~NRK~

The outrage wasn't unexpected, Ozpin noted, as he had several windows on his DeskScroll open to reveal the annoyed Council.

-Ozpin!-

"Hello, Councilman Rouge, is something amiss?" Ozpin asked curiously but the woman's narrow eyes got a sigh out of him. "What? Did you expect me to reveal this when we know nothing about him? Did you want me to throw him to you, the unprepared, and potentially lose a valuable resource? Please, tell me."

-This isn't some normal bit of machinery, Ozpin!- She growled. -This should have been brought up, early so we could congregate!-

"And what would you have done?" Ozpin asked with narrowed eyes as she grimaced. "Not only is Naruto capable, docile, peaceful, and powerful, due to working with him, understanding him and his body, we've gained a being who can do things we can't. Are you honestly complaining about results?"

-You know full and well why this is an issue, Ozpin- Councilman Roselin said with a frown. -The populace is going to have questions, negative feelings, issues we can't very well answer or deal with easily-

"I've already prepared myself for answering their issues," the Headmaster said with a shake of the head. "You all know how I operate. What is this truly about?"

-...-

-...-

-... The Grimm can it be trusted to not turn its back on us?- Rouge asked.

"Yes, he is but a boy, in soul, and has done nothing but help us. Naruto's certainly been, ironically, one of the kindest, pure, people I've ever met," Ozpin said with a chuckle. "It's as horrifying as it is mystifying."

-... Brothers, this isn't going to be easy, Ozpin-

"As I said, I don't want you all stressed about this. Anyone who has any questions, send them my way," he said simply with a nod and the two sighed.

-... So, this 'Naruto', he's really cleared a Black Zone?- Rouge asked, curiously.

"Yes. We've learned quite a few things about them from a camera he had on him. These places… they seemingly carry horrifying repercussions," Ozpin said with a frown. "Naruto explained the sheer feeling of being in these places… and I don't like what we might be contending with… because-"

-What happens if some of too old, yes?- Ozpin nodded at Roselin's words. -... then your fears aren't unfounded- His eyes widened. -Because there are such places… and they're the biggest reasons that we don't have as much land as we do. The paltry continents we've been left with aren't even the full scope of our world-

'Wait, what?!' He choked and the female Council scoffed. "What do you mean?"

-It's likely because no one goes around the world… but if you go to the far left of Vacuo, Ozpin, you're not going to loop back around to Mistral for a long time-

What?

-There are Black Zones all over the world, some before the Kingdoms were created- Councilman Roselin said with a groan. -And they're all far older than some random ones you'll find in Mistral-

"How was this not made public? How could something like that be so hard to be obvious?"

-Because of how your little Grimm explained it, yes? These places… they don't take well to humanity, whether it's our creation or not. They'll slowly destroy everything within. That's why those houses, the ground, the air is decrepit. All form of humanity, Faunus included, has been stripped from them-

Ozpin was left there, floored, as they explained this.

"... Then, this means there are places we've lost that badly?" He asked with a frown as they nodded.

-The Councilmen in the past have tried, gods, they tried and the results were a bunch of corpses- Rouge said with a hiss. -If this Grimm has a soul… even he may be vulnerable to become nothing but a husk. Yet, you say he was able to stand within its area, unfettered, and even approached the source with only some difficulty… We can use that-

Ozpin was glad they were coming around but the fact that he was left out of the loop on something so old left him baffled.

What the hell else was he not aware of?!

~NRK~

Naruto blinked as he looked down at his scarf, a familiar ringing within getting a blink out of Penny.

"Someone's calling your Scroll?" She asked as she took it out and opened it up. "Ah, Ren and Nora! You gave their family Scrolls, right?"

'Yep,' Naruto said with a nod, the android picking up the call. 'What's up you two?'

-Naruto! The whole world of the internet is crazy!- Nora yelled, leaving him sweating.

'W-What part of it?' He asked in horror, already knowing about the 'horrors' of the internet. 'The fact that people make porn about Grimm will never leave me,' Naruto told only himself with red cheeks.

Who knew Beowolves were so popular, too!

-Everyone's making these things called forums and says they're planning stuff on CCTube- Ren said slowly. -What's a forum?-

"A forum is a small section of the internet usually used by people to speak in their own spaces," Penny informed and the kids made understanding noises. "Greetings, I'm Penny."

-Hi! I'm Nora!- Nora greeted as James chuckled. -Are you Naru-Naru's friend, Penny?-

"Yes, I am," the android said proudly as Naruto chuckled. "He's my first friend back when I was but a ball."

-People can be balls? That's so weird- Ren said in wonder.

'Well, not that type of 'ball',' Glynda and James thought in unison.

'So, how are things in Kuroyuri?' Naruto asked.

-There's going to be a festival of you!- Ren said as the group blinked while Naruto chuckled. -The village is making you-shaped cookies!-

-They're so good!- Nora cheered.

'Hmph, I'll see about coming. When's the festival?'

-Next week, October 10th!-

He had to snort at that. 'Well ain't that ironic? My birthday is October 10th.'

-No way!-

-We can call it a birthday festival!-

"That's perfect!" Penny said as Glynda chuckled. "You can go and show proper presentation!"

'Alright, consider me there then!' He said and the kids cheered. 'Still, now things are gonna ramp up, so things are probably gonna get weirder than weird soon.'

-We'll be careful! We'll use your gifts to good use- Ren said with a chuckle. -Dad's been going through knife forms with me while mom has given Nora some ideas on how to use her hammer-

'That's good, I'm surprised your mom knows how to use a mallet, though.'

-Oh, she can't but Ms. An knows how to use a halberd!- Nora said with a snicker. -She says it's just about harder swings for me!-

'... that's concerning,' Naruto sweatdropped. 'Well, when I visit, we can go over some of that stuff. I know a bit about knives and a mallet's just a heavier stick with the weight on the end.'

"I feel like I should say something," James said as Glynda smirked. "But I can't pop his bubble just yet."

"Right."

~NRK~

Now… was time for a little exploration.

Naruto walked around the Atlas Science Wing with Penny, Pietro, and Fria in tow, the sight of him shocking, horrifying, and fascinating the scientists they passed.

'So, Atlas air is that cold?' He asked them, smiling all the while. 'I'm gonna get to see Atlas! This is so cool!' Naruto grinned, shocking those around him with his jovial nature.

"W-Wait, sir, can I examine just a bit!?"

"P-Pietro?! I-I can just take a bit of his fur, right?"

"His bones! Let me get a sample!"

More of such things were asked of him and Pietro, leaving Naruto to give a bit of everything.

Some blood, with needles they somehow had on their persons, bones, graciously, and fur, no issue, before the samples got weird.

One asked for some saliva. Another for one of his teeth which he'd actually given pretty easily, the tooth growing back quickly enough, much to even Pietro's fascination… but then someone asked for a… ahem, 'sample of possibilities' and he had to say a quick 'NO!' before they got too interested!

So, here he was, standing in front of Atlas Academy, much to the shock of the students coming and going, the groups freezing before taking pictures of him from all sides.

Naruto, though, was more occupied with the sight ahead of him. 'Whoa…' His eyes widened at the sight of blue towers shining in the sunlight of the morning sun. 'T-This place is crazy…' He considered with a dropped mouth as Fria and Pietro chuckled.

"It's quite the view and, I'm sure you know, Atlas floats," he said, getting another gape out of the Grimm boy.

'Holy crap! That's right! This whole thing is, like, flying!' Naruto realized as one girl got up close and personal at his shocked face. 'This is so weird!' He said and she blinked before getting a picture of his eyes and running off with shock and awe.

