Chapter 5: What the Hell, Summer?
A/N: Checkmark: 501 Favorites and 687 Follows in 5 Days.
This will be the last update in this streak. It was a lot of fun, but it was also kind of exhausting; I slept after 3 AM almost every day. Also, I have a bunch of assignments coming up, so I'll have updates probably weekly. However, this will mean I have more time to edit the stories and make longer chapters, possibly. Rather than four to six hours on a chapter, I can spend ten to twenty! So in general, quality of chapters, both grammar and structurally, it should be better.
Out of the blue a bit, but I recommend reading NeonZangetsu's story 'An Untraveled Road'! It's in a similar timeline to this story, but it just takes place in Atlas rather than in Beacon. I simply love the way the author can bring his story to life and explain things so well; it just makes me want to improve myself so that I could write like that, too!
Thank you for following up to this point and I hope that you've enjoyed the story up to this point! I've had a grand time reading the reviews and shifting the story in my head as solid advice and suggestion was brought up. So, please, review! Both for ideas and the fact it prevents silence, which simply feels like crap.
As for people asking if this Naruto is even Naruto or an OC named 'Naruto', that interpretation is really up to you. When 'it' happens, I think you'll know what I'm talking about. I, personally, think this Naruto could be considered as Naruto.
Chapter words: 9k
Total words including A/N: 11.3k
Chapter 5 START
There was a different kind of energy in the air in Beacon Academy. It saturated the air.
The first years had finished their second-to-last class with History and now had fifteen minutes before their last class. Usually, the students would take as much time as possible, preparing themselves mentally and physically for the arduous class. The students would refill their water containers, stretch for an extra few minutes, close their eyes and listen to music; whatever they needed to do to focus, most of the students did, having already adjusted to the difficulty of the course.
The students received pity from the eyes of the other Beacon students, knowing what Professor Uzumaki made them go through. The second and third years that were friends with the first years heard what Naruto made the young students do to train, and the usual response was -
"That's harsh" or -
"That sucks" or even -
"It was easier back in my day."
Strangely, it was the fourth years, despite the fact that most of them still refused to let go of their pride, that were the least common to give the first years any kind of special treatment in the way of the second and third years. If anything, they were encouraging.
Glimstone, who had made acquaintances with a few fourth years, had complained about his courses. He had changed since the lesson, doing his best to work on his blatant racism, to the delight of his History teacher and also to Naruto's approval, and had begun to take his classes seriously. He was exhausted by the weekends, but felt a sense of responsibility and actual satisfaction at his work ethic. The days went by, and he kept putting in his all, but Glimstone was slowly burning out. So one day, he vented to a few of the fourth years during a dinner. Expecting some sympathy, he did receive some. But not in the way he had wanted.
"Yeah, it's tough," a female student agreed. Red hair with orange eyes. A sword user that was proficient in multiple sword styles and utilized a shield occasionally. "There's no doubt that the kid's class is the hardest one you'll probably take your first year. It was definitely ours. But it was also the most rewarding, looking at it in hindsight."
A blond male with blue eyes, who also used a sword, but only used specifically a sword and shield that apparently was legendary and had been passed down for a few generations, nodded in accordance. "Exactly. I feel you, Glim. Seriously, we all do here. But all of the other classes are pretty much easy compared to Naruto's. We took all of the courses you're taking right now, and I'll be frank - don't ever think it's useless. Kid knows how to fight."
"But it's hand to hand only. What's the point?" Glimestone brought up, frustrated by the lack of weapon usage. Every day, it was always unarmed combat and basic strength training. Naruto continuously touted base strength and lectured the students that in order to utilize their weapon better, their body's conditions should be improved. And even if their Semblance did not necessarily coincide with a person's constitution, a Huntsman's skill without their weapon was invaluable.
He couldn't see it.
"If you use your hammer in a closed space that you can't swing quickly, what do you do?" the blond asked. Glimstone perked up; there was an obvious answer.
"You take it outside. You force the other to leave the enclosed space and take the fight into an advantageous location."
"Yeah, that's ideal. But here's some more information. Suddenly, you're fighting in a hotel hallway, and plenty of the patrons are behind you and you are the only person trained in combat. Your assailant is fast - fast enough to zip by you after a single missed swing of you hammer - and is not unwilling to take hostages. Now what do you do?"
Glimstone froze. If that happened...telling the hotel patrons to run wouldn't accomplish anything if he couldn't stop the attacker. Neither would using his hammer; he would be gambling on hitting whoever was threatening him and the lives of the ones he would be protecting, and he wouldn't risk their lives with a gamble. That simply wasn't how a Huntsman was bound to act. It was unworthy and unacceptable. His Semblance was also utilized in larger areas, as it usually brought about damage to structures.
"You'd have to fight him with your fists. Maybe even your fists and your Semblance if they are compatible," the redhead told him concisely. She shook her head. "In a scenario that could quickly become a hostage situation, your job is to protect the innocents that aren't able to protect themselves. No amount of weapon training would prepare you for a closed space encounter unless you already have a weapon that can be utilized in a narrow space, which you don't have the luxury of." The female brought a finger to her lips as her eyes rose to look up in her thoughts. After a moment, she returned her gaze to the first year's.
"Not only that, but your strikes are far faster when you don't have to swing with a hammer in general and only have to provide force from your body to your fists or legs. The windup is significantly reduced, and you also have the additional choice of grappling if all else fails. At the very least, you'd be able to stall for time and possibly get help or even detain the attacker with a solid hold, something you can't do if both of you hands are holding the handle to your hammer." Satisfied with her answer, she resumed her meal and allowed the first year some time to contemplate on what the two of them had just explained to him.
"That's...a lot to process. I never thought of it like that," he finally spoke after the sound of cutlery and general dinner commotion continued after a few minutes. He had sat in silence, breaking down every situation that the older students had told him, and they were right. They were absolutely right.
The blond student smirked. "That's alright. You're young and you'll get plenty of chances to learn these things. We only learned this last year because that kid literally pounded it into us that we were being idiots. He never said so, but anyone that made a suggestion had to follow through with their suggestion in a simulation. It was honestly a pretty good learning experience for every one of us, and the guy never told us it was bad to suggest things, so we kept doing it. That way, we learned the better ways to approach each specific situation, and you don't understand that unless you experience it. You just don't."
