Chapter 16: And the Weeks Gone By
The weeks passed quickly enough. Naruto had more meetings with Kakashi and Obito, all of which ended… less than stellarly. They'd hit a minor roadblock: no matter which Seals they tried to use on Naruto (they'd even attempted the Flying Raijin, which failed spectacularly). They managed to bring a clone of Naruto through to the Shinobi World, by infusing Naruto with Obito's Chakra which still belonged to the Shinobi World. However, the clone popped a few minutes after landing, and the memories did not return to Naruto.
At first Naruto was disheartened by the lack of memories from his home Plane, but Kakashi reassured him that this was a good thing. It meant that the clone belonged to the Shinobi World, which meant that they were on the right track.
Ozpin had been a great help. After Naruto confronted him about the Vytal Festival preparedness, and telling Jaune that they'd be a great help against the Grimm, Ozpin had explained that he had to keep up appearances. He had to be seen treating Naruto like any other student, otherwise people would investigate into what made Naruto special. And that would open a can of worms Ozpin felt would be best left closed. Naruto honestly did agree with that assessment. Better for him to just disappear than to have everyone know he was trying to leave.
He'd spent every spare moment in the library researching the previous people who'd come to Remnant. There wasn't much on either of them, but he'd found an old document from the Kingdom of Mistral about Annatar. Purportedly, he'd found his answer in a genie lamp, according to the legends. Naruto was unsure. The source depicted it more as a Fairy Tale than factual happenings, but Ozpin had been amused when he brought the idea to him. He'd been a bit cagey about his answer, and Kurama had confirmed that Ozpin had been annoyed that Naruto had found that, which was straining their relationship. Naruto and the Tailed Beasts both still knew that Ozpin wanted them gone, for reasons they had yet to discover, although they no longer thought it was doing it out of kindness. In fact, they could sometimes feel fear from the man.
Team PAYN had quickly risen to the top of the class in pretty much every class, although Naruto didn't care much about it. He now had a couple of days off for something called a "long weekend", and was planning on going to Mistral to check their records. He'd already asked Ozpin for help, and although Ozpin had delayed (which was starting to get annoying) he'd finally gotten permission to stay at Haven Academy for two days. Then he'd fly back on the third day. If he was late, so be it. The classes honestly weren't helping him, and he'd taken to simply reading library files during Port's class, and forfeiting his matches in Goodwitch's before entering the ring. He was supposedly the worst student in Beacon's history, with a grand total of seven wins and over ninety losses (and all seven wins were from the first two weeks of class, when he'd thought the best way to go would be to win his match quickly then research). The problem with that strategy, he'd found, was that people challenged him all the time. So he started losing on purpose, then just forfeiting the match. Of course, Ruby, Blake and Ren knew he was faking, and he suspected most of the other students knew as well, but that didn't change that no one wanted to fight him anymore.
That was, except for Ruby who still challenged him every class, and when he forfeited she'd look like someone had kicked Zwei. The first few times he'd caved and dueled her outside of class, but after a while he was proud to say he'd developed an immunity to the Puppy Dog Eyes Jutsu (as he called it).
Finally, the only class worthwhile to him was History. He'd learned about many different places and things from Doctor Oobleck, and found that class gave him lots of research material in the library. However, he never did the assignments, and Oobleck was confused. He thought he'd found a great student of history, but aside from being able to answer any question posed to him (thanks to Shadow Clones and the Transformation Jutsu, Naruto and scoured nearly the entire library) Naruto was the worst student in his class, only passing due to his knowledge that he refused to demonstrate at all (hence, nearly at the bottom of the class).
All in all, he was doing well at Beacon. Hopefully with his mission to Mistral, he'd find out what the previous intruder to Remnant had done to escape (that wasn't a convoluted mess of riddles and Fairy Tales which he hated reading because it was awful to find out fact from myth!).
Ruby and Blake watched as Naruto boarded the airship that would take him to Mistral. He hadn't told them he was leaving for the long weekend, and that saddened Ruby, but didn't surprise Blake.
"Come on Ruby, you need to get it through your head that he just doesn't want to be here. Why else would he behave like this?" Blake said blithely, gesturing at the airship. Ruby sighed sadly.
