Okay, before I start this update, I needed to give HUGE thanks to Oturan Namikaze for generously making an Opening AND a Closing for this story! They turned out great, and I'm sure you all will like them too!
Yosh! Now that I've given them MAJOR props, on with the story!
Disclaimer: pain17ification owns nothing
OPENING -Let's Just Live
The music starts with heavy beats as Naruto is seen with a golden Rasengan in his hand, glaring up at Sasuke who had a black Chidori in his hand. The two of them rush toward each other at incredible speed before they leap into the air, the camera focusing on the two attacks as they slam against each other, where a large explosion created by the collision consumes both Naruto and Sasuke. The screen zooms in close on Naruto as his arm is destroyed before he slowly closes his eyes with the light of the explosion slowly covering his face before coming to a halt.
[It used to feel like a fairy tale. Now it seems we were just pretending]
Naruto scrunches his eyes before opening them and the screen zooms out to reveal him wearing his new clothes and standing on top of a cliff. He brings up his right arm up as a breeze blows passed him, revealing it to be automail as he brushes hair from his face. A switch of view point shows that he is staring out at the City of Vale in the distance. A small smirk forms on his face before he feels something land on his shoulders and looks up to see Neo smiling down at him as she sits on his shoulders with her umbrella open and her eyes both changing to pink.
[We'd fix our world. Then on our way to a happy ending]
Behind the two, the screen focuses on Cinder, who could be seen standing under a tree with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face; the shadows of the tree slightly covering the upper part of her body. Emerald is standing next to her with a serious expression, staring at Naruto as well. A raven could be seen soaring through the air above them, Naruto looking up to see the bird do a spin before the screen changes to reveal a masked Raven standing somewhere dark with a hand on the hilt of her sword.
[Then it turned out life. Was far less like a bedtime story]
A small screen rotation goes around Raven's body and shows Qrow in an office with his scythe propped over his shoulder, turning his head to see Ozpin standing behind him with his hands resting on his cane. The scene quickly changes to Torchwick standing in a warehouse with a large Dust crystal in hand, Mercury standing off in the distance working on one of his robotic legs.
[Than a tragedy, With no big reveal of the hero's glory]
The image changes to Team RWBY and Team JNPR standing back to back before charging at an airborne Nevermore and a Death Stalker respectively with their weapons drawn. The screen focuses on Yang's face to reveal her red eyes, zooming into the iris before zooming out to reveal an unmasked Raven staring at Naruto, who's covered in a golden glow, with a pile of dead Grimm in the distance. The two slowly walk towards each other with Naruto raising his automail arm before clenching it into a fist and held it up to Raven, who was very slowly doing the same; both sharing a smirk.
[And it seems we weren't prepared. For a game that wasn't fair]
The focus turns to Naruto, who was now standing alone with the background turning dark. He perks his head up and spins around to see a white-skinned figure standing on top of a rock formation with Grimm crouched all around it. The screen trails up the rock to the very top where the figured is revealed to be Salem. The screen divides to show Naruto and Salem staring each other down; the two of them slowly becoming covered in their respective chakra/Aura. Naruto then leaps into the air with his chakra making him turn into his Six Paths Sage Mode
[Do we just go home? Can we follow through? When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do]
The background behind Naruto changes once again and shows the emblems of the four Kingdoms of Remnant with the silhouettes of fighting being seen. The green image of Vale's emblem appearing before turning into the blue emblem of Mistral, shifting once again to the orange emblem of Vacuo for a few seconds before stopping on the white emblem of Atlas. The whiteness of the emblem over takes the background before a red flash cuts through the screen behind Naruto and the White Fang's emblem appears, glowing brightly behind him.
[Let's just live!]
Naruto narrows his eyes as he pulls his automail arm back and punches forwards. The fist stretches out with the Six Path's chakra covering it, slamming it into the ground where Grimm could be seen causing them all to go flying with the explosive impact.
[Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows]
Naruto wasn't finished however as he retracts his arm, pulls out his gun, and starts firing at the surrounding Grimm before ducking under the attack of a White Fang member, kicking them away as more surrounded him. Suddenly one of them gets knocked down to reveal a smirking Neo with her closed umbrella in hand, jumping next to Naruto to help him fight off the White Fang and the Grimm.
