Hello Everyone! Welcome Back!

Now, this chapter is going to skip several parts from the canon since we are focusing on Naruto/Escanor's portion of the story. I did the first two chapters the way I did since they were important for background and such, but now I will be diverging from canon.

NazgulBelserion: Thank you for the review. I kind of understand why you said that but also understand that I started that story when I had first begun writing, so of course my first two stories kind of sucked when compared to now. I also agree that Merlin is an amazing woman.

Stranger Glass: Thank you, yes, it was planned for Gilthunder to be surprised since he's never seen an ability like that, especially when it doesn't allow magic to be channeled. Also, thank you for understanding, I do indeed get busy with school and work, so it saddens me when I take so long to put out updates to my stories.

LoamyCoffee: Thank you, and yeah, it's not that people don't pay attention, it's just that I haven't brought it to attention on what I plan on doing with her.

Macbean84: Thank you for the review. I understand that they are both very much alike, however, that was only so that I could get a base. The two stories will now begin to change and diverge from each other. Though there may be times they are very similar to each other, they will still be very different.

I wanted to thank all of you for your reviews and that I do apologize for not updating more often. I do my best but I also try to make it up to everyone by updating more than one story within a period of time.

Now, I don't think there's anything else I have to say, but if I think of anything else, it will be in the endnotes. So, let's get on with the story!

"We gonna turn it out till it gets too hot." Normal speech

"Everybody sing, hey-o." Past speech

"Tell 'em turn it up till they can't no more." Bijuu/Powerful Being/Demon speech

'Let's get this thing shakin' like a disco ball.' Normal thought

'This is your last warning, a courtesy call.' Bijuu/Powerful Being/Demon thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Seven Deadly Sins, those are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Nakaba Suzuki, respectively.

Ch. 3 Festival, Reunions, and Ambush

~Vaizel Fight Festival~

Escanor smiled as he stopped the horse, "Ah, finally made it. Been looking forward to this for an entire year. The amazing Vaizel Fight Festival, a good thing it was held today else I'd probably lose some business," he sighed happily.

Margaret raised a brow, "Seriously, this is why you came here, for the fighting festival?" she asked him as she crossed her arms under her bust.

Escanor shook his head, "Not all the time. I usually come here for trade. I have to sell some of my stock to keep my tavern as well as pay for the land it's on. I only found out about this roughly six years ago. Back then there was a giantess that came here, but after she got a bit tipsy they got banned. Ah~, that was a fun year, let me tell you. Matrona sure can throw back a few barrels." he said laughing. Calming down he sighed in remembrance, "I wonder if she ever settled down with that Zalpa fellow that saved her. Nice folks they were." he said as he stood up and climbed down before he held up his hand, "Milady." he said as he took her hand gently in his own to help her climb off the wagon.

"She might have, but in order to find out, you should just ask her," Margaret said.

"Hmph, that is a good idea, except it's been so long I forget where they lived," he stated.

"That's too bad, I bet she'd be happy to see an old friend like you after so long."

Escanor nodded, "Yeah, but it's best to let bygones be bygones. Now why don't we get ready to celebrate a good day of business." he smirked.

Margaret gave a blank look, "You're joining the fights aren't you." she said causing him to stiffen.

"J-Just a couple rounds Princess," he said.

"And why do I get the feeling I'm going to be roped into this unwillingly?" she asked herself.

"That's the spirit! Alright, let's go make some money!" Escanor cheered. Margaret shook her head at his antics, but she couldn't help the smile that grew on her face at seeing the strongest in the kingdom acting like a kid.

'It's always quite the sight,' Margaret thought with a smile, 'That the strongest in the kingdom can act like such a kid, but that's what I like about him.'

With that thought, Margaret blushed a tiny bit but still kept her smile as she followed Escanor through the various shops and stalls that lined the road. Neither of the two were aware of the events that were to occur today.

~Meanwhile~

While Escanor and Margaret had already arrived and were now walking around the festival, we find a familiar giant pig approaching the festival. On top of the pig's head sat Mito as she stared into space, thinking about how her brother might be. Was he okay? Does he have a family? Is he happy? Did he have children?

So many questions were flowing through her mind, but with just as many positive questions she had, she had just as many negative ones. Had he died? Was he in pain? Did he ever have his heartbroken? Was he dying?

"Calm down Kit."

Mito was broken from her thoughts as she felt her consciousness being pulled into her mindscape. Opening her eyes, Mito was greeted to the sight of a wide-open field and a bright blue sky filled with clouds. However, the real attention catcher was the giant, nine-tailed fox that stood in front Mito. (Everyone should know what Kurama looks like so I'm not going to do a description)

"Kurama?" Mito asked, confused as to why she was here.

"I understand you're worried kit," Kurama said in a tone that, despite being deep and demonic, still held a feminine tone to it, signifying that Kurama was female, "But you shouldn't worry too much. You don't want your 'dear onii-chan' to see you with grey hairs, do you?"

At Kurama's teasing, Mito blushed bright red before exclaiming, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Kurama chuckled as she began to shrink and change until standing in front of Mito was a beautiful woman instead of a massive fox. She had long red hair that reached just above her toned, heart-shaped ass that was contained by a pair of black spats and her eyes had turned into an amber color. She wore a red tunic with a white tribal fox design that hugged her F-cup breasts.

"Sure you don't," The now human-looking Kurama said with a knowing smile and her voice no longer sounding demonic, "So all those vivid dreams you would have when you were younger between yourself and your brother were just caused by hormones and puberty?"

Mito's blush returned full-force at that as she knew Kurama had her there. She knew full well that with Kurama being able to hear her thoughts, there was nothing she could hide. Mito's blush grew even more when she heard Kurama laughing at her expression before she looked down in embarrassment.

After a minute, Kurama finally managed to calm down and she said, "Anyways, your incestuous feelings aside," Kurama ignored Mito's pouting glare, "You shouldn't worry about the 'what if's.' It won't do you any good and will only serve to stress you out even more. Besides, despite being separated from me and not knowing where it is, I can tell that he's doing just fine thanks to my chakra inside of him."

Mito calmed down at that and smiled, "That's good to hear, and you're right. I can't let myself get caught up in all the worries and doubts. I just miss him and when I start thinking about him, I can't help but be worried."

Kurama smiled at Mito before moving over and giving her a hug that Mito returned as she said, "I understand kit, but just remember, you're not the only one worried about him. Your mom, Mikoto, and her sister, Lady Tsunade, and the others from our group and some from the village are all worried about him. You just need to have faith that you'll reunite with him someday."

Mito smiled as she and Kurama separated before nodding her head and saying, "Thank you Kurama, and you're right, I just need to have faith."

Kurama nodded and gave a soft sigh before saying, "Now I think you need to get going. That blonde brat is speaking and it sounds important from the sound of things," she ordered the teen.

-Outside the Seal-

"So, with that in mind, most of us shall have to join the fighting so we can have a better chance at getting Gideon back," Meliodas said.

"But Captain, Diane can't come, remember? The people have banned any giants from participating so how will she be able to get it back?" King asked. This was King, the Sin of Sloth. Although he is a fairy, his form resembles that of a young boy with short brown hair, a high forehead, thin eyebrows, and brownish-orange eyes. He wears a long orange and an aqua sweatshirt with a hood and navy blue sleeves, quarter-length navy blue pants, and short boots with large buttons matching his hoodie. He also carries a green leopard pattern pillow which is a transformation of his spear Chastiefol. Despite being a fairy, he has yet to grow visible wings.

"And that is where our friends come in. While we are busy fighting, they can place their runes all over it discreetly and when the time comes we can simply have them use their power to make it appear somewhere we can go to get it," the Demon Prince said grinning.

"Uh, Captain, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just got back and I think you should hear this," Ban, the Fox Sin of Greed, said.

"Huh? What is it? No titty bars?" Meliodas asked.

"PERVERT!" Mito cried as she smashed a mug across his head causing a large lump to appear.

"Uh, no. While that is a good thought, it's not what I was going to say," Ban said.

"Then, what is it?" King asked, causing the immortal to look at him.

