I'm proud to present you all with the 53rd chapter of my story. Thank you all for the amazing response on the last chapter. The Author's Notes will be very important so please give it a thorough read when you get there. Now without a further ado my favorite group of people, let's get on with the show!

"Wake up, Mira-chan."

"…mou."

Smiling at the beautiful voice of his silver-haired angel, Earthland's Most Wanted fervently nibbled on the creamy skin of her neck and relished in her heavenly taste. It was early in the morning and neither the husband nor wife got any sleep last night due to the comprehensive wildness they exhibited all the way through. At the moment; the duo were laid next to each other facing the same direction, but their bodies were arched a little differently than a standard spooning position. It was far more intimate.

"N-no…" Mirajane whined sleepily, grinding back into her significant other. "…stay."

Paladin of Pergrande chuckled at his wife's feeble tone and rested his head on her upper shoulder while he massaged her voluptuous breasts with his hands. In return; the gorgeous silverette purred like a content kitten and leisurely rocked her perfect derriere back and forth. With her right leg faintly lifted, Mirajane's plumps hips became cemented flawlessly into her husband's crotch, whereas Naruto made use of his left hand to keep his wife's leg elevated which allowed him to consummate their position.

After all the time he had spent with his loving wives individually, the White Dragon Slayer felt rather proud that he was able to learn everything he possibly could about them – he simply treasured each of his spouses to no ends. He understood the ladies were unique in their own right, and that didn't just mean personality wise. Erza, Haku, Kushina, Mikoto, and Ultear were poles apart concerning personal sleep position preferences; however, Mirajane was an entirely different story to say the least.

Ever since he got together with his silverette lady, Naruto realized she was undeniably clingier towards him than the rest of his wives were. The perfect example of this possessiveness resided in the fact that Mirajane simply could not sleep without him enshrouded inside her – not that he minded the closeness. He appreciated being intimate with his partner even after hosting an all-night love-making session.

Just then; the Slayer of the Apocalypse narrowed his eyes once he discovered the uncomfortable twitch his lady resonated, conveying she was undergoing some pain. Channeling an ample amount of White Dragon Slayer Magic into the palm of his free hand, he smiled when she inched her head to the side. Using the window of opportunity wisely, he locked his lips with hers and began kneading her sides with the medicinal technique. Mirajane moaned softly into her lover's mouth and relaxed gradually as his magic-coated hand continued working its magic on her body. A moment later; the whiskered ninja pulled away from the kiss and smiled at the sight of his lady's comparatively stress-free expression.

"Are you all right now, Mira-chan?" Naruto asked gently whilst planting a soft kiss on his life-partner's shoulder. "Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

"I'm doing much better right now, Naru-kun. Thank you. My back and legs are still a little sore but it makes sense." Mirajane admitted shyly with a bright cerise hue on her cheeks. "You were relentless last night and left no position unturned."

"Hmmm…" The blond shinobi trailed off in a husky tone, leaning into his spouse's ear. "…I sure didn't hear any complaints, my sexy Moon Flower."

Mirajane shuddered at the word exchange and blushed heavily as she recalled last night's passion. She tried everything in her power to heat up the intimacy, including going into her Satan Soul for two hours straight before ending her transformation and reinitializing the session. Regardless of whatever method she utilized last night, her husband thoroughly exhausted her stamina. Whenever she blacked out, he brought her back to the realm of the living with a healing technique. He always kept her very satisfied.

Enjoying the way his wife turned crimson, Naruto continued, "Now I want to know something. Just where did you buy those delicious edible panties?"

"T-they were a special order." The female mage began with a moan, contemplating on whether or not she should jump her husband's bones here and now. "Although I wanted to get a pair of Kuzumochi flavored ones, the chocolate flavored ones I purchased were a fine buy as well."

Emitting a light chuckle; Earthland's Most Wanted carefully meandered his wife's body around until she loomed over him, but took the necessary steps while doing so. Mirajane delicately nuzzled against her cheek against her husband's own and meshed her generous breasts against his chest. She sighed dreamily because they didn't lose their intimate contact – the thought displeased her to no end.

"They were a fine buy indeed, but I have one request." Espying the hesitant nod, Naruto smirked. "I want you to wear a pair every night from now on."

Mirajane stammered at the comment, but agreed wholeheartedly. The reason why she bought those edible panties in the first place was so she could further spice up the intimacy. Her husband always surprised every single time and therefore, she yearned for an opportunity to surprise him for a change. Since she considered herself to be his devoted wife, she wanted to please him in every way imaginable.

Humming in delight; the female mage shook her curvy hips, savoring the closeness she had with her significant other. After all, this very intimate contact with him was her only way of attaining a blissful sleep. Smiling at his loving gaze, she pecked him on the cheek, basking in the peaceful moment.

"All right then. I think it's time we took a shower, Mira-chan." Naruto whispered huskily and tightened the hold he had on his wife. "Let's see if you're strong enough to continue where we left off."

"N-Naru-kun…" The attractive woman whined, flustered at her spouse's choice of words. "…you know I'm ready. Let's go."

With a smile, The White Flash wrapped his arms around his lady's waist and sat upright, content at the feel of him still pulsating deep inside her. In return; Mirajane snaked her arms around her lover's neck and grounded herself even lower onto his lap. She then arched her back at the overwhelming sensation, eyes flickering in paramount hunger and love. Claiming his wife's juicy lips, Naruto skillfully slipped his tongue into her mouth and initialized a sensual tongue battle between them. The duo then began wrapping their tongues against each other and massaging them simultaneously. A heat coursed through their veins once the intimacy turned downright volcanic – they could no longer control their desires.

The silverette whimpered erotically and played with her spouse's hair as he continued to dominate the make-out session. Letting out an endless line of moans, she kept kissing him for all she was worth whilst fluctuating up and down on his lap – the fact their position was consummated caused her mindset to crumble. The married couple didn't even reach the bathroom for Mirajane's screams of pleasure to resonate all over the bedroom. They couldn't help but begin their morning rituals earlier than expected.

A little over two hours later; the blond shinobi walked outside the shower with his absolutely glowing wife held in his arms bridal-style, while the glowing wife in question purred in the utmost satisfaction. Using this time wisely, the duo got changed into their respective spare set of clothes.

After completing their task, Mirajane grabbed hold of her handsome spouse's hand and intertwined their fingers affectionately as they stepped out of the room. Naruto smiled at his life-partner's tender actions and closed the door behind him. A second later; the blond Fairy Tail mage raised an eyebrow at the sight of his other wives, all of whom were currently standing by the second floor hallway.

"How kind of you to join us, Mira-chan." Erza teased slyly in conjunction with a devious smirk. It didn't take her more than a second to descry the heavy wobble evident in her best friend's footing. "Would you like some crutches to go with that limp?"

"Baka tomato…" Mirajane growled with flushed cheeks, vexed by the witticism.

While the ladies laughed at the silverette's expense, the White Dragon Slayer leaned towards Kushina and drew her in for a powerful kiss, causing the redhead to buckle her knees and moan lovingly. Taking delight in the fervent make-out session with his wife, he inched back shortly after and smiled warmly at her, an action she mirrored. Following suit; he locked lips with Erza, then repeated the cycle until each and every one of the female mages became thoroughly satisfied from the passionate experience.

"Were you girls waiting for me to step outside?" Naruto asked as he pulled away from The Time Mage's succulent lips and stared at the group intently. "I assumed all of you would be downstairs by the dining table by now. On that note: where are our children? Did they not wake up yet?"

Shaking her head, Haku pointed a finger towards the staircase. "The kids are awake but they banned us from stepping downstairs for the time being." She answered in amusement, provoking Mirajane to giggle since she was unaware of the turn of events. "Wendy-chan told us that she has something special planned and none of us had the heart to deny her. We've been waiting out here for an hour now."

"Hmmm… that's strange." Naruto said with a smile, wondering why his children performed such an action. "Well I'm not going to deny them either. Let's see what they have in store for us."

Nodding, the ladies smiled along with their husband. Mirajane sustained her surprised expression at the events transpired, but that changed into curiosity – she sincerely wanted to know what her darling little sweethearts were up to. Nevertheless; the group stood by their amalgamated decision to wait patiently.

A rough estimate of twenty minutes later, a sudden noise from the staircase brought the Slayer of the Apocalypse and his consorts to revolve their heads. Once the group caught glimpse of Yuna, who appeared to be the source of the sound, contentment became etched to their features. Currently; the tiny female fox had a contagious smile on her face as she hopped along the carpeted floor.

"Morning, tou-chan!" Yuna squeaked cutely, jumping into her father's arms.

"Good morning, Yuna-chan." Naruto whispered gently and kissed the top of the fox's head. "Are we allowed to come downstairs now?"

Nodding in the affirmative, the adorable little fox emitted a gentle yip, to which the grownups smiled warmly down at her. Without wasting another second; the group made their way towards the staircase and in a matter of seconds, all of them appeared within the confines of the living room. As the family members made the mandatory right-hand turn to enter the dining room, Yuna jumped out of her father's arms before dashing forward. Just then; a delicious aroma enveloped the entire ground floor of the compound, prompting the blond shinobi and the ladies to quicken the pace – their interests piqued.

Once he stepped foot into the dining room, The White Flash's eyes widened at the sight of his precious daughters, both of whom were setting a variety of cuisines on the table with smiles plastered across their faces. There were plates of toast, chicken sandwiches, cheese omelets, salad, fish, and an assortment of healthy beverages of varying flavors. It became clear that the children took it upon themselves to prepare dishes for each individual – the very thought was heartwarming to say the least.

"Good morning, tou-chan!" Leah and Wendy chirped in unison, beaming brightly at their loving father.

"Good morning, my princesses." Naruto said breathlessly. This development both shocked and amazed him at the same time. "Did you prepare these dishes all by yourselves?"

Blinking cutely, Leah nodded her head. "Hai, tou-chan!" She exclaimed proudly whilst positioning a few forks and spoons. "Wendy-nee and I made all the food!"

"The both of us wanted to cook today, tou-chan." Wendy added in a loving tone, easing one of the dishes on the table. "That's why we didn't let kaa-chans come downstairs. We wanted to surprise you with breakfast."

In return; Earthland's Most Wanted softened his facial expression and a lone tear escaped the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to say – he was at a complete loss for words. His daughters had matured this much during his absence? The thought should've made him happy beyond belief but it didn't. He wanted to be there to watch them grow day by day, not see their progress in such an abrupt fashion.

"I know what you're thinking, koibito." Mikoto whispered faintly into her husband's ear with a fragile look on her face. "The children are at a crucial stage in their life and they're going to mature with each passing day. I know you well enough to understand how you feel. It's obvious that you've learned how much the kids have grown in just the past month alone."

Kissing the man's cheek, Black Death continued in the same faint tone, "You want to watch our little sweethearts grow but also want to be there for them every step of the way. Well… you can start by being there for them now. You can easily make up for lost time."

Regaining his composure, Naruto pecked his blackette wife on the lips and stroked her hair lovingly. Not only did he get a chance to know his spouses inside out, but the women also got a chance to understand everything about him. Therefore; it didn't surprise him that she knew how he felt on the matter.

An amalgamated countenance of gentleness projected out from the remaining ladies. Even though Mikoto spoke in a mere whisper, all of them heard her clearly and agreed with the words shared. Their husband's internal struggle was justified. Leah and Wendy had matured significantly in the past month and they realized how much it pained the White Dragon Slayer not to see that for himself.

On the other hand; the ladies were also shocked. None of them had given their little darlings the approval to cook on their own. Sure they always had them by their side whenever they prepared dinner in the past month; however, this totally unsupervised preparation took them all by surprise. Now, the group of women could only soften their eyes – the kids had performed flawlessly with breakfast.

"Come on, tou-chan. Let's eat!" Leah grinned as she guided her father towards the table, an action her big sister mirrored.

Lowering himself onto his seat, Naruto smiled delicately before nodding his head. He readily embraced the fact his daughters were maturing rapidly. Even though his shadow clones were present each day, they were set to dispel each late-afternoon. He knew that he wasn't there for them in the past month but he couldn't afford to lose sleep over the disturbing knowledge. That being said; he decided to never leave them like that again. Missions be damned – his shadow clones were more than enough to take care of business.

"This is soooo good, dattebane!" Kushina squealed with her eyes sparkling in joy. The female mages beside her simply chowed down the scrumptious food – they agreed wholeheartedly. "Excellent job, musume!"

