The Loser of Beacon
Summary: Ridiculed and hated, Naruto hates being treated badly just for being a faunus. Pushed into a corner, nobody realised just how far he'd go to start pushing back.
Warnings: Steadily stronger Naruto, shall become overpowered in later chapters. Dark!Sarcastic!Naruto
Story was a fit of inspiration I had, and had to write down. For all those wondering, no. I have not abandoned my old stories, I'm simply having a lot of trouble finding motivation for them, and had a great deal of writer's block. I am planning to continue writing them as soon as I am able to.
Some ideas have been taken, though with permission from that writer.
I: The Deal
Failure…
"Mr Uzumaki," Port sighed from behind his desk, holding Naruto's test scores in his hands. "Honestly, I am beginning to wonder if you even want pass my class at this point! A Beowolf being weak in the paws? Preposterous! And aiming for a Boarbatusks tusks? Honestly, an elementary schooler could answer these questions!"
"I'm sorry sir," the blonde mumbled, looking down at the desk, gripping his pants hard as he bit his lip. It wasn't like it was his fault…nobody was there to help him. His whole team turned their backs on him since he was a faunus, and nobody else in Beacon were willing to help him. The humans didn't help because they hated him, and even fellow faunus didn't help because they were afraid of getting treatment as bad as him.
"Sorry won't cut it," Port said firmly, stamping his test papers with a big 'F.' "I am afraid that you are going to have to repeat your first year classes next year!"
Naruto just nodded without looking at Port, collecting his test paper and leaving the classroom to the laughter of every other student. Had anybody looked or cared, they would have seen the tears falling from his eyes, and the trail they left as the blonde left the classroom.
Loser…
"The match is over, the winner is Miss Adel," Glynda Goodwitch announced, causing an entire crowd to begin laughing at the obvious outcome. "As always, excellent work Miss Adel, though I do ask you try not to get so angry when someone accidentally ruins your clothes again."
"Got it Professor G," Coco shrugged, feeling a tad bit sheepish. Though not for Glynda's accusation, but because she went all out because Naruto accidentally bumped into her and caused a spot of dirt to get on her sweater.
Turning to the defeated faunus laying on the ground, Glynda sighed. "Mr Uzumaki, where do I even begin with you? Your form was sloppy, you never once checked your aura, and you seemed to think for some reason it was genius to charge into Miss Adel's weapon head on! I'm afraid you have failed this class and shall be repeating next year."
"I understand Professor Goodwitch," the blonde fox mumbled, sitting up and barely holding in a sob of pain and sadness. "May I please go to the infirmary? I do not feel well…"
"Go," Glynda told him, turning and calling up the next two people taking the test.
Had she bothered to check, she would have seen the blood falling from the blonde's sleeve and leading to the door. But nobody noticed, and by the time anyone checked, the Janitor would have long cleared it up.
Dead last…
Naruto grunted as he got shoved around in the locker room, another blow landing on his jaw and sending him tumbling into the lockers. He looked up at his attacks, a bunch of first year students like him deciding to 'show the fox its place.'
"Must think you're tough shit, huh Uzumaki?" the leader asked. "Ditching classes, pulling those annoying pranks. Must think you're the king of the school, do you?"
Naruto responded by coughing painfully as a kick hit him in the stomach.
"Well you aren't," the leader told him. "You're just another filthy faunus dirtying this place and its reputation! So now me and the boys are gonna teach you a lesson that you won't soon forget!"
"Please," the blonde choked back a sob, looking up with pleading blue eyes. "I don't want to cause any problems…j-just leave me be, I promise I won't report this to Professor Good-"
"You think the professors care?" one of the other boys sneered at him. "Oh please, with how much of a blind eye they turn, it's like you've been designed our punching back! Tell them all you want, you'll just get in trouble for not taking it like a man! Which makes sense, since you're just an animal!"
The group laughed, ignoring Naruto's cries of pain as they continued to beat him up, uncaring of the fact they were breaking his bones. The freak always ended up fine a few days later, they were sure this time would be no different…
I was called all of these things. I was a nobody, I was hated for things out of my control. I hated it, and I hated the people who hated me in turn. I hated my fellow faunus, I hated humans, I hated everything. They backed me into a corner…was it really any surprise I chose to start pushing back?
