12

Chapter Eleven – In Introspect

0.0

"One more time..." Distracted blue eyes peered over the sheets of paper in his hands. A thin brush was held in between his lips, causing his voice to be muffled, "I think I've almost got it."

His clone nodded, his breaths coming in faster and heavier. He propped his hands on his knees before slowly getting back into position.

"Hiraishin!"

The improvised kunai—tagged with a special hand-written seal on the ring of the projectile—flew across the empty clearing, hitting the tree trunk a few paces away with a solid thunk. There was a look of intense concentration on his face as he tried to mould the necessary chakra. It ended with a disappointed sigh, which the original echoed when their latest attempt failed once more.

"Wait!" his clone said. "Look here! I think I moved a bit. I'm pretty sure this part of the grass was untouched." He lifted his foot to look at the indentation underneath it. "I'd called that progress. So, maybe we could stop now?"

Naruto tried to ignore the air of nonchalance surrounding his clone. Even his copies couldn't lie all that well.

"Nice try, but I'm not buying it."

The clone threw his hands up in the air. "Pfft, fine! It's not like this is going anywhere."

Naruto scowled at his clone.

This was but the latest attempt to recreate the fabled technique after countless failures of varying degrees. He had gone through every little tidbit he could remember about his father's signature move from the time he had spent with his master. Not that there was anything helpful, just some vague recollections of the sannin's ramblings on the formulated theories behind the workings of the Hiraishin. He wasn't even that skilled in the arts of Fūinjutsu to begin with, which made him want to tear his hair out in frustration.

Why? Why didn't he pay closer attention to Jiraiya-shishou back then?

Naruto lifted his head up and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, seeing the scowl set upon his clone's face didn't make for good company. "You can dispel yourself now," he said, his attention now diverted to the faint but noticeable footsteps creeping closer to his location.

That in itself was odd seeing that it was nearing dawn; the first red rays from the sun were just appearing through the trees in the eastern horizon. His training area was far too secluded for the few early-birds of the Cait Shelter members to stumble upon, and both of his roommates should still be asleep.

He waited for the figure to reveal himself (or herself for that matter), propping his hands over his head. His clone dispelled itself, the cumulated memories of his recent attempts to recreate the Hiraishin filtering into his mind.

There was a soft rustle of leaves, followed by the familiar sound of a twig snapping. Finally, she stepped into the clearing, giving him a chance to spot the recognisable brown cloak. His eyes were drawn to the strange, facial markings adorning her cheeks, and her light blue hair.

The awkwardness in her posture told him all he needed to know.

After all these years, it was noticing these small, innocuous exchanges and quirks that tempered his respect for the wizened Guild Master of Cait Shelter.

Naruto couldn't exactly be sure when he stumbled onto the truth, but it was roughly about a week or two after his initial talk with the Kyuubi at Martha's cottage. At first, he had brushed aside its cryptic words, forcing it to the back of his mind as he tried to go about adjusting to his new set of circumstances.

However, the spell of homesickness ran deep, and Naruto couldn't help but fall back to his routines. He had been keen on practising the basics of Senjutsu away from the prying eyes of his guildmates.

As his senses heightened and branched out, covering the isolated countryside, something stood out. It was the presence of a deep reservoir of 'magic' hiding itself in plain sight at the guild tent. That wasn't even the most troubling part, there were dozens of them—albeit weaker than the original—scattered throughout the village. Some even mingled with the hazy forms of whom he recognised as Wendy and Carla.

Unsurprisingly, it all led back to Chief Roubaul.

He knew what they were; his guild members in the flesh. They weren't just any basic illusions he could counter either. There was something unusual about its make-up, a distinctive minute trace of energy in each illusion that was foreign to Roubaul.

Kyuubi's words immediately sunk in his conscious thoughts, repeating itself in a mocking growl.

Unsure of himself, Naruto chose to keep quiet about the whole affair.

He couldn't ask Wendy or Carla. Neither could he bring the topic to Roubaul without an unpleasant inquiry into how he chanced upon it. Having been thrown out of equilibrium after being thrust into this world only a few weeks ago, Naruto had reasoned to himself that he couldn't afford to be caught in another messy situation.

The fact that it was close to something he had already called home in this world certainly fuelled his decision to not act rashly.

Besides, he had his reservations about broaching his unlikely situation with Roubaul. Trust was an immediate issue. Someone who held a secret of this magnitude was in a shady grey area. While Roubaul proved to be an all right guy, covering up the fact that everyone in the guild was basically a shadow clone under a transformation spelt otherwise.

Naruto couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite.

He tried his best to assimilate into the guild without throwing off what he knew. His exchanges with Roubaul and the other guild members remained cordial. However, he found himself distancing from the others over time, especially Roubaul; something that he knew didn't go unnoticed.

Still, Naruto couldn't help but acknowledge how powerful Roubaul was. While his clones were suited for a number of useful purposes, none could compare to Roubaul's copies in terms how complex they were. It was like they really were separate beings all together. Each had their individual personality, down to their unique facial and verbal ticks.

Sometimes he wished he hadn't stumbled onto this discovery.

Naruto resisted the urge to sigh as he shook his head to clear the unwanted thoughts, raising a lazy hand at the new entrant. "Yo, Naoki," he said. "Kinda early for you, isn't it?"

Grey eyes swept over his form before flickering away.

"Master would like to see you in his office."

That was all she said before setting off in the direction she first arrived, taking long strides at a brisk pace. Surprisingly, she stopped in mid-step, as she turned to look back at him. "Are you coming?"

He nodded, dusting himself off as he stood up. He broke into a small jog, saying, "Any idea what he wants to talk about?"

Naoki was silent; the slow chorus of cricket chirps more pronounced than ever.

