Huntsman's Mimicry
"Hehe" Yang grinned. "And here comes the 'Yangester'".
"Ha, you think you can beat me without thunder thighs" Nora retorted.
"Nora… you are not using your thighs" Ren dead panned.
Yang and Nora stared off at the lunch table as they held each other's hand over the table. "And how is this going to decide who is stronger?" Naruto spoke, masking all emotions.
"Come on, it will be fun" Ruby clapped her hands excitedly. "An arm wrestle to show who is stronger…"
"Without destroying everything around us" Naruto finished. "Hm… if you really want it to be fun, bet on it" he deadpanned. "If anyone wants to bet against me, 2,000 Lien on Yang" Naruto hummed.
"Sure, 2,000 on Nora" Pyrrha responded since no one else did.
"Uh…" Ruby mumbled unsure. "I'll eh, meet the bet".
"For who?" Naruto tapped his finger.
"Yang" Rwby piped up.
"I bet 10,000 on Nora" Weiss smirked cockily. Everyone else seemingly backed down from Weiss's statement.
"20,000" Naruto raised, shocking even Weiss. The heiress merely huffed and held out her hand "Deal?"
"Deal" they shook each other's hands.
"I really am an idiot" Naruto forced himself to chuckle but it ended short.
"Well you can't back down now, you better hope that you win" Weiss bragged. "Although, if you ask me nicely, I may let you off this one time".
"No, no a deal is a deal… no take backs" Naruto rested his head in his hands. "I am just an idiot for betting on Yang's love handles, I mean seriously she let herself go" everyone fell silent as Yang began growling. "I mean has she ever heard of a diet" Yang's eyes burned red.
"R-ready?" Jaune grabbed Nora and Yang's interlocked hand. "Go!" he dived back to the floor for safety as flames and lightning sparked. Both girls growled in frustration, unable to best the other. However, despite her rage, without proper momentum Yang was being pushed back ever so slightly each second.
"Ha, no matter what dirty tactics you use you will never beat me" Weiss boasted. "Now beat her Nora and wipe his smug grin off his face" she pointed dramatically to Naruto, who was deadpanning more than anything else.
"Nora…" Naruto locked eyes with Weiss. "Lose and I will get you some pancakes" Nora grunted in thought. "Extra syrup" her eyes lightened up as her hand went from nearly beating Yang, to slamming back on the table. "I win" Naruto clicked his fingers.
"W-Wha… you cheated" Weiss slammed her palms on the table.
Naruto hummed looking away. He glanced back at the heiress after a moment had passed "sorry, did you say something?" Ruby muffled a giggle as Weiss made a dumb gapping face. "Now, p-"
"WHO LET HERSELF GO, HUH!" Yang screeched. Before Naruto could react, Yang had dived over the table and tackled him out of his seat. Both of the tumbling to the ground in a scrap. Getting on top, Yang pinned him down and roughly rubbed his head. In response, Naruto grabbed her hair and yanked it back. "DON'T MESS WITH MY HAIR"
"You started it, you dumb blonde" Naruto argued, as they wrestled messily, both trying to gain the upper hand.
"You're blond too" Yang grappled his arms but Naruto wriggled out. "And you started this!"
"I was being sarcastic" Naruto rolled away. Yang huffed as they stared in a deadlock. "Peace?" Yang chuckled for a second before tackling him again.
…
"…So that's what this is about" Naruto grinned, showing his canines. "Got to say Cinder, you've actually impressed me".
"Well, with the changes you have been showing, I am pretty sure you would be a welcome addition to the little group" Cinder smirked. "Complete the whole job perfectly and I can offer you a place at the table".
"Intriguing, well I-" Naruto started but was interrupted by a loud bang. "What do you want?" he snarled. Standing at the other side of the room stood Neo with her umbrella over her shoulder.
'Don't be such a dick, Naruto' she held up a small container. 'Take your medicine' Neo rattled the container. Taking one green pill from the container, she hurled it at him. Naruto snatched the pill in the air and gazed at it with mixed expressions, before finally just putting it in his pocket.
