Underneath the Underneath

by no169

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 skill make up the difference? This is a story about recovering from disaster, overcoming great challenges, and adapting to incredible circumstances. Weiss x Naruto medium-burn. Mature Naruto.

7. Conflict

A/N: So here's chapter 7. This one was an absolute blast to write. Hopefully, the fight scene here is decent. I had a lot of fun writing it. Thank you, everyone, for the kind reviews for the last chapter. It was surprisingly well received.

Here's a subtle reminder to vote in the poll. We're somewhat coming close to the chapter Naruto's Semblance is revealed. The poll is at the top of my profile, and you get two votes, so pick your favourite two.

xXx

The following two weeks had been thankfully uneventful. Much to Naruto's satisfaction, Weiss and Ruby's relationship had taken a positive turn. Not quite a complete 180, as they weren't painting their nails and talking about cute boys, but they seemed to get along much better now. Weiss, in particular, had been more pleasant by several degrees.

Since it had already been two weeks, Naruto had established a comfortable routine. In the mornings, he'd wake up in time for breakfast, often being joined by Weiss and Blake. Yang and Ruby were heavier sleepers; so far, they'd only joined them sporadically. After their meal, most of the day would be spent in classes. After which, they had the afternoons and evenings to themselves. How one spends their free time could vary between extra studying, lounging with teammates, or additional training.

Thus far, Naruto had devised a schedule incorporating all three. While every evening was spent in the library painstakingly sifting through both ancient and modern texts, his time spent immediately after classes was more varied. Alternating between training alone and spending time with his team seemed to work best. He'd found that Yang spent a lot of time in the gym and that they'd made excellent workout buddies.

Ruby had taken it upon herself to teach him the time-honoured joys of video games. Apparently, everyone played video games, so Ruby took it somewhat personally when Naruto admitted that he'd never played before.

Blake had stumbled upon him meditating in the gardens one afternoon. Instead of questioning him, she'd simply pulled out her book and sat under a nearby tree. It had become a habit of hers to stick around on the days he delved into his meditations. They didn't talk much, but it was nice to know she was nearby.

Weiss had thus far been the most versatile when it came to hanging out. Some days they'd simply do their own thing but in a shared space, idly chatting about nothing in particular. On other days they would study together in one of their rooms. Unsurprisingly, she was quite knowledgeable about Dust, something he was mostly ignorant of. Naruto planned to capitalize on her knowledge and willingness to lecture him. Dust studies had been giving him the most difficulty out of all his classes.

Speaking of classes, the academy's class structure was interesting. As it turned out, all first-year students shared a standardized curriculum; it was only during the second year and above that the students could customize their schedules. Naruto recognized the inherent benefit of this system. It better allowed the first years to acclimate to their new environment. With a set schedule and familiar faces, the shock of switching from a Primary Combat School to one of the four Huntsman Academies would be more manageable. Its structure was strikingly similar to Konoha's shinobi academy. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Uhh... Naruto, do you know that girl?" Ruby's sudden question broke through his reminiscing. Her voice was thick with uncertainty.

Naruto snapped to attention, glanced at where she was staring, and sighed. Unfortunately, he did know that girl.

"Yeah," Yang added. "She's uh... she's been giving you a look ever since she got here," the blonde said with confusion.

Even Blake felt the need to chime in, "She has beenrather obvious."

Naruto eyed the last member of the team.

"I don't like her," Weiss simply stated with a frown.

Naruto rolled his eyes. Of course she didn't. Weiss barely liked anyone. It was the rest of Team RYBWN's comments that really cemented the oddness of their person of interest.

"Who even is she? Why's she here?" Yang asked while glancing between the room's entrances, likely trying to locate Professor Goodwitch. "She doesn't look like a student."

It was currently Friday morning, which meant Combat Class. Despite being two weeks into the semester, meaning this was their second combat class, this was the first time anyone in the room, sans Naruto, had the unique privilege of witnessing the young woman on stage.

"She's our other combat instructor," Naruto informed his team reluctantly, all while meeting the eyes of the woman in question.

Amber smiled cheekily as Naruto met her gaze. She offered a brief wave in his direction.

Why did she have to be like this? The last thing Naruto wanted to deal with was to have to explain himself to his team, let alone the entire class. But it seemed Amber was in a mischievous mood, for as soon as she noticed the rest of his team shoot him inquisitive looks, she sent an overexaggerated wink his way.

Damn it.

"Okay, hotshot, what the hell?" Yang asked while giving him a gentle shove to the shoulder. "What's with... whatever the hell that was? And what do you mean 'our other combat instructor?'"

"Professor Goodwitch did say we had a second instructor last week," Blake interjected.

Raising a hand to her chin, Ruby added, "Huh. That makes sense. Explains why she's on stage."

Looks like they were getting it. Amber, Naruto's first real friend in Remnant and their secondary combat instructor, had somehow managed to miss her first week of teaching. Naruto had texted her the day after their class to find out how that had happened, and he had received what was possibly one of the lamest and most mundane reasons imaginable.

She'd overslept.

Thus, Amber's first week of teaching combat class was a bust. Professor Goodwitch had attempted to explain Amber's absence as a scheduling conflict, which had worked on most of the students. But Naruto knew the truth. The worst part? Amber was completely unashamed. Almost proud, if Naruto thought about it.

"And you know this woman how, exactly? Because it seems like she sure knows you." Weiss' tone wasn't angry, nor was it jealous. It was a mixture of confusion and exasperation. It was difficult to discern.

"We met on the road when I was travelling to Vale. We were headed in the same direction and figured it'd be safer to travel together," Naruto answered simply.

"That makes sense! Our uncle travels around a lot. I keep telling him he should find a travelling buddy, but he says he's got bad luck in that regard," Ruby began to ramble.

Yang laughed softly at her younger sister's words, then turned to Naruto. "So, what's she like?"

If that wasn't a loaded question, Naruto didn't know what was. What was Amber like? Free-spirited, first and foremost. Other than that? Well, when they first met, once she had recovered from her initial confusion, the girl had held herself with airy confidence and a devil-may-cry attitude. The brunette initially came off as kind, curious, and emotionally intelligent. She was certainly all these things, but as Naruto had come to know her over their week spent travelling together, as well as the messages shared over the last two weeks, he'd learned that Amber had another side to her. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she could be sarcastic, blunt, and playful at times.

If Naruto was in a worse mood, he'd almost be tempted to say the girl was impulsive. Maybe a little too free-spirited. She was exactly how Naruto envisioned an older sister to be like. Someone like Yang, if he really thought about it. Come to think of it, the two women would probably get along quite well.

Scary.

But there was no doubt about it; Amber was a good person. If an assault were launched on this school right now - if the windows came crashing down and the whole world descended upon him - Amber would hurl herself in death's way to save him. Naruto was sure of this.

"She's got her quirks, but she's a good person. Trustworthy. Though I'm not sure how she'll do as an instructor," Naruto finally answered. His friend had already missed the first class. Not a very good start.

Weiss hummed at his words. "Well, if she's here, it means she's qualified. I'm sure she'll do fine."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the heiress' words. That was quite the attitude shift. Had their talk after Professor Port's class gotten Weiss to trust the system again? Or was it something else?

The echoing creak of a door announced the entrance of Professor Goodwitch. With her arrival, the idle chatter of the room quickly died down. Naruto had to admit the woman's presence demanded obedience. It was similar, though not as powerful, as Tsunade's aura.

As the woman approached the center of the room, her steely eyes briefly panned over its occupants. Upon noticing Amber's presence on stage, a brief flash of something passed behind her eyes. Surprise, to be sure, but something else as well. Pride, maybe? Or was it affection?

Interesting.

After taking her place beside Amber, Professor Goodwitch addressed the room. "Good morning, children. Welcome back to combat training." Her tone, as well as her posture, was all business. Professional. Stiff.

In contrast, Amber was much more relaxed. Her stance was open. Limber. Friendly. She wore an easy smile, and her chocolate brown eyes were darting around the room, taking in its occupant's faces as if trying to memorize them.

"As I mentioned last week, my co-instructor will be joining us," the bespeckled blonde gestured to her younger counterpart. "Students, may I introduce to you-"

"Hey kids! I'm Amber," came the young woman's quick interruption.

Instead of annoyance, as Naruto had expected, Professor Goodwitch simply offered a soft smile.

Damn, was the Deputy Headmistress soft on the girl? Naruto hadn't thought the woman was capable. She'd always seemed so stern. Uncompromising. It seemed Amber's relationship with the faculty went beyond just Ozpin. Maybe he'd ask her about it someday. She could be surprisingly forthcoming when the topic didn't revolve around the people hunting her.

Amber continued her introduction, "As I'm sure Glynda has informed you all, I'll be taking on a supporting role when it comes to evaluating and developing your combat styles."

The blonde professor frowned slightly at the casual use of her first name.

"Some of you look skeptical," mahogany eyes met oceanic blue, "But I assure you, I'm well-versed in several combat styles and have experience with a... volatile semblance. If I can't help you directly, I guarantee that I'll be able to provide you with the resources that can. Whether that's finding you a tutor better suited to your needs, providing research material, or simply brainstorming with you after hours, you can count on me to support you." Amber finished her introductory speech with a thousand-watt smile.

What. The. Hell.

Who was this?

Had Naruto been wrong about her abilities as an instructor?

A sharp pain shot up Naruto's arm as Weiss pinched his tricep, "Not sure how she'll do as an instructor, huh?"

Naruto glanced at the girl beside him, then back toward the young instructor on stage. Amber was grinning directly at him, having witnessed the short exchange.

