Yo
How's life lads? Good? That is wonderful to hear!
I'm ecstatic to hear that, you know what else I'm also ecstatic about?
This chapter right here!
Let's skim through it, shall we.
Start:
"So… we finally meet at last, Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto gazed curiously at the elderly man in the center of the council, flanked on either side by four council members each.
The old man had an interesting appearance, he was short and incredibly round, so round that it looked like he was using or was ready to use the famed human boulder jutsu of the Akimichi clan. Interestingly enough, he also possessed the longest beard Naruto had ever seen in his life.
What completed the entire assembly to give the man a sophisticated look was the pair of small round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
With such an appearance, it was only natural that the first thing that would come out of the blonde's mouth is this.
"Aren't you supposed to be in a circus or something?"
His seemingly innocent question caused everyone to gaze at him, wide-eyed, before the entire room erupted into chaos.
It was a sight to see.
From the corner of his eyes, Naruto could spot Ultear, a blue-haired guy with a tattoo on his face, and a short old man with an oddly pronounced jaw and attired in an orange striped shirt, laughing wholeheartedly.
Even Mira seemed to be struggling to maintain a straight face.
The rest on the other hand were less than amused.
Both with him and with their fellow amused council members.
The victim of his question was especially red in the face. "You dare to insult me!? Do you not know who I am Naruto Uzumaki? I am Crawford Seam, The chairman of the magic council!"
Naruto smiled awkwardly. "Never heard of you."
Immediately, Mira lost the ability to hold it in as she laughed alongside the three heavily amused council members who guffawed even harder.
The shinobi's admission drew roars of outrage from everyone else who began to scream and yell at the blonde and at one another.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"
"SUCH DISRESPECT!"
"BACK IN MY DAY, YOUNGSTERS LIKE YOU HAD RESPECT FOR THEIR ELDERS!"
"YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY TO INSULT US!? THE EMBODIMENT OF MAGIC!"
"OF COURSE HE WOULD INSULT US, WHO WOULDN'T AFTER LISTENING TO YOUR VOICE, MICHELLO!?"
"SHUT YOUR TRAP LEIJI! IT'S YOUR UNPROFESSIONLISM THAT BRINGS SHAME TO THE COUNCIL!"
"CAN YOU TWO STOP FIGHTING!"
It was pure chaos and Naruto reveled in his artwork.
"SILENCE!" Crawford roared.
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It was roughly five minutes later that the room had quieted down enough for a conversation to resume in a professional capacity.
Still livid, Crawford glared menacingly at the bored blonde who hardly looked fazed from his glare.
"We will be direct with you, Naruto Uzumaki, we the council, find it suspicious that there exists no records of your existence prior to the attack that happened in Magnolia. In fact, everything about you is suspicious. It's as though you appeared from thin air. Where did you come from? Who are you affiliated with? And why is there not a single file that details information about your person?"
Mira frowned at the line of questions, readying herself to intervene if their interrogation got too out of hand.
The shinobi crossed his arms. "From my understanding, I was invited here on account of you all wanting to award me for defending Magnolia and having me become a wizard saint, not to be interrogated."
"And we do wish for you to become a wizard saint, young Uzumaki, but it is most peculiar that there is no ounce of information in regards to your character." Org replied calmly, a sharp but understanding eye fixated down on the blonde.
"We, the council, have always taken pride in our ability of possessing great knowledge, and yet we have nothing on you, which is why we wish to rectify such an issue. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated." Org added diplomatically.
"Very well." Naruto nodded stoically. "The reason you don't have anything on me is because I'm not from Fiore, but rather from a remote land that I haven't even found on the world map."
Technically not a lie, since the land in question was in a different dimension.
"Preposterous! You expect us to believe that?" Leiji asked incredulously. "And let's say we entertain the notion that you're telling the truth, how did you then arrive in Fiore?"
"Through a warp-hole." The shinobi eyed the councilmen indifferently. "My best friend possessed the ability to teleport wherever he wished and he opened a portal that dropped me in Fairy Tail. You can ask Mira or any other Fairy tail member if you don't believe me."
