Nijima was typing furiously on his computer, his excitement growing with every word. The potential for a sensational story was right at his fingertips. He knew that uncovering more about Jaune Arc and his sudden rise to prominence would be a game-changer for him and his newspaper.

With a mischievous smirk, Nijima began brainstorming ways to gather information about Jaune. He knew he had already shared some basic details, but he needed something more substantial to satisfy Ragnorak's appetite for knowledge. He could approach Jaune directly, engage him in conversation, and subtly extract valuable tidbits about his background and skills without the boy knowing.

As he continued to ponder his plan, Nijima couldn't help but feel a sense of intrigue and excitement about Jaune's abilities. The fact that a newcomer could defeat the karate club captain indicated that there was something extraordinary about Jaune. This was the kind of story that could capture the public's attention and boost his own reputation as an info broker.

With a devious chuckle, Nijima envisioned the success that awaited him if he played his cards right. He knew that seizing this opportunity could propel him to the top of the school's hierarchy, and he was determined to make it happen. The anticipation of what lay ahead only fueled his laughter.

"NYehehehehe!" Nijima cackled, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he continued to write his latest article, eager to uncover the secrets behind Jaune Arc's sudden appearance.


Jaune sneezed as he walked to school, it was his second day, and he was excited. Even if yesterday had ended on an exciting note, he was confident it was a one-off situation.

"Oh, I forgot to mention i joined the gymnastics club," Miu said. Jaune briefly wondered why she had changed her appearance for the class.

"That's cool; I'm sure you'll do great, Miu," June said, smiling at her enthusiasm. She was a bubbly girl, and it was hard not to be in a good mood when she got excited about something. However, their peaceful morning was interrupted as they both heard a crackly unfamiliar voice screaming into a megaphone.

"extra extra Tsukuba captain of the KArate club vanquished by JAune Arc!"

Nijima's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he spotted Jaune, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and walked right up to Jaune, acknowledging his newfound celebrity status. "Ah, the man of the hour himself! Not even here for a full week, and already a celebrity," he remarked, his voice tinged with wicked glee.

Jaune, however, could have appreciated this kid's involvement more. With a hint of frustration, Jaune expressed his disapproval. "Yeah, no thanks to you. Why are you even allowed to publish news about students fighting?"

"eh, the teachers don't care much about what I write so long as I keep it pg 13," he said, seemingly unfazed by Jaune's discontent. However, he quickly changed his tone, his voice expressing urgency. "Ah, but I'd suggest you hide," he warned, pushing Jaune behind a tree to conceal him from view.

As he did so, nijima leaned against the tree as a trio of boys walked through the school's main gate.

"Be careful to stay out of sight. Those three are with Ragnorack." the alien-looking student said as he pulled out his scroll. "id be happy to share what I know about them if you share some secrets of your own."

"...what do you want to know?" jaune asked cautiously. He had been getting a weird vibe from this guy; it was like walking through a graveyard at night. It just felt like this cold, gross feeling going up your spine.

""Nothing too hard for you to let go of. How long have you been studying martial arts, and what are you studying." Nijima asked, ready to write everything down. Jaune didn't see the harm in telling him, "For a few months now, I have been studying several martial arts, karate, judo, Kenpo, and may tai."

Nijima expression said it all to jaune he could tell the boy was skeptic, finding it hard to believe that Jaune defeated Tsukuba with just a few months of training. Understanding the doubt, Jaune replied with a bit of annoyance "Hey, it doesn't matter if you believe it. I did what I had to do. Now, are you going to tell me about them or not?"

Nijima hummed thoughtfully before shrugging, providing a brief overview. "Ragnorak is considered the strongest gang in the district. They have a multitude of delinquents under their banner. The three you saw are one of their most formidable teams. That one on end is Ukita the thrower; he was expelled from the judo club for being too violent in his matches and even sent his instructor to the hospital once; then there is Takeda the puncher; his right jabs are soo quick he never even uses his left arm when he's fighting, and finally, Koga, the kicker... that's about as much as ill tell you with what you provided me." he placed a hand on jaunes shoulder and smiled wickedly "ah but what the heck im sure well be great friends. So tell you what, ill keep them off your tail a bit. Just keep me in the loop of any fights you get into. This is the kinda drama the people want to read about."

