. The real question is – what do we do now, Naruto-sama?"

However, the blond had stopped abruptly and was now staring at something lodged in the pocket of his shorts.

Kyo was the first to realize what. "Woah, boss, I think the book is glowing!"

Samui gasped in shock. The book was a magical item used by Naruto and Jiraiya to exchange messages whenever they were apart. Naruto had always gazed forlornly at its pages in the hope that Jiraiya would contact him someday - and now it was glowing!

"Well, read it", Samui urged, "What does it say?!"

Naruto lifted the orange colored book with shaky fingers - as if it would vanish any moment if he gripped it too hard - and turned delicately to the most recent page.

Brat, it's me. I've discovered something very important. Meet me alone at the coordinates I would send in the next hour. Erase it once you're done.

The end. That was it. That was all Jiraiya had written him, after months of terminating communication with everyone and the toads.

"Well?", Samui pestered impatiently.

Naruto schooled his features to neutral, "It's nothing - False alarm."

"False alarm?", Samui echoed coolly, "Who else uses the book apart from you two?"

"I said it's a false alarm!", Naruto spat.

The wind changed. Naruto never raised his voice at Samui. Not once. Not ever.

"What's going on, Naruto-sama?", Samui approached him worriedly. The blond shrugged her fingers off and turned away.

"The mission is over", he ordered, "I want the both of you to return to your previous duties and to maintain as low a profile as possible. I would contact you should anything come up."

"Dammit, Naruto!", Kyo growled, "What the fuck are you hiding?" – but the blond had already hopped away from the clearing, his eyes looking much more alive than they'd seen it in recent months.

Samui and Kyo gazed at his retreating back, the first rays of dawn already spilling over the small clearing. Behind them, a fatigued Jellal fell to his knees, shedding the first of many a tear with Ultear and Meredy.

It had been a long night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brat, it's me…

The train ride to Era wasn't exactly eventful. For most of the journey, Naruto leaned against the window next to him, staring silently at the scenery flashing by. There were numerous questions running through his head; all of which could not be answered readily.

The pervy sage wanted him to come meet him, and it had to be in Era of all places.

Era.

Naruto had never set foot in the city before; very little brought him towards the mountainous region that had once housed the headquarters of the magic council, despite his extensive travels with his teacher.

That was not to say he wasn't acquainted with the landscape however. Jiraiya had constantly drilled geography into his noggin whenever he could, and although Naruto hadn't appreciated it at the time, he now found himself subconsciously reciting the various facts he had picked up about the place.

For one, he knew that Era was fairly large, with a population of about three hundred thousand strong. The city was roughly circular in shape, ringed by a bunch of high-rising, snow-peaked mountains that were certain to make for an awesome morning view. He could recall that there were a few prominent landmarks in the area too. For example, the large rock in the heart of the city – upon which a now defunct version of the council headquarters stood; and the humongous Cathedral of saints – the biggest in all of Fiore. It was one of these that would be his destination today.

Slipping quietly out of the train station, he mingled with the crowd and deftly weaved his way past troops of rune knights stationed all over the area. Now that he was here, Era was definitely looking nothing like he'd expected. Everything was pristine, quaint and peaceful - most surprising for a city of its nature. The architectural design couldn't match the likes of say, Crocus, but it had its own signature to it, and Naruto could slightly envy the lives of the people who lived here. However, the headquarters (or former, to be precise) of the magic council stuck out like a sore thumb, and that was a sight Naruto could not appreciate waking to see every morning.

It took him a while to arrive at the famed Cathedral of saints - at least, longer than it should have due to his decision to observe more of the city for himself.

An impressive structure almost rivaling the size of the mountainous rock alone, the cathedral towered over most of the city, dazzling the landscape with its temple-like hexastyle design; composed of massive peripteral Ionic columns, and a gabled prop-and-lintel roof. A heavy curtain was draped from top to bottom, in between the two centermost columns, heralding the position of the main entrance. Upon the curtain was the signature symbol of the Council (an ankh), along with a runic inscription depicting the motto of the Wizard saints;

To protect. To endure. To uphold. All that is right and holy.

Naruto chuckled. Yeah, right.

The cathedral was closed off today, as it was non-visiting hours, but it only made Naruto's job easier. Sneaking past the gate guards was no problem and soon, he was safely across the courtyard, trekking through the mosaic floors that constituted the porticoes and inner structure of the cathedral.

Meet me at the cathedral in Era by noon on the third day.

The atmosphere in the building was stifling. However, if the outer design of the structure was an artistic mastery, the sanctum was even more superbly dedicated. Sprawling randomly across the naos; casting long shadows over every corner, were larger than life statues (about eleven meters tall) of the wizard saints past and present.

Their faces glinted fiercely in the evening light, and their glazed-over stone eyes seemed to glare down condescendingly on anyone who ventured below. For any other person, this would have been a humbling and perhaps overwhelming experience, but Naruto simply squealed with glee. Withdrawing a magic pen, he raced along the length of the room; proceeding to leave his signature on every single one of the stately sculptures - until he arrived at the feet of a familiar looking monument. Frowning, he craned his neck to take a better look at the statue of Jellal which had an arm extended to the heavens, much like the others around him.

"Sculpture doesn't do him justice", he noted with a grin, then promptly signed a big, scrawly one on its nose.

Take the wall behind the third statue on the first arc to your left. There is a tunnel.

The statue turned out to be that of a fully armed Jura of the Iron rock, and Naruto gingerly stepped around it to come to face with the marbled wall behind. Giving a strong push, the wall stubbornly remained solid beneath his fingers and would have continued being so, had he not noticed the small insignia on a part of the wall. Deducing the puzzle, he was able to uncover the hatch that would slide a portion of the wall to one side.

"Finally", he grunted, unraveling the hidden entrance to the tunnel.

The hole opened up to reveal a long flight of stairs that descended into the basement. Naruto traversed this; shuddering as he noted the dankness of the air and the fact that none of the wall torches seemed to have been lit. Jura's stony eyes followed him all the way into the tunnel.

The stairs ended in a narrow passageway which eventually pated out to an immensely large cavern; illuminated only by the light of a single oil lamp, so that he couldn't immediately make out his surroundings.

Walking towards the centre of the room, he stopped short when he realized exactly what he had been staring at.

It was a structure, and it was massive.

A voice snorted. "You're on time, brat."

