So much for this being a pet project, lol. This is only LS's fourth chapter (fifth if you count the prologue), yet it's already gotten 220+ reviews, 630+ favorites, and 790+ follows. All of my expectations were obliterated by the sheer power of your awesome responses. I'm honestly at a loss for words. Keep it up, guys, you're fantastic!

Living Shadow

Ever since its founding, Fairy Tail has had a mysterious protector who works in the shadows and never reveals his face. Only the guild master knows his true identity. But when things begin to snowball downhill, beginning with Phantom Lord's attack, it's time for the legendary guardian to step into the limelight. AU, Naruto x Fairy Tail crossover.

Chapter Four – Decisions

Year X784

In the comfort of his hidden alcove, N sat on his bed, holding his spare mask face-up in his hands. The bright glow from his desk lamp cast an odd shadow over the mask, giving it a more sinister appearance. The cadmium orange lines almost looked like threads of flame, weaving in, out, and around the ebony black surface. N stared at it contemplatively. The tip of his index finger brushed over the edge of the left eye hole.

For ninety-eight years, he had carried the mantle of shadow guardianship. Ninety-eight years of wearing masks, ninety-eight years of hiding his name and face – ninety-eight years of being 'N' and disassociating himself from his identity as Uzumaki Naruto. Mavis had reminded him during the years they spent together, but in the end, even she had lived and died knowing him as N. He slowly traced over the lines on the mask.

Makarov wanted to terminate the shadow guardianship contract so that N could be made into an official member of Fairy Tail. If he agreed, he would no longer belong to the darkness of the shadows and the dirty, bloody battleground formed by the dregs of society. He would be stepping into the light, where mercy and decency went hand in hand and he would be exposed to the world once again. Every fiber of his being protested against it. Shinobi thrived in the shadows, no matter their age, strength, or reputation. It was their way of life.

N exhaled softly, closing his eyes. Of course, the shinobi had died out a long time ago. War after war had seen to it, staining the air with the smell of ashes, blood, and smoke, the sky glowing crimson with fire. The screams echoed, the monuments warped beyond recognition, and the dead rotted in the streets. The vegetation withered with time, turning what was once a beautiful landscape to dust and bloodstained soil. 150 years after he was born, all but him had perished, and the age of mages began. Forget the naivety of his youth; the peace his revered teacher had talked about was nothing but wishful thinking. That dream had died with his friends.

N opened his eyes, gazing down at the mask again. He set it aside and stood up, stepping towards his desk to pull out one of the drawers. A small silver mirror rested inside. He picked it up and peered stoically at his reflection.

Nothing had changed since the last time he had glanced into the mirror. He still looked like he was twenty-five. But if one looked closely enough, his eyes appeared tired and pained, swimming with the depths of years far beyond his physical age. How could Makarov expect him to expose himself like this? N paused at the thought, blinking at the mirror. Since when did he care what others thought of him? Had he become so deeply entrenched into his role as 'N' that his fundamental self had changed, adapting to Fairy's Tail ideals and Mavis' will? Ninety-eight years was not a particularly long time when one considered the extent of his lifespan, but it was long enough for a person to change.

N put the mirror away. He picked up his mask and secured it over his face, feeling an odd sense of relief as its familiar weight settled over his skin. He was, first and foremost, a shinobi. And once a shinobi – he reached out to switch off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness – always a shinobi.

He felt the tug of the Hiraishin. Makarov must have thrown the kunai. They had just defeated Phantom Lord, so he doubted it was an emergency. It was highly likely that the guild master just wanted to finish their conversation about his shadow guardianship status. N teleported to the location of the kunai, but instead of Makarov's office, he found himself in the center of the guild hall, surrounded by all of the members of Fairy Tail.

Makarov stood on top of the table next to him, his arm still in its throwing position. The aforementioned kunai was stuck into the floor at N's feet. N bent down to retrieve the kunai, twirling it around his index finger by the ring at the end of its handle.

"Makarov-san," he began, his voice deceptively calm, "what is the meaning of this?" He tossed the kunai into the air, snatched it by its handle, and slammed it point-first into the table. "Didn't I tell you… that this was for emergencies only?" His steely gaze pierced straight through the old guild master, making Makarov sweat a bit at its intensity. The Wizard Saint straightened back up, clearing his throat. The Fairy Tail mages watched the two of them in tense silence.

