AN: IT FINALLY HAPPENED. THIS STORY HAS NOW OVERTAKEN MY DXD CROSS FIC FOR MY MOST REVIEWED STORY! WOOOOOO!1!1
I am seriously beyond happy about this. My DxD fic was unfortunately my crowning achievement thus far, but this fic has finally surpassed it in not only quality but in popularity. For that I thank all of you who have helped me reach this point. The critiques, the "good job!"s, and even the childish flames. Feels good!
As a treat for you guys being so awesome this chapter will be especially long and especially good. Another treat, sort of, is up on my YouTube channel (the link to which is on my profile). For those wondering, yes it is my cover of Sacrifice. Go check it out and let me know what you think!
Questions/Comments/Concerns
C/C: The Shunshin.
A: Ooo boy did I grilled for that. So I will readily admit that I wasn't aware of the techniques intricacies which I should have been. My bad. However in my defense, Naruto wouldn't be either. The fact is that despite him living in that time and having used the technique, he is NOT the walking authority on all things Naruto-verse. Shit he's probably the least knowledgeable and even if Kurama was around for several centuries and knew some stuff, why teach it to Naruto? The Shinobi era is gone, it would be useless information at this point. Just because he's smarter and more levelheaded doesn't mean this Naruto is any less of a dumbass than canon Naruto. As far as he's concerned, as long as he can use it properly, he doesn't need to know exactly how a Jutsu works. To him it would be just some teleportation jutsu.
Q/C/C: The AH crew.
A: The AH guys will only be appearing in small bursts and will have no large significance to the plot outside of keeping Team NNPR well stocked on all things that go boom. Also glad Roosterteeth fans were happy with my portrayal of them. As a separate thing, I will only be using the core members (Gavin, Ray, Ryan, Michael, Geoff, and Jack) so no Lindsay (some meta shit considering she's Ruby's voice), or Matt.
Q: What's going on with the council? How do they work? Will you be expanding on them?
A: The council won't be playing a huge part, but will be the cause of some interesting stuff happening. How they operate on a grand scale will be explained and like I've done with the Grimm and other things, I will be working my own version out. If that clashes with RT's canon...well fuck haha. However they won't be given individual names or things like that, they'll just remain as the shadowy puppet masters behind the scenes.
I'm surprised nobody said anything about my mentioning Ruby and Yang's dad, Taiyang...or did you guys not know that? Oh well. BUT GUYS RTX IS COMING SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS...RWBY ANNOUNCEMENT. Knowing RT they'll probably be doing a tribute to Monty and then unveil the new Volume or something. If not...well I'll take it to mean RWBY is done.
STORY TIME
"You guys are already getting pulled for activity duty!? Lucky!" A wide eyed Ruby Rose exclaimed.
Seeing as how both his team and team RWBY had been curious about why Ozpin had called for him so late, Naruto had explained to them that he and his team were being "promoted". While Ruby was jealous, he could see the apprehensive looks some of the others wore, no doubt understanding why he wasn't exactly happy about the decision either.
Originally he had pulled aside his team and explained it to them personally, even telling them that they had no way out of the call. Instead of being excited though, he was met with grim looks of realization from them. They had no illusions about how strong they were and also knew that the world they lived in wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, the night on the docks having shown them just that.
That night had actually been a pivotal point for both Ren and Nora who, while not overly cocky where their own strength was concerned, had been confident enough to think they were catching up to their captain and teammate who were both being touted as prodigies. However that mysterious woman had burned those thoughts right up, having fought them off with the ease one would have when swatting a fly.
Had Naruto not intervened they may well have suffered horrendous burns or even death.
Now they were being recruited to help in the case she and her lackeys appeared again? It was almost suicidal.
Both Blake and Yang were acquainted with the criminal underworld for their own reasons and had seen more than anyone their age had any right to, giving them firsthand knowledge of just how harsh the world could be. They had since distanced themselves from that life for obvious reasons. The Huntsman life expectancy was already short as it was, no need to shorten it any further.
Chuckling Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I guess, but for our first few missions we're gonna have an older team to mentor us or something. Not that we need it, -ttebayo!"
"Big talk from someone who hasn't even taken their first mission," came a familiar voice.
Walking up to the two first year teams was the older team of CFVY, Coco strutting up to "her favorite blond" with a smirk.
Not being one to so easily back down, Naruto stared straight into the tinted sunglasses of the elder teen and smirked, "Who said it was my first mission?"
Coco just copied the gesture and crossed her arms, leaning on one leg to accentuate her hips, "Oh really? Far as I know they didn't give out missions to the kiddies at Sanctum or Signal."
The whiskered shinobi shrugged, "Maybe not at Sanctum or Signal, but as soon as you graduated our academy in Konoha, you were put on a four man cell with an elder...Huntsman and if you pass their test you were put on active duty and could start taking missions."
Eyebrows rose in surprise at hearing that not only had Naruto been on a previous team of four, but that a village would allow its warriors to start taking missions straight out of the academy.
Though Blake also had a stray thought cross her mind, 'He did it again. Why does he say certain words like that?'
As the raven haired Faunus pondered her friend's odd speech patterns, Ruby raised a different question, "Wait, if that's the case then how old were you when you started your academy?"
"I was entered in two years earlier due to certain circumstances, but the starting age for Konoha's academy was five."
