Festivities of the camp went well into the night. Ozpin was currently sitting at a large table, watching as children ran around. Laughing, and playing. Faunus and human, mingling with each other, with no societal stigma to it. This was unity, what he sought for, leave it to an outworlder to figure out a way before someone here.
Minato intrigued him, the tales of his world, constantly filled with war. Although wars between humans here on Remnant were rare, the last true war being nearly a century ago. It seemed that it once again stood at the precipice of falling into that chaos all over again. They stated doing some kind music, something Kushina had taught them.
Walking around in circles, with the backs of their palms connected, switching between each rotation. Drums, shamisen, and even grass flutes playing into the night. The children, the ones who personally trained under Minato, were walking around the camp with some of the militia. Although Ozpin didn't exactly approve of the fact children were being taught to fight so early on, he couldn't sit here and deny that they were effective.
He had come to learn that only half of the actual team fought Qrow. The other's, Midori Evergreen, and Aoi Kumo, provided the main support elements to their team. If they had been in with the demonstration, chances are Qrow would've been pushed to actually wielding Harbinger. Power at such young ages frankly worried Ozpin, but what was done couldn't be stopped.
The blonde leader, who they've come to call The Yellow Flash, was currently dancing with some of the elderly folk. Kushina, his lovely redhead wife, was entertaining other expecting mothers. Reading from books, no doubt, they had secured from banditry camps and gifts from other settlements. Then there was the matter of the soldiers inside of the camp, the Mistralian deserters.
It would be very hard for Ozpin to circumvent the legal system. Political favors to call in, this time in abundance, especially with Leonardo. He wasn't a fool, although his long-time portrayed himself as humble, he was still the single most powerful political figure in the country. The Council united had more sway, but individually, they'd answer to him.
Which was all the more disturbing when a Council Member was reportedly arrested earlier. Apparently, plans of an attack of Ghira Belladonna's skyboat, but surely it wouldn't have progressed that far? His heart sank when three injured faunus came barreling out of the woods, bloodied, and beaten.
"Help!"
They all shouted, collapsing to the ground, bullet wounds all across the bigger one. Minato was the first to act, and Ozpin's lifetimes of keeping combat ready didn't prepare him for the speed. Speed, in of itself, was the lack of any other proper word. One moment Minato had been dancing with a sweet old lady, and the next he was appeared in a yellow flash right in front of the injured party.
Ozpin himself got up, running over there, his escorts following him. Ahi, Tori, and Midori did so as well. With the teenager of the group, the green-haired fox faunus, already weaving hand seals. A green glow forming around her palms, the big man was obviously fatally wounded. Too many shots into the center mass, the fact he wasn't bleeding meant that all his blood was already somewhere on the forest floor behind them.
"What is this, a bandit attack?" Qrow thought aloud and then shook his head while thinking, "No, Minato's group confirmed that all of the banditry camps within twenty miles were wiped out…"
The large man, with ram horns, took deep shallow breathes. Blood flowing from his mouth, but it was already becoming lighter. He stared up at Midori, and then toward Minato, "Help…us…"
That ended being his final words before the woman with butterfly antenna sobbed out. His chest didn't move anymore, his eyes losing the light of life in them. The other survivor, the only other one, looked toward Ozpin. He recognized him, getting up and screaming.
"You filthy humans, the liars the lot of you!" He roared at The Headmaster of Beacon, "You promised that our chieftain would be given safe passage! We are just protesting for our rights!"
"Young man, what happened, where is Ghira Belladonna?" Ozpin questioned, afraid of the answer.
"He's dead!"
Everyone one, minus Minato, Kushina, and Ozpin gasped at the news. Murmurs erupted throughout the camp. The young leader of Taiyo had heard the name get passed around. Some sort of ruler from Menagerie, who was here on a diplomatic mission. What this young man claimed was tantamount to a declaration of war.
"This can't be, no, Ghira was being escorted inside one of our skyboats. Who shot it down?" Hephaestus questioned while walking toward them, "Our military was under strict orders from The Council to let him pass."
"Well, that lied to you, I was there, I saw military grade missiles slam into the skyboat! Ghira, being the honorable leader, stayed behind to let some of us of escape! He's dead, and it's because you filthy humans! You killed him!" The young man continued his tirade, "I watched him take on some type of unit from Mistralian military."
Just then noises came from the forest, and the crashing of trees. Two halftracks pull up, with soldiers wearing Mistralian military armor coming out, with the symbol scratched out. Holding up guns, Ozpin barely forms a barrier in time in front of everyone using his semblance!
They unloaded, spraying everyone in their vision with a hail of gunfire. They stopped firing when they realized their bullets didn't go nowhere past an invisible wall, clattering to the ground! Minato watches as Ozpin lowers his hand, and the soldiers lowering their rifles.
A light-haired woman, with platinum blonde hair and sky-blue eyes walked out from a halftrack. She held her hands behind her back, keeping her stance straight. She stares at the crowd, total panic coming over some of them who went to hide in the tents.
