Shinobi Amongst Huntsman
Rays of sunlight slipped through green leaves hitting blades of grass. Tall pine trees towered over the surrounding area as a man walked through the forest. The sound of leaves crunching filled the air with every step he took. A small sigh escaped him as he felt a tiny part of himself die of sheer boredom. He felt his mind wandering as he continued his journey home.
It had been a perfectly normal day for Qrow Branwen. He had been assigned a mission to aid a small village in the outskirts of Vale. The village itself was only a few years old and lacked any real capable fighters yet it survived throughout the years due to the areas geography. The town rested atop a large hill making it easy for the people to shoot Grimm down from above compensating for the lack of skilled fighters. The small town had thrived compared to other settlements. It was relatively safe.
At least it was until a couple of days ago.
Grimm activity had spiked dramatically in the area for reasons unknown. Hordes upon hordes of Grimm came out of nowhere and attacked the village. Even with the geological advantage it became clear that it was too much for the town to handle on their own. So after a few days of nonstop Grimm attacks they had requested help from an experienced Huntsman. So Ozpin had sent him.
When he first arrived the town had been on the verge of being overrun. Grimm surrounding all sides eager to kill the town's inhabitants. So Qrow quickly pulled out his scythe, Harbinger and went to work. Droves of Grimm were cut down and shot with ease by the veteran Huntsman. With the aid of an actual Huntsman the town was able to regain control quickly. He then went on to clear the Grimm in the surrounding area just to be safe. The mission had gone perfectly expect for one thing. When he landed the Grimm swarmed him and destroyed the Bullhead he used to get there.
So instead of leaving right away he rested in the town for a few days because (they gave him free drinks) he had been extremely tired. Finally after a few days he hit the road and started his journey home.
Walking.
Traversing through the forest on foot was more of an inconvenience then anything. And as he quickly found out was also boring as hell. Other then the occasional Grimm there really wasn't anything interesting, just an endless sea of green. 'Maybe I can use my scroll?' he idly thought.
His left hand moved to the right side of his chest, slipping under black cloth before pulling out a scroll. It was one of the older models but it worked and that's all he cared about. He clicked the power button.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
"Damn it, I knew I should have charged this stupid thing."
With a sigh he shoved his scroll into his pocket before continuing his walk. He resigned himself to the most boring walk of the century. He idly took note of his surrounding. Pine trees that towered over him and blocked out most of the sunlight. The sound of the birds chirping and rushing water near by. The smell of the air itself as he took a deep breath. Even the feeling of a light breeze that gently hit his skin.
It was kinda peaceful now that he thought about it. 'Maybe this isn't so bad. I could actually enjoy th-'
A flash of light and a deafening boom.
Aura flared and quickly covered his entire body before a shock wave rocked the forest. The ground shook violently like an earthquake had just hit. Trees were pushed back and a wave of debris flew everywhere. He quickly raised his arms in an X formation to cover his face. He grunted as he felt a few branches hit him. Aura prevented it from actually doing any damage but it still stung. The wind rushed through his hair disheveling it slightly before it calmed down.
He waited a moment before lowering his arms. A pillar of smoke rose into the sky signaling where the explosion had come from. He let out the third sigh of the day.
"Just my luck."
His right hand swiftly moved to his back and pulled out his weapon, Harbinger. The weapon currently in its sword form as clean steel seemed to almost glow under the sunlight. With his weapon in hand he began to approach the origin of the explosion. He calmed his breathing and silenced his steps as he got closer. He felt his heartbeat pick up slightly as he got closer to the smoke. His grip on his weapon got tighter as he stood only 30 meters from where the explosion had come from and his body tensed ready to move at the drop of a hat. There was a clearing in the forest revealing what had caused the explosion.
He felt his jaw drop and his eyes bulge.
Now Qrow Branwen was prepared to find a lot of things. A lot of things. Someone doing things with dust they shouldn't, a fight, a very destructive semblance or maybe even just some crazy guy playing around with explosives.
What he wasn't prepared for was a kid.
In the middle of the clearing sat on the grass looking down was a boy. He couldn't have been older than 12 judging by the boys height. With spiky golden hair that reminded him of Yang. A pair of fox ears on the top his head and three whisker marks on his face making it clear to anyone the boy was a fox faunus. He wore a blue headband with a metal plate on the front with a symbol he couldn't quite make out. The boy also seemed to have looked for the brightest and ugliest orange jacket he found and put it on with a pair of orange pants to match. He slowly put away Harbinger as he continued to look the boy over.
He noticed there was a hole in his jacket and shirt which made him pause momentarily. The size of a fist and that came out both ends. 'It looks like…'. He immediately shook his head and chastised himself. Anyone who had been injured like that would be dead. There was no way anyone or anything could survive from such an injury.
Qrow looked at the boys hands and froze completely. The kid seemed to be 'drawing' indecipherable lines, circles and symbols on a piece of cloth from his jacket. Now this by itself wouldn't have elicited such a reaction from the hunter but it was how he was doing it.
The kid was writing with his own blood.
"What the fuck?"
The ears on top of the blonds head twitched and the boy looked at the source of the sound. Blue eyes met red and for a moment nothing happened. Qrow saw the boys face shift through emotions.