"FIVE!?" Was the resounding shout from the others, most shocked and outraged that a village would start training children at such a young age to be trained killers. Sure most Huntsman families started training their kids pretty early, but not till much later, around the age of nine or ten considering that schools like Sanctum and Signal accepted students age twelve.
On one hand Naruto understood why they were shocked. From an outside looking in perspective, training kids at such a young age to do the things that were expected of a ninja could be borderline child abuse. Konoha wasn't so harsh in its curriculum, compared to villages like Kumo and Kiri, but it was still unbelievable. On the other hand, that was the shinobi era. In all honesty it had been a lot safer and a lot less mentally scarring during his generation when you looked at how things operated during the First or Second Great Shinobi War, even more so when one looked at the time before the birth of the Hidden Villages.
"Wh-when did you graduate?" A shocked Velvet asked.
Again, Naruto casually answered, "Twelve, at least."
"AT LEAST!?"
"Some people graduated earlier. My sensei graduated when he was five and my teammates brother graduated when he was seven," the blond waved off. While the feat may seem amazing, having known Kakashi on a personal level had kind of ruined the image that most people made up based on his career. Sure he was a very skilled ninja and had been hailed as a prodigy, but Naruto knew him as the lazy pervert who had mentored him and the others of team seven.
Shaking her head Coco threw her hands up in a "what can you do?" gesture, "Well, your crazy village aside, thought I'd let you know that we're gonna be the team who keeps an eye on you guys so you don't screw anything up."
As Naruto and his fellow team captain discussed the mission specifics, his own team as well as team RWBY began to look at their blond friend in a different light. They had all seen the goofy side of the teen who was always grinning or trying to make some joke and they had even seen him angry, but never before had they thought that he was really a no doubt highly trained warrior...at age twelve.
For team NNPR, it answered a lot of their questions. Key among them being how and why he was so far above their own level. Simply put, he had had near a decade more training under his belt and five years of actual combat experience to go with it. It also explained why he seemed so at ease when working with them. He already had practice working with a four man cell.
Blake, knowing about the harshness of his childhood, grew even more respect for her fellow "Faunus". Not only had he survived the years of bigotry thrown at him from his own people, but he had also experienced the life of a warrior and managed to hold strong to his beliefs. It said a lot about his mental fortitude to be able to to survive under all that pressure.
"See you in a few days then Whiskers," Coco patted Naruto's cheek and sauntered off, Velvet smiling demurely as she and the rest of team CVFY followed after their captain.
Yang glared at the retreating forms of the elder teens and huffed, "I still can't stand her."
Already knowing that the two outgoing teens clashed too much to really get along, the others only sighed and nodded their heads, Ruby patting her sister on her shoulder, "We know Yang, we know."
"Anyways, you got a sec Princess?" Naruto asked, surprising almost everyone. At this point they all knew that it had been the leader of team NNPR who had stepped in and given the Schnee heiress a talking to that had put her on the path to mending her relationship with her younger captain. What had been said though had been kept between the two, Weiss feeling that what she had been told was rather personal and didn't need repeating to others while Naruto simply didn't feel like taking the time to actually explain the long and emotional talk that would no doubt come up as a result of his talking about his former teammate.
Still no one ever expected the odd sort of friendship the two shared due to that talk to really turn into anything, seeing as how Naruto seemed to take pleasure in bothering the girl and doing anything he could to make her annoyed with him.
Raising a snow white eyebrow, Weiss replied, "Why? You better not be trying to prank me again or I swear I'll-!"
Naruto chuckled nervously as he frantically waved his hands, "No, no! No pranks, just want to ask you a couple things is all."
As the two ventured off, Weiss warily keeping an eye on Naruto, they didn't see the shocked and confused looks of their respective teammates and friends.
"Guys...did Naruto and Weiss just have a decent conversation without trying to murder each other?" Yang asked aloud.
No one said anything, still staring at the backs of their retreating friends, but they all nodded in unison, too shocked to do so.
"Well...damn."
"So what in the world did you need to talk to me about?" Weiss huffed.
Naruto took a seat on the stone bench that was located near the entrance to Beacon's library, "Seeing as how you're family is one of the largest producers of Dust, I figured you'd know a lot about the stuff."
Weiss mirrored the blond's actions and seated herself, raising an eyebrow as she did so, "Wait, so all you want is to know about Dust? You could just look that up in a book or something."
The Jinchūriki waved his hands, "I know and I did that, but all the book told me was how it's used and how to combine them to make other elements and stuff. What I want to know is what Dust is, like where it comes from and all that."
For her part, Weiss was rather surprised to hear that someone wanted to actually learn about Dust itself. Most were satisfied with knowing how to use it without blowing themselves up and even she would admit that if it wasn't for her family being known for the stuff, she probably wouldn't have invested too much thought into it.
"Well, we actually don't know all that much about it. I know my family pays a lot of researchers to look into all of that, but they haven't made much headway." Seeing the crestfallen look that made Naruto look like a kicked puppy, Weiss continued, "but I do know that the only places it can be found are in caves hidden in the most far removed places. It's also near impossible to manufacture any kind of Dust. I've heard that some of the researchers think it comes from energy stored deep in the caves, leftover from something."
'Kurama, you don't think-?'
'It's a strong possibility. The only way we would be able to confirm it though is if we ventured into one of these caves.'