-Line Break-
I felt despair.
Not for the first time, Naruto was laying in the infirmary at Beacon, his left arm broken in three places, and his right leg broken in two places. Even with his absurd healing factor, he was going to be here for a few weeks, meaning he'd at least be safe from the other students, but it also meant he'd miss the rest of his tests, meaning he would repeat the entirety of his first year, including initiation.
"Why does this have to happen to me…" Naruto said out loud to nobody, tears filling his eyes. "I work hard, I do…sometimes I play pranks, but it's only on the bullies that deserve it, and then I get in trouble for it…what did I do in past life to deserve this? I just…I just…
"I hate who I am," Naruto finally began to weep openly, a whole year of hatred and anger being directed at him had caused a lot of stress to build, along with a lot of sadness. And all of it was coming out right now, where nobody could see him and ridicule him because he still had enough feeling to cry.
I cursed the unfairness of the world.
Why was it he had to suffer? Why, out of all the people on this god forsaken hell hole of a rock, was he the one who was forced to suffer!? How was that fair!? He was a good person! He did his best to stop bullying, he never fought back against someone, only doing harmless pranks! He gave to the poor, he volunteered without pay, he did everything he could to better the world! So why was it him and not someone else who suffered!?
But I refused to give in.
Well fuck all of them then! He didn't need them! He would show all of them! He would become the strongest huntsman they'd ever seen! He'd make them regret ever treating him like dirt! The professors, the students, he would show all of them that he was not a dead last! That he was not a loser! That he was not a failure! He'd make all of them look up to him and recognise him as the greatest huntsman that had ever lived!
And then…she appeared...
"Fascinating…" a voice, female in nature, whispered softly, and yet Naruto's sensitive ears picked it up. He looked around the room, but found no source of the voice, unable to pinpoint it. "I was sure you would fall into despair, fall to a point there would be no return. And yet you did not. That look in your eyes tells me you are only more determined then ever."
"Where are you?" Naruto looked around, wincing in pain as he did so.
"That is irrelevant currently," the woman's voice told him "Now tell me…why did you now fall into despair? Why would you not fall into a black abyss from which there is no return, especially in your situation? Tell me."
She tried to question me…but I didn't hesitate.
Naruto was not obligated to answer her, he knew that…but he figured he had nothing to lose. "Because then I prove them right," he said softly, but somehow knew she heard him. "I prove them right that I'm only a failure and a loser. That I'm no good, that I don't deserve to be here. Well I won't give them the satisfaction. I'll become the greatest Huntsman they've ever seen. Even if I die on the way, I'll make sure that my name is etched into the history books, so that nobody will ever forget my name!"
"...Even though your dream is impossible?" it asked again coldly, making Naruto flinch. "Is that what you want? To follow an impossible dream? Don't make me laugh, you will never achieve something like that."
She tried to question me…but I never gave up.
"...Maybe my dream is impossible," he begrudgingly agreed. "…But there's still beauty in it."
The voice let out a startled, "What?"
Naruto repeated himself, "Even if my dream is impossible, there is still beauty in it. Even if I fail along the way, even if I die following my path…there will always be beauty in my dream. It was the dream my mother believed in. It was the dream my sister believed it. It was the dream my father believed in…and it is the dream that I believe in. Even if my arms break, I'll keep walking. If my legs back, I'll slither. And if every bone is broken but my head, I'll use my teeth to keep moving."
"...Why would you go so far, even for such a beautiful dream?" the voice asked, approaching from another direction this time.
She tried to question me…but I only realised just why I fought for my dream.
The fox faunus simply smiled tiredly, "Because if I don't chase this dream…somebody else will." He realised, at last, why he let himself suffer like this. "Somebody else will suffer like I have for this dream. Don't mistake me, I love my dream and will strive for it, but if I don't follow it, then somebody else will. I don't know when, I don't know why…but somebody else will end up in my position. If I can prevent that person from achieving this suffering, even if I have to go through it…isn't it worth it? I'll live with the knowledge that I saved at least one person. That's enough for me."