"So, this is The Taiyō Movement's camp? A bunch of faunus loving mystics," She sneered before looking at Ozpin. "What luck, our third target is here too."
"Third target?" Ozpin questions before standing upright, "What are you doing, this is treason!"
"What is treason is treating these freaks as if they're human. Then we have this supposed mystic, who goes around brainwashing people. You'll stand trial, and your whore back there will be put the sword just like you would!" She exclaimed before getting her blade out, covering it in placing a fire dust crystal in it.
Ozpin growls under his breath, "You're not as big as you like to think! If you trying to secure every target in one go, it means you're working on a clock."
"Professor Ozpin, don't worry, you'll be lump in with the traitors too. With you, we'll secure Leonardo! For we are The Humanity First Front, putting the true born sons and daughters of the land first over vermin!" She replied rhetorically before watching her men reload.
Minato took a deep breath, then he warns her with a growl, "I'll give you one chance. Walk away and stop what you're doing. If you do this, at least you get to live to see a trial."
"Minato Namikaze, you're hereby charged with treason against the new Mistralian government. Under martial law declared by Colonel Arnold, surrender or face immediate execution!" She ordered while looking at the blonde-haired man, who stood up straight.
Ozpin looks at the young leader, "Minato…"
"Ozpin-san, form another barrier when you see me move…" Minato instructed him before turning toward Tori, "Close your eyes, all of you."
Tori shook his head, "No, I'm not letting you do this alone!"
"Yeah, we're going to help!" Ahi agreed with fervor.
The woman commanding the troops laughs at the kids, "We'll just put bullets in them too, doesn't matter!"
"It's not that I'm warning you for their safety," Minato interjected before staring right in her eyes. "It's because that the last people who threatened my wife…faced oblivion."
The woman held her arm up, and her men took aim. Only for Minato to suddenly launch several kunai, Ozpin's eyes widened as he put up the barrier. Seeing a yellow flash appear next to the row of soldiers. A blue ball of energy inside of the blonde's hand. They barely had time to look before they got blasted away.
It wasn't a question if they were out of the fight, it was more along the lines if they even survived! He watches as soldiers smash into trees, some unfortunately finding sharp branches. Their commander, the woman charges forward. Roaring in rage, slashing at Minato. He smoothly leans back between the slashes before punching her right in the gut. She goes flying backward, right into a few of her men. He quickly forms three clones.
The halftracks armed their guns around to aim at Minato, with their occupants failing to notice the kunai stuck in them. Appearing above them in separate golden flashes were his clones. Each holding a much large than normal blue sphere.
"Time-Space Super Rasengan Barrage!" Minato mentally roared before they crash down on the vehicles.
The sound of tearing metal flooded the air, with spheres blowing them apart before creating small craters in the ground. Blue fire whirls through the night as combustion dust ignited from the chakra exposure. Blinding some of the soldiers that had scrambled, only to get caught by the clones who went about the task of making sure they weren't a threat.
Tori's eyes filled with tears as he saw his master's clones hunting down the men. Some, who surrendered, were knocked out. Those that tried to resist were put down like the rabid dogs they were. Still, in his heart, he knew he was witnessing a one-sided affair.
Those people never stood a chance!
He walks forward, his clones dispersing before getting two more kunai out and slamming them down to his sides. Just as he did her men opened fire, failing to notice the third kunai flying past them. Holding a kunai out in front of him, the man focuses on the kunai flying past them.
The commander smirks before suddenly stinging pain rips through her as bullets bounce off her aura. Her soldiers around her weren't so lucky, some of them died immediately, but the wounded screamed out in pain in shock. She looks behind her to see where that kunai had landed. Eyes shrinking back, she went to move only for Minato to appear behind her, knife to her throat. She drops her sword, shakingly while seeing her surviving men getting rounded up the clones.
It was over, in a matter of nearly two minutes, her heavily armed group was now lucky to have some living. The commander shook, looking behind her as best she could, trying not to move a muscle. Ozpin lowers the barrier, stunned near silent as he looked at the carnage.
"One minute, thirty-four seconds. That's all it took for him to wipe out a military force hellbent on destroying the camp…what kind of monster is Minato Namikaze?" Ozpin thought to himself before looking back at the kids, who saw the dead bodies scattered about.
Some from the halftracks lucky to even be in one piece, let alone the many. She looks around at the carnage, shaking. "I thought…you were supposed to…be peaceful." The commander shakingly stated while feeling the knife get closer to her neck.
"Here's a lesson, just for you. A shinobi never thinks of war, he thinks about how his blade will bring about the peace afterward. You chose war, I'm merely ending it before it even takes it's first steps." The blonde growled into her ear, "Tell me everything and you might just live."
The woman shook, "My name is Lys Himmel. I'm the commander of seventh corps, Mistralian guard division."
"Lys Himmel," Minato repeated her name before placing the kunai near her vein. "Is Ghira Belladonna alive?"
"Y-Yes," She answered before feeling tears roll down her eyes. "If I tell you where on a map, can I please go."
"No," The blonde replied before kicking her legs out. "Tori, get me a map!"
