Alright then here is the update based on my schedule. There is a new schedule and this will be included in all my future author notes as a reminder for everyone who reads my stories. It follows a two week cycle same as the old one although I might not be able to keep it up once when I get busy from february onwards.
Tuesday: Into a New World
Thursday: The Missing Son
Saturday: The Return
Monday: Gildarts Gremory
Wednesday: Story of my choice
Friday: Story of my choice
So that's the new schedule anyway. Here is today's update. Volume 3 of RWBY is really mind blowing and I might put my RWBY stories on hold till the end of the volume because too many things keep changing or being revealed rather.
Naruto sighed for what was possibly the hundredth time that day. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked over the various books on Aura and semblances that lay open all over the desk. He picked up a rather worn journal that was given to him by Ozpin and contained everything that was known about the power of the maidens. At least as far as they knew. Naruto felt though that there was something missing to the puzzle of the power of the maidens. The transfer process seemed a little iffy and the fact that the power could be taken suggests that there is more to this power than was currently known.
"Still no luck dear?" Summer asked as she entered the room having finished her classes for the day.
"No. I have some theories and possibilities and even more dead ends. There is a key part of this that is missing. It has to do with the maidens, their powers and the links to the Grimm. There is a key part that is missing. Summer, could you get me a sample of Amber's skin? The portion that was affected by the odd substance. Just a few cells will do." Naruto asked.
"I'll get on it. You should take a break. You've been at this for a week with little rest. You can't push yourself too hard." Summer said.
"I know. I'll talk to the Bijuu one more time and then I'm going to call it a day." Naruto said as he sat down in the middle of the room and started to meditate while Summer went off to get the sample that Naruto requested.
"Naruto. What did you come in here for?" Kurama asked.
"I'm at my wits end on this. I don't get it. According to these notes the Iryojutsu should have been enough to restore Amber back to consciousness." Naruto said.
"I think you need to review what we know thus far about the abilities of this world." Kokuo suggested.
"Right so the basis of everything is Aura. Aura comes from a person's spirit. This is essentially Yin Chakra only they lack the network to manipulate it. Instead they use it subconsciously to enhance offensive and defensive capability. Semblance is like a bloodline. It is a manifestation of Aura that is just like the bloodline being a manifestation of the unique chakra a person has." Naruto spoke aloud.
"The maidens essentially have more powerful auras that are supercharged and not in a way that is dissimilar to a Jinchuriki receiving power from a Bijuu. That power is apparently transferred through conscious thought from one maiden to another." Isobu stated.
"And when you run out of chakra you can die but when you run out of aura you just become defenseless because while Aura comes from the spirit it does not have a strong enough link to the body to cause it to fully shut down and kill a person like chakra exhaustion." Kurama added.
"See that's where I don't get it. Amber hasn't transferred her power yet. She still has the unique signature of a maiden yet her power that was stolen should have regenerated by now." Naruto said.
"There could be two possibilities. One is the material they used to steal her powers is preventing them from regenerating. In which case we can double check that once Summer returns with the sample. Another is just like a Jinchuriki, she is suffering the effects of an extraction. But the extraction is only partial so she isn't dead or she is similar to your mother in that her own power is allowing her to survive." Kurama said.
"What are the options?" Naruto asked.
"Frankly it depends on what we find out. The material they used on her is the key. Either way there will be risks involved. If it really is similar to a Jinchuriki then the only way to revive her would be to remove the maiden powers from her completely and then revive her separately. You could then reseal the power into her or into another vessel." Kurama said.
"The only problem is that if we are wrong on that theory then there could be worse consequences." Son Goku said with a huff.
"I think we should go out and exterminate some Grimm to clear our heads for now. Matatabi says the White Fang are targeting Vale more zealously so I believe that our big bad boss lady will be here soon and we need to prepare for our inevitable confrontation. Tobi is currently investigating leads as far as possible. I think it's about time I introduce another player into my side of the field. Is it possible to do what Itachi did with a crow?" Naruto asked.
"You mean programming it's eye? Well I think it is possible and since you possess the Rinnegan, try it out with your animal path." Kurama suggested.
"Alright then I guess it's time to give these weary old bones a good workout." Naruto mused.
"Oh shut up you brat. You haven't even reached a century yet." Kurama mocked. Naruto just ignored him and exited the mindscape, picking up his weapon and heading off to the Emerald forest, making sure to leave a note behind for Summer.
