Naruto watched as the power continued to billow out from the mage before him. While it was growing slower than he expected, he still wasn't about to underestimate Jellal. The man was a complete unknown so anything he could do could potentially be life threatening.
Deciding that he'd watched Jellal glow for long enough, Naruto took the initiative and withdrew a kunai. His hand flashed and Jellal had to duck his head to just avoid catching the projectile to his forehead. Growling, the man looked at the tool imbedded in the wall behind him. "You're eager to have some bones broken aren't you?"
Frowning, Naruto just held a hand out as he lowered into the first stage of the Kawazu Kumite (Frog Kata). "Don't think I'm going to let you keep charging your energy. Come at me."
Smirking, the man crouched. "As you wish."
Flickering from sight, Naruto's eyes widened as the blue headed mage phased into existence behind him, arm reared back for an attack. His limb shot down to knock Naruto's head from his shoulders but was taken by surprise when Naruto disappeared. Looking down, he saw the knife Naruto had thrown at him a moment earlier now in his place, dropping to the floor.
"Over here stupid!"
Suppressing a growl, Jellal looked up. "Don't be surprised if I kill you b-"
The sentence was cut short as an immensely powerful uppercut snapped his head backwards and lifted him off the ground. Before he could even think, a roundhouse kick then embedded itself into his guts, forcing air and spittle from his gasping mouth as he shot back and slammed into the wall.
Struggling to regain his breath, Jellal looked up and saw two Naruto's smirking at him. For some reason though, the blond nearest to him seemed to have smoke coming off him was standing right where that knife had been. Chuckling, Jellal pulled himself from the crack and dusted himself down. "Is that the best you can do? Not much for a supposed Wizard of the Ten Saints."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and pointed at Jellal's shirt. "Yeah? I saw a badge of your own just before I sent your ass into the wall so you can't say jack."
Looking down, the mage saw his medallion had indeed fallen from his shirt. Tucking it back securely, he shrugged. "Well spotted. I'm currently only at half power though. Think of it as a friendly handicap between fellow mages."
Both blonds frowned and crouched. "You'd wanna rethink that unless you like having you teeth kicked in."
Laughing, Jellal's glow picked up again. "Whatever you say."
Flashing away, both Naruto's trained their eyes on the fighter as he shot around the outsides of them. Whatever this ability he was using was giving him phenomenal speed that rivalled even Fuzzy Brows from home.
Raising an arm, Naruto blocked a high kick and returned one himself. Ducking, Jellal then dived forward in a burst of speed, tackling Naruto to the ground. He took a solid knee to the gut as they landed but ignored that as he ploughed a fist into the blonds' face. He heard a muffled yelp before the teen beneath him suddenly went up in an explosion of smoke.
Blinking in surprise, Jellal almost missed the other Naruto as he charged in, a glowing blue orb in his hand. Flattening himself against the ground, the mage shot a hand out and snagged Naruto's foot as he shot past. Crying out as he went head first into the ground, an explosion rocked the building as that blue orb in Naruto's hand detonated, the surprisingly powerful attack punching a massive hole through the floor.
Pushing himself off the ground and jumping back, Jellal whistled and laughed as he saw Naruto shaking debris from his hair. "Well now, that was a bit unexpected. I guess that temporary position of yours is actually somewhat earned."
Standing, Naruto pulled a stray lock of hair from his eyes. While interesting, the fight itself wasn't really a part of the mission. What he needed to do was get back to the council guys, tell them what they wanted and then eat. He was getting pretty hungry seeing he had skipped lunch.
Naruto then tensed as he watched the mage raise an arm. A dark ball began forming in his palm, growing outwards until it was the size of a Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere). Smirking, the mage clenched his fist and crushed the strange ball. "Time to take you back to your cage, boy."
Feeling something unnatural, Naruto looked down and saw what looked like a number of translucent black and purple worms sticking up from the floor under his feet. Instinct kicked in and the blond jumped high into the air, but the worms were fast. Lashing out, one caught his foot and before he could blink, Naruto found himself wrapped up in a prison of the weird things.
Instantly a painful spasm rocked his body as the tainted energy constricted him. Gritting his teeth, Naruto looked through the murky walls and saw Jellal standing near the sphere, smirking while he watched Naruto wriggle in pain. "Well, I guess you did alright. I expected a little more from you but I suppose a temporary Saint can only do so much. Anyhow, it's time to take you back to your cell."
While inside the sphere was painful, it still didn't compare with much of the pain Naruto had experienced in his life. Hell, training was usually worse than this. As Jellal turned away, Naruto grinned and forced his hands together. "Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)."
His chakra reached out and touched Jellal. The second it did, it gave the mage a mighty tug and instantly replaced Naruto's position with Jellal's. Hearing the surprised cry from behind him, Naruto turned and looked up at the man. "Don't think you can take me so easy. Anyway, I'd love to stay and fight but I really must be going."
Turning, Naruto looked at the nearest wall and charged. Holding his hands out, tornados once again sprung to life around his arms as he dived into the wall. Boring a hole clean through it, Naruto popped out the other side and looked down. 'Probably should have thought that through a bit more.'
Resisting the urge to panic, Naruto focused on pushing his chakra to his feet and he felt the saving wind begin to lift him up and rescue him from the three hundred plus plummet to the ocean. Holding his hands out for stability, Naruto pushed and began escaping over the water. An explosion behind him only made him try fly faster but a powerful shoulder charge to the center of his back ruined that plan.
