10 Setting The Stage

On the outskirts of Oak Town; that's where Itachi was. Awaiting the meeting that would bring him closer to the Coiling Serpent guild. Carefulness was the name of the game.

The peak of this world, its version of Madara wasn't known to Itachi yet. Strolling around flaunting his power wasn't in his nature inherently but it was even more important that he didn't do that here.

From his limited research, magic was extremely versatile. Theoretically, there existed no actual limit to what it could accomplish. Chakra had defined limits, for most people. The established lines around magic were a lot blurrier than Chakra.

He couldn't help but feel a little excited to know what magic he possessed. But he wouldn't delve into that before he truly starts understanding magic. Its clear limits and those less clear. The history behind it, any drawbacks. Information was most important now.

His crows have spread around for miles, looking for any signs of Phantom Lord or Coiling Serpent. And about his crows. The usefulness they had had definitely been enhanced by magic. When he walked the Elemental Nations he never had this level of control over them. A clear sign that he was in some way utilizing magic. He didn't like that, but he knew that the crows could only be detected if he directly took control of them.

His Sharingan was still required in controlling them, so his phenomenal eye-powers had gotten an upgrade as well. But without any useful books, it was impossible for him to know if there were any long-lasting negative effects of using magic.

For the moment, chakra would be his go-to attack method. And because of his increase in chakra reserves, he was plenty powerful even without magic. The only mage he had as any qualified reference was Makarov and he was sure he could beat him. But since magic was versatile, Makarov might possess some trick that would put him ahead.

The hours rolled by as Itachi kept a watchful eye on the area ahead. Supposedly this was where the deal would take place, the intel he had wasn't fully accurate. If it wasn't here he would have wasted a few hours but the potential gain far outweighs the loss of a couple of hours.

He was on the verge of giving up when finally, voices were heard in the distance. Who he assumed could only be the Phantom Lord master came walking grandly toward him. He utilized his shinobi training and slipped into the shadows. He knew not how to disguise his energy signature but he knew how to suppress himself enough that even sensors on a quick glance would mistake his energy signature as a rock or a twig.

The group hailing from the Phantom Lord guild stood quietly and waited. Minutes went by before the light of a torch was seen in the distance. The forested area lit up when the expected party showed up with multiple torches lighting the way. Itachi slank deeper into the darkness to avoid detection.

As the groups collided, only a few words could be picked up at this distance. Itachi sent a crow closer, at a slow but steady pace. He knew they emitted little to no form of energy, but just because they didn't release any signature didn't mean they wouldn't be suspicious. Too many, or too well placed could tip off the enemy if they're good enough. Usage of animals in spying was not uncommon where he was from. Who was to say it wasn't the same here.

Before the crow got close enough to pick up the conversation, Itachi only caught the whispers carried throughout the forest by the wind.

Council. Magic. Balam Alliance. Fairy Tail.

He picked up a few suspicious words. He knew that the Balam Alliance was the end game for them so it was not a surprise to hear them coming up. But Fairy Tail and the council was a subject of worry. Itachi was indifferent to the council, as far as he had gathered they weren't nearly as bad or corrupt as anything the Elemental nations had. Further information was required to establish a proper opinion.

Fairy Tail was worrying. He had attachments to that guild in the form of a young redhead. It was unclear if he would sacrifice himself for her, but he certainly wouldn't simply sit back and let her die if he could stop it. That is if that guild truly is a target. Everything was simple speculation until he could confirm it.

The crow drew closer and perched upon a tree close to the groups. But suddenly all sound stopped. The group leaders stopped talking and glanced toward the crow, in the general direction of Itachi.

'Am I spotted?' A dark ghostly shape escaped the leader of Phantom Lord and struck the crow and it disintegrates on the spot. The two groups seem to visually calm down as the crow disappears.

'How was it noticed?' He was too experienced to panic. He had yet to be noticed and he knew that.

'The crows come from me but they carry nothing I recognize as an energy signature. How did it get spotted? An area alert kind of magic? Maybe.'

The disadvantages of being a chakra user in a magic-filled world were starting to show themselves. He needed more information about magic. Joining a guild was the obvious answer but he was hesitant in doing so. Paranoid, maybe. But he wasn't going to tie himself to an organization the first thing he did. Legal guilds did not allow the methods he preferred. He simply could not currently see his goals align with the ways of the Legal guilds.

The two groups went back to their discussion, which Itachi still could only hear the whispers of. Fairy Tail came up a few more times but he simply couldn't grasp in what context. Realizing he wouldn't get anything from this he would simply focus on following the group he was here for. Phantom Lord had outlived its uses. He wouldn't engage them, it was simply unnecessary, he would just let them go.

The meeting didn't last for much longer. After a few mean looks, the Phantom Lord group departed first. Coiling Dragon stood still and for a moment, it seemed as if they had frozen but they turned around and departed. Not before the leader, a blonde busty woman turned and glanced in the direction of Itachi with a frown on her face.

Itachi let out a frown as well.

'They know something. I imagine I am walking into a trap of some kind. The discovery of my crow obviously alerted them of something.' He still followed them, from a sizable distance.

He didn't perceive them as a threat yet. None of them felt as domineering as Makarov. And the man was almost all smiles when they met. Imagine his presence when you piss him off. He was similar to Hiruzen in more ways than one.

It was an easy thing for Itachi to track the group. He had extensive training in this field and if he wasn't up against mages he would say this was suspiciously easy.

The journey was slow and arduous, not the physical strain but the mental tension. It came from the unknown power known as magic. In the books, he read it was stated clearly that despite this world's rich history in magic, they still had no idea of the depths of magic.

The journey continued away from the forest, effectively making it a little more difficult to follow the group. But nonetheless, Itachi followed them for a few more miles and by nightfall, they reached a lone castle erected on a small hill.

Itachi scanned the castle with a gaze, his Sharingan studying every inch. "There has to be some heavy protection on that." He watched the group disappear behind the high-reaching walls.

'This is not the time. I need to return to Adele first.' Itachi let out a sigh, feeling the accumulated stress slowly leaving him. Engaging this guild would mean taking a clear place in the spotlight. Itachi felt he needed to figure out if the effort was worth it.

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