Naruto wasn't sure which was the funnier sight; Blake distinctly looking anywhere but where Ilia was stood, or the fact that Ilia was shifting between every shade of red she could possibly comprehend, unable to take her eyes off of Blake.

He decided that they were equally entertaining, but that they had to get a move on, and he uttered as much. "C'mon, you two, get yourselves sorted. You both look great, but we really don't have the time to get caught up in that. We're not in some cavern deep underwater."

Both heads turned to glare at him, and he laughed. "We've got work to do, I don't need to feel like a third wheel."

The glares intensified, and Naruto wisely backed up a step, though his humor dropped. "Seriously, though, we're going into a den full of bigots. We can't screw this up, we're not the only ones on the line here. So, ground rules. No starting fights. Ignore the idiots, and we should be more than fine, right?"

For the first time this late afternoon, Blake and Ilia managed to exchange a glance that didn't cause them both a burst of awkwardness.

"Relax, this isn't our first time blending in with humans," Ilia remarked, and Blake nodded along.

"We can handle ourselves, Naruto. If anything, we should be warning you not to cause any issues. Knowing you, you might accidentally start a revolt with the staff. Or burn the place down. Or blow it up. Or any number of all the things that've happened with you involved."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "I mean, It's not usually my fault. I'm sort of just there, usually."

"How does the saying go? Once is chance, second is coincidence, third is a pattern?" Blake said, eyes tracking the blond as he paced back and forth.

Naruto rolled his eyes, ceasing his pacing to lean against the wall. "I mean, this sort of stuff happens with or without me. It's not like the moment I got my semblance the world began conspiring against me."

Blake and Ilia both stared at Naruto. Again.

He sighed. "Okay, maybe it has something to do with me, but I'm not the culprit. Usually. Now, can we focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past?"

"We can if you would just put on your new suit so we can leave. We're waiting on you."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto placated, already navigating through his menus. "Give me a second."

He scrolled down his gear list in his inventory, tapping on the Atlesian Dress Suit and hitting equip, feeling that momentary flicker as reality bent around him, and in less than an instant Naruto was wearing the new outfit.

And what an outfit it was. A white suit jacket trimmed and buttoned in gold with similarly colored pants and an incredibly pale blue undershirt to go with it, finished with a simple grey tie, Naruto found himself, for the second time in his life, deeply appreciating the work that Baharat had done.

The man had also, wisely, included a new pair of Hunter-quality leather gloves, though colored in the same grey as his tie, and he equipped them as well, glad for the comfort the gloves brought. Going anywhere without a pair felt quite strange, considering just how much time Naruto actually spent with a pair on.

And, finally, just to complete the look, Naruto had on a new pair of black dress shoes, which, unlike the gloves, did not feel as familiar. Having spent so much time with his prototypical boots on, he was quickly realizing that these would not be as easy to fight in, if it came down to it.

Not that he was hoping it would, of course, or even expecting it, but early on he'd learned to expect the unexpected, even before he'd gotten his semblance.

If anything, his acquisition of the System had served only to prove that you could never be too careful, and that life always had a surprise in store, even if you were expecting most anything.

He took one last look at himself in the mirror, adjusting his tie to center it. "Damn, Atlesian fashion doesn't mess around. I'm starting to get why Weiss dismissed me the first time we met."

Blake let out a chuckle that she quickly smothered, though not without a quick comment. "Jeans and a hoodie aren't what I'd call 'dressed to impress'."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I'd call them practical. And subtle, but I might've been the only one to actually understand subtlety."

"No, you weren't. Even Ruby understood subtlety better than you on day one," Blake replied, one hand on her hip. "You introduced yourself with the penultimate definition of social inadequacy."

Well, Naruto couldn't argue with that, considering it was true. "Dark days indeed. Still saved your life, though."

Blake shoved him out the door, though it didn't stop Naruto from noticing the wry smile that graced her expression. "One of these days I'll make you stop saying that."

"Over my dead body!" Naruto exclaimed with mock exaggeration.

Blake shook her head. "That's becoming more and more appealing."

Naruto Uzumaki was not a name that would have brought any attention anywhere other than his hometown up until he'd gotten the System.

Since then, he'd fought against immense monsters, battled evil villains (however unsuccessfully), participated and nearly won a global fighting tournament broadcast worldwide, saved what remained of a Faunus village from being devoured, and become remarkably capable in social settings, the latter of which Naruto had started to think was the most impressive out of all of those feats.

Naruto Uzumaki was also completely, utterly out of his depth.

