Chapter 4 - Eyes of Heaven
Unknown location
Once again, the group of S-Class missing ninja known as the Akatsuki found themselves meeting again. Only to be surprised by results of their mission. The supposed leader, currently identifying himself as Pain, knew this was a big risk but had a big payout as a result should the mission had succeeded. Only to find Itachi as the only survivor despite having sent four members of his group to Konoha during the invasion.
"You had best explain yourself Itachi. How did you lose your partner as well as the Immortal Duo?" Pain asked.
Itachi exhaled a lot of air, "If I were any less experienced, I would say a literal monster did this. One that made Kisame look like a roll of sushi." he said earning a scoff. "That alone prompted Kisame to stay behind and fend off the new threat." he explained.
"That explains almost nothing." Pain said sounding annoyed. "Did the three jinchuriki work together?" he asked.
Itachi shook his head, "It was the Kyuubi jinchuriki alone. When I had caught him in my Tsukuoymi, I stumbled upon something stronger and more dangerous than the bijuu themselves." he said, but Pain did not take it seriously.
A man who had gone so far to call himself a god and that peace is achieved through human eradication says a lot. Then again, if this were Greek mythology, then Pain would fit right in. As he saw himself as greater than man and that he could do no wrong. Even going as far as to believe that nothing could stop him or his ambitions.
"I doubt something that powerful could exist." Pain said.
In the background, a man in an orange spiral mask watched from his hidden corner. Looking at Pain with eyes of disappointment. Realizing that Pain was too arrogant and in his current state, the man is a great danger and deal great damage that many villages cannot handle. However, he was far from reaching the true potential anyone else with those eyes had.
"Then you are entitled to your opinion Leader-sama. However, it does not excuse that this being had killed Killer Bee while in bijuu form as well as the Imortal Duo before Kisame decided to recklessly take him on." Itachi replied.
Kisame was never a friend to Itachi and that did not matter. The man was bloodhirsty and always open to a fight. So he saw Naruto's new form as a fun challenge. Ironically, it was Hidan who saw Naruto as a perfect sacrifice and while he was the weakling of this organization. Hidan was the first to fall… permanently. Kakazu took his chance and thought Naruto's heart must be worth more than the ones he currently had with the power he displayed. Yet that ended the same way as it did with Hidan, but even then Kakazu attempted to cut his losses and failed.
"And how powerful could the Kyuubi jinchuriki have gotten?" Pain asked.
"The boy hid his skills somehow. That aside, he did something no other human has done." Itachi said.
"Itachi's scared all of a sudden." Deidara mocked before being silenced.
"He ripped out Hidan's sould after ripping him apart. I am not sure if that happened to Kisame or if he fell like a warrior." Itachi continued to explain.
'Similar to my Human Path? No, how would a boy not even 15 years of age obtained such a power?' Pain thought. "And what of the jinchuriki? Is the Hachibi really deceased and the Nibi imprisoned?" he asked.
"The Hachibi I am mostly certain, but I have heard rumors as to how quick witted he is. It could be a trick" Itachi said as he wasn't sure what was going on anymore.
"No matter, we will have to push back out goal another three years and find new recruits by then." Pain said as he had confidence in obtaining the bijuu. "Especially with rumors of the Kyuubi jinchuriki's death. We will have to claim the Kyuubi by then. Especially as most of the villages are at their weakest." he said.
"And what about the news in Konoha's third attack? Isn't it fishy that something inhuman just attacked recently?" Deidara asked as he felt there was some sort of conspiracy in the background.
"Be quiet Deidara, the jinchuriki is dead. Every village minus Iwa is practically in shambles. Now we have to wait three years for our goal to be completed." Sasori said as he didn't want to hear any whining.
"Sasori is correct, we will meet again in three years unless an important update to goal is complete." Pain said as the meeting ended.
Meanwhile, the spiral masked man had to think about adjusting his goals. All of this was disturbing, but in the end. His insane mind pushed away any doubt that something would impeded his goal.
Konoha, several days later
Fillmore stumbled closer towards the village walls. The fox winced as his pain was too much to handle and he gave into his wounds. Causing him to collapse as he lied outside one side of the walls of Konoha. Hoping that he would regain his strength soon without causing a disturbance since he believed he would be attacked just for being a fox.
'Bigots, the lot of them.' Fillmore thought as he tried to limit his resting. 'I could flare my chakra, but that's going to be a real pain when the wrong people find me.' he thought.
A few minutes passed by and Fillmore still felt like he was on death's doorstep. He cursed the fact that he had to run into Lilia of all people. Especially, letting her transform and amping up her own strength. It only further concerned him if Lilia's other companions were also unsealed. Failing to put the stressful thoughts away, Fillmore lost consciousness and fell asleep.
With Ban
The blue haired immortal sighed as he sat on the ground next to the grave. The damn thing was hollow, but even then. There was still some form of spiritual presence around it. At least, that's what Ban believed. Philosphy aside, Ban pulled out a small flask and began to open it up.
"Hey kid, I know it's been a while. As far as I know, I'm probably leaving a message or something. I can't tell when you're home or not." Ban said with a chuckle. He took a quick drink before speaking again, "Hey don't judge me. It's not booze, I just really like this thing. Besides, baby is on the way and…" he let out a loud sigh.
Ban wiped his face as if he was feeling exhausted. He took a long deep breath before exhaling as he looked back at the grave.
"I swear on Kami, or whatever divine creature is watching us. Life really wants to kick me where it hurts." Ban said as he looked away. "I swear, I lose Elaine and go through a lot of things to get her back. Then I almost lost her again when I thought Melascula was dead. Luckily, we found her again and kept her sealed in a bottle for most of the time." he says remembering battling the Commandment of Faith.
They tried to kill Melascula but it ended with Merlin temporarily sealing her in a jar. Then the rest is practically history. Ban didn't want to think about the past anymore, but the grief still kills him. It's like when you know and understand a sad fact of life. Yet you're just horribly terrified or badly effected when that fact finally effects you.
"Then all of this. I swear, it's still too much." Ban said as he rubbed his eyes. "I swear, we should have just went your other plan once the Boar Hat was thawed out." He said as he yawned.
