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A/N

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Chapter 3

"This looks good."

"I hate it."

"Deal with it."

A back forth of between Naruto and Melanie was inevitable at this point again. Two months of working together and it had finally happened: Naruto needed to get new clothes. He needed new clothes for two reasons. The first reason was because he wore the same thing almost every other day of the week. He had four sets of cloths that he got by with. He did laundry every fourth day. Now his clothes looked like moths had gotten into them and aside from the occasional bloodstain that they had started to develop, they were really leaving a lack luster feel to his "Mercenary" gig.

The other, and most important reason, was that he worked for Junior now.

Junior was a man with standards. He accepted a lot of things in life, but a man in bright orange was not one he could stand. He made his people of various standings wearing various types of clothing. If you were one of his lower tier people, you wore a black suit with a red tie. Red sunglasses weren't required, but they were something that a lot of members had.

People like the twins could wear whatever they wanted and when they wanted.

Naruto's "rank" was in question, but he was somewhere above most of the normal people that Junior kept in his club. Naruto was ranked as a bodyguard and was now in need of some clothes to match the part. Junior gave the girls only one word of advice: No orange.

Since Junior was the client Naruto could only agree to his terms since he was working for him as a bodyguard. The man hardly went anywhere and he had a whole slew of people that were decked out with guns, swords, and axes. All of which were people that would run head first into an oncoming train if they were told to rob it. They weren't exactly the smartest of people, but they did get the job done, if not with a few broken things here and there. How Hei put up with them, Naruto didn't know, but he knew how he put up with them: Pranking them.

Junior got the biggest of laughs when Naruto would prank one of them with either a scare tactic or a prank that left them feeling gross and a need to change clothes. He'd gotten a total of eighteen in the last month with a physical prank and another eight with verbal pranks he learned from his own experiences and from various teachers he'd yet to fully disclose on. Junior poured through hours of paperwork to figure out who might have taught him how to verbally scare someone to a point of paranoia if only to learn it for himself, but the blond had either hid his tracks well or was lying. Junior couldn't tell.

Now, because Naruto needed new clothes, and because there were ground rules for said clothes, Junior wanted to make certain that Naruto would obey said rules about the clothes. To ensure that he got the right sets of clothes only one course of action could be allowed. The twins had to accompany him.

Melanie, once again forced into a role she despised, and around someone she despised even more, could only grumble and argue with him at each and every turn they made. She found something. He hated it. He found something. She hated it. It was like watching a married couple or two siblings trying to find the right clothes for a fancy dinner party. With Naruto being on the receiving end of all the flack, it was only a matter of time before the blood started flying again and Miltia would be forced to stop them.

Poor Miltia was the only one to truly tolerate Naruto and his odd antics. It was true she hadn't been on the receiving end of a terrible prank or a joke, but she had her views on him as well. To her, Naruto was a Mercenary with a Mouth. When off the clock he was laid back, comical, and would dodge every question about his past and the odd two years where he disappeared. But when he was on the clock he was a totally different person. That the version of him she liked the most. He became serious, his eyes would go cold, his entire body would seemingly tense and his words always carried a double meaning. Nothing he did was the same as the off the clock version of himself.

It was just that right now he was off the clock. Melanie had booked an appointment for a full body massage and a facial. Miltia had one booked as well, but unlike her sister, she could stand to miss it. She hadn't been nearly as active as Melanie had since Naruto had joined the party. She'd already gotten into two scraps with him, the last one ending with him spanking her butt and copping a feel in the process. If she didn't kill him before the end of the month, it'd be amazing.

"You need to wear something like this," she told him In her hands she held a long sleeved button up blue shirt with a black vest and a black coat and slacks. Naruto was shaking his head at the sight of it. "If you complain one more time about the lack of orange, I will kick you in the head."

"Whatever. I'd have to get you a stepping stool to do that." She thrust the clothes into his chest and pointed to the changing room. "I refuse. There is no orange on this." Her leg lashed out and Naruto ducked under, a cheeky grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "Blue today, huh? What's the occasion?" Growling, she grabbed his head and brought his head down into her rising knee. He stopped her by grabbing her knee and shielding himself from her boney limb. "We're in a public place," he told her. Junior loved this place for reasons Naruto didn't know. The man behind the counter hadn't stopped any of their shenanigans yet, so maybe these people worked for Junior or knew him really well.

"Go try it on! Or so help me, I'm going to kick you in the nuts," she told him in a harsh whisper. Naruto rolled his eyes and she made ready to deliver on her threat. Naruto wisely vacated the area and retreated to the variable safety of the changing room. Not that a small wooden door and a small deadbolt was going to stop one of her kicks. Smoothing out her hair, the white dress wearing sister sighed and looked at her scroll. "We're going to be late for our massages," she exasperated.

"I'm okay with it," Miltia confessed. Melanie rolled her eyes and started dialing their number. She didn't have them on speed dial yet. She had been meaning too, but it always slipped her mind. "Besides, they know the line of work we do. Junior even booked it for us as a birthday present."

"That is not – Hello. Yes. My name is Melanie Malachite and I booked a four thirty appointment for today. I was wondering if I could push it to five." She paused and listened. Miltia watched the door, waiting for Naruto to exit in his outfit. "You can? Thank you. Yes, my sister will be with me as well. You can push hers up as well, right? Thank you so much!" She hung up and put her scroll away. "As long as fox boy over here doesn't take too long, we're all set."

"I heard that."

"I don't care if you did."