Not letting the shock of his revelation show on his face, Naruto grinned, "Thanks Princess! There is one other thing I was wondering about though; how does your Semblance work?"
Needless to say the royally dressed heiress was caught a little off guard hearing that someone was interested in her Semblance. Again it was one of those things that very few people put more stock into outside of knowing how to use it properly.
"Well, it depends on what I want it to do. The main part of it is the actual making of the Glyphs. From there I can use them for a lot of different things - speed increase, as an adhesive, or even like an adrenaline boost-"
"But can you say, affect time within the area of the Glyphs? And does each type of Glyph have its own unique design that creates that effect? And if so do you consciously know how to create those individual segments or is it kind of just a-"
"Hey, hey hold on. Why do you want to know so much about my Semblance?" Weiss asked, seeing the frantic look in Naruto's eyes as he pestered her was unusual. It was clear that he was passionate and all, but it was also somewhat off putting to see the goofy blond act like some scientist who was talking to someone who could them all the answers they needed.
Realizing that he had more than likely made the RWBY team member uncomfortable with his barrage of questions, Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Well when I first saw your Glyphs during the initiation it looked similar to something my family was known for."
Now that piqued Weiss' interest. As far as she knew her Semblance was among the more unique ones, not really having found anything similar to her powers even in her own family. Apparently Naruto's family said otherwise though.
Taking note of the apprehension in the Schnee heiress' eyes, Naruto grinned as he pulled out a higher grade seal than just your standard storage seal. Weiss looked at the unassuming piece of paper, but what caught her eyes was what was on the paper and its overall motif. While there were obvious differences in the style and makeup, the entire design as a whole was eerily similar to that of her own Glyphs.
"What is that?"
"Back home it was just one of the many basic arts that existed and was used pretty frequently. My family though was known for our unparalleled mastery of the art. It's called Fūinjutsu or Sealing Techniques," Naruto stated proudly.
Weiss looked at the seal with a critical eye, "And what does this one do?"
"It's called a Gravity Seal. The name pretty much gives it away," Naruto smiled cheekily.
"While it's interesting to see something similar to my Glyphs, what's the point?" Weiss asked impatiently. She really had no issues with the blond, especially now that he was being somewhat serious and not trying to prank her, but she still had other things to do.
"The one flaw with Fūinjutsu is that it takes almost perfect and precise penmanship, something I can't really do in the middle of battle. I have to already have the seals ready beforehand if I want to use 'em in battle. Your Semblance though-"
"Allows me to do just that," the Schnee heiress said, catching on to where the blond teen was getting at. However there was just one problem, "You do know Semblances are unique right? I mean I could probably create your seals and use them, but you wouldn't be able to," Weiss interrupted, stating what she thought was rather obvious. No matter how hard someone tried, it was just impossible to imitate another's Semblance.
Even still the young misplaced ninja seemed up returned by this, like it wasn't even a problem for him, "Just leave that part to me. What I want to know is how you create your Glyphs. Do you just visualize it and it happens or do you mentally construct it from the ground up?"
Seeing no harm in explaining the intricacies of her power, Weiss shrugged, "It depends. If it's a Glyph I've used before I can usually just visualize what I want to happen and it's made, but if I want it to do something I've never done before I'd have to almost make it from scratch. Using Myrtenaster as a sort of focus helps with those and even speeds up the overall process."
"Umm...Myrten what now?"
Weiss sighed in frustration, "Myrtenaster, my rapier."
The proverbial light bulb went off in Naruto's head, "You use the Dust in your sword to amplify the effects of your Glyphs! You've been a great help Weiss!"
If the Schnee heiress was surprised at the captain of team NNPR using her actual name, it was overshadowed by the warm and tight hug said teen gave her before running off to do whatever it was he suddenly found so urgent.
It was this somewhat shell shocked Weiss that the other members of RWBY and Naruto's team found, curious to know what caused the normally cold and haughty young women to look so out of character.
"Uh...Weiss? You in there?" Ruby asked as she waved her hands in front of the almost catatonic Weiss.
Yang, being the mischievous girl she was grinned and jumped on the opportunity presented to her, "Fox got your tongue Weiss? Maybe Naruto gave her a 'kiss to soon'! Eh? Eh? Cuz it sounds like Kitsune?" Seeing the blank stares aimed at her the busty teen huffed, "You guys wouldn't know comedy gold if it hit you in the face."
While the blonde was content to make jokes, or attempt to, two certain teens found the thought of Naruto actually kissing Weiss to be unsettling for reasons they could not discern.
'Why does the thought of Naruto with Weiss make me feel so...uneasy? Shouldn't I be happy that he could have found someone to be happy with? What's wrong with me?' A certain redhead pondered.
Similar thoughts were running through a certain young Faunus' mind, 'Why do I care if Naruto and Weiss end up together? It'd be odd with them being such polar opposites, but it's not just that. I...don't want him to be with her like that. Why?'
The next few days were a blur for team NNPR. They still attended their classes as per their usual, but Naruto had decided to intensify not only their joint training sessions, but their individual ones as well, taking the time to spar with each of his teammates one on one. While they were nowhere near the level of their captain or some more experienced Huntsmen, the improvements to their skill was still noticeable.
Ozpin was especially glad to see that the team would not crack under the new pressure put on them. There had been high expectations for them before for having Pyrrha and the surprise "prodigy" Naruto on the same team, but now they were put under even further scrutiny and being held to a higher standard for being the first freshman team to be pulled onto the active duty roster.