As some sort of doomsday scenario. When Naruto was a lot younger, he made a plan by drawing out a plan to break the barrier around the Boar Hat. The plan would involve them sneaking out of the village and traveling the road with the Boar Hat as a business. Especially back then when Naruto did not completely trust Hiruzen. Though Ban objected since a giant pig with a tavern on it's back would attract a lot of attention.
Then again, Meliodas did it very casually and he was a wanted man for 10 years. Although, the kingdom pretty much was very inaccurate with his description since his portrait was of an older adult man than his child like appearance.
"Who am I kidding? It would have been a risk in any shape or form." Ban said before letting out a laugh. "Still kid, I'm gonna miss having your energy around. Picking fights, making all of that food, making a crap load of clones to get spare cash from the D Rank missions, and even your song playing." he said as he wiped away a tear.
"That sounds fun. The kid would have been a better owner than me." Ban turned his head to find his best friend standing behind him.
"How long have you been there?" Ban asked with wide eyes.
"Enough to see how much of a softie you became." Meliodas said with a smile.
Ban glared at him, "Shut up." he said.
Meliodas decided to take a seat next to him, "Still, sorry about everything. I mean, it's not like I expected things to turn out this way. I never even met the kid outside of his dreams that one time." he said sounding solemn.
Ban sighed, "Things happen, we can't prepare for them." he said.
"Even when the rules of the dead are basically ignored. We can't break them like we used to." Meliodas said as he faced his grandson's grave.
"Captain, when did we become such downers?" Ban asked, surprising Meliodas. "I mean, it was the seven of us for six years. Then we get betrayed, then get back together only for a new Holy War to take place and next thing I know I'm trapped in a fox. Unaware of what I am for a thousand years or however long it's been." he said sounding frustrated.
"Hey, it worked out didn't it? I mean before Zeldris suddenly came back and we had to seal everyone away. We at least prepared for when that fox and it's siblings arrived." Meliodas said.
"If you can call it ready. Still, where did it even come from?" Ban asked.
The guy with the purple eyes remember? Some weird stuff was going on at the other side of the continent. Then there was that pale guy with the yellow eye." Meliodas explained.
"Are you messing with me? What the hell are you talking about?" Ban asked.
Meliodas felt confused, "What are you talking about? How do you not remember all of that?" he asked.
"I was fighting and beating the damn fox! I got possessed after it decided to be a sore loser!" Ban replied.
Meliodas sweat dropped, "I do not remember that." he said bluntly.
"Are you kidding me!?" Ban asked angrily.
"Seriously Ban, I know the fox is a big jerk, but you two never fought. In fact, he didn't possess you. So what are you on about?" Meliodas asked.
Ban groaned, "Okay, are you senile or something?" he asked.
Meliodas felt concerned now, "I think one or both of us have our stories mixed up." he said.
With Merlin and King
Merlin looked at King with a raised brow, "I know our captain was dead set on maintaining his business of running a tavern. Yet, I can't help but feel that some of you want to turn this into a legitimate office space." she said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" King asked with a look of confusion.
Merlin proceeded to pull out the other items, "Including this pen, we also have paper and an envelope." she said. "Actually, this could all just function as stationary. Maybe a mailing service will be another good business idea." she said.
"Merlin, I really doubt this is just an ordinary pen. Gerheade told me she found this when approached by someone claiming to be the previous Fairy king." King explained.
Merlin pondered a bit about this information, "I do not doubt your suspicions King. I'm just saying there's a strange pattern that I have yet to realize." she said while scanning the pen.
Suddenly, from the pen came out a message as when done with the paper and letter.
Chastity
"That's interesting, that makes three now." Merlin said.
"Three of what?" King asked.
Before Merlin could answer, they heard the loud sounds of thunder. Merlin raised a brow as she looked out the window to see sunny skies. There was no sign of clouds today. In fact, the weather outside start to feel a bit warm as Spring was about a month or two away.
"This village has some unique weather." Merlin said before hearing more thunder. "Though, I suppose someone could be training too close by." she said before hearing a loud crash in the distance.
"Sounds like some intense training." King commented.
Only for Merlin to narrow her eyes, "I doubt training alone could cause something this deliberate." she said.
As Merlin could see a lot of soke in the distance.
Outside the manner
As Meliodas and Ban were heading back inside to ask Gowther about their conflicting memories. The two stopped as they heard all of the thunder. Along with the sight of fire in the distance.
"What the hell was that?" Ban asked.
"Whatever it is, Gil is in a lot of trouble." Meliodas said.
"I don't think your pink haired fanboy is responsible." Ban said doubting Gilthunder would be that clumsy.
"You wanna check it out? We can bother Gowther later." Meliodas asked.
Ban shrugged, "I guess, anything is worth taking my mind off things." he said. When suddenly he had an idea, "Captain, I have a genius idea." he said catching the attention of Meliodas.
A few minutes later
Beside the Boar Hat came out a strange wooden vehicle. One that looked like a mix of a Rickshaw and a carriage. The carriage design making up most of the vehicle with the front part being exposed for the coachman to sit.
"Wait, so you need someone to drive this but at the same time. Someone needs to pull on it?" Meliodas asked.
Ban frowned, "Well, if you put it that way…"
"I like it." Meliodas interrupted as Escanor came out.
The Sin of Pride was dressed in a brown jacket, wearing special gloves and an aviator hat with goggles that he was adjusting. Clearly, Escanor was more than ready if not eager to lead the way.
"Saddle up gentlemen, our journey will soon begin." Escanor said.
"Actually, the captain made a point. What exactly is going to get us moving?" Ban asked, now realizing that there is no point of a coachmen.
Escanor looked at the vehicle and pondered. Before returning a minute later with Hawk and a carrot tied to a stick.
"I'm not a horse!" Hawk whined.
"Now Hawk, I am trying negotiate with you like a civil adult. I offer you down payment for your services along with payment after the job is done." Escanor explained.
"I don't like carrots either!" Hawk argued.
Ban sweat dropped, "You ate his cooking, but you hate carrots?" he asked as he pointed at Meliodas.
"How about some tasty scraps?" Meliodas suggested.
