Naruto had never liked goodbyes.
He'd said plenty in his life. Sometimes it was the simple farewell, his mother, father or even one of his sisters headed out.
Sometimes it was somewhat more tearful. His grandfather's funeral, the sad kind. His sister's wedding, earlier in the year. He barely remembered it, now, his mind awash with plenty of other things, but that had been a farewell of happy tears, mostly from his mother.
Other times the farewell was so much more complicated.
He'd never felt so torn before, torn between his care for his team and his care for RRYN, in particular Ruby.
He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to say goodbye. But, despite all that, he knew he had to. They had two separate paths to take, and Naruto's would take him far away.
His final destination was Mistral, as was Ruby's, but their journeys would lead them different ways.
He couldn't help it, wrapping both Ren and Nora in a hug as Yang hugged her sister, only for the two blonds to swap, Yang saying goodbye to the rest of her teammates as Naruto wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, who returned the gesture tearily.
"I'll meet you guys in Mistral as soon as I can, I promise," Naruto nearly whispered, not trusting his voice to say any more.
"I know. I love you, Naruto."
Suddenly he knew, trust or not, he needed to use his voice once more. "I love you too, Ruby."
Simple words with such a depth of meaning behind them. He knew exactly how much it meant to Ruby to say them, and he knew she knew how much they meant to him, too.
Letting go was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do, but he managed it, watching as the red-cloaked girl joined her teammates, the three following their uncle off into the distance.
Yang placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know."
What Yang knew was unspoken, yet it somehow still spoke volumes. He knew that she was feeling what he'd been feeling.
"You'll catch up with them before I will, Yang. You always were stronger."
Yang accepted it without comment, just a sad smile.
"For what it's worth, Naruto, I think Ruby made an excellent choice."
Naruto turned his head to look towards Tai, leaning against the wall of the house. "Both of you will catch up, of that I have no doubt."
"I've got to pick up the saddle for Shirdal, but I won't be coming back. I guess this is goodbye from me, too," Naruto said, after a moment of silent contemplation.
Both Tai and Yang nodded. "Stay safe out there," they echoed, and Naruto couldn't help the small smile that fell over his face.
"I'll try."
Shirdal seemed to appreciate the saddle, which Naruto was thankful for. It didn't feature a number of more typical features of a saddle for a horse, considering the intelligence his summons displayed, and the fact that they accepted and understood his instructions.
He didn't exactly need reins when he could mentally communicate with his mount.
He gently ran one hand through the golden feathers that crested Shirdal's head, atop the neck, and urged the summon to begin, to which Shirdal did, bending slightly before springing into a run.
Naruto held tightly to the grips at the front of the saddle, things he'd specifically asked for. It allowed him to maintain his grip without worrying about getting tangled up in leather cord, and gave him more freedom of movement. Not that he'd actually tested that in flight. He was yet to fly.
That changed the moment Shirdal leaped, powerful golden wings spreading out as they gained height slowly, muscles rippling as they beat up and down in the repetitive motion that was flight.
Naruto was airborne. Naruto was flying.
Technically Naruto was riding Shirdal who was flying, but it was forgivable to simplify a little given the circumstances.
The horizon loomed in all directions at this altitude, above the treeline. It made him feel surprisingly small, and yet surprisingly free at the same time.
He ignored the confusion of his emotions and directed Shirdal in the direction of Vale. He could see the coastal docks of the city from here, and it was only a short flight to cover the distance. He just hoped that the city's anti-air defenses checked for Aura.
Ten minutes later Naruto found out that the anti-air defenses did not in fact check for Aura as one fired a shot that, thankfully, missed.
He was quick to dismiss Shirdal, though, immediately realising that the saddle disappeared alongside the Griffon, and he found himself plummeting through the air above the nearly repaired kingdom.
Which, amongst other things, meant he couldn't exactly use Mana Impact to simply land. That'd, well, he might make a few enemies doing that. And potentially kill someone, something else he wasn't particularly keen on doing.
