~NRK~
'This is gonna be rough,' Naruto wasn't a complete idiot when it came to politics.
He knew that, if caught on camera, he was five seconds away from looking really bad on TV… but there was a life to save and he'd be damned if he did nothing to help it.
'Why is she like this?' It was rather alarming to think someone could hurt a child and then parade it around in his face to gain his attention. 'What's her goal?' Had she done something to the kid?
Lord help her if she did because Naruto would be damning the consequences of his 'image' to send her ass right to jail.
Still, as he looked around, his senses came back with no life around. Not a single bit of living life.
'She wants me to go in without thinking,' she was leading him into some kind of trap… Well, it's not like he was one to disagree. 'Don't mind my personal entrance,' Naruto snickered before sinking back into the earth, his hole fixing itself in an instant. 'Thank God the Earth Spirit gave me his blessing,' having the power of 'Earth' made life a bit easier.
Especially when it came to making things and 'closing' things like holes.
He traversed beneath the earth and minded his senses as he kept an 'eye' on what energy there was around before reaching a space below his 'target'.
He went 'up' before slowly twirling his hands.
~NRK~
Roselin frowned as she minded the cameras. 'Did he just ignore him?' Well, it'd certainly be to her favor either way-
She blinked in alarm as the heat signatures in the house doubled, hands flailing out to a nob and crank for a series of camera views of the boy she'd left in her home-
And came back with nothing, eyes trembling in horror before her hands tightened around her mechanical instruments, cracking them, as she kept flipping through screens.
"Where!"
Nothing.
"Did!"
MORE nothing.
"He!"
She felt a vein pop.
"GO?!"
~NRK~
Penny nodded to Jiraiya and Ozpin as the Naruto clone with them gave them the heads-up.
Standing in the Emerald Forest outside of Beacon, currently positioned a good bit away from the school where another Naruto clone was handling the children with Glynda, they awaited the arrival of the real form of the Grimm man.
"This is going to be a bit more tender, I'm sure," Ozpin groaned before growling a bit. "Damn that woman."
"Honestly, she must have Mistral blood in her," Jiraiya huffed. "I didn't think such acts could be done outside of my home kingdom."
"Yes, well, there are all types, all over," Penny pouted as the ground rumbled a bit. "There he is."
The ground between them opened up with a familiar Earth energy-enhanced Grimm man popping out, a case of light energy surrounding a 'package' on his back.
"Alright," Naruto jumped out of the hole before his feet pulsed, the hole he'd made closing in a swirl. "Okay, so, I'm worried about what she did to him."
"Yeah, from what you're sayin', I'm realizing this lady isn't exactly a great person," Jiraiya huffed. "Still…" He noted his student's confusion. "... Nah, nevermind," he shrugged. 'I'll have to keep an eye on this one.'
There was a high chance that this kid might be a bit rougher to ease into things than the others.
Hell, as soon as the former blonde had released the boy from his golden energy cocoon, he'd gotten to see the truth firsthand.
The lad's black eyes opened slowly, his eyes going from Naruto to those around him.
Moments later, Penny blocked a horrifying-looking black growth that spilt from his skin with her forearm.
"Whoa!"
In an instant, the boy was in Naruto's arms and the two were meters away, the Grimm man looking down at the growling Faunus kid.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you, you bitch!" The boy roared at Penny who stared at him in horror. "S-Stop holding me! All you humans need to die!"
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Naruto told the kid with a frown as he hissed at him, the former blonde sighing. "I have a feeling we'll have to get used to each other for a bit before I even try to introduce you to the other kids."
"What?" The boy shot him a look. "How can you trust these humans?" The boy said with venom that had the man sighing again.
"... My word," Ozpin stared in horror while Penny wore a worried look and Jiraiya frowned. "What in the world did she do to you?"
The way the boy growled had Naruto sighing one last time before he was walking off with the boy in tow. "Alright, come on, you clearly don't like our current company," the Grimm declared before walking off.
"W-Where are we going?! I have to-" The boy winced as the black growth fell back into his skin, his form growing weak. "D-Dammit."
"You can rest, actually understand the world, and realize that you're safe."
Watching them go, Penny wore a look of immense concern but blinked in confusion as Jiraiya laid his hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine, that kid, he can change a lot of people's hearts. He just needs to get through to him," the Toad Sage told her as she blinked before sighing with a nod. "Naruto's got that kind nature. Though, something tells me this one might take some time."
"Yep," 'Naruto' said as he came back to the group.
"... Ah, a clone," Ozpin realized as the Grimm man grinned.
"Yeah, he figured this was gonna be a whole thing so figured he should leave some help just in case."
Penny looked a bit disappointed and the clone snickered while Jiraiya smirked knowingly, going over and throwing his arm over the Grimm's man's shoulders.
"Well, since we're here, when have you and Missy over there been a thing?" The sage asked curiously as his student blushed while Penny giggled with red cheeks. "Huh? I mean, I'll be proud of your successes, she's quite a cat-"
"Ero-Sennin, for all that is holy!"
"Nah, nah, this is the perfect time to chat about this."
Ozpin blinked before he chuckled.
~NRK~
"Hmph, of course, you couldn't be like your brothers," Her eyes narrowed down on him. "Not talented, not sharing the same skin, not even their humanity!" She kicked at his stomach and he dry-heaved again. "Tsk, ruining my floors," she walked out, face growing impassive.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll remember your place in this world, FAUNUS."
The young Faunus shot up, eyes wide, face pale, skin sweaty, and hands moving to his biceps.
"You're awake," came a voice at his side and his head snapped to that direction to see Naruto chuckling, the two of them sitting in a small clearing.
"You?!" The boy jumped to his feet, the white 'blanket' over him falling to the floor. "W-What?" He looked down and then around, the sounds of rustling leaves and woodland animals confusing him. "Where are we?!" He asked Naruto with a growl.
"Deeper in the Vale countryside by the ocean."
"Why?!"
"Because you need a place where you can get your bearings and realize the world isn't out to get you."
The boy grimaced at him, the black marks on his biceps burning before extending out into a lance.
'I figured this wouldn't be that easy,' the living Grimm thought as his arm swung out.