"Hawk shook his head! No! Your grandson made me some real food before! Your food tastes gross now!" Hawk yelled.
Meliodas tilted his head in confusion, "It can't be that bad. The little guy inherited my skills after all." he said.
"You wish!" Hawk replied.
That's when Merlin arrived, "I was about to head into town when I heard all of the arguing." she said.
"Nothing is wrong Merlin. Hawk is being unreasonable and demanding too much." Meliodas said uncaring of Hawk's plight.
"I am being abused! I don't want to be paid to carry a giant piece of wood for a single carrot!" Hawk argued.
"Escanor promised you another one at the end." Meliodas said.
"That and a radish." Escanor said.
Hawk sighed, "I am under appreciated." he said.
That's when Merlin bent down and smiled at the pig, "Hawk, how about I negotiate with you? I have a much better offer." she asked as Hawk still looked hesitant.
Yet another few minutes later
Through some charismatic words, some praise, and promise of good payment mixed with a cube made of the meat of a beast. Hawk became a giant with horns on his head. Now the large pig hybrid was ready to pull on the vehicle once the handles were tied to his back. Leaving Ban to further think about adjusting his invention as he can already sense a lot of trouble ahead. Though Meliodas was cool with the idea and thought there was a chance for innovation.
"To the center of town then." Escanor said as he adjusted his seat.
"Whatever is on fire is likely burned down by now." Gowther said out of nowhere.
"When did you get here?" Ban asked.
Gowther adjusted his glasses as he answered, "I saw Merlin's experiment and wanted to see what was going on." he said.
"Just get on, we'll explain on the way." Bans aid as Gowther nodded.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Gowther, do you think you can help us with something? Ban and I can't agree on a certain event from a long time ago." Meliodas asked.
"King Bartra vomited the dinner you made for him captain. He did not enjoy it." Gowther answered.
"No, not that. I'll tell you later." Meliodas said.
"Yip yip!" Escanor said as he signaled for Hawk to move.
"Hopefully the road is big enough for Hawk to fit." Merlin said.
"Merlin, where we're going. We don't need roads." Meliodas replied.
"Yes we do captain." Merlin said with a confused look on her face.
"Not if we take a good short cut I know. Head northwest Escanor." Meliodas ordered.
"You heard him Hawk." Escanor said as he steered Hawk towards another direction.
(Back To The Future OST - Main Theme)
It would not last too long until Ban and everyone else realized that Meliodas was blatantly lying. That or he had a vague memory of the landscape and assumed the random path was safe for driving.
It was not.
At the center of the village
Herodias continued to coordinate nearby shinobi to put out the fire. The current Hokage looked around the sky while seeking out the cause of the attack. As the lightning seemed too natural to be a lightning jutsu and the weather is still fair without a single cloud. So, she immediately signalled for her hidden ANBU security to follow her next command.
"I want one of you to return to your headquarters. I need a team to scout out the cause of this incident." Herodias said as one of the ANBU left to follow her command.
With that done, the investigation would be put on a brief pause. As Herodias suddenly heard a lot of rustling nearby and saw a giant Hawk making his way towards the center where the accident happened. She sighed as she saw half of the Seven Deadly Sins present on the vehicle they attached Hawk too.
'I think they are gaining too much attention. It's a mystery as to how they are not as famous now as they were all those years ago.' Herodias thought as everyone but Escanor got off.
"Keep the ignition warm." Ban said as he got off.
Escanor nodded, "Understood." he said as had some warm hot dogs next to him.
"Hey can I have another one of those?" Hawk asked.
As Escanor prepared a sausage to feed Hawk with. A rather fancy looking gentleman stood close to the vehicle. The gentleman had a fancy looking kimono and was surrounded by young servants with bags.
"Oh my, what do you call this contraption? Better yet, what is it?" the gentleman curiously asked.
"This device is currently untitled good sir, but it's use is for transport between long distances." Escanor answered.
"Sir, if I may. This just looks looks like a mix of a rickshaw and a carriage. Only there's a giant boar maneuvering it." one of the servants said.
"I'm a pig, racist." Hawk said as he ate his hot dog.
The gentleman nodded, "Extraordinary." he muttered much to the shock of the servants. "Sir, how much will you charge to escort me across the village?" he asked.
Escanor was about to decline when Ban suddenly came running up and gave Escanor a big list of prices. Escanor then adjusted his goggles and read the list.
"How many people and how far exactly?" Escanor asked.
With Everyone Else
Ban decided to approach Herodias about the situation, "So what's up with the random fire?" he asked.
"Lightning from the looks of it, but there's no sign of it being ninjutsu. There's also the clear fact that the weather is fine." Herodias answered.
Ban nodded, "You have a case of odd weather. Any ideas captain?" he asked.
Meliodas, now wearing a deerstalker hat and an inverse cape, looked puzzled, "I saw we look at the damage. Maybe there was trap set up there." he said.
"A trap?" Herodias asked.
"You guys are sneaky ninjas. Maybe someone got crafty." Meliodas suggested.
"I suppose that is possible captain. I've heard of more strange abilities in this new time." Merlin said as she also sounded intrigued.
An hour later, on the roof
Merlin did not look amused, "Captain, I would prefer it if you did more than just stare at things with a magnifying glass." she said.
"But it's the little things below the somewhat big things that hide from the naked eye Merlin." Meliodas said in an attempt to sound like a capable detective. "Also, are we charging by the hour or day?" he asked.
"We're doing this for free." Merlin answered.
Meliodas frowned, "We're going to die with this new economy." he said.
"We won't have to work much longer. I think I found something." Merlin said as she pulled out one of her books.
"What's the answer detective Merlin?" Meliodas asked.
"The lightning was not entirely natural. Somehow the weather was manipulated and functioned almost like a puppeteer magic." Merlin explained.
Meliodas nodded, "So the clouds are fake." he said.
"No, someone either manipulated or summoned the clouds to strike th tower." Merlin corrected.
"I see." Meliodas said with a nod.
"You do not know what's going on do you?" Merlin asked.
"I do not." Meliodas confirmed.
Gowther quickly joined them, "My questioning of the locals has proven fruitless. They only witnessed a random thunder strike and nothing else." he said.