The voice was silent for the longest time, to the point that Naruto wasn't quite sure if he had imagined it or not. Just as he was about to close his eyes and get some rest, it spoke up again. "You pass."
"What?"
She saw potential in me…
"You. Pass." The voice repeated, as if describing the weather. "You see, I've had my eyes on you for a very long time, Naruto Uzumaki. Normally I wouldn't care less to suffering, faunus or human. But you captured my interest simply because you never fought back, and you never tried to report it. You'd rather take on the pain and let others be happy then fight back and defend yourself. That is a rare quality…something one couldn't find even if they searched for a thousand years."
She told me words I longed to hear…
"...Who are you?" Naruto asked, feeling very hesitant. There was no mistake, whoever he was talking to was dangerous.
"Someone who is going to offer you a chance," the voice said, and out from the shadows in front of the faunus, a woman appeared. She had long, black hair that looked like silk, reaching her lower back, with skin so pale it was like she hadn't seen the light of day in years. He was unable to properly see her face, because it was covered by a mask reminiscent of the white fang, but Naruto could tell by her scent that she was 100% human.
"You've been spat on and hated your whole life, given nothing and having to fight for everything…I'm here to offer you a chance. A chance to be taught. To prove everyone around you wrong…if you will only let me," she offered her hand. It was coated in a glove, but Naruto could spot the calluses on it, from years of hard work.
She offered me a choice.
The blonde stared at the offered hand, hesitating. This was a once in a life time chance for someone like him. The chance to learn, to prove them all wrong. To make sure they'd remember him, and to fulfil his dream. "…You'll really help me?"
"I promise."
I didn't hesitate.
He needed no more confirmation as his good hand reached out and firmly grasped hers. "What…what's your name? Can I know that?"
Though he couldn't see her face, Naruto was sure that there was a grin on her lips. "My name? I don't usually give it out, but I suppose if I'm teaching you, that you'll have to know. Rejoice, boy, because from this day forth your teacher shall be the Hunter Killer: Raven Branwen."
It was on that day, I made a deal with the devil.
-Line Break-
"The boy is a menace, Ozpin," Glynda sighed as she stood in the headmaster of Beacon's office, along with several of her fellow teachers. "He's hopeless at combat, and doesn't even seem to pay attention most of the time! He's lazy, rude, and is just a distraction to the other students!"
"I'm afraid I must agree with Glynda," Professor Port followed. "The boy shows no hope in Grimm studies, unable to answer questions even a first year student at Signal could in their first lesson! His score was not even close to what it should be for a student of Beacon!"
"I disagree with the two of them," Oobleck said, getting and annoyed look from Glynda and a surprised look from Professor Port. "The boy is outstanding in my history class, I've never seen finer work before in my entire life! He gives answers in such detail that even I didn't notice them until I checked the books for myself! I was half convinced he was a fourth year student with the answers he gave!"
"You give the boy too much credit!" Glynda yelled, sparking an argument between her and Oobleck, while Port tried to calm the two down and stop the argument, lest the two of them decide to get physical with their arguing. The last time the two fought, they ruined the arena and delayed the student's training for a whole month.
As the two teachers argued, Ozpin merely sipped his coffee and observed them. To the average onlooker, Ozpin was completely calm and uncaring of the actions of his staff. But beneath his calm exterior, Ozpin experienced and emotion he hadn't felt since the first time he faced Salem. And all at once, he could feeling it be unleashed in a cold wave.
"Silence," with that one word, all noise in the room ceased, and the gazes of the three teachers' gazes landed on Ozpin. And all at once, they knew how furious he was. Because despite how calm he looked, they could see the rage and anger he held in his eyes. Rage and anger they'd never have to face down…until this moment, when they were arguing over a student.