"You don't get it Blake, he wasn't like this at all before Beacon! Before we came here he was funny, smart-ish, and cool to be around! He even taught me more how to fight!"
"Yeah, you've said so before, but I can't reconcile the person you're describing with him." Blake said, pity echoing through her voice. "He's supposed to be our leader, but he acts like we don't exist, and spends all his time working in the library or just gone! Why can't we go talk to Professor Ozpin about this yet?" she asked, annoyed.
Ruby shook her head stubbornly. "We aren't going to the Headmaster until we all agree."
Blake sighed, exasperated. "Both Ren and I are getting sick of this, Ruby. Naruto was OK at the beginning of the year, but over the past few weeks he's been getting more and more worked up. We haven't done anything as a team other than that weird movie night you made us do when he came back from the library!" she exclaimed, a small scowl on her face. "Face it, Ruby Rose, our leader doesn't deserve to be our leader, hell I don't know if he deserves to be at Beacon!"
Ruby looked annoyed, but her look transitioned to a look of defeat. "O-OK, Blake. When he gets back we'll have a conversation with him about it, one he can't avoid. Then, if he keeps behaving like this…" she trailed off, looking sadly after the airship as it cleared the clouds. "Then we'll talk to Professor Ozpin." she ended whispering, and praying that Naruto would stop being weird when he got back. He didn't have much time left before the team broke away from him for good.
Naruto closed his eyes and sat with his legs crossed on the airship, contemplating a Seal. He'd been working with Obito on a Summoning Seal, and they were trying to find out if they could potentially create a Summoning Contract with him to bring him home. The only problem was that the current living summons had no idea how the Contracts were created, only the Great Toad Elder could know, and he was… difficult to get around.
Obito had said they could maybe try a variant of the Reanimation Jutsu to summon Naruto's soul, but Naruto didn't want to try that. However, he'd had the pleasure of speaking with Fukasaku, who'd said the Toads would scour the libraries of Mount Myoboku, and hopefully find out how their contract was created. Kakashi had joked about summoning the Gedo Statue and having it swallow Naruto, and then Summon it back to the Shinobi World. The Toads, for some ungodly reason, had taken his suggestion seriously, and had Gamatatsu swallow Naruto before being summoned back.
It was horrible. Naruto was absolutely disgusted by it, and it had taken some explaining to Ruby, Ren and Blake why he'd come back to the dorms covered in slime.
His eyes opened as his pencil scraped across the paper, creating a variation in the Summoning Contract he held. This was a copy he'd drawn up of their latest attempt in the Kamui Dimension. Something to keep him working on the trip to Mistral (it turned out that the journey was far faster by airship than by foot, it would take just over a day to get there).
Naruto opened his eyes groggily, blinking away the sleep. Checking his scroll, he saw that he'd been asleep for nearly five hours. That meant he had just under two before he'd arrive at the City of Mistral, where he could go to Haven for their library and archives.
Stretching his arms above his head with a yawn, he glanced at his scroll again.
'I really don't have anything to do…' he mused, contemplating. 'What do you think I should do, guys?'
"Well, how about we practice your sand manipulation?" Shukaku suggested, "You haven't tried it since Patch!" he whined.
"No no, how about we try practicing Enlightened Sage Mode!" Gyuki offered.
"I agree with Gyuki!" Matatabi purred. "We should see if you've attained any enlightenment!" The other Tailed Beasts cried out their own suggestions. Chomei and Kurama agreed with Gyuki, while the others wanted to practice their own Jutsu.
"Enough!" Son Goku roared, silencing the clamour. "How could he have achieved enlightenment?! He's been holing himself in the library for his entire time here!"
'Son, I need to! I need to find a way home, a way back to-' Son Goku cut him off with a growl.
"Brat, you've been tearing yourself apart! You barely sleep, you hardly eat, and you're nearly failing all your classes, and you ARE failing Combat Class! How are you failing the ONE class you should be the best in the WORLD AT?!" he finished with a howl, the other Beasts cowed into silence by his fit of rage.
'Son. I'm fine. I'm so close to getting home, and the classes don't really matter anyways.'