"N," Makarov started, clasping his hands behind his back, "Fairy Tail would like to thank you for your services. You protected the guild admirably, as expected of your shadow guardianship duties. With Phantom Lord defeated and all its members now in the Council's custody, it is time to turn our attention to the matter we talked about directly after your capture of Jose. Have you made a decision yet?" He finished his mini-speech off with a hopeful grin.

N was silent. He flicked his gaze over the Fairy Tail members standing behind Makarov, noting their grateful, but curious faces. He could see the questions in their eyes: Who is this guy? Is he a new Fairy Tail member? I've never seen him before, so d'you think he's like Mystogan? What's his name? What do you think he looks like underneath the mask? And so on, so forth. Those kinds of things were to be expected, seeing as he'd kept out of the spotlight for almost a century.

His attention returned to Makarov, who looked at him expectantly. "No," N answered bluntly. He let go of the kunai, leaving it stuck in the table. "I did say I would consider it, Makarov-san, but not now. Not yet." He brought his fingers together in front of him, forming a one-handed seal. "If you want to discuss this issue further, your office is more than sufficient–"

N was interrupted when Natsu lunged at him, a single hand shooting out with the intention of knocking N's mask off his face. N swung his arm up, hitting Natsu off-course with a fist to the face. The Dragon Slayer went flying into the wall. He smacked into it with enough force to leave a hole in the shape of his figure. He stayed there for a few seconds, seemingly frozen with his soul floating out of his mouth, before he fell out of the hole and landed on the floor in heap.

"That won't work, firecracker," N said, lowering his arm. "Try again next time."

"Natsu," cried Happy, flying over to his downed partner. "Are you okay?"

N watched passively as the pink-haired boy struggled to get to his feet, his limbs still shaking from the force of the blow. "Y…you're so strong, N," Natsu said, steadying himself against the wall. He took a step forward, swaying a little bit. A blond girl with a ponytail at the side of her head hurried forward to support him, muttering something about how he shouldn't push himself. "Why don't you want to join us, huh? Are you scared?"

"Natsu, don't be so rude—" the girl scolded, but Natsu ignored her and gazed at N, fiery determination simmering in his eyes.

Cheeky brat, N thought, smiling a little behind his mask. Kinda reminds me of myself when I was younger, heh.

"Think what you want, Natsu. But my reasons are not so shallow that they can be expressed with mere words like 'scared'," the shinobi answered, resuming his one-handed pose. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Hold it. Don't leave yet, I've got something to say to you," said another Fairy Tail mage, stepping forward. She was the chocolate-haired woman who had attacked him after he'd taken care of Gajeel. N wasn't sure what she could possibly want with him, but he acquiesced by staying where he was instead of teleporting back to Makarov's office.

"…Yes?" he prompted when she stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"Don't rush me, I'm trying to find the right words to say," the woman grumbled, putting a hand on her hip. "N, right? I just want to thank you for saving the guild and… I'm sorry for accusing you of being an enemy." A hint of pink dusted her cheeks.

"No problem. I was simply doing my duties as Fairy Tail's shadow guardian," N replied. He looked at Makarov again. "Now, let us—"

"You're not getting away so easily, N!"

"Yeah, we're gonna tear that stupid mask right off your face!"

Before N could get in another word edgewise, the Fairy Tail mages converged on him, using the classic capture move universally known as 'the dogpile'. N instantly teleported away, reappearing in Makarov's office. He could still hear the yelps and shouts from outside the door as the wizards fell on top of each other. He chuckled lightly. There was no way they could get him with a predictable move like that.

N melted into the shadows in the room, deciding to wait for Makarov to come back to his office before they picked up their discussion. It was heart-warming to know that they wanted him to join their pseudo-family, but… he honestly had his reasons for keeping out of the spotlight. Perhaps he and Makarov could tweak the contract somehow so that, rather than a shadow guardian, he could exist as just a protector. He would still be duty-bound to place Fairy Tail's well-being above all else, but he would no longer work solely from the shadows. It was a rather distressing thought; the shadows had been his domain for several centuries. Could he give that world up so easily?