Scene Change: Ozpin's office, the next day
"Have you been able to find anything yet Naruto?" Ozpin asked.
"I'm on to something. Give me till the end of this week to finish it. I'll have to leave soon. I need to check in with my contacts. It's been past the deadline." Naruto said.
"Alright then. You can leave whenever you want. I think some air might help you think besides. Amber's condition is still secondary to stopping whoever has her powers and whatever plans she might have." Ozpin said.
"My white fang contact got a message to me. She says that our big bad has been dealing directly with Adam Taurus, one of the big head honcho's of the white fang and he has been leaving the others out of the loop. I have some details on her associates. One Roman Torchwick. And another two who have yet to be identified. Although their battle styles have been noted. One uses small scythes that can turn into handguns and can cast powerful illusions. If my contact wasn't a faunus with very acute senses 'or rather possessing the sharingan' then they wouldn't have noticed. Another one uses hand to hand combat. Using his legs but his legs are actually prosthetics. Very high end prosthetics made for combat if I might add. He has some relation to a Marcus Black. You might want to look into that." Naruto informed.
"Thank you for the intel. Although I do wonder how you manage to get a contact so deep into the white fang." Ozpin said.
"That will be my secret. Of course a Shinobi who tells all of his secrets is a dead Shinobi." Naruto said as he turned to leave a smirk on his face as he walked out of the office. He headed back to his room and went to his work table. Cracking his knuckles before picking up the vial that held the sample Summer got for him.
"Alright then time to get started on work then. No rest for the wicked. Speaking of which, I wonder where my Itachi clone is at right now. He should be halfway towards Atlas if my memory serves. Oh well. I'll contact him at the end of the week before I leave." Naruto said as he unrolled a blank scroll on the table. He drew up an intricate Fuinjutsu pattern that had spaces for two distinct objects and arrays of seals that linked them together. He placed the sample from amber on one of the spaces before unrolling a storage scroll labeled Grimm samples. He unfurled it and revealed it to be a small sample of Grimm material that he had cut from the Goliaths near Mount Glenn. He placed the sample into the other space and took a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing. If this works I should have more information on our big bad and a way to heal Amber." Naruto said as he channeled chakra into the seal. The middle space that was originally empty starts to pulse before runes appeared in them. Naruto watched with bated breath as the runes continued to shift and change before finally settling into a large string of Kanji.
"Well I'll be. It worked and it seems like my hunch was right. Someone is either working for the working, working with them or conducting experiments on their body with Grimm." Naruto said as his search finally lead somewhere.
"But according to this while the base material is similar to the Goliaths, there are differences. For one, whatever was used on Amber was designed to force her to push out her powers. Then the thing would act as a sink, drawing in the power." Naruto said as he went over the data that he got. He could have used technology but fuinjutsu would reveal more intricate information and also make the results private to only himself.
"It seems that our Jinchuriki theory has some merit now. This is similar to how the Gedo Mazo worked. I guess the only thing left to do is to heal Amber. Although what exactly will happen to her powers remains to be seen." Kurama said.
Naruto slumped back into his chair a happy smile on his face. "Yeah there might be more uncertainties but at least we know it'll most likely work. And once when this matter is settled I can get back to more pressing issues. I just hope that this isn't a case of someone working with or for the Grimm because if they are then their foothold against us is already far too strong." Naruto said as he walked up to go see Ozpin and hand over his findings only to be stopped by Summer at the door.
"Hold on there mister. You and I are going for lunch now before you head off to wherever it is you need to go to." Summer said with a look that said there was going to be no arguments.
"Fine fine. Do you have classes after?" Naruto asked as he and Summer walked towards the cafeteria.
"No I don't I'm done with teaching for the day why?" Summer asked only to nod when she received the signal from Naruto that they had things to discuss later on. They headed off to a nice quiet corner of the cafeteria and ate in silence until their meal was interrupted by complaints of pain. Naruto turned to see what the commotion was about. His eyes narrowed when he saw that one of the second year students, a rabbit faunus named Velvet was being picked on by team CRDL. The rest of the team watched with disgusting satisfaction as Cardin pulled on her ears. Naruto growled as team CRDL made fun of her he got up from his seat and stalked towards Cardin, the students who noticed his approach now shaking in fear and odd excitement.
