A/N: EDIT: Trolls for days, as usual. *Sigh* Still trying to make peace with 'em, to no avail...

DOUBLE EDIT: Went back and added some more content for you guys and gals.

All aboard the crazy train! Now leaving the station! I repeat! All aboaaaaaard~! Don't mind the spelling errors, site is glitching up again.

Feels good to really delve into a single pairing these days. Me and the gang mostly write harems, and we write them well, but a single pairing just has that extra oomph, y'know? A little slice of life chapter is nice, every now again. Of course it helps that Blake's a complicated little kitten; she's fun to write, and fun to mess with.

Book puns aplenty! I regret nothiiiiing~!

Title is a pun, of course. As ever, I own no references, themes, or memes.

Hope this little tidbit makes you smile, because I'm grinning from ear to ear right now~!

Remember, Naruto's extremely skilled at sensing negative emotions. He can even track someone based on them. That's a dangerous skill to have in the world of Remnant. Well, not dangerous for our boy of course. Dangerous for Cinder and Adam? Yup. Dangerous for Roman and Neo? VERY MUCH SO.

Ohhhh, you have no idea how delightfully chaotic this story is going to be...

"Whose side are you on?!"

"Do I really have to answer that? Yours!"

~?

A Real Page Turner

"A world of ninjas?!"

"Yup." Naruto thumbed his nose. "That's where I'm from."

Blake Belladona regarded the novel in her hands and clutched it to her chest like it was some mystical tome; for all she knew, it might well be one! This...this was incredible. No, incredible didn't even begin to describe the tale she'd been told. Books didn't glow! They didn't spit out people, let alone heroes from a bygone age! Was that where Naruto was from? Her ears -now safely bound beneath her bow once more- twitched at the thought as her mind whirled. Did he hail from the past? The future? Another world entirely?

Naruto had made no mention of Aura or Dust, or even Semblances.

Instead he spoke to her of chakra and seals and great tailed beasts large enough to grind Grimm underfoot. Of eyes that could paralyze you with a glance, of fascinating jutsu that could harness the elements, conjure up powerful illusions, and even bring the dead back to life. Sounded like magic to her.

But..magic...magic wasn't real. Was it? Sure, she'd read about in in her books, but that was just that. Fiction.

"Still, your world sounds pretty interesting!" Naruto bounced once on the bed opposite her, capturing her attention once more. For a fleeting moment he rather reminded her of Ruby; those bright blue eyes were full of light and life, but tempered with life and experience. "All this talk about Aura and Semblances and Grimm?" he flashed her an almost childlike smile. "Might pop outside and have a look once its done raining."

A lonely peal of thunder echoed outside and belatedly, Blake realized it had begun to rain; rather, it had been pouring for quite some time now. A glance out the window merely confirmed it. She'd simply failed to noticed as they'd swapped stories of their worlds. Weiss wouldn't be happy about the storm. Hopefully her team had found shelter somewhere. That, or they'd manage to find a Bullhead back to Beacon. She prayed for the former, if only because it would give her more time to analyze this anomaly that had caught her interest.

Oh gods, how was she going to explain this to them? Did she even dare? Nope! Don't think about it!

"You have proof, don't you?" she babbled helplessly. "You can't just tell me all this and expect me to believe youuuu?!"

Her words trailed off into a yelp as the young man crouched before her bolted upright and burst into golden black light. It was like staring at the sun. His very presence lit up the dim room and his eyes...they were wrong, but not in a bad way. They weren't human, yet she felt no fear from them. Cross-shaped pupils regarded her with bemused affection.

"Th-That could just be your Semblance!" Blake cried.

"Want me to bring Kurama out?" he asked.

"Kurama?"

"My partner." Naruto hummed.

Blaked tilted her head. "I don't see anyone."

"No." He chuckled. "You don't. Still, its probably not a good idea to let him out in a cramped space." the whiskered warrior allowed, bobbing his head. "How about this...?"

He raised a hand and almost immediately, blue light began to coalesce in the center of his palm, forming a spiraling sphere of teeming azure light within. A faint whirring sound reached Blake's sensitive ears as she gazed at this perfect sphere. When she reached out to touch it, the wayward warrior shook his head and pulled his arm back.

"Trust me, you don't wanna touch this. A Rasengan hurts like hell."

"Also a Semblance!" she yelped!

