Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth. Please support the official release.
Chapter 5: My New Friend is Awesome
Madara honestly could not properly think when Ruby came back from her completed investigation in Uzumaki artifacts. Perhaps it was his top tier shinobi instincts to see if she mistakenly brought in an undercover child spy. The chances of that were zero in fact, but that honed paranoia from a life of war was not done away. Or perhaps it was something that hit Madara on a more emotional level as a great-grandparent to a still very young girl six months into her double digit years. Either case, it both confused and conflicted Madara by not what Ruby brought but rather who she did bring.
Ruby brought a boy! And his first thoughts were aimed to heavy suspicion as his one onyx eye turned Rinnegan was leering upon the red-haired boy known as Shirou Arashi like a chip of ice. The only reason he had not done anything to the boy was Ruby's insistence (begging of multiple high-pitched 'Please!'), and Madara would never admit that he had very sore, soft spot for his direct family. Especially when his only direct descendant is a wonderful great-granddaughter giving those watery puppy eyes.
And he was supposed to be the Ghost of the Uchiha! The kind of person that became the boogeyman for today's children, and known in history as the God of Shinobi. All that brought low because of the whims by Ruby that he had a bleeding heart for his great-granddaughter.
'I bet your laughing at me from up there, aren't you Hashirama!?' Madara growled mentally, and if he focused enough he could hear the echoing roars of laughter of his best friend and rival.
Obito in meantime kept quiet and carefully watched from a distance at Ruby and the newcomer. Even it was a boy Ruby's age - who she brought! - the Uchiha avenger wasn't going to take off a suspicion if Shirou was some sort of spy from one of the shinobi villages. As soon as he saw any signs, he will strike unless Ruby was there to stop him from killing her friend as she loudly proclaimed when Ruby introduced the redhead to her family.
"Uhm... ohaiyo?" Greeted Shirou with a wave, sporting a nervous but kind smile.
Same smile was shared with Ruby who was standing protectively beside him. The both of them were facing the Ghost of the Uchiha where he sat on the stone throne. A few more white hairs littered his spiky mane, but his eyes still bore down with tremendous power going into a stoic glare on the redhead. Madara had to give credit to the boy that he did flinch under his gaze, or that he showed much of a reaction at all. Looking into his mismatched eyes, Madara could see a soul that was so broken, almost shattered. Not in a sense that Shirou was totally lifeless for in fact the kid seemed as bright as Ruby. Madara had rarely seen such a sight in a person and these came from people who made themselves live in very drastic lives that were bizarre in nature.
Though it would seem this so-called broken soul was trying to keep itself in shape, and Ruby was definitely helping the boy just with her presence. Madara would see reverence and the beginnings of loyalty every time he looked upon Ruby as if he would follow her to the ends of the earth. If it were any other way, well, the boy may have disappeared somewhere. After all, Madara like to think to himself that he set strict standards of who was deserving of Ruby.
"So this is Shirou." Ruby chirped. "And, uh, I wanted to bring him here."
"...Why?" Madara drawled with a single narrowed Rinnegan eye.
"Uhm," Ruby struggled as her demeanor turned nervous, "he's very interesting, and I - I just felt I had to take with me. I couldn't leave him be."
If Shirou took reaction to the former comment, then he hid very well. Madara did not break his hardened stare, but occasionally shifted it between his great-granddaughter and the redhead boy. Now that he looked at Shirou and his head of red hair, he figured that he was a pure Uzumaki unlike Ruby who was roughly 1/16 and even that was potent to a degree if her skills in fuinjutsu were anything to go by. The eyes were peculiar in their look besides providing the window to that broken soul Madara could see, Rinnegan or not.
"Ruby, did you actually have a plan when bringing me here?" Shirou asked in curiosity.
Ruby did not give an audible answer. In response, her body squirmed on the spot and her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. Madara could only sigh in exasperation at his great-granddaughter. She was unquestionably one of the most excellent and reserved when thrown into the chaos of combat, but Ruby has shown herself more than one occasion that she can a bit of an airhead without a plan and more likely follows her own heart. Ruby was still a child just shy of three years before her teenage years, and Madara could only hope they mellowed out until then.
"Ruby, do you want Shirou to stay?" Madara questioned.
"Please." Ruby pleaded with wide eyes.
Madara tried to suppress a cringe. Kami damn those puppy eyes!
"Fine, but," Madara iterated, leaving no room for interruption, "he is going to be your responsibility."
"Can he also train with me?" Ruby asked. "He's really, really talented. C'mon Shirou, show them what you showed me."
