Chapter 3: There are Consequences vs. tHeRe ArE cOnSeQuEnCeS!
A/N: Well then...I don't think I've ever had a second chapter have more reviews than the first chapter a day after publishing it. That's kind of insane to have such a well-received chapter in general. Don't think it's ever happened. Also, nearly 300 favorites and 400 follows at the time of posting! That's insane for only two days! Thank you all so much!
Thank you so much for the reviews! One of the reviews that really struck me is that 'fun is not a genre' and that in order to keep an audience engaged, it has to have some variance. Awesome 'insight' and thank you for the heads-up; I never thought of it that way. Beautifully explained.
Finally, if you have comments and ideas, please share them with me. Critiques and corrections are most welcome as well (looking at you, 20*20 = 200...my brain was dead, sorry folks).
That said, Review Responses are on the bottom.
Finally, I'll do my best to keep creating chapters that are enjoyable.
Word count of chapter before A/N: 7.7k words
Word count after A/N and Review Responses: 10.6k words. My wrist hurts.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Important: If I offended anyone with the utensils and eating habits joke, I apologize. It was not at all intended to be rude.
Chapter 3 START
"I want to start this class with asking a question. I'm under the assumption that your history class has just covered the role of Faunus in the history of Remnant. That said, what characteristics do Faunus have that are innately beneficial to them?"
Faunus. The discriminated race in society that never fit in with Remnant's human society. From what she remembered of lecture the day before, it was uncertain whether Faunus or mankind came first, but the annals of history - at least, according to mankind's history - stated that human civilization came about first, and Faunus followed afterwards. The ancient civilizations of human discovered a race of people that had animalistic traits. In every way, they looked human.
Except for the singular animalistic trait each Faunus had.
Suddenly, the relationship between mankind and the world had been profoundly shifted. Faunus had been introduced into the mix, and as such, there was no choice but to accept the fact that there was a new race of people to consider for society and history. As unwelcome as they were, Faunus were recognized by the general public. Over centuries, they were gradually meshed into mankind's populace, but not without significant push back.
In fact, discrimination still existed to this very day. There were some grassroot communities that were forming amongst the Faunus to fight for their rights and to try to make mankind see them as equals.
"They're all animals. That's the common trend with them," one of the students spoke out with a dismissive tone. Raven didn't even deign to look over at the clearly racist student, who had said the same answer during the history lecture and had earned himself additional homework for his eye-opening response. Instead, she prefered to watch Naruto's reaction to this answer. The professor paused mid-walk, his side to his class. He quickly turned his body so that he was now facing the class head on and looked directly at the student that had spoken his opinion.
"Mr. Glimstone. Please explain your position," Naruto spoke clearly. There was no change in tone, or in disposition. The blond combat instructor still had the same, warm smile plastered on his face, and his eyes remained pools of oceans with short, lapping waves that brought others comfort. And yet...there was an uncomfortable shift in the air.
Glimstone, unperturbed by the negativity suddenly spiking, decided to heed Naruto. "Simple. They're animals that somehow integrated their way into a society that wants no part with them. They don't belong and should go back to where they came from."
A few students began to shift in their seats due to a myriad of emotions. The students that openly showed their Faunus traits betrayed looks of hostility or shame. A few others showed unease at the blatant show of discrimination. Perhaps there were also some other students that hid their Faunus traits and felt additional shame from not only not standing up to this asshole, but also from not having enough pride in their ancestry to show their animalistic traits.
"Incredible," Naruto finally said after a solid half minute of silence.
"Thank you, professor. I'm glad to find that you agree with me, when the History professor found my opinion so contradictory," was the self-satisfied, smug response. Char Glimstone even had the gall to cross his legs and smirk.
Raven had to admit that perhaps Glynda had a point. Hearing about racism and seeing it happen right in front of you put the discrimination that had been occurring for centuries in a completely different perspective. She had thought that because students came to Beacon, where strength was touted as the most important characteristic, that students would either overlook or even not care about the fact students were Faunus. An open campus where all were welcomed as potential Huntsman.
She was clearly mistaken, and Glynda was correct. There might just be plenty of students with smooth brains.
Naruto, she noticed, still maintained his disposition of dead calm when he spoke, his tone still so calm. "I was hoping for a more enlightening discussion, but perhaps that's a bit too much to ask of you all in the second week of school." But something was different. The tension that could have been literally cut with a sheer knife was now something that was choking on many of the students.
The professor walked to the edge of the arena and then jumped casually up to the bleachers, staring at all of the students. "I suppose then that today's lesson will be slightly different. Monday, I taught you that I am indeed your professor and combat trainer. Do not forget that those are two different titles given to me; I have earned the right by Beacon's headmaster to become a combat instructor due to my potency in battle. I have also earned my right to be a professor in Beacon, so I find it my duty to teach you everything I know."
He began to walk up the steps of the audience section, the sound of his feet echoing softly with assured confidence.
"On Tuesday, I made most of you train on your physical strength, and the ones that challenged me to meditate. The first is obvious, but the latter is not so. Some of you may have come to a conclusion that I'm actually an idiot that doesn't know what I'm doing because you cannot figure out why I'm forcing students to sit down for a good thirty minutes instead of discussing with them other potential subjects. For example, I could have probably delved into combat theory, types of engagements, how to properly infiltrate, or even the concept of ceding and accepting defeat when you wish to lose the battle but win the war. But I chose to teach you all how to meditate, and will continue to do so. After all, those concepts are things you'll learn with time and from other professors."
He was now very close to the team leader that had spoken out in such a manner that had made his students bristle with anger, discomfort, fear, and shame. That was unacceptable.
"Wednesday, we simply switched the groups. And until today, the last day of this week, I've recycled the plans of Tuesday and Wednesday. I had plans for today to change things up, but perhaps a different sort of lesson would be acceptable, as it is equally conducive to learning as well as practicing combat."
He was now directly behind Mr. Glimstone who was attempting to maintain a brave front. It was clear to see that the first year thought highly of himself, hardly influenced by the fact that his professor was about to enact some kind of punishment. He wholeheartedly believed he was right, and that it was his job to convince others that it was so.