Naruto turned towards a corner of the wall where a large, white-haired man had materialized from the darkness. There were familiar red markings beneath his eyes, and a humorous grin stretched his lips.

"Jiraiya-sama", he acknowledged with a nod, "What's this?"

"Long time no see to you too", the elder sage grumbled comically before glancing at the far end of the cave his protégé was pointing to. Embedded on the wall was an extremely odd design, composed of a tall stack of numerous stalagmites. It branched out in random positions, at heights reaching even that of the roof. However, what caught the most attention were the three statues protruding out of it. They looked like long-haired adult males, fused to the structure at their respective mid-riffs. All three sets of eyes were blindfolded; their arms outstretched - as if reaching for an invisible friend.

"This is what I called you here for", Jiraiya explained, "It's a sinister development I've been investigating for a while now but I can definitely tell you it is an R-system – made of black magic of the highest calibre."

"An R-system?"

"Yeah, strange, isn't it? I was captured by this cult not too long ago – long story, but I eventually escaped and was led here by my investigations. I have no idea what this is doing under the cathedral but I'm pretty sure I'll get answers once I've reviewed the data I've collected. Anyway, I will need your help destroying this evil, brat."

Naruto nodded in reply, turned on his heel, and then smashed his palm heavily into the other man's face. Jiraiya rocketed backwards, crashing against a nearby wall.

"Dammit, brat, what was that for?!"

"Don't make me laugh", Naruto growled coldly, magic power leaking from him, "You are not the pervy sage."

"What the hell -"

"Just shut up, okay!", Naruto roared, "Your gig is up!"

All was still for a while until a small, menacing chuckle filled the dark cavern. The elder sage picked himself off the ground, not even bothering to fix his busted nose or restore his hair to its original position.

"What gave me away?", he sneered darkly – however, the look on his face turned to one of confusion when he noticed Naruto hunching over in relief.

"Damn", Naruto sighed, "for a while there, I thought I actually got the real Jiraiya."

"What?"

"I mean you're good and all", Naruto continued, looking somewhat relieved, "You got the mannerisms down to a T! And the voice, the handwriting, everything! I just had to be sure, you know? It was a win or lose situation. Punch you, and make the real Jiraiya really mad, or punch you, and unveil your treachery."

Pseudo-Jiraiya's eyes were so wide, Naruto was sure they would pop from the poor man's sockets. Eventually, that unfamiliar sneer returned again to the face he knew so well.

"I underestimated you", the doppelganger growled, "Somewhere in your heart – before you even got here, you knew that something had happened to your mentor. I underestimated the accursed bonds between student and teacher."

Naruto shut his eyelids briefly, feeling a spark of rage begin to course through his veins. He'd feared this happening.

"You're right. I always knew, but I never wanted to believe it – at least not until now." He opened his eyes and they were steeled over, as cold as glass, "That magic you used now was a stage II transformation technique. Who are you?"

Pseudo-Jiraiya chuckled again.

"Who am I?", he parroted, his form shimmering right before Naruto's sight, "That is inconsequential, Naruto Namikaze. For now, I am no one. That is what you shall know me by."

Where Jiraiya once was, there stood an entirely different figure. The most distinctive feature of the newcomer was the orange swirly-patterned mask which hid his entire face, save for a single eyehole. And yet, for some reason Naruto couldn't fathom – despite displaying magical prowess earlier – this man; whoever he was, radiated absolutely no magical power.

Not a single ounce.

Naruto had never heard of such a feat among mages.

"You are a fool, Naruto", No one continued emotionlessly. He slowly raised a black-gloved palm towards the blond, "You recognized a trap and yet walked headlong into it. You are indeed a student of that man. Four trigram formation: Seal!"

A great magic circle opened up directly beneath Naruto's feet and the blond watched idly as four great stone pillars rose from the ground. The pillars glowed brightly for a second before releasing a multitude of magic-enforced chains. However, the moment the chains made contact with him, Naruto burst into smoke, only to be replaced with a log of wood.

No one stiffened. "I see... Substitution magic", he mused, "You couldn't have cast that just now..." He turned towards the entrance, "It seems that you are a decent mage, after all, Namikaze. However, you should have taken the chance to flee while you still held your life in hand."

Naruto didn't move, commending himself silently for thoughtfully activating his technique beforehand. The substitution technique was a dangerous magic ability that halved the user's magic power with every use. Naruto knew firsthand what would happen if he used it too irresponsibly.

He glared at his opponent, "Why Jiraiya?"

The masked man cocked his head, "Why what?"

"Don't mess with me!", Naruto spat, "What did you want with the pervy sage?! What did you do to him?"

"You should be more concerned about yourself, you know", the man hedged in a sing-song voice, "You wouldn't be leaving here alive."

"Then why did you lure me to this place? For what purpose?"

No one shrugged indifferently, "My actions shouldn't be of any bother to you, little fool. What you should understand now is that I am building a new world -", a sudden shadow fell over his mask, "and you are going to help me with it."

"If this is about resurrecting Zeref," Naruto yawned, "then I'm sorry to tell you that he is already among the world of the living."

"Zeref, eh?", No one's singular eyehole seemed to darken at the mention of the name, "I do not care about the worm… yet. However..."

He suddenly surged forward, shocking Naruto with his incredible speed.

The blond leapt away from the attack as quickly as he could, only to find out that he had been hedged when the ground began glowing beneath his feet.

Another trap?

"Three trigram formation", the masked man gestured with his palm, "Seal!"

Three stakes shot up from the ground and shackled the blond, pinning him in place.

Naruto growled in frustration. Just how many traps had this guy rigged up? He struggled against the bindings only for his eyes to widen a second later when he noticed the magic energy drain out of him at an alarming rate.

No one approached him casually.

"You won't be going anywhere soon, Namikaze", he said, raising a hand up to Naruto's face, "I'll be taking this now -"

A powerful burst of magic energy exploded throughout the cavern. Naruto roared as a geyser of blue magic erupted from his form, forcing the stakes to fall away and disintegrate into dust. The cave shook with the tremendous power as he was freed, and he leveled his now white-eyed gaze at his assailant; a terrific look on his face.

"You broke the seal with just your mahou", No one mused absently, having been forced to leap backwards to avoid the surge of magic, "However, if this is the limit of your power, you are incredibly pitiable -", but Naruto was already on the move.

Taking a deep breath, the toad sage swelled his chest to tremendous proportions and expelled a stream of immensely hot fire.

"Toad magic: Oil flame bomb!"