Miltia rolled her eyes and watched Naruto's feet. His pants dropped around his ankles and the slacks unfolded. He held them up for a few short seconds before he made them disappear and pulled his pants back up. "Not trying on the pants?" Miltia asked. It was comical to watch them fight.

"They don't have a spot for my tail," he told her plainly.

Melanie stopped whatever argument she was about to start with him and went back to looking for a pair of slacks that would match that suit so far. Sad as it was, this store didn't really serve Faunus. They made tailored clothes for humans. Not Faunus. Was it wrong? Yes. Did the store owner care? No. He wasn't even obligated to make clothes for Faunus like Naruto. If there was a terrible Faunus features to have, it had to be tails.

The red dress wearing sister watched her sister sort through some slacks before she turned to the sound of the door opening. Naruto stepped out wearing everything but the jacket. He had left that hanging on a hook. His belt held up his worn down pants and his holsters remained with it. Looking him over, Miltia shook her head and shoved him back inside.

"Let me try finding something," she told him. She cared about getting her nails painted. That was the only thing she wanted done today. It was hard to paint her own nails the way she liked. She was gifted like her sister like that. Retreating inside, Naruto stripped down and was in the process of putting his shirt on when a pair of clothes landed on top of his head. "Try those on," she ordered.

Naruto held out the shirt, turned it around a few times to examine it and then complied. It wasn't orange, but it was a step up from what Melanie wanted him to wear. He threw on the shirt and then the jacket. It was like they wanted him be in disguise or something with what was thrown his way. He stepped out of the changing room and into the awaiting eyes of Miltia. She motioned for him to do a small twirl, which he begrudgingly did, and then nodded. She had put him in a gray t-shirt with a small logo for the company by the right side of the collar, and a brown jacket that reached slightly past his hips.

"Not bad." She put a hand on her chin as she looked him over. He was still missing something. It was right there on the tip of her tongue and she just couldn't see it or say it. It eluded her for a long time before she grabbed the jacket from him and retrieved a trench coat and tossed it to him. Slipping it on, he let it remain open and then slapped his hands to his side. "Do you have a different set of holsters?"

"I got two sets."

"Then we're good. You just need some pants to bring this all together. If I'm not mistaken-"

A pair of dark gray jeans flew over her head and into Naruto's face. "Put those on," Melanie ordered. She tapped her foot impatiently as he went back to the changing room and tried them on. She had torn a hole in the back for his tail. Sadly, it was just a bit lower than what was needed, but he made it work. Stepping out in his news clothing, she nodded approvingly. "Now let's go. I have a facial I don't wanna miss out on." She paused while turning and pointed at the blond. "And not that kind of a facial, but an actual one. Not the one you're thinking of. Just a facial."

Looking thoughtful, Naruto walked passed her saying, "So you are having someone cum in your face?" She resisted the urge to kick him with all her might. A look of pure righteous feminine fury was drawn across her face and Naruto could only laugh at her. It made her look rather cute when she was extremely riled up. "You said it. I wasn't even thinking it until you went on the spill about how it wasn't a facial I was thinking of. Which if that's all you're doing, there is a changing room right there. I'll give you one for free."

"I am not having a man give me a facial. Lest of all you!"

"So you're having a woman do it? Same thing. Changing room right there. Your sister is right here."

Now she did make the effort to kick him. Before the blow could even touch him he caught her ankle and held her in place while shook his head.

"Why a blue thong? Seriously, you wear all white? Are you on the rag or something?" The look of fury would have sent any sane person running at that point. Miltia would give him props for standing his ground when faced with such a terrible overwhelming sense of doom. Not even Junior would have stood to face her at this point. Naruto had some serious balls if he was just going to keep messing with her like that. "Also," he said while making sure to keep his grip, "you need to shave. And I don't mean your legs."

He let her go and wisely – or stupidly – retreated to the questionable safety of the changing room to change out of his new clothes and into his old ones. Once he was out, he could only smile victoriously towards the fuming long haired girl. With his clothes tucked under his arm and a happy skip in his step, he crossed by her in victorious silence. She grabbed his collar, hauled him back in front of her stepped on his foot. He gave her now pleasure in seeing a pain expression. "For you information, I do a bikini wax, which, mind you, I have planned for today, Shedder."

Tapping his chin with his index finger, he shook his head and said, "I don't shed. I take care of my tail. I actually take more care of it than I do my hair on the top of my head. And before you try to make a joke about that one, know that I do groom myself down there. Clearly, I'm better at than you are, Fur Coat."

Her look of rage was enough to send even the stronger and bravest of men running. Only a truly insane person would hold their ground now.

Clearly, Naruto was smarter than that and moved to the counter to pay for the clothes.

Miltia rubbed her sisters' shoulder knowingly and while silently amused by his antics, was deeply annoyed with him. "I'll skin him," Melanie told her in a harsh whisper that she was sure Naruto heard. The blond peered back at her, smiling as he made lewd gestures with his free hand while the cashier ringed him up. "I will break him and wear his tail around my neck."

With his items bought, Naruto split from the twins and returned to his newly acquired apartment. Naruto was rather odd when it came to explaining things. He'd been staying at a hotel the entire time and decidedly called it an apartment anyways. Junior, being a fairly reasonable guy, and because he wanted his mercenary/bodyguard close to him, help Naruto procure a small apartment close to the club. Money wasn't really a thing for Naruto either. Junior offered to help him by paying for the first months' rent and the security deposit, but he was kindly refused and the blond paid for it on his own.

