Fox of Remnant

by Zagger the Bloody Angel

A wish. His wish and dreams were placed into the hands of another. And their wish was for him to live peacefully. It seemed Fate was a cruel mistress and still had plans to use him for her gains. No more! He will fight against these chains that shackle and bind him! Naruto/Blake/Weiss. Berserk Cross. AU Naruto, RWBY Canon Divergence Tags: Action\Fluff\Humor\Angst\Drama\Hurt/Comfort

5. Volume I - Chapter V

WARNING! This chapter will contain Police and Racially Charged Violence. Reader Discretion is Advised.

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Irregularity Detected.

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Scanning.

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Source Found.

Purging.

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Naruto wasn't impressed with being a Huntsman. He was sure Ozpin was at fault for that as he was getting all his jobs from him, and he wouldn't complain as it kept a steady flow of lien in his pocket, but…

The jobs were easy.

They were just making sure the other students were okay while embarking on expeditions or taking out a few troublesome Grimm that had gotten closer to Vale than the council would have liked. The fact that there were councils for each kingdom and then a world council selected by representatives from each of those councils suddenly sounded alarm bells and made sense as there had to be a group of overseers for the entirety of the world of Remnant comprised of members of each major city.

That was a step up from the Elemental Countries in his mind's eye as that was forced upon them at the end, and they were barely cooperating with each other. If it wasn't for his sheer force of will and his way of expressing himself, he wasn't sure he could have gotten as far as he did with A and the other Kages.

Tsunade and Gaara, sure but the others… Well, Mei was a maybe… She might have a thing for him now that he thought about it…

The way she was licking her lips when she looked at him…

Shaking his head, Oz appeared to have no intention of letting Naruto travel outside of Vale any time soon, not that it would do him any favors at this point. He very much wanted him here, and there had to be a reason for it. Maybe that is why he advertised him as a gifted Huntsman, a prodigy faunus. Staunch human superioritist feared him, the faunus adored him, and the White Fang was now hunting for him to join their ranks.

All of these issues made him stay in Beacon and cloak himself when he had to go to Vale or at least leave with a group.

Regardless, he started to send clones out transformed to dig up information in the underground as now was the time to start acting. The source of negativity was firmly planted where it had always been. He could sense its desire was growing, which meant moves were finally being made. It seemed Oz was starting to take things a tad more seriously, even if his demeanor was still lax. He would occasionally ask for reports if anything was discovered.

Naruto just found it annoying that the Wizard knew he was information gathering... But the additional lien giving him info on criminal syndicates and the like didn't hurt, so score for him. He'd hop to it if he ever needed to bust down the local thugs or gangs, but he'd rather not for the most part. He didn't because what they were doing was small time and nothing severe in his eye. People had to make a living, and as long as they weren't being disruptive to society and actively harming people, Naruto was one to let crime like that slide.

It wasn't like it was too far out of the norm of average business practices anyways, which frankly disgusted him. That some of these guys were labeled criminals while those in privileged positions would get labeled as great businessmen or politicians irked him to no end. So unless he was forced to…

He'd let most of them slide. In addition, they would probably be reliable sources of information for it.

His new weapon was delivered, and so far, he liked it. Its handle was thicker than a regular kunai, almost as if it had a double handle. The blade was longer to compensate for its transformation, so he had to have a separate sheath for it altogether, but it was okay. Because when he flicked a small switch on the handle, it transformed into a kick-ass little saw-off shotgun with dust-infused rounds.

And that was the kicker and why Oz stated he wasn't sure if it would work with his aura. Oh, it did. His chakra did something more with Dust, and those blasts could pack a serious punch depending on how much chakra he pumped into the round. He hadn't played around too much with them, as dust prices had skyrocketed due to all the theft, but it was still convenient to have a more plentiful resource.

Ruby had gone ballistic at the sight of his new weapon and wanted to give it a new name, but Blake had the best idea, which stuck with him. And honestly, it fit well, so he went with it.

Shattered Dreams.

He had talked a little more about his life with Blake, who was willing to lend an ear when he needed it. Or because she needed time away from the rest of Team RWBY. He wasn't sure about that, but she seemed to spend at least a tiny part of her day with him over the month. So she had become a constant fixture in his current life.

The combination of that and probably spilling his soul made her trust him, so she was willing to spend time with him. Now, if he just got her to open up about what was happening inside her head, he could feel the swirl within her and knew she needed to talk. He would not force it, but if it didn't come out soon, there would be…

Well, there was going to be a cataclysmic event for her and her team. It was just a matter of who it was going to be.

Ruby was too kind-hearted and good-natured, which crossed her off the list. She was more likely to try and help Blake than she would start something. She was too innocent and naive in some ways to understand the Faunus' plight. He wasn't sure if she understood the hate faunus received daily and was astonished the few times she saw signs in town denying them entry. It was something new and foreign to her...

Yang was a possibility as while they started getting along a lot better, as Blake made an effort, their personalities still clashed. Yang was highly extroverted and Blake... Was a true introvert.

The funny thing was that Naruto had always thought he was an extrovert. However, when he came here to Remnant without a goal or purpose, he realized something… He wasn't. Sure, he had a lot of extrovert tendencies, but he was goal-oriented, and without that… He liked being off on his own or with a small group of people of his choosing.

Maybe that was why Blake was always choosing to hang out in his room for an hour or so for a cooldown period to read, as he was just quietly studying seals or working on chakra theory to see if he could mix magma into his Rasengan while in base form…

God, he was work-oriented. Did he have a classification other than workaholic?

Returning to his thought, the other problem that he knew Blake could run into was Weiss. He knew she had a problem with faunus and while he had flipped her perspective to a degree, it was most likely targeted directly at him. She didn't seem to mind Velvet all that much, but that was because of Velvet…

He hated to say it, but Velvet accepted the status quo and took it. The girl might be sassier and stronger with Coco around, but without her, she was mild and tame otherwise, and he needed to find a way, so she was just sassier all the time while still being sweet and gentle.

Blake was strong-willed and knew a clash of wills would come if something came out, or god forbid it became known that she was a faunus and had been hiding it all this time. Hell, she still hadn't told him she was, even though he was sure she knew he was aware.

And Weiss was firm in her beliefs, and he was sure there was something behind them. He was certain something had happened in her life, and it had to be trauma related. He could feel the pain and conflict in her the one time they were alone, and she showed her glyphs to him and struggled mightily with her summoning. So something was up with her. He ignored the other emotions she was dealing with as they weren't either of them…

What did she think she was trying to do when she purposely tripped into him? That was a new tactic he hadn't seen before, and he wished he could form a mind link across worlds to go over it with Sasuke. It made sense to him that she would want to bask in her crush's presence and attempt to find ways to spend time with him. Or at least he thought that was what she was trying to accomplish, as she seemed conflicted herself. Regardless, he did that a lot in the day when he chased after Sakura, but...

He sighed. He missed his raven-haired brother… Sasuke would enjoy it here. If he were here, he wouldn't have to rely on Oz, and they would have just gone and taken care of everything…

Or caused a revolution. He wasn't sure which, honestly. Either would have been a blast.

Naruto got to know team JNPR a little more since they were also next door, just surprisingly nowhere near as noisy. He wasn't sure how that was possible when Nora existed, but he counted his blessings.

He was still dealing with his body's reactions to Pyrrha, but he was slowly getting that under control. As long as she didn't realize she caused such a reaction in him, he was okay, but if she did…

Well, it probably wouldn't end well for either… No, it would end well. It just wouldn't end in the way he wanted. He wasn't looking for that specifically. Not with someone he was going to know for some time anyway. That would make things awkward, and he didn't want that. He wasn't ready for a relationship at this time. So he needed to stamp out his mother's voice in his head screaming for strong, red-haired grand babies and the need to rebuild the clan…

Naruto swore that if his mother's spirit were speaking to him from the afterlife, he would find a way to the pure world and seal her mouth shut. Now was not the time to be thinking about family. He was still recovering from losing his old life!

Otherwise, Pyrrha was cordial every time they met. They didn't have too many interactions, primarily due to Naruto slinking his way around her for his sanity.

Ren was precisely who he thought he was. Quiet, calm, and collected young man that was here to learn to become a hunter. He was focused on the job but was grateful for everything and everyone around him. It also seemed he was Nora's keeper and the only thing keeping her chained down and not bouncing off the walls twenty-four-seven.

That must have been a tiring job on its own.

