Maria, Lapis, and Sapphire were walking along the forest trail into Eastern Patch. Sapphire was holding a book in her hand, a book on Grimm. She flipped the pages, with a small satchel bouncing on her side. Lapis was looking ahead, his small hunting knife strapped near his hip.

"So, why did you send Naruto ahead of us?" Sapphire inquired while looking over her shoulder toward Maria, "Seems a little dangerous."

"Oh, trust me dear, Naruto can handle himself. Lapis, see anything black out in the woods besides the dead wood?" Maria inquired as she followed behind the young man, his shake of the head was answer enough, "Bit of a shame…wanted to see how you'd do against a beowolf."

"Granny Maria, this friend of yours, Mallari, is she a nice person?" Sapphira asked while walking backwards, still concerned about Naruto. "Is she going to make fun of Naruto because he can't speak?"

"Heavens no dear, she's a good person. I practically brought her up under my wing in my younger days. Although, to be fair, she was a teen when I was entering my twenties. Sadly, I burned out a lot younger in my career," the old woman told Sapphire as they walked, "Are you wanting to become a Huntress?"

"I don't know, honestly, I want to study the Grimm. Because I believe that knowing about them gives us a leg up at all times!" the young bluenette exclaimed with a smile, her wolf ears twitching from the wind.

Maria nods, and stares out into the woods, sighing as she focused on the direct Naruto went for his own training exercise.

"Happy Hunting, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto was currently scouting ahead of the group. His cerulean eyes tracing over the snow-covered dirt path. He kept out of sight by sticking to the trees. For every branch he stepped on, snow would droop down onto the ground below. He had a knife inside of a hip holster that Maria kept with her as a backup weapon.

It was seven inches long, with a thick one edge blade. It slightly reminded him of the kunai he had back home, but it was different since the blade was fully flat. She called it a kabar knife, which was common combat knife she had gotten in Vale during a trip years ago. The brown leather handle had a firm grip tightly around it as Naruto came across a beowolf.

Activating his aura, his opponent didn't notice as he silently leapt from the tree. Pulling the knife out in a reverse grip, he angled himself to where he could grab the neck of the beast while falling! The force forcing the beast to keel over him with him at it's back, wrapping his legs around it's chest and arms. It struggled to move, grunting, and growling as Naruto cut the beast's throat in a quick outward slash after stabbing the knife through!

"Still got it," Naruto praised himself before flipping the knife up to catch the edge of it. "Here we go, showtime, dattebayo!"

He sends the knife sailing right into the skull of a hidden beowolf who came out of hiding! Naruto dashes forward, getting the knife before rolling forward to avoid a claw slash. Maria had wanted him to scout ahead and try to get some feeling of combat with an aura! It felt surreal to Naruto, every single movement of his was more fluid than normal!

His body leans back to avoid a slash from the monster's left claw. Using his smaller size, Naruto flanks it on the left while it's arm is extended out, and slashes right through where it's rib cage should've been! A clean slash, deprived of any sort of gunk on the blade! He reverses his grip just in time to backflip over the now charging demon wolf. As he back flips, his perception of movement around him slows down.

Heart beating rapidly, Naruto bit his lip while bringing his hands into a hand seal. He begins to channel chakra, only for his aura to immediately break afterwards! His eyes widened before time sped back up, and he was forced to dodge another hidden demon wolf as it tried to flank him! Forming three clones, two of them tackled the charging wolf while the third fishes off the nearly dead on.

He saw where his aura was crackling around him, confused, and hearing his clones fighting in the background. Naruto took a deep breath, reactivating his aura but also hearing his clones disperse. It was then he saw what they had seen, which made his head feel swimmy briefly.

As the wolf recovered from being on the ground, it charges straight at Naruto. The blonde forming the hand seal again, trying to maintain his aura while using chakra. The result ended up being him forming a single clone, but that was it, not the three he aimed for!

"What's going on here, I'm not understanding, this shouldn't be difficult for me!" Naruto questioned himself as he sidestepped with his clone, who lowered his hands towards the blonde's outstretch right hand.