The organic weapon was knocked off-target with ease, the boy grimacing before he rotating harshly, backhanding at the man's neck.
A gentle palm strike to his bicep jolted his body before he collapsed with a hiss and groan.
"I can tell, that odd power of yours, it's not 'yours'," Naruto frowned, getting up and watching as the boy, who couldn't have been that much younger than Mercury, got up with a growl and glare. "Someone… okay, let's not act like we both don't know Roselin did this to you."
"Y-You… Wait! Aren't you on her dime?!" The boy stared in disbelief as Naruto made a disgusted look.
"What? God no, I hate that woman and wish she'd fall on a ton of staples. She used you as a trap to try and get me on tape saving you. Needless to say? Me and her aren't on good terms."
The boy looked shocked, appalled even, as his skin began to grow slick with sweat.
"T-Then I'm not… Y-You're not here to experiment on me?" The young man asked as Naruto looked at him in horror. "... That bitch," the kid quaked. "S-She-!"
"I promise you, you're fine here," Naruto said softly as he pat the boy's head. "The thing is, right now, you're clearly not used to being around good human people," he added with a frown as the boy grimaced, the black tattoos on his arms glowing darkly. 'What is it? Why does that…' That power, as he said before, wasn't this boy's.
They couldn't be. That power's element was 'Darkness', it shouldn't be something a human could use without repercussions nor find… unless.
"Kid. I need you to be honest with me," Naruto began as the kid hit his rear, looking drained. 'I figured,' the kid was likely highly attuned to that tattoo by luck and circumstance.
It didn't erode his soul but was clearly harshly draining it.
"W-What?" The boy asked him before groaning.
"... How about this? First off, what's your name?"
The boy blinked at him, looking surprised before he grumbled.
"... E-Ed," the boy grimaced. "Ed's my name."
"Nice to meet you, Ed, name's Naruto Uzumaki. You probably know but I'm the rarest Grimm guy known to this side of Remnant," Naruto chuckled as the teen observed him with a shaky frown.
"She doesn't like you, That Woman."
"I don't need to guess who you're talking about," Naruto frowned. "The thing is, she's really not been getting on anyone's good side recently and we know she's going to cause some problems. We're prepared, mostly, for what she can do… until your situation happened and now we've gotta be careful, you and me, I mean."
"She wanted to make you look bad," Ed explained. "That Woman said that I'd be only useful for this."
Naruto groaned at that, holding a hand over Ed's head.
The boy flinched before being showered in golden light, eyes wide and trembling a bit at the feeling of energy filling his veins, mind, and soul.
When Naruto stopped, the boy whined a bit, leaving the Grimm man smiling softly.
"Ed, bud, there's a lot to show, teach, and live for you and I wouldn't mind giving that to you but you need to be able to stem your hatred," Naruto began as the boy blinked before grimacing. "Hate Roselin all you want, I won't stop you, but you need to figure out that not everyone is out to get you. Most humans are actually really big on interspecies interaction and peace. I mean, the White Fang exists, after all."
"That could mean nothing. They're probably fed lies. Naruto, a human's a demon who tells lies and inflicts harm."
"Did a human do this to you? I thought it was…"
Ed growled, those black marks receding back onto his skin. "She pretends to be one of those fuckers so much she might as well be one. Fuck her, fuck her kids, and fuck her husbands."
Naruto looked alarmed at the boy's crass, angry, language, the taste of his negative emotions sweet on the Grimm's tongue.
"I can't… I can never accept them."
"Ed… Look, how about this, for now?" Naruto smiled softly once more for the shying-away boy. "For now, we won't talk about that stuff. Not one bit, I want you to relax and you can't do that without actually being able to, first. Come on," the man got up before gesturing into the forest. "I actually come here on occasion since Oz-jiji liked the idea of more of my fruit being near Beacon. Let's go and get some for ya."
Ed frowned at his words before nodding.
They walked into the island.
~NRK~
"So, be real with me, you guys are an item, huh?"
"... Yeah, basically, we didn't… Me and Penny-chan just sort of fell into it. We like each other, have fun, train together, and we're each other's first friend in this world."
Jiraiya chuckled as he and the Naruto clone sat in the faculty office, the area currently bereft of teachers.
"I'm glad for you, kid, it's not like relationships aren't a lot of compatibility and stuff. Though, on that hand~," Jiraiya waggled his eyebrows as the Grimm man blushed before muttering something. "So, HOW well is going?~ Hmmm?"
"..." Naruto burned before looking around, the act enticing and utterly exciting for the sage. "Whatever gets said here never gets out."
"Yes."
"... M-Me and Penny-chan h-have, um, did some stuff. Not the real deal!" Naruto whispered immediately as Jiraiya began to chuckle. "But… Yeah, we're holding off for our full-on first times later this year. After we get all of this stuff going smoothly."
"Haha, you two are very mature for your ages, I'm sure you guys got curious about stuff somewhere along the line and it just… happened a bit or something," Naruto blushed but nodded. "And, I bet, you used something from my books~."
The way Naruto's head fell into his hands was damning.
"YES!"
"Ero-Sennin, SHUT UP!"
~NRK~
Penny smiled kindly as she and another Naruto clone stood in a classroom with all their students.
Now wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, and dark green heels, Penny, and a pair of blue ninja sandals, blue trousers, and a long-sleeved blue top, Naruto, the two nodded.
"So, we wanted to explain the curriculum a bit more," she said as the kids murmured and nodded. "For one, you'll be here throughout the Summer, Winter, and Fall. Spring is when this ends in the coming year in March," Penny smiled.
"All things considered, that's an entire year's worth of things to do. Don't worry, though, we'll have time to rest and have some fun sprinkled in but this is a training session to the MAX with the school program. We're gonna make sure you guys come out of this tougher than anyone can imagine," the Grimm nodded with a grin. "And, hopefully, we can have skills most can't imagine."
"Like Water-Walking?" Jaune asked with a raised hand.
"Essentially," Penny smiled. "The thing is, right now, you all aren't ready for that yet. So, we'll be incorporating numerous exercises for you to use to lead up to it. Now, with the curriculum length established, we can move onto the content."
