A/N: Everyone! Look at the new cover art I got done for the story! I asked my fiancée to draw something that included Weiss and Naruto, and this is what she made. It's simple, but I literally laughed for 10 minutes before updating it, so a massive shout-out to her.
Anyway, here's chapter 15. Writing this was a good time. If anyone's interested, I posted a NarutoxOverlord story last week. It's what I've been working on every now and again when I have writer's block on this end. Don't worry; it won't have any effect on this story's progress. The other story doesn't have an update schedule. I might post more chapters for it if people like it, but this story takes priority.
Also, thank you to the anonymous reviewer who brought to my attention a spam review left on the first chapter. It was advertising some pretty disgusting stuff. I probably wouldn't have found it for a long time if it hadn't been for you. Please let me know if you see a review that's clearly spam so I can remove it promptly. I don't tolerate that shit.
xXx
"I seriously can't believe you took part in that!" Naruto shouted in exasperation. He was greeted by the steady pitter-patter of falling water. "It's just so unlike you!" He called.
No response.
"Yup!" he chirped. "Completely out of character! Rebellious! Scandalous!"
At the blond's continued ramblings, the distinctive sound of a shower turning off could be heard. A mischievous grin spread across the shinobi's face.
"Looks like my little snowflake has entered her rebellious phase. I'm so proud!"
The bathroom door, which had been sealed until now, cracked open an inch. A surprisingly loud growl sounded from behind the wooden barricade. "Do you ever shut up?"
Naruto cackled in response. How could he not? A food fight? Seriously? It had been 30 minutes since Weiss had knocked on his door and subsequently commandeered his shower. Imagine his surprise when he answered the door and found the diminutive girl absolutely caked in various foodstuffs. Ketchup. Mustard. Jell-O. Hell, it looked like someone had crushed and sprinkled an entire loaf of bread into her hair.
"This is your fault!" Weiss snapped. She followed up the accusation by poking her arm out the door and angrily shaking her fist.
Cute.
Also...
"And how, my little snowflake, is this my fault?" Naruto questioned with a raised brow.
The blond heard shuffling on the other side of the door. After several seconds, he began to wonder what she was doing. It only now dawned on him that the ashen-haired girl had no clean clothes. Except maybe her underwear? Even still, that ketchup had gotten into her outfit pretty deep.
Wait, was he about to witness Weiss in her underwear? His heart began to hammer wildly in his chest. Surely not, right? More than likely, she was wrapping herself in a towel. Hmm. That still meant Weiss in a towel...
Whatever he had been expecting, he was sorely unprepared for the grand reveal of his sort of girlfriend wearing nothing but one of his oversized shirts.
When the hell had she grabbed that?
Whatever. That didn't matter at this point. What mattered was that he was witness to Weiss in one of his oversized shirts. Also, her long white hair was down and still slightly wet. Damn. The thought alone was enough to paralyze. The actual sight was nearly enough to flatline him. If his heartbeat had been hammering before, it was positively thunderous now.
The girl herself donned a bright blush, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment, it was difficult to tell. Her scowl certainly made it hard to decipher.
"You weren't there!" She shouted with an accusatory finger. "If you had come with us to the cafeteria, we would have easily won that food fight!"
"Wait, I thought you said you won?" Naruto asked, hands raised in surrender.
The girl paused. "W-Well yes, but," she stammered. "If you had joined us, I wouldn't have been subjugated to Nora's malicious whims! Just look at my outfit! It's ruined!" the heiress cried.
Naruto's eyes remained locked on her petite frame. He had a lot of questions right now. Why did his shirt look better on her than it did on him? Despite being so short, why did her shapely legs appear so long?
"I don't know," he muttered. "I think your outfit looks great."
Weiss' blush instantly darkened. Uh-oh. He really should be more mindful of his words. Any redder, and it might prove fatal to the girl.
"You are... such a pervert!" The ashen-haired beauty cried.
Naruto schooled his features. Despite her words, he didn't actually detect any malice in them. In fact, she almost seemed... pleased?
Besides, she was the one who forgot to bring a spare change of clothes, not him.
"You're a degenerate. A reprobate. A profligate," the huntress-in-training continued to list off.
Oh yeah. She was definitely pleased. Naruto knew as much the moment she began citing words he didn't understand.
"S-Sorry," the blond replied while struggling to suppress his laugh. "But how could I not stare when my little snowflake is standing there like that. It's kind of every guy's dream, ya know?"
Weiss shook her head in mock annoyance. "Quit calling me that," she scoffed. "At least while I'm mad at you."
It took a hell of a lot of willpower to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Weiss didn't like it when he rolled his eyes at her. The reason he wanted to roll his eyes? She totally wasn't mad at him.
"What? My little snowflake?" He asked while taking a single step forward.
The girl chose not to acknowledge, simply crossing her arms in reply.
"But you are a snowflake. Complex. Cold. Beautiful."
Another step closer. If the girl noticed his slow approach, which she surely did, she chose not to comment. Instead, she released a deep breath of air.
"And you are kind of little. Which I love, by the way. There's nothing better than seeing you kick the butts of people twice your size."
Another step. He was pretty damn close to her now. Weiss matched his gaze, and her lips twitched. What started out as a frown slowly morphed into a wry smile.
"And... you are mine, aren't you?" He asked tentatively.
One final step, and he was in front of her. If he took another, he'd bump into her. Weiss craned her neck up to continue holding his stare. She sighed while rolling her icy eyes.
Finally, she spoke. "That silver tongue will undoubtedly get you into trouble one day."
Naruto raised a brow. "As for today?" He asked.
Weiss hummed thoughtfully. Instead of words, she reached up, grabbed him by the front of his collar, and pulled him into a deep kiss. Naruto smiled into her lips. Several weeks and countless kisses later, each embrace felt exactly like the first. Passionate and fleeting. Fierce and calm. Hot and cold. Each individual kiss was exactly what it needed to be.
Seconds or minutes, it was impossible to tell. But when the two finally broke apart, Weiss graced him with a beautiful smile. Then, she took several small steps backwards and quickly returned to her pile of food-riddled clothing. After digging through the pockets of her bolero, she made a satisfied nose as she extracted her surprisingly clean scroll.