The flames were so dense, they appeared a scalding white to the distant eye, and Naruto kept up the blaze until a good half of the room was covered in it. The walls and earth were smelted, and fiery sparks rose into the air. However, he was shocked when, right before his very eyes, a fist manifested from within the flames, landing a solid hit on his jaw!

Dropping deftly on his feet, he ducked beneath the corresponding overhead kick, and placed both palms on the ground, muttering the word swamp.

The ground beneath his attacker immediately turned to a raging whirlpool of mud, but no sooner had the masked man vanished within the torrents that he appeared out of the ground once again – unscathed, latching a hand unto Naruto's wrist.

"That would do now", he stated, and Naruto felt a strange sensation; a tugging feeling that emanated from the man's eyehole, distorting his perception of the world around him until everything blurred into a single color.

He had already lost all feeling in his limbs when, with a brilliant flash of green light, pain rippled through his form and something pulled him forcefully back to reality.

"Gah!", he gasped, tumbling heavily to the floor, and panting noisily for a few moments, before rolling over and patting himself down to confirm he was still alive.

The masked man stared at him, a vague look of interest in his mien.

"You are an interesting one", he decided, watching as Naruto stopped his comic actions long enough to pull himself to his feet. From the blond's neck, a gem of green stone slipped and shattered against the ground. Naruto gaped at it in shock.

That had belonged to his mother!

"I see…", No one mused, "So, it wasn't any talent of yours, after all. It was just a protection charm. A very potent one, but still just a protection charm. It wouldn't work twice, Naruto."

However, by this time, Naruto was already beyond the point of reasoning. This man - this masked bastard - had taken his mentor, insulted his honor as a mage, and had now destroyed the last connection he'd ever had to his earthly mother. The blond couldn't help seeing red.

"You bastard", he spat coldly, "I'll kill you."

The man cocked his head, grossly unbothered by the threat.

Naruto took a step forward; every single cell in his body itching to let loose and rip the man to shreds… and that was when he realized.

This was what the bastard wanted. This was his plan. He was baiting him.

He groaned in realization. Of course, the man would bait him. It would be stupid to do otherwise. All of his earlier attacks had simply phased through his opponent, leaving the man unscathed each time. Then there was also the other strange magic the man possessed. If the masked man so much as caught a hold of him, Naruto knew that this battle would come to an end.

Dammit, it almost seemed like he was neglecting something too, Naruto growled, reviewing the details of the battle over in his head. It was like the masked man was angering him on purpose, drawing Naruto's attention away from everything else. Everything except…

His eyes fell on the almost literal elephant in the room.

"Sage magic...!"

"Haven't you learned anything?", No one asked narrowly, "Magic has no effect on me."

"... Abyss break!"

If No one's eyes had been visible, Naruto would have noticed them widen alarmingly. Abyss break was a potent spell - one of the most powerful that ever existed. It was the grand magic technique that could only be used by mages who had mastered all four types of elemental magic. If used here, there was a very strong likelihood that it would bring the entire cathedral over both their heads.

(Of course, it might also do you some good to know that Naruto hadn't exactly mastered all four elemental forms yet, but no one - pun intended - needed to know about that.)

The masked man responded swiftly, confirming Naruto's suspicions of his original plan. The wraith-like enigma leapt for Naruto's throat, just as he finished inscribing the seal on plain air. However, the moment No one's fingers closed around his neck, the blond burst into a wave of smoke, another log of wood replacing him.

Well, he really didn't have a choice…

The deed had been done. The masked man looked on forlornly as the golden magic circles of Abyss break blared to life… only for the seal to explode like a flash bang; the words 'YOU SUCK!' displayed in mid-air.

No one blinked. He certainly hadn't expected that. A mirthless chuckle made its way past his lips as he studied the rapidly fading magic seal. The four circles representing the symbols of abyss break were visible, but only three of them had been filled – that of fire, water and earth.

"I underestimated you after all, Naruto", he scoffed nonchalantly, turning to discern the location of the blond. He was unsurprised to find Naruto perched upon the demonic statue, a concentrated amount of magic energy in his palm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", he warned.

Naruto's focus wavered a bit.

"That monolith is the epitome of black magic", No one continued, spreading his arms nonchalantly, "Even if you somehow managed to destroy it, you'd expel more than a considerable amount of magic power in the process. Think about what that could mean for you… For the entire city…"

Naruto frowned, his arm still throbbing with mahou. He wouldn't dare to put innocents in harm's way, at least, most of the time; however, he was now sure that his earlier assumptions were true beyond all doubt.

"You", he spat, "You could have faced me anywhere if you really wanted me dead. There have been numerous times this month alone I've been utterly defenseless, but you chose to summon me here instead. There's a reason, isn't there?", He smirked. "This…", he struggled to find the right word, "This filth… you are connected to it somehow. It is why I couldn't sense any magical energy in you. This is the source of your power."

The atmosphere in the cavern changed abruptly. When next the masked man spoke, his words were tinged with a venom that sent an uneasy feeling creeping up Naruto's spine.

"And what about your teacher, Namikaze? Do you not realize what has happened to him? What will become of your mentor when you foolishly destroy that monolith?"

Naruto lowered his fist in shock. Jiraiya was trapped within this?– But then his eyes steeled over and he raised his voice in defiance, "JUST SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD!"

The masked man rushed forward, about the same time Naruto brought his hand down upon the statue, a huge ball of concentrated magic power swirling in his palm. The rasengan crashed against the monolith with a loud screech, and for a while, the black structure actually seemed to resist it.

"BASTARD!"

Naruto pumped more magic into the ball and it expanded alarmingly, engulfing the cave in its bright light. The light seemed to increase in intensity until – just when No one was within reach of him – the evil structure finally gave out; a tremendous explosion, and the cathedral was brought down over their heads.

"Naruto Namikaze", No one muttered from his safe perch atop a ledge, looking upon the wanton destruction that had just occurred. Over half of the grand cathedral had caved in, causing a majority of the naos-level statues to crash down to the caverns below. A single, decapitated head protruded from the debris, that of the stony glare of a spiky-haired man with angular eyes and the remnants of a high collared cloak.

The masked man glanced at it, even as his form turned wispy, a hint of red showing in his singular eye-hole.

"..."

