Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY.

Veritas Aequitas

XXXVI: Homecoming

When Naruto awoke, he did not find himself back in his team's room. Hell, he was pretty sure he wasn't even on Beacon's campus. This thought was confirmed when he started to sit up, only to find that he was restricted by several thick leather straps that went across his body and kept his arms bound to his sides.

"What the fuck...?" Naruto muttered. His brows furrowed in bewilderment. He craned his head up and around in order to try and get a better view of the layout. There was an overhead light that flickered obnoxiously and the steel walls were covered in grime. Looking past his feet, he saw another grimy wall with a door in the middle, with a sliding port on the outside.

Okay...seriously. What. The. Fuck? Naruto thought while he jerked around in an effort to break out of his binds. As his semblance slowly built up, he grit his teeth and tried to force himself free. To his astonishment, the binds that kept him atop the table seemed to soak in the aura that Naruto expelled as his semblance's power grew. Rather than wasting time testing the binds' limits, Naruto stopped and closed his eyes.

All right, keep your cool, Naruto. Think it through. Naruto took a deep breath and his eyes screwed shut. The last thing I remember is being with Yang...And while we have joked about tying down each other, I highly doubt this is her doing. For one thing, I still have clothes on. Unless that's part of her game...Which is doubtful, but still a possibility. Though, considering my surroundings.

Naruto opened his eyes and glared around the room again.

Yeah, okay, definitely not Yang's attempt to cheer me up with role-play. Honestly, I don't know if I would totally be up for that. Old Toad would never let me live-Oh. Right. Dead. Naruto closed his eyes and grimaced. Oum, I really need to think about that later. I need to figure our when the hell did I get... wherever the fuck I am?

The window on the metal door slid open with a grating squeal that Naruto was sure would annoy the hell out of any Faunus ten times it did him. Through the small window, two dark eyes appeared and were accompanied by a thin trail of smoke that drifted up.

"Awake, now?"

"Asuma? Where am I? What the hell is going on!?" Naruto demanded. He struggled against his binds and growled as his body began to glow. "And why the fuck can't I break out of these binds!?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Asuma said softly to the blond. Naruto glared at him with bared teeth, his eyes a bright red instead of their usual sparkling blue.

"And why the fuck should I!?"

"Because if you don't, I'll have to knock you out again," Asuma said flatly. He puffed on his cigarette and the smoke trail moved to the opposite side of the man's head. His finger rubbed at his eye, and Naruto got the feeling he was being flipped off discreetly. "On the flight here, you woke up and ...didn't react well to being taken from Beacon."

"We're not in Beacon!?"

"Calm. Down." Asuma reiterated firmly. "Listen-!"

"I think talking to him through the door is doing more harm than good, Asuma." Drawled an unseen male from the other side of the door.

"Commander, given his hostilities on the trip over-" an elderly voice protested from out of sight.

Naruto stiffened at the title that was used. Being the first line of defense that it was, Kon was not a village run by civilians. The citizens ran the village of Kon, and civilians' opinions were of little concern in the grand scheme of things. Hearing that the top dog was outside his door, he was even more willing to calm down, if only to see the village's leader and get answers directly.

"Honorary advisors, what a surprise!" The other voice sarcastically chirped. "I don't believe I invited you to this location."

"Wha-Buh-We were only-!" An elderly woman sputtered, only to be cut off.

"In fact, I do believe upon taking office that I told you as clearly as I could to, and I quote 'fuck off and die.'"

"See here-!"

"Fuck. Off. And. Die." The younger man's voice reiterated. "The council was abolished during my master's time as the Fourth Commander, and I personally abolished your positions upon taking the Fifth seat. So! Now that our little history lesson is over, Asuma, would you kindly escort these honorary members of the village out of my building?"

Naruto watched the small visible part of Asuma's eye glisten gleefully and a sharp clack of a sandal was heard as it shifted into place. The protesting elders' voices swiftly decreased in volume as they were led away from the cell he was in. The window on the door was slid shut swiftly, a feat Naruto didn't think was possible with how rusty it appeared, and the heavy lock door was audibly undone with a loud click. The door was pushed open and Naruto's dwindling rage was promptly snuffed out.

