Demon Slayer Chapter 6

Naruto didn't waste any time. The longer the fight drew on the more of a disadvantage he was at, that's the way he saw it. He didn't believe for a second that he was capable of outlasting Jose.

And so he ran in immediately. He initiated with a swift punch aimed straight at the Wizard Saint's jaw but was batted away easily enough—that was fine, he'd only intended for it to lower the man's expectations of the next one.

Naruto's following uppercut came much faster and with significantly more strength behind it, knocking Jose off his feet. The blond used the mage's daze to rip out all the slips of paper he'd filled with lightning magic from his pocket, scattering them all around the immediate vicinity of Phantom Lord's master. Upon releasing the seals, lightning instantaneously arced from small slip to the next and shocked Jose a multitude of times.

The breath of flame he'd released before had been more of a display. It covered a large distance, but lacked the necessary power to actually take someone down.

He took time to prepare this one, opening his mouth wide and gulping down as much oxygen as his lungs could handle. The moment he felt the initial fire ignite within his chest, Naruto wrenched open his mouth.

"Kama no Gekiko!"

The full force of the blond's flame was released upon the guild master at near point-blank range. The guild trembled beneath his feet as the excessively powerful white fire savagely roared through Jose.

Naruto let out the last of the flame in his lungs. The master wasn't directly in front of him anymore—incinerated? No, definitely not. He could still sense him, the mage had just been forced back about thirty feet or so and was undoubtedly much worse for wear.

The blond prepared himself for the second bout as the sheet of flame started dispersing.

Something ripped through him. Very suddenly. A dark, almost black, stream had torn through the flames and then through him, disappearing almost as quickly as it had come.

It hadn't felt so bad, it couldn't be so bad. Right?

Wrong.

Naruto almost threw up when he looked down. Actually, he wasn't even sure if he could vomit anymore—a large hole was present where his stomach should be, bleeding profusely and showing off parts of his ribs and hip bones. What was left of his intestines hung outside of his body.

He collapsed to his knees. When his mouth opened, he felt his throat convulse as his blood was spewed out. He was soon flat on the ground, gasping and choking on a combination of blood, spit and bile.

His vision continued to darken no matter how much he willed it not to, until everything before him was gone.

Erza looked on, eyes stricken wide.

Naruto had fallen, his head turned towards her. Blood continued to leak from his lips, but it was nothing in comparison to the pool that had already formed from the wound in his stomach.

His body convulsed briefly once more and that was it.

Jose laughed. "I had expected so much more!" Spreading his arms out wide, he looked down at the dead boy tauntingly. "All bark and no bite. Truly a staple of Fairy Tail."

This was the point where she decided that things could not go on any longer. She would not sit idly by and allow someone to get away with murdering one of her comrades, let alone mocking them in death. But as she attempted to garner what little energy was remaining, she stopped—her eyes darted back to the blond's still body, believing it to have been just a trick of her eye.

It had not been.

Naruto's hand twitched. Slowly, his fingers began moving once more, a low grunt emanating from his throat as he pushed himself up off the ground. He rose to his feet and ripped away at his bloody and torn orange shirt, swiping his hand down his stomach and flicking the blood onto the ground.

Indeed, he was alive. The fatal wound that had led to his death was nowhere to be seen, only the slightly tanned skin that covered the rest of him.

"It's been a while..." Naruto rolled his head and cracked his neck several times. "... since I've had a teenage body." He did several stretches, putting his arms high above his head and then bending low to touch his toes. "This stupid kid's shorter than I was."

Erza studied the man back from the dead. He didn't look any different, didn't sound any different, and even his magic was back as it had once been. It was as if nothing had changed, but what he said and the way he spoke suggested otherwise.

She was about to speak out, but Jose beat her to it. "You were dead!" He exclaimed, shocked, but not fearful. "My own magic blew a hole in your stomach, yet you're standing once more."

"No, no. I wasn't dead. I can't die." Naruto rolled his shoulders, bursting into a brilliant white flame moments after stopping. "You're a different story though."

"This again?" Jose had gotten over his initial surprise and no longer looked amused, but Erza was still wracking her head over what had just happened. "You haven't been able to harm me thus far, not even a burn on my skin. What could you hope to accomplish by trying what has already failed?"

The blond burst forward and had taken Jose's position within moments, the guild master barely dodging out of the thrust of the demon slayer's arm. Naruto pressed onward, however, flame blazing around and trailing behind him, not giving his enemy a single second to recover.

