Shadow of War

by TheMightyMorgoth

Chaos is not always apparent. Wars can be hidden. The darkness is a sanctuary for those shunned by the light. Hiding in his shadow is his army and Remnant will know what true war really is for the first time in nearly a century. He cares not for riches or fame. All he wants is glorious war.

5. Retribution

Shadow of War

Chapter V: Retribution

---

[Vale, City Exterior; 22:30]

Finishing the last of his handiwork, Naruto finally stepped out of the warehouse and was greeted with a shower of autumn rain. Even wearing his armor and fur cloak, he could feel the chilling water and cold air pass through the seams of his attire. The cold was always refreshing after some "exercise."

He stood there for a minute and no longer, allowing the rainwater to remove much of the blood that stained his hands before he began walking back to Junior's ruined nightclub. Given the opportunity, the knight withdrew himself into the depths of his mind.

A job well done, no?

Oh indeed. Such daemons must be purified before they can lay waste to the rest of civilization. Before they can kill more people... more loved ones.

That was in the past.

I was weak. I could do nothing but watch as he died.

Yes. But now?

Now I am strong. Strong enough to slay the wicked, and strong enough to honor my Ancestors.

What shall be done when they come to bring ruination to hearth and home?

I will slaughter them like animals, and string up their corpses for the carrion to pick clean.

Delightful.

But…

But what?

It did not feel as though I was merely delivering justice, as though I was only doing my duty.

Oh?

It felt… too exhilarating. As though I had become more a roaring tempest than a man, eager to tear these beasts apart.

Perhaps there is a reason behind such feelings?

Their crimes against him…

Yes, this is vengeance, that which has been rightly delivered.

Oh most certainly.

Before Naruto could continue his internal dialogue, he had arrived at his destination. He entered through the main doors, and once again found Junior at the bar.

This time Junior was already facing the doors and seemed to be a bit uplifted by the image of Naruto coming back.

"Job's done?" Hei Xiong asked with a wide smirk on his face, the occasional twitch in his jaw and cheeks implied that he was trying to restrain himself from grinning like a madman.

"Indeed it is, and as we agreed, there is no need for payment."

"Thank you, Naruto, but I can't let you leave without compensation." It was a rare occasion when Junior acted humbly and was the one to offer recompense as opposed to the other way around.

"Please, I was simply doing my duty as a huntsman. Nothing more." Naruto spoke with some level of doubt, as his earlier musing had begun to seep into his current thoughts.

"No, I insist." Junior's voice became firm. He was not about to let Naruto walk out without some kind of reward. "There must be something I can offer back to you for this service. You don't realize the kind of shit that little group of White Fang has been doing to my business. Bastards have been harassing, mugging, and murdering my clientele for months now. Point is, you've done me a major service, and I can't thank you enough."

Naruto stood silent for a few moments, tapping his sabaton against the floor as he thought of what to do. His shoulders slackened as he gave a short huff from his nose in acceptance, "Very well then. I shall take you up on your offer."

Junior briefly wore a faint smile before gesturing for Naruto to continue.

"I want this nightclub to be torn down and rebuilt into a more proper and respectable establishment. Not one where the charlatans and harlots hang around to drown their sorrows or find a quick lay, but one of class and refinement, that draws the interest of Vale's nobility and aristocracy – whose pockets I might add, are overflowing with lien – so that you may have nothing but the greatest of benefactors and the wealthiest of patrons at your fine business."

"That might be possible. Or rather, might have been possible last week, when I actually had, you know, a fair amount of net income. I was honestly hoping you would ask for something simpler, and cheaper."

"Well, then your hopes were wasted. Regardless, I am willing to provide a heavy amount of investment for this to be made possible. Think about it, we both benefit from this: I have somewhere to relax, and you will be emptying the pockets of merchants and nobility."

He thought it over for a few moments, tapping his foot on the tile floor before looking back up to Naruto. "Alright, Naruto. You got yourself a deal."

"Excellent. I'll have a few million lien rewired into your account. Begin as soon as possible, and make sure that you don't go spending all my money on personal luxuries, yes? I don't particularly enjoy - or tolerate for that matter - being stolen from."

---

[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS Dormitory; 23:20]

In his brief absence, Beacon Academy had remained as quiet as it always did at this time of day. Little else besides the occasional late night conversation could be heard around the school, and such was no different in the West Wing of the school where the latest generation of students had been settled in. Many of them had collapsed in their beds out of exhaustion, too tired to text over their scrolls or stay up late and gossip.

Even when reality began to fracture in Team NMBS' bathroom, not a sound was made. Though to be truly honest, the entire team was far too tired to care, much less take notice of something that was going on behind closed doors. All save for one.

Schrödinger had always been extremely perceptive – no doubt thanks to her second set of ears and acute night vision – and when she saw Naruto pop out of the bathroom after two hours, she figured that he had decided to leave to complete another one of his jobs.

Although she knew that his semblance had granted him the ability to create a pocket dimension, she did not realize until now that it could be used as a method of teleportation. That is unless he'd just been doing… things in the bathroom for the past two hours. But considering that it was Naruto, such a case was doubtful at best.

When he opened the door, he walked on the tips of his toes, making sure not to utter a single sound, not even a peep when his foot accidentally hit the wooden frame of his bed. Through half-lidded eyes, the cat Faunus watched on as Naruto slipped into his bed next to Boudicea, the latter of whom accidentally rolled onto the young man's arm, forcing him to bite his lip to keep from saying anything.

After prying his arm out from under the muscular girl, Naruto slid over onto his side of the bed facing away from Boudicea and staring at Schrödinger and Mercury's side of the room. He noticed that although the Faunus had her eyes closed, her characteristic smile had yet to leave her face.

Did she see me leave?

But alas, he was too tired to think further on the matter. The fatigue of the day began to weigh heavy on his form, and Naruto could feel his bones yearning for rest. And so he allowed slumber to take hold of him.

---

[Unknown]

When Naruto opened his eyes, he did not see darkness. He saw flames. Like hellfire, they burned through everything, steadily spreading without an end in sight. All that was touched by flame became eternal pyres that soon rose to the height of skyscrapers, refusing to be snuffed out.

Naruto looked down at himself and saw that he donned his battle armor, complete with his heraldry and crimson plumage. Yet it was different than before. It was heavily damaged. Much of the plating had been scratched or dented, some from bullet holes or what looked like heavy debris. Small chunks of metal were gone, as though they had been torn off from him, and his surcoat had not fared any better, the iconic heraldry of his family was seared by flame, the edges of the embroidered cloth still charred black and smoking.

Though his armor had definitely seen better days, Naruto felt safe in it, as though no matter how high these walls of fire grew, they could never touch him.

A dark voice spoke above roars and crackles of the flame, and it rang out as Naruto's conscience, the same words that he had rung in his head at the end of the day. Despite their familiarity, he felt nothing but dread and could feel his heart racing as though it were about to erupt from his chest.

What shall be done when they come to bring ruination to hearth and home?

The world around him began to soften into sludge before it solidified into new shapes. They were horrifically demented shapes that slowly came to life, braying in a bestial manner. Cloven feet stamped the earth beneath them as though claiming dominion over this new fiery world. Despite the wild differences between each of them, they all possessed a single trait that unified them, a white mask upon each face that seemed to be a rough imitation of a Grimm's. They beat their chests and shook their horned heads, screaming like savages, before the largest among them began to lead them forward.

Once again the world changed, softening into sludge, then twisting and contorting to form a scene.

It was a city, still wreathed in a tide of eternal flame, but now flickers of shadows moved throughout the streets. They were the beasts, plundering and devouring everything and everyone in sight.

He watched as a man was torn apart by the limbs before his torso and head were thrown out and fed to a pack of mutated hounds. Some of the beasts were feasting on flesh, their faces covered in blood as they gorged themselves on the meat with unholy vigor. Skinned corpses hung by chains, dangling from what remained of lamp posts, overhangs, and windows.

Naruto almost slipped on the tattered remains of some cloth, and it took him but a few seconds to realize what they were: dresses. They had been ripped apart with savage abandon, and soaked in blood amongst other… unmentionable fluids. Naruto gagged as he felt his chest tighten and his throat seized up in disgust. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping to rid himself of the debauchery and atrocities that had unfolded there.

When Naruto reached the end of the street, he cast his eyes on a familiar sight. It was a warped version of his family's estate, the white stone walls surrounding the main building were cast down into rubble, and the ravenous horde had taken to his home.

Blood was splattered everywhere, both within and without of the house, as the clan guardsmen lay bloodied and devoured, their corpses were strewn about the entire area. The Captain of the Guard, Sunao Uzumaki, was speared to the exterior of the estate, his entire chest cavity ripped apart by hungry daemons, and one final look of terror fixed on his face as blood dripped down out of his mouth.

Naruto circumvented the main building, wary of whatever was inside and came upon something that left him petrified.

Though small and at first glance unworthy of any real attention given his surroundings, the sentimental and emotional value it held to him was greater than even the tallest of Vale's mountains. It was a ring made of embroidered sterling silver and jade, with the heraldic symbol of House Namikaze engraved in blackened iron on the head of the ring. A rare gift that was given only to the closest of friends to the clan, mainly in the upper echelons of the royal court.

But there had been a select handful of people who had earned the Namikaze's favor and good will on both the field of battle and in Vale's noble court. Naruto had only ever known one person to bear this ring in his lifetime, and it pained him to see it again, for the last time he had seen it, it had been cremated alongside the remains of its owner.

"No…" The knight just barely whispered out, his gut twisting into layers upon layers of painful knots.

I was weak. I could do nothing but watch as he died.

"Gods no." Unable to stand, Naruto collapsed to his knees, his gauntlets slowly creeping their way up his face until the tips of his fingers tugged at the bottom of his eyelids. Images flashed before his eyes, of the man's end in the world; his honorable last stand before death claimed him.

"I couldn't do anything... Gods forgive me." Naruto's fell into his despair, completely crumbling onto the ground, hands now coiling around his face and shielding his eyes. He began to repeat a mantra, lest he lose himself to this madness.

"I… I am the Unwavering Sword of my Kingdom, the Everlasting Shield of my People, the Instrument of the Divine, and the Righteous Hammer of my Liege and Lady…"

At this point, Naruto felt like he was about to have a mental breakdown if he hadn't already, and repeating this phrase was the only thing keeping him from crossing that road. That is until he felt a humid and rank breath sweep past him like a breeze carrying the scent of fetid garbage.

He looked up and saw one of them.

An unsightly beast, donning a porcelain mask that failed to cover its malformed face and curved horns. There was a small piece of intestinal tract dangling from its mouth as it finished chewing through it. It was covered in a granite grey fur that was matted down with blood and spittle, and hanging from its neck was a collection of bones and body-parts made to be either a cruel trophy of its victims or a snack that would be saved for later on. In its hands, a pair of crude axes, with shafts of wood tipped with a cruel sheet of metal or sharp block of stone. It began to drag its cloven feet through the ground, braying with mirth like a savage predator would upon cornering its prey.

A lesser man upon gazing at such a fetid sight may have simply crumpled over, offering his final prayers before he met his end, or merely stay paralyzed in fear as this beast tore him limb from limb, and did Gods know what with the remains of his corpse.

