Chapter 6. Forgiveness

"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning~!" Nora sang in a cheery voice, while the young maiden twirled around her dorm.

Naruto looked to his energetic partner and massaged his eyes. It was the day after Nora had revealed her past to Naruto, which also meant today was Naruto's first day of sobriety. So needless to say the young Branwen wasn't having a good morning.

"Nora." Naruto whined in a low voice. "Not so loud, it's too early for all that."

Pyrrha who was the only other person in the room giggled. "Naruto it's noon." The red haired girl pointed out.

Naruto sprawled out on his bed and sighed. "Exactly." Naruto then released a groan and started to fumble his right hand under his mattress.

Nora grinned wide and placed her hands to her hips. "Hey perk up Naruto, today we have a field trip so get excited!" The orange haired girl instructed, though her eyes grew wide when she watched Naruto fish a flask out of his mattress. "No bad!"

A sweat drop rolled down Pyrrha's head, while she watched Nora tackle Naruto off his own bed. The two partners then engaged in a small scuffle, as Nora was trying to pry the alcohol out of Naruto's grasp.

"Come on Nora just one drink then I promise I'll stop." Naruto begged, while he tried to tug the flask out of Nora's hands.

"No way! You said no more drinking, so it's my duty to keep you liable!" Nora replied before she forcefully pulled the flask out of Naruto's hands. "So don't even try it again mister, cause I'm watching you!"

Naruto nodded and sighed in defeat, while his eyes focused on the flask in Nora's hands. His mind trying to scheme a way to get his precious alcohol back.

"Hey Nora." Naruto began in a chipper voice as he pointed behind his partner. His crimson eyes then closed to form a small eye smile. "Is that some leftover pancakes I see?"

Nora jerked her head around faster than anyone could follow, while her mouth began to water. "Where? I call dibs!" The girl shouted.

Naruto smirked and swiped the flask out of Nora's hand and then before she could even register what was happening. The alcoholic Branwen placed the flask to his lips and tipped his head back. This action caused Nora to look back to her partner, but she didn't look upset. In fact Nora had a cocky smirk plastered on her face.

"Nothing's coming out!" Naruto cried in a depressed voice, while he lifted the flask high in the air and tried to shake anything out he could.

Pyrrha giggled and watched her teammate try to frantically get any drop of booze he could get. "It would appear you're out of alcohol." She pointed out.

Naruto looked to his flask, which he now realized was quite cold. It should have been filled with his favorite alcohol, but nothing was coming out. Though when he caught the gaze of his partner, the latter of whom could only smirk in his direction. It dawned upon Naruto what had happened.

"You froze it." Naruto accused in a low near silent voice, that way Phyrra couldn't hear him.

Nora smiled wide and slowly nodded her head. "Yup." The girl admitted pridefully.

Naruto growled and tossed the useless flask over his head. "Fine you win." The stubborn Branwen grumbled.

Nora jumped to her feet and skipped away from her partner. "Of course I do." She replied before grabbing a bottle off of her nightstand. "Here try this instead."

Catching the pink colored bottle in his hand, Naruto inspected the container with slight scepticism. Though he quickly shrugged his shoulders and decided to give it a try.

Nora and Pyrrha both watched as not a second after Naruto took a drink the blond instantly spit the liquid out. He then began to dry heave and slightly over exaggerate his reaction.

"It's poison." Naruto declared, before he dropped the bottle and placed his hands around his throat.

A sweat drop rolled down Nora and Pyrrha's head, while the latter of the two leaned into the former.

"What did you give him?" Pyrrha asked in a worried voice. "He looks in pain."

"Water." Nora deadpanned. "I gave him water."

Pyrrha couldn't help herself from giggling at the two partners. They were a perfect match for one another and there was never a dull moment when they were together. It actually made her slightly jealous, as her relationship with her own partner was nothing like Naruto and Nora's.

"Nora why?" Naruto asked in a weak voice as he fell onto his face.

A vein popped on Nora's head as she stalked over and lifted her partner up by his clothing. "Don't be such a drama queen!" The Winter Maiden scolded as she shook her partner around like a ragdoll.

Pyrrha sighed and walked over to her friends. "Maybe we should get ready to leave?" She purposed in a sweet voice. "We do have a field trip after all."

"Oh yeah that's right." Nora began in a happy voice, while she started to drag Naruto to the door. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Naruto replied with false enthusiasm, while he pumped his arm into the air.

Pyrrha shook her head as she watched Nora drag the blond out of the door. It was hard to believe that only yesterday the girl was such an emotional wreck. Though when Naruto and Nora returned last night the orange haired girl was absolutely fine. Which showed Naruto's ability to comfort his partner, while also highlighting how close the two were.

"If only me and Jaune could be like them." Pyrrha mumbled in a low sad voice.

"Hey hurry up Pyrrha." Nora called from outside their dorm.

Picking herself up Pyrrha placed her negative thoughts away and ran after her friends.

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(With Jaune)

With a downward and defeated look on his face, Jaune walked through the halls of Beacon academy alone. Since the scene he caused with Nora yesterday, Jaune had felt terrible. So much so that he hadn't even returned to his team or their dorm since he went off on Nora. Looking back at the incident Jaune could see he was out of line and he regretted his actions. He definitely owed not only Nora, but his entire team an apology. As these past two weeks Jaune has been a terrible person, leader and most importantly friend.

Though Jaune wasn't completely at fault for his behavior, as Cardin could be held somewhat responsible for blackmailing the young man. Still Jaune knew that was a poor excuse for his actions. As if Jaune wasn't so weak he wouldn't be in the situation he was in to begin with.

"If only I wasn't so pathetic." Jaune began before tightening his fists. "Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are all so great. They don't deserve a worthless liar for a leader."