Nora… What was Nora? A sugar-high cocaine rush fused with an acid trip? At her peak, that would be the most appropriate way to describe the ball of energy she could be. However, at other points, she remained quiet and thoughtful, usually after Ren told her to calm down.

Even after a full month of observing her and running in with Nora… Naruto couldn't classify her.

Nora was Nora.

Jaune… Was hopeless. After getting his ass kicked this morning by Cardin, he just seemed like a lost cause. His emotional state was all over the place, and his confidence bounced from mild-mannered to over-inflated to completely crushed at frightening speeds, and it was difficult to watch. Why Oz even allowed him to get this far was something he wasn't sure of.

Naruto wasn't even sure Jaune could be one of Cardin's flunkies. That was saying something as even Glynda, the Wizard's pawn, was calling him out as nearly worthless as she announced the Vytal festival this morning.

He made a mental note to make her life worse. Maybe Phase 3 should open in her apartment….

"Are you okay?" Blake's voice echoed as she looked at Naruto worriedly and poked him in the shoulder. "You've sat here quietly for the last two minutes and barely touched your ramen… Your hands normally are a blur when they serve it..."

"I don't know," Naruto answered honestly as he poked at his favorite food while lost in thought. "Was thinking about everything and now…. I feel something will happen here soon, and I'm not going to like it."

"It was in the middle of the night!"

"It was in the day, Nora." Ren corrected as she tried to exaggerate her story about the expedition they last took.

He, too, noted that Naruto seemed slightly off, and it perplexed him to an extent. He was one of the few people who could handle Nora's energy, as proven when they set out on the expedition together.

Ren had to wonder what was going on in his head.

"Then, swoosh, crash! Naruto and I slammed two Ursa together, and BOOM! A beautiful explosion only to be surrounded by twenty more!" Nora proclaimed, standing on the table as Ren stopped paying attention to the story while Yang and Ruby were hanging onto every word.

"They were Beowolves, and there were only two more."

"Ren!" Nora complained as he ruined her fantastic story of their expedition.

So, what if she was fabricating the truth a little? It made for a better story! And it was still totally believable, considering who was involved!

"Jaune… Are you okay?" Pyrrha ignored her other teammates' plight as she noted that the other blonde was also poking at his food dejectedly.

"What, oh, yeah… Sure. I'm just not very hungry this afternoon." Jaune stated as he meekly tried to excuse his lack of appetite.

"Yeah, not buying it. If I'm admitting something wrong cause I'm not eating ramen, you need to buck up and admit you have a problem. If there's one thing about this table… There are some good ears here." Naruto tossed a grape into Jaune's face and called out the other blonde.

"Ow… How'd a grape hurt?" Jaune complained as Pyrrha chuckled, and Blake and Ren nodded in agreement at Naruto's assessment. "Well… I guess… It's Cardin. He's been kicking my butt during spars…."

"And then the rocket locker incident," Ren added as he remembered pulling his leader out of the locker after searching for Jaune for an hour.

"Don't bring that up!" Jaune panicked as he didn't want others to know about that. "Yeah, he can be a bit mean outside to me."

"No, he's a bully, Jaune." Blake flat out said with a growl as she had a personal detest for him and how he had seen him treat Jaune, anyone weaker than him, and any faunus he came across.

Naruto was the only exception, as he seemed to give him a wide birth, which was a fair assessment. Don't piss off the Huntsman on campus.

Or the guy that can cause landscaping shaking shockwaves with just his aura alone.

Or that could set fire to water. She still hadn't figured that one out yet.

How did he set the fountain on fire?!

Oil wasn't even involved!

"I agree. He's been picking on you from the first day on campus." Pyrrha agreed with Blake's assessment and had tried to step in on multiple occasions only to be stopped by Jaune himself or when the damage had already been done.

"What, no. He's only been pulling practical jokes on me..." Jaune tried to defend Cardin's actions when he was suddenly pegged in the face by another grape.

"I'm not trying to be a bully here. I apologize. It's just to get your attention," Naruto warned Jaune. "Once, maybe a practical joke if they go make sure the other party is okay. What I do is practical jokes cause I'm always there to make sure you're okay after, and I'm never going to push it overboard… Unless your name is Ozpin and Glynda."

At this statement, everyone knew Naruto had declared war and was calling the witch out. It had only been Ozpin he had been pranking, so for him to put Glynda's name in there…

A statement had been made.

Shaking her head at that, Pyrrha agreed. "He has a point. The funniest jokes are those in which both parties find them funny. What Cardin has been doing isn't… Honestly, I've been ready to stop him myself..."

"Ow! Stop that hurts!" Velvet's voice echoed from further away. "Please stop!"

"I don't think you'll have to, Pyrrha..." Weiss' pale features drained of color as the bowl of ramen shattered onto the floor.

A terrifying aura filled the cafeteria and what seemed to be steam started to settle around their table slowly.

And Naruto took a breath as his blood boiled, and he blurred out of existence with a single target in mind.

"See, I told you they were..."

"I'm willing to give you a fair option… One that I think that you would be wise to take." Naruto's voice growled violently as he stood directly behind the Winchester and between all of his cronies, his eyes dilated and feral. "Let go of her and apologize, and I will… Give you a pass on this day."

"But if you harm another hair on her head… I will break every bone in all your bodies!"

Cardin Winchester was not dumb. He could feel the absolute blood lust rolling off the animal that appeared directly behind him, and he knew exactly who it was. He did not fancy his odds in this situation and, with intent, concentrated on him.

After carefully releasing Velvet, Cardin raised both arms to show he meant no further harm. "Alright, alright. We've had our fun… SKY NO!"

At that moment, his crony decided to think for himself after letting Velvet go. He had to make the worse decision of all of their lives. He purposely stuck his leg out and tripped Velvet into a nearby table, and she bounced off and onto the floor. "Oh, my bad, you stupid rabbit."

"YOU DUMB PIECE OF SHIT!" Cardin roared as he moved to discipline his teammate before the literal wave of killing intent drowned everything out.

And you could see the heated breath coming off Naruto as his blood boiled and he hit his limit. "Everyone's bones it is!"

A fine mist seemed to cover the cafeteria. No one could understand where it came from, and Naruto vanished from sight. That was only briefly, as the immediate offender Sky Lark was lifted at an alarming speed and swiftly slammed through a table and cracked through the ground headfirst.

He did not get back up.

Dove Bronzewing was next as he was pulled into the mist. Several snaps and screams were heard before he was viciously thrown back into view, skidding on the ground, unmoving. Russel Thrush screamed and tried to run away but was hit back and was constantly struck by an invisible force. Suddenly he was pulled underground to where only his head was before he was knocked unconscious as Naruto stomped on his face and stood before Cardin.

Then, he faded back into the mist in an instant, but his words echoed all around.

"Throat, Spinal Column. Lungs, Liver. The Jugular vein. The Subclavian artery. Kidney and finally the Heart." Cardin shivered as he felt Naruto's hand touch each of these spots on his body but couldn't see him.

What was this animal? A trained assassin?!

Naruto reappeared once more and dropped Cardin with a single haymaker to the face as the mist faded. But before it happened, he caught the falling boy by the right arm and twisted just for good measure. He might not have felt that now but he would when he woke up.

In addition to everything else, he made sure his jaw was broken.

Letting out a deep breath as he surveyed the damage he had caused, Naruto mentally sighed as this would probably come back and bite him in the ass. They deserved it, but he probably didn't need to invoke his memory of Zabuza…

Even if he thought Cardin might have needed that lesson in fear.

Bending over to check on Velvet, who was a touch frazzled at what transpired from both sides, Naruto sighed externally as he couldn't blame her. "Sorry… I lost my temper… Maybe I do need to look into seeing a therapist."

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Glynda Goodwitch's voice came at the wrong time for him as she rushed into the cafeteria soon as she knew there was going to be an altercation.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto roared before taking a deep breath and calming himself as he stood up and glared daggers at the witch. "Maybe if you were on time or had a will of your own instead of being a pawn of the wizards, a different outcome might have occurred. Instead, this is what you get when I have to step in."

Glynda was startled by Naruto and his bluntness as he walked past her but growled one last time. "Maybe if you were a better teacher, your students would reflect what you want of them."

And with that, Naruto walked out, leaving Glynda shell-shocked for a moment before she quickly recovered, and with a quick wave, she started repairing the damage before pulling out her scroll. "Get the medics here immediately. Four students with moderate damages, mostly broken bones, heavy bruises, and probably bruised egos… Most likely, each has a concussion at the very least."