Spiralling around uncontrollably, Naruto let out a yelp as he tried to stabilise himself. Not even thinking, he pushed chakra to his hands the same way he did to his feet and he instantly felt himself regain much control.
Levelling out, Naruto released a shaky breath and looked up at the blue haired man. He was grinning confidently down at the blond as he once again enshrouded himself in that gold glow. "Huh, so you can actually fly? That's a rare ability. It looks like you only just learnt how though, so this means you're in my element now!"
Raising his knees, the mage then kicked off an imaginary platform and shot towards Naruto. Letting his fighting side take over, Naruto cut the chakra flow to his feet and felt himself drop like a stone. Jellal rocketed past just out of reach, but the agile mage banked sharply and shot right back at Naruto. Clenching, the blond crossed his arms over his chest and received a powerful blow right to the center of his forearms. His downward fall instantly changed to a horizontal one as the force of the hit knocked him back.
Shaking his arms out, Naruto pulled feeling back into his hands before spreading his arms and legs out. Forcing chakra to all four limbs, Naruto felt himself slow to a stop. Jellal meanwhile was shooting around the sky in unpredictable zigzags in an effort to confuse the blond. He'd dart in only to bank up in a feint, causing Naruto to miss his block and open himself up to attack elsewhere. It only took one or two of these before Jellal struck and delivered a punishing blow to Naruto's kidney. Crying out, the blond flinched and allowed the mage to get in another hit, this time to the top of his head in the form of a double hammer.
Instantly shooting down headfirst towards the water, Naruto shook off the remaining pain and held his hands out in a last ditch effort to avoid smacking into the water's surface. Forcing chakra to them, he felt his momentum slow, but not by enough. About twenty feet over the water, he cut the energy flow and tucked, rolling over to land feet down. Crouching as he hit the ocean, a massive plume of water exploded up around him as he displaced enough water to allow him to remain afloat. His legs were tingling pretty badly after the landing but Naruto just ignored it and looked up.
It seemed that their fight had drawn attention and Naruto saw that a number of guards had assembled around Jellal, their dogs howling viciously as they circled. Seeing his chance, Naruto didn't hold back.
Pulling upon the foul chakra within him, Naruto instantly saw a red haze cover his vision. Looking up, he smirked happily as the dogs instantly went haywire, the overload of the Kyuubi's chakra stressing them out to an uncontrollable degree. Guards were sent screaming from their seats on the dogs shoulders as they bucked about; the flailing enough to rip the reins from their hands. Ignoring that, Naruto focused on Jellal as he looked around in frustration, having to dodge the crazed animals as they began attacking each other in the air.
While still clear headed, Naruto was tainted enough by the malevolent chakra to want to get in one last hit on the arrogant mage. Focusing on a dog, he clasped his clawed fingers as the animal passed right beside Jellal. Smirking, he lashed his chakra out and snatched the animal from its place in the air.
Jellal didn't stand a chance.
Fuelled on adrenalin and a little bit of demonic chakra, Naruto appeared behind the mage with a hand raised high in the air. Smacking down with incredible open handed slap, Naruto howled as the blunette was sent rocketing into the sea. A tremendous explosion of water shot up into the air with a boom, the force sending Jellal deep into the murky depths.
Looking around, Naruto saw that any remaining dogs and their guards had all fled from him, the fear inducing aura around him having done its job well. Smirking, Naruto took one last look at the still churning water where Jellal hit before turning and shooting off towards Fiore in a flash of red.
XxXxXxX
It had taken a while for Naruto to completely rid himself of the Kyuubi's chakra as the intoxicating boost of speed it was giving him while flying felt incredible. The red streak shooting out from behind him was a freaking awesome touch too. Still, the blond knew he shouldn't have really been using it like this in the first place and reluctantly let it fade. He definitely had to give it a go with Senjutsu (Sage Techniques) later though.
Having passed well back onto Fiore ground, Naruto was heading back for the council when a voice he hadn't heard for a while entered his mind. "Human, can you hear me?"
Rising his eyebrows, Naruto nodded despite the fox not being able to see. "Yeah, I'm here. What do you want?"
The fox growled. "Mind your tongue while talking to the king of the demons. I wanted to tell you I felt another rift in the time/space fabric that separates this world from ours."
Now that was interesting. Holding his hands out, Naruto awkwardly made his way down to the ground. This was something he wanted to be fully focused on and he didn't trust himself enough yet to fly via second nature. Landing, he sat down on a comfortable rock and closed his eyes. Receding into the depths of his consciousness, Naruto opened his eyes and found himself standing before the gigantic prison held within his belly.
The fox apparently was pleased with Naruto's prompt arrival and didn't even try and charge him through the cage. Naruto noticed but didn't comment on it. "Really? Where is it?"
Looking off to the side, the fox sniffed. "Oddly enough, it is exactly where you came through first time. It even has the scent of the man who calls himself your sensei on it."
Ok, now that was very interesting. Naruto nodded and looked up at the fox. "Anything else?"
The monster shook its head. "No. I suggest you hurry. I wouldn't want to miss our chance at getting home due to your incompetence."
Brushing off the insult with ease, Naruto let himself fade from sight. "Don't you worry, I want to get home just as much as you."