"T-thank you, Kushina kaa-chan." Wendy blushed in embarrassment at the praise, while Leah squirmed with a bright smile on her face.

The two little girls then revolved their heads in order to glance at their father – they wanted nothing more than to hear his appreciation. On their own; the duo had decided to observe the phenomena of cooking for their tou-chan when he arrived home. This was by no means a five-star spread or anything, but they tried their level best to fashion the food similar to the way their mothers normally prepared it.

"Leah-chan, Wendy-chan." Naruto took a small pause and let out a tender sigh. "I'm still shocked at the level of maturity the two of you have displayed. This was a delicious meal; you've done a phenomenal job." Holding out his arms in a warm manner, he gazed lovingly at his teary-eyed daughters. "You have no idea how proud I am right now. Thank you so much for this wonderful surprise."

Smiles engulfed the dining room as the two girls hugged their father tightly and thanked him for his warm approval. As Carla and Yuna smiled along with their partners, the consorts of the White Dragon Slayer couldn't help but soften their expressions at the heartwarming family bonding. Now, the ladies' desires to expand the family intensified – they craved to hear their husband's answer on the matter.

After concluding the well-cooked breakfast, Paladin of Pergrande summoned a few shadow clones to clean up the table and put the dishes away. With that; the Uzumaki-Namikaze family headed towards the training ground area and basked in the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them. As each of the grownups got comfortable on the grass below, Leah bounced on the balls of her feet.

"I'm gonna use my new coloring books now! Come on, Wendy-nee!" Leah chirped whilst dragging her big sister towards the compound.

Letting out a giggle; Wendy shook her head at her excited baby sister – the little brunette was moving rather furiously. However; she wanted to graze over the gifts her father gave her yesterday in greater detail. Watching on the scene in amusement, Carla and Yuna laughed before following the duo.

Once the children zoomed into the compound, Naruto turned his attention towards his wives. "All right. It's about time you girls showed me your so-called newfound powers." He crossed his arms and took a deep sigh. "Last night; I presented you all with the gifts I brought home, even though I had originally planned to hand them out today. It's only fair that you return the favor."

The ladies shared content smiles at the recollection – those aforementioned presents made for one shocking unveil. Yesterday night; after much whining and pleading, the White Dragon Slayer gave in, much to the joy of his family. Once he unsealed a handful of scrolls, his beloved wives and offspring were left stunned at the sight of the expensive and rare items. There were numerous ancient artifacts, jewelry of all shapes and forms, clothing items both royal and casual – and that was from the first scroll.

As a token of gratitude; Kazuhiko Nobuyoshi, the King of Pergrande, gifted his nation's savior with ancient samurai artifacts, jewelry, and an assortment of royal clothing. Since he was well aware of the Bushido Code virtues, the Slayer of the Apocalypse accepted the generous offer with open arms. The more stylish jewelry came from the Country of Joya, where the blond shinobi had sent a clone to scour the numerous jewelry stores within the confines of the nation's main city. Among those items were an endless line of toys for the children, home decorations to add more flavor to the compound, along with numerous fruits and vegetables that aren't normally found in Fiore.

…needless to say, Naruto became very satisfied at the reaction met from his wives and children.

Kurama had no intention of being summoned yesterday, but that didn't go according to plan due to a pleading Yuna, who wished to see her caretaker again. As the tiny fox was considered to be the baby of the family, no one had the heart to deny her of the request. Once the bijuu emerged into the picture, his initial irritated state almost instantaneously inverted into a fanged grin. He was a heartless demon no doubt, but he couldn't lash out at those little kits he had come to treasure. However; Kurama still had a lot on his plate and informed the family that he didn't have time for the Guild reunion, and the family members, including the children, respected the bijuu's decision. They would see him later on.

"Before we get into anything specific, I'd like to ask you something." Erza stated as she rose to her feet and grinned at her spouse's nod. "What do you know about magic?"

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto hummed. "Magic is used by mages to perform techniques, and every mage has a magic container inside their body that determines the limits of their magic powers." He began in a wise tone, recapping what he read on the topic a long time ago. He didn't know why his red-haired wife asked such a question, but he wanted to see where this was headed. "In the case the container becomes empty; Ethernano, the term used for magic particles, comes from the atmosphere and enters the mage's body and after a while, the magic power is returned to normal."

"That's correct, Naru-kun. However; you're missing one special fact." Mirajane interjected craftily, amused by the light confusion present on her husband's face.

"Do you remember something else when we read up on magic?" Haku added to the conversation with mischief laced in her voice. "From the book Master gave us when we first arrived to Fairy Tail?"

Espying the blond shinobi's nod, Mikoto continued on for her sister, "Within the confines of that book, there was a mention of a rumored unused part of a mage's magic container."

"The rumored unused part of a mage's magic container." Naruto reiterated his significant other's words before his eyes widened. It didn't take him more than a minute to comprehend the situation. "That means you girls have unlocked the rumored dormant power of mages… Second Origin."

"Mhm!" The ladies chorused in unison whilst placing their hands on their hips – they had planned this out for some time now.

The White Dragon Slayer just stood there in shock. He knew how extremely rare it was for mages to unlock the dormant Second Origin, which was said to provide an enormous boost of magic power. In all the time he had spent scouring Fiore and annihilating enemy mages, he never once came in contact with an opponent who had attained such power. So how in Kami's name did his wives acquire it?

"Naru-kun. I'm sure you're a little curious as to how this is even possible and I'm more than happy to explain everything. After all; this whole power-up scenario originated with me." Ultear voiced out in a cheery tone, beaming radiantly at the love of her life. "To be perfectly honest; you're the main reason behind how I was able to unravel the mysteries of the Second Origin. Do you remember when you showed us the magic books and scrolls that you confiscated from Grimoire Heart's airship?"

At the firm nod, The Time Mage kept her bright look intact. "At first; I didn't pay much attention to those items, but all of that changed when I began training with my sisters. I then noticed there were some high level Arc of Time related publications – some even I didn't know existed." She continued in the same cheery tone and fiddled with the hem of her dress. "It became clear that Hades didn't trust me enough, but I don't give a damn about that deceased old coot. At least his worthless existence proved to be beneficial in the long run."

Giggling at her husband's amused expression, Ultear finished, "Anyway; once I glanced over the content of those books and scrolls in great detail, I became speechless at the numerous secrets that were contained within them. I knew from that moment on that I had an ocean of potential waiting to be unleashed. That's when I became serious and poured everything into my studies."

Throughout the duration of her purplish-black haired sister's explanation, Kushina had a wide smirk etched to her elegant features. The other female mages beside her were just as smug about the delightful word exchange. After all; when they finally glanced over those aforementioned books and scrolls, they found interesting facts related to their respective magical styles. Therefore; it made sense for the ladies to appear boastful at this point in time – they were even more powerful than before.

After several moments in stillness; the whisked shinobi spoke, "That's fascinating, Ultear-chan. Now I can only assume that your unique magic granted you the ability to unlock the Second Origin. However; you still haven't told me how that advancement aided your sisters with their dormant powers."

"Oops, I completely forgot about that. Sorry, Naru-kun." Ultear said with a sheepish grin, causing the blond ninja to chuckle in amusement.

Humming, The Time Mage nodded. "Okay; so when I realized that I had triggered the activation of my Second Origin, I took it upon myself to indulge even deeper into my studies. Almost three days later, when I uncovered another secret and revealed it to my sisters, let's just say they were blown away." She took a short pause and giggled melodically at how those females reacted back then. "Arc of Time: Second Origin Release – that's the secret technique I brought into existence, which allowed the others to unlock their dormant magical powers. When I utilized the technique, markings were seen on their bodies. At first; I assumed this would be an excruciating procedure, but none of my sisters felt any pain whatsoever."

"We're just that awesome!" Mikoto piped in smugly and conjured up a peace sign, to which her sisters smirked in approval.

Naruto's eyes oozed paramount pride at the full-depth explanation. He knew how powerful his wives were firsthand; however, with this earth-shattering revelation, all of them were now on a whole other level. Still… he couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. He realized what his spouses meant – even with his shadow clones at the compound, the experience just wasn't the same. He then shook his head and tossed the thought out the window – it made no sense for him to dwell in the past.

"Ne, Naru-kun?" Erza began in an inquisitive tone, staring at her lover. "Do you want to unlock your Second Origin as well?"

Ultear nodded at the input before adding, "I've used this technique a total of 6 times now if I include myself in the mix. I can only handle the ability a limited number of times because I know the full-extent of my capabilities. I'm unsure if one more procedure will strain my body in any way; however, it doesn't hurt to try. Later down the road, I will have to expand my reach."

Smiling softly, the Wizard Saint approached his Arc of Time wielding wife and drew her in for a hot sizzling kiss, emitting a cute squeak from the woman in question. Stroking her purplish black hair, he grabbed hold of her hips with one hand and fondled them in an alternative fashion. Letting out an endless line of content moans, Ultear lost herself to ecstasy from the heated movement.

After pulling away slightly, Earthland's Most Wanted sucked on his significant other's bottom lip and brought both hands to her perfect derriere before digging his fingers deep into the plump flesh. Once he became satisfied from his actions, he pecked her lips repeatedly, bringing her out of her mindless state. In return; The Time Mage panted heavily to regain her composure and puffed out her flushed cheeks.

"I love you, my Time Pearl." Naruto held his blushing spouse in his arms and pecked her on the forehead tenderly. "You've done an outstanding job. Not only did you enhance your own magical powers, but you also took it upon yourself to help out your sisters. Our family has now grown even stronger and it's all due to your unbreakable resolve. I'm so proud of you."

"T-thank you, Naru-kun." Ultear whispered in a fragile tone, her heartbeat erratic. "I… I love you so much."

Burying her face into her handsome life-partner's strong arms, the ex-Grimoire Heart mage inhaled his welcoming scent and became overjoyed from hearing his heartwarming praise. Nuzzling her cheek against his chest lovingly, she used her fingers to trace circles around his back and smiled charmingly into the progression – she simply had the most caring and passionate husband of all-time.

Observing the romantic scene in absolute sincerity, Mikoto sighed happily – she could literally see the serene glow on her sister's face from her position. The others shared similar reactions – they didn't need to say a word to show how content they were with the events transpired. Due to her efforts; Ultear not only gave the family the gift of a lifetime, but she also undeniably secured their futures.

"Now then, Ultear-chan." The blond shinobi pulled away from his wife and looked at her fondly. "How do we perform the procedure?"

With a delicate smile, Ultear placed her hands on her spouse's chest. "It's not a major operation, beloved. During the initial phase of my technique's creation, I assumed the procedure had to be done by a removal of clothing; however, that's not the case." She answered in a professional tone, smile intact at the sight of his nod. "When I perfected the technique, Mikoto-chan decided to be the first one to have her Second Origin unlocked. All I had to do was grab a firm hold of her wrists and channel my magic in order to allow the markings to spread. I'm going to do the same with you."

Just then; The Time Mage's eyes narrowed as she continued, "I want you to stay calm throughout the procedure. The others didn't face any pain, but there is a chance you might experience it. I… I don't have the heart to see my husband in pain and I don't know wh-"

"I'll be fine, Ultear-chan." Naruto interrupted his worried wife with a gentle kiss, easing her in a matter of seconds.

Nodding in a slow manner, Ultear lost all sense of uncertainty and agreed to the change of pace. She knew her handsome life-partner was going to be fine; however, as his devoted wife, she had every right to worry about him. With a small smile, she eased him to the ground and sat down in front of him. She then channeled an ample amount of magical energy into her hands and grabbed hold of his wrists before looking deep into his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. At his confident nod, she took a deep sigh.

Inching closer towards the duo; Erza, Haku, Kushina, Mikoto, and Mirajane looked on as their sister initialized the Arc of Time: Second Origin Release. Each of them recalled how it took only a minute for the markings to spread across their bodies. After a few minutes had passed, the ladies narrowed their eyes as a unit – no glowing red markings had appeared anywhere on the blond shinobi's body. Another couple minutes later; the women grew rather concerned – for some bizarre and unexplainable reason, their husband was showing no signs of his ascension to the Second Origin whatsoever.

'What in the world is this? How is he unaffected by my powers?' Ultear thought to herself and channeled even more magical energy. 'This shouldn't be possible, unless…'

Eyes wide at the realization; The Time Mage breathed out, "Naru-kun. I don't know how, but you've already unlocked the Second Origin."

"W-what?" Mirajane gasped at the knowledge, a reaction the others beside her mimicked. "How is that possible?"

