Hunting or Bust

Dust 44: Just Friends You Haven't Met Yet

((((((((Hunting))))))))

("Greetings everyone. I'm certain you should have already heard this once arriving, but allow me to say it once more. Welcome to Beacon.")

The amphitheater exploded with cheers and applause. Students from all four schools were brimming with excitement while the headmaster stood on the stage. He smiled and looked out at the four sections the schools had instinctively put themselves into. A bit counterintuitive to the behavior of the festival but teenagers will be teenagers.

He immediately recognized his Beacon students, clad in their uniforms and cheerfully conversing with each other.

By them were the Vacuo students, cheering while dressed in whatever made them comfortable. If there was anything Shade excelled at more than any other school, it was freedom of dress.

Then there were the Atlas students. Dressed in their white and grey uniforms, they were the epitome of dressed to impress. While they were the least rowdy and vocal of the four schools, they did seem to murmur and speak between each other with excitement. James' training shining through even when he wasn't here.

And finally were the Haven students in their pitch black garbs. Some members were more vocal and expressive than others, but he could feel their anticipation for what lied ahead from here.

The headmaster smiled and looked out across the room, ("We are here in preparation for the Vytal Festival approaching. Some of you I'm sure are preparing for the upcoming celebrations, fairs, and the ball. While some of you are getting ready to represent your schools and Kingdoms in the tournament.")

Pause for cheers and applause.

("Yes yes, I'm sure the tournament will be quite the experience. But until then we still have some work to do.") Ozpin shifted on stage, ("As you will be spending a semester here at Beacon, you shall take lessons and seminars with our student body.") There was a groan of resignation from Shade as he continued, ("As such you should get accustomed to our staff.")

The sound of heels and footsteps at his side made him aware that his fellow teachers had fallen in place around him. He saw the familiar blonde step up to his side, ("This is Glynda Goodwitch. If you misbehave or cause a commotion she will most likely be the first person to find you. Fair warning; don't let her find you.")

He started going down the line of people. Oobleck fixed his glasses and crooked shirt when he was announced. Port pulled on his mustache with pride. He continued on before he looked out and saw a few familiar students gaping in shock at the end of the line. He smiled and continued...

("And finally we have a special guest joining us this semester. This is Minato Namikaze.") The nervous blond nodded and waved out to everybody before Ozpin continued, ("He's not a professor at this school but he does have an important role in the upcoming festival. He will act as the officiator for the tournament. That means when it comes time to choose between the dozens of teams that will actually get to participate in the tournament, it will be Mr. Namikaze' final call on filling the roster. Until then, he'll be holding seminars on survival and what you may experience on the job when you become Hunters. I suggest you take his advice. A quick look on Scrollnet will show you just why that's a good idea.")

Minato gave a nervous chuckle and scratched his cheek while people in the audience started to murmur.

("Now since we've finished the introduction, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Be ready for tomorrow because we expect full classrooms and seats. Other than that...enjoy yourselves. And welcome to Beacon.")

The students started to celebrate and make their way out of the amphitheater to see the campus for themselves. However twelve students came to a slow stop just outside the exit. Eleven of them turned to one ashamed blond as his ears laid on his head.

"So~..." Yang stretched it out, "Did you know?"

"Yes. Yes I did." Naruto solemnly answered, "But I really, really, really wished he would change his mind."

"So your dad is a teacher now?"

"Yep..."

...

"Surprise."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Surprise my ass." Naruto angrily stomped down the halls in a huff after feeling humiliated in front of his friends.

When he found out over the break his father was going to be working at the school for the next semester, he nearly choked on his food. He was reeling, finding this to be a very bad prank in very poor taste. But when Minato assured him that everything at Skyggen would be handled by Shikaku and the others while he was away, Naruto realized he wasn't joking.

On one hand it was pretty cool to be hanging out more with his dad.

On the other hand...his father was at his school. Ruby and Yang had told him there were ups and downs with having family members as regular staff at their school.

Mostly downs.

So now here he was. His father working for the school and technically holding their futures in the balance.

Now didn't that just scream a whole ton of fun for the foreseeable future?

Once Naruto walked into the library he let out a long sigh and let the tension sink from his shoulders. He just needed something to take his mind off the recent developments.

He searched the rows of books along the library before his eyes settled on just what he needed. He smiled and immediately went over the grab it-

But paused when another hand fell on the new issue of X-Ray and Vav at the same time.