Just before he faded though, he heard the fox call, "Tell me what you find brat. I wish to know what is happening."
Mission or not, this called for a detour. Standing, Naruto called upon the natural energy surrounding him and felt the powerful force fill him. It looked like he'd get a chance to try out Senjutsu flying earlier than he expected.
Easily spotting the fresh chakra signal, Naruto crouched before jumping powerfully from the ground, the jet from beneath his feet exploding to life at the apex of his leap and rocketing him towards the horizon.
XxXxXxX
Looking down over the tree tops, Naruto glanced around as he neared the chakra signal. His original landing point was right... around... there.
Pushing his feet out in front of him, Naruto's forward momentum was quickly halted. Holding his hands out a bit wider, Naruto manipulated the air around his outstretched limbs and easily dropped towards the ground. Senjutsu sure made landing easier. Hitting the earth with a thump, the blond waved away the cloud of dust he generated and ran over the bit of a hill. Excitement began pooling in his chest as he neared the area, his lungs tightening at the prospect of finally getting home.
Had Kakashi come to get him? Maybe someone else? Oh he hoped someone, anyone he knew was here! If only to find out if everyone back home was ok.
Unfortunately, it was none of those things he hoped for. Instead, a scroll lay tightly wrapped on the ground, the Hokage's seal on it. A little put out; Naruto still knew it was better than nothing. Reaching out, Naruto couldn't help but think that this may have just been a joke. He hadn't heard anything at all about home for so long and then all of a sudden this?
The thought only lasted a moment however as Naruto's hand clamped around the reassuringly physical object and picked it off the ground. Now that it was in his hand, the realisation properly sunk in and a smile began creeping across his face as his chest started heaving rapidly in anticipation.
Sliding a fingernail under the seal, Naruto popped it up and slowly pulled the scroll open. The first thing that greeted his eyes was the elegant handwriting of the current Hokage, his beloved Tsunade-baachan. Grinning stupidly, Naruto couldn't help but feel a touch of his homesickness fade at the familiar writing style he was used to.
Dropping carelessly to the floor, the blond crossed his legs absently and began reading.
"Naruto! You stupid, insatiable, frustrating, bull-headed excuse for a ninja! Where the hell have you gone and landed yourself? I have been worried absolutely sick!"
Chuckling softly, Naruto smiled gently at the clear concern in his foster grandmother's words.
"Kakashi told me what happened and how that failure of a sensei managed to send you to a whole other dimension. Don't you worry kiddo, I dealt with him ever so severely for that. What the hell was he thinking, trying to use Kamui (Authority of the Gods) around you? Anyway, all I can say that I am so very happy to hear you are ok. Do you have any idea how many wrinkles you're giving me? I swear even my hair is going gray!"
Naruto tried to envision the buxom lady with wrinkles and gray hair. It didn't work.
"I suppose you might not know how we discovered your location so I'll try make this as simple as possible. Apparently you had tried to summon at some stage because Ma and Pa came to tell me about what they had discovered. They guessed we had no idea either about where you had disappeared to thankfully because we had no way to contact them with you gone. For some reason, you had summoned a tadpole and a young toad, I'm guessing you were trying to find a way home? Anyway, what information they could get from them was that you were in a world entirely different from anything they had ever seen before. A good world, but different. Oh, and on that note they said to scold you for summoning that tadpole so many times in a row. It was sick for a week after that."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched slightly at reading that. He didn't mean to make the thing sick.
"Seeing as they were so young, the news they were able to give was fairly limited. That is how we got the information you were ok though, so be thankful to them for that."
Smiling again, Naruto nodded slightly to himself. Those young toads deserved a big thank you once he got back.
"So, now that I know you are ok, I suppose I should tell you about how Konoha is doing."
Instantly perking up, Naruto pulled the scroll a little closer. This is what he was looking for.
"After you killed Pein, everyone in the village somehow came back to life! No one really knows how, but I assume you probably have something to do with that. You always do. The entire population owes you a massive debt of gratitude for that. So many had died in the attack... but that doesn't matter anymore. Everyone is safe and healthy and that's all that matters."
Letting out an unconscious sigh of relief, Naruto felt a massive weight lift from his chest. So everyone really had come back to life, just as Nagato had promised. If there was anything the blond regretted, it was that the man had to die with that final technique. Naruto would have loved to have thanked him again for that. Shaking his head from his memories though, he read on.
"Konoha itself though... it is a dustbowl. Yamato however is proving to be invaluable and is speeding up things a butt load. That Mokuton (Wood Release) of his is helping more than I ever thought possible. We still have a long way to go till Konoha is back on its feet, but progress is rapid and we even have a number of other of surrounding villages that have decided to come help out. I assume you remember Inari and Tazuna? They, along with most of the construction workers from Wave, have come out and really put their heads down. Apparently a debt they also owe you from a mission back when you were even more of a little brat."
A happy smile spread across Naruto's face at their mention. He hadn't seen them in so long! Inari must have grown heaps by now. It was good to hear they were doing well though.
"Anyway, I just hope this scroll lands somewhere near you before some local bum picks it up. Actually, I hope Kakashi manages sends it to the same dimension as you! For one of the elites of the village, he sure is incompetent."
Naruto let out a bark of laughter. He wasn't expecting that.
"For now though, the toads are working on a way to reverse summon you back home. It seems that the dimensional gap is pretty big and even Gamabunta can't summon enough chakra to pull you back across the rift. If you were a tenth of your current size maybe, but not how you are now.
