Yo, been a while since I updated anything, mainly due to the fact that as of April 27th, 2016, I've been lucky enough to be the new father to a beautiful Baby girl.
Anyway, this is actually fairly impressive lengthwise compared to my usual 3000-4000 word chapters, and I already have another, similar length chapter written, as well as being 6700 words into the third chapter. I am posting the first chapter now, and will post chapter two in a week or so, when I have more time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own RWBY
"I blame you for this." The statement caused Naruto to look at his fellow Blonde incredulously for a moment.
"What did I do?!" he practically shouted, tying his shirt around his head to shade him from the heat of the desert sun, while Ino Yamanaka just scoffed, glaring at him.
"I feel it is unfair to blame Naruto for our predicament," Lee announced, wiping the sweat from his brow. It wasn't often that he had trouble with his thick, black hair, but desert environments were not kind to the Taijutsu specialist. Their group had been on a mission with Jiraiya, attempting to track down a lead as to where Sasuke, their traitorous former comrade, had gone after they had nearly been killed on the mission to prevent his defecting.
"I always blame Naruto for everything!" Kiba chuckled, giving the steaming blonde boy a hearty clap on the back, though the others could tell it was all in good fun and he was just teasing. Like Naruto, the Inuzuka heir used his outer coat to provide shade for himself and his tiny canine companion. Ino looked at the three males and rolled her eyes. This wasn't the time for levity. Their team had been assembled specifically for this mission. Naruto and Lee to battle the missing Uchiha should he be located, Kiba and Akamaru for their tracking ability, and she for her ability to mentally subdue their target with her clan's mind-walking techniques.
"I've heard horror stories from Sakura. Every time Team 7 went on a mission, something horrible or bizarre ALWAYS happened," Ino said, answering Naruto's question. "The Land of Waves, Snow Country, and I also heard what went down during the attempted retrieval. Nothing involving Naruto is ever by-the-book."
"Hey, it's not like going to sleep in our hotel room and waking in a huge, stinking desert, is a regular occurrence for me," the whisker-faced genin shot back, trying to defend himself...though she did have a point, he never really got much for 'simple' missions. And now they were lost, presumably in the land of wind. They didn't notice Akamaru begin to whimper, though Kiba did.
"Hey guys, something's got Akamaru kinda spooked..." he said, but the two blondes either weren't hearing him, or didn't care. Lee seemed thoughtful for a moment.
"Perhaps I am just dreaming, or we are all experiencing a shared dream experience...after all, Genin don't merely vanish from one place and appear in another," he mused.
"No way!" Naruto replied, his eyes beginning to twitch as he glared at Ino. "No way I'm having anything to do with a ramen-less dream." Lee began to say something, but Naruto had a good point...well, maybe not a good one, but it was interesting to note that if this were a dream, Naruto probably would be having a bowl of ramen.
Still worried about his partner's whining, and the puppy's ears twitching all over the place, Kiba didn't notice the long, dark object slither up into the surface, before ducking back below the sand. "Guys, seriously, something isn't right." Still ignoring the canine and his partner, Ino poked Naruto in the chest.
"I swear, Naruto, you've brought up ramen almost fifteen times since we woke up here. It's starting to get annoying. It's bad enough being stuck in this heat, without listening to you going on and on about your slimy, salty, noodles." Naruto looked downright offended at Ino's sentiment and despite knowing the others wouldn't approve, he reared his fist back, his blood boiling enough to actually hit the girl for insulting his ramen and his hunger.
Akamaru let out a terrified yip and now Kiba could feel the sand beginning to shift beneath his feet. "HEY FUCKERS!" the dog-like genin finally shouted. By the time they looked at him, Ino and Lee rather shocked at Kiba's crass language, two massive worm-like creatures shot up through the sand. Each was a pitch black color, like shadows given form, and around their faceless, front-ends, they wore some sort of white, mask-like shell. Said masks had intricate designs all over them, scrawled in black and a bit of red.
The genin team leapt back quickly to put some distance between the sand-worms and themselves, but three more emerged from beneath their feet, surrounding the young shinobi. Placing his hands in his favorite seal, Naruto formed a team of clones, using them to create a protective circle around them, but in his dehydrated and irate state, he wouldn't be able to maintain them for long.
"I hate it when you're right, Ino," Naruto muttered under his breath, seeing that she had a point about the strangeness of his missions. He pulled out a few Kunai and waited with baited breath. The sand creatures showed their open mouths, filled on all sides with large teeth, probably sharper than Naruto's little knife. They lunged, and with a battle-cry, the genin jumped into action.
Three Years Later
"I blame you for this..." At this point, Naruto just rolled his eyes at the now cliché catchphrase of Ino, who glared at him from the other side of the cell they were currently locked in. Naruto wasn't sure exactly why they were being arrested, but he felt like Ino's accusation was as unfounded as ever.
"Of come on, my plan was perfect!" he replied, thumping his chest as he went over the events of the night in his head. Crashed a meeting of the White Fang, took out most of those present, and the cops arrested THEM? Hell, Naruto had figured they'd be glad for the help, and there was always a bounty to be had from turning in members of the terrorist group. He at least had had the forethought to conceal his whiskers with a discrete transformation before the cops had seen his face.
