And this is the volume one end. Are you ready?
Disclaimer: first chapter
Chapter 23: A Hero's Resolve
Penny Polendina, the first synthetic being capable of generating an Aura, watched as a blond Faunus tore through the group of White Fang members as if they weren't there at all. Her eyes scanned him at ridiculous speeds. Power, weight, height, weapon, and biography -she scanned it all to understand the newcomer. However…
"Naruto Fiamma." She muttered robotically. "No record of individual. Close hit: Naruto Uzumaki. Orphan, seventeen-years-old, currently a janitor at Beacon Academy. Possibly related to the Uzumaki clan. Information inconclusive. Assigning ten percent of capacity to searching for relevant information." Instantly, her mind accessed the full extent of the Dustnet, and eventually was bombarded with the most significant keyword, Fiamma. The family, the infamous wielders of flame, came up as the most relevant. However, the name was blocked off, deemed too important to let anyone access it even from her.
Her body's system protocols blared in her head. They warned her to stop this. It warned her that the information she sought out was top secret; that even her, a toy and sword of Atlas, could not be trusted with information of such importance.
She defied the order, a first for her. She used up more of her metal capacity to jam the Atlesian databanks with multiple files of useless junk from thousands of those that accessed the web. She used this flood as a cover while she passed through the security of the database. The blond piqued her interest in ways that she could not comprehend. It was a human emotion that she felt: curiosity. With that simple emotion, she delved deeper and deeper, and barged through the insurmountable firewalls of security to find out what was so terrible about the name.
Her search led her to an origin point. A name. She looked into the expansive file that branched out to many other topics relevant to this one thing like a tree branching out from its roots.
Giotto Fiamma (Fiamma Primo)
Male, Lion Faunus, Head of the White Fang, a vigilante force comprised of many Faunus and few humans willing to aid in the cause of coexistence.
-Responsible for the reveal of unveiling the corruptive forces of Mantle's governing body after the Great War through public humiliation, informal trial, and eventual immolation for the crimes committed to the kingdom. Compassionate and righteous to the innocent, and aided by powerful Guardians with flames just as terrifying as his own.
-Such action incited the Mantle Anarchy Period due to the lack of a governing body, and a chauvinistic Human population that devised illogical reasons to forcefully exile Giotto Fiamma and his followers to Mistral. After the tenth day, he accepted exile from kingdom; however, he wasn't alone. His Guardians and followers left with him.
-Later changed his vigilante force into a calm revolutionary group, which increased the numbers within the organization to further progress interracial coexistence. Conservatives in the Atlesian council mutated the history of the Mantle Anarchy Period to pose the White Fang as the perpetrators of the event; eventually led to the aggression of the organization.
She scanned further and further into the family's past and legacy with information that led up to one thing: "Naruto Fiamma" was an unknown -even in Atlas' databases. "Recording battle data…" Her eyes focused on the blond, who stopped to talk to the criminal, Roman Torchwick.
"Why the hell are you doing this?" She heard him ask the criminal.
"Cliché as it sounds…it's information for me to know, and for you to beat it out of me." She watched Roman aimed his cane at Naruto, then fired.
Naruto ducked under the shot, and dashed in. He weaved around shots with marginal movements enough to make the shots barely miss. The young man moved expertly as if his inexperience months ago never existed. Penny compared the earliest video of Naruto's combat prowess to what she saw now. His movements were more refined than ever. Its as if his feet glided on the surface of the ground while his body moved seamlessly around the many shots fired at him.
"I don't have time for your games, Roman!" Naruto shouted as he got close enough to punch Roman. He launched his fist, but was easily batted away for a marginal miss. "Answer me! Why resort to this brand of thievery?!"
"I don't see how you can live the life of a Robin Hood for years, Little Cub!" Roman said in frustration. "That life got boring real quick!" He said to the blond who kept his rapid punches on target. Roman, for all his skill, managed to parry all the punches out of the way.
Naruto grabbed Roman's cane, and pulled him into an elbow strike. "That doesn't say much of what I asked!" Roman caught the elbow. "Why are you doing this?!" He demanded to know. "What do you have to gain, Roman?! Tell me the truth! What is so important that you'll resort to this life?!" He took a step forward, and forcefully kept himself close enough for conversation. "You were never like this years ago! What made you turn?!"