It was not to be.
"Mr. Glimstone, you have gratefully offered to be the first sparring partner of the day. Go to the arena."
Glimstone haughtily gazed up at Naruto and found no shaking that ironclad will that bore down on him. Comprehending that arguing would earn him nothing, the boy stood and walked down the steps and jumped down to the arena floor. Once he was the sole individual that was standing at the arena, Naruto then spoke very clearly -
"Now pick a Faunus to fight."
Many of the students physically recoiled. Even Glimstone seemed shocked by the audacity of the order before a glee overtook his expression. A sadistic guise that had no belonging on the campus of Beacon Academy. With delight, the boy chose one of the thinner Faunus who he noticed to be lacking on the physical strength department during the two training days. Said Faunus student stood up, hesitation in his eyes, but dutifully walked forwards all the same. He was short in stature and thin in build. He had antlers that grew out of the top of his head, indicating clearly what type of animal he was.
Once the two were standing on the arena, the static in the air became more than palpable and suffocating. Everyone was wading in it, drowning in anticipation. Glimstone was staring at the Faunus student, Maximillion Deer, with undisguised leers. He was excited to be able to release his mental irritation at his History professor as a physical beatdown on the student that was part of a worthless race.
Everyone could see it. It was as clear as day. It was also crystal clear that Glimstone was no slouch by the point that he was one of the students that Naruto had forced to put on more weights in order for him to struggle equally with all of the other students.
Summer was clutching her cape, bristling and hardly able to contain her voice. She was normally meek in large gatherings, but the injustice of the situation was simply too much for her to bear. She wanted so badly to yell out or even call out the professor, but the way Taiyang and Qrow looked at her knowing that she would made her glare down at her hands in shame and hot anger. She furtively glanced at her last teammate.
Raven doubted that Naruto would allow for this fight to happen as it was; it simply did not fit the bill of his character that she had seen in the past few encounters. However, perhaps she was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, and she would take it as a lesson to make more accurate portrayals of characters in her minds if that was what occurred.
So she crossed her arms, her index finger tapping against a bicep. She had been taking this contemplative pose more often as of late due to the nature of learning, but Naruto had really been forcing her to take a difference stance on many of her views. Perhaps this was simply another lesson.
"I want to stop this," Summer squeaked out, fear and anger combined.
Before she could, Naruto's voice once again boomed.
"I am of the opinion that hearing and reading about things and seeing with my own two eyes are experiences of their own. It's one thing to hear about the combat prowess of a person, and it's a beauty to actually watch them fight. To hear about death is sad, but to see it...to see people that knew the dead attempting to cope with the fact that someone they loved is no longer here is heartbreaking. Every emotion you feel in a situation where you are a bystander far and away from the point of conflict or event can shock you, but not in the way being a part of or a direct viewer of the happening taking place can."
The entire time, Naruto had that understanding smile on his face, as if he already knew that people were simply going to have conflicts and that there would be students like Glimstone. As if he believed that it was his job to teach them. That this was only a step to making a difference in the immediately world that he lived in, and for the betterment of all the students and faculty at Beacon.
"So let's put this theory of mine into practice. This will be my lesson for the day."
The lights all shut off so that the only light visible was from the screens on the top of the room that displayed the two students on the arena and their Aura levels. It hardly gave off enough light, however, to enable most students to see their own fingers unless they were a Faunus.
In the minds of many of the students, the lesson that Naruto wanted them to grasp clicked like a carabiner. It locked into place, steadfast and unflinching.
"Wait, this isn't fair," Glimstone shouted in the darkness, his indignation clearer now that all the students could hear was his voice.
"Neither is discrimination," was Naruto's cold, uncaring response. "Fight!"
For a moment, nothing seemed to happened. Not that Raven, her team, or any of the students could see. Except for the Faunus. The minority that could see watched as Maximillion tepidly sneaked up on Glimstone, assuring himself that the other student couldn't see. Glimstone seemed far too fearless in a situation like this, and Max's heart thumped harshly against his chest, his breath becoming heavy as a result.
"I hear you, you animal. Come out, come out!" goaded the normal student, delirious from suspense. He would take the first hit and then counter immediately. He knew he couldn't see, but there was no way he was helpless in a situation like this.
The fear in Max's eyes dwindled, however, at a certain realization. The student in front of him said he could hear him, but nothing of the sort when it came to seeing him. Emboldened, he made his first move, stepping around the student like a ghost.
It was too fast for him to comprehend. One second, he was waiting in a combat stance, the prospect that the animal could attack from behind certainly a potential outcome. However, how was he supposed to react to it? The animal kicked the back of his knees, breaking his stance. Before he could respond or even return to form, he was struck again on the same spot with even more force than before, forcing him to buckle and drop to that knee.
He swung his arm out horizontally in retaliation, twisting his upper body as he bellowed with his attack, but struck nothing. A searing pain in his cheek was the result of his actions, turning his neck. Another blow to the back of his head, and then the small of his back as he began to fall.
Anyone that understood combat would recognize the extremely dangerous situation that Glimstone had fallen into. He was prone, with his stomach flush against the ground. The hits were not necessarily devastating, but they were pinpoint accurate and struck with the goal of quickly finishing off an opponent. If this was in the real world, outside the safety of Beacon's gates and not done in a learning environment, perhaps this would have been where Glimstone met his end.
"Enough," Naruto commanded. Max, however, moved as if he had never heard the words escape his professor's lips. As if years of bitterness of the unfair treatment had taken its toll and retribution would come through beating a downed man.
Many of the Faunus expressed different levels of shock. Some leaned forward, others reeled back. Naruto had caught the wrist of the Faunus that had attempted to strike a man while he was down in the pitch black. Their professor, who they were certain was human, had easily stopped the Faunus exactly where he was and without a single hesitation in his movement. They watched with full attention as Max, breathing heavily, as if he were in a state of bloodlust, almost attempt to strike the professor. He had struggled for only a second, but it was plain as the darkness what his intent was. Like a flash, Max realized what he was about to do and released the fist.
