The morning was interesting. After waking everyone up, rumors began to flood as they were to be separated into groups that would be paired off with someone for the rest of the days here at the Academy but not told who. And they were given locker rooms they were assigned to and expected to arrive on time after preparing.

It was an interesting tactic.

To separate everyone and then divide them further into pairs. It was as if Ozpin already had an idea of who he wanted to be paired with. But now came another issue that he could see, and he wondered if anyone else was paying enough attention to see it.

Their group had an odd number.

So, what was Oz's game?

He hardly cared about the four guys and didn't bother to learn their names. And the way the big one was glaring at him, he just as soon let him learn what Thousand Years of Death was before talking to him. The other three seemed like cronies, so there was even less reason to bother with. But he somehow got the impression that they would make it through.

The fates seemed to favor people like them for some reason.

After that, he learned to be Nora and Ren. It was only after the former had said it enough that he discovered the latter name. He was a quiet person and almost seemed defeated by Nora's presence, but oddly enough that wasn't what he felt when he sensed her emotional state. He was thankful she was there, wishing she would be quieter.

The orange-haired girl's plan also had to make him laugh as she was trying to come up with ways for them to join in the forest, and he flat-out called Nora out, saying he wasn't sure sloths made any noise.

Oz knew what he was doing since those two were a logical grouping.

Now that Ruby and Yang were here was interesting. And once more, he was slightly dissatisfied with the older sister trying to pawn off the younger sister, but in this circumstance, he could see her point. Ruby wouldn't grow if she stayed at her sister's hip. He just…

Didn't like how she was so disinterested in being around Ruby in this context.

This was supposed to be work, not play, and it seemed she was here for the latter while Ruby was here for the former. She wasn't confident and needed a bit of help, something her sister wasn't giving her right now.

So, Ruby was rated highly in his book alongside Blake as a possible partner, and Yang was at the bottom. Still above Weiss, but that wasn't a fair fight.

Speaking of the princess, it seemed she was trying to woo over a beautiful red-haired…

Naruto's heart skipped a bit as he saw that hair color and the frame it was attached to before vigorously shaking his head. He understood the red hair would be a flag now given, having learned of the Uzumaki heritage and his mother, as he always had a penchant for it and its various shades, and the fiery color caught his attention was the brightest he had seen so far. But why did he feel like an animal in heat? That was going to be a troublesome quirk he had to work out.

So why couldn't he stop himself from walking over?!

"So, it seems you are always striving to get things your way, huh, princess?" Naruto commented as he had been paying attention to what they were saying. "Not even willing to think about pairing off with someone else?"

"Like, what about me? I'm great. Jaune Arc, nice to meet you!" The knightly boy found his locker as the three stood in front of it, and struck with a cocky ego that he certainly shouldn't have had.

"What the… You two?! Together? What is this? A nightmare?!" Weiss jerked back at Naruto's arrival before grimacing altogether at Jaune's.

"Ouch, I'll take that as I left a mark." Naruto grinned at Weiss' reaction, which made the girl glower in response.

"Don't be embarrassed by me, my lady!" Jaune, with his massively inflated ego, continued. "I heard rumors about being partnered in teams, and I thought you and me would be amazing. What'd you say?"

"Smooth," Naruto commented unabashedly at the helpless blonde striking out.

''Actually,'' the redhead said, as she had information the others seemed not to have. "If what I know is true, it will eventually be teams of four, so..."

Jaune didn't waste a single fluid second and immediately focused on his new target, making Naruto's ear twitch. The hell did this guy get his confidence from? "You don't say? Well, hot stuff if you play your cards right… OW! What was that? A brick?"

"Oh no! Bricks are falling from the sky! Look out, Jaune!" Naruto feigned ignorance of where the brick came from.

For once, Weiss smiled at Naruto's action, unsure where the brick came from, but pleased at his interruption. And the redhead was most appreciative as Jaune just rubbed the sore spot on his head. "That's weird… This isn't even a brick building."

"Jaune, do you know who you were just talking to?" Weiss cut him off before he found out that the other blonde smacked him with a brick for incessant flirting.

"Not in the slightest, snow angel." Jaune rubbed his still sore head.

"This is Pyrrha,"

"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved at the two of them.

"She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum!" Seeing Jaune and Naruto look at her cluelessly, the former even saying, 'Never heard of it, Weiss groaned in annoyance. "She won the Mistral region tournament four years in a row! A new record and all by someone that wasn't even a Huntress!"

"What's the Mistral region tournament?" Jaune questioned as he was clueless.

Even Naruto nearly face faulted hearing that. How the hell did this kid not realize how impressive that was or not understand the concept of what a tournament was? He was even denser than he was when he was twelve!

And that was saying something!

