Naruto walked with the caravan through the woods of Vale's giant forest. The last two days traveling had made Naruto think for a little bit. He had a beer bottle in his hand and was riding in a wagon. It was his turn to rest, while a Huntsmen took to the watch. They had made it past Poseidon Point, the mountain region where that mighty Grimm had been at. Slowly, he finished the bottle, putting it into a pile inside a bin in the wagon.

He felt alone again. The teen didn't know what was wrong with him, one minute he felt okay, the next he felt severely depressed. Thinking about Kurama, and everyone else didn't help him in the slightest. Instead, sitting in the wagon, he tried to drink the feeling away. Sometimes he woke up in a cold sweat, one night he had a nightmare where he was trapped in The Mugen Tsukuyomi.

Then came the dream of where he took Kaguya's place. It was startling, to see people he knew cowering before him. All the while his hand summoned storms, his eyes cast a cerulean glow, and people called him The Kitsune Kishin.

It had been one of his darkest dreams. Something that the teen didn't have often, but it meant one thing, the darkness inside of him was back. Sighing, the blue-eyed hero just huddled in the wagon. The air outside was getting colder, slowly but surely. Rain pelted the wagon's covers, with the blonde watching as a tiny slit in the fabric tripped water into a nearby pan.

Grabbing the pan, the blonde tilted it back and drank the water that flowed from it. He felt buzzed, but he also felt empty. This wasn't something that someone could understand, being lost in an unknown world, uncertain to what anything has planned for you.

It felt very sinuous, with no pathway leading to the same place.

Getting himself adjusted the blonde merely stared out into the darkness of the rain. A storm was brewing above, his Sage Mode's senses allowed him to sense it. He found that Vale's forests were abundant in natural energy. So much so that he could enter Sage Mode without a problem, this place also felt a lot like The Land of Fire back on his world. The natural energy was pristine, but he could feel them.

They were black spots in his senses, they hung around miles and miles. There was a very large black spot underground somewhere, it wasn't moving there, just lying dormant. He felt of it, taking a deep breath, it was very big.

Easily over hundreds of meters. He hoped that he didn't have to fight it, not anytime soon at least. It was troubling as well, he didn't feel anything like that in Vacuo. Then again, in Vacuo, he could have trouble gathering Nature Chakra.

The teen closed his eyes, memories of the night two days ago flooded them. Vernal didn't seem so bad, and perhaps he was gaining a reputation? He doubted it, it wasn't unnatural for someone to have a sexual partner from he understood.

There was a sense of freedom to it all. Not having to watch out for other Shinobi, not having to worry about Akatsuki coming to literally rip your soul apart, not worrying about Rabbit Goddesses or destiny. In irony, perhaps mockingly, this is exactly what he wanted as a child beside being Hokage.

Freedom.

This was a dream turned into a nightmare. He had no friends, even if it seemed like it. No one really got to know him, it seemed like no one really bothered to know him. Rosa saw him as a prospect for an F.W.B, and he succeeded and surpassed what she expected.

To say Naruto hated that term would be an understatement, but like with all living things, he had needs. Wasn't wrong to fulfill them either, sometimes a person needed to scratch an itch. It wasn't like he was forcing them to do what he wanted or going around promising them anything. There was no harem of girls that would please him in any fashion he wanted, and to be honest about it all he found the prospect of a harem very troublesome.

Hearing the water trip into the pan, the blonde just winced. It gave him a headache to hear it, holding his head, the teen's eyes opened to see the storm raging outside. Sighing, he suddenly retched and crawled to the entrance of the wagon. Throwing up, Naruto looked at the muddy ground below, watching as rain pelted the puddles.

Wiping his lips with his forearm, the teen got his parka, putting it on. Stepping out of the wagon, the blonde walks toward the back of the caravan. There he saw the Huntsmen, all of them walking with their own parkas on.

"Hey guys, go ahead and get in a wagon," Naruto told them as he pointed toward the caravan with his thumb.

The Huntsmen looked at one another, nodding, they moved past Naruto to enter one of the caravan's wagons to rest for a little bit. Taking a deep breath, Naruto watched as lightning flashed across the sky. It reminded him of Sasuke's Jutsu, taking a deep breath Naruto began to vibrate his chakra in his right hand's index finger.