Standing in the doorway was a tall, lanky man with spikey silver hair. A thin, neat scar ran over his left eye. The eye in question was black, which contrasted greatly to the warm chocolate colored eye that rested in the right socket. That was as far as describing his facial features went because of the cloth mask that seemed molded to his face from the middle of his nose down to his neck.

The man wore the same attire Asuma chose to wear, with a few variations. Gloves with metal plates along the back were pulled over the man's hands and tape was wound tightly around the end of the man's pants, which were tucked into the man's combat sandals. His olive flak jacket was missing a few pouches that Asuma had and had a few bronzed bars stamped into the collar. Finally, wrapped around his head to keep his unusual silver hair from his eyes, was a navy band with a blank metal plate on it.

"Kakashi." Naruto blinked. Kakashi's eyes closed and seemingly curved upwards, as if he were smiling. His left hand vacated his pocket and lifted up in greeting.

"Yo!" Kakashi's carefree tone and his slouched posture greatly differed from the commanding voice that had been heard through the door. He walked over to the wall on Naruto's left and tapped a few visible screws in a unique sequence.

The bands that held Naruto in place were quickly retracted into the table and Naruto slowly sat up. Rubbing his red right wrist, the blond kept his attention on his former teacher.

"...Where-?"

"This, Naruto, is a specially made room crafted in the very heart of the Commander's Office." Kakashi sighed and let his head hang slightly as he faced the teenager. "A room that was meant to hold you, should you...do something you'd regret."

"...W-What do you mean?" Naruto asked. He examined the room again. No windows, one door, and a lifted bed to rest on. It was a bed that could keep him in place even when he had his semblance on the rise, thanks to those weird anti-Aura bands. He shuddered, even hospitals had windows.

"The Ramen Incident."

Naruto blinked and looked back at his old teacher.

"Naruto, do you even remember what happened on that day?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head and the older man shuddered. "You know what, that's probably for the best. Ibiki can't look at you the same way anymore."

"...Who's Ibiki?"

"Exactly. Now c'mon, I'll walk you back to your apartment," Kakashi said with a concealed grin thrown over his shoulder. "You need to shower. Three days in a dark hole does not leave for a clean aroma."

"That's not exactly my fault..." Naruto deadpanned as he followed his sensei out of the room. A minute ticked by before he caught up to what was said. "Wait a minute! Three days!?"

"You are very unreasonable when you're under its control, Naruto."

"Under what's control? Kakashi, where am I?! Where's my team?! Why aren't we in Beacon-?!" Naruto stopped before he ran into the halted form of the older man. Kakashi had turned halfway to face him and Naruto's anger, which was slowly bubbling its way back up to the surface, quickly retreated at the cold, detached look forced down on him.

In front of him right now was no longer his beloved teacher from his days at Kon Academy, but the Fifth Commander assigned to watch over and run the village at the behest of Vacuo's leaders. He stared down at Naruto like the blond was a child throwing a tantrum. It was not a look he had ever seen on his teacher's face and it was not one he wanted to be under ever again.

"...Are you done?" Kakashi asked. Naruto swallowed a big gulp of air and his tongue turned to lead. He nodded stiffly.

"Y-Yes...sir."

"Good." Kakashi turned forward and resumed his stride. It took only a second for Naruto to be roused from his shaken state, and he quickly rushed back up to walk alongside his old teacher. Kakashi let his hands rest behind the small of his back, resting over the collapsed form of his weapon while they continued down the hallway. "Now, I cannot say anything about where you are precisely, as it would diminish the purpose of the location if you were to ever escape your binds, however unlikely that would be. Sasuke, Kurama and the Fog student are currently preoccupied with preparations for an assignment I gave to them and only to them."

"They're my team!" Naruto blurted out in protest. A raised hand stopped anything more that might've been said by the whiskered blond.

