Underneath the Underneath

by no169

What is broken can be reforged. Naruto finds himself in an unfamiliar land, facing unfamiliar monsters. Stripped of most of his power, he'll need to adapt to not only survive but to flourish. Can hard work and pure skill make up the difference? Nerfed Naruto, but he's still strong. He won't be curb-stomping everyone he meets. Weiss x Naruto medium-burn

1. Down but not out

Hello to any new readers! I'm adding this author's note retrospectively. I want to give a heads up that this story features a nerfed Naruto, as stated in the summary. So if that's not your cup of tea, then it might be best to dip out now. What this story intends to do is focus on how Naruto adapts to his unfavorable circumstances and depict a steady and realistic path to regaining his strength in new and familiar ways. The story is planned out from start to finish, so the decision to nerf Naruto comes heavily from a plot perspective both current and down the line. I'm writing this because I severely underestimated just how... passionate people can be regarding a nerfed Naruto. Don't get me wrong. OP Naruto stories can very well be amazing pieces of work, but that's not what I want to write. Keep in mind, the RWBY universe is vastly different from the Naruto universe in terms of power, so I want to keep things interesting during fights, and I don't find Naruto accidentally sneezing someone away that fun to write. I like more grounded battles.

With all that said, enjoy the story. Below is the original author's note.

A/N: Hey guys, welcome to Underneath the Underneath. I've been reading Naruto x RWBY crossovers on and off since RWBY first launched, and I've finally decided to write something of my own. I'll be honest, I haven't written fiction since I was in high school, so it's been almost 10 years at this point. I'm not really sure where I'm at as a writer, so I'm open to constructive criticism. Just keep it civil, please. As for the story, I've got a pretty strong framework laid out until after volume 3, at which point the story is going to pivot hard. There'll be a longer author's note at the bottom to hash out some stuff, but after this chapter, the notes will be relatively short and simple.

There's a poll for Naruto's semblance on my profile that was posted as of 2023/04/24

xXx

Everything hurt. And it hurt bad.

Naruto groaned weakly. Darkness dominated his vision, and every muscle burned. It was like he had just gone 12 rounds with a Seven Gate-infused Might Guy. While blindfolded. Cracking open his heavy eyes, Naruto took stock of his situation.

The first thing he noticed was that he was face down in the grass. That was a problem, as he had been nowhere near grass before this moment. Second, it was early morning, if the fresh dew on the ground was any indication. Another problem, for as far as he could remember, it had been late in the night only moments ago. Lastly, he wasn't dead. No problem there, at least.

The pain in his limbs suggested they were all still attached, and a slow wiggle of his fingers and toes confirmed that. Try as he might, he couldn't remember what had happened that could have led to his current condition. He lay there for a moment, idly counting the blades of grass, and briefly considered staying prone until the pain went away. He discarded the idea almost as quickly.

Whatever had caused his current situation could still be out there for all he knew. With a deep breath, he clenched his core and drew himself to his feet. The pain was nauseating, like every muscle in his body was swimming in lactic acid. Despite this, he knew this was his best course of action. Even now, memories of outlandish combat over a desolate landscape plagued his vision.

Maybe he had been knocked unconscious? If that was the case, it posed a lot of unanswered questions. A memory of lavender eyes bordering on white slipped through his mind. That's right. He and Sasuke were fighting a woman in white. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Her name must have been hammered into his head several times over by now. By his team. By Sasuke. By the Rikudō Sennin. By Kurama.

Kurama.

If anyone could tell him what was going on, the fuzzball could. Just because he had lost consciousness didn't mean his tenant had. At this point, he wasn't even sure the great beast could lose consciousness. Unwillingly that is.

Hey Kurama.

No response. Maybe he was busy?

Kurama, you there?

The internal question was spoken quickly, his tone bordering on distress. Given his current situation, the lack of an answer was concerning. He waited for another second, and when no response came, he started to worry.

Naruto closed his eyes, stilled his body, and focused on his breathing. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the dismal sewer that represented his mindscape - and wasn't that a problem he would eventually have to address? But instead of the monolithic cage that contained his friend, he only saw a vast forest of green.

He wasn't in his mindscape. He was still in the unknown forest he woke up in. He tried again and was met with the same result.

Okay. Alright. Don't panic. There's no need to panic. Naruto chanted these words to himself, hoping he would eventually believe them. He couldn't remember a time when he was unable to contact his partner after they had struck their friendship. With equal parts fear and frustration, he tried several more times to enter his mind, each subsequent attempt becoming less and less likely to succeed on a foundational level. On any other occasion, frustration guaranteed failure, and he was feeling a lot of frustration.

Finally, he stopped. With his adrenaline overpowering his pain, he quickly unzipped his signature orange and black jacket. He gripped the hem of his mesh undershirt and channelled all the chakra he could spare. Something felt wrong.

After nearly a full minute, the ever-familiar Eight Trigrams Seal materialized on his stomach. Relief mixed with alarm blossomed in his chest. On the one hand, knowing the seal was still intact and seemingly unaltered was a relief. It meant his friend was still with him. Whatever was preventing their communication had nothing to do with the seal. At least, he didn't think it did. Now more than ever, he wished he had pestered Jiraiya to teach him more about the art. Despite being his literal heritage, he only had a rudimentary knowledge of them.

It was possible Kurama was in just as bad of shape as he was, but that wasn't what alarmed him. Naruto knew his partner; if he could survive his injuries, Kurama could as well. No, what bothered him was how slowly his seal manifested. Before, it took him nary a thought to have the damned thing bloom across his gut. This time, however, it had taken him every ounce of his concentration and willpower for it to simply crawl to life.

He had a bad feeling.

Naruto focused and searched deeper within himself, reaching for the boundless lifespring that represented his chakra pool. Ice coursed through his veins as he identified a significant problem.

It was gone.

Well, not completely, but it may as well have been. What was once an infinite sea of radiant energy was now diminished to what barely amounted to a puddle. This wasn't a matter of him being nearly out of chakra, which, coincidentally, he was. This was a matter of his overall chakra capacity being reduced by several magnitudes. As the shock rippled throughout his body, he barely noticed the moment he collapsed onto his backside.

What the hell happened?

Was it one of Kaguya's attacks? As far as he knew, there wasn't really much room for other possibilities.

Naruto racked his brain for any possible answer, but the list he formed was short and unsatisfying. Was he dead? That didn't make any sense. It wasn't like the last time. Was this a nightmare? He wished. Genjutsu? Probably not. A quick burst of his chakra confirmed that.

Unless... had he been ensnared by the Infinite Tsukuyomi? No, Sasuke had shielded him from it with his Susanoo. But could it be possible for Kaguya to cast another? She'd done so in the past, allegedly. Would she really sacrifice so much just to rid herself of two teenage upstarts? Especially since she had easier ways to get rid of them. Naruto rubbed his midsection; Obito's sacrifice was still fresh in his mind. Regardless, he rejected the idea based on the sole principle of not giving up. If this truly was another Infinite Tsukuyomi, it meant he was fucked.

Besides, wasn't the Infinite Tsukuyomi supposed to grant him his deepest desires? If so, where the hell was all the Ramen? For now, he'd keep the idea in his back pocket. As a worst-case scenario, he'd just have to do the impossible and break out of it. Naruto Uzumaki didn't quit. With his unanswerable existential dread temporarily resolved, that brought him to his next problem.

Where the hell was he?

After his racing mind eventually settled, he decided on two possibilities, and neither boded well. Firstly, he had been transported to a different dimension. An alternate dimension was not entirely impossible. Kaguya had transported them across several of her dimensions and had already tried to separate him and Sasuke using them. If that were the case, he'd have to wait for Sasuke to get him. That, or find his own way back.

The other possibility was that he was just very, very far away from the battle. He might have been back in the Land of Fire with so much forestry around him. Though he certainly didn't recognize the area. If that were the case, he had a long way to travel as the original battlefield was in the Land of Lightning.

Truth be told, both possibilities were terrible. Regardless of where he actually was, Sasuke was fighting Kaguya alone. He wouldn't be able to win on his own. Neither of them would. If Sasuke was smart, which he was, he would have withdrawn. It was a shame the bastard was so damn prideful.

He needed to move, to do something. Sitting on his ass wasn't helping anyone. First and foremost, he needed to find out where exactly he was. That meant civilization. A town would do. Did Kaguya's dimensions even house complex life? The few he visited suggested no, but it wasn't impossible for there to be others. Hell, he didn't even know if this was one of her dimensions. Shelving that thought, he'd find a town. From there, he could find out where he was. He'd link up with Sasuke and his team, and Sakura could fix his chakra situation. He tactfully avoided all the glaring holes in the plan. He really needed an objective to focus on, or else he might go mad.