"They found the Divine Axe Rhitta, and it's en route now. It'll be here in an hour if not less," Ban said seriously.

"That shouldn't be possible. There are only two ways of moving it, and with good reason. The first would be if Escanor himself had it in his hand while the other would be to teleport it with Magic. And there is only one mage powerful enough to move such a heavy object and she's in hiding right now," Meliodas said seriously.

"Uh, what exactly is the Divine Axe Rhitta, and why are those the only two ways of moving it? It's just an ax, right?" Anko asked.

"It's not your ordinary run of the mill weapon. That axe, is Escanor's ultimate weapon. It's imbued with special properties that allow him to store his energy inside and summon it when he is desperate. There is also the fact that it's several times heavier than Diane's Sacred Treasure, Gideon the War-hammer, making it the heaviest of all the known Sacred Treasures. It was designed specifically just for Escanor to use in battle due to its nigh indestructibility," Ban explained to the ninja.

"Which is confusing, because it takes at least two sins or the captain himself to move it. They would need an army to move it with the sheer weight alone," King said in thought. Like seriously, who had found it, and how did they manage to transport it. This was too coincidental, there was something amiss.

"That's unsettling. Just how strong is this Escanor guy to have such a heavy weapon?" Tsunade asked the Sins.

"Much stronger than me that's for sure," Ban said softly.

"I can't even compare to the guy, hell I don't think even I could scratch him going all out," King said shrugging.

"He can hold me off with just a finger," Diane said shyly.

"He's much stronger than any of the sins except for one of us, but she only puts him to sleep, but she has to be both quick and it has to be at a certain time to knock him out," Meliodas admitted.

"How much power does this guy have? It's like you're all hyping him up to be some type of god," Satsuki said with a huff.

"Listen girly, all of you can attack him with your strongest attacks, but in the end, all it'll do is make him laugh. You could even pin him to the ground using those special runes of yours, but he'll simply break through them with hardly any effort. Escanor is the Lion Sin of Pride for a reason. This is a saying that he follows, 'Why should I hate someone who's weaker than me?' He even says that all he feels is pity for those weaker than him. You should take those words to heart because if you ever try to fight him, you'll lose before the battle even begins. He's taken on entire armies and beaten them all on his own. He is the definition of unrivaled strength," Ban told the young Uchiha seriously.

"Ok, so he's powerful. If you could tell us, seeing as we've seen all of your abilities, just what exactly is Escanor's power?" Mikoto asked the sin.

"It is up in the sky, burning bright right now, a big golden ball of pure light," Meliodas said quietly.

"But the only thing up in the sky's the sun, why would he have a power that's related to it?" Hana asked in confusion.

"That's because his power rises and falls with the sun. It's a simple name, but it is more than likely the strongest ability in all of the world. Even the gods tremble in his presence. And at high noon, no person in the world can rival him," Diane said quietly, "He's only been beaten once, but that was just before he became a knight of our order," she told the ninja.

"M-Meliodas, are you guys being serious?" Hawk asked shivering, "This guy sounds like trouble, and if what you say is true then how can any of us beat him?" the pig squawked.

"We're serious. Escanor is our strongest member. And as to who can beat him, none of us. And I only beat him cuz I tricked him," Meliodas said.

"Uh, Meliodas-sama, seeing as Escanor-sama's weapon is being brought here, do you think that Lord Escanor is still hiding, or is he somewhere else?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"No, if I know Escanor well enough, which I do, then he's more than likely already here," Meliodas said grinning.

"Huh, what do you mean?" the princess asked.

"He never could resist a good brawl," Ban chuckled as he remembered times when he and Escanor would mess around. Even though it more often than not ended with him getting completely demolished.

"Yeah, and then at night, the guy was cool and relaxed whereas his other self tends to be super arrogant," King huffed.

"Huh, does he have a split personality?" Tsunade asked.

"No, he is just arrogant during the day. Usually, he's far more honest and doesn't give a crap about what happens," the fairy said, "He's actually very laid back during the day now that I think about it," he admitted in thought.

"Well, we better get going, cause if we're going to meet this Escanor kid, we need to be fast," Tsunade said.

"Actually, there needs to be someone to watch the bar while we're out," Meliodas said, "While we're busy trying to win the Gideon, the bar is still going to be open for business to those that don't make it to the next round of the fighting. I think at least three or four of us should stay here," the Dragon Sin said.

"Well, Tsunade-sama could dish out the alcohol, and Shizune-chan can serve it. Hana-chan, Madami-san, Hitomi-san, and Hisui-san can stay and help prepare meals for the patrons who enter," Kushina said in thought.

"That's a good idea. I've been meaning to sample these wines," Tsunade said, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

Finally. A full day of drinking was finally here, she could hardly wait.

"You're not going to be drinking anything Tsunade-sama," Shizune said, shaking her head.

"Fine, ruin my fun," the busty blonde said.

"Alright, operation: retrieve Gideon and Rhitta is a go. Let's have some fun!" Meliodas said grinning.

"Yeah, we're gonna lose, Escanor could wipe the floor with all of us blindfolded," Ban laughed.

"I'm gonna go earn some money to buy some stuff," Hawk said as he walked around the bar and had Elizabeth strap a barrel of ale to him, "Now I can have that extra-large eating bowl when I get done selling this stuff," the pig said happily.

That is if one of the two greedy children *Cough* Meliodas and Ban *Cough* didn't take the money for themselves and use it.

"Alright, it's time to find Escanor and win this fight festival," Diane said happily.

"Uh, you do realize you're staying here right Diane?" Meliodas asked her.

"Oh go strip a woman's panties off perv," she responded.

"I already did," he winked at her.

"Perv," the giantess grumbled.

"I am no mere pervert, young lady," Meliodas said.

"Oh yeah, if not then what are you?" Mito asked.

"I'm a SUPER PERVERT!" Meliodas cheered out.

-In Konoha; Hotsprings-

In the Leaf Village, a certain pervert that was peeking on the girls' side of the hot springs couldn't help but grin, "I feel a kindred spirit out there, I must meet my brother," he decided to himself.

-Back in Britannia-

"Yep, he's Jiraiya's spawn alright," Tsunade decided.

"I don't think the idea of him meeting Jiraiya-sama is a good one," Shizune whispered into Kushina's ear.

"No doubt, if they did meet all the girls would need to carry a bat or something to stay safe. It's bad enough he took all of our panties back in the forest of white dreams without any of us knowing. I don't think the world can survive two of them," she responded.

"I'll stay here and keep Lady Diane company," Elizabeth said, "You all go have fun at the fight festival," she said waving.

"W-Well, ok. We'll try," King said to the princess.

~Back with Naruto/Escanor and the Princess~

Margaret gulped as she took in the sights, it was both beautiful and smelly. Beautiful due to all of the colors and unusual sights she was taking in. Smelly because of all the guys that were sweating up a storm.

It was bad.

However, as Margaret was looking around, Naruto had noticed a person that stood out amongst the crowd and placed a hand on the Princess's shoulder causing her to give a jolt, "Stay calm," he told her before he grabbed a cloak and placed it over the young woman's shoulders, "Cover your head, they can't recognize me in this form so I can hide in plain sight. I won't risk your safety in a place like this," he told the woman.

"Ok, but why all the cloak and dagger stuff Escanor? Why do I have to hide?" she asked him.

"It's simple. Howzer and Griamore are here, and I suspect your sister is running around the village as well," the man told her.

"Huh, they're here?" Margaret gasped as she hurried to cover her head with the cloak's hood, "But how did they find me? I left to search for the Sins in secret," she told her escort.

"I don't think they know you are here, but it is best to be safe rather than sorry," Naruto said.

"Can I even compete in the tournament with them here?" she asked Escanor.

"Only if you can keep yourself covered with that cloak Princess. If not, I doubt that you can remain here as you are," he told Margaret.

"B-But, I thought you were gonna protect me," she whispered out to him.

"I would rather die than let anything happen to you, for if the time for me to reveal myself comes, then I shall do all in my power to keep you out of harm's way. Even if it means using my full power to hurt those close to you, as it is my sworn duty to protect you," Escanor declared.

