The Lucky Branwen

by Shinobi of Greed

When Raven left Taiyang and Yang she didn't leave by herself. She took her eldest child and Yang's twin brother with her. Flash forward seventeen years into the future, a tribe raised Naruto decides to meet his two sisters. Though is beacon ready for another headstrong Branwen?

18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18. All Hell Breaks Loose

The arena was in an uproar of cheers, as another match had just finished. The tournament was currently in the duo rounds and the team of Mercury and Emerald had defeated Coco and Yatsuhashi of Team CFVY. Up above in the stands, Yang and the rest of Team RWBY watched with saddened expressions.

The girls had managed to win their duo match thanks to Weiss and Yang. So they were disappointed to see their seniors of Beacon Academy lose. Especially since none of the girls really saw the fight play out.

"Man I can't believe Coco and Yatsuhashi lost." Yang declared, while she watched Mercury and Emerald leave the stadium. "I thought they would make it to the finals for sure."

Weiss nodded her head. "I wonder what happened." The wealthy teenager asked. "I really didn't see any of the action."

"None of us did." Blake commented, as she focused hard on Coco and Yatsuhashi being carried off on stretchers. "Are Mercury and Emerald that strong?"

"Like it matters how strong they are." Ruby spoke up, while everyone glanced over to the girl. "Don't forget Naruto manhandled Mercury. We already know who is winning this tournament."

Yang huffed and crossed her arms. "Please they still haven't won their second round match. So nothing is set in stone."

"Oh trust me sister." Naruto spoke up, as his confident voice made all the girls shudder and look back. Giving Team RWBY clear vision of Naruto and Jaune, both of whom were standing behind the girls. "Me and Jaune are gonna win our match with ease."

Yang narrowed her gaze at Naruto, while Weiss was grinding her teeth in anger.

"You have some nerve to come near me Branwen." Weiss began, while she stood to her feet. "You almost seriously hurt my sister."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Key word is almost." The bandit shot back without any sincerity. "If I wanted to seriously hurt or kill your sister I would have. So shut up and sit down."

Weiss looked ready to jump at the boy, but seeing Naruto wasn't intimidated in the slightest. The prideful girl took her seat and looked away. Ruby seeing her older brother smiled and happily bounced in place.

"I'm so excited to see you kick some butt Naruto!" The youngest of the group declared, while glancing to Jaune. "And I'll cheer you on too Jaune!"

"Geh thanks." Jaune spoke with little enthusiasm.

Naruto laughed and slung an arm over Jaune's shoulder. "Oh perk up Jaune. Me and you are gonna have a blast!"

Yang huffed. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"Well Nora and Pyrrha had some unfinished business. That's why me and Jaune are teaming up." Naruto explained, while he looked up to a large screen. Noticing he and Jaune were both being displayed for everyone to see. "And what do you know. Looks like we are up next!"

Jaune hung his head. "But who is our opponents?"

Everyone looked up to see the names of Omoi and Karui flash by. Causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow with interest, as he clearly remembered the two from his earlier encounter.

"Those two huh? This should be entertaining at least." Naruto mumbled with a small amount of laughter in his voice.

Ruby tilted her head. "Do you know those two?"

"They threatened to kill me the other day." Naruto replied casually. "Something about their families being killed by the Branwen tribe. Like I care."

Jaune looked at Naruto with a gaping mouth. "So they are out to kill us?"

"No idiot." Naruto insulted, while slapping the boy's back. "They are out to kill me and they are welcome to try!"

"Naruto shouldn't you be more worried?" Ruby asked in a low voice, showing she was nervous for her older sibling.

Naruto scoffed. "As if. Not a single person in this stadium could take me in a fight. So I'll definitely be seeing one of you in the finals." The bandit declared, while looking at Yang and Weiss.

"I'll be the one you'll have to deal with then." Yang declared, revealing she would be the one representing her team in the finals.

Naruto grinned ear to ear. "I'll be looking forward to that then." The blond admitted, while taking a step forward. "But let's go Jaune. We have a match to win and a new team attack to show of!"

"This is gonna be so degrading." Jaune whined, as he followed after his teammate.

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(With Nora and Pyrrha)

While Naruto and Jaune were both preparing for their match, the two girls of Team JNNP were standing before the Fall Maiden. Nora had her arms crossed and appeared to be in a sour mood. Pyrrha on the other hand looked defeated and in a trance like state. Meanwhile the only other person in the room being Ozpin was looking down with a neutral expression.

"Explain that again Ozpin." Nora began in an angered voice, while the Winter Maiden glared at the man. "I don't think I heard you correctly."

Ozpin sighed, as Nora and Pyrrha had come down with the intentions of making Pyrrha the next Fall Maiden. However, there was complications with the process that the headmaster was just now sharing with the girls. Complications that left Pyrrha conflicted and Nora enraged.

"We can in theory give Pyrrha the remaining portions of Amber's power. Unfortunately her aura and abilities are intertwined and cannot be separated. So if Pyrrha was to have the Fall Maiden's powers transferred into her body, she would also receive Amber's aura." Ozpin explained in a dry voice.

Nora tightened her fists. "And You didn't think this was important to mention when you told Pyrrha about becoming the Fall Maiden? Or when you proposed the idea to me and Naruto months ago?"