Red eyes rolled as Naruto snuffed the sphere out in his fist only to cross his fingers and summon two copies of himself from nothing but smoke. Three heads tilted to regard Blake Belladona, who stumbled backward like a drunken crab at last call. Three faces smiled back at her. Three chuckles pervaded the room. Did she mention three?!

"Well?" the unlikely trio asked of her. "Do you believe now?"

It was too much. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Blake felt the last thread of her sanity begin to fray. She desperately pinched herself, to no avail. If this was some catnip induced dream, no amount of pain was able to wake her from it. Worse, she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Faced with the reality of his deeds, that tiny thread snapped with an audible twang. Something else rose in hits place.

Curiosity.

"Right, that does it." Blake flung up her arms. "I give up...this is amazing."

Without thinking, she strode forward and gave the nearest clone a tentative poke with her index finger. When it didn't challenge her, she did the same to its twin.

"Ow." this one growled at her. "What're ya touching my face for? Stop that!"

"Its fine." the original sighed. "She won't hurt you."

The copy wrinkled its nose at him.

"Doesn't feel fine...

Ears twitching, Blake ignored the clone's complaints and latched onto its left arm. It was warm to the touch beneath the fabric. Alive. She could feel a pulse beneath her fingers, even as the doppelganger glared bloody red daggers at her. This far outstripped anything she could create with her Semblance. Her clones vanished almost as soon as she made them. At most, she could swap with them, used them to take a quick hit, maybe even get a little creative if she had some elemental dust on hand, but that was the extend of her abilities.

And yet with a flick of his wrist, this young man created living, breathing beings.

Jealousy didn't even begin to describe how Blake Belladona was feeling right now ."How are you doing this?"

"Chakra, how else?" Naruto quirked a blond brow at her as she resumed her inspection. "Where I'm from, this jutsu is pretty basic. A shadow clone vanishes after a good hit, but mine are...well." he shrugged. "Lets just say they're a little sturdier than that. This isn't all that impressive, y'know?"

It was impressive to her!

Naruto clapped his hands twice and the lookalikes vanished back into the aether from which they'd come, leaving Blake with an armful of empty air. All that remained was fading smoke that soon dissipated, then not even that. Jealousy gave way to a more earnest emotion. Hopeful golden eyes rounded on towards the blond.

"Can you teach me...?"

"Nope." his denial proved swift, as she suspected it would. "Pretty sure you don't have chakra and that's a must for any jutsu."

"Oh." Her eyes drooped. That hurt a little. "I see...

"Nothing personal." Naruto scratched the back of his head as he dropped the cloak. "I'd gladly teach you if I could. After all, this doesn't seem all that special to me." His gaze drifted to the book in her arms. "Sooo...could I have that back? Pretty sure that's my ticket home."

For some reason, his words struck Blake on an emotional level. She was protective of her books on a normal day. But this? A magic book that could summon people? The very idea of giving it up was anathema for her. All of her instincts had clutching it to her chest. His eyes narrowed on it and she was suddenly afraid he'd take it away from her.

"Do you have to take it with oy?" she pleaded as he held his arm out. "I just started reading! Its all about you, anyway!"

"About me?" Naruto twitched. Blue eyes flashed red again. "Is it now? Why don't you elaborate?"

She held it out to him, pages open. "I mean, you do share a name with the protagonist, so...

"That doesn't make any sense." he frowned. "The book that I read was about you."

Blake bristled as a fresh surge of untold heat rose to her cheeks. A book about her? No. No, no, no. Absolutely not. If there were such a book she'd burn it. Naruto sounded so sure that she couldn't bring herself to argue with him. Wait. If there was a book about her...no. Magic was bullshit. Best not think about it.

"No," she said instead, "It definitely says your name here, not mine...

Naruto leaned forward to look at it. His forehead brushed hers.

"Wait." And then, his right eye twitched. "This...is porn."

"No, its fantasy." Blake defended staunchly.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Before she could ask what he was doing, the blond marched over to her bed, snatched her pillow up, and buried his face into it. Blake felt her face flame as her mind conjured a particularly...poignant thought. Judging by the muffled scream that followed, Naruto didn't much care, nor notice her plight. A heartbeat later he flung it away, stalked to the window, and flung it open.

"Kakashiiiiii~!" the blond howled into the storm. "You sonuva bitch! You lied to me! When I get my hands on you...!

She blinked rapidly. "Who is Kakashi?"

"A dead man." Naruto growled, fingers twitching as he spun away from the window. "Don't concern yourself with mourning the dead."

Blake was just about to argue against that very fact when she heard a distant commotion in the hall.