"E-Escanor…" Margaret whispered as her cheeks began to heat up in a blush.

"Hold on, there's more, look," Escanor said pointing in a direction.

"B-But that's…" Margaret gasped out in shock.

"Ah yes… my former comrades are here as well," Escanor whispered to her. Not only that but so were several people he had been hoping to avoid for the rest of his life. He loved his family, but he didn't want to involve them in his problems, and it was the very problem of his life in the Leaf Village that he had left.

Danzo Shimura had tried to order him to either kill the Fourth Hokage and vote for him to be voted in as the new Hokage, join his ranks of Root Anbu and be his loyal pet, or try to fight him and die. It had only been through sheer luck that he had cut the man's arm off and killed him before he fled the village in order not to arouse suspicion. If it had been revealed that he killed an Elder, he would be branded a traitor for life and executed, regardless of his relation to the Hokage as his son.

It was strange that even in death the man still gave him so much trouble. The only real question he could ask is, why were they here?

"Come, we have to register with the others," Escanor told Margaret.

"Are you sure about this? What if Howzer and Griamore figure out it's me and you?" she asked worriedly.

"That is why there is a thing called an alias," Escanor smiled at her.

"Ok, and just how exactly do you expect me to make an alias if I don't know a good one?" she responded to the man.

"I have a simple one, you are Rosa, and I am Naruto," Escanor said smiling. It was strange, the fact he had to use his actual name rather than the one he had grown so used to for nearly two and a half decades.

"Fishcake, seriously?" Margaret said, trying not to laugh at the name.

"It also means Maelstrom," the man grumbled. No respect at all.

"It's also a ramen topping," the princess snickered.

Escanor grumbled some more before sighing as he said, "Let's just go and sign up. I would like to get this done as soon as possible in order to avoid meeting any of them."

Margaret giggled as she wrapped her arms around one of Escanor's and said, "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. But you have to admit, you had that one coming after all the teasing you've done to me in the past."

Escanor chuckled and said, "Yes, I suppose you're right. Now come on, let's hurry and sign up so that we can enjoy a bit more of the festival before the fights begin."

With that, the two went over to where the fighters were signing up and placed their names. Once they were done, they decided to walk around the festival for a bit to see what they could find. Margaret found several styles of clothing she thought Escanor would like while Escanor found some pieces of jewelry and various perfumes he thought Margaret would like. Though neither of the two bought anything right away since they wanted the other's opinion on which they would prefer.

Margaret showed Escanor some new jackets and shirts that she thought he would enjoy. She was extremely pleased when he said he did enjoy them and would start wearing them after the festival. After that, the two went over to a different stall where Escanor showed Margaret some of the perfumes and jewelry pieces he thought she would enjoy. While he was a little disappointed at missing a few, he was glad that she enjoyed some of the scents and even got some bracelets and hairpieces. As the two had some fun, they soon realized it was almost time for the fights to begin and made their way back to the arena.

As the two made their way to the large arena, which in all honesty was a large rock platform that had been raised roughly a couple meters, the announcer came out and began talking. He was a very tiny man, with a helm covering his face, a cloth that draped from the helm that covered his body, and very thin limbs, which were the only parts of his body not covered.

"Alrighty, is everyone excited!?" the man cheered out causing others to cheer in excitement, "That's what I'm talking about!" the announcer said happily.

This man was Love-helm. He was a 'Holy Knight' in disguise as he searched for the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Everyone! This is the 758th annual Vaizel Fight Festival, so you know what that means! If you win! You win big! If you lose, then you should never have come. This is a fight where all the top dogs come to play rough and show everyone what they're made of!" he announced loudly.

Escanor snorted, none of these people could even come close to being a 'top dog' in his eyes for there was none that could match his strength.

"Everyone that is participating, please step onto the large platform before you. As per the rules, the first round is a preliminary elimination round to determine just who is gonna go onto the further rounds," Love-Helm announced to the people.

Meliodas looked to his friends, "Alright, that means us," he said grinning.

"Just try not to draw too much attention, eh Captain?" Ban said to the man. He was rather upset he had to replace his threads.

"Now who do you think I am? I would never try to purposely blow our cover as mere participants of a Fight Festival when trying to help my friends get their Sacred Treasure back for the fun of it," the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins smiled.

"That's a lie if I ever heard one," King responded to the demon.

"Now that hurts," Meliodas pouted at the comment.

Naruto stood next to Margaret and leaned into her, "Remember, don't go overboard while using your gift, just try to keep a low profile. And whatever you do, stay away from that group of women over there," he said with a bit of bitterness while pointing to the group of Kunoichi next to the sins, "They'll figure your identity out faster than anybody else in this place would. Keep on your toes, and have fun, but make sure to keep your distance unless necessary," he told her.

"Alright, thanks for the info." the woman responded to him.

Mito was looking around to try and see if anybody resembled Escanor, but she wasn't seeing anything, "Does anybody see him?" she asked her group.

"That's a negative big perv," Anko said as she looked around as well.

"Anko, you're the perv. I'm Small Red. Get your head in the game." Mito said in a hiss.

"Ok ok, just trying to provide humor." the snake mistress said.

"Now is not the time." Kurenai said, "If you haven't forgotten, we're here to get the Gideon for Diane and then see if this Escanor person is here so we can find Naruto-san's location. So stop acting immature." she told her friend.

Love-Helm cleared his throat before the ninja could start arguing even more, "Alright, that does it for the entries, let the Elimination round BEGIN!" he chanted loudly as the men began to smash their fists into one another to try and prove their masculinity.

Escanor yawned as he grabbed a man by the face and simply gave a shoulder toss that sent the man sailing out of the ring screaming before he leaned back to headbutt another causing the man to collapse unconscious. He smacked a man in the face as he tried to punch him and the man flew over others' heads and out of the arena as well, "Is there anybody else?" he asked curiously.

Ban grinned as he did a few jabs, "Yeah there we go, much better," he said as he adjusted to the new jacket he had… acquired in a fight a few moments ago.

Meliodas looked at his best friend in confusion, "Uh Ban, where did you get that jacket?" he asked curiously.

"Oh you know me, Captain, I found it lying about and I just didn't like the idea of such a nice set of threads being wasted that way," the Fox Sin said grinning.

Mito kicked another man in the face and sent him rolling out of the arena, "How come, I am the only one being dogpiled by a bunch of perverts!" she yelled before she began to smash her fist into another person's face.

"Ouch, dammit Mito that hurt!" Kurenai said as she held a bloody nose.

"Oops, sorry Kurenai-Sensei," Mito said in embarrassment.

"Yeah Yeah it's alRIGHT!" she shrieked as a large man with blue gloves picked her up by the nape of her dress and she furiously tried to hide her underwear, "Hey, put me down now, I command you!" she yelled at the man furiously blushing in embarrassment.

"Sorry, but less competition is better." the man said before he tossed her out of the arena.

A bit of a distance away a cloaked female watched as a fat blob of a man charged her with his tongue hanging out, "I'm gonna show you a good time sweetheart." he said before laughing, only to find the young woman's fist embedded in his gut causing him to be sent soaring out of the arena and then off the large platform altogether.

"Pervert." the lady sneered angrily.

*Hiccup* An elderly man went as he teetered around drunkenly and managed to avoid elimination. Ah, youngsters needed to learn to respect their elders. He took his bottle that was now empty and threw it down and stepped to the left just as a young brunette woman came rushing at him. He watched in a small amount of satisfaction as she stepped on the bottle and suddenly found herself out of the arena, "Life is a box of chocolates, you never *Hiccup* you never know which kind you'll get." he said smiling before hiccuping once again.

Satsuki Uchiha was not a happy camper, why, because she had somehow been eliminated from a simple preliminary round filled with dumb men by a bottle of all things, "Ohh this sucks!" she yelled out.

King cried out as a large man picked him up by the hood of his jacket, "H-H-Hey let me go right now!" he demanded.

Griamore found himself laughing at the fairy king's attempts to get free, "Sorry kid, no hard feelings." he said before he simply tossed him out of the arena." maybe the kid would have better luck next year.