He faded into the breeze.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Org sighed tiredly, feeling the beginnings of a migraine letting on. This had been the most hectic week so far in the magic council's history - what with the breaching of the maximum prison facility on Yoshino, and the destruction of the famed Cathedral of saints. It was even more hectic than the Etherion incident (and that was saying a lot), which had resulted in the disbandment of all but one of the members of the former council, and the condemnation of another two.

Looking up at the viewing lacrima, the age-weary mage silently scrutinized the now conscious young man depicted on it. He had to admit; the boy was incredibly foolish - or maybe, much too confident in his own prowess to be deemed sensible. It was one thing to attack the most secure facility in all of Fiore, but to pull off what he just did within the span of two days – and in Era of all places – Org found himself wondering if maybe the boy didn't already have a death wish.

"Councilmen, please be quiet", he pleaded, once he noticed it was past time the meeting began. His colleagues grumpily fell into order, adjusting themselves on their respective seats.

"It seems that the fates have deemed it right for us to gather here once again", Org started, already feeling the tension palpable in the room, "On the issue of one Naruto Uzumaki."

"I don't see why we waste our time", Tao; an aged councilor who was almost always blind-folded (for reasons best known to him) uttered, "Uzumaki Naruto has been identified as the same one who led the attack on The Black, and freed the convicts Jellal and Deidera."

"But why would he do so?", the lone woman in their midst, asked.

"Bah! Who cares?", Gronkjaer roared, banging his fist on the table, "If we had to inquire of every criminal in Fiore, the motives behind their actions, then we'd be having a full queue awaiting trial by now!"

"Still, his motives are rather glaring, aren't they?", yet another member of the council concluded, "Wasn't he found with the remnants of an R-system back in Era?"

"Maybe that's what he needed Jellal for...", someone else mused.

"But Zeref lives", the woman reminded, "Surely a wizard of his caliber would have found out about this despite how much we've managed to contain the Tenrou incident?"

"And what about the prison in Yoshino?", Mizgurck; a bespectacled man who rarely ever spoke, inquired, "Since it was so easily broken in, shouldn't we be thinking of reinforcing its defenses, lest another incidence like this one occurs?"

"We've already assigned scribes to do that, Mizgurck. In fact, the riot is already being calmed as we speak", Org replied him.

"There are also the cells here in our headquarters...", Tao suggested.

"But those are for temporary confinement only!", Gronkjaer barked, "Or at the very least, for the criminals we keep on trial! We cannot hold the bulk of the world's vermin here! It would be both impractical and foolish!"

"Why have we diverged from the matter at hand?"

Org held back a sigh. That last statement had been made by his least favorite member on the council – a man he deemed even worse than Gronkjaer.

"What do you mean, Stormcrow?"

Bocholt Stormcrow; a wild, strong-jawed mage with a patch over one eye and unruly, black hair, sneered, showing off his prominent canines, "We should be thinking of the adequate punishment that would be suitable for this rogue. We have to use him to set a warning – a deterrent, if you may – to any other out there like him."

"What do you mean?"

Stormcrow leaned back on his chair, his lone eye looking every bit as fearsome as his teeth, "You know very well what I am talking about, Org. I propose the ultimate punishment."

A hush fell over the council.

"We can't decide on such things!", Org gasped, scandalized, "At least, not without a trial!"

"But what use would it be?", Gronkjaer followed, "We already have enough proof!"

"That is not the way things are be done!", Org floundered, "We – we have policies to abide by! Rules to follow! Anything other than that would be inhumane!"

"Do you call humane freeing a renowned mass murderer, and attempting a ritual that could have possibly destroyed the entirety of Era?"

"Jellal might have been tagged the mass murderer", Org growled, "But it was our decision to fire the Etherion cannon that created the tidal wave that claimed hundreds of lives – a decision just like the one you proposed!"

A second silence fell over the gathering.

"Well, what do we know about this man?", Fiorelio; a spindly fellow in a white garb, raised.

"Hm, Uzumaki Naruto", Tao answered for all, "Son of the late Namikaze Minato and his wife; Kushina. Student and godson of the legendary vagrant mage Jiraiya. No visible guild marks on his body. He has also denied affiliation with any known terrorist groups. Sadly, that is about all we have on him at the moment. He's been off radar for years, scouring the whole of Earthland with his teacher."

Someone made a choking noise, "He is related to two of the Wizard Saints and yet turned out this way? That's impossible,"

"Haven't you learned", a new voice resounded through the depths of the chamber, "Nothing is impossible under the sun."

"Gran Doma!", several of the councilors gasped.

The chairman stepped from within the shadows, his wizard's hat pulled over his face and a majestic cloak draped around his form.

"I have been away on a sojourn", he began in a grizzly voice which matched his look, "And I come back to find what? The sacred cathedral that our predecessors built has been destroyed, and...", He looked each of them in the eye, "A prisoner placed on death row has escaped."

"Welcome back, Chairman-sama", Org bowed.

"I do not need your welcoming!", Gran Doma spat, and his snake staff rattled visibly at his tone, "What trouble brews in my house this evening?"

"We have the culprit, Doma-sama", Tao informed him, "This man; this Naruto, is the one who destroyed the defenses of Yoshino, and the same one who attempted to activate an R-system right beneath our very noses!"

Gran Doma peered at the lacrima on which the prisoner was displayed. His bearded face betrayed no emotions.

"I see… then so be it; a life for a life it shall be. Since he has seen it fit to free the prisoner Jellal from incarceration, it is only right that he take his place in the upcoming execution."

"Chairman...!", Org began, but he was instantly quelled once again by the glare of the powerful mage, "Have you forgotten your role within this court, Org? You are the only mage of the former council still seated; not because of your superiority in wisdom or magic ability, but simply because of the fact that change should not signify a complete turnaround of things. There are old values that should be retained. However -", He turned once more to the giant lacrima, "there are new ones too that should be established. I would not have you besmirching my authority on this house."

"As you wish, Lord Chairman", Org conceded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you awake, Naruto-sama?"

Naruto raised a tired eyebrow, his gaze falling on the young amphibian that peered at him from across his cell.

"Yeah, I'm good. What's up, Rafael?"

He wasn't feeling too good at the moment though. It was chilly in his cell – dressed as he was in only his pants and bindings – and Naruto couldn't remember the last time he'd breathed anything but recycled air.

The anthropomorphic frog fidgeted visibly, almost falling off his hover-seat.

"The Council is deciding your fate right now, Naruto-sama. Things are not looking good."

The blond grinned, "Oh?"