"So, y-you're really real?!" Came a voice from the trio's side as a trio of people had split the crowd of students to gape at him. "D-Dude! You're a Grimm!"

'... Uh, yeah,' Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. 'I am.'

The dog Faunus's tail went down in disbelief. His skin was dark while his eyes were baby blue, his slightly angular face gaping at him.

His hair was short, black, and slightly parted at the center of his forehead. Wearing a white coat, dark blue pants, and a pair of dark brown boots, the guy's mouth was closed by his own hand as the woman at his side scrutinized Naruto with narrowed eyes.

Her hair was platinum blonde and held in a loose, low, ponytail that came framed caramel skin with a pair of violet eyes within. Dress in an open sleeveless white coat that revealed her white, long-sleeved, top beneath. Her legs were covered by a pair of white shorts and black tights, all of them leading down into black boots.

She strode forward and reached out a hand.

"Robyn Hill, teaching temp," she said seriously and Naruto blinked before nodding and shaking her hand.

'Naruto Uzumaki, living Grimm just revealed to the world,' he said before she didn't let go. '... You're not a scientist, are you?'

"What?" Robyn blinked as he wore a nervous expression. "What? No. I just wanted to ask some questions."

'... so, we need to be holding hands?'

"Yes, that's very important."

'... Okay,' Naruto blinked and she tilted her head at his sapphire eyes. 'Shoot.'

"Dangerous words," she said with a smirk as their arms glowed. '... He really has a soul..' This fact shocked her a bit. "R-Right, ahem. Are you on our side?"

'Yep.'

Their arms glowed green and she stared in disbelief.

"O-Okay. Um… Why'd they hide you?"

'I mean, I'm a Grimm… people fear my entire thing,' he said and their arms stayed green.

"Yeah, well… you're not wrong," she said. "... Are your eyes normal?"

'Define normal.'

"... Right, I don't…" Robyn was left considering. "Like, were they always blue?"

'Yep.'

Green, okay, her life had taken a weird turn.

"Right, sorry," she said, apologizing to a Grimm, as they released their hands. "... I don't know what to say," Robyn admitted in disbelief as the students around them gasped in shock. "... Schnee, you clearly have something to say," she passed the buck and stepped back by a shocked Faunus. "It's real, holy shit."

"I-It is," the man swallowed and she smirked. "Oh, man, M-Marrow Amin… and you're real."

'Last I checked.'

"Oh, gods."

The girl with them, 'Schnee' he remembered, balked at his very existence.

Her skin color was pale and her eyes bright blue, Naruto was noticing another trend in Atlas, while her white hair was medium-length, coming out around her ears and forehead in a hime-cut.

Wearing the male Atlas Academy uniform of a gray vest, dress pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, and black boots, she looked kind of weird in the outfit but he wasn't gonna judge.

'Sup?' He said curiously as she stared at him in disbelief.

Then she fainted, Marrow barely catching her with a quick shout.

"Stop!" He called out as she froze mid-faint. "Oh crap, not again!" The Faunus shouted as Robyn snorted.

"Gods, I'll take her to the infirmary, maybe fainting runs in her family," she said, going over and picking up the girl. "Take care, Grimmy, we'll meet again, I'm sure."

Marrow looked between her and Naruto before rubbing the back of his head. "Don't come here often?"

'I don't, so we're just looking at stuff. The General's in a meeting with the Council, whatever that is to you guys.'

"Oh, well, I guess he's handling things."

~NRK~

"So, why has this not been divulged to us, James?" The male Councilman asked as he and one other Councilwoman, Camilla, sighed. "What happened?"

"Councilman Sleet, I'm sure you know, everything that's happened was in those documents," James said.

Councilman Sleet and Councilwoman Camilla, two of the other four Council members James knew.

Sleet was a moderately old man, having pale skin, black eyes, and short gray hair. Wearing a suit, he looked like any old politician.

Camilla, on the other hand, was a black woman with light red eyes, and black hair that curled over her forehead and was set in a low bun at the back of her head. Wearing a brown dress under a red cardigan and gold necklace, she was currently looking down at the table with a frown.

"We did," she said. "But that doesn't explain everything. Why wasn't this brought up to us?" Camilla asked with a wince.

"You have to understand, what do you two think would have been the first words out of your mouths?" James asked and both looked away from him. "Exactly. Naruto's existence was still shaky, we didn't understand him, his very existence, at all. Saying all that to you two would have been a quick extermination."

"... He's a Grimm," Sleet said with a long breath. "But he's supposedly peaceful? Even an ally?"

"We've had numerous people check his kindness. Even now, Pietro just sent me a text about…" James checked. "Robyn Hill has checked him and it all came back green."

The two seemed to balk before their shoulders slumped.

"... Well… in that case," Camilla said with her hands folded together. "Let's talk on the Black Zones, then."

"I was confused, we'd been calling them Black Gates, words from Mistral," James said curiously.

"The thing is, they're not so unknown, even in Atlas," Sleet said, surprising James. "James… the Councils of the past used to be very connected. They shared between nations and kingdoms, it was probably the closest thing to true understanding we ever had," the general frowned. "Of course, as you can see, we're not so connected."

"Black Zones have been known for decades, even before the creation of the kingdoms," Camilla said, shocking him. "Yes… it's been a closely guarded secret. These places can't be allowed to be revealed… due to the information we know about them," she said with a sigh before pulling a file off her lap and sliding across the table they were all sat at towards James. "... But that's all moot now, isn't it?"

"I-I don't understand, how could these be so hidden?" James asked as he caught the file, opening it only to frown as he flipped through it. "... These are all the same… as our notes?"

"Yes because the Zones have been monitored numerous times already… and we're aware of waits within them," Sleet said with a frown as James balked. "The Black Zones… they hold within them powerful Grimm that are composed of all the Grimm that originally were there. That Blastwyrm that… boy spoke of… that was probably one of the weakest known to man."

"What?" James choked as he flipped through to the 'Grimm' tab… only to freeze. "W-What the hell is that…?" His eyes widened and the picture… it elicited a feeling of fear in him, his skin paling.

"That James… is the oldest Grimm within a Black Zone," Camilla said with a shiver as she held her arms. "T-That thing, James… that's why we couldn't tell people."

James understood, completely, why… because from but a picture.

This creature wrought fear from his heart and plastered it over his fact… with but a picture.

It wasn't a normal Grimm, the image was blurry, and all of it hard to see… but the eyes within weren't unclear… no.

They were staring right at him-

He threw it down with several rapid breaths and Sleet's knuckles grew white as he grasped them together, shivering.

"What the fuck is that thing?" He asked them and they grimaced.

"... A Ballum," Sleet answered with a grimace. "A Grimm whose skillset can be attributed to ballads and controls concepts like sound, imagery, and touch… a Grimm class we've never disclosed to the public… Theatrical Area Grimm, Grimm who can control entertainment-esque concepts like music over a designated area."

"There are four of these Grimm… one in each Kingdom's former areas," Camilla stated as James frowned. "They were cut off from the continents by a collective effort but said effort also separated the councils due to how they wanted to handle them. At present, no one can do anything due to how impossible these areas are to get to… but you've all of a sudden provided a possibility with this 'Naruto'."

"... I'd have to see how he reacts to the picture, first and foremost," he said before nodding. "Also, you saw how his cloning technique works, right? If he's not affected… perhaps, by doing that and having them be donned by Hunters, they might also see things how he does."