All in all; the consorts of the White Dragon Slayer were caught off guard by the turn of events. Ultear assumed her Arc of Time Magic was the only way to unlock the Second Origin. The rest of the females thought similarly when their sister revealed the mysteries behind that dormant power. However; that clearly wasn't the case. The women were now curious to know how their husband attained such power all by himself. Judging by his current reaction, they realized he was just as confused as them.

Crossing his arms, Paladin of Pergrande began cooking up a concoction of ideas inside his head. How did he unlock it? That was the first question he asked himself. When did it happen? Another question he was unable to answer. Why wasn't he aware of it until now? His mind raced to satisfy the endless stream of possibilities. Furrowing his eyebrows, he took everything into consideration – he couldn't afford to leave anything out. After what felt like ages; he emitted a soft breath and nodded to himself.

"Girls, I may have a reasonable hypothesis." Naruto announced into the silence, to which the female mages grew attentive.

"The very second I was gifted the ability to wield magic, I felt something trigger from within. This is even before I went to the Kiyomi Shrine in order to figure out my magical affinities. When I channeled my magical energy for the first time, an initial high power release made its presence known." The Wizard Saint then took a brief pause, in order to allow his wives to fully absorb his theory. "Haku-chan, Kushi-chan, and Miko-chan were also present at the shrine; however, I didn't ask them if they experienced anything comparable to what I had experienced. I assumed that it was a normal first-time sensation for mages so I left it at that. Later on when I learned more about my two different magical styles, I thought maybe those two separate forms of magic led to that first-time power release."

With a deep breath, the blond shinobi finished, "Now; I'm unsure if that's the case. To be perfectly honest with the six of you, I believe all of this revolves around my ability to wield Hurricane Magic."

In return; Mirajane's eyes widened significantly as she ran over what her handsome life-partner just voiced out – the other female mages shared similar reactions as they slowly processed his hypothesis on the matter. All of them knew about the all-powerful Ancient Spell. This specific genre of magic contains the three most authoritative magic known to mages: Pure Arts, Black Arts, and Primordial Art.

Like they say, nature is a mystery and it cannot hope to become unbalanced without bringing forth severe consequences. To oppose the darkness or Black Arts, there is the light or Pure Arts. That is a natural phenomenon because for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction. However; nature must hold an equilibrium of power. This statement was verified when Naruto met Zeref on Tenrou Island, where the Black Wizard laid out the fundamental for which Ancient Spell was built. In this; it became known that everything answers to the Primordial Art, or in other terms, Hurricane Magic.

"That… that is just unreal, but the theory does seem to add up." Ultear whispered as she finally regained her shaky composure. "I guess they're right to call it the Primordial Art."

"Damn right, dattebane." Kushina added in a daze, woozy from the earth-shattering presumption.

"Naru-kun." Haku began softly, gazing at her significant other. "From the explanation you've given us, I've gathered that your magical powers allowed you to unlock the Second Origin almost instantaneously. Is that why Ultear-chan was unable to unlock it for you?"

Humming, Earthland's Most Wanted nodded in the affirmative. "It does seems like the most logical explanation. I don't know how it's possible, but every single clue orbits around my adeptness to command Hurricane Magic." He scratched his chin before taking a deep sigh. "Maybe that's the reason why I struggled with even the most basic spells at the very start. It's because I somehow managed to utilize my dormant magic container without me even knowing it had awakened. However; once I finally got a hang of my powers, I was able to advance quicker than I had anticipated. It does seem to add up."

"That being said; I do have another hypothesis." Naruto continued with an analytical expression etched to his features, gazing at his speechless wives.

As the ladies remained speechless, the whiskered mage explained, "When I absorbed the powers of Acnologia and entered my Yin-Yang Dragon Mode for the first time, I felt something snap from within. This leads me to believe that the intense influx of magical power force-unlocked the Second Origin. So what's the real reason? Is it my Hurricane Magic that led to the advancement or is it due to my Yin-Yang Dragon Mode transformation? I don't know. But what I do know is that I'll have to pour even more effort in improving myself, now that I've unlocked my dormant powers."

The Ice Princess nodded dumbly and the others were also stumped for words. However; the consorts of the blond shinobi came to the realization that this scenario readily turned in their favor – all of them now had the Second Origin at their disposal. With their husband's powers increasing at a steady pace, the female mages became even more motivated to improve their respective magical styles.

"So did the Second Origin allow you girls to enhance your individual skillsets?" Naruto questioned in amusement before letting out a chuckle at the smirks his wives formed.

"But of course, koibito." Mikoto answered slyly, matching her husband's amused tone. "Even before awakening the Second Origin, I had remarkable control over my Inferno Magic. Then again, Fire was my strongest chakra affinity back in the Elemental Nations. Anyway; I trained endlessly to make sure I adapted to my newfound powers and now, my prowess in the art is phenomenal."

"When I uncovered the mysteries of Second Origin, I realized just how beneficial it was to both of my magical styles." Ultear spoke softly before conjuring up a delicate smile on her face. "If I continue to progress at this rate, I seriously believe with more vigorous training, I'll be able to surpass Ur kaa-san's level in the art of Ice-Make Magic. By the same token; by dedicating an ample amount of energy to my Arc of Time Magic, I'll surely be able to enhance its level as well."

Nodding, Erza crossed her arms. "I never thought I'd become this powerful in my Requip Magic; however, the difference has never been more evident." She voiced out and sighed happily at the turn of events. "Naru-kun; I've recently ordered a new armor that can withstand my newfound powers because my previous ones aren't doing the job. Maybe once it's ready, you can place your Fuinjutsu seals to improve its durability. I think that'll make for one killer armor."

"My proficiency I now have in Whirlpool Magic is awesome, dattebane." Kushina added her input, grinning widely at the love of her life. "Like Mikoto-chan's strongest affinity is Fire, mine is Water so it's understandable to see that I've come along quite nicely in my magical style. If I spend a few more months training with the aid of my shadow clones, I know I can easily achieve my magic's full potential."

"A few weeks ago while I was out on an S-Class mission, I came in contact with a few demons and destroyed them in a matter of seconds." Mirajane piped in cheerfully, literally bouncing on the comfy grass. "Due to another similar instance; I awakened a new Take-Over transformation and I think with the aid of the Second Origin, this new form is the most dominant one I have at my disposal."

With a small sigh, Haku finalized the conversation, "My prowess in Blizzard Magic has enhanced to a level I didn't know existed, but there is still so much more I can do to improve my skillset. I've recently taken the initiative to add my shadow clones into the mix in order to quicken the pace. The Second Origin has definitely paved way to a game changing development for all of us."

Naruto leaned back and smiled widely at the word exchange. He couldn't be more proud of his gorgeous wives – the sight of their pleased expressions made him feel very satisfied. He knew that even before attaining the Second Origin, his ladies were ruthless in their overall prowess.

"Although I'm itching to observe your newfound skills, I think it's best if we cool off on the training for the time being." Paladin of Pergrande announced warmly and established a loving smile at his beautiful spouses. "It's almost noon and we have to get ready to depart for the Guild in a few hours. Let's spend some quality time with the children for now and then we'll be on our way. Tomorrow, we'll host a thorough testing of your skills. Sound good?"

No words were required since the ladies were in agreement. All of them had decided to set aside today for a reunion at Fairy Tail so it made no sense for them to ruin it with training. With a radiant smile, Erza rose to her feet and nodded her head, while the other female mages imitated the action. Just then; Mikoto informed her husband that as of yet, neither she nor the others had told anyone about the Second Origin – they wanted to keep it a secret from the Guild members for now.

Naruto couldn't agree more with his wives' unified decision on the matter. In fact; he endorsed the idea of keeping this a secret for the time being. He was a shinobi back in the Elemental Nations – every ninja held at least a few tricks up their sleeves. That being said; they weren't going to leave their surrogate family in the dark for long. But before the White Dragon Slayer and his consorts could make their way towards the compound, a loud chatter from afar brought them to stop dead in their tracks.

At the same time; Leah and Wendy emerged outside the compound with their partners held protectively in their separate embraces. Fully changed into their battle armors, the two little girls had on their ANBU-style masks along with the Acnologia-scaled gloves their father gave to them a while back.

"GET READY, TOU-CHAN!" Leah exclaimed in a determined tone, while her big sister braced herself.

"Ara ara, you think you can take on your tou-chan?" Naruto asked slyly and formed a wide grin on his face at the nods he received. "Well come on then. Let's see what you got!"

The training ground became jam-packed with melodic laughter when the ladies of The White Flash came to terms with the sudden development. They realized their little sweethearts wished to showcase their skills in the hopes to make their loving tou-chan proud – not that it was needed. Each of the female mages knew without a shadow of a doubt that their husband would always be proud of the children, no matter what. With that; the women sat back down on the comfy grass, watching on the scene fondly.

In the interim; the White Dragon Slayer smirked as his offspring rushed towards him in a blazing speed and readied himself for the upcoming spar session. Dodging his youngest daughter's punch, he appeared behind his eldest in a black-tinged white flash and patted her on the head, causing her to growl cutely. Laughing, he blocked the frenzy series of punches and kicks aimed at him with the utmost ease – Carla and Yuna then made their presence known to aid their companions in the battle.

"Leah-chan!" Wendy shouted whilst skidding backwards, garnering her baby sister's attention. "Let's go for our combination attacks!"

In perfect synchronization, the two daughters of Earthland's Most Wanted got into their individual fighting stances and stared at their father intently. Darting ahead; the duo increased the speed of their movements and brought forth an impressive variety of Taijutsu – they had learnt a lot in the past month. Not willing to be left behind, the duo's companions jumped into their positions. Minutes passed as the quartet persisted with a relentless series of attacks; however, their current approach just didn't seem to pan out. Realizing the situation, all of them inched back and braced themselves.

Leah then jumped midair and performed an axe-kick, Wendy moved in with a stretched out fist, Carla twisted her body around with a round-house kick, while Yuna appeared to utilize one of her tail-strikes. This was considered to be their most powerful combination attack. Just then; the quartet stumbled and fell to the ground when their opponent suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving them bewildered. A consensus expression of confusion spread across their features as they turned around in order to glance at their surroundings. The children then mumbled angrily – their father was nowhere to be seen.

Looking at her wonderful kaa-chans on the sidelines, Yuna let out a series of frantic yips, causing the female mages in question to giggle at the adorable sight. Smiling warmly at her daughters, Mirajane pointed a finger dead ahead, showing where her husband was currently located. The remaining ladies shared similar smiles and watched on as the children revolved their heads once more.

"Mou... tou-chan!" Leah wailed at the amused look on her father's face. "Stop moving so fast!"

Naruto chuckled at the whiny tone and without a word, he got back into his fighting stance, to which the children made their way towards him at a furious pace. As he continued to block the combination techniques, he framed a big smile on his face at how far his daughters had come along. Into the momentum; he flashed behind the quartet and whistled to show his latest location, causing the youngsters in question to turn around before grumbling adorably at the change of pace.

With a smirk; the whiskered ninja dodged every attack and matched them blow for blow, but made sure he didn't put any force into his movement whatsoever. He would be damned if he harmed his daughters in any shape or form. He knew where each of them currently stacked up and none of them were at a stage where they could handle an excessive sequence of Taijutsu maneuvers. After all; he received the memories from his shadow clones who had been set aside to train the children during the past month.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

With a bright smile; Leah watched on in awe as her big sister's wind-induced magical technique lunged itself in the direction of her father. Carla and Yuna stood beside the little brunette and shared the smile she had on her face. Just then; the trio's expressions morphed and their eyes widened once the powerful maneuver became absorbed into a translucent-colored barrier in a matter of seconds.

Panting lightly to regain her composure, Wendy narrowed her eyes at the sight – she knew her attack wasn't going to connect but she had to try regardless of that fact. As the quartet joined forces once again, they readied themselves before charging after their opponent. Sweat started to roll down their foreheads but the kids didn't care about that – they were simply having too much fun right now.

Fifteen minutes later; Leah took off her mask and collapsed to her knees, bringing the spar session to a brief close. Even though she was a civilian and had no magical powers, the little brunette held a vast amount of stamina which didn't surprise the blond shinobi – she was truly his daughter. Wendy also appeared to be fatigued from the spar, but she fared better than her baby sister due to the fact she could wield magic and also because she was older. Likewise; Carla and Yuna were just as exhausted.