"Oh yeah, worked really well," Ino retorted, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Except the part where we got arrested. You better hope poor Lee gets out of here before his next shift, or else the two of US will be paying all the bills around here." The four former shinobi were scarily competent fighters for genin, training vigilantly in their personal skills while also learning about the technology and weapons of the new world they had been cast into. While they were not hard out for money, Lee was the only one in the group who had a steady job, working as a store-hand at a local Dust Shop. Naruto and Kiba usually went after bounties, whether on people or hordes of the creatures known as Grimm, with Ino offering the temporary assist in their missions when she herself was between jobs. "What's taking so long with Kiba?"
"They're processing him as a Faunus...That always takes longer." Lee announced, and while he gave a reassuring thumbs up to Ino, inside he was mess of emotion. These Faunus, humanoid beings that possessed some animal traits, were often treated as sub-human and Kiba had found out the hard way how discriminated they were the moment they arrived in the first human settlement they came across out in the wastes. After the incident, in which Naruto was also mistaken for a Faunus due to his whiskers, Kiba had begun spending large amounts of time under the transformation jutsu, only letting it drop during missions to collect bounties, and he had a special love of busting up the White Fang, that Naruto shared. Lee and Ino, while having no love for the violent terrorist group, felt that focusing on them over other bounties was going to get them in trouble one day. However, Naruto was adamant that the way to gain recognition and respect like the White Fang wanted was never through unjust violence, and Kiba knew first-hand what the White Fang were doing to the reputation of every Faunus in Remnant, so their arguments usually won out.
"Maybe we should just break out," Naruto suggested, getting shrugged shoulders as the door opened and Kiba was tossed rather roughly into the cell the four shared, Akamaru following his partner, the much larger hound now sporting a muzzle, and not looking too happy about it. The moment the guard had left, however, the ninja-hound opened its mouth, ripping the leather device to pieces in the process. Perhaps it would have kept an ordinary dog down, but Akamaru was far from an ordinary dog, and was intelligent enough to know it. The puppy had grown much in the last two years, and according to Kiba would likely grow a bit more. The once tiny creature now stood at just under four feet, and weighed close to one-hundred and sixty five pounds. Kiba had even begun to ride around on his companion. "We won't even have to go look for Kiba now," he continued, trying desperately to make his case and even the eternally optimistic Lee just sighed and rolled his eyes. Naruto, while he had matured greatly in their time in Remnant, was still hyperactive and hated being cooped up. "I got this. I just need four feet of rope, a bucket of water, and Lee's training suit."
Lee and Kiba looked to each other, not sure they even wanted to know what the blonde prank-master was planning, before said Prankster was sent crashing to the floor with a crushing blow from Ino's fists. "Hell no!" she nearly shrieked in irritation. "The LAST thing we need is another incident like that Rubber Chicken thing! That place smelled awful for weeks!" Naruto, despite rubbing his head, just chuckled, remembering just what Ino was talking about.
"In my defense, it really was funny, and that shopkeeper totally deserved it!" he replied, and Ino scoffed. With nobody but his three companions to teach Naruto anything in the way of new techniques - mostly Lee with his Taijutsu, as Ino and Kiba's techniques were for the most part forbidden from being taught to non-Clan Members - Naruto had begun to revert back to his pranking ways to pass the time between training and bounty-hunting. Though even she could admit, most people he pranked did, indeed, deserve it. Usually he reserved the practical jokes for those businesses that were openly anti-faunus - or the reverse, in the case of Faunus that were discriminatory to humans - never hurting anyone physically, but ruining their reputations through embarrassment. And some of his gags, she had to admit, were pretty funny.
"I don't think breaking out would be a good idea," Kiba said. "It took everything I had to convince these cops that I'm not a member of the White Fang group we took down tonight. We bust out, it just makes me look guilty." Kiba wasn't too keen on being labeled a White Fang member, since anyone with that affiliation, if caught, generally received one of two sentences. Life imprisonment, or Death, and neither sounded very appealing to the Inuzuka.
"I agree with Kiba," Lee announced.
"Same," replied Ino, and Naruto grumbled at being out-voted on the issue. The four - plus one dog - looked up as the door opened and a rather...interesting man stepped forward into their cell. Though his face was rather emotionless, his eyes told them the story clearly that he was there to get a read on them, In one hand, he gripped a cane for walking, while in the other, he held a mug with some form of symbol. He had a mess of gray hair on his head, though the black eyebrows above his brown eyes suggested he once had black hair to match. Said eyes were clearly visible, as his shaded spectacles sat a bit further down on his nose. He wore a black suit, with a green undershirt and had a green scarf around his neck, which was stuck with a pin or brooch of some kind.
"I apologize," he said after a moment. "Tonight has been rather eventful for both yourselves and myself, but after hearing about your exploits, aiding in the arrest of over fifty White Fang members, I decided to see for myself who could have taken on so many opponents." Kiba snorted.
"Well, at least you seem to understand that we were helping the cops, and not the White Fang," he said, for the most part indifferent to the strange man, and the blonde woman who had walked up behind him with an exasperated look upon her face.