"... That could be very valuable," Sleet said with a smile. "Still, the world at large needs to accept him, for now."

"That's the plan."

"Well… he's donated his materials to the Science Wing already, yes?" Camilla asked and James nodded. "In that case… why not make some gear from his material for some of the Hunters to use. Call it N-Wear and see how it holds up to normal usage."

"On your notes, you don't know if Naruto's materials become more powerful as he grows, correct?" Sleet asked. "Well, now you can test it outright."

"Thank you, both of you. I guess I'll meet with others eventually," James said with a hand rubbing the back of his head. "... Though, there are facts about him that haven't been given out," he admitted, the two looking intrigued.

"Are you willing to elaborate?"

"... It can never leave this room, I know how that sounds," James said as both nodded. "... Naruto has the ability to reproduce."

Their eyes widened as they looked at him, getting a nod out of him.

"He has the ability to transform into an Alpha-like state from his normal form, he calls it 'Sage Mode'. And his attack potency… ma'am, sir, it can't be underestimated. Naruto may be able to destroy the entire area where these so-called Theatrical Area Grimm are."

"... While I can believe everything you said… not that last one," Sleet said, confusing James. "... James, let me show you exactly how big this Grimm is," he said as he pressed a button on a remote and a large projector screen came down.

Pressing one more button… and James's heart sank.

It was an island in the middle of the ocean in the far east of Atlas… and the entire thing was… black. The blue of the oceans showed the true level of the horror before them.

"That was the island of Carrier Island… and it was taken over 60 years ago," Sleet said with a frown. "This island was the leading resource on Dust in flying aircrafts. Were it not for them, we'd never have had bullheads."

"That's another thing about these zones. They're always in areas where human ingenuity is at an all-time high," Camilla said, surprising James. "Yes, even what you got back from Umikaen. There's a high chance that what Naruto brought back is more important than we know."

"I'll need to look over the notes again. I assumed it was because Gorun's work could have us making thermal energy generators."

"Yes, it could but I'm sure there's something in there that's more important," Sleet said as he pulled that file off his lap. "I've re-read it numerous times… and, yet, something sticks out to me," he said, making James curious.

"What, sir?"

"He wasn't just researching Dust down there," the other two looked surprised. "Yes, Camilla. He was researching how the energy within the Water Dust could form Fire Dust… and what I may have seen… it's magnificent."

"W-What could it be?" Camilla asked.

"Energy fission, at least, a form of alteration fission in Dust that's under high pressure," he said with a smile as James's eyes widened in shock. "Yes, James. From what I could use my former researcher experience on… he believes that all Dust isn't finite, at least, not in a normal way. All Dust are incubators of another kind. Call it runoff. The large amounts of condensed Water Dust gave off their heat to maintain their Water Dust state and that created the Fire Dust."

"T-That's amazing!" James said in shock.

"Yes, it is. He mentions numerous times that it seems that Dust interacts oddly with differing physics. For example, boiling Water Dust can produce Steam Dust if done for long periods of time. It's hidden, though," he said with a frown. "It's odd, he used old cryptic code from the days of Atlas past… why?"

"... Was he hiding it?" Camilla said with a frown. "I mean, you were able to decode it so maybe he just wanted to keep his credit."

"But why? No one else should have his funding for his research, we make sure to tag it for individual scientists," James said with a frown. "... But is using old Atlas encryption a bad thing?"

"It's not, usually," Sleet said with a frown. "But he was like Watts, unfortunately, a few years back… he didn't believe in the old ways. Always trying to find new ways to replace them… but he was my assistant, I taught him them, regardless… and he used them. I don't like this," he said with a frown.

"I'll look it over in my office," James said with a frown. "If there's more in there, I'll find it."

"Thank you, James. I'm worried about what happened to him."

James had a feeling they'd learn soon enough, morbidly.

~NRK~

His eyes widened at the video in disbelief.

"What?" His hands clenched. "WHAT?!"

He slammed his fists down on his desk, growling at the creature's photos.

"And a name?! 'Naruto' what utter foolishness! It's a Grimm!" He cursed before getting up from his desk and running his hands down his face. 'So, this is how you decide to be petty? I ignore your suggestion and this is your response?' Well, consider it successful because he was pissed.

Golden yellow eyes narrowed at the wall of his safety bunker before he pinched the bridge of his nose, caramel skin scrunching as his short head of hair flopped when he snapped his head to the side.

'I'm going to need to leave soon,' he realized. "Too much time wondering about this abomination," he grunted. "My next one is-"

There was a knock on his door and he scowled as he ignored it.

"Hello~ Is this the legendary Dr. Watts?~"

He frowned.

Well, this might be interesting.

~NRK~

He blinked at the woman across from him, the two of them standing in a private bullhead port while Pietro went to get them passage.

"... You're a Grimm, yes?"

'Yup.'

"..." Maria Calavera, as Naruto was introduced, was a former Silver-Eyed Warrior.

She was a late-twenties woman with light brown skin, neatly combed dark black hair, and a mask over her upper face that had a skull-like theme to it.

Wearing a dark blue dress with a corset and flowy sleeves, her feet were covered by brown boots, and, across her back, were a pair of short scythes with skulls on their short shafts.

"... I need you to understand that I can't very well trust a Grimm, my very nature won't allow it," Maria said with some form of apology.

'No problem, you're not attacking me, that's gotta count for something,' Naruto said and she nervously rubbed her head.

"R-Right, well… I might have if Pietro hadn't shown me before."

'... Oh.'

"... Yeah."

He hummed, ignoring the hostesses and hosts who balked at him as he sat there with Penny giggling.

Then his tongue slipped out of his closed lips.

"You realize that's not gonna change-"

It came out more.

"N-No, it won't."

It came out some more.

When Pietro came back to the group, his face shifted into a smug expression as Maria pulled on Naruto's tongue before it slipped back in like a rolled-out bit of measuring tape.

She did it several more times and he had a discreet picture taken before returning to them with a grin.

~NRK~

As they walked around Mantle, Naruto frowned.

'It's so different from up above,' he thought as he walked, looking at the buildings' darker browns, reds, and grays. 'It's kind of crazy how different.'

"It's sadly how things are down here," Maria said as Penny nodded.

"In the past, almost over ten years ago, gangs ran rampant here," she said with a frown. "All matters here were settled with violence or problematic individuals. One of the former Councilman was in on this. They caused issues and made life for those here difficult by propagating gang violence and leading them all into jobs and businesses he owned."

"It wasn't pretty," Pietro said with a frown. "Thankfully, James came down here and brought order about. It took a good couple of years but things worked out. I started coming down here near the tail end of that."

'Sounds rough but I'm guessing not everything is solved, huh?'

"Not even close," Maria said with a frown as they all looked at an alleyway of faffing about individuals.

Their eyes locked, the group quickly turning away from the odd quartet's stares.

'They're planning something. I can taste the negativity from here,' Naruto said with narrow eyes as the group of troublemakers flinched before scrambling. 'Haa.'

"They'll be troublesome but James also has people around," Maria said as a group of shadows jumped overhead.

"Dr. Pietro, good morning!" One of them said, a young man with fair skin and green eyes. "Ah, wait," he and the group he was with came to a screeching stop before coming down.

He was fairly tall and had on a smile before cupping his chin at the sight of Naruto.

'... sup,' the Grimm boy said with a raised hand and calm expression.

"... Interesting," the young man said, wearing a sleeveless white coat with twin coattails and white pants.

