"Enjin no Bakuen(Flame God's Explosive Flame")!"
"Crap!" thought Bacchus, having only enough time to cross his arms in hopes to lessen the blow. When Zancrow's fist connected with Bacchus's armoured arms, a large explosion of black fire rocketed in front of Zancrow's fist. Bacchus spiraled backwards and stomped his feet into the ground to stop his movement. Bacchus winced and looks at his arms. His eyes widened seeing the armour plates that covered his arms break apart. His arms were also burnt from the intense flames of Zancrow's magic.
"We made a bet right? Then that means that I have to name the prize I get if I win" said Zancrow grinning like a mad man. "So if I win this fight then you are gonna be Anko's and my slave until the Magic Games are officially over" declared Zancrow pointing his finger at Bacchus. In the stands, a smile that equalled Zancrow's own mad one spread across Anko's face who was already thinking of many embarrassing and painful things for Bacchus to do once her boyfriend won the fight.
Bacchus smirked and yelled out "Wild!" before bending over and picking up his gourd. Pulling the top off he chugged it all in one go and sighed in satisfaction. His cheeks gained a red hue as Bacchus starts to swerve from left to right in a drunken manner.
"Let's get even more wild!" exclaimed a drunk Bacchus moving at Zancrow in intense speed while spinning rapidly. Zancrow tried to dodge but Bacchus was already upon him. In a split second, Bacchus has already landed six blows to Zancrow's body. Zancrow grunted in pain when he felt the blows hit him deep. Not one to be shown up, Zancrow spun on his heel and sent a flaming overhead kick to Bacchus who countered with a palm strike. Sparks flew when both attacks clashed and a few seconds later both men skidded back a few feet.
Zancrow and Bacchus ran at each other and fought with their fists. This was sadly in Bacchus's advantage as his specialty is fighting in his Hikashō(Drunk-Chop Hanging Palm). The fighting style confused and infuriated Zancrow as whenever he tried to land a blow on Bacchus, the Quatro Cerberus member would dodge in an odd angle and land three blows on himself.
"Hahahahahaha, I'm gonna enjoy having that pretty little thing you have in my bed tonight" laughed Bacchus landing a palm strike to Zancrow's chest. Zancrow spat out spit when the attack connected and flew back into the Stadium wall.
( True Heart Booth )
"Zancrow!" shouted Anko in worry. She was stopped from going down to help him when a hand held her in place. Turning her head, Anko saw that it was Naruto who was holding he back. "What are you doing! Zancrow is hurt!" she shouted at Naruto like he was insane.
Shaking his head Naruto said "Don't Anko. If you go down there then Zancrow will be immediately disqualified. I'm sure that you don't want that to happen as this is his match and getting disqualified will only hurt his pride."
Anko didn't look happy but Naruto continued. "Besides, it takes a lot more than a couple of blows to keep Zancrow down" he said with a grin. It was true as a pillar of black fire rose from Zancrow's body. Bacchus looked surprised as he expected that the God Slayer would be out of it.
Zancrow laughed one final mad laugh before jumping in high speed towards Bacchus who couldn't dodge the flaming knee to the chin. Zancrow didn't stop as he pulled back a fist and launched it at the other S-Class Wizard. Bacchus swerved his head to the left and landed a palm strike to Zancrow's own chin which launched the God Slayer into the sky. Zancrow quickly recovered and took a deep breath.
"Enjin no Dogō(Flame God's Bellow)!" he shouted spitting out a powerful stream of black fire. Bacchus backpedaled and tried to dodge the incoming spell but the Quatro Cerberus Wizard was only able to dodge the epicentre of the spell as the flames had spread across the arena and launched the burnt Bacchus away.
( Commentator Booth )
"Truly amazing! Zancrow has covered his fire all over the arena with only one spell!" announced Chapati in awe.
"Powerful he is" was all Yajima said but inwardly he was amazed by the power as he could feel the heat from inside the commentator booth.
"COOOLLLL! I must interview him for Sorcerer Weekly!" shouted Jason jumping in his spot in excitement.
( Arena )
"Now that's wild!" shouted Bacchus pulling himself out of the rubble he was buried in. Bachuss's whole body is burnt and has several cuts and bruises but the way Bacchus was able to move made it seen like he never had injuries.
"You haven't seen nothing yet, my future slave" remarked Zancrow spreading his arms out wide.
"Not if I have anything to say about it" shouted Bacchus jumping high into the air and landing a powerful drop kick to Zancrow who dodged it in the nick of time. Bacchus's foot caused a large crater to form in the arena. Zancrow crossed both of his arms to block out the dust and rubble that threatened to go into his eyes and mouth. When the dust cleared up, Zancrow peaked out between his arms to see the damage. All he saw was a palm that connected with his face and launched him back.
"Don't let your guard down I front of me! When drunk I am known to be pretty unpredictable" he said before burping a little. Zancrow rose in a crouch position and looked at Bacchus with a smirk. Bacchus saw this and raised a brow at the God Slayer. No matter how many times he hit him, Zancrow would always smirk as if he knew a joke he himself didn't know about. Getting into his fighting stance, Bacchus ran in amazing speeds at Zancrow and launched a barrage of strikes.