Still focusing on keeping his aura up, he felt the chakra beginning to mold. It immediately backfires, dispersing, his eyes widened as the beast closed the gap quickly. It roared out before tackling the clone to the ground and ripping it's neck out. Luckily, it dispersed into smoke just in time to distract he beast. Naruto appears behind it, twirling in the air to add moment before he nearly decapitates the beast.

Sliding to a stop his cerulean eyes caught sight of something rolling toward him. Confused at first, he noted that it was crashing through the bushes. His senses alerting him, he dodges to the left as plows right out of a deadwood tree. It unrolls itself from the death wheel it had assumed. Naruto got a good look at it. The beast was some sort of boar Grimm.

It snorts, smelling the air for him, and that's when he saw it's distinctly small four eyes. Finding him, it turns on it's hoofs before curling back into the death wheel and charging right at him. Naruto sidesteps to the right twisting his body to maintain eye contact with the beast. Taking slow breaths, he saw that his aura was still flowing around his body. He ran over toward a tree, finding that minimum chakra control was still within his grasp, and runs up it. The beast began to circle the tree before cutting into it between passes!

Making the tree fall over, it creaked and groaned loudly as the dead oak collapsed to the ground. Naruto landed on his feet, sliding on the ice and snow before spinning around in time to see the death wheel heading right for him! Rolling to the side, he forms a single clone again and jumps back to avoid the next charge with the clone.

"Okay, take two, Rasengan with aura. This is my jutsu, I know how to do this by heart!" Naruto complained while holding his right hand, holding the kabar in his left.

The chakra began to mold, slowly the orange of the aura began to mix into it just a smidge. Which should've been a good sign until the ball misshapes and explodes in his hand! It knocks him back while dispersing the clone. He felt a burning sensation on his hand as he looked down, grimacing as he saw several bruises and cuts.

Righting himself midflight, Naruto slams the kabar knife into the ground to slow himself. His eyes glaring with malice. He growls while the beast came back around, "What the hell is going here, I can easily do this!" He chided himself mentally before biting his cheek as the beast circled around him.

"This aura energy is messing with your charka flow, just deactivate it, and kill the damned thing." Naruto heard The Nine Tails instruct him, ignoring him as he maintained his aura. "This thing is lightwork for you if you use chakra, why do you limit yourself to this…lesser state?"

"It's not lesser when it comes to my senses, haven't noticed that, Nine Tails? I can perceive things better, my moves are faster, and I feel stronger! I just don't understand," Naruto leapt to the side before seeing it pass by him, and backflipping to avoid it's return roll. "Why…"

He forms another clone, holding out his hand again before charging forward with it. The blue ball began to reform again, only to have the aura mix in with it. It began to misshape, wobbling in his palm. Throwing it forward anyway, the misshapen ball impacts the death wheeling Grimm. It strikes him, although he didn't get a spiral out of it, it did blast the monster back!

"Got some progress, yes!"

It rolled onto its side on the ground, flopping right into a tree. Naruto took a deep breath, correcting his grip on the knife as he charges forward. He ran full tilt, putting both of his hands behind him. As the monster starts to get up, Naruto leapt up in a twirl to gather momentum. Slamming the knife into the side of the beast as he came down, and digging deep! It screeched in pain, roaring as it attempted to get upright!

The blonde grunted before slashing his way down it's stomach. Dark fluid and smoke poured from the wound as he slid on his knees. Pulling the knife out, quickly sheathing it while he sat on his knees. The blonde's cerulean eyes glowed for a brief moment before he smiled. His aura came off him, he turns around and sheaths knife while having a confident smile on his face.

He was about to take a step away when he heard crashing. Followed by a roar, turns out that those Grimm also traveled in groups. In this case, it was groups of two! The blonde barely rolled out of the way in time before reequipping his knife. Pouring aura into it, he noted that the monster crashed right through a large tree.

If he had been hit, it would've hurt a lot!