So, to his grand surprise, on the Monday of the third week of Beacon's first semester of the school year, he received a message on his Scroll from Professor Uzumaki that said -
"All first year students in 'Ten Great Calisthenics Exercises to Build Muscles' must bring their choice of weapon to class today."
That was a shocker.
Unsurprisingly, every single student in the combat class was early and already stretching, their weapons at full display. The room was filled with electricity and each student was eagerly anticipating to finally use the weapon that they had trained with for years in the arena.
Glimstone felt the same as the other excited students, but felt an odd premonition. After what the fourth years had told him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that the professor had planned to show them how useless a weapon was in certain scenarios and would use that lesson to make them all train physically for another few days.
He hoped he was wrong.
"I'm sure many of you are excited about finally, finally gaining my approval for you to bring your weapons to this room. I thank you for your patience."
Naruto stood in the middle of the arena garbed in black track pants with orange stripes and a black long-sleeved turtleneck that seemed somewhat baggy. His hands on his hips and a broad smile on his face, the professor looked each student in the eyes. Every pair returned his short gaze with sparks of hype.
"Today is going to be different. It already is, since I'll be allowing the use of weapons in the arena, but today is strictly for your enjoyment. I will set team against team, and this will be it for the day. I hope that the students that are waiting give the students in the arena the respect they deserve by watching; after all, you may learn something from their fights."
The silence broke immediately and the students buzzed, talking to each other about the plans that they had been wanting to bring out and could finally test. Summer was hugging her scythe and swooning at the blade's razor sharp edge, speaking in a tongue that none of her teammates could understand. She spoke of certain machine parts and the metals used to create it and how it was so genius a certain shopkeeper suggested this and that and -
Raven sighed at her leader's antics, but she couldn't help but smile. She, too, was excited to finally bring out her odachi. It had been a long time since she had struck anything other than air, and this would be a great way to test how far she had come since her introduction to Beacon. And this would also stand as a great way to find out where she stood compared to the other students at Beacon with no limitations.
A feral grin split her lips as her teeth came into view of the world. The prospect of a fight against another four man squad made her blush rush.
Similar to her were Qrow and Taiyang. Qrow hadn't even had the opportunity to spar anyone yet, and Taiyang wanted to redeem himself after the failure on the first day of classes.
"Team STRQ and Team GLDN, please enter the arena!"
Praise whatever gods existed above, Raven thought, because they were first. She didn't know how long she could let this feeling eat away at her. Earlier, of the room, she had denied stating that she was excited to her brother, but she was tapping her feet and her biceps. Her patience was running far too thin, and testiness was at its edge.
Both teams jumped down to the arena.
Summer readied her scythe as she slid into her stance, the girl standing combat ready with the choice of weapon literally larger than she. A wide, unadulterated smile graced her lips as she swung the weapon a few times experimentally. Satisfied with the weight in her hands, she spun the weapon in a flourish, the blade turning so quickly that it had become an impenetrable shield for that moment. Suddenly, she stopped the blade and pulled it close to her body so that it was parallel with the floor. She prepared for combat.
Taiyang breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. As he let out the air in his lungs unhurriedly, he minutely opened his eyes and slid into a stance. His left foot forward but the majority of his weight on the back right leg, Taiyang lowered his center of gravity and raised both hands to chest level before separating the two. His right hand went closer to his chest and his left in front of his body. Finally, he twisted his upper body so that he was half-turned away from the opponents.
Qrow looked over at his twin and gave her a smirk and an upward nod. Receiving a smirk in kind, he turned back to the opponents for the day with a grin as his weapon, a split between a large gunblade and split scythe, quickly locked into place as a connected blade. He raised his and placed it behind his neck and leaned forward and beckoned the other team, provoking them.
Raven chose to remain simple. No feelings could interfere once the fight began. She would shut out everything else; nothing else mattered but the present and each moment that came after. She slowly unsheathed her blade and brought it above her head, then steadily lowered it until it the tip was exactly at the height of her crown and directly between the middle of her eyes. She had done this every fight since she was young, and it was a sign for her to remove everything unimportant. All the noises slowly faded away from her senses other than the breathing of her team and GLDN's team. She opened her eyes, hyperfocused and prepared for combat.
"Before we start, here are the rules!" the professor spoke loudly enough so that the entire class could hear. "First, if your Aura reaches the red, remove yourself from the field. Secondly, if you are forcibly removed from the arena, exit the battlefield. Thirdly, everywhere in this room except for the spectator section is fair game for this fight. Lastly, everything in this room may be utilized!" He waited for a moment to let the students digest the information, and then continued. "If you all begin, we will commence the first team battle in fifteen seconds!"
The seconds ticked down, and Raven felt her muscles contracting eagerly in anticipation for battle. She had waited so long to hear her blade sing in combat and for it to clash against another's weapon. She had also been practicing attempting to utilize Naruto's hand-to-hand training in tandem with her swordsmanship, and this would be the perfect opportunity to practice on other people. When the countdown reached five seconds, she started to channel Aura to her feet. She would burst forward and blitz the opponents, and she knew that her brother would be directly beside her. As the last second was heard, she fine-tuned the amount, controlling the amount to perfection so that no amount of Aura would be wasted, and slid her back foot further back so that she could push off it the millisecond Naruto gave the signal.
"Begin!"
Everything broke into action at once.
But it was also over in the blink of an eye.
Raven blurred forward, becoming one with the wind as she tunneled forward. Her black hair whipped back and the hair above her eyes split and flipped up, jet black locks flowing roughly behind her. Her brother was right next to her, his weapon behind his back, indicative that he was about to swing.
The distance between the two teams in the beginning was only twenty feet before the fight began. By the time Raven and Qrow were halfway across in only a split second, surprising the other team at their aggression and attaining all of their attention -
Summer was already behind the opponent's team and had, having no attention drawn to her own personage, deftly tripped all of the opponent's and swung her scythe across all of their backs as they were falling. Three vicious, quick swipes as she dashed an equal number of times by the time that Qrow and Raven had even begun their first swing, which was now held back in hesitation as they watched their leader. She had torn through the distance before the blink of an eye and was on them and blitzing through their defenses before Team GLDN even knew what was happening to them.
"Stop! Team STRQ wins this bout!"