We can't really do anything else to help until the toads work out how to get you home. We don't even know when it'll be, so don't be surprised if you suddenly get summoned when you least expect it. Kakashi wanted to send himself over to get you but I couldn't allow that. Even if he had managed, there's no guarantee he'd actually send you back to Konoha. For all we know, he might send you both on further to an even more distant dimension.
So for now, I order you to take a vacation. This is probably the only chance I'll ever get to tell you to take the time off where you have to follow my order, so I'm going to use it. Clear your head after the fight, make some friends (if they even speak your language), do some training and just generally regain your energy.
Stay safe for me, don't make too much of a mess and I dearly hope to see you again soon.
Take care,
Tsunade-baachan"
Lowering the note, Naruto looked to the sky with a sad smile and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He was so relieved that everyone was safe after the whole fiasco, but the note had reawakened his longing to see everyone again. It was a good thing that Tsunade had ordered him to take time off otherwise he'd be right back out there trying his damnedest to get home.
Actually... remembering the council thing, Naruto sighed. Take some time off from ninja business perhaps, but this stupid stuff the council now wanted was just another chore. He was meant to be relaxing damnit!
Remembering the fox, Naruto decided he'd best let the fuzzy know what he'd found. Sinking into his mind again, Naruto found himself looking up at the massive creature. It turned its head to the side slightly so it could see him better. "Well?"
Having the scroll in hand when he went down, Naruto opened it up in his hand and quickly read the contents again. "Well, it seems that Konoha is ok, thankfully. My friends too."
Growling, the fox head butted the cage. "I care less for that mud hole less than I care for you. Tell me what I really want to know!"
Unable to resist, Naruto smirked. "Awww, you care for me?"
Kyuubi pulled a face like he tasted something foul. "Don't flatter yourself human. I only care for my own survival which happens to be tied to yours. The second I'm free however is the second I kill you."
Frowning, Naruto shook his head. "That's not how you ask for information."
If looks could kill, Naruto would have been hung, drawn and quartered all at the same time right there and then. "Brat... you will tell me what I wish to know or so help me I will ruin your precious little life here."
Realising he was starting to push boundaries, Naruto relented. Even if his dad's seal was holding that thing back, Naruto didn't doubt it'd find a way to create mayhem around him. Quickly scanning the scroll, Naruto looked back up. "Apparently the toads are looking for a way to reverse summon me home. We're a long way from out dimension though so not even Gamabunta can generate enough chakra to pull me home. Once they do though, it's back to the elemental nations with us."
Smirking, the fox leaned back on its haunches. "That's more like it brat. I like that news. It is frustrating that I have to be stuck here for an indefinite period of time, however I can wait. You can leave me now; I am satisfied for the moment."
Not really wanting to hang around much longer in the sewer of his mind, Naruto nodded and faded from view.
Opening his eyes, Naruto sighed. Pulling himself resignedly to his feet, Naruto carefully sealed the scroll away. Reaching up and tightening his head band, Naruto nodded to himself. After this little game was over, he was going on a trip to a beach somewhere to lie in the sun, drink unhealthy carbonated drinks, maybe take Mira-chan along and perve on some scantily clad women. Aside from Mira of course; his eyes would be on her most of the time. She didn't seem to mind if he looked at other girls though. Hell, if he worded the question right, she might even help him spot some.
Smile now firmly etched onto his face, Naruto stretched. Hearing a stream burbling not too far from where he was standing, Naruto wandered over and took a long drink. Standing, the blond now felt more refreshed in body and soul than he had in a while. Twisting several times, he heard his back pop before jumping into the air and letting his newest technique carry him away.
XxXxXxX
Landing before the council building, Naruto allowed him a little giggle. Flying was freaking awesome! It made him feel like a super hero or something. Looking up to the sky, Naruto saw the horizon bathed in beautiful red's and gold's as the sun sunk over the mountains. Nodding to himself, the blond promised himself a feed fit for a king after this for a job well done.
Dusting himself down, he walked in and was instantly greeted by a council servant. Bowing deeply, the frog hold a hand out. "If you would be so kind as to follow me Master Uzumaki Naruto."
Now used to the formal speech, Naruto just nodded and let the frog lead the way. Reaching the usual door, Naruto didn't even wait for it to open for him and simply pushed his way through. Smirking at the surprised guards that manned the doors, Naruto strutted right past them and jumped up to the pedestal. He didn't have to wait long for Guran to step forward.
The man looked down at him with raised eyebrows and cleared his throat. "Well now, when you said you would be faster than our carriages, I didn't expect you to be quite that fast. Still, we thank you for your prompt assessment of the situation and await your response."
Nodding, Naruto looked around the expectant forms. "Yeah, well that R-System thing is pretty well completed like you said. It's gotta be like five hundred feet tall or something stupid like that. It's just enormous. Ha, if I wanted to bring back some dead dude I sure wouldn't do it like that."
Nodding, Guran motioned for him to continue. "It seemed like there used to be workers there, slaves or something, but they had all left well before I got there, like a few months before I got there. There were a ton of guards but, and they had these creepy, hairless, giant rat things that were all teeth that they called dogs."
Naruto heard a surprised whisper run through the mages but it was too soft and scattered to be understood. "I also ran into these two people who were helpers. Willing helpers, but they didn't seem evil. Just mislead."