"As proud as I am to hear you say that, part of being a leader is knowing how to trust your subordinates to take care of themselves," Kakashi said. He sent a kinder, much more familiar eye-smile at the blond. "After all, you're still one of my cute little students, no matter how tall you get or how many gray hairs you grow."

"...Kakashi, you have gray hair." Naruto deadpanned.

"So? In case you've forgotten, Naruto, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have the hair of an old man, but the beauty of a young maiden" he said cheerfully. The two eyes opened and leveled the blond with a stern look. "In all seriousness, though, Naruto, this is a trial for them more-so than it is for you. Keep that in mind."

"Fine...But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Naruto grunted.

"I'd be more upset if you did," the village leader said with an approving nod. "While you've been away, there have been several changes in Kon's structure, as have there been in our sister villages. Vacuo's been poisoned by the elders and minor councils for decades now. Unintentionally, I'm sure, but still, the damage is painfully obvious. Your childhood circumstances, for example."

Naruto grimaced and reached up to gently grab hold of the rings that dangled from his neck. He didn't like to dwell on the past for too long for good reason; there were more tears than smiles.

"Ugh, I hate when you get all serious, Kakashi. What's that even mean?" Naruto groaned and scratched his head. Kakashi stopped at the bottom of a stairwell and turned to face Naruto fully. His stern 'leader' glare was back and Naruto struggled not to wilt beneath it.

"I will not cut corners with you, Naruto. Since news of Jiraiya's death has reached us, we've been preparing for war. We even revoked the age limit on enrollment to the academy." His words made Naruto's eyes widen. Before the whiskered blond could say anything, Kakashi held his hand up to keep him quiet. Assured he had Naruto's full attention, his hand dropped back to rest behind him. "I know. It's wrong, and it's a horrible thing to think about, but I'd rather have children that can defend themselves in the worst-case scenario than innocents who had no chance from the get go. I swear to you now as I swore to the parents of the village, they will never see a battlefield so long as I can help it."

"...I'll hold you to it, Commander." Naruto nodded with a frown on his face.

"See that you do." Kakashi nodded back. He turned on his heel and proceeded to go up the stairs, Naruto still following behind him. "With your godfather gone, our connection to the Myōboku Wanderers and our information network in general is weakened. He may not have shared who his contacts around Remnant are with you, but if he has, please let me know."

"During our trip we stopped at a lot of red light districts, brothels and bars," Naruto said softly. "Start there. Anyone who's avoiding his name should be worth noting. I never met any of his contacts, but he knew that he...he..."

Kakashi stopped for a third time and looked back down at Naruto.

"Naruto," he said softly, reaching out to put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Lord Jiraiya was..."

"...What were you talking about earlier? You said something about me being under 'its' control? What control are you talking about?" Naruto asked without meeting Kakashi's gaze. While he was grateful for the words and support, he still wasn't really ready to talk about it. Hell, he could hardly believe he was...wherever they were for three days when it felt like only one night had gone by. Kakashi seemed to understand this and retracted his hand. They started walking again, ascending the stairwell in silence for a good three flights.

Just how deep underground are we, anyway? Naruto wondered as they started up the fourth flight. With each step echoing in his head and his worry for his teammates growing, Naruto almost snapped when Kakashi suddenly stopped halfway up the flight.

"I'm going to have to blindfold you, Naruto. This is as far as any detainee has gotten without being caught." Kakashi turned and offered a black band he pulled from one of the hidden pouches on his flak jacket. "I've asked a lot of your patience today and I know that it is waning, but please trust me. I do this for your safety."

"...Blindfolding someone halfway up a flight of stairs who knows how many feet underground...Yeah. My safety is obviously what you're worried about." Naruto deadpanned. He still complied, knowing how he could easily be ordered or – Oum forbid – glared at. Seriously, Kakashi's glare was on par with Yang's yelling, with only the latter winning marginally.

"I promise, Naruto, this will all make sense soon." Kakashi assured him as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Then a cold feeling overcame the blond, along with a lot of pressure. It was as if someone suddenly tossed him into the ocean with weights on his legs.

