"You guys are already getting pulled for activity duty!? Lucky!" A wide eyed Ruby Rose exclaimed.
"Yeah...no. Not so much, Ruby." Naruto sighed. Even if this wasn't the real him, he wasn't really looking forward to this.
The other, more experienced ninjas nodded; having seen this sort of situation could go wrong before at one point of another.
Seeing as how both his team and team RWBY had been curious about why Ozpin had called for him so late, Naruto had explained to them that he and his team were being "promoted". While Ruby was jealous, he could see the apprehensive looks some of the others wore, no doubt understanding why he wasn't exactly happy about the decision either.
"Thank you." Naruto nodded at the understanding. He did NOT like the idea of possibly leading people he could call friends into situations that could get them killed!
Originally he had pulled aside his team and explained it to them personally, even telling them that they had no way out of the call. Instead of being excited though, he was met with grim looks of realization from them. They had no illusions about how strong they were and also knew that the world they lived in wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, the night on the docks having shown them just that.
"...Trust us, Naruto, me and Ren learned that a long time ago on our own..." Nora muttered, shivering.
"If it has anything to do with moments in your pasts you don't want to revisit, I won't ask. Don't say anything until you want to." The younger of the two Uzumaki present said. "I know how bad memories can be."
Putting a hand on Nora's shoulder and giving it a squeeze of support, Ren turned to the Jinchūriki and nodded his thanks and appreciation for that.
That night had actually been a pivotal point for both Ren and Nora who, while not overly cocky where their own strength was concerned, had been confident enough to think they were catching up to their captain and teammate who were both being touted as prodigies. However that mysterious woman had burned those thoughts right up, having fought them off with the ease one would have when swatting a fly.
Had Naruto not intervened they may well have suffered horrendous burns or even death.
Now they were being recruited to help in the case she and her lackeys appeared again? It was almost suicidal.
Everyone shuddered.
"And that's why we have the mission classification system back at home." Minato said. "Get jobs you can handle."
Those among the readers that were from Beacon nodded. They saw the point.
Both Blake and Yang were acquainted with the criminal underworld for their own reasons and had seen more than anyone their age had any right to, giving them firsthand knowledge of just how harsh the world could be. They had since distanced themselves from that life for obvious reasons. The Huntsman life expectancy was already short as it was, no need to shorten it any further.
Everyone of the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training gulped at that.
Chuckling Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I guess, but for our first few missions we're gonna have an older team to mentor us or something. Not that we need it, -ttebayo!"
"Big talk from someone who hasn't even taken their first mission," came a familiar voice.
"First since BEACON you mean!" Naruto smirked.
Walking up to the two first year teams was the older team of CFVY, Coco strutting up to "her favorite blond" with a smirk.
"Oh?" Kushina mused, fighting a smirk at that.
Not being one to so easily back down, Naruto stared straight into the tinted sunglasses of the elder teen and smirked, "Who said it was my first mission?"
Coco just copied the gesture and crossed her arms, leaning on one leg to accentuate her hips, "Oh really? Far as I know they didn't give out missions to the kiddies at Sanctum or Signal."
The whiskered shinobi shrugged, "Maybe not at Sanctum or Signal, but as soon as you graduated our academy in Konoha, you were put on a four man cell with an elder...Huntsman and if you pass their test you were put on active duty and could start taking missions."
Eyebrows rose in surprise at hearing that not only had Naruto been on a previous team of four, but that a village would allow its warriors to start taking missions straight out of the academy.
Though Blake also had a stray thought cross her mind, 'He did it again. Why does he say certain words like that?'
"You make a very good detective..." Naruto pointed out, shooting Blake a glance.
"Thank you." the feline femme fatal said.
As the raven haired Faunus pondered her friend's odd speech patterns, Ruby raised a different question, "Wait, if that's the case then how old were you when you started your academy?"
"I was entered in two years earlier due to certain circumstances, but the starting age for Konoha's academy was five."
"WHAT?!"
"FIVE!?" Was the resounding shout from the others, most shocked and outraged that a village would start training children at such a young age to be trained killers. Sure most Huntsman families started training their kids pretty early, but not till much later, around the age of nine or ten considering that schools like Sanctum and Signal accepted students age twelve.
On one hand Naruto understood why they were shocked. From an outside looking in perspective, training kids at such a young age to do the things that were expected of a ninja could be borderline child abuse. Konoha wasn't so harsh in its curriculum, compared to villages like Kumo and Kiri, but it was still unbelievable. On the other hand, that was the shinobi era. In all honesty it had been a lot safer and a lot less mentally scarring during his generation when you looked at how things operated during the First or Second Great Shinobi War, even more so when one looked at the time before the birth of the Hidden Villages.
"Wh-when did you graduate?" A shocked Velvet asked.
Again, Naruto casually answered, "Twelve, at least."
"AT LEAST!?"
"That's insane!" Weiss cried, a sentiment shared by those from Beacon. Not even Atlas did that!
"Some people graduated earlier. My sensei graduated when he was five and my teammates brother graduated when he was seven," the blond waved off.
"What? Couldn't help I was just good." Kakashi said as the ones from Beacon stared at him.
While the feat may seem amazing, having known Kakashi on a personal level had kind of ruined the image that most people made up based on his career.
Kakashi winced, knowing this was going to sting.
Sure he was a very skilled ninja and had been hailed as a prodigy, but Naruto knew him as the lazy pervert who had mentored him and the others of team seven.
"Kakashi..." Minato and Kushina said, narrowing their eyes at the man. Kakashi gulped nervously and laughed a bit.
Shaking her head Coco threw her hands up in a "what can you do?" gesture, "Well, your crazy village aside, thought I'd let you know that we're gonna be the team who keeps an eye on you guys so you don't screw anything up."
"Appreciate it." Naruto admitted.
As Naruto and his fellow team captain discussed the mission specifics, his own team as well as team RWBY began to look at their blond friend in a different light. They had all seen the goofy side of the teen who was always grinning or trying to make some joke and they had even seen him angry, but never before had they thought that he was really a no doubt highly trained warrior...at age twelve.
"...I say that's crazy, end of story." Jaune shook his head.
For team NNPR, it answered a lot of their questions. Key among them being how and why he was so far above their own level. Simply put, he had had near a decade more training under his belt and five years of actual combat experience to go with it. It also explained why he seemed so at ease when working with them. He already had practice working with a four man cell.
"The experience does pay off...and unlike my last one, THIS team's members actually are willing to work with me rather than just write me off as "some unwanted idiot blast shield" for how much they actually cared when they couldn't see me as a means to an end."