Siegrain's voice then floated down from the side. "Can you describe them to us?"
Naruto nodded. "Yup. One was a cat girl. She had this crazy hair style that made her hair look like ears. She also had these weird triangle tattoos on her face that pointed for her nose. She had a pink blouse and skirt combination on with a yellow jacket. The other was this huge dude with an iron jaw. He had an eye patch too, covering his left eye. Baggy pants, shirtless, had this weird rug thing draped over his shoulder that was tucked into his sash. Oh, and he also wore a white turban. Their names were Millianna and Simon."
Seeing Siegrain's head nod, Naruto frowned. "There was also one other person too. You might know him? He said he was your twin."
A loud gasp filled the room as all eyes locked onto Siegrain. Hearing a sigh from the mage, Naruto crossed his arms. "So it is true hey? I had my suspicions that Jellal was involved."
Guran had turned his attention on the man and was staring him down. "And when exactly where you planning on informing the council of this?"
The mage sighed again. "When I had more concrete proof. Naruto provided plenty of that right now."
Looking down at the blond, Siegrain rubbed his forehead. "Did he say what his goal was?"
Nodding slowly, Naruto looked around the council members for a moment. "He said he wanted to revive Zeref."
That piece of information made the council explode exactly the way Naruto expected. Angry shouts and disbelieved gasps filled the room as the men and women began fighting amongst themselves, all arguing with each other about the best way to deal with this threat. Seeing that there wasn't much of a chance that he'd get spoken to after that, Naruto shrugged and turned to step down. He'd done his part; let the council guys now do theirs. For the moment though, FOOD.
XxXxXxX
Thus far, the council building was the only place Naruto had found that cooked the food of the gods so he was making good use of his time here. The last hour or two had passed rapidly, uncounted bowls lying strewn about the table, all practically licked clean of their brothy goodness. Grinning up at the struggling servant, Naruto grabbed a bowl from the top and pointed at a clean section of the table. "Just throw those there for the moment. I'll get to them in a sec."
Dropping the several packed bowls, the frog wiped its brow with a sleeve before piling up all the empty bowls in its arms. Pulling them from the table, a loud clank sounded out from above the amphibian as Naruto expertly tossed his now empty bowl to the top of the stack. Resisting the urge to groan, the servant managed a partial bow before stumbling back to the kitchen.
Blissfully unaware of his attendants plight, Naruto tucked into his next bowl happily. Slurping up the arrangement of noodles and other goodies, his eyes closed up while a smile curled the edges of his lips. Sighing pleasantly, Naruto distantly detected a person's presence as they neared him. Slowly opening his eye, he saw the dark haired beauty smiling down upon him as she had when they had first met. Giving her a quick smile, Naruto stuffed his mouth with the rest of the bowl and dropped it. Taking a moment to swallow, Naruto let out a burp and motioned to the vacant seat beside him. "Ultear-chan! You don't have to stand. Join me!"
Smiling softly, she slid into the offered chair gracefully. Watching as Naruto tucked into another bowl, she smirked. "I guess I'll have to wait until you finish before we can go on our walk?"
Smiling sheepishly, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, if that's not too much. I cannot find anywhere else that does such amazing ramen, so I'm getting my fix now."
Rolling her eyes, Ultear placed her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her palm. "You realise most guys would drop everything to even accompany me for a walk down the street?"
Chuckling around a mouthful, Naruto swallowed. "Yeah, but I also realise I'm not most other guys and I make a point NEVER to drop ramen. Besides, I bet you'd just find them annoying. The fact you're willing to wait for me while I eat shows you enjoy my company."
Smiling disbelievingly, the beautiful woman shook her head. "Every time, every time I speak with you, I feel like I'm just talking with a fun loving boof-head and then you go and say something like that. You truly interest me, Uzumaki Naruto."
Picking up the last bowl, Naruto smiled happily. "That's cool, cause you interest me too! You're so different to the girls back home."
Raising an elegant eyebrow, Ultear tilted her head slightly. "Back home?"
Realising his slip, Naruto smoothly covered with a simple lie. "Yeah, back in my home village. There's a girl there I like but she... well, she doesn't like to be kept waiting. And doesn't tolerate perversion all that well. It usually ends up pretty painfully."
Frowning, Ultear then shrugged. "Well, who you do or no not like isn't up to me, but she sounds a bit misguided. Atleast with the 'perversion' side of things. I take it if you even mention anything about a ladies physical form she snaps?"
Raising his eyebrows, Naruto nodded. "Yeah! How did you know?"
She smiled softly. "I have met one or two women like that. They are in denial of their own hormones if they think every little look is perverted. I like how a male's body looks and I can certainly tell you like how a ladies body looks, if our first meeting was any indication."
Chuckling, Naruto nodded. "Yeah... you caught me."
Shrugging, the council member pushed herself to her feet. "I take it as a compliment, so thank you. Are you finished?"
Never had a woman thanked the blond for checking her out before. Grinning widely, Naruto gave her thumbs up. "No problem! If you ever need a confidence boost, you know where to find me."
Giggling to herself, she reached out and slapped his arm gently. "Now that's a little more perverted."
Shrugging, Naruto pushed himself up too. "Eh, I can't help what makes me tick."