He had a lot of money. He'd earned it all himself, though through methods that were less than typical, but he'd earned it all the same.

This was a ballroom full of people who had truly worked very little, and their fortunes dwarfed his by amounts that were seemingly incomprehensible.

That wasn't the worst part, however. What was the worst part is that many of the guests knew who he was.

Ilia and Blake flew under the radar with remarkable ease, as he assumed they were trained and experienced in doing so, but he stood out like a nun in a nightclub. A run-down, shoddy nightclub in a red light district somewhere in Mistral. Run by and populated with gangsters. Gangsters that hated religion.

He'd run astray with this metaphor, but the point remained the same. He was surrounded on all sides, socially assailed by people with significant sway in the business world of Atlas and Mantle, and Remnant as a whole, and he had no real idea why.

Of course, maybe the fact that he was the leader of a team that featured both Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee on it might've had something to do with that. And that he'd been personally invited by General Ironwood, which meant anyone with a political view was intrigued as to what the General was up to.

Which meant everyone in the building, aside from maybe the staff.

Speaking of which, a waitress came around with flutes of champagne, and Naruto felt it would be remiss to not accept the drink.

He was sort of hoping the drink was drugged with a drug that would prevent him from having to listen to these people blather on mindlessly to him and each other about politics, business, finance and whatever else it was they liked to drone on about.

It was beginning to grind on his nerves, but he maintained his calm, accepting demeanour.

They were trying to either bore him to death, or make his snap. They were testing him, trying to use his social inadequacy to use as fuel against the General, no matter how small an effect it took.

It was a game of petty remarks and poorly-disguised jabs hidden beneath layers of faux-politeness and expensive champagne.

"I hear the Cyclamen family has been having some troubles as of late," One woman in a white and grey two-tone dress spoke, in response to a comment Naruto had definitely not been listening to. "I'd hate to have to see them lose their winery, their Cyclamen Red is such a delicacy. Perhaps we should invest, right darling?"

The man next to her in a similarly designed suit nodded. "Yes, of course, my dear. It would be such a shame for you to lose out on your favorite Monday evening drink. I wouldn't know what else to get for you, every other bottle is so much cheaper."

Naruto internally winced. Some of these people were very subtle. It appeared that not everyone shared similar levels of talent in that regard.

"Do it for Weiss," He muttered silently, hand clenching around the stem of the champagne flute nearly too tight. Any tighter and he would have shattered the glass in his palm.

"At the least the Cyclamen's have been devoid of such scandals as the Aconites. Their son shacked up with a faunus, last I heard. Such a shame to waste such talent, the poor boy, running off like that, and with an animal no less."

The sound of shattering glass brought the attention of the woman who'd spoken, and everyone else within earshot, towards Naruto, where he delicately placed the bottom part of the crystal flute atop a nearby table. "My apologies, I sometimes forget my own strength. We can be thankful it was only a glass, and not something more irreplaceable."

Many of the people accepted his excuse for what it was, though he knew at least some of them truly understood, and it appeared the racist had understood exactly what he'd meant, as she looked suitably cowed.

He excused himself quickly, satisfied. Had it been petty?

Absolutely. Had it been worth it?

Without a doubt.

"You've barely been here for an hour and you're already making enemies. I did try to warn you not to do that, didn't I?"

Naruto felt his back straighten ever-so-slightly. "Sorry, General. Had to make a point somehow, though. I might not be in a position to demand they treat faunus with respect, but I can at least make my stance known."

Ironwood nodded. "To be honest with you, Uzumaki, you may not have the self-control you'd need to deal with people like that day in and out, but I'll be damned if it isn't satisfying to watch."

Naruto let out a laugh, before turning to face the man. "Any idea where Weiss is?"

Ironwood nodded. "Well, she is headlining the concert that starts any moment now, so I have some idea. You'll have to wait until afterwards to speak with her, though. For her sake, and for ours. She'll need to concentrate on her performance, and you wouldn't be allowed backstage either."

Naruto gave both Blake and Ilia a brief shake of his head, and Blake returned it with a quick nod, message received, despite being nearly on the other side of the hall.

"Thanks for the tip, sir, and for the invitations. It's been a great help."

"As have you and your team in the past, Uzumaki. I hope we can continue that working relationship, in securing this safety of this kingdom, and the world as a whole," The General replied, watching the crowd. "Until then, I'm going to try and not get sucked into any monotonous conversations about rich people things. Never thought I'd miss getting shot at by bandits."

Naruto let out another laugh. "Good luck out there, sir. It's a hell of a battlefield."