A risky idea struck him, and he shrugged mid-air, flipping until he was in position, and activated Surface Walk and waited.
Sure, this was pretty reminiscent of an argument he'd had with Saphron a few years back, where you could survive a Bullhead crash by jumping out and running down a mountain, but back then he hadn't been able to do what he could now.
One foot touched the edge of a building in a surprising display of agility, followed by the other, and Naruto allowed the second part of his two-step plan to come into action, activating Rolling Recovery to nullify the majority of the damage he would have taken.
The combined efforts of Surface Walk and Rolling Recovery seemed to trick the System into thinking he'd been launched sideways instead of downwards, which was strange enough, but as he came to a sliding stop, one foot planted against the actual ground and the other against the building, he let out a surprised laugh.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Naruto muttered, before a sudden pain lit his leg aflame.
"Right. Most of the damage," he grunted out as he dropped to the pavement, feeling the shattered limb already mostly healed.
"Note to self. Make sure that the two-step plan has a third step that involves Aura."
The damage he'd suffered wasn't all that severe, but it was the stares that really caught his attention. It appeared he'd caused quite a commotion.
"Sorry about that. Vale tried to shoot my ride down."
"Naruto?"
He didn't think he'd ever heard that voice call him that before. "Professor Goodwitch? I didn't expect to see you."
The woman appeared surprised to see him, which was somewhat odd. "What are you doing in Vale?"
Naruto frowned, turning back to look up at the ruins of Beacon. "Looking for clues."
She adjusted her glasses and took a step closer. "Qrow's already been through and performed as thorough as search as anyone else could."
Naruto shook his head. "Not that. Ruby, Ren and Nora are helping with that. I'm looking for Blake."
"I wasn't aware Blake was missing."
Another shake of his head followed suit. "Not missing, per se. Just… elusive, I guess."
"Might I ask why you're looking for her, then?" Goodwitch asked.
"She's the only member of AWBN that I don't know the location of. It makes her the priority. I don't know if she's safe or not."
"Well, she isn't at Beacon, if that's what you were wondering."
Naruto's laugh was devoid of humor. "I figured as much. Only thing in Beacon is corpses."
The harshness of his statement surprised even himself. "Sorry. Guess I'm still not over it."
Goodwitch shook her head. "That's to be expected. I'm still enraged myself. The council has seen fit to place me as Beacon's Headmistress in Ozpin's… absence. Lo and behold, that puts me in charge of the cleanup as well. Which would be going much smoother if that Wyvern wasn't bringing all the nearby Grimm in towards Vale."
Naruto was surprised. "Even Mountain Glenn?"
Goodwitch nodded. "Unfortunately. We have more than enough firepower here, thanks to a number of Valean Hunters who returned in the wake of the catastrophe, but that doesn't mean it isn't a chore."
Naruto accepted the decline of his unspoken offer to help as it was, instead choosing to focus on his original goal. "Do you have any idea where Blake might have gone?"
Goodwitch went silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Blake is skilled in a number of things. Her past has given her a talent for espionage, that much is for certain, and if she wants to stay hidden, I doubt anyone could find her. That being said, there are more than a few people in Vale who might know a thing or two about the comings and goings of people. Perhaps you should try and track one of them down?"
"Thanks for the help, Professor- er, Headmistress."
The woman simply nodded farewell, continuing down the well-worn path of the public park, a stack of paperwork levitating in her wake, encased in a purple glyph.
[Quest Created!]
[Information and Information Accessories]
[Track down Junior's Club and ask the man in charge about Blake's whereabouts.]
[Reward: Regular Experience Orb]
Naruto almost laughed aloud. He'd forgotten how his semblance would sometimes answer questions before he even got to ask them. Plus that reward seemed interesting.
And, if his memory served him correctly, he knew where Junior's Club was located, at least, district-wise. It couldn't be all that difficult to find the building in question. Vale was big, but it wasn't that big.
