Oh, how mortifying. I would like to apologize profusely for the pathetic excuse of a battle I gave you last chapter. I didn't mean to, but I ended up making Team JNKS too overpowered by having them take out the Devourer(A.K.A. Reed)without getting so much as a scratch on them. For that, I apologize as a writer, and have started to rectify that mistake in this chapter with my first retcon(Or whatever that thing that Marvel has to do all the time in their comics is called)! From now on, I promise to do better, and I will stop listening to the One Punch Man soundtrack while writing fights unless they are supposed to be ridiculously one-sided.

This chapter took a while because I honestly wasn't too sure on whether it was good enough or not. This chapter finally showcases the conflict between Huntsmen and Ninja, and I wanted to make sure to do a good job with that. This is the final version, which I'm still not 100% sure if it's good, but we grow as writers through trial-and-error. So whether it be good or bad, I shall learn from this chapter to make the following chapters better.

Also, I meant to release this yesterday, but I ended up deciding to finish Assassination Classroom instead... And boy, I have never cried that much in my life before. Not even when watching Clannad After Story. I had gotten to the point where I was hiccuping, having to pause because I couldn't see, and I couldn't breathe out my nose. For comparison, I only got teary eyed at Clannad. Once I get a little more caught up with the RWBY storyline, I might make some sort of crossover between either Assassination Classroom and Naruto, or Assassination Classroom and RWBY. Give me your opinions and things you might like to see in such a crossover.

And finally, I would like to thank all of you for the overwhelming support you have given this story. Even though it's my first story, this already has 51 reviews, 185 followers, 145 favorites, over 10,000 views, and is in 3 communities at the time of this chapter release. I dedicate this chapter to all of you guys who make writing this even more enjoyable.

Chapter 6:

Sometimes, I Just Really Want to Punch Life in the Face

"Yo, Junior, hit me again." Suigetsu cradled his head in his hand, having just downed another shot of whatever kind of alcohol was given to him.

The bearded man raised his brow. "Just make sure you don't drive after this."

Suigetsu's cup was refilled, and he quickly grabbed it. He chugged the liquid down, and he then looked at the almost empty glass. What had happened earlier ran through his mind. The glass shattered as his hand clenched too tight around it.

"Stupid Huntsmen," he muttered, before turning to an annoyed Junior. "Sorry about that, I'll pay for it."

He looked at his hand, uninjured due to his clan's ability, but it still shook violently.

'Curse it all.'

-(Flashback Start!)-

Suigetsu looked down at Naruto, who was unconscious and on an infirmary bed, and prodded his body with two fingers. He didn't even twitch.

"Oi, you gonna wake up?" Suigetsu looked over to Jugo and Karin. "Maybe I should chop off a limb or something to snap him out of it."

"Shut up, you moron!" Karin exclaimed, punching through his head.

"What? He'd grow it back within a week… probably."

Jugo sighed at the banter between the two, before looking over to Ruby's bed. The other members of Team RWBY stood there checking up on their leader. He was unable to ignore the uneasy glances that Blake and Weiss threw their way any longer.

"If there is something you would like to say, then say it," he said, getting the attention of Suigetsu and Karin. Blake and Weiss jumped slightly, and seemed rather tense around the three conscious members of Team JNKS.

The terse silence that followed was broken by Blake. "You murdered them."

Jugo and Suigetsu instantly knew who they were talking about. The ones who had been guarding Weiss and Blake when they had been captured by Devourer. Probably Devourer himself as well.

"So what if we did?" Suigetsu asked, picking his ear. "They were the enemy, and we needed to free you guys. They were in the way."

"...You don't even care, do you?" Weiss questioned and was unnerved by his blank face.

"Why should I? Not like I knew them or anything." The grin that overtook his features was enough to send shivers down everyone's spines. "Besides, you'd never understand the beauty of cutting things up like I do. Whether it be Grimm, objects, or people, there's nothing better than hacking them to pieces. No matter how big anything is, it can be turned into something tiny so easily."