Not that that really meant anything to anyone on the team. Both Naruto and Pyrrha were already used to being in the public eye, for differing reasons, and so it was nothing new for them. Nora lived in her own little world and she seemed content to either be completely oblivious to or ignore the pressure. Ren was...well Ren.
Team CFVY was seen hanging out with the younger teens, even more so now, Coco stating that she wanted to see what all the hub bub was about. Sure she had seen Naruto humiliate Cardin, but the leader of team CRDL was nothing special and so the fight hadn't really given her an accurate picture of just how strong the blond of team NNPR was.
After seeing Naruto and NNPR's red haired second in command spar, the elder teen could definitely see why the spotlight was being aimed at the four younger teens.
Knowing that, Coco grinned as she and the rest of her team watched as a battle ready team NNPR marched towards them and the cargo plane that would take them to the location of their mission.
"Looks like the newbies are ready for action," the mocha haired teen taunted.
Naruto rose to the challenge, "Ready to show you guys up is more like it!"
Velvet tried to diffuse the situation, "C'mon you two, we have a mission to take care of."
The two captains grinned at each other before nodding, making their way into the large aerial machine with their respective teammates following behind them. Taking a seat they gave a thumbs up to the pilot who silently nodded back to them before firing up the aircraft, quickly bringing them into the clouds.
With the side doors opened, the freezing winds of the higher altitude rushed in, blowing everyone's hair around and bringing with it a frigid chill and yet no one seemed bothered by this. Naruto's cerulean orbs were focused intensely on the outside view, watching as the buildings of Vale gave way to sprawling greenery, herds of Grimm moving about and tending to their own business. While he seemed to be simply sightseeing, he was mentally preparing himself for the mission ahead.
It was a simple one, a village that lay just beyond Vale's borders had been hit several times by a group of Grimm consisting of a few Beowulves. While normally the retired Huntsmen and even the three active Huntsmen that occupied the town could handle such a threat, they had been overtaken and injured by two much older Grimm who seemed to act as the pack leaders. The two leaders had shown skill and cunning borne from years of combat with Huntsmen and had critically wounded the village's protectors.
The only reason the village was still standing was thanks to the villagers having taken up arms and defending themselves as best they could, managing to force the pack to retreat. However it seemed that the village was on its last legs, fearing that one more attack could be the final crippling blow that would leave the villagers and the village itself decimated.
Something raised warning bells in Naruto's head though.
It was the simple nature of Grimm. It was true that, for all intents and purposes, the beasts despised humans and would gladly fill their belly with human flesh, but that didn't change the fact that they normally wouldn't outright target such a small settlement with such vehemence. The only plausible answer was what seemed to link the Grimm even further to the Bijū - the ability to sense concentrations of negative emotions.
As they grew closer to the village, Kurama narrowed his eyes and confirmed their suspicions, 'Kit, I'm sensing a lot more negativity than should be in such a small area. These Grimm are definitely here for a reason.'
In turn, Naruto sighed and shook his head, 'And my luck with missions continues!'
Rousing himself from his mental reverie, the blond shinobi mentally went over the weapons and scrolls he had on him as he reached for the scroll that contained Hi no Ishi.
Seeing their captain pull out his staff, the rest of team NNPR followed suit and got their weapons ready, already knowing to trust their captain's instincts. Coco raised an eyebrow taking their uneasiness as a sign of the jitters that came with going on their first mission.
Even still she gave the rest of her team a look, letting them know to be on their feet and ready for anything.
The pilot turned and gave the two teams the signal that they were at the drop point. Unfortunately he wouldn't be able to take them down with all the forestry in the way and, being so far from the city walls, it was highly likely that the Grimm would take the opportunity to attack anything that got close to the ground.
Naruto and Coco nodded to each other before leaping out to either side, their teams following them seconds after.
Releasing a breath, Naruto began pushing chakra into the air around him, pulling it in and forming a bubble around him that slowed his fall. Thanks to his slowed descent and the bubble of chakra around him, the blond landed with only a slight thud.
Pyrrha took a similar approach, however she used her control over polarity to push herself upwards, fighting against gravity with only enough force to stop her from crashing into the ground and possibly breaking her legs. She did funnel a bit of her Aura into her lower half as she landed though, just in case.
Nora...well no one was really sure how she managed to land without injuring herself. She just...did.
Ren took a bit more of a dangerous approach, swinging on the branches of the trees to subtract from his speed. However thanks to his more lithe and agile form as well as his skill in acrobatics, the raven haired teen managed to land without any serious injuries outside of a few scrapes and scratches on his hands.
How team CFVY managed to land without making a single sound or suffering an injury was a mystery, especially seeing as how both of its female members were wearing heels.
Personally, Naruto was happy to just chalk it up as one of the many mysteries that surrounded the alien species known as the human female.
"Well, we're here as backup so go ahead and take the lead and we'll follow," Coco stated matter of factly.
Shrugging, Naruto went into mission mode, "The village is a little less than a mile from here so we should be able to get there pretty quick, but be alert. We don't know where that Beowulf pack is and there are bound to be plenty of other Grimm out there. Pyrrha, your turn."