The General stepped away, and Ilia stepped into his place, leaning against a nearby pillar. "Nice touch with the threat. Might be able to make you an honorary faunus yet."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, so I insult a rich Atlesian and suddenly we're all buddy-buddy? Not complaining, just surprised. I thought you didn't like me."

Ilia shrugged. "It's nothing personal, it comes with the training. Trust is earned, not given."

Naruto turned his head to face her, no longer watching the crowd. "So those times I saved your life weren't enough?"

Ilia frowned. "I'd say it was a single time, and I was only in that situation because you and Blake dragged me into it. I'm trying to compliment you here, don't be so difficult."

Naruto let out an exasperated sigh. "You and Weiss have a lot in common."

Ilia looked offended. "I'm nothing like that stuck-up princess!"

Naruto went to reply in kind, only to pause. "How do you know what Weiss is like?"

His genuine curiosity was met with a rapid answer. "I'm just assuming she's like all the other Schnee's."

Naruto nodded. "Right, because the only Schnee you've met so far has been Winter, and she was just so spoiled."

"I'm starting to think that no one on your little team of Hunters knows how to make conversation. Blake I get, she's always been the quiet, observing type, but you don't even know how to take a compliment."

Naruto allowed himself a little smirk. "You might want to reconsider the common denominator in those situations."

Ilia rolled her eyes, before relenting. "Seriously, though, I am glad to hear you at least somewhat sticking up for faunus. I wasn't entirely sure about your stance on them when we were in Menagerie, but out here, where it would be more than accepted to be just like everyone else, you risked being different. Not a lot of people would do that."

"Glad I can be different, then. I just wish things had changed."

Ilia nodded. "Same here. Thing is, they don't care. It's not real racism, at least, not in the way you'd experience getting kicked out of a bar or a club. It's still offensive as hell, and completely unacceptable, but they don't do it because of the same reasons a blue-collar asshole would. They make money off of our suffering. It's not just offensive, it's deliberately manipulative and malicious. These people don't care about their way of thinking. If it was more profitable to respect and value faunus, they'd change in a heartbeat."

Naruto nodded. "All about the bottom line, right? Figures. Doubt there's really anybody in here who's made a fortune off of the sweat of their own labour."

Ilia exhaled sharply. "Only sweat they've ever let out is when one of the bigger assholes bought out their enslavement business."

"We're standing in the shadow of the biggest asshole of them all," Naruto deadpanned, gesturing upwards with a directed glance. "Jacques Schnee himself, on a pedestal of his own design."

Ilia turned her gaze upwards, a barely concealed grimace on her face. "I really wanna kill him."

"Maybe later," Blake remarked, as she approached. "For now, let's keep our attention focused on our goal here. Though for once, Ilia, I really want to agree with you."

"Peaceful protester, right?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

Blake shrugged. "As long as I don't actually do anything, it's not attempted murder. No matter how satisfying it might be."

"It'd be a hell of a lot more satisfying to actually do it," Ilia remarked, though she made no move from her position leaning against the pillar.

"Easy, Ilia, let's wait until we've actually spoken with Weiss, yeah? Wouldn't want to find out that Jacques Schnee is actually a figurehead being remotely mind-controlled by an evil dictator, or something."

Blake and Ilia turned to face him yet again.

"What? C'mon, neither of you have seen Broken Mirror? It's a great show!"

"Now is really not the time for boring TV references, Naruto," Blake uttered with a glare.

"If not now, then when? There's only so many situations I can make these kinds of references, Blake, I'd rather not waste them."

"You know, if you two actually stopped bickering you'd have noticed they're letting people into the concert hall now," Ilia remarked, snapping the black and blond's attentions away from their impromptu discussion of referential media and its appropriateness in certain social situations.

"We should probably go in, then," Blake remarked, before beginning to make her way towards the entrance, Ilia in tow.

Naruto followed along close behind. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard Weiss sing before."

Blake paused for a single moment, mind lost in thought. "I… I haven't either, actually. Maybe there will be more than one positive from this party, then."

Naruto could only hope.

Chills. He had indescribable chills running down the surface of his skin. He'd known Weiss could sing, who didn't, she had her own albums that had been remarkably successful in their own right, but he'd never actually listened to any of her songs.

So to experience it for the first time in person, listening to it like this…

Her performance had given him goosebumps up and down his arms. A shared glance with Blake showed that the black-haired faunus was in much the same situation as he, though she hid her emotions at least slightly better than he could.

"That was a sad song," Naruto remarked, frowning. "Wonder why she chose it, or if she had a choice at all."