His feet were covered by black boots and, on his hands, were fingerless gloves. He even had a little four-leaf clover badge on his right breast as he put his hands on his hips.

"Clover Ebi, Atlas Academy graduate," he said with a chuckle as he observed Naruto. "You're a real-deal talking Grimm…"

'Yep, the name's Naruto Uzumaki though you might know that already,' Naruto introduced himself.

"Yep, good work on your presentation… before you knew it was on."

'She did it to me, I can't believe she did,' Naruto's face went flat. 'I'm still processing that I've been seen on the internet, talking like an idiot. I'm in for a rude awakening of memes one of these days, I'm sure of it.'

"Ah, memes," Clover said, looking nostalgic. "Well, I guess you've been around for a bit to know what a 'meme' is."

'I've learned many things about the internet I didn't want to,' Naruto said with a red face. 'I really didn't want to.'

"... oh," Clover's face froze in horror before he coughed into a raised fist. "Oh, that's… wow, yeah, I have a feeling there are things I don't know about and don't want to know about."

'Yeah.'

"Well, this has been enlightening," Clover said as his team snickered. "Hush. We'll take our leave, we're still patrolling."

"Alright, take care now, young man," Pietro said with a chuckle as Clover threw them a salute.

"Bye!" Penny said.

"Good afternoon," Maria said.

'Take it easy with those memes,' Naruto said and Clover snorted.

"Memes aren't what I fear, now," he said before he and his group took off.

'He's a cool dude.'

"Yes, Clover is probably one of the most upright individuals here in Atlas," Pietro said. "Come on, there's this amazing place called 97% that you have to try."

'Food!'

He hummed as he sat on a corner with Penny, eating some burritos made of chicken, herbs, and spices.

'Hmm, it's interesting,' Naruto said to her as he ate.

"Eating food isn't something I can do, it's kind of new to me," she said as she watched him before he held up his fist.

'Fistbump,' Naruto said simply. 'I can send images, emotions, and all kinds of stuff across. Maybe I could send tastes, too.'

Penny giggled a bit before observing his fist and looking at her hand. She closed it in a similar shape before placing it against his.

Then her eyes widened as she flicked her false tongue in her mouth. "I-Is this taste?" She asked and he grinned as he ate.

'Yep.'

"It's so fascinating!" She said with shining eyes.

"I-It's you," came a voice from their side and the two blinked before turning to see a small Faunus girl at their side.

She looked to be, maybe, 11 years old. About as old as Yang and Jaune were.

Her skin was fair and smudged by dirt. Her eyes were gold and her hair was short and black, a pair of cat ears flicking on her head.

Wearing a purple shirt and black shorts, she had on patched-together shoes while a black bandana hung around her neck. Her whole form looked kind of dirty and Naruto balked at some of the looks she received by passing people.

Her head fell and he grimaced.

'Come on over, I don't bite anything but enemies and food,' he said warmly as the Faunus perked up before swallowing and doing as told. 'What's up, kid?'

"... I-I've never seen a Grimm before," she said quietly.

"That's good news," Penny said with a smile. "I don't think anyone should wish to meet them unless they were Naruto."

"... I'm Blake," Blake introduced herself curiously, looking at Naruto's head to see the bony material on it. "... I-I wanted to see you."

'What fer?'

"I-I'd never seen a Grimm… i-if I can protect people, I could make Faunus seem really good," Blake said, confusing Naruto before he winced.

'Right… the racism,' he remembered with a frown. 'I don't really get it. You're all literally living in locations because everyone was forced to. Why is it that people had the time for this when there's literally a war that's being waged beyond these walls?'

"... I don't fully understand it myself," Penny said with a soft frown, holding her hands in her lap as she sat on a park bench. "It seems kind of weird to me. It just seems like it only hurts everyone in the end."

'Hating people… I don't really get it,' Naruto said. 'Yes, there are probably some horrid people in the world, some are going to hurt you, some are going to mock you, scorn you, hate you, but it doesn't make sense to do that to a whole race for one person. The entirety of the populace didn't go out of their way to hurt you. I simply don't get it,' and he'd been a jinchuuriki!

"... Y-Yeah, I don't think it's right, too!" Blake said with fire in her eyes. "That's why I need to get strong…"

'... will getting strong solve this?'

"It… well, it should, right? Strong people get listened to all the time…"

'Not wrong but there's more to being strong than that,' Naruto said as she tilted her head at him. 'I believe being strong is about understanding. Is there gonna be force involved? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know and while it's right to be strong to protect those who need protecting, force isn't going to solve all your problems. It never does. We need to use this,' he pointed to his head. 'And this,' he pressed his thumb against his chest. 'At the end of the day, you and everyone else only have one life. There's no coming back, no way to repair mistakes, and so on.'

Blake's eyes widened at him as Naruto sat cross-legged, hands on his knees.

'So, yes, be strong but don't forget the main reason you wanted to in the first place.'

"... I-I think I get it," Blake said before her hair was ruffled.

'That's about it. Most people won't get it until they're put into a situation where it's your life on the line,' he said with a frown. 'I've fought a rather big Grimm a year back. Trust me, it really puts your life into perspective.'

"W-What's fighting a Grimm like?"

'Imagine something that won't listen to you no matter how much you ask it to. Now, turn that thing into a monster with fangs, claws, a worm-like body, and spits fire,' her eyebrows shot into her hairline and he nodded. 'Trust me, that thing was no joke. Oh and it's the size of a mansion, that, too.'

She paled and he nodded again as Penny smiled.

"You've a way with words," she said and he rubbed the back of his head.

'I hope I do or else there's a lot I need to think about,' he said with blinking eyes before he heard a chuckle from behind. 'Oh, hey, Old Man Pietro,' Naruto greeted, leaning back only to blink at the cameras, the smiling Pietro and Maria, and a lot of other people, Faunus and human alike. '... Oh.'

Blake's stomach then chose to growl.

Naruto's finger reached into his scarf and out came some lien. 'You think you could also get her some food? Hehe.'

~NRK~

"He's a natural wordsmith," Nicholas said with a grunt as Jaune nodded.

"I think so… Is it true for you, too, dad?" The boy asked and Nicholas nodded.

"It's not fun fighting for your life, Jaune, let me tell you that…" Nicholas leaned back on his couch, groaning a bit. "It's why I chose to use my Semblance to support you all. Fighting's something… so different I don't really know how to explain it to you."

"It's one of those 'complicated' things?"

"Yep."

"Up there with women?"

"Let's not go that far. To this day, your mother finds ways to baffle me."

~NRK~

"Hehe, it's the proper way to look at conflict," Summer said as Yang hummed along with Tai, the group listening to the girl's Scroll.

"It's kind of weird, how does not being strong help?" The girl asked as Qrow snorted.

"That's not the point. You can be as strong as you want but, at the end of the day, that'll never solve all your problems," he said with a hum. "Sometimes, it's about talking with yer words, not your fists."

"Sound tough."

"Oh, Brothers, it is," Tai said with a chuckle. "But nothing good is gotten easily. That's a truth of the world."

"What about robbers?" Ruby asked and Summer smirked.

"That's where people like mommy are around."

"... Ohhhh," the girls said in unison, understanding dawning on them immediately.

Supermom, was not someone you wanted to be chased by.

~NRK~

"B-Blake!?" Kali choked, eyes wide as Ghira's mouth dropped. "W-What is she doing in Atlas?!"

"... That container ship from a few years ago?" Ghira realized in horror. "Dammit, she ran on!"