Jaune tightened his fists and punched a locker to his side. He then leaned against the locker and pressed his forehead against the metal door.

"Why me?" Jaune asked himself out loud. "Why is such a screw up like me the leader of such a great team?"

"Hmmm that is an interesting question, but the answer is quite simple." A calm and collected voice spoke up. "Though you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Turning around in surprise, Jaune meet the careful and collected gaze of his headmaster. "Professor Ozpin!" Jaune shouted in shock, while bending down in respect. "I didn't see you there, I'm sorry."

Ozpin laughed and took a sip of coffee from the mug in his hand. "Oh it's very alright, but talk to me Mr. Arc." The man began before pointing to Jaune with his cane. "You seem troubled."

Jaune looked down, as he couldn't meet his headmaster's gaze. The blond haired student was trembling as one question danced around in his mind. Though Jaune didn't have the courage to ask Ozpin what was truly on his mind.

"It's nothing." The boy lied.

Ozpin nodded at the obvious lie and gave Jaune a small smile. "You asked yourself why I appointed you team leader." The man began in a calm voice. "I mean I could have made Pyrrha the leader, as she is a world renowned warrior. Or I could have placed Nora in charge, she is quite special and powerful. Then there was the possibility of Naruto, who has more skill and experience than most veteran huntsman."

Jaune tightened his fists. "But you made me team leader instead."

Ozpin released a light chuckle. "Why of course I did, you were the obvious choice after all."

Jaune's eyes grew wide and his head shot up to look at the older huntsman. "How could that be true? You said it yourself, Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are all amazing. Any one of those three could have been our team leader, but instead you picked the weakest student at Beacon to lead arguably three of the strongest students at the academy."

"You see Mr. Arc physical strength isn't everything. Miss Nikos is a powerful fighter, but she is timid and lacks the qualities of a leader. Then there is Miss. Valkyrie who is a little unstable and wild, so she is also unfit to be a leader. Finally there is Mr. Branwen who is without a doubt one of the strongest individuals I know, but he was raised by his mother. Who is a headstrong and stubborn women that would let her emotions cloud her judgment. A trait she clearly passed onto her son."

"So I was made leader my default." Jaune replied in a depressed voice.

Ozpin shook his head. "Not exactly, you see Mr. Arc I never do anything without reason."

"Then why me?" Jaune finally asked. "Why make me leader?"

"Do you like fairy tales Mr. Arc? I myself enjoy them very much. There is so many great stories passed down from generation to generation. It often makes one wonder if some of the old fables and legends are true. At this very moment I'm reminded of the old legend of the warrior king, are you familiar with it?"

Jaune looked to the rather odd huntsman with a confused look, as he didn't know the importance of Ozpin's random rambling. Though Jaune decided to play along and nodded his head.

"Yeah it was a story my father would tell me growing up." The blond teenager explained.

Ozpin smiled. "Care to retell what you remember?"

Jaune looked to the side and rubbed his arm, his mind trying to figure out his headmaster's strange request. "Uh, well when Vale was just a new and relatively small kingdom. It was ruled by a powerful king who not only lead his people from the throne, but also on the battlefield. My father told me dozens of stories of how the warrior king would defend his kingdom from bandits, armies and even the creatures of Grimm. My favorite of these stories was how the king along with his most trusted knight defeated a fearsome Grimm that resembled a dragon."

Jaune's eyes lit up, as he started to get absorbed into the old fairy tale his father would tell him. "The monster had caused destruction all over the kingdom. So the king along with one hundred soldiers and the leader of his knights order went after the beast. Though the Grimm proved too powerful and nearly obliterated the king and his army, but he didn't give up. He along with the grandmaster of his knights order stood their ground. Then after one of the most epic battles in the history of the kingdom, the king and his most trusted knight slayed the creature of Grimm."

Ozpin rubbed his chin and looked up. "Ah yes, the tale of how the hero king and his gallant red eyed knight protected their kingdom. It's quite the marvelous story."

Jaune nodded with a large grin. "It's the story that inspired me to be a huntsman. As a kid I wanted to be a great hero just like the King in the stories."

Ozpin smiled and closed his eyes. "And one day you just might do so, after all when I look at you Jaune I can't help myself from thinking of that fairy tale. The warrior king who was powerful, but his strength was not what defined his legend. No it was his ability to inspire his followers and bring out the best in their abilities." Ozpin started to walk away from his stunned student with a small smile. "That's why I allowed you into my school and made you the leader of your team. You have more in common with the warrior king than you know."

"Re-really?" Jaune stammered out in surprise.

Ozpin chuckled and looked over his shoulder. "The ability to inspire and bring out the best in his followers. That's what defines a true leader, always remember that Mr. Arc. You're a leader now, so it's your duty to be at your very best. That way you can bring out the best in Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha. They are all counting on you after all."

Jaune watched his headmaster walk away with a stunned gaze. However, something Ozpin said clicked into Jaune's mind. "Wait, he said allowed me into the school. Did Ozpin know I tried to lie my way into Beacon and he let me in anyway?"

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(Forest of Forever Fall)

All the teams were gathered together and walking through the forest, while professor Goodwitch lead the small expedition. Naruto who was flanked by his teammates Nora and Pyrrha looked at the red leafed trees with little interest. Though Nora and Pyrrha did seem quite impressed by the beauty of the nature around them.

"Yes students the forest of Forever Fall is beautiful, but remember we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked you all to collect sap samples from the trees deep within the forest. And I'm here to make sure none of you die doing so." Glynda explained to the group of students as they walked throughout the forest. "Each of you is to obtain one jar of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm so stay by your teammates and keep on your guard."

As Glynda finished her explanation the teams all began to break apart and head out to collect their samples. Team RWBY stuck close together and went further into the forest, while Nora grabbed onto Naruto's arm.