Taking a deep breath he charges forward, following the death wheeling boar. It turns right back toward him, but as it neared him, the blonde forms the hand seal for his jutsu. A couple of clones form next to him, and they combine their hands together before whipping out of the way, and into the air. Flying over the canopy, Naruto tracks the beast through the branches, and landing on top of a taller tree. Not waiting for it to cut the tree down, Naruto decided to play dirty. Pouring a large amount of aura into the knife, he steps off the bark. Holding it out like one would a rapier, he took a deep breath and aimed.

His cerulean eyes followed the rolling movements of the death wheel Grimm. He smirked before kicking off the tree, speeding his descent downward. Capitalizing on his moment, he threw his body forward, ramming the knife the through the beast's chest in the tiny gap that appeared during the rolling process. Pushing the butt of the handle, he drives all seven inches into the beast's chest where it's heart should be.

The force of the impact stops it's death wheeling, and allows Naruto surf on it's body briefly. He was breathing hard, but the biggest grin was on his face. "Oh, the sharingan can suck it, this is awesome!" Naruto boasted to himself before leaping back off.

He pumped his fist in victory before sheathing the knife back with a click. His blonde hair waved in the wind as the bangs stretched down past his ears. His aura flickers before dispersing, and immediately all of the heightened senses ended with it. He frowns before smirking as he tries to reactivate it, noting that he couldn't.

"I guess it's the delay Granny Maria was talking about," The blonde remembered what she said about aura needing to recharge if broken. "This is awesome though, I love it, but it sucks it messes with my chakra though…"

"But it's still possible…I just got to train with it." Naruto encouraged himself before pulling his jacket's hood over his ears. "Seriously though, you can't sit there and tell that this wasn't a badass thing I did!"

"Heh, I'll never admit to it, brat." The Nine Tails chortled before repairing the damage on Naruto's hand, "Still…this aura energy is powerful. Physically your superior when using it, but you're trading your chakra control and techniques using chakra said chakra control."

"Not really, I mean I just need to practice, I bet I can get it down within the few months before I apply to Pharos Academy!" He betted while walking toward where he had come from to meet back up with Maria and the rest of the group.

"Why would even bother, you've repaid your debt to the woman when you saved her that day…let's be honest, you're scared of not being able to move on by yourself." The Nine Tails antagonized him before he felt anger rise in the boy, "Did I hit a little too close to home?"

"Will you just shut up, furball. This isn't about that, I need a sense of purpose," Naruto looked over his shoulder, "They would've wanted that for me."

"Then are you going to let them sleep? You keep them close to your heart, but you're not fully truthful with that old woman either. You weren't captured, you walked there fully intending die with me." He growled while continuingly pointed out things, "What do you think she'll say if you told her that you surrendered yourself to them?"

"I think she'd be sympathetic, but Granny Maria deserves my undying loyalty for all that she's doing for me. I'm not using no to replace anyone, I'm trying to move…wait…" Naruto senses caught something in the air, he focused and heard a growl.

Reaching down to his kabar, Naruto took a deep breath before turning around! He saw it right there and then, in the distance. It looked like a beowolf, but something was wrong with it. It's limbs disjointed, thin, and spindly. It seemed to blend with the black deadwood around the area. It's bones creaked, crept, and cracked as it moved behind one of the trees.

Naruto gazed at the tree it hid behind, "It's not a beowolf…what are you?"

He pulled the kabar out slowly, not making any sudden moves. Something about this Grimm seemed off, way off, it wasn't going in for an attack. Taking a step forward, the blonde heard a screech before a sudden sharpened branch was launched right out at him. He barely sidestepped out of the way of the makeshift spear. He heard scurrying around him, following the noises before taking a deep breath.

"It's hunting you, interesting, this isn't a mindless beast…"

"Naruto!" Naruto's eyes widened as he turned toward Maria and the others, "Why are you so jumpy, are you okay?"

