Naruto was excited as he walked towards the airship that was to transport them and his sister to Vale. "Holy crap this is awesome!" Naruto yelled as he pumped his arms. "I did it, I did it, I did it!"

"Look at this Mebuki, both our oldest, going to Beacon. Pretty soon Hasu will be going." Kizashi bumped his elbow into his wife playfully. "If we make another you can have a kid to wade on you hand and foot."

"Dad!" Sakura chastised as she blushed, the sixteen-year-old walked by her brother. "that's not very appropriate!"

Hasu and Naruto began laughing as they looked at each other. Hasu was hoisted on Naruto's shoulders, being bounced between steps. Naruto stopped, before handing off Hasu to Mebuki and Kizashi. Sakura stood by him, and Mebuki and them looked back.

"So, Naruto you make sure that Sakura doesn't get any random guys ya hear." Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled at what Kizashi said to him. "Lee will be arriving there a couple days after you two."

"You all have a separate bedroom motel for the next three days, I thought it'd be nice for you all to get used to Vale's air. Though, Naruto, I suspect you got used it a couple weeks ago." Naruto smiled as he took Hasu off his shoulders and knelt to kiss little brother on the forehead. "You'll be okay son?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. Question is though, will you be okay mom?" Naruto said as he watched Kizashi tear up slightly.

Mebuki looked at him, imagining the scrawny kid she had saved standing next to him, before smiling. "I'll be fine son, I'll be very fine knowing that you're going to achieve your dreams soon." Mebuki spoke as he took his hands and her daughters into each of her palms.

"Sakura, my baby girl. You are my first born, you are my life and love. I watched you grow up, playing with science fiction dolls. You were ten when you started training with your father, you are destined for a great future my child. You'll be the greatest Huntress this world will ever know." Mebuki hugged a crying Sakura with one arm.

Naruto quivered slightly with his lip, before looking at them. "Through my childhood, prior to my grandfather, I didn't know what family was. I spent most of my childhood working, beating myself up, busting my tail. You all…you all gave me a reason." Naruto clenched his hand. "You, dad, Hasu, Sakura…you all gave me a reason to stand up and make my dream come true. Well, guys, now that I'm finally taking flight on my own…I'm scared."

"I'm scared that I'll lose the things that made me what I am today, but I'm happy to take this step, because I know it'll only make me a better man." Naruto told Kizashi and Mebuki. "I want to be someone Hasu looks up to, I want to be someone who brings this entire thing to an end." Naruto smiled brightly, "I want to be the one that makes you proud…dad…mom. I love you."

Mebuki brought him in for a hug with her other arm, before Kizashi joined as well.

Kizashi stood off to the side, looking at a crying Naruto as he rolled in his sleep. The man had a frown over his face as he saw the boy call out to his grandfather in his sleep. "Honey." Mebuki called to him. "It's getting late."

"I'll be there in a few…he's just having a bad dream. I don't want him being alone when he wakes up." Kizashi stated as he light brushed his hand against Naruto's brow. "He's sick, depressed, tired…I think a little human-to-Faunus contact can help him."

"You're a kind-hearted man…Sakura!" Mebuki called and watched as her daughter walked out of her room with pink rabbit pajamas. "Come here."

"What'd I do this time?" Sakura mumbled and came to see Naruto crying. "Is he okay?"

"Honestly dear, he's sad, but here is what I want us to do. Grab yourself a comfortable pillow and come back in here." Mebuki ordered her daughter, "we'll be spending the night just in case he wakes up. No reason for him to feel alone right now."

Sakura nodded, before running to her room. Mebuki walked into the room, kneeling by Kizashi. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Of course, he is going to be okay, kids' got a strong head…and a good heart." Mebuki told her husband.

Mebuki watched as Naruto and Sakura began walking towards the airship. She clutched her heart, before looking as Naruto and Sakura disappeared into the crowd of people. She sniveled a little bit, before crying with a smile on her face.

"Shh…" Kizashi spoke and kissed his wife. "They'll be okay."

"I hope so…hey isn't that Ruby?" Mebuki asked as she saw the little red blur pass by them. "Ruby, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Vale to get some dust crystals, I got a last-minute ticket! My dad told me about Naruto, Sakura, and Lee. I'm going to congratulate them when I'm on board." Ruby called as she ran towards the transport.