Even after Naruto had declared their victory, the body's of the enemy team were still falling, hardly halfway to the floor. Team GLDN did catch themselves from hitting the ground face first, but that didn't stop their pride and ego from sinking lower than the earth. Their shock was displayed as clear as day. It was as obvious as saying that Summer was fast.
Fast couldn't even describe the girl. A force of nature had come at them with all of its brutality and ended them without giving them a single warning. There was no moment's notice, and there was also no hesitation on the end of the team leader from STRQ. She had blitzed in, rushed them before they could even finish their first blink and hadn't noticed her go around their peripheral vision and behind them, and had started to fall.
All within two seconds.
Taiyang, on the other hand, had stood at his spot in a defensive position. He had expected Team GDLN to go forward towards them and had remained still, and for that, he had been able to watch Summer's offensive capability unfold before him. She had been next to him, and a moment later, she was gone. In a heartbeat, she had streaked across the arena and rushed in a semicircle, moving so fast that she became unfocused in his eyes.
A deep sense of inadequacy bubbled up from his chest. First, Naruto had beaten him so soundly that he had no choice but to accept that the blond was his professor - and more important - as well as his better. After all, both of them specialized in unarmed combat from what he could tell, but he wasn't even close to the skill level of his professor. He was hoping that this team spar would be his moment to get redemption, but that was also completely shut down by Summer.
She was standing victorious by herself, and everyone's eyes were on the team leader of STRQ. Whispers circulated, but she heard none of it. Confidence exuded from her in waves. For once, she was in her element and not at all perturbed by another's presence or the stares of her classmates; she was completely in the zone and nothing could distract her from her.
Raven strode forward towards her team leader and growled. "What the hell, Summer?" She wasn't sure why she felt a heat rushing across her body as her arms bristled to hit something. It was as if she had been stiffed out of something she had been promised. Not only she - she had seen Taiyang's and Qrow's faces - was miffed and frustrated with what her team leader had done. They all had been looking forward to this moment for hours, and it was gone in two seconds and only Summer had been the main participant.
"What?" Summer's disposition changed reactively, suddenly breaking out of her confidence. Her teammate had closed the distance between the two of them, completely ignoring the boys sulking on the ground. Before Raven could reach her, the professor walked forward and stopped her. Raven's eyes narrowed even further as her eyebrows furrowed, set deep in hot anger.
"Professor - "
Before she could even explain her position, Naruto shook his head. The flames in her core that had turned white with heat suddenly went cold and sputtered out in that second. Her eyebrows rose and eyes widened in shock that...she wasn't sure. He didn't take her side, though? But how was this fair? They had been waiting for hours after the message in eager anticipation since they spent two weeks without their weapons in a combat class at Beacon, and they wouldn't get another chance for the rest of the day. Their class was essentially over!
"She did nothing wrong, Raven." The professor furtively glanced at the other team, still on the ground, before returning his gaze to her. "Please, go back to your seats."
It took all but a second to recognize why Naruto had momentarily side-eyed Team GLDN. He had been attempting to tell her without words to think of the other team's emotions. Their pain. Their embarrassment. If Summer had taken away her fight in only two seconds and snatched the victory, then their entire team had been on the receiving end of her offense and had lost in those two seconds. For a moment, she empathized.
But what about her emotions? What about her hard work that had been shut down by her very own team leader? And what about her brother's emotions and Taiyang's? Did they not matter as well?
She wanted to say all of these things so badly, regardless of if the other students heard. Screw them! Was she being unreasonable? She knew she was, but she had to say something. In the end, Raven said nothing. She couldn't, not when the professor looked at her like that, practically pleading for her to turn around and walk away so that the situation would be diffused. A situation that she had started due to her impulsive anger taking over her. Simply recognizing that it was her fault riddled her with guilt, but also even more frustration. It was a vicious cycle.
She needed to hit something. Anything.
With extremely difficulty, she forced herself to walk away with clenched fists and only a huff to show her frustration. When she thought she was out of earshot, she let out a curse. One by one, the other students in the arena shuffled over to their seats, both teams in silent frustration over different reasons.
Raven pulled out her Scroll in an attempt to block herself from looking at Summer, but a message from Naruto foiled that immediately. It was a recording of the fight from when he vocalized the start to the end. Obviously, it was sent to the members of both teams and was meant to be learning material so that they could critique their mistakes and recognize what had went well. But that did little to quell her increasing frustration after watching the fight on her screen.
Summer.
She was both the mistake and the thing that had went well. To the enemy team, it was their mistake to let themselves be blindsided and defeated so handedly in such a short time frame. To STRQ, Summer had technically done a phenomenal job and should be awarded with praise. But...
Raven looked at Taiyang and Qrow in the corner of her eyes and saw what she didn't want to see. They had swallowed their own feelings and were trying their best to congratulate Summer weakly with thumbs ups and nods with a few quiet words of encouragement. It was only her that refused to say as much, and it was entirely her fault that this atmosphere had pervaded her team and worsened the other's team's emotions as well.
Summer looked over to her and their eyes met. Raven immediately turned her head away so that her eyes bored into her Scroll's screen, but it was already too late. Summer walked over to her and then -
"I'm sorry, Raven." She apologized. And she genuinely meant it.
'Stop it, it's not your fault. I'm the one that has the issue here.'
But she said nothing. Guilt wedged between the crevasses of every cell in her body as Summer solemnly took her seat so that Taiyang and Qrow were between her. In the end, she crossed her arms and tapped her bicep, but out of irritation now.
"Okay, I know that was short match, but there were still a lot of things were could learn from it! Any guesses?" Naruto had donned his mask of comfort, which showed his pearly whites coupled with the cheery disposition that could disarm most people's feelings of unease and discomfort.
"Don't be beat in two seconds?" one student spoke sarcastically. Naruto pointed a wider smile in that specific students direction, and the male shrunk in his seat. "Sorry."
"Anyone else have a suggestion?" Noticing that the mood of the class had dropped significantly and that no one else wished to speak after what the first student said, Naruto decided that he would have to take charge. And speak to Raven later. "Alright, let's break it down so that no one else makes these mistakes again!"