Ever since the council's mutated scribes had found out that he had been a student of Jiraiya (a famed friend of toads), things had turned out moderately better for the blond. He was being treated fairly well, and he never suffered so much as a lack of company in his small, solitary cell, however...

"What the hell do you think you are doing; talking to that man?!"

There were those idiots that would still remain rather magnificent pains in the asses.

"N-Nadal-sama!", the young Rafael stuttered.

"I told you to stop speaking to him!", his captain barked in reply, arriving in his own hovercraft.

(You might probably remember Nadal. He is the rather outstanding bullfrog who made Jellal's incarceration here a living hell during Fairy tail's battle on Tenrou Island).

"Back again?", Naruto smirked.

Nadal glared suspiciously at him, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing", Naruto shrugged, "I was just pondering which delicacy I'd like to try first when I get out of here. I think I'm in a mood for frog legs at the moment."

The two frogmen paled considerably at the pointless jab, but Nadal was quick to recover his bearing. Leering at the blond, he hovered forward and poked his stave through the magic absorbing stone. "Too bad that day would never come, fool. As of now we speak, orders are already being issued to carry out your execution. Those frog legs might just be the last thought you'd ever have in your life, you miserable piece of -"

"That's enough."

"Ah! The noble Chairman! Gran Doma-sama!", Nadal squeaked, bowing in respect upon his small craft.

Naruto squinted through the magic stone to observe the newcomer below. He was a tall, impressive mage, with a great, grayish beard and a scar over one eye. His strong arms were coated in fitting, steel gauntlets and he donned a wizard's hat over his head – however, Naruto's eyes were drawn only to the golden snake staff held in his hand which glinted even in the poor light.

He shivered involuntarily. The snakes would always devour the toads.

"Leave us", Gran Doma gestured, and the frogmen promptly disappeared, leaving Naruto alone once again in his floating cell. With another gesture, the prison lowered steadily till he was at face level with what could possibly be the most powerful man in all of Fiore – with the exception of the King, of course.

"You've gotten yourself into quite the situation", the Chairman began, once the blond was within eye-level of him, "Naruto Namikaze."

"Uzumaki", Naruto corrected automatically, and then frowned, "I guess". Even as he stared at his visitor, he could feel an uneasy sensation begin slithering up his spine. He averted his gaze.

"You guess?", Gran Doma murmured. If he'd noticed Naruto's action, he didn't comment on it. "It seems you do not yet understand the gravity of your situation, boy. The council has reached a decision, and it is a very grave one."

"I see", Naruto hummed, "So, what do you want?"

"It's not about what I want but what you need", Doma replied gruffly, "You've been unresponsive to our interrogation methods thus far… Uzumaki, but I am sure that you are starting to realize your need of a concession."

That was a big word. "A concession?"

The aged chairman smirked, "I want a written list of the names and profiles of all your accomplices, including any superiors you might have and the dark guild you serve. I also want to know the current whereabouts of the criminals; Jellal Fernandes, Ultear Milkovitch and Deidera -"

Naruto turned anxious, "Err... I'm not exactly sure where they are right now."

"In exchange for all this", Gran Doma ploughed on, "and your sworn allegiance to forever serve the Council, I can assure you that your penance will become substantially lighter."

Naruto fell into thought - but just as quickly as he did, he scowled; fixing steely blue eyes on the magic chairman.

"That can't be all, can it?"

Gran Doma remained stoic, "No, it is not, Uzumaki. I also want to know everything about the matter in Era."

The blond raised an eyebrow at that one. The Council had simply surmised the entire incident to be a magic ritual gone wrong. In what he'd gathered of their official report, they had simply stated that the apprehended culprit (being himself) had been foiled in his attempt to activate an R-system in his hideout beneath the Eran cathedral. They were only happy that they had managed to catch the mastermind behind one of the biggest break-ins in Fiore's history - and two days after the event no less. For the Chairman to be asking about it now...

"You know that the black structure wasn't a system needed for the restoration of Zeref?", he asked testily.

"I know only what I am told", Gran Doma hedged. "Black magic of that kind hasn't been seen in ages - at least, not from wizards of your caliber. Speak now."

Naruto faltered. He could tell the Chairman about Jiraiya's disappearance, the masked man, everything. He could tell him about the real reason he'd needed Jellal – the cause of his break-in into Yoshino. He could also tell him the secret behind his preference of miso to beef ramen - just to get it all on paper, at least – but… he wouldn't. They would find out about Jiraiya's death someday (and his preference of ramen), and he needed to be able to avenge his mentor without attracting anyny outside interference.

Besides, he calmly reasoned, even if the chairman believed his story of being conveniently attacked by some wraith under their cherished cathedral, heads still needed to fly. The council wouldn't rest until someone paid for recent occurrences - and it simply had to be him.

So, he adopted his patented oblivious grin (the one which always succeeded in ticking Jiraiya off) and chuckled, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

That day, he certified his death warrant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Four days later…)

There was a rather prominent foreboding over the large city of Era today. The usual business hub existed as always – along with the presence of civilians undergoing their daily activities; however, one could still easily tell that there was a very subdued mood to all of it.

Shops closed early, businesses ended abruptly, and the children were rushed home from school. The city bells had been rung. In exactly two hours time, the twenty-second public magic-execution to ever happen in Era (and Fiore as a whole) was set to occur.

Of course, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't tremendously bothered by any of it. He'd been visited by the interrogator multiple times in the last four days, and the sessions hadn't been particularly entertaining in his opinion (I mean, who the heck invented that water torture stuff?), however, today, he'd been given a meal fit for a king – and after days of having only water to drink, Naruto could almost laugh at the irony of it all.

Like, seriously, who would have thought that food would be the best way to make a man regret his death?

A priest had already stopped by earlier in the day, so all that was left was the rather horrid wait of what was to come. The blond lay back in his cell, looking past the transparent stone that constituted the material of his confinement. A thousand things kept running through his mind, but even those too ended the moment the execution squad arrived; not a second later than the appointed time. In the lead was a young knight-captain; a bespectacled man with dark shades and bushy hair that looked even more derelict than Naruto felt.

As he was escorted out of his solitary cell, Naruto tried to keep from dragging his tired feet. The interrogator had been even more ridiculous in his last session, but Naruto had held out – again – much to the ire of the magic chairman.