While everyone from Beacon stared at him, shocked; Minato and Kushina both looked livid at that news from their son. Had Sasuke and Sakura really valued Naruto so little?!
Blake, knowing about the harshness of his childhood, grew even more respect for her fellow "Faunus". Not only had he survived the years of bigotry thrown at him from his own people, but he had also experienced the life of a warrior and managed to hold strong to his beliefs. It said a lot about his mental fortitude to be able to to survive under all that pressure.
Blake smiled at Naruto at that. Respecting it was something she had in common with her other.
"See you in a few days then Whiskers," Coco patted Naruto's cheek and sauntered off, Velvet smiling demurely as she and the rest of team CVFY followed after their captain.
"Seems Coco and Velvet might like your other's company." Summer hummed. Then again, he HAD helped Velvet and as a result, gotten close with Team CVFY.
Yang glared at the retreating forms of the elder teens and huffed, "I still can't stand her."
Already knowing that the two outgoing teens clashed too much to really get along, the others only sighed and nodded their heads, Ruby patting her sister on her shoulder, "We know Yang, we know."
"Anyways, you got a sec Princess?" Naruto asked, surprising almost everyone. At this point they all knew that it had been the leader of team NNPR who had stepped in and given the Schnee heiress a talking to that had put her on the path to mending her relationship with her younger captain. What had been said though had been kept between the two, Weiss feeling that what she had been told was rather personal and didn't need repeating to others while Naruto simply didn't feel like taking the time to actually explain the long and emotional talk that would no doubt come up as a result of his talking about his former teammate.
"And I deeply appreciate it that you did. I mean...I was skilled, but a bit too ambitious for my own good. how much I was raised to live up to didn't help with that, either..." Weiss shuddered. While it was Professor Port who had set her straight, her alternative version had Naruto.
And she agreed with her other self: what she had been told was rather personal and didn't need repeating to others, not without Naruto's permission to share his past.
Of course, she understood the irony, given that it was read aloud in the book, then; but the point still stood that it was his past and therefore he had the right to decide who was told about it.
Still no one ever expected the odd sort of friendship the two shared due to that talk to really turn into anything, seeing as how Naruto seemed to take pleasure in bothering the girl and doing anything he could to make her annoyed with him.
"What? I enjoy messing around with people, and getting elitists to snap so they overreacte and make fools of themselves is funny. Er...no offense, Weiss. Just they focused on their status so much, they don't really know how to cope with things as well as regular people, so they always go out of proportion..." Naruto said.
"...Hmmm...fair enough. Remind me—or at least my other—to have you meet my father. Tape it with him going mad, we'll call it even." The white-themed swordswoman said.
"Deal." The Whiskered teen said.
Weiss smirked at that, she was going to revel in it when Naruto drove Jacques Gelé crazy! The idea of that callous, snide, arrogant, vindictive and overbearing, egotistical, cold man who was more concerned with reputation and wealth than the people close to him, or the ethics of a situation being made to go bonkers was going to be wonderful!
Knowing the man's short temper, Weiss was going to NEED to tape it!
Raising a snow white eyebrow, Weiss replied, "Why? You better not be trying to prank me again or I swear I'll-!"
Naruto chuckled nervously as he frantically waved his hands, "No, no! No pranks, just want to ask you a couple things is all."
As the two ventured off, Weiss warily keeping an eye on Naruto, they didn't see the shocked and confused looks of their respective teammates and friends.
"What?" Naruto and Weiss asked, confused. Why was it so shocking?
"Guys...did Naruto and Weiss just have a decent conversation without trying to murder each other?" Yang asked aloud.
No one said anything, still staring at the backs of their retreating friends, but they all nodded in unison, too shocked to do so.
"Well...damn."
"So what in the world did you need to talk to me about?" Weiss huffed.
Naruto took a seat on the stone bench that was located near the entrance to Beacon's library, "Seeing as how you're family is one of the largest producers of Dust, I figured you'd know a lot about the stuff."
Weiss mirrored the blond's actions and seated herself, raising an eyebrow as she did so, "Wait, so all you want is to know about Dust? You could just look that up in a book or something."
The Jinchūriki waved his hands, "I know and I did that, but all the book told me was how it's used and how to combine them to make other elements and stuff. What I want to know is what Dust is, like where it comes from and all that."
At that, the heiress perked up, "Ohhh...now I understand. You want to know about Dust itself, not just how it's used! That's an interesting topic to be sure!"
For her part, Weiss was rather surprised to hear that someone wanted to actually learn about Dust itself. Most were satisfied with knowing how to use it without blowing themselves up and even she would admit that if it wasn't for her family being known for the stuff, she probably wouldn't have invested too much thought into it.
"Well, we actually don't know all that much about it. I know my family pays a lot of researchers to look into all of that, but they haven't made much headway." Seeing the crestfallen look that made Naruto look like a kicked puppy, Weiss continued, "but I do know that the only places it can be found are in caves hidden in the most far removed places. It's also near impossible to manufacture any kind of Dust. I've heard that some of the researchers think it comes from energy stored deep in the caves, leftover from something."
Weiss nodded. Dust was Remnant's most valuable - and profitable - resource. Dust energy was reputed to be triggered by the Auras of humans and Faunus alike and was be used in many other capacities, including creating powerful weapons. The possibility of learning the origins of what gave Dust its power WAS an interesting topic. No wonder Naruto's other was asking about it.
Naruto himself looked interested as well.
'Kurama, you don't think-?'
'It's a strong possibility. The only way we would be able to confirm it though is if we ventured into one of these caves.'
Not letting the shock of his revelation show on his face, Naruto grinned, "Thanks Princess! There is one other thing I was wondering about though; how does your Semblance work?"
"Why are you asking me about how my...?" She wondered.
Needless to say the royally dressed heiress was caught a little off guard hearing that someone was interested in her Semblance. Again it was one of those things that very few people put more stock into outside of knowing how to use it properly.
"Well, it depends on what I want it to do. The main part of it is the actual making of the Glyphs. From there I can use them for a lot of different things - speed increase, as an adhesive, or even like an adrenaline boost-"
Kushina hummed. She had a strong hunch where THIS topic was going. Her boy WAS an Uzumaki, after all.
"But can you say, affect time within the area of the Glyphs? And does each type of Glyph have its own unique design that creates that effect? And if so do you consciously know how to create those individual segments or is it kind of just a-"
"Yep. There it is. Sorry Weiss...sealing art brain...common Uzumaki problem..." Kushina snickered. It was funny, though.
Weiss blinked, then smiled.
