Author's note: The new chapter is up! I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail.

A SHINOBI IN EARTHLAND

CHAPTER 20

It was late in the evening, when the large group reached the guild of Fairy Tail.

"We are finally here!" Lucy said, with a small sigh.

"About time! I can't wait to have a good meal" Natsu said.

"Aye! A nice, fresh fish would be great now" Happy agreed.

"This is your guild? It looks bigger than I thought!" Naruto commented, as they got inside the large building. The guild was mostly empty, but there were still a couple of people left, sitting at the bar.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Mirajane greeted with a smile, as the large group moved closer to the bar.

"You guys are finally back! It sure took you a while" Cana said.

"I'm so glad to see you again! I was so worried" Wendy said, with a relieved expression.

"Hey, Mira-san, Cana! We figured you'd still be here" Lucy greeted, smiling as well. "Although, it's a little surprising that you are still here, Wendy" she continued, as she turned towards the blue haired girl.

"Well, someone had to wait for you. To welcome you back" Mirajane responded with a wink.

"And I, um, wanted to see you guys, to make sure that you are okay" Wendy said with a timid expression. "Of course, I knew you would be fine" she continued with a lighter tone, as she smiled joyfully.

"I am the one who told you that everything would be fine! See, I was right" Charle said, as she folded her small arms.

"You were worried too, Charle" Wendy pointed out.

"Hmph! Maybe a little bit. But I was more confident than you" Charle said, with a stubborn expression.

"You guys looked a little roughed up. Tough fights?" Cana commented, noticing the condition of the shinobi and the mages.

"A little bit. Nothing that we couldn't handle" Gray responded casually.

"It's good to see you again, Kakashi-san! And the rest of you, too" Mirajane said, with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Mirajane-san! We are glad to see you too" Kakashi responded, with a nod of his head.

"Mira, is Master here?" Erza asked.

"Of course I am here, Erza! Where else would I be?" a rough voice was heard, as the guild master came from behind the storehouse, holding a large bottle.

"We are glad to see you again, Master" Erza smiled.

"Not as glad as I am to see all of you again, Erza" Master Makarov responded, as he sat casually on top of the bar, and looked the mages and the shinobi carefully, before he smiled.

"I can see that you had some tough battles, but you managed to succeed again! I am proud of you!" he said, with a wide smile.

"We wouldn't have succeeded without the help of our friends from Konoha!" Erza said.

"That's kind of you, Erza, but actually, we helped each other. It was thanks to our teamwork, that we made it through" Kakashi pointed out.

"This is great to hear! Let me officially thank you then, on behalf of Fairy Tail, friends from another land! And also declare that you, shinobi of Konoha, are friends of Fairy Tail! We would be glad to have you as our honored guests in our guild!" Master Makarov said, with an official tone.

"That sounds nice! I could spend a couple of days in this place" Naruto said casually, as he looked around.

"We appreciate the sentiment, Makarov-sama, and we are honored to hear you say that. But, I think it's about time we get back to our world. We've been away from Konoha for quite a while" Kakashi responded, politely.

"Of course, I understand! We have already examined the scrolls that you brought with you, and although we are not really familiar with them, we were able to analyze them. In addition, some my brightest mages, along with me of course, have made an extended research at our library. I am fairly positive, that with a combination of your scrolls, and some special runes, we will be able to briefly open a gate, and send you back to your home" the guild master said.

"This is wonderful to hear" Kakashi responded, with controlled enthusiasm.

"You are able to open a gate? This is quite impressive" Sasuke said.

"So, we can get back to Konoha?" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"Not yet, young man. We are very close, but there are still a few details that we need to go over again. We will continue in the morning, and I am fairly confident that we will be ready" Master Makarov responded with certainty.

"Besides, it's getting late and you all had a rough day. You should all get some rest" the old mage suggested, as he took another look at the large group.

"I suppose you are right, we shouldn't attempt a trip like that in our current condition. Getting some rest, sounds like a good idea" Kakashi nodded in agreement, before he turned to the rest of the shinobi.

"Did you guys bring any camp equipment?" he asked.

"Camp equipment?! There's no reason for that, you can stay at our guild!" Master Makarov said vividly.

"We have a couple of rooms on the upper floor that should be just fine" Mirajane added, with a smile.