Through some unique magic, they were transported out from the dungeons and into the basement of the faux headquarters the council maintained in Era. The cuffs of magic absorbing stone dug deep into Naruto's wrists, even as he was led out onto a platform protruding from the gigantic rock overlooking the city, and then forcibly shackled to his knees. A large crowd had gathered below.

The councilors had also taken their positions far behind him along with two other captains he couldn't recognize. A squad of rune knights surrounded the area. Facing the platform was to be the tool of his demise – a strange looking metal contraption manned by a hooded executioner with an ankhish on his chest.

A terse silence filled the air.

"Do you have any last requests?", Gran Doma spoke, coming around to look the blond fully in the eye.

"Last requests?", Naruto chuckled incredulously, "Nope. Don't think so."

A smattering of hushed whispers rode up from the crowd below.

"Very well; Prisoner Naruto Uzumaki", Gran Doma's magic-enhanced rang out through the city, "You are henceforth to be publicly executed for your crimes against humanity and crimes against the magic council, regarding your role in the escape of two S-class prisoners, and your attempted resurrection of the dark wizard; Zeref". He sneered distastefully, "I hope you have made your peace. This would not be easy."

When Naruto did not reply, the Chairman stepped away from the platform, signaling the grand executioner.

"Fire the mini-etherion."

A gasp arose from the crowd as the satellite square contraption rose to life and the trademark magic seals were formed. A few of the knights and townspeople turned away but Naruto's glare remained steadfast. He kept his gaze locked upon the machine as it lighted up - a signal that it was ready to fire - and didn't look away once. The magic power in the atmosphere built up to a crescendo, and just when the pressure threatened to implode his ears, the platform was bathed in a concentrated beam of potent white.

"Reducio!"

Naruto grinned, looking up at the figure that had materialized before him. The beam from the cannon had dimmed down some, but should it hit them, they were still both going to find themselves as fodder for worms.

"Altairis!"

Ah, that could solve the problem...

The two spells collided dreadfully, and a section of the platform along with the etherion cannon was blown off as a result. The on-lookers below scattered in fright, and the executioner wailed as he toppled off the mountain. Naruto seriously hoped someone caught him.

"You alright, boss?", Kyo turned, a slight grin on his face. Beside him stood Jellal, who looked somewhat tense as his gaze fell on the magic chairman.

Naruto didn't know what to say. He had expected his friends to try and rescue him (despite the manner in which he'd treated them the last time they'd been together), nevertheless, he hadn't expected them to actually succeed.

And why the heck did they have to wait until the last possible second again?

However, this was far too easy. There was no way the Council would allow anyone to obstruct an execution as easily as they'd just done.

"It's a trap!", he yelled out, even as a glyph barrier snapped up around them.

Jellal relaxed at once, seemingly expecting this, and made a quick sign to Kyo. He turned to Naruto's bonds and his eyebrows crinkled thoughtfully in his still bearded face.

"Magic absorbing stone", he muttered, "You'd have to keep this on until we get somewhere safe enough to remove them."

Naruto smirked at him, "Does the fact that we are trapped with nowhere to go seem to bother you at all?"

"Don't worry", Kyo grinned even harder, "Jellal already anticipated this. They have traps like this one set up all over the place. The only glitch however, is that although we can't escape from the inside, they can't attack us from the outside too. It's the ultimate defense."

"It's Jellal!", one of the captains; this one with a scar on his face, gasped. A cry like wildfire spread across the city.

"And they are only just realizing it now?", the ex-wizard saint grumbled.

The knight-captains made a move to advance but it was the Chairman who stepped forth first.

"Look around you", Gran Doma commanded, his voice radiating power, "You would find yourselves to be outnumbered and outmaneuvered. It was quite impressive what you did with the mini-etherion, but I suggest you lay down your arms now."

They ignored him.

"Can't they, like, dispel the barrier?", Naruto whispered.

"Yes, they can", Jellal muttered, "But they wouldn't dare, at least, not yet. It would leave us free to attack."

"It's a good thing we've got Jellal on our side", Kyo informed him, "When word reached us of the public execution, he realized immediately that it was a plan to lure all your accomplices out."

"We would have come earlier too", Jellal apologized, "but we only found out about your execution yesterday. I never expected the Council to take such a decision without even holding a trial fir…"

"Do you three understand me?", Gran Doma warned. A multitude of Jupiter cannons mounted all over the headquarters had now been directed at them, "If you do not surrender at my word…"

"Hey, wait a minute", Naruto looked around, "Where's Samui?"

Kyo simply pointed upwards, "You'll see."

As soon as he did so, a plethora of fine explosions rocked the execution platform. The portion containing the runic barrier broke away and headed in a free-fall for the ground. However, before it could fall any further, three great hooks fell from the sky, latching onto the base and holding the slab of concrete wherein the three men stood above ground.

"Un. You alright, over there?", someone called.

"Dragon!", the knights cried in alarm.

Naruto glanced upwards to see what looked like three great clay (well, what do you know? The knights were right) dragons; a line of chain dangling from each of their respective bellies. He recognized Samui and Meredy riding astride atop two of them, but on the largest one, standing and grinning maniacally,

"Art is an explosion, un!"

"It was actually Deidera who notified us", Jellal confessed, "He located Samui, who only just managed to round the rest of us up yesterday."

Oh, Samui, Naruto shivered, She was so going to kill him.

Meanwhile, a councilor in knightly attire had begun barking orders at the soldiers who had managed to regain their footing.

"Shoot them down!", he yelled, "Don't let them get away!"

The Jupiter cannons were directed at the flyers, however, before any of them could be fired, the large cannons began quaking and then crumbled into dust.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"She's overdoing it again", Jellal noted, as a good half of the newly rebuilt headquarters crumbled once more. "There's no way she's gonna escape with only a mild arrest warrant this time."

Somewhere in the distance, Naruto could have sworn he heard a woman's maniacal laughter.

"Is she going to be okay?", he asked.

"Yeah, it's Ultear", Jellal hissed, a dark look on his face, "She can get out of there on her own."

"Oh. Alright", Naruto sighed, resting his eyes, "I'm sad to hear you two haven't exactly gotten over your lover's spat yet."

Jellal sputtered something but Naruto ignored him, turning his gaze to the magic chairman who stood perfectly still despite the chaos happening all around. The Chairman could have made a move anytime he wanted – anytime at all. He could have summoned his magic. He could have simply dispelled the barrier. However, it seemed the Chairman was largely unbothered with the manner of the blonde's escape, for reason's best known to him.

The thought frightened Naruto.