"Ignore the idiot," Karin said rubbing her temple in irritation. She adjusted her seat and crossed her legs. "To better answer your question. It's not that we don't care. It's just… We've been prepared for this kind of thing our entire life. And Jugo and Suigetsu have been killing people since they were little."

That statement was enough to shock all of the huntresses in the room. To hear that their friends had been trained to kill as kids and that two of them had been doing it for just as long… It unnerved them. It made them wonder what Team JNKS's homeland was really like.

"Our home doesn't have anything like Huntsmen because the Grimm are extremely rare," Jugo explained. "Instead, we're trained from a young age as ninjas."

"And we're nothing like the romanticized version that this place thinks a ninja is," Karin commented, thinking of the Ninjas of Love series. Although in the book's defense, Jiraiya's Icha-Icha series was also highly stylized for certain parts.

Yang was the next to speak up. "Why? If the Grimm are so rare in your homeland, then why do you need to know how to fight like that?"

"Because without a common enemy to unite us like you guys, the countries back home are always fighting with each other. So there's a need for soldiers who can fight. Assassinations, sabotage, spying, arson. We're trained in it all." Jugo sat down in his chair, looking over at Naruto.

Suigetsu scoffed, standing up and stretching real quick. "Those guys in the woods, they're nothing. I've been killing people since I was like five. Me and my brother were considered to be prodigies of murder."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "That's what your government does. They train little kids and send them off to kill people. They turned you four into child soldiers."

"You make it sound like we didn't have a choice," Suigetsu replied, and his teammates could hear the anger beginning to lace its way into his words. "It's no big deal. We're trained to kill other people, so what? If our countries go to war, and we have to fight, it's life."

"It's barbaric," Weiss said harshly, and Suigetsu tensed up. "Kids shouldn't be trained to kill other people, no matter what. In fact, why do you have to kill at all? Knocking out and imprisoning your opponents is a much better solution."

"You wouldn't understand, Washboard. This is the life we lived. Me and my brother killed lots of people for our country because we chose that path. No one picked our future for us."

"It just sounds like the two of you were brainwashed."

Weiss's words were the final straw for Suigetsu, and he snapped. To hear these people, who didn't know anything about what it meant to be a ninja, mock their way of life would be something that he'd never be able to just overlook.

"Shut up!" Suigetsu shouted out and slammed his fist against the wall, body shaking with rage. "Mangetsu didn't die because he was some brainless slave! He died for his country, for his dream, and I'm not gonna let a bunch of brats who don't know crap disrespect him!"

Jugo placed a hand on his shoulder, "Suigetsu…"

"No, Jugo! These punks need to learn." Suigetsu began approaching the three huntresses. "You guys have it easy, never having to worry about when another country could suddenly attack and start a war, never having to constantly look over your shoulder, never having to deal with the paranoia of wondering if your own comrades will abandon you to complete their mission or save their skins. We did! So you got no right to look down on and judge us for something that you'd never be able to understand! So what if our morals are different from yours? Not everyone has the same frame of mind, unlike how you narrow-minded idiots seem to think."

"But you're brother would still be alive if your home didn't force you to kill, right?" Blake stated, and Suigetsu's fist clenched. Everyone looked at Blake, and even she seemed to be surprised by what she had said.

Before anyone could react, Suigetsu punched Blake right in the face. She fell backward and glared at Suigetsu. Yang and Weiss unconsciously got into a fighting stance at the sign of a threat, and Suigetsu scoffed at them.

"Oh, what's wrong?" He asked, a psychotic smile splitting across his face and his pupils narrowing. His hand went to the hilt of Kubikiribocho. The three Huntresses flinched. "Afraid of a monster like me?"

"Suigetsu, stop," Jugo commanded, taking control of the situation before it got any worse. Suigetsu turned back around and walked out the door.

-(Flashback End!)-

Resting his head on the counter, Suigetsu sighed.

Mangetsu's death was something that had changed Suigetsu significantly. He had switched his dream from joining the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to collecting all seven of their blades in order to reform the group with himself as the leader. It had been put on hold when he had been captured by Orochimaru, but he had been able to resume this goal after Naruto freed him.

