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.

19. When it Rains

A/N: So, here's chapter 19. Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates! To those who don't, happy holidays and at the very least, I hope you have a great Monday! I'm releasing the chapter a bit early as a sort of Christmas gift :)

Thank you, everyone, for being understanding regarding the last chapter. As I'd hoped, my writing muse is back in full, especially considering the contents of this chapter and what comes in the next. That being said, brace yourselves for this chapter. I wouldn't call it my best work, but I'm still pleased with it.

Please enjoy!

xXx

"Wait, you guys are named after colours?"

Team RYBWN, as well as the rest of the first-year students, were currently gathered in the school auditorium in order to select their first field mission. It was as Ozpin had said: Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. All working together towards a common goal. It was also the perfect opportunity for them to investigate the White Fang further. Torchwick may have been uncooperative while in Atlas custody, but he'd given them enough to work with, inadvertently or not.

Ruby blinked in surprise at her extradimensional teammate's question. Naruto stared back in confusion.

"Have you... have you not noticed?" The younger girl asked.

The shinobi's silence was telling.

"Seriously?"

...

"I never really thought about it. I just assumed 'Ruby Rose' was your parent's way of trying to be clever."

"Your girlfriend's name literally means 'white snow.' How have you not noticed?"

Naruto frowned. "Since when?"

Ruby tilted her head. "What do you mean 'since when?' Since when did Weiss Schnee translate to white snow? Because if so, then the answer to that is a really long time."

"Several centuries, as a matter of fact," Weiss chimed in. "It's old Atlesian."

Naruto slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of course! How did I not recognize it!" He scoffed.

"Don't be so sarcastic, sweetheart," Weiss said while patting him on the shoulder. "It's terribly unbecoming of you."

"I – what?" the blond replied, brows furrowed. The gall of this girl. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Yang. "What about you, huh? Yang Xiao Long. How does that correlate to a colour?"

The buxom brawler shrugged. "Dad always said it meant 'little sun dragon.' You look me in the eye and tell me that doesn't just scream... moi," his fellow blond gestured to herself as if presenting a fine work of art.

Naruto grunted. She did have a point. Yang. Sun. Yellow. It was hard not to associate the girl with anything else. Plus, the way her hair could light up... He turned his gaze to their final teammate.

Yellow cat-like eyes stared back.

...

"Blake means black. A Belladonna is a type of flower, usually dark purple."

Naruto stared the girl up and down. Fair.

A gnarled snort sounded from behind the group, and the blond turned to meet the amused eyes of Nora Valkyrie. "Can you believe this guy? How does anyone not know that?" She said while elbowing her dark-haired partner.

"Nora..." Ren breathed tiredly.

Ignoring the little hellcat, Naruto turned to the entirety of Team JNPR. "You guys as well?" he asked.

"Jaune translates to yellow," the knight answered with a sheepish smile.

"And —"

"— Wait, let me guess," Naruto interrupted his fellow team's spartan warrior, eyeing her up and down. "Pyrrha means red?"

The Mistrali champion smiled politely. "More or less."

"And I'm guessing Nora relates to pink and Ren green?"

"That's ri—"

"— No," Lei Ren cut off his partner. "While most people are named after colours, or at the very least something that may symbolize a colour, not every name follows this trend. Myself and Nora among such cases."

The pink-clad troublemaker whined in disappointment.

Huh. So, there were exceptions to the rule.

"What about you?" Ruby asked, poking her male teammate in the arm. "Naruto sounds exotic. Does it mean anything?"

Don't say fishcake.

Don't say fishcake.

Now he was thinking about ramen...

"It means maelstrom," he replied cooly. "Uzumaki means whirlpool."

Ruby released a soft 'ooh' in response.

"You know, that's surprisingly badass," Yang said while rubbing at her chin.

As one, Ruby, Yang, and JNPR turned to their black-haired book lover. Wordlessly, they asked her for confirmation, resulting in a soft nod from Blake, though there was a humorous glint in her eye.

She knew.

Thankfully, Jaune serendipitously broke the quickly building awkwardness with a quiet cough. "A-Anyway, we should really go pick our missions. Good luck with yours!"

With that, JNPR was off.

Right...

...

"Okay, team," Ruby beamed. "This is our chance! All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the southeast."

Yang released a grunt of excitement. "We'll follow him around during the day, then give him the slip at night," she grinned.

"We should check search and destroy. That should give us the most freedom during our deployment," Weiss nodded.

"Recon missions, too," Blake added.

The four turned to face their resident shinobi. As someone who'd seen and worked in the field firsthand, his input was too valuable to overlook. And while the exact specifics of his missions differed slightly back in the Elemental Nations, they were categorically similar. Escort missions. Search and destroy. Retrieval. Espionage. Assassination.

...

Maybe the last couple of mission types differed, but he still knew the ins and outs of the field. Things that could happen. Might happen. Were sure to happen.

"None of the Professors are named after colours..." the blond muttered to himself. His eyes widened as a small hand gripped him by the arm, pulling him forward.

"Amber?" came the unimpressed answer from Weiss.

"She doesn't count," he countered. She didn't. Not really. She was an assistant instructor. And an unwilling one at that. She was practically drafted into the position, which she likely wouldn't remain in for long if she had anything to say about it.

The shinobi could feel his girlfriend roll her eyes more than he could see it. "Then Professor Peach," she sighed. "Now, come along, or Ruby will pick a mission without any of our input."

Sure enough, the team's technophile was suspiciously missing from the group. As the rest of the team approached the mission boards, they found Ruby busily scrolling through the options. "I heard you back there, by the way," she commented. "And I'll have you know, I've found the perfect mission for us." Double-tapping the large holographic screen, the young reaper smiled. "Look! Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out."

Sure enough, the mission details did put their area of operation exactly where they needed to be. Moreover, they'd have several days to complete the mission, giving them ample time to explore and find some answers. Or trouble.

With small words of agreement from Blake and Yang, their leader moved to accept the mission by inputting their team name as prompted. Angry red letters informed them that, unfortunately, things wouldn't be that easy.

"Ah, crap," muttered Naruto.

"Any other ideas?" Blake questioned.

"We mail ourselves there," Ruby answered wistfully.

What the? What did she think they were, dogs?

"Well, that's one option," came the ever-collected voice of Beacon's headmaster. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students."

The five first-year students eyed the older man with baited breaths. Now was the perfect time for him to tack on a 'but.' While Naruto didn't particularly care for the man, the rest of his team seemed to like him well enough. Ruby, in particular, considering how much the headmaster had bent the rules for her. Now would be the perfect time for the man to bend a few more.

...

The bespectacled man took a shallow ship from his mug, then eyed Ruby up and down. "Might I suggest an alternative mission? Something I think would be much better suited for you and your team?"

The group frowned collectively. That wasn't what any of them were hoping to hear.

After a few taps on the Professor's scroll, Ruby's device lit up in response. Her gaze poured over the screen, drinking in all the details available.

"This is in the northwest quadrant of the kingdom," the scythe-wielder muttered, not even bothering to disguise the disappointment in her tone.

"Indeed," the Headmaster smiled mischievously.

The little shit.

"Sorry, professor, we were hoping to find something a little more..."

"Exciting?" Ozpin finished with a small smile.

Ruby scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"Fear not, Miss Rose," the man assured, lowering his coffee mug in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "I assure you I have one of my best agents looking into White Fang activity in the southeast."

The five students blinked in surprise.

Huh. Naruto had to admit, he hadn't expected Ozpin to come out and say it. The man was usually much more coy in his phrasing. At times, he seemed to relish the game of cat and mouse he so often played with his words.

"It is because of the five of you that we even had the opportunity to pry any relevant information from Roman Torchwick. You should —"

"— Wait, Torchwick talked?" Blake interrupted, hope and excitement flooding her eyes.

Naruto immediately recognized the smile in the headmaster's eyes. An action eerily similar to his old Jōnin instructor.

"Perhaps," the green-clad man hummed, his tone providing more than enough confirmation. "The point is," he continued. "Is that you've done well. All of you. You've helped point us in the right direction. Leave the rest to us. For now, focus on your first field mission."

Ruby glanced back down at her scroll. "Well," she muttered. "It's still search and destroy."

She locked eyes with each of them. Yang and Weiss gave small, tentative nods while he himself simply shrugged. There was no doubt in his mind that the Headmaster had planned out every avenue of this conversation and even had contingency plans should they all reject his offer, officially or not. Regardless, his team leader took his shrug as one of acceptance, leaving all eyes to land on Blake. Out of all of them, she had the strongest opinion on the matter. After several moments of quiet contemplation, the cat faunus sighed softly, then, ever so subtly, nodded.

"Excellent," the Headmaster smiled. "Truth be told," he whispered conspiratorially. He then made an exaggerated motion as if looking for any would-be eavesdroppers. A way to settle their nerves, no doubt. "This particular mission borders on that of a second year. But between the five of you, I'm more than certain you can handle it. And," he added while locking eyes with Naruto specifically, "If my memory is correct, the destination of this mission should be somewhat familiar to you, Mr. Uzumaki."

The blond raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Indeed."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"No."

Naruto frowned at the man's blatant refusal.

"Consider it a pleasant surprise, if you will."

"Right..." the shinobi grumbled.

With that, the Headmaster sauntered away. Naruto hummed as he spied a perplexing combination of satisfaction and melancholy in the man's gait.

Hmm. Interesting.

"We should head over to the airfield," Ruby instructed.

With varying levels of hesitation, mostly from Blake, the team began to make their way to the Bullhead station to meet the huntsman they'd be shadowing.

"Hey, Naruto," Yang asked as they walked. "Any idea what Ozpin was referring to when he said the location would be a pleasant surprise?"

"Well, clearly, I've been there before," the shinobi shrugged.

"You haven't even been here for a year. And most of that time has been in Vale."

"Yeah," the huntsman-in-training sighed. "If I had to guess, I'd say we're headed to Redgold Village." It'd been a while since the blond had thought of the place.

Yang hummed in contemplation. "Never heard of it before."

"I'm not surprised. It's a small town. There's not a lot to see or do," he explained. "I stopped by several villages just like it on my way to Vale, but Redgold was the first and only one I spent any meaningful time in."

"That sounds like a story," Ruby smiled.