"We need to get her back," Kali said, face pale, and Ghira nodded, a frown on his face… before he got an idea.

An oh-so weird idea.

He quickly pulled out his Scroll before making a call.

-Hello?-

"Leo? Good afternoon, I had a question to ask," Ghira said.

-Does it have anything to do with Blake being in Atlas?- Leo asked incredulously and Ghira grinned nervously.

"Yes."

~NRK~

"Force isn't the only way," Li said with a smile as his kids nodded. "That's an important lesson to learn."

"Sounds hard," Nora complained and he chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"It's not easy," An said kindly. "But he's right, at the end of the day, we all have one life. We have to live it without regrets."

"... I-I think I get it," Ren said. "But I don't think I'd want to learn it the hard way."

"Trust me, you don't," Li said.

~NRK~

Weiss Schnee was a smart girl.

She understood all her materials, she knew her notes and tones for when she sang, and she was praised by all of her instructors.

So why was it that this Grimm made no sense? Where was this 'wisdom' coming from? Why was it coming from a Grimm?

"..." She stared at her computer with a frown, having followed every thread, article, and video on the weird Grimm as of its live stream. "... I don't understand," were the words that left her pale-skinned mouth, blue eyes narrowing in confusion as she tossed her white hair behind her shoulders. "To think brute force matters is ridiculous. Planning, strategy, and all other forms of combat are necessary…"

So, why did it feel like she was missing something? It was a feeling Weiss hated with a passion and she grunted as the video of the Grimm ended with him buying that Faunus some food.

Getting up from her seat, she hopped down from it for the smallest of distances before walking to her window and looking outside to the lower quarter of Atlas the city.

"..." She frowned when the door to her room was knocked on.

"Miss Weiss, is everything alright?"

"Y-Yes, Klein!" She said at a shout and not at the same time. "... Klein? Is there a way to get an individual here?"

~NRK~

"What the hell am I seeing?" Raven thought as she ruffled her long black mane of hair, red eyes and fair skin shifting in confusion. "Since when do Grimm give life advice?! What is this some kind of joke?!" She scoffed in her red and black kimono, laying in her tent. 'No, Ozpin definitely had some hand in this. He's got his little Apprentice Scarf and everything,' still, why would he reveal this project of his?

What was the end goal?

… Her eyes narrowed and she considered a rather petty idea for a decent bit of time before grimacing.

'It's like they like the damn thing,' she cursed, banishing the 'assassination' attempt in her mind. 'Still, I need to figure this thing out…' Raven considered. '...' Her eyes narrowed. "Vernal!"

"Yo!" A familiar blue-eyed, caramel-skinned, teen popped through the hut's door flaps. "What's up?"

"You're gonna be going on a mission to talk to this Grimm," Raven said and Vernal blinked.

"I mean… I don't mind but what would I do if I found him?"

"I don't know. Be his friend or some shit, I need to know if he's a test-tube baby or some magic-controlled creature."

"Gotcha."

~NRK~

Blake rode atop Naruto's shoulders as the now quintet walked around Mantle.

"I-I've been in Mantle for the past three… four…?" Blake hesitated with her guess.

'... Blake?' Naruto asked knowingly and the Faunus girl jumped before stuffing her face into his fluff. 'Blake… please tell me you've lived in Mantle with your parents.'

"... no…" She said something muffled that got a gasp out of Penny.

'... Oh no,' Naruto said as the group stopped. 'Haa, dammit-'

His Scroll rang, getting a jump out of Blake as she watched Naruto take it out of his scarf.

He answered it. 'What's up, Leo-jii-chan?'

-Naruto, I keep reminding you, I'm not that old- Leonardo said over the line.

'Uh, right, sorry. You just got that grandfatherly beard and all that.'

-Hmph, I'll take it as a compliment- Leo said. -Now, I was contacted by an associate about the little miss with you- Naruto blinked.

'Oh, I was literally just asking her why she was in Atlas without her parents,' Naruto said with emphasis as Blake flopped into his fluffy head. 'So, yeah, trust me. I was about to go and bring her home myself if that's what it took.'

-Well, this'll be easy then. Her parents want you to bring her home- Leo said and Naruto hummed with a nod.

'I don't mind.'

-Well that works. I've already called James and asked him to give you dedicated transport. He'll call you soon-

'Alright,' Naruto said before rubbing Blake's back with a finger. 'You need to go home. Your parents are probably terrified about you not being there.'

"..." She hugged his head more. "... I can do the right thing here in Atlas, though."

"That's not wrong but what happens if something happens to you?" Maria asked and Blake grimaced. "Now, now, none of that…" She lifted her mask and Blake looked only to pale.

A ragged, twisted, scar across her eyelids caused the girl to reel back, Penny keeping her steady at a moment's notice.

"H-Huh?!"

"The world is dangerous, Blake," Maria said as she hid her vision again, the glowing of her mask's eyeholes giving her sight once more. "I was out alone in a canyon. I had to trek back home without my sight and I can tell you, that's terrifying."

Blake swallowed as Pietro nodded.

"I can tell you… doing good is right… but you're not mature enough to live with the consequences," he said, patting his legs as her eyes widened at his nod. "Yep. Mantle's far better than it was in the past… but it's dangerous here. Far too much for a young lady like yourself."

"They're right," Penny said. "Being brave, courageous, takes the right amount of will and you have a lot of it… but like Naruto said earlier. There are more than just fighting but you also need to know how to fight in the first place for the world in which we live."

Blake's head flopped down onto the back of Naruto's. "..."

'Look, I'm sure your parents are proud of you but you're also a kid, you can do a lot but don't overreach, alright?'

"Mmmm, mm, mrrmm," Blake mumbled but he chuckled regardless.

'If necessary, I can visit and maybe see if your parents wouldn't mind you having a bodyguard as you do this, alright?' He said and her head perked up. 'I'm very versatile,' Naruto said with a grin as he crossed his fingers.

Soon after, two clones swirled into existence beside him, much to her shock.

"C-Clones?!" Blake gaped as the trio of Narutos chuckled.

'Yup.'

'For me this is easy.'

'So, don't worry.'

'We'll do something,' the three said and the cat girl's eyes shined in possibilities.

"... O-Okay," she said, hugging his head some more as he chuckled, dispelling-

"HELP!" Came a voice from far off and the Narutos perked up, confusing the others. "PLEASE!"

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Penny asked as the Grimm's eyes narrowed.

'Someone's in trouble!' He said to the others as he and his clones' ears perked up. 'We need to move!' Naruto declared before making three more clones.

The first two he'd made lifted up Penny and took Blake from him while of the other three, one lifted up Maria while the other two lifted Pietro from the back and front.

Black haze filtered out of the one behind him and soon bone took over the metallic parts before doing so to his wheel.

When the clone vanished, a customized cart was in his place, leaving Pietro's mouth to drop.

'Let's roll,' they thought in unison.

They quickly vanished in explosions of air, shocking those around the street.

~NRK~

Perry the lizard cursed as he held his daughter close to his chest, his employer fending off the trouble in front of him.

Perry felt his blood freeze as he struggled with what to do. The man, the human, had probably been one of the kindest he'd ever met.

And here he was, cowering as the guy, on a peg leg, fought off a group of ten.

"Perry, run!" The human said and the lizard shook with a grimace.

"Y-You'll die!" Perry shot back but the man grinned.

"I'll die doin' the thin's I plan ta! Now, go!" The owner said before crossing his arms as a metal bat was slammed into them. "Ugh!"

