AUTHOR'S NOTE::
Wow, this story is more popular than I thought it would be! Thanks guys for all the support! There were some reviews I thought I'd address, as well as concerns I've read:
GOATMEN: Don't worry, I don't intend for this to be a harem fic. I always find that harem fics devalue the love that people feel for each other, and furthermore I don't think they work.
The Karma Seal: Definitely gonna use THIS in creative ways! If anyone has ideas about it, feel free to PM or review about them!
Pairings: Gonna go to WheelDecide to do this. In fact, I'm going to do so after I publish this chapter, so I've probably already done it by the time you read this!
Well, that's that, have fun reading, and please review! That's what keeps me writing on this site!
-Pad
Chapter 2: The Drop out of Eternity
A second, a minute, a year, a decade. Maybe even a century; Naruto was bored. He'd learned under the Tailed Beasts for an immeasurable amount of time. In Timeless Space, he learned, you don't age at all; nothing changed. He had no way of measuring time because he never got hungry, never got tired, and never had to go to the bathroom. The space around him was constantly contorting and twisting itself, and was nearly unrecognizable from one second to the next. The only place where time passed was in his mindscape, but it didn't perfectly fit into how much time passed on the outside.
So yeah. Naruto was bored. He'd gotten as far as he felt was possible in his Sage Training, and had learned almost every Jutsu the Tailed Beasts had to offer. He'd learned more about Ninshu, the History of the World, Chakra, and even more about Time Spaces. Bluntly, he'd begun to actively look for a way out of Timeless Space, since he'd concluded that even if he waited for something to happen, the Void was too vast for him to wait for a way out. And so he developed his second original Jutsu himself.
He called it the Chakra Location Jutsu. By expelling his Chakra around him, he could sense everything that happened within it, much like Nagato's Rain Jutsu. He'd been spreading his Chakra like a giant cloud, slowly enveloping Unstructured Space Time. There was only one problem; at some spots his Chakra would shrink down to the size of a shuriken, at others it would expand outwards to the size of a continent. But it did this randomly, so his net was not as efficient as he'd hoped. He was currently attempting to find a way to control how Space fluctuated…
"What do you think, Gyuki?" Naruto asks of the Eight Tails.
"Well, I guess it could work… I'm just worried the strain will damage your memory…" Gyuki responds, worried. Kurama scoffs.
"Heh, please. The Brat is more than capable of taking this on! He can spread clones all over the Void, and then they can find a way out!" Kurama says, glad to finally have a way out.
"But… shouldn't I use other clones? Ones that don't send their memories back to me? That way I won't need to…" Naruto trails off, still unsure why there were problems about using clones. While it would be extremely discomforting, it wouldn't be more so than being killed, which almost all of his clones had experienced at one point or another. With a sigh, Naruto aquieses.
"Very well then." He closes his eyes, and enters Sage Mode. Now, however, it was closer to Hashirama's, with much more colouration over his face that resembled the Sage Markings that Hashirama himself bore; it was a more powerful version, but still not Enlightened. He crosses his fingers:
'Multi Shadow Sage Clone Jutsu!' he thinks to himself as over a thousand clones pop into existence in the Void. They all begin to fly about, each of them activating their Sharingans.
"And now, we search." vocalizes the Original Naruto as he zips away like a golden flame.
"Right!" echoes throughout Timeless Space as all the clones follow his example, blasting away in a supernova of golden flames.
Naruto, once more, wasn't sure how much time had passed. He'd been flying, and flying, and flying, but since Time and Space were… messed up, he couldn't tell how far or how long he'd been searching for. But, suddenly, his mind was filled with images of a great green light, stuck within a perfect sphere, something he hadn't seen yet in Unstructured Space. Something was holding it together, and his clone had popped after seeing it. With a grin, he flies in the general direction (he thinks) that his clone went. After immeasurable time, he saw it. A great sphere of… something, translucent and white, with a green light within. He smiles grimly, and flies straight towards it, his clothes burning off his arms as they plunge into the sphere. With a roar, his eyes spin into the Mangekyou, ripping a hole in the sphere with the Kamui. He flies through the rapidly closing hole, and the light fills his vision; then, he's gone.