To his shock, Zancrow was able to counter every single one of them while even hitting him with a few blows of his own.
"What's going on? I was able to hit him before but why not now? My moves are supposed to be unpredictable so how come he can suddenly block them?" Bacchus thought feeling worried. He strikes out even more fiercely but Zancrow just blocked them even faster.
( True Heart Booth )
"What is this? How come Zancrow is suddenly able to stop Bacchus's moves now when he couldn't before?" asked Jellal trying to analyze the match.
"That's simple really" said Naruto with a small smile.
"Oh? Then could you please explain to us how its simple other then leaving us in expense" asked Ultear with a twitch to he eyebrows. She is one of the smartest people in the Guild yet she can't even find out the reason why Zancrow is doing so good at countering Bacchus's techniques all of a sudden.
"Zancrow is mentally insane" said Naruto as if it was the most simplest thing in the world.
"Eh?"
"Well we know that so tell someone who doesn't" scoffed Kyoka who earned herself a glare from Naruto which froze her in her spot. Naruto's powerful eyes staring at her as if she was an ant compared to him. Making a human feel like this wasn't anything special but to make a demon feel like an ant is a great accomplishment.
"I wouldn't mock him if I were you, Kyoka. Zancrow's insanity can work to his advantage in any match, just like how it's working for him now" spoke Naruto watching the match intently. "Bacchus's unique fighting style and his drunken condition makes the man very deadly and unpredictable. Zancrow, however is able to counter this..."
Zancrow sent a knee into Bacchus's stomach and launched a fist of fire to his left cheek. Bacchus dodged the attack by bending his knees and turning his head sideways. Bacchus then sent out another palm strike in hopes to push Zancrow back and give him enough time to take a breather. His eyes widened when he felt nothing touch his palm but he did feel intense heat and pain coming from his face.
Before Bacchus's attack could have hit, Zancrow used his flames to propel himself over Bacchus and landed a fist of fire to his face. All the while smiling and chuckling every so often.
"...because Zancrow's insanity is more unpredictable than Bacchus's drunken fighting style." Everyone but Kain made a look of understanding after Naruto finished explaining it to them. Bacchus was purposely being unpredictable but Zancrow wasn't. He was always unpredictable even without trying.
Instead of watching the match, Kain was playing with a cat that he had found walking around on its own. He seemed to ignore the collar around the cat's neck as well as the royal insignia that is written on it which indicates that the cat belongs to someone in the royal family.
( Arena )
Bacchus could only cross his arms as Zancrow launched barrage after barrage of strikes against him.
"Enjin no Bakuen(Flame God's Explosive Flame")!" declared Zancrow throwing his fist in a punch like motion. Bacchus couldn't dodge the flames that shot towards him. When the fire made contact with him they exploded. Bacchus fell back with a grin on his face.
"Y-You truly a-are...WILD!" Bacchus yelled joyously before falling unconscious.
The crowds went wild and clapped and cheered even though Zancrow is apart of True Heart. Zancrow raised both his arms in the air while laughing madly.
( True Heart Booth )
"That's my boy! Bring momma a new slave!" shouted Anko joyously. Naruto laughed at Anko's words but stopped when he felt something familiar. Something that reminded him of his big brother.
"I'll meet you guys at the inn" said Naruto sinking into his own shadow.
"Where you going?" asked Silver, raising a brow towards his Guild Master.
"Just checking on something. I'll be back so try not to destroy anything while I'm gone" he said before fully sinking into the shadow.
"No promises" laughed Silver heading off to do his own thing. Everyone else did the same and went their own way since the matches of the day are now over.
True Heart: 36 Points
Mermaid Heel: 29 Points
Fairy Tail Team B: 23 Points
Sabertooth: 20 Points
Fairy Tail Team A: 13 Points
Quatro Cerberus: 10 Points
Lamia Scale: 7 Points
Blue Pegasus: 7 Points
( Palace Undergrounds )
"Now how the hell did this get here"thought Naruto out loud. Wasn't hard for him to sneak into the palace as all he had to do was hide in the shadows and nobody would ever be able to find him. Naruto now stood in an underground room which held something he would never think he would see under the palace.
It is the Eclipse Gate. A machine created by Zeref which could be used to time travel. Very powerful but also very dangerous.
"Well, better get to work" said Naruto rolling up his sleeves. Before he could destroy the Gate, Naruto disappeared in a poof of smoke and ash as a twister of shadows shot past him and collided with the Gate and exploded upon impact. The spell however didn't even put a scratch on it. Poofing back into existence, Naruto turned towards the man who attacked him. When he spotted the man his eyes widened slightly in confusion.
He was confused because the man in front of him is Rogue but he was different. He still has his normal black hair that covered his right eye but he now has long white hair which reached halfway down his back. Around his left eye is a curved, sharp tattoo. His clothes has changed as well as the dark robes he used to wear are now replaced with a ferraiolo. Underneath the ferraiolo is a long-sleeve white shirt and over that is a y-shaped vest. For pants he is wearing a pair of light trouser and completing his outfit is a pair of boots.
