Chapter 15: Change

A/N: Small changes. Thank you again for the reviews and I appreciate the continued support! I think I might have gotten the job, by the way! I'm just waiting on HR to contact me for my schedule and other details.

Published on 2/16/2021.

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Chapter START

Naruto walked beside Raven on the sidewalk. They had taken the bullhead. The few Atlesian students in the bullhead were whispering together, some of them pointing fingers at a video in their Scroll, then swapping their attention to Raven as covertly as they were able. Which, in Naruto's opinion, was rather overt. Word spread quickly in Atlas Academy, apparently. All of the students may as well have had eyes as wide as gold balls and eyebrows that had receded into their hairlines with how shocked they were.

Raven thought nothing of the added attention, either too giddy to care or simply blocking out the unnecessary distractions, of which finger pointing and rumors would be such distractions. She had comfortably eased into her spot next to him in the bullhead, chatting with him about mundane topics such as Aura control and politics. Therefore, regular points of conversation for Huntsman and the like, and not so common for the regular folk and such. He swore, any topic of the like would have been interesting the first few times. After nearly the hundredth time, that topic would have long lost its charm and novelty and would have gone through one proverbial ear and straight out the other.

Things like Aura and Semblances were interesting...if you had them. Even if you didn't, it was still a great time to imagine having one, or simply talking to a person that did have their Aura realized and could utilize their potential. However, once you realized how much students and Huntsman actually studied them and brought it up...well, it's fair to say that talking about a single subject almost every day for four years would make almost anybody want to plug their ears with concrete and shut their eyes whilst screaming at the top of their lungs to refrain from hearing any more of the same old. Something was only novel if it was rare. Once it was commonplace, it wasn't such a novelty now, was it?

It's not that Naruto couldn't understand the surprise of Raven performing an Aura Slash and that spreading widely throughout the campus. No, that he could understand. But really, how was it that their whispers and eyes seemed to be fueled by a thousand cups of coffee with three dozens worth of sugar in each one, and then a healthy dose of lightning on top? Their 'clandestine' actions would not do for any reconnaissance mission.

There had to be a healthy balance to things.

Well, with the included attention that Raven had wrought upon herself, her mild disposition to gossipers and chatters had sunk to an all time low, and now she completely ignored them. So, in a sense, there was a form of balance.

Raven seemed glad to be rid of the other students once they landed, immediately stepping out of the bullhead without a moment's hesitation. In fact, before the bullhead had even touched ground, she hopped out of the hatch that had been slowly opening as they neared the landing zone for the city. Her hair whipped over her eyes as the bullhead came down, the engines still running and pushing air down and thus, in Raven's direction She turned around and looked up to Naruto, who was nearly fifty feet in the air. Her eyes may as well have been asking him to jump, like a petulant child that had lost her patience and wanted to leave home to do something more interesting. Oh wait. They were.

He jumped, making him the second escapee from the bullhead. He landed in a crouch and then untensed his body. Seriously, the boots that Glynda had suggested to match his Atlesian inspired outfit did match well in terms of fashion, but they did close to nothing in terms of providing comfort and stability. If this was anything like what the soldiers and anyone else in the Atlesian Fleet or Forces had to wear, he sincerely sympathized their plight. Standing all day would be hell, and doing it every single day in frigid weather conditions? He'd have to be paid triple of what he currently made to even consider it, and he'd probably say no anyway.

They had stepped off their lift only ten minutes ago, but they had crossed into the 'city', where the tall skyscrapers that rivaled clouds began, protruding from the ground and never stopping. He had to admit, the concrete and glass jungle that he observed was nothing less than a masterpiece, and the way the entire world seemed to alight like kerosene on fire set his heart aglow with subtle admiration. It was a never ending light show, with daylight and the city lights trading places as time moved endlessly.

His breath fogged in the air, like mist on a chill, dewy night. The miniature clouds puffed out then dispersed with the next breath, where another would take its place as it was blown away.

The climate in Atlas was cold, and the weather in Mantle - from what he heard - was even colder. If he didn't have gloves, he was sure that his fingers would have locked up, the digits unresponsive to his mental commands. The exposed sections of his neck and face felt the wind blasting against his skin, but it was a nice sort of chill. At least, that's what he thought. It wasn't the time of year that the dead of winter began, and he was not planning on visiting Atlas anytime soon. Spring would be the earliest he would come back.

But for now, the weather was kind enough to him. His long coat provided far more warmth than he would have expected. The material, albeit lightweight, performed its function admirably and kept his entire upper body warm, while the pants carried out its due with equal success on his lower body. He had to thank Atlas technology for these simple pleasures.

If only they could fix their boots. Those were horrendous.

He glanced at Raven, who seemed uncaring to the cold. She had her hands in the pockets of her jacket, content and unsurprisingly unfaltering. If she was cold, she said nothing of it. She didn't even show a single smidgen of those frowns that was normally adorning her face. Instead, it seemed quite still, like stone, in a fixed horizontal line of casual neutrality, which was the equivalent of Raven mentally stating that she was quite happy.

At least, he would have said that would be the case until two hours ago. She had shown up in front of his door, sweat dripping down her face and matting her hair so that it stuck to her cheeks and the back of her neck. Her clothes had been slightly ripped from what must have been quite the exertive training. And then the biggest, most innocent grin that could be compared to children when they first received praise from their parents for a job well done.

Naruto wished he had his Scroll on his at that moment. He was sure that she would complain but would have ultimately let him off. His student, smiling freely without a care in the world. How beautiful.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked at a crosswalk. They stopped for a lone car, then continued their stroll with no clear destination in mind. The two were simply taking a walk in the city, comfortable to bask in the other's presence.

Raven pulled out her Scroll, an app already open. She had come prepared, Naruto appraised from the side. He approved her forethought. "There's a hotel nearby that has good reviews. I heard that they serve you in the main lobby if you want, and its a 'local haunt' for Huntsman, according to a few of the reviews. I want to check it out, if that's alright."

"A hotel?" Naruto considered it. "You know if anyone saw us and knew that we were a professor and student, it would not go over well?"

Raven seemed exasperated. "I've had far too many people judging me recently and honestly, I'm starting to give zero fu - "

"Language," Naruto intercepted. She shot him the most piercing stink eye she could muster. He simply thought it was adorable instead.

"Zero cares," she finished, altering her last thought slightly.

Naruto smiled approvingly, stifling his sudden desire to pat her head. "Sure. Let's give it a look. Do you have the directions?"

"Just a few blocks that way." Raven pointed to her right. "Should take about ten more minutes."

"Lead the way."

The two arrived at the street in the estimated time. The hotel was a large building, but not nearly as tall as the contemporary skyscrapers a few blocks before. Most of the structures on the street were nothing like the edifices he had marveled at, instead standing at only a few stories tall at most. The most prominent building on the strip was actually the hotel that they were currently standing in front of. In comparison to Vale, it would have still evoked some wonder, but it simply paled too much in comparison to the manmade monoliths that stood thousands of meters, unrivaled in its architectural prowess to the whole world.

A large, double door made of brown mahogany with golden handles stood between them and the inside of the building. Windows in each floor, and at least one for each of the hotel rooms, made of glass depicted a rather full hotel, considering that many of the lights inside were on. Naruto filed that it was most likely a busy practice, and also a well-run complex. Apparently, many of the Huntsman, or even citizens, of Atlas must have had a proclivity to come to this hotel.

It certainly stood out from the rest if only for the fact that many of the taller properties could not be identified as hotels. He wasn't even sure if any of them were. This building, however, clearly was. With its bright neon sign with 'HOTEL' written for anyone to see easily, there was no way to mistake it for anything else as long as the reader was capable of reading and had their fair share of wrinkles in the brain.

