WARNING!
Unexpected Outcome…
…
Danger Imminent!
…
Course Correction…
"Why is this necessary?!" Ruby complained as she found herself in the weirdest place she could ever imagine herself just before they were about to go infiltrate the White Fang base here in Vale.
They were at an animal shelter and all of her team, except Blake, were watching her as she was surrounded by and getting smothered by dogs.
Blake was up in the corner of the roof furthest from everything, uncontrollably hissing at every dog. Neo was simply poking her with her umbrella, having a ball as she scratched back at her violently.
Naruto found it cute even though he found part of the hair on the back of his neck standing on end from the bigger dogs barking at him. One growl and they left him alone after.
They knew who the alpha was.
"This might have been lost with everything that went on a couple of days ago but… Her illusion is only going to make you look like a faunus… So we need to cover up your scent. And seeing as you picked going in a dog faunus…" Naruto explained before he pointed at one dog in particular. "You might want to get that one off of you Rose. That is a little too much scent."
"AH! Get off my leg! Get off, get off, get off!" Ruby panicked as she shooed away the dog that had started on her leg and she was having none of that. "Ew! Gross! I don't want to be here anymore! I use to love dogs until now! Stop making me hate things that I loved!"
"Five more minutes." Naruto reminded her with no remorse as Yang and Weiss stifled back a pitying laugh at Ruby. "You need to have their musk and scent all over you to cover up your own… Just keep watching out… That one really likes you."
"No, no, no! Get away!" Ruby cried out as the dog returned for her leg while she tried to keep playing with the other dogs.
It was a mixture of horror and adorable awe as Ruby was smothered by the shelter's dogs.
Neo just continued poking a hissing Blake, who couldn't swat her umbrella away. Sometimes she would purposely jab at her in places that she would know what get more of a reaction yet the faunus stayed in her roof corner, refusing to come down.
It just made her grin further. Today was such a fun day so far for her.
"There it is…" A transformed Naruto, going in as a silver fox with slight alterations to his normal appearance commented as he saw a few faunus slowly be measured up by what seemed to be a recruiter an inconspicuous door before being handed a small package and allowed inside.
He wore a beaten white tee with a worn black jacket over to go along with torn black jeans that had holes through the pants. He went with the ragged look as they picked out clothes through the second-hand store the day before to better look like faunus off the streets from the targeted demographic.
It was best to play the part.
Blake, wearing what Naruto assumed was her old White Fang outfit as it was a simple white crop shirt and black pants gave a nod and looked over to a cat like Neo and a still very displeased Ruby who now had a dog tail in her signature hair color. "Remember the plan. Ruby, you have to stick with Neo. Her illusionary range is limited and if you get found out… I… I don't want to imagine what will happen, okay?"
"I'll be careful, okay?" Ruby gave Blake a confident smile while she adjusted to her new outfit as she wasn't used to wearing so light clothing, a simple hand-me-down white button blouse down to her stomach, and a faded black set of pants. "Find out what they are up to, where they are keeping the stolen Dust stored and any information on Adam Taurus…"
"And if you are confronted by a bull faunus with red hair and a black suit that has a rose on it… What do you do Ruby?" Blake quizzed Ruby with a stern gaze as her golden eyes bore into her leader's silver.
The intent was clear and she wanted only one answer.
Swallowing hard as she could feel Blake's intensity, Ruby gave the answer that she wanted to hear. "I run."
"Good girl," Blake responded with a smile before returning her gaze to the door with Naruto. "I think we are ready."
Ruby only shivered. Just what happened between Blake and Adam caused her to have such a visceral reaction to him. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know but she had a bad feeling in her gut that somehow, someway…
They were going to find out.
"We might start together but they're probably going to separate us at some point," Naruto whispered as they slowly walked over to the recruiter. "Neo, it's your prerogative to stay with Ruby if that happens. I don't care the method, make it happen."
Neo simply grinned and nodded.
She could follow that order. A scream or two could happen.
"State your business." The guardsman/recruiter spoke gruffly as he looked at the four misfit faunus in front of him, gauging each of them, and found the four a weird bunch. "We don't just take…"
It was Blake that took incentive as took a step forward as her bow was untied, slid it off, and gave a White Fang salute, her golden gaze ablaze. "Brother, I have brought potential recruits for the fight. I know what each is capable of and they can serve us well in the future."
Once more Naruto could feel that she was sliding into her Fang persona and it worried him but for now, it was for the best. They had to infiltrate their base so what better time to be a member of the White Fang than now.
The guardsman knew the salute and returned it as it was obvious he was talking to a senior member. But he still had to do his due diligence. "Very good, rank sister?"
"Third Lieutenant of the Bull Commander," Blake spoke and the guardsman froze a small tremble went through his very being.
Then his body went rigid as he hard saluted once more before opening the door and supplying three trim packages. "Very good sister! We shall be sure to treat them well, you know the way."
As the door closed, each opened the package and saw it was indeed the Grimm mask they expected it to be. Ruby trembled as this was a bit much while Neo simply slid hers on with no issue having done recon missions time and time again.
Blake however trembled as she pulled out her mask as he was going in with more than a disguise. She was going in as who she said she was even though she had fled them from them now what we be half a year ago. "Neo, take Ruby and go ahead… I need a moment…"
Neo knew what she meant as she had seen the transformation and simply poked Ruby forward, who was still taking in the situation. She would have said something but Naruto gave her a nod that everything would be fine and motioned for her mask and with grim courage, she slid on her mask.
Sighing, Naruto looked at a trembling Blake as she held her mask while he grasped her hands. "Together."
"Thank you." Blake you silently whispered as she shuddered in the darkness of the hallway.
And as they lifted the mask together and slowly slid over her eyes, the memories rushed forward and the screams silently came once more. Her hands gripped tightly at the mask as her body convulsed while Naruto guided it to her eyes, biting his lip as he watched the tears stream down her face.