"We were exploring our options at the time and I was hoping this wouldn't have to happen. Yes I should have informed Pyrrha of the other risks involved, but General Ironwood along with myself have been working on alternative methods to transfer the power." Ozpin explained, while he glanced to Pyrrha with sorrow covering his face. "However, we are running out of time and the stakes keep going up. If we don't transfer the power to a new host Salem will have the Fall Maiden's power in her grasp."

Pyrrha bit her lip. "What would happen to me if I did take in Amber's aura."

Ozpin shook his head. "I don't know. Something like this has never been done before. It could do nothing or completely change who you are."

"We will find a different way then!" Nora declared loudly. "All we have to do is separate Amber's aura from her abilities."

"That's impossible with the technology we have." Ozpin explained sadly.

"So we have no other options." Pyrrha mumbled in a defeated voice. "I'll have to take the risks."

"No to hell with that." Nora yelled loudly, while she grabbed her scroll. "I'll get ahold of the Spring Maiden. I'm sure there is another way."

Ozpin sighed softly. "Call Spring and see what you can. Until then you should think over if they is what you really want Pyrrha. Let's not rush into anything."

Pyrrha nodded and looked to Nora, the latter of whom gave her friend a confident gaze.

"I'll find a way to make this work Pyrrha." The Winter Maiden declared. "Don't you worry."

"Thank you Nora." The redhead warrior replied. Though as Nora went back to her scroll, Pyrrha couldn't help from having a sense of depression sweep over her. As once again she was back to being lost without any idea of what to do.

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(With Naruto and Jaune)

Standing off against their opponents, Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement. Meanwhile Jaune was rather nervous, as he noticed the cold and serious expressions of their opponents. Karui looked like she was ready to hack them into pieces, while Omoi didn't look like any slouch either.

"Man aren't you two some unlucky bastards." Naruto taunted, while the blond watched Karui smirk and draw her sword.

"Unlucky? What are you talking about?" Karui asked with excitement in her voice. "I finally have my chance to kill you."

"Is everyone ready for the next match?" The voice of Taiyang yelled through the speaker system. Causing the stadium to erupt into a loud roar of cheers.

Naruto grinned and glanced over to his teammate. "Get help?"

Jaune shook his head in response. "Can we not? I could take a nap and you'd still beat those two. Get help is embarrassing and this fight is broadcasted across all the kingdoms."

Naruto laughed and clamped a hand onto Jaune's shoulder. Then by squeezing tightly, Naruto rocked the boy side to side. "We are doing get help."

"Are all the fighters ready?" Taiyang yelled, while taking a pause.

Karui and Omoi both struck fighting stances, showing they were both ready to fight. Jaune on the other hand was practically begging Naruto to reconsider his plan.

"Please?" The leader asked in desperation.

"Get help." Naruto replied with a large eye smile, causing Jaune to hang his head in defeat.

"Fine."

"Begin!" Taiyang yelled with vigor, forcing Karui and Omoi to sprint forward. However, before they could make it two feet. Jaune suddenly clutched his chest and started to shake, before his convulsions forced him to fall over.

Reacting to his teammates collapse, Naruto bent down and frantically held onto the boy. "My teammate is having a seizure! Somebody get help!" Naruto cried, while he slowly gripped onto the back of Jaune's clothing. "Please my friend is dying get help!"

Karui and Omoi stopped in their tracks, they wanted to hurt Naruto. Though they had no grudge with Jaune, so out of common decency they stopped their approach. The crowd seeing this was absolutely silent, as not a single person watching expected this sudden outcome.

Up above Team RWBY was a mess. Ruby had her hands over her mouth in shock, while Yang and Blake were about to run down and help their friend. Lastly Weiss looked at the boy with sadness, as she felt some pity for the boy who had a crush on her.

Naruto seeing the reactions of the stadium grinned wide. Then without any warning he hurled Jaune into Karui and Omoi. Next as the two were knocked back by Jaune, Naruto shot forward at insane speeds. Then as Naruto arrived by his opponents he punched Karui hard in the face, shattering the girl's aura and sending her out of the ring unconscious. He then spun around on his heel and kicked Omoi hard in the side. Shattering his aura and ribs, while also sending the boy flying out of the ring. Finally, Jaune landed onto the hard ground and the Fox Sin of Greed stood by his friend victoriously.

"Told ya it would work." Naruto declared before holding a hand out to Jaune. "It's a classic."

"It's humiliating." Jaune pointed out, as he was hoisted to his feet.

Naruto laughed. "No, well for me it's not."

The silent stadium remained quite for a few moments, as everyone was trying to process what had happened. Then as the screens declared Naruto and Jaune the winners. The stadium started to boo and throw trash at the two teenagers.

"Are you kidding me!" Weiss yelled in anger, as she was blood red. "I can't believe I was worried about that idiot!"

"You and me both." Blake chimed in.

"At least he is okay." Ruby pointed out, as she was trying to be positive in the situation.

"He won't be if I get my hands on him." Yang admitted, while she and the rest of Team RWBY watched slowly, as Naruto and Jaune left the fighting area.

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(With Naruto and Jaune)

Leaving the arena, Naruto and Jaune were silently sneaking off. As the team leader wanted to avoid the enraged spectators, who were upset by the stunt they pulled. Though Naruto didn't care for the hate, he was just sick of fighting people. So to avoid more annoying scuffles, he decided leaving the stadium was the best course of action.