"Counter agreement, you walk away and leave me alone or…" Naruto flicked his wrist, revealing a kunai. "I could kill you, if you prefer".
Neo sighed 'how long has it been since you have taken your medicine, Naruto?' He shrugged 'because you seem crazy enough to think you can beat me'.
"Oh, so scary…" Naruto growled.
"Yes, she is isn't she…" Cinder spoke from behind the blond. Gently caressing his shoulders, she made a point to press up against his back. "But you're a big, strong boy… you could easily get rid of her" Cinder whispered into his ear. Neo rolled her eyes before giving a smug look "you need to write it down… I'm not a bloody psychic".
Neo took out her scroll and typed quickly before holding the scroll up. She clicked the button on the scroll as an automated voice spoke. "You really are a fool, do you really think you can control Naruto?" Neo typed on her scroll again.
"Oh please, I am only persuading him" Cinder rubbed her finger against his cheek. "Right Naru-" she yelped in shock as Naruto twisted his head and bit down on her fingers. "Fucking… bitch" Cinder kicked the blond away.
"You are just a bitch in heat, when did I give you permission to touch me?" Naruto growled. Cinder snarled back but Neo quickly got her attention as she clicked a button on her scroll "Ha Ha… Ha Ha".
"You know nothing about Naruto, Cinder… it is best that you should just give up" Neo crossed her arms.
"Do you want me to kill you?" Cinder raised her hand to Neo as wisps of the flame appeared in her palm. "I don't need you, I just need Naruto and he doesn't seem very fond of you right now".
"Stop" Naruto grabbed his head with a look of pain. "Don't fight anymore… please". He grumbled "just leave me alone… I… I'll be back". Naruto's kunai clattered on the floor as he shambled towards the exit. He gave a glance back to Neo, his jaw tensing at wanting to say something. Turning away stoically, Naruto sprinted out the door.
'No!' Neo bolted to the door but by the time she got there, Naruto had already disappeared. 'This isn't good, without medication who knows what he is going to do… no morality, self-preservation or reason'. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, envisioning a young Naruto carrying a young Neo as they played in a field. Neo frowned as the vision twisted to a young Naruto stabbing bodies repeatedly around a terrified Neo, only for Roman to pin him down. 'He may have problems but Naruto is still in there, the Schnee may have broken his mind but I'm going to make sure that it is fixed'. Neo glanced back to notice Cinder not even paying attention to her but had picked up Naruto's kunai and was just staring at it. 'That can wait, I need to find Naruto now before he makes a mistake… I can't let anything happen' Neo sprinted out the door. 'Roman got lucky last time when he managed to stop Naruto, he wouldn't even last a minute if Naruto went lethal' Neo bit her bottom lip as she darted into the city. 'Luckily, I have some time… he still could speak clearly so he isn't totally psychotic yet'.
…
Cinder smirked as she walked further into the warehouse. She opened a door to a back room, closing the door behind her. Cinder dusted herself off before taking a couple of steps into the dark room. "My Lady, are you there?" silence passed, earning an annoyed sigh.
"Patience is a virtue Cinder… but then again, those virtues were created by the weakness of man" a orb in the pitch black room glowed a florescent red, lighting the room in a dim glow. "What do you have to report, Cinder?"
"That… boy that you spoke of, he is a danger to the plan" Cinder narrowed her eyes. "I request permission to eliminate him before we continue to the next stage" the orb remained silent. "He is unpredictable, disloyal… and to be honest, not that impressive".
The orb crackled ominously "then you still can't recognise potential, my dear". A tendril connected to the orb raised up, brushing Cinder's chin. "That boy is by no means normal, his true potential is immeasurable to my cause" the orb hummed.
"Forgive me, my lady… but how is he immeasurable to the cause" Cinder tensed as the tendril moved.
"Did you not see it, the insanity, the hopelessness, the depravity, the emptiness…" the orb stayed silent for a moment. "I saw it, when a young boy entered the Grimm Lands undetected, when he confronted me" the orb's tendril touched Cinder's forehead as a vision appeared in her head.
