Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY.
Reading: Veritas Aequitas
XXXIV: End of an Era
VA Vol. 4 Opening
(Ch 34)
Song: "Born to Rise" – Redlight King
Track time(s): 0:53 – 2:27
Run time: 1:34
"Oh, cool! New opening!" Nora cheered, swinging her body to the beat.
[For a few seconds, all that's on the screen is darkness, then the rock music blares to life and a map of Remnant is shown.]
"Well, I guess we know where they got that idea." Velvet said, "It was an interesting way to start a episode."
[We are the ones who are born to rise / We are the ones with the fire inside / I go to war with the brothers I trust / And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us / We are the ones who will bring the rain / We are the ones who will break the chain / I go to war with the brothers I trust / And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us.]
[The map is stabbed with a dagger and the camera backs up to show many of the Shinobi from Myōboku within the Mysterious Tree, the one who stabbed the dagger was Roshi, a fierce look of anger on his face. He looked up and the camera panned to Team NHKS, all wearing different gear than normal and stood in silent rage, Naruto in particular looked ready to kill.
Yang frowned and titled her head. "Huh, hard to say if that's scary or hot…leaning more towards scary right now."
"Wow, you're not thinking with your libido for once." Weiss quipped. "It's a miracle."
"I know right?"
Roshi pointed at a few places on the map and the teens nodded before they left and Roshi returned his attention to the map.]
"Boo."
"Racist." Blake told Weiss with a frown.
"No, just his perverted nature annoys me. So don't try and slander me, Kitty Cat."
"Oh snap." Yang's eyes widened while Blake's narrowed.
"You did not just call me-!"
"Shh, we're watching."
[What'd you know about standing up when the odds get stacked? / Time stands still, ain't no turnin' back / When everything you're worth is under attack / What'd you know about heart? What'd you know about that? / Write it off as criminal, a place to cast the stone / On and on we carry on when one is not enough.]
[The camera shows Kurama taking on a dozen Fourth War grunts, being particularly ruthless as he does, before he is forced to defend himself against a shark-like man.
"Okay, how did that happen?" Jaune asked, no one really have a good answer.
"Nature is weird?" Nora shrugged.
The strain is switched to show Sasuke and Haku fighting off a madly grinning shirtless tri-scythe user,
"Why is everyone using scythes?!" Ruby stomped her foot. "I was doing it way longer before it became popular! Possers!"
"Aren't you one?"
"Now is not the, Yang." Ruby chided her big sister.
who reattached limbs when they were cut off.
"How, that looks like it'd come in handy." Yang waved her right hand, a cheeky grin on her face.
"Ugh." Her team groaned.
The camera cut to Team KAAG fighting alongside a silver-haired man whose lower face was covered by a mask and whose left eye had a scar over it against Pein's favored body. Pein beats them all into the ground and uses a gravity attack that turns the screen white as the chorus starts up once more.]
Pyrrha snapped her fingers. "Of course, gravity. Terrifyingly powerful."
[We are the ones who are born to rise / We are the ones with the fire inside / I go to war with the brothers I trust / And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us / We are the ones who will bring the rain / We are the ones who will break the chain / I go to war with the brothers I trust / And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us.]
[The dust settles and a ragged Team NHKS slowly rises across from Pein. First on his feet, Naruto's eyes gain orange rings around them as he rushes forward and Pein holds his hand up.
"Mm, I don't know about the eyeshadow." Yang knitted her brow. "It'd look better on me. B for effort though."
Naruto's stopped by an invisible wall and Pein visibly strains to keep the barrier up. The foe sends the teen flying back only for Naruto to land on his knees and get back to his feet. He looks at Haku and Sasuke on his left and then at Kurama on his right, before the four of them charge forward. Pein lifts his hand one more time. The image whites out in time with the music, which is before Team NHKS can resume their battle with Pein.]
"Aw, that was a tease!" Ruby pouted. "You don't hang awesome battles like that in front of us!"
Truly, it was such a cruelty.
"It matters not how long you run or where you go. You cannot escape me, Master." Yahiko's voice haunted Jiraiya as the older man fled through a darkened pipeline. His right hand clung to his limp left arm, which was cut deeply, and his sandals clacked loudly along the metal. He could feel Naga-Pein's eyes following him in the shadows.
"Uh, I don't think this was where we left off." Jaune pointed out.
"Of course the networks censor stuff, boo!" Yang waved her fist in outrage.
Dammit! Jiraiya thought to himself with gritted teeth. He rushed around a corner and narrowed his eyes. I really am a sappy idiot, aren't I? One 'miracle' and that's all it takes for me to lower my guard.
He recalled the events that led to his current retreat.
"Or it's just a flashback…my bad."
Not too long ago, Jiraiya faced five of Pein's Paths on the rooftops of the industrial building. Yahiko's body – Jiraiya refused to call his former student's corpse by that ridiculous name – was in the lead, his hands outstretched as his eyes narrowed. Another gale of that strange something – it wasn't aura and it certainly wasn't wind – nearly knocked Jiraiya off of the roof. He barely managed to avoid its impact, and spare a millisecond to glance at the remains of where he previously stood.
Flattened and cracked, like something heavy had just slammed into it. So...What kind of energy manages to deal out that sort of damage?
"Gravity apparently."
Jaune leaned towards Pyrrha's ear. "I don't think he knows that."
"True, but I just want to marvel at it. You rarely see such a Semblance."
"Or one that makes you a 'God'." Weiss snorted with distaste.
Pyrrha agreed with her on that one.
This guy(s?) was just plain broken.
Jiraiya asked himself as he avoided one of the other paths' hands, which were intent on grabbing hold of him. It was a tall lanky fellow – was being the operative term – whose hair had grown to match Jiraiya's in length and like its brethren, save for the one with tape on its head, it had orange hair. Though unlike the Toad Sage, the path had not bound his hair in any way.
"Trying to determine the causes of one of God's abilities is akin to asking the meaning of life, Master." The Path intoned as it looked into Jiraiya's eyes.
"The meaning of life? I already know the answer to that one." Jiraiya grinned.
"…If he says breasts, I'm turning it off." Weiss warned.
"Come on, you are such a prude." Yang rolled her eyes.
"And you're a deploring lecher to our gender with bare minimum shame."
Yang was silent, looking stunned at the insult.
Weiss was inwardly cackling at finally getting Yang to shut up.
It was the little victories.
He caught the Path by the arms and bashed his horned headband into its face. The Path's head flew back reflexively, consequently leaving it off guard for when Jiraiya whipped around and threw the body to the other Paths. Yahiko's body merely sidestepped it, allowing it to fall and land in a broken manner on the ground.