"I told you get help was a bad idea." Jaune whined, as he and Naruto walked down a path to their dorm.

Naruto blew out some air. "No, you said it was embarrassing and degrading." The bandit pointed out. "Get help was a great idea by the way. We won our match in record time."

Jaune sighed and slouched over. "And all of Remnant hates us from pulling an underhanded tactic."

Naruto grabbed his flask and shrugged his shoulders. "It's their fault for falling for it in the first place. If I were them I would have attacked anyway. Mercy is for the weak and the weak die."

"So you say." Jaune replied in a low voice.

"Naruto, Jaune!" The chipper voice of Nora yelled loudly.

Looking forward, Naruto and Jaune were both happy to see their partners walking their way. Nora was in her usual upbeat and cheery mood. Though Naruto and Jaune both noticed Pyrrha did seem rather down and depressed.

"Hey- . . ." Naruto began, but was silenced once Nora jumped into her partner. Forcing the Branwen to wrap his arms around Nora to hold her up, while her upper body hugged closely to Naruto's face.

"Hehe, did you win?" Nora asked in a cheery voice, while she slung her arms over Naruto's neck and hung off the teenager.

Winking at his girlfriend, Naruto nodded. "You know it."

Nora leaned in and kissed her boyfriend. "That's my boy."

Pyrrha watched this scene for a moment before walking off. An action that Jaune quickly noticed.

"Pyrrha where are you going?" Jaune called out, while he followed after his partner.

Naruto and Nora watched the two walk off and the latter merely sighed to herself. Naruto on the other hand kept a calm and calculated face.

"I'm guessing things didn't go so well for you." The red eyed bandit began, while Nora simply nodded.

"There was some complications." Nora replied in a bitter tone. "Needless to say, Pyrrha didn't get the Fall Maiden's power."

"Why not?"

Nora sighed again. "Ozpin forgot to mention to transfer the power you need to transfer the aura of the Maiden as well. A process that could have a number of possible effects on Pyrrha. So it's made her rethink becoming the Fall Maiden."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Of course Ozpin would wait till the last minute to share that information. What about alternatives, maybe mom had an idea for what to do."

Nora shook her head sadly. "I already thought of that and contacted Raven." The orange haired girl explained. "She has no idea how to properly separate the Fall Maiden power from Amber's aura."

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration. "Then what are we going to do? You know as well as I do, there isn't much time left to act."

"I know, but we can't force Pyrrha to take the risk." Nora shot back.

"And we can't let Salem get the rest of the Fall Maiden's power." Naruto added in.

"Do we find a replacement for Pyrrha? Just in case she finally decides to back out?" Nora asked, while Naruto pondered over the idea.

"I don't think we have time. We would need someone strong like Pyrrha who could protect herself from Salem and her forces. Then that person also needs to be trustworthy enough to be given the Fall Maiden power." Naruto pointed out in a matter of fact voice. "Honestly the best course of action is to convince Pyrrha to take the risk."

Nora sighed and looked down, as she didn't like the idea of forcing the choice onto Pyrrha. "You make some good points, but when should we have this talk with Pyrrha?"

Naruto grabbed his scroll and glanced at the schedule for the tournament. "The singles round will be starting in thirty minutes. I say we give Pyrrha the rest of the day to think. Then after I have my one on one fight, then me and you can approach her for a final decision."

Nora nodded with a smile. "I like that plan."

Naruto grinned and extended a hand to his girlfriend, which Nora took. "Well why don't we go find Pyrrha and Jaune. We can enjoy the finals together as a team."

While Naruto and Nora were both setting out to find their teammates. Jaune and Pyrrha were both sitting against a wall in silence, as Jaune had managed to catch up with Pyrrha. However, the team leader didn't know what to say. So the two merely sat in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

Glancing to Pyrrha, Jaune frowned softly as he didn't like the defeated look of the proud warrior.

"You know Pyrrha." Jaune began in a low voice, while Pyrrha slowly looked over to the young leader. "You were the first person to believe in me. Not my parents, sisters or even Naruto and Nora."

"Jaune I don't know what to sa-. . ." Pyrrha began, but stopped once Jaune rested his hand overtop her own.

"You've always been there for me. Even when at times I didn't deserve it and I can tell something is wrong. So how can I help?" Jaune asked kindly, while the faintest of smiles broke through Pyrrha's sadness.

"You're already helping." The girl declared, as she slowly rested her head onto Jaune's shoulder. Then for a moment, Pyrrha closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Though the brief moment of bliss was simply that, brief. "Jaune do you believe in destiny?"

Jaune watched as Pyrrha leaned away and looked to him for answers. "Well destiny is never something I've really thought about." The team leader explained in a matter of fact voice. "I mean- . . ."

"Destiny is bull shit." The voice of Naruto declared in a crude tone.

Looking to the side, Jaune and Pyrrha both were surprised to find their teammate. Who had Nora by his side. The latter of whom was tugging onto Naruto and trying to drag him away from the conversation.

"Don't ruin this moment Naruto!" Nora hissed in a low voice.