"A nice bed does sound better than the ground" Naruto commented.

"We appreciate your kindness. We'll take those rooms, then" Kakashi nodded in agreement, before he turned towards Natsu and the others. "I guess, we'll see you guys tomorrow" he said.

"Of course!" Natsu responded, with a wide smile.

"Enjoy your stay at our guild" Erza said, as Mirajane showed them to the upper floor.

"I suggest you do the same" the guild master said, as he turned towards his mages.

"You don't have to tell us twice, Master. I am already dreaming of my bed and a hot bath" Lucy said with a yawn.

"Happy and I will stay for a while. We want to grab a bite first" Natsu said.

"Suit yourself, then! What about you guys?" Lucy turned towards Gray and Erza.

"We are coming too. We could also use some rest" Erza said, as Gray nodded in agreement.

"Good! We'll see you guys tomorrow, then!" Lucy greeted. The rest of the group waved back, as the Fairy Tail mages made their way out of the guild. The three of them walked together casually, enjoying the calm, night city.

"This feels nice! Still, I can't wait to get to my place" Lucy said as she looked around, with a content smile.

"Yeah, I get what you are saying. Well, we are almost there" Gray said. The mages continued their way, chatting, until they reached Lucy's apartment. Lucy waved at them smiling, and then moved towards her apartment, with a gleeful expression.

"So, what shall we do now?" Gray asked, as he turned towards Erza.

"I think I'll head towards Fairy Hills. Lucy's idea seems pretty appealing right now. A hot bath and a warm bed sound just about perfect. You should head to your place too" the red haired girl suggested, with a light smile.

"Sure, I will, later. Would you like some company until you get to Fairy Hills? I could use another small walk" Gray said. Erza remained silent for a few moments, before she responded.

"I suppose, I wouldn't mind some company" she said, simply. Gray smiled, as the two of them resumed their way, and moved towards Fairy Hills. They walked together in a comfortable silence, although Gray would occasionally glance towards Erza. She seemed relaxed and in relatively good mood, but Gray knew that she wasn't as well as she appeared to be.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a while, as they passed by the river.

"Of course I'm okay. I'm a little tired, but other than that I am feeling simply fine. Why are you asking?" Erza said, with a calm expression.

"Because something tells me that you are not as well as you claim to be. What happened with the council, it brought back some recent memories, didn't it?" Gray said with a serious expression, as Erza stopped walking. She remained silent again, and Gray simply waited, giving her the time she needed.

"Maybe it did. What happened was, understandable and expected, and maybe the reasonable thing to happen. But still, it wasn't right! I, I should take care of things. Make them right!" Erza said with a choked voice, clenching her fists. Suddenly, she gasped in surprise, feeling something warm pressing against her body, and it took her a few seconds to realize what was happening. Gray was hugging her, wrapping his strong arms around her, firmly but gently.

"Gray! What are you doing?" she mumbled surprised, feeling her face heat up.

"It's okay, Erza! You are not alone! You don't have to hold back in front of me! I am here for you" Gray said softly, as she held her closer. Erza simply smiled and returned the hug, feeling relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I know. Thank you, Gray!" she whispered, as they remained in this position for a little longer. After a while, they broke the hug, Gray looking slightly embarrassed and Erza smiling lightly. They walked together towards Fairy Hills, and after a warm goodnight, Gray continued his way with a joyful smile.

The sun had risen in the city of Magnolia on a pleasant morning, as a group of teenagers, and a winged, blue cat, made their way in the city. Natsu, Lucy, Naruto, Lee, and Happy, walked casually, enjoying the warm weather. Until the necessary preparations for the shinobi's journey back to their world were ready, Master Makarov suggested that they enjoy the morning. Natsu and Lucy suggested they showed them around the city, and Naruto and Lee were more than enthusiastic at this idea.

"That's a really nice town! It certainly has a different feeling than Konoha, especially with that river" Naruto commented, as he wrapped his arms behind his head, casually.

"It sure is filled with youth! I wonder if I should take some laps around, to see it better" Lee said.

"I would advise against that. The town is fairly big" Lucy responded.

"I see. Then I should make only a hundred and fifty laps, instead of two hundred" Lee said with a spirited voice, as he raised his fist.

"What?!" the Fairy Tail mages said in unison, widening their eyes in surprise.