Naruto pulled on a large white screen from above as Penny pulled something out of a wooden box sitting by the two's feet.
"And that is?" Li asked as Penny smiled.
"This is something you'll become more familiar with during the year. This, my students, is Penny Metal. It's a special material composed from my Semblance's effects," the former android explained as the students tilted their heads.
"Really?" Pyrrha asked in surprise. "I didn't know that Semblances did that."
"It's something that'll be explained in the future, trust me," Naruto said with a smile. "Penny Metal is made possible thanks to Penny's Semblance is basically the situation."
"Alright!" Nora grinned as Mercury snorted and Vernal raised a brow, leaning back in her seat. "So, what's this thing do?"
"Penny Metal has odd properties we're still learning about but, so far, I've learned that I can manipulate it deeply," Penny said as the metal floated, the green symbol on it glowing as it spat out a projection that played on the screen.
The kids were amazed while Sun tilted his head.
"Dude, that's so cool," he said in awe as Neptune nodded.
On the screen, six topics appeared.
"First thing is more of a general catch-all topic," Naruto said as he gestured to it. "General skills: First-Aid, Team Synergy, Tactical Planning, Etiquette, and Authority Figures/Politics works under that. For those, we'll have you guys working on those for a month and a half out of the year since… being honest, none of us want to talk about those for too long."
Most of the kids sighed in relief or groaned.
Adam hummed at that. "And it's going to be with different teachers, huh?" He asked as Naruto nodded.
"James-ossan, Leonardo-ossan, Glynda-nee, Ozpin-sensei, and me will be working on those topics, not in that order. Following those topics, we'll focus on the next ones."
"For three months or so, we'll be focusing on Aura Control & Combat," Penny smiled. "We might even extend it to four depending on student capability. Obviously, for those of you who are already familiar with Aura and its mechanics, Naruto and I will hold more Advanced steps to our lessons and even spar with you."
Adam hesitated before nodding. "Yeah… thanks," he said as the redhead smiled. 'Of course, his woman would be the easiest one to get used to,' honestly, it was kinda relieving and hilarious.
"So, when you say Aura Control & Combat," Vernal began. "What'd that really mean?"
"Wall-Walking, Water-Walking, combat on the sides of cliffs," Penny began as all their students perked up.
"That sounds wicked!" Vernal grinned viciously.
"YEAH!" Yang cheered with a big grin, hair alight with flames. "Oh man, that's gonna be so cool!"
"Hehe, we're glad you're looking forward to it," Naruto chuckled. "So, obviously, doing that's gonna be via Wall Walking and then we have Water Surface combat. We'll likely be doing that in public for the sake of being more open, alright?" He told them.
"Is that alright?" Neptune asked.
"Sadly, just hiding you away is never going to work," Penny said. "And, really, we don't want to. You all aren't secrets, much less trouble. It'll just require more expertise on your ends," she smiled. "And, speaking of experience, the last month of the Aura Control course will include Academy students for the sake of diversifying our education base. Ozpin was really fascinated by showing this off and we've no problem with that."
"Onto the next big topic, Aura Skills," Naruto said. "We're not gonna have you younger guys trying anything advanced. There's two we want you to focus on for two months: Aura Recovery and Aura Shot."
"A rejuvenating skill and a projectile one," Penny elaborated.
"Are they hard?" Sarcelle asked as Saphron tilted her head. "To learn, that is."
"Penny-chan?"
"Well, it's not the same for us compared to you all," Penny admitted as the kids looked curious. "I basically was originally made with control in mind. I don't know what it's like to learn it like normal."
"Oh, wait!" Weiss spoke up, eyes blinking as she looked at Penny with a discerning eye the woman smiled at. "P-Penny, it might be rude and all but there was something I wanted to know if you'd be so kind."
"I know where you're going with this but, for the sake of your classmates, go on, ask away."
Weiss looked a bit shocked, staring at the carrot top in disbelief before she was observing from different angles.
"What is it, Weiss?" Whitley asked as he tilted his head. "Is something wrong with Ms. Penny?"
"... I-I didn't know if it was true but… Penny, you're not an… android anymore, are you?" Weiss asked with wide eyes.
The others blinked in shock before they all gaped at the blushing but chuckling Penny.
"Well, it's more like 'cyborg' now," she grinned weakly as they all yelped.
"HOW?!" The entire group not in the know asked in disbelief.
"Wait, what?!" Saphron balked as Adam choked before he perked up.
His eyes went to Naruto who smiled. "... That's what it is, isn't it?" He asked after a moment of thought, gaining the room's attention. "It was you," Adam said to Naruto who grinned.
"Wait, since when could you give fleshy parts?!" Jaune asked Naruto who scratched his cheek.
"Hmm, well, this is already happening right now but, let me explain some things," Naruto said as Penny's Penny Metal Monitor flashed a different projection on the white screen. "So, to begin with, you guys know how I basically grew more 'alive' as time went on, right?"
"Is that how it works?" Pyrrha asked with a tilt of the head.
"In a way, yes. The thing is, my body's obviously different thanks to that and it's got other good parts to it," he chuckled. "It can regrow limbs and flesh on beings with souls as far as we know. It's currently something we don't want to try other ways to find out so that's the case. You need a ton of my materials to give back flesh and stuff."
Blake blinked before she gasped. "Is THAT why my mom was wearing that splint?!" She asked as Adam perked up.
"That makes more sense," he said as Naruto nodded while Penny explained.
"The thing is, the issue with Kali's arm was a loss of sensation and a couple vital tendons and nerves," the former-android smiled. "So, by applying a very thick splint deep within, in under three or so months, Naruto was able to give her back those things."
Blake bowed rapidly. "T-Thanks, Naru-bro," she blushed as he chuckled.
"Hey, I ain't complaining, I was glad to help."
"So, how does that turn Ms. Penny into a human?" Pyrrha asked curiously. "A-And you could seriously help a lot of people, Naruto."
"The second part first, I know, we literally built James-ossan a whole new mechanical side so I could give him back what he lost," Naruto smiled. "In time, not now, we'll be introducing this to the public. We just need to be careful. I bet you guys could guess why that kinda stuff just getting out would be bad."
