Summary: Fate would not have Naruto die without living a long life. With a toss of a coin, Fate tossed Naruto into the world of Magic. He wondered aimlessly for years before coming across the Dragon Queen, who taught him magic. That set him up to being part of the Alvarez Empire, but he was never loyal to it. One day, he decides to go somewhere he can be free...
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13399223/1/
Word count:140k
Chapters:15
Chapter 1
A Dragon's breath and Tenrou Island just disappeared. If Acnologia was not disappointed at how it was easy it was to toss aside an entire Guild that was perhaps the strongest in Fiore, he would have been praising his strength. None of them had any strength to even make him consider them as nothing more than insects. And that Zeref had already disappeared. Acnologia could not think of any reason better than that he was afraid to face him. Though immortal, the black mage had not the power to face him. Where was he going to find a worthy foe? Someone who could entertain him. Someone he could rip apart after much labor and hard work.
Well, at least he managed to get rid of more Dragon Slayers. There were just a couple remaining. But even they were not worth hunting. He'd only even bothered flying over to this island because he had sensed Zeref's magic. A disappointing end. Acnologia flapped his wings, disappointed as he was, yet happy he had done what he'd set to do, he took the air. It was only when his face was slapped by a cloud that he sensed something on his head. He wanted to look, but it was on his head – he couldn't see. But nevertheless could sense the magic.
When he recognized the magic and the all familiar scent, Acnologia didn't bother talking to the mage. He just shook violently, blasting away the clouds that had gathered to mourn Tenrou Island. The person held firmly, not being shaken off him. Acnologia tucked his wings, and then faced down with his head. It was a free fall from there. Sea waters splashed into a gigantic wave as the Dragon King crashed into the sea, head first. When he blasted out of the water, there was no sign of the person on his head. Acnologia didn't go far, he just hovered above the waters, glaring down.
Naruto emerged from the waters before standing still, his long blond hair wet; he wore a long dark coat that was torn at edges; it had long sleeves nor no collars. Inside, from his waist, he was covered in bandages, half way through his chest, leaving a toned part exposed. Down, he wore dark blue shinobi pants and shinobi boots. A wooden stuff was visible from his left shoulder. On his right hand, he held a wet straw hat, his eyes were cast upon the hat rather than the monstrous dragon, leaking a menacing intent just above him.
"It's ruined," he said with disappointment before it became engulfed in blue dark blue flames. His eyes turned to the Dragon King.
Acnologia's very presence amounted to death. There was no normal person who could stand before the dragon and not have his survival instincts creaming for him to flee. The very first time Naruto had met the Dragon, a chance meeting, it had been. But the Dragon had not bothered saying a damn word to him. it had immediately gone onto the assault. He had barely escaped. A couple of more rounds like that, and over the years, the Dragon stopped trying to murder him simply for existing. In all those the Dragon tried to kill him, Naruto had never fought back – he'd always worked on an escape jutsu.
"I know you hate Dragon Slayers, but really, to try to eliminate everyone within the Island? Isn't that a bit too much?" Naruto asked, shaking his head to try to dry off the water dripping off his head.
Acnologia ignored what Naruto said. "Have you come to die as well?"
Naruto held up both his hands in surrender. "I still love my life. There are too many women that I have yet to explore. It would be a shame for me to die here. And I have not come to fight either. I have not yet reached the heights of immortality to do anything suicidal as trying to fight you."
Hearing that, Acnologia flapped his wings and started to fly away without responding to Naruto.
While he could count the number of times he's met the blonde, Acnologia could not count the number of years it has been since their first encounter. Still, the fact that Naruto was simply going to run from him bored him. Acnologia was bored of it. There was nothing fun about hunting something that did not fight back.
"Ah!" Naruto looked dumbfounded as he pointed towards the flying Dragon. "The damn Lizard just walked away from me!"
Naruto didn't bother trying to pursue the dragon, not when he had been shown the mercy. Ridiculous, in all his years, that was perhaps the longest dialogue he has ever exchanged with the Dragon. Trying to talk to Acnologia without any purpose of fighting was just a waste of time, not unless you were Irene or Zeref. He sighed and stared down at the water, looking at his reflection. He hated the image he saw. He had surely fallen from glory. He was no longer the person he once was. And seeing this face that looked innocent, irked him. He disturbed the waters to hide the image.
"That is just sad," Kurama said in an amused tone.
"Not as sad as the glorious Bijuu once infamous known for being able to wipe out mountains with a swing of just one of its nine tails, now turned into a tiny little cat," Naruto shot back in a flat tone.
"Ungrateful human! Had I not done what I did, we'd be dead!" Kurama shouted furiously.
"I didn't deny it, I am just stating my situation is not bad, compared to yours," Naruto said before smiling. "Well, let us not fight. We failed to do what we came here to do."
"And that was?" Kurama asked.
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging when he could not think of anything. "Hmm, it must not have been important if I forgot about it," he said with nonchalance. "Still, can you believe that overgrown lizard just walked away from me?"
"Are you the one to make that reference?"
"Why do you focus on less important details?"
Kurama sighed. "Talking to you is a waste of time… the dragon probably sensed that one thing comes in from the other ear and goes through the other…"
"Are you suggesting that I don't listen?"
"I'm saying you don't listen to anyone." Kurama said in a stern tone. "Should we even stick around here?"
Naruto looked around. There were ships coming, and probably from the Magic Council. He didn't want to get tangled up in that. And besides, if the Council saw him, the Alvarez would know where he is. Flying under the raider was truly difficult. Still, he has managed to keep at it over the past months.
He held out his hands and released a long breath. "This was a little underwhelming though," he said as he started walking away. "I thought if we could come here maybe things would become interesting… should we return to hell?"
