Naruto didn't have time for the list of notifications that appeared in front of him, quickly dismissing them and stepping towards Blake, as she closed the distance between herself and Perry, who was crawling backwards.
At least, he had been, until his back pressed up against a tree, emerald green leaves swaying in the wind as Perry remained very silent.
Except for the squeak of fear, but that was forgivable, considering the circumstances.
"Blake, stop!" Naruto called out, but Blake ignored him.
"Start talking!" She shouted in his face, barrel still pointed right at him.
Naruto had thought he'd have just the slightest bit more time before Blake decided to threaten their captive, but it was clear this was not the case. "Blake, stop, please. We'll hand him to Ozpin, or the police, or something, but not this!"
Blake turned on her heel, staring intently at her leader. "All we did, it was to get information on the White Fang, Naruto. I'm not going to let that slip away, not now. Whatever it takes."
Naruto shook his head. "You're going to become just like them? That's it?"
Blake turned away. "I'd never kill an innocent person!"
"What happened to the girl who claimed the White Fang were just misled?"
Blake rounded on him again, not even sparing a glance to her teammates or Perry, who was still cowering against the tree trunk. "They are!"
"Then why are you threatening to kill one of them!?" Naruto fired back, gesturing at their terrified captive.
"Because I'm afraid of what they'll do if I don't stop it!"
Naruto paused, as Blake looked away once more, towards Vale. "If I, we, don't do something, it'll be too late, and then those deaths will be on us, Naruto."
Naruto let out a sigh, before walking over to their captive. "Look, Perry, right?"
Perry nodded.
"I don't want to hurt you. Blake here doesn't either, but the difference is is that Blake will if she feels she has to. Just tell us what we want to know, and we can all walk away without getting hurt. Fair?"
Perry nodded.
"Can you walk and talk?" Naruto asked, helping the Faunus to his feet.
Perry, once again, nodded.
"Good. I want to make good time to Vale, and you have some questions to answer. Let's move."
Naruto led the way through the forest towards Vale, keeping a steady pace alongside Weiss, with Pyrrha and Blake bringing up the rear, Perry in between the two, filling in any questions Blake had with a more muted version of his previous terrified expression.
They weren't too far from Vale now, only an hour or two, something Naruto was grateful for, and considering it was roughly noon, the shortcut through Mountain Glenn had worked out in their favour, no matter how disastrous or not it had been.
"Weiss," Naruto began, leaning to his teammate and speaking in a hushed whisper. "I want you to do me a favour."
Weiss quirked an eyebrow, looking up at her leader. "What could you possibly need me to do, Uzumaki?"
"I want you to keep an eye on Blake, when we get back. She's not going to leave this alone, and I get why, but we can't just keep throwing ourselves at the enemy and hoping for the best," Naruto answered. "And, if it isn't too much, try and figure out a way to either distract her or to help her relax."
Weiss's expression morphed into one of concern. "I understand, but I'm not sure why you think I'll be able to help. Most wouldn't call me relaxing, or distracting."
Naruto shrugged. "You're her partner. I get that I can be a little… distracting, myself, with everything that's happening, but your partner needs help, whether or not she admits it."
Weiss spared a glance behind, where Blake was interrogating Perry. "You continue to surprise, Uzumaki. I think that's the first time you've ever been right."
Naruto rolled his eyes at that. "One of these days, you'll learn to be a nicer person to me. Not today, probably, but at some point."
Weiss let out a small chuckle. "Don't hold your breath, Uzumaki."
With that, Weiss slowed slightly, catching pace with Blake, walking alongside her and offering the occasional tidbit of information or a line of questioning to assist in the information gathering.
It left Naruto alone at the head of their little convoy, but it gave him time to finally go over his notifications, ones that he'd been missing since they'd entered Mountain Glenn, and ones he was glad to say provided a little bit of comfort.
At what point Naruto had started to look at his semblance as normalcy he couldn't say.
[Raid Zone Encounter Complete!]
[You gained 874,809 XP!]
[You've reached Level 31! +15 Stat Points!]
[Skills have leveled!]
[A title has ranked up! Your Huntsman Rank is now Trained!]