"Kid, I've been avoiding saying this for the past few weeks because nobody else seemed to care, but I'm done skirting around the bush. You're your team's leader. You need to act like it!" Son growled angrily. "I'm the Monkey King of Suirendo, if there's one thing I know more than anyone else here it's responsibility. You need to stop pushing them away and start working with them! If you don't… then I'll leave." he delivered his ultimatum, and the rest of the Tailed Beasts cried out in shock.
"You can't mean that, Son! Where would you go, how would you get home?!" shrieked Matatabi, her yowls of shock permeating the mindscape.
"Monkey, how can you say you're gonna leave?!" Kurama snarled menacingly. "We agreed to stay with Naruto!"
Son Goku remained silent, waiting for Naruto to respond. After a few minutes of tense waiting and the occasional growl from the other Tailed Beasts, Naruto eventually gave his answer.
'Son, I don't want you to leave. But I need to do this!' he said mentally.
"Naruto, I'm sorry, but I don't really want to leave." Son said sadly. The rest of the Tailed Beasts recoiled in shock.
"What do you mean you damn monkey?!" whined Shukaku, "Why wouldn't you want to go back?"
Son Goky took time to formulate his answer. "I know that the rest of you are loners, and don't especially enjoy the company of humans or animals, but I'm the king of the Monkeys! I've lived with the Monkey Summons for over two thousand years!"
'What does that have to do with staying here?! It would seem you'd have more reason than the rest of us to go home!' Naruto cried out.
"I've been imprisoned by the Hidden Stone for the past century, kid. I would like to go back to Suirendo, but honestly, I think the odds are good that the Shinobi World will continue to treat us Tailed Beasts unkindly. Here, we can do some good. Imagine how the people of Remnant would treat us if we defended them from the Grimm! We could help humans expand their homes, and finally fulfill the task that Father set out for us." Son explained, his impassioned and hopeful speech quelling the voices of his brethren.
Kurama scoffed, finding Son's thought ridiculous. "Monkey, these people would treat us the exact same way! They're human, and that means that they're always searching for power."
'I would protect you guys!' Naruto maintained stubbornly. 'We can go home!'
"...very well, kid. I'll respect your decision for now, but you're treading on thin ice." Son Goku warned, ignoring Kurama's ridicule.
Naruto nodded mentally, before the automated airship voice called out a warning.
"Warning: Grimm Detected. Warning: Grimm Detected." it droned, with the other passengers looking nervous.
"Mommy, t-the Grimm!" a little girl cried out to her mother, who held her comfortingly.
"Don't worry, don't worry! We have a Huntress on board, we'll be fine." the mother cooed, comforting her daughter while the rest of the passengers eased up, reassured that there was a Huntress.
Naruto glanced at the Huntress, who was walking to the back of the ship. She turned when she reached the back, and smiled at the passengers.
"Don't worry, everyone! I trained at Haven, I can handle this. We just need to activate the turret supports!" she reassured, flipping out her scroll and tapping a few times.
Naruto watched the windows get covered by metal plating, and heard the whirring of gears as the turrets popped out of the outside of the ship. He closed his eyes, and entered Sage Mode.
'Hmmm… there are over thirty people ahead on the sides of the mountains…' he noted, curious. 'Maybe they're support for airships? Or maybe bandits?' he thought cynically, frowning. 'Either way, they can't be allowed to delay us.'
With a quick Sealless Shadow Clone Jutsu, he had his clone poof into existence under the airship, and used Chakra to stick to the bottom. As they neared the people, his clone popped, showing him that the people ahead were Mistralien Guards on towers positioned on the sides of the mountains.
'Looks like they're ready for air assaults from the Grimm as well.' he noted, noticing the airship flying evenly in between the mountains, the Mistralien Guards firing their weapons at the Grimm. The Huntress smiled at the passengers, happy with the work she'd done.
"Alright everyone! We've made it to Mistral!" she called out joyfully, with all the passengers cheering.
As Naruto disembarked, he was stunned at the Kingdom of Mistral. It was beautiful, and the bright green swept across the landscape, which was mountainous and dotted with white buildings in a style reminiscent of his home, and the old traditional buildings there.
"Well, here we are. Next stop is Haven… which I bet is at the top of the mountain." he intoned happily, looking up the mountainous peaks to the towering building above Mistral.
"Well, no time like the present to go there. Just gotta deliver this letter to the Headmaster from Ozpin, then I'll be set."