[The past can't hold us down, we must break free]
A blast of fire strikes down several of the Grimm making the two turn to see Cinder landing near them with Emerald by her side, a wave of fire dancing around her hand. Emerald then charges at the incoming Grimm and fights them off while Cinder uses her flames to incinerate any that get close to her, the screen doing a zoom in headshot to reveal her right eye glowing brightly as she brings her hand up and releases a wave of fire in front of her.
[Inside we're torn apart]
The screen changes to Beacon Academy's cafeteria where a grinning Cardin is pulling on one of Velvet's ears before Naruto suddenly appears from the side and grips Cardin's arm tightly, making the two turn their heads to see Naruto glaring at the leader of Team CRDL. Zooming in next to Naruto's head, the scene is replaced with a child version of himself could be seen crying into his hand while facing a large shadowy mob.
[But time will mend our hearts]
The scene shifts to smiling Naruto sitting on a grassy surface outside with the rest of Team FUNS joining him with a smiling Neo standing behind Naruto while resting her arms on his head. Cinder is sitting next to him with her legs crossed while Emerald is located on the other side of her, counting Lien in her hands with several empty wallets next to her. A Raven with red eyes could be seen flying over them before soaring towards the trees and covers the screen briefly.
[Move onward, not there yet. So, let's just live!]
Naruto slowly raises his automail arm up to the sky with his palm wide open, the screen trailing upwards, following his arm until it reaches the sky where the words Sackcloth and Ashes appear; the raven seen behind the title in the horizon.
Sackcloth and Ashes
Chapter Six: Where I Stand
A pair of white eyes stared across the room, narrowing slightly at the sight of a familiar blonde twitching in his sleep, muttering denials and pleas while sweat falls down his face. Neo slowly got out of her bed and silently moved towards Naruto's bed, noting just how tightly his left hand was gripping the bedsheet. Absently, she noted that his mechanical arm was detached from his body and laying on the desk near his bed.
She placed her hand gently on his crippled arm, gripping it firmly while her eyes stayed their white shade. With her free hand, she reached over and cupped his cheek, softly rubbing where his whisker markings were. It seemed to help, for his twitches slowed to a stop while his mutters quieted down.
His head turned to hers, eyes opened and unfocused; showing he was still trying to get out of whatever nightmare he was having. "Don't go…" he whispered, his tone pleading; begging whoever he was seeing to adhere to his words.
Seeing this, and hearing the desperation in his voice, struck the petite woman hard. Her gaze softened as the hand on his cheek kept rubbing his whiskers softly. Making a decision, she climbed into his bed and laid down against him, her head resting against his chest as she whispered back, "I won't…" Slowly, his calming heartbeat lulled her back to sleep, and she held onto him tightly in hopes he would sleep peacefully.
Unknown to her, a pair of narrowed amber eyes glowed in the darkness of the room as the owner witnessed the sentimental moment.
A couple hours later, Naruto began to stir; which Neo felt due to his chest rumbling slightly. While she enjoyed the warmth he gave off, she let go of the blonde and got off his bed. Grabbing her school uniform – something she found to be very bland – she headed for the bathroom to shower and change.
Blue eyes blinked open, getting focused on their surroundings before Naruto sighed softly. "Another one…" he mumbled.
"If you have trouble sleeping," he heard Cinder speak up, making him turn to see her adjusting her own uniform, "you can always talk to us about it. You can confide in us, Naruto. After all," she looked to him with her signature smirk, "we're legitimate teammates now."
He gave a small hum at her words while Emerald yawned awake. "Damn, how long was I out?" she groused.
"About six hours," Cinder answered. "You fell asleep before I did."
"How the hell are you so…up in the mornings?"
"Years of practice," was the slightly cheeky response.
Naruto got out of his own bed, slightly surprising the girls when they noticed he was only wearing a black nightshirt and some green boxers with pink hearts. He saw their stares and looked down at his sleepwear before shrugging casually. "This is what I sleep in," he defended plainly.
"Duly noted," Emerald replied awkwardly, mentally warring with herself. A large part of her still held a grudge against him, but a small part thought that he was attractive.
"Nice hearts," Cinder complimented teasingly.
He ignored it as he grabbed his new school uniform, making a face at how boring it looked. "…We don't really have to wear this every day, do we?"
"Unfortunately, yes. It's school clothing, and while we're here, we will follow the school guidelines so that we don't draw attention to ourselves."