"Oh yeah, Fuzzy-brows does that all the time" Naruto said, casually.

"I see. Where did you get the new jacket anyway?" Lucy said, pointing at Naruto's brand new jacket, that was identical to the one he wore the previous day.

"This? Well, it turns out that I did bring a spare with me after all! I knew it would come in handy!" the blond shinobi responded, enthusiastically.

"Way to go, Naruto-kun! That was most youthful of you!" Lee approved, giving a thumbs up, with a sparkling grin.

"How many of these do you have? And how's that youthful, anyway?" Lucy said, exasperated.

"So, where do you guys want to go next?" Natsu asked, with a calmer expression.

"I don't know. Do you have any good ramen shops around here?" Naruto said.

"You just ate your breakfast at the guild! And mine too! Besides, ramen in the morning?" Lucy questioned.

"What about it? Every time of the day is right for ramen! Not to mention that I still haven't got my fill today, and I can't wait until we get back to Konoha! Who knows how long that's gonna take" Naruto responded, as he rubbed his stomach.

"I like the way you think! Come on, I know a great place that makes ramen! I haven't got any in a while, so I'll make up for that today!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"You spoke to my heart! Let's go already!" Naruto said, with sparkling eyes.

"Aye! Let's also get some fish! Fish is like ramen, you can eat it every time of the day!" Happy said, with the same expression.

"That's the spirit, Naruto-kun, Natsu-kun, Happy-kun! Okay then, let's go get some fish and ramen!" Lee yelled, more enthusiastically than everyone.

"You guys are impossible!" Lucy simply mumbled, as she shook her head with an amused expression. The small group then moved quickly, with Lucy trying to keep up with the rest of the group, and it wasn't long before they reached the ramen shop, and got inside.

"This isn't Ichiraku's, but it will do just fine!" Naruto commented, as they took their seats on the counter, and he looked around.

"Old man! Bring me five bowls of miso ramen, please!" he made the order eagerly, after spotting the chef.

"I will have the same!" Natsu added, with the same enthusiasm.

"Yosh! I won't let you surpass me! Bring me the same, too!" Lee yelled as well.

"These guys are way too enthusiastic, don't you think, Happy?" Lucy mumbled.

"I want five bowls of fish ramen, please!" the blue cat said with a spirited voice, raising his paw.

"Why do I bother?" Lucy sighed, as she leaned on her arms. The chef looked at this rowdy group with a surprised expression, before he smiled with content.

"Your order is coming right up, sirs!" he announced, as a few moments later, the first bowls of ramen appeared before them. Naruto and Natsu dug in eagerly, with Lee and Happy following with the same enthusiasm. It wasn't long, before towers of bowls started appearing in front of the three teenagers, with Happy stopping after the fourth bowl, much to his dismay. Lucy, who was still in her first bowl, looked on with a dumbstruck expression, like most of the customers, including the chef, in the store.

"Are these guys for real?" she mumbled. She had gotten used to Natsu, and sometimes Gray, acting like that, but she didn't expect Naruto and Lee to be the same.

"Two more bowls for me!" Naruto yelled.

"Three more for me!" Natsu ordered.

"Hey, are you challenging me? There is no way you can beat me at ramen eating!" Naruto snapped.

"We will see that!" Natsu shot back, as the two, hot headed youths, glared at each other.

"I won't lose to any of you!" Lee roared, with fire in his eyes.

"I think I might be scared!" Lucy said.

"Yo, everyone! I figured I would find you here!" a familiar voice was heard, as Lucy turned around, only to see Kakashi standing next to her, with his hand raised.

"Kakashi-san! Finally, someone reasonable! Where have you been?" Lucy said, with a relieved expression.

"I went with Erza to your Magic Council to sort things out with the shinobi I came here looking for. Everything turned out okay, and Erza's word in favour of those two mages who helped us, Kenji and Honoka, was received positively" Kakashi explained.

"That's really good to hear! So, you came back from the Council?" Lucy asked.

"Not really. I've been in the city for a while now. I figured I would find you guys here, but I first made a stop at the book store" Kakashi responded, lightly.

"Why did you stop at the bookstore?" Lucy narrowed her eyes in suspicion, as the others continued swallowing down huge amounts of ramen, filling the counter with ramen bowls.

