Age: 23

Nationality: Singapore

Fav. Manga: Naruto, Bleach, Fairy Tail, RosarioVampire, Gamaran, Highschool of the Dead, Bakuman, Fullmetal Alchemist, To-LOVE-Ru, Rurouni Kenshin, Great Teacher Onizuka, Nisekoi, Shingeki no Kyojin, Tower of God, Assassination Classroom, Sekirei, Kill la Kill, Elfen Lied, Akame ga Kiru!, Onepunch-Man

Fav. Anime: Gundam Seed/00, Bakemonogatari, Clannad, Durarara!, Fate, Cowboy Bebop, Steins;Gate, Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, Full Metal Panic!, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sword Art Online, Ore no Imouto, Panty & Stocking, Toradora!, Madoka, High School DxD, Sengoku Basara

A Hanzō Challenge

A reviewer requested for me to write a Hanzō-centric story; or at the very least, a story with a significant Hanzō presence. I can't fulfil the request at present moment, and I'd love to read something like that too, so will someone pretty please take up this challenge? :) Here are some ideas...

Hanzō the Protagonist

Young Hanzō yearned for world peace, but was warped by the shinobi world. So if Hanzō is going to be a (anti-)hero, the story will have to start developing his character from, say, the Second Shinobi War. He can be a good guy by canon's time, but there has to be SOME character development, or at least, an explanation of his non-canon personality.

Hanzō the Antagonist

He's a crazy old man by canon, which can make him a decent antagonist. Of course, there must be a reason why Hanzō's the antagonist, be it war, killing of a loved one, etc. Amegakure's isolationist policies can be a good way of leading the protagonist to the first conflict with Hanzō, becoming the premise of the story. Some ninja skulking ordered by Danzō/Sarutobi can be the catalyst for a protagonist going into Amegakure.

Hanzō the Grandfather

He's paranoid about Iwagakure and Sunagakure, and only slightly less so about Konohagakure. All three big powers have jinchūriki, and even Takigakure has one. So he figured he might as well get one too, to secure his power and ensure that his country will never be devastated by others. Lo and behold, a fresh jinchūriki is born in Konoha. Stealing a baby from Konoha (in a reasonable/realistic way!), he sets about making Naruto his weapon. That means crazy, intense training and a granddaughter chosen as his consort to tie him down to Amegakure.

But Konoha will want their weapon back...

Hanzō in Fairy Tail

Now this one is thanks to my current crossover, La Tormenta. I'm writing a gritty Naruto, and my reviewer believes that I can write a good Hanzō. I'm not sure if I can write a second Fairy Tail crossover without borrowing elements from my first, or how I can integrate Hanzō (young or old) into the story. So, any takers? :P

La Tormenta (NarutoXFairy Tail Crossover) - WIP

For The Curious

I have this minor OCD with regards to naming. It's gotta feel authentic, it's gotta be somewhat original, it's gotta try and fit the naming theme the mangaka puts in his works. And it's even better if it's pun-ny (Har. Har.). Any native speakers, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Google Translate isn't the most reliable of tools at the best of times...

La Tormenta - 'the storm' in Spanish; refers to Naruto and his name's meaning (maelstrom), his techniques (wind) and a pun on his past and his current journey in the Fairy Tail world (a torment)

Ráfaga Remolino - 'gust' and 'whirlpool' in Spanish

Perdere Tria - 'lose three' in Latin/Italian; refers to the 3 (loser) A-class mages leading the guild

Kurobana - 'black nose' in Japanese; the town is nearby Shirotsume, which means 'white claw' in Japanese, making it a pun on the Inuzuka names in canon (Tsume and Hana); as another language pun, it can also translate as 'black flower', which fits the flower theme of Fiore's towns

Infernum - 'hell' in Latin; it's a subordinate guild for Tartarus, the hell for Greek gods

Saturnos - comes from the root word 'saturnus', which is 'Saturn' in Latin; he's the Roman equivalent of the Titan Cronus, who was sent to Tartarus by his son Zeus after he was overthrown by his children

Kronos - root word 'Cronus'; refer to above

(NOTE: Cronus is a Titan, a generation of Greek deities that were born before the Greek gods of Olympus, or Olympians, that most people are familiar with. Someone pointed out that I should get the terminology right, so I fixed it. Though I still consider both Titans and Olympians as Greek gods...)

Matsubara - 'pine grove' in Japanese; randomly picked to fit the flower theme of Fiore's town names

Mt. Himawari (Himawarizan) - 'sunflower' in Japanese; again, to fit Fiore's naming theme

Corazón Oscuro - 'dark heart' in Spanish; they're a subordinate guild of Grimoire Heart

Fuegor - root word 'fuego', or 'fire' in Spanish; he uses Fire Magic

Hato-chan - 'little dove' in Japanese; Ikaruga's name is 斑鳩, which is the Japanese grosbeak, a bird (the theme for Trinity Raven's names). However, the first kanji in that name is in fact 'madara' (which means 'spotted'). The second word is pronounced 'hato' and means 'dove', which still fits the bird theme for Trinity Raven. Making Naruto basically calling her 'his little dove' is to make it sound like a mark of affection, and Naruto accepts it as such because he's somewhat sensitive about the other word in her name, madara.