"It's time, Naruto."

0.0

Lucy moved closer to the hovering diagram just as Reedus finished with a masterful stroke of his light pen, notwithstanding the exaggerated swish.

The artisan stepped back into the milling crowd in the guild hall as he observed his latest work. Placing his light pen into his bulky pillow-like abdomen, he locked his hands together; his thumbs perpendicular to the fingers as he held it over an open eye, honing in on the colourful diagram. Reedus had an unreadable expression on his face before he broke into a satisfied smile.

"Oui," he said with a hint of pride. "It is done."

"What's this?" Lucy asked, stopping just beside Mirajane.

The words seemed foreign. The various offshoots from the three main text bubbles were just too many for her to fully comprehend the enormity of the situation. Though one thing was impressed upon her:

Balam Alliance.

"It's an organisation chart of the dark guilds in Fiore." Mirajane offered her a small smile as she started her explanation, "This is what we were able to piece together regarding the hierarchy of the underworld."

It did nothing to settle her confusion. "Eh? Why do we have this?"

The expression on Mirajane's face was nothing like she had ever seen before. It was rare for the white-haired woman to look so serious. "We've been hearing some rumours, especially from the reports sent by the Magic Council. It seems that their activity has increased in the past few months."

"True," Erza said. "It is troubling once you see the big picture. You would never think that they could have amassed such a force to rival the legal guilds."

Lucy blinked, wide eyes now drawn to the redhead. "They could rival the legal guilds?!"

Erza nodded, albeit begrudgingly. "Such a possibility could arise given the circumstances, but there are far less prominent dark guilds than there are legal ones. However, if war were ever to be declared..." Her features were hidden under the shadows of her fringe, a frightening thin-lipped frown being the only visible aspect Lucy could see.

The heiress shivered, but a small part of her was relieved that her friend had returned to normal.

After all, it had been a week since the aftermath of the Harvest Festival, and whatever had occurred back then, Erza had been even more withdrawn and closed off ever since. She had her misgivings about Erza's sudden improvement being entirely genuine, but it was at least a stepping stone towards a full recovery.

Even if she didn't show it much, Lucy was worried for her friend. It was hard for her to actually convey such notions to the S-Class mage, seeing how cautious Erza was about letting people in, but the least she could do was remain close. If the worst were to happen, she could always use her powers of persuasion to force Natsu or even Happy to do it.

"—and the guilds that Juvia and Gajeel-kun destroyed back when we were in Phantom Lord were all under the control of Oración Seis," Juvia gushed delightfully.

Too caught up in her thoughts, the water mage's in-depth explanation regarding the status quo of the underworld zoomed right over her head; she was only able to catch bits and pieces of the rather ominous conversation. It was only after hearing that particular sentence that she was forcefully snapped out of her thoughts. A cold chill travelled down her spine before she inched ever so closer towards Mirajane and away from the former Phantom Lord mage, who, despite the grave implications of her actions, had a content smile on her face.

Lucy didn't know whether her giddiness stemmed from that or the fact that Gray was once again paying attention to her.

"Don't say that with such a straight face!"

His attire consisting of a sweatshirt and slacks had discarded as he stood in his semi-nude mages glory. It was a testament to how often such scenes occurred in the guild that no one (barring a single notable exception) batted an eye at the man's gallant display.

"Look," the Ice-Make mage said, nodding his head towards diagram. "Eisenwald."

"Eisenwald?" Lucy said to herself. "Isn't that—"

She didn't even get the chance to finish as Erza cut her off, "Yes, the very same dark guild that Erigor headed."

"W-Won't they get mad?"

Lucy rubbed her arms unconsciously. After all, what would Oración Seis do to them once the ill-omened sounding guild learned that their team was the one responsible for messing with their underlings?

"Eh, I doubt it," Wakaba, one of the few veterans of the guild, said. Taking a slow, measured drag of his pipe, his slitted eyes creased, deepening the crow's feet on his face. "Small guilds like that are cannon fodders in their eyes."

Macao nodded in agreement. "That's true, but there are names that I remember back in the day that are up there now. Look, Wakka. Remember all those years back when the Rollickin' Rollers used to be one of the most popular guilds in the region. Look at them now..."

"Fallen from grace..." Wakaba sighed. "There's a lot more names up there that used to be legal guilds too. In the end, I suppose the temptation was too much for them."

"All the more reason why we have to strengthen our bonds with other guilds," Mirajane said calmly. Despite it, Lucy could see a worried glimmer in her eyes. "To prevent such mishaps from happening again."

"But," Wakaba piped up. "According to the rumour mills, I heard that Oración Seis only has six members. Kinda makes you think how they could survive with just that. You know, I bet if we gathered enough people, we could easily get the drop on them. The reward for capturing one of the Big Three must be enormous."

Mirajane's eyes narrowed at Wakaba. "Despite what you may have heard," she said sharply. "Oración Seis remains one of the three pillars holding up the underworld, and they should not be taken lightly."

A sudden shift in the normally perky and saint-like barmaid's personality drew a few curious (and largely cowered) stares from the milling crowd in the guild hall.

Being a newcomer to the guild, Lucy had heard stories about their resident cover model. While such small outbursts may come far and few in between over the years, it was still rare to see their usually sparkly Mirajane revert back to a sliver of her... boisterous personality.

Wakaba wisely kept his mouth shut. The veteran took a final puff from his pipe before putting it away, purple tufts of smoke trailing after it loosely in the air. He directed a sharp nod at Mirajane. Not soon after, he shuffled away from her direct field of vision, using Macao—to his friend's infinite ire—as a human shield.