"Hey, hey hold on. Why do you want to know so much about my Semblance?" Weiss asked, seeing the frantic look in Naruto's eyes as he pestered her was unusual. It was clear that he was passionate and all, but it was also somewhat off putting to see the goofy blond act like some scientist who was talking to someone who could them all the answers they needed.
Realizing that he had more than likely made the RWBY team member uncomfortable with his barrage of questions, Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Well when I first saw your Glyphs during the initiation it looked similar to something my family was known for."
Weiss looked interested. Ah...now she got it! This suddenly got her attention much sharper than before. She paid more attention.
Now that piqued Weiss' interest. As far as she knew her Semblance was among the more unique ones, not really having found anything similar to her powers even in her own family. Apparently Naruto's family said otherwise though.
"Actually, we Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily," Weiss said, recalling what her sister had told her once, "But a Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it... If you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible, then you'll never truly grow."
"So that's why you're so interested in the idea of hybridization between Fūinjutsu and your own Glyphs." Naruto realized.
The heiress nodded, actually allowing her interest and excitement to show on her face. "Precisely! The sheer concept is fascinating, and to be able to put it into practice...! None of my family has ever done anything like this before, so the sheer notion of the amount of possibilities there are that could be attempted...! The prospect of it all is thrilling! Especially if we can find a way to make it work! It'll be groundbreaking!"
While her friends from Beacon started at Weiss, actually stunned by how much excitement she was showing, the majority of the ninjas in the room with them nodded in understanding.
Kushina, however, laughed, "Oh man...! You actually SOUND a bit like an Uzumaki that's working on a new Fūinjutsu yourself, Weiss!"
Taking note of the apprehension in the Schnee heiress' eyes, Naruto grinned as he pulled out a higher grade seal than just your standard storage seal. Weiss looked at the unassuming piece of paper, but what caught her eyes was what was on the paper and its overall motif. While there were obvious differences in the style and makeup, the entire design as a whole was eerily similar to that of her own Glyphs.
Knowing where this was going, Weiss pulled out her Scroll and snapped a picture of the seal. Best hold onto that for later...
"What is that?"
"Back home it was just one of the many basic arts that existed and was used pretty frequently. My family though was known for our unparalleled mastery of the art. It's called Fūinjutsu or Sealing Techniques," Naruto stated proudly.
"And we were known the world over for it to the point of being seen as a thing of terror for it, too." Kushina said, not sure if she should be proud of that or not, given what that reputation had ultimately lead to.
Weiss looked at the seal with a critical eye, "And what does this one do?"
"It's called a Gravity Seal. The name pretty much gives it away," Naruto smiled cheekily.
"While it's interesting to see something similar to my Glyphs, what's the point?" Weiss asked impatiently. She really had no issues with the blond, especially now that he was being somewhat serious and not trying to prank her, but she still had other things to do.
"The one flaw with Fūinjutsu is that it takes almost perfect and precise penmanship, something I can't really do in the middle of battle. I have to already have the seals ready beforehand if I want to use 'em in battle. Your Semblance though-"
"Ah! I see. No wonder for the excitement and getting overboard once he was lost in his own head at the idea! This is interesting and exciting, though!" The white-themed girl smiled.
Naruto still looked a bit bashful, but nodded.
"Allows me to do just that," the Schnee heiress said, catching on to where the blond teen was getting at. However there was just one problem, "You do know Semblances are unique right? I mean I could probably create your seals and use them, but you wouldn't be able to," Weiss interrupted, stating what she thought was rather obvious. No matter how hard someone tried, it was just impossible to imitate another's Semblance.
Even still the young misplaced ninja seemed up returned by this, like it wasn't even a problem for him, "Just leave that part to me. What I want to know is how you create your Glyphs. Do you just visualize it and it happens or do you mentally construct it from the ground up?"
"Depends." The heiress admitted.
Seeing no harm in explaining the intricacies of her power, Weiss shrugged, "It depends. If it's a Glyph I've used before I can usually just visualize what I want to happen and it's made, but if I want it to do something I've never done before I'd have to almost make it from scratch. Using Myrtenaster as a sort of focus helps with those and even speeds up the overall process."
"Umm...Myrten what now?"
Weiss sighed in frustration, "Myrtenaster, my rapier."
Tenten beamed. So this place the others were from had them custom-built their own multi-purpose weapons AND named them? The weapon loving girl found it delightful!
The proverbial light bulb went off in Naruto's head, "You use the Dust in your sword to amplify the effects of your Glyphs! You've been a great help Weiss!"
If the Schnee heiress was surprised at the captain of team NNPR using her actual name, it was overshadowed by the warm and tight hug said teen gave her before running off to do whatever it was he suddenly found so urgent.
"Oh?!" Yang smirked.
It was this somewhat shell shocked Weiss that the other members of RWBY and Naruto's team found, curious to know what caused the normally cold and haughty young women to look so out of character.
"Not used to physical affection like that, mostly; are you?" Mikoto winced.
"Not with my family..." the white clad girl winced.
The Uchiha woman sighed. "...I see..." damnit, of all the things to be similar with her clan about!
"Uh...Weiss? You in there?" Ruby asked as she waved her hands in front of the almost catatonic Weiss.
"Stand aside, Ruby! There is teasing to be done!" Yang smirked, rubbing her hands together.
"Don't. You. DARE!" Weiss snapped.
Yang, being the mischievous girl she was grinned and jumped on the opportunity presented to her, "Fox got your tongue Weiss? Maybe Naruto gave her a 'kiss to soon'! Eh? Eh? Cuz it sounds like Kitsune?" Seeing the blank stares aimed at her the busty teen huffed, "You guys wouldn't know comedy gold if it hit you in the face."
At that, Naruto suddenly howled, red chakra bursting off of him so that a bubbling cloak of glowing red energy covered his form in the outline of an animal, complete with ears and a tail. He sported what looked like claws on both his hands and feet. His lips had blackened and his canines had also lengthened and sharpened until they had turned into fangs while the pencil-thin whisker-like markings on his face had grown more pronounced, widening and darkening, until they resembled abysmal scars. His eyes had been the greatest change as, not only had his eye shape become more vulpine and had gained black eye rings around them like an animal, his once soulful blue eyes themselves had changed; becoming blood red with an animalistic, vertical black slit for the pupil.
The tail swung itself and smacked Yang, physically knocking her flat on her back before the aura receded, taking the alterations to Naruto's body with it as he groaned, clutching his stomach like he had a bad meal.
"Kurama, I take it..." Weiss said, trailing off.
"Her "jokes" are really ticking him off...sorry, Yang..." Naruto muttered, wincing while his fellow blonde got back up.
In reply to that, a blazer jacket with a picture of Yang's face with her mouth covered by duck tape was tossed at him.