Alda - feminine form of Aldo, a short form for Germanic names with ald, or ’old’; refers to her age. I picked Germanic names for her and her subordinate because Faust is from a classic German legend.

Helmut - an Ancient Germanic name derived from ’helmet’ and ‘mind, spirit’; refers to his afro and his role as a scientist.

Rhoeas Town - Papaver rhoeas is the scientific name of the common poppy; fits Fiore’s naming theme

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For The Furious

So, I thought I'd address the general discontent from some readers about Naruto's character. I thank you for your reviews, and I understand why some might be disappointed with how Naruto is turning out in my story. He's completely different from the canon Naruto, which effectively makes my Naruto an OC.

BUT, do take into account that canon Naruto is only 15-16 years old. A year later, he's alone, chased by a madman and with a self-imposed mission to save everyone in the whole world. If the pressures of doing well in school can lead to students of a similar age to Naruto committing suicide (I'm Asian and I hear a lot about these cases), then I think it's a miracle Naruto didn't already end it all, even with his optimism. And I've just implied that he had a lot to do with the world succumbing to Madara's control. There's guilt mixed in there too.

Then, he failed to save everyone. His mission, having consumed his mind, body and soul, failed miserably. People commit suicide for less. That Naruto recovered well enough to try and help people of Fiore is quite impressive to me. Then, ten years pass. Naruto is not the callow youth of 15-16 anymore, he's 26-27 years old. He's the age Kakashi is at when canon starts. Everyone grows up, and this includes Naruto. His child-at-heart had died a miserable, cold death, and his mature/cynical side is now his default.

You can cite me the example of Might Guy and his silly antics, but that's fiction. And yes, while my story is fiction based on fiction, I'm trying to make La Tormenta dark and realistic. Blame the recent Batman trilogy if you must. I now like my stories gritty, grounded and making as much sense as a fantasy world can.

Do you guys know why the title is as such? 'La tormenta' means 'the storm' in Spanish, referring to Naruto, but I wanted to imply that Naruto was tormented by his past, and how his time in Fairy Tail might be a torment too. It's a language pun similar to those that Japanese mangaka like to use.

I think it was pretty clear from my first chapter that Naruto wasn't going to be the usual naive and obstinate protagonist. Heck, I basically stated he considered suicide in chapter 1. There are plenty of other crossovers with canon Naruto, and they are excellent works. Mine is not one of those. Thank you for your readership, but please, if you don't like the version of Naruto I'm presenting, don't force yourself to read anymore. The story is more likely to turn Naruto into even more of an anti-hero than a shōnen protagonist, which will probably annoy you.

Heck, I love anti-heroes, because they feel more complex and real. People invariably grow and change according to what life throws at them. We all cope in different ways. Heroes cope better because they are crafted to be near infallible. How many people do you know in your life that can get up after what Naruto has gone through, and still smile and laugh? You'll sooner see them in a straitjacket than saving the world.

Anti-heroes, on the other hand, are flawed and relatable. They struggle to find the good within themselves, having been affected negatively by external circumstances. Yet even as they fight against the world and themselves, they continue to mean good, often doing the bad stuff that has to be done, but no one is willing to taint themselves with. A reader can better sympathise with how an anti-hero feels, because they're more realistic. They also have more than one or two emotions, which gives them depth as a character.

I know a lot of my readers enjoy the realism I try to portray, so this probably seems superfluous. But I really want to highlight that you're definitely reading the wrong author's works if you want a regular shōnen adventure.

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Chapter 22: Consequence - Why did Erza do THAT?

IMO, Erza is a very lonely person, without a lot of self-worth. She's prone to blaming herself for things that are not her fault, and while comedic, her reactions to romantic incidents around her tell me that she's desperate. She craves companionship (even intimacy), having lost her friends from Tower of Heaven, yet pushes people away as she's afraid of losing them again, or failing them like she 'failed' Jellal. Her fear of relationships is embodied in her armour, which protects yet isolates her from others. Without it, she feels vulnerable, open, and prone to more pain. Her desires clash with her fears all the time.

Fear of losing others is probably why she took on the role as a guardian, which was exacerbated by her S-class rank and Mira's de-powering. Assuming such a large burden, plus her experiences made her mature earlier, and she never really enjoyed being a simple girl. Hence her love for sweets, and possibly also the aforementioned interest in relationships (likely also fuelled by her 'failed relationship' with Jellal).

So, Nirvana!Naruto's actions told her two things. One, that she's actually desirable as a woman; two, that her armour is useless against him. Her dream reflected her feelings of fear and uselessness against Naruto, and his desire for her. Now, with Nirvana!Naruto turning Erza on, and combining it with her desire for intimacy, it morphed into this twisted lust for Naruto.

The actual Naruto is a man Erza knows as someone strong enough to protect her. This, along with a girlish desire for a man to provide emotional and physical security (amplified by how Nirvana!Naruto made her feel vulnerable), makes Naruto a figure who can protect her from his alter ego. Coupled with her lust and her state of arousal from her dream...well, you know the rest.

Oh, and you can also attribute her attraction to Naruto as jealousy/envy of Mira. Of all the mages in their age group, Mira's the only one in a relationship. And Mira was also Erza's main rival, so there'll always be that wish to beat Mira, be it in love or war. As for that final bit where Erza teased Naruto, I hope it conveys the idea of Erza getting in touch with her feminine side.