The shinobi tilted his head as he watched her skitter about. His eyebrows rose into his hairline as she crawled under the covers of his bed.
"Whatcha doing?" He asked in a singsong voice.
Weiss raised her scroll into the air. "We're having a movie night. Just us," she smiled.
Naruto hummed as he made his way to join her. "It's like... five o'clock."
"What's your point?" The white-haired girl asked plainly.
The blond shrugged, then began climbing into bed. He didn't really have a point. Aside from the fact that movie night would be pretty damn long. Not that he was complaining.
"Good. Now tell me," Weiss instructed. "What's your favourite movie?"
Another shrug. "I... don't have one?" Came his half answer half question. "Haven't had the time to watch any in the few months I've been here."
White hair bobbed up and down. "I figured as much. Luckily, I've picked out several I believe you'll enjoy."
Oh? How thoughtful of her.
Wait.
"Was this your plan from the beginning?" The blond asked amusedly.
"Of course," the pale girl nodded as she shifted in his arms, steadily assuming the role of little spoon.
So shameless.
As the first movie's opening credits began to play, a burning curiosity began to eat away at the blond.
"Hey, Weiss," he prompted. At her wordless hum, he continued. "I was wondering. I know we're dating, but are we in an official relationship? Can I call you my girlfriend?" The question was a long time coming.
After a long pause, the girl snorted in amusement.
Naruto frowned.
"Yes to both of your questions, you dork."
He wanted to complain. How was he supposed to know? She was the one who said dating didn't necessarily mean the same thing as being in a relationship! No one told him when they became official-official. Were the girlfriend and boyfriend titles something automatically bestowed? He never properly asked. Was he supposed to?
Whatever.
What little frustration was there quickly faded as a newer, fascinating thought dominated his mind.
He had a girlfriend now.
xXx
"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels."
Ozpin glanced at his fellow Professor from the corner of his eye. She did not sound pleased. Averting his eyes back to the floor-to-ceiling window, the Headmaster tracked several more military transports tear through the sky in a thunderous roar. He suppressed a frown.
"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man," the silver-haired man replied. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore," he admitted.
A dull beeping noise sounded from a console behind them. The man in green turned to face his desk and eyed the blaring notification.
Speak of the devil.
"Come in!" Ozpin called.
Immediately, the elevator snapped open in response, revealing the man in question. Out stepped James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, as well as a well-respected General in the Kingdom's military. Ozpin slowly strode towards the man as he was addressed.
"Ozpin!" James called with a nostalgic smile.
"Hello, General," came the much older man's professional greeting.
"Please," the white-clad man said with a wave of his gloved hand. "Drop the formalities."
They met in the middle of the room with outstretched hands and warm smiles. It was difficult to describe, but having the General around was as much of a comfort as it was a concern. The dependability was appreciated, in a way, especially considering what was likely to happen within the next month. He just wished Ironwood wasn't so damned obvious about everything. There really was no subtlety to the man. No matter how many conversations they had about how an increased military presence could be just as dangerous as no military presence, the man simply couldn't, or refused, to grasp the concept.
The two briefly exchanged pleasantries. Pretty standard stuff, all things considered. Glynda's reaction to his presence was about as amusing as always. It was a well-spoken secret that the good General still held a candle for the woman. After excusing herself from the room, which earned an exasperated response from Ironwood, Ozpin quickly turned back to his desk. One part to pour each of them a cup of coffee, the other part to conceal his smile.
"So," Ozpin began, "What in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas? Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival."
Of course, Ozpin knew precisely why the man was here. At least, he knew one primary reason. And he could probably guess the other reason as well.
"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." The military man replied.
Ozpin would have rolled his eyes at the blatant lie in another life. James hated Vale this time of year. 'Too hot,' he'd always said.
"Besides," the General continued, "With you hosting? I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to... catch up."
Ozpin nodded wryly. Catch up, huh?
The general pouring his favourite whiskey into his coffee made it clear what kind of catching up they'd be doing.
"Yes," the bespectacled Professor prompted. "I believe we have much to catch up on." He then took a deep pull from his mug.
Ironwood mimicked the man, downing his cup's contents in a single go. He must have quite the tolerance.
After a moment of awkward silence, Ironwood shook his head. "Oz..." He muttered. "Who the hell's the kid?"
Beacon's Headmaster was impressed. There was almost no hesitation upon diving into the topic. Looks like there'd be hardly any beating around the bush tonight. It was almost relieving in a way.
Then again...
"You'll have to be much more precise, James. I'm the Headmaster of an entire academy. I deal with many children on a regular basis."
The Atlas native groaned. "Oh, not this again. Cut the crap Oz, you know who I'm talking about." Despite the complaint, there was no actual irritation in the man's voice. Instead, he almost seemed amused. Exasperated at worst.
At Ozpin's raised brow, James sighed in resignation.
"Blond hair? Distinctive whisker marks? Throwing around magic? Ring any bells?"
The gray-haired man nodded with a satisfied smile. He just wanted to make the man spell it out, considering the crap he was about to catch from him.
"Ah, Mr. Uzumaki, yes. He's quite extraordinary, wouldn't you say?"
Ironwood crossed his arms, clearly not impressed.
"Before we get into it," the Vale native prompted. "You seem to be somewhat familiar with his abilities. I find that strange as I do not believe he displayed enough of them at the docks for Miss Polendina to send a proper report."
Ironwood's eyes widened at the mention of Penny. And why wouldn't he be surprised? Ozpin wasn't supposed to know about the artificial lifeform. Yet. Ironwood schooled his features, then laughed lightly.
"The answer to that is your school's cybersecurity. It's a joke," the General taunted lightly.
The green-clad Headmaster nodded to himself. That was about what he had expected. If the General had access to all the security footage regarding Naruto's skills, it might make explaining things easier in the long run.
"I assume that means Atlas' cybersecurity is top of the line?" Ozpin asked with a chuckle.
Ironwood nodded. "Of course. Practically impenetrable," he said confidently.
"I'll hold you to that, General."
Ozpin poured himself another mug of coffee, taking advantage of the time it bought him. This was perhaps his favourite thing about the General. The back and forth. The teasing and the taunting. Ironwood truly was Atlas' best hope, so long as he could be guided appropriately.