"Sticking around here is just going to attract the Magic Council's attention anyway," Kurama said. "Let me out…" The Nine tailed demon materialized on Naruto's right shoulder. Its form small, it was nothing more than a tiny tanuki. Kurama looked ahead. It was nothing more than just water. "You can see that you are just leading us farther into the sea, right?"
Naruto blinked before stopping. "I knew that," he said. "I just don't want to take into the air… as those people might see me."
"Yeah, right," Kurama said sarcastically. "Your lack of focus on other things will make you walk into a pit of flames one day…"
"Not possible…besides, I am the most focused person," he said before he started flying. While flying, he saw a boat with two people and then flew down.
"You're not just going down because it is women, are you?"
"Correction, there is woman and a child," Naruto said calmly. He landed on the small boat. As soon as he touched on it, he fell on his knees, feeling sick. "Arg!" He cried, holding out his guts from spilling. He crawled over to the sides of the boat, and dipped his head into the water.
"You're an idiot," Kurama said with a blank look on his face.
Ultear was trembling. She had just escaped death twice. Meredy could have killed her just now. And now, there was this. Her knees were shaking, her heart was pounding her ribcage furiously as if he wanted to flee. Every survival instinct inside of her screamed for her to jump into the waters. Even though this man looked to be sick, her brain told her to flee. The kind of magic she sensed was just monstrous. She'd never experienced anything like it. She didn't think possible.
Her eyes turned to Meredy. She was far worse than she was. Her eyes were wide. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Ultear could not blame her. She thought she'd seen powerful people, but it turned out, she had yet to see anything.
"It has been long since I felt such fear from humans," Kurama said with a wide grin. It was not his power that they feared but it didn't matter. Naruto and he were one.
Naruto removed his head from the waters. The boat was no longer moving. He felt alive again. That had been dangerous. He needed to ask Irene to set up that enchantment to fix this little problem. Once calm, he flipped around and settled gracefully.
"When Brandish first saw us, I believe she nearly wet herself," Naruto in thought, smiling. "But that is probably because she was still just a child and Irene was there. I wonder if she is still afraid of the woman."
"I really don't care," Kurama said.
"You are cold to my troubles, partner. Maybe we should have died in the face of the Otsutsuki," Naruto said before turning to Ultear. He fear was obvious. He smiled. "Sorry about that. Let me turn it down a bit for you… we don't want the little one dying of shock…"
Ultear could now breathe freely. She cast a glance towards Meredy. She was breathing heavily, as if a moment ago, she had been suffocated.
"This is your fault… because our powers are now combined, the peaceful energy I once gave off has been replaced by a murderous intent," Naruto said with a stare.
Kurama snorted. "You've just become much more twisted…' he then grinned. "Well, I won't admit that my power has some effect…" he said.
"Who are you?" Ultear asked, after finding her voice.
Naruto faced the woman. He recognized her. "You are a member of the Magic Council…" he said. "I have bad luck..." his glance became a hard stare and his tone demanded an answer. "Where is Zeref?"
"I don't know…"
"You're not lying," Naruto said before adopting a thoughtful look on his face. "It seems he has gone… but I'd sensed his magic just before Acnologia attacked…" he said as he started floating above the above. A second later, he was gone.
Naruto was lying under a tree, straw hat covering his face, with Kurama lying on his chest. Irene just stared at this careless person with cold eyes. How long has he gone missing from her? Not mention the Empire. She had frustrated every way she knew how to find him, and yielded no results. When it came to hiding, from her especially he was rather good at it. Her grip on her stuff strengthened slightly as she thought of trying to hit him or turning him into that mysterious fox lying on him, but knowing him, he probably had a magic set to guard against enchantments.
Instead, she just kicked him.
"Ow!" Naruto cried as his eyes snapped open. "What was that for?"
Irene poked the blonde with her stuff on the side of his chest. "How long were you going to pretend to be asleep?"
Naruto closed both his eyes and then opened just one eye, and glanced at Irene for a second before smiling. "I was hoping you'd put a foot on my face so I can get a better view of there…" he said casually. "Are you not going to amuse me?"
"I do not serve to amuse you," Irene responded by hitting him on his left knee with her stuff.
"Ouch!" Naruto cried while lifting up his left foot. Despite the movements, Kurama didn't move, he just kept sleeping as if nothing was happening. "You'll break my leg!"
Break him? Irene thought it was laughable. There probably wasn't any human who could match him in terms of physical strength. Naruto trained with the obsession of a jealous demon trying to impress a lover. She could never follow his route when it came to training his body. But that was simply due to self-loathing. He didn't want to use his magic or at least its most potent spells. When was the last time she even saw him using his true magic?
All that power wasted. And he has shown much promise. Even Zeref had been impressed when he first saw him. But now, he was just an average mage with a hidden potential. Some children simply could not grow out of their naivety. But he was not a child, was he?
"Where have you been?"
Naruto massaged his knee in silence before placing both hands below his head. He then closed his eyes and responded. "There and there," he said with indifference. "You have been looking for me."
Did she care that much that she would be worried for his safety? Naruto didn't think so. Maybe she cared for him a little, but not enough to do certain things when it came to the Empire. But she also would not care enough to even look for him if it was on the command of August. Hell, if the others branded him a traitor, she wouldn't even blink and would make no attempt to hunt him down. Their relationship was like that. It had never been one based in emotions… although, over the last years, there has been flashes of it. But it was never allowed to blossom, lest it became an inconvenience.
Despite all that, she would kill him if she has the chance. Not going after him would simply be because she has other better things to do than waste time chasing someone who'll eventually come to her.