Pervy Sage, though I miss you, I do not miss your training exercises… Naruto thought as he banished that particular memory. He was almost shark bait. Then, as suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished. With it went all of Naruto's energy and the air in his lungs. He fell to his hands and knees, gulping down that sweet, sweet life-gas vigorously while Kakashi rubbed his back.

"Sorry, Naruto." The village leader apologized. "It's disorienting the first time for everyone. You'll be a little light headed for a while. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"Are you going to hold that against me forever? Because I've told you that it was totally not my fault." The voice of a newcomer was muffled and, as curious as he was, Naruto couldn't find the strength to remove his visual hindrance. If this was anything what it was like to not be blessed with ever increasing durability and strength, Naruto was so grateful to whatever powers that be he wasn't 'normal'.

"Yes, just as I'm sure it wasn't Lord Fourth's fault that his semblance gave us a damn heart attack every time he used it to 'accidentally surprise' us." Kakashi's deadpanned response would've made Naruto laugh, but he was still trying to breathe.

"Heh, yeah...Wait, you actually had heart attacks? It was so hard to tell with how 'professional' you were."

"Fuck you, you good for nothing klutz."

"Ah, you know I wuv you, Kaka-baka! You're my cute widdle brother!" There was a loud crash and a following groan. "Ow..."

"Klutz?" Naruto asked once he got back to his feet and could breath normally again. "Kakashi, what the hell was that? Where are we? Can I take this stupid thing off now?"

"You may remove the cloth, Naruto."

Naruto did so as soon as his old teacher said the word 'remove'. He found himself in the village leader's office, a place he'd been many times in his youth to speak with his beloved and now deceased grandfather. The décor had hardly changed, though there were now five pictures above the leader's desk instead of the previous four. Naruto's eyes lingered on the fourth picture momentarily, taking in the intense seriousness that had overcome his father's face when he got his picture taken.

"You know, he'd be proud of you, kid." Naruto jumped when a hand of inorganic material patted his shoulder. The owner of the arm was scarred man with a good portion of the left side of his face covered. He was someone Naruto held dear to heart, even if he had to be away for long portions of time. Hell, this was the man who'd gotten him started on pranking in the first place.

"Obito!" Naruto grinned before clasping his hand around the older man's false one. A quick bro-hug was shared between the two. When they parted, Naruto continued to smile at the older man. "How've you been!? Where've you been?! It's been a few years!"

"How've I been? Kid, how've you been?" Obito asked, his smile slipping and becoming a frown. "I'm not back in town for three minutes and I hear you're only now awake."

"I..." Naruto's smile faltered and his eyes dropped. "I've been...Okay."

"He's been suffering from the Uzumaki Curse, Obito." The two spiky haired males looked at Kakashi, who'd taken his seat behind his desk. The white haired man gestured to the chair set opposite him. "Naruto, this may surprise you, so, please. Sit."

Naruto blinked, looked back to the man he considered his pseudo-uncle, before he took the offered seat. Obito moved to lean against the edge of Kakashi's desk, careful not to disturb the few photographs set there by the Commander, and crossed his arms. Kakashi interlaced his hands in front of his masked face.

"Tell me, Naruto. What do you know about your family?"

"They were a clan of nomads who stayed within the boundaries of Vacuo. They didn't worry about settling because they could handle the Grimm and preferred to be on the move rather than worry about starting up defensive positions in one place," Naruto said, reciting what he could from memory about Vacuo's nomadic clans.

"Good, but do you know why they chose to brave the Grimm on a daily basis? Why they didn't join Vacuo or form their own settlement?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head. The silver haired man looked at Obito, who shrugged, before he looked back at his student. "That would be due to the Uzumaki's familial semblance."

"...Uh-?"

"It's not a semblance in a traditional sense." Obito was quick to add. "It's rare, but you know how some traits happen to follow a family such as hair or eye color for generations? Well, this was a small trait that also happened to follow the family, but more of an internal trait than an external trait."