"First off, I said that the entire stage is allowed for combat. Where you start the fight is also included in that stipulation; the fight doesn't begin when I say start. Simply from how you position yourselves, a fight could be swayed massively on one side's direction before a battle even begins. Understand what your team is capable of and utilizing a formation that allows the maximum usage of each person's capabilities is imperative for effective teamwork and mission success. Both teams stood in a line facing each other, as if prepared for a duel. Fights aren't always duels, and unless your team actually does its best in a line formation, I wouldn't recommend it.
"On a similar note, the distance between the two teams was overcome by Summer Rose within a half second. I would recommend at least fifty to a hundred feet so that no one is blindsided by something like a speed Semblance. It also gives you time to respond to unexpected contingencies that will force you to readjust your formations or reform plans, which can be done within seconds with effective teamwork. Information is so vital that if you don't have any information on the opposing side, I'd recommend that you have even more space and take the fight as slow as possible so that you are able to know what your opponents are capable of. So please, utilize the entire space given to you if you are able. Fights are won on advantages beyond a Huntsman's innate skill with their weapons and battle prowess.
"Finally, I want to end this lesson filled with critiques with a compliment." Naruto shifted his gaze and stared directly at the team leader of STRQ. "Summer, would you care to explain why you ended the fight so quickly?"
For some reason, the stares didn't bring fear to her heart. Maybe it was the comforting smile from her professor that was encouraging her to speak without hesitation. Perhaps the thrill of victory was still somewhere in her blood. It didn't matter. Her professor wanted her to speak, and she wouldn't fail him now.
Summer stood, the center of attention and all eyes went from the combat instructor to her. Standing proudly, she said -
"Because I didn't want to give them a chance to fight back."
Naruto clapped. For five seconds, he applauded her answer.
"Exactly! If you are capable of ending a fight before an enemy can even retaliate, why would you not? You save Aura, you don't reveal any of your abilities other than you are fast and efficient, which would make others wary but not any more informed, and you prevent yourself from getting harmed on the chance that the opponent's are stronger than you are! You don't even have to use lethal force; if you want to knock out or incapacitate and then detain the enemy, that is entirely your decision. You have the choice, and you dictate the flow of battle from the moment you attack preemptively, at least for a short few moments. And those short, precious seconds could be what decides the winner!"
Naruto nodded at Summer and clapped again, as if she were the one that had said everything. Summer blushed warmly and sat down, suddenly feeling awkward. The red in her face was the same hue as her hair, a stark contrast from her normally pale face and white clothing.
Raven's finger tapped increasingly aggressively.
"Now, there is more I could say, but I'm sure you all are growing bored from my tedious speeches. That said, can Team BRGT and Team KING please enter the arena!"
Information. The more Raven watched, the more she recognized how vital it was. Naruto had said it in the middle of his criticisms, but honestly, she felt that he should have said it first. The amount of fights between the teams that were won and lost because of information or a lack of was every single one of them.
In one fight that had drawn on for nearly ten minutes, it was down to a one-on-one battle. A female student equipped with a single dagger and a male student that utilized a classic sword and shield. Both were edging towards their Aura hitting red; a hit on either end would finish the match and determine both the victor and the loser. The two rushed each other and clashed at the center of the room. With a move he had not shown earlier, the swordsman disarmed the dagger from the other student's grip, leaving her weaponless. Moving in the for the final blow, he leaned forward and raised his sword.
The female student gracefully backflipped away. While the girl was in midair, Raven saw a glint coming out of the female's right sleeve.
By the time she had landed, the fight was called and her team had won. The bright reflection that Raven saw was another dagger that was hidden in a sleeve and thrown before anyone could discern what it was. The entire time, the opposing team had operated under the assumption that she only had one dagger. Evidently, that was proven false and they paid for it with a loss. But this additional information only added more questions now.
"Does her Semblance involved creating daggers?"
"Is she able to use both daggers when she fights, or does she only use one at a time?"
"How many of those does she have on her, and how the hell does she hide those?"
Naruto, she noticed, seemed quite pleased. Raven didn't know how she knew the minute change in his expression implied that specific emotion, but she was able to tell. Something about the sleight of hand the student had utilized to achieve victory along with the misinformation seemed to make the blond's smile a bit wider than it normally was.
"Fantastic! That was an extraordinary finish, Lavender!" He gave all of the students a bright grin and nodded at them, content with their showcased skill. "Feel free to return to your seats; your Scrolls will have a recording of the spar in just a moment." When both teams were seated, Naruto once again asked for anyone to explain why the last few seconds of the fight were so 'fantastic.'
Summer raised her hand barely, and Naruto called on her instantly. "Because...because of misinformation." Raven held in a scoff; even she knew that.
"Would you care to elaborate on your answer? You're correct, but I believe you can say more." Summer nodded, taking the encouragement and using it to bolster herself.
"The entirety of the fight was taken slowly so that both teams could discern information from the other side. As a result, they slowly revealed their hands one by one. However, the last two standing still had another trump card in the last encounter, and the student with the dagger came out on top because she was expecting another trump card from her fellow student. The swordsman, if he had prepared himself for another surprise, would have been able to raise his shield in time. In the end, Lavender's team was victorious because she successfully hid her abilities until she was assured of her victory. Also, the ease in which she executed the final attack in which she threw the attack without looking at her opponent yet still hitting him with perfect aim implies that she had practiced it in the case she was ever cornered and would need to retaliate while creating distance."
The whole class looked at her wide eyed. They had been able to break down the first few points, but none of them anticipated for Summer to recognize that the purple-haired student knew that there was another trump card, nor that she had prepared that move specifically for defensive purposes.
"Perfect!" Naruto laughed loudly and clapped again. "I'll take it from there. Thank you, Summer!"
Raven scowled. She didn't know that last part either, and it frustrated her. Her visage darkened immensely when she saw her team leader's face burn red again after the professor praised her.
'What the hell is going on?'
And so it went on, with two teams called to face off and Naruto explaining something that could be learned from the fight.
By the end of the class, Summer had raised her hand to answer five out of thirteen possibilities. Since no one else had raised their hands, Naruto obviously called on her. And the youthful, cookie-loving monstrosity got it right every single time with an answer that went further to recognize why a specific victory was impressive or a defeat was caused beyond what every student could recognize.
Including Raven.
