Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
November 3, x787.
The next morning, after waking up, training, eating breakfast, and finishing his preparations to go work on the training grounds, Alfonzo opened the door to his residence. And when he did, he found a familiar face standing in front of him. However, this time it was not Kakashi.
"Hey, long time no see." said a fair skinned young woman with purple hair tied into a spiky, fanned-out ponytail and brown, pupilless eyes. "Haven't seen you since you married Lici, yeah? Too Bad I couldn't make it to Cana's wedding, though."
"Oh, hey, Anko." Alfonzo said in a totally dry tone.
"I don't think you could seem any less excited to see me if you tried." Anko said, placing her hands on her hips as she leaned forward towards Alfonzo with a grin.
"Oh, I could, trust me." Alfonzo replied with a straight face. "Wanna see?"
"Oh, come on, Alfonzo. Don't tell me you're still mad about that." Anko said as she straightened back up. "It was only one bottle of liquor. Plus, me and Cana apologized like a hundred times for it."
"No, it was not just a bottle of liquor." Alfonzo replied calmly. "That was supposed to be the bottle I popped when my first son was old enough to drink. And now, I gotta hope I can find another one."
Hearing that, Anko looked away and started whistling a little jingle.
As it turned out, there was a point during Alfonzo and Elicia's reception where both Cana and Anko disappeared for a while. And when they returned, they were both tipsy. On top of that, neither of them could look Alfonzo in the eye. However, Cana was always, at least, a little tipsy and Anko had let herself go because of the reception, so no one really paid them any mind.
However, the next day, after finishing the negotiations about the training facilities with the guild masters, Alfonzo returned to the old mansion to help move everyone's belongings into the mansion on the lake. And that was when he saw it.
In the center of his liquor collection, where his most expensive bottle of liquor, a three-hundred-year-old bottle of cognac stood, was an empty bottle. For nearly five minutes, Alfonzo stood in front of his liquor cabinet with astonishment and disbelief written all over his face.
Then, after that five minutes passed, an anguished roar sounded over the entirety of Magnolia. And because he was sure that Cana was the main culprit in this case, she was thoroughly punished later that night. And for the second time, all her harem sisters watched her get a spanking.
"Anyway, you're here to escort Wendy to the hospital, right?" Alfonzo asked, deciding that not thinking about that day was better for his health, specifically his blood pressure.
"That's right." Anko replied while smiling widely. "So, is she ready to go yet?"
Instead of replying, Alfonzo turned back towards the inside of the house. Then, he shouted.
"Hey, Wendy!" Alfonzo shouted loud enough to be heard from anywhere in the house. "Anko's here to pick you up! You ready to go yet?"
"I-I'll be there in a second!" Wendy shouted back, sounding a bit panicked.
With that, Alfonzo turned back around. And when he did, he saw Anko pouting at him.
"What's the matter?" Alfonzo asked, pretending he had no idea what was bothering Anko.
"You know damn well what is bothering me." Anko replied snappily. "You took the surprise out of it."
Instead of replying immediately, Alfonzo grabbed Anko by the waist, lifted her off the veranda, and put her down to the side of the door a moment later. Then, he started walking past her, Kakashi falling in line with him not long later. Then, after stepping off the veranda, Alfonzo looked over his shoulder to reply to Anko, who was still glaring and pouting at him.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she already knew you were here." Alfonzo said nonchalantly. "As long as she wasn't slacking off, that is. But Wendy doesn't do that. So, she definitely knew you were standing outside of the door for five minutes and seventeen seconds."
*Bang!*
In response, Anko stomped her foot in frustration. Unfortunately, thanks to her frustration, she did not control her strength properly. So, her foot went straight through the wooden planks making up the veranda.
"I'm not paying for that." Alfonzo said while smiling in a cheeky manner. "I'll make sure that the village sends you the invoice for the repairs, okay?"
*Bang!*
"Fuck off!" Anko shouted in annoyance after stomping another hole in the veranda. "And I'm gonna get you to tell me how you always know where I am one of these days. Just wait."
"Good luck." Alfonzo said while walking off into the distance and waving his hand without turning back.
With that, Anko continued to glare at Alfonzo while he and Kakashi walked away. And she continued to glare until Wendy and Carla stepped onto the veranda and asked what was up with the holes. Then, after taking a few minutes to get the two to drop the subject, she led them to the village hospital.
