It's been a while, everyone.

So, like, I know it's been a while. Totally long time and I'm sorry for that but, well, life and inspiration came in a weird way.

For one, so you know I wasn't being lazy, I've written up... Four... Six... I think EIGHT new stories, all sporting at least 16k+ words or FOUR+ CHAPTERS while I write for my current stories.

For example, in what I believe is biggest to smallest order:

Obito stories:

Solo Leveling - 6 Chapters (90k words)- I finally got over how stupid most of the manhwa is to read up to chapter 129. Almost finished.

Elden Ring - 2 Chapters (30k words) - This one is going to be both an Obito AND Naruto story

MHA - 1 Chapter (17k words)

Claymore - 1 Chapter (11k words)

RWBY - 1 Chapter - Obito & Kakashi story

In The Works (ITW):

The last version of Dust in Dark Silver.

Naruto stories:

MHA - 4 Chapters (65k words)

Elden Ring - 2 Chapters (30k words, even though he hasn't arrived in it yet)

OPM - 2 Chapters (25k words)

To-Love-Ru - 2 Chapters (26k, second chapter to-be-completed)

Demon Slayer - 1 Chapter (13k words)

~NRK~

Naruto, the one in Vale, took out his Scroll as he took a small break from 'healings'.

Sitting in a nearby sandwich shop, the Grimm man ate a sandwich under the impossible amount of flashing cameras.

He messed with the device before opening up a specialized personal app that Penny had made for those within the group related to anyone they knew.

-Naruto, what the heck?- Aster asked through the phone as Sienna peeked into view of her own screen.

-She's got a point, Naruto, this is rather incredible- Ghira said from another screen within his app. -And… Well, this may be rather ridiculous or something no one's considered but is Penny fully flesh?-

The others in the call looked shocked or startled, Petra blinking in confusion.

-Oi, what's that one 'bout?- The second hulking brunette asked in confusion. -Naruto, what is this about your lady-thing?-

"That's one way of putting it," Naruto chuckled as said former-android popped into the live-call. "Sup, Penny-chan, did you guys reveal the news yet?"

-Actually not even ten minutes ago- Penny admitted sheepishly as the others greeted her or raised some queries. -For those who don't know… I'm basically a cyborg now-

-Hah?!-

~NRK~

Her eyes widened in disbelief along with many others hiding within the darker sides of Vale.

"W-What the hell?!" A man at her side wheezed. "O-Oi!"

He was tall, bore orange hair that curled a bit at the sides & combed over his right green eye, and fair skin. Wearing a black bowler hat with a red stripe, a knee-length white coat with a popped collar, black gloves, black pants, and dark brown loafers.

"Neo, this is officially not something we can handle," he said with another flinch, going through all the livestreams currently happening all around the world. "W-We gotta tell boss lady how fucked we are if we try to attack him!"

The diminutive woman at his side nodded.

She was short, as noted before, maybe only, what? Four feet and a good couple of inches shy of five feet. Having fair skin, heterochromatic pink and brown eyes, and lower-back-length brown-and-pink hair with white streaks on the latter side, she crossed her arms with a frown.

Wearing a white naval-cropped broad tailed jacket with a pink interior, collar, and large pink cuffs. She had on brown pants with a dark belt and an additional narrow belt under it. Under her jacket was a brown overbust corset, curved in such a way to show her hips. Wearing a multitude of black beaded necklaces, she also wore white knee boots alongside black gloves.

She looked back at her own Scroll as they sat within an empty warehouse before typing something into it and showing it to the man.

You think we're good like this, Roman?

He, Roman, frowned as he looked back at his Scroll before stowing it away into his coat pocket. "I don't, not one bit, and I'm not sure how to take this," he whispered to her as they looked at the doors to the space. "She just went somewhere saying we had another member but I don't like this, Neo. This isn't going to end well for us and I think we need to be prepared to jump ship."

Pretty much, yeah. Still, what do YOU think of this Grimm guy? She typed as she looked back at her Scroll. He's not normal and don't be a smartass. Neo smirked as Roman pouted. I mean, Brothers above, he's too nice.

Roman leaned back against one of two large brown boxes they had in the space, Neo sitting atop the next that held a cane and umbrella crossed on its side. "... I got nothin'," he admitted as she nodded. "What? This 'Naruto' guy is a saint? No one's said shit about paying, fuck, he's doing this all over. Even in Vacuo," he wore a soft frown as Neo shot him a concerned look. "... Look, we got this, we'll just… I guess we should move."

Neo looked alarmed as he shrugged.

"Think about it, Neo, what do you think the Council will try with this cloning ability?"

She paled as he nodded.

IIs anywhere safe? She asked, twitchy finger double-tapping on accident. Surely, they don't like him that much. Neo tried.

"We don't know what they like about him or if it's just for the sake of a working connection, duh. The fact remains, we're not safe here and Cindy seemed like she was intrigued by you for some big scheme."

Neo's face contorted in disgust.

"Calm down, no one said she was that interested. I think she needs more female bodies for something, call it one of my 'Hunches'," he frowned. "And you gotta play along, at least for a bit. We don't know what'll happen now and we can't be taking chances… I think we should go and see Junior," Roman said as they got off their boxes. "Hopefully, he'll have something."

~NRK~

"Vels, you saying you met that guy?"

Velvet blinked as she and the other students at Pharos stared at the screen in their class, their teacher, Ms. Hawks, blinking in shock.

"I-I did, he awakened my Aura," Velvet admitted as the other students gawked at her in shock, the rabbit girl blushing as they did. "H-He saved my family on the road from my village to Vale. He heard I was going to Pharos but didn't have Aura a-and I guess he figured he could help."

She'd never forgotten, how could she?

That Grimm man had saved her life and given her the ability to enter Pharos with more power than she'd ever had.

She kept pinching her fingers together before a slight spiritual connection formed between them, each pinch causing that white line to squeeze together or stretch apart.

"So, he gave you, like, Super-Aura?" Someone asked.

"I-I don't know. I don't really know the difference between normal Aura and Super-Aura."

The class murmured before watching the videos of the Grimm man healing folk or giving explanations.

"So, like, we'd get missing limbs back?" Someone asked.

"Isn't that kind of broken? Like, man, I sure would love to have a bigger di-"

"Dude, no way, I thought the same thing!"

Velvet burned as the girl beside her started cackling.

~NRK~

"Damn," Adam said with interest and a bit of admiration. "It's really something else."

"I-I think you're right," Perry said in shock. "Actually…" he pulled out his Scroll.

"That app, right," he whispered to himself as he navigated to said app- "H-How many people are on this thing?!" Perry mini-yelled as he opened it up and turned the volume down.

Then came the familiar call of his wife, Perry looking relieved as she came in from the doorway.