"I'm not bothered by your disappearing acts since this isn't the first time nor the longest time you disappeared from me," Irene said. "But this isn't like those years back then when the Empire did not know you. I'm rather displeased that you also went your way to avoid me," she said in a cold tone.
Naruto opened his right eye to look at Irene. Her cold eyes were staring at him with intensity that would make a small person wet with sweat. Despite that look, she was still a beautiful woman. Age aside, and the fact that she was a dragon, she was truly a beautiful woman. If his old self ever saw that he held a partnership with a sadistic woman who murdered people without blinking, he'd be shocked heartless and Kurama would probably laugh. But that was just a mere past that held no bearing into his current life. Here, he was simply Naruto – and nothing more.
He did as he pleased and whenever he pleased. If he felt like channeling a Shikamaru, he could do it and then sleep all day. It was his freedom. There were no dreams to become something – to prove to people that he was good and could become the greatest. He'd achieved his dreams and was satisfied with them.
"Of course, you'd be displeased," he said. "But I thought we spoke about this. Besides, this is not the first time I disappear."
"What you pulled years ago hasn't been forgotten," Irene reminded him. "If you start disappearing like this, Invel becomes anxious and plots something dangerous. And if they all come after you, you probably won't survive since you refuse to use your magic."
"I wouldn't stay in a place where they could fight me. And I do use my magic… just not in its fullness," Naruto said. "That incident was years ago, and I was only fulfilling Zeref's wishes, even though he didn't say anything… and it is a example that I am always prepared to use that magic, if the need arises," the blond paused before changing the subject. "Have you come to take me back?"
"I do not care if you return or stay away. But you cannot keep doing this. You must decide if you still want to be part of the Empire or not. And if you decide to leave and should you ever stand in my way, there will be no mercy."
Naruto smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less," he said calmly. "If you have not come to collect me, what do you want?"
"Where have you been?"
Naruto sighed. "Ishgar," he said. "Then?"
Irene narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You enjoy going there. This is not the first time you have gone to Ishgar when you have disappeared. When we were going to war, you opposed it… but you have no attachment to the continent, so why do you consistently go there?"
"There are many beautiful women," Naruto answered. "And they are not cold hearted and sadistic. They are actually tender and loving, unlike some people," he said. "Did you find it?"
"I did, but I didn't tell anyone. August may have seen it nevertheless. Nothing much escapes his eyes when it comes to Magic. It was rather reckless of you to leave it there for longer periods knowing that if it accumulated too much magic, it would become noticeable."
"I'd forgotten… and I'm only remembering now because I see that cold hearted look on your face. It is more or the same look you had when you were teaching me magic," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head.
"When you decide to return, you will explain it to me plainly." Irene said before turning away from him. She stopped and glanced back with sharp eyes. "That is clear, yes?"
"Yes, mam!"
Irene disappeared without another word.
"What do you even see in that woman?" Kurama asked after Irene walked away.
He had lived with her and he knew just how cold she was. But he had never exchanged too many words with her, not when Naruto was not around. His existence, his being, it was one thing that she has tried to figure out unsuccessfully and no matter what she tries with Naruto, the blond has refused to go any farther than telling her his name. She'd stopped trying and now she just ignored him. But still, she was way too unpleasant for Naruto. He didn't have to hate himself if he willingly kept in the company of such people.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you my fury friend," Naruto responded with a tiny smile on his lips.
"Have you become a masochist?"
Naruto laughed. "Not at all," he said. "People can be cold, heartless, commit mass murder, and yet still love someone. The human heart is a very interesting thing. I never did actually think Irene could care for someone. In the first day our paths crossed, she didn't try to lead me with false pretense, she showed me just how cruel she was. I mean, she loudly contemplated ways of making me suffer for kicking one of her children. Of course, she is also a liar. She isn't every honest," he said.
"You have come quite cruel yourself. At some point, I didn't think that it would be possible."
Naruto shrugged. "A person can become anything and anyone. The most humble person can become a ruthless killer with pain and the thought of vengeance. I've thought of it, it is usually the fear that stops people from doing many things. But when you lose that sense of fear, you can do anything. I guess I have lost that fear as well… and that is why I do anything."
"And you'll never regain, not unless a miracle occurs."
"Maybe I'll fall in love," Naruto responded with a smile.
Kurama snorted. "You shouldn't even think of leaving the Shields… you are quite like them… but a little more conservative, like August," he said. "Well, not that I care either way… as long as you are alive, I am alive…"
"So much for having a partner who cares," Naruto said before falling silent.
The Shields. Their last war had stopped, and it was him and the Council. They were going to try again. And Naruto didn't know if he cared enough to even try to stop them. Either way, sticking around with them no longer served any purpose. He'd stuck around, done some good and horrible things. The magic that he had learned from Irene and caused much terror than even the most cruel would applaud. It had been a rather unpleasant start to his life here, but he had ended it when he'd come to his senses. It didn't help that the Shields were brutal human 'monsters' who wanted to crush anything that stood in the way.
"The decision before us is not a small one," Naruto said in a tired tone. "I have been thinking about it long and there probably is no other way to do things. Maybe I've become even twisted – this other day, I thought Zeref was actually a very nice person," he said with a slight shake of his head.
"He can be a nice person…" Kurama stressed.
"But he can turn into something else entirely devilish," Naruto said. "Departing no doubt is the right option here."
"Are you sure about that?"
Naruto understood what Kurama was asking. They would hunt him down. They would not want to leave him be. But Zeref would probably not care. He'd never been loyal to anyone but himself either way. But Naruto was ready to leave – though not ready to fight the Shields of the Emperor. He could afford to live his life freely, seeing women naked, exploring new magic and strengthening himself to be able to face the dangers of this world. Though not ready to fight the Spriggan, Naruto didn't fear them. What did he fear anyway? He'd stopped fearing Acnologia long ago. He didn't fear his own death.