Rolling onto his hands and knees, Naruto painstakingly dragged himself to his feet. It hurt, but already his limbs were feeling better. No thanks to Kurama, the lazy bastard. To help compartmentalize his list of worries, he made the executive decision that his friend was simply asleep, recovering from unknown wounds. Instead, he attributed his rapid recovery to his Uzumaki heritage. They'd been known for two things. A mastery of seals that even his sensei couldn't compete with, unprecedented longevity akin to a pseudo-Kekkei Genkai, and beautiful red hair. That was three things. They had been known for three things.

xXx

With no better option than to pick a random direction and walk, Naruto did just that. He walked for what felt like hours, his pace steady, if not a little slow, due to his condition. During his travel, he quickly realized he wasn't in the Land of Fire as he had hoped. The trees were too different. They were too tall, and the branches too thin. They would be poorly suited for tree hoping, as all Konoha shinobi were known to do. The temperature was too hot. Even though the Land of Fire was aptly named, it was a dry heat. The kind that could burn you without forcing you to sweat a drop. This heat was wet and sticky and already had Naruto dabbing at his face with his long-removed jacket. If that wasn't enough, he noted several plants that shouldn't be there. While he recognized most of them, they certainly weren't native to his home.

Naruto chanced a short rest under a nearby tree. The tall conifers offered poor shade, but a shade that was appreciated nonetheless. He looked up at the blue sky, noticing the lack of clouds. Much to his chagrin, the wind was calm, not so much as a breeze. Based on the sun's current position, it was well past midday. With careful optimism, the orange-clad shinobi tested his arms. He was pleased to find that, like his legs, the burden in the limbs had somewhat lifted. Now, it was almost like waking up the next day after an intense workout. Judging by his rate of recovery, he'd be physically fine within the next day or two. His chakra, however, would be a different story. He was already brainstorming on how to address that.

Without warning, a high, piercing scream radiated from deep within the forest. Naruto's head snapped to the right, immediately zeroing in on it. He judged the distance to be seconds away if he were travelling at his top speed. Perhaps. The voice had echoed a lot. Regardless, he was nowhere near his top speed due to his still-aching body and the decimation of his chakra. That wouldn't stop him from helping whoever was out there.

He broke into a sprint, crashing through bushes and dodging low-hanging branches as best he could. Kami, it would have been so much simpler to take to the trees, but their poor suitability and his tentative chakra situation made it next to impossible. While moving, he donned his jacket. While he didn't enjoy the added heat, he couldn't afford to carry the thing into battle, and he certainly wasn't going to toss it to the side. If he did, he risked never finding it again, and who knew how cold the nights got?

He did a once-over of his equipment.

The results were a handful of shuriken, two spools of ninja wire, and a single kunai. The beginning of the war had not been kind to his equipment pool, and the later stages had made the tools all but irrelevant. Naturally, he decided on the kunai, then stashed away the rest of his items. The kunai offered the most versatile response, but he'd have to be careful if he threw it or risk losing it for good.

Bursting through the last of the foliage, Naruto rounded on an entirely unexpected scene. In front of him, by about 30 meters, was a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. It was distinctly lupine in nature but was roughly the size of a man. Coal-black fur covered it from top to bottom, and bone-white spines sprouted out across its body. The placements suggested the spines were primarily used for offence. They were razor sharp and varied in size from the length of his index finger to the entirety of his forearm. Vicious claws adorned its oversized paws, matched only by the length of its teeth. Curiously, attached tightly to its head, was a bony mask, almost skeletal in nature. Blood red lines trailed up the mask, which, for all he knew, served no purpose other than for aesthetics. Hateful red eyes turned to face him, and only now did Naruto realize that the creature had been standing on two legs. It lowered itself onto all fours and released a low, menacing growl.

Above the beast, nestled in the lowest branch, was a small girl. While the tree branch was just out of the creature's reach, the girl had contorted her body awkwardly, obviously trying to get as far away from the monster as possible. Noticing the beast's distraction, she turned her head in the direction it faced and met his eyes. She made no sound, likely too terrified that she might attract its attention again, but her eyes screamed for help.

"Well, aren't you an ugly son of a bitch?"

The provocation was thoughtless, more an attempt to hold its attention. The creature seemed too bestial to be intelligent. Naruto frowned. That said, given how he was currently weaker than he'd ever remembered being, he wasn't about to underestimate it. Still, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle a single wild animal, no matter how dangerous it looked.

The beast slowly stalked towards him, sensing larger prey.

"That's right, I'm right here big guy," he said while slowly backing up, subsequently increasing the distance between the creature and the child. After a few seconds, Naruto stopped backpedalling, judging the space between beast and child to be acceptable. He brandished his kunai and entered a defensive stance. Ordinarily, he'd much rather charge the creature head-on, but he couldn't risk any collateral damage. Someone else's life was on the line here.

As expected, the beast charged him, crossing nearly half the distance in a second. It was quick, as all predators were when pouncing on prey, but it was hardly faster than a normal wolf. The armoured spines must have slowed it down somewhat. Despite its relative speed, it may as well have been moving through molasses. Naruto's body and chakra may have been damaged, but his mind remained as sharp as ever. His reaction time was largely unaffected by his ailments, allowing him to read the creature with little difficulty. It would be easy to duck the beast's charge and gut it from stem to stern.

At least, it should have been.

With a flash of panic, Naruto identified one crucial oversight in his thought process. While his mind was indeed sharp, his body simply couldn't react in time with it. It must have been how Sasuke felt back during their mission to the Land of Waves, when he had awoken his Sharingan in his battle against Haku.

For all the good the comparison made, Naruto could barely twist his body in time as the man-sized dog lept past him. He threw himself to the side, tucking his feet into a roll. While coming up, he rotated his body 180 degrees to face his opponent, kunai snapping up a fraction of a second later. He idly noted the stinging of his cheek as blood trickled down his face. At least he hadn't lost his head.

Naruto readied himself, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. The creature was fast, sure, but it definitely wasn't smart. Where it should have capitalized on his mistake, it stood across from him, half facing away, as if confused about how it could have missed.

He wouldn't make the same mistake. Taking the initiative, he blurred toward the distracted monster, aiming for its relatively unprotected side. The wolf attempted to turn and meet him, but it had wasted too much time idling. Naruto closed the distance, and within the final two steps, he jolted on an angle. He plunged his blade into the beast's side, just under its 'armpit.' If his anatomy was correct, it should have cut cleanly through its lungs and pierced the heart. Not that he knew anything about the thing's anatomy, but it was an educated guess. He casually noted that he hadn't felt any change in pressure that would indicate his blade passing through different layers of the body. There was no tough initial breakthrough of the dermis, no easy gliding into the unprotected fleshy bits, not even a slight tug indicating he had nicked a bone.

What surprised him most was that the creature seemingly didn't notice the wound as it reflexively backhanded him away. Luckily the strike was blunt, the back of the creature's paw lacking the dangerous front-facing claws. Naruto had the mind to hold onto the kunai tightly to avoid being disarmed. As he stumbled several feet back, the creature turned to face him, seemingly enraged. Burning red eyes positively glowered at him as if to say, 'how dare you stab me in my heart?'

Naruto 'tsked' in frustration. How should he kill the thing? Taking its head off would probably work, but a kunai was ill-suited for such a task. Maybe he could get creative with his ninja wire? No, that wasn't a very good idea. He wasn't as well versed in using the tool as Sasuke or Kakashi were. It'd be best to save it for a more practical use. Maybe if he had time to set the field...

Jutsu was completely out of the question and would be for quite some time. His vastly reduced chakra closed a lot of doors for him, seeing as how most of his arsenal was quite chakra-intensive. Plus, with a smaller chakra pool, his control would be shot to hell. He'd likely have to spend some time on basic control exercises to use any techniques at all. At the very least, a smaller pool would hopefully mean he'd be able to achieve greater control in general.

At least until Sakura or Kurama could fix whatever was wrong with him.

Unfortunately, Naruto realized that his best option was to simply damage the monster enough until it gave up and died. Not an eloquent plan, but it was fundamentally what he knew best.

"Come on!" He shouted while brandishing his blade. "That all you got, you oversized hairball?"

The creature bristled in what might have been anger, though Naruto was sure it was just its default state. The wolf from hell charged him. They weren't far apart, so it only needed a couple of steps to reach him. It reared up on its hind legs in an entirely unnatural way and made to swing both arms down. Were this a normal battle between man and wolf, Naruto's next move would have been ill-advised. But this was anything but normal, and neither fighters were ordinary. So he stepped into the creature's guard and delivered three lightning-fast jabs with his kunai. Each thrust was targeted at a critical juncture. One to the stomach, one to where he hoped a kidney would be, and the last to the heart, for good measure. He finished his assault with a strong chakra-infused kick to the creature's back leg.

The beast flew back several meters, twisting awkwardly, and landed on its side. Figuring the fight over, he re-assessed his situation. He registered that the single chakra-infused kick had taken a toll on his own body. His leg felt numb, and his minuscule chakra reserves seemed even more pathetic.

Wet snarling broke him from his assessment, and he looked at the armoured wolf with genuine surprise. The creature was clawing toward him, claws rending deep gashes into the ground as it fought to stand. It failed miserably; his kick seemed to have shattered the necessary bones for walking. Did this stupid thing have bones?

He eyed the four puncture wounds on its chest. Blood-red flesh was visible, but no blood spilled out. They didn't seem to have organs. He had aimed for the most likely spot of three major systems, yet the creature crawled with as much fervour as ever. He should have hit something vital, even if its organs were in entirely different places. Naruto noted that it howled at him in anger, not pain.