"Heinz!" Perry cursed before placing his daughter down behind the counter. "Neon, stay here, alright?" He didn't listen for his daughter's response, rushing over the counter and out the broken windows of the shop.

The metal bat-having hooligan was blindsided by the Faunus slamming his shoulder into the man's chest, throwing him back.

"D-Damn, brat, ya gotta go!" Heinz said as he got up but Perry grimaced at the bruises on his arm. "This is my shop, yer my employee, go."

"No!" He shouted. "I'm… I'm not a coward, Heinz."

"That's not-"

"And I know what a brave guy like you does," Perry said as he grinned nervously. "I don't need that kind of tale in my life, much less my daughter's."

"Hmph…" His boss got up to him, shakily, but with a resolute look. "... I think ah I can handle three o' 'em."

"Heh, seven on one, not fair odds to them," Perry said with false bravado as his employer sighed.

"..."

"Come on, the Heinz guarantee," he grinned the man laughed.

"Ya give 'em their groceries or knock 'em dead!"

"Hell yes!"

They'd fought for minutes and Perry had been feeling pretty good about their chances.

Four down and five to-go, that was good… Wait?!

"Look over here, big lizzie!" Came a call from behind the men whose heads snapped back before they paled.

One of the bastards had Neon!

"D-Dad?!" The eleven-year-old cried out, scared.

"I-I'm coming, hun!" Perry called.

"Go and get 'em, Perry!" Heinz said as he growled at the other wannabe gangsters. "I got these guys… There's a knife in me sock," he whispered and Perry nodded.

Then the guy held something else up to his daughter's neck and Perry's blood went cold as gleaming steel came into view.

"Don't!" He called out as Heinz looked back in horror before growling.

Then he did something Perry didn't understand.

"HELP! PLEASE!" He called out to those around them whose eyes widened. "Are ya a bunch of cowards to let a girl die?!" Heinz called out and many couldn't look at him.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Perry swallowed as he held his hands up with Heinz. "I-I'm sorry, sir."

"Nah, lad, ya did what ya could. It'd have been a right honor to have died by ya."

"... That didn't sound like a plan."

"No, it didn't," Heinz said before something reached his ears. "But my plan went off without a hitch."

Perry wasn't sure what the man meant before an explosion rocked the area as a familiar Grimm made his appearance.

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes narrowed as he looked up-

'Ventus.'

He vanished, an explosive blur from his original location.

The hooligans then dropped as the one in the store choked.

"Where are ya, ya Grimm sh-" A black, furred, finger pressed against his lips from behind, leaving him pale as a ghost as his sword was snapped in a big black claw.

'Shhh,' Naruto whispered into the boy's ears as he plucked the weapon from his hand and threw it to the side. 'No moving,' he hissed and plucked the small cat girl out of the guy's hold.

Neon Katt was a fair-skinned, teal-blue-eyed, short orange-haired girl that gaped at his face before he walked out from behind the former hostage-holder.

'Oh and…' the back of Naruto's fist slammed into the man's forehead, causing him to collapse like a doll without its strings. 'Don't do this again,' he said before taking the girl out of the broken-into store. 'Kid, you've got quite the interesting life.'

Neon sniffled before Perry ran over, Naruto releasing the small girl to the lizard man.

"Neon, thank the Brothers," he said as the girl sniffled into his chest before Perry looked up. "... U-Um, uh, thanks, uh, Grimm guy."

'No problem,' Naruto said as his gauntlet went back to normal, leaving Perry curious.

"You don't happen to like S-Cry-Ed, do you?"

'What?'

"Never mind," the Faunus said before Naruto's entourage came through. "... What is this motley crew before me?"

'That's come up twice in my life,' Naruto said unsurely. 'And I still don't get it.'

"Words be hard like that."

'Yes, they are.'

"Everything okay?" Penny asked him as Naruto nodded. "Ms. Maria has already handled all the hidden members," she said and Naruto nodded as Perry paled.

"H-Hidden members?" He asked and Heinz grimaced. "No, seriously, thank the Brothers you're here."

"No issue, we're glad to help!" Penny said with a grin as Blake came over with a blink.

"Everything's alright?" She asked and Naruto nodded. "Okay."

"I hope everything's going alright," Pietro said as he came over before grimacing at the store. "That's going to be severe."

"Nah, nothing more expensive than a life," Heinz said as Perry smiled. "It'll take maybe a week to get this all fixed and I'm fine. Perry, I guess you get a week off."

"Let me know if I can help."

"'Course, course."

"... you're not planning on it, are you?"

"Am I t'at easy ta read?!"

Perry wore a shaky smirk. "Kind of."

'Alright, take it easy, you guys,' Naruto said before he and his copies picked up everyone again.

They vanished in explosions of wind and cracking earth once more.

"... I didn't think he was superhero fast," Perry said with a blink of awe that his daughter reciprocated. "That was so cool… Not as cool as you, old man," he said with a smirk as the shop owner tried to rub the back of his head before wincing. "Come on, we need to get those looked at. I get the feeling we're both in for some rest after this."

"Hah, I think my wife is gonna kill me."

"Not surprised, if I came home dead, I'd say the same thing."

~NRK~

Naruto smiled as they made their way back to Atlas Academy in record time, the Grimm landing on the school grounds with his people in tow.

'Oh, wait, sorry, Maria. I didn't ask if you were coming here,' he said to the former silver-eyed woman who chuckled.

"I was coming here to get my visors looked at, this is fine. Now, jumping flying through the air? That's been interesting," she said with a smirk as she and the others were let down. "This has been an interesting trip, that's for sure."

'I'm happy.'

"That's the first time I've flown through the air like that, Naruto!" Penny said with bright eyes as Blake held onto her Naruto clone for dear life. "That was amazing!"

'Hehe, I know, it's fun being able to fly around like that. I bet I could actually fly if I get to another level.'

"P-Please, never again," Blake said, white in the face as she latched onto her Naruto clone as her 'support blanket'. "Please."

'No promises. If we've gotta fly to get you home, it'll happen, sorry,' Naruto said with an apologetic smile.

"Uwwaaaaa!"

"Ah, there you are," James said as he walked up to the group. "So, Leonardo should have called you."

'He did.'

~NRK~

They traveled for three days to get to Menagerie.

Naruto, Blake, and Penny waited in the bullhead as their pilot threw them the heads-up.

"We're above Menagerie airspace. Coming down… sir? Ma'ams?"

"Thank you, Gato!" Penny said as Naruto chuckled nervously at the name. "We'll be back soon!"

Their bullhead came down on one of the extended piers, leaving them under the surprised eyes of the island nation's people as the side haul door opened to reveal the three.

Penny looked around in wonder as they walked out, Blake atop Naruto's neck, hiding her face as best she could into the back of his head.

"Good afternoon! Good afternoon! Good after-noon!" Penny said joyously to every passerby who gaped at Naruto's very familiar form. "If you all don't mind, could you point us to Chieftain Ghira's house?"

The shocked crowd pointed involuntarily to the path down the way.

"Thank you!" Penny thanked them with a big smile as the three continued on, Naruto being careful but tucking his claws into blunt points as he waved nervously at them all. "Menagerie is the nation given to the Faunus over 30 years ago, I believe," her eyes glowed before she smiled with a nod. "Yes, 30 some odd years ago."

'Yeah, well, it is pretty nice,' Naruto said as he looked at the palm trees which sported several kids atop, on, and at the bottom who gaped at him. 'Hehehe…'

Well, no one was screaming yet.