Naruto rolled his eyes and didn't budge, instead he locked eyes with Pyrrha. "I was told my entire life I would be a no good bandit that would bring misfortune to everyone around me. But did I sulk around?" The young bandit asked, while he walked closer and dragged Nora along with him. "The answer is no. I said to hell with everything and carved a new path for myself. I made my own choices that have placed me where I am today. So stand tall and don't let this shit beat you down Pyrrha. You've made your own destiny since you were little. So keep moving forward and never stop."

Giving up on getting Naruto to leave their teammates alone, Nora grinned and took a seat by Pyrrha. "Take it from me Pyrrha, Naruto isn't the most sincere person. However, for an alcoholic he is pretty smart. Don't forget no matter what happens, the three of us have your back. We will always make sure no matter what you will always be the Pyrrha we love."

Jaune smiled, he didn't know what was going on. Though he still wanted to support Pyrrha no matter what. "You're damn right about that!" The team leader declared. "No matter what Team JNNP will stick together!"

Naruto placed his hands in his pockets, while he stood by his three friends. "Heh idiot."

A tear trailed down Pyrrha's face, while she extended her arms out and held onto Nora and Jaune. "I love you guys." The girl declared with a small smile.

Nora nuzzled into her best friend. "We love you too. And later we can finish the conversation we had earlier."

Pyrrha nodded even though she already was leaning towards a certain direction.

Naruto smirked and held his scroll out. "The next round matches are starting. You guys wanna go watch some more fights?"

The other three members of Team JNNP nodded their heads in agreement. Then as they all stood to their feet, the four walked to the stadium together.

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(With Ruby)

Ruby had a nervous expression overcasted her face, while the young girl was seated by her teammates Blake and Weiss. Down below her older sister Yang was slowly squaring up against her opponent for the the one on one round. Said opponent being none other than the shady and rude Mercury Black.

"I hope Yang can win." The youngest of the girls declared in a soft voice, while she kept her focus on Yang.

Blake nodded with a blank expression. "Yang will be fine Ruby. We all know how strong she is."

"And we also know Mercury isn't unbeatable." Weiss added in before huffing loudly. "After all your despicable brother proved that fairly easy."

"Just because I beat that bitch into the ground doesn't mean shit." The voice of Naruto declared loudly, causing each girl to glance over their backs. Discovering that all the members of Team JNNP were taking the empty seats behind them. "I'm stronger than Yang and Mercury it's simple. There is no comparing me to either of those two. So with that being said this might be a closer match than what you may expect."

Weiss glared at the red eyed boy before jerking her body away. "I didn't ask for your input Branwen."

Naruto rolled his eyes and was about to say something, but he was cut off by Nora.

"Naruto does make a good point. After all I heard what Mercury and Emerald did to Coco and Yatsuhashi. Yang better be careful." The Winter Maiden declared in a matter of fact tone.

Ruby hung her head, as she knew her sister was brash and careless. So she could get in over her head during the match. Naruto saw this and patted his younger sibling on the shoulder.

"However, despite everything Yang is my twin and the two of us share a special connection. Because of that I know she will come out on top." Naruto declared with a large grin.

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah you're right!"

Nora smiled at her boyfriend, as she saw his attempt to lift the youngest of the group up. It was little moments like this that remained her why she loved him.

"Naruto is right, but we should still cheer extra loud for Yang." Nora declared with a grin, showing to the group she was trying to push everything that had happened in the last few weeks behind them. "Since no matter what we are all still friends!"

Weiss and Blake both looked at Nora with surprised expressions, not expecting the girl to say what she did. Pyrrha on the other hand smiled at her best friend and cupped her hands onto her mouth.

"Let's go Yang!" The redhead of Team JNNP yelled loudly.

Seeing Pyrrha cheer, Jaune and Nora joined in. This of course caused their infectious positivity to spread over to Team RWBY.

"Yeah kick some butt big sis!" Ruby cheered, while the youngest of the group pumped her hands into the air.

"Represent Team RWBY and win Yang!" Weiss screamed with a large smile.

"Do your best!" Blake called out.

"Go Yang!" Jaune yelled with a booming voice.

"If you lose I'll kick your ass!" Naruto began, while everyone present looked to the boy with a glare. Though their glares only lasted for a second before they started to cheer once more.

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(With Yang)

Bouncing on her heels, Yang quickly tossed a quick flurry of punches into the air. Then as she smiled the fiery blond slammed her fists together and grinned.

"You ready to go down?" Yang asked, while her eyes focused on the calm and composed Mercury.

Scoffing to himself, Mercury relaxed backwards and held to fists up into the air. Showing that he was ready for their fight.

"Save the tough talk blondie and get ready." Mercury began, while the boy slightly glanced up into the stands. Noticing his teammate Emerald watching from up above. Then once he saw the girl nod, Mercury chuckled and placed his attention back to Yang. "Because you're in for the shock of your life."

Yang huffed and wasn't intimidated by Mercury in the slightest. To her the boy was just a roadblock that she needed to plow right through.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" Taiyang yelled loudly into the intercom. "Today we have one hell of a match for you!"

"That's right Taiyang, I can tell everyone in the arena is looking forward to this one!" Dr. Oobleck commentated. "As the first match of the singles round always gets the people going!"