"I'll get right to the point," the man continued. "I have a proposition that would be beneficial to all of us. I'm sure you know what Beacon academy is, and what its students train for." All ears perked up at that. Sure, they knew about Beacon. It was one of the most prestigious schools in the world, created to train the next generation to fight the creatures known as Grimm. Lee had actually thought about applying, but given how hard it was to fake records, and he already had a steady job, he had decided against it for the time being. Seeing the recognition brought a slight grin to the older man's face. "I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster at Beacon. While I haven't been able to really see any of your combat prowess in action, I have heard many a rumor...And I'd like to test them. In one week, the newest trainees will be coming to Beacon and taking their initiation. I'd like to give you all that chance as well. If you pass the test, you would become students at my school."
Naruto looked like he was about to protest, but Ino's hand came up and clamped down on his mouth. She knew how much Naruto hated the academy in Konoha, and was likely not too keen on going to a school, but she wanted to hear this guy out. "In return, you can all be sent on officially sanctioned missions hunting Grimm, and while you might not get a full bounty from these missions, you will receive some compensation, as well as free room and board at the school." Naruto still looked a bit miffed, but his three teammates each gave the man an appraising look before turning to each other.
"It would be nice not having to pay rent, even if we would be getting sent back to school," Kiba pointed out, with Ino and Lee nodding in agreement.
"I would also be interested in seeing how these hunters and huntresses are trained," the Taijutsu user stated flatly. While his strength and speed could generally outclass most, he had heard about how the Huntsmen and Huntresses used an energy called Aura, rather than chakra. Though he had long ago come to terms with his inability to mold chakra, he was interested in seeing if perhaps he would be capable of using this aura. Naruto actually looked thoughtful at the prospect of finding new people and new fighting techniques he could possibly learn, and began to stop struggling against Ino.
Ozpin and Glynda shared a look as the teen ninjas talked it over, listening intently for clues as to better understand the four children without any form of past. They had no records, save for rumors of their exploits and Rock Lee's job application, which Glynda was certain contained more than a few lies about his identity. The comment about getting sent back to school did intrigue the two, however, and while Ms. Goodwitch wasn't very keen on offering even more under-aged children the chance to go to Beacon tonight, the Headmaster had seemed rather adamant about it, and she could see why. They were a curious group, she would give them that. The team turned toward Ozpin, finished with their deliberating, before Ino spoke for the group as a whole.
"Beacon places its students on teams, right? Does that mean ours would be broken up?" Despite herself, Glynda's lips formed a slight upward curve. The girl, despite how mysterious the entire group was, clearly was worried about her friends being separated. Ozpin too cracked a slight smile, and took a sip from his mug.
"It is a possibility, I'm afraid. That being said, you would still share the same classes, regardless of Teams, and as freshmen students are normally not deemed fit for missions, whenever you would be sent on one, this team would be brought together for it, at least until such a time when your other teammates are deemed ready for field experience," the gray-haired man admitted, though Ino wasn't too worried. Despite it all, she cared for her teammates, annoying though they were, and as long as they weren't to suffer permanent separation from each other, she could deal with it. Besides, it appeared that based on his answer, Ozpin himself wasn't who decided teams...of course, that left the question of who did, and if need be she could use her family jutsu to control them long enough to ensure their group was put together. Nodding at Ozpin, who nodded back, the Headmaster asked, "So am I to assume you accept my little proposal?" While Naruto was hesitant, all four heads eventually nodded in agreement.
"Excellent. Give me a moment to secure your release. Ms. Goodwitch will provide you with information on where the Skyport is located and how to register properly," Ozpin announced, turning. "Please excuse me, and I shall see you all soon." With a roll of her eyes, she motioned for the group to follow, looking hesitant at the large dog, but otherwise kept up her steely demeanor. As they exited the cell, the guard looked irritated, but he knew better than to argue with two hunters as famously powerful as Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch. Feeling himself be nudged, he looked down to see the shredded remains of a dog muzzle dropped at his feet by Akamaru, a twinkle in the dog's eyes as though purposely mocking the officer, before the dog made his back to the young Dog-Faunus.
The group was led to retrieve their confiscated weapons. Simple Kunai and Shuriken, some Ninja-wire, and Lee's weights, which he had to take himself, as the officers couldn't lift them to return them to Lee themselves. As Naruto filled his pouches with his ninja tools, he looked to the side towards a girl with red-tinted black hair, and silver eyes. She wore a primarily black outfit, with red and silver trim, and a large red hooded-cloak. And she seemed horribly anxious about something. When one of the officers came forward, carrying some sort of large red tool, she practically snatched it from his hand, beginning to stroke the red metal of the object she was now cradling like a child.
"Shhhh," she hushed, rocking back and forth. "Don't worry, Crescent Rose...Momma's here..." Naruto smiled and shook his head. Who was he to judge? He would probably have been the same if his headband had been confiscated. He nudged Lee, getting his attention, and pointing toward the girl, both jumping back as in an instant, the item she held so close had transformed into a massive scythe, which she gave a scrutinizing look over.
"Scary, isn't it?" Naruto asked Lee as the girl made certain nobody had harmed her weapon.
"She seems to love her weapon of choice as much as Tenten loved hers," Lee said, noting immediately the similarities to his former teammate. Though Tenten was much more varied in her weapon choices and uses, she often times treated her weapons as living beings, talking to them much like this girl was now.