Currently his living arrangements weren't the best, as his next door neighbor was a cranky blind woman that had a thing against loud people and Faunus. How she knew Naruto was a Faunus, he didn't know. The one he got was a two bedroom one bath apartment on the second floor. The kitchen was nice, but Naruto hardly used it for anything other than ramen, tea, and coffee. Occasionally he'd open up a bag of popcorn or start eating some berries. The second room was completely devoted to Naruto's flowers and computer.

Naruto fished out his keys as he finished climbing the stairs. A woman with black hair and green eyes stood at the door with a clipboard and a few large packages. "Hello," he greeted as he put his key in the knob.

"Are you…" she checked her clipboard, "Naruto Uzumaki?" He nodded while pushing the door open and throwing his bag in the corner. "Can you sign this?"

Taking it, he signed his name and glanced down at the packages before asking, "Who sent them?"

"Not my job to know. I just deliver packages to the addresses they have on them." She took the clipboard back and walked off. Naruto pulled the packages inside and placed them on his table and went to his room to put up his clothes. He came back with a knife and tore into the three packages. The first one contained a terminal for a computer, the second contained a monitor, and the last one contained a new scroll. His old one was officially out of date and a need to get a new had arisen. Methodically Naruto pulled everything into his computer/plant room and started setting stuff up.

After ten minutes Naruto had the computer set up and the new scroll fully upgraded with his old numbers and images.

Not even a few seconds later his scroll buzzed and image of Junior's face came on screen. "Hello?"

"You want to make a quick hundred lien?"

"…Sure?"

"Come by the club for the details."

Naruto ended the call and glanced at the computer for a brief moment as if weighing his options to go before shutting it down and heading out. A few hundred lien could pay for his ramen down at the SIMPLE WOK.

(-)

"Bodies aren't dropping anymore since Granite died. I don't think he's here to really kill people, Oz. I think it's more like he came here looking for something."

Ozpin laced his fingers together and tightly shut his eyes while he tried to process Qrow's words.

There has to be reason for why he's here.

Ozpin wanted to believe that Naruto's arrival here was to try and seek him out and ask for a chance to become a student at his Academy. But after two months of no contact from him, Ozpin was starting to believe that wasn't the case. Naruto was here for something. He wasn't even really running from anything if all their reports on him were accurate. He bought an apartment under his name, a clear sign he wasn't trying to hide his arrival here. Ozpin was even given the strange notion that Naruto knew they were watching him. It was like he enjoyed it.

Naruto wasn't stupid either. He knew that out of the other three Headmasters, James was his best friend and most trusted ally. So it was only natural that if Naruto started acting up, Ozpin could deport him back to Atlas to stand trial for his crimes there before coming back to Vale to stand trial for any crimes he commits here. Which was odd that he would come here to start doing whatever it was he was doing.

"And we're positive he has nothing to do with Patch's death?" Glynda asked.

Yes. There was the death of Patch. No last name. The man was found dead in a hotel with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. He had bled out and wasn't found until about a week ago. His ransacked apartment had enough information to detail some of the events that took place and the things he had done. The man had come into a lot of questionable wealth and invested into the SDC. He collected a large portion of dust crystals and had plans to sell them back to the public at a higher value, claiming that they would be pristine and uncut, making them worth more. To top everything off, he had bought the services of two hookers and had managed to get the deed down with both ladies, as fluids were found inside them.

But something went wrong and his apartment was broken in to by an unknown number of assailants. Multiple strands of hair were found at the crime scene and Ozpin was still waiting on the results of the testing to find out who they belonged to. Four bullets were fired from a small handgun, most likely that of a 10mm variant. Three of the bullets hit the two ladies and one of them had blown off part of her hand as a sign of protection and struggle on her part. The last round was then fired into the Patch's shoulder where he began to bleed profusely before being grabbed and hauled off. A look at his bank account showed that his money had been transferred out to someone in Mistral going under the name Al Pone.

And from there the trail turned cold.

The only forensics found came from one bullet that had been fired into the wall, most likely the one that had torn through the hand of the girl, and finger prints were lifted from it. They belonged to one Ekans Cola. The man was reported dead six years ago after a fatal bus accident involved two other cars and a bomb. Everyone remembered it as a day of tragedy with thirty people losing their lives and some forty more being injured. His body was recovered and he confirmed dead. Meaning that the gun they used still contained his finger prints and the rounds loaded into the gun were the same ones he loaded before his death.

Glynda wanted to have the grave exhumed but the family would most likely remain stubborn on the issue and demand he be left alone. A rightful thing that they should and would do, but if push came to shove, Ozpin was even willing to use his authority as a Huntsman to get the case solved.

"Positive," Qrow grumbled. "Patch had a 10mm round go through his arm. It matches the same kind of exit wounds you see with them. But there's no way to be certain about it."

"Were you tailing him that night?" Glynda asked. He snorted at her. "So you weren't?"

"Despite what you may think, I have a family I like to spend time with. If it were up to me, I'd spend every day of my life with two cute nieces and live happily with them. But sadly, shit keeps going sideways and the jobs keep coming in. I took a teachers' job at Signal to sort of get away from all this. Now with this whole fiasco with Amber, I sort of don't have a choice in the matter. Just be thankful that school just got out or you'd be out a good spy right now."

"Be that as it may, that was the only time that we didn't have someone watching Naruto and someone died. Whether this was his doing or not is unknown, but what is known is that Naruto isn't trying to hide here." Ozpin stood up and moved to the window. "We need to speak to him and try to figure out what's going on. Maybe we can coax some information out of him."

