And we're back! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 14!
So…I see Ruby is winning the poll again. :P
New things added to the FAQ:
Q: If Penny can read energy signatures, why didn't she recognize Naruto when she met him?
A: I didn't explain it directly in Chapter 13, but Penny can only detect energy signatures while someone is using "aura" or a "semblance." This means that she hasn't detected Naruto's signature when he isn't Kitsune yet.
Q: Difference between what Naruto is doing and Sasuke turning traitor?
A: Sasuke did it for power and revenge, Naruto is doing what he thinks is right…I'm really tired of this question.
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Biju/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
Beacon Academy (A Few Hours Later)
"Of all the irresponsible, impulsive, and reckless stunts that I have seen in my time teaching here, what the four of you have done truly astounds me." Glynda stalked back and forth in front of the members of team RWBY, who stood in a line with their heads bowed in shame. Ozpin was sitting at his desk, calmly observing the proceedings. "Just what were the four of you thinking?"
Ruby made a small noise and attempted to speak up. "Professor, Yang and Weiss had nothing to do with it. They weren't even there until aft-"
"That is not the point, Ms. Rose!" Ruby flinched at the harsh tone. "As members of team RWBY, they are held just as accountable for the members who did misbehave whenever something happens." Glynda turned on her heel and pinned them with a stern look. "And something did happen." She pulled out a scroll and began reading from it. "Not only was there massive property damage to the shipyard, but there were also damages done to the machinery and cargo nearby." Her cold eyes moved back to them. "And those are just the monetary costs of the incident. There is still the issue of students fighting against known and highly dangerous criminals!" She put the scroll away. "So I ask again…What were you thinking?"
"We couldn't just let them get away with it!" Ruby replied. "We had to do something!"
"No, you did not." Glynda harshly denied. "The officers of the Vale Police Department are the only ones who had to do something. You had no place jumping in there."
"They were attacking Blake! I wouldn't leave her like that!" Ruby's eyes widened as she realized what she just said.
"Oh yes…" Glynda's eyes moved to the black haired member of the team. "Ms. Belladona. You disappear for two days and then show up again fighting against members of a terrorist organization and two other criminals…" Blake met her eyes defiantly. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"…Just that I don't regret what I did and acted in the manner that I believe is right." Blake said stoically.
"What you 'believe is right'?" Glynda repeated with narrowed eyes. "You believe it is right for students to endanger themselves by interfering with criminals such as Roman Torchwick and Kitsune?" Minutely, Blake's hand twitched slightly at the mention of Kitsune, but only one person in the room noticed.
"If it means not compromising my morals, then yes." Blake answered. "I saw that they were stealing and I wanted to stop them because I knew that the police wouldn't be able to get there in time. In fact, even with myself and three others interfering, the police still did not arrive until the moment after it was too late."
Glynda glared. "Then don't you see that you putting yourself in danger like that did not make a difference in the end? Why take the risk if it did not yield the desired results and it had the potential to end in a much worse fashion?"
"There was no way of knowing that without trying."
Ruby was quick to join in. "Yeah! And as a member of team RWBY, I wouldn't let Blake do something like this on her own!" She did her best to be brave, but she felt her desire to run intensify when Glynda's eyes moved back to her.
"Is that so?" Against her better judgment, Ruby nodded at Glynda's question.
"Yes, it is. Blake came across Torchwick, Kitsune, and the White Fang in the shipyard and he decided to try and stop them." Ruby said, gaining a determined look in her eyes. "She is my friend, and she needed my help. Forget being teammates, what kind of friend would I be if I just stood by and did nothing?" Ruby asked heatedly, gaining a slightly wide eyed look from Weiss and a smirk from Yang. Unnoticed to all but one, Blake twitch slightly again, but it was slightly stronger than before.
