AN: I apologize for taking so long with this one, everyone! I wanted to make sure this one was up to snuff, and I nearly made this chapter twice as long. Seriously, I had to actually stop myself from writing too much. Introduction of a new character this chapter, and everyone should recognize him, plus a bit more backstory on Naruto! Again, sorry for the tardiness!
Chapter 10: The Day After, Promotions and Silver Eyes!
The sun was peeking through the windows of his apartment, hitting him full force in the eyes as he slept peacefully. With a small groan, Naruto lifted up his right hand to cover his eyes and, slowly, he opened them and blinked a few times.
"Why did I sleep so good last night?" He wondered to himself aloud as he half-heartedly shrugged and plopped his head back down onto his pillow. "Ah well… best night's sleep I've had in a long time." As he was about to fall asleep once again, his eyes snapped open as something clicked. Slowly turning his head to the left, a smile instantly formed as the figure to his left shifted slightly and cuddled his left arm.
There laid Yang, who was clutching onto his left arm, long blonde hair splayed out in all directions, the rays of the morning sun casting her in a divine glow as a cute snore escaped her.
'That's why I slept so good last night.' He inwardly answered his previous question as he slipped his arm out of Yang's grasp and instead pulled her into a one armed embrace to which she immediately and unconsciously accepted. 'We made up last night and… we're back together now. Things are as they should be.'
"About damn time, I say." Kurama voiced his opinion after a yawn. "Now all you have to do is get the cat girl on board with this little harem you have going on."
"I support this notion!" Kira cut in. "I support this notion wholeheartedly!"
'You're assuming that I want to expand this harem.' Naruto deadpanned. 'I'm in for it as it is with Ruby, I don't need to compound my troubles!'
"And now you're assuming that the small Ningen (Human) will object to you being with her sister. Kit, if she really and truly loves you, and if she truly was your soulmate, then she'd be able to recognize that you've found another soulmate within the blonde Ningen beside you. You needn't explain it to her other than the quick clarification that you are now dating both of them."
'How about getting permission from her? How about being a considerate boyfriend and having both Yang and I confront her with this together?'
"He's sorta right, Furball." Kira conceded. "Ningen relationships aren't like the relationships us Oni (Demons) form."
"All I'm saying is that the time for you to remain idle is drawing ever closer to a close, Kit." Kurama sighed. "Kira and I can only remain in power for a short while longer, sooner or later, you're going to have to take the reins, both as a full Oni and as my successor as the new Kyuubi."
'I know.' Naruto managed his own sigh. 'I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of responsibility or not.'
"You have to be, Naru." Kira counseled. "You have to be ready for the responsibility and the power. When Furball finally hands over the crown to you, you'll be the first and only Bijuu this world has ever and will ever know, you'll have power that dwarfs the Maiden's own power many times over… and you'll be hunted, just like the other Bijuu from the Elemental Nations. You HAVE to be ready, for all of our sakes."
"Having a pep talk with your tenants?" Came the melodic voice of Yang, which broke Naruto out of his stupor. "Let them know that their rent is due and that I need my boyfriend back." She added with a smile.
"I never left, Firecracker." Naruto returned the smile, then leaned in for a kiss which the blonde brawler accepted. It was a tender kiss, nothing like the ones they shared the night before, and as quickly as it began, it was over. "Good morning."
"Greatest morning I've ever had." Yang smiled once again and pecked Naruto on the lips once more before throwing the covers off of her form, standing and stretching the weariness out of her body.
There she stood, with her arms above her head as she stretched, the morning sun reflecting off of her equally luminescent long hair, and as soon as she rested her hands on her hips, she opened her eyes and the light perfectly captured the lilac orbs and made them shine brilliantly. And the smile… the smile she had just made her glow with an even greater radiance. There she stood, a Goddess of Beauty if he had ever seen one. She was perfect, she was flawless, she was oh so beautiful… and she was his again, as he was hers.
"Beautiful." Was the only thing he could say.
"Easy there, playboy." Yang giggled and sat upon the edge of the bed. "You'll make me blush."
"Isn't that my job?" Naruto teased. "To make you blush?"