[Skill Aura Control has unlocked a specialty for reaching beyond Level 25!]
[Perk Aura Suppression has been unlocked!]
[Skill Soul Harvest has unlocked a specialty for reaching Level 10!]
[You are now able to create Regular Quality Soul Orbs!]
Naruto was a little overwhelmed, but he read through it anyway. "Aura Suppression?"
It was beyond him for the time being, something he'd have to experiment with later on, but he'd managed to create twelve Minor Soul Orbs and reached level ten, so it was definitely worth it. Now, if only he knew what else he could use Soul Orbs for, other than summoning Bound Souls.
Which he was going to try again once they returned to Vale. Now wasn't the greatest time, not with a spectator, although Naruto suspected he had more important things on his mind at that point in time.
They also had to stop moving whilst Naruto performed the ritual, so that was another point towards leaving it for later, and Naruto decided to, once again, follow his gut instinct.
Another part of his gut instinct reacted to external stimuli in an instant, and as Danger Sense flared up, Naruto rolled to the side, sword smoothly drawn from its sheath as he avoided the Boarbatusk that had attempted to gore him.
A quick Observe told him that it was a much lower level than what he had been facing in Mountain Glenn, telltale signs that Vale was close, and as Naruto sidestepped its second charge and buried Crocea Mors into its side, the porcine-Grimm squealed that typical Boarbatusk squeal.
Pyrrha's javelin punctured the one that had come up behind Naruto, cracking the faceplate from the strength of the throw, and a glyph from Weiss flung the third and final into the air, where Naruto skeet-shot it out of the air with a tasteful Spinning Mana Arrow, the single projectile carving a nicely shaped hole through the beast.
The fight had only lasted a few seconds, and proved a pretty serious point to Perry. Had he chosen to resist like Terry had, the Faunus would not have ended up so lucky.
And Terry had been devoured by a giant Grimm worm, something that would haunt Perry's nightmares for the rest of his life, which the man assumed was going to be in his tiny little cell in Atlas, for the rest of his life.
That was preferable to what would've awaited him, or so he thought.
"We're only minutes away from Vale, team. Let's get there and get some rest in actual beds," Naruto said, a smile on his face.
It was almost palpable, the relief that he and his team were emitting. Even Perry's continued existence struggled to put a damper on their good mood, and even Blake seemed more at ease.
To Perry, it was almost as if the Grimm posed these four no threat. They barely paid any attention to them, they barely reacted whenever they were attacked.
Were he back in the White Fang, a Boarbatusk attack like that would've taken at least one or two of their squad down with injuries, possibly even a fatality if they didn't react in time to the threat. They would've had to form up, resolve themselves, and take on the Boarbatusks with concentrated fire.
AWBN, a name Perry was beginning to fear, seemed to have no trouble whatsoever with these threats.
The advantages of Aura and Semblances, Perry supposed. If it wasn't for the negative effects Aura had on the vast population, Perry had no doubt the White Fang would be a more serious threat than it was.
Of course, that was information he'd already given to the traitor, not that he would ever call her that to her face. Or even behind her back. It was dangerous enough to even think the words, who knew if they could read minds?
Suddenly, they were in Vale.
It caught Perry off-guard. One moment, they'd been in the forest, then the next thing he knew he was stepping through the gates, and the police were looking at him in disdain. Half were probably racists, others just angry at his choice of profession.
Had he gotten so caught up in his own thoughts that he'd simply blanked out?
Was it shock, or fear?
Perry didn't know.
What Perry did know was that he was being loaded onto a Bullhead, which was soaring towards Beacon.
Perry recognized Beacon. Everyone did, it was quite a stand-out kind of place. Even if you didn't know Vale, you knew Beacon. Perry did know Vale, but that was beside the point. Not once had he ever thought he'd step foot anywhere near Beacon, and yet as the Bullhead landed and he was shoved out, his mind was whirling.
And then in front of Perry, the somewhat well-meaning terrorist, stood two of the most terrifying people he'd ever heard of.
Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon.
And General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military. White Fang's most wanted.
What could only be described as cheerful fury written into his face.
"Good to have you back, Team AWBN. I see you've brought us a guest?"