Jaune was about to protest before he saw Takeda toss one of the papers into the air and obliterate it in a single punch. Jaune knew he would be in trouble if he got hit by that punch. There was only one thing to do.

Jaune stayed hidden behind the tree as the delinquents entered the school building. His plan was simple. Hide until he was strong enough to fight. It wasn't cowardly. It was a sound strategy utilized through the centuries. You only went head-to-head with a stronger opponent like that if absolutely necessary.

And so Jaune spent his day dodging Ragnorok as they came looking for him. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stay out of fights today. It wasn't just Ragnorok who was after him; many smaller gangs and delinquents were also after him now.

He was shocked at how easily he was fighting these guys, though; maybe it was because he was constantly training with and sparring against the masters and Miu; they seemed to be in a league all their own. That could be why he was improving so much; maybe he was better at this than he thought. If anything, this was fueling his faith in them. He was only scratching the surface of what he could accomplish with their training. He bet he could get strong enough to face Ragnorok soon if he stayed out of trouble.

Jaune and Miu spent the week trying to dodge the gangs of delinquents, and before Jaune realized it, the weekend was already here.


Meanwhile in Somewhere in Mistral

It had been a week since Qrow left Signal to look into Jaune Arcs Disappearance, and he decided to start his search in Mistral. Qrow had a lot of contacts there and was confident in their ability to get the information he needed.

Qrow entered the bar, the familiar sights and sounds of a bustling establishment washing over him. It was like an animal walking into its natural environment. For Qrow, he felt more at ease in a sleazy bar with an overpriced drink in his hand than anywhere else. These kinds of places made most people uncomfortable, but not him. He naturally slid into an empty bar stool like a regular and waited for his informant. If the kid passed through town, even if it was a transfer on a bullhead. He knows.

It took only a short time for the man in question to slide onto the barstool next to him; he always made it a point to make their exchanges quick and discrete. He was a middle-aged man, still in his janitor's uniform, his hair a greasy mess.

"here's everything I know. The kid was in town one night; he stayed at the inn down the road and caught the first bullhead heading east. I'm not sure how far he's heading, but it looks like he got to the easter coast of Mistral, a small city called Gemini." The janitor said as they slid the small file over to Qrow. It was barely 2 pages long. The kid only talked to a few people while he was here and only mentioned a little about where he was heading.

Qrow had to admit the kid was pretty good at covering his tracks. Paid in hard cash, used a different name, and ensured the minimum number of people saw him. He would make a half-decent spy if he had some polish.

The real problem is he was heading east; tracking the kid down there would only be more burdensome. The east of Mistral had one or two significant settlements. one of them being Gemini City. It wasn't just a small city; Qrow knew that Gemini City was a crucial transport hub, offering various means of travel such as trains, ships, bullheads, and caravans. Its diverse transportation options meant that someone like Jaune could quickly disappear if he chose a less traceable method of travel. The city's bustling nature and many routes would make it a challenging place to track down a specific individual.

"the kid is not making this easy," Qrow muttered, sipping his glass of whisky before he slid over the payment to his informant. he did good work, it might not have seemed like much, but it narrowed down his search significantly. And it meant he was heading in the wrong direction. Qrow thought the kid might have been running to Argos to train at sanctum academy. It made the most sense; they had a program that let refugees enroll if they showed the aptitude for being a huntsman. A lonely haggard boy coming out of the wild could easily claim to be a refugee and register. Of course, it wasn't for free; students in the program often had to accumulate a decent debt for the service and had to work part-time at the campus where they lived.

But the kid was heading there, or at least he wasn't heading straight. It was always possible Jaune was trying to go a long way around to make his story more believable.