"Right you are Bartholomew and I speak for the people when I say this match is going to be one for the books!" Taiyang yelled loudly, while the stadium began to grow louder and more anticipated. "It's a true spectacle between rival Academy's. Everyone it's Beacon's very own Yang Xiao Long vs Haven's Mercury Black!"

Down below Yang slightly grinned once her father announced her. Meanwhile Mercury scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Are both fighters ready?" Dr. Oobleck asked loudly, while both fighters simply nodded their head and looked each other down. "Than begin!"

With the go being given, both Mercury and Yang ran forward at their fastest speeds possible. Then the moment the two met in the center is when they made their move. Yang started off by sending a direct and powerful punch aimed for Mercury's head. This caused Mercury to retaliate by lifting his leg and blocking the girl's attack by kicking her fist to the side.

Yang gritted her teeth and jumped backwards, creating some distance between herself and Mercury. Then by cocking her gauntlets with a loud ka-chunk, Yang blasted the ground with her weapon and propelled herself at Mercury. The latter of whom prepared himself and engaged Yang in a fierce trade off of kicks and punches.

Up above Team JNNP and Team RWBY all watched the fight with different expressions. Ruby was nervously fiddling with her skirt, while he silver eyes analyzed and followed every move the two made.

"Come on big sis, you got this." Ruby mumbled in a low voice, while she watched Yang finally land a solid hit onto Mercury.

Blake smiled softly, as she saw that her partner was finally starting to take some control in the fight. Though just as quickly as she started to get control of the fight, Mercury started to make his comeback. Doing so by kicking the girl in the side and knocking Yang back.

"Don't give up Yang!" Blake yelled, showing her support for her partner.

Weiss was pumping her fists into the air, while she watched Yang run back at Mercury. Then as the two started to trade blows once more she jumped to her feet. "Punch that cocky smirk right off his face!"

Much like Ruby, Jaune watched the fight with a nervous expression. Considering with each movement that was made the fight would tip back in fourth in the favor of either Yang or Mercury. Allowing the leader of Team JNNP to identify neither teen had full advantage over the other.

"Do you guys think Yang can win?" Jaune asked, while he glanced over to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha folded her arms, while she watched every punch that Yang threw at Mercury. Taking note that Yang's fighting style was wild and grew more messy and flawed with every second that passed. Meanwhile Mercury remained calm and collected, but for some reason never pushed any real openings that Pyrrha saw that could have been taken.

"I don't know." Pyrrha began in a low voice, while she watched Yang finally land a solid punch onto Mercury's face. "They are almost even, but Yang has a bad habit of losing her composure and relying on her Semblance."

Nora nodded, while the Winter Maiden noticed Yang's eyes were burning a deep shade of red. "Yeah she does rely heavily on her Semblance and that could come to be her undoing one day." Nora explained, but smiled as she watched Yang rush Mercury and pummel the cocky boy into the ground. "Though today doesn't look like that day."

Naruto smirked and looked down at his twin, her eyes were shifting back to their original color and she was turning her body away from Mercury. "Mercury is just lucky he got the nicer twin. I would have beat him half to death or broken a couple bones for fun." The oldest of the siblings began, but lifted his brow in interest when he saw his twin quickly turn to Mercury.

Then to the shock of Naruto and everyone watching, Yang bent over Mercury and punched the boy so hard in the leg a loud crunching sound was heard throughout the now silent arena.

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(Team JNNP's Dorm)

It was some time after Yang's fight with Mercury and the aftermath of the match wasn't good. Yang and the rest of Team RWBY had been disqualified for attacking a clearly defeated and downed student. Mercury had also been taken off the premise in a stretcher, as Yang and completely immobilized the boy's leg.

This left Team JNNP alone in their dorm with nothing to do besides ponder over what had happened.

"I don't like this." Naruto mumbled, while the red eyed boy paced the room. "Something isn't right I can feel it."

Jaune who was sitting on his bed frowned. "I don't know why Yang would do something like that. It's so out of character for her. I mean you would do it, but not Yang."

Nora nodded her head and crossed her arms. "Do you think the stress of the Vytal Festival and everything else going on with Yang finally got to her?"

Naruto kept pacing the room, while he slowly messed his hair around in aggravation. "No attacking and finishing a beaten enemy is something I or Mom would do, not Yang. I know my sister and I can feel something is up." Naruto declared, while he tapped on his chest. "I can't explain it, but I just know."

Pyrrha smiled at the blond haired Branwen. "Well you're twins. You two are more connected than you might think."

"I agree." Nora chimed in.

Naruto looked to Pyrrha and grabbed his scroll. "They should be in their dorm by now. Message me when it's time for my match. I'm going to go talk to my sister." Naruto explained, while he quickly rushed out of the room and crossed the hall to Team RWBY's dorm.

Nora smiled as she watched Naruto leave, as she really admired how much he truly cared for his friends and family. Even though at times he didn't always show that love.

Though speaking of Naruto, the blond quickly kicked open the door to Team RWBY's dorm. Allowing the brash boy to see the entirety of Team RWBY, who were currently giving their full attention to Naruto.

"Naruto what are you doing?" Ruby asked with a large amount of confusion, while she was seated right beside Yang.

Naruto looked around the room, noticing Weiss was giving him a scowl. Blake seemed depressed and her Faunus ears were slightly dropped. Meanwhile Yang just looked defeated and not her usual self. A sight they really struck a nerve with Naruto.