"Well in that case, it would only be fitting if-"
"Glynda." Glynda paused and turned to Ozpin with an inquiring look at his sudden interruption. While she may have normally been somewhat irritated by this, there was something in his tone that told her that he was serious. "I think that they have learned the repercussions of their actions…And Ms. Rose is correct. She was simply doing her best to be a good friend." He took a sip from his mug. "I think it would be best for them to return to their rooms." Ruby and Yang gained hopeful looks.
Glynda frowned at this, but she relented. Ozpin was occasionally whimsical at best, but she liked to believe that she was able to tell when he did something for a specific reason…
This was one of those times.
Nodding stiffly, Glynda turned back to team RWBY. "Very well then. You heard the headmaster, go directly to your room from here. No wandering off, understood?" She got four nods in unison. "Good…Then go." They turned to leave, but paused when Ozpin spoke up again.
"Ms. Belladona, please stay behind." The other members of the team traded worried glances at this, prompting Ozpin to reassure them. "I promise you that she is not in trouble…I simply have a few things to speak with her about." Blake nodded, but she saw the reluctance of her teammates to leave her behind. Whether she wanted it to or not, a small smile made its way onto her face at the sight.
"It'll be fine." She said quietly. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll join you in the room." Weiss stared at her for a moment, but soon nodded silently and walked out of the office. Yang frowned harder, but relented and made for the door, pulling a reluctant Ruby with her.
Once they had left, Ozpin looked over to Glynda. "I am sorry, but I would appreciate complete privacy for the two of us." Glynda's response was to simply quirk an eyebrow before nodding sharply and following the three girls out. Blake watched them all leave and then turned to the headmaster. "Have a seat, Ms. Belladona." He gestured to a chair that he had in front of his desk.
Following the instruction, Blake walked over to the chair and took a seat. She sat there silently, expecting Ozpin to say something, but the headmaster instead took a silent sip from his mug and read over a scroll he had in his hands. As the silence stretched on, Blake became increasingly nervous until she couldn't stop herself from fidgeting in place. "Um…Sir?"
Ozpin took another sip before sighing. "Ms. Belladona…Is there something that is bothering you?" He asked as he met her eyes.
"I'm…not sure that I know what you mean." Blake said hesitantly.
Nodding absently, Ozpin looked back to the scroll. "During Glynda's…dressing down of you and your team, I had noticed that you occasionally seemed…uncomfortable with what was being said." Blake did her best to hide her panic. "Although you controlled yourself very well, it was still apparent to those who were looking for such things."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I still do not know what you are talking about." Was Blake's neutral response.
Ozpin's lip quirked up slightly at this. "Is that so…?" He mused quietly, more to himself than to her. "Then let me tell you the two times I noticed it. The first was when Kitsune was brought up. The second time was when Ms. Rose spoke about her desire to help her friends…" This time, Blake made sure to keep her body completely still. "The two may seem unrelated, but I wonder if you know something that connects them…?" He trailed off.
"I'm afraid that I don't, sir."
Another sip of the mug. "So you're telling me that you do not know that the rogue huntsman known as Kitsune is actually the thirteen-year-old boy, Naruto Uzumaki?" Blake's eyes widened in shock.
"You…You…"
"I know, yes." Ozpin answered. If this was any other situation, then he may have even been amused by her reaction.
Not this time.
"…How long have you known?" Blake quietly asked, still unable to wipe the surprise from her tone and expression.
Ozpin considered the question. "Hmm…I believe I made the connection about two weeks after Kitsune first appeared." He admitted. "I had even already personally met Mr. Uzumaki at the time."
"But…But why didn't you…"
"Why didn't I say anything?" Ozpin guessed, getting a nod. "I didn't say anything because, at the time, Mr. Uzumaki was simply using the persona of Kitsune to complete various missions. It was nothing harmful."
"But he turned into a criminal!" Blake said in confusion, but got a raised eyebrow.
"I fail to see how you have any room to speak of that, Ms. Belladona." Blake stiffened at his words. "As a former member of the White Fang, you hardly have always been a law abiding citizen." Blake quickly looked away. "Now, is there a reason that you haven't shared this information with anyone? With your team?" Blake bit her lip and stayed silent. "Ms. Belladona?"
