Man and Machine
"Human speech/thought"
"Robotic speech/ thought
'Audio-log' and 'Notes/books'
AN: As promised, the second installment of Man and Machine! Thanks to readers who pointed out flaws, and thanks to everyone that reviewed! Other Titans will be featured but that will be much later in the story.
Remember, I had break up the chapter since it was too long so this is part 2!
Chapter 2: The Beginning PT2
The next morning General Ironwood assembled a press conference to address the explosion that the masses undoubtedly saw last night. He started off with a sigh and dejected features, a noticeable sorrow in his voice as he delivered the painful news of the death of Minato Namikaze. A collective silence stemmed from the shock overtook the immediate audience while those who watched from elsewhere ceased their actions as they paid attention with grim faces. Every soul in Atlas listened intently as the General explained the circumstances, that Minato had discovered a new source of energy, one that was far superior to dust in every application. Unfortunately, this source of energy seemed to be extremely volatile, and in an attempt to harness the energy, Minato triggered the devastating explosion seen last night. As the silent, shocked crowd listened to the General speak, they learned that because of a harmful radiation that now polluted an area that encompassed a mile radius with the Namikaze home in the center, no one would go to investigate so that more lives would not be lost.
"This… This is a dark day for not just Atlas," Ironwood began to conclude "This is a blow to the march of technological advancement, of which the Namikazes had always led the way. Though this is indeed a sad day, let us not let it halt the march of progress, instead let it motivate our leaders of scientific research and development to strive for even greater feats. That is what both Minato and his son Naruto would want us to do, if not for their sake, then for our own."
The General left the stage, the press half-heartedly called for him for any comments while the citizens left with heavy hearts. The Namikaze family was one of, if not the, most loved family in Atlas by both humans and Faunus, regularly donating to charities for both, and made no effort to hide their mixed heritage. This loss effected everyone in the frozen region, but some had much different reactions, Jacques Schnee was one of those people.
James Ironwood had retreated to the sanctuary of his office in the Atlas Academy after the press conference, a bottle of vintage twenty-year old bourbon joined him as he leaned back in his leather chair, the bottle a third empty. The General had planned on getting drunk today. He lost a brother in all but blood, and had already made the arrangements to smuggle Minato's only son out of Atlas. The only thing James wanted to hear today was the sound of a bottle opening. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.
"General! Are you in there?!"
Ironwood stared at the door with a deadpan. "Fuck you too universe…"
"Come in…" James said with a sigh as he sat up in his chair for appearances though he kept the bottle out.
The absolute last person Ironwood wanted to see walked in, his blue eyes already in a accusing glare with his large white moustache unable to hide the frown on his lips. The CEO of the Schnee Dust Company was dressed in his usual double-breasted white jacket with a red handkerchief in the right breast pocket, a blue vest and shirt underneath with a gray-white tie, the look finished by white pants and shoes. When the door shut, Jacques immediately began to speak lowly.
"What are you hiding?" Demanded the white-haired man with his palms flat on Ironwood's desk, and his eyes coldly glaring. James stayed silent, unfazed by the other man's question.
"We both know that Minato was too cautious to make a mistake that immense, so what really happened at the factory?"
The General gestured for Jacques to sit as he poured himself a drink in a shot glass that was vigorously downed.
"Jacques just leave it alone." Ironwood simply stated, already pouring another shot.
"It'll be better for everyone if we just leave it at what was said."
The Schnee huffed in annoyance but could already see that it would be useless to pry. There was a more serious matter to discuss anyway.
"So, how do you plan to fill the power gap?" Asked Jacques. Minato had a lot of influence, more so than even the Schnees. His death had resulted in a gap that needed to be filled. James sighed at the question. He didn't want to talk about anything so he slammed a glass in front of the man across from him.
"Either drink or get out. I'll deal with all of this tomorrow. Today, I'm in mourning." Ironwood gave Jacques a decision. With a grunt, the CEO of the SDC reached for the glass.
"To the Namikazes then." Jacques stated before he gulped the shot, the alcohol immediately bit into him. One drink was enough decided the business man as he got out of the seat, and went to the door.
"I'll leave you until tomorrow, so don't get too intoxicated that you can't talk." Jacques advised which Ironwood ignored.
"For some reason my wife seems to be taking this loss hard. Hn, makes sense given that they grew up together." Jacques commented before he left. James scowled at Jacques ignorance.
"More like she wanted to marry him instead of an asshole like you." Ironwood saw the bedroom eyes that the daughter of Nicholas Schnee gave Minato, and had heard from Minato's own mouth that she had told him "If you ever need a release, give me a call. It doesn't take much to keep the help quiet." A few months after Kushina died, an offer Minato never accepted. As far as Ironwood knew, Minato buried himself in work, and spending time with Naruto after his wife was killed by the Grimm. James shook his head as he brought out another bottle of bourbon, this one aged forty years. Jacques visit left a bad taste in the General's mouth, and brought back a lot of memories. As James drank to mourn the loss of his closest friend, another ally of his was deep in thought across the ocean.
