Chapter 22: The Art of Valiance

Ozpin leaned back into his seat, cane waving languidly above him as he traced images into the air, shining lines of Aura left in it's wake.

"Now, let's see… Oswald the Greater was arguably one of the most boring Kings of Vale in all of history. He spent most of his reign preparing his successor, and preparing the Kingdom for any problem that may befall it. After nearly forty years, his Steward slew him in an assasination attempt, at the same time attempting to take control of Vale. Oswald's Semblance, in case you were wondering, was the ability to weave defenses by singing. Rather hilarious, to be sure, but he was once recorded 'singing a song of staying', as it was described. Historians have debated it's true effect for years uncounted; Oobleck believes that the Semblance was simply powered through chanting, and the effect was the creation of energy-like walls.

"Of course, the true effect was less easily described. It was an ability that enhanced the abilities of his companions, enabling greater prowess so long as they could hear him. Those who heard his song would gain abilities and powers supporting what cause he sang of: when he sang of staying, the Knights of Vale were said to be immovable. When he sang a song of slaying, it was said they could fell even the mightiest of beasts." Ozpin spoke with a twinkle in his eye.

"Did his power work through speeches as well, or only through song?" Naruto asked, curious.

"It worked through spoken words with rhythm… from what I know." Ozpin answered breezily. "Poetry, delivered with rhythm, would work, if it was songlike. Anyways, he was one of the least active Kings of old, and spent most of his power and life on the benefacting of his people, building schools, parks and increasing the height of the walls. Using his Semblance he roused artisans to greater feats of craft, and Vale ushered in an age of improvement; it was around that time that people began making showers and bathing regularly as well, as flowing water was enabled throughout the city.

"The Steward, however, preferred a more tyrannical leadership. Whether he was controlled by his Ring or not I cannot say, but he slew Oswald during a talent show, hosted by the Assorted Smiths of Vale, who had just begun Dust Forging.

"The Ring of Light that Steward bore hid the rot of his soul from the rest of the world, and during the combat Oswald managed to cleave the Ring from the Steward's finger (by, in fact, taking his arm at the shoulder). The horrific blackness of his soul, the utter malevolence and fury that was revealed upon that act stunned Oswald, and the illusion of the peaceful old man that was his Steward was shattered. Literally. Where once a man of normal stature and visage had stood now rested a being twisted by evil, his eyes red pits as though he were a Grimm… hunched like a Beowolf, his skin criss-crossed with putrid and rank Grimm flesh… and fur, brimming from patches through his raiments… he was a beast. And in that moment, he struck down the King, who, in his last moments, sang his last song. A Song of Banishing. He banished the Steward from this realm, and sent him tumbling into the Void of Obscurity."

Naruto widened his eyes. "He sent him into Timeless Space? The Void between worlds?"

Ozpin shook his head quickly. "Oh no no, no, that would have been a powerful ability, but I'm afraid that the King did something far less useful and much more petty. He simply banished the identity of the Steward. He has no name, no thought, no history. Hencely he was known only as the Steward, and his name has been banished from the annals of history, and his soul from death. His Aura was sent from his body… reducing him to only a Grimm. A strong one, but a single armed Grimm with no thought, stuck in the middle of Vale."

A vicious smile covered Ozpin's face. "The Knights dealt with him quickly."

Naruto whistled. "He had the power to take away Aura? That might be the most powerful ability I've heard of yet; from Remnant, and for Huntsmen I mean." he explained.

Ozpin nodded. "Sadly useless against any but other humans who use Aura to fight, otherwise he would have used the ability more effectively.

"The Knights slew the Steward, or what remained of the deranged beast, and once the body had wilted away, found only the corpse of the King, and a Ring, glowing softly, a gem of sapphire set in an silver band, surrounded by runes in a script none could recognize.

The Field Knight, Sir Ingrod, took the Ring. He was Commander of the Field, and the Marshal of Oswald's ordinary forces, infantry and cavalry. He was not in command of the Knights, however. He also took command of the navy after Oswald's demise, although the successor to Oswald himself was already chosen, and nothing he did could circumvent that without directly opposing the will of Oswald, and the Knights. And so he bided his time, lying in wait just as the Steward had done before."