There was a spark, followed by a crackle, he looked down at it. Ever since entering Six Path's Sage Mode for the first time he gained an understanding of how chakra worked. How to form other elements and such. It was all basic to him now, he just preferred other elements over others.

Looking at the storm above him, Naruto could've sworn he saw something flying in the clouds. Taking a deep breath, the blonde watched the caravan closely as he formed several Kage Bunshin around the area. Some of them formed a couple more clones that went about clearing the way forward, others just simply kept to scouting.

Stopping for a moment, Naruto feels the rain slowly come to a stop. The clouds broke away, revealing the broken move above. He could feel something watching him, someone watching him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes before going back on his walk with the caravan.

Vale City was on the horizon. Naruto stood on top of the hill, he had separated from the caravan that went toward a small town near the big city. The blonde looked ahead, taking moment to do some Tai Chi in order to calm his nerves. He had tried to go a couple of nights without drinking but found his right hand was trembling again.

When he stumbled on a step the teen just growled. Repeating the motions over and over, going through the works. He just growls, all the while, he looked over at his pack. Giving up on doing Tai Chi after his hand kept throwing him off, Naruto walked over to the pack and unfurled a scroll. He unsealed a bottle of alcohol he had gotten back in Vacuo City.

Sitting on the ground, Naruto tilted the bottle back and began to chug its contents down. Almost immediately the liquor's effects began to take away the trembling. Why he didn't know, and it wasn't something he was going to question.

Ever since he left the hospital in Vacuo, and began to casually drink, his trembling would come and go. Slamming the bottle back, finishing off the contents, Naruto just stood there. It seemed like a haze, the trembling in his hand stopped as his eyes dulled over slightly.

He quickly took the stock off the stuff he had in his pack before picking it up. Struggling to walk forward, Naruto elected to just stumble along the path. Swaying back and forth, his cheeks flustered from the alcohol. The teen simply kept his hazy vision focused on the road ahead.

Feeling something come over him. The blonde began to slow his stumble before suddenly falling forward. The blonde's eyes were dulled completely over, no visible sign of a pupil as he laid there. He just stared at the road and felt completely empty of willpower.

'What,' Naruto looked at the road ahead. 'What am I even doing here? It'll never be the same, "live" live for what? I can never be Hokage, I can never go back, I'm…just…'

Naruto had tears spill out of his eyes as the feeling just increased dramatically, 'A nobody…again.'

'Do this Naruto, help us Naruto…I'm so…tired…' Naruto thought out as he laid there, drunk.

"Screw…this…the world," Naruto mumbled as his right hand trembled.

Slowly, but surely, his eyes turned. His sclera turned black, his blue eyes turned crimson. He felt something flood within him, it felt like…Darkness.

What was this feeling?!

Naruto curled himself into a ball, he just laid there, looking out into the forest. He could hear moaning, the moaning got louder and louder. Until, slowly, several figures shuffled out of the woods toward the road. The figures were Grimm, humanoid looking Grimm, skeletal in appearance.

They spotted the blonde before slowly advancing on him. Naruto just laid there, feeling the emotion wash over him. It felt hollow, it felt like anything he ever did was useless. It made him empty, it made him sob as he thought of everyone back on his world.

Worst of all…he felt ANGRY!

Naruto could hear the moaning of the creatures as they approach. He growled as his eyes began to glow brightly, he began to grip the ground as slowly but surely, he dragged himself up. This feeling washed over him, it consumed him as he grabbed onto the bottle and then turned on his heel.

The bottle sailed forth from his hand, slamming into the nearest skeletal figure. The blonde's round pupil betrayed the abnormality of his eyes now. With red irises shining through the dark sclera like a blood moon in a night sky. Naruto found himself gripping his face, the feeling wasn't anything like Kurama.

It felt like himself, but it wasn't himself.

The blonde watched as the nearest figure reached out toward him. Naruto then suddenly lashes out. His punch smashed through the creature's face, knocking its head off as it sent the body flying toward a tree. Just before impact, like all Grimm, that body dispersed into black dust. The Grimm stopped, watching as dark blue chakra poured from Naruto.

He raised his head up, exposing a corrupted Sage Mode. His eyes were golden like normal, they were clouded over by the haze of darkness in the sclera. The creatures backed up as Naruto shuffled toward them with his arms dangling, the blonde's expression was one of pure rage and hatred as he snapped forward.