It had been a few hours since Ozpin had been informed of the true events of what occurred in Atlas last night by his close friend James Ironwood, the Headmaster of Beacon Huntsman Academy pondered on what he was told, and the unique opportunity it presented him. The silver-haired professor had met Minato Namikaze on only a few occasions with their last meeting rather poorly. Ozpin knew of the Namikaze family's mission and, unlike the people of Atlas, was well aware of the bloody methods used by the Namikazes of the past, and their history of mental instability. Now, the latest continuation in that line of brilliant yet unstable scientists was not only going to be in his Kingdom, but would eventually attend his school.
Quite the situation, indeed.
On one hand, Ozpin could attempt to influence this child to a proper path, away from his family's ruthless ways of research, and most importantly, prevent the curse of the Namikazes from driving anther soul to madness. To have a Namikaze on his side would be a much welcomed boon in Ozpin's eyes, especially one that didn't kill just to further mankind's scientific advancement in hopes to eradicate the Grimm.
On the other hand, Ozpin had seen first hand the devastation that a Namikaze could cause. In a past life, during the Great War that ravaged Remnant, the semblance of Ares Namikaze had made the war much bloodier then it should have been. The man had taken an unhealthy interest in how war affected the mind, determined to figure out everything he could. His semblance had the unusual and horrific ability to bring out the primal side of any human or Faunus within a wide range. The horrors that Ares had unleashed: villages were burned, men, women, even children ended by the sword. It was never enough for Ares… if a woman was being raped by a man driven insane by his semblance, Ares sat to note the behavior before he moved on, uncaring to what he saw. His reign lasted for the last forty years of the war and both would have continued had not Ozpin in his past life put three bullets in Ares' chest from a safe distance, out of the range of the man's horrific semblance. Ozpin, despite being in a new body, could still feel the effects of when he briefly fell under it's enraging influence, a red lens over his eyes. He remembered the desire to rip into the nearest being, and spill as much blood as possible.
Ozpin gagged in disgust as he remembered being under that horrid man's semblance. Thankfully, Ares was dead. A memory that Ozpin wished wasn't passed down to him, but it served as a warning, showing how bad a Namikaze could get. So in order to save Naruto from his family's curse, Ozpin would dispatch a close ally to escort him overseas, and bring the child to Vale to keep an eye on him. Of course, given that the young child would be under the care of his uncle, certain measures would be taken to monitor him.
The ding of the elevator that led to his office brought Ozpin out of his thoughts, and made the professor swivel his chair to face the person who just entered.
"So Oz," The rugged voice of Qrow Branwen began. "You sure about sending me to pick up that kid?"
"Unfortunately, with Miss Goodwitch on an emergency assignment, and myself unable to leave thanks to my own responsibilities, you are the most… available." Ozpin responded. Qrow sighed as he took a swig from his flask. He had been informed of the truth of the circumstances behind Minato's death by Ozpin over the phone.
"You sure about this Ozpin?" Qrow asked as he put the flask back in his pants pocket.
"This is a Namikaze we're talking about here, and one that is currently going through an emotional hell. There's no telling how many cracks are in his psyche or if he's already snapped."
"Which is why it is imperative that you pick him up and deliver Naruto to his uncle as soon as possible so that the boy can begin to heal in the presence of a loved one." Ozpin reminded the slightly hesitant Qrow. The red-eyed man was rightfully cautious, especially given the family history of the person he was supposed to be bring to Vale. Qrow sighed as he turned around to leave, his parting sentence was blunt to put it lightly.
"Don't be surprised if this kid snaps, and everyone around him winds up dead or dying. This is a dangerous child, murder is in his genes."
Ozpin held in a sigh until Qrow descended down with the elevator car. There was an undeniable truth behind Branwen's words. Aside from a certain two, every known Namikaze had been trained to kill before Minato's time, and even then, those two were not to be trifled with. Ozpin was indeed in a high-risk game that had an equally high reward, one that would give a sorely needed edge against her. While Naruto's mental stabilization and safety were indeed the main priorities, he was still a Namikaze, and would truly tip the scales in humanity's favor in the war against the Grimm. The Namikaze family had been waging war in their own admittedly effective, but heartless and unrestrained way. They sacrificed whatever lives they saw as needed for their pursuit, choosing to damn themselves to ensure the survival of humanity through the advancement of technology, and science. A noble goal, but the methods the Namikazes used to achieve it made them worse then the monsters they sought to destroy.
Ozpin hoped that he could save Naruto from that path.
It had been three days since Qrow had departed from Ozpin's office, the black-haired man now stood on the deck of a small freighter-type vessel a few minutes away from a abandoned dock no longer used by Atlas since aircraft now handled their shipping. Qrow rubbed a hand along the stubble on his jawline, his face a tad cold from the freezing wind. Ordinary people wouldn't even go out in this weather, especially if just wearing the black pants, dress shoes, and a long-tailed, gray dress shirt with a tattered red cape that Qrow wore. However, the huntsman wasn't bothered by the temperature, his aura was enough to keep him warm. Qrow did have to admit one aspect of cold weather that he just loved.