Ozpin sighed, rising to his feet, cane tip falling to the floor. He turned, and gazed out the window.

"The rest of the story takes place in the hands of the next King after Oswald's successor, before he became King. His name was Osric, a simple militiaman who lived in the outskirts of Vale. He gathered what resources he had, and set out to what would become Mistral, knowing the tales of the Rings borne by the rulers there, and he fervently desired to end the warfare that raged across the land, and to take those Rings back to Vale."

Ozpin raised his hand to stall Naruto's interruption. "You must remember that at this time, Osric had no idea that the Rings made the bearer fall to evil. He simply thought they gave powers."

Naruto shook his head. "That wasn't what I was going to ask about; I wanted to know how Osric even knew about them, or why he set out to take them."

Ozpin flinched slightly. "That is a detail I'd like to keep to myself, if you don't mind." he apologized. Naruto shrugged.

"So long as you explain it at some point."

"And so Osric set out for Anima," Ozpin continued as though the interruption had not taken place, "It took him over eight months to make his way from the Valean outskirts to the northern shore of Anima; he crossed the sea by trading his services by hunting Grimm. The villages he helped took to calling him the Huntsman… it's actually from him that we took inspiration for the name in fact.

"He grew in strength as he journeyed, and garbed in a shirt of chain and with a sword bloodied on Grimm and human alike, he alighted on the shores of Anima. He disembarked, and set south, hunting the tales of the Fiendking, who was said to wash his enemies in demonic fire. Along his journey he slew many Grimm and bandits, and the natives of Anima honoured him with another title, the Sojourner. It took him a year to make his way south, increasing in skill and talent as he did so. Many villages rewarded him with the best goods they could offer him, such as a new sword, untested in battle yet strong, gilded armour of leather and banded mail, a horn to announce his coming, and a crown, which was said to have been left there over two hundred years previously by a King in Anima.

"He set out south, and on his journey he came across disturbing rumours of a man shrouded in a cloak of midnight black, hooded and cowled, face unseen. The only facet of pure untarnished truth that everyone could tell him was that this was no man, it must have been a Grimm garbed in vestments of darkness, for it wielded a sword of rusted and jagged iron, clenched in a gauntleted fist of steel, as claws. And on that hand lay a ring of iron, with a glowing red jewel. It was not hard for Osric to recognize the description; hardly any citizen of Vale had not heard of the Shadows that had plagued the Kingdom those centuries ago.

"And so he had a new task. Vengeance, and the destruction of one of those ten fallen Knights of Vale. And if one remained, then assuredly the rest did as well. Two hundred years after their passing from the eye of the world, how much could these ten have done? It was not acceptable; they had to be sought out, and destroyed. So he steeled his heart, and left the hunt for the Fiendking, knowing full well the death that the King would unleash unless slain. He began hunting the Shadow."

"So this Shadow was one of the Knights?" Naruto inquired.

"Indeed he was; over three hundred years old by this point, and stronger than when he battled Ozias. As most creatures and people of power, he was given a title, the Devastation of Druiwith, the Kingdom he had been waylaying for over a hundred years. After much hunting and rumour-chasing, Osric found the information he sought: the Shadow was known to come down from a mountain just outside the Kingdom. He rode a Grimm steed with wings, capable of bearing him quickly from place to place, much like a dragon. It was a Wyvern Grimm, and somehow the foul Shadow had taken control of it.

"One ability of the Wyvern," Ozpin continued, "Is that it exudes a black, oily substance that creates many weaker Grimm when it impacts the ground. The Grimm that leave the oozing muck depend on where the Wyvern is found. In Anima, the Wyvern tended to drop Lancers and Horse Grimm, as well as the odd Geist if you were particularly unfortunate."

Naruto remained silent. 'I really should have paid more attention in Port's classes… I have no idea what these are.'