"Leaving is also saving the little humanity I have left. I don't want to lose that..." Naruto said in a firm tone. "I like myself dearly…" he said. "But we must be prepared or anything…"
"If I still had my power, there would be no need to worry," Kurama said confidently.
If… this had been a disappointing turn of events. Surviving the turn of events in the shinobi world had come at a cost, a great cost for that matter. But who could have thought that after the power he gained along with Sasuke, there would be someone else who could come with greater power?
"We will restore you," Naruto said firmly. "But it will require time… I thought if I stuck around these people for long enough, I would be able to gather enough magic while saving my life. But then, I could not simply abandon Irene after everything she did for us…"
Those Shields, despite their power, they were literally just children before him. Of course, he could not count August and Irene. The dragon queen was a ba-chan. She was old. Naruto had lived his fair share number of years that would make even a pure Uzumaki envious, but it was nothing compared to the number of years Irene has lived.
"You're being too nice," Kurama warned. "I thought you'd lost all that naivety in you… You actually thought that you could change her at first. It must be the reason why you still cannot leave her despite knowing just how much of a cruel person she is," the Bijuu said, staring at Naruto.
Naruto frowned. He was being lectured. He smacked the fox on his head and then grinned. "You're too small to lecture me," he said.
Kurama glared at the blond murderously. He felt frustrated right now. He still had the strength to toss the blond to the side despite his small form. But Naruto was likely to avoid him or just laugh it off. That green Jonin from Konoha would be proud with just how much Naruto trained his muscles to be fit. Trying to get him on physical attacks was at times a waste of time. Kurama sighed and thought against attack the blond.
"There there… good pet," Naruto said patting the Kyubi on its head.
Kurama tossed the hand away and jumped on Naruto's face. His paws grabbed the blond's ears, and he glared. Naruto grabbed him by his tails but did not pull knowing that he would only be in pain if he did. Kurama smiled dangerously. "I may not have much, but how hurt would you be if I hit you with a Bijuudama from his distance?"
Naruto still grinned. "Don't you mean mini-mini Bijuudama?" He said with a laugh.
"I won't let you go… if you blast me away, I take both your ears with me. You'll regrow them, but you'll still suffer the pain. Either way, there is pain in the end, right?" Kurama said.
"You cold hearted Bijuu… I'm not letting you out again…"
"You will," Kurama said with confidence. "I'm certain that you won't just allow me to hit you, and if I release a jutsu, I will lose my energy and will be forced to return… I want to stay out a bit… for you to avoid pain, why don't you apologize for mocking me?"
"Sorry, Kyubi-sama. I didn't mean t-" Naruto trailed off when he sensed a spike of energy. "Wow wow… come on Kurama… you don't ha-!" Naruto shouted, in panic mode while trying to pull the Bijuu away from him.
Boom!
Kurama shot a powerful beam of crimson energy from his mouth, hitting the blond straight on his face. When everything settled, Naruto's head was badly burnt, but his eyes were wide open. Although it was a little unrecognizable, he had a deep frown on his lips. Green energy covered his face before healing him completely. He stood there for a moment before sighing as he got up.
"I'm going to allow Irene to do an enchantment on you to turn you into a dog," he threatened. "But for now, we must leave here since you exposed us by releasing magic."
Kurama shrugged. Honestly that felt good. Naruto had made fun of him for too long. He didn't care if someone found them.
"That woman sounded serious… you don't wanna be gone for too long from her," he said.
"I never said when I would return. Irene does not control me in anyway."
"Since when? You used to follow her like a dog at one stage."
Naruto looked below his hat, scanning the Palace of the Emperor. How many years since he last stepped into this treacherous place that housed inhuman people who followed the most dangerous mage to have ever lived in Earthland? Naruto shook his head. Indifferent to death as he was when in the mood, Zeref did not merit the same kind of evil the Magic Council bestowed on his name. Still, his followers had no love. Naruto had seen it all. He'd been part of it. He'd been part of them. Although not truly a shield in the sense, he'd been part of them. He'd stood before the Emperor and shared some moments. But it was going to come to an end. Probably, no matter what Zeref could do in the future, he was never going to hate the Mage. But it didn't mean he couldn't try to kill him.
Shaking his head, Naruto placed both his hands inside his pockets, and slowly walked through the streets. It was very lively. As it has always been. The history of the Emperor here was different from Ishgar. Some of these people didn't even know Ishgar called their Emperor Zeref. But that had been his home. He just left it to form this great Empire.
"Should I make a cool entrance, Kurama?" Naruto asked.
"You have too much time to waste. Don't include me in such nonsense. You're not going to say anything stupid that'll have us leaving in a hurry, are you?" Kurama asked. Naruto tended to say anything that came to mind, especially when a little excited.
"I'm not that stupid."
"Sometimes I wonder. You have grown but sometimes you act like that stupid brat who was dense and blind as a blind man."
"That's not fair," Naruto said. "To compare me to a blind man is just not fair."
"To the blind man," Kurama said with a laugh. "Well, I'll admit you've grown. But I won't bail you out if you get excited and say something that will have them turn on you. And I would rather we not run…" it hurt his pride too much to tuck his tails and then run. It was simply to better to just avoid confrontation than face humiliation.
"It is not that you could help if you wanted to… these days, the only use you are to me is simply keeping from getting bored," Naruto said.
Kurama ignored Naruto.