Like that, the day passed peacefully. While Alfonzo worked to the point of exhausting almost all of his magic power, Wendy got used to working in a hospital. And she was overwhelmed by how much more work there was to do than the work she did whenever she helped in the guild's infirmary.
Despite the extra work load, Wendy felt the work was fulfilling. She enjoyed helping people, after all. And healing the injured and curing the ill was the epitome of helping others in her opinion.
Eventually, the afternoon came. First, Alfonzo ended his work for the day. Then, after he spent a couple of hours at home, the academy let out for the day. Not long after that, Wendy's shift at the hospital ended. Then, Wendy and the kids from the academy showed up at the house around the same time.
And that would be how most days would go for the foreseeable future. However, there was something different today. And that was the fact that Naruto was not with the kids from the academy.
"Huh?" Anko, who was accompanying Wendy back to the house, exclaimed in surprise after seeing so many academy students after she, Wendy, and Carla arrived in the living room. "What's up with all the brats?"
When Wendy, Carla, and Anko entered the house, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Sasuke, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Shino were already present. So, after hearing Anko, they all turned towards her and frowned at being called brats.
"Oh, the heirs of the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka. *Whistle* This is a gathering of future big shots." Anko continued, not minding the glares from most of the children. "Oh, the last Uchiha is here, too. Man, it looks like I'm crashing a party, doesn't it."
"*Sigh* Hey, Anko." Alfonzo said after sighing exasperatedly. "Anyway, if you stay quiet, you can stay for dinner."
Hearing that, Anko's eyes lit up and her mouth slammed shut. Then, she skipped over to one of the couches and sat down. After that, she simply watched the interactions between Alfonzo and the academy kids.
Having grown to expect behavior like that from Anko, Wendy simply shook her head before also taking a seat with Carla following behind her. Meanwhile, Saeko and Rika watched the whole thing in interest.
"He really is good at handling women, isn't he?" Rika asked, whispering into Saeko's ear.
"He is." Saeko replied while her eyes focused on Alfonzo. "But with a harem of nine women, he should be. Otherwise, there would be a bunch of in fighting. Not to mention, he would get stepped all over."
"You're probably right." Rika replied with a nod. Then, she turned her attention to Anko. "That's the girl that Cana seems to be close to, right? From what I heard, she's a lot of fun."
"She's mischievous, too." Saeko added. "And a bit sadistic."
"Like you're one to talk." Rika said, rolling her eyes at Saeko's last statement.
Over the years since the group from Takanosu joined Fairy Tail, Saeko's overly violent and sadistic trait became known to the entire guild. However, no one really seemed to care, which surprised Saeko greatly. But the Fairy Tail wizards only thought: "We already have Laki, adding another one won't make a difference."
"Anyway, you guys don't need to worry about Naruto." Alfonzo said with a smile after Anko sat down, drawing the academy kids attention back to himself. "It's not like the Hokage will do anything bad to him, right?"
"Yeah, but why would he be called to the Hokage's office in the first place?" Shikamaru asked with a slight frown. "I mean, if he got called there, it must be important, right? I just can't think of what it could be. *Sigh* What a drag..."
"It's probably because he did something stupid." Sakura said in an exasperated tone. "I bet he took one of his pranks too far and now the Hokage is scolding him for it."
"Well, that wouldn't be the first time." Ino said while shaking her head. "But this time, it seemed different. Like, Iruka-Sensei didn't seem angry or upset when he told Naruto to go to the Hokage's office."
"Maybe he did something good." Choji said as he reached into a bag of snacks.
"There's no point in thinking about it." Sasuke spat out in an annoyed tone. "We can just ask him the next time we see him."
With that, all the academy kids, other than Sasuke opened their eyes wide in surprise as they stared at Sasuke. Meanwhile, Sasuke maintained his normal grumpy and aloof expression. However, the longer his classmates stared at him, the more annoyed he became.
"What are you all looking at?" Sasuke asked sharply.
"I didn't know you could speak so many words at a time.' Kiba said in an amazed tone.
"*Bark" Akamaru barked in agreement while nodding his head.
"It's weird to see you so curious about someone else's affairs, Sasuke." Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "I didn't know you cared so much about Naruto."
"I don't." Sasuke replied. "But I was tired of hearing all of you talk about it. All I was saying is if you want to know, you should just ask."
"You know, tsundere boys are kinda gross, Sasuke." Alfonzo said, cutting into the conversation.
Alfonzo's statement caused the group of youngsters to look at him with dumbfounded expressions. A moment later, however, all their expressions changed into various new ones.