"And what about individuals inside of the building?" Meliodas asked as he pulled out a smoke pipe.
Gowther shook his head, "Hardly any of them saw anything and I did use my magic to make sure no one attempted to deceive me." he said. "So there was no one from the inside that caused the lightning to strike." he added.
Merlin squinted her eyes as she looked at the destruction, "Gowther, what was the extent of your master's control?" she asked.
"Why do you ask?" Gowther asked.
"I remember that your creator was powerful and a genius. He was imprisoned in another dimension and yet he could still speak and act through your body when not giving you free will." Merlin explained.
"I would say he saw and spoke through me whenever he pleased." Gowther replied.
"Merlin, I get what you mean, but there is no way someone that powerful could have messed with the clouds like that. Gowther's creator was pretty skilled and that would mean anyone anywhere in the continent could have made that cloud appear." Meliodas said with some doubts.
Merlin continued thinking, "Perhaps, but while anywhere in the continent would be difficult. Who is to say that the attacker is not close by?" she asked. "Even with the recent assaults, you cannot attack an important administration building on a whim without some thought." she said.
"Some quiet skilled and intelligent could have planned this." Gowther said as he starts thinking as well.
"I'll go see what Ban figures out." Meliodas said as he leaves the roof. 'Still, magic in this new era is weird. Not everyone gets a random magic type. If Merlin's right, we might have another mess on our hands.' he thought.
With Fillmore
The fox opened his eyes and found himself in the forest surrounded by fairies. The fairies looked kind enough to put him in a makeshift bed with a bowl of fruit nearby. Fillmore groaned as he sat up and tried to get his bearings.
"That must have been some hangover last night." Filmore muttered before remembering his situation. "Aw crap, where did I put it? Don't tell me I lost it." he groaned.
That's when one of the fairies arrived, "Hey little guy, you were banged up when we found you." they said.
"Thanks, you fairies are alright." Fillmore said. "Anyways, did you see some kind of packet nearby? It's empty, but it's super important." he asked.
The fairy nodded, "I thought it was important, so I didn't throw it away." They said. "I'm Ende by the way. I was with my friend Puore when we found you passed out on the ground." she explained.
"Thanks Ende, anyways who is in charge? I got some important business in the village." Fillmore asked.
"Are you sure? You look like you need rest." Ende asked.
"I'm fine." Fillmore said before hearing a lot of bones crack. "Okay, maybe another hour in the bed." he said before lying back down.
"What happened to you anyways? You were all hurt when we found you." Ende asked.
Filmore groaned, "I ran into a crazy woman with an inferiority complex." he answered which only created more confusion. "By the way, have you seen a file folder? It's empty but the folder itself is important." he asked.
Ende thought about it, "Oh yeah, we weren't sure if it was important. So we put it somewhere safe. I'll get it for you if you want." he said.
Filmore lied down for a few minutes in an attempt to relax his back. Only sitting back up once Ende came back with the file folder. Fillmore smiled as he picked up the file from Ende's hands.
"Thanks, anyways since I'm still hurt and can't move. Can you tell me where I am?" Fillmore asked.
"The forest of Konoha, a secret part so don't tell anyone." Ende said.
Fillmore nodded, "Got it, besides I don't like humans." he said as he tried stretching his arms. "Actually, since we're in Konoha. Are the Seven Deadly Sins around?" he asked surprising Ende.
Thinking about it now, Ende realized that Fillmore likely knows that she's a fairy based on appearance. However, that wasn't a natural thing as there are too few people left from the era of Britannia.
"Don't worry, you can trust me. Only I need to get this file to them." Fillmore said trying to gain Ende's trust. Though it would be difficult since fairies aren't trusting of most outsiders, "I would bring it myself, but I'm pretty hurt and I don't think I should be moved." He said.
Ende looked hesitant, "I should probably bring it up with the others." she said.
"Thanks, seriously that helps a lot. That or at least letting me stay to heal so I can deliver it myself." Fillmore said with a chuckle. "Okay, maybe that second part would have been more reasonable to mention first." he said.
"I'll go now, do you need anything else?" Ende asked.
"I'm good, I'm gonna eat and maybe have another nap." Fillmore answered as the pink haired fairy left.
Now, this was just another waiting game. One that would lead up to a whole other level of trouble.
In The Hokage's Office
Herodias looked troubled as she looked over a new report, "The Kurama clan?" she asked as she started reading some files.
It wouldn't be too long before the current Hokage started asking for the Seven Deadly Sins to appear. In time, the three present members were given a small explanation on the Kurama clan. Where she ended up revealing the clan's speciality for genjutsu and how their heiress has an extraordinary talent for it. Though even now, Herodias is trying her best to understand the situation with the girl.
However, she was able to see that the heiress was able to make illusions feel real. To the extent that whatever she makes up, will happen.
"So, basically some girl thought about lightning hitting the tower and made it happen?" Ban asked.
"That's the idea, but not entirely accurate." Herodias said. "I know I should not be sending you in there without more information. However, it seems that the heiress, Yakumo, is under attack. I fear that she may have been manipulated into causing that lightning strike." she said.
"I think we've handled worse." Meliodas said.
"Besides, it's not like we need the whole team right?" Ban asked.
"I'm sure Diane and King can hold down the fort. Escanor might be overkill depending on who's attacking who." Meliodas explained.
Ban grinned, "You want him to keep giving people rides for money too don't you?" he asked.
"I'm a business man first Ban." Meliodas admitted.
"Let's not forget that genjutsu is a matter of attacking the mind. Our senses can be dulled and for the worst case scenario, Gowther's magic can free us should we somehow find ourselves trapped." Merlin explained.
"I got my seals to null an attack on my mind." Ban said but agreed with the plan. "So where do we go from here?" he asked.
"The Kurama clan's property is here." Herodias answered as she wrote down the location.
"I guess we are tree huggers if one clan wants to live far into the trees." Ban said as he took the note.
"Then let's go!" Meliodas said excitedly.
"I'll try to send in an extra team with a Hyuga. Just in case things do not go as planned." Herodias said as they left.
