Chapter 7 A Drink, A Farewell, And A Bit Of Trouble.
bladetri
One of few words as always.
Thanks again
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Naruto and Kurama spent the rest of the afternoon searching the surrounding area with Qrow to be sure that no grim had survived.
They found nothing as they had hoped and decided to set up camp in a clearing nearby. They'd head back to town in the morning where Naruto would continue on to Heaven and Qrow panned to stock up on the essentials, namely liquor and meetings the fine ladies that served it.
They sat around the fire and ate fish Naruto had caught from the river.
" I'm impressed Naruto, I never saw anybody who could catch fish through meditation", Qrow said as he watched Naruto scarf down another fire roasted fish.
He thought back to the strange skill Naruto had shown earlier that day.
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It had come as a surprise, they had just declared the search for grim finished when Qrow saw Naruto share a long look with his fox, Kurama. He had watched the pair whenever he could so he didn't miss the shocked realization and then the excited look cross Naruto's face.
The next moment Naruro declares that he's going fishing. Qrow followed him to a calmer portion of the river and watched with interest as Naruto sank half his body into the river as he took a seat.
Then before Qrow could ask what he was doing something happened, Naruto went still. It was so easy to describe but difficult to explain. It wasn't the stillness of a person, it was the stillness of a rock. Qrow was one of the best scouts around and that meant he was observant, he could usually notice the small twitches and differences in breathing a person went through and even determine what they might do from these changes. He had thought Naruto was easy to read, he showed emotions easily and was full of the energy Qrow expected from a teen trained in combat. That had all changed, Qrow couldn't even determine if he was still breathing.
Naruto then activated his semblance, a small orb of light appeared. The orb split into smaller pieces and soon a dozen little lights began to sway in the water between Naruto's hands imitating a school of minnows.
As Qrow watched larger fish soon started to gather, then they started to eat the lights. After a moment Naruto stood, as he did strings of light came from the mouths of the fish and attached to his fingers. Naruto walked out of the water with several fish for dinner.
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Qrow thought of what he had learned from his observation, the first was something he had noticed in the cavern. Naruto had two aspects to his semblance, a orb of light he could solidify and manipulate and an orb of darkness that could destroy matter. It was interesting that Naruto was using his power in different ways, too many Huntsman focused on the direct combat or most obvious effect of their semblance. It limited their options and growth in the long run.
The second thing he had noticed was his initial judgement of Naruto was false. They teen had more to him beneath the surface, you don't have the level of physical and mental control he had shown in the river at that age. In fact Qrow had never seen such a technique before. Naruto wasn't the optimistic airhead he could appear to be, at least not entirely but from what he believed Naruto had been through that made more sense.
The last was a suspicion he'd had for a while that he planned to confirm now.
" So Naruto I have to admit the way you use your semblance is creative" Qrow started.
Naruto finished his latest bite before he answered.
"yeah, I'm pretty awesome", Naruto said with a grin, he rarely had positive reinforcement growing up so he was always weak to compliments.
" sure, but I bet it helps that two heads are better than one" Qrow said.
He saw both of them freeze, that alone practically confirmed it.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked nervously.
Qrow could almost see the thoughts flash behind Naruto's eyes, including a moment where Qrow felt real hostility as he guessed Naruto considered more extreme action.
Then it was all gone and he just had a confused smile on his face.
"relax Naruto I'm not after your little friend and that goes for you as well Kurama. Your both just too obvious. Naruto you have a habit of glancing at Kurama in the middle of a conversation even when he doesn't make a sound and that's Kurama's problem, you don't act like even the most intelligent animal I've seen. Even a well trained companion will occasionally make a noise to communicate or physically point out danger, you never make a sound", Qrow paused here, he could see Naruto looking away from Kurama by pointedly staring at Qrow while the small fox had gotten up and was sniffing around the campsite.
" A little late guys", Qrow said as he watched them.
" Look I'm not going to speak a word of this to anyone you have my word but I am pretty curious if you want to explain", Qrow continued.
("Kurama?"), Naruto asked mentally.
" No point in hiding it now he seems pretty sure, we just aren't used to me being out of the seal yet. There was nothing for me to smell and I always sensed chakra so I never bothered much with scents in the past. Same as before tell him some but not everything, it's not like I still don't trust him but we know he has loyalties to at least one group", Kurama said as he stopped bothering to pretend to be a simple pet and sat next to Naruto to look at Qrow.
Naruto looked to Qrow for a long moment before he began.
" Look Qrow… do you want to have drink?", Naruto asked reaching into his pack and bringing out a bottle of sake.
Qrow was a mildly surprised for a moment, that wasn't where he thought this would start. Was he about to be silenced through poison?
Then again who was he to turn down free drinks.
" Well who'd have guessed, I know the drinking age is inconsistent outside the kingdoms but I didn't peg you for the casual drinker" Qrow said as he reached into his own pack to produce two cups then with a glance at Kurama a third.
Naruto looked at the bottle between his hands as he began to speak.
" I'm really not, look Qrow we don't know each other very well but we've travelled together, we've fought together and now you want me to trust your word." Naruto looked up and locked eyes with the first person he had truly met in this world before continuing.
" I don't trust strangers Qrow, especially ones who clearly have a lot of secrets of their own, but I can place some trust in a friend", Naruto said before he raised the bottle in his hand up and let massive smile fill his face.
"Drinks are exchanged between brothers, you haven't earned that much from us yet but we share among friends. Qrow, behold for this is fire toad sake, the only bottle in this world. You want us to talk? Then let's talk as we reach the bottom" Naruto said.