"Let's go get some sap!" The Winter Maiden cheered happily, while she lead Naruto deeper into the forest.

Naruto grinned and looked over his shoulder. "Heh, hurry up Pyrrha." The blond called out. "Nora heard this sap is pretty tasty stuff. So I won't be able to slow her down."

Pyrrha looked to her two teammates and then she looked sadly over to her partner. Jaune was following Cardin and carrying all of the bullies jars for him. This caused the girl to look down sadly before following after Naruto and Nora.

Jaune glanced over to the retreating forms of his team and frowned. While the conversation he had with Ozpin echoed in his mind. Though before the blond could do anything Cardin called out to him.

"Hurry along Jaune, you got some sap to collect."

"Coming cardin!"

Over with Team RWBY the four girls were all grouped around a few trees and were collecting sap together. Ruby was currently hunched over her partner Weiss and was watching the girl fill a jar with sap.

"That sap sure smells good." Ruby commented.

Weiss nodded and exchanged a jar full of sap for an empty jar with her partner. "Yes, but Grimm also find the scent of red sap very alluring. So we must be on our guard while collecting these samples."

Yang who was stationed at another tree with her own partner snickered. "You think about the negatives too much Ice Queen."

Weiss released a small huff. "I'm only thinking realistically. I don't know about you, but I don't plan to die in a forest collecting sap."

"I doubt professor Goodwitch would allow us to roam around the forest if the Grimm threat was life threatening. Worse case scenario we might run into one or two creatures of Grimm." Blake pointed in a calm voice.

Yang grinned and held one of her fists out. "Besides if any Grimm show up we can take care of them no problem." The confident blond proclaimed.

Ruby giggled. "Or our big brother could just deal with them all for us." The youngest of the group added in.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Tch, at least your barbaric brother would be good for something." The girl insulted, earning a sour look from Yang.

"Awww is the Ice Queen talking about me?" A sarcastic voice asked, earning the attention of all four girls. "Don't I feel special."

Team RWBY all looked over to find Naruto standing a few feet away. He had his two female partners behind him and all three of them had jars full of red sap, well all except Nora. Though from the red substance caked around her lips, it was obvious to see why hers was empty.

"You guys work fast." Blake praised as she looked at the three members of team JNNP. "Looks like you almost got all your jars filled."

Naruto groaned and glanced over to Nora. "Well we would be finished a long time ago, but someone keeps cleaning out the jars with her bottomless stomach."

Nora made a childish pout and looked to Pyrrha. "Yeah way to go Pyrrha." The orange haired girl scolded.

The red haired warrior gave her teammate a friendly smile. "Uh Nora, I believe Naruto was referring to you." The girl admitted.

Nora titled her head and looked to Naruto, who merely nodded in confirmation. "Oh yeah that makes sense, by the way can I borrow your jar Naruto?"

The red eyed teenaged sighed and handed his full jar to Nora. "Knock yourself out." The blond replied as he grabbed the empty jar from Nora.

Nora grinned and quickly began inhaling another jar of red sap. An action which caused all the members of Team RWBY to look at the girl with disgusted faces.

Pyrrha simply shook her head and released a soft sigh. "At this rate we will be here all day or forced to take a failure on our assignment." The red haired girl pointed out.

Naruto laughed and walked over to an unmanned tree. "Nah, we will be fine. Worse case scenario I'll swipe a few jars from another team." The blond revealed before looking over his shoulder to team RWBY. "You ladies better keep an eye on your jars, my sister has been annoying me a lot lately. So you never know, I might just steal your jars out of principle."

Weiss glared at the blond and held her jar close to her chest. Showing how she was against the notion of someone negatively affecting her grade. "You will do no such thing!"

Yang laughed and waved her teammate down. "Don't throw a tantrum Weiss, my brother is all talk. He won't do anything."

Naruto smiled wide and kept his focus on the tree he was collecting sap from. "Our mother said very similar words Yang. And trust me, she regretted underestimating what I can do."

Yang rolled her eyes and muttered a whatever, causing Ruby to giggle at her siblings. The youngest of the three siblings then looked over to Nora and gave the girl a friendly smile.

"Hey Nora how are you feeling today? You had us all worried the other day." The youngest of the teens asked.

Nora who had a mouthful of sap bent down and waved the girl off with a gleeful expression. "Ofhh I'mfine!" The girl replied in a hardly recognizable voice.

A sweat drop rolled down Blake's head. "Uh, that's great Nora." The Faunus replied awkwardly.

Taking a hard swallow Nora grinned and looked to her partner lovingly. The latter of whom was unaware of her look. "I wouldn't be doing so good if it wasn't for Naruto." The orange haired girl mumbled in a low voice. "He's a great partner."

Pyrrha and team RWBY all smiled, as they caught the look Nora sent to her oblivious partner. Yang being the teasing sister she was quickly leaned into her brother's partner. She then slung an arm around the winter maiden and gave her a sly grin.

"So got a thing for my twin do we?" Yang asked in a low voice. "Not surprising, we've got some pretty good family genes."

Nora turned completely red while the two girls looked over to the blond haired teenager collecting sap. Naruto wasn't listening to any conversation going on behind him, instead he was busy refilling all of the jars Nora emptied out.

"Pfffttt no." Nora replied not so casually as she started to laugh awkwardly. "He's just my best friend."

Pyrrha released a soft laugh and placed her hands behind her back, she then leaned into Nora and Yang. "I believe Yang is correct, you do smile quite often when looking at him. Plus I always catch you stealing glances at him."

Nora buried her face into her hands. "Ahhh not you too Pyrrha." The girl whined in embarrassment. "That's not cool."

Blake smirked as she and the remaining members of team RWBY swarmed Nora.