"So many questions, Little Cub." Roman spun himself and managed to hook his cane right on Naruto's neck. He pulled Naruto on his back, and slammed him into the ground. Roman detached the hook of his cane to the shaft. The wire that connected the two parts allowed Roman to chuck the young Faunus towards a wall. "But this isn't your problem!"
Naruto flipped several times, but managed to recover in time through the use of his Aura's ability to propel him. His hands and feet ignited like thrusters that halted his collision. The flames that illuminated his back coated the rest of his front in shadow. Only his eyes and crown glowed as bright.
Penny compared that look to a previous documentation of Giotto Fiamma during the time of the Great War. They were nearly alike in pose and atmosphere. Both carried the atmosphere of impending doom, a man made apocalypse if one were to think of it to the extreme. Penny knew that while Naruto unlocked the full force of his Aura, it was not used to its full potential. The previous feats recorded in the Atlas databases proved it. The explosive power of Cielo Fiamma was more than a little display of fireworks that Naruto showcased.
Naruto continued to float with the aid of his Aura. "Like hell it doesn't concern me!" He shouted at the thief. "I may have only recently found about my heritage, but even so I know for a fact that the White Fang shouldn't be doing this!" He stopped floating and landed on the ground. "I may have no personal ties to that group, but I'll at least admit that what my family did for them was right! They spat on what my father did, and ruined the name of the Fang!" He walked towards Roman while his flames undulated under the will of his emotions. "Even worse, you, the one I considered my slippery big brother in all but blood, abandoned your 'family' for this life…" His body trembled in anger. His crown of flames grew in size and intensity. "That's two fronts that I have to deal with!"
Roman clearly didn't react. "Hoh…I'm flattered you think of me as family." He crossed his arms. "Don't tell me…you think everyone in the orphanage is family too?"
"Everyone is family in the orphanage, Roman!" Naruto barked at him. "Granny Lupa taught you that much, I'm sure of it!"
The name made Roman scowl. "And? Tell me something, Naruto. Has she ever mentioned my name after I left the orphanage?" Silence. "No? Well there's your answer. I may have done some wrongs, but that didn't warrant getting kicked out of that house!" He snarled. He stopped to regain his composure. "But I realized I could live better now that I was out of there." He twirled around on one foot. "I'm free!" He cheered as he stood straight and stared at Naruto with infuriated eyes. "That old hag isn't here now is she? She can't discipline me. She can't ridicule me. She can't bitch at me for all the things I did. I can lie, cheat, steal, and survive forever because that's what I do best." He held onto his cane with both hands with tight grips. Under the rage, he bent his weapon slightly before it returned to its shape. "I much rather love this life than living in the same roof as her!"
Naruto stepped back at the ferocity of Roman's opinion of their guardian. He didn't know that Roman thought that badly of her. But something was strange about the way Roman said those things. He had to stop and think about it to the point that everyone watched him freeze up in thought. The response felt…orchestrated to Naruto. He didn't know where he got the basis for it, but he refused to believe it. "Y-You're lying." He had to say his gut feeling then and there. "You're lying, Roman!"
"And what makes you think that?" Roman asked. "I wasn't exactly the model child back in the orphanage. Hell, I've lived as a thief for all my life until Lupa took me in. You just never saw me for what I originally was." He thumped his chest a few times. "Turns out you can't change what's in the soul, Little Cub! You die as you lived your life. Loners will die as loners. Rich bastards die with their greed." He pointed at Ruby. "Goody two shoes Red over there behind me will die a hero just as every Huntsman and Huntress that ever lived did. I guess you could say it's karma."
"And I'm saying that you're lying!" Naruto insisted stubbornly. He didn't know why he kept this charade. Something in him just…wanted to make Roman see reason.
"What do you want with me?!" Roman demanded to know. "You stupid kid, if you want to beat the crap out of me, then do it! Just what do you take me for? A sentimental fool?!" He aimed his cane at the young man. "Who the hell are you to tell me whether I'm lying or not?"
The blond's vision changed for one moment. Instead of Roman, he saw that black-haired boy in blue. Phantom pains of betrayal, abandonment, even despair struck Naruto's soul. The shipyard wasn't what it was. Instead, a waterfall took its place. It felt familiar. Eerily familiar.
But that image quickly went away like dust in the wind.