Suigetsu smiled slightly. He could still remember the day Naruto had said that he would help Suigetsu to fulfill his dream, and had proven this by showing him the location of Kubikiribocho. On that day, Suigetsu knew that he would follow Naruto anywhere. Sure, he had to give up on killing people all the time, but it was worth it.

Naruto was living proof of how being a ninja didn't equal a heartless murderer because he chose his own way of doing things. It just went to show that just because they were trained to kill didn't mean that they always needed to. But they still needed to know how to just in case they were thrust into a situation where it was required.

Suigetsu also knew that since he originally came from Kirigakure, he wasn't exactly the average ninja when it came to the killing thing. Kiri was infamous for accepting assassination missions, even more so than Ame. Naruto came from Konoha, which very rarely took on assassination missions. Jugo didn't belong to a village and had only killed people because his mind would occasionally go into that berserker mode that only thought about bloodshed. Karin, as far as Suigetsu knew, was from Kusagakure, which was so small that they never really got any big missions at all.

Suigetsu knew that due to the different education and training between them and the Huntsmen, there would be at least some clash of ideals and morals between them.

They still should have been more understanding of a culture that was fundamentally different from their own, though. Even if part of him did wish that back home could have been more like here. Maybe then... Mangetsu would still be alive.

'Heh, no use thinking about stupid what-ifs.'

He stood up but stumbled due to the alcohol in his system. Before he could fall, a couple of people helped him stand to his feet. He looked at them.

"Jugo? Karin?"

"We figured you'd be in a place like this," Karin told him, Suigetsu's right arm propped on her shoulders. "We searched all over town for you. Jugo managed to get us kicked out of one bar a couple blocks down."

Jugo coughed awkwardly and helped hold Suigetsu up on his left side. "We did some more explaining after you left, and Blake and Weiss apologize for what they said. While they still don't understand and don't entirely approve of our training to kill, they said that they'll try not to be as harsh in the future."

"Tch. They better realize that not every place has it as easy as here. I guess I can find the goodness in my heart that will allow me to forgive them" Suigetsu grinned. "But they'll have to get on their knees and beg the great Lord Suigetsu for it."

"Don't even think about it, you moron."

"Fine."

Naruto lazily sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. He wondered where he was, and then he remembered passing out after the fight with Devourer. An image of Devourer's lifeless eyes flashed within Naruto's mind.

He quickly tried to shake it away, he couldn't get too hung up on it now. What was done was done, and he knew that he had done it to protect his friends. Besides, Jiraiya had told him long ago that he couldn't get hung up on the guilt of taking someone's life for too long. Especially the life of someone you had defeated in battle. Not because they were heartless, but because it would be disrespectful.

Naruto stood up and stretched, before feeling the overwhelming urge to use the bathroom. He walked out of the infirmary and towards the restrooms, his urge to pee overpowering the question of why he felt more top-heavy than usual.

Walking into the bathroom, he noticed Jaune, who seemed to panic at the sight of him.

"What are you doing in here?!"

Naruto ignored him and entered the nearest stall. Outside, Jaune stared at the stall for several second before a loud shout pierced the air.

"It's gone, dattebayo!" Naruto quickly ran out of the stall and to the mirror, where he was greeted with the image of Ruby's face. He let out another scream before he ran over to Jaune and grabbed him by the collar.

"Jaune, you have to help me!" He pleaded. "What is going on?"

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

"No!" Naruto shouted, shaking Jaune violently before letting him go and pointing to himself. "It's not Ruby! It's me, Naruto, -ttebayo!"

Before Jaune could question it any further another scream came from the girl's bathroom. Naruto and Jaune ran over there to see Ruby in Naruto's body stumbling out of the girl's bathroom.

"Why am I in Naruto's body?" She exclaimed before noticing Naruto. "My body!"

Naruto ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders. He had a brilliant idea to fix the problem. "Ruby, if our minds are switched then maybe hitting our heads together will fix it."

Ruby quickly nodded, and then the two headbutted each other. They fell back while rubbing their foreheads.

"It didn't work!" She cried, and the two stood up again. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they began thinking.