Weiss was ready to throttle the gangly blonde and wished Naruto would smash another brick on his head to end this conversation. She might just consider him on top of her list of potential partners despite his heritage if he had. "Oh, for the love of… She is on the front of every Pumpkin Pete Marshmallow Flakes box!"

This sudden realization hit, and Jaune looked like he finally recognized her as he gasped. "That's you!"

Naruto finally face fault as he could not keep up the act. "Was this what it was like when I was twelve? How did sensei and the perv survive me? How did Sasuke and Sakura deal with me?"

Accepting a hand, surprised that it was Weiss offering a glance of pity and understanding, Naruto stood back up and made a mental note. Weiss was now at least equal to Yang in his book.

"Well, as cool as that is, I have to say you all should be honored to board the Jaune train. Spots will quickly fill up as soon as everyone sees how great I am." Jaune let his ego get out of control.

And finally, Naruto struck. "You know, Jaune, I have some words of advice for you, my friend."

"No one likes forced confidence, so tone it down a notch. Just be yourself if you wouldn't mind. I liked you better that way." Naruto started catching the knight-clad blonde off guard as he stepped toward him. "While I don't care about prestige myself, it is a little belittling when you ignore everyone else in the room just to focus on yourself. Listening is a key skill, try and use it."

Flicking him on the forehead, making Jaune stumble a bit, Naruto shook his head as he walked off to the exit. "You'll be just fine. There are some commendable qualities in you. But I think it is time for us to make our way out."

Glynda's voice suddenly crackled through the intercom. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Hills for initiation? I repeat, all first-year students, please report to Beacon Hills immediately."

Pyrrha patted Jaune on the shoulder. "He's right. Just be yourself. I see admirable qualities in you too."

With his confidence restored, Jaune stepped forward while Weiss rolled her eyes. But she had to admit something.

There was something about that blonde faunus.

Naruto had to wonder what the function of the device he was standing on was as everyone was herded at Beacon Hill. What was the point of separating everyone and then barely separating them when it was time for the test?

Did the device have something to do with it?

Was it a trap door? Was it a jump pad?

He hoped it was a jump pad. That would be fun. Then he realized something horrible and looked in Jaune's direction. He would not survive a jump pad. He needed to re-tier his list and put Jaune on top so he could save the scrawny boy's life if that was Ozpin's goal.

It seemed like he wasn't the only one to have come to that thought. Pyrrha had recognized what they were standing on and was looking worriedly in Jaune's direction. So at least he had two guardian angels looking out for him.

And then he started to notice other students being launched in the distance as Ozpin and Glynda made their way to their group. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda stepped forward and continued for Oz. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the 'assignment' of teams. Let us end your confusion. You will be given your teammates… Today."

He was mentally groaning as this felt like the day he became a genin but significantly worse as they were thrown into the lion's den. Naruto was not liking where this was heading as Ozpin continued for Glynda.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. It is in your best interest to be paired with someone who you can work well with." Ruby groaned at hearing this, since she felt she could only work well with a handful. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years…."

And with those last few words, Ozpin grinned and gazed at Naruto, who was putting together his puzzle pieces. He realized something as he felt several pairs of eyes focus on him. "Oh, you coy… That's the game we're playing."

"WHAT?!" Ruby's voice pierced through the heavens as her reality shattered at realizing she'd have to be stuck with someone for the next four years that she possibly didn't know.

"After you partnered up, make your way to the northern section of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… Or you will die." At this, Jaune began to laugh nervously as Oz continued. "You will be monitored and graded throughout your duration of the initiation. Our instructors have been ordered not to intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics."

"Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune immediately raised his hand. "Um, sir?"

"Good! Now take your positions!" Oz completely ignored Jaune's attempt to ask a question.

"Um, sir?" Jaune continued, completely ignoring that the pad beneath Weiss had a spring contraption that triggered sending her into the sky. "You mentioned something about landing? Are you going to be… Dropping us off?"

"No, you will be falling," Oz stated as it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Naruto looked on in horror.

Jaune wasn't seeing that everyone was being launched. "Oh… So oh, will you be providing us parachutes then?"

"No, you will use your own landing strategy." Oz said as Nora and Ren got launched, and Jaune was still somehow oblivious to it all.

Naruto realized at that point Jaune was going to die, and Ozpin just didn't care as he was suddenly launched into the air. "Shit!"

"Alright, how the hell do I save Jaune," Naruto growled as he looked all around him as he spiraled in the air, trying to figure out what he could do in this situation that wouldn't end in the other blonde splatting against the trees.

Although Jaune was practically normal, he sensed there was an abundance of aura that wasn't active. However, unlike the others, he wasn't physically fit and didn't seem like he could take a landing like this or find a way to at least handle it.

"Calm down and breathe!" Naruto growled out, taking a deep breath, letting the oxygen fill his lungs and allowing the world's energy to fill his being as he felt everyone's presence around him. "There he is… Time to make an emergency landing."