They then walked from the dining hall and out into the moon lit garden. Again, they were mostly silent as they walked, simply enjoying each other's company. Comments were made about certain flowers and plants that caught their interest but that was about it.
As they walked though, Naruto couldn't help but sneak glances at the woman beside him. The silvery light of the softly glowing orb in the sky seemed to light up shimmery, winking colours in her face and hair that wouldn't have otherwise been seen in the sun.
Turning his head away to avoid being caught, Naruto bent down to look at an interesting little plant with odd leaves that caught his attention. His eyes may have been on the plant but his mind was elsewhere, like on the girl beside him.
Looking back, Naruto finally met her eyes. It seemed she had been staring at him too. Grinning, Naruto pointed at her. "Caught you."
A very light blush seemed to dust Ultear's cheeks. She ignored it and wrinkled her nose. "Only now? I caught you five minutes ago!"
Pausing, Naruto grumbled to himself and stood up. That wasn't how it was meant to go. Ultear didn't seem to mind however, simply giving him a knowing smile before moving onto the next object of interest in their walk.
A couple minutes later into the stroll though, Naruto's eyes lit up as a thought came to mind. "Hey, how come you aren't up with the other members? I'd have thought you'd have to be involved with them after that thing with Zeref."
Sighing, the woman nodded. "Yes, I should be. I still am technically. I sometimes just send a thought projection out to give me a clear head for when the meeting finishes."
Stopping, Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "A thought projection?"
Looking back just as curiously, Ultear cocked her head. "You're a Wizard of the Ten Saints, yet you don't know what a thought projection is?"
Naruto raised a finger. "In my defence the title is only temporary. I can't be expected to know everything."
Shaking her head in amusement, Ultear motioned for a bench they were near. Sitting in it, she continued. "A thought projection is essentially a copy of the original. I am such a copy. What I do is separate my magic power to give myself a separate form."
Eyebrows widening, Naruto nodded. "Oh! You mean like a clone? Yeah, I can do that!"
Crossing his fingers, a puff of smoke went up and fully functional Naruto clone stood beside them waving happily. Smiling, Ultear nodded. "I find it exceptionally curious that you can do this, yet you don't even know its name."
Naruto shrugged. "Eh, I call it something else. I think mine's a little different to yours though."
Ultear raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Chuckling, Naruto scratched his head. "Uh... you haven't really told me enough for me to be able to explain."
Sighing, the woman continued. "Very well. As you noticed, I can interact with physical objects even though I am a copy of my original. We share thoughts though, and that is how I keep my head clear in the meeting."
Nodding consideringly, Naruto hummed to himself. So that's how it works huh? It was pretty similar to what he could do. Actually...
Naruto's eyes began to widen. Looking up at his clone, he saw the chakra construct had the same thought. Whipping his head back to face Ultear, he looked her in the eye. "Ultear-chan, listen to me very closely. I want you to tell me what is happening in the meeting right now."
Furrowing her brows in confusion, Ultear sat up a bit straighter. "I don't follow..."
Naruto shook his head. "You'll know soon enough if I'm right. What is happening?"
Frowning, the woman retrieved her originals thoughts. "Well, they are talking about what they want to do with Jellal and the Tower of Heaven. Master Siegrain is actually pushing to have it destroyed, despite his brother being in there."
Naruto leaned in, a hand on the woman's arm. "How?"
Leaning back, Ultear blinked. "I can't tell you. That is council business."
Growling, Naruto jumped to his feet. "Are you gonna fire some massive attack at it?"
The woman said nothing, but the slight stiffening of her posture gave it away. Widening his eyes, Naruto took a step back. Looking at his clone, he nodded. "Ultear-chan, my clone will explain everything. I gotta go!"
Turning on his heel, he left the surprised woman as she called after him.
Charging through the halls, Naruto skidded to a stop before one of the council servants. Grabbing it, he gave it a light shake. "Where are the council members?"
Fearfully, it pointed upward. "E-Etherion's control room, Master Uzumaki."
Muttering a quick thank you, Naruto turned and scaled the nearest set of stairs he could. Reaching a hallway, Naruto looked left then right as the corridor stretched away in both directions. Growling, he randomly chose left and sprinted down it.
As he ran though, a strange light above began to form, the eerie glow shooting in through the windows as whatever it was lifted off into the sky. A terrible feeling of foreboding washed over Naruto and he doubled his speed.
Reaching yet another set of stairs, Naruto skidded to a stop before it and saw the sign, 'Etherion Control Room' with an arrow pointing up it. Not sparing it a second glance, Naruto turned and ran up the stairs taking eight at a time.
Reaching the top, Naruto was confronted by a solid stone door that had been locked from the inside. Banging on the stone, Naruto called out desperately. "Hello? Hello! Can anyone hear me?"
Pressing his ear against the wall, he strained his hearing for a response. Growling at the distinct lack of anything, he jumped back. "Screw this."
Forcing a Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere) to life in his hand, he jumped forward and punched a massive hole in the door. If that didn't get the council members notice then nothing would. Jumping inside, he heard a chorus of outraged shrieks as he looked up.
Naruto found himself at the bottom of a huge, domed room, looking up at four massive angel statues facing inward at each other in the center of everything. A gigantic dirty brown ball floated in the middle of them, sparks of electricity coursing its surface from time to time. Floating around the ball were several council servants, all looking down at Naruto in shock at his entrance. About two thirds the way up the massive room was a balcony that circled the wall, giving everyone on it the ability to see what exactly was going on between the statues. That was where Naruto found the number of furious council mages all glaring down at him.