"You wanna try to talk to him?" Qrow walked around the desk, poking as he added, "There is something seriously wrong with this situation, Ozpin."

"Naruto's return to the surface is odd, but…"

"No." Qrow cut him off with a sharp jab at the desk. Glynda jumped a little from his outburst. "Listen to me, Ozpin, this is something else. Do you remember the car bombing in Vacuo by the White Fang? The one that killed twenty-seven people?" The Headmaster nodded slowly, confused at what he was getting at. Qrow grabbed his scroll and showed him an image of a man with brown hair and a pair of furry dog ears on the top of his head. He sported two triangle tattoos on his cheek that went down to his jaw bone. "This is Kiba Inuzuka. He died in that bombing and just a month ago he showed back up without any injuries. He has a tomb stone, Ozpin. He is dead and yet," he took his scroll back, "this photo was taken by me a few days ago. He's not the only one to randomly appear back either." He continued to scroll through his scroll and then showed him a girl with long brown hair and brown eyes. "This is Kurama Yakumo; she walked into a forest and disappeared for five years. Atlas doesn't have any findings on her. Her father died trying to find her and never did. She just showed up in Mistral not two days ago."

"Are you implying something?" Glynda asked heatedly. People showed back up all the time. They were either out on long term missions or, in some rare cases, finally came home after escaping a cave or some other sort of thing that they hid in to evade the Grimm.

"It's just odd that these two people also showed up after a few years of dropping off the world. I couldn't find them. Jiraiya, Vacuo's greatest spy master, couldn't find them. So what does that tell you?"

Ozpin looked at the window and then picked up his cane. "I believe I'm going to go talk with Uzumaki. Glynda," he picked up one of the transcripts he was taking interest in, "please, look over the rest of these transcripts. I'll be looking over this one." Before anyone could say another word Ozpin left and wasn't seen again until the end of the day.

(-)

"Are you fucking serious?" Naruto held up the card and pointed accusingly to Junior. "This is a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid not. Do you want the job or not? There are other people that would kill to have a job like this one. It's super easy. So what's wrong with it?"

Naruto gestured to the card. "I can't pronounce this guys' name, for one thing. Also, he wants me to, and I quote from this, "Scare a little girl in to not coming to the weapon shop every day," for about one hundred and seventy-five lien. So where to truly begin with the shit storm that is this job. First off, as I said, I can't pronounce this guys' name. It starts with two A's, then trails off into random letters that just makes me think that he didn't want to give out his name, which is illegal for reasons I don't understand."

"Failure to identify is a law punishable by ten days in jail for a first offense and then a year for a second offense," Junior told him, cutting him and then chuckling into his drink as he listened to the blond mercenary continue to rant.

"Secondly, this guy, whom I actually know by appearance as I've seen him once, is a twenty-year old man working at a weapon shop designed to sell weapons and he is somehow scared of a little girl that visits said shop every day."

"Are you telling me you never did something like that?" Melanie asked. She found this job invigorating as it was annoying Naruto to no end.

"And lastly, this son of a bitch wants me to scare a little girl. What is wrong with him? I'm yelling at him when I get there, which is another illegal thing I'll be doing today."

"And what are the other things you're doing that are illegal?" Miltia asked.

Naruto calmed down enough to finally look and act like his usual self. She'd be lying if she didn't think it was funny to his antics when he got like this. It was relaxing and mind soothing to hear him speak in a more normal tone rather than his dark tone that promised death and destruction to his targets.

"Well since you asked." He picked up his beer and took a long sip before answering fully. "I'm drinking underage. The drinking age is twenty here. Though in Atlas it was nineteen, but I drank with my mom at our house, which isn't illegal. The other thing that I'm doing that is illegal is being a mercenary and also operating as a huntsman without a license to do so, so that's illegal on two fronts. The other thing that is illegal is that I'm here at a club without a hot girl in my arms." Junior nodded to that one, feeling the pain of every lonely man. "And the last one is that I'm here at the club when I could be home watching one of two things: The new with the awesome Mr. Chan or watching the smoking hot Pyrrha Nikos crush the crap out of Aurora again. Both of them make it seem like their mud wrestling with how they fight in the end."

"Pig," Melanie hissed at him. She took a sip from his wine glass and said, "Is there is not another show you'd rather be watching?"

"If you're referring to the idea that I would watch porn over either of those two things, you are sadly mistaken. The only porn I watch is in the morning. Morning wood is the bane of my existence. That wakes me up. Not my alarm clock. I roll over trying to deny the inevitable to crush my penis in the attempts to escape the rising sun." Junior raised his glass with a slight grin on his face. The two males toasted and gulped their drinks down. "Well that's enough about porn and morning wood. I gotta go scare a little girl now."

"I'm already scared. And that just because of you talking about your reproductive organs."

Naruto laughed and got close to her. She could smell the alcohol wafting from his breath. "I could show you if you've only seen them in books," he whispered into her ear. She shoved him away and got ready to kick him in the end. He stepped on her ankle and smiled at her. "You will never find a man with that temper of yours." And then he walked out to complete his job begrudgingly.

Junior returned to work for an hour before a man with gray hair showed up. "Do you have anything light to drink?"

"We have a few things… Give me a second."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to you surprise me. And," he adjusted his glasses as they slipped down his nose, "if it's all the same to you, I'd like to find a booth as well. One preferably away from smoke if possible."