"No, your job is to be a Professor." A teasing smirk of her own surfaced. "And I've been a bad girl, Professor." She whispered to him huskily as she leaned into him. "Looks like I'm gonna need some extra lessons."
"The extra lessons will have to wait, Miss Xiao Long." Naruto pulled away from his tease of a girlfriend and threw the covers off of himself so he could stand. "I do believe we have a certain redhead to visit."
"Ruby…" Yang sighed. "Yeah…"
"And the rest of your team, mind you." He added. "They all still think you're in shock and they all still believe that Raven's dead."
"So, what are we gonna do?"
"Just go back to them for the time being." Naruto began as he started dressing himself in his usual attire, plus a rust orange t-shirt to replace his shredded red one and black faded jeans in place of his cargo pants for a change. "Show them that you're alright, and reassure them that everything's fine. While you're doing that, I'll be conferring with Ozpin on how we should handle the subject of Raven surviving and whether or not it's safe to come out with it."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"Huh?" It was only when Naruto turned to face her in confusion when he remembered that she had no clothes to change into. "Shit, of course." He facepalmed. "Alright, Firecracker, hold onto me."
"… You have something planned, I just know it." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at her boyfriend, but nonetheless wrapped her arms around his left arm.
"Just a little trick of mine." His smirk was so wide it seemed as if his face was going to shatter in half. "I've marked the door to your dorm, you see, which allows me to use one of my favorite Jutsu." He then held up his right index and middle fingers in the Half-Ram seal.
"What kind of Jutsu?" She asked, and as soon as the question left her lips, she noticed that they were now standing right outside of Team RWBY's dorm… and then the nausea and vertigo hit her. "W-What the hell?!"
"Teleportation." Naruto snickered. "The Hiraishin no Jutsu, or Flying Thunder God Technique, was developed by one of my dimension's past Hokages and was eventually perfected by my Dad, who also developed the Rasengan… I guess you could say I took up his banner and perfected the Rasengan like he perfected the Hiraishin."
"Sounds like your old man was a genius." Yang noted as she shook off the effects of her first trip through the Hiraishin. "Something he passed down to you, it seems."
"Please." Naruto chuckled as he instinctively rubbed the back of his head. "I'm no genius… I was just blessed and cursed at the same time with my… condition."
"And I wouldn't change a thing. If I had the option to, I would not change a single thing, knowing we end up right here." She then pecked him on the lips once more. "Now, get going. We don't want anyone seeing us like this, do we?"
"I suppose not." Naruto chuckled. "I'll catch up with you later, Yang." He threw a wave over his shoulder as he began trotting away.
(Ozpin's Office: Minutes later)
"So… that's it, huh?" Asked Qrow as he took a swig from his flask. "You're back? For good?"
"Until Ozpin sees fit to reinstate me, yes." Raven nodded while taking the flask away from her brother and drinking a portion of the alcohol inside its confines.
"We need you back on Patch, Raven." Ozpin intoned, leaning back in his chair. "I need someone I trust guarding Signal. I'd trust your ex-husband with this, but…"
"But Tai's been through a lot." Raven nodded. "You need someone with a level head watching our flank."
"Still…" Qrow hummed while swiping his flask away from his sister. "Never thought Naruto would be so powerful to beat you, Sis."
"Naruto's a special case, Qrow." Ozpin said. "As both Raven and I have told you, your adoptive nephew is more than he seems."
"From another dimension…" He mused with a gruff chuckle. "Never would have suspected it, kid looks just like us despite being an alien of sorts."
"We need him, Qrow." Raven directed a light glare to her twin. "He's too valuable and too dangerous to be left alone."
"And he's also still a person." Ozpin cut in. "He may be from a different dimension, he may be an 'alien' as you put it, Qrow, but he's still a person… and he also happens to be my chosen."
"Oz…" Qrow balked. "You can't mean…" He paused to recompose himself, just as the elevator door opened.
"Looks like the whole crew is here." Naruto chuckled as he eyed his Uncle. "Been a long time, Uncle Qrow."
"Yeah, it has." Qrow expertly covered his trepidation. "Good to see you again, kid."
"How's Dad been doing?"