The palace guards didn't mind him. The only reason he'd even come here was because the Spriggan had gathered. Well, at least some of them would do so. They usually didn't honor a call to have a meeting. As he slowly walked towards the throne room, Naruto saw Brandish and then smiled. Out of everyone within this palace, she was the only person who had light in her. It was not to say she was not capable of cruel acts… she was, but she was still nice person. If one was to go on a murdering spree, she would be left alive.
When last did he see her? She seemed to have grown a bit. It was nice that she had grown into a beautiful young woman.
He concealed his presence and tried to sneak up behind her. Being a shinobi helped in this manner. Sneaking up on people was much easier. It was laughable that he only learned the trade when he had grown. But it was still useful.
Brandish squealed she felt a sudden touch on the sides of her chest. The touch had been a little sensitive. She twisted around, ready to cast her magic to whoever harassed her like that. But when she saw the amused look on Naruto, she smiled and lunged at him.
"Naruto!" She exclaimed and happily hugged him.
A woman who was thought provoking in the way she dressed. As she held her, Naruto felt her soft skin, her pleasant smell. It was not fair. He had known her when she was even a child – even though she had not known him then. But who cared, she was a grown woman now.
"Brandish," Naruto uttered softly. "Good seeing you again… half naked… I mean…" he added with a wide smile.
Brandish quickly pulled herself away from Naruto. She didn't bother trying to cover herself. There was nothing in Naruto's eyes that made her feel naked – despite his words. But then again, he could fool anyone with his words. She sighed and turned to walk towards the throne room without responding to it.
"I thought you were dead…" She said, glancing at him through the corner of her eyes.
"That's a little harsh."
Brandish shrugged. "It is what one naturally thinks when a person suddenly disappears. It did appear that even Lady Irene didn't know where you were," she said. "Got into a great battle?" She said, glancing at the bandages. He usually kept his chest exposed, wearing just that magic enhanced coat.
Naruto placed his right hand on his stomach. "A little accident with magic…" be said with a sheepish smile. "Date later on?"
Brandish shook her head. "Your standing is a little questionable right now. Its been two years. If I stick around you, it will only bring trouble for me," she said. "Have that cleared out and we can hang out…"
Naruto sighed. He should have expected her to give such a response. Then it must mean that these people have been talking about him. If Brandish already saw it as troublesome, then there was trouble. Then again, his record hasn't been that great recently. He allowed Brandish to step into the throne room as he stayed outside.
"There is a presence in there I am not familiar with," he said to Kurama. "How should we go in there?"
"How about walking through the doors?" Kurama responded with a blank look.
"No; there is no drama in that. I want something curious. What if a transform into Zeref and then have them all kneel before me?' He asked with a smile, just happy about the image he saw.
"If you want to die, go ahead."
"August would be the one to actually try to shoot me for disrespecting the Emperor," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "His zeal for his master is that of a fanatical demon. The demons of Tartaros do their all to awaken END, but it is their passion that one can compare with the passion the Wizard King shows to his father."
"It is good you didn't get sucked into it," Kurama said.
Naruto nodded. The large double doors stood before him and not knowing how to make a grand entrance, he just kicked them open, forcing all eyes to turn on him. August, Irene, Dimaria, Brandish and the person he recognized as a former Wizard Saint were the ones present in the throne room.
"I have returned my friends!" He announced.
"We appreciate you returning," Invel suddenly said, appearing behind him. The Winter General stopped on his right side and pushed up his glass before speaking. "You have a lot of questions to answer…" he then snapped his fingers.
"Hmm?" Naruto looked down, to see his hands locked by an ice chain. He smiled. "Isn't this a little bit of an overreaction?" He could see why Brandish had gone as far as to reject a chance to dine with him – she'd never done that before. Then again, she was a sad child then. He'd been nice and cared for her – as August has.
"An overreaction would have been having you chained the moment you arrived and then controlling your mind to see if you are still loyal and make you answer some questions," Invel said as he walked towards the others who were standing in a circle.
Dimaria looked at him with a small smile. It looked like a sinister smile. She was most definitely happy to see him in such a state. Their first meeting hadn't been like this. He'd liked what he saw. But things changed. He hated her rotten personality and she hated his mere presence and loved to see him suffer. Perhaps disliking her was also due to her personality. Naruto shook his head: Irene was cold, but he didn't have a problem with her. From his look, Naruto couldn't tell what August was thinking and he didn't try to think about it. Irene looked at him with cold eyes. Perhaps she was displeased that he had chosen come to come here before going to see her. And the new member, well, he just seemed excited for some reason.
The atmosphere hasn't changed. Except for the children growing.
Naruto followed Invel and decided to sit down next to Irene. "Sitting is okay, no, General?"
"As long as you answer questions."
Naruto settled down gracefully and turned to face God Serena. It was not hard to recognize the man who was once hailed as the strongest in Ishgar. But now he was here. He was not the strongest. He was nothing here – just a Shield. What would possess a man to leave the glory of being the top dog in an whole continent to become a mere tool here? He shook his head – perhaps he was never a good person to begin with. The Magic Council wasn't even ruled by good people. It was all just people who did what they thought, making rules as they go. Sometimes they just made shit up. It was that line that whatever the Council painted as black was black.
For God Serena to leave the Council absolutely made no difference. On the balance of power, Ishgar had lost an asset. It was said that the gap between Serena and the others gods was frighteningly big. But if he went to the other side, it would even things, no?
"Dragon Slayer? No, you are not a dragon…" Naruto said evening God Serena. "You should have stayed in Ishgar. With Acnologia hunting down all those who smell like a Dragon, you will surely die if you come across him."
God Serena merely grinned. He was not scared of Acnologia. The Dragon was a king and he was a God. Kings bowed before Gods.