With that, he started walking up the winding stone stairways leading to the peak. He closed his eyes, breathing in nature and entering Sage Mode again. He could feel the incredible natural energy permeating the city, and the smells!
Oh, the smells! He could smell freshly fallen rain, and wet grass! The waterfalls arching from above him and plunging dowards were so vibrantly blue, and he could hear the water thundering into the abyss.
'I could get used to this place…' he couldn't help thinking. 'Maybe I'll see about making a place like this back home… create my own Hidden Village…' he mused, imagining it. 'Nah, I still gotta be Hokage! I'll leave this to the imagination. Maybe have Captain Yamato make some waterfalls around the Leaf...'
As he cleared the tunnel leading to Haven's plaza, he could see students milling around in their uniforms. He honestly preferred Haven to Beacon, if only for the lack of advanced technology in sight. It would be easier to navigate (even though he'd researched quite thoroughly during his stay at Beacon). Walking to the front door, Naruto was impressed by the decor, and how the white and gold merged together.
'Maybe I could ask for gold highlights on my Hokage cloak…' Naruto thought, sliding through the door past the students.
In his opinion, while he detested the Beacon Academy uniform, he found the Haven uniform to be a little… bland. It was a simple black coat over a white shirt and black pants, with a white band encircling the left bicep. It had gray trim, but he found it too grim and dour.
As he entered the foyer, he could see a teacher leaning against the stairs leading to the balcony atop a statue. As his eyes glanced over the statue, they narrowed.
'That statue looks like a genie from the legends… coincidence?'
"Most likely not, Naruto. Perhaps we should ask the Headmaster what significance the statue holds." Kokuo suggested, "But don't reveal all our secrets. That was a mistake with Ozpin. He's been hiding more and more recently."
Naruto agreed, and made his way past the students to the teacher, who looked up at him as he approached, glancing over his outfit with a frown.
"Young man, you should know to wear your uniform when you're in the Academy. It would not do for you to forget this again, Mr. Wukong."
Naruto blinked. "Sorry, who?" he asked as he got closer. The teacher squinted at him, before putting on a pair of glasses.
"Oh, my apologies! You must be the student from Beacon!" the teacher apologized, slipping their scroll back into his pocket. "I mistook you for one of our other students who forgets the mandatory dress code we have in place. My apologies."
Naruto waved them off. "Oh, it's no problem! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and you're right, I'm here from Beacon."
The teacher nodded slowly. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Uzumaki. My name is Philip Pendragon, but you may call me Professor Pendragon." Professor Pendragon glanced him over once more. "Did you not bring your weapon with you, Mr. Uzumaki?"
"Ah, I left it at Beacon. I wasn't expecting any fights, and thought it would make a reasonable excuse if anyone wanted to fight me." Naruto explained, hiding the fact that his Gunbai was sealed on his arm. Truthfully, he'd used it sparingly, and only to win his fights in Goodwitch's class by blowing his opponents out of the ring. He had yet to practice with it, due to his research.
"Ah, a reasonable action, although I must warn against wandering the lower levels of Mistral without one." Professor Pendragon warned.
"I'll take your advice." Naruto promised, knowing that he had no intention of wandering around Mistral.
Professor Pendragon nodded once, shortly. "Very well, I'll take you to Lionheart." he said, leading Naruto up the stairs. "He's been expecting you, and would like to know why you're here so close to the Vytal Festival." he probed, curious.
Naruto smiled at him disarmingly. "I'm doing some historical research for my history class, and-" Professor Pendragon cut him off.
"And you have Oobleck teaching that subject." he said with finality, a hint of a smile on his face. Naruto cocked an eyebrow.
"You've heard of him?" Naruto asked.
Professor Pendragon laughed quietly. "He's somewhat renowned in the Academies for his… teaching style." he said, amused.
Naruto snorted. "He's really knowledgeable, and doesn't waste time. He's actually really good at what he does." he defended.
Professor Pendragon nodded. "Oh, he is. It's just that the number of students who FAIL his class are more in number than those who pass."
Naruto shrugged. "I guess that tells you more about the students than the teacher." he said brazenly.
Professor Pendragon looked at him curiously. "But if you're here I would assume that you're doing well in his class?"
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, I'm doing all right."