Naruto kept his eyes locked on Gran Doma's face until they eventually disappeared into the horizon and he could see no more of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing Samui had done once they'd alighted in the cave was slap him across the cheek.

Hard.

Naruto clucked his tongue to check if she'd knocked a tooth loose, but gave up when she fixed her cold stare at him.

"Why?"

The sound came out like a mangled threat. Naruto knew the answer she was searching for. He understood exactly what she needed to know. She didn't care about his destruction of the cathedral, or his arrest by the council, or even his almost-execution. She only needed to know why he had decided to leave them out of the loop. Why he had felt the need to go it alone.

So, he told her everything – her, and Kyo and, unfortunately, Jellal too. The rest he kept out of earshot, but these people – at least, two of them anyway – they needed to know. He told them in rushed details about the trap, and the masked man; who was obviously the reason behind Jiraiya's disappearance. He mentioned the strange R-system, and their battle; and the fact that his opponent seemed to possess no magic power whatsoever.

Of course, he left out some things too. He still didn't understand what exactly had happened with his mother's necklace; or why the man had been so intent on capturing him… but the less they knew, the better for them, and he had told them the important details anyway.

"So… this man", Kyo murmured thoughtfully; his brown eyes looking serious, "This No one. He is unaffected by magic?"

"At least, conventional magic", Naruto nodded.

"And you couldn't manage to figure out his identity – or the reason he attacked you or Jiraiya?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Well, this is fucked up", Kyo sighed, letting out a low whistle. He began pacing restlessly around the cave.

Naruto shrugged, turning his attention to the blue-haired man in their midst. "So, I'm guessing we are truly even now, right?", he asked, smiling faintly.

Jellal smiled back, "I guess so."

Across the room, they watched Deidera flaunt his explosive art to an ecstatic Meredy.

"So, what are we going to do now, Naruto-sama?", Samui turned to him, the worry lines uncharacteristically evident on her face, "We can't exactly return to our normal lives anymore. Not after what happened today. Where do we go from here?"

"I… I…", Naruto began; faltering. A sudden sense of weariness overtook him and he slumped on a side of the cave, gripping his head in thought.

For months, he'd searched desperately for his anything on his missing teacher. Anything. He had now found out the circumstances surrounding Jiraiya's disappearance. Unfortunately, it also opened a can of new questions.

Was Jiraiya truly dead, or was he simply being held captive somewhere? Who was this masked man? Where was his base of operations? Did he belong to any dark guild? Why was he so interested in the two toad sages? What could he possibly be hoping to achieve?

Naruto smashed the side of his fist against the cave wall in frustration. He needed answers, true. There were so many variables he needed to determine, but for the moment, he was glad he now had an angle to work with. If Jiraiya was out there, then he would rescue him. Simple. There was nothing else to it.

But, Samui had been right.What about now?What do they do now?, he pondered. They couldn't possibly keep roaming… not with a viable man-hunt on their heads. Caelum Kingdom was out of the question too. If he needed to locate the masked man, then he needed to do so here – he needed to remain in Fiore. He squashed the rogue tear before it slipped out of his eye. That said, what could he even do? What did he know how to do on his own?

Ever since he was ten, Naruto had been scouring the world with his godfather, training to become a mage. Life with the white-haired hermit was all he'd ever known. He'd kept pushing forward all this time Jiraiya had been missing because he'd always believed he would eventually find the elder sage. For him to reach a dead-end now… to realize now that after everything he might never see Jiraiya again…

"Er, what did you say, Naruto-sama?", Kyo piped up, after hearing the sage mutter something.

Naruto kept his head low. "What would the pervy sage have wanted me to do?", he repeated, "In a situation like this, what would he have suggested?"

Samui and Kyo exchanged a wary glance.

"Well", the girl began uneasily, "Jiraiya-sama had let slip once or twice that he wanted you to join a guild once you were done with your training. He thought that relating with other people apart from the two of us might do some good for you."

Guild eh?, Naruto thought, turning the word over in his heard. The word sounded foreign to his tongue.

Truth be told, he had entertained the idea more than a few times in the past, however, the thought of a guild brought together foreign concepts like family, bonds, friendship and trials, and Naruto wasn't exactly sure he could undergo all of that with more than the two people he saw standing in front of him.

"But which legal guild will take wanted men?", he wondered aloud, "Unless you want us to go join a dark one?"

"Dark guild, huh?", Kyo smirked, "Well, it won't be the first time. I've been part of one before."

Naruto mulled over the option, "What about you, Jellal?"

The blunette shrugged, "I've already decided on my path. There was something that always bothered me during my imprisonment at The Black. I want to find out the true fate of the missing members of Fairy tail, and… I'm going to make sure that no-one will ever find the need to hunt Zeref again and use his powers for themselves."

"Hn", Naruto nodded, "So I guess, that just leaves me".

He walked to the entrance of the cave and watched as Ultear approached on another one of Deidera's clay dragons; riding on the crest of the setting sun. She waved heartily as she saw him, and he waved back, a smile playing on his face.

He had a plan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Three days later...)

"What do you think the boss called us here for?", Kyo yawned, walking with Samui towards the meeting point earlier designated by their leader. Wisteria town was, well, exactly as Wisteria town should be; seeing as a few of the townspeople had already found their way to the beerhouses – despite it being only about eight in the morning.

"I don't know", Samui muttered, keeping the hood of her cloak low over her face. Behind her dragged a small box in which she had packed the most important of her meager possessions, which – knowing Samui – was probably a pile of books. Kyo hadn't bothered to pack at all. He'd simply stuffed his hands into his pants' pockets and set out, whistling a jaunty tune as they trekked down the streets.

Three days ago, their ragtag group of misfits had finally gone their separate ways. Jellal had started out on his self-imposed quest, and Ultear - in guilt - had volunteered to join him. The three of them (Meredy included) had travelled to the remains of Tenrou Island; via a council ship the lascivious brunette had stolen... or confiscated, in her words.

Naruto, meanwhile, had all but vanished, with a word to his two friends to meet him later at his preset coordinates. Kyo and Samui had no idea what their leader was up to this time, and they hadn't even bothered to protest. Neither of the two had much of a life left to return to, nor could they do so even if they did anyway. Whatever half-baked plan Naruto had cooked up, they would just have to go along with it like they always did.

They had just arrived at the small alley Naruto had described; in a rather remote part of town, when they ran into a face they hadn't exactly expected to see.