Naruto groaned as he lay on the ground, incredibly tired. He looked about himself: he had awoken in a small glade in a forest, not dissimilar to the ones he'd grown up in around the Leaf. He smiled as the sun lit up his face, warming him in a way he had almost forgotten.
'Naruto… you did it! We're free!' howls Shukaku from his mind, celebrating the freedom they'd achieved. The rest of the Tailed Beasts share Shukaku's joy, and Naruto's head is filled with joyful celebrations, making his smile widen further.
"Thanks, guys. I couldn't have made it without you." He says, reaching out his Chakra wo his mindscape. They Tailed Beasts feel his gratefulness, and respond in kind.
"My only regret… is that I can no longer return home." Naruto whispered quietly, his eyes filling with tears. Now that he had accomplished his goal, he had nothing covering up his shame, and guilt. "My friends… must all think I'm dead."
'No.' Naruto hears from his head. 'Naruto, before you left, your clones healed Obito's eyes with the Creation of All Things Technique; you don't remember because the memories were lost in the Void as they tried to find your Chakra to return to. He could have seen the battle you waged, and he'll know what happened. You are alive, and he'll know.' Kurama soothed from Naruto's mind, trying to ease him into accepting what had happened.
"Really?" Naruto sniffled, still mourning the loss of every one of his friends. "I still miss them, Kurama… just give me this one moment to mourn. I have no Pain to worry over, no students to pass on my learning to…" Naruto thinks back to the last time he mourned, after Jiraiya's death. Shikamaru had dragged him up by getting him to believe that one day he'd be called Naruto-Sensei. That… was no longer possible. He had no responsibilities beyond those to the Tailed Beasts.
'Naruto you-' Kurama was interrupted. 'Kurama, that's enough. Give the boy time to mourn. He deserves at least that.' Chomei rebukes, closing himself off from Naruto's mind. All the other Tailed Beasts follow his example, with Kurama giving one last piece of advice. 'Naruto, you can be called things that, to you, will mean more than Naruto-Sensei… Don't let your grief cloud your bright light.' Kurama then fades away from Naruto's mind, leaving him alone with his grief.
A couple hours later, at dusk, Naruto began to meditate. He's trying to check the Nature Energy in this 'new world', or at least trying to see if he might have returned to his own. Nature, however, was being rather uncooperative. At some point he stopped trying to absorb the Nature Energy, and went back to the basics; detecting it at all was difficult. As he sat with his eyes closed, he suddenly heard a hiss. A familiar, dreadful hiss. His eyes opening, he gazes upon a gargantuan snake, with odd bone like plates over it's head, covered in red patterns. Naruto looks into it's glowing red eyes, and looks up and down it's tar black body. He sighs.
"Ahhh, snakes, no matter what world. There's always snakes…" he starts to rise to his feet as the snake coils back, suddenly launching forwards at him like a missile. Naruto flicks up his forearm, catching the side of the snake's head with his unfolded backhand. The might of his strike snaps into the head of the snake, breaking it's plating, and killing it instantly. Naruto looks down upon its body as it begins to disappear.
"Huh. Never seen one of these before. A snake that cleans up after itself; can't say I'll complain about it." He remarks as the snake completely dissipates into a black fog, which also begins to vanish. Naruto looks at it's smog, and frowns, activating his Sharingan. From what he can see, the snake was comprised of negative energy, a swirling black miasma. It reminded him of the Zero Tails he fought months ago. He also noted that it didn't appear to have Chakra, or rather, it had half. It appeared to be comprised of solely Yang Chakra, missing it's Yin half. He shrugs, deactivating his Sharingan.
'A mystery for another time.' Naruto thinks, stretching out his senses. 'Good, I can sense a village. It's a couple hundred kilometers away; it should take about an hour to get there on foot.'
With that, he leaps into the trees, dead set on reaching this 'village' and learning all he can about this new world.
'Naruto, where are you going?' he heard Kurama call.
"I've detected a village nearby; I'll be there in an hour and find out all I can about this world." Naruto replies, not slowing down.
'Good plan. Just remember that we don't know what this world is like; there could be threats here far beyond us, or we could be at the top of the food chain. Keep your head down, and don't draw attention to us until you've discovered everything you want to know, and then some." Kurama instructs, double checking that Naruto has a plan.