Damn her.

Professor Goodwitch stepped forward after Amber's surprisingly charming introduction, a look of barely suppressed pride on her features.

"Yes, very well said. Thank you, Amber."

With a brief clearing of her throat, the Deputy Headmistress composed herself, "Now, back to the topic at hand," the woman paused, "We will be continuing immediately from where we left off last week."

Naruto nodded unconsciously. He figured as much. A large part of the class curriculum focused on the students sparring against one another. The class was large, so they'd only gone through roughly half of the students. Naruto hadn't been among those that fought last week, so he was expecting to fight today. The idea excited him. Given what he'd seen from the first years that had already fought, the only challenge among them would likely be Nora, Weiss, Ruby, and, most prominently, Pyrrha. Naruto was very excited to fight Pyrrha in the future. She was supposedly an accomplished tournament fighter, and her performance reflected that. While it was a bummer they wouldn't be fighting today, he'd request a spar from the girl sometime next week.

Like Naruto, Yang, Blake, and Ren had also yet to fight, and he was hoping to face one of the three. If not, he'd expect promising performances from each of them. Jaune was the only member of his friend group that he believed wasn't up to the standards set out by the school. The blonde knight lacked a certain level of presence that the rest of the student body held. His skills likely lay in other departments, such as leadership, hence his appointment to team leader. Naruto was reasonably confident that the teen could develop his combat skills quickly, especially with a partner like Pyrrha.

"First up will be," the blonde professor glanced at the tablet in her hands, "Yang Xiao Long."

"Yes!" The blonde brawler shot from her seat, pumping her fists. "Man, I sure feel bad for whoever's going against me; I've been pent up lately!" Yang practically danced her way to center stage, a large toothy smile on her face.

Surprisingly, Professor Goodwitch allowed this brief moment of bravado, then glanced back down at her device. "Her opponent will be -"

Amber chose that moment to interrupt her senior, "Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at his friend/instructor. Who would have thought the woman would come through? He'd asked Amber the previous day to match the two of them together but hadn't considered that she would follow through with the request; he hadn't exactly provided a good reason.

Maybe Amber was being altruistic?

Naruto discarded the idea. Whatever her reasons, Naruto wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Slowly making his way to the arena, Naruto made to join his opponent. As he neared the stage, Yang's ever-confident voice rang out, "Ouch, tough luck lover-boy, looks like teach here's got it out for you," she laughed while throwing a thumb towards Amber, who simply smiled in return.

Naruto identified the cracks in Yang's facade immediately. She was subtly shifting her weight from foot to foot, likely unaware of the small tell. Despite the levity of her tone, her eyes were as hard as steel; she was entirely focused on his every move. But it was her smile that truly betrayed the girl. It was lopsided and carefree, yet it didn't quite reach her eyes. She was nervous.

And so she should be. Over the past two weeks, the two blonds had formed a friendly rivalry regarding their combat prowess. The rest of the team had absolutely refused to encourage either of them. Weiss had claimed the rivalry was 'idiotic,' Ruby hadn't wanted them to get carried away, and Blake simply hadn't cared enough to comment.

Being who she was, Yang adored the idea of someone giving her a quality fight and saw fit to provoke Naruto whenever she could in hopes of sparring with him. Naruto, for as much as he wanted to fight the girl, simply hadn't found the time. Between establishing his daily routine, his evenings of research, and his budding social life, a spar always seemed to evade the two. Plus, he'd be lying if he said that denying the girl wasn't entertaining in its own right. It had worked out in the end, though, as beating Yang in front of the entire class would be immensely more satisfying.

Naruto simply laughed at the other blonde's words. "Big talk for someone in ass-kicking range," he replied with a grin.

Yang waved off his reply. "Oh, please. I'm not the one who's been dodging every opportunity to fight!" She raised her fists and struck a mock fighting stance. "I don't blame ya; I wouldn't wanna fight me neither," she said while bouncing on the balls of her feet, then broke into a smile upon seeing his blank look.

Amber interrupted their pre-fight banter by stepping in between them. "Alright, kiddos, that's enough foreplay. You guys ready to put your money where your mouths are?"

"Hell yeah!" Two sets of voices replied in unison.

Amber laughed at their enthusiasm. "Alright then," she turned towards Yang, then whispered discreetly, "If you kick his butt, I'll give you an 'A' for the semester."

Too bad for Amber, Naruto overheard her easily.

Seriously? Altruistic, his ass.

Amber eyed him and, upon seeing his disgruntled face, dropped all pretenses of subtly. She laughed heartily, then turned back to Yang. "Remember, he doesn't have any ranged options!"

"Oh come on! What the fuc-"

Naruto was rudely interrupted by the sound of a loud buzzer indicating the start of the match. Just as quickly, he was forced to duck under a heavy haymaker sent his way.

xXx

Naruto forced his body to the left with practiced ease, dodging Yang's next strike, a powerful right jab. He felt the subsequent rush of air pass by his cheek, a reminder of how dangerous each of the blonde's punches were. He quickly raised an open hand and forcefully redirected his opponent's follow-up strike to the side.

The deflection caused a brief opening in Yang's guard, more than enough time for Naruto to capitalize on it. Instead of allowing his opponent to fully stumble, not that he expected she would, Naruto gripped Yang's wrist tightly. With a mighty pull, he wrenched the girl by the arm toward him, guaranteeing her loss of balance.

Naruto's free arm, already in the perfect position, exploded outward, rocketing toward Yang's face. Blazing purple eyes scowled at his incoming fist. They both knew she wouldn't be able to dodge it. The best she could hope for was a block, deflection, or a glancing blow. Perhaps due to her compromised position, she chose the latter. A block or a deflection would be useless; the strength behind his blow would be more than enough to break through any guard she could hastily muster.

Yang caught the fist on the side of the cheek. She moved her head with the punch, attempting to absorb as much momentum as possible. While successful, the overall force of the strike was still enough to send the girl tumbling back several feet. She transitioned into a backward somersault and, after three rotations, came out of it on her feet.

Yang rubbed her jaw tenderly, then tested its functionality by opening and closing the joint several times. She smiled sardonically, then used the brief lull in their fight to catch her breath.

Naruto had to hand it to the girl; she certainly had energy. Their spar had been going on for the better part of three minutes, an eternity in the fighting world, especially given that they'd been moving nonstop.

Yang licked her dry lips. "Bout time you managed to land something," she jeered.

Naruto scoffed. "I was hoping that would shut you up for at least a little longer."

Yang was referring to how he'd chosen to test her combat style. Typically, Naruto's battle strategy involved sending a veritable tidal wave of Kage Bunshin to sample his opponent's abilities. The method was highly effective until recently. Not only did it exhaust his opponents with little to no detriment to himself, but it allowed him to simultaneously observe their technique from a distance and experience it via memory transfer. While, admittedly, he hadn't been able to exhaust any of his opponents with Kage Bunshin in the last couple of years, the latter benefits to his strategy still held merit.

Since his bottomless chakra reserves were no longer an option, Naruto had needed to overhaul his old strategy. Besides, it wasn't like he would ever send in any Kage Bunshin during a school-sanctioned fight. Instead, he'd chosen to take the place of his Kage Bunshin, substituting their fragile overwhelming numbers with a single near-impossible-to-hit target. He had so far found a fair bit of success.

By focusing entirely on defence and agility, and almost completely forgoing offence, Naruto was having an easy time learning his opponent's combat style. Plus, the added benefit was that this was precisely the type of strategy Yang hated. It annoyed the girl. Made her angry. Sloppy.

There was always a fine line for annoying your opponent. Not enough, and they'd keep their composure. Too much, and you risked provoking an unfettered rampage. But done properly? One could find themselves constantly off balance. Frequently wrestling with their emotions. And repeatedly second-guessing themselves.

Yang was close. She just needed a few more pushes.

Before Naruto could administer those pushes, Yang launched herself at him. Despite Amber's solid, if not morally questionable recommendation, the blonde had not once capitalized on his lack of ranged abilities.

That was her mistake to make. And taking advantage of an opponent's error in judgment was a valuable strategy. After all, never interrupt your opponent when they're making a mistake.

Naruto sidestepped another heavy swing from Yang. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he bobbed and weaved through the girl's following string of attacks. Each fist, elbow, or foot was dodged by the smallest margin, something his opponent took notice of. Something she found increasingly irritating.

To Yang's credit, each missed attack flowed surprisingly well into the next. In fact, now that her attacks seemed to be ramping up, Naruto found that to properly defend, he was forced to sporadically incorporate elements of his preferred taijutsu, Kawazu Kumite. Until now, he hadn't bothered using the style. There'd been no need. Keeping his stance loose had been enough to allow him an acceptable defence based on reaction alone. But with Yang stepping up her offence, he'd decided that erring on the side of caution would be best. The last thing he wanted was to take an unnecessary hit. Especially with how hard Yang was swinging.

Yes, Kawazu Kumite was a bit overkill for this fight. Rather, it would have been if Naruto had used the style to its full capacity. When he'd been taught the form at Mount Myōboku, it was said to be a flawless taijutsu with no openings in either attack or defence. When utilized with senjutsu, that may very well be true. But as it was now, Naruto hadn't the ability nor the desire to incorporate natural energy into the moves. Its incomplete state was still a formidable style to go against, more than enough for any student at this school. The fact that Yang was forcing him to incorporate bits and pieces of it into this fight was a testament to her skill.