He heard another creaking noise before hearing a snap. Running full tilt, he barely pulls Sapphire out of the way of the next makeshift spear! It bit into his shoulder, slicing it open, fresh ichor pouring down. He growled under his breath before feeling his wound starting to close. Lapis stood next to Maria, a small knife in his hands as well, looking around.

"ADA, activate Cyrano Protocol!" Maria ordered her prothesis AI, it began to highlight areas in her vision.

"Yo, Naruto, are you good?!" Lapis yelled out as he looked around, "What the hell are you fighting out here!"

"Some weird beowolf," Naruto signed while still holding Sapphire, his eyes observing the movements of the trees.

"Um, Naru, did this thing kind of have really thin arms?" Sapphire questioned while looking off to the right, near the top of a tree, "because that's not a beowolf!"

The Grimm held another branch in it's hands, already biting into it to make spear! It seemingly cackled as it targets Maria, who jumps out of the way, using Death by slinging the kama right at it! It twirled into the air, rending it with ringing slices. When it misses, she activates the gravity dust in her glove and pulls it back toward her.

"Sapphire, you've been studying that Grimm book of mine, haven't you? Very good identification little one, this isn't a beowolf. Although the two can be confused from a distance, this thing is known as Wendigo." Maria taught the group on the fly as she turns to where her AI was painting noises from the treetops.

Naruto took his kabar, flipping the blade around before standing nudging Sapphire back. She got to where she was at the center of the of her brother, Maria, and Naruto. Covered from one-hundred-twenty-degree angles each. Lapis took a deep breath, shuddering as he heard it cackle. "Why does it keep doing that, is it trying to talk?" He questioned only for it further up the creep factor!

"Is it trying to talk, is it trying to talk, Sapphire you've been studying that Grimm book of mine, haven't you?"

"Wendigo Grimm are very dangerous, not because of their strength. They're strong enough to take down bears, but the fact they're classified as one of most intelligent Grimm. They lure people by mimicking voices of loved ones…friends…hell anyone." Maria explained to Lapis while she saw her prothesis targeting a particular tree.

Roaring out, the old woman tilts on her heel before letting Death fly. It rends the air with the same whistling slashes. The Grimm appeared, showing it's humanlike face with razor sharp teeth akin to beowolves. it hissed before jumping down toward another group of trees. Maria pulls back with her glove before her AI warns her, the beast reaches out and snatches Death before hitching a ride!

"Incoming!"

Maria pushes Lapis while Naruto grabs and sling Sapphire out of the way. He spins around after doing so just in time to catch of the claws against his knife. He watches as Maria's aura blocks the next slash, "She wasn't kidding, this thing is strong!" Naruto thought while holding the claw back.

That's when a rock bounces off the monster's head, "Get off them, you freak!"

Sapphire throws another rock, while Lapis comes around back as fast as he could. He jumped up, grabbing his small knife with both hands. "Got you!" He yelled out, only for the claws of the beast to grab him midflight as it suddenly turned around!

"Lapis!" Sapphire screamed as she watch it dart into the trees.

Naruto's eyes widened before he jumped up after it. He landed on the tree, slashing with the kabar, while Lapis was kicking the beast's with all his strength. He cuts one of the claws off the beast, before it jumps with Lapis again, Naruto grabs on tight to it it's hand. As the air rushes over the boys, they could hear Maria shouting in the background.

Lapis screams bloody murder as his aura starts to flicker, "Oh Gods man, not like this!"

Naruto goes to stab it in the head only for them to crash through some top deadwood. His kabar knife gets knocked out of his hands before the Wendigo Grimm screeches and smashes itself against a tree back first. Naruto grunts with the hit, trying to get his hands together to form a hand seal, anything!

It raises it's free claws at Lapis, going for a kill strike! Naruto crawls forward, grabbing the hand only to feel teeth sink into his side! He grunts in pain, throwing several elbows to make it stop. Lapis grabbed at it's other claw, trying to hold it!

"Oh shit!" He screamed when the Wendigo crouched down and leapt upwards through the canopy again. "Naruto!"