Ozpin seemed amused by their captive.
"Yes, sir. We found a White Fang outpost in Mountain Glenn, and managed to capture him. We brought him back for you to hand to Atlas, but…" Naruto said, trailing off with a gesture towards the intimidating man that stood to the side of Ozpin.
"Well done, Mr Uzumaki. Your commitment to helping the people of Vale has not gone unnoticed. My name is James Ironwood, General of the Atlesian Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you and your team, though it would not be the first time for some."
General Ironwood was imposing, that much Naruto had to admit, but Weiss's relief was almost palpable, and the small smile the General gave her was enough to relieve the chills the man gave him whenever that gaze strayed over him.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir. We're glad to help," Naruto said, nodding politely.
Two soldiers emerged from behind Ironwood, rifles at the ready as they took Perry from Blake's grip, one cuffing him whilst the other kept her rifle trained on Perry.
They quickly began escorting him away, another Bullhead, painted in Atlesian colors, hovering nearby.
All in all, it was an efficient showing, something Naruto realised was not the norm. There was absolutely no way they were that effective usually. Either it was because they were in front of the General, or because the General was proving a point.
Naruto suspected it was the latter. Ironwood was close to Ozpin, that much was clear. If he knew about the System, there were a number of things the man might be doing.
"I imagine that you and your team would appreciate some rest, Mr Uzumaki. I suggest you all head back to your dorm," Ozpin said, taking a sip from his mug. "Oh, and Mr Uzumaki, I'd like you to meet me in my office at your earliest convenience."
Naruto gave a weary nod, suddenly aware of how tired he was. Adrenaline could only last for so long, after all. "Yes, sir. Thank you sir."
Naruto and his team stepped past the headmaster and began to make their way along Beacon's promenade, heading deeper within the campus.
Beacon was conspicuously empty, lacking all the first year Hunters that would normally be making their way around, heading to whatever classes they had scheduled. All of them appeared to be out on their assignments still.
Naruto barely paid attention to where his feet stepped, and it was clear his team felt much the same.
Sleep was wanted, and it didn't matter what time it was. A bed, safety, and a bathroom, that was all they needed.
Tomorrow. They could deal with everything else tomorrow.
As the door creaked open and they were greeted with a small amount of dust in the air, slightly stale air not bothering them even slightly as Weiss, somehow given a burst of speed, slipped into the bathroom, whilst the rest of them just slumped into their beds.
Naruto doubted he could make it to the time where he would be able to have a shower, but Naruto ignored the urge.
He needed one, if he didn't have one, he'd regret it.
Which meant he had time to kill. Naruto brought up his latest notification, which had pinged whilst they'd been headed to their room.
[Quest Complete!]
[Huntsman: First Steps (Part 4)]
[Survive the Beacon Assignment.]
[Rewards: 60,000 XP, 2 Skill Books]
Naruto's face wore an expression of tired pride, and as he checked his inventory, he noticed that he now had three unread skill books. And now, he had time to read them.
Tiredly, Naruto looked between his three possibilities. "Which to choose…"
He looked up. "Blake."
The girl glanced up at him. "What?"
"Left, middle or right?"
Blake looked confused, but shrugged. "Right."
Naruto withdrew the book that sat in the rightmost slot of the three books, and settled back.
"'Gravity Dust and Its Uses', huh?" Naruto said aloud, reading the title. He flipped the cover open, and sighed. A blank page greeted him.
"One of these days, I'd like to read a book that actually had words in it."
Blake and Pyrrha barely paid him any attention as he hit yes on the notification that popped up, and the book glowed brightly.
[Subskill learned!]
[You've unlocked Gravity for Elemental Infusion!]
He hadn't seen that one coming.
Naruto felt too tired to truly appreciate what he'd just unlocked, instead rubbing at his eyes. Weiss exited the bathroom and Blake and Pyrrha played a quick game of rock, paper, scissors in order to decide who would go next.
As Pyrrha stood and entered, Blake returning to her book, Weiss clambered into her bed and let out a sigh of blissful relief. Naruto let out a small chuckle, which promptly turned into a yawn, and stood up, trying to keep blood flowing through his body, trying to stay awake.