But he was no lesser man. He was the sole male heir of the grand Namikaze and Uzumaki Houses - at least for the former house - whose very names held weight in Vale and Mistral's courts of intrigue. He was a dutiful servant to the Gods, not just some filthy peasant or an ungrateful commoner who believed they were too intelligent or civilized to worship the divine.

He had yet to bring his aspirations to fruition, and his life was not to end here at the hands of some ignoble beast that lived only to rape and kill.

No, he would fight on to the last breath, till he could move no more or till each and every foul abomination that came his way was dead. His arm shot out, reaching for the daemon's calf, pulling it forward and off its feet.

"Have at you, you furred bastard! I'll not go down without a right and proper fight!" Taking the opportunity, the knight launched himself forward, pouncing on top of this savage creature's chest before sending a flurry of haymakers into its skull.

When one of his punches drew blood from the fiend's mouth, Naruto gave a savage grin beneath his helm and stopped punching the beast and instead grabbed its horns and began slamming the back of its head into the ground as hard as he could. It thrashed under his grip, whining and squealing like a pig realizing it was about to be butchered at the meat house. Still, Naruto said nothing nor took any note of the world around him, and focused solely on this repetitive action which gave him nothing short of pure joy.

Naruto.

The man-at-arms heard someone call his name, and - against his best judgement - looked around for a second, searching for any signs of life. Beneath him, the monster took advantage of the opportunity and managed to throw Naruto off its fur covered body. It gave a guttural roar as it charged at him, cleaving its axe into his arm and holding him down with its weight.

Although restrained and in pain, he knew they were all around him. He could smell their foul breaths, and he could hear them beating their chests and howling like the daemonic savages that they were.

Naruto!

The silver-furred beast rolled Naruto over onto his back, reversing their initial positions as it hovered menacingly over him, its breaths growing ever fiercer. Now becoming desperate, the knight began to thrash around wildly, kicking his feet, refusing to be sent into Morr's garden without a fight. But it was too late, and the beast was upon him.

Yet, it did not claw at him like a savage thing, nor did it use its mouth to tear his throat out, no. It dropped its weapons, and placed its hands around his throat, beginning to strangle him. Naruto could do nothing except throw a few more violent kicks into the creature's stomach as his world went dark.

Naruto…

---

[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS Dormitory; 06:35]

When Naruto woke up, the first thing he noticed was that his bed was covered in sweat. The second thing he noticed was that there were people around him.

In his nightmare-fueled panic, Naruto had accidentally struck Mercury who had come to wake him up. The older boy had shaken him awake and was still in front of him now, while Boudicea held his arms tightly from behind.

Mercury had slapped Naruto's cheek, testing whether the knight was entirely awake, "You awake, Naruto?"

Naruto, still too tired to say anything, just absentmindedly nodded in agreement. Mercury gave a sigh and got up off of the sweat soaked bed. "C'mon, we've got classes in an hour."

Again, he nodded, but this time, he slid out of bed and began to walk to the bathroom like a mindless automaton. When he entered the bathroom, Naruto turned around one last time to close the door and what his teammates saw made them more than a tad bit worried.

His eyes looked as lifeless as the corpses in the Emerald Forest's swamps - or at least, what remained of them. They still retained their heterochromatic coloring, but they had lost the intense pride and confidence that Naruto seemed to always display.

No, these were the eyes of someone who had seen the hellish domain of the Younger Brother and had come back to tell the tale.

The moment the door clicked shut, the rest of his team began to speak among themselves.

"What the hell happened to him?" Mercury asked, and although he was undoubtedly the most laidback of the four, there was a strong sense of concern in his voice. Rarely before had he seen someone his age so lifeless. Well, except the dead of course.

"I zhink he gets night terrors." Schrödinger chimed in.

"No shit. The question is, is that as bad as it gets? We had to hold him down and wake him. What if he starts getting really violent?"

"Then I'll deal with him," Boudicea spoke firmly, standing up and off of Naruto's bed. "I can tire him out if I need to."

"I don't know. Should ve bring zhis up to him?"

"Nah. This could just be a one-time thing, so unless it happens again, I say we keep quiet about it."

"I don't know Mercury. Maybe we should try and see what's wrong. Could even ask his sisters if they know something about it."

"Again, this could just be a one-time deal. Maybe it never even happens again."

"They may have a certain method of dealing with it."

"Vell zhen it's settled," Schrödinger said as she clapped her hands together to signify the end of the conversation, "ve vill talk to his sisters about zhis."

"Alright, moving on I guess. What classes do you all have?" Mercury asked everyone, holding up the papers that had been at the foot of the door earlier this morning. "I've got Politics and Economics with Oobleck, Civil Defense - whatever the fuck that is - with Saltzpyre, Combat Lessons with Goodwitch, Grimm Studies with Port, History with Oobleck again, Combat Lessons for a second time, and then Geographical and Environmental Sciences with Peach."

Boudicea pursed her lips as she read over her schedule before nodding and looking back up to face her teammate. "Yeah, same. Erika?"

"Same classes, but some are in a different order: Environmental Sciences, Civil Defense, Combat Lessons, Grimm Studies, History, Combat Lessons, and Politics and Economics."

"Guess we all have basically the same schedule." Schrödinger nodded silently before Mercury spoke again as he looked over to the closed bathroom door. "What do you think his classes are?"

The cat Faunus shrugged her shoulders before replying, "Don't know, but his papers are over zhere on zhe nightschtand."

It took Mercury a nanosecond to process the information before he immediately recalled prior warnings from last night. Merely thinking of the consequences caused him to shirk his head back and cringe ever so slightly. "And go through his shit? Fuck that. I'm not getting whipped and branded on my second day."

"Pffft," Schrödinger stated mockingly, "Don't be such a pussy."

Allowing his head to shrink a little into his shoulders, a deadpanned Mercury muttered beneath his breath. "You're one to talk…"

Although relatively unheard by Boudicea, the mischievous girl's second set of ears twitched, and the edges of her mouth quickly curled upwards into a Cheshire grin. "Maybe… but it just goes to show zhat you don't have a pair."

"Don't have a pair, huh? Well, you know what, fuck you." Mercury stated, having had enough of the smaller girl's taunting. He marched right over to the nightstand and grabbed Naruto's schedule papers.

As he stared down at the papers, he did not see the two girls share a sly look as a small smile became apparent on Boudicea while Schrödinger's own grew ever wider. He took a seat on the nightstand, careful not to press down the full of his weight.

"Looks like he's got a different class than us at the start of the day, the Principles of Leadership with Ozpin, and then basically the rest of our schedules in the same order." His eyes scanned over the document several times before he setting it down, only to gaze upon a sight that made him regret his most recent decisions.

The bathroom door was now open, and in the doorway stood Naruto, who no longer wore his pajamas but instead bore the academy's mandatory uniform. After a refreshing hot shower and some time to recuperate, he looked much better than earlier, his hair was like a mass of molten gold, without a single strand of hair straying from its intended placement, further supporting the knight's meticulous behavior.

He had been adjusting his tie as he was leaving the bathroom but stopped suddenly when he saw that Mercury was holding his papers.

Sure, one could argue that he hadn't gone over it himself, nor had he actually touched it, but it certainly did not excuse this breach of privacy - especially the night after he had established the rules.

Naruto didn't even break eye contact as he reached down to his pants, and slid his black leather belt off, wrapping it once around his right hand and then folding it so that the stainless steel buckle would be the first thing that made contact when he swung it into the head of this thief.

Mercury raised his hands up in surrender, attempting to explain the situation. "Now, hold on Naruto. It's not what it looks like." As he made to move away from the knight, he accidentally slid off the piece of furniture and thudded onto the floor, before quickly scuttling back until he could go no farther.

Naruto continued to say nothing as he took heavy and menacing steps forward, letting the sound of his boots on the hardwood floor ring throughout the room, using the reverberation to its fullest effect.

Upon reaching Mercury, Naruto raised his hand up, and the gleam of the iron buckle sheened from the early morning light, and like a deer caught in the headlights, the older boy refused to budge, and just stared at the belt that dangled from the knight's hand. Instead of the agonizing pain that he was expecting, Naruto simply wrenched the paper out of his hands and gave a snort of derision before he turned around and headed to the beds.

"Consider that act of mercy as a warning. Do it again, and not only will I actually beat you, but I'll use a spiked flail that the church's zealots are fond of rather than a leather belt."

He unfolded the document and scanned through the details, committing everything from the teachers' names to room numbers to his memory. Folding it up into a perfect square, he placed it in his pocket before pulling out his scroll to check the time.

"Well then, I believe it's time that we begin heading to class. We have but a scant few minutes before our first period. Shall we leave?" Naruto asked his question with a subtly demanding tone, and although it was worded to be a request, it was almost entirely rhetorical.

His teammates nodded, gathering their things before they headed off to their classes, with Boudicea and Mercury grouping together to head to History, while Naruto and Schrödinger split off to their own courses.

---

[Beacon Academy, West Wing; 06:57]

As Naruto walked down the vast stone halls of Beacon Academy, the sounds of the school grounds all but enveloped him. The clamor of students speaking just outside the doorways of their classrooms, the pitter-patter of teenagers running to and fro, and on occasion, the conversations of some of the faculty. But the knight cared little for what was around him, his eyes fixed to the end of the hallway in an empty and emotionless gaze, his mind off in its own world even as a third-year student accidentally bolted into his left shoulder and hastily apologized.

Another dreadful night terror. I wonder… is it merely a reconstruction of last night's events, or could it be a premonition? A vision of a future that may yet come?

He pondered internally as he took a sharp right down at the end of the hallway, venturing ever closer to the heart of Beacon Academy where his first class lay waiting.

They never seem to end. One nightmare after the other, interspersed with the occasional pleasant dream. Therapy and medicine have failed to relieve the nightmares, so what am I to do? Wallow about until I go mad?

Naruto sighed heavily as he massaged the bridge of his nose, pushing the pair of pince-nez up his brow. It took him a second to realize that he had reached his destination, and though he had yet to open the door, he could hear the small number of people inside conversing amongst themselves.

As he took one final breath, preparing to face the rest of the world - or at least that which was isolated here in this classroom - he opened the door revealing several of the team leaders in his generation, all of which he knew to some degree.

Shiro was reading a small book at the far end of the row, the light from the nearby window pouring into her hands like a liquid gold that illuminated each page. When she adjusted her position, shifting in her seat and idly twirling a lock of her hair with her fingers, he caught sight of what she was reading: Ninjas of Love, Volume Four.

Such a foul book she reads that is if it can even be called a book.

Next to her was the young and innocent - if not naive - Ruby Rose, speaking with as much enthusiasm and fervor as she always did. Perhaps too much, to the point where it became nigh impossible for anyone to understand her, let alone keep up with her mental speed.

Though upon noticing who sat next to his twin's best friend certainly drained any thoughts of pity for whoever had to sit next to the sugar-fueled girl. It was the … Arc boy.

Gods, it even pains me to think of his name.