Naruto let the student go, and Max stumbled backwards, his feet now making sounds once again.
"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened," guilt saturating the apology. Naruto nodded, his blue orbs directly matching Max's own.
"I understand, Mr. Deer. I really do understand you, but you cannot let that kind of emotion overtake you, or else it will be to the downfall of yourself and your race. There are consequences to actions." When Max nodded with the slightest margin, Naruto smiled and gave nodded in the direction of the seats. The Faunus made his way out of the arena, leaving the other student and the professor alone on the ground. Glimstone, for once, was silent as he laid on the ground in his defeat. "Perhaps this is a good time to get up and go back to your seat, Mr. Glimstone. There are many second chances here at Beacon. After all, you will have four years to reflect on your mistakes, and I do hope you make many mistakes, so that you can learn as much as possible during your stay here. This is a school, after all, and every teacher's goal is for the students to learn."
Slowly, Glimstone picked himself up. Glum and defeated, the boy stood. Naruto turned on the lights. All of the students winced at the sudden shift as their brain and eyes adjusted. Glimstone walked off the arena and left his pride there.
Silence. To most of the students who could not see anything, the only thing they could see was the Aura levels on the board. Glimstone's Aura was rapidly depleted. In simply a few seconds in the darkness, he was dropped to seventy percent. It was a terrifying prospect, suddenly, to realize how much Aura they would have to project to defend themselves when they had no clue when someone would attack and with how much force. How much Aura should they utilize, and when? Or should they consistently create a layer of Aura to coat themselves in a body shield, allowing their Aura levels to trickle down as they waited? But then, the Faunus could simply wait for them to exhaust themselves and overcommit to defense, only to fall all the same.
Truly, hearing and seeing it was absolutely different. None of them wanted to experience what Glimstone had.
On the other side, many of the Faunus felt something that had not for so long when it had come to their race. Comfort. A single thread of hope as their professor utilized the trait that had allowed them to win multiple battles with unbeatable odds and come out victorious and had shown it in a one on one duel. A sense of comfort in one's skin and race.
But also, there was slight confusion expressed by a few of the Faunus who were whispering to each other. Was Naruto a Faunus, then? How could he so clearly defend in the dark and know what each person was doing?
Naruto walked forward toward the students and immediately caught their attention. He was smiling charismatically, hands on his hips.
"I'm sure many of you have discerned what today's lesson is. However, I will say it in words so that there will be no uncertainty. The Faunus have an absolute advantage over everyone, Grimm included, in the night. In darkness. Where you cannot see, they can. Even the worst of odds on their side can be overcome if a foolish general decides to fight in the darkness. This lesson does not need to be specifically focused only on the advantages of the Faunus, but also to other situations. This is an applicable lesson. Take the advantages you can and utilize them, no questions asked, but be aware for contingencies. As for those that have a disadvantage, accept that you are at the side without the high ground and plan accordingly. Defend, run, save your lives to come fight another day.
"If you have times to be discriminatory, then you have time to improve yourself as a fighter so that you can protect yourself so that you can stay alive and keep talking your talk at the very minimum! Improve, train, practice! Get stronger, smarter, faster! Make no excuses for yourself when you fail and learn from your mistakes so that you can use it as an experience!
"The battlefield is no place for regrets! So move forth in everything you do with all you have and that you live a long life without regrets!" Naruto's grin widened and raised a fist into the air, like a beacon. "And I'll help all of you become strong."
Shivers ran down the spines. Chills and goosebumps broke out as the traces of awe came into reality. He was young, but well-spoken and mature. Eyes bright with blue that reflected a warm soul, yet full of experience that one should not have at a young age. Skilled in hand-to-hand to an unprecedented degree that he became the first professor at Beacon under the age of twenty. None had even come close to his accomplishment in age.
"Moving forward, I want everyone to get in the arena! Everyone that's a Faunus is going to be on one side and everyone else is going to be on the other side. Faunus, you have my permission this class to beat your classmates until submission!"
Bewilderment. Whatever awe that was present had dissipated and had been quickly replaced by shock at the audacity of the professor.
Raven began to chuckle, a warm sensation that started from her chest that slowly bubbled up until it escaped her lips. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
In five minutes, he had shown how much more powerful Faunus were at night and in the dark compared to a normal soldier or Huntsman, even at a massive physical disadvantage. To think that Naruto could do a better job of explaining the benefits of having Faunus allies and teammates in such a simple, yet practical manner that the textbooks could not, even by showing how effective it was when a general decided to attack at night and losing despite the massive numerical advantage, only depicted how effective of a teacher Naruto was.
He evoked emotions from his listeners. At least from her. He made her want to listen to him, and to take his words beyond face value. Of course, you'd learn if you sat there listening dumbly to the words he said without thinking anything further, but she had come to realize that whenever he said things that he wanted you to hear, there were usually underlying reasons or possibly explanations that wouldn't be caught by scrutinizing the words with a blank stare.
But all of it fell short of one thing that she caught. He was living his life without regrets. That...shook her to her very core, ratting her very reason of existence. Once again, she was forced to sit there...or laugh at how absurd the notion was. Because it was just too different. Selfless, and yet unquestioning of his stance in life. Wanting nothing more for himself other than the success of his students. Was there truly nothing else this professor wanted in life?
She came here to be strong. There was no more questions to ask.
"I'm game, professor!" she shouted, uncrossing her arm and standing tall. She grinned ferally and turned to face the rest of the class. "Come at me, my Faunus classmates! Show me how effective you are in darkness."
The challenge brought forth feelings of...rivalry. Not hatred or hostility, but a healthy symbiotic relationship of wanting to test the other. The way she said it, that ferocious grin that provoked everyone to dare test her...it made everyone, and not just the Faunus to measure up to her. After all, she was the student that had forced Naruto to burn even the slightest amount of Aura, and she was still the only student to succeed in doing so. Two weeks of training had resulted in everyone gaining a significant boost from their base strength that they had entered with, and it was easily noticeable by how much faster everyone ran when Naruto timed them for sprints with and without Aura. Every student also hit harder, based on the physical displacement test he had introduced to the students, instructing them to hit a stationary object that would determine the amount of force a student could produce from their body.