"Hey, long time no see… Brothers, this is insane, Aster, w-what?"

The bear woman chuckled sheepishly as she came over before hugging her daughter and husband. "I've got no better ideas. What about you, baby?" Aster asked Neon who giggled.

"This is awesome!" Neon said. "Naruto told us about this a while ago!"

"H-Hey, honey? What's going on? Naruto's out here saying he can give back limbs?"

-Yes, that'd be accurate- James said as he appeared, smiling on his screen. -I mean, I would know- He told them as the group gawked at his smile.

"I-Ironwood?"

~NRK~

James nodded to those on his Scroll as his scientists looked at his new fleshy side, formerly-metal.

"S-Sir, this is incredible!" One of them said as he kept looking over the general's new flesh. "H-How come you didn't speak up yet?"

"It takes time, Dr. Timier," James said as he held up his phone to his face. "Honestly, we just wanted to be sure first and foremost. No need to get people's hopes up."

The group of scientists nodded rapidly. "Better a well-investigated finding than not… So, sir, I'm guessing that this has to do with Dr. Polendina's destruction of his project?" She asked as the others perked up in shock.

James nodded to them. "It's for the best that, sadly, that invention never sees the light of day again. You all understand, surely," he said.

"I… I-It'd be an ethical nightmare," one of them said.

"The amount of people who might… A-Ahem, ask for horrid experiments might actually skyrocket beyond reason," another paled.

More of such words passed around and James felt proud of his science department.

"S-So, um," a woman scientist blushed as she raised a hand. "I-I asked for, um, a biological sample at one point and was denied," she burned like a cherry at the other scientists' dropped jaws. "I-Is he willing to trade?"

Correction, most of his science department.

~NRK~

Those who got it, in the classroom, laughed or blushed.

Summer wheezed as Thetis let out a bark of laughter, Petra cupping his chin.

"Wait, no, go back! What about Penny bein' a cyboorg?" He asked, alarmed, as Qrow chuckled.

"She already had a soul, Petra," he informed him, confusing the man. "So, with a quote-unquote 'normal body', she's basically human but she's still got some weird parts."

"... Man, what did your woman do?!"

Naruto's laughter over the app reached everyone.

-Nothing, Penny's just a more-fleshy woman now. Actually, hehe, she's been one for almost three years- Naruto admitted.

"Wait?!" Raven gawked in disbelief in her and Vernal's corner next to Summer, Tai, and the others. "The hell!?"

-It's true- Penny explained as Willow blinked in alarm. -I've been living for, well, around that time. I mean, I ate at our beginning lunch- She chuckled as Jiraiya snickered, Olivier blinking thrice.

"So, they were datin'?" He asked as Glynda's face appeared on his Scroll. "Lynda? What's going on?"

-Apologies, father, this was just the best time to reveal it in words. Honestly, we weren't really even trying to hide it- Glynda said, amused as most of the group's eyes went blank.

"Wait," Nicholas blinked randomly. "Huh?!"

Jun held her cheek with interest, looking at her Scroll with a raised brow. "I see~ I guess, nowadays, you're just so obvious about it that it just never came up," she hummed as Penny chuckled on the screen.

-All things considered, it was nice to be treated normally without too much thought- The former-android said.

"Hmm… So, wait, you and Naruto are dating?" Jun blinked in surprise as Penny nodded with a smile and blush.

-Y-Yes, we've been for two years-

The woman's face screwed up in confusion. "... Is. That. So?"

"Jun, no," Nicholas said, not beckoning that image lest he feel eternally awkward due to his not-son. "Brother's sake, she's going to be like that for a while," he groaned as Petra chuckled.

"It is the thing with wives," he said with amusement as Nicholas's eyebrow rose.

"All of a sudden, I have a feeling we have a lot in common."

"Aye."

Pyrrha giggled as her mother shot her father a look that lacked any fire. "Excuse me?"

"See? You're a spitfire even when you're not excitable," Petra said with a grin as Nicholas chuckled while Jun pouted.

Thetis grinned knowingly.

Ghira considered the entire situation at hand before the app's many screens squished to the side to allow a news bulletin to show.

"This just in, it seems 'Grimm presents' aren't so bad!"

Yang, Jaune, Nora, Mercury, Emerald, and Whitley nearly bust out laughing.

Raven barely controlled her laughing cough as Tai wore the biggest of amused looks.

"Yes, it seems that wonders don't cease with the one named 'Naruto Uzumaki' around and the public census is very onboard with our Grimm citizen," the man said as he adjusted his collar. "All eyes are on this odd man who's not only brought himself to the table but he's added specialized machinery & science, very intriguing fruity wonders I'd love in a drink, and now prosthetics that can't even be remotely reached by our 'former' present technology. Quite frankly, I'd believe him if he figured out how to turn all trash into power."

-Hmm…- Penny considered something as the others wore nervous grins. -I don't think that's possible… Ozpin?-

-Hmm, it'd probably take specialties the world over- Ozpin chuckled on his screen. -For now, let's go with 'NO' and leave people guessing. At the moment, the Council is basically pleading for an audience with you, Naruto-

-I mean, I guess? I'm kinda busy at the moment. I don't even know how long I'm gonna be out here, ya know?- Naruto said. -I'm glad I was able to make the housing before we got to this because my God, these lines are crazy. I've never been more glad for my Shadow Clones-

"I can't even imagine it," Jacques said as Whitley tilted his head.

"You said you made fifty of those warehouses, right, Mr. Uzumaki?" He asked as Naruto nodded.

-That much material should, hopefully, handle all currently disabled Hunters/students/and even people currently within the kingdoms, for a few days- Penny stressed. -It's good that Naruto got such powerful bone creating abilities from the Gate in Gormhen because that amount of material is not small- She added. -At the moment, we've set up flyers, ads on all platforms, signs, and a website link for the event to last, maybe, three days. We want everyone to have a chance to get their bodies repaired before we choose a location to have the prosthetics normally applied-

-Speaking of- Pietro said from his screen. -You might want to consider what will happen when the materials run out- He advised as Glynda nodded, Ozpin speaking to the Council off to the side of his screen.

-Sadly, we have to make either a list or a gathering limit. I'm pretty sure there are going to be lines of people who will be sleeping out to get first in line despite the fact Naruto can make clones- She said with a groan as her father shot her a raised brow. -People can be such headaches sometimes, I'm glad to have left the higher-society-

-Wait, what?- Naruto blinked, confused.

"Aye, boyo, you probably didn't know," Olivier said as Jiraiya chuckled. "But the name 'Goodwitch' isn't without its history and bloodlines, you see," he explained, Naruto gawking at him. "I take it he's not for history."

The collective 'NOPE' from Naruto, Glynda, Qrow, Summer, James, Adam, and most of the others was telling.