"Maybe if we get everyone together, they can figure out a way to fix this."

The two of them split up to go gather their respective teams, leaving Jaune to sweatdrop at the chaos. Had there been anything in that juice that Nora had given him? He would have to ask her.

Ozpin looked at the students in front of him, and he struggled not to chuckle a little bit. This was certainly a new situation.

"Come on, Professor," Naruto in Ruby's body said in a panic, "you have to know some way to fix this!"

The two of them had tried to figure out a solution with their teams but had been unable to find any way to fix their problem. Then Weiss had suggested going to Professor Ozpin to see if he knew anything.

Unfortunately, Ozpin had never seen anything like this before, and whatever this was most likely something that the Devourer did just before dying. However, the woman that Glynda had captured was not talking to the police, and so they couldn't get any information out of her. Despite her insistence that she was the second in command, the police believed that she was simply a delusional lower rank who was too loyal to her boss.

"I'm sorry, but I honestly I have no clue how to undo what has happened to you two," Ozpin told them, and their eyes widened in horror.

Naruto(in Ruby's body) crouched in the corner and began drawing circles on the floor with his finger. "I don't wanna be stuck in a girl's body for the rest of my life."

A gust of wind blew through the room, and Ozpin sighed as he quickly figured out who it was.

"Don't worry, my dear student," Jiraiya jumped through the window and stood in the center of the room. "I, the great Jiraiya, know of a way to return your minds back to your bodies."

He was instantly swarmed by Naruto and Ruby. "Really?! How?"

"Hold up." Jiraiya leaned in toward Naruto and stage-whispered into his ear, "Are you sure you wanna give up this prime chance so soon? Think about it, you can do anything you want while you're in that body."

Naruto's eye twitched, which looked strange on Ruby's face. "Tsunade-baachan would punch you through the wall if she knew you said that."

"Well, it's a good thing she's not here then."

Off to the side, Weiss felt her Yang senses tingling as she looked at the man in front of her… except this man was even worse than Yang. She could tell, this man was a sleaze of the highest caliber.

"Naruto, who's the pervert?"

Jiraiya stood up and pointed at Weiss. "I take offense to that! I am no simple pervert!"

"Then what are you?" Blake questioned, and she instantly regretted when she saw the grin on Jiraiya's face.

"I'm a big one."

Blake slouched as she began questioning the sanity of anyone from Naruto's homeland. Weiss consoled her by patting her on the back.

"You walked right into that one."

"I know."

Jiraiya laughed before looking back to Naruto and Ruby. "Anyway, you two, pack your bags. We're going on a trip."

Before they could ask any more questions, Jiraiya leaped back out the window. Landing on the ground with a thud, Jiraiya headed in the direction of the port to secure some spots on a cargo ship that was going to the Elemental Lands.

He began thinking about the Devourer's defeat by his students, and he would be the first to say that there was something more going on. He knew that Naruto and his teammates were powerful, but to so easily defeat someone like the Devourer… Jiraiya would figure out what was going on, but first, he had to get Naruto and Ruby back into their original bodies. He would send word ahead to Tsunade to see if the Yamanaka Clan knew anything that could undo this mess.

"Naruto, are you sure it's safe for Ruby to go to your homeland?" Yang questioned. "Suigetsu said some things that didn't exactly make it seem like a vacation resort."

Naruto turned around, unable to see thanks to the blindfold around his head. Yang was helping him change into something since she didn't want him to see her sister's naked body("Yet" she had whispered, to the confusion of Naruto).

"Well, I don't know exactly what Suigetsu told you, but there really hasn't been many major attacks between the nations after the last great war. Most of Suigetsu's experience with danger probably comes from the bloodline purge of his home country, and the fact that his country was second to none when it came to accepting assassination missions."

"'Bloodline purge'?" Yang asked. "Arms up."

Naruto did as she said and then explained, "For a while, Suigetsu's home wanted to get rid of anyone who had a bloodline because the government was scared of their power." Naruto scratched the back of his neck as he thought about how to explain what a bloodline was.