"Got it! We'll be done before they get there." Ban said confidently.
At the Kurama Clan grounds
A brief while later, Escanor returned to pick up his friends and made his way towards the forest where the Kurama clan lived. Hawk ran with great vigor as Escanor continued to feed him. However, as Hawk enjoyed his snacks and continued to run. Gowther realized something slightly concerning.
"Escanor, when you feed Hawk. Does he know the contents of the sausages you give him?" Gowther asked.
Escanor let out a laugh, "Gowther, while I'm happy to hear that you're concerned for Hawk's well being. I'm not feeding him pork sausages. They're purely chicken, I double checked the label when I looked through the pantry." he explained.
"They make sausages from poultry?" Gowther asked.
"All sorts of fowls." Escanor answered as he grabbed another sausage. "Then again, the locals tend to eat raw fish in the form of sushi. So a different ingredient is nothing strange to me by this point." he said.
"Hey speaking of food, how was the Boar Hat? I tried cleaning the place up but it's ready to fall apart." Meliodas asked.
Ban snickered, "Oh boy, I'm going to be depressed and mourning again when that thing falls apart." he said remembering all the nostalgic memories of that tavern. "I should really take out all the booze before that place collapses." he said.
"That doesn't answer my question." Meliodas said.
"Well the kid said that if things ever went horribly wrong. We would pack up and travel on the road with the tavern. To be fair, we did try establishing the place again in the outskirts but business sucked." Ban explained.
"I will always remember the amazing pancakes." Gowther said.
"And I don't want to remember the kid scraping pancakes out of your stomach." Ban replied.
"Hold on, Gowther if you are a doll. How are you able to taste food? That just occurred to me." Escanor asked before noticing everyone was gone. The man sighed, "I see I've somehow alienated everyone." he said as he noticed his strange rickshaw-carriage is now empty.
Then he came falling out of the vehicle as Hawk removed himself before running into the forest by himself. Escanor felt sad and alone now that his friends had abandoned him. But what felt worse is how damp the sun looked in the sky.
"That's not right. The sun should be bright. It's more powerful than the world." Escanor said as he looked at the sky. Where the sky began to glow brightly, "Yes, but not bright enough. Even greater! Not so much as it burns the world, it may be able to do that, but it is benevolent! The sun is mighty strong! With great light that opens the path to the blind and blinds the arrogant!" he exclaimed with great excitement.
Escanor never noticed the plants slowly wrapping around him. As two shinobi with similar clan crests slowly moved up to him. When Escanor suddenly transformed into his muscular self.
"Yes! Nothing can combat the sun and I, Escanor! It's equivalent!" Escanor said in his mighty voice.
Before the Konoha shinobi could attack Escanor and register his appearance. The sun itself started to flare and it's solar rays began to burn the pair while Escanor soaked in it like any normal man would would water.
With everyone else
As they were talking, Escanor suddenly dropped his glasses and became his muscular self. As he screamed about how amazing he and the sun are. Several konoha ninja fell out of the trees screaming in pain as the rickshaw-carriage collapsed during the drive.
"Escanor! You're losing control of yourself and the vehicle!" Merlin warned.
Escanor suddenly registered the presence of his comrades, "I see, you all realize how detrimental I am to your group that you all decided to come back." he said before Hawk crashed into a tree.
Resulting in everyone flying out of the rickshaw-carriage. Which also ended up breaking apart during the accident. The damn thing was already faulty in design, it's not like this was meant to travel for too long.
"That's it! Escanor isn't allowed to drive!" Ban yelled as he stood up.
Escanor scoffed, "Is it the fault of the coachmen? Perhaps it's the fault of the ungrateful passengers." he said with crossed arms.
"The coachman obviously." Meliodas said bluntly.
"Enough, Escanor what happened to you? You suddenly looked exhausted and released your true form." Merlin asked.
Escanor looked confused, "Me? Tired? I was fine until you all left on your own, Hawk went down his own path and then I realized how weak the sun looked. However, it was strange to see how weak the sun is until I had to remind it of how powerful it's supposed to be." he explained.
"Genjutsu." Ban said before noticing the Konoha shinobi. "Escanor's weaker self got caught in an illusion. Then his arrogant self got free and burned those idiots." He explained.
"Wow, elite illusionists with no rivals somehow burned themselves in their own illusion." Meliodas said sarcastically.
"To be fair captain, as I have read. Genjutsu is capable of dulling all five sense, so of course they will feel pain." Gowther explained as he adjusted his glasses. "Then again, it's quite pathetic to see someone hurt themselves with their own illusion." he added.
"I'm questioning one of them." Ban said as he grabbed one of the screaming shinobi.
At the Kurama clan manor
Upon threatening the Kurama clan shinobi who attacked them. Ban was told that they were targeting Yakumo Kurama for reasons they refused to explain. Which left them with having Gowther dig into their minds.
"And they believe Yakumo-san is somehow capable of destroying their clan as well the village itself." Gowther said as they went inside.
"So what should we do then? If the kid is responsible for the fire, we arrest her?" Meliodas asked.
"I already considered this mission to be a wild goose chase. Should the girl, Yakumo, and her clan not be responsible, then we still have to investigate that random attack from earlier." Merlin said as she can tell something is definitely wrong here.
"Then perhaps we should split up. Two of us can guard the entryway and the rest can seek out clues." Gowther said.
"I will lead the investigating team, Gowther I may need you in case these illusions became too hectic." Merlin said.
Escanor adjusted his glasses, "Then I'll also…"
"I'll go. You guys are the heavy hitters, so you can guard the doorway." Meliodas interrupted.
Escanor sighed, "Very well captain." he said as he waited outside with ban.
"We'll try to meet up again in an hour at the latest." Meliodas said as he followed Merlin and Gowther inside.
Escanor took a seat on the grass, "This will test my patience, waiting for cowards to attack me with illusions. Pathetic." he said.
"Just wait big guy, they'll come out soon." Ban said as he heard leaves rustling.
Then the sight of a giant trail of dust rising into the air. Escanor immediately stood his ground and ran at the potential threat. That's when Ban realized who was coming, but even with his own speed. He couldn't stop Escanor who was already in attack mode.