Raven's finger tapping, over time, had become increasingly faster and more aggressive. She even began to tap her feet after the second answer Summer gave. She wasn't jealous. She absolutely was not jealous because she couldn't gleam those details from the fights in the way Summer could. Absolutely not. Not because it was a possibility that her team leader, who she had assumed was just a random, bubbly student that had made it into Beacon off her grades in classes and average combat skills could potentially be a more effective fighter and tactical thinker than she was.
It was absolutely not for that reason that she felt her blood boil by the end of the class and Naruto had dismissed them all with an ecstatic smile and telling Summer how her final answer was exemplary. The class had even began to look at Team STRQ's leader as the blond's teacher's pet of some sorts, but the girl had either not heard or didn't give two rat's ass about their opinions, because she kept grinning like an idiot and blushing like mad whenever he praised her.
And she couldn't tell exactly what she was upset about anymore. Was she jealous? Was she upset that she felt jealously in the first place? Was she upset that her strength was suddenly put under scrutiny by someone she assumed was inconsequential in a combat effectiveness perspective?
She didn't know, and that was not helping at all.
"Raven Branwen. Please stay after class."
Naruto said her last name. That did not lift her mood at all. A talking to or a lecture was the last thing she needed. But she sat and waited, ignoring the pitying looks of the other students and the whispers. She nodded minutely when Qrow and Taiyang told her that they'd wait for her at the dorm room so that they could get dinner together, but she refused to acknowledge Summer when she said the same. Soon, the room was devoid of all life except her and the professor. She remained sitting, refusing to move from her spot until called -
"Raven, why don't you join me?" Well, crap. Now she didn't have a choice, did she? She pinched the top of her nose and sighed before giving herself up to whatever Naruto was going to say to her.
'Might as well get this over with.'
She jumped over the ledge and landed easily on the lower level of the room. Soon, she was standing on the arena, only a few feet away from Naruto, who was giving her a soft smile.
"Are you alright?"
That took her for a loop. Wasn't she in trouble for causing issues and making the class atmosphere worse so that teaching was more difficult for him?
"You're not in trouble, if that's what you're wondering."
Damn, was she that obvious?
"You're really that obvious," Naruto said, easily reading her facial expressions as they shifted from one to the next.
"Okay, stop doing that. What's going on?" she asked. Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"That's what I'm asking you? What's going on? I know why you were upset earlier, but I could literally feel your emotions gradually worsening throughout the class and I don't know why."
She raised an eyebrow. "Right. You could literally feel my emotions?"
Naruto nodded. "Literally. It was getting pretty aggressive."
"Literally?" Another confirmation. "Maybe it's just that time of month, Professor." Naruto's smile softened even more, and his disposition changed again. If he had a disarming smile before, then now he gave one that practically could melt anyone's defenses and bring them to his side through sheer charisma. He walked over to the edge of the arena and sat down so that his legs were over the edge and his legs were dangling as he swung it back and forth.
"I don't think so. Sit with me and let's chat for a bit."
Raven didn't know what to do. She scratched the back of her head, shaking her hair in the process. A few seconds went by and she had yet to move, but neither had Naruto. He just...sat there patiently with his back to her, his legs still kicking back and forth in childish pleasure.
"Glad you could join me."
"Shut up. Don't make me regret it," Raven snarked back, only a foot away from Naruto's side. She raised a fist as a threat, but that only made the blond chuckle.
"Do me a favor and listen to this old man's ramblings, would you?" Raven thought she did well to ignore the voice in her head saying something about how Naruto was younger than she was, but what did it matter. She said nothing. "I care about my students more than anything. I suppose any other professor here would have given you additional homework or a punishment for the way you acted, but I simply can't do that because I understand you. When you put in so much effort and it gets nullified by another person in a single flash with hardly any effort because they're so much more skilled than you anticipated - I know that feeling well.
"Raven...I'm not going to mince words. What Summer did was absolutely the correct move in my perspective, and she already knew that she could do it instinctively. If she can do that here, she can do well for herself in the real world as long as she keeps that same drive and conviction. As long as she follows through with her logical ideas of finishing off a threat before it even becomes tangible, then she's a Huntsman the moment she graduates, and a damn good one at that. And her mind for battle is precocious and unnaturally mature for what she has experienced so far that I have a hard time doubting that she'll be the best leader that Beacon has seen for a long time and possibly for many years to come.
"Ozpin was correct in his decision." That stung a little. "Taiyang has the charisma, but he doesn't have the same knack for tactics that she does. Qrow is capable but he follows you earnestly, and switching that kind of dynamic would take time that would be better spent on either giving the leadership to either you or Summer." Raven knew what was coming, but it didn't stop the pain. Seriously, didn't she ask for Naruto to not make her regret sitting next to him? "But, you're impulsive and don't think things through completely before you say things and make decisions. You see things in your perspective or face value sometimes, and that sometimes is all it takes to fail one day. And I, as your professor, never ever want to hear that you failed in the future. Summer can look at a battlefield and recognize what needs to be done like," he snapped sharply, "that. She sees out of the box solutions that you and I wouldn't think about. Like on the day I taught the class how strong a Faunus was, the moment the fight started and right before the lights turned off, she ran into the bleachers. No one noticed, and I never said she couldn't go to the spectator's section of the room. It fell in line with disengaging when the disadvantage is too large, and bent my rules only slightly. A bend in the rule I had to remedy today specifically."
Naruto turned to look at her, but Raven kept her head down in shame. She was expecting to get upset if he lectured her, but torn down by every correct argument he had and feel depressed. When Naruto began to compliment Summer and explained why she was chosen as team leader over her, she had to will her eyes to remain dry as she blinked rapidly. Her eyes were locked onto her hands, the two interlocked tightly and resting atop of her lap.
"And the thing is, she hasn't even shown us everything she has yet. In my perspective, she's probably more capable than plenty of the third years and a few of the fourth years as she is now. The only thing she lacks is self-confidence."
Raven's neck fell even lower. "That's..."
"Not fair, right?" he finished for her. The blond chuckled, the irony not lost on him. "People would think I'm unfair, given that I'm younger than the entire class and a professor already. But that's just how life is. Maybe to even out who I am now, in a previous life, I was a dead last and that I had a teammate that was so ridiculously talented and beloved by the entire Kingdom that I just had to beat their face in to prove I wasn't weak and a dead last. Wouldn't that be something?"