"I'm here to check on my sister and figure out what the hell happened." Naruto declared in a plain voice, while he slowly closed the door to the room. Then by walking further into the room Naruto crossed his arms and looked right at Yang. "So tell me what happened out there."

Yang looked up to her twin, but she quickly jerked her head to the side and frowned. "It doesn't matter, you won't believe me either. You'll just say I'm insane like Dad or Uncle Qrow."

Naruto sighed and walked over to Yang before taking a knee. Then by lifting up his right hand, Naruto grasped a firm hand onto Yang's shoulder.

"Please talk to me." Naruto begged in a low voice. "I'm here to listen, not argue."

Yang bit her lip and glanced to he brother, seeing an uncharacteristic glimpse of sympathy within his red eyes. So sighing to herself, Yang decided to open up to her twin.

"It all happened so fast." Yang began in a low voice, while Naruto listened closely. "One moment I was fighting Mercury and winning. Then when I finally had him beat he rushed me. . . I attacked out of self defense."

"But he never attacked you." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, while his mind began to think.

"I saw him attack me." Yang replied firmly, while Naruto saw the emotion behind his sister's expression.

"And I believe you." Naruto began with a small smile, surprising Yang and everyone else within the room.

"Just like that?" Yang asked.

Naruto laughed and lightly punched Yang's arm. "You're my twin sister Yang and because of that we share a special bond. So I can easily tell you're telling the truth and you did see Mercury attack you."

Yang let a small smile slowly force itself pass her lips, while a lone tear started to build up around the corner of her eye.

"Thank you." Yang began in a soft voice, while she shamefully hanged her head. "Thank you for believing me. Even though these last few weeks I've been awful to you."

Naruto stood to his feet and ruffled Yang's hair. "You might not always understand or approve of what I do. You may also hate me for the secrets that I along with Nora keep. However, I promise everything I have done and will do is for the sake and protection of those I love."

Weiss, Blake and Ruby all smiled at the blond for different reasons. Showing that the small tension between Team RWBY and Naruto was starting to slowly fade away.

"You're the best big bro!" Ruby boldly declared, while she jumped upward and hugged the older boy.

Naruto laughed and patted the girl. "I just simply look out for my little sisters and their best interests."

Suddenly a second body wrapped and the red eyed boy. This caused Naruto to glance down to Yang, who was holding on tightly to her elder brother. Naruto simply smiled at this and placed both his arms around his sisters.

"We love you." Yang and Ruby declared in a soft voice.

"Yeah I know kiddos." Naruto replied in a low voice, while he backed away and looked the girl's over. "And I love you both, but I still have questions. Like what happened to Mercury after Yang assaulted him? I would like to talk to him. . . In person."

Ruby saw the dangerous gleam that burned in her brother's eyes. "He went back to Mistral along with his team." Ruby explained.

Naruto frowned. "I see, that is unfortunate."

"Don't worry about him or what happened." Yang suddenly declared, while she looked at her twin with a burning passion. "You focus on your match Naruto! You're Beacons only hope to win big!"

Naruto laughed at his twin and shook his head. "I'm not worried about anyone beating me." The eldest of the siblings admitted, while his mind drifted to one thing he did worry about. That of course being Salem's eventual attack, which has had no signs to signal any invasion so far. Meaning if their wa. "The only thing I worry about is you guys. So do me a favor and watch out for each other." Naruto then glanced behind his shoulder to Weiss and Blake. "The same goes for you two."

Everyone seemed oddly confused by Naruto's strange request. Since asking something like taking care of eachother wasn't a request Naruto actually made before. Then things got further strange with the way Naruto and Nora have been acting. Even furthermore their relationship with Ozpin and the secrets they have added more confusion. Finally their was the simple fact that no present danger surrounded the girl's, so they really didn't know what brought forth Naruto's request.

Unfortunately before anyone could question Naruto, a knock was made at their door.

"Naruto." The voice of Pyrrha called from the other side. "It's time for your match."

Hearing his friend Naruto sighed and turned to the door. "Well we can talk later." Naruto began, as he slowly made his way to the door of the dorm.

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(Within the arena)

Slowly walking down a long hallway, which was a path to the fighting platform. Naruto was fully dressed and ready for combat. Though his mind wasn't exactly in the right place, this was something that Ren had managed to take note of.

"Is something bothering you Naruto?" Ren asked, while the blond saw the exit and a large blinding light coming from the fighting area.

"Just thinking about things." Naruto admitted to the soul trapped within his body. "If Salem really is going to attack it's going to be soon. Meanwhile, Pyrrha hasn't committed to becoming the Fall Maiden and I don't even know if we are ready for Salem's attack."

Ren chuckled within his friend's head. "You'll be ready Naruto. For the sake of everyone you have to be."

Naruto slowly emerged out of the tunnel and into the spotlight of the stadium lights. While the loud roar of cheering spectators placed all their attention onto him. "Yeah I know." The blond mumbled in a sad voice, while he walked into the center of the fighting platform.

"Ladies and gentlemen from Beacon Academy, I give you the Fox Sin of Greed; Naruto Branwen!" The voice of Taiyang announced with a loud sense of pride and vigor.