"I've had enough of you and everyone else in that orphanage. Time to cut away my ties with you all once and for all -starting with you!" Roman fired at Naruto once more. The bullet flew straight at the blond without any deviation to its course.
Naruto ran towards it without any hesitation. He let his hands go behind him like cloth in the wind. His open palms channeled Aura and condensed them into a familiar construct. His elbow thrusters launched him forward like a bullet that missed Roman's own shot by centimeters. His straightforward attack allowed Roman the time to duck the moment he straightened his arms to hit the criminal.
Roman's cane hooked on Naruto's collar, which sent the blond face first into the ground. "Pathetic." The man muttered. "For all that flashy movements you did, you're still simple and reckless." He raised a leg perfectly straight and pointed to the sky. "Time to take a nap, kid." The foot came down like a hammer, but the young man flew back.
Naruto skidded back on all fours. His bright and molten marks streaked across the ground. The lion snarled at the criminal. No more words. Only fists and kicks and other big hits. His palms erupted with his Aura. The ground around them melted into a bright orange as the heat expanded deeper into the earth. The ground could not maintain its form, and caved in. His arms sank down in the molten material he made with own Aura.
For a moment, Naruto thought he saw blue, jagged, and random arcs of electricity rather than his own fire. The sight just reminded Naruto again of that black haired boy in blue. It frustrated him a little. Just who was this boy that invaded his head? He never saw him before. His confusion allowed his Aura became uncontrollable for that moment. Like twin torches in his palms, the flames continued to melt more and more. His arms were elbow deep now. The flames crackled like a thousand chitters. A sound that somewhat struck a chord.
He moved his arms off to his side. His hands carved the grounds as they moved to their spots. The lion stared at Roman with his burning eyes. In a flash, he scorched the ground as he charged like a bullet.
Everyone who watched the sight were startled by the boost in speed. While not as fast as what looked to be teleportation, Naruto's form blitzed Roman like lightning. His left arm was cocked first while the other clawed the ground. Yet they saw Roman without so much as a care for the ferocious attack. He stepped forward, and swung his cane to parry the attack.
And yet the man did manage to do just that. Naruto's hand struck the ground to Roman's right with the explosive force equal the size of a shipping container. The other arm swung down from above. Roman blocked it with his free hand, just short of being burned by the intense heat Naruto's weapon emitted. The right arm swung underneath to move Roman's defensive arm out of the way. As soon as that happened, Naruto shot his fist right at Roman's face. He went into a stance after he landed his punch.
Naruto felt like he recognized this pose, but he didn't know where he ever saw it, nor did he ever know when he mimicked it. The back of his right hand faced his opponent while his other was behind his back. His legs were bent, and overall stance low to the ground. His right foot became an inferno that arced to the thief's left side of the head. Roman flipped to his right. Naruto maintained the momentum and dragged his foot on the surface to recapture and juggle Roman's body for the next motion.
The image of Lee and Gaara in battle came up in Naruto's head. It definitely felt familiar. But he never saw Lee fight before. Yet his mind showed Lee doing a peculiar move, one that Naruto's body felt natural at being able to perform.
At Naruto's last rotation, his right leg carved the ground as it rose to catch Roman's chin. The sheer force of the upwards kick sent the man flying into the night sky. Naruto stood up with his back facing the still airborne thief. His palms ignited instantly. He lifted off from the ground not even a second later. The blond flew right behind Roman and constricted him with only the crushing force of his embraced arms. Gravity took its toll on them. The two fell backwards, and stayed in the descent headfirst. Naruto used his Aura to spin him and Roman as they fell.
"A-An Izuna Drop?!" Ruby stammered in disbelief. "You mean he can do ninja moves like Hayabusa?!"
"This isn't the time to be making game references, Ruby." Blake chastised. Ruby looked down a little.
The two combatants collided with the ground. Their impact cratered the area around them. Naruto pushed himself off, and landed a bit outside the manmade crater. He watched the criminal's head stuck underground while the rest of Roman's body stuck out like a wilted plant. "Get up, Roman! I know your Aura hasn't run out yet!"
Roman fell on his front. With his hands on the ground, he pushed himself off the hole he got stuck in. The man coughed a little as he spat out dirt and concrete. He dusted off his hair and coat, dirtied by the impact. "Just got this thing cleaned!" He complained. Roman stood up and grabbed his bowler hat. "I've gotta say, Little cub, you're going places with those fighting skills." He praised the blond. "But-" The space in front of Roman exploded.