"Aye," the old man said. "The point is, the nobility of Vale is long-reaching and we're a literal single bloodline away from one of the Three Great Families," he explained as Penny hummed, looking at something off to the side.

-The Osbourne- Penny began. -The Aske, and the Komponert, compose Vale's nobility like the Farum Society in Mistral which holds nine main families. Vacuo doesn't have such a structure anymore and Atlas's 'nobility' are really just the wealthy elite now. So, in concept, only two kingdoms have royal families-

"Wait, really?" Jaune asked, surprised. "Who's Ms. Goodwitch related to?"

-Well, my grandfather was the brother of one of the Komponert- Glynda explained.

"Hmm, my family was quite the odd ones," Olivier said as Jiraiya shot him a raised brow. "Let's see… Mmm, well, when we got Naruto the middle name of 'Goodwitch', you wouldn't believe it," he chuckled as Summer squawked along with the others.

"WAIT?! H-How could you beat me to that?!" The Silver-Eyed woman cried against the desk, wailing in despair as Taiyang chuckled while Qrow snickered. "D-Dangit! We're second-middle-namers?!"

"I'm more surprised the administrative office just let that happen," Nicholas said with a hum. "Damn, though."

Jun snickered at that bit. "Yes, we're settling for second-middle-namers," she said as her twin daughters gawked.

"Wait, we'll have a bro who's a Grimm? That's sick!" Charlie cheered as Naruto snorted on his screen. "Dude, you can now say the 'Arc' is in everyone! We've got a sick motto now!"

-That so?- Naruto said, amused. -Look, my little break is up for now. I'll talk to you guys… I don't know, honestly-

-We'll come down and put up some time limits- Glynda said, eyes going up on the screen. -It's already 11 am. Give us around 20 minutes to placate the Council-Or, better yet, Penny-

-Understood!- The former-android said with a smile as her face was quickly, and amazingly, covered by her new helmet set-up. -I'll be down there in five minutes, Naruto. I can fly now!- She said with a nod as her screen cut out.

"Okay, so, no one's gonna tell us Penny got sick armor?" Mercury asked in shock and yet so much damn AWE. "Dammit, ma's so damn cool," he groaned in amazement as Nora giggled excitedly.

"I want that! I want a sloth one!" She cheered.

"... Wolf," Mercury chimed in without too much resistance. "Whoa, actually, we could totally make a whole group out of cool armor like that!" He grinned as Emerald tilted her head while the others looked excited.

"I want one!" Jaune said with stars in his eyes, Whitley, Neptune, Sun, Ruby, and Yang following suit. "That's so cool!"

"Hmph…" Adam cupped his chin. "... Would saying a 'bull' be kinda too much?" He asked the sweatdropping Perry.

"I… I mean, maybe?" The lizard Faunus said with a nervous smile. "It is cool, though. Now, they're a set," Perry chuckled as Neon gasped.

"Oh my gosh! They are!" The girl gawked in awe as the adults began laughing.

Thetis, ever the one-track mind, looked excited while Pyrrha giggled.

"Mom, you look excited!" The teen grinned as her mother chuckled.

"Of course I am," she said as her husband shot her a knowing look. "You definitely know I am."

"Aye, I do, I'm already thinking about sparring with our Grimm healer," Petra said with a gleam in his eye.

"Oh, right, there's some stuff we should explain to everyone," Kali said, gaining the room's attention. "So… We don't know when," she began. "But there will likely be a war for Uzu soon."

The room went silent as those not in the know choked in unison.

"WHAT?!"

"H-Hold on, explain!" Nicholas asked in disbelief as Petra grew excited. "No! Dammit, Petra, be reasonable!"

"I am!" The other large man said excitedly as Ghira shot his wife a worried look.

"It's like this," the puma woman began.

Kali explained the situation in full with aid from the others who'd been there when this conversation had happened. All the way down to the reasoning for Penny's new form.

"Wait, she can what the island?" Nora's jaw dropped as Mercury blinked in complete shock while Emerald wheezed. "M-Ma can control Uzu?"

"Well, it's not so grand," Kali explained. "Penny said that she, alongside Naruto, went back to Uzu and basically molded her specialized metal into the earth all around it. You remember Kokyoko? His summons? They've all gotten some of her metal implanted into them, too."

"T-That sounds like a ridiculous amount of firepower," Jacques said, mind whirling with possibilities. "But for what purpose?"

"To cast a shield over Uzu by using Naruto's island's energy," Summer revealed, surprising her daughters. "But that's not all," she grinned. "You've seen all the other PM AIMs around, right? Remember how they are artificial intelligence? Penny basically automated a defense force for the island."

Raven let out a whistle as Ramaal blinked in surprise. "Damn, woman, what couldn't they take on with that damn island?" She asked.

"Well, everything's in need of protection on Uzu and… Well, Naruto's preparing to reveal his summons, as well, to the world."

"Is that wise?" Willow asked, concerned. "I mean… No matter how you look at them, people are going to be terrified by this prospect," a true thing to fear for. "And I can't even begin to imagine what the Councils will think."

"I don't think the Mistral Council will have a damn thing to say, for sure," Qrow said, leaning back in his seat with Garnet sitting on his stomach. "If one of their folk comes back with the beating of a lifetime, they'll have to save face. Dae-Won will look like the greatest warrior or biggest idiot depending on how his little raid goes. And we're banking on the latter."

"We've already got a group of fighters to go," Thetis smiled as Petra shot her an intrigued look. "Well… I mean, if Naruto's fine with it, honey, he could probably have some clones watch the children while we all have, as the Toad Sage put it," she grinned as he looked excited. "The fight of a lifetime."

"Yes," the man said with a look that said 'all the yes' in it as Jiraiya chuckled.

"Naruto's already prepping more on the island, too," the Toad Sage explained. "But we're hoping it doesn't get that far and we can sink their ships close to port. We can't let the people get hurt regardless."

-Sadly, I can't help out- James said.

-The same for myself- Leonardo admitted sadly. -The politics, all of you have learned, I'm sure- The children and teens shivered. -They will eat us alive for doing such a thing despite this fight being between Mistral and Atlas-

-We can't help in such a way but outfitting Penny, Naruto, and whoever else with some technology? That's doable- Pietro explained. -Right now, well, Naruto's got a clone on Uzu to act as one of the five alarms-

-I've got a few more on there, too- The Grimm man said as he got up. -Alright, I'm gone. You guys fill 'em in on the situation- He left the call, the news showing the man creating his clones to go back to their tents where PM AIMs sat as bodyguards, the ground around a few already covered in tased 'victims'.

"Hmm," Tai considered it before looking at Raven, his former 1st wife nodding. "Well… I think I'll stay back, then. Just because Uzu's being attacked, doesn't mean there won't be others. I can take off for the coming month, thankfully."