"No need to fear! The cavalry has arrived!" Might Guy yelled as he came running in.
Unfortunately, Escanor surprised him and immediately tried to hit him. Guy managed to reduce the impact of Escanors godly strength and was lucky to have his weights. Because those things were the only things that were actually destroyed in the result of the attack. Though Guy would have to be careful for a moment as his legs felt quite numb.
"Calm down there my muscular comrade!" Guy said as he landed on his hand.
"Oh, you surprised me there." Escanor said.
Guy laughed, "Think nothing of it, though it would be preferred that you save the punches for a real fight or even a spar." he said with a thumbs up.
"You are very eccentric." Escanor said.
Ban sighed as he saw the interaction and wondered if Meliodas and the rest were having a more interesting time inside of the clan manor.
Meanwhile, in the forest
Though not anywhere near the Forest of Death or the section where the fairies have declared their new home. Konohamaru's group was out in the woods collecting certain plants for an assignment for Iruka's class.
"Is this right Udon?" Moegi asked as she showed her spectacled friend a plant.
Udon gave the girl a tired look as he checked the list, "I think so, lets add it to the basket." he said.
Konohamaru sighed, "How long are we supposed to be out here?" he asked as he was the one carrying the basket on his back.
"Just four more plants Konohamaru." Udon said.
"But what's the point? We're not gardeners, we're ninjas!" Konohamaru said.
Moegi sighed, "Konohamaru, I know this is boring and trust me, I hate Suzume sensei's flower class. Except this might come in handy on a real mission." she said.
"Yeah, we can figure out which plants could kill us so we can avoid them." Udon said in agreement.
"Okay, not as extreme like Udon thinks but you get the point." Moegi interjected.
Konohamaru sighed, "I feel like we should be getting fit. All we've been doing is looking around for plants and we can't even find the right ones quickly enough." he said.
Before the group could argue about their school assignment. They hard some sticks breaking which they initially ignored. The academy students assumed the sounds were from an animal moving around. However, they soon noticed someone was in proximity of them. Konohamaru was the first to notice that they were not alone.
There was a little girl around their age wearing an orange dress with a white undershirt. The girl looked lost as she wandered around the forest by herself.
"Hey! You shouldn't be wondering the forest by yourself!" Konohamaru shouts.
The girl looked at Konohamaru in surprise, "I'm just looking for my mama." she said.
"Did she leave you by yourself?" Udon asked.
"No, mama just forgot to pick me up." the girl answered.
"You were abandoned!?" the trio asked.
The girl got teary eyed, "NO! I-I… mama was busy finding us a house." she said defensively.
The kids felt bad, they didn't entirely understand the situation. Yet as future shinobi, they had to defend their home and their people. For Konohamaru, his uncle Asuma always said something about protecting the "king", but he didn't understand what that meant. So Asuma dumbed it down and said that they need to protect the future generation.
"Then we can help find her mom!" Konohamaru said.
"That sounds tough." Udon said.
"But not impossible! Come on Udon, are you a quitter or a ninja?" Konohamaru asked.
Udon adjusted his glasses, "Is it too late to be change occupations?" he asked.
Konohamaru turned to his female teammate, "Are you a quitter or a ninja Moegi?" he asked.
"Ninja obviously." Moegi answered.
"I'll give into peer pressure then." Udon said as he hangs his head.
The girl smiled, "You'll really help me?" she asked.
"Yeah! Let's go check in the village!" Konohamaru said.
"Village? But I can feel her around here." the girl said.
"Wait, then you already know?" Moegi asked.
"I think so, I can feel her energy around here." The girl said before running off into another direction.
"Hey! Slow down!" Konohamaru yelled.
"You can't run on your own!" Moegi yelled.
Sadly, the girl in the orange dress started to run faster like Rock Lee.
Back at the manor
Elizabeth was trying to set up a garden with the help of her sister Veronica. Kind of as a way to help add more beautiful aesthetics to her new home. As she worked, she could hear a lot of training in the distance.
"I actually expected you to be training and Margaret helping. Not the other way around." Elizabeth said with a giggle.
Veronica smiled at her sister, "I think the sword can take a rest. Besides, how long has it been since I spent time with you Ellie?" she asked.
"And what of Margaret?" Elizabeth asked.
"Margaret felt helpless and Gil has to help her train." Veronica said before hearing an ugly noise. "Though, I think maybe some basic martial arts would do her better." she said.
"Perhaps I could say the same about you and handling the plants." Elizabeth said.
Veronica looked down at her work and looked depressed. The whole thing was a mess and it just looked like Veronica stabbed the ground and scooped up random holes in the ground. She may have been a princess, but not a peaceful loving wallflower type that most people believe a princess should be.
"Maybe I should have trained instead." Veronica said.
"I can train you to garden better." Elizabeth suggested.
Veronica sighed, "I don't really want to learn. How hard is it anyways? I'm just stuffing seeds underground aren't I?" she asked. "Some water, sunlight and done right?" she asked.
"The physical process is quite delegate." Elizabeth said when she felt another presence.
Veronica sighed again, "Maybe someone can help us plant these flowers." she said.
"Veronica, those aren't for growing flowers. This is yeast." Elizabeth said followed by a long pause.
Veronica slapped her forehead, "Ellie, I'm starting to think I'm not the only clumsy one here." she said. "Why on this strange earth, are we planting yeast in the front yard?" she asked.
"I originally picked out some carnations, but Ban said he really needed the yeast." Elizabeth answered, slightly frightened by her sister's frustration.
"Then why the front of the mansion? This isn't a farm!" Veronica said.
Elizabeth's face turned red from embarrassment, "I was so caught up in the moment. Besides, you looked so happy that I didn't think it would matter." she said.
"Wait a moment, these are seeds. Does yeast even come from a seed?" Veronica asked.
While Elizabeth lost her curse, regained her memories and resurrected… she wasn't omniscient. Leaving her wondering if she was literally doing the right thing. Though Elizabeth isn't the ditzy klutz she was when Meliodas turned her into waitress. She still did a bad job at understanding the logic of agriculture.
"Ellie, I understand and accept that you have lived other lives. So were you ever a farmer at one point?" Veronica asked.