This pained him but it was what needed to be done.
With a click, everything stopped and Blake's emotions were wiped clean and Naruto wiped her tears before putting on his mask. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, commander. Follow me." Blake responded before she started down the same path before taking a sharp turn as she recalled the map layout that Neo had given them from her excursion. "We should head deeper in and allow Ruby and Neo to deal with initiation. Save more time."
"Agreed," Naruto commented as he followed closely while keeping a close watch for any possible White Fang that could be on this path. "From what Neo gathered this building has an access tunnel that leads deeper heading this way. That might be where they are storing the dust. There is also the command desk so we might have to split up if we want to get things done quickly."
"She wasn't able to access it as she didn't have clearance as it required a higher than what she was able to get at the time," Blake responded before she and Naruto hid and avoid two faunus as they passed by, using objects to block their sight as the darkness was not their friend in this scenario.
Faunus could see just fine in the shadows.
Emerging from the hiding spot, Blake and Naruto continued their path before Naruto grinned. "Clearance doesn't matter when you have fucking bullshit ninja powers, Blake. I can get through it easily."
Blake only nodded which bother and upset Naruto as he missed their playful banter. He longed for her normal response and he was going to put her through the paces once this day was over. "Rodger then we should split to cover more ground. I'll take the command desk and get what is available there, set the charges, and blow it."
"And I'll do the same on my end with the Dust while leaving what I can intact so it can be recovered later…" Naruto sighed before he turned to Blake. "Stay safe… And take your own advice. I don't know if you can handle him by yourself."
"Orders received… Will not engage, commander." Blake responded almost robotically as Naruto came to an intersection that they knew on the map would be where they would split up. "I take my leave."
"Yeah…" Naruto watched Blake turn and walk her way to the command desk, not liking this side of her in the slightest. "What they did to you was horrible and I'm glad you broke free… But please stay safe…"
He sensed multiple foul negative presences around, but some foul force was keeping them from him locking down their location.
And he did not like that in the slightest.
Who else was here and why? And why couldn't he track their location?!
"Where are Blake and Naruto?" Ruby asked worriedly as she filed in with the crowd of other faunus, Neo easily staying at her side thanks to her small stature but also due to simply easily she could bump others out of the way if necessary.
Neo only shook her head. She knew the plan. The two of them were going to separate and head deeper in to leave Ruby on top with the recruits for the safer part of the mission. It was understandable. The girl had forced her way into this as if was just her, Blake, and Naruto all three would have gone in below.
There wasn't very much to benefit from here except maybe getting a glimpse of who was in command here and getting a grasp on what their plans in Vale were. They after all were going to give a speech tonight so that was going to be interesting.
"You're kidding me." Ruby wanted to be upset as she began to realize that she had been left behind again and she was being used as a decoy while Naruto and Blake did the real mission. "Oh, Blake is now on my list too… After all that talk about trust."
"Watch where you going, girl!" The faunus growled and glared at Ruby as she accidentally bumped against him
"Sorry!" Ruby tried to excuse herself but realized something, the faunus was sniffing her and the blood was draining from her face. "Oh no…"
The man's arm twitched as looked ready to lash out. "Wait... You aren't… UMF!"
He found himself tripping hard onto the floor, face flattened and he was knocked unconscious as Neo silently whistled as she stood between Ruby and the faunus before she glared at the silver-eyed girl.
The meaning was clear.
Be careful.
Ruby took a deep breath and nodded. They were still on a mission. Despite being put in charge of a lesser task it was still something to do. If she proved she could do this, maybe they would start trusting her more with the bigger stuff.
Neo nodded but hid her smile. She got to cause some pain. That was mildly acceptable. Now if there could only be more.
Ruby wished Neo could speak. She really did. She did not know what to do as she looked around, looking for something, anything. She tried to figure out and listen to everyone around her to see if there was anything she could glean but it was just everyone talking about their day and how excited they were to finally fight for what they believed in.
Was this… How most faunus felt? Were they oppressed even here in Vale where they had the same freedoms as humans? Sure she had seen many signs that said no faunus allowed but…
A pang filled her heart. Why was there such hatred amongst everyone? Why was everyone here so willing to cause bloodshed as she heard many of these faunus talking excitedly about fighting against their human oppressors, to finally put them down? To end them once and for all.
It sent a shiver down her spine.
Blake, Naruto, and Velvet were the opposite of that. They each were so kind. So caring toward every person they met and it didn't matter who it was. Every faunus she met before was the same to… How could there be such an extreme difference that they just wanted to see others be hurt… To die?
Neo looked at Ruby and could see she was visibly shaken by everything she was hearing around her. It was nothing new to her. She had heard this kind of talk coming from both sides and she could hardly care. They could both burn for all she cared. Roman was all that mattered… And Naruto now to an extent that he offered to give Roman his protection and…
The young faunus lived up to every word he said. If he said something he was going to do it and that was an admirable trait… A foolish one but admirable. One she was willing to follow as long as he was looking out for Roman's wellbeing.
It was just a bonus he let her loose and do her thing as even Roman didn't let her do that too often.
Poking the girl, Neo pointed to the stage as it seemed they getting it prepared. Ruby snapped out of her despair of what the relationship between humans and faunus had devolved to and looked upon the stage.
And Neo's eyes narrowed as a single man began to walk on stage and she slowly began to reach for her weapon. If she had a clear shot… She was going to take it.
Ruby's eyes were wide in the terror of everything that was being put into her as a red-haired faunus in a black suit and trench coat stood at the podium wearing a Grimm mask, and tapped the microphone once to make sure it was working.
Then the bull spoke.