"It'd basically end in everyone wanting a piece of our old man," Mercury frowned with narrow eyes as Nora nodded worriedly. "They'd try some real bull trying to do it, I'd bet. It's not safe yet."
"W-We're making a big warehouse full of stuff," Nora told the others, Ren nodding at that. "Old Man Oz said if we just make a ton of it and store it away, when it's revealed, we can use that instead of everyone bothering pops."
"Yep. So, for now, it's not really for public knowledge. Now, back on Penny," Naruto said as his girlfriend giggled. "You guys might not remember but Penny was composed completely of my materials. Bones, fur, circuits, all of it. And since she had her own soul-"
"It's built over it?" Whitley asked with a small pout. "I-I don't understand how that works. Wouldn't it get messy?"
"Naruto's powers… ah, you all remember what he did with his boat, correct?" Penny asked as they all gawked. "Yes, it's like that. Naruto's powers can 'break down' or 'erode' things to an impossible state. It can hold onto those things as shown in our most recent addition to our website. Like with the USB we found when he first gained humanoid form, the energy within him seemingly can 'hold' things and keep them in the condition they were 'held'. So, when it slowly evolved my mechanical form…"
"Whoa," Saphron blinked. "T-That's kinda crazy," she said as the two nodded.
"Obviously, once again, that's classified," Naruto said. "It will eventually come about, don't think otherwise, but we just don't know how to 'fake it' with Penny. She's a cyborg, we learned that when we went to Atlas and Mistral to get her check-ups."
"So, can you pull a cannon out of your arms?!" Sarcelle asked with a raised hand and a gleam in her glasses. "Ma'am, the state of science would like to know-"
"Take it easy, Sarce," Jaune sweatdropped as his sister huffed. "And, well, how 'cyborg' is Penny, Mr. Naruto?"
Naruto just chuckled. "Um, she's 100% human and 20% 'mechanical'... Actually, when I think about Sarce's words," he turned to Penny who raised a brow. "Ya know, Penny-chan, you might be able to use your Semblance on yourself."
Penny's eyes widened before she paced in front of the class.
"It… I-It might be possible," she thought, mid-back length hair shifting back and forth as Naruto chuckled. "I've never considered it… but it might work," Penny thought before nodding. "Thank you, Sarcelle, you've given me a lot to think about."
The girl blushed before nodding while adjusting her glasses. "N-No problem, ma'am."
"Huh, I wonder what that'd be like," Vernal thought with a small whistle as Mercury considered the idea.
"Hmmm…" He cupped his chin as Nora's eyes shined.
"S-She could get giant extendo arms like pops and Oji!" The girl said as Ren chuckled and Pyrrha smiled.
"Hm, hm," Penny grinned a bit. "Naruto."
"Alright, moving on to the next topic: Semblance Mastery," Naruto smiled. "This one doesn't need much explanation, we'll be working on Semblances. Whether you have it or not, we'll be trying or working with you for two months."
"And fifth will be Terrain Combat," Penny smiled. "You all haven't explored the island and there's going to be a bit more land than you expect when you go back. Trust us, it'll be fun for the month we do it," she grinned as Mercury smirked.
"Not telling?" Vernal asked.
"Nope, you gotta wait, it's gonna be awesome," he said.
"... Alright."
"And last but not least, we'll be doing something a bit more… specific," Penny said slowly as the group grew confused. "It won't be relevant until the very end for two whole months."
"?" Adam raised a brow at that while observing the contemplative two. 'What could it be?' He had a few ideas but they didn't mesh with the two's concerned but hopeful expressions.
"And with those six parts done, we'll welcome in Headmaster Ironwood," Penny smiled as a large screen came down from above and allowed the general's image to be seen. "Take it away, sir."
-Thank you, Penny- James smiled for the group of gathered teens. -I know these topics will seem tenuous and I'll do my best to not make it as boring as it'll sound-
~NRK~
Two hours later, the group stretched out in the large yard area by Beacon's cliffs.
"Geez, I don't like politics at all," Adam shivered. 'And I wanted to be in Ghira's position…' Honestly, Adam would accept calling himself an idiot.
He'd never want to deal with the larger Faunus's heavy politics.
"Hehe, not what you thought it was, huh?" Naruto snickered as Mercury stretched by him. "Come on, we never did explain what you're literal days would be like," he said as Penny nodded next to a rejuvenated Nora, the girl drinking some odd juice.
"It's so good!" She said with a big smile as Naruto nodded.
"I'm glad we could bring over a good amount of those, I can't let my juicin' skills get rusty… Though, um, am I the only one who's noticed they've got spirals on 'em now?"
"No, it's something I and Mercury noticed," Penny smiled. "I have an idea on why, I think we just have another resource we need to understand more."
Mercury nodded. "Yep, it might have interesting properties."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto chuckled.
"Sounds cool!" Nora grinned.
"Mmm," Pyrrha grinned at the four as she, Jaune, and Ren nodded to one another. "Yep."
"Seems like it," the blonde boy said.
"I've figured for a while," Ren chuckled.
'They're a family,' they thought in unison.
"Alright, everyone! Come together!" Penny called out with a smile as a Naruto clone carried her box of Penny Metal. "There's three things we need to do right now," she told them as her materials floated out of the box. "First, put these on."
Over twenty of the pieces of metal spread out before locking onto the left breast of their students, their Penny Emblems glowing before they flattened into thick sheets that stuck there.
"These are going to help us monitor you all in several ways," Penny smiled. "They're charged for a month's worth of constant use and are capable of abstract checks, bodily checks, Aura monitoring, and more. I'd like you all to always wear these during our stays here, alright?"
"Alright!" The group agreed, Adam, Li, and Vernal adjusting their own 'plates'.
"I wonder what else it does," Vernal considered as he hummed.
Penny smiled knowingly. "They're important for everyone's development… Literally and metaphorically," she said as Naruto chuckled.
"Penny's Penny Metal is special in that it can do some stuff with Electrons and magnetism," he said with a smile as Penny grinned brightly. "So, for example, she can pull together a ton of molecules in a pattern to weigh you down."
