So I would like to start things off by saying sorry for the long absence. Things in my life have been hectic for the last couple of months (May in particular.) I won't get into details other than to say life got in the way and sucked all of my free time up for posting. I got quite the backlog of chapters, however. So look forward to getting them in time.
The tense sense of foreboding, that something in their hind brains that told every member of Winter's team that one wrong move would spell their violent deaths lasted the whole ride to Beacon, even when the bullhead they were on landed that sense of dread never abated not even once, no, how could it? As amicable and Calm as Ryu seemed at the moment, she was leaking the slightest hint of killing intent.
Honestly, had it not been for Cammie, bless her soul, who had dispelled the rather tense atmosphere with either sheer obliviousness or her naïve desire to know everything. Winter felt torn between an instinctive terror born of her fear of the woman sitting next to her, and her knee jerk reaction not to scream at the girl. Just why was she talking to the trained killer like she was best friends? The whiplash of emotions was absolutely exhausting.
Ever since her partner, Kitsune had disappeared. Even after explaining that what she and her men had believed to be the genuine article, was just nothing more than a highly advanced construct made entirely out of life force.
What was not said, however, was for it to dispel, like that meant that something had to have happened to the original… something that either required his full attention or worse…
As the back of the Bullhead opened and the landing strip unfolded, none other than General Ironwood and the Headmaster of Beacon himself, Professor Ozpin met Winter and her team.
With no hesitation nor greeting, Ryu stepped off the craft, as if she owned the place, barely sparing a glance in the General's direction, "I'll meet you in your office I know the way." She said, seeming to dissolve into a shadow seconds after making eye contact with the Headmaster.
And with Ryu's departure, that sense of the icy hand of death that found its way around Winter's heart finally abated. Finally, at long last, Winter exhaled a long held sigh of relief.
"I thought there were supposed to be Two of them," the Headmaster stated while idly swirling his coffee in his mug.
"Come along James, we mustn't keep the young lady waiting." the headmaster called over his shoulder to the General, who had gone strangely, deathly silently, still as the grave.
Slowly, almost woodenly, the General made to follow the Headmaster, like a puppet guided on strings. He walked away. Having never even acknowledged Winter or her subordinates.
When Ryu spilled forth from the shadows of Ozpin's office, it was in the presence of two individuals, one she knew to be Glynda, the other was a scruffy-looking bum who absolutely reeked of alcohol to her enhanced senses. Both tensed, ready for an attack, not that it would do either of them any good. If she had wished, her blade would have easily slain both before they even realized she was there.
Rather than provoke either huntsmen, Ryu took a seat before the Headmaster's desk, much like she did some months ago.
Five long minutes ticked by, five minutes of indeterminable silence, in which both Glynda and Qrow regarded Ryu with everything other than blatant hostility, before at long last the doors to the lift that lead up to the office opened. Out stepped the Headmaster followed by a more composed General Ironwood.
Allowing them to take their seats, the only ones who looked relaxed in the tense atmosphere were Ryu, the Headmaster, and strangely, the Drunk.
"So where to begin?" Ozpin started, "we have coffee, water, tea?"
"I think… we should start with cutting straight to the point, shall we…" Ryu stated curtly, "like for example, what would a esteemed Headmaster and Atlases top General want with the likes of Kitsune and I?"
Ozpin blithely stirred his coffee for a moment, took a sip from his mug, while staring at the trained killer before him, and frankly found her to be underwhelming. If she wanted to be blunt, then so could he. "Oh, and are we not going to talk about what happened to Kitsune then?" he prodded.
"Or we could talk about how the pair of you secured control over the criminal underworld in not only Vale but also Vacuo as well, and of course while crime happens, overall their have been a marked drop in arrests relating to drugs, no overdoses in the last sixteen months, organized violent crimes have seemed to become a thing of the past. It's almost as if those who consider themselves a part of the underworld of organized crime steadfastly respect and follow your rule. Stop me if I have it wrong, but I believe your rules are quite simple, no killing, no selling drugs to minors, and no human trafficking." he added, "so yes why indeed would I be talking to a phantom, a myth, Ryu, or would you rather I call you Miss Uchiha?"