He seemed to be trying to make some sense out of the practically one-sided conversation but was failing - though most anyone would very much agree, to keep up and understand Ruby Rose was a tricky task indeed. Even his twin sister, who could be just as hyperactive would sometimes fall a little behind.

Behind them, he saw who was likely one of his oldest acquaintances attending the school, Cardin Winchester, son of the mighty Buteo Winchester, a veteran of the Faunus War. Much like his father, he was a hulking behemoth of a man, with broad shoulders and a height that could intimidate all save for a handful of other students and faculty.

Although silent, he seemed to be in the act of wadding up a few strands of paper, but it was done peculiarly. Cardin crumpled up the paper in the quietest way possible. He proceeded to close one of his eyes, and held one hand out with his thumb up, trying to map the trajectory of his paper ball.

As his boots clapped on the stone tiles of the floor, all eyes turned to face him, each with a different expression to his presence.

Shiro, the ever loving older sister that she was, gave him a warm and comforting smile that hearkened back to their younger years where they would play in the gardens of the family estate, under the loving gaze of their parents. It gave him some comfort to know that his big sister was there - though he would likely never admit that to anyone, perhaps not even to Shiro.

Ruby, still as eccentric and excited as before simply grinned and waved to the young man as he entered the door, Naruto responding by giving a small yet polite smile in return. Though a reaction he enjoyed far more thoroughly was that of Jaune's.

The boy had been staring at Ruby when he had walked in the door, and as a result, took a second longer to turn around. When he did though… the skin on his face pulled, and his pupils contracted as though he had seen a wraith of legend, or a Gheist from Mistral's forests. Naruto could not help but chuckle in amusement - internally of course - as he still managed to torment the heir of the Arc family by mere presence alone. The poor boy looked like he was frozen, utterly unmoving save for wary eyes following the knight's movements.

Finally, Cardin, who had not turned his head to face Naruto, was taking the opportunity to line up a precise shot at Jaune's unmoving head. Having managed to compact about half a pound of paper into a thick ball no bigger than his hand, he threw it overhand with the skill of one of the lesser pitchers from the Valian Woodsmen, earning him a soft but noticeable thunk when it hit its mark.

The brute grinned in response and at last his gaze met Naruto's, both filled with mirth at the former's actions. He sat down to Cardin's left, directly behind Jaune and Ruby, where the two began to make their own quiet conversation.

"Good morning, Cardin."

"Morning Naruto. So, how did you sleep?"

Naruto's polite smile disappeared, and his face was marred with a weary frown, providing only a curt response. "Rather poorly."

"Another nightmare?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"How often do those come again? I think you told me before you went off to Sanctum, but too much has gone on for me to remember."

The knight tilted his head in thought, before giving his answer. "Maybe once or twice a month. Everything between is either a normal dream or naught but darkness."

Though Naruto didn't see it, Cardin quirked his eyes in confusion, which frequently happened in the company of the younger boy. It wasn't that Cardin didn't know what his acquaintance's choice of words meant, it was more so his apprehension at Naruto's decision to use said words.

Even after knowing him for nearly half a decade, the knight's expansive vocabulary and almost archaic idiolect still left him baffled.

"Right…"

A few seconds passed by as the room fell into an awkward yet ear-grating silence, the only sound being the tick of the wall's clock and the occasional flip of a page.

Without warning the door creaked open, and all eyes again turned to see who had entered. It seemed their professor had decided to arrive at precisely o-seven hundred hours. His aging grey hair, circular glasses, and the feeling of aloofness that radiated from his being made him instantly recognizable as Headmaster Ozpin, though even Naruto was still a bit confused as to why the headmaster of the academy was teaching a class, no less a first-year course.

"Good morning, students." the older man gently sipped his coffee and said nothing more as he walked down the lecture hall, the tap of his cane and shoes on the stone like a three-beat rhythm that seemed to rouse the students out of their torpor.

While Jaune and Ruby seemed a little unnerved by their new teacher's choice of - or rather lack of - a long-winded introduction, the two siblings waited patiently, with the oldest of the two closing her book and folding her hands together. Cardin opted to lay back in his seat, hands supporting the back of his neck as a sign of relaxation.

Even as he reached the podium at the center of the lecture hall, Ozpin still remained silent. After a minute, he finally spoke. "Tell me, what is a leader?"

Everyone seemed to shift in their seat as they began to process what had been said, though Cardin most of all held the least care, still in the same position, now having narrowed his eyes in thought. The silence soon became deafening as each individual attempted to think up a proper response to the professor's vague and random question.

Is he testing our knowledge from prior academies? Or perhaps he isn't looking for a definitive answer?

Ozpin very well may have stayed silent for the entire two hours of the class had Naruto not decided to answer his question. "A leader is one who not only governs those beneath him but is also responsible for them and their well-being."

Still saying nothing, Ozpin looked around to the rest of the class as each them started to feel confident enough in their own answers.

Cardin went next, "A leader is someone who can make tough decisions in tough situations."

As did Shiro, "A leader is someone who is able to keep calm despite their surroundings, lead those around them and inspire confidence." She spoke warmly,

Ruby had practically shot up out of her seat to answer his question, "A leader is someone who protects and leads those around her, and can be both smart and caring!"

Ozpin turned and looked over to the only person who hadn't answered, who in response, shrunk in his seat a little as though trying to turtle up into his chair. Though relatively unseen, the headmaster gave the boy a curt nod of understanding and decided to respond to the whole class.

"Well, I suppose that none of you are wrong. Though none of you were entirely right either." Ozpin spoke to each of them, surveying the reaction of each of his young students as he sipped some more of his coffee. "You all have much to learn about leadership, and that is why you are here in my classroom."

---

[Beacon Academy, East Wing; 09:00]

"Gods, I thought he'd never stop talking." Cardin said, stumbling out of Ozpin's classroom and into the quickly filling hallways.

"Now, Cardin," Naruto started off like a wise father or an older brother, close in tow behind the hulking student. "You and I both know what to expect of our classes. Though to be honest, he could certainly cut back on all hypotheticals."

Taking a shortcut through the hallways, they ended up in Beacon's large courtyard that divided the different wings of the academy, with the famous Huntsmen statue and fountain closer to the Main Hall.

"So you're saying that he should shut up?"

"Well. I'm not saying no."

Before Cardin could respond, they heard the many bell towers that surrounded Beacon sound off all at once. It was a thundering euphony that despite its intensity, sounded refined and harmonious, something that the knight found great pleasure in listening to.

While the younger boy was almost completely enraptured by the tolls of the grand belfries, Cardin turned around and looked at his friend with bewilderment. Naruto stood silently, his mouth hung slightly open as he gazed up at the greatest of the towers, rivalled only in height by Headmaster Ozpin's personal tower.

"You uh, okay there buddy?"

"Hmm, what?" His trance suddenly broken, Naruto snapped back into reality. "Did you say something, Cardin?"

"Yeah, I did. You totally there, man?"

"Yes… yes. Just got a little distracted, that's all." As he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, even Cardin, someone who was not known for his observational skills, could easily tell how tired his younger friend was.

For one, his posture had seemed to falter ever-so-slightly from his usual, with the smallest of hunches visible as his body leaned forward, as though waiting for the opportunity to collapse onto a bed. His eyes seemed narrower - and not just because he was from Eastern Mistral - than usual, like he was struggling to keep them open, and though Naruto was often very prone to being distracted by something that resonated with his personality or interests, he rarely let it surpass his academic duties.

"Alright, well, let's see." Cardin seemed to fumble with his thoughts for a second, not sure of how to proceed or whether Naruto was completely there. "What class do you got next?"

"I have Civil Defense with a Professor Saltzpyre. Am I to presume you do as well?"

"Yup."

"Then, shall we go to our class?"

The brute gave a low grunt and nudged Naruto forward to Beacon's West Wing.

In terms of build, the towering figure of Cardin went relatively unopposed even by the majority of second and third year students. Allowing the larger of the two to lead the way, Naruto towed closely behind, catching glimpses of disgruntled students who were giving them vindictive glares after being shoved.

As Cardin spotted their room's number, he steadily began to home in on his target, making a more concentrated effort of shoving more and more people out of the way. Though if Naruto was being honest, it was beginning to seem more like an endless tide of Grimm than a student body, as they continuously streamed out of the hallways and corridors like rushing water through a canal.

Though for a brief moment Naruto noticed another giant clearing his way through the crowd. The large rat faunus from the other night, was carving a path with his massive presence alone - whether out of fear or respect, he did not know. More peculiarly was the smaller figure that clung to his back, made noticeable by the assortment of metal gadgets and their flickering green lights. Their appearance was short lived however, as Naruto was wrenched out of the crowd by Cardin.

Snapping back into the present, Naruto was quick to take a survey of the room. The majority of the freshmen teams were here, split up into their unofficial cliques with Teams RWBY and JNPR in the corner opposite to the entrance, while Teams CRDL and NMBS congregated closer to the doorway. Team SETH was also present, albeit divided between the two groups.

As the two headed over to their clique, the first to notice their presence was the ever aware - and seemingly ever present - Schrödinger, whose ears had started twitching the moment the door had opened. The rest followed suit, taking notice of their approaching leaders. Some smiled while others offered some form of acknowledgement, nodding their heads or simply making eye contact.

"Good morning everyone." Despite his drowsiness, Naruto made a strong attempt to deepen his voice, and was rewarded with a more attentive response from his team.

Mercury collapsed his scroll and Schrödinger finally found a single figure to focus on. Boudicea however hadn't turned away from him since he had entered the room, showing off an almost military respect to her captain's presence. Even their postures highlighted the differences between them. While the Atlesian and - presumable - Valian were slouched and casual, Boudicea stood as straight as humanly possible, illustrating her full six feet and nine inches.

She stepped forward, bridging the gap between Naruto and their clique. "Morning Naruto, how was your first class?"

"It was… interesting to say the least. Ozpin is a very odd if not unorthodox professor. He seems more keen on questioning us then teaching but perhaps there's more to it."

Naruto drummed his fingers against his chin in rapid succession, only taking a few moments to think before he realized he wasn't getting a response.

When he glanced over at the woman, she was mesmerized by something.

She was completely zoned out, entranced by something else. Or she had immediately lost interest.

"Boudicea?"

"Huh... huh?" The warrior woman slowly stumbled back into reality, blinking vigorously as though trying to readjust to the lighting.

"Are you alright?"

A smile began to slowly creep onto her face, "Yeah sorry, just got so bored of the lecture, thought I might catch a little sleep."

He deadpanned, "Oh piss off."

She simply laughed and slapped his shoulder. Before she could speak again, the belfries tolled a final time, marking the start of class and quickly ending their awkward conversation. Yet unlike before, just as the bell rung a man walked into the classroom.

He was tall, a trait further pronounced by his wide-brimmed capotain, complete with a skull-shaped icon on the front of its crown. His shaven face, sunken cheeks, and sharp angular features gave him the look a tired officer, and a single grizzled - working - eye stared back at the class, hawkishly surveying the room while his mouth remained in a perpetual frown.

The professor gave a grunt of annoyance before slowly walking over to his desk at the head of the room, the golden buckles and what sounded like ammunition rattling around on his person.