"Who are you and how did you get here?!" demanded Future Rogue letting off a powerful amount of magic power in order to intimidate the intruder. Naruto however wasn't affected and instead analyzed his opponent.
"That's my business isn't it? Strange, you have the same signature as that Rogue character from Sabertooth but it's slightly different. More...darker. I can even sense a bit of Sting in you which is something I just don't want to know. Since you look older I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you used the gate behind me and came from the future."
"That's right," said Future Rogue not even going to deny his claims. "And I'm going to be the soon to be King of Dragons and rule the world with an iron fist! Sadly you won't be there to enjoy it" he declared throwing a shadow-shaped blade at Naruto. Naruto disappeared and reappeared behind Rogue and tried to kick him but Rogue changed into a shadow so his kick just went through the air. Rogue smirked and thought that he had the advantage by using hi shadows but his eyes widened when he felt a hand grab his collar.
"Where do you think your going?" asked Naruto grinning while pulling Rogue out from his very own shadow. Rogue was too surprised to even think to fight back against Naruto's hold on his collar.
"How?" Rogue asked but all he got back was a punch to the face that almost broke his jaw. He flew back and impacted painfully against the Eclipse Gate and winced from the impact. Naruto wasn't finish as he aims his left palm and a black magic circle appeared in the palm of his hand.
"Dāku Bomu Rendan(Dark Bomb Barrage)" says Naruto before unleashing ten purple orbs at Rogue which all exploded in several explosions. When the spell ended, Rogue could be seen standing with a few scratches and glaring at Naruto who only smiled back.
"What's wrong? Did you get a booboo?" Naruto taunted which worked splendidly.
In anger, Rogue slashes his arm upwards while shouting "Eiryū no Funka(Shadow Dragon's Eruption)!" Shadows underneath Naruto shot upwards and launched the blonde upwards into the ceiling. Rogue narrowed his eyes as Naruto concentrated his Chakra to his feet and stuck them onto the ceiling.
Naruto stands upside down and swerves his left hand in a circular motion. "Mugen Onkai(Infinite Darkness)" says Naruto. Rogue noticed that the shift of control to the shadows has turned and now looks as the shadows erupted around him and tries to incase him in a dome. Rogue turned himself into a shadow and squeezed himself out of a small hole in the dome before it fully in cased him. After constructing his body, Rogue takes a deep breath and spits out his roar attack at Naruto.
"Eiryū no Hōkō(Shadow Dragon's Roar)!" A powerful blast of shadows poured out of Rogue's mouth and headed towards Naruto. Naruto didn't dodge the attack and instead crossed his arms in front of his chest before the spell made contact. Naruto flew back and fell off the ceiling. Rogue wasn't finished ad he slams his palm onto the floor. "Now die! Eiryū no Hari Danmaku(Shadow Dragon's Needle Barrage)" declared Rogue. Naruto stood up easily enough and brushed off the invisible dust off his shirt. Naruto could only look back at Rogue before he felt pain coming from all over his body. Shadows erupted from the floor in hundreds of small thread-like forms and impaled Naruto all over his body. Rogue grinned a bloodthirsty grin when he saw Naruto's body fall back with hundreds of holes in his body.
"Good, now that the pest is gone I can finally finish my plans" thought Rogue spinning on his heel. The time traveller never noticed Naruto pop into black smoke and ash until it was too late. A Darkness powered kick connected with the side of his face which launched him away, causing his body to skid off the floor several times before eventually coming to a halt. Rogue climbs to his knees and glares at Naruto who only has a few scratches on his person.
"What a disappointment" said Naruto with a frown. "I had expected a better fight from a man who came from the future. It's hard to get a good fight now a days" mutters Naruto in sadness. It was one of the punishments of being too strong in his opinion. At least fighting a member of Zeref's Spriggan 12 made him use more of his magic then usual. Especially that old man August.
'Y-You bastard!" snarled Rogue in uncontrolled anger. His patience was already running on thin ice and that last sneak broke it completely. "Mōdo Hakueiryū(White Shadow Dragon Mode)!" he exclaimed as Black and White magic power surrounds his body. His white and black hair spikes up which showed off the right side of his face which is coloured black. His right eye was also replaced with a nasty scar which gave him an even more intimidating look. "Hakueiryū no Ashiginu(White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk)!" he announced releasing hundreds of thin beams of white and shadow magic at Naruto, hoping that at least one of them will make its mark on the blonde's body.
"Yami Mahō:Inparusu(Dark Magic: Impulse)" said Naruto throwing his hand out. A pulse of Dark Magic shot out of his hand and blocked the incoming attack. Rogue dodged the spell and blurred in front Naruto with his left hand covered in white and shadow magic. Naruto covered his own hand in Darkness and collided with his fist with Rogue's own one. A crater formed underneath them while the magic power being released from both Wizards was cracking the walls and ceiling.
Naruto's attack was much stronger though so Rogue was thrown back and skidded to a stop while holding onto his hand which is now covered in a blackish purple miasma. "What kind of magic is this!? It feels like my hand is getting eaten away from the inside" thought Rogue in pain while growling at Naruto who smirks.
"What's wrong Dragon King? I'm sure that's not all you got. Acnologia would put up a much better challenge then this" mocked Naruto closing his eyes for a few seconds. "That's putting it mildly" thought Naruto with a sweat drop.
