A/N: So here's Chapter 14. I meant to post this last night, but I lost track of time, had a graveyard shift, and here we are now. Sorry about that. Other than that, I don't have too much to say about this chapter. I think it'll be almost exactly what everyone was expecting. Hopefully.
Also, as a heads up, there are two different Naruto perspectives being told. One of the original, one of a shadow clone. Just letting ya'll know in case the perspective shifts seems a little wonky.
Check the A/N at the bottom of the chapter for some important information about the next chapter. It's nothing bad. Probably a pleasant surprise, I'd imagine.
xXx
Naruto blinked in surprise.
Wow.
That had been... unexpected. The blond had always assumed Blake had a long and difficult — borderline sordid — past, but he hadn't expected that.
It was easy to empathize with the girl. She was, like so many others, the target of systemic racism. He could appreciate her struggle. Naruto himself had suffered similar ostracization.
Despite her nonchalant comment, she was literally born into the White Fang. Before they'd turned violent. No wonder the faunus in hiding was so intent on giving the group the benefit of the doubt. Naruto supposed he had been partially correct in assuming she knew someone in the organization. She likely knew plenty of people in the group. Many of them were likely friends, family, and neighbours. But the fact of the matter was that she herself used to be a member.
Used to be.
This was a whole lot more than he expected to learn. In fact, the only thing he was supposed to find out was Blake's location.
That was his original directive when the boss created him. Just like all the other copies that were sent out, he was only supposed to search for Blake and dispel upon finding her. He wasn't actually supposed to engage with her.
Oh well. The boss should have known himself better.
Although, that did put him in somewhat of a difficult situation. Where did he go from here? If he were to excuse himself from the conversation and dispel, how was the original him supposed to explain to Blake the sudden disappearance? It'd look like he was abandoning her. He could only imagine how bad it would look, especially considering the knowledge his teammate had just entrusted him with.
The duplicate blond's timing would have to be extraordinary. More than likely, he'd have to wait until the original him was nearby before dispelling.
Ah, whatever. That was a future problem. Also, it wasn't really his problem. His problem ended the moment he dispersed. If there was any fallout, the boss could deal with it.
Served him right.
Naruto's eyes drifted back to his teammate; they'd wandered while he was stuck in thought. His brow furrowed as his gaze passed over wide amber orbs looking at him anxiously. Sun's ocean-blue eyes were narrowed.
What was his problem?
Oh. Right. Blake had just revealed her deepest secret. Was he trivializing her feelings by getting distracted? He really needed to work on his active listening skills.
Blake, upon noticing his attention on her, offered a strained smile. "Well, what do you think?" she asked tentatively.
The shinobi offered a half smile, putting as much concern and affection into it as he could. What did he think? He was surprised, sure. But what were his thoughts on the matter? On Blake? Did this change anything? He shrugged to himself. Not really.
"I think," the blond began slowly. "You did a very brave thing."
Surprise flooded the ex-White Fang member. After a moment to process his words, she smiled sardonically. "Brave isn't what I'd use to describe myself." She looked into her lap as she spoke.
"Why not?"
The ravenette looked back up. "I ran?" Her answer was spartan and fast to come. Two simple words, phrased like a question. She was likely confused about why she needed to clarify herself.
Naruto shrugged again. This time, his gesture was much more pronounced. "You made a choice," he replied simply. "Sure, you might have run," he mulled the word over for a moment, then frowned. "Honestly, it sounds like you escaped. Either way, by doing so, you held on to your values."
Dark eyebrows rose into an equally dark hairline. "I-I see..." came her stuttering response. "But I could have done more. I could have fought for those values. Instead, I ran away. I came to Vale, and I hid." She looked up, drawing his attention as well. In what could only be described as 'slightly adorable,' the faunus wiggled her bow. Her ears. "I'm still hiding," she muttered.
Naruto bit the inside of his cheek. He wasn't a fan of self-deprecation. "Based on your story, it sounds like you were fighting for your values." He sighed. "When things started to change, when the White Fang began to change, you left to preserve your ideals."
"I could have left sooner," came her automatic response. Naruto searched her simmering eyes. There was pain there. Regret. But also a longing for approval.
Nodding, the blond crossed his arms. "Yeah, maybe you could have left sooner. But that's not the important part. What's important is you left. There's no procedure for these kinds of things. No written or unwritten rule on when someone should leave their organization when things start to go sour. If I had to guess, you were hoping things would get better before they got worse? That the White Fang would ease up on their tactics? Go back to the way things were?"
The faunus in hiding nodded her head at each question.
"Were you ever vocal about your thoughts?" The blond questioned. He frowned at his words. That was a bit of a gamble.
Blake exhaled lowly. "Yes," she replied. "My superior at the time... H-He and I were close. I used to try and mediate whenever our missions got bad. But with each successful assignment, he became more and more... intense."
Radicalized, the blond thought. He also didn't miss the slight stutter in her voice.
"Eventually, we drifted apart," Blake swallowed. "At least, that's how I felt. On our last mission, I left."
Naruto nodded. Funnily enough, he used to hate the idea of a traitor. Of a turncoat. Of someone who could walk away from their friends and family. Damn Sasuke. So why was it different now? Was it because Blake had walked away for a good cause? Was it because her walking away had led her to Beacon? To them? Was her walking away from the White Fang good because it benefitted him? Maybe that made him a hypocrite. Who knew. Something to ponder later.
For now...
"I think what you did was admirable. You walked away from everything you ever knew. Not an easy thing to do. All because you were brave enough to stick to what you believed was right. It couldn't have been easy to turn your back on all your comrades and friends. People you know are good but fell down a dark path."
Blake's eyes were wide.
"I respect you for being able to do that," The shinobi smiled. "It would have been easy to stay. It would have been easy to just keep saying, 'things will change.' Sometimes, that change can't happen from the inside."
Blake was silent, but her eyes were a storm. There was a conflict behind those burning amber orbs. She wanted to believe him.
"Blake, if it's any consolation," she turned her eyes back to him. "I think you made the right decision. If I were in your position, I would hope that I could do the same."