Mebuki pinched her nose, "noo…." She moaned.

"What?" Kizashi asked concerned as she looked up at him.

"Never mind Sakura, now it's Naruto we've got to worry about. I swear I'm going to pop a blood vessel if I find out she snuck on to pour her heart out." Mebuki said as she walked away with Hasu in toll.

Kizashi looked around. "Wait…what?!"

Naruto and Sakura looked out their window, before sighing as they watched their parents leave. "Well Sakura, we're on our own now…no mom and dad with us." Naruto solemnly spoke as he watched them walk away. "It feels weird…an old feeling I haven't had as a kid."

"What's that?" Sakura questioned as Naruto looked up at her with a smile.

"Loneliness…I heard Eli, the doctor at the hospital was the one to operate on my heart." Naruto said as he looked at rising sun. "Is that true?"

"Yep, he said that he missed ya, but he was going to a vacation resort in Mistral after the surgery. One of the few times he gets to visit family." Sakura pointed out as Naruto nodded with a smile on his face.

The mix haired teen slowly leaned back from the window, having rarely flown beforehand, he still wanted to get used to pressure changes and all. "Sakura, Naruto!" someone called from the airship crowd and Naruto immediately recognized the voice.

"Um, is that Ruby?" Naruto questioned as he pointed at the girl waiving both her hands and looking right at them.

Sakura narrowed her eyes before getting a better look. "Yep, that's Ruby."

"Oi!" Naruto visible retracted as Ruby suddenly appeared in front of them. "IheardaboutyouallgettingintoBeaconandIwaslikeohmygodtheydidittheydiditandIhadtogoandmakeasupplyruntogetsomeDustforCrescentRoseand…and. I'm talking way too fast, am I?"

"You think?!" Naruto yelled as he rubbed his ears, "oh god…my head…sensory overload."

"Anyway, Sakura, you and Naruto are going! My big sis is going soon, and I just wanted to give you all a big hug! But, I realized that I needed to head into town and get some Dust Crystals for my lovely weapon. Speaking of, Naruto how the heck did you make it, you don't have a lovely weapon." She spoke as she watches the blonde smiled as he leans back in his chair.

"Rubes, I'm my own weapon." He brushed off as he tried to act cool only to get punched in the stomach by Sakura. "Oww!"

"He named his kunai Mr. Freeze, Mr. Fire, Electrifying, and Windy." Naruto eyes bugged out of his head as he looked at Sakura.

"Aww~" Ruby cooed as she looked at Naruto's pouches. "How many you got."

"All of the kunai." Naruto answered only to get pulled on by his ear. "Ow-ow-ow-okay…twenty-six."

"See what being straightforward gets ya little brother, anyway, Ruby here." Sakura scooted over. "Take a seat by us."

Ruby smiled, and sat between Sakura and Naruto. "So, guys, why you all leaving so early?"

"Sakura was wanting to go explore Vale a bit. I was actually planning to go to the stores there to see which ones' double as a metal shops." Naruto told her as he smiled. "I've got to keep my kunai family all together now."

"Jeez tell me about it, Crescent Rose here eats through dust ammo like a pig eating grain." Ruby commented only to receive flat stares from Naruto and Sakura.

"You mean chickens, right?" Naruto asked as Ruby gave a wry laugh while rubbing the back of her head.

"H-ehehe." Ruby laughed as she looked downcast for a moment. "So, what'cha two doing later tonight. Since airships don't travel at night save for overseas travel?"

"We're checking into our hotel for the three days before Beacon start classes, they're starting a little later than normal this year." Sakura replied as she stretched out in her seat.

The craft suddenly jerked, indicating lift off, Naruto nervously gripped the chair. "Aww, what's wrong Naruto?" Ruby mockingly cooed.

"Really scared of heights, not even joking." Naruto said. "That and ghosts."

Ruby and Sakura both looked at Naruto before laughing as hard as they could.

Akahana breathed hard as she had flames dance around her, Sasuke was right by her, his eyes glowing red. "This is bad…" She murmured as she took a step back. "Really frigging bad."