"They used to call me a leech, you know. Then a thief." Phantom Lord's master ceased his movement for only an instant. Naruto immediately took advantage of his slip and clamped his hand around the Wizard Saint's neck and raised him up off of his feet. "Want me to tell you why?"

A dark sort of magic coiled around Jose's hand and he sent it towards Naruto's heart—had he stopped on purpose? Had he realized he couldn't take the blond on in speed, but could in an up close confrontation?

Naruto batted the hand away like it was nothing, a small blast of air emanating from the contact and rushing throughout the heavily damaged room. "Wh-" Jose looked upon the man hoisting him up with another bout of shock, one that Erza mirrored.

"The people I touch." Naruto interrupted. "I take what makes them, them. Their strength, their magic, it's all mine as soon as I get a touch." The blond wrenched the man over, harshly slamming him onto the solid ground. Without letting go of Jose's throat, he pressed the tips of fingers on the guild master's chest, right above his heart. Dark magic coiled around his hand. "Look familiar?"

Without even a blink, Naruto pushed his hand down into Jose's chest. He coughed up blood, his body violently jerking for a while, before coming to a cold stop.

Another thing Erza couldn't believe.

Fairy Tail mages did not kill people.

Naruto did not kill people.

The murderer stood from his crouched pose, idly nudging the corpse with his foot as he played with Jose's magic in his hands as if he were getting used to it.

"Naruto!" She screamed without thinking.

He turned to face her, eyebrows raised, curious. Slowly, he started to pace in her direction. "What's wrong, Erza? You look afraid." She wanted to move yet couldn't. Her eyes stayed locked with his even as he crouched down in front of her, his hand coming up and gently grasping her chin. There was a smile on his face, but it wasn't his usual friendly one. "Your whole body is quivering."

As soon as the words left his lips, something crashed behind them, and Naruto was soon sent hurtling back, bouncing roughly along the ground a few times before coming to a halt.

Erza let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. His stare had been intense, it made her feel so small and insignificant.

"Erza." Makarov's soothing voice washed over her. "It's comforting to know that you're still alive. You don't need to fret any longer, it will all be over soon."

"He killed Jose." She said. "He killed someone, Master."

"I know."

"Makarov!" Naruto grunted as he pulled himself back to his feet, popping his shoulder back into place and wincing in pain. "You somehow look even older than when I last saw you."

"I'm not here to make jokes." The atmosphere started to get tenser with each moment that passed. The very air felt like it was thinning out. Jose's magic begun swirling around the blond as Makarov's burst out in a great display of power. "Return Naruto at once."

"But I'm already here."

Fairy Tail's guild master did not respond with words, but action. He held his hands in front of him diagonally and parallel with one another. A small white sphere formed between them. "As is our custom, I will give you until the count of three."

"You're really going to do that to a poor, innocent boy?"

"One."

"And one of your guild members, at that?"

The magic within Master's hand grew each time he spoke. "Two."

"Fine, fine. I get it." He drawled. With a sigh, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward; first to his knees, and then onto his face.

The magic Master had been gathering dissipated around them.

"What's happening, Master?"

Makarov spared her a glance. "We will discuss this later, privately. For now, you need rest. Do not speak of this to anyone."

"Bu-"

"Erza. No one can find out about what you saw." With a stern look directed her way, she gave in to his demand. "Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master."

Naruto awoke slowly.

He yawned, pulling himself up from the bed he'd been laid down on.

He had no idea where he was. The room he was in—a tent, really, the walls and ceiling were some sort fabric and were held up by support beams all around—wasn't large and only had a few other beds in it. Beside his own was a wooden chair, occupied by a sleeping redhead.

"Erza?"

She didn't wake and he decided to leave her. Idly, he thought how awkward it would be to fall asleep in armor.

Naruto threw the sheets off himself and planted his feet on the ground. He fiddled with the plain shirt that had been thrown over him, lifting it up and pinching the skin over his stomach.

It was surreal, he'd been convinced that he was going to die after what Jose had done to him.

It brought the question to the forefront of his mind, who'd healed him?

Porlyusica?

It was the only person he knew around Magnolia that had any chance of healing the kind of damage he'd taken. Whoever it was, he'd make sure to thank them for saving his life.

For now, he wanted to find out where he was. Throwing the tent's flaps open, he took a peek outside. It was dark, but plenty of torches had been spread out and lit. Every tent had at least two. Men wearing the distinct uniform of the Rune Knights walked around casually, and down further he could see a large gathering of them eating, drinking and laughing amongst themselves.