Naruto felt his grip slipping, but he fell back and reached out to regrip his arms around the monster's neck. He growled, interlocking his legs onto the beast's chest as he rode it piggyback. He tried to snap it's neck, finding it too stiff to do so. As they lowered to the ground, he took a deep breath.

"Gods man, let go, just please take care of Sapphire!" Lapis screamed as he saw Naruto's wounds, "It's okay man, it's okay!"

Shaking his head as they were forced upward again. Naruto found his eyes looking into Lapis's golden yellow ones. The two formed an understanding right there and then, neither were leaving the other to this thing alone. Which made Naruto remember Kakashi, and Sakura. His heart began to race as the Wendigo crouches down again.

Right before it leaps, Naruto loosens his legs grip and clambers over top of it. He angles himself to where he kicks Lapis out of it's grip. Instead, he fell into the now gripping hand as it leapt! Claws raked his side as it grabbed ahold, and held on tightly! Kicking hard, with chakra enhanced kicks, Naruto found it's grip loosen to where he flew back onto it's neck. Loosely grabbing ahold with one arm, he growls deeper while feeling his anger boil over!

"Are you going to let it continue to savage you, Naruto?"

It landed back on the ground, managing to fling Naruto off. The blonde went to make a hand seal only for it to close the distance impossibly fast! It roars out, rearing it's head back as it tackles him to the ground! Naruto brought his arm up to defend himself, only for it to suddenly send it's head downwards!

It then did the one thing that made him scream out in pain involuntarily, it bit his arm! The broken scream rends his throat as Naruto felt the teeth dig in, almost to the bone. Growling, he felt it happen, his eyes began to burn red before he drags out his arm. The teeth raking flesh, cutting it deeply, blood pouring down in troves. Dripping onto his face as his claws grew in the place of his fingernails. Roaring out soundlessly, he pushes it off him. It roared back at him, unleashing it's mightiest screech yet. Naruto, however, wasn't in the drivers seat anymore! His rage boiled over, red chakra began to swirl around him, and his crimson red eyes glowing with power!

"Rip it apart, animalize it!"

They both circle each other, Naruto no longer standing like a human. He crawled on all fours, growling and snapping at the beast like it did him. The tears in his arms starting to fully close up, and steam. The Grimm and him circle once more before tackling into each other. Claws slashing into each other, teeth biting into each other, blood splattering the snow when the beast would bite into a shoulder trying to reach his neck. Naruto in turn smashes his elbow to deflect the bites to his shoulder as he took bites out of the beast.

Long canines ripped into the black flesh, ripping chunks out as they disappeared into smoke!

"More Naruto, more, rip and tear until it is done!"

Both jumped back from each other, with Naruto's blood staining the ground around him. Steam rising off the wounds as he heals!

"Why are you hesitating, use my power, do you want to lose them again?!"

Naruto sprints forward on all fours, tackling the beast. They tumble forward, clawing at each other. Naruto successfully winds up on top, crashing his fists down repeatedly on the face of the Wendigo! Drawing back, delivering a right hook, and then left, repeating until several of it's teeth were broken.

Grabbing the tufts of fur on it's chest, Naruto yanks it up into right hooks. Each one taking pieces of the bony armor upon it's face! His knuckles became bloodied, only to heal up! "Die, just die!" Naruto screamed internally while constantly punching the beast.

It kicked him off, slamming him into a tree. It roared out at him, preparing to jump away and head back toward the other easier prey. Naruto's red eyes saw this, and it sent him over the edge as a red cloak began to form around him!

"HIIIYAAAA!"

The Grimm turned to the roar before getting tackled by a long red chakra arm. It was reeled in backwards before Naruto's lips turned black with black rings forming around his eyes! His chakra network fully functioning for the first time in a long time! It wriggled free, but Naruto wouldn't have that! Oh no, it needed to die, slowly! He wanted to show his dominance to all other beasts in this forest, there was no greater monster here than him!