"Tell me about it, I didn't think anyone could dodge Amaterasu." Sasuke grunted as he backed up as well and then growled. "Let alone counter it."

The two people they were fighting were clad in all black, leaving nothing about them open to interpretation. They all had a white mask on, with a fox drawn onto it. Akahana looked behind her, seeing a vast sea crashing against the mountains of Vacuo that managed to retreat to.

"Kurama, where are the other tailed beasts?!" She called out mentally as she watched feminine figure take a step forward. "I'll settle for Shukaku!"

"Isobu is almost in position, I cannot believe that they've located us this fast, it's remarkable." Kurama praised while having a growl in his voice. "They're obviously with Salem."

"Yeah, no shit!" Akahana watched as Sasuke closed eyes, before opening them. "What is he doing?"

"Inferno Art: Flame Control Sword!" Sasuke called as his katana got covered in black flames, before they flew off randomly when he slashed at them. "Tsk…Amaterasu!"

The black flames that were laced on the ground suddenly flowed out to each other, before Sasuke clapped his hands. "Great Sun Bomb!" the flames exploded as they formed a ball of flames, Sasuke grunting as he held the symbol he made with his hand. "This isn't good!"

"Why, don't you have them!" Akahana called out as she started to form a ball of wind in her hands.

Sasuke growled as they the figures slowly regenerated in front of the ball of fire. "Yeah…" Sasuke watched as they kept walking towards them. "But, whatever these things are…they aren't human."

"Grimm?" Akahana had to ask.

"No, I feel a very disturbing aura within them, it's almost binding them together instead of being a part of them." Sasuke looked at Akahana. "How long until those friends of yours get here?"

"Now!" Akahana grabbed Sasuke at Kurama command before using her free hand to throw the ball of wind at the fire and leapt off the cliff with him in tow.

As they fell from the cliff the sound of a large bang, followed by a purplish black fireball that grew over the side of the cliff signaled her techniques success. Yelping in pain as she hit a tree branch, she nearly lost her grip on Sasuke, only for the young man to grab ahold of her as well.

"Susanoo!" Sasuke called out as they became covered in a purple skeleton.

The skeleton absorbed blow after blow they would've took as they hit the mountainside. Sasuke quickly formed a skeleton hand from the skeletal body he grew around them and pushed themselves away from the cliff.

When Akahana regained her focus, she moved in front of Sasuke, and roared as she clapped her hands. "Manifest!" she yelled.

Kurama appeared around them, the skeletal form Sasuke had put around started stretch around the around the large fifty-foot fox. "Akahana don't be an idiot, you need to conserve aura!"

"It's not mine I'm using, Kurama, Bijuu Dama!" Akahana ordered as the fox chuckled around them before forming a large sphere in front of its mouth.

Only to Akahana's shock that a similar sphere formed from on the people on the cliff, her eyes widened as well as the nine tails' as the similar sphere smashed into his own. Causing it to distort, and thinking quickly Akahana reabsorbed Kurama. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't know what to do, but he growled as he pumped more of his aura into Susanoo. Manifesting a shield that had a swirl mark in the middle of it. The skeletal body now had a cloak over it, before he put the shield in front of them. "Hang on!"

The Bijuu Dama Kurama had been creating distorted one last time before blowing up completely. Sasuke held onto Akahana as they watch the Susanoo he created start to crack around the force of the explosion.

Seeing this, Akahana threw herself in front of Sasuke, before the explosion broke through. She yelled out as the force slammed primarily into her, and sent her sprawling into the sea.

Sasuke saw a giant turtle rise up, before seeing a giant beetle of equal fly up and engage the two beings. "Do you have her!" He called down as he fell.

"Yes!" The turtle roared out, before diving just as Sasuke landed.

The young man glared on the top of the cliff, before collapsing to one knee. "That was too close…too many men, just what the hell was that?!" Sasuke yelled as he looked at Akahana, noticing her still form. "Akahana?"

He dashed over to her, before placing his hand on her neck, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a heartbeat. He looked on as the giant beetle came flying overhead, before diving into the waters. Slowly, Sasuke nodded, licking his lips, he scoffed at the fact that his entire team he brought with him had been slaughtered by a combination of a coordinated Grimm attack and those two people him and Akahana had been fighting.