Ozpin shrugged lightly as the General declined another cup.
"By the way," the Professor continued. "He's not using magic."
After all, magic didn't exist. Not really.
Confusion blossomed across the General's face. "I-I... What? You're saying all that was part of his semblance?"
With a shake of his head, the bespectacled man began to pace the room. "It's not that either."
This was it, wasn't it? The first step to the culmination of all his plans. A thousand lifetimes had led to this moment. Not even Glynda or Amber knew this much, although they both would soon enough.
"Then what the hell was it? What's going on Ozpin? And most importantly, is he a threat?"
Beacon's Headmaster stopped his pacing and adjusted his glasses. "No. He's not a threat. Nothing could be further from the truth."
With that clarification out of the way, he began explaining to the General. He told him everything he knew.
xXx
Naruto peered over Weiss' shoulder, thoroughly examining the girl's hand of cards. He reached over and flipped the one that was upside down, earning him a dejected whine from his girlfriend.
"You should be sitting here, not me," she whispered harshly.
"Oh, hell no," Yang snapped in response, clearly overhearing her white-clad teammate. "Naruto's banned from anything that even remotely incorporates chance."
"Isn't this a strategy game?" Weiss asked with a frown.
"With how you're playing, I'm surprised you know that. But this game requires you to draw resource and action cards! That involves more than enough luck for him to take advantage of!" Yang shouted with an angry scowl.
Naruto frowned in response. He didn't 'take advantage' of luck, did he? Surely not.
All the while, Ruby was positively vibrating while she devised her next move, which culminated in an explosive declaration. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your Kingdom for battle!"
Forgetting her previous annoyance, Yang immediately grinned at the newly issued challenge. "Bring it on!" She barked with an excited fist pump.
From there, the two sisters engaged in a thrilling bout of what Naruto had since learned was showmanship. But not just any showmanship. No, this was showmanship on a level previously never seen before. Forget the Chunin Exams. Forget mascara-wearing gangsters. Forget the up-and-coming Vytal Festival. This was true art.
As the two really began to get into it, Naruto kept his eyes on Weiss. The look on her face was... hilarious, to put it mildly. He couldn't remember the last time she looked so put off. Being who she was, life demanded perfection from her. Or as close to it as she could achieve. As such, she often found herself excelling in many fields.
Recreational board games did not appear to be one of them.
"Naruto," the ashen-haired girl quietly whispered. "What do I do?"
The blond suppressed a grin. Truthfully, he hadn't been paying attention to the game thus far; his eyes had mainly been on his girlfriend. But he supposed helping her out wouldn't be the worst idea.
Naruto panned his vision across the game board. It took several seconds for him to realize he didn't actually know how to play. Huh. This might take a minute or two.
And a minute or two was roughly what he had to work with, given how in-depth Ruby and Yang were battling it out.
...
"Well, Weiss, it's your turn," Yang chirped happily. Naruto eyed Ruby as she muttered dejectedly, head heavy on the table. Seems the older sibling had won their little skirmish.
Wiess blinked lamely while staring at her cards. "I have... absolutely no idea what's going on."
Yang grinned in response. She quickly leaned in while stating, "Look, it's easy —"
"— That's close enough!" Naruto barked loudly, earning him a displeased shush from somewhere behind him. "You keep your grubby mitts off her cards. I've got this."
Yang frowned at him skeptically. "You're not allowed to play, remember?"
"Okay," he agreed, "But no one said anything about me being unable to help! Besides, I have no idea what's going on either," the blond rebutted.
"Then what makes you think you can help?" Yang questioned.
Now, wasn't that the question he'd been waiting for? Naruto pointed to the pile of community cards at the centre of the board.
"Oh no," Yang frowned.
"Yeah," Naruto replied cheekily.
"What's going on? I don't understand," Weiss asked suddenly.
Ignoring the girl, Yang continued to frown. "You better not," she warmed.
Naruto smiled toothily. "You know I will."
Weiss scowled. "Would you two please tell me what's going on?"
The shinobi placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You get to draw a card from your deck, Weiss. May I have the honour?"
"No!" Yang cried. "Absolutely not! Get your hands away from her cards."
"Oh, relax, sis." Ruby tried to placate her sibling. "They're not even Naruto's cards; I doubt his drawing one will make a difference."
Yang was clearly still uncomfortable with the idea.
That alone gave the dimensional traveller an idea of his own. "All right," he said, hands raised as if in surrender. "I won't touch her cards. But let it be known that Weiss Schnee draws her next card with all the authority that comes with the name Naruto Uzumaki."
There was silence after his declaration. Yang seemed to be a mixture of confusion and concern. Ruby was watching the deck of cards expectantly as if they would suddenly rearrange themselves. Weiss simply sighed in exasperation. Clearly, she wasn't appreciating his good name. Blake was there also.
"Well," Naruto gestured to his girlfriend, then to her deck.
The heiress shook her head, then drew her card. She handed the piece of paper to the blond without looking. Naruto examined it in detail.
Hmm. Yes. Interesting.
The blond handed the card to Ruby. "I don't know what this does," he stated simply.
Ruby, ever the neutral party, took the card into her hands and began reading. She hummed in surprise, then glanced at Weiss' pieces on the board. After performing several calculations in her head, her face scrunched up, and she began to hem and haw.
"Well?" Yang questioned, a thin sheen of sweat forming across her brow.
"I, uh. I think Weiss wins," came Ruby's apologetic reply.
...
"What?" Yang, Naruto, and Weiss said simultaneously, though each reaction was markedly different.
"N-No way," Yang stuttered. She snatched the card from Ruby's hand and began her own calculations. Every few seconds, she would bring up her own cards with a hopeful expression, only to scowl after a second more.
Naruto shook his head in amazement. He almost felt bad. Almost.
After another full minute, Yang released a pained groan, then threw all the cards in her possession onto the table. "I absolutely cannot believe this," she growled in defeat.
...
"Wait?" Weiss questioned. "I won? Really?" She asked. Without waiting for a response, she began to cackle maniacally. "Of course, I won! That'll teach you to underestimate the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!" The white-clad girl finished her suspiciously evil monologue with a rather stereotypical 'muahaha.'
Naruto blinked in surprise.
Huh.