"…How…?" Ozpin gave her a blank look at the quiet whisper.
"How what?"
"How can I say something?" Blake's asked. "How can I tell them the person we were with on Friday, is the same person we have been looking into?" Her voice was growing louder as she spoke, but it seemed to be more to herself. "How can I say that the very person that they have promised to capture, promised to fight, was a friend?!" She slumped back in her seat, voice nothing but a whisper again. "…How can I tell Ruby that the very person who she was glaring at in that shipyard, was actually one of her best friends?" She laughed humorlessly. "I can't tell her that…What with the way she has promised to take down Kitsune, Weiss' words about him, and his criminal activities…It would break her…"
"Yes, I can see how that may be a problem…Ms. Rose would have a lot of trouble accepting such a thing, wouldn't she?" Ozpin's words surprised Blake into remembering that she wasn't alone.
"But if you knew that Kitsune was him, why didn't you say anything? Do anything?" As her surprise was starting to leave her, a pit of anger grew in Blake. "You knew Naruto was Kitsune before he became a criminal. Why didn't you do anything to stop him? Why have you allowed this to continue? The longer this goes on, the worse Naruto is making it for himself!"
Ozpin sighed. "As I said, I have personally met with Mr. Uzumaki, back before he became a rogue huntsman…Were you aware that a few months ago, there was a Grimm attack in one of the parks on the edge of Vale?" Blake frowned and opened her mouth. "And I am not referring to the one that ended in the deaths of people there. There was another one before that, one that did not end in tragedy." Her mouth closed again.
"…No…" Blake said quietly. "I didn't know about that one." Ozpin nodded with a smile.
"Yes, it isn't nearly as well known as the later one." He took another sip. "That attack consisted of nothing but a relatively small group of Grimm getting into the park. At the time, there were a few children playing there." Blake's eyes widened, but she forced herself to relax by remembering that Ozpin said this one didn't end in tragedy. "All of the Grimm were quickly killed however, by a single boy."
Blake's eyes lit up in realization. "This boy…It was Naruto?"
"Indeed." Ozpin confirmed. "Mr. Uzumaki was at the park at the time and saw the attack. Instead of running away or simply defending himself, he leapt in front of the children there and told them to escape. While they did so, he fought the group of Grimm on his own and killed them." Blake's eyes widened again. "I grew interested in this, so I decided to try and find the boy. It took me a while, but I eventually tracked him down to a ramen stand. While there, I observed Mr. Uzumaki and attempted to come to my own conclusions while asking him some questions…Questions such as why he endangered himself like that."
"What did he say?" Blake couldn't deny her interest in the answer.
"He told me, 'Why wouldn't I? There were kids in the park that were going to get killed if I didn't do something.'" Ozpin answered, gaining a small smile from Blake. "Imagine my surprise when a thirteen-year-old boy told me such an answer with a look that said that he thought it was obvious."
"…And how did you respond?"
Ozpin smiled faintly. "I did, what I felt at the time, was the only thing I could do…I offered him a place at Beacon." His simple answer stunned Blake. Not giving her the chance to say anything, Ozpin sighed and continued. "Unfortunately, as you can obviously see, Mr. Uzumaki declined my offer." He glanced to his mug, but he didn't bring it to his lips.
Blake frowned. "But…Why didn't he accept?"
"That is something I am still not completely sure of." It goes without saying that he had a few ideas, but nothing concrete. "But that isn't the point of why I am telling you this." Blake gave him a slightly wary look.
"Then what is?" Ozpin leaned forward slightly.
"Ms. Belladona…You have discovered the identity of Kitsune, a rogue huntsman who has both evaded capture for months and done what many people believed to be impossible by having more than one ability…I am going to ask you to not divulge this information to anyone, including the other members of your team."
Blake was caught completely off guard by this request. "You…You want me to pretend like I don't know anything?" She got a nod in return.
