A Grimm Light

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Among the darkness that was Salem's island, Summer Rose expected to find one of two things. Victory or... unfortunately, a loss so great she knew her family would never get over it. So, when the weirdest third option showed up, a single piece of light in this land of darkness, she'd been confused... and then she'd been happier than she ever imagined.

6. Happy To Happy And Then Bad Days

This chapter is gonna be sort of a before-present one. It's very important.

I've made a small change to the last chapter's ending that keeps this chapter in mind.

~NRK~

~Two Months before the new year~

He ran towards it, eyes wide and full of… hope.

Hope. I-If what he'd heard was right!

'... H-Hmph, brat, I bet you're something else,' he thought, long, spiky, white hair flapping in the wind as he ran. 'If you're really here… I-I don't think we'll have the same relationship as before but, hell, I'll retake a Grimm as a student!'

~NRK~

He smiled as he sat on his island's shore, breathing in deeply as he had Kachi, and their new leather sea turtle friend, Oichi, waiting with him.

The turtle was a nice bright green with red on her fins.

Kachi, meanwhile, had become the world's most bright yellow shoebill stork, so that was fun, too.

The three watched as the bullheads arrived, two from Atlas, one of which bearing the Schnee symbol, one from Mistral, and two from Vale.

Naruto chuckled as he heard them even from here, their voices louder than he expected.

As they landed, the side hauls opened to reveal everyone he knew.

With James, Fria, Pietro, Maria, Penny, the Arc family, the Schnee family, even the mother, surprisingly. The Xiao-Long Rose family, Leonardo, the Li family, and, finally, the Belladonna family.

The entire group were wearing swimwear, the island's temperature still pretty warm and sunny, so the waters were cool while the land was warm.

Perfect vacation weather.

"NARUTO!" Came a good batch of the group in unison, most of them children.

The living Grimm chuckled as the kids ran over in their swim gear before coming to screeching halts at the sight of Kachi whose beak warbled like an automatic rifle, like always.

"Why is it also a gun?!" Weiss shrieked in horror while Whitley's eyes widened in fascination.

"There's also the big sea turtle!" He said in appreciation as he, Blake, Ruby, Nora, Ren, Jaune, Charlie, and Yang approached. "I-It's really big!"

Oichi's eyes blinked slowly, allowing her big dark blue eyes to awe the teens and below.

Whitley observed Kachi, who lowered his head, warbling a bit, as the Schnee smiled, touching his plumage.

"You have an interesting set of feathers," he said with awe and the bird blinked before nuzzling him. "Hahaha, yes, I assume most don't give you attention. Birds such as yourself need proper understanding," Whitley said wisely as Naruto snorted.

'Well, someone finally gets him,' he said as Penny hugged him around the neck. 'Hi, Penny-chan.'

"Good morning!" She said with a grin as she looked at Oichi. "Salutations, Oichi!"

The turtle flopped a bit and she giggled before turning to Kachi with a grin, Whitley atop his strong-looking neck.

"And Kachi's made a friend!"

"Y-Yes, well… be careful up there," Weiss said while clearing her throat. "Hello, Naruto. It's been some time."

'Good morning, Weiss,' he chuckled as Penny smiled, the heiress blushing a bit as Blake tilted her head at her. 'How's life?'

"Good. Good, good."

"Life should always be good-good," Jaune said wisely as Ruby snickered. "Then it can't be bad-good. Good-good's good."

"It's the best!" Ruby said and he laughed.

"Hey! Hey! This island looks amazing!" Nora said with shining eyes as Weiss, Blake, Ren, and lots of the Arc kids agreed with similar eyes. "You've got all kinds!"

"Naruto does," Penny said. "Some of them aren't even ones you'll find in most places," she said as he nodded.

'Come on, your parents should come, too.'

Looking over to those same people. Jacques, Ghira, Taiyang, and Ironwood seemed to be in a fierce debate while Willow was left there, stunned and horrified, as Naruto and the kids walked over.

"H-H-Huh?!" She choked as she rushed over, picked up kids, and held them back. "B-Back! Away!"

'So, all moms are like that.'

"Well, not all of us," Kali said with a grin and chuckle as Willow blinked, looking at her and Jun. "But a lot of us," she added. "Kali Belladonna. This is Jun Arc, a real go-getter."

The Arc woman blushed a bit before giggling at Willow's confusion, her youngest in her arms. "These eight are mine."

Willow nearly coughed up a lung as her head mechanically turned to see, yes, spread out over the area, were EIGHT BLONDE CHILDREN WITH BLUE EYES?! Wait, wasn't that a ninth?!

Her knees felt weak in lots of ways while Kali grinned.

"I don't know how she could keep going through that… but then I have some idea. Geez, that man is built like a tank."

Jun's cheeks reddened but she smiled in pride. "I'm surprised you don't have more children."

Kali held her stomach with a grin and the blonde woman gasped in joy. "H-Hehe, well, Blake doesn't know yet," she whispered as Jun nodded understandingly.

'So, the kids want to see the entire island from above. You all coming?' Naruto asked and Willow was back on the defensive.

"H-Huh?!"

"Mother, please, he's not that bad," Weiss pouted as Whitley tilted his head in confusion. "Our mother is… odd."

"I'm noticing!" The boy declared as Willow paled at the sight of Kachi walking over. "Mother! He's friendly!" Whitley said with a grin as the bird warbled.

"W-Where's the gun?!"

"I'm thinking the same thing," Kali sweatdropped. "Why does it sound like an automatic rifle?"

'... I don't know. But Oichi can sound like a helicopter if she tries hard enough,' Naruto said.

The turtle followed suit, chattering its chompers to produce chopper-like effects.

"... What's wrong with the animals on this island?" Jun asked.

"They all see the shoe-bill storks as their leaders, I've hypothesized," Penny said with a hum. "So far, we only have these two types of creatures… unless there are animals, or fish, beneath us."

"Beneath?" An asked as she came over. "Ah, pleasure, Li An, a pleasure to make your acquaintances," she introduced herself as her husband got into a debate with the other men.

"Ah, Kali."

"... Willow."

"Jun!"

"And Summer!" Summer said with a grin as she came over with Topaz in tow. "Honestly, you just need to touch his snout. I'm learning it has mythical power," she snickered as Willow blinked before looking at Naruto.

His tongue came out and she mindlessly flicked it.

It came out further.

Maria facepalmed as Willow put it back in time and time again. "I'm starting to feel my own embarrassment come back."

"Oh, his tongue's mythical, too!"

---

Jacques cupped his chin with a grimace.

"If you honestly want her to come back. You need to also remember, she wants things, too. That's where we, as parents, have to find that balance," Taiyang said with a smile. "It's all about knowing if we should support them and/or if we think they're not ready for the world at large. It's not easy, Jacques."

"The Brothers know it's not," Li said. "And I and Ghira live in the outbacks. It's honestly the worst place to learn what is and isn't enough… but we have to. Ren and Nora are kids, they need to also see the outside world. We're just lucky Naruto's around so that they can see things that they normally can't."

"... I suppose…" Jacques looked hesitant.

"It's not like they're telling you how to handle your kids," James said.

"Not specifically," Ghira added and the general rolled his eyes as Ozpin and the other men came over.

"I believe that Naruto providing an interesting idea," the old wizard said with a grin as the group saw him smiling.

~NRK~

"OKAY! I'M READY TO GO DOWN!" Jacques shouted in horror before looking down. "My word, look at all those-NO, PUT ME DOWN!"

"Is it wrong to say I am enjoying his reaction a bit," Kali laughed into her Scroll as the other women giggled, Willow included.

-I-It's certainly… v-very HIGH up here!- The Schnee woman said from a Naruto clone's 'backpack' with her kids.

-This is amazing! This must be what he meant at the manor!- Whitley's voice came over the Scrolls.

-I-Isn't this too much?!- Weiss screamed.

Blake giggled beside her mother.

---

"It's so big!" Jaune said in awe as he and Cera looked out at the fruits below. "Whooaaaa~"

Cera snickered before nodding. "Man, this looks better than in your mind and that's not a weird sentence or anything," she said to Naruto who chuckled.

'Speaking of weird things, you guys seem to be fine,' he said and her phone's speaker sparked.

-We… are- Nicholas said in shock as more such words came over the Scroll.

-W-We are!-

-By the Brothers! Naruto Transportation for the win!-

-Take us places, werewolf man!-

Jaune hummed before looking at Naruto. "I guess riding Grimm is different."

'It seems so.'

~NRK~

Their 'campsite' had been another wooden construction Naruto had made without Summer's knowledge.

So, you can imagine how the woman reacted.

"Oh, my, Goshes!" She squealed as she looked around at the log cabins, training yard, target ranges, weights, and more. "YOU NEVER TOLD ME!" Summer whined even as she grabbed a wooden dummy like it was her youngest child.

Who was currently in his arms, Naruto was starting to realize she sometimes didn't even notice.

'Topaz, your mom's a bit insane,' Naruto said as Qrow smirked. 'And Qrow's not much better. Take after your dad and sister.'

"Babu?" The boy's eyes shined as he stuffed his face into Naruto's facial fur.

'You keep doing you, kid.'

Kali snickered as Willow stared in total confusion.

"What happened to my life in a matter of an hour?" She wondered and Fria smiled.

"You've met him up-close," she said with a smirk as Willow's face contorted.

"... Yes, that seems accurate."

"Hahah!" Pietro chuckled as he looked at the target range. "Were you able to find anything interesting for this, Naruto?"

'Oh, yeah!' The Grimm boy said as he walked over to a large wooden chest at the side, rummaging through it as he held Topaz carefully. 'So, there was a bit of Water Dust below the waves,' he explained as the Schnees perked up. 'Nothing crazy but I picked up a whole bunch of it. It's really dangerous down there, too. I think I went to the very bottom of the island and there were fishy Grimm down there.'

"I see," James hummed. "If that's true, there could be more down there."

'Oh, I think there is. There were these cool-looking caverns with some kind of energy in them. I went in one and saw some Earth Dust.'

"I-Is that so?" Jacques considered as Whitley looked intrigued.

"Earth and Water Dust, you could probably do a lot of extra planting on the island," the boy said with a grin as Kachi warbled. "See! Kachi likes it!"

Willow eyed that bird for a decent bit, holding her son's shoulder gently, just in case.

Whitley was confused but delighted.

"Is it possible that's what helps make this island so cool?" Jaune wondered and Jacques's eyes narrowed in thought. "I-I mean, it's Water and Earth Dust."

'Eh, no, it's more of me using my energy to, like, help the fruit along most of the time,' Naruto said and many looked confused. 'U-Uh, so, uh. Think of my vapors like energy, remember? I can change it by focusing and using words. That's also how I transform like I do.'

"So, wait," Yang raised her hand and he chuckled before pointing at her. "Yes! Then can you, like, use water explosions?" Tai snickered along with Qrow. "Hey! That's rude! No talking in class!"

"She has a good head on her shoulders," Jacques said mindlessly as Weiss squawked, Willow's amusement rising a bit. "Still. You keep this island running, huh?"