"Blaaaake~!" Yang's catcall ran down the corridor. "We've come back to haunt you!"

"We got rained out!" Ruby's voice echoed that of her sibling.

"And ran into a delinquent!" Weiss cried!

Naruto hummed. "Friends of yours?"

Blake's back went stiff as a board. Looking back, she couldn't quite explain the sudden bolt of panic that shot through her; only that it did. Her head whipped toward Naruto with an audible crack. There was a boy sitting on her bed. In Team RWBY's room. She could see it now. Weiss would have questions; accusations, more likely. Ruby wouldn't stop badgering her. Yang...Yang would never let her live it down. Oh gods. There would be no escape. None whatsoever. They'd torment her until the end of time.

"They're back! Quick!" she hissed at Naruto. "Hide!"

A blond brow rose. "Why...?"

When the door handle began to turn, Blake flung herself at it and held on for dear life. Needless to say, her teammates protested.

"Hey?!"

"Blake, what the heck?!"

"Open this door at once! We're sopping wet!"

"You can't come in!" she made up a like on the spot. "I'm not decent!"

"Oh, come on!" Xiao-Long laughed. "We're all girls here. Don't get your panties in a twist!"

Blaked flailed for an escape route and found none. There was nowhere for Naruto to hide. He couldn't very well dive under one of their beds; he'd be caught out in an instant. He didn't look too keen on jumping out of the window, either. It was still pouring out there, and the storm had only worsened. Her eyes alighted on the novel, left on her bed.

"Get in the book!" she hissed at Naruto.

"What?" the shinobi flailed. "Hey! I'm not a damn genie! It probably won't even work-

"Waitaminute!" Yang cried! "IS THAT A BOY?! OPEN! UP! NOW!"

"Its not what it sounds like!" she wailed!

"Open this door!"

Yang smashed the door down and Blake lost track of Naruto in the chaos when a sopping wet RWY -led by a rather angry Weiss!- burst into the room to bowl her over. The door flattened her against the floor and her head cracked against something hard as her aura flared hard. Oh, look at that. Everything was spinning. She could see tuna...so many fishies...

Someone plucked the battered wooden frame off her and hauled her to feet.

A pair of mischievous lilac eyes met hers. "Sooo...where is he?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about."

When in doubt? Deny, deny, deny! They had no proof. They couldn't prove anything.

"We all heard his voice, kitty-kat." the brawler planted a hand on her hip. "Where did you stash him?"

Ruby blurred past her in a cloud of rose petals, checking under the beds, peeking out the window, even lifting the rug for good measure. Naruto was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Shinobi were supposed to be stealthy, right? Had he disguised himself? The window was still latched -or it had been before Ruby opened it- yet there was still no sign of the whiskered warrior.

"If you must know," she lied eloquently, "I was talking to a friend on my Scroll.

"Who were you talking to?" Yang's grin bordered on insufferable.

"None of your business...?"

Blake risked a looked back.

On her bed, the book snapped shut with an audible click.

Oh, dear. Something told her he wasn't going to be happy when he got out of there...

Yang looked to be all of three seconds from calling her on the carpet before Weiss beat her to it.

"You should have been there!" the heiress cried out, her patience finally exhausted. "We ran into a filthy faunus stowaway and he caused us no end of trouble...!"


(.0.0.0.)


Time was funny inside the book.

It was like being thrust into a dark pond and shoved to the bottom; everything was murky and weightless, hazy and indistinct. And although Naruto found he see somewhat, everything felt...off. Blurry. Tilted. As though he were trying to gaze through a thick pane of hazy glass. He couldn't see past his own damn nose diwn here.

"Kurama?" he called out into the black. "You there?"

Silence.

"Hmm." a tan hand touched his chin. "Guess he can't hear me in here...wherever here is."

Speaking of here...

He drifted aimlessly for what felt like an eternity, unable to see anything at all as he . Oh, he knew he was here, and he could feel his but he couldn't see past his nose.

"Still, she's got some nerve pushing me in here!"

On closer inspect it wasn't as dark as he thought. He saw light-no, two lights. One proved distant, and the other far closer. Through it he glimpsed a familiar face. Blake. She had the book -his book!- clutched tight to her bosom, fingers white knuckled around the spine. She was And though he could scarcely see worth spit, his hearing had never been sharper. His vision might be shot here, but he heard every word.

He heard them fight.

"Ugh! You ignorant little brat!" That sounded like Blake's voice alright. Had he missed something? "That was Torchwick's doing, not the White Fang! Why do you keep blaming them?!"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" another voice shot back. "I am your teammate!"