Siegrain sat up straight, curiosity tinting his gaze. "And where is your friend?"
"Dead." The air around the blonde grew colder as he eyed them emotionlessly. "Do not ask me how he died."
…
…
"I'm sorry for your loss young man." Yajima bowed his head in condolence, grief afflicting his tone at the loss of life.
Sensing the genuine regret in the man's voice, Naruto's gaze softened before he nodded at the councilmember, lips still pressed into a line but no longer as rigid. "Thank you."
A scoff greeted his ears, Naruto shifted his gaze until it landed on the unpleasantly scowling old woman in the council. "Your story is awfully convenient, I don't buy it."
"Belno!" Yajima stood up. "Have some sympathy, can you not see the grief that burdens this young man!? Learn to be more considerate to such sensitive topics."
Belno's scowl worsened. "You have always been naïve Yajima, it's a wonder that no one has already exploited your naïve nature."
"With all due respect lady Belno." Mira spoke up, dragging everyone's attention to her. "Naruto truly did come out of a warp-hole, he fell on top of me in fact. And I have no issue showcasing my memories of when he had appeared in the guild. I believe him."
Crawford stroked his beard. "Nonetheless, it is a bold claim and one that we are not entitled to believe in."
"And neither is Naruto entitled to confess his origins or his life to any of you, esteemed council." Mira swiftly rebutted.
The shinobi looked on, surprised, at how zealously Mira defended him, he felt warmth creep up to his chest.
"I agree."
All heads whirled towards the direction of the voice.
Eyes twinkling with an unknown yet sensual gleam, Ultear locked eyes with the surprised Mira before they fluttered over to the topic of their conversation. "As members of the magic council, are we not supposed to be the epitome of professionalism and ethics? I find our current actions to be neither professional or ethical in any sense of the term."
"And what would you suggest, councilwoman Ultear?" Yuri calmly questioned.
Ultear smiled, a sensual upturn of the lips. "That we stop treating Naruto Uzumaki as a criminal and we treat him with the respect he deserves, it is after all because of his efforts that the citizens of Magnolia are safe and that we have captured over two hundred dark mages and three demons of Zeref, is it not?"
"I wholeheartedly concur with Ultear's statement." Yajima approved of her notion. "It is distasteful as it is how we have treated the young lad who is by textbook definition, a hero. Do forgive us young Uzumaki, Young Mirajane."
"No, no, you don't have to apologize Mr. Yajima, sir!" Mira shook her head in panic.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded in agreement. "Nothing to apologize for sir, you have been nothing but kind to me since I stepped foot here."
Yajima smiled in gratitude before nodding back in turn.
"Sentiments are nice and all, but the issue of the lack of detail of his characters is still something of concern, how can we trust you Naruto Uzumaki, to be a wizard saint, a protector of our land, when there is hardly anything there is to know about you?" Yuri calmly questioned.
Naruto nearly frowned but held in the urge, just as he readied himself to reply, someone else took his place.
"Come now." Siegrain smirked cockily at his fellow councilmember. "We have just arrived at the conclusion that our actions of forcing answers out of Naruto Uzumaki would be immoral, haven't we?"
"Immoral it may be." Crawford fixated his gaze on the blonde. "But councilman Yuri does present a valid point. We do not know you well enough Uzumaki to entrust the title of Wizard saint without any additional stipulations."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, having picked up on that last part. "Without any additional stipulations? That implies that you wish to offer me the position."
Worry surged within Mira's chest as she eyed the proceeding, feeling great apprehension.
"You are correct." The chairman of the council stroked his beard. "We, the council, do believe you possess the power to be one of the great ten. And in all honesty we would like you to become one, but only if you were to cooperate with us in the first few months."
"And in what form would he cooperate?" Mira questioned sternly.
The chairman smiled and the shinobi eyed him warily. Something about the leader of the council was foul and disgusting to his senses. Naruto certainly wasn't going to trust him anytime soon, if at all.