Looking around, the club owner nodded and said something to a man in a black suit. He motioned to the gray haired patron and said, "Take him to the corner booth. Sir, this man will take to you a booth," while grabbing a glass and making a mix drink.

"One more thing, if possible." The man tapped a cane against the hard floor and smiled reasonably. "I'm looking for a man that takes jobs. If you can, I'd like to speak with him. I have a job for him and I do prefer to speak to the men I hire face to face. And as a show of good will," he handed his cane over to his cane, "I'll let you hold on to this. It is my weapon."

Junior put the weapon behind the bar and watched him go with his man. Melanie looked to the weapon and then to Hei. "That's the Headmaster for Beacon Academy. He's not here to hire Naruto for anything." Junior returned to making drinks and waiting for Naruto to show up. If the blond wanted to confront Ozpin, that'd be his choice.

(-)

"Are the man on this card?"

The man behind the counter nodded with a realized sigh at the sight of the blond.

Putting the card away, Naruto looked around and then pointed to the back where he saw a small red cape wearing girl with headphones on. "Is that her?"

"Yeah. She's been here-"

"I don't care. You're idiot and a pussy as far as I'm concerned. You're twenty-something and you're being scared by a little girl. Believe me, when I'm done with this, I am so going to have a talk with you."

Naruto disappeared before the man could say anything else and took a deep breath before grabbing his pistol and removing the clip and round. He pocketed both and then removed the blade from top of the blade by unscrewing the tiny screw that brought the two different weapons together. Gripping the blade tightly, he approached the small girl and then started pilfering the rack she was beside for parts to replace the "missing" screw. He dropped the gun and then the blade and cursed his luck as he bent over to pick it up.

"Sorry," he said when he bumped into her. The girl looked at the two items on the ground and then to him. "I have butterfingers."

The girl removed her headphones and snatched up the gun before he could snatch it up. "Is this a Glock 22 .40 Caliber Safe-Action?" She yanked back on the pistol and cocked it. "That was too easy. Aside from the modified barrel and grip, this thing shouldn't slide back this well. Do you oil it every day?" She held it like a pro and looked down the sights. "The top of the gun is also outfitted with a small groove for where the blade would rest. And judging by the handle, you've incorporated small switches so that the gun doesn't transform into… whatever it does. It seems incomplete."

Naruto stood with a stunned smile on his face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. My name is Ruby Rose. Sorry… I'm… kind of a weapon nerd."

Shaking himself from his stupor, the blond held out his hand took the weapon back. "It's okay. I was looking for a screw to put these two things together." He held up the blade and then the pistol. "It was together a few days ago and then, well, I dropped. Stabbed my foot. The screw I was using was sort of old. It was better to break now than later when I'd really need it."

"Ew… Well I've cut myself plenty of times using Crescent Rose before I got good with it." She paused and then began hoping in place like a nerves child. "So what's your name?"

"Oh that's right. My bad. I'm so sorry. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm just passing through town and visiting a friend for the day. Rodger, the man at the counter, he's an old friend." Naruto leaned closer and whispered, "Plus he's kind of scared with weapons. His doctor told him to work at a place like this to get over his phobia."

"Oh," she whispered sadly.

"Don't worry about it. So what's a little girl like yourself doing in a weapon shop at," Naruto pulled his scroll out and checked the time, "seven thirty-five in the afternoon? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, home studying for a test or something. School didn't get out yet, did it?"

"It did." She confirmed happily. "I have two more years at Signal and then I'm going to apply for Beacon."

"Why Beacon? Why not one of the other three?"

"Well my sister got accepted for Beacon and I'm wanting to… follow her… But I wanna be like my mom and she went to Beacon. She became a really cool huntress. I want be just like her and the heroes I read about in the books I read."

Naruto smile dropped a little but he played it off like he was looking for the screw and having trouble finding it. "So you want to be a huntress. I had a friend that wanted to do that."

"What happened to her?"

"Him, actually." Ruby had the decency to look embarrassed. "Well he, uh, disappeared one day. Haven't seen him in five years. He just… poof… gone… out of the blue. There are days I think those memories we had together are false. But I know they're not. His mother is proof of that." Naruto feigned shock when he found the right sized screw. "Found it. You here for anything specific? I used to work at a weapon shop like this back home in Atlas. My friend, Tenten, she got me a job working for her families weapon shop."

"Actually I'm just sort of waiting on my uncle. He had a meeting with some other teachers about the grades some of the students made on their final exam. He should be done soon."

"That's cool. So listen, Ruby, I'm here for more than just this screw. See, Rodger over there has this other phobia. He's scared of little girls." Ruby blinked. "It's a real thing. Look it up. And because I'm his friend, and I am in no way threatening you, but could you maybe consider not coming in so frequently. At least while he's working. He just sort of worried that you're going to do something dark to him. For reasons beyond my comprehension." Naruto whispered the last part with a faraway look in his eyes. Ruby just looked at him funny. "So could you do me a solid and come by every couple of days. Because their short staffed right now and he's just a chicken around little girls. It would make my ears a lot better."

"I can try. But what else am I going to do when I come to town?"

"Go to the bookstore, find pretty dresses… I don't know. Whatever girls your age are doing right now would be smart."

"Girls my age are dating boys and I'm not really into that."

"So you play for the other team?" Naruto's comical side slipped and took over for a fraction of a second as he laughed hysterically to the notion of a little girl probably no older than fourteen questioning her sexuality or being someone that just didn't like or get the idea of dating a boy. If Naruto was a betting man, which he was, he believed that her words were more directed to the idea of just dating in general. "I'm sorry," he said, reigning his own laughter and funnier side in, "that was just kind of a funny."