"And Osric, upon hearing of this beast and it's rider, set a trap. He purchased half a dozen wagons, and filled them with empty crates. Telling the local King his plan, he was offered a dozen guardsmen, who disguised themselves as farmers. They set out along a road, weapons hidden beneath blankets and armour beneath large cloaks, since they waited for a miserable rainy day. This was all part of their plan to induce as much negativity as possible.

"Then, they triggered the trap. A horde of bandits descended upon them, desirous of the contents of the wagons. Osric and the guardsmen allotted to him slew the bandits, but drew it out, taking them out slowly and surely, increasing their fear and optimizing the horrific nightmare that the gloom and rain had already brought.

"And it drew out the Wyvern. Even under the control of a Shadow, they still are drawn to negativity. For over an hour did the guardsmen fight against lesser Grimm, waiting for the Wyvern to show it's snout. Once the tell-tale sound of wings thundered through the forest, did Osric instruct the soldiers to retreat.

"None of them would. In those days of preparation, and that hour of fighting, the soldiers had come to respect Osric, and though they were certainly no Knights of Vale, they were without a doubt valiant nonetheless. They took a stand, spears gleaming in the rain, and with a wave of his hand Osric blasted away the rain, clearing the forest with a thunderous boom!

"He revealed the Wyvern gliding towards them, it's mouth gaping as it shrieked it's challenge. From that distance they couldn't tell if it's rider was with it, but that did not matter. They had a dragon to slay, and they would see it done.

"Of course, the view was short lived. The rain quickly fell again, concealing the beast from sight. However, in that moment of clarity the warriors of Druiwith had seen their foe, and their resolve had quickened. They bore grins of savagery that day, a vicious glee to finally end the threat to their homes, even if it cost them their lives. Osric instructed them, and they prepared. The beast had been roughly forty-five seconds away from them, if it desired to fly overhead. They took out their bows, arrows tipped with Dust.

"They waited, and forty seconds later Osric swung his sword down, splitting the rain for a brief moment, revealing the beast! They loosed, sending their arrows soaring into the beasts underbelly; lightning, fire, ice and even a strange purple glow that would later be known as Gravity Dust struck the beast, rocking it in the air!

"However, even the strongest of attacks can fail to fell a steed. The arrows did little more than irritate the beast, knocking it off course enough to reveal the black-cloaked figure mounted atop it's spiny backside. Osric took this opportunity, slicing his sword again through the air, the force rending the streaming cloak's hem, and slashing into the beast's back. It's blood spilt then, dribbling onto the ground.

"And then came the Grimm, risen from the tar-like pools from the Wyvern. And then soldiers fought them as Osric did battle with the Wyvern, his sword a gleaming shaft of lightning, striking though the rain and wind, bringing a hurricane with each swing!"

Naruto was awed. "This sounds more like a battle from my home than from Remnant! What kind of man was this Osric, to be able to blast away rain and wind with only a swing of his sword?"

Ozpin smirked. "A wizard."

"Please, I've seen enough people to know how Semblances work! What was his, wind control? The ability to create shockwaves? C'mon!"

"I'll tell you when the story is over." Ozpin promised. "The soldiers of Druiwith eventually fell to the the hordes of Grimm leering from the woods, and Osric knew that he had to stop holding back. Eyes flashing, he leapt into the air, wind wrapping around him like a cloak as he slung great lances of fire and ice at the Wyvern, overturning earth with shattering quakes and uprooting trees! He blasted great beams of power at the Wyvern, and before long he smote it from the sky, bringing it down to the ground. In moments he slew all the Grimm below, and saw the Shadow emerge from the black confines of the Wyvern's wings. Alighting on the ground, Osric drew his sword once more, willing to do battle with the Shadow until it lay dead on the ground. The Shadow stood, and turned and faced him. Neither said a word, and with a start, the Shadow was suddenly behind him. Osric turned, sword flashing with a green nimbus of energy, smiting the jagged sword fashioned of stone that fell from above. It would not budge, and held firm. Within moments, Osric saw his sword begin to crack, and with a leap, kicked the arm of the Shadow, to no effect. His strength waning, his power faltering, his knees buckling, Osric knew what he had to do.