Professor Pendragon nodded. "Well, if you need any help with your project, you can stop by my room anytime, except during the night!" he joked. Naruto nodded seriously.
"I might take you up on that." Naruto accepted. Professor Pendragon nodded at him, before turning to a door.
"Well, this is Professor Lionheart's office." he knocked on the door, and Naruto heard a muffled voice call out to them.
"O-oh! Be right there!"
After a series of bumps and thumps from the other side of the door, it's opened by a man with a gray beard and hair, who looks at Naruto and Professor Pendragon cautiously.
"Yes? What do you need Professor Pendragon? Has another student been caught without their uniform?!" he said warmly. Professor Pendragon shook his head with a laugh.
"Leo, this is Naruto Uzumaki, he's the student from Beacon." he explained, and Professor Lionheart's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Oh yes! Ozpin said you'd be coming by! Please, come in come in!" he ushered Naruto in, before turning to Professor Pendragon. "Would you like to join us Philip?" he offered.
Professor Pendragon shook his head. "While I would enjoy speaking with Mr. Uzumaki, I'm afraid that I have papers to grade." he shuddered in fear. "You know how it is, Leo. I fear that I may once again be subjected to the horrors of… ignorance." Professor Lionheart laughed, shaking his head in exasperation.
"Come now, Philip! It's not that bad!"
"Maybe not for you who's had the plush position of Headmaster for the past twenty years! When was the last time you graded papers?" Professor Pendragon mocked genially. Professor Lionheart sighed.
"Too long my friend, too long." he sighed regretfully. "I wish I'd never accepted this position." he admitted, shaking his head. "It puts me in a poor place." he ruffled his head, shaking out the cobwebs. "But I've been remiss! Have a good day, Philip, and please send me some of those papers if you feel overworked! I could use some relaxation!" he said gregariously. Professor Pendragon nodded. "Of course, Leo. Please use some tact now, I suspect young Mr. Uzumaki is here for reconnaissance for the Vytal Festival along with his history project." he confided. Professor Lionheart nodded, serious.
"Don't worry. I won't tell him anything about the team composition." he promised, bidding Professor Pendragon farewell as he left.
Naruto looked around the office as Professor Pendragon and the Headmaster continued to talk at the door. Once more, he found Ozpin's office more impressive, but Lionheart's to be more comfortable. He preferred it, to be honest. He could see books lining some shelves that looped around the half-circular room, over the windows that were lit with a dull orange and gold glow. There were also two large bookshelves flanking the front door, which was at the edge of a smaller semi-circle adjoined to the larger office area.
He heard the door click shut behind him, and could sense Professor Lionheart moving around him.
"Yes, you're Mr. Uzumaki!" he greeted jovially, "Ozpin said you'd be here this weekend! I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised that you came directly to our Academy instead of wandering Mistral!"
Naruto nodded. That WAS something Team PAYN would do. "Well, I really want to start my research as fast as possible." he said by way of explanation. Professor Lionheart nodded, sitting down behind his desk in a comfortable looking padded chair, with a green greatcoat slung over the backrest.
"I see. I must say it is rewarding to see such dedication in one so young." Professor Lionheart said, leaning back in his chair.
Naruto bowed. "Thank you, sir." he said, disguising his impatience with formality.
Professor Lionheart hummed and took out his scroll, the black exterior a stark contrast from the other scrolls Naruto had seen thus far. "Well, from the message Ozpin sent me…" he frowned at the scroll, "You are here to research a… minor Fairy Tale. Would you mind telling me which one it is? Ozpin has been… less than liberal with the details."
Naruto shrugged. "I'm looking into the historical and cultural impact of genies." he said, hiding the precise details of his goal behind a fairly normal request (at least he thought).
Professor Lionheart's eyes narrowed at him. "You're looking for genies, young man?" he said, his voice not losing it's jovial timber.
"Naruto, his suspicion just spiked… he knows something about genies, something he wants to hide." Kurama provided from his mindscape. Naruto nodded. Even without Kurama contributing, he'd been able to see Professor Lionheart tense up at the mention of a genie.
"Yeah, I was doing some research for Doctor Oobleck and came across a reference to a genie. When I asked him, Oobleck said to go to Mistral if I didn't find anything in Beacon's library." he fibbed. Technically, Oobleck hadn't told him to go to Mistral, that's just where the tale had taken place.
