A/N: EDIT: Flames are flames, I suppose. Added some more content.
Not than anyone noticed. Why am I still doing this? T_T
As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like this story? Poof! Gone!
Awaaaaay to the void it goes. Gone once and for all. Forever. Completely. That's no joke.
So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down for a bit, but I know that would upset a lot of people. Its just hard with two jobs.
Now for your questions, comments and concerns!
Q: Give the girls more screentime!
A: Always was the plan.
Q: More humor! I haven't laughed this hard in ages!
A: Well, if you insist...
Q: More Genshin updates! Arcane, too!
A: Oi! Be patient, I'm one man! And I just updated Arcane! Its barely been a week since Dystopia, lemme rest T_T
Q: Hey, what about Yuma and Trifa's parents?
A: Um...what about them? I know jack all about those two, and they never really caught my eye. Heck, they barely had a full minute of screen time!
Besides, isn't four *cough*might be FIVE*cough* enough? I don't want to bog down this story with too large a pairing.
Q: Naruto took the Atlas ship?
A: Aye, Naruto took the ship...in a sense.
Q: Is Cordovin dead or alive? I mean, she's gotta be dead, right? No way she survives that. Unless Naruto wants her to...?"
A: Read and see.
Q: Glorious misunderstandings?
A: Those are the best kind!
Alright, I think I've kept you long enough.
Hopefully this chapter brings a smile to your face.
And if you laugh while reading this, well, all the better.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one! Really, they're just tributes...
"I am the Monster you created. Count yourself lucky that I'm not a bloodthirsty one."
You've changed things! There's no going back now!"
...good. Maybe the world needs some change."
~A Future Scene.
A Wise Monster
"Atlas will not stand for this!"
"Right, right." Naruto rolled his eyes and gave his captive a nudge. "Whatever you say. Keep walking."
His prisoner snarled obscenities that would make a sailor blush and dug their feet into the dock, trying their best to slow him. An admirable effort, if misguided. They would've had better luck trying to push back against a mountain. As such, they only succeeded in grinding their pace to a crawl as he ushered them down the docks. From there the wayward warrior frog marched them right up to the dingy, unshackled their arms and legs, and promptly prepared to throw them in.
Anna was waiting for him, a watchful eye on the huddled forms nestled within. "She's the last one?"
"Yup." the blond nodded. "Sorry that took so long. She fought me every step of the way.
His prisoner squirmed like a naughty child. "This isn't over!"
Despite all expectations -and wishes!- to the contrary, Caroline Cordovin had survived her near-brush with death. By her manner alone, it was clear she would've preferred that to captivity. She'd been an absolute eyesore since they'd fished her out and thrown her in a cell; now with the prospect of imminent release standing before her, she'd seemingly made it her mission to make them miserable.
"I still say we should keep her with the rest." the bull faunus tilted her head, scarlet tresses falling a blue eye. "She'd make a useful hostage."
Cordovin squawked. "Never!"
Naruto knew a joke when he heard it, but rolled with it regardless. "Sure, but you'll have to feed her, make sure she's house-trained, take her for walks...
Cordovin made angry Cordovin noises. "You wouldn't dare!"
At length the swordswoman scoffed. "On second thought, better to be rid of her. The other prisoners will do. We can ransom them off."
"Atlas will hear of this!" their caprtive shrilled. "You're starting a wa-ack?!""
A crimson blade touched her throat, lifting her chin and cutting her words short while threatening to shorten her by a head.
Her face drained of all color. "Meep!"
"I'm sorry," Anna's smile was placid, but her tone was pure steel. "Did I break your concentration? Please, continue. You were saying something all means, finish your sentence."
Cordovin didn't say a word.
"Oh, you were finished?" Taurus switched her grip, nearly cutting the officer's throat open. "Well, allow me to retort. Get on the damn boat before I kick your corpse there."
"You know," Kurama mused, "I think I like this one. She's blunt, has a wicked sense of humor, and a nice-
Naruto gave his partner the mental equivalent of a kick before he could finish
Cordovin scarpered onto the dingy. Already filled with soldiers -those they hadn't kept!- it rocked precariously under her weight. It wasn't small, but not necessarily large either. With luck and fair weather, it might help them reach a port in Mistral. Only a fool would try and take such a ship to Atlas. Although their so-called captain just might try.
Naruto stifled a chuckle behind his fist. It had Cordovin whirling to face him. "Where is my ship?!"
"Sank it." he lied through his teeth. "Tough luck, there."
Anna looked away, hiding the ghost of a smile.