Naruto blinked in surprise and looked up at the person reaching for the comic. They stared at each other in silence before Naruto's face twisted, "Look man, I'm sorry. I know you just got here and you probably wanna unwind by reading this but I'm having a bad day. Things look complicated for the next semester and I just want to read it. So can I-"

The other hand tightened on the plastic packaging and silently told him there was no way he was letting go.

Naruto's ears twitched as he scowled, "Let go."

The grey-haired boy smirked, "No way."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Hehe - hey look, they're staring. Don't think they've seen anything as awesome as you before." Kiba chuckled as he walked down the pathways of Beacon while enjoying the warm breeze. He also spotted Beacon, Shade, Haven, and Atlas students all looking his direction and staring in shock.

They must have never seen a dog standing over waist height before.

"ARF!"

"Yeah they're just intimidated." Kiba reached down and scratched his best friend's ears as Akamaru's tail swished around, "Can't believe how many people there are now. Feels like the campus just got smaller."

"Ruff!"

"Yeah don't worry buddy they probably won't bite." The tattooed boy looked around before shrugging, "Or they might. I don't know, people are crazy."

"Grr."

"No, don't bite them back. You might get something in your teeth." Kiba joked before they came to a flight of stairs. He looked down at the canine and grinned, "You wanna race?"

"Arf!" Akamaru yipped happily and lowered himself in preparation.

"Okay then. Ready...set...GO!" Kiba started up the stairs and got an early lead over his four-legged friend. He was only about halfway up before he noticed a shadow hovering over him. He looked up at the last second as a pair of knees buried themselves in his eyes.

"IYAA!" The figure tangled itself with the brunette at the last second as they bodily tumbled down the stairs. Kiba slammed flat on his back and nearly smacked his head on the pavement as the person that had knocked him down had pulled themselves off of him. They stood over him and asked with concern, "Oh crap! Are you okay?! You're not dead, right?! Because that would be really bad for me if you died! Not just because I'd probably never hear the end of it back in Atlas, but that means I'm heavier than I thought! H-hey your chest is still rising! So you're alive, right?!"

Kiba groaned and rubbed his aching eyes in discomfort. Shit, he could feel his thoughts! And they hurt! His eyes were killing him! Oh he was gonna teach whoever did this a serious lesson! He rubbed his head, "Aghhhhhh~."

"Oh thank god you're alive!" He finally recognized the voice as female, and a pretty bubbly one at that. Like Nora levels of energy, "Listen, you're not stupid now or anything, right? I mean I don't know you so I don't know if you were stupid already but you're not, right? Can you tell me your name? How many fingers am I holding up!"

"Grrrrrgh." He growled as he sat up and slowly opened his eyes. It hurt to do so but he was gonna face his assaulter and give her a piece of his mind. He snarled, getting the girl to flinch back in worry before he spoke, "Do you have eyes?! Did you not see me standing there or..."

He stopped when he got a good look of the girl that buried her knees in his face. The girl with the slim face, cyan eyes, and bright orange hair tied up in two ponytails. She was wearing an Atlas uniform but he noticed the thin orange tail swinging behind her. She stood back up, easily compensating for the rollerblades on her feet as she smiled, "Sorry about that! That never happens I swear! I'm good at rollerblading! Like really, really, super good! I could win an award if I wanted to! I should think about going for a medal. Anyway, I didn't see you until after a jumped! I tried to move but there's only so much I can do midair!"

"I-it's fine." Kiba stuttered as he felt some weird anxiety fill his belly watching the Faunus girl freak out. He flinched touching his eyes again but just played it off with a laugh, "Doesn't hurt as much as I thought. I was probably just a little shocked is all."

"Oh that's good!" The orange-haired girl exhaled in relief. She grinned and chuckled, "That would've been bad if I really hurt you!" She didn't seem to notice the darkening capillaries around his eyes as she held out her hand to help him up, "I'm Neon by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm-"

"ARF! ARF! ARF!"

"AHHH! BIG DOG!" Neon jumped back in fear when Akamaru came jumping down and stood defensively in front of his downed friend. Neon sweated and raised her arms in defeat, "G-good boy. Don't bite."

"Akamaru!" Kiba encircled his arms around the large dog and pulled him back as the canine growled, "Sorry! He's not usually like this! He's just protective! You can go if you want!"

"I can?! Thank you!" Neon started skating away before waving back, "Sorry about your eyes! See ya later!"

"Y-yeah, see you later." Once the cat Faunus was out of view, Akamaru started to relax and Kiba slumped on the ground. He kept staring in the direction she left before chuckling, "Neon."

"Grrrr."

"Huh?" The dog was staring at him, "What? I'm just saying her name is all."

"Ruff."