It all happened so fast. One minute Ryu was sitting, as deadly calm as can be, so inhumanly still that she could have easily been mistaken for a doll. The next replicas of her, doppelgangers had appeared as if summoned from the black void of hell itself, seeping from the very shadows cast by the natural light of the room. All bearing blades of otherworldly sharpness, their keen edges pressed sharply against their necks. Cutting through their aura as if it were not even there.
With those blades so keenly resting at their napes, none dared move, Not Qrow, not Glynda, and certainly not James, the only ones who seemed unaffected by the sudden turn were Ryu, who still sat as still as a doll, the only noticeable change was in her eyes now blossomed into the unmistakable kaleidoscopic crimson of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. And the Headmaster of the school, Ozpin, was unfazed. He merely glanced down at the blade for a moment, just a hair's breadth from claiming his life, before returning his gaze solely to the shinobi before him, undaunted.
"Is this really necessary, Ms. Uchiha?" he asked, unperturbed by the apparent threat to his life.
Ryu cocked her head to the side, it was inhuman, almost catlike in response to the question, "you know, between Naruto and I, he's the kinder one…" she said, fixing the headmaster with her steady unwavering gaze, "the more open of the two of us, I'm willing to bet things would not have turned out like this, if he were here." Her slender fingers reached up to her mask. "He balances me out, tempering my harsh edge with his kindness. He is my sun, my light, my yang. It's been that way for more years than I can count."
As she removed her mask, her words grew harsher, colder, filled with the weight of her resolve, her determination, "and I would do anything to protect that light..." her crimson eyes were hard like chips of ice. "So Headmaster, I'll only ask once, what does a man with a tattered soul want with us…"
That at long last finally got a reaction out of the until now unshakable man. It wasn't with words, not at first, but with the ever so slightly widening of his eyes, the way his hand trembled around his mug, "h-how?" he gasped out.
"You'll come to find that there is nothing that these eyes cannot see, Now TALK!" Sarada demanded, threading in the slightest hypnotic suggestion with her gaze.
"There is a war…" Ozpin explained slowly, hesitantly at first, but now that he was under the sway of the Sharingan, his words came swiftly, without hesitation or falsehood. "A war between humanity and the ruler of the grimm, her name is... Salem." when he admitted it he sounded defeated, ashamed, broken almost. "What she seeks is nothing less than the utter destruction of humanity, and to do that, her goal is to gather four relics of power, so that she may summon the brother gods back to remnant, and destroy all of humanity. To that end, I and my associates have endeavored for years to keep the relics out of her hands at any cost."
The whole time he spoke, Sarada analyzed not only his words but his very soul itself, drawing on more of her power. From the kaleidoscopic crimson of the Sharingan morphed and bloomed rippled red rings of six, the unique signature tomo of the Sharingan still present in her eye, three for each ring, circled around a peerless white flower-like blossom at the center.
His soul, it was older, older than his body, tattered was not the right word for it, no not at all, if the soul were a canvas, then his soul would be dyed, forever stained by the many lives he shared, a patchwork collection of the many souls who shared a body with him. Who had done this to him? Who had cursed him to this impermanence, this eternal cycle of rebirth?
"It is why I wish to recruit you and Naruto to our c-"
"You've been doing this for a very long time, haven't you?" Sarada said, stopping him from continuing.
"Yes, more than you can ever know," Ozpin agreed with a mournful sigh.
"These relics? How are they secured?" Sarada asked.
Ozpin opened his mouth to speak readily, but groaned, clutching his head. It's the first sign of resistance he has shown since the illusion that clouded his mind was cast, as he scowls darkly at Sarada. "T-That was…" he gasped in shock. "Wha-What… What did you do to me?"
"Hm… impressive, and here I thought you'd never break free of that, Genjustu." Sarada stated, "I told you remember Naruto is the kind one. I'm nowhere near as nice as him. I'd sooner kill you all for exposing us, and simply fade back into the shadows. It's fortunate for you he's interested in you."