"Thanks, hun," Summer smiled. "Right now, we've got quite the force set up to face them. All that's to happen, now, is… Well, we wait for the call," she declared. "We are not letting those horrid folk ruin Uzu!"

~NRK~

Naruto chuckled as Penny landed by his tent, the real one's own. "Hey, hon," he greeted her as he put on some gloves as the gathered people looked on in interest. "How's it going?"

"Well," Penny smiled as her helmet broke down, the ring on her back glowing softly before it fully died down. "Hopefully well," she chuckled sheepishly, coming over and sitting down on one of the many chairs within the medical tent. "The Council knows everything, now."

"Well, I'm sure this will give us some headaches," he shrugged, leaned down, pecked her on the cheek, and then pulled on a medical mask. "Alright! Who's first?!"

The amount of flashing cameras, shocked people, and blushing people, was expected… Most of them, that is.

"Why the hell are they blushing?"

"I fear the answer," Penny said with a shaky smile.

~NRK~

They had set up the time frame for everyone once Glynda had arrived, the woman carrying with her numerous signs to plant by the medical tents.

So, with that enforced, Naruto had gone to work applying prosthetics via pre-taught medical knowledge and, now, Penny's own help.

By the end of it all, even the students, and their families, had arrived alongside the Beacon teachers to just watch history being made.

Oobleck smiled as he observed the real Naruto's work. "Utterly fabulous," he said with a chuckle, several of his students already observing in other tents or the current one.

Winter's green face hid behind a medical mask, eyes trailing Naruto's small bony shoulder ports that accepted the prosthetics with some adjustment. "T-This is what you've been working on for the past four hours," she observed as Naruto nodded.

"It's not easy to look at, Winter, some of these folk got it bad," Naruto said, nodding to the nodding man in the gurney.

"Yeah, ma'am," he was an older Hunter, it seemed. "It's never been great, trust me."

Getting the new arm on, the man ate the Regen Fruit and grinned like he'd won a million lien.

"The Brothers, man, I-I can feel it all for real," the Hunter ran his bone hand through his hair before chuckling. "My wife's gonna love this," he said as he walked out, leaving behind an utterly confused Winter, a laughing Cera, and a blushing Amber.

"W-Well, he's definitely gonna put that to good use," the Maiden-to-be muttered as Winter tilted her head while Penny blushed and Naruto cleared his throat.

"Um, best to not think too much about that, Winter," he told her, confusing the heiress before she nodded. "Alright, next!"

Looking out at the seemingly never-ending lines, Yang shook her head as Ruby drank some juice Naruto had bought for the class and families, the group sitting in a sort of 'bone restaurant' that the man had formed without much thought.

Truly, he was getting good at this.

"Hmm," Qrow looked around at the boxes of juice, water, and alcohol. "The kid's a saint, I swear," he said, grabbing some of the malts and bringing them back to pass around. "And I keep forgetting he gets paid by Atlas, y-you never think about it but damn he's rolling."

"Where?" Whitley asked as Willow chuckled. "Where is Mr. Uzumaki rolling? I-I don't understand."

"It's a phrase, Whitley," Jacques said as Petra chuckled heartily. "Hmm, there are phrases like 'rolling in dough' which is a metaphor for 'have a surplus of wealth'," he explained.

"Ah, I see… But why dough?"

"I believe it's because of the texture," the man shrugged as Summer blinked.

"Actually, w-when I think about it… Why is it rolling in dough?" She considered as the other adults sweatdropped at the 'existential' question. "I-I mean, yeah, dough's kind of heavy, it's a lot to hold onto… Ah, maybe that's why!" Summer grinned.

"Oh thank the gods, I don't think I could have made it if she kept up that question," Peter said with a look of relief as Oobleck smirked knowingly at him. "Egads, it reminds me of our Academy Days, Summer would sometimes ask the oddest yet most mind-aggravating questions known to Hunter kind. Like: 'Why don't all Hunters wear armor? We're all super-human, why the lack?' Without even realizing she doesn't wear armor."

The Hunters nearly spat out their drinks as the Silver-Eyed woman blushed up a storm, Taiyang and Raven laughing raucously off to the side.

Meanwhile, Penny had moved to stand in front of the children with a nervous giggle in her full suited-up form.

"S-So, wait, how's this one work?" Sun asked with a grin as the Arc siblings nodded. "Like, is this a form or is it actual armor?!"

"Basically the latter," Penny explained as Mercury and Nora considered. "By storing the items through applications of my powers, I can carry this power armor and carry it everywhere. The only downside is that I need a big enough pack to carry it even if it is the size of a fanny pack," she told them.

"And you built all of that to go along with your Semblance?" Sarcelle asked, utterly mystified by the prospect. "T-That's amazing, Ms. Polendina!"

Penny giggled a bit. "Thank you, Sarcelle, and 'yes' to your question."

Vernal cupped her chin at the sight of Penny in combat ready mode and felt her body roar at the idea of fighting her like this.

"Hmm, how strong would you say that armor makes you, Penny?" Adam asked with a curious hum. "What does this armor do for you?"

"Hmm, the Inari, my armor, is meant to increase the range of my abilities," Penny explained. "My blade, my frequencies, my Semblance's reach, and my natural electricity affinity. In a way, it's my limit-releasing battle suit that brings out as much potential as I have at the moment. Think of it as forcing me to be at 100% for as long as I have Aura."

"That's an incredible ability," Winter said, floored and intrigued. "As you implied, the time limit depends on your Aura but is there really no other downside?"

"In the grand scheme of things? Most likely. For one, forcing one's body to be at 100% power for any decent length of time for combat is going to come with downsides," Penny let out a breath as her helmet broke apart to sit on the sides of her neck. "And it's still mostly metal so it's weak to electricity and heat. Thankfully, the power running through the suit, Semblance included, isn't self-detrimental and even offers a sort of rise in resistances."

The heiress's mind was whirling with ideas.

Ramaal hummed next to Amber as the younger woman stared at Penny in utter disbelief.

"T-The amount of energy she's putting out is ridiculous," she told the Summer Maiden, Ramaal humming at that. "How is no one bothered by this?"

"Because she's got an even more powerful form, Amber," she told the gobsmacked woman. "You weren't there but earlier in the month, near the time where we saw that large underwater Black Gate, Penny revealed her true power through magic. I'm not sure where this suit resides within her magic system," Ramaal continued. "But Penny's former inorganic nature has given her advantages that a normal magician will never have."

"Do… Why not make Penny the Maiden?"

"Sadly, you can't mix magic like that. When I was learning under Ozpin, which you will eventually, learning about the Maidens meant understanding the specifics. Like how your Maiden had to choose you because you held the right qualities, the same would apply to Penny."