Tori ran toward one of the tents. He came back out a half-minute later, crossing past Ozpin's barrier before meeting Minato. Handing him a map of Anima, and The Kingdom of Mistral. Lys was given a pen, which circled a mountain range less than two hours away. She watches as Tori removed the map, folding it.
"Colonel Arnold is planning to video Ghira's execution at the first sight of dawn." She told him, and then felt her hands jerked behind her back as Hephaestus came up to her. He places cuffs on her hands, getting her up.
Tori hands Minato the map, looking down, "What happens now?"
"Now, Tori, we engage in a rescue operation." Minato told him while watching Lys struggle in the cuffs a little.
He turns to his people, "Prepare to move camp rapidly, I need twenty volunteers to go with me. We have eight hours to save Ghira Belladonna and whoever else has been taken by this…Colonel."
"Where should we move the camp to?" Vern inquired while walking over to him, "The north is still infested with bandits."
"If I may suggest," Ozpin interjected while standing tall and firm, "West would be the better option."
Minato thought for a moment and nods his head, "Vern, take my wife and our people west."
"To the shores?" He questioned before watching him nod, "Okay, to the shores it is!"
Vern left to gather everyone, leaving Minato, and Ozpin. The Headmaster of Beacon took a deep breath, and giving out a long sigh. "I'm convinced that you are, indeed, powerful, Minato-san." Ozpin said with the honorific, "I'd certainly like to avoid this disaster."
"Then will you join me?" Minato questioned.
"Why of course, and I assure you my agents will as well. Raven, Qrow, are you up for a little bit of a rescue operation?" The silver-haired man inquired.
Qrow took a drink out of his flask, "Sign me up I guess…sis?"
"I would suppose that I'm in this as well, unfortunately." Raven agreed begrudgingly before readying herself, "We need gunmen."
"We have shinobi," Minato stated before looking at his students. "Ahi, Tori, go get Midori and have her ready herself too. We'll need a good medic."
Tori salutes before running off with Ahi, leaving Minato with the Huntsmen. Kushina walks over to Minato, looking at him. "Is it true, that you're going again?" She inquired before laying her forehead against his, "Minato."
"It is, Kushina-hime, but like always I'll come back. Besides, we're due to get our baby's gender identified here soon. Wouldn't miss it for all eternity." Minato answered her before kissing her deeply.
Ozpin looked at the man, "Loving husband, warrior, and a leader. Your world truly lost a golden beacon of light, but perhaps it was meant to be."
Hephaestus marches with his team of soldiers, gathering equipment. Ozpin's bullhead was going to be used a means of transport. The pilots volunteering them. Minato himself would run with Tori on the ground, and Ahi. Midori was to ride in the transport, with the volunteers. Sabo held a rifle, taking deep breaths.
"First combat mission?" Midori inquired while looking at the frog faunus, "I was nervous too."
"No, it's my first time in a war, ever been in a war?" Sabo questioned, taking a moment to breath in and sigh. "I'm sorry, that was very rude of me, and uncalled for."
"It's fine," she accepted his apology before looking at Tori and Minato. "Minato-sama, his fury earlier, did it change how you view him?"
"In a way, I didn't think the man was capable of such destruction. He seems too soft," Sabo stated before removing his helmet, revealing chestnut brown hair. "It was if he blew the horn of destruction, and changed into a totally different person."
"Minato-sama comes from a land bathed in war. He seeks peace, but carries a big stick while doing so. Never know when someone might try to hurt you," Midori reasoned before leaning back. "How old are you, Sabo?"
"I'm sixteen, joined up after flunking out of the prep school." He answered before looking down, "I have mom back in Mistral city, if something happens to me…"
Midori flicks him on the head, eliciting a yelp, "Nothing's going to happen to you. We're in this together, we all go out of this together."
"If it were so simple, Colonel Arnold is a master strategist. For all we know he could be moving on this camp as we speak. I'm surprised at how fast they managed to pack up," Sabo stated before leaning back. "Let's go make history I guess, for a new sunrise, right?"
"Yes, a new sunrise." She affirmed before watching Minato climb on board.
"Listen up, you all are to stay low, Raven-san will use her semblance to get you all in and out quickly. I, Tori, and Ahi will face the brunt of his armed forces. We are the distraction. You are the rescue team." He planned for them, and looked at Sabo, "You protect Midori-san with your life. If something happens, throw this tag down, and I'll get you out."
"Yes sir," Sabo acknowledged before looking toward her, "Looks like you're glued to me foxy."
"Foxy, is it?"
"Save the flirting until after this, if we fail, or if Ghira Belladonna dies the whole world may just go to hell in a handbasket." Qrow chided both of the teen soldiers, "I, for one, like the fact that our world only has to fight Grimm…not each other openly."
"Well spoken, Qrow-san," Minato praised before getting off the aircraft. "We're a go!"
He watches as the pilots lifted up the bullhead. The engines roaring until it started to fly forward. Tori looks towards his master, grabbing Ahi onto his back. Aoi, his sister, would be staying back to help with the other children. Minato took a deep breath, patting him on the shoulder.