Yang scowled harshly, "Why! Won't! You! Die!" Each word was accompanied by a rapid-fire punch. Each punch was dodged by a fraction of an inch.

Naruto laughed out loud at Yang's frustration, fueling the girl's ire even further. On the inside, however, he was starting to worry. Die? Maybe he'd pushed her a bit too much? She might be teetering on the edge of a rampage.

Yang threw a vicious roundhouse kick to Naruto's head. He stepped back, caught her boot-covered foot, and raised it further. Before the girl could react, he sent a heavy uppercut to the underside of her thigh.

Yang grunted at the blunt-force trauma, then released an involuntary cry of surprise as Naruto threw her easily to the side. She landed heavily on the ground, lacking any of the grace she displayed previously. She remained prone for several seconds.

Naruto knew it wasn't from an injury. Yang was tough. Her semblance incentivized that toughness. She struck the ground with a closed fist, cursing silently to herself. He frowned. He should start fighting her properly. He wasn't looking to make an enemy out of his friend. Teasing only went so far, and he was likely treading on asshole territory.

After climbing to her feet, the buxom blonde took a deep breath, squared her hips, and rolled her shoulders. When she locked eyes with Naruto, he swore he could detect faint flashes of red in them. So he hadn't imagined things during initiation?

Yang's twin bracelets whirled to life with the flick of her wrists. Metal scraped against metal as several moving pieces clicked into place.

Ah. Ember Cecilia, if he remembered correctly. Yang had explained them to him during their first week.

It looked like Yang was fed up with the game. She was ready to start capitalizing on her inherent advantage. Naruto glanced briefly at the large screen on the arena's wall. On it, both his and Yang's Arua levels were on display. While his was full, Yang's had a moderate chunk taken out. She was still in the green, though it appeared he held the advantage.

Appearances could be misleading.

Yang would only need a few heavy hits to drastically flip the script. But no one knew that. Hopefully, it would stay that way. The fight was about to get significantly more tedious. He still wasn't sure why Yang had neglected to use her gauntlets until now. Dodging bullets took concentration. Firing them, especially buckshot, did not.

Naruto's attention returned to Yang as she struck her gauntlets together, producing a loud metallic clang. "Fight me properly!" She emphasized her point by striking her gauntlets again, calling for a proper challenge.

Naruto got the message.

Adjusting his bracers, Naruto's chakra knives slid smoothly from their concealed resting spots. Brandishing the blades, Naruto ran a critical eye over their razor-sharp edges. Since Yang had been content with a fistfight, it hadn't felt right to use them until now. Maybe the audience would see it as him being altruistic, but in reality, hand-to-hand combat was Naruto's specialty.

Naruto ran his thumb along the side of his blade, nodding towards Yang. He pointed the tip of one dagger toward his opponent and flipped the other into a reverse grip. His fingers fit comfortably into the weapon's handle, and the bladed teeth covering his knuckles glinted cruelly in the area's low light.

Naruto couldn't help getting one last jab in, "Careful now, wouldn't want to damage that pretty head of hair now, would we?" Naruto flexed his wrist, raising the blade slightly in the process.

Yang froze.

A sharp gasp sounded from somewhere in the audience.

Like the flip of a switch, Yang's eyes burned crimson, and what appeared to be glowing red whisps sparked around her hair. She growled audibly, a low rumble filling the deathly silence of the room.

Wait, what?

Naruto frowned. A sore spot, perhaps? Or something more?

Yang began to tremble.

Naruto's ear twitched as he picked up a faint "Oh no..." from the audience. That sounded like Ruby.

So it was something more. Naruto braced himself for her inevitable onslaught.

With a furious scream, Yang threw her arms backwards and pulled the triggers to her weapon's shotgun components. A loud explosion detonated, and the blonde brawler flew towards him. Naruto threw his hands up just in time for his blades to deflect Yang's steel-clad fists. The force of her impact pushed him back several inches. He'd been prepared for her attack, and yet...

Naruto grinned. It looked like Yang was properly motivated now. Another explosion and Yang's opposite fist blurred toward him, forcing another deflection. The force behind it was staggering, forcing a grunt from his lips. Only by reinforcing his arms with chakra was he able to prevent his guard from breaking.

The next flurry of attacks came in rapid succession, and to Naruto's surprise, he found that deflecting was his best option. Not only were Yang's strikes more powerful, meaning that blocking would be risky, but they were also coming faster, meaning dodging wasn't a guaranteed success anymore. All she needed was one or two...

Between Yang's punches, Naruto weaved in several of his own strikes, capitalizing on her overextended limbs and the openings in her guard. He paid particular attention to the girl's exposed ribcage.

Shoving her next punch toward the ground, Naruto threw a left cross to the girl's ribs and felt the edge of his trench knife's bladed handle impact the blonde. Instead of sinking into her side or puncturing her skin, he was met with a rock-hard surface.

Aura, of course.

Yang took in a sharp intake of air, but before she could fully process the pain, Naruto's opposite fist sailed past her head. The tip of his trench knife, held in a reverse grip, dragged across her face producing an odd grinding sensation. Yang's free hand instinctually shot toward his skull, and Naruto leaned back, attempting to dodge the strike.

Naruto's eyes widened as he gazed down the barrel of the built-in shotgun. Time seemed to slow, and the ambient noise of their fight became muted. He could see Yang's fist begin to tighten. He saw the tendons in her wrist flex and could practically hear the trigger's minuscule groan as it reached the point of no return. He knew what was about to happen.

Naruto could distinctly hear the impact of the firing pin as it struck the shell's primer. Light erupted from the back of the gun's barrel, and Naruto could only do so much as to throw his head back as quickly as he could. A burning, white-hot pain erupted across the side of his neck. The sound of an explosion came moments later.

Perhaps Yang wasn't expecting the blow to land, or maybe she hadn't even consciously pulled the trigger. Whatever the reason, there was no follow-up strike. In recognition of her successful attack, Naruto's leg kicked out, fully infused with chakra. He couldn't see it, but he felt his foot impact something solid. The kick was hard enough that he would need to check his boot's steel toe after the fight; there was the very real possibility the footwear was damaged from the kick.

Naruto figured that if his ears weren't ringing from the close proximity to the blast, he would have heard Yang's pained cry as she flew away from him. She had to have cried out, right? He'd definitely put too much force into that kick.

Taking a step back to compose himself, Naruto forced the pain down. It was surprisingly easy. Strange. From everything he'd read about guns and bullets, he was under the assumption that being shot would hurt a lot. But as he was now, it had only taken a few seconds for the pain to dissipate. Thank Kami for Aura.

Luck also likely played a role in his fortunate outcome. If his reflexes had been a fraction of a second slower or Yang had been a fraction of a second faster, he would have been in trouble.

Additionally, Yang liked to utilize a combination of buckshot and slugs in her shotguns. In this case, he was definitely hit with buckshot. Due to his partial dodge, only a portion of the small pellets had made contact with his neck. Smaller pellets meant the shell's mass was spread out, making it easier for his Aura to mitigate the pain. Similar to laying on a bed of nails.

Good fortune and quick reflexes, indeed.

Naruto glanced at the Aura reader once again. He noted that approximately one-fifth of his Aura had been drained from the glancing blow. Unbelievable. How much would he have lost if he had taken a direct hit? Or if Yang had loaded a slug instead? His only consolation was that Yang's Aura had dipped into the yellow. Hopefully, the rest of the class would focus more on that than his minuscule Auara capacity.

The dual cocking of guns alerted Naruto back to his opponent. Upon focusing on Yang, he withheld his surprise at what he saw. She was back in her signature stance: fists raised, knees bent, and centre of gravity low. It was impressive. The girl must have been hurting by this point, yet at a glance, the average person would be none the wiser.

Naruto was wiser. He could see the tightness in her muscles. The improper weight distribution. She was hurting.

When he'd first learned about Aura, he had made the false assumption that it provided complete immunity from damage, like a defensive wall. Instead, it functioned as a layer of armour in that it would significantly mitigate the damage received. A person would still feel pain from an attack, but that pain would be drastically reduced. Muted, almost.

Honestly speaking, the pain was good. Pain should always remain in some capacity. It was more evidence that Aura was the culmination of many years of evolution. If the protective energy completely negated pain, there would be no way for people to gauge their health or for them to determine the level of danger they were in. It was a survival instinct.

This was also one of the many reasons people used different types of weapons. At least when it came to fighting other Aura users. Each had its own benefits. Bladed weapons were more suited to quickly depleting Aura; the sharpened tips focused trauma to a single point, like breaking a body of water's surface tension. Blunt weapons were more effective in causing the target more pain. Given the nature of Aura, it wasn't as effective when warding off more esoteric forms of damage. Kinetic energy, in particular, had a way of partially bypassing the protective barrier. The elements were another obstacle. Aura couldn't protect you from freezing to death or dying of heat exhaustion.

Throughout his studies, Naruto deemed the protective qualities of Aura to be rather complicated. It was made worse that he didn't have much of the substance to begin with.

Naruto's battle senses screamed at him, and he instinctively dropped low in response. Bright yellow steel passed above his head, missing him by less than an inch. He shot upward, aiming to uppercut the blonde brawler, but his fist was caught before it could land. He swiped with his free blade toward Yang's midsection, which was intercepted by her other steel gauntlet.

Damn. She was definitely getting faster and stronger.

"You've really gotta stop daydreaming in the middle of a fight. Don't you know it's rude?" Yang's question was followed by a strangled laugh. She didn't want to show it, but she was putting in considerable strength just to hold him back.