"Mr. Winchester. Kindly let go of her ears this instant!" Naruto ordered while focusing his energy on team CRDL making it hard for them to breathe. Cardin complied and shook in fear as the imposing figure that was Naruto stared him down like he was nothing but a sack of meat.
"You do realize that here at Beacon, discrimination towards anyone is frowned upon right?" Naruto asked and everyone in team CRDL nodded their heads.
"That what gave your pea sized brain the wise idea of doing what you just did?" Naruto asked as Cardin could do nothing but quake in his boots.
"Since I am in such a nice mood, the only thing you and your team will be doing for your actions today is to clean the training arenas for the duration of a week. Is that clear? That is in addition to remedial classes specially catered to your team with me every day after your regular classes are finished. I expect you to be there promptly within fifteen minutes in full gear. Is that understood?" Naruto asked.
"Yes sir!" Cardin responded with a mechanical salute, his team following suit. Naruto walked away leaving team CRDL to let out a held breath and slump to the ground. He smiled at his daughters team before heading off to Ozpin's office, Summer following close behind him.
"Naruto, what brings you here?" Ozpin asked. Naruto just took on a serious look as he activated the seals he placed around the room.
"I have a way to heal Amber." Naruto said and Ozpin's face took adopted a serious look.
"How? And what are the drawbacks?" Ozpin asked.
"I can't guarantee that she will have the same powers she once did. I can't even guarantee if she will keep her powers as a maiden. The only thing I can assure is that she will be restored. This is the best I can do Ozpin." Naruto said.
"That is a risk that we will just have to accept. When can it be done?" Ozpin asked.
"Anytime you want. I've had this ready for some time and what I found out today confirm that this is the only option. Although what I found about big bad is not something pleasant." Naruto said.
"What did you find out?" Ozpin asked.
"Whoever our enemy is, she either allied herself with the Grimm, is working for them or has been experimenting on them." Naruto said.
"And how did you find this out exactly?" Ozpin asked more out of curiosity than anything since anything Naruto said tended to be true so he didn't really care about the validity of the information. Naruto sighed and unfurled the scroll that had the two samples.
"This scroll is essentially a comparing device that allows me to examine all aspects of two objects. Whatever our target used on Amber has very high similarity to Grimm material. I used a sample of one of the oldest Goliaths I found since it would give the widest basis of comparison. Do you want to hear my theory on this?" Naruto asked.
"Yes please do explain." Ozpin said as he took a sip of coffee.
"As you know Grimm are created from negative energy well there is a base material that forms the Grimm. As they feed off negative energy, they grow stronger and evolve, creating the different strains of Grimm we see and know about. Whatever was used on Amber works in a similar way, drawing in energy but it also has additional purposes, one is to pump out the energy Amber had so that it saturated the air. Then it acted as a sink, using its lack of energy to draw in the energy. That is how Amber had her power's taken." Naruto explained.
"At least that's what you found." Ozpin said and Naruto could only scratch the back of his neck since he was still going off speculation here. He really needed to investigate the Grimm at the source.
"So what now?" Naruto asked.
"Now we heal Amber and get her on her feet. After that I need you to confirm your theories on the Grimm and see if you can dig up more info on our enemy." Ozpin said and Naruto nodded. The three of them moved to the lift and after Ozpin hit a secret code, descended towards the vault where Amber's comatose body was being kept.
Ozpin and Summer watched Naruto get to work, making sure to give him enough space so that he could carry out the task at hand. Naruto unfurled two scrolls with various Fuinjutsu formulas on them. He took a deep breath as Amber's containment unit opened up. He walked up to it, placing his hand on her head and activating his Rinnegan. He used his human path to extract Amber's soul and placed into a temporary storage seal that was on one of the scrolls. Now that Amber was effectively dead, Naruto could use his reincarnation Jutsu on her.
"Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!" Naruto said as his hand was in the snake sign. A green glow surrounded Amber for a moment before it died down. Naruto, Ozpin and Summer waited with baited breath as Amber seemed to stir before finally opening her eyes and sitting up.
"What happened?" Amber asked as she sat up.
"You were attacked and Qrow saved you unfortunately whoever attacked you managed to steal part of your powers but we aren't done with the process yet. I need to reseal the maiden powers back into you. Now lie back down." Naruto said. Amber had a confused look but complied.