She nodded half-heartedly. "Yeah...sure would."
Naruto paused, if only for a moment to gather his thoughts and to consider his next words carefully.
"It's difficult when I know you put work in, Raven. Probably more work than any other student in the class, and I know - I know - how it feels, but I can't give you favoritism and let your team fight again today. That's simply unfair to the rest of the other students." She understood. Didn't mean she didn't felt like absolute shit hearing it from her preferred professor's lips. Damn, she didn't even have the motivation to hit anything; maybe she'd eat and stretch and call it a night after this was all over. But it's just too bad she was looking down, because she would've have seen Naruto's grin take a different meaning. A certain smile that had haunted many of Ozpin's dreams due to certain extravagant pranks. "Buuut...I could disguise a spar as a punishment after all of the students leave and it's only the two of us."
The pit in her stomach that was as dense as a neutron star and had gone to the very core of Remnant suddenly reversed its properties and became as light as the gas that she breathed. Her bloody-red eyes were connected with Naruto's in a split second, hope and eagerness shining through.
"See? Impulsive and true to your feelings." Raven immediately turned away and coughed into a closed fist. She returned to looking dejected, albeit significantly better than before.
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" she asked, her tone sullen but her feelings anything but. Apparently, she did a poor job of masking how she really felt, because Naruto was openly laughing at her.
"I believe it already did. Now, do you want a spar? I'll show you how far hard work can get a person compared to natural talent."
The black-haired odachi wielder was standing before he even finished asking. In fact, she was in the middle of the arena, waiting for him to call the fight.
"Come on, Professor. I don't have all night; my teammates want me to eat dinner and I need my beauty sleep. And don't hold back," she said, trying to hurry him up. He eventually fell into his usual combat stance and smirked.
"Maybe I'll hold back a little. Wouldn't want to make you ugly now, would I?"
"Wha - "
She was promptly kicked in the chin, very much similar to how Taiyang was on the first day of class. While she went flying through the air, she heard him scream at her -
"LESSON NUMBER THREE, MS. BRANWEN. DON'T LET YOURSELF GET TAKEN BY SURPRISE!"
This goddamn professor! What even were the first two lessons?!
"By the way, please try to make things right with Summer. You two are teammates, and I would be very thankful if you could be a point of confidence for her. She'll grow, and because of that, so will you. And if that isn't enough to convince you, I sparred with you as a favor, so do this as a favor for me." Raven noted that the favors were unequal but decided not to mention it. Knowing Naruto's character, it was clear that he didn't care about that but more about the well-being of his students.
"Yeah, sure. I'll try," she croaked from her spot on the ground. She was beaten and breathing hard with her back flush against the ground, the sweat sticking to her shirt and skin and pooling on the floor. She'd need a nice, long shower after this. Raven picked herself up and pulled her hair back so that it wouldn't get in the way of her eyes. "Thanks for the punishment, Professor. I appreciated it."
"You're welcome. And please, don't say it like that, dattebayo. I'm uncomfortable already." Naruto, to his credit, actually did look rather out of place with the way she worded her thanks.
"I'll try, Professor."
"Don't just try. Do."
"I'll try, Professor."
"Oh, for Kami's sake, go home already!"
"Who's Kami?"
"Raven. Go. Home. You. Lost. Child."
"Fine, fine. I'm leaving, see?" And she was. When she was at the door, the professor called her name. "What?"
"Don't feel too bad I called you impulsive. True, impulsive people tend to have faults, but they're also usually the most honest and straightforward. And I like that about you." Sincerity. Warmth. Raven and Naruto were the only ones in the large room, and she stared at him in silent shock, unsure what to say.
"...Wha-"
"BAM! I COULD'VE GOTTEN YOU AGAIN!"
And whatever sentimentality Raven had felt, it was all gone. Obliterated in that moment. She flipped him the bird and left the room. Somehow, though, she still heard the next words he said.
"And I'd hate to watch honest people become jaded."
'What the hell is that supposed to mean? I won't become jaded.' She shrugged her her shoulders and winced immediately. Perhaps...telling him to not go easy on her was not the best course of action.
Raven was sore everywhere and exceptionally low on Aura, but even so, her spirits were soaring. She hadn't gotten a hit in at all, but that didn't stop her from grinning the whole way back to her dorm with bruises all over her body.
For all of her troubles, she had gotten a whopping one percent off the blond. They would spar until she was either knocked out of bounds or hit hard enough that she'd struggle to recover, which he would then end the spar until she asked for another. This would go for another thirty minutes.
Before long, she was in front of her room, and the sound of her teammates screaming excitedly reverberated.
"Well, I use my blue eyes white dragon to defend - "
"That doesn't exist! Taiyang, shut up and give me your Kingdom!" Summer yelled.
"NooooooOooOOO!" The cries of a man dying truly were desperate. Raven swore she heard his pitch go up and octave for a moment there.
"Don't do it, Summer. Don't attack my Kingdom - "
"I ATTACK YOUR KINGDOM, QROW!" The sounds of cards and objects being flipped over was crystal on her end of the door.
"HOW DO YOU WIN SIXTEEN TIMES IN A ROW SINCE WE STARTED PLAYING? THIS IS BULLSH - "
"Skill."
"-IT!"
"She killed me first, Qrow. Every single game, she killed me first. Please...just for one game, let me survive longer than Qrow."
"...No."
"WHYYYY?!"
The three would keep going like this, and Raven stood outside the door completely still. These were her teammates...incredible. And that was the girl that she was upset with.
Ridiculous.
Breathing in deeply, she grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. Immediately, the three voices stopped as one and the inhabitants of said room were looking at her owlishly. They saw her dripping, sweaty form and were about to ask what had happened but thought better of it and remained silent. Raven stared at the mess in the room caused by the pandemonium that had started after one of them flipped over the tabletops, and she really tried her best to not say anything, but -
Nothing. She wouldn't say anything of the sort; they could always clean the place up after she took a shower and had dinner. Then, they could clean up and she would stretch, study, and call it a night. But first, she had to make an apology.