"Sorry, I must have gotten lost in your eyes," Naruto replied with a bright smile.

Yang donned a mock scowl. "How dare you." Her words were laboured as she strained herself in an attempt to push him back. "What would Weiss say if she heard you flirting with another girl?"

Naruto paused for the briefest moment in surprise.

A muffled cry of "Hey!" could be heard from the audience.

Naruto had to stop himself from laughing. Before he could squash the amusement from bubbling out of his throat, Yang surged forward, throwing him slightly off balance. As he attempted to regain his footing, Yang threw him.

Before Naruto knew it, he was sent into the air. Weightlessness took him, and he looked down to see Yang smiling triumphantly at him. She drew one fist back, gave him a wink, and sent the fist forward. At its apex, fire exploded out of the gauntlet. So that was her plan. Put him in a position where he couldn't dodge, then capitalize on her ranged advantage.

Naruto tracked the projectile and, after a fraction of a second, smiled with satisfaction. Yang had made a tactical mistake. Instead of using buckshot, as she had before, she'd instead switched to slugs. A bad decision. Maybe she was hoping to do as much damage as possible. Maybe she was counting on his unfamiliarity with guns. Whatever the case, slug ammunition made it easy to deflect with his blades. The fact that Yang sent nearly a dozen burning projectiles his way made no difference.

As the first bullet reached him, Naruto sliced it out of the air with his blade. The pattern continued as he fell back to the ground, and the following cluster of projectiles was methodologically cut down. Naruto hummed quietly to himself. Guns and bullets were undoubtedly a marvel of engineering, but they were hardly the game changers he'd initially thought them to be, at least for a Shinobi or a Huntsman. At best, they were a good distraction. They were much better suited for hunting Grimm. Although, for a civilian, they must have been a nightmare to deal with.

Yang frowned as he landed.

"Something the matter, Yang?" Naruto asked upon noticing the girl's frown.

"You're less Swiss-cheesy than I was hoping," Yang answered while reloading her gauntlets.

"It'll take more than that to break my guard," Naruto replied, puffing out his chest.

Yang glanced into the audience. "I guess we'll see."

What was that supposed to mean?

Before Naruto could verbalize the question, Yang drew her fists back again. Her intent was clear. Naruto wasn't about to ignore the fact that the shells she loaded into her weapons were of different colours than the last. It was probably best he didn't find out what she had planned.

Before the girl could send another barrage of bullets his way, Naruto exploded in a flurry of movement. If she was going to shoot at him like some sort of gallery, he'd make it on his terms, not hers. His sudden burst of movement worked as Yang's first shot went wide. A small explosion sounded behind him. Explosive rounds? So if she couldn't hit him directly, she was counting on something with a larger area of effect. With that in mind, it'd probably be best if he didn't try to block or deflect any shots from here on out.

Naruto tucked into a roll, avoiding the next bullet. Coming out of the roll, he lept over the next shot. The following three projectiles were subsequently dodged, either through a series of acrobatic marvels or contortions he doubted Yang had been expecting. He wished he had the time to focus on the girl's face. Her reaction was probably fairly entertaining. With only a handful of strides separating them, Naruto noticed that the blonde was lining up what would likely be her last shot before her own ammunition became a liability.

Dodging at this distance would have been difficult. So instead, Naruto's hand slipped from the grip of his chakra blade, and he quickly reached for his waistline. His fingers gripped the pommel of his only remaining standard-issue kunai. A holdout weapon. Trusting in his aim, he hurled the small knife directly at the barrel of Yang's gauntlet.

Naruto couldn't be sure, but her swore he could see the growing look of alarm in Yang's eyes as she compressed the trigger of her weapon. Her visage was consumed behind a curtain of fire as the explosive round impacted with his kunai immediately as it left the barrel.

Naruto was quick to dash into the ensuing smoke cloud. Hopefully, he'd be able to end the fight here. His most recent glance at their Aura meters indicated that Yang was only a handful of strikes away from dropping into the red.

As he emerged from the other side of the smoke, Naruto was shocked to see Yang standing, ready to meet him. The edges of her outfit were slightly singed, and small patches of skin were covered in soot, but other than that, she looked good.

Also, her hair was glowing a bright yellow.

Shit.

Naruto dropped to his knees and drove one of his chakra blades as deeply into the ground as possible. The sudden stopping of his momentum completely changed his positioning, and Yang's charged attack passed cleanly over his head. The discharge of her firearm was likely an afterthought on her part.

Thinking fast, Naruto improvised as best he could. Quickly raising himself into a crouch, he dove for the girl's legs. He crashed into her, and they both fell back to the ground. Now on top of the girl, Naruto sent a punch directly at her face. Yang slapped his bladed fist aside, causing it to impact the ground beside her head. Spiderweb cracks formed around the impact zone, and he noticed with minor annoyance that the bladed handle took some effort to withdraw from the ground. He sent another punch, which was blocked by the girl's forearm. Yang winced at the impact, and her arm buckled. Naruto felt a sharp blow to the middle of his back. In an act of desperation, Yang had kicked him in an attempt to get him off.

The strike was relatively weak. Improvised. Desperate.

Kami, what an ugly performance from the two of them. Their fight had started so well and steadily progressed to an impressive display of martial prowess. But now? Now they were rolling on the ground like a couple of street urchins scrapping over the last morsel of food. No technique, no strategy, and no dignity.

Where had it all gone wrong?

Before Naruto could bring another fist down, a loud buzzer sounded, causing him to freeze.

"That's enough!" Came the stern shout of Professor Goodwitch. Her voice was loud, commanding, and carried weight. Surprisingly, it was also neutral, devoid of the disapproval Naruto had been expecting.

At least, it seemed that way. Naruto hoped he wasn't just coping.

"As you can see, class, Miss Xiao Long's Aura has entered the red, signifying her loss."

Naruto glanced once more at the Aura board and, sure enough, just as their bespectacled professor had said, Yang's Aura sat several notches into the red. His own bar was only a few notches below where he'd last seen it. He'd been successful in avoiding any unnecessary hits.

"Mr. Uzumaki," Professor Goodwitch called to him. Naruto's eyes snapped to her. "The spar is over. You may dismount."

As his adrenaline continued to decrease, Naruto glanced down and realized he was still straddled over Yang's upper body. The girl beneath him sent him a mischievous wink and laughed after his moment of hesitation. He must have been making a face.

Naruto quickly scrambled off of Yang, then offered a hand to help her to her feet. The blonde accepted the gesture of good faith with a grin and used him to pull herself up.

"Miss. Xiao Long, while you yourself excel at close-range combat, so too does Mr. Uzumaki. Despite my colleague's... reminder that your opponent lacks a ranged option," the blonde professor glanced begrudgingly toward Amber, "you neglected to take advantage of that fact."

Yang's smile faltered slightly at their instructor's words.

"In the future, I must insist you use every advantage from the beginning. It wouldn't do well for you to lose to a Grimm simply because you held yourself back for the sake of a good fight. Your future will be full of life-or-death situations; training for them now will save your life later down the line."

Naruto frowned at the professor's words. She was, without a doubt, correct, but he couldn't help but feel she was being harsh.

"Mr. Uzumaki," the older woman turned to face him.

Naruto instinctively straightened his posture.

"While intentionally antagonizing your opponent does indeed provide several benefits in a fight against other people, please remember we are in class. I do not want any strained relations to occur because of your choices in the ring. And do keep in mind that due to their already hateful nature, provoking a Grimm during a fight, while marginally effective, is often an act of wasted effort."

That was fair. Naruto was surprised that she even acknowledged his tactics.

"Also, I highly suggest you rectify your lack of ranged options in a fight. There will come a time when your opponent or environment will force you to fight from a distance."

Naruto nodded. Another good point. Maybe he could look into someone forging some throwing knives for him?

"Right!" Amber's voice drew everyone's attention to her. Unlike their older professor, Amber's tone was bright and excitable. And much more familiar with them.

"Yang. Great showing out there. Withstanding that last explosion certainly threw your opponent out of sync, and sometimes disrupting someone's plan is all it takes to turn the tide in your favour. Remember, everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

Amber paused and smiled at her own words, then continued.

"You're a heavy hitter, and you're fast. It just so happened that your opponent was faster. You probably thought, 'I just need to land one,'" Yang nodded. "Don't rely on that mindset. Be adaptable. As you can see, you're never guaranteed to land that one game-changing hit. Worse yet, what if your opponent is fast and tough? If they withstand the hit you're banking on, you'll be out of luck."

Yang glanced at Naruto. Her face contorted, signifying perhaps a series of mental calculations. She frowned at their apparent outcome.

"Most of your opponents won't be as fast, but working on your speed is always good if you want. If there's one bit of advice I want you to listen to, it's to work on your temper. You're a firecracker through and through. It empowers your physical aspects in a fight but at the cost of clarity of mind. Don't let your opponent dictate the outcome of your battle. Take the initiative."

Naruto took note of Yang's silence. She appeared more focused than he'd ever seen the girl. Good. It was excellent advice. Hopefully, the girl would take to it.

"Naruto!" Amber barked at him. She chuckled at his small jolt.

"Very impressive showing! Your hand-to-hand is exceptional, as are your reflexes. I noticed a dip in proficiency when your blades came out. Are they new?"

Naruto nodded silently.

"Thought so. Familiarize yourself with them. Intimately. Your weapon is an extension of yourself. That means being fully committed."

Naruto ran a hand over one of his wrist bracers and considered the weapon stashed beneath. Mastering a weapon was just as valuable as mastering a taijutsu style or an Elemental Nature. But it didn't come fast or easy. Perhaps he should put more effort into using the blades. He was undoubtedly becoming fond of them.