"Do you? Then tell me, what do you believe it to be, Master?" Yahiko's body asked.
"Living life to the fullest, of course!" Jiraiya grinned widely. "Enjoying our brief time on this planet while trying to make a difference for the next generation is what Life is all about!"
Weiss looked surprised. "That was honestly…respectable."
"So you like him now?" Ruby asked.
"Of course not."
Yang just rolled her eyes.
"You are an insult to Huntsmen everywhere." If Pein's words hurt Jiraiya, he didn't let it show. "How you became what you are today, I will never understand."
"Wow, he pulled a Weiss."
The heiress glared at Yang, who shrugged.
Payback was a bitch.
"Right back at you, Nagato." Jiraiya muttered darkly before he grinned and performed a backflip to avoid being tackled by the somewhat Chubby Path. "Missed!"
"I won't." Yahiko intoned as he appeared in front of Jiraiya, his hand an inch away from the man's face. "Kneel before God and accept your penance."
"This is really reminding me of my Sundays…but not the happy chores and really good dinners." Jaune muttered.
"Not today." Jiraiya shot back as he pushed the hand out of the way and leapt up to deliver a ruthless roundhouse that knocked his former student's body back. He landed with both feet spread wide and his arms out. "Tell me, Pein, have you ever killed someone face to face, or did you always use these 'paths' of yours?"
"Bet he tells his little minions to do it all." Coco snorted with distain. "Or with his puppets."
"...The last person I killed myself is the one you just kicked in the face." The bandaged path said with a raspy voice. Its arms lifted up and the hands shifted into gun barrels of a massive caliber. Before it could fire, Jiraiya appeared between its arms with his eyes now hard, with his nostrils flared.
"You turned on Yahiko?" Jiraiya snarled as he grabbed onto the path's shoulders. In a show of monstrous strength, he ripped the arms from their sockets and used them to knock the body away. The arms were then tossed at Yahiko's body, knocking it onto its back to the rooftop. Jiraiya rounded on the Chubby Path narrowed eyes. "You shame his memory by using him as your front!"
"Oh man, this is getting really dark guys." Ruby looked nervous. "Not feeling okay here."
"Shh." The older kids told her.
"Master..." A gentle voice that came from behind made Jiraiya's eyes widen. He rounded to see the beefier Yahiko-lookalike walk from the hole he'd been thrown through with Konan at his side. Only Konan was unharmed, in fact, she looked as if they hadn't fought at all. Konan's gaze was filled with sorrow and remorse as she looked to Yahiko's rising body. "Yahiko ...went against us."
"That's not a bad thing, jerk." Blake scowled, crossing her arms.
This guy was just really agitating her in the worst ways.
"Wait, she died." Ren pointed out.
"…ZOMBIE?!" Nora cried out in terror. "Get the prep kits! Get the Zombie-Blockers! We need a nuke!"
"Let's not go that far…But I agree," Coco frowned. "Why is she still alive? Bitch needed to die."
"As he should have!" Jiraiya snapped, forgetting that the student he'd just killed was now walking and seemingly back at top form. He almost paid for his absentmindedness with his left arm as a paper blade swung out at him. As it was, he leapt away to avoid the strike, only to be blindsided by the Chubby Path. Jiraiya slammed back into the rooftop hard, rising up and grabbing the deep gash that Konan's attack left in its wake. Through gritted teeth, he glowered at his impassive students' faces. "So, you can defy the course of natural order. You can revive the dead. A true God would not do such things, Pein."
"But isn't that a good power?" Ruby scratched her head. "I mean, imagine the people that could be saved."
"Natural order, Ruby." Velvet shook her head. "People die, you can't stop that."
"Oh…right." The young girl just looked down, a deep frown on her round face.
"Pain is the salvation of us all, Master." The Tall Path's deep voice intoned as it appeared behind him. A hand landed on Jiraiya's shoulder and his eyes went wide. Though he could not see it, he could feel something being pulled from his body, not Aura, but–
Jiraiya snapped out of his daze and, with all the strength he could muster, jumped up and out of the Tall Path's grasp. Falling forward, Jiraiya mule kicked the Tall Path away before it could finish pulling out what he believed to be his soul, which was inclined to be the source of aura and life in general.
"And the nightmare fuel continues…that you TV, thank you." Jaune scowled with scorn.
The Tall Path soared away and slammed into a water tower on a nearby building. The Beefy Yahiko raced after it.
Likely to bring it back to full power, Jiraiya supposed with narrowed eyes and haggard breaths. I need to pull myself together and then retreat. However, in order to do that, I need time, more time than Pein will give me. So...why not keep him talking?
"These...Paths..." Jiraiya managed to gasp out. He cringed inwardly at how weak and old he sounded, but he could feel his strength return. "They...have names?"
"In the traditional sense? No," Yahiko/Pein said. It held up six fingers – Jiraiya kept his gaze locked on the fully extended palm, aware of how the forceful attack was triggered by the extension of Yahiko's hand – and spoke stoically. "I have assigned certain labels to each Path to keep them straight, borrowed from the Story of the Sage. Samsara, the God who taught The Sage, had seven trials for him to complete:
"Okay, when has religion affected a show so much?" Nora asked. "Because I didn't ask for a lesson on something like this."
"Many stories hail from some Epic, Story, and Fable at its core." Ren told her. "It's how modern culture interpret it."
"Yeah but I want to see fighty fighty, not talky talky."
"Fair point."
The first trial was to obtain the Blood of Deva, the God who kept mankind bound to the land, which allowed the Sage to manipulate the planet's gravity. I deemed Yahiko's body worthy of using this ability, of being my Deva Path."
"He must be so fluttered." Weiss snorted.
"I'm sure...he's honored." Jiraiya spat while his breathing evened out. His eyes narrowed as he looked around "Then...there's five more Trials."
Jiraiya's eyes wandered along the five until they landed on the Bulky Yahiko-lookalike, who returned with the Tall Path in perfect condition. Jiraiya recalled how the Path revived Konan and he racked his brain. Finally, just as he came up with an answer – which only took him five seconds longer than usual – Yahi-Er, the Deva Path spoke up.
"Naraka, the Gatekeeper of the Underworld," Pein said. He almost sounded smug! Oh, what Jiraiya would do to that redheaded brat if he didn't need to buy time for his own escape. "The second trial required the Sage to obtain Naraka's Key, to ensure that the Sage wouldn't die before his tests were over."
"That's cheap…talk about a cheat code for the road." Ruby pouted. "If it's a test, he should have taken it like everyone else."