The chain-smoking mage was saved from any further discomfort as the small pitter-patter of footsteps drew the crowd's attention to the entrance. "About that guild," Makarov said. "We're going to have to destroy it."

Silence ensued after their Guild Master's bold proclamation.

"Master?" Mirajane replied quietly, wide blue eyes unblinking before gaining their usual brevity. "How was your trip?"

The cover model smiled as she headed to greet Makarov, intent on taking his travelling coat amidst the sea of confused and surprised faces. Lucy was one of them. Although, she was unsure whether the rest were reacting to his declaration, or the fact that Mirajane had once again did a one-eighty personality wise.

For her, it was both.

Their Master waved his hand flippantly, eyes creased together in boredom as he allowed Mirajane to relieve him of his coat.

"You know how those meetings always turn out—same old, same old." A derisive snort escaped him. "Roubaul was a no-show again. I honestly don't know how that man is able to run a guild in his state. We had to relay our decision over to him by a thought projection. You should have seen that old drunk's face!"

He tittered happily. A disrupting cough from Erza stopped him as brown eyes stared at him expectantly.

"The mission, Master?"

Makarov spared Erza a glance. A heavy and begrudging sigh followed before he stood fully, arms tucked behind him and his back ramrod straight as he gazed at the milling crowd in the guild hall.

Lucy was awed by the sight; it was rare to see Makarov act so serious. It was clear that he was now acting in the capacity of the title bestowed upon him as the third caretaker of the renowned guild.

"The Guild Masters of Fiore have deemed Oración Seis a danger that could no longer be ignored. An immediate extermination is to be carried out post-haste."

Gray scowled. "Drew the short straw in the bunch huh, old man?"

Makarov shook his head, saying rigidly, "It is... in the best interest of Fiore that we lend our aid to such a pivotal moment in history. That is why we will form an alliance of our own. Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Cait Shelter; the four strongest guilds in the kingdom will join forces to combat this threat."

Lucy blinked at the familiar sounding name. "Cait Shelter?" she said quietly, her words lost in the sudden outbreak of hushed murmurs.

The barmaid, having returned to her position next to Lucy, had an unreadable expression on her face. Unbeknownst to Lucy, there was a brief exchange between Erza and the former S-Class mage before the redhead nodded, folding her arms around herself; the latter then allowed herself a small smile.

"Oi, wait a minute!" Natsu bellowed.

Seated at one of the dining tables, Natsu was surrounded by a veritable feast; no doubt Mirajane had a hand in it. He took an exaggerated gulp as he wolfed down a bite of the chicken leg in his hand. "Isn't that the guild with—"

Natsu was further interrupted by the demented cackling of the only other Dragon Slayer present.

"Feh," Gajeel scoffed loudly, grinning. "Naruto Uzumaki? How interesting..."

0.0

"Here." Chief Roubaul nodded towards the small cup of sake across from him. In his hands, an identical cup was tipped close to his lips as he waited for Naruto to join him. "It helps to build character."

Naruto didn't even bat an eye as he dismissed the offer, taking a seat across from his Guild Master.

"You know I don't drink."

Roubaul grunted, narrowing his eyes in no small amounts of annoyance, but the expression passed as quickly as it came; it had become somewhat of a routine for the two of them.

"You're right, better do it sober."

A permeable silence reigned in between the two, each trying but failing to remain nonchalant. In the end, it was broken when Roubaul forcibly cleared his throat.

"Now, you must be wondering why you're here."

"A bit," Naruto said. "Naoki only said it was about some really important mission we had to do." In fact, the short sentence had been all he could have gotten from the tight-lipped woman on the brief trip back to the guild.

"That's only half the reason why I called you in today," Roubaul said. "Actually, it does tie in with the other one, but yes, the mission first. A most troubling matter has been brought to my attention late last night. If not for the fact that the rest of the Guild Masters in the kingdom had acted before my approval, I would not have burdened them with such matters. But, it appears Nabura has other ideas in mind. As such, I think it's time that I stop being so reticent and call upon your help, Naruto."

"Uh, sure... What do you need?"

The Guild Master shook his head. "I'm afraid a certain level of trust needs to be established in our relationship before we can proceed." He sighed in mock weariness. "But it looks like trust is something that neither of us is willing to give so readily."

"Wait." Naruto held up a hand, saying, "This is a joke, right? I mean, you ask for my help, and then say that you don't trust me enough to help you?"

Roubaul smiled; a cumbersome and weary smile that spoke volumes of a man who had experienced far more than what life could throw at him. "I grow weary of the lack of trust between us, Naruto. It is something I've been meaning to rectify for quite some time. I suppose it is partially my fault that I chose not to address this and leave it going on for so long."

Naruto knitted his brows. "What do you mean?" He leaned further back in his seat, even to go as far as to slouch a bit as the wistful smile deepened.

"This little intricate web of lies we've be weaving around us. Aren't you tired of that niggling voice in your mind hounding you every time you have to lie to your teammates?"

Naruto laughed, more out of the sheer reflex than anything else. "Maybe you've had a little too much to drink, Chief," he said as he tried to stand. "I'll come round when you—"

"Oh ho!" Roubaul exclaimed jovially before his demeanour took an immediate nose-dive, his expression now dour. "Why don't you sit yourself back down, kiddo?"

While it may have sounded like a request, the steel in the man's voice told him otherwise. So, against his better judgement, Naruto complied, settling back into his seat as he tried to hide a grimace.

Roubaul steepled his fingers together, setting them down on the table.

"How much do you know?"

"Enough," was Naruto's reply. "It wasn't so hard to figure out once everything clicked into place. I guess, even if you wanted to hide it from me, I would have known about it eventually." He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Honestly, I'm just surprised that nobody found out about the others in the first place."