They had not, in fact, sunk the ship, but the prisoners had no way of knowing that. Even he knew better than to reveal state secrets to an enemy. Wait, was Menagerie its own state now? If things continued apace it might well be. The technology, fuel, and Dust from that battleship would go a long way towards helping Menagerie get itself off the ground.
-will have your head for this!
Right, right, Cordovin was shrieking at him? How long had she been at it now? He'd lost track. Her words were little more than a mindless bleat to him now, the wailing of a spoiled child denied a favorite toy. Honestly, it was beginning to annoy him more than he cared to admit...
"Oi. Switch with me for a second." Apparently Kurama agreed.
Naruto offered the mental equivalent of a shrug. "Be my guest. Don't scare her too badly...
Blue eyes flashed red as Kurama bulled to the fore. A clawed hand flitted out, caught Cordovin by her collar, and yanked her halfway off the ship. His forehead slammed against hers, knocking his headband askew sending her eyes spinning in her head.
Naturally, she took offense. "How dare you?!"
"You say you answer to some sort of authority." Kurama flashed his fangs at her, growling like a slow moving avalanche. "Your kingdom only wants us gone because we're an embarrassment." a hand reached up, cinching his headband back into place. "Because we've won't bow to you; because we do what they can't." she made to reply and silenced her with a snarl. "What kind of authority is that? Tell your superiors to send someone better. And if they can't...stay away!"
A cataclysmic shove slammed her back into the boat and tore it free from its mooring on the docks; sending it skipping across the bay.
Kurama straightened with a sigh. "Aaaand my work is done."
Anna whistled behind him. "Impressive. I'm sure she'll remember that."
Cordovin clamored up and shook a fist in their direction. "I'll remember this! Just you wait!"
"She's right, you know." Anna sidled up to him as Kurama receded. "This will escalate things. Maybe not war, but relations between us and Atlas will be tense."
On a certain level, Naruto knew her words held a grain of truth. It was the reason they'd kept prisoners at all. Cordovin was too much of a headache to bear keeping, but they'd held onto five of her men. Hopefully that would encourage this "Atlas" to not bring a loose cannon around here again. His gaze flitted to hers.
"Waitaminute," His gaze flitted to hers. "You telling me to lay low? Didn't think I'd hear that from you."
Taurus clicked her tongue in a scoff. "Perish the thought. Although, speaking of laying...?"
Naruto didn't much like the look in her eyes.
Her leg swept his; utterly unprepared he crashed back to the dock. There had been no aggression behind the move - as such he hadn't sensed it coming. His back struck damp wood and she landed in his lap, pinning him with the weight of her body. She leaned forward, her horns butting against his head.
"Marry me."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "HA?!"
"How about it?" Anna grinned as she sat atop him. "I'm not picky about kids. We can have as many as you want." a hand ran down her bosom flank and he gulped a little, marveling at the peak of creamy pale skin lurking there. "My family's always slow to show their age. I make a fair wage in my given field. Sounds fair, no?"
Naruto's brain rebooted.
His brow furrowed and his hands came up, forming a singular seal.
Anna yelped as she found herself straddling empty air.
"Tch." she clicked her tongue. "He ran away...
(.0.0.0.)
Salem considered the news some days later. Bemused, she read the headline aloud.
"Menagerie mangles Atlas cruiser?" She scoffed. "Unprovoked attack?"
Laughter ran through the tower in a low, lilting contralto.
She could use this. Oh yes, she would use this...
(.0.0.0.)
"TIMBER!"
Shadow clones and citizens of Menagerie strained as one.
With a ponderous groan, the ruined bulk of an Atlas battleship wobbled once and toppled to the earth. A wave of dust -actual dirt, not the volatile substance that had once powered the mighty cruiser- blasted outward in a great flowing cloud of dirt and grit, startling more than a few faunus with the sheer force of its impact.
Naruto stepped up, sweeping it away with the wave of a hand.
"That'll do!" he wiped a bead of hot sweat from his brow and considered his handiwork. "Good work, everyone! Take a breather."
As one, his impromptu allies slumped to the dirt. His clones -still brimming with chakra!- merely shrugged and vaulted onto the wreck to continue their work. Tools came out. Metal peeled. In hindsight he could have done this singlehandedly, but Ghira had argued otherwise. Apparently it was important for others to join in this great work, to feel that they too had played a part in what was to come. After all, He couldn't be seen to do everything.
Towing the ship to shore hadn't taken much in the way of effort on his part. Salvaging was another story.
Thus far it had taken the better part of a week to divest it of arms and valuables. Now with Cordovin's departure they could work freely without fear of being discovered. This great hulk would be stripped down for building materials. Dust alone was valuable, but the true treasure -or so he'd been told-was the communication array within. Now, Naruto didn't much understand this CCT technology, but he didn't have to. He had people for that these days. Although that said, he couldn't help but feel he was forgetting something.