There was no doubt that Raven was becoming stronger, and she relished in her improvements. But everyone else was also realizing their potentials as well, and they wanted to test their newfound prowess in spars against each other. The pent up energy of two weeks was coming to an end now.
All of the students walked down to the arena, and Naruto spread all of the students without Faunus traits all about the room. Naruto placed Raven immediately in the center, in the middle arena. She gave him a shit-eating grin, and he matched her with a smile that reached his eyes with an emotion called pride that made her wonder -
Had the elders in her camp ever looked at her that way?
"Good luck," he said silently, clapping her shoulder and moving past to place another student.
Eyes narrowed with brimming determination, she told him, "I won't need it."
All of the Faunus were finally done being placed by Naruto, and every single one of their eyes were on her.
'Come at me. Come. Come. Come. Come!'
"Come at me!"
The lights shut off, and it was pandemonium with the groans of students echoing throughout the room almost immediately. Naruto chuckled in the dark to himself; they'd learn to at least run away in the future or maybe even team up in the darkness. And it's not like he ever said that they couldn't use their Scroll for minimal lighting or not use Aura and Semblances.
They'd learn, though.
He'd make sure of that.
Raven was beyond thankful that it was Friday. She wasn't sure if she could take another day of combat class like that. After inviting everyone to come at her with eager energy, the students had done so and absolutely shown her how incapable she was in the dark compared to them.
But she had been a good enough sport about the whole situation, and the Faunus had surrounded her and helped her up after it was all over, chatting with her.
"You're alright, you know that? Other than that giant ego you got since you managed to get a graze on the professor - oh right, that was the first day of class."
She wasn't aware that she had come off that way to her peers, but perhaps it was a good thing she knew that now. And besides, it seems that the misunderstanding had been cleared as a result of the class. She had noticed that, however, due to the Faunus approaching her with more openness, some of the other students had also created more space between her and themselves as a result.
Screw them. She didn't need those kinds of acquaintances, anyway.
Raven rubbed her left shoulder, then her right cheek. Those were two especially sore spots that seriously stung even with her Aura protecting her throughout the fight. And when her Aura had run out or when she tried to save Aura, she was immediately punished harshly by kicks and punches.
"Rough time?" Qrow asked sitting next to her. The team had decided that they would go straight to the cafeteria to eat. She was the first to finish plating her food and had found a spot and was now waiting on the others to join her.
Seared steak cooked to medium-rare perfection with a salad on the side, freshly picked mushrooms served with sauce, and tossed salad with lettuce, tomatoes, plum, sliced carrots and sweet onions, and a selection of sauces to finish the dish. It was so tantalizing, but she was waiting for Taiyang and Summer to hurry up and sit with them so she could start eating.
"Something like that," she muttered. Qrow shook his head in amusement and chuckled, slapping down on his right knee multiple times.
"You should've seen the look on your face, sis. The way you called out the entire class - "
"It was just the Faunus," she corrected. It was ignored.
" - and how badly they wanted to get at you. Man, I'm surprised this is all you've got to show for it. Only a bruised cheek? Lucky you," he complimented. Raven rolled her eyes.
"I don't need luck. At least not yours, anyway." Qrow winced, but took it in stride. It's not as if they hadn't joked about each other's abilities beforehand. It was just...a sensitive topic for him. "Besides, my left shoulder is pretty shot at the moment, too. Probably need the weekend to rest completely. Maybe I'll take a trip to the city. I finished all of my assignments until next Wednesday, anyway."
"Ooo, I want to go to the city!" Summer vocalized excitedly. She sat down, and Taiyang followed soon after. Raven looked at their plates and winced immediately. Taiyang's plate actually wasn't too terrible. A hamburger with vegetables on the side and loads of fries. At least he chose to drink water. Summer's plate, on other hand, made her proud to say that she only winced and had not recoiled. Cookies on cookies on cookies on cookies on cookies on cookies ON COOKIES ON COOKIES! "We should do a team trip. It'll be fun!"
"Yeah..." Raven said weakly, eyeing the rapidly shrinking pile with morbid fascination as her team leader ravenously gulfed down concentrated amounts of chocolate and sugar and flour mouthful by mouthful. "That's insane."
"I know, right?" Qrow said, equally fascinated. However, he was more amazed than disgusted. "I wish I could eat my food like that; it might come in handy one day when we're on a mission."
Taiyang pointed a fork at him - why did he need a fork for a hamburger - and said, "That's a great point! Maybe we should see if there's a food eating contest at Vale tomorrow and practice how quickly we can scarf down food! Maybe one day, we'll be as impressive as our great leader." This time, both siblings recoiled in horror as Taiyang grabbed a fork and knife, then cut it into quarters, and ate it without using his hands.
"I don't know what to say," Qrow murmured. "Are you really a human, Taiyang?" he asked with eyes slit. This was a grave defect that they could simply not ignore.
Taiyang, to his wondrous ignorance, raised his eyes and eyebrows as he brought another piece of the sliced burger into his mouth. "Of course I'm a human, what do you mean?"
"I mean..." the younger Branwen twin started, hoping that the weightiness of the situation would reach the oblivious Taiyang, "...what kind of monster eats their burger without their hands?" By the end of the question, Qrow had raised both of his hands to eye level and half-closed them, emphasizing his fingers by squeezing the air multiple times. Summer laughed while eating her cookies. Raven ignored her and decided to not give the girl any attention. Second-hand diabetes might just become a thing with this girl.
Taiyang nearly spit out his food. He managed to choke on it for a bit instead, and then forced it down with some water. "What are you talking about? Plenty of people eat their burgers with forks and knives. It's civilized!"