"Never have to worry about warm booze!" Qrow thought as he took a swig from his flask, the cold whiskey inside flowed refreshingly down his throat. As Qrow drank, he saw what was left of the dock. Which was not much. The actual wooden dock was ready to collapse, and the structures weren't even recognizable, pummeled by the elements. Qrow did see the military-purposed All Terrain, half-tracked transport truck parked near the shoreline that had one big-ass steel container next to it.. Qrow narrowed his eyes. Inside that vehicle was the last Namikaze. He put away his flask, and breathed in a few times. Naruto was just a kid, and despite his heritage, Qrow knew that he needed help. Ozpin thought that Naruto was worth it, so Qrow, while maintaining a level of caution, was willing to risk it. Of course, when the doors of the truck opened, and she walked out with the same, deadpanned 'Seriously?' stare that Qrow now had, the huntsman wanted to tell the hired captain to turn the ship around. Qrow sighed internally, let's get this over with.
When the ship ceased movement and the crew tied it to the remainder of the surprisingly stable dock, Qrow leapt off the boat. As he walked briskly towards Winter, the deckhands ran past both of them to the container, rather happy when they saw that the large storage unit was self-propelled, that made their job so much easier. When Qrow reached the eldest daughter of the Schnee, she raised a hand up.
"Please allow me to speak." Requested Winter with an oddly soft, pleading tone, the latter reflected in her icy eyes. Qrow crossed his arms, admittedly curious, but he covered it with a cocky grin. Winter ignored the grin as she began to speak again, the soft tone still there, and she looked down.
"Before Naruto comes out, I need you to understand something." Winter pressed on the drunkard across from her.
"The Namikazes…. I was supposed to be training Naruto on how to be a warrior but, it ended up being that they taught me how a family was truly meant to act. The more time I was around them, the more I saw how distant my own flesh and blood was." Winter looked down at her covered hands as she spoke.
"Minato was the father I always wanted, and Naruto, he is my brother, my true brother." Winter continued before she locked her eyes with Qrow's, stoic expression replaced by one that begged her next request to be granted. Her hands clasped shakily together at her front.
"I need you to promise me… promise me that you won't allow anything to happen to Naruto!" Winter pleaded to her rival, a man she detested, yet now she had to entrust him with her brother, the only person that she considered family.
Qrow sighed. Here was the "Ice Queen", ready to break down out of concern for another person. Damn it, now Qrow felt guilty about what he said about the kid, despite it being correct to certain degrees.
"You have my word that nothing will happen to Naruto." Qrow had a hand on his chest as he spoke. Winter gave a quick thanks before she went to the truck, the door opposite to the side she exited opened, and out came a cloaked figure that stood at 5 foot 4 inches, the person's lower mouth was covered in bandages, eliminating the only part of the grayish cloak's hood didn't cover.
"So this Naruto." Correctly concluded Qrow when the confirmed mid-teen flipped the hood off, and let his cautious blue eyes be seen. The last Namikaze stayed close to Winter, unsure of the new person across from. Winter stood behind Naruto, her hands rested reassuringly on his shoulders.
"Name's Qrow kid. Since people would ask questions if Ozpin personally came, he sent me instead." Qrow introduced himself in a civil, for him anyway, manner. Naruto slowly nodded, still in a depressed stage. The container was stowed in the boat, ready for transport, a deckhand called for Qrow to come on-board so they could leave. Winter gave Naruto a tight hug in farewell before he left with his escort, and she stayed at the shore until the boat left her vision. It was unknown to her that she was crying until she got back inside the truck, and saw the tear trails on her face in the rear-view mirror.
Once sight of land was lost, Naruto had gone straight down into the cargo hold. The crew happily allowed this since they were a skeleton crew, as long as they got paid, no questions were asked, they didn't even know who Naruto was, or what was in the container. Qrow had followed him down since there was nothing else to do, and you could only stare at the ocean for so long. So Naruto sat with his back against the container that held Ash, and IS-3 for the voyage to Vale, the Spectre offline while the Titan was in a standby-mode. Should anything happen, IS-3 was able to intervene rather easily, and ensure Naruto's safety. The standby setting also kept the soothing neural link between Naruto and the Titan active, which was something Naruto heavily leaned on to help him cope with his loss.
Naruto kept his eyes down on the memory card that held every bit of research that had been done by his forefathers. The mission had passed to him. Eradicate the Grimm, and unite humanity under a single banner. But those would have to wait. Naruto knew that he needed to recover, he had to gain strength, and he had to find the son of a bitch that blew the whistle that told the White Fang where he lived. The Faunus terrorists were only pawns for someone else, and Naruto would find out who. For now though, he had to heal from this. He was in too much pain from his father's death to think properly. He was also tired, but sleep eluded him lately. A development of insomnia? Naruto wasn't sure, it was too early to tell.
"Hey kid." The man assigned to guard him spoke, and broke Naruto's thoughts.
"What's with the chip?"