"Then You'll… help?" Ozpin asked wearily.
"Yes, we will help you, it seems we have little choice, not if the two of us wish to live our lives in peace," she admitted, dispelling her clones with a thought "now then about these relics, tell me about them…" she asked.
"That is a long story, but first tell me what have you heard about the story of the seasons and the maidens."
"That's great and all, Oz… but after this I need a drink." Qrow said gruffly, wanting to be anywhere but here at the moment.
"I-I… I think... I will join you," James commiserated tiredly.
"yo, Glynda, you gunna join us?" Qrow drawled.
shaking her head in the negative, Glynda gently turned down his offer, "sorry despite the night's events, I still have class in the morning."
]|[
Raven scowled, "you seem to be taking things rather lightly."
Yang snorted in amusement, while cutting into her steak, "oh, I understand things quite well, you're a Maiden, that means you have magic, there is a dark lord out there who controls the grimm, bent on the eradication of humanity, tell me do I have things right so far?"
Raven grit her teeth in frustration, "yes…"
"Ah, good, good, she is immortal to boot too, right?" Yang teased, "wait no, don't answer that one."
Weiss sighed. Honestly, she wished Yang would act just a bit more mature, and not tease her mother. Weiss was sure If Raven had laser vision, then Yang would most definitely be a pile of ash. That was how hard the older woman was glaring. This was certainly not the way she hoped things would go down when she met the parents of her girlfriend.
Her original plans for the night were simple: go out, have a good time, kiss her girl, eat a romantic dinner for two, and possibly get laid. But that clearly was not in the cards tonight, no instead tonights forecast included potential world ending proclamations, a nosy birdie, and Maidens, all with a zero percent chance of sex.
"You should be worried, Yang." Raven warned.
"No, the only thing I should be is having a good time with my girl. But you're here, so I am trying to make the best of this situation." Yang countered.
"Would you take this seriously?" Raven hissed. "I'm trying to help here!"
"No, what you're doing is interrupting my date. You've said what you came here to say, so either enjoy the meal, and we can talk more about this in the morning, or you can go run away somewhere else." Yang bit back.
It was the first time since Weiss had met the woman that Raven actually looked hurt at Yang's words. "Yang I-I…"
"Yang what?" the blonde hissed.
"Yang," Weiss said softly, taking the blonde brawler's hand in hers, "don't, not anger, not in bitterness, you'll say something you can't take back."
Yang looked to Weiss, feeling her anger abate. Years of frustration, loss, and worry simply seemed to fade away.
"I don't have to forgive you for leaving me, but look, can we start over?" Yang asked.
"I'd like that." Raven agreed.
"Good, then we can talk more about the world ending when Naruto gets back," Weiss added.
]|[
"Naruto, my friend you need to rest," Gaara urged, as the pair sat around a campfire just outside what remained of Lower Cairn, right in the center of Grimm infested forests, "the others are resting and recovering well, your friend Ren was even the first to wake up. Leave the rest to us and sleep so that you can recover your wounds. You were hurt the most. You can't rely on Kurama and the other Bijuu to keep you going. They're trying their best, but it will only do so much in the state you're in."
Naruto gazed at his long-time friend, one eye a vivid shade of blue, the other a vivid shade of crimson with blackened sclera not born of the Rinne-Sharingan, nasty blackened veins stood out in stark relief on his visage, like he had been struck by lightning, they spread out from his right cheek, trailing down his right side where his right arm ended in a ragged stump. As if it couldn't get any worse, it wasn't safe for him to be around them in his current state for long. It was why he left them in Mito's care after making sure their injuries were taken care of.
"No, I'll wait until Madara and Hashirama finish with the replacement arm." Naruto said, denying Gaara's request, "by the way on your left four hundred meters," he warned.
Gaara scowled at him. "I already knew," he replied rather tersely, as if to prove a point. The target, a pack of Beowolfs, were snuffed out in an instant, consumed utterly by sand. Gaara let out a long-suffering sigh, "Hah, look Naruto, I know you wanted to save them, but we can't save everyone, so please my friend rest. We can handle things from here on out."