Amber frowned in thought before sighing. "I know…" She admitted before finding the Vacuan woman's hand on her shoulder.

"Despite how I seem, I get it," she whispered as Amber looked up at her. "I know how terrifying it is, how daunting it seems, and just how ridiculous it feels, Amber. The thing is, if you're truly set on this, you'll acclimate. Without question, that I promise you, you will understand it all in time."

Back with the other adults, Jacques observed Penny's Inari. "So, was this inspired by Atlas, James? Or Mistral?"

-Both Mistral and Atlas- James nodded, the man sitting down at his desk and tapping away at his computer. -Penny made the design and philosophy based on Mistral culture & Naruto's own concepts on energy while the metals were obtained from Atlas and sent through our manufacturing plants. After that? It's all Penny's Semblances, her previous origin, and her creative mind-

"How so?" Thetis asked, drinking the Sweet Bear malt in her hands, looking amused if not a bit buzzed.

-The best way to put it is that Penny's Semblance can do a bit more than just make material her own, Penny's Semblance has a bit of her soul in it, all of it, and it resonates when in close contact but there's one more thing. Penny can 'program' the different aspects onto each piece based on her skill level- The Pietro explained. -After realizing that, Penny made the Inari into a 'system' in and of itself. It's a constant feedback loop of energy, not just from within her, but from the outside due to the nature of Naruto's material and abilities-

"... Wait," Glynda considered that for a moment before letting out a breath, James and Pietro nodding.

-We will likely never reveal that- James said, confusing some of the others.

"What?" Perry asked, confused. "I mean, what's so special 'bout it?"

"... My word," Willow said as Jacques cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Y-You all don't see it in a business sense," she explained, Kali crossing her arms with a thoughtful frown. "Let's repeat some of what Pietro said."

"Naruto's materials allow for the usage of energy from the outside," the SDC CEO explained in plain words.

The others blinked at him, churning the words around in their heads as Oobleck let out a sharp hiss.

"Ah… Oh no," he said. "You all must understand, resources of all kinds are wanted by most people, yes?" Oobleck began as he took off and wiped his glasses. "Now, let's apply what Jacques and Willow have stated to that bit of history and add a business sense to it."

Pale faces began to pop up from the others, Glynda looking the most horrified.

"I-If that got out," Nicholas grimaced. "It'd be a damn nightmare."

"They'd likely want more than just his body for science," Tai frowned as Raven crossed her arms, drink in hand.

"You're asking for him to get looked at like a trophy, too, just so you're aware," she added as they all flinched. "Imagine what any kingdom would do with him permanently affixed to them."

"It'd be a damn war," Qrow said with an apathetic expression. "It's a damn shame the human condition is such a bitch sometimes. Everyone could have a hand in helping solve one of the biggest resources of mankind and yet that'd end with someone dead instead of everyone living."

"Unfortunately," Jacques admitted. "So, Penny's armor, it mustn't fall into anyone else's hands, you all understand."

-We do- Leonardo said. -Still, James, I believe you and Pietro should go back over your tools now, no?-

-We already have, trust me- Pietro said. -At present, all scientists have been sworn to secrecy while the documents containing this bit of Naruto's attributes haven't been updated-

"Hmm," Jun hummed in thought. "So, besides this so-called fight you'll be having by Mistral and Atlas, what comes next?" She asked curiously.

-Finishing up the submarine- James explained. -That's going to be very important, especially due to some more efforts we've made-

-Outside of Dust Fission and Dust Connection, we're figuring out how to refine it better- Pietro smiled. -Penny's armor also includes that bit of knowledge and soon enough, we'll be grabbing a ton of White Dust shards, hahaha! We've got an idea-

"Hmm… Ah," Jacques realized what he'd meant just from the mentions of Dust Fission and 'blank' White Dust shards. "If you can truly do what I think you're trying, that'd revolutionize the Dust ecosystem. And, pray tell, what about farming it? Is that just foolish imagery? Or are you reaching a powerful distinction?"

-Not yet- James grinned. -But we're already having small experiments about the subject, Jacques, we just need time-

The CEO looked intrigued by this prospect as his wife blinked, confused. "Jacques?" She asked.

"Ah, I reveal it in private. If what I just said is possible, Willow, there will be quite the fresh open-market on Dust."

The Schnee matriarch looked alarmed while Raven tried to figure out what he meant.


The time, for that day, came to an end not that much longer after they'd arrived.

An hour later, Naruto and his clones 'closed up shop' before putting everything, tents, materials, tables, chairs, and more into a pair of large-carrier bullheads.

"Alright, we'll be open tomorrow!" The Grimm man told the gathered folks, the phenomenon happening all over. "Come by tomorrow at eight o'clock! I'm doing this for the next four days, 8 am to 3 pm!"

The gathered people whined, complained, or even pleaded with the now-nervous-looking Grimm man but one application of 'Glynda' later, they quickly found themselves returning to normal life.

"T-Thanks, nee-chan, I'm uh… I-I'm not sure I could have handled that one."

"You need to remember, they're not all that matters despite how callous that sounds," Glynda told him, patting his bat. "Now, come, we should all have dinner and then discuss things in the new bone apartments," she smirked as he chuckled.

"Thank God, sis, I can actually apply colors. I'm not exactly a fashionista but… No person wants that much white or blue," Naruto said sheepishly.

"Yes, we'll make you color-conscious soon enough."

~NRK~

"So… Naruto, have you considered more construction?"

"Jacques, come on."

The CEO shrugged as Qrow smirked, the group sitting within a bone hotel of just the right amount of rooms and a bunch of space.

Sitting within the 'lobby' area, a space that easily reached over 200 feet in length and half that wide, they sat on palm tree seats and well-designed tables.

"He can change the colors…" Willow said with a gleam in her eye, looking out a very beautifully renditioned window. "I see…"

"Uh-oh."

Winter, Amber, Cera, and Vernal smirked around a pool table, the balls within properly color-coded but not without Naruto's little spiral on them.

"Yeah, no, this place is sick," the Mistralian said as she took aim before breaking apart the stack, two balls going into the corner pockets as she smirked. "Haha! Read 'em and weep! I'm gonna wreck you guys."

Taking one more shot, she kissed her teeth at just missing a hole.

"Dammit!"

"It would seem that not everything is as you want," Winter said with a curious hum before taking the picture perfect stance. "Hmm, I have seen some of the others do this and… There."

She hit the pure white ball and it… You gotta be fucking kidding.

Vernal's jaw dropped at the perfect ricochet that Winter had somehow pulled off and sunk four balls into pockets!

"T-That's so broken."

"Hmm, I understand the fun in this game," Winter smiled as Cera laughed while Amber chuckled.