As they traveled down the way to the chief's house, asking for direction from shocked islanders along the way, Naruto found himself gaining a few tagalongs who began riding on him at some point of the journey.

So, when they knocked on the door to Blake's home, the moment the door opened, Naruto was sporting several children hanging off his arms, biceps, neck, and head.

'... I believe one of these is yours,' he said slowly as Kali Belladonna's eyebrow rose into her hairline before her eyes widened.

"B-Blake?!" She gasped for joy, snatching the girl up from the pile of other children to hold her in her arms.

Kali was an average-height woman with fair skin, slightly on the tan side, and golden eyes with purple eyeliner around the corners. Her hair was short, scraggly, and black, coming to just behind her ears.

Wearing a white sleeveless shitagi, black hakama pants, tabi socks, and zori sandals, she hugged the life out of her daughter.

"Thank you for bringing her back!" The woman said, two thick feline ears flicking in joy on her head. "Young lady, why were you in Atlas?! W-We couldn't find you for four years!"

The kids decided that watching the scene would be too much and quickly vacated the residence with haste.

Naruto and Penny nodded. "Well… I think she was just a bit too brave," Penny said with a smile and bow to the woman who sighed, tucking one of Blake's bangs behind her ear.

"Don't I know it?" Kali said with a chuckle. "Kali Belladonna, charmed."

"Penny Polendina!" Penny introduced.

'Naruto Uzumaki,' Naruto did the same, getting a nod out of Kali.

"Your name's Mistralian."

'I had my name before becoming a Grimm,' she looked alarmed. 'Trust me, that's classified, I'm just an idiot. For the sake of clarity, no one turned me into a Grimm. I just woke up after I died looking like this.'

"... Can I offer you two some tea?"

Ghira Belladonna let out a breath of relief as he held his child in his arms, face completely relaxed.

He was a hulkingly big guy with a broad chest, thick facial hair, and black hair that surrounded a slightly tan face that held bright yellow eyes.

Wearing a white shirt and tan shorts, he smiled at the duo of Naruto and Penny.

"Thank you, sincerely," he said.

'No problem.'

"It was a pleasure to know Blake for as long as we did," Penny said with a smile, Naruto and she sitting at the table in the Belladonna home's living room. "Honestly, it was nice having a reason to come to Menagerie. I heard it has beautiful views of the ocean."

"Well, it certainly does," Kali said with a chuckle, bringing over some tea and biscuits. "You can eat, sometimes I keep forgetting," she said with a nervous grin.

"Naruto's reveal was only a week ago," Penny said before denying the food. "I, on the other hand, can't consume food… I'm not human but a robot," she admitted, surprising the Belladonnas.

"R-Really?" Blake said in shock as Naruto nodded.

'Don't let that change the fact that Penny's one the most human beings I've ever met,' the Grimm said as he ate a biscuit before moaning in enjoyment. 'Man, these are so good! What do ya do to them?'

"Hm, hm, it's a special fruit here on Menagerie. Some call it the Papao fruit. It's good for making bread and the like," Kali said proudly as Ghira chuckled.

"Some of the best on the island," he said, plucking one of the items into his gullet. "We listened to your unknown announcement," the man said with a chuckle as Naruto pouted.

'Glynda-nee is sneaky, gotta be careful of that,' he said and Kali looked intrigued. '?'

"You use old Mistral?" She asked curiously as Blake blinked. "In the old days, there were several suffixes you could give to people, depending on how close they were to you. 'Nee' or the shortened version of 'Nee-chan/san' is a term of endearment, it's usually used for sisters. This woman must have had a big impact on you."

'She did, she taught me how to read, write, and about a lot of stuff on Remnant,' Naruto said fondly. 'I owe her a lot. And most of that's paid back with not calling her 'baa-chan'.'

Kali chuckled. "It means aunty or grandma, I can see why she didn't want the suffix."

'It's an endearment, I don't just call everyone baa-chan.'

"I still need to learn a lot about Naruto's old-world culture," Penny said. "But he uses '-chan' a lot for me and I learned that's a good thing!"

'It is, you're basically my first 'friend' friend here, Penny-chan,' Naruto said as Ghira chuckled.

"Friendships can last however long they need to. That I've learned a long time ago," he said. "So, what is on your agenda after today?"

'Well… Likely just training, I'm sure way too many people are going to want to meet me for me to be not busy, and just learning about Remnant while getting old stuff back,' Naruto said, making the man curious.

"Define 'old stuff'."

'Penny-chan?'

"Yes, Naruto's unique existence means he can go to places most can't, as should have been in the files," Penny said and Ghira looked embarrassed.

"I've read some of them but it's a lot to read through. I think I got up to you having organs before we saw Blake next to you from one of the live videos."

"Understandable, it is a lot. Naruto's ability to go to places normal people can't means he can go and retrieve items and research that might have been lost. He can even carry back technology if necessary."

'It helps that I can manage it easily with some Grimmy know-how,' he said as Kali chuckled.

"You mean using your vapors, yes?"

'Yeah, I can do a lot of things with it. It helps.'

They chatted for over an hour when Naruto got a call on his Scroll.

Watching a Grimm open and operate the piece of technology was amusing to the Belladonna parents while Blake looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

'General? Who's calling me this time?' Naruto asked with a shaky grin as James's face appeared on his screen, shooting him one back.

-Rather… big people, this time- He said. -Weiss Schnee wants to meet you-

Naruto's screwed into an expression of shock while the Belladonnas choked.

"Really?!" Kali said in disbelief while James nodded, Naruto turning the screen to them for him to see them as well.

-Good afternoon, Mr. Belladonna, Mrs. Belladonna- The general said with a nervous smile. -Yes, things are certainly not boring on Naruto's end-

"So, it seems," Ghira said. "Still, what could the SDC Empress want with him?"

"It might have to do with Naruto's special characteristics," Penny said and he blinked. "Remember, Naruto can conduct elements and Dust. He's covered in very powerful bits of material."

"Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that," Ghira winced. "Still, he's only just come out, is him making deals really something he should be doing?"

-He shouldn't, Naruto can't be seen making deals left and right, who knows the type of people he'll run into. Hell, my own scientists have already tiptoed a line with 'material' as is-

'Oh…' Naruto blushed before waving the parents off. 'It was very horrifying to think about what they wanted… super embarrassing, too.'

Ghira thought about it for a few seconds before choking in disbelief. "T-That has to be crossing a line!" He said in horror as Naruto groaned.

-Don't worry, I handled that before it got out of hand- James shook his head. -I really do wonder about some of the people under my employ… that's the weirdest situation I've ever been in in a long time-

"I can imagine."

"Not gonna spoil us, huh?" Kali asked and Ghira blushed before whispering into her ear. "...?!" She blushed before coughing into her fist. "R-Right, definitely crossing a line… Or fifty."

-Right. So, Naruto, what will you do?-

'I'll meet her, it's not like I can assume the worst,' the Grimm said. 'Just tell her it'll have to be in a few days. Jet lag and all that stuff.'

-Understood. Take your time getting back-

'Will do, James-ossan.'

Blake looked to her mother for an answer.

"Think of it as someone being called 'uncle'."

"Ooohh."

~NRK~

He let out a yawn as he curled up on the floor, Penny leaning into his side, rubbing his fur.

"Get some rest, Naruto-kun…"

'Picking up some things?'

"I asked Ms. Kali. It fits the most."

'Heh. Night, Penny-chan.'

"Night."

As his heartbeat slowed, Penny's eyes softened as she closed her optical receptors.