"I'm wondering why Ozpin seems to know you," Naruto commented, making her raise a slender brow. "During the team assignments, he seemed kinda reluctant to name us a team."
"We have different viewpoints and methods on bringing about change to Remnant," she answered smoothly. "He takes his own path while I forge my own."
"…He also spoke to me before we were launched into that forest."
"Oh? And what did he have to say?"
Frowning, the whiskered blonde answered, "He wished me good luck and reminded me how partners were chosen."
"Nothing else?"
"Nope. My guess is that he has suspicions about me already knowing you and he was getting his own first impression."
"That sounds like him," Emerald spoke up, sharing a look with her boss.
"Yes, it does. Be careful around that man, Naruto. He thinks he knows many things; but he's actually pretty narrowminded."
"Yeah, I think I saw what you mean," he agreed, mentally thinking back on Raven's warning to him about Ozpin.
Neo cut into their chat by stepping out of the bathroom, dressed in her uniform and looking pouty. She shared a look with Naruto, tugging at her red ribbon while her eyes turned brown.
"Yeah, I know," Naruto sighed out in agreement, sending another dirty look at his own uniform before going into the restroom to change.
Naruto was officially bored out of his mind as the portly Professor Port went on a tangent about his youth; throwing in his own extravagance to his tales. The blonde Uzumaki could tell right off the bat that the man was full or crap; but he said nothing.
Instead, he gave a soft groan and leaned back in his seat. Looking to his right, he saw that Neo was passing time by doodling in her notebook; her drawings consisting of Grimm from her own imagination. He had to smirk at the incredibly detailed drawing of a foxlike Grimm with nine tails.
'Gee, I wonder where she got the idea for that one?' he mused sarcastically, chuckling to himself.
Neo heard him and smirked before resuming her shading. Next to her, Cinder raised a brow at the closeness between them, as well as the Grimm her subordinate was drawing. It was much too detailed to be a whimsical idea; which could only mean that the multi-tailed fox was connected to Naruto in some manner.
Emerald, who sat next to Cinder and she was passing time thinking of clever ways to pickpocket the other students without getting caught. Old habits die hard, and each new method added some restrictions or rules she had to follow. It was a good way to mentally test herself.
"Now, who here among you shares those qualities?" Port called out, referring to the qualities that professional Huntsmen and Huntresses need to have; at least in his opinion.
He eyed the room, spotting the young Schnee heiress looking eager to prove herself; as well as a couple others. However, he and the other members of the staff had been told of a certain Freshman who had caught the eye of certain unsavory parties. As such, they had been asked to keep a closer eye on him, and what better way than volunteering him for a demonstration?
"Mr. Uzumaki," he stated, making the blonde turn his blue eyes to the man. "Perhaps you'd like to show your mettle? After all, if you could survive a loss of limb, a simple demonstration should be a breeze, yes?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance, already figuring out what the man wanted; or at least, what he was asked to do. With a sigh, he got out of his seat and walked down the steps, hands in his pockets and posture slouched like a certain lazy genius he knew.
"Fine," he replied, sounding just as bored as Shikamaru always did. He stood next to Port and faced the class, letting them all see what he thought of this situation.
To his amusement, he saw that the white-haired girl he bumped into the other morning looked downright pissed at his boredom. Some students looked confused at his posture while others looked concerned, focusing on his replacement arm. The other members of Team RWBY, Pyrrha, and his own teammates looked confident in his abilities; especially his team.
"Are you ready?" Port asked preparing to open an enclosed cage that was shaking violently.
"Let's get on with it," Naruto answered, taking a relaxed stance. He fought a snort at the concern on the teacher's face, ignoring it in favor of the Boarbatusk that was released. It gave angered snorts and jerked around, turning its fierce gaze to everyone else in the room. "Oi," he called, earning its attention. "Focus right here, Porky. Forget about them and focus on me."
The students were surprised at this, wondering why he was calling out the Grimm. But, what confused them further, was how the Boarbatusk looked confounded and stayed in place; simply eyeing the blonde before it.
"Well?" Naruto taunted. "You gonna just stand there?"
"Or are you gonna show me what you got?"
The dark woman from before smirked at the words she heard through one of her Grimm. Closing her eyes, she focused on its senses and got her first real glimpse of the mysterious newcomer.