"Yeah, no problem Kurama. I'll keep my head under the parapets, as it were." Naruto replies with a smile.
'Good. Now get to this 'village', and try not to arrive in a method that's surprising. Actually, observe them before you go in; we don't know if they check things like ID before you enter the walls. It's better to establish whether you can sneak in before you try, rather than fail and get captured.' Kurama decides.
"Ha! Agreed!" Naruto laughs, speeding up.
After nearly an hour of dashing through the trees, Naruto can see the city.
'That… is far larger than a village.' he thinks to himself. 'Well, better observe for now, see if I can sneak in.' And so he watches.
After about twenty minutes, Naruto concludes that they do check ID at the gate. However, the guards don't appear too invested in their jobs; they'd just let in two people obviously feigning their age, without so much as a second look. It'd be easy to gain access to this city.
Slithering down the tree, Naruto waits by the side of the path. Within a couple minutes, he notices a group passing by. With a grin, he slips through the branches, like a shadow. When he's above their group, he closes his eyes, willing his chakra to flow.
'Transformation Jutsu.' he thinks to himself, transforming into a small twig, which, since his arms no longer held himself up, allowed him to fall down into their cart, which was being dragged by two of the people in the group. He waited as the group went through the gate, before applying a small amount of Wind Chakra to push himself off the cart into a nearby alley. With a poof of smoke, he was whole again.
'Well, that was easy.' he thinks to himself, proud of how he snuck into the city. 'Now, first things first: I need new clothes.' He glances down at his battered outfit: his jacket was almost completely destroyed, covered in char marks and rips and tears, it also had a large amount of blood on it, although none of it was his.
'Neji…' he thinks to himself. Resolute, his eyes swirl into the Mangekyou Sharingan, transporting his jacket into the Kamui Dimension. He sighs, and starts to think.
'I should transform so that people don't notice me… I stand out quite a bit, with obvious battle marks and wounds. I also don't have any money, so buying what I need will be… difficult. Do you guys have any ideas?' he thinks inwards.
'Well, you could steal what you need, but I get the feeling you won't like that.' Gyuki begins, 'So, I would recommend looking for a homeless shelter; the Hidden Cloud would give out clothing and food to the needy once per week. This place may do something similar.' Naruto approves of this idea, even though his pride is hit a bit by essentially taking from the needy.
'However,' he thinks, 'I kinda do qualify as needy at the moment…' With his conscience clear, he thinks about who he should transform into, before he comes to the best decision possible, a man who was almost invisible when he knew him: Shino Aburame!
'Honestly, he's almost invisible! Maybe it's because of how quiet he is…' Naruto thinks. 'Anyways, Transformation Jutsu!' Naruto's body is obscured in smoke, and when it clears, Shino stands where he was clad in a green overcoat with a large hood, perfect for rainy days.
With that done, Naruto starts to explore the city.
After many hours of searching, Naruto hadn't found anywhere where he could acquire clothing in a legal way; however he had discovered a bit about the history of the world, just by reading signs here and there, as well as from simple questions. He'd learned the world's name was Remnant, and, although he had yet to see it due to the cloudy night, the moon was shattered. Initially, he was worried about it because that could mean that whatever was sealed within probably escaped, but the Tailed Beasts had reassured him that the shattered moon was probably due to something like a meteorite striking it; the chances of something like Kaguya being sealed in the exact same manner were incredibly slim, but moons were commonplace for most life supporting worlds (at least, so they assumed).
He also had learned about the Shinobi equivalent in this world, the Huntsman and Huntresses. He heard about the Grimm, which he deduced were the same creatures as the giant snake he killed earlier that evening. Honestly, the world excited him. The level of technology they were displaying was far beyond his own, leading to a sneaking theory. He theorized that the level of personal power someone could attain would limit the level technology would achieve. Since his people had Chakra, they'd had no need for most technology these people had. And these people had something called 'Aura', which he was pretty sure was simply the Yin aspect of Chakra. He was hyped up to learn more, but the fact remained that he still hadn't found any clothes! He was about to give up and just walk into a store asking for clothes, and offering to work for them, when Kurama had a suggestion.