The shinobi realized there wasn't much more to say at this point. He could probably keep talking, sure. But anything more would just be unnecessary clutter for his teammate. Even now, it might be too much. He'd just have to give her time to process his words.
After several minutes of silence and several awkward glances shared between the two blonds, Naruto began to feel uneasy. Blake was just sitting there. Her mouth would periodically twitch between a faint smile, an anxious frown, and simple neutrality.
Damn, this was totally what he looked like when conversing with the fox, wasn't it?
'Not quite. You mostly just take on a lame look of stupefaction.'
Nah, probably not. Naruto was a master of managing his facial expressions when speaking with his tenant.
'No, seriously, you look ridiculous. I don't actually know how people haven't called you out on it more often.'
He probably looked fine.
'Ignoring me doesn't change anything.'
Ignoring the fox was, for the most part, fairly wise.
'That's completely untrue, and you know it.'
After several more minutes of agonizing silence, Naruto couldn't help but add, "You know, if you told this to the rest of the team, I bet they'd say the same as me. Given all this context, I bet you could even get Weiss to apologize to you."
This earned him a raised brow and a hopeful smile.
xXx
Naruto blinked in surprise.
Wow.
The extra-dimensional teen never would have guessed that things would go this well.
Weiss had been... surprisingly receptive to what he had to say. Then again, he hadn't really told her much. Not that 'I'm not from this world' didn't amount to much, but aside from that, he hadn't gone into too much detail.
Weiss already knew a lot about his past. The only thing that really changed was she could now look at it through a different lens.
Sure, there was a lot more to tell her. The concept of chakra, the extent of his abilities, and the real history of his home.
There was a lot more to show her. His chakra techniques, his jutsu, maybe even Sage Mode. Well, maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself.
Thankfully, the white-clad girl had agreed not to say anything to the rest of the team. While it was clear she wasn't a fan of harbouring secrets, no doubt made worse due to the ordeal regarding Blake, she'd nevertheless agreed to not say anything. For his sake.
Of course, that was on the stipulation that he inform the rest of the team at some point down the line. It was something he begrudgingly agreed to. Realistically, if he could tell Weiss, it was only a matter of time until he was comfortable telling everyone else.
...
Naruto felt a stiff shove to his shoulder. His eyes focused as they zeroed in on the young heiress by his side.
She shook her head in exasperation. "Any word yet?" She asked, her inflection making her annoyance clear.
Naruto glanced down at his open scroll. "Nothing from Ruby," he frowned. After a moment of scrolling, he tilted his head. "Looks like Yang's typing." After a moment, he hummed at his aforementioned teammate's message. "Looks like they split up," he muttered.
Weiss frowned. "Why would they do that?"
The shinobi shrugged. Why indeed?
Another alert drew his attention. "She's nearby and wants to meet up."
"In that case, we can ask her."
Naruto nodded absently. He felt a small, soft hand entwine itself with his own. He stiffened momentarily, then immediately slackened.
"You're tense. Relax," Weiss instructed firmly. "Everything will be fine."
The blond quirked a brow. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
Petite shoulders shrugged demurely. "More than likely, yes. But as you said, Blake wasn't the only one sitting on something big."
Hmm.
"So try to relax a little. We can talk more once everything with Blake is resolved." She squeezed his hand. "Besides, I have a lot of questions. Save your worry for then," she said with a teasing smile.
Suppressing a short laugh, the blond squeezed her hand back. "Speaking of which, what are you going to say to Blake?"
Naruto began leading the petite girl by the hand. Yang had just sent her location to them, so the first step would be to meet up with her. Weiss hummed as she allowed herself to be pulled along.
"I haven't decided yet. I should probably apologize. I'll need to figure out how," she muttered to herself.
That was an unexpected surprise. Then again, maybe it shouldn't have been. Weiss wasn't unreasonable. Regardless, he felt an inkling of pride bubble from within. How strange...
Naruto glanced at his scroll, then frowned in confusion. Yang said to meet around this area. Before he could vocalize his confusion, he felt a considerable weight upon one of his shoulders.
"Get off us, you brute!" came Weiss' agitated cry. It was immediately followed by the white-clad girl breaking their handhold, further displacing the strange weight on them.
Naruto heard Yang's laughter before he saw her. It was deep and full of life.
"You guys thought you could sneak in some PDA just because I wasn't around, eh?"
The shinobi shrugged her arm off his shoulder with a loose smile. "Seriously?" He asked. "We were holding hands. That's hardly PDA."
Weiss simply glowered at the buxom blonde.
"It's still PDA!" Yang argued.
...
"Just how lonely are you?" Naruto asked innocently.
Blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his question. "What the? T-That's uncalled for," Yang stuttered, clearly taken aback. The girl glanced around their surroundings with a frown. She then settled on Weiss' persistent scowl.
"What's the deal, Naruto? Weren't you supposed to soften Weiss up a bit before bringing her out? Why does it look like she just swallowed a lemon?"
Naruto shrugged noncommittally. "Don't look at me. That's all your doing."
Weiss released a sharp growl. "Brothers, you're annoying." Her keen eyes remained narrowed towards Yang.
The brawler rested her hands on her hips. "Are you seriously annoyed about the PDA comment?"
The alabaster-haired girl rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Just drop it, you meathead. Also, why did you and Ruby split up?"
Yang released a breathy, awkward chuckle. "Okay, I had a really good reason for that." At the couple's expectant look, she continued. "Penny showed up," she said simply.
Naruto and Weiss nodded their heads in understanding. Nothing more needed to be said.
After a moment, Weiss sighed. "We should get moving."
"Where to?" Yang asked.
Weiss hummed as her ice-blue eyes scanned their surroundings. Taking a page from his sort-of girlfriend's book, Naruto glanced around the area.
It wasn't particularly remarkable. Just another side street in the heart of downtown Vale. One of thousands. People of all ages, shapes, and sizes strolled through the streets. Storefronts intermixed with office buildings ran down the roads as far as the eye could see. Souvenir shops, clothing stores, and grocery marts were just some of the many retailers that could be identified. And within each of those? Dozens of people.