"It's. Civilized?" Qrow started to cackle. "Oh, that's rich, and that's coming from me. You see, believe or not, almost everyone eats burgers with their hands like normal people. But you eat yours like an animal with your fork and knife!" He shoved a finger right in front of Taiyang so that the other teen's eyes crossed. "You disgust me, you traitor to humanity."
"But wha - "
Raven decided to step in here to end the stupid discussion.
"Qrow, I'm sure that Professor Uzumaki would be displeased so see you so blatantly discriminate against our own teammate in such a fashion for such a minor offense, especially after his lesson today." Her point made, she then began to tend to her own dinner, cutting into her steak. Qrow and Taiyang looked at her, unimpressed and stupefied respectively.
"I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant."
"It's a minor offense?!"
The two boys proceeded to argue again, and their team leader was lost in her world of cookies.
"Stop! You've violated the law!"
"How am I violating the law?!"
The stupid discussion never ended, even when the team had entered their dorm, after showering, and even when Raven asked them to 'shut the hell up' when she tried to stretch and meditate in peace. Nothing productive happened for the rest of the night.
Luckily, it was a Friday.
Saturday morning had long passed and it was already closer to noon than they would've liked to admit. After waking up at seven for the past five days, waking up at eleven felt...wrong. Sure, they hadn't set an alarm and were sore from the week, but this was pushing it.
By the time they were all dressed in their casual outing clothes and choosing a bullhead to ride to the city on, it was noon.
"Come on, let's go! I want to find some cool clothes and maybe some ammunition for my baby!" Summer said, trying to hurry the team.
"Weren't you the last one up?" Taiyang brought up, completely aware of what he was doing as the girl shrunk into herself.
"Ah...it wasn't my fault?" she reasoned, poking her index fingers together and looking at everywhere but her teammates.
Taiyang seemed nonplussed. "Of course not." He sighed and then breathed in deep with his eyes closed. When they reopened, a cheerful persona replaced his prior unimpressed look. "Don't worry about it! We still got at least half a day to check out the city, and it's not like we had a set time to go to the city anyway!"
Summer seemed to brighten up at the positive attitude that was practically beaming from the blond and gave him a huge smile. "Yeah, you're right! We never planned a time!"
'That wasn't the point, Summer.' Both of the Branwens thought in unison. Some bickering behind them broke them out of their thoughts. The four of them found themselves looking at their professor for combat walking towards the bullhead dock with Glynda talking to him rapidly. Well, talking was putting it lightly.
"You caused a student to break their Scroll and you have to buy them a new one?" she nearly yelled, tapping down the damages onto her own Scroll to calculate the costs. Naruto winced.
"Yeah, but...it was more like seventeen students."
"You did what?!" Glynda couldn't hold herself back anymore as she shouted, a stray hair breaking away from her otherwise perfectly taken care of look. "So you were the cause of seventeen broken scrolls, multiple students visiting the infirmary, and parents even wanting to take away funding to Beacon Academy because of the stunt you pulled yesterday? Is that about right?"
"..."
"Look at me, Professor."
"...I really don't want to, Glynda."
"Professor." That voice was sickly sweet. Naruto rigidly turned to face his impending doom, his neck creaking like a robot as his eyes refused to meet hers. "Professor...if you don't tell it to me straight, I'll stop helping you with your logistical work."
"It was me! I did it! I'm the culprit!" Naruto let out passionately. "Please, Glynda, you can't do this to me! I hate logistics. It's so dumb and - "
"Professor Uzumaki, it would do you well to remember that I'm the one that does your logistics and enjoys that kind of work."
" - and - and - and it's amazing how fantastic you are at getting to the bottom of things and making me see numbers so clearly. Wow, numbers. Amazing. Ten out of ten, can confirm!"
Glynda looked at her professor. Extraordinary in all aspects but one. Logistics. He hated, hated...perhaps even that is stating it too lightly. Despised? She nodded her head.
Naruto loathed any kind of work that even remotely looked like paperwork. Sure, he'd go to meetings with professors with a smile on his face. But the moment anyone mentioned paperwork, that smile quickly became strained. There was a rumor amongst the teachers that once, when someone brought up paperwork, a look of dread overcame the blond professor, as if past memories had welled up inside of him and ghosts haunted him whispering about the terrors of paperwork. The rumor was obviously exaggerated beyond belief, but it was true that he was once reduced to a catatonic state due to an overload of staring at papers. His workload was significantly reduced ever since Glynda took pity on him.
She sighed again before fixing her glasses on her nose. "You owe the school at least a couple thousand Lien, and an apology to the board and the school's funders."
"Yes, it will be done!" he replied immediately, a smile already on his face knowing that Glynda would still help with his work.
"Good. Now, we have three minutes until Bullhead Three leaves. Let's find a decent seat."
"Yes, ma'am."
The four of Team STRQ watched the entire situation play out before them. Naruto...the professor of Beacon Academy in combat...was reduced to a stuttering mess before Glynda. Raven's impression of the blonde fourth-year shot up drastically. The other three, who had never met the girl, unconsciously considered her first impression as absolutely top class. Uncontested. Anyone that could bring down the professor, who was usually so meticulous and controlled, cheerful and smiling, was a game changer. That, and she was beautiful.
"Wow, who's that?" Summer pointed at the older woman with both fingers, looking at her team for any answer.
"Glynda Goodwitch." Raven nodded at said older student when the two met eyes. The pair of student and professor switched directions and began to walk towards them. "I'm sure that she'll introduce herself in more detail, however."
Taiyang's eyes lit up. "Wow, you know her, Raven?" His expression turned sly and he whispered, "Maybe you can hook me up?" He started to wriggle his eyebrows.
The black-haired sword user rolled her eyes and pushed Taiyang away as he leaned closer to her. "You can do your dirty work yourself, you law breaker."
"Why do you keep on saying that? There's no law about eating burgers with forks and knives - I even looked it up! There's nothing in any article condemning my actions!" Taiyang complained, mood swinging like a capricious, yet acceptable idiot.
"Because it's against cultural rules, dumbass. Even I know that," Qrow said, poking the 'law breaker' on the side. "Look sharp, our kid professor is coming."