Luckily, Yang made it easier for him. "A bloodline… Is that kinda like a semblance?"

"Yeah, although the main difference is that not everyone has one, and the ability is passed down through a family. Jugo's ability, for example, is a bloodline. He's one of the few left of his clan, and he loses himself to his rage when he uses his ability too much. I suppose... that's why we became such good friends. We're pretty much the same after all."

"The same?"

"Other than my team and Jiraiya, Blake's the only other one who knows here. When I was born, I had a demon known as the Nine-tailed Fox sealed inside me." Yang's eyes widened in surprise and horror. "I'm able to tap into its power, but the more I do, the more I lose control over my mind. One day, if I get too far gone, the Nine-tails will fully take over and be released back into the world, and in the process... I'll die."

"That's horrible... How are you able to smile knowing what could possibly happen to you at any moment?"

"That's simple." Naruto smirked and pointed his thumb at himself. "I ain't gonna let some stupid fox just control my mind. If anything, I'll be the one to control him."

"You'd fit in well in our family," Yang commented. "You've got our stubbornness down pat."

Naruto was allowed to put his arms down again, and Yang took the blindfold off of him. Naruto looked down and groaned. This had to be one of those times where he just wanted to punch life in the face for being a complete jerk.

"This is humiliating," he muttered. "This must be karma for making Suigetsu wear a maid costume."

Yang snickered, but then Naruto saw her face take on a more serious expression.

"Naruto, make sure to protect Ruby." Yang's fist clenched tightly, her nails digging into her skin. "When that sicko had her, I was unable to do anything. I'm her sister, and I couldn't sav-"

Naruto lightly rapped his knuckles on her forehead. "Quit that. You guys did fine. Devourer was a huntsman with much more experience than all of you." Naruto shot her a grin. "Besides, you guys did help a lot by bringing down his Aura, -ttebayo."

Yang smiled, and silently vowed to get stronger. "You know, you and Ruby really are a lot alike."

"Shouldn't we help him?" Ruby asked Suigetsu, who was chuckling and taking sips from his bottle of water.

"No way," he replied. "I haven't seen Jugo this uncomfortable ever, and it's amazing."

Ruby sweatdropped and looked over to Jugo, who was being inspected and prodded by a strange girl who had come into Team JNKS room along with Velvet. According to the Faunus, this was the leader of her team, Coco.

Coco had brown hair, and her eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses. She wore lots of various accessories and held a briefcase at her side.

She slowly circled Jugo, who was shifting from side to side. "Strong arms. Very nice jawline. Fashion sense could be a bit better…" She turned to Velvet and gave her a thumbs up. "I approve of your boy toy, Velvet. And I must say, he's got a fine a-"

"Coco!" Velvet exclaimed with a red face, leaping at her and placing a hand over her mouth. Ruby wondered what Coco had been about to say, missing the pink tint that covered Jugo's face. Beside Ruby, Suigetsu began laughing even harder.

"Oh, this is gold! Wait till Karin hears about this."

Soon a young man stepped into the doorway. He had red hair and blank white eyes, and his arms were covered in scars. Following behind him was a guy who was even taller than Jugo. He had short black hair and eyes, with a massive curved blade strapped to his back.

Velvet turned to them and begged, "Fox, Yatsuhashi, help me."

Before anyone could react, Coco grabbed Jugo by the back of his collar and began dragging him out the door.

"If Velvet's going to be seen with you at all, we need to get you a better outfit."

Fear overtook Jugo for the first time in his life, and Suigetsu cackled madly as Jugo disappeared with Coco. Velvet took off running after them, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Fox sighed and went to make sure Jugo had a bit of male support while Coco forced him to find a new outfit. He still remembered when she had dragged him, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi off for new clothes that she deemed more stylish.

"I apologize for Coco. She can be a bit… forceful when it comes to style." Yatsuhashi said, before leaving Suigetsu and Ruby alone in the room.

Several silent seconds passed, and Ruby turned to look at Suigetsu.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go help him?"

"Ruby, if you stop bugging me about that, I will get you as many cookies as you want when you get back."