"Tai's fine. He doesn't know you're here, though. He still thinks you've disappeared, never to be found again."
"My doing." Ozpin clarified. "I assumed that you'd want to reacquaint yourself with your Father on your own terms… as a surprise, more or less."
"You assumed correctly, Professor." Naruto nodded to his superior. "Thank you."
"Still having a hard time believing you're from another dimension, kid." Qrow managed a chuckle. "But it doesn't matter. You were a good kid three years ago, and despite going through a few bumps, you're still a good kid."
"So, you told him, Professor?" Naruto asked.
"I trust Qrow just as much as I trust you, Naruto. And being that he's your Uncle, I decided to let him in on this." Ozpin explained after a nod. "I'm still leaving the explanations to Miss Xiao Long and Miss Rose up to you."
"Yang knows, I told her last night."
"And he also made up with her." Raven added with a giggle. "They're back together now."
"And Miss Rose…?" Ozpin shifted his gaze from Naruto to Raven.
"They're still an item as well." Raven giggled once again.
"Hold the hell up." Qrow cut in. "You're in a relationship with both of your sisters?!"
"Are you jealous, Uncle?" Naruto teased. "Jealous that I have two beautiful women pining for my heart when you're still a bachelor?"
"He is rather attractive, Qrow." Raven joined in on the teasing. "Given a bit more time, I think he could draw in at least a couple more girls and have a true harem."
"And you're encouraging him!" Qrow pointed an accusing finger at his sister.
"He's jealous." Both Naruto and Raven intoned at the same time, then shared a fistbump upon Qrow deflating in defeat.
"At any rate…" Ozpin intoned in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. "Naruto, I'm glad you decided to come by my office. There is something that you need to see, and a choice you have to make."
"Oz, you're seriously gonna show him…?" Qrow asked.
"Follow me." Ozpin deigned to answer his colleague. "Glynda will meet us in the courtyard."
"Why the courtyard?" Naruto asked.
"Because the last member of our little circle should be here any moment." Raven answered as the four of them filed into the elevator.
"Here's hoping we don't wreck half the place like last night. Naruto." Raven joked.
"Hey, I'm always ready for round 2." Naruto shrugged.
"Glynda's royally pissed off at the two of you, by the way." Qrow said after a drink from his flask.
"It wasn't our fault!" Naruto and Raven whined at the same time.
"And after just one fight, you two are already on the same wavelength…" Qrow sighed. "I need more booze…"
"And I'd rather keep my courtyard." Ozpin cracked a barely visible smile.
"About time you all arrived." Glynda huffed as the elevator door opened and the four filed out. "He's here."
"Very good." Was all Ozpin said as he took the lead, the other four falling into step behind him, with Naruto and Qrow directly behind him to his right and left respectively.
"Who's here?" Naruto asked.
"General Jimmy Ironwood." Qrow responded as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets.
"Ah, shit."
"What?" Raven asked.
"James is still pissed at me for the Atlas job my Shepherds and I pulled off. I know I can't be arrested or anything, but this meeting will be just a bit awkward for me."
"And there he is, the tin man himself!" Qrow barked out, laughter teasing at his voice.
There, before them and approaching them, was none other than James Ironwood himself. As his eyes raked over the forms of the people approaching him, his eyes lingered on Naruto. After a slight hesitation and forcibly stopping himself from reaching for his pistol, James continued his walk, and the person to his right mirrored him as they matched paces.
Naruto also hesitated upon seeing James… but then his eyes fell upon the person that was to James's right. Immediately freezing mid step, Naruto saw the other person do the same. He froze instantly; he was so still that he could probably have passed as a statue.
"Naruto?" Raven called out to the blonde.
Red. That's what he was seeing now. His hands twitched, the muscles in his legs tensed, his entire body tensed, red bled into his eyes as he entered his Initial Transformation. The two parties halted where they stood, staring at their statuesque compatriots. And then…
BOOM!
The two had crossed the few odd meters between them in a literal blink of an eye and met in the middle of the courtyard with their fists buried into each other's faces. Another shockwave emanated from the duo as the force of their punches sent them flying back into their original positions.