"Well why were you growling? You know I'd be fine. And she was just freaked out. It was me being courteous is all."

"Arf."

"Oh like you're one to talk! I remember how you're like when you rub up against stuff!"

"Arf!"

"Because we all remember! It was terrifying!"

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"I bet I could beat him. And him. And her. Whoa she looks tough! And that guy's arms and bursting out of his shirt! He - oh, look at his fluffy hat." Nora was skipping down the path while looking around at all the new faces and colorful people. She spun on her feet and skipped backwards while looking up at her bestie, "What about you, Ren? Who do you think you could beat with one hand tied behind your back?"

"Well I need my hands to fight, so I don't think I would fair well if one of them was tied." She blew a raspberry before turning back around and humming while leading him around the campus. While they enjoyed their walk Ren took a moment to observe the people.

It was not an exaggeration to say the campus was almost bursting at the seams. There were so many new faces and groups traversing the schoolyard and it probably wasn't even half of them. And soon enough they would be facing some of these people in battle. Ren wished he could oversee their movements and get a read on how they fought but that was just too impossible. Some people didn't show just what they were capable of until they started fighting. No one would think the short bouncy girl in front of him hit harder than a crashing Bullhead but they were quickly proven wrong.

How would those two boys perform?

How did that girl lounging on the bench fight?

How about that young man circling the fountain in a handstand?

Ren blinked in surprise as he and Nora both stopped at the strange sight in front of them. They watched the teen quickly place one hand in front of the other and traverse the border of the fountain with his legs hanging over him. He went faster and faster, "A hundred times! No, a thousand! If I cannot circle this fountain on my hands alone one thousand times then I'll do ten laps around Beacon doing jumping squats!"

"Hey! Whatcha-"

"UOHH!" The boy slipped, distracted by Nora's call for just a moment and slipping into the fountain.

Ren gave his friend a dirty look as she giggled meekly, "My bad."

The boy popped back out of the water and squared his shoulders. The two friends quickly took note of the green jumpsuit. Rips all the way up the pants and sleeves with vambraces and wrappings around his arms. He wore a darker green vest covered in pockets and a yellow scarf around his neck. And they all took note of his short black hair and really big eyebrows. The strange older boy pointed at them, "You!"

"Us?"

"Yes you!" The Vacuo student announced before jumping on the barrier and ignoring how wet he was, "Are you attempting to distract me from my vital training?!"

"No." Ren shook his head, "We didn't mean to-"

"Hapapapapap!" Nora covered his mouth before stepping forward and pointing up at the older boy in return, "And what if we were? Would that be a problem?"

Ren palmed his face as the new boy shook his head, "Not at all! No matter how you may try to interrupt my training, I shall endure and be steadfast in my regimen! I'm not sure how lax you lot are on your training but that will not affect me!"

"Oh, can't take that sitting down!" Nora jumped up on the fountain border as well and pointed dramatically at the odd upperclassman, "You want me to show you how hard we kick it here at Beacon! Just so you know you're gonna get left in the dust!"

"Oho!" The taller boy perked up, "Is that a challenge? I was sorely mistaken! It seems like the burning spirit of Hunters and their perpetual youth is just as strong in Vale as it is in Vacuo!" He posed as well, "I like your stuff!"

"There's tons to like!" Nora hammed, "I'm Nora Valkyrie!"

"The name's Rock Lee!" He pointed to himself with his thumb, "I like your enthusiasm, Nora Valkyrie! If you'll excuse me, I have 10 laps to make around the school!"

"Pfft! 10! Child's play!" The ginger grinned, "How about a race to see who jump squats the fastest? And let's make it a nice even number instead! 25!"

"25 isn't an even-"

"I like your stuff!" Lee interrupted Ren before he and Nora jumped down from the fountain. They squatted down as the Shade student grinned, "May victory go to the best!"

"You bet! Ren, time us!"

"I don't have a-"

"GO!"

Nora and Lee were off, making their way down the path at surprising speeds considering their form. He watched the two jump and squat over and over, getting odd looks from most students except for the Shade ones. Ren resigned himself and slowly started chasing after them before they got too far.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"You know the thing's gonna tear if you keep pulling on it!"

"Good point! You should let go!"

"You first!"

Mercury pulled down on the comic while Naruto pulled up, standing on a table to try and get some extra pull over the Haven student. The grey-haired boy decided to take advantage of their position and kicked, trying to sweep the blond's legs out from beneath him. Naruto jumped over the incoming strike but Mercury smirked as he dropped down with all his weight, "Ha!"