"For too long we have been kept under foot by the wretched humans… Too long have we been treated like we're less than the dirt they tread upon. For too long we have been sold into slavery and used as forced labor and breeding stock even though we are supposed to have our freedom! It's not enough that they take our hard earn lien, the property we own, and our living quarters! No! They want our very lives!"
"That ends now brothers and sisters! Join us and fight! Join us and end this oppression! Let's end this the way they tried to end in the first place!"
"Join us and let's put an end to humanity once and for all!"
A raucous cheer of approvals from nearly all faunus in attendance startled Ruby while Neo growled as she could find her shot amongst everyone here.
Ruby was simply stunned. How easily he riled everyone up? How they gathered behind his cause just from the passion in his voice? It felt so similar to how Naruto spoke but it felt…
So wrong!
He was using his gift of charisma to stir the fire! He was using it to cause more violence!
HE WANTED BLOODSHED!
AND SHE COULDN'T STAND THAT!
"NO MORE!" Crescent Rose formed as Ruby's semblance activated, shooting behind her and blasting through all the stunned faunus shoving everyone to the side in a display of raw aura that Ruby possessed. "CAN'T YOU SEE THIS VIOLENCE IS SENSELESS! WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO?!"
Yet Crescent Rose's slash was easily blocked by Adam's blade as he smirked as her mask sliced apart and her eyes widened as a small spurt of blood splattered from the crest of her nose starting from above her left corner of her left brow down to her right cheek and cut deeply. "You remind me of someone I know… Someone I love very much."
Being easily flicked by the snap of his sword, Ruby went flying and tumbled across the stage as Adam returned Wilt into Blush's scabbard form. But his hand did not release from Wilt's hilt as he casually strolled toward Ruby as she struggled to get up. "So I'm going to give you one chance before I take your head…"
"Where is my Third Lieutenant?" Adam stood before Ruby as she barely got back to her knees making Ruby's eyes widen in horror at the realization of what Blake had said earlier and she pieced everything together.
This was the man the initiated her and that she played out to her… Was what he did to her…
This man had no remorse.
"Where is Blake Belladonna?" Adam gave one more respite, deciding to be generous to the young girl as indeed saw a younger version of Blake within her.
That wouldn't save her, especially with those defiant silver eyes that held the same hope and courageousness that Blake once held.
"Like hell, I'd ever tell you!" Ruby screamed as she activated her semblance once more, bursting away in a blossom of rose petals, bouncing off the wall to the right and using her semblance and a rifle shot once more for an even great shot of speed.
She was going for broke and putting everything into the fastest slice she could as she rose Crescent Rose above her. He hardly reacted. It was as if he didn't even see her movement. This was her chance!
Ruby swung down with all her might!
For her world to crash down as rose petals began to surround them, her world momentarily turned red and Adam turned on a dime and Wilt's red sword blade came slicing towards her.
Wilt sliced through Crescent Rose's like it wasn't even there. He cut through her baby like it was nothing. And his blade kept coming straight toward her throat and there was nothing she could do.
She was going to die!
Visions of her reaching over the tall counter, Yang boosting her on her shoulders, and taking cookies straight from the pan her mother had just pulled out as she scolded them on the mud the sisters tracked in coming from the front yard from playing all the while their father laughed at how flustered she was while a crow outside cawed multiple times flashed through her mind.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go! She was supposed to become a great huntress like her mother Summer Rose!
Why couldn't she listen and do what Blake told her to do and run?!
She was in way over her head!
Tears flowed through Ruby's eyes as her life flashed before her eyes but Wilt was suddenly deflected by a pink dust shot that caught Adam's attention and at the last second he moved his head back and avoided a parasol blade that nearly pierced his head.
Adam spun and slashed Wilt through the new perpetrator but found his target was already above him and planted her heel straight into his jaw knocking him back as Ruby collapsed into a heap, lost in herself and the destruction of Crescent Rose.
Neo quickly moved to the distraught and beaten form of Ruby as cradled the form of the cut weapon she treasured so dearly and placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders as focused her attention on the bull as he slowly stood back up.
"Interesting…" Adam wiped the scuff off his cheek as he wasn't quite used to taking hits as often and the eyes behind his mask met with the brown eyes of Neo. "I need to end this quickly then."
With a blitz of speed, Adam was behind both Neo and Ruby with Wilt held out slashed out behind him he frowned as the woman and girl behind him shattered into glass fragments all around him with no trace of either to be found as he stood and looked around.
"The illusionist… So it she joined their side it seems." The bull muttered to himself as he watched the last glass fragments vanish into the air. "A mistake for sure to let her live when she was weakened…"
Sheathing Wilt, Adam turned his attention to his incompetent guards as they finally rushed the stage. "Useless… Search the area! There are still more! And I want to know immediately when they are found, you got that!"
"I will deal with them personally, especially those two."
Blake carefully made her way to the commander's desk, making sure not to get spotted on the way. Despite that she was acting as the Third Lieutenant there was a very real possibility that she had been replaced at this moment…
Unless Adam was waiting for…
She suppressed the thought as her new commander her life, what she wanted to live for. The one that gave her a new dream. A new life to live for…
Her actual freedom.
And she was going to fight tooth and nail to keep that even if it meant that she had to revert to this… This barbaric form just to get the job done.
And kill Adam Taurus so she could live the rest of her life.
She also had to be very careful with the charges. The rest of the faunus, despite how he was radicalizing them, were still innocent. He was very charismatic and sure most would fall to the spell of his words…
She did long ago when he was still a good person. When he still had hope for the world. When he was still trying to do good…
All before that moment in front of her father where he sliced that man in two…
"Target found," Blake whispered to herself seeing there were two guards, and knew there was going to be no way around this.
And she knew who they were too. She spent time with them in his presence.
So he was here. That was for sure.
It was time to end this.