"Sit down. All of you. Class begins now."

Everyone shuffled to get to a seat, with Teams JNPR, RWBY, and SETH taking up the front half of the room, while NMBS and CRDL took their places in the rear.

All were silent, save for one.

"So Ren, who do you think this guy is?" Nora tried her hardest to keep her talking to a whisper, but ultimately failed much to Ren's chagrin.

"Do you think he's our professor?"

Said professor could clearly hear her, his sole eye narrowing onto the girl.

"Do you think he's a super professor?" Ren at this point had his face covered by his hands, hiding his beet red blush. Unaware of her friend's embarrassment, she continued on.

Tired of this disruption, the professor reached into the side pocket of his overcoat, withdrawing a flintlock pistol. He cocked the hammer before raising it high and blasting a hole into the ceiling.

"I do not have the patience nor the time to tolerate your antics. So either sit still and be quiet or be removed from this Academy!"

Nora, startled by the sudden gunshot sunk back into her seat like a frightened child.

"Hmph. Now then, I am Victor Saltzpyre, however you will address me as Mister or Professor Saltzpyre. I am in charge of the Civil and Internal Defense of the Kingdom."

Ruby shyly held her hand up, "Uh, excuse me sir? Mr. Saltzpyre?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering, what is civil and internal defense?"

Saltzpyre raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Are you trying to annoy me, girl?" He took off his capotain revealing a neatly trimmed greying-black hair that led to a widow's peak.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he spoke again just as coldly. "It is the defense of the kingdom from internal threats."

"But I thought we were just supposed to fight -"

"The Grimm?" The words seethed from his mouth like venom, "Don't be stupid. You will have to face humans and faunus at some point in your career."

Some paled while others grimaced at the thought of killing people. Criminal or no, they were still flesh and blood.

"And judging from your reaction to this, I doubt any of you were prepared for this." His callous frown began to shift into cold indifference.

"Which is where I come in. I have served this glorious kingdom and its people dutifully for two decades now and am now here to pass my knowledge and experience unto you."

He gestured out to the entire class. "Starting today, you will learn the basics of spotting and investigating criminal or terrorist behavior. Firstly, recognizing major organizations…"

---

[Beacon Academy, West Wing; 11:00]

As class ended, the freshmen teams all began to migrate towards their next shared class: Combat training. Many could barely hide their eagerness to test their mettle in front of their teams. At the very front, Naruto and Cardin led the way as their teams followed closely behind.

"Well, that was entertaining. Didn't think a single guy - Huntsman or not - could bag so many White Fang in a day."

"Oh most certainly. But to be able to track them by their hidden dust marks? Simply remarkable."

As the party exited the West Wing and entered the main courtyard, they felt the blast of cool Autumn air rush into the open doors.

"Doesn't hurt that they were White Fang either. Serves 'em right. Anyone who kills those fuckers gets an A in my book." Reminded of past pains, Cardin instinctively clenched his fists in anger, in need of something to restrain his emotions.

"Yes, well said friend. It is quite endearing to know someone's making an effort to purge those filthy degenerates, isn't it?"

"Damn fucking right."

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of amber eyes glared at the two from further back in the courtyard. Someone else had overheard their somewhat controversial discussion.

Reaching the doors to the Main Hall, the two propped each door open before continuing to lead their teams in. As they were doing so, a burst of red rushed inside so quickly they didn't even catch of glimpse of who or what it was.

Blinking rapidly, Cardin called out to his friend, "What in the fuck was that?"

Naruto's attention, however, was on the ground. He kneeled down and grabbed the distinctive calling card left in the object's wake. Rose petals. Though he didn't even need to say who.

Sprinting into the entrance, Tsuki bent forward, panting as she tried to keep up. She managed to wheeze out, "No fair... Ruby! I can't… keep up with you... like that!" before resuming her chase.

"Ruby? As in Rose?"

Naruto nodded.

"The tiny one, about half my height? Looks about your age?"

Naruto nodded again.

There was a look of absolute bewilderment on Cardin's face as he looked back and forth from the courtyard to the interior of the lobby. "You're fucking positive?"

"Quite. Ruby and my twin are best friends. Too often have my summers here in Vale been drowned in a tide of rose petals." As their teams walked on through the gate, Cardin leaned in closer to Naruto.

"So then… if you know Ruby, you must know her sister right? The tall, blonde with the pretty eyes?"

Never before had Naruto seen Cardin so curious and nervous, it was all rather peculiar. Even the socially inept Naruto could recognize his friend's crush. But before he could answer, said blonde stepped between them.

"What's up little bro? You look so prim and proper in your uniform, it's just adorable!" Her words were only punctuated by the way she affectionately fixed his collar and adjusted his tie.

A feminine hand grasped the playful blonde's shoulder. "C'mon Yang. You don't need to constantly torture the poor boy." Shiro always seemed to be his savior when it came to Yang.

"But he's just so cute and lovable."

"Let's go." Hands on both shoulders now, she gently nudged her friend forward into the lobby.

Weiss passed through just after the two blondes, giving a curt bow and receiving a nod from both boys. Blake followed, though paid no attention to either of them, instead angrily looking forward at nothing in particular.

Team JNPR walked through finally with Pyrrha at the head, giving a pleasant smile and wave to Naruto. He attempted to return the favor, smiling as best as he could to his rival. Ren and Nora seemed lost in their own world, though it would be more accurate to state that Nora was dragging Ren into her world. Then, Jaune came last and was the least confident of all of them, shirking back at the sight of Naruto and Cardin.

Lingering for a second longer, the two let go of the doors and entered the building. When Team JNPR passed around the corridor, Naruto finally responded to Cardin's question.

"Yes, I do. However, I would not advise you to pursue Yang in any way that is beyond professional. Besides, what would your father, an Archbishop of the Church, think of such a… I hate to say it, but it cannot be denied, a licentious woman?"

Cardin looked down, the hope gone from his eyes, "Yeah, I guess that's true. Dad wouldn't approve of her. Mom might, but I don't know."

"Come, we have a class to get to."

---

[Beacon Academy, Amphitheatre; 11:10]

"Good morning, everyone. As you know, I am Glynda Goodwitch and will be your combat instructor today." She looked as serious as ever, standing at the very center of the stage.

"To start, I want to gauge where all of you are at, so for the next few classes, we'll be sparring against one another." She took a quick glance at a list in her hands before turning back to face her class. "Boudicea and Shiro, please head to the lockers and prepare for combat."

Both nodded as they walked to a door to the rear of the seating area.

In the meantime, Glynda activated the bleacher function of the seats, raising each section until a colosseum was practically formed from the amphitheatre. Students again congregated into their established cliques and began to conversate as they waited for the two combatants to finish gearing up.

Several minutes later, Boudicea dressed in her mail hauberk walked up to the stage. There were a few noticeable differences from the last time he had seen her wearing it. Firstly, the gaping hole that the Jabberwock had left was now repaired and showed no signs of previous damage. Either she had done it while he was on his mission last night, or one of the faculty at the academy had. Secondly, her hair had been carefully braided back to fit nicely behind her head.

Shiro followed shortly after, wearing her usual attire but with no hat just like the night before. Perhaps she had lost it in the forest? Regardless, it was of no consequence - though he might ask her about it later on. She wore a pair of elegant black gloves that matched her outfit, marked with white runes that glowed with power, and twirled the channeling rod in her hand like one might do idly with a pencil.

The stepped up onto the stage, doing some final stretches before giving a nod to Glynda to signal that they were ready. As the lights began to dim in the amphitheatre save the actual arena's, Boudicea turned over to her captain in the crowd.

Naruto gave her a small smile, before nodding encouragingly. She too smiled as she turned around to face Shiro.

The differences between the two were crystal clear.

Boudicea had retained her smile, though it was quickly becoming less peaceful and much more malicious. War was undoubtedly in her blood, a staple of her tribe in Mistral's temperate valleys and taigas. She longed for fighting the same way birds needed to fly, or fish to swim. The battle axe and broadsword combination she had brought only made that more obvious.

On the other hand, Shiro was still twirling her wand, as calm and composed as ever. Her posture and behavior were nearly identical to Ms. Goodwitch, her personal mentor and their aunt. But where Glynda often showed a sort of cold indifference, Shiro always had a polite smile on her face.

"Begin your fight in three…"

Shiro stopped twirling her wand, drawing it to her side like she was about to give a backstroke.

"Two…"

Boudicea arched forward, her grip tightening around her axe and sword.

"One. Begin!"

Shiro swung her channeling rod out, launching a projectile of white condensed aura. But before it could hit its target, Boudicea had already sprung into action.

Rolling out of the way, she hooked her axe to her belt and channeled her aura into the blade to use as a pseudo-shield.

Mixing in a combination of dodges, ducks, dips, dives, and more dodges with an aggressive push towards her opponent, Boudicea was all but unassailable.

The moment Shiro could see the whites of Boudicea's eyes, she knew that one more second rooted to her spot would be her undoing. She lashed out with her wand, creating a surrounding halo of energy that expanded out at chest level.

Seeing the immediate counter-attack, Boudicea dove down beneath the corona, unhooking her axe before she thrust forth with her broadsword. Yet it did not strike the witch's aura like it was intended. Instead, a fork-like blade had caught and parried her sword, twisting to loosen the berserker's grip.

Shiro was already channeling aura into her left glove, the runes leading to her index and middle finger lit up as she formed her hand into a finger gun. Energy hummed at her fingertips, as she let loose another bolt of energy at point blank range.

Smoke and dust exploded from the impact, blinding the rest of their peers to what had happened. Always wary of trickery, Shiro had already withdrawn her parrying blade, holding it in a defensive posture while carefully scanning the surrounding arena.

As the smoke began to clear, Boudicea's stony semblance had once again protected her. Dark shards of granite shed from her skin like a snake, dropping to the ground like falling stalactites.

She grinned hungrily, eager for the challenge, but she still needed to close the distance.

Lunging out, she bridged the gap in less than a few seconds and swung her axe from the opposite side.

When Shiro's parrying fork had come out to catch the axe head, Boudicea was prepared. She had reversed her grip on the broadsword, swinging it out to her opposite shoulder before stabbing out. Finally, her blade had hit its mark.

Instinctively, a white shield had begun to coalesce around the tip of the blade catching it from going any further. Shiro was starting to show physical strain as sweat began to run down her head, but showed no signs of giving up. Wrenching her axe free, Boudicea fought with both weapons with inhuman vigor, each strike blocked or parried by Shiro's weapon.

Sparks flew as Mistralian iron struck Valian steel, each attack was immediately followed up by the other weapon, giving the witch no time to recover or make for a counter-attack. A diagonal slash with her war axe knocked the forked parrying blade out of Shiro's hand, and the savage raised her weapons to deliver the final blow. Before she could, Shiro fired at the ground and brought up more smoke and debris.

As both backed off, Shiro began to lay waste to whatever was beyond her veil of smoke, her blasts of energy whistling past her opponent like fiery rockets. Disoriented, Boudicea barely managed to dodge a shot before another hit her square in the shoulder. Her sword clattering to the ground, Boudicea dropped to the ground to avoid the volleys of energy that surged above.