And here, Qrow thought that this was gonna be an easy mission.


Ryozanpaku 4:00 pm Friday.

Jaune winced as he felt the contraption tighten around him, securing his limbs in place. He had always admired his master Akisame's dedication to training, but this contraption seemed like it might be pushing the boundaries a bit too far. He knew his masters wanted to up his training since he would soon fight more vigorous opponents, but Jaune wasn't expecting to be pushed into this weird wooden contraption. It was easy enough to get into. Jaune just laid down and spread his limbs along the wooden beams, then they were strapped down with several soft straps.

"Are you sure about this, Master Akisame?" Jaune asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. This was different from how he wanted to spend his weekend. "48 hours seems like an awfully long time to be in this contraption."

Akisame gave Jaune an encouraging smile as he secured the boy down, ensuring he couldn't escape on his own "I understand your concern, Jaune, but I've calculated the optimal time required for maximum flexibility gains. Trust me, the results will be worth it."

"i-i am not doubting you, but this seems a bit much."

"Jaune, one of the most important elements in martial arts is flexibility. And quite frankly, I've seen wooden planks with better flexibility than you." jaune winced at how bluntly his master had put it, but he couldn't deny it. "just relax time will fly before you know it and Apachai even offered to ready while your doing this."

"Apachai will do all the reading while Jaune is trapped in a torture device," Apachai said happily. The gentle giant held a manga in his hand. Jaune always found it amazing how a man as strong as Apachai could be so kind. "you tell Apachai when he can turn the page. This is one of the Apachai's favorites, so I know Jaune will like it too."

"thank you, apache-AI!" he yelped as Akisame applied minimal force on the bars, already putting Jaune at his current limit of flexibility.

"Shigure, do you mind taking over for me? I need to finish up some chores. just keep applying gentle pressure whenever he looks like he's getting too comfortable." Akisame said. Shigure nodded as she sat behind Jaune. As. She gripped the handles by his arms and pushed her large breasts against his back. It was incredibly soft, making the young boy self-conscious as his cheeks went rosy pink.

"Oh, and if it does become unbearable, just say," Jaune groaned as Akisame seemed to say the safe word purposefully low so Jaune couldn't hear it."

"w_wait, I didn't hear you!" jaune shouted before Akisame laughed and left the dojo. Jaune wanted to curse him badly but was far too uncomfortable to try.

"Ghraaaahhhh!" jaune yelled in discomfort as he felt his joints burning. He had to endure the entire weekend like this!?

Apachai did his best to encourage Jaune and held the manga for him. what jaunted didn't know was that this was so Akisame could make and test the battle doll Shigure had requested his assistance with. As the day passed, Shigure took turns with Miu as they switched every couple of hours. Jaune, for his part, could only groan and try to appreciate Apachais's attempt to entertain and distract Jaune through the afternoon. It was hard for Jaune to always follow the story as he was distracted by his body spreading and bending in ways they had yet to before. But he appreciated the gesture all the same.

"That's it, jaune; hang in there. Dinner is almost ready. Apache will also help feed you."

During that gruesome 48 hours, Akisame spent it alone in his workshop, occasionally joined by Shigure as she helped him with the battle doll.

Akisame focused on the ancient diagrams that Shigure had provided him. He understood her challenge in sparring with Jaune; Shigure was just at too advanced a level, making it pointless for a novice like Jaune to learn anything from it. To ensure Jaune's training continued without compromising his well-being, Akisame and Shigure took it upon themselves to create a more suitable sparring partner.

With steady hands and a meticulous approach, Akisame began carving out wooden limbs, carefully shaping them to fit the specifications outlined in the diagrams. He understood the importance of precision, knowing that the automaton's effectiveness relied on its construction's accuracy.

Once the limbs were complete, Akisame skillfully connected them to the internal mechanism. The mechanism is designed to mimic a martial artist's movements using a combination of ancient engineering principles and modern craftsmanship. It allowed the battle Doll to spar with an opponent, providing a challenging training experience.