This place was huge.
How the hell were they supposed to find a single person in this urban nightmare?
— is what Yang and Weiss were likely thinking. Not Naruto.
As of now, he had over two dozen Kage Bunshin scouring the city, and they had been for the past 24 hours. Some had likely taken to the rooftops. Some were walking the streets. Most were under a Henge. All the blond shinobi had to do was wait until one of them found Blake and dispelled.
"Which direction did you come from?" Weiss asked their teammate.
Yang instinctively pointed to her left, indicating in a direction the two had not yet been.
Weiss hummed. "We came from over there," she said while gesturing in the opposite direction. "I suppose we can head this way," she offered, pointing in a third direction.
Damn, this city had a lot of branching streets.
With that, Weiss' hand found its way into Naruto's, forcing him to envelope her appendage. Surprised, the blond instinctively cradled her hand in his own, earning him a smile from the white-haired girl. She began leading him down the street, not bothering to hide the smirk she sent in Yang's direction.
"Contact your sister, Xiao Long. We need to actually plan something out."
Yang groaned. "B-But what about —"
"— Penny can help too. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help track down a new friend." Weiss' tone was sugary sweet. That is to say, it was entirely unnatural.
The brawler's response died in her throat as she released a sigh of acceptance. "Well, at least she's now scowling anymore," she muttered. "Good work, lover boy," Yang added, slightly louder.
Naruto smiled wordlessly.
As the group of three began to walk, Yang stretched her arms above her head. "This is so going to suck," she groaned, much louder than her usual tone.
Weiss grumbled lowly to herself.
The Konoha native kept his expression neutral. It wouldn't be so bad. Once one of his Kage Bunshin found Blake, it'd dispel. Once that happened, he'd know exactly where she was, and he could subtly lead the rest of the team to her.
Thank Kami for Kage Bunshin. They sure made things easy sometimes.
xXx
Huh. Things sure weren't going to be easy for the boss by the end of the night. Naruto glanced around at his surroundings. He was trapped. Surrounded with no way out.
Well, sort of.
The way he saw it, there was no way he'd be able to dispel in a way that didn't cause problems for the original him later down the line. Blake and Sun were too engaged with him.
Maybe he should have just dispelled upon finding her? Oh well. It wasn't often a lowly clone such as him was able to have this much fun.
Speaking of fun...
A loud yawn deafened the space beside him. Sun quickly threw up a red gauntlet-clad hand to cover his mouth. Too late, as Naruto began yawning himself.
The bastard.
"Would you two stay awake?" Blake whispered harshly at them. A moment later, she fought and failed to suppress a yawn of her own, resulting in two grinning blonds and a blushing ravenette.
The three of them had been scoping out a large shipyard for any White Fang activity. Much to Naruto's chagrin, they had spent the last several hours in relative boredom. This whole idea had been Sun's.
The bastard.
But, in reality, it wasn't the worst idea the teen could have come up with. Based on his personality, the blond shinobi suspected it was one of the faunus' more impressive ideas. He should let him have that.
Naruto suppressed another deep yawn as his eyes roamed over the empty warehouse grounds.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
While Sun's idea was good in theory, it wasn't very good in practice. Sitting and waiting for things to happen had never been his style. Doubly so if there wasn't a guarantee that anything would happen at all. Glancing at his fellow blond, it became obvious that he was in a similar boat.
Blake, on the other hand... She was right at home. She seemed concentrated. Focused. Maybe it was just because she had a deeper stake in the matter.
"Okay, I need to stretch my legs," the monkey faunus proclaimed. He exaggerated this by rolling onto his back and releasing a frustrated grunt. Blake glanced at him through the corner of her eye but said nothing, her face remaining an impassive slate.
Realizing that she was passing that responsibility onto him, Naruto simply shrugged. "Take a walk then. But don't go too far. We don't know when things might pick up."
Sun grinned lazily, then crawled to his feet. "You got it! I'll only be a few minutes."
With that, the teen turned and lept from the top of the concrete ledge the three were currently using as their crow's nest, disappearing into the darkened streets.
Naruto sighed. Sun was an interesting character. On paper, he liked the guy. In reality, the blond couldn't help but wonder about the boy's intentions towards his teammate. The wink at the docks. The fact that they were together before Naruto found Blake. He must have sought her out. It was clear the monkey faunus held some form of attraction towards the dark-clad girl.
The Jinchūriki shook his head. He was sounding like like an overprotective brother. The comparison didn't actually sound so bad.
"Thank you."
Naruto blinked at the words. He glanced beside him to his teammate and found her amber eyes peering back at him. The blond tilted his head in a silent question.
"For being here. For what you said back at the cafe," the ravenette clarified.
Naruto shrugged. "Couldn't just let you come out here on your own. With a strange boy no less," he added in jest.
Surprisingly, Blake grinned in amusement. "You sound like my dad," she said softly.
Grunting, Naruto shrugged. He figured as much. After a moment, he released a wistful sigh. "In reality, I'm sure Sun has good intentions. He seems like a nice guy."
Blake shook her head at his words. "Now you sound like my mom," came her amused reply.
Amusement bubbled in the pit of Naruto's stomach and kissed the back of his throat. He dismissed the sensation with a shallow cough. "We're teammates," he said reflexively. "We have each other's backs. No matter what."
Blake looked away from him, choosing to maintain her silence. His words were having an effect on her. Hopefully, it was a positive one.
After several minutes of semi-awkward silence, Blake once again broke the quietness. "Will Weiss feel the same way?" Her voice was small. Curious and nervous. Hopeful.
The Kage Bunshin bit the inside of his cheek.
Would Weiss feel the same? Hopefully. His first instinct was to say yes. This was Weiss; she was prickly, sure. But there was no doubt in his mind she saw Blake as a friend. And Weiss was loyal to her friends. But then again, could he promise Blake everything would be okay without knowing how the conversation with Weiss went? He probably shouldn't.