"Out of curiosity, mostly. I didn't expect to find any Icha-Icha books here, but I found something equally interesting" Kakashi said, as he took out a small book with a green cover from his pocket.

"I need an adult!" Lucy yelled in despair, as she fell head first on the counter.

"Aye!" Happy said drowsily, as he lied on the counter, as well.

The guild members of Fairy Tail watched nervously, as Neji and Sasuke stared each other, intensely.

"You have been waiting for a long time for this, haven't you?" Sasuke said, with a smirk.

"Indeed I have. It's time to find out which is superior, the Sharingan of the Uchiha, or the Byakugan of the Hyuga?" Neji said, with a serious expression.

"The Sharingan is already superior with its proficient use of Genjutsu, and the ability to copy Ninjutsu. Now, I shall prove that it better in Taijutsu as well. It's faster and more accurate" Sasuke claimed, as he activated his Sharingan.

"Don't count on it! The Byakugan offers better chakra control, which makes it better in both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. And you are about to find this out" Neji said firmly, narrowing his eyes, as he activated his Byakugan.

"Are you ready then?" Sasuke said, intensely.

"Here it goes! Service shot!" Neji said decisively, as he raised his racket and hit the small ball swiftly.

"Not bad! But not as good as this!" Sasuke said, as he hit the ball back with his own racket. Neji moved to a better position and hit the ball again, as the two shinobi started a quick paced game.

"Hey, these guys are good! And they are really into it!" Macao commented.

"They sure are! You think they are going to leave the ping pong table any time soon?" Wakaba said.

"Not a chance! They are too stubborn for that" Macao replied simply, as the two shinobi continued their quick paced game.

"They may act all serious and stuff, but they seem to fit just fine here" Cana commented, as she took a sip from her drink.

"Fairy Tail can have this sort of effect to those who spend time in the guild" Mirajane said calmly, as she wiped a large, wooden glass.

It was noon, when the shinobi, along with the Fairy Tail mages, gathered in front of the bar, as the guild master was seated on the counter.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay here, dear shinobi. Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude for your assistance!" Master Makarov said, with a formal voice.

"We thank you for your kindness! I would also like to offer our thanks for your help in the success of our mission. We wouldn't have done it without you" Kakashi responded, with a formal expression, as well.

"What happened with that guy, anyway?" Naruto asked.

"I summoned Pakkun, and asked for a small favor. My Ninken will take care of him for now. When we get back to Konoha, I will summon him back, along with the rogue shinobi, and he will be judged at the village" Kakashi said.

"I see" Naruto mumbled.

"I don't really get it, but it looks like this has been taken care of" Natsu said.

"Since you mentioned your village, I would like to continue with the reason why I asked for you to come here. I am glad to tell you, that we have figured out a way to send you back to your world!" Master Makarov announced, with wide smile.

"Really? This is great!" Naruto yelled, enthusiastically.

"We are going back to Konoha!" Lee said, with the same vigor.

"We are overjoyed to hear that, Makarov-sama! How did you manage this?" Kakashi said, with controlled enthusiasm.

"Magic can achieve miracles, my friend! It wasn't easy, but Fairy Tail is not an ordinary guild, either. We managed to use the seals on the scrolls that you brought, and we have returned to you, as a base and combined them with some special runes we found in some old tomes from our library. We will be able to open a portal, that will lead you back t your world. It will only be temporarily, but it would be enough for you to enter. The runes have already been prepared outside, on the yard" Master Makarov explained.

"Good! Let's head to the yard then" Kakashi said, as the shinobi and mages got out off the guild, and approached a spot, where some glowing letters had formed a circle.

"Is everything ready, Levy, Freed?" the guild master said.

"Everything is set, Master!" Levy responded, cheerfully.

"The runes have been prepared. All that is missing now, are the scrolls that activated the seal in the first place" the green haired mage, said.

"I got them right here" Kakashi said, as he took the two small scrolls from the pockets of his vest.

"Good. If you place them in the same position that you placed them on the seal on your world, the runes will be activated, and the gate will open for a few moments" Freed said.

"It won't be for long, but it will be more than enough for you to use it" Levy added.

"We can't be completely sure, but it will most likely send you to the same spot from where you came from" Master Makarov said.

"Great! We are all set then" Kakashi said, before he turned to Natsu and the others.