So he set out, one foot in front of the other. He had a club to find.
Had Vale always been a confusing city without named streets? Or directions? Or had someone just decided to rearrange all the streets, and while they were at it, steal all the street-signs?
Naruto imagined it was the former rather than the latter, but the stolen signs theory did have some credence to it.
Junior's Club was unlabeled, but the nightlife in Vale had apparently not ceased in the wake of the Fall of Beacon.
At least, the criminal nightlife, from the look of some of the people in the line that ran nearly down the street.
Naruto wasn't going to stand in line, though. He was going to play into a little stereotype he'd have to play up a whole lot sooner or later.
It was time for Naruto to pretend to be ruthless.
First, though, he had to psyche himself up. He wasn't a ruthless person by nature, but if he was to get what he wanted here, he was going to have to play his role convincingly. He doubted Junior would be as kind as to simply give him the information he was seeking without recompense, but he would be more likely to fork it over when threatened with a worse alternative.
Of course, threatening the most prolific information broker in Vale was going to be a choice that would most likely have ramifications. Ramifications that, hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with.
Unless they made their way to people who would go after his family.
That thought strayed through Naruto's mind like a bolt of lightning. He'd almost forgotten, in the haste of the passing time. He'd forgotten why he was hiding what he could do in the first place.
Okay, so Plan A was out of the question. He was publicly known, anyway, so he couldn't just say he wasn't who he was.
He needed a disguise.
'Do I have anything on me that I can use…'
The thought was answered as he opened his inventory, checking through the list of items.
Two things stood out most of all. 'I still have my suit from the Dance, and… whatever the Abominae Mask is.'
It didn't exactly sound appealing, but the fact that it was a mask lent significant weight to what was going to be a makeshift disguise.
Checking around to make sure that no one was watching, he quickly equipped the suit and withdrew the mask, holding it in his hand and Observing it.
[Abominae Mask]
[A swirling mass of darkness and hatred, the Abominae is a mask made of Grimm materials, and provides significant boosts to physical and mental prowess, at the cost of humanity. Infuse a Grimm Skull into the mask in order to gain a bonus.]
[Current Skulls: None]
He couldn't even remember when he'd gotten this thing, and the description didn't exactly give it a pleasant feeling, but it was this or nothing, really. Besides, he had System Mind and System Body, and they'd protect him from any negative effects. Or at least they'd heal him when he removed it afterwards.
First, though, he needed to put a Grimm Skull into it. Inventory still open, Naruto searched through his list of Grimm drops and withdrew a Beowolf skull, and nearly jumped as the mask startled him, black tendrils reaching out and wrapping around the skull, forming what looked a lot more like an actual mask than before.
It had the unfortunate side effect of making him look like he was with the White Fang, which wasn't great, but he hoped the suit would be enough to throw off anyone smart enough to make any kind of connection. At least it didn't look anything like the typical White Fang masks, those were simple steel faceplates.
Now came the most difficult part; working up the nerve to actually put it on.
"Worst comes to worst I just take it off and come back tomorrow night. It isn't a big deal Naruto."
He was talking to himself, a sure sign of his nervousness. He really didn't want to put this thing on.
He sighed, and placed the mask on his head, feeling the writhing mass of black still as he put it on.
It was cold. Nightmarishly cold, in fact, and where the eye sockets sat were covered in a black film that was nearly transparent, at least from the inside. The outside they were solid black shadows, as if there was nothing inside the skull. He wasn't aware that it made his eyes stand out as bright red orbs that glowed much like a Grimm, but that was just icing atop the proverbial cake.
A notification popped up the moment he placed it on, and when he looked at it, he could see creeping black thorny vines along the borders of the menu.
[Abominae Mask has been infused with a Beowolf Skull!]
[+25% to Agility! +50% to Intimidation! +100% Corruption Gain!]