"TEAR THIS FUCKER WIDE OPEN, KIT!" Kurama all but yelled at the top of his lungs, his fangs bared.
"Come on, Naru!" Kira encouraged. "BLOW HIM TO HELL!"
Holding out his right hand, Naruto let out a demonic growl as a Rasengan began to form just about the time that crimson Chakra began to envelop him, elevating him from his Initial Release State into his One-Tailed Cloak.
Meanwhile, black markings seemed to surround his opponent until his skin turned a sickly dark color, turning his raven hair into a purplish color and making it grow out. He held his left hand parallel to the ground and lightning began to pour off of it, the lightning now turning black thanks to his new form.
With very little warning or provocation, the two charged at each other again, their attacks fully charged. They had reached the point of no return. Just as their attacks were about to clash, however…
"Naruto! STOP!" Ozpin frantically called out to his charge.
"Sasuke! STAND DOWN!" James also called out to his charge.
Centimeters. Mere centimeters separated Naruto's Vermilion Rasengan and Sasuke's Black Chidori. Mere centimeters was all that saved everyone present from seeing a true battle of Shinobi, from seeing just how utterly outmatched they all were in the face of people like Naruto and Sasuke.
"Saved again, teme." Naruto snarled in Japanese.
"You got lucky, dobe." Sasuke responded in Japanese as he let both his Chidori and Curse Seal fade away, and deactivated his Sharingan.
"Hardly." Naruto scoffed, this time in English as he dispelled his Rasengan and pulled back in Kurama's Chakra, thereby bringing him back into his base form. "Though I have no idea how the hell you survived out last encounter. I blew a goddamn hole in your chest!"
"Atlesian technology can work wonders." Sasuke said in English as he unbuttoned his military-style jacket and pulled down the shirt underneath it to reveal a whole patch of synthetic skin. "What you don't see is the cybernetics that were grafted into my skeletal system and nervous system to repair most of the internal damage your Rasengan did to me that day."
"But how did you even get here?"
"That portal we opened also sucked me in. You might have seen me disintegrate?" After a positive nod from Naruto he continued. "I saw the same thing with you. I didn't even know that you were alive, let alone in Remnant with me until you raided the Atlesian Military's bank."
"How do you think I feel? Seeing you alive… it flipped something inside of me. I just had the intense urge to kill you, to finish the job."
"Same here with me… to be honest, I still have that feeling."
"But we have to work together now, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Are you two done trying to kill each other?" Came James's voice.
"I apologize, General." Sasuke turned and stood at attention. "Seeing Naruto again for the first time in over three years brought back unpleasant memories of our last fight." He then snapped off a salute. "It won't happen again, sir."
"And are you finished trying to kill an ally, Naruto?" Ozpin also asked.
"Same thing for me, Oz." Naruto turned to face the aged Professor. "I think we're all good now. It'll take some time for us to get used to one another's presence, but we won't be trying to murder each other anymore."
"Good." Ozpin nodded as he walked up and extended his right hand. "Glad you could make it, James."
"After hearing that Beacon was put on lockdown last night, I had to come and see what happened with my own eyes." James took the offered hand and shook it.
"And did you mean to nearly set off a war here?" He whispered harshly to his fellow Headmaster. "Bringing him of all people here, knowing that Naruto would react the way he did?"
"Sasuke's under contract to me, just like Naruto is to you, Ozpin." James whispered back. "I brought him because I felt like he needed to be here."
"And…?"
"… And I wanted to see how Naruto and Sasuke would react upon seeing each other again. I needed to see if I could continue to trust Sasuke, I needed to see how they would deal with everything."
"Quite the risk, James, considering they very nearly leveled my courtyard… again."
"But now we know that their old rivalry won't affect them. Wasn't it worth it?"
"In the long run, yes… now we know we can fully trust them to not let their emotions and past grievances with each other overrule their rational minds."
"Although it was impressive, wasn't it? That display of power?"
"Indeed. Which is why I'm bringing them both into the circle."
"I understand, Oz." James nodded.
"Now, Naruto and Sasuke, if you two will follow us, there's something you two must see." Ozpin once again took to the head of the group.