Creating a shadow clone, he flung himself toward Jaune's direction and through the treetops so he could bound towards him quickly and catch him out of the air. Crashing through a few branches as they were too weak to hold his weight, he hit the trunk, gained his footing, and began to make his way to Jaune as fast as possible.

He was laser-focused. He neared his target and could feel himself priming his muscle as he leaped when a spear flung out of nowhere, caught Jaune's cloak, took him from his grasp, and pinned him into a tree…. Effectively saving him.

To say Naruto was caught off guard would be an understatement. If he had called on everything he could, he would have gone faster. However, it would have been a wasteful strain on his body when he knew he was more than capable of getting to him as he was. And then to be upstaged by a simple spear throw from Pyrrha from one hell of a distance…

He liked the girl even more!

She earned Jaune. He would just fade into the shadows and let her take this one. He'd hang above Jaune and make sure no Grimm would take advantage of his sorry state while he was defenseless.

It's not like Jaune knew he was here anyways.

"Oh, man… THANK YOU!" Jaune cried out once he realized he was safe and wasn't splattered against a tree like he had feared would likely be the case only moments before.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Pyrrha's voice came from further away as she made her way towards Jaune's location, still a bit out as it was one fantastic throw she made to pin Jaune to a tree safely.

Naruto was still impressed as split hair in any direction would have resulted in a spear wound and probably Jaune's death. Therefore, not only was she accurate... She was ballsy to take such a throw.

Suddenly familiar stomping could be heard through the brush, and Naruto's eyes widened as there was no way. It couldn't be. If she got here before Pyrrha, that would make Jaune's day, but… Also, make Jaune's day hell.

And the princess stormed through the woods and looked up to see Jaune hanging out of a tree. And making a horrified face, she turned right around, and to his surprise, Ruby was running after her only to be grabbed and pulled away. "This by no means makes us friends."

Naruto could only blink and then wince as he realized that meant Ruby got paired with Weiss, which was probably the worst-case scenario for either girl. Then again, Weiss didn't seem to have any suitable matches as she was burning many of her bridges, so…

"Wait, wait! I need help to get down! Don't leave me!" Jaune cried as Weiss took Ruby and left, not sparing Jaune a glance or seeming to care about his predicament. "Oh, man… Did I screw up that badly this morning?"

"Do you have any tickets to board that train?" Pyrrha joked as she arrived and looked up at Jaune, smiling.

"Very funny…" Jaune huffed before letting his humility get the better of him. "But yeah… If you could help me down… I'd appreciate it..."

"Let me!" Naruto said with a grin as he appeared out of the shadows, pulling the spear out and letting Jaune scream as he fell to the ground before tossing the spear to Pyrrha. "You know, if you were just a millimeter off on your throw…."

"I know. I would have killed him." Pyrrha stated, and Jaune violently coughed and grew pale at the realization that he almost died anyways. "But I thought we were competing to see who'd get to him first, and I didn't want to lose."

And with that smile of hers, Naruto's heart fluttered before he stamped it out, found a shotgun, and blasted it several times. He would have to temper his body control if all it took was red hair, a body, and a smile to make his heart flutter and his lower half stiffen to that hardness.

That was not acceptable, even if she was a kind person!

"Meh, all is fine. You two made eye contact, so he's your responsibility now." Naruto shrugged as he began to make his way into the forest.

"Wait! Do you want to stay with us?" Pyrrha asked, taking Naruto by surprise when she continued. "I'm sure you noticed it as well, but they had us separate into different groups, and then ours had an odd number…."

"Yeah, someone is meant not to have a partner, or if I'm reading further into it… A team." Naruto finished with a slight growl in his throat but then shrugged his shoulders. "But that suits me just fine. I think The Great and Powerful Oz is just testing me… And I plan on giving him a show for the ages."

Pyrrha almost burst out laughing at how Naruto mocked the headmaster. Something was going on between the two if he was indeed the one behind the paint explosion at the auditorium.

"So, I take that as a no." Jaune seemed disappointed as he rather liked the idea of traveling with both the pretty redhead and the guy who just seemed unflappably calm.

"Nah, not right now," Naruto stated as he cracked his knuckles, noticing some Beowolves slink into the area, and he began to grin. "But we're all heading to the same area, so I'll see you soon… I just want to get this party started!"

And with that, Naruto rushed the first Beowulf and launched it above the tree line with a solid kick to the jaw, showing how the Uzumaki space program would get approved. And the other Beowolves growled and circled him as Jaune let out an 'Eep' and Pyrrha pulled out her sword and shield.

"Go on ahead! This is child's play!" Naruto grinned as he ferally stood between all Grimm, preparing for a more grizzled fight as he hadn't gotten to let loose since he fought with Kurama and wanted to see how it felt in his altered body.

Pyrrha nodded and grabbed Jaune before taking off towards the northern section, leaving Naruto to deal with the pack of Beowulf. Time stood still as he gauged their numbers, which stood at seven.