"I think it's adorable, it reminds me of a little orange book I've read." The book loving girl admitted, before a faint blush graced her face. "Though that book gets pretty steamy at the end."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't see the appeal with that buffoon. You could do so much better."

Yang opened her mouth to protest Weiss's insult and stick up for her twin. Though all the girls present shuddered, as a cold chill swept over them.

"Don't talk bad about him." Nora warned in a cold icy tone, as the glare from the normally cheery girl was enough to leave Weiss too stunned to speak. "Naruto is amazing and he may not care what you say about him. However, I do so stop."

Weiss nodded. "Alright I'm sorry." The white haired huntress apologized in low voice.

Nora grinned wide and switched back to her usual bubbly and happy self. "Good!" The girl chirped before she found herself in a headlock from Yang.

"Aww my brother is so lucky to have a girlfriend like you." Yang teased.

Trying to pry Yang off of her, Nora turned red once more. "I'm not his girlfriend, just his friend."

"Yeah sure." Yang laughed in a sarcastic voice. "Just admit it Nora, as his twin I could help you out."

"Oh I wanna help too!" Ruby giggled in a cheery tone as she bounced on her heels.

Hearing struggling and giggling, Naruto perked up and looked over his shoulders. For some reason unknown to the blond haired male all the females were huddled around his partner. So his curiosity slightly raised, Naruto stood to his feet.

"Hey what are you ladies talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Well you see bro." Yang drawled out, while she looked slyly down to Nora. "Your partner-.."

"Nothing." Nora cut in, while her hand clapped onto Yang's mouth. "We were talking about nothing!"

Naruto raised his eyebrow and chuckled, he didn't buy into the girl's lie one bit. "Oh really, it looks like something."

All of the girls smiled innocently, while Yang tried to remove Nora's hand. Though when the blond female caught the worried look in Nora's eyes she sighed and freed her mouth.

"We were talking about girl stuff, nothing you wanna hear about." Yang lied in a plain voice, one that her brother bought into.

"Thank you." Nora mumbled in a low voice, as the last thing she wanted was to ruin her and Naruto's current relationship.

Naruto grinned and tossed his hands behind his back, he then started to walk over to the girl's. However, the loud stomping of feet and shouting grabbed his attention.

"Ursa! Ursa!" One of Cardin's teammates screamed as he blazed past Naruto.

Holding his arm out, Naruto grabbed one of Cardin's teammates by the throat and slammed him into a tree.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked in a deathly serious voice. As he didn't spot Jaune with any of the bullies.

"It's… it's an Ursa. It has Cardin and the loser." The boy wheezed out his explanation.

Naruto growled and tossed the boy aside, Pyrrha was already running in the direction of where Jaune should be. So the blond walked over to his sister's team and placed his hand on Yang's shoulder. "You four inform Goodwitch, me and Nora will follow Pyrrha."

"I gotcha Naruto." Yang replied as she and her team ran off to find Goodwitch.

Nora ran beside her partner, worry clearly on her face as she looked to the blond haired Branwen. "We gotta hurry and make sure Jaune is okay!" The orange haired girl began before running off.

Naruto sighed and watched his partner run off. "After all that idiot said to upset her and she still worries about him. You're a far better person than me Nora, but I guess that's what I like about you." The blond mumbled to himself before running after his friend.

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(With Jaune, a few minutes earlier)

Jaune who was holding six jars of red sap in his hands, looked over to Cardin with confusion. The bully had forced Jaune to fill six jars exactly, while the orange haired male did nothing. So it made Jaune wonder why he collected six full jars of red sap, when in reality they only needed five.

"Um Cardin, why did you have me collect six jars? We only needed five." The blond haired boy began, while he started to place the jars on the ground.

Cardin leaned into Jaune and scooped up one of the jars before forcefully shoving it back into Jaune's hands. Causing the leader of team JNNP to release a soft grunt.

"I'm glad you asked Jaune, you see thanks to a report you wrote for me. I learned Rapier Wasps love the scent of red sap. So since we just so happen to have a box of wasps and an extra jar of sap. You're going to pour that sap all over your three miserable teammates and we will watch the wasps chase after them." Cardin explained in a superior tone, as he was excited to finally give Naruto some payback.

Jaune looked down to the jar in his hands. He had been a terribly teammate and leader lately and now Cardin was asking him to do something far worse than he has already done. Though as Jaune gazed down onto the jar he remembered what Ozpin had said, he was a team leader now. So regardless of what Cardin held over him, Jaune wouldn't let anyone harm his team.

"No." Jaune replied in a firm tone, while shrugging his shoulder and breaking away from Cardin. "You can do whatever you want to me, But Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are off limits. As their leader I won't let my actions and choices hurt them."

Cardin gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Jaune, Jaune, Jaune. You gotta understand I hold all the cards here. If you don't do what I say then you're one talk with Goodwitch away from being kicked out of Beacon."

"I don't care about that." Jaune replied in stern voice, his fingers slowly tightening on the jar in his hands. "Get me kicked out of the academy, I don't care anymore I deserve it. However, I won't stand by and let you harm my friends!"

With that being said, Jaune pulled his arm back and threw the jar right at Cardin. Which caused the glass jar to break on impact with the boy's armored chest and its contents to spill all over him.

"Grrr, Jaune you little idiot." Cardin growled as he stalked over to the blond.

Jaune's eyes grew wide as he watched the enraged bully walk in his direction. "Cardin I'm sor-..."

Jaune's speech was cut off by Cardin, the latter of whom planted a fist into Jaune's stomach knocking the wind out of the blond male.

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you Jaune." Cardin declared before punching Jaune in the face, sending the boy into the dirt with the force of his blow.