And soon enough there were only 12 people left in the arena, "Alright that is it for the Preliminary round. All those that are left standing please make your way off and into the little hut right over there for a few minutes while everyone else gets oriented." Love-Helm announced loudly.

Escanor found himself shrugging as he led Margaret, who had managed to stay cloaked somehow, off the large arena, and into the small building, "I hope you are enjoying yourself, Rosa." he said using her fake name.

"You know, I think I am having fun for the first time in a long time," she told him.

Meanwhile, in the seal of one Mito Uzumaki, Kurama felt the familiar presence of her Chakra, and it was very close by. She couldn't tell where exactly as it was very faint, but she could tell it was near.

-In the little shack-

Love-Helm cleared his throat as he entered the building, "Is everyone having a good time or what?" he asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah, this is great," Meliodas said grinning.

"Hell yeah," Kushina said while grinning.

"Alright, that's what I like to hear!" Love-Helm exclaimed while grinning broadly.

"So, what comes next?" Mito asked.

Love-Helm cleared his throat, "As you all know, Round 1 was the Preliminary Event. The preliminary event consisted of a battle royale where participants had to attempt to push opponents out of the ring and off the arena until a set number of participants remained. Competitors are then free to battle anybody and avoid conflict." the short midget said.

"We already knew that, why is he going over the tournament rules and stuff?" Margarett asked Escanor.

"I think this is something he does to remind people who are fighting, but I can't be too sure."

"Oh, ok. That makes sense." the woman said.

"As for the amazing Round 2, it is the main tournament that consists of one-versus-one match-up battles between the 12 competitors who have advanced the preliminary, with the match-ups being decided by drawing lots." he reminded them.

"And how does one determine who is fighting who?" Howzer asked.

"That's easy, you write your name down on a piece of paper here and drop it in this hat, I will then draw names two by two and each set I pull out is the set match until the next round. It's simple." Love-Helm stated happily, as per usual.

"Alright, I guess that doesn't hurt any." the Holy Knight said shrugging. Didn't take a genius for that much.

"Alright, if everyone will please, step forward and take a slip of paper and write their names on it," Love-Helm said to the group.

One by one everyone stepped up and took a piece of paper and placed their name on it and dropped the folded paper into the hat. Once that had been done, Love-Helm then shook the hat around a bit before taking a couple slips of paper out, "First round is…" he read off, "Griamore versus, Matrona." he announced, causing Naruto to raise a brow. Last he checked, Matrona was roughly 30 feet tall, not five feet tall.

"Not bad Griamore, hope you don't hurt the little lady," Howzer said grinning.

"Oh go eat some wasabi," the giant man said grinning. It was his friend's favorite food.

"Second on the list is…" Love Helm said, reaching into the hat once again before he pulled out the paper, "Taizoo versus Howzer." he declared.

"This'll be a piece of cake," Taizoo said grinning.

"Hah, you wish." Howzer snorted. A simple civilian, give him a break.

"After them is…" Love Helm reached into the hat once again, "Naruto Uzumaki," the midget said, getting gasps of shock from the ninja, "Versus Cain Barzard," Love Helm stated grinning.

Mito looked at her mother with shocked and hope-filled eyes as she whispered, "Do you think it's him, mom?"

Kushina was just as shocked and whispered back, "I-I don't know, sweetie. But we can only hope for the best and that it is him."

Anko then joined in on the whispering, "Hold on you two, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Right now, all we know is that his name is being used. However, you both need to remember, he wasn't treated very well back in the village, so if this is him, he may think we are trying to force him back, which could cause more harm than good. So right now, let's just wait, cause if it is him, we will approach him slowly so as to not scare him off again," Kushina and Mito were about to agree until Anko cut them off, "BUT! If this isn't him, and it just turns out to be someone using his name, we will remain calm and simply ask where he learned this name, since even if it isn't him, it's still a lead, alright?"

Kushina and Mito both looked at each other, silently wondering when Anko of all people became the mature one, but then remembered she only likes to act childish. They then realized that Anko had a point and if this was Naruto, then they would need to take their approach slowly, but if it wasn't? Then they at least had a new lead on where Naruto could be.

Looking back at the waiting Anko, Kushina and Mito nodded their heads before saying, "Alright."

With that, the three turned back to Love-Helm who seemed to have been rambling on about previous tournaments, meaning they hadn't missed any information.

"After those two we have…" he then reached into the hat once again, "Meliodafu versus Baan," he announced.

Howzer and Griamore perked up at the names. Now, while the names sounded familiar they weren't exactly the same, but they weren't stupid enough to think it was a real name. Howzer cleared his throat, "Nice name, Meliodafu, Baan." he said grinning at them. The two sins tensed up at his words, he couldn't have figured it out that easily could he?

Griamore nudged his friend, "Dude, mind your own business. Leave them alone and you can talk to them later," he told the dirty blonde haired man.

"Alright, alright you got me," Howzer said, raising his hands in the air.

Howzer cleared his throat once more, "And after them, the next two is, Kushina versus Anko, and lastly it is Mito versus Rosa!" he told the group. "And that is how this is going to go. And since we have an uneven number at the end of this fight, there will be one last match to determine the winner in the semifinals!" he cheered, getting yells of enjoyment from the group.

-A distance away-

The sound of horses walking and men grunting as they pulled something could be heard. At the head of this group, was one violet-colored princess Veronica as she led a large team of men to the Viazal Fight Festival. The current load they were pulling, a large golden ax that belonged to a holy knight of the realm. Veronica marched with purpose and a gleam of hope in her eyes, 'Just hang in there for a little while longer. Lord Escanor. I will not allow any of the Sins to die today.' the young princess thought to herself.

-A Further distance away-

Guila marched with a purpose, her mission was simple; eradicate the Seven Deadly Sins with no mercy shown. Next to her was her old friend, Jericho. The lavender haired young beauty had been humiliated by Ban the day he had escaped and she had vowed to get back at him one way or another, and if she could be the one to kill an immortal then she would surely be promoted to Holy Knight for sure. She would have her justice, one way or another; she would have it.

-Back at the Fight Festival-

Love-Helm and the others walked out and watched as the men around cheered for the next round, "Round 2 of the Vaizal Fight Festival is soon to be underway, but who shall come out on top of all these monsters?!" he cried out.

Hawk snorted, "Ale, get your high-quality ale here! Only a single shilling for a mug!" he announced.

"Yeah, porky I'll take a mug!" a man cried out.

"Same here!" another said loudly.

"And he just now started advertising he's got booze, Hawk I think you need to learn to prioritize your thoughts," Meliodas said to the pig.

"I think it was a good idea to wait if I hadn't then I would have made little sales rather than the many I just started to make!" the pig shouted.

"Hey, can I get three mugs over here." a man called out.

"Three shillings if you please." the pig said as he took the money and let the man pour his booze.

Love-Helm cleared his throat, "Is everyone ready!?" he cried out getting cheers from the spectators, "Then let the quarterfinals of the Vaizal Fight Fest BEGIN!" he cheered, "Up first is the mighty Griamore of the Liones Holy Knights, versus Matrona!" he announced as the two walked up onto the large platform, "Before we begin, I'm going to have to ask the lady to remove her cloak. As there are no weapons allowed, it is only right to show sportsmanship to your fellow competitors." Love-Helm requested from Matrona.

Matrona didn't hesitate and threw the dark purple cloak off to reveal a startling sight to the members of the Boar Hat, "Isn't that the bar uniform?" King asked in confusion.

"It is, but why would this chick be wearing it?" Mito asked, clearly confused by her attire.

"It's not Elizabeth, she doesn't know how to fight," Hawk said snorting.

"No, but that doesn't mean it can't be one of their friends in disguise," Ban said shrugging.

"It's probably Shizune-san," Satsuki said

She didn't know how wrong she was.

"Now, the rules of the next set of matches are simple. You can win by either forcing your opponent to submit, force them out of the ring, or knocking them out! It's easy to remember so don't let it go to your heads!" Love-Helm declared, "And with that out of the way, let's get this show, underway!" he proclaimed getting cheers from everyone.