Naruto couldn't fix himself in time and landed on the table with a grunt. Mercury thought he had him but the Faunus brought his legs around and slammed down down on the Haven boy's elbows. Mercury grip faltered for an instant and Naruto took it. He stretched out his legs and pushed on Mercury's chest while pulling on the comic, prying it from his fingertips.

"What?!" Mercury yelled as Naruto rolled off the table and ran for the exit, "Sonuva bitch!"

"Better luck next time!" Naruto teased before running into someone. He didn't hurt or knock her over so he kept going, "I'm so sorry! I promise I didn't mean-"

He stopped and reached back before he ran off too far, grabbing the girl's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at the empty plastic cover he was carrying before speaking, "Give it back."

The green-haired girl turned back to face him with the comic in her hand before she scowled, "Oops."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"I'm telling you to say sorry."

"And I've already told you half a dozen times, who gives a shit if no one got hurt?"

"It's the principal. My girl was kind enough to say sorry when she bumped into your shoulder. The least you can do is say the same."

"I didn't even notice. It was a tap. And I'll reiterate myself because it seems you're hard of hearing - who gives a shit?"

"I do."

"Coco, its fine, really." Velvet tried to calm her leader before things got out of hand, "It was just an accident. It's not that big a deal."

"You're right it shouldn't be a big deal. All anyone has to do is say sorry, show just a little bit of decency for the other person. You said sorry, the least she could do is respond." The beret-wearing girl turned back to the duo, "Unless you got a problem with my girl?"

"Just say sorry." The bespectacled student beside the perpetrator sighed and shook her head, "We've spent a whole minute having this stupid argument so just apologize so we can leave."

"No." The blunt girl glowered, "I'm not. And not because she's a Faunus. She could be human, a boy, a teacher, a fucking general and I wouldn't give a shit. I ain't gonna apologize because it doesn't matter."

Coco's glare hardened behind her sunglasses before she felt her arm being tugged. She looked down at Velvet's expression and sighed, "Fine. You're right." Coco looked over her glasses at the two redheads from Vacuo before whispering to her partner, "Sorry Velvet."

"That's right, go back to your hole. Must be pretty dim if your sad ass thinks that beret actually looks good."

...

Velvet's ears dipped, "Oh no."

The glasses girl palmed her face, "I can't believe this is going to be a fight."

"Hohoho~." Coco laughed with zero emotion as she turned back around. She fixed her glasses up to completely cover her eyes before smirking, "You know I only just notice how filthy your fucking mouth is. Hearing that kind of language can be harmful to peoples' ears."

"About as harmful as when you walk around in public? I bet you look like a fashion catalogue purging into a toilet."

"You know, if you weren't such a bitch I'd actually find your spunk kind of entertaining." Coco's hand fell on her handbag, "Unfortunately we really gotta clean out that mouth. Don't have any soap so we're gonna have to work with white-hot Dust instead."

She reached behind her back for her weapon, "You wanna make the first move?"

"Absolutely."

Velvet shirked back in worry that the fight might break out-

"Velvet? What's going on?"

"Tenten! Sasuke!" Velvet turned to the partners like they were a ray of hope, "W-we need some help!"

The brunette looked at their situation, "What's going on?"

"Well I accidentally bumped into a girl, and Coco said she should apologize, and it sort of spiraled from there." Velvet looked like she was gonna have an attack and looked back as Coco was itching to fight.

"O-okay, hold on!" Tenten stepped up between the two women exuding serious bloodlust. She gulped and prepared to manifest her Steel at a moment's notice if things went south, "We don't need to be escalating any fights."

"I'm looking to escalate." Coco growled.

"R-right, but what about you. You're from Vacuo, right? Do you want a tour of the campus-"

"I wanna kick this uppity bitch's ass."

"Okay this isn't going anywhere."

"Both of you stop." Sasuke stepped up and Velvet followed in order to put more bodies between the two fighters, "This is stupid. If you want to fight, challenge each other to a duel during sparring sessions. Or just wait to settle this in the tournament. But not now, on our day off, in the middle of the campus."

Coco's scowl faltered when she saw Velvet's pleading expression. She pulled back her hand and groaned, "Fine. I got carried away. Don't need to let the opinions of some arrogant crabby bitch who just got off the boat rile me up so much."

"Sounds like you're giving up." Coco bristled as the pink-haired girl smirked, "I'm calling this my - AH! What the fuck?!"

"I'm so sorry about my teammate! She can be a real problem sometimes! A total pain in the ass! I'll make sure she learns some manners the next time we meet! Goodbye!"

"Yeah she better." Coco grumbled and Velvelt poked her with an elbow as the Beacon kids started making their way back.