"We don't even know what the test was? But we would if you kept quiet." Her partner told her.
"I know the story!" Jiraiya spat out. He grimaced and shifted back when his arm let out a painful throb. What I wouldn't give to have Tsunade here right now... he thought. Pushing the pain he felt away, Jiraiya gave Deva Path a glower. "But...since you think I'm going to die, go ahead and tell me more."
The Deva Path arched a brow.
"And allow you more time to heal? I think not, Master."
Coco haplessly shrugged. "Well, that's a bust."
"He was close." Velvet gave a wishy washy motion of her hand.
His extended hand let out a familiar pulse and Jiraiya grit his teeth. With all the Aura he could spare, Jiraiya willed his semblance alive, his hair grew into a proud mane that quickly wrapped around him and hardened itself like it was a cocoon. Jiraiya's quick action kept him from feeling his body blast through the building that he'd sent the Tall Path towards moments before.
"Whoa, it's like that one ride…The Human Pinball." Ruby whispered with remembrance of her crazy childhood days.
"Didn't you throw up?"
Ruby sent her sister a glare. "I threw up with pride, Yang! With cookie and milk filled pride!"
"Gross." Weiss stuck out her tongue.
Though, Jiraiya didn't have enough aura to cushion his fall to the ground afterwards. The Toad Sage broke through the muddy ground of the Crying Land, shattering it like it were glass, and fell into a dark tunnel filled with endless pipes and concrete. Panting heavily, he rose up and fled into the shadows, more than aware of the inevitable pursuing forces that would follow him.
Fox gave a grunt of impatience.
"We're finally back at the start of it, stop being a baby." Coco told her partner.
Which brings me back here, Jiraiya thought as he ducked into a small corridor and pressed himself against a wall. He closed his eyes and willed his Aura to heal him faster, gritting his teeth as he felt the cells form abnormally and knit the wound closed. To take his mind from the injury, Jiraiya considered the Story of the Sage.
Naraka and Deva, two trials the Sage have passed. The third trial was supposed to be the defeat of the War God Asura, but that was changed when bandits ambushed the Sage, Jiraiya thought. He thought back to the Lanky Path and scowled. With the Key of Naraka, not only could the Sage decide when he would die on this journey, he decided the fate of others, and pulled the souls from his would-be attackers. 'The Mortals kept at bay with this display.' Damn, so he can revive freshly dead with the Naraka Path and remove souls with, er, the Mortal Path.
"No Semblance should be able to do that." Weiss snorted at the childishly OP power. "I can see why this is fiction…along with Yang's perfect boyfriend."
"…She did not just say that." Yang muttered with clenched fists, eyes flaring red.
"I think she did." Ruby whispered to her.
"Ruby, no talking. I'm fuming."
"Kay."
The gentle clack of sandal upon metal made Jiraiya cease all thought and still his breaths. He waited patiently until the sound passed by, doing so in the form of the Bandaged Path.
Well, I think I know who the War God is. Jiraiya thought dryly as his subconscious re-named the form that walked by. So, the Asura Path can change itself into any weapon, something considered useless for the fifth trial, against the Warding God Preta. It would be enough to get close, though, so your energy wasn't sapped...Shit, that means Tubby is Preta. Which leaves the Grimm Path to, of course, the summoner.
Ruby was counting on her fingers, trying to keep track of all the different paths and what they could do.
"This is confusing." She concluded.
"I hear ya." Nora agreed.
Ren shook his head. "It's not that hard to keep track of them. You just have to think of what they can do, not their names."
"Right, like Fat Sucking Guy."
"…Sure."
Jiraiya would've patted himself on the back if he didn't think now wasn't an appropriate time to do so. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and forced a tired grin onto his face.
Six Paths of Pein, what an apt title for your little group of abominations, Nagato. Jiraiya thought as he dabbed at his closing wound with his good hand and bloodied his fingertips. He silently crouched down and began to trace a symbol into the ground. However, what my former student forgets is that the Story of the Sage ends with the Sage refusing Samsara's request to bequeath the abilities to him, instead using these abilities to create a mineral that would aid the Human and Faunus alike for many years to come: Dust.
"I have a feeling there's a forbidden fruit moment here." Blake frowned, her bow twitching.
The symbol painted on the ground resembled the spiral Jiraiya's current apprentice wore proudly, but had several markings that matched those found near many dust excavations in Vacuo. To any outsider, they would be random squiggles or jagged lines marked in the dirt. To a Huntsman or Huntress, it would resemble old markings often seen on ancient Grimm. To a member of the Wanderers, they meant more often than not, that it was time to leave.
Why?
A little infusion of Aura and... Jiraiya grinned and put both hands on the shapes he drew. A bright blue light shone from the ground and then expanded outward in a bright dome, illuminating the tunnels he hid within.
"Well, there goes hiding." Yang said with a nervous look.
Ken stabbed the bottom of his kanabō staff into the last Ursa Grimm and looked over the carnage his fellows left in their wake. Bodies of the Grimm Horde lay decaying into black wisps, not one remaining after the fight, and from his count, only a half-dozen or so of the forty-something strong group had been lost. Those fallen were the newest, the rookies who'd answered their leader's call, eager to make a name for themselves.
"Well, you know what they say." Yang gave a rueful shake of her head. "Live fast, die young."
"I live fast…" Ruby pouted.
"Grow up, Ruby." Yang shoved her. "You know what I mean."
"Not really."
They died with honor, Ken thought morosely. He turned to the remaining troops, prepared to order advancement on the leader of the Fourth War, when he paused. The rest of his allies felt it, too, judging by the looks of shock that crossed their faces and undoubtedly covered his own.
"We retreat!" Ken ordered immediately. He pointed at the fallen members of their Clan. "Gather the dead, we bury them at home! We retreat and recover!"
There was no argument made, no reason for it.
They all know...Not to get in their way. Ken thought before he carved a symbol into the ground with his kanabō staff. Smoke encased the fighters and Ken, and seconds later, they were gone. The only evidence of their presence was the marking of a spiral leaf and bloodstains.
"More blood 'magic'." Weiss sniffed with distain.
"Ninja magic."
Weiss took a composing breath. She would not be baited.
Blake just sent her a tiny smile.
Their war was never over.
Ninja's ruled.
The Deva Path of Pein stalked forward through the tunnels that rested under his domain. He was followed by Konan, who now wielded a paper spear in place of the scythe, and flanked by the Grimm Path. Ringed eyes were narrowed and focused, determined to end this farce of a confrontation.