No longer obscuring herself, Blake walked out from behind the corner and before the two faunus men, one horse, and the other a gorilla. "It's been a long time…"
"Third Lieutenant…" The gorilla glowered at the sight of one of their former bosses swaying before them, acting as if nothing had changed.
"You have a lot of nerve just showing up here after abandoning all of us. …Our cause!" The horse neighed violently as he stood above Blake, not baking down an inch.
"It was never you that was betrayed…" Blake began and both fiercely charged her but only for that version of her to vanish as she appeared behind them with Gambol Shroud drawn. "It was I that betrayed as I lived my entire life with the White Fang! To watch as my father's dream be shattered and turned into a nightmare!"
Two strikes to the back of their necks with the sheath and they were dropped, Blake returned Shroud to her back and entered the command room and knew what she needed to do as she dragged both of their bodies into the room and dumped them into the corner before rushing over the desk "What are you up to Adam? What is your game?"
Alarms began blazing as she went through the desk and she looked around in a mild panic. "What, who was spotted? Can't be Naruto… Ruby, I hope you are okay… Neo you better do your job and get her out safely."
Returning to the objective, Blake went through the desk as she looked for any scrap of evidence she could find on what the Fang's objective could be. It seemed everything here was focused around recruiting but then why was there a Dust storage below?
"What the... No?" Blake looked horrified at just how extreme the recruitment drive notes were. "This isn't right... We only wanted to push for our rights... The hell are they thinking? This is going a step too far... This is..."
"Thought you would be here." A cold shiver went down Blake's spine while a cold sweat built up and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight on end.
She recognized that voice and she stood straight up. He was here.
Slowly turning her body, Blake turned to see a faunus man that had been tormenting her waking and sleeping thoughts and was why she could not move further with the current relationship with the man she was falling for.
Adam Taurus stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame with almost a sad smile on his face as he looked at the sight before him.
"You're not going to find anything… I made sure to leave no traces." Adam spoke once more, making it painfully obvious he knew what was going on before began to make a slow walk toward Blake. "You know I've missed you… And it's been extremely painful without you."
"Why did you leave me?"
Swallowing hard, Blake swayed from the desk and started to meet Adam's pace as she sauntered toward him. "Isn't it obvious, my love? Some things just don't need to be said."
Meeting with Blake in the middle of the room, wrapping his arm around her waist as she did the same, the two intertwined and lightly spun. "I think a few words would be necessary in this case my dear… I know that I may have been callous and harsh with you… But everything I did was for the best, I ensure you. I only wanted to make sure you were safe."
"Is that so?" Blake let her arm guide itself around his back while her other slowly slide behind herself and to Shroud's hilt. "It almost sounds like I can trust you once again, my love. Why is that? It can't be that you have changed your ways. No matter what I did nothing could change you back into the faunus... I fell in love with."
"I wish you could too… I miss those times. Where I could hold you tightly against me, whisper sweet nothings in your ears, and tell you... Everything that you wanted to hear and have you obediently follow everything thing I said." Adam blew his words gently in her ears as he lowered his lips dangerously close to Blake's quivering lips as her hands slowly slid from Shroud's hilt before he spoke once more. "Can't you do? I'm right here and yet you still can't pull the trigger even if it means moving on in your life."
As Blake's eyes widened beneath her mask she was flung painfully into the wall, letting out a huff of air as Shroud clanged against the ground. "I allowed you the chance to strike me down and you couldn't do it! Even now with a clear objective and you couldn't do it! You are a pathetic romantic deep within that heart of yours! Still believe that everyone can be saved, can't you, and no one has to die!"
Blake yowled as she tried to get back up but Adam kicked her in the face and slammed her back into the wall, dropping her near motionlessly flat on the ground. He then slowly knelt before her and lift her face toward his as he slid her mask off and made her golden eyes gaze into his mask. "But that's why I love you… I could never break your spirit no matter how hard I tried…"
"And you're right, you couldn't change me... But I sure loved changing you and watching you slowly change from that strong-willed young girl into that nearly perfect, obedient, and amazing woman that use to stand by my side." Adam grinned as he gripped Blake's hair and slammed her back into the wall once more for good measure. "And it's going to be fun to watch those eyes so full of hope wither back down to the husk I remember they were before!"
"So let's see if this does it," Adam spoke, ignoring the fact the words left a bad taste in his mouth for it was what must be done if he wanted to bring her back alive, he tossed her over to the guards that were slowly getting up and her eyes began to look horrified as he let her go and turned away from her.
"Adam… What are you doing? Just kill me! End it!" Blake began to realize something was wrong as she was being left alone and he was simply walking away from her meant something far worse was happening.
"Not happening, my dear. I'm going to let you live and make you watch!" Adam growled as the two guards slowly got up. "Get up you useless idiots! Apprehend her and follow me!"
"He's somehow down below despite that only I have access to the vault." The bull announced as he placed his hands behind his back. "And we're going to make her watch as I end her last hope and dream and break. Then we will begin the process back at square one of returning you to where you belong, my dear."
"Adam no!" Blake tried to scramble back to her feet but the gorilla and horse easily manhandled her and took her weapon from her.
"It's already been decided, my dear… Just you watch!"
Getting past the door was of little issue for Naruto. It was ninja training one-o-one, to be honest. It was something academy students had to learn along with untying themselves before the big three jutsu…
He just happened to be a slow learner in that aspect and didn't learn them until Jiraiya made him them on their training expedition. Wasn't his fault as his teachers, even Iruka didn't understand how he learned at that time and labeled him as a lost cause. It wasn't until later in his life that he was given a genius label for his combat prowess for what he was capable of doing in battle and how he learned on the fly.
Naruto just didn't have the greatest upbringing so his learning curb wasn't great and his willingness to learn from everyone that treated him like trash wasn't so…
He dropped his train of thought as it wasn't doing him any favors at the moment as he slid down the elevator shaft. He had to admit that was a deep shaft and wondered why they were keeping it so far hidden underground.