Naruto slams both of his hands into the beast's jaws as it tried jumping to safety. He yanks downward before slamming it into the snow. He struggles to keep it's mouth open, knowing that if it closes, he'd lose his hands! He began to slowly wrench it back, more and more, and more! It popped, it cracked, and the tearing of black flesh vindicated his efforts as it cheeks split open.

"Get angrier, rip it apart, show it what a monster really is!"

Naruto dug his newly formed claws into the mouth of the Wendigo, red energy flowed over him before he yanks back! The Grimm's head splits off from the bottom jaw, a wet jet of black fluid hit ground before turning into black smoke. Naruto rolled back, holding the ripped off part of the head in his hands, breathing hard as his wounds closed and steamed!

He raises the piece of head up, roaring out, "HIIIYAAAA!"

"I can sense others coming toward you…give in to me…let me guide your power! Naruto Uzumaki, you cannot deny that this doesn't feel…right. Let me control those claws, let me guide your eyes, let me take your pain away!" Kurama seduced the boy with power as Naruto's black lips curved into an evil smile, "Good…let me give your voice back, speak my truth with it!"

Naruto was about to bring his hand down to his stomach, kanji appearing on each individual fingertips! He closes his eyes, breathing in deep as he saw them. Sakura, and Kakashi…both of them dead…both of them begging him for help!

"No more Kakashis…No more Sakuras…I alone can protect them all!"

"Naruto…"
"Naruto!"
"Naru!"
"Boy!"

Naruto eyes snapped open as the power recedes into him, with Kurama growling in frustration! The blonde was breathing hard as he looked down at his hand. It rested against his stomach, getting ready to turn! He pulled away immediately, backing away as he looked around the area. Fresh red snow layered the ground as he sat down on his knees.

He heard them calling his name, but made no effort for them to locate him.

"I knew it…I thought we had built a bridge, or something, Nine Tails. You just tried to possess me!" Naruto accused him as he sat there shaking, his wounds fully healed, but his jacket ripped into shreds nearly making him topless.

He heard it chuckle in his head, "It's in my nature…let's be honest you enjoyed it."

"Enjoy it! What have you done, you nearly made me lose control…what if they were around, would you have killed them?!" Naruto screamed mentally, while clutching at the snow, beginning to hyperventilate.

"Oh please, the blood would solely rest on your hands. You're pathetic, I thought you were still the warrior who wanted to die that day…apparently being in this world has softened you! Here is a stone-cold fact, the strong survive and the weak die. If you want to live, than you need to be stronger than anything in this world…stronger than even human morality." The Nine Tails instructed him, while chuckling, "If I offer the power and you take it, who is truly the evil person here?"

"You are, you stupid idiot! Why would you do this, screw the whole it's my nature crap! I thought we were bonding, is this what that one guy would want?! Ashura!" Naruto replied angrily mentally before feeling pain retch through his gut, making him vomit.

"Keep his name, out of your damned mouth, Jinchuuriki!"
"If you ever threaten my friends again, I'll throw us off the nearest cliff!"
"Please, like that would work, I'll just repair all those broke little bones!"
"Then I'll break myself to the point that you'll just be living in a shell!"
"Brave words boy, but can you muster that same courage again…"

"A coward like you, who can't even admit to the supposed person you a life's debt too that you weren't captured…you surrendered yourself. You'll never be anything more than that pathetic runt that let his friends die in his place!" The Nine Tails roared out at him mentally, making Naruto start to cry, "Try to at least keep these ones around a little bit longer than the last…"

"Go fuck yourself, you overgrown furball bastard!" Naruto screamed through the link before severing the mental link, "I'll never rely on your again, never…you want loneliness then you can have it!"

He sat there on his knees, feeling the cold air born his skin. All of a sudden, he heard them getting closer. Getting up, he slowly walks his way over toward them yelling out his name. He sees Lapis first, the bluenette jogging over to him!

"Oh, shit man, you okay I could've sworn you got yourself killed, why would you do something so stupi-…" Lapis suddenly had Naruto crash into him, wrapping him into a tight hug, he was about to say something when he felt the blonde's body rock with sobs.