Naruto knew he wasn't the best tactician outside of battle. Sure he could come up with some pretty wild and ingenious plans in the heat of the moment, but outside of that? Planning wasn't really his forte. However he made up for that by being more than ready to admit his weaknesses and with teammates who could help him cover them, he was more than happy to hand over the reigns.
Pyrrha was no Shikamaru, lazy bum that he was, but she was still a whole lot better of a planner than he was.
"Naruto take point. If we get into any trouble you can weaken them up for the rest of us if need be. I'll go after him in case he needs cover." Turning to analyze their seniors, the red head took what she knew of them before coming up with a plan, "you four can be in the middle, formation doesn't matter, just be ready to respond. Nora you cover our back and Ren you cover her. We run into any strong opposition, be ready to form teams Disaster and Rose. Otherwise stick to formation."
Her teammates nodded at her, showing their complete faith in her planning while team CFVY was surprised at how efficient the Invincible Girl was in coming up with a game plan not only for her team, but for them as well. While it wasn't the best formation, having them in the middle, she didn't know their strengths or weakness, just that they were more experienced than her and her team and had put them in a position that, if worst came to worst, they would be able to help in whatever way they could.
Solid plan. Flawless? No, but still a damn good one that used what she had on hand.
'Points to Nikos for being able to form a plan that fast, and a decent one at that. More points to Whiskers for being so ready to hand off control to someone who he knew was better suited to the situation. So far so good,' Coco mentally checked off.
The two teams followed Pyrrha's orders and soon were making their way to their destination at a moderately quick pace, wanting to get there quickly, but still conserve energy just in case.
Minutes away from the village, Naruto put everyone into action mode when he swung his shakujo and unleashed a condensed ball of air into the distance. Not even seconds later a pained cry and a small explosion echoed throughout the trees.
Taking a detour, the others saw what remained of the quickly fading body of a Beowulf.
"It was scouting. Those two elder Grimm aren't just experienced, they're skilled. They know what they're doing," Naruto stated with a grim look settling on his whiskered cheeks.
Meanwhile the others took in this new information. It wasn't unheard of for Grimm to grow more intelligent as they aged and fought, but to be able to plan out with this much foresight was frightening. Only now was it becoming clear how a single pack with two leaders was able to critically injure the handful of retired Huntsmen and three active ones.
Once more Pyrrha took the reigns, "New plan, we're a few minutes from the village, let's get there as quickly as possible."
Nodding in agreement, the blond captain of NNPR was the first to act, leaping into the trees and traveling at breakneck speeds.
For a second the others stood shocked, never having seen someone able to so casually use the branches of trees to travel at such speeds. However the seriousness of the situation took precedence over any questions that could be answered later and soon the others sped off as well, attempting to catch up to the speedy blond.
Sitting atop the roof of a small hut, Naruto could not shake the feeling that something was horribly amiss. Their arrival and greeting from the village had gone as one would expect it to, the eight teens being met with cheers and eyes brimming with hope watching them near constantly.
After the minor celebration that took place upon their arrival, they had gone to see the eldest Huntsman who had been the one responsible for leading the small town thus far. The grey haired veteran was a kindly man who had explained to them the current situation in further detail and had even described his own bout with the two leaders of the Grimm pack.
Even still, as the injured and elderly man talked, Naruto just could not shake the feeling that something was not right. Kurama confirmed this, saying that the old Huntsman definitely harbored a surprising amount of negativity around him, far more than was "ok" to have.
"You realize that you have set the others on edge, correct?"
Naruto sighed and nodded, already having felt the approaching form of his only male teammate and friend.
"I know, but I just...something is terribly wrong here, but I don't know what and it's driving me insane!"
Ren seemed unperturbed by the outburst, "So you feel it too."
That surprised Naruto a little, "Wait, you feel it too?"
Ren nodded, still gazing out at the village, "My Semblance has gifted me with a sort of sixth sense. It's not the most accurate or detailed, but it warns me when something is off, especially with others."
The blond male frowned in thought, 'Sounds almost like your Negative Emotion Sensing.'
'Like hell it does! No pathetic ningen can compare to my powers!'
Kurama was understandably upset over the comment.
Ignoring the grumblings of the prideful Bijū, Naruto asked the obvious, "How does it work?"
"Because of my control over my Aura, I can also get a feel for the Aura of those around me and how a person's Aura fluctuates says a lot about them. For example, yours is almost constantly moving and reacts according to your emotions with frightening accuracy. You also have a lot of it."
'Ok so less like your power and more like a Sensor Nin's,' the young Jinchūriki concluded.
Ren narrowed his eyes, "And while we were talking with that retired Huntsman...something about his Aura unsettled me. I've had this feeling ever since we've been here."
Naruto threw himself backwards and stared up at the night sky in frustration, "Argh! We're getting nowhere!"
Chuckling at his captain the long haired male nodded, "True, but all we can do is sit and wait for the truth to come to us."
The blond teen gave a bland look to his teammate, "Never been good at the whole 'sitting and waiting' thing. Too boring."
A vicious and hauntingly melodious howl rang throughout the the village and the surrounding area, both teens staring into the distance with weapons already in hand.
The rest of their team along with the members team CFVY came rushing out of the hut below them, looking just as ready for the inevitable battle.
"Team Pancake, take the civilians somewhere safe! Velvet and Fox with them! Coco, Yatsuhashi, Pyrrha, with me! We're going hunting! If anyone bumps into either of the two leaders, send up a shot, do NOT engage alone. Got it? Go!"