The situation made sense. Since none of the children had participated in a long-scaled battle scenario during the past month, it was comprehensible to see how a thirty minute non-stop spar session caused all of them to appear out of it. With a gentle smile on his face; Naruto sat down on the grass and pulled his daughters into his embrace before kissing each of them on the forehead – he couldn't be more pleased to see how much the children had grown. At the same time; the ladies approached the content group and sat down beside them with looks of paramount fondness etched to their features.

"Are you proud of us, tou-chan?" Leah asked eagerly, glancing up at her father. Wendy nodded in a haste since she also wanted to hear the answer. "We trained really hard."

"Now what kind of a question is that? Why wouldn't I be proud of my little angels?" Naruto responded in a kind tone and tightened his hold on the group. "From the very start of the battle, it became obvious to me how far each of you have come along. Not only did you perform flawlessly in your combination attacks, but you also had perfect timing. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact you worked together as a team and tried using that to your advantage."

Kissing his children on the head alternatively, the Wizard Saint finished, "You never have to ask if I'm proud of you. I'll forever be proud of my daughters, no matter what. I love all of you so much. Always remember that."

Leah, Wendy, and their companions lit up like stadium lights upon hearing the explanation – they knew their father would be proud of them but his heartwarming words truly made them feel special. Nuzzling their faces into his body, they sniffled into the progression, relishing in the heartwarming moment.

Meanwhile; the ladies of the White Dragon Slayer smiled softly at the beautiful sight. They heard each word spoken and it was just like each of them had thought – their husband would always be proud of the children. As a gentle breeze blew into the vicinity, the Uzumaki-Namikaze family basked in the peaceful atmosphere. Nothing was more precious than a loving family bonding moment.

(3 Hours Later: Fairy Tail Guild)

As evening time struck Magnolia Town; the entire populace of Fairy Tail stood outside the main gate of their Guild, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their fellow mage, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. A few days into the blond shinobi's departure, Makarov finally revealed where his subordinate had gone off to. Needless to say, the mages were shocked to the core – none of them had ever stepped foot out of Fiore; however, the blond shinobi was on a mission from the West corner of Earthland to the East.

That being said; the Guild members became very concerned about the details of that mission. They knew with the heavy reputation the man had, dark mages would descend upon him like infatuated moths to an intense flame. Slowly and steadily, their heavy concerns did seem to fade with each passing day as the ladies kept them posted whenever they visited the Guild. Now; the mages of Fairy Tail grinned from ear to ear – it was finally time for their blond-haired surrogate family member to arrive.

On the sidelines; the civilians of Magnolia Town were also awaiting the Slayer of the Apocalypse's arrival. A series of rumors had spread across the town and a majority of the townspeople, especially the man's fangirls, became quite eager to see him again. Just then; a black-tinged white flash made its presence known, to which everyone shuffled around in a comical, heated fashion.

"NARUTO NII-SAN!" Lisanna squealed loudly whilst dashing forward.

"Hey there, Lisanna-chan." Naruto said with a chuckle, hugging his excited sister-in-law.

Before the youngest Strauss sibling could even get another word out, she wailed as she was pulled away from her brother-in-law's embrace. With a glare set on Elfman, who was the one responsible for the action, she crossed her arms in annoyance while the male Strauss crushed the blond shinobi with his own enthusiastic embrace. Naruto wheezed out a smirk at the antics. Placing a hand over her mouth, Mirajane giggled at her siblings – the sound of Elfman's manly rants brought everyone to laugh.

The remaining ladies watched on the scene with radiant smiles on their faces – the children of course were the most happy to see their Guild members act in such a manner. Following suit; the whiskered ninja enjoyed the reunion with each of his surrogate family members. Jiraiya, Gildarts, and Makarov were the last to embrace their fellow mage, who was more than willing to return the action.

Meanwhile; Mikoto flashed her Sharingan and let out a vicious growl aimed at her husband's fangirls, causing all of them to stumble back and pale in the highest degree of fear. With a dark smirk etched to her features, she wordlessly deactivated her dojutsu – she knew those hussies couldn't do a damn thing about it. The rest of the blond shinobi's wives became content with their sister's actions – none of them had any intention of allowing those stupid fangirls anywhere near their beloved significant other.

"You girls haven't changed." Katsya said with a giggle, amused by her surrogate little sisters.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Katsya nee-san?" Haku asked in an innocent tone, to which the female vampire laughed merrily.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun." Makarov said warmly, glancing up at the blond shinobi. "I'm positive that you have a lot to tell and by the same token, we have a lot to ask. I think we should head inside the Guild so we can have ourselves a conversation."

Not requiring another word; the large group made their way inside the Guild Hall, provoking the civilians of Magnolia Town to scamper off in the opposite direction.

Once Naruto and his family entered the confines of the large structure, they smiled at the welcoming sight. An enormous spread of cuisines were positioned on several of the tables, music resonated from numerous in-wall speakers, while banners dangled down from the ceiling – it truly was a welcome home party in every sense of the word. Following suit; Naruto, his wives, and his children took their respective seats. Each of the members of the Guild immediately sat down nearby and became highly attentive – a pin drop silence observed.

"Wow this is the first time I've seen Fairy Tail so civil." The White Flash said coolly, causing a majority of the populace to chuckle in amusement.

"Well…" Lisanna trailed off in a not-so hidden cheeky tone. "…I've taught Natsu-kun how to behave."

Natsu grumbled at the female Strauss' words, to which the half-hearted chuckles morphed into wide-spread laughter. It seemed impossible; however, with a vicious lashing, Lisanna somehow managed to suppress the Fire Dragon Slayer's brash attitude. He remained over-eccentric at times, but only when it was warranted. Due to this course of action, Natsu had finally begun to display a level of maturity.

"Aye…" Happy nodded in agreement, pleased at his partner's growth.

"Meh. I don't see much improvement in flame-brain's character." Gray snorted in a flat tone. He then smirked at his female companion, who shook her head comically. "Isn't that right, Juvia-chan?"

Juvia giggled at the word exchange and held onto the black-haired man's hand tightly. She was so pleased to see how close the two of them had grown over the passage of time. Gray readily accepted her a while back. The mages of Fairy Tail were aware of the duo's closeness and were happy for them. This went to show almost everyone at the Guild had matured significantly – as they say, life is too short.

Due to Fairy Tail's reputation which was skyrocketing with each passing day, the populace knew they had to act accordingly. The other Legal Guilds were trying their best to one-up them so they couldn't afford to showcase themselves as troublemakers. Even the most verbal of the mages understood they had to branch out of their former childish tendencies. After all; it was in their best interests.

"Frozen turd." Natsu growled, prompting a back and forth between him and the Ice-Make wielder.

'…then again, some things never change.' The blond shinobi thought in hilarity, entertained by the duo's antics.

Leah and Wendy laughed melodically at the two bickering mages. Whenever they made their routine visits at the Guild with their parents, they always saw Natsu and Gray engaged in childish arguments. Beside the little girls, the ladies watched on the humorous scene – this made for one nostalgic sight.

Eyes twinkling in mischief, Levy hummed. "Gajeel-kun also knows how to be polite now." She added in a smug tone, trigging another round of laughter.

With a sigh; Gajeel slumped into his seat. He truly hated the lectures his female companion gave him every so often regarding proper etiquettes. However; he did understand the situation and since Fairy Tail had a reputation to uphold, he realized he had to fix himself up. He couldn't afford to be a frequent troublemaker any longer – he was actually thankful for Levy being so attentive towards him.

'Heh.' Pantherlily thought with a smirk, amused at his partner. 'That girl has beaten some much-need sense into you, Gajeel. At least you don't whine anymore. That's a load off my back.'

"These troublesome brats have matured. Seeing them grow has made everything worthwhile." Makarov voiced out proudly, easily matching his pride-filled expression. "Now I think it's time we heard about your journey, Naruto-kun." With a chuckle, he shook his head at his subordinate. "Or should I say… Paladin of Pergrande."

Kushina grinned widely at the mention of her husband's latest moniker – she, like the rest of the ladies, were very proud to see how much influence the blond shinobi had all over Earthland. Not only did his achievement enhance the Uzumaki-Namikaze family's reputation, but it also secured Fairy Tail's position as the strongest Legal Guild in the nation of Fiore. The other Guilds weren't even in the same league.

Letting out a chuckle of his own, the White Dragon Slayer questioned, "Where should I begin?"

"I think the Pergrande Kingdom is the place to start, otouto." Gildarts piped into the conversation, smiling at his surrogate little brother. "Rumor has spread all across Earthland of how you fought a war to obtain your new moniker. I for one want to know why that war came into existence."

A little over two weeks ago; Jiraiya and Gildarts heard of this development from one of their spy network clients while they were off on a mission. Katsya, who was among the duo, became highly concerned for the blond shinobi's health. To hear the man fought in a war completely caught the trio off guard, even though they believed in his strength and that he could take care of himself. Jiraiya knew this better than anyone, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned for his former student's well-being.

However; due to an unfortunate incident, the spy network teammates were unable to communicate with the White Dragon Slayer. Within the confines of the town they were situated in, the local power grid station technicians accidentally unleashed a dangerous electromagnetic pulse, which fried the internal circuits of every nearby technological device, including the ones that were pure lacrima based.

Jiraiya, Gildarts, and Katsya, each of whom had their respective Communication Lacrima on their person at that time, were left bewildered at the infuriating turn of events. The residents of that town were on the same exact page. When the trio finally got their devices repaired, it was too late – the blond was already on route. It made no sense for them to ask such questions then.

Espying the consensus reaction, Naruto leaned back into his chair. "The nation of Pergrande is occupied by samurai and there are no mages present. Their leader goes by the name Kazuhiko Nobuyoshi." Taking a sigh, he scratched the back of his head. "When I stepped foot into the Kingdom, I could tell something was amiss. It turned out that I wasn't wrong in my assumption."

"What happened?" Jiraiya inquired, ready to hear more of the story.

With his eyes fixed on the populace, The White Flash continued, "A war broke loose the following morning and almost 6,500 enemy samurai emerged into the picture."

"6,500?!" Loke yelled in disbelief, his eyes wide as saucers. The others fared no better – they were undeniably shocked at the revelation.

Regaining her composure, Levy shook her head. "That is far too convenient." She muttered under her breath, confusion evident in her tone of voice. "It's highly illogical to assume that this wasn't planned beforehand. It makes no sense for an army of such magnitude to surface overnight."

"I agree." Freed added his input with a frown on his face. "Naruto-san. The way in which you phrased your statement leads me to believe Pergrande's King was unaware of the army's arrival. What I would like to know is: how did almost six and a half thousand soldiers appear without the King's knowledge?"

"I was just getting to that." Earthland's Most Wanted retorted calmly, triggering the crowd to squirm impatiently for the answer.

"Levy-san, Freed-san. The both of you are correct. Kazuhiko-dono wasn't aware of this development. It's because the opposing side's leader was his own brother." As a majority of the populace gasped loudly at the revelation, Naruto cleared his throat in order to diffuse the reaction. Once the mages hesitantly settled down, he sighed deeply. "Yes. That's why. Hiro Nobuyoshi, the King's brother, orchestrated everything leading up to the war. He allowed those samurai to enter the nation of Pergrande."

Scratching his chin, Makarov stared at his subordinate. "Okay; that explains how those enemies entered the nation and in such a discrete manner." He spoke into the silence whilst narrowing his eyes. "But why did the King's own flesh and blood instigate this despicable betrayal?"

"Isn't it obvious, ji-ji?" Naruto stated in the same calm tone before shaking his head. "Greed. Hiro was power hungry and wanted to gain control over the Pergrande Kingdom. He thought his brother's lenient attitude towards his subjects was unfitting for a King. He took it upon himself to persuade other samurai to his cause. He wanted to become a tyrant and rule with an iron fist."

Many were seen frowning while others were seen gritting their teeth – they couldn't believe the gall of this foolish Hiro character who betrayed not only the Kingdom but also his own brother. The mages of Fairy Tail considered one another as family; they didn't take the knowledge of this family-feud kindly.

"What a stupid man." Natsu stated fiercely with fire blazing from his clenched fists.

Once the mages reluctantly settled down, the Wizard Saint proceeded, "I took the lead and went charging ahead with Toma-dono's subordinates who were my teammates on the mission. Kento Nakajima, the Pergrande King's royal guard, also tagged along with us. With my speed, I eradicated around three-quarter of the enemy samurai, while the others performed amiably as well. Hiro wasn't present on the battlefield because he was somewhere else at the time. Anyway; the war came to a close in a few hours and at the end of it all, Kazuhiko-dono remained King of the nation of Pergrande."