Qrow felt a smirk rise up, he knew there was a reason he liked this punk.
When the drinks were poured Naruto raised his glass and began.
" Kurama over there is as smart, arrogant and stubborn as any human I've ever met… and many times as loyal a friend." Naruto said.
They drank as they continued, Naruto knew drinking while trying to control what he said wasn't the best idea but most of his history with Kurama was a bitter one and telling even an edited version was something that had never come easy. What had was Naruto's ability to talk very loudly about his dreams while revealing nothing personal about himself, so talking to a relative stranger was a bit therapeutic.
When he was finished Qrow took a minute to think it over before he summarised what Naruto had told him.
"So", Qrow began as he again filled his glass with what he certainly hoped wasn't the only bottle of what was certainly one of the best liquors on Remnant and he'd know, " Kurama was always intelligent and always a fox with Aura and even a semblance. That is incredible but anything with a soul has that potential. He was eventually captured by your village and locked up, then the day you were born some enemy of your dad took control of him and killed your parents but your dad somehow bound your souls together before he died so Kurama had to protect you? Qrow asked.
" basically, yeah"Naruto said.
" I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this event" Qrow said.
" The village leader kept it all a secret, the entire village kept away from outsiders since it was founded after the war", Naruto meant a different war but saw no reason to clarify.
Qrow considered it, it certainly wasn't impossible. Settlements rose and fell too often to keep track of out here and distrust of the Kingdoms wasn't uncommon either, besides if any of it was true it was a decent explanation on how this was possible. It seemed like most of it was but Qrow knew he wouldn't get the full details from Naruto for now.
" So your dad kind of left you holding the bag filled with a pissed off Kurama huh?" Qrow asked as he decided to drop the issue for now, besides this place was apparently gone and he had enough problems that made looking into it simply impossible for years to come.
"yeah, it turned out for the best but no one seems able to screw up your childhood quite like your family" Naruto said as he finished his own drink.
" Trust me I know" Qrow said with a grimace.
" Okay Naruto since we're drinking buddies let me give you some advice. I think you have told me most of the truth, I know crazier tales that have proven true. Trust me when I say continue to keep it to yourself, get better at hiding it too. There are plenty that would be interested in how to do what your dad apparently did, I know Atlas has been studying Aura for a while and their not known for caring about human or Faunus rights" Qrow cautioned.
"Good to know and that will be the plan from here" Naruto said.
" Get some sleep then I'll take first watch, I'm not confident Kurama will notice anyone approaching at this point", Qrow said with a look at the small fox that had passed out curled around his cup.
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It was the next day at the village entrance, Naruto and Kurama were saying their goodbyes to Qrow.
" see ya both around, maybe next time I'll buy the drinks and tell you some secrets of my own" Qrow said, reaching his right hand out to shake Naruto's own.
" sounds good to me, if we're friends now you can count on Naruto Uzumaki to guard your back…", Naruto paused when Kurama flicked his tail," Kurama says he expects a decent meal then too", Naruto finished while returning the gesture.
Qrow had himself paused and was staring at the bandages.
" Ha ha, what don't tell me the great detective Qrow hadn't noticed", Naruto said as he pulled back part of the bandages to reveal his metallic limb.
" hmm well i just figured you were trying to look cool, white shirt, white bandages, you teens and your fashion, but now I find out you have more stories to tell then I thought" Qrow said with a shrug.
" trying to look cool? Dude you wear a cape" Naruto said indignantly.
" yeah and have you ever seen someone pull it off like me, capes go to the awesome so I deserve a cape" Qrow said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
" yeah whatever I'll tell you another time, see ya later Qrow", Naruto said as he was about to walk away.
" hold up, here take this", Qrow said handing several cards to Naruto.
"Lien... I know I'm broke Qrow but I don't need handouts. You've done enough with the hotel" Naruto said.
" I'm not giving it to you then, consider it a loan. It should be enough for some supplies and cheap fair on a ship from Sanus to Anima, you can pay me back when you become a Huntsman" Qrow again offered Naruto the Lien.
Naruto hesitated a moment more before he accepted.
"bye old man" Naruto said as he walked out of town.
" Later punk" Qrow said as he went to the nearest bar.
Two days later had Naruto and Kurama arguing mentally.
" Why didn't you grab supplies before we left, we don't even have a map with current towns" Kurama said annoyed at plain fish to eat and only Naruto's coat to sleep on.
("What was I supposed to do, we were having an emotional farewell at the village exit. Neither of us thought of it till it was dark and I figured we'd run into a town following the roads by now, not a ruin.) Naruto replied in frustration, did Kurama even realize how long he had gone without ramen.
The only town they had come across was a wreck long since abandoned where that part of the so called road ended, now they were again lost and following a river. As if life wanted to further mess with him the forest was full of fog that made finding the road impossible.
" Remember to move quietly, the last thing I want to do is run into grim this early amd watch where you walk, there is a lot of limestone around here so there might be pools formed by the river. I don't want to end up soaked," Kurama said.
("yeah sure your highness") Naruto said, a wicked grin flashed across his features that was hidden from Kurama who was atop his head.
He had already spotted such a pool just ahead of them.
Naruto dropped his pack and used both hands to pin Kurama to his head before dashing forward for a cannon ball.
Splash!
Naruto rose up laughing so much he almost choked on water, with a soaked Kurama in his hands looking murderous.
Then something else raised its head from the water on the other side of the pool.
Naruto stopped laughing, he stopped breathing.
The strength left his legs at the sight of the rage burning in the Amber eyes directed at him.
Naruto knew it made no sense but he blamed Jiraiya for this.