Naruto could already feel adrenaline and chakra rushing through his body in almost equal parts, his inner warrior and animal instincts demanding for battle and the rush that came with it.
Kurama was not helping the matter, 'Finally! Please tell me I can get in on this!'
That gave the blond a pause. It had been awhile since his partner had actually done any fighting, the fight with Torchwick's bodyguard notwithstanding seeing as how he only unleashed a single small scale Bijūdama. A quick use of chakra told him that the pack of Grimm were well into the double digits, nearing the triple digits, meaning they would need all the help they could get.
"Pancake, I'm sending Kurama as back up!"
The call came as a surprise to everyone as they eyed the grinning fox kit that normally lazed about. Sure Naruto had made it clear that his partner could dish out some serious damage, but that still remained to be seen as no one had really seem the quadruped do much more than act as a fashionable scarf.
That surprise was soon doubled when, with a leap and a flurry of burning orange...energy, the tiny fox kit was replaced by a waist high nine tailed fox, a menacing grin stretched across its maw showing off the razor sharp fangs that filled said mouth. While many thought of the tiny fox as cute, despite its odd coloration and black markings, this form was truly terrifying, its crimson orbs now capable of striking the fear of death into any who gazed into them. Another noticeable change was the tail...now tails. Where once there had been a single tail was now nine long ones, swaying every which way in a mesmerizing dance of sorts.
The teens' fascination with the shape shifting fox was turned into morbid horror as a foolish Beowulf attempted to capitalize on their lack of awareness, claws ready to tear into a vulnerable Velvet. This was put to an abrupt halt as the now terrifying form of Kurama leapt onto the Grimm, landing with enough force as to crater the ground where they landed.
The two front paws of the Bijū, which they saw now seemed oddly human with the addition of opposable thumbs, pinned the limbs of the Creature of Grimm while Kurama put his teeth to work, viciously tearing into the jugular of the Beowulf with glee shining in his twin pools of bloody crimson.
With a victorious roar of his own the Kyūbi no Kitsune announced his presence on the battlefield.
'Oh how I've missed this! We have got to do this more often Kit!'
"I'll explain later! For now, we got a mission to do!"
Snapping back to reality, the others nodded, though they were not afraid to admit that the grinning visage of the once cute fox kit was more than likely going to appear in their nightmares for the next few nights.
Among the four of them it had been decided that Ren and Fox, being the more agile and quick footed ones, would be the ones to gather up the villagers while Nora, Velvet, and Kurama covered them. Of course the sight of the almost four foot tall fox caused many of the villagers more fright than the Grimm that were trying to have them for lunch, but with little choice and seeing said Kitsune tear into Grimm after Grimm with sadistic glee, the villagers took it in stride.
Using Stormflower to slice into the throat of yet another Grimm, Ren gave a quick check to see if there were anymore wounded or still living villagers. Feeling none, the raven haired teen nodded to accomplice, "That's all of them. All we can do now is fall back and help the others guard the villagers."
Being a man of few words himself, Fox nodded and followed after Ren.
The scene they arrived to was one the younger teen half expected to see.
Velvet was standing guard, her rabbit ears twitching ever now and again and looking like she hadn't done that much fighting. Seeing how Nora was swinging Magnahild around, each hit landing with enough force to dent metal, while she hummed what sounded eerily like Let The Bodies Hit the Floor showed why the young Faunus hadn't interfered yet.
Kurama was meanwhile a lot less...humane with his methods, yet still maintained that same enthusiasm which, while somewhat adorable on the hammer wielder, was downright nightmarish on him. Seeing the multi-tailed fox use one of said limbs to spear through the skull of a nearby Beowulf while he crushed another's chest with his paw, made both Fox and Ren all the more weary around the Bijū.
"Ren! You find anyone else?" Nora asked in her normally bubbly tone. This wouldn't be all that noteworthy if it wasn't for the fact that Magnahild was currently pinning down a currently struggling and whimpering Beowulf.
Ren sighed when his childhood friend pulled the trigger, sending her hammer plowing through the beast's chest cavity, looking unbothered by the slight crater she now stood in.
"No Nora, we didn't. For now we wait for Naruto or Pyrrha to-"
The howl of a Beowulf coming only yards away sent shivers down his spine, stopping Ren from continuing.
Emerging from the nearby street with a pack of salivating Grimm was the towering form of what could only be described as a demon born in the flames of Hell. Normal Beowulves stood at the five foot mark, but this monstrosity towered above even Yatsuhashi at a jaw dropping seven feet. The scarred and battle worn bone like armor that covered its body only served to further the creature's intimidation factor. This was only further compounded by the blood that dripped from its fang filled jaws and the blade like claws that carved into the ground with each step it took.
"It's one of the pack leaders! We have to fall back!" Ren shouted. While he had no idea how strong Fox or Velvet were, he could clearly tell they shared his apprehension over having to fight this dreadful creature without some serious backup.
Before they could begin their tactical retreat, Kurama stepped forward and stared down the pack leader with a hungry look in his own orbs. Fanning out his nine tails, the Bijū raised his head to the air and let loose a roar of frightening power, the sound waves hitting with enough force to break anything made of glass within the area.