Naruto flashed a 'so-so' gesture. "Maybe? I made a couple acquaintances and helped save the town from a small Grimm attack. It'll be nice to go back, but I don't think the experience was anything to write home about."

Ruby simply shrugged. "It may seem mundane, but saving people from the Grimm is the bread and butter of being a huntsman. It looks like you were doing it before you knew what being a huntsman was even about."

The comment sparked a slight but genuine smile from the shinobi. It was a nice way to look at things. At the time, his actions seemed small. And yet, lives were saved. Whether it was the life of Olive, Garret, or a random village guard, he'd save someone's life. Maybe multiple lives.

For a long time, being a shinobi felt equivalent to being a killer. It'd been a while since he felt like a protector. Being a Huntsman felt different, almost like the opposite of a shinobi. If a shinobi was a killer who sometimes protected, then a huntsman was a protector who sometimes killed.

"Did anyone else feel like Ozpin was trying to keep us away from the White Fang?" Blake asked suddenly.

"Of course he was," Weiss answered immediately. "He wasn't even trying to hide it."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not as much as you, clearly." At Blake's unimpressed glare, Weiss sighed. "Look, it's obvious he was aware of our intentions. I doubt there would ever be a way for us to accomplish our previous objective."

"We could have found a different mission. Something else in the southeast," Blake argued.

"He would have found another way to divert us. It may have come off as a suggestion, but this new mission was anything but. I think you know that; it's why you agreed to it, is it not?"

As Naruto watched the two converse, he couldn't help but weigh in. "Weiss is right," he added. "We should count ourselves lucky that he told us about Torchwick talking. And it was definitely a kindness on his end to even bother reassuring us that his agent was investigating in the southeast."

Blake frowned at his words but had no readily available rebuttal.

"For now, we should just focus on completing this mission so we can plan what to do next. I doubt any of us are naive enough to think that this is the end of it just because Ozpin is aware of the White Fang threat."

His comment earned four nods of approval.

"All right!" Yang pumped her fist. "New plan. We go out, kick some furry butt, impress the hell out of our huntsman and build some goodwill by doing so, then we come back and work out what to do next!"

At that, none of them had any objections.

"Maybe Redgold Village will have some decent ramen," Blake smiled.

Naruto turned his head in confusion. Since when did Blake —

"— I'm in the mood for some good fishcake."

Ah, what —

xXx

"— The hell?" Naruto groaned.

"What's with that reaction?" Amber growled. "You should be thrilled that it's me you get to shadow." The brunette paced back and forth in front of their Bullhead. "You know, I thought we were the best of friends. Why is it you always bitch and moan whenever you see me, huh?"

Naruto declined to answer, if only because he knew Amber was already aware of the reason. They were just close like that. It was all part of the game. The cat and mouse. She would tease him, and he would pretend to be annoyed. He would insult her, and she would pretend to be offended.

And while they had started off as friends, it really hadn't taken long for their relationship to develop into an almost sibling-like bond. Sure, they didn't know each other that well. They hadn't known each other that long. And they didn't spend that much time together. But the bond was there nonetheless.

He'd gone to Amber for advice several times in the past. Once regarding his team selection, once when he was stressing over his relationship with Weiss, and once when... Okay, those were the only two times, but again, they hadn't known each other that long. And he knew he could talk to her in the future should he ever need more advice. She was surprisingly reliable despite her outward behaviour.

"You know," the bronze-skinned woman sighed, "you could have gotten a whole lot worse than me."

"We also could have gotten a whole lot better," Naruto quipped.

Amber simply sneered in response, though the blond could plainly see the amusement dancing behind her eyes. She was enjoying the banter. Moreso, she was looking forward to the following few days.

It was the same for him, after all.

Despite his words, they probably couldn't have asked for a better huntress to shadow. He'd never admit it, though. Oddly enough, it'd break the immersion of their game, and he knew Amber wouldn't appreciate that.

"Well, anyway," the combat instructor chirped, her mood shifting entirely. "I bet you kids are excited to get going, so let's not waste any time! You all have your stuff?"

Five nods and subtle gestures to their baggage, a collection of 5 carry-on bags, indicated they were ready to go. Naruto shuddered as he remembered the headache of trying to condense his team's belongings into 5 bags. Ruby and Blake had been fine. But Weiss and Yang? Another chill ran up his spine. It was one of the few times the two girls had argued together, and naturally, it'd come down to him to sort them out. Weiss for obvious reasons, and Yang simply because the two had sided together.

Seriously. Five suitcases each was beyond unreasonable, and yet they'd made the 30-minute 'discussion' a living hell. It may or may not have been the reason behind his earlier crappy mood.

"Alright, kiddos, in you go!" Amber cried. "Grab your stuff and go, go, go!"

Naruto sighed before he was clumsily shoved into the waiting Bullhead. "E-Easy!" He grunted towards who he was beginning to see as his older sister figure. It went largely ignored.

Before long, the group of six were seated comfortably in the vehicle's troop bay, their bags sprawled across several unoccupied seats.

After a few minutes of adjustments, Naruto turned to face Amber. "What was with the rush?" He asked with a frown. Getting shoved aboard hadn't exactly been ideal.

The brunette glanced around the vehicle bay, noticing similar looks of interest mixed with displeasure. She shrugged her shoulders in response. "We've got a long flight ahead of us. No time to waste."

That was... fair, he supposed.

"How long are we looking at, Miss Amber?" Ruby questioned with a calculating look.

Their assistant combat instructor smiled wryly. "Long enough to catch some Z's, if that's what you were wondering."

Ruby simply nodded. "That's good to know, but I was hoping to go over the mission in more detail. You know, confirm where we're going and look up some details about the region, like topography and current and recent weather. Maybe plan what to do when we land."

The shinobi shot his team leader an appraising look. Wow. Colour him impressed. Since when did Ruby start showing such foresight? Such initiative?

Hmm. That was unfair. This wasn't the first time Ruby's leadership abilities had thrown him off guard. Ironic, considering his lecture towards Weiss when their team first formed. Still, it was difficult. Sometimes, it felt like if he took his eyes off their little scythe-wielder for more than a day, he'd hardly recognize her when he looked back. Such was her explosive rate of growth.

Apparently, Amber thought along the same lines.

"Oh?" She murmured in interest. "Excellent suggestions! I'm impressed," the woman grinned. "We most certainly have time for that."

Naruto nodded, then noted the rest of the team's approving looks. Weiss seemed particularly pleased. Yang, too, for obvious reasons. Given how long their flight would likely take, they'd have ample time to hash out the details.

"To answer your question, though," Amber added, "we should arrive at our destination in about four hours."

The blond's thoughts ground to a halt. Four hours?

"Five, depending on the wind."

It had taken him three weeks to walk to Vale. And a Bullhead ride only took four hours? It was times like this that really drove home just how much easier technology made things. Sure, he hadn't been in a rush to get from Redgold to Vale, but the difference between three weeks and four hours was a little ridiculous. He could have saved so much time.

Then again, those three weeks spent on the road had been a good experience, all things considered. Spending time with Amber and Qrow — and when was the last time he even thought of that dusty old bastard? — had been a positive experience. He probably wouldn't have changed anything if he could go back in time. Maybe.

"Hello? Remnant to Naruto? Are you still with us?"

The shinobi blinked vapidly.

Silver eyes stared back in amusement. "Just how often do you plan on zoning out during mission briefings? I'm starting to think I should put everything down in writing just so we don't have to repeat ourselves."

Naruto swallowed awkwardly. "Sorry," he sighed. "I'll be good."

"Spoken like a man who's only now coming to appreciate how much faster a Bullhead is than walking," Amber quipped.

What the? The little jerk was in his head!

"Maybe," the chakra user shrugged. "But if it wasn't for my decision to walk, we never would have met. Then who would you annoy to no end?"

"I feel like we're missing some context here," Yang leaned in.

They weren't. Not really. The shinobi was pretty sure he mentioned at some point that he and Amber had travelled to Vale together. Or had he only spoken of it to Weiss?

Whatever.

"It's really not that interesting. Pretty mundane, really."

Amber simply scoffed at his words.

xXx

After several hours of flight, the longest stretch the blond had ever experienced, the Bullhead finally touched down. Just as well, considering he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Maybe a little stir-crazy, if he was being honest.

He began to bounce on the balls of his feet as they waited for the airship's doors to open. Finally, after several long, agonizing seconds, the ramp lowered enough for the group to disembark.

Naruto audibly exhaled, savouring his initial breaths of fresh, non-recycled air.

"Whew," Yang groaned from beside him. "About damn time."

Yeah. He didn't have to say it out loud for his teammate to know he felt the same way. After taking a few seconds to appraise his surroundings, the blond couldn't suppress the smile from spreading across his face. It was, as he suspected, Redgold Village. It was the first spot of civilization he'd found since coming to this world, and though he'd never really thought about it, this village held a special place in his heart.

He hadn't stayed long. He didn't know the layout. Didn't really know the people all that well. Didn't know the customs. Didn't know any of the nuances or colloquial terms. Despite this, it was the first place where he didn't feel utterly lost upon arrival.

His concentration was broken as Amber chuckled from behind him. "Don't look at me," came the woman's amused voice.

Naruto turned and watched in interest as Ruby gazed expectantly at their temporary Huntress leader.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "Aren't we supposed to shadow you?"

The provisional combat instructor grinned. "Technically, yes. But this is an assessment. So let me assess you," she said while beckoning to the world around them. "I'm going to be taking somewhat of a laissez-faire approach. I'll guide you to where we need to go. Even step in if things get hairy. But you'll be expected to navigate foreign environments as Huntsman and Huntresses. And I want to see how you operate naturally in the field."

Ruby hummed in thought.

"That," Amber continued, "or I can do everything for you. I'll just have to mark that down in my notes." The brown-clad woman mimicked writing down in a notepad, "Team RYBWN didn't want to take the initiative. Chose to follow me around like a lost puppy," she exaggerated a frown. "That doesn't sound very promising, does it?"

Ruby frowned in response.

"Okay," Naruto sighed. "No need to be a jerk. There were a dozen nicer ways to phrase that, you know."

"I wasn't being a jerk," she said while shoving him lightly. "I was being thought-provoking!"

More like just plain provoking. With a skeptical tilt of his head and a furrowed brow, Naruto withheld his words in an intentional silence.

"It's alright," Ruby chirped. "I get what you're trying to say, Miss Amber."