Griamore looked to Howzer and grinned, "I think this chick doesn't like me, she hasn't said a word," he said.

"Yeah, it's usually Veronica that does that to you," Howzer said smirking.

"That's Princess Veronica, please respect her title Howzer," Griamore said to his friend.

"He stands at a whopping 7 feet tall and weighs in at 400 pounds, it is the Holy Knight; Griamore!" Love-Helm announced as he motioned to the man in question. Then waving a hand towards the lady he called out, "Standing at 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing none of your business, it's Matrona!" he declared.

"At least tell us her measurements?!" Meliodas called out.

Naruto hearing this shook his head, "That is both rude and disturbing," he told himself, "Also, her measurements are 56, 32, 35," he said.

Margaret felt her eyes widen while her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "How'd you come up with that?" she asked in shock.

"I have no idea," he responded. Maybe the Captain had rubbed off on him somehow?

"And with the introductions finished, let the fight: BEGIN!" Love-Helm declared.

And without even hesitating, Matrona burst forth and began to lay powerful blows into Griamore's gut so hard that blasts of air could be seen arcing off his stomach.

"Holy crap, she's fast!" King said with wide eyes.

"Fast and strong, she's rushed in close, delivering a flurry of blows to Griamore!" Love-Helm announced in glee.

As Matrona continued to lay her fists into her opponent's gut, a purple glow emitted from Griamore's body causing her to stop from shock, "I must not be defeated here," Griamore said honestly, "This isn't personal so I ask for forgiveness," he said calmly, "You should have ended it when you had the chance, for now, you lose. Please witness my Magical Power Wall," the Holy Knight declared as a purple ball surrounded his body in a large bubble.

Naruto nodded his head, "Not bad," he said intrigued.

"Yeah, Griamore's gotten so strong these past few years," Margaret said smiling at her friend.

Ban narrowed his eyes, "Judging from the strength of his magic, I would have to wager this guy to be a Holy Knight," Meliodas said.

"Yeah, he usually came with Howzer or Gilthunder when they visited me." King said, "I just hope he or Howzer don't recognize me."

"A little late for that, Sir King," Howzer said from behind the Fairy King.

"AHH!" the fairy cried out jumping in shock, "J-J-Just when did you get there?" he asked in shock.

"Been here for a few minutes actually," Howzer told the knight, "Besides, I have some information you and your fellow sins might want to hear," he told the dark knights of Liones.

"Sure, as long as it doesn't cause a scene," Meliodas said calmly.

"Keep your guard up, Dreyfus is mobilizing to kill all of you. I'm not sure when, but today was just a way of drawing the sins out into the open. My mission is to ensure that you all survive. How you survive, is up to you," he told the small man.

"Thanks for that," Meliodas said smirking.

"Don't mention it," Howzer smiled.

"Hey, you there," Mito said, pointing to Howzer, "Just who are you?" she asked.

"The names, Howzer, and I'm a Holy Knight loyal to the king and the king alone," Howzer said.

"Tell me, do you know of a man named Escanor Pride?" she asked.

"Anybody that lives in these lands knows of the man. He's the strongest man alive for a reason, and his prowess in battle is unmatched by none in these lands or anywhere else for that matter. As far as I'm concerned, any beef you have with him is better off being left alone. You'll die if you try to challenge him to a fight." Howzer said.

"I don't wish to fight him, I wish to find him so that I can locate my elder brother and it's said that he is the only one that knows of his location," Mito responded.

Howzer chuckled, "I hate to break it to you, but the Seven Deadly Sins haven't been seen as a group for roughly the better part of a decade, so anything you think you know about your brother's location is probably old as dirt," he informed her.

"So, care to explain why you want me to do that when the only chance of me finding my brother is possibly here, I'm sorry but I won't be doing that," she said.

"I am only saying that you need to ignore your desire to fight him," Howzer said.

"And my search, you want me to abandon that now? I'm sorry, but the minute I find Escanor, I will get the answers I want, regardless if he is alright or not. So don't tell me I can't, cuz I won't. Also, why are you hiding things, it's clear that you are," she said

"I have to hide things, cuz if I do reveal what I know, then everyone here is in danger. All I can tell you is to stay on guard," he told her before he walked away.

Back in the Arena, Matrona charged towards Griamore's wall and began to smash her fists into it, only to have no luck in getting past it. Griamore sighed and shook his head, "My ability is the manifestation of my resolve to protect the Princess and her family." he told her as he made it grow in size, "I must insist that you leave the ring." he told Matrona.

"OH MY!" Love Helm said excitedly, "Look at that would you, thanks to Griamore's mysterious power, Matrona has been pushed to the edge of the ring!" he announced, "I think Matrona's in big trouble here!" he stated.

"I shall be advancing to the next round." Griamore stated, "If her majesty Princess Veronica were to give the word, I'd make anyone grovel before me! This goes for the Seven Deadly Sins themselves, and their captain!" he declared.

Matrona grunted as she held Griamore's power back using both her hands, "Oh yeah… Like that's ever going to happen!" she said drawing back a fist, and then smashed through Griamore's magic barrier shocking everyone present. She then charged through the hole he had made and then jumped up to smash her knee into his chin that threw him up and out of his own power, through the air, and off the large platform to the ground several stories below, thus making her the victor. And as she did this, her hat had somehow fallen off her head.

Matrona raised a finger into the air smirking at her victory. Love-Helm quickly spoke up, "Griamore is out of the ring, the winner is MATRONA!" he declared loudly.

Howzer grinned, "Now that is what you call power. I never thought there could be someone that could break through that ability using their bare hands." he said to himself.

Mito rubbed her eyes, "Hey, are my eyes playing tricks on me?" she asked herself.

"There's no way that could be her!" Anko said in shock.

"Hey guys, isn't that…" Kurenai trailed off.

"Captain, please tell me I'm dreaming?" King asked.

The lass that had defeated Griamore trotted over excitedly, "Oh well, I guess the cats out of the bag." she said grinning as she jumped down to stand beside her friends, "Yep, it's me." she said excitedly.

"Diane?" Meliodas asked her, "How in the heck did you get so small?" he asked.

"Yeah, what happened to you?" King asked.

"Tell us, how did you manage to get to this size?" Ban asked his friend.

"Also, where is Princess Elizabeth?" Kushina asked.

"Yeah, wasn't she with you before we left to come here, I thought she was going to help make some food with the others at the Boar's Hat?" Kurenai asked her.

"I'm here," a soft voice said causing the group to look around in confusion, "I'm right here." Elizabeth's voice said, causing Diane to blush as she grabbed the blue handkerchief over her bust and spread it open causing King to look at the tiny princess in shock.

"Shoc-King!" King declared.

"No way, is that you Princess?" Mito asked in shock.

"She's so tiny," Anko said with wide eyes.

"Eh heh heh," Meliodas giggled perversely.

"Pervert!" Kushina yelled as she smashed her fist down atop the blonde skull.

"You still didn't answer the question, Diane," Kurenai said.

"Let's go somewhere else to discuss this," Diane said before walking away to the small hut that decided the matches.

Upon entering it, Kushina placed a hand to the wall and created a set of silencing seals, "There, it's safe to talk now." she told the group.

"Ok, so, the reason I'm like this is because of a strange giant mushroom," Diane said wincing.

"A giant mushroom?" Meliodas asked.

"Yeah." she said calmly, "In fact, it happened just a couple minutes after all of you left for the festival," she informed the group, "Elizabeth and I had been asked to gather ingredients by Shizune and Mikoto so they could cook so we went out into the forest to search for ingredients." she said recounting what happened, "I think sometime in between Elizabeth scared an animal and she had cried out so I had run over to check and see if she was alright. However, when I got to her there was this strange-looking mushroom. I decided that it'd make a good ingredient to use and so I bopped the top of it and all I remember after that was being sprayed by some strange pollen and being engulfed in it." she told them, "After it cleared away, I was the size of a normal person." she said, shrugging.

"And thus the reason you are wearing Elizabeth's outfit, right, got it," Meliodas said nodding his head.

"Yeah, since we didn't have any clothes that could fit me, I had to come with Lady Diane," Elizabeth said softly.