Master Jiraiya hasn't changed at all. His foolish notions will be the world's undoing. Pein thought in disgust. All that can save us now, is pain.
As the Deva Path rounded a bend, Pein was caught slightly off guard by the faint sound of arguing.
And then there was a sudden whack.
"Ow! Ma! That hurt, dammit!" The Deva Path recognized that as his outraged master. His stride quickened into a run that his path and Konan matched.
"Well it's what you get for making us worry! You foolish brat, going off to pick a fight that isn't yet time to be picked!" An elderly woman's voice shouted.
"Who brings a grandma to a fight?" Jaune asked.
"Hey," Yang argued. "She's an epic grandma, you don't know what she can do."
Deva Path narrowed his eyes further.
Bringing an old woman into this fight, Master? You dare mock God?
"Yes, yes he does. So do we." Blake drawled.
The three rounded another bend and were joined by the Asura, Preta and Naraka Paths at a fork.
"Now, now, Ma," the voice of an elderly man chided the woman, "Jiraiya-boy isn't at fault. After all, he was merely following up on a lead. The confrontation wasn't intentional."
"Thank you, Pa." There was another whack that echoed through the tunnels. "Ow, quit doing that!"
"Still, Shima has a point, Jiraiya-boy," the elder's voice said. "We're much too old to be in this sort of fight. Especially if what you say is true."
"Bah, it's just some upstart little boy who's unlocked his semblance." The woman, who Pein decided had to be this Shima/Ma person, scoffed at the other elder's words.
"Old people are awesome…" Ruby stated.
Weiss told her. "Or they just don't care at their ripe old age."
"Yeah, awesome."
If Pein had felt that the energy worth wasting was worth it, the Deva Path would've gained a frown on his face at Shima's words. Instead, the last of the six paths, the Mortal Path, joined with the group and Pein closed in on the voices. The Paths and Konan slowed to a stop around what Pein knew to be a dead end, but seeing that it was pitch black, he deemed it unnecessary to waste time pursing further.
"Hey, it's a pretty powerful semblance, Ma!" Jiraiya returned indignantly.
"Yes, yes, I gathered as much since you had to bring us out."
"Oh, managed to pick up on something without being told for once?"
"You be quiet you good fer nothin' ol' drunk!"
"What was that you measly hag!?"
"You heard me, you old fart!"
"…Okay," Ruby took back previous. "Old people are weird."
"Thank you."
"But still kinda awesome."
Weiss just groaned into her hand.
"Ma, Pa, I think now isn't the time," Jiraiya said as he emerged from the shadows. The Paths of Pein's eyes narrowed as one while Konan's widened slightly in alarm.
Jiraiya's nose had widened and become heavily covered in warts. His eyes shrank slightly, becoming two little peas that were yellow and toad-like. The 'tears of blood' that ran down his face had surrounded his eyes in thick red circles and gained an extra set of lines that crossed over the original lines. His shoulders were broader, his hair was thicker, and he even looked taller.
"It's old people puberty!" Nora screamed in horror.
Weiss shuddered.
"There is no makeup to save that." Coco blanched.
The most surprising of this vast bodily shift were the two extra heads and necks that protruded from both of his trapezius muscles. On the left was the head of old men, who had gained markings like Jiraiya's, but were dark green. His thick eyebrows were white as was the hair atop his head. On the right was an older woman, with the markings in dark purple, and her faded hair turned a similar shade as Jiraiya's.
"…Nightmare fuel. For life." Ruby frowned, her hood covering her eyes.
Yang just awkwardly patted her back. She totally agreed.
There were some things you just never imagined you'd see.
What would TV think up next?
They all had the same toad-like yellow eyes that flashed for a brief moment as they faced Pein.
"Well, well, is this him, then?" Shima asked, turning slightly to give Jiraiya a questioning look. Jiraiya nodded and he brought his left hand up, displaying the dried blood and the absence of the wound on the arm, to crack his right knuckles. Shima turned back to the Paths and Konan and frowned. "What a disgusting act, using the dead."
"Oh, you feel that too, eh?" The old man, Pa, asked with a glare locked on the Paths. "Abominations, all of them defy the Natural Order. I know one was once your student, Jiraiya, but they must be destroyed."
"I don't know which to kill with fire." Coco freely confessed, getting some looks. "What? They're all freaks by this point. Seriously, triple heads and using cadavers? Coin toss."
"Oh, I know, Pa." Jiraiya agreed as he cracked his left knuckles and narrowed his eyes. "Just keep me at my A-Game and this should be over quickly."
"Humph, maybe then we'll get to see little Naruto again. It's been so long since he's been invited to the Mountain." Shima said with a pointed look from the corner of her eye. Jiraiya glanced at her and smirked.
"Kid's been busy. He's not like Minato and I, having been offered after we were official Huntsmen, and needs time to think it over," he said.
"If he gets triple heads, I'm putting my foot down." Yang frowned.
"Don't you mean your sagging boobs?"
Yang looked at Weiss in horror, than her bust, "They're what?!"
"She's joking, Yang." Blake assured her.
"So they're not sagging?"
"No."
"Phew."
"Move!" Pa barked and Jiraiya obeyed, jumping back into the darkness as a massive blade flew from behind the Asura Path and stabbed the ground where Jiraiya once stood.
"So, this is your true power, Master? The power of the Toad Sage?" Pein asked, using the Deva Path as his speaker. Jiraiya cracked a grin.
"Kid, you ain't seen nothin' yet." Jiraiya clapped his hands together and Pein's narrowed eyes were drawn to them. Pein saw energy build up within Jiraiya's grasp, but he couldn't determine what the purpose was. To add to the mild confusion was Jiraiya's next request. "Ma, Pa, if you'd please play my favorite tune?"
The two elderly heads reared back and their nostrils expanded as they sucked in air. Pein watched impassively as the Preta Path moved to stand in front of the group. The two elders flicked their heads forward and opened their mouths, and from their throats came a powerful wave of pure sound.
"Wow, talk about making your own jam!" Yang yelled over the noise.
Blake covered her ears, Velvet too.
"I think my brain is turning into jam!" Jaune shouted.
"I love jam on my waffles~!" Nora shouted back at him. "Good thinking!"
The Paths' eyes widened as they were caught off guard by the attack and were sent flying off of their feet into the ceiling. The Asura Path was quick enough to grab onto Konan and wrap around her as its back hardened into steel. The concussive force of the attack made the Paths burst from the ground like a geyser, all save for the Path that started the fight, who was pinned to the ground by a thrown knife.