The woman in question grinned. "At least someone appreciates my high-brow advice."

Naruto nearly scoffed at her words. High-brow. Not a term he'd associate with the woman.

"Alright, team," Ruby grinned, "Let's get going! Does everyone remember— Hey!" She froze, bewildered. "Where did Blake go?"

"She wandered off," Yang hummed half-heartedly.

"That's not like her," their team leader muttered.

"She said it was too loud around here."

Sure enough, while the village was almost serene compared to the big city, the Bullhead stop was by far the busiest and, subsequently, the loudest.

"Yeah, that's much more like her," Ruby whispered.

"She knows where we're headed," Weiss reassured her partner. "And I doubt she was in a hurry. We'll pick her up along the way."

The heiress was, of course, referring to the village's one and only inn. Naruto grinned at the prospect. It was highly likely that Garett, the inn's owner and one of the first people to welcome Naruto to Remnant, would be working behind the counter.

Reconnecting with the man would be interesting. His daughter, Olive, even more so. The two would recognize him immediately, as he hadn't changed much in the past few months. And he liked to think he left an impression. Plus, despite everything, Naruto hadn't really said much about the events surrounding the village to his team. He couldn't really say why that was. He wasn't particularly bashful or humble about the events. They just never really came up in conversation. Sure, they knew he helped defend the village, but that was about it.

Well, it'd be interesting to see how things went.

Naruto eyed the villagers going about their day as the group meandered through the town. They were, by and by, living simple lives. Running errands, peddling goods. It seemed peaceful, if a bit boring. Several sets of eyes followed them in interest and upon determining they were a group of Huntsmen, returned to their daily tasks. He couldn't help but wonder if an increase in Huntsmen was more common the further away from the Kingdom a village was. If so, Redgold must have been extraordinarily unlucky the last time he was around. Or lucky. It depended on how you looked at it.

At some point, Blake rejoined their group, seamlessly integrating with them without a word. If it had been later in the evening, when visibility was poorer, he doubted he would have even noticed her.

The village itself hadn't changed much since he'd been away. It was still simple, mainly consisting of single-level buildings. Some were brick-and-mortar, others wood and straw. He spied a vaguely familiar open-air marketplace where dozens of vendors peddled their goods. A farmer's market, as he'd later learned.

It reminded him of many of the smaller villages from back home, where nature was fresh, and the sense of community was strong.

He spied Weiss from the corner of his eye. She was subtly taking in her surroundings, a small but tight frown on her face. Moving next to the girl, he nudged her gently on the shoulder, earning him a raised brow and minute smile.

"You okay?"

"I'm... fine," she sighed.

Well, she wasn't angry. But there was something there. Obviously. He chose to walk next to her in silence, though his close proximity made his intentions clear. I'll listen if you want to talk and be here even if you don't.

...

"I'm not used to these kinds of places, is all."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What, remote communities?"

"Essentially, yes."

"There's not a lot to them," the blond chuckled. "They're small, tight-knit, and everyone knows everyone."

Weiss hummed in response. "I'm just not used to being without the usual... amenities," she sighed.

"It may be a small village, but it's hardly a backwater," Naruto grinned. "They've got running water, CCT reception, electricity."

"Oh, thank goodness," the white-clad girl rolled her eyes. "I was afraid I'd have to bathe myself in a river, charter a carrier pigeon, and hand crank a device if I wanted to read past sunset."

The shinobi laughed good-naturedly. "Hey, once we get out into the field, that bathing in the river idea isn't exactly unrealistic."

"You would be drawn to that, wouldn't you," she sighed. "Pervert."

"Come on, snowflake, small towns aren't that bad. You get a strong sense of community, there's less bureaucracy, you get to see interesting cultures develop, and," he added with a wide smile. "You're always that much closer to nature."

Ice-blue eyes stared at him flatly. "I prefer to be closer to civilization, thank you."

"But nature —"

"— I'll buy you a park. Or a nature reserve, if you're good."

Blue eyes met blue eyes.

"Sometimes, I forget just how rich you are."

"If you were anyone else, I'd likely call you a liar."

Despite the levity of her words, and yes, that was her being lighthearted, there was a tightness in her tone. Naruto frowned. It didn't have anything to do with her money. Nor their current geographical location. He knew her better than that. If he had to go out on a limb...

"You know," he nudged her, "I don't need to live in a forest to be happy."

He caught the slight hesitation in her next step, which she recovered from near-flawlessly. Looks like he'd been right.

...

"Are you sure?" She whispered. "From everything I've seen, you seem to be quite fond of nature." Her words were punctuated with an uncomfortable silence. "I... wouldn't ever be able to accommodate that. Not really. Not as the head of the SDC."

Ah. There it was. Naruto smiled softly. "I mean, do I like nature? I'm a sage, so I'm obligated to say yes. And sure, I grew up in and around it. And it's all I've ever really known." Each point caused the girl beside him to wince uncomfortably. "But does it make me happy?" He asked rhetorically. "Not particularly. Not on its own."

Weiss looked at him in surprise.

"Konoha is the village hidden in the leaves. Being one with nature is almost second... nature," he muttered lamely. "But it was the people around me that made me happy. My friends and family. Those I love and treasure. Right now, it's the same here as it was back home," he smiled. "As long as I get to be around those precious to me, I'll be happy. Whether that's in an old tree house or a highrise apartment building."

The heiress quickly turned her head, humming thoughtfully. "Is that so?"

It wasn't hard to hear the change in her tone.

"Yup," he affirmed readily. "Besides, it's not like I'd never be able to visit the outdoors. You wouldn't be locking me up at home."

She hummed in agreement, likely seeing his point.

"Although," he added. "As the future head of the SDC, working towards cutting down the company's greenhouse emissions couldn't hurt. It'd certainly earn you some brownie points from me."

Weiss laughed breathily. "Oh? You think it's I who needs to earn gratitude from you," she smiled demurely.

He simply shrugged in response.

"Very well," the ashen-haired girl continued to smile. "I shall keep that in mind."

...

"Are you two done yet? How much longer are we supposed to keep circling the inn? People are starting to notice," came Yang's dry voice.

...

"What?" Weiss asked, perplexed. "How long has it been since we arrived? Have you all been listening in on our conversation?"

Uh oh.

"We couldn't help it, partner!" Ruby gushed. "You two are just so friggen cute!"

"Yeah," Yang sighed. "Just like how I imagine Blake's 'romance' books would be if they were rated PG."

A sharp elbow to the brawler's side made it clear her partner didn't appreciate the comparison. Or maybe she didn't like attention being drawn to her choice of literature.

"We couldn't just interrupt you guys," Amber added. "It sounded like such an important conversation!"

Ruby nodded along with the fully-fledged huntress.

"Aren't you supposed to be an adult or something?" Naruto asked.

"Or something," Amber agreed.

He sighed at the predictable response. "Can we just head inside already? Please?"

Weiss was one step ahead of him as she brushed past the group, her fair complexion working against her as her cheeks burned scarlet.

The rest of the group simply shrugged and followed the heiress, leaving Naruto to grumble to himself.

Of course, they'd shrug it off. An embarrassed Weiss wasn't their problem to deal with.

As the group of six made their way into the inn's interior, they were, strangely, assaulted by the scent of delicious food. Naruto hummed in surprise. He had expected the place to reek of booze, if anything. Then again, it was barely past noon on a weekday, so perhaps that would come later. And frankly, given what he remembered for Garett's cooking, maybe he shouldn't have been surprised.

Speaking of, he couldn't help but wonder if the retired huntsman was working today. He'd assume so, given the man owned the place, and in the few short days he'd stayed, he didn't remember seeing anyone else working behind the counter or otherwise. There was always the chance the burly man sold the place, but really... What were the odds that would have happened in the relatively short time he was gone? It was unlikely things would change that quickly.

Sure enough, the familiar frame of the large, though deceptively friendly man rose from behind the wooden counter. The sound of the front door opening and multiple footfalls likely roused the man from whatever task he'd been performing from under the counter.

It took a moment for Garett to spot them, his eyes landing on the group, then drifting to meet the blonds. Emerald green eyes widened in recognition, and bushy brown eyebrows rocketed into short chocolate-brown hair.

"Well," he called out. "As I live and breathe!" The overused greeting was accompanied by a wide grin and open arms. "If it isn't Naruto Uzumaki!" The burly man made to move from behind the counter, intent on meeting the group halfway.

Yang leaned into her fellow blond's personal space. "Well, you certainly left an impression," she muttered.

"Hard for him not to, considering what he did for us," the bartender smiled, apparently picking up on the brawler's low tone.

The shinobi smiled awkwardly. Even now, he wasn't particularly good at accepting praise. Instead, he settled for a simple greeting. "Good to see you again, Garett," he said while sticking out his hand.

Deciding the paltry greeting was below him, the large man slapped the offered appendage aside and crushed the blond teen in a brief but tight hug.

"You know," the man said after releasing him. "Olive hasn't stopped talking about you since you left. I think you might have inspired her to be a huntress." Laced in his words was a dollop of disapproval, if only because a father would always worry about their child. Especially one intending to pursue a dangerous profession.

Naruto grinned. "Upset that it was me who inspired her and not you?"

The man released a short bark of laughter. "Hardly," he smiled. "I've made a point not to influence her decisions on what to do when she grew up. Didn't want to place any expectations on her, you know?"

"And Naruto here went and screwed all that up, I take it?" Amber asked.

Garett nodded slightly. "Something like that," he said with a shrug. "Regardless, there's no guarantee my daughter plans on committing to the profession, but she has shown interest."

The man didn't appear to be truly upset about the situation, so he supposed it wasn't a big deal.

The blond felt a soft jab to his side. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Came the expectant voice of his girlfriend.

Ah. Right.

"Sorry," he breathed. "Everyone, this is Garett Vermillion. He took me in when I first arrived in the area. Garett, these are my teammates from Beacon. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake," he pointed in order. "And our field instructor, Amber."

"Oh?" The retired huntsman questioned. "Beacon Academy, eh?"

Oh boy, here it comes.

"Whatever happened to not wanting to join? If I remember correctly, you were vehemently against attending any of the huntsman academies. What changed?"

"Well," the huntsman in training sighed. "I guess you could say Ozpin was pretty damn convincing. And over time, I found a few reasons to stay," he added while looking at his teammates meaningfully.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. You look happy. A little less lost. That's good enough."