The Guild Master was expressionless, then nodded to himself as if something dawned on him. "Ah, Carla did mention a sensor ability of yours with something to that effect. Impressive... You were able to pierce through my illusions," he said, smiling. "You remain as fascinating as ever, Naruto."

Naruto had to admit he didn't know what to expect once he left it out in the open: anger, remorse, suspicion, heated denial were just some of the scenarios that played out in his mind's eye. That was why he was baffled when Roubaul remained as genial as ever.

"That's it?" he all but hissed. His chair screeched as he stood up, slamming his hands down on the table hard enough for cracks to appear on the side of the aged, sturdy table. "Some stupid compliment? That's all you have to say?"

"And what exactly do you expect me to say?"

Naruto faltered for a moment before his built-up resentment returned with full force. "I want to know why! I want answers!"

Roubaul remained unfazed by his anger. "I was expecting something similar from you."

The tension was palpable.

Roubaul had already foregone whatever vow to endure this conversation sober as he reached for his sake tray. He discarded the small cup and chugged straight from the opening of the bottle. As he pulled his lips away, it made a small pop.

"Sure I can't change your mind?" Roubaul asked, holding it by the neck as he offered the bottle to Naruto.

Naruto frowned, sighing as he reached out for the presented bottle. When Roubaul smiled, he assumed that it was a gesture of good faith, and he had been right to take it. He took in a mouthful.

It wasn't entirely what he was expecting.

Back in Konoha, he had heard (mostly drunken slurs) about how alcohol burned the throat, but this wasn't unpleasant—just different. A bit sweet, but there was something in it that he couldn't quite describe.

The old man laughed. "What did I say? It builds character, doesn't it?"

Naruto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, before handing it back to Roubaul. "Mind if we get back to what we were doing before?"

Roubaul looked put out that they couldn't continue to bond over sharing alcohol, but he nodded regardless. "I was planning to wear you down until you spill your secrets, but I suppose I have to set an example."

He put the bottle off to the side.

"I... will admit that I have been purposely deceiving the three of you, but my intentions were pure." Seeing that Naruto was about to cut him off, Roubaul silenced him with a sharp look. "There was a time before you arrived at our doorstep, Naruto. Four whole years, in fact. Do not judge me for doing what I felt was right at the time. Whatever your grievances may be, your guildmates are, and will always be, a family she deserves.

"And despite knowing what they are, that doesn't mean that you should think less of the friends you've made here, Naruto." His tone was softer, almost melancholy. "They are exactly how I remember them to be, right down to the smallest detail. I have no doubt that the members of my tribe then, and the ones you know now, would react any differently to you."

Naruto sat up straighter in his seat, his throat dry despite the warmth of the sake still tingling in his throat. "You mean, everyone in the guild, they're people who—"

Roubaul looked bitter as he nodded his assent. "It is easier to build from what you know rather than starting something from scratch. At times, it can be overbearing to look at your loved ones like this, but I endured it for the sake of preserving the appearance of the guild." He shook his head, weary. "It wouldn't do if someone else found out about the nature of Cait Shelter. The scrutiny would be unfathomable. The three of you do not deserve that."

Naruto felt bile rise up.

To learn that his friends were basically built in the images of the Guild Master's departed loved ones was... unsettling.

He pushed it down.

When Naruto noticed the uncomfortable silence between them, he realised that Roubaul had been waiting for him to digest this news. Roubaul's features were sympathetic as he continued:

"But do not think that I am not grateful for everything you and Carla have done for Wendy. You joining the guild was unexpected, but a welcomed presence that has lessened my burden in trying to care for her. Nabura has indeed blessed me by guiding you to us."

Roubaul leaned a hand against his chest, his gaze now sincere.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto purportedly kept his eyes away. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "But I mean, your illusions—" another sharp glare prompted him, "—our guildmates, how long do you think that you could have lied to them like this?"

Roubaul ignored Naruto's question. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why didn't you tell Wendy, or Carla? You could have easily done so. Yet, you remained quiet." There wasn't an accusing tone in the man's voice, but Naruto couldn't help the anger that had been coursing through his veins drain from his body. "You are not as innocent in this matter as you think, Naruto."

"That's different! There's no way I could have known what was really going on; all I had to go on were my assumptions!"

"Oh, come now!" Roubaul scoffed blithely. "You knew perfectly well what was going on. Do not play the fool when you are clearly not one, Naruto. It is unbecoming of you."

Naruto remained silent.

"Much like me, you were only doing what you felt was right—you only ever wanted to protect her," Roubaul said. "But my dear boy, you have stumbled upon a paradox. You wish to safeguard her feelings, yet believe she deserves the truth. There is no clear, righteous decision here. Your decision to keep silent, while admirable, is tantamount to your belief that you could not bear to be the one who destroys something so precious to her."

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. "So I'm the selfish one because I didn't tell her?" Releasing a heavy breath, he closed his eyes, clenching his jaws tight. "Is this why you wanted my help? You want me to explain this little detail to Wendy?"

Roubaul shook his head in response.

"Oh dear, no. I'm afraid my request might be a bit more demanding now that I think about it. Call it a selfish last wish you could grant to an old man." He laughed, his laughter sounding a bit wounded as it escaped his lips. "I know it is a formality given the time you've spent together, but I think it needs to be said: take care of them, Naruto."

It shook him, seeing Roubaul smile, so much so that Naruto stumbled to come up with a coherent reply:

"S-Stop saying stuff like that!"

"Please, Naruto. Allow me a few more minutes to say my piece first," he said, taking a moment to clear his throat. "Nabura has foretold that the time of reckoning is near, and it is my wish to amend the mistakes I've made in both my present and past lives." He paused, a hardened glint flashing through his eyes. "I wish to absolve myself of my sins before I am taken from this world."