-(Inside Ruby's Mind)-

Two large armies made up of Rubys slowly marched toward each other. One side wore banners with Jugo's face plastered on them, while the other party had images of cookies sewn onto their clothes. Every Ruby had their Crescent Rose in its deactivated form.

The two armies came to a halt, and one Ruby on each side stepped forth. The two leaders approached each other, neither backing down in the slightest.

The head of the Cookie Corps pointed at their adversary. "Surrender now and none of you will be harmed."

"No!" The general of the Do-good Division exclaimed. "We must help our friend, even if it means giving up a chance for cookies."

Shouts of "Heathens!" and "Blasphemy!" came from the Cookie Corps, and the Do-good Division reached for their weapons.

"Fine then," The Cookie Corps leader said. "Prepare to meet your end at our hand."

Both leaders walked back to their respective army, and the drums of war began to sound. Two Crescent Roses activated, and each leader pointed their weapon at the opposing side.

"Charge!"

With the command given, both sides rushed forward. The sounds of hundreds of Crescent Roses activating filled the air. Bullets were flying across the battlefield, and several Rubys were doing the same with their semblance.

The Do-good Division's leader looked to one of her subordinates and gave her a specific signal. The Ruby picked up a walkie-talkie and called in their support.

A plane flew overhead, the design of a yellow dragon wrapped around the sun painted onto it. The cargo bay door opened, and something began freefalling toward the battlefield.

There was a blast of wind and dust as the object impacted with the ground, and anyone nearby had to shield their face. The debris cleared, and all the Cookie Corps Rubys paled at the grin that appeared from inside the cloud.

"Just thought I'd… drop in."

"They brought in a Yang!" A Cookie Corps Ruby screamed, and panic ensued throughout their ranks. With Yang rushing through the Cookie Corps, the Do-good Division quickly gained an advantage.

However, that advantage was quickly lost when Yang was suddenly kicked down. Everyone's attention was drawn to the second blond to enter the fray.

"As a fellow food addict, I know your pain." Naruto looked out dramatically across the field. "Cookie Corps, fear not, for you have me battling beside you."

A loud cheer rose up from the Cookie Corps, their morale restored. Along with the boost to the Corps's confidence, one-third of the Do-good Division defected when they saw that Naruto was on the opposite side.

"You traitors!" The Do-good's leader yelled, and Yang began standing back up. "Where is your honor?"

The battle resumed, and the sides were almost evenly matched. Eventually, the field was filled with the unconscious and twitching bodies of Rubys from both sides. It looked like neither team had won, but one of the piles began shuffling. Suddenly, out from the top of the pile of Rubys, the last conscious Ruby sprung up.

"VICTORY!" She shouted and held up a Cookie Corps flag high into the air.

-(Back in Reality)-

"Deal," Ruby said and shook Suigetsu's hand. He smirked, glad that the little passing comment he had heard Yang mention once had come in handy.

Ruby looked at the time and grabbed the bag full of Naruto's clothes off of the bed. She turned to Suigetsu.

"Guess I'll see you when we get back."

"Yeah," Suigetsu replied, leaping on his bed and looking through a book. "Make sure Naruto doesn't do anything too stupid without Jugo and Karin looking out for him. And if he does, at least get some pictures. I hate missing anything that humiliates him."

Ruby sighed and walked out the door. Leaving Suigetsu to do who knows what.

Reed lifted up his hand and watched the small flame hover over his fingertips. He had his tattoos back and in working order, however, his fight with Uzumaki had shown him just how weak he had gotten.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Roman going over some preparations for something that was planned to happen in a couple weeks.

"Roman, where does Cinder need me for her plan?"

"You heading off to that regeneration pool thing?" Roman questioned, before shaking his head. "Mountain Glenn. We'll meet up back there."

Reed nodded in thanks and grabbed the few things he had packed for his trip. Even though he had the ability to temporarily copy any person's or Grimm's abilities, there was one drawback to such a power. Every time he used the ability, he got weaker and weaker until he completed the same ceremony he had used to gain that gift in the first place. It had been decades since the last time he had done so, and he had been too cocky when it came to his fight with Uzumaki.

