Naruto x Fairy Tail: Fairy's Shadow

Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones

"Normal Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

"Telepathic dialogue"

[Year ???]

~ With Shisui ~

Shisui stood in the endless twilight of Umbra Noctis. His shoulders were straight, his chin lifted with quiet satisfaction, and there was something in his posture that spoke of hard-won victory.

Echorim perched before him, those ancient eyes fixed on the human who had spent so long struggling with the most basic fundamentals of their art. When the Whisperer Nocturnae spoke, its voice carried what might have been mild approval.

"Congratulations, Shisui. You have successfully completed the basic fundamentals of Shadow Walking and Shadow Jumping."

The effect of its words was devastating as all of Shisui's proud bearing crumbled like a house of cards. His shoulders sagged, his head dropped, and he slumped into a posture of complete defeat.

"It's not my fault I had to learn everything by myself..." He complained, his voice taking on a tone that would have been familiar to anyone who'd ever watched a student protest an unfair test. "You lied to me, Echorim. You said the Nocturnae were unable to help, but I think you just wanted to watch me suffer."

He'd meant it as a joke, but something in the way Echorim's head tilted made him suspicious. There was the slightest hint of amusement in the bat's posture, what Shisui could have sworn was the equivalent of a smirk on that expressionless face.

His eyes widened with genuine outrage. "You actually did! You actually wanted to see me struggle!"

"That is beside the point," Echorim replied with what sounded suspiciously like satisfaction. "The point is that you have now mastered these basic movements."

Despite his indignation, Shisui couldn't help but smile. The memories of his training were still fresh, and they brought with them a mixture of frustration and pride. He remembered those first attempts at Shadow Walking, when Echorim had given him exactly zero useful directions on how to begin.

'It will come to you as naturally as breathing' Echorim had said.

It had not. Not even close. It had been a whole bunch of mystical nonsense that made about as much sense as trying to explain colour to a blind man. Even back at the academy in the Elemental Nations, students had been given actual instructions on how to perform the three basic jutsu. Step-by-step processes, hand signs, chakra control exercises. Here, he'd been told to commune with the shadows and trust his instincts.

His instincts had been useless for the first several months. Shisui shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the present.

"Thank you…" he said, offering Echorim a genuine nod of gratitude. "So, what's next? What other abilities can I learn now?"

The possibilities excited him. He'd seen hints of what the Nocturnae could do, the way they moved through Umbra Noctis like water, the subtle manipulation of darkness that went far beyond simple stealth. Maybe he could learn something like the Nara Clan's shadow techniques, those legendary jutsu that could bind opponents from a distance.

Echorim's response was disappointingly practical. "For now, there is nothing else for you to learn except to continue acclimating with the shadows. The next part of your training will come when you are deemed ready. You may return to Earthland."

Shisui stood in stunned silence for a moment. Then his expression shifted to one of pure exasperation.

"You're being stingy. Just because I took a long time to master the basics doesn't mean I'm not ready for the advanced stuff. I'm Shisui Uchiha, for crying out loud." He accused.

But even as he complained, another part of his mind was already turning toward home. He stretched, working out the kinks in muscles that had been tensed with concentration for too long, and found himself wondering how Fairy Tail was faring in his absence.

"How much time has passed in Earthland anyways?" He asked, the question carrying a note of casual curiosity.

Echorim's response was less reassuring than he'd hoped. "I am unsure. Time in Umbra Noctis flows differently than in many other realms."

That gave Shisui pause. He'd assumed the flow would be roughly equivalent, maybe slightly accelerated. The idea that there might be a significant difference was concerning.

"How much time has passed in Umbra Noctis?" He pressed.

"I am also unsure. Time moves differently here, as I have said." Echorim replied.

"What does that mean?" The worry in Shisui's voice was unmistakable now.

Echorim seemed to recognize his growing concern. "To me, not much time has passed at all."

The reassurance helped, though it didn't entirely dispel his anxiety. If Echorim's perception was accurate, then only a few months should have had gone by. And if time moved faster in Umbra Noctis, that meant even less time had passed in Earthland. He could return to find Fairy Tail exactly as he'd left it, maybe wondering where he'd been for a few additional months.

"I'm ready to go back." He announced.

Echorim simply stared at him. Shisui stared back, waiting for some kind of instruction or guidance. The silence stretched between them until Shisui finally sighed.

"I'm supposed to do this myself, aren't I?" The question was rhetorical, delivered with the long-suffering tone of someone who'd grown accustomed to figuring things out the hard way.

"Why else would we have trained you in the basics first?" Echorim replied amusedly.

Shisui sighed again, longer and more dramatically this time. "You know, for beings as old as you claim to be, you'd think there would be some kind of beginner's guide. But no, there's nothing. Just 'figure it out yourself' and 'trust your instincts' and 'it will come naturally.'"

Despite his complaints, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The shadows around him responded immediately, recognizing the connection he'd forged through countless hours of practice and frustration. With the same fluid motion he'd performed thousands of times during his training, he slipped into the darkness that surrounded him.

Umbra Noctis was a realm of shadows, and now he was part of them.

After Shisui had vanished into the darkness, another Nightwing materialized beside Echorim. This one was smaller, with wings that seemed to absorb light rather than simply blocking it.

"Why did you not tell him that time deviates in Umbra Noctis than in Earthland?" The newcomer asked. "Considering his a normal human cycle, he has been here for close to ten years."

For the first time since Shisui had arrived, a distinct twinkle appeared in Echorim's eyes. The expression was almost mischievous, carrying the weight of ancient humour.

"He spent six years in the trial. As we know, time holds no meaning in that space, so he only spent close to four years training in Umbra itself. Without a strong connection to void essence, he would not have known the passage of time regardless." Echorim replied.

The other Nightwing waited, sensing there was more to the explanation.

"Besides," Echorim continued, and now there was definite amusement in its voice, "it has been a long time since Umbra Noctis has had a champion. It will be... interesting to see his reaction to any changes."

The smaller Nightwing's head tilted in what might have been agreement. "Indeed. This should prove most entertaining."

~ End of Chapter 84 ~

You can read advanced chapter on [email protected]/The_Editor982

A/N: Time in Umbra Noctis deviates. Sometimes the time moves linear to Earthland's, sometimes it moves faster, and sometimes it moves slower. There is no set pattern. Realistically, Shisui spent 10 years in Umbra, BUT, 6 of those 10 years were spent in the trial where time holds no meaning. Think of it as if Shisui was "frozen" in time. Only the creatures attuned to Void Essence can tell the passage of time.