"Pein, I have a bone to pick with your Grimm Path." Jiraiya growled as he threw his clapped hands out and shards of Dust of varying types flew forward. The Grimm Path shielded its face as the crystalized, weaponized, elements impacted with its body. Water doused the Path's body and wind ripped away the cloak over the Path's form. Then lightning charred most of the Grimm's exposed skin and frost chipped away what remained.
"…Whoa, could you…" Ruby trailed off to Weiss.
Her partner huffed. "O-Of course I could! Such a move is simple."
"Cool."
Blake and Yang just snorted at Weiss' haughtiness.
It was adorable.
"He should dress in layers. It's dangerous to wear so little in this kind of weather." Jiraiya grinned as the remains of the corpse fell forward, the rain from above pouring down onto its body. The grin left his face as a massive white mouth emerged from beneath its body. A gruesomely grinning head followed, swallowing the body whole only to then spew the corpse back out like it was a loogie. The head sank back into the ground as if it'd never popped up in the first place.
"Again, where is the fire to burn things like this?" Coco asked.
"Make it go away!" Ruby whined with fright.
"I've seen a lot of things in my life, but nothing will ever match up to how disturbing that was," Jiraiya said. Fukasaku and Shima nodded, both just as disgusted and shocked as the Toad Sage was.
"Naraka's Key." The three heads looked up to see the Paths of Pein standing around the hole they'd been sent through. The Naraka Path jumped up to stand beside the Deva Path, who stared with narrowed eyes at the three-headed form of his master. "You know, Master, I didn't think it was possible."
"That you could get any creepier? No, didn't think so." Velvet deadpanned.
"So, did that blue lady get spit out too?" Ruby asked.
"I guess so."
"Ew."
"What?" Jiraiya asked curiously. With a face that was deader than dead itself, Pein managed to catch the three completely off guard.
"I didn't think you could become uglier."
"...Oh, ho, ho! He got you good there, Jiraiya-boy." Fukasaku chuckled and Shima cackled. Jiraiya's teeth ground together until finally he grabbed his head and released a scream of outrage.
"This is why I absolutely despise using Sage Mode in its entirety!" Jiraiya cried out in anguish. "I scare away all the cuties whenever I use this!"
"Yeah, you just bring the village mob."
"Coco," Velvet glanced at her. "Do we need to talk?"
"Just hate horror stories okay? Don't you judge me, scaredy rabbit."
Velvet's ears flopped at that as she sent her leader a mild glare.
"Not to mention you still need our compliance to help you sustain it for long." Shima added softly, which only sent Fukasaku into a fresh bout of laughter and made Jiraiya crumple to the ground in shame.
"Let's try and not tell my former pupil-turned-enemy that tidbit, shall we!?" Jiraiya hissed as he shot back to his feet. Shima gave her best shoulder less shrug.
"It's not my fault that it's true."
"Oh, ho. Ho. Hoo, boy, I needed that," Fukasaku said once he'd calmed down. He looked up at the awaiting forms of Pein and hummed in thought. "Odd that he's giving us time to do such banter. In fact, only person I could remember who did that willingly was Kushina."
"Indeed." Jiraiya cracked a smile. "She never did manage to beat me in a straight up fight, either."
"Beat you enough times after you peeked on her.
"Serves him right!" Yang said, getting a raised brow from Weiss. "What? He's cool and all, but you don't peek on my deceased to-be mother-in-law."
"Wow, jumping the gun?" Blake teased with a quirked lip.
"Nah, bae is my bae." Yang shrugged with a knowing grin. "Destiny and all that jazz."
And then there was that time Minato used that egg beater-"
"Now I am feeling squeamish." Jaune muttered.
Ren, Yatsuhashi, and Fox nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Let's focus on the problem at hand, shall we!?" Jiraiya cut Fukasaku off quickly while he clenched his hands into tight fists. "Ma, give us some cover so we can get out of the hole."
"Fine." Shima huffed and closed her mouth. Her eyes followed suit and a small glow started to form in her cheeks. Shima snapped her eyes opened just as her cheeks bulged outward. A fine stream of some sort of smog escaped her mouth and the Paths had to back away so that their vision wouldn't be impaired. The opening allowed Jiraiya to jump out of the hole and land behind the bodies in use of his former student atop a small building.
"Not bad so far, Pein, but let's see how you handle this." Jiraiya muttered to himself as he brought his hands together again. The Toad Sage pulled on the small hold he had over Remnant's energy and gathered it between his hands. He focused on the energy, picked apart aspects of it that he discarded and released back into the world. What he was left with, he converted into crystalized form. Imbued with his desire to cleanse the world of the abominations that were Pein's Paths, Jiraiya parted his hands to reveal two small Fire Dust crystals in his palms.
"…Haxs, haxs!" Weiss called foul. "You cannot, just no, no!"
"Ninja."
"Blake I will kill you if you dare-!"
"Magic."
Weiss tackled Blake in a fit of rage, a dust cloud picking up as they fought.
"Whoa! Cat fight!" Yang whistled.
"Not funny!" Blake cried from the cloud.
"While I am impressed that you can craft Dust from nothing, I must remind you Master, that you face a God. Your defeat is imminent," Pein said through Deva's mouth as it stared at Jiraiya impassively. The Toad Sage merely cracked a small grin.
"You know, he keeps saying that." Pyrrha frowned. "I think he needs to keep saying it to feel some sense of self-importance. As if he needs people to revere him. If he wasn't so villainous, I'd pity him."
"Whoa, character dissection also in your skill set?" Coco asked the redhead.
"No, but it's just a simple observation."
"…That wasn't simple." Coco muttered as she lifted her legs to avoid Weiss and Blake's brawl.
"Yeah, maybe it is. Maybe today is the day I die, maybe today is the day you die, maybe today is the day both of us die, but in any case, it doesn't matter to me what you say the outcome of this fight will be," Jiraiya said, his grin still in place. He clenched his hands into fists, and the crystals in his palms exploded, covering his fists in fire. As he leapt at his deceased student's form with a fist cocked back, Jiraiya proclaimed, "Because I'm going to give it my all, so get ready to feel my pain in wrath's form!"
Milliseconds before his fist could connect with the Deva Path's face, the Preta Path appeared between the two with an arm brought up. Jiraiya's fist met the cloth and stopped. There was a loud snap as a bone broke, but the real twist was when the fire around Jiraiya's fists dwindled away and reappeared around the fists of the Preta Path.
"It absorbed the Dust!" Fukasaku cried out in shock.
"Stupid broken garbage! Who wrote this nonsense?!"
"Ninja magic!"
"Die!" Weiss roared.