"I can hear everything you're saying," the girl announced, blushing intently as she finished her inspection of her weapon, returning it to its more compact form. Naruto just rubbed the back of his head, not thinking enough to try and keep his conversation discrete.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to offend," he said, speaking for both himself and Lee. "You just remind us of an old friend of ours." He extended his hand to the girl with a smile. "Name's Naruto, by the way," Ruby just looked at the hand for a moment, unsure about the strange boy she met at the police station. Her dad would definitely not approve. Still, the guy was trying to be nice, so she took his hand and he shook it enthusiastically. As she looked at his Blonde hair and literally felt the energy behind the handshake, she was instantly reminded of her sister.
"Ruby," she replied, trying to be polite. She would have said more, before Kiba snuck up on Naruto and trapped him in a headlock.
"Oh, come on," he said, smirking. "You can flirt later. Right now, I need to go home and shower." While Naruto just glared at Kiba, struggling to get out of the hold, Ruby began to blush. Was the blonde...flirting with her? She had never really had experience with that sort of thing. Maybe she'd ask Yang about it when she got home.
"It was nice to meet you, Ruby," Naruto waved as he was pulled around the corner by the other boy, and while he couldn't see it, she raised her hand in a small wave as well.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Why are we doing this again?" Naruto asked, flopping onto his sleeping bag, wearing a simple orange t-shirt and pair of burnt orange pajama pants. The week had passed rather quickly and the group of genin had arrived at Beacon earlier that day. And it seemed that for the night, they were all to sleep with the other freshmen in the Ballroom, as they would not be getting dorms until the teams were set, it would seem.
"I'm not going to explain this thirty times, Naruto," Ino announced. Her sleep attire consisted of a sleeveless, lavender shirt which showed off her midriff, and dark purple pants. Technically, she would be sleeping on the girl's side of the room, but the students were allowed to mingle until lights-out. "We need something more stable. We couldn't live on a few bounties and part-time jobs forever." She whispered the last part, trying not to draw attention to herself. "Anyway, you think Kiba and Akamaru are ok? I mean, that Goodwitch lady didn't really seem too keen on letting him bring Akamaru." Naruto scoffed.
"It's fine. Old Man Ozpin agreed when we told him that Akamaru was an important part of Kiba's fighting style. Akamaru just has to sleep outside for one night until he can prove himself," he replied. He did feel sort of bad that Kiba and Akamaru were spending the night outside, but he was comforted by the fact that Lee agreed to go out and sleep there too, both because he wanted to keep his friend company, and because he wanted to get some feel for the area where they might be taking their initiation the next day.
Hearing something of a commotion, the two looked over to see two girls, one of which was being dragged against her will, over to a third girl who sat reading against the wall. The struggling girl twisted, and just seeing those silver eyes caught Naruto's attention. "It's that scythe girl from the station," he thought, a smile coming to his face. "Seems she got into Beacon too, despite her age. Good for her...now what was her name again?" Ino looked curious as Naruto stood, beginning to make his way over to the three girls.
"Hey you," he said, casually trying to play off that he had forgotten her name. The three turned in slight surprise at the voice, seeing Naruto behind them. Instant recognition filled Ruby's eyes and she closed the distance between them in an instant, actually shocking the blonde with her speed.
"It's you! The guy from the station last week. Naruto, right?" she asked. Naruto wasn't aware, but he had just made the girl's night, being perhaps one of the only friendly people she knew so far at Beacon. Turning to the blonde girl, she pointed with a smirk.
"See, Yang, I TOLD you he was real!" she practically shouted. Against the wall, Blake Belladonna rolled her eyes, while silently thanking the blonde boy for letting her get back to her book. Yang just blushed a bit, looking at the younger blonde, before a devilish smirk crossed her face.
"Ahh, so you're the jail-bird who put the moves on my little sister Ruby down at the police station," she teased, watching her younger sister's face turn red. Naruto was just confused. He didn't think he had been flirting last week...but he was relieved that he had a name to put to that silver-eyed face again.
"All I did was introduce myself, and not even properly. I never did give you my last name." he said, rubbing the back of his head as Yang circled him like a shark, sizing him up. Oh yes, he was definitely a looker. She wasn't sure if she should play matchmaker for him and Ruby, or pursue him herself. She didn't mind the age difference, so long as he respected himself and respected her...and it helped that he was hot, at least by Yang's standards. For now, she would wait and see. There were definitely more than enough cute boys for at Beacon for her to ogle at, and she was confident that she could have any one of them. And besides, it would be good for her sister to start talking to more boys, besides that Jaune kid.
"Well," Yang said, popping up between the two, wrapping her arms around both their shoulders and pulling them in close. "Why don't you just re-introduce yourself then. Never too late for an introduction." Despite her blush at her sister's actions, Ruby was grateful to some extent that Yang was there. She didn't really think she would fit in well, but her sister was doing everything possible to ensure that she wouldn't turn into some weird chick in a corner away from everyone else.
Naruto just smiled, agreeing with Yang. Holding out his hand to Ruby again, he proudly announced his name. "Naruto Uzumaki, number one, hyperactive, knuckle-head ninja, at your service." Blake looked up from her book once more at the word ninja, but immediately dismissed the blonde after one glance. No way someone like that could be any type of ninja, especially if he proclaimed a ridiculous title like that. She, as well as Ruby and Yang, were shocked as a fist slammed into Naruto's head, sending him face first into the floor, revealing Ino standing behind him.