Blake hummed a noise of agreement. "As far as I know, Weiss writes all her own lyrics, but that was… mournful."

Their conversation ended as the applause for the final song died down, and people began slowly but surely making their way out of the theatre hall and back into the main hall, and Naruto, Blake and Ilia were no exceptions, stepping away from their seats to join the procession of rich Atlesians, expensive shoes against rich red carpet.

The three found themselves once again surprised on their exit. The main hall had been transformed in the relatively short amount of time they'd been absent, turning from an entrance hall of sorts into a fully-fledged art gallery, with exquisite paintings and incredible sculptures lined around to create the illusion of passageways, all marked off with red velvet rope barriers strung from silver pylons.

Each exhibit had a small stand with a golden plaque inscribed with the information about the piece, but whilst that would have been useful to most, Naruto found it essentially pointless as his semblance quickly identified each item, tapping into his Observe skill to present it like a tooltip.

Naruto took an interest in the nearest oil painting, abstract colors splintered about the white canvas like a fractured rainbow. "'Dust and Man, the Potential of Reality', huh? Name's a bit wordy, but I like the colors."

Blake nudged him with an elbow. "We're not here to shop, Naruto, and besides, where would you even put it?"

Naruto shrugged. "Probably in my inventory until I found somewhere to hang it. Or I'd send it home to Mom, she'd probably like something like this."

"Focus, art critic. Weiss looks like she might need someone to save her already."

Naruto looked to where Blake was looking, wincing. "If anything, that guy's probably misjudged exactly how easy a target Weiss is. I've been in that situation before."

"Are we helping out, or are we sitting back and watching the fireworks?" Ilia asked, folding her arms.

Naruto chuckled. "Little of A, little of B. Let's get a little closer, see if we need to intervene."

They did so, sidling closer towards the ongoing conversation, Naruto taking the opportunity to admire some of the artwork on display.

"Huh, they've got a real Dish-" He 'urked' as Blake elbowed him in the stomach.

They reached a point where they were close enough to overhear the conversation, and the three quickly began listening in.

"I saw your performance. You were wonderful, and I promise I'm not just saying that because you're pretty," The blue-haired teen said, leaning against one of the barrier pylons. "You thinking about buying the painting?"

Weiss looked at him, one eyebrow slightly raised. "No, I don't think so."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's a bit pricey for a painting."

Weiss's expression quickly morphed into one of annoyance. "It's to raise money."

The teen looked surprised. "Oh? For what, another Mantle fundraiser?"

Weiss seemed stunned, but Naruto had seen that expression at least once before. Right before Weiss had torn into him for being the team leader, back when they'd first had a proper conversation. He winced.

"For what?! How could you not know?!" She exclaimed.

The boy shrugged. "I'll admit, I mostly come to these things for the food and drink. And the beautiful company, of course."

Naruto's wince doubled, and even Blake looked like she was struggling not to cringe.

"Get out."

Weiss's demand was met with momentary stunned silence from the teen. He then let out an almost surprised laugh. "What?"

Weiss repeated herself, turning to completely face the blue-haired teen. "Get out."

"But I haven't done any-" He began to object, only to find a gloved hand on his shoulder.

He brushed the hand off, spinning with an anger on his face, ready to chew out whoever had touched him.

Naruto looked down at the blue-haired teenager that his semblance decided to identify as Henry Marigold, and Henry realised that Naruto stood nearly a foot taller than him, and his expression was not indicating that he was in the mood to be chewed out.

"You heard her. Out. Unless you want to take this elsewhere."

Weiss's eyes widened as Henry paled quickly, moving away as quickly as he could without breaking into a headlong sprint.

"Naruto?!" Weiss exclaimed in shock. She then noticed the approach of Blake, and exclaimed her name in just as much surprise.

Naruto couldn't hide the grin that crossed his face. "Hey Weiss. Surprise!"

The venue featured an extensive balcony lined with Dust-heaters and comfortable bench seating, and Weiss had led them out there, taking a seat.

There was a moment of silence as Weiss gathered her thoughts, before she spoke. "Naruto, I wasn't sure if you were still alive."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"

Weiss seemed to slump in her seat slightly. "The last I saw of you, you'd told us to evacuate, and that you'd deal with the giant Grimm Dragon. I wasn't sure if you'd even survived."

Naruto shared a glance with Blake. "But your message, you asked for Blake to bring me."

Weiss nodded. "I was holding out hope. You've survived things no other person ever could, so it seemed like the right decision. I didn't exactly know how to find you, and I at least hoped Blake would be able to if she didn't already know where you were."