The pink-haired girl pulled her teammate's hand off her head and yelled, "What the shit was that?! You don't go grabbing my head and making me...what the fuck is wrong with your face?"

She wasn't even looking at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Your face. It's all red. Like you're blushing but whatever the equivalent is for disgusting parasitic animals like you."

"Yeah yeah, did you see that boy? He looked cool, right? Like really, really cool! And he was hot! I wasn't just imagining he was super hot, right!"

"Oh god." She nearly gagged, "Seriously?"

"What? I-I'm just making an observation!"

"You're drooling."

She wiped her mouth, "N-no I'm not!"

"The fact that you had to wipe your mouth concerns me."

"What was his name?! Did you catch his name - I should go after him and ask his name!"

"Don't open your legs too wide. You wouldn't want to leak out before you reach him."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

'Again. Again! I can't believe they did it to me again!'

Ruby pouted and stomped her feet while thinking about the most recent betrayal of her team. After they finished with the assembly, Ruby was leading them back towards the dorms so they could try out the console she and Yang had brought from home for themselves. She was planning for the best video game tournament ever!

Except when she turned around her team had vanished and abandoned her again.

This was becoming a trend! Leaving her to walk through Beacon like a lonely little girl. Not to mention there were so many more people here now from the other schools.

Some of them were staring at her. Probably thinking she looked too young to be a student. Or more likely they were too impressed by her sweet hood.

Ruby still shied away from their looks and avoided speaking with them. She felt her face start to heat up again from the wayward looks. She wasn't supposed to still be embarrassed after everything she'd been through.

Ruby was going to have to get used to all these people now too.

She sighed and made her way off the path to a more secluded area. She thought she would be alone but spotted a flock of birds landing around a bench and congregating around it. The silver-eyed girl titled her head and slowly approached when she spotted a figure.

Sitting on the ground in front of the bench was a large boy in a large beige coat. Even sitting Ruby could tell if he stood up he would absolutely tower over her. His collar was so high it hid half of his face, and sleeves so long his hands didn't even come out of the ends. The only thing notable besides his stature and baggy clothes was the bright orange hair on his crown. He reached into his bag, grabbing a handful of feed through his sleeve before throwing it out for the birds.

Ruby thought she had approached him silently but he noticed her pretense and turned to her, "Eep!" The hooded girl jumped in fright and thought he was going to call her out. But after a moment she realized he was just staring at her in silence. Ruby stayed quiet as well before shyly raising her hand, "H-Hi."

The taciturn boy flinched and shook before turning back to feed the birds. The giant tossed out the seed and bread as Ruby watched him. She tilted her head in a mix of confusion and interest before she took a step forward, wary to alert this stranger.

She sat down on the bench beside him and asked, "So, you're one of the exchange students, right?" He remained silent as she leaned back in her seat, "Y-you're from Vacuo, right? It must be nice not having to wear stuffy clothes like this. I've never been to Vacuo but I've always wanted to go! I heard it's really sunny and...s-sandy."

Another flinch.

Ruby sighed, "So do you have a name?"

The large boy looked back at her and she tensed in worry. He blinked before turning back around and running his sleeve through the dirt. If he cared that he was dirtying his clothes he didn't show it. When he pulled it back she saw what he wrote.

"Jūgo?" She asked as he nodded. Ruby tilted her head, "You don't talk much, do you?" He shook his head, "Hehehe." The dark-haired girl giggled before reaching down and drawing next to his, "My name is...Ruby. It's nice to meet you, Jūgo."

He nodded before holding the bag out to her. Ruby smiled and grabbed a handful before tossing it out, watching the birds flock and feast. She realized that she probably wasn't going to get much conversation out of the big man, but she didn't mind. They sat together and fed birds, Jūgo giving the occasional twitch as Ruby kicked out her legs.

Apparently not having to make awkward conversation made making friends a lot easier.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"So we love your son. Great guy. And we've been friends with him the whole time." Yang said, her arms folded behind her head, "Now I'm not saying we deserve any kind of reward, but if you were willing to offer some extra credit, what are we looking at?"

"Yang!" The blonde just chuckled at the heiress' shriek before Weiss turned back to the new teacher, "I'm so sorry about that, Mr. Namikaze! She was joking. She has this delusion that she's funny. However, on the off chance you are offering extra credit-"

"Wow Weiss, I was joking but you're just dark."

"Hey!"

"Hehe, I'm sorry girls but I'm not sure if I have any extra credit to give out. I'm not even sure how much power I have. I'm not exactly a professor, more like...a special gym teacher I guess." Minato cupped his chin in thought, "I need to ask about what I can do."