"Watch where you're going, un!", the newcomer yelped as he crashed into them.

Samui's eyes almost popped out her head in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?!", she screeched.

The former captain of the Detention corps didn't appear phased; instead he puffed on his bang and frowned at her.

"I can ask you the same thing too, sis."

Samui put two and two together. "Don't tell me", she hissed, "Naruto-sama invited you as well?!"

Deidera sniffed the air, "Well..."

"Well what?!", the girl snapped.

The blonde man raised an eyebrow, "You just said I shouldn't tell you."

Before Samui could do something hideous to the man, like skewer him with the dagger she kept hidden up her sleeve, Kyo stepped in-between the two of them.

"Now, now", he began, acting like he was admonishing a pair of two year olds, "That's no way to say hello – especially not between brother and sister."

"He's not my brother", Samui growled.

"Either way", Kyo yawned, waving her off disinterestedly, "We better go see what the boss wants. It's about the time he said we should meet."

They crossed the alley and emerged into the light, only to spot Naruto; who sighted them in turn, and began waving at them animatedly from across the avenue. He was dressed in a somewhat new get-up; maintaining his black shirt and orange knickers, with the usual wrist beads and clogs around his feet. The only thing that had changed was his cloak, which despite still being red, was now of a different design. It was longer than the last one had been, and sported elaborate fire motifs along the length of the sleeves and tail ends in a manner reminiscent to that of his father's.

Behind him and drawing the most attention, however, was a huge, awkward-looking building, two-stories tall. The building was an architectural nightmare; slanted and crooked at angles that would make one wonder how the hell the whole thing even managed to hold up. The walls were a bleached red, paneled, and seemed to have been made from a mixture of teak and hot baked clay. A stone chimney bellowed smoke from atop a dome-shaped roof which had two somewhat-horns protruding from both sides. The entire thing seemed to resemble a mushroom.

Samui was just about asking what the entity was when she found her vision obscured by a stray flyer.

"Huh?"

Detaching the piece of paper from her face, she squinted at the words which were written rather animatedly with childish crayons.

"To-ad-stool gu-ild", she mouthed, "Application form. New mages needed. Requirements: Mages must be... po-wer-ful?". She raised an eyebrow at their revered leader, a curious look on her face, "What is this?"

Naruto grinned ecstatically and clapped his palms, "Oh! That must be from some of the flyers I distributed today! I pasted it all over town!"

"Pasted what exactly?", Kyo inquired.

The blond's grin widened and he pointed to the building behind him – and it was then that they noticed the large signboard hammered on the top of the lone double doors.

"Toadstool?"

"Yeah", Naruto shrugged, "You said that the pervy sage had always wanted me to join a guild, right? So I ran through a list of available guilds, and couldn't find any that I would be willing to work with. Therefore, I took on a disguise, went to the Cabinet of Magic affairs and decided to register my own guild!"

"Oh okay", Kyo replied, nodding sagely. He then paused, "Wait... What?!"

"So, you mean to tell me that you formed your own guild, Naruto-sama?...", Samui began.

"... and erected that building in under three days?", Kyo completed.

The toad sage nodded, "Er... yeah, why?"

Samui pinched the bridge of her nose irritably, "I knew you were spontaneous, Naruto-sama, but I never figured you could actually go this far."

"What do you mean?"

The woman sighed, "Do you know exactly what you've done, Naruto? Did you even think for a moment what this could cause? Here we are, supposed to be maintaining a low profile, and here you are doing something as rash as creating a guild! We'd attract lots of trouble! We'd get hunted down by the Council and half of all the legal guilds! We'd never be able to sleep peacefully, and I'm pretty sure that some of us will get hurt in the process!"

Naruto seemed taken aback by her words, "So, you wouldn't join?"

"Of course, I'd join!", Samui spat, "If you can't even take two steps without stepping into a dung heap of trouble, I shudder to think what you'd do without us!", She then gave him a small smile, "Plus, I guess it would be pretty cool."

Kyo grinned too, coming around to stand next to them, "Being in a guild once again, huh? Yeah, I guess I can work with that. If nothing else, it should be hilarious watching you run it, boss."

"Guys...", Naruto sniffed, tearing up.

"What the hell did you think, boss?", Kyo gasped, feigning hurt, "You thought we were actually gonna abandon you? My heart – it's broken to pieces!"

Naruto grinned, turning to the last member of their small group. Deidera was standing some ways away, gazing into the morning sun.

"You're welcome to join, you know?", he offered, "It might not be anything like your former job but I'm sure it would keep you occupied."

The long-haired blond didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Besides", Naruto continued slyly, "You would get the opportunity to practice your skills… and earn steady cash which you'd need to in order purchase more of your art materials…"

That seemed to buy the ex-captain.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Count me in, un", he grunted, marching straight into the building, "Judging from what I've seen in the past week, this place is bound to be a riot, ha ha!"

Naruto smirked in return, moving aside as Kyo and a less ecstatic Samui also ventured forwards to explore building.

Taking a pause, he turned to gaze up at the sky.

Many guilds existed within the country but in one certain town, a new guild had been formed. A guild where legends haven't yet been born from but would soon be in the days to come.

That guild's name was Toadstool; and he could feel his teacher's presence watching over it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

a/n: I have a feeling that the ending didn't turn out exactly as good as I hoped. I spent hours re-reading and re-editing it, and then finally just decided to upload the whole shebang as it was. This is the end of the two-shot pilot I had originally written for The Man Who Cried Saint, and I can tell you that, due to the positive reviews you guys sent in for the first chapter, I have every intention of continuing this story.

Big shout out to everyone who even bothered to review last time out. Sorry, I couldn't find the time to individually thank each one of you. To those who raised issues of interest, I hoped I responded to them in a sufficient enough manner that left you satisfied.

The Cathedral of Saints I created for this chapter was actually inspired by, you guessed right, the Athena Parthenon. It seems no one has deduced my inspiration for the Black yet. I have an idea how I wanted Naruto's guild to look in my mind's eye, but I fear I still failed to describe it adequately enough to instill a perfect mental picture.

Next chapter, the story continues, along with the introduction of a few more Naruto characters. I think I might have to reduce the length in order to increase updating speed. Would team seven be in this? Doubtful. But I'd like to read a Naruto/Fairy tail crossover that has team seven as it's the main heroes someday.

Go to sleep after reading this, people, it's late in my part of the world.

Don't forget to review too!