Hmm. Maybe.

"Anyways, where are my manners? Come in, sit properly, and I'll grab some menus. I'm sure you're hungry."

Well, they could do for some food.

"You still as much of a drinker as last time, Naruto?"

"What was that?" Weiss interjected with a disapproving frown.

Damnit.

xXx

A shrill squeal announced the closing of his trachea. Naruto's eyes bulged as his airway was suddenly and forcefully restricted. Were it not for the preluding cry of excitement, he might have retaliated in a not-so-friendly manner. As it stood, however, he vaguely recognized the cry, and even if he didn't, he had been expecting it to a degree. Maybe he was not quite expecting to be choked out, but he'd been expecting the person behind it.

"Olive, enough!" Cried the young girl's father. "You can't just choke him while he's eating; that's dangerous!"

Upon those words, Naruto's airway opened, and the thin arms wrapped around his neck slipped away. He awkwardly downed the throatful of food he'd be swallowing and took a moment to catch his breath. He coughed a few times for good measure. Idly, he heard a sheepish 'sorry' from behind him.

And that would be Olive.

They were halfway through their late lunch when the shinobi realized the young girl still hadn't made an appearance. Clearly, he'd directly summoned her.

Twisting around, Naruto eyed the girl up and down. She was... essentially how he remembered her. Short, as children tended to be, though maybe a little taller than the last time he saw her. Wiry, with a petite frame. Long, messy brown hair and verdant green eyes that matched her father's. Gone was the well-worm yellow sundress he remembered, replaced by a set of navy blue overalls, a white t-shirt underneath, and white velcro shoes. The outfit was appropriately childish. It suited her well.

"Hey, Olive." The girl's already wide grin nearly doubled as he greeted her. "You know Aura doesn't protect someone against suffocation, right?"

She nodded shamelessly.

Right...

The blond sighed, stood from his chair, turned fully, and allowed himself to be enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. Well, as bone-crushing as a hug could be from an 8-year-old.

It was surprisingly powerful.

"You're back!" She cried happily. "The other kids said you were gone for good," she added with a slight frown.

Naruto tousled her hair. "Well, imagine how stupid they look now, huh?"

The girl grinned brightly, nodding along rapidly.

"Wow, Naruto," Yang laughed aloud. "Never would have guessed you'd be good with kids!"

How dare she? He'd have her know he was excellent with kids! Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi, just to name a few. Sure, some had said it was only because he was just a large child himself, but that didn't detract from the fact that he was great with kids. It also wasn't true. He was totally an adult.

Olive frowned at the new voice. "Who the heck is that? Your girlfriend?"

What?

Yang, as was the rest of the table, seemed to be at a loss for words. What had initially been a smattering of 'oohs' and 'awes' at the spunky girl quickly clammed up at her quick judgement.

It was honestly kind of funny.

"No, actually," came a familiar voice. "That would be me," the Schnee heiress inserted herself into the conversation. "Naruto deserves a higher class of woman than her," she added, flicking her chin in Yang's direction.

The buxom blonde made a choking sound.

Olive, for her part, simply eyed Weiss up and down. What was going on in her head was anyone's guess, but after 15 seconds of quiet contemplation, the Redgold native simply nodded in a manner that seemed to convey respect.

Huh...

xXx

"I can't believe after all that you're a huntsman now!" Olive cried excitedly.

"Huntsman in training," the blond corrected.

"Whatever."

Team RYBWN, Amber, Garett, and Olive had gathered around one of the inn's tables. Being a weekday, business was slower, granting them the luxury to simply converse, catch up, and get to know each other. What few orders did come through were handled with experience and expediency on Garett's end, so he hardly missed a word of the conversation. And seeing how it was nearing the end of the night, things had wound down enough so that he'd scarcely left the table in the past 20 minutes.

"So," the burly man sighed. "The northern forest, eh?"

There was something in his tone as he said that. Concern. Resignation. Disapproval. He didn't seem to be trying to hide it, so they all picked up on it quickly.

"Something wrong with the northern forest?" Amber asked for the group, her interest piqued.

The bartender paused, scratching at the stubble of his chin. "It's —"

"— haunted!" Olive jumped in.

...

Ha. Haunted, she says. Naruto's eyes widened as she failed to say sike.

...

"She's joking, right?" Blake asked with a raised brow.

"Well," the retired huntsman hummed, "I wouldn't exactly say it's haunted."

Naruto subtly sighed in relief. No fear.

"But something about that place isn't right."

Naruto frowned. One fear.

"What do you mean," Ruby asked. "Higher than average Grimm activity? Bandits in the area?"

Garett frowned. "Were it so easy," he sighed. "To be honest, no one really knows. It could be the Grimm, but the M.O. doesn't fit. When Olive says the area's haunted, that's actually the popular opinion. It's basically a local legend. And not a good one. Sure, People go missing occasionally, but the real kicker is that the location itself impresses a sense of foreboding. People tend to stay away from the area."

"How long has this been going on?" Ruby asked with a frown.

"It's not a new thing. Been like this since long before this village was established. You said your mission was to hunt down a pack of Grimm?"

At Ruby's nod, he continued. "Pretty standard mission for first years. And if the rest of you are as talented as Naruto, you'll have no trouble clearing them out."

The confidence was nice.

"My advice? Clear out the Grimm as quick as you can. Spending time in the area will do you no good."

Ruby hummed in consideration.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it," Garett grinned.

"Yeah!" Olive smiled. "Enough about that stuff! I want to know more about Beacon! What's it like? What are the classes like?"

Naruto chuckled at the girl's raw enthusiasm, doubling down at Garett's complicated look now sported. Try as he might, there was no disguising a father's worry.

They sat there throughout the evening, talking, eating, and laughing as they bonded through the shared medium of food and, in a few cases, drink.

Come this time tomorrow, the Becaon natives would hopefully be elbow-deep in slain Grimm.

xXx

The forest outside Redgold Village was almost exactly as he remembered. Lush with vegetation, humid as all hell, and thick with tall coniferous trees just slightly too thin to be reliably used for tree-hopping.

Hands resting on the back of his head, Naruto sighed in contentment as he and his team traversed through the dense foliage. Running into Garett and Olive had been nice. Wholesome. When he'd first left Redgold, he'd honestly thought it would be a long time until he could next visit. It was nice to be wrong. And while he would have liked to have spent more time with them and the village as a whole, they had a mission to see through.

A languid groan sounded from somewhere behind him. "It's so hot. How can people live like this?"

Clearly, Yang wasn't enjoying the local climate.

"Buck up, Xiao Long," Amber chirped from ahead of him. "It's not even the hottest time of the season!"

Another groan. "How the hell is that even possible?"

The shinobi grinned at his suffering teammate. "It's not even the heat that's bad. Not really," he advised. "It's the humidity."

She huffed in response. "How are you even okay with this?" the brawler groaned. "You're wearing, like, twice as many clothes as I am."

She was exaggerating, clearly. But not by much. "First of all, that's not a difficult thing to do. Secondly, it was just as hot back home, if not hotter. They didn't call it the Land of Fire for nothing," he replied with a humorous chuckle.

Amber hummed in curiosity. "You know, you still need to tell me about where you're from." Naruto could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Every time you mention your home, I can't help but wonder," she said wistfully.

Hmm. Well, out of the many people who didn't yet know, Amber would have likely been at the top of the list when it came to telling. She was, after all, the first friend he'd made while in Remnant.

"I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours," she offered, a teasing lilt heavy in her voice.

Naruto let loose a carefree laugh. He would have likely been wary if she said such a thing when they first met. Suspicious. Uncomfortable. But now? Maybe opening up to her wouldn't be so bad. At the very least, he didn't dislike the idea. But not now. It was too long a story, and they were on a mission. A simple mission on paper, sure. But, given the Village of Redgold's attitude regarding the area of operation, he wasn't so sure about that. They couldn't afford such distractions.

"Maybe later," he settled with.

Amber released a hum in response. Its musical note carried both surprise and satisfaction.

"Miss Amber, are we going the right way?" Ruby asked. She'd taken the second place spot in their single-file march through the forest, putting her directly in front of Naruto. Weiss, Yang, and Blake trailed from behind him, and he didn't need to see the look on their faces to know they harboured the same question.

"Of course!" Amber replied happily. "Have a little faith in your instructor! I used to travel all over the Kingdoms back in the day."

Back in the day? Why was she talking like an old woman? She couldn't have been older than 25. Hmm. Come to think of it, Naruto didn't actually know how old Amber was. Should he ask? That would be rude, wouldn't it? The thought made him want to ask even more.

"I know every forest in the outskirts of Vale like the back of my hand," the brown-haired woman bragged.

Naruto raised a brow at her boast.

"How long have we been going?" Their field trainer asked the group.

"It's been about 20 minutes," Blake answered immediately. There was a heaviness in her breath. Had she been counting? The blond couldn't help but wonder if the faunus' feline DNA played a role in more than just her appearance. His mind was filled with images of a black cat lazing in the summer sun.

"Then we've got about another 30 to go," Amber grinned.

Failing to stifle her groan, Ruby released a muffled sound of displeasure.

Hmm.

Now that the Jinchūriki looked closer, even Ruby seemed to be struggling under the oppressive sunlight, no doubt made worse by her dark and heavy outfit.

Interesting.

Ruby and Yang were native to Vale, yet they were clearly unaccustomed to this particular region's temperature. Blake was from Menagerie, an island even further south. Was it not as hot there? And frankly, he could only imagine how bad Weiss was suffering, being from the northern tundras of Atlas.

A quick glance behind him left him surprised. Weiss seemed... fine. Sure enough, the girl's pace was steady and even. Her breaths were unlaboured and calm. She wasn't sweating like Yang, nor was she scowling like Blake.

"Can I help you?" The white-clad girl asked with an unimpressed scrunch of her nose.

Naruto shrugged in response. "Just making sure you're doing okay in the heat."

"I'm fine, thank you very much," the heiress replied haughtily. She turned her nose up at him for good measure.

It was always so adorable whenever she tried to pretend she was irritated at him. She wasn't very good at it nowadays. Or maybe he was just getting better at reading her. As it was, Naruto knew she wasn't one to get temperamental without probable cause. Mostly. It was that which helped him identify the actual reason behind her current attitude. She wanted attention. Hell, she was barely trying to hide it.