The ladies smiled at their fellow mages, all of whom were fully enshrouded in the story telling. After all; their husband had informed them of the war during his regular late-night calls so they weren't surprised right now. Even though they had informed the Guild members with their lover's progress during the travel, they hadn't revealed anything specific. All of them had decided to let their husband reveal the information himself when he arrived home – suspense can be a good thing once in a while.

Meanwhile; Leah and Wendy frowned, an expression their respective partners mimicked. When the quartet heard their father had fought in a war, they became scared beyond belief. The most frantic reaction came from Yuna but it made perfect sense – she is the baby of the family, after all. Needless to say, it took the ladies a while to calm their offspring down. Once the children talked with their father later that night, their worries were put to ease when they saw that he was completely fine.

"Damn… Naruto-san took care of almost the entire army by himself." Laxus whispered in awe, his eyes widened at the revelation.

As numerous mages nodded dumbly to Laxus' input, Gajeel cleared his throat. "How did the King of Pergrande deal with his brother?" He asked in a wise tone, propping his elbows against the table. "You explained that Pergrande is samurai populated. Moreover, you deliberately left out the information regarding Hiro, the one responsible for the war. That means a battle to the death transpired between the two brothers. Am I correct?"

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto manifested a small smile. "Wow; I'm very impressed, Gajeel-san. May I ask how you reached that verdict?" He voiced out, inwardly surprised by the man's reasoning.

"…me." Gajeel murmured timidly, perplexing the entire populace of Fairy Tail.

"Was that your impersonation of a mute mouse, Gajeel-san?" Earthland's Most Wanted queried in a blunt tone, staring at the Iron Dragon Slayer. "If so, allow me to be the first to congratulate you on a job well done."

Mikoto fell off her chair and laughed hysterically at her husband's comment – she always enjoyed his sense of humor. Wiping her tears that came from the heavy laughter, she sat back down and turned to glance over at her sisters, all of whom were still laughing at the word exchange. All in all; a volcanic laughter erupted inside the Guild Hall, instigating the Iron Dragon Slayer to seethe in rage.

'Only you could transform a serious situation into a laughing matter, otouto.' Gildarts thought in amusement, chuckling at the turn of events.

"I…" Gajeel hissed in a snake-like fashion, irritated by the blond's sly remark. "…I said it's because Levy-chan makes me read history books in our free time."

Letting out a giggle, Levy rubbed her male companion's back as a means of comfort. Once the members of Fairy Tail caught onto the Iron Dragon Slayer's answer, the volume brought forth from the consensus laughter increased manifold. Following suit; Gajeel growled in embarrassment – he should've just remained silent instead. His recently discovered maturity appeared to be rather disadvantageous.

"You're right, Gajeel-san." Naruto answered with his smile intact and nodded his head. "I did leave out that information because Hiro and Kazuhiko-dono engaged in a battle to the death. I also explained how Kazuhiko-dono remained King so it's no mystery as to who won that fight."

With a deep breath, Paladin of Pergrande finished, "Moving on; the aftermath of the war was not a pleasant sight because the long-ranged battle completely destroyed the landscape. It took a week to reconstruct the nation, even with over a hundred shadow clones lending a hand. On the final day of our stay, Kazuhiko-dono presented me with my new moniker. That's how I obtained it."

In return; silence reigned supreme inside the Guild Hall. A majority of the mages readily accepted the information, while others were processing it with greater detail. Now they realized why the blond shinobi was granted with yet another moniker – it made sense. All in all, the members of Fairy Tail became very pleased – this gave them even more motivation to improve themselves.

"What a manly story!" Elfman exclaimed with a grin on his face.

The male Strauss strongly pictured his brother-in-law to be the personification of manliness – that came to no surprise to the Fairy Tail populace. Elfman remained eccentric at moments, but like the rest of his Guild mates, he also matured significantly. To this day; it remains a mystery whether Evergreen played a part in this development or not, but the female mage's smile spoke volumes of her appreciation.

'He's such a man-baby.' Evergreen thought with a giggle, glancing over at her male companion. 'Then again… he is my man-baby.'

"Okay that makes sense, Naruto-kun." Jiraiya added, satisfied by his former student's explanation. He knew enough of the Bushido Code to comprehend the situation. "I do have a question I want to ask you, but it can wait for now."

The Wizard Saint merely nodded – he knew what his former teacher wanted to talk about; however, now wasn't the appropriate time to host such a serious exchange. Rotating his vision towards his Guild's leader, he spotted the old man's firm nod, conveying that the discussion was going to be held very soon.

"Naruto-san, what about the treaty?" Laxus inquired in the utmost curiosity, eyes fixed at his fellow blond mage. "A little over 2 weeks ago, a rumor spread about the King's unsuspected departure. Ji-ji informed us that Fiore and Pergrande have recently joined forces; however, none of us were given the specifics. Even now we're unaware of the treaty details. Care to fill in the blanks?"

"I wish I could, but I can't." Naruto replied in a firm tone and shook his head. "I promised Toma-dono that I would remain silent until he decided to announce the details himself. So I hope you can understand my reasoning on the matter."

The Fairy Tail populace were a little depressed by the answer but all of them understood their fellow mage's point of view – they couldn't ask him to break such a promise. Even the ladies were unaware of the treaty details because of that very same reason. Therefore; the gathered crowd readily came to terms with the development, knowing the King would shed light on the situation sooner or later.

"What about the Country of Bellum?" Alzack asked in concern, prompting a few mages to widen their eyes at the mention. "It's called the Land of War for a reason. Are the wars still going on?"

As the hall occupants became engulfed in muteness, Naruto shook his head. "The wars are no longer a problem in Bellum. The nation is a barren wasteland now." He said flatly, easing the worry evident on a majority of the mages' faces. "There's literally nothing of interest whatsoever; unless of course you wish to sightsee thousands upon thousands of human skulls and bones."

Bisca turned pale at the statement because dead corpses terrified her to no end. She decided to never travel anywhere near the Country of Bellum – Fiore is the best place to stay. Almost every mage shared the same thought process – why would they willingly step foot into such an area? Since he stood firm on the decision to respect the Konol tribe's privacy, Naruto deliberately left out the information.

Toma. E. Fiore and his followers were aware of the tribespeople because they got a chance to greet them on their way back to Fiore. whereas the ladies were granted a virtual tour of the tribe due to a Video Communication Lacrima session. That being said; what truly went down in Bellum remained a mystery to all but the blond shinobi – he made good on his promise to Kolya, the tribe's chief.

"You travelled to the Country of Joya as well. Didn't you, Naruto-san?" Espying the nod, Macao crossed his arms. "Is… is it true?" His eyes began to twinkle while drool trickled down his chin, irritating many of the nearby mages. "Are the people filthy rich?!"

"Mou…" Yuna yipped in a whiny tone, glaring at the dark blue-haired man. "…ugly."

In a comical fashion; Macao slid off his seat and visibly blanched at the insult made to his facial appearance. At that very second, each and every female in the vicinity cooed at the tiny fox who they considered to be the epitome of adorableness. Watching on as her wailing fox partner got yanked back and forth by the squealing group of women individually, Leah held her ribs and laughed loudly.

A majority of the men merely shook their heads with Natsu being the most vocal – everyone at Fairy Tail knew about Macao's occasional hunger for treasures. Then again; with the exception of the ladies, no one was given a full-depth explanation about the Country of Joya. Rumor had it that the people in that specific nation were calculated to be the wealthiest people in Earthland. So the Guild mates were interested to learn more about the nation that also went by the name Land of Jewel.

"They're doing all right, Macao-san." Naruto responded coolly, amused by the man's infatuation for materialistic items. "To be perfectly honest, we stepped into Joya and swiftly made our way out. Since we had a fixed time schedule to maintain, we couldn't afford to needlessly prolong our journey."

With that; the Guild mates launched a sequence of questions aimed at the White Dragon Slayer but out of everyone who spoke, Laki Olietta clearly stood out from the rest. Instead of following the others, she seemed adamant on gathering knowledge about the Country of Bosco, or the Land of Wood. That came to no surprise to the others – Laki was a Wood-Make user, after all. After an hour passed into the seemingly never-ending conversation, the Guild mates were finally satisfied.

Leaning back into his chair; Naruto sighed. "All right. I've answered each question so it's only fair I ask a question of my own." He smiled at the numerous nods he received in return. "How do you all like the new dormitories?"

"I LOVE IT!" Lucy cried, to which a bulk of the hall occupants, cringed at the volume.

Eyes wide at the realization, the blonde-haired girl lowered her head. "Oops… sorry." She added with a sheepish chuckle, embarrassed at her recent faux pas. "I do love the new dormitory, Naruto-san. The contractor came to the Guild and asked each of us about our personal preferences. When the construction was complete, I couldn't believe how luxurious my dorm turned out to be. It's even more luxurious than the room I had back at the Heartfilia Konzern."

The other mages could only agree wholeheartedly to their peer's input. It was an honor to have Fiore's highest-ranked contractor behind the construction of the new dormitories. Not only that; but the whiskered shinobi's shadow clones proved to be a major help for the outer infrastructure, along with the security enhancement those replicas made to the building via Fuinjutsu seals. Naruto made sure that no expense was spared – this was a gift from him and his wives to Fairy Tail, after all.

Although the Guild mates were unaware of the total cost of the construction, their jaws met the ground once their Guild Master revealed how much the Uzumaki-Namikaze family had spent on them – a total of 350 Million Jewels. Once the members of Fairy Tail drifted back to the realm of the living, the men and women graciously accepted the generous gesture and took delight in moving into their respective dormitories.

With a nod, Cana grinned. "Not only is my personal dorm insanely spacious, but it also has a wonderful built-in bar that the contractor installed in the room." She chirped merrily, tilting her head from side to side. "There's also a bar on the main lounge of the female dormitory, which contains an endless stock of drinks. Not to mention the bar located here at the Guild. What more could I possibly need?"

"What you need to do is learn how to cut back on your needless drinking, Cana-chan." Laxus groaned at his female companion's response. "It's become a bothersome habit."

Narrowing her eyes, the Card Magic user snapped, "Oh shut it, Laxus-kun."

Gildarts merely sighed at his daughter's behavior, a reaction his companion Katsya shared. Ever since the female vampire came into his life, she readily brought up the notion to help get Cana off her alarming drinking habit. The duo didn't mind if she drank in moderation, but the way she devoured those drinks nowadays troubled them to no end. When Laxus came to them and raised the issue, the duo became even more concerned. Mage or not, such a steadfast addiction is not healthy.

Following suit; the Crash Magic wielder and his female companion tried to talk sense into the young brunette; however, they just couldn't achieve the result they desired. Cana did seem to settle down somewhat due to the conversation – she realized her father wasn't pleased by her overgrowing obsession over alcohol. After that episode; Gildarts and Katsya gave the young woman some space, but knew should it go too far, they would have to take the necessary precautions. The both of them cared too much for her to let the endless alcohol consumption continue to go unsupervised.

The other Guild mates cheerfully voiced out their own appreciation – all of them told the White Dragon Slayer how much they treasured their new living accommodations. Naruto, his wives, and his children smiled at the enthusiastic group and happily basked in each word spoken. But before Elfman could explain how manly his spacious room was, he paused once he heard a loud shuffling noise.

"I hate to be the one to break this interaction apart…" Makarov trailed off whilst reaching for his coat pocket. "…but there's something I need you all to see."

Fairy Tail's Guild Master then took out a small package and held it in his hands, puzzling many of his gathered subordinates. As soon as he unwrapped the item, a stream of bright light shot upward and caused a video screen to hover midair – this was a holographic letter. Although such technology was a common sight to behold in Earthland, the old man's tone spoke volumes of its seriousness. With that; the crowd settled down as a unit and narrowed their eyes at the screen, while the holographic words from the letter slowly began to decrypt into a readable format.

"Salutations, Legal Guilds of Fiore.

According to Earthland's most notable historians, a rough estimate of four hundred years ago, dragon-kind reigned supreme over all mankind. Then, a devastating incident transpired which shook the very fabric of reality – an episode that came to be recognized as the Dragon Civil War. Due to this course of action, many lives were lost – the population of both man and beast left shattered in its wake. However; a lone creature known by all to be the Apocalypse Dragon made his presence known and self-proclaimed himself to be the Dragon King. That event was forever etched into history as the Dragon King Festival.