"Naruto?" He peered back behind him at the source of the meek voice. Erza blinked a few times, grimacing before sitting up straight. Her tone immediately returned to being as hard as it usually was. "You're already awake."

"Uh, yeah? Was I not supposed to be?"

"No that's not it. Everyone thought you'd be out for a while. You almost died."

"Felt like I did." He remarked. "How long has it been?"

"A day."

"Oh." He'd spent more time unconscious under Porlyusica's care when he'd broken his arm at twelve. "So who fixed me up?"

"Well..."

"What?"

"You did."

"Ah?"

"It's difficult to explain. I'm not the best one to talk about it with, either."

There was an awkward expression on her face. Was something wrong? Sure they'd never really gotten to know each other much, outside of when she'd broken up fights between Natsu, Gray and himself, but he never figured that she'd be uncomfortable around him.

"Who would be the best then?"

"Master." Naruto could sense him. That frighteningly massive magic was hard to ignore, especially when it was so close by. Erza stood from the chair and marched forward. "I'll take you to him."

They drew the attention of a few people as they walked through the camp but otherwise went mostly ignored. Master was in the largest tent, seated at a desk with a stone-faced man on the other side.

"Good evening." The man smiled at them, but it wasn't a very welcoming one. "You seem to be doing well."

"Who are you?"

"Naruto." Makarov spoke sternly. "This is Lahar, Captain of one of the council's custody enforcement units."

"Okay." Naruto looked between them before focusing on the small old man. "Can we talk?"

"Of course you can." Lahar butted in. He gestured toward a group of chairs off to the side. "Bring up a seat. This discussion concerns you anyway."

The blond did so, planting it right beside Makarov and sat down on it. He supposed he could get an explanation from Makarov later. "What's it about?"

"Your arrest, Uzumaki-san. And your upcoming trial."

"Arrest?" Naruto frowned. "What for?"

Lahar's elbows rested on the desk, his fingers crossing in front of him. "The murder of former Wizard Saint and Master of Phantom Lord, Jose Porla."

The noise that escaped his throat made him sound rather stupid: "Huh?"

"Uzumaki-san, what do you remember about yesterday afternoon?"

Dying.

"Not much."

Lahar smiled again. "Given the gravity of the situation, I am obligated by law to inform you that you could be facing severe punishments such as lifetime imprisonment, banishment from Fiore, or execution." Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but the man continued before he got a word out. "That decision is left up entirely to the Magic Council."

"I didn't murder anyone." He blurted. The accusation was beginning to grate his nerves. "It's the other way around. Jose put a hole through me."

"You're free to see his body at any time." The captain countered immediately. "Traces of your magic are all over him. I admit that the wound in his chest was a bit strange, but there's little doubt that you inflicted it." He gestured toward both Erza and Master next. "Erza Scarlet and Makarov Dreyar both claim to be witnesses in your slaughtering of Jose Porla. Do you believe them to be liars?"

Naruto reeled back. Were they not on his side? His eyes darted back and forth between the two. They offered him no response.

"No..."

"That makes my job easier then." Lahar stood and motioned for them to do the same. "We will make for Era at the end of the week. Until then, Naruto Uzumaki, you are to remain within the confines of this camp. When we arrive, you will be provided meals and accommodation if necessary. Any attempt at escape or failure to comply with my direct orders will be treated as an admittance of guilt. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

Erza despised lying.

She understood why and begrudgingly agreed that it was necessary in this instance, but that didn't help keep her stomach from contorting uncomfortably.

"You better start talking old man. I thought I was dead until an hour ago—good news, right? Only instead of waking up to a cute girl nursing me back to health, I found out that I'm not even remotely injured and I'm being accused of a murder that I didn't commit." Naruto scowled. "Explain."

The three were situated in the tent that Naruto had been assigned. It was small, the only things inside being a sleeping mat, a lamp, and a wooden fold-up desk which Makarov had propped himself up on. Erza herself stood in front of the tent's closed flaps.

"You're right. You didn't murder Jose." The master began calmly. "But something did and it used your body as a means to do so."

"It?"

"It." He confirmed. "There's something that Jiraiya and I have been holding off on telling you. I believe that now is the appropriate time to let you know." Master hopped down and moved over the blond, poking him in the chest. "There's a a beast sealed within you, one with enough power to bring everything we know to ruin. It has lived for hundreds of years. Many claim that it was born to rid the world of demons and there is certainly evidence to back up that claim. The demon slayers you've read so much about, they were once its loyal legion."