Cardin's team all stood back and watched with sick twisted grins, as their leader began to pummel Jaune into the ground. The young Arc tried to bring his arms up to defend himself, but it didn't stop Cardin who just kept mercilessly beating onto Jaune.

"You think staying at Beacon will make you strong?" Cardin asked, while he sat on top of Jaune and continued to beat down on the boy. "You snuck into the academy a pathetic loser and that's what you will always be Jaune! You're not destined to be some great hero. All you're is a loser and a little kid who wants to play hero."

Jaune's aura began to flicker, showing Cardin's assault was starting to take its toll.

"G-get.. off." Jaune ordered in a weak voice, while he tried to push the bully off of his body.

Cardin laughed and raised a fist high into the air. "Not so great without your little team to protect you Jaune. Looks like the only thing you really are good for is taking a beating!"

Jaune watched Cardin bring his fist down for one final blow and closed his eyes shut, while bracing himself for the pain. Though something in his mind clicked, as Jaune saw the faces of his three teammates. Ever since they first became a team Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha all believed he could be a great leader. So he had to prove their faith wasn't misplaced. He had to push himself for their sake.

'I won't ever give up, I'm the leader of team JNNP!' Jaune roared in his own mind, his eyes snapping open to see Cardin's fist mere inches from his face.

Though to the surprise of everyone watching, Jaune's body started to radiate an extremely bright light. One that blinded everyone watching from seeing what was happening. The bright light only lasted for a few seconds, but after it cleared Jaune was seen standing on his feet. The boy was perfectly unharmed and a light hue was still outlining his body.

"What is this?" Jaune gasped in surprise, while he watched the white outline around his body slowly disappear.

"Ahh damnit, my hand!" The voice of Cardin seethed in pain.

Jaune looked over and down, so he could see Cardin. Who was on his backside and gripping his bloody hand, which obviously looked broken.

"Did I do that?" Jaune asked in a low surprised voice, while looking to his own hands. "Just what exactly happened?"

Jaune didn't get his answer, but instead the loud roar of an Ursa grabbed his attention. This caused Jaune to look back over to Cardin, who had an Ursa slowly making its way over to him.

"It's an Ursa! Run for it!" One of Cardin's teammates shouted in fear, before three of the bullies took off running.

Jaune watched as the Ursa raised a claw high above Cardin, showing it planned to attack the bully. So grabbing his sword and shield Jaune rushed forward and saved his tormenter by blocking the attacking Grimm with his shield. Then by swinging his sword Jaune managed to give the Ursa a small cut on it's arm.

"Let's go! Show me what you've got!" Jaune shouted, while he started to circle around Cardin. That way he could move the Ursa away from the downed bully.

The Ursa released a loud roar and stood on its hind legs, causing Jaune to drop into a defensive stance. The Grimm then dropped two claws down onto Jaune's shield. This made the blond slightly buckle and grit his teeth, as the superior strength of the Ursa was almost too much for him. However, thinking quick Jaune bent down and rolled under the Ursa's legs.

"Take this!" Jaune cried as he sliced the Grimm from behind with his sword.

Though this action only seemed to further enrage the creature, because the Ursa turned around and swung one of its arms right at Jaune. The latter of whom barely had enough time to block with his shield.

Over to the side of the clearing where Jaune was fighting, Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha had just arrived on the scene. All three teenagers could see Jaune was in distress, but not all three had the same idea when it came to helping him. Nora already had her weapon at the ready and was prepared to spring into action. Naruto on the other hand merely stood by his partner with his arms crossed, he wanted to see if Jaune had what it took to fight the beast alone. Finally there was Phyrra who was in the same boat as Naruto.

"We gotta help him." Nora began as she stepped forward, but she stopped as Pyrrha blocked her by outstretching her arm.

"No, we can't always fight Jaune's battles for him. This is his fight, so we will leave it to him." The red haired warrior explained, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Pyrrha is right and besides if he gets in serious trouble I'll bail him out."

Nora nodded and placed her weapon on her backside, she didn't know if Jaune could beat the Ursa alone. However, she had complete faith that Naruto wouldn't let their leader get injured.

"Alright I won't interfere." Nora mumbled softly, as she along with her two teammates watched Jaune stagger back from the Ursa.

Jaune who was unaware that his team was watching him, looked down to his scroll. This allowed him to see his aura meter, which was in the red.

"This isn't good, that beating from Cardin really took a lot of my aura away. I gotta end this quick." Jaune mumbled to himself before taking off in a sprint at the Grimm.

Naruto watched with slight interest as he saw Jaune drop into a stance that replicated his own fighting style. It appeared as if Jaune was trying to mimic one of Naruto's sword strikes that he had observed in the past. It was sloppy and nowhere near Naruto's level, but it allowed Jaune to catch the Ursa by surprise and strike the beast in the side.

"Not bad." Naruto mumbled to himself.

After slicing the Ursa's side, Jaune ran in a small semi circle before darting right back at the Grimm. This time however, Jaune took a leap into the air and raised his sword high above his head. Showing this time he was trying to emulate his partner Pyrrha with his attack.

Pyrrha easily recognized her own fighting style, but her eyes grew wide as she watched the Grimm move its claw to attack Jaune's exposed side. 'He's forgetting to block!' The redhead thought in concern before she raised a hand out towards Jaune.

Naruto catching Pyrrha move her arm out of the corner of his eye glanced to the girl. He then looked to Jaune and noticed his shield be forcefully moved to block the Ursa's strike. Which was followed by Jaune bringing his sword down and decapitating the beast.

"Nice save Pyrrha." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, while placing his hands in his pockets. "For a second I thought I would have to get involved."

Nora raised her eyebrow and looked between her two teammates. "What?" The girl spoke up in confusion.