"You idiot! What have I told you about saying that?" While Naruto muttered something about how much like someone named 'Sakura' she was - something Ino kicked him in the ribs for with a neutral expression - she turned and gave a small smile to the other girls. "Sorry about him, he's always been like this. Ino Yamanaka." She held out her hand, and the stunned girls each shook it, before saying their own names.
"Ruby Rose, it's...nice to meet you?" Ruby announced questioningly, wondering if Naruto was alright as he was still lying on the floor, holding his head and ribs.
"Yang Xiao Long," Yang said, also looking at the boy at her feet.
"Blake Belladonna," was the bow-wearing girl's curt reply, before going back to her book, but not before giving one last glance to Naruto. "Oh yeah," she thought. "Definitely not a Ninja."
"Uh, so...you two obviously know each other..." Yang said after a moment, pointing between the finally recovering Naruto and the platinum-blonde girl who had absolutely crushed him. Ino just looked sheepish at her outburst.
"We work together...we actually have two other...coworkers...attending Beacon with us. We're planning on forming a team, if they let us pick our own.
"Are you talking about those two others who were with Naruto last week? The Faunus guy and the one with the Bushy eyebrows?" Ruby asked, getting a couple looks, mostly of curiosity, one of amusement - as Naruto found it funny that someone else thought of Lee and immediately thought 'Bushy-Brows' - and one of mild interest from Blake at the mention of another Faunus. Her bow twitched, the hidden cat ears beneath perking up slightly. However, Ino brushed Ruby's words off with a wave.
"He's not really a Faunus, despite what you think," she defended. "Sure he's got those teeth and eyes...and I guess he does technically have claws...
"Not helping his case, Ino," Naruto chuckled, pointing to his whiskers. "Honestly, do we really look that much like faunus? These are just birth-marks." Turning toward the Remnant natives, he continued. "Kiba and his family work with dogs," - Nobody saw Blake shiver slightly at the mention of dogs - "And he can increase his strength, speed, and senses in a fight. That's why he has his more feral look."
"Could you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Naruto turned and raised an eyebrow at the girl walking toward them, a cross look on her face. The seething girl, garbed in a bluish-gray, short-sleeved night gown, possessed long, white hair, and Naruto was reminded of his old sensei by the scar over her left eye. Said eyes were an icy blue color, and were glaring daggers at their small group. When she caught sight of Yang and Ruby, the three got into an argument, clearly having some form of previous hostility toward each other. Not looking to get involved in whatever argument the girls were having, Ino and Naruto made their way to their respective sleeping bags.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Naruto was stirred from his slumber by the feeling of something poking him. Cracking open his right eye, he was immediately beset upon by a girl with orange hair, standing over him, poking his whisker marks repeatedly, each time softly whispering 'Poke.'. While he definitely approved of her hair color, it was too damn early in the morning to deal with that. He twisted around and planted his face into his pillow. He heard her moan in defeat, before hearing her footsteps as she dashed off. "Ok, that was weird..." he thought to himself. Looking up above the edge of his pillow, he witnessed the numerous students preparing themselves for the day. There was even a pancake breakfast set up on the other side of the room. Sitting up with a yawn, Naruto looked over to see his team, sans Akamaru, coming over to him, plates of food in hand. Kiba and Ino looked just as tired as himself, while Lee smiled cheerfully. The Taijutsu user had a very productive night of exploring and a bit of training, and was ready to begin the day.
Lee handed a grateful Naruto a plate of pancakes, and the four began discussing plans. According to Lee, he was unable to discover the nature of the initiation, though he had explored the cliff they had been told to meet at the previous day, and took a good look at the forest below. They assumed that they were supposed to hunt Grimm, and Teams would be assigned by how well certain students worked together, meaning that their best bet was to find each other early on and stick together.
"Mind if we join you?" The group of four looked up to see Ruby and Yang, plates in hand, sit down with their little group. "Some girl over there is going a little nuts over the pancakes," Yang continued. A crash was heard, before a male voice shouted something about Syrup and the name 'Nora'. The ninjas nodded, widening their circle to include the two girls. Pointing at the Inuzuka, Yang looked thoughtful for a minute. "I think Naruto and Ino mentioned your name being...Kiba?" The boy nodded, but just continued stuffing his face.
"And I am Rock Lee!" The green-clad boy shouted enthusiastically. "It is a pleasure to meet you!" Yang scooted back slightly, and the others weren't sure if it was Lee's introduction, or if it was his eyebrows, which the blonde girl could only stare at.
"So..." Yang said after a moment, trying to relieve the area of the awkward tension that had set in. "You guys ready to show off your moves?" It was just as much a question to her little sister, who she nudged in the ribs a little, playfully. She knew just how much Ruby loved her weapon, Crescent Rose, and was certain the the younger girl was eager to break it out and kill some monsters.
"That's why we're here," Naruto replied, confident in his abilities, as were each member of the ninja-foursome. Yang grinned in return.