"And that also explains why you're stuck between her giant knockers." Anko snickered at the sight of the tiny lady.

"Anko, please restrain the vulgarity." Satsuki sighed out.

"It must have been an Eringi Mushroom variant of the Chicken Matango. They're monsters that are cowardly and rarely show themselves and anytime they feel threatened they release spores that shrink living things in size." King said in thought.

"That makes sense," Diane said.

"So, with that out of the way, does anyone want to go back to the fighting festival?" Meliodas asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Ban said grinning.

And with that, the group rushed outside the second Kushina removed the seals. They managed to leave the building just in time to see an exhausted Taizoo fighting against a still fresh Howzer, "Man, I didn't think holding back this much would be so boring," the Holy Knight sighed out, "Is this what Master Escanor felt when he was teaching us as brats?" he asked himself.

Below Naruto snickered, those three brats had more energy in them than a pack of hormonal wolves. It was a wonder they didn't stay awake all hours from the sheer amount they had. Margaret shook her head, "No, I'm sure you had it easy with those three dummies," she said.

"It was still fun," Naruto said grinning at the memories.

"Alright, I guess I can stop torturing you now, sayonara," Howzer said before he punched his fist out and unleashed a massive twister from his hand that launched Taizoo off the arena much like Griamore had been.

"And the winner is, Howzer!" Love-Helm declared, causing the spectators to cheer loudly.

Naruto nodded his head, "It seems Howzer has improved a little, though he could learn some respect towards his elders. I may just have to teach him that." he said scowling.

Howzer felt a shiver run up his spine, 'I don't like this feeling, it feels just like those times I was learning from Master Escanor.' he thought to himself.

"Alright, up next, we have our own, three-time champion, Naruto Uzumaki!" Love Helm called out, causing the people to cheer loudly as he removed his glasses to bulk up a bit as he handed them to Margaret, "Versus, Cain Barzard the Flame!" he announced.

"Care to explain why you are removing your glasses, Escanor?" Margaret asked.

"It is for a show. Cain Barzard has absolute control over fire, it is time to see which flame burns brighter," he told her.

Meliodas and the other sins felt their eyes widen in shock as a pulse of power washed over them and they looked to Naruto as he walked up onto the arena. Ban gulped as he looked at the hulking figure, "Hey captain, isn't that…" he stopped himself as he just didn't know if he was right or wrong.

"Oi oi oi, is he serious?" King asked in shock.

"Just what in the hell does he think he's doing?" Diane asked herself.

"There's no doubt about it, that's Escanor!" Meliodas declared.

The group of ninja felt their eyes widen in shock. Kushina took a step back as she sensed the man's power, "That's Escanor, he's a monster." she said in shock.

"There's just so much chakra." Satsuki gulped in terror.

"There's no way this guy's a human with that much power," Anko said in surprise.

"Holy shit, he's huge!" Mito said wide-eyed.

"Standing at 8 feet even and weighing in at 600 pounds of pure muscles, it's Naruto Uzumaki!" Love Helm declared as the people cheered as he waved. Love Helm then motioned to the man's competition, "And his opponent for the match, standing at a height of 4 feet 8 inches and weighing in at roughly 150 pounds, it's Kain Barzard!" Love Helm announced.

"Good afternoon, Kain Barzard-dono," Naruto greeted his opponent.

"Naruto Uzumaki, they say you hold incredible durability, I am looking forward to testing that defense," Kain said, surprisingly sober for a man that had been stumbling around the arena a few minutes ago.

"There is only one way to find out, may the best man taste victory," Naruto told his opponent.

"Indeed," Kain responded.

"If both competitors are ready, BEGIN!" Love-Helm called out.

"I aim to finish this as fast as I can, so no hard feelings young man, Flames of Atlas" Kain declared as blue flames burst up into existence around his arm, "Searing Destruction Blast" Kain called out as he released a powerful wave of fire at his opponent.

Naruto however simply stood still as the flames washed over his body. Kushina felt her eyes widen, "Is he gonna be ok, I don't think even he can withstand such a powerful attack!" she said in shock.

"He'll be fine, if there is one thing you need to do, it's to not ever underestimate Escanor," Meliodas said calmly.

"Oh ho, not bad, but is this all you are capable of?" Naruto asked from inside the fire of his opponent.

"For a young man, you sure are a prideful one," Kain laughed as the fire died down to reveal an unscathed Naruto, "I'm surprised, it seems the stories do you no justice. Not a single scratch from even the holy flames of Atlas himself can pierce your flesh." Kain said in observation.

"Of course not, for even a Titan knows his place when in my presence," Naruto declared, "And that place is beneath me."

Anko snorted, "You know, he sure is arrogant now that I hear his voice," she said.

"Yeah, but I guess being practically immune to fire does that for you. I wonder how come he's not hurt by such a devastating attack. Even I could feel my own body wanting to cry in fear," Mito said.

"Escanor is immune to all forms of fire no matter what type. It's one of the main reasons that when I fought him I had such a hard time," Meliodas said seriously.

"So, how did you beat him exactly?" Kushina asked.

"He flashed Merlin's tits to him," Diane said as she punched her Captain on the back of his head.

"Ok, not gonna lie, that's a dirty trick," Kushina snickered.

"Yeah, but it's effective!" Ban laughed hard.

Naruto raised a finger and a ball of golden flame burst into existence, "I thank you for the entertainment, Kain Barzard-dono, but I think it is time I stop playing around. This is my Magical Power, Sunshine, and I am allowing you but a glimpse of its true glory," he told the elder, "Solar Tide," he declared as the ball of flame burst apart into hundreds of smaller orbs and rushed to hit his enemy.

"I'm old, but I'm not weak. Bomb Blast Dance!" Kain declared as he inhaled deeply and released a tidal wave of flame from his mouth that once it came into contact with the golden flames, caused an explosion of extreme heat that engulfed both of them.

As the heat died down and the air cleared both could still be standing, "Oh ho, so you are unharmed by my attack. How impudent of you." Naruto said as he raised his palm, "It seems I must show you a little bit more," he said more to himself than to Kain.

"Hmph, you're not half bad, young man," Kain said snickering to himself as he produced a ball of flame in his palm.

"Cruel Sun" Naruto declared as he expanded the ball of flame.

"Endless Scorch" Kain declared as the flames turned white.

"I believe it is time to end this, I would rather not harm anybody," Naruto said calmly.

"I must agree, young man, but tell me something, why are you hiding from your past?" he asked curiously.

"It is so that others may live in the light, that I shall give them." Naruto declared.

"I see, it's nice that you are willing to go so far for those you care about," Kain said smiling softly at the man, "If that is the case, then I must declare I forfeit the match. I am no equivalent to this young man." Kain said as he let his power fade away and watched as Naruto allowed his own to fade from existence.

"The winner by forfeit, Naruto Uzumaki!" Love-Helm called out.

Everyone began cheering as they were amazed by such an incredible display of fire and strength, however, several people were excited and scared about getting the chance to face this "Naruto" person.

And it wasn't just the sins, as even Howzer was feeling a bit excited at the chance to face his old teacher once again. Though a good majority of what he felt was fear at getting his ass handed to him again. For the kunoichi, however, they were only excited as they finally found the person they were looking for and hoped that he would be able to help them find the one they were searching for.

As Escanor stepped down off the platform, he gently took his glasses back from Margaret and placed them back on, allowing his monstrous power to go back to sleep. After all, being around regular people and humans, his magical power would cause them to slowly get burned as they couldn't handle the heat that he gave off. Even Holy Knights and the other Sins had issues powering through the heat, but at least they can hold up better than regular people.

"Whatever happened to, 'low-profile,' hmm?" Margaret asked with a look.

Escanor chuckled while rubbing the back of his head and said, "I apologize, however, every time I've competed in the festival, I always take my glasses off, since I would rather their image of 'Naruto Uzumaki' is of a giant rather than a regular man. Besides, how do you think I have been able to avoid being recognized?"

Margaret was about to retort but then realized how right Escanor was, since thanks to his magic, his body will change depending on the time of day. Meaning that so long as he doesn't let anyone see him changing, then he'd be fine. However, there was one thing she had to bring up.