"Yes, I am afraid so. I know this may be difficult of you to do, and that I may be asking a lot of you, but I would greatly appreciate it if you do so."
"But why?!"
Ozpin sighed and closed his eyes. "I have met Naruto…I have met him and spoke with him. I like to think of myself as a good judge of character. When I look at Naruto, when I speakwith him…All I can see is a boy who only does what he thinks is right." Blake's mind went back to the reasons Naruto gave when she asked him why he does what he does. "I'm sure that, in a way, Naruto's actions may eventually help some people…But the way he is doing it is not the correct way. He has committed crimes, yes…But if I believed that history as a criminal was enough to damn someone behind bars for the rest of their life, then…well…" He gave her a pointed look.
Blake swallowed nervously. "So you want me to…What exactly?"
"All I ask of you is to pretend as if you never came across this information. I'm not saying that you have to either agree or disagree with myself or anyone, but please keep quiet about Kitsune's identity." He locked eyes with her. "There is still a chance to recover. Can you do that, Ms. Belladona?" Blake bit her lip and rolled the question over. Eventually, she came to a conclusion.
Cinder's Place
Naruto sat down on the couch with a sigh. "That took longer than I expected it to…" Cinder sat down nearby with a small smile.
"Well, what were you expecting to happen?" She asked lightly. "You have effectively blown the minds of everyone there…Including myself. It was already breaking the realm of plausibility for you to move at the speeds you have been and still be able to create clones, but this…" She shook her head, but didn't take her eyes off of him. "Transforming? Switching places with another object or person? Even I was at a loss for words for a minute." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, sorry about that…"
Her smile grew a bit. "There's nothing to be sorry for. It only makes sense that you would have hesitated to tell us everything." She said. "But…I am curious. Was that everything?"
"Well…" Should he have shown them the Rasengan…?
Cinder's eyebrow quirked up. "Your silence speaks volumes, you know." He averted his eyes, prompting Cinder to sigh. "I won't force you to tell me anything, Naruto." She was confident he would eventually say it. "But can you answer something for me?"
Naruto gave her a curious look. "Um…Sure, what is it?"
"I have two things I want to bring up…" She locked eyes with him. "The first is the fact that you needed to form…hand seals?" A nod. "You needed to form hand seals for your techniques. Is that an absolute must?"
"Uh…" Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "Yes…?" He was pretty sure that he has seen some people complete a jutsu or two without hand seals, but he has never figured out how it was done. "I wouldn't be able to do them without the hand seals."
"Alright…" Well, that is somewhat unfortunate, but it isn't terrible. "The next is this…" She paused and thought about how to broach the subject. "Naruto, have you noticed that all Grimm have red eyes?" Naruto adopted a confused look.
"I…guess? I have noticed, yeah, but I haven't put much thought into it." His reply gained a slow nod from Cinder.
"There are many theories behind this…But no concrete proof. No one is completely sure of the reason behind the red eyes that all Grimm have…"
"Alright…" Naruto said slowly. "Cinder, where are you going with this?"
A small frown pulled at Cinder's face. "I'm sorry for how this may sound, but Naruto, you are completely human, right?"
Naruto frowned. "Um…Yeah? Why do you ask?"
Cinder sighed. "There have been times when…You seem to go under some sort of change. I have only seen this happen when you get angry." Naruto stiffened. "When this happens…I notice that your eyes turn red." Naruto's blood ran cold. Seeing his expression, Cinder quickly continued. "I'm sorry if I'm over stepping my boundaries, I was just worried that something was wrong…"
He took a deep breath. "That isn't something I would like to talk about, Cinder…Sorry."
"Of course. I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable."
He shook his head. "It's fine, you were just curious." He looked off to the side. "I guess I don't mind telling you that those red eyes are something that happens when I get angry, as you said. I don't want to go any further into detail than that though."
"I understand."
Nodding, Naruto got up. "I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to go to bed now." He began walking towards the door. "Night."