"Summer." Said girl immediately sat straighter. Qrow and Taiyang both straightened up as well. "I - "
"I'm sorry. I know what I did wasn't what you all wanted, and I wanted to wait for you to come back so that I could apologize to all of you." Wait. Wait wait wait. This is all wrong. Summer wasn't supposed to be apologizing, she was. "And I know you all looked so forward to fighting, but I just wanted to prove that I could be a good leader and show that I was strongenoughtoleadsomeonelikeyou,Raven!"
Okay, she had barely been able to decipher the last portion of what her flustered team leader had said, but she got the general gist of it. Why would she feel the need to prove herself, though?
Summer wobbled to her feet. "I-I-I..." She gathered her courage after taking a calming breath. "The past two weeks, I saw you do everything with intention. You practice your swordsmanship every night. You sleep early and wake up early. You manage your studies so that you could relax on weekends and rest. You always eat healthy, no matter what options the cafeteria has. You challenged the Faunus in Professor Naruto's class in a way that wouldn't upset them and lifted the mood immediately. And on the first day of class, you managed to land a hit - " Not true, but she wouldn't interrupt. " - and I felt so inadequate as a leader! You were just so cool to me! So I thought, 'Summer, today is your day!' But I didn't think that it would make you so upset. I'm sorry!"
The boys were rapidly switching their focus between Raven and Summer. The shorter redhead had shut her eyes tight and shoved her arms to her side with her shoulders hiked up.
"The only thing she lacks is self-confidence." Naruto's words rang sharply in her head. It was her responsibility to fix this misunderstanding and help her team leader with her glaring weakness; after all, she had promised her professor.
"Summer, I'm flattered you think of me in that light, but I'm not that great." She stepped forward and shut the door behind her. Summer opened her eyes and looked flabbergasted.
"What? But you - " Raven raised her hand to stop her, and she did.
"I actually wanted to apologize to you. What happened today was my fault. I ruined the mood of the team and blamed you when you did nothing wrong. The blame is entirely on me, and I was a bad teammate. So for that, I'm sorry."
Qrow looked at her as if she'd grown two more heads. Raven promised to stab him with a fork at dinner later. Not hard enough to go through his Aura. Just to give him a little scare. Or a scar. One letter difference.
"Well...that's wrong! I'm sorry-er!" Summer was adamant on her position, and her fear had long subsided away.
What. What.
Raven didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. The boys now looked back at Summer as if she'd grown three heads.
"Okaaay." She wasn't equipped to deal with this. She wasn't a Naruto or a Glynda with defusing situations. She was Raven Branwen, and she had no clue what to do, so she did her best. "I...accept your apology?"
Summer sighed in relief and sank to her knees. "Thank you so much." The girl even had the gall to clutch her chest. "I didn't know what I'd do if you didn't accept it."
The black haired female's confusion was only augmented by this response. Raven couldn't help but feel like she had cheated somehow. Like she had somehow failed a task successfully, however that worked.
She needed a cold shower.
'What the hell, Summer?'
She gave up for the day. She'd try to be a better teammate tomorrow.
Chapter End.
A/N: Raven has flaws, Summer is weird, and Taiyang and Qrow have yet to be directly analyzed under the scope of my story. Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R!
There is one review missing because FFN is fickle, so I will update a response to you as soon as I can. You know who you are.
Reading Responses:
Dasgun: :/
Sarcoisagoodboy: Thank you, dude! Yeah, that's part of the reason why I wanted to write this story. It's a different premise and would provide me a challenge as well as a load of fun!
Sai55: Thank you! As for Naruto, he will do missions, but only when everyone does missions. But I have plans to let him go out of Beacon and Vale, so don't worry too much. Again, thank you for reading and reviewing!
daggercloak000: Yeah, the interactions between the two of them are meant to evoke happiness and comfort to the reader. For Raven, this entire story is meant so that she goes down a different path. If she did go down that route anyway, then I basically pulled off a Game of Throne's level failure.
Wolf1741: The idea of the three of them together is interesting, but I don't do harems. I just suck at them. Sorry. But thank you for reviewing and reading!
Lt Juan Rico: Oh, thank you for the nitpick! I appreciate criticisms, so don't even fret and tell all of the things you'd like to change! And thank you for reading and reviewing! Much appreciation!
hawkeyestratos1996: I mean, they are sisters in canon, just half sisters. At least, if we don't include the theories of the fandom.
Weedlovers: *hits woah*
Ikasuki: Alas, the mushroom took some time to bloom this time. I apologize, there were a few issues with the soil.
First point...yup, Summer is a genius is pretty much confirmed for this story. Naruto is also, but not because he was born a genius. Also, that's a great idea! They should play the game together, ah ha! I'll try to implement that later!
Second point - Raven's character growth is pretty much a necessity at this point in the story. If I fail to show growth and she falls down the route of canon RWBY, I suck as an author and pretty much should rewrite the entire story at that point. And I love your comments about Glynda; thank you so much!
Please write a story about professor in Beacon. There needs to be more of them. Seriously. I'm sure that you'll have different ideas than I do, and it'll be awesome! It'll be your giant in the making, too!
Home of the Brave: No problem! And thank you for the read and response!
zaboi: We do love our dose of wholesome!
mahouka9: Thank you for the compliments! Here's a chapter that delves specifically between Raven and Naruto, and the interactions between the two. Big hint on your question about Naruto in this chapter.
Hirameki Kitsune: Awww...pretty much my reaction to your review. So kind! A lot of people voiced the opinion that the Faunus training was good, so I'm glad you also enjoyed it! Also oops, maybe I'm doing too well on Glynda's side. Good to hear that the two of them are believable, despite their differences! That's an amazing compliment!
DaDragon562: Alas, I couldn't keep the streak up. I got busy over the weekend and pretty much died. Much like how Raven crashes out during her weekends.
Also, I love that story! It's the most popular story for all BNHA crossovers, and well-deserved at that. Lots of themes to break down in that, and its writing is superb! Thank you for your review!
Guardian of the Inheritance: Hai hai, going going going going going.
Issexwithyourcloneincest: Glad to hear that you enjoy it! I agree that Naruto x Glynda could be taken as a potential route and wouldn't be a sibling relationship. I just haven't chosen a route yet. But yeah, Glynda pairings are as rare as SSR in gacha games.
Tal Strauss: You should watch it! If you got the time, that is. But regardless, thank you for the review and I'm glad that I could bring a smile across the screen!