Why would Dust need to be kept so deep underground?
The answer became abundantly clear as he came into view and saw what he could only describe as four giant mech suits from the anime he watched as a kid. "Oh, you got to be kidding me… Things like this exist too… What is this world?"
Going over his options as this was not an acceptable outcome in any situation, the White Fang could not be allowed to have weaponry like this. Looking at how they even got them in there, he noticed there was a track where it had to have come from and that was the most likely entry point and it needed to be blown to prevent its exit.
That had to be destroyed but first thing was first, he needed an expert and he just so happened to have one in his back pocket…
The issue was he had no reception.
"For the love of… Climbing back up!" Naruto groaned as he ran back up the elevator shaft until he got a spot of receptions. "Let's see what he's got for me…"
"James Ironwood speaking." Ironwood's voice came from the other line in a slightly staticky condition as there was still a very weak reception at this spot.
"Naruto Uzumaki reporting… On an infiltration mission in the middle of White Fang base… Need information." Naruto gave a rundown of what was happening.
It seemed that was enough for Ironwood. "What do you need?"
"Found four mech suits… Look new. Anything you can tell me about them?" Naruto spoke as he kept an eye to make sure the elevator didn't come down on him.
"The Paladin-290 prototypes that went missing," Ironwood spoke as he was most likely bringing the information up on his end. "Each arm has a dust mount cannon attached to it capable of rapid-fire missile launcher and capable of switching to twin barrel anti-personnel automatic cannons. They are also capable of transforming into a hand in case a Grimm gets too close so o close-range combat would be possible."
"Guessing their purpose was always meant for swarms and taking on Colossal-sized Grimm," Naruto responded as he thought about the weaponry.
"Yes, that is the main application it was designed for," Ironwood spoke before Naruto hear the frown from his size. "You have my permission to scuttle those prototypes. They cannot be allowed in enemy hands under any circumstances. Do you need any backup?"
Hearing an alarm going off around him, Naruto wanted to curse and he bit his lip. "Someone on my team just got discovered so I think yes might be the answer now. What do you've got for me?"
"Tracking your location now," Ironwood spoke as he honed in Naruto's scroll's location. "Located… I will send air support to the designated area to keep the area under control in case the worse happens. Good luck."
"Thanks, going to need it," Naruto spoke as he ended the call and slid back down the elevator shaft, determined to put an end while praying…
He prayed everyone was okay as he felt a lot of emotional distress beginning to build above.
"Man… I feel useless up here," Yang grunted as just sat and waited at the location on the top of the build Naruto had previously scouted for them to wait on. "I just want to be doing something more than just waiting, you know."
Weiss nodded in agreement as it was rather boring. "It is understandable… But this is an important job too… A home base team is a necessity in case anything goes wrong and we can respond and rescue anyone that needs help and pull them out."
"You mean pull my sister out…" Yang growled as it was obvious what the plan was as it still seemed that they weren't giving Ruby the respect she believed her sister deserved. "She doesn't need to be babied. She's stronger than they give her credit for!"
"They aren't!" Weiss hissed at Yang and stood her ground surprising the blonde. "Do you not realize how dangerous this is? What we are doing here?"
"These people kill, Yang!" Weiss stepped up to her teammate and looked her straight in the eyes with a cold stare. "I've seen it for my own eyes… As I walked in on my uncle's corpse laid in his office with a message written in his blood… Saying we aren't your property anymore!"
"And I'm only just understanding their side but I know full well what my side has been like and I know the horrors they are capable of. So don't you tell me our job isn't important and that going to grab any one of them in there and pulling them out of danger is not our top priority!" Weiss growled before turning her attention back to watching for any signs from below, hoping everything went okay.
"All I want is everything to go okay… So we are not needed… And that everyone stays safe." Weiss finished as a single tear swept down her left eye.
Yang watched Weiss in silence, the breeze swept through as she realized there was a deeper complexity to their white-haired teammate than she previously had thought. She knew there were issues but to this depth… "Weiss…"
"Don't you start… I didn't tell you any of that to feel your pity." Weiss spoke as she kept her focus below. "I just wanted you to understand what is at stake and why I believe in what is being done here… In seeing what Naruto and Blake are trying to do… And even Ruby. So if this is how I can help, this is what I'm going to do."
Again Yang stood by silently, starting to understand the conviction of her teammate and realized just why she was the way she was. It started to explain a bit of how she had been acting over the time she he known her and to be honest there was probably still more to come.
Hearing a thump and seeing the shattering of glass next to them, both Weiss and Yang's eyes widened seeing Neo and Ruby appear next to them and blood drip from Ruby's face.
"Ruby!" Yang cried out as she rushed to her sister but before she could even get to her Ruby looked up at her sister with tears in her eyes.
"Yang… I…" Ruby looked up showing the bloody scar on her face shocking both Yang and Weiss before she held out Crescent Rose and showed her what had become of it. "I should have run away… I should have listened… I wasn't ready… He was too…"
"What happened?!" Weiss cried out seeing Ruby's state and seeing something that would very much scar like what happened to her eye as Yang was traumatized at seeing her sister's state.
Neo, with narrowed eyes, only opened her book and pointed to one single name… The name that they had been searching for.
Adam Taurus.
And then the alarms blared and everyone realized just how bad things were about to get.
"No… Naruto, Blake!" Ruby cried as she dropped the destroyed pieces of Crescent Rose and realized the horror of what could happen before finding something deep within her...
The desire to continue forward.
"We need to help!"