"So I see," he said to his girlfriend. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd be so well-suited for the heat."

Weiss smiled proudly at his words. "Just one of the many things you'll find I'm well-suited for, I assure you."

Naruto slowed his pace to walk beside her. Huh. Strange. Why was the area around her so much cooler? A brief brush of his hand across her forearm surprised him further. She was cold to the touch. He smiled to himself.

"Of course, snowflake," he replied patronizingly. "I can't wait to find out more." It was all a game, of course. Her arrogance, his indifference. They both knew it. And they weren't the only ones.

Yang made a retching noise from somewhere deep within her throat. "You guys are so gross," she muttered.

"Don't be petty," Weiss immediately countered. "If you're so lonely, go find your own dumb blond to date. Sun, Jaune, yourself. You guys are all the rage nowadays."

"What the?" Yang sputtered.

Naruto frowned. Dumb blond, eh?

The dumb blond leaned in and quickly kissed Weiss on the cheek, surprising her at the sudden motion. Yang grumbled in annoyance from behind. At the heiress' questioning gaze, Naruto smiled mischievously.

"You know, I was wondering," the shinobi said loudly, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. "Using your ice Dust to cool yourself is pretty clever, but how much more do you have left? Surely, you're running low."

Weiss' beautiful icy-blue eyes widened at his words, and panic flooded her posture. "W-What are you —"

"— Weiss!" Yang shouted indignantly.

Naruto sent his girlfriend a quick wink. "Not such a dumb blond now, don't you think?" Unfortunately, aside from the girl's narrowed eyes, he didn't get to savour her reaction as he was stiffly shoved aside by Ruby.

"Partner!" The reaper shouted. "I can't believe you were holding out on me — er, us!"

Weiss released a sharp yelp as a muscular arm — Yang's arm — wrapped around her midsection.

"Oh, brothers!" The Blonde practically purred. "You're like an ice pack!"

"Get off me, you barbarian! You're covered in sweat! You're disgusting!"

Naruto laughed freely as his girlfriend continued to get swarmed by their teammates. Was Blake actually purring? He swore he could hear it from several feet away.

A presence beside him drew his attention. Amber stood with a broad smile, then punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You're quite a little shit, aren't you?" His friend questioned humorously. She nodded to herself in silent contemplation. "But, I suppose that was pretty good."

The blond grinned.

xXx

The following 30 minutes of travel was fairly mundane, all things considered. The heat was just as oppressive as before; in fact, it was getting hotter. As it turns out, the hottest part of the day was around 3:00 p.m., so leaving the village at noon had been a mistake. Surely, Amber had been aware of that, given how much she travelled. The little shit.

"How much further," Yang moaned desperately.

The jostling of paper indicated that Amber was in the process of determining the answer. The brown-themed girl stuck her nose into the map she was carrying and hummed.

Since when did she have a map?

After several seconds of not answering, Naruto cast his eyes towards the woman. Only then did the blond notice the out-of-place frown on his friend's face. There was a tension in her shoulders that hadn't been there a minute ago. It seemed strange. She didn't seem particularly bothered by the heat. The sun wasn't shining in her eyes. She wasn't being assaulted by the various insects buzzing around. And until now, she appeared to be in relatively good spirits.

No, scratch that. If he really thought about it, Amber's demeanour had shifted a while ago, hadn't it? Subtly, of course. He just hadn't said anything about it. But why?

Were they lost?

As the blond furrowed his brow, he began to rack his brain for what could be bothering their Huntress instructor. In the end, he came up blank. If he couldn't identify anything present that was bothering her, then perhaps it was something internal. Maybe something he couldn't see? Or... something that wasn't there?

Two options immediately came to mind. One, the less likely option, was that they were actually lost. The second, something he had only just realized, was that there weren't any Grimm nearby.

They'd been travelling for nearly an hour and hadn't been accosted by the Grimm once. Hell, they hadn't even seen a Grimm since arriving in the region. Wasn't this a search-and-destroy mission? And while searching was half the equation, it was mostly semantics at that point. Grimm, as a whole, were always on a search-and-destroy mission themselves. They should have found some Grimm at this point. Or, the Grimm should have found them.

So where were they?

Is that what was bothering Amber? Because it was certainly starting to bother him.

"Has anyone else noticed the lack of Grimm?" Came the worried voice of Ruby.

"Yes," came Blake's clipped response.

"Indeed," answered Weiss.

"Huh?" Grunted Yang.

Looks like they were all on the same page.

"Everyone, keep your guard up," Amber instructed, uncharacteristically serious. "There are signs of Grimm in the area, but their lack of presence can mean one of two things."

The group narrowed their eyes at her words.

"Either something drew them away, or we're walking into an ambush."

Both options were bad. If something drew the local Grimm away, whatever or whoever it was would be dangerous. It could be a larger, more powerful Grimm, or it could be a group of unidentified people. Wishful thinking that it could be other Huntsmen. Ozpin would have marked the area as a Beacon mission zone, so if it was a group of people, they were unauthorized. That meant dangerous.

If this was an ambush, an intelligent, possibly ancient Grimm was nearby. He didn't need to assess the situation deeper to recognize the danger.

They carefully moved through the foliage, scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. There was just something so very uncanny about the absence of a threat when they knew there should be one. It dredged up unpleasant memories of a shinobi ambush. A White Zetsu ambush.

Despite their heightened state of awareness, no threats were detected. Nothing charged them from the treeline. Nothing surged upward from the earth to swallow them. Nothing swooped down from above to perforate them. Yet despite this, an overwhelming sense of foreboding quickly settled in his gut. It was difficult to describe. A brief glance at his teammates revealed similarly tense muscles and wide eyes.

"I don't like this," muttered Yang.

The rest of the group remained silent. With every step he took, he felt a corresponding pull in the opposite direction. Presumably, everyone else was feeling the same. Call it instinct. Call it clairvoyance. But whatever it was, it felt increasingly unbearable.

Just when the shinobi began to contemplate the idea of deliberately causing a scene to draw any potential foes out, the group suddenly stopped, Ruby nearly walking into Amber in the process.

The sense of foreboding was reaching its zenith.

The blond's eyes were drawn to the front of the group, and he immediately noted the large cliff face in front of them. A wall of moss and vines was nestled in the rock, forming a makeshift ladder.

Were they supposed to climb up?

He... didn't want to. Something was telling him not to. To turn around and walk back the way they came. His feelings when looking at the wall were of... vitriol and poison. A rough, coppery taste. An ear-piercing shear of metal on metal. It was —

— With a sudden pulse of burning magma in his core, Naruto's eyes widened, watered, and reflexively blinked. It took everything he had to not simply keel over and retch. The feeling passed as quickly as it came.

The feeling of foreboding, on the other hand, was... gone? Aside from the sharp, lingering burn, he felt fine. What the hell was that?

'That would be me,' came the tense words of his partner. The deep bass of the fox's voice echoed throughout his mind.

'What the hell, Kurama? What was that?'

After a short but tense silence, his tenant responded.

'I sent a surge of chakra through your system.'

Is that why he felt like he'd just ingested a handful of glass?

'And why exactly did you do that?'

'To break you out of whatever sensory illusion you were under. Similar to how you'd break yourself from a genjutsu.'

Time seemed to slow at that revelation. Is that why they felt such an overwhelming sense of foreboding from seemingly nowhere? Were they under a genjutsu?

'Like I said,' the fox sighed. 'Not exactly a genjutsu, but something similar.'

Something similar, huh? Now, wasn't that an unsettling thought? What could it have been? Some sort of technology? A semblance? A new type of Grimm?

'You should help your friends.'

Naruto blinked. Only then did he realize that, while he'd been broken out of whatever anomalous effect had befallen them, his team hadn't been so lucky. They were, all of them, practically shaking in... fear? Stress?

Without wasting another second, one by one, the shinobi approached his teammates, placed a hand on their shoulders, and sent a small pulse of chakra through them. The effect was instantaneous.

...

It really was like breaking a genjutsu.

Almost mechanically, they were each broken from their adrenaline-fueled haze, blinking, gasping, or shuddering as appropriate.

Interestingly enough, when he approached Amber, the woman appeared fine. She subtly shook her head as he reached out, causing him to drop his arm in surprise.

What the hell?

Could she break out of... whatever warding effect they stumbled into on her own? Had she used her Aura? Maybe it was an experience thing? Maybe she was made of sterner stuff?

But why had she shaken her head as if she knew what he intended to do?

"What... was that?" Ruby sighed tiredly, her body coming down from its unexpected adrenaline surge.

"Some sort of sensory illusion," Amber replied automatically while frowning.

"Hallucination?" Ruby echoed, perplexed.

"What caused it?" Weiss questioned, eyes narrowed.

"I don't know," came their instructor's seemingly honest answer. "Whatever it was, it started subtly and seems to affect a wide area."

So they weren't targeted specifically?

"How can you tell?" Yang asked.

After a moment of contemplation, it was Blake who answered. "The forest," she replied in realization. "Everything in the forest shifted a while back." Seeing the confusion on her partner's face, she jerked her head to the side. "I can hardly hear any wildlife. Things are too quiet. It might also explain the lack of Grimm."

So whatever this was, it was affecting the Grimm as well? Was that enough to narrow them out as being the cause? The creatures of darkness were fickle things. He wouldn't be surprised if this was a new Grimm type. A unique Grimm. But if he was being honest, he was starting to get 'mad scientist' vibes from the area.

He wasn't even going to entertain the possibility of it being supernatural. Nope.

"Well," Weiss sighed. "I suppose this explains the villager's reaction to the area. I can only imagine how oppressive it must feel for anyone other than a trained huntsman."

They stood silently for several seconds, each taking in and processing the information. Naruto hummed in thought. Truthfully, his curiosity was beyond piqued. Whatever or whoever was causing this was not normal. Clearly. But at the same time...

"Whatever's going on, it doesn't seem to correlate with our mission," Amber added. "That being said," she turned in search of Ruby. "What would you like to do, team leader?"

...Yeah. This wasn't the mission. Their job was to hunt down and exterminate a larger-than-average pack of Grimm. Clearly, those Grimm were elsewhere. So they didn't — shouldn't be lingering here. Maybe it was something to report later on. But here and now? Not so much.