"Nothing extreme, just a few council missions here and there to help build our trust, along with the occasional visit to fill out some forms. Oh, and he would also have to take a few interviews so the world could know who he is."
Mira frowned. "I still don't agree, none of the other wizard saints had to tolerate or undergo these conditions you put in place, one could even say you're discriminating., what you are proposing is simply unreasonable."
"Quite frankly Miss Strauss, I believe that that is something that mister Uzumaki must decide for himself."
Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the chairman. "I trust Mira's judgment, if she says this is unreasonable and that's what it seems like to me, then I won't accept these terms."
It hadn't escaped his notice that two of the three conditions would force him to reveal more of himself, just as it hadn't escaped him that the chairman hadn't elaborated on what the council missions were going to be like.
Regardless, he was in no way going to blindly trust the council.
Crawford nearly scowled.
"I have a better idea."
But Mira did, the smile that had appeared on her visage due to Naruto's heart-warming declaration was swiftly wiped away as her gaze flickered over to the woman whom she had the displeasure of being around with for a few hours.
"And what would that be, councilwoman Ultear?" Crawford quirked an eyebrow, his curiosity matched by everyone else (excluding Mira) in the room.
"That as I mentioned earlier, we stop treating him like a criminal, he is not deserving of that. At the same time, we do need to learn more about him. What I propose is simple." resting her chin between her clasped knuckles, Ultear smiled at the blonde. "I join Fairy Tail."
…
…
Suddenly, the room erupted into chaos.
It was as though a war had just been sparked, hardly any were composed as they bellowed and screamed at one another.
Watching the circus show with rapt fascination, a sweat drop formed in the shinobi's head.
He wasn't even a member of Fairy tail.
Though it was kinda funny that they all thought otherwise.
Naruto wasn't the only one who had remembered that particular detail. As the one who usually stamped the guild mark into a new member's body, the most recent being Lucy, Mira was perhaps the most aware of everyone of how Naruto himself wasn't a member of her guild.
The barmaid looked over to him, a hopeful expression marring her visage.
Poor Naruto had instantly noticed and was forced to send her an apologetic expression, having instantly realized what was going on through her head. "Sorry Mira, but I still need more time to decide before I make the decision of joining or not."
Mira pouted in annoyance and looked away, by chance her gaze landed on the livid and crimson-in-the-face chairman and she had a bad feeling swirling in her tummy.
"ORDERRRRR!"
Everyone instantly quieted down as Crawford thundered heavily.
Taking a few more breaths to calm himself, the chairman then directed his glare over each and every one of his colleagues, disapproval swimming in his gaze. "This is not how the council conduct themselves, especially not in the face of company. Act according to your stations."
"With all due respect chairman Crawford, what Ultear is suggesting is nothing short of unthinkable and outrageous!" Belno declared loudly.
"I do not see the issue." Yajima leapt to Fairy Tail's defense. "Yes they can certainly minimize their unintentional destruction of properties among other more troublesome habits." Mira covered her face in shame. "But they're good people with a strong sense of justice, that's what matters at the end of the day."
"Please." Michello scoffed. "You always defend them, I have not seen a guild more irresponsible than Fairy Tail, they're the height of irresponsibility."
Siegrain chuckled humorously. "You only say that because one of their members, Loke, was in bed with your granddaughter."
His declaration caused Michello to fume in fury, before he could give Siegrain a good piece of his mind, Crawford sent him a warning glare that had Michello cowering before the chairman then turned over to the blue-haired councilmember. "Enough councilmen Siegrain, councilwoman Ultear continue."
Ultear nodded. "The way I see it chairman, we've already been meaning to try curb Fairy Tail's tendencies for destruction, with my presence there, I get to learn more about dear Naruto with what he's willing to share and at the same time, try to erase or at the very least lessen Fairy Tail's more…eccentric behavior."
"It would be like eliminating two birds with one stone." She added.
Crawford contemplated the idea before humming in approval. "Very well, this I can most certainly approve of."