'Naruto, there's one avenue of thought you haven't gone down. You could use the Creation of all Things Technique to make clothing for yourself.' The rest of the Tailed Beasts were flabbergasted at this ludicrous suggestion.
'Kurama,' Chomei began slowly, 'Are you suggesting that we use the most powerful Jutsu ever, the Jutsu that CREATED us, to do something as mundane as CREATING CLOTHES?!' Kurama was a little sheepish.
'I just don't think that our Jinchuriki should go begging! He's above that! Especially when he can just snap his fingers and create something…' he whimpered, his pride hammered by how pitiful begging for clothes would make them look. The rest of the Tailed Beasts understood: Kurama was a proud creature, that much was certain. He would rather use a grossly overwhelming technique than appear weak, and needy. While it had pushed him to unrivalled levels of strength, right now it was merely stopping them from-
"Great! Why didn't you say so before?" They all turn their thoughts towards Naruto, flummoxed.
'Naruto, that technique is very powerful, it's almost sacrilegious to use it so flagrantly!' Gyuki rebukes Naruto sternly.
"Well, it's better than stealing from some poor merchant! And this way I can make my clothes exactly how I want them!" Naruto says with a grin, happy that he doesn't need to steal. While he was fine with vandalizing in his early years, that was only done to people who mistreated him and others. He had no intention of making someone's life difficult if they didn't fully deserve it.
"Alright, here I go!" his eyes switch to golden with a cross shaped iris, "Sage Art: Creation of All Things Jutsu!" He watches as his Chakra splits from his body, molding itself to his will. His Chakra glows with an unearthly light, filling the alley. He closes his eyes, concentrating furiously as he uses the Jutsu. With a small cry, he falls backwards, landing in a heap on the ground, clothing falling on top of him. With a grin his whispers out:
"Heh, I did it…" as he fades from consciousness.
With a groan, Naruto awoke. He was sore, he felt like he'd been run over by a horse. As he grabbed his skull, which was pounding like a drum, he felt something over his arm. Looking down, he saw that it was fabric. Eyes widening, he leapt to his feet, looking at the clothes he'd created. He smiled brightly, looking at his creation.
Honestly, he hadn't needed to think much about it. He remembered trying to decide which clothes to create, and found he didn't want to create the ones he had during the war. They'd been gifted to him by Jiraiya, and it felt weird to create a copy of those clothes. They'd seen their time, and he'd always treasure them, but it was time for a change. So he thought about making the Leaf Shinobi outfit, but even then, he felt that he hadn't earned them. He'd never been promoted to Jonin or even Chunin, so it felt disrespectful to wear the clothes without earning them like every other Shinobi. Then he thought about the people who most impacted his life. His Sage Cloak was an option, but once more he thought that it was something he'd earned from the Toads; they would give a new cloak if they felt he earned it. Speaking of, he'd better try summoning one of them soon, let them know he was alive.
Then, like a stroke of lightning, it hit him. Nagato, Obito, and Itachi. They were the people who he had felt were all truly evil, but they'd all been trying to fulfill the same goal and dream as him. The Akatsuki itself was created to bring about peace; what better emblem to redeem? The leadership of the organization had been redeemed, but it was time for the red cloud to not signify fear, but peace. And that was something he felt that he could wear with pride.
With a smile, he raises the Akatsuki Cloak above himself, before sliding into it. It felt good, he could see why Nagato had chosen it for the symbol of the Akatsuki. With a grin, he started walking out of the alley…
Only to nearly lose his footing when a person smashed out of a window right in front of him! With a stumble, he barely caught himself from stepping on them. He stops, watching as a little girl flies out, landing in the middle of the street, not noticing him standing in the alley on the other side of the street. He glances down each side of the street, but there's no one there. Looking back at the girl, who he sees is wearing a red cape, with a piece of red metal in her hand. Naruto's eyes widen as it begins to grow, sliding into a shape he's only heard of. It appears to be a giant scythe, with red highlights along the shaft. He calmly observes as she systematically takes out the grunts in suits, noting how she uses the grossly oversized weapon almost elegantly, using something he'd learned was a 'gun' to move the scythe blade faster than normal. At some point, he ended up making a little groan as he saw her knee some poor soul in the nuts. He whispers a small prayer for the man, before he sees a veritable peacock of a man walk out after his grunts, bedecked in a bright white coat with a bowler hat. Although, his hair WAS pretty awesome...
