Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
January, x787.
The trip from the Valley of the End to the Village Hidden in the Leaves was not a long one. Despite that, Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi were surprised just how easily Alfonzo kept pace with them on the trip.
Not to say that they thought Alfonzo would be slow or weak. However, they thought they would have had an advantage when it comes to forest travel. By the time they stopped in front of the village gates, however, that notion had been completely turned on its head.
"There's no way anyone in their right mind would call this a village." Alfonzo said while looking at the village from the sky. "It's almost as big as Shiratsume."
Alfonzo's comment was enough to bring the three Leaf shinobi back to their senses. Then, they looked up at Alfonzo who was lowering his altitude.
"Why did you even run through the forest with us if you could fly?" Iwashi asked curiously. "Hell, I would have rather flown than run, myself."
"Oh, I just wanted to see how fast you guys were." Alfonzo replied with a shrug after landing next to Raidō.
"I see." Iwashi replied.
"Anyway, let's get you all registered at the gate." Genma said. "After that, we'll escort you to the Hokage Tower."
"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "What should I do with the Escalade, though?"
As he asked his question, Alfonzo lowered the Escalade to the ground. Then, he helped Elicia, Ikaruga, and Irene climb out. After that, the three ladies tried to remove their blindfolds. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, the blindfolds would not budge.
"Please, don't force it." Raidō said after watching the ladies attempts to remove the blindfolds. "Those blindfolds have [Seals] on them that require a certain process to deactivate."
With that, Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi stepped forward. Then, they removed the blindfolds, allowing the ladies to take in the sight of the village gate.
"Now, if you would follow us." Genma said while gesturing towards the gates.
After that, the new comers were registered. All the while, Alfonzo floated the Escalade above the group. At the same time, Elicia turned it invisible with her [camouflage Magic] Then, once the registration was complete, the group of seven made their way through the village towards the tallest building in the village, the Hokage Tower.
While walking, the group drew a lot of attention. And that was naturally because of the outsiders that were visiting the village. And the most conspicuous of all the onlookers was a young boy with spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes wearing an orange jumpsuit and a pair of goggles on his head.
'Hmm... That's definitely Naruto.' Alfonzo thought to himself after seeing the blond kid. 'And since he's still wearing goggles, that means he hasn't graduated from the academy yet. Maybe Lici and I can take him under our wings. That way, he'll be at a better starting point than the anime.'
Like Alfonzo, Elicia also noticed the young Naruto in the crowd of onlookers.
'O.M.G. Those whiskers are so cute~." Elicia squealed internally. 'I wonder if he'll let me pinch his cheeks.'
Unfortunately, Elicia was not thinking the same thing when she first saw the blond boy, Naruto. Instead, she was only considering how cute he was. Eventually, the group of seven reached the Hokage Tower.
The Hokage Tower was a large, mostly cylindrical building with the Kanji for Fire adorning one side at the top. On top of that, it towered over every other building in the village. Also, during their walk through the village, the three Leaf shinobi explained that it was not only the place where the Hokage worked, but it was also his official residence.
"What are those faces carved into the mountain over there?" Irene asked in a curious tone while pointing at the mountain behind the Hokage Tower.
"Those are the faces of the former and present Hokage." Raidō replied solemnly. "From right to left, they are the first to fourth Hokage."
"I suppose we'll be meeting with the one on the right, then." Ikaruga said quietly.
Hearing that, Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi all lowered their heads.
"Unfortunately, no." Iwashi replied. "You'll be meeting with the third. Unfortunately, we lost the fourth in an accident several years ago."
Hearing that, Ikaruga put on an apologetic expression as she said words of apology to the three ninja. Alfonzo and Elicia, on the other hand, briefly exchanged glances as they put a few things together in their minds. Meanwhile, Irene, who had been scanning nearly everything and everyone in her [Magic Power Detection] range frowned at the news.
'The strongest person in the village is nearly on par with Gildarts in power.' Irene thought to herself as she looked up at the top of the Hokage Tower. 'Then, there is that mysterious magic power that was seal inside of that young boy from earlier. Something tells me there is a much deeper story behind the loss of the fourth.
"Anyway, let's head up." Raidō said. "Lord Third is waiting."
Nodding in response, Alfonzo, Elicia, Ikaruga, and Irene followed the three shinobi into the building. Then, after a few minutes, they reached the door to an office on the top floor.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Lord Third, we have escorted our guests." Genma said in a professional tone.
"Good." The voice of an elderly man replied from the other side of the door. "You may enter."
Nodding at the permission he received to enter, Genma then opened the door to the office. And when he did, five people could be seen. While four of them were standing, the last was sitting behind a desk opposite the door.
Wasting no time, Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi ushered the quartet into the room. Then, once they were all inside, Genma closed the door, and the three shinobi stood respectfully near the door.
"Welcome, my friends." Hiruzen, the elderly man sitting behind the desk said in a friendly tone while wearing a grandfatherly smile. "I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And these are my advisors, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado."
Each of Hiruzen's advisors nodded their heads in greeting. Though, Danzo was staring at Alfonzo rather intensely. Needless to say, Danzo's glare made the Fairy Tail wizards uncomfortable. Especially when one considered all the different magic power signatures in his right eye and arm. Despite that, none of them showed any discomfort in their expressions.