'It's more like, I help but once everything takes place, it's its own system,' Naruto grinned. 'It's interesting, in a lot of ways. It's like my energy's all around this place but I ain't doin' nothin'.'

"... Eloquent," Willow grinned outright at her husband's observation.

"It is an interesting idea," Ghira said with a hum. "Your energy now circulates this entire island on its own? As in, reproduces more on its own?"

'Yeah,' Naruto nodded as he touched the ground. 'And I can borrow it, too…'

The wind picked up in seconds while something gold flowed up his arm, leaving it tinted that same color.

He raised it for Pietro, James, Ozpin, and Glynda to see. 'I've no idea how this happened but it can be a little extra help when I need it. Though I don't think it's all over the island. I couldn't do this underwater.'

"Fascinating," Leonardo said with a hum as he looked at him. "It's excess energy you can use at any time?"

'While near the island.'

"Ah, of course."

"It's like a field card effect!" Sarcelle realized in shock as the children's eyes shined save for Weiss, Whitley, and Blake's.

"Field cards?" Blake looked confused while Ghira chuckled.

"I believe they mean a card game."

"Ohhh."

"Yeah, Blake! It's Ma-Co!" Jaune said with a bright grin.

"It's a game with all kinds of cards and effects!" Ruby added.

"It's got all sorts of playstyles and colors!" Yang added.

"It's amazing!" The three said in unison.

"Oh, right, I remember that," Ren said as Nora grinned. "Some of the kids in the village have some. We play… p-pick-up games, I think it's called," he added unsurely.

"I always win!" Nora declared.

"She somehow always gets the best cards."

"Oh-ho!" Yang grinned proudly. "Ya can't beat me! I've won every game at school using pick-up!"

"Why does it sound like they're playing poker?" Maria asked as An chuckled.

"Kids name all sorts of things odd," she said.

Glynda hummed before touching Naruto's arm and raising her hand at a dummy-

The entire area around it exploded and she looked on flatly before removing her hand.

"Don't let any of the kids touch you," she said flatly.

'Gotcha.'

"W-What was that?!" Jacques jumped along with many of the others.

"Oh, well," Taiyang rubbed the back of his head. "Right, what was that?"

"The thing with Naruto is that he acts like a magic wand," Qrow said with a lazy grin at his 'inner-comrades's looks of exasperation. "Hehe. You do remember he's mad conductive, right? His whole thing is to channel. So, when he's channeling, whoever's touchin' 'im can as well."

"But that was just energy, wasn't it?" Sarcelle asked and Qrow grinned. "... Ah, Semblances!" She realized and James nodded.

"Naruto's form is still a mystery to even himself, sometimes. We're learning new things about him almost every year," the general said as Penny smiled.

"As a conductor, Naruto also can manage input and output," she said as she touched his arm and he passed the glow onto her other one. "He believes in the concept of understanding and passing on. Through this, his body allows him to do so."

'Oh, right! Speaking of. I gotta figure out that fruit thing!'

"... Oh, right, that," Jacques said and Willow looked confused. "He wishes to give his fruit away, for free, to the masses!"

She sweatdropped. 'He's a lot more expressive than usual,' still, that idea was rather charming. "But how will you transport them?"

'That's the thing. I've no idea. Maybe… Oh, well, I did have one idea,' he said nervously. 'If I knew how to sail a boat, I'd never get bothered by Grimm, yeah? I'd be able to sail the many seas without being touched!'

Eyes widened at the possibilities of that idea. "That'd be outright genius," Jacques uttered in shock.

'I'd also get a hat!'

"My standards have fallen," Willow giggled.

"You'd be able to see all kinds of stuff, bro-bro!" Yang realized with shiny eyes. "WHAT IF YOU FIND TREASURE?!"

"Treasure!?" The Arc children gasped at the possibilities. "YES, TREASURE!"

"Hm, hm, I suppose that's that love for treasure chests," Penny noted. "You'd be a pirate?"

'I mean, maybe I could get the outfit,' Naruto considered as Topaz gurgled, glowing gold. 'Whu-oh-!"

The boy's hands released a burst of air and the fur on Naruto's head snapped back.

'... That's not my fault,' he said, fur all shooting in direction as Taiyang jumped.

"Oh, gods, please don't tell me he has mine?!" He choked as Summer grinned shakily. "Uhhh… Naruto I'll be right back."

He picked up Topaz and ran into the forest. "Sorry for any trees!" Taiyang shouted as he disappeared. "N-Now, my boy, understand-"

There was a loud explosion and yelp.

'... I think someone should go and check on him,' Naruto said with red cheeks. 'Oh, well, right, I can awaken Aura. Forgot about that during my livestream.'

"How?" Leonardo blinked. "I wasn't aware. This seems… rather convenient."

"He did so with me, as well," Li said as he activated his Aura. "When his shades were saving our village. He had me don him, so to speak, and I had Aura afterward."

"What?" Maria blinked before Naruto snapped his fingers.

'Yo, old lady Maria-'

"I will stab you."

'Young lady Maria!' The women smirked. 'How's that visor stuff going?' Pietro's eyes widened.

"Y-You could do that, couldn't you?" He said in awe while Maria looked confused. "For a moment, Maria. Can you take off your visors?"

'Well, hold on, she might not want to do that outright,' Naruto said as he made a clone who walked over. 'Bump fists with him, this is gonna be cool if it works.'

Maria, and the others not in the know, blinked as the copy held out his fist.

She placed her own against it and the changes were instant compared to when it was Qrow and Ironwood.

It faded over her form before she was wearing a stylized fox mask over her upper face while her arms became covered in the gauntlet-like bones that the men had first had.

The final change had been her cloak which now blazed black and had cloud-like trim made out of bones.

"E-Eh?! Fusion?!" Yang squealed. "Do it to me!"

"ME!" Sarcelle declared. "My way into the world could start with seeing how you see!"

'Sarcelle I see colors like everyone else.'

"So?"

"...?!" Maria removed her visors and trembled as she looked around. "I-I can see?" She squeaked as she saw more color than the visors could offer.

"I don't understand. What happened?" Weiss asked.

"Naruto-kun can lend his senses to people," Penny said with a grin as those not in the know choked. "Feeling, touch, taste, sight apparently, and hearing can all be simulated. The General can touch things with his metallic side when he dons him."

James grinned. "We want to see if we can't make prosthetics out of his material. If we could, we'd have literally given people back their senses. It'd be amazing."

"What in the world?" Nicholas choked as he looked at the thumbs-up-giving Naruto. "... You're just a little miracle, aren't ya?"

'I try.'

"What else does it do?" Saphron asked.

'Oh, well, Maria-jou-san,' Naruto leaned back as she looked at him. 'It means 'young lady'! Don't kill me!'

"It's true, hm, hm," Kali grinned and Maria huffed.

"Continue," she said and he grinned nervously.

'Why are women so scary?'

"You'll never know," Glynda said with a smirk.

'... No comment. So, backing off from things I won't understand,' the men snorted. 'She can use some of my skills. Well, potential ones I can't use. I can use elements but not all of them. She might be able to use ones not fit for me because it's using her soul as a base.'

"..." Maria looked at her hands, flicking each of their gauntleted glories. "... How?"

'... I don't know,' he said nervously. 'Like, try looking inside?'

She snorted before getting a distinct signal from Ozpin and it clicked. 'Oh, that's what he meant,' so it was actual magic.

That Qrow guy was just being coy.

'So, what were the elements again? It was… Gravity, Light, Fire, Water, Wind, Life, Earth, Darkness, Electricity, Barrier, Spiritual, and… Ether,' so, of those 12, which one was she wielding.

Prodding each word in her mind, she blinked as she cupped her chin before holding out her hand.

"Gravitas."

And purple energy coiled into her hand before 'burning' like a fireball.

"... Gravity?" Whitley asked and Maria nodded as Ozpin chuckled.

"I got fire," Qrow said as James snorted.

"Water."

"Earth!" Jaune said.

"Wind!" Ruby.

"Heart!" Yang.

"Nora!" Nora.

"I'm noticing that kid's shows these days are… interesting," Ozpin said as all of the adults laughed. 'Still, we can be completely sure now. Naruto's powers work with those of the Silver-Eye line,' which made things interesting.

So, they had a potential double-skill if played rightly.

~NRK~

With everyone situated in a 'cabin' home, they all listed about in the areas.

'There's a waterfall a bit that way. I cleared the path so it was easy to see but not,' he said as Ren blinked.

"What does that mean?" He asked and the Grimm grinned nervously as Summer snorted.

"It means 'privacy'," she explained and An got it, blushing a bit.

"How?"

"It's like an invisible curtain, Renny," Nora said from atop Naruto's head with Blake. "Ya gotta know but not know, ya know?"

'I only caught that because I know what's going on,' Naruto said with a snort as Glynda chuckled. 'So, yeah, I made soap, bless the animals on this island, found salt, started growing spices, and wheat. In time, muhahaha, ramen will be mine.'

"It's cool," Yang said and he used finger-guns. "Hah!"

"So, ramen is his ultimate plan?" Jun said with a grin.

'It's a way of life,' he said before they looked at a large amount of twirled-up branches. 'Now, this is the-'

"PLAY-PEN!" The kids roared in unison, zipping on over to the assortment of slides, swings, and other stuff.

'This that,' he said as Weiss and Whitley stared at it. 'Go on. You guys haven't ever done this before, right?'

"I-I'm unfamiliar…" Weiss said as Whitley nodded before Naruto snorted.

A Naruto clone quickly lifted them up before taking them over to some swings.

They melted into the atmosphere in seconds.

'Hah, easy.'

"I'm starting to wonder what an orphanage run by you would be like," Glynda said with a smirk as Naruto hummed.

'Ya know, sometimes, I do wonder. Maybe one day. I could maybe make trees grow in Atlas of all places.'

"Hah!" Jun snorted.

~NRK~

Naruto, scarf now wrapped around his neck, sat with Ozpin, James, Maria, Jacques, Qrow, Penny, Pietro, Glynda, and Leonardo around a large Naruto-made map of the island.

"It's curious," Ozpin said as he checked the scale. "We know this island can be comparable to the size of Patch. With that, these caverns may be larger than expected."

"Is it? This is an island, it has to have some form of structure… unless," the SDC CEO frowned. "If it's due to water in the areas below… this might be more hollow…" He noted as Willow sunbathed atop the large balcony of the 'Counciler's Office' behind them, drinking some Naruto-made cocktail of fruit and veggies.

The boy had mystic fingers when it came to alcohol, shocking.

"It's not wrong," James said with a hum. "Right now, the first level isn't flooded. It's simply long with some water coming down from the waterfalls. That said, with that being true, it means that water is going somewhere and that's foreboding."

"It'll be an underwater level, potentially," Glynda said with a hand cupping her chin. "If that's true and the energy source Naruto felt is down there… that might be a bad time."