Two more skill books, two more left, but he was considering leaving them for the next day, when he had energy, but then again, he had a meeting with the headmaster, and if that wasn't a terrifying notion.
Naruto withdrew the second of three books from his inventory, the one that had dropped during Mountain Glenn, and tapped the accept button without even bothering to read it.
[Skill Learned!]
[Phase Shift (Active): Thanks to the System, you can now phase in and out of existence at will for a short burst of time, allowing you to phase through solid objects at will. Costs 100 MP/s. Level 1; XP 0/12.]
Now that was a skill that sounded a lot more awesome from the get-go. Sure, it cost nearly twenty times the amount of Mana per second he could regenerate, but being able to turn incorporeal at will?
Too good to pass up for so many reasons. Some of which Naruto swore he would never think about again.
Pyrrha stepped out of the bathroom and Blake got up, and as the door closed behind the black-haired Faunus, Pyrrha slumped into her bed, echoing Weiss's relief.
Speaking of, Weiss was already out like a lightbulb, and it looked like Pyrrha was following suit.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders, trying to stay awake, and pulled out the third and final skill book from his inventory, once again simply hitting accept.
[Skill Learned!]
[Mindbend (Active): Thanks to the System, you can alter a target's mental state to invoke a mental effect. Mental effects wear off after some time. Costs 100 MP to cast. Level 1; XP 0/12.]
Naruto wasn't one hundred percent sure what mental effects he could invoke, but he had a psychic skill. That was incredible. He was one step closer to being able to create mind control.
Actually, now that Naruto thought about it, he was becoming almost a walking talking lawsuit waiting to happen. Mind control, incorporeality, what was next, invisibility? Telekinesis?
Actually, that last one wasn't so far-fetched, not that anything was far-fetched anymore. He already had Terrakinesis, what was one more -kinesis kind of skill?
Blake stepped out, and Naruto stepped in, practiced efficiency at work, and as he showered, barely able to keep his eyes open, he realised something crucial.
He was going to have to go back to Mountain Glenn, if just to get the Raid Loot that dropped. It was already some of the most valuable stuff he'd gotten so far, if not monetarily but utilitywise.
The Stamina Potion, for example. That was worth so much more than however much Lien it would sell for. If he could reverse engineer it, or figure out how to make it, that would be massive. He could figure out how to make other kinds of potions, and he hadn't been kidding completely when he said he could make a significant amount of Lien from selling them. It would be good experience, too, for what he assumed would be the relevant skill.
Naruto cut off the lukewarm water and stepped out, quickly equipping the tracksuit he'd gotten to replace his poor neglected onesie and opened the door, preparing to sink into his bed like the rest of his team had done with theirs. Blake and Pyrrha had joined Weiss in the land of the unconscious, and Naruto was more than willing to follow suit.
His eyes were closed before he'd made it halfway to the bed, and by the time he'd slumped into it, he was already asleep.
Waking at dawn was unexpectedly something Naruto was now used to, thanks to his time out in the wilderness these past few days.
Of course, sleeping from the previous afternoon until now was also probably a factor, he'd had to have slept at least twelve hours, and from the looks of things, so had the rest of AWBN. Of course, they still seemed to be asleep, so it was safe to say they cared less about habits than Naruto did.
Or were more tired. Both were equally fair statements.
Naruto stretched as he climbed out of bed, quietly using inventory to swap clothes to his uniform. Classes weren't going to be for another couple days whilst the rest of the first-years filtered back in from the outer wilderness, but he didn't exactly have a clean pair of clothes than weren't his uniform, not until later today at least.
Closing the dorm's door quietly behind him, Naruto stepped out into the empty corridor, and began to walk, no real destination in mind.
It didn't take long until he found himself at Beacon's cliffside once more, nostalgia flowing through his mind.
"It's been less than two weeks, and I'm nostalgic? Man, I need to get out more."
No one laughed at his joke, partially because no one was there to laugh, and partially because it wasn't all that funny to begin with, but Naruto shrugged it off, already forming an idea in his head.
One hand outstretched, Naruto activated Terrakinesis and began to carve into the cliffside, slowly making his way downwards towards the Emerald Forest.