While Shino's expression did not change much, the corners of his lips, which were hidden behind the collar of his jacket, curled up slightly. At the same time, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba all had to hold themselves back from bursting into laughter. Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura looked as if they wanted to say that Sasuke looked cool no matter how he's acting. And finally, Hinata looked as if she did not know what to do or say.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was glaring at Alfonzo with all his might. In fact, Alfonzo was curious to know if Sasuke's Sharingan would activate and gain more tomoe thanks to the anger he could see on the boy's face.
Unfortunately, that did not happen, which disappointed Alfonzo a little. However, he did not let that disappointment show on his face.
"Anyway, why don't we head outside and start you all's training?" Alfonzo asked, not letting Sasuke's glare disrupt his pace. "And I've got a surprise for you, Sasuke and Sakura."
Hearing that, Sasuke and Sakura looked at Alfonzo quizzically. Though, Sasuke did so while still maintaining his glare. However, Alfonzo did not elaborate. He would wait until they were outside for that.
So, Alfonzo stood from the couch under the curious gazes of the ninja academy students then walked out of the room at an unhurried pace. Naturally, that led the rest of the people in the living room to follow him in curiosity, even Anko, who was not actually a part of this whole situation.
Eventually, the group reached the backyard of the mansion where Alfonzo had set up a temporary training ground for his nine frequent visitors. But don't let the word temporary fool you. Everything in the backyard was created with Alfonzo's magic. So, he could make and remove it all at will. On top of that, it was ridiculously sturdy.
"Will you tell us what you were talking about already?" Sasuke asked impatiently.
"You really need to chill out, Sasuke." Alfonzo said with a smile. A moment later, however, he changed his expression to a serious one. "Remember what I told you, you have to hold the reins on your emotions. Otherwise, you're liable to make mistakes."
Knowing what Alfonzo said was right, Sasuke took a deep breath to calm down. He was still a little upset over Alfonzo making fun of him. So, he was letting his emotions speak for him.
After Sasuke calmed down, Alfonzo looked towards Sakura.
"Sakura, I know you you're not gonna like hearing this." Alfonzo said in a solemn tone. "But you are objectively the weakest of all those gathered here."
Hearing that, Sakura frowned. However, she did not refute Alfonzo's words.
"But that's not your fault." Alfonzo continued. "Because of your background, you have less magic power than the others. And there really isn't anything you can do about that other than putting in more effort than others."
With that, Sakura lowered her head and clenched her fists in frustration.
"But you do have an advantage that the others don't." Alfonzo said, causing Sakura to raise her head. "Because of your low magic power reserves, you have an easier time controlling your magic power. And you far surpass everyone else in magic power control."
This time, all the other children frowned at Alfonzo's words. However, none of them could refute them. So, they all waited to see where he was going with his speech.
"And that superb magic power control makes you quite suitable for a certain skillset." Alfonzo said, his speech coming to its final stage. "And that's a medical ninja."
Hearing that, Sakura's eyes lit up. Then, she glanced at Sasuke with determination.
'Cha! If I become a medical ninja, I'll always be able to make sure Sasuke is healthy.' Sakura thought to herself while fist pumping internally. 'There's no way he won't become mine after that.'
"And as it just so happens, I have a great teacher for you." Alfonzo said with a smile. Then, he turned his attention to Wendy, who took a step forward with her own smile on her face. "I know we already did the introductions the other day, but allow me to reintroduce Wendy Marvell, a student of Tsunade, the best Medical Ninja on the continent."
That new information completely flabbergasted the eight academy students. Tsunade was a living legend in the village, after all. Without her, the Village Hidden in the Leaves would have more than likely lost the Second Great Ninja War. But thanks to Tsunade coming up with counters to the Village Hidden in the Sand's various poisons, the Leaf was able to come out on top.
"I'd be happy to teach you for as long as I'm here, if you're willing to learn, that is." Wendy said gently.
"Of course I am!" Sakura shouted enthusiastically as she bowed at the waist.
"Wendy, will you be teaching her the same way that crazy woman taught you?" Carla asked in a curious tone.
"*Sigh* Unfortunately, Master Tsunade's teaching methods are the most efficient way to teach a battle field medic that I can think of." Wendy replied in a sad tone. "I really hope she doesn't give up half way."