"You're a judgmental little girl, Weiss!" came the cry. "That's what you are!"

"What in the world makes you say that?!"

"Nope." he decided, spinning away. "Not getting involved in that catfight."

Curiosity compelled Naruto toward the secondary light as their words continue to buzz about in the back of his head. He flailed his arms and limbs, pushing himself toward it. It felt like swimming through sludge; he had to physically kick and propel his body forward just to make any head way. His heart lurched at what he found there. He saw familiar faces gazing back at him, snatching of indistinct conversation flowed over the one he was currently hearing, turning the words to mush in his head.

Home.

This light was calling him home.

His fingers twitched towards it, stretching out to touch that glowing luminescence...and hesitated. If he left now, would he be able to come back? And if so, What was the book, then? A portal? That didn't make any sense. Kakashi wasn't that good with seals, surely. So then why-

"So you admit it!" he heard Weiss cry suddenly. "The White Fang IS just a radical group of terrorists!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" his world lurched to one side.

"Hey, now!" he shouted into the black. "Stop jostling me around!"

No one heard him.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!

"That IS the problem!" Blake snapped.

Had Naruto been able to see his forehead, he would've slapped it by now. As things stood -drifted, really!- he settled for a slow shake of his head. He didn't even understand why Blake was fighting or what it was even about anymore. Friends shouldn't fight like this...right?"

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!"

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake's voice snarled at her.

Naruto winced. There really was. He'd fought it.

"Why do you think they hate humanity so much?" But Blake was back on the attack again, and his attention was inevitably drawn back to her, like a slow moving avalanche he could no longer stop. "Its because of people like Cardin, people like you that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!""

"People like me?!" Weiss hissed.

"You're discriminatory!

"I'm a victim!" the Schnee's voice cracked with pain so powerful that even Naruto winced.

Blake must've too; because there was a weighty pause before she dared speak again. "Weiss, I didn't mean-

"No!" he heard the angry slap of someone's hand striking flesh. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! Its because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

"Well...well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around by you people!

Naruto heard rather than felt the world jostle as Blake bolted.

"Blake?" he tried to call out into the void. No answer.

Something twisted in his chest when he heard her start to sob. A curious dampness registered on his hand and he blinked down at it. Tears? No. This was wrong. All wrong. While he couldn't claim to understand why they were fighting, not really, he still wanted to do something about it. Naruto cast one last longing look at the light behind him. At the worried faces within. It would be so easy to go home now. No one would blame him. This wasn't his world, wasn't his problem...and yet a thorn of hesitation pricked him and held him back."

"Next time." he told himself. "Don't worry, everyone. I won't be long."

Decision made, he surged toward the other light.

And the world lurched.

"Urk!" Kurama's voice snapped back. "I think I'm gonna be sick...!"

One moment Naruto was weightless, the next he found himself with form and substance yet out again, lurching forward at the speed of light. Rain touched his face and he brushed it away, stumbling to a halt as he found his footing once more. It wasn't enough. He crashed headlong into someone and only narrowly caught them by the shoulders. Said someone cried out.

It took him a full second to realize it was Blake.

Startled golden orbs met his, brimming with unshed tears as she hiccuped softly. Her ears, free now from her bow, twitched in agitation, wincing under the steady rain.

"You...You came back?"

She looked...well, miserable. That was the best word Naruto could summon up on the spot and even then it didn't feel like enough. Gone was the defiant, stubborn girl he'd been chatting with only a few minutes ago. All that remained was a shell of her former self. Worn. Tired. Weary from her squabbling with Weiss perhaps, yet the pain in her eyes was something deeper still. It wasn't just pain, no, this was misery at its lowest point. A lonely girl standing in the courtyard, not a single soul to help her.

"Why did you come back?" she sniffled again. It sounded like she hadn't expected him to.

"Why wouldn't I?" he wrinkled his nose at her.

"Its been hours!""

...Blake," he frowned, "I was gone for five minutes at most."

Her expression suggested otherwise.

Naruto dared a glance for their surroundings, only to find the hallowed halls of Beacon gone. In their place he beheld dingy alleys and abandoned streets; everyone had fled before the storm. Everyone save Blake, who'd run deeper into the city.

But why did she think he'd been gone for hours, rather than minutes?

not been able to find shelter.