He closed his eyes in quiet resignation. "I am not the saint I would have you believe, Naruto. My attempt to rid this world of evil was misguided, and I was punished—" his lips quivered, "—most severely..."

So, Naruto sat there and quietly took in everything. Roubaul's story started to unravel; his earlier joy when Nirvana was first introduced to the world; the hope, the optimism that their ingenious invention would change the world for the better, but only to suffer the indescribable fate that led them down to the path of ruin.

"I was a dreamer, Naruto. For all my bright ideas to create a better world, I only served to make it worse."

The sudden lull in the conversation prompted Naruto to reply. He shook his head, unclear with what it all meant.

"So you want me to destroy this Nirvana thing?"

"If only it was as simple as pressing the off switch," Roubaul said. "But it is a highly complex and sophisticated magical construct. The intricate sequences of minute magic that exists between the bonds of Nirvana, why, the activation series alone is far beyond the capacity of the common mage."

Naruto scoffed, levelling a sceptical look at the man. "I don't see the problem. Since you built it, I'm sure you know how to stop it right?"

Roubaul remained quiet.

"Right?" Naruto repeated, straining to keep the anxiety from showing in his voice.

Roubaul cleared his throat, fidgeting in his seat. "Naruto, you need to understand that Nirvana was not merely created by my will. It took the Nirvit tribe years to design it and decades to accomplish our dreams for a peaceful future. The thoughts of implementing a self-destruct button simply didn't cross our minds back then.

"And I was not privy to the complete details of Nirvana. In fact, no one person was. The temptation of holding a power of that magnitude in your grasp would turn any man, regardless of his will."

Naruto nodded slowly. "That's... makes sense, I guess. So we just have to destroy it manually?" Seeing the hang-dog expression on the old man's face caused him to swear under his breath, "Oh, come on!"

Roubaul held his hands up to appease Naruto. "Now, that thought did occur to us during the course of the designing process. It would not be if Nirvana could be destroyed so easily. That's why it took us decades to build a self-sustaining magical construct."

"How do you expect me to destroy something like this?"

The man clapped his hands together, smiling. "That's not to say what we made was indestructible, merely extremely difficult to destroy. Nirvana can and will be destroyed, Naruto. All you have to do is to cut off its magic at the source."

"Right," he muttered. "That should be easy."

"I admit it is a demanding task, but I don't expect you to do so alone. You will have allies by your side."

"Hell no... I don't want Wendy and Carla involved in this. I'll do this on my own."

Roubaul raised a brow, an act that was eerily reminiscent of Carla. "Oh? And how do you plan to do so by yourself?"

"I'll find a way somehow. I always do."

"While I admire your desire to protect your teammates, you must be wary, Naruto. Hypocrisy is to delude yourself. Your words earlier contradict what you want Wendy and Carla to be privy to." Roubaul pushed a missive towards him. "However, my decision has already been relayed to the Provincial Guild Masters' League, your team will be the delegates for Cait Shelter."

Naruto snatched the offending transcript and skimmed through the details. Roubaul had acted without his approval. Just as he was about to speak, the man cut him off:.

"My decision is final, Naruto."

"Fine," he bit out.

He wasn't angry, but it added to the uneasy feeling in his stomach. The inclusion of his teammates would only be a hindrance. Whoever these Oración Seis mages were, they didn't sound like pushovers if an actual alliance was needed to dispose of them.

"Why now?" Naruto asked. "You could have asked me any time these past few years to do this, and I would have gladly helped. I know there could be some things that I couldn't do, but you could have covered for me. Then, we wouldn't need to do something this complicated and unnecessary."

The Guild Master was pensive.

"While I have the utmost faith in your abilities, you were not the one Nabura foretold to bring an end to Nirvana."

Naruto scoffed. "That's it? After everything you told me about Nirvana, you want to endanger peoples' lives because I'm not the one?" He stood to leave. "That's just great."

"Wait. Our conversation isn't over yet, Naruto." Roubaul was looking at him expectantly. "You still need to uphold your end of our deal."

Naruto regarded the older man, grimacing. "I don't know. You were right at first; maybe trust is an issue between us. Because right now, I don't trust you all that much."

Roubaul was dismayed, but as Naruto turned his back to him, the old man reached out and latched onto his wrist. "Remember, Naruto. Do not be swayed in the presence of Nirvana. The evil lurking within you will corrupt and devour you whole," he said, the momentary glance at Naruto's abdomen was far too obvious for Naruto to not notice it. "Your faith in yourself must remain strong!"

A similar vice-like grip, not unlike the one on his wrist, seized his heart at Roubaul's words.

Stunned, Naruto was unaware that Roubaul had released him as he unconsciously rubbed his wrist. Shaking his head as he tore his eyes away from Roubaul, he darted out of the office without looking back, intent on distancing himself as far away as possible from the Guild Master.

His heart was beating wildly against his chest as he made his way through the hamlet, bypassing the creations of the old man's magic as they went about their daily routine. Some had offered Naruto their morning greetings, but he didn't reply, nor did he even so much as glance in their direction, fearing the look he would receive from them.

There was but a single thought in his mind.

How... How the hell did he know that?

0.0

As seconds stretched into minutes, the silence in the office was broken by the soft clinking of glass. The typical sweet and gentle impression of his private stash of sake tasted bitter in his mouth.

More so than normal...

0.0

Naruto was quiet during the lengthy journey towards the designated meeting point. It was somewhere in the woods further inland on the southern coast of Fiore. Technically, their trip would have been much shorter if not for the towering mountains that stood in between the two ends.