Naruto had finally noticed them after looking up from his Scroll. His smile immediately widened, whatever had happened with Glynda just a minute ago was left back there. Naruto seemed completely unfazed and had quickly returned back to his normal state.
"Good afternoon, Qrow, Raven, Summer, 'law breaker.' How are you all today?"
Taiyang couldn't take it anymore. He wobbled on his feet and fell onto Summer's shoulder, face covered over by his arms. To hear his professor say that as well, even in front of the girl that he had found so attractive - his feeble heart just couldn't take it any more.
"It just can't be true. There's no way. They're discriminating against me. That's what it is. Yeah. Yeah..." he mumbled, words garbled by the shoulder he spoke into. Summer awkwardly waved to Naruto and tried her best to greet the taller blonde woman, but she found the task extremely daunting with the embarrassing situation at hand. She began to shrink into herself again, unsure of what to say.
"I'm Glynda, one of the fourth year students at Beacon Academy. A pleasure to make your acquaintances, Team STRQ." She nodded at them all.
In a flash, Taiyang was off his leader's shoulder and standing with a straight back. She knew the team. Maybe he had a chance! He had to try to impress her. After all, who wouldn't want a hottie dressed in a nice black button up with white buttons that perfectly showed off the curves of a woman. And those thighs in those black leggings and purple skirt. Those mile long legs that were toned with beautiful, perfect muscles. He could only imagine how fit she was and looked in other clothing. He wanted to kiss his fingers at the divine fashion taste - by the gods, she was a professional tease. She had to be.
"I'm Taiyang, first year student," he greeted with the smoothest, best suave intonation he could muster after getting brutally manhandled by the Branwen's words. Glynda Goodwitch looked at him -
"How are you, Raven?" And then she went straight to the first-year that she knew from a previous encounter. Taiyang fell hopelessly back onto Summer's shoulders, tears threatening to escape now as Summer did her best to comfort him with 'we can have cookies later'. "I hope this professor has not been too harsh on you."
Raven shook her head. "No, he's been training us well. Just yesterday, he put me in the center of the arena and let all of the Faunus first years attack me in the dark for the lesson of the day."
Glynda whirled on Naruto. Naruto quickly shifted his gaze to Raven with a grin, his eyes clearly panicked.
"Yeah. She even got a bruised cheek and shoulder from it," Qrow explained further, taking extensive pleasure from watching the shorter blond writhe under the older woman's hard stare. Naruto was like a plant that was quickly wilting under the fiery gaze of an unrelenting sun. In a desert. With no soil. Dying. "But she felt bad about the other students going to the infirmary, so she never got checked out."
"That's not how it happened!" Naruto tried to explain, looking at the two Branwen twins. They met his eyes, and then smirked as one. Glynda, who would've known that this was a prank had she been looking at the two, would've let Naruto off the case after realizing that he truly had not done something so brazen. In fact, normally, she would've taken those words at face valued and thrown them in the trash. However, after what she had heard this morning about the damages he had caused and the repurcussions of his lesson, her emotional state was slightly off kilter. Hearing additional consequences to an event that had already taken place with its consequences confirmed by the professor made her believe the results at face value. "I would never do that without carefully considering what could happen!"
She spent another couple of seconds staring hard at the professor who refused to look her way and was instead helplessly eyeing his students. She breathed out, suddenly tired of the situation and wanting to head to Vale immediately to get her mind off of this all.
"We will have words, Professor. Later." Glynda stopped towering over Naruto in her heels and recomposed herself. "Now, I believe the bullhead will be departing soon. We should take our seats." Having said her piece, she walked away and into the flying aircraft. The five of them stood stock still as they watched her leave. Taiyang whistled, one eye visible over his arms.
"Wow, she has an ass." Summer gagged and dropped her shoulder to release the support she offered. Taiyang recovered himself easily enough and kept watching the hips move rather sexily.
Naruto turned to the team. Raven and Qrow now looked away, suddenly realizing that Glynda was not here to save them. Nor was she here to hear anything he had to say. The blond smiled, his eyes crinkling upwards as he walked...regularly (menacingly) towards the twins.
"Oi...oi oi oi was that your idea of a prank? That's pretty good, you two. I'm fairly impressed that you managed to do that so seamlessly, considering neither of you had that planned." He leaned in towards them, and they craned their necks up and looked up at the sky. "I know I'm not that tall, so it's quite clear that you two aren't meeting my eyes. Why is that, hmm? Well, it's all fine, because I forgive you, dattebayo. I really do. After all, I'm a professor. And a professor wouldn't make their student's training regimen more difficult due to personal reasons, now would they? That's just not what a good professor does, no sir." Somehow, everyone knew that there was some loophole coming in. "However...if it threatens my workload as well as how much paperwork I have to do, that is not so personal and is suddenly becomes work related. And funnily enough, my work is related to - wow, could you imagine that - teaching at Beacon! And a combat professor at that! Even better is that: you are both students in my class, how incredible!" Raven and Qrow began to shake, sweat pouring down their foreheads. The river of sweat in the unordinary heat of the fall noon became a waterfall when Naruto clapped a hand on each of their shoulders.
"I look forward to Monday. Da-tte-ba-yo. It'll be your lucky day." Qrow winced. Naruto then turned and walked into the bullhead. "And don't you dare think about my ass, 'law breaker.' I have never swung that way and never will."
In the end, the four students ended up taking a different bullhead as Raven and Qrow kept looking up at the beautiful blue sky with fists clenched. Taiyang had tried to enter the bullhead to talk to Glynda, but had been pulled back by the twins. They didn't look down, but the message was clear.
'You're suffering with us, you heathen.'
He actually began to cry, and Summer was left confused all by her own. The past five minutes really didn't make sense to her. After all, he kept saying -
"Why did she leave with a guy wearing sweats. How does that even make sense? He doesn't even dress nicely or try to look good, I don't understand. Why?!"
Why, indeed.
Chapter End.