"Hmmm. I'm not sure where to begin, young man." Professor Lionheart said, easing in his seat. "But I digress! Would you like to stay on campus for your stay here at Haven, or in the city?"
Naruto didn't need to think. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay at Haven. Could I also get directions to the library?" he inquired. Professor Lionheart nodded.
"Of course! I'll also tune your scroll into the school's system so you can enter the library and your room." with a few short taps on his own scroll, Naruto was given access to the given areas. "If you ever need any help, don't hesitate to ask." Professor Lionheart offered warmly, most of his tension gone.
Naruto's eyes glinted as he looked at Professor Lionheart. "Actually, I was hoping you could explain the statue in the front hall to me."
Professor Lionheart paled, looking at Naruto with concern. "You mean Ozpin didn't?... that is to say, it's just a statue. I believe the creator of Haven wanted it there, although why I could not say." he filibustered, providing no new information.
Naruto nodded slowly. "And the founder was the King of Vale, who's been dead for over forty years…" Professor Lionheart agreed hurriedly.
"Yes yes, he's been dead for quite some time now. So I'm afraid I can't help you with this… however, Professor Ozpin might know, since at one time he… met the King of Vale." he provided. Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
"He never mentioned that… thank you for your help, sir."
Professor Lionheart nodded solemnly. "If you ever need any help, or feel like Ozpin is…" he trailed off, unsure, before continuing. "Well, know that you always have other options young man. I'll be here in case you ever need someone to speak with."
Naruto nodded, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks, sir."
"Alright, you may go. Your room is room eight, on the east wing." Professor Lionheart dismissed him, swiveling his chair to look out the windows. Naruto turned and walked out the door, shutting it with a light click behind him.
"Did you feel it, Naruto?" Kurama asked, his voice low.
'Yeah, I did.' Naruto replied, frowning.
"Regret, guilt, shame and fear. He stank of it… and not from talking about the genie." Kurama growled. "I also sensed great negativity coming from somewhere adjacent to his room… it felt like a Grimm, but different."
Naruto nodded absently. 'I felt it too. There was a… thing, something dark in the wall. Something evil was there, something with a presence similar to Black Zetsu… we should be wary.'
"Agreed."
Naruto spent over eight hours of the remaining day in the library, and during that time he'd discovered two things: Haven's library was even more poorly organized than Beacon's, and the students were far more entitled and arrogant. He'd had to displace himself more than three times to avoid confrontations, and was beginning to get sick of it.
...he'd also learnt a little bit about genies. Mostly it was information he'd found in Vale, but reading some older books and stories that were not uploaded to the CCTNET had revealed SOME information that he'd not been privy to. For instance, he'd uncovered the name of the genie Annatar supposedly communed with: Jinn. He'd learnt nothing else, so he'd decided to ask Professor Lionheart if he knew the name Jinn. Chances were he didn't, but if he did it would be worth checking out. And besides, even if Professor Lionheart lied about knowing about it, it could still reveal a path he had yet to see.
Naruto meandered the halls, grumbling obscenities under his breath. The Headmaster had been occupied with important matters: apparently one of the students had gone off to Vale without his team and Lionheart needed to track him down.
'Seriously, what is it with these people and just doing what they want?!' Naruto thought crossly.
"Look who's talking, brat." Kurama hummed from his mind above the drone of conversation that constantly pervaded his head.
'Whadd'ya mean?' Naruto shot back.
"You were always whining and bitching to the Hokage, whoever it was, about your mission and wanting a better one! You were the embodiment of entitled!" Kurama pointed out.
'T-that's not true!' Naruto fumed, 'I never acted out like that!'
"Yes you did…" Kurama said condescendingly, "And you were a helluva lot worse than most of the brats I've seen here." he finished nailing the coffin, and Naruto hung his head in shame.
'Fine… I might as well ask Professor Pendragon if he knows anything… he said to come by.' he rationalized, trying to divert the conversation away from his previous ineptitude. 'A good thing I spent so long in Timeless Space… imagining what I would've done if I'd immediately popped into a new world after falling… damn, it's a good thing I didn't.'