"That's nice and all." Naruto suddenly spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "But I haven't even agreed to becoming a wizard saint."
"You're willing to turn away such a prestigious position?" Org questioned, surprise clear in his tone.
"Having just arrived here in Fiore less than a week ago, the importance of this position still eludes me, but I can imagine that it would come with a set of responsibilities that I currently do not even know if I can live up to." Naruto explained. "I would need some time before I arrive with an answer."
"Understandable." Org nodded. "What we are offering is no simple matter."
"No matter the decision you choose Naruto Uzumaki, Ultear will still join Fairy Tail regardless." Crawford affirmed sternly. "Fairy Tail has been too unruly as of late and that in itself cannot be tolerated."
Naruto sweatdropped. Fairy Tail really must have had a bad reputation.
A quick glance to his left revealed a scandalized Mira burying her face within her palms.
"In what timeframe would you imagine that you would arrive at an answer, young Naruto?" Yajima asked with a gentle smile.
"Probably around two to three weeks." He answered.
"Very well, we shall see you within that time-frame, Naruto Uzumaki." Crawford nodded. "This meeting is effectively adjourned, councilwoman Ultear?"
Ultear perked up and eyed the chairman. "I expect you to be at Fairy Tail's doorsteps within a week's time, let them know that your enrollment in the guild is not optional, and before I forget, do make sure that Uzumaki receives his reward for protecting Magnolia.."
"Understood sir." Her smile was positively evil, it spoke of mischief, and yet still Naruto found her to be damningly attractive.
The purplette allowed her gaze to skid across before she found the source of her intrigue, puckering her lips and blowing a kiss at the slightly embarrassed blonde, ignoring the fuming of the supermodel and the scandalized expression of her fellow colleagues.
"I'll see you in a few minutes, ~Naruto~"
"See ya." Naruto smiled and waved, eyes closed as heat flooded his cheeks.
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Angry was an understatement.
…
If one were to use such a term to describe how Mirajane currently felt.
The supermodel was seething as she walked with her blonde companion around Era, her mind still plagued with thoughts of how she'd have to be around and tolerate the presence of Ultear who she hadn't had the most lovable of interactions with.
She was a snake! A master manipulator, someone who coerced the entire council to do her bidding.
And that damned woman easily managed to fool the council into letting her spend more time with Naruto, all under the pretense of curbing Fairy Tail's… 'Eccentric behavior'. Mira scowled.
An absolutely horrid woman.
That was what she thought of one Ultear Milkovich.
"Hey. You okay?"
Instinctively, Mira glanced over to her right, latching onto the color of blue before she nodded, a miniscule frown still plastered on her features. "I'm alright, why do you ask?"
Naruto smiled a bit awkwardly. "You don't exactly look like the happiest person in the world right now."
It also helped that his emotion-sensing ability was going a bit haywire with how Mira exuded a little negativity.
That was the reason why Naruto had requested that they don't leave quite yet, going with the pretense that he wanted to see what the neighborhood in Era was like.
Mira hadn't had a reason to refuse him beyond not wanting to be in the same city as that witch and so had agreed to his request.
Five minutes later and here they were.
A rare grunt escaped the barmaid before she sighed. "I can't say I like that Ultear woman very much."
"I can tell." He smiled a bit understandingly, knowing what the feeling was like, of having to deal with people who he didn't exactly get along with. "Try not to keep it too much on your mind, Mira. This negativity you're feeling won't help accomplish anything."
Mira shook her head but inwardly agreed with his advice, slowly forcing her anger and any negative thoughts away.
"Who knows, the two of you might be best friends in the future."
"I highly doubt that." The chances of that happening were about as likely as pigs falling from the sky, the supermodel just did not see that happening.
"You never know, anything could happen." Naruto replied with a small shrug.
She hummed but ultimately said nothing.
Silence soon reigned between the pair, the two of them too consumed by their thoughts to try entertain a conversation.
It had been a long day and one that had been much more taxing on the mind than needed.