Pyrrha smiled and placed her arm to her side. "You have your ability to absorb electricity and Naruto has his luck. My semblance is polarity."

"Oh." Nora began as she pieced together what had happened. "That's pretty useful."

Pyrrha nodded and looked over to Jaune, the latter of whom was standing over top of the slain Grimm. Jaune hovered over the Ursa for only a brief second before he placed his weapon away and walked over to Cardin.

The bully watched Jaune stop by his side and hold a helping hand out. "Holy crap Jaune." The bully gasped in surprise, while he was pulled to his feet.

Jaune pulled Cardin in close and gave the boy a fierce glare. "Stay away from me and my team. I'm done with your bull shit." The blond leader declared before backing away and walking off, though this allowed Jaune to see his team in the distance. "G-guys?"

Naruto smirked. "Nice job Jaune."

Nora grinned and gave the boy a thumbs up. "You did good Jaune."

"I agree with our team, we are all proud of you Jaune." Pyrrha declared.

Jaune slowly walked over to his team and put his head down. As he couldn't look at all three of them in the eyes. "I'm so sorry guys, I need to apologize for my behavior. I've been an awful leader and friend. Can you all forgive me?" The boy asked before looking up to Nora. "Especially you Nora, I'm sorry for what I said."

Nora let a soft smile pass her lips and she held her arms out. "Aww come here Jaune." The cheery girl instructed in a happy voice.

Jaune smiled and walked forward to meet his teammate for a hug. However, Jaune wasn't prepared for Nora to bend her arm down and sucker punch him in the gut. Which caused the boy to gasp for air and fall over.

"I deserved that." Jaune winced, while he held onto his stomach.

Nora laughed and placed her arms on her hips. "Sorry Jaune, Naruto told me to do it. Though that makes us even." The girl declared, making Jaune nod.

"That's great." The boy wheezed out.

Naruto gave Jaune a way too friendly grin and held a hand out to him. "Why don't I help you up leader?"

Jaune accepted the hand and was brought to his feet, but once again he was unprepared for the fist that was planted into his gut. So the blond haired leader fell back onto his back and groaned.

Naruto placed his hands into his pockets and released a soft laugh. "Sorry Jaune, Nora told me to do that. Though that makes me and you square now." The blond Branwen informed.

Jaune rolled on his stomach and groaned in pain. "I'm so happy."

Pyrrha shook her head and sighed. "I swear you and Nora were destined to be together." The red haired huntress began before holding a hand out to Jaune. "Come on Jaune, let me help you up."

Jaune looked up to his partner skeptically. "If you're gonna hit me, please just do it while I'm already down." The boy begged.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a soft smile. "I believe you've had enough." She pointed out before lifting Jaune up and slinging him over her shoulder.

"Thanks Pyrrha."

Naruto grinned and turned around. "Well seems like everything is good, so let's get out of here." The blond began before walking off.

Nora ran by her partner and frowned. "But we haven't got all our jars yet!"

Naruto snickered and pulled out two jars. "It's okay I swiped two from Weiss and Yang before they ran off to find Goodwitch." The blond declared in a happy tone. "Shows that annoying sister of mine not to mess with me!"

"Hehe yeah!" Nora cheered while tossing a fist into the air. "Nobody messes with us!"

Pyrrha who was lagging behind with Jaune shook head head and laughed. "Those two I swear." The girl mumbled.

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune began in a low voice, earning his partner's full attention. "I was wondering… if you still wanna help me get stronger… because I'd like your help."

Pyrrha smiled at her partner. "I'd love to help you Jaune." The girl replied softly.

Matching her smile, Jaune looked deep into his partner's eyes. "Thanks Pyrrha, I'll make you proud and work hard."

"I know you will Jaune." The girl replied in a low voice, while a wave of joy swept over her. As now her and Jaune were on the track to becoming even closer as partners.

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(A few hours later at Beacon)

Naruto was currently making his way to Ozpin's office, while Nora decided to follow her partner. After their field trip in the forest had ended Naruto had received a vague message from Ozpin merely saying it's time. So Naruto figured he had something important to discuss and since Nora knew everything about Naruto she decided to tag along.

"So what do you think Ozpin wants?" Nora asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, but whatever he wants it's better than dealing with the Ice Queen and Yang."

Nora giggled, because her partner stole Weiss and Yang's jars the girl's were both forced to take failures on their assignment. This was due to the fact that Glynda ended the expedition before more Grimm could show up, so anyone who failed to collect their jars had failed the assignment. So suffice to say Weiss was a little aggravated with Naruto.

"Well in my opinion Weiss and Yang had it coming." Nora pointed out in a playful tone. "Though if I were you I'd sleep with one eye open. Giving Miss Perfect her first failure probably sent her over the edge, she probably wants to kill you."

Naruto snorted. "Please, I've had death threats and attempts on my life from Raven Branwen. I'm not afraid of the Ice Queen."

Nora gave her partner a blank look. "Your mother tried to kill you, why am I not surprised?" The girl deadpanned, while thinking her partner and his mother had one of the most strange relationships she had ever heard of.

"Many times actually." The blond clarified, while he and Nora entered an elevator that lead to Ozpin's office.

While the duo ascended to the office, Nora yawned and stretched her arms out. "Well moving away from your mother. I hope Ozpin won't keep us long, I'm exhausted."

Naruto released a small chuckle. "You mean your endless energy actually has its limits?" The boy asked.

Nora's face made a small pout and she playfully shoved her partner. "Hey I'm not that bad!" The girl whined.

Naruto smirked and squinted eyes. "Hmmm, are you sure about that?" The boy teased in a playful voice.

Nora narrowed her eyes and poked her partner's chest. "Now hold on buster, I'll admit I can be a little energetic." She began, causing Naruto to roll his eyes at the word little. "But you are just as bad as me in your own way! Or should I bring up your alcohol problem?"