Naruto shrugged.
"As long as you can explain things to her like you did to me, things will be fine." Despite his reservations, the shinobi truly believed that. "Besides," he added. "I softened her up earlier. When you see her next, she'll be in a much better mood than before."
That was a bit of a bold statement. He didn't know that for sure. But if he knew his snowflake, which he liked to think he did, then the statement was probably — Something clicked into place. What would happen if Weiss and Blake started talking later down the line and they found out he'd given pep talks to both of them on the same day around the same time?
Ah, shit.
The boss was so screwed. He almost felt bad.
...
"Did I miss anything?"
Lost in thought, Naruto blinked as a pair of feet struck the rooftop. He glanced to his side and spotted a familiar mop of blond hair. Oh, right. Sun.
Oh well, as per his nightly mantra, the original him could deal with all the fallout. He was just a clone.
Blake replied to her fellow faunus when it became apparent that Naruto would not. "Not really," she said. "They've offloaded all the crates from the boat. But now they're just sitting there." Her tone was lazy. Almost bored.
"Cool," Sun replied simply. "I stole us some food," he added with a smile while offering an apple.
Blake appeared unimpressed. "Do you always break the law without a second thought?" She frowned as Naurto quickly snatched the offered apple.
"What?" The blond shinobi asked as she eyed him in disapproval. He shrugged at her silence, then bit into the fruit. Whatever. It was just an apple. This wasn't the first time he'd enjoyed stolen food. Though admittedly, stealing food was no longer a requirement for his survival. The thought brought a bitterness to his mouth that the apple couldn't mask.
"Hey, weren't you in a cult?" Sun asked callously.
Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he struggled to suppress the urge to spit out his mouthful of food.
What the fuck, dude?
The blond didn't need to turn his head to know Blake was glaring daggers at her fellow faunus.
"Okay, too soon," Sun immediately followed up, posture stiff.
Sheesh.
Suddenly, a large gust of wind nearly knocked the faunus off his feet. The wind heralded the arrival of a Bullhead, its powerful spotlight illuminating the shipping yard.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Damn. He'd been hoping nothing would come from their little stakeout. Looks like things weren't going to be that easy. Maybe he'd get lucky, and whoever exited the Bullhead, which was slowly descending, was on the strait and narrow?
Pfft. Yeah right. He wasn't that lucky.
Considering Blake's feelings, if it was the White Fang, then there would be a fight soon. Great. The last thing he needed was to get hit by a stray bullet and get dispelled prematurely.
As the Bullhead landed, several individuals began descending from the ramp. They sure didn't look like shipping yard workers. This was confirmed as Blake muttered a quiet "Oh no."
"Is that them?" Sun asked.
Blake affirmed him with a pained reply. Naruto frowned. This really was painful for her. He could sympathize.
"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" The monkey faunus asked, traces of compassion in his voice.
"No," Blake replied. "I think deep down, I knew. I just didn't want to be right."
Suddenly, several shouts echoed from down below. Naruto's eyebrows ascended into his hairline as he watched a rather uniquely dressed individual step out from the Bullhead.
The man was human. Or so it seemed. He wore a long white overcoat, black slacks, black gloves, and, most notably, a black bowler hat. He carried with him a cane, though it didn't appear to be for mobility. Similar to Ozpin, then? A weapon? Bright orange hair stood in stark contrast to the rest of his outfit, along with what appeared to be... black eyeliner? It was hard to tell from this distance.
"This isn't right," Blake muttered while standing up. She appeared confused. Alarmed. "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that." The black-clad girl drew her shortsword as she said this and stepped forward.
"Hey, what are you doing —"
Naruto quickly jumped up and grabbed his teammate by the wrist. She instinctively pulled away, then scowled, realizing his grip wouldn't budge. "Let. Me. Go," she growled.
Naruo almost did so upon registering her tone, yet his grip remained firm. "Not yet. We need a plan."
"There's no time," Blake hissed. "Every second we waste, we risk them getting away."
Naruto shook his head. "They just got here. I'm sure we can spare a few minutes to figure something out."
Blake scowled but ceased attempting to break out of his grip. "What did you have in mind?" She asked impatiently.
Naruto released her wrist and shrugged. "I don't know," he replied honestly.
Blake appeared to be taken aback. "You don't know? What do you mean you don't know? You're the one who wants a plan."
Naruto shook his head. "No, you're the one who wants a plan." She shot him a look of deep confusion, so he continued speaking, "This is an ambush. Every successful ambush needs to have some thought behind it. Don't just blindly rush in and wing it. It puts us all in danger."
Well, that was real ironic coming from a guy whose plan nine times out of ten was to 'wing it.'
"You're not alone," He added. "You've got two people here willing to help. So take the initiative and assign us our roles. You know the White Fang better than us. And you know what I'm capable of. Maximize your chances of success."
Blake took a deep breath, then stepped back. "Do you have any suggestions?" She asked.
Naruto nodded. "Plenty. But this is your show. I want to hear what you're thinking."
Blake stared at him, eyes wide. She almost appeared flustered. Had she never been given a leadership role before?
Slowly, she smiled. "Thank you. For trusting me with this."
Ah, so that's what it was.
Turning, Blake quickly addressed Sun, "Tell me about your combat style."
Naruto grinned.
Things were looking good.
xXx
Naruto's eyes were scrunched in deep thought. He'd slowly become more and more uncomfortable over the past few hours. It wasn't sitting well with him that one of his Kage Bunshin still hadn't checked in. He was getting anxious. Sure, he could manually dispel it. But surely there was a reason it hadn't done so on its own, right? Dispelling it now could have unforeseen consequences.
"I think it would have been better if we stayed split up," Yang muttered. "To cover more ground, ya know?"
Naruto's eyes darted to those around him. They'd reunited with Ruby and Penny some time ago and begun searching as a group. Penny had integrated herself into their party surprisingly well, considering their first impression of her.
"But then we wouldn't have had such a wonderful opportunity to converse, friend Yang!"