'Oh, right, if things get that far, there's a skill I'm curious if you guys can learn,' he said and the group looked intrigued. 'Water-Walking. By using a constant stream of energy, and a few small bursts of it at certain times, you can stand, walk, run, and everything on the water. At least, it's that way for me.'

"... We'll workshop it," Qrow said with a giddy grin. "Man, walking on water? Now, I'd love when Halloween comes around. Ah, it's a sea-ghost~"

"Is he like this all the time?"

"I am, Jacky."

"Right."

James snorted. "So, if Naruto could teach us. That'd be a boon in lots of ways. Still, do you know how many levels there are?"

Naruto cupped his chin. '... I think, from the clones I sent, there are four. They're big and they never went too far around. I didn't want to potentially do something I don't want without back-up.'

"Smart," Leonardo said. "But, still, four levels of large caverns. How deep is this island?"

"Give or take an entire track field," James explained as Naruto nodded. "This place is not small. That's why it's important to be careful."

'Yep. Honestly, going in, we'd need a decent-sized team,' the Grimm said as the others nodded. 'I can do a lot but having others who can back those skills up would be nice. So, I want everyone to conquer Water-Walking before anything, just in case. You and me'll be working on that, Penny-chan.'

"Understood. Not getting my form rusty is important," Penny said as Jacques raised a brow.

"She's a special being, Jacques," Pietro said and the CEO nodded slowly.

"Right… So, this team. When it comes to normal mining, we'd call in specialists who can ensure the integrity of the area," the businessman said. "Knowing the size and depth of the caverns, you can't make things too unstable. We don't know what's keeping the island afloat."

"That is concerning," Ozpin said with a hum. "Conjecture. What if it's the Earth Dust?" He suggested. "If it's the Earth Dust, possibly even working in tandem with the Water Dust, that might mean that this structure might be thick in ways we can't imagine."

"Ah, of course, I'd forgotten. We don't know how thick the walls, floors, and layers are," Jacques said with a sigh. "This is what my foremen are for."

"Hmmm… Well, maybe we can get some tech and check the quality of everything," Pietro considered. "Naruto. Have you found metal deposits recently?"

'Kind of. There are some on that mountain over there,' he pointed out. 'I've also found some underwater. All of it is kind of orange.'

"Iron, perfect," Pietro grinned.

"So, with iron, we can make actual work on the island," Penny said with a frown. "It'd be kind of intrusive."

"It would be and that's why it's not going to be big. Naruto can already scope out the situation with a camera. What we need isn't some big machine but small sensors that can help graph the area. No more than that, Penny."

She smiled. "Then… why don't I do it?" She suggested and Pietro winced. "Father…"

"I… I know, I know."

'Penny-chan's not going to be taking any damage while I'm there,' Naruto said seriously. 'I could even give her double protection by using my clones and having her don one. With that, she'll be as protected as possible.'

"... I-I suppose."

"Hmm, this is what they meant, Jacques," James whispered as Penny explained the benefits, the CEO looking nervous. "This is that boundary."

"... I… suppose."

Ozpin nodded. "So, for now, we'll focus on getting the appropriate technology and skills," the group nodded.

'Alright! Time for some teaching!' Naruto declared around the area as everyone looked at him. 'We're heading to the waterfall. Come if you wanna learn something cool,' he added as the 'Cave' group moved towards it.

~NRK~

'Alright, so, this is what I'm going to try and teach you guys,' Naruto said as he walked into the…

… Walked onto the water and turned to face them. 'Water-Walking. It's right up there with Wall-Walking but FAR more difficult,' he explained further, walking off the water, onto land, and then onto the side of the tree, looking like gravity had no effect on him. 'So, any questions?'

"Too many," Taiyang said as he held his youngest son. "Oh, gods, you really just… walked onto the water and are on the side of a tree."

'Yerp.'

"That's so cool!" Nora said as he chuckled.

'Anyone who has Aura can try… anyone who wants their Aura unlocked, ask your parents.'

"D-Dad?!" The Arc kids asked and the man looked hesitant.

"It's fine if you don't, you know," Taiyang said as all the blonde children whined at him. "No, that's fair to your father. Sometimes, you just don't know if your kids are ready. We certainly didn't with Topaz," he said with a grin as the boy glowed bright orange. "Oh, that's new."

"Bab!"

Nicholas breathed in shakily. 'Am I really…?' He groaned as Jaune looked at him with determined eyes. "... F-Fine, stop!" He said immediately to his children. "I'll allow you to get your Aura unlocked… but your mother and I decide if any of you even get an inkling of a chance to go to Beacon."

Ozpin chuckled as he approached Naruto with Glynda. "So, how does this work, first?"

Making numerous clones to handle specific groups of his 'students', Naruto stood before all the children without Aura.

Ren, Nora, Blake, the Arc kids, and Whitley.

'Huh, I didn't know you had your Aura unlocked, Weiss,' Naruto said as the girl puffed out her chest in pride.

"Yes, well, I want to increase my knowledge of the world and father found the right tutor," Weiss said.

'I see. Then, you can… actually, when I do Whitley's. Maybe you should help him through it. Not only will you guys have the same Semblance but you'll also know the ways he can do it your way,' he grinned.

Willow blinked as she watched Whitley smile and Weiss chuckled.

"Of course."

'When did he?' How had he gotten her children to be so… cordial?

Was Willow seeing things properly?

'Alright, so, I'll do it the way I did it with Topaz, despite how much of an accident that was,' Naruto said as he retrieved some energy from within the island. 'Thanks, buddy,' he pat the island before holding out his fist towards Nora. 'Alright, Nora, go on.'

The carrot top grinned widely as she pressed her fist to him.

Gold power flowed up Naruto's arm before she grinned more, pink Aura flashed twice before electricity flowed up her form. 'So, I guess your Semblance is based on electricity.'

She looked at her hands and flexed them, pink arcs of electricity flaring over them. "This is so rad!" Nora squealed as Naruto chuckled.

'For now, you can choose-'

"You guys!" She said, going up onto his neck. "Mine!"

'Right,' Ren snickered as Naruto snorted. 'Alright, Ren, let's do this.'

The boy's Aura had also been pink, surprisingly enough, his Semblance had been curious.

"H-Huh?" The boy blinked at his now grayed form as Naruto shivered.

'W-Whoa… it's like I can't even sense you,' Naruto said and Ren's eyes widened in surprise, his parents doing the same as they came over. 'It's like he's hiding from my senses. Even looking at him is kind of blurry,' the living Grimm said as Ren stopped it. 'He's back to normal.'

"He can hide one's presence from Grimm… that's amazing, Ren," Li said and the boy blushed before nodding. "This power could be used for both fighting and normal life. It's an amazing power."

"Oh, wait, dad. What power do you have?" Ren asked and Li chuckled.

The man raised his hand and green petals flittered about before slipping around his arm and forming a gauntlet of green energy.

"This is it. I believe it's a form of enhancement, likely a holdover from when Naruto empowered me."

"Is that so?" Ozpin hummed as Glynda laid down on her back.

The woman seemed to be a genius in some capacity because she made two steps up a tree, a Naruto clone cheering her on.

"I question if the two methods are different or not?" Ozpin considered. "Continue, Naruto… I wonder something… interesting," he said as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Young Nora, can I talk with you for a moment?"

"Hmm? I guess, old man," Naruto snorted as the girl rolled off his back. "... I feel GREAT!" She grinned as he rubbed her head.

'Head-on, ya scamp. Old Man Oz is pretty good at this.'

As they walked off, Penny considered the situation before holding off on telling Naruto her hypothesis.

If it was true, though? Then things became very… interesting.

Blake came next and the girl looked determined as he chuckled.

She tapped their fists together and she blinked as her body glowed black.

"What's this mean?" She wondered as her form flashed black and a copy appeared next to her.

"UWAH!" They jumped in unison and hit the floor, the copy vanishing from the harsh dropped on her rear.

"U-Uh?!"

'... So, like, a Shadow Clone?' Naruto considered as Kali snickered, coming over and helping her daughter to her feet. 'That's an interesting skill, Blake, trust me.'

The cat girl hummed as she dusted off her shorts. "Well… If you say so," she muttered as he chuckled, ruffling her hair.

'Trust me. I'm sure you'll find out cool stuff about it.'

Then Naruto found Jaune in front of him, the boy, and his sisters, brimming in place with energy. Even the slightly aloof Saphron was excited.

The two blue-eyed males rested their fists against one another and Jaune grinned with a shiver as he felt the sheer jump in energy around him and within.

"W-Whoa!" He grinned as Nicholas scoffed. "Now, I'm like dad!"

The man's face contorted into an expression of forced apathy as Jun snickered.

"Hmm… I can't ascertain what his Semblance is," Penny noted and Jaune looked down at his hands.

"... Foosh!" He declared but nothing. "Shazam!" He tried once more. "... Ta-da?"

Nothing. "It might not be an obvious kind," Nicholas said as he considered his boy. "Oh, the things I do…" He grunted, removed his weapon off his back, they'd all brought theirs, and cut his finger.

"D-Dad?!" Jaune jumped before holding his hurt hand. "W-What the heck-!"

"Look," Nicholas said and Jaune blinked before looking down at his… not-there cut.

'It's a healing skill?' Naruto wondered but Penny shook her head, her rotors whirling.

"No… Mr. Arc's Aura levels are rising," she said and Nicholas turned to her in confusion as Jaune's hands glowed gold. "I believe he's amplifying your Aura, Mr. Arc," Penny grinned as Jun hummed.

"... Oh, well, maybe that's my fault? Or maybe father's," she smiled sadly. "While he's not around anymore, our father could increase his Aura to the point of reflecting damage. If Jaune got a part of 'increase Aura', it might have changed to fit him. It's a rather kind Semblance."

The boy blushed as he looked at his hands before his father ruffled his hair.

"It's important. Perhaps you could also make some good money doing what I do."

"That's a lot of money. Think of all the dresses."

"My boy, you're thinking like me already."

The female Arcs rolled their eyes. "We're not that bad."

"There are eight of you, yes, it's that bad," Nicholas shot back flatly as they blushed in differing measures.

"I-I make my own money now," Cera pouted a bit as her mother chuckled.

"Do us next!" Blanc said.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Blanche agreed and Naruto sweatdropped.

'I literally can't tell them apart,' he said and Jaune hummed.

"The Blanc is on the right and Blanche is on the left. Her bow's crooked," he said easily and Penny tilted her head.

"I… believe I see that," she said in confusion. "I believe this is that family thing, Naruto."

'Seems so.'

He got through all the Arc children… much to their parents' growing horror.

"Nice!" Charlie grinned from atop a green energy bear that flopped down. "Yes! I have power!"

"Don't run with that thing inside!" Saphron warned as she skated by on orange glowing energy boots. "T-This isn't so-" She 'slipped' and ended up in the water. "Ack! Ack!"

"Hehehehehe!" Blanc said with a grin as she sat atop a glowing disc, drawing in the air with blue light that formed things from mere completion. "YES!"

Her twin, meanwhile, was swiping about the place, giant cubes made of 3-D imaging-like energy.

"Hahahahahah!"