"I could kiss you!"
Ah.
Kali nearly dove on him from behind; it was only his heightened instincts that kept her from bearing him down to the ground as Anna had. Her palm caught at his arm however, granting her a handhold to keep close. Idly he noted her hair; it was steadily growing longer with each day, and frankly a good look for her. But she was speaking to him and he must attend
"I don't get it." his brow furrowed. "Why're ya so happy?"
"Don't you see?! We can patch into the CCT with this!" she released him and danced away, grinning from ear to ear. "We might even be able to build our own tower with this tech!"
Naruto and Kurama exchanged a mental look, followed by a shrug. "And...?"
"Oh, you!" she pinched his arm with a good-natured smile, "This means Menagerie won't be cut off from the world anymore!"
He scratched the back of his head. "I take it that's a good thing?"
"Very much so!" A golden eye gleamed over her shoulder. "It will be for Sienna, nevermind Alesia." fine fingers wriggled in the air, reminding him of the cheeky chameleon faunus. "She's been angling after tech like this for awhile. She'll probably do a whole lot more than try to kiss you once she learns about...oh. wait" Just like that, her words trailed off and a dangerous calm settled over her tan face. "That won't do."
Naruto drew back a pace, even more wary of her now. "Uh, Kali?"
She took a short, sharp step forward. "Don't move."
That was his only warning. And then? "Mwah!"
Kali's lips smacked against his, her body physically ramming him up against a tree. It hardly even counted as a kiss really, more her mouth smashing against his, just the sort one might expect from a first kiss. Brief and awkward and painful, fumbling, yet adorable in its own way. Their teeth clicked together with a harsh clack and he was the one to jerk back with a cut lip.
"Ow!" he recoiled, rubbing his face. "What the hellw as that for?!"
Kali joined him, cheeks dust a light pink. She made a face and stuck out her tongue. "Ewwww! I think I swallowed some of your blood! Yuck!"
Silence reigned supreme. Naruto snickered. Kali muffled a snicker behind her palm. Soon enough they were both laughing outright.
"There," she declared, straightening up at the last. "Now those hussies can't steal a march on me when I'm not looking."
Naruto touched a hand to his lip. Gradually, the enormity of what she had done sank in. "And you had to do that now?!"
"Yup." she didn't falter. "Because any second now...
A sharp shriek of joy pierced the coast.
"Where is he?! I want his babies!"
"That's why."
Naruto palmed his face. He just couldn't get any peace today it seemed. If it wasn't Anna tackling him and proposing marriage it was Kali being weird and now this nonsense with Sienna.
Popular Monster, indeed.
"Comes with the territory, kiddo. You made your bed, now you sleep in it."
"Right, to hell with this, you've all lost your minds." he flung up his arms. "I'm going to check in on our other project."
Kali hummed her agreement. "Might be best to do that 'till Sienna calms down...
Naruto didn't hear her. He was already stalking away.
(.0.0.0.)
Alesia Amitola styled herself as something of an amateur scholar.
Well, a scholar in training.
No diploma there, and as a Faunus, she wasn't like to ever earn one. Still, for all her laid back habits, she longed to know the truth of this world. She reveled in its mysteries as much as unraveling them.
Sure she had had a touch of combat training -because frankly, who didn't on Menagerie?- but that was all. No aura, no weapon; she knew just enough to drive away a rogue Grimm. That was all.
Thus, when presented with the enigma of one Naruto Uzumaki she found herself eager to solve it. Who was he? Was he really the God of the Faunus? The legends spoke of such a being, but he didn't act anything like any god she'd ever read of. He was brash and kind, soft-spoken yet also virtuous.
He was a mystery, one she simply must solve.
So when he asked her to meet him?
Amitola leaped at the chance.
(.0.0.0.)
...sooo, here we are. As you can see, its a bit of a wasteland."
Understatement of the century there.
Naruto considered the sandy shoal before him, and the barren desert beyond it. Seeing, as they say, was believing. Kali had told him much of the island was uninhabitable, but to see it firsthand made his spirits sink. He'd thought it would just be a few patches of sand, not a literal waste. Beyond a few scraggly shrubs, there was nothing of value here but heat, heat, and more heat. Even now he could fee sweat beading on his brow.
If it weren't for the mountains shielding them, he suspected the whole of Menagerie would be downright dead.
"If I might inquire," Alesia continued, adjusting her glasses -where had she gotten those?- as she squinted at the dunes, "Why bring me here? Everyone says your powerful an' all, and that's good, but isn't this a bit much even for you?"