Alarm.
The kids eyes moved to his weapon and grabbed the bloody piece of cloth he had been writing on.
Anticipation.
Then his eyes widened and seemed to snap back to his red eyes.
Recognition.
He jumped on his feet and pointed one bloody finger accusingly at him.
"Naze anata wa Sasuke no bukimina me o shite iru nodesu ka!"
Qrow blinked at the absolute gibberish that had just come out of the kids mouth. An accusatory finger inches away from his face. The blond menace was full on glaring at him and Qrow, for the first time in a long time, was lost for words. Some blond kid setting off explosives in the middle of the forest while writing with his own blood and speaking gibberish was accusing him of doing something wrong?
"Nope. Not nearly drunk enough for any of this."
His left hands swiftly moved to his flask to fix his problem. He idly noted that the kid physically recoiled when he spoke and seemed to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. 'Guess he doesn't understand me either'. He took a long drink out of his flask while keeping his eyes on the kid the whole time. The boy stared confusingly at his forehead like it missed something.
The boy didn't appear to have any weapons on him at all. Not one gun, speck of dust or even knife on him. After drinking what he deemed 'enough' for the current situation he put the flask back in its place.
He raised his right hand up to his chest before pointing at himself.
"Qrow. Qrow Branwen."
The boy seemed to understand what he meant but also appeared to be confused. Like that wasn't the name he expected to hear from him. The bloody finger lowers as the boy scans his face once more.
Particularly his eyes.
A realization occurred before his eyes as the boy blushes and sheepishly rubs the back of his head. A nervous tick that he'd seen Ruby do from time to time.
"Gomen! Uchi wada to omotteta."
Now Qrow doesn't have the slightest clue what was just said but judging by the tone, facial expression and body language he's pretty damn sure that's an apology. So he just nods and waves it off. His right hand points at himself once more.
"Qrow. Qrow Branwen."
Before pointing at the blond. The kid seems to light up like some kind of fucking Christmas tree before the biggest grin Qrow has ever seen took place on the boys face. He raised his left hand and points his thumb to his chest. Apparently not taking any notice that his bloody hand stained his jacket.
"Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!"
Qrow isn't sure how the kid makes it sound like his name is some kind of statement and a promise at the same time he manages it. He takes a glance at Naruto's hands once more. The right hand still clutching a piece of bloody cloth and the other was covered in blood. He feels his confusion grow. All things considered the kid doesn't look crazy or anything and other then speaking some language he'd never heard of the boys is completely normal.
So why the fuck is he writing with his own blood?
The now identified Naruto apparently was more observant then he seems and takes notice of him staring at his hands. The boy, instead of doing the normal thing and maybe trying to wipe the blood off his hands or maybe even hide them, shoved them into face and presented the cloth like it's some kind of trophy to be proud of.
"Fūinjutsu! Bakuhatsu tagu tsukurimashita!"
The smile Naruto gives him makes him pause. It just felt so out of place, incredibly genuine and innocent beyond belief. The boy tilts his head slightly before opening his mouth once more.
"Nani o miru?"
The boy practically vibrates in excitement as he waits for a response and Qrow doesn't have the heart to say no. So he nods his head as if he understood anything and the boy takes off. A yellow blur goes to the nearest tree before jumping surprisingly high and taking a branch right off.
He proceeds to wrap the cloth around the stick before putting his fingers on a spiral on the cloth. Qrow watches as Naruto shuts his eyes in concentration and scrunches up his nose. One by one each finger starts to glow ever so slightly. Like a miniature blue fire at each finger tip.
The cloth started to produce sparks and the end set on fire. Like a firework being set off, a fizzling sound fills the air and Qrow watches in mild interests. 'He can set small fires? Not a bad semblance but nothing special.'
Then Naruto threw it.
The stick flew through the air as the cloth started to completely disintegrate and Naruto turned back to look at him. The boy grins at him, watches his reaction before covering both sets of ears. Qrow feels his confusion grow for a moment before realization sets in. He summons his aura covering it all around him and quickly covers his ears. His eyes follow the stick and watched as the last piece of fizzles out.
The sky positively burned.
He felt himself getting pushed back by the shockwave but stayed in place. His feet planted firmly on the ground as tremors rock his entire body. His aura prevented any actual damage but it didn't stop the overwhelming heat that flooded him for a moment. A second pillar of smoke rose into the sky as the effects of the explosion faded and Qrow let his Aura drop. He uncovered his ears and took a glance at Naruto.
The boy in question was grinning like a loon and beamed with pride at the explosion he had just set off. His hair somehow even messier then before but otherwise completely fine.
Naruto Uzumaki was troublesome as hell.
Qrow took a very long drink from his flask. 'I can't just leave a kid setting off explosives and writing with his own blood alone in the middle of the forest'. He was huntsman after all and that just wasn't his style. Plus the boy was Ruby's age and Grimm were sure to come soon. While the explosion trick was nice he was still a kid and probably couldn't handle Grimm.
He takes a deep breath and sighed before uttering his next words.
"C'mon kid. You're coming with me."
A/N
I realized that my writing isn't all that great but im trying to improve and find my own style. This is my first fic so bear with me lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and of course all criticism is very much welcomed!
Bye!