However, he knew that he was being far too obvious; something that Wendy picked up on. A forced smile and a few empty words couldn't deter the girl. For the umpteenth time, he saw Wendy throw him a lingering sideways look.

"Something wrong?" he asked, not for the first time during the span of their trip.

Wendy shook her head quickly. "Nope," she said, shrugging. Her hand shot out, pointing at the mass clumps of trees just to his left. "Just thought I saw something interesting over there."

Naruto levelled her with a sceptical look. There was, yet again, nothing out of the ordinary. It was not unlike the same bland forested background further down the trail they had just travelled.

"Right... I see what you mean."

The moment the words came out of out his mouth, Naruto winced. The pointed, biting tone in his voice was—even to him—too harsh. He kept an eye on her, ignoring the sharp glare from Carla.

Wendy, to her credit, pulled away from Naruto as she glanced at the forested scenery to her right. Even if Naruto couldn't see it, he could make out Wendy puffing out her cheeks.

Carla stepped in to diffuse the tense situation, much too used to Naruto's temperance, and to his chagrin, clearly biased against him.

"Someone's pushy," she said.

Silently thanking Carla for the opening, Naruto reached out to pat Wendy on her head in an attempt to mollify the offended girl.

"Sorry," he said, blowing out a breath. "I kinda have a lot of things on my plate right now, and the timing of this mission doesn't really help either. There's quite a lot to take in, you know?"

Her initial frostiness melted upon hearing those words. "You don't think that something might go wrong with the mission, do you?"

Naruto laughed, which was pleasantly stress-relieving. "Since when has it ever gone right with us?" he said. "But it doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen. We just have to keep our heads down and finish our job, and before you know it, we'll be, uh... home."

His uninspiring pep talk may have appeased her nervousness for the time being, but Naruto felt oddly detached as the trio descended into a comfortable silence. It wasn't long before his thoughts were consumed by the implications of his words.

It wasn't long before they stumbled upon the meeting point stranded out in the middle-of-nowhere.

Naruto would have found the mansion impressive if not for the heart-shaped decorations designed on every available surface of the building. He was certain that the mansion belonged to one of the alliance's Guild Masters whom, according to the rumours, was something of an eccentric mage.

It didn't take him long to decide on their next course of action.

Naruto gestured to Carla, pointing towards the roof. "Carla, you take point. Carry Wendy up there and I'll watch your backs."

Carla frowned, glueing her paws to her hips. "You do realise we're not actually planning to break in, right? There's a perfectly functional door over there."

He tried to keep the scowl from showing, but stopped short to level a deadpanned stare at the snarky cat. "We didn't come here early just to make a good impression. I thought I taught you better than that."

"We're going to spy on them?" Wendy asked, blanching.

Naruto beamed at her. "Right in one," he said. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared. After all, this might be an ambush; it won't be the first time we got caught in one."

"Fine," Carla conceded, her Aera magic taking shape. "But just because I'm agreeing doesn't mean I like it."

Naruto shrugged as the duo took flight, muttering, "You've made yourself perfectly clear that you dislike a lot of things, and well... I'm not too beat up about it."

There was a brief silence before the feline's voice carried down from the roof:

"I heard that."

0.0

Lucy considered herself to a closet romantic—an open closet—but a closet nonetheless. So when she found herself being in one of those situations which were commonplace back in her old life, she blanched. As the sparkling wine was pushed in front of her, her own wary expression reflecting off the shiny surface of the glass.

"It's not like I made it special for you or anything," Ren of the Silent Nights explained, pulling his bewitchingly-icy stare away from her. "This was all that we had left."

This was a far-cry from Ren's promiscuous and daring nature, prompting her to cry out the faux-pas term in her mind. She reached out for the stem of the wine glass, but upon touching the cold surface, she snapped her hand back brusquely. Her eyes darted around the large high-ceiling room to where Ren (who had vanished from her side once again) and his cronies, who were currently tending to Erza's needs.

Hibiki of the Hundred Nights, the de-facto leader of the motley crew from Blue Pegasus summed up their agenda:

"Spend tonight with us," the charismatic host said, his entire being shimmering in sparkles before the rest of the Trimens swooped in to deliver the final hook together. "Forever..."

It was an odd sight to witness Erza in such a shell-shocked state, not that Lucy could complain, seeing that hers was mirroring Erza's. The feeling of dread only compounded itself when she heard the light pitter-patter of footsteps on the communal staircase leading to the second-floor landing.

"Guests," a silky smooth voice said. "Stay right where you are."

It took an even larger effort not to gawk at the new entrant.

His wild mane of orange hair was slicked back into waves. He wore a crisp white suit complete with a flower pinned to his lapel. His deep, enchanting voice was a sharp contrast to the actual individual, whose head and stocky build was... odd, to say the least.

Somewhere in between, the lines began to blur as Erza, whom she found had previously met the one known as Ichiya, was forced to exchange a series of awkward pleasantries with the man.

This was the first time she had ever seen the knight so shaken.

Ichiya stole a glimpse at her direction, his features scrunched up in what she believed to be an attempt at a smouldering look. "I've heard of you. You are a companion of my honey, aren't you, Lucy-san?" He inched closer, sniffing her. "Your parfum... It smells magnificent."

The heiress shirked back.

"I demand you stop calling me that!" Erza levelled a finger at the man. Although, what was peculiar was that Erza had somehow sneaked up behind Lucy, shielding herself behind the blonde.

Gray, no longer undressed, tried to defend their honour; not to be outdone by the ragtag crew of wannabe hosts. He turned to Natsu for support, but found none with the Fire Dragon Slayer down for the count. Sighing, he nodded to Happy who stood loyally at his side.

"Oi, why don't you assholes back off," he said gruffly, folding his arms around himself.