An older lady with sandy blond hair looked down, absolutely livid with fury. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, UZUMAKI?"
Brushing it off, Naruto held out a hand. "Punish me later! What were you doing to destroy the Tower of Heaven?"
Spluttering in outrage, the woman couldn't even form coherent words, let alone reply to Naruto's demand. Forcing chakra to his feet, Naruto dashed up the walls of the room and jumped onto the balcony with the furious council. "Won't someone tell me?"
Looking around, he saw Siegrain smirking at him. Growling, he lept forward and grabbed the man's shirt. "What the hell did you do?"
Chuckling, 'Siegrain' lifted his chin defiantly. "Something that I couldn't have done nearly half as well if you hadn't relayed all that information back here for me. Well done on figuring me out, but it's too late for you or your friends now."
Laughing, he instantly faded from view and the substance in Naruto's hands vanished. Growling angrily, Naruto spun around to face the council members. "How could you not know? He WAS Jellal!"
Hearing a gasp, Naruto groaned. "You're meant to be the smartest and most powerful mage's in the whole world! What is wrong with you? Can't you detect even a simple clone?"
A number of excuses and denials reached his ears but the blond just shut them out.
Suddenly a voice called out in shock as information regarding the state of the Tower of Heaven was relayed back. "The target is still standing! It... it looks like a giant Lacrima! It has absorbed Etherion!"
Screaming in frustration, Naruto looked around. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what happened, dattebayo?"
Just then, a small hand grabbed his pant leg and gave him a shake. Looking down, Naruto raised an eyebrow as he saw the man.
He was about Makarov's height with a long face, bushy eyebrows and a neatly trimmed moustache that sat just beneath his nose. He had a simple, striped orange shirt on with a pair of pale pants and shoes, but it was what was on his head that got Naruto. Just like Makarov, it was the weirdest head piece, sort of like a brimless cap but then with three, thick, fabric protrusions sticking up out of it, looking like it had been designed with a hunters blade in mind.
Looking up at him urgently, the man frowned desperately. "Uzumaki, I plead of you, follow Siegr – Jellal and try stop his plans! The council decided to destroy the tower with the magic Satellite Square: Etherion, yet it seems that the tower has absorbed it. None of us here can move at the speeds you can, so until we can get to the Tower of Heaven my trust must rest with you."
Eyes widening, Naruto didn't respond and instead turned, pushed a Rasengan to life in his hand and charged at the nearest wall. Lashing out with a cry, Naruto blew a hole clean through the solid stone and jumped through without a second thought as wind exploded out from his feet and sent him rocketing away into the dark sky.
They could complain all they wanted about the hole, but Naruto was way more worried about what Jellal was trying to pull. He just hoped he could get there in time to stop him.
XxXxXxX
'Come on, come on, come on, come on!'
Pushing himself as far as he could, Naruto strained his eyes as he tried to spot the massive tower in the distance. Before he saw the tower however, he saw explosions accompanied by gigantic jets of flame shooting into the air.
There was only one mage who he knew who could do that. While not the strongest mage, Natsu was pretty durable so Naruto was fairly sure the boy must have thrown a sizeable wrench into Jellal's plans. What he was doing out here however was a bit of a mystery.
As he neared the tower, Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the metamorphosis. Where rock and stone used to be stood a massive blue crystal, the jagged spikes sticking up from the ocean, reaching hundreds of feet into the air.
Shooting in, Naruto stretched his feet out and landed with a solid crunch into the crystal. Running the short distance to the plateau, Naruto skidded to a stop as he saw Natsu and Jellal currently trading blows above and around him. Hearing his name though, Naruto looked down.
Widening his eyes, the blond dashed over to Erza who was currently lying down and looking pretty well beaten up. To the blonds' surprise, the big guy who captured him earlier was also lying prone at her fingertips. Simon or something. Casting a quick glance at him though, Naruto suppressed the urge to ask Erza what happened. He was clearly dead.
Dropping to his knees beside her, he checked her injuries. "Erza! What is going on? What are you guys even doing here? Are you hurt badly?"
Shaking her head, the red head held a hand out. "Leave me, stopping Jellal is more important right now!"
Looking up, Naruto saw Jellal cop a seriously powerful punch from Natsu. Strangely though, the boy looked different. His magic power seemed far greater than before and from what the blond could see, he now had scales coating his arms and face and just generally looked more reptilian. Casting a sidelong glance at Erza, Naruto frowned slightly. "You sure? Natsu seemed to be doing pretty well for some reason."
Shaking her head again, Naruto was surprised to see tears actually forming in the corner of her eyes. "You don't understand! Jellal is evil! Even if Natsu is winning, you must make sure you kill him!"
Eyes widening greatly, Naruto faced her fully. "Hang on, kill him?"
Squeezing her eyes shut, the woman looked away in anguish. "Yes. If he is allowed to live, Zeref will be revived and the world will plunge into darkness. Please Naruto, please stop him!"
Hearing the sorrow etched into her words, Naruto reached out and touched her shoulder, ignoring the sudden explosion behind him that tore at his clothing and hair. "That's a tough ask, to kill someone who means a lot to you."