Shirou glanced at Ruby and gave a shrug. He held out his left hand outward to the side, and Madara saw the large and careful injection through the air from Shirou's palm. As soon as he saw that, wind started to climb in the cave that had no prior phenomenon before. Now Madara had his interests truly peaked in this child not only to express the control and reserves for chakra for feat of wind manipulation at that level without even any handsigns or knowledge. A natural-born prodigy for the elements perhaps?
"Now do that thing." Ruby said, though there was a hint of nervousness in her tone.
"Are you sure?" Shirou inquired, and he received a single nod.
This time, Shirou took more time to concentrate on his internal energies. With his Rinnegan, Madara watched as his chakra took three forms within him being wind, fire, and lightning. Then those elements flowed through his body to his left palm where to his shock they mixed. Madara was truly surprised at this shockingly deft talent of three nature manipulations, but to mix all three of them was only possible though a Kekkai Tota. His surprise only grew when his palm erupted a raging blast of that mixed chakra forward like a cannon into a random wall of the cave. The Rinnegan eye locked solely on the dark purple chakra erupted forth, studying its entire composition with its unique visual prowess.
The result of the chakra hitting stone was more baffling than what it appeared to be to the normal eye. To normal lookers, it looked as if the blast of chakra completely destroyed stone to dust and left a gaping hole big enough for a man to crawl through. Madara saw how the true destructive nature and it was a sight that he never had encountered in his life until now. He saw how the destructive chakra attacked at the smallest bit of everything and even the chakra suffused in that specific area. Nothing was as a result that surpassed the power of Dust Release that he had seen from the second Tsuchikage.
"A new Kekkei Tota." Madara stated in a low voice. "And a possible Uzumaki at that."
His one Rinnegan eye could see the massive well of chakra that was typical heritage of Uzumaki that was significantly larger than Ruby's own reserves. A blood test will simply give a more accurate read of the boy's lineage. At first Madara had a curiosity, but now he had his full attention on the boy. He saw untapped potential in the boy, and Madara was a man of his philosophy and he wouldn't dare squander such powerful potential. In Shirou, he saw the beginnings of someone who could become someone greater than his rival Hashirama just like Ruby was to him. The Ghost of the Uchiha was not bothered by the possible pretense of a growing rivalry between Ruby and Shirou because of bad blood between Uzumaki/Senju and Uchiha. That would be a whole different story if Ruby was anything like a typical Uchiha, and Shirou seemed more of a blank slate. Their futures were endless and only there's to shape.
"Alright then Ruby." Madara answered. "I suppose teaching the boy won't be too much of a distraction, but make no mistake that you are my sole focus, Ruby. If you want to Shirou to approve like yourself, then it will be up to you personally."
"You mean I will have to train him?!" Squeaked Ruby. "But what if I mess up!?"
"Then consider it a different part of your training." Madara stated.
"Don't be so down, Ruby-san." Shirou said. "I'm sure you are a great teacher. You just haven't realized it."
Those innocent yet kind words instantly brightened up Ruby's mood and in a burst of speed she glomped her first real friend in a tight hug. Madara could not stop the twitch in his singular eye as some parental instinct wanted the boy out of arm's reach. Ruby soon noticed what she was doing from her sudden impulse and jumped back cheeks flushed red.
"Sorry, Shirou-kun." Ruby apologized. "C'mon, I want to show you everything else."
Madara raised a hand. "Hold on, Ruby-chan. You can go, but Shirou will stay here for a few... choice words."
"But-" Ruby tried to protest.
"That is final, Ruby." Madara said sternly. "You have artifacts to look over, don't you? Use that time right now."
Ruby titled her head down dejectedly. She spared one last look to both Shirou and Madara before making her way through the dark tunnel to her room to look over the recovered Uzumaki artifacts and scrolls on fuinjutsu. Meanwhile, Madara locked his gaze back on Shirou, making the boy rooted on the spot.
"Tell me, Shirou, what do you think of my great-granddaughter?" Madara asked, his tone most serious.
Shirou was silent in thought before answering. "I believe that Ruby-san is a person that has all of my respect. I would trust her with my life."
"Is that so?" Madara said. "However, if the chance came to it, would you betray my daughter?"
To his mild surprise, the boy summoned up strength to meet Madara's might gaze with a hardened glare that turned his mismatched eyes into chips of ice. In those eyes, the Uchiha saw strength stronger than any iron or steel in the land. A very rare quality in this world, and one that would take a person leaps and bounds if used correctly.
"Never." Shirou spat with the most venom in his voice, as if the thought of betraying anybody made him livid.
"Even if it meant saving your own life?" Madara questioned further.