Akisame's attention then turned to the iron dials nestled within the neck of the Battle Doll. These dials served a crucial purpose, enabling the adjustment of the fighting style and the intensity of the automaton's attacks. Akisame could modify the settings by turning the dials to suit Jaune's training needs, ensuring a progressive and tailored experience.

With each turn of the dials, the automaton's fighting style could change from fluid and graceful to aggressive and relentless. The intensity of its attacks could also be adjusted, offering varying degrees of challenge to help Jaune improve his skills and reflexes.

Akisame's hands moved deftly as he made the final adjustments, ensuring the automaton was ready for Jaune's training session. He felt satisfied, knowing he had contributed to Jaune's growth by providing a more challenging sparring partner.

As he stepped back to admire his creation, Akisame couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction towards Shigure for her insight and understanding. She had to find the proper way to train her disciple. If he was going to be completely honest, he was worried she wouldn't find a good solution. Jaune was her very first disciple, after all.

However, her resourcefulness and determination had pleasantly surprised him. Creating the battle doll as a sparring partner for Jaune showcased her understanding of his training needs and her ability to think outside the box. It was a testament to Shigure's commitment as a mentor and her unwavering support for Jaune's growth.

He couldn't help but acknowledge the influence Jaune had on Shigure. While she might not openly admit it, the presence of Jaune in her life had brought about a transformation. His earnestness, determination, and willingness to push himself had kindled a fire within her, sparking her growth and motivating her to seek creative solutions. She even appeared around the dojo more often and ate with the group no instead of alone in the rafters with Tochimaru.

Their relationship had become symbiotic, where they both supported and influenced each other in their respective journeys. Akisame smiled as he recognized Jaune's impact on her, helping her evolve as a mentor and martial artist.

The thought put the judo masters' minds at ease and reaffirmed their decision to accept Jaune into their dojo and take him under their wings.

In martial arts, the relationship between a teacher and a disciple is not a one-way street. While the teacher imparts knowledge and guides the student, the student, in turn, can bring new perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for the teacher to learn and grow.

Akisame firmly believed that a good disciple had the potential to teach the teacher just as much as the teacher taught the disciple. Jaune's presence and unwavering dedication to his training pushed Shigure to think differently, find innovative solutions, and evolve as a mentor and martial artist.

With a final click, Akisame placed the porcelain mask onto the battle doll. It was ready.

"Akisame!" miu yelled from the dojo. The judo master stood up, walked out of his workshop, and looked at the scene before him with mild amusement. It was Sunday evening, and true to his word Jaune had spent the entire weekend on the stretcher. The boy in question was deliriously wiggling in the air.

"Look, Apachai, I'm like an eel"

"Ahhh JAune, a body shouldn't be moving like that; you got way too flexible!" apache yelled as he wiggled similarly to Jaune.

"whoa~" jaune laughed

"is jaune ok?"

"he's fine; now, so long as he keeps stretching properly, he shouldn't have to worry about being so stiff.. hell be able to unleash far more of his strength now without sacrificing speed."

"yeah, but he seems... delirious."

"ahh, it's nothing a refreshing bath can't fix." akisame dismissed mius concern before grabbing Jaune by the back of his collar. The boy had earned his rest, and despite his vocal protest, he completed a practical step in his training.

Besides, Akisame wanted Jaune at his peak for the battle doll. Even he was curious to see how effective it would be for Jaune as a sparring partner.


Hello everyone, thank you all for the support on my comeback, it means alot that so many have come back to the story after so long, i had alot of fun writing this chapter and the next one is already well on its way. so you guys might be a little spoiled this month and get 2 maybe 3 chapters.

Anyways i hope you all enjoyed this chapter. its been alot of fun writing again and im starting to get back into the flow of things. i dont have much else to add so i think that it for now.

Until next time.

~later Days

-Wiseotaku.