The buxom blond smiled weakly in response.
Well, sort of.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion sounded from somewhere in the distance.
Penny hummed while tilting her head. "That came from the direction we were originally going before meeting up with everyone. Perhaps it would have been better had we stayed separated?"
"Oh no," Ruby muttered morosely.
As it was, that explosion came from pretty damn far away.
Naruto sighed.
Ah —
xXx
— fuck.
Naruto lept down from the shipping crate, landing in front of an average-looking White Fang member. The man shouted in surprise and raised his gun. Before he could fire off a shot, the blond delivered a straight punch to the man's solar plexus, simultaneously stunning him, knocking the wind out of him, and sending him flying.
Huh. Note to self: not all white Fang members had an active Aura. Just great. Just another layer of complexity to all this crap.
Several more explosions sounded behind him, and a black blur flashed across his vision, causing him to scowl.
Blake's plan fucking sucked.
When this was all over, they'd be having a serious conversation. And she would not be given a speaking role.
On the bright side, he got to see her ears. They were about as adorable as he expected. Very.
Naruto hummed as he watched Blake deliver a series of lightning-fast strikes against the orange-haired criminal. She was moving a lot faster than she usually did. But as a direct consequence, her movements were sloppy. It created a strange disharmony in her assault. The girl's style relied heavily on high-speed hit-and-run attacks. It demanded precision and fluidity. Yet she was currently moving at a speed she wasn't accustomed to. It made her attacks uncontrolled. Disjointed.
This was made all the more apparent as the unnamed criminal delivered a series of strikes against his faunus opponent during their following exchange.
Oh man. Blake was getting agitated now. Every time the orange-haired man landed a blow, he chuckled softly. Tauntingly. What's worse, it was working. Blake was getting more desperate in her assault. Her movements were more frenzied and daring. It was not working in her favour as the man had both the advantage of a clear mind and the ability to match her speed.
Naruto knew things had to change the moment Sun stepped in to assist and was promptly reprimanded by the cat faunus. She lept past him, beginning a new assault against the man while Sun was left to awkwardly engage several White Fang members who had gathered around them. Waiting for his temporary teammate to finish his fight, Naruto gestured for the monkey faunus to join him; all the while, he deflected several stray bullets aimed in his direction.
A moment later, Sun was beside him, giving him a questioning look.
"I need you to keep the White Fang grunts off my back," he instructed while keeping a careful eye on his teammate.
"What about Blake? Or the wannabe gangster?"
"I've got the gangster. I'll figure something out with Blake."
Sun grunted. "Well, you better do something about her. I get the feeling she's not usually this reckless when she fights."
Naruto's eyes narrowed as Blake was put on the losing end of another brutal exchange. As she tumbled through the air, he sighed. "No. Her emotions are impeding her."
How troublesome.
As Blake quickly clambered to her feet, Naruto lept towards her, clearly putting himself between the girl and her unknown criminal opponent. Without looking at his teammate, the blond could feel her glower as clearly as if he was staring right at her.
"What are you doing?" The cat faunus growled. "Get out of the way. He's mine." She wasn't yelling. This was a cold anger.
Keeping his eyes on the man, who was taking the lull in combat to light a cheap-looking cigar, Naruto addressed his teammate. "Not anymore. Your emotions are negatively affecting your fighting abilities." He kept his tone level. Almost toneless. He wasn't accusing Blake of anything. Simply stating a fact.
"What are you talking about?" Blake cried incredulously. "We don't have time for this! We need to take this guy down before they can organize an escape!"
The bowler hat-wearing man laughed at her exclamation. "Kitty cat's right, you know. Every second you waste here is another second closer my men are to stealing all this Dust. So go ahead, keep talking!" The man offered a cheshire grin.
Blake growled loudly, then stepped forward. Naruto's arm shot out, blocking her path. "See what I mean? He's been under your skin since before you threw the first strike." If he could still sense negative emotions, he suspected Blake would be a storm right now. Hell, as it was, it was surprising she hadn't summoned a small hoard of Grimm all on her own.
Miraculously, Blake must have found the strength to self-reflect long enough to come to the same conclusion. She released a loud curse, then stomped her foot. After taking several deep breaths, Naruto could feel her eyes on him once again.
"What do you suggest then?"
Naruto grinned in satisfaction. "Your way sucked. We do things my way now." He could feel her frown. "The most important thing for you is that this guy gets caught, right?" Without waiting for her response, the blond continued. "I'll take care of him. You and Sun take care of the White Fang. They're still in the process of stealing all this Dust, aren't they?"
As if to emphasize his point, one of the many Bullheads that had landed earlier took off. It's cargo bay likely reaching maximum capacity.
Blake's hesitation lasted significantly shorter than expected. Maybe she had faith in his abilities? Naruto heard the girl sigh before leaping away to join her faunus comrade.
...
"So, goldilocks, come to test yourself against me?" came the orange-haired man's pompous jeer. "Sheesh, you kids just keep crawling out of the woodwork, don't you? I swear, if I have to —"
Naruto lept towards the man. If there was one thing he'd noticed from watching Blake's battle against him, it was that the man preferred showmanship. His movements were fluid, sure. But what really stood out was his tendency to lean into flashy moves. They'd been effective against Blake, who was likely less experienced and slower than the man.
But against Naruto?
The wannabe gangster frowned as he hastily threw up a sloppy defence. He was sent back several feet, releasing a loud grunt as the blond's fist impacted the flat of the man's cane. "Well, aren't you a quick one? I'll admit, you're faster than —"
He released a surprise yelp as Naruto pressed the attack. He ducked and weaved haphazardly as the blond unleashed a respectable level of taijutsu on him. The blond was impressed. He certainly wasn't going all out, but he wasn't holding back all that much, either. At least when it came to the hand-to-hand portion.
"W-What is with you disrespectful brats?" The man cried. "Is it a common theme to interrupt your betters when they're speaking? Just what are they teaching you in school nowadays?"