Once he was sure he had their attention, Ozpin spoke. "As per usual, after I'd had a few complaints from both students and staff about Mr Uzumaki, I did some investigation. If he were truly as much of a menace as students and staff made him out to be, then I would remove him from the school. Glynda, did either you or Port ever wonder why I didn't remove him if he was such a troublemaker?"
The silence from both Professors told Ozpin everything he needed to know.
"So I did some investigation, and would you like to know what I found? I found lies. Naruto Uzumaki is likely one of the single greatest students to ever step foot into this Academy!"
"That's impossible," Glynda interjected. "The boy is hopeless at combat! His fighting style is atrocious, and he doesn't even have a weapon! Even his aura is-"
"Not unlocked," Ozpin interjected coldly, earning shocked gasps from Oobleck and Port, and a pair of wide eyes on behalf of Glynda. "Mr Uzumaki has such unnaturally strong aura, that our reads believe it is unlocked. But only such a small trickle can slip through, which is why his aura seems to vanish so quickly. But it does not protect him from attacks. Tell me Glynda, did you ever notice Mr Uzumaki favouring a body part after a sparing match?"
Glynda hesitated. Yes, she had noticed, but she thought the boy was just exaggerating and trying to get attention like usual. He did it with his pranks, so why not again after a sparing match? Nobody needed to go to the infirmary so much with their aura-
Realisation hit her like a truck, and Glynda's eyes widened. "O-Ozpin, you can't mean-"
"Looking at the Medical Records given by Professor Bloom, since he started here, Mr Uzumaki has broken his right arm twenty-seven times, his left arm fifteen times, his right leg nineteen times, and his left leg thirty-four times, along with having his ribs broken fifty-three times. And that is only counting sparring class."
"Only sparring class!?" Oobleck yelled, realising what Ozpin meant far faster then Glynda and Port. "Oz, please tell me the boy hasn't been getting assaulted outside of lessons by other students!" At those words, even Glynda and Port looked shocked.
"Indeed he has," Ozpin confirmed regretfully. "The boy has been assaulted and beaten by all students, ranging from first years to fourth years. And the worst part is no student helped him, some that held no grudge against the boy simply joined in. And would you like to know why that is? It's because all members of my staff except Oobleck have turned a blind eye to it!"
"Ozpin, you know I would never-" Glynda tried.
"Save it Glynda, you are by far the one who turns the blind eye the most!" Ozpin snapped at her, causing the blonde woman to reel back in shock. "How many times have you noticed Mr Uzumaki getting picked on, and turned away without a single care?"
The silence from the blonde Professor was deafening.
"I thought so," Ozpin sighed. "Yes, I prefer students to work these things out themselves since we are meant to treat them as adults. But in the real world, would you sit back and let someone be relentlessly picked on, simply for existing? We are Huntsman! Our duty is to defend the people! Not to simply hunt and kill Grimm, something all of you besides Oobleck seem to have forgotten!"
"Okay, perhaps the boy is picked on badly," Port said slowly. "But what about his scores in Grimm Studies? The boy falls asleep during all of my lectures, never even takes notes, and even has the audacity to fall asleep!"
"And when exactly do you teach them, Port?" Ozpin asked, holding a hand up for silence as soon as the Professor began to open his mouth. "No, do not answer, because you do not teach! You spit out what you did in your childhood, vaguely hinting at how you did things! That is not teaching! You are supposed to teach the students about Grimm, their weaknesses, their types, and how to survive against them! Not spit out the things you did in your youth! That is only you inflating your own ego, and lord knows that if it gets any bigger, everyone on Remnant could move there! Not that we'd want to, because your ego is something even more horrifying than the Grimm!"
Port turned red, stuttering and trying to come up with a retort, but had nothing because Ozpin was right, the professor just didn't want to admit it.
"But what do you know what really makes me disgusted with you?" Ozpin asked, waiting for a response. When he received none, he answered his own question, "It was the fact that Mr Uzumaki never complained about you or any other student."
"What!?" Glynda's eyes were so wide they might as well have been popping out of her head. Port's jaw had dropped so low, it might as well have been touching the floor. Oobleck just sighed sadly.