"What the fuck?" He muttered while approaching the downed beast.

As he approached it, it reached an inky black paw towards him, desperate to return at least some damage. Naruto stomped on the paw, pinning it and drawing another angered growl. Before the creature could reach with its other clawed hand, Naruto flipped his kunai into a reverse grip, bringing it down on the monster's head.

As the tip of his blade kissed the crown of the armoured mask, Naruto dropped with the swing, putting his entire weight into the blow. It was like hammering a nail into a thick plank of wood. The mask held for a fraction of a second, then cracked inwards, allowing access to the critical parts beneath. Surprisingly, his blade sank to the hilt quickly, and he almost lost his balance because of it.

Immediately, the beast slackened, all traces of life leaving it. Despite their apparent immunity to pain, they could still die.

Naruto released a deep breath, then stood from the fresh corpse. He left his blade where it was, figuring he could retrieve it later. He had other business to attend to.

A loud crack followed by a shrill cry alerted him to the small child behind him. He whirled around, reaching for a second kunai he did not have but relaxed immediately upon realizing what had happened.

The little girl from earlier was at the base of a tree, roughly a dozen meters away. The branch she took refuge on had broken, and she was gingerly rubbing her backside. That would likely bruise.

"Owww," she groaned, dragging out the word.

"Hey kid, you ok?" Naruto questioned while approaching her.

"Uhhh, I think so?" She answered, apparently unsure herself. As he stopped before her, she seemingly snapped out of her discomfort. "Woah! You saved me! That was awesome!" She cheered excitedly. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Even given recent events, he was terrible at accepting praise.

"It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same," Naruto mumbled reluctantly.

"But you were the only one who was around to do it! That makes you the hero!" Came the child's enthusiastic retort. It didn't seem like she would let it go, and far be it from him to argue with a child.

Upon examining the girl further, he realized she couldn't have been more than 10 years old. Long chocolate-brown hair was tied into a low ponytail, and deep green eyes stared back. Her cheeks were prominent, still holding much of her baby fat, and Naruto could tell she was fair-skinned, despite her dark tan. She wore a faded yellow sundress, and on her left foot was a tiny black slipper. The other foot was bare; the shoe was likely lost during her escape from the monster.

"Well, you're welcome," he answered finally. "By the way, where are your parents?" The little girl's eyes dilated upon his mentioning of them, and her mouth formed a small 'o'.

"Oh no! Daddy's going to be so mad when he finds out!" She panicked. "I need to get back!" This was precisely the kind of opportunity Naruto was looking for, and as a bonus, he got to save a life. "I wouldn't worry about that. Your dad will likely be happier to know you're ok," he reassured her, but her expression remained downtrodden. "Tell you what, if you take me back to your town, I'll put in a good word for you," he offered.

The girl perked up at that. "Really? You promise?"

Naruto simply offered her his pinky. The girl stared at it momentarily before excitedly wrapping her finger around his, smiling widely. With their deal struck, he released his hold and gestured toward her. "You'll have to lead the way. I'm not from around here." The girl nodded gladly, then looked around the area. While she was doing so, Naruto returned to the corpse of the fallen creature to retrieve his kunai. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the beast's body was currently in the process of evaporating. What the fuck? That certainly wasn't natural. He observed as wispy black flakes continuously peeled away from the main body. Eventually, after less than a minute, the body was completely gone. Naruto stood there dumbly for a moment until the small child passed him by, walking at a leisurely pace. He maintained enough sense to scoop up his kunai, which now lay on the ground, and stash it away on his person.

Naruto had a lot of questions, but for now, he'd wait until he could speak with an adult. While children were often loose-lipped, he didn't want to bank much of his information on one when they were likely close to a settlement.

"I'm Naruto, by the way." He offered as an afterthought. "Oh, right! My name's Olive. Thank you for saving me from the Grimm." She offered politely. So that creature was called a Grimm? It was an interesting name, if not a bit uninspired. The familiarity in how she spoke of it indicated its existence wasn't entirely unique.

He'd never heard of Grimm back home. He must have been very far away indeed. Considering the heat, he could have been south, beyond the Nanmen Ocean. He'd never heard of anyone travelling beyond their continent before. Thinking about his situation only increased his anxiety, so he banished those thoughts for now.

Instead, Naruto waved away her 'thank you' and replied, "what were you doing on your own anyways?"

Olive hummed in thought, then mumbled, "looking for flowers."

"What?" came his intelligent reply. Olive groaned, "s'was looking for flowers for my mom."

Naruto smiled. Well, wasn't that just adorable? Although, she should have been more mindful of her distance from her home if these Grimm were stalking the forests. He let her know as much.

"Urgh. I know. You sound like my dad." she complained while looking away. Then her dad was right.

They continued walking through the forest in silence for several minutes. Eventually, Olive's childish nature could no longer be contained, and she began pestering him with questions.

"Hey mister, what are you? Are you a huntsman?"

He didn't know what a huntsman was. A traditional animal hunter? Maybe someone who fought these Grimm? If so, they'd likely be well-respected. He briefly considered the benefits of lying and saying he was but ultimately decided against it. Who knew what kind of obligations there were to be one?

"Nope. Can't say that I am." If the girl noticed that he only answered half of her question, she didn't show it. "Yeeeah, I guess not. You fought really good, but you didn't really move like one. Huntsmen are usually super flashy and move super fast and have really cool weapons!"

What the?

"I'll have you know; usually, I can move way faster than that, and I have a bunch of super cool techniques that I didn't use!" Naruto shot back defensively.

"Uh-huh. Then why didn't you move way faster and use a bunch of super cool techniques?" She asked him with a tinge

of cheekiness. "W-well, as a matter of fact, I'm actually pretty injured from a big fight I had earlier." He replied. Kami, did this kid really have him on the defensive? "Well, you don't look that injured to me. Besides the scratch on your face, you look fine."

Scratch on his face? That's right, the Grimm had scratched his face during the opening of their fight. He raised a hand to his cheek and, with some alarm, noticed the wound was still tender. That cut should have long since healed by now. While it had already clotted and was no longer bleeding, the fact that he still felt it was wrong. His healing factor should have repaired it in a manner of minutes. And that was being generous. Now, it had been over 10 minutes, and the injury was still present.

What the hell was Kurama doing? Is this how ordinary people healed? No, likely not. He already determined that his Uzumaki heritage played a part in his recovery, but the physical cut really drove home how different his position currently was.

Nauto quickly wiped the dried blood from his face. "My injuries are internal, ya know? On the inside. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there." Olive stared flatly at him. "Now you really sound like my dad."

Huh.

"Whatever. The point is, if I was in top condition, I could have sneezed that Grimm away." He boasted.

"Well, then you should get back into top condition," she stated matter of factly.

If only...

They continued on, with Olive asking other, less thought-provoking questions. Her questions were rapid-fire and varied from his favourite colour (orange) to his favourite food. He almost broke down on the spot when she revealed she had no idea what ramen was. Wherever he was, he needed to get home. Granted, it was possible that she didn't know simply because she was young and had never been introduced to the food, but it didn't bode well, regardless.

Eventually, after another 10 minutes of walking, Naruto stopped and called to her, "exactly how far did you wander away from home? This is pretty excessive. Also, I swear I recognize that tree over there."

Olive looked away, but Naruto caught a brief glimpse of guilt on her face. "Olive? You're not lost, are you?" She should have let him know if she was.

"No," came her quiet response. She still avoided looking at him. "So you're saying you know where we are?" He frowned at her silent nod. "Then why are we walking in circles?" At his latest question, she refused to answer. "Come on, I won't be mad. Promise." The small girl turned to face him, a look of sadness on her face.

"I still don't have flowers for my mom," she practically pouted.

Tsk. Adorable.

"You should have said so sooner." She looked down at his words. "If you had, we could have searched together, maybe found something nice by now," he finished. She craned her head upwards in surprise until a bright smile graced her face.

"Really?" She exclaimed. He nodded, surprised at the sudden shift in mood. "Awesome! Thank you! C'mon!" She proceeded to drag him by the hand towards several clusterings of bushes. From there, they began their joint search, evaluating different plants and flowers. Some were familiar to him, others not, but it became clear that the girl had a clear image of what she wanted.

After nearly 30 minutes of exhaustive searching, they had finally organized a suitable bouquet. Naruto found the whole ordeal relaxing. Growing up, he had always had a green thumb and loved being in the tick of nature. The Sandaime Hokage had thought taking care of plants would help spark a sense of responsibility in him. His grandfather figure never could have imagined how well he would end up taking to the hobby.

They walked in the direction of Olive's home, her steps much more confident than they had been previously. Nestled in her arms was an extensive collection of colourful flowers. Reds, blues, yellows and whites were arranged in a specific order, and at the center was a single orange flower he had convinced the girl to place.

"It's just through here!" she exclaimed while running ahead. Naruto followed after her, and as they broke through the last of the foliage, he began to see the makings of a large wooden wall. At the top of the ramparts were wooden walkways, the odd guardsman patrolling lazily.