He grinned and took a deep breath as chakra circulated through his system, and oxygen began to circulate through his muscles. Time began to speed up as the eight crashed into the ground, dead on impact.

"Let's go wild!"

Three of them lunged at him immediately, one in front and two at his side. Still, Naruto quickly spun above and grabbed the throat of the Beowolf on the right. He slammed its neck first through a tree and then into the next tree before letting go and using the corpse to launch himself back into the fray.

Where he landed straight on the skull of another Beowolf, crushing it beneath his feet as he impacted the ground with a smaller crater and launched himself towards his next target. The Grimm's muzzle and skull shattered as Naruto's fist made impact and launched it. However, he wasn't done as he grabbed it by the arm and used it as a bludgeoning weapon. He turned on the dime and slammed the Beowulf behind him and hurled it into the bushes. With another quick turn, he lifted it overhead, used it like a giant hammer, and smashed the Grimm's whole body into another skull, flattening it with a sickening thud.

Finally, he tossed the Grimm between two that were charging him, knocking them over like bowling pins with the collision before he rushed them, grabbing both by the throat. With a simple squeeze, their bodies fell slack as he dropped their corpses.

In the end, Beowulf looked like a deer caught in headlights and was simply dazed by what had occurred. In a matter of seconds, its brethren were brutally mowed down by a hunter, using nothing more than his hands and their bodies. Because of this, it did not stand a chance as Naruto stood before it and delivered a swift kick to its head, caving it in.

The bush bristled, as a Grimm had survived the onslaught. However, Naruto was more than aware, and with a single toss of a kunai, it plunked into its skull, and the Beowolf slunk to the ground, dead. Naruto cracked his knuckles and let out the breath he had been holding as he began to collect his kunai. "Not bad… Still need to work the kinks out on that technique, but it holds some promise."

"Alright, to the north. Let's see what Oz has planned for me there." Naruto stated as he jumped up into the treetops; uncaring, four pairs of eyes were looking on, stunned at what they had just witnessed.

"Did you see what that animal just did?"

"He fucking tore them apart with just his fist."

The tallest of the grunt grunted before slamming his mace down on one of the Beowolf's heads. "Big deal. An animal is still just that, an animal. Let's get to the ruins so we can get our pieces and get out of here."

"Right, boss!"

"Do you ever talk?" Yang complained, and her partner Blake made their way to the forest. "Because I'm beginning to think you are mute, and I know that isn't true."

Blake rolled her eyes at the blonde bombshell as she continued to make her way north. If only she hadn't lost track of Naruto, who seemed to beeline toward the unfortunate boy, most likely trying to make sure he didn't die from the impact. It was entirely in his character, so she couldn't complain.

Much. He at least knew how to be quiet.

"Oh my god, will you say something?!" Yang started losing her patience with the mute girl next to her, driving her crazy.

Blake decided to humor her sarcastically. "Something."

"What do you mean something?!" Yang nearly exploded at her first word and was ready to flip a non-existent table. "Listen here! You and I will have to hash some things out right here and now if we are going to be partners from this day forward!"

"Stop yelling. It's annoying." Blake growled and was thankful that Yang didn't notice that her bow twitched in annoyance and a slight amount of pain before muttering under her breath. "No wonder Naruto ranked you at the bottom of his possible partners listed…."

"What?!" Yang snapped, as this partnership was experiencing rough patches to start with. "Oh, so he has something to do with this! Too bad you didn't partner with him, huh?!"

"You're fine. Get that thought out of your head. I chose you, so what does that tell you." Blake growled as she snapped back. "You need to learn how not to be so hot-headed and try to start fights all the time like I don't know… Maybe when Grimm surrounds us in the middle of a forest?!"

"Oh… My bad." Yang realized the situation, and her loudness had attracted an Ursa and a few more Beowolves.

"Yeah, mine too… Shouldn't have compared you." Blake sighed as she was partially to blame for Yang screaming as loudly as she did to get their attention. "Well, let's take care of…

"From the heavens!"

The Ursa suddenly flattened, its skull cracked on the ground as Naruto's hand slammed it forward and turned it into mush while cratering the dirt from his impact. Blake and Yang blinked at the sight as he flew in from above. They did not know how he had managed to get such an angle to hit the Ursa.

But it was dead.

And now it was three on three.

Yang quickly blitzed the Beowolf to the right, and Blake went to the one to her left. Naruto blurred out of existence and took the one behind them, dropping beneath it low and delivering a staggering kick to its jaw, shattering it and lifting it before spinning and landing another kick to its midsection, snapping most of its ribs and slamming it lifeless against a tree.

Blake ducked under the Beowolf's slash, and with a single cut of Gambol Shroud, she sliced through the Grimm, and the deed was done. Yang… Was not quick with hers. Blocking the strike with her Ember Celica, she began to repeatedly strike the wolf with her weapon firing. She delivered a blow to the head and blasting it clean off.