The kids, meanwhile, slipped in and out of slides and hidey-holes in a large honeycomb on the other side.

"Marco!" Nora called out as she popped out of a hole, blindfolded.

The other kids popped out like chipmunks. "Polo!" They called out before sinking back in with her.

Watching them go, Summer grinned with a look of pure euphoria that Naruto kept his eyes away from for his own sanity.

"Man," Adam blinked as he walked downstairs, looking refreshed. "You are a master plumber or something, Naruto, how the hell did you set up the plumbing already?" He asked in shock.

"That's a bit less complex. So, you know how I can call on elements, right?" Naruto began as Adam nodded. "So, you also know how anyone who wears my clones or me can use their own favored attributes. So, with that in mind, we borrowed some of James-ossan's hair, Qrow's hair, had Penny alter a bony ball along with getting some of her hair, and then used my own skills to add an Earth element to it. With that, I apply electricity," he pointed to the above lights. "Water for the plumbing by having that bony 'machine' work underground within the pipe system, add fire to not only burn away any unwanted stuff but warm the water, and then add Earth abilities to, well, make more space if it needs growing."

"Are you sure you don't do construction?" Jacques asked.

"It's honestly kind of fun, ya know?"

"He's ridiculous," Raven said, cloak still on. "And the less said about this crazy place, the better. And yet you being able to apply colors to your bones is somehow more surprising," she said, looking down at the smooth forest-brown floor. "Man, do you realize you could probably make the best damn hotels in the entire world?"

"Honestly, I've never thought about it," Naruto admitted. "I mean, I could plus I could lower rates due to being able to cut down on resources. Still would need to pay property taxes, get other foods, and hire staff, though."

"The fact you even thought of all of that means you'd probably kill it," Nicholas said. "I'm utterly baffled and yet relieved that you get all of this advantage, thank the Brothers," he added in relief as Peter chuckled.

"Ah, luxury," Ozpin chuckled as he entered through the sliding bone doors. "Alright, where should we have this conversation?"

Going upstairs two flights, the whole group found themselves in the conference room.

The whole group sat down in the just-enough seats as Naruto, Ozpin, and Penny moved to stand at the front, screens coming down to show James, Pietro, and Leonardo.

-I'm sure you all are aware but, just to make the point. There will be a grand fight for Uzu in the near future, one that will likely bring along with it the world's attention- The General said with a hum, his seat creaking as he leaned back. -We've spoke about the fighting, of course we have, but now we're not just speaking on fighting strength-

"But political strength," Ozpin continued. "Naruto's bound to get into that realm. We've already had issues with that here in Vale, the other Kingdoms, despite our connections, aren't so easy to sway."

"Is the Mistral Council that problematic?" Summer asked.

-Hmm… Yes- Leonardo agreed. -They're not taken with Naruto as you all believe, not like the Atlas Council or even the Vale Council. No, they've honestly been rather quiet about him so I fear for the worst-

"U-Um," Emerald spoke up. "Isn't that good?" She asked.

"Is it?" Mercury considered. "The thing is, people who aren't vocal about something drastic, typically have a hidden agenda related to it," he elaborated. "If they're really not saying anything about, sorry, pops, a magical-alive Grimm man, some people would think something's off."

"Merc's got a point," Naruto said. "Right now, at present, we don't know what the Mistral Council will do when the fight's over. Hell, I'm not even sure how they'll feel about me sinking his ships close to Argus. Dae-Won's a noble and Councilmen, what do I do about his family's super-likely hate for me beating their golden child?"

"It sounds so complicated and stupid," Nora said with a pout as Vernal nodded.

"Yep, it just sounds like a bunch of bull because their feelings are hurt," she said as Adam crossed his arms in thought.

"And Mistral's not exactly framed in a great light as is. Never mind that the Council's existence still doesn't change that, we've got no idea how the other kingdoms will feel, right?" He asked as Penny cupped her chin.

"... You're right. At the moment, let's also remember, people want to know about Uzu, not just see it," the carrot top explained. "Not just land on it, they want to know more things about it no matter the privacy, they're too nosy, and that means even fighting them now will give them more reasons to try and force Naruto's hand. The political spectrum isn't exactly great between kingdoms and Naruto fighting off Mistral might goad others into a frenzy."

"It's all complicated and, yes, Nora, kind of stupid," Qrow said. "Still, it's not like Naruto hasn't been facing some political issues already, we could see that coming. What we need to focus on, for now, is the itsy-bitsy picture of fighting Dae-Won, the others of the Top Ten, and their militia."

"They don't know that we know," Kali said. "We have the element of surprise… B-But we can't attack them, can we?" She asked her husband who looked down in thought before shaking his head.

"No, the moment you all cast the first shot, the narrative changes," the Faunus man told them all, Naruto wincing at that. "It's best you understand that now, Naruto. You can't just sink their ships at port."

-Ah, we've been so caught up we didn't realize the kind of theme that would set- Pietro realized as James wore a conflicted look.

-And if we let them try to spin a theme of Naruto hiding things, we can't let that happen- The General said.

"B-But people like pops," Nora said. "Why would they want him to get into a fight?" She pouted.

Glynda perked up at that, rubbing her chin. "Yes… They do like Naruto, don't they?" She considered something as Olivier hummed.

"I have a few ideas on how to represent that in his favor," the man began. "But you need to understand, that means aligning Naruto with people, with a side."

"Of course, sadly, this is a political situation where being of his 'own interests' won't be well-met by any Council. In a technicality, Naruto is tied to Beacon," Ozpin cupped his chin with a hum. "Actually, what if we aligned him with all the Academies?" He smiled as the others perked up.

"Would that work?" Naruto crossed his arms in thought. "I mean, at that point, I'm siding with the Hunter system, basically? In a way, that's not owned by anyone but would that add more trouble to my plate?" He asked.

"The things we need to be aware of aren't small," Penny cupped her chin, back in her normal teaching clothes. "That said, we have to take some downsides with the good. Aligning with the school system isn't as odd as it might seem. The possible problems would be those who invest in us trying to bully their way in by using that as a talking point."

"Hmm, I can imagine the Mistral nobles would love that and the Council members on their pay scale would love to appease 'em," Jiraiya said. "But, at the same time, you do have some political power here in Vale and Altas. The issue remains, you don't in Mistral and Vacuo."

"Mistral… Mistral…" Vernal considered it. "So, why not just use Dae-Won's wrecked rep when ya beat 'em?" She offered, confusing the group.

Naruto looked intrigued by this idea as Emerald & Mercury nodded.

"She's got a point," the former street rat said. "If you beat the strongest in Mistral, while working alongside the top of the top, people can't say sh-anything," she corrected. "D-Didn't you guys tell me about how important those ranking things are to those people?"