Naruto scrutinized the walled community, Redgold Village, as he had been informed, and noticed a large gate made from logs nearly twice as wide as the ones used for the rest of the perimeter. They were somewhat reminiscent of Konoha's great gates, though not nearly as impressive. They reached close to 15 meters high, more than tall enough to keep out any unwanted wildlife... or worse.

While the gate was open, Naruto spotted several men in the process of closing it, as the job was seemingly a multi-person task. One of the men spotted their approach and called out to his peers. The men all ceased their work and glanced in their direction. They were all armed, but none of them appeared hostile. Olive slowed her pace and allowed him to catch up to her.

"Olive? What were you doing out there? Who's this boy?" Questioned one of the men. He had a stocky build and wore loose clothes. Slung across his back was a long polearm of some sort, though Naruto didn't recognize what kind. The other men wore similar clothing, loose and comfortable, something easy to move in.

"I was out collecting these!" she held out the bouquet they had assembled. "This is Naruto," the teenager in question raised his hand at the mention of his name. "I wandered kind of far, and he saved me from a Grimm." Her tone was more subdued as she said this.

The man's eyes widened. He quickly turned to one of his fellows and, in a hushed whisper, sent him off deeper into the town. "Thank you, young man," he dipped his head in gratitude. "Both of you, please come inside. It's time to close the gates. It's not safe out there right now." The man quickly ushered the two inside. Naruto was sure there was an air of urgency to the man, but he chose not to comment on it.

"You should see your father, Olive. He must be worried sick."

"Okay. Thanks, mister Noir." As she thanked the man, she quickly grabbed Naruto's hand and led him further into Redgold. Her hands were small, only able to clasp two of his fingers entirely, but her grip was fierce. She probably felt bad about worrying her dad. Those men seemed genuine, but they were worried about something, that was for sure.

As they traversed the town, the atmosphere was completely different than at the front gate. No more than two stories tall, small rustic-style buildings lined the streets, cobbled together in a combination of wood and stone. The buildings were old but well-maintained. Patchwork repairs could be seen on most, if not all, of the buildings resulting in a humble sort of charm. People lined the streets. Men, women, children, young and old. They were the kind of people one would expect to see in any sort of community. What grabbed Naruto's attention, however, were the few people interposed throughout the community that sported strange animal appendages. Long bushy tails and short pointed ears were just some of the many different additions he spotted.

How curious.

He must have slowed his pace as he stared since Olive turned to face him. She glanced at him inquisitively and frowned upon seeing what he was staring at. "Psst!" she chuffed loudly, getting his attention. "Don't stare! That's so rude!"

He supposed it was. He averted his gaze. He grew up under the stares of others; the last thing he wanted was to be doing the same. "Have you never seen a Faunus before or something?"

"No, we didn't have anywhere I'm from." He offered lamely.

"Dad says it's rude to stare. He says they get bullied for looking different." Her voice dripped with disapproval.

Damn. Now he felt terrible.

"They shouldn't. Especially since they look so cool." And Naruto meant it. How badass would it be to have another set of ears or maybe even a prehensile tail? Think of the utility!

"I know, right?" she exclaimed excitedly. "They're so cuuute!"

Naruto smiled weakly. Right. He was talking to a little girl.

They continued forwards, making their way to the center of town. Eventually, they stopped in front of a large two-story building. The structure was more prominent than the others around it, and upon closer inspection, he noticed a large wooden sign on the front that read 'Beekeeper Inn.'

"Your dad works here?" He questioned Olive.

"Yeah, he owns it. He's usually working behind the counter." She answered nonchalantly. That was good. Innkeepers were treasure troves of information. He glanced at the child beside him. And this one just so happened to owe him a big one.

Olive led the way into the inn, and upon pushing through the heavy wooden door, she called out, "dad, I'm back!" Heavy boot falls thundered towards them, and faster than Naruto could track, Olive was enveloped in two strong arms. The man before him was a mountain of a man. The resemblance between him and Olive made it clear they were related. He had the same chocolate-brown hair, cropped short in this case, and a familiar pair of verdant green eyes. The man stood almost half a foot taller than Naruto at roughly 6'0" and had limbs thick with muscle.

Olive was subsequently scooped off the ground and crushed to the man's chest in a hug. If she had room to breathe, she might have been able to gurgle a protest, but her airway had been crushed at this point.

"Uh, Sir?" Naruto advocated for his new friend.

Upon his question, the man looked towards him. Naruto pointed towards Olive, and in a sudden realization, her father lowered her to the ground. She spent the next few seconds taking in deep gulps of air. Somehow, the bouquet of flowers remained undisturbed.

"Olive, where in God's name have you been? When you said you were going outside the gates, you were only supposed to be gone for 10 minutes! No more, you said! It's been hours!" His voice was stern, thick with concern and anger.

She said nothing in response, choosing instead to look at their afternoon's harvest. He matched her gaze, and his eyes softened considerably upon looking at the bundle in her arms. He sighed, "oh, sweetheart. Are these for your mother?" She nodded mutely. The man hummed and rested his large hand upon her head.

Looking up, the man shot Naruto an inquisitive look. "And who might you be?" His tone was cautious but not quite accusatory. Olive maintained her silence. Right. She was probably upset that she had worried her father.

It was his time to shine.

"I'm Naruto," he said while offering a hand.

"Garett Vermillion," the man answered while reflexively reaching out, shaking his hand softly. The man's grip was surprisingly gentle for someone of his size. "I ran into your daughter out in the forest. She'd been attacked by a Grimm."

Instantly, Naruto's hand was almost crushed in the man's fist. The pain only lasted seconds as the man immediately retracted. His eyes screamed an apology, but his focus was on his daughter. "Olive! Is that true?" he exclaimed in shock.

"Naruto saved me! He beat the crap out of the monster, and he's not even a huntsman!"

Garett cast an appreciative eye upon Naruto. He turned to his daughter and spoke softly, "why don't you head in the back and wash up? We can bring the flowers to your mother later. Naruto and I have some things to discuss."

"Alright, dad." came her quiet reply. She stepped back from him, sent Naruto a meaningful look, then dashed off to one of the inn's back rooms.

Once she was gone, Garett turned to face him. "Thank you for saving my daughter. And sorry about your hand."

"You're welcome. And it's alright, I'm okay. You've got quite the grip." Naruto commented. He meant it as well. Even handicapped as he was, his body was still that of a shinobi, and he was known for his durability. "I used to be a huntsman," the older man commented as if that explained everything. Perhaps it did?

Walking back around the counter, Garett gestured towards the stool at the front. "C'mon, take a seat. Let me get you something, free of charge, of course." He turned to the rest of the establishment, then shouted, "the rest of you can get back to your business!" Only now did Naruto notice they had drawn a crowd. It must have been quite the scene, the barkeep doting over his small daughter.

Naruto briefly glanced around the establishment. It was homely, having a quiet charm to it. Across the floor were hand-made circular wooden tables, each surrounded by three to four chairs. The seats were painstakingly carved from lighter wood, all by hand. Miscellaneous decorum hung from the walls, and to the side of the main room, opposite the door, was a large brick fireplace, which remained unlit.

"So, you saved my daughter? Tell me what happened." Garett prompted while reaching under the counter. He produced a small glass and a bottle of clear liquid. The innkeeper filled the glass cleanly and offered it to him. Naruto didn't know the legal drinking age around here, but he accepted it nonetheless. He wasn't a fan of alcohol, having grown a distaste for it after seeing its effects on both his godfather and the Hokage. Though it wasn't like he hadn't spent time drinking wither either of them. He quickly downed the alcohol, assuming he wasn't supposed to sip from such a tiny glass.

His eyes immediately began to water, and his throat burned raw. Downing it quickly was the right call. He couldn't imagine anyone actually sipping this stuff for the taste. As he supposed a cough, Garett chuckled mirthfully. Much to Naruto's chagrin, the barkeep automatically refilled his glass. He just needed another minute, and then he'd tackle that one as well. For now, he had a story to tell.

"Well..."

He briefly described the events that transpired. Truth be told, it wasn't a very long story. Really just a simple matter of getting in, kicking ass, and walking the girl back home.

"I promised I'd put in a good word for her. From my understanding, the Grimm was likely stalking her for some time. She did a good job keeping safe." Naruto informed the man. "My daughter's always been smart. Every mistake is a lesson learned."

"Isn't that the truth..." Naruto responded wistfully. "Anyways, try not to be too hard on her. All things considered, the Grimm wasn't much of a problem."

"So you say. And you're not a huntsman? Or training to be one?" The man questioned after downing his own small glass.

"Nope. I mean, I'm trained to fight, but no official huntsman training, no."

Garett hummed. "You should consider it. Anyone willing to put themselves at risk like that for a stranger would make a good huntsman. Doubly so for anyone who willingly fights off a Beowolf."

Beowolf? He thought the creatures were called Grimm? Maybe Grimm was just a colloquial term? Recalling the other part of the older man's words, they also confirmed that being a huntsman was a profession. One looked favourably upon by the public. So it was likely more than just a mercenary.