"Well it doesn't help that I have an overprotective father," Ruby admitted.

Naruto winced. "That bites…" Naruto threw the screw up on the counter and nodded. "This'll be all, Rodger. And, uh, I do hope that one day you will finally get over your fear of little girls. Ruby, do you have anything you need to get from here?"

A lightbulb might have appeared over her head with how her eyes widened. "Yes! I ordered a scope a week ago and I was told I could come pick it up. It's under Ruby Rose." The man exasperatingly left to find the package and returned only moment later with a small brown box. Ruby squealed in delight as she tore it out of its case after paying for it. Not a moment later she whipped out a small compact item that unfolded into a red, oversized, scythe. Rodger whimpered fearfully. "Now my precious baby is complete!" She squealed once more and held the weapon tightly like she were trying to hug it to death. "I'm sorry about your two phobias, Rodger. Maybe one day you can get over them."

Naruto smiled and walked out with her, turning and looking at the man with a dark set of eyes as he waved goodbye to him in the nicest way possible.

"So you wield a scythe? That's neat. Can't say I've seen too many people using those in combat." He came to a stop when a looming threat washed over him. Ruby failed to notice it. "Ruby, so tell me, why exactly do you wield a scythe?"

"Because they're awesome, duh?" Naruto turned slowly. Ruby did as well while she elaborated. "Well my uncle uses one and he is so super cool when he uses it. He said my mom used something smaller, the chain-sickle variant, and when I tried to use them I got hurt all the time. So started using a scythe and from then on there, everything was sort of better for me and then I just started using it until my uncle – UNCLE QROW!" Ruby cut herself off to scream at the arrival of her uncle. Naruto smiled, despite the frown he saw on the mans' face. "How was the meeting?"

"The meeting was good, kiddo." He ruffled her hair when she jumped on his arm and hung their like a monkey. "So who is your friend? Does your dad know about him?" He winked twice and Ruby made a disgusted face. "Oh that's good to know. Because if I tell your dad, you know he'll throw a fit and come after your little friend. So how about I do you a sold and "talk" to him." He patted his head and sent her off to the weapon shop. Ruby looked to Naruto questioningly. He gave her a sly smile. She shrugged and ran back inside.

"She's cute… Not my type though. And too young…" Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Qrow with a smile as he tilted his head. "Are you done prowling the roofs at night or is this going to be an ongoing thing until you find whatever little thing you're looking for with me. It's getting annoying and in the way of my investigation."

Qrow feigned surprise and laughed at him. "You're investigation? That's cute. You're not even a huntsman and you're trying to find something. Real cute." Qrow pulled out a flask and took a sip from it. "So what are doing back in Vale? What's your real reason? And don't try to beat around the bush either. You're smart. You pranked your teachers, your friends, and on rare occasions, even James. So I know you're smart." Naruto pulled out a small picture and started looking at it before tossing it to Qrow. The man glanced at it. It was a picture of a man wearing military armor and a face mask. A hood covered his hair from view. "What's this?"

"Have you ever heard of steganography?" Qrow blinked and Naruto chuckled. "It's the art of concealing a message inside of another message. There are two messages in that picture. The first is the man. I started looking for him about three year ago. Supposedly he worked with three others in similar suits. My friend, Shiho, found the hidden message inside that photo." He pulled out another one and tossed it to him. Qrow read it and looked at him funny. "The message, though oddly written up, was sent to me five months ago."

"You mean while you were away doing Oum knows what at Oum knows where?" Qrow said with a snicker. He read the message again. I'M IN VALE!

"Right… Odd, I suppose. I disappear and people ask questions when I come back. Believe me, at Junior's Club, I get it so much. Junior wants to know where I was and the Twins just want to know how I switch between business me and prankster me. I really don't see the difference, but it's me I'm talking about, so it's just me being me."

"So you came to Vale because of some message that someone sent you in a photo? Who is this guy?"

"I don't know." Naruto sounded almost proud of himself.

Qrow sighed explosively and took another shot from his flask. "So you're here in Vale looking for a guy wearing a mask you don't even know. That sounds like some fantasy story." The older man took another strong hit from his flask and grumbled out, "So you're here for this man, but you never really go looking for him. Why?"

"I'd rather sit and wait for the person to show up. It's not like I'm really hiding. I let you follow me."

"Yeah you clearly don't go anywhere. You eat too much ramen, by the way."

Naruto ground his teeth and then laughed. "Everyone tells me that. I think they just don't see the greatest of ramen." He mused while walking around in circles and tapping his chin in thought. He stopped and pointed at Qrow with a knowing smile. "Do you remember the last time we met? You showed up at the farm where I was recovering from my surgery for my arm. I was just waking up when the Grimm showed up." Naruto paused and looked at the night sky. His eyes glazed over and for a split second Qrow felt fear. There was something dark behind his eyes. He blinked and suddenly his eyes were clear and focused. "We fought them off… But," he shook his head, "we weren't going to last. My pistols were damaged and in need of repair. Sakura fought as hard as she could but she just…"

"Did you ever talk about it with anyone?" Naruto closed his eyes. Qrow looked away and put his hands in his pockets. "You disappeared shortly after she died. You never went to her funeral."

"I didn't belong there. I let her die."

"You were hardly able to fight. You had one arm."