"Your strategy for testing your opponent's abilities is effective. Great usage there, but keep in mind that it works both ways. As you learn your opponent's moves, so do they learn yours. Be sure not to give them what they need to beat you. Finally, I agree with Glynda. You need to find some ranged options for the future. It's a pretty easy opening to exploit."

Colour Naruto surprised. Good advice was the last thing he'd expected from Amber, yet here they were. Maybe he owed her an apology for all the things he'd thought about her.

"And stop overthinking everything. You spend more time inside your own head than anyone else I've seen," came Amber's last-minute criticism. She laughed at the flat look he shot her.

After a few moments of silence, the class' senior instructor chimed in, "Well said, Amber. Now, Mr. Uzumaki, Miss. Xiao Long, if you'll please find your seats. We still have several students that need to spar."

The professor glanced at her tablet as the two blond students approached the steps leading down from the arena. Naruto vaguely noted two unfamiliar names that were called out.

Yang punched him lightly on the shoulder as they shuffled through the stands. "Has anyone ever told you you're a pain in the ass to fight?" Her tone was good-natured, but more than a bit of frustration was laced within her words.

Naruto grinned in return. "Plenty of times, actually," he said with a laugh.

"Not surprising," Yang mumbled under her breath.

Eventually, the two found their seats and were immediately beset by their team leader. Ruby's excitement was palpable, contrasting oddly with her feeble attempts to keep quiet.

The result was her not-so-quietly whispering to them, "That was amazing, Naruto! I've only ever seen Yang get tossed around like that by our dad and uncle!"

Yang seemed to take offence to her sister's words. "Excuse me? He did not 'toss me around,' thank you very much."

Ruby paused, then fixed her sister with a flat stare. She glanced towards Blake.

"The fight did seem one-sided," commented the girl in black.

Ruby glanced towards Weiss.

The girl in white shrugged. "You landed what? Half a hit?"

Ruby resumed staring at Yang. "Totally tossed you around."

Yang looked between the three team members, a look of betrayal on her features.

Ruby touched her older sister's shoulder affectionately and donned a compassionate smile. "Like a frisbee, Yang. You got tossed around like a frisbee," the red-clad girl said softly.

Yang immediately shoved the small pale hand from her shoulder, then shot a mock scowl as Ruby suppressed a burst of giggles.

Leaning forward, Weiss fixed the blond shinobi with a critical eye. "I had a feeling you were a good fighter, but that was beyond what I thought you were capable of."

Naruto supposed it was the first time any of them had seen him fight another person. Even Weiss had only seen the aftermath. If only they knew what he was actually capable of. What he used to be capable of.

Naruto swallowed the bubbling melancholy as it threatened to make itself known, then donned a lopsided smile. "Thanks, snowflake. It's not easy to get a compliment out of you. I'll treasure it."

Weiss rolled her eyes but otherwise remained silent.

Surprisingly, it was Blake who spoke next. "You know," she started. Amber eyes burned into his ocean blue. "You don't fight like how I imagined a shinobi would."

Naruto shrugged. "Why not? Because I don't cling to the shadows and strike only when my opponent is off-kilter?"

Blake smiled and raised her hand in a 'so-so' gesture.

Naruto chewed the inside of his cheek in thought, then answered, "I can do that, sure. They taught me in ninja school. But it's pretty boring. Not really my preferred style."

Blake rolled her eyes at the mention of 'ninja school.'

He wasn't joking.

Naruto glanced toward their team leader as she leaned into Yang. He just barely overheard her whispered question, "So... shinobi means ninja?"

Yang shrugged wordlessly, and Naruto suppressed a laugh. He deigned not to answer. Sometimes it was difficult to remember how nuanced some things could be.

A flash of red from his peripherals, and Naruto immediately recognized the school's resident champion.

"I thought the fight was very entertaining," Pyrrha commented politely while leaning forwards. "You fought like a true showman. Very similar to some of the fights I've had during tournaments."

Naruto glanced from the corner of his eye and noticed the rest of Team JNPR sitting in the row behind them. Nora was grinning manically between him and Yang while Ren sat beside the girl as if monitoring her. Upon seeing Nora's gaze and Naruto's subsequent uneasy look, the raven-haired teen spoke, "Don't mind her. She's just excited there's another strong opponent around."

Nora nodded excitedly. "But if you try dancing around me like that in a fight, I'll break your legs!"

Naruto waited for Ren to inform them that his partner was joking.

...

Right.

Naruto shrugged. "You'll have to be faster than Yang if you want that. No offence, but I don't think you are."

Nora flexed her arms. "Trust me, I can be pretty quick if I'm charged up enough."

Ren quickly cut off her line of thinking. "There will be time for sparring later."

There was something in the quickness of his speech that made Naruto raise a brow. The green-clad teen was nervous. Why? It wasn't like they were going to fight here and now.

Naruto panned his gaze to the final member of Team JNPR. Jaune was distracted, not having paid the conversation any mind until now. The blond knight was stuck between staring at his scroll and the board announcing the next set of fighters.

Was it already time for the next fight? The last one must have been decisive.

Nora's fist impacted heavily with Jaune's shoulder, startling him.

"It's ridiculous, right Jaune? To think she had the audacity to say that!" Nora questioned with faux incredulity.

To Jaune's credit, he took to the prompt surprisingly well. If the situation were different, and Nora wasn't messing with him, he'd almost be convincing.

"Y-yeah! Absolutely!" Jaune exclaimed. "I couldn't believe it either!"

Jaune frowned as the two teams chuckled at his expense. After a moment, he smiled.

"Yeah yeah, very funny," he breathed, waving the group off.

After a few moments, Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's no need to be nervous, Jaune. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Naruto wasn't so sure. He wasn't trying to be harsh on the knight, but it was clear that Jaune wasn't up to the fighting standards of his peers. Based on the teen's expression, he was well aware of that fact.

Jaune held his head in his hands. "We'll see. I just hope I don't get matched with Cardin."

After several more rounds of combat, it was becoming increasingly likely that that was exactly who Jaune would be matched against.

"- Cardin Winchester!" Proclaimed professor Goodwitch. Jaune tensed at the name. "Your opponent will be,"

Jaune claspt his hands in prayer.

"Jaune Arc!"

Jaune's head dropped quickly, and he released a long groan. "Of course. It's like she read my mind just so she could mess with me."

Pyrrha gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It'll be okay. Remember, you don't have to win; just do your best."

Naruto nodded in agreement, then added, "Don't try to block his strikes; he's too big for that. Try and dodge instead."

"Be quick on your feet! He's probably slow and clumsy!" Ruby pointed out.

"Remember Jauney, armour's weak below the waist. Makes it easier to break his -'' Nora was quickly silenced by a hand over her mouth. Ren smiled apologetically and offered a nod of encouragement before rapidly withdrawing his hand. A small trail of saliva connected it to Nora's outstretched tongue.

The rest of the group gave the blond knight similar words of wisdom and encouragement. Even Weiss made a point to reassure the inexperienced swordsman.

It was no secret that Cardin had taken on a well-established reputation as a bully over the past two weeks. Naruto was yet to understand how the teen had been allowed into the school. As far as he'd seen, the ginger-haired boy didn't particularly stand out in any regard. At least Jaune had the proper worldview. The same couldn't be said for Cardin.

Jaune slowly trudged toward the stage. Cardin sneered at him from the centre of the arena, eying him like a predator.

This probably wouldn't go well.

The start of the match confirmed it. Cardin simply outclassed Jaune as a fighter. That wasn't a compliment to Cardin by any means. The large teen had no technique or finesse and relied heavily upon brute strength alone. Against anyone else amongst Teams JNPR and RYBWN, he'd be mauled.

But Jaune was the exception. To his credit, it was clear that the boy was doing his best to incorporate their advice. He'd been doing well enough to avoid any direct hits from the large mace directed at him, choosing not to deploy his shield. He'd even managed to land a few blows to his opponent's legs. But Cardin hit a lot harder, and the few that got through were taking a toll. It was clear to Naruto that Jaune was using a lot of his stamina for every swing dodged. Eventually, he'd have to change tactics, and knowing the knight had an easily accessible shield just within reach, Naruto knew what the swordsman would inevitably do.

Pyrrha sighed softly the moment her partner deployed his shield. The decision to tank the mace-wielder's swings cemented Jaune's loss. It simply wasn't the right strategy.

Naruto turned to Pyrrha. "You should teach him a bit about how to use his shield. You would know better than anyone; it's just as much of a weapon as his sword."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "He does seem to be hiding behind it more than anything."

Jaune took a particularly nasty strike to the stomach, effectively taking him out of the fight. Cardin raised his mace as Jaune fell to the ground and prepared for a downward finishing blow. Before he could follow through, a familiar buzzer rang out, signifying the end of the match.

Naruto sighed. He could see the outcome of the fight a mile away. He noticed several downtrodden looks from both teams, Pyrrha in particular. He nudged her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry. He's got a long way to go, but based on that performance, he's teachable."

Pyrrha perked up at his words. "I suppose you're right. I'll talk to him tonight and see if he's willing to accept an offer of extra training."

Naruto nodded. It was a good idea.

Only now did Naruto notice the rest of the room was abuzz with excitement. Amber had seemingly riled up the student body with the promise of grandeur during the upcoming Vytal Festival. The idea made him wonder. He'd be long gone by the time the tournament rolled around; should he come to visit during it? Cheer on his former team? Would he still be on good terms with his friends? Would he even be in Remnant at that point? The questions brought a frown to his face. He didn't like thinking about it. The shuffle of footsteps drew his attention to the rest of the class filing out of the room.