Traveling a month together, they've faced Grimm, but that was entirely different.

The airship Naruto and co. was riding on landed onto an airfield. Ruby and Sakura walked of the ship laughing with each other as Naruto slowly dragged himself out, before leaning over the rails and upchucking. "I hate flying…I really hate flying." He groaned as he upchucked once more.

"Eww, c'mon Naruto, put a sock in it!" Ruby called out while Sakura felt a little queasy from just looking at her brother puking.

The trio all regrouped while Naruto stumbled while walking a little bit. "Oh, thank you whoever is out there…I really appreciate having vertigo!" Naruto called out as he was held up by Sakura and Ruby.

"Jeez, how did he get in early Sakura?" Ruby inquired as she looked at Naruto's ears drooping.

Sakura stopped for a second, before looking around, she took a sigh. "I don't know Ruby."

"What's wrong, that was weird." Ruby said as she looked around as well.

"Something's not right, I feel like we're being watched is all." Sakura told Ruby as she helped drag Naruto. "It's me paranoid, I've always felt this way in the cities."

"If it helps they've got cameras everywhere." Ruby pointed out as they walked. "Hey guys, do you mind if I crash with you tonight? I'm supposed to catch the earliest flight out of Vale tomorrow."

"Not at all, I'll take the couch." Naruto mumbled as he waived his hand dismissively.

On a ship, just outside of Vale's waters, a man screamed and begged for his life before a resounding sound of metal piercing flesh was heard. The slowly walk of a being could be heard through the bowls of the ship, the jingle of armor as well.

A man with a hunch slowly shoveled through the halls of the ship, he was dressed in all black, wearing a mask that had a monkey drawn on it. Slowly, but surely, he made his way into the boiler room. The man simply threw a bag of red dust crystals into the boiler before it exploded.

Taking him, and the ship with it.

A few Bulwarks passed over head, before flashing red and blue lights. They turned on their spotlights on, finding nothing, but they never noticed that just under the surface of the water a few bloodlike pieces of a substance began to form together. Forming the head of the man, before the reds of his eyes glowed.

The Bulwarks then flew off to report what they had seen, but that's when the man's nearly reformed body emerged on a piece of debris. He saw the lights of Vale on the horizon, several Nevermore flocked around the ship, landing by him.

As the face of the being formed, it bared resemblance to Hiruzen as he reached out with his fully formed arm and petted the nevermore nearest to him. "The Queen demands that we find and test." He spoke in a soft voice his red eyes looking at Vale. "She gave us instructions to seek out Uzumaki Naruto…and so we shall seek him. Provide the needed distraction tonight."

He got up on top of the Nevermore nearest to him, before lightly tapping it on its head before flying off.

Naruto, Sakura, and Ruby walked into the hotel. Slowly Naruto walked over to the couch, before plopping down on it. He turned over to face the ceiling, remember what Sakura told them about being watched, though she later reprimanded it as paranoia.

The mixed hair teen slowly raised up, allowing them both to sit down, and turn on the news. He couldn't help but shake the feeling as well that they were in danger. He just couldn't explain it, but when he blocked everything around him.

All the talking Sakura and Ruby were doing.
The noise of the news reporting an exploding ship.
The sound of the air-conditioning.

He felt it more, he felt this dark aura near them, it was almost pitch black by its color.

Slowly, he got up, before walking towards the door. His eyes closed, before he opened them to having red irises. He couldn't explain why he was on such a high alert himself, but once he opened the door and saw nothing the red faded from his eyes.

"Naruto! Hello, Remnant to Naruto!" Ruby yelled as she and Sakura tried to get his attention.

Naruto's ears picked up, before he noticed that the black aura had quickly faded away. "Y-yeah, what's up?"

"You okay, you're acting like you heard something, Naruto?" Sakura asked, she had a look of concern ridden all over her face.

Naruto shook his head once, before taking a deep breath. "I'm fine, I just, I don't know…felt something."

"Felt? As in felt in your chest, or felt as in sensed?" Sakura inquired as she walked over to him.

"I don't know, it's weird…hey Ruby what time were you going to Dust Till Dawn?" Naruto asked as he walked back over to the couch. "I got to head there anyway myself."