The creatures couldn't react as Naruto grabbed the nearest one before ripping its head off. He turns around and then smashed a kick into the next one. The kick was strong enough to send a shockwave that knocked the others back while destroying the one impacted.

Naruto turned around before using a Sage Mode enhanced Rasengan to tear through a couple of the creatures. Landing in the middle of them, he felt the rage take over him. Grabbing the nearest one by the arms the blonde twirled it above him before smacking it into the others like a bat. He proceeded to smash the bastard into the ground several times, throwing it into the air.

Just in time for Naruto to throw a regular wind chakra Rasengan up, blasting it to pieces. The boom was loud, very powerful as well. The shockwave made the creatures stumble back, Naruto laughed as he held his face. He looked manic as his golden eyes scanned over the creatures around him.

He saw the first one move toward him, it caused him to scream out.

"Fight me, kill me, do something!" Naruto screamed with all his heart as he rushed the Grimm.

He took to punching it, enhancing the punch with wind chakra. The fist of Naruto cleaved right through the Grimm, but he didn't stop as he kept running around the area. Slicing with his hands, destroying Grimm left and right. The teen roared out in rage as he grabbed the face-off before ripping its jaw off. Forming a small Rasengan, he shoved it down into the beast's mouth before kicking it toward a small group.

The beast swelled up before exploding!

The angrier he became Naruto realized, the more powerful he felt. He glared right at the last few of Grimm, he then looked at his hands through his Sage Mode enhanced eyes. He saw where his chakra was pouring off him and into the beasts in front of him.

He shook in rage as he glared at them, the beasts attempted to scream out. Intent to drain anything he left in him willpower wise. The blonde merely took the scream before roaring out his own. He watched as his chakra came slamming back into him, turning his eyes back to normal before he advanced forward toward them.

"Neat trick," Naruto slurred as he filled with drunken rage. "Here's mine…"

He picked up a stone off the ground before marking it with his Hiraishin seal. He threw the stone, standing there until it was in the middle of the group. A sudden orange flash in the center of them and Naruto appeared in between them all. He spun on his heel, slashing with wind chakra in his hand. The beasts all were bisected by the raw power of the attack.

Naruto watches as black dust forms around him. The blonde grabbed the stone before crushing it. The alcohol quickly burned through his system, he glared at the woods before taking a deep breath. He felt like something was watching him, but they didn't dare make another move against him.

Falling to his knees he suddenly began to retch as he threw up on the ground. His Sage Mode ended right there as he held his stomach, throwing up the contents of anything he ate prior. He shook as he felt his right hand start to tremble again, he shrugged it off as he forced himself to stand up.

"Fucking great," Naruto grumbled as he looked right at the forest. "If your plan was to make me come down from being drunk, congratulations, you won!"

He flicked the forest off before stumbling forward, holding his pack's strap for comfort on his right hand. He didn't even bother noticing that it was bleeding heavily from where he grabbed the inner jaw of the Grimm and tore it off.

Blood dripped onto the ground, leaving a small trail. He became woozy as he felt numb, everything around him felt numb. His ears ringed before he found himself stumbling and nearly retching again. Something about what they did when they took his chakra was just afflicting Naruto. It felt like they were not only taking his chakra but everything else spiritually.

It shook him down to his very core. Stopping, he finally addressed the bleeding on his hand. Looking at it, the warm liquid dripped down, forming little splotches across the ground. Growling Naruto just weaved a few hand seals before placing his left hand over the wound. Hissing as the wound burned, steam rolling off it.

Naruto took the time to just sigh, trying to clear his head of what just occurred. He felt something dark inside of him, it wasn't anything like he felt before. At least, not like he could remember. The teen finished healing his hand before looking at it.

It was fully healed.

Vale City was massive, Naruto struggled to comprehend the tall structures all around him. The number of vehicles and other machines moving about. The teen looked at them all, walking along the streets, carrying a pack. Some citizens avoided him, others just bumped against him.

The teen was just awestruck, he had never seen anything like this. Taking time walk toward a hotel, Naruto entered the building. There was a fountain in the center of it, from what he could tell it was seriously high-classed. The teen was about to walk up toward the receptionist desk before getting stopped by a few security guards.

"Sorry sir," the guard stopped Naruto. "There is no vacancy."

"Vaca-what now?" Naruto questioned them, rubbing the back of his head.

One of the guards rolls his eyes, "it means there are no rooms available."