He was making a stairway.
Gods, he was smart.
It seemed like an age since he'd suggested it, and now it was a reality. It was almost worth all the near-death experiences.
Naruto continued to carve the stone steps into the side of the cliff, carefully making sure to keep an even distance between each step, on all three axis. Just the right width, just the right height, just the right length.
It took at least ten minutes, not that Naruto was counting, but when he was finished, he let out a laugh. It was, without a doubt, perfect.
It was also one of the more absurd things he'd ever done. And he might've made Ozpin a little angry, as he technically had just defaced the campus.
Well, he could argue it was just an unapproved construction project. Ozpin couldn't be that mad, surely. At least the rest of AWBN and RRYN would be happy they didn't have to climb up whenever they decided to come train down here.
Now, Naruto had more spare time on his hands, and a few new skills to test out. Or, well, two out of three. Without a target, it would be difficult to test Mindbend, and Naruto didn't think that it would work if he cast it on himself.
Or it would, and the effect would knock him out, or something equally as bad. Then, unconscious and alone in the Emerald Forest, some kind of weak Grimm would slouch out, eat him, and retire back into wherever it had come from, satisfied with itself.
Safe to say, Naruto was going to test his other new things before he even considered trying Mindbend.
'First things first. Let's try Phase Shift.'
And Naruto did. Walking up to a tree, Naruto cast Phase Shift, and watched as his arm, and whatever was connected to his arm, flickered in and out of reality. It took a few seconds to fully cast before the flickering occured, and Naruto really only had a couple seconds of incorporeality, but he quickly tried to punch the tree, rapidly withdrawing his hand.
It passed straight through, a ghostly trail left in his arm's wake, before his arm went solid once more. He'd run out of Mana, six seconds worth of incorporeality as it was at the current time, but it was plenty enough to prove that it worked, and was useful. If he ever needed to get through a door really quickly…
As for combat applications, as it was, it was rather limited. Sure, he was impossible to hit, but that came at the cost of being unable to hit anything, and the time limit was severe. If it was longer, he had no doubt he could take advantage of it and position himself in order to take advantage of his intangibility, but that was not the case.
Maybe when he had more Mana at his disposal, Naruto supposed.
So, six seconds of Phase Shift and nearly two minutes worth of MP regen each time he used it. At least he knew the math behind it, that made it much easier to understand.
Once the two minutes had passed, Naruto, now with a full Mana pool once again, began to wrap his head around Gravity Infusion.
Which had many more combat applications.
It might've been more accurate to say that Naruto was beginning to warp his head around Gravity Infusion.
A Gravity-Infused Mana Bolt was very similar to a regular Mana Bolt, but instead of dissipating on impact, it left a little purple glowing orb that seemed to draw objects towards it.
Sure, it didn't have all that great a range on the attraction, but it was strong. It sucked in grass, dirt and loose rubble into its center.
Until it pulsed outwards, sending whatever it had grabbed soaring back out, with some considerable speed.
Naruto had to duck in order to avoid being smacked in the face by a pebble that may or may not have been going at over a hundred kilometers an hour.
A Mana Pulse infused with Gravity appeared to do a similar thing, just on a much more powerful scale. Chunks of earth and half of a tree got sucked into the swirling purple vortex before they too were launched outwards, and instead of ducking this time Naruto had to properly leap out of the way, lest he be an agricultural casualty.
He had no idea if the tree had reached orbit or not, but from the loud thwump in the distance and the terrified chirping of birds, he had to assume that it had not, in fact, breached the atmosphere.
Interestingly, Mana Grenade seemed to operate almost exactly the opposite of Mana Bolt and Mana Pulse. Upon detonation, it pushed everything away from it with some hefty force, and Naruto felt himself sliding backwards, boots digging into the dirt and leaving a trail in front of him.
Mana Bullet and Mana Arrow, along with their spinning variants, all seemed to operate the same, dealing increased knockback and sending the target floating for a few seconds. That was strange to watch, the rock that Naruto had shot kind of levitating backwards before hitting the ground with a loud whump.