Naruto ignored the man's flamboyant tone. He didn't have much time until his advantage wore off. He delivered another short series of heavy punches. The first few strikes were blocked. Barely. The criminal, feeling the weight behind the hits, switched to deflecting, which earned him slightly better results.
Naruto ended his following string of attacks with an overly projected feint. The man, easily recognizing the move, adjusted for the blond's follow-up accordingly. Suppressing a laugh, the shinobi instead abandoned the feint, resulting in a normal, if not energy-laden, punch. Realizing it at the last moment, the orange-haired man readjusted his defence for a second time but was only partially successful. He caught the broadside of Naruto's fist, which broke through his guard, cracking against his Aura. He was sent stumbling back, cradling the side of his face. Quickly transitioning his misstep into several graceful leaps, the man backpedalled, putting some distance between the two of them.
Naruto paused to re-assess the situation. That would probably conclude his initial edge. It had been easy to take advantage of the man. But not anymore, unfortunately. From this point on, the man would be fighting much more seriously.
The blond was familiar with the ginger-haired criminal's type. Arrogant. Superior. Proud. To his credit, the man was a talented fighter. He'd probably received official combat training at some point. But a life of ruling over criminals and petty thugs had dulled his senses. Made him complacent. Fighting Blake likely planted a false sense of security in him. That he was above the 'kids' coming to challenge him..
The gangster released a breath as he rubbed his face. "I'll admit, you're a lot quicker than your friend. And you hit pretty damn hard," he grinned. "Best not get used to it, though. For your own well-being."
"That's terribly ironic, don't you think?" Naruto asked. "This fight is basically over. It's complacency that's defeated you."
Contrary to the blond's expectations, the man scowled harshly.
"You think you're pretty clever, don't you?" He spat. "Let me give you a little reality check. At the end of the day, you're just a snot-nosed little brat who's in way over his head. Do you have any idea who I am?" After a moment, the man shrugged. "I'm willing to do what needs to be done. I'll always have that advantage over someone like you."
Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. First of all, did this guy really just say, 'Do you know who I am' unironically? Seriously? Second of all, what the hell was this guy's problem? Weren't they supposed to be having some snarky banter? Why did he seem so mad? Maybe the blond had touched a nerve.
Whatever, pissing off his enemy was practically his signature move. Besides, he'd need every advantage he could get, as there was still one glaring issue.
He was a kami damned Kage Bunshin.
One solid strike, and he'd be dispelled. If that were to happen, it would raise some unwanted questions from Blake and Sun. More importantly, it'd put them in considerable danger. It was why the shinobi had front-loaded at the beginning of the fight. He really needed to end things quickly.
If he had to guess, the previous explosions caused by the Dust thief would have alerted half the city. Which meant the original him and the rest of his team would be on their way. Probably. Hopefully. Working off that assumption, his timing would need to be impeccable. If he couldn't finish off his opponent soon, he'd need to start planning for when the boss showed up.
Kami, what a headache. The things he did for himself...
It was the thief who reengaged the fight. The man lept at him with a burning anger in his eyes.
Interesting.
As a precaution, the shinobi drew his two trench knives and angled them in anticipation. As a Kage Bunshin, he didn't know if his weapon's abilities mirrored their originals, but to play things safe, it would probably be best if he didn't needlessly throw one of his blades away.
The two exchanged a long series of blows. Naruto dodged and counter-attacked over the course of several minutes in order to adjust to his opponent's level. Eventually, his thoughts were confirmed. This guy had taken things up a notch. The man's metallic cane twirled expertly, matching the shinobi's blades. He even upped the ante and increased his speed further, surprising the blond.
Surprising, but not overwhelming.
Naruto matched the man's speed. He frowned. He was actually pretty damn fast. Where before, several of the shinobi's attacks had snaked their way through his defence, now, almost none of his attacks were landing. Had he somehow awakened some sort of hidden power in the thief? Based on a single snarky comment? What the hell?
Being a clone, he had to be extremely careful. If he wasn't a clone, he'd be tempted to take a few risks in his manoeuvres.
As the fight continued, one nagging feeling was prodding at the back of his mind. His opponent was undoubtedly experienced. He must have been at least twice his age. That wasn't much of a problem in and of itself. What was a problem was what the man was experienced in. He was a criminal. There should have been a lot more dirty tricks, right? If the teen didn't want to be dispelled in an unexpected ploy, he should probably adapt his strategy as if he were fighting another shinobi.
Kami, how long had it been since he'd had to worry about that?
Blinking back to reality, Naruto caught the man's cane on the flat of his blade, then aimed his free knife at his exposed ribcage. Whiskered cheeks twisted in a grimace as the man raised his foot and kicked the weapon away, actually managing to dislodge it from his hand.
A little harder, and he probably would have been dispelled.
Recovering, the blond quickly grabbed the man's retreating leg and pulled it close to his side, hoping to wrench him off balance. Unfortunately, the mascara-wearing man, and yes, it was indeed mascara, maintained his balance. He angled the tip of his cane at their feet and grinned.
"You really should keep a better grip on your weapon, kid."
Naruto sucked in a breath as the man's cane discharged a fiery projectile. He released the orange-haired man. Simultaneously, the man pushed away from the blond. The moment the missile struck the ground, Naruto performed a quick Shunshin, escaping from the resulting explosion. A large dust cloud was kicked up from the resulting devastation. Hopefully, the bastard would simply think he had been fast enough to escape.
Naruto frowned. If he hadn't used the simple jutsu, there was no doubt in his mind that he would have been dispelled. What a pain.
The explosion signalled a natural lull in the fight.
Not just their fight, but the sounds of combat throughout the shipyard had also dissipated. As the smoke cleared, the man could be seen standing on the ramp of a hovering Bullhead, grinning mischievously.
"Well, blondie, it's been real." He called. "I have to admit I was not expecting that kind of fight tonight! Maybe I'll brush up on my skills, just for you."
Well, he certainly seemed chipper. Why?
Naruto's ears twitched. Footsteps heralded the arrival of his two companions. They stopped beside him and pulled in greedy gulps of air. Without turning to them, he spoke. "You guys good? Did you stop the rest of the Fang?"