"Don't you dare mock me! Hakueiryū no Hōkō (White Shadow Dragon's Roar)!" Rogue shouted unleashing a powerful stream of White and Shadow Magic which tore the earth underneath it as it flew towards Naruto.
Naruto raises his right hand in the air while sticking out his fore finger. "Kurohitsugi" he whispers while flicking his finger upwards. All of a sudden a large wall made of Darkness rises from the floor and stopped until it hits the ceiling. The powerful Dragon Slayer Spell collided with the wall of Darkness and instead of plowing through the wall or exploding, the spell finished and dispersed. Rogue showed surprise as not a lot of things can stop a Twin Elemental Dragon Roar. He is further surprised when he sees that the magic he used for the Roar evaporated into nothing when it connected with the wall of darkness.
"Don't keep your guard down for a second or it could cost you" whispered a playful voice behind Rogue. Rogue turned around and tried to punch Naruto with a fist full of Shadows but it was too late as Naruto has shoved a Darkness Powered Rasengan into Rogue's chest. Rogue gasps in pain as the spinning sphere spun against his chest and launched him back into the Gate. Rogue collided with the gate again and fell onto the floor with a thud.
"W-What is h-happening?" growls Rogue feeling immense pain from the move his opponent just used. In fact he could feel that something has invaded into his system and was now sucking away at his Magic Power.
"I-I won't be defeated here. I plan to be Dragon King and there's nothing in this world that will stop me! Not even Acnologia himself!" shouted Rogue while using all his strength to spread his arms apart. Naruto quickly compared the Future Rogue with Sasuke and sighed as both of them have the very damn incurable medical condition.
"God Complex Syndrome."
Naruto shakes his head in disappointment to Rogue's response. "That won't happen as you will die in a matter of seconds. It's nothing personal, Goodbye Rogue. Amaterasu!" declared Naruto waving his two left forefingers in a sequence pattern before aiming them at Rogue who looked scared as he recognized the spell that Naruto was using. Rogue tried to turn back into a shadow but something was interfering. If he were to look at his own shadow then he would have seen that it was connected with Naruto's own one.
Purple Magical seals surrounds Rogue as the Amaterasu Nijūhachi Shiki(Formula 28 Amaterasu) took its effect. It exploded and surrounded Rogue in a purple dome of magic that sucked away all his magic while also doing incredible damage to his body. When the spell ended, Rogue was seen kneeling up while his eyes blanked out. A second later, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Impressive. He's still alive even after all that punishmeng" Before Naruto could dispose of Rogue, the doors behind him suddenly opened up and running inside the room are a hundred palace Soldiers and Wizards along with the Five Executioners and the King's strongest warrior, Arcadios.
"Stop! Place your hands behind your back and turn around" ordered Arcadios pulling out his sword from its sheath. Naruto ignores him and instead lifts his hand up and concentrates his magic so he can use one of his most powerful spells on the gate.
"Seize him!" shouted Arcadios pointing at Naruto. The soldiers and Executioners charged at Naruto but to only stop when an amazing amount of Magic Power filled the room. They all looked up and watch in awe and horror as Naruto is consumed in Darkness.
Naruto lifts up his right hand which now held a swirling ball of Darkness which resembles the Rasengan. However the spinning orb in his palm is black and purple in colour and it is sucking in all dirt and light in the room. Before Naruto could complete his spell his eyes widened slightly before a deep scowl adorned onto his face. "That bastard..." he mutters before cancelling his spell and sinks into his own shadow before disappearing completely.
"The Princess is not gonna like this" thought Arcadios as he gets up from the ground. He never got a good luck of the intruder since the darkness in the underground room was too much to see. He ordered a few soldiers to take Rogue to the infirmary while ordering the Executioners to take posts around the Eclipse Gate so they wouldn't have another intruder sneak in. He then orders the rest of the soldiers to search the palace in hope that they would find the intruder but sadly for him, Naruto was already gone.
( Konoha — Hokage Office )
"Damn. That match was intense" said Jiraiya sitting in front of the desk and watching the Lacrima that was given to Minato from his son so they could communicate from across the world. Now they were using it to watch the matches in the Grand Magic Games. Minato smiles down at the Lacrima and was proud that Naruto has gotten some powerful friends.
In the office sat Minato, Jiraiya and surprisingly, Tsunade.
After Naruto's group left, Minato ordered for Kakashi and Jiraiya to meet him in his office. Both men complied and arrived...eventually. Kakashi arrived at the office two hours later and walks in with a smile and a wave acting like he hasn't done anything wrong.
Minato was beyond pissed. He was already mad before but Kakashi's tardiness was too much for him so he let all his anger out on the One-Eyed Cyclops. Kakashi's screams echoed all over the Leaf Village as Minato beat Kakshi into a bloody pulp. Jiraiya watched the scene in shock and fear as he has never seen his student become so angry before in his entire life. Not even when he found himself peaking on Kushina in the hot springs. After Minato placed Kakashi's broken body onto a chair he sat at the other side of the desk and glared at both men who shrunk from the intense look being given from their student/sensai.