Ichiya turned towards Gray, as he spared them a lazy glance. "Ah, the others. You men can leave now," he said, signalling to his underlings with a nod.

Eve of the Holy Night, the shortest amongst the Trimens stepped forward, offering them a curt bow which the rest of the trio mimicked. Their hands were tucked to the side as they pointed to the way out.

"We thank you for stopping by!" they echoed as one.

Gray's anger was smouldered by a growing smirk. "Are you really the delegates from Blue Pegasus?" he asked. "They send a bunch of hosts to deal with a guild like Oración Seis? Don't they know how important this mission is?"

Eve stopped in mid-bow, righting himself almost mechanically. "You know, there's a reason why Master Bob sent us instead of the others..."

"It's because we're strong," Ren said, brushing up his cuffs as if readying for a fight.

Next to him, Hibiki shook his head, the air of nonchalance remained, but to the trained eye, his usual smile was now strained. "I'd be careful if I were you, Gray-san. We don't take kindly to insults on our abilities. One could be mistaken that you're looking for a fight."

As the tension in the room bubbled close to the boiling point, it was staved by Natsu's sudden outburst.

"A fight?!"

Natsu groaned, regaining vigour in his voice as he leaned against the columns in an effort to push himself up. As he righted himself, he wobbled on his feet, the sudden lurching motion once again setting off his condition.

"Who wants to—" his cheeks were puffed out as if he was about to gag. In the end, he slumped listlessly to the ground, his back against the column, "—fight me..."

Natsu was largely ignored as a small scuffle ensued in the midst of his relapse.

Erza, who was still using Lucy as a human shield, failed to notice the stocky orange-haired mage as he snuck up behind her.

Ichiya took a deep, soulful whiff. "Your parfum—" his hands trailed the exposed skin on her arm as he snaked it up towards her shoulder, "—is magnificent, Erza." He, in turn, missed the nervous shivers that racked her body.

Erza bowed her head to the side, away from Ichiya as her bangs shadowed her features. The tightening of her fists was proceeded by a primal snarl that escaped her lips:

"Keep your hands off me!"

There was a deafening smack of metal on flesh. Ichiya was lifted into the air, hurtling towards the open entrance of the mansion head-first. He was saved as a silhouetted figure stepped before the on-rushing mage, stopping the human projectile with an open palm.

Ichiya was frozen solid upon impact as ice crystals convalesced around his being. He dropped like a sack of rocks before the unknown figure stepped over his prone form without breaking his stride.

"You know," the new entrant said casually. "You should watch where you throw your trash."

As the figure stepped away from the sun's glare, it was his spiky white hair that stood out the most; that and the bored and aloof expression that he tried to pass off. It took a moment for Lucy to put his face to a name, but Gray beat her to it.

"L-Lyon?"

0.0

On the perch conveniently overlooking the area, three figures were huddled close over a small opening. As the small cat pulled back from her position in crowding the glass window, she put a paw to her chin.

"What an odd bunch," she said.

Naruto turned to Carla, the muffled sounds coming from below were too strained for him to follow. "I'll say," he added. "I mean as weird as it is to say now... They have a cat too."

Carla glowered, not deigning to face him, but she glared at him from the corner of her eyes. While it was true that talking animals weren't uncommon, this was actually the first instance that they had actually come across another talking cat.

She declined to comment on it.

Wendy chimed in, "I wouldn't say that about them, maybe some people find us weird."

The trio shared an uneasy glance.

A disrupting cough brought them back as Naruto gestured to the new entrants. He pointed at the man whose stoic expression and posture reminded him all too much of the off-putting Neji Hyuuga, before getting his ass whooped, of course.

"There's someone else behind him," Carla said.

It was a woman, to be exact. Long pink tresses reached down to just below the neckline of her elegant dress. It was obvious, even from this distance, the amount of effort and preparation it took her to get up in the morning, judging from the way her hair kept falling back into its perfectly tussled mess that, some way or another, framed her face flawlessly.

Of course, Naruto didn't fail to notice the small exhibition as she demonstrated her magic. Somehow, she was able to animate her magic to control the movements of the beige carpet to frighten the unsuspecting blonde who came in with Erza.

Despite not being entirely impressed with her abilities, more to the point, he could have sworn the blonde girl looked familiar. He had a distinct impression that he had seen her somewhere before.

Too caught up in his thoughts, he missed the small dig Carla directed towards the pink-haired puppeteer, mumbling something under her breath low enough for one to mistake the words: cheap and harlot mixed in together with a bunch of incoherent words.

Soon after, a tensed exchange ensued between the three recently introduced factions of the Light Alliance. The Blue Pegasus delegates, as well as the newly-arrived Lamia Scale guild, heckled their Fairy Tail counterparts. Erza's group in turn, did the same. Judging from their (most of them anyway) aggressive stances, they were just itching for a fight.

It was understandable since it was a hastily-arranged situation where all the different delegations were thrown into the melting pot. Naruto couldn't help but shudder should the same situation arise in his world.

It was just a cluster-fuck waiting to happen.

It took a while for him to put the pieces together regarding their new-found allies. Apparently, the black-haired mage from Fairy Tail had some prior history with the other boy from Lamia Scale, ditto with the blonde girl he couldn't quite place in his mind with the pink-haired one.

The other rosy-haired mage, whom Wendy had softly proclaimed to be 'Natsu', had recovered from whatever sickness that ailed him, and returned with vigour unlike that which he had not seen in himself since when he was twelve. Natsu rushed the trio of pretty boys and the Hyuuga-impersonator with flaming fists raised.

