Secrets in the Shadows

Lupinus Town, Year-X784

Lupinus Town is an old town said to have been around for over two hundred years. Lupinus Town was once a thriving kingdom, ruled by King Lupin, who was said to be a Lycan in old stories of the town. Its most noticeable landmark is the historic castle of the former King Lupin. The town was also comprised of a market area, a number of houses which are used as homes or apartments for rent and also a very large library said to contain nearly every book relating to the history of Earthland.

A figure walked through the figure looked left and then looked right. He looked up and then behind him. With a nod of what seemed to be approval, the figure walked towards the Lupinus Library and entered the building.

The figure walked into the depth of the library, the spiky blonde hair of the Apocalypse Dragonslayer shining in the light that the sun made. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, known as the Ogonna Fuujin, master of the wind and labelled a high class criminal by the Magic Council sighed in relief as he scratched his head. Atop those blonde locks of Acnologia's son was the crimson Exceed known as Kurama, but to others, he was recognized as a multi-tailed kitsune known as the Onibi Myobu, the name had given to Kurama.

In order to avoid detection, Naruto was advised by the crimson Exceed to shed his cloak, much to his chagrin, but the cloak was actually the thing that made him look like his alias, the Ogonno Fuujin. Besides, the cloak was old and torn from countless sparring sessions with Kurama. As a result, Naruto complied to release the cloak and change his outfit as well. Though Naruto complied, he didn't really change his look all that much.

He wore a dark blue, long sleeved t-shirt with black flames lining the hem as well as the cuffs of the sleeves. Attached to the neck of the shirt, the face mask was attached. It had become a sort of a trademark for him to have the face mask. He wore a pair of black cargo pants and similarly coloured boots. He still wore the necklace he had gotten from Seiko for his twelfth birthday, the golden flame charm dangled as he walked. However, because he wanted to, he still bought a black cloak with a hood for whenever he would go into battle as a sort of a trademark to go with his mask. After all, a dragon takes pride in its appearance.

Naruto sighed as he watched the books on the shelves. Kurama wiped his eyes as he was previously sleeping before looking around.

"Naruto, why are we in a library?"

"I need to do some research on the Magic Council. Study them and know about what they do should they be able to find us." Naruto said as he looked at the numerous amount of books that lined the shelves. He continued to look around before he spotted the librarian of the establishment. The librarian was an old woman, probably in her late fifties. She had pale and wrinkled skin which was shown to be thinning as a majority of her veins were visible. The librarian wore a wine red dress which was coloured pale lavender at the cuffs of the long sleeves and at the hem of the dress. A pale blue, crystal cross was attached to the necklace she wore around her neck. She wore a large pair of spectacles and her silvery hair was tied up into a bun.

He noticed the woman was putting away a few books before walking up to the elderly woman. She was currently trying to reach one of the higher shelves, stretching her arm to its limit to place the book in its spot. However, the book slipped from her hand, landed on her head before falling to the ground.

The librarian muttered curses as she rubbed her cranium before looking down for the book, only to find in the hands of the blonde dragonslayer of Acnologia. He easily placed the book into its intended place. Naruto towered over the shorter woman who looked up at him with a grandmotherly smile.

"Well hello there, young man. How may I help you this fine day?" The librarian smiled. Naruto nodded.

"Yes. I would like to know if you have any books regarding the Magic Council." Naruto said. The woman tapped her chin in thought before snapping her fingers.

"Ah yes, I know just the book, but I'll have to put these books away first." Naruto nodded in understanding as he watched the elderly woman put away the books, helping her for when she had to reach one of the higher shelves.

"Ah, all done." She said as she clasped her hands together. "Now for your book. Right this way." Naruto and Kurama followed the woman. The woman then turned around, walking backwards as she led Naruto to the book.

"So, and I'm sorry if I come off as nosey, why do you want to learn of the Magic Council? Not many people want to research the council unless they wish to join it. Do you wish to join the council?" The woman asked. Naruto snorted at the thought of him in the Magic Council.

"Please. Those idiots are nothing but power hungry, old fools who try to hold a position of authority in a world where people wouldn't even listen to them. Fairy Tail, I've heard, is such a legal guild that they try to keep under their thumb, but fail to do so. The Magic Council speaks of freedom and equality when they themselves are doing the opposite of what they stand for. They create a hierarchy amongst today's society and threaten with the use of the Rune Knights should anyone try to speak against them." Naruto said. The old woman chuckled at the blonde's response.

"Does my response amuse you?" Naruto questioned.

"Actually, yes. Not many people speak so openly against the council and it warms this old girl's heart to know that there are people like you who see the council for what they truly are...and that's why I left it in the first place." Naruto and Kurama looked at each other with mild surprise before turning back to the woman.

"You...were once a member of the council?"

"Yes, but I was in the Rune Knight division. I was a rather skilled mage back in the day, however one day there was a time that my squad and I were to go come here to this very town of Lupinus. A Dark Guild had been said to make there base here and so we went to investigate. We proved that the Dark Guild did exist within Lupinus, but the thing was that they kept their members a secret so...the Magic Council came to the 'brilliant' decision of arresting everyone in the town." The old woman spoke with a slight hint of sarcasm.

"At first, I complied because well, orders were orders. I arrested people with the other Rune Knights." The old woman went silent as she stopped walking. Naruto paused as well, his ears still fixated on the woman's words. "I had come to a home where there were children present. The other homes I had entered didn't have children present, so I came to the conclusion that many people here weren't parents and it seemed as if some deity tried to show me the error of my ways."

"I hesitated to arrest because of those of youngsters. I thought, 'Children shouldn't have their parents taken from them.' I watched as they cried, holding on to their father and mother as I went towards them and so when I was about to arrest them, I tried to help them escape, but my commanding officer caught me in the act and thus he still arrested them, the children as well. I was then excommunicated from the Magic Council and now here I am. Just a simple librarian in the town where I had once caused pain."

"Humanity is a flawed creation is it not? How can you deal with living such a life. The life of a human." Naruto spoke. The woman nodded.

"Indeed. But it's the flaws in our creation that make us what we are and it's people who accept their flaws that are able to become one step closer to being perfect. A bit of a contradiction there, but it's the truth. However, you speak as if you are not human, why?" The blonde dragonslayer stared at her with fierce blue eyes.

"Because...I am not. My humanity is gone. Humans are imperfect and thus I live to be the thing my Tou-san raised me to be. Humans are insignificant worms who do nothing but cause the destruction of their own. You make weapons and laws to destroy and inhibit one another...you are flawed." Naruto said. The woman chuckled at the boy.

"Well if you cannot accept your humanity then that means you are flawed as well, my boy." Naruto's eyes widened and Kurama held the blonde's hair and bent down to his ear.

"Do not harm the old woman. Do that and the people in this place might realize who you are since you instinctively use Wind Magic to attack." The Dragonslayer of the Black Dragon did nothing but look down in thought at what the librarian told him.

'Humans are what they are...because of their flaws? I am...flawed?' Naruto thought as he looked down at his hands, eyeing his sharp nails that gave him the image of having claws.

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