There were a few spells that Naruto couldn't quite figure out, like Mana Disc and Mana Shield, but there was one standout, if only for the visual it created.
Gravity-Infused Mana Quake looked amazing.
Instead of simply cracking the ground beneath him, it instead tore chunks out of it and floated them, creating almost like a maze of rubble, blocking vision and looking incredibly intimidating as one large chunk rose up underneath Naruto, holding him up above it.
Combining it with a Gravity-Infused Mana Calamity was even more incredible, as it caused anything that entered the area of effect to be hit with an anti-gravity effect, and the Ursa that had decided to investigate found that the hard way as it turned end over end in the air, confusion written into its bear face.
The last thing Naruto decided to try was a Gravity-Infused Mana Lance, and the Ursa proved to be an excellent target.
It hit the Ursa hard, and did two things. Firstly, it killed the Ursa with the impact. Secondly, it absolutely launched its body into the stratosphere, far enough where it was only a speck in the distance.
Naruto actually couldn't see it anymore, and he wasn't sure if it was just Mana Lance that did it, or if it was a combo with the anti-gravity effects of Mana Calamity.
Either way, Naruto let out a shocked laugh, as the ground that floated beneath him smashed into the ground.
He stumbled out of the pockmarked rubble, using Terrakinesis to smooth it out, before he let out another shocked laugh.
"I think the mental image of that Ursa is going to stay with me for the rest of my life," Naruto said aloud, almost breathlessly, as he continued to laugh.
After nearly a minute of catching his breath and telling himself not to get hysterical, Naruto managed to sway to his feet from where he'd sat down.
Cadejo emerged from Naruto's shadow as the teen went about covering the damage he'd done, padding along slowly behind him.
It was at this point that Naruto had a brilliant idea. Calling upon Alcmena, Naruto bent down and grabbed a stick off of the ground and shook it in front of Cadejo.
"C'mon, boy, fetch the stick!"
It was a simple request, and Cadejo looked ecstatic to have been given it, and so Naruto tossed it high into the air.
Cadejo leaped for it, trying to beat its flight path, but Alcmena, prepared and waiting, caught it, soaring above with a victorious squawk.
Cadejo, naturally, took this as a challenge, and began to lope along, building up speed as Alcmena swooped overhead, leading the wolf-summon on what could only be called a wild heron chase.
As the two ran and flew around, Naruto opened his inventory, withdrawing the next component.
The Ursa he'd sent flying had reminded him that he had loot that had dropped that he could use for Bound Souls, and speaking of, there was an Ursa Pelt and 400 Lien on the ground where the Ursa had been.
Naruto quickly dropped them into his inventory, before changing his mind and taking the Ursa Pelt out.
A quick attempt at the summoning ritual had no success, as it required five Minor Soul Orbs, but Naruto quickly withdrew them as well, adding them to the ritual and beginning again.
The clearing glowed bright as Naruto himself shone, and after some time, Naruto was not alone. Or, at least, it wasn't just Naruto. Cadejo and Alcmena, who had both gotten distracted, were investigating, curious.
In front of Naruto sat a bear, similar in visual design to Cadejo and Alcmena, though its fur was marked more often with that typical Uzumaki insignia, golden fur standing out on the black.
Bone plating over the face and joints shone white in the sunlight, and piercing eyes stared into Naruto's own.
For once, Naruto already had a name for this summon. "Hello, Callisto."
Callisto also came with a perk, something Naruto was expecting.
[Perk Gained!]
[Bearskin: Your connection with the soul of an Ursa gives you 50% Ice resistance, and you are no longer bothered by anything but extreme cold.]
Naruto had to admit, if he ever decided to go to Atlas, at least he wouldn't freeze to death.
Also, as a somewhat more important thought, Callisto was big. Unsurprisingly, she was bear-sized. And not like small bear-sized, either.
Big bear-sized.
Why she thought that meant she could sit atop Naruto like some kind of lapdog Naruto did not know, but by the gods did she try.
Naruto had to physically scramble backwards in order to avoid having his entire lower half crushed, and he'd felt pain similar to that before.
Not again, not this soon.
Callisto didn't seem all that bothered by Naruto's near-paralysis, making herself comfortable where she'd sat and waiting patiently.