"Yeah. You've matured quite a bit since our battles with the Uchiha." Gyuki praised. "Now, let's go see that Professor Pendragon. He must know something about the statue and perhaps this 'Jinn' we're investigating."
Naruto nodded, and with a quick application of Sage Mode, sensed where Professor Pendragon was located. Stalking from the library, he made his way to where he detected the Professor.
Professor Lionheart cupped his forehead in his palm as he sat at his desk. With a groan, he contemplated again coming forward to Ozpin, and throwing himself at his feet. But he feared that it was too late.
Salem had ordered him to tell her about any potential threats to the Relic. Now that Ozpin had sent young Naruto to Haven, with a project obviously about the Relics, it was a clear sign Ozpin was bringing another child into his war. Unfortunately for the poor boy, he'd been ordered by Salem to provide her with the profiles of anyone of note; and by bringing Uzumaki into the war, Ozpin had done just that to him.
He slipped into a secret room in his office, the clanking of machinery showing the age behind the room. He wavered down the candlelit hall, the ancient stonework lit with their soft glow. One could almost forget the monster lurking at the end, he thought cynically to himself as he neared the room. Emerging from the tunnel, he looked at the once private sanctum turned to sinful meeting room, and the Seer levitating in the center of the room, sickening pops and the smell of death emanating from it's horrific bulb.
"M-my Lady?" he said, his voice wavering with uncertainty and fear. He waited for a few seconds before a voice responded. The voice had a particular texture to it, slimy and oily. It reminded him quite frankly of honey, but filled with decay and rot instead of sweetness.
"Yes, Leonardo." the voice acknowledged him, scorn and annoyance evidently hidden behind a thin veneer of concern.
"I have something to r-report." the cowardly lion whimpered. The voice answered him, disdain seeping through it like a mudslide.
"What do you have to report, Leonardo."
"O-Ozpin sent a student to Haven from Beacon. The student is researching…" he trailed off, before continuing quickly as one of the barbed tentacles raised itself to threaten him, "He's researching the Relic!" he blurted, cowering. After a few moments of silence, he looked at the Seer, which was completely still.
"M-m-my Lady? Are you still there?" he stammered.
"So, dear Ozpin seeks to bring a new piece onto the board." she mused aloud breaking the silence, dark amusement tainting her voice. "Tell me Leo, what do you think of this student?"
He gulped audibly, before telling her all he knew.
All he knew.
AN:
Well, that was that. I'm not very happy with the chapter tbh, but it's a nice change. Naruto's sniffing about the Relics! Is Ozpin trying to bring him into the fold, or scare him away? Is Kurama being far too arrogant in his power? These are questions that I'll answer before this arc is done!
Wanna say thanks to people for their constructive criticism, I'm trying my best here (that's a lie, I'm really busy right now and am just doing this for an hour or so in my free time).
Onto other matters! I had some questions sent to me about Jaune during his training… Yeah, I won't be covering what happened during that period, I just don't feel like it, but if someone WANTS to write about Ozpin training Jaune, with Athos helping out feel free to! I know one person did…
Another thing! I know that as a writer I can't be seen 'running out of ideas', but please feel free to bounce ideas at me for how Naruto can get home. I'm running on my creative fumes over here! (I was thinking about something involving Raven's Semblance, but I'm not sure about it).
Some complaints about Jaune being named Team Leader instead of Pyrrha… Yeah, I can see where you wouldn't like that. It kinda diminishes her arc by having that happen. But I felt it was in keeping with her character to want to be equal with her team, not above them. If anyone feels like it was blundered through, I'm sorry and you're right. Maybe I'll rewrite this whole thing someday in a couple years and it'll be way better.
darkangelflame asked a very good question! My answer?
To tell you the truth I didn't forget about it. I just haven't gotten around to explaining the solution yet (but they'll have one).
How many people honestly know who Annatar is? Believe me when I say that you'll need to know to understand Ozpin's reservations about Naruto. IF you don't want to research, I can tell you in a PM, or if enough people ask, I can put it in an AN at the beginning of my next chapter.
Final point before I leave; I'm not going to be putting characters from RVB in this. I feel like they're a bit played out, and want to try something unique. So far I hope that the few characters I've shoved in have been well integrated, but you never know.
This is Pad signing off to go listen to Rick Astley's Album "50" again!