Naruto gave him a weak smile, "ok," he agreed, slumping against a tree, "just for a bit," he murmured blinking tired eyes wearily at the red-headed shinobi. The moment his eyes closed, Gaara could tell he was asleep. The blonde had pushed himself way too hard.
With his first friend asleep, the former Kazekage turned his attention to the presence he had sensed, and yet Naruto had failed to even detect them. "I know not who you are, but I warn you now if your intent is malicious then I will not spare you." he warned, "now come out, I won't ask again."
With Mito guarding the kids, Obito and Kakashi out cleaning up the rest of the Grimm, and Hashirama and Madara were working on Naruto's new arm. Gaara knew he was the only one who was free to fight. The sand rose at his command, with but a thought, as he readied himself for battle.
For a moment there was no response, then there was the purposeful rustling of bushes as they approached, yet they avoided all the traps. These were no hunters. If he had to guess as they drew near, they were shinobi. And based on the number of feet he could hear, there were at least six, but possibly no more than eight.
Finally, they broke through the underbrush and made their way into the clearing, Nine in all, each of them bearing a Hitai-ate with the crest of the Uzumaki somewhere visible on their person, five men and four women.
Eventually, the tense standoff was broken when the shortest of the women stepped forward. She was an absolute beauty wearing a two toned gray and blue kimono tied with a dark blue obi. It ended in a skirt that had slits on both sides, exposing hints of the black shorts she wore underneath. She wore thigh length black stockings and sandals. Her head band was tied around her right arm. She approached casually, with one hand resting on her sword.
"Hello Suna-san, I'm Shinobu Kocho, a representative and Jonin rank Shinobi of the Uzumaki clan." She said flawlessly in his native tongue, her weary gaze never leaving him nor the slumbering form behind him.
"Approach no further," Gaara warned, stopping Shinobu in her tracks.
"My, my, but it appears that your friend here needs some help. I could help you with that." she said.
"No, you'll tell me why you're here." Gaara demanded, "it's no coincidence that you're here, now of all times."
Shinobu narrowed her eyes at this nobody. She was sorely tempted to just simply cut him down and be done with things. However, it was Giyu who stepped in with both hands raised in an attempt to defuse things. "Please, let's not argue. We came here because they assigned us the task of retrieving the Heir of the Uzumaki main line." Giyu confessed.
"And you believe Naruto to be that heir?" the former Kazekage asked wearily.
"Yes, we mean neither you nor him any harm." Shinobu Affirmed, agreeing with Giyu.
It was right about then that Hashirama and Madara made their way into the clearing. With widened eyes, there was no way that they did not recognize the famous pair of legendary Shinobi.
"Hey Gaara, we finished the arm." Hashirama said cheerily. Acting for all the world like he was oblivious to the tense standoff.
Madara took them all in with his crimson gaze. "So, Kazekage-dono, what exactly is going on here?"
It was upon hearing that formal title that the tension among the group of so-called Uzumaki shinobi ratcheted up several degrees.
"I haven't been Kazekage in quite some time," Gaara said blithely.
"Please, you're one of the few who are actually worthy of the title. You stood against me in battle, you should be proud." Madara admitted with a hint of pride in his voice.
The trees above rustled, causing everyone present to look up, spotting a familiar masked ninja perched upon one branch, reading a very familiar book, "ma, ma, let's not get ahead of ourselves here."
"Kami, how is a guy supposed to sleep when you guys are practically broadcasting your negative emotions?" Naruto groaned into a groggy wakefulness.
He took one look around and sighed in defeat, "oi, Kakashi, Obito, you can stop it with the illusion."
The Kakashi in the tree faded away he was never even there, the real Kakashi however revealed himself to be right within the midst of these so called Uzumaki shinobi, Obito right by his side, the crimson glow of two active Sharingan on full display made for quite the intimidating sight.
"So, you claim to be Uzumaki?" Naruto asked, directing his attention to Shinobu.