The mop of blood-stained blonde hair was laying against his chest, making him feel slightly emotional himself. "Hey, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…I…" Naruto pulls his head back to show the broken eyes of his, "Oh man…dude…you really did try to take one for me."

Naruto signs to him, "It's because your kicking sucks."

Lapis's eyes fell onto the clearing, seeing blood everywhere. He backed off Naruto, almost pushing him off, "How are you alive?"

"I don't…" Naruto didn't get to finish until Lapis glared at him, "I may have…"

"You're hiding something from us," he looked at the blood in the clearing. "Did you unlock your semblance, or something?"

The blonde looks away before bashfully rubbing his arms, he lies, "I don't remember."

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay…" Lapis stated before patting Naruto's shoulder, but the blonde knew better…distrust filled Lapis's eyes. "Listen man, if something happened, you could tell me…I mean you saved my life!"

"I," Naruto hesitated before signing the rest, "I'm sorry but I don't know if you'd ever see me as your friend again if you knew. Please, just leave it at me unlocking my semblance."

Lapis heard Maria and Sapphire getting closer, he turns to Naruto and signs, "Is it something that could hurt my little sister?"

Naruto's hesitation spoke volumes, with Lapis signing to him, "Until you tell me…don't go around her alone, understood?"

"But I would never hurt her, friend. You know this, please don't do this!" Naruto practically begged in sign as he kept watching as Lapis stared at the clearing, "Please."

"I'm not believing the whole semblance story, because last I checked you needed aura to keep them active. Your blood is all over this clearing, don't lie about it to me. I'm not talking out loud because I don't want to scare Maria or Sapphire. You need to come clean to me, because I'm supposed to be your friend, you're supposed to trust me!" The bluenette angrily replied in sign before looking into his eyes, "You understand?"

His heart sank before he lowers his head, answering him, "Yes."

Lapis walks over toward Sapphire to intercept her whilst Maria walked over toward him. The blonde wanted to just run away, he turned to do so until he felt his arm grabbed by his adoptive grandmother. She held him firmly, looking at him.

"I saw everything with ADA, I'll talk with Lapis later. Naruto, walk with me, I don't want Sapphire to see this here." Maria stated while pointing out toward the blood, "I'm guessing that monster in you got out a little bit?"

He felt his heart race as he nodded, expecting Maria to make the executive choice of burying Death into his chest. She pats his face, "You're a hero," the words left her mouth softly before turning toward Sapphire who was hugging Lapis, but kept her gaze solely fixed on Naruto.

"That Wendigo would've carried Lapis back to a hidden cave somewhere, and devoured him. He's right about one thing, if it's a threat to any of us…you need to tell us." Maria cupped his face while smiling, "I can't speak for him, or her, but I'll be right besides you."

Naruto finally broke down before wrapping the old woman into a tight embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. It wasn't from Lapis's words, but he felt that fear of losing everything again! If he hadn't been there to move Sapphire out of the way, she'd been skewered, and Lapis would've gotten taken and eaten!

The blonde took a deep, shuddering, breath. He looks at the brother and sister, turning toward Maria, "Can we wait until we're at your friend's place?"

"Wherever you feel comfortable dear, I promise, and I'll talk with Lapis later…but promise me that you'll be honest about it." Maria implored before patting his shoulders, smiling, "Because that's what family is with each other."

Naruto eyes sparkled at the word, family, he smiles softly before leaning his forehead onto hers. He signed to where she could see it.

"Thanks, Grandma."

Broken Moon!
"Never apologize for showing feeling, my friend. Remember that when you do so, you apologize for truth."
-Benjamin Disraeli.

Naruto was sitting with Lapis near a campfire. Tomorrow night, they would arrive at Mallari's farmhouse. The blonde saw that Sapphire was cuddling near Maria, he smiles at her before taking a deep breath. He turns to Lapis, sighing, and getting his attention by waving his hand.