This feeling of being… complete was weird to her. She'd felt it, many times, with her father… but something about Naruto made her form feel comfort in a way that she didn't feel with anyone else, oddly.

The experience was one she hadn't brought up to her father yet because… Penny wasn't sure why. It was weird but she felt weird about telling him, at the moment.

She'd tell him one day… and maybe Naruto, too.

~NRK~

The return to Atlas had been three days, like with going to Menagerie.

The two 'teens' awoke in time for their pilot's call, having slept for the entire journey with one another as comfort.

'Penny-chan,' Naruto said as the robo-girl blinked awake. 'Hehe, have good a dream?'

"Dreams are foreign to me," she said. "Ever since getting this new form, I've gotten them a lot. I thought it was something to do with the mind."

'With a soul, I think it's different,' he said as he stretched, Penny getting off him so he could do so fully. 'Ahhh, there we go.'

Penny smiled… before blinking at something down below.

"Naruto-kun… what is that?" She asked him, pointing at something below him.

Naruto blinked and looked-

'OH FUCK!' He cursed and scrunched in on himself, face completely red. 'I'm sorry! That happens sometimes when living being sleep!' Naruto felt embarrassment that surpassed even the one from when he was 'asked'.

Dammit!

Penny frowned in confusion as their pilot called out they'd be landing soon.

"Is it something private?" She asked and he burned brighter as he nodded.

'Dammit! I'm so sorry, Penny,' he cursed as she smiled.

"It's fine, friend. You said it yourself, you didn't control it. That said, I'd help any way I could!"

His pupils shrunk as his 'problem' became more apparent.

'Don't say that please!' He squeaked as she looked at him innocently. 'P-Penny-chan, this isn't a thing people speak about obviously. I-It's a guy thing and it's super embarrassing hearing you say that. As well as making this a bit harder.'

"Oh, sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean to," Penny said with a frown and a bow. "Sorry."

'No problem, it's just embarrassing,' he said with a blush still. 'I'll deal with this, promise.'

She nodded with a smile and he smiled too.

'As always, she's got a good smile… you've gotta be kidding me!' He said to himself with a grimace, scrunching in more. 'God… don't do this to me.'

He clenched his thighs and focused on slowing his heart rate, sighing in relief as he felt his wood going down.

He smiled and looked up to see Penny looking outside… with her rear wiggling a bit-

'DAMMIT!' He locked in. 'Who in the world decided to give her a nice butt?! No, why?! This was never a thing before!' Naruto realized it might have been because Penny had noticed it before he could deal with it. 'Friggin hell.'

He focused and sent his 'awakening' away before not looking at Penny as they landed.

'I seriously need to get myself under control,' the Grimm groaned as the door opened and they left, landing on one of Atlas's many bullhead pads. '... I-I might need to go and…' Naruto blushed at the idea.

Shocking news, he'd never really masturbated. Like, okay, maybe like five times throughout his lifetimes but that was it.

He'd never needed to, he wasn't focused on sex before and he had so many things to deal with, it was never a priority, thankfully.

… but this more stable life was causing him to react to 'other' things more and it was getting to him. Besides! Penny was his friend!

That wasn't cool!

And now he was replaying her words, causing Naruto to force himself into a calm state lest he pop a boner on the runway.

He focused on the future which was now easier as he saw James waiting for them.

"Got rested?" He asked and Naruto grinned.

'Ready for just about anything,' he said as Penny smiled.

"I'll help if I'm needed!" She said and Naruto's facade chipped but he kept going strong.

"Alright then help Naruto out here with me. We'll be going to brunch," James said with a nervous chuckle. "Oh, Jacques is not going to be happy seeing me."

"You two have bad blood, sir?" Penny asked.

"Well… It's a bit more complicated than that."

'Alright, we'll let you handle that then,' Naruto said with a chuckle. 'Weiss Schnee's, like, eleven, right?'

"Yes."

'Well, I'll either be entertaining a child or arguing with one, can't wait to find out,' he said nervously as Penny giggled while James smirked.

"You'll handle it, I'm sure."

~NRK~

The right to the Schnee manor was also done by bullhead, leaving Naruto to curl up with Penny laying on his side.

"You are alright, right, Naruto?" She asked and he smiled.

'Yeah, I-I'm seriously sorry about earlier.'

"..." Penny looked contemplative. "A living body is different from my own so I don't know the ins and outs of one. Still, if I can help, don't hesitate to ask."

Naruto grimaced. 'P-Penny, I know you're a cool chick, you're an awesome friend, too. It's just… what you're suggesting is something, uhhh… t-that's a bit more intimate than hugging.'

"How so?" She whispered.

'Y-You'd be… well, you know what sex is, right?' He whispered back, cheeks red.

"I don't," she admitted and Naruto began to sweat. "Naruto-kun?" Was it this intimate? "... then I'll research it. Maybe I can help you by being more familiar with the idea."

Naruto's skin burned bright red and Penny giggled a bit.

Was he really…? '... I-I don't want to force you to do anything. Only if you truly understand what you're… offering will I even consider it, alright?'

"Sure, consent is important."

Yeah, tell him about it.

Still, something within him welled with excitement that brought about more embarrassment.

'God, I'm such a pervert,' he held his head in horror while Penny rubbed his noggin. '... thanks, Penny. Even if nothing comes out of this, I'm glad you're my friend.'

"Hm, hm, same."

When the bullhead landed, Naruto walked out with focus.

Whatever came, he'd deal with it one way or another.

For now? He had an heiress to deal with.

~NRK~

So… a lot to unpack there.

This fic is rated 'M' so there's not much to say. You chose to read it, after all. Right now, Penny is completely ignorant of Naruto's baser needs but that will change, very much so, along with their relationship as of late.

Penny is willing and to help her friend, to become closer 'friends', she'd not mind in the least. She'll certainly feel flattered.

But that's jumping ahead.

So, we get more reactions to Naruto's existence and they're mostly positive. Save for Watts but he's a special case.

We've also learned about a new class of Grimm that's reminiscent of something from the Seven Deadly Sins if I'm remembering correctly where an entire territory is covered by darkness… I think? I know I remember something like that from an anime.

Oh, also, who remembers S-Cry-Ed? That was my shit back when I was a kid along with Naruto and Tenchi Muyo.

Naruto's now going to visit more places than ever. With his reveal, he's got a lot to look forward to. Like a FESTIVAL in a few days!

Yeah, it's been a week, exactly, since he was told. Give it a few more days.

We meet Blake who's been around the block, so to speak, in Atlas. Still, he's found her before she became too locked in her ways but while she has convictions.

We've met Maria, Robyn, Marrow, Winter (Kinda), the Belladonnas, and Perry and Neon in person. We've gotten their reactions and things are looking interesting.

Naruto's returned Blake and has a decent rapport with the Belladonnas… but let's get on to the main focus I know most of you are focusing on.

Yes, Naruto and Penny, two 'teens' are likely to add a curve to their relationship that will be one-sided… for now. And 'one-sided' in physical needs. You now have an inkling of the future of Penny.

For now, she's gonna see a lot of porn that's crazy about Grimm-human copulation because, yes, there are such depraved people everywhere. Anyone who's seen a decent share of the nightly needs knows that people are WEIRD. Oh and never mind Naruto's existence's effect on that 'media'. She'll be quite surprised.

So, yes, prepare for a lime either next chapter or the one after.

For now, we've gotta meet Weiss, Winter, and Whitley. Oh and Jacques and Willow, maybe.

See you all in the next one.

Ciao.

Words: 12.4k

~NRK Out~