"He raised his fist, shattering his own sword. In that moment of perfect tranquillity, Osric saw the blade of his foe begin to fall, their hooded form leaning close, a gaping black maw where their face should be, and inky void. And he dropped his hilt, hand falling to the ground in a flash, pushing himself up, and swung his leg, kicking the shattered blade into the face of his opponent.

"The fiend then made it's first noise: a deathless shriek, made all the worse for the blade set into it's throat, and it scrambled backwards. Osric did not let up, and with the last of his strength, sent a bolt of light into it's chest, knocking it prone, and scorching a hole through the black cloak and armour revealed beneath it.

"And that was not all that lurked beneath, for soon the armour lay empty on the ground along with cloak, as the body dissipated as though the man were Grimm."

Naruto whistled. "Now that sounds creepy! Was it like a ghost?"

Ozpin nodded sadly. "The ghost of the man who once lived in it's place."

Naruto shivered. "Osric must have had quite a powerful Semblance to defeat a ghost! And all that elemental power, was his Semblance elemental control?"

Ozpin smirked. "Osric's Semblance was rather useless, in fact. He was able to convert his Aura into ink if he channeled it into a quill. Rather useful for a paper-pusher, but overall the worst ability anyone could ever be condemned to have." his eyes seemed to widen in minute horror, contemplating the paperwork, before he shook his head. "No, Osric was a wizard. I suppose this is where I should inform you of the other details of the Kingship of Vale." Ozpin took a deep breath, before exhaling. "I suppose that the first thing I should address is that while you might know me as Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy, and that I wanted to be a Knight when I was younger, I went by a different name at my birth."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, and Ozpin took his silence as a confirmation to continue. "I was born Ozma, and did in fact become a Knight so long ago."

"But you told me Knight's are long gone, and you can't be that old!" Naruto objected. He was able to sense how old Ozpin's body was with Sage Mode, when he entered it. He would have sensed the body of a multi-century year old man walking around.

"My body might be young; in fact, it's only around forty years old, but my mind and soul is far older." Ozpin said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Let's see… I believe that at my last count, I was just over ten thousand years old."

Naruto blanked. "That's impossible." he blurted, "Not even the Sage of the Six Paths could stop death from reaching him eventually! Unless… are you… hopping bodies?" he demanded.

Ozpin smiled wryly. "Well, it sounds worse when you put it that way." he placated, raising his palms as Naruto surged to his feet.

"Why the hell would you do that?! What about the people whose bodies those were, huh?!" Naruto yelled, slamming his arms on the desk.

Ozpin stood sharply. "I have no choice in this, young man." he said firmly. "If I could choose, I would have passed peacefully into the afterlife long, long ago."

Naruto blinked, his anger lessening. "Sorry? You don't have a choice?"

Ozpin nodded. "I've been… cursed with everlasting life, condemned to take over body after body after I die, watching the world spin out of control and try to wrest it back together. I have seen empires crumble into dust, I've seen Kingdoms rise and fall, and I have seen the lines of great Houses fall into utter ruin. So tell me, Naruto, what would you have me do? I can't stop reincarnating over and over and over again, and I can't in good conscience stand on the sidelines and do nothing… not again."

Naruto frowned. "What about the people whose bodies you take over? What happens to them?" he hissed.

Ozpin sighed. "At the beginning, we remain two souls in a single body. At that time we're ironically at our strongest, and have two Semblances: mine, and the one of the person I've just met. And then we slowly merge into a single person, one mind, one soul. The Semblance of my past self weakens and eventually fades. That is how Ozias bore the Semblance of his predecessor, at least for a time. I was Ozias, and Oswald and Osborne and Osric. I have been King, Knight and Squire. But before all of these, I was Ozma. And now, at the current moment, I am Ozpin.

"I remember all that I have done as Ozpin, because I am Ozpin, just as I am also all my predecessors. The Semblance of my predecessor has faded, it's power all but gone. Now only Ozpin remains." he finished, standing before Naruto with his head held high.