Yang looked down at them. "Could you two be more mature? Seriously, some of us are trying to enjoy a show here."
Blake and Weiss stopped momentarily to glare at her. She was accusing them of being immature?!
What a joke.
Weiss looked down into Blake's eyes. "Truce?"
"…For now."
"Fair enough."
Jiraiya's eyes merely narrowed in thought and he quickly kicked away before the Preta Path could grab hold of him. He landed in the mud on his feet and slid back, dropping to a knee to stop his momentum.
So, the Preta Path does absorb energy and it has to use it immediately. Otherwise there's a chance for overconsumption. Damn, hate to think what would happen if it got ahold of my Sage Aura. Jiraiya mused. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Shima's cry.
"Stop staring and move, you fool!"
Jiraiya leapt up to avoid the massive shuriken that passed by where his hips previously were. He landed atop the short roof once more and sent a wary look in the Grimm Path's direction.
"It can summon more than just Grimm," he said aloud as he recalled the Path bringing the other five forms forward. Jiraiya grimaced. Dammit, this is turning out to appear worse and worse with each passing minute.
"Eh? It can summon Grimm?" Shima asked. Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes. The Paths, as Pein calls them, are based off of the Trials of Samsara," he said.
"That we don't know." Nora brought up.
Blake, who had returned to her seat with ruffled hair, stroked her chin. "Maybe I could find something. It sounds interesting."
"And boring." Nora added.
"No, not really."
This time Fukasaku gave him a look.
"As in the Story of the Sage?" Fukasaku asked, a look of severe unease on his face. Again, Jiraiya nodded. Fukasaku turned to level the Paths with a wary grimace. "That is important information, Jiraiya. If what you say is true, then we must ensure it gets back to our allies."
"Yes. Yes we do." Jiraiya agreed. He narrowed his eyes and crouched down. "So to do that, I'm going to have to show him exactly why I'm called the Toad Sage."
"Jiraiya, you aren't skilled enough to withstand that," Fukasaku said firmly. "Our Sage Merge can only last so long and if you remain in that-!"
"He's going to ascend, beyond his limits." Yang said in a mystified tone.
Nora played along. "To go where no pervert has gone before."
"Pervy god mode." Blake clenched her fist.
"…You are all stupid." Weiss deadpanned.
Yang snorted. "You just lack imagination."
"I know, Pa." Jiraiya interrupted as he kicked his geta sandals off of his feet and let them descend to the ground. The Paths watched him curiously as he crouched down. "But I am The Gallant Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Myōboku, and it is my duty to my clan, to my home, to my planet to put a stop to this enemy of Nature."
"Wouldn't we be 'enemies' of nature?" Pyrrha tapped her chin. "With how we use it so selfishly to further our own survival?"
"Yeah, but, that's how we live." Jaune told her.
"And perhaps it is just nature fighting back."
"…You are way too into this." Jaune noted to his partner.
Pyrrha looked sheepish. "It's just a rather interesting topic."
Jiraiya put either hand on the ground in front of him while he rested on the balls of his feet. His teeth gritted and his enlarged nose flared. His 'tears of blood' spread further and his eyes shrank, until a good portion of his face was covered by the red markings and his eyes were no bigger than a marble. His hands and feet grew larger and more toad-like. The guards wrapped around his wrists and arms snapped off as warts sprouted along his skin.
"Remnant's Rage flows through me, the Sage of Myōboku, as I stare upon those things! The world cries out in horror, in anger, in fury the longer that I allow your tainted ways to spread across the land!" Jiraiya's voice deepened and he crouched further than humanly possible. Shima and Fukasaku's heads retracted to rest beside Jiraiya's head and Jiraiya's teeth sharpened. Jiraiya's hair grew longer and a short beard sprouted along his jaw. "Beware, abomination, my wrath is just! My mind is clear! With this I proclaim your end as near!"
"To fight a monster, you have to be a monster as well." Blake solemnly said.
"I don't think so." Ruby muttered with disagreement as she watched how creepy Jiraiya looked.
Yang [pointed at the screen. "Naruto better not look like that if he does this."
"...Always one for theatrics, Master. Very well, I will indulge you." The Deva Path stepped forward and held his arms out. "Leap into God's arms, Master. You are strong, forgo this foolish fight and join me. I will abolish you of your sins and together we will save this world."
"Mock me if you must, Pein, but know that I will weep for your death only once I've finished cleansing this land of your poison!" Jiraiya sneered before he lunged forward. "Here I come, Nagato! Give it your all!"
"Very well, Master." The Deva Path remained in place while the Asura Path leapt forward and its arms shifted into two gruesomely large blades.
Now, let's see how you fair against Minato's signature technique! The sage thought. In Jiraiya's left hand, a massive sphere of Aura formed. It easily matched the size of a small car and swirled violently enough to make noise that would make Faunus cringe.
The Faunus in the room winced a little.
"Nails on a chalk broad." Blake frowned.
Yang looked at her teasingly. "Have you tested that?"
"…I don't want to ruin my manicure."
The Asura Path's blades met Jiraiya's Aura attack and, while rearing back only slightly, Jiraiya grit his teeth while he forced more Aura into his attack.
"Oh no you don't..." He growled at the grinning Asura Path. "You're not getting out of this that easily! You will fall at my Rasengan!"
With the announcement of the attack's name cried out, Jiraiya thrust his left arm forward. The Asura Path's blades cracked before they were ground away into nothing. A fate that soon befell the rest of the now wide-eyed Asura Path. Jiraiya cracked a small smirk and the elders gained grins of vicious glee. The Rasengan powered on strong as Jiraiya approached the Deva Path.
"You overestimate yourself, Master Jiraiya," Konan said from Jiraiya's left, intruding on the high of their effortless defeat of the Asura Path. Jiraiya almost managed to avoid the swipe that robbed him of his entire arm. With a snarl and grimace, Jiraiya corrected his descent midair and landed with a ground-shaking boom.
"Cheater!" Ruby cried out. "Come on, he was doing something epic!"
"That life, Ruby." Weiss told her.
"Still, he's already outnumbered. That's just cheap."
"Jiraiya-boy, your arm!" Shima exclaimed. From the bottom of the shoulder joint down was nothing more than a bloody mess, the seemingly clean cut was actually minutely jagged. Frankly, it hurt a lot, but Jiraiya wasn't done yet, so he wouldn't dwell on it.
"Talk about disarmed."
"Yang!" Everyone complained.
"No time to worry about it, Ma!" Jiraiya snapped as his right arm grabbed onto the bloody stump that remained of his left. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the approaching Paths. "Frog Song! Now!"