"Yes, I am a loyal shinobi of the Uzumaki coalition." She said, bowing her head in deference to him. "My Family has served the Uzumaki for generations. I forever more pledge myself as one of your loyal retainers."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. He sensed no lies, no negative emotions. With his ability to sense emotions, he could tell that she truly believed every word of what she said.
"You there, blondie, tell me your name." the elder sage said, directing his gimlet gaze to the youth whose outfit was a garish shade of yellow.
The young man, because he could not be called a boy, flinched in terror, all but jumping out of his skin.
"Z-Z-Z-Zenitsu Agats-s-s-suma L-l-lord Uzumaki-sama Sir!" the boy squeaked out shrilly.
Naruto winced in slight pain. Between the fear coming of the boy in what seemed like literal waves, it was like a brand to his brain with his empathic abilities. The boy was making his head hurt. This would not do at all.
Naruto hummed, "Agatsuma, you said? I met a man with that name once."
Finally, the young man stopped trembling in fear at Naruto's admission.
"R-really?" Zenitsu asked.
Naruto grinned a wide, beaming smile. "Yeah, when I met him just after the Fourth Shinobi World War, he was just a boy. We never got the chance to talk. But he had a level head on his shoulders, he was from a clan in Kumo, crazy good with a sword, even better with his clan techniques, he even served as the Raikage's right-hand man for a time before becoming the Raikage himself. saved my life a while later too when I was in a hard spot."
"Really?" Zenitsu couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, he was a great man, his name was Mikihiko Agatsuma, he was the sixth Raikage." Naruto nodded, "now then tell me is what she said true?"
"Y-yes, Sir!" he squeaked without hesitation.
Satisfied with the answer, he turned to Hashirama. "I take it the reason you're here is that you are finished with my arm?"
"Yes, just like the last one once it's integrated into your system you won't even be able to tell the difference, eventually it will grow its own chakra network, blood vessels, and bones, by that point it will be permanently bonded and no one will be able to tell the difference." Hashirama gushed, excited about his latest project. "However, until then you won't have access to your most potent of abilities nor those granted by your sun mark."
"I knew that from the start." He admitted, undoing what remained of his shirt and flack jacket. Grimacing at the blackened lines scored across that side of his body, while extensive, they had lessened somewhat from the severity of moments prior.
"So let's get this over with," Naruto sighed, not looking forward to what came next.
Hashirama kneeled next to the blonde, one hand already glowing with green healing light. With just a single touch he healed what he could of Naruto's stump, healing what would have taken weeks of recovery for a normal person in just moments.
The cloth-like flesh around the artificial limb unraveled as it neared what remained of Naruto's arm. Binding tightly to his stump, flawlessly connecting to his arm as if it where real skin, only the fact that the new limb was a pale white and had a ring of scar like tissue around his arm where his stump joined with his new arm, where the only way anyone could tell that this new arm was not his original. But that would fade with time.
Naruto winced as he felt his nerves along with muscles and blood vessels
Connect to the new limb. Once the brief pain faded, he flexed his new fingers, feeling a slight pins and needles sensation from the limb. As the sensation faded, he let out a sigh of relief now that everything was in order, mostly.
"Look, we can talk more in the morning. I make no promises on agreeing to whatever you want. I need some sleep, then I need to check on my team. Only then will I consider talking to you." The blonde sage said, running a hand through his blonde locks.
Shinobu bowed, "of course Lord Uzumaki, then allow us to handle securing the area."
"Nezuko, Kanao, Tanjiro set up a barrier, Inosuke, Genya take the first watch." She ordered, "Susumaru, Zenitsu set up camp."
Dutifully, her subordinates went about their tasks, Kanao, Tanjiro, and Nezuko pulling out sealing tags from their pouches, quickly going about setting them up along the border of the clearing.
Madara, Kakashi, and Obito had vanished back into the night, setting about maintaining a perimeter of their own; the only ones to notice were Naruto, Gaara, Hashirama, Shinobu, and Giyu. it wasn't until they were already well and truly gone that the others noticed.