"Ruby?" Amber asked after the young girl failed to respond after a few seconds.

Naruto turned to face his team leader, tilting his head in curiosity. The scythe-wielder was busy staring at the vine-infested rockface. Now that the illusion had been broken they were all free to move about, something Ruby had seemingly taken advantage of.

"There's a cave here," she muttered lowly.

What was that?

"Hey, guys," the huntress-in-training called out, catching everyone's attention. "I think there's a cave entrance over here."

...

"Wanna check it out?"

As the group approached their leader, Naruto finally began to see what had caught her attention. Sure enough, as she'd said, the wall had a larger-than-average imperfection. Upon closer inspection, that imperfection revealed itself to be a crack. Barely perceptible from the angle he stood, it became clearer upon circling around to Ruby's side.

Even standing from the most optimal position, while clearer, it wasn't exactly obvious. It was overgrown with vines and moss, and the shade from the surrounding foliage did well to conceal its true nature. Honestly, he'd have struggled even if he'd deliberately been looking. He doubted he could have hidden it any better if he tried.

"Amber's correct. This isn't part of our mission," Weiss sighed.

"But Weiss," the hooded huntress bemoaned. "Don't you want to know where this leads?"

"No," the heiress sighed. "It probably leads nowhere. Just a natural rock formation that ends after a dozen feet."

The blond frowned. Weiss was probably right. There were likely countless cracks spread throughout the mountainside. That didn't mean a sprawling cave network was connected to each of them. And even if it did, so what? They probably led nowhere and were likely filled with any manner of insect or wildlife. Maybe, just maybe, they held the odd Grimm or two. But certainly not a pack of them.

"Come on," Ruby tried again. "We just established that something unknown was affecting our sense of perception. And it really seems like it was strongest around this area in particular. And it's practically haunted the local village since its founding. Combine that with a mysterious cave network, and we could be onto something."

Weiss grunted in acknowledgement. "First, we don't even know if this is a proper cave. It could be a simple alcove. Second," she sighed. "This has nothing to do with our mission."

"Maybe not," their team leader acquiesced. "But that doesn't change the fact that this area is related to the villager's fear of the region. It wouldn't be very huntress of us if we just ignored it when we could do something about it."

Weiss was silent for several moments. "And what exactly would we be able to do?"

Ruby grinned. "Remove whatever's been scaring the villagers. Or, at the very least, tell them what's causing it. Maybe it'll give them some peace of mind. Or better prepare them for it."

The ashen-haired girl dipped her head in soft frustration.

"Plus," the speedster added with a grin that screamed, 'I win,' "If this isn't even a proper cave as you seem to claim, then it'll only take a minute to check out!"

Weiss simply hung her head fully in defeat. "Do as you will," she groaned. "But do not expect me to help you if you get stuck."

Ruby blew a dismissive raspberry and rolled her eyes. "As if." Without another word, the excitable teen squeezed into the rock face and seemingly disappeared in less than a moment.

Huh.

Several more seconds of hushed silence befell them, which Naruto took to look around. Weiss appeared annoyed. No surprise there. Blake appeared indifferent, if not a little heat-exhausted. Yang, predictably, seemed slightly concerned for her disappeared baby sister.

All relatively expected reactions from his teammates.

Amber, on the other hand, seemed more than a little bothered. Naruto leaned into her guard, catching her attention.

"Be honest," he mumbled lowly. "What do you think about all this?"

The brunette eyed him for a moment, then sighed. "Honestly," she said while looking around. "I don't like this."

"Think we should have moved on? Aren't you even a little curious?"

"That's the problem," she frowned. "I'm real damn curious. I'd make the same call if I was in Ruby's shoes."

"And that worries you?"

She didn't answer him. Not verbally, at least. But the look she gave him was telling.

Right. Obviously.

...

Did Ruby get lost? Maybe they should —

"— Guys!" Their missing rose called, much closer to the entrance than he'd expected. "Guys, you're never going to believe this!" An unkempt head of red and black hair poked out of the hidden cave, framing a smug smile. "Weiss was," she began to chuckle, "so wrong!"

Stepping out entirely, she dusted off the lingering dust on her outfit.

"So you found something?" Naruto asked.

"You betcha!" Ruby grinned. "This place runs deep!"

Weiss frowned at her partner's words. "Please tell me you didn't explore the entire cave system on your own."

"Ha!" Ruby barked. "Why? Afraid you'll miss out on exploring the super mysterious cave?"

"Hardly," Weiss sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. "If this place really is the source of whatever hallucination we were under, then it could be dangerous."

"I know that," their team leader grinned. "It's why I turned back when I started seeing the carvings in the walls."

What.

"Sorry, what was that?" Naruto interjected. "Carvings? Like cave paintings?"

Ruby hummed. "Sort of? They looked weird. Definitely not natural. Kinda spooky, actually."

Naruto frowned. What was this? One of Blake's mystery novels? Just what the hell were they walking into?

"Anyways," Ruby waved off their questioning looks. "Who's ready to go spelunking?"

"You can't be serious," Weiss muttered.

"What? But Weiss, you promised!"

"Excuse me? I promised nothing."

"Nuh-uh. You said that if I found something, we could go explore!"

...

Was Ruby gaslighting Weiss?

"Are you gaslighting me?"

"No way!" The scythe-wielder cried. "You really did agree! Maybe you didn't use the word 'promise,' but you definitely agreed."

...

Ruby wasn't very good at gaslighting. One should definitely be more subtle. And ideally, they'd wait longer than 3 minutes to try and rewrite the narrative.

"Did I?" The heiress muttered to herself, then fell silent.

...

"C'mon guys, where's your sense of adventure? Like I said before, we could really be helping the villagers out by doing this!"

"I don't know Rubes," Yang said softly. "This doesn't really seem all that necessary. Maybe we can come back later?"

"That's what you always say when you don't intend on coming back to places!"

The blonde had the decency to blush.

"I'm just going back in alone if you don't come. Wouldn't you rather keep an eye on me in case it's dangerous?"

Yang sighed deeply. "Fine. Fine. But I don't like it!"

...

Ruby turned to Blake next.

The cat faunus spoke before the young reaper could muster an argument. "No. I have no interest in crawling through a dark cave."

"But you've got night vision! We need you!"

"I vote no," the faunus answered.

Ruby frowned at the negative reception. "Well, it doesn't matter. Me, Yang, and Weiss already make the majority. We don't even need Naruto's vote. Even though he's totally in."

Gee. Great. Also, he wasn't entirely sold on the idea.

"Yeah, no." Weiss chimed in haughtily. "I vote no. After careful recollection, I've determined that at no point did I ever agree to explore the cave."

There it was.

Ruby groaned in exasperation. "Fine," she drawled, then turned to face the team's resident shinobi. "Give these doubters the bad news, Naruto. Tell 'em we're totally going spelunking."

"Now, hold on," the heiress interjected. "What about Amber? Doesn't she get a say in this?"

"Uhm... no?" The red and black-themed girl answered as if it were obvious. "She said it herself yesterday. This is our show. She's just here to make sure we don't screw up so badly that not even the brothers themselves could fix it."

All eyes turned to the brunette. She frowned, then shrugged begrudgingly. "She has me there," she sighed.

All eyes shifted back to the lone huntsman-in-training.

Oh?

Well, look who's vote suddenly mattered.

And not just that, he held all the cards. Naruto suppressed a sigh as he looked into Ruby's decreasingly confident eyes. Truthfully, he really wasn't sold on it. Their team leader made valid points, but ultimately, the mission came first.

Flashbulb memories of his time training under Kakashi pricked the back of his mind. But this wasn't a matter of mission vs. comrades. No one was at stake here. He thought of the nearby villagers. Not immediately, at least. In fact, sticking to their original mission was more in line with saving people. Yang, unironically, had the right idea. They could always come back later.

Just as he was about to say no to Ruby's puppy eyes — and when the hell had she pulled those out? — his thoughts were halted by an unexpected source.

'Go in,' the fox commanded.

Naruto blinked. 'What? Why?'

'Just go explore. There's something in there you need to see.'

Oh, hell no. No way the fox was going to drop that without any further explanation.

'What the hell, Kurama? Do you know what's in there? What do you know that you're not telling me?'

'If you want to know, go find out,' his partner hissed, then cut their connection.

What the fuck? Where did that come from? And what crawled up his furry butt?

...

"N-Naruto?" A small voice came, drawing his attention.

Oh, for the love of – really? Was the quivering lip really necessary? His team leader didn't know it, but she was kicking a dead horse at this point. This was bloody overkill.

"Let's..." he sighed. "Let's take a look," he replied tightly.

Wisely choosing to ignore the glares of betrayal from both Weiss and Blake, Naruto pushed past a confused Amber and closely followed Ruby's lead. The group's youngest member was gleefully sashaying to the cave's entrance, likely under the mistaken impression that she'd convinced him to side with her.

Tch. If only she knew.

After a moment of finagling, their leader managed to pass through the entrance with little difficulty, extending an arm back out to beckon them onward. Wordlessly, the blond followed her lead, the wideness of his shoulders causing him to struggle briefly. He managed to get through the entryway with a few twists and jerks. The rest of the group followed their lead.

The teen took the chance to observe his surroundings. His initial impression focused on the lack of light. As it was, he could barely see his hands if he stretched them out. He likely would have found himself in complete darkness without the enhanced eyesight inherent in being a shinobi, particularly one of Uzumaki lineage. The miniscule amount of light that managed to spill into the cavern from the outside might have helped a little, too.

"I can't believe you're actually entertaining this," Weiss frowned as she passed him. "It's filthy in here."

"I'm sure you'll live," the shinobi retorted cooly.

Weiss paused at his tone. "Are... you okay?" She asked quietly.

Was he? It was hard to say. He'd had bad vibes about this place since the beginning, and what Kurama said was driving his mind wild. Yet he genuinely couldn't even begin to imagine the truth of this place. More than that, the idea that the fox had been, or was, withholding information from him made him uncomfortable. Hadn't they decided to work together? Trust each other? Were they not partners?

He gazed at his girlfriend, holding back a wince as he spied the naked concern in her eyes.

He shouldn't have let his frustrations muddy his words. Words were a powerful thing. Even more so was their tone. Their inflection. He shouldn't have been so short with her. He shouldn't be worrying her.