"... Wait," Vernal's eyebrows slowly rose as she grew excited. "Outside of all that science shit, you're saying she can give me weighted clothes?!"
"That's like one of my comics!" Jaune said with a big grin as the kids grew intrigued.
Sun folded his arms behind his head. "Honestly, weighted clothes are pretty alright," he said.
"Have you used some as well?" Pyrrha asked with a smile as he grinned.
"Yep, Old Lady Ramaal-"
"Who are you calling old?!" Came a voice from afar, an approaching group of women quickly sending Sun into hiding behind Naruto's legs as Neptune snickered. "Honestly, he's such a hassle sometimes."
"It's just kids being kids, Ramaal!"
Reaching the children, Naruto sweatdropped at all of their 'bodyguards' wearing matching black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces, their weapons the only bit of individualism on them.
Naruto sweatdropped. "Obaa-chan… C-Come on," he said in disbelief as Penny giggled.
"It fits, though!" Summer grinned as Garnet sat in her arms, wearing a smaller pair of 'baby shades'.
"Babu!" The boy 'said'.
"See?! Garney gets me!"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever, come and get a piece of this Penny Tech," he said as she and the other bodyguards perked up.
"Oh?" Thetis asked with interest as they came over before more Penny Metal Plates fitted themselves onto their coats' left breasts. "This seems curious."
"It's just using everything to our advantage," Penny smiled as Blake perked up.
"C-Can I tell them?" She asked her new teacher who smiled before shrugging.
"Go right ahead."
"Tell us what?" Ramaal asked as Sun kept hiding behind Naruto. "I'll find you, Sun, and when I do-"
"Don't kill me!" The boy squealed.
"I'll do something worse, I'll embarrass you until kingdom come."
The way the boy's skin dropped a million shades said it all.
"So, what is it, Blake?" Kali asked. "Something new?"
"W-Well, Weiss figured it out b-but Ms. Penny is a cyborg!" Blake said with a look of awe.
The bodyguards blinked, Summer looking confused.
"Wait, you told them about that?" She asked Penny who shrugged.
"It likely wouldn't last trying to hide it and it's better she hears it from us," Penny said even as the other guards balked. "So, um, well…" She shrugged with an embarrassed grin.
"... Wait," Kali blinked as she looked down at her arm and flexed it. "Is it the same concept as what Naruto's materials did for me?" She asked and Naruto grinned. "That makes more sense, I suppose."
"Wait, what?" Thetis linked.
The Faunus woman explained the situation she'd originally been left with before Naruto, Penny, Pietro, and Ironwood came into the picture with their ideas and facts.
By the end of it, Thetis blinked in surprise. "That could do remarkable things, Naruto," she said with awe as the Grimm man chuckled.
"I know and we're working on how to distribute this without the world exploding," he said as she nodded knowingly.
"That'd be a horrible turnout if it came about and you weren't ready."
"Yep. But onto lighter topics, we're introducing our downtime activities."
"What kinds?" Jaune asked.
"Mostly just stretching and… well," Penny smiled. "This will require all bodyguards because it's time for you kids to try and actually fight Grimm."
The kids went silent as Vernal began to laugh and Mercury tilted his head.
"You guys sure they're ready for this?" He asked as Nora nodded while Sun grinned.
"I mean, it's not so bad with friends!" The small carrot top cheered.
"It's true," Sun snickered.
"W-Wait, Nora?!" Weiss wheezed. "H-Have you fought-"
"Yeppers!" Nora nodded as the others gasped. "They're super scary a-and the ones at the Gate were so… ugh," she made a disgusted look as Li hummed. "T-They were so goopy."
"Goopy?" Most of the kids asked as Naruto chuckled and Mercury smirked with Sun.
"Totally," the two boys who'd been there said. "They were TOTAL goop."
"That sounds so weird!" Saphron gawked. "G-Goop Grimm?!"
Penny smiled. "It was honestly the weirdest Grimm we'd met to date," she admitted. "Now, if the bodyguards would join us," she said as a large 'goopy' ball of Penny Metal shot out of the box. "I believe we don't have time to waste!"
Qrow snorted as he walked up to the group, still dressed normally. "What the hell happened? I come back from the mall in ten minutes and everyone's got scout pins!"
"Oh please, old man," Mercury snorted before smirking at Qrow's 'misery'.
"Y-You young upstart!"
"Nyeh."
Nora giggled. "Let's do this! Come on, Team JNPR!" She declared, pulling Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha together with a big grin. "We gotta make a name for ourselves!"
"Team JNPR?" The three asked before smiling. "Awesome!"
"Hehe~"
"Oh, look at that, pre-emptive teams," Summer giggled. "That's something."
"H-Hey!" Ruby pouted as Yang snickered.
"Come on! Join Team Yang," Yang said as she pulled her along. "Now, who to join the greatest thing since sliced bread…?" She considered the group.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're not that impressive-"
"Alright, join up, Weiss Cream!"
"E-Excuse you?!"
Blake just shook her head at that while Adam smirked-
"Where are you going, Blake?" Yang asked the Faunus girl like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "As part of 'team bro-bro', you're joining, too."
"H-Huhh?!" Blake wheezed as Adam laughed. "A-Adam!"
"It seems like you're making waves, ma'am," he smirked as she pouted. "As for us," Adam turned to Naruto who smiled.
"Obviously, you and Vernal killing Grimm would be kinda pointless. You're both used to it… Right?" Naruto asked, getting a smirk from Vernal and a nod from Adam.
"I'd test out new techniques on the Grimm close to Kuo Kuana. It was the safest thing and allowed me to go all-out."
"I don't suppose you've something for me?" Li asked. "I've not killed a Grimm before, Naruto, nothing beyond some small Nevermore and Creepers."
"That's fine. For you, I'll make a clone and have you and him personally train."
"Oi! Come on! Give me a good sparring partner!" Vernal grinned eagerly.
"Hmm…" Penny considered something as the young woman grinned more.
"Fight me, Penny! I wanna see just how tough you are!"
"... Well, I suppose since I have the PM AIM handling the children…" Penny smiled as the kids gawked, Vernal blinking.
"Wait, the what-?"