"Let's go," Minato ordered them before running forward, with Tori and Ahi following close behind.
"Anything from Lieutenant Lys?" Colonel Arnold inquired while pacing around in a reinforced cave, "She should've reported the clearing of that damn camp by now!"
"Sir, we're still trying to reach her, but she's not responding. It's possible that Mistral has turned off long range communications for us. We've tried to reach our assassination team in Mistral, but no reports from them either. It's possible that Leonardo took them down," His Communication Specialist replied before watching as several men set up a video camera, "Sir, I think we should negotiate with the government with Belladonna."
"There will be no negotiations, these vermin have plagued our system long enough, and have the audacity after being awarded their own lands to try and change ours?! I served my country honorably for decades, and they choose to possibly give these subhuman trash rights?!" Colonel Arnold screamed while waving a hand to Ghira, "Look at him, Sky, where is the humanity in that thing!"
Ghira coughs up a wad of blood onto the ground, hanging by chains on his arms. A video camera was placed right in front of him, his nose was broken, with cuts on his face. He growls when one of the troops approaches only get splashed with cold water.
"Wake up kitty-kitty," the guard insulted before hitting the man with the bowl. "You got three hours left, then pop, we put one right through that head of yours live."
The large prisoner hanging there just looks up, "Pray that these chains hold me, for I'll break you if I'm released out of them."
"After you, we're going to kill any faunus rioting in the streets. When your kind gets into a craze, we'll have every reason to drop you. Then we'll just ship you all to Menagerie! May even go pay a visit that little whore at your house, Kali? Yeah, that's little whore's name, we'll take a very diplomatic approach with her." The guard laughed before backing up when Ghira roars, straining the chains to their limit.
Ghira roars at him, pushing with his feet to get as close as possible, "You will not touch my wife!"
"Aww, wife, I guess that separates you subhumans from animals, if not barely. You actually have basic concept of marriage, adorable." The guard laughed before getting out his baton, beating him across the face with it.
The panther faunus roars, trying to fight against the repeated whacks to the forehead. Only, after a minute, he slowly hung limp due to the repeated blows. Breathing hard, blood dripping from his lips, Ghira was breathing hard. He thought of them, his wife and unborn child. A single tear leaves his face, and then he dries it up.
He wouldn't give them the satisfaction!
Colonel Arnold walks over to him, "Festus, are you working him over a little for the camera?"
"Sure, am sir." The guard, Festus, replied.
The colonel chuckles before looking down at him, "Feel proud of yourself, Ghira? Now you get to orphan your freak."
"How the hell…were you even in the military?" Ghira questioned between breaths while gathering himself for another beating, "Do you have any idea what this will do to Mistral, let alone the world?!"
"The world needs to reset the status quo," Colonel Arnold retorted before placing his baton under Ghira's chin. "Human's First, and you freaks will go back to where you belong."
"We belong on equal footing, we fought and died in The Great War right besides your kind. We're supposed to be equals, according to The Old King of Vale!" Ghira shouted as he stood up on his toes, "Why can't we stand equal?!"
"Because you're so genetically wrong, that the very fact you breed with us makes my skin crawl. Don't you know, if one of you mates with one mine, there's a ninety percent chance it comes out one of you freaks. You are genetic blight on the human pool, and you have to be culled!" The colonel shouted in Ghira's face, "I refuse to let humanity get turned into a bunch of half-breeds!"
"After we're done with you, we'll take care of that little camp of mystics in the afternoon. Our troops already sent a detachment out that way. Hopefully, they kill their leader. Then we're the ones in charge, and we hold reign over Mistral!" He screamed, whacking the man in the face once with a backhanded swing.
Ghira spat out a wad of blood, "You're insane."
"I'm a visionary, there is one solution to your kind, and that's to control it!" Colonel Arnold shot back before mashing the baton into his nose, "Look at you…once so proud."
"I am still proud, my pride does not dimmish under the threat of death. My ancestors before me, all of them, face their ends in battle, without begging for mercy." The large man stated before spitting blood right in the colonel's face, "I will not break from that tradition, one day…my child will find vengeance for this!"
"Ha, and they'll die by my hand too. After your death, like Festus said, we'll just be making a small trip to Menagerie next." Colonel Arnold folded his baton back up, "Little under three hours to go…make peace with whatever your filth believes in."
"Sir!" A solider ran up to him, "We've got a radar contact, a bullhead belonging to Professor Ozpin of Vale."
"Shoot it down as well," The colonel demanded before walking out toward command center. "Kill any survivors, and yes that means Ozpin as well."
"Yes…sir, I'm going to go get the men on it." The soldier cautiously agreed too before departing.
Colonel Arnold chuckles before walking toward door, and opening it before walking in. He closes it, removing his jacket. A skull-like Grimm wriggles on chest. He sits on the bed, my oh my, the rewards he would get for taking him out. After all, what better way to sow discourse is to not only start a war between humans and faunus, but also different countries?
His mistress would indeed be pleased!