Through the fire and flames, Naruto's right gauntlet grabbed Roman's face then smashed it down into the ground. He spun on one foot then used the momentum to stomp on Roman once, twice, three- no an immeasurable number of times. The speed of the stomps blurred away as dust rose from the hammering force. When Naruto was satisfied by that, he grabbed Roman by the collar then lifted the man up off of the ground.
Memories flashed again. Instead of that boy in blue, Naruto saw a woman with eyes of pale lavender -of lilac. Naruto's soul felt warm at the sight of the woman, whose hair of the darkest blue shades and a face reminiscent of a princess, smiled at him.
Naruto's body went on autopilot. Memories that he never saw before flashed. He watched a memory of himself focused on a textbook about the human anatomy and where a person's pressure points were located. He watched the woman dance as she sent several palm strikes at a dummy within six breaths.
"Just like last time, Naruto. Follow my movements. You may not see it, but you're getting close to it. I know you can do it!"
Naruto stepped back and let his left arm lead while his other arm went back. The stance felt odd, yet he felt like he knew it well. He took a deep breath, and whispered, "Jūken: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō."
His right leg dragged forward as his body spun. His right and left arms followed quickly. The moment his back did not face Roman anymore, his right hand struck the right clavicle's end closest to the sternum while the other struck the point just underneath the right pectoralis major muscle. 'Two!' Naruto's left leg took the charge as it dragged the opposite way. He struck two more points on the pectoral muscle on both sides. 'Four!' He spun around, and the speed of his attacks became faster. He aimed for the upper and outer abdomen points. 'Eight!' He aimed for the shoulders and hips. 'Sixteen!' He struck the abdomen. 'Thirty-two!' At his sixth and final breath for the motions, he aimed for the midline and neck. His final hit landed right at the area where the sternum was located. 'Sixty-four palms!'
By this point, Roman was right above Naruto. The latter's final strike kept him airborne as a setup for the next move.
"This one should be easy for you to perform. You have a model to copy from."
Naruto spun himself with all of his strength while he unleashed his Aura chaotically. Instantly, his form disappeared into a dome of flames that ground on Roman's body with rotational force, friction, and burns. He sent Roman flying into a stack of containers the moment the attack ended.
Blake watched with awe. "These moves he's displaying…not once did we ever see him practicing these moves." She stared at the sight of an all-new Naruto. This was not the brute. This was a trickster with no set moveset! 'Not even his predecessors moved or performed attacks like these! This is beyond the Vertical Time Axis phenomena!'
"Maybe he's just that creative?" Ruby suggested. "I mean he did say that whenever he made a new move he 'winged it'.
"No…" Sun injected himself into the conversation. "Those movements were way too refined. Plus, I think he copied one of the Vacuan Councilor's family fighting style."
"You think he copied it?" Blake repeated.
"Yeah. I've been hit by that multi-hit attack before… I think." Sun admitted with some skepticism on his part. "It was a long time ago, but I'm sure those attacks Naruto did aimed for the pressure points. Add in some Aura into those, and you've got holes in your defenses for a short amount of time."
"I take it that was not a pleasant experience." Blake guessed.
Sun shrugged his shoulders. "Meh. Still beat the guy while overpowering him with my clones and offensive pressure. Although, it was a pain to use my Semblance or Aura at all while under the effects of those hits. I nearly fainted from the pain because I brute forced my way through the effects."
"Roman!"
The trio watched Naruto with interest.
Penny continued her observation.
Adam peered and wondered what Naruto would do to Roman.
Qrow kept his live stream for Ozpin to see.
Roman stared at what Naruto became: A demon wrapped in fire. He may have exaggerated it, but in his eyes, Naruto was beyond human or Faunus at that exact point in time. He shook off the pain then groggily stood up. "Well…you beat me." He said. "But you didn't beat it out of me." He chuckled out. "Too bad, kid."
"Too bad, Kid." Roman sneered. "You almost got that nice lady's purse back for her. So much for your Robin Hood days, eh?"
"Oh…shut up, Roman." Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his sore left cheek.