It was Sun who answered. "We would have. But we ran into this big son of a bitch with a chainsaw. A chainsaw."
Naruto raised a brow. What was a chainsaw? It sounded bad.
"He's a Lieutenant in the White Fang. I recognize him from... back then," Blake added awkwardly. "He's fairly strong."
Sun rubbed the back of his neck. "You're telling me," He muttered.
Right. Nothing to be done about that now. The important thing was that they were safe. They may not have been able to capture the human leading the White Fang cell. And they may not have been able to fully prevent the theft. But they had valuable information that could be used going forward. And they were all safe. That's what mattered.
"Naruto," Blake spoke. She sounded desperate. "We need to stop this man."
The shinobi released an exasperated breath and shrugged. "What do you want me to do? Bring down the whole Bullhead? How am I supposed to do that?"
Seriously, based on what she'd seen of his abilities, what said to her that he was capable of such a feat? Granted, he absolutely could do it. But Blake wasn't supposed to know that. A Rasenshuriken could do the trick. His burgeoning semblance could. A Sage Mode enhanced leap and subsequent punch. But then again, as a clone, he probably shouldn't push those boundaries. He was already dangerously low on chakra, to the point that he was actively conserving it to avoid dispelling. He didn't even want to try using his semblance as a Kage Bunshin. Would it even work?
"What about your semblance?" Blake asked.
Huh? How did she..?
Oh. Right. His chakra chains.
Yeah, those would probably work. But that brought about the problem of his low chakra reserves. He wouldn't be able to manifest them safely. Crap. What was he supposed to say? I'm low on Aura? If she checked, she'd see his original's Aura meter on her scroll, which was likely full or close to it.
Damnit.
...
"You know!" Cried the orange-haired criminal. "I couldn't help but overhear you down there! I had a feeling you might have something else up your sleeve, and honestly? I don't like the sound of that."
Sun cupped his hands to his mouth. "What are you trying to imply?" He shouted to the man.
The gangster's shoulders slumped, and Naruto imagined he was rolling his eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is goodbye! You've taught me a valuable lesson, not-faunus blondie! But unfortunately, you're a bit too dangerous to be allowed to live! I'll never forget you!"
Naruto frowned. What was that supposed to mean?
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain exploded from his midsection. He looked down instinctively and was surprised to see... an umbrella protruding from his chest? What the fuck?
"No!" Blake screamed. There was pain, raw and bloody, in her voice.
Several pieces of auditory input flooded the blond's senses. There was what sounded like shattering glass. Perhaps a loud impact, such as a punch or a kick? Frenzied steps. Angry curses. A laughing orange-haired bastard. And the roaring of engines.
"Naruto!" Came a terrified cry.
Hmm. That didn't sound like Blake or Sun. That sounded like Ruby...
Glancing around. The Kage Bunshin spied several individuals entering the shipping yard. Ruby was there. She looked terrified. Confused.
Yang was there. Like her sister, she was pale as a ghost, but her blood-red eyes were tinted in confusion.
Penny was there. Wait, why was Penny there? Regardless, her face was a mask of impassiveness. Strange.
Weiss was there. Ah, beautiful Weiss. She seemed... confused as well. Maybe a little interested. What was with that reaction? Was that really an appropriate response to seeing your romantic partner skewered through the chest?
Most importantly, Naruto was there as well. He was there, standing across from... himself. Oh. Right. Yeesh. The look the original him was giving himself was positively venomous. If looks could kill...
Oh well, this was his problem now. He'd done his part. He could go screw himself.
With that, the clone disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
xXx
"Oh, shit! You've got to be kidding me!" Amber angrily cried. "He was a fucking clone?"
Glynda frowned at the younger woman's language yet remained silent. It was as close as she would ever get to saying the same thing herself.
"Oz! Did you see that? Tell me you saw that!" Amber shouted at him.
The man in question chuckled lowly. "I did indeed see that."
The young maiden was certainly excitable. And why wouldn't she be? The events that had just unfolded were certainly beyond even his own expectations. But they were in no way unwelcome. The group of three had just borne witness to an exciting series of events that had transpired at Vale's docks.
Ozpin shook his head. He could have done without Miss Polendina witnessing everything. The girl likely had access to enough information to know that clones were not Naruto's semblance. Oh well. As the youth said nowadays, it is what it is. He could deal with the good General without much trouble. He'd actually been meaning to update the man on recent events, but he'd been so damn busy planning the next several months that he hadn't found the time.
Mr. Wukong was another matter. The bespectacled headmaster didn't have any records on the Vacuo native. He'd have to monitor that situation closely. For now, attributing the clone as a semblance would be enough to deceive the young man.
A strange sensation began to bubble within his ancient heart. Tens of thousands of muted voices formed a symphony of discussion. Kami, was it excitement he was feeling in his old bones? Hope? How many millennia had it been since he last felt the emotion?
Too many to count.
"Hey, old man?"
The silver-haired professor blinked back to reality. He hummed at Amber's unstated question.
"I'm starting to feel really weird about spying on Naruto so much. Is this really okay?" Amber asked pensively.
Weary brown eyes closed in thought.
Was it okay? Probably.
They were living in a surveillance state nowadays. This wasn't the first iteration of humanity that had reached this stage. And based on Ozpin's experience, such tools could be a powerful force for good.
Several protests sprouted from within his soul.
Then again... They could also be a powerful source of oppression.
Hmmm. Maybe it wasn't exactly okay.
...
"It is necessary," he settled as an answer. "I understand your concerns. But Naruto is the turning point in this war. It is crucial we monitor his progress so that we may best know how to support him."
"You have a lot of faith in him, don't you?" Glynda questioned curiously.
The headmaster nodded. "I do."
Considering the kind of power the blond wielded, how could Ozpin not have a lot of faith in him? Instead of sharing the thought, he remained silent and returned to his computer terminal.