Naruto lifted up his hood, and looked at Qrow's red eyes. His own blue glaciers instantly recognized what the man was trying to do even in his mentally damaged state. Naruto buried the memory card inside his pocket.
"What's it to you?" Naruto lowly spoke, agitated that this man was trying to get information out of him.
"Unless you're actually concerned about me, don't talk. Let me mourn my father in peace."
Qrow raised a brow. This kid clearly was taught how to read people. Makes sense given that he had probably went to school with the kids of Minato's rivals. Those brats were most likely used to try and get something out of Naruto for their parents to use to try and get a edge against Minato. Qrow shrugged as he took a drink from his flask. That's greed for ya, even your kids become tools.
"Alright then," Qrow said as Naruto put the hood over his head, and his knees were up to his face, arms wrapped around them. Qrow left the wall he previously leaned, and got closer to Naruto. The young Namikaze could tell that the older male sat next to him.
"So how are you holding up?" Genuinely asked Qrow. He had decided to go at this from a different angle. Naruto stayed silent, internally surprised at the difference in the man's demeanor. He actually seemed to give a damn, how'd it change so fast? Qrow kept sipping for his flask as he waited for a response.
"…I haven't slept much these past few days." Naruto finally admitted to his escort, his head slowly lifted.
"Winter says that it's just stress from what happened, but I think that I'm developing insomnia."
Qrow nodded. Sometimes insomnia occurred in people with PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which given what Naruto went through and his family's history of mental disorders, it made sense that it would have a lasting effect. Hopefully it would just be insomnia.
"Speaking of the Ice Queen, I've never seen her act like that with anyone." Qrow commented, actually curious about that. Naruto gained a slight smile.
"It started out that she was just training me, but within a year it was like we were family. She came to us whenever there were problem at home, dad even gave her a room." Naruto told Qrow. The huntsman listen attentively. The more Naruto talked, the more of his psyche was able to be examined for cracks.
"Winter stayed over a lot. Jockstrap is a jackass." Naruto stated, which made Qrow chuckle.
"Jockstrap, huh."
Naruto nodded.
"That was what dad called him."
"Heh, Minato sure was a character." Qrow said as he took another sip. The Branwen thought he made a mistake when Naruto visibly became depressed at the mention of his father's name.
"…He told me about his meetings with you guys." Naruto revealed, and made Qrow stiffen.
"The Maidens, relics, and Salem. My family's known about them for a long time. My great-grandmother was Headmaster of the Atlas academy when they were given the relic Ironwood watches over today." Naruto further told Branwen which only made him more worried. Naruto turned to Qrow with his hood removed, and glacier-blue eyes stared straight into the hunter's own.
"We didn't give a damn about your Maidens, the relics aren't useful save for scientific research, Salem has had my family's attention since she is the leader of the Grimm forces. My family has been targeted by her underlings before, but we've killed whoever tried." Naruto coldly spoke, his Namikaze nature came out.
"I know everything my family's done." Naruto lowered his head.
"Even Ares regretted all the life that was lost because of his research, but he lived with it because he knew in some way, it would benefit humanity. Every Namikaze knew that about their research." Naruto looked back up at Qrow, the twisted belief shone in his eyes. Qrow knew right there that Naruto already had the Namikaze code entrenched inside him.
"But it will end with me." Naruto lowly declared, his words caught Qrow's attention.
"What do you mean?" Qrow asked slowly. Naruto didn't directly answer.
"All the pieces have been given to me from my family, gathered over the generations. It is up to me to use them." With that Naruto moved away from Qrow, and left an intense silence. Qrow quickly stood up, and exited the cargo hold. He went all the way to the deck of the ship, unscrewed the cap of his flask, and chugged down whatever was left. The way that Naruto changed gears like that was all the evidence Branwen needed. Naruto Namikaze needed to kept under extremely close watch.
"That kid…" Qrow said between breaths.
"He's not cracked. He's already shattered."
The three day voyage returning to Vale was uneventful yet tense for Qrow. Every interaction he had with Naruto felt like he was talking to someone else. There was the emotionally-scarred Naruto that was definitely the real Naruto, the one that Qrow talked about Winter with, but that other side, the Namikaze side was always in those eyes, silently observing him for any weakness for future reference, like a predator studying prey. Or rather, a scientist with no morals examining an unknown creature. Qrow was anxious when the ship docked early in the morning, and the container was loaded on a truck. Qrow, and Naruto had both hitched a ride on the truck, the huntsman held on to the underside while Naruto sat on the bed of the wide, heavy duty trailer next to the container. His invisibility semblance prevented him from being seen.
The truck drove down a dirt road for about half an hour before it went off into a back road that led into a clearing where a blacked out Bullhead waited. More hired hands exited the aircraft, and began to attach thick steel lines onto the container while Qrow, and Naruto boarded the craft. As Qrow stood in the bay doors waiting for the crew to finish preparation to airlift the container, he saw a small black object on a branch. Red eyes narrowed as he tried to examine what he saw before it jumped off.
Qrow watched as the Raven flew inland.