Naruto smiled and looked up to the commenting booth, were his father was currently seated and pointing directly at him. Then for a brief moment the father and son shared a moment and Taiyang flashed his son a quickly thumbs up. Displaying the man placed all his support behind his son, despite being an announcer that had to keep a neutral bias.

"Heh, Nora must have told the old man to call me that." Naruto mumbled with a soft smile, while he looked over to the stands. Where he found the love of his life jumping up and down in excitement.

"Kick some ass Naruto!" Nora yelled loudly, while the rest of Team JNNP cheered with them.

"Go Naruto!" Pyrrha yelled, while she waved at the blond.

"Show everyone the power of Team JNNP!" Jaune yelled loudly.

Naruto smiled at his team, but was slightly sad to see a lack of Team RWBY. Yang was condemned to her room, so she couldn't see the fight. Meanwhile Blake and Weiss were off doing who knows what. Though it was odd for Ruby to not be among the crowd, especially considering who his opponent was.

"Salutations Naruto Branwen." The voice of his opponent greeted, causing Naruto to look down to his sister's friend from Atlas, Penny. "I'm looking forward to see why you're called Beacon's strongest student!"

Naruto squared up to Penny and drew Fox Flower. "You know this is the first time I've drawn my blade during this whole festival. That should give you an idea of what I can do."

Penny motioned her hand and swords began to float around her. "Well your girlfriend carried you through your first match. And then you used an underhanded tactic to win your second match." Penny pointed out in a happy voice, managing to be kind and counter the idea of Naruto being strong.

"Whatever." Naruto mumbled, while he slowly prepared to strike.

"Fighters get ready!" Taiyang began, while he let a slow tension build in the air. Cashing Penny to slightly hunch herself over in anticipation for the match to begin. "And start!"

Without any hesitation Penny sent a flurry of swords right for Naruto. The latter of whom brought up his own sword and casually deflected each blade with speed and precision. Then by rushing forward Naruto engaged Penny in close combat. This forced the girl to bring her swords close to her body, while using the sheer number to protect herself from Naruto's insane speed and power.

Unfortunately Penny found it rather difficult to keep up with Naruto. So taking a leap backwards she tried to create some distance between herself and Naruto. Then once she managed to do so, Penny held her swords above her head and they began to spin.

"Just give up kid, you're Ruby's friend. I don't want to hurt you." Naruto began, but his eyes grew wide when green lasers started to fire out of Penny's swords. "Fucking lasers! She has fucking lasers!" The red eyed boy yelled loudly, while he started to jump and dodge all of Penny's attacks.

Though as Naruto dodge the lasers, Penny also sent a few more of her swords to further pressure Naruto. This caused the blond to jump around the platform, while using Fox Flower to protect himself by swatting the swords away.

"Okay forget being nice." Naruto groaned, while he kept his eyes on Penny. "I'm kicking your ass good!"

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(With Ruby)

Ruby had a confused expression covering her face, as she was currently in one of the back access tunnels of the arena. One that was off limits for most of the general population, due to this passageway being reserved for the fighters. However, her confusion was stemmed from the appearance of Mercury Black. The latter of whom was staring her down with a cocky smirk, while his supposed injured leg was perfectly fine.

"M-mercury?" Ruby stuttered, while she watched the silver haired boy slowly move in her direction. "What are you doing here?"

Mercury grinned and struck a small fighting position. "Just here to see a fight." The boy answered, while the loud roar of the crowd was heard through the walls. "And it's going to be an interesting one to say the least. I mean a ruthless and heartless killing machine vs a small fragile girl from Atlas. It would be a shame if Naruto would snap like his sister. . . He might kill someone."

Ruby's eyes grew wide, as she tried to shuffle around Mercury. Though the boy simply blocked her path.

"You set Yang up." Ruby mumbled in a low voice, while she gripped her fists. "And you're planning to do the same to my brother."

"Well it wasn't all me, but you're close." Mercury replied in an amused voice. "But enough chit chat, let's have a little fun!"

Ruby's eyes grew wide once she saw Mercury rush forward to attack her. Meanwhile her mind trying to think of a way to escape and help her brother and Penny before things got bad.

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(With Naruto)

Hacking and slashing his way around the arena, Naruto was currently decimating all of Penny's weapons. Using Fox Flower to easily slash apart any sword that Penny sent in Naruto's direction. This of course caused Naruto to dictate the match, since Penny was trying to desperately distance herself from Naruto and attack from afar. Unfortunately for the girl Naruto was just too fast and skilled, so nothing she tried worked and Naruto quickly rushed her.

"Just give up Penny!" Naruto taunted, while he kicked the girl away and off to the side.

The crowd made a loud wince for Penny, as everyone could tell that Naruto's kick was quite brutal. Though Naruto simply turned his back to Penny and smirked, while his gaze went up into the stands. Where he saw Nora loudly cheering him on, which caused the boy to blow his girlfriend a kiss. Though in the midst of his flirting, Naruto suddenly felt an odd tingling sensation. One that caused his hair to stand and his stomach to turn.

"Hello Naruto." A low and crude voice began, one that Naruto recognized all too well. "It's been awhile."

His body freezing in place, Naruto's free hand slightly twitched. Then as the voice let a soft chuckle pass by, the blond took a hard swallow and turned around.