"Hmph," Sarcelle hummed as she looked down into the dirt, rubbing some between her fingers. "Fascinating," she pressed her finger into the ground and an area of effect of blue Aura, an energy monocle, with cross-hares, over her right eyes flickering as she stopped the items mid-throw into the air. "Very fascinating."

The Arc parents, Jaune, and Cera, just looked at the horror that was clearly in their future.

'Whelp, that's not gonna end well,' they thought in unison.

What a time to be alive.

Whitley and Weiss just looked at it all. "... Hmph, it's still not as good as our Semblances," she said in defiance as Whitley hummed before turning back to Naruto.

"I-I'm ready!" He said and the Grimm teen nodded before holding out his fist. "Ah, yes, fistbump… I believe," Whitley said as he and Naruto locked knuckles. "... Is that appropriate?"

'You're fine, Whitley. Now, focus,' Naruto said as their energy shifted between their knuckles, the boy shivering as light blue power surged up his form.

Then a glyph appeared at his feet, turning slowly involuntarily without a thought added, as Naruto's fist receded.

"W-What is this?" He asked Weiss who grinned.

"That is our Semblance when it's first activated," she explained and his mouth dropped as he looked down at it.

"O-Our Semblance…" He whispered in awe as Weiss nodded.

"Come. I'll begin by teaching you the basics. There are several skills that you start with," she went off as Whitley nodded, a small notepad coming out of his pocket with a pen.

"Hm… Hmm… Hm-hmm," he nodded away, writing everything down, as Willow just stared after the two with a strained smile.

"Hm, Whitley will now need tutelage…" Jacques considered. "Weiss's tutor should be able to handle two."

"... Why not let Weiss… No, I will handle it," Willow said and Jacques blinked twice before looking at her. "I… I have my Semblance, Jacques."

"Huh?!" Since when?! "I-I, ahem, wasn't aware!"

"I don't speak about it often," Willow said with a long breath, considering her chattering children. 'It's been… a year, I believe,' a year since she's spoken to any of them, at length. "I'm not a fighter but my father was the second-best with our Semblance and taught me despite my lack of want for fighting. I'll pass it on to them. The best tutelage they can receive."

"... Very well, it does save on hiring that man for longer."

Willow nodded before going after her children. 'This… a Grimm is rebuilding my family?' Or was that wrong?

All 'Naruto' had done was bring them together… at least, her children and she with her husband to this island.

There was no mythical answer, she supposed.

As she followed them, Willow noted how they worked by a tree with a 'Naruto clone' simply watching over them.

"From what my instructor had understood, Aura is a tool. The Semblance an extension," Weiss said matter-of-factly. "If you need to use it for something, consider it like that. Find the right way of applying that tool."

"Right… but isn't that kind of weird? I thought it was our souls?" Whitley asked and Weiss rubbed the back of her head at the idea.

"W-Well… I mean, yes, it is but the way it's worked best for me is to use logic."

"..." Willow breathed in before letting out a shuddering breath and stepping out into view, only Naruto noticing. "That's not the wrong way of using it," she said, causing her children to jump and look at her.

"Mother?" Whitley's head tilted as Willow came forward before kneeling by them. "?"

Oh, he was truly so young… the more she realized, the more Willow grimaced looking down.

"A Semblance isn't just a tool," she continued as Weiss crossed her arms with a huff. 'Yes, I bet you're not too happy to see me,' but Willow understood that she couldn't just fix things.

She'd abandoned them and hadn't played her motherly role as she should. Willow knew such trust couldn't be regained easily.

Despite his temperament and mindset… at least Jacques was around, she knew that.

"It's a piece of you. All in our line, including me and your sister," Willow continued as Naruto nodded, eyes closed. "It's not just a tool, it's you, down to your very soul."

Weiss frowned but looked down in thought. "... She said it was wrong."

"I said it wasn't the wrong way but it's… not as simple as that. You can bring power out of your Semblance like that but never its full potential. Your... grandfather and his mother before him knew how to truly make the most of your Semblances."

Now Weiss was just confused. "Our great grandmother? W-Wasn't it Grandfather Nicholas who…" Willow shook her head.

"... Frost Schnee?" Whitley said and Willow was surprised as he scuffed his bare feet on the grass. "I… wanted to know how our family started. Just to see what they were like," he admitted.

"Oh, Whitley," Willow considered him before nodding. "Yes. Her original name? Schwarz Schnee," she explained and the two looked surprised. "... She was the woman who originally started to show the noted Schnee white-haired trait."

~NRK~

Naruto, Penny, Nora, and Ozpin stood in the forest, a bit away from the others.

'So, what's up, Oz?' Naruto asked as Nora sat by his own seated form, Penny at his side. 'What made you curious about this whole thing?'

"I believe I might know," Penny said as Ozpin chuckled. "It was a hypothesis I had when I considered that your energy isn't… normal Aura, Naruto-kun. It's not like you have your Aura unlocked. You've been using your vapor. Your body's energy."

'Right…' Naruto wasn't sure where this was going.

"Well, if the island is circulating that energy, it's not spiritual energy, is it?" Penny said with a smile as Naruto blinked… and his mouth dropped. "Yes! If it's not spiritual energy and it's not Natural Energy…"

'I-It's… oh crap.'

"Hm, hm, hm, yes, you might very well have done something I didn't think was possible… along with possibly something even greater," Ozpin said with a smile that was beyond content but completely engulfed by excitement. "Tell me, Naruto. You understand how unlocking one's Aura works, yes?"

'Y-Yeah? I think so,' he said as Nora looked up at him with curious eyes, the Grimm nuzzling her hair, getting a giggle out of her. 'Haa… so, like, it's you using your Aura, with your chant, to make a connection between you. You're draining the energy of the person who's awakening your Aura…' He blinked as he looked at the ground, mind visibly cranking out the thought that nearly caused his mouth to hit the floor.

Bone slipped over his head and the fox head's jaw hit the ground, much to the three's amusement.

"He's so funny!" The girl said with a series of giggles.

'T-There's no way, right?' Naruto choked as Ozpin chuckled before pulling out a familiar piece of paper. '?!'

"Nora, could you do what you'd done before?" Ozpin asked the girl kindly.

Nora grinned before touching the paper and pushing her Aura into it.

Twelve familiar words shot into the air and Naruto's eyes widened at three lit-up ones.

'T-Three of 'em, huh?' He said nervously, grin shaky as Nora nodded.

"Is that a… bad thing?" She asked, concerned and he snorted.

"It's actually quite good for you, Nora," Penny said with a smile and the girl grinned.

'It's scary to think that they could be her parents,' from what Ozpin remembered of Naruto's looks… yes, mix it with Penny's and Nora was almost a perfect living example of a child between. "Hm, hm, hm, so you know. Light, Spiritual, and Electricity… you've bestowed these gifts upon her and the others. Which comes with… interesting implications," now Ozpin was grinning nervously. "Because, if a check-up proves any bit of what I believe… we might need to reconsider a lot of things."

'Y-Yeah, I can see why,' Naruto rubbed the back of his head. 'Oh, man…'

"It's not like you could have planned for this. If anything, this should be good news," Penny said with a smile and he nodded unsurely.

'I get that but that's more stuff I know I can't just talk about and it's my fault.'

"It happens, you can't plan for everything," Ozpin said. "Now, how we handle this situation is the next issue."

"Did something happen?" Glynda asked as she broke through the treeline. "Something amiss, young man?" She asked Naruto who shook his head… then nodded and then shook again. "He did something he didn't know he could, didn't he?"

Naruto's mouth dropped as Penny giggled along with Nora.

Ozpin smiled. "Yes and this one is both beyond amazing and yet has horrifying implications," he said.

"... So, like always?"

"Yes."

Naruto blushed a bit.

Ozpin went over and whispered something into her ear.

Glynda's face shifted through several emotions before settling on neutrality once more. "I see… So, what exactly is the plan of actions?"

"Action?" Penny corrected and Glynda smiled.

"Not in the least. This isn't something that can only take one plan. This'll require refitting of a lot of things. Never mind the families involved."

'Oh, crap, right, they are involved now, ugh…' Naruto groaned and Ozpin nodded.

"For now, we have to monitor them and see if anything amiss comes about. If it does… we can blame it on your method of Aura releasing. That way, we can keep things private and see what we can learn," the old wizard said.

"So, what's everyone talking about?" Nora asked Naruto who scratched his cheek.

'Lots of stuff I wished I'd known beforehand,' he sighed. 'Life's crazy, Nora.'

"Don't I know it!"

~NRK~

Two hours of rigorous 'trying', not training, Naruto had Glynda, Summer, Taiyang, Ozpin, James, Leonardo, Maria, and Penny in front of him.

'You guys have the best control,' Naruto said from atop the water, pacing in front of them with Topaz in his arms. 'Hold on.'

The baby's face contorted and he held it up towards the waterfall.

An explosive explosion of air left Topaz's lips and Naruto nodded.

'A baby cannon, I never thought about it.'

Taiyang and Yang snorted in unison. "He is now!" Yang said from the shoreline as Naruto walked over and gave the baby back. "Good thing I have my feminine intuiwaytion."

"Intuition," Kali corrected as Willow giggled a bit. "Though I do like your way of saying it."

"I'm a gem."

'Right,' Naruto snorted. 'Now, the difference between Wall Walking and Water Walking is constant energy use. Well, that, and making it like a small pad beneath your feet. Think of it like having extra in-lines in your shoes.'

"Right," James kind of got it. "A cushion of Aura and a constant stream of it. That makes sense."

'This will increase both your Aura size and your control. That's the idea, anyway.'

"That'd be very convenient," Nicholas said from the side, dipping his feet into the waters with his children and wife. "Still, both at once? That's never really been considered before."

'I did always think it was weird, being honest,' Naruto said. 'Like, why not get more Aura? That's, like, not wanting to breathe more air.'

"... That's fair."

"It's simply not feasible with the ways we had it. It's not like we tried to stand on walls and water," Qrow said. "It's never been done outside of Faunus traits and special Semblances. Who'd think of it?"

'Well… I mean, who wouldn't want to?'

"... That's fair."

"No, it's not!" Jacques declared. "You'd track your shoes on the walls! What about whatever you bring up there?!"

James laughed as Ghira chuckled. "I doubt someone would want to cook on the ceiling."

"Children?"

"..." Ghira's face went weird as he looked at Blake who began to find her feet interesting. "That's fair."

'Heh, now, the idea is to try and do this, for you guys, by sitting on the shorelines and just moving your legs along the surface.'

The group did as instructed, trying out his methodology.

Naruto was by Penny the most, minding her roboticness… her robot life.

"Hmm, well, your material helps insulate and protect against elements," she reminded him with a smile that he nodded at.

'I'm still surprised your control is so perfect,' Naruto noted and James hummed.

"Due to her having complex circuitry, as an android, Penny can use Aura perfectly because it's down to a literal science," he explained. "Her Aura is controlled by her circuitry, so her 'mind' is literally the greatest it could possibly be for Aura Control."