Lapis looked over to him, sighing, "What?"

The blonde took a deep breath before signing, "We're family, so we should be open and honest with each other…right?"

The bluenette nods his head, "Yep, usually how family works."

"I have been lying to you, and Sapphire. Maria has as well, I'm not really her grandson…" Naruto admitted before biting his lip, "And I'm not really from…here."

"Okay, yeah, right. Look man, if you're going to be super secretive about it just…" Whatever Lapis was going to say died on his tongue when Naruto formed a hand seal, and created three copies of himself. "W-wait, what?"

"It's called ninjutsu, it's common where I'm from…but here you'd probably call it magic." The blonde revealed before forming another hand seal, transforming the clones into copies of Lapis, Maria, and Sapphire.

Lapis shot up from his seat on the log, pointing right at Naruto, "Y-you're an alien?!"

Sapphire stirred from her sleep, making both stop. When it became clear that she wasn't going to wake up, Naruto turns back to Lapis, smiling. The bluenette was slightly worried, taking a moment to breathe before watching clones pop into smoke.

"Lapis, I was…" Naruto took a deep breath, "I surrendered myself to a group of people from my world. They killed my friends, and I wanted to die…but I didn't want to go without avenging them. So, I have a power inside of me, it's a living thing, and it's got one hell of a temper."

"Whoa-whoa, hold up, what do you mean living thing inside of you? I accept the fact that you were special to begin with, no normal person leaps twenty feet into the air and across the street. I always thought you were a little off base, but this…is wow…" Lapis breathed before realizing the other part, "You had a family prior to us ragtag bunch?"

Naruto scrounges his face up before having tears fall from his eyes, "They were closest thing to a family to me besides you guys."

"Why did they kill them, the people after you?" The bluenette inquired before watching Naruto lift his shirt and clap his hands together, a tattoo of some sort formed over his stomach, "Nice tat…but it's just appearing out of nowhere."

"We used a different type of energy than aura from where I'm from. It may also explain why mine is so strong, but I don't know. Inside of that tattoo is a seal, and inside of it is that living thing…he's called Nine Tails." Naruto explained to Lapis before watching his reaction, "And he's a monster…sealed into me when I was born."

"Okay, why would anyone do that to someone?! That's crazy, why didn't they give you a choice!" Lapis yelled out as he stood up gripping his head, shaking it, "You mean all this time you've been what…a ticking time bomb?"

"Not really, I hope not, but it's effected by emotional state. When I get angry, like really angry, he can take control of me. Which is why you saw all the blood…I was losing control till I heard you all." The blonde told Lapis through sign before bashfully looking away and rubbing his stomach.

"Wait, what do you mean heard us…you mean you were on the edge, but why would you freak out to begin with?" Lapis asked, genuinely concerned over Naruto, "I told you to just let me go…"

The blonde looks at him, tears falling from his eyes, "I didn't want to lose my friends, again."

That hit Lapis right in the heart, the bluenette feeling horrible from how he treated Naruto earlier. He sighed before smiling and sitting closer to him. "I don't give a damn if you're from some different world, you're my friend…and the closest thing to a younger brother I've ever had." He reaches out his fist to Naruto.

He bumps Lapis's fist before looking toward the campfire. The blonde signs to him, still looking into the fire, "I can teach you some moves."

"I can teach you how to cook in return, to be frank, your deer sucks." Lapis deadpanned before seeing Naruto get taken aback slightly before watching Lapis frowns, "So were you like some sort of child soldier?"

The blonde nods his head, replying, "Yes."

"Well, from now on, Naruto…Calavera…" Lapis corrects it for effect, watching Naruto smile, "Lapis Lazuli calls you his brother in arms!"

Naruto smiles brightly before he, and Lapis exchanged stories on their lives just a little bit more. In the morning, Maria would wake up to the two boys laying together shoulder to shoulder on the logs. She knew then that Naruto had told him, especially since his shirt was still lifted up over his stomach.

"Only together can we move forward, never forget that, Naruto."