"Yes, he never once complained about the staff or another student," Ozpin continued. "Not even a single time. He used it as a threat to try and get students to stop, but they never did, and he never reported it. This led the students to believe you allowed them to continue with their actions, condoning them and making Mr Uzumaki a pariah! I am disgusted with the both of you, and the rest of the staff bar Oobleck! Well, I will not have this kind of behaviour in my school!"
"Ozpin-" Port tried to soothe Ozpin, but the headmaster was not having any of it.
"Do not even try, Peter," Ozpin said coldly. "As if this moment, every member of staff bar Oobleck is hereby on Probation! I will be giving all of you lesson plans that you will carry out, to the letter! And I will be watching to make sure! I care not if you are my friends, if you put even a single toe out of line, you will be fired faster than you can say 'Grimm Invasion!' Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?" the question was said with such deathly calmness, that it was as if Death himself had come into the room.
Faced with such a horrifying presence, Glynda and Port could only nod at Ozpin's words.
"Good," Ozpin nodded. "Now then-" he was about to speak, when an alarm on his desk began to blare wildly. Quickly pressing a button, a monitor appeared on his desk, displaying an image. And as soon as it did, Ozpin's eyes widened. "No…no, she can't!"
"Ozpin, what's-" Oobleck tried to ask, but Ozpin was out of the room before Oobleck could even finish. Curious about what could make Ozpin freak out, he checked the screen himself…only for his own eyes to widen. "No…not her! Anybody but her!"
"Bart…?" Port hesitated, as did Glynda, before both of them looked at the screen, before visibly recoiling in shock at the image.
Because there, they saw Naruto Uzumaki shaking hands with the masked form of Raven Branwen, and without a doubt there was a malicious smirk lurking beneath that mask.
-Line Break-
Naruto's eyes widened with shock as he realised just who he was shaking hands with. Every Hunter knew of Raven Branwen, the Hunter Killer. The one who found the corrupted hunters that abused their power and authority, and slaughtered them mercilessly. Though the fact that was less known, was that Raven Branwen was a bandit, the leader of a bandit tribe in fact.
"You…YOU are Raven Branwen?" Naruto finally managed to gasp out.
"You've heard of me?" she asked him, seeming amused.
"I…you…" he didn't seem to properly be able to process just what he'd found out. Here he was, being recruited by one of the most dangerous people to walk the planet, and he didn't even know it until just now.
"We have time for questions later," she said. "For now, we should go before-" she cut herself off, looking at the door with narrowed eyes. "No time then," she drew her sword, getting a startled yelp from the blonde, before she quickly cut open a spiralling crimson portal.
"What is-"
"Shut up, questions later," Raven grabbed Naruto before she tossed him through the portal, and it slammed shut, just as the door burst open, and Ozpin entered the room.
"Where is he, Raven?" Ozpin asked in a deathly calm voice, his gaze narrowed and his grip on his staff tightened. "I know that you have him, where did you take the poor boy! He has been through enough without being subjected to your people!"
"I'm doing what none of you did!" she snapped at him. "All of you, the teachers, failed him. You failed him, Glynda, Port, Oobleck, you all failed him. But I will not fail him. By the time I am done with him, nobody will recognise the 'failure' they called Naruto Uzumaki."
"Give back Minato's son, right now!" Ozpin growled, ready for a fight.
"You all too quickly forget he is Kushina's child," Raven said coldly. "Far more than Minato's son. And I'm afraid I have to go and make sure hiss wounds heal. But don't worry, he'll be back in time for the start of the next school year," she grinned and jumped out the window. "Ta-ta!"
"RAVEN!" Ozpin roared, running to the window. But all he saw once he looked out, was the closing Remnant's of a crimson portal. This was not good…Ozpin would only be thankful it wasn't Salem that had Naruto…but with how bad Raven was, it was a small consolation.
He could only pray that when he returned, Naruto wouldn't have changed personality-wise…
It was a shame for Ozpin that Naruto Uzumaki would never be the same again.
AN: And that is it for the first chapter! Not sure when Chapter two will be out, but I'm hoping it's soon. I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next time! Ta!