"Salem." Naruto began, as red eyes met red eyes and the young bandit tightly gripped his weapon. "So you have finally come?"

Salem grinned wide and held her arms out, while dozens of tendrils started to flail around her body.

"Come get me." The white skinned woman began, trying to provoke Naruto into attacking.

Reaching out with his Semblance, Naruto started to sap strength from everyone around him. This caused the blond's muscles to expand and his red eyes to flare to life with a burning passion.

"I'm going to kill you." Naruto declared in a low voice, while he pressed forward with inhuman speeds. Using enough force to crush the ground beneath his feet when he ran at Salem.

Salem held her arm forward, causing her tendrils to fly right at Naruto. However, the Fox Sin of Greed sliced through her counter attack with ease and continued his assault. Then as Naruto arrive before Salem he unleashed a powerful horizontal slash, one that sliced Salem in half.

"You won't!" Naruto roared in anger, as he shifted his blade into a vertical strike and sliced through Salem again.

"Hurt anyone!" Naruto continued, while he started to slash his sword left and right. Completely menacing Salem into pieces, while a small remnant of her head floated in the air.

"That I love!" The bandit finished, as he slammed his sword through what was left of Salem and impaled the ground.

Finally finishing the woman off, Naruto took deep rapid breaths and backed away, while removing Fox Flower in the process. Then as he overlooked his work, Naruto felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had did it, he had actually defeated Salem. However, that victory was quickly taken away, as Salem's body slowly disappeared and was replaced with the mangled, sparking and dead corpse of Penny.

"What?" Naruto gasped in surprise, as he looked down at the dead robotic girl. Who was slain by his hands and his hands alone.

Naruto then glanced around the arena and looked to his team for answers. However, all he saw were the horrified looks of his friends and loved one. Then turning on his heel he saw Ruby coming out of a maintenance door, while her silver eyes were completely zeroed in on Penny. Tears clearly fluttering down her cheeks, while she saw her friend slain by her own brother. Meanwhile to Naruto's surprise, Mercury was at the maintenance door and simply smirked at the blond before taking his leave. Then at that moment he had a revelation that placed all the pieces together.

Just like Yang, Naruto had seen something that wasn't there. Meaning he had played right into someone's hands, but the question was who?

"This was not a tragedy." A familiar voice began, while all the overhead screens turned red and a single black chess piece was visible. "This is what happens when you give your trust to men who claim to be our guardians, but are just men."

Naruto snarled at the voice, while his mind trying to remember where he had heard the individual from. Nora on the other hand frowned from in the stands, as she recognized the voice instantly.

"Cinder." The Winter Maiden growled, while the temperature around Team JNNP dropped drastically. Causing Jaune and Pyrrha to glance at their friend with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Men who try to hold more power than they can control. One was even arrogant enough to hold the power of his huntsmen academy and his nation's military. They even hold claims of keeping the peace." Cinder continued, as the arena spectators started to grow uncomfortable. "But what have we here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army? And why would Atlas dress this weapon as a small girl? I'm certain the creatures of Grimm can't tell a difference."

Up above James Ironwood narrowed his eyes and ran off to take action against the broadcast.

"And what about Ozpin? First Yang Xiao Long and now Naruto Branwen? Two children of the famous bandit Raven Branwen? Is Beacon's headmaster arming himself with individuals trained to kill huntsmen? It surely looks that way too me." Cinder pointed out, while a murmur of panic could be heard. "And trust me when I say things are not going well in Mistral. In fact this peace we all know is slowly vanishing and war is on the horizon.

With that being said the screen cut off and the stadium went silent. However, that silence was quickly pierced by the loud shriek of a Grimm. One that was flying over top and circling the stadium. Then as the crowd saw this a panic erupted and people began to shout, run, push and shove around the arena.

Naruto watched more Grimm appear in the sky and tightly gripped onto Fox Flower. Salem's attack was starting, that he was sure of. So looking up to Nora, the young couple shared a glance and nodded. Naruto then turned to Ruby and prepared to make his move, while thinking that all hell had finally broken loose.

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(Airship docks)

While chaos was erupting within the arena, ships marked with the White Fang insignia were landing and releasing Grimm into the city and Beacon Academy. Though one ship in particular opened its doors to reveal Adam Taurus, who had one hand on his weapon, while a new and pitch black arm was tightly holding onto the airship.

"It's time for these humans to pay." Adam seethed in a low voice, while he glanced around to his surroundings. "Though no one will pay as much as Naruto Branwen and Blake Belladonna."

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(Atlas Flagship)

"Well Neo." The calm and collected voice of Roman Torchwick began, while he hobbled over the dead bodies of Atlas personnel. "I appreciate the timely rescue, but now it's time to have some fun."

Neo watched Roman make his way to the control panel of the ship. The man was clearly still recovering from a massive beating and still had the injuries given to him by Naruto Branwen. However, that didn't stop the man from continuing on with his plan.

"Let's cause some mischief." The world renowned criminal declared, while he pressed a button on the console. "We have a city to burn down!"

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(Chapter end)

And that's a wrap! Things are heating up and we are now into the juicy part of the volume. So all I have left to say is prepare yourselves for one hell of a next few chapters.

Anyways thanks for reading and tell me what you thought and if you're excited for next chapter!