"That would be us, ma'am," a feminine voice came from the Penny Plates, their symbol glowing. "Salutations! We are the Penny Metal Artificial Intelligence Units! PM AIM, for short!"
"Oh no, what new thing has she come up with?" Qrow asked with a snort as a familiar Toad Sage landed near them, the Naruto clone already with the group clearing his throat with red cheeks.
'Dammit, Ero-Sennin!' Why'd the man decide to have him look at one of books a second ago?!
"Sup-What's with all the doohickeys?" Jiraiya asked with a sweatdrop.
~NRK~
The Toad Sage smirked as Naruto blushed, Qrow smirked, Li smiled, and Adam blinked. The group had proceeded into Emerald Forest and split off appropriately.
"Wait, how long have you two been…?" The youngest of the five asked Naruto who blushed.
"Okay, so… Honestly?" Naruto began. "Maybe a couple years or so? We… erm, got closer at one point and our connection was deeper for it. Hell, ever since we tried kissing for the first time," he admitted with red cheeks. "It's like we stepped beyond that."
Adam cleared his throat as Li chuckled. "It's mature of you two to keep to yourselves for a time," the man blushed a bit even if he laughed. "Haha, when An and I first went steady, it'd been a battle of hormones that lasted three years."
"Damn, man, are you a priest?!" Jiraiya asked Li in disbelief.
Naruto rolled his eyes as Adam shook his head.
"That's not crazy, you perverted old man," they said in unison.
"O-Oi! One! I'm only in my late thirties!" Jiraiya countered. "I'm as spry as any youngin! Two, last I checked, NA-RU-TO," the Grimm man blushed as the sage smirked. "You're one to talk."
"M-Me and Penny knew each other for years!" Naruto squealed.
"Perhaps."
A bit away, Penny and Vernal battled.
The younger woman didn't hold back in the least, chakrams coming around at Penny's sides only to be fended off by the carrot top's spatha.
Vernal blinked at the static running down her arms before flexing her Aura and grinning with flashing eyes.
"Your Semblance really is peculiar," Penny smiled.
They shot backwards as blurs, the older woman's forearm coming around to slam into the side of Vernal's chakram only for the young woman to throw the weapon up and grab the offending limb.
She pulled it down and her knee up towards Penny's face.
The former android's arrested forearm pulsed, stunning Vernal, before she kicked her away.
Bouncing until she hit a tree, Vernal groaned before rolling her neck.
She disappeared into the underbrush and Penny's eyes went around the area, ears twitching at the sounds of cracking twigs, shuffling tree limbs, and 'thumps'.
"Hmm," green eyes narrowed and glowed.
Her Penny Plate shot up into the air before throwing a familiar green field out that expanded over their entire area.
She twitched her fingers as the floor grew hazy with green electricity before the effect ended.
Vernal came down from above, silent as a ghost.
Her feet slammed into a pulsing green shield around the smiling carrot top.
Blue eyes widened.
The air flashed with electricity, holding her in place.
"N-No way!" Vernal gaped as Penny smiled before holding out her hand.
Vernal was sent flying by a pulse of green electricity, breaking through a tree and out of sight once more.
"YEOWCH!" Her voice echoed about.
Qrow snickered. "That's gotta smart," he said with a chuckle as Naruto chuckled sheepishly.
"Penny-chan is trying to push her limits as of recently," he explained as Jiraiya nodded. "Right now, we're decently strong but things are gonna get tough when it comes to those bigger Gates and Spirits. We won't know what to do when things happen so being as strong as we can, right now, is important."
"What of you?" Li asked curiously. "She enhances her mastery over technical, electrical, and lightning-based forces but what of you, Naruto?"
Naruto smiled. "My body is a whole medium, Li. You saw my newest Magna-Ventus Armor and that's been only one of the three I can use. Never mind Sage Mode where I use the elements surrounding me. I need a different kind of training."
"I see."
"That's bound to come with interesting applications," Jiraiya smiled. "The thing is, I bet the power is the problem, huh?"
"Got it in one, it's not easy to practice when my moves are so wide-range. I'm a powerhouse who can't power in training."
"So, just a 'house'?" Qrow smirked as Naruto, Jiraiya, and Adam laughed. "Hmm, I get it, I do. Right now, though, what can you work on?"
Naruto looked down at his hands before flexing them. "..."
"What about your first-level skills?" Adam asked curiously. "Didn't you say you had levels below 'Magna'? What about them?"
"Hmm," Naruto cupped his chin before nodding. "You're right, I can't forget my basics," he nodded. "Still, with Magna-Ventus becoming so ridiculous, normal 'Ventus' might be strong too…"
He held out his hand at a tree.
"Ventus!"
A quickly pooling ball of wind formed before punching through five trees.
Li nodded. "That's very powerful."
"Seems like you know where to begin," Jiraiya before grinning slyly at Naruto's hopeful look. "Well, I mean, I wouldn't be afraid of a spar, kid. It's bound to drum up some old memories in this old man," he smiled.
~NRK~
Meanwhile, in another section of the forest, Summer smiled brightly for Team 'YRWB'.
Yes, it was a work-in-progress.
"Alright, kids, for now, I want to start you guys off with a single Beowolf to defeat together, alright?" She offered them as Ruby nodded rapidly.
Weiss hummed curiously, looking around.
Blake ran her hands through her hair with a nod.
And Yang grinned, fists on her hips and chest puffed out. "Come on! Nora, Sun, and Merc apparently wrecked Grimm, we can't be left behind!"
"They had their father with them," Weiss said without too much thought, Summer grinning widely at that nugget of info. "With him and their mother, it'd be different from this. Mrs. Rose can't be everywhere at once."
"I can't," Summer smiled. "But I've got the next best thing, a Semblance-based form of sensory ability," she grinned as Blake blinked, tilting her head.
"I-I don't understand," she said. "What does that mean?"
"Well, you know how some people can sense stuff, right?" Yang asked, getting a nod from her teammate. "Well, that kinda stuff can be affected by Semblances. Mom's Semblance has to do with different… umm," she blushed as her mother chuckled.
"It's like different pieces of existence if you will," Summer explained as Blake's eyes bugged-out.