Articulated directly from scholars who studied ancient hieroglyphics and tablets, The Dragon King Festival was a ritual devised to crown the next Dragon King – an event Acnologia dominated on every occasion, thereby allowing him to sustain the self-proclaimed title. Since the last noted ritual was held nearly two centuries ago, not many from this generation are aware of its existence. Although this information hasn't been accredited, it's ill-advised to blatantly refute such a large claim.

Having said all of that, I believe it's finally time for a revolution. Therefore; I, Toma E. Fiore, hereby nullify the notion of the Dragon King Festival in order to usher in a new era which will from this moment onward, be forever etched into history as the Grand Magic Games. So let it be written, so let it be done.

The Grand Magic Games will be an annual competition and its sole purpose is to effectively determine the strongest Legal Guild in Fiore; however, no Dark Guild is permitted entry. I've specifically designed Domus Flau – a large arena located on the west mountains in Crocus, Fiore's capital, to be the location where this yearly event shall be held. As this is going to be the 1st ever Grand Magic Games tournament, I request every Legal Guild to enter – the Guild Masters themselves are not allowed to participate. This tournament will be held approximately 6 months from now. The rules, fixed time, and exact date of this event shall be handed out to each Master of the participating Legal Guilds at the next meeting of the Guild Masters.

On another note: Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Fiore's own and S-Class mage of Fairy Tail, has been appointed to be the esteemed guest of this 1st ever Grand Magic Games. As many are aware, Naruto-dono slayed the legendary Apocalypse Dragon and saved us all from the beast that has brought destruction upon Earthland for the past four centuries. The battle between the two of them has been viewed throughout the nations. There will be a special ceremony held to initiate the Grand Magic Games and to announce another matter which shall be kept secret until the dawn of the tournament. For now, please observe patience until the next meeting of the Guild Masters to learn more about this upcoming event.

I advise each legal mage to train hard so he or she can make their Guild proud. That's it for now. If any changes are to occur later down the road, you'll be informed accordingly. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Toma E. Fiore. "

The populace of Fairy Tail were poles apart in their reaction towards this holographic letter. Some of them had their eyes widened to comical proportions, some had their jaws dropped rather painfully, while others illustrated their impressive acting skills by gaping like fish – this took all but one by surprise.

"O-oh sweet Kami-sama…" Reedus mumbled as he dropped his paintbrush – the portable canvas on his lap crushed by the pressure infused into his vibrating hands.

"Naru-kun…" Haku trailed off once she gradually regained her shaky composure. "…why didn't you tell us about this?"

The remaining ladies nodded almost robotically – no words dared escaped their lips. None of them had even fathomed a possibility of such a large-scaled tournament. This dwarfed the importance presented in the S-Class Exams. This was going to be a battle between the Legal Guilds, after all. Beside the women, their daughters also appeared dazed out of their minds from this earth-shattering revelation.

"Toma-dono revealed his plan to craft the Grand Magic Games while we were at the Pergrande Kingdom." Naruto stated flatly and smirked at the overall comical reaction. "He wanted to finalize the tournament details when we got back to Fiore. I promised to keep it a secret until he gave me the permission to disclose the information."

Scratching the back of his head, Earthland's Most Wanted continued, "But I am a little surprised to see the announcement so early. From what we had discussed, I assumed that he would reveal the details about the Grand Magic Games at the next meeting of the Guild Masters. Then again; he hasn't disclosed much of the details in this letter."

With a heavy breath, Makarov nodded to the blond's input. "I see. Well I'm not too surprised by the mention of that Dragon King Festival. After all; we all saw that battle against Acnologia firsthand. What surprised me was the mention of this upcoming Grand Magic Games tournament." He spoke with a small smile. He didn't know what lied ahead for his subordinates but had the utmost belief in them. "I can tell that the next Guild Masters meeting is going to be an earful. I'm sure that every legal mage who plans to participate in this tournament is itching to find out more about it."

With the recollection of the Apocalypse Dragon, Natsu clenched his fists – he still didn't know what happened to his dragon parent Igneel and he wanted to find out. Gajeel shared a similar thought process – he needed to uncover the mysteries behind Metalicana's disappearance. The duo were then pulled away from their internal struggles once their respective partners looked at them in concern.

"DAMN STRAIGHT JI-JI!" Natsu roared as he hastily reverted back into his trademark attitude whilst smacking his fists together. "I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

Lisanna giggled at her companion's enthusiasm but had to admit – the sheer magnitude of this approaching event was unreal to say the least. The other mages of Fairy Tail were chattering loudly amongst themselves – all of them undeniably shocked to the core by the mention of this new event.

"So you've been named esteemed guest, otouto?" Gildarts said asked with his voice laced in pride before crossing his arms. "Sounds good to me."

"What I want to know is: how many people are allowed to enter this tournament?" Gray asked with a rub of his temples, showing his curious state. "There's a lot that has been revealed but at the same time, the lack of details leaves much to be desired."

Before the blond shinobi could answer, Laxus cleared his throat. "Naruto-san. I know you made a promise to the King to remain silent, but can you at least tell us about the special ceremony?" He asked in the utmost seriousness, staring at his fellow mage. "I'll even be content to know the time of the event than to know absolutely nothing whatsoever."

The other mages were in agreement. If this was anything like the S-Class Exams tournament, then there would definitely be a limited number of contestants allowed passage. This made for one confusing scenario – how could they possibly choose who or who not to send to the tournament? Then again; they didn't know what to expect from this newly-coined tournament.

"Truth be told, I'm unaware of the details." Naruto answered calmly and chuckled at the way numerous mages deflated. "The purpose of the Grand Magic Games tournament and the fact I was selected to be its esteemed guest – that's all I know at this moment. Toma-dono himself was unsure of the full-depth rules and regulations and that's why he wanted to finalize his plans when we arrived back to Fiore."

As the members of Fairy Tail agreed with the blond shinobi's reasoning on the matter, a majority of them went over the details of the holographic letter to give it another thorough read. Apart from the place allocated for the tournament, nothing else was revealed in the letter. Therefore; the populace would just have to wait until the next Guild Masters meeting to learn more about the forthcoming Grand Magic Games. To say their interests were piqued was the understatement of the century.

"I'm so happy that my husband is going to be the esteemed guest for this tournament!" Ultear chirped in a cheerful tone, while the other ladies grinned along to the input.

"True that, Ultear-chan!" Mirajane high-fived her sister with a cheery tone of her own. "With Naru-kun selected to initiate the Grand Magic Games, our Guild will gain an even greater reputation."

"We have to prepare ourselves, dattebane." Kushina said seriously as she ran a few fingers through her luscious red hair. "I am positive that this tournament will be unlike anything we've ever seen before."

"Oh loosen up, Kushina-chan." Mikoto retorted slyly, causing her best friend to roll her eyes. "Fairy Tail has a total of 10 S-Class mages. No matter what; we're going to win this tournament because those other Legal Guilds don't even stand a ghost of a chance."

Makarov smiled at the interaction – he knew that with his Guild's reputation skyrocketing by the day, his subordinates would face no problems in this upcoming tournament. As a matter of fact, a majority of citizens all across Earthland have self-proclaimed Fairy Tail to be the strongest Guild of all-time. However; the Grand Magic Games could easily transform that unofficial status into an official one.

Just then; Makarov turned serious. "Naruto-kun." He spoke in a tone that easily matched his serious expression. "I think we need to have a few words. The presence of your wives is also required."

The White Flash merely gave a nod – he could see how troubled his surrogate-grandfather appeared at the moment. Redirecting his vision towards his wives, he descried the overall serious reaction, showing how each of them felt on the matter. As the rest of the Guild mates were too busy chatting amongst themselves, none of them paid any attention to this inaudible back and forth.

Makarov then discretely gestured for Jiraiya and Gildarts to tag along, and the duo did so without a second of hesitation. Watching on as her two spy network teammates walked away; Katsya stood confused by the sudden development, but she didn't want to question her wise leader's judgment.

"Are you four going to be all right here?" Naruto asked as he crouched down and smiled warmly at his precious little daughters.

"Hai, tou-chan!" Leah chirped merrily. "We'll hang out with Katsya oba-chan!"

"That's right! We're going to have so much fun today, Leah-chan!" Katsya matched her surrogate niece's giddy tone, smiling the whole while. "Don't worry, otouto. I'm more than happy to babysit the kids."

Nodding, Naruto smiled at his surrogate sister and patted her on the shoulder, to which the woman in question widened her smile. As Gildarts considered the blond shinobi to be his surrogate little brother, it made sense for Katsya to recognize the man in the same respect. Naruto welcomed the idea with open arms, while the ladies already treated the female vampire like she was their older sister-figure.

"Today I'm going to brush your fur, Yuna-chan." Lisanna cooed with her eyes sparkling in joy. "I even brought you the candies you like!"

Yuna purred adorably at the notion – she cherished those rainbow colored candies. A few meters away; Carla sighed as she was hauled away by Happy, who began ranting about the wonders of fish, causing Natsu to snicker at the events transpired. Watching on the scene; Mirajane smiled at her wonderful younger sibling who had always been gentle towards her beautiful little sweethearts.

All in all, the ladies were content with leaving their children behind with their surrogate family – they could trust them blindly. With that; Naruto and his wives gave out one final warm glance at the large gathering of people before all of them took off towards the staircase a safe distance away.

(Inside Makarov Dreyer's Office)

Twisting the handle to the well-secured door, the Slayer of the Apocalypse entered his Guild Master's office. Allowing his wives to step inside first, he followed suit a second later before he shut the door behind him. Currently; Jiraiya, Gildarts, and Makarov were seated in their respective chairs with paramount seriousness etched to their features. Mimicking the facial expressions, the group eased into the chairs nearby and braced themselves – the thick air within the confines reeked of dire importance.

"Naruto-kun." Makarov began in a stern tone, staring at his subordinate. "I'm glad that you've established an ever greater name for yourself by accepting Toma-dono's mission. However; by doing so, you triggered a cataclysmic reaction from the Dark Guilds." Worry and concern filled his eyes as the blond shinobi sat there with his normal, emotionless gaze. "Tartarus has now raised their bounty to a total of 5 Billion Jewels. You do know what that means, right?"

Erza gritted her teeth at the word exchange. She, and the rest of the ladies, knew just how dangerous this situation had become. It was like witnessing a visual metamorphosis – the Dark Guilds were no longer playing games. The hatred those dark mages held for Earthland's Most Wanted transformed hysterically, and the ladies weren't going to allow the slandering of their husband's name to persist.

"Jiraiya and I have exhausted our resources in the attempt to learn more about Tartarus, but we haven't made any significant progress." Gildarts pierced the thick silence like a sword embedded deep into a person's flesh. "We've gone through almost every lead imaginable, but they all proved to be dead ends thus far. It's like those clues were planned out from the very start."

"Otouto's explanation regarding the disappearance of Dark Guilds makes sense." The Crash Magic wielder continued, giving the group some time to process his speech. "For the past few months now, it seemed like the dark mages went into hibernation. Since they're well aware of otouto's prowess, it's logical for them to cut their losses and take their leave from Fiore. It took us a lot of time to track them down and put an end to their existence. Even when we interrogated those dark mages, we weren't able to learn anything specific about Tartarus or their objectives."

With a nod of his head, Jiraiya cleared his throat. "A client of mine had a lead on Tartarus; however, I wasn't given a chance to get in contact with him." He added to his teammate's input, concern laced in his tone of voice. "I'll have to pay him a personal visit later on this weekend because he doesn't use any technological devices. Whatever I uncover from him will have to be taken into consideration. We have to expect the unexpected."

The two spy network partners then fixed their visions at their fellow room occupants, all of whom seemed to be submerged deep in thought. Allowing the group of mages time to process this information; Jiraiya and Gildarts breathed heavily, knowing this was a lot to take in. There were so many factors involved in this development so the reaction met from the group was justified.

"Tartarus will be wiped out sooner or later. I'll make sure of that." Naruto declared in a monotone-like voice with his eyes morphed into iced chips. "The day when I fought against Acnologia, I sensed a major shift in the dark auras present inside Fiore; however, I wasn't given enough time to gather the source of the reading. When I sent a shadow clone to investigate, he came back empty-handed."

Kushina nodded along to her significant other's explanation, showing she had also sensed the disturbance back then. Nonetheless; with Zeref on the island and the Apocalypse Dragon arriving shortly after, Red Death understood how sensing the fluctuating dark energies became rather difficult.