With a rather loud grunt of annoyance, Yang turned to face her partner. "Sorry, Blake. I know you didn't get to do much. It's Naruto's fault."
The shinobi in question frowned but didn't dispute the point. She was kind of right.
"Huh?" Blake mumbled, clearly distracted. "Oh, uhm... Sorry, what didn't I get to do?"
The other four members of RYBWN frowned in unison.
"Well, we were playing Kingdoms of Remnant, and you were playing as Vale... but Naruto just busted all our balls with his bullshit luck."
The shinobi stuck his tongue out. He resisted every bodily urge to mutter 'skill difference.' That would only piss the girl off further. Yet as he readied himself for a verbal spar with his fellow blond, his thoughts were interrupted by a cool, confident voice that called out:
"Sup losers."
Naruto smiled widely as Sun Wukong wandered up to their table.
"Hey, Sun!" Ruby smiled brightly.
"Ruby, Yang, Blake, Naruto," the faunus nodded at each of them. He paused, then nodded to Weiss. "Ice Queen."
Weiss blinked. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?" she balked. Naruto didn't have it in him to explain why.
"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend," the Vacuo native continued.
Naruto looked the new arrival over. He was a tall, blue-haired teen with tan skin and blue eyes. He wore a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket, dark grey jeans with black padding strapped to the sides of his legs, and black shoes. Black fingerless gloves and yellow-tinted goggles topped off the young man's image, and he carried what appeared to be some sort of collapsable weapon on his back.
Overall, the man painted a handsome image that screamed 'cool guy.'
Naruto liked him.
The teen's eye creased in confusion. "Uh, aren't libraries for reading?" He asked.
"Thank you!" Ren shouted from behind them. Ironically, the usually quiet teen's shout was loud enough to wake his partner up, the ginger-haired girl blearily crying 'pancakes' before blinking in confusion.
"Shut up, don't be a nerd," the monkey faunus chastised his friend.
The blue-haired man frowned, then made a series of displeased noises to correct his friend. "Intellectual, okay? Thank you." He turned back to team RYBWN and offered a small wave. "I'm Neptune," he introduced himself.
Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The bluenette seemed to be staring at her in particular.
...
"So, Neptune. Are you from Vacuo as well?" She asked awkwardly.
The teen grinned. "Sure am," he replied cockily. After a moment, he stepped toward the girl with a calm, relaxed posture. "I don't believe I caught your name, snow angel."
Naruto frowned. He didn't like him.
Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "Uhm," she mumbled uncomfortably. She looked to Naruto, eyes pleading for help.
The blond released a low growl, then swallowed the ugly feeling rising up the back of his throat. Initially, he wasn't going to do anything. The last thing he wanted was to be an overbearing, overprotective boyfriend. But the look in Weiss' eye made him reconsider. She did like to be doted on...
Naruto stood. He probably shouldn't say anything; holding back would be hard. Instead, he loosely draped an arm over Weiss' shoulder; the girl leaned into him on instinct.
"This is Weiss," the shinobi chirped happily. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meetcha!" Despite his minimal effort to keep it out, he was sure there was venom in his tone.
Neptune ran a critical eye over the blond, his vision lingering on the arm resting across Weiss. Alarmingly, a spark of excitement entered his eye, noticeable to all present. This was made evident as Yang muttered a quiet "Uh oh."
Before the teen could really put on the smoulder, a hand dropped heavily onto his far shoulder. It was... Jaune?
"Hey!" The knight shouted excitedly. "I'm Jaune. Good to meet you, man." the taller blond pulled Neptune back. He was both gentle and firm. "Come meet my team! I insist!"
Team RYBWN blinked owlishly.
Huh. Go Jaune.
Naruto made a mental note to pay his friend back. He didn't need the help, but the library wasn't the best place for the pissing contest that would have occurred. Plus, it felt really, really good to have a friend look out for him like that. Necessity notwithstanding.
"Oh boy," Sun muttered. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him later."
Naruto almost didn't want him to.
"Anyway," Sun turned to Blake. "I never took you as the board game-playing type," he said in interest.
"Right," Blake replied weakly. "Well, I think I'm done playing, actually." The cat faunus stood up abruptly. "I'll see you guys later." With that, she was off.
Everyone else present sat awkwardly.
Ah, crap. Naruto knew that tone. He should do something, right? He wanted to do something. Should he go after her? But what about Weiss? Sure, Jaune was keeping Neptune busy, but his leaving the library might reinvigorate the little casanova to try his luck. Not that Weiss couldn't handle herself, but the other boy clearly made her uncomfortable. And like hell was he going to let her suffer that alone. Maybe a clone? No. He couldn't just keep sending Kage Bunshin to help Blake. Once was enough. Any more, and he'd start to feel scummy.
'You know you're not alone, right? You have other teammates.'
Naruto's eyes widened. Oh. He glanced at Yang and was immediately greeted with worried violet eyes. She wasn't looking at him directly; instead, her eyes were darting around, their focus primarily on the direction her partner had left.
Of course.
"Hey, Yang."
Her eyes snapped to him.
"You should go with her. She seems kind of bummed out."
Yang's eyes widened, morphing into a look of realization, then gratitude. She nodded. "Right," she said determinately. She got up to follow, managing a soft "thank you" before departing.
...
"So, uh," Ruby mumbled. "Wanna play Kingdoms of Remnant with us, Sun? Naruto's not allowed to play."
The whiskered teen frowned.
xXx
Returning to the girls' dorm proved to be an amusing affair. Ruby and Weiss were bickering, naturally.
"I simply don't understand why you chose to attack when you did," Weiss sighed in annoyance.
Ruby groaned. "I don't know; I thought you were trying to trick me!"
The ashen-haired girl huffed. "Do you really think that's something I would do? Where's the trust?"
Ruby groaned again. "Apparently not! But how was I supposed to trust you when you've got Naruto whispering in your ear?"
The blond released a short bark of laughter. "I wasn't saying anything. Although, maybe I should have been, considering you guys somehow managed to lose to the new guy despite ganging up on him."
Who'd have thought Sun was a master strategist?
"Hey!" Weiss cried, "I'm new to the game too!"
Ruby sighed as she used her scroll to scan into the room. To which they entered single file, Naruto being the last to enter.