"Well" the man says in a snarky tone, "Red, I think we can all say this was an eventful evening. But as much as I would like to stick around," he spits out his cigar, grinding it out with his can, before lifting it up to shoulder height: "I think this is where we both part ways."
Naruto's eyes widen as he sees the tip of the cane flick open, and a small bright orange ball comes flying out at the girl. With a curse, he leaps forwards, kicking the ball out of the way. He lands in a crouch, glaring at the man. The man's eyes widen, before he groans.
"Of course, there's two of them. Could my luck get any. More. Terrible!" he ends shouting, before firing a volley of shots at Naruto and the girl, who's currently gazing at Naruto in awe as he effortlessly bats the balls away with his arms, which seem to be glowing gold.
"Hey man," Naruto says, yawning as he parries each shot, "I know you're really enjoying this, but could you stop? I think you might damage my cloak, and I just made it like ten minutes ago." he complained, watching as the joker became more and more furious.
Eventually, the man stopped firing.
"Well, this has been fun, but I'd much rather get away with my life, sooooo" he trails off, lifting his case in the air before hurling it at Naruto. "End of the line, blondie!" He fires his cane once more, hitting the case in midair, which explodes. Naruto, momentarily stunned, is sent flying into another building, crashing through the wall with a groan.
"No!" yells the girl, turning towards the man, only to see him climbing up a ladder on an adjacent building. Turning towards the old man who owns the Dust Shop, she asks him "Can you check on the boy who just got hit? I'm going after that thief!" The old man nods, running over to the building with a large hole where Naruto crashed in. With that assurance, the girl runs after the man.
"Hey!" the man hears, turning to see the girl on the roof. "Stop!" she demands, turning her scythe upwards, smoke curling from the tip of the shaft.
"Huh, thought you'd go help your friend." the man remarks. "Still, Little Red, this is where WE part ways." At that, the wind picks up as an aircraft hums into the air behind him. The girl takes a step back as the spotlight comes on, pointing right into her face and causing her to squint a bit. The door opens on the side of the aircraft, and the man clambers inside just as a piece of metal bounces off his back. The man turns, and with a growl, sees Naruto on the rooftop just behind the girl. He groans, and filching about in his pockets, notes that he's out of Dust.
"Hey, Boss? Might need some help here!" he calls into the back as more blades and shots start firing at him. He turns and starts firing at them, just when a figure falls from the sky in front of his flares, blocking them all.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he yells upon seeing the large purple rune floating in the air. Behind it stands a woman with a white blouse and black riding pants as well as a black cape. In her hand is a riding crop, which is now flicking small purple lights at his ship, causing it the rock most precariously. With a snarl, the man flees to the cockpit.
Naruto smiles, thinking they've won, when a new woman walks out, her face wreathed in shadow. Her clothes start to glow, and with a simple hand gesture, fireballs fly out of the ship. With a grin, Naruto matches her, his more battle excited personality beginning to surface.
"WATER STYLE: WATER BULLETS!" he shouts, relishing in the battle as large water balls fly from his mouth, striking the fireballs midair, and dousing them completely. He grins, seeing the woman in the ship stumble from the barrage this new woman fired at the ship. His grin fades when he sees an orange glow beneath her feet.
"Move!" he yells, just as the ground explodes beneath the newcomer's feet. He turns, only to see a massive wave of fire spreading towards him, as well as the red girl. With a twist, he flips in front of her, preparing his next Jutsu.
"Water Style: Wall of Water!" he cries out, just as a wall made of water emerges from his mouth, blocking the flames.
"Wooooow!" the girl cries, "That's so coool!" Naruto turns to tell her to keep her mind on the battle, only to see her loading her gun… scythe… thing. He grunts, and grins.
"Yeah, I suppose it is. Got a name, red?" he asks, calmly firing small spouts of water from his wall to protect the newcomer.