A/N: Okay...congratulations, Naruto has flaws. He isn't perfect, and I'm actually kind of okay with this. I do really like the mature character that Naruto had for the first two and the beginning of this chapter, but I think it's necessary to point out that he's only sixteen. He still likes pranks and has his moments. Otherwise, however, I do think I will stick with the generally more mature version of our favorite blond. It seems to fit well considering what I have planned for him.
Fun fact, in case no one knew this: I don't ever have a plan when I write. I sit down in front of my computer and start typing and the chapter comes out itself. Sooooo if I'm motivated, chapters come out ridiculously quickly. Once, I wrote and edited a 25,000 word chapter in 3 days. I wrote this chapter in six hours, and I have to say -
Worth.
It was hella fun. The most fun I've had in a while. Actually started laughing and smiling as I imagined the scenes.
Okay, moving on.
REVIEW RESPONSES! HOLY SHIT THERE'S A LOT TO GET THROUGH SO HERE WE GO!
adislt: Spoiler territory, so I actually can't say too much, sorry. I think the second one, though, I can answer. Naruto's introduction into the universe has made changes already to team STRQ. In fact, to Beacon, he's already influencing people. For example, if we go off regular timeline in RWBY canon, then Glynda becomes one of the most important members of Beacon staff. Naruto is influencing her. You have to think of his existence as a butterfly effect, and a huge one at that.
AK-103: Thanks, dude! I didn't know that there was a lot of Professor Naruto fics out there, though. Maybe I should read more before I say stuff...hmm. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, too!
Leinad100: Yeah, right! I think their personalities really come to life in this chapter. The only one I'm really having difficulty with is Summer. She's completely blank in the canon story, so I'm a bit at a loss at how to portray her character, but I'm sure it'll slowly build up into a fully fleshed person! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks a bunch for reviewing! Cheers!
Train Heartnett: No, you're awesome! Thanks for the review!
Tera12: Haha, once again, your wait has ended and rebegun in a single day. Fast updates mean you gotta wait faster - big brain time.
jossblue13: Yeah, story definitely has to come first. But uh...I kinda...never think about the story when I write. I just write as the words come out, as weird as that may sound. I understand how you feel about Raven, and it completely makes sense with canon RWBY post-Beacon. However, in my opinion, I think Raven is impressionable. She becomes jaded after discovering Salem and believing that nothing can stop her. Since that hasn't happened yet, I think Raven shouldn't be even close to what she is in canon. Cautious, yes. Calculative and strength-oriented, absolutely. Those are traits that I think remain and make sense based on her upbringing. Jaded is possible, but not to the degree that she is in RWBY now. She, after all, had a child and loved a man fully, once.
Mahouka9: Thanks! I actually really enjoy writing character interactions, so it's great to hear that you enjoy them. And of course, you're welcome for the response. As for the children, I gave it thought. Naruto = blond. Taiyang = blond. Naruto + Raven = Yang...honestly...give her some spiky hair and sure. Character is about the same. Kind of. But that's probably something I need to figure out like...later. We're at least four to five years away from them having any children in the canon universe, so it's quite a ways away, you feel me? Regardless, the idea was heard and considered. Thank you!
Xud10a: People find anything to complain about, so naturally, the answer is yes. But they complained about artificially inflated words as a result of review responses. I.e. this chapter is 7.6k words, but is much longer now technically due to my responses to the reviewers. As for the Semblance, I think the indestructible weapon is simply broken. It's just too difficult to control its power level. What I have in mind is also kinda insane for strength, but it's not to the degree that he can oneshot everyone. He's balanced out a bit.
Also, I agree on the power levels aspect. Don't introduce a random OC that is there simply as a foil to a character brought into a new world. Like Oni Teuchi from Naruto, the Storm King. Yeah, don't do that. Looking at you, KenzoXShuyita. Why would you do that?
P.S. a lot of people called me out for mathematical error. I apologize; my head calculator could not compute.
quaker212: Thank you. I try my best, keke.
Kanciano: See, I actually did screw up, but your idea of Naruto trolling them was a fantastic idea. Maybe with this chapter, it would make more sense, but yesterday I wanted him to be more mature. Beh, I had my chance. Maybe I'll just go and...edit it or something. Thanks for the idea!
Yokolai: These reviews are the reason I want to work so hard. God, man, to hear people enjoy reading the stories I write and then 'Wooooo'. Yeah, feels good, man. Woman. You. That made me so elated. Also yeah, the chapter titles are meme at this point.
Junaids: Thank you. And yeah...I've been called out for that mishap. Thank you for letting me know; I woke up at 2 A.M. randomly, saw your review and fixed it. Someone else still noticed in a later review because FFN takes some time to update chapters.
Ikasuki: Imagine training the students competently. Looking at you, Kakashi of Team Seven. Haha, hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I worked super hard on the character interactions.
YeTianshi: The whole Raven is the only one that really respects Naruto is something that a few reviews have brought up, and I think that's interesting. She certainly finds value in his words and recognizes his strength, and I believe she's slowly starting to transition into a student at Beacon beyond a tribesman. And yeah, Raven and Glynda was actually...fairly nice to write. It felt almost cathartic (I have no clue why) to write with Glynda explaining how Naruto is as a person.
As for the Semblance, no comment! But keep thinking about it, haha. There'll be more hints in future chapters!
I hope the eggs did not break still!
Andrew9908: Long chapters are great, I agree. I will try not to overwork myself. Probably gonna take a break after this chapter because...I have some projects and assignments due for school. Woo!
GoTeam: and 30*30 = 900. And 271*339 = 91869. Haha, joking joking. But really. I fixed the issue, thanks!
A Plexx: I did...I apologize.
Guardian of the Inheritance: I am attempting to keep it up. Is it working?
Naruto x sister the best XD: No, you're cool. Also, what does your name mean?
Dasgun: ...