"...A "No Yang Puns" club. A lotta people don't like her jokes..." Ruby explained while Yang gave her a look of horrified betrayal.
While the blonde was content to make jokes, or attempt to, two certain teens found the thought of Naruto actually kissing Weiss to be unsettling for reasons they could not discern.
"Oh, I think they CAN discern, just haven't realized or admitted it, yet." Summer said, Kushina and Mikoto nodding.
'Why does the thought of Naruto with Weiss make me feel so...uneasy? Shouldn't I be happy that he could have found someone to be happy with? What's wrong with me?' A certain redhead pondered.
Similar thoughts were running through a certain young Faunus' mind, 'Why do I care if Naruto and Weiss end up together? It'd be odd with them being such polar opposites, but it's not just that. I...don't want him to be with her like that. Why?'
Eyes widened and red faced, Pyrrha and Blake froze. PLEASE don't let their others be...!
The next few days were a blur for team NNPR. They still attended their classes as per their usual, but Naruto had decided to intensify not only their joint training sessions, but their individual ones as well, taking the time to spar with each of his teammates one on one. While they were nowhere near the level of their captain or some more experienced Huntsmen, the improvements to their skill was still noticeable.
"That's something, at least..." Kakashi nodded.
Ozpin was especially glad to see that the team would not crack under the new pressure put on them. There had been high expectations for them before for having Pyrrha and the surprise "prodigy" Naruto on the same team, but now they were put under even further scrutiny and being held to a higher standard for being the first freshman team to be pulled onto the active duty roster.
"But no pressure, right?" Minato frowned.
Not that that really meant anything to anyone on the team. Both Naruto and Pyrrha were already used to being in the public eye, for differing reasons, and so it was nothing new for them. Nora lived in her own little world and she seemed content to either be completely oblivious to or ignore the pressure. Ren was...well Ren.
"I'm just good with my self-control is all..." Ren paused in his reading.
Team CFVY was seen hanging out with the younger teens, even more so now, Coco stating that she wanted to see what all the hub bub was about. Sure she had seen Naruto humiliate Cardin, but the leader of team CRDL was nothing special and so the fight hadn't really given her an accurate picture of just how strong the blond of team NNPR was.
"It is important to know what your allies can do in the field." Kakashi noted, getting nods from everyone.
After seeing Naruto and NNPR's red haired second in command spar, the elder teen could definitely see why the spotlight was being aimed at the four younger teens.
Knowing that, Coco grinned as she and the rest of her team watched as a battle ready team NNPR marched towards them and the cargo plane that would take them to the location of their mission.
"Looks like the newbies are ready for action," the mocha haired teen taunted.
Naruto rose to the challenge, "Ready to show you guys up is more like it!"
"Oh, heck yeah we are!" Nora cackled.
Velvet tried to diffuse the situation, "C'mon you two, we have a mission to take care of."
"...Coco Adel...I like her!" Kushina smiled with a nod.
"...Peas in a pod." Minato sighed, knowing that their son had a personality from his mother. And this Coco girl's own was showing it meshed with Naruto and Kushina's personalities quite well.
The two captains grinned at each other before nodding, making their way into the large aerial machine with their respective teammates following behind them. Taking a seat they gave a thumbs up to the pilot who silently nodded back to them before firing up the aircraft, quickly bringing them into the clouds.
With the side doors opened, the freezing winds of the higher altitude rushed in, blowing everyone's hair around and bringing with it a frigid chill and yet no one seemed bothered by this. Naruto's cerulean orbs were focused intensely on the outside view, watching as the buildings of Vale gave way to sprawling greenery, herds of Grimm moving about and tending to their own business. While he seemed to be simply sightseeing, he was mentally preparing himself for the mission ahead.
"Good. Good..." his father mused.
It was a simple one, a village that lay just beyond Vale's borders had been hit several times by a group of Grimm consisting of a few Beowulves. While normally the retired Huntsmen and even the three active Huntsmen that occupied the town could handle such a threat, they had been overtaken and injured by two much older Grimm who seemed to act as the pack leaders. The two leaders had shown skill and cunning borne from years of combat with Huntsmen and had critically wounded the village's protectors.
"That's not good..." Blake frowned.
The only reason the village was still standing was thanks to the villagers having taken up arms and defending themselves as best they could, managing to force the pack to retreat. However it seemed that the village was on its last legs, fearing that one more attack could be the final crippling blow that would leave the villagers and the village itself decimated.
Something raised warning bells in Naruto's head though.
"But...why is that place so important? I mean, sure, it's the Grimm's nature. But why are they so focused on some out of the way place?" Jaune asked.
It was the simple nature of Grimm. It was true that, for all intents and purposes, the beasts despised humans and would gladly fill their belly with human flesh, but that didn't change the fact that they normally wouldn't outright target such a small settlement with such vehemence.
"...I just said that..." the Arc boy huffed.
"Sorry, exposition to explain why we're going there. My guess for a reader's convenience." Naruto sighed. His Godfather HAD been an author himself, after all.
The only plausible answer was what seemed to link the Grimm even further to the Bijū - the ability to sense concentrations of negative emotions.
"HELLO!" Yang stared, then whipped around to her fellow, teenage blond, "That fox of yours can do that?!"
Naruto nodded.
As they grew closer to the village, Kurama narrowed his eyes and confirmed their suspicions,'Kit, I'm sensing a lot more negativity than should be in such a small area. These Grimm are definitely here for a reason.'
In turn, Naruto sighed and shook his head, 'And my luck with missions continues!'
Naruto groaned.
Rousing himself from his mental reverie, the blond shinobi mentally went over the weapons and scrolls he had on him as he reached for the scroll that contained Hi no Ishi.
Seeing their captain pull out his staff, the rest of team NNPR followed suit and got their weapons ready, already knowing to trust their captain's instincts. Coco raised an eyebrow taking their uneasiness as a sign of the jitters that came with going on their first mission.
The older ninjas, Minato and Kakashi in particular, nodded at that. It was common.
Even still she gave the rest of her team a look, letting them know to be on their feet and ready for anything.
The pilot turned and gave the two teams the signal that they were at the drop point. Unfortunately he wouldn't be able to take them down with all the forestry in the way and, being so far from the city walls, it was highly likely that the Grimm would take the opportunity to attack anything that got close to the ground.
"So we have to free-fall it. Guess that explained how we were sent into the Emerald Forest." Pyrrah noted.
Naruto and Coco nodded to each other before leaping out to either side, their teams following them seconds after.
Releasing a breath, Naruto began pushing chakra into the air around him, pulling it in and forming a bubble around him that slowed his fall. Thanks to his slowed descent and the bubble of chakra around him, the blond landed with only a slight thud.