"Ho? Is she challenging us? That sounds like a challenge."
Naruto ignored the good-natured jab with sigh.
"Right time to fix this island."
Surely it couldn't be that difficult. Thanks to the Sage, he felt more powerful than ever. He wouldn't allow himself to doubt. He just needed to focus. Concentrate. Where there was a will, there was a way. And he had a lot of the former. Sure there was something he could do.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Bending to one knee, he laid his marked palm upon the sand. It sang to him, whispering quietly. He could feel the life there, the once lively paradise had been. Some great disaster had stripped it away. There had been a battle here in the past, a fight so fierce that it bleached the ground on this side of the island and drained the very life from it.
People had died here. Many people. Their emotions lingered, leaving the very air itself thin.
Kurama shivered. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this place was haunted."
"Don't even go there!"
"Just saying...
Naruto wrinkled his noise. Wayward spirits he knew nothing about -and he absolutely refused to!- but as for the land itself? Well, that seemed an easy fix from his perspective. It was like looking at an empty glass in need of water. He had plenty to give. If Yamato could do this, surely he could...no, he must. These people were depending on him. Maybe a little more than he would've liked, but the responsibility was still his.
Alesia quirked a brow, mistaking his silence for failure. "Look pal, you can't just turn a desert into aaaaaaaaaa...
Her words trailed off as grass began to grow. Trees sprouted. Flowers bloomed. Blue eyes pulsed with light as Naruto willed his very essence into the soil. A singe strand of blond turned silver. Followed by another. Another now, and another still. He knelt for a full thirty seconds, watching life return. It was slow in places, rapid in others, barely in his control.
Finally, he deemed it enough and let go.
His chakra did the rest. Freed from his control it poured into the landscape. He wasn't sure if this was the vaunted Wood Release; it didn't feel like it, and he'd created much more than mere trees. Did it have something to do with Yin and Yang? The answer escaped him.
"Surely a few grey hairs are worth it, no?"
Maybe. "Well?" Naruto dared a grin. "Hows that, Amitola?"
The chameleon faunus blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. And then? She absolutely squawked. "I call bullshit! What in blazes did you do?!"
Naruto plonked down with a weary sigh, sweat beading on his brow. "Its really not that hard with the right chakra nature...
He wasn't prepared for the chameleon faunus to land square in his lap. Her forehead all but shoved against his, glasses gone askew. She all but crawled into his lap and latched on for dear life, nearly knocking him down in his haste to get at him. If not for his superior sense of balance, she might've bowled him over with excitement alone.
Bright, silver eyes met his, wild with curiosity. "Teach me!"
Kurama absolutely howled with raucous laughter.
.
..
...
A beat of silence passed between them
At length, Naruto found his voice.
"Amitola say what now?"
A/N: As ever, the Embers rule persists.
If folks don't like this? Poof! Gone! To the void it goes. Gone once and for all. Forever.
So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do!
So, in the Immortal words of Atlas...
...review, would you kindly?
And of course, enjoy the previews! Rough, though they are
(Previews)
Naruto scowled.
Make him High Leader, would they?
Call him God, would they?! Ignore his protests, would they?!
Two could play this game! "I hereby declare Ramen the national food of Menagerie!"
"A family...?"
For a wild moment Naruto actually imagined what a child of him and Kali might look like.
He saw her in his mind's eye; a little girl bearing golden eyes, whiskered cheeks and dark hair, two feline ears twitching atop her head. She looked up at him with a cherubic smile. Of course, that led him to imagining what Anna's children might look like, and from there he was lost. He imagined Sienna's and Alesias, a cadre of tiny faces all vying for his attention, all calling out a singular word.
"Daddy!"
He absolutely choked.
"Huh." Kurama mused as he daydreamed. "They'd look quite nice, actually."
Salem drummed her fingers against the armrest of the throne.
Perhaps a personal visit was in order...or barring that, a test.
No! He couldn't allow it!
Ozpin snatched up his cane and stalked into the elevator with all due haste.
"Sir?!" Glynda called after him. "Where are you going?!"
"To right a wrong...and possibly give some advice."
"Ghira, I'm starting to think you're the only sane one here."
"There, there." the larger man clapped him on the back. "We all have bad days."
"Bad days?!" Naruto flung up his right arm, sending the amber liquid sloshing about within his tankard. "I'm having a bad month here! Honestly! Its like herding two cats! And a chameleon! And a bull! Not to mention why are you laughing?!"
Ghira regarded him over the rim of his glass. "You're not a god, are you?"
"Finally! Someone who gets it!"
R&R~!