"Goodnight." Amber eyes followed him as he left the room, but the owner was deep in thought. 'Aversion to the topic. Seemed to fear me discovering something. Red eyes when angry. When I first saw him, the Grimm were after him…I wonder if…'
A Simple Wok (A Few Days Later)
Naruto happily slurped his ramen before putting the bowl back down on the counter with a sigh of content. "That was good, Jack! Thanks!"
"Of course it was good, brat. I made it." Jack said with a proud smirk. "There was never a question about that."
"Still not quite the best though."
"Oum damn it! Stop lying about that!" Naruto laughed at Jack's words and left some money on the counter.
"I'm not lying, I swear. You're ramen is really good, but it isn't quite the best." Naruto said with a grin.
Scoffing, Jack swiped the money off of the counter. "And I still say that you're lying. There's no way my ramen comes second to anyone else's."
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Denial so ugly of you, Jack."
"It isn't denial when it's the truth, brat!" He glared as Naruto laughed and walked out of the shop.
Still grinning from his interaction with Jack, Naruto checked his scroll. "Okay, I still have some time until I need to get back." He tilted his head in thought. "But what to do-"
"Naruto!" The next thing Naruto new, he was sprawled on the floor with an excitable Ruby on top of him. Not noticing who it was or her expression, Naruto allowed his instincts to take over. Acting quickly, he pushed against Ruby with a leg and used the new room to get a good enough grip and toss her off of him.
Moving just as fast, Naruto jumped to his feet and gained some distance, all the while moving a hand towards his daggers. When he finally realized who it was, a new wave of anxiety rushed through him. "Ruby." He said quietly, preparing himself for a fight. Glancing to the side, he tensed himself when he saw the other members of the team also prepping their weapons. "So, what do you want?"
Ruby looked back up to him with wide eyes. "What do I want? I want to know where you've been!" Naruto blinked at that.
"…What?" Did he hear that correctly?
In the blink of an eye, Ruby was standing in front of him, a glare on her face and rose petals falling to the ground behind her. "We haven't heard from you in a week! Do you know how worried I've been?!" Surprised by her sudden close proximity, Naruto jumped back and gripped a dagger. Ruby frowned at his actions. "Why do you keep doing that?"
Naruto scowled back. "Because your teammates are doing the same? Because of the last time we met? Ring any bells?" His eyes darted around for the best way to escape.
Listening to his words, Ruby glanced to her teammates, only just seeing that they all had their hands on their weapons. "What are you doing? Why are you looking like you're getting ready for a fight?" Naruto gave her an incredulous look, but she didn't see it.
"Um, maybe because of the fact that he just threw you and went for his weapons?" Weiss said sarcastically. "We were just responding to a possible threat!"
'Wait, what?'
"It's Naruto! He isn't a threat!" Ruby declared. "Stop going for your weapons!" Naruto watched as they traded glances. Eventually, his eyes momentarily locked with Blake's. In that fraction of a second, time seemed to stand still between them, but it was broken when Blake looked away.
"Naruto only reacted like that because he was caught off guard by someone tackling him." Blake said calmly. Moving her hand away from her weapon, she crossed her arms. "It was a normal reaction, really. If anything, it was kind of our fault for not getting his attention first." Ruby flinched at her words with a blush.
Weiss huffed and placed her hands on her hip. "I fail to see how you came to that conclusion."
Following their example, Yang grinned and deactivated Ember Celia. "Meh, I think he's just a bit jumpy." Amused violet eyes turned to him. "Do always treat your friends like enemies when they surprise you?" Naruto stared at them for a moment, completely at a loss for words. "Hello, you in there? Naru-"
"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded, surprising them all.
"Naruto?" Ruby asked hesitantly.
Taking another step back, Naruto looked between them. "Why are you acting like that with me?" He asked.
Yang frowned at him and dropped her normally playful attitude. "What are you talking about?"