Slowly, curiosity began to plague Mira before she tossed her gaze to her companion. "Is it really true, Naruto?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you really come from a land outside of Fiore? One that you couldn't even find on the world map?" she elaborated.
Naruto nodded. "Indeed, I'm very unfamiliar with this land and its culture."
"What do you think of it so far?"
"It's Beautiful. All of it. Everything is really amazing and there's much that I can't wait to learn." He answered with a small smile. One of the side effects of going on that training trip with his pervy godfather… developing a need to see and learn about other cultures.
Something about that notion really intrigued him.
Mira smiled before it dimmed as she asked the next question that had been festering on her mind. "You haven't agreed to join Fairy Tail… is it because you plan to return to your home?"
"I can't."
"What?" She inquired a bit softly.
Naruto half-smiled in mockery. "Unfortunately, I can't return back home even if I wanted to, which I do, my friend Sasuke, teleported me here because me and him had somehow found ourselves in the most… unusual of circumstances, him warping me here is a one-time thing."
"Oh." An uncomfortable look glazed over Mira's features. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"It's fine." He brushed aside her worries, eyes briefly clenched in thought before he reopened them. "I can cry about it all I want but in the end, the only thing I can do is try and make the most out of everything going on right now."
Mira smiled lightly. "That's a good way to look at things."
The shinobi grinned. "What can I say, I'm usually a pretty optimistic guy, Mira."
"I can believe that." She giggled.
"That said…" His visage morphed into a serious expression. "I could really use your help with something but…" He gave her a strong glare. "I need you to promise me that you won't abuse the position you'll be in."
"What do you need my help with?" Saying Mira was curious was putting it lightly, like a cat who heard a most peculiar sound in the next room and went to investigate, the barmaid just had to know what it was that Naruto needed her help with.
"You won't abuse the position you're in?" He eyed her gravely.
Mira crossed her arms and gave him her full attention. "I can't make any promises but I can try my best."
Naruto sighed as they turned the next corner, not paying attention to the few citizens whispering and pointing in their direction. "I suppose that's the best I can get from you, huh?"
"Yes, now out with it!" If he didn't tell her what he needed her help in, she was going to go insane!
"Well…" He scratched his cheek offhandedly. "I could use help in looking for a few stores to buy some clothes. Fortunately, I've had two spares of the clothes I was wearing to stay decent but I don-" "Say no more!" Mira interrupted him, an excited gleam nesting in her gaze.
"You can count on me to get you all the right clothing you need so we can maximize your appearance and make you the prettiest man in the world."
"P-prettiest!?" Naruto instantly grew affronted. "Do not use that disgusting word to describe me, I'm fine with most handsome or attractive but pretty or cute is just… Ughh" He fake gagged much to the barmaid's amusement.
"Alright, alright, I got it. No calling you pretty or any of that."
He grunted, still slightly annoyed with her blunder.
Intertwining her hand with his, Mira looked over her shoulder with a contemplative expression much to Naruto's confusion. "Mira?..."
She gently shushed him, her form twisting left and right before she finally righted herself in a very specific direction. "The force is telling me that there is a good fashion store right over there."
"Pardon me?" He blinked.
With the sudden emergence of a demonic stomach-twisting smile, Mira then bolted towards the destination, speed comparable to a speeding bullet all the while Naruto flailed helplessly in the air behind her.
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Raising a knuckle, Naruto furiously wiped away at the tears that drizzled down across his features, barely holding back a sob after the mind-bogglingly, soul-quivering, astonishingly-horrendous experience that made him feel entirely emasculated.
Mira was a sweet woman, one that had been unconditionally kind with him since the first moment he had met her.
It was for that reason alone that Naruto hadn't been ready for the complete one-eighty transformation that turned the compassionate woman he knew into a heartless sadistic demon who enjoyed breaking strong men like him.
Worse! It wasn't just her who was in on the experience, but that seemingly nice lady who turned out to be so excessively cruel!