…
"What is this" Cinder twisted her head around. Noticing familiar sights, she narrowed her eyes to see further but the surrounding area was gone, replaced by a dark mist. "The Grimm Pools" she stated before noticing a familiar woman with Grimm features, wearing a black dress. The woman walked along the Grimm Pools as the soulless creatures emerged from the dark liquid.
The woman turned her head with curiosity as a small blond child walked slowly towards her. An ominous smile graced her lips as a Beowolf approached the child. The Beowolf paused, sniffing the air before wandering past him like nothing was there. "A defective one?" the woman raised her hand, glowing in purple energy, the Beowolf glowed in purple. In a second, she clenched her fist as the Beowolf snapped under the purple glow, scrunching up until it became nothing but dust. The woman glanced around, noticing none of the Grimm were attracted towards the boy. "Intriguing" the woman stared as the boy continued walking towards her. She continued staring until the boy walked into her, the boy's head bumping into her stomach. The boy stepped back, not registering the woman standing there. He stepped forward again, bumping into her. She bent down slightly "how are you h-".
The woman gurgled as a small blade slit her throat. The boy shoved past the woman, ignoring the bright light from the woman. Completely unscathed, the woman turned around with an amused smile. "Aren't you just so interesting?" she floated up and hovered past the boy. "What is your name boy?" the woman landed in front of him. Her eyes glowed red as he bumped into her, like a broken record repeating itself. The boy froze on the spot as the woman put a hand on his head and shoulder. The boy reached up with the blade again, only for the blade to bounce out of his hand in a purple glow. "Calm down boy, your fate will be the same no matter how much you struggle" the boy lowered his arms. "Hm… you are a faunus, aren't you?" she pulled his head back, looking into his glassy eyes. "It's rude to disrespect your elders" the woman spoke in a sickly sweet tone. The boy turned his gaze down and looked her up before putting his hands on her chest. Noticing her surprised unmoving frame, the boy dug his claws into her dress. Without hesitation, the boy ripped her dress open to expose her chest. "What are you doing!?" the woman moved her arm across her breasts to hide her modesty.
Using her startled surprise, the boy grabbed the wrist of the sole hand holding him. He twisted round, sweeping her legs with his, bringing both down to the ground. The boy rolled away once he hit the ground, moving far enough until he was in reach to snatch his blade back. "Child… no, not a child… just an empty killing machine" the woman's lips widened in delight. She lowered her hands, not caring that her breasts were completely in view since the boy had not an inch of curiosity to even look at them.
"Destroy… kill everyone… dominate anything…"the boy walked towards the woman again. The woman never moved an inch but just continued to stare curiously.
"You can do neither to me" her eyes glowed bright. "Submit to me" the boy stopped in front of her. He reached towards her chest with an open hand, aiming to startle the woman instead of any perverted intentions. The woman grabbed his wrist tightly "an underhanded tactic worthy of a killer". The boy tried to continue to attack with his other hand but another hand grabbed his wrist. A red glow covered the boy as the woman's eyes sparked. After a couple of seconds, the boy fell limp and the glow stopped.
…
"Argh" Cinder stepped back, grabbing her head in pain. "Why did you show me that? And if you caught him, why is he here and not in the inner circle?"
"I told you to be patient Cinder" the orb smacked it's tendril down. "That boy is cunning, smarter and has more skills than you are aware of… a boy of that age managed to catch me by surprise and kill me".
"So what are you saying I should do about him?" Cinder rested a hand on her hip. "Try to get on his good side?"
The orb remained silent for a moment "yes, appeal to him, seduce him, sell your body to him… I don't care what you do to get on his good side, I want him by my side". The orb's glow dimmed "I want his unique skill and I want him to be mine willingly, he is essential to the plan". A dark chuckle echoed before the light disappeared.