"Oh, well crap, thanks." Naruto walked out of the hotel before watching a couple walk in.

He got curious and then watched as the security guards didn't stop them. Instead, the couple got to the receptionist and booked a room. Naruto growled, reentering the building as he opened the door. The teen looked at the officers in there.

"Hey what's the big idea," Naruto called them out. "I come in here to pay for a room, and I get told no, only for someone else to come in and get one?!"

"Sir," one of the security guards got toward Naruto. "I'm sorry, but we do not know what you're talking about."

The teen recoils a little bit, "Are you seriously calling me blind?"

"Are you?" The man questioned.

Naruto just growls and walks away, "Kiss my ass."

"Hey, animal!" The security guard yelled out, "Don't you ever tell your betters that."

The teen struggled to make it out the door, instead, he just stood there. Taking a few deep breaths, he just walked away. He needed to control his anger here, he couldn't lash out. He didn't really want to draw any unwanted attention from potential criminals, and such.

"Hey," Naruto turns toward a voice, "Kinsmen."

The blonde found the voice belonging to a girl with deer antlers in an alleyway. The teen sighed, walking toward her, he decided to just get away from the crowd. The girl smiled as she looked at him, she had her scroll out, a communications device, and looked at his picture on it.

The girl introduces herself, "I'm Cervina, you wouldn't happen to be Naruto Uzumaki, right?"

"If I am," Naruto answered her, "What of it?"

"I'm pretty sure you are, forgive this sudden introduction. The White Fang seek you, and I bring an invitation from them. Lady Sienna Khan herself will be in Vale a few days from now, she asks that you meet her at this location." Cervina handed Naruto a piece of paper as she spoke to him, "It is very rare Lady Khan leaves the homeland…consider it a high honor."

Naruto looked at the paper, 'What's there to lose?'

The blonde took a deep breath, watching as Cervina made her way into the shadows. He was still able to easily sense her, despite the fact she had gone invisible. That was possibly her semblance or some technology, Naruto couldn't really tell which in this world sometimes.

Taking a step out of the alleyway, Naruto felt something was amiss about the entire situation. How the White Fang knew of him was obvious, it was because of Vacuo City! How they found him, on the other hand, was the entirely different story, perhaps they were seeking his strength. He wasn't going to hide the fact that he was human, no need to lie to an organization that could seize power if they really wanted to.

Then again if it was his power they were after, would that make them no better than The Akatsuki of his world?

Pondering these things Naruto simply walked away, into the crowds of the city. Watching as police took down a junkie who tried fleeing from them. The blonde took a deep breath, walking about the area until he came toward a bar.

His right hand started to tremble.

The blonde was in the bar, laughing up a storm as he slammed a shot back. A man there, Junior, was happily suffering the teen alcohol as the blonde got into a competition. It was with a man with a similar drinking habit, someone named Qrow.

The two slammed their shot glasses back. Leaving the bartender and owner of the club to watch the teen tap the table. Qrow also tap the table, the red-eyed man was pickled beyond belief, so was Naruto. They didn't know how they got social, they just said a word to each other and ordered the same alcohol.

That's when it all just fell into place. Naruto slammed the shot down as soon as it got to him. He hiccups, giggling all the way as he felt a warmth inside of him. Qrow does the same, looking at the blonde while laughing.

"You're damn mercenary? Little fucking young aren't ya," Qrow laughed his question out as he slammed another shot back. "But damn it you hold your liquor."

"I have another funny story to tell, anyway there was this Grimm in the Border Mountains. The Locals called it Poseidon, everyone thought I was dead meat when I went confront," Naruto blabbered as he leaned back. "Imagine the look on their face when I came back with a damn trophy off the damn thing!"

Qrow whistles, "damn kid, I heard about that big bastard. If what you're saying is true, then why the hell aren't you Huntsmen?"

"Never thought about becoming one," Naruto admitted as he leaned against the table. "Too much money in taking out Grimm at my own leisure."

The man laughs, "Man, it was a luxury back in the day. Nowadays I babysit brats at a school, but it's not all bad…"

Qrow got out his scroll, showing Naruto a picture of two girls on it. The one with silver eyes was making bunny ears behind the girl with blonde hair and lilac eyes. They looked rather cute, enough to make Naruto blush a little bit, but nothing he was interested in.