"Yeah, that's fair." The blond admitted. "But what's your excuse, team leader?"
"Yeah, yeah," the scythe-wielder replied, trying to dismiss his barb.
"You know," the shinobi said with a smile, "You really should have more faith in your teammates."
"Okay, I get it!" She cried in exasperation.
Naruto chuckled. It seemed he didn't get to tease the girl nearly enough.
As their banter died down, Naruto's gaze panned across the room. His eyes settled on Blake's bed, where Yang and Blake sat comfortably. The buxom blonde was clearly asleep, as evidenced by her closed eyes and soft snores. Her head was cradled into the crook of her partner's neck.
The faunus, for her part, was awake. Though the bleariness in her amber eyes made it clear that was a recent development.
"D'aww," Ruby cooed. "You guys are adorable."
They kind of were.
Blake's eyes darted down to her sleeping partner, then back up. She smiled a small smile, then shifted just enough to displace the girl, causing Yang to crack an eye open slowly.
The blonde yawned, then rolled to her side. Both girls wordlessly stretched, one slightly more catlike than the other.
Hmm. Cute.
Yang finally addressed the three after rubbing away the sleep from her eyes. "So, how'd the rest of game night go?"
Naruto grinned widely. "Funny thing, that. You wouldn't believe how —"
His words were cut off as Weiss clasped her hand over his mouth, eliciting a soft gunt from him in surprise.
Simultaneously, Ruby laughed loudly, "We don't need to go into details! The important thing is everyone had fun."
Weiss nodded as Naruto shook his head. Huh. Now they decide to work together? How convenient. The Jinchūriki briefly considered doing something to Weiss' hand. A lick or a bite would probably earn him a fun response. In the end, he decided against it. As funny as it would have been, he wasn't looking to earn her ire. Not today, at least. Eventually, he pulled away from his girlfriend with a good-natured chuckle.
Blake seemed to be more or less okay. At least if the slouch of her shoulders was any indication.
"So," Naruto drawled. "Is everything good — are you good?"
It'd be wise of him to check, regardless.
Blake nodded immediately, not bothering to put on an act. "Yeah, I'm good," she answered.
An obnoxious yawn drowned out the room. "Oh, right. About that," said Yang with a sleepy smile. "We've got something to run by the team. You should sit down."
Uh oh. Usually, nothing good ever came from requests like that.
Yang and Blake were already sitting on the latter's bed. Naruto and Weiss found purchase on the bottom bunk across them — Weiss' bed. They climbed over the covers, each finding a comfortable position. Seeing the two bottom bunks full, Ruby sighed softly and plopped herself onto the ground between the two beds.
"Okay, so," Yang began. "Blake and I were talking, and we want to do something about what's going on in Vale."
"Is this about Torchwick?" Ruby asked while rubbing her chin in thought.
Blake nodded in response. "Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it," she confirmed. "I just don't understand how everyone can be so calm. Something big is happening, and no one is doing anything about it." Ruby nodded demurely at their teammate. The concern in Blake's voice was palpable. "I know Ozpin said the police and huntsmen will handle it, but I'm not confident in that. They don't know the White Fang like I do."
Naruto released a sigh. There was truth to Blake's words, and he himself felt uneasy about the whole situation. Ozpin was a man who said a lot of things. What was followed through with was another thing entirely.
Weiss glanced between everyone in the room. Upon seeing the looks of indecision and concern, she sighed. "You may, in fact, know more about the White Fang," she said while locking eyes with Blake. "But what exactly are you hoping to achieve? Are we to hunt down the White Fang on our own? Circumvent local law enforcement and take everything into our own hands?"
Blake remained silent at the Schnee's words.
Weiss dipped her head. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "That's exactly what you want to do, isn't it? In case you've forgotten, we're students. Students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."
After a momentary silence, it was Yang who spoke next. "I hear what you're saying, Weiss. I said the same thing."
The girl's icy eyes softened. "So..."
"But that's the problem," Yang continued. "We won't always have the luxury of being ready. Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for us to get our shit together. They're out there right now, doing Brothers knows what. They're planning, acting, and laughing to themselves while we're here studying history books."
Weiss frowned. "There are people better qualified than us to take care of these kinds of things," she said evenly.
"But they're not doing anything!" Blake shouted abruptly.
Silence overcame the assembled teens. Yang nudged her partner softly, something unspoken passing between the two girls.
"It's just," Yang took over for her faunus teammate. "Technically, yes, there are people better suited for this. But what are we supposed to do when they can't or won't do their job? Nothing?"
Blake took an explosive breath inward. "Whatever the White Fang are up to, whatever they have planned. They're out there acting it out. Something's coming, and we have no idea what it is. And if you think this doesn't affect us, you're wrong."
Naruto nudged his girlfriend on the side. She was stiff.
"You know," he said, capturing the room's attention. "Back home, a few months after I graduated from the Shinobi Academy, we took a mission."
All eyes and ears were on him now. It wasn't often he told specific stories of his home.
"We were assigned to escort a man, Tazuna, back to his home village, somewhere in the Land of Waves. It was our first big mission outside of the village. It was supposed to be fairly straightforward."
"I take it it wasn't?" Ruby asked.
"Not quite," the shinobi laughed. "Escort and protection from bandits. A pretty cut-and-dry C-rank mission. Only there were complications. After only a few hours into the mission, we were attacked by two Chunin-rank missing ninjas. They called themselves the Demon Brothers."
"Edgy name," Yang quipped.
Naruto laughed. "You should have seen their getup. It took a bit of fighting, but we managed to subdue them."
"Managed to kick some ass, I take it?" The blonde brawler asked with a smile.
The shinobi shook his head awkwardly. "Actually, I froze. Got hurt because of it. I would have died if Sasuke hadn't stepped in."
The girls wore looks of surprise, as if to say: 'Really? Freezing in a fight? You?'
Naruto laughed in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness. "A Chunin-rank shinobi outclasses a Genin in every sense of the word. They're faster, stronger, have more skills available, and they have infinitely more combat experience."
"So how'd they end up involved?" Ruby asked.