Reed needed to make sure that Cinder's plan went through flawlessly, which meant that he needed to be at full power. If they failed… Then the reason for his existence would be meaningless. He had vowed to protect them no matter what, and he had done things that most others would consider horrible to do so. But that didn't faze him... because he was a demon inhabiting the mind of a man who had sold his soul for strength. And if he broke that vow, then he would cease to exist. Not even the mortal's semblance would be able to save him.

Uzumaki would definitely be a hindrance if he got in the way, but Cinder insured that she had that taken care of.

Ruby leaned out over the railing and waved goodbye to her teammates and friends, and Naruto stood behind her. As their cargo ship began pulling further out to sea, she spun around to face Naruto and Jiraiya.

"So what's your plan to get us back into our right bodies?" Ruby asked, looking up at the man.

"Back in our home, there's a clan who prides themselves on their knowledge of secret jutsus which involve the mind. I figure that they'll be our best bet for getting you two back to normal." Jiraiya prodded Ruby, who tried backing away. "It's too weird for me seeing Naruto's body standing and walking in such a feminine way. It's unnatural."

"You can say that again, Ero-sennin." Naruto nodded in agreement. The only time he would ever behave like a girl was when he used his sexy jutsu.

Jiraiya closed the notebook in his hand. "We have a few days until we reach our destination, so feel free to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't kill anyone or impede our progress." He turned around as tears comically poured down his face. "I'm gonna go to my cabin and mourn the lack of girls in swimsuits."

Naruto and Ruby sweatdropped, and they watched him disappear below decks. Ruby faced Naruto with a confused expression.

"He helped teach you?"

"I know. Doesn't seem that great, does he?" Naruto placed his hands behind his head. "But I quickly learned why he was considered to be one of my village's strongest ninja. When he gets serious, I doubt I'd be able to beat him even with the help of Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo."

Ruby was silent for several moments. "The people from your home really are something else. We huntsmen and huntresses pride ourselves in our abilities, but we can't hold a candle to you guys."

"Trust me, Ruby, not all ninjas are as ridiculously powerful as you think. Those like Jiraiya, myself, and my team make up a small fraction of the people. And if you put your mind to it, I bet you could even catch up to me in strength."

Ruby looked at Naruto, and she grinned. As soon as she got back into her body, she would work on getting stronger. She wanted to be on equal footing with Naruto, and she wanted to be able to fight her battles herself. Her first order of business would be learning to fight without Crescent Rose, which was probably her greatest weakness at the moment.

Ruby looked out toward the horizon, taking in the beautiful sights. The sun was setting over the gently rolling waves, painting the sky and ocean in lovely shades of red, orange, and pink. Overhead, the moon was shining, the first stars blinking into view near it.

A loud yawn escaped her mouth, and Ruby lazily stretched her arms. She decided that she would get some rest as well, and went below deck to her cabin after bidding goodnight to Naruto.

She lied down in the small bed, and the gentle rocking of the ship soon lulled her to sleep.

Her eyes soon snapped open, but she wasn't in her cabin any longer. She was standing in what looked like a giant a sewer, and she was wading in ankle deep water. Along with the change in surroundings, she was also in her natural body.

In front of her was a large gate, a large piece of paper placed on the area in the middle, with a strange symbol written on the paper.

Ruby slowly approached the metal bars, and she saw a large red eye appear in the darkness beyond. Whatever the eye belonged to got closer to the bars, and Ruby soon found herself staring up at a gigantic fox with nine long tails sweeping behind it. The creature gave her a malevolent grin.

"So we meet at last, human."

So just a little fun with a mind switch between Ruby and Naruto, and the upcoming chapter will be full of fun antics that revolve around that. Along with a bit of character development with Suigetsu, who is probably one of my favorite characters to write just because of how grating he is to those around him. Soon, we will get some insight into Jugo.

Also... Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was the best place to cut off. Besides, suspense building is a major part of writing! Anything else... Oh yeah, and I've given you guys a bit of history on Reed/Devourer. Because although his arc is over, it doesn't mean I'm done with him.