Okay, the corruption thing wasn't great. Whatever that was, Naruto wasn't sure. He didn't have any meter on his player screen that said he was gaining corruption, though, so maybe it was something he gained from doing, well, corrupt things. He hoped he'd never find out, if he was being honest.
Quickly stowing Crocea Mors in his inventory and making sure that Tranquility was loaded, he approached with an amount of confidence he didn't feel, back straight, standing at his full height, which was a tad bit over six foot now, he noted, noticing his reflection in a window.
He also noticed the glowing red eyes, but now wasn't the time to be admiring, or fearing, his reflection.
The bouncers, two men in black suits and red ties, looked increasingly nervous as he approached, and they didn't even bother to stop him, allowing him to walk past unchallenged as he stepped into the building, the ever-increasing volume of pounding somewhat-popular EDM reaching his ears as he crossed the threshold.
He didn't recognize the song, unsurprisingly, and it didn't really matter if he did. His destination was the bar, and the bartender after that. He had some questions to ask.
He was getting stares, that much was certain, and there were certainly more bouncers inside the club than he'd expected, leading him to realise that they were less bouncers and more like gang members, especially with the plethora of weapons they carried. They were starting to surround him, but he made it to the bar unhindered.
"I'm looking for Junior."
His voice came out deeply distorted, sounding almost like a rasp with a thousand echoes, quiet yet inexplicably loud. It scared him, but he maintained his front. He was in control, not anyone or anything else.
"You found h-" Junior began, stalling somewhat as he came face to face with the mask. He recovered well, though. "Found him. Anything I can get you that'll get you to take that mask off? You're scaring my clientele."
"Information."
Junior placed the glass he'd been wiping down on the bar, setting both palms flat on either side and frowning. "You don't get to come in here and demand information. I don't know who the hell you are, and I don't trust masked freaks."
Naruto sighed internally. The diplomatic approach had failed once again. His hand shot out and he grabbed Junior by the collar, pulling him up and onto the bar, slamming his head against it.
His other hand drew Tranquility and unfolded it into its complete form, placing the end of the suppressor against Junior's head in a display of aggression that the man certainly hadn't been expecting.
"I'm not demanding, Junior. I'm asking politely."
Junior's muffled response was clear enough. "You call this asking politely?"
Naruto nodded slowly. "Let's just say if I start demanding, things will become very clear very quickly."
Gods he was thankful he'd watched so many Spruce Willis movies as a kid. That and the fact that Intimidating Presence had activated helped.
"Look, you let me go, I give you what you want. You want information, I can give it to you, but not with my face pushed up against my bar."
Naruto relented, releasing his grip on the man's collar and giving Tranquility a spin, collapsing it and stowing it on his belt in one fluid motion.
Junior dusted himself off, adjusting his vest and tie quickly. "What'd'you wanna know?"
"I'm looking for a Huntress. Blake Belladonna. Black hair, medium height. Black, purple and white."
Junior nearly slammed the glass back down from where he'd just picked it up. "Why the hell do you think I'd know where she is? I'm an information broker, not a bloody cop!"
Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly in much the same way Cadejo did.
Junior took that as a threat, and paled quickly. "I'll ask around, though. Do you know if she's in the city?"
"I don't believe so."
Junior nodded, pouring himself a measure of brandy. "Alright. I'll check with a few people I know, call in a few favors. But it'll cost you. I don't work for free."
"You do now."
One of Junior's hands strayed under the counter. "No, I don't. You have to pay, like everyone else."
"Are you sure you want to do this? It won't end well for you. I've given you ample warning."
Junior waved a single hand and suddenly the security-slash-gang-members raised their weapons, all pointed at him.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Junior."
Junior's other hand came up from beneath the bar, clutching what looked like an oversized bat. "You have no idea how many times I hear that. Funny thing is, I rarely regret my decisions."
Naruto withdrew Tranquility once more, his other hand creating a Mana Flash, keeping it in his palm.