Blue eyes strayed to a discarded book at her feet, the very tome he'd leaped out of only a moment before. Naruto snatched it up before Blake could think to stop him. Despite the rain, it was curiously dry. Almost warm to the touch. Damn thing. It had something to do with this, he just knew it. Something was wrong here, he just knew it, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Did it matter? His new friend was in a right state and the streets of Vale offered scarce protection from the elements.

That couldn't stand.

"C'mon." he took her by the arm and quickly guided her out of the rain. "We can't stay out here. You're gonna catch cold."

Instinct spurred him onward as he led the shivering girl into the first alcove he could find. When Blake didn't stop shivering he removed his jacket -still mostly dry- and draped it around her slim shoulders. She didn't try to fight back, even when he wrapped it around her. She simply clutched onto the brightly-colored fabric for warmth and muttered a word of thanks.

Well, this was a first; a girl was wearing his jacket. On any other occasion it might've embarrassed Naruto. Not so now. He didn't have the time for it.

And so it fell to him to ask the questions. "Where are we?"

"V-Vale." she forced the word through chattering teeth. "The city. I ran away. I can't go back to Beacon. Not after that."

"Y'know, you really do look better without the bow." he dared a grin.

"Don't just say things like that!" Blake scowled at him and dabbed at her teary eyes. Realization dawned a moment later. "How much of that did you hear? Could you hear it at all?"

"Heard enough." he leaned back, blue eyes keen on her. "You gonna be alright?"

"Yes." She trembled, shivering in the cold. "Maybe? I don't know...

She didn't look alright to him. Not at all.

And all this because of some group called the White Fang. There was a piece of the puzzle missing here, and he suspected Blake held that piece. Even now he could feel the negative emotions roiling off her like a looming dark cloud. Weiss had riled her up to be sure, but there had to be a reason she'd gone and bolted like this. There just had to be.

"The White Fang are bad guys here, right?" he threw the words at her, hoping for a reaction. He got one.

"They're...misunderstood." the poor girl twitched, looking ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. "I don't believe they're responsible for all this."

"Alright." Well, the answer was obvious then, wasn't it? "Then we'll just have to prove your friend wrong."

His words jolted her. "You believe me?"

Pretty hard not to, after hearing the passion in her voice. If she believed this firmly in them, then she was either misguided or cracked in the head. Regardless, Naruto felt the need to help her still. He just couldn't bring himself to ignore her tears. Perhaps that was weak of him. Maybe it wasn't

"You're my friend, Blake." He tilted his head. "Of course I believe you."

Blake nearly burst into tears all over again.

"Now, then." Naruto took her hands in his before she could. "This Torchwick fellow you mentioned earlier...describe him for me, would ya?"

"Why?" she sniffed.

"I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed," he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle, "But when it comes to tracking negative emotions, there's no one better. If he's a criminal and that much of a crook, it ought to be easy to find him."

Her resolve wavered, but she still clung to the tattered scraps of her pride. "You shouldn't feel obligated to help me...

Obligated? After what he'd heard and seen thus far, Naruto knew he would curse himself if he turned his back on her now. Misunderstood or not, she was clearly searching for answers. Didn't she deserve a little help? Just a little? An idea dawned in the back of his head, and he pounced on it like a panther.

"What're you talkin' about?" Naruto's grin turned just the wrong shade of vicious. "This is what I live for. But I if help you, you'll have to make up with your team."

She shook her head. "No. I can't-

"Blake."

"Fine!" She flung her arm at him and he grasped it firmly. "I'll try. But I can't make any promises. They're probably furious with me...

On a whim, Naruto stepped forward. Strong arms drew her into a crushing hug, pulling her chin just over his shoulder. There was no touching, none of that feely-business Sakura was always on about with Sasuke. He just held her. Hugs were nice. Hugs made everything better. Eventually she stopped struggling and gave in, the silly girl.

"Its gonna be alright, Blake." he soothed. "I promise. We're gonna make everything alright."

"How do you plan to find him?" she pulled away.

"Eh, same way I always do. Naruto crossed his fingers. "Brute force."

And quite suddenly, Blake's vision was flooded with a thousand different shades of orange.


(.0.0.0.)


Roman Torchwick was having a bad day.

It began with Neo running out of ice cream, and now it threatened to end with him being struck by lightning.

What's more, Cinder had been hassling him to collect more dust, so much so that he'd been forced to move the raid up early. In the middle of a gods forsaken storm! Who did that?! Not only did he feel like absolute shite, but he was fairly certain he was going to catch a gold besides. Now these filthy animals kept tripping over each other and he was sopping wet, with no end in sight. He'd been standing here barking orders at them for the better part of an hour now, and he was still no closer to getting this damn deed done.