Naruto leaned back and held a finger up. "One not fair that's a direct attack. Two it's not a problem, because I quit cold turkey."

Nora crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then what do you call our little incident earlier this morning?"

Naruto scoffed and looked to the side. "I was just testing you. Had to make sure you would keep me accountable." The blond explained.

Nora nodded her head and laughed while pointing to Naruto's pockets. "Is that so? Well would you mind emptying your pockets?" The Winter Maiden asked.

Naruto looked to his partner with a bewildered gaze. "No I wouldn't mind, because I have nothing to hide." The blond declared, though he made no move to reveal the contents within his pockets.

"Well, show me." Nora ordered in a stern tone.

Naruto crossed his arms and jerked his head to the side. "I don't have to show you anything." The boy replied stubbornly.

A vein popped on Nora's head. "I thought you had nothing to hide? So show me what you've got!"

Naruto slowly leaned against the wall of the elevator and shook his head. "Tch you're acting more like a mom than my own mother." The blond pointed out. "But I'm still not showing you anything, you'll just have to take my word."

Nora growled and reached out and started to reach into her partner's pockets. "Looks like we are doing this the hard way then!" The girl shouted as Naruto tried to fight her off.

"Hey stop!" Naruto demanded, but his partner didn't listen.

"I will if you just show me what you're hiding!" The girl replied.

"Never!" The blond hissed as he and Nora went into a knockdown fight for the items Naruto had hidden away.

The two partners rolled all around the elevator in their small scuffle. This caused them both to be unaware of the door to the elevator opening, which allowed Ozpin to watch the two from the comfort of his desk.

"Hah I knew it!" Nora declared while she held a flask of alcohol victoriously into the air.

Naruto who was pinned under his partner chuckled awkwardly. "Good job Nora, you passed my second test." The boy began, causing a sweat drop to roll down Nora's head. "So just give it back so I can properly dispose of it."

"You think I'm gonna believe that?" The girl asked.

"Yeeee-." Naruto began, but stopped as Nora gave him a strong glare. "Mayyy-." Naruto stopped again as Nora's glare grew more intense. "No." The blond finished in a defeated tone.

Nora smiled and patted Naruto's forehead. "Good boy." The girl praised and smiled as Naruto groaned. "But hey you're almost one whole day sober."

"Yay." Naruto cheered unenthusiastically.

Ozpin laughed. "Congratulations Mr. Branwen, sobriety can be a challenge. I recommend coffee to help you along the way."

Naruto and Nora both jerked their heads over to Ozpin, which caused both teens to blush in embarrassment.

"P-professor." Nora stammered out while jumping to her feet. "I didn't notice you there."

Ozpin chuckled. "Well this is my office, though I must say I was only expecting Mr. Branwen. So what bring you here?"

Naruto sighed and stood to his feet. "Well since she's my partner and the Winter Maiden. Nora decided to tag along and see what you wanted. By the way thanks for not telling me about Nora."

Ozpin smiled as he watched Naruto and Nora take two seats across from him. "Her secret wasn't mine to tell, but I'm glad she has placed enough faith in you to share her secret. And I'm glad you trusted her enough to reveal you are working for me."

"Yeah whatever Oz." Naruto grumbled, causing Nora to giggle. "What did you want to talk about anyway?"

Ozpin smirked and leaned over his desk. "You're aware of the four relics?" The older male asked.

Naruto nodded. "Of course."

"Good, cause I'm sending you on a mission to obtain one." Ozpin revealed clear and simple.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, as his interest was slightly peaked. "I thought your little secret organization of headmasters already had all four relics?"

Ozpin sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately that is not true. Out of the four relics me and my fellow headmasters only have one relic." The headmaster of Beacon explained before lifting his cane into the air. "The Scepter of Choice, one of the four relics used in the creation of humanity."

Nora narrowed her eyes and looked at the cane in Ozpin's hands. "You mean that is one of the four relics? I thought it was just an old crappy cane!"

"Heh, looks can be deceiving Miss. Valkyrie, this relic actually holds more power than you could imagine. However, I'm incapable of even wielding a fraction of its true power." Ozpin revealed to the two young students.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked over the relic. "Tell me what you mean Oz, mom always kept her explanation of the relics very brief. So I have to admit besides the basic origin of the relics I don't know much." The blond admitted.

"Well first you should know each relic is a powerful weapon, one that when wielded to its full capability can unleash unimaginable power. Though not just anyone can pick up a relic and use its power." Ozpin began cryptically.

Nora scrunched her face. "What do you mean Ozpin?"

The headmaster pointed to Nora. "Like how there can only be one Winter Maidan at one time, there can only be one person at a time with the potential to wield one of the four relics. However, the circumstances for these four Relic Wielders is much different from a Maiden. For starters there is no gender requirements or proper way of transferring power. Instead those with the potential to wield a relic all come from powerful bloodlines. Like a certain noble family that had almost died out, or a silver eyed warrior. Though one of my favorite bloodlines has to be the red eyed bloodline of the Branwen family."

"Wait my family?" Naruto asked in surprised. "My drunken lineage has the potential to wield the relics?"

Ozpin chuckled and nodded his head. "Isn't it funny how the world works Mr. Branwen? In fact your lineage has produced some of the most powerful warriors to ever live. That's why Salem and her followers have tried their hardest to eliminate your bloodline. Though I'm curious if your mother talks about the massacre of her family and why she and your Uncle were raised by bandits."

Naruto frowned. "She never talks much about her family. Though maybe next time I see her I'll ask, but tell me Oz. Could I use one of the relics? And if so what difference would it make from me wielding it versus someone like you using one instead?"