Pyrrha took a similar approach, however she used her control over polarity to push herself upwards, fighting against gravity with only enough force to stop her from crashing into the ground and possibly breaking her legs. She did funnel a bit of her Aura into her lower half as she landed though, just in case.
Nora...well no one was really sure how she managed to land without injuring herself. She just...did.
Nora smirked smugly at that.
Ren took a bit more of a dangerous approach, swinging on the branches of the trees to subtract from his speed. However thanks to his more lithe and agile form as well as his skill in acrobatics, the raven haired teen managed to land without any serious injuries outside of a few scrapes and scratches on his hands.
How team CFVY managed to land without making a single sound or suffering an injury was a mystery, especially seeing as how both of its female members were wearing heels.
Personally, Naruto was happy to just chalk it up as one of the many mysteries that surrounded the alien species known as the human female.
The females all present laughed triumphantly at that.
"Well, we're here as backup so go ahead and take the lead and we'll follow," Coco stated matter of factly.
Shrugging, Naruto went into mission mode, "The village is a little less than a mile from here so we should be able to get there pretty quick, but be alert. We don't know where that Beowulf pack is and there are bound to be plenty of other Grimm out there. Pyrrha, your turn."
Naruto knew he wasn't the best tactician outside of battle. Sure he could come up with some pretty wild and ingenious plans in the heat of the moment, but outside of that? Planning wasn't really his forte. However he made up for that by being more than ready to admit his weaknesses and with teammates who could help him cover them, he was more than happy to hand over the reigns.
Everyone nodded. It was good that a team leader was willing to do that in a situation where it was called for like this.
Pyrrha was no Shikamaru, lazy bum that he was, but she was still a whole lot better of a planner than he was.
Pyrrha looked to Naruto with a raised brow.
"Contrary to his lazy tendencies, Shikamaru is extremely intelligent; his IQ was over 200." The whiskered teen explained.
Ah. That cleared up the question for the Nikos girl. A sharp mind like that would be good for a tactician.
"Naruto take point. If we get into any trouble you can weaken them up for the rest of us if need be. I'll go after him in case he needs cover." Turning to analyze their seniors, the red head took what she knew of them before coming up with a plan, "you four can be in the middle, formation doesn't matter, just be ready to respond. Nora you cover our back and Ren you cover her. We run into any strong opposition, be ready to form teams Disaster and Rose. Otherwise stick to formation."
Her teammates nodded at her, showing their complete faith in her planning while team CFVY was surprised at how efficient the Invincible Girl was in coming up with a game plan not only for her team, but for them as well. While it wasn't the best formation, having them in the middle, she didn't know their strengths or weakness, just that they were more experienced than her and her team and had put them in a position that, if worst came to worst, they would be able to help in whatever way they could.
The ninjas all nodded. Not bad, and the reasoning was sound.
Solid plan. Flawless? No, but still a damn good one that used what she had on hand.
"Agreed. And no plan survives contact with the enemy, anyways. Needs room for improvisation, too." Minato said, seeing as he was used to leading squads in war.
'Points to Nikos for being able to form a plan that fast, and a decent one at that. More points to Whiskers for being so ready to hand off control to someone who he knew was better suited to the situation. So far so good,' Coco mentally checked off.
"Definitely done this before. Can see why Ozpin sent them along with you..." Summer nodded.
The two teams followed Pyrrha's orders and soon were making their way to their destination at a moderately quick pace, wanting to get there quickly, but still conserve energy just in case.
"Guard's up..." Tenten said, putting her weapon love aside. Still, she wasn't going to lie, she was looking forward to seeing what that other team were armed with and able to do.
Minutes away from the village, Naruto put everyone into action mode when he swung his shakujo and unleashed a condensed ball of air into the distance. Not even seconds later a pained cry and a small explosion echoed throughout the trees.
"Wha–?" Ruby asked, only to be shushed by everyone.
Taking a detour, the others saw what remained of the quickly fading body of a Beowulf.
Eyes widened from the Beacon students, and likewise narrowed with Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Mikoto, and Summer.
"Not good..."
"It was scouting. Those two elder Grimm aren't just experienced, they're skilled. They know what they're doing," Naruto stated with a grim look settling on his whiskered cheeks.
Everyone winced. Not good news at all!
Meanwhile the others took in this new information. It wasn't unheard of for Grimm to grow more intelligent as they aged and fought, but to be able to plan out with this much foresight was frightening. Only now was it becoming clear how a single pack with two leaders was able to critically injure the handful of retired Huntsmen and three active ones.
"Whatever has those Grimm so fixated on that place, they must want it BAD if they're actually pulling tactics like this..." Jaune gulped.
Once more Pyrrha took the reigns, "New plan, we're a few minutes from the village, let's get there as quickly as possible."
Nodding in agreement, the blond captain of NNPR was the first to act, leaping into the trees and traveling at breakneck speeds.
For a second the others stood shocked, never having seen someone able to so casually use the branches of trees to travel at such speeds. However the seriousness of the situation took precedence over any questions that could be answered later and soon the others sped off as well, attempting to catch up to the speedy blond.
"Trained to move through trees like that since day one. We're from a place known as "The village hidden in the leaves" for a reason." Tenten nodded.
Sitting atop the roof of a small hut, Naruto could not shake the feeling that something was horribly amiss. Their arrival and greeting from the village had gone as one would expect it to, the eight teens being met with cheers and eyes brimming with hope watching them near constantly.
"...Amiss in a field mission...not a good sign, especially considering what we all saw earlier..." Pyrrha frowned.
After the minor celebration that took place upon their arrival, they had gone to see the eldest Huntsman who had been the one responsible for leading the small town thus far. The grey haired veteran was a kindly man who had explained to them the current situation in further detail and had even described his own bout with the two leaders of the Grimm pack.
Even still, as the injured and elderly man talked, Naruto just could not shake the feeling that something was not right. Kurama confirmed this, saying that the old Huntsman definitely harbored a surprising amount of negativity around him, far more than was "ok" to have.
"Years of training, sharp intuition, and a negativity detector all pointing to him hiding something..." Kakashi frowned under his mask.
"Yeah...and not in the same way old man Tazuna did—HE did it because situation and circumstances forced his hand." Naruto frowned.
"You realize that you have set the others on edge, correct?"
Naruto sighed and nodded, already having felt the approaching form of his only male teammate and friend.
"I know, but I just...something is terribly wrong here, but I don't know what and it's driving me insane!"
"Oh...know how THAT feels..." Minato groaned as his former student rubbed his eyes.