Could this day get any worse?!

Apparently so. A finger tapped his shoulder.

"WHAT?!" Roman rounded on them with a feral snarl.

A pair of unfamiliar blue eyes blinked back at him beneath a red umbrella, framed by blond hair and a small smile. Who the hell was this mook? Why was he wearing so much...orange? Not fashionable at all. He wanted to burn the boy and the outfit alike on principle if nothing else. Still, this kid didn't have a weapon on him, and despite his...hideous attire...he didn't seem all that dangerous.

"Hey, are you Roman Torchwick?" the youth asked.

Something told Roman he shouldn't answer. Unfortunately, he was too angry to consider otherwise.

"No, that's some other guy." he all but spat the words. "His name's Shit Sherlock. First name No. Whaddya want?"

"Well, that's grand!" the young man's grin was just the wrong shade of vicious. "We've been looking all over for you. You weren't easy to find."

Roman looked left.

Roman looked right.

Roman didn't see jack. "We?"

"Don't go anywhere." the young man clapped him on the shoulder. "The boss will be here in just a second."

Before his very eyes, the boy turned to smoke. The umbrella clattered to the ground and against his better judgement, Roman picked it up and used it to shield himself from the rain. Well. At least that was sorted for the time being. He barked an order at the grunts to hurry up. Still, his mind flitted back to what he'd seen. A kid that turned to smoke. Maybe a scout for Beacon or something? Did they do that?

"Damn kids keep getting weirder and weirder...

Yes, Roman Torchwick was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

It got a whole lot worse when a GIANT GOLDEN FOX appeared out of nowhere to swat a bullhead out of the air and smash it into the ground. Roman froze. There was nothing else he could do; no witty retort he could try must, no glib line of dialogue to spout as he beheld the towering behemoth looming over the very warehouse he'd come to plunder. A peal of might thunder ripped through the night, echoing its howl as lightning flashed through the grief-stricken skies, nine tails of pure energy thrashing behind its bulk.

To his great dismay one of those tails swatted another bullhead from the sky like a gnat.

And suddenly, Roman had something to say. Rather obvious, really.

"WHAT THE HELL IS OZPIN FEEDING THESE KIDS?!"

A/N: Ayup, we're stopping here.

We'll pick up right there next chapter.

EDIT: I would ask that you read, all the way through to the previews BELOW this before you review. They have the answers you seek.

Had to cut the a certain preview until next chapter. Would've felt forced here.

Thought it would be simple, did you? Wrong you would be! Seems the book still has some "kinks" that need to be worked out. Aaaaaay!

Yes, this is going to be something of a recurring gag. Naruto got through the portal just fine, but we all know magic and curses really don't affect him all that much. Blake on the other hand...well, inter-dimensional travel is a strange thing.

As ever, reviews keep this old man's engine alive, so I'll be looking forward to them.

Soooo in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the Previews!

As ever:

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

PLOT DETAILS AHOY!

YE BE WARNED!

Read at your own risk!

(Previews!)

"NEO! Little help here?!"

"Now where do you think you're going...

"C'mon, that's just not fair at all! That's bullshit! Utter bullshit!"


"I'm a shinobi. Not a huntsman."

"Yeah," the weapon didn't waver. "What's the difference?!"

"Quite a bit actually." Naruto stepped forward, shadows shrouding his face. "See, a huntsman would arrest you. I, on the other hand...

His smile grew. Now it wasn't a pleasant one by any means or measure. Too many teeth. His eyes burned red as she looked on, sapphire shimmering into scarlet. Say what you would, but Naruto wasn't a very good actor. He'd made that abundantly clear. Blake sorely hoped that's what this was. Just an act. A ruse. A trick. What had he said about that partner of his?

"Basically, start talking." Kurama laughed through him, then. It was a deep, throaty sound. "Tell us your name, rank, where your base is. Everything. Unless you want to squeal like a pig."

By the end, the White Fang grunt did in fact, squeal like a pig.


"May I have this dance?"

Blake felt her ears flatten against her head. "Naruto...no."

His smile didn't waver in the least. "Naruto, yes. Live a little. What could go wrong?"

Some minutes later, she spied movement on the rooftops. Naruto's gaze followed hers. Wordlessly, they shared a glance.

NOTE: Good bloody luck, Cinder! *cackles*

R&R~!