"You're really over ten thousand years old?" Naruto asked, scarcely able to believe it. Ozpin shrugged.

"Well, not counting the time between my reincarnations. Sometimes it can take years before a suitable soul can be found. And no, I don't do the finding. The process is nearly random; it depends on the mindset of the one I might join with, and the compatibility of our souls. I suppose you could call us soulmates, in a purely platonic sense." Ozpin joked lightly.

Naruto squinted at him. 'Kurama, did you know about this?'

"Well, sort of." Kurama hedged from his mindscape. "He kept messing up his pronouns when he was speaking: he referred to Ozias as "I" at one point, and said "we" when referring to Vale. He also only feels negativity when he thinks of the things that harmed his Kingdom; I sensed hatred from him for Annatar, and for those Shadows he created. Ozpin also seems to harbor a geep grief and hatred for the Grimm… I'm not sure exactly what it is."

Naruto nodded mentally. 'So he's not like Orochimaru… at least not by choice. He's more like Asura, and Indra.'

"That would be more accurate. Except he appears to retain his consciousness, instead of simply being a reincarnation." Giyuki spoke up thoughtfully.

"And I suppose," Ozpin interrupted their thought discussion, "That I should continue my tale. In my younger days I bore… magic, I suppose is the best way to describe it. It acts much like your Chakra, but much less controlled. I don't require the use of those 'hand sign' you told me of. I simply bend reality to my will. The amount I can influence reality is limited by my power, which at the moment is rather lessened."

"Why?" Naruto asked, brought back to the conversation.

"Well, I gave much of my own power away." Ozpin sighed forlornly. "I'm sure in your research into mythology you came across the tale of the Four Maidens?"

Naruto nodded slightly. "I did; it didn't provide any information I thought was useful. I just thought that the four had really powerful Semblances, like the ability to create Dust or something."

Ozpin snorted. "If someone ever awoke a Semblance like that, they'd be hounded to the edge of the world by every faction for the firepower they could provide. No, the truth is that I gave them those powers, and trusted them to help the world as they had helped me in a moment of folly."

Naruto squinted. "What? Folly?"

Ozpin sighed. "After Osric, or rather I, completed this quest I was telling you about, I gave the Rings I'd found to my most trusted allies, to empower them in the defense of Vale and the hunting of the Grimm. I thought they would be the great equalizer. Of course, I was already more powerful than any other Knight at the time, with my magic, so I didn't keep any of them for myself. A blessing, for I was sorely tempted. But ensuring the survival of my people was more important than my own power." Ozpin uttered sadly.

"In the end, the ones whom I had given Rings to betrayed me. They seized power in Vale, and within a scant few decades, had become Shadows themselves. I attempted to take back power thrice, and each time failed. I eventually decided to wait them out. Surely, if the people of Vale wanted a different rule, they would rise up. So I waited for revolution. Unfortunately, some of those I'd entrusted a Ring to were aware of my nature, and knew I was alive somewhere, plotting, waiting.

"That was the darkest period of my life. I had, after over two centuries of waiting for a revolution that never came, given up hope of anyone ever rising to fight for themselves. What was the point in fighting life after life after life, if those I fought for didn't care about their own lives? If they were content to live with a heel on their throats, then why should I spend all eternity wrestling the foot from them?"

Naruto frowned, but before he could answer Ozpin kept speaking. "Of course I was wrong. One of my incarnations, Oswit, learned of my existence when I saved his life during a Grimm raid: I awoke his own Aura, and told him how to fight. Afterwards, he asked who I was, and I told him I was simply an old man who'd long since passed on. Since none of my other reincarnations since my time of trying to retake Vale had had their Aura awakened, I hadn't merged with them. I still had the personality and mind from that time. Oswit demanded who I was, and all I did was sidle back into his subconscious, cursing my inability to let him die. For years it was thus. Oswit learned to fight on his own, my own muscle memories seeping into his Aura, unwittingly giving him skills and techniques he had no way of knowing he was learning from me. All of this against my will, for I was content to slumber in the back of his mind.