"Oooh, somebody's confident. I like that in a man," she teased, leaning in slightly. Kiba and Ino nearly choked on their breakfast. Was this girl hitting on Naruto? Ino looked thoughtful for a moment, and couldn't deny that the whiskered-blonde certainly could draw the female eye...it was mainly his idiotic personality that turned women away. Naruto, for his part, didn't even register what Yang had been implying, and just nodded while continuing with his food. Another wave of silence followed, confusing Yang, who had been expecting some sort of reaction from the blonde-boy. He had had a perfect view of her cleavage when she leaned toward him and he didn't even falter. Either the boy in front of her had amazing will power, or he was absolutely oblivious.
"So, what kind of weapons do you each use?" Ruby asked, curious as to what sort of equipment the four used, and what she could discern about their fighting styles based on them. Without speaking, Naruto reached into a bag to his left, pulling out and twirling something on his finger, before stopping it abruptly by gripping it in his hand. He held out the object and Ruby just stared at it as though she had no words.
It was a small dagger, that much was certain. It seemed, based on the aerodynamics, that it was made to be a thrown projectile. It had a narrow handle, ending with a ring on the end, which he had used to spin the knife on his finger moments before. It was solid metal, all the way through, had no ability to transform, and looked expendable. "This?" Ruby finally said, breaking the silence again in her confusion. "You don't have any sort of proper weapon? Just this little knife?"
"You'd be surprised what we can do with those 'little knives." Kiba replied, pulling out a kunai of his own, balancing the pointed end on the tip of his finger. "Besides, I also have Akamaru, and he's already turned into a Grimm-fighting machine."
"Akamaru?" Yang questioned, before Ino provided the answer.
"Remember when we said last night that his family works with dogs? Kiba's dog Akamaru can take out an Ursa on his own." Yang and Ruby's jaws dropped at that. They had a dog at home, Zwei, and as intelligent and durable as the little dog was, they couldn't imagine it could hold its own in a fight versus an Ursa. Ruby's eyes lit up soon after.
"Oooooh, is your dog gonna be with us in the initiation?" She asked excitedly, imagining what an Ursa-fighting canine must look like, and she let out an high-pitched squeal when Kiba nodded.
"I wasn't aware that was even allowed." The group of six turned to see yet another girl, this one with fiery-red hair and clad in combat armor. Realizing she was being stared at, he looked sheepish for a moment. "I'm sorry," she continued sincerely. "I was just passing by and couldn't help but overhear your conversation." Lee and Ino just scooted apart and motioned for the girl to sit down in their slightly larger circle.
"Join the party," Ino offered. "Initiation is still almost an hour away. I'm Ino, by the way." The red-head nodded with a grateful smile and sat with the others, who each introduced themselves. She in turn offered her own name, Pyrrha Nikos. The name sounded slightly familiar to Naruto, but he couldn't really place where he knew it from. Kiba, on the other hand, recognized her face easily, having eaten his fair share from some cereal boxes bearing her image.
The conversation faded to some small talk between the shinobi and the three Remnant natives. Even as breakfast ended and the group began to make their way to the locker room to prepare, it became apparent that at the very least, the shinobi wouldn't be shut-out in their own little group of outcasts during their time at Beacon. Lee, in particular, had within the hour engaged in a very pleasant talk with Pyrrha, who was grateful to be able to speak to someone who could respect her prowess, but still speak to her on equal footing, rather than treat her as some untouchable superior, or as a celebrity. And while initially concerned with his lack of a weapon other than basic kunai and shuriken, the Taijutsu user exuded an almost tangible confidence in his ability, as did his comrades. She looked forward to seeing some of it during their test.
On the other end of the spectrum, while Ruby was accepting of the fact that Naruto was confident in his own abilities and combat skill, she was unsure of what sort of damage he could actually do to Grimm, particularly heavily armored Grimm, without a higher-caliber weapon such as Crescent Rose, or even her sister's Ember Celica. As the group broke apart to find their individual lockers, Ruby mused that perhaps once she knew the particular skills of the four, that she could design custom weapons for them. She was actually very tempted to do so whether or not they would accept them. She was, after all, a self-admitted weapons dork.
Yang was just thrilled to be going out and doing something, and the idea of seeing if the shinobi could back up their talk filled her with the feeling of excitement that was her whole reason for becoming a Huntress in the first place. She especially wanted to see how the whisker-faced blonde would fare, as well as the 'not' Dog-Faunus. They interested her, and she always pursued her interests.
Ino, while not as strong a fighter against Grimm as she was against other people - since for some reason her mind-transfer and even mind-destruction techniques were nearly ineffective against them - was confident she could pass the exam. The past few years, the group had helped each other in certain areas of combat, and while Lee in particular had been a grueling teacher for the Kunoichi in terms of taijutsu, she was now capable of holding her own both in physical strength, and fighting skill. Definitely not the same, weak little girl who could only manage a draw in her chuunin exam preliminary match.
Lee was in a cheery mood. He hadn't had much of a chance to really prove himself to anyone these last years. Back in the Academy, he had been mocked mercilessly for his inability to mold chakra. He viewed this as a chance to start fresh, have a chance to be one of the top students instead of hanging on at the bottom. "Guy-Sensei...I miss you." he thought to himself, a somber air about him as he thought about the people he left behind when he and the team were pulled into this new world, with no explanation as to how or why. "But I have never once doubted your teachings. And if I am never to return home, than I shall show my new home how brightly my youthful flames truly burn!"