Frowning, Naruto shook his head slightly. "After the fight, Tazuna admitted to lying about the mission details. As it turned out, his country was under economic siege by a local business tycoon, Gatō. The man had a stranglehold on every market, bleeding the country dry. All local businesses shut down. People were starving. Anyone who tried to resist Gatō was dragged into the street and made an example of."
"Brothers..." Yang mumbled.
"By made an example of, you mean...?" Ruby asked uncomfortably.
"Executed, usually. If they were lucky, they'd only lose a limb. If they were really lucky, they might just get beaten half to death."
"That's... that's unbelievable," said Weiss with a frown. "Where were the local law enforcement? The military?"
Naruto shrugged. "Wave was a small country. Peaceful too. They didn't have a standing military. As for the local law? They were either killed or joined Gatō."
His team wore looks of unease. Blake, more than the others, seemed to be invested. Depending on how bad the persecution of faunus was, this story may very well be a familiar one.
"Tazuna was a bridge builder. One of the few left in his country. He planned to build a new bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland. In theory, this would circumvent the naval blockade set in place by Gatō. Because of this, Tazuna needed protection from Gatō, who would undoubtedly send people to kill him once word of the bridge became open to the public. The only problem was that since their country was so poor — which, again, was Gatō's fault — they couldn't afford to pay for a higher-ranking mission."
Naruto paused. "An entire country couldn't scrounge together enough money for a single B-rank mission," he said quietly. Only now did he really realize just how bad things must have been.
"So what did you do?" Blake asked expectantly.
Naruto remained silent, gathering his thoughts. "Well, what we should have done was abandon the mission. Go home."
"W-Wait, seriously?" Yang shouted. "Leave? Just like that?"
The shinobi shrugged. "Yeah, of course. Tazuna intentionally lied about the mission to pay less. He withheld crucial information that was pertinent to our safety. Outside of a Hidden Village, it's life or death, just like outside the Kingdoms. The Demon Brothers probably would have killed us if it wasn't for our Jōnin instructor. We had every right to abandon the mission and go home. Some would argue, possibly rightly so, that it was our responsibility to abandon the mission. Allowing clients to take advantage of a Hidden Village sets a poor precedent. And the lives of three promising Genin, one of which was the last surviving member of a prominent clan, are worth more than the pay of a C-rank mission."
The girls were silent at his words.
"Sakura, my other teammate, said we weren't ready for this kind of mission." Weiss' eyes widened at his words. "She said we should go back to the village."
"What did you do?" Asked Blake for the second time.
The blond laughed sharply. "Not that, that's for sure. Sasuke and I were adamant about continuing the mission. Our reasons weren't strictly altruistic — we wanted to prove ourselves. Prove that we were capable. And for some reason, Kakashi, our field instructor, put it to a vote. As such, we pressed on."
Naruto bumped Weiss on the shoulder, then glanced at the rest of his teammates.
"If we had followed protocol, acted appropriately on the knowledge that we weren't ready for that kind of mission — which, make no mistake, we absolutely were not ready — the Land of Waves would have died."
...
"Okay, okay. I get it," Weiss pouted.
"Alright," Ruby said. "Just like your team captain, I'll put it to a vote. All in favour of becoming the youngest huntresses — and huntsman — and single-handedly bringing down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale, say aye."
...
"Yes!" Yang shouted while digging her head into Blake's shoulder.
Blake simply nodded with a small smile.
Weiss huffed. "As if I could say no after all of that," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Aye," Naruto replied with a slight nod.
Their team leader shot him an appreciative look despite her obvious disappointment at the lack of 'ayes.'
"Alright then," Blake said with a smile. "We're in this together." She was clearly pleased with the direction their conversation had landed.
"We should hatch a plan!" Ruby said excitedly.
"Yeah!" Yang cried.
Naruto had to suppress a laugh. They were all so excitable. It was definitely refreshing. A pleasant step up from the jaded and reclusive shinobi forces he'd fought with during the war.
Before a plan could be hatched, Ruby gasped. "I left my board game in the library!" With that, the black and red-clad girl burst out the door at ill-advised speeds. "I'll be right back!" she shouted. A fraction of a second later, a loud collision was heard, followed by a grunt of pain.
Naruto raised a brow in concern. He walked to the door, peeking his head out into the hallway. He suppressed a grin as he saw Ruby being helped up by an unknown woman. Aside from his team leader's disjointed apologies, he was able to discern that the woman, as well as her two teammates, were visitors from Haven. That would make them transfer students.
Interesting.
Hmm, now that he thought about it, weren't they weren't giving off creepy vibes? Well, the woman with dark hair certainly was. The grey-haired young man and the mint-haired girl seemed normal, if not aloof. But the dark-haired woman? She looked like bad news. And what was with that sensual tone of voice? Was she trying to seduce his leader?
As Ruby began explaining the location of the transfer student's dorm, Naruto eyed the raven-haired woman. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Her eyes were a burning amber-orange and promised nothing good. They were cocky. Mischievous. Borderline malevolent. As the group of three passed by their room, Naruto's ocean-blue eyes remained locked on her twinkling amber orbs.
She smiled an ugly smile. It was clearly strained. Forced.
Huh.
The blond glanced back at Ruby, but the girl was already gone, small rose petals left in her wake. Hopefully, she'd be back before long, and they could make their plans. As it was, it was getting late.
...
Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease he got from the Haven team. There was something familiar about them, though he couldn't place what it was.
"You okay, Naruto?"
The blond blinked at his girlfriend's concerned tone of voice. He sighed while walking back into the room. "Yeah, just sizing up the competition. Ruby just ran into a team from Haven. Literally."
Weiss' eyes widened in interest. "Oh?" she chirped while walking to the door.
"Sorry, but they're already gone," he laughed.
"That's a shame," the white-clad girl remarked. "You'll have to point them out next time you see them."
Before he could answer, Ruby blasted back into the room in a flurry of rose petals.
"I'm back!" she chirped happily, board game clutched in her hands. She squeezed past Weiss and began placing her game away. After a few seconds, she began humming an easy tune, then froze. "Hey, by the way," she said while turning to face the shinobi. Her leading question captured the attention of the rest of the team. "How did the rest of that mission go? The one from the Land of Waves."
Naruto grunted as the rest of the team's eyes zeroed in on him. Looks like it was back to storytime.