They walked up the steps to the doors and opened it. The sounds of laughter from being among friends, clinking utensils from eating, and slurred tongues from too much alcohol pervaded their ears. The wide doors gave way. Inside, at least thirty people were inside. There were twenty tables set for guests, and about half of them were full. All of the occupied tables had dishes and tall glasses of wine occupying the space beside it.

It also came to his attention that many of guests were Huntsmen. Or at least, they were a part of the Atlesian Army or their Task Force. Their all white clothes, with stiff cuffs and obvious stitches on their breast were undoubtedly hints that each one wearing the outfit, male and female, were affiliated with Atlas' military force. Many of them had their weapons on them, which only affirmed Naruto's initial conclusion. Oddly, no one made a fuss about the weapons beside each enlisted individual. The practice of carrying a weapon to your table would not have been acceptable in Vale, or at least it would have been widely frowned upon. Especially if the establishment was meant to cater to both Huntsmen and civilians.

However, different Kingdoms had different customs, he supposed.

The main lobby was more of a dining room than an area for people to check in to a hotel room, if the small section on the side of the room and the lonely receptionist gave any indicators.

Many of the workers were wearing black and white suits, a common practice in Atlas. On top of their peculiar penchant for the colors blue and white, the Atlesians also liked to dress their workers with simple colors. Black and white was one of the most common, widespread uses of the simple tones. Restaurants would compete with each other for their service and vie for customers also by how well their workers were dressed.

Naruto gave a cursory glance to the numerous workers. They would take orders with pen and paper at each table they stopped at and nod quickly before moving to complete whatever was on their next task, quickly. As if they were in a hurry.

The longer he watched the flow of the work, the more a strange stench bothered Naruto. It wasn't a smell, per se. It was a feeling that stuck to his skin and traveled through a conduit to the back of his brain, latching onto him like gum that refused to let go. The more he focused on the oddity, the greater the pronounced that feeling gnawed at him. He found himself with eyes, before casually glancing to get an idea of the work flow of the hotel, now glued to each and every worker that were taking orders and serving the food. Some of them moved with a sense of urgency, but it was the kind of hurriedness that did not belong in a service staffer. In fact, now that he actually looked, the only ones that did were most definitely in their teens.

Was it because they needed the money? Poor souls. He'd give any of them a large tip if they ended up waiting his table.

A young adult female, wearing the same black and white outfit, walked up to them. They had stood at the front, waiting patiently. She had a tall nose, Naruto noted. And an exceptionally large bust, he added offhandedly.

"Eating or checking in?" she asked.

"Eating," Raven told her. The woman nodded, grabbing two menus from the desk at the right of the entrance before taking off, motioning for them to follow her.

"Is this your first time here?" she asked, making small talk. "Usually, our patrons seat themselves."

"Both of ours, yes. We're visiting from Vale and were recommended this place, so we came." Raven spoke without the exuberance she had earlier. The lady lead them to a table for two, setting the menus on opposite ends and stepping back. Raven and Naruto seated themselves on the wooden chairs. "Is there anything you recommend?"

The lady smiled seductively. "Since it's your first time at our establishment, I actually recommend the Chef's special! It's different every night and technically not on the menu, so it should come as a surprise to any of our guests. But," she leaned towards Naruto, "it's never failed to impress anyone that's come in through those doors." Her bust was uncomfortably close to his face.

"We'll take it," Raven said curtly, grabbing both menus and holding them up. Even if he couldn't see it, Naruto could feel the animosity slowly rising from his student across the square table. The woman took the menus away from Raven, leaving with the promise to bring back some water for them when they - Raven - said no other drinks were necessary. Raven watched the woman walk away, her hips sashaying. "How obvious does she want to be? And can we get a different person to wait our table?"

"As obvious as she wants," Naruto responded. "Clearly she's trying it on everybody," he said. The woman was using the same trick on another customer. She leaned in towards the guest, her considerable bust almost up to the man's face. The woman sitting across from the male victim was less than impressed when he seemed to stammer, unable to control himself as his lower regions started to take over his brain.

Naruto felt Raven's stare on him, red eyes attempting to burn a hole through his head. "Whatever," she said finally with a huff, looking away to the side and at the flow of the workers. They were still for a minute, watching different parts of the room in modest silence in the rambunctious crowd that they were in the midst of. One of the soldiers dropped their wine, the cup shattering the glass the instant it made contact with the ground. No one even batted an eyelash to the crash of constructed glass, every one of the patrons inside continuing on as if nothing interesting had occurred.

A young girl, one of the teens Naruto had spotted earlier in his original cursory examination of the place, walked to the table where the Huntsman had dropped his cup in his inebriated state. She knelt down with a dust pan and short handled broom, sweeping the glass carefully, yet with a practice motion.

The girl was tense, though. Why?

"Thank you, miss," the Huntsman said when she finished wiping away the mess he had made. He put a hand on his knee and the other on the corner of the table as support as he leaned drunkenly towards her, swaying as he tried to get a clearer look at her through squinted, beady eyes. "Say, you're quite pretty!"

The girl stood abruptly, carrying her pan and broom. "Thank you for the compliment," she said as stiffly as her posture. She bowed. "Enjoy your meal." And then walked away down the aisle. Slow enough to not be a fast walk, but swift enough to display alertness. Naruto's sense of unease was rising, and rather quickly.

Now, he was checking everything that the room had to offer, scrutinizing to the very detail.

"Naruto," Raven called to him. He started, taken aback. He had been wading in a turbulent tsunami of emotions from the room for only a minute, but it had felt longer. The feelings were filled with people in drunken stupors enjoying their night, others anxious and stressed from work, and something else. Her red, gleaming eyes reflected beautifully in the soft yellow light that the hotel used as its hue. "Are you alright?"

Her consideration for him almost completely overcame the other feelings in the rooms that he had been washing away in, the overlapping emotions like tides in the ocean. Yet hers was the largest and easiest to pinpoint in the amalgamation of emotions he waded in.

"I'm fine," he said, smiling as to assuage her disquieted state. This was supposed to be her night, he reminded himself. This meal was meant to be a way to congratulate all of the hard work she had put in for the past few months, much like how he had given to each of his other students that had profoundly improved themselves.

"You're lying." Apparently, he had done a poor job of faking his exponentially growing dread that something was just simply wrong. It was incomprehensible. He felt like it was staring at him straight in the face, but for the life of him, he couldn't deduce what. Like an unseen snake that had already wrapped around you, coiling tighter and tighter, but not quite enough to strangle you. But enough to let you know that there was something wrong.

"I'm - "

"Naruto." Raven cut him off, reaching out a gloved hand to him across the table for him to take. He looked at it, as if it were a foreign object. She didn't seem to be affected by his lack of response to her reaching out to him. "What's going on? Why are you breathing so hard?"

Was he really breathing hard? Why? What was making him so anxious? He felt like he needed to figure what was going on right now, or else it would continue gnawing at him. The back of his mind whispered at him that he couldn't leave either until he knew exactly what was happening or why the apprehension was unwilling to go away.

A short teen male walked up to the table carrying to dishes. "The Chef's Special for tonight." His voice was high and youthful. With practiced ease, as if he had done it for years, the waiter placed the dishes on the table with a grace that most waiters wished they had. Two glasses of water followed from a freckled girl behind him. They both bowed.

"Enjoy your meal." They turned to leave.

"Wait." Naruto held his hand up. He was fixated on the dish in front of him. He didn't care what it was; he couldn't smell it. The stench, which ad fastened to him like a noose that did its job all too well, became tighter. "Do you mind if I ask a question?" The two glided back to the table, smiling at him. Raven watched him oddly.

"Certainly," the boy acquiesced, smiling. It was fake. Naruto could feel it. It was fake. Fake, fake, fake. The girl's servile grin was also like broken glass. It was tempered, but only because it had been beaten there with the crushing force of a hammer. The pieces were all there, but fractured.