"That's an interesting way of doing that," Leonardo said as both his feet were resting flat against the water's surface. "This is interesting, I kind of see what you meant," he said to Naruto.

Glynda was already standing, arms out for balance as she shifted her one leg forward before taking wide, slow, steps that had her showing that, yes, this was doable for Aura-users.

"That's so cool!" Nora said as she came down from her tree branch. "Let me try!" She asked as Naruto snorted.

'Can you do the Wall-Walking yet?' He asked, amused.

"... N-No…" Nora pouted at him and he chuckled.

'... Only for a little bit,' her expression flipped on its head, smiling brightly as he extended a boney ridge from his decently long tail. 'No more than 15 minutes.'

She grinned and latched on tightly as she kept splashing her feet into the water with a grin.

'Try harder please.'

"He's a regular parent," Taiyang whispered with a smirk as Summer, Ozpin, and Glynda laughed. "I haven't said something like that in so long but I have it in the repertoire."

"Of course, you do," Summer snickered. "Now, as for your first part… it's so cool, oh my gods." She squealed in privacy lest she ruins the moment for the three. "She's like their kid and Penny's a mom and Naruto's a funny dad like Tai."

Taiyang felt very proud at that moment as Ozpin chuckled.

"Of course, he is."

---

"... They're like a family," Weiss observed as Naruto, Penny, and Nora interacted.

The android was currently using Naruto's arm to stay balanced while the small carrot top was hanging from his tail's literal tail bone. The Grimm in the middle managing them both with words of encouragement or laughter.

"... It is," Whitley said with a tilt of the head. "I don't think father's ever laughed like that," he said with a soft frown as Weiss crossed her arms with a nod.

"He doesn't. I don't think father does laugh, at least, I've never seen it," and she's seen him do things a lot. "He chuckles or smirks but never laughs."

Willow actually found that amusing. "Some people aren't known to laugh a lot. For example… I-I wouldn't say I laugh like that," she admitted with a blush as the two looked at her in some shock, amusing her to no end.

"Y-You don't?" Whitley looked shocked while Weiss huffed a bit.

"... I-I don't think I laugh a lot," she added and he looked appalled.

"Some people are just different… your father is…" Willow tried to find the word. "He's a man of business. Through and through, he likely believes in gifts and tutelage as amusing things."

"He thinks they're funny?"

"... Well, no, not in that way," was mothering this hard? "What I mean, is, he shows how he feels through material things… I don't honestly know a lot about Jacques besides that he was from a family that once fell on hard times."

"... Father was poor?" Whitley looked ready to jump into the water to wash away reality. "T-That doesn't make sense."

"... It doesn't," Weiss said with some difficulty as well, looking concerned as Willow rolled her eyes.

'... Perhaps that's why things are the way they are,' she considered with a frown. 'To Jacques, happiness isn't measured in words lest they're getting you somewhere… we need to find a way to break through to him.'

"... I'll find a way," Weiss said to herself, and Willow's eyes widened. "I can figure this out… I need to."

She was realizing that her children may have been true gifts to her family.

Willow brought them in close, much to their embarrassment before kissing them both on the head.

"I'm so proud of both of you," she whispered and they froze. "I… I haven't been a mother recently, to either of you, and I'm going to make sure that mistake doesn't happen again. Alright?"

Weiss looked shocked beyond words while Whitley looked down in thought.

"O-Okay," they said in unison, smiling a bit.

'My children.'

No more mistakes.

This family would be fixed, dammit.

~NRK~

Once the early evening hit, A small group were handling some meat that Summer and Leonardo had brought along with fish that Naruto caught.

"T-These are so big!" Kali and Blake's eyes shone at the size of the salmon. "It's bigger than my torso," the cat mother whispered in awe. "I didn't think there were fish this big outside of Menagerie waters!"

"I-It looks delicious!" Blake agreed wholeheartedly.

Ghira chuckled as he and Tai handled the fish while Summer, Glynda, Leonardo, and Ozpin handled the beef.

"I didn't know you have experience in this," Leo said jokingly as Ozpin smirked.

"I might have been quite the chef in another life, it just never comes out," he joked back and they laughed.

Summer, meanwhile, grabbed some plants. "I've got basil, cabbage, onion, and salt! I love the vegetable patch, Naruto! It's got everything!"

'I've got just about everything but all spices,' Naruto said as he, Penny, and Nora brought out wooden, carved, utensils. 'Like I said. I've got salt and a small number of peppers but that's it. I'll need to nab some of those the next time I'm in… Mistral? Atlas? Where're the peppers?'

"Easily Vacuo," Jacques said. "Hmph, imagine if he found Salazan seeds?" He grinned at the monetary value.

Willow's eyes widened in want while Weiss shivered, already pale from the idea.

Whitley looked hungry. "I wouldn't mind some of those," he said out loud and Weiss's eyebrow ticked as she looked as pale as a ghost. "Sister, you need to drink more water… juice. More water-juice," he said as Naruto put pitchers of water and juice blends.

Willow received her very colorful alcoholic drink, eyes ablaze with interest as Jun and Kali did the same.

"Which ones are these?" Kali asked.

'Those purple oranges, some Allazis, and futoles. I was trying them out, recently, and things got interesting. Thank the heavens, I have a serious alcohol tolerance,' Naruto said with a sigh of relief as Qrow grinned.

"We need to drink sometime! You're over 17, we can do this! A whole bottle of BlazeBall from Vacuo! I've got it in the bullhead!" The man seemed set as Ghira, James, Jacques, and Tai perked up.

"That sounds interesting."

"Sounds like fun."

"Well… I wouldn't mind."

"I'm all for it."

Naruto chuckled. 'Well, I never have tried alcohol with friends before. Sounds like a blast,' he grinned as women groaned, snorted, or pouted.

Glynda rolled her eyes as he handed her a blended fruit punch with little jellies at the bottom. "I think you've prepared to butter me up," she said with a raised brow as she drank with joy. "Hmmm…"

'I just know you like those,' Naruto chuckled before taking the other platter from Nora and handing her the empty platter. 'Thank you, Nora. How's Aura?' He snickered as she grinned.

"I can lift so many things now! I-I bet I can use that hammer you gave me!" Nora said with excitement as Jaune and Ruby perked up.

"Hammer?"

"Naruto made weapons for us out of his bones," Ren said as he unclipped his knife from his right pants leg. "See! They're so cool! Nora's is in her cabin!"

"You make weapons?!" Ruby was atop his shoulders in two seconds. "Make one for me!"

"Ruby," Summer spoke up and the girl froze, hiding herself in Naruto's long ears. "Rude Ruby is not good Ruby."

"Mmmmmmmm," the girl groaned into Naruto's fur.

"?"

"I"m sorry~" Ruby whined, making sure he could see her wobbly eyes by leaning over his head.

'... Ruby, that's not working.'

"That's not fair!"

"Come on, Rubes! Who's Topaz gonna eat with?" Yang asked with a grin.

"Me!" Ruby shot back to her seat. "Come to Big Sis Ruby!"

Naruto snickered.

"So, you made their weapons out of your bones. Ah! That's so cool. It's like in a video game!" Jaune said as Sarcelle hummed.

"Well, with Nora's Semblance, she has an amazing weapon, doesn't she?" Sarcelle said intently, looking at Naruto with a glint that he rolled his eyes at.

'Actually get better at hand-to-hand, first, please,' he said. 'When you all can actually run a lap around an area as big as the one by the waterfall, then you can get weapons.'

Nicholas perked up at the idea.

~NRK~

Chilling with the men of the group, everyone drinking something alcoholic, Naruto hummed as he drink a shot of that BlazeBall stuff.

'Why does that feel like it's 100% alcohol?' He asked as Ozpin laughed.

"I'm pretty sure it's…." He checked the bottle. "50%!"

Nicholas started laughing as James choked on his drink.

Qrow grinned while Tai snickered, making sand-angels.

Jacques's mustache twitched thrice as he sipped some more. "Hoo… that's impressive, ahem!" He cleared his throat as Leonardo chuckled.

Li hummed as Pietro stroked his beard.

"That tastes stronger than oil smells," the scientist said and the Mistralian laughed.

"It tastes worse than any musky moose smells," he added and the group laughed.

"What a time to be alive," Leonardo raised and the others agreed.

~NRK~

Summer grinned as she kept swinging back and forth, her scythe screeching against a swiftly raised shielded gauntlet that pushed her back before she jumped over a fist.

A burst of wind coming out of it sent the fist's owner into a rising haymaker she blocked with the shaft of her scythe.

'Not bad!' Naruto grinned as he looked at his bone gauntlet. 'Geez, she's so short and yet she can chip me like I'm light ice.'

"Excuse me?!"

He grinned nervously before running. 'No! Wait! It's a compliment!'

"To who?!"

Taiyang shook his head as Nicholas and Glynda observed. The former had his children, with some nighttime whittling from Naruto, all working with wooden swords and shields.

"... I feel like he'll need an actual weapon, eventually for normal-sized opponents," Nicholas said as he watched Naruto scream before rolling his eyes. "After learning how to watch his mouth."

He blocked Summer's numerous swings as best he could but couldn't find the time to counterattack.

"I see what you mean. Naruto's strong and fast but his size works against him with… harder to hit opponents," Glynda found the words as Nicholas smirked. "He needs something that he can swing around with longer range but keep his big limbs close."

"... Hey, Naruto!" Nora came a-runnin' towards the Grimm who let out a sigh of relief as Summer relented on her assault, the mother of 'four' giggling as Nora came over. "... Your arm's all cracky-crack!"

'Yes, it is, Nora,' he said with a whistle. 'She's just too fast and strong! She's too much of both of those things!'

Ren chuckled as he came over. "Well, maybe you should get a weapon to help out? Especially when you've got your gauntlet on. That thing always makes you compensate for it."

'...' Naruto sat up in thought as Ruby came screaming into view. 'Ah, there she is-'

"Did someone say WEAPON?!" She grabbed his face and pressed their noggins together, blue eyes looking into rabid silver.

'Summer, Ruby! She's gone mad!'

"Oh, pashaw, it ain't that-"

"We'll MAKE an underground smithy! You're a Grimm! You'll handle the nice, warm, isolating, temperatures of a downstairs smithy!"

"Okay, I get it," Summer sweatdropped before plucking her daughter off him. "Honey…"

"I just want to make a Naruto-sized weapon…" Ruby whined as she went limp.

'It's fine, I can make that myself, you know that,' Naruto said but she let off crocodile tears. 'U-Uhhh…'

"Actually," Ozpin chuckled, coming into view with some hot chocolate and his green pajamas, as barefoot as he'd been yesterday. "Naruto, if you wish to make a weapon… perhaps it'd be good for both of you two actually do that."

Naruto looked surprised while Ruby came alive!

"YEEESSSSS!" Her shrill cry was heard across the area, Penny coming down from above with Kachi and a few other storks.

"Did something happen?" She asked as Naruto chuckled nervously.