"What would I have to do to become a huntsman?"

The innkeeper looked at him strangely - it seemed huntsmen were more than a little widely known. Naruto quickly corrected himself, "sorry, my village is pretty far from here. Things are a bit different."

Garett fixed him with a flat look. "Must be if you're not familiar with the concept." Naruto smiled sheepishly. "You have no idea, old man." for whatever reason, the man chose not to question him further.

"Well, usually, you'd have to attend a primary combat school like Signal Academy to test if you're physically capable." Looking him over, the man continued. "Though I think it's safe to say you are, and exceptions can be made to circumvent that."

Garett lifted his small glass in a toast, and Naruto instinctively returned the gesture. Ah, crap. They downed the alcohol, and before he could wipe his mouth, his new drinking buddy had already refilled both their glasses. Ah, crap. He forgot to say that would be his last drink. Before he could voice those thoughts, he was prematurely interrupted. "How old are you?" "just turned 17," Naruto snapped back. Still a little miffed about the alcohol. The man looked at the half-empty bottle of alcohol and shrugged.

"Well, you're the ideal age for the next step, then. After attending a primary school, you'd need to attend one of the four main huntsman academies. Beacon would be the closest from here." he gestured in a random direction. "There, you further improve your combat style, all while studying everything there is to know abo-" "yeah, I'm gonna stop you there, old man. There's no way in hell I'm going back to school."

Garett frowned, then shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, kid. But you need to graduate from an academy to get a huntsman's license."

"I'll keep that in mind..." He responded in kind. He wouldn't. "Say... as an innkeeper, you've probably met all kinds of travellers, right?" Now it was time for him to get some answers. Though based on what he's seen so far, he wasn't feeling very optimistic.

"Aye, I reckon I have. Even more from when I was a huntsman."

"Have you ever met someone from Konohagakure?"

"Kid, I have no idea what that word even was. Is that a place?" Garett asked while scratching his stomach.

Well, so much for that idea. He must have been really far from home. He continued to refuse the possibility that Kaguya sent him to an entirely different dimension. This place contained so much life. He simply didn't see it possible. Besides, if this was one of Kaguya's dimensions, where was she? Enough time should have passed for Sasuke to have made a tactical withdrawal. She could have easily come looking for him. He was so unbelievably weak compared to her that she'd barely need to lift a finger.

"Yeah... it's a place. What about the Elemental Nations?" He chanced.

"Oh! Now that sounds like a place! Never heard of it."

Naruto slumped in his seat.

"Hey, cheer up, kid. I take that's where you're from?"

Naruto nodded.

"And I take it you're trying to get back? But you don't know how to go about it?"

He nodded again.

"Well, just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean no one has. You said it's far away, so you'll need some specialized knowledge." The man nudged the glass of alcohol toward the teen.

Oh, what the hell. Naruto shot back the drink, slamming the empty glass on the counter. The warm liquid no longer burned as much on the way down and instead gave birth to a warm feeling in his stomach.

"You should head to Vale. It's both the name of the Kingdom and its capital. If you're ever going to find answers, it'll be there!"

That sounded almost promising.

Naruto raised his glass - now inexplicably full - and said a quick 'cheers' to the man before downing the drink. He rested his head, which had become increasingly heavy, on the counter before him.

"Alright kid, looks like that's enough." Garett finally chose not to refill his glass. "Head upstairs. The second room on the left is yours for the night. I'll make some food when you're up tomorrow."

"Wow. That's really kind of you, sir. Thank you very much." Naruto spoke with his head still firmly planted on the counter. His words were beginning to slur, and he had screwed his eyes shut to avoid the vertigo he was now feeling.

He slowly got up to leave in the direction he was given. He quickly turned back to Garett and offered a sloppy bow, then slowly hobbled away to the stairs.

Before he was out of range, his ears picked up Garett's low voice. "No, thank you for saving her."

With that, Naruto found his way to the room and collapsed heavily onto the bed. He quickly fell into a dreamless slumber.

xXx

The following day began much as the previous one had. Face down and confused. Though much to his relief, Naruto was aware of how he got here. Fortunately, he had no hangover, which he again attributed to his Uzumaki genetics.

Now with time to spare, he looked around the room he had already spent the night in. A comfortable single-sized bed, a simple wooden nightstand, and a small built-in closet were what he noticed immediately. The room was sparsely decorated but not to the point of being spartan. A single cheap, mass-produced painting hung from the wall opposite the bed, and the beige curtains framing the lone window had been left wide open, allowing sunlight to fill the room. Adjacent to the room's entrance was a small bathroom, but most importantly was the shower inside it.

Naruto didn't have to think twice before shedding his clothes and rushing inside. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually showered. While standing under the water, he noticed that the fatigue in his limbs was indeed slowly receding. He was still stiff in his major muscle groups, but his mobility would be much better than during the previous day. He'd probably only need one more day of recovery until he was burden free.

Naruto stepped out of the bathroom 15 minutes later, which was practically an eternity compared to his regular shower routine. He immediately noticed his clothes were missing, replaced by an unfamiliar pile at the foot of his bed. He sincerely hoped they had been placed in the wash and not discarded. That was his favourite jacket.

The replacement clothes were simple, but fit one size too big. A beige short sleeve shirt, a pair of navy blue cargo shorts, and a simple pair of black sandals that were not dissimilar from his own pair. He donned the clothes quickly, then decided to find Garett. Maybe he could convince the man to part with some provisions before he set off in the direction of Vale.

Naruto found the man in question behind the counter, similar to where he had been the other night. The retired huntsman was chatting amicably with one of his patrons, likely a local, if the easygoing nature of their conversation was any indication. Upon noticing Naruto's presence, Garett moved away from the customer and beckoned Naruto toward an empty section of the counter.

"Well son, you're looking much better." The man observed while eyeing him up and down. "How do you feel?" He questioned the teen.

"Hungry." Came Naruto's instant reply.

As if fully expecting the answer, a plate of food seemingly materialized on the countertop. Naruto was on it in seconds, tearing through it with gusto. It was a traditional meal. Eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, each served in generous portions. "Easy, kid. Any faster, and you'll be puking your guts out later." Naruto ignored him, and rightfully so. Who was he to get in the way between him and his precious calories?

With the exception of ramen, Naruto finished his meal in record time. Patting his stomach, he turned toward Garett and thanked him, genuine appreciation clear in his tone.

"Think nothing of it. As far as I'm concerned, I still owe you a lot more."

"It's really no big deal. I don't want to take advantage of you." Naruto replied, again feeling uncomfortable with the older man's gratitude. "Oh? Trying to say the life of my daughter is no big deal?" The man challenged with a look and faux irritation.

"N-no! No, that's not what I'm saying!" Naruto raised his hands in surrender. "It's just... you know... I..." He tapered off lamely.

Garett laughed, "I know what you mean. But you need to learn to accept someone's honest gratitude," he lightly chastised.

Naruto said nothing but grunted in response. "Actually," while they were on the subject, "I was wondering if you could spare some provisions for when I head out. Maybe some dried food and camping supplies?"

Naruto hoped he wasn't asking for too much, but he had no way of paying for anything himself. He'd left his wallet at home. Not that his money would have been any good.

"Aye, of course, lad."

Naruto sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to find a job just to pay for his travel expenses. "By why the rush? Why not stay a few more days, and relax a little? Vale ain't going anywhere," the innkeeper suggested. The man could see the refusal on Naruto's lips, but before it could be vocalized, he relented, "at least stay one more day. I know Olive would appreciate it."

Urg. Now he'd done it.

Now it was Naruto's turn to relent, "alright. One more day." Admittedly, he could use the added rest. "Good! Gives me time to gather what you'll need!" Garett said happily. Of course it would. Naruto was sure it would have taken three days to gather the supplies if he had agreed to it.

"Speaking of, where is the runt?" Naruto queried.

"I'm right here!" came a young voice from... directly in front of him? Peering over the counter, Naruto spotted Olive standing beside her father. The top of her head only reached three-quarters up the counter, making him unable to see her as he sat.

Naruto squinted at the girl, "were you always so short?"

"You're one to talk! I'm only 8 years old. What's your excuse?" she shouted at him indignantly. "What the heck? What's that supposed to mean? I'm at a perfectly normal height for someone my age!" Naruto shouted back. In a quieter voice, he added, "I've still got room to grow."

"Uh-huh." came the child's doubtful response. He did, though! 5'7" was perfectly average for a healthy 17-year-old. Right? Naruto slumped in his seat. Kids could be cruel.

"Now, Olive, what have I told you about hurting people's feelings?" Garett chastised his daughter. "That I shouldn't. And if I do, to apologize." At her father's nod, she looked up at Naruto and said, "I'm sorry I said you were short."

She didn't hurt his feelings. No way.

"It's alright." he acquiesced. "I've still got time to grow, ya know?" he repeated.

"Of course you do," she replied, her tone completely disingenuous.

Damn kids.

After a moment's silence, Olive perked up. "Hey, Naruto?" He hummed in response. "Wanna come with me to give my mom her flowers? You can meet her." The look she gave him as she asked indicated this was important to her.