Putting her scroll back, Glynda looked at where NaNaruto had lefthe room. The rest of team CFVY had arrived on the scene to check on Velvet, for team RWBY and JNPR had been there moments before.

"Just what did you go through to have such an outlook on life at such an age?"

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"Goddamit!" Naruto roared as he snapped what felt like the hundredth tree with his fists. "Is this a faunus trait that I will have to overcome? Or is it something else because this is getting out of hand!"

"AHHHH!" Naruto roared as his blood boiled, and steam poured from his body as it hyper-oxygenated and chakra spiked.

The grass was scorched, turning brown and smoldering as if it had caught fire. Steam covered the clearing as he took slower, shallower breaths, attempting to calm himself while looking at what had happened. Something was not right here.

It was not a characteristic of the faunus.

"Okay… That's new… And I don't think this is entirely a faunus trait… Fuck off, fate! I didn't need this at all! Is this a Semblance?!" Naruto growled but continued to calm himself as he could see his muscles bulging from the anger he was feeling and the rush of oxygen and chakra they were getting.

He thought it was a technique he was developing, but no, it was something far more. Maybe something changed when he was transported? Some lingering anger from Kurama, perhaps the malice of his Yin chakra mutated into this?

No matter what it was… It was a drawback despite the small benefits it did give. It was something he would have to focus on and master before anything else. It could not wait if it were directly tied to his emotions, specifically his anger.

"What the hell… What happened here?" Yang's voice snapped Naruto into reality as he was still focused on coming down. "The trees, I get, but it looks like a steam house exploded with you at the center of it."

"Are you okay?!" Weiss' voice carried concern as the two found him, an odd pairing, and the princess rushed to his side. "Everyone went looking for you after you disappeared, and you didn't show up for class."

"Yeah, even Fox is looking for you. Put up a backward poster. Said you were an invisible super ninja. That kind of stuff." Yang grinned as she tried to make light of the situation with things Fox did.

Somehow Naruto believed he had done those things. It was just in Fox's nature to do those things when he was around or for him. He seemed to bring his prankster spirit out of him.

"Yang! Now is not that time for…." Weiss narrowed her eyes at the blonde dragon.

"No, Fox would do those things." Naruto sighed and nodded, knowing that was well within his character.

"See." Yang grinned and waved her hand, victorious.

Weiss just bristled silently.

"But seriously… What happened here?" Yang looked around at the burnt devastation and was curious as this was not an everyday fire hazard.

"I… I think I found the crux of my emotional issues, but it is also connected to me physically… Also, does anyone have water cause I am thirsty… I think I poured out all that steam from my body." Naruto started before realizing he was seriously dehydrated and realized this would be an issue, and he would need to keep a ton of water on him.

At this, both Yang and Weiss were severely alarmed. Weiss started fiddling with her purse before she pulled out a bottle of water she kept on her for emergency's sake. And as Naruto chugged it down, she looked in horror at the scene around her. "This… Was it because you were angry?"

"Seems like it… So I guess therapy is on the menu, along with a lot of physical and emotional training until I have this under lock and key and can control it." Naruto stated before he darkly looked down. "I was… Very close to this limit in the cafeteria, and if it happened there… More than a few would have been hurt, including Velvet."

Weiss stared solemnly, understanding that he didn't want to hurt anyone. Yang understood as well, but something else was bothering her. "Dude, just how many abilities do you have? Cause this doesn't sound like you knew about this one. Then there is your aura control and supposed sensory abilities… I call bullshit! I want that kind of power!"

"Do you really when it costs you everything?" Naruto questioned Yang. "I was driven at a young age to be what I was while being scorned and hated. I had no life. It was all about training and getting better to become what I am… The fact that I have a personality and want to protect others is a miracle when I think about it…."

"I was raised to be a living weapon."

Like many of his friends... It just seemed to be part of the ninja culture. Many of the others simply were spared the unpleasant things he had to deal with, making them more fortunate.

This one sentence sent a shiver down Yang's spine and made Weiss tremble. While she always wanted to test herself and grow stronger, it was all for fun. But the realization that there were those out there who weren't given a choice and were made to be stronger as soon as they could do so…

That life seemed barbaric.

Weiss found more profound respect for Naruto despite his upbringing and what he was all about was protecting others, no matter who they were… Now, if she could convince him and could convince her dad not to care about the ears…

"So… How many texts did I not answer… Good grief, everyone... How did Fox even text me? …That makes sense… It's gibberish." Naruto sighed before he smiled near the end as someone had to click on it for Fox, and then he just went to town before letting them send it.

Or he used Ada, but that would mean it shouldn't have been gibberish and understandable to read...

However, there was a sudden call on his scroll, and it was from Ruby. "Hey… What's…

"YOU-NEED-TO-GET-HERE-NOW! THEY'RE-ARRESTING-VELVET! I-DON'T-KNOW-WHAT-TO-DO! PLEASE-HELP!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto roared as Weiss and Yang paled at hearing Ruby's panicked and sped-up voice.

Without another word, he calmed down and let the world's natural energy seep into him so he could activate his Sage State. In a second, he had their location pinpointed. "THERE!"

He burst off without saying another word, not that the other two could blame him. They were sprinting in hot pursuit despite not having a chance to keep up with Naruto.

Naruto didn't understand. Why Velvet? It should have been him they were looking for if anyone. She had done nothing wrong, and they were arresting the wrong person!

Naruto quickly gauged the scene by landing beside Ruby, deactivating his sage state as it would do him no favors to come in with force in this situation.

Ruby was obviously in a panic and nervously bouncing from place to place, unsure of what to do as she tried to talk to the officers. "Um, what do I do? Officers... Velvet didn't do anything!"

Blake was extraordinarily frustrated and stood in front of the two officers with her hands held out, trying to stop what was happening, a hiss in her voice. "You know this isn't right! She had nothing to do with this!"

Yatsu silently stood by her side, ready to draw his sword if he needed to. He stood by and was ready for a fight, unwilling to give an inch, for Velvet was his friend.

Jaune was there, for some reason, but was trying to explain how Velvet was on the receiving end and could not possibly be arrested. "Furthermore, they were the ones holding her... Just like they do to me all the time... Long story."

Ren was physically holding Nora back from using her hammer, screaming at the top of her lungs. "SHE DID NOTHING! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"This is not helping, Nora!"

Pyrrha seemed at a loss for words and stood idly by, unsure what to do.

Coco, for once, was at a loss and was not her calm, confident self. She had attempted to talk the officers and her team down, and nothing was working. "Dammit... Is there anything I can do?"

And Fox was ready to throw down. His attention was solely focused on the officer with Velvet in his grasp. "Giving you a clear warning... Let Velvet go. She did nothing wrong."

Seeing the situation, Naruto knew he had to act. This was too volatile to do nothing.

"Officers, she's innocent… I'm the one you want." Naruto immediately sacrificed himself on the sword as he watched the events before him. "If this is about the event that involves Cardin Winchester, Sky Lark, Russel Thrush, and Dove Bronzewing… I am your faunus."

"Naruto, no! What are you doing?!" Velvet cried out as this was even worse for while she didn't want to be sent to jail for a crime she didn't commit, she didn't want her friend to be jailed because he was protecting her.

"The warrant was put out for Velvet Scarlatina." The officer said as he kept his grip on Velvet's cuffs, tightening them as this situation was tense and he hoped it would blow over soon. "The witness account from the victim personally stated it was her…."

"Those cowards are so fucking dead!" Fox growled as no one picked on his teammates and tried to frame them for a crime. "When I get my hands on them…"

"You will do no such thing, Fox! That will only make things more complicated!" Naruto barked while his blood boiled.

He knew he had to stay calm.

He had to.

It was for everyone's sake now, not just his own. This situation demanded it.

"Their brains must have been scrambled harder than I intended, but I can assure you it was me." Naruto corrected the officer as he put his hands up while he offered himself up. "Skull contusions and concussions can cause that kind of effect on people. Not to mention all those ribs I broke… Or the snapped radius and femur in Dove or the snapped ulna in Cardin accompanied by at the very least a broken nose, cheekbones, and jaw?"

The second officer immediately caught on to the stated injuries and tapped the first officer on the shoulder. "I'm calling it in… Those match the exact injuries of the boys… I think he is the actual culprit."

"Then why the hell would they name her?" The other officer growled before he pulled out a key. "I'm about to say he is the one and call this a day! I hate coming to this campus for shit like this!"