He would need more time before he officially made a decision. Perhaps it was time to visit Mavis again, as well as that place…

Tenroujima was exactly the same as he remembered it—bright, lush vegetation in shades of yellow and green dotting the rocky slopes, an enormous tree sitting at its center with its roots entwined, miniature waterfalls spilling over the gaps between the jutting cliffs. N sped up, flapping his golden-orange chakra wings to boost himself higher into the air. He could feel the hot sun beating against his back, courtesy of the island's year-round summer weather. While it was indeed quite warm even for him, it was far from the hottest temperature he had ever experienced. The former Sunagakure of the Elemental Nations and dragon fire took the top spots for that.

A couple minutes later, he landed on the beach, his chakra wings dissipating. He stretched, feeling his spine crack. It was a long way to Tenroujima from the mainland. Although he possessed a monstrous amount of chakra, maintaining his chakra wings for such an extended period of time did take its toll. He would have to rest for at least two hours before he had enough energy to fly to his next destination. He took a step forward.

"Narutoooo!"

N immediately used chakra to stick to the sand as a flying blur tackled him from out of nowhere. Long, wavy, flaxen tresses trailed behind the body of the petite girl, who had her ethereal arms firmly wrapped around his torso. Two wing-like adornments protruded from the sides of her head, complementing the frilly pink robe she wore and giving her an almost fairy-like appearance. She squeezed him tightly. When she looked up, she gave him a bright, happy grin, her green eyes sparkling with childish joy.

"Hello, little lady. Did you miss me?" he teased, patting her on the head.

Mavis pouted, but continued to cling to him. "You haven't visited me in a long time, that's why," she replied, resting her head against his bare abdomen.

"I visited you almost a year ago," N told her.

"That's too long!" she complained.

N laughed. "Sorry, I don't have enough time to visit you more often," he said, removing the mask from his face and storing it in his seals. "What have you been up to since I last came here?"

Mavis sighed and released him. "Nothing, like usual. It's boring here 'cause I'm dead," she murmured, digging her toes into the sand. "I wish you could stay with me, but I know you're duty-bound to protect Fairy Tail. How is it, by the way? Is Makarov still the guild master?"

"He is," N replied, watching the waves wash up on the shore, the edge of the water just barely reaching Mavis' feet. "That's not what I came to talk about, though."

Mavis stopped shifting the sand between her toes and looked at him curiously. "You want to talk about something with me?" she asked, bouncing away from the waves and towards the forest. "Let's go to my grave, then. We can talk all we want!" She disappeared into one of the caves, her wavy hair fluttering behind her.

"Slow down, little lady, or you might hurt yourself," N called jokingly into the mouth of the cave. He followed after the first Fairy Tail guild master at a leisurely pace.

Mavis spun around and stuck her tongue out. "I'm a spirit, N, how can I hurt myself?" she asked, twirling around with her arms out. "Even if I can physically manifest my body for a while, I'll be fine—oof!"

N burst out laughing as Mavis tenderly rubbed her nose, having tripped over a stray pebble and fallen to the ground face-first. She sent him an annoyed look. "N, that wasn't funny. You should've warned me," she whined, striding up to him to smack him on the arm. Her cheeks puffed out, giving her the appearance of a particularly bushy housecat. With a hint of red tinting her nose, it wasn't hard to imagine her as one.

N lost it. His howls of laughter echoed off the cavern walls even as he crumbled to the cold stone floor, vigorously beating his fist against it.

Mavis stamped her foot against the ground. "Hey, stop laughing at me! N!" she pouted. She briskly floated over to him and unceremoniously shoved his head down. To her disappointment, N vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a large rock in his place. It clattered to the ground and bounced off to the side. N himself reappeared a few yards away. Mavis crossed her arms petulantly.

The shinobi finally regained control over himself. "You never cease to amuse me, little lady," he chuckled, his blue eyes dancing with mirth. He got back to his feet, walking back over to her so he could pat her on the head. Mavis glowered half-heartedly at him, but didn't move to swat his hand away.