"Fuck." He muttered as he took out another flask that had the words 'Drink when dealing with Raven" printed in black on the metal, and began to drink from it. Naruto noticed the subtle change in Qrow, an increase in his awareness, the man clearly was keeping an eye out for something. Soon, the crew finished hooking the cables, and began to get onboard. The Bullhead lifted off the ground, quickly the craft gained altitude as four winches installed quickly reeled the container up to the belly of the craft, a 'clank' signaled the metals meeting. Naruto rested against the rear wall of the craft, near the tail, he still hadn't gotten much sleep yet his mind kept racing.
"Maybe if I let the thoughts run without paying attention to them I'll be able to rest." Naruto theorized as he closed his eyes. Qrow looked over his shoulder to see the cloaked Namikaze as he tried to fall asleep, a bit of pity felt for the kid. Qrow knew Naruto was broken, but he also knew that with the right help, maybe he could be saved. The issue was that Minato had taught Naruto the Namikaze code from birth, which led to a another obstacle. Naruto had willingly accepted his family's mission, and believed that it had to be accomplished at all costs. Qrow didn't know much about Namikazes aside from their self-proclaimed mission and the effective, bloody methods they used in the past to get closer to that goal.
"Granted, ever since the war ended, the Namikazes have been more focused on building up Atlas." Qrow thought. Now that he thought about it, the generations after Ares were rather docile, Minato, and his father weren't aggressive at all. Naruto's grandfather was incredibly peaceful, and Minato himself only was hostile when provoked. It was really confusing how this family operated, and how their objectives changed depending on the situation.
"I need more booze. Not drunk enough to try to understand a family of crazy geniuses." Qrow concluded as the Bullhead gained more speed. The memory card Naruto had became Qrow's focus instead. All the pieces were given to him. Qrow guessed that the memory card must hold the research done over the years by every Namikaze, but that container held Minato's last creation, details as to what it was weren't shared by Jimmy. Of course, seeing as how James was more concerned about ensuring Naruto's safety, Qrow was willing not to hold it against him. Too much.
"I'll need to talk with Oz about that card when we get there. For now, I'll just enjoy the scenery." Decided the hunter as he drank more, that raven in the back of his mind. He couldn't tell if she was going to do anything, or if she was just watching him, but one for thing was certain…
The last person Naruto needed to meet was Qrow's sister.
The remainder of the flight went without interruption except for a brief stop to refuel, and get some chow. It was later in the night when they finally arrived at Beacon, the castle-like exterior combined with the large central tower impressed Naruto as he looked down on it from the air, though it wasn't nearly as impressive as the architecture back home in Atlas. As the Bullhead landed, Naruto saw a tall man in a open black suit over a vest, green shirt, with dark green pants, and black shoes. The only other distinguishing feature Naruto could make out was the man's silver hair.
"That must be Ozpin." Naruto guessed from the brief description he remembered his dad giving him. Before the Bullhead landed, it descended close to ground to lower the container onto the ground in the central courtyard of the school before landing, which allowed Naruto, and Qrow to exit the aircraft. The Bullhead rose off the ground again, the craft leaving after the man with the messy silver hair gave them a briefcase that undoubtedly was filled with lien.
Now that Naruto was ground level he could see Ozpin in better detail, brown eyes with black eyebrows contrasted his light-colored hair. There was just one thing Naruto didn't understand.
"Those glasses are too small for them to be of practical use." Naruto stated when Ozpin walked up to him. Ozpin's eyebrow quirked upwards before he responded.
"I just wear them because they enhance the image of me as a headmaster."
Qrow and Naruto deadpanned at Ozpin, the professor ignored their gazes.
"Naruto, I've contacted your uncle." Ozpin told Naruto which caught his attention.
"He'll be here within the hour."
Naruto nodded, his eyes had a glimmer of light in them. Ozpin asked Qrow to follow him a little ways away from Naruto, outside of the part-Faunus' hearing range, but not out of sight.
"So how do you want handle him, Oz?" Qrow asked, his arms folded across his chest. Ozpin sighed. He saw the same cold, calculative eyes hiding behind Naruto's pain, eyes that reminded him of Ares. Ozpin mentally shook his head. Naruto wasn't Ares. He could still be saved.
"What exactly are we dealing with?"
Qrow responded by informing Ozpin of the memory card, and the words Naruto spoke when they were in the cargo hold the first day of the return voyage.
"He said 'All the pieces have been given to me from my family, gathered over the generations. It is up to me to use them'. Any idea what he intends to use them for?" Qrow inquired of Ozpin. They both knew that the card most likely held all of the Namikaze family's immense research records. What they wanted to know was what exactly Naruto planned to do with it. However, Ozpin knew that Naruto couldn't do much on his until he returned to Atlas, so for now, the goal was to help him recover, and hopefully undue the subtle yet tight grip the Namikaze ideals had on the young boy.
"What I do know is that in Vale, Naruto can't do anything, and that our focus should be on his mental health." Ozpin answered Qrow.
"Alright, so how do we proceed?" Qrow asked, a single arm reached for his Raven flask since his other one was empty.
"Also, I saw a Raven when we docked. Think she's curious?"