"Naruto… Please…" Velvet cried, tears streaming down her face as now everyone else was concerned for a whole new reason and wasn't sure how to respond to the other officer cuffing Naruto as he gave himself up.

"The call came in. I'm taking you instead." The officer stated as he informed Naruto as he locked the cuffs in tight but made sure they weren't cutting into his flesh.

"It's fine… I did this. Let me get out of this." Naruto comforted the girl as she was released, and they began to move him to the vehicle, but Blake still refused to budge, and Yatsu was now in a more defensive position. "Guys… I've thought this out… Move… I don't need you getting into trouble."

"Naruto… No… You did the right thing. It was just…." Blake tried to stop him, and Yatsu was wavering but was not budging either.

He did what they weren't able to, but...

Now he was in her place instead.

"Believe in me, would you?" Naruto smiled at the two of them. "Do you think I would give myself up if I didn't have faith… You're late again, witch."

"What is going on here?" Glynda marched onto the scene, extremely upset to see police on her campus. "I'll have you know that all matters here are handled through our channels first, officers."

"Not if they're civil, mam." The officer replied, and this caught Glynda off guard, and she growled through her teeth. "We came for a warrant to arrest Ms. Scarlatina, but this gentleman offered himself in her place with detailed information on the crime and how he did it instead. So, we are taking him to the station for processing."

"What if I have video proof clearing both parties of wrongdoing as it was an act of defense, and a clear warning was given? Faunus have equal right here in Vale. You know that as well as I, which would absolve him of the crime." Glynda responded as she worked around this problem and pulled up her pad as the evidence was on hand.

"Well, I would have you bring it to the station for the investigators, as that isn't our job. Our job is to get the suspect. If everything clears, he should be processed by tomorrow morning as they are unfortunately out dealing with a more serious case." The more reasonable officer continued speaking as the other officer was just on edge and wanted to get out of Beacon.

"That's fucking bullshit!" Yang finally arrived on the scene, quickly caught up, and was ready to throw down.

"We have evidence on hand that should be sufficient to release him!" Weiss immediately was ready to try and pull all the power she could muster in this situation to get Naruto off the hook as once more he jumped in.

"Girls!" Glynda growled as she knew this was already a lost cause at this point, and it seemed Naruto knew it as well. "Blake, Daichi. Please stand aside and let the officers do their job. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to make sure Naruto is out tomorrow morning.

Feeling defeated as she had seen scenes like this time and time again and had always been on the losing side, Blake dejectedly stood aside while Yatsu did the same but was still furious at the situation. Opening the door, the officer slowly slid Naruto in when Glynda spoke. "Could I have a word with him before you leave?"

Sighing as he was ready to leave, he nodded as he wasn't about to tempt a Huntress. They were above them in the chain of command. "Please make it quick. I don't have all night."

Pulling out a bottle of water and seeing Naruto's state Glynda helped him drink but softly spoke to him as she did. "Vale may be a more tolerant place, but the station is still the most inhospitable place for a faunus..."

"The night will most likely be rough, and I would not be surprised if they would try to cohere a statement out of you before the evidence is processed… I know you are strong, but be prepared as there are dirty cops even here and… You are a faunus, and I fear for the worst..."

"I don't want my students to face that kind of oppression."

"Got it… Going to be more difficult than my only other time in jail… And I had an electric shock trap attached to me, siphoning my aura if I tried to use it." Naruto responded with a sorrowful smirk as the witch did care.

Glynda could only look at him with slight horror. "By the Brothers, what kind of life did you live?"

"One of a kind."

"I'm sending you to therapy."

"I need it."

Glynda shook her head, patted Naruto on the thigh, and gave him a sad smile. "I will be there in the morning. Do not give in, and above all, do not lose your temper. That will only make things more difficult, and they will have a case at that point."

"Yeah… I know."

Standing up from the back of the cruiser, Glynda sighed and allowed the officers to finish their job. Closing the door, the two officers entered the vehicle before the driver complained loudly. "Fuck this place! It's always a damn zoo! Fucking hunters, huntresses, and damn faunus everywhere!"

"Shut up! And go!" The other officer growled at his partner as they hit flight mode in the cruiser to get to Vale quickly. "Hey, kid… For what it is worth… You did the right thing. Turning yourself in and trying to calm everyone else down..."

"Ha, fucking good that did…."

"I said shut up and fly! Do you want another demerit on your report?! You still have a lot to learn if you want to be a successful field officer! Keep this up, and I recommend you be sent back to the desk."

The lower-ranking officer grumbled in silence as he glided their rig in silence.

"As I was saying... Regardless of species… That thing takes a kind of guts you don't see very often, and I wish it was more common." The officer continued. "To do the right thing even in the face of adversity..."

"I'm sure the evidence will clear, and you'll be out tomorrow morning, so keep your head low, and I think everything will be fine… Who's working tonight?"

"Victor Noct, Alice Lumine, Ferris Bueller and…" The other officer began as he tried to remember who was all coming in on shift tonight. "Hugo Sill."

"Oh… That is a problem. Let's see if they'll let me work a double... For the third time this week."

Somehow Naruto realized his night would be as rough as Glynda feared.

---

Sitting in a cell with another meek and very skinny faunus who looked like he hadn't eaten a substantial meal in a week, along with a hulking, muscled thug with bronzed skin, Naruto sighed.

Picton Blue, the officer he liked, had tried to convince the chief to let him stay the shift. This would have made him seriously go over his allotted work time. Over sixty hours. And his boss was not willing to allow it. He threatened to fire him if he kept trying to work so much overtime every week, and he sent him home.

The chief had serious issues and had to wonder what his deal was.

But before Picton was forced to leave, as the chief stayed on him like a hawk, he quietly warned Naruto to keep his head low. He also warned him, if Sill was the officer in the room with him at any time, not to make eye contact or any threatening gestures.

So, it was going to be a very, very long night.

At least he got a fairly accurate description of what Sill looked like. Black hair, snake-like yellow eyes. Pale to white skin. He painted the picture of what he imagined to be a wimpy, weak-willed Orochimaru clone that was deemed a failure and wanted nothing to do with it.

Except even that snake seemed to turn around, so who knew anymore, to be honest? He was fighting on their side at the war's end, so anything was possible.

He made a mental note to send some anonymous funds now and then to Blue when he got better paychecks. Dedicated cops like that deserve more. They got weighed down by the bureaucracy of police politics, and then corrupt cops quickly snuffed out all their excellent work. A rough system indeed, but not one that could be fixed overnight. It was going to take a long and arduous time to fix.

"So… What'cha in for?" The skittish wolf faunus spoke with a pronounced speech impediment. "I was out and caught dosing up again… The war'th… Felt good…"

"You're going to die doing that shit." The big man spoke, not in a caring way.

Just stating facts.

"Prob'bly… But I need the war'th… It's too cold…." The wolf spoke once more, speaking with a noticeable twitch.

The big man, still not looking like he cared, spoke simply. "You get out in three days?"

"Give or t'ke. No more time ge's added." The faunus responded.

The muscle thug nodded, acknowledging things like that did happen, unfortunately. "Alleyway on Fifth street. Good little group there… Might have to do a few small things here and there. But nothing hard… And they're friendly and take in anyone… You'll stay warm, and they'll get you off that shit."

"Really… I'll get war'th? That'd be ni'e." The wolf looked dreamily before turning back to Naruto. "So what'cha in for?

Naruto stayed quiet as he watched their interaction. Even in the dregs, there was always hope; that was the one thing he liked to see. It wasn't what everyone assumed it was. Just criminals and thugs raping, thieving, and killing.

Most people had fallen on hard times trying to make a living or battling something they couldn't beat on their own. There were others, sure. They existed out there, but even then, there was something seriously wrong in many cases.

Very few were evil to be evil. Those that were...

Well, that's why there needed to be people like him, willing to do what needed to be done.

"Me? A friend was being attacked and bullied by four so-called wannabe racist hunters… So, I gave them the choice to back down or be broken… They chose to be broken." Naruto took a moment before answering. "Then they decided to try and frame her for the crime when they woke up from my ass beating, and I surrendered myself so she could go free."

"Woah… They s'me assh'les." The wolf responded.

"Sounds like they need some more breaking." The bronze thug let out a low growl and would love to get his hands on them.

Naruto liked these guys and could only grin. "Yeah… But I have evidence, so I'll be processed by morning… I have a plan to scare them straight or at least piss themselves… Maybe both."

The big guy could only nod. "Well, that's good. Those in the right shouldn't get punished… Wish it worked that way more often."