"Even when I stepped foot into Fiore upon the completion of my mission, I still couldn't pinpoint the assembly of dark energies that I had sensed all those months ago." The whiskered ninja proceeded, expressions still bereft of emotion. "Therefore; I can only hypothesize that those dark mages have utilized some sort of magical suppression seal."

"But how do they expect to live with their magic sealed off?" Mirajane asked gravely, disturbed by the mere thought. "It makes no sense!"

With a sigh; Mikoto shook her head as she voiced out, "Chakra suppression works somewhat similarly. If you're able to create a powerful seal, you can seal off your chakra to prevent yourself from getting sensed – though it would prevent you from using any jutsu. A refined magical seal could very well do the same for mages."

"So…" Erza gasped at the revelation. "…so what you're saying is that such a seal could allow those dark mages to hide from sensors, but also allow them to continue on with their daily lives?"

At the firm nod; Erza, Mirajane, and Ultear became highly alarmed by the word exchange. The only one unfazed by the development was Red Death, who was a master in the sealing arts. With the knowledge they had on the subject, both Naruto and Kushina invented the Magical Suppression Seal which allowed them to detain a mage from using magic. After spending more time on the seal; the duo took it a step further and brought forth a technique that could suppress magic but also keep the mage conscious. All of the ladies knew this; however, they didn't fathom the possibility that those dark mages were able to perform such a feat.

"Someone from Tartarus must be a Runes Magic wielder." Kushina spoke strongly, her expressions cold and detached. "Otherwise; it's impossible for them to hide their presence from sensors like Naru-kun and myself. Even if they are hidden somewhere, we should've at least got a faint reading. Unless th-"

"…unless they've placed seals on their hideout." Naruto finished his red-haired wife's sentence and narrowed his eyes. The ones unaware of such a development looked on gravely. "Apart from taking refuge within the confines of an extremely dense environment or a place surrounded by wildlife, an outside seal could easily negate the effects of a sensor. If the mage is extremely powerful and holds a vast amount of magical energy, a refined magical suppression seal on their person could very well hide them from well-established sensors like Kushi-chan and myself."

Propping his elbows against the table, Makarov shook his head. "Maybe a dark mage somehow found out about your sensory abilities and relayed the information back to Tartarus." He rubbed his temples for what seemed like the hundredth time and sighed deeply. "That could be the reason why that Dark Guild even bothered to hide themselves from public view. It does appear to be the most logical explanation."

"That being said; I could be wrong, ji-ji. Tartarus could also be hidden up in the skies." The White Flash stated, to which his Guild Master's features hardened. "I have to take every possibility into consideration. Should those dark mages be on some sort of airship, they don't even need to have magical suppression seals to hide their energy source. Once a structure achieves a certain height above, the dense atmosphere can easily prevent even my sensory abilities from working. A hideout far deep below the earth's surface or one buried just as deep underwater could provide a similar effect. There's almost a limitless number of possibilities."

A pin drop silence was observed in the large office room as the populace slowly processed the information. No one wanted to word out anything without going over it first and the blond shinobi knew that better than anyone. There were a lot of things to consider. Who? What? When? Where? How?

Many questions ran rampant in the mindsets of each individual cooped up in the Guild Master's office before each of them shook away their respective thoughts. At the current moment; it made no sense for any of them to dwell on such questions – they needed to move forward.

"I say we should just kill those monsters right now!" Ultear snapped harshly; she had no intention of keeping her emotions bottled up.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Makarov asked in a blunt tone, forcing The Time Mage to grit her teeth. "Tartarus is currently hidden where not even Naruto-kun can sense them. Should we scour every inch of Fiore until we find them? Please try to think rationally."

"Ultear-chan…" Erza began in a forced soft tone as she kept a firm check on her emotional state. "…I know exactly how you feel. Those monsters placed a bounty on Naru-kun's head and have continued to increase it for months now. Do you think we're unaware of that? I for one am well aware of that."

As the Arc of Time user glanced at her red-haired sister, she lowered her head in defeat. Just the pain evident in Erza's eyes showed how she truly felt on the matter. The remaining ladies stood silent at the interaction because they too shared analogous reactions – why wouldn't they? Tartarus had initialized a completely different ballgame with their recent antics. They had to be stopped at all costs.

Upon espying his wives' reaction, Naruto's emotionless expression faded as he formed a small smile on his face. He knew how much those women loved him and how much he loved them in return. His affection for them is in a league of its own – they are his gorgeous angels… always and forever.

Gildarts merely observed the women in the utmost sadness, while Makarov sighed deeply from his position. Although Jiraiya mimicked a comparable reaction, he thought over the possibilities and knew things weren't in their favor at the moment. Those Tartarus members proved to be trickier to find than even the Akatsuki back in the Elemental Nations. The trio had no words in their vocabulary they could utilize in order to ease the tension – this was a dire situation to say the least.

"So what do we do then?" Mirajane questioned with a frown etched to her beautiful features. "We can't afford to sit idly by while Tartarus continues to plan their move."

Nodding, Haku clenched her fists. "We're at a serious disadvantage, here." She muttered viciously. "We don't know how many members inhabit Tartarus."

"To make matters worse; we don't even know who those dark mages are." Mikoto added, to which another round of silence engulfed the office room.

"I say… we wait." Earthland's Most Wanted spoke in a glacial tone and crossed his arms. "This is all a mind-game. I don't need to know Tartarus' motives to comprehend their strategy. Each of those pieces of trash are itching to make the first move. They wish for us to be unprepared so they can take the advantage. So I say let's give them the chance."

Features hardened, Makarov cleared his throat. "Naruto-kun…" He trailed off in concern; the vague answer did not sit well with him. "…you know better than anyone that confidence is a fine trait, but too much overconfidence isn't. You could very well be the strongest mage in Earthland's past, present, and future. There's a chance even Tartarus put together won't give you any trouble whatsoever. However; you should never give that thought process a chance to cloud your judgment."

"He's right, otouto." Gildarts added with a stern look on his face. "Should that overconfidence begin to spread in any way, it will consume you and before you know it, you'll find yourself down a path of arrogance. You should know that arrogance is the reason why even the most genius of warriors fall in the line of battle. As the old saying goes: slow and steady wins the race."

Leaning towards her husband, Ultear pecked him on the cheek and grabbed hold of his hand, illustrating that she was also troubled. From their respective seats, the remaining ladies were also on the same page. None of them could deny that their husband was powerful – maybe more powerful than everyone else in Earthland. However; too much overconfidence is indeed a warrior's greatest weakness.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but there's no need. None of you have to be concerned because at this moment, I'm neither overconfident nor am I arrogant." Naruto responded in a sincere tone, easing not only the worried old man but also everyone else.

"I am however, thinking ahead and processing everything in great detail. I'm well aware of the fact that we're at a crucial stage here. Your concern is justified. Why wouldn't it be? None of us know how strong Tartarus are individually or as a whole." The White Flash continued wisely and took a small sigh as he leaned back into his chair. "I can't sense those dark mages anywhere in Fiore. Whatever they're planning, they are doing it with extreme caution. With their recent getaway, they've completely masked their presence. We've already talked about this. The best we can do is conjure up a strategy which will lure them out of hiding."

With a turn of his head, Naruto cleared his throat. "Jiraiya-sensei, Gildarts nii-san. I want the both of you to come over to the compound tomorrow morning with ji-ji." He added, staring blankly at his former sensei and surrogate older brother. "All of us, including my wives, will further develop this plan and account for every possibility. I'll ask Katsya nee-san to babysit the children so we don't have to worry about any sort of interruptions while we are deep into our discussions. Once we finalize our plans, we'll let everyone else at the Guild know so they can also prepare for what's to come."

Manifesting a warm smile at the notion, Gildarts replied, "That won't even be a problem, otouto. I know Katsya-chan will be more than happy to babysit the children."

Meanwhile; Mikoto smiled radiantly at the interaction, a facial expression her sisters mirrored. The current situation did scream seriousness, but that didn't mean they had to stress themselves to levels beyond human comprehension. After every recent word spoken, all of them could afford to loosen up a little and bask in the peaceful silence which has made its presence known at long last.

"Girls…" Angel of Death voiced out, compelling each of his wives to look directly at him. "…I want you to know that tomorrow, you will finally get your answer."

With her emotions running haywire, The Ice Princess bit her lips and placed a hand over her chest, which resounded like a symphony as her heart hammered a loud, frantic heartbeat. It didn't take her more than a second to realize what her significant other meant by his remark – the others ladies shared the same reaction as they too became aware of the word exchange. Before Haku could lean towards her husband to kiss him for everything she was worth, a sudden noise prevented her from doing so.

In one fell swoop; the usually kind-hearted ladies turned emotionless and glared blazingly at the source of the sound which so happened to originate from the office's large wooden door. Letting out a vicious growl; the Hyouton wielder narrowed her eyes as she stomped her way towards the door, pressuring her sisters to follow suit in her example. The surrounding air became condensed as the female mages proceeded further – none of them were going to stand for this outrage.

Although this was a first-time occurrence; Jiraiya, Gildarts, and Makarov were in perfect synchronization as they prayed silently for the unfortunate soul behind the door. The three of them know how deadly those women could be and right now, they were downright murderous.

Espying the humorous events being transpired, Naruto threw his head back and chuckled. This was one of those times where his wives acted almost identically and could truly be considered sisters – a thought he cherished. As the group of women finally approached the door, an artful smirk wiggled its way to his features once Erza frantically pulled on the handle and yanked the door wide open.

"You better have a damn good explanation for this! I'll ha-" Titania's retort faded once she laid eyes on Katsya, who was the newcomer. Just like that; she lowered her voice. "What's up, nee-san?"

"I-I… she…" Katsya whimpered, pointing a finger to her right-hand side.

Upon hearing the frail tone; Gildarts quickly approached his female companion and looked at her in concern. Drawing her into his arms, he took a deep sigh – the last time he saw her this terrified was when she gazed at one of the brutal warzones on Fiore's outskirts. At the same time; the ladies turned towards the direction where their older sister-figure had pointed before their eyes narrowed.

"Ummm… did I come at a bad time?"

With their interests piqued; Naruto and Makarov rose to their feet and stared at the doorway, where a middle-aged woman stood with a nervous smile on her face. The female newcomer had long black hair that was styled in a rather elegant fashion and had flawless creamy skin. She donned a lavender-colored kimono with flower patterns engraved to the clothing and wore black colored sandals underneath.

"You're here, Setsuna-chan!" The toad sage exclaimed with a bright smile, waving at the woman.

Setsuna – the now recognized female newcomer, matched her companion's smile and nodded her head before slowly making her way towards him. Ignoring the looks of disbelief and shock from the others around her, she continued her steady movement. Getting off his chair; Jiraiya embraced the woman and pecked her on the lips lovingly – his smile figuratively overpowered the well-lit room.

"I missed you so much, Jiraiya-kun." Setsuna whispered softly, basking in the loving hug.

"I missed you too, Setsuna-chan." Jiraiya said in a tender tone whilst rubbing the woman's back.

Meanwhile; the occupants of the room were left speechless – it was like all of them forgot how to even breathe. The silence met in response to the bizarre turn of events appeared to be… in full honesty; there were no words in any language that could remotely describe what the crowd felt. Jiraiya – the self-proclaimed super pervert… was currently engaged in an honest-to-goodness, romantic embrace.

"Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto said breathlessly, trying his best to regain his composure. "Who is this?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Please pardon my manners." Setsuna chimed as she bowed her head. "My name is Setsuna Nakahara and I'm Jiraiya-kun's girlfriend."

…dead silence.

"I… you… what…" Mikoto stammered indecorously with her eyes bulged to comical proportions. The other ladies fared no better – they were at a complete loss for words. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"E-exactly." Katsya whimpered, shivering the whole while.

"I was with you on every spy network mission, Jiraiya!" Gildarts roared in the utmost seriousness, glaring dangerously at his best friend. "When did you find yourself a girlfriend? On that note: how did you of all people get a girlfriend?!"

Giggling at the overall reaction, Setsuna voiced out, "You were right, Jiraiya-kun. Your friends sure are lively. The ones downstairs were just as lively."

With a shake of his head; the toad sage sighed deeply at the events transpired – he almost forgot he had invited his female companion to the Guild today. Helping her to a free chair nearby, he sat down beside her and smiled nervously at the blank-faced mages staring down at him. He knew that he couldn't get out this explanation. Regardless of his mind racing at the very thought, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his astonished ex-student. It's been a very long time since he got such a reaction out of the normally calm, cool, and collected blond shinobi.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I think you should start your explanation… now." Naruto said coldly, to which his former teacher shrank at the intense gaze. "At the very least, I should've been informed of your relationship. I assumed we were closer than that."