"You good, Naruto?" Ruby asked from next to him. She wore a soft smile.

Right. Better not to worry about that.

"Yeah. Just lost in thought," he replied candidly.

Ruby laughed, "Maybe Mrs. Amber was right. You really need to get out of your own head."

Yeah, fat chance, there. There was so much more room now.

Kami, he missed Kurama.

Ruby paused, ushing in a moment of silence. "Hey, I was wondering..." Naruto tilted his head in interest. "About what Professor Goodwitch and Mrs. Amber said. If you ever need help figuring out how to incorporate some range into your arsenal, I'm pretty good with building and modifying weapons."

Naruto blinked. It was a kind offer. He really should take her up on it. He nodded at her words, "Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate the offer. We should find some time for that."

Ruby beamed brightly at his words, then grabbed his arm, pulling him up. "Come on, or we'll get stuck in line at the cafeteria."

With that, the two teens made their way to the lunchroom, intent on catching up with the rest of the group.

xXx

Naruto had to hand it to the faculty; one thing they didn't skimp out on was food. A greedy slurp from the bowl in his hands emphasized that. They also knew how to make a mean bowl of ramen. If there was one thing that could possibly keep him at the academy, it would probably be his favourite meal. It wasn't as good as Ichiraku's, but given how long it had been since he'd had a bowl of the divine dish, it may as well have been.

Weiss groaned from beside him. "Must you be so disgusting?" She complained with a frown. Naruto was seated with his team in the middle of the cafeteria. To his right were Yang and Blake, while to his left sat Weiss and Ruby.

Naruto eyed the girl flatly as she filed away at her nails. "You're seriously going to say that while you sit there blasting fingernail dust all over the table? The table where people are eating?"

"It's for a worthy cause," the ashen-haired girl replied without skipping a beat. She continued at his lack of response. "Beauty. The cause is beauty. Looking this good doesn't come easy."

Were it anyone else, Naruto would call them out on the absurdity of the statement. But this was Weiss. Sure, she could be vain, but it was easy to tell when she was joking. At least, it was for him. It was the subtle inflection of her voice. The levity of her tone.

"I know you're something of a master when it comes to Dust, but I didn't realize that included keratin Dust," Naruto muttered to the girl beside him.

Weiss paused her actions, then made a strange noise. It was her attempt to suppress a snort of laughter. Naruto had discovered recently that the petite heiress snorted when she was both surprised and amused.

She hated that fact, but it did make it fun to tease her.

After composing herself, Weiss turned to face Naruto, a look of curiosity in her eyes. "I'm surprised you know what nails are made of. You don't seem like the type to be interested in the topic."

"I'm not, but the information came up when I was looking into bones," Naruto replied offhandedly.

"And why were you looking into bones?" Weiss asked in confusion.

Ah, right. How to phrase it delicately?

"I once fought someone who used their bones as weapons. Shot them right out of their body like a crossbow."

Twice, actually.

Weiss' face screwed up in confusion and disgust. "Surely you're joking," she asked, a small measure of trepidation at his pending answer.

Perfect.

"I think it was part of their semblance," Naruto answered, rubbing his chin. His response didn't provide much. To those present, it had to have been a semblance. People here simply weren't capable of the exotic abilities Kaguya or Kimimaro were. Or anyone in the Elemental Nations, for that matter.

A soft groan further to his left alerted him to their team leader.

"Can you guys stop being gross? We're in the middle of lunch."

Naruto glanced at Ruby's plate of food. 'Lunch' was being generous. Her meal was little more than a half-eaten stack of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. And everyone gave him a hard time for an unhealthy diet?

Naruto looked across the rest of the assembled group. Across from them sat Team JNPR.

Everyone appeared busy with their own tasks. As usual, Blake was reading from her book, tuning out or purposely ignoring the rest of the world. Nora was animatedly recounting a tale from her past. Or was it a dream? Ren periodically corrected her on the details, so it was likely a memory from the past. Yang was enamoured with the hammer-wielding ginger's story, providing all the appropriate 'oohs' and 'ahhs.'

Jaune, on the other hand, seemed troubled. It wasn't difficult to guess what burdened his mind. Pyrrha was shooting concerned glances between her partner and the table. As Nora finished retelling her story, which was evidently a dream, the redheaded tournament fighter took the brief lull in conversation to address her team leader.

The following conversation was, quite frankly, somewhat difficult to stomach. It came down to Cardin, of course. Jaune really had been unlucky to be matched against the large teen in today's match. Jaune's attempts to rationalize the leader of Team CRDL's mistreatment of him were laughable at best. Sad at worst.

Ruby said it second best. Cardin was a bully. To say it best would be to say he was an asshole.

As Jaune continued to try and deflect blame from his tormentor, the rest of the table began to jump in and provide various examples of Cardin's offences. Honestly, Naruto had been unaware of several of the instances. How the hell had Professor Goodwitch not ripped Cardin in half for what he'd done? Did she think Jaune stumbled into his locker and somehow launched himself to the Emerald Forest?

"Oh! We'll break his legs!" Nora exclaimed while jumping up.

What was with that girl and breaking legs? She really had something against them, didn't she?

Naruto frowned as Jaune continued to deflect, refute, or refuse their help. It was frustrating. Naruto was no stranger to bullies. His generation's parents had practically encouraged their children to single him out. Yet hadn't he been the same as Jaune growing up? Stubborn. Prideful. Uncompromising. Similarly, he had refused to run to the Hokage or Academy Instructors for help. Not that the instructors would have done anything; they were half the problem. But what made it worse, in Naruto's eyes, was that he wasn't blessed with half a dozen friends offering their support, so it was confusing as to why Jaune continued to be so stubborn about the topic.

Naruto liked to believe that if he had been given the resources, he would have happily leaned on his friends. He wrestled with the idea. Then again, back then, he was unreasonably headstrong. And he had crippling trust issues. It was hard to say.

"Ow, that hurts!" Cried an accented voice.

The two teams glanced toward Cardin and his group just in time to witness the bully roughly pulling on another student's long lepine ears. A rabbit Faunus. Naruto scowled. The four members of Team CRDL continued to laugh and jeer at the faunus girl as Cardin continued his assault.

Naruto glanced at his table of friends. Everyone present wore looks of disgust and contempt. Yet no one acted. Well, time to change that. Yang and Nora would back him; he had no doubt about that. Surprisingly, Blake was practically vibrating in agitation. Well, for Blakes's standards, anyway. In reality, it was little more than mild fidgeting and a creased brow, but it spoke volumes.

Naruto noticed a conveniently placed green apple on the table. Weiss' apple. Now it would be Cardin's apple. Just in case, he decided to ask Weiss first. It was only polite.

"Weiss, are you going to eat your apple?"

The girl in question momentarily paused from her one-way glowing match with Cardin. "What? Yes, I'm going to eat it. Why?"

Shame.

Before the girl in white could react, Naruto snatched the apple from her plate. "Hey! What are you -"

In one fluid motion, Naruto hurled the apple toward the large armour-clad bully. It flew across the room, cutting through the air like a small cannonball. In less than a second, the green orb collided with the back of Cardin's head and exploded on impact. Fresh fruity bits showered the rest of his team and allowed the faunus girl, who had been eying Naruto the moment he stood, to escape the bully's grip. Cardin released a strangled yell, and the rest of his team shouted in surprise.

As Naruto sat back down, he noted with no small amount of satisfaction that Cardin's Aura hadn't protected him from the improvised weapon. He must have felt exceptionally safe despite picking on someone else.

Dripping in juice and chunks of apple, Cardin whirled around to face the direction the fruit came from. "Who the hell threw that!" He screamed.

The boy's face was beet red, and his shoulders visibly trembled in rage. The image was slightly diminished as one of his hands gently cradled the back of his head. Naruto couldn't tell from this distance, but he suspected Cardin's eyes were watering. A smack to the back of the head like that would have stung.

The room fell silent at the outburst. A thick tension blanketed the cafeteria as Cardin's eyes scanned across the assembled students. Naruto slowly stood from his spot at the table and locked eyes with the large teen. Cardin's eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. He extracted himself from his seat and stormed towards the blond shinobi.

The mace-wielder stopped at the head of the table and planted his thick arms upon its surface.

"What the fuck is your problem, Uzumaki?" The teen leered at Naruto.

"You're my problem," Naruto responded cooly.

Cardin's grip on the table tightened. After a moment, he replied. "What, trying to play hero? Think it makes you look good trying to save some random filthy faunus?"

Naruto noted Blake tremble. She was restraining herself. It made sense. He himself wanted to throw another apple, and Blake, being at the end of the table, was the closest to Cardin.

"I'm just doing what anyone here should be doing," Naruto raised his voice at the end of his sentence. Not in irritation or as a challenge, but simply to project his words to the rest of the cafeteria. "You're everything this school stands against. Your outdated ignorance has no place here. Frankly, I have no idea why Ozpin let you in," Naruto's tone remained calm and focused.

Cardin grit his teeth. He lowered himself slightly so that he was at eye level with Naruto and practically growled, "You looking to die, blondie?"

Immediately, Yang slammed her fist on the table and shot up from her seat. This triggered near-identical reactions from Nora, Blake, and, surprisingly, Pyrrha. Cardin quickly rose and took several steps back, almost bumping into his teammates, who had, until now, been standing several paces behind their leader, scowling at Naruto.