"I'm okay," he sighed. "It's just that... something is telling me to look around," he emphasized his meaning by tapping his stomach, drawing the girl's attention. "Even though I don't really want to."

The look she gave him was complex. There was still concern. Worry. But also understanding. And with it came curiosity. Suspicion, though not directed at him. And something else. He liked to imagine it was protectiveness.

"Hopefully," he said, catching her eye. "It's nothing, and we can get out of here soon."

Weiss nodded wordlessly, the etchings of solidarity in her eyes. If that wasn't enough to say she had his back, the gentle squeeze of his forearm was. It felt nice. A glimmer of comfort before an uncomfortable task.

...

"What's the holdup?" Came the slightly distant but profoundly annoyed voice of Blake.

"It's not my fault!" Yang barked back. "You try squeezing puppies this big through such a narrow gap!"

"Figure it out!" The ravenette demanded. "It's uncomfortable being stuck like this."

"You're telling me! These aren't exactly airbags, y'know! They're boiled on, so —"

"— Woah!"

"— Gah!"

The two women grunted indignantly as they were violently shoved forward, both falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Keep it moving, slowpokes!" Amber hollered as she emerged from behind them. "This ain't no place to be standing around slacking." Despite the reservation in her eyes, her tone held a light humour.

"Seriously?" Yang cried, tenderly rubbing at her generous bust. "Don't damage the goods!"

"Oh, please," their instructor rolled her eyes. "You've got aura. There's no need to gripe."

Yang's low muttering indicated she felt differently. And were Blake a more vocal person, she likely would have joined her partner. Instead, she settled for a venomous glare.

The group of six took a minute to gather their bearings.

"Brothers damn, it's dark in here. Anyone got a flashlight?" Yang asked.

"Why don'tcha just light up your hair, Xiao Long?"

"Try pushing me down again, and that can be arranged," the blonde scowled fiercely at their instructor.

Amber simply offered a cheshire grin.

"Or we could use our scrolls," the team's leader suggested. "Except for Naruto, whose scroll is probably dead."

Well...

Within moments, five beams of light illuminated the cavern's interior, cutting through the darkness like knives. It was... entirely underwhelming.

"Don't worry," Ruby said upon noticing his unimpressed gaze. "The interesting stuff is further in."

That wasn't what he was worried about.

"Come on, let's go!"

Ruby seemed far too excited for this. Then again, it wasn't really her fault. He supposed he could understand the novelty of it all. It's just... she lacked the context he had. And he didn't really want to explain it all. Besides, if it was dangerous, Kurama would have said so.

Right?

"Over there! See?"

Naruto craned his neck in the direction she pointed. The beam of light from her scroll highlighted something on the wall. Something very familiar.

Naruto froze upon seeing it.

What the fuck?

He wasn't an expert in them. But he'd known a few people who were. He'd dabbled in them from time to time. It'd practically been a requirement, considering who he was. It looked different from what he was used to, if only because it was carved instead of drawn. But in the end, there was no denying it. He was staring at a seal.

It really begged the question. What the fuck was a shinobi seal doing carved into the stone of some random cave in the middle of nowhere?

'Kurama, what the hell am I looking at?'

No response.

Looks like his partner had gone to ground. Whatever was in this cave, there must have been more to it.

Naruto slowly closed the distance between him and the carving. He felt his heartbeat thundering in his eardrums, and his breath became short. What did this mean? Not just the seal but what its very presence meant. He could vaguely make out Ruby's voice asking him a question. She probably wanted to know if he was okay. It was hard to tell. She sounded far away. Like she was underwater. Or maybe he was.

Reaching out, he traced the smooth grooves of the marking, the style oh so similar to the Kanji his people were known for. He didn't particularly recognize what the seal was meant to do. Fūinjutsu was a funny thing. There were patterns. Rules. Markers similar to the letters of a language. Things like basic storage seals were well-known and could be easily identified. Explosive tags, too. If you knew the individual components of the seal, you could probably piece together the purpose of it. Similar to a pianist reading sheet music and imagining the melody in their head.

But at the same time, all those rules were thrown out the minute someone got creative. The more esoteric the seal, the harder it was to identify its components. They tended to blend together. Form new things. So, in a lot of cases, it was impossible. They were, essentially, a language all on their own. Only in their case, it was as if thousands of people were each creating new letters and not updating the rulebook.

This seal, in particular... It was large. Nearly two square feet in its perimeter. There was a good chance it was highly complex with something that big. What's more, it was still active. The chakra flowing through it was... strange. If he could sense it better, he might be able to learn more from it. But as he was now, as crippled as his system was, he could barely glean anything from it. And he was literally touching it.

How frustrating.

There were some parts he could recognize but not quite identify. If only he still had the books Jiraiya had forced upon him. If only he'd paid more attention to the lessons.

After a moment of staring, he realized something. One thing did, in fact, stand out. This wasn't just one seal, but multiple. Three, to be exact. The primary seal was a complete mystery. The secondary seal was smaller yet somehow even more complex than the first. But... he recognized the style, if only in its most basic sense. It was some sort of space-time seal. Only recognizable because he'd briefly looked into his father's Hiraishin Jutsu. The tertiary seal was unique in that it was immediately identifiable. It was a basic storage seal. He'd misidentified it since the three seals had initially appeared to be one big one.

Interestingly enough, the item stored within that seal was... chakra. Just pure, unmolded chakra. A metric shit-tonne of chakra, but plain old chakra nonetheless. He knew ninjutsu could be stored in seals, but he'd never quite seen or heard of just raw chakra being stored. It was almost like... this was just a battery for the other two.

Wait.

That's totally what this was.

The third seal undoubtedly functioned as a battery for the other two seals. Something to continue powering them once the chakra initially used to create them had run dry.

Huh.

His eyes were drawn back to the first seal. It was... well, it was only a hunch... and he was probably missing a lot of information. Information that would probably invalidate his theory. But, considering that a broad, subtle, sensory-altering effect was present in the area... was this seal responsible?

It made a lot of sense. If the first seal had some sort of genjutsu-related purpose, the third seal was the battery powering it. After all, an active seal like the first would have only lasted a week until it ran dry. Maybe a bit more, depending on how much chakra it actually consumed. The 'battery' powering it was pretty big, with enough chakra to last... years.

A flicker of something flashed inside of him. Satisfaction? At being able to discern all this? It was immediately smothered when he realized he still couldn't identify the purpose of the second seal. Still, maybe everyone had been right. As the son of the fourth Hokage and an Uzumaki, Fuinjutsu was in his blood.

Physical contact broke him from his inner turmoil.

"Naruto!" Ruby hissed. "What's wrong? Are you okay? You've been spaced out for, like, five minutes."

"What?" He replied dumbly.

"Seriously!" She cried. "And that's not an exaggeration. You were literally staring at this thing for five whole minutes. That's a lot of time just stare at a wall."

He supposed it was.

"What's gotten into you, lover boy?" Yang asked with concern.

Man. What did he say to that?

...

He supposed the truth couldn't hurt. They already knew everything.

"That marking," he pointed. "I recognize it. It's from my homeland."

His team froze at the revelation.

"Oh. Oh!" The blonde brawler choked, the meaning behind his words apparently realized. "What's it say?"

"It's not a language," he replied. "Well, not technically. It's more like a combination of a language and technique. I think it's the reason behind the sense of dread we were feeling earlier."

"You think?" Blake interjected.

"Yeah. I only recognize bits and pieces of this. And for most of it, I'm making assumptions. It's also fairly complex, and I'm no expert."

"So, how is this here? Why is it here? What... does this mean, exactly?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"I don't know."

That wasn't true.

...

"Actually," he winced. "It means someone from my homeland is, or was, in the area and set this up."

The meaning behind his words wasn't lost on them. There was only one person he suspected to have made the journey to Remnant. And it seemed his previous suspicions of someone from the distant past travelling to this world didn't hold any weight here. This amalgamation of seals, even with the 'battery' seal, would only last a decade, give or take. Maybe two. He had no idea how much juice was left in the storage seal, but there was no denying it. This seal was recent. Relatively speaking. Definitely not ancient. It would have run dry long, long ago if it were some precursor band of shinobi that had travelled to Remnant.

So, if Kaguya had been here... Why had she set up such a seal? What was its purpose? What was she hiding here?

A wave of heavy silence blanketed the group, and they each sported deep frowns.

"You know," Amber finally piped in. "I can't help but feel like I'm missing a hell of a lot of context here."

Naruto blinked as he registered her presence. Ah. Right. She was entirely in the dark, being the only one in the group unaware of his history. But he couldn't very well sit down and tell her now, even if, surprisingly, he did feel comfortable bringing her into the loop. It had taken him hours to explain things to his team. They didn't really have that kind of time right now.

Something was here, hidden in this cave. And someone, he had his suspicions who, had gone to lengths to keep people away.

He didn't want to — couldn't afford to wait. He needed answers.

"Trust me," he eyed his friend. "You really have no idea."

"Then tell me," she requested, eyes pleading.

"I will," he said, surprising himself. "But not now. It'll take too long." He noticed the frown marring her pretty face. It was different from her other frowns. More genuine. Raw. "Look, Amber. Please just trust me."

There wasn't anything more to the request. No further context. No hints to satiate her curiosity. It'd just confuse her further. It was a simple ask. But, based on the look she was giving him, quite a large one. He supposed it would look pretty damn suspicious if their roles were reversed.

"Look," he finally relented. "Suffice to say, there shouldn't be anyone else from my homeland in the area. The fact that there is... or might be, is a very bad sign. Things could get very dangerous."

"Are you trying to sound less suspicious?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm trying to sound honest," he replied simply.

The brunette released a puff of air from her nose. It was of frustration. Resignation. Maybe a little amusement.

"You know," she sighed. "When we first met, I had a feeling there was a lot more to you than you let on. Not that you didn't already seem really damn complicated."

The blond shrugged in lieu of an answer.

She eyed him up and down. "If Ozpin wasn't so strangely fond of you, and if I hadn't witnessed what I have, there's no way I would tolerate this. I'd drag all your asses back outside and demand an answer, or else I'd end this mission."

That was a baiting statement if he'd ever heard one.

"And what exactly have you witnessed?" Weiss suddenly asked, crossing her arms.

...

Hey, yeah... What did she mean by that?