"Yeah! My name's Ruby, Ruby Rose! What's your name?" she asks, not seeing his face smile.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki. A pleasure to meet you, Ruby Rose." he says, watching as lightning flies down from the ship to his wall! With a growl, he pushes back from it, catching Ruby in his arms as he does so. With a small cry, Ruby looks as the wall is covered in tiny arcing lightning bolts. She breathes a sigh of relief, before looking up at the guy who caught her. She instantly blushes, not only because of his face, handsome as it is, but because of the way he's carrying her. He'd slung her over his shoulder, with her head hear his chest. He looks down at her, and smiles, his eyes closing.
"Don't worry, I've got you." he says, before looking up at the ship. With a small burst of Chakra, his eyes swirl into the Sharingan, allowing him to get a good look at the face of his opponent. She has glowing amber eyes, bordering on gold, with dark gray hair. Her face might be considered attractive by some, but he can see the hatred twisting her features into a revolting snarl. It also doesn't help that he can feel her malice roiling off of her like the Grimm he'd faced earlier. He watches as she flies away.
'Naruto, why didn't you stop her?!' Kurama roars, annoyed that someone bested his Jinchuriki.
'Because, Kurama' Naruto responds mentally, 'I still need to keep my head down. At the moment, all I've revealed are my Water Style Jutsu. I hope to keep it this way, for as long as I can.'
'...Good point. Keep up the good work.' Naruto is baffled, and nearly drops Ruby. He settles down on the ground, lowering her to her feet. She blushes, and hits his arm.
"Don't carry me like that! I'm not a kid!" Naruto flushes.
"Hey, I had a split second to catch you!" Naruto retorts.
"Well, next time just tell me to move!"
"Only when you can move faster than lightning!"
"Well, guess what water-boy I-" she's cut off by the blonde woman, who walks over to them.
"I need you both to come with me." she says sternly, frowning at them both.
"What? Whyyyyy?" Naruto whines, instinctually doing what he did when Tsunade got mad at him. Ruby, on the other hand, squealed.
"Ohhhh! You're a Huntress!" She gushed. "...can I have your autograph?" The Huntress glares at Ruby, and says something that causes both teens to pale.
"You're both coming with me to the Police Station! Now, follow!" she barks, leading them down to the street.
"Ah, crap." groans Naruto.
At the Police Station
'Well, crap.' Naruto thinks to himself as he actively ignores the blonde Huntress, while his compatriot next to him seems to be barely holding it together. 'So much for keeping my head down… on the bright side, this lady doesn't have any ill intent towards me, just annoyance.'
He glances over at Ruby. 'Although, she doesn't seem to realize this.' With that in mind, Naruto reaches over and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, channeling some of his Chakra into her to calm her.
Ruby's eyes widen slightly at the touch, before suddenly she feels calm, and not stressed at all. She looks over at her new friend, who just gives her an eye smile, just like Kakashi. She smiles back, reassured. The blonde Huntress, just noticing that they aren't paying attention, slams her riding crop on the table.
"Are you ignoring me?!" she says forcefully, glaring down at them as they wilt in fear.
'Aw crap, she really does remind me of Granny Tsunade!' Naruto thinks, sweat forming on his forehead. 'Hope she's not as… uncontrolled.'
'AHHHH! She's going to kill me!' Ruby screams in her head. Suddenly, the door behind the Huntress opens.
"Now now, Glynda, no need to be so forceful. I think this was all just a big misunderstanding." A voice comes from the shadows, slowly materializing into a man with small glasses and gray hair. Naruto looks at him in shock.
'He… looks just like Kakashi-Sensei…'
"Now, what were two young teens such as yourselves doing fighting criminals?" the man says, smiling as he sits down, placing a plate of cookies on the table before sipping his coffee.
"Well sir, ah, you see-" Ruby says, before Naruto interrupts her.
"I was going to find a place to stay for the night when I saw some guy break out a window. Like the Hero I am, I decided he needed to pay for the wanton destruction of the windows he so viciously attacked!" Naruto declared, standing proudly at the end with his hair blowing in a small breeze. The Gray Haired Man smiles and laughs.
"A hero? It's refreshing to see such innocence in the young… and you, Ruby Rose? What was a young girl like you doing wielding one of the most dangerous weapons ever invented in downtown Vale?" he smiles below the rim of his cup.
"Ohmph, muh unc co-" she answers, bits of cooky falling from her mouth. Naruto glances at the cookies, and with a shrug, takes one. His eyes widen.