"But-!"
"Do it, Shima!" Fukasaku barked. The two turned their attention forward and took deep breaths before their mouths opened again. Instead of launching the approaching threat away, however, all life caught in the sonic attack stopped, paused and suspended where they were.
The Frog Song, the Toad Elders' duet, The Wandering Lovers' Bellows, it has many names, but one use. That use is paralyzing the bodies and minds of anything within fifty miles giving me time to set up this. Jiraiya thought as he scribbled hastily onto the ground with his bloodied hand. Each of his elongated fingers drew a separate shape before another spiral leaf was finally carved into the ground around them. Now! The Hidden Art of the Toad Clan's deadliest technique!
"Super special awesome powers go!" Ruby punched the air. "Ignite justice!"
"Too much Saturday morning cartoons." Yang shoved Ruby.
"There's no such thing!"
"I beg to differ." Weiss told her.
"You just hate the costumes." Ruby snorted.
True, they were rather tacky. Weiss could concede to that.
"Reflect on your actions within the Stomach of the Ancient!" Jiraiya cried out as he slammed his hand onto the shape's center. The ground shook and the elders stopped singing, panting heavily from exhaustion. The Paths of Pein and Konan that were suspended in the air dropped to the ground, landing on their feet at the last second. Before any of the Paths could speak for Pein, the ground shifted and shuddered.
"What-?" The question the Deva Path began to ask was interrupted by the sudden emergence of a massive hole, a pit, beneath the Paths' feet. Toad tongues shot out of the pits and wound tightly around the Paths. Konan grew alarmed and ran for the Deva Path, but Jiraiya appeared in front of her within a blink of the eye and delivered a ruthless high roundhouse that more likely than not broke her nose, if not fractured her skull.
The blow sent Konan flying away from the battlefield, bursting through the walls of several houses. Really, if a broken nose and some missing teeth was all she got out of this, she'd be lucky.
"I think a snapped neck would be more deserving." Blake smiled with satisfaction if it were true.
"Stay out of this, Konan," Jiraiya said lowly as he turned and faced the Paths that were slowly being dragged into the pits beneath them. "I've killed you once already, don't think I won't do it again."
"Three...Four...Five. Five? Jiraiya-boy, there were only five!" Fukasaku informed the younger old man just as the last Path disappeared into a pit, which soon closed as did the others.
Ruby shook her fist in the air. "Curse you math! Why do you betray us?!"
"What?! Are you serious?!" The Toad Sage cried out in alarm while he looked around warily. "Dammit! I was hoping to get them all in one go! Did you see which one was missing?"
"The big burly one with the three spikes in each ear."
"Three spikes in...Oh no." Jiraiya's heart sank at these words. With horror etched in his features, Jiraiya slowly turned when he heard the sound of what could only be called a reverse slurp. Three sets of yellow eyes fell upon the rejuvenated and revived Paths of Pein, all lacking any serious injury.
"That's...That's impossible!" Shima murmured worriedly. "The Stomach of the Ancient, it's like a digestive tract of a toad, slow and painful, slowly killing those who are within over a thousand years. No one can escape it!"
"Well, broken bad guys do." Velvet pouted. She wanted to see them turned into toad droppings.
"I thought so as well, Shima," Fukasaku said gravely. "It seems we've met one who can...with the Samsara Eye, no less. The Eye of God..."
"...Feh." Jiraiya spat to the side and glared at the six paths. "They're just some fancy Semblance. Ma, you should head on home and prepare dinner."
"W-What?" Shima looked at Jiraiya in alarm as his features slowly reverted to normal. "Jiraiya, what are you-!"
"I agree with Jiraiya-boy, Shima." Fukasaku glanced around Jiraiya's stern face and smiled at his wife. "Go off and prepare dinner dear, we'll be along shortly."
"Fukasaku, what are you saying!? Jiraiya, be sensi-!" Shima cut herself off when she saw the gleam in Jiraiya's eyes. Swallowing heavily, Shima turned back to glare at the Six Paths. "...I suppose you're right. I'll make stir fry tonight, we'll have a big feast and properly welcome little Naruto into the Clan."
"If he chooses to be." Yang brought up.
"You know he is." Blake told her.
Yang hung her head. "Man, I'm dating a toad boy…as long as I don't see it. I should be fine."
"How generous." Weiss dryly noted.
"I know, I'm such a sweetheart."
"Heh, sure thing, Ma." Jiraiya grinned gently at her. "And afterwards I'll give him the notes I have for the next book."
"You'll do no such thing, it was bad enough you roped Minato-boy into your shenanigans when you were younger!" Shima huffed.
Yang had a pensive look on her face.
"What are you thinking?" Blake said with worry.
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering how…inspiring those notes can be." Yang said with a wide smile.
"You are deplorable." Weiss told her.
"You say deplorable, I say sexy."
Coco chuckled. "She's right on that one."
"Amen, sister!"
She tilted her head down and scowled. "You just finish up here and get back to the Mountain. You hear me, Jiraiya-boy?"
"You got it, Ma." Jiraiya nodded. Shima's lip warbled for a brief moment and her eyes squeezed shut before she vanished in the massive plume of smoke that encased Jiraiya's form. Once the smoke cleared, Jiraiya's features had reverted back to normal, but Fukasaku's head remained protruding from his back and his left arm was still missing. The Toad Sage kept a firm stare locked on the six paths as he balled his right hand into a fist.
"Pa...I ever tell you how much I hate lying to women?"
"No, and now isn't the time fer that sort of thing."
"Right." Jiraiya lifted his fist up. "Let's finish this-"
"I couldn't agree more, Master." The Deva Path appeared in front of them as though it materialized from thin air. A twitch of its hand and Jiraiya was sent flying back, breaking through the wall of the industrial water facility and landing hard on the bottom floor.
"...Ugh. Think he broke something that time?"
"Pride, bones, what's the difference at this point?" Weiss asked.
"Survival." Pyrrha told her.
"Hm."
Jiraiya grimaced as he held his side and slowly got back to his feet. The ground around him had broken away, revealing a deep watery underbelly hidden beneath the facility.
"Speak fer yourself, Jiraiya," Fukasaku said with a grimace of his own.
"I was."
"Feh, still the smart-assed punk?"
"Well, you know, Master Sarutobi had a big influence on me," Jiraiya said with a smirk. His smirk fell away as the smoke of his impact cleared. Both Jiraiya and Fukasaku started. Shock, surprise, horror, annoyance, fear, and even the slightest hint of acceptance flashed through their eyes as they stared at the Six Paths that surrounded them.