Erza, whom he had already met before (and whom he found to be the most agreeable here) had her back against a wall, eyes darting around as if trying to seek out an invisible foe. Though what was most glaring was the broadsword clenched tightly in her hands as she swung it around should the orange-haired man get within a metre of her.

All in all, it was pretty confusing for a spectator looking in from the outside.

A sharp, rapt stamp echoed loudly, attracting the attention of its occupants to the newest figure that shadowed the entrance.

Tall, muscular and extremely imposing, his bald head gleamed against the sun's glare. In his hand, he held a simple wooden staff as tall, if not taller than him. The potato-head individual was dressed simply, reminiscent of garbs that resembled those worn by the members of Cait Shelter. And when he spoke, it was as if the earth itself rumbled beneath his deep, baritone voice:

"Stop! We were brought here for a reason! What hope will we have to defeat Oración Seis if we're fighting amongst ourselves?"

Some had the decency to look embarrassed, while others merely stood there stoically, grim expressions now replacing any notions of a fight. Even Natsu paused in mid-step, fists still raised, but no longer aflame. He slowly brought it down as he waited for the hulking man to speak again.

"I am relieved that you all understand the gravity of the situation. For now, I hope that we can put our differences aside to combat the threat that threatens our world," he said, smiling thinly. From his perch on the roof, Naruto saw the man frown as he scanned the immediate area.

"Now... Where are the delegates from Cait Shelter?"

Omake: Misappropriation of Information

Weekly Sorcerer 'Juicy Gossip' Column: Titania Erza Hates Kids?

By Francisco Flores

In one of the most talked about rumours that has gripped the hearts of her fans in Fiore and beyond, unconfirmed reports regarding the sadistic streak of Fairy Tail's beloved Titania Erza have been pouring into our office as of late. An anonymous source who happened to at the guild during the incident has disclosed some disturbing information of Erza Scarlet's heinous actions.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes," Anon explains. "I mean she had this little girl just grovelling on her knees in front of her, asking her to beg for forgiveness like some... like a dog!

"And man, this kid was like bawling her eyes out when suddenly Erza takes out one of those swords of hers and just threatens her with it. Saying stuff like 'beg some more' and 'if you don't, your brother dies'. I don't have to tell you how horrible it was watching something like that.'

Public reaction has been unsurprisingly negative ever since these rumours first started to spread around the kingdom. One previously loyal fan, Omero Gustav had this to say:

'I used to think of Erza as a pretty and homely woman, I m-mean, someone like her w-would make a great w-wife, but ever since these ugly rumours came round, I'm seeing her in a whole different light. I knew there was something off about her personality. No one person could be that... p-perfect!

'I was such a fool to believe it, and to think that someday it might have all been real... I hate you, Erza Scarlet! I hate you so much! Oh God, stop the inter—'

Our interview was cut short considering the interviewee had to be restrained following his outburst, but as you can see from the raw, unbridled malice behind his words, it is clear that the shock of hearing his idol's true personality shook him to his core. Now, word around the office is that even her reputation as an S-Class mage has taken a nosedive with potential clients avoiding Fairy Tail in general. What this means for the future of this bright, young mage is grim at best.

At the time of publishing, Erza Scarlet could not be reached for comment.

Omake: The Melancholy Irony of Gajeel Redfox - Trials of a Double Agent

When it was announced that only Team Natsu would be allowed to undergo the inter-guild mission, Makarov found Gajeel directing a brief look at him discreetly. Whatever it was, the urgency in his body language, and the way the normally reserved man fidgeted where he stood highlighted the importance of the need to talk. Makarov signalled the Iron Dragon Slayer to convene back in the safety of his office.

Gajeel arrived not five minutes later.

The black-haired man stamped down on the aged mahogany desk as he leaned over it to glare at him.

"What do you mean I can't go?! I wanna go!"

Makarov slitted his eyes shut. "I thought I told you to end this feud you have with that boy."

"Feud? What feud? Uzumaki and I are—" his beady eyes shifted left and right, "—really good friends. The best of friends! I just wanna meet him again so that we can talk... and hang out? Besides, you know those idiots could use some back-up."

Makarov ignored the casual way he brushed off his guildmates.

"I'm sure you could wait until the end of the mission, right? Because I doubt the two of you could hang out in the middle of a very important mission like this. Besides, don't you have another thing you need to take care of?"

Gajeel snorted, resentful. "That information I gave you back at the festival was good for another week. He won't be making his move any time soon. It's like he's biding his time for some important thing. Whatever it is, he wouldn't tell me about it."

Makarov harrumphed. "Be that as it may, I can't in good conscience include you in the group. It would be like adding fuel to the fire. It's bad enough that Natsu's going. I won't have the two of you fighting your allies. It might just get me kicked out of the Provincial Guild Masters' League." He lowered his voice to an inaudible whisper, "Not that it's such a bad thing. Still, I hope that Erza would be able to control him."

"Great, just take that idiot out and put me in the group. I'm the one who has a beef with Uzumaki, not Nat—" his accidental slip up caused his eyes to widen, "—su," he finished lamely.

"I thought you said the two of you were best friends?"

"Fine!" Gajeel bit out as he turned to leave, mashing his hands in his pockets. "But knowing Uzumaki, he'd beat Natsu anyway," he said, lips curving up into a fanged smile.

"Natsu wouldn't do that," Makarov said. "He promised!"

Side Note: The Oración Seis arc begins.

However, I would like to apologise for the loose plot progression. I'll try to incorporate it better later since it's hard to move forward with a canon arc in place. I know it's bad form to ask readers to wait for a plot to show up, but please bear with me. If you can't, then it's a failing of my ability to properly work out the kinks in my story.

Thanks for all the reviews. Some were quite helpful.

Hiraishin: Heavens to Betsy, no, he will not learn it.