Hearing this, those who had been in Fairy Tail for the last seven years felt a little more confident. Even after seven years, Takeshi and Gildarts were still top-tier powerhouses.
Laxus had always been overwhelmingly strong. Though seven years behind, he remained a force to be reckoned with.
Erza was slightly weaker, yet still formidable—far beyond what they could match.
"I'm all fired up!"
Natsu shot flames from his mouth in excitement.
Takeshi asked Romeo, "How long until the festival?"
"Less than three months."
"That's plenty of time. Before then, everyone trains hard. Fairy Tail will reclaim its throne as Fiore's strongest guild."
"Well said."
"Yeah, we all work together."
"Manly!"
The Tenrou Island group was fired up.
Happy chirped to Carla, "Did you hear? It's a festival, Carla."
Carla folded her arms. "This guild celebrates like every day anyway."
The non-Tenrou Island group looked uneasy.
"For real?"
"I think I'd better sit this one out."
"The battles there aren't what you think."
"Relax."
Takeshi said. "Whatever the event, I've got a way to handle it."
He didn't care about the "strongest guild" title, but there had to be plenty of S-Class Quests.
Makarov leaped up. "Target: thirty mill... Target: Fiore's strongest! Fairy Tail will compete in the Grand Magic Games—decided!"
Erza said seriously, "Now that we're in, we'd better train properly."
They were both S-Class Mages but her current strength wasn't even close to Takeshi's.
"Right. I've got to give it my all too." Lucy felt she couldn't keep slacking off.
"Looks like everyone's made up their minds." Gray glanced around.
The Tenrou Island group blazed with fighting spirit. Once elite among elites, they couldn't accept being third-rate Mages now—they had to claw their way back to the top.
"I'm all fired up!"
Flames erupted from Natsu.
After witnessing Takeshi and Acnologia's might, he couldn't stomach his weakness—he had to grow stronger.
The next day, the guild scattered.
Laxus took the Thunder God Tribe off to who-knows-where, while Takeshi's group headed to the beach for hellish training.
"The sea!"
In their swimsuits, they sprinted toward the water. One after another, they splashed in like dumplings dropped into a pot.
"Hey, we're not here to play."
"We're really not here to play."
Carla and Happy said—one wearing a swim ring, the other goggles.
Droy muttered, "You two look the most excited."
Erza said, "We know. Right now, we need to reset—enjoy the games, the food, the sleep."
Jet warned, "You've completely forgotten the training part. You'd better get serious."
Droy nodded. "At least be strong enough to beat us."
Jet and Droy were stronger than Max. In seven years, their magic power had surpassed even Erza's—proof that Max could beat Natsu despite weaker magic.
They were here partly to supervise, partly to spar.
But no one listened, they frolicked wildly. The lethal pressure of Tenrou Island still haunted them—relaxation was overdue.
Then Jet and Droy saw the cute girls in swimsuits and grinned like lovesick fools.
"Whew... it's only day one, let's chill."
"Yeah. Let's enjoy it."
Soon morning passed.
That afternoon, they buckled down to train.
"Huh? Where's Takeshi?" Levy couldn't spot him and asked Mirajane.
Mirajane explained, "Takeshi? His magic's too destructive, so he's training alone on an uninhabited island."
"Uh..."
Levy was speechless.
Takeshi's destructive power was terrifying. If he'd had enough magic power back then, the fight against Acnologia could have gone either way.
Dozens of kilometers away, on a deserted island.
Takeshi was training.
Full Body Take Over: Nagato!
His appearance shifted: crimson hair, red cloak, concentric purple ripples in his eyes—Rinnegan.
Though the Rinnegan wasn't originally Nagato's, the system copied him at his peak, granting everything he'd ever had in the anime.
"Which first?"
"Hmm... let's go with this."
Takeshi floated upward, arms spread, reciting Deva Path Pain's iconic line.
"Let the world feel pain."
"Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM!!!
A terrifying repulsive force burst from him.
The sea beneath was crushed by invisible pressure, instantly raising towering waves—no, a tsunami.
Huge surges raced outward, as if to obliterate everything in their path.
Deva Path had wiped out Konoha with this move.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Back on the island, Takeshi raised a hand and a boulder flew toward him.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
Giant beasts appeared, their massive size rivaling that of Acnologia.
"So they can be summoned."
Each beast bore the Rinnegan, sharing vision with Takeshi.
Next, he tested every Rinnegan ability.
After a while, Takeshi released the transformation and lied down to rest. The experiments had drained a lot of magic power—especially the Rinnegan, a real mana-guzzler.
"Amazing!"
The Rinnegan truly was the Naruto world's ultimate power.
Even if Nagato couldn't draw out its full might, the basic abilities were overwhelming.
"Haa... pity I can't use Susanoo."
The Rinnegan is the final form of the Sharingan. In Madara's hands, it could unlock Perfect Susanoo.
Overall, Takeshi was satisfied. Nagato's strength could go toe-to-toe with Acnologia, though he'd still probably lose in the end. Insufficient magic power was the fatal flaw.