"If she is," Ozpin began. "Then we need to monitor Naruto constantly, something I've already taken care of visually." Ozpin informed Qrow that when the Headmaster contacted Naruto's uncle, he had sent supplies for Junior to renovate his used storage area into a living space for Naruto, multiple bugs placed in rather uncanny locations. Some were audio, but most were cameras with one that was both in a rather unconventional spot.
Qrow nodded in approval, but pointed out an obvious hole.
"We can assume that Raven's been watching us, so the second we leave him with Junior…" Qrow didn't need to finish his sentence. If Raven found out that a Namikaze still lived, what was to stop her from trying to add him to the tribe?
"Now that I think about it. Those two are both fanatical when it comes to what they consider 'family'." Qrow realized.
Ozpin tapped the spherical handle of his black cane with a finger. He turned his gaze on the container that Naruto had not strayed from. The cloaked child hadn't moved a foot, it was like the container was…
"No, it is a safe zone for him."
Qrow gave Ozpin an odd look when he saw the corners of Ozpin's lips curl ever so slightly.
"We won't have to worry about it. Minato seemed to already have taken care of it." Ozpin cryptically told Qrow. The red eyed hunter sighed thinking soon he'd need to carry three flasks.
It took another twenty minutes but Hei had finally arrived in a black 18-Wheeler with a trailer hitched on that was the same color. When the truck came to a complete stop, Naruto ran towards it when the driver's side door opened and he saw his uncle jump out. Naruto slammed into Hei, the hood of his cloak fell from the top of head when they collided. Silently, Naruto cried when both he and Hei Xiong, his only remaining relative, tightly embraced.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto… so sorry…" Hei choked out with a pained grimace, accompanied by tears. Naruto began to sob into his uncle's chest, the two continued to hold onto each other. Ozpin, and Qrow said nothing as they stood nearby. Ozpin had been the one to inform Hei of what had occurred, personally going to the club to tell him. Ozpin had seen the burly man's initial disbelief soon turn into a crippling pain as Hei had fallen to his knees. For a man like Xiong, who had been hardened by a criminal upbringing, to react so emotionally was evidence to the close relationship he had with the Namikaze males. It also increased Ozpin's belief in that Xiong was the perfect person for Naruto to be entrusted to.
"Their bond will be a crutch for Naruto's mind. Even the workers were in mourning."
It was true. After Ozpin broke the shattering news to Hei, he had closed his establishment, and after taking a few minutes to gather himself once all the guests left, he told his employees what had occurred. A somber silence followed, the men had taken off their hats, and glasses, condolences given, but also inquiries about Naruto, and what would happen to him. Ozpin took over for the distraught Hei, the man escaped to his private room. It did touch Ozpin how close knit the workers were, and while not the first choice, Ozpin believed that that kind of closeness was what Naruto needed. He needed to be around multiple people that cared about him.
Uncle and nephew parted, but Hei went to wipe away Naruto's tears.
"It's ok now. You're coming with me. My place may not be Atlas-"
"-But it still has Namikaze-brand liquor." Naruto finished with a bit of a crack in his voice, the bandages around his mouth gone. Little known facts about the Namikazes, they were massively into the alcohol industry, every one of them drank, and it seemed they were born with insanely high alcohol tolerances. Naruto had his first Four Horsemen and Hell Follows cocktail at the club when he was twelve, and had adored high-quality bourbon, and whiskey ever since. Everclear was a treat for him, though rarely enjoyed. His dad usually drank all of it before Naruto could get any.
The two chuckled lightly at the inside joke as they straightened up, and turned to the other men, Naruto close to his uncle. Junior gave them a wry smile.
"Thank you for bringing him here. I know it wasn't easy." Hei thanked Qrow, and Ozpin.
"It was the right thing to do, Mr. Xiong." Ozpin replied, Hei nodded as he protectively put an arm around Naruto. They needed to get him to the club, it was late, and Hei wanted Naruto safe as soon as possible.
"Alright, let's get whatever's in the container in to the truck." Hei advised since the container itself was bigger than the trailer Hei brought. Qrow nodded in agreement, he'd been wondering what the hell was in there. Ozpin only knew what Ironwood told him, that it was Minato's last creation, and the first of Humanity's guardians. Time to see what this guardian looked like.
Naruto knew that there was no way for the men get IS-3 inside the trailed. The damn Titan weighed 60 tons!
"And of course I stowed my helmet in the container so I can't just tell IS-3 to get out of standby, and come out." Naruto lamented internally. At the time, Naruto didn't want to worry about anything being lost so he just put everything In his duffel bag then put that in the container near Ash. What Naruto had not realized, was how connected he, and IS-3 actually were because of the link. He might not be able to mentally command the Titan, but IS-3 sure could tell if he was wanted or needed!
The four males stopped walking when they saw the large, metal container shift around.