Following that was the feeling of raw power covering them like a blanket, their instincts screaming at them to run, run as far away as was possible. Adding to that growing feeling of dread was what looked like flames coming to life and covering Kurama, making him look less like an actual fox and more like an entity made of fire and pure energy. The grin that was stretched across his face however made it clear he was not a benevolent spirit, no he was being of destruction of raw power.
'The-there's no way that he is just a normal fox. No creature should be able to exude such a suffocating aura. This is...I can't even breath. I can't move. What is this!?' A horrified Ren bought to himself.
Looking elsewhere he saw Nora on her hands and knees, staring blankly ahead, her body shaking uncontrollably. Velvet looked to be only seconds away from trying to assume the fetal position, her body trembling violently. Fox looked no better, shivering as he gripped at his chest, no doubt to make sure his heart was still beating.
The four young teens could only look on in horror as the two monsters began to move towards each other.
'I hope this pest at least puts up a decent fight!'
Naruto momentarily stared in the direction of where he knew Kurama and the others were as he felt a very familiar chakra skyrocket. Hearing his Bijū's last thought, he knew that one of the pack leaders had been found. Normally he'd try and dissuade Kurama from using such a noticeable amount of his chakra, knowing first hand how corrosive and terrifying it felt to be around, but taking in the circumstances he couldn't blame the fox.
It had been a long while since the strongest of the Tailed Beasts had really stretched and Naruto knew that Kurama enjoyed his freedom and despite his progress with "taming" the Kyūbi's hatred, it didn't change the fact that Kurama still very much so enjoyed fighting and the rush that came with it.
Something he and the chakra construct had in common, Naruto noted as he harshly slammed Hi no Ishi into the chest of another Grimm causing its rib cage to cave in.
A quick glance around him told him that both Pyrrha, Coco, and Yatsuhashi were holding up well. Though his partner and the towering teen of CFVY seemed to be a lot more serious about the situation when compared to the mocha haired teen who was going around using her heels as weapons with surprisingly deadly results.
Ducking under a swipe from a Grimm, Naruto formed a Rasengan and with a grin placed it on the Beowulf's snout. Letting his control over it go, the poor beast was sent spinning into several of its brethren before the heap of them were caught in the blast of the jutsu violently unraveling.
Without even blinking, Naruto quickly spun around, drawing out the blade of Hi no Ishi in one fluid movement and bringing it to stop the clawed hand that had attempted to shred him to bits.
Ocean blue orbs stared into angry red ones defiantly.
'Well Kurama, looks like I found the other pack leader!'
"Naruto!"
"It's fine! I got him! Just keep the small fry off me and I'll handle this one!"
"Whiskers I swear if this is some macho display so you can-"
Grinning Naruto decided to show the doubtful Coco why you didn't mess with an Uzumaki Jinchūriki.
A quick use of his signature jutsu, and the next thing the Grimm knew was that it had Naruto's boot being plowed into the side of its head. Consequently the Beowulf was sent hurtling into a nearby house. Naruto and his clone grinned at each other and fist bumped.
Their little celebration was cut short when the furious Grimm pried itself free from the rubble that had fallen on it. Grabbing a large fragment of the now destroyed building, the Beowulf threw the hefty piece of building material like a frisbee, aiming to take out the real blond.
A quick use of Kawirimi prevented that.
"Fūton: Renkūdan (Drilling Air Bullet)!"
Seeming to know that dodging was impossible, the Beowulf grabbed a larger piece of rubble and used it to absorb most of the jutsu. Using the dust thrown up by this tactic, the Grimm disappeared.
Naruto narrowed his eyes though when, instead of going for him or the others, the Grimm used the chance to go elsewhere, looking like it was on the hunt for something in particular.
'They're definitely after something here...but what? Why go through all this trouble?'
Dodging under a strike from the Beowulf, Kurama used one tail to trip up the beast the other eight being used to pin it down. Opening his maw, the Bijū grinned when it saw fear flicker in the Grimm's eyes when it saw the broiling flames that sat at the back of its opponents throat. A second later and the Kyūbi let loose, bathing the entire area around the two in a miniature fire storm.
As if the sight of the whirling flames wasn't enough to strike fear into the onlookers, somehow the grinning visage of Kurama began to take form in the flames, staring them down with that psychotic gleam in its eyes. The cackle that began to echo around the silent village sent chills down their spines, telling them they were in the presence of a true apex predator.
Thankfully the flames began to gradually die down, taking the nightmarish image of the grinning Kitsune with them. When the last embers finally flickered out, they revealed the now scorched and blackened earth. There was no trace of the Grimm or its corpse, any piece of it more than likely having been burned up in the blistering flames. What was left was the now shrunken form of Kurama, stretching casually as if it hadn't just unleashed a hellish conflagration and erased a no doubt decades old and powerful Grimm.
'Just what in the world are you?' Ren thought to himself, wearily keeping an eye on the fox. Chibified or not, it was not so easy to erase what had just happened from memory. In fact it would probably haunt his nightmares for the next few nights.
Meanwhile Kurama was left to his own thoughts, 'Tch, pathetic. I've had dinner that put up more of a fight.'
Naruto was putting his almost unparalleled levels of stealth earned from outrunning ANBU and Jounin after a prank while tailing the now only pack leader and soon to be only Grimm left from the Beowulf group.