"I let her die. I promised Sasuke on the night he disappeared that I would look after her. And I failed." The blond shook his head and looked at his mechanical arm and hen to Qrow. "I should thank you for helping us. You… You inspired me to get stronger. Seeing you in action… Killing the Grimm. It was so different compared to what the others did. They treated it like it was a field operation. Like it was a… thing of some utter destruction. You killed Grimm, but they did something else. The Academy's taught us to kill Grimm. To show no mercy, to give to no quarter. You were different. You fought the Grimm with a desire to destroy only them and nothing else. You didn't care where they came from. And your weapon…"

"You sound almost nostalgic for a man running away from his past."

The fox Faunus rolled his eyes. "You made me craft a weapon from the weapon I used back then during that fight. I don't have it with me currently and I'm not too bad with it. I'd show it to you, but it's not nearly as fancy as yours and…" he glanced back at Ruby and chuckled, "her weapon. I think it goes without saying what weapon I'm talking about." Qrow nodded slowly. The fox Faunus put his hands in his pockets. "I'm not going to thank you, Qrow, for helping them. I'm not going to thank you for being there at her funeral. But I will thank for giving me the motivation to become greater than what I was. I'm not going to tell you I'm an Avenger or anything like that."

"Hey, one last question. What is your favorite season?"

Naruto paused and glanced up in thought. "Fall… Because that's when I was born." Naruto started walking again. "Fall is the start of winter and I so much love the snow. But I love fall because the leaves turn orange and the night sky usually looks the same. It's so beautiful."

"Yeah, she is, isn't she?" Naruto looked over his shoulder, his eyes slightly narrowed before a playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Qrow's eyes widened and he reached for his sword but Ruby returned and tackled into him. "Let's go back home, squirt." He released his grip on his weapon and watched Naruto leave.

(-)

Naruto strolled into the club counting his lien and walked up to the counter. Junior slid into view cleaning a cup. "Can I get a bottle of… something dark?"

"Sure thing," Junior said with a cough. Naruto glanced up when he slammed down two Root Beers. Looking at them oddly, Junior pointed to a booth in the far corner of the club. "You have someone here that wants to talk to you. Probably best not to do anything illegal."

Confused, Naruto glanced back and spied a mop of gray hair and understood the meaning as he grabbed up the drinks and moved to the corner where his date with destiny awaited. Slowly, almost methodically, Ozpin turned and looked up, his glass of something empty. Naruto presented the drink and sat down on the other side of him.

"It's been a while, Uzumaki. You look good for someone that died for two years." Ozpin took the offered drink and chuckled. "Trying to keep things semi legal I see. Well, I suppose I can't incriminate you for anything just yet. You are only at a club to drink a soda, enjoy the music, and mingle with others."

"You're right. I'm still trying to get into the pants of this one little number that works here. She's cute. Sadly, I think I've pranked her too many times. Love is a strange thing I don't understand."

"Well, love is a confusing and terrible thing. But it's probably just as complicated as politics. Probably more so when you get more than one person involved. But I'm not here to talk about that." He picked up the bottle of soda and looked at the lid. He motioned to Naruto with a quick shake. The blond took it and popped the top with his left hands' thumb. Nodding his thanks, he took a quick drink and then continued. "To be clear, I'm not here to hire you for anything legal or illegal. As far as either of should be concerned, this is strictly a meeting of interests."

"Fair enough." Naruto popped the top on his soda and then added, "But if you're going to set a few ground rules, I'll set one of my own. Don't ask me about the two years I was away. I've already been asked that once by Qrow. It was annoying and I'm not in the mood to talk about the past. If you even bring up her name, know that I will not walk away from you."

"That's fair." Ozpin laced his fingers together and sat forward. "To business then. I would like to extend an open invitation for you to come to my Academy and become a student there." Naruto started laughing at him. "So that's your answer? I figured as much. Now that my interests are met, I have a question for you." He dropped a small vanilla folder on the table and then opened it. Naruto grimaced at the sight of the surgery pictures of his mangled arm. "You lost your arm to a training accident. The accident in question involved test rounds being fired from a machine gun that was being operated by a man that had issues against Faunus."

Naruto shut his eyes and scratched at the side of his chin, irritation slowly beginning to creep in on him.

"He was in charge of making sure the gun was forced into a lock position. Either by a choice of mercy or just not caring enough, you didn't press charges. You asked that James let him go when he was charged with attempted murder. You asked that your mother forgive the man that tried to kill her son. That was after you spent twelve grueling hours in surgery so they could amputate your arm that was bullet ridden with test rounds and your shoulder that had been chewed through to the bone. Even after all that you went out and completed your tests and your trials to graduate, despite being ordered not to. You passed your combat exam with one arm and one pistol. You fought a Grimm off with one arm and one pistol. And then, after graduating, you requested surgery to get your prosthetic limb."

Ozpin flipped the page on the report. A blue print showed where the metal would attach to bone and flesh. Naruto winced at the picture. It showed three long bolts drilled into his collar bone and then anchored down with barbs. If the metal was ever ripped off he'd lose more than just a few pounds of flesh and his collar bone, he'd lose his entire left side down to his third or fourth rib if he was lucky.

"You were to receive a Y-501 Prosthetic limb designed by the Ycaruse Industry. And yet," he glanced at Naruto's left arm, "you have a completely different model not seen by anyone. Which begs the question: Where did you get it?" Naruto's eyes opened and he leaned back in his chair. "I think it goes without saying that this all goes back to the two years you were dead. But you got your arm six months before you went missing. So I suppose those two years you were away started with that surgery. So I'm not going to ask about that." He turned the page in the file and Naruto's eyes darkened at the sight of two mangled bodies. "Let's talk about these two people you killed in Atlas."