"That's a sound I don't like…" Naruto growled at hearing the elevator activate as he finished up and the last of his clones popped out of existence, their job complete. "Either they know that I'm down here, which is entirely possible at this point, or…"
"Shit…" Naruto growled as he could sense three presences and a vague negative presence and could not pinpoint it and with each of their emotional responses he knew one immediately. "This just got real interesting…"
Putting the thought of how his senses were getting nulled by something as he knew there had to be a fourth there, Naruto prepared for the confrontation that was to come and moved to the elevator and awaited their arrival.
Didn't want to look like an uncordial guest after all so he dropped the disguise as well.
And seeing the elevator drop down and who it was, he tossed the mask aside and greeted his fellow faunus. "Ah, welcome! I was expecting you bull chucker! How the hell are you?!"
For one of the few times, Adam was a little caught off guard as the elevator came to a stop and saw the blonde fox greet him with open arms, a grin on his face, and acting as if nothing was wrong despite seeing that his current affection was held prisoner behind him.
The only two options there were there was something wrong with this faunus or he was confident that the situation was in his favor.
Either of those choices did not bode well for him.
"Naruto, I…" Blake cried out as she tried to warn him tears streaming down her face.
"It's okay, I've got this," Naruto reassured her with a warming smile before his fox-like grin returned in full force as he clapped his hands. "So… Big bull… Just what can I do for you?! I was just finishing up down here and I wasn't expecting you so soon and I wasn't quite so ready for our face-to-face!"
Noticing this was exactly how Naruto treated the situation when they entered the Rainbow Hotel and Bar, Blake realized something was up and her eyes were tracing every corner of the room. She knew Adam would be doing the same as he would have the same instinct as her but it was best to be safe. She knew Naruto well enough to know he would not play his hand too early.
If he was being bold and brazen he already believed the situation was in hand.
"Naruto Uzumaki A prodigy even amongst faunus and one of the youngest ever to become a Huntsmen… Bold move of you to come greet me in the open… And quite foolish. What is your game as I see nothing besides the bombs rigged to the Dust and the Paladins and that would do none of us any favors to blow at this moment." Adam announced as he already could see part of Naruto's plan as he was well aware of some of his tendencies.
He had an informant.
"You think that is all I have, do you?" Naruto grinned mischievously as he began to walk to the container before sliding one of his bombs off, deactivating it, and putting back into his pouch. "The beauty of being me is that I while I was trained to have plan after plan… I really don't. After my first plan or two go out the window I just… Go with the flow and wing it and go just... Go with my gut."
"And that just happens to be my specialty!" Naruto gave a wild grin as he gazed straight into Adam's mask. "So let's go wild!"
Adam took a step back from Naruto as the two faunus from behind Adam were tossed to the side elevator wall before landing back on it with a thud. "Oldest rouse in the book, and you fell for it… Buh bye."
As it went up in a plume of smoke, Adam looked directly behind him only to have his face plastered by a fist and launched across the entirety of the room with his mask flying off in the process, skidding across the floor before slamming into a crate of dust and crushing the metal against it and causing an elemental explosion that knocked him forward.
Meanwhile, Naruto helped Blake to his feet, checking on her and to make sure she was alright first. "You okay…"
"What are you doing…" Blake hissed as she slowly got back to her feet. "I'm fine… Finish the…"
"I will… But I need to know." Naruto grasped her hand and made sure she got back to her feet, gazing into her eyes and giving her a look of concern. "All of this will be for nothing if you are not alright… I'm not doing this just for me... And while everyone else is important… I doing this for you, especially you."
The hatred, while still there, slowly began drifting away. Slowly a newer more positive emotion began to fill her, one of compassion and love. "I'm okay… But he needs to be stopped… He's rallied so many faunus to try to start a war against humanity… I did manage to figure that much out."
"That… Is an issue." Naruto stated as he looked over at the mechs. "That explains those guys."
"Fuck me…" Blake saw the prototypes and realized what was going on, her body shivering at the thought of the Fang having these on the front lines. "We need to get out of here and blow it!"
"Rodger that!" Naruto stated as he got on the elevator while Adam slowly picked himself off the ground. "Sorry bull chucker! I'd love to take my aggression out on you the old fashion way, as we have a lot to discuss, but we're going to have to do this like this! So unfortunately this is goodbye!"
"It's a shame! Rather have broken you myself!" Naruto growled as he pulled out his detonator before he took a deep breath, realizing another life would have to be taken with this press.
And Blake took his hand with it and nodded with him as she resigned herself to this fate.
Together they clicked the button and the explosions ripped through the bunker beneath them, tearing it apart as the elevator lifted. It shifted and shook but lasted long enough to make it to the door and Naruto kicked it open, and threw the two unconscious faunus outside it before they rushed out of the door.
Just in time for the elevator to collapse and fall back to the bunker below.
"Just in time… Alright time to go…"
"Naruto! Blake! There you are!" Yang roared as a faunus slammed into the wall the rest of team RWBY and Neo rushed into alarm blasting base. "We came running in to get you guys out soon as the alarms started to go off!"
"We thought that that was…" Blake started as neither of them had been detected before she saw the condition of Ruby's face and her blood went cold. "Ruby… What…"
"I… Ran into him… I thought I could do something as he rallied all the faunus to join his cause war against humanity… And then he just…" Ruby tried to tell the story but Blake embraced her and brushed her hand through her hair.
"It's okay… You weren't the only one that failed to stop him… I did to…" Blake quietly comforted her before letting go. "Let's get out of here now… We'll talk later!"
"What the fuck is that sound?" Naruto stated as he heard a loud, clanging screech coming from below and went to the ruined elevator shaft before his eyes widened. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! RUN! HE'S COMING UP IN THE GODDAMN MECH!"
Not letting any of them be behind them, Naruto pushed each of the girls ahead of him urged them to flee as the terror hit, lifted each of the unconscious Fang members onto his shoulders and each sprinted ahead just before the Paladin's fist ripped through the hallway the were standing through before continuing above and most likely into the sector.