Kiba grinned a feral grin as he checked his weapons pouches. He, like the others, missed those who he would likely never see again, such as his mother and sister. And while he had Akamaru at his side, the anger and sadness still built up inside him. Battle and heavy training served to relieve him of his undue stress quite well, however. It was one of the reason he had talked Naruto into becoming bounty-hunters over getting any real jobs. It was a total thrill, and he lived for the thrill these days. He trusted his team could hold their own against anything, meaning he could usually just cut loose and go wild. And that was exactly what he planned on doing in the exam.
"Man, I could really go for some Ramen right about now," Naruto grumbled. He still wasn't thrilled about going back to school, and as he double checked to make sure he had all of his equipment, he was beginning to grow restless. Like Kiba, killing Grimm and fighting criminals, thugs, and terrorists like the White Fang, had become something of a cathartic experience for him. And while he definitely missed Konoha, he did have to admit that he had gotten in a ton of good training in his absence, between working Lee in taijutsu, and working with the Rasengan to a point where he could finally make one with a single hand and not have to summon a clone. His goal now was to be able to create a fully formed Rasengan in each hand and maintain them without relying on his shadow clones. And that was just the tip of the iceberg to the training he had put himself through.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"For years you have been training to become warriors," Ozpin began, looking over each new student, with particular time spent on the former genin. "It is time to put that training to the test, down in the Emerald Forest." Glynda took a step forward now, scroll in hand as she pushed her glass up slightly.
"Now then, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors regarding the assignment of teams," she announced, continuing where Ozpin left off. "Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...today." While many of the students murmured excitedly, Naruto turned as he heard Ruby begin to panic, mumbling and moaning in a quiet tone that spoke volumes. Naruto could sympathize. Much as she was desperate to be partnered with her older sister, he and his team were hoping beyond hope that they would not be separated. Despite Ozpin's assurance that they would still be called together as a team for missions, Naruto didn't think it would be the same. They were the only links to home that they had, and had been living together for the past three years. They were not about to break that apart if they could help it.
"These teammates will be with you throughout the rest of your time here at Beacon, and so it would be in your best interest to pair up with someone with whom you can work well..." The Headmaster continued as the ninja-foursome gave each other a knowing look. "That being said, the person you make eye contact with first after landing will be your partner for the next four years." As he heard that, Naruto went wide-eyed, as did his teammates and he could hear Ruby off to the side beginning to freak out even more. Ozpin elaborated further, this time looking directly at the shinobi. "Emphasis on after landing. This is an evaluation of skill, so it would not do for you to simply decide in the air who you will partner with and land together, nor would it be fair. If you can manage to locate your desired teammate down in the forest, well done. However, until then, everyone in the forest is fair game." The four knew this was fully intended to make them work to keep their team together. The question was, why. Ozpin had recruited them personally because he knew they were already capable warriors in their own rights. So what motive could he have for trying so hard to keep them separate.
As though unaware of the looks he was getting, Ozpin just went on speaking after that, once more addressing the whole crowd of students. "Once you've partnered up, make your way to the temple at the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die." While the students whispered between themselves, Naruto just snorted at how much the gray-haired man sounded like Kakashi. He smiled when he imagined what other ways the Headmaster might be like his old sensei, though he couldn't imagine Ozpin being perpetually late, or reading smut in the open. "You will be closely monitored and graded for the duration of the exam, but our instructors will not intervene. Once you've reached the temple, you and your partner will select one relic to retrieve and bring back to the top of the cliff. We will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
As one of the other students, a blonde wielding a simple sword and shield, began to ask questions, the ninja looked to each other with looks of determination after that. The fact that they were being monitored so closely meant that they would have to stick as closely to the rules as possible. If Ozpin or Glynda thought they were cheating in order to work together, there could be some consequences. The pairings were meant to be random, and that meant they couldn't just hop treetops and all land in the same location. They would need a new plan if they wanted to ensure they would be a single team.
Casting a cursory glance over the forest before them, Lee spotted a clearing in the trees, nodding to himself before getting the others' attentions. The group of former leaf genin nodded their approval, silently agreeing that while they would play by the rules, they would first head to the opening in the trees to partner up. With any luck, the others would head straight for the Forest Temple and not even notice the shinobi sneaking off to make certain the next four years at Beacon would go smoothly.
One by one the new students were launched off their respective platforms, going down the line until they reached the ninjas. Ino was launched first, followed by Lee, then Kiba, then Naruto himself, and each of the shinobi took a different approach to soaring. Kiba, riding Akamaru, began to spin rapidly, cutting through the air, in a bid to go for distance. The two zoomed passed the shocked students ahead of them, before crashing into the foliage below, shredding the trees in their way like paper.
Lee and Ino both decided to land close enough to the cliffs that they wouldn't be surprised from behind and accidentally partnered with one of the Remnant natives. Lee's bandages around his arms began to unravel, and breaking into a spin to lessen his forward momentum, he snagged one of the trees below him, winding around and around until he tucked and rolled at the bottom. It would take a moment to re-wrap his arms, but for that moment, he was fairly safe.