"Brutality… I approve." Naruto gave big thumbs before he was suddenly pushed back by a glaring Yang.

"You! Why am I ranked at the bottom of your book!" Yang narrowed her eyes before stepping back and gesturing to all of her. "I should at least get points for this smoking hot bod!"

"Okay, Blake, bad. No telling about my book." Naruto blew a raspberry at the bow-haired girl, who waved him off before turning back to Yang. "And what makes you think body gets points in my book?"

If that were the case, Naruto would begrudgingly give that slot to Pyrrha. His body had an uncontrollable reaction to her, and he hated it...

"Besides… There is a hidden group I didn't even rank, so where does that put you?" Naruto added as Yang perked up after deflating hearing that her body didn't get her any points.

"Well, that just means I have to work harder!" Yang pumped her fist before she realized something. "Hey, wait, where is your partner?"

"Don't have one. We had an odd number group." Naruto stated, and Blake narrowed her eyes as she saw him go after Jaune, which meant someone had beaten him. "Everyone else paired off, so I'm on my own hunting Grimm as I make my way to get a relic. Think that was Oz's plan for me anyways."

"I did find it weird our group had an off number," Blake remarked, as that had been bothering her all morning when the rumors began, and they had been separated into groups. "So why you? Why do you think he's targeting you?"

"I'm good at reading rooms and clues given to me, that's why. And he's been testing me the last month anyways, so I wouldn't be surprised if he threw another one in my direction." Naruto responded as he noted Nevermore flying in the sky above and swore he felt multiple life presence in that general direction.

"Well, do you want to come with us then?" Yang asked, as she didn't mind all that much; she now had a new mission.

To prove she didn't deserve to be at the bottom of his book!

"Eh, the Grimm have been pretty much wiped out around here, so I think I'm good to go with you. While I was up there before making my entrance, I noted the temple wasn't much further out." Naruto agreed as he left a wake of destruction and carnage of Grimm behind him as he sought the negative beings out.

He was pretty sure somewhere between sixty to eighty Grimm had met their doom by his hands as he bounced from fight to fight.

And he hadn't broken a sweat. Which was to be expected when they were all small fries but still… Where was the challenge?

"Sweet! Almost done with this thing then!" Yang cracked her knuckles as she followed where Naruto pointed and led the troops. "I've got this! Follow me!"

"Twenty liens she nearly falls off the cliff."

"I'll take that bet." Blake grinned as she watched Yang lead the charge. "I win either way."

"Ow, cold as ice."

As Yang nearly fell off of a cliff while on their way to see many pedestals at the broken-down temple, she growled, "Why was there such a cliff there?"

Naruto only grinned as Yang twitched before she flipped the fox faunus off and looked around. "This seems like the place."

"I don't see any other temples in the area, so yeah, I think this is it." Naruto sarcastically responded, which earned him a death glare from Yang, even more so as he saw a transfer of Lien between him and Blake, and she didn't like that in the slightest.

"Chess pieces?" Blake questioned as she looked around at the objects and realized what they were supposed to be gathering and had to wonder exactly why he had chosen this object.

Naruto, however, knew and made him growl. Very loudly. And it startled the two girls as he looked over at the pieces. "It's how he sees us. We're simply pieces in his game… Which explains that multi-color piece over there… Is meant to be mine."

Blake and Yang's attention was drawn to a pedestal slightly higher than the rest. On it was a queen piece in Naruto's signature confetti paint scheme. And it was the only queen piece in the entire set, so it stood out…

"I don't feel like grabbing one of these now if that's how he sees us…." Yang muttered before shaking her head. "No, that can't be. It just has to be an artistic choice."

"Believe what you will." Naruto kept his emotions in check as he glared at his piece, knowing Ozpin was mocking him. "Phase three is a go now, you prick."

"Well, I guess we should pick out a piece," Yang stated, and Blake just motioned for her to proceed, and she grabbed a gold knight piece. "This ought to do. I liked those stories with heroes in them anyways. And a knight reminded me of Ruby thinking about knights in shining armor, so…."

Blake was, however, focused on Naruto and why he hadn't made his move when she noticed he stopped a depressed tile a bit further from a pedestal. "Wait… Is it?"

"Ozpin rigged mine, so probably only I could get it. Probably one of the unfortunate few that arrived here before us thought to try and grab the queen and got some of those darts to the leg." Naruto pointed to some darts embedded into the wall to his left before motioning to a light blood stain on the pad.

Suddenly the sound of an Ursa caught their attention, and all three looked on as an orange-haired girl rode in on an Ursa, riding it into the ground with a pink electrical shock as it finally gave out. "Oh no! I broke my ride!"