Kanciano: Thaaaat's where the sweating meme comes from. I remember it; it's hilarious! No comment on the pairing other than that's a pretty good analysis you got there. Wouldn't mind to use it if we reach the point that Naruto does have a relationship with Raven and people complain. Neonzangetsu is incredible, I don't know how he does it. Finally, glad to have made your day through words on a screen! That's a friggin' huge compliment!
Rein Tenebres: Woah, thank you so much! If it stands out in this large community...wow...thank you. I feel recognized and loved.
eniox27: Ye, Raven's shell is cracking! Wholesome stuff is always fun to write and to read, right?
Sharingan-hater86: Honestly, I'm glad that you said that you looked past the summary. I have a feeling that a lot of people won't read past the summary, and more won't read beyond the first chapter. Honestly, I need to go back and fix that first chapter; it's just not that good. Here's your bit more Summer! There's more to come, but I hope this is enough for now! See ya!
Guilty of Sloth: The title of the chapter was meant to allude to Nora, so good to hear it came through. I will not make dumb things like that happen randomly in the story, don't worry.
Honestly, glad to hear that the characters feel like they're still them in your opinion. Raven is younger, so I wanted them to have some differences. Both in maturity and thoughts. And I thought the same; it doesn't make too much sense if Raven had nothing other than her tribe. Qrow is a part of the tribe, but I wanted to show how he means something else as well. And don't worry about your long review! I love long reviews! Thank you for them!
Lolomanolo1: Good question. It's spoiler, so no comment.
Guest: Woah, someone said it was 'great' instead of 'good'. I've evolved! The updates won't be as frequent now, sorry. It's been burning me out a bit.
YeTianshi: Okay, we gotta get you a cart. At some point, baskets simply won't cut it.
Once again, I bring you interactions between Naruto and Raven in an attempt to show you her growth. Blessed be. Look forward to...next week, I guess! Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad that you enjoyed the story up to this point!
R-king 93: Thank you very much!
Lokyloco: Summer is the best tactician ever headcanon confirmed. You were right all along! Huh, that's a pretty good explanation for why people want a Glynda x Naruto pairing. Thanks for the insight and the review!
Leinad100: I feel like this chapter might confuse you even more because of random details. But yes, time will tell, and you'll get the answers you want eventually!
Naruto x sister the best XD: Unique + good = spicy comment that brings joy.
Guest: I feel like we have differing opinions on how OC with Naruto's face works.
RamenMeister: Okay...breaking the review down a bit. First off, I want to say thank you for the time spent on reviewing my story; you spent quite a bit of your time reading and posting your thoughts, and I appreciate that.
Raven and Naruto had more interaction this chapter, but it's far more teacher/student than with Naruto and Glynda. Technically, she isn't his student any more, so it just works that way.
I can see Raven and Naruto having Yang as their kid. I like the idea of them taking a different approach with the tribe, but to be honest, her tribe is kind of weak. Against Salem, they really can't do anything. If they can't stop Cinder, I don't know what they're going to do against Salem.
Eh, people will find new premises. It's hard being creative, and I don't blame them at all. I find it difficult to be creative, and I actually find it far easier to write stories without thinking than planning things out. Bad habit, but it turns out better.
I'll have to think about the RWBY in Naruto world a few months later; I'll be focused on this story for now, eventually The Dark Flash, and then maybe finish The Storm King, and THEN come back to that idea. But even then, I might not be done with this story, so who's to say?
There's their obsession with the game, yup! Summer vs. Naruto would be interesting, as another poster stated. I'll probably bring it up eventually, but not in the immediate future. Thank you for the Raven compliment and the idea about alcohol, haha. Alas, she's a bit young.
Good guess on Naruto's semblance. Keep guessing, haha. And no comment on pairings, as always. Spoilers.
0nnp: No, you're a very good reader and reviewer, leaving me a review like that. How could you make me feel so good? How dare you. And yup, sorry, gotta choose one. There can only be one!
jossblue13: Wow, actual comments and opinions backed by logic and examples. I appreciate that more than you know. I do agree that Naruto x Glynda complement each other spectacularly, but I didn't realize I also wrote their interactions better as well. That's something I'll have to work on for Raven's connection with him and all the other interactions between characters as well.
By the way, there was a slight hint as to why Naruto acts the way he does this chapter. Feel free to guess; I'll be happy to hear your thoughts anytime!
redlox2: I want every character that's major in this story to have at least one moment with Naruto. So yes, eventually Summer will have a moment, too!
Guest: That's an interesting theory! I can definitely see Glynda stepping in to help out as a mother figure if it does go down that route...but we'll see. In like...forever. Haha, sorry. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
A Plexx: I pray that you keep on digging. Unlimited dig works. Yup, breakfast buddies eventually!
808Joker808: Gourmet? Gourmet?! Now that's a gourmet Michelen star compliment right there! Dang, and we talking about character interaction and growth! Oooh! Naruto will show his Semblance eventually, but no one knows it but me, I think. Kek. Sorry, I couldn't keep up the pace. Was exhausted, haha.
FireknightPrince: Your review makes me smile. Thank you!
Guest: Huh you're right. Maybe I should work on dialogue and prose more!
TheSlySage: So I made sure Naruto was 16. Because it's a new school year (let's say it starts in August/Sept) and he was only there for the last semester, he'd still be 16 assuming his birthday was 10/10.
I'll think about your ideas! I think Cinder was never at Beacon, though. She hates people with talent and natural abilities, because she grew up with nothing. So she probably didn't make it into Beacon or something else of sorts happened. Will see what I can do, though. Thank you for the suggestions and the reviews throughout the chapters! And I really appreciate the follow/favorite!
A-Tyranid: Blessed be you and your reviews. Have a nice day, good mate. You're the last review before I edit the others in later; I'm going to sleep.
Redripper666: Thank you. And like I said, the A/N's are meant for reviewer's responses, and it does extend the length of the chapters. You don't have to read them.
Dreams of NoBody: Good guess! Keep guessing and thank you for the review!
SilentDiary: Guh, you just had to write a review write after I posted the next chapter. Haha, just kidding! Thank you for your super kind words! I'm grateful that you love the interactions and that's huge praise to say that it feels genuine and fleshed out. Made my day; hope reading this chapter makes yours! Thanks for reviewing and godspeed!