Dimaria snorted. "Says the coward who tugs in a tail between his legs and runs off whenever he sees Acnologia…"
Naruto tossed his eyes towards Dimaria. That look on her face – she was looking down on him. He wanted nothing more than to lunge and lie on top of her. Perhaps she would respect him a bit.
"You should applaud that fact that I have stood before Acnologia and lived to tell the story," Naruto said. "What would you do if you faced him? None of you here have the power to defeat the Dragon…" he stopped short of telling Dimaria that not even Zeref had the power. August would quickly turn on him if he said something so disrespectful.
"I am confident in my chances," Dimaria said in a sharp tone. "But what is proven is that you can run fast. I don't know what his Majesty saw in someone as pathetic as you… despite not being one of us, he permitted you to be here."
"Sometimes I think you and I shared a bed and I failed to satisfy you, which is why you look at me with such disdain," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "But one day, I will show you just how awesome Naruto is…"
"We can go now!"
"Well I'm a little tied up," Naruto said holding up both his hands. "But if you want to get nasty now, I don't mind… we could…"
"Enough!" August cut in. "Invel, ask him your questions so we can get to it."
"Where have you been? And why have you been ignoring calls to return to the palace? I know your received messages… I just could never track down your location," Invel demanded, in a stern tone.
"There and there," Naruto said with a careless shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not the only one who ignores calls, so, there is no need to be questioned."
"We do not question the other's loyalties. But ever since we halted our plans to invade Ishgar, you have been out of control," Invel said.
Out of control? Perhaps he just showed them a little side of himself that he didn't show them before. But before then, there had never been the talk of invading Ishgar. These people had done their fair share of destruction and he had taken part in some of that chaos, but invading Ishgar had been a step a little too far. There would have been too much pain and suffering. War was never a pleasant thing. He had seen it. And these people had no problem in killing others. It would not have been right with him if he allowed it to happen.
"Are you not going to answer questions?" Invel demanded. "I can do this the hard way. The reason I refuse to do so is that you have been someone I worked along with in understanding and I would not be honest to say you have not been helpful in some troubling situations. But I won't hesitate to use force."
Naruto turned to Irene, just to see if she would intervene, but the woman just gave him a cold stare, as if daring him to drag her into his mess. He shook his head. What a cold woman, he thought.
"You've always looked at me with an eye of suspicion, thinking I became a spy for the Council… I guess that is never going to clear up any time soon…" the blond sighed. "At this moment, I am with you… I have not betrayed you people. What I do in my free time is not up for discussion. If you want to use force, try it. But know that I won't roll aside."
Invel frowned. Naruto did have a tough mental defense. There was just so much about the blond that he still could not understand. He never seemed bothered by anything, and sometimes when he did, it was just an overreacting, just for theatrics. He glanced at August for approval, and the man gave a subtle nod. Still, Invel didn't free Naruto from the locks that chained his hands.
"Please leave us, Naruto."
Naruto tilted his head to the side before simply floating while in the same position. He flew out of the throne room and the doors shut in behind him. Once out, he settled down and looked at the Ice and shaking them off in a simple movement. They just shattered within a second. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall by the entrance.
"It is such an unpleasant feeling knowing that you are not trusted," Naruto said to Kurama in a sad tone.
"Are you kidding me?"
"What?"
"You care about being trusted by those people?"
Naruto shrugged. "We have certain urges that we are not all proud of," he said. "But it is good that we are leaving. If things got any worse, they would have suspected us of something."
"It was long coming," Kurama said. "What do you think they are talking there? Despite differences, August had never permitted for you to be kicked out of the place as they talk."
What were they talking about it? A lot has been happening over the past couple of years. And not too long ago, Acnologia did make an appearance. They probably didn't know about it since the Magic Council kept such things to themselves. It was ridiculous for the authority in regulating the use of Magic, the Council had no answer to Acnologia but the only people actually thinking of defeating the Dragon king were these unkind people. They had their reasons but it did not take way the fact that they were making plans to deal with the dragon.
"Time has passed since Acnologia made an appearance. They probably know about it. And even if they do not know anything about it, they probably see the changes with the Grand Magic Games and God Serena now joining them. It is safe to say Ishgar is now weakened…" Naruto said. "Last year's games appeared not to have been that interesting. We will see how this year's games will be."
"You plan on going?"
"Of course," Naruto said with a smile. "It should be fun if we could go and make an appearance, just for the fun of things."
"You want the magic council to turn on you?"
Naruto shrugged. "The Council has nothing to do with the games," he said. "Either way, if they don't attack, they will wait for Zeref to return and then try again. But perhaps motives will be different this time around. I don't know, Zeref never told me all things about his past. I only know about END…" he then paused. "Maybe we could go demon hunting."
"It isn't like I have a choice in that," Kurama said.
Naruto sighed. "Fine, we can just be lazy like you until something interesting happens," he said.
Irene felt some relief with everything proceeding without Naruto being mentioned and her name not being dragged into it. She was the one to come with him, but it was not her idea to place him into the palace. The emperor was the one who did. She'd been fine with him being just around her as she understood part of his thinking. The others probably saw no concern with him – they didn't know the extent of his magic nor have they even seen it. Irene couldn't remember the last time Naruto used his real magic. Within this room, it was her who knew it. August had seen glimpses of it when around the time they tried to invade Ishgar.
When she was trying to leave the room, August stopped her. Wishful thinking. When had she become so naïve to think that August would not ask questions- especially if he saw what she found in the country?
"We must talk about Naruto."
Irene glanced at Invel. The boy had stood behind. Irene held no relevant thought towards him. Her cold eyes turned towards August. He stared back, unblinking. "What is there to talk about?"
"His Majesty told me this 7 years ago: Naruto will eventually leave us, but I hope he does not leave us." August said, much to the surprise of Invel.