Minato spent the last thirty minutes shouting and berating both Shinobi for their negligence to his own son and demanding why they did such a thing. Jiraiya apologized and told Minato his excuse on how he needed to keep his spy network up and couldn't do it if he was taking care of a child. Minato didn't like that answer and was about to beat him like how he did to Kakashi but the One-Eyed Jonin said the wrong words.
"That brat isn't your son sensei! He is a demon in human skin and should be put down or used as a weapon for the greatness of the Village. Isn't that what's important? The greatness of Konoha as the strongest Village in all of the Elemental Nations."
Minato did not like his response. When the Medical Nin came into the office they saw an unconscious and barely breathing Kakashi on the floor, Jiraiya who was shaking like a Leaf in the wind and a very angry Minato. They knew that they shouldn't stick around and ask questions so after quickly picking Kakashi up on a stretcher they bolted out of the office leaving Jiraiya and Minato alone. Jiraiya was worried that Minato would give him the same beating as Kakashi but he didn't.
He did something much worse.
Minato picked up a pen and wrote a few sentences on an empty scroll before tying it around their fastest messenger birds leg and sent the animal off to its intended target. Jiraiya asked his former student what he sent out but Minato his ignored him and sent him out of the office while smiling darkly.
Jiraiya didn't like the feeling of death in the room. It was even worse when he stood in front of Naruto and that kid was as deadly as the Shinigami himself. Jiraiya understood the feeling he was getting after the large front gates of Konoha was smashed open and an angry shout of his name erupted across the entire Village. He easily recognized the angry shout and tried to make a run for it but it was pointless.
Tsunade had caught up to him. After Tsunade gave him the worst beating imaginable she talked with Minato and was surprised to see him alive again. Minato explained everything to her and after a good hour of explanation, Tsunade was beyond pissed off. She had never felt so betrayed in her entire life. Sarutobi and Jiraiya had kept Naruto's survival a secret from her in the off chance that she would take him out of the Village which was something she would have definitely done. The Slug Sannin went on a hunt afterwards but this hunt wasn't like those "Fox Hunts" that the Villagers liked to go on for Naruto's birthday.
Tsunade was hunting for every single person who had taken part in the "Fox Hunt." Fifty Civilians were killed and at least a hundred more were sent to the hospital for their injuries. There was also the twenty deaths to Doctors and Nurses who had either poisoned or barely healed Naruto whenever the young infant came into the hospital. It was supposed to be only one death as she was going to destroy the Head of the Hospital for denying her grandson treatment but that quickly changed after the Sannin found the file room for the Hospital. She was beyond disgusted after finding Naruto's medical file which was the size of two phone books piled on top of each other. She read the entire file and the many injuries Naruto had sustained from the Villagers and several Shinobi which made her and her assistant Shizune green. Tsunade was able to hold in her lunch but Shizune couldn't.
The hospital was then painted red but it wasn't red paint that covered the walls and ceiling.
The Civilian Council and Elders demanded that Tsunade be stopped but Minato ignored them and said how the Civilians were just caught up in Tsunade's training which she so happened to be doing in several houses and in the middle of the street.
Tsunade wasn't the only one doing damage as Minato had begun his own little form of punishment to the Civilians who ignored his dying wish. Every shop and restaurant that denied Naruto service or sold him rotten and overpriced food has been given a large tax that takes away 70 percent of all their earnings every month. The Civilians were of course mad and tried to fight against the tax but whoever didn't pay was taken away to Ibiki by the ANBU. Many shops and restaurants closed because of this tax. The small amount of shops and restaurants including Ichiraku Ramen weren't given the horrifying tax but were actually given large grants to improve their businesses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to fight against Minato's words and demanded for the seat of Hokage back. The Blonde Hokage accepted but only if the old man could defeat him in battle. Hiruzen ran with his tail between his legs since his body is too old to fight against Minato's recently resurrected young body. So he reluctantly backed down but now sits with the other Clan Heads after initiating himself as the Sarutobi Clan Head. Minato couldn't stop that as he couldn't interfere with Clan matters so he allowed it but wasn't happy about it.
Minato has grown quite sick of Hiruzen saying how Naruto should return to the Village so they can protect him from the Akatsuki. It didn't help Minato as the Elders and Villagers want Naruto to return to either become their weapon to fight against the other Villages or to be used as their punching bag again. One Civilian was stupid enough to admit it and was given a Rasengan through his chest for his troubles. Minato told them to back off as he is at the other side of the world and can't be touched but the Elders weren't happy about it.
"It's about time that you went to your meeting Minato" said Jiraiya getting a nod from Minato who sealed the Lacrima into a seal on his hand. He and Tsunade hasn't forgiven the Toad Sannin but allowed him to continue his spy network as it was beneficial to the ungrateful Village. Jiraiya has seen the error of his ways and realized how messed up he was to agree to not take in Naruto when he was a baby.
"Those old bats have been very stubborn on getting Naruto back into the Village. Why do you put up with them anyway?" Tsunade asks.
"It's because they have wedged themselves into the Council too tightly. They have used every method in the Rulebook to keep their spots on the Council. I don't know how long I'll last till I eventually kill them all including the Civilian Council."