"...So, that's why you call it the Uzumaki Curse, instead?" Naruto muttered. "It's a negative trait."

"It's not...negative, per say. It just happens to kick in around the worst times for an Uzumaki. Generally when they're under great stress or emotional anguish. Now, that's not an excuse for you to use," Kakashi said. Naruto nodded with a somber look on his face. Kakashi leaned forward. "From what your mother told us and what Jiraiya learned over time he spent with you, was your family's curse tended to...amplify an individual's semblance."

"What do you mean? Make it stronger?" Naruto frowned. "How's that a bad thing?"

"Imagine you've just witnessed your team get slaughtered by Grimm, Naruto." Obito cut in. He rubbed his arm gently for a moment before he looked back at Naruto. "Imagine you watched your most treasured friends and allies fall. Tell me, what would you do?"

"...I'd kill the Grimm." Naruto muttered. He thought about the offered scenario, and clenched his fists. "Probably be so mad that...I'd push my semblance as far as it could go. To do it as fast as I could so I...I could put them to rest."

"But then after the Grimm were destroyed, what if you couldn't stop?" Obito asked. "What if you kept raging? Kept attacking anything in sight? And all the while, your semblance continued to grow in power until finally you stopped. Forever."

"...Is...Is that the Curse?" Naruto asked softly, his eyes wide. "An insatiable bloodlust?"

"It doesn't have to be bloodlust Naruto." Kakashi said. "Emotional turmoil in general or just a lot of stress causes the semblance to act out and flare up. Negative emotions would just bring Grimm to the location and allow the Semblance use. Then it would go amok from there."

"Until death..." Naruto concluded somberly. He closed his eyes. "That's...That's how my mother died, isn't it?"

"...Yes." Kakashi nodded while Obito looked down. "...The night you were born, we were attacked by the Fourth War for the first time. Their leader isolated your parents from the village. From what we learned in the post-battle investigation, your father was severely injured and Kushina was...consumed by the Curse while you were...held hostage."

Naruto's hands tightened on the arms of his chair. "So...I was abducted. And they were manipulated."

"Naruto, look at me." Kakashi said firmly. He waited until the blond looked at him again. "You. Were. A. Baby. There was nothing you could do but cry. If anything, it was because of you that we found the battlefield at all."

"On a side note, you had a hell of a set of lungs on you. I think I still have problems with this ear," Obito said while pointing at his covered ear. Naruto looked at him and cracked a small smile. The older man grinned back at him.

"Are you sure that wasn't from all the scolding you've had over the years?" Kakashi asked dryly. Obito fell over and a cloud of depression could almost be seen drifting off of the man while he drew circles in the floor with his robotic arm.

"Such a mean little bro..." Obito complained.

"Tough love, Obito. It's all tough love." Kakashi cheerfully informed him.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. He missed the quick look the older men shared as he did. When his arm lowered, Obito was back leaning against Kakashi's desk while the Commander had started to dig around in his desk. A second later and a set of keys were tossed Naruto's way.

"I've been holding onto these since you left. I know you wanted it renovated and cleaned for someone else to move in, but...we'll always have a place for our own," Kakashi said, his eyes closed in their usual smiling manner. "Go home, think on what I've said."

"And for Oum's sake, take a shower, man!" Obito waved his organic hand in front of his face. "You smell like the worst case of afterglow."

"I-That's-He locked me up somewhere for three days!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kakashi, who'd retreated to hide behind a certain book. Naruto's eye twitched. Kakashi pulled a Sasuke...Or has Sasuke been pulling a Kakashi? Son of a bitch.

"Excuses!" Obito turned his head away and pointed at the door. "Begone from our sight, Citizen!"

Naruto scowled at them and walked out, grumbling over how it wasn't his fault he stank and how much he'd rather be at Beacon hanging out with his girlfriend.

Once the blond left, Obito dropped his playful façade and frowned. He stepped forward and looked over the village. His inorganic hand rested behind him while he put a hand on the window.

"Kakashi," he began softly. "Do you think telling Naruto how we found his parents was wise?"