Naruto remained silent for a few moments, digesting what he'd been told. "I've never heard of something like that."

"You have." Makarov was insistent. "It raised you for the first ten years of your life. Your magic was bestowed upon you by it."

The blond stared.

And while he did, Erza turned her head away. There was no beast, Makarov had told her, no demon, but a man. An ancient wizard so dangerous that even learning his name could spell the end of your life.

Master claimed to not know the extent of the man's abilities while he was sealed within Naruto. He was being extremely cautious, unwilling to even let Naruto know the truth and not just the man's name, twisting his words and using the unique past the blond had with a demon to his advantage.

Erza would look the other way this time, but she did not want to see Master like this ever again.

"Is that why he disappeared so suddenly back then?" Naruto asked. "Did he seal himself inside me? Why?"

"I don't know the reason. All I do know is that its first instinct was to destroy whoever had brought it out, whoever had inflicted harm on you."

"Jose."

"Yes."

Naruto wasn't a quiet person. Even though they had never been that close, it was still strange to watch him sit there in silence. She watched his expression change several times, watched as the lies set in, watched as he tried to come to some sort of conclusion.

"Gah!" He gave up rather fast, throwing his arms in the air and grumbling like a child. "What the hell."

Makarov rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly. "I know it might be difficult to understand, but it's the truth. And knowing this, I, and Fairy Tail, still stand with you. You won't be facing any of the harsh punishments Lahar told you about, not unless they plan to do the same to every one of us."

"We're claiming self-defense on this whole situation." Erza butted in, deciding that the lies were over and that it was time for actual truths. "Phantom Lord instigated. If we had not retaliated, then it very well could have been us that was destroyed instead, and there undoubtedly would have been more than just a single death. That's our argument."

Naruto slowly nodded. "I get that." He sighed, flopping backwards and spreading himself out over the mat. "I just wish that none of this had happened to begin with."

Erza shared the sentiment.

The week had finished up quicker than Naruto thought it would. Erza hadn't stayed with them, instead spending her time with the guild to assist in the planning and construction of a new building. Despite being a witness to Naruto's actions, she wasn't coming with them to the trial either—something she herself requested on the grounds of being needed at the guild. Apparently she wasn't required to go anyway, Lahar claimed that Makarov's word was more than enough.

The Rune Knights had spent most of their time gathering mages from the guild and many, many witnesses from around Magnolia, questioning them for hours and extracting as much information from them as they possibly could.

Naruto had been asking questions of his own. They wouldn't even give him the time of day at first, but as the week drew closer and closer to its end, they softened up and started to answer him. Despite that, they refused to give him any details or even their own individual opinion.

It wasn't until twenty minutes ago that he'd found out their agreed upon conclusion, from Lahar himself: Fairy Tail acted reasonably and within their rights.

While that's what the Rune Knights had deduced, Makarov stressed to him that they weren't in the clear just yet. The Magic Council could still very well punish them. They had, after all, just lost one of the biggest guilds in the country as well as one of their Wizard Saints.

The knights had recently finished packing up their temporary camp and loaded all of their resources into their carriages. They dispatched in small groups one after the other. Naruto wondered why they didn't just all move together, but the question in his head didn't raise enough care for him to bother asking.

Lahar, who had been directing the groups in their departure, marched up to him. "We're about to leave. Are you ready?"

Naruto shrugged. It wasn't like he had anything to take with him, all of his stuff was still with Jiraiya. His lips thinned at the thought of the old man taking his money and spending it on women. "Wait, we?"

"We." The Captain confirmed. "At Makarov's request, I didn't lock you up in a cell. That kind of leniency isn't going to work in Era. I will be right with you the entire time."

"Even when I take a piss?"

"Yes."

"When I'm sleeping?"

"We'll be sharing a bed." Naruto froze. "That was a joke."

Oh.

They were the last carriage to leave. Master, Lahar and himself all grouped together along with a couple knights and the driver up front. The travel itself was lackluster at best, Naruto couldn't keep himself from fidgeting. He hated having to be still, he was tempted to jump out of the moving vehicle and try to make a run for it just to cure his mind-numbing boredom.

At some point, Naruto fell asleep. He didn't know when nor could he recall feeling tired, but he decided that it wasn't worth thinking about.

When he woke, it was to the early morning sun piercing through the carriage. He yawned and stretched, his bones creaking and cracking.

Everyone else looked like they'd been awake for hours already.

"Are we there yet?"

As if to answer his question, the carriage came to a smooth stop.

"We are." Lahar was the first out, then the two Rune Knights, followed by the three Fairy Tail mages.