"Not even that." Shirou stated sincerely. "I would've save my life if it meant Ruby or any other would perish in my place. I'd save them instead every time. And I know Ruby would do the same for me."
Madara quirked a brow. "And what makes you think that, Shirou?"
"She's... like me." Shirou said. "Ruby is willing to save people for the sake of saving them. I'd follow her to ends to the earth because she wants the same thing that I want. If it means that I can save people as well from all the heart break, then I will follow and help her as well."
"...Then that is what you shall do." Madara stated. "Shirou Arashi, you will henceforth be sworn to be by my great-granddaughter's side. There will come a time where she will tumble and fall into a darkness I don't want her to go, so it will be up to you to pick her back up. Never think of abandoning her and be her support if necessary. That is what I demand of you."
"Then I shall never abandon her." Shirou promised with a straightened back.
'Good.' Thought Madara. 'It wouldn't do for Ruby to lose her first friend. She is very clingy after all.'
(Next Morning)
Ruby woke up one morning to the most delicious smell wafting through her home. Her adrenaline went back to overdrive to find the source of this heavenly scent in which it would take an hour for the rest of her body to wake up. Yawning cutely, Ruby stretched out from the covers made of soft fur taken from hunted game of goat and wild sheep. Silver eyes blinked out the daze in her vision and her ears became clear to the chirping of birds.
Contrary to her great-grandfather, Ruby decided to live in the open wilderness of the forest, but not too far from the cave system where Obito-ojisan and Great-Grandpa usually were. Her home was built of a small hut made out of wood and paper-made windows to allow fresh air into the home. It was only big enough for two people to live, and included a casual lounge, bathroom, storage room for equipment and food, and a kitchen. The latter was almost useless since Ruby had no idea how to cook.
Bare feet stepped onto the soft floor that was white skin of a giant ice bear hunted in the far north. Beneath that was tiled floor panels that were smooth to the touch. Now out of bed, Ruby revealed herself only in a rosy red T-shirt and tight black pants. Her mind was still a little fuzzy from waking up, which is why she never gave herself the question of how there was food cooking in the kitchen.
She walked through the small halls of her home, and it was easy to not accidentally hit a wall in her still sleepy state due her mind having a perfect map. Soon she entered the kitchen, which was medium-sized flat space with a large fire spit in the middle and an iron stove. Her mind became went full capacity when it saw the sight that greeted her in the kitchen. Or rather who was in the kitchen.
"Hello, Ruby-san. Sleep well?"
"Shiwou-kun?" Ruby said in a groggy manner but no less incredulously.
Ruby blinked her eyes, scratched them, and even activated her Sharingan a few times just to know that the sight before was real. That in her kitchen was her new friend, Shirou Arashi, or as Madara confirmed through a blood test Shirou Uzumaki-Senju. As it turned out, Shirou was half Uzumaki and Senju, and possibly one of the last descendants of the latter. But Ruby's attention was on the fact that Shirou was cooking in her unused kitchen, rolling around two sticks of mutton over a fire. In the stove, the fires burned as what looked to be mushrooms in a roast covered in a juice of fat from wild game. She didn't notice herself licking her lips engrossed in the smell of the meat and all the spices littered on it.
He looked slightly messy as Ruby noticed scuffs of dirt on his face and his hair seemed a bit more ruffled as if from recent activity. She picked up the scent of fresh sweat from his body and the natural fragrance of the outside world on his body, indicating that he was in the wilderness recently.
"Don't worry, breakfast will be served soon." Shirou said as if this wasn't the most bizarre thing.
"Uh..." Ruby failed to make a response, but managed to sit down on one of the log seats by the fire. "Were you out, Shirou-kun?"
"Well, I had to get something else besides the meat from the storage. You always need to have a balanced meal." Shirou reasoned as he fished out a couple plates and bowls from the cabinet. "And there are a lot of herbs lying around."
"Wait, you're actually cooking for me?" Ruby sputtered indignantly. "Shirou-kun, you don't have to do that."
"What do you mean?" Shirou said with a tilt of his head. "I always cook. Since my father can't make anything to save his life, and it kind of grew on me."
"Oh... uh..." Ruby fidgeted nervously on the spot as her cheeks were starting to go a little red at how... really nice Shirou was.
In the end, she stayed quiet and watched as Shirou worked with practiced ease that could make could have the envy of a Jonin. He canceled out the flames to fish out the roasted mushrooms, their release into the air creating a heavenly smell. Those same mushrooms were put into those bowls and were poured with a yellow sauce. Wordlessly, he set them on the single table and two chairs a little ways away in could barely be called a dining room, and went back to the fire spit. When the sticks of mutton meat, Ruby had no time to ogle the food as he rushed back to the table and set them down on the plates.