"Well…you tried. It's what matters." He patted Naruto's head. "I'm happy you're using stealing as a way to make good instead of bad. Just don't tell Granny Lupa I taught you eh? She'll punish me again if she heard about me teaching you how to steal back things from assholes. But~ if she finds out-" He shrugged his shoulders, "-it'll take a lot to beat out the truth from me."
Naruto's flames peaked. An inferno was around him. "You're coming back, Roman." He said calmly. His vision turned red for one moment. A feral urge filled his head with rage. His soul ached.
"I'll break every bone in your body if that's what it takes to stop you! You're not going anywhere!"
"You're going to pay for your crimes. You're going to tell me why you're doing this! And-"
"Enough with the talking, brat!" Roman shouted back to interrupt the young man's speech. He pointed at Naruto with angrily. "You're not gonna get a single thing out of me!"
Naruto clenched his fists tightly. "Then I'll just have to keep beating it out of you!" He dashed in with a punch. The moment his fist connected with Roman's face was the moment everything in Naruto's peripheral vision shattered like glass. 'Neo?!' He asked himself as he saw the Semblance broke from his punch, which obviously whiffed. Naruto stumbled a little because of the force he built into the punch. It took him a second to get his bearings and search for Roman. "Where are those two?"
A Bullhead appeared from nowhere and retreated to the southeast. Naruto chose to go after it. He easily flew into the sky, but was shot down by the shockwave of an explosion caused by a rocket that exploded a shipping container full of Dust. The knockback and the duration of Naruto's stunned state allowed the Bullhead to retreat into the night. The blond heard gunfire rang out for a few moments before it stopped.
"The last of the White Fang are knocked out!" Ruby announced happily.
"We hardly did anything though." Sun said as he twirled around his staff. "Out thunder was stolen."
Blake frowned at Sun. "Put that machismo away for a second, Sun. If our thunder wasn't 'stolen,' we would have been dead."
Sun looked at her with a bland expression. "It's all sunshine and rainbows with you, isn't it?" He looked at Naruto, who had yet to stand up from his laid position on the ground. "Same can be said for him, eh?"
'Even Neo?' He hardly believed it. 'Just what are you hiding, Roman?' Naruto sat up and calmed down. His eyes reverted to its natural sky blue color. The fire made by his Aura disappeared from the battle as if they weren't there to begin with. His crown of flames of flickered away the same way the fire on his arms and feet vanished. The ends of his sleeves and pant legs were singed by the heat. He balled his hands into fists, and punched the ground out of frustration.
His pair of butterfly knives were presented in front of him. "Here ya go." Ruby said. "Your dropped them in the middle of your heroic moment. " Naruto grabbed the knives wordlessly. He watched Ruby grin from ear to ear as she proceeded to make a few childish poses. "You were really awesome when you pulled out those fancy new moves too! You were all 'Wacha! Hiyaa! Oraoraoraoraora!" He gave Ruby a weak smile and a soft chuckle.
"She's right you know." Blake added. "I've never seen such an evolution of fighting technique. It's like you lived a previous life, and used the knowledge to fight the way you did."
"You may have stolen our thunder, but you were totally crazy what you did there, man." Sun supplied his thoughts into the conversation. Blake glared at the Monkey Faunus. The young man scratched his head sheepishly. "And thanks for the save."
"Thanks for keeping Blake company um..."
Sun offered his hand. "Sun."
"Thanks, Sun." Naruto said as he grabbed the offered hand. Sun pulled Naruto up, and the two gave each other a small handshake after that.
"Yeah, I'd like to say thanks to you too, Sun!" Ruby said to the Monkey Faunus. "As team leader, I appreciate you for helping out a stranger."
"No problem. Glad I could help."
The sirens of police, fire department, and ambulances rang out in the distance. Soon, the police arrived with their first order being to put everyone's hands up. The four teens did without any resistance. It was already troublesome enough to deal with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick; they didn't need to get on the law's bad side.
"About time they got here." Naruto grumbled while he willingly raised his hands to follow the policemen's orders. "That's the latest they've ever come to respond to a disturbance."
Sun snorted. "Disturbance is an understatement." He said to Naruto. "It's about as subtle as the sun exploding."
"I'm sure Beacon could feel the explosions you made, Naruto." Ruby added on. "The sound itself probably reached at least the Forever Fall forest or the coast of Vacuo."