Naruto scowled. "Why are you acting like we're friends?" He asked, gaining three surprised looks. "Didn't I already prove that I'm as bad as people like Roman Torchwick? As bad as the White Fang?"
It was at this point that Yang gained a scowl of her own. "It's because we know you. We know that you're not the same as them." She said. Not giving him the chance to say anything, she rounded on Weiss. "Now don't you have anything to say to him?"
Weiss returned her question with a glare. "Do I? I'm still not completely sure that I do…"
"Weiss!"
"Oh, alright!" Weiss stomped up to a cautious Naruto. Seeing him begin to edge away, Weiss snapped at him. "Stop acting like I'm going to attack you!"
Naruto gave her a doubtful look. "If you're not going to attack…Then what do you want?"
"I want to…" She grimaced and mulled over what exactly she should say.
"Just spit it out!"
"I am!" Weiss shouted back at Yang's order. Looking back to Naruto, she continued. "Naruto…I would like to…apologize to you for what I said." Naruto just stared at her as she closed her eyes and forced herself to keep speaking. "It was…wrong of me to tell you that you are as bad as people like Roman Torchwick, and I am sorry for that."
Dead silence.
When no reply came, Weiss opened her eyes. "Well? Do you accept my apology?" Still no response. "Are you even listening to me?"
"You're…You're apologizing?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes! Why is it so hard to realize that?!"
Naruto was at a loss for words for a moment. "Because you were kind of right?" Weiss gasped quietly as Yang growled and Ruby whimpered. Blake was the only one to close her eyes and look away. "I am as low as some criminals, so it would only make sense for you to say that?"
Growling harder, Yang stalked forward. Before Naruto could gain some more distance, Yang surprised him by lashing out a hand and grabbing him by the front of his top. Eyes flashing red, she pulled him up so they were eye level. "Don't say that! Weiss was way out of line last when she said that last week and she just took it back. So don't go and agree with what she said!"
"…What?" Naruto gave her an incredulous look. "Are you really saying that after what happened?"
"Yes! I am!" She shouted. "Just because there was one heated argument where you said that there might be reasons for the things that people like Kitsune do, does not make you as bad as him, or anyone else!" She dropped him back to the ground, making him stumble back a bit.
Naruto stared at her with wide eyes, realization slowly coming to him. "…You don't know…" He whispered.
Glaring still, Yang spoke up. "What don't we know?" Instead of answering, cerulean eyes moved to Blake, who had been watching the scene with Ruby. Following his gaze, Yang frowned at her partner. "Blake?"
Blake sighed. "I didn't tell you this…But after I went missing last weekend, I met Naruto." Not a lie.
Instantly, Ruby was in front of her. "You did?!" Her shout was echoed by Yang and Weiss. "Why didn't you say anything?!" Ruby demanded.
Shrugging, Blake answered. "There wasn't really much to say."
Weiss crossed her arms and gave both Blake and Naruto skeptical looks. "Then what was all of that about? Why does he agree with what I said?"
"There may have been…Another argument between us." Blake said slowly. "It was short, the entire thing happened in the time that Sun was gone for a few minutes, but it still happened…We didn't act like it last week, but Naruto and I met a few months ago."
"You did?" Yang asked, stunned.
"Yes, we did." Blake confirmed. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "We met while I was still a member of the White Fang." She admitted. "He wasn't sure why I was keeping the fact that I am a Faunus and my past from you guys, but he didn't bring it up when we were all together."
"Of course he knew." Weiss muttered under her breath. "Her teammates would be the last to know, of course." Yang's quick elbow to her side and glare prompted the Schnee heiress to stay silent.
Ignoring her white haired teammate, Blake continued. "By chance, Naruto and I met each other last week…Some things were said, which I'm not going into, but it eventually led to Naruto admitting that he could see himself becoming a criminal if he thought it would help." Also technically true.