"Oh, I was getting ready to go." Ruby said as she got up. "Why, you got all day tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day." She rambled a little before slightly blushing.

"I…just wanna go now, and get shopping over with for the next three days. Sakura, you want to go?" Naruto turned around and failed to notice Ruby's crestfallen face when he asked Sakura.

"Oh, um, nah. I'm just getting relaxed, I think I'll go take a shower and head to bed." She spoke as she walked towards her bag and got a few clothing items out.

Naruto and Ruby went walking down the road, the dup of mix haired teens each walked close to each other. Naruto then noticed someone familiar running towards them. "Oh, hey Iko, what'da doing on this side of town?" Naruto asked the younger fox Faunus.

"Oh, I'm searching for Jessie is all, he's supposed to meet me in the plaza. There's a small festival going on ya know." Iko said as he looked towards Ruby and smiled deviously. "Hey, that your girlfriend?"

"Eh?!" Naruto and Ruby both yelled out. "No/nope!"

"Oh well, anyway, Jessie's got a little girlfriend. Her names Amber, she's a pretty lady." Iko said as he rubbed the back of his head, before noticing something on the rooftops above Naruto. "Hey isn't that a Hunter?"

Naruto and Ruby looked behind them to see a figure cloaked in black, wearing a mask. The lighter mix haired closed his eyes, before feeling of the aura. It was the same aura he felt outside of the hotel room, he clenched his hands. "Hey, Iko, go on buddy and find Jessie."

Iko looked bummed out, before noticing Naruto and Ruby look at him. "Okay, fine, sheesh…a guy can take a hint. Smoochy smooch!"

"Oi, that's not wha-ah forget it." Naruto started to yell, before sighing. "Well Rubes, c'mon, we better get going.

"Sure…um…" She had a blush tinging on her cheeks. "Do you know that guy?"

"Uh, Iko, he's a kid I met when I left the hospital. He's aiming to be a Hunter, just like I am." Naruto proudly smiled as he walked with Ruby. "Hopefully one day I can stop all of this, and he won't need to get hurt."

"Can I ask you a question, even if it's a bit personal?" Ruby inquired as he rubbed her hands under her red cloak.

"You just asked one." Naruto said as a joke while chuckling all the while.

"Naruto, being serious." Ruby growled before calming down, Naruto gave her a look that indicated for to continue. "Why do you want to protect everyone…I mean, you say that you want to protect everyone, and everything. Is it out of love, or is it duty?"

"Both." Naruto answered, "and a will that makes not want to see people suffer."

Naruto looked up at the sky. "I was once a slave Ruby, forced to work in mines for a cruel man. If I wasn't working in the mines, I waded on him…his people hand and foot. The White Fang at the time was peaceful, they led an operation to release me from imprisonment. There was a time believe it or not, I hated humanity."

Ruby looked at him stunned as they stopped walking. "Wh-what?"

"Yeah, there was a point in time I hated humanity. I hated how they treated everything with reckless care, reckless emotional attachment. I was cold to the world…and the world was cold to me. I was seven years old when I was finally freed from the source of that ill will." Naruto lowered his shirt on his left shoulder to reveal his tattoo. "I don't really talk about it, but you already knew I was a slave. I am a what I am in base from this tattoo, Faunus-Male-Naruto-Uzumaki-October-Tenth. For a long time that's all I knew I was, ever since I was three…just a Faunus slave."

Naruto then took a deep breath. "When I first met my grandfather, I hated him. I hated him because he showed me the great side of humanity. The kindness…the compassion, the care." Naruto smiled as he looked at Ruby. "The love of a family."

"So, you slowly grew into it." Ruby asked as they started to walk back.

Naruto chuckled as he looked at her. "Yeah, I learned how to love a family. I learned true loss, I learned how to stand back up, and I learned that there are others out there."

"I was never alone…" Naruto said lowly as they neared the store. "I relate to you…in a way Ruby."

She looked at him, "how's that?"

"You, your father, and your sister lost someone so close and dear to you. I could never imagine losing another of my loved ones, but I know as long as I'm standing here you got a friend…a brother in me." Naruto said as he opened the door for her. "So, Ruby, to answer your question."

"I protect those that I cherish most, and those that I cannot stand to see hurt."