There was a single beat of stillness as the music thundered on, and Naruto moved like liquid, throwing the Mana Flash into the air above him as he tilted his head downwards and away from it, as opposed to the surrounding men that watched it soar into the air before it detonated.
Naruto found out something interesting about the Abominae Mask. The lenses, for lack of a better term, protected his eyes from the flash. Even looking away he had expected to see some kind of light, but the film over his eyes solidified to protect them, already unsealing and freeing his vision the instant the light-show was over.
He could hear the cluster of armed men groaning in pain, and he moved quickly, hand quickly brushing against the metal of their weapons, Ferrokinesis bending and warping them into unusable messes in their hands.
All that remained was Junior, who, thanks to his Aura, had managed to recover his eyesight by the time Naruto had finished with the men, aiming what was now a rocket launcher at the teen.
"You'll hit your own men, Junior," Naruto said, the eerie rasp of his voice doing Junior no favors in the confidence department. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
Junior, emboldened in the face of fear, fired the rocket launcher with a snarl.
Naruto shot it out of the air with a Spinning Mana Bullet, letting the fire splash across him without effect, flickering weakly against his Aura.
Junior wasn't dissuaded, though, instead leaping over the bar and taking a swing with his now mecha-shifted bat, the metal object soaring straight over Naruto's head and hitting only air as the teen ducked, Tranquility barking like a dog underneath a pillow as he placed the tip against Junior's chest and pulled the trigger, the point-blank buckshot nearly shattering Junior's Aura right then and there.
The man hit the ground with a thud, a groan escaping his lips as Naruto tossed Tranquility in the air, grabbing it by the forestock and pumping it with one hand before flipping it back, hand comfortably coming to rest on the grip once more.
"Wrong call, Junior. I guess this is one of those oh-so-rare times you have a regret, or several."
Sixth Sense triggered before Naruto could further capitulate on his sudden advantage, and he brought a Mana Shield up to block the sudden attack, a small girl in white flipping back off the shield, her boots glinting, or at least the blades attached to the rear of them.
A near-identical girl wearing black and red approached from his other side, claws mounted on a set of gloves. Two sets of piercing green eyes stared at him, watching his every move.
"Call off your little attack dogs. I don't want to hurt anyone else if I don't have to."
Both sisters winced as they heard his voice for the first time, but they maintained their stances, eyes quickly flicking to Junior as Naruto stowed Tranquility on his belt.
Junior didn't halt their attack, though, instead pulling himself back far enough that he could stand up. "Get him."
Both girls moved in perfect unison, weapons carving through the air towards him, but Naruto just wasn't in the mood.
A quick Flash Step backwards took him out of the path of their weapons, and he simply stared at the one in white, freezing her in place as the one in red stumbled and fell, also unable to move. That was a surprise, but a welcome one.
This was also a good time to test out a skill he'd had for some time and never had a chance to use. Naruto cast Mindbend on the one in white as she broke free from his Basilisk's Glare-inflicted temporary paralysis.
He had no idea what it would do, but considering the two girls seemed linked somehow, he hoped it would work on both of them.
The one in white took a single step towards him before Mindbend took hold, and the sudden screams in stereo were enough to surprise Naruto as both the girl in white and the girl in red were suddenly scrambling backwards from him, eyes widened and their lungs pumping as much air as they could get, hyperventilating.
[Mindbend has inflicted Fear on targets: Melanie Malachite and Miltia Malachite!]
[Mindbend can now inflict status effect Fear!]
Naruto dismissed the window, turning back to Junior. "I did warn you. Find out where she went. I'll be back tomorrow night to find out. Do not disappoint me."
And with that, Naruto left a bunch of semi-blinded gangsters, two traumatised teenagers and one very worried information broker behind as he stepped out into the evening air, strode far enough down the street that he knew he was far enough to be out of eyesight, and re-equipped his usual gear.
That mask was dangerous.