"Me too, man… Me too." Naruto responded with a wistful sigh before the door opened, and an ashen man walked through and to the desk on the other under.

"Oh no!" The wolf panicked and tried to scamper underneath the bench.

"Shit, Sill is working tonight! Thought he was on suspension!" The bronzed man looked worried and showed emotion for the first time before motioning to Naruto and the wolf to step behind him. "Whatever you do, man… Don't say a word… He's a bonified faunus hater and has gotten away with neglect, beatings, and improper use of force. He fucking killed a faunus in here less than a month ago and was only suspended, but it looks like he's back… How the fucker get away with that?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He had heard of shady cops, but this was a bit much. Murder in a police station was something that shouldn't be allowed, and to have gotten away with it…

"Man, it's ca'se he's the chie' son… They 'id the evi'ence. Ain't no way he's goin' to let his son get con'icted." The wolf cried foul as he knew the truth of the situation.

Naruto could only blink. How corrupt was the police situation here? When Glynda said there were some unethical cops, this wasn't what he thought.

There might need to be a thinning of the force through legal means or… Less than legal.

Seeing that he was walking in their direction with a clipboard, the bronze man cursed as he knew it was time for a roll call. "Shit… Don't look him in the eye. Don't speak… Follow my lead."

"Up to the line, maggots, and animals!" Hugo spoke with disgust as he looked at all three of them but had the most venom in his voice when looking directly at Naruto and the wolf.

Keeping his head down and averting his eyes, Naruto wondered what the other guards were doing on shift. Surely there should be more cops on duty back here with the prisoners? And why would the one who just returned from suspension for murder get that duty?

There was a whole bunch of dereliction of duty going on here.

Yet he was glad it was him here as he would not want Velvet in this situation. He could take this and didn't even want to think about how she would handle being put in this spot. He was sure the giant bronze man would do everything he could, but sometimes that wasn't enough.

Then again, he would be pretty sure he'd be tearing apart the station, so…

"Mahony Bran… Back again, I see." Sill tapped the clipboard before looking at the giant bronze man. "Still can't stop roughing up those upstanding folks at the Rainbow Hotel and Bar? My, you are just a worthless thug, aren't you?"

Mahony kept his tongue still, but Naruto could tell he wanted to say something back. With what intel he already had about that hotel, it was a cesspool of drugs, and money laundering that broke people's backs.

It seemed like they kept a few cops in their wallets too.

Instead, Mahony gave a straightforward answer. "Here, boss."

"Vajo Ruffus… Ah, the stray mutt got caught drugging out again. When will you just die out there and stop wasting our resources?" Hugo growled as he looked at the jittering wolf, who was extremely nervous, and his eyes were darting everywhere.

Thankfully it was everyone but Sill, so he wasn't looking in the eye…

"FUCKING SAY HERE, ANIMAL!" Hugo grabbed Vajo by the collar and slammed him into the bar nose first, breaking his nose and sending the wolf crumpling to the ground.

Naruto immediately rushed to check on Vajo and cringed as he wished he knew a medical technique or snuck in anything from his pack. Coaxing him to take it, he gave him a painkiller to at least alleviate some of the pain for his fellow faunus.

"YO, BACK THE FUCK OFF!" Mahony slammed into the bars but was unable to reach Sill as he quickly backed off, and as if to prove his power over them, he pulled a gun out of the desk for effect and then slid it back in.

"With that level of aggression, it'd be easy to pull the trigger and say it was self-defense. And no one would believe the words of two other criminals, so I get another paid suspension before coming back here… And that's if I get suspended… I might just get a slap on the wrist as I could have been in so much danger." Hugo smugly stated before he mimed being in terror at the end.

Taking a deep breath to calm his boiling blood, for it would do no one any favors if the cell exploded in a steam eruption, Naruto assisted Vajo to the back. He sat him on the bench before returning to the line. He wasn't sure how, but he'd find a way to make this bastard pay.

He just needed to get through the night.

"Naruto Uzumaki… What have we here… Defiled four upstanding gentlemen for harming a worthless faunus girl… Evidence to prove innocence and marked for release tomorrow morning? No, no, no, we can't have that…." Hugo stated as he shook his head and left the room, heading for a particular room.

"The fuck?" Naruto's emote senses were exploding and what he was sensing was the foulest energy he had felt from another person that wasn't the negative void.

Even then, he thought the void might recoil from this person. Or at least feed them to a Grimm with a smile on their face as they get rid of worthless human scum. "The hell are you planning?! I'm fucking innocent!"

"Stand back! That's not the evidence room he went to… It's the interrogation room!" Mahony growled and was standing in front of the jail cell door, planning on blocking them in. "I don't know what the runt has running through his mind, but this stops tonight… I'm taking his head!"

Seeing Hugo exiting that room, Naruto's mind was racing a mile a minute. What in the hell did he get himself into? "It's fine! I'm built like a tank and survived literal explosions… There isn't a thing this little ant can do to me, and I don't want more time added to what you have left!"

"Are you sure?" Mahony looked worried but seeing the look on Naruto's face, he nodded. "Alright… I'll take care of Vajo."

"Yeah… I guess I'll keep him busy… Joy that's bound to be." Naruto suddenly realized what he was signing up for and wished for a miracle.

Like a Grimm to bust through a eat the racist. That would be nice. This would also give him an excuse to break out of the cell, as he felt utterly powerless at this point.

He was arguably the most powerful being on the planet, and he was rendered powerless by the law as he tried to be a law-abiding citizen. How ironic.

"Turn around, animal, and give me those hands!" Sill ordered with a hiss.

And as much as he despised it, Naruto did as he asked. His aim, however, was not to make things easy for him as he pulsed chakra through his wrist in order to increase his muscle strength. He knew he would try to put them on too tightly and grin as they split in half.

"What the hell?!" Hugo tried again with a second pair of cuffs, but the same result occurred, and he got extremely frustrated and slammed Naruto against the bars. "The hell are you doing, filthy cunt?! Cuffs don't break that easily!"

"Maybe if your toys were made of stronger material, they'd stop breaking?" Naruto commented as he cushioned the blow to the bars with a fair amount of his chakra and felt harder shots from academy students.

Mahony immediately recognized that something was amiss. Naruto was indeed fighting, but he wouldn't do so directly. He couldn't show any aggression, but what he was doing was working, as it was frustrating Sill to no end.

He kept himself in front of Vajo and rooted for the blonde faunus. He knew what he was doing.

However, Hugo was done with cuffs and instead opted for a simple binding they used for the real troublesome suspects and slipped it around Naruto's wrists as hard as he could. Naruto could also break this, but it was slightly looser this time, so he didn't feel the need to agitate the racist cop further.

This was going to be a long night, after all. Needed to pace it for later.

"Stand by the door with your back to it!" Hugo ordered, and Naruto did as he instructed, giving Mahony a grim smile.

The cell opened only for him to be roughly pulled out, and the cell slammed shut. But the message was passed on. He would be fine.

He, unfortunately, had been trained for situations like this. He'd have to thank Ibiki and Anko, for that had to be rough on them too. He asked for the training in the worst-case scenario in case someone like the Akatsuki captured him.

It was the only time he had seen Anko cry as she begged him to give in.

Yet he refused to yield. He did not know how to give up. He would not back down. He could not run away from it.

Tsunade was not pleased with any of them after that, and he could only imagine what Kurama would have said if they were on good terms.

But as they entered the interrogation room, Hugo was in for a world of shock as another officer with medium-length black hair and a full beard and stache was in the room, examining the camera in frustration. "The hell happened… Why did it suddenly break?"

"Ah, Victor… What are you doing here?" Sill seemed nervous as the officer known as Victor Noct turned around and immediately narrowed his eyes at the scene. "I thought you were working the reception desk tonight?"

"I was… Until I noticed the camera in this room mysteriously shut down." Victor mentioned with a slight edge to his voice and a hint of annoyance as he surveyed the situation. "And what is it that you are doing? You were assigned to watch the prisoners, nothing more. Interrogation is for the investigators, not the night watch. We're here to keep the peace and call in backup if we need it..."

"But we also can interrogate in extraneous circumstances and when the investigators are out," Sill responded. He was still nervous as Victor seemed to be someone he genuinely was wary of but unwilling to back down. "They were given the night off due to all the Dust thief drama on and how overworked they all have been, so I'd thought I'd take it from here…."