Naruto placed his hand on the other scroll that had an custom Torii seal on it, transferring the pattern onto his hand using chakra. He applied the pattern to Amber and brought the other scroll over to prepare for the transfer ritual. Ozpin watched with rapt interest as Naruto ran through several hand seals before placing one hand on the scroll that had Amber's original soul and the other on the seal that had been applied to her. The energy moved from the scroll and into the seal. Naruto gave a clockwise turn to complete the process.
"Alright were done." Naruto said and Amber sat back up.
"Amber do you have any idea who attacked you?" Ozpin asked.
"No but I can help you identify them. That's the best I can do." Amber said.
"They used illusions on you and one used prosthetic legs correct?" Naruto asked and Naruto nodded.
"How do you feel Amber?" Ozpin asked.
"Different. My powers feel distinctly different." Amber said.
"It is not surprising after all the way you are now is distinctly different from what you originally were now. You have two aura sources now. Two souls essentially." Summer said.
"Two souls?" Ozpin asked.
"Naruto extracted her original soul, the one that had her maiden powers and then gave her a new one to revive her. He then placed the original soul back into her." Summer explained.
"But I can't access my maiden powers. It feels like something is blocking them." Amber said.
"Well that would be the Torii seal that my dad actually designed. This would be the key to unlocking it and gaining access to all your powers." Naruto said as he took out a scroll with the specific key to Amber's seal.
"All you need to do is place your hand over the array and use your aura. The pattern will transfer to your arm then just clockwise turn to tighten and counter clockwise to loosen. This will prevent anyone from stealing your powers." Naruto explained and Amber tested it out before nodding in understanding.
"How strong is this seal Naruto?" Ozpin asked.
"It's unbreakable by anything outside except a stronger seal breaker or my master formula. It was designed by my dad and it's designed to seal energy up to the level of a god." Naruto explained.
"But there might be a backlash to this. Now that the Maiden powers are sealed the way they are, the natural transfer process might have been interrupted." Summer said.
"We will have to deal with the consequences later on but it's good to have you back Amber." Ozpin said.
"For now though I think you should train to get used to your new power and stay in hiding." Naruto said.
"I concur with you on this one." Ozpin said.
"By keeping you hidden, we can make them think that you are still in a comatose state and your two aura sources should be able to compensate for the loss in powers. But I want to ask do you have any idea what was used to steal your powers?" Naruto said.
"It was something like a Grimm but it was different. It was like an insect and it came from some sort of glove." Amber said.
"Is it like this?" Naruto asked as he retrieved a sample from one of his storage scrolls.
"It was very similar." Amber said as she studied the preserved insect-like Grimm that Naruto held.
"Then it is as I feared Ozpin." Naruto said.
"Yes. Our enemy has links to the Grimm which is extremely troubling." Ozpin said.
"I'll extend my stay here till the end of the week before I go off to so what I usually do. It'll give me time to help Amber out with getting used to her new abilities and also time to get team CRDL into shape. By the way, Jaune Arc has quite a good potential even if he did sneak into beacon." Naruto said before giving a casual wave and leaving the vault.
"For a huntsmen, he is awfully detached and does things on his own." Amber commented as she watched Naruto and Summer leave.
"But we forget that he isn't of this world and despite how young he is, he is already a war veteran before he came here and his people could make some of the things the maidens can do look tame. Hearing stories of his world makes me thankful for the Grimm to a degree." Ozpin said.
"And why is that?" Amber asked.
"Some of the stories Naruto told me of his old world where things like Grimm don't exist frankly, scares and disgusts me more than the Grimm, the White Fang or our unknown enemy. Can you imagine being taught how to kill when you are only 12? Where you aren't expected to live old enough to be married even?" Ozpin said. Amber could only stay silent as the information was too shocking for her.
Time skip 5 days.
"Come on. You can do better than that. You are supposed to be a maiden. Is this all you have?" Naruto mocked as he blocked a swipe from Amber's staff using his sword. Amber gritted her teeth and sent a gust of wind at Naruto who easily deflected by using a single hand sign to use a Wind jutsu to counter.
"I'm not trying to fight a proverbial force of nature. Honestly, how many powers do you have? Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning?" Amber groaned as she had to strengthen her arms with Aura to withstand the empowered strike from Naruto.
"That is my secret. I can also make sub elements like wood, ice and lava." Naruto said.
"How am I supposed to beat that? And you can even revive the dead? What kind of hack powers are those." Amber said as she took another swipe at Naruto only for his to sidestep and send her barreling into the wall.