"And if they care that much about their culture, you can request a wish from the Council, can't ya?" Mercury smirked as Jiraiya chuckled. "Actually, wait, why can't you, Toad Sage?"

The Number One Warrior in Mistral came to a sudden flat-faced realization.

"Oh… So, we have Mistral, gotcha," Jiraiya coughed as the others looked amused. "And if Naruto does have a part in beating the others, you guys have to realize that his ranking's gonna go up again. Right now, he's in the Top 100."

"I'm honestly not that surprised," Naruto said. "What number?"

"Heh, 99."

"Oh, that's nice," the former blonde chuckled. "And if I have a hand in beating them, while showing off some more of my power, then that's basically me jumping up into the higher 30s if I had to guess. Honestly, wouldn't all of us then get up there?"

Summer, Thetis, Kali, Qrow, Raven, and Penny perked up.

"W-Wait, would I also gain a ranking?" Penny realized.

"Hmm, I'd probably get one, now," Qrow said as Raven shrugged. "Sums would definitely go up with Thetis and then whoever else is gonna be going up on the map under Naruto's banner."

Pyrrha looked awed by the idea while Petra nodded.

"A fight of this scale, you understand, will be remembered for ages," the greatsword-user said with a pleased expression. "And winning, as is the most favored option, would essentially carve our names into Mistral history."

The teens looked excited while Adam hummed and Vernal grinned.

"I can represent the Fang truly trouncing Mistral," the bull Faunus said with a smirk.

"I just wanna ruin the top's bs," the bandit teen snickered.

"So, who's going?" Saphron asked.

Naruto nodded before using his claw to 'write' on the board behind them.

Uzu's Protection Unit:

-Naruto

-Penny

-Jiraiya

-Summer

-Glynda

-Kali

-Thetis

-Petra

-Qrow

-Adam

-Vernal

"Are you both sure?" Oobleck asked as he adjusted his glasses. "No offense meant but this will likely be more rigorous than anything either of you have ever done."

"I want to fight," Adam said, looking sheepish. "At the very least, I owe Naruto, a lot, and want to repay that debt even if he says otherwise."

"I'm Mistral-born and raised," Vernal said. "I'm not afraid of losing and what'll come after. Trust me, I've got this."

"..." Winter looked down in thought as Weiss hummed.

"Is there anyone else from Atlas, like Penny, who might help?" She wondered.

-... Ah- Pietro gasped. -I might know one other but it'll depend on her current business- He looked pensive. -I'll get back to you on that soon-

"That's a strong roster," Mercury said even as he huffed while Naruto and Penny smiled. "Come on…"

"We know you two want to help," Penny said kindly. "But we don't want either of you getting hurt."

"This is gonna be a fight with people who might not care that you're not even an adult, Merc," Naruto said as he nodded to the pouting Nora. "Nora. I know this seems unfair but you gotta trust in us… Besides, there is a job for those here who can do it. Right now, well, me and Penny did something else, something interesting," he smiled as his girlfriend nodded.

"I've added a functionality to the PM AIM plates," the cyborg woman explained as the many bits of technology around the room glowed.

Then, their chosen fighters' own popped out a… Metal orb?

"I've programmed them to lock with specific others so you all can see the situation from our points of view," Penny told the others. "The plates have hologram-like functionality so making a screen is a lot easier. All I'd ask of you all is that you don't keep raising your voices in our ears, please?" She smiled. "If you notice something, that's fine, but we will need full focus during the fight."

Ozpin looked at his own before noting the trail of energy going from it to Glynda, Naruto, and Penny. 'Ah, I get three to look over,' for the best.

"I've set one up for you, too, General, father. Seeing as General Ironwood is as his title suggests, he will be handling a small subsection of metallic balls used for security of the island. I'll be giving you security clearance on the level of my own, sir."

James looked touched. -I hope to not let you down, any of you- He said with a bashful expression.

"Hmmm," Jacques considered this all. "There will be such an irritable situation, won't it?"

"It seems so," Ghira said softly as he shot his wife a knowing look she sighed at, holding one of his hands in both of hers.

"I…" Kali looked guilty as her husband shot her a small smile, her feline ears twitching down as she looked at Blake, too. "I can't promise to come back completely unharmed but I will come back alive and in living condition."

"I know, I know… Just don't do anything too rash."

The woman wore a shaky smile.

-Should I go?- Sienna asked with a frown. -It doesn't feel right not doing anything while Ms. Belladonna goes off to fight-

"We still need to protect the island in case of anything," Ghira said. "I'll need your help, Captain."

-I guess, sir, sorry 'bout that-

"I understand, I'm not much of a fighter but even I wish I could go and aid Kali as well. That said, there are still other duties to handle in the meantime."

"For now, with the situations as they are, we're as ready as can be. For all who are going to fight aren't against it, do you mind if we move most of those of us towards the island?" Penny asked.

~NRK~

The planning to get prepared had been a good thing to do because, well…

Naruto's eyes widened as he double-timed it to the island. "Shit! He's passing the port, now!" The currently-an-Alpha Beowulf man growled as he and his passengers were soon encased in his bony plates, eyes burning green. "We're going FASTER."

The very next step, the group of Narutos shot into the sky at high-speeds, Penny grimacing from within the real Naruto's bone pocket.

"We were right to prepare for the first of the days!" Penny shouted over the new PM AIM Earpieces that their PM AIM Plates had become. "Naruto!"

-We're going to block off a wide perimeter of the port!- Naruto told them as the earth below seemed to blur on by, the sight of the ocean quickly filling the space below before they made a sharp turn to the left. -My clones are already prepping Kokyuko with Genbu's crystals! The moment we curve around, I'm going to put up wind spheres so we can all be at-the-ready! Penny-chan!-

"Yes?!"

-The moment we get there, can you set up a barrier around the port of Argus?-

Penny lifted her arm and a visual of the port came up, the sight of a trio of grand ships, each the size of a soccer field, beginning to arrive by Mistral.

Her eyes glowed as the screen did.

~NRK~

Twenty giant orbs of steel and green power shot out of the crevice of the island, each one shooting into the distance.

~NRK~

"I've got twenty of the PM Androids going out! It'll take them some time to get there!" Penny told the others. "Everyone else, you all will be identified by the PM AIM Plates and Androids, they will allow you pure access and exit of the field!"

-Understood!-


Raven took a deep breath as the seemingly infinite water below began to show bits of land on their sides, a sphere of wind popping up around her Naruto clone before her bone burrow released.

Standing up, seeing the others doing the same, the woman tightened her red and black cloak with her odachi's hilt in one hand and the sheath in the other.

The closer they got to Argus, the more her eyes burned a powerful red as she widened her stance and allowed ethereal dark red energy to spark down her blade.

"Tell me when I can release this thing!" She shouted over her glowing earpiece.