Naruto looked up from the dish, full of sliced prime meat and steamed vegetables. They looked like children to him. In fact, he was certain that they couldn't be older than twelve.

The girl had makeup on, but only saw a young girl beyond the fragile exterior she put forth to look older than she was.

The boy was far easier to discern. No makeup of any kind. He had certainly not gone through puberty or was simply a late bloomer. A very late bloomer. There was always the possibility that he simply never had undergone the second major growth spurt in his life, but the odds were simply too low.

"How long have you been in this profession?" Naruto clasped his hands together, interlocking his fingers. He made sure to look at both of them pointedly, staring straight into the girl's red eyes and the boy's brown.

It was the way he framed the question with no buildup. Usually, when one asked that question, the waiter was about to be praised for their excellent service, or talked down at due to a less than stellar performance. Instead, Naruto had shown open suspicion.

Fear. For the first time since entering the building, he felt the negative emotion of fear bloom like a flower in the dark. It had been detained, restrained, and held back. Locked away, hidden in secret with the key thrown somewhere far away.

And Naruto had shed light.

"...Seven years," the boy said. Naruto felt shame wash over him.

"Wow, seven years..." Naruto nodded to himself, sounding impressed incongruously. "Seven years," he repeated, more for himself than anybody else, not that any other table or waiter could hear him.

The boy started to fidget, all professionalism beginning to escape through each tremor.

The girl interposed herself in between Naruto and the boy. "Please, respectable patron. Enjoy your meal." She was pleading with him. Her smile was gone, and her face was set in grim desperation to protect the boy. Naruto looked past her to the boy, and then he looked at her. The girl instinctively gulped when his cold eyes landed back on her. He was holding back the turbulent emotions rising within him. Something deep inside, which had been calm and serene, was stirring from its slothful sleep and was incandescent to have been awaken, viciously parting the calm sea that had once been.

"And you," he ignored her pleas, "how long have you been a waitress for?" He was having difficulty restraining any evocation into his inflection. The girl flinched at his tone. Once again, he failed to reel himself in. Once to Raven, and now to the girl.

She remained silent, backing away from the table with two steps. "Also seven years." He hardly heard her in this unruly environment. She held her left wrist in her right hand, and Naruto saw a brown bracelet. It fit appallingly with the rest of the outfit. The boy had the exact match on his left wrist as well.

His breaths, which had been hardly better than another person's hyperventilation, slowly calmed to a steady stream of inhalations and exhalations. He breathed, and his heart responded by slowing its pace and pumping blood through his body at a more sedated pace.

Naruto smiled up at the two of them as gracefully as he could. It did little to dampen the fear he had already given the children. They continued to stare at him with contracted pupils, frightened of him. Fearful of what he could do to them.

No. No, no, no.

No.

That wasn't quite right. It wasn't him they were afraid of. He sensed their fear, and it wasn't because of him. The way their eyes would fidget to a door behind them...

Naruto looked down at his meal, ignoring Raven. He took hold of the utensils and stabbed at the sliced steak. It was only when he brought it to his mouth that he smelled how well it had been cooked. He took a bite.

It was delicious. He hated it.

He chewed. Then he swallowed.

Naruto placed the utensils on the table softly and once again caught the shivering frames of the two waiters he held at his table. He smiled at them once again. Their trembling did not cease.

"Your cook has done an excellent job. How long have they been cook here?"

The girl still stood in front of the boy, bravely facing on Naruto's facetious smile. "...Seven years," she timidly said, her soft voice coming out weaker than before.

Seven years.

Seven years.

This couldn't be coincidence anymore.

"Naruto..." Raven started, but Naruto grabbed onto her extended hand with his own gloved one. She stopped. He kept his focus on the girl since she was the one doing the talking, protecting the boy just behind her. The girl continued to return his focused look, willing herself to remain strong for the boy. After nearly twenty seconds of this, her eyes broke contract and shamefully reflected off the black and white tiles on the floor.

"I want you to be honest with me," Naruto told the girl. He felt close to snapping. The girl nodded eagerly, her bangs bobbing up and down viciously, tears nearly forming in edges of her eyes. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," she said automatically. Naruto nodded. Lies.

"And him?" He pointed at the boy behind her.

"Eighteen," she said again. Naruto simply nodded again. More lies.

"And the cook that I can't see?"

"Eighteen." Another. Lie.

"Right." He looked at Raven, who was beginning to show the budding signs of dawning realization. Her eyes had widened with each time the children had answered, and her hand had balled tight into a fist inside his hand, clenching so hard until she was trembling in a simmering rage. "And that bracelet on your wrist, and that boy's wrist. The one that has enough Lightning Dust powering it to disable civilians. Did you fancy it or did someone else?" the blonde professor asked. Raven almost looked horrified. Her red eyes, which were beautifully cheerful only thirty minute before, were now making expressions that crushed Naruto's heart.

He would apologize to her after.

But this came first.

The girl hesitated. All was silent in the world. A storm of ice cold washed over Naruto when the girl said her next words. The vast ocean of calm that had been lapping smoothly earlier had been disturbed. The turbulent tides of a treacherous hurricane rushed over him, and hot magma from volcanoes erupted in white fury that would kill anyone that came within feet of it.

"I did."

He stood up from his chair and raised his hand. The two children flinched, but the girl remained in front of the boy, head tilted to the side. Raven felt a twang of something. The girl clearly anticipated to be struck.

Naruto gently placed his hand on the top of her head, and the crushing violent rage he had was subdued for only a moment. The girl didn't look up as Naruto ruffled her immaculate hair.

"It's going to be alright now," he promised to them in the warmest voice he could muster. "I'm going to do something that should have been done long ago for you children." He lifted his other hand and patted the boy's head, too. There was a soft smile on Naruto's lips. The kind that you showed to someone not because you were happy for them, but because you understood what pain they were withstanding and sometimes, there was nothing else you could do but smile for them.

The girl's figure started to shake. A drop of liquid coming from her hit the floor, splashing on the ground near her feet.

"Can you two trust me?" Naruto got on one knee so that the he was looking up at the two children. They looked so small now.

The girl seemed to be biting her tongue, throat hot with emotions as it rose and fell. "I...I-I..." She couldn't speak, her words muddled by the hiccups that came when someone had intense emotional reaction. She grabbed the boy's hand.

And then she nodded.

Naruto smiled up at her, the kind of smile he had when he was proud of someone for doing the right thing.

"Brave girl. I'm going to need to ask you to stay strong just a little bit longer."

Naruto stood and stepped forward, passing the two children so that he was now in the center of the aisle.


Raven had seen anger many times in her life.

Rage, in all of its volcanic and eruptive nature, she could count within her two hands. But she had seen it and known it.

Experienced it.

Since her birth, she had known three tribe leaders. When the first had died, there had been rampant grief that overcame the camp. However, there was also raging tempests of fury that had possessed every man, women, and able child in that tribe. She didn't understand why, but the feeling was well known to her. She had seen it, but she was too young to comprehend and had too little attachment to her then deceased leader.

She would come to know rage by the time the second leader died. Someone that she trusted. She, herself, felt that rage build up within her. That porcelain clay of beauty that she called control? It shattered. A hammer had struck it, breaking it so easily, as was its brittle nature. And she had taken three days of constant fighting to calm her, only collapsing when her body could go no longer. Even then, the hot coals simmered inside of her, prepared for anything to spark it back into a roaring flame.

She thought she had known rage.

Naruto was the fury, Aura flaring and releasing from his body like a god of war. His hair flipped and twisted this way and that, and his clothes rippled as he undulated power, releasing wave after wave and the Aura came out from him like a tsunami. After each pulse of Aura was released, Naruto would shock her more as even more came out, enough to suffocate most first years by simply being in the room. Somehow, he was preventing any of the waiters from taking the consequences of his actions. The two children, standing behind his back, watched him with wide eyes brimmed with tears.