Qrow was flying in the bullhead alone, hearing ringing in his ear. Sighing, he took a drink of his flask. He saw a bright light come around the mountain. "Yep, that's my cue, let's give them a show girl." He readied himself before engaging free flight controls.
The bullhead screamed forward before careening upwards as he pulled back on the flight stick. Qrow's eyes watered from the excitement and begins to sell it. Shooting off flares from the back, he sends it into a twirling dive before regaining flight. Heading right for the base's location, he whistles while another missile locked onto him!
"Jeez for an insane bastard, he sure has a lot of heavy equipment." He thought to himself before sending the bullhead into a barrel roll, "Come get some, you old bastard!"
He stalls the engines out momentarily after getting it a ninety-degree angle. The missile flew right under him, making him whoop as he turns the thrusters back on full blast. Shooting up into the sky, Qrow hears the radar pinging off his dashboard. Apparently, he was pissing them off something fierce, because now three missiles were fired at him. He clicked the flare launch button, he a click before they dispersed out the back. His entire role was getting into the base, so as he hit the afterburners, he put the bullhead on auto pilot.
He got to the back, pressing his finger into his left ear, "Thirty seconds!"
"Roger that, Raven will be waiting for you get to Belladonna. In, and out. Minato is getting ready to begin his part!" He heard Ozpin's voice in the earwig, "Don't take any chances, Ghira is the number one objective."
"Yes sir, but if I see any other captives…"
"Do not go after them, we can save them later, but Ghira Belladonna rescue is of primary concern!" Ozpin reissued his orders, giving Qrow no room to argue.
"Sir yes sir," Qrow sighed before turning around. "Alright…showtime."
He jumps off the open bay door, falling backwards as he watches the missiles impact the bullhead. Holding his arm out in front of him, he took a deep breath before transforming into a crow. His wings flapped hard as he nose dives into the separatist camp, watching as soldiers dodge the incoming wreckage.
"Works every time, okay, now which cave are you in?" Qrow thought to himself as he flew lower, he observed dozens of soldiers gearing up. "There's a lot more here than I thought."
He flies through several openings, coming inside one of the cave networks. There he sees something strange, androids from Atlas. In fact, these were shipments that were reportedly stolen months ago. His eyes widened at a mark eight paladin sitting in one of the loading areas. Cawing in frustration, Qrow slings himself upwards before going into another system of caves.
He stops flying when he comes across about three large cages with faunus stuck in them. His morality getting the best of him, he flies right up to the guard standing over them and transforms back into a human in time to knock him out with a well placed kick. Getting harbinger out, Qrow presses his finger to the earwig.
"Ozpin, I'm in, there's a bunch of captured civilians in here. I know what you said, but I'm not letting these people die!" Qrow yelled over the communications before using Harbinger to slice the bars apart.
A woman holding a small child comes out, nodding to him whilst several men go over to the guard. He starts screaming, only to get quickly silenced as they began to arm themselves. A young woman, with tiger ears walks up to him. "Hunter, are you here to save us?" She asked before watching him shake his head.
"No, I'm here for Ghira," Qrow told her before looking over her shoulder. "We're getting ready to launch an attack, do you know where Ghira could be?"
"Ghira is in the personal area of that bastard human who shot us down," She stated before looking at him. "Are you going to betray me, human, if the situation worsens out of your favor?"
"Sister, I'm already getting my asshole torn a new one when I get out of here by my boss. You're sticking with me, so let's go!" He replied before holding out his hand, "Qrow."
'I'm Sienna," She firmly greeted him before walking over to a desk, grabbing a chain. "This belongs to me."
"Well, no time like the present!" Qrow yelled before rallying the people, "Let's give them something they'll never forget!"
The Faunus who had armed themselves cheered before following him.
Minato smirks under his mask, Tori and Ahi stood next to him in similar looking masks. He cut the earwig off as Ozpin launched into a tirade at Qrow, he looked at his two students, all of them holding kunai with seals on them.
"You remember the plan, do not get directly involved with a fight." Minato reminded before sitting down cross legged, "We're a go in one minute."
Tori looked at Ahi, nodding before transforming into soldiers with her. They ran into the gates, none of the people on guard questioning them as pure pandemonium spread throughout. Ozpin may not have been happy about Qrow's little sudden change in plan, but he found it endearing. Slowly, orange pigment came around his eyes.
His senses expanding outward, he counted in his head. At least ninety soldiers, he found a purple looking energy signature that was weak. He felt Qrow's who was leading about two dozen others. Ozpin was with the extraction team, readying themselves. Tori and Ahi were fulfilling their roles it seemed, going around the missile trucks, plating kunai under them.
The plan of diversion was simple, shock and awe, make it well known that the battle was over before it ever began. However, one particular energy source felt…wrong. It was near what he assumed to be Ghira's, it was mixed, golden and black. Whereas the gold felt living, it was constantly being surpassed by the black energy signature. He only felt the energy signature come one thing, Grimm.
He had a lot of time to perfect this, and now he finally gets to use it. Opening his eyes, revealing golden eyes with bar sharp pupils. His senses felt everything around him, and then he saw two guard running toward him. Ahi and Tori release their transformations, sliding onto their knees in front of him, noticing his transformation.