"Um, sure, why not," he accepted. He assumed she would have delivered the flowers the night before.

"Ok! Be right back!" The girl skipped around the counter and disappeared into the same back room she had the other night. Naruto faced Garett, intending to ask him about it, "I thought you said the two of you would -" "I'll join you two in a bit. I'll need to put up a sign."

Neither had said as much, but the not-so-subtle hints were all there. Naruto had a feeling he knew what was going on. Olive returned to them shortly after, the bundle of flowers in her hand. "Ready to go?"

"Right. Lead the way," Naruto swallowed heavily.

She led him out of the inn and back towards the center of town. They travelled in silence, Naruto feeling suddenly out of place. They turned in an unfamiliar direction, revealing a previously unseen part of the village. Naruto paid the sight no mind, his eyes firmly planted on Olive's back as she led them.

Finally, they approached their destination. As he had suspected, they walked through the front gates of the village's cemetery. Naruto idly noted that the size of the cemetery was uncharacteristically large for a community of this size. They stopped before an otherwise unremarkable tombstone, though this one seemed slightly newer than the others. Like those around it, the dried remains of flowers sat at its base. Olive swept the crumbling plants to the side and placed the fresh offering in its place. Thankfully, she remained silent; he wasn't sure he could handle it if she began paying her respect out loud.

Was it rude of him to think that way?

Naruto had grown up an orphan, spending 15 years wondering if his parents had loved him. While he had his answer now, when he was younger, it was easier to pretend they didn't. That made it easier to not care. Olive didn't have that 'luxury.'

If the newly erected gravestone was any indication, Olive had lost her mother recently. Naruto understood how deeply personal a moment like this was. How often had he inadvertently paid his respects to his father when visiting the Hokage Monument? How many times had he done so after he had learned the truth behind his heritage?

"It was about a year ago." came a voice beside him. He didn't bother turning. He recognized Garett's voice by now. "The most recent Grimm attack," the man continued. "I was outside the gates helping defend the village. A Beowolf snuck inside. Did a lot of damage before we caught up to it."

Naruto hated it. The loss of life. Children mourning parents. Parents mourning children.

"I reckon about half of the people in here went the same way," the retired huntsman said somberly.

Naruto hated it.

xXx

The rest of the day was spent in better spirits once they had left the cemetery. Naruto was impressed by Olive's strength and more than a little upset that she had to become so strong so early in her life.

Naruto's clothes had been returned to him halfway through the day, clean and as good as new. Well, not really. They'd begun to show a fair amount of wear and tear and would likely need to be replaced soon. A problem for another time.

He spent the rest of the day exploring the town with Olive. The excitable girl was more than happy to show him her favourite spots. The quaint atmosphere reminded him of a miniature Konoha, albeit less busy. He particularly enjoyed the market square. Small single-person stalls peddled homemade wares, ranging from carved soaps to watercolour paintings. He had been drawn to various food stalls; the air was filled with the intoxicating aromas of breads, meats, and pastries.

Garett had offered a small amount of spending money, called Lien, in these lands. The money had been spent quickly, the appetite of two growing youths proving expensive. Eventually, as the sun began to set, they returned to the inn. Garett had been busy while they were out, successfully gathering the promised travel supplies.

Naruto once again sat at the counter, this time nursing a much less powerful drink. It was a colourful thing, smoother and with hints of citrus. Why he hadn't been given one of these the night before, he didn't know.

"She's really taken a liking to you." The barkeeper mentioned while wiping down the counter.

"She's a good kid," Naruto responded. "She won't take you leaving well." came the man's response. If he was trying to convince Naruto to stay, he was doing a poor job of it.

"Maybe I'll visit."

"Don't make a promise if you don't know if you can keep it."

Funny he should mention it. Naruto scoffed. "I don't make promises I can't keep."

"A good policy to have." Garett nodded. It was, wasn't it?

It was probably time for Naruto to turn in for the night. He had a long journey ahead of him as Vale was supposedly a month's travel on foot. Plus, the conversation was getting stale.

Before Naruto could stand, an echoing bell rang throughout the settlement. Its volume and tone demanded attention and could really only speak to one possibility. An attack. A look at Garett confirmed that it was. The man's grip had tightened, shattering the glass he held. Curiously, he somehow avoided receiving a cut. Naruto could have sworn he caught the tail end of a dim flash of light coming from the man's hand.

Naruto stood quickly, moving towards the door.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, kid?" the former huntsman demanded. "To fight, obviously." Came his matter-of-fact response.

"No. Stay here. Look after Olive. I may be retired, but I still have a part to play in Redgold's defence." Garett's reply was steadfast and brokered no room for argument.

Naruto argued.

"Relax, old man." he waved off the older man's concern. "Stay with your daughter. I need to get some practice in."

"This isn't a game!" Garett's anger was beginning to boil.

"Who said it was?" Naruto shouted back, his temper rising to meet his elders. "You're all she has left! So take this as an opportunity to be with her." Naruto turned back to the door. "I've got this. Besides, there are other defenders, right?" Garett nodded. "Then I won't be alone."

Garett sighed. "Hold up. Take this."

Naruto turned just in time to catch the small bundle tossed to him. Unwrapping the cloth covering the item, he was greeted with a sheathed short sword. If he wasn't mistaken, it was essentially a ninjato, a shortsword with a... shorter blade than most weapons. It was still long enough to noticeably extend his reach but not so much that it would be cumbersome. He wasn't an expert with blades by any means. In fact, he had barely any experience at all. But considering his opponents were mindless beasts, he wouldn't have to be an expert. Besides, if his inexperience proved a hindrance, he could always drop the weapon and return to what he excelled at. The full night's rest did him good and brought his chakra levels to the point that he was confident he could enhance his body in a fight.

"Won it in a game of cards," Garett explained. "It's not my style, so I haven't found any use for it." Naruto nodded in thanks, turned towards the door, and slipped away silently.

He ran through the town, tracing the path he knew the main entrance to be in. As he looked around, the streets were practically empty. It was already later in the night, and the darkness was exacerbated by the starless night sky. A heavy blanket of clouds had rolled in at some point. He could work with that. As he neared the large gates of the community, he noticed several others also making their way in that direction.

As he arrived, he looked upon the wide gates, which had been sealed tight. He couldn't help but wonder how a group of Grimm, no matter how large, could possibly hope to breach it. Finding the one in charge was simple; he simply looked for whoever looked the most important. He found the individual in the form of a woman, who was currently barking out orders to a group of young men, each of whom appeared terrified.

The woman was older than Garett, though not by much, possibly in her early 40's. Her hair was a curious electric blue and was cropped short. Unlike those at the gate from the first night, she wore armour. Though light as it was, a small breastplate covered her upper torso, and two medium-sized pauldrons covered her shoulders and deltoids.

Naruto slowly approached her, and as he drew near, she noticed him. Before he could say anything, she spoke first, "you're the one who saved Garett's kid, right?" Word sure travelled fast, it seemed. At his nod, she continued, "where is he? We could really use his help." Her tone was quick and no-nonsense. Clearly, she had grown used to depending on the man for such matters.

"I told him to hang back," Naruto replied nonchalantly. "You what?" the woman practically screamed at him. "Why the hell would you do that?" Her tone was of frustration and anger, and a small amount of fear began to crack through her facade. "Relax, lady. I can take care of this." His tone was all confidence, but, truth be told, he had no idea if he actually could. While he had taken care of the first Grimm he encountered with little issue, he had no idea if he could handle what was coming. Much to his annoyance, he was reminded of the numerous times when Kakashi and Jiraiya had painstakingly tried to hammer home the importance of information gathering.

He had already dropped the ball on that. He had no idea how many Grimm approached or how close they were, not even if he should be expecting more of the wolf variety or if different types were lurking around.

"Kid, I don't think you understand how vital Garett's role is in defending this settlement," she replied hotly. Naruto looped the baldric of his sword's sheath around the small of his back. "I told you it's fine. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last time, would we?"

The woman flinched, then looked down in frustration. Maybe that had been a little too backhanded. She might have lost someone then too. The woman looked back and sized him up. "You a huntsman or something?"

"Or something," was his unhelpful answer.

"If you die out there, don't expect us to retrieve your corpse," she finally relented.

Suddenly, loud howling and scratching sounded from the wide gate before them. At least he didn't have to worry about when they'd arrive. Naruto was momentarily surprised. The ferocity with which the beasts carved at the gate made it clear that there was a very real chance they could get through if left unmolested.

"To the wall!" The woman shouted to her fellow defenders, then turned to face him. "Well? What's your plan?"

Naruto looked around and noted several defenders had climbed the wall with ladders, taking positions at the walkway above. "You'll just have to find out," he replied cheekily.

God, he really needed a plan.

Naruto scaled one of the nearby ladders in order to, at the very least, get to a spot where he could safely evaluate the threat. After reaching the top, he looked towards the bottom of the wall, where several Grimm had congregated. There were roughly a dozen of them, all similar in size to the one he had killed previously. They threw themselves against the gate, using their bodies as battering rams, heedless of the self-inflicted damage they caused.