"I've read up on her Semblance," Weiss said with a tilt of the head. "It's… I-It's hard to explain, Blake, but just think of it like she's on a different stage of a fighting game while still being able to interact with the current stage."
"No way?!" The Faunus gawked as Ruby giggled. "T-That's so BROKEN!"
"Yep!" Yang grinned.
Summer just wondered when Weiss became a component of fighting games. 'I think it'll be good for them!' She grinned at her idea. "Yep, now, come on. I can sense the darkness of a single Grimm right behind me."
They walked for a bit, the girls making sure to check their weapons.
Blake took a deep breath before activating her Semblance, a copy following behind her as they checked their chain-and-sickles.
Ruby grinned as her 'Ruby-length' scythe and mallet bounced across her back. "We're gonna be Hunteresses!" She said with a squeal, Yang grinning from ear-to-ear.
Her hair lit aflame as she tapped her gauntlet-covered fists together. "Yep, time to burn."
Weiss nodded to the apt metaphor, messing with her rapier and its three Dust cartridges. "Mrs. Rose, how tough would you estimate a Beowolf to be to a normal person?" Weiss had researched most of Vale's most common Grimm.
Many stated a Beowolf to wield ten times the strength of an average human. They were quicker than regular-model cars on average, and they had vicious bite forces, claws, and nasal senses.
She'd like to know how the woman ahead of her felt about it.
"Hmm… That's an interesting question, Weiss," Summer said as she tapped her lip in thought. "Well… I can't really give you a good idea of it, h-haha, a Beowolf isn't exactly… Threatening to most of the group."
"Mom's the literal toughest in Vale and Patch," Yang said with a nod. "I'm not surprised," she told Weiss, who blinked before nodding.
"Ah, I should have asked Mercury. He seems to have a good hold on his opponents' abilities," she muttered.
"Ah, here we are," Summer whispered, holding a finger to her lips as they snuck near a bush. "There it is," she told the girls who peeked through the underbrush to see the single roaming Beowolf.
The size on it sent a shiver down Weiss's spine. "I-It's bigger than I expected," she said nervously as Yang nodded with a serious look.
"It is but we've got this," she said with a nod to Ruby and Blake. "Come on, I've got the lead," Yang said as Summer smiled.
"Trust in your instincts, girls, focus and do your best," the woman told them as they began to sneak up behind the Beowolf.
Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha took several deep breaths as Thetis smiled next to them.
Just ahead through the trees, a Beowolf sniffed around with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, you guys know what to do," the mother of Pyrrha said as her daughter nodded, a bronze shield and spear in her hands.
"U-Um, who's going first?" Pyrrha asked as she looked at the Grimm. "I've never fought a Grimm before a-and Nora has."
"Yeppers," Nora said with her mallet on her back. "But we gotta plan!" She whispered with intent.
Jaune blinked at her before looking back at the Beowolf. "Well… W-We could probably take out its legs, first, right?" He offered as they peeked through the bushes to watch the Beowolf shift around. "Maybe?"
"Sounds great," Nora grinned wickedly. "Let's break its legs."
"..."
"..."
"... Um," Jaune began to say as Pyrrha and Ren looked worried. "N-Nora? That was… Really exciting for you…" He said slowly.
Nora just grinned excitedly.
Okay, the short girl was terrifying.
Nothing new for Jaune when it came to girls.
"Of course!" She said normally with an innocent smile. "It's fun!"
"..."
"..."
"... Ren?"
"Jaune, please don't ask."
~NRK~
Li took in a deep breath before his Semblance flittered about the area as a Naruto clone stood in front of him with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"I believe this should be enough," the Mistralian man said with a smile as the Grimm man nodded but did nothing else.
"Come at me, Li," Naruto said as his eyes opened and he smirked. "Let's test your limits."
The man lunged at him with explosive speed, a gauntlet-covered arm reared back.
A burning black pair of fingers raised and caught the punch mid-air.
The blow cracked the ground beneath Naruto's feet.
Li's other fist swung.
It was blocked again by those same fingers.
Li's feet touched the ground before he rotated low while swinging up with his foot.
Blocked again.
It latched on before the man's torso swung up with a palm strike at Naruto's face.
The Grimm's opposite forearm blocked it.
They separated with a burst of green before Li's hands swung out in flowy slashes, green petals shooting towards the Grimm man who vanished as they crushed the area beneath their collective weight.
"Bring it on, Li!" Naruto's voice echoed about.
"I shall," Li said with glowing pink eyes.
~NRK~
Adam's chokuto was drawn from its sheath thrice in quick fashion.
The attacks dispelled each oncoming bone projectile with difficulty.
"Hmph!" He sheathed it again before charging Naruto's bestial form, the Grimm crossing its arms as they burned with dark power.
"Haa!"
They swung out along with a wave of darkness that Adam skidded at.
His form glowed red.
His blade's sheath began to follow suit, notable scripture on the side of it lighting up as Naruto's attack arrived in front of him.
He swung.
Naruto's form jumped before he had, Adam's attack reaching a nearly 20-meter distance all around him.
'Moonslice,' the Grimm thought as even the air flickered red before going to normal, the numerous trees around them falling down as he landed. "You can pack a lot of power into your Semblance, Adam, it's pretty strong but I'm sure you can make it stronger with Aura Control."
Adam perked up, blinking in confusion. "It can?" He looked down at his weapon. "I suppose… I mean, it makes sense."
"Yeah and then you can do more with the energy you receive. You might be able to keep it inside and enhance your body like a buff."
Adam did like the idea of that. "Still, I need more defensive skills," he noted. "I'm grateful to the girl, Ruby, for making this for me. I am," it didn't pain him to admit so.
Seeing the small excitable girl just… give him a weapon out of the goodness of her heart and the kindness in her soul, it touched Adam on a deep level.
He couldn't allow this amazing gift to go unanswered and would make it live up to its creator's wishes.
"I need to make sure she knows this weapon will reach its full potential."
"Hehe, glad even those simple and small souls can affect you," Naruto smiled as Adam blushed while rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing's wrong with that, even the smallest soul can have a great change on us. Ruby's just a kid but she's happy to gift people her weapons to see them used and so they match their wielders. She's a good kid."