"I suppose, this is goodbye. This has been, quite an adventure" the white haired jonin said, as he raised his hand. Natsu stepped forward, and shook his hand.

"It really has! You guys are pretty cool!" the pink haired mage said.

"I could say the same about you!" Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"You are pretty strong, Natsu. And you sure know how to eat. I didn't think I would find anyone who could keep up with me in ramen" Naruto commented.

"You took me to my limit too. I didn't expect we would call this a draw" Natsu said casually.

"Good luck then! Take care of your friends, Natsu" Naruto said.

"You too! And I'm sure you will be the leader of your village, Naruto!" Natsu grinned.

"That's for sure!" Naruto responded, with confidence.

"You have proved to be most youthful, my friends! I am glad I got to know you!" Lee said.

"This has certainly been interesting!" Neji commented, with a small smile.

"You guys take care" Sasuke said.

"The same goes for you! Don't forget to value your friends" Gray said, with a grin.

"Your bonds with each other are what gives you strength, and takes away your loneliness. Don't forget that" Erza added, with a warm smile.

"And even if we are away, our friendship shall remain!" Lucy said, with a smile as well.

"It sure will. Okay guys, let's get ready then" Kakashi said, as he placed the scrolls on the opposite sides of the circle. The runes started glowing, creating a large circle, and after a few moments, a bright vortex appeared.

"This is it. This is the gate!" Naruto said.

"Let's move then" Kakashi said, before he turned towards the mages once more.

"Farewell, mages of Fairy Tail! It has been fun" he waved.

"Goodbye guys! Take care of each other" the mages waved back. Kakashi looked at them for a moment, and then turned towards the shinobi.

"Ready guys?" he yelled.

"We are ready!" Naruto said.

"Let's go then!" Kakashi said decisively, as the shinobi all moved towards the gate. Kakashi got another glimpse of the mages, before he was sucked into the vortex. The way back was as swift and bumpy as when they first used the gate, and before they realized it, the shinobi found themselves lying on the soft grass.

"Ow! I still can't get used to this" Kakashi said dizzily, rubbing his head, as he tried to get back on his feet.

"Are we there yet?" Naruto mumbled, as he, along with the other shinobi, slowly got up as well.

"The place seems familiar" Lee said, as he looked around.

"It's the right place. There's the entrance of the cave" Neji pointed towards a cave.

"We are back to Konoha" Sasuke said.

"So it seems. It worked, the mages did it" Kakashi said, with a relieved tone.

"This feels a little strange. I know we were only there for a while, but I'm gonna miss those guys" Naruto said, with a small smile.

"I know what you mean, Naruto-kun!" Lee nodded in agreement.

"They have been through a lot, and they probably still have several battles ahead. But somehow, they manage to stay positive and smile. Their bonds, are indeed strong" Neji said.

"And we still have a lot to deal with. There are still the Akatsuki" Naruto said with a serious expression.

"And Itachi" Sasuke added, with a dark expression.

"You are right, we are far from over. But we will make it through this" Kakashi said, as he turned towards the others, who looked at him, surprised at his confidence.

"If we stay together, and trust our bonds and our friendship, we will make it! So far we have been divided, and that made things even harder. We need to stick together, not only us, but all the villages too! We've had our differences in the past, but this time, we have a common foe. This is a chance to come together" Kakashi said with a spirited voice.

"The villages, joining in an alliance?" Sasuke said in disbelief.

"Sounds unlikely" Neji commented, rubbing his chin.

"I like it! If we stood together from the beginning, then the Akatsuki wouldn't be able to roam around unchecked" Naruto clenched his fists.

"And if we truly try to understand each other, we may be able to forge some actual bonds with the other villages" he added, with a confident smile.

"We might even be able to find Itachi easier this way" Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"Maybe this could actually work!" Lee said, passionately.

"It would certainly be a step forward" Neji said.

"Indeed it would. We have a lot to discuss with Tsunade-sama, once we get back. But for the moment, let's go back to Konoha" Kakashi said, as he turned towards them and smiled. Naruto and the others smiled as well, and nodded in agreement. The shinobi then made their way through the forest and took a large path that led back to their village.

Author's note: There goes this chapter. A light chapter, which seems to be a nice closure to this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and I would really like to know what you think about it. See you next time, guys!