"Almost!" the Naruto clone told her as he pulled ahead of the others, the bony beast compressing further and further into a large winged glider. "Five!"

Raven released a hissing breath, the exhale leaving her mouth in a trail of icy mist.

"Four!"

The sight of large spires began to become more clear in the distance, their speed making them bigger and bigger by the half-second.

"Three!"

Raven turned her left shoulder to the oncoming giant ships.

"Two-Projectiles!" The clone shouted as she saw the large flying balls of fire coming their way. "Raven-!"

"It doesn't matter," Raven coiled her energies into a single point.

And the moment they were only 500 meters from Argus, the barrier spires, giant ships, and port all came into view?

She swung.

~NRK~

The people of Argus were unsure of this event that had taken place, the man standing at the tip/edge of the large ship at the front peering out into the ocean.

Being a man of thick athletic build, caramel skin on a slightly androgynous face, purple eyes, and ear-length shaggy lavender hair, he wore a knee-length open lavender haori with dark purple borders, a white sash tying it loosely at his waist, black pants, and bare feet.

With the slightly fast winds pushing his hair and clothes back, the actually rather tall man grinned out into the distance. 'Your days will soon be mine, Naruto Uzumaki,' the man chuckled. "I shall ensure you'll make my family the strongest in the world," and the moment that came to be?

He'd make sure 'Mistral' was the name of ONE KINGDOM that ruled all lands.

As he hummed knowingly, he blinked at a large number of rushing steps. "Who?"

"Captain!" A quartet of horrified men barely reached him with a shout on their lips. "THERE'S AN ATTACK-"

The captain blinked in confusion before a blazing light tore ahead of the three ships like a crackle of thunder and ice, his head snapping back around to the waters ahead to see-

"... Hm, hm, hm," the man laughed at the sky-high walls of electrified ice. "Hahahah! GOOD! MAKE THIS WORTHWHILE!" He shouted at the arriving group before the Naruto at the front dropped down as an Inari-clad Penny floated in the air.

"You will NOT be getting near our home, Dae-Won," she hissed out as one of the blades on her back detached from the ring before falling into her hand, a handle forming in the bottom of the hilt as she grasped it with just that limb.

Then, the waters below erupted into a series of towering bone spires that spread out over the waters in large numbers before they all sprouted bony land between them like a glacier of white.

As the 'surface' began to fully form, each of the spires in the middle shifted before sinking into the bottom save for those locking the giant boats in place.

By the end, the group of protectors landed on the solid white surface, weapons drawn and at the ready.

With most of the group of protectors wearing their reinforced black suits, the others were in their usual, or present, wear.

Petra hefted his greatsword ahead of him as Thetis grinned with a thick-looking bronze gauntlet on her right hand, the equipment bearing a series of buddhist symbols that spiraled in on her gauntlet's palm.

Kali's eyes narrowed into a glare as Dae-Won landed alongside eight other people, Jiraiya humming at her side with a thick-looking shortsword composed of some kind of tan stone material covered in sealing marks, a ring-like pommel, and a 'broken' tip in his left hand as Dae-Won grinned with a tilt of the head. "It's been some time, kid," the Toad Sage said.

"Has it, Jiraiya?" Dae-Won asked, eyes alight with ferocity that caused the air to rumble.

Adam released a breath before he turned his shoulder to the opposing group, chokuto in its sheath. 'I'll be testing this blade on an actual enemy,' he thought with a red haze falling off of him. "Time to make use of some ideas," he declared in his guard uniform.

Vernal chuckled knowingly, a pair of serrated steel chakrams within her grip. Wearing a pair of maroon pants, dark gray boots, a black tank top, and a pair of gray fingerless gloves, she bounced on her heels as she observed all their opponents.

"I think we gotta take the Twin Dragons," she told Adam who focused, looking annoyed but not against it. "Hey, man, just because they're Faunus doesn't really mean much. You want equality, aye? Then hand out equal asskickings."

The bull Faunus grimaced before scoffing. "I know."

Kali's eyes glared at a single woman within the opposing side's midst, the tall, slightly burly, figure shooting her a grin before she cupped her chin at Naruto? "What are you looking at, Norma?" She hissed as the other Mistral woman chuckled.

A woman with half-shaved, half-braided, orange hair and bright blue eyes, her skin was fair and her face was covered by two large scars, one over her right cheek and the other across her forehead.

Her outfit was filled to the brim with fur, the woman donning a light blue tunic with a fur strap over her shoulder, coming down to her stomach.

Around her waist was a brown, furred, mantle that was tied there with a long bit of tan rope. Her lower quarters were covered by a pair of worn black pants that bunched up at the ankles, looking made of thick material. On her feet were brown boots with tan fur on the top, black belts interlacing on the shin area.

Finally, on her back, were a pair of large, wide-headed, axes, white in color. The dual weapons having lines of blue scripture along the blade edges with leather grips on their wooden handles.

Norma Valhallan gestured at the Grimm with a curious look. "You, bud, you have something that's mine," she declared with a smirk as Naruto's head tilted for a moment.

The Grimm man's eyes slowly narrowed. "There's nothing 'yours' or 'mine' that I've got that you even need to remotely worry about," Naruto declared, axe in hand.

Wearing a pair of orange pants that tied at mid-shin, a black sash, and an open orange robe-like top, the Grimm man's bare feet crushed the bone below them as the energy coming off of him slowly increased more and more.

"Nah, ya made her seem strong, I'm just getting that kid back," Norma declared as the others on the Naruto side looked confused.

Penny blinked with her helmet off… And then her eyes narrowed, the blade in her hand crackling as it sparked with lightning. "There's nothing for you here," she hissed out as her helmet formed. "If you touch our child, we won't be liable for anything that happens to you."

The raider looked excited by the prospect. "Hehehehe, that little former-doll, I'm gonna have fun breaking ya."

Kali scoffed, blade held at her hip as she stood to her full height. "As if you'll get the chance."

Norma grinned.

-P-Pops?- Nora called over Naruto's and Penny's earpieces. -Ma?-

"It's fine, Nora," Penny said kindly. "Nothing's going to go their way this day."

"Exactly," Glynda declared, a new bone-white riding crop sporting a black fur tip in her hand. "This won't be a fight you'll win," she said with narrow eyes.

"You'll understand, my lady," Dae-Won smiled as Raven's weapon pointed itself at him. "That I'm quite persistent," he declared kindly.

Qrow's eyes narrowed as he gripped the handle of his sword, the floor's rumbling alarming him as Summer's eyes narrowed with an ethereal glow.

Just then, the bony floor cracked and broke in specific spots as towering spires of stone pillars formed around the smiling Mistralian.

"And I don't just GIVE UP what I WANT."

~NRK Out~