Ren seemed unperturbed by the outburst, "So you feel it too."
That surprised Naruto a little, "Wait, you feel it too?"
Ren nodded, still gazing out at the village, "My Semblance has gifted me with a sort of sixth sense. It's not the most accurate or detailed, but it warns me when something is off, especially with others."
The blond male frowned in thought, 'Sounds almost like your Negative Emotion Sensing.'
'Like hell it does! No pathetic ningen can compare to my powers!'
Kurama was understandably upset over the comment.
Ignoring the grumblings of the prideful Bijū, Naruto asked the obvious, "How does it work?"
"Because of my control over my Aura, I can also get a feel for the Aura of those around me and how a person's Aura fluctuates says a lot about them. For example, yours is almost constantly moving and reacts according to your emotions with frightening accuracy. You also have a lot of it."
"Actually, my Semblance, Tranquility, masks negative emotions...helps with avoiding Grimm, but I think it might help if it allowed me to see the emotional states of others." Ren admitted. Shame really, his Semblance allowing him a power like that WOULD be useful...
'Ok so less like your power and more like a Sensor Nin's,' the young Jinchūriki concluded.
Ren narrowed his eyes, "And while we were talking with that retired Huntsman...something about his Aura unsettled me. I've had this feeling ever since we've been here."
Naruto threw himself backwards and stared up at the night sky in frustration, "Argh! We're getting nowhere!"
Chuckling at his captain the long haired male nodded, "True, but all we can do is sit and wait for the truth to come to us."
"...HATE that situation..." everyone groaned in unison.
The blond teen gave a bland look to his teammate, "Never been good at the whole 'sitting and waiting' thing. Too boring."
A vicious and hauntingly melodious howl rang throughout the the village and the surrounding area, both teens staring into the distance with weapons already in hand.
Seeing everyone look at him, Naruto rubbed his face, "Don't say anything...I know, I KNOW...not a word...Me and my big mouth..."
The rest of their team along with the members team CFVY came rushing out of the hut below them, looking just as ready for the inevitable battle.
"Team Pancake, take the civilians somewhere safe! Velvet and Fox with them! Coco, Yatsuhashi, Pyrrha, with me! We're going hunting! If anyone bumps into either of the two leaders, send up a shot, do NOT engage alone. Got it? Go!"
"Yes Sir!" Nora said as the more experienced huntress and ninjas of the reading group all nodded at the orders.
Naruto could already feel adrenaline and chakra rushing through his body in almost equal parts, his inner warrior and animal instincts demanding for battle and the rush that came with it.
Kurama was not helping the matter, 'Finally! Please tell me I can get in on this!'
That gave the blond a pause. It had been awhile since his partner had actually done any fighting, the fight with Torchwick's bodyguard notwithstanding seeing as how he only unleashed a single small scale Bijūdama. A quick use of chakra told him that the pack of Grimm were well into the double digits, nearing the triple digits, meaning they would need all the help they could get.
"No time to deny anyone who can fight from joining in." Kushina said, knowing about Kurama and his enjoying of battle herself.
"Pancake, I'm sending Kurama as back up!"
The call came as a surprise to everyone as they eyed the grinning fox kit that normally lazed about. Sure Naruto had made it clear that his partner could dish out some serious damage, but that still remained to be seen as no one had really seem the quadruped do much more than act as a fashionable scarf.
"Our others are about to find out we have a sentient nuke on our side..." Ren said.
"...Is that a good thing?" Jaune asked.
"In this situation, very much so..." Pyrrha said.
That surprise was soon doubled when, with a leap and a flurry of burning orange...energy, the tiny fox kit was replaced by a waist high nine tailed fox, a menacing grin stretched across its maw showing off the razor sharp fangs that filled said mouth. While many thought of the tiny fox as cute, despite its odd coloration and black markings, this form was truly terrifying, its crimson orbs now capable of striking the fear of death into any who gazed into them. Another noticeable change was the tail...now tails. Where once there had been a single tail was now nine long ones, swaying every which way in a mesmerizing dance of sorts.
"He's still going to hold back. Can see why he has to, but if him being that small shocks you, wait until you see him go full power!" Naruto snorted.
At that, the Beacon Academy students all recalled what Naruto had said about the tailed beasts and just how powerful they actually were.
"...Anyone else hope we never get into a situation where we NEED him to go all out?" Yang asked.
"Nope." Ruby answered.
"I would rather not." Weiss confessed.
"Pass." Blake said.
"No thanks!" Jaune yelped.
"Prefer not" Ren spoke up.
"Not happening!" Nora denied.
"No." Pyrrha stated.
"...Good, didn't want to be the only one..." the brawler admitted.
The teens' fascination with the shape shifting fox was turned into morbid horror as a foolish Beowulf attempted to capitalize on their lack of awareness, claws ready to tear into a vulnerable Velvet. This was put to an abrupt halt as the now terrifying form of Kurama leapt onto the Grimm, landing with enough force as to crater the ground where they landed.
The two front paws of the Bijū, which they saw now seemed oddly human with the addition of opposable thumbs, pinned the limbs of the Creature of Grimm while Kurama put his teeth to work, viciously tearing into the jugular of the Beowulf with glee shining in his twin pools of bloody crimson.
Except for Naruto and his parents, everyone stared at the scene.
With a victorious roar of his own the Kyūbi no Kitsune announced his presence on the battlefield.
'Oh how I've missed this! We have got to do this more often Kit!'
"Still a restless battle junkie, I see..." Kushina winced. "Told him he kept the world at bay, once. See he's still able to prove WHY that's the case..."
"I'll explain later! For now, we got a mission to do!"
Snapping back to reality, the others nodded, though they were not afraid to admit that the grinning visage of the once cute fox kit was more than likely going to appear in their nightmares for the next few nights.
"He would find that flattering..." Naruto admitted about his partner with a shrug.
Among the four of them it had been decided that Ren and Fox, being the more agile and quick footed ones, would be the ones to gather up the villagers while Nora, Velvet, and Kurama covered them. Of course the sight of the almost four foot tall fox caused many of the villagers more fright than the Grimm that were trying to have them for lunch, but with little choice and seeing said Kitsune tear into Grimm after Grimm with sadistic glee, the villagers took it in stride.
"He has that affect on people...just be glad he's on your side and roll with it." Naruto advised.
The Huntsmen and Huntresses in training all nodded. They were very much aware of the fact that they should be thankful for Kurama being WITH them rather than AGAINST them!
Using Stormflower to slice into the throat of yet another Grimm, Ren gave a quick check to see if there were anymore wounded or still living villagers. Feeling none, the raven haired teen nodded to accomplice, "That's all of them. All we can do now is fall back and help the others guard the villagers."