Raven had thought Naruto a saint when it came to controlling his temper. Back in Beacon, he had only shown disappointment when students expressed their opinion on blatant discrimination and racism. He hadn't even displayed frustration when the first years showed no modicum of respect to him. And he laughed and smiled at the names they called him, instead telling the insulters that they were creative and should use their brain to improve themselves in combat.

That Naruto was gone.

She felt something inside of him had cracked, and the dam had been released.

Power was a difficult concept that had different interpretations for every person. Power could be knowledge. Power could be literal strength, like the ability to smash stones with a naked fist. However, there was another kind of power that every person inside that building was experiencing and would never forget for rest of their existence in this world.

It was the power to induce fear.

No one was safe from his blinding presence. His Aura washed over her. But instead of the sense of death and dread she felt from the initial release, all she felt was a serene breeze and a blanket of comfort. All of the children, and many of the waiters, she saw looking straight at him. Many of the other patrons in the hotel could not. They were forced to grovel with their eyes to the ground, unable to meet his eyes.

Do you know what happened to animals, even mortals, that were left out of shelter in the midst of a deadly storm? They whimpered, knowing their fate. Their whines would be drowned out, and whatever attempts they made to survive would be snuffed and rebuffed by the forces of nature. So the animals would stand and whimper, dreading the end as their final seconds drew near.

Naruto was that storm, becoming the reckoning that all feared. They couldn't even look at him in the face as his Aura twisted madly.

"Who the hell do you all think you are, ignoring these children?" Naruto said, voice shaking through the air, his Aura cutting off his voice from how dense it covered every inch of space in the building. The golden energy spread over the entire room, rushing over every individual in the building. Many of the soldiers who were eating were choking, hacking to the ground when they doubled over. Many of the older, untrained civilians in the hotel fell to the ground onto all fours, bile coming out of their mouths.

A lady came out a door in the back where the children sneaked a frightened glance earlier. She struggled to stand, but stand she did nonetheless. Dressed in an immaculate purple dress and a long, diamond necklace, she slowly waded her way over to Naruto. Every step she took looked like a struggle, as it was seconds before each foot was capable of lifting off the ground and carrying out the next.

Naruto did not loosen his control over his Aura.

"What are you doing?" The lady in the dress managed to say croakily. Somehow, even with her throat mangled and lips tight from terror, she still managed to sound haughty. Her back was far too straight, and her eyes refused to break line from Naruto's. Her pride would not allow it. When every one else in the room was unable to match his gaze, ego and pride held the line.

"These children," Naruto's voice slowly came out, dripping with unimaginably controlled anger, as if he was restraining himself by the slimmest of margins from committing murder from one wrong word, "what are you doing with them?"

"They...they are my servants."

Raven was pushed back into her seat when she felt the pressure of Aura exponentially climb. Her chair slid - from her recoiling against the back of her seat from shock - but the negative mental aspects never struck her, nor the children. The rest in the room stilled, unmoving.

"Are you toying with me? You think throwing the word 'slave' under bright lights and dancing around it with fancy letters makes it alright to call them 'servants'?" Raven studied Naruto as he continued to heatedly stare down the woman whose ego had finally wilted, her head drooping. "I'm taking them all with me."

The woman cracked more. She snapped her head up, but not enough to meet Naruto's eyes. It was tilted just enough to stare at the bottom of his boots. "What gives...you the right?"

"The right?" Naruto said slowly, considering the words as it rolled off his tongue. Suddenly, as if the the faucet was force closed, the Aura exploding out of Naruto came to a grinding halt. Then, it slowly went back into him. Raven heard many of the patrons start to breath in quickly, finally free from the stifling pressure. They had been holding their breath the entire time, petrified by the monstrosity that her professor was.

A monster in the guise of a professor.

"You're right," he said, the Aura slowly converging back into him. "What gives me the right? I'm just another professor from Beacon and I'm only seventeen. Technically, I hold no power in Atlas as a citizen of Vale."

"Then what the hell are you doing here, you disgrace of a human?" Raven turned to fix her gaze on the older male that spoke. Dressed in formal white, an older soldier. Subhuman scum, she thought ironically, right hand on her hip where Omen would have been. She had left the other half of herself at the Atlas dorm room. Few of the soldiers started to get up, hostility undoubtedly growing as their hands went for their weapons by their sides.

Naruto didn't even seem to hear the man, not heeding him. Instead, he continued to watch as the women, who had been utterly terrified when his Aura had been present, gain confidence as she realized that his oppressive force had been recalled. Raven saw as the woman slowly comprehended that Naruto had said he had no power in this city - in this entire Kingdom - and that many of the soldiers in the room were on her side. She cackled, raising her hand and pulling out a remote out of her sleeve. Many of the waiters - all children, Raven realized with increasing disgust - winced, eyes shut.

She had just about had it with this lot and was prepared to make her own statement, if not for her trust in Naruto.

"You think you can come in here, tell me what's wrong and what's right, when you aren't even a citizen of our soil? And what are those on your face? Whiskers? Are you a Faunus with a sense justice far too great like all of your other trash brethren?"

Naruto crossed the length of the aisle. The soldiers, who had raised their weapons at him, all crumbled before him as he walked by them. He walked straight without even regarding them a threat, and they all plunked down to their seat, defeated. They couldn't lift a finger to him as their fighting spirit was snuffed, like the wind had come to snatch up the fire from candles.

The woman realizing the impending terror that was closing in on her., raised her remote higher. "I'll torture them! Do you want to see my servants suffer?" When Naruto continued to step forward, she pressed the button.

Nothing happened. Unsure, the owner of the hotel pressed the remote again, once again with no results. With increasing fervor, she clicked the very item that granted her power over her 'servants', only to be rejected by its absolute unwillingness to do anything.

Naruto took the remote away from the woman and crushed it in his palm. The woman stared up at him.

"Your servants?" He leaned, towering over her. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, professor from Beacon Academy. No, I don't have any power in this soil. Whether I am Faunus or not, it makes no difference. I simply have a moral compass and my own beliefs, and I am unwilling to run from wrong when there is something to right." He whispered, but it was so quiet that all heard him. Raven saw many of the patrons in the white uniforms slump their shoulders, heads hanging lower with each added word. The previous unbridled hatred that had been imbued into his voice was all gone, and all that was left was resolve. "And it wouldn't matter what Kingdom I go to. If I have the power to save those who cannot save themselves, I would go into hell every time because I can."

The lady pointed her finger at him. "You - you have no right!" she sputtered, losing all sense of reason. Naruto knocked the hand away from inside the wrist, then stepped closer to her.

"I'm taking all of the children with me. I've undone every single tool by desyncing them with my Aura." He turned back to face Raven. He walked back to her, ignoring the soldiers that wouldn't look in his direction, and knelt down on one knee. Curse him, he even looked apologetic, brows high and lips parted slightly. "I'm sorry, Raven. Looks like our plans for dinner will have to be delayed."

She stared at him, then sighed. "I'll grab the kids."

Naruto stood up and stared down each patron in the restaurant. "How disappointing."

Somehow, Raven thought that those words hurt them far more than any beating he could've given them.

They had entered the restaurant as two, and left as thirteen. Naruto treated the eleven children - the two Huntsman had found out later that the eldest of the dozen minus one was of thirteen years - to dinner. It was at a small restaurant, more homely and less posh than the hotel that they had been serving. But it had been the warmest and greatest gift that they had received. The children had sobbed once the idea of 'freedom' played with them. That word had been a far off dream, like an intangible impossibility that would never come to them. And then it had been softly placed into their hands.

Raven was the one to end up suggesting bringing them all back to Atlas Academy. She knew that he was already considering it, but when she told him of what she thought the best course of action was, he smiled thankfully at her. So did all of the children, dressed in their black and white suits.