"Hey kid…. What's in there?" Qrow asked as they all stared. The side of the container facing them was breached as the armored hand of IS-3 broke through, the other made that hole larger. The backs of the metallic hands both pushed to the sides, and tore a hole large enough for the broad-shouldered Ogre to exit out of. Once out of the container, IS-3 wirelessly activated Ash, the Spectre stood up, and exited with Naruto's duffel bag. The three men with Naruto stood in shock at the size of IS-3, and how advanced it looked. Decades ahead of anything else in Atlas. The massive machine walked towards the four, it's heavy footfalls shook the ground, thankfully not cracking it.
"You have got to be shitting me…" Qrow said when the Titan stopped in front of them.
"I am a machine. It is impossible for me to be 'Shitting you' as I am not an organic." Corrected IS-3, unknowing to that it was an expression. The Titan shifted attention to his pilot.
"Naruto, it is good to see you again." IS-3 greeted his pilot, then turned to Hei.
"Greetings Hei Xiong. My designation is IS-3, Ogre-Class Heavy Titan."
Hei nodded slowly, still in a bit of shock.
"Call me Junior." He told the mech then asked "How much do you weigh?"
"Sixty tons, or 120,000 pounds." Answered the Titan.
Junior nodded with a wince. Damn, that's 40,000 thousands pounds more than the truck was rated to haul. He'd have to go a bit slower going home than he did coming here so he wouldn't put too much stress on the engine.
"Is that a problem?" Came the feminine voice of Ash, the Spectre was now noticed by everyone.
Junior shook his head.
"I'll just have to take it easy on the truck going home. Now, who are you?"
"Designation: Ash. I am the finished version of a new mechanized infantry called Spectres." Ash answered, and gave Naruto his duffel bag.
"I shall serve as an additional companion for Naruto."
Naruto gave a small smile while his uncle nodded, and told the machines to get in the trailer.
Qrow discreetly looked at Ozpin. He didn't like this. The huntsman watched as the Titan turned to it's right as it listened to Junior's request, the three massive guns that were hooked on the back came into view. Qrow couldn't tell the caliber, he just knew that Aura meant nothing against those guns. That was also if the robot didn't decide to just punch, or step on someone. The armor that thing boasted was thick as hell, only explosives would work against it.
"And it's in the hands of a potentially unstable Namikaze." Qrow grimaced internally. This wasn't good but, Qrow couldn't do anything. Right now, he had to let things flow until something happened, and pray that nothing did.
The Headmaster and Huntsman stood silently as Naruto and his uncle got inside the cab of the 18-wheeler, Junior gave one last "Thank you" before droving off.
"And now begins the hard part." Ozpin announced as he watched the truck retreat into the darkness. Both men saw a raven fly after the truck.
"I recommend you follow her."
Before Ozpin finished his statement, Qrow had already begun to sprint before he leapt, and activated a unique ability of his. Ozpin now watched a crow chase down both the truck and raven. Ozpin stayed until all three left his sight. The Headmaster turned to the empty academy, the students gone for the summer until next year. Within two years, Naruto Namikaze would be attending this academy for about a year, or if Naruto showed a sufficient level of combat ability then Ironwood would allow Naruto to return to Atlas, and for his survival to be revealed to the populace. Ozpin knew that it would not take a year. Naruto was a Namikaze, and he was undoubtedly motivated by his father's death. The question was motivated to do what. Qrow had told Ozpin when Naruto stated that "It ends with him."
Did Naruto intend to accomplish the Namikaze mission? Ozpin mulled over everything Qrow had told him but also the amount of advancement Atlas had made technologically. All the pieces had been give to Naruto over the generations. The Namikazes not only wanted to make the Grimm extinct but for humanity to be united. When Mantle had waged war, the Namikazes had only helped on a whim, they were not involved with starting it, nor did they want it but they saw an opportunity to unite humanity forcibly. Ares was their primary hand, and very influential, but it was the daughter of his brother that had been involved with leading, her name was Solis Namikaze, a woman of still unparalleled combat skill, the mother of weaponry, and modern combat itself. When Ares was killed, and the war ended, Solis, and her child were the only remaining Namikazes.
"Perhaps the history of Solis will provide the answer." Ozpin had some research to do.
The drive to Junior's club, simply known as The Club, was uneventful, Junior informed Naruto where he would be staying.
"My basement is more like a bunker, got plenty of rooms that you can use for whatever, and I set aside one for you to use as a shop." Junior told his nephew, the mid-teen paid attention, and nodded. He smiled when he learned that he'd have a place to manufacture gadgets, machinery, and weapons. He enjoyed working with his hands.
"Thanks uncle Hei." Naruto silently said. Junior wrapped an arm around Naruto, and squeezed his shoulder.
"It'll be ok, I'll help you through this, me and the guys." Junior assured.
"You still have people you can call family."
Naruto leaned his himself on his uncle. So tired. He was so tired. Junior kept driving as Naruto dozed off, the trip would take a little more than an hour due to IS-3's excessive weight. The club owner turned on the radio, and went to a station that played soft music at a low volume, just high enough so he wasn't in total silence. Unknown to Junior were the two birds that followed overhead.