"My, my…" she mused, a smirk forming on her lips. "He looks so young; but that power he has – that radiance – is intriguing. Very well then, Newcomer." Her eyes gave a brief glow as she mentally told the Grimm to attack. "Show me what you have."
The Grimm gave a battle cry and tucked in on itself, spinning in place to gain momentum before shooting forward at high velocity. Blue eyes gleamed faintly and a smirk formed on Naruto's lips as he muttered, "Good…"
Only Blake, due to her feline ears, was able to hear him. She frowned at him, wondering why in the world he was so eager to have the Grimm fight.
The whole room saw his stay in place, still looking relaxed and calm; which made the students either think he was crazy or overconfident. So, it shocked them all when he casually raised his right leg and caught the spinning Grimm with the bottom of his sandals; the only change he made to his uniform. Eyes widened one by one, and jaws were dropping when they saw him tense his leg and force it down, having the Boarbatusk dig into the floor and bury itself enough to become stuck.
Seeing it immobilized, Naruto nodded to himself and stepped back as he said to himself, "But, not good enough."
Blake, once again, was the only one who heard him. She was just as surprised as the others at how easy he made it look to take down the Grimm. But, shock gave way for a small smile; showing that she was proud of her fellow Faunus and his display of raw strength. 'You're crazy, Naruto… But, you have the power to back it up; no doubt about that.'
Turning his focus to the Professor, Naruto asked, "How's that?"
"The Grimm is still alive," Port pointed out, bringing attention back to the creature that was left unable to move; only twitch in agitation.
"It isn't going anywhere," Naruto rebutted, casually heading back to his seat. "Besides, the Grimm aren't the biggest threat out there."
That statement unnerved the students, and a select few understood what his words meant. Cinder couldn't help but smirk at that, finding the irony in his statement to be amusing.
"Even so, the Grimm are dangerous, and one shouldn't hesitate," Port drew his weapon, shifted it into its firearm mode, and shot the Boarbatusk, "to take them out."
Naruto turned back to the wisps of the killed Grimm before he shook his head in disappointment. "An outdated way of thinking, if you ask me."
"I beg your pardon?" Port's eyes narrowed, though it was hard to tell since they were practically closed all the time.
"Nothing," Naruto retracted, his voice firmer than before. "Forget I said anything."
The class after his demonstration had an uneasy tension for its remainder.
"So, what did you mean earlier?" Blake asked Naruto as she sat at his table during lunch. Her teammates were sharing a table with Team JNPR, and the rest of Team FUNS were obviously seated where he was.
"About…?"
"About killing Grimm being outdated," she clarified.
"Oh, that." He went silent for a moment, and she assumed he was collecting his thoughts. "Not many people understand just what the Grimm are. They see the Grimm only as a darkness that seeks to kill anything good or just." He shook his head at that, scoffing at the notion. "I see the Grimm differently, and I blame the rest of the world – and their outdated ideals – for their existence in the first place."
His teammates found his explanation odd, which was why they stayed silent to listen. Blake wasn't so silent as she asked, "Why do you blame everyone else? What could you possibly see the Grimm as other than what we've believed for years?"
"I see them as part of a whole," he answered cryptically, staring her dead in her amber orbs and making her fight a flinch at their intensity. "Remnant, the world we all live in, is like a body. The earth and waters of the world are its bones and veins, while the life it holds – from plants to living, breathing things – are its blood."
She blinked at this before slowly, unsurely nodding. "…Okay…"
"At times, a body becomes sick, and it starts to repair itself on its own; like antibodies attacking a virus. So, take a moment to think, Blake." His expression was serious, and she couldn't help but see how his eyes took on the world with a focus much older than his age entailed. "If life and nature are the blood of Remnant, what do you call the Four Kingdoms and their senseless disregard for forests and other natural wildlands just to expand their own habitats?"
"…You're talking as if humans and Faunus are nothing more than beasts," she noted, her eyes narrowed.
"Not beasts, Blake; a virus."
Cinder raised a brow at this, interested in how he came to that conclusion. Emerald found herself uneasy with the notion, part of her unable to fully disagree with the whiskered blonde. And Neo frowned thoughtfully, her eyes both turning brown as she considered his words.
As for Blake, her eyes gave an enraged glow. "How could you think that?"