"Meal's ready." Shirou announced almost playfully.
Her body moved before she registered the thought and dashed into one of the seats. Her silver eyes were locked on the food just inches away from her watering mouth and the smell of freshly cooked meat was almost staggering how good it was. She swore that the still sizzling surface of the meat was glittering from the oils still leaking out from the fires.
'Is this what a gift from Kami looks like?' Ruby thought in a mix of disbelief and awe.
"Well, I hope you like it." Shirou said, scratching the back of his head, then held both his hands together. "Itdakimasu."
"I-Itdakimasu." Ruby said her own traditional prayers after snapping out of her trance.
Cautiously, she gripped one bone end of the mutton of meat, her eyes still glued to the meat that glittered as much as her silver eyes shined. It looked, smelled, and even felt so good, so perfect, it was unnatural. Shinobi instincts warned her that this culinary art was too perfect, a pretense to lull her in a false sense of danger. However, Ruby's hunger and even stronger need to taste this masterpiece was far too strong in the first place. Time seemed too slow to Ruby as she opened her mouth and bit down on the mutton.
'It cant be that gooo...d...' Ruby thought. 'What...'
But her mind immediately went into utter bliss as the flavor suffused to her whole mind, body, and soul. She felt that she was no longer in her little home away from home, but rather sitting in paradise. The grass was soft under her feet, the sounds of birds singing in the trees, and the air was filled with the smell of roses and strawberries. Her head swerved around to find a familiar, two-story house of an architecture foreign to the Elemental Nations. There she saw faces that put tears in her eyes of her dad, big sis Yang, and her mother. Even Great-Grandpa was there, old and wrinkly in a wheelchair but still carrying a strong spirit. All of them waiting for her to come to her and become a family.
Just as her feet began a sprint to her family and hug her mother so tightly, the hallcuination(?) ended so suddenly and Ruby was back in her home. Shirou had gone through half of his mutton and finished his miniature mushroom stew. Looking down, Ruby was shocked to find all of her food gone, and she almost shed a tear at the sight at Kami's blessing. And then it hit her that Shirou made this and so casually at that. Her silver eyes looked at the redhead her age in bewilderment, and her stare soon caught Shirou's attention.
"Uhm, Ruby-san," Shirou said, "is it not to your liking?"
Shirou did not expect to have the girl who saved his fellow former slaves to glomp in another hug as she was on her knees. She looked up at him with silver eyes ignited in so much affection she would look like a happy puppy with a wagging tail.
"You are fucking awesome." Ruby praised. "Yep, I am so keeping you."
'Because holy fuck that food is godly.' Ruby thought. 'I wonder if he could bake cookies.'
"Uhm, please watch out for your phrasing, Ruby-san." Shirou said awkwardly, and slightly cringed when Ruby started to actually drool from her thoughts of Shirou baking cookies with his divine culinary skills.
"And since you are my bestie," Ruby announced, jumping to her feet, "that means you get to learn about chakra and become awesome. Like me."
"Okay?" Shirou said, slightly confused. "What is chakra? Is it that stuff I do with the wind and that?"
Ruby nodded. "Chakra is... well it is complicated to say. Some say its the mystical energy of life, or it is the result of a natural process in your bodies. Whatever the case, chakra is the main component in doing a lot of superhuman feats, like enhancing the body or busting out jutsu for a wide variety of effects. Even bloodlines like my Sharingan and nature manipulations are only possible because of chakra."
"Is that what my power is?" Shirou said, looking at his palms.
"I think so." Ruby said. "Madara said it was a Kekkei Tota, which is a unique power that combines three natures into one super sub-element. Though only one was ever recorded and that is the Dust Release used by the Tsuchikage. I don't think yours even has a name."
"Then what can we call it?" Shirou asked.
"Hmm, well." Ruby paused in thought. "I think yours combines both lightning, fire, and wind, and those elements are popular because of their capacity for destruction. With all three together, you create something that is pure destructive power unmatched anywhere else. Like uh, uhm..."
"Like a dragon?" Shirou suggested.
"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed and gasped in realization. "And that is what we'll call it. Dragon Release: the most powerful Kekkei Tota in the Elemental Nations."
I love writing anything about good and pure boi Shirou, even if it isn't an Emiya. Don't expect anymore chapters until the end of next month. So what is next for our coming up prodigy of Ruby Uchiha now joined alongside Shirou as her partner in her goals?
Up next is Chapter 6: Power of the Pack.
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