Yang glared at Cardin and raised a tightly bound fist in his direction. "You better watch your mouth, meathead, or I'm going to beat you to death with a bag of Granny Smiths!"

Cardin floundered for a moment, but to the boy's credit, he schooled his features quickly. He took several moments to assess his situation. He panned his vision across those assembled and made the wise decision to withdraw. In addition to those ready to attack him if he tried anything, the murderous glares of the rest of the table likely played a part in his decision.

The large teen scoffed. "Whatever. As if I'll get anything out of beating down some pansy who relies on a bunch of girls to protect him."

Yang flinched at the insult. Before she could lunge at the boy and potentially risk repercussions, Naruto let loose a small amount of killing intent, freezing everyone in place. Cardin managed to force a step backwards through sheer will.

Naruto glowered. "Do not let my calm demeanour fool you." Naruto leaked more killing intent with every word, focusing entirely on Cardin and his team. By the end of his sentence, Team CRDL was frozen in place. It was more effective than raising his voice could have ever been. "If I see you bullying anyone else, human or faunus, my biggest challenge is going to be finding a nice apple tree to bury you under."

With that, Naruto dropped his killing intent. Cardin, who had begun sweating profusely, released a long breath. After a few moments, he seemed to return to reality and realized that the entire cafeteria still had eyes on him.

The teen grimaced, but wordlessly turned on his heel. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and stormed off, making a beeline for the exit. The rest of his team took a moment longer to compose themselves, then quickly followed after their leader.

As the ambient conversations filling the cafeteria began to return, Naruto returned to his seat, gently pulling Yang down by the arm. She followed his lead without resistance, Blake, Nora, and Pyrrha quickly following suit.

Yang was the first to break the small moment of silence. "Damn, Naruto. What the hell was that?"

Naruto shrugged. "I really don't like bullies."

Another pregnant pause.

Ruby leaned forward. "Talking from experience?" She asked with concern. Her body language was measured. Almost tender. Like she thought she was walking on eggshells.

She wasn't. Not really.

Naruto hummed gently. "You could tell?" He asked while furrowing his brow. He wasn't being obvious. At least, he didn't think he was.

Ruby nodded tentatively.

Naruto puffed out his cheeks, then nodded once more. "I used to get bullied a lot in the village I grew up in."

"Wait, really?" Jaune's surprised voice cut in. "But you're so... strong. Why would they bully you?"

Naruto chuckled humourlessly. "I wasn't always strong. As for why?" Naruto paused. How should he phrase this? He couldn't take the easy route by saying he was a faunus. He was missing some necessary traits and didn't know enough about the faunus to claim he was only half. He didn't know if half-faunus could be born without animal features.

As had become his customary strategy, Naruto decided to only tell part of the truth. "My father did something that gave the villagers a reason to dislike me. Most kids my age were told to stay away from me. It didn't help that I acted out for attention."

That was an understatement.

Pyrrha tilted her head at his words. "That's terrible. I can't imagine what your father could have done."

Despite the apparent curiosity, she didn't directly ask him. None of his friends did. And Naruto wasn't inclined to tell them.

Weiss joined the conversation by asking, "Where were your parents in all this? Or... at least, your mother? Did she not step in to help?"

"Dead," Naruto responded automatically, then immediately froze. Why did he say that? How was this information relevant to what he was trying to say? What the hell was he even trying to say anyway?

Right. He was trying to make a point to Jaune. Then he'd been immediately sidetracked.

Despite reconciling his past, even speaking with his parents on more than one occasion, Naruto admitted there would always be a small amount of animosity regarding his orphaning and subsequent childhood. Not at his parents, not anymore, but at the situation in general. That animosity was what allowed his slip of the tongue.

A brief glance around the table confirmed that he'd also managed to ruin the atmosphere. The group was sending him varying looks of sympathy. Yang, Ruby, Ren, and Nora more so than the rest. If Naruto was younger, he might have interpreted their looks as pity. Not now. He appreciated their sentiment but wasn't happy with the fact that he'd brought the mood down.

Naruto needed to move the conversation along. "Yes, yes; it's all very sad. The orphan got bullied growing up. But for what it's worth, I know my parents loved me very much, and I've come to terms with my situation. And Jaune,"

The blonde knight perked up at his name.

"What I was trying to say is that strength alone doesn't determine whether or not someone can be bullied. Take that girl Cardin was picking on. She's not a first-year."

"She's not?" Jaune replied, surprise colouring his voice.

"Nope. She wasn't at initiation. Which means she's at least a second year. I'd hazard a guess that even the worst second-year outclasses Cardin on any given day."

"Then why wouldn't she stand up for herself?" Jaune questioned.

Naruto nodded at his words. "Why, indeed. Maybe she doesn't want to cause trouble. Maybe she believes keeping quiet will disincentivize Cardin. Maybe she's gone her whole life being conditioned to it."

"She wouldn't be the first," Blake interjected.

"And she won't be the last," Naruto added. "It's one thing to stand up for someone; it's another to get them to stand up for themselves."

Ruby shook her head and chimed in, "I don't think lying down and taking it solves anything," she said sadly.

The girl was right. Doing nothing would just be feeding the wolf. And after all, however much you feed the wolf - the wolf always hungers.

Jaune remained quiet at that.

Naruto would let him sit on that information. Maybe he'd talk to him later on the matter.

Glancing at his scroll, Naruto sighed. "We should get going. We have history class with Professor Oobleck soon."

"Doctor," Yang corrected him with a surprisingly accurate impression.

The poshness of her tone brought out several wry smiles. Naruto was grateful for the girl's attempt to break the group out of the heavy atmosphere.

Regardless, it was best not to keep the good doctor waiting.

xXx

Naruto sat loosely on the concrete rooftop of the dormitory. Blue eyes roamed over Jaune and Pyrrha as they conversed several feet below him. The reason he was spying on the duo was because of the small exchange outside Oobleck's classroom. It had piqued his interest. He was seated on a raised platform positioned above the rooftop entrance.

History class, for the record, had gone about as poorly for Team JNPR's leader as the first half of the day had. It must have been a combination of terrible luck and Cardin seriously having it out for the boy. It was why Naruto had been waiting for Jaune around the corner after class. He'd intended on speaking with his fellow blond. Sometimes, a few kind words with no strings attached could make all the difference.

But Pyrrha must have been thinking along the same lines, and at her excited mention of an idea, the two were rushing away. Naruto had discreetly followed the pair out of curiosity. Upon hearing Pyrrha's offer to help train the blond knight, Naruto almost jumped down then and there to join them. He had plenty of ideas on how to train Jaune from the ground up.

It was good that Naruto suppressed the urge, as Jaune defied all expectations and practically dumped his partner on the spot. Naruto hadn't meant to eavesdrop once things got personal. Once Jaune dropped his guard and displayed his vulnerability, Naruto had been more than ready to simply leave or, at the very least, tune the conversation out. It felt wrong to listen to something so personal.

But then Jaune started yelling, and before Naruto knew it, he was an unwilling fly on the wall.

To be sure, the teen's false admittance into the school came as a surprise. But the more Naruto thought about it, the more curious the situation became. Ozpin wasn't stupid. Far from it. Was there really any possibility that the headmaster could be fooled by fake transcripts? Naruto suspected that the man was meticulous in the selection process.

Hell, Naruto wouldn't be overly surprised if the reason Cardin and his team were accepted was to serve as an obstacle for other students to overcome. Unless Cardin had a swathe of redeeming qualities, Naruto couldn't think of a better reason.

Naruto frowned as Jaune effectively blew his partner off. So it all came down to pride? The absolute need to do things on his own to not appear helpless? Admirable but misguided. Foolish even. Especially when at the cost of his personal relationships. As Pyrrha mournfully accepted her partner's request, she slowly left the rooftop.

Naruto was planning on following the girl's lead. Jaune was too heated to talk to now. Nothing he could say would get through to his fellow blond. He'd likely only worsen things. It would be best to give the teen time to think, then confront him about everything later. It'd be hell trying to figure out how to explain to Juane that he'd been eavesdropping on his darkest secret, but he'd think of something.

That plan jumped cleanly off the rooftop when Cardin himself climbed onto the roof. It seemed Naruto wasn't the only wallflower of the night. Naruto grimaced as Jauned begged his bully to keep his secret. Naruto hadn't expected this development. He couldn't let it come to pass. Misfortune. Manipulation. Extortion. Jaune really needed to catch a break.

Naruto could oblige.

Jumping down from his perch, Naruto made no attempt to muffle his landing. The impact of feet on stone started both unsuspecting teenagers, who whirled to face him.

Naruto chuckled at the twin looks of surprise. "Oh, Cardin. I couldn't help but overhear you two from my resting spot over there," Naruto tossed a thumb toward the rooftop entrance.

"N-Naruto?" stammered Jaune. The blond knight was caught off guard for the second time in less than a minute.

Cardin remained silent, but the cocky smirk he once wore was now replaced by an angry scowl.

Naruto continued. "So, blackmailing a student, huh? I've gotta say, Cardin, I completely expected you to be such an asshole."

Cardin didn't seem particularly impressed that Naruto had flipped the script of his conversation with Jaune. After a moment, he smirked cruelly.

"I'd watch my tone if I were you, Uzumaki. I know Jaune's big secret now, in case you haven't factored it in. We wouldn't want Ozpin finding out, now would we?"

Naruto's tone remained flat. "So what? You'll blackmail him and maybe myself into doing what you want, or else you'll tell Ozpin and have him expelled?"