They headed in the direction of the grave once N was done. Mavis merrily skipped over the roots and stones, this time making sure she didn't trip over any of them. N ambled along after her, his feet automatically following a path that he had already taken many times. They emerged into an open clearing, sunlight streaming in from above and giving the place a healthy glow. The ground was illuminated in opaque turquoise-blue, patches of iridescent green shining faintly here and there. Roots extended out of the mouth of the cave, snaking across the ground. At the far end was an opening partially hidden beneath a hollow knob of long, golden grass. Inside laid a square platform topped by three long stones, the central tombstone split down the middle with a circle cut out of it.

This was the grave of the famous first guild master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermilion.

Mavis spun around halfway to the grave. "So? What did you want to talk about, N?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back on her heels.

N made himself comfortable among the thickest roots near the cave's opening. "Do you remember when we first set up the contract for my shadow guardianship?" he inquired, throwing an arm carelessly over the root jutting out at his side. When Mavis nodded, he continued, "Makarov-san wants to terminate it."

"Huh? Why?" Mavis gave him a confused look.

"He wants me to stop working in the shadows and become an official Fairy Tail member," N replied. He absently ran a hand through his hair, messing up the untidy spikes even more. "I get his reasoning, but… I'd actually rather not come into the light, you know? I can't get rid of centuries of shadow association just like that."

Mavis observed him quietly. "This is unusual for you, Naruto. You don't usually dilly-dally about an issue—do you perhaps, at least in your heart, want to join them? Staying in the shadows for so long must be tiring," she said, walking over to him and seating herself next to him.

"But it's part of who I am. I'm a shinobi, Mavis—a ninja. I just… I feel like if I step out there onto the public stage, where everyone knows my name and my face, I'll lose something of myself. Especially if I'm officially inducted into Fairy Tail; I'll have to force myself to adhere to its 'no-killing' policy, which is something my instincts may not allow me to do," N said, frustration seeping into his tone. He rested the back of his head against the thick root, gazing up at the green leaves swaying softly in the wind high above their heads. Guardian or not, killer instincts weren't something to be taken lightly. What could he do though? The idea of remaining Fairy Tail's protector while ridding himself of the shadow part of the contract still had merit, but...

A small hand lightly touching his arm jolted him from his thoughts. He nearly whipped out a kunai, but the realization that the hand could only belong to Mavis made his instincts back down. N took deep breaths, inhaling, exhaling, as he closed his eyes. 934 years old was way too old to let his natural instincts get the better of him, he knew that. He was probably overthinking this whole business.

N's eyes shot open as two tiny hands clapped themselves onto his cheeks and forced his head to turn towards the spirit, his haunted blue eyes meeting concerned green. "Naruto," Mavis began slowly, "I think you're wasting too much time wallowing in the past."

The blond man blinked at her, surprised. "In the past?" he echoed.

Mavis nodded, all traces of playfulness melting from her expression. "Exactly. You're old, Naruto, we both know that. But I think it's time for you to let go of whatever inhibitions you have about what you've done in previous years so you can look forward to tomorrow. The shadows may be your past, but maybe it's the stage that holds your future," she told him, carefully studying his face. "Think about it, Naruto. You're Fairy Tail's protector, but that doesn't mean you have to be a shadow guardian. You can be its shield and its sword without needing to bind yourself to the darkness." She let go of his face, leaning back against the roots. One of her hands remained on his arm.

N was quiet, switching his gaze down to his own hands. It was difficult to look forward to the future since he didn't think he had much of one, considering his immortality. But if he could take charge of his own path again, thinking of the day where he would finally die, he could shape his own future. Mavis was right, in way, and she seemed to have caught on to his train of thought, but that didn't make things any easier. He clenched his fists.

"You don't have to reveal your face, you know," Mavis added, seeing the conflicting emotions chase each other across the man's face. "You could keep wearing the mask and continue being 'N' instead of 'Naruto'."

"That's true," N conceded. "After all, aside from myself, everyone who knows my true name is dead. Including you."

"It's your choice in the end, though," Mavis chimed, smiling softly. "I think you should go with the decision that makes the most sense to you." She scooted closer to his side and hugged his arm, a peaceful grin blooming on her youthful face. "Now, come on, look alive! No more of that gloomy face, okay? Let's talk about something else!"

N smiled sheepishly. "You're right. I didn't come here to bog you down with my boring adult talk," he joked, lifting a finger to poke her in the cheek.