"To answer your first question yes you could have the ability to wield a relic. You meet the bloodline requirements, but unfortunately if you could wield a relic it isn't the one in my possession. You see when a relic is near the person who has the potential to wield it, the weapon will glow and be physically drawn to that person. So if you could wield a relic it would be one of the three not in my possession." Ozpin explained in a simple voice. "Now to answer your second question the comparison between a relic weirder and a regular huntsman isn't even close. If I would have to give a comparison, think of the difference in size between a pond and an ocean. A regular huntsman could only use a small taste of the real power a true Relic Wielder could utilize."

Naruto folded his arms and studied the man. "So that's why you've recruited me and Ruby into Beacon. We both fit the requirements of those who could wield a relic."

Ozpin smirked and leaned over his desk. "I have many reasons for allowing you two into my school. However, I cannot lie and say your bloodline isn't one of them. In fact I've recruited many students for their bloodline potential."

Naruto nodded. "I guess I can't blame you, Salem would want me and Ruby both dead. So the training and protection of Beacon is good for the both of us. Though let's move on to the mission. Just where is this relic located?"

Ozpin grabbed his scroll and started to tap the screen and drag a few icons around. He then laid the device on his desk and showed a map of Remnant to Naruto and Nora.

"I have gotten intel from my fellow headmaster at Shade Academy involving one of the relics. Apparently around this area in the north eastern parts of Vacuo there has been a small uprising in one of the Schnee Dust Mines." Ozpin explained in a serious tone. "According to a few accounts the uprising started when one of the workers unearthed a strange weapon out of the mine."

Naruto sighed and looked down. "So this weapon is one of the relics? And let me guess after the uprising the workers have locked the area down and treated every outsider with hostility?"

Ozpin nodded. "Exactly."

"Well answer this, why send me? In fact why won't the headmaster from Shade Academy send one of his own operatives? Why are we the ones handling this mission?" Naruto asked.

Ozpin sighed. "My fellow headmaster did send his own operatives, but none returned alive. So the headmaster came to me hoping I could yield more success."

Nora's eyes filled with worry as she looked to her partner. The more she stayed and listened to the mission the less she liked the idea of allowing her partner to go alone.

"So since your field operatives boil down to me and Uncle Qrow, I guess the old drunk is busy somewhere else. So that leaves me as your only choice to obtain the relic and possibly calm the tensions at the mine." Naruto began in a calm voice. "Seems easy enough."

Ozpin chuckled. "I appreciate your confidence, but you should know the mission is located near her territory. So you should take matters a little more serious."

Naruto looked to the dragon shaped continent above Vacuo and frowned. He was told by his mother a thousand times to avoid this part of the world at all costs. Because somewhere deep within that unknown portion of the world was where Salem was located.

"Trust me Oz I know the dangers involving Salem and her little followers. But if this is a relic we are talking about we have to move quick. Salem is closer to that region than us and she might be planning a move to obtain the relic for herself."

"I couldn't agree more. So I've already prepared a transport ship to take you near the mine. From there you're to obtain the relic at any cost and return to Beacon." Ozpin instructed before giving the blond a hard gaze. "Can I count on you?"

Naruto smirked. "You know it Oz."

The headmaster smiled. "Good now lets-..."

"I'm going too." Nora declared, causing Naruto to scowl and Ozpin to raise his eye in interest. "Sending Naruto alone is too dangerous, he needs support and as his partner I'll be the one to help him."

"Hell no." Naruto replied in an agitated tone. "You're too important as the Winter Maiden to be sent on a mission like this."

Nora puffed out her cheeks. "You don't get a say in this, I'm going and that's final!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and leaned into his partner. "I'm not risking the chance of Salem getting a relic and a Maiden!"

Nora gave her partner a cold icy look. "And I'm not loosing someone else I care about. So we are going as partners, or you won't go at all."

Naruto and Nora both glared each other down and stood their ground. Each teen was angry with each other, but their anger stemmed from their desire to protect each other.

"I believe allowing Nora to tag along is for the best." Ozpin began in a low voice. "Nora's status of a Maiden isn't a well known fact. So with your red eyes you're a bigger target at first glance Naruto. So having an extra and reliable person with you is something I approve of."

"Hah! Ozpin is on my side!" Nora declared victoriously.

"Oz this can't be a good idea." Naruto began, trying to reason with his headmaster. "I'm perfectly capable of handling this mission by myself."

"You might be right Naruto, but my gut is telling me to send Nora with you. So I'm going to listen to my instincts and send you two on the mission to Vacuo." The aged huntsman explained.

Naruto sighed. "Fine me and Nora will obtain the relic for you." The blond declared before looking away. "Even though I think this is a bad idea."

Nora smiled and leaned into her partner. "Hey perk up Naruto. Everything will be okay, because I have complete faith you will keep me safe. Just like I promise to do everything I can to keep you safe."

Hearing Nora's words Naruto smiled and glanced over to his partner. She was precious to him and Naruto would do anything to keep her safe. "Yeah, we will always have each other's backs Nora."

Ozpin smiled at the two children and couldn't help to think of Tai and Raven when they were young. "Well since that is sorted out, Naruto and Nora. Are you two ready for your first mission as real huntsmen?"

The two partners looked to their headmaster and then looked to each other. They then shared a small nod and grinned with pure confidence.

"let's do this shit."

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And that's a wrap and boy did that take awhile lol. Though I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and everything I've included within it. I have included a lot in this chapter and the biggest is obviously the idea of the Relics being weapons that can be used by four Relic Wielders. Its an idea I had and expect other things like this in the future, since I wanna make this story my own and make it differ from the normal RWBY cannon. Since that makes the story more fun and surprising to read. Though expect more stuff on the Relics to be touched on next chapter.

But anyways thanks for reading and leave a review and tell me what you thought!