Hearing footsteps stopping to rest beside him, he asked the lead defender, "is this typical for an attack? Or should we expect more?"

"It's a small group, not as bad as we expected, but they're still dangerous." Naruto nodded, and she continued, "there's always the chance more will come, but what's really worrisome..." As she trailed off, Naruto fixed her with an inquisitive look.

"I don't see any signs of an alpha." Naruto didn't have to be an expert on the creatures to figure out what an alpha was.

"Is there always an alpha?" He questioned her.

"When they attack a settlement directly, there's almost always an alpha directing the pack."

Interesting. An alpha leading a pack indicated a higher level of intelligence. Intelligence for wild beasts, at least. He looked the beasts over once more. 11 in total, with a high chance of a 12th, more dangerous enemy on its way.

How easy it would have been to just spam his Kage Bunshin and overwhelm them. Or to toss a Rasenshuriken and end them in a blink. But those options weren't available to him and may not be for a long time. Whatever, ending things instantly would have been boring, and if he was honest with himself, he really needed to let loose. He'd have to take a page from his friend Lee's book. This called for pure, unadulterated hand-to-hand combat. Give or take a few blades here and there.

Naruto looked back at the defenders, noticing several of them brandishing swords, shields, and bows. A few were holding long hollow poles made from a combination of wood and metal. He had no idea what those were. They didn't seem sturdy enough to withstand too many hits, but he could always be wrong. Most of the defenders were looking towards himself and their commander, awaiting instructions.

"So, care to actually do something? Or will I have to go fetch Garett?" She snarked at him.

"If you can attack from range, now's the time. Just don't let any of them sneak up on me." He requested while making his way toward the nearest defender with a shield. He grabbed ahold of the sheet of metal and made to take it, but the man holding it refused the let go. Upon inspection, the man, practically a boy, was trembling. Naruto smiled at him, "may I?" he asked while tugging a little bit harder. The young man let go of the shield as if released from a spell and nearly strumbled back.

Naruto gipped the shaped metal in both hands and walked to the edge of the wall. Looking down, he made the appropriate calculations. "You still haven't told us what you plan on doing!" The grouchy commander insisted.

Naruto smiled and answered, "watch this!" He then proceeded to jump over the safety railing. The last thing he heard from the woman was a surprised, "what the fu-" before the rushing wind drowned out her voice.

He had roughly two seconds to think as he descended the short way down. Most of that was spent wondering if his exit was perhaps a little too cliche. He had barely enough time to position his recently acquired shield underneath his feet. The moment he did, he landed heavily on the first Beowolf beneath him.

The beast crumpled instantly. The force of gravity and his weight proved too much for the beast. It died quickly. The other beasts, clustered around their fellow, stumbled back in surprise. Naruto grinned. Now knowing how these things 'fought,' there would hopefully be no surprises. Not to mention, he felt significantly better than he did the other day, so much so that he was itching for a good workout.

Before the wolves could collect themselves, he reached under himself, yanking the shield out with a short hop. With as much force as he could muster, he threw the shield like a frisbee. It didn't need to travel very far. It made contact with the next closest Grimm and embedded itself halfway through the creature's skull.

By now, the beasts had gained a bearing on him and were slowly, to him at least, moving to attack. He noticed those closest were standing bipedal. Perfect. He stepped into the nearest one's guard. His kunai slipped from his sleeve into his hand, and he thrust the blade upward into his opponent's soft, unprotected neck. Pushing off his most recent kill's body, he flew toward his next target.

He had known that jumping into the middle of the pack would give him the advantage. It seemed foolish, and perhaps it was to anyone without a shinobi's training, but Naruto knew that he far outclassed these creatures in physical combat. They were mindless beasts that fought on instinct. He was a seasoned shinobi with over a decade of experience. They wouldn't dodge and counter like a human opponent would. Like he would.

He dodged a swipe from one of the monsters, then jumped over the lunge of another. While it hadn't been part of his initial plan, he plunged his blade into the back of the creature's neck. He used its corpse as a springboard, propelling himself toward his original target. Unfortunately, the momentary distraction was enough for his initial target to raise its claws, which managed to catch his kunai. Metal ground against claws and Naruto was momentarily surprised. The creature's block may have been instinctual, but it nonetheless brought a smile to his face. It was almost like fighting something with a modicum of skill. Almost.

Naruto forced his blade forwards, his strength vastly overpowering his foe. His blade sparked as it travelled up the creature's claws and eventually cut into the middle of the beast's hand. It travelled up its arm at an angle, and the knife's edge finally exited near the elbow. His kunai wasn't long enough to slice the limb entirely off, but it had been carved deeply enough to be no longer usable. The arm immediately slackened, flopping uselessly to the side. The Grimm stepped backwards in anger, apparently able to recognize the damage it had sustained, but it still showed no signs of pain.

Naruto frowned. He really hoped to have taken it out with that attack. A growl behind him alerted him to his next challenger. The growl in front of him alerted him that his first challenger was still in the fight. They lunged at him simultaneously in what may have been the most impressive display of coordination between two wild Grimm. The one in front went high, while the one in the back went low. Naruto had no way to tell for sure how the wolf behind him planned to attack. He simply relied on instinct and luck. He jumped between their swings, one clawed hand passing over his head while the other swept underneath where his legs had just been.

With a chakra-empowered throw, his kunai whipped from his hand and passed into the gaping maw of the injured Beowolf, burying itself in the back of its throat. He landed on his hands and, with a moderate application of chakra, instantly pushed off in a handspring. Both feet crashed into the Beowolf behind him, shattering its mask and the skull underneath.

Suddenly, a thunderous crack, unlike anything he had ever heard, sounded above him, originating from the wall. Naruto whipped his head toward the direction of the noise, fearing what to expect. Instead of more Grimm, he spotted one of the defenders. They were holding one of the long wood and metal weapons, smoke wisping from the end of it. He followed the defender's line of sight and spotted the crumpled remains of a Beowolf that had been out of his initial field of view.

Some kind of ranged weapon? Like a type of bow?

His momentary distraction nearly cost him as one of the few remaining Grimm approached from the side, almost landing a clean hit on him. He caught the creature's downward swipe at the wrist, crushing the joint in surprise. He adapted quickly and yanked the creature further toward him, burying his fist in its gut. Naruto kicked the wolf's knee, shattering the joint and bringing the beast's face to his chest level. It howled in rage. He released the now useless claw and gripped the beast's maw with both hands. He pulled, and the Grimm's jaw was wrenched apart, accompanied by a sickening crack.

He looked around and spotted only three remaining opponents. Checking his condition, he was pleased to find that he had sustained no injuries, and his chakra remained relatively full. Reinforcing his body with the life energy didn't result in much of a net loss. There was some expenditure, like water evaporating from a glass, but the effects were negligible.

Naruto breathed deeply, collecting himself. This should be easy. He ran towards the three monsters, and when he was only a few meters away, he leapt above them.

He wanted to try something.

He landed on one of the creatures, careful on his footing lest he skewer himself on one of the sharp spines. He grabbed two handfuls of black fur and yanked hard to the left. The Beowolf responded in kind, lurching to the left in response.

Oh yeah, this would work.

He steered his new steed directly towards one of its brethren, kicking it between the shoulder blades for good measure. While entertaining, he couldn't help but feel that if the beast below him was larger, perhaps a bit broader, he would have had an easier time. It was okay; this one would do.

He crashed his ride head-on into its fellow, their bony masks producing an audible 'clack.' The two collapsed in a tangle of limbs, but not before Naruto cleanly hopped off. He laughed as he touched down, landing beside the fallen beasts. Perhaps unceremoniously, he stomped on one's head, crushing its skull. He finished the second off with a chakra-infused hammer punch to the crown. Maybe it was brutal and unrefined, but he was eager to finish the encounter.

He looked towards the final Beowolf and grinned. As the last opponent, it had the honour of a proper one-on-one fight. Maybe he would take his time on this one. He still had a large amount of frustration to vent, and he was looking for opportunities to practice with his ninja wire.

Before he could decide, another thunderous crack filled the air, and this time, Naruto could see the effects on the creature. The Grimm's head instantly exploded, as if someone had detonated an explosive tag from inside its head. It fell to the ground quickly and without fanfare.

Naruto started mutely.

He turned toward the wall and screamed, "Oh come on!"

He totally had that.

At least it was over. And it had gone by relatively easily. Even neutered as his abilities were, Naruto could still fight and, hopefully, still grow stronger.

As he turned back toward the gated community, a deep echoing howl sounded from the forest's edge. Naruto sighed and lowered his head. That was probably the alpha. Quickly trotting over to the pile of smouldering corpses, Naruto began searching for his kunai. The recovery of his blade took longer than he would have liked as it had seemingly disappeared into the inky blackness of the Grimm's decaying bodies.

"Shit," came his soft curse as he accidentally gripped the kunai by the blade. Already he could feel the metal cut into his skin. His first injury of the battle. He turned to face his newest, and hopefully last, challenger. The alpha stalked out of the foliage at an almost languid pace. It was bigger than its fallen kin, almost twice as much by Naruto's observation. With the added size came more bony protrusions from its body.