She giggled at the touch, but then leveled a flat look in his direction. "You didn't just imply that I'm a kid, right? I'm not as old as you, but I am over a hundred, you know?" she said, a cute little scowl curling her lips.

"But it's so much fun to tease you, little lady," N laughed.

She huffed at him and slapped his arm. Then she got to her feet and danced her way to the center of the clearing. "Come on, N, it's such a nice day! Play with me!" she called out. "Or we could talk, too. You're not leaving yet, are you?" She brushed a few stray strands of hair over her shoulder.

N stood up, stretching out the kinks in his back. "Might as well stay awhile before I head to my next destination," he agreed amicably, his arms dropping back down to his sides. "But there's not that much to talk about, given that in the years we've known each other, we've probably discussed every subject under the sun."

"Just tell me what's happened since the last time you visited me," Mavis pointed out, twirling around once. Her extremely long hair fanned out as she spun, catching the light and making the wavy tresses glow with an ethereal light. "Unless it's been another boring year with no incidents," she added, coming to a stop.

"Something did happen, actually," N replied, walking closer to her. "A guild called Phantom Lord decided that attacking Fairy Tail was a good idea."

"You kicked their butts, right? Please tell me you did," Mavis said, a ferocious fire brewing in her narrowed eyes at the thought of her precious guild being attacked.

N chuckled, setting one hand on top of her head. "Of course. No one will get away with attacking Fairy Tail while I'm around—" He cut off as a rush of memories flooded his mind, indicating that one of the clones he'd left to defend the guild had dispelled itself. He snorted out loud as he went over the memories.

Mavis looked him curiously. "What happened?" she asked, removing his hand from her head.

"One of the Council's toadies approached Makarov-san and asked to speak to me. Said that since the Phantom Lord guild master was stripped of his title of Wizard Saint, they needed to fill the spot. I don't know how they caught wind of my existence, but my clone gave them a very appropriate answer," N explained, a shark-like smirk surfacing across his face.

"…I get the feeling that you didn't say 'yes'," Mavis laughed.

"You think? No way in hell am I letting some corrupt government officials dig their claws into me. Let someone else be the Council's lapdog," N said, flapping his hand about in a careless motion. "Besides, people always seem to overlook the fact that I'm not a mage in the first place. Tsk, tsk." He settled his hand on his hip, shaking his head in a mock-shameful motion.

"That's because you don't tell them, silly," Mavis chirped, beaming up at him. "Being one of the Ten Wizard Saints is supposed to be an honor, you know."

"I don't give a flying fuck."

Mavis' tinkling laugh rang through the clearing at his blatant response. N grinned, flopping on to his back in one of the shady areas. He laced his fingers together behind his head and closed his eyes. It was nice here—a nap sounded excellent at the moment.

"Oh, come on, N. You didn't come all this way just to sleep, did you?" Mavis spoke close to his ear.

"Nah, but the conditions are perfect for napping in," he replied. He deliberately let out a loud snore.

"N," he heard Mavis sigh in exasperation. He opened a single eye, grinning mischievously up at her. She just shook her head, a small smile blossoming over her lips, and sat down next to him. Both of them gazed up at the sky together, peering far beyond the green canopy that shaded the clearing. It was a beautiful afternoon.

N touched down in the ruins of a house, his chakra wings vanishing into the air. The charred bricks crumbled beneath his feet, staining his sandals with black dust. He looked around, a solemn expression overtaking his face as he was once again confronted with the silent grave of his former village, Konoha. The air no longer smelt of death and ashes, but the broken buildings, the blackened ground, and the ghostly image of a village long gone said everything that didn't need to be said out loud. Time had taken its toll—the great forest that had once sheltered Konoha had taken over the deserted area, covering what remained with vines and saplings. Long grasses sprouted through the cracks of dead buildings, shimmering gently in the light of the setting sun.

N tread lightly over the dusty road, his feet tracing a familiar path through the former village. His eyes wandered over its last remnants, taking in the abandoned sites, reminding himself that the era of shinobi had ended centuries ago and left nothing but ancient history in its wake.

He paused in front of a particular spot within the village, kneeling down to brush the dust away from the two cracked ramen bowls sitting in the dirt. The banner he had planted there before he had officially left the Elemental Nations was gone, likely the work of wind or rodents. N's fingers touched the single stone slab that jutted out from the ground.