~NRK~

"It was good that you made this," Summer said with a giggle as she, Naruto, Ruby, Penny, and Ozpin were in an underground cavern with stone tools and a similarly-made smithy.

'This, like a lot of stuff, was new to me,' Naruto said. 'Still, it was a lot simpler than the other stuff. Just a hole, an oven, and some tools.'

"Right," Ozpin smirked. "Now, you've got iron over there in the corner. Iron in old times was always considered mystical. Considered to ward off evil spirits, witches, and malevolent beings. So, this should be the most mystically accurate metal for your work."

Ruby's eyes glowed as she looked at it all, the rest of the group noticing save for the girl herself.

"My element!" She squealed in euphoria. "Come on! Come on! Let me see your hands!" Ruby turned on Naruto and prodded his palm and inner fingers. "Hm… Hm…"

Summer smiled as she kneeled to Ruby's level. "Focus, hun," she said softly as Ruby's eyes glowed softly. "Consider it, all parts of his weapon that'd fit his figure, his size, his power, his speed, his weight."

Ruby could see it all.

Numerous battles with an odd blonde boy whose style went from ragged and mish-mashed to trained, polished, and full of strikes to bash.

He was strong and had speed only at his utmost. Something sturdy. But he had cutting skills?

Ruby's eyes glowed brighter and she pressed her hand into Naruto's, a silvery-white outline of her appendage in his palm.

She rushed to the iron ore. "We need to smelt it, Naruto!" She said to him, picking up a bit and taking it to the furnace.

Naruto's eyes burned bright with white light and he hummed before following suit. 'Alright, I know what to do.'

He had. The two of them worked like a machine, moving the items, starting up the furnace, and prepping Naruto-woven mitts.

They smelted, smelted, and smelted large amounts of iron ore for the sake of making a weapon big enough for Naruto's palms.

Naruto carved out thick molds already for this occasion and they went to work making the weapon's parts.

As they did, Naruto's eyes burned light green, the magic slinking into the metal every time he held it.

Slowly but surely, it came together as they keep beating it down.

In four hours, with Naruto's strength & speed along with Ruby's know-how, they finished and the weapon that came from their work was interesting.

Very interesting.

It was a large ax. One whose shaft was easily the thickness of a finger's length in powerful Naruto-treated wood.

The length was easily four feet long, giving Naruto good grip space as the blade of it came into play.

It had a concave-crescent edge for the blade and had a block-backend for weight and to allow Naruto a 'hammer' if necessary.

When Naruto picked it up, his eyes burned with darkness as that energy flowed up the weapon's form before settling over it, pulsing once.

All the while, wisps of black energy slipped into Penny's form.

The shaft was now pitch black in color with numerous 'wrappings' on its handle. The blade, which before was a normal dark gray, was stark-white and had Naruto's dark blue lines in sealing formula-like patterns along its shaft and backend.

All in all, it was a weapon made of true light and darkness.

'Whoa…' He held it before ushering Ruby back. 'This is…'

The weapon sang in his grasp and he sent out a flurry of slashes that seemed to chill the air with each pass.

He finished it with a throw that sent the weapon into a buzzsaw-like state that cut into the wall before disappearing further inside of it.

"..."

"... Naruto?!" Ruby wailed in horror as he chuckled.

'It's fine,' he said with a smile as he raised his hand.

It throbbed with vapor before the weapon shot back into his grip, looking like it'd never left.

'A damn fine weapon, Rubes,' he said as he unpeeled some of the wrappings.

Tying it around his waist, the ax seemed to latch itself onto it with ease, getting a nod out of Naruto as Penny came over to examine it.

Her eyes flickered gold and quickly ran an analysis on it.

"... It's full of energy," she said, visor showing that the weapon was releasing it like a bright flame. "And those markings… they're oddly empty, for some reason. My sensors find a dip in them when I pass them but, overall, the weapon is powerful."

Naruto nodded. 'They're likely special in some way,' he said as he ruffled Ruby's hair. 'Thanks.'

"No problem!" She said before tilting her head with a frown. "That's never happened before b-but it was awesome!"

"Hm… Ya know, I think it's time," Summer said as the four others blinked. "Come on, Rubaby. I need to explain some things to you, alright?"

"Huh?" Ruby blinked before following after her mother. "Alright, mom!"

"Ah, so we finally know," Ozpin said as the other two nodded. "With this, we've gained two powerful things onto our side. So, tell me truthfully, do you know what Penny's sensors saw?"

'These are sealing formulas, ya know? They're empty because there's nothing in 'em,' he said and Ozpin hummed.

"The weapon's elemental alignment is also wind… Wait," Penny stopped as the two looked at her. "H-Huh? T-That's not something my father put into there!" She realized as she looked about before a projection shot from her eyes. "Huh?!"

The three blinked as they saw Naruto's weapon in a 3-D graph format. From several points, points were made and shot out into small details that they balked at.

"... I believe your actions have finally come to a head in Penny and altered her form," Ozpin said as both teens looked at him. "Sure, we've seen the scientific size of your effects… but not the magical ones, yet. Not outright. I think, now, we're seeing the mix between magic and technology."

They looked back at the projection.

"... The symbols are lacking something within, it says so," Penny nodded with determined eyes. "... Hmm?" She blinked and pointed to a part of the picture.

Name: _

'... I guess I should name it,' Naruto said with a grin as he looked at the ax. 'But what?'

He considered everything he'd been through for so long. All his growth, ups and downs, his life.

And then his eyes softened. 'Kurama.'

The name on the weapon shifted in an instant, updating with the name change… and, next to it, the three saw something else.

First Stage.

"... Oh…" Ozpin blinked and the two looked at him. "Yes, well, there used to be many weapons with different forms that were only released when they found their owner worthy. This might be that situation. It's either that or you're not strong enough to wield its full strength yet."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in determination. 'Then I will work alongside Kurama to get stronger. I'll help everyone and find the strength to protect them as well.'

Penny and Ozpin smiled at that, the android nodding pleasantly at the warmth in her chest.

'Yes, I believe I'm more sure of it now than before,' she grinned.

~NRK~

A week later, Naruto grinned as he moved down the streets of Mantle, a large cart behind him full of fruit of all sorts from the island with a 'The Konoha' sign on the roof of it.

All eyes were on the smiling Grimm as he took up a place by the biggest street, several clones doing the same in different ones.

'Fruit! Come and get some free exotic fruit!-'

It seemed, perhaps, that the word 'free' made people into wild animals as every head, out of every alleyway, window, car, and corner snapped out towards him and the Grimm began to sweat.

Blake popped out of the cart to look… She ducked back in.

"Y-You've got that."

And that was all that was said before he was mobbed on several streets.

---

40 minutes of horrifying mobbing later, Naruto and Blake relaxed as the mobs did.

"Huh? Oh, it's you!" Came the familiar voice of Perry as he came over to them with a grin. "You… I just learned something important about you," he bowed deeply. "Thank you for helping my girl!"

'Huh?' Naruto's head list lazily to the side. 'Watcha talkin' 'bout, Perry? Oh, yeah, want some free fruit?' He suggested and Perry blinked at him before a familiar trio of females appeared from around a corner.

"Dad-?!" Neon Katt's mouth dropped before she rushed over. "It's you!" She said.

Naruto didn't have the strength to stop her from jumping onto his chest. 'Mm! What's up, kid?' He asked as she giggled a bit.

"... Oh, shit, it's him?" Came Sienna as she gaped at who was on a cart. "I-It's really him…"

The woman next to her's, Aster's, eyes widened before she speedwalked over to the dazed Naruto.

'Hi, lady-oof!' He grunted as she gave him the wickedest bear-hug, pun-intended, known to man. 'Can't… breatheeeeeee…'

"Oh, uh, right," Aster grinned embarrassedly as she released him, Perry laughing behind her as he held their daughter. "So, uh, thanks, ya know? For what you did back then."

'U-Uhhh…' Naruto shook his head. 'Hmph. No problem, it's not like I didn't want to help but I was still getting used to all of… this,' he said, gesturing to himself.

"So, like, I know you had a livestream, good work by the way," he snorted at Aster's words. "But, right, you're not some human soul trapped in a Grimm's body by wicked machinations, yeah?"

'By what?' Perry grinned nervously.

"Ignore that, she's thinking about her soaps," he said.

'Why do think about soap so much?'

"Now that is a question even I don't know. So, uh, formally meeting ya. Name's Perry the Pl-Katt, dammit!" He cursed as Neon giggled. "Perry Katt, pleased to meet you. This is my girl, Aster Rose."

'Wicked name,' Naruto said.

"I know," Aster grinned.

"This is our girl, Sienna Khan."

Sienna was a dark-skinned, orange-eyed, tiger Faunus woman with black hair that parted by the middle of her forehead by a red gem.

The woman rubbed the back of her head. "... Wow, so this is actually happening," she said as Naruto shrugged.

'Life's weird like that,' he said.

"Yeah but there's weird and then there's you," she said. "So, like, you're on our side?"

'Yerp. Oh, and, this is Blake,' Naruto introduced the cat girl who Sienna balked at.

"G-Good morning!" Blake greeted proudly. "Would you like some fruit?"

"Oh, right, what was that about?"

'I've got fruit from, uhhh, a place I'm at. I take care of it and help it grow and have all kinds,' he said as he plucked a crate out from the cart. 'See?'

They did, the sheer variety alone made Sienna's stomach growl, much to her embarrassment, as Aster grinned.

They picked or chose without issue and the thing wasn't even empty when they finished.

'I've got a number of these carts all over Mantle. Everyone can get some fruit,' he said with a chuckle as Neon ate a dragon fruit.

She swallowed. "I-It's so sweet!" She giggled as he threw her a thumbs-up, Blake smiling from beside him.

Sienna let out a sigh of relief. 'That was some of the best fruit I'd ever had,' she realized in shock. "... O-Oh, wait, right… isn't your father the leader of the White Fang?" She asked and Blake blinked.

She hadn't heard those words in a long time, she'd almost forgotten, embarrassingly.

"Y-Yeah."

"We wanted to join," Sienna said seriously as Naruto hummed. "It's just… Hard to get to Menagerie from here. Much less the issues."

Naruto frowned. 'Is racism that rampant, still?' He asked and Perry grimaced.

"You saw from a month ago, it's not great. It's a lot better than when we were kids, that's true, but things aren't perfect," he explained as Neon ate her fruit. "The fact is, we need more representation here in Mantle. We figured that maybe we could make that work."

'Sounds like a good idea. How does that work, Blake?'

"Well, you can call my dad and we can tell him what's going on. From there, All I know is that Fennec or Corsec are going to come here, maybe?" The girl wasn't sure. "It'll be hard, you know? Atlas and everything."

Naruto cupped his chin in thought. 'From here to, say, Mistral, maybe?' He suggested and they raised some brows. 'While I can ask Old Man James for a bullhead, I don't want to just keep using his kindness for that, that'd be pretty selfish. So, I figure, maybe I can take you. I don't know how far that is but my stamina isn't low. I'm sure we can do something. That or I'll just walk you across the ocean.'