'Good thing we didn't have these back home; it woulda been hard to stay a Shinobi with these around!' he thinks before grabbing a couple more.
The Man With Gray hair looks at Ruby dubiously. "Could you repeat that?" he asks, straining not to smile at the teens' obvious disregard for what he thinks of them.
"Ooom." Ruby swallows her cookies, "My Uncle Qrow taught me. Before he did I was terrible, but now I'm all WHOO WHAA WHAM" she proceeds to make various comical combat moves, which makes Naruto snicker. Ruby turns to him:
"Hey! Don't laugh at me! I'm a great fighter, and someday I'll be a great Huntress!"
The Man With Gray Hair intercedes:
"So you want to be a Huntress?" he asks, putting down his coffee.
"More than anything." Ruby replies, focused on him, Naruto forgotten.
"And you?" The Man With Gray Hair asks Naruto.
Naruto thinks about it. From what he can tell just from what he learned over the day, Huntsman occupy the same niche as Shinobi except they act more like Wandering Shinobi; they don't have an allegiance to any specific village. The more he thinks about it, the more-
"Aren't you already a Huntsman?" Ruby asks him, shock overcoming her features. Naruto shakes his head.
"No, I've never had a formal education, and never really thought about becoming a Huntsman." he replies. Ruby is stunned.
"But… you're so strong!" she cries, "Those things you made of water… and you're so fast! You're just as fast as my Uncle!"
Naruto smiles, and leans back in his chair, tilting it onto it's back legs.
"Ah, I've just trained a lot outside the city. Fought some Grimm, learned some moves…" he trails off, still not one hundred percent sure what he should say. The Man With Gray Hair leans forward.
"Do you know who I am?" he asks Naruto, curiously. Naruto shakes his head.
"Haven't the foggiest idea." Ruby stares at him in disbelief again.
"He's Professor Ozpin! He's the Headmaster at Beacon Academy!" she groans out, completely astonished at the level of ignorance Naruto was displaying.
"Huh. Never thought I'd meet you." Naruto says, his mind racing a mile a minute. 'OK… so on my first day I've fought a giant snake, and have met the equivalent of a Kage… so much for keeping my head down.'
Ozpin smiles at them both, before standing up, drawing their attention.
"Would you like to attend my school?" he asks them, smiling brightly. Both Naruto and Ruby are stunned, and Ruby immediately answers.
"More than anything." she says, eerily calm on the outside. On the inside… 'Oh my Gods! I'm being invited to Beacon! Deep breaths, stay calm Ruby! EEEE!'
Naruto thinks for a couple seconds. "What would we be expected to do? Beyond Huntsman duties?" he asks, sending Ozpin's face into a pleased look.
'Good, he's already asking important questions. He's displaying the qualities of a leader before he even knows what it means to be one…' Ozpin thinks to himself, before answering.
"You'd be expected to stay on campus in the dorms provided for your team, which is composed of four people. You'll stay for a number of years, usually four, until you pass the final exams. Once you do so, you'll be given your Hunter License, which allows you to take on Missions to hunt Grimm, for which you'd be paid, either privately or by the Kingdoms." he finishes, taking a sip of coffee.
Naruto thinks further, with Ruby looking at him like he's insane for not accepting on the spot.
'Honestly,' Naruto thinks, 'It would be really helpful. I'll be paid for something I'd try to do anyways, I'd have something to do, and best of all, somewhere to stay. The only thing is…'
Naruto looks up at Ozpin, "Are we paid for training missions, or have any source of income while at Beacon? Or do I still need to find a job while going to school?"
Ozpin is floored. "Well, normally parents pay for equipment and such…" Naruto winces, which Ozpin catches, before continuing. "However, the school has an allotment of supplies available for each student, sort of like a Dust Plan for while you attend. Also, we have a very nice cafeteria where we get fresh food every day." He smiles at Naruto, who's looking gobsmacked. Naruto's about to accept, when he has one last question.
"Does your 'cafeteria' have ramen?" he asks slowly. Ozpin thinks for a second.