Naruto looked up at the large building in front of them, marveling at its gigantic size. The two Fairy Tail mages followed Lahar through the spacey halls, past many frog looking council workers who never even spared them a glance. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a set of double doors.

"Did you prepare a speech?"

"What?"

Lahar was amused. "You're about to face every member of the Magic Council, including the Chairman."

"Already?" Naruto had no idea what he was supposed to say. He'd never been put on trial before, but he was sure that just saying I didn't do it wasn't a very good defense. "Didn't you say I'd get a place to stay first? And food? I'm kind of hungry, I haven't eaten since we left."

"If necessary. However, the council wishes to get this under way as soon as possible. They are not a group of people who you can keep waiting for long."

"Don't worry about it too much." Makarov piped in nonchalantly. "I will be in there with you. They won't be playing their mind games today."

The old man still looked half asleep and looked at everything around them with boredom.

Comforting.

Lahar opened the doors and gestured them inside.

The room was enormous, Naruto wagered they'd be able to fit the guild hall in here. In the middle was a small stand; in front was a site to behold, nine council members sat on a raised platform beside one another, surrounded by grand decor, and even further above sat another, physically much larger than the others and seemingly more important. He couldn't make much out of him from the angle he was at, and the fact that he wore a large hat which fell in front of his eyes didn't help.

Lahar escorted him to the stand, where he stood straight and put his attention forward. Makarov had warned him that he would be punished with that if he wasn't on his best behavior.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The large man boomed down towards him. "Are you aware of the reason that you stand before us today?"

"Yes."

"Would you explain to us your understanding of the situation?"

"I'm being accused of murdering Jose Porla."

"Indeed." Someone else had spoke this time, an old man with white hair, a long beard and a bald spot on top of his head. He wore light robes similar to the others. "The Wizard Saint, Jose Porla, Master of the guild Phantom Lord, fell in battle by your hand. Is this information correct?"

Naruto swallowed. He didn't want to admit to something that he didn't believe he was at fault for, but Makarov had persuaded him to do so in order for them to have the best possible chance. "It is."

"When you engaged in combat with Jose, did you have the intention of ending his life?"

"I did not."

Another council member spoke next—this one with blue hair, and his attire while similar was more casual. A strange tattoo was marked around his right eye. "A lot can happen in battle." He said, his tone leisurely and calm, significantly less formal than the previous two men had been. "Especially when you're fighting on a level where your opponent is someone powerful enough to be named Wizard Saint, one wrong move, one miscalculation can spell the end of either of your lives."

"I agree." It was a woman to speak up this time. Her long, dark purple hair contrasted with her light clothes nicely. She smiled down upon him beautifully, apparently more amused by the current state of affairs than anything. "The stronger you and your opponent are, the higher the risk."

"That's enough." A formerly silent member grunted; he was old, too, but extremely short in comparison. Naruto sympathized with him. "We've already discussed this. That's not what we're here for today."

"Michello is right." The balding man from before said. "Uzumaki, the council has come to a conclusion on this matter. You are to be held accountable for the death of Jose Porla. However, given the circumstances surrounding his demise, you will not be facing any legal ramifications."

Well that was a load off.

"Instead." The blue-haired man interjected, a small smirk flickering onto his face. "You're getting a promotion."

"A what?"

"When the Wizard Saints was first formed, it was done so with a set of rules that each individual had to abide by. Many have been removed or modified over the years, but the council has seen fit to bring one back for this occasion: the transferal of the title Wizard Saint by combat."

"You can't be serious." Makarov remarked from behind him, sounding shocked. Peering back, Naruto could see it on his face—the surprise on Lahar's, too.

"No, Makarov." Another short old man was to speak next; his face was warm, it kind of reminded him of Master. "We are serious."

"Don't let it get to your head." A different councilwoman spoke, much older than the previous. Her eyes and tone were like steel. "Should you choose to accept, you will be Wizard Saint in name only. You will not be privy to any resources, you will not have any say on matters concerning the Wizard Saints, and you will not be called upon in a time of need."

"But!" The blue-haired man injected himself back into the discussion. The guy sure liked to talk. "Should you prove yourself worthy of the title, before someone else is found to replace you, then you will take on the role in full."

Naruto's lips thinned. He stared for a moment. "What if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be throwing away a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Do I have to decide now?"

"No."

Well, whatever. He'd never been one to think about things much anyway.

His sight traveled across the council members, locking eyes with each briefly.

"I'll take it."

Chapter 6 done!