The fourth years were surprised to see so many well-dressed children come back with Naruto. Glynda ran up to the professor, immediately interrogating why all of them looked like they had been bawling and if something had happened to them.

"We freed them," Naruto said. It was then that Raven recalled what happened at the hotel. He had not once brought up the fact that he was affiliated with General Ironwood or the SDC. Instead of using his position of diplomat or even bringing it up, he stood up to the Madam of the hotel as himself and nothing more.

He really was himself over anything else that was connected to him.


Glynda severely worried for Naruto. For the children, as well. But first and foremost, she was afraid that what he had done would shake the balance. Of what, she couldn't come to a conclusion to.

Her professor was sitting in a desk with two children standing by his chair. He pushed himself up and sat on the desk now, with the children sharing the seat he had vacated. The two were entranced by him as he told them stories of a large forest surrounding a town. She had never heard of such a city in the world, so it must have been a tale that was passed down by word of mouth. A last memento from his deceased parents, possibly. Or the people that took care of him after the tragedy.

The clouds had rolled across the moon, setting the rest of the Kingdom in a darker night, although the lights that the Kingdom were known for seemed uncaring to the moon. Sitting by the window in the softer light, Naruto spoke calmly. Soothingly, like a parent would to a child after a long day and had tucked them into bed. He was animated with his expressions, but controlled and tempered.

The children took showers in the dorms they had taken, and all of the fourth years joined Naruto in his room with the washed kids. The group had attracted their fair share of eyes, but no one questioned them directly. Glynda had to be thankful for her rather stone-like face when she held neutrality, and also Naruto's confidence and wide smile. The two of them probably convinced the Atlesian students that this was a normal occurrence and she was simply tolerating her professor's wide reaching heart.

"Glynda," Crystal called for her. She was working on a pair of clothes, using her Semblance to work around the size and a set of dyes to play with the color. Her hands were dappled in a myriad of colors, although she hardly seemed to mind. "Do you mind helping me make these clothes a bit baggier?" The clothes on the children were probably not replaced at the same rate that they grew, so many of the children had clothes too tight or at an uncomfortable fit. Crystal had taken it upon herself to mess with the length - with Glynda's help - by taking the suits from the children who stepped into the shower and setting to work on them.

It wasn't difficult for the two of them, but it was distracting. Glynda wanted to speak with Naruto and Raven more about what had happened, but she was constantly called for when her classmate would ask for her assistance. In the end, she stood leaning against the doorframe of Naruto's room, using her Semblance whenever Crystal would toss the clothing over to her. Like now.

Raven caught her eye. The girl was actually looking straight at her, lips parted in confusion. There were a few of them surrounding her, and one of the girls was doing her best to braid the first year's hair. The Huntsman-in-training even had a bow where the braid started and another where it curled at the end.

"Alright, that's enough," Glynda heard Raven say, the younger girl standing to the disappointment of the giggling children. She walked over to the door and leaned on top of it, sighing in content now that she was free from the grippy claws of the young teens. "I want to swing my sword outside," she said wistfully. Glynda coughed, stifling a giggle. How Raven-like.

"You could," Glynda encouraged. Raven shook her head, looking at Naruto. The two of them stood there, watching as the children that had lost their entertainment with Raven crowd around Naruto as he continued to tell his tale. Now he spoke of a village with a large bridge and surrounded by waves. The Land of Waves, he called it. Whoever told him these stories had really poor creative skills.

Raven crossed her arms. "I don't know why, but I didn't expect him to be good with children. I knew he was a capable professor, but maybe it's because his mental age is so close to theirs?"

"You're hardly older than he is. Nice hair, by the way. I quite like it," Glynda proffered. Raven sniffed, annoyed but not really.

"Thanks," was her half-hearted response. Raven casually pulled her hair over her shoulder and examined the bow. "At least they used red."

Someone knocked from inside of the bathroom door. Crystal stood with the clothes in her hands and crossed the room to the door and opened it marginally, stretching her hand through the crack with the edited patches of linen. Then the door closed, and she sat back on the bed, head tilted to the ceiling. "Thank the brothers, that's the last batch," she moaned out. Icar flew down to the girl with a boy who was giggling madly, and sat by her on the bed. He tapped her shoulder and then started to massage the girl's shoulders. She leaned forward and sighed appreciatively.

"Have you ever seen Naruto upset?" Raven asked, knocking her out of her light glaze. Glynda blinked.

"No," she said, trying to recall any time she had ever seen Naruto more than anything mildly disappointed. He had been morose when he had heard news of students falling to Grimm, but that was not anger, but grief. "I haven't. Did you today?"

Raven hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah. It was...something."

The children giggled at something the blond said. Naruto was smiling, going through another tale. Now, some kind of exam where some foolish child was unsure how to answer a single question. Turns out the proper answer to the exam was to cheat without getting caught. Glynda disagreed. Why not simply study and know the answers in the first place?

At least the children found his ridiculous tales amusing.

"Alright," Naruto said, clapping his hands. He yawned in an exaggerated manner. "I think I'm getting a bit tired, so I'm going to call it a night. Aw, don't look at me like that. I can tell you more tomorrow when I'm done with teaching the class, alright?" The kids cheered to that.

They ended up staying altogether in that single room that night, having a slumber party. All of the fourth years had children on top of them, sleeping soundly and happy. Naruto had a boy and girl between him and Raven. The black haired first year had seemed uncomfortable when the girl snuggled up to her arm, but she eventually settled down and let it happen, closing her eyes and falling fast asleep. Glynda was on the other side of Naruto on top of her own blanket, a boy in between them.

She didn't get to speak with Naruto, but he had smiled at her gratefully, eyes shining with thankfulness. That was enough for her.

She fell asleep, content.


"You better have a damn good explanation for why I'm getting messages from one of the richest people in Atlas, asking for your immediate detainment. They want you to completely skip trial and go straight to jail."

Naruto had barely opened the door when James Ironwood pushed through and said his piece. Then he saw the fourth years, Raven, and the eleven children that were fast asleep in their colorful clothes in the dim lighting of the dawn. The students blinked back at him in their nightwear.

Naruto grabbed Glynda and Raven with him when Ironwood suggested taking the conversation to his office. Some of the fourth years wanted to follow him as well, but he simply asked how many of them wanted to stay at Beacon after graduating. Taking their silence as an answer, Naruto left. Glynda followed, as did Raven since she was present last night when Naruto took away all of the freed 'servants'.

They saw in the headmaster's office, with Naruto sitting and Glynda and Raven standing on the flank.

Raven stewed behind the professor in her wear from last night, her arms crossed underneath her budding bust, her hands behind the opposite elbow. Glynda had thrown on a red jacket and black pants, the opposite colors of Atlas.

Naruto leaned against the back of his chair, eyes set on the headmaster. "To continue our conversation: I hope you have a damn good reason why you crack down on insubordination so much when slavery is allowed in the city streets in the wide open, General." The hypocrisy dripping from Naruto was not lost on anybody. He didn't even sound upset. His tone was flat, with no tell.

But anybody could tell he was disappointed.

Ironwood staggered back. Then, the man cupped his chin, eyes calculating. Finally, he rose his head. "Are you sure that what you saw was slavery and not servitude?" The way he approached Naruto completely changed. This was important enough for him to put his differing opinions aside.

Naruto tossed the crumbled form of a remote and two bracelets - the same ones that the children wore up until last night - onto the large table. It was all the answer Ironwood needed. "I see. I...apologize for jumping to conclusions so quickly. Although I disapprove of the way you had done what you did, I cannot in good conscience reprimand you as general or headmaster. In fact, as a headmaster, I would awarding you right now if you were an Atlesian student or professor."

"I don't want anything for what I've done. Doing the right thing shouldn't be awarded when all I was doing to correcting the blatant wrong. I'll teach the single class to the fourth years today," Naruto said in a hushed whisper. "And I only want a single promise from you James Ironwood. I want you to swear to me that things will change."