"I'm curious as to what we're about to witness." Sasuke admitted.
"As am I." Naruto agreed with a nod.
"That was intense, Naruto." Raven said as the group began their walk. "I could all but feel the energy coming off of the both of you."
"Friend of yours?" Sasuke asked.
"Sort of." Naruto chuckled. "Sasuke, this is Raven Branwen. Raven, this is Sasuke Uchiha, my old rival."
"And currently a Major within the Atlesian Military and a Huntsman loyal to Atlas Academy." Sasuke cut in, a hint of pride in his voice.
"You two are lucky that no one but us saw that little display." Came the gruff voice of Qrow.
"We did sort of go overboard, Sasuke." Naruto sighed.
"I admit… we could have been a bit more careful." Sasuke conceded the point.
"Still, though… Major?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah. What about you? Last I heard, you were a wanted criminal." Sasuke asked, his attention now solely on his old rival.
"I was, before I contracted myself out to Oz. Now I'm a Professor here at Beacon."
"So, you're contracted to?"
"It was either that, or be on the run for the rest of my life."
"And your past affiliations with the Queen?"
"I'm no longer her Architect. People may still call me the Architect, but I'm just regular old Naruto now."
"Quiet, you two." James advised. "Keep talk about her to a minimum until we reach our destination, away from curious ears."
Sure enough, students and faculty of Beacon were now waking up and filing out into the Academy to start their days off.
"Shit!' Qrow exclaimed as he darted off in a random direction.
"The hell?" Naruto questioned, but got his answer when a certain blonde beauty came running up to him and all but glomped him with her lips.
"Well, there's no such thing as subtle, I see." Ozpin amusedly commented.
"Ruby wants to talk with us, babe." Yang said after forcing herself to pry her lips away from her boyfriend's.
"I'd come right away, but… we're in the middle of something now, Yang…" Naruto managed to explain.
"Oh…" Yang then realized that she was in the company of her mother, Ozpin, Glynda, James Ironwood and some emo-looking soldier kid.
"No, no!" Raven chided the young couple on. "By all means, don't mind us, Yang!"
"Yeah…" She drawled out. "Sorry about that…"
"Think nothing of it, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin waived her apology off. "Though we must be going."
"I'll catch up with you two later, Yang!" Naruto called out to her as the group began walking again.
"I'll try to keep Ruby distracted!" Yang called out to him in return.
"Girlfriend?" Sasuke asked.
"Gee, was it that obvious?" Naruto sarcastically quipped. "Yes, she's my girlfriend. Well… one of."
"One… of?" Sasuke asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"The other is her half-sister, Ruby."
"Hn." Sasuke gave the traditional Uchiha response, if only to hide his surprise.
"That was a close one." Qrow sighed as he gulped down a portion of his booze.
"Why did you not want Yang to see you?" Raven asked.
"Because she'd tell Ruby that I'm here. And with me about to go dark on one of my recon missions in a couple more days, I don't need the distraction."
"Sound reasoning." Sasuke nodded his approval.
"Like I needed your approval, duck boy."
"… Hn." Again, the traditional Uchiha reply, this time to hide his irritation.
The rest of the trip to the elevator was spent in relative silence, and even the ride down was silent as a grave. Only when the elevator doors opened to reveal the vault beneath Beacon did life return to the group.
"This is…" Naruto began as he looked around the grand area.
"The vault." Ozpin answered.
"Fancy." Sasuke softly scoffed.
"No… Oz, please, don't tell me…" Naruto's hands began to visibly shake. "Is… she down here?"
"And what if she is?" Ozpin cut a glare to his charge. "Are you ready to face your biggest mistake?"
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked. "Who is she? What mistake?"
"All in due time, Sasuke." James answered his charge. "You're about to find out why Naruto was being hunted in the first place."
"It was because of his Atlas heist, wasn't it?"
"No… it's because of something far, far worse."
After walking the distance of the entire vault, the group came upon a pair of hibernation pods, one of which was occupied by an unconscious brown haired woman.
"This is his biggest mistake." James once again intoned.
"Who… is she?" Asked the Uchiha
"Amber…" Naruto's voice was barely above a whisper. His eyes were wide and his hands had begun to shake once again.