"H-Huh?" Aster blinked at him. "D-Do Grimm walk on water?"

"No! He's teaching a lot of us to do that!" Blake said with determination as the four balked at her. "I-I know how that sounds but, I mean it, it's possible. I've seen Headmaster Leonardo do it along with a robot."

"... That Penny girl?" Perry said unsurely and Blake nodded. "... The world doesn't make a lot of sense anymore."

'Should it?'

They made the call immediately after, the way Naruto the Grimm maneuvered on a Scroll the second-most interesting thing they'd seen today.

Just beating out the fruit.

-Hmm? Naruto? Is everything alright in Mantle? Blake's okay? The carts?!- The group chuckled at the numerous questions.

"I-I'm fine, dad," Blake said with a blush as Neon giggled.

-Ah, okay, that's good. So, what can I do you all for?-

'We've got some people who want to join the White Fang,' Naruto said and Ghira hummed curiously.

"Yeah, me and my friends want to help out," Sienna said seriously.

-I see. Well, Blake might have said this but I'd like to set up a meeting, a gathering, but Atlas isn't exactly within good territory when we're concerned- Ghira said.

'I considered taking them across to Mistral. Will that work?' Naruto asked and Ghira hummed.

-That's doable. We can even hold an event near Haven-

'And I can be seen as a vocal supporter. This could totally work!'

-Hm, hm, yes, it can. Well- The sound of paper flipping reached them. -... Ah, we're having one in four days. Can you all come at that time?-

"Yeah, that should be doable," Perry said. "I'm off this week and Heinz is visiting his fam."

"Work has slowed down a lot," Aster said as she looked at Naruto. "They're all about finding out about you and, well, they don't mind cutting my hours," she frowned.

Naruto nodded. 'Alright, I'll get 'em there, yeah?'

-See you soon-

Naruto ended the call. 'So, when's the first chance you guys think you'll be ready?'

~NRK~

Those on the edge of Mantle blinked as Naruto meditated with Blake, and three clones, waiting for Perry and the others.

'... They're coming,' he said, one eye opening to look behind them and see the Faunus. 'Alright. All good?'

"Yep," Sienna said as she raised a brow at his and Blake's meditation. "You meditate?"

'It helps me increase my stats. We're gonna try and make this trip as quick as possible. Besides, I should also raise my body temp, too, ya know?'

Sienna shivered. "Y-Yeah, definitely," she nodded before they came over slowly. "So, uh, you're not gonna get super big and carry us, yuh?"

'Well, I don't know if I can get that big but I can kinda big and make a bone backpack,' he said as Blake nodded.

"It's really warm in there!" She grinned and the group nodded. "It's better than the carts."

"Where'd those go, by the way?" Perry asked.

'Some clones carried them up to Atlas. They should be put into storage so I can take them back.'

"God, you've got clones. Is that a Grimm thing?" Aster asked as Neon went over and stuffed her face into his shoulder fur. "Heh, I guess you're warm."

"He's fluffy!" Neon squealed as Naruto nodded.

'And, nah, it's a personal skill. You saw the Grimm part when it healed you.'

"Oh," Perry nodded in surprise. "So, those are two different things?"

'Yerp. I really should focus on doing that more often. I've been trying to be careful but there are people all over who need help, most likely,' Naruto frowned. 'Alright, ready?'

They nodded and he breathed in deeply.

Then he 'evolved' into his Alpha state, the group balking as he grew some three more odd feet, leaving him a small titan among them.

He looked down at his claws. "Wait… I was never this big before, what the hell?" He balked as he looked down at Blake. "I'm like, 12 feet tall! What the hell happened?!"

"S-So this is new?" Perry asked and he nodded, the Grimm rubbing the back of his head. "You're talking now."

Naruto then remembered that vapor from the Black Gate. "... Come on, I want to make this trip as quickly as possible. I think I need to have the general, Ozpin, someone examine me because this might be good or bad," he said, leaning down into a kneel along with his altered clones.

That bone backpack formed with ease and the four blinked at its size.

'Huh, maybe I don't need as many clones,' Naruto considered. '... Better safe than sorry.'

They got in with some surprise, finding little handholds in his bone ridges.

"I get the feeling you do this a lot," Sienna said.

"I do."

~NRK~

James, marking some documents and turning away more people trying to denounce Naruto's existence, hummed as his personal Scroll rang.

"Naruto?" He blinked before answering.

-Yo, James. So, uh, I might want a check-up soon- The Grimm said and James frowned.

"Something amiss?"

-You know my Alpha form, right?- James blinked.

"Yes?'

-I'm currently in it and, like, 12 feet tall now- James leaned back in shock. -I'm big and I never was this big before-

James frowned. "Alright, come back when you can."

-It'll be a few days. I'm going to a White Fang rally with some people I'm carrying-

"Alright. See you when you come back."

~NRK~

"Thanks," he said to Sienna who nodded.

"N-No problem," Sienna gaped at the ocean. "I-I've never seen the ocean up-close before…" She whispered in awe as the others yelped in their backpacks, getting a snicker out of her. "Haha! Come on! This has to be amazing to you guys!"

"It's terrifying!" Perry popped his head out of his backpack before his hair was blown back, the man holding onto his glasses for dear life. "He's so fast! AIYEEEEE!" Some snow slammed into his nose and he shrieked.

Aster laughed from her backpack with Neon. "You deserved that one!" She cackled as Neon squealed.

Blake smiled from within her own. "So, how long do you think this will take?" She asked her Naruto.

"Well, when me and auntydid this, it took a whole day to get from a place to Atlas the kingdom. For now, I'm way stronger and have more skills, so it should be faster. Speaking of," Naruto's eyes glowed green, his form becoming armored all the way around.

His form gained a powerful white casing that fit his wolf-like form, eyes burning in his armor.

"Time to go FASTER!" He declared as a field of black energy came over the backpack fronts. "Hold on to something!"

The group did… and then yelled bloody murder as they shot high into the sky, their speed tripled as they tore across the ocean.

"WHEN WAS HE THIS FAST?!" Sienna screamed as the forces on her body caused her ears to tremble.

Their flight was much better, though, in hindsight as in maybe five hours, they could see land.

Argus, the port from Mistral to Atlas.

Holy shit.

As they began to reach it, Naruto used slow, propulsive, bursts of wind to bring them down, the group slowly coming to land as the eyes of the citizens gaped at the bone-armored being that Naruto had become.

Cameras flashed and clicked as he removed his arm, form receding back to his normal state, thankfully, mid-landing so things weren't as bad save for cramped spaces.

"U-Ughhh…" Perry slunk out and collapsed onto the floor. "T-That was… fun," he got out nervously as Naruto chuckled nervously.

'Sorry.'

"I-It's fine," Aster said as she held up Neon, Perry going over to take her before Naruto got down further so she could roll out. "Whop!" She landed on cool snow with a groan. "Okay, that's not so bad when you were just warm," she uttered as Sienna slunk out of her own 'backpack' and helped her up. "... We're in Argus," Aster realized.

"Yup," Perry blinked. "Yup, yup, yup. Holy crap."

Sienna considered the pros of such quick travel before Naruto groaned and flopped down for a bit.

'That's rough,' he grunted as she winced, Blake looking down at his head with concern. 'Just need time to recharge.'

"Alright… Uh, will we be alright?" Perry asked before a man came forward.

A large, muscly, man who stood at Naruto's own seven-foot-height.

"... Oh, gods, I think his muscles are talking," the lizard Faunus gaped as the man chuckled, voice coming from his muscles.

Throat, Perry tried to correct. From his throat muscles.

Because damn.

Naruto looked up at him.

The man's hair was a light brown and cleanly cut while his face was full of a beard and mustache so thick, the former blonde was sure it'd deflect a kunai.

Wearing a thick black sweater, brown sturdy-looking baggy pants, and bronze-covered black boots, he wielded a thick, almost-as-tall-as-him, greatsword that was brown in color with gold trim and bordering around the double-sized edge and guard.

His fair skin creased as he chuckled while amused blue eyes looked at the downed Naruto who was being 'protected' by Blake, the girl wielding a stark-white sword of bone.

"N-Not another step!" She said, trembling but with determination. "I-I know how to use this."

'Blake, chill, he's cool,' Naruto groaned from his downed position. 'I can sense negative emotions, remember?'

"... Oh," Blake swallowed but kept close to his head.

"Hmm, now, I believe you must be that new hero that's been coming about as of a year ago," the man said as the Faunus group blinked. "Haha! I bet you don't know but there's a statue of him in a town."

"W-Wait! I saw that!" Blake said in shock as Sienna's mouth dropped. "It's in Kuroyuri!" She told her fellow Faunus as Naruto blushed a bit.

'Ehh… it's cool. They had a festival for me on my birthday,' he explained and Neon's eyes shined.

"Y-You got a birthday parade?!" She gasped and he chuckled with a nod before he sat up.

'So, sorry for just arriving unannounced. We're just going to Haven,' Naruto said and the man nodded.

"Name's Petra. Petra Nikos," the man said with a chuckle as he and Naruto shook hands. "Hmm…"

Naruto shot him a look back.

'Strong grip,' well, this might be more interesting down the line.

'So, Petra. This place is called Argus, right?' Naruto asked before his stomach groaned and he slumped. 'Is there any ramen here?'

"Sadly, we just have more normal soups. You want ramen? You'd have to go further inward in Mistral."

'Dammit.'

"Is there other stuff here?" Aster asked as she chuckled nervously, her own stomach growling. "I could use a bit to eat, myself."

"Hmm, there are numerous stores all abound! Come and welcome to Argus!"

~NRK~

Naruto put down his fifth large bowl of soup, the man making them grinned like he'd hit the jackpot.

"Another Full-Meat-Vegetable-Bean Curd soup with a side of large bread?" He asked as he looked at the Lien already in his register. 'This kid is my biggest sale!'

Who knew a Grimm eating would make him so happy?!

'Hmm,' Naruto sighed in relief. 'Nah, I'm good. What about you guys?' He asked the others from his cross-legged position on the floor.

Sienna looked ready to move on to the afterlife. "That was too good," where had food this good been all her life?!

"Whoo! You beat me by three bowls," Aster said with a grin as her daughter finished her bread and a small bowl of chicken soup. "You sure you can tank this?"

'Yep. I'm good. This barely made a dent,' Naruto sighed in relief as many Argus kids giggled as they hung off his bony back. 'Ahhh…'

Perry grinned. "I'm good."

"Well, please! Come back whenever!" The man said with hands rubbing one another. 'Yes! Return and make my sales rocket!' He chuckled maniacally in full view.

Blake blinked as she finished her sushi before looking at Naruto.

He threw her a thumbs-up.

"Okay then," humans were weird.

"Haha! One more than me!" Petra grinned as he cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "Are you sure? I can easily pay for myself."

'Like I said, no problem.'

"Dad!" Came a voice from behind them and the group turned to see the crowd of citizens parting for a, tall for her age, girl. "... It's YOU!"

'I get that a lot,' Naruto said as he looked at her.