"And then Oswit did the remarkable. For decades I had tried to rally the people of Vale to my side, motivating them with dreams of a better world for them. Oswit pleaded with a different argument, one I had never tried.

"He pleaded on behalf of their children, and their grandchildren, and every Valean that would come after them. I suppose that as an immortal, I'd forgotten that for some, the future was more than something that they'd see in time. For them it was something they had to do the best they could to make good, before they passed on."

Naruto nodded. "A large part of my people's culture is about the passing of the old, and the coming of the new. Many spend decades as teachers, some only a few years, but everyone is expected to teach someone at some point."

Ozpin sighed. "That was something I had forgotten. In the end, Oswit took back Vale without my help, and became the newest King. The people of Vale threw great celebrations, and the crowning was the greatest in living memory."

"It sounds a lot like the Hokage Inauguration ceremony." Naruto observed.

Ozpin shrugged. "Everyone came to see Oswit, and to marvel at him. He had awoken his Semblance on his own, and trained himself to his own height. All I had done was awaken his Aura. Oswit then ruled for a little over a decade, before he eventually chose a successor, and retired back to the village of his birth. At that time, I began to speak with him. I asked what had passed, and he confessed that over the years he'd begun to believe I was nothing more than a hallucination he'd experienced under extreme stress. He spread the idea that it was that stress that had awoken his Aura. A complete fabrication, one which continues to haunt the world."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "Haunt the world?"

"Even now," Ozpin answered sadly, "People believe that extreme duress will awaken Aura, despite all assurances to the contrary. Some put their children through extremely trying and torturous trials to get their Auras to awaken. For some, this trial causes damage to their psyche, and can damage their minds. That was the great failing of Oswit. For in the liberation of the Kingdom from the Shadows (none of whom were slain) he had spread an idea that any could awaken their power, if they were in a dangerous enough circumstance. So many have died trying to replicate that feat, and the idea spread like wildfire."

Naruto groaned. 'It's like people believing that they'll awaken the Sharingan… everyone believing that… that would break the world if enough believed it.'

"I suppose," Ozpin continued sadly, "That I should explain what happened to the Shadows. I will not lie, Oswit did not awaken a Semblance that gave him great strength in battle. In fact, it's my suspicion that the various hosts I've lived with are stronger when they are not born with an inherent talent for battle. It's the ones who have simple, kind and useful Semblances that help people who change the world."

Naruto smiled. "As it should be. If the world only changed for the powerful, and the dangerous, then it would be a sorry place. That you did the most when you were at your weakest gives me hope."

Ozpin agreed. "Yes, it does. Oswit's Semblance, and I must stress that I barely consider him an incarnation of mine, allowed him to create permanent duplicates of things that weighed less than a kilogram; although I assume it would simply be a measurement of mass rather than weight, and leaving atmosphere would not allow him to increase the quantity. It also didn't work on Dust, since his Aura would activate it, instead of triggering his Semblance.

"It allowed him to fashion hundreds of arrows, thousands of knives, and he created many leather armours for his followers. He also fashioned many hundreds of thousands of gold coins, and purchased as many weapons from other countries and Vale as he could without arousing suspicion."

Naruto snorted. "So he basically broke the economy."

Ozpin sighed. "He was a simple farmer, I'm sure the Semblance was more intended for the sowing of seeds than the creating of weapons. After all, the arbitrary weight or mass limit was quite small.

"Regardless, Oswit became, to my chagrin, the most renowned and beloved of my incarnates, without my influence. It made me start to think that the way to peace and the defeat of the Grimm lay not in valorous deeds and strength of arms, but instead in the small everyday person, and their love."

Naruto smiled warmly. "That is an encouraging thought."

"Well, it brought me from the brink." Ozpin said happily. "I had tried everything by that point, before Oswit took the reins. My last incarnate before I gave up was named Osminakias. Yes, I know, it's a ludicrously long name.