The barbarian crawled beneath the smoke, clutching her axe tightly until she could see the witch's shoes. She took a deep breath and rushed out from the smoke like a bolt of lightning piercing the clouds. Another shot struck her this time in the chest, but she ignored it, all too eager to care about a single blow when victory was so close.

Unprepared and a little dazed herself, Shiro only just began to back up when Boudicea's shoulder connected with her gut. Aura or no, it felt like a train had collided into her. The two blasts of condensed aura she had been charging fired off into the ceiling, and she could only watch helplessly as an axe moved to cleave into her aura.

A buzzer rang out in the arena, and the lights outside brightened significantly.

Standing below the stage, Glynda kept her upright posture as she looked confidently toward her students. "Excellent work, girls. A few words of advice: Miss Ríoga, you need to be more patient and observe your opponent instead of recklessly charging in. And Miss Namikaze, you need to maintain your distance from your opponents. We both know you're not meant to fight up close, and a confrontation like that in the field would mean certain death."

There was a slight air of embarrassment surrounding Shiro as she took on some of the typical mannerisms of her younger sister, rubbing the back of her neck and chuckling. Boudicea on the other hand just had a small smile on her face, staring back into the crowd at Naruto who gave her an approving nod.

"Regardless, you girls still performed well. Please take your seats, and we'll begin the next round."

Shiro and Boudicea turned to face one another, the former offered her hand and remarked warmly, "You fought well."

Her offering was returned as Boudicea gave her a firm handshake. "As did you."

"So, you're Naruto's friend right? From Sanctum?"

"That's right, known him since he skipped two grades and ended up in my class."

"He didn't cause you too much trouble did he?"

The two continued chatting as they made their way into the locker rooms, unaware that Naruto could hear their conversation as they passed the bleacher by. He was thoroughly embarrassed, to say the least.

Gods why? Why must my siblings and their friends work to destroy my reputation?

Glynda turned back to class and announced the next pair, "Cardin Winchester and Yang Xiao Long."

As Yang hopped down, Cardin looked to Naruto before whispering, "Shit, is this somehow karma for being interested in her?"

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "What? No. Why would that be karma?"

"Shit man, I don't know. The universe is fucking weird like that."

"No it isn't, now shut up, get down there and fight her."

As Cardin started to walk down the knight tugged on his sleeve. "Oh, and one more thing. She's a brawler, a fast one at that. Make sure you keep some distance between you and her, or it's over."

He nodded and marched down into the locker room.

Another couple of minutes went by, and the previous pair of combatants returned to the bleachers, having freshened up in the locker room showers. Shiro and Boudicea made their way up the steps, barely separating to continue talking as they moved closer to their teams.

"So, let me ask you a question. How come of the three of you, Naruto's the most…" Boudicea scratched her chin for a second, thinking of the right word to use. "What's the best way to put it?"

"Eccentric?" Shiro offered only to be met with a shake of the head.

"No… oh, I got it. Why is he so fucking weird compared to you guys?"

"Oh, that? I think he just takes being a huntsman and our heritage a bit too seriously. He was always really close to our grandparents and great-grandparents. Took a lot after them."

"I can definitely see that."

Shiro held a hand over her mouth, barely stifling the laughter that threatened to pour out. "One time, he and our grandfather had returned home for dinner and were like two peas in a pod. Always agreeing with one another, grumbling about the same things, they were practically the same person, just different ages and different hair color."

The two shared a hearty laugh, before being silenced by their professor. "Quiet down girls."

Yang was the first out of the lockers, wearing her usual garbs and looking almost as eager as Boudicea had on her way out. But unlike Boudicea, there was a giddy bounce in each step, and she was filled with a less concerning form of excitement.

Cardin followed soon after, rotating his arms and twisting his torso to get a quick stretch in. In his hands was a great morning star, made of polished iron and covered in small metal barbs. The head was hollowed out, and filled with some kind of organic material that occasionally slipped out of its container.

Both walked up onto the stage, Yang retained her usual, cheerful and eager attitude but Cardin was a different story. He somehow was both anxious and trying to be intimidating. The brute was doing the latter reasonably well: puffing up his chest, straightening his posture, et cetera but his intimidation tactics were hampered by his inability to keep a stable, confident look on Yang. Instead, he kept looking to Naruto as though asking for advice even as the lights began to dim.

The last thing Cardin saw was Naruto motioning to pay attention to his opponent. When he did, he was utterly dumbfounded. A pair of enchanting lilac eyes and a mane of golden blonde hair that glowed like the sun looked right back at him. All he could ask himself was 'How in the fuck was he supposed to fight her?'

So lost in thought was he that he barely realized Glynda had already finished the countdown.

"Begin!"

Yang charged him so quickly that all he could do was bring his morning star to block the first punch.

Remember what Naruto said, 'keep your distance.'

Using the shaft of his weapon to parry her flurry of blows, Cardin continually backed away from the brawler trying to come up with a plan of attack. For him, it was a slow, attritional grind and felt like hours were going by as she stole away his energy with her punches - and feminine charms.

Again lost in her beauty, blocking became almost second nature, and he barely realized that he managed to bunt her fist, knocking it off course. Reeling back into reality, he saw the opportunity to swing at an open target with the backstroke, but there was some hesitation when he swung his mace around, a doubt in whether he should hit her or not. Unfortunately for him, it was all she needed to see it coming.

Yang ducked low in a boxer's stance, fists held vertically and close to her chest, and the morning star shot over her head by a considerable margin. As he looked down to meet his foe's gaze, he caught sight of something more… striking.

Beneath her dazzling eyes and enthusiastic smile, was her very open and very uncovered cleavage. Cardin became as red as his namesake, just standing there unsure of what to do. He rarely ever saw anyone who dressed off or showed that much skin in his upbringing, even the Dustnet at home had been relatively restricted by his conservative parents. To see and be this close to a woman he found so utterly attractive was mind-boggling to him.

And so it was that in his listless state, he didn't even move to block what felt a truck slamming into his lower jaw followed by a blast of fiery pellets. If his aura hadn't caught it, he'd probably be barely clinging to consciousness or life for that matter. It didn't help that she pulled both fists back before hammering his chest like one would a drum.

The fight became more of a pummeling as Yang struck his gut repeatedly, his bright red aura forming around each fist. He was caught in a chain and couldn't even move to get out or resist. A final punch slammed between his pecs and sent him sprawling to the ground. He could just feel his auras dipping into their reserves when the buzzer rang out, ending the round - and his beating.

Cardin felt so weak; so defeated that he didn't even attempt to get up and face the rest of his peers. Thinking of Naruto's reaction, he could only imagine how his friend would scold him on his fuck up, how he had brought 'shame and dishonor' to his family. He lightly smacked the back of his head into the cold tiling beneath and closed his eyes trying to bury his shame.

Fuck.

"And Mr. Winchester?"

He could barely contain his downcast tone, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Please try to take the fight seriously. Not everyone you fight will stop when your aura gets too low."

Cardin gave a dejected sigh under his breath. "Understood ma'am."

Just fucking kill me.

"Yo, dude?"

It felt like his eyelids were made of boulders, but when they did part, he could see those pretty lilac eyes that had beaten his ass staring back. There was some degree of concern in them, but they still kept their playful vibrancy.

"Need a hand?" She extended her hand out to him, "You look pretty fucked."

He took a deep breath in before arching his body up. "That's cause I am. You hit pretty hard you know?"

Yang flashed a cheeky grin at the compliment, "Well, I try."

Cardin took her hand, gripping it with the remnants of his strength.

Holy fuck, her grip is like a steel trap. She has to be hitting that gym twenty-four/seven, doing nothing but deadlifts and pull-ups.

Pulled up onto his feet, he could barely stand, much less move and was still having a bit of trouble trying to breathe. He began to limp down the steps when Yang wrapped his left arm behind her neck and held onto it, her right hand going behind his back and holding him up from under his right armpit.

Swallowing a glob of spit that had begun to form the moment her hand touched his, he spoke with whatever was left of his usual confidence. "Thanks. For the help that is."

"Yeah, no problem. After fucking you up that badly, I figured the least I could do is help you out."

There was a short bout of silence from there, and as they passed by the bleachers, he saw the bemused smile of Naruto who just shook his head mockingly. As they entered the door to the locker areas, Yang spoke up again.

"You know you probably shouldn't stare at my boobs in the middle of the fight, right?"

His face flushed with crimson again and he sputtered trying to come up with a response. Yang just laughed teasingly. "Then again, my technique worked so… might be a bit too hard for a boy to resist."

"You call showing a little cleavage a technique?"

"Hey as long as it works. Worked on you didn't it?"

He held his head down, even more, his feet starting to drag along the floor as he relaxed his muscles.

"Shit dude, c'mon don't make me do all of the work."

As the two made their way into the lockers, Glynda was prepared to announce the next two combatants.

"Pyrrha Nikos and Naruto Namikaze, please ready yourselves for combat."

The two warriors made their way down the steps, with Boudicea and Schrödinger giving Naruto a confident and encouraging look, aware of his running rivalry with the Spartan. When he looked over to his other teammate, he saw that he was still talking to Hassan. Seemed the two had become fast friends.

Pyrrha was right behind him as he opened the doors of the locker room, and was the first to speak. "So Naruto, how many spars will this make? One hundred and fifty, right?"

Naruto responded instantly. "One hundred and sixty-seven."

"Right. And how are you doing?"

"Quite fine. Yourself?"

He didn't see it, but she looked a little disquiet as she spoke again. "I hope that our little squabble yesterday didn't ruin our relationship?"

No, I still see you as the greatest obstacle so far.

"No, you're still my rival regardless of our agreements or lack thereof."

Pyrrha nodded her head despondently as the two split up to begin preparing for combat. Taking himself to the corner set of lockers, Naruto imagined a set of armor from his collection before activating his semblance and watching the eldritch tendrils slither out carrying the pieces of his gear.

Black iron and shining gold decorations were the patterns for today's set as he strapped an elaborately designed burgonet to his head, the gorget sliding cleanly into the upper portion of the cuirass. He kept the falling buffe of his helm up for now and used his armored hands to graze the iron crest of the burgonet. It was sharpened to the point that it could split most cloth with ease and had he not been wearing his gauntlets, it likely would have sliced through his fingers. He looked into the mirror, rotating himself to see the less visible parts of the armor, checking to make sure everything was correctly in place.

Satisfied, he began to flex and admire his work of art in the mirror. "Ah, my armor shines! I look resplendent!"

The tendrils gave him a nudge, holding a hefty bill - the words Ladro di Scudo (Thief of Shields) neatly carved into the wood - in one and sword-hilted dagger - about a foot and a third in length - in the other. Naruto gave a reserved grin as he slowly took hold of each weapon. He quickly got used to the bill's weight and center of mass, even giving it a few practice swings and twirls.

Ah, an excellent weapon. Should suit this fight quite well.

Striking the ground with the counterweight and letting the polearm lean in into his left shoulder, he took ahold of his sidearm. Unsheathing the dagger, he was about to admire the polished designs and swirls that were engraved into the blade when Cardin stepped out of the private areas of the locker room wearing his uniform, with what looked like some kind of bandaging or wrap in his hand.