"Well," he laughed humourlessly. "I suppose it has a happy ending. At least in the most technical sense."
"What does that mean?" Ruby asked wide-eyed.
As the team returned to their previous spots, Yang made room for her younger sister on the bed. Ruby wordlessly joined her sibling, leaning into the older girl.
"Well," Naruto continued, mentally reviewing what he'd already covered. "We continued the mission. We made it into the Land of Waves without much issue. We hit our next roadblock on our way to Tazuna's house."
Naruto sighed. It still saddened him to think about the following events.
"Zabuza Momochi. He was an elite Jōnin-rank shinobi who had defected from the Hidden Mist Village. He was also under the direct employ of Gatō, who hired him to kill Tazuna."
"I take it he didn't make things easy, did he?" Yang questioned.
"Imagine a fully-fledged Huntsman putting everything they have into killing a 12-year-old. That's basically what our situation was."
Weiss discreetly wove her hand into his own and squeezed.
"Plus, Zabuza was worse than most," the blond sighed.
Blake's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "How so?"
"His moniker was 'Demon of the Hidden Mist,' and before you say anything," he said while pointing to Yang, making her pause at his words. "He earned that reputation in blood."
Naruto suppressed a shudder at the flood of memories. "You see, Kirigakure had a tradition of pitting their academy students against each other. Whoever was able to kill their classmates was promoted."
"What the hell?" Blake cried. "What was the point in that?" She asked in vicarious outrage. Rightly so.
The shinobi shrugged. "It had to do with some sort of selection process for their special forces. Although the country was going through a civil war, so I have no doubt the ability to kill your former comrades was a valuable trait to the higher-ups."
The team had nothing to say to that. How could they? It would be like hearing that the final exam to graduate from Beacon would be to kill their partner.
"Zabuza was special. Apparently, he killed over 100 of his classmates. Just because he could."
"A h-hundred?" Yang stuttered. "Are you serious? What did they do? Kick him out? Is that why he left his village?"
Naruto laughed. "Nope. They promoted him."
Ruby groaned but didn't say a word.
"No, Zabuza was one of the Hidden Mist's most prominent shinobi. The reason he deserted was because of the scale of the civil war. At least, that's what I think. Never got a chance to ask him. The Mizukage at the time was becoming increasingly brutal towards a particular demographic. It was tearing the country apart. I don't know if Zabuza fancied himself a patriot, grew a conscience, or if he simply grew tired of killing his fellow countrymen, but he left."
Now that he thought about it, Zabuza probably left because of Haku. At least in part. Maybe.
"Anyways, that was the guy we were up against. Luckily, my sensei, Kakashi, was pretty powerful in his own right. And arguably even more famous at the time."
"Did he have a flashy nickname too?" Ruby asked in an attempt to break the awkward tension.
Naruto nodded. "Something like that. They called him the copycat ninja."
Yang blew a soft raspberry at the name. After a moment, Weiss chimed in. "Surprisingly, I agree with Yang. That's not a very impressive title."
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe without context. They called him that because he had the unique ability to copy other people's skills perfectly with only a single glance. And that wasn't limited to chakra techniques. It applied to physical movements as well. Fighting styles in particular."
"Okay, yeah. That's busted," Ruby mumbled.
"At the time, it sure sounded like it. It was rumoured that Kakashi knew over 1000 different jutsu. That's pretty significant considering the average shinobi only really utilizes a dozen or so."
"Damn," Yang muttered.
"Anyway, Kakashi fought against Zabuza. By the end of it, he beat him with a little help from Sasuke and me. Before we could confirm his death, a hunter ninja, someone who hunts down rogue shinobi, collected Zabuza's 'corpse' and left."
"Let me guess," Weiss interrupted. "He wasn't really dead."
Hmm. Was it because of the way he said 'corpse'?
Naruto nodded. "The hunter nin was a fake. He was one of Zabuza's men. Kakashi knew but was too weakened from the fight to do anything about it. And there was no way in hell we'd have been able to take the guy."
Naruto took a deep breath to collect himself. "We made it to Tazuna's house. Met his daughter and grandson. Took time to rest, recover, and even train. During this brief respite, I met a young man named Haku. This is relevant because, as I later found out, he was that same fake hunter nin who saved Zabuza."
"I take it you fought? Weiss asked expectantly.
"Actually, no. I had no idea who he was since he wore a mask when saving his master. And as it turned out, Haku was... an incredibly gentle soul. He didn't like fighting. Abhorred it, really. He knew who I was and what my objective was, and instead of killing me when my back was turned, he talked to me. Just... talked to me."
Remembering Haku was always a bittersweet affair.
"We... actually had a bit of a heart-to-heart. Talked about what drove us. What motivated us. He was... very kind to me. I can confidently say that Haku was one of the most influential people in my life," Naruto smiled sadly. "For Reasons I still don't understand, he taught me an important life lesson. He told me that once a person has something precious they want to protect, that's when they can truly become strong."
"That's... not something I'd expect from someone working with such a bloodthirsty monster," Yang said skeptically.
Naruto nodded. "I thought the same. But believe it or not, Zabuza was more than that. He saved Haku's life as a child. Gave him purpose. Gave him a reason to survive in a world that had thrown him away. Haku loved Zabuza like a father. And I think Zabuza loved him back."
Weiss sighed. "The world isn't so black and white, is it?"
She had no idea...
"A few days later, we had our final confrontation with Zabuza. Kakashi and him clashed while Sasuke and I fought Haku. It was... difficult. Haku destroyed us, plain and simple. At one point, Sasuke took one of his attacks head-on that was meant for me. I thought it killed Sasuke. Of course, being who he was, Haku didn't have it in him to kill anyone. It still caused me to tap into my demon's chakra. Gave me that extra boost."
Only now did Naruto realize Weiss was slowly tracing her nails across the palm of his hand. It felt nice. Relaxing.
"The whole thing ended rather abruptly. Kakashi beat Zabuza. As he was going for the killing blow, Haku jumped in front of it, and he died."
The room was silent.
"Just like that?" Ruby asked, voice small.
"Just like that," the blond parroted. "Zabuza... he tried to pretend that he didn't care. Passed it off as if he'd simply lost his favourite kunai. But I knew better. Zabuza tried his best to convince us that Haku was just a tool. That shinobi, as a whole, were nothing but tools to be used by their country. And once a tool broke, it was discarded."