"That there be my pride and joys, especially the little red-cloaked girl. Oh man, how time flies, one minute me and their father are teaching them to fight and the next, BAM! Beacon academy there they are, and I tell you what…man, I tell you what…never been so proud in my life…" Qrow mumbled out drunkenly, "got a family kid?"

Naruto thought about it, and then sighed, "no…I…well…"

"Ah fuck," Qrow sighed as he patted the teen's shoulder. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to kill the good times. Junior, hey Junior, 'nother round!"

Junior walked over, "I'm cutting you both off after this round boys."

"Oh man," Qrow complained. "Oh well, even the most flooded of lakes dry up sometimes."

"Hear-hear," Naruto cheered as they both took a shot together. "Oh man, this feels great…takes the bad times right out of me."

The blonde woke up the next morning with a screaming headache. His eyes stung when they hit the bright light. Slowly, he raised up, looking up at the bed. He noted that nothing seemed moved around, he remembered last night. Suddenly a sense of dread came over him, he looked at the trashcan. He breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed like he didn't have any "fun" last night. Especially with a guy, that would've been very awkward the next morning.

However, looking over to the side he saw another bed in the room. He was perplexed until Qrow walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He had his shirt off, exposing his scars. The blonde looked at the man, who just laughed.

"Morning sunshine," Qrow tossed Naruto some sort of medicine. "It helps with hangovers, better to dry swallow as well."

Naruto popped a couple of the pills, slamming his head back as he swallowed. They tasted bitter, he got out bed, discovering that he was shirtless. He had a few scratch marks on his chest and shoulders. He took a deep breath as he began applying his healing Jutsu on them.

Qrow looked at the teen, "You're probably wondering where you got those from."

"Please tell me we didn't…" Naruto smacked his face as he grimaced.

Qrow laughs while holding his face, "Oh no, we didn't. I'm straighter than an arrow, you got them when you fell down the staircase."

"Wait, what staircase?" Naruto questioned as he got up and looked out of the window.

They were in a high-rise apartment complex, "where…am I?"

"You're in my apartment," Qrow answered him as he put a shirt on. "You got super wasted last night and decided to do a favor for ya."

Naruto nods, "thank you…I really mean that."

"No problem, hey since you're a mercenary, perhaps you wouldn't being hired on to do security?" Qrow inquired as he got his coat on, getting a ring on.

The blonde looked at the man, "What kind of security? I won't do anything that requires me to hurt innocent people."

"What, no, I wouldn't do that either. I'm asking if you want to get a job, you know, something steady so that way you're not just going around everywhere." Qrow pointed out as he looked at the teen.

Naruto blinks, "how much did I tell you last night?"

"A shit ton," Qrow honestly answered, "I just want to throw that out there. I mean, take it from me, with Vytal coming up there's always people hiring for security."

"Oh, isn't that the big festival thing?" Naruto inquired as he rubbed his temple.

"Well, duh, whatever festival thing would it be?" Qrow chortled as he threw his toothbrush into the bathroom. "Crap, it landed in the toilet…"

He walked into the bathroom to retrieve the toothbrush and promptly throw it away. No way in hell was he going to use a toothbrush after it landed in the throne. He walked back out toward Naruto, was getting a shirt out of his pack. Not noticing him pulling it out of half unfurled scroll.

"So," Naruto put his shirt on. "What makes me trustworthy?"

"Your real self is always shown when you're drunk," Qrow pointed out as he started getting ready. "Take it as an offer."

Naruto thought about it and took a deep breath as he thought about The White Fang. "I'll have to think about it."

"Fair enough kid," Qrow opened his apartment door. "Now c'mon, I need to get work and I am not keen on trusting strangers in my apartment."

"Yet," Naruto points out as he walked out of the apartment, "you'll get blackout drunk with one."

"I didn't black out, but you sure as hell did. It was kind of funny actually, you kept moaning a name…" Qrow then chuckles really loud, "it really likes a good dream."

Naruto just scoffs a little, "oh was it Vernal or Rosa?"

"No," Qrow giggled as he locked his door. "Some broad named Hinata."

Naruto stood there in the hallway, watching as Qrow walked past him. Almost immediately it slammed into him again, that feeling of loneliness. He just lowered his head and took a deep breath. The blonde teen walked with Qrow until both had to go their separate ways.

Once again…Naruto felt alone.