"What we need is leverage. Something that will make them back off" said Jiraiya trying to think if something.
Before they could get up and leave, a black poof of smoke and ash appeared on top of the desk. When it cleared up it showed a Darkling holding onto a square box. "A present from the boss" was all it said before disappearing the same way it appeared. Minato opens the box and all three Shinobi look inside it to see what was inside. All their eyes widened but Minato held a smirk on his face.
"Looks like leverage to me."
( Council Room )
After walking into the Council Room, Minato took his seat at the head of the table while Tsunade sat in her seat with he Clan Heads while Jiraiya leaned against the wall behind Minato.
"We're happy that you agreed to meet us at this time Hokage-sama" said Homura with a bow which made most of the Clan Heads, Jiraiya and Minato to narrow their eyes at the elder's fake respect.
"Cut the crap and tell us all why we are stuck having another meeting which if I remember correctly is the fourth one this month?" Tsunade asks but she has a faint idea why.
"It's about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and how he should be retrieved and brought back to the Village" spoke Koharu. All the Clan Heads but Hiruzen groaned in frustration while Minato narrows his eyes at the elderly woman.
"Not this crap again," muttered Inoichi rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache coming along.
"Good thing I came prepared" said Shikaku unsealing a pillow and lays his head on it and a second later, he fell asleep.
"Like I said in the last three meetings, Naruto is not coming back to the Village and that's final! By the way, the next time you refer to my son, I expect you to call him by his name" said Minato sternly.
Both elders ignored the looks they were getting and continued on. "Whatever the case he must return back now. We are already weak enough after the invasion and without our Jin-...I mean your son, we are even weaker."
"Minato please, think about the Village. We are too vulnerable if an enemy Village like Iwa or Kumo attacks. If Naruto returns then the Village will be safe" spoke Hiruzen with wisdom in his words.
"Think about the Village? The very same Village that tortured and abused my son since the day he was born? The same Village that ignored both my wife and my own dying wish? Your even lucky that I still want to lead this Village" said Minato with lots of venom in his voice.
"Then why don't you retire and let someone else take over as Hokage since you don't seem to feel like being Leader of Konoha" said Koharu with a smirk.
Minato just looks at the elderly woman in the face and smirks. "Because if I wasn't leading this Village then it would be a smoking crater right about now." This got everyone's attention as they weren't sure what the Hokage meant by that. Even Shukaku woke up suddenly and paid close attention to his leader.
"What do you mean by that?" asks Hiruzen who had an idea on what he meant.
"If I wasn't Hokage right now then my son would have ordered the creature that fought the Ichibi to destroy the Village" said Minato getting a shiver from just thinking about that creature. He wasn't sure what it was and something in him was telling himself not to ever ask what it was.
He wasn't the only one who shivered at everyone in the Council Room shivered. They could all still remember the power that demonic deity had. And it wasn't even a Tailed-Beast!
"That is borderline treason! He must be brought back at all costs!" shouted Homura losing his cool.
"It isn't treason since Naruto was never a Shinobi in this Village or have you forgotten you old coot?" says Tsunade with a smirk.
"What about the Akatsuki? They are still out there looking for the Jinchuriki for whatever reason they want them for. With Naruto out of the Village he is vulnerable to the Akatsuki group and I'm sure that they aren't afraid to go across the world in order to capture your son" says Hiruzen expecting Minato to at least think about it. All Minato did was smirk and place a box on the table.
"Oh I think he's safe enough. After all how could he handle Itachi Uchiha, Sasori of the Red Sands and Kisame Hoshigaki if he was vulnerable" Minato said taking out what was inside the box.
Everyone gasps out when they see what Minato held in his hand. It was Itachi Uchiha's eyeless head.
"Is that who I think it is?" asks Tsume wide-eyed.
"You mean the traitor of the Leaf and killer of most of the Uchiha Clan then it is" says Tsunade folding her arms underneath her breasts and enjoying the shocked looks of the Council.
Hiruzen bit his lip in frustration. If Naruto could kill Itachi and supposedly the other S-Class Shinobi then that could be a problem on getting him back
"Where are his Sharingan eyes?" asks Homura in worry. Homura, Koharu and the Civilian side of the Council were worried about when Sasuke would find out that his brother who killed his Clan was now dead. He is already mentally damaged enough but finding out that Itachi is now dead could break him.
"Destroyed" responded Minato with a shrug. He honestly didn't know what happened to them but he expected that either Naruto or Zeref took them for some purpose.
"Now I'm sure I won't be hearing anything about bringing back my son?" Nobody said anything so without further ado, Minato dismissed the Council and headed to his office to spend the next few minutes laughing his ass off.
( Crocus — Sabertooth Guild )
All the members of Sabertooth were standing in front of their Guild Master with their hands behind their backs as well as standing up straight to show respect. Their Guild Master Jiemma sat on his throne and is glaring at everyone in the room, especially Yukino.
"Fourth. The strongest Guild in all of Fiore is now FOURTH! How is this possible! We are the STRONGEST but now look at us! Three other Guilds are now looking down on US! On ME!" roared Jiemma, leaking out his magic power which was blowing the wind away from him due to its intensity.