Being a man of few words himself, Fox nodded and followed after Ren.
The scene they arrived to was one the younger teen half expected to see.
Velvet was standing guard, her rabbit ears twitching ever now and again and looking like she hadn't done that much fighting. Seeing how Nora was swinging Magnahild around, each hit landing with enough force to dent metal, while she hummed what sounded eerily like Let The Bodies Hit the Floor showed why the young Faunus hadn't interfered yet.
"Don't blame her!" Jaune yelped.
Kurama was meanwhile a lot less...humane with his methods, yet still maintained that same enthusiasm which, while somewhat adorable on the hammer wielder, was downright nightmarish on him. Seeing the multi-tailed fox use one of said limbs to spear through the skull of a nearby Beowulf while he crushed another's chest with his paw, made both Fox and Ren all the more weary around the Bijū.
"I think I can learn to like this side of Kurama." Nora admitted, "Very good at demolition."
Everyone else stared at her like she was insane.
"Ren! You find anyone else?" Nora asked in her normally bubbly tone. This wouldn't be all that noteworthy if it wasn't for the fact that Magnahild was currently pinning down a currently struggling and whimpering Beowulf.
Ren sighed when his childhood friend pulled the trigger, sending her hammer plowing through the beast's chest cavity, looking unbothered by the slight crater she now stood in.
"...And now that comment makes so much sense..." Naruto gulped.
"Naruto..." Ren begged, lowering the book to show he was terrified, "PLEASE don't introduce Nora to Kurama in real life...!" he begged.
"Not happening!" the young man assured.
"Awww...!" Nora whined.
"No Nora, we didn't. For now we wait for Naruto or Pyrrha to-"
The howl of a Beowulf coming only yards away sent shivers down his spine, stopping Ren from continuing.
Emerging from the nearby street with a pack of salivating Grimm was the towering form of what could only be described as a demon born in the flames of Hell. Normal Beowulves stood at the five foot mark, but this monstrosity towered above even Yatsuhashi at a jaw dropping seven feet. The scarred and battle worn bone like armor that covered its body only served to further the creature's intimidation factor. This was only further compounded by the blood that dripped from its fang filled jaws and the blade like claws that carved into the ground with each step it took.
"That's...!" Blake stared. How long had that Grimm been alive to have developed THAT much?!
"It's one of the pack leaders! We have to fall back!" Ren shouted. While he had no idea how strong Fox or Velvet were, he could clearly tell they shared his apprehension over having to fight this dreadful creature without some serious backup.
"You got it. But you won't want it..." Kushina winced, recalling WHO was with that group at the moment.
Before they could begin their tactical retreat, Kurama stepped forward and stared down the pack leader with a hungry look in his own orbs. Fanning out his nine tails, the Bijū raised his head to the air and let loose a roar of frightening power, the sound waves hitting with enough force to break anything made of glass within the area.
Following that was the feeling of raw power covering them like a blanket, their instincts screaming at them to run, run as far away as was possible. Adding to that growing feeling of dread was what looked like flames coming to life and covering Kurama, making him look less like an actual fox and more like an entity made of fire and pure energy. The grin that was stretched across his face however made it clear he was not a benevolent spirit, no he was being of destruction of raw power.
"SO glad we don't have to fight that!" Ruby yelped! And to think, she'd considered the fox cute at one point!
'The-there's no way that he is just a normal fox. No creature should be able to exude such a suffocating aura. This is...I can't even breath. I can't move. What is this!?' A horrified Ren bought to himself.
Looking elsewhere he saw Nora on her hands and knees, staring blankly ahead, her body shaking uncontrollably. Velvet looked to be only seconds away from trying to assume the fetal position, her body trembling violently. Fox looked no better, shivering as he gripped at his chest, no doubt to make sure his heart was still beating.
"See what I mean about him affecting people?"
"How can you be so calm?!" The Schee heiress demanded of Naruto at his words.
"Easy..." Naruto said bitterly, "no choice but to be used to that feeling. Kurama's been with me my entire life."
The four young teens could only look on in horror as the two monsters began to move towards each other.
'I hope this pest at least puts up a decent fight!'
Naruto momentarily stared in the direction of where he knew Kurama and the others were as he felt a very familiar chakra skyrocket. Hearing his Bijū's last thought, he knew that one of the pack leaders had been found. Normally he'd try and dissuade Kurama from using such a noticeable amount of his chakra, knowing first hand how corrosive and terrifying it felt to be around, but taking in the circumstances he couldn't blame the fox.
"Oh, NOW you tell us!" Nora snapped.
It had been a long while since the strongest of the Tailed Beasts had really stretched and Naruto knew that Kurama enjoyed his freedom and despite his progress with "taming" the Kyūbi's hatred, it didn't change the fact that Kurama still very much so enjoyed fighting and the rush that came with it.
Something he and the chakra construct had in common, Naruto noted as he harshly slammed Hi no Ishi into the chest of another Grimm causing its rib cage to cave in.
A quick glance around him told him that both Pyrrha, Coco, and Yatsuhashi were holding up well. Though his partner and the towering teen of CFVY seemed to be a lot more serious about the situation when compared to the mocha haired teen who was going around using her heels as weapons with surprisingly deadly results.
"Is that why women wear those things?" Minato asked, dumbfounded. The rest of the males present shrugged.
Ducking under a swipe from a Grimm, Naruto formed a Rasengan and with a grin placed it on the Beowulf's snout. Letting his control over it go, the poor beast was sent spinning into several of its brethren before the heap of them were caught in the blast of the jutsu violently unraveling.
"Don't get cocky, Naruto." Kakashi warned.
Without even blinking, Naruto quickly spun around, drawing out the blade of Hi no Ishi in one fluid movement and bringing it to stop the clawed hand that had attempted to shred him to bits.
Ocean blue orbs stared into angry red ones defiantly.
'Well Kurama, looks like I found the other pack leader!'
Everyone stared at him. How was he so...?! Then they stopped and thought of Kurama's little display.
No wonder Grimm didn't frighten him...Naruto was used to WAY worse monsters!
"Naruto!"
"It's fine! I got him! Just keep the small fry off me and I'll handle this one!"
"Whiskers I swear if this is some macho display so you can-"
Grinning Naruto decided to show the doubtful Coco why you didn't mess with an Uzumaki Jinchūriki.
A quick use of his signature jutsu, and the next thing the Grimm knew was that it had Naruto's boot being plowed into the side of its head. Consequently the Beowulf was sent hurtling into a nearby house. Naruto and his clone grinned at each other and fist bumped.