"You are the least qualified fucking person for that task." Victor walked straight into Hugo's face, standing half a foot taller than the man, and looked down at the man. "If there is going to be an interrogation tonight, either Alice or I will handle it after we look into… Why the fuck is their blood… God fucking dammit!"

Victor pushed Hugo aside and rushed into the jail cells before immediately yelling out. "Sill! You fucking little wannabe shit-stain!"

With that, Victor blitzed back in and, without hesitation, dropped Hugo with a single punch, leaving a bruise on his left eye. "Again, with this shit! I don't know how your father keeps getting away with covering everything you do, but I swear I will find a way to make this stick if it is the last thing I do!"

"Put him back while I will take Vajo to the infirmary!" Victor headed back into the cells to get Vajo treated, but he had one last message to give as he did. "And I swear to the Brothers if anything happens as I'm treating him… I will do everything I can to end you! You will not keep getting away with this!"

Hearing the cell open and close, Naruto was glad Vajo was getting treated, and his respect level for the competent cops in the district rose a notch. There needed to be more like Picton and Victor in the force. They needed not to be restrained by bureaucracy and brought down by corrupt and incompetent cops so they could be allowed to do their jobs correctly.

However, as another door clicked, Naruto knew his night wasn't over, and it seemed Hugo was only incensed more as he silently clicked the interrogation room shut. What exactly was the problem with this guy?

"Have a seat." Sill calmly stated as he pulled the chair out for Naruto, pretending to be civil about everything that happened.

Naruto really didn't want to. He knew he shouldn't and that every second he bought mattered at the moment as he tried to feel out where every presence in the building was.

He could feel Mahony was going ballistic in his cell, not that he was surprised. Victor was already too far and moving upstairs with Vajo to get treated, so, unfortunately, he would not be of any help. He could only sense a third person that probably had to be another officer, and they were in the basement, and he couldn't tell what they were doing, but from what he saw on the signs, that was the lab, so…

Possibly examining evidence.

Not exactly useful for him in this scenario. There was supposed to be a fourth officer on duty, but they might be out in the field as something was called in, and they had to answer it. So that was even less helpful right now. His options were limited, and he couldn't hurt this guy without everything worsening. It was infuriating.

"I said, take a seat you worthless waste of flesh and bones!" Sill violently struck out, but Naruto instinctively tilted his head back to avoid the strike.

This only served to infuriate the already incensed officer further as he grabbed Naruto by the collar of his coat and thrust him into the chair. "You think you are better than me?! Is that it?"

"I'm better than most. That's just a fact. I was bred and trained to be the best." Naruto wasn't about to sugarcoat it or bend to this delusion officer on a power trip; even if he was in a position, he wasn't allowed to fight back.

He wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

Naruto knew he shouldn't have answered that as it agitated Sill, but it felt good. In spite of the fact that the pale man struck him in the face, he had the satisfaction of knowing he got a lot more out of it than the corrupt cop. "Fuck off, animal! What the hell are you made of?!"

"Stronger stuff than you." Naruto tilted his head back and held back a grin he wanted to let out as he watched the pathetic cop shake his hand and grip his wrist.

Most likely broke a few things with that punch.

It wasn't the most appropriate answer as Hugo flipped him out of the chair. He rolled to a seated position with his reflexes and quickly absorbed what the cop was trying to dish out.

This was child's play so far.

He might get out of this by annoying him so much that he'd leave, or even luckier, he'd have him stroke out from his building rage.

Naruto knew he was getting close to having one, which would end in the death of the cop, and that would be nearly impossible to explain.

"Cocky little fucking freak… So full of yourself like the rest of your White Fang brethren, I bet." Sill responded as he moved to apprehend Naruto, but this time he had none of it as he rolled away, slid back into his chair, and kicked it back up to a standing position.

Again, Naruto wasn't willing to give him the satisfaction of trying to manhandle him if he could help it. Instead, he would try to make it seem like he was cooperating.

Even if he really wasn't.

Hugo, to his credit, only shook his head in disbelief for a moment before his anger returned in full force, grabbing one last set of cuffs and cuffing him to the chair and to the restraint. Naruto frowned, as that would make things a little more complicated.

The prick had at least a fragment of knowledge of what he was doing, which wasn't a good thing.

"Alright… Let's me this quick, and maybe I won't be too rough on you…." Hugo panted as this was tougher than he expected and realized there was a time limit, and he needed to be quick. "If you just confess to hurting those poor, innocent boys, I won't have to… break too many of your filthy animal bones."

Naruto couldn't help but frown as he used a partial statement of what he told Cardin and his crew when they were tormenting Velvet. That was something he hid and didn't like, and he felt like this asshole was let loose on purpose now.

The chief was definitely moving up on his list.

"Defending my friend is the only thing I did. I gave clear and concise…." Naruto began before his eyes narrowed as a few fools were pulled forth from a bag that had been left on the table. "Commands… You are liable to lose your job. You know that, right?"

"I don't think so, scum." Holding a baton, he flicked his wrist to jab the handle into Naruto's sternum, but he absorbed the blow and glared at him. "What the…"

"I deal with Grimm daily… Try harder." Naruto answered truthfully, not intending to incite the officer to remind him of his place.

He wasn't dealing with someone his tactics were effective against. He was trained to handle far harsher violence than anything he could dish out.

It didn't seem that thought immediately registered on Sill as he violently struck out and smashed Naruto in the face with the baton. He hardly budged, his glare only intensifying as he tried to stay calm and keep his blood from boiling.

He would deal with him later, just not today.

Not seeing a single reaction, Sill struck repeatedly as he lost his temper and patience. "What the hell are you, freak?! Even Huntsmen would bruise from strikes like this! What are you, a fucking monster?! A demon?!"

Naruto revealed his killing intent with that statement. Oh, that word hit a nerve. How many times had he been called that when he was a child? How many times had he been thrown out of stores or humiliated in front of other children when he tried to make friends by parents calling him that word?

Sill was not an average person. He sensed the intent, and instead of recoiling in fear, he relished it. This was what he desired. He wanted this reaction! He wanted him to strike back! To give him a reason to make this faunus' life as miserable as it could be. He couldn't just let this animal get off with a slap on the wrist!

"Oh, hit a nerve, did I?" Hugo realized as he backed up. He looked at the choice of tools and found one, in particular, to be very, very intriguing. "So, if you deal with Grimm, physical force isn't much use against you… How about a little… Current convincing to get that confession, hm demon?"

He buckled against his restraints, but only slightly, as he kept himself restrained. He wanted nothing more than to break this man in front of him as he felt his temperature rise, but he couldn't.

Naruto needed to stay calm and in control just to outlast this sociopath. Once he did, the night would be over, and then he could figure things out from there…

"Fuck you!" Naruto growled as the stun rod was shoved into his chest and lit.

He immediately set to work on neutralizing the damage by applying lightning affinity to his chakra to absorb the volts coursing through his sternum. Due to his reincarnation of Asura, he temporarily possessed all affinities, and in practice, he understood how to do so naturally. He wasn't fluent in lightning as that element was erratic and challenging to control. Not to mention he had the damn things amped to full, and it wasn't a civil model. It probably had an amp over five, if not higher.

So it hurt even him. It wasn't anything compared to Chidori through his chest or anything, but it still was going to hurt. A lot more than he would like, so he had to mitigate as much of the damage as possible.

"Feeling different about that confession yet, monster?" Hugo responded before hitting him again just for fun as he liked to see the faunus squirm, but his arrogance suddenly turned as Naruto's eyes turned feral, and he laughed.

"I have had lightning strike me through the heart, you bastard. Do you think your flimsy stun rod is able to do anything? You're just a jizz stain that can't measure up to the rest of daddy's cum that he left in your mom's mouth last night." Naruto responded, remembering a few things about what he'd been through with Ibiki and Anko and how his boldness even threw them off in the interrogation.

He would not back down, and he refused to now.

Naruto Uzumaki would not give him the satisfaction!

"You fucking piece of shit! What did you call me?!" Sill struck upwards and into Naruto's throat with the stun rod, catching the blonde faunus slightly off guard, but he continued working his chakra system to absorb as much of the current as possible. "You think you are funny, huh!"

Getting his chair knocked over again, Naruto growled as he wanted nothing more than to break free. His blood boiled, and his breath steamed as he glared at the toxic man before him and struck again, this time in his face.

It was a lot more difficult to absorb the electrical shock in his face. The current was streaming straight into his brain, and he was trying to control his chakra to absorb it, but it just wasn't working. He was taking a total brunt shock to the cranium, and it was one of the most painful experiences he had ever endured.