"Sting!" Sting got the message and took a few extra steps closer to his Master while trying his best not to flinch from the glare coming at him. "What you did today was pitiful. Weak even! However as it is your first failure I'll be lenient but if it happens again then you will be banished from the Guild and punished" he said leaking off more power than ever. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir. I shall not fail you again" spoke Sting with a small bow.
"Good. Yukino!" Sting took a few steps back while Yukino stepped forward. "Your match today was disgusting! Not only did you lose against your enemy but you also took their hand for support. That shows weakness. Weakness that is not needed in this Guild. From this moment on you are banished from Sabertooth forever. Now strip and use your own magic to wipe that mark off your filthy body" he ordered with a voice that said that there was no debate over the matter.
Yukino looked mortified from what Jiemma just said. Not only was she excommunicated from the Guild she wanted to join since she was a young girl but now he was forcing her to strip in front of everyone in the Guild and making her remove her mark herself. She could feel the leering eyes of the men and even a few women looking at her, waiting for herself to strip and show everyone her body. She wanted to say no and leave but the look from Jiemma showed that he wasn't going to let her leave without her fully embarrassed and ashamed. So steeling herself, Yukino brought her hand to her button that connected her cloak together and unfastened it. The cloak dropped, giving the whole Guild a good view of her figure which was covered by the rest of her clothes. Bringing her hand to her top, Yukino was about to yank it off but stopped when the lights suddenly went off.
One by one, the light bulbs shattered until the whole room was covered in darkness. Several Mages used the Magelight Spell to lighten the room. Eight balls of light now hovered around the room but it wasn't enough to completely light the area. Everyone but Jiemma were looking around and wondering what was going on. Jiemma stayed sitting on the throne and decided to sit to see who the intruder was before dishing out the right punishment.
"Looks like I got here just in time" echoes a demonic voice which bounced off the walls of the inn.
"Who are you!? Show yourself!" demanded Orga scanning for the potential enemy.
"Very well."
Everyone watches as the Shadows in the room began to move rapidly in fluent motions, like it was dancing. Rogue watches intently since he can't control the shadows so effectively like that even though he's the Shadow Dragon Slayer. The shadows all converted into one spot and then a black figure grew from the shadows. It stood over the Wizards, eight feet from the floor. It has no legs as it was still connected to the shadows on the floor. It wore no clothes and seems to he made from the very same shadows that it came from. Two large clawed arms hung lazily at both sides of its body. It has a round head with no other features except for the two glowing eyes. The left eye is slitted with a sinister purple glow while the right eye is slitted as well but has an ominous red glow to it.
The lower-class Wizards stares at the freak of nature in fear while the more powerful Wizards stares at it in slight fear and caution. Lector and Fro both fell unconscious after spotting the creature made out of shadows. The only one who wasn't affected by the creature's appearance is Jiemma who now stood up from his throne while letting out pulses of his Magic Power so can try and intimidate the being. Sadly for him it didn't work as the creature just chuckled.
"Don't even try to intimidate me Jiemma. You wouldn't stand a chance even if used only ten percent of my power so back down before you get yourself hurt" said the shadowed figure in a mocking tone.
Jiemma narrowed his eyes at the creature. "Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind if I did this!" declared Jiemma throwing a magic-powered fist at the creature.
"Not at all."
Jiemma's fist made contact with the creature's palm but nothing happened other then a shock wave which blew everyone else away into a wall. Most of the Guild members recovered from the shock wave and looks on in surprise as they have never seen their Guild Master get stopped before.
Jiemma is the most surprised as he expected the creature in front of him to splatter against the wall or maybe disperse into the wind. Instead, his powerful fist was stopped like it was child's play. The creature chuckled again as he took hold of Jiemma's wrist in a tight grip. Jiemma slightly winced at the creature's sharp claws dug into his wrist. The creature of shadows lifted the Guild Master as if he was a feather and chucked him across the room and through his throne.
"Master!" shouted several Sabertooth members in worry as they ran over to their injured Guild Master. The Shadow creature ignored them and instead scanned the room for a sec before making eye contact with Yukino who jumped in fright from looking into the creature's eyes. The creature's body grew towards Yukino lifted its arms towards watches in horror as the monster was about to kill her. She screamed when the creature picked her up and lifted her to eye level.
"What kind of thanks is that? Your future brother-in-law comes to rescue his future sister-in-law and she repays him back by screaming? I'm hurt" says the creature with fake tears falling down its round face.
Yukino stops screaming and looks at the creature in confusion. Just as she looked into its eyes, they changed from the scary slitted red and purple to a calm and gentle sky blue eyes. "Naruto?" she whispers in disbelief.
"I got what I want. I guess I'll be seeing you all later in the Grand Magic Games." With that said, Naruto sinks into the floor along with Yukino who didn't fight back against Naruto's hold.
When the creature disappeared, Jiemma's Magic Power and KI skyrocketed, causing everyone but Orga, Rogue, Sting and Rufus to fall on the ground in fear. Jiemma is red in the face after getting disgraced like that and from what it said the creature is apart of the Magic Games.