Slowly exiting the woods behind her was her partner, who happened to be who Naruto thought it would be. The young man that was known as Ren. "Can you… Not do that again…."

Her focus was now solely on what the pieces were and on one in particular. And Naruto caught her ankle and pulled her back seconds before she was nearly skewered as spikes shot out from the ground. "I've called that piece. Plus, it's rigged. Take the castle."

Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she saw the castle and immediately grabbed for the golden rook piece with hearts in her eyes. "I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!"

"NORA" Ren yelled from halfway across the clearing, still unsure how quickly she cleared it.

"Coming, Ren!"

Everyone else present stared at what they had witnessed, unable to comprehend the sing-song nature of Nora. So they ignored it.

"Alright, I'm going for it," Naruto said as he got up and cracked his neck as he took the first step.

And easily slid by a small boulder that slammed the pressure plate he was still on. The next step and spikes rose all around him, but he quickly stepped between them like they weren't even there. Next step, a bolas was slung out, and he caught it with his foot, kicked it up, and used it for his next step. He slung it at high velocity to form a shield to block all the darts that fired out from the subsequent plate. And with the last step, he caught the two logs that would have slammed together where he stood and shattered them with sheer grip strength.

Naruto took the queen and turned around, only to have everyone look at him as he grew a second head, even Nora. "What?"

A loud, echoing, girly scream filled the air at that exact moment and distracted everyone from Naruto.

"It sounds like a girl is in trouble!" Yang called out as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

However, Naruto's ears twitched, and he almost had to laugh as he knew it wasn't a girl's scream. And he would have laughed if there was the scream of another person suddenly becoming apparent. "Ruby!"

"Help me!"

"Why are you falling?!" Yang cried out as she saw her little sister falling from the sky, partially in terror.

Blake looked shocked as she had noticed a moment before around the same time as Naruto. He responded by leaping and catching Ruby before another realization hit him.

That realization was Jaune Arc being hurled at incredibly high speeds, his metal shoulder plate first into his ribs.

"What in the…." Naruto grunted at the impact before twisting his body to absorb the blow and grabbed Jaune in the same motion. "Alright, I've got both of you, I guess!"

Landing with both in hand, Naruto grimaced as he put both on their feet and clutched his rib for a moment. "Well… You have one hell of a shoulder tackle, Jaune; I'll give you that. Broke a rib for sure. If you fail at becoming a Huntsman... Trying out for wrestling. You have a hell of a Spear!"

Yang immediately rushed over and hugged her sister. "I'm so glad you are okay! Don't you scare me like that!"

"Are you okay?" Blake came over and saw Naruto mildly clutching his chest and heard the snap when Jaune made contact with him.

"Dealt with far worse. Just wasn't expecting this one." Naruto applied chakra to his rib to help speed up the healing process, knowing it wasn't the smartest choice, it might be necessary. "Hey, Ruby… Where's Weiss? I saw the two of you were paired up…."

"Um…" Ruby pointed up as Ren joined the group, panting as he ran the distance Nora made seem short.

Everyone looked up and saw the Nevermore in the sky, and on its leg was Weiss attached to its leg. Screaming at Ruby. "I hate you so much right now, Ruby Rose!"

"Oh my god, I did sense two life forces on that bird earlier!" Naruto groaned in annoyance at the sight of the princess in danger. "Why would you ever think that was a good idea?!"

"Um… We were lost, and I thought getting up high would allow us to see where we needed to go. And considering how easily we landed, I figured that would be the easy part." Ruby nervously laughed as she tried to explain why she thought riding the Nevermore was a good plan.

Suddenly the trees and brush erupted to life as Pyrrha rushed onto the scene. And then foliage exploded as a massive Deathstalker rushed in from behind her, leaving everyone wide eyes at everything happening before them while she barely avoided its enormous claw.

"What is this insanity?" Naruto cried out for while his senses were working just fine when so many things were going on at once that it was hard to keep track of everything.

How did Sasuke's sensor… What was her name… She was an Uzumaki… Karin! How did Karin do it?

At that point, Yang let her Semblance blaze to life as her boiling point hit. "I can't take this anymore! Will everything just calm down for two seconds?"

"She's going to fall," Blake stated as it was the most obvious thing in the world to irritate Yang further.

"Yup, gonna fall." Ren followed up as he watched Weiss lose her grip.

"What?!" Naruto roared as Weiss screamed as her hands slipped, failing to grasp Nevermore's claws again.

And she started to fall freely into the sky, terrified as she was learning the basics of aura and didn't think she could land from such a height.

Naruto wanted to smash his face into the wall. Repeatedly. "Oh, for the love of…."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto leaped far past the treetops at high speed and focused on his target, quickly creating a clone. The clone grabbed and tossed him the extra distance as he snatched Weiss out of the air, and nothing this time would interrupt him. "Gotcha! Brace for the landing!"