That was it… He was ready to snap. He couldn't take this… This man, he wanted his fucking throat!

"Confess, you fucking animal! Confes… Umph!" A kick to his face silenced Hugo and slammed him against the wall.

And a woman in uniform, with blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and two cat ears on top of her head, separated the two, marched straight to the downed officer, and cuffed him.

"What… Alice, what are you doing?"

"Doing what should have been done long ago… You're under arrest Hugo."

"Fuck you, you faunus whore! Let me go!" Sill screamed at Alice as she ripped him up by the cuffs with hardly any effort and dragged him into the cell room without any issue and with the intent of booking him.

At that moment, Victor rushed back in and cursed loudly at the scene before him. "Mother fuck! I knew I should have called downstairs for Bueller! Even if he never does anything, it's better than this! Asshole probably sleeping downstairs in the evidence lab like usual!"

"God… A stun baton… Are you okay?" Victor undid the cuffs as Naruto tried to calm his breathing as his blood had reached the boiling point, and he could feel the explosion was just moments off.

"No… Leave the room… Now! My semblance is activating… I can't control it..." Naruto growled out as his eyes dangerously glinted with feral intent as steam violently came from his breath, and his skin turned a bright right, veins pronounced as he felt his blood boil.

Victor's eyes widened at the realization that this was Hunter in front of him and had been pushed to the point he had no control. Jumping over the table, he sprinted out of the room and tackled a surprised Alice, who let out a surprised "What are you… Woah!"

Steam erupted through the interrogation room as Naruto roared, his rage burning past the boiling point, and he could no longer contain himself. The restraint snapped off as he rolled onto all fours, and he tried to control his breathing and calmly pulse his chakra through his body in a smooth, calming fashion. He had been taught by Shizune to calm himself when he was stressed when he returned from his training trip.

The steam slowly began to recede as he began to control himself and woozily stood up before nearly collapsing onto the table. He had hardly hydrated before and had another eruption of his own blood steaming…

He was not feeling the best after that.

Alice was the first in the room, waving the steam away with her coat before she immediately slid under Naruto's chest with her shoulder and lifted him. "Let's get you to the infirmary! They got some saline and water there!"

At the same time, he could hear Victor roaring and slamming a clipboard against the cell where Sill was most likely being kept. "Are you fucking serious?! He's a goddamn Huntsman, you stupid shit! He has jurisdiction over us, and he submitted himself to us willingly! You are trying to fucking bring us all down with this, you dumbass! I'm almost glad the chief won't be able to save your ass this time, fuck! About time but god dammit this could be all of us! I hope you get locked in there with some of those you tormented over the years because it's going to be a long time coming for you to realize what you've been doing, you idiot!"

Slowly fading out, Naruto could at least feel slightly accomplished.

He fucked up his day.

---

"This is unacceptable!" Despite being right outside the infirmary, Glynda's voice was heard throughout the entire station. "Chief, I hope you know your days are numbered as I will be doing a full investigation and there will be no cut corners! I expect your resignation by the end of the week!"

The door to the infirmary snapped open, and a furious witch stormed into the room as the IV was finally pulled from Naruto's arm. Alice watched in amazement as the wound healed before she could put anything on it.

Naruto only gave a weak wave. "I survived… If just only… Could use that therapy now. Think I have anger issues to work on."

Glynda's face softened, and almost uncharacteristically, to Naruto, she broke down and hugged him. "I am sorry… I failed you."

Seeing the touching gesture and feeling a sense of regret and sorrow, Naruto shed a tear. I was unsure what to do. Was this really the same witch that was just Ozpin's pawn? It felt like she was something far more to him and reminded him of something more...

He felt like he was at home with Tsunade.

And that broke him.

After letting him calm down as he seemed to break, Glynda let go of the hug and allowed Naruto to recompose himself and wipe the tears from his eyes. "I didn't come alone… No matter what I said, they were coming and skipping class today… And I couldn't blame them."

"Well shit… Now I have to have another crying breakdown." Naruto halfheartedly laughed but knew what would happen soon as he walked outside. "How many of them already know what happened?"

"They don't, but they all knew I was in a foul mood, and the more observant may expect something more may have occurred. Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Scarlatina are the most likely to expect something like this as… Unfortunately, they are familiar with this kind of violence, and it is common to faunus in jail." Glynda sighed as, despite her usual demeanor, she could not hide her displeasure at the news, and the three teams following her did not help matters.

"Belladonna?" Alice immediately spoke as that name was familiar to her, which caught Naruto's attention. "Like as in Menagerie and the White…"

"The same, and you are to keep that to yourself. Understood?" Glynda immediately cut off the officer. Who immediately nodded as the intent was clear, as that knowledge was something Blake did not want that information publicly known, and she would keep it that way. "But that isn't for here and now. It is time. They are waiting."

Filling that new bit of information as something he would investigate himself, or hopefully, Blake would come forward with, Naruto nodded as he left with a slight wave to Alice as she was a reliable, trustworthy cop. The precinct was buzzing and alive during the morning. He had so wished it had been during this time he was brought in as everything would have been taken care of so much faster.

How life worked cruelly.

However, as the outside light hit his eyes, a sad smile filled his face as he heard his name being called from several different sources. There was also a "WHERE?" but Fox was going to Fox.

He was awesome like that.

"NARUTO!" Blake and Velvet were the first to latch onto him with strong hugs immediately.

"Don't ever do something like that again! I won't forgive you!" Velvet cried, her eyes red and puffy as if she had been crying all night.

"I swear… I'm just so happy you are okay." Blake yowled, her golden eyes bloodshot and dilated as they glimmered in anger.

"Naruto!" Ruby suddenly flew in and was hanging by his neck, partially choking him, but he adjusted, so it wasn't so tight. "I'm so glad you are okay! Yang was saying nasty things about jail, Blake was so worried, and Weiss kept making calls, pacing and yelling all night… I was so scared!"

"I mean… I had to try and do something..." Weiss stated as she walked up and composed herself, fidgeting at seeing Naruto but her icy blues showed the tell with how reddened they were. "All you do is stick your neck out for others, so I felt it was right to see if I could use any connections I had."

"Well, if I had my way, we would have been in there last night busting you out." Yang cracked her knuckles as she walked beside Weiss, still not pleased with anything, and wanted nothing more than to break a few heads as her eyes were starting to bleed red. "And then they stopped Fox and me from rolling up on CRDL... Jerks are going to get it. No one fucks with my friends."

"Naruto was right. It wouldn't do any good." Yatsu was next as Fox walked beside him while waiting for the call from Yang last night, for he was the one that stopped Fox and Yang but was willing to join in on the jailbreak. "Glad it looks like you're alright."

"Yeah... their heads were spared that night, and for now, tonight… Still might get take them soon." Fox added as he still was not feeling good about everything that happened.

"We talked about this, no… We'll get them back in the arena… Where it is legal to break them as much as you want." Coco glowered at Fox before her sunglasses and gave her confident smile to Naruto, trying to give off the vibe that all was okay. "However... I'm glad to see you, Stud."

However, she wanted nothing more than to get her own comeuppance against CRDL. What they did to Velvet, her team, and Naruto was unacceptable. She decided she would find a way to get the four of them to agree to an arena match against her team. It would be therapeutic after what they put her and her team through.

"I think I can arrange that when they're healthy." Glynda slyly commented as she wasn't too happy with the boys for causing this situation, as it should have been a simple reprimand, some community work, and maybe a fine. Still, everything was in line with defensive protocols, especially since a warning had been given.

She wanted all four out of her academy, and this exceeded what it should have been.

"Yeah! I want to introduce them to Magnhild! Repeatedly!" Nora jumped between everyone and broke the hugs with ease as she held up her hammer but was stopped from smashing it into the ground by Ren.

"As much as I agree, let's not cause a commotion in front of the police station… That will be disastrous for us all." Ren lightly placed his hand on her hammer to stop her from doing anything.

Nora laughed sheepishly before giving Ren a sudden boop on the nose.

"Man, I'm just glad you are okay." Jaune came up next, looking tired and worn out. "To think this all started with me trying to defend them, saying they were just joking… God, I look like a fool."

"It's not your fault." Pyrrha tried to comfort Jaune as she patted him on the back before she looked at Naruto with a worried glance as she noticed something was not quite right. "They… Did something, didn't they?"

Blake stiffened, a yowl caught in her throat, and her eyes narrowed. Her hands twitched for Shroud, and a fight was seconds away. She had seen it enough... She knew what could happen and could smell it in the air.