"What do you mean?"

"There were soldiers wearing your uniform that did nothing to help the helpless."

Ironwood stood and walked over to the window, overlooking the unparalleled view of the city. His hands were clasped behind his back. He was only in his twenties, but he looked so tired.

"You have my word," James said seriously, turning back to the three with resolve. "I...have clearly been slighted by my companions on the other three seats due to my age, and have oversighted the rampant 'servitude' that had been going on in the city. As for the soldiers...I'll handle it. I appreciate your bringing its attention to me and will do my upmost correct this tumor in our society when you next come to Atlas."

Naruto stood up and left with Raven and Glynda, tight hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket.

"I still don't like him," Raven said. "How do you grow up in the city and not see those kinds of things?"

"Sometimes," Glynda said the other side of Naruto, "the worst things aren't hidden from view, but are in plain sight. Because it's so obvious, when people question but do nothing about it, it becomes the norm."

Naruto agreed with her. "That's just how it is sometimes." Their footsteps clicked loudly against the tile. "He was blind, but it was possible that the other three council chairs were actually wrapping a blinder over him. The next youngest councilman is over fifty. They may not like the new blood and perspective that he brings."

Raven shrugged. "They'll simply have to deal with it." Glynda sighed.

"Sadly, that's not how that works. If the other three seats continue to remain steadfast and refuse anything Ironwood tries to bring forth, then he's the one at a loss because even if he holds two votes, he'll still be in the minority." They entered the elevator. "What he needs to do is convince only one of them, but how, I'm not sure."

Naruto waited until the doors closed, then grinned. "I do."


Naruto had run the students through the same regiment that he assigned to his students back at Beacon. The fourth year regiment, not the first year standard. The Atlesian students were haggard, their breath short and many of them were crumpled on the ground, folded and in a supplicating position. Steam rose from their body from heat, not from the power he was used to emitting as his Aura left his body.

The Beacon students looked at their Atlesian compatriots with an odd expression, as if they were faced with a foreign issue. Which, technically, they were. Glynda's was the most subdued, whereas Crystal, Icar, and Violet all held their suspiciously wide grins as they stood tall, breathing mildly harshly. As if they had taken a morning jog on top of some weight training. That had earned them the ire of a few downed Atlesian students. Even Keith and Nex, who said nothing abrasive, were the victims of glares due to their proximity with the troublesome three.

Raven herself was crouched, bent over on her knees the moment the exercises had concluded. He had told her the lesson was for fourth years, but she was welcome to join. She was a touch excited. The way that Atlas was a touch cold in the dead of winter. She was immediately standing up after, taking deep breaths. But standing. He had taught her well, and she had taken his lessons to heart.

"Well done keeping up," Naruto complimented, completely comfortable. It wasn't true, but he had to go through the motions. The fourth years were run down ragged, and he had placed particular emphasis when he told them to try to keep up with him. The Atlesians, of course, wished nothing more than to show the foreign Kingdom's professor their supremacy and difference in strength when confronted with the lightly veiled challenge. As the result, they had conclusively shown the difference in power of the graduating students, although not in the direction they wanted. That wasn't even considering how far they fell short of actually keeping up with him, when he put far more force into any repetitive movement. When they moved onto doing high kicks, Naruto shot compressed air towards the students and the stands behind them. The white-haired Schnees were amazed, Nicholas the most so. The CEO was both literally and figuratively blown away.

The Schnees had entered before the class had begun. Nicholas, Willow, and Winter Schnee were at the first row of the pew in the combat room. He wondered where Willow's husband was, but that thought lasted for only a second. Most likely a busy man, working or elsewhere. He didn't care.

Their presence had drawn every single pair of eyes to them, and the room had been filled with excited chatter as to why such prominent figures were here today. It hadn't occurred to most of the students that Naruto was actually the reason. He had yet to greet them, however. He would have to do so later.

Beyond the Schnee family - who had nodded at him when he looked at them except for Winter, who waved childishly - were the two children that he had promised to save, sitting in the uppermost row of the stands. The rest of them chose to remain in the dorm, still somewhat coming to terms that they were free.

The Atlas students were listless and groaning on the ground, whilst the Beacon students remained standing tall.

"We only have twenty minutes left. Begin stretching on your own to get your breath under control, and then I'll begin my lecture in the last ten."

The students shoddily got offer the ground, rolling from their prone stations and climbing to their feet. Then, the began to process of stretching their muscles, taking in deep breaths as their sweat pooled beneath them. Their clothes were damp with more moisture underneath.

Just because it was cool in Atlas did not mean they were invulnerable to sweating profusely.

When the they were done, they returned to the bleachers and took their seats.

"As you already have probably seen, we have guests today. I understand that they are all quite important, so do me a favor and please ignore them. It'll make them feel better, I promise," Naruto said, finally calling attention to the Schnee family. The students would have been far more likely to ignore him earlier, but they were simply too tired now. Their entire focus was on the Beacon professor.

Naruto took a few steps to the left, pacing on stage. "I was thinking what lesson could I teach you all that would stick. It was difficult to come to a proper conclusion, since you fourth years have probably undergone every lesson in the book that the professors could and learned enough in the field to become proper Huntsman without my additional teachings." There was a muted satisfied buzzing from the fourth years. The fact they were demolished just minutes before was not lost on them. Thus, their feeling of accomplishment was subdued. "To be frank, you are all prepared to be Huntsman in the physical aspect. Somewhat. You all still have much room to improve, but you have time and are adequate enough as is to enter the field."

That seemed to lift their spirits. If he, who was able to go through that entire workout with hardly a light sheen of sweat, then what they were to say in denial to that.

"So. Why am I here," Naruto continued, refusing to let any student a chance to interrupt, "when I've already said that you don't have anything else to learn to be Huntsman?" He turned around, pacing in the other direction, eyes still not on any of the students. "Well, for one, there is the fact that you can't even come close to touching me, and probably never will with your work ethics. It's not a matter of question, it's simply a matter of fact."

Silence struck him. The satisfaction that the fourth years had superficially felt was peeled off forcefully. Now, he stopped pacing and met their eyes.

"I'm sure you've all heard this before, but the suit you wear does not make the Huntsman. Wearing a clean white military uniform does not make you an Atlesian soldier. You're simply acting as one. Dressed as one. But you aren't one." Naruto stood still, hands behind his back. He was wearing his track pants and baggy jacket again. He had refused to wear the formal clothes for this lesson. "In contrast, I may not look like a professor, but I am certainly your professor."

"But you're not," one of the students shouted, irritation bleeding through.

"I am for today," Naruto said.

"Doesn't mean I have to listen to you," the same student shouted back. Naruto nodded.

"That's true. I'd like for you to come down." The student that was shouting stood. Tall with messy black hair that had fallen down like a wet mop against his face. Donning grey armor and black pants. The student jumped down, landing on the stage near Naruto in a crouch. "What's your name?"

"Aley Black." The student stood straight, his right hand hovering over the sword on his waist.

"Aley Black, you are absolutely correct. You do not have to listen to me. After all, I only have temporary authority in Atlas, and you could simply ignore me the moment I left this room and eventually, when I return to Atlas. In fact, you could have chosen to ignore me today, but you listened by jumping on stage when beckoned. Do you know why you listened?" Aley held his tongue, and Naruto answered the questioned he asked. "It's because you still respect authority."

"In fact," Naruto continued as he turned away from Aley and to the student body, "most of you respect authority too much."

That got a response out of the students. To Atlesians, where authority held power and it was expected for subordinates to listen, it was almost a way of life. To hear a foreigner say otherwise was not only a clashing of ideals and perspectives, but also came off as unwarranted when the professor from Beacon simply said his perspective and expected no rebuttal.

Naruto remained silent, eyes on the Schnee family when the students near them continued to jeer at him. Nicholas held his tongue, as did Willow. The two adults remained impassive, while Winter turned her head this way and that, confused as to why the students were in opposition with what Naruto had said.