Naruto pulled out his scroll as they all fled, Neo leading the way as she knew the path best as she charted the map. "Ironwood, we have a huge problem here!"
"I see it," Ironwood said calmly as he must have been on an airship above. "Sending in ground reinforcements to assist. Air support is already on the move and firing upon it."
"Good, keep him busy as we get out of here! Once I'm out I take care of the rest!" Naruto finished as watched the mech suit destroy everything behind him and it pissed him off.
This asshole was just going to destroy whatever was in his way just to get back at them, get at him and Blake in particular, and didn't matter who was in his way. Even his own soldiers? That left a sour taste in his mouth and one he would not stand for slid the scroll between his shoulder and the unconscious body, balancing all three on his shoulders, he formed his signature hand seal as he took in natural energy just to make sure he had more than enough for this.
"TAIJU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU! (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)"
Smoke filled the area before hundreds of Naruto's filled the area and rushed each and every direction sprinting ahead and blurring out of existence, already knowing what their jobs were team RWBY looked on in shock and even Neo's eyes widened. Yang summed everything up best. "THE FUCK WAS THAT NARUTO?!"
"SAVING EVERYONE'S ASS IS WHAT THAT WAS!" Naruto roared back at Yang before he grabbed the scroll once more and kept speaking to Ironwood. "I've got everything down here covered!"
"Got it. Over and out." Ironwood responded as Naruto hung up and they burst through the front door and kept sprinting for their lives, looking overhead and seeing several Manta aircraft above, firing upon the Paladin prototype while a massive Atlesian Airship flew overhead.
"Ironwood said he'd bring in air support but what?! This is a little too much!" Naruto looked genuinely surprised at the response. "He didn't want anyone having his weaponry, which is fair I guess cause fuck off you bull chucking prick!"
"I am combat ready!" Penny's voice was suddenly heard from in front of them and she dropped down in front of them, legs planting into the ground and all of her blades were spinning. "Jump to the side please!"
Sensing the sheer aura coming from Penny, team RWBY except for Blake split to the left while Naruto, Blake, and Neo jumped to the right as a beam of pure aura fired from Penny and blasted the Paladin, knocking it back a few steps and nearly knocking it over in the process.
"What kind of armor does that thing have?!" Yang cried out as saw that blast didn't phase it all that much and the Dust gunfire of the Manta's was hardly slowing the Paladin down from before. "If I didn't know any better I'd say the thing is invincible!"
"It was designed to fight Colossal Grimm! It's meant to take a pounding!" Naruto roared as he dropped the two faunus, watching as missiles fired from the Paladin and drop one of the Manta and rapid-fire dust shots dropped another and prepared himself to take care of this. "Alright… I'm ending this now… Ruby, what are you doing?"
Ruby, tears in her eyes as she watched everything before her as the last Manta that flew in crashed before them and explode stood before the Paladin as it walked before them as Adam controlled it. Changing its right hand to its fist, he knew what he was doing as he swung it back.
"RUBY!" Yang screamed as her Aura blazed to life and she rushed to help her sister but the one that didn't was Naruto.
He felt everything thing change within her. Something snapped inside of her and power rose from the depths within that he could not explain. It almost reminded him of Kurama back in the day but it was something else…
It was sold cold.
And her silver eyes glowed brightly as the fist approached her.
"I SAID ENOUGH! NO MORE VIOLENCE!"
And in instant, the mech began to petrify into a mixture of what seemed like ice and stone but could not be classified as such,
Adam just managed to open the cockpit and leaped out just at the last second as the Paladin mech was destroyed from the flash freeze, rolling and coming to a stand as he looked at the young girl that just stopped his assault dead in its tracks with curiosity.
Ruby instantly collapsed from the use of her newfound powers and was caught by Yang as the rest of RWBY joined her while both Naruto and Neo took their stances around Adam, not having forgotten their objective.
However, dust shots from above force them back as Bullhead came from above, fighting back a Manta. "Well as exciting as this day has been I say this has been quite the ordeal and I must take my leave…"
"The hell you will!" Naruto growled out as Neo fired a shot from her newly modified Hush and he simply deflected it with Wilt as he jumped aboard the Bullhead.
"Blake, it was lovely seeing you again… My mate. Too bad we can no longer see eye to eye but our vows still stand. I will be back to take you as mine.." Adam stated as the Bullhead lifted and he deflected a few more shots from the Manta before it was dropped by a missile from one of the Fang members.
"The fuck you are!" Both Naruto and Blake hissed together and unbeknownst to the other made their move toward Adam and leaped towards the Bullhead as it lifted into the sky.
Adam only smirked.
Everything went as planned in the end after all.
It took a lot of work to get there and he lost a lot of assets to get to where he wanted…
But he got there.
Naruto landed on the Bullhead, Rasengan blazing in hand, but at the last second, he realized something was wrong when he saw his target's focus was not on him and Adam's focus was solely on…
"No! Blake!"
Blake transformed Shroud into her kusarigama form and had it ready to lash out for Adam's head when she saw it was too late. She saw his hand on Wilt's hand and she knew his semblance was activated and her eyes were wide in horror as her world slowly began to fade to red.
The power of Moonslice was going to slice her in half and there was nothing she could do about it as even her semblance wasn't fast enough to dodge it at this range.
As the rose petals scattered all around her and blood splattered, the building next to their right was cut in half as Naruto fluttered in the air before her, colliding with her as the Rasengan faded from existence but having deflected enough of the blow.
His chest was sliced open badly and his right arm had sustained a severe laceration, but Naruto narrowed his eyes as he held out his left hand and extended his middle finger as they fell below. "Fuck you, bull!"
"Blake… My pocket…" Naruto muttered as they fell and even in horror as she saw the new love of her life just take a severe blow to save her life, she recognized what he meant.