At that moment, Weiss had something more in her eyes as she looked up at Naruto's face. He looked downward, focusing on landing and ensuring she was safe. Despite all her distrust of faunus due to everything that happened between her family and the White Fang... She felt something more about this one.

Following his words the other day, and now this moment...

There was something more to him, and she wanted to know more about him.

The wind breezed through their hair, and her white braided ponytail wrapped around his neck and shoulders almost as if it was claiming him. She blushed. That was a bit much, but in this exact moment, maybe it was acceptable? So she delicately slid her arms around the back of his neck while hooking her legs around his hip like a perfect damsel.

After all, if she was to play the part, she had to look the part.

And as they landed, he had completed the rescue of his damsel, and all that was left for her hero was to plant the ki…

"Coming through!" Pyrrha cried out as she ran past them, and the Deathstalker pounced on them.

"I am done with this!" Naruto roared as he jumped back, shifting Weiss entirely to one side, and grabbed Pyrrha, by complete surprise, by the waist before leaping back to the rest of the group in a single bound.

And as both were set on their feet, Pyrrha was startled that she had just got treated like a damsel. Naruto grimaced once more as his rib was starting to hurt. It was nothing he couldn't handle, but this wasn't very pleasant at this point.

He lost track of his senses, and Jaune flew in from nowhere. Something he wouldn't have called if he was tracking with his senses anyways. Jaune's aura was so pitiful that he could hardly follow him until now. He absently wondered what caused that change but figured something like a chakra awakening had occurred, so he put that aside for now.

"Yay! Now the gang is all together so we can die together!" Yang announced both sarcastically and almost as if she felt it was inevitable at this point with the number of ridiculous events.

A Nevermore and a Deathstalker at the same time was a daunting task for Academy students.

"No one is dying… Done with doing that again." Naruto growled at the notion, which caught a few of his peers' attention unbeknownst to him, but it would have to be brought up later when a Nevermore and Deathstalker weren't literally upon them at once.

"I've got this!" Ruby cried as she rushed the Deathstalker, activating her Semblance, and blazed towards it with an unmatched speed.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang cried out as she helplessly watched her sister rush into battle against a Grimm that was stronger than anything they had been fighting.

Trying to jump over the giant scorpion, she attempted to gain a boost of speed by shooting Crescent Rose, but the Deathstalker just smacked her away with simplistic ease.

"I've still got this…." Ruby stated as she got back up and fired a few shots at the Deathstalker but realized they were doing nothing. "Uh-oh."

Trying to run, the Nevermore made its presence known from above with a caw. A flap of its wings sent feather arrows toward a fleeing Ruby, cutting off her retreat.

At this point, quite a few members were trying to rush out to get to Ruby. Yang was out in front, crying to her sister as she looked on in terror at what was happening. Weiss was surprisingly close behind, and Blake was a step behind but quickly catching up. But when one of the arrows caught Ruby's cloak and dragged her to the ground, she cried out as she looked up she tried to pull her cape out of the feather only to see the Deathstalker upon her.

Yang looked on in horror watching the stinger descend upon her baby sister. Because of all the feathers forcing her to dodge, she was unable to reach her.

"Ruby!"

A cold pit was left in her stomach. This was like when she nearly got her and Ruby killed when they were younger, but this time...

The golden stinger never made its target as a blonde faunus stood between it and her. He held it back with a faint grimace as his eyes glowed with a golden tint. "I'm not about to say anything you don't already know… Hell, I was just about to do the same thing, so I shouldn't be lecturing you in the first place..."

"But like I said last night. It's going to take time, and that time isn't quite now, Rose!" Naruto growled as he held on tightly, not even budging as the Deathstalker slammed his claw into Naruto.

It only made him angrier. "So, let's take the time and get you there!"

"And say the hell with you and this goddamn bird!" Naruto roared as he turned and, with strength unheralded in Remnant, lifted the Deathstalker by its tail and dug deep to throw it into the sky, right at the Nevermore.

And hit the bird right in center mass to drop it out of the sky and into freefall. But even as they fell out of the sky, Naruto wasn't done. A blue orb erupted in his hand, tracked their fall, and his legs coiled before he leaped to meet their clumped bodies. When the sphere of chakra met the clump, it grew massively in size to match Naruto's intensity.

"ODAMA RASENGAN!"

The impact shockwave shattered the earth directly beneath it before the continued and knocking nearly everyone back and off their feet as the blue orb drilled straight through two falling Grimm, carving through their bodies like butter as he pierced through them like a bullet as he came out the other side and let the Rasengan fade as its job was done and quite frankly…

It was overkill in the end.

Several pieces of the Grimm fell to the earth below. Naruto finally landed in a crouch before slowly standing with his back turned, since that was simply the direction he was facing. In the eyes of those who saw it, however, the view made his visage even more epic. This included Ruby, who thought she was watching a fairy tale unfold before her very eyes.