"Hello Teuchi-san, Ayame-neechan. I'm sorry I haven't visited in such a long time. It's been about 400 years, hasn't it?" he said softly, tracing over the two names carefully etched onto the stone slab. He smiled sadly. The owner of the Ichiraku Ramen stand and his daughter had died during the invasion of Konoha when N had been only thirty-five years old. He still remembered how crushed he had been when he had found out. The invasion hadn't lasted much longer after that—he'd gone into a berserk rage and just killed and killed every enemy ninja he had come across. His eyes darkened. Those were some of the blackest moments in his life.

He stood up, wiping the dirt from his fingers. "I hope both of you are living happy lives now. Who knows, maybe you're both still ramen chefs," he murmured, turning around. "I'm still trying to find something to live for myself—it's taking time, but I think the guild I've become the guardian for is slowly becoming a reason. Its first guild master, Mavis, is a very good friend of mine. On her deathbed, she told me she loved me. I'm not sure if I return those feelings yet, especially since—well, you know who. She's still around as a ghost and I visit her every year, though. And you know what she told me? She said she thought I was clinging to my past too much. And… she's right. So it's time for me to finally move on—not to say that I'd forget you guys, I mean, you were both such important people to me, but maybe I can finally forget the ghosts that have haunted me since the Elemental Nations died. Don't you think so?"

N got no answer, but he'd expected that. He glanced back once at the old ramen bowls, offering a small, nostalgic smile. "Until next time, then, Teuchi-san, Ayame-neechan." He continued down the dusty path, a different destination in mind.

Minutes later, he came to a large crater at the outskirts of the ruins, where the old training grounds had been located. The crater had been overrun by grass and budding flowers, covering the rocky surface with vegetation. At the center of the hole sat an enormous stone pillar about four times taller than N, surrounded by four smaller tombstones. The central pillar held the names of all of his important Konoha people who had died in the line of duty. Similarly, the other four stones had the names of his non-Konoha friends from their respective villages carved into them. The previous Memorial Stone had been destroyed during one of the wars, so he had taken it upon himself to create a second memorial site to honor the dead. All five stones had vines creeping over them, a testament to the amount of time that had passed since the Elemental Nations had perished and the rise of mages had begun.

N slowly made his way to the bottom of the crater, placing one palm flat against the cool surface of the stone pillar. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against the cold surface, and whispered, "I'm home…"

A strong gust swept through the area, ruffling N's messy strands of hair. When he stepped away, he could almost imagine they were still with him, and he smiled up at the sky. He took a deep breath.

"Hey, guys, it's me, Naruto. I know, it's been so long and I'm so sorry for leaving all of you out here without a word, but well, duty calls. Last time was about 400 years ago, wasn't it? The dragons I told you about have been defeated or gone into hiding. Up until seven years ago, I thought they'd all died, but there was this kid I ran into who assured me that he had been raised by one. His name's Natsu, and he's rude, foul-mouthed, hot-headed, and stupid. Sounds familiar, right? But I definitely think he has the potential to become one of the best mages in Fairy Tail. Ah, Fairy Tail is a guild that I became a shadow guardian for ninety-eight years ago. The current guild master is trying to persuade me to drop the contract so I can become a full-fledged member, but I think both mine and Mavis' final decision is better. Rather than a shadow guardian, I'll simply be a guardian, that way I'll be known, but I'll still be able to protect the guild as more than just one of its many members.

"Anyways, I still haven't found the key to undoing my immortality yet. It's really frustrating, knowing that all of you have probably moved on already. I want to join you guys on the other side, but I can't yet. I hope you're all doing well. I can still imagine Ero-Sennin being reincarnated as a porn author again—I do have respect for literature, by the way, I've read every single Icha Icha book you've published—and pervy Kakashi-sensei being some kind of lecherous playboy who makes moves on innocent young ladies—haha, I'm just kidding, sensei. Tsunade-baachan's probably still the worst gambler ever, knowing her luck. Iruka-sensei, I'm sure you would be a kind and caring teacher no matter where you go. Sakura would be a beautiful doctor, and Sasuke, you're probably out there brooding about something a lot less intense than how to kill particular people. Gaara, I can totally see you as a doting parent in another life time despite how you—or rather, both of us—grew up. Ah, thinking about all of this makes me really long for my life to end soon, but hoping for that is just a step away from suicide. Not that I could kill myself… but that's beside the point.