'it sounds more like an old lady wanting a young guy to scratch her itch' Cinder sighed. 'But she never told me, why Naruto wasn't already a member… hm, I wonder if Naruto actually remembers meeting her'. She shook her head 'I guess it doesn't matter either way, to get what I want, I need to make Naruto scratch that itch'.
…
A loud sigh faded into silence. "This is stupid, or is it?" Naruto took a large drink from a wine bottle. "Why do I hate Neo? Do I hate Neo? I don't know, that's what the voice keeps saying" he went to take another drink but threw the now empty bottle. "Do I like Roman? I suppose I do, I haven't attacked him once I suppose" Naruto's ear twitched as he heard the door behind him but he remained still.
"Mr Uzumaki" Naruto remained still. He heard a slight whisper, recognising two voices. "Why are you sitting on the roof here alone this late at night?"
"Why? Does me being here bother you, Ms Goodwitch?" Naruto continued to daze forward to the horizon.
"Yes… no, it doesn't" Glynda stammered looking back towards the door then back at him. "I don't mind at all however, I would appreciate it if… you wouldn't hurl your bottles off the roof" she stepped into his peripheral vision. Glynda continued looking between Naruto and the door "it's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"The stars sparkle as beautifully as your eyes" Naruto droned out.
"That may be… but it will take a bit more than that to flirt with me, I'm a bit too old for such things" Glynda crossed her arms behind her back.
"Weird to say for someone in their twenties" Naruto looked at her.
"Sorry to say, I'm in my forties" she stated calmly.
"I wouldn't apologise, I would be thanking whatever it is that gave you your looks" Naruto shrugged. "If I didn't know better, I would probably try and pick you up myself" he hummed. "I suppose I shouldn't be saying such stupid things to my teacher and my headmaster" Naruto turned to see Ozpin, standing at the door.
"It's no problem at all, I'm sure many students get crushes, sometimes it is towards a teacher" Ozpin chuckled. "Glynda, do you mind if this young man holds a crush for you?" Glynda merely rolled her eyes.
"So any reason why you are hiding, Prof. Ozpin" Naruto turned back to watch the sky.
"Nothing really, I just remember that you said I just prefer talking to girls" Ozpin smiled. "But since I am here, I did have something to ask you" Naruto mumbled a lazy acceptance. "First off, is there something troubling you? Anything that you need to discuss with me?"
"Nothing comes to mind…" Naruto droned, not noticing the slight frown on Ozpin's face.
"Second, why were you hiding your faunus attributes? Well until now" Ozpin commented on Naruto's appearance, looking at his claws and glowing red eyes.
"I don't know, I guess I just don't like to be judged but I have caught the interest of some people so I should be honest with them in this way, I suppose" Naruto shrugged.
"Thank you for enlightening me, Mr Uzumaki" Ozpin turned away.
"Is that all you wanted?" Naruto asked turning around.
"Yes, thank you" Ozpin left the roof, hobbling through the door.
Glynda groaned and face palmed "he brought me out here for that". She frowned but as soon as she was about to storm after him, Glynda turned back to Naruto with a softer than usual expression. "Will you be fine here yourself, Mr. Uzumaki?"
Naruto took a deep breath "feel free to go, I'll be fine… but if you ever want company, I'll join you". Glynda nodded quickly before hastily storming off to catch up with Ozpin. 'Hm, can't tell if I want to fuck her or kill her' he reached for a blade, hidden under his leg. Naruto's hand tensed around the handle. His other hand moved and grabbed his wrist, shakily moving his hand away from the handle. Reaching into his pocket, Naruto pulled out the green pill Neo had thrown to him earlier. 'I should… but should I? Yes… maybe…' he nodded to himself. Trembling, he opened his mouth as his shaking hand moved the pill to his mouth, painfully slow. He paused as the pill was placed on his tongue. Frozen in place, Naruto stopped 'Spit. It. Out.' After a moment, Naruto nodded to himself and hit his jaw upwards, forcing the pill to be swallowed 'THROW IT UP! J-just three hours… for the pill t-to work'.
Chapter end