]|[
Even as she lay in bed reading one of her favorite novels, it made Blake think of him, of Naruto. Blake hadn't known when it started, how just thinking about him made her heart flutter. She was sure that this was just lust, just a passing fancy. Naruto was a good-looking guy after all, and after all he had done for her, and her team. How could she not come to at least like him a little?
One part of her wished to indulge in that lust, to follow her heart, her truest desires. Then her more rational side demanded that she stay away. He was dating her partner, worse he was in a polyamorous relationship with Weiss and Pyrrha as well, and she did not want to ruin what they had.
To top it off, she saw how Ruby, her team leader, looked at the blonde. She was not blind. Poor girl was totally hooked, completely and utterly in love. And he only saw her as a kid sister. Blake knew that in that regard, she at least had a leg up on her little leader. Ruby would have to make her intent quite clear before he would see her as anything more than his sister.
Perhaps she was drawn to him when she saw him at initiation. There was an oddness about him that made him stand out. It could have also been when he saved them at the docks against Torchwick. Blake knew it was him behind that mask the moment she saw him, the way he moved, how he fought. It was all Naruto. It might have been a bit colder, more ruthless. But all the same, it was him, and that was what mattered.
It also could have been when he had taken it upon himself to take all of them under his wing and train her team so they would get even stronger than before.
For that, Blake felt she owed a debt she could never repay. For that, she would be eternally grateful.
The proverbial cherry on top was that she knew, in truth, Naruto was the writer of her favorite book series. Even if the book she was reading right now was not in the Icha Icha series. It was one of her favorites all the same. Even if she had to wait until next year to read the next volume and see what happened between lady Elizabeth Trumpet and the dashing Rogue Jack Starling.
Blake flushed scarlet just thinking about it. She hadn't gotten any sleep that night, and for weeks it filled her mind with lurid dreams, with her as Elizabeth, and a familiar blonde as Jack.
She was truly hooked, but she would not interfere. It was a promise she made to no one but herself. But it was a resolution she made all the same.
even if Blake knew she was the indecisive sort of girl, she knew she likely would not break this promise unless something happened.
]|[
Within the blasted remains of Lower Cairn, only the castle remained somewhat intact. What little of the town below that was untouched by the battles that raged within its walls was scoured clean leaving behind only a lone crater, at the center of which bubbled a small pool of blackened ichor, filled with the malevolence of the many who fell here.
It was a malice that only seemed to grow. The pool pulsed once, twice… thrice. A hand as black as the pool burst forth from the ichor. Then another hand emerged, as a figure pulled itself from the inky black. With wild manic eyes, stinger cackled with glee.
"Oh, such power," he moaned, marveling at the malevolent power he could feel coursing through his veins.
A blade of black pierced through his back and tore open his front, obliterating his heart and any chance he had at survival., and then all stinger could feel was cold.
"W-what…" Stinger gasped, slumping on to the blade, and losing all of his strength to stand.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry, I truly am…" the hooded stranger on the other end of the Glave that ran him through said. "But you have something I need, and I can't have you waste it."
The stranger twisted the haft of his glaive, driving his blade deeper in.
"W-w-who are y-you…" Stinger coughed, blood as black as pitch leaking from his lips.
"I have gone by many names in my lifetime, but I suppose if I had to answer. You could just call me Fool, its most fitting for it is what I'm now, a hopeful fool chasing after a love I will never attain..." he answered, his glaive glowing a soft red, seeming to not just kill him but suck the very life from Stinger.
Stinger writhed in his death throes, finding new strength. "This is not fair," he whined, "not fair, I survived, I want my revenge!" His struggles were to no avail. His strength faltered in the end.
When the light faded, he tossed the drained husk back into the pool of ichor, leaving it to sink back into the depths below.
Turning, Fool thrust his glaive into the air, seeming to cut a hole through space, he walked in, vanishing into the void.
If you've read to the end of the chapter I would like to say thank you and if you like my work then please consider supporting me on (p) atreon. Where you can stay up to date on the latest unreleased chapters and if you join as a tier 2, you gain access to the maps, timeline, character profiles, and more.