They immediately made eye contact, and Naruto gave a slow chuckle that reminded the other boy of distant rumbling thunder. It continued to pick up until it was a full blown laugh, and Naruto was pointing the blade at Cardin trying to hold his insides while also keeping the bill in his other hand. "You lost in the worst way I could've expected!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"I understood that you were likely going to lose that match, a combination of your interest in her and inability to actually fight girls told me that much. But to last only five minutes? By the Gods, man! That's just too funny. You didn't even work up enough of a sweat to shower!"

Cardin puffed up his chest, trying to take control of the conversation, "Fuck off man. It was a fluke, I could've easily won that had I not been so distracted."

Yang responded immediately to his statement, "No, you couldn't. And what's up Naruto? You up to fight now too, or you just here to admire yourself and your armor? Or maybe you're here to admire me?"

He raised his hands in defense, "N-no, no."

"Hmm, maybe Cardin?" Even the brute seemed to flush with embarrassment at such a scandalous idea.

"Ha! Gods no. However, your first statement is correct. I am to fight Nikos soon."

"Well, best of luck to you little bro. I saw Pyrrha in the forest the other day, and when she fights… whooo," she gave a short whistle of appreciation before she continued, "She knows how to fight."

"Yes, I am vehemently aware of this fact."

"Aw, no need to get grumpy little bro, just trying to help." She gave his shoulder pauldron a slap before walking off to join the rest of her team.

"Well, I'll let you finish jerking off to yourself. Good luck with your fight."

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

Naruto sheathed his dagger and attached it to the left side of his hip, and the two made to leave the lockers, Pyrrha having already left the lockers a minute or so earlier.

They split off, and Naruto made his way to the arena. He strode on in confidence, drumming his fingers against the ironwood shaft of Ladro di Scudo in a repetitive motion. It felt good in his hands like it was a part of him. When he walked up the stage, he turned left and saw Boudicea trying to get his attention.

"Begin your fight in three,"

Boudicea grinned savagely and motioned for him to crush her, grinding a closed fist into her other hand. Naruto gave her a nod and lowered his falling buffe to cover his mouth. He reached around, drawing his knife and presented the blade vertically, holding its hilt in front of his buffet before pointing it outwards to face his opponent.

"Two,"

Pyrrha recognized the gesture instantly and responded in kind with Miló. It was a challenge from one warrior to another. Naruto resheathed his knife, widening his stance and holding his bill with both hands.

"One. Begin!"

Instead of rushing headlong into one another, the two circled each other like predatory animals. Pyrrha held Miló in its javelin state, and rested it on an inward curve of Akúo̱, ready to block and counter the first attack. Naruto, on the other hand, knew the ball was in his court; that the first strike was his to make.

He regularly changed how he was holding Ladro di Scudo, switching hands, reorienting the angle and direction of the blade, feigning thrusts or swings to get Pyrrha to commit too early, whatever he could to throw her off balance. Regardless of what he did he kept the same pace of movement, and didn't slow down or speed up whenever he feigned a strike. There was a perfectly cogent reason as to why he didn't.

The Spartan's eyes were on his feet.

Pyrrha would only ever make a move when he moved forward to actually fight. She was clever about that and had often feigned interest of another body part to confuse her opponents, staring seemingly deeply at an arm or the chest. But that occasional glance down at her opponent's feet had revealed her tactics. So when he leapt forward and feigned a diagonal strike from his right, she brought her shield up to block.

Wrong move.

He kept his momentum, charging forward and rotating his polearm so that the tower-shaped counterweight pointed right at the upper-right quadrant of Akúo̱. Her head temporarily hidden by her shield, she was unable to adequately counter the small but efficient thrust that nudged her guard upwards. It was just enough out of place that when he slammed his pauldron into its edge, she was forced back with it.

But Pyrrha hadn't earned her title as the 'Invincible Girl' for nothing - though Naruto was perhaps the sole exception for those who had faced her. Transforming Miló into its xiphon form, she brought back Akúo̱ and thrust its rim into the blade of Naruto's bill perpendicularly. Expecting the backstroke from the counterweight, she swung wide with her xiphon and parried the metal tip before it could touch her.

She moved to immediately riposte with a forward thrust but was carefully parried by Naruto, who used the midsection of the bill's shaft to push the blade out of the way. She slammed the center of Akúo̱ into his polearm in an attempt to knock him back this time. However, Naruto used her attack to his advantage.

Having switched Ladro di Scudo to his left hand, he used the hook on the bottom-front of the bill's head to curve up and over the shield's edge. Quickly reaching to unsheath his knife, he gripped the bill by the upper end of its shaft and wrenched to the opposite side, exposing Pyrrha's left side. He instantly went to work, thrusting the dagger into the gap in her defenses and stabbing into her aura.

The first strike is mine.

When he went to stab again, a dust round from a carbine struck him, his aura flaring in response. Having hopped back and taken a knee, Pyrrha brought up her shield and used it as a rest for her rifle, steadying her aim. She fired again and again, but Naruto was unfazed by the shots as though they were pebbles thrown at the hull of a tank.

Seeing that Naruto was building up for another head-on charge, Pyrrha again brought Miló into its javelin form, thrusting forward to catch him like a pikeman would to oncoming cavalry. He kept moving but shifted left, using the smooth exterior of his mitten-gauntlet to bat away and then roughly grab the offending steel shaft. With her shield on the opposite side and spear being held by Naruto, there wasn't much that she could do besides let go of her weapon and back away before he started to stab with the bill.

An item in each hand, Naruto started to encircle Pyrrha, keeping a firm grip on both his bill and her javelin. He blindly thumbed around the weapon, trying to figure out how to convert it into a gun. Finding the right button, Miló shifted into a carbine and he brought it up to fire at the Spartan. Eight times he fired, and each time they ricocheted off the shield's bronze frame. After the eighth shot, he threw Miló into the air, high and close enough that Pyrrha would be able to see her weapon.

Let's see what she goes for.

She would either have to do nothing and fight without a weapon or risk grabbing for Miló and take another hit. As he rushed into her, he did not throw all of his weight into his shoulder like before. This time he brought Ladro di Scudo up to commit its namesake, allowing the hook to wrench back and pull her shield out of her arms. But this time there was no girl behind it to stab at.

Having abandoned her shield, Pyrrha ran forward to catch her rifle, aware that her armored opponent was hot on her heels. Grabbing it, she brought the butt of the gun swinging down and smacked the center of Naruto's polearm. Again, it came down like a hammer before Naruto could do anything and he heard the crack of wood as it made contact. Shifting it into a xiphon, Pyrrha held it with two hands and swung it down onto the same spot, splitting the polearm into two pieces and knocking Naruto back.

Oh shit.

Quickly reversing the grip of the lower half, he swung it around like a quarterstaff or cudgel, using the blunt force with deadly efficiency. Preoccupied with one weapon, Pyrrha could hardly handle the other.

Yet somehow in the midst of victory, he missed a swing.

By mere centimeters, the cudgel just grazed her sword, but Pyrrha dove forward at that opportunity and connected her xiphon with his aura. When he brought his arm around to swing the upper half of his bill at her, she just knocked it aside like it was nothing. She slashed Miló from his shoulder to his hip, nearly cutting through his aura.

How much has she weakened me throughout this fight?

Naruto blocked the next strike with the blade of Ladro di Scudo, using the intricate curves of the bill to catch the weapon and took a step forward to try and recapture lost ground. Upon making that step, it granted him no stability, and he suddenly slipped forward like some dullard at a circus.

Fuck.

Next thing he knew, he was on the ground with her xiphon positioned above his visor. To him, the buzzer rang out like a death knell.

To have a victory so close, so firmly grasped but then lose it with a single move. Gods above, I might need to commit seppuku to atone for this failure.

---

[Beacon Academy, Cafeteria; 12:05]

The cafeteria was bustling with activity as the first and second-year students moved through the lines to get their lunches. Premium quality lunches at that, everything from minestrone soup and lobster bisque to filet mignon and even some favorite breakfast items were offered in the lines, and they were free to boot. Large projectors were placed in the ceiling, playing different channels on the walls of the massive dining hall.

Despite all of that, Naruto sat at his table, resting his elbows and clutching his hands almost in prayer. Hungry as he was, he hadn't even gotten any food and was too deep contemplating his recent failure. Even Cardin who suffered arguably a more humiliating defeat seemed at peace at his lost, skillfully cutting apart some roasted venison.

Everything was going according to plan, so what happened? My footwork was exceptional, my polearm play was working, and she fell for my feigns. Where and how did things fuck up?

As if he read his mind - or just his face - Cardin spoke up, "Still caught up about your fuck up?"

"Are you really one to talk?"

"I got over mine, I don't see why you, in your infinite wisdom and virtue, can't."

"Because something's not right. It's never been right for that matter. Everytime that I've faced Nikos and lost, my mistakes were simple and should have never happened. The slips, missed swings, and the like. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Well, cheer up man. It happens to all of us at some point."

"I suppose so."

"Besides, you fought really well. Admirably even. You were on point and quick to fix your mistakes - except at the end, but wasn't much you could really do at that point. Plus, you're probably starving after such a hard fight like that. Go get yourself something to eat. Try the venison, it's really fucking good." He ended his last statement by taking a bite of his food and enjoying the meat's succulent taste.

The knight nodded before getting up to go grab some food. He had been so fixated on his loss that he had barely noticed the smell. Like a masterful concoction of the most exquisite dishes, the air was laden with the aroma of cooked meats and spices.

From the various lines, he retrieved a large chunk of venison, a baked potato, asparagus, cauliflower, and some chicken thigh, and they smelled terrific to him. It helped him forget about his earlier problems. As Naruto was walking back, the news suddenly caught his attention, along with many other students in the room.

"We're back on CCT News, and I'm your host, Lisa Lavender, your source for information in this dark and dreary world. It seems like things have become even darker as employees at a local shipping yard came to work this morning and discovered the bodies of their coworkers hidden away in shipping containers, and the bodies of members of the White Fang lashed to crosses inside of a warehouse."

At that, Naruto couldn't help but smile at his handiwork.

Wretched beasts got what they deserved.

"Police are currently looking into the matter, and according to some witnesses, the deceased White Fang members murdered the dock's employees, before they were murdered by an alleged rogue huntsman."

When Naruto looked around, there were reasonably polarized reactions. Some nodded their heads or smiled, seeing that justice had been met out, notably Cardin. Others thought quite the opposite like Ruby and what looked like Blake. Then there were the few that were indifferent and frankly couldn't care less like Schrödinger or Mercury.

Trying his best to keep his smile from becoming anything more than approval, Naruto sat down once more and began to dig into his food in the most dignified way he could muster.

"Feeling better now?"

"Very much so."

"See! Food can make a lot of problems disappear."

"Yes but not quite like the glory and thrill of a good fight," Boudicea interjected, taking her seat right next to Naruto. "Good job on that fight, by the way, you did well despite your loss."

"Yes, thank you. And congratulations on your victory against my sister. She isn't an easy opponent."

"You got that right. Wasn't expecting your sister to be able to fight without her weapon."