And she reached for his pocket drew the detonator from his pocket, clicked the button, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "GO FUCK YOURSELF ADAM!"
His eyes widened and he looked directly behind him and there it was.
The disarmed bomb from before. How'd he get it behind him?!
Then a small grin escaped his lips as the explosion took him. "She finally pulled the trigger..."
The bullhead exploded as Naruto and Blake crashed into the ground, spiraling out of control as it crashed further ahead.
"Naruto! Blake!" Everyone was screaming they rushed to them as Blake quickly readjusted herself and allowed Naruto to lay on top of her lap, not caring if his blood was staining her clothes.
"Naruto! I'm so sorry! I… I…" Blake began to weep, realizing her actions put Naruto in danger and she had seen in the corner of her eyes that he had reached Adam first and had the situation handled. "I… It's like you said…"
"No… You are fine… We should have done it together." Naruto whispered as the rest of RWBY, Penny and Neo arrived, each worried at seeing his state.
"Holy shit!" Yang, carrying her unconscious sister in her arms, trembled seeing how deep the laceration on his arm was and deep the cut went into his bone, and could see his lungs intaking air. "I… I…"
Weiss dropped to her knees and was looking for everything she had to try and find anything she could patch Naruto up as pulled out every scrap of first aid she had. "We'll… We'll get you fixed… At least until the medics get here…"
"Father, we are need in of medical assistance!" Penny called in using her internal radio, speaking in an alarmed tone. "Huntsmen Naruto is severely injured. Deep lacerations in his right arm into the bone and the chest."
Neo looked on just surprised he was still awake and seemed to be grinning. Just how tough was her new employer?
"Surprisingly not the worst I've ever received." Naruto laughed leaving everyone there to question just what he could have done that was possibly worse before he responded. "I nearly took my arm by destroying to cellua… What the fuck?! Why is she here?!"
Naruto growled and he forced chakra into his arm and chest to accelerate his healing as the skin began shifting to a red hue while steam slightly began to burst off him, and his eyes tried to turn to gold. And they watched as wounds slowly mend as the chakra rushed through his being. "The fuck are they doing here?!"
Pushing himself off Blake's lap and slowly pushing himself onto all fours, bleeding everywhere as he did, Blake cried out. "Naruto stop!"
"You're making your wounds worse!" Weiss screamed as she tried to stop Naruto from moving.
"I really don't care when that fire bitch is coming to pull the bull out of the fire!" Naruto growl out, his blood steaming as his eyes kept flickering between his regular blues and gold as he could not hold his sage state.
The anger was making it hard for him to hold onto natural energy.
"Fuck it! I'll do this the old way!" Naruto stated as he forced his way back up, forming a Rasengan that began to morph into something more...
That had four blades of wind piercing out of it and had such massive power that everyone that could feel it.
"Naruto…" Blake stuttered as she looked at the heavily bleeding form of her boyfriend.
"I said together but I'm sorry… If they're involved with protecting him… I'm taking him out now and maybe getting lucky and taking her out with him!" Naruto roared as he sprinted forward, disappearing in a blur of speed.
Heading straight for the crash site.
That was the other presence he couldn't sense before. Something was hiding her and he wasn't sure what it was. They had something that was keeping them from being properly sensed unless they were close enough to him
Was it the witch Salem's magic? Did she realize he had some sort of emotive and aura sensory and found a way to at least mess with it with magic and make it harder for him to track them down?
He growled at the thought. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy. They'd figure out his abilities and start to counter them. It made logical sense. So he was going to half crush them as soon as they arrived and either made sure they didn't flee or kept as many secrets as he could.
And that latter one would eventually get out.
So crush them as fast as he could it was!
Arriving at the crash site, he saw the woman known as Cinder sinking into a black ooze with a wounded, burnt, and bleeding Adam. He would most likely be dead soon if it wasn't for her sticking her nose into this!
"Cinder!" Naruto roared as he charged the Rasenshuriken but found it harder to throw when he wasn't in sage form and was not able to release it as quickly. "This ends now!"
The black-haired false maiden simply grinned as she sunk into the ooze and faded away with Adam as Naruto finally released the Rasenshuriken toward the wreckage and he screamed. "Fuck you!"
Now there was a new problem and he knew it. Because of his momentum, being caught in the air, having burnt as much chakra as he had saving everyone, and using the Rasenshuriken in his current state…
He was in the middle of the blast zone and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
"And I was just talking about cellular damage! What the fuck was I thinking!" Naruto roared as he watched his very own technique about to collide in the ground where Cinder and Adam once were just a second before.
Danger Imminent
A voice from all around Naruto spoke in an almost angelic but robotic tone and he was not sure what he was hearing.
"The fuck!" Golden orbs began to slowly form around the Rasenshuriken and to both his awe and horror pushed it slightly higher and further away from its attended destination. "What is this?!"
Course Correction
The voice spoke once more all around him as he hit the ground and made a jump in the opposite direction as he saw his move collide with the bullhead. But at the same time, he remembered what Cinder had told him a month prior.
About him being Fate's Champion… About freeing him and allowing his wings to soar freely…
Was there something more to that than he previously thought?
The explosion of the Rasenshuriken went off even still Naruto was still caught but being able just far enough out he was able to get out of the deadly zone only take the pressure and shockwave damage as he was sent flying back, thumping hard into the ground several times as he bounced, rolled and crashed into a building.
That was the last time he was ever going to do a charging Rasenshuriken… That was the dumbest mistake of his life now that he didn't have Kurama to shield him.
The fox was the greatest blessing in his life and he missed the damn furball.
But as he could feel his world darken and hear everyone that mattered call out for him he could still hear that damn voice!
Course Corrected.
Targeted… Relocated.
…
Mission Parameters Adjusted.
…
Error…
Revelation has Occurred…
…
Adjustments Required.