Naruto stepped closer and gave the bear a tentative rub on the belly, and Callisto fell backwards.
"Big softy," Naruto remarked, as she rolled on her back.
"I thought I'd find you down here, Naruto."
Naruto turned around. "Hey, Pyrrha. Sleep well?"
Pyrrha gave a rueful smile. "Considering the circumstances, I'd say I slept magnificently. I see you've made a new friend?"
Naruto nodded. "Pyrrha, Callisto. Callisto, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha gave a polite bow, and Callisto barely moved, content with the belly rub she was currently receiving.
"So, how many does this make now? Three?" Pyrrha asked, holding her arm out for Alcmena to land on it.
The Stymphalian Soul undoubtedly favoured Pyrrha over the rest of AWBN, which must've had something to do with their shared Mistralian heritage, and it was clear that Pyrrha enjoyed her company.
Of course, that wasn't to sat that Cadejo went forgotten, as Naruto had a second hand.
"Yeah. I need two regular quality Soul Orbs for my fourth, and I can't do that until tomorrow, but I think I might wait anyway. I don't know if I have any good drops to use as components, and I don't know if there's something special about the way I summon things that could change it."
Pyrrha nodded. "Still at a loss when it comes to figuring things out?"
Naruto let out a laugh. "Yeah, you could say that. Trial and error, it's my motto."
"I forgot to mention, I like the staircase. It's quite fancy," Pyrrha said with a chuckle, and Naruto rolled his eyes.
"If I had an eye for design I could make it look much better. Besides, I've always been one for minimalism."
At that, Pyrrha raised one eyebrow. "I didn't think you knew what minimalism was, Naruto."
Naruto feigned hurt. "Since when did you and Weiss switch bodies?"
Pyrrha reached over and smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't give me a reason to spar with you, Naruto. Yang and I regularly go at it, and I haven't lost yet."
Naruto nodded sagely. "If Yang were here, she'd make a joke about the two of you going at it. I won't, or course, but it did cross my mind."
Pyrrha smacked him again.
Naruto had to admit, it was nice being home. And there was no doubt anymore, Beacon was his home. Hell, his life before getting the System seemed to be so long ago now.
The cafeteria wasn't all that busy, and their typical table had been left empty, thankfully, and as Naruto and Pyrrha set about getting breakfast organised for themselves and the other partnership of AWBN, said partnership walked in.
Or, well, stumbled in, exhaustion written into their faces. Morning people Blake and Weiss were not.
"Morning, you two. How'd you sleep?" Naruto asked.
Blake shook her hand in a so-so motion, and Weiss straight up ignored his question, reaching out and taking the cup of coffee in his hand and beginning to drink it.
Naruto, thankfully, had been prepared for that, and it was Weiss's coffee in the first place, so it was of no loss to him.
So, any ideas as to what we do with ourselves today?" Naruto asked his team. "We've got nothing but time until they reinstate classes."
Weiss, now at least somewhat personable, replied tersely. "If it ends up being another foodfight I will stab you. Repeatedly."
Naruto held up his hands placatingly. "I had nothing to do with the first one."
"Well, you've got your meeting with Ozpin, and I was planning on heading into Vale, I have to restock my book supply," Blake pointed out.
Naruto's hand strayed to the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to that."
Pyrrha looked at Naruto from her pancake, halfway through cutting it into bite-size pieces. "Why is that?"
Naruto shrugged. "He and I keep throwing each other through windows."
Pyrrha's mouth opened, before promptly closing.
Weiss was now much, much more personable. "The headmaster did as to see you at your earliest convenience, Naruto. I suggest you go as soon as you finish breakfast. I'll be in our dorm today, revising for our upcoming lessons, and keeping an eye out for RRYN's arrival."
Naruto quickly downed his glass of orange juice and stood up. "Yeah, I'll head there now. I might drop into Vale later today, too, we'll see. I'll see you guys soon!"
With that, Naruto half-walked half-jogged out of the cafeteria, a much braver face on than he felt.
All he could hope for was that Ozpin didn't try to kill him. Or Goodwitch. Or Ironwood.
Naruto sighed.