Cardin nodded. "Now you're getting it."

Jaune stood as still as a statue as he watched the conversation between his two peers.

Naruto nodded at Cardin's verbal confirmation. "Okay. Tell him."

"W-what?"

"What the hell?"

Twin voices rang out in confusion.

"Complete your blackmail. Tell Ozpin Jaune's a fraud and have him expelled." Naruto answered unperturbed.

"U-uh, Naruto? I-I don't think that's a good idea..." Jaune stammered to his fellow blond. He was nervous. Barely able to force out the words. There was a hint of betrayal in his tone as well.

Naruto turned to Jaune. Jaune shrank back at his gaze. "I think it's a great idea, actually. Let Cardin make that mistake. Let him see what Ozpin does."

Jaune adopted a look of confusion. It was a look that Cardin mirrored as the boy blurted out, "What the hell's that supposed to mean? Do you even understand what's happening right now?" The ginger-haired boy chuckled in exasperation at the end of his words.

"Of course I do. I think it's you who doesn't understand." Before Cardin could interject, Naruto continued. "If you go to Ozpin with this, then I'll let him know you tried to blackmail another student into doing your schoolwork. I wonder what the headmaster would think of academic dishonesty and the extortion of another student?"

Not to mention all the nasty crap Cardin had been up to when bullying other members of the student body.

Cardin laughed. "It's your word versus mine. Ozpin won't have the grounds to do anything to either of us without proof. But at the mention of fake transcripts? I'd wager a guess that he'll at least look into that. Once he takes a closer look, then Jauney-boy here is screwed."

It was a decent enough argument. To the point that Jaune groaned in defeat. A premature defeat. Naruto wasn't done.

"Whatever gave you the notion that I didn't have proof?" Naruto asked with mock bewilderment. Cardin scoffed in disbelief, but a tiny spark of doubt lingered in his hateful eyes.

Without another word, Naruto fished his scroll from his pocket and made an exaggerated tapping motion on the blank screen, which was conveniently facing away from Cardin. "We don't have scrolls where I come from. I still can't believe how easy it is to record pictures, videos," Naruto paused, "and conversations," he added for emphasis.

Cardin growled. He took half a step in Naruto's direction, then stopped. He took a long pause to process the situation, then asked with a frown, "So what now? We go back to the status quo? We each hold this information over the other as a form of mutually assured destruction?"

Not exactly.

Naruto pocketed his scroll. "No, I don't think so. The status quo sucks ass right now. Let's make a new one."

Cardin raised a brow. "Why exactly would I agree to that?"

This was it. Time to see if the big brute was capable of a shred of foresight. "Because. You don't have anything on Jaune."

"What do -"

Naruto interrupted the mace-wielder, "Do you really think Ozpin is dumb enough to allow in a student with fake transcripts by accident?"

Cardin's mouth clamped shut.

"There's no way the headmaster isn't aware of Jaune's attempt at deception. Yet not only did he let him in, but he also made Jaune a team leader. That kind of decision isn't made on a whim. Ozpin sees something in Jaune that's worth taking a risk for."

Naruto could see it in Cardin's glare. His resolve was faltering.

"If you go to Ozpin about this, all you're doing is exposing yourself for the piece of shit you are. I wouldn't be surprised if Ozpin kicks you out for the sole reason of assuming he's too dumb to notice fake transcripts."

Cardin's grip tightened to the point Naruto could hear his Aura grinding.

"That means we've got one up on you, not the other way around. We're not even on equal footing," Naruto grinned toothily.

"What do you want?" Cardin growled out. The resignation in his voice tasted sweet.

"Like I said at lunch today. Stop messing with people. Faunus. Human. Jaune."

Several long moments passed in silence. Naruto could see the gears turning behind Cardin's eyes. Jaune, for his part, had returned to a normal breathing rhythm. Hope was pooling in his rich blue eyes.

Finally, Cardin responded. "Fine. But you'll fucking regret this, Uzumaki."

Naruto remained silent. Cardin needed to get the last word in. It was his only way to salvage his pride. The large teen sent one last glare towards the two blonds, then begrudgingly climbed back into his dorm window.

...

"H-holy crap, Naruto. That was... I don't know... Thank you," Jaune was nearly at a loss for what to say. In the end, naked gratitude won out, and with his thanks, the tall knight's shoulders sagged.

Naruto approached the teen and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering a firm squeeze.

"You're welcome," Naruto replied simply. After a moment of thought, he added, "You're not even going to pretend you didn't need my help to handle things?" He said with deliberate flatness.

Jaune winced at the tone. He knew Naruto was referring to Pyrrha. Forcing through the conversational speedbump, Jaune admitted, "I couldn't even if I tried. I was dead without your help."

Naruto nodded wordlessly at the admission.

"What can I do to repay you?" Jaune asked with trepidation. Perhaps he was worried Naruto would try to exploit him, just as Cardin had.

A baseless worry.

"What can you do?" Naruto repeated, "Apologize to your partner and accept her help."

"W-what? I can't!" Jaune exclaimed.

"The hell you can't. You will because you owe me," Naruto snapped back instantly. He'd been expecting that reply.

"B-but what I said to her..." Jaune paused, "You heard our conversation, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Then you know why I need to do things on my own!" Jaune turned away from him in an attempt to gather his thoughts. Naruto chose not to interrupt him. He wanted Jaune to get everything out at once so that he could properly deconstruct his incorrect views.

"You said you weren't always as strong as you are now. Then you should understand my reasons."

A long pause with no further argument.

Naruto tilted his head. "Is that it?"

"W-what?"

"Is that all you have to say? You want to be a hero who can hold his own and protect his friends, but you want to do it your way. Alone." Naruto's tone was decidedly unimpressed.

"I... Uh..." Jaune stammered.

Naruto released a long, drawn-out sigh. "Look, Jaune. I can understand what you want. I grew up wanting the same things. I still do."

Jaune turned back to face him.

"But I really don't understand the obsession of doing it alone. Did someone teach you that? Because that's certainly not how I got stronger."

The taller blond's face contorted in confusion.

Naruto continued his speech, "Doing it alone rarely ever works. I know this because I tried to do it myself growing up. And just so you know, I was a joke. They literally nicknamed me 'dead last.'"

At that, Jaune's jaw nearly dropped in surprise. Yeah. Kids could be cruel.

"It wasn't until I was placed on a team and started training with my friends and mentors that I really improved. Pyrrha was right. Everyone needs a little push from time to time."

At the very least, Jaune seemed to be considering his words.

"Even Pyrrha. Do you honestly think she became a world-renowned tournament fighter without the support of her friends, family, and more than likely a long list of personal trainers?"

Naruto turned to face the shattered moon, which hung delicately in the sky. "Yang and Ruby had their father and uncle. Weiss had the finest tutors in Atlas. I hand my friends and master. There's a pattern here, Jaune. All the strongest people have had the most help. Just because they got it earlier in life doesn't mean you missed out on the opportunity."

Naruto paused to let the information sink in. Eventually, Jaune answered, "I was pretty rude to Pyrrha. I doubt she'd help me now if I asked."

Naruto shook his head. "I know your bad mood has tainted your outlook on things. You feel guilty and can't help but pity yourself. Those feelings will pass. But trust me, Jaune; Pyrrha will help whenever you ask."

Jaune's face scrunched in visible doubt. "You really think so?"

Naruto nodded. "If you weren't feeling so down right now, you'd agree with me. Trust in your partner. Trust in your team. They want you to succeed."

Jaune nodded at Naruto's words.

"Just like you want to help them however you can, they want to help you," Naruto added softly.

"Right. You're right," Jaune acquiesced.

After a few more beats, he added, "Thank you, Naruto. For everything."

The words of gratitude were simple and straightforward, lacking any unnecessary drivel. Naruto preferred it that way.

"I-I should go. Apologize to Pyrrha."

Naruto nodded. He should. "Don't ever let your pride stand in the way of your dreams, Jaune."

The armoured knight nodded and turned to leave. "O-oh, and uh... do you mind not mentioning any of this, my past, that is, to anyone else?"

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me, Cardin, Pyrrha, and probably Ozpin... maybe some of the faculty."

Jaune paled at his words. "R-right. Thanks."

With that, the teen turned to go. Before he could take his first step, he spun around suddenly. "Oh! By the way," Jaune closed the distance between them and leaned in conspiratorially. With a whisper, he asked, "Did you actually record Cardin admitting to blackmail?"

Naruto laughed loudly at the question, startling his fellow blond. He rummaged around in his pocket momentarily, then drew his scroll out. He tapped the display several times and was met with no response. Glancing around, he leaned towards Jaune and lightly whispered, "I forgot to charge it last night."

Based on Jaune's reaction, he was torn between humour and worry.

Naruto always had a good poker face.

After a few awkward chuckles, Jaune quickly left the rooftop.

...

Now that he was alone, Naruto sighed. Managing other people's interpersonal relationships could be such a drag. All this talk about teammates, friendship, and getting stronger only reminded him that he needed to get home.

Staring back at the broken moon, Naruto traced its surface with his eyes. He wondered what could have shattered the planet's satellite. It would have taken a lot of force. On par with a god. Or goddess.

He really needed to get back home.

Judging by how long he'd been outside, he still had a few hours until the library closed. Time to get back to it. He'd just found a promising book about space-time semblances.

Time to chase another lead.

xXx

A/N: Not too much to say here. The fight scene was fun to write. The small canon divergence with Cardin was satisfying to write. All around a fun chapter to write. I'm happy :)

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