"Sensei, the tags are planted." Tori stated before looking at him, "What's up with your eyes?"
"This is called Sage Mode," Minato told him before standing straight, taking a deep breath. "Do not come into the base, no matter what. Your part is done, son."
"Yes sir!" Tori saluted before sitting on his knees, "Ahi, we need to get clear…I have a feeling sensei is getting ready to run wild!"
Minato formed ten clones around him, each holding out their hands, forming a rasengan. The clones and him nudged their heads to Tori and Ahi, letting them know it was time for them to go! Ahi was scooped up by the bluenette before Minato and clones faced the base.
Sounds of gunfire erupting out of it, he took a deep breath, stepping forward slowly. "Sage Art…"
All of his clones and himself disappeared into multiple flashes of yellow. Appearing above the base's critical outside structures and missile trucks. The rasengan in each of the clones' hands grew massive, into the size of a beach ball. Screeching throughout the night, the soldiers around these things looked up slowly, fear filling their eyes as the blue light cascaded downward.
Minato then roared it out completely!
"Sage Art: Flying Thunder God Level Five Heavenly Arrow Fall!"
The base ignited in an explosion of blue light, sweeping clear all soldiers and structures on the outside. The mountains vibrating, rocking even. From a distance, Ozpin and Raven were awestruck as it seemed like the heavens sent down a wave of blue lights to crash down into the base. Suddenly, another wave of blue blasts through the bases walls, making them all scatter to pieces.
"Ozpin, what the fuck was that, did Mistral drop dust bombs?!"
Ozpin shakenly raises his hand up, pressing on the earwig, "Negative…Minato's idea of a distraction was to completely eliminate the base out of the picture."
"Well, he's got company, remember those androids that got stolen a few months back. Looks like the good colonel took them! I got Sienna Khan with me! We're moving on to Ghira's location forthwith!"
"Raven," Ozpin looked to her, "get ready!"
Raven took a deep breath and focuses, gripping the hilt of her katana.
Minato was walking toward the entrance of the main base. He felt bad for lying to Ozpin earlier, but this had to be done his way. Total shock and awe, no one was opposing his movements. Until he heard metal clanging, and saw dozens of machines come out of the cave. Bullets flew out of the air, with him long having dodged them.
Twirling through the air, forming a rasengan on in his right hand, he teleports to a kunai before picking it up with his free hand. Jumping up, he slings the kunai right into the middle of the machines. He teleports, appearing in the middle of the group before slamming the rasengan downward. It blasts them away, scattering them.
Unlike the humans however, most were able to start getting back up. Minato figured this might be the case, and ran forward. Slashing with wind charka coating his kunai he had picked back up. It formed a blade of wind as he casually reforms a rasengan in his off hand. One of the larger androids launched itself toward him, only to get blasted to pieces by the energy ball in his hands.
Minato smirks as he tosses the kunai up and catching it in a reverse grip. "It's been so long since I've been able to just let loose, so forgive me, Ozpin-san…these bones need a good warm up." He stated aloud before charging forward in a yellow streak of light.
As he passes by multiple machines, their heads flew off, followed by their bodies falling to pieces. Minato was spinning on his feet when he slashes multiple machines to pieces around him. He dives in between a group, landing on his hands before spinning around kicking them all to pieces. Oil splashes against him, running dark brown and red on his hands and legs. Spinning the wind sword in his hand, the blonde found another large android before decapitating it and slamming a rasengan into its main body.
It must've looked like miniature explosions from where Ozpin's group must've been standing. He hoped that something was recording this somewhere. It was actions that would make the boldest statement, his camp had gotten attacked.
His people had been nothing but peaceful, and now he would show the results of attacking his home. If Remnant wanted The Yellow Flash of Konoha, then they would get what they wanted! He gave a war cry as he ran through a group of machines again, shredding a dozen of them in a blink of an eye. Time around him seemed to slow down!
Minato then heard the marching of another batch of androids, sighing to himself as he felt the vibrations in the ground.
"This is Minato, send your people in Ozpin, I got the entire outside."
Ozpin nods to Raven who slashes a red portal into existence. He, and the other volunteers quickly entered it. Sapo charging forward just in time to tackle Midori out of the way of an errant bullet. He covered her with his body before putting rounds down range.
Hephaestus watches as the Headmaster of Beacon formed a barrier around them, trapping any droids and soldiers on the other side. He watched as Qrow organized everyone, looking at a map he got off a dead solider. They were getting close, hopefully the colonel hadn't killed Ghira yet, this operation was going smoothly, save for the absolute apocalypse going on outside!
"Is that really Minato, doing all that outside?" Qrow questioned Ozpin while readying himself with Raven to hold off the soldiers advancing up the rear.
"Yes," Ozpin said with a small smile, "He's truly the monster I'd figured he be and more."
"As long as he fights for our side, I don't give a shit, he can kick their asses all year long!" The male Brawen twin shouted excitedly before dodging a bullet, "I think your shield is failing."