Elizabeth thought it over, "Honestly, I can hardly remember most of lives. I don't remember working on a field." she said.
"I think we need help." Veronica said.
When suddenly, they saw a giant trail of dust heading their way. Veronica and Elizabeth moved out of the way as the knights came running in. As they prepared for whoever or whatever was coming. They heard the Konohamaru corps yelling in the distance.
"You can't run over there!"
"You're going to hit someone!"
"How is she that fast!?"
The dust trail began to slow down as the running figure was revealed to the girl. Out of fear and surprise, Howzer was the first to strike his sword as he thought this was a threat. Instead, the girl jumped to the side and jumped again. Only this time, the girl jumped over Howzer and and landed on his head before jumping off. Resulting in Howzer's face crashing into the dirt.
"I think you need to double your training Howzer." Gilthunder said.
Howzer quickly recovered, "What hit me!?" he asked.
Everyone noticed the little girl who looked happy and curious. Everyone felt confused as to who this child was and how skilled she was to drop Howzer like that. He may chopped liver, but Howzer is definitely stronger than a generic jounin in this day and age. So it was concerning that a child was able to react and move that quickly.
Elizabeth however, wanted to be gentle as to not threaten the girl. She squatted down and met the girl at eye level.
"Hello young lady, who might you be?" Elizabeth asked.
"My name is Ana and I'm looking for my mama. Does she live here? I sensed her energy earlier." she said.
The Konohamaru corps finally arrived, "Sorry everyone! That little girl is lost!" Konohamaru said as he pointed at Ana.
Elizabeth continued chatting with Ana, "Ana, are you sure? Only my family and friends live here." she said.
Ana nodded, "Yes ma'am, my mama definitely lives here. I can feel her energy. Is she home right now?" she asked.
"Who is your mother, if you don't mind my asking?" Elizabeth asked.
"She has dark hair, gold eyes, uses magic and walks around in her underwear." Ana answered.
"Sounds like an exotic person." Veronica said, only thinking about the underwear part.
Though the description sounded familiar, "Do you know your mama's name?" Elizabeth asked.
Ana looked contemplative, "Merlin." she answered.
And thus everyone became silent.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Come again?" Elizabeth asked.
"Merlin is my mama! I even did lots of homework to make her proud!" Ana said as she reached into a pocket in her dress.
Diane whispered to King, "Merlin is a mother?" she asked.
King shrugged, "She treats Arthur like he's related." he replied.
Elizabeth stared at Ana as the girl dug into her pockets. Despite the girl being blond with blue eyes, Elizabeth started remembering Merlin when she first met the woman. It could be the fact that Ana claims that Merlin is her mother, but Elizabeth could see the resemblance between Ana and Merlin as a child.
"Look what I made!" Ana said as she presented a slime.
"I see, it's a wonderful…" Elizabeth was cut off by the slime opening it's eyes. "It's alive?" she asked.
Ana nodded, "Yes, he can't speak but he can think and move on his own. His name is Mordred and I wanted to impress my mama when I found found her." she said.
Margaret decided to approach the girl, "Ana is it? Can you tell us who your father is?" she asked.
Ana looked confused, "I don't have lots of memories of papa, I know he's strong and super smart but… he's a bit weird. I just know mama and papa love each other." he said.
"What's your papa's name?" Elizabeth asked.
Ana shrugged, "I can't remember." she answered.
The sisters looked at each other in question as they wondered where Ana came from and if she was telling the truth. As they pondered on what to do with her. Arthur came out of the mansion with a look of concern on his face.
"I heard a crash! Is everything alright?" Arthur asked.
No one noticed this as all eyes were on Arthur, but Ana's lively blue eyes became dark and cold. Her cheerful look was replaced of one with disgust as Arthur appeared. The slime in her hands started to stir around before jumping high into the air and crashing into Arthur's face. Ana quickly switched to looking concerned as she tried to pull off her slime.
"No Mordred! You can't pick fights!" Ana yells as she pries off her slime.
"Did I say something to offend someone?" Arthur asked.
As everyone helped Arthur stand back up, they didn't notice Ana's cold look as she stroked her slime. Except Udon who briefly looked at Ana, but her scary stare forced him to into staying silent.
Back at the Kurama Clan Manor
Merlin, Gowther and Meliodas continued to make their way through the manor. On the way, they could see that the environment started to look a bit distorted. That or perhaps the building was not maintained very well as the Kurama clan was not as famous as the Hyuuga or Sarutobi clans. So they likely didn't have the massive economy that those clans have despite having a unique bloodline.
"I thought these clans were supposed to be privileged." Meliodas said.
"Some clans are less fortunate captain. Perhaps they are looked down upon because their powers aren't as appealing to the eyes." Gowther said.
"You meany flashy?" Meliodas asked.
"Precisely." Gowther said. "Unlike the kingdoms and Knights, hidden villages and shinobi are basically more organized and disciplined versions of bands of knights." he explained.
"In other words, paid mercenaries, but then again the system confuses me as well." Merlin said.
"The future is weird, I wanted to see flying machines." Meliodas said, looking uninterested in modern events. "Then again, I can agree with society. Sometimes flashy techniques are cool to watch." he added.
Merlin stopped the group in it's tracks, "I am tired of this." she said, confusing the men. Merlin then raised her hand, "Absolute Cancel." she said, causing a pair of doors to appear.
Apparently, the doors were either hidden or they entered an illusion where the group would be forced to move inside of an endless hallway.
"Hey look, the walls look refurbished." Meliodas pointed out.
"Then we are already in the presence of another illusion." Merlin said as she opened the doors.
Meliodas drew his sword and looked inside, "Hey, any dangerous psychopaths in here? I promise I won't judge." he said, attempting to trick the attackers.
The three sins looked inside to find a dark haired girl working on an oil painting.
"Hey little girl, have you been threatened? I mean, there's a lot of people picking fights with us for no reason whatsoever." Meliodas asked.
The girl stiffened, almost appearing as Meliodas scared her. However, the First Sin of Wrath raised a brow suspiciously as if he recognized the threat first. As the girl's head turned, her face morphed into that of a scary demon.