Tear streaked eyes turned to look up at the boy as he smiled down understandingly. "It's easy to tell. You clearly care about him. I have a friend like that too... my best friend in fact. He's abandoned my village though and has even tried to kill me. If I can I'll save him but if it comes to it, I will have to kill him. For now though, I'll do my best to stop Jellal in your place."
Watching on in confusion, Erza furrowed her brows as she looked up at him. Smiling reassuringly, Naruto looked up to see Natsu land a devastating blow to Jellal's face. His head whipped sideways rapidly as he tracked the mage's flight path straight into the Lacrima. Sweat dropping slightly, Naruto actually wondered what more could be done. Natsu was handling things pretty well on his own.
Hearing a groan, Naruto saw Jellal pulling himself from the hole in the crystal looking bloodied and broken. The mage noticed him however and cast him a surprised look. "How did you get here so fast?"
Frowning, Naruto clenched his fists. "When I'm needed somewhere, I get there. Right now you need to be stopped, so I'm here."
Smirking despite the painful bruises blossoming on his face, Jellal raised an eyebrow. "You should have stayed with the council Uzumaki. My underling is probably destroying the place as we speak."
Freezing, Naruto locked eyes with the cocky mage. "What was that?"
Laughing, Jellal just barely avoided a streaking Natsu as he ploughed into and through the Lacrima beside him. "You heard me! The council building is being destroyed! To make way for the new council I will create! For the new world!"
With every word he said, insanity seemed to creep further into his eyes, dilating his pupils and stretching his unnatural grin grotesquely wide. "I will create the perfect world, a free world, where no one will suffer! I will do all this and more with Zeref's help! NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
The ground beneath the crazed mage literally exploded like a volcano, jets of white hot flame shooting into the sky with a deafening roar. Jellal's scream was barely audible over the thunderous noise and Naruto could understand why. Even standing a good thirty feet back, the searing heat from the fire needed him to raise his arm to protect his face.
It lasted a few seconds before Natsu jumped through the hole, glaring up at the sky, his piercing eyes tracking Jellal's charred form. "Naruto, go make sure those old geezers are alright! I got this!"
Flames pooled under the mage's feet before he exploded into the air, propelled along by a fiery jet. The blond absently realised that Natsu was flying pretty well, but ignored the thought. Taking a step back, Naruto growled. Trust Jellal to have something like that in his back pocket. Looking over at Erza, he gave her a questioning hum.
She wasn't much use however, more or less stunned into silence by Natsu's incredible display of power. Realising it was up to him, Naruto groaned. Running up to the girl, he knelt down before her. "Here, come with me, I gotta get back to the council and stop whoever's destroying their building."
Snapping out of her trance, Erza shook her head. "N-no, I can't. I... I want to make sure Jellal is beaten."
Shaking his head, Naruto grabbed her arm. "It's not safe, come with me!"
"NO!"
Dodging the slap, Naruto looked down at her. Her tear filled eyes were brimming with emotions that Naruto had never seen on her face before. Sighing, Naruto heard another boom behind him as Natsu sent Jellal through another jagged outcrop. "Fine. You keep yourself out of trouble though ok?"
Standing, Naruto made to jump away when he heard Erza call out, "Wait, please!"
Turning to look at her, he saw her staring down at the bloodied body of Simon. "Can you please take Simon? He... I want him to get home safely so we can bury him properly."
Another boom rocked the tower they were standing on. Looking at the heartbroken girl, Naruto sighed. Kneeling down, he took her up in a quick hug. "Yeah, I can do that. You just make sure you get home safely. We still have that date to go on that you wanted."
Feeling the girl pull into the comforting embrace, Naruto held her tighter for a second as she whispered into his ear. "Yeah... we do. Thank you."
Smiling, Naruto pulled away and gently picked up Simon. "No problem. I'll see you back at Fairy Tail, if not earlier."
Seeing Erza offer him a small smile, Naruto sighed again and turned. Crouching, the ground beneath his feet crunched as he pushed off, the powerful jet of air beneath him carrying him and his precious cargo away towards the council building.
XxXxXxX
A/N – I toiled pretty hard to get this chapter out for you people. I really hope it was worth it! I did my best to write everything as closely to canon as possible with Naruto in there ruining everything haha. Let me know if it felt like it was 'canon' enough.
For anyone who's wondering, no I don't think Naruto has seen Tsunade without her henge on. The only time before Pein that he could have seen her was back with Jiraiya when they went hunting for her. She dropped it then, but I'm pretty sure Naruto was KO'd at the time.
Timeline wise though, here's a quick rundown:
Natsu and the gang weren't that far from the tower as the resort was right there on the shoreline. They could have made the journey in a few hours. That happened while Naruto was in the tower snooping around.
Millianna and Simon were called back to deal with Naruto. They had that teleporting/summoning magic they used to appear in the hotel Erza and the rest of them were staying at, so I couldn't see why they couldn't deal with Naruto the same way if they were close enough.
Tellemicus, sorry mate, I didn't have enough time to write your idea down. Next chapter I should be able to though =)
To everyone who reviews too, you'll have to wait a little while before I can reply. Not my fault. Oh, and on that note, I would ask that anyone who can sign in to leave a review to please do it! I had some really awesome questions/suggestions left my anon reviewers last chapter and I was unable to reply to them =(
Anyway, I guess I'll see ya's next chapter.
Lanky Nathan
P.S. Oh... and can anyone say 2000? XD