"It is, get ready, and go!" Ozpin shouted before dropping the barrier as the siblings charged forward.
He looks toward Sienna, "Lead the way, Ms. Khan."
They watched as Hephaestus's soldiers, and Midori stayed back. The group supporting Qrow and Raven as androids came alone and started attacking more in troves. Ozpin and Sienna round a corner, only to get cut off by more robots. Cursing, he puts up another energy barrier, barely holding back the weapons mass assault on it.
This probably meant the colonel had been stealing shipments for nearly a year!
His eyes began to glow, getting ready to unleash something that only Qrow and Raven knew about fully. Only for the robots to turn around in mass, and then fall to pieces as Minato careened forward. His eyes no longer golden, but pure cerulean, he had sweat on his forehead. Wiping it off with his sleeve, the young man walked forwards, watching as Ozpin gave him a look.
"I thought you said distraction, Mr. Namikaze?" Ozpin questioned him, although a smirk did form over his face.
The blonde simply smirked before rushing past him. Sienna and Ozpin followed suite, but nowhere near able to keep up. They watch as he careens around corners at blinding speed, leaving behind a trail of light somehow.
Colonel Arnold was at first furious, but now desperate. He rushes toward where he had Ghira Belladonna. Demanding that the cameras be broadcasting, in his hands was pistol. Festus, and his communication's specialist made it into the room.
Ghira was smirking all the while, "A bit early, aren't you?"
"You shut your mouth," Colonel warned him before checking his pistol. "My army wasn't mostly populated by warm bodies anyway. Soon enough the androids that I've gathered over the year will be whittling down this little rescue attempt."
The chieftain of Kuo Kuana stood tall on his toes, "Then I'll die standing up for I believe in, that everyone faunus on this planet holds equal rights to the human next to them."
"Then you'll die a fool," Colonel Arnold stated before loading the gun. "It's time to die, Ghira Belladonna!"
"Kali…if you are seeing this, look away dear, and know that I love you." Ghira pleaded with his wife before bravely pressing his forehead to the barrel, "I fear not the end…but all that I may love meet its end."
Colonel Arnold mocks him one last jeer, "That's all, some stupid pacifist proverb?"
"It's not a pacifist proverb, it's a call to righteous action." He corrected the colonel before closing his eyes, "Something you'd know nothing about."
"Defiant to the end," Colonel Arnold chuckled before squeezing the trigger!
A woman sitting in front of a live video feed stood up, screaming as the camera cut out. She held her stomach, sobbing. Her catlike ears folded backwards as she screamed in anguish. Though she didn't see the end result, she heard the shot before the camera cut out.
Falling to her knees, she clutched her pregnant belly. "Ghira, no!" She screamed, sobbing into the floor.
Raw animalistic screams originating from her as her guards came into the room, helping her up. They dragged her away from screen, a sobbing mess. One of them held her close, a woman, with rabbit ears. She managed to sit her mistress onto the couch inside the main room of the large house.
"Lady Kali," she got the woman's attention, "you need to breathe."
"They killed my husband…they shot him!" She sobbed before burying her face into her hands.
"GHIRA!"
Time seemed to have stop, as Ghira faced down, his body having gone slack against the chains.
The echo of the gunshot resounded throughout the room. Blood flew to the side, and Ghira's eyes opened slowly. It wasn't his blood however, as the colonel clutched a bloody stump where his hand used to be. A man with golden hair stood in front of him, currently cocking his leg back before kicking Festus across the room.
Colonel watched his specialist who was manning the camera fall to the side. His neck slashed open, and before he could do much to react. The golden-haired man jumped up, delivering a flying hook kick that sent him onto the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand. In one motion, spinning upon landing the man cut through Ghira's chains.
Ghira fell into the man's back shoulder, and felt something anchor him there as the same man brought a blue ball down on the colonel's back. He heard the man scream before it suddenly died! Then he felt the motion of the person carrying him running, and running at such blistering speeds that he barely caught the glimpse of Sienna as she entered the room with Ozpin of all people!
Sienna Khan not knowing what to do, ran back out to follow Minato. Leaving Ozpin all alone with the colonel, watching as his dead body twitched before a Grimm slithered out of it. His eyes widened before he formed runs over his hands and sent a green wave of energy out that annihilated it.
"So…it was your doing, for all this, Salem."
Those Who Endure!
Ghira awoke inside of a camp, near the western shores of Anima. He was breathing rapidly, checking his head where the bullet should've killed him. It all came back to him slowly, on how he was saved. A green-haired fox faunus looked up, smiling.
"Minato-sama," she called over to a golden-haired man. "Ghira Belladonna has awoken!"
"Thank you, Midori-san," The blonde man thanked her before entering the same space as Ghira.
The man noted the soft cerulean eyes, was this truly the man who had saved him? How long had he been here, what all had happened? These couple of questions, and dozens more floated in his head. The man, Minato, a human sat next to his cot.
Minato took a moment, sighing, "You gave us a scare there. You've been out for nearly two days."