"No one ever does. Shiro has a particular method of fighting, or rather sparring with people that is quite peculiar. You see, she likes to -"

"Sorry to cut you off Naruto, but I think you might want to listen to the people behind you. Heard them mention your name."

After he nodded, he rotated his head to better hear. It was an annoying, unconfident but very educated voice that slithered into his ear. It was unmistakable.

"Arc."

"You did so well in that fight, you uh... really showed how strong you were! I just can't believe you managed to win!"

"A highborn fawning over some commoner? What's next, a White Fang lusting after a human?"

The three of them shared a small chuckle at that, before going back to listen to the conversation.

"It was nothing really. We were just fighting like usual. Naruto's a good opponent too, I only barely managed to win that fight."

"Barely? C'mon Pyrrha, you knocked his pompous ass on the ground like it was nothing!"

Ruby looked over at Jaune with a nervous expression "Jaune you probably shouldn't talk about someone else like that. I know that Naruto can be kind of mean and all, but he shouldn't be bad mouthed like that."

"Why? After what that asshole's done around here and to me, I should honestly call him worse." There was some form of confidence, or perhaps it was anger that flickered in his eyes.

Ruby turned to Tsuki, looking to see if her more forthright friend could de-escalate the situation. "Jaune, be quiet and listen to me. He takes all this nobility stuff seriously, and he'll see what you're saying as fighting words."

Still clutching onto that flame of defiance, he spoke again. "After the beatdown Pyrrha gave him? I doubt it. When he walked out of the arena, he could barely handle the fact that he lost and looked like he was about to cry."

The other table had gone silent while Jaune had grown ever louder in his comments, and the members of Teams CRDL and NMBS had turned to look to Naruto to see his reaction. He was fucking fuming. Instead of an icy blue and emerald, his eyes looked like cerulean and copper-made flame respectively and burned with a passionate fury.

A noble born thinking that he could get away with dishonoring his name? He could not, nay, would not allow his name to be tarnished by some mongrel of the Arc family. Looking to Cardin and Boudicea, he motioned with his index for them to rise. There was work to do.

His eldest sister, the sweet and kind Shiro, stood for him - quite literally at that. She shot up from her seat, smacked her hands on the table and stared down at the male heir of the Arc family. "You shut your mouth! I will not allow you to talk about my brother like that in my… presence." Her pace slowed as she saw the trio standing behind Jaune.

The two siblings made eye contact as Naruto mouthed a silent thank you to her, before snapping his fingers. Cardin and Boudicea were waiting at his flanks before the former tapped Jaune's shoulder.

"What's… up…uh oh." The flame of defiance that had burned in Jaune was snuffed out the moment he saw the two biggest people in the class standing at each of his shoulders. Cardin and Boudicea placed a hand on his left and right shoulders respectively, before pulling him down hard enough to throw his back to the floor.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha reached out but was stopped by Yang. The rest of Team JNPR for that matter was topped by either Weiss or Shiro.

"Don't. Friend or not, Jaune brought this on himself. He should've stopped when we warned him."

As Jaune lay there pathetically on the floor regretting his decision to ignore his friends, Naruto came into his vision.

"Raise him up, I want to look at this dog properly." Grabbed from under his armpits, Jaune was hoisted up and turned to face the other blond knight. Naruto kept his hands behind his back, pressing his thumbs together as he rolled on the balls of his feet to increase his height and establish his control of the situation.

"You think that you can slander my name like that? And to my own kin no less? I will not tolerate your attempt to shame me. At Seventeen hundred hours this evening, you will meet me in the amphitheatre, and we will settle this like men." There was a sense of barely contained rage in his voice, held back by a decade's worth of etiquette training.

As Jaune looked around to the faces of his captors, he saw a cold indifference, not unlike Professor Saltzpyre on Cardin's, and a bloodthirsty grin baring teeth on Boudicea. So lost in confusion was he that he barely understood what Naruto had told him. "W-what?"

"Are you deaf as well? I'm challenging you to a duel you idiot!" Anger started to leak out into his voice before he calmed himself back to his previous state.

Before Jaune could piss him even more, Pyrrha made to intercede. "Wait, Naruto, please don't do this. He was just excited was all, there's no reason to get into a fight like this." She held up her hands trying to calm the situation down.

"No, no it does. Arc has dishonored my name, and by extent, my family and must suffer the consequences. He could beg and grovel at my feet like a castrated eunuch, and I still would not grant him clemency."

"Then let me take his place. Let me fight you instead." Jaune turned from Pyrrha nodding his head vigorously.

Naruto was tempted to punch him in the gut. "Is this the legacy that your grandfather, the Butcher of Artois and the Ravager of Tori-Shima left behind? Some yob who can't even hold his tongue and hides behind others for protection? Pathetic."

Naruto turned to face Pyrrha, "No, you cannot take his place. It was his words that brought him into this, and it will be his blood that gets him out." He motioned for his friends to drop Jaune and they did so abruptly, letting him fall to the floor like a ragdoll.

When Naruto turned around to return to his table, he noticed that just like on the airship to Beacon, everyone was staring at him. He even spotted the second-year girl he met yesterday in the crowd. The silence of that moment was broken - thankfully - when Mercury stepped up onto his seat and shouted out to the rest of the cafeteria. "Come on folks we gotta fight brewing between the heirs of the Arcs and Namikazes here! Place your bets and be at the amphitheatre at five tonight!"

Immediately after, their audience started talking, some even opening their wallets to count their lien. Naruto felt even more excitement rush through his veins as he sat down with the knowledge that a crowd would be watching him strike down his family's hated enemy. Though, probably not for the same reasons as his.

I can understand why Boudicea is so obsessed with battle now. That thrill and lust for combat, I can feel it in every fiber of my being!

Calming himself, he prepared to go back to his meal as his friends sat down once more besides him. Boudicea gave him a very similar smile to his own and patted him on the back to encourage more of his battle lust. Cardin, on the other hand, had nonchalantly returned to picking apart his meal, before asking a question to his friend just like at the beginning of lunch.

"So, think you can actually beat someone this time?"

"I'm sure of it. This will be a massacre." Satisfied, Cardin shrugged and went back to eating.

As Naruto too went to eat, he saw that his fork had been crushed in his anger. While he was working to unbend the utensil, a query crossed his mind.

I wonder if they'll be able to mend Arc's body after I split him in twain?

---

[Beacon Academy, Team NMBS' Room; 15:45]

Naruto paced around his room restlessly. Confident as he was, he was all too excited to take revenge on a hated foe of his clans. The rest of his team was there as well, each doing their own thing.

Mercury had taken to collecting and organizing the betting money he was still receiving for the upcoming fight. Many second and third years were going to be there to watch two greenhorns from powerful huntsman families knock each other's teeth out, and they were all too willing to empty their pockets and place their bets.

From the few times Naruto had glanced at the stashes of lien, he saw a significant portion in favor of Jaune and a moderate amount in support of himself. A bit disappointing, but so be it.

Schrödinger was fixated on him, watching him pace back and forth while laying stomach-down on the bed, kicking her feet back and forth into the air. She was like a small child. A cute, yet occasionally disturbing child.

Boudicea sat on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, seemingly daydreaming - likely about the upcoming fight and how brutal it was to be. Other than that, she didn't really speak besides the few words of encouragement and support when they had gotten back to their dorm.

He stopped pacing, and as he decided to ask Mercury about the disparity in betting money. Before he could though, there was a knock on the door. It seemed to knock everyone out of their stupors.

When Naruto walked up and opened it, there was Coco Adel dressed in her usual expensive outfit and jewelry. Behind her though, was a timid looking rabbit Faunus, who stayed behind Coco as though trying to avert his gaze.

"Sup, fresh meat? You ready for that fight in an hour? Not having any second thoughts on it are you?"

He puffed his chest out at the taunt, "Of course not. I am no coward."

She held her hands up like one would surrender. "Alright, settle down there hotshot. You still gotta win the fight before you can carry that attitude."

"Of course, of course. Regardless, was there something you needed?"

"Oh, well… we," She grabbed the wrist of the rabbit Faunus who had seemingly tried to sneak off and pulled her back into view. "Would like to wish you luck and place our bets on you tonight."

She nervously smiled and waved to him, "Naruto, right? I'm Velvet, it's nice to meet you."

There was an accent to her voice, something that came from the heavily industrialized area of southern Vale if he was correct. "That's correct, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. Please come in."

Velvet went first, going through her purse and pulling out a few hundred lien to hand over to Mercury.

"Hey, Coco?"

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know why there's such a gap between the betting pools would you?"

"Oh yeah. So the household name, Arc, is fairly well known around these parts. But the name, Namikaze, isn't. We've all heard of the legends of Alberi Arc, but many noble houses and clans outside of Vale's most popularized have been lost to history, only mentioned here and there in a textbook. Plus most of the second and third-years weren't there to witness your challenge at lunch."

When Coco looked behind her after getting no response from the knight, she saw a brooding Naruto, grumbling about the name, Alberi beneath his breath. His eyes suddenly lit up with realization, and he looked to her.

"Is that why you're placing your bet on me? Because you know that the other side is filled to the brim?"

"Hell yes. I'll make a fortune from this."

Coco turned around again after Mercury began snapping his fingers trying to get her attention. "Hey come on, I got a 'legitimate' business to run here."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." She reached into her purse and pulled out several stacks of what looked like about thirty-thousand lien total, each neatly tied together with an elastic band or two.

Mercury was a bit taken aback by this. He had seen a few boys come in with several thousand, even one managed to scrape together just a little under ten thousand, but thirty-thousand like it was no problem? "Fucking hell, how in the goddamn do you have this much money on you?"

Placing her hands on her hips, she gave a cheeky smile - not unlike the blonde in the room nearby - and responded. "Oh, this? Just a little payment from my patron."

This time, her words caught the attention of Mercury and Naruto and asked their questions respectively.

"A little?"

"Patron?"

Coco gestured down to her attire, "Well how do you think I'm paying for all of this? And yes, a patron house from Vale's noble court. Sometimes the noble houses or clans will sponsor a huntsman or huntress, or even rarer one who's still in training."

To the side of her, Velvet shifted a little nervously before tugging on the fashionista's sleeve. "Coco, you know you shouldn't be flaunting your wealth. It's impolite."

"Oh, sorry Velvet. Didn't mean to do that to 'em."

Outside the massive CCT's clock tower struck four P.M. and the great belfries around the campus tolled in unison marking the new hour.

Ah, it's almost time.

"So Naruto, you gotta plan for the fight? Gonna give him the good 'ol one-two?" She asked jokingly, even accompanying her question with some punching motions.

"Something like that. This fight is something of a cathartic therapy for me." He clenched his fists as he remembered what his grandfather and mentor had told him. "Those born in the House of Uzumaki do not forget their roots, nor the crimes that laid our once glorious family low. Never forget, and never forgive."

Coco raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by how melodramatic her freshman acquaintance was, but if her patron's husband was anything to go by, most nobles were dramatic like this. "Okay…. Well, I'll see you at the fight, best of luck to you." She and Velvet walked to and out of the doorway before the latter turned around and gave him a small smile.