7 years ago? He knew the blond was much older than he looked and actually got along with the Emperor. No, their friendship appeared to be too pleasant at times. But still, if August knew this, why didn't he say anything?
"Are you going to stop him from leaving?"
"He also told me that if Naruto does leave, he will be useful in a fight against Acnologia." August said. But that had been only been when the Emperor was in his sad mood, thinking about dying. Perhaps had changed now. Either way, Naruto was still not someone they could take lightly. "If there is someone who must stop him; that is you. He is your responsibility and has always been."
"I got it; If Naruto ever steps before us to stop the Empire's plans, I will kill him with my own hands," Irene said. "Is that all?"
Invel had a couple of questions regarding Naruto, and Irene was the only person who could answer most of them. Problem was that he could not demand answers from her. "Given your very personal relationship with him, will you be able to do it? We should just kill him now if he is going to be a problem?"
While Irene just gave Invel a passing glance, August gave a response to this. "Invel, have you seen Naruto's true magic? You know he knows dragon slaying magic, but have you ever seen him use it before?"
Invel had never seen it – not even once. If you asked the blond if he was a Dragon Slayer, he would deny it and say he doesn't even know the magic. As far as Invel was concerned, the blond utilized his stuff to negate most forms of magic. When it came to physical attacks, he could withstand anything. Invel wouldn't even think of trying to contend with the blonde in physical attacks.
"No, but if it is a concern, then logically thinking, we shouldn't even allow him to leave," Invel said firmly.
"You can try to stop him if you want," Irene said with a slight wave of her free hand. "If that is all, August-san, I will be departing."
Irene turned away from the two; she could feel August's cold stare. The aged wizard probably didn't want to face Naruto in here, it would cause massive destruction if the blond decided to fight back. He usually didn't these days. But that didn't mean he took punches for free – he avoided them. But if they showed clear intentions of trying to kill him, he would openly act against them. August respected Naruto's battle power – at the same time, he didn't think of it as much of a concern that he thought they needed to risk things getting rid of him.
Moments Earlier
Brandish stopped outside when she saw Naruto leaning against the wall on her right side. He looked like he was sleeping. He could be so carefree at times and never really seemed to think deeply about certain things. She walked towards him and stopped inches away from him. She thought of turning his head small, just for the fun of it, but his eyes snapped open.
"I can sense that mischievous part of you trying to do something funny," the blond said with a smile, his face moving closer to Brandish's.
Brandish stared for a moment but she was suddenly pulled away by Dimaria. "Don't stay too close to the likes of him, you'll get affected by his treacherous sickness."
Brandish found this at times amusing. These two always bickered. Naruto was not the person who was usually around, but whenever he was, there was always sparks. "What happened between you two? Sometimes you sound like a couple who broke up on really bad terms," she said.
"Me and him? I'd die innocent than be with him."
Naruto smiled. "Don't listen to her, Brandish. We were actually lovers at one point… though, it only lasted one night. She wanted something serious, and I ditched her… since then, she has been on a mission to get back at me… she'd probably stab me with her blade if I showed her my back…"
Dimaria glared at Naruto. "If it was worth the effort, I'd reject that." She then turned to Brandish. "I would be careful if I were you. You'll get hunted down if you become suspect and I won't show mercy." She then activated her age seal, stopping time. Her expression was blank when she faced Naruto. "Then, what happened to you? You enjoying showing off your body, what happened?' she said looking at the bandages.
"You also like showing off your body," Naruto then smiled slyly. "Not that I don't like the view. I quite enjoy it…" he said.
"I have no problems in stopping to talk to you."
Naruto sighed. "Why do you hate me so much, Dimaria?"
"You know why."
"I don't think it is fair," Naruto said with a shake his head. "I nearly killed myself some time ago… I spent about six months to heal naturally without the help of magic. I was playing around with space and time… because of the nature of my magic that doesn't like me wielding other forms of magic, I ended up getting cut in half."
Dimaria laughed. "You should have stayed dead."
"Now, that is a little cold," Naruto said. "I lost a lot of blood and had it not been for a clone, things could have been dangerous… it is at those moments that I wished I was immortal…"
"Why didn't you use magic to heal yourself?"
Naruto raised an index finger. "Regeneration comes at a cost of diminishing the life of ones cells… I only handled things that would keep me from dying. My body has already gone through enough punishment…" Naruto said. "I need more time with Chronos to learn more about time…"
"No… I'm not telling you anything… you are a traitor. You are going to leave, aren't you?"
"Is that what August decided?"
"No, but you never swore loyalty to the Empire and refused to be officially made one of the Spriggan… my answer is no… hell no… you can try and kill yourself… at least that will save you from being killed by Irene," Dimaria said before cancelling her magic. She then walked away without saying a damn word.
Irene stopped outside the throne room and spoke without facing Naruto. "Follow me," she ordered.
Naruto smiled at Brandish before turning to Irene. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said as he walked towards her.
Irene took Naruto into a secluded area in a forest. Her grip on her stuff strengthened as she stood just in front of him. There was no emotion in her eyes. Her stuff glowed red before shooting a point blank beam of energy that hit Naruto on his bandages head on. The blast sent Naruto crashing into a tree on his back. He didn't move an inch while planted on the trunk of the tree, he just stared without emotion at the incoming dragon queen, unbothered by her desire to inflict pain on him.
"I told you to come and see me, but you did not," Irene said as she stopped just inches away from him. He wasn't harmed by her attack – not even a little. She placed her claws on his bandaged stomach, and dug. This caused a reaction from Naruto as he yelped painfully. "I don't like repeating myself or having to do things the way you do them."