Just recollecting the experience that he had been subjected to in the past two hours, about the intense measurement taking, the endless clothes trying, and of how Mira and the store cleric had callously stomped on his feelings and forced their tastes for clothes on him…
Just thinking about it…
…
Sob! Sob!
His shoulders shook with unparalleled sorrow, another renewal of tears sliding down his features.
What had he invited himself into!?
"Oh ~Naruto~." Mira sang his name from right outside the changing stall, a bright smile plastered on her visage, completely unaware of the fact that he was weeping due to her actions. "I brought even more clothes for you to try, don't take too long inside the ~stalls~."
Choking back another sob, lest she hears him, Naruto took a deep breath and tried steeling his heart for another round of boundless torture.
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It was thirty minutes later that they had finally exited the store that Mira had forced them in, the waitress beaming at him all the while he looked away, not ready to even utter a word to his tormentor.
"Oh c'mon now, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Mira fixed him with a cute smile, eyes closed and an aura of flowers and rainbows surrounding her form.
Wasn't that bad!?
Naruto whirled towards her, ready to let his tormentor know of how he hated the experience and how he wasn't going to ever trust her again...
Only to bite his lips, stunned at the display of cuteness that graced his eyes.
Dammit it all! How was he supposed to disagree when she was like this?
'Just why!?' He inwardly cried.
His misfortune wasn't even close to ending.
"Naruto." Mira uttered his name softly, quietly, so weak to his ears that it felt like it was a glass that even a newborn could shatter. "Did you not like shopping with me?" She questioned so unsurely, gaze aimed at the floor as the possible sorrow that could accompany his answer threatened to undo her.
Gulping, the shinobi summoned every ounce of will within his body to answer the question in a way that would bring complete happiness to the white-haired model.
Such a way naturally involved lying.
"No, I e-enjoyed m-myself." Naruto felt his heart crack at the lie.
"Really!" Mira's gaze snapped over to meet his, a large smile threatening to split her face in two.
It took a lot out of him to be able to nod but somehow he managed, her smile giving him the strength to surrendering his own happiness.
"Then let's go to the next store!" She clasped her hand tightly on his.
Horror instantly welled up within Naruto's chest as he struggled with all his might to tug his hand free from her grip with no avail.
Feet digging into the earth, Naruto heaved as much as he could and still came up short.
Where did this ridiculous physical strength come from!?
It was as though the simple prospect of more shopping strengthened the super model to such a degree that she made guy-sensei seem like a weakling in physical abilities.
To add insult to injury, Mira didn't even seem to notice his struggles as she tried to pinpoint the next best store within distance using 'The force'.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted over a few degrees to the left and if possible, Mira's smile, already large in appearance, became even wider and more crazed.
It terrified the blonde, and for good reason too.
With a cheer, Mira rocketed off to the next store in mind, Naruto once more flailing behind her as she sprinted with such speed that Might Guy would have proclaimed that the flames of youth burned brightest within her.
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"So… you seem interested in Uzumaki."
Ultear smiled and looked over her shoulder, her gaze landing on the handsome visage of her secret pawn. "What can I say, master Siegrain, everything about him is fascinating."
Siegrain chuckled. "I can understand that, I feel the same way with my darling Erza."
Walking over to her, he stopped once he entered intimate distance, mouth trailing down to her ear before he whispered. "Keep an eye on her for me, will you, Ultear?"
A sultry smile tugged at her lips. "Not a problem."
End.
Okay… this is by far, one of the funniest endings I ever wrote for a chapter. I honestly don't know what compelled me to write out this last part but I couldn't resist.
I'm talking about the ending with Naruto and Mira obviously.
This chapter is a bit short compared to the rest but that was because the council dialogue took a bit much than what I had expected, that said, we will progress a bit faster in the plot starting next chapter lads!
I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter regardless, it was pretty fun to write.
Chapter 7, 8, and 9 are posted on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link
www.#patr#eon.#com/Demon_Knight939 (Just remove all the hashtags)
Anyway take care lads, I'll see you all on my next update.
Peace.