"Not everything is free. There are drawbacks. My resuscitation technique puts my own life at risk. But I guess we are done for today. I must say you've acclimatized well to having two aura sources now." Naruto said as he offered her an arm to help her stand.
"Yeah well I've had a good teacher. Anyway, you've leaving soon right? Where to?" Amber asked out of curiosity.
"Around the kingdoms. My key priority is to investigate the origin of the Grimm right now while dealing with our big bad. Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to go for my tor... I mean training session with team CRDL." Naruto said with an evil grin.
"Honestly, I don't understand how Summer fell in love with a sadist like you." Amber joked.
"Well there is this really cool thing I can do with my tongue and then there is this..." Naruto was unable to finish his sentence as he was unceremoniously shoved out of the door by a madly blushing Amber.
"That is way too much information!" Amber shouted. Naruto just chuckled and went off for his fun time with team CRDL, a happy skip in his stride.
At the same time Ozpin's office.
Ozpin had a vindictive smirk as he listened to General Ironwood rant through the screen to the rest of the council. That man was always boasting about the developments of Atlas and how his security and army were infallible.
"This mysterious man wearing a weasel mask is making a mockery of the atlas military." Ironwood ranted.
"But how is it that some unknown exposed not one not two but three different weaknesses of the Atlas Military? Ironwood, you said that the military was the best there is. So many flaws and discrepancies were revealed by this Itachi person that now we need to do a worldwide sweep for all the compromised equipment." a councilman said.
"Beware Ironwood. Your position is currently at risk." another councilman said before the feed was cut off leaving Ozpin and Ironwood alone.
"Do you think our interloper is linked to Amber's attacker?" Ironwood asked with a sigh.
"No. This one is different. I'd hazard to call him a wakeup call. For all of us." Ozpin said.
"And why is that? He has infiltrated my military three times. Exposing our flaws." Ironwood growled out.
"True but it is also thanks to him that we know of said flaws and can rectify them. Think about it. He knows our weaknesses yet moves in such an obvious way as to alert us to it." Ozpin said.
"So he is another vigilante like Tobi? Come to think of it they have the same attire as well. A black cloak with patterns on it." Ironwood said.
"No matter we should be more vigilant from here on. Itachi's actions have revealed clear weaknesses in our defenses. Weaknesses that if left unchecked would leave us open to our main enemy. I suggest for now we keep an eye on the situation and fix our problems before moving forward." Ozpin said . Ironwood simply frowned before the screen went black.
"I get the feeling that you are behind this Naruto. Although how you are doing it is beyond me. I wonder, will we ever get to see your full power?" Ozpin mused as he took a sip from his coffee cup.
Time Skip 2 Days.
"Well then, this is goodbye for now I guess." Naruto said to his wife and daughters.
"No this is until we meet again dear. And I can't wait for our reunion." Summer said with a seductive look that made Naruto freeze, a small trail of blood coming from his nose as he recalled his last night with his wife before he left again.
"Come back soon dad." Ruby said.
"Yeah. Come back soon so I can kick your butt." Yang said.
"I look forward to seeing you try. Be good now and listen to your mother." Naruto said before walking away. His cloak billowed in the wind, revealing the katana that was strapped to his side as well as the sling bag that carried various scrolls that were both filled and empty.
"Now where to first? I've got quite a few things to do right now. I guess for now it's a good idea to hit the information treasure trove that is bars in small towns. Might run into Qrow along the way too. According to Ozpin he's supposed to be away on a mission to a small town. Could use his help for some things." Naruto mused as he went over the checklist on his scroll before he swiped to reveal three ID cards.
'Cinder Fall, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. You may think you are safe because Ozpin and his order are unable to see underneath the underneath but you are dealing with a Shinobi and not a huntsmen now and we will be playing this game on my terms' Naruto said as he had a vulpine grin on his face while looking through the information attached to the ID cards.
Alright that's it for this chapter. A little short yes but I have been pretty busy with other stuff. Review this people. I'm doing more open build-up chapters in order to leave me open to develop this given the reasoning that season 3 is bringing so many reveals to the table and really changing the story of RWBY or rather advancing so much to the point where every episode changes things so the omission of details is purposeful so I don't leave myself in too much of a corner. Also some may have read my new story called Gildarts Gremory The Wayward Son. I need more reviews and opinions on pairings for that story before I continue with it. Currently in the lead are Yasaka by quite a big margin and a few Gabriel supporters.