"So the traitor to the clan has returned." the demon said.
"How did you get here?" Meliodas asked. "Did you get loose during the winter?" He asked.
The demon glared as it stood up, "I've been here far longer than that. In fact, I was grateful as I could sense our clan's return. Though, I was lucky that I was not caught in the blast. Whatever it was." he said.
Now Merlin was concerned, "You were here for many years and you were not caught in the sealing?" She asked.
"Whatever that magic was, had failed miserably. I can only assume those with greater power had managed to escape." The demon said.
Gowther started thinking, 'We may have a massive security issue.' he thought.
"Now, I can deal with you myself and restore honor to Lord Zeldris and the Demon King." the demon said as reality started to change.
"You're free to try." Meliodas said before his demon marks appeared.
The demon laughed, "Oh I will, I am not like any other muscle bound gluttonous fool. I am Ido the Mirage, my creations may be fake but they feel very real." Ido said as reality came apart.
"I think I found the problem." Meliodas said.
"I believe we stumbled onto a whole set of other problems." Gowther said with the revelation that Ido mentioned.
Despite what Gowther said is true, the three sins had to worry about their current predicament first. Starting with the fact that they were in Konoha again. Specifically at the center of the village where it was now an apocalyptic crater where the buildings were damaged, empty and very likely going to fall apart at any moment.
"We need to find Ido right away." Merlin said in a very serious tone.
With Naruto
Naruto looked at Merlin's peaceful sleeping form as he covered her with a blanket. He sighed as he looked up at the night sky where the stars illuminated island.
"What were stars again? Dad always said they were peepholes or something." Naruto asked.
Then he heard a voice, "There are people who believe the heaven is in the sky. In a way, they are holes." Said the individual.
Naruto turned his head and looked wide eyed, "Who…?" he tried to ask.
"The holes are meant to peer down onto the earth. The light that pours out from the stars is from the heavens." the individual continued to say.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"It's the answer to your question. The belief of these illuminating lights from heaven are called the Eyes of Heaven." the individual replied.
Naruto was still silent as he stared at the person in confusion. The individual blushed as they gave Naruto a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry, I was interested in your question and wanted to answer it." they said. "My name Elizabeth by the way." she said.
"Elizabeth…" Naruto whispered as a tear fell down his eye.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I KNOW! You're all annoyed, peeved and have various negative things to say for me wasting your patience! Which is very understandable, I feel like a moron for not speeding up the story. Seriously, I think I wrote two chapters in the span of a year. That is definitely my fault.
Heck, this story was meant to be around 8 chapters at most to present an interlude to the main ending. Hopefully, I can finally get this story done and get more than three or four chapters done per year. Sorry for the long wait ladies and gentlemen. I think we're almost at the half way point which leads to the time skip leading to the Shippuden era. Anyways, sorry again for the long wait. A whole bunch of you probably already gave up or feel close to giving up on this story by now.
For those of you wishing to see the end as much as I tried to finish this part. You can have this omake. Warning, this may be a possible spoiler for part 3… okay it's probably not.
At Neo Liones
At the castle at the center of a rebuilt Liones, capital of New Uzushio. Naruto's great castle was filled with great festivities. Unfortunately, not everyone was in a festive mood. Especially some of the former Konoha ninja who now lived amongst their ranks. As some waited in line for what is supposed to be their food.
"Care for a slice of Scroto?" The server asked.
Neji wanted to blanch, "By chance, is that the name of the creature you cooked?" he asked.
"Tis also that." the server answered.
"I'm going to be sick." TenTen said as she was ready to vomit.
Lee on the other hand, looked optimistic, "It is not good to waste food. Give me two plates please." he said.
"At once good sir." the server said as he sliced off a bit of Scroto.
Meanwhile, Naruto sat at the center of the party with Merlin hanging onto his arm. Where the new monarch grabbed everyone's attention to make a quick announcement.
"We are honored this eve with the return of friends of old, my step brother Lancelot." Naruto said as everyone clapped for Lancelot.
Who sat between his biological parents, Ban and Elaine.
"Don't forget the other one dear." Merlin whispered.
"Oh right, and let's not forget… Chopped Liver." Naruto said with less enthusiasm.
Howzer banged his head on the table, "Long live the king." he said half heartedly. "Jerk." he muttered.
"What was that?" Naruto asked.
"Nothing." Howzer quickly answered.
Naruto moved on, "Now let us celebrate by letting the dwarves do their gay dance and the gnomes play their sissy piccolos." He said as the performers appeared on a stage.
In actuality, they were not gnomes or dwarves as such creatures have unfortunately gone extinct. However, the dwarves were composed of main branch Hyuga who attempted to form a war against Liones. While the gnomes were just the few surviving Uchiha minus Mikoto. Now all of them were shortened humans who had their powers stripped away. To live the life of court jesters for the amusement of others.
As they played their song and dance, the gnomes showed great synchrocity and energy. But it wasn't good enough for the royals.
"Dance, dance you little freaks." Naruto commanded.
And with more gusto, they danced. Sadly, the queen was not very entertained.
"Faster." Merlin commanded as she drank wine from her goblet.
With more speed, the gnomes moved up their repertoire while the dwarves adjusted the speed of their music playing.
Suddenly Ban stood up, "FASTER!" he shouted.
And they did, somehow the dwarves played even faster and higher as a result. With the gnomes staying in sync as they danced. Except for one particular gnome who slipped and fell out of the group. Twisting his own leg as a result of his clumsiness as a sickening crunch was heard.
"AHHHH! MY ANKLE!" Obito screamed.
"To the kitchen with him." Naruto demanded.
Obito grabbed onto the grass as he resisted, "Wait! I can do impression!" he exclaimed. Everyone sat in silence as Obito covered his eye, "Behold the cyclops… Sorry, I was lost on the road of life." he said in a lazy voice.
"Don't let him get too crispy." Merlin said as they took Obito away.
"I would not mind another serving of Scroto." Lee said.
"I think they are working on it Lee." TenTen said as Obito screamed and pleaded for mercy.
Lee smiled, "I am so grateful for this invitation to this lovely festivity!" he said.
END OF OMAKE