"Two days…Kali!" Ghira shouted as he shot up, wincing from the bruises across his body.
Ozpin walked in, surprising the large faunus. Quickly he got out his scroll, dialing a number. It flickered to life as a familiar face filled the screen of it. It was her, his beautiful bellflower! He leans up, looking at her as if she was a mirage in the great waste. She reaches her hand out to him through the screen, and he did the same. Both touching each other's fingers through it.
She nearly stars to sob, "I thought you were dead…I watched it. It cut off right as the gun went off, my love."
"I'm not going anywhere, not soon anyway, Kali. I'll be getting on the first flight back home," He told his wife before groaning, feeling stiches on the side of his head.
"Ozpin said I was almost a tad too late, luckily it was superficial. I cannot say the same about this Colonel Arnold and his men." Minato told him before looking into the screen, giving the man's wife a nod, "Hello Mrs. Belladonna."
"Ghira, you're not being held captive by more humans, are you?" She questioned, a slight concern in her voice.
Ghira looks at them, taking a moment to gather himself, "Where am I?"
"You're near the western shores of Anima, inside my camp." The golden-haired man revealed to him, "I don't think you've ever heard of us."
"Camp…nomadic camps in Mistral, it can't be. You're from the group that has been calling themselves The Taiyō Movement!" Ghira realized with his yellow eyes widening, "I thought they exaggerated you."
"Understandable, but they did the complete opposite. I understood that Colonel Arnold was a threat to not only to stability here on Anima, but also to the countless innocent lives that would've been lost. I acted," Minato said before leaning back in his chair.
"You're the one that saved my husband?" Kali asked Minato while looking at him, "Did they attack you as well?"
"Not exactly, they tried, and threatened my wife. Which got me in a less than diplomatic mood," He admitted before smiling. "You have yourself here a genuinely brave man, Mrs. Belladonna."
"We've watched the video, lesser men would've begged, yet your husband remained firm. Hopefully, we can turn this near tragedy into something can channel the good." Ozpin told Kali before looking at Ghira, "You don't owe me anything. Minato and his followers did most of the work."
Ghira nods and took a minute lo think to himself. After the moment was up, he looks right at Minato, "What will you do from here, surely this will make you political target."
"Been there, done that, I guess I'll just keep doing the right thing by my people." Minato replied before seeing the smile gracing the chieftain's lips, "What's on your mind?"
"I heard that you, and your followers have these powers that bend nature. Perhaps, I'm just suggesting, you build a home somewhere. A true home, not some camp," He clarified before getting up out of the cot slowly, "Is it okay that I walk?"
"Sure is, Mrs. Belladonna we'll give you a call back, it may get a tad loud." Ozpin stated before letting her look at her husband.
Kali gathers herself, and smiles, "Make it home safely my dearest love."
"I'll try, no promises," Ghira replied with a small laugh before groaning. "Ooh my back hurts, probably from where they had me chained up."
"We'll work on that when you get home."
Ghira smiles before nodding to Ozpin, he clicks the end-call button. Minato comes over, draping the large man's shoulder over his. "Just in case you get lightheaded, Ghira-san." He explained before they began to walk out toward the exit of the tent.
Upon exiting the tent, Ghira's eyes widened. There weren't just dozens of people, there was hundreds standing outside. His White Fang standing with humans from the camp, and ex-Mistralian soldiers. They were cheering as he raised his free arm up, holding a fist to the sky.
"Ghira!"
"Ghira!"
"Ghira!"
"Ghira!"
Minato smiles, looking at the big man, "Looks like you not only inspired your people, but mine as well."
"Indeed, it does, I wonder what this means for the future?" Ghira questioned while looking at them intermingling.
"You suggested that we find a place to settle, no doubt after all of this breaks out people will flock to both our movements. Perhaps, it would be best that we stand on a united front? Not exactly combing the two, but both groups supporting each other." Minato offered up while watching the crowds continue celebrate.
"You mean, you would move your people to Menagerie? You do realize that it's mostly desert, and my people inhabit the only true habitable portion of it?" The chieftain replied, questioning Minato on his lack of knowledge.
"Like you said, we can bend elements to our whims. I'm sure, with my students ever growing in number and learning, we could make do." The Leader of Taiyō lightly argued with a smile on his face.
"It'll be a long journey," Ghira stated before he saw a redheaded woman holding a swollen stomach. "Is she your wife?"
"Yes, she is, perhaps they can get well acquainted together? That's if you'll have us, I do not presume to rule, they are your lands after all." Minato stated before looking back to him, "Let's continue this another time…for now let's celebrate."
Ghira smiles before they both start walking forward.
"Let's go celebrate together then."
Author's Note!
BANG!
This is nearing the conclusion of Minato's arc, and the foundations of this story. Guess who is coming, and soon? Come back next time to see what happens!
Thank you all for following, and as stated before depending on how far I get into it…this may change into an M rating. So, stand by on that.
Leave a review, and let's continue kicking 2023 off with a Yang…I mean Bang, sorry I got Roaring Sun up next!
-Blazeraptor54!