"Don't say that." Jiraiya began with a deep frown, disheartened by the statement. "You know that you're the closest person I have to family. You're my godson and I treat each of your wives like they're my goddaughters. I would've told you beforehand, but I wasn't given ample time." Smiling as his girlfriend squeezed his hand for comfort, he leaned into his chair. "In full honesty; this is the first time in over 3 months that I got a chance to see Setsuna-chan in person. It wasn't my intention to deliberately keep you all in the dark, especially you, Naruto-kun."

Releasing a few deep breaths; the White Dragon Slayer calmed himself down. He didn't have to search his former teacher's facial expression to know he was telling the truth. He couldn't get angry at the man because he did seem to understand his point of view on the matter. Turning his head; he smiled at his gorgeous wives, all of whom shot him a look of understanding – they too were on the same page.

"While that's all well and good… I want you know something, Setsuna-san." Earthland's Most Wanted stared glacially at his ex-teacher's companion, who immediately let out a timid gulp. "Jiraiya-sensei is someone who I hold dear. When no one else bothered to teach me, he was there to help. When others questioned my capabilities, he was there to cheer me up. He made me who I am today." Intensifying his glare, he looked deep into the nervous woman's eyes. "If you take advantage of him in any way…"

Setsuna sweated profusely at the threat – the coldness laced in the man's tone and his glare made her tremble in fear. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. Fortunately; she slowly got over it once she felt her boyfriend's hands on hers, which provided her with unimaginable levels of comfort.

The ladies couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the middle-aged woman. Their husband's domineering personality was no laughing matter – dark mages could verify that statement with ease. Yes they were annoyed from being left in the dark because even if they didn't show it at times, they truly did respect the toad sage. For now; they weren't going to raise any issue whatsoever.

"I would never take advantage of Jiraiya-kun. I love him!" Setsuna countered sharply, glaring at the blond shinobi. "He gave me hope when I had none, he saved me from leading a path of darkness and despair, and he taught me how to live life to its fullest. I used to drown in my own sorrows and he alone changed my life. He's the reason why I began to see things a little differently."

Kissing her companion's cheek, Setsuna finished, "You can say that it was love at first sight."

Espying the genuine smile on the toad sage's face and the look of sincerity evident on the emotional woman, Naruto manifested a small smile of his own. Although it surprised him to see someone who cared this much for the toad sage, he embraced the idea and felt immense happiness flare from within. Back in the Elemental Nations; Jiraiya never displayed such behavior – now, the blond shinobi had to know how this woman elicited such a reaction from the self-proclaimed super pervert.

"It's obvious you're telling the truth, Setsuna-san." Makarov said in a tender tone, glancing over at the newly revealed couple. "But tell me this: where did the two of you meet?"

"That's what I want to know as well." Gildarts piped into the talk; he could no longer remain silent.

Regaining her composure, Katsya sat down beside her surrogate little sisters and informed them that Lisanna was currently watching over the children. The ladies in question didn't mutter a word in return but nodded silently. Now; everyone inside the office had their attention directed solely towards the duo.

"Well… believe it or not, Jiraiya-kun and I met each other outside a forest." Setsuna began with a fond smile on her face, while the toad sage sighed tenderly at the memory. "I was badly wounded at the time and if it wasn't for him, I would've succumbed to my injuries. When I said that this man here saved me from leading a dark path, I wasn't lying."

"2 years ago; Setsuna-chan's brother passed away on a mission." Jiraiya added to his girlfriend's speech with sadness laced in his tone. "The two of them were freelance mages for hire and took whatever missions they could get their hands on. However; due to that unfortunate loss, Setsuna-chan became emotionally detached. She didn't have other family members to rely on, and she never got a chance to form a relationship with anyone due to her busy schedule."

"The two of you are quite alike in that sense." Naruto gave out his opinion, to which the couple smiled softly. Everyone else was dead silent, fully submerged into the conversation. "Jiraiya-sensei has been like that for as long as I can remember, and your situation is almost similar to his. Now I can only assume that he stuck around to heal your injuries?"

"Hai." Setsuna whispered lovingly as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "When Jiraiya-kun saw how broken I was on the outskirts of that forest, he healed me with a medicinal technique. After that; he took me to a hotel. At first I thought he was going to take advantage of the situation…"

As the ladies glared murderously at the toad sage, Setsuna waved her hands frantically. "…but he didn't!" She continued in a haste, to which the women relaxed themselves. With a sigh, she shook her head at the ladies' antics. "Jiraiya-kun actually stood around for an hour before taking his leave. We didn't talk much; however, I became very surprised at how attentive he was towards me. He left me with his Communication Lacrima details on a piece of paper so I could keep in contact. It took me a while to call him but once I finally gathered up the courage to do so, my entire world changed."

The room never once lost its muteness as Setsuna took a momentary pause. The fondness laced in the woman's voice and the bright smile on Jiraiya's face brought everyone to smile in return. No one had expected this turn of events. Regardless; they were all curious to hear more.

"I see." Naruto said with a blank stare fixed at the woman, but smiled secretly. "What I want to know is: how well do you know Jiraiya-sensei?"

Everyone inside the office room immediately caught onto the hidden message embedded into the White Dragon Slayer's question. This wasn't a mere question – this was a test to see just how much the toad sage trusted the former freelance mage. It made sense to ask such a question.

"Well…" Setsuna trailed off with a small smile. "…I know everything about him and he knows everything about me. I'm aware of the fact that he used to peek on women in the hot springs, and I'm also aware of the fact that he used to write the Icha Icha novels." She took a small pause and laughed inwardly at the confused looks on the mages' faces. "It's obvious that you're all wondering why I mentioned those two specific pastimes in the past tense. Well… it's because I set Jiraiya-kun straight."

"Y-you mean… you mean that you put a stop to his perverted escapades, dattebane?!" Kushina roared in disbelief, a reaction almost everyone shared. "HOW?!"

"Oh come on now. I wasn't that bad was I?" Jiraiya whined, to which the room occupants formed deadpanned expressions. Waving his hands comically, he pouted at the group, while his girlfriend giggled at the events transpired. "Well I'm not like that anymore! Trust me; ever since I got together with Setsuna-chan, I straightened myself up. I'm officially off the habit."

With a heavy sigh; Gildarts rubbed his temples. "I guess anything is possible." He muttered under his breath, caught off guard by the revelation. "It's true. Jiraiya stopped peeking at women a long time ago. I've been confused by his change of behavior for a while, but now it all makes perfect sense."

"It's truly a miracle." Katsya said in a daze, whereas the ladies nodded dumbly. They still couldn't believe how much the toad sage had changed. "Congratulations, you two."

"Sensei…" Naruto said with a small smile whilst embracing the toad sage tightly. "You know that I've always wanted you to settle down. You don't have to search for my approval because you already have it. I'm very proud that you decided to take this step. Congratulations."

As Jiraiya softened his eyes, The White Flash hugged the freelance mage. "Please take care of him, Setsuna oba-san." He continued gently, to which the woman in question gasped at the suffix. "Jiraiya-sensei has been lonely for as long as I can remember. I want you to put an end to that. I know that you won't leave his side so therefore, I would like to officially welcome you to the family."

"A-arigatou, Naruto-kun." Setsuna whispered with a teary smile; she didn't know that the blond shinobi would accept her in such a warm fashion.

In a cheerful manner; the ladies took turns hugging the older woman. As they could find no reason not to accept her into their family, they explained that they were also in approval. Tears of joy escaped Setsuna's eyes – this was truly the happiest day of her life. At first she was nervous to meet her boyfriend's peers but now, she felt as if she had been given a new life – she wanted to bask in the heartwarming moment.

Wiping away his own tears; Jiraiya smiled fondly at the way his girlfriend was so warmly accepted by the Uzumaki-Namikaze family. He knew that his former student would've accepted Setsuna once he learned more about her; however, he couldn't help but feel caught off guard by the loving display. He couldn't be more proud of the wonderful young man who he had the pleasure of calling his treasured godson.

"This calls for a celebration." Makarov stated as he regained his shaky composure. "Let's head downstairs and enjoy ourselves."

In one fell swoop; the occupants of the office nodded their heads, illustrating that they were all in agreement to the plan. As the group launched a series of questions aimed at both Jiraiya and Setsuna, the duo in question shared bright smiles and answered all of them with the utmost commitment.

Although they were aware of the upcoming struggle they might face at the Grand Magic Games tournament, and the many mysteries revolving around the still-hidden Dark Guild known as Tartarus, the mages of Fairy Tail knew that now wasn't the time to worry about such matters. For now; they had another member of their large family to spend some quality time with – that outweighed everything else.

…for even when that storm takes you by surprise, there's always a new adventure that awaits.

Author's Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Review! Review! Review!

There were hints of comic relief, a tender family moment, and a rather interesting plot-twist in the case of Jiraiya – the former self-proclaimed super pervert. I wanted to show Fairy Tail's character development and I think I did fairly okay with that. Almost all of the mages of the Guild are now in relationships and that's been implied in this chapter. Like I said before; I don't emphasize side-character relationships. Naruto is and always will be the main focus of this story.

In canon; there was no mention of when the Grand Magic Games were actually created – just that it originated during the 7 year time-skip. Although by looking over at Fairy Tail's timeline, it's safe to assume that the tournament was created somewhere between X785 – X787. Since this is fanfiction and since I hate following canon, I made the Magic Games happen now than later – right now it is X784, according to my story's timeline. Therefore; this will be the 1st ever Grand Magic Games. You see now why I didn't want to make that time-skip happen? Mhm, that's right. What are the rules? I kept that a secret for a reason. Will the rules be similar to canon? Haha, that's a good one. The next chapter will be a 6 month time-skip to the morning of the Magic Games. Now; the stage to this Major Arc has finally been set.

However; with the release of this chapter, I have something I need to get off my chest. This will be a fairly longer Author's Note than I usually write, but please endure it. I won't beat around the bush because this is very important news – I'll going to be blunt, here.

*Sigh* I regret to inform you all that with the release of this chapter… I've now placed the story on a break or in other words, a hiatus. Now before everyone gets infuriated, please hear me out first.

1. I've been undergoing some personal life issues – you're all aware of that by now. I've been trying everything in my power to continue writing to the best of my ability; however, I can't proceed with it any longer. Apart from other issues, my third year University exams are fast approaching. To be perfectly honest, I've actually spent time writing my chapters when I should've been preparing my assignments and projects. I even loosened up my midterm study schedule just so I could update this story as frequently as possible. Because of that, my grades were affected. Now, I simply cannot and will not willingly sacrifice my education for a free-time writing career. That's the first reason.

2. I know little to nothing about the Magic Games. What I remember is blurry at best and I need to brush up on my facts – plus this version of the Grand Magic Games will be completely different so I have to think more on the matter. I've never actually thought ahead – I write chapter by chapter, not really knowing what the next chapter will be about, apart from a few jotted down points. Everything comes in my head the very second I begin writing out a chapter. However; I need to actually think this Major Arc over so I can be comfortable with the aspect of writing. In order to do that, I have to watch the episodes/read the manga but at this moment, I have absolutely no free time on my hands. That's the second reason.

Unfortunately; there is no specific time for when I'll pull the story out of the hiatus. It could take two months, three, or even a year. Once my exams come to a close, my job is going to take most of my time. Whatever free time I might get from work will be devoted towards a children's hospital where I'm expected to volunteer. I know this is sudden so I can understand if you all may become frustrated, but believe me when I say that I'm the most hurt from this hiatus. Writing is fun, it's contagious, and it gives you a chance to float away from personal life. But when personal life descends upon you with its many demands, you have to recede and accept that.

I promise to return as soon as possible. I've written over 935,000 words so far and not returning to finish my story will be a rather idiotic move on my part. Now; I've said my peace and hopefully, you can understand where I'm coming from. Sorry to those that are saddened by this announcement but sometimes, life just isn't fair. The reason why I wrote this is because it wouldn't be right for me to leave you all in the dark and not update for months on end. I would like to thank you all for the heartfelt support you've given me this past year – especially since I'm a first-time author. Take care everyone. I'll see you all again in the next chapter, whenever I release it. Please do keep those reviews strong, eh? Later! :)

– Egyptian God Phoenix