When the two arrived, the birds landed on the edge of The Club's roof while Junior backed into an alley on the right side where his building had a bay door for deliveries that were too big to go through the front. IS-3 fell under that category, big time. After gently rousing Naruto, the pair exited the truck, and went to the back of the trailer where Junior opened it for Ash, and IS-3.
"I'm still surprised that your Titan fit in there." Junior commented as said Titan shimmied out awkwardly.
"It was not comfortable." Responded IS-3 when he got out, Ash followed, and shut the trailer. Next, Junior open up the bay door, the Titan pleased that his chassis would fit without trouble. Once inside, IS-3 closed the bay, unintentionally cutting off the birds' view.
Speaking of those birds, both immediately turned to each other. They stared for a few long minutes until both flew upwards. Before the crow landed, it transformed back into Qrow while the Raven landed in the darkness, it's true form obscured.
"The hell are you doing here Raven?" Qrow demanded. She was the last person that should know Naruto was alive!
"I was originally planned on seeing what you were up to, but now that I've seen him, I think I'm going to monitor, and see how this plays out." A rough and feminine voice answered. Qrow could hear the smirk at her next words.
"Should he show talent, I may recruit him to the tribe."
"Yeah? Tell me how you're going to get buy his bodyguard." Qrow shot back.
"…"
"Just back off Raven." Qrow warned.
"We both know how dangerous a Namikaze is."
Raven answered this time.
"I know. My style was invented by Solis Namikaze after all." Qrow heard a soft chuckle.
"This is going to be interesting brother. I can't wait for the new side to join the game between Ozpin, and Salem." With that, Qrow saw a raven leave the shadows.
"Fuck!" Qrow spat. He went to find a hotel close to Junior's club, Ozpin needed to know what Raven said.
-With Naruto-
True to his uncle's word, Naruto found that the basement was like a multi-room bunker. Junior led Naruto to the first room on the left after they went down a lift that was thankfully big enough for IS-3. The doors were large, wide bay doors, and the inside of where Naruto would stay was a decently-sized living space. A bed, drafting table, and a regular door that Naruto would discover led into a full bathroom with shower were included.
"Thanks uncle." Naruto looked at Hei.
"It's the least I could do." Hei stood inside the open door as Naruto placed his bag near the bed that had a thick blanket, and two pillows on it.
"Tomorrow we'll begin customizing it to fit you, but for now, get some sleep. I'll wake you for breakfast."
Naruto slowly nodded. His Titan, and Ash were given the room next to his, just in case something happened.
"Goodnight. Love you." Naruto told Hei, who softly smiled.
"Love you too, bud. You know where my room is if you need anything." With that Hei shut off the light, and shut Naruto's door. Naruto's shoulders slumped, and his mood returned to gloomy as he removed his clothes, leaving his body bare before he reached into his bag, and pulled out a pair of blue basketball shorts. Naruto had the habit of sleeping without underwear, and only wearing shorts to preserve modesty. When Naruto laid down, the feelings immediately started up again.
Naruto was filled with negativity. Anger at the White Fang for taking almost everything away from him, sadness from being forced to abandon his father, and anxiety about how he was going to finish his family's mission. He had no connections, no resources, no equipment. Even IS-3 was under equipped.
"Stop Naruto. You can't worry about this right now." The blond told himself.
"Really?! Why the hell not?!" The insanity within himself shot back.
"You have a fucking mobile fortress! Make those bastards that dare claim to be freedom fighters suffer for their betrayal! OUR FAMILY HAS DONE MORE FOR THEIR WORTHLESS HIDES THAN ANYONE! WE ARE PART FAUNUS OURSELVES DAMN IT!"
Naruto clutched his head. Stop… just stop…
"Let me sleep…" Naruto could feel tears on his cheeks.
"I just… I just want to sleep."
Naruto knew however that as long as the voice- his distress mentally manifested- raged that rest was impossible. Unless…
Naruto quickly removed the blanket, turned on the light, and went to the drafting table. He was pleased to find it fully stocked, and to see a chair nearby. He then took a blank piece of drafting paper, a T-square, a pencil, and then set to work.
He would pour everything he was feeling, the anger, rage- all of it- into this design. When he built it, it would become the form of Naruto's wrath.
Maybe then he would finally be able to rest.
CUT! CHAPTER OVER!
Whoo-hoo! Damn you guys like this story! Nearly 300 follows, just over 200 favorites, and 44 reviews with one chapter?! This nobody author hit the jackpot! Also, this took a while because Lq840i( Who also helps edit, and plan much of this story) got me into Fate/Grand Order for mobile, so yell at him not me!
The Namikaze family tree becomes slowly more fleshed out with the mentions of Ares, and Solis Namikaze, two of those three that I said I would focus on primarily. Qrow is cautious which is never good, especially since Raven's shown interest. Ozpin wonders while Naruto struggles to find himself.
Next chapter, Naruto begins to find his path while Junior tries to keep him safe. A new influence makes contact, and IS-3 lays down the law! Next time, on Man and Machine!
Please remember to follow, and favorite. Please review, your opinions matter to me!
Later! Greyblueflames burning out!