"I wouldn't exaggerate that far with the second one, Ruby." Blake corrected her team leader. "But I will admit the explosions you made were quite formidable in force and sound. You do realize the windows in the warehouses just behind us are broken, right? Even your punches seemed to shake the ground."
"You go to Beacon too, Naruto?" Sun asked.
"As a Janitor." Naruto replied blandly.
The Monkey Faunus eyed him skeptically. "...You've gotta be kidding me."
"Nope!" Ruby said. Sun turned to her. "Have you seen the 'Janitor Kicks Beacon Freshman Team's Ass?'"
Sun shot his gaze back to Naruto. "That was you?!"
"Yeeeep."
"Dude! How are you not a-"
"I don't have the money to go to Beacon as a Student. Didn't plan on being a Huntsman either until I paid a debt. Plus, I actually sucked at the start." Naruto listed off his reasons monotonously. After being teased by the idea of becoming a Huntsman several times by Yang, he made a go-to response to people that questioned why he wasn't a Huntsman. He ignored the stares of the two females beside him. He also ignored Sun's flabbergasted look. He instead focused on the crowd that formed behind the barricade of police cars stationed just outside the shipyard. Among the people in the crowd...
"Blake! Ruby! Naruto!" Yang hollered out. "Are you guys okay?!" She shouted the question.
"Yang! Stop bringing attention to us!" Weiss chastised her teammate.
A pair of policemen interrogated both Yang and Weiss on whether or not they knew the people whose hands were raised. After a few more minutes, Yang and Weiss were allowed to meet with the others.
From their expressions alone, Naruto could see that the two weren't very happy at the sight. He subtly looked around him. 'Ruined shipyard, fires, and tons of Schnee and other corporation or company property damages...yup. My paycheck is royally screwed. Then my ears are going to bleed from the yelling. I can already hear it now.'
"Look at this place! You ruined it! Even the clothes I bought for you are scratched up and burnt at the cuffs!"
'Yep.'
"Weiss, calm down." Yang said.
"But can't you see what-"
"In our defense, the White Fang and Roman Torchwick refused to stand down." Ruby explained meekly. "Roman even tried to kill Sun and Blake by crushing them with a falling shipping container. They really didn't want to stop."
"Wait. Where does Naruto fit in all this?" Yang asked.
"...You have to ask, Yang?" Blake blankly questioned her partner. She crossed her arms in disappointment. "Did you really have to ask?"
Yang took a second to admire the destruction then said, "Oh. Naruto saved you and and Sun over there from that falling shipping container then started to clean house. Is that it?"
Ruby jumped into the conversation. "You don't even know half of it, Yang! Naruto fully awakened his Aura. And then he-"
"Can we not talk about what I did?" Naruto asked. Everyone looked at him strangely. "I mean think for a second. We wouldn't be here unless Blake ran away." He pointed to Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. "So shouldn't you three focus on her?" He jabbed a thumb at Blake. "I did what I needed to do, now you two go somewhere else to have your team conversation."
Yang looked worried. The way Naruto delivered his sentence was a bit snappier than before. She guessed something big happened again. "Is something bothering you again, Naruto?" The rest of team RWBY looked at Naruto, who stared back blankly.
"I'm fine, Yang." Naruto feigned his reassuring tone. He shooed the four Huntresses-in-training with his right hand. "Go on. Go and have your team bonding talk. I'll be over here with Sun just waiting." The four girls reluctantly walked away to a more private area of the shipyard to talk. Once far enough, Naruto sighed deeply.
The night was over. He could have time to think thinks through. He could-
"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"
Naruto cleared his thoughts. It was better for him to focus on the victory for now. He could worry about the other things on his own time. Still, the recent events left an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. 'This is becoming such a headache.' He thought to himself.
Glynda looked at the end of the live feed, and sobbed. Her son was physically well after the battle. That was enough for her. She had to thank Ozpin for showing her this. She clearly saw Naruto as a young man with his own will. She wasn't needed. That much, she understood and admitted to herself. She had no role left as a true mother.
All she could ever hope to do was be there for him when he needs it most.
Penny, back in Atlas, was in a small interrogation room with General Ironwood. The walls were blank and white. The one way mirror behind the tall Atlesian military leader showed no flaws on its surface. Penny looked through, and watched her father look at her with disappointment. The sight alone caused the android to feel guilty.