"If Ironwood told you all, right now at this very moment, that it was necessary for you to shut the gates to Mantle, allow no transportation in between Atlas and the city below, and to also enforce military law to make sure this happened, what would you do?"

"I'd do it," Aley said from Naruto's side. The students all fell silent. You could hear their collective breaths. "I wouldn't like it. But if it was necessary, I'd do it. I speak for the rest of my class when I say this."

None of the other students said otherwise. Naruto smiled.

"Thank you, Aley. You speak honestly, and I appreciate that." Naruto walked up to the taller fourth year. "Even without knowing the reasons, hearing that it was necessary was enough for you to make a decision and follow through with your actions. Congratulations, you just caused an economic crisis and forced the civilians in Mantle to die because you - and I mean all of you - couldn't think for yourself how detrimental your actions could be."

Black looked like he got slapped on the face. "That's not what I meant!"

"No?" Naruto sounded confused. "Which part? That you wouldn't enjoy performing the action, or actually stating that because of necessity, you would stop all transport, and thus all supply and demand which would cause a food shortage? Or that you'd willingly force the citizens of Mantle to freeze? Or perhaps did you mean that, because you were willing to close the gates to Mantle, not only could they not travel up to Atlas, they wouldn't even be able to escape to attempt to survive. They'd be forced to be stuck down there."

Aley froze. "What...that's not a fair question."

Naruto cocked his head. "Well, that's just a damn shame, isn't it. Last time I checked, life wasn't very fair to us in general." He narrowed his eyes. "Think. What could possibly make it the right order to shut off all transport as well as import and export between the two cities? What could possibly make it the right idea to close all borders?"

Aley hesitated, all bravado gone. "Grimm?" he answered, weakly. "If Grimm pervaded the lower city and had taken over to the point we couldn't stop them, it would be for the survival of the upper city that you'd sacrifice the one below."

Naruto nodded at the answer. He spun to the class. "And do you accept this reasoning?" Naruto asked the students. Many of the heads nodded, although there was far less enthusiasm about them than before when he had challenged their rather brash loyalty earlier. "I see. Then many of you are still mentally unprepared to have the title of Huntsman. In fact, I wouldn't even let you be a soldier in my cohort if I was your commanding officer. I'd turn you away at the recruiting desk instantly. Loyalty is good, but blind loyalty is deadly.

"If Grimm invaded the city, you're telling me that you'd leave hundreds of thousands of people under your direct protection to die? So that you can stay safe? I thought I was speaking to future soldiers and Huntsmen, the very people that would do the saving."

"That's...that's not fair," a student from the audience said defiantly. "You gave us an impossible scenario with a zero-sum." Naruto looked directly at the student.

"No," Naruto said. "I simply asked that if your headmaster told you to do something, would you do it. Every one of you failed to reject Aley's assured statement that you would do the same. Every one of you said that you would not cross the line and question, putting yourself and your position at risk, because your life comes first."

"We'd be protecting civilians on the upper level!" the student protested. Naruto had had enough.

"And leaving the millions below to die!" He may as well have roared. Naruto's Aura did not spike, and he didn't raise his voice, but his eyes spoke for him. Narrowed, tight, and full of heightened senses. It waned, and then ebbed away. The students had all flinched when the words hit them, shame distorting their faces.

There was a deathly silence again. Willow stared at him, a marked frown. She did not cover the ears of her daughter and let Winter continue to listen freely. Nicholas had no clear tells, his lips set in a straight line. Naruto felt the weight on his shoulders become heavier, but this was the lesson he chose to follow through with.

"There are times," Naruto said, breaking the silence, "when you have to question things. There are times when you will have to break the chain of command because you believe what you are doing is right and that someone above you, Kami forbid, has done something wrong and made a mistake. There are times when you will have to take action, even if everyone else does not and refuses to join you, because you believe so strongly that you are right.

"Otherwise, you both indirectly and directly allow evil to proliferate. Grimm is not the only enemy of mankind. We are our own enemy at times. Otherwise, there never would have been these petty wars that accomplish nothing and we'd have already been united as one against the forces that are united against us."

Aley stood uncomfortably, hands still by his side in a mockery of a stance. Naruto eyed him and signaled for him to return to his seat. The fourth year did so gratefully.

"The suit," Naruto pointed pulled at his sweats, "does not make you a soldier, and the title of Huntsman does not mean are you one, either. Someone that was as equally unqualified to earn that title may have gifted it to you, and you will do the same to the next generation because you simply do not know any better. My job, in this single day I have to teach you anything impactful, is to tell you that to be a Huntsman, it starts with the mind. You dedicate yourself to an ideal, and you become that ideal.

"Until then, you are only a mockery of an ideal, and you wear the title of Huntsman without genuine worth." He pointed at the stands, emitting Aura harshly. He made sure not to reach the kids in the back row and Winter, who he split his Aura around like a rock in a river. "If you were in a situation where you had no chance to think and all that was left was instinct, what do you do? What would you do? And finally, what even can you do in that scenario?" The Aura rose, twisting and crossing over each other, densely coating the blond. "You have to know the answer in that second, and when instinct is all that's left and your rational thought leaves you, your actions will be the judge of whether you are fit to be a Huntsman. Protectors, defenders, soldiers...these titles are all well and good. But it all means nothing if you can't help your fellow man with the power you possess."

Naruto recalled his Aura, bringing it all back within him. Everyone had been transfixed by his strength. He had let out enough to create a sense of unease, but not enough to suffocate them with fright. There was a fine line between the two.

"First and foremost, you need to have the right mentality. I can shape anyone to be accomplished if they were willing, open-minded, and unafraid to make a fool of themselves by failing over and over again. Just because you made it into a prestigious academy - one of the four in the whole world - don't go assuming that you're anything special and deserve the title you have. I never went to any Academy and I haven't spend a single minute in your civilized classes, but I could easily destroy all of you while inebriated and partially bedridden. I could use my power to destroy cities, level earths, render Kingdoms dysfunctional within a single day if I wanted to."

The students stared at Naruto, eyes wide. They wanted to call him a liar, to say that he boasted of feats he could accomplish with far too much leeway. But when they met his gaze, they saw no liar. Only one that spoke with genuine belief in himself, confident of his strength, stature, and position. They remained silent.

For the first time since he began his lecture, Naruto smiled. "Have an open mind and be willing to help others. Question things. Question everything. Ask why you do things, and ask why things are the way they are. Then, you'll find your place in the world and who you are."

Naruto did a slow sweep of the students, who held his gaze and matched it. He had them on his palm. They hung to his every word. Good. He had succeeded. They were drawn to him like magnets, and their mentality, dying embers, had grown to the crackling of thunder.

"I leave you today with one task." Naruto pointed a finger to the student body. "But it is one that will stay with you for the rest of your life if you let it. Become something beyond your current self, and do it right."

The bell rung in a timely manner, tolling the end of the class. Naruto walked off the stage, leaving the room in unceremonious silence by taking the lower exit to the right.


Willow sat motionlessly. Winter was already jumping in her lap, jittery and wanting out of her clutches. "Wait for a moment, you rascal," she said, cooing to her daughter. Her voice sounded playful, but her face reflected a calm, like a serene river with a dark edge.

"We're going to him," Nicholas said decidedly. Willow couldn't tell if that meant that he was impressed or simply wanted to understand where Naruto was coming from when he spoke earlier. The blond spoke harsh truths, one that a child his age shouldn't know. Even she couldn't fully comprehend the responsibilities that weighed on her shoulders, and she was a mother. To be told to always be stepping forward, both by his first year students, and by him, a seventeen-year-old...it felt odd.