"Good luck Naruto."

He nodded kindly before they closed the door. As he was turning around, he heard a sudden and rather frantic knock at the door again. Upon opening it, Coco was still there, this time she was as close to the door as she could get without touching it.

"Almost forgot something." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. It was a small peck, but it was definitely a fascinating experience for Naruto.

Holy fuck, what's happening?

Coco withdrew from the kiss and gave a shameless smile before speaking again. "There's a little luck charm for you. Just to make sure you don't forget that I got money on you."

"Bye!" She waved goodbye and strutted down the hallway doing her best to show off her hips.

Am I being seduced to win?

Naruto was so surprised that his mouth was left agape as he still tried to process what just happened. After closing the door, he turned back around towards the interior of the room and saw that everyone was staring at him.

Schrödinger spoke up, "So, how did you enjoy being seduced by a sophomore?" Expecting for him to deny what had happened or his feelings about it, his words genuinely surprised her - though it certainly didn't deny her fun.

"A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

---

[Beacon Academy, Amphitheatre; 16:55]

Naruto knew that a crowd had gathered in the Colosseum for his fight tonight. But an audience of this proportions was unexpected. The older generations at Beacon were either extremely bloodthirsty or extremely greedy. And they were setting the mood to the upcoming fight quite nicely. Yelling, chanting, beating their fists on the bleachers to set a tempo, it was all loud enough for him to hear in the locker room.

Within the ten minutes that he had been there fastening his armor and sharpening his weapons, he could hear the noise just outside slowly rising to a cacophony of students eager to watch two freshmen rip each other apart. Naruto had decided at some point - and at the recommendation of Boudicea - that he was going to make his entrance rather dramatic, draw out the clock to the final minute and whatnot. For those that knew him, it was a rare sight indeed to see Naruto be late to any event, especially one that he scheduled. But it would only add to building that tension.

Well, one freshman will be ripped apart.

As much as Naruto had been told not to doubt his opponents, he figured now would be the best exception. As he stood near the exit to the locker room, he again took the time to admire his armor.

It was undoubtedly his most magnificent set and in fact the only set of his that his mentor, the Atlesian Master Smith, Grungni Stoneheart, played any direct role in forging. His teacher had even taken to naming the individual pieces of armor, and even built a complimentary weapon and a container on the belt for Naruto to hold his Liber Maleficium so that according to Grungni, Naruto might "Recite the grudges of his foes as he hacked them apart and smashed their bones to powder."

Now that he thought about it, his mentor and grandfather - and great-grandfather for that matter - were very similar people. But here, it was neither the time nor the place to be dwelling on such thoughts. Hefting up his weapon, Naruto secured his helmet into place and moved to leave the lockers, and meet his foe in glorious battle.

The time was sixteen fifty-nine.

The crowd outside was dying down, waiting for the final combatant to enter the arena. The anticipation was palpable.

Pushing both doors open, Naruto was greeted by a roar of approval from the audience. As he became bathed in the ceiling's lights, his steel and gold armor shone gloriously to the rest of the crowd.

To gaze upon the knight in his greatest battle regalia was indeed something to behold.

His face was covered by the visage of a furious Ancestor, the mouthguard forged into a wrathful snarl, and the eyes of his visor were furled into an eternal stare of hatred. Many pieces of segmented metal fell just below the mouthguard to simulate the proud and full beards that once adorned every man of the Uzumaki clan before the Great War. Each segment was painstakingly inscribed with various ancient runes and characters, predating the universal Remnant Common, and told of the great deeds of his family and the many conquests and victories they had achieved in their long and noble history.

His heavy armor clattered around like a palanquin strapped to a mighty Goliath, but without the clumsiness or lack of purpose. Thick steel plates practically glowed atop the layer of chainmail and linen gambeson that cushioned his soft skin. More runes and characters were drawn about onto his armor, detailing even more victories, and perhaps more importantly, the ruinous tragedy that befell his people in the Great War. It described the first-hand accounts of the horrors and atrocities that took place on Tori-Shima, the ancestral home of the Uzumaki, all tied to the name Arc. Such was the fury poured into that repeating character that the runes burned and smouldered like angry forge-fire.

The pair of gauntlets were designed similarly to the rest, made up of thick steel plates and lined with gold around their edges. The dorsal sides of the hands leading up to the digits were protected by a single stout piece of steel, and each knuckle was adorned with a small golden pyramid to give its wielder even more prowess in a fist fight. But unlike the rest of the armor, the characters and runes did not speak of the past, but instead of an indisputable future. They spoke of grudges, of reckoning, and of vengeance and each phrase or mark was ended with that smouldering character for the accursed name of Arc.

Those hands clasped tightly around the thick four-foot steel shaft of a grim battle axe, its single wicked blade curving down to form a beard and hook nearly a foot-and-a-half in length. A picture was embossed into the sides of the blade depicting a dragon of Grimm, its body composed of thin sheets of darkened steel, its horns jutting out of the axe's shoulders, and the drake's eye made with an embedded ruby gemstone. Along the back haft of the axe were more runes promising death and destruction to the Ancestral foes of the user, and they too burned with fiery zeal. Though upon the sides, both in Remnant Common and in the Uzumaki clan's ancient script, was the name, Grimnir, the very same name as his mentor's eldest - and deceased - brother. At its end was a pommel of pounded steel, shaped like the bludgeoning end of a hammer, and carved deeply into the flat bottom was a single rune that alone declared war - an ancient stamp that was passed down the generations of Uzumaki, and repurposed by Naruto to declare his own wars upon his ancestral foes.

In the other hand lay the Liber Maleficium, wherein its preface, he had assiduously written up every translation of the runes carved into his arms and armor.

Unsurprisingly, his boots had been just as detailed, the sabatons designed to resemble the tops and sides of muscular feet, embedded firmly upon a bottom layer of wrought steel. The interior had been padded comfortably with linen and silk to cushion his movement and did wonders to alleviate the discomfort of his feet during combat. Each footfall was like the thunderous toll of a gong, its sound reverberating throughout the room and into the minds of the audience.

On his back, he bore two Sashimonos, each belonging to his respective families. Over eight decades ago, these standards were once held aloft by the great clans of Uzumaki and Namikaze as they marched into battle, and were now carried by their vengeful heir. On his left was the black outline of the violent whirlpools of the House of Uzumaki, painted upon a field of burgundy. On his right was the white outline of the surging hurricanes of the House of Namikaze, painted upon a field of azure.

Though heavy, years of strength, endurance and aura training had made a set of armor that would have weighed down most, feel like nothing more than some iron plates on chainmail. It also didn't hurt that gravitational dust had been fused into the plates during their forging to lighten the load.

Upon reaching the top of the steps, there lay his enemy. The verminous heir of the Arc family. Even before Naruto had reached the stage, Jaune had been continuously looking back towards the audience, most likely at his team.

This coward has the gall to insult me, and still, he turns to his comrades for aid? Today, this unchivalrous cur will know wrath like never before!

Naruto's eyes lit up with anticipation like a predator cornering his prey, his desire to spill blood and split bones had reached its crescendo. Righteous anger and bloodthirsty eagerness fought to control his thoughts, unsure of whether this fight was to be justice or a savage beating. He soon came to the conclusion that it didn't matter either way, and even the rational part of his consciousness was chanting for victory.

Seeing the lack of focus in his opponent, Naruto slammed the pommel of Grimnir into the floor, the axe's rune of war impacting the ground much like how it was once used to stamp declarations of war in centuries past. Startled, the male heir of the Arc family looked nervously at Naruto, almost unwilling to meet the knight's gaze of fire and steel.

When Naruto spoke, it was gruff and stentorian, befitting of the armor he bore into combat. "For the death of Takauji Uzumaki and the loss of his household and kin, the head of Pierre Arc! For the incineration of the Uzumaki vassal state of Artois, three thousand acres of arable land and fifty million lien! For the plundering of the Great Vaults, the head of Louvel Arc and five hundred million lien! For the…"

His voice carried out throughout the entire room, and all were captivated by it. Many who had vested interest in history recalled many of these events and the occasional mention of the name, Uzumaki as having suffered from many of these crimes. To Naruto, it was a war chant. It woke the drums of his heart and as he read on, he could feel it beating against the ends of his ribcage.

Each sin was like a crack of thunder, and each reparation the following strike of lightning. The crowd just like him was becoming more and more eager to watch this fight. After seeing Naruto make his march and chant upon the stage, no short amount of second and third-years were panicking as they realized their ill placed money, and quickly searched for Mercury to change their bets and keep their cash.

"For the destruction of sacred icons and ancestral shrines at the Holy Temple of Tori-Shima, the crucified body of Alberi Arc! For the rape and torture of over three score women and girls, the castration of Alberi Arc! For the destruction and pillaging of the Uzumaki clan's ancestral island, Tori-Shima, the hands of Alberi Arc! For the butchering of two hundred men and the burglary of the grand Mausoleum of Tori-Shima, the head of Alberi Arc!"

He finished his list by slamming the pommel once more into the ground, before raising the battle axe and pointing at Jaune Arc. "And finally, for the slanderous words and dishonoring of my name, I demand retribution and declare a Grudge upon your name!" Naruto slid his right hand up onto the upper heft of the axe and gripped the lower half with his left hand, preparing for battle.

"This Grudge shall not be fulfilled until one or both of us lie defeated and offered mercy, or dead and granted justice."

Naruto shook his head around and scraped his feet against the floor like a bull preparing for the charge. "Now then, take up your blade and face me in glorious combat!"

---

Gods be praised, this took too long. As proud of this chapter as I am, I spent for too much time trying to get it out. I had originally started working on this in August and planned to get it out by October. Ended up taking an additional three months. But oh well, that's fate.

Also, I've left a number of memes (your hints are Palpatine and Dynamite) and references hidden throughout the chapter. Some are meant to be humorous, others will be integral to the story (i.e. the metric fuck load of Warhammer Fantasy that I've been referencing). For those of you who don't know or haven't checked out Warhammer, I highly recommend it, especially the Black Library novels or the game, Total War Warhammer.

I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially the fight scenes and the ending where I decided to channel my love of all things Dwarf. I don't think I've ever quite had this much fun writing as I did with this chapter. And I have great things planned for the future (so long as school doesn't murder me harder and faster than God decided to wipe out all the celebrities with an S at the beginning of their name last year.

Anyways, enough rambling. Happy New Years and Merry belated Christmas everyone! Don't forget to leave a review and all the usual shit.

I'd also like to thank all the folks who helped make this possible, specifically my beta, Milennial, and my writing buddies, Savage Theron, Alvor the Warhawk, and Orpheus Kidwell. I do recommend you go check out their writing if that interests you. Savage Theron has his own Warhammer Fantasy/RWBY crossover going on with an Estalian Diestro who comes into RWBY by way of Thaggoraki magic. Orpheus Kidwell has a number of stories (all include Naruto in some way, shape or form). Milennial has a short Naruto story that he is still (presumably working on). And Alvor has a extensively well written Naruto/Star Wars crossover that goes into hyper amounts of detail that likely exceed mine. Anyways, check them out if you are so inclined, and have a wonderful day.