Ino had pulled a similar maneuver to the green-clad taijutsu user. Sailing several hundred meters further north and slightly to the east, she reached into her weapon's pouch, removing two kunai, each bound by the ring to heavy-duty wire. Throwing the knives and embedding them into the trees below, she channeled her chakra down her arms and through the wire. Once the wires ran out of slack, the chakra in them held the Kunai in the trees, stopping her momentum dead. A quick jerk and she was now moving backwards, stopping once she felt the tree beneath her feet, before she yanked her kunai free and dashed vertically down the trunk to the ground below. She brushed a few strands of hair back into place, and took off at a sprint to their pre-planned destination.
Naruto placed his hands behind his head, flipping around and giving a cocky smirk to those behind him as he took a pose as though he were laying in a reclining chair. From his viewpoint, he watched as Yang used her weapons - what he could only describe as some form of shot-gun gauntlets - to propel herself forward, and he flinched as he watched Ruby smack right into a bird, causing her to let out a pitiful cry of "Birdy, NO!" As he sank lower, he gave Yang a mock salute as he disappeared below the tree-line, still in his laid-back position, something which brought a smirk to the face of the blonde girl. Say what you would about Naruto's strangeness, she thought. The boy definitely had some style.
As he slipped down to where the branches were more sturdy, he channeled chakra to his feet, before touching down on one of them. His momentum caused him to flip upside down, and he cut the flow of energy. This sent him into a series of backflips that ended with him on the ground in a crouched position. Standing tall, he smirked, rather proud of himself for not only looking good in front of the other students right away, but also for not landing on his face by accident. As usual, luck was definitely on his side. He began to take a step toward his teams' designated rendezvous point, when his ears picked up something. Before he had time to even turn, that something slammed into him with an almost ridiculous amount of force, sending him crashing into one of the surrounding trees, actually breaking some of the bark off of it. Looking up at what had crashed into him, Naruto's eyes widened and two words left his lips.
"Oh shit..."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Ino and Lee stood together, waiting for Kiba and Naruto to make their appearance. The two had found each other quickly with Lee's speed, and they figured Kiba and Naruto, even if they didn't find each other, could at least find their way to the meeting point. The snapping of a twig caught their attention as an irate Kiba trudged his way out of the foliage.
"So, all that is left is to wait for Naruto then," Lee announced with a grin, which faltered slightly as Kiba groaned.
"Actually guys, I think we have a problem..." he announced, before from out of the bushes, Akamaru emerged, a white-clad girl with white-hair to match riding the large canine, looking none-too-happy about the arrangement either. That might have been an understatement. Weiss Schnee was seething atop the ninja hound, her icy gaze fixed upon the 'faunus boy' that she was now stuck partnered with for the next four years.
Ino's eye twitched before she threw her hands up. "DAMN IT!" she practically screeched and even Weiss was slightly taken aback by the outburst. Crossing her arms angrily, Ino glared at Kiba. Perhaps this wasn't Naruto's fault, and it probably wasn't the Inuzuka boy's either, but it didn't mean she wouldn't be blaming them for this mix-up.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Naruto's blue eyes gazed with a mixture within them of irateness and confusion. The silver eyes of Ruby Rose, filled with innocence and relief at seeing her new partner was someone she was at least familiar with, gazed back. She had been so determined to find Yang, she had raced toward the first splotch of blonde she had seen. In her panicked state, it just happened to be Naruto's messy crop of hair that caught her eye first. With her semblance active, and believing Naruto be Yang, and thus someone who could take the brunt of such force, she had rushed to him hastily, only decelerating a split second before impact. As it turned out, no, the blond ninja was not her sister.
"Ruby..." Naruto wheezed out, and the girl leaned in slightly to hear what Naruto would say to her. She was a little afraid, since she knew he had been attempting to be paired with one of his friends, and his tone didn't alleviate that fear.
"Yes, Naruto?" she hesitantly asked, before Naruto just stated it bluntly.
"This is not a comfortable position." Ruby looked down with embarrassment and horror as she realized that her hand was placed on his chest, her face held only inches from his own...and her knee was rather firmly crushing his 'family jewels,' as Yang would probably say. She leapt off in shock, uttering apology after apology as Naruto gingerly stood, holding his crotch in pain as he leaned against the tree for support, thanking Kami above for his ability to heal quickly.
Afraid he would be angry still, Ruby began to shy away, before the blonde actually smiled a bit. "Well, that was awkward," he announced with a bit of a pained laugh. The more he thought about it - he had to, since thinking took his mind off the pain in his balls - the more he realized that despite his disappointment, there were probably a lot worse people he could have been paired with. He and the other ninja could deal with the consequences later, but for right now... "Well, what happened happened, I guess. We'll have to make the best of it. As of right now, Ruby, we're partners."
Chapter end.
So, to be honest, only really got into RWBY about a month ago, and it took enough priority in my brain to inspire this. Also on the list, I've been working on the trifecta of my Asobi ni Iku Yo! cross, as well as crosses with Shuffle! and Daily Life with Monster Girl, along with a slew of other fics, though this new parenthood has been severely depleting my already depressing level of free time to the bare bones.
But like I said before, I do have another chapter of this that is ready to post (and will be most likely next week) and am almost finished with a third chapter.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Peace to all my Fans
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