Naruto nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. If you were curious, Ruby turned me to stone."

Weiss opened her mouth, closed it again, repeated that series of actions, got halfway through the third repetition, and then stalled, seemingly unable to properly convey her question.

"It's a long story. She also turned the Wyvern to stone, too."

Weiss shut her mouth again.

"Then Naruto followed me to Menagerie," Blake said, in lieu of an explanation. "We had some… adventures, there."

Naruto winced. "That's one way of putting it. Dustcairn Mine wasn't too bad, but Hallowed Bay was a hell of a dungeon."

"I'm sorry, dungeon?" Weiss interrupted, concerned. "What exactly did I miss?"

Naruto hummed in thought for a moment. "You remember Mountain Glenn, how it was a Raid Zone? Turns out that a Raid Zone is a single floor Raid, which is a kind of dungeon. Dustcairn Mine was an underground multi-floor Raid in the Menagerie Desert. As for Hallowed Bay, that was a twenty-floor deep sea Lair, which is another kind of dungeon. It was mostly full of difficult Grimm and weird puzzles. And a Grimm known as the Seiren, but we can fill you in on that later."

Naruto paused for a moment. "Oh, right, sorry. Ilia, this is Weiss, Weiss, Ilia. Ilia's an old friend of Blake, and she helped us in Hallowed Bay."

Weiss's attention finally strayed to the third member of the Menagerie party, frowning in thought.

Blake looked momentarily concerned, before Weiss spoke again. "Ilia Amitola, right?"

Both Blake and Naruto looked stunned, and Ilia almost looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.

"I was almost hoping you wouldn't remember," the chameleon faunus muttered.

"Either Ilia has more of a reputation than either of us knew, or…" Naruto began under his breath, but Weiss quickly interrupted him.

"We went to the same prep school for a few years, right? Atlas Gilded?"

Ilia nodded.

"Wait, you two actually know each other?" Blake interjected, the most surprise and shock Naruto could remember ever really seeing on her face in some time.

Weiss nodded. "Not well. I knew of her, and we'd met once or twice. Up until she was expelled, of course. Assault, if I remember correctly."

Ilia didn't bother to hide her savage expression. "Entirely worth it."

"For the record, those girls never properly recovered. They had to get dental replacements."

Ilia didn't look the slightest bit regretful. "Good. It's the least they deserved, laughing about a mining cave-in. My parents died in that fucking collapse."

Weiss looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Ilia shrugged. "I've come to terms with who was responsible, and you share a name with him. Doesn't mean you're guilty, though."

Weiss's gaze snapped back up. "That's what I need help with."

Naruto looked surprised. "You want us to assassinate your father?"

"What?! No! I couldn't ask you to do something like that, no matter how much he deserves it! No, it's something else."

Blake shifted in her seat. "Start from the top, Weiss."

Weiss nodded. "My father is planning on cutting me away from my inheritance. I don't care about the money, but with the money comes control of the company, and if he gives that over to my younger brother…"

She paused, taking a moment. "Are you familiar with my younger brother?"

Naruto shook his head, whilst Blake and Ilia exchanged a glance. "Only from the Fang briefings."

Weiss stalled for a moment, before putting that aside. "In essence, Whitley is a younger carbon-copy of my father. He was practically bred and raised to be that way, and if he was given control over the SDC, things will only get worse for the faunus."

"That bad?" Naruto asked, checking over his shoulder.

Weiss nodded. "My father will do anything he can to either control me to do what he would have Whitley do, or make Whitley the heir, and it's becoming increasingly apparent to my father that the first option is not going to happen. I want to make the SDC better, but I can't do that if I'm removed as heiress."

"So what do you need us to do?" Blake asked, leaning back. "I'm not sure two ex-White Fang and… whatever Naruto is are going to convince your father otherwise."

Naruto frowned, but Weiss quickly answered Blake's question.

"Well, if something were to happen to me, my father would be obligated to pass the title of heir down to my brother, but that only remains the case whilst I'm… otherwise indisposed. He couldn't change it afterwards, because it would break his public image, and he can't make it a permanent decision to pass it onto Whitley for the same reason."

Naruto nodded along. "I get what you mean, but that does sort of rely on you being dead. Or fake-dead, at least."

Weiss nodded. "Exactly. So, what I need the three of you to do is kidnap me, botch the kidnapping, and kill me."

Blake stared at Weiss, before changing her stare to Naruto. "I'm sorry for all the times I implied you were the weird one of the team, Naruto. It's clearly Weiss causing all the craziness."

Naruto just put his head in his hands and sighed.