After hearing Wendy and Carla's short conversation, Sakura started having second thoughts. And Anko's gaze filled with pity was not helping. But her desire to make sure Sasuke was safe made her resolve strong. So, she did not back out in the end.
Nodding in satisfaction, Alfonzo then turned his attention towards Sasuke.
"As for you, Sasuke." Alfonzo said in a solemn tone. "Your speed and flexibility in combat make you a powerful hand to hand fighter. However, I think it would aid you even more if you trained with a sword."
Hearing that, Sasuke stopped to think for a moment. The Uchiha Clan had a fairly famous sword technique. And there were more than a few accomplished swordsmen in the clan in the past. So, he could understand where Alfonzo was coming from. However, he had no experience wielding a sword. Nor did he have anyone to teach him. So, he felt it would take too long to master.
"And as it just so happens, one of the continents best pure swordsmen… Or rather, swordswomen is currently visiting the village right now."
With that, Saeko stepped forward while [Requipping] her sword onto her left hip and resting her left hand on its hilt.
"This is Saeko Busujima, daughter of the reigning champion of Ishgar's highest-level swordsmanship competition." Alfonzo continued. "And she's been training under him for as long as she could hold a sword. On top of that, after awakening her magic power, she's even developed her own sword style, one that heavily relies on speed and precision."
As Alfonzo said, after awakening her magic power and joining Fairy Tail, Saeko began modifying her father's sword style to suit a wizard. However, after realizing just how much she could do with magic power, she decided to create her own sword style.
Unfortunately, as a result of focusing mostly on creating this sword style, her magic power reserves have not risen as quickly as the others from Takanosu. So, her magic power reserves were only on the verge of reaching A-Class. Whereas Saya and Kohta had already attained the reserves of A-Class wizards.
Even so, thanks to her swordsman ship, Ur had already declared Saeko an A-Class wizard. So, she had not fallen too far behind her old school mates.
Also, Saeko was not alone in creating her sword style. Alfonzo and Elicia, with their "creativity," also gave her quite a few ideas. And thanks to help from Alfonzo, Elicia, Erza, and Sun, the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, or Flying Heavens Sword Style was born in this world.
Hearing that, Sasuke began to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of fighting with a sword. However, when he thought that it might catch his brother off guard when she finally went to get his revenge, Sasuke's decision was made in an instant.
"As long as it can make me stronger, I'm willing to learn anything." Sasuke said in a strong tone. "Please teach me how to use a sword."
Instead of replying immediately, Saeko looked Sasuke up and down. Then, she [Requipped a second katana into her right hand before tossing it at Sasuke. This katana was only a training sword, but it would serve its purpose.
"Before I accept teaching you, I need to see if Alfonzo was right." Saeko said in a serious tone just as Sasuke caught the sword she threw at him. "I need to determine if you are truly suited to the way of the sword. Now, follow me. I'll test you right away."
With that, Saeko turned around and started walking away from the rest of the group without even waiting for Sasuke to reply. However, Sasuke did not waste any time following her, either.
"I guess we should start, too." Wendy said after seeing Saeko and Sasuke off. "come on, Sakura, let's get started."
Instead of walking to another part of the backyard, Wendy headed towards the house with Carla following her. She would start Sakura off the same way Tsunade did with her. And she had bought extra copies of all the books she was made to study, just for this occasion.
Naturally, Sakura was confused. Still, she followed Wendy and Carla inside. After the training started, however, Sakura would think that Wendy was some kind of demon. Little would she know, however, everything she would learn from Wendy over the next six months, or so,, Wendy had to learn in only one month from Tsunade.
After Wendy, Carla, Saeko, Sasuke, and Sakura left, Alfonzo began training the other kids, who were more than a bit envious that Sasuke and Sakura would be learning something unique. Well, everyone other than Shikamaru, who was okay with things the way they are now.
Meanwhile, Anko and Rika sat on the veranda watching the kids train while chatting animatedly as Miyuki served them tea and snacks. So, they were the first ones to see Naruto approaching However, the normally energetic boy looked lost, confused, and sad. And when he finally arrived, he walked up to Alfonzo with his head lowered.
Unfortunately, thanks to the swirl of emotions in Naruto's heart, he was unable to start the conversation.
"Come on, Naruto." Alfonzo said in a soothing tone as he patted Naruto on the head. "Let's go inside and talk. I bet you got a lot of shit to get off your chest."
With that, Alfonzo turned to Rika and asked her to take over training the other six kids. Then, he led Naruto into the house so they could talk in private.