"Instant army...very hard not to find that reassuring..." Ren admitted.
Their little celebration was cut short when the furious Grimm pried itself free from the rubble that had fallen on it. Grabbing a large fragment of the now destroyed building, the Beowulf threw the hefty piece of building material like a frisbee, aiming to take out the real blond.
A quick use of Kawirimi prevented that.
"Substitution. Swap places with something else that takes the hit...oldie but a goodie." Minato explained.
"Fūton: Renkūdan (Drilling Air Bullet)!"
Seeming to know that dodging was impossible, the Beowulf grabbed a larger piece of rubble and used it to absorb most of the jutsu. Using the dust thrown up by this tactic, the Grimm disappeared.
"Smart bastard, gotta admit that...I hate it..." Tenten pointed out.
Naruto narrowed his eyes though when, instead of going for him or the others, the Grimm used the chance to go elsewhere, looking like it was on the hunt for something in particular.
'They're definitely after something here...but what? Why go through all this trouble?'
"Not sure I want to know the answer to that..." Ruby gulped.
Dodging under a strike from the Beowulf, Kurama used one tail to trip up the beast the other eight being used to pin it down. Opening his maw, the Bijū grinned when it saw fear flicker in the Grimm's eyes when it saw the broiling flames that sat at the back of its opponents throat. A second later and the Kyūbi let loose, bathing the entire area around the two in a miniature fire storm.
As if the sight of the whirling flames wasn't enough to strike fear into the onlookers, somehow the grinning visage of Kurama began to take form in the flames, staring them down with that psychotic gleam in its eyes. The cackle that began to echo around the silent village sent chills down their spines, telling them they were in the presence of a true apex predator.
"Holy...!" Yang stared at Naruto, "And this is him holding back?! How can you sleep at night with a monster like that around?!" she demanded.
Thankfully the flames began to gradually die down, taking the nightmarish image of the grinning Kitsune with them. When the last embers finally flickered out, they revealed the now scorched and blackened earth. There was no trace of the Grimm or its corpse, any piece of it more than likely having been burned up in the blistering flames. What was left was the now shrunken form of Kurama, stretching casually as if it hadn't just unleashed a hellish conflagration and erased a no doubt decades old and powerful Grimm.
"Terrifying little bastard..." Naruto admitted. Then shot Ruby a sideways glance, "and he seems to not mind you, Ruby."
"Why are you bringing that up?" The young Rose asked.
"Compliment. Kurama doesn't have much of a social life. If he likes you, says a lot about you. He's the type that's a terrible enemy but a wonderful friend. If nothing else, means you have a reassuring friend looking out for you."
Ruby was about to ask what that meant, but then recalled seeing what Penny could do at the docks. "...Oh...surrounded by monster level butt-kickers..." she said, more to herself than anything else.
'Just what in the world are you?' Ren thought to himself, wearily keeping an eye on the fox. Chibified or not, it was not so easy to erase what had just happened from memory. In fact it would probably haunt his nightmares for the next few nights.
Naruto heard Kurama's snickering in the back of his mind at that.
Meanwhile Kurama was left to his own thoughts, 'Tch, pathetic. I've had dinner that put up more of a fight.'
Naruto was putting his almost unparalleled levels of stealth earned from outrunning ANBU and Jounin after a prank while tailing the now only pack leader and soon to be only Grimm left from the Beowulf group.
"That's good, at least..." Weiss admitted, feeling no shame in being glad to get the topic off of Kurama.
Seeing as how the villagers were safe with the others and with his own group having whittled the once large pack down to only a dozen or so, he was comfortable with leaving them to handle themselves while he figured out what was the cause of this whole thing. Sure it was normal for Grimm to target human settlements, but it was usually the younger ones who did so with such ferocity. Older and experienced Grimm like this Beowulf were more likely to just sit and wait, knowing better than to strike out at humans without some guarantee of victory or their own survival.
Recalling how Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck had shown and explained the same thing to her at Mountain Glenn, Ruby nodded.
Yet as they made their way through the village, the Grimm was growing more and more frantic, seeming to lose the intelligence it had shown before. Knowing that the Grimm were made of Nature Chakra, Naruto knew of only a few things that could cause such a reaction and he was pretty sure that all of said items and abilities were long since buried and gone alongside the Shinobi Era.
"Not liking that..." Naruto frowned.
Seeing the now almost erratically twitching Grimm arrive at what appeared to be some sort of small shrine, Naruto narrowed his eyes, 'What are you after?'
"I'm with Ruby and what she said earlier: don't want to really find out." Jaune voiced.
Following the Beowulf into the dimly lit shrine, the blond shinobi could only stare in shock as a single phrase went through his mind, 'Oh fuck all kinds of duck.'
There sitting on a padded pillow and surrounded by a few dozen candles was something that had once upon a time haunted his and his fellow Jinchūriki's nightmares. Some would see it as insignificant and there was a time that Naruto would have agreed, but knowing that this particular item had belonged to what had once been the singularly most feared group of rogue shinobi had changed that outlook.
"...No..." Naruto muttered in horror, eyes widened, "...Oh, no way...It can't be! PLEASE be a bad fucking joke...!"
Almost salivating, the Grimm stared at the simple ring made of silver. Imprinted onto the ring was a simple purple background atop which the kanji Gyoku (Ball/Sphere) sat.
"FUCK! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THEM?! OF ALL THE FUCKING GODDAMN THINGS!? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Naruto shouted, pale-faced. There was only ONE group he could think of that had rings like those...!
As clawed hands touched the cold band of silver, Naruto's eyes shot wide open, feeling the chakra that made up the Grimm beginning to violently fluctuate, growing so quickly that it began to become visible.
"Oh SHIT!" Yang yelped, eyes wide. A Grimm enveloped in a supercharge aura?! NOT GOOD!
'Kit! What the hell is happening over there!?'
Not waiting to see the outcome of whatever was about to happen, Naruto formed a Rasengan and smashed it into the distracted Grimm's skull, the spiraling ball of condensed chakra grinding the beast into nothingness.
"Ask, and ye shall receive..." Tenten said grimly, so that's what was off that those monsters were after.
Tightening his jaw, Naruto stared at the seemingly innocuous ring, questions rampaging through his head in a whirlwind of emotions.
'I have the worst luck with missions...'
Trembling, Naruto bolted to his feet and abruptly snatched the book away from Ren without a word.
"Wha—? Hey!" Weiss said, shocked at his sudden behavior.
The glares she was shot by the rest of those from Konoha cowed not only her, but everyone else.
"...Naruto...?" Ruby asked tentatively in a soft, quiet voice, worried about her new friend, "...What's wrong...?"