"That's all, there's not much to say about what I've been doing these last few centuries. The biggest reason I came back is because I feel like something big is going to happen soon, and I'll need the Tailed Beasts' help again. Maybe this time we'll finally kill Acnologia, the damn sneaky bastard that he is." N paused to press a hand to the stone pillar again. "Until next time, then. I promise it won't be another 400 years before I visit you guys again." He bumped his fist lightly against the stone. "See you later." He turned around to make his way out of the crater.

Once he set foot on the outer rim of the crater, he created his chakra wings again. Lifting himself into the air and riding the currents, he veered north-west. He had one last stop to make before he could return to Magnolia.

N flew high over the massive treetops, a single flap of his wings shaking leaves loose from their branches. His final destination was somewhere in Earth Country, far away from the former village of Iwagakure. On foot, it would take several days to reach it. With wings, it would be a matter of hours. He should probably rest more, especially since it hadn't been too long since he flew to Konoha all the way from Tenroujima, but he wanted to get back to the guild before anything too big for his clones alone to handle happened.

As he sped over the landscape, his eyes took in the scenery, which once again thrived with lush, healthy vegetation. Sites that he remembered being completely burnt to the ground had grass and trees growing on them. The battle graves of shinobi were marked by weapons that still stuck out of the ground, although they were dull, rusty, and had vines crawling all over them. When he reached the edge of Konoha's forest, the wide, flat land of the rest of Fire Country met his eyes. He surged on.

When a ring of pillars finally appeared on the horizon, N was feeling a noticeable strain on his chakra reserves from using his chakra wings for such a long time. He banked sharply to the left, landing on a rocky outcropping that stuck out of the earth like a giant finger. The golden-orange appendages vanished from his back at last, leaving him to stare into the darkness. That wasn't a problem, he had excellent night vision. He set off towards the pillars.

The clouds in the sky parted on his way there, shining moonlight down on the path. N stepped onto the circular platform that the ring of pillars surrounded. He walked over to the one holding a glowing, sand-yellow orb. He touched it and said, "Shukaku."

Next was an ultramarine orb. "Matatabi."

Third, sea-green. "Isobu."

Fourth, vermillion-red. "Son Gokuu."

Fifth, a brilliant titanium-white. "Kokuou."

Sixth, a blue so pale it looked almost white. "Saiken."

Seventh, a multi-colored orb. "Choumei."

Eighth, an earthy, pastel maroon. "Gyuuki."

And finally, a fiery, blazing orange. "Kurama."

N walked to the center of the platform. He spread his arms out, speaking only a single word, "Awaken."

The earth trembled, nine different pillars of light bursting upward from the orbs, making the sky shine rainbow. A strong wind picked up, making N's cloak flap wildly behind him. The circular platform began to glow a bright turquoise-blue, small rocks floating off the ground as power began to suffuse through the very air. The lights began to solidify around him, revealing the shrunken forms of the nine Tailed Beasts.

N lowered his arms, the small pebbles and bits of rock dropping back to the earth. They stood in silence, gazing at each other again after 400 years of separation.

Then N's face split into a foxy grin.

"It's show time."

I can't even begin to tell you how hard it was to write this chapter, especially the part where N has a brief interaction with the Fairy Tail members. I kept writing and erasing and rewriting sentences and paragraphs, but it still sounds super awkward at some parts. Sorry. Also, if anyone gets confused why Kurama isn't with Naruto when in 'Phantom Fury', Naruto asked for his power, that's because Kurama's consciousness and half of his chakra are sealed in the orb while the other half remains with Naruto.

On another note, 72 reviews were added since the previous chapter was posted. OMG. With that kind of turnout, I believe we can reach 300 reviews. Pretty please with a cherry on top? I know this wasn't another exciting, action-packed chapter, but that's 'cause I didn't want to get into the Battle of Fairy Tail arc yet. The Tower of Heaven stuff happens while N is away.

As for the poll, yes, Mavis won. There's just no way anyone else is going to catch up.

New goal: 300 reviews! Let's do it, guys!

MangaFreak15