"Naruto, what's this all about?"
"Amber is… well…" Glynda began.
"She's one of the Four Maidens." Ozpin answered. "And she's currently in a coma which was brought about because half of her power was ripped from her."
"And the culprit is right in front of you." Qrow motioned to his nephew.
"I…" Naruto gulped and began to explain himself. "I was partly responsible for what happened to her. While I was still with the Queen, she recruited me and two others into her fold, and used the three of us to face down Amber. My other two comrades were bested by her and I was the one to bring her down so the Queen could issue the final blow."
"That is, until I showed up." Qrow interjected. "I stopped the transfer process before all of the power could be drained from her and they all retreated with just half of the power stolen."
"And ever since that day, Naruto has been the second name in all of our books, with the first being the Queen herself. I and the other two Headmasters wanted Naruto to be brought in front of a firing squad, but Ozpin here was the only one who wanted to recruit him." James added to the conversation.
"Amber…" Naruto repeated himself as he stepped up to her pod and brought his right hand up to the glass. "I'm sorry…" He then clenched the very same hand into a fist. "I'm so sorry…" He repeated as he squeezed his eyes shut.
All eyes that were on him now softened upon seeing this. Ozpin and James in particular, at that moment, could honestly feel for the boy, as they knew the true reason why he was apologizing.
"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice cut the air as he softly intoned. "I've never seen you like this… what happened?"
"He fell in love." Ozpin answered, his own voice soft so as to not disturb his charge. "The Queen ordered him to get as close to Amber as he could. This was after he had parted ways with Miss Xiao Long. His heart was still freshly wounded from parting with her in the dead of night, he was still confused… and while the Queen did indeed take him in… Amber was the one who gave him a purpose. She was the one who healed his heart and helped him move past the pain… she was the one who saw past his mask and she was the only woman in his life who was not afraid of the monster he could have become. She completed him, and he completed her."
"Though with the introduction of Miss Rose and the reintroduction of Miss Xiao Long…" James mused.
"I see…" Was all Sasuke managed to say as he stared at his rival's back.
"He had to choose between the one who healed him and the one who took him in." Ozpin finished. "And in the end, he chose the Queen over the Maiden."
"But when she was with my knucklehead nephew..." Qrow paused for a drink of his booze. "It was the happiest I had ever seen her. As her guardian, I couldn't make myself known to anyone outside of her, so I couldn't congratulate him for finally finding someone right for him… but I was still proud of him, all the same."
"Naruto…" Raven breathed. "He's been through hell in a handbasket. It's a wonder that he even believes in the word 'hope' anymore."
"That's the Naruto I know, though." Sasuke admitted. "Never giving up, never running away, standing by his ideals… just like the Naruto I knew. He never gives up."
"I swear, Amber…" Naruto's voice silenced any conversations that were being had. "I swear to you, I'll make this right… I'll make Cinder pay, I'll get your power back… and then…" He paused to kiss the glass where her lips were. "Then everything will be right again. I promise…" After sparing her one last glance, he turned and looked Ozpin dead in the eyes. "I want in."
"Then you know about the circle?" Ozpin asked.
"Only rumors of its existence… but now that I know for sure that it exists, I want in."
"The offer is extended to you as well, Sasuke." James added. "Do you accept?"
"Of course." Sasuke nodded.
"Then you both are in." Ozpin managed another smile. "Welcome to the circle, boys."
"You also said something about a choice, Oz?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, I did. Naruto, after seeing you in action last night against Miss Branwen here, and after seeing your promise to Amber, which has only reinforced my decision… I want you to be my chosen successor."
"You mean…" His eyes widened.
"Yes. In the event that anything should happen to me or should I step down, I want you to take over as Headmaster of Beacon Academy."
"I accept." He said with no hesitation at all.
"I thought you'd accept. So be it. Congratulations, Deputy Headmaster Uzumaki."
"Quite the promotion." James noted. "Though, after this display… it's well deserved."
"Now, we must leave this place. Beacon needs to be tended to and we need to organize your promotion ceremony." Ozpin said, getting everyone to begin the walk back to the elevator.