"He's now a huntsman-in-training, Obito. If She has her way, he'll either be a Huntsman before the second year even starts or worse." Kakashi replied, not looking up from his book once. He turned the page and exhaled softly through his nose. "He'll be dead."

"Then let's pray that when his team returns, we find something we can use to delay her wishes," Obito said softly. He turned around and walked back to his longtime friend's desk. "Speaking of, has any word been sent on their progress?"

"No. Still nothing. I hope it's just the radio silence, but..." Kakashi sighed and set his book down. He looked over at a picture of himself with four young students. Naruto and Kurama had their arms over each others' shoulders, giving each other bunny ears, while Sasuke had his arms crossed and looked away from the camera stubbornly, while between Naruto and Sasuke was a happy Sakura giving the camera a victory sign, and Kakashi stood behind them all with his hand on Naruto and Sasuke's heads, ruffling their hair and his eyes closed. The Commander of Kon smiled gently behind his mask.

"I can't help but worry," he said. "They are my precious students."

Naruto sighed as he shut the shower off and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He'd needed that more than he thought he did. The shower was more of a stress reliever than it was a time to wash his body. He stepped out of the shower once the water had fully stopped, with water still dripping from his hair and running down from his head.

Naruto wiped away the fog in his bathroom mirror and investigated the marks on his face again.

"You were...held hostage."

The words repeated in Naruto's head and he frowned while three fingers ran across his cheek. That only cemented his belief that the marks were some sort of scarring, perhaps left by the one that abducted him.

Naruto shook his head, unintentionally splattering droplets on the mirror and walls. He was just going to get himself worked up if he kept thinking about it. Naruto dug around in his bathroom cabinet before he found a duplicate of his old toothbrush, still in the packaging.

Naruto chuckled and ripped the utensil out, lathered it with toothpaste, and began scrubbing away at his teeth for a good few minutes while his mind drifted from one subject to another. These thoughts were generally focused on either his team or his girlfriend. Recalling Kakashi's earlier words to not worry about the former, he spat out the toothpaste and wiped away any residue with his formerly waist-bound towel.

What? Being a bachelor and living alone had its perks, and Naruto really didn't care for modesty.

Walking out of the restroom and using his towel to finish drying his hair, Naruto looked around his small apartment. A fond smile crossed his face as he looked at the few markings made into the wall. Being the runt of the class, he always took time each morning to measure how much he'd grown.

"Heh, stopped after Ero-Sennin and I came back," Naruto said softly, his smile becoming sad. Naruto put his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. The day he returned to Kon was one of the most bittersweet memories he had. Yes, he came home for his last year of Kon Academy, but that was also the day he'd met and was almost robbed by Emerald.

...I should call Yang. Naruto thought as he opened his eyes. Up and disappearing on his girlfriend after sharing an emotional night was probably not a smart move, but it wasn't exactly his fault. And thinking about his ex-girlfriend was one of the last things he wanted to do, but at least thinking of her always made him think of Yang.

Coming to the conclusion that he was thinking too much and doing too little, Naruto walked to his room and tossed his towel off in the corner. He didn't really care where it landed, and was more focused on finding his Scroll.

Upon finding the Scroll, in the sitting room of all places, Naruto was hindered by making the call when Obito suddenly walked into his apartment.

"Hey, kiddo! Feeling bett-Oh for the love of-Naruto! Put some pants on dammit!"

"You're the one barging into my apartment, Obito!"

"Who walks around naked in their apartment!?"

"I do, you jackass!"

"Why!? Why would you do such a thing!?"

"Because it's my apartment!"

"That makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense!"

"Just get dressed!"

"You get out!"

Ah, it was great to be home.

AN: Ahh, and now back to VA. Man, am I glad some of you recurring readers love my newest fic! One chapter in, and E4E and I have to be diligent as we work on the second one.

But now, hijinks have ensued, next time on VA – We rejoin the rest of Team NHKS and see what they've been up to.

Y'all know what comes next!

REHASHTAGALLLIVESMATTER!