She knew.

Velvet cried and choked back tears, deathly afraid, fearing that was the case, and she could sense it was. She didn't want to say a thing, but...

Yatsu froze momentarily, but his thoughts turned internally. He knew they should have come last night. If they had just carried out the plan...

Fox's hand twitched, and he was ready to use Ada to call for his locker and his weapon. He felt something off about the energy around him, and now he knew...

Ruby was once again very uncomfortable, and in a situation she had no clue what to do. This was foreign to her, leaving her frightened, and she didn't understand the hate.

Weiss was terrified. The very idea that things could happen in police stations was unthinkable to her, but... For someone she had seen up to this point, it was so... Altruistic.

Yang had Ember Celica cocked and loaded, as it was an extremely easy-to-carry weapon. She didn't care if it was a police station. She was heading in.

Nora was about to join her, but Ren was holding her back again, using all his strength despite the look of apprehension on his face. He understood, but this was not needed...

Coco's calm broke, and she sobbed. After staying up as late as she could with Velvet and keeping the boys in line all night, her challenge was locked up for protecting her friend... It hit her hard.

Jaune was taken aback and nearly tripped over his two feet before stuttering. "What?!"

Even Glynda twitched as she was about to reprimand the girl, as now was not the time and place for that, but Naruto beat her to it. "I'm honestly fine. Nothing to worry about outside they annoyed the hell out of me and accidentally set off my new semblance without meaning to. No one was hurt... That being said, I am famished and extremely thirsty… Is there any place we can grab breakfast? My blood count is low from activating my semblance twice in a day, and I could use a buffet right about now."

As everyone relaxed a bit and agreed to the sentiment, Glynda was delighted with the cover. She wasn't quite sure how, but his words seemed calming. As much as she didn't agree with the call to make Jaune the leader of JNPR, she now started to see some of the faults in Pyrrha. During the situation yesterday, she was frozen. Just now, she displayed no tact in sharing obvious information that would upset everyone in a high-stress situation and possibly spark an incident.

Jaune may have been the better choice. Not better than Ren, but that was a discussion for another day.

"There is a place a few blocks from here with a broad selection and enough room for everyone… My treat." Glynda spoke as she felt like the faster they got away from here, the better.

Naruto agreed; if he ever saw this place again...

It would be too soon.

---

Tossing and turning in his bed as the moonlight came across his bed, he couldn't get to sleep. He was still very much in pain, and the medicine they had given just wasn't doing enough to deal with it. Not to mention his stupid partner decided to think it was funny to keep picking on the faunus when they didn't need to.

And then they did the worst possible imaginable and framed the girl while he was still out to the cops because they were too scared of the fox. They did something stupid and drove him crazy as it was just a beating, nothing more. If they couldn't take that, they needed to toughen up and be better men. And to frame the woman instead...

When he heard the news, despite how much it hurt him, he beat them more.

Cardin had no love for the animals and didn't think they deserved rights, but he wasn't willing to push against them either. They had fought and won them, something they earned whether he liked it or not. He was still planning to pick on them or anyone weaker than he was when he got the chance, as it was a dog-eat-dog world out there.

It's why he beat Jaune whenever he could. He was weak and did not earn his position as a leader. Now that Pyrrha girl… She was strong… And should be polishing his…

Suddenly, he, Russell, Sky, and Dove were all yanked into the air as snares tightened around their right ankles. He tried reaching up, but the pain in his body reminded him that he and the rest of his team were still significantly injured. He noticed a shadow standing in front of the door of their room, cloaked in darkness.

And it strolled towards them with a glimmer of a blade drawn.

Terror filled every fiber of his being as the stranger approached. Instead of everything being put to an end right then, he was surprised to find the person sitting down on his bed. "You know… I could have killed all four of you tonight at any given time, and none of you would have been the wiser. You don't really know how long I've been here... Setting up these traps, watching each of you breathe, and waiting for the right moment to spring them."

"One slice to the jugular, and it would have been over. Fast and easy to clean up. Your bodies would have been so easy to discreetly dispose of so that no one could ever find or identify them, even if they could find what I did to them." As his eyes glinted dangerously, Naruto flipped his hood, revealing himself to the four of them. "Do you want to know why I'm sparing the four of you?"

As dread filled the four of them, realizing he was not joking and they could be killed without a second thought, Naruto did not give them a chance to respond as he looked at the moon outside. "It is because I believe in second chances and all four of you are so young that I think that it is possible that just maybe… You can change."

"That you can be better. To help others instead of putting them down. Use your strength for what's right." Naruto proclaimed as he stood up and cut Cardin down before moving to do so for each of the cronies. "To do the right thing when it matters most."

And as he moved to the door, he stopped as he flipped his hood back over his head. "So please do not make me regret this decision… One time is enough. There will not be a second."

With that, Naruto vanished into the shadows, and the rest of CRDL was left shaken and had a lot of thinking to do for the rest of the night.

---

"So, how have things been progressing in therapy?" Blake asked Naruto as she noted it seemed he had his appetite back as the blur had returned, and the ramen was no more.

"It's only been one day, but I already think I'm working through a few things… You might want to try it!" Naruto started before he grinned at the end, and Blake hissed as she knew what he was hinting at there.

She still wasn't ready to talk yet! Maybe soon, but not now!

"Did Blake just hiss?" Yang commented on her partner's action and found it curious as Blake's eyes widened before she tossed a grape into her face, smacking her in the bridge of her nose and twitching as she stood up. "Hey, what gives? You want to go!"

"Quit trying to start fights, sis! You said you were trying to work on that!" Ruby whined at her big sister and pulled at the sleeves of Yang's academy clothes.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm trying!" Yang grumbled and sat back down before popping and eating the grape. "Hey, wait, I have an idea about these… Nora."

"I'm already ahead of you!" Nora had a spoon loaded and flung a grape straight at Yang.

Who caught it straight in her mouth, barely as she nearly fell off the table to catch it. "Alright… We need to work on our timing and aim."

"Don't play with your food, your two…." Ren sighed in exasperation and facepalmed.

"But we want to!" Both Nora and Yang said in synchronicity.

"Hey, watch where you're heading!" Velvet cried out as a random person nearly knocked her down as she tried to walk to their table.

"Yeah, whatever animal… Whoa!" The random guy started before he was suddenly bumped and bowled over in the process. "Hey, what gives..."

To say everyone at the table was surprised at who just stuck for Velvet was an understatement, and even Naruto was, to an extent.

"You were in my way. What are you intending to do about it?" Cardin Winchester glared down at the student, speaking with a slight lisp as his jaw and the rest of his face was still on the mend.

The student got up quickly and ran off as Cardin huffed and glared at him before looking over at Velvet. "Weakling… No need to thank me… Just stay out of my way too. I'm here for myself to get stronger..."

Velvet wasn't sure what could cause such a drastic change or shift, but she believed Cardin. She by no means was inclined to trust him, but it felt like…

A step in the right direction.

The rest of RWBY/JNPR was shocked as Weiss summed it up perfectly. "What did we see? Who replaced Cardin with an actual human being?"

Naruto said nothing, which Blake noted as odd as he always had quips for moments like these and had to wonder. However, her attention was diverted as Velvet sat down next to her and when Jaune excitedly pointed at a news article on his scroll. "Guys, check it out! The officer that got suspended the same day Naruto was released just turned up missing! What is his name… Hugo Sill!"

Time stopped from where he was standing as Cardin slowly turned as he heard what Jaune said. He slowly turned his attention to what seemed to be an emotionless blonde faunus who was listening to the story. Jaune continued how the search was seemingly fruitless, and there seemed to be no evidence of foul play. However, for a split second, Naruto's eyes bore directly into his; they were positively feral and filled with intent, and he remembered his words.

"One time is enough. There will not be a second."

Cardin turned and rushed to his teammates, feeling a shiver of terror.

He did not want to cross the man he knew to be an assassin again. And he was determined to make damn sure the other three understood even if he had to beat them personally!

Meanwhile, Naruto had returned to his friendly persona, but the message had been sent. There were some laws he would skirt if need be.

He was a ninja, first and foremost. He was still learning how to become a Huntsman.

Someone like that going missing was an acceptable loss. The world would be a better place without them...

So why did he feel like he was less than trash for taking care of the trash?

---

Purge Complete.

...

More Irregularities Detected.

...

Unacceptable.

...

Course Rerouted.

Purge Commencing.