"Just hold on, Amber…" Naruto whispered as he spared her one last glance. "Things will be back to normal in no time."
Unbeknownst to everyone there, Amber, within her pod, unconsciously smiled as a single tear streaked down her right cheek.
(That Night: First year dorms)
"She's been locked in there for hours." Yang sighed as she, Naruto and Sasuke arrived on scene. "She reprogrammed the electronic locks to reject all of our passes."
"And you didn't ask for a master pass?" Naruto asked.
"We did, but decided against it." Weiss huffed. "We decided that whatever she's going through, it'd be better if you and Yang handled it."
"Girl troubles." Sasuke scoffed. "More power to you, but I'm staying out of this."
"Who is this?" Blake asked while motioning to Sasuke.
"A friend." Was all Naruto said as he stepped up to Team RWBY's dorm room door. "Hey, Rubes." He softly called out to her through the door. "It's me. How about you let me and your sister in?"
"Use your pass." Came the soft, yet emotionless reply of Ruby. "It'll only accept yours anyway."
Fishing around in his duster pockets for his pass, Naruto eventually found it and pressed it against the reader, where a positive ding was heard and immediately, he and Yang filed into the room.
"And why are you here?" Weiss asked.
"Naruto always finds all kinds of interesting scenarios to get involved in." Sasuke shrugged. "I'm just here to watch."
"It's way too dark in here." Yang voiced as she felt around the wall for the light switch.
"Yang…" Naruto's voice put her on edge. "Keep the lights off. You don't want to see what shape she's in."
He could see Ruby through his night vision, and what he was seeing disturbed him.
"I'm just gonna turn on the lights now…" Yang disregarded his warnings and finally found the light switch, then promptly flicked it on. "There! OK, Ruby, now we… can…" The words died in her voice as her eyes widened at what laid in front of them.
There, upon her bed, laid Ruby. Except the usually cheery and vibrant little red ball of energy now sported snow white hair, an even paler complexion and her silver eyes were glowing with a faint light.
Upon coming into eye contact with her glowing silver eyes, Naruto could feel a sharp, intense jolt of pain shoot through his entire system.
"Look away, kit!" Kurama struggled to say, as he was experiencing the same pain as well.
Not needing to be told twice, Naruto tore his eyes away from hers and the pain subsided. "R-Ruby…" He managed to croak out through the aftermath. "What happened…?"
"You two…" She monotonously intoned. "Explain." She rose from her previous prone position so she was standing in front of them. "Please, explain." The glow in her eyes intensified.
'Silver eyes…' Naruto inwardly mused. 'So, this is what those legendary warriors could do…'
Naruto knew that Yang was in no danger from any of the silver eyes powers, as she was human as human could get. But when it came to himself, it was an entirely different story.
He had better explain things as quickly and concisely as possible, because if he didn't, it was entirely possible that Ruby could kill him with her powers being as out of control as they were.
"We'll explain, Ruby." Naruto said. "Just… it's gonna rake awhile."
"Explain." She repeated, her voice still devoid of emotion.
'Silver tongue, don't fail me now…' He mused to himself once again.
This was going to be a long explanation…
AN: AAAAANNND done! What did you guys think? Sasuke's finally a thing and I'm excited to finally get to him, as this is something I've been planning on doing ever since the beginning. And the whole thing with Amber being Naruto's first girl after Yang was entirely on a whim and I think it turned out rather well, but what did you guys think? Do you like the addition of Sasuke? Do you like the backstory with Amber?
On a related note, what about Amber as a potential pairing option? I might do it, I might not, so let me know what you guys think! Right now, the third girl spot could either go to Amber or Blake, so give me some good, solid reasons and opinions for either!
Now, onto the good news. Because I forced myself to stop, I already have progress made on Chapter 11 and the explanation, so expect that update soon (hopefully)!
And finally, I'm giving someone a plug. Guys, I want you all to go check out Yano Uzumaki and his story, The Wolf of Beacon. He's a relatively new author and he's just starting out. He gave me a plug, so I'm returning the favor! If you guys could go check him out, I'm sure he'd really appreciate it! Yano, bro, this one's for you, bud!
This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!