"Because the Grimm only attack things that are manmade," he calmly answered, stifling her growing rage. "Take a moment to consider it without the ideals and beliefs of others before you clouding your judgment. Have the Grimm ever attacked wildlife? Have they ever deprived the forests of their trees, or drained the rivers dry? Have they burrowed into the earth, taking things that don't belong to them?"
"B-But they-"
"Blake," he cut off sternly, the blues of his eyes taking a glacial edge. "Think for yourself for once. Don't let others dictate your own opinions." He dropped his voice for her sake as he added, "You wanted to change your ways, right?" Her eyes widened and she nearly recoiled at his words. "Change starts with yourself; not with the teachings of others."
Amber eyes looked down at that, staring at nothing as she thought about what he had said. It was a lot to take in.
"Stop that, please! That hurts!" a female voice, one that held a distinct accent to it, cried out.
The voice broke Blake out of her thoughts and she, along with many others, turned to see a Faunus girl with rabbit ears having one of said ears being cruelly clutched and tugged by an arrogant looking teen. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she recognized him from the day of team placements. He was Cardin Winchester, leader of Team CRDL and a human who wasn't afraid to speak his mind and his dislike of Faunus.
"As I said," Blake heard Naruto speak again, turning to see him staring blankly at Cardin's bullying of the Faunus girl, "outdated ideals and beliefs." Calmly, he stood up from his seat and began to stalk towards the jerk.
"Naruto," Cinder called, making him look over his shoulder with a raised brow. Smirking, she bid, "Make a statement, would you?"
For once, he shared her smirk and nodded before resuming his path.
"I told you it was real!" Cardin boasted with a laugh, tugging Velvet Scarlatina's ear once again. "What a freak!"
His teammates laughed alongside him while Velvet once again pleaded for Cardin to let go of her ear. Mentally, she was pleading for someone to help her while also angrily wondering why none of the staff were stepping in. Wasn't Beacon supposed to be a school that was open to everyone?
Her pleas were answered when a metal hand gripped Cardin's arm, the clawed digits poking dangerously against the bully's skin. "That'll be enough of that," she heard a male voice speak calmly, and she turned as much as she could to see a blonde teen with incredibly deep blue eyes that were narrowed on Cardin.
"Oh yeah?" taunted Cardin while his teammates got ready to assist him. "Who says?"
"The guy who's about to snap your arm like a twig," Naruto answered coolly, leaking his chakra slightly to enhance his presence while putting some pressure on the arm in his mechanical hand.
Fighting a wince, Cardin held firm onto Velvet's ear. "I'd like to see you- AGH!"
He gave a shout of surprise and pain as the grip on his arm tightened and the metal claws dug into is skin enough to draw blood. The force of the grip also made Cardin release his grip on Velvet's ear. "Try?" finished the Uzumaki. "I just did, and you know what?" He dragged Cardin towards him, glaring him in the eyes while his blues turned amber with horizontal pupils. "I'd say I'm close to succeeding," the pressure on Cardin's arm increased, forcing him to his knees, "wouldn't you?"
His teammates made to help him, but a stern voice clearing her throat had them all turn to see Glynda standing there with her arms crossed. "I believe that fighting is prohibited in the lunch halls, correct?"
Letting go of Cardin's arm and retracting his claws, Naruto answered, "Yeah, you are. Though, I wonder where you were earlier, Professor?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, not appreciating his tone. "And what do you mean by that, Mr. Uzumaki?"
"Just being a curious student is all," he shrugged before heading back to his table.
"I'll see you and Mr. Winchester in detention after classes, Mr. Uzumaki."
He merely waved her off with his natural arm, leaving the lunch hall shocked at his blatant disrespect for the woman. His teammates, however, found the whole moment hilarious; the three women all smirking at how the blonde ninja got under Glynda's skin. As for Blake, she sent a silent thanks to Naruto for helping a fellow Faunus; though, a part of her also wondered what he pointed out.
If someone responded so quickly to a human in pain, why was no one around when a Faunus was the one in pain?
"That boy has no respect for authority," Glynda seethed in Ozpin's office, pacing angrily at a certain blonde's words. "Honestly, the nerve of him to call me out on something like this."
"He has every right to speak his mind," Ozpin defended. "Just as you are doing right now, if I might add."
"How can you defend him?"