Weedlovers: Nice name next
eniox27: A young Naruto teacher actually felt pretty cool to write, so I just did it. Glad to see it seems to be working out. And yeah, the pride as advice actually...just came out and inadvertently applied to Raven. Like I posted the chapter and someone mentioned it and I was like, "huh, you're right. I'm a genius." Haha, that's pretty much what happened. Thanks for the review, man!
daggercloak000: Honestly, Glynda is friggin' cool as a character. It's too bad we never see her again in the show. Ever.
Luraso: Thanks. Hopefully, you still do. He's a sixteen year old professor, so I wanted to give him some slack on his maturity.
hellfire45: Yeah, I wanted to make Glynda one of the students that recognizes Naruto for what he does and who he is, because she goes by logic. Logically, he's a good professor. He cares for his students and wants them to succeed. She sees his intentions and how much he works to bring that into reality, so she tries to help him attain his dream. She's pretty much TA, in a way. Just unofficially.
zaboi: He's mature enough. I think he's far more mature than in canon Naruto, but I think he deserves to have his moments where he lets loose.
AsianZangWang: Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy my stories. Not rushing, just pushing myself because I enjoyed the creative process and have the time currently. This won't be the case later on.
Ramenmeister: Okay this is a long review. Gonna have paragraphs for this big boy.
Raven recognizes Naruto for her own reasons, and I think that's a good thing right off the bat. There's probably a million ways for her to recognize him, but I wanted something kind of natural. She cared about strength, so here's strength. Here's skill. And here's some other aspects that she can recognize.
Displacement Naruto stories...yeah there's a lot, but that's because it was super popular and it used to be the way to go. Especially when Kamui was first introduced. The amount of crossovers just because of that concept multiplied the number of Naruto story crossovers there were as a result. That being said, as you brought up, it's always great to see creative ways to bring Naruto into another world...as long as it makes sense. Hina dropping Naruto is a no, but the idea was cool.
Exercise/mission idea is now taken into consideration. Good idea. Naruto telling students to get head out of asses...yeah, I can see it, but I think some things need to happen first. He can't just snap out of the blue. There has to be reason.
Not spoiler: Naruto will not be headmaster. I believe Ozpin already is at this point in time in canon, so I won't change that. However, all of the other questions are spoilers, so I'll leave you to mull over them. Glad that the story is good enough to make you think about possible paths this story could tread!
As for the RWBY into Naruto world...I don't think I can do it. RWBY would get demolished. If I did, it'd have to be like Konosuba, where they are capable, but they kind of don't fit in. They are powerful, but not Narutoverse powerful. You feel?
Rein Tenebres: Good night. It's now 1 A.M. Also, this review is awesome. I love that. It's not fun as a genre, but there could be moments. Thank you, really helped me think about this chapter differently. Hope this chapter fit your bill of 'good!'
Black saber: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! For the powers, I'm gonna say...nothing. Because that's spoilers. Sorry! But for pairings...that's also spoilers! Haha sorry, I really cannot say anything.
Sai55: Ah...okay a few special ones could be possible, because maybe it's far out of the Kingdoms. Unexplored territory. Loch ness monster. You get the vibe. And yeah, Raven is the only first year that genuinely views Naruto as a professor, even if she doesn't realize it herself. And the rest will come, all in due time. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Flumerfelt92: I did it! It's continued. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Hirameki Kitsune: I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying how I'm interpreting the characters. And wow...it seems that a lot of people like Glynda. Maybe she was the hidden star in chapter 2. Also, if you got ideas, go use them! Don't hesitate and just do it, let's go!
jbXCR12: Thanks, dude. If you have grammatical and writing prowess...that's more than what I had when I started. I made so many mistakes and needed to edit so much. As for the story...read a lot. Or just write a lot. See how things flow and edit your stories. I think editing your own work and reading a lot are the best ways to improve and get into writing. You can do it, man. It takes some time, but you got it. Easy up and 10/10 story telling, come on, dude!
Guest: Awesome to know you're liking what you're seeing. Ironwood...mr. Iron phallus...I think he's a bit aways from where we are now in the story. But eventually. Thanks for the idea and the review!
AnthonySpace: I will try to not abandon this story. It's actually quite fun and I'm glad I started it. No comment on pairing because that's spoilers.
R-king 93: No you're awesome. Thanks for the read and review!
soumilplays03: Hope you're still interested in which direction this goes! Thanks for reading and leaving a review; much appreciated!
808Joker808: I'm curious, what exactly do you like about Qrow's perspective and attitude towards Naruto? I'm obviously pumped that you like it, but the 'why' has me curious. As for pairings...true, there aren't many Naruto x Raven or Naruto x Glynda stories, but that's kind of to be expected. Most stories have Naruto entering the canon timeline. This is at least...maybe twenty years back? And most stories don't go before the timeline, so unless they want Naruto to be going with Raven when she already had Yang or Naruto with Glynda who is closer to forty, it's kind of difficult to write. But no comment otherwise, because as stated with a bunch of other responses: it's spoilers. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Riba Nyabom: I think he's not an OC named Naruto. At least I hope not. And no comment on the powers and born in Elemental Nations and stuff, because all those things I place under spoiler territory. Everyone is free to guess, but I'll remain silent. As for nerfing Naruto, I'm not sure if that's possible. He's sixteen. In canon Naruto verse, he hasn't even learned Sage Mode yet. Also, I dislike most godlike Naruto fanfictions because it just...removes all of the tension. It's like One Punch Man, but worse. That doesn't mean there aren't those that pull it off, but just it's much more difficult and also far rarer. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
DaDragon562: Haha thanks for reading my stories! I think Naruto throws everyone off in general. The premise came out of nowhere and I just wrote it out of the blue, so awesome to hear it's appreciated! Thanks for reading my stories and leaving reviews!
The SlySage: Two reviews in a row. Okay.
Chapter 1 RR: Aww...okay that's just heartfelt thanks coming from me. That's a review that makes me want to work hard.
Chapter2 RR: Yes, there is definitely admiration from Glynda's side. As for love war or anything like that: spoiler. Can't say anything. Sorry, it's the answer to everyone else.
Thanks for reading my stories and reviewing! I really appreciate it!