"Still, you get to be the officiator for the tournament. That's a big position you're in, even if I'm not totally sure what you're supposed to be doing." The buxom boxer stated before looking up at the adult, finding it easier treating him like her friend's dad than as a normal teacher, "You aren't nervous are you?"

"Kind of hard not to be." Minato confessed, "I'd been wrestling with the choice for a few weeks and now I'm here. I got butterflies in my stomach, and they certainly aren't helping with this sick feeling I'm having."

"Believe me Teach," Yang drawled, "I know some pretty crazy teachers. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"I agree." Weiss nodded cordially, "I think you will prove an excellent source of experience and knowledge for us, Mr. Namikaze." The Schnee heiress continued, "And by any chance would you be willing to give us an idea of what we may experience in your seminars."

"Training." Minato stopped, the two girls stopping as well as he looked between them, "I'll being giving you the most authentic experience of scenarios you may encounter out there in the real world. Scenarios with your teams. By yourself. Disarmed. Whatever I could think of, you'll suffer through it." He smiled challengingly, "I suggest you girls start practicing. You'll need to keep up."

Yang smirked, "I think I found my favorite class this semester."

Weiss flicked her ponytail back, "Whatever it may be sir, we'll tackle it head on." Minato nodded proudly at their response and continued to look for his quarters, "Are you sure you don't want us to help you look?"

"I'm alright. It might be a few years but I still know this place like the back of my hand." Minato said, "I remember my team and STRQ running down these halls to reach class before the bells started."

"Hold on." Yang gawked, "You knew Team STRQ? You knew my parents?!"

"Pretty well." The man smirked, "You ever want to hear some good stories, just come asking. And I mean the good ones. The ones your dad and Qrow are too embarrassed to tell you on account they're worried you'd never respect them again."

"O-ohohohohohahahaha!" The brawler laughed and nodded, "I am so gonna take you up on that offer!"

"Well as exciting as whatever this conversation is about, Yang and I have to get going." The ivory-haired girl excused herself before shaking her head, "Knowing your sister she's probably lost somewhere and getting herself in trouble."

"Yeah, and I haven't seen Blake. She must've snuck off when we weren't looking." The duo made their way back before waving their new teacher goodbye, "See ya Teach! When I bring Ruby over make sure to give us the juiciest story you've got!"

Minato waved the girls goodbye before making his way back down the hall. He hated to admit it but he couldn't remember the room Goodwitch had gotten him. Two corners, take a right and...

He paused when he saw the young woman standing in front of his door and inspecting it. She waited silently before turning around and finally noticing him, "Oh, Mr. Namikaze," She greeted in a silky smooth voice, "It's an honor to finally meet you."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No, we haven't met. But I've always wanted to meet you." She stepped up to face him and Minato noticed the smoky yellow eyes hiding behind her pitch black hair. She pulled on her black uniform, "I'm a student from Haven and I've heard all about you and Skyggen."

"You've heard about me?"

"There isn't a soul alive in this line of work that doesn't know your name." Her smile never wavered, "Everyone knows of the man that leads the invincible crew through perfect success every mission."

Minato stayed silent before shaking his head, "I'm sorry to inform you but stories about our perfect record have been greatly exaggerated."

"Oh?" She tilted her head, "So even you have experienced tribulations out in the field. Some people would be rather surprised to hear that."

"They shouldn't be. You'd have to have lived a small and sheltered life if you can finish anything without failure or compromises."

"I agree. I only mention this because there are some people out there that put Huntsmen and Huntresses on pedestals like they are invincible gods." She smiled, "I would stake that they can sometimes be more humans than most. Experiencing failure and regret far more than most would ever fathom." Minato silently stared at her before she continued, "Tell me sir, have you ever faced an impossible scenario? One where you believed everything was hopeless?"

"I have."

"And yet you came out unscathed. That speaks volumes of your ability."

"I wouldn't say I came out unscathed."

"Really? You don't seem debilitated or carrying any heavy injury."

"Doesn't have to be physical. Not every hopeless scenario a person faces out there has to be a fight."

"I suppose you're right. Fear can cripple and stagnate a soul far worse than any injury could ever dream to do." She conceded, "So do you mind if I ask you another question?"

Minato hesitated, "Very well."

"What do you do when you're faced with a hopeless situation?"

"You need to do everything you can to find another hope. Think about what you can do. What you're capable of doing. How those abilities can help you achieve what you're aiming for."

"And if even that isn't enough?"

...