The girl's green eyes shined as she grinned, her fair skin and bright red hair standing out among the crowd.

Wearing a brown muscle shirt, black tights, and small metal boots, she looked at Naruto with awe.

"You're that Grimm," she said before bowing." Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you!" Pyrrha smiled brightly as Naruto chuckled.

'Howdy.'

"Hi," Blake said as Neon grinned.

"Hiya!"

"Hi!" Pyrrha said back as Petra laughed. "I didn't know my dad knew you," she said to Naruto who chuckled nervously.

'Technically, we just met.'

"Oh! And, dad, mom wants to know when your next voyage is," Pyrrha grinned as Petra blinked before rubbing the back of his head.

"Aye, I'd forgotten," he said as the group got up. "I take it you'll be off?"

'Yeah. I'll probably book a hotel in the city while we wait,' Naruto said with a nod. 'It was good knowing you guys. I'll definitely come back here one day. That soup kind of rocks.'

"Yes! You should!" The owner said with a grin as Naruto snorted, much to the girls' amusement.

'Alright, kids, time to get off,' he said to the children hanging off his bones who made disappointed noises as they did. 'Now, don't be like that, I've got places to be. I've already three trees worth of children on me by now, this is bound to happen again.'

"Oh, someone gets around," Petra said and Naruto blushed before snorting.

'Perverted old man,' they clasped hands. '... I want to fight you one of these days.'

"Thought you'd never ask."

Pyrrha grinned.

~NRK~

'They're some nice folk,' Naruto said as they traveled the roads. 'Talk about good food, too.'

"That was so nice!" Neon said as she and Blake rode atop his shoulders. "Oh! I can see people!" She said as she and Blake squinted. "And they're… coming this way?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he stopped, handing the girls to Aster and Sienna. 'Stay behind me,' he said as he clasped his hands together and brought them down into the floor.

Stark-white bone walls shot up around them, allowing only a small opening to be in the front, Naruto peeking through it.

The shadows of people spread out around the bone igloo, Naruto's eyes narrowing as they did.

'Can I help you?' He asked cordially but his gauntlet had already formed as he reached for his weapon. 'Or are ya not here for me?'

"You're a tough thing to catch," the woman in front of them said as she walked forward, a blank mask on her face. "But, since you're here, come with us. Our mistress wants to meet with you."

'That so? Well, I'm busy-'

"This isn't a suggestion," she said as the men and women around him removed their knives. "Your broadcast was nice. Knowing everything there is about you is perfect."

~NRK~

He rushed, eyes narrow as his mouth set in a growl.

'Put one hand on him and I'll kill you!'

~NRK~

Naruto blinked as the woman kept talking, head lifting up as he felt a large amount of killing intent towards… her?

'What's that?' He thought to himself as he turned his sights back on the 'shadow' woman. 'Do you ever stop talking? Like, damn, I haven't been listening for the past 30 seconds and you just keep going!'

"H-Huh?" The woman choked as her comrades snickered. "Dammit! Shut up! Now, are you coming?! Or are we gonna have to get-"

"Sage Art: Odama Rasengan!"

"What's that sound-" Was all she got out before a big ball of multi-directional energy slammed into her back.

The explosion of light white startled Naruto to no end… but something in his body trembled as the sound of geta sandals against stone reached his perked-up ears.

Then his eyes trembled as he saw a pair of green pants and a turtleneck. The top of his shoulders was adorned by a red mantle as his fair skin was marked by two red lines going down from his eyes.

Long spiky white hair shifted as his black eyes moved over to lock gaze with the trembly-eyed Grimm.

Jiraiya the Toad Sage smiled softly.

"What's up, kid?" He asked as they stood across from one another.

Naruto sniffled before taking several deep breaths as he wiped his eyes.

'N-Nice ta meetcha, old dude, thanks for the… the save.'

Jiraiya chuckled before focusing on their coughing opponents.

"Now, I'm sure you all shouldn't be attacking poor strangers in the middle of the road. That's not wise or smart!" The man said before assuming his most perfect pose. "But if a fight with the Great Toad Sage Equal To Heaven is in your future. Let's bring it out, yeah?!"

All of the others choked as their leader laid on the ground, knocked out in a crater of the man's making.

"S-Shit! We need to go!" One of them hissed before they began to circle away from the two. "Damn you, you freaking bastard!"

They took their boss and left, leaving Naruto to release the others from his bony protection.

"... So, you all going to Mistral, huh?" Jiraiya asked as the group of now-revealed Faunus caught his eye. "Well, hello there!"

He sidled up to Aster who snorted and stepped away, an arm around Perry's shoulders.

"Nuh-uh. Taken."

"... You are a lucky man," Jiraiya said to a grinning Perry.

"I know."

"Then, you-"

"Save your breath," Sienna's eyebrow twitched as Jiraiya grinned nervously. "What do you want?" She asked harshly as Naruto grinned nervously.

'W-Whoa, now, he helped us out. There's no need to be mean,' he said nervously as Sienna rolled her eyes.

"You're a little naive, aren't ya?"

'H-Huh?!'

"Hahaha, she's got you figured out!" Jiraiya said with a grin. "Now, you're this Grimm I've been hearing so much about. Talk about luck! I've always wanted to write about you!" He said with a wider grin as Naruto rubbed the back of his head, blushing hard.

'U-Uh, well, sounds cool.'

"Naruto."

'I know, I know! So, uh, where ya heading?' He asked his former teacher who hummed, looking back where those guys had gone.

"Well, all things considered. I've simply been roaming my home. The thing is, those lackeys are real rowdy folks whose master always finds a way to get in on things," he sighed with a grin. "So, I've been keeping things silent but that's changed with you here."

"Huh?" Blake peeked out from Naruto's side before hiding behind his arm. "Who's he?"

"Why, little lady, I'm glad you asked!" Jiraiya said as Naruto's eyes went flat despite his wagging tail. "You see! I'm the man known across the world as the greatest!"

He hopped on one foot.

"He who's wooed women from all continents to this very day!"

He flared his hand out.

"The man known above all others as the Toad Sage Who Denies The Heavens Themselves! The Almighty Jiraiya White!"

An astral toad formed behind him, flaring out astral hand fans.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... This guy's a hoot," Perry said with a grin as Naruto snorted.

'Well… it was kind of cool-'

"Don't you dare," Sienna said.

~NRK~

They'd made it to Mistral quickly enough, Naruto using his former form to get the entire group the rest of the way with Jiraiya along for the ride.

Their entrance had been kept secret by way of a big cloak, the nighttime sky, and Jiraiya taking them around in one of his astral toads that hid them from sight despite its transparent nature.

When they found the right hotel, things got settled away before Naruto and Jiraiya took a small break from the group.

Standing atop the hotel's roof, Naruto sniffled before holding the Toad Sage close.

'Y-You're actually here!' He sniffled as Jiraiya smiled softly before hugging him back.

"Well, I can say the same thing," he chuckled. "Man, you really came here. I thought I'd be the only one," Jiraiya added before humming as they released one another, Naruto grinning as he wiped his tears. "But you're a Grimm… that's… unusual."

'Y-Yeah, well, life got weird.'

They spent over an hour simply explaining their beginnings in this world to one another.

"Wait, so, there's a freaky magic witch milf in the lands to northwest?!"

'Why is that the part you focused on?'

They laughed, joked, and finally came to a simple amount of chatter.

'So, you're a known hero here, huh?' Naruto asked with a grin. 'I'm not surprised.'

Jiraiya blushed a bit before chuckling. "Yea. It was a whole thing in a town to the east. That's where my statue is but someone else seems to have followed easily in my footsteps," he said with a smirk as Naruto snickered.

'I was learning more about my powers, I just went out to help them and things just got bigger and bigger somehow,' the Grimm said. 'Honestly, it's kind of crazy. I've been alive in this world for four years, almost five.'

"I'm surprised we hadn't met in that time," the sage said. "Honestly, though, I was busy at that time. I was doing some… work," Jiraiya said seriously and Naruto blinked.

'What do you mean?'

"... So, you know how you said there was a Black Gate?"

'Yea…?'

"Well, I was on a boat for a long time, circling the kingdoms… and I think I found one on an island far to the right of Menagerie."

~NRK~

James looked over those locations of the Black Zones with a frown.

"One to the left of Vacuo. One to the side of Salem's island. Another to the side of Atlas… and one more by the south of Vale," he frowned as he looked at the maps. "... that's all? That's kind of surprising."

~NRK~

'Really? Dammit, that's not good.'

"Tell me about it. I sent a toad in and it didn't even last once it got onto the island's shore."

~NRK~

James frowned. 'Depending on how strong they are, life can't live there. The stronger they get, the more detriment it has on Aura,' he frowned.

The farthest and Aura construct had gone in was about a mile… ominous.

~NRK~

'That sounds bad.'

"It is and that's not the worst thing," Jiraiya frowned as his eyebrow trembled. "That thing within it… Naruto, whatever you do, whenever you go there. Let me know. I'm serious. That land isn't just full of that one big Grimm. There are others there which could kill a kingdom all on their own."

He stood up and removed his top… and Naruto's eyes widened at the thick black claw marks on his torso.

"Ever since I got these little 'beauties', my Aura's been shot for a long time. I've gotten better for a while but… those things are like Aura disrupters, nullifiers. If they get a deep hit on you, there's going to be major consequences."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the marks, teeth bared.

He touched Jiraiya's body and the black marks throbbed, getting a hiss out of the man whose eyes then widened as light spread out from Naruto's palm.

Seconds later, the two shot apart, slamming into the chain fences on the rooftop.

But Jiraiya groaned as he looked down and grinned painfully at the normal-looking scars.

"H-Hehe, nice, kid."

'N-No problem,' Naruto grimaced as he got up before wobbling over. 'That stuff… Jiraiya-sensei, that wasn't some normal darkness, it was like a spell, I think. That thing was blocking you because that's what it was made to do," Jiraiya's eyes widened.

'Made? But that doesn't make sense. That's so far from this Salem chick and he says Old Man Oz doesn't even know of them… so, in that case… did THEY decide that they need such a skill?' The idea was horrifying.

Because, now, things had just gotten bad. VERY BAD.

"... I might need to take an early leave tomorrow," Jiraiya said and Naruto nodded. "If what you said is true… oh fuck, that's not good."

'How bad?'

"If these Grimm are smart enough to use spells that'd make them threats against Aura users… that means they did it for a reason," Naruto shivered as his eyes widened. "And whatever it is… they're planning for it."

~NRK~

That's not ominous or anything.

So, that's how I'm gonna leave ya. Up next is NaruPrinny and Hell & Goat (Been meaning to get back to that). Look forward to more.

This chapter sets forth a lot of foreshadowing. One, Naruto's weapon, Penny's alterations, and this horrifying Black Zone that Jiraiya is speaking about with horrifying smart Grimm on it.

Sounds like trouble in the future but don't worry, it won't be a thing until somewhere past canon's start. Not sure when but it'll happen.

Now, onto writing something far lighter in scope.

Words: 17.4k+

~NRK Out~