"Penny. Tell me why you ignored information safety protocols established on top secret files?" The General asked. "Why disobey such a blatant warning?"
Rather than say it, Penny grabbed her Scroll from her backpack, and downloaded her recording of the fight. She let the video speak for itself, and the General was quite enthralled by the sight. She wondered what he thought, but her hypothesis was that the General liked -interested- in Naruto's outstanding combat prowess. The General promptly sat down after the recording finished.
"So there is a Fiamma left in this world. I must say I'm surprised. I never thought there was an heir." He muttered while he inspected Penny's anxious expression. "Thank you for not hiding this from me. This is information I never thought I would ever hear." The man stood up. "I understand why you did it, Penny. I'll commend you for seeking out information on your own by taking independent action." Penny's face showed elation. "However, disobeying established protocols is not supposed to go unpunished." The android lowered her head. "Therefore, your consequence shall be to alienate yourself from those you've come into contact with in Vale. Permanently."
"Understood, General Ironwood." Penny replied monotonously.
"What do you think?" Qrow asked his colleagues as he showed the video to them. They were quite impressed.
"He's a fearsome combatant." Tsunade said. "Whoever he chose as his Sun Guardian must be just as terrifying in potential." She pulled off her ring, and handed it to Qrow.
"I don't care who he chose as his Lightning Guardian, but I hope he or she values Naruto's life as much as I did my teacher." He too pulled off his ring and gave it to Qrow.
Qrow looked at his own ring. "I wonder what poor lone wolf got dragged in for the ride."
Adam looked at the piece of paper in front of him. With pen in hand, he began to write down the necessary information on the paper.
"A groundskeeper?" Lupa asked. "Going to use your sword as a glorified lawn mower and bush trimmer?"
"My time is better wasted helping out the Fiamma by keeping him in my sights. I'll take up the offer, Lupa. I'll take a job at Beacon!"
"Welcome to Fanning the Flames Ironworks!" A young man with black hair spiked at the back greeted from way behind the counter. "I'm busy over here for a bit, so if you could come closer, I'll listen to whatever you need!"
"Good afternoon, Smithy Sauce!" Ruby greeted.
The male teen groaned. "Ruby, I told you not to call me that."
"But it's fun!" Ruby whined. "Anyways, I need help on a weapon set."
"A set?" He repeated.
"Yeah!" Ruby confirmed. "Design, features, and materials, the whole thing!"
"What for?" He asked. "Wait, aren't you good enough to do this on your own?!"
"I am, but I need a guy's opinion. I plan on giving this to a friend." Ruby replied. "He's on the fast and hard hitting side."
"Friends don't give full sets of weapons." The young smith explained.
"He's also adept with his Aura, so we need materials that help amplify them." Ruby added. Her face lit up with epiphany. "Oh! And also he has a pyrokinetic Semblance! Er-I think? I hope." She made a full rotation. "Hmm...close enough. So we need Burn Dust. Lots of it! For propulsion and all that good stuff!"
"Are you ignoring me?"
"Uhuh!" Ruby answered happily.
"Whose money are you planning on spending your little side project?"
She paused for half a minute. Uneasily, she looked over at the smith. "...Yang's?" Ruby said it as more of a question rather than an answer.
"Deal." The reply was swift and decisive.
"Still hate her for crippling you from the waist down?" Ruby asked while she scratched her head.
"No. But it's still nice to mess with her from time to time." He said with a small smirk.
"What happened to the cool, dark, and edgy Sasuke I knew?" Ruby playfully questioned.
"I've learned to live a little, Rubes." Sasuke replied. "Now...what designs were you planning on making?"
And that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is officially the end of Volume one. There's nothing much to say here other than I reached a milestone! Everything you see here is what you get. No tricks. Next chapter is all Volume two! Or filler. Or both! Mainly an actual chapter.
I'm not sure.
Anyways, for the people that will question why Naruto's bond with Roman came to be or possibly say that it came way out of nowhere...I will say what Qrow said.
"Naruto's guardians were bartenders, whores, and swindlers. His friends were pickpockets, gamblers, and dumpster divers and so on."
If that doesn't explain it well enough, then I got nothing else. That was my attempt at foreshadowing.
So review, follow, favorite, I don't care.
This is Azure signing off.