And Ruby was chibified with hearts in her eyes as she bounced back and forth in place as the more level-headed Blake and Weiss surveyed the carnage and came to newfound respect and slight terror of the faunus that stood before them.

That was a level of power that was simply beyond words.

He was a literal force of nature.

Yang was utterly in awe of what she saw before her and wanted it for herself. "Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!"

And on a cliff far away, Ozpin simply clicked off the monitor as Glynda looked on in shock and horror at what she had seen. She didn't need the monitor to witness such an event.

The tides were turning.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark." Ozpin announced as the four boys, who Naruto ignored in their group, were called to the stage and shown on the auditorium screen. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester!"

"So led by a racist bigot, got it. Good eye for leadership Oz." Naruto mimed under his breath, and nearby, Blake caught what he said and repressed a giggle despite agreeing with his statement as the four stood before the crowd giving an ovation before taking their seats.

Stepping back to the podium, Ozpin continued as new pictures replaced CRDL on the screen. "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie."

Showing the four on the screen, Naruto already knew the four would be on the same team seeing the piece Jaune had grabbed for him and Pyrrha. "The four of you retrieved the four white rook pieces. From this day forth, you shall be known as the JNPR."

Nora excitedly hugged Ren, who almost sighed in exasperation. Using his emotive senses, he felt a sense of relief inside. Those two had a weird relationship, and he wasn't sure how to classify it. But whatever worked for them.

What happened next surprised Naruto.

"Led by… Jaune Arc!"

"What?! Why?!" The ovation drowned out Naruto's voice, and Pyrrha looked shocked for a second before she gave him a friendly shoulder bump that nearly bowled him over in the process.

He wasn't the only one shocked by the decision. Yang, Weiss, and Blake nearby him were floored at the conclusion that Jaune was picked to be the leader of a team. Ruby was sitting there cheering with the rest of the crowd.

"Yeah! You'll do just fine, Jaune!"

Yang was the first to sum up her opinion. "They're all going to die."

Blake only nodded as she watched them line up for the crowd ovation before being sent to their seats.

As if he sensed their shock Ozpin continued. "Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long."

The three snapped out of their stupor and followed Ruby up the stage as their images were broadcast on the big screen above and stood before Ozpin. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this moment forward, you shall be known as team RWBY. Led by…"

"Ruby Rose!"

As the ovation hit, Weiss looked irrevocably devastated by the news. She could not believe that the young brat was being given responsibility for their team. The team she was on! Couldn't she have been placed on a different... Maybe... His? Or whatever he was doing with Naruto!

She was starting to think he was right, and the headmaster was an incompetent buffoon?! Should the blonde-haired witch replace him as the headmistress?!

Blake didn't have a thought either way. She accepted this team whether it was what she wanted or not. She mentally sighed and prepared for the struggle she was going to have with the Schnee girl...

She wished she had done what she thought she should have and chased down the fox in the woods. It would have been more comfortable that way.

Yang was ecstatic and squeezed her sister into the biggest hug, happy to see her hard work pay off. "I'm so proud of you!"

Ozpin simply smiled as he let the girls stand before the standing ovation before he stood at the podium one last time. "Now, before we close out here tonight, we have one last student… A special case… One who will be granted their Hunter's license to become a Huntsman, working here at Beacon while still attending classes this year so they can still learn some tricks of the trade because, after all..."

"You never stop learning."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto's ears twitched, and he growled. "So that's the game we're playing. Time to put me to work now that you know a little of what I can do?"

The crowd fell silent. This was simply unheard of. How could a first-year student do something so incredible that they are getting their license immediately while still attending Beacon?

Naruto simply started walking to the stage, annoyed that he was being put on a pedestal, but he would play this game. Oz wanted to trumpet him, so be it. He was fine with how this played out.

It wouldn't be boring, at the very least.

Everyone was at a hush as he walked onto the stage. His visage was shown on the big screen, and suddenly confetti bombs were set off next to Ozpin as if to mock the faunus. "Naruto Uzumaki, you retrieved the trapped queen piece while displaying exemplary leadership and care for the safety of others despite not having a partner of your own."

"From this point forward, you are now a Huntsman of Remnant. Your job is to protect the citizens of Remnant, but... I still expect you to attend classes for now unless you are out on an assignment. Knowledge is power." Ozpin smiled, but the message was clear to Naruto.

You work for me now.

And he hated that.

However, the silence was broken by the voice of Ruby Rose. "YEAH! WAY TO GO, NARUTO! WOOP-WOOP!"

And that was all it took for the damn to burst and the ovation to come rolling in. Naruto stared at Ozpin, glowering at him for a moment longer before hiding his emotions, taking his place before the crowd, and smiling.

This was going to be troublesome.

…He wondered how Shikamaru was doing right now.

Path Altered.

...

Course Unable to Be Corrected.

Charting.

...

Rerouted.