"What are you really after?"

"The truth."

"The truth can cut worse than a lie. It can destroy people."

"Truths, like a lie, have a lot of weight to them. Ignorance is truly the greatest bliss out there. It helps people dictate what is right and what is wrong based on how little they know. One might even say that ignorance is the greatest sin out there. It makes you blind to the truths. But the truth can kill just as easily as a lie can. So I'm going to ask one very simple question. Was this a mercy killing, and if so, why did you run?"

Naruto downed his drink, an act that took him two minutes to do. He sat in silence for another three minutes before taking the file and turning it around to show Ozpin the names. "It was a mercy killing. There was no way they were going to survive. They knew that. They… They asked me to kill them. They asked me to do something I didn't want to do. Not to them. Not to my friends." Naruto's scalar began to turn red. Ozpin steeled himself for a fight. Naruto's eyes returned to normal. "I didn't run away. I walked away. I failed three people in my life. I killed two of them. Those are things I can never take back. I couldn't save Sakura from the Grimm. I had to shoot Shikamaru in the head because he didn't want to die from blood loss, because his chest was ripped wide open and everything from the hip down was removed from him. And I had to shoot Moegi in the head because she didn't want to suffer from having her internal organs ruptured and her practically removed from his body. I failed to protect my friends and the new generation that would come after me. After us. And I did it with a single pull of the trigger."

"So you ran away from a tragedy."

"That was a tragedy I could have prevented."

"The Grimm are to blame. Not you. You did what was required of anyone. You stood in the way of so much and saved so many lives. It is the duty of a Huntsman to safeguard the citizens and the wellbeing of the world. We put all other things aside for the protection of our Kingdoms and its people, but above all else, we protect Remnant from those that would wish it harm."

Naruto scoffed and shut the file. "I killed more people in Atlas than what this thing will show." Ozpin shut his eyes. A confession of guilt was not what he wanted to hear. "There were so many people that died that night. I couldn't save them. There were others there, with me, doing the same in the end. Do you know how many bullets I put into innocent people that begged for death because they didn't want to die slowly? I put eighteen bullets into eighteen people. Do you know who saw me put the bullet into Moegi and Shikamaru? It was Shikamaru's mother. I put a bullet in his head after putting one Moegi. Then I pulled her from her house and dragged her to safety. She called me a murderer."

"She has her right to her to her opinion."

"I know."

"I feel that I should let you know that James wants to make things right. He knows what you did and why you did it. He can't openly say it because of who he is, but he knows that you are innocent in this."

"I don't care." Naruto motioned for another drink. Miltia brought it over. Ozpin looked her over and she snorted while turning away from him. "Ozpin, I'm not going back to Atlas. And while I'd like to believe that he hasn't told my mother that I'm alive yet, I know he has. So please, for my sake, don't tell here where I am."

"You're asking me to keep information from a woman that scares even me," he admitted with a laugh. Naruto grinned.

"Yeah I guess I am. When she finds me, she will beat me black and blue. There is nothing in this world more terrifying then her and her RFF." Ozpin chuckled and held his drink up to him. Naruto tapped his bottle against his. "Listen, I'm not taking your offer to throw mud in your face. You're a good person. James speaks highly of you. And if things were different don't think for a second I wouldn't jump at the offer. But I'm not a hero. Heroes don't let people die. They save lives." In one long pull, Naruto downed his Root Beer and got to his feet. "You should go."

Ozpin grabbed his arm before he could leave. "You did the right thing. Even if you see yourself as a monster for doing it, you saved more people that day than you did kill. I read the combat report they gave on you from Hatake Kakashi. If you ever change your mind, know that you have a place at Beacon. And if you stand trial in Atlas, you have a place there as well. Don't shut the world out, Uzumaki. You're a good person. You never let your past define you. It doesn't dictate who you are. But rather, it dictates where you're from. If you ever need someone to talk to, know that I will listen. Not as a Headmaster or a Huntsman, but as a friend who has walked the same path as you. I have put down family members, friends, even people I worked with, because they didn't want to suffer anymore."

Eyes closed, Naruto slowly removed Ozpin's hand and started to walk. "One day, Ozpin, I'll accept what I've done and will do. But until then, I'm going to stay here, waiting and watching and hoping for an outcome that can't possibly happen." Ozpin nodded and walked to the bar to collect his cane. He left shortly after and Naruto looked to the ceiling and smiled. Mother will kill me when she finds me. He laughed and watched the lights go out with Junior. Neither man said anything for a while. Naruto finally looked at him and punched him in the arm. "That's for eavesdropping."

Rubbing his shoulder, Junior nodded and then did the same to him. "That's for lying."

Nodding, the blond accepted his punishment and then turned to the twins. "How much of my conversation with Ozpin did you hear?"

"I'm still trying to get into the pants of this one little number that works here. She's cute. Sadly, I think I've pranked her too many times." Melanie quoted him from earlier. Naruto grinned and reached behind the bar to grab a glass of water. "If you think that I will sleep with you, you have another thing coming."

"That's okay; I don't sleep with girls that don't shave." Junior started laughing. Naruto patted her on the head and slapped him away. "It's okay. One day you will find that right girl for you." Junior lost it and doubled over from laughing so hard. Melanie's face became as red as her sisters' dress. "I'm going home. I'm tired and I've probably got a job for tomorrow anyways."