"Sabertooth will not lose the Magic Games. Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Hiding behind the door in another member of Sabertooth who had just arrived at the Guild after coming back from a mission.
"Naruto huh? He seems pretty interesting" thought Minerva licking her lips seductively.
( True Heart Inn )
"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL THEM!" shouted Angel who was trying to leave through the door but was being held back by Silver and Bluenote who were both wondering where the woman's strength was coming from.
"Calm down will ya. Some of us are trying to eat here!" remarked Cobra, drinking a vial of poison. Angel turns around and glares at Cobra in rage.
"What do you mean calm down!? Those bastards tried to shame my sister! Right this second they are all DEAD!" she roared pushing even harder against Bluenote and Silver who were using all their strength to not skid against the floor.
"Cobra is right Sorano. You should calm down as killing them wouldn't be the best interest to the Guild" says Naruto leaning against the wall. Angel looks at Naruto with what looked like to be betrayal but before she could get a word in, Naruto raised his hand to indicate for her to let him finish. "I'm not saying that they won't pay for what they tried to do but killing them or even starting a fight will get us kicked out of the Magic Games. I'm sure Yukino wouldn't want that." Yukino who sat at a desk with Kyouka and Flare shakes her head as she doesn't want her sister's Guild to be disqualified just because of her.
Angel thinks about it for a few seconds before slightly nodding and moving back to sit with her sister. Silver and Bluenote sighed in relief as they were tired from holding back Angel.
"Besides, Jiemma seems to have a hatred for losing if his last little bitch fit was proof enough. I'm sure I don't need to explain the rest of the plan" asks Naruto earning himself grins from everyone in the Guild.
"Stay with the original plan and KICK ASS!" screams Zancrow while laughing madly. Cheers echoed across the Guild as everyone got into a partying spirit. Naruto's smile changed to a frown as he thinks about the current situation with the Fiore's.
"What would the Royal family want with Zeref's Eclipse Gate and how did they even get it in the first place? Future Rogue will also pose as a problem." Naruto's frown deepens as he remembers the fight between himself and Rogue. "It seems like there is a hint of the Darkness in Rogue. I'm not sure how he got it but it needs to be taken away from him. I'll have to do the same with the current Rogue as it is best to be safe than sorry." Naruto wasn't sure how the Shadow Dragon Slayer obtained a portion of the Darkness but whatever the case, it must be taken away from him. The Guild Master of True wanted to sneak back into the palace and destroy the gate as it is too dangerous for anyone to use but the King most likely has guards protecting it now. He could easily crush them yea but the blonde didn't want to make another scene too soon. There is also the possibility that the Rogue from the future snitched on him to the King. If that happened then it would cause many problems which would all end up messy.
Very messy.
So Naruto decided to lay low till the storm passed before he made his move. The blonde walks over towards the closest brawl and joins in to forget the problems that would be coming along soon.
Unknown to the blonde, there's another problem heading towards his Guild.
( True Heart City — Northern Entrance )
Standing Guard at the North Entrance of the city are around twenty Wizard guards who vary between A and B Rank in terms of power. Only one of them is classed as S-Rank as that was none other then Rustyrose.
"How come sir Rustyrose is on guard duty with us?" whispered a guard to another.
"I don't know but I did hear him preaching about protecting the gates or whatnot."
"To stand side by side with my allies as we protect the gates of heaven brings me such a glorious feeling. Don't you agree?" says Rustyrose turning back to the guards who lazily hefted an arm up and drawled out "Yeaaa~~"
"That's the spirit!" smiled Rustyrose who's face suddenly turned serious. The other guards were caught off guard by Rustyrose's sudden change of attitude and prepared themselves for any incoming enemies as Rusty would only turn serious for one thing.
Enemies. Powerful ones.
Rustyrose narrows his eyes to concentrate at looking down the dirt path as he can spot two figures coming on the horizon. Rusty wasn't going to take any chances so he ordered the guards to prepare themselves just in case if they were the Akatsuki again.
"Would it really be the Akatsuki? The reports said that the Lacrima explosive destroyed their base of operations and even killed one member while injuring several more. They shouldn't be able to reorganize themselves that quickly" were the thoughts of Rustyrose as the two mysterious figures kept walking towards the gates at a leisurely pace.
Rustyrose slightly sweated as the two figures got closer. From the distance between them, Rusty can tell that both figures are women due to their body shapes but what worried the S-Class Mage is the Magic Power that was practically radiating off of them. The closer the women got to the gates, the more Magic Power that could be felt from them. Rusty was actually trying his best to not flinch every time the women took a step closer. It was right there when Rusty mentally thanked Naruto for the hard training since if he was still apart of Grimoire Heart then he would already be lying on the cold floor, trying his best to breath.
"So is this the place?" asks one female in a stoic tone.
"Seems like it. Not so shabby if I say so myself. Naruto must be doing a good job. Makes ya wonder what else he's good at" giggles the second female who was then glared at by her colleague.
"Remember what we talked about."
"Yea, health I remember. Let's just get in already, my legs are killing me" moaned the second female while waving off the cold glare coming from her partner.
Rustyrose eyes widened in recognition of the two females as he starts to shake and sweat heavily in fear.
"Y-Your...".