"I'm sorry. I suppose after that then the answer is quite simple." She gave a small bow of her head, "My apologies for pestering you. It's just I've always wanted to ask these questions of my teachers back in Haven but they never had any time. But to get the chance to ask a decorated Huntsman like youself is certainly not a downside."

"Glad to be of assistance." Minato tried to say that with more earnest emotion but his voice was still flat.

She walked past him and down the hall, "I look forward to your seminars Mr. Namikaze, and your tests as well. I'm sure they're going to be quite the experience."

"Wait." He called out, the young lady stopping as he turned back to her, "I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't offer it." She retorted before looking back with a soft smile, "Cinder Fall. And I look forward to this semester."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Emerald Sustrai."

"Mercury Black."

"Guess we're fine on introductions." The blond noted, "So you two are partners I'm guessing?"

"That's right. We're on the same team from Haven. Which is why I had to grab that comic off you when I saw you and Merc arguing over it." The green-haired girl gave the Faunus an apologetic smile, "He's such a sucker for those stories and I knew if he didn't get it he'd probably be sulking for who knows how long!" She clapped her hands together and lowered her head, "I'm so sorry."

"I thought I had it for a sec before you knocked out my arms." Mercury crossed them and shrugged, "Gotta admit that was impressive."

"What's impressive was how quick your hands are." Naruto looked at the cover he was left holding after Emerald had slipped the comic out of his grasp.

"Well, it's a talent I picked up when I was a kid." Emerald blushed and scratched her cheek like she was embarrassed, "Some habits just die hard I guess."

Naruto didn't notice Mercury roll his eyes, exasperated by her friendly attitude.

"Well I wanted this comic to get my mind off something, but I guess that worked out anyway." He held it out to the grey-haired boy who happily accepted it with a smirk, "Consider this a welcome to Beacon. And I hope we can meet later."

Mercury gave him a two-finger salute before Emerald came forward and took his hands. She started shaking them, "It was so nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm glad our first experience with a Beacon student was a nice guy like you."

"Hehe." He blushed, chuckling while his ears twitched, "You're making me blush." He coughed and rid his face of the hue before waving them goodbye. The partners waved him off and remained seated on top of the table.

...

"You know..." Mercury started flipping through his reward, "It just occurred to me that we'll have to keep this up for months."

"Ugh." Emerald groaned as her face twisted with irritation, "And it just occurred to me we'll have to actually talk to idiots like that. I'm going to miss the times we could just kill brats like that to get what we wanted. Even if it is a dumb book."

"A dumb book you stole for me." The smug teen grinned mockingly, "Thanks for that, Em~."

"Shut your mouth, sew it shut, and then jump in front of a truck." The girl spat venomously, "I wanted to wave it in front of you a few times before ripping it up but that kid felt me steal it."

"Can you rip it up?" Mercury asked, "Wouldn't that be against your goody-two-shoe, pure heart, wouldn't hurt a fly act you're putting on?"

"No one catches me." Emerald just ignored him and gripped the edge of the table as tightly as she could, "I refuse to believe that doughy-eyed dickhead got anything more than a flash of luck." She smirked and stood up, "But let's see how he..."

"What?" Mercury looked up when she suddenly stopped and saw the green-haired thief patting her back. She pulled out her green wallet and stared at it, "You wanna eat out and you're paying? I'm up but we're meeting with Cinder and that team that weird snake guy snuck in-"

"Shut up." She growled as she looked it over, "This was in my other pocket. And the cards are all in the wrong place. Who-"

"Oh~, no way." Mercury closed the book and gave a strangled laugh at Emerald's furious expression, "Did that whiskered kid actually outdo the master thief herself? Oh how the mighty have fallen! Holy crap you must feel so humiliated right now!"

"Shut up!" Emerald growled and pocketed her wallet before a shaky smile came to her face, "Okay, he might be better than I expected. I guess I'll call this even for now."

"And how exactly are you even?" She pointed back to the table and Mercury saw what she had hidden behind her back.

A belt.

"Oh, I know this!" He bumped his fist in his palm, "This is one of those 'He beat me now I shall conquer him myself' kind of situations, right?"

"When I kill you, it'll be slow. Drawn out. And I'll enjoy it."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"I'm back." Naruto closed the door behind him and slipped his hands back in his pockets before seeing his teammates surrounding his partner, "What's going on?"

"Look at this!" Sasuke stepped aside to show Tenten sitting in front of Kiba while applying some ice to his eyes. The bun-haired girl shook her head, "He got hit but he just came back to the room and treated it like nothing and now they're swollen!"