"And no one has recognized your mustache?" Margaret asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked back at him, only to see he was looking at her with a pair of eye smiles and a full-on beard with the mustache.

"What mustache? I will have you know this is no mere mustache but a beard and a mustache," Escanor told her with a bit of flare that caused her to begin giggling before he joined in with her as he took off the fake beard.

"But in any case," Escanor said as the duo calmed down, "No, most people don't seem to recognize my mustache, since most of the time, whenever they fight me, they're too busy watching my attacks than to focus on my face. Plus, any person who did take the time to look at my face, usually didn't stay alive for very long, since they lost focus," Escanor finished with a shrug.

Margaret nodded her head and said, "I guess you've got a point there."

"I hope this match is entertaining, my last bout could hardly be called fun," Naruto sighed.

"You only say that because it's you," Margaret said.

Kushina gulped as she looked at Escanor, could this be her chance to talk to him? However, before she could make a move Meliodas held a hand up in front of her, "Huh, what is it Meliodas?" she asked him.

"He's standing beside someone, a female if the body size and stance the person standing in indicates something," he said, "That means we all have to be cautious when we go over there. The fact that five of the Seven Deadly Sins have gathered in one spot can easily paint a major target onto our back," he told her.

"Alright, so what should I do?" she asked him.

"It's simple, we all go over to him," Meliodas said.

However, before that could happen, Love-Helm called out, "And now it is time for the next match!" he declared.

"Uh, Captain, I think it's our turn," Ban said grinning.

"Let's do it!" Meliodas cheered as he and his comrade jumped up onto the rock platform for their match.

Needless to say, the match was both amazingly brutal and showed just why Ban had earned his title as Undead Ban, but it also showed just why the two men were considered to be two of the strongest men in the land of Britannia. Meliodas had seemed to lose all strength before he had been struck by a super-empowered Ban but it was strange that Meliodas had pulled the win. Of course, Elizabeth had nearly blown their cover, but hey she was a caring person.

Love-Helm cleared his throat and announced, "And Meliodafu is the winner!" causing people to cheer for him.

"Alright, who's next?" Kurenai asked.

Love Helm was fast to announce the next match, "Up next, it is Kushina versus the Sexy and Single Snake Mistress Anko!"

"Seriously, that's what you put down on your paper, Anko?" Kurenai asked her

"Hey, why ruin a good thing?" Anko asked shrugging.

"Ban shook his head, "It's not a good thing to advertise your single," he told her.

Kushina appeared in the arena using a Shunshin and Anko merely hopped up after her, "Hope you're ready to be schooled Anko," she told the younger woman.

"Oh please, save the banter for someone that cares. I just want to have a good time," the Dango-loving woman said smirking at her colleague.

"Let the match, BEGIN!" Love-Helm declared.

The two ladies burst forward and engaged in a furious battle of taijutsu, moving around and about the arena in fast flurries. Almost like Meliodas and Ban had before them, their hits were fast and loud to show that they were both serious. Anko slid back as she was kicked in the stomach and her hand transformed into a bunch of snakes, "Striking Shadow Snake Hand" she called out.

"Oh wow, I didn't know she could do that," King said in awe as he watched Kushina cut the snakes apart using a Kunai.

"Not bad Anko, but next time, pay attention to an enemy's hands rather than their movements," Kushina said before she raised her hand in a half ram seal, "Sealing Jutsu: Restrict" she chanted as a bunch of black lines appeared and glowed across her body causing the Snake Mistress to cry out in shock as she fell, "It's my win," she said smirking.

"And it's over in a flash, Kushina has taken the victory!" Love Helm declared.

"That was fast, I didn't even see her applying the seals to her body," Mito said.

"Then again, your mom is a Kage level Kunoichi so she could have done it anytime she felt like," Satsuki said.

"That is true, but still that fight couldn't have lasted for more than three minutes," Mito said in observation.

"Meh, you win some you lose some," Kurenai said as she watched the two women get off the stage.

"And for the final round of the quarterfinals, it's Rosa versus Mito!" Love Helm said loudly.

Naruto held his hand out, "Remember, be careful. Just because you have a high aptitude for electricity does not mean you have the means to beat all and win all the fights you find yourself in," he told Margaret, "Now hand me your cloak," he told her as he held his hand out.

"B-But I thought you said to keep it on no matter what?" she asked in shock.

"It's probably already too late. Howzer has more than likely reported my position of being here. Not only that, but the other sins are here as well and each of them are exceptional sensors for people's auras." he told her, "Come on, it'll be fine." he told her calmly.

"Alright fine, but don't expect anything flashy," she said to him as she removed her cloak and handed it to him.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Naruto responded to her.

"Hold on a second, isn't that…" King asked in shock.

"B-Big sister!" Elizabeth cried out in shock.

"BIG SISTER?!" the ninja cried out in shock.

"Yes, but I thought she was still in Liones, not here. How is this possible?" Elizabeth asked herself.

"It's possible that she fled at the same time you did," Ban said in thought.

"Maybe, but still I didn't think I would see her here," Elizabeth said to herself.

"Hold on folks, Before we get into this, please turn your attention to behind you!" Love-Helm declared to the crowd.

Turning around, the crowd saw what looked to be a small army of soldiers and horses and they were dragging something behind them. However, they also saw the large cloud of smoke coming from behind the soldiers and this was a clear indicator that the object must have been incredibly heavy. Soon, the soldiers made it to the platform and began unhooking all the horses, with the horses pretty much dropping to the ground in exhaustion. It was now that everyone could see that the object was a giant piece of stone, however, that isn't what drew everyone's attention.

What drew everyone's attention was the weapon that seemed to have been embedded into the stone. It was the massive axe that was stabbed into the stone that had drawn everyone's attention, "Behold, the Divine Axe Rhitta. Said to be the strongest of any weapon to have ever been made, but be warned, only the strongest can even remotely lift this weapon!" Love-Helm announced.

Everyone was shocked at the legendary weapon being here, as many had heard tales of the Seven Deadly Sins' Escanor using the weapon. Anko and the other ninja looked at the axe in confusion, "Holy crap, it's huge!" Mito said in shock.

"As expected of the Sacred Treasure of the Seven Deadly Sins strongest member," Howzer said grinning.

"Hey, why is the design so strange, aren't axes supposed to be two-handed?" the Snake Mistress asked.

"Usually yes, but in this case, it's a one-handed axe," Meliodas said.

"One-handed, but why?" she asked.

"Don't know, but if I had to guess, I think it's because Escanor uses a lot of brute strength that can make even a dragon king look tame," Meliodas said shrugging at her.

Veronica stepped forth, "My name is Veronica Liones, second princess to the kingdom of Liones' throne. This weapon is the Divine Axe Rhitta as you all know and heard of. The man that uses this axe in battle is said to have no equal, and if the winner of this tournament wishes, then he or she has the right to take either the Gideon hammer that once belonged to Diane the Serpent Sin of Envy or this here axe as their prize," she announced.

"I wouldn't want to take that axe even if it was used by God himself, that thing is supposed to have only one master and I don't want to invoke the man that uses it," a man said.

"That may be true, but the axe is made up of 35 tons of pure gold while the blade is made up of pure platinum inlaid silver. That makes it worth approximately half of the gold reserves in the royal vault, if not more," she said to the man.

The ninja felt their eyes widen in shock, "He can carry that much weight in a single hand? This guy is so not human," Anko decided then and there.

"I think Tsunade would be drooling to get her hands on that thing," Satsuki said looking at the blade in the stone.

Meliodas nodded and said, "Well, if I can guess her personality from what I've seen and heard, then she must like gambling a lot. So I would have to agree with you, she would be incredibly happy at winning that axe, though, that would all depend on if she could lift it."

"Ok, can I ask something without trying to sound stupid?" Kushina asked.

"You technically just asked a question, but I guess it wouldn't hurt." Ban snickered.

"Just how in the nine levels of hell, does your friend lift that heavy thing?" she asked, ignoring the shot at her intelligence.

"He's Escanor." the four said dully at the same time.