"Yeah… Yeah, I understand," Adam smiled.
~NRK~
Qrow watched from the tree branches above as Naruto and Jiraiya sparred.
And sparred hard.
The two's fists met once more before sliding down each other's forearms to the other's face.
Those blows were caught with claps in their palms before they separated only to clash once more.
'The Great Toad Sage,' Qrow thought about with interest, leaning forward a bit. 'Him and kid had alternate history as master and student,' curious.
So, Naruto had learned all his secrets in one life.
Jiraiya's flying roundhouse was blocked by a raised forearm, Naruto's feet digging into the ground before he grabbed the offending leg.
He swung before throwing the man through a tree only to have him land on the one behind it.
The Toad Sage grinned.
Naruto's eyes narrowed before he rolled out of the crash zone of a descending astral toad, the creature's size easily beating out a bullhead.
"Tricky!"
"Only for the best, kid!"
The astral toad's tongue shot out at the former blonde, the Grimm man hopping in and out of danger before his arms crossed.
Jiraiya's fist slammed into the Grimm's guard before Naruto was sent flying back, chased by an astral toad's tongue.
When the 'slimy' limb wrapped around his ankle it swung him around in a wide arc through a series of trees.
'I know where this is going!' Naruto grinned as he stopped blocking once the trees weren't in his way. 'The best way for us to fight!'
He held out his hand as dark strings of energy began to form.
Jiraiya cackled as he rushed his swung-towards-him former student, hand outstretched and gathering white strings of light.
Spiraling Orbs formed.
"Ra-!"
"-Sengan!"
The toad released Naruto.
And then his and Jiraiya's attacks clashed.
It erupted almost immediately, a tower of black and white that lasted only a moment before vanishing and causing a large billowing tower of dust and dirt to shoot into the sky.
Qrow whistled hard as he saw the sheer destruction wrought by the two men's single attacks clashing.
"Geez, you guys!" He shouted into the dirt cloud as Vernal landed next to him with Penny.
"Where's the fun?!" She asked almost immediately, bruised with her body spasming with electrical arcs but looking excited. "Tell me!"
"As if you can't figure it out," Qrow smirked as he pointed to the grunting figures in the dirt clouds. "But, sure, I can point you in the right direction."
Vernal's eyes snapped to the fighting duo with awe and interest.
Just as a harsh knee strike slammed into a bony guard.
The dirt cloud dispersed as Naruto and Jiraiya jumped back before rushing to one side, the two passing the trio by with drags of wind behind them.
"Yes~," Vernal said with as much excitement as possible.
Their limbs crashed against one another again and again, the two former ninja tossing one another into a roll that ended with the two skidding apart.
They launched at one another again before their legs swung out.
The blow rocked the treetops as the two landed within one another's guards.
They punched up, elbowed in, and then kicked out at one another, rolling to a stop with grins on their faces.
"Keep it coming, Ero-Sennin!"
"An innuendo!"
They fought once more.
Penny smiled brightly as Vernal just kept watching intensely.
Qrow just shook his head before finding Ozpin walking up to the area along with many of the others.
"Whoa?! Pops kick his butt!" Nora cheered.
"Get him, Sage guy!" Yang cheered defiantly!
Jaune just chuckled while Li and Ren smiled.
"They're certainly strong individuals," the man said as his son nodded.
"They're the top of the top, aren't they?" Ren asked him as Thetis snuck in with her phone recording it all discreetly. "?"
"It'd be wrong of me to not record a match of his, Young Ren," Thetis said with a smile as Pyrrha nodded rapidly.
"Yeah, if Naruto's strong enough to fight The Toad Sage, he'd get a super-jump in the rankings! Mr. Jiraiya is the Number 1 spot, you guys!" She whispered excitedly.
"Seriously?" Most of the other kids asked while Adam rubbed his chin.
"I've read up on him and he's got a lot of sway due to his Number 1 spot," the bull Faunus said as Naruto and Jiraiya's blows rang out. "... I want to get in there and just fight."
"Buddy, you're speaking my language!" Vernal grinned as Adam coughed off to the side.
"I-Is that so?"
"Who wouldn't want a piece of that?!"
Most of the group sweatdropped even as Kali chuckled sheepishly.
"I mean… She's not wrong," she admitted as harsh winds tossed their hair back. "Fighting a strong opponent is not something most Mistralians take lightly, especially those of us with interest in the tournament scene."
"I kinda get it," Charlie said.
"Nope," the Arc twins rebuked.
"Sounds cool," Sun said from beside Blake, the girl looking confused. "Hey, your mom's really cool," he whispered.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Blake said with a blink. "I didn't know you wanted to fight Naruto so much, mom."
Kali smiled. "On a couple occasions, honestly. Just from our small demonstration back at his place, I've been really curious on how he'd be to fight," she said with a small chuckle. "And your little brother thinks so, too," she said to the baby strapped to her back.
Kuro Belladonna 'baaed' while Garnet Xiao-Rose 'bubbed'.
So, clearly, they were having the time of their lives.
"He's a boy, I expected that," Blake pouted as her mother laughed.
"H-Haa, you're good," Jiraiya said as he and Naruto finally stopped, the former blonde less tired than he. "Gods, did you get more outrageous stamina?"
"H-Hehe," Naruto chuckled. "A bit. Well, I got a whole website, you know. It's just, some stuff gets translated differently."
"Like your language, hmmm?~"
Naruto chuckled embarrassedly. "... Yeah, like that."
Jiraiya just looked proud.
~NRK~
Naruto observed Ed with a frown as the boy slept, night having long since fallen.
'I don't like it, how did she…' Did Roselin know about magic? Was that it?
If so, it'd be a very rough time for them… If she knew.
'So far, it's like a growth he can control. Ed gets drained but he doesn't have his Aura yet,' that'd be another thing.
That marking drained the boy's power directly and not through his 'Aura'. It was a sick and cruel thing she'd done to him.
And, worst of all, Naruto couldn't do anything about it.
'It's like I'm not good enough,' like he wasn't allowed permission. 'What the hell did she do to him?' So many questions.
With answers he knew he wouldn't like, in the end.
~NRK Out~