As far as he could tell, that's all an alpha really offered. Stronger, faster, and probably smarter. Perfect. As it slowly closed the distance, naruto gripped the pommel of his kunai. It'd be a pain in the ass trying to kill something so large with a knife like this. He could try another chakra-enhanced throw and aim for the head, but it was hardly original. He ran his off-hand across the hilt of his ninjato. Maybe he'd try his new addition out.

The beast stopped several paces away and growled with hate as it noticed the last remnants of its kin dissipate. It must have recognized the danger he posed, or maybe it had been watching from the sidelines, because instead of charging him as he expected, it began to steadily circle him. He supposed it was more intelligent than the others. Eventually, Naruto's patience was rewarded as the alpha leapt towards him. Alpha or not, it was still just a beast.

Naruto jumped to the right, pulling at the spool of ninja wire he carried, the end of which had been embedded in the ground by his kunai. The result was an awkward clotheslining of the alpha. Naruto sighed. The area was too open, and he had too few tools at his disposal. It was a shame. He really wanted to get better at using the equipment. The Beowolf angrily righted itself, snarling and chuffing in his direction. It seemed angrier than before.

Naruto drew his ninjato and quickly deflected a swipe of the beast's claws once, twice, three times. Each deflection was intended to direct the beast to a specific spot on the ground. On the fourth swipe, Naruto took half a step back, dodging it. He brought his blade down in an overhead swing, lopping off the appendage entirely.

Yes, the sword was definitely the right call.

The creature staggered backwards, exactly where he hoped it would. In one fluid motion, Naruto grabbed the end of the previously discarded ninja wire and yanked with all his might. The beast tumbled onto its back, almost comically. With an almost disappointed gait, naruto walked towards it and cleanly removed its head from its shoulders.

Naruto frowned. That was kind of disappointing.

Now, with little else to do, he gathered his equipment and finally returned to Redgold's gate. As he approached the gate, a low metallic clunk preceded its gradual opening. He slipped inside quickly and noted the immediate closing of the entrance behind him. Hushed whispers tickled his ears, mostly in awe at his seemingly impressive feat.

He was once again approached by the blue-haired woman from earlier. This time, she wore a look of cautious appreciation. "That was... incredible," she breathed. Naruto had the decency to blush. "Thanks," he replied while scratching the back of his neck. "It wasn't anything special."

The woman laughed at the casual dismissal of his remarkable showing. "Right. Whatever you say, kid. Are you sure you're not a huntsman? The only times I see moves like that are from the professionals."

Naruto waved her words off, assuring her once again that he was, in fact, not a huntsman. He was tired, though, and let her know as much. Intending to turn in for the night, he made his way back to the Beekeeper Inn, not particularly interested in mingling with the others. The trip back was quiet, the town's residents likely still taking shelter, and under the impression the Grimm attack was still underway. He'd let the others break the good news.

After returning to the inn, he shouldered through the heavy doors and was utterly unsurprised to find Garett sitting at one of the barstools. A silvery blue weapon was resting comfortably on his lap. The weapon was strange. It appeared to be a double-headed axe but was made of silvery metal, painted blue in some areas. It had many noticeable seams as if it could be disassembled and reassembled.

Naruto sighed for what felt like the tenth time that night. Looks like he had more storytelling ahead of him. Before he could begin the long-winded explanation, the excited voices of countless individuals seemed to radiate from the doorway behind him.

Damnit.

In walked several of the town's defenders. They cheered upon seeing him, some clapping him on the back, others offering verbal thanks. One of them bellowed, "here's to surviving another night!" Then made directly for the bar.

Seeming to get the hint, Garett stashed his weapon and moved behind the counter. The look he shot Naruto was knowing, and it was at that point Naruto knew he wouldn't be getting any rest until much later.

Damnit. Though he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

xXx

Two days later, he was finally fully packed and ready to leave the village of Redgold. On the first day after their celebration, he had been strongarmed into staying until the town could prepare a suitable thank-you gift. He hadn't wanted anything at the time, but an offer by the village blacksmith stayed his tongue. He really could do for a proper weapon. The problem was he had no idea what weapon he should have commissioned. The ninjato, which he had been instructed to keep, was useful, but he was still undecided on whether it suited his style. At the very least, it would serve as an excellent backup weapon.

After some heavy thinking, he couldn't help but think back to one of his previous one-time teachers. Asuma Sarutobi had been integral in teaching him how to properly utilize his wind affinity. The man had wielded a pair of chakra blades in the form of trench knives. Something that Naruto found, in his humble opinion, pretty badass. If he could utilize weapons such as those, they could undoubtedly enhance his fighting style. At the end of the day, he would always be a close-quarters fighter, so it was better to find a weapon that complemented that style instead of adopting an entirely different weapon that would force him out of what he knew best.

He described the designs as best as he could remember, even providing a crude drawing on a paper napkin. The blacksmith almost seemed disappointed, as if he had been expecting something more complex. Whatever, it wasn't his call.

It was also later that same day, when he had been struggling to change the bandages on his hand, that he was approached by Garett. The man seemed confused about why he still needed a bandage and questioned why his 'aura' had not yet healed it.

Naruto could not have hoped to pretend to know what aura was, much to the older man's annoyance. It seemed the former huntsman had grown tired of being surprised about his ignorance and resorted to quiet acceptance. Bless that man because Naruto certainly wasn't planning on explaining anything, and he wasn't in the mood for making up any lies.

After briefly explaining the intricacies of aura and its theory, the man insisted on unlocking Naruto's own. He had almost turned the offer down, expressing concern that he may not have one. What went unsaid was his concern that the man would be able to detect his chakra, damaged as it was. Or worse, Kurama.

As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about, as the older man guaranteed that every living being had an aura. With no other reason to decline, his aura had been unlocked with little fanfare. There had been no comment about his chakra nor anything that lay beneath.

Initially, Naruto had been excited after his aura's successful unlocking. It seemed an excellent way to compensate for his crippled chakra network. By the sound of things, aura could do some pretty amazing things that chakra couldn't. An invisible shield, rapid recovery, and what amounted to a random Kekkei Genkai were nothing to scoff at. That excitement had been dashed relatively quickly as, much to Naruto's annoyance, the man had commented that his aura was noticeably underwhelming. He'd been assured that this was natural, as one's aura was intended to grow in tune with the user's development. In that sense, it was similar to a shinobi's chakra network. As most aura users had their own unlocked from a young age, Naruto had much 'catching up' to do. Whatever. It only meant that he had more potential to fill in. And he had always been a hard worker.

He spent the rest of the day acclimatizing to his newfound power and what little time he had left with Olive. The child had been glued to his hip since the night of the attack. She wouldn't admit it, but she'd grown fond of him. She showed it in the only way she knew how, by teasing him.

It was about as effective as a child teasing an adult could be. Which, in this case, was pretty damn effective considering it was Olive.

As he approached the looming gate for what may have been the last time, he felt a slight tug at the side of his pants. He looked down at Olive, noticing the downtrodden expression on her face. "Promise you'll come to visit?" She pleaded.

Naruto could feel her father's eyes on the back of his head, his one-time advice fresh in his mind. Naruto struggled with how to respond. "I promise I'll try," he eventually settled on. It wasn't the same, and they both knew it, but it would have to do for now.

When they reached the gates, they were wide open, allowing easy passage in and out of the village.

"Alright. Take care of yourself out there," Garett said while handing Naruto a small scrap of paper. "When you get to Vale, get yourself a scroll, ok? That's my contact information." He also had the headache of explaining to Naruto what a scroll was and how it worked. He almost had an aneurysm when he asked if Naruto had a scroll and was rewarded with the question, "need me to write something down?" Unfortunately, the technology, which had baffled Naruto, was a rare commodity so far away from the larger cities.

"You got it, old man!"

With a wave of his hand and a ruffling of Olive's hair, Naruto set off on his journey to Vale.

xXx

A/N: There it is. First of all, let me know your thoughts on chapter length. As I'm sure you noticed, there were several moments I could have split this into multiple smaller chapters, but in this instance, I really wanted to get through the initial introduction. There will be one more long chapter before the start of Beacon or a few smaller ones based on the feedback. The thing is, this chapter was never supposed to be this long, but once I started writing, it was difficult to stop. Let me know if I should cut out some of the more superfluous stuff in the future. Also, let me know what you think of the fight scenes. I've literally never written combat before, so all I have to work with are from what I've read throughout my years. And yes, I know I've absolutely gutted Naruto. That's intentional. There's an explanation for how this happened later in the story. He won't be godlike or even overpowered, but he'll be strong. He'll have overpowered aspects, but they'll always come at a heavy price. Also, yes, it'll be a Naruto x Weiss pairing because I'm a sucker for a tsundere. No harem, it's not my cup of tea.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this so far. Updates will come out when they come out. I'll be aiming for a maximum wait time of one month per chapter, but if it gets finished before that, I'll put it out right away. This chapter was written in about two and a half days, so take that for what it's worth.

Until next time~

There's a poll for Naruto's semblance on my profile that was posted as of 2023/04/24