"That's not an answer!" Anko cried out.

Veronica looked up to the arena and sighed, "Margaret, what are you doing up there?" she asked her.

"Margaret, what are you talking about, I'm Rosa." Margaret tried to lie and failed horribly at it.

"Margaret, we both know that is a lie, and besides you are terrible when it comes to lying. So, what are you doing up there, much less here of all places?" Veronica asked her.

"Uh, Elizabeth, who's this Margaret chick supposed to be, I thought her name was supposed to be Rosa or something?" Kushina asked the shrunken girl.

"It's my eldest sister's real name. But it's the violet haired one you need to worry about, her Magic ability is called Sight as it allows her to view the future for any length of time. Margaret may be fast, but even my sister can't beat my elder sister Veronica's ability." Elizabeth said, shivering as she looked at her elder sister.

"So we have not only the next in line for the throne, but the one after her as well," Anko sighed, "This is just great, now what are we gonna do?"

"If this princess is as strong as you say, then how are we gonna get past her to speak with Escanor?" Satsuki asked.

"I don't know, but I think he has already figured it out," Meliodas said pointing to Escanor who had donned the cloak and had stepped up to the princess.

"Princess Veronica, if I may, she has been my traveling companion for these last few days and has been telling me that she has desired to fight in the fighting festival. If it were alright, would you permit her to participate?" he asked her calmly. He had hidden amongst the crowd but he couldn't be too sure if she knew it was him.

Veronica felt her eyes glaze over before she gulped. She knew now, just who stood in front of her, "I do not see why she cannot stranger-san, but she must know that even if she wins the festival she cannot take these two weapons if she chooses them, back to Liones." she said.

"Then I do not see a problem here," Escanor said before looking to the arena, "If it would please everyone, can we please start this match!" he called out loudly getting cheers from the others that wanted to watch.

"Alright, then let the final match of the quarterfinals: BEGIN!" Love-Helm announced loudly.

Hawk walked over to the princess, "A mug of ale princess, it's only a single shilling." he said to her.

Veronica giggled, "I guess it couldn't hurt, thank you Mr. pig," she said holding out a piece of gold, "I'll take the barrel for some of my men so please, take this as payment." she said placing the money in his pouch.

"Oh thank you, this is very generous of you." the pig said happily as he rushed to give the princess's men a drink.

Veronica then stepped up next to the cloaked Escanor, "So, care to explain how it is I managed to meet you here of all places?" the man asked her, "And with my axe of all things?" he continued.

"Grandmaster Hendrickson has found out that this year's fight festival is a trap and sent men loyal to the king alone to get your weapon and bring it to you. However, we did not know that the other Sins were going to be here," she said simply.

Naruto nodded his head, "I see, thank you for doing this. I can only do so much without my axe, so this is a welcome sight." he told her.

"Don't mention it." the lady smiled back at him.

"Of course. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I must go before anyone gets suspicious of me," he said before walking off.

Margaret looked at Mito, "Just because I am a princess, does not mean I wish for you to go easy on me," she told her.

"I wouldn't have it any other way your majesty," she responded.

"Thank you. As for my ability, it is called Flash, so I must ask you to use all of your strength to see if you can match up to me," Margaret said before she vanished in a flash of speed.

"So fast!" Mito gasped before she hunched over due to Margaret slamming her fist into the young woman's stomach.

Mito was given no time to rest as Margaret began to lay into the Uzumaki woman with super-fast punches and even a few kicks, "Flash" Margaret declared before she vanished into thin air, a spark of electricity being left behind in her place. Appearing above Mito she appeared above her and waved her hand and chanted, "Lightning Spree" and her hand expelled several thick bolts of lightning that resembled a tri-star shuriken. The lightning raced down towards the ground, but Mito wasn't all that weak as she had to thank Kurama for rapidly healing her.

She was fast, this princess.

"Alright, my turn, Wind Style: Vortex!" Mito said channeling her chakra and expelled it all out of her tenketsu points in her body.

Margaret grunted as not only, was her lightning dispersed, but she was buffeted by gale-force winds, "Gold Shining" she declared before she vanished and struck Mito before a flash of light engulfed the Uzumaki.

"I honestly can't believe this chick is putting up such a fight, and she's so fast too," Satsuki said with wide eyes.

"That's because of the Princess's magic, Flash. It allows her to move at incredible speeds and use lightning as well to enhance her reaction times and give her powerful lightning attacks," Meliodas informed the kunoichi as they all watched the fight continue.

"It sounds almost like the Raikage's Lightning Armor," Kurenai said in observation.

"Oh, how does it work?" Meliodas asked.

"The user usually coats their entire nervous system in a coat of lightning and then expels it out of their body. It increases their speed by a large amount and hardly anyone can ever match them in terms of speed. The last person to do so was my ex-husband," Kushina said.

"That's pretty neat. I haven't heard of a human being able to coat their nerves in lightning as its usually pretty dangerous," the demon prince said and winced when he watched Mito take a kick to the face.

"Yeah, it's extremely difficult to do so and if the person is good enough, then they become very powerful due to it," Kushina said.

"Earth Style: Earthen Rampart!" Mito called out as several spikes of earth popped up from the ground and shattered to pieces and then shot at Mito who hung in the air.

"I'm not done yet, Lightning Spree" Margaret cried out as she waved her hand and several bolts of lightning tore through the projectiles before impacting the ground and bursting, filling the air with smoke. Landing on the arena platform, Margaret waited for the dust to disperse and curse when she felt the air behind her shift and she used flash to escape from harm as Mito slammed her fist into the ground where she once stood, the arena cracking apart even more than it already was thanks to the previous fights. She appeared by the edge of the arena and she cursed when several spikes of earth rose up in front of her and surrounded her, "Dammit." the princess cursed.

"Give up, my main affinity is Earth, but I am capable of using all five elements and am very capable of using other elements too. I'll admit it took a bit of thinking but I noticed something, you can only move in a linear fashion, so I had to be fast to cut off your movements," she told the princess.

Margaret sighed, "I guess I have no choice, I forfeit the match," she said to Love-Helm.

"And the winner is, Mito!" the man declared loudly.

Everyone began to cheer loudly as they all were excited for such an amazing display of fights and then the additional prize of another Sacred Treasure being added to the prize. Love-Helm then began announcing, "Alright, and with that, we have reached the end of the Quarterfinals! Tomorrow, we will hold the Semi-Finals and then the end of the tournament to mark the end of the Vytal Festival, so be sure to come back tomorrow!"

With that, Love-Helm seemed to have vanished all of a sudden before everyone began to walk away to enjoy the last few hours of the festival before turning in for the night. However, when the kunoichi and the Sins tried to see if they could meet up with Escanor to talk with him, he seemed to have simply vanished with both Princess Margaret and Princess Veronica. The group sighed, the Sins partially out of relief at not risking the chance that Escanor would fight them, while the kunoichi sighed out of sadness at missing the opportunity to try and get the lead on Naruto.

But, they all knew that they could talk to him tomorrow and that they would have a better shot at one of them getting to the finals with him, which then he would have no choice but to talk to them. However, nobody was aware of the events that would occur the next day or the next events that would follow, but they would soon learn. After all, the key to all of their goals, their survival, and the survival of the kingdom, would rely on the shoulders of the one known as the Strongest Man in the World.

CAN THE DARKNESS THAT IS DESCENDING BE DISPELLED BY HEAVENLY LIGHT, OR SHALL IT ENGULF THE ENTIRE WORLD BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE?

Hello everyone!

I am SO sorry about the long wait. I have just been going through a lot from my ADHD to school, to also helping with things around the house a lot more. However! I am so happy that I have people to help me, like the amazing Adventreader221 or as he now goes by, Jaeger-Maester-97. Trust me when I say, that if it wasn't for his help, I have no idea how long this would have taken me, so be sure to go check him out too as he makes a bunch of amazing fics.

Also, I know me apologizing isn't good enough, so I have decided that I will be updating several of my stories to make up for it.

Not sure what else needs to be said, except to favorite, follow, and review and make sure to check out Jaeger-Maester-97.

So I will see you all next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I will see you all next time.