"What a horrible mindset," Blake scowled.
"I know," the shinobi nodded. "I thought so, too. Called Zabuza out on his bullshit. It was... obvious he didn't believe it either. Ironically enough, Gatō showing up helped Zabuza acknowledge his feelings."
"Seriously?" Yang asked, her voice rife with skepticism. "How'd that work?"
The Jinchūriki sighed. "Well, in typical bad guy fashion, Gatō showed up with an army of two-bit thugs, made fun of Zabuza for failing, and told everyone that he was planning to kill Zabuza after his fight, even if he'd won. Just so he wouldn't have to pay him, of course."
"Of-fucking-course," Yang spat.
Naruto sighed. "Anyway, Gatō started desecrating Haku's corpse. Started talking shit. Called him useless or something. All I had to do was remind Zabuza of how much Haku loved him, and the guy just broke. I'd never seen a demon cry until then."
A slight sniffle across from him indicated Ruby was struggling with his story.
"What happened next?" Yang asked tentatively.
"Well, I guess Zabuza saw fit to remind Gatō of why he earned his reputation. In retrospect, what he did was pretty bagasse."
He smiled at their looks of confusion.
"Zabuza, with two broken arms, grabs a kunai between his teeth and carves his way through Gatō's men like they're nothing. Then he killed the little bastard."
"Brutal," Yang whispered.
Naruto chuckled at the memory. There wasn't much humour in it.
"After Gatō died, what was left of the thugs were driven off by the citizens militia that showed up."
"What about Zabuza?" Ruby questioned with bated breath.
Naruto hummed quietly. "He died. He took a lot of damage during his fight with Kakashi. Took a lot more when he was carving his way to Gatō. Even still, someone of his calibre should have been able to deal with those thugs without being touched, even in his condition."
Naruto frowned. "I think he wanted to die so he could be with Haku."
The mood amongst his team was heavy. Sombre. Tense.
"You know what the saddest part is, in my opinion?" He continued without waiting for a response. "If things had been different, I think we would have been allies."
His team adopted various looks of confusion.
"Only a year later, the current Mizukage took over the country, ending their bloody civil war. I don't know why Zabuza never joined forces with Mei... they had the same objective, I think. Maybe they just never found themselves in the same place. But if Zabuza and Haku had just survived a little longer, they would have been around for that revolution. Then they would have been part of a village allied with ours."
...
They sat in awkward silence for several long minutes.
...
"That's... That's one hell of a tragic story," Blake said sadly.
Naruto nodded. "Not bad for my first C-rank turned A-rank mission, eh? Not really the kind of shit 12-year-old me was ready for."
Naruto's eyes widened as a sharp pain stung his hand. He flinched as Weiss tugged on his arm.
"You were 12?" She shouted. "How could... why would..." she paused in frustration, eventually settling for a scowl. "Trauma at that level and age cannot be healthy."
Naruto laughed lightly. "No, it most certainly is not. But it was a consequence of the world I lived in. Those kinds of stories, while tragic, are in no way unique."
"I don't know how you could live like that," Blake added bleakly.
"It's all about coping mechanisms," the blond replied. "Our village, in particular, had a certain perspective we liked to employ: we live with the hope that the future can be better than the past, as long as we're willing to work and fight and die for it. It's our way of saying we refuse to accept that the world has to remain... like that..."
At that, the blond smiled to himself. Truly smiled. There was more to those words than he was divulging. The Will of Fire. Jiraiya's dream. But for now, without diving into those extended topics, what he said was enough.
In fact, what he said must have been worth something, considering the mood had lightened ever so slightly.
Ruby rubbed at her bleary eyes. "That's a nice way to look at it," she said. "You could even apply it to Remnant."
That he could...
Naruto shifted slightly to his side before being pulled down by Weiss. He suppressed a laugh as she managed to manhandle him into a position where he now served as her pillow.
Eventually, as the members of RYBWN came down from their emotional roller coaster, Ruby cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention.
"Hey, so... uh... do you guys still want to go over the plan for tomorrow?" Their team leader asked awkwardly.
Naruto frowned. Did he? Not really. Could he? Probably.
"If you've got something, I can listen," he answered. "But honestly, I feel pretty burnt out after storytime."
"Yeah, I'm not sure if I'll be able to focus," Yang yawned.
Blake shrugged noncommittally.
"I think," Weiss began, "we can wait until tomorrow. It's late enough as it is, and we have classes."
Ruby nodded happily. "Works for me," she chirped.
Right. He should try to get some sleep. As the blond attempted to get up, lithe arms tightened around his midsection, dragging him back down.
Ruby laughed as she began to scale the ladder to her bunk. "You know, Naruto, you can stay the night in our room. I'm sure Blake and Yang don't mind."
The shinobi couldn't see them from his supine position, but the lack of protest seemed to satisfy Ruby.
Truthfully, the offer was tempting. Being alone would get him thinking of the past. He could handle that, but it wasn't particularly ideal.
He hummed in thought at the offer.
"Come on," Weiss whispered. "I can tell that story was upsetting to tell. Just lay down. Don't be alone."
Naruto sighed. Maybe just one night...
"Just don't do anything weird!" Yang called from her bunk.
Naruto smiled as Weiss hurled one of her pillows.
xXx
A/N: So there's chapter 16. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I skipped the food fight scene because, to be honest, I really don't care for it. Instead, I replaced it with a bit of humour and fluff. As for the rest of the chapter... It was fun to write.
Is Ozpin showing his cards? I think he might be. Not to you guys, of course, but to Ironwood. You'll have to wait a few more chapters :)
There are some minor changes from Canon, so we can see how Naruto's mere presence can change the team's tone/dynamic.
I wasn't planning on going into the wave mission, but I felt it'd only be natural for someone to ask for the whole story.
Slightly jealous Naruto was weird to write. I initially didn't want him to display any jealousy, but it felt like it'd be more realistic if he did. Hopefully, no one minds me putting Neptune as a little shit disturber. I always found his character to be kind of boring.
Other than all that fun stuff, not too much more to say. The next chapter will have some action, as I'm sure some of you can guess.
See ya!