Naruto gave Irene a pained smile. "That isn't completely true… at least the last part. You always do as you please. When was the last time you even stood before Brandish? She was just a child the last time you appeared…"
"Don't mistake our positions," Irene warned Naruto. "I can do what I want, but you cannot."
Ah, so August had given her the message. Naruto smiled a bit sadly. It was such a sad end to things. "Seeing you before coming here did not serve any priority… and besides, I knew you were going to be violent…"
Irene was silent for a couple of moments before retreating her hand. "I did not teach you magic so that you can become this… You are supposed to be useful to me. When a tool stops being useful, you cast it aside. But I cannot cast you aside, your knowledge, your magic, it is all dangerous… I did not intend for you to even be a problem to me… Should I not just kill you here or make you suffer until you learn your place?"
Naruto matched Irene's coldness, only for a second. He removed himself from the tree's trunk and stood face to face with her, just inches away from her. He could feel her cold breath. That stare that threatened to make his eyes explode. Naruto touched the scar on the side of her stomach.
His lips touched Irene's, but she did not respond, she just stared at him. Naruto smiled sadly, but he did not remove his hand from her scar. "Fate can be such a cruel thing" He said. "But let us correct something; I was never your tool, and you know that. I want to think that our relationship meant more than that. You might want to refuse it, but that is okay. You taught me magic because I asked, and paid the price for it. I only stuck around because it was convenient, and our relationship. But apparently, that doesn't seem to mean anything to you." He stepped back and sat down, leaning against the tree's trunk with one knee raised.
Naruto hadn't counted the number of years, but it has been about 10 years since he came to know this woman, and 7 since he arrived at the Empire. There other members were all just children then. Brandish had grown. She had truly grown well. But her fear of Irene had never grown. She was still a bit of a child. And Dimaria, how long? Larcade was just another person, he'd spoken to him once or twice.
But through all these years, Irene was the only person he constantly spoke with. He hadn't been a stray dog when she taught him some magic. Her first thought at seeing him had been to simply murder him. But he had convinced her otherwise.
Irene looked up for a moment before glancing down at Naruto. "If you leave and become an enemy of the Alvarez of the Empire, I have been told to kill you, and I will kill you. I'm tempted to do it now."
Naruto smiled, "Well, that isn't going to happen. I can't allow you."
Irene narrowed her eyes. "For someone who refuses to use his magic simply because he caused a slaughter while out of control, you are awfully confident."
"I've always been confident." Besides, it was not completely true that he refused to use his magic.
"You've become weak mentally and a little naïve. If you allow yourself to be tormented by killing a couple of people, you'll die soon." Irene said.
Naruto smiled. He had his reason for doing things the way he did them. And no one was going to dictate how he did them. Not even a person like Irene or August. "Let us say our goodbyes, Irene. I would rather not stay here before Invel sends someone after me. I don't want to make enemies."
"That is a naïve way of looking at things. Just because you left without fighting anyone doesn't mean you are not an enemy. Invel has already planned for your death because he will now view you as a threat to his master," Irene said.
"Well that is a little troubling, but not unexpected," Naruto said with a thoughtful look on his face. "What did you find?"
"A magic device with a magical mirror. Although there was a barrier protecting the mirror, I managed to put my hand through it and I found a lacrima hidden within it. You have been gathering energy, but not just any energy, but energy from nature. You aren't the reason some mountains dried up, would you?"
"Who knows?" Naruto said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "That isn't a problem. Anyone can gather energy as they see fit." He placed his hand on his chest: A black tattoo appeared. There were just strange marks that stretched through his chest into his throat.
Irene's eyes scanned through the rune… Naruto called it a seal. It was some fine work that did not escape her understanding. And she could understand some symbols. He had after all, showed her bit of this magic.
"I won't tell you all the uses of this thing, but one thing I developed it for was for storing those lacrimas with natural energy. This becomes my second source of magic, and for any other spell I know, I can use using this energy. However, at my first attempt, there was a bit of an accident," Naruto said placing his hand on his stomach. "Natural energy is potent and not easy to control. An accident occurred, and it exploded… spilling out my guts. I'm all healed now, but I thought the look was much better than the previous one."
"You are hiding something from me," Irene said. "There is also something that I could have found that you are not telling me."
Naruto shrugged. "Speculation my queen," he said with a smile. "I saw your daughter by the way… I was quite surprised to see that she was alive. But when I saw her, there was no mistaking her, and she looked like you… it is a pity that though a kind person, her mother is a cold hearted woman who cares for little… well, when you have seen wars and lived for this long, you stopped caring for many things…"
Irene was silent for a moment. "Who told you to look for her?"
"Hm, I wasn't looking for her… I was looking for His Majesty…" Naruto said. "But are you not curious even a little?"
"No," Irene said sharply. "I do not care that I have a daughter. If I was curious at all, I would have tried looking for her…" she said.
"Liar," Naruto said but didn't push it. "Well, a week after I saw her, Acnologia appeared and killed everyone because she was in the presence of Dragon Slayers. It was in that moment that I lost track of the Emperor. Or maybe he just avoided me…"
"She is dead then."
"I didn't say that… but it appears so, or maybe not… they disappeared before Acnologia could hit them. It was an interesting magic, but I can't explain it. Either way, you don't care and I'm heading over to Ishgar…" Naruto then stood up. "You're rather sentimental, aren't you? You nurture that scar to remind yourself of the past… did you love your husband that much? Or did you feel that betrayed by him?"
"Don't poke into my personal business."
Naruto smiled. "At one point, I was your personal business," he said. "Ah, nothing is everlasting in this world. Well, Irene, it has been a pleasure…" he paused. "Are you not going to give me a goodbye kiss?" he smiled weakly. "Or maybe not."