"Because he made a valid point, Glynda," the Headmaster calmly answered. "Ms. Scarlatina was being unfairly treated by a fellow student in our school grounds, and not one of our staff stepped in to stop that mistreatment. Personally, I find punishing Mr. Uzumaki for helping a fellow student – who is a Faunus just like him – to be a tad unjust."
"You can't honestly think that?" she asked in slight surprise.
"Oh, but I do. After all, he was right; no one stepped in to help a Faunus student, but someone did when it was a human student. The situation might have just become more sensitive, now that a student has called us out on our practices. We may be seen as prejudicial now, and other Faunus students will no doubt lose faith in the school's ability to offer them equal rights and privileges."
Glynda wanted to argue, but she took a moment to rationally go over the situation. She frowned at the truth, seeing how the impact on the school could be possibly devastating in the long run.
"We need to take steps to reassure our students that they are all equal within Beacon's walls. Otherwise, this situation may spiral out of control," Ozpin grimly declared, earning a stiff nod from his trusted aide.
"Yes, sir."
Detention was rather dull, in Naruto's opinion. It was simply him, Cardin, and any other troublemakers sitting in a room silently with Glynda keeping a watchful eye on them. He passed the time by doing the assignments that were given throughout the day, finishing them all rather quickly since it was the first day of school.
Once detention was over, the students were allowed to go, and were given a stern warning to behave from now on. "Mr. Uzumaki," Glynda called to him. "A word, please?"
Raising a brow, he sat back down as the other students leave, easily ignoring the smug slash angry look that Cardin sent his way. Once they were alone, he asked, "Am I in more trouble?"
"No," she answered, leaning back against the teacher's desk. "It's come to our attention that we may have been unfair in regards to the situation between you and Mr. Winchester. While he received detention just as you did, you wouldn't have needed such a punishment if someone had stepped in to assist Ms. Scarlatina."
"Right… And this is your way of apologizing, right?" he questioned, slightly annoyed.
She fought a frown at his tone. "Yes, it is. Beacon is meant to be an open school, and we…failed to fully uphold that declaration."
'It is just killing her to admit this,' mused the displaced ninja with a mental chuckle. He had a gift for sticking it to the strict types.
"As such, we will be sure to do better. I felt that you, as a Faunus looking out for your own, should know that."
He hummed at her words, standing up slowly. "Well…as much as I appreciate the pretty words," she couldn't stop the frown this time, "I think they're being wasted on me. After all," he made his way out of the room, looking over his shoulder at the exit, "I wasn't the one being mistreated, was I?"
And with that, he was gone, leaving Glynda silently fuming at his nerve.
Lounging in his team's dorm room, Naruto mused aloud, "I think I may have gotten under that woman's skin…"
"You think?" sarcastically replied Emerald with a smirk. "She looked ready to rip you a new one when you called her out in the cafeteria."
"It's not like what I said wasn't true," he fired back, matching her smirk.
"I'm curious about what you were talking about with that old partner of Adam's," Cinder cut in.
"About Remnant and the Grimm?" She nodded once. "It's something I've been thinking about since I was in Mountain Glenn," he answered honestly, thinking back on the memory of Raven's that he had viewed. "That's the change I want to make; to have people make their own damn decisions and see things beyond what people simply tell them."
"Interesting," mused the woman. "That'll be a challenge, no doubt."
"Life is a challenge," he fired back, showing the wisdom he had gained through years of struggle and pain. "The real challenge, though, is standing tall against them; staying true to your own beliefs and ideals. All it takes is guts."
He smiled softly at that, remembering Jiraiya's words to him.
"Some ideals can stay strong throughout the years; but if there are those that are just wrong or plain stupid, then they need to be removed so that newer, more open ones can take their place."
"You sound like you've been waiting to say that," Emerald noted with amusement.
"Maybe… But, I know where I stand…" He looked to the ceiling of the room, his smile remaining as he thought of every moment his Nindo was put to the test. "And that's with my beliefs; with peace."
Cinder and Emerald blinked in surprise at that, not expecting such an answer. However, having seen enough parts of his life to understand, Neo wasn't surprised and simply smiled softly; mentally promising that she would support him when the time came.
That was where she stood.
ENDING – Black Night Town
[City Lights disappears at midnight/Gozen reiji akari kieta machi]
The sounds of a guitar could be heard as an image of the ruins of Mountain Glenn could be seen, slowly trailing across the image as a few Creatures of Grimm could be seen on the streets.