"I'm telling you it's fine." The tattooed boy flinched when the ice made contact with his sockets while Akamaru stared at him on his bed, "It was just a little run-in with an Atlas student while I was walking. Nothing big so don't worry about it."

"You have two black eyes."

"I've had way worse."

"Yeah well you weren't the only ones that got to see what our new exchange students were like." Tenten said as she let Kiba hold his treatment in place, "We had a little situation with some Vacuo kids ourselves."

"What happened?"

"Two girls were picking a fight with Velvet and her partner." Sasuke clarified, "It probably would have escalated if we didn't intervene."

"Well that's a coincidence. A met some Haven kids in the library." Their leader smiled, "And that was pretty interesting too."

"How so?

Naruto pulled his hands out of his pockets as his pants dropped to reveal his heart print underwear.

His team gave him blanks looks before he laughed, "I didn't even realize until halfway here they took my belt. I thought I was getting back at them but they just played me again. I'm annoyed but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited too!"

The tournament couldn't come fast enough.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Pull up your pants."

((((((((Extra: Double Check))))))))

Blake kept her notes clutched close to her chest while she made her way back down the hall. Just finishing with another round of research and she could put a few more dots in her book about the White Fang's pattern. It wasn't as much as she'd have liked but every little bit counts.

"Salutations, Blake!"

The black-haired girl yelped in shock and jumped away from the voice that appeared behind her. She turned around, clutching her beating heart as she faced the odd Atlas girl that had come to help Ruby fight at the docks. How did she get behind her so easily?

"Oh, hello again," She struggled to put a name to the face, "Um-"

"Penny! Penny Poledina!" The peppy student saluted and gave the crabby girl the same ear-splitting smile she was so eager to show, "It's an absolute pleasure to see you again!"

"Right, of course Penny." She couldn't remember the name but the upbeat, plucky exterior was one she wasn't going to forget. From being tackled to the ground by Weiss to being spiked into a shipping container by a White Fang Noble Guard, that girl's smile never faltered. She did not have the energy to deal with her, "I'm sorry to be going Penny but I have other matters-"

"Wait!" Penny quickly cut her off, "My apologies. I would hate to ask this of one of my new friends but I need to make something clear."

Yes she did. Most pressingly the idea that they were already friends.

"Ever since I helped Ruby find you some weeks ago, there has been a question that has plagued me. And I haven't been able to find peace of mind without answering it. I need to make sure the data and information is all up to date." Penny gave Blake a pleading look, "So please help me confirm something. Please."

She looked far too innocent for a girl her age. She looked like Ruby when asking something like that. Blake wanted to just walk away but remembered how vital her help was in helping all of them make it off that pier. Blake sighed before nodding, "All right Penny, I'll help however I can."

"Sensational!" Penny cheered, "Hold still."

And cupped Blake's crotch before she could respond.

The hidden Faunus' body went ridged and she dropped her book. Her hair and ears went straight before Penny finally pulled back and nodded, "Ah, so you aren't a man! The profile was right!"

"H-HEY!" Blake nearly wailed, her soft complexion now burning red with shaky eyes while glaring at the girl, "W-WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Oh, there was some confusion about your gender while I was helping Ruby look for you. Questions about whether you were a man or woman. Physically you are a woman unless you identify yourself differently. Do you?"

"Why did you feel the need to touch me?!"

"Because I have heard that some people 'tuck it' and it can be quite confusing." Penny said innocently, "It seemed easier to just check myself."

"T-that's sexual harassment!"

"Not at all, bow-wearing companion Blake!" Penny responded, "This was merely for the purposes of gathering information. If I truly was interested in touching your body for stimulation or sexual pleasure, I would grab what many people on ReadIt refer to as the 'Bellabooty'."

"T-the what?!" The cat Faunus blushed and instinctively covered her butt in case of Penny's wandering hands, "Who's been calling my behind-"

"I'm sorry, Blake, but I have other matters I must attend to!" Penny waved goodbye before quickly ducking away before the black-haired Faunus could attack her, "Farewell! And I love what you've done with your bow!"

Blake was left stuttering, her cheeks red with embarrassment and her precious notebook dropped to the ground without care.

There was something seriously wrong with that girl.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Done

Sorry. I had to make the Bellabooty reference. If it's canon or not...I'll leave that to you.

Some introductions and meetings. Kinda like what I did last volume but for our heroes meeting people from other schools instead. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Gave me a chance to get to write new characters and think about how they'll play later. I'm really excited for this next volume.

Still have some kinks to work out but hopefully it'll be good.

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Thank You and Bye