Seeing as how the villagers were safe with the others and with his own group having whittled the once large pack down to only a dozen or so, he was comfortable with leaving them to handle themselves while he figured out what was the cause of this whole thing. Sure it was normal for Grimm to target human settlements, but it was usually the younger ones who did so with such ferocity. Older and experienced Grimm like this Beowulf were more likely to just sit and wait, knowing better than to strike out at humans without some guarantee of victory or their own survival.
Yet as they made their way through the village, the Grimm was growing more and more frantic, seeming to lose the intelligence it had shown before. Knowing that the Grimm were made of Nature Chakra, Naruto knew of only a few things that could cause such a reaction and he was pretty sure that all of said items and abilities were long since buried and gone alongside the Shinobi Era.
Seeing the now almost erratically twitching Grimm arrive at what appeared to be some sort of small shrine, Naruto narrowed his eyes, 'What are you after?'
Following the Beowulf into the dimly lit shrine, the blond shinobi could only stare in shock as a single phrase went through his mind, 'Oh fuck all kinds of duck.'
There sitting on a padded pillow and surrounded by a few dozen candles was something that had once upon a time haunted his and his fellow Jinchūriki's nightmares. Some would see it as insignificant and there was a time that Naruto would have agreed, but knowing that this particular item had belonged to what had once been the singularly most feared group of rogue shinobi had changed that outlook.
Almost salivating, the Grimm stared at the simple ring made of silver. Imprinted onto the ring was a simple purple background atop which the kanji Gyoku (Ball/Sphere) sat.
As clawed hands touched the cold band of silver, Naruto's eyes shot wide open, feeling the chakra that made up the Grimm beginning to violently fluctuate, growing so quickly that it began to become visible.
'Kit! What the hell is happening over there!?'
Not waiting to see the outcome of whatever was about to happen, Naruto formed a Rasengan and smashed it into the distracted Grimm's skull, the spiraling ball of condensed chakra grinding the beast into nothingness.
Tightening his jaw, Naruto stared at the seemingly innocuous ring, questions rampaging through his head in a whirlwind of emotions.
'I have the worst luck with missions...'
AN: BUM BUM BUUUUUUM!
So before the inevitable questions come about, no Madara/Tobi/Kaguya/Sasuke are not coming back. The Naruto Time is gone, it's now the RWBY time. Clearly though certain items have managed to survive the ravages of time and the events that followed after Naruto's disappearance from that time period.
Why do Grimm have such a powerful reaction and connection to the Akatsuki rings? Without revealing too much, I will say that I personally liked the idea of the rings playing a bigger part than they did in the show. Aside from that don't expect some huge like plot thing to come about due to the rings.
The Bijū are gone.
The Gedo Mazo is gone.
...or are they?
Haha I have plans is all I'll say. And I reiterate, none of those plans involve some BS plot hole to bring Madara or Kaguya into the picture as the main villain. I will not cheapen this story to do that. That also craps on RWBY in a way, kind of like saying its plot and story aren't good enough on their own.
I originally meant to put in a few more fight scenes, particularly a longer one with Naruto and the elder Beowulf, but I couldn't find a feasible way to make it plausible. Naruto at this point is now ok with using his jutsu and such without a care for who sees and so that puts him at a higher level than some Grimm, no matter how experienced or old. There will eventually be Grimm that come along that will cause even Naruto some hassle, but like I said, it seems that the older and more powerful of the Creatures of Grimm are content to stay away from Humanity unless provoked or disturbed.
This isn't a story where Naruto walks all over everyone and their mother and then bangs everything with a hole between its legs. Will Naruto be stronger than most? Yup. As stated in the above chapter, he has had decades of training (no matter how poor he did during the Academy days) and five years of combat experience as well. In that five years he's faced and been put into situations that only veterans like Kakashi or Jiraiya could compare.
But that also doesn't change the fact that for most of that he was a dunce with one good jutsu. Naruto won most of his victories because he was underestimated, far too damn stubborn to just keel over, or befriended the enemy, not cuz he was all powerful and I plan on sticking to that. But just buffing out his repertoire a bit.
Kurama also got the spotlight this chapter, which I mean while some say I've "nerfed" Naruto, I have not for Kurama. He is the strongest piece of the Jūbi, able to hold off five of his fellow tailed beasts without trouble and that's with only HALF of his chakra. At full strength, well I doubt there is any human or Grimm on Remnant that could stand up to the full might of the Kyūbi no Kitsune.
Also finally decided to really start forwarding the whole romance thing, as seen with Pyrrha and Blake's reaction to Yang's joking. Still not sure who I'll go with, but I'll figure it out within the next few chapters.
Speaking of, the next few chapters are all gonna be pretty lengthy and involve a lot of plot development and character progression. No more fillers for a few chapters. There will be small filler sections for comedy, but not entire chapters devoted to it.
And yes Ren and Naruto will be becoming better friends. It's cool to have a bunch girl friends, but dudes need that bro time yo.
OKAY! Enough blabber! Thank you all again for all the reviews and feedback. Makes this such a fun endeavor. I would like to also mention again that my cover/tribute of the RWBY Volume 2 song Sacrifice is live on on my YouTube (link on my profile). I'd be super appreciative of you checked it out and let me know what you all think. I've decided to really bunker down and start working on music, originals and covers and if I could have even a quarter of you as fans...well I'd be sitting pretty.
Hope you all have a good day/night!
Until next chapter!
Peace!