"It's a pleasure, Lord Hokage." Alfonzo replied as he stepped forward and bowed politely. Then, he continued after raising his head while reaching for Elicia's hand. "I'm Alfonzo Marcus. And this is my wife, Elicia Marcus Taylor."
Hearing that, Hiruzen and his advisors turned their attention to the other two visitors.
"And this, is Irene Belserion." Alfonzo continued while gesturing towards Irene with a smile on his face. "She's one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail. And last, but certainly not least, this is Ikaruga."
Hearing the name Ikaruga, Hiruzen and his advisors, along with the last person in the room who had yet to be introduced, narrowed their eyes at Ikaruga. Everyone in the room was aware that she had ruined a mission Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi took years ago.
"She's our maid and will be taking care of Lici during her pregnancy." Alfonzo said as he pulled his lovely wife into a hug. "And should Ikaruga do anything unbecoming, the two of us will take responsibility."
Hearing that, all eyes shifted back to Alfonzo. And when they did, they saw steel-like determination burning in the depths of his eyes. And after hearing that declaration, everyone in the room looked at Alfonzo as if he had grown a second head. However, Hiruzen was the first to snap back to his senses.
"Very well, we'll trust your words… for now." Hiruzen said in a skeptical tone. For now, however, allow me to finish the introductions."
With that, Hiruzen gestured towards the last of the people in the room, a tall, lean man with spiky, silver hair that is styled slightly to the left and a dark grey right eye. As for his attire, he wore the standard Hidden Leaf attire consisting of a dark blue jumpsuit, a dark green flak jacket, black shinobi sandals, and a Hidden Leaf forehead protector. Though, his protector was slanted, covering his left eye. He also wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face.
"This is Kakashi Hatake." Hiruzen said. "And he will be in charge of guiding you around the village."
"You mean monitoring our movements." Irene said as she crossed her arms, emphasizing her breasts even more.
As soon as Irene's breasts were pressed together, both Hiruzen and Kakashi zeroed in on them. However, they both broke out of their trances just as quickly.
"Perverts." Irene muttered as she glared at Hiruzen and Kakashi.
"It's only natural to keep unknown elements under surveillance, is it not." Danzo, the man with an X-shaped scar on his chin, said in an emotionless tone.
"Oh, I have no issue with that." Irene said dismissively. "But you should just call it what it is. Otherwise, it feels as though you're insulting our intelligence."
"I see." Hiruzen said calmly. "Believe me, that was not my intention. However, I also did now want it to seem as though we were suspicious of any of you."
"It's fine." Alfonzo said while waving off Hiruzen's concerns. "None of us are wet behind the ears. So, we understand the reason for all of it. But I have to ask, does that mean you'll have someone accompanying Lici, Irene, and Ikaruga. Because I'm certain they won't be spending all their time around me while I'm working."
"Yes, and they will be introduced once you start your work on the training grounds." Hiruzen replied. "For now, let's talk about the mission you wanted to put forth for our village. Before that, please take a seat."
With that, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Irene took seats on a nearby couch. Meanwhile, Ikaruga stood behind them, ready to protect or receive any instructions that may come her way.
Then, once everyone was seated, Alfonzo pulled out a rolled up map of Ishgar, that he handed to Raidō. A moment later, after checking for traps of any kind, Raidō handed the map to Hiruzen, who unrolled and spread it out over his desk.
Alfonzo then went on to pull out a magic item and explained that he needed these magic items buried in the places that were indicated on the map. However, he did not tell the shinobi what the devices were used for. The only thing he said was that this mission was authorized by the Magic Council.
Hearing that this was authorized by the Magic Council, was enough to let Hiruzen accept the mission, which he classified as an A-Rank mission. No one would lie about getting permission from the Magic Council, after all. Something like that was too easy to verify.
At the same time, Danzo's eyes glinted after he heard about the Magic Council's authorization. Something that none of the wizards from Fairy Tail missed.
'I really hope he decides to steal one of my magic items and tries to figure out what it does.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'The process of getting rid of Danzo will start much earlier than it did in the canon, if he does. And his "friendship" with Hiruzen won't be able to stop it, either.'
"We'll collect the rest of the magic items once you've been settled at your lodgings." Hiruzen said with a smile. "For now, I'm sure you're tired after your journey. So, we'll lead you there so you can get some rest, if that's okay with you."
"Sounds good." Alfonzo said as he stood from the couch. Then, with his hand extended forward, Alfonzo took a step towards Hiruzen's desk. "And please allow us to thank you for your hospitality."
Standing up as well, Hiruzen accepted Alfonzo's handshake.
"Don't mention it." Hiruzen replied diplomatically. "And please, let us meet tomorrow to discuss the renovations to our training grounds."
"Of course." Alfonzo said as he released the handshake.
Hiruzen then gestured for Kakashi to lead the visitors to their accommodations. And once the group of five had left his office, he also dismissed Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi. Once only his advisors were in the room, he turned towards Danzo.
"Danzo, this time we can't afford for you to get up to your usual tricks." Hiruzen said sternly.
"Just who do you think I am." Danzo replied with a scoff. "I know what I can and can't do."
'Or rather, what I can and can't get caught doing.' Danzo thought to himself. 'That young man will be under my control sooner or later, though. Then, I'll be able to make the Village Hidden in the Leaves even more prosperous with his talent for invention.'
Although Hiruzen felt as though he knew what his longtime friend was thinking, there was nothing he could do about it until Danzo was caught in the act.