Understanding what she was saying, Yang turned back to Naruto, who was still staring at Blake in shock. "Really? That's what makes you think we're not friends anymore?" She rolled her eyes. "Stop being stupid. If anyone was pushed far enough, then they would stoop to things like becoming a criminal. I know I would." If it meant helping Ruby, her dad, or anyone she cared about, then Yang could easily picture herself doing something like that. "Now stop acting like we're going to attack you and move your hands away from your daggers!"
Despite this, Naruto did not do so, instead choosing to lock eyes with Blake again. Nothing was verbally said between them, but Blake soon smiled and nodded, causing Naruto's disbelief to grow. Finally catching up to what Yang just said, he slowly started to move his hand away from his daggers.
"Finally!" Yang grinned widely and pulled Naruto into a hug, eliciting a startled sound from the younger blond. "Now that that's over with…Ruby was right! What were you thinking disappearing like that?!"
"I, uh…"
"As an apology, you're treating us all to lunch!"
Ruby instantly cheered. "Yes! Free lunch!" In contrast to her younger teammates enthusiasm, Weiss simply smirked and nodded.
"Yes, I think that will do nicely as an apology." She said approvingly.
"Wait, why do I have to pay for you?!" Naruto asked. "I don't think that's fair!"
"Well too bad, you're doing it!" Yang released him from the hug. Not giving him the chance to protest further, she spun around and began to walk away. "Come on, I know the perfect place nearby!" Naruto simply stared after her, still not sure that the last few minutes really happened.
Seeing this, Ruby grinned and grabbed ahold of his arm and began to tug him after Yang. "Come on, Naruto! You owe us!"
Naruto switched between staring at her, Weiss, Yang, and Blake. When his eyes landed on Blake again, he saw the small smile on her lips grow.
A Little Later
"I think I'm going to get this…"
"Oh! Oh! This one looks good!"
"Hmph. Of course you would say that. It's on the dessert page."
"Hey! What does that have to do with anything?!"
"It means that you…"
Naruto tuned out the other occupants of the half circle booth as they poured over a single menu got swept into some pointless argument. Taking the chance, he turned to the person next to him with a glare. Seeing the look, Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes!" Naruto hissed. "Something is very wrong! Why didn't you say anything?!"
"Because I didn't want to." Blake's simple answer dumbfounded Naruto.
"You…You didn't want to?" Naruto echoed, gaining an amused smile from Blake.
"You know, I seem to recall a very similar conversation when we first met…" Naruto did not share her amusement. "Except last time, I was the one who was confus-"
Naruto cut her off partway with a harsh whisper. "This is different! I just said you didn't have to tell me your name. You are acting like we aren't enemies!"
Blake frowned at him. "Are we enemies?" Once again, Naruto was having trouble comprehending her words. "Are we?"
"Yes?" Naruto answered as if it was obvious. "I thought that was made clear."
Shrugging, Blake replied. "All I remember is that we had a difference in opinions." She swallowed, trying to get her next words out. "You have your methods, and I have mine. That's what you told me."
"And when I told you that, you were pretty obvious with your opinion!" Naruto retorted, irritation seeping into his tone. "So why act like this?"
"I…" Blake took a deep breath. "I don't want to be your enemy, Naruto."
A quiet and sardonic laugh escaped Naruto. "It's too late for that, Blake."
Blake sent him a sharp look. "I don't think it is. As far as anyone else is concerned, Naruto Uzumaki and Blake Belladona are friends. My only problem is with Kitsune and the way he does things."
Naruto stared at her. "Did you really just say that? That must be the most questionable thing I've heard in a while."
Blushing lightly, Blake didn't relent. "Think of it what you like, but I'm sticking to it. I'm not telling them your secret and I doubt you will. So there isn't any reason for you to avoid us."
"You mean besides the fact that you're just denying the truth?!"
Blake glared. "I'm not denying anything. I stand by my words when I say that the way you do things as Kitsune is wrong. I just decided that I will only fight against you when you are Kitsune. As far as I can tell, that is pretty much your relationship with Penny."
"Yes, but that's because she doesn't know!"