"He was the Old Man who gave up. At least, that was how history remembered me. His is the story of the Four Maidens, for in his desperation, he gave them all a fragment of his power, in an attempt to circumvent the Grimm and the Shadows.

"They fought for years, I learned later, before the Shadows struck them down. Even a Maiden with a fraction of my own power, contained within a strong-willed and spirited woman, kneeled and bent before the will of the Ten."

Naruto frowned. "I suppose that that would be frustrating. Why didn't you simply kill them off?"

Ozpin grunted unhappily. "They were still intelligent, despite their appearance to the contrary. They knew I could kill them one on one, and even two on one if I was willing to lay down my life; but against three? Not even I at my full power could be assured of victory. And by that point there were six of them stalking Vale's walls."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You couldn't kill them two on one? Why? How did they become so fearsome?"

Ozpin sighed, holding a hand before his face. "You still do not understand, young man, what we were dealing with. These were not simply strong Huntsmen with powerful Semblances and a powerup. The Rings I gave them did more than just enhance already existing abilities! For instance, from what you've described, our Huntsmen would roughly equate to the Jonin of your world, no?"

Naruto shook his head. "Actually, they'd be more accurately placed around Chunin level."

Ozpin sighed. "Alright, Chunin then. From the way you described that snake-man, Orochimaru I believe? Yes, Orochimaru. The Rings could take someone of Chunin level and force them up to the levels of Orochimaru (at least from how you've described him). If someone like Qrow got their hands on one, they'd be stronger than anyone else on Remnant, at least now."

Naruto groaned. 'Basically, they're super powerful Curse Marks contained inside a piece of jewelry. Great.'

"That is why Leo must come here on his own." Ozpin continued roughly. "If he has a Ring as you suspect, it must either be the Ring of Light, or he hasn't had it for long. I pray, yes, I pray, that it's the latter. Because if so, perhaps we can still save him from his fate."

"I suppose that makes sense." Naruto allowed. "Still, what about the other negative thing I sensed in the walls?"

Ozpin sighed. "From how you've described it, it sounds like a Seer Grimm. If so, we have a problem, or an opportunity. They allow the Grimm to communicate, rather like seeing orbs."

"The Grimm can communicate?!" Naruto yelped, eyes widening.

"Yes, they can." Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "And I know I promised no more secrets, however I am afraid this is one I must keep. Unless you decide to stay on Remnant permanently, this is an affair that does not concern you." he said apologetically.

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, if the Grimm are more organized that I thought, that's definitely bad. I hope you have a plan?"

Ozpin shrugged. "Well, the best laid plans of mice and men…"

"Heh." Naruto grinned. "I guess that's true. Although I have seen great plans go off without a hitch, or at least make reacting easier."

Ozpin nodded shortly. "I in fact DO have a plan. Believe me, Mr. Uzumaki, you don't know my Semblance. I understand well enough the consequences of failure."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, leaning forward towards Ozpin. "Your Semblance? Do you mind telling me what it is?"

Ozpin squinted out the windows of his tower, the sun setting in the distance. "My Semblance is called Hindsight. The complete opposite of Foresight, after something had happened my Semblance allows me to know exactly what I could have done instead to achieve a better result."

Naruto flinched. "Seriously? That's…"

"Torturous? Arduous? Yes, yes it is." Ozpin finished sadly. "With how long I've lived… I've seen all the mistakes I've made, and now know how I could have done them differently. I could have finished this war over ten millennia ago, I could have stopped the crawl of evil with a single swordstroke, I could have cast those Rings into the Void between worlds when I had the chance… there are so many mistakes. I only hope that my next Semblance doesn't allow me to see all the consequences of my past actions… that would be a true living hell."

Naruto couldn't help but agree. It sounded like all the world was against Ozpin, funnily enough.

"What happened to the Maidens after they were slain?" he asked, trying to distract Ozpin. It worked well enough.

"Something I hadn't expected." Ozpin sighed, "The powers passed onto another group of young women."

Naruto frowned. "Really? When did you get them back? How'd you track down your powers?"