"Flee, flee!" Ruby cried out.
"They're surrounded." Blake told her.
"Flee!"
"Did you really think I would move so slowly? That I would willingly let you plan?" Pein asked through the six bodies. Obsidian staves slid down from the Paths' cloaks' sleeves into their hands and they narrowed their eyes. "You've lost today, Master Jiraiya, I've outclassed you long before we even crossed paths today. This world will be saved, all will feel pain. Surrender, and it will be quick, out of gratitude for your part in my life."
Jiraiya turned to Fukasaku and their eyes locked. A firm nod was shared between the two before the Toad Sage rose to his feet. A short knife was pulled out of his pouch and held defensively.
"Not until the last breath leaves my body will I surrender."
"…I think that's about to happen." Nora muttered, getting a nudge from Ren.
"Shh."
"I'm a rambling realist. Sorry."
Ren just retorted with. "At least let's see it."
"Fine."
Pein, the Deva Path at least, closed his eyes.
"As you wish."
The Paths moved. Jiraiya threw his blade. Blood was spilt. A body fell.
The knife Jiraiya threw exploded.
"I want one."
Weiss scoffed. "You couldn't throw a knife to save your life, Ruby."
"But I can shoot it!" Ruby said with a glimmer in her eye.
"…No." Yang told her firmly.
"Drat."
Heh...bet you didn't see that coming, eh, Nagato? Jiraiya thought as he fell to his stomach, five staves piercing through his stomach to come out of his back and sides while the sixth was dropped when the explosion destroyed the Preta Path, leaving a larger smoke cloud around him.
"Oh, this is actually kind of sad…He was awesome." Yang frowned.
Blake patted her shoulder. "It happens all the time with good characters."
"Now bae's going to be all sad, and that ruins our mood, and sex isn't going to be awesome for a while, and…dammit, Jiraiya! How could you do this to us!" Yang cried out.
"It's okay, Yang."
"No, Ruby…it's not."
The Paths retreated, watching the cloud of smoke diligently, while Fukasaku emerged from the ground he had merged with a millisecond before Jiraiya took the staves to his gut. The old man had his arm cradling his ribs, a grimace on his face, and fire in his eyes.
"Pa..." Jiraiya choked on the blood that rose out of his mouth. He fumbled around in his left side's pouch with his right hand before he pulled out a Fire Dust crystal. "Mess...Message."
"But where's the paper?" Nora asked, her brow knitted. "Won't it burn?"
"I don't think he's writing on paper." Ren told her.
"Right, make it quick." Fukasaku nodded and pulled up his shirt, revealing his back to the bleeding Toad Sage. Jiraiya crushed the crystal in his hand and used his dwindling Aura to contain the fire above his finger. Through bleary eyes, he burned several numbers into the elder's back, Fukasaku holding his tongue over the pain.
"That's gross." Nora blanched.
The smoke cleared by the time the last number finished.
"...A message...in code..." The Deva Path narrowed its eyes. The Asura Path lifted its arm and shifted it into a cannon form. A massive round, easily the size of a fist, was fired at Fukasaku's head. The elder of Mt. Myōboku turned and gave a nasty glare to the Paths of Pein before he vanished in a plume of smoke. The Asura Path's round splashed into the water beside Jiraiya, whose eyes slowly dulled.
So...This is it, huh? This is death? The last...great adventure... Jiraiya thought as the world darkened around him. I guess...I guess it's not so bad. I lived a long fulfilling life...Managed to snag the dream girl...
Tsunade walked down the aisle, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, both approaching him. The image shifted to an angry Tsunade storming out of the house.
"Not for long…" Ruby muttered, there went that happily ever after.
Though...that didn't last long. We had some good years I hope. Jiraiya mused. If he'd been able to, he'd smile at his next thought. Had at least one good student...
A grinning Minato looked up at him happily as he managed to iron out the details of his 'perfect' weapon. The young boy suddenly became a man, with a wife laid beside him, both bloodied and dead while protecting a crying babe.
"Why is it always the hot ones?!" Yang cried to the heavens. "Why do you take the good!"
"And his mother." Blake reminded her.
"And his totally hot mom!"
Blake just groaned, her fingers rubbing her eyes.
The baby then grew into a loudmouthed brat that sneered or scowled at him whenever he brought up the prospect of doing something 'fun' instead of boring old training. Then that brat became a bigger brat, who was a bit more tolerable, a bit stronger, and covered in the guts of a Graboid.
"That was so not fun to see." Yang grimaced as she calmed down from her previous comment.
Wait...Make that two students. Jiraiya thought fondly.
"You'd better believe it! Naruto Uzumaki is the best damn prankster in all of Vacuo and if you do me wrong, I'll find you and embarrass the flying fuck out of you!"
Best in Vacuo, huh? Might want to set your goal a little higher... Jiraiya thought. Three years spent on the road, exchanging barbs and insults in playful manner. Attending small festivals around the world, training in extreme climates, facing off against various Grimm, these were just some of the moments Jiraiya recalled.
Naruto, Jiraiya thought as a smile naturally spread across his face. I leave this world...in your faithful hands...
"I truly think death has gotten to him if he's leaving it in a numbskull's hands." Weiss scoffed.
"Meh, crazy people rule the world!" Yang smiled broadly.
Miles away, within the grounds of a school called Beacon, a whiskered blond suddenly stopped walking. He turned and looked around in confusion. For a moment, it felt as though someone had just grabbed his shoulder.
"…No, no!" Ruby waved her arms frantically. "I can handle a lot of stuff, freaky eyes, bringing back the dead, but not ghosts, anything but ghosts!" She wailed in horror.
"Rubes, Shh." Yang chided her. "It's a meaningful moment."
"No!"
"What's the hold up, Dead Last?" The dark haired companion of the blond asked. "We're going to be late to class again if you keep zoning out."
"I could've just sworn...Nah, even the Toad wouldn't try a prank that lame." The boy snorted and interlaced his hands behind his head. He continued his stride, putting on a cheeky grin while he ignored the strange churning in his gut. "Alright, alright, let's go so you can watch your fetish fuel help Oobleck today."
"That Googwitch, filling fetishes for years." Coco snickered.
"For the last goddamn time, I don't have a Fetish!"
"Sure you don't."
Yang slumped, "Man, the fallout is going to suck."
"Big time." Blake concurred.
"Hm, I guess he will be missed…seeing as he made the Numbskull suffer."
"Weiss, you are Weiss cold."
"…I'm going to kill you one day."
"Love you too, Weiss." Yang blew her a kiss.