They stood to leave, turning to face the crowd of students that sat unmoving. They all sat there, stunned to silence. Deep in thought, a few leaned forward and pressed their palms against their chins. Others sat still, waiting for their teammates. There were some that looked fragile, as if Naruto's words that broken something inside that had been used as a safeguard.

Outside, Willow saw Naruto with his students and two children. They spoke quietly enough so that she couldn't hear, but the muted whispers echoed in the large hall. She walked to him, Willow still in her arms. Naruto noticed her, and the talking died down.

There was a hushed quiet that took over the hall as the two groups stood facing the other, neither taking the step forth to speak first. Somehow, even Winter didn't say anything. It was as if she knew that it was a moment to stay silent.

"I hope you weren't too disappointed," Naruto said, a half-hearted smile stretching across his face. He scratched the back of his head as a low chuckle escaped his lips. "There isn't too much for me to teach fourth years, so I went with something that could be reminded every day in life."

"Yes," her father said in his low, rolling voice. She was always captivated by the way her father spoke. It was slow, methodical, like a river that only moved in one direction and refused to budge. Ever flowing and smooth, he had a penchant for politics and business. "It has been a long time since anyone has ever told me that I needed to improve myself."

Naruto started. "I didn't mean to presume - "

"It's quite alright," her father said, holding a scarred hand up. "I've been both a Huntsman and a businessman in this life, and I'm old enough that I've seen more than most in both professions. I admire your drive, son." Willow would've just about spit out her drink if she had one in hand right now. Her father hardly ever admired anybody these days. Cordial relationships between business and long time friends, yes, she was sure he had them. But he was at the pinnacle of society's ladder, and he had hardly spent time looking up or down these days. He simply continued about his day, content but with little drive. "But I do have one more question."

"I might have an answer," Naruto replied cheekily.

"What did you mean by evil proliferating in plain sight?" Naruto blinked, eyes momentarily flickering to the two children that hid behind his back. Willow didn't recognize either one, and she knew that the Beacon diplomats had not come with them.

"There are eleven of them," Naruto said. Her heart clenched, and her grip on Winter tightened a bit. The little child in her arms giggled and pointed at the two children staring straight at her. "They were servants of a kind. I severed the tie they had."

Nicholas was a tall, hulking figure of a man. Willow just hadn't seen the man her father was when he was a Huntsman, so he never cut an imposing figure for her. However, when his eyes narrowed and arms bulged, she was reminded that long ago, before her birth, he was once a menace on the field. So terrible and frightening, her father was given medals and was even a renowned Huntsman.

"Thank you," her father said, voice like rolling gravel. "It appears my home city has tried to catch up to my wealth by using less than favorable tactics."

Willow looked down at Winter once more. Her daughter was smiling at the children still, and one of them tentatively let a little lilt press against their lips. It tugged at her heart.

She knew what she had to do.

"We'll make a statement," Willow said, voice firm. Everyone turned to her. She did not falter, back straight and facing everyone's gazes head on. "As a Schnee, and as a representative of the Schnee Dust Company, I will claim that the practice of servitude of this nature is an unthinkable blight on our society and should be done away with. It does not belong." Willow held Winter to her breast. "I will see it done."

Nicholas turned to her. "Willow, dear, we can't just - "

She snapped her eyes on him. "Father," she said formally, only using the term in business. She saw him pause, unused to the way she formally addressed him. "I will not change my mind on this. If what Naruto here says is true, we must discover the truth for ourselves and come to our own conclusion. If it is, we will deny any and all businesses that approach us with such shady practices." She held her father's gaze, and then her father smiled. She had never dipped her toes into the business, and her father had been willing to let things stand as such. This would be her first statement as heiress of the SDC if she did decide to follow through with this.

Her father stood tall and suddenly broke into a fit of laughter. Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed as her father made a scene, but he seemed uncaring of her plight. "I'm impressed! Not only have you stoked the hearth for me, you have also moved my daughter to finally take part in my family business, which she originally wanted no part of." He clapped Naruto on the shoulder. "You should come to Atlas more often and visit our home. You'd always be welcome."

"Thank you, sir."

"Nicholas is fine."

"Ah. Naruto would be preferable from my end as well, Nicholas."

The children were now openly holding back laughter as her daughter continued to try to reach out to them, unable to break from her loving embrace. No, not yet. Something else had to be done. But...she could do it later.

"Give me your Scroll," she said to Naruto, hand already outstretched to him. He fumbled it over to her. "I want you to tell me if something like this happens again so that I can pick you up immediately from your location. Sadly, Atlas isn't known for its orphanages, so we'll have to make do with taking them to our manor and letting our servants take care of them. Would that suffice?" she asked, returning the Scroll after she input her contact information.

"Ah," Naruto paused, stumbling over his words. Was that red dust on his cheek or was he blushing? How cute. She leaned in and pinched his cheek, and then tapped it lightly.

"A 'yes' would do wonderfully."

The young professor continued to stare at her with an unsure expression. Then, he smiled and the warm color returned to his cheeks, and the honest child she had seen originally returned ."Yes, that would be fantastic."

She nodded. "Good. I'll come pick them all up when you leave. You have my word."

"Thank you both." Naruto's grin was bright enough to warm the room. "Oh, one more thing! I think the headmaster and general could use the help as well."

Ironwood? Why would Naruto use both positions to...ah. It clicked. She nodded after her father, who had already grasped what what the young professor meant. She lifted her baby girl. "Say goodbye to mister Naruto."

"Goodbye, Mister Naruto!" Winter waved cheerfully, following her mother's prompting perfectly.

"We'll keep in touch," Willow said, walking passed the group to the large arch that signaled the exit. Her father followed, soon walking besides her.

"I'm proud of you," he said when they were out of eavesdropping distance. Willow felt goosebumps rising, pressing against her skin and breaking out all over. How long had it been since he had been so open about his pride to her.

"It's not a perfect plan," she said. There were too many gaping holes in how to deal with the children. What would come after? What about the rest of the children in Atlas that had no real home? She didn't know how to tackle those yet.

Don't even get her started on cleaning up the city's act. How would she accomplish that? So much to do...

"No," her father said, agreeing with her. "But we'll figure it out together. We have to power to make a change, so let's use it to do it properly." He laughed freely. She remembered this man when she was a child. Full of energy and driven. Passionate. He had found something to be eager for again. She had seen him, sitting in his office with nothing to do as Jacques slowly took over the reins. Her husband learned quickly, but it only made her father yearn for another thing to do. This may be it.

"I never did like the other councilmen much anyway. At least Ironwood's honest, if a bit inexperienced and hot-headed," he said to her, as if they were conspiring. In a way, they were. Hatching plans to change everything.

All so children, including her daughter, could live a better life. Maybe.

They stepped out onto the port, basking in the noon sun that beat down on the world, evening out the cold weather of Atlas. Students chattered around her, talking about the future Vytal Festival and their next class. Their life as students to becoming future Huntsmen.

She had her life ahead of her as something far different, but just as impactful.

"Yes. Let's make the change, dad."

Willow smiled down at Winter, like how her father smiled down on her.

Chapter End

A/N: I feel like the main writers for the Game of Thrones series, D&D, or Dumb and Dumber. Because I "kind of forgot" that there was blatant slavery in some sections of Atlas. Guess what character is impacted the most by this change? If you guessed Cinder, you're right. Sorry, if you were hoping to see her in this chapter. She's too young right now, probably around five years old and still in Mistral.

Incoming Arcs:

End of Atlas Arc (1-2 Chapters at most)

Vytal Festival Arc (Variable. It entirely depends on how in depth I want to go)

I sincerely hope this chapter was acceptably written. I found it very difficult to write well, and after reviewing it, I wasn't sure how to make it improve it with my current skills. Maybe I'll look back on it at a future date and find tons of chinks in the prose and plot, but that'll be for a future me that is an improved writer and individual.

Thank you very much for reading and hope to see you all soon,

KenzoXShuyita!