Ozpin smiled sheepishly. "That would have been the optimal solution, wouldn't it? I actually left the powers with the young women: I thought it would be better for the world if I didn't hold all the power, that dividing it up amongst the people would foster goodwill."

Naruto facepalmed. "Seriously? You just left it out there in completely random people?! What madness prompted that?!"

Ozpin sighed. "I can see how you would think it to be madness, but listen, please. I no longer believe that I should hold all the power. People should have the right and strength to govern themselves."

Naruto sighed. "But tactically, you gave power that was YOURS to others, who could have used it against you! What if one of the Maidens had gotten a Rig? Who could have stopped them?"

Ozpin stopped to think. "You know, that is a really good point. Wish I'd thought of it. I just told the Maidens at the time to never touch the Rings, that they took away their powers."

Naruto groaned loudly. "Where are the Maidens now?"

Ozpins smiled sheepishly again. "Well, one of them is in Beacon!"

Naruto nodded. "Alright, that's good!"

"Unfortunately, she's in a coma after being attacked, and a large portion of her power has been stolen." Ozpin grumbled.

"And the others?" Naruto demanded.

"Well, for certain I know where the Winter Maiden is." Ozpin ruminated. "She's a kind young woman- I mean, by now she's old, but she was young! Anyways, she's safely kept within closed walls with my good friend James."

Naruto nodded, slightly appeased. "And the rest?"

Ozpin hummed. "Ah, well, we only really need one of them, you know?"

Naruto face-planted on the desk. "You don't know where the rest are, do you?" he asked from the surface.

Ozpin patted his head. "Now now, I simply can't remember where the Summer Maiden is! She may very well be secure! The Spring went missing over a decade ago, and Leo's been searching for her for that whole time."

Naruto groaned loudly. "But he's probably fallen! What if he's already nabbed her?"

Ozpin leaned back. "If he had, we'd know." he said, assured. "They would be at the forefront of the foes we now face. The type of person who goes hunting after Maiden powers who also falls to evil tends to lack subtlety. Trust me, I've seen it before."

"Can you at least take back your power from the Fall Maiden you have here?" Naruto asked.

"Well, maybe. I've never tried." Ozpin confessed. "I suppose I could give it a shot."

Naruto nodded. "And while you do that, I should probably go and talk with my Team."

"Yes yes, I quite agree. You've waited all day, they're probably released now, with the exception of Miss Rose." Ozpin agreed, rising to his feet. "I must say, it's been a long long while since I've had someone to confide in… it's quite liberating to be able to speak like this. Qrow, and the rest of my circle hold me in too high esteem to listen to me and actually criticize. James tends to think everything I'm doing is wrong, and would criticize everything! I'm glad I could talk with someone." he said warmly.

Naruto nodded. "Well, I'll come by again tomorrow around eleven."

"What for?" Ozpin inquired, curious.

"That's when I'm meeting my people." Naruto reminded him. "You were going to come with me, and we were going to discuss plans?"

Ozpin smiled. "Oh yes, your Hokage! I would be honoured to accompany you! I'm quite interested!"

Naruto nodded, rising from his chair and turning towards the elevator that led back to the main school complex. "Till tomorrow then, Professor."

Ozpin watched the door close, before sliding into his seat. "Till then, I suppose." he muttered, reaching for his scroll.

He had work to do.

AN:
Well, this was a long time coming! At long last the exposition is done! At least for now, haha! Alright, down to the important things so I can keep this brief!

I'm glad nobody disagreed with me about Sauron bodying Salem, that'll make you more accepting of my story (maybe).

Dio Genus is a man of sophisticated taste and I'm glad SOMEONE got a long lost reference from a long time ago!

Again, please consider being a patron for me! You know how it works, remove the spaces, remove the caps "A"s, and then enter it! Also get the slash as a "/"

www . pAaAtArAeAoAnA . comSLASHsages journey

Another thing! I have instagram now for this account, so if someone wants to follow me for more streamlined conversing, go ahead! Same account name as this one :)

Have a great new year, everyone. "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

-Pad