"Well, we have catering services from Vale, where we get a portion of food in exchange for teaching Huntsmen… so we can have it delivered along with the other food if you want it…"
At that, Naruto's sold. 'Free ramen, free room and board, and learning about the world? Best first day ever!' Naruto rises, bowing to Ozpin.
"In that case I accept, Ozpin-Sensei." He says, bent at the waist. Ozpin is puzzled, but smiles.
"Not that I don't like the respect, and I think you've just won over Glynda" he glances at Glynda, who's looking at Naruto approvingly. "But you don't need to bow to me, or any other teachers. Also, what does… sen-say mean?" he asks, curious.
Naruto flushes. "Sensei means teacher, and by saying it I'm showing you the respect you deserve as a teacher of the new generation." he answers, raising up his head and looking at Ozpin, who's smiling happily.
"Well, it's rare we get such courteous students. You'll both be welcome at Beacon, and your scrolls should receive the enrollment forms soon." Naruto raises his hand up tentatively.
"Ah, Sensei? I don't have a scroll, I'm afraid mine was damaged some time ago by a Grimm, and I have yet to procure a replacement."
Ozpin looks at Naruto studiously, before smiling. "Don't worry, I'll have one for you when school opens. For the meantime, just arrive at Beacon a week from today, at 8:00 o'clock sharp. Initiation starts at 9:00 the next day, and you'll have all day to familiarize yourself with the rest of the students."
Naruto nods, and together with Ruby, leaves the Police Station and heads down the street.
Ruby looks nervous, before shaking her head and tapping Naruto on the shoulder. He turns, looking at her curiously.
"Yeah Ruby?" he asks.
"Well, you said you were looking for a place to stay… why don't you come stay at my place until enrollment? That way I'll have at least one friend going to Beacon with me…" she trails off, seeing his shocked face. "On the other hand," she rushes, "if you have other plans, I mean, you don't need to-" Naruto cuts her off.
"Sorry! Sorry, Ruby, it's just that I'm not used to people inviting me over… no one's ever actually invited me to their house before…" he trails off, remembering all the lonely days off spent playing cards with his Shadow Clones. He bows again.
"I would be honoured to accept your invitation." Ruby blushes, hitting his shoulder while looking away from him.
"Oh, stop it you! I'm just trying to be nice. We all need a place to stay, and maybe we can spar at my place! I saw your sweet Water Semblance, I can't wait to see more of it!"
Naruto smiles, before hinting: "Water isn't all my Semblance can do…" he tells her conspiratorially. Ruby is stunned.
"Ohhhhh, I can't wait!" she cries. "Also, what weapons do you use? Is it a Water Sword? A Water Whip? What?!" she ends intensely.
Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm afraid my weapons were all destroyed in my fight with… the Grimm."
Ruby is curious, "Weapons? As in plural?" Naruto nods, a bit confused.
"Well, yeah. I have kunai, which are little knives made of… Aura channeling metal: they can absorb my Semblance, which makes them stronger, and cut through more. I can throw them, and fight hand to hand with them. Although, if I'm being perfectly honest, I prefer my fists to my kunai."
Ruby's satisfied. "Oh, you're like Yang."
Naruto turns to her, curious. "Well, yeah, I guess, but aren't we all? And how do you know about that?"
Ruby stops, confused. "You know Yang?"
Naruto nods furiously. "Yeah, but I didn't know everyone knew about Yang Chakra… huh."
"Yang Chakra? What? I'm talking about my sister, Yang Xiao Long."
"Ohhh, that would explain it."
"What do you mean?"
"Yang means physical energy, while Yin means spiritual. When you said I was like Yang, I thought you were talking about my dominant energy type."
Ruby nods. "Oh. Well, what I meant was that my sister likes using her fists instead of weapons; although she doesn still have Ember Celica…"
Naruto smiles. "Yeah, I've always found hand to hand to be simpler than weapons, and honestly, I've found it works just as well." He laughs loudly.
Ruby smiles at him. "What is it?"
Naruto stops slowly, wheezing a bit before answering. "Oh, I just realized the answer to what weapon I used should have been simple." He turns, raising his arms. "I AM the weapon!" Ruby laughs uproariously at him as he totters, before lowering his arms and regaining his balance. She trails off, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Naruto?"
"Yeah Ruby"
"I think we're gonna be great friends."