[Today we're dancing in Tipsy Night/ Koyoi wa odore Tipsy Night]
Another image of the abandoned city streets show more destroyed buildings and even more Grimm prowling around. At the words Tipsy Night, the music starts to pick up and the screen turns black. Nine ripples appear on the screen before the music continues. After a few seconds, the screen changes to a specific mountainside near the city ruins.
[There is no moonlight in this town/ Tsukiakari mo todokanu basho ni wa]
The screen reaches a cave before zooming inside to reveal a lone male figure sitting against the wall, covered in dirt, blood, and torn clothes while missing his right arm.
[And only loneliness is here/ Kodoku sae mo utau machi ga aru]
The figure is revealed to be Naruto wearing his ruined clothes, staring blankly at the ashes that had once been a small fire. A gust of wind blows into the cave and makes his hair move about, before suddenly Naruto falls to his side.
[The painful trembling is breaking the peace/ Kuruisō na furuesō na itami dake ga]
Trailing up his body as he lies on the floor, the image focuses on the damage done to Naruto's body throughout the Fourth Great Ninja War and his final fight with Sasuke.
[The city is like a Lost Pearl/ Kowaresō na nakushisō na hōseki da]
Zooming in close to Naruto's face, a dead look could be seen in his eyes as he depressingly stares out into space before closing his eyes. A lone tear forms before falling down his cheek to the floor, hitting the ground as the screen turns black and more ripples appear at the same time as the music picks up.
[That cannot be bought nor be deprived/ Kuraberareru koto nado ubawareru koto nado nai]
A tinted image of Naruto and Sasuke appears on the screen as they are staring up at Kaguya with Sakura and Kakashi standing behind them. The images changes to Sasuke and Naruto staring at each other with Sasuke's hand clapped together, nine large orbs holding the Tailed Beasts hovering above their heads. A quick image of Naruto's wide trembling eye before it narrowa as the image changes to him standing on Hashirama's head at the Valley of the End, staring at Sasuke who was on Madara's head.
[You can be yourself, let me see your laugh/ Kimi wa kimi de ī, sā waratte misete]
The screen turns completely black as Naruto's blond hair could be seen lifting to reveal the dead look on his face, before the camera zooms out to show dozens of Grimm crouching protectively around him as they stare at the camera.
[With no reason, with no thought, it's.../ Nani mo kangaezutomo soko ni riyū ga nakutomo]
A short video of Naruto and Sasuke when they first fought appears on the screen with Naruto holding a Rasengan while Sasuke was wielding a Chidori. The screen focusing on Naruto as he charges at Sasuke. As the two met in the middle, the two quickly grow older and their weapons change to Naruto wielding a brass knuckle-knife while Sasuke has his sword.
[It's called new great beginning/ Sore koso ga subarashī hajimari]
As the two clash weapons, the screen whitens as images of all his comrades flash through Naruto's mind while he and Sasuke continue to fight. When the screen turns completely white, it reveals Naruto opening his eyes and turning to see Cinder standing a few feet away from him with Neo behind her, a comforting yet calculative smirk forms on her face as she holds out a hand to him.
[So, there comes the dawn/ Sā, yoake da]
A final ripple forms on the screen before transitioning to Naruto and Cinder standing outside of the cave, both watching as the light of the sunrise starting to rise in the distance. A small smile forms on Naruto's face as he, Cinder, and Neo start walking away from the cave.
[Town lights disappears at midnight/ Gozen reiji akari kieta machi]
Once again, the images of the city appear and stretch out to show the ruins; only this time there aren't any Grimm in sight as the sunlight hits the buildings.
[And looking back The Black Night Town invites us again/ Furikaereba sasou Black Night Town]
With one last look at the cave, the screen zooms out to show all of Mountain Glenn with the yellow-orange rays of the sun cutting through the night's darkness. From a different view point, the sun's light could be seen peeking through a building window and landing on a pile of Naruto's ruined clothes with his headband resting on top of it.
And that's the end of this chapter! Next time, I'm going to have a certain Team getting brutally curb stomped in the most humiliating way! I'm sure it'll be something to look forward to!
Naruto's making some waves already, and it's only been one day of class! Just how much impact will these starting waves have in the future? You'll have to stay tuned to see!
Once again, major thanks to Oturan Namikaze for making the opening and ending for this story! Thanks a bunch!
Until next time!
~pain17ification~