"Know what?" Both Blake and Naruto turned back to the others in surprise at the sudden question. Yang, Ruby, and Weiss were all staring at the two of them. "What are you guys arguing about?" Yang asked.
"Nothing. Naruto is just doubtful of us when we say that he is better than the absolute scum of the world."
Gasping, Ruby lunged across the table and grabbed Naruto's hands, startling the whiskered blond. "Stop thinking like that! Of course you're better than those criminals!"
Sighing, Naruto pulled his hands away from Ruby and shot a quick glare at Blake. "Ruby, while I don't think that I am the worst of the worst, I definitely know that I can agree with some of what they're saying."
Pouting with a glare, Ruby pulled back. "Well, even if that's true, that just means you have your own opinions. That's perfectly fine! Even the four of us have slightly differing opinions on the subject." She pointedly ignored Yang's snort and muttering. "So it doesn't matter if you think like you do. We're still friends!" She said fiercely.
Grinning, Yang scooted over until she was close enough to sling an arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Yeah! So enough of that!" She reached over and plucked the menu out of Weiss' hands.
"Hey!"
"Just look at this menu." She set it down in front of him and began to point. "You're going to be paying for this, this, and this." She glanced up to Blake. "And then Blake still needs to decide what she wants, too."
Nodding, Blake pointed to a certain item on the menu. "I want this."
Looking at the item, Ruby slightly tilted her head. "…Tuna…?" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all stared at the picture for a minute. Then all at once, their eyes widened as they came to the same conclusion.
"Oh…"
"Now that I think about it, that does make sense…"
"…"
Blake rolled her eyes. "You never thought it was weird that most of my meals had tuna in them? Or that I never took off my bow?"
Ruby blushed. "How were we supposed to know?!"
"At first, I didn't think such a disguise would work…But the three of you showed me that it was actually a pretty good one."
Even Weiss had a little bit of red dusting her cheeks. "Well, we just didn't expect our teammate to hide such a thing from us."
"That's still no excuse for being so oblivious to something like that. We even share a room."
Yang smiled good naturedly. "These two may be embarrassed about it, but I don't mind. After all, all that matters is that the cat's out of the bag now." No one said anything, instead choosing to stare at her. "What?"
"Yang…I'm asking you to do this because I love you…Please stop with the terrible jokes."
"Terrible? Ruby, that was a great one!"
"No, that was nothing but an assault on my ears."
"Oh, would you say it was a catastrophe?"
"Yang! Stop it!"
"Never!"
"Ugh, why do I put up with you people?"
Naruto stared dumbly at the three as they began to bicker again. Slowly, his eyes turned to Blake, who was giving him another amused smile.
"I haven't given up in making you stop what you're doing as Kitsune…But I don't want to lose a friend as I do it."
There we go! All done with Chapter 14!
"What the hell are you doing? Blake should say something about Naruto."
"Why didn't Blake say anything about Naruto?"
"I can't believe you had Blake say nothing!"
Holy crap, SHUT THE HELL UP! Do you really think I would have her say nothing just for the hell of it? Just to make it convenient for me to write? Dammit, of course I had/have a reason! And out of everyone that mentioned that in a review, I only saw one person that correctly guessed the reason…
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943
"Did you know? Every Legend was inspired by something."
"And while not all legends may be true…"
"There are those legends that are based on the achievements Of real people."
"Real men and women."
"People who have transcended all others, becoming something…more."
"They become a legend."
"But what qualifies one to legendary status?"
"Is it their heroics? Their strength of heart?"
"Or is it how long The person is remembered?"
"Would it be the diamond jubilee? Perhaps golden? Or even Silver?"
"There exist countless legends of all ages."
"Legends of wizards. Legends of mages. Legends of gladiators. Legends of Shinobi. Legends of warriors."
"To gain the status of 'legend' and have your story told through the generations is simply amazing."
"Most legends are forgotten in time, becoming nothing more than lore and stories told to children."
"…The scary part?"
"Some legends never die."