Amber grunted. "You know, that's a pretty shitty answer. Was letting him get beat half to death in the Emerald Forest 'supporting' him?" There was disdain there. She was still angry at him.
Ozpin sighed. "I know you won't like my answer, but yes." His comment earned him a frown from both women present. Understandable. "Individuals such as Naruto grow the fastest when placed in situations of extreme duress," he answered.
"How would you know?" Amber asked instinctively.
The man smiled a small smile. "I'm very familiar with people like him. Trust me."
Despite the lame answer, Amber raised no further complaint. Perhaps it was his tone of voice.
"The same goes for his social life," Ozpin added blandly. He suppressed a mischievous grin as he observed the group of seven teenagers reconvene in the wake of the incident. Frowns were shared. Fingers pointed. Hugs exchanged. Modern CCTV systems certainly were useful. If he could get this much coverage in Vale, he wondered what Atlas was like?
A part of him shuddered at the thought. Another part vibrated in excitement.
"If it's any consolation," Ozpin addressed the young brunette, "There are no cameras inside the dormitories, so we will not be listening in on Mr. Uzumaki's subsequent explanation."
Amber frowned. "If there were... cameras, I mean. I'd probably have to put you on a list."
The ancient headmaster chuckled good-naturedly. Despite her words, the man could tell she was at least somewhat disappointed. Too bad. She'd have to find out the full story from Naruto himself. If Amber couldn't or was unwilling to coax it out of him, she'd most surely discover everything during the second-semester field mission.
A tired sigh sounded out from the academy's combat instructor. "Wouldn't it be best if his team found out in a more... organic way?" Glynda asked skeptically.
The silver-haired man hummed in response. "Such as? Because truthfully, I cannot envision a more organic scenario than this."
Glynda hummed awkwardly. "I just find that being caught in the act comes off as somewhat cheap. Mr. Uzumaki didn't choose to reveal his abilities to his team."
Ozpin nodded. "Perhaps," he replied. Though judging by Miss Schnee's behaviour, that might not be true. She was remarkably calm. Satisfied, even. "He may not have wanted to disclose everything at the moment, but I'm certain this will be therapeutic for him in the long run."
The blonde professor adjusted her glasses. She said nothing in response, though she donned a contemplative look.
"Trust me," the headmaster added. "This can only be a good thing."
xXx
Naruto was screaming. Internally, of course. This was not good.
It was really fucking not good.
Kami damned Kage Bunshin. That idiot. That absolute, stomach-wrenching idiot.
During his early years, the shinobi had had difficulties controlling his clones. At least when it came to the little things. Every copy of himself had a relatively decent amount of autonomy. It was part of the advantage. The ability for each clone to think and use their discretion just as well as the original would.
But that also came with a decent amount of pushback from the bastards. Sometimes that came in the form of bitching about a particular task. Sometimes, it would come in the form of arguments. There was at least one occasion when a clone had intentionally dispelled prematurely just to be an asshole.
The problem had mostly gone away over time, but a spark of rebellion would manifest in one of his clones every now and again. It was just Naruto's luck that the clone that had found Blake was one of those rebels.
Why couldn't it have just followed his instructions?
Instead, the son of a bitch decided to get involved and made contact with Blake. Granted, his copy proved insightful and offered fairly meaningful advice to the girl. For that, he was grateful. But the crux of the matter was that the Kage Bunshin had made contact. No matter how the blond looked at it, salvaging the situation had gone down the drain the moment it happened.
Add in the fact that because of his clone's mistake, Blake and Weiss hadn't gotten the chance to speak; things were pretty tense amongst everyone. All the stress, all the build-up, all the heartfelt conversations, and the two had been too distracted to properly reconcile.
Naruto sighed and wrung his hands anxiously, drawing upon his memories from earlier in the night. The group had parted with Sun and Penny on somewhat awkward terms on account of the fact they were all left nearly speechless after witnessing his clone's demise. The shinobi had managed to expertly deflect, ignore, or brush off all attempts at questioning. At least by promising to explain things once they returned to Beacon.
Now, the blond stood outside the girl's dorm room, frozen stiff. It had taken almost everything he had to get them to relent long enough for him to gather his bearings. Only a genuine promise to Weiss had secured him enough goodwill to allow him to step out of the room. At least she still had some faith in him. Then again, she knew a little more than the other girls. Not much, but more.
...
This wasn't how he foresaw it going, but starting tonight, there wouldn't be any more secrets.
Only the truth.
xXx
A/N: There it is, Chapter 14. First off, don't get too rambunctious. I ended the chapter the way I did for a couple of reasons. First, it felt like a natural stopping point. Second, I was planning on doing a little experiment by releasing the next chapter tomorrow. But. Since this chapter was supposed to come out yesterday, that means the bonus chapter should technically come out TODAY. So. It's 9 in the morning. I'm going to sleep for a few hours. Then I'll post the bonus chapter when I wake up.
HOWEVER.
The next chapter is going to be much shorter and is probably going to take on the role of an interlude-like chapter. The reason for this is that I was halfway through writing the next segment, in which Naruto explains to his team about his past when I realized something. The whole section was basically like a YouTuber React segment. Say what you will about reaction content; you can't argue they're not contentious. For that reason, the next chapter will probably be like "Chapter 14.5" or something and will only be a few thousand words. That's partly why this chapter is somewhat shorter than the others in this story.
To those who don't like react content, consider the next chapter posted as somewhat of an "optional" chapter. Reading it won't have any significant impact on the story as a whole, and if you're so inclined, you could absolutely ignore the next chapter and think of it as an alternative to the "fade to black where things get explained offscreen" that I usually do. It's mostly there because I'm impartial to react content, I was already halfway through writing it, and I figure some of you might be interested in seeing RWBY's reactions to Naruto's past.
Rest assured, it won't impact Chapter 15's release date or quality.
As for Chapter 14... It was alright, I suppose. I like it just fine, but as mentioned in the last chapter, 13 & 14 were initially supposed to be one and the same. I don't really have much to say about this one, but I hope it was satisfactory all the same.
See you guys in the next chapter!
Cheers.