Amber smiled as the heiress took the bait. "Wouldn't you guys like to know? Maybe I'll fill you all in once I get caught up to speed. Especially since it seems like I'm the only one out of the current loop."

Damnit. Fair.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto dipped his head. "Deal," he said, his tone clipped.

Amber hummed in acknowledgement. Neither of them were overly happy with the arrangement. But he supposed that's how negotiations worked. If both sides could walk away in begrudging acceptance, you had yourself a successful negotiation.

Regardless, they needed to keep moving. Go further in. It wasn't long before they did. Even still, the shinobi found himself wrought with questions. The same questions on repeat. Who set this all up. A big question, with a lot of dangerous possibilities. Why was this system put in place? Something was being hidden, surely. When was this all set up? A less critical question, but no less valid. What was being hidden here? Something dangerous, right? Where was the person who set this up? Were they still nearby?

His imagination was truly proving to be a wicked thing.

Stress and anxiety bubbled hotly like an overflowing pot. His heart was in his throat, and his stomach was in his shoes. This whole situation really came out of nowhere, didn't it? Truth be told, this was the first actual development regarding his journey home. And as it stood, it didn't feel great.

After only a few dozen meters of maneuvering through the cave system, Ruby paused. "Over there," she pointed. "That's the next carving."

Sure enough, another seal was carved into the stone where she was pointing. This one was different than the ones at the entrance. Far simpler. Moreover, it appeared to be linked to another seal further in. Naruto gently nudged his team leader's hand, causing the light from her scroll to shift to the side. As suspected, an identical seal was indeed linked to the first. From the second, it appeared to connect to a third. And if he had to guess, the pattern continued.

He stepped towards the seal and, using the light from his teammate's scrolls, ran a critical eye over it.

"Recognize this one?" Weiss asked.

Nope.

But... if he was analyzing it right, it was designed in a way that could be... recharged? No, not recharged. Activated? He was way too rusty for this. At the very least, it didn't appear to be some sort of explosive seal. No self-destruct system here.

He... could apply some chakra. See what it did. Based on what he understood of the seal's components, he couldn't see how it would be dangerous. Given its style, its role seemed to lean more toward utility than combat. Though, given who might have set this system up, that didn't say much. It could be a trap, but nothing in the seal appeared particularly dangerous.

It was reckless of him. He really shouldn't do this. But he was always impulsive. Besides, Kurama knew more than he was letting on, and the fox was still irritatingly silent. The blond figured he'd get a warning if he was about to do something stupid.

He traced the seal with the palm of his hand. It didn't take a lot of chakra. Just a little pulse. That was reassuring in a way. Within a second, the lines of the sealing matrix lit up in a brilliant glow, like water travelling down the path of least resistance; the brightness of the seal increased as his chakra flowed through it.

He stepped back in surprise, though his sixth sense remained dormant, reassuring him they weren't in danger.

"W-Woah!" Yang cried, then shielded her eyes. "What did you do? Flip the lightswitch?"

That was... exactly what he did? It was clear now that the purpose of the seal was to serve as a simple light source. How fortuitous.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered. "I think that's what these are."

"You think?" Weiss echoed, disapproval heavy in her tone.

"I knew they wouldn't be dangerous."

Sort of.

The heiress simply grunted.

Looking around the area, the group was met with what they knew there would be. A tightly packed corridor with barely enough room for them to walk single file. The ceiling was lower than the blond had expected, leaving barely an inch between it and the crown of his head. While he wasn't claustrophobic, the tight space really pushed the limits of that. It was dreary and wholly unremarkable, aside from the brightly illuminated seals. Just another cave, really.

Except it wasn't.

"We should keep moving," he advised.

A glance back revealed the rest of his team, sans Ruby, as she was in front of him, sporting cautious looks. What was really interesting was the look on Amber's face. She wasn't as surprised as he expected. In fact, she appeared almost as cautious as the rest of them. Maybe more so. Definitely on edge.

Maybe she was just reading the mood, but he fully expected her to be at least a little more enamoured with the environment. As it was, it almost seemed like she didn't even consider the situation novel. Strange.

Seeing as there was only one way to go, the group began to awkwardly shuffle forward. They moved slowly and methodically, careful to avoid the sharpness of the cave walls. Sure, they had Aura, but getting jabbed in the ribs still hurt, even if it wouldn't do any real damage. Several twists and turns broke up the monotony of the journey. That wasn't to say they were at it for very long, but... they were moving slowly. And it seemed the trek would be done in silence. Everyone had trouble on their minds, given the context.

Eventually, they began to pass by various side passages, though they were each inaccessible as various blockages impeded their routes. It seemed to be the result of cave-ins. Seemed to be. He'd almost be convinced were it not for the unidentifiable seal emblazoned over each open archway. It seemed that whichever archway sported this particular seal was open to them, while any archway without it was blocked or collapsed.

Why? Was it intentional? It seemed that way. But what was the point? What purpose did the seal serve? He didn't have time to examine it, not that doing so would grant any further insight. But it was another mystery to this place that didn't bode well. It did serve one small benefit. There was really only one way to go, so they couldn't exactly get lost.

They entered a rather large cavern after nearly five full minutes of squeezing through the maze. The room, for lack of a better term, was wide and spacious and was brightly lit by various seals that linked all the way back to the first.

Just how exactly were they all being powered by such a small dollop of chakra? Fuinjutsu of this level was well and truly beyond him. Maybe Jiraiya would have known. Or Kakashi. But they weren't here.

At the centre of the room was a stone pedestal that reached navel height. It was almost ominous.

"Gee, what do you think we're supposed to do now?" Yang asked sarcastically.

Despite her words, none of them reacted. Things were terrifyingly tense. This whole setup was so stereotypically sketchy that it was almost humorous, yet no smiles were cracked here. Based on the various movies he and Weiss had watched, he half-expected an orchestral overlay to start playing. The high-pitched and intense strings of violins and violas that could create a sense of urgency and tension. Low piano notes that could add an uncanny, haunting quality to tense scenes.

Instead, there was silence. Didn't make it any less unsettling.

...

Naruto took two steps forward before an icy hand clamped down on his wrist. His eyes shot to Weiss, who met his gaze with a steely one of her own.

"You're not seriously going to interact with that, are you?"

He raised his brow. "Then what should we do? Turn around and go back?" Besides, they didn't even know what this was yet.

She frowned but didn't argue. They'd come in here with the intent to investigate. And given what little they already knew, walking away wasn't an option anymore. Not for him, at least. And it's not like they would just leave him to deal with it alone.

As he approached the pedestal, the shinobi noticed several seals etched into the room's ground. In fact, the whole bloody room was covered in various seals. It amplified his anxiety by a factor of 10. What's more, they were, nearly all of them, familiar. The vast majority were identical to the 'battery' seal depicted near the entrance. Interspersed throughout were seals similar to the space-time seal accompanying it. A third, unidentified seal joined the rest in smaller numbers. There was a theme here, wasn't there? Not knowing what the hell anything around here meant.

What he wouldn't give to have the tension cut. Have someone explain each of these seal's functions to him in detail. Both for his curiosity and his sanity.

Finally, he stopped in front of the pedestal. The structure itself was carved beautifully with various lines and grooves, and interestingly, it seemed that at least half of the room's seals fed into it one way or another. Which ones and how many exactly were lost on him. His eye for it wasn't that refined.

Placed upon the pedestal was a single parchment of paper. Not quite a scroll, but not the modern day printer paper found in the businesses of Remnant. A seal was imprinted upon the scroll in what was undoubtedly a combination of sealing ink and human blood. Pretty standard stuff.

He paused. It was a seal he actually knew.

Of all things... it was a basic storage seal. No different from the kind found in various shinobi supply stores spread across the elemental nations. In fact, he'd used countless seals exactly like this one throughout his years.

The only difference was what was being sealed. He couldn't tell. Most of the time, a user marked their storage seal's centre with the Kanji for what it was as a means to help them remember what was being sealed or as a way to organize their supplies.

Not here, it seemed. Whatever was being sealed here was marked with a simple 'X.' It was the only reason he knew the seal was occupied and not empty.

Ha.

Well, no way in hell was he touching this. This was beyond bad news, and, knowing his luck, some sort of terrifying relic was sealed inside. Maybe a deadly jutsu that would blow up in his face. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Kaguya herself was sealed inside and opening this would unleash hellfire upon Remnant.

No, it was better to simply take this seal and burn it. It was the only one not made from stone. So, it was the only one that could be destroyed easily.

Yeah. Fuck this place. Fuck this sealing bullshit. Fuck whatever was going on. Maybe this place held the key to going home. But maybe it didn't. Maybe it was shrouded in danger and had been appropriately warded. Were the answers really worth the risk? A look back to his team and Amber, who were all either glancing around the room in concern or eying him in worry, made it clear that, no, it wasn't worth the risk.

Time to destroy —

'— Don't!' Came the thunderous demand of the fox.

Well, well. Look who it was.

'No, I don't think so. I'm destroying this and getting out of here.'

'If you do that, you'll forever regret that decision.'

'That's only if I ever discover what this is all about. And considering how open you've been about this, I doubt I'll ever learn. I can't regret anything if I don't know about it.'

'All your answers are sealed in front of you.'

'And, apparently, stuck in the back of your throat. What's going on Kurama? Why are you hiding things from me?' How long have you been hiding things?'

'That's... difficult to explain.'

'Is it?'

...

'I suppose not. Rather, it's a difficult conversation to have. One better suited for a different location.'

...

'What's sealed here, Kurama.'

'Nothing bad, I assure you. Answers for one.'

...

'Trust me, Naruto. All the answers you need are here. I promise to answer anything else when we return to Beacon.'

It didn't make sense. Why Kurama was keeping things from him. How the fox knew the first thing about this place. What was the point? Should he even trust his tenant at this point? The bijū had basically broken his trust.

It was muddy. And he didn't like it. He wanted to resist. But the temptation was... enticing. He wanted those answers. And they were within reach. Without realizing it, he found his hand hovering over the storage seal. Maybe it was selfishness. Maybe it was him being hopeful. Maybe it was him needing closure.

He turned back to his teammates. "Get ready, guys. I'm about to do something."

Before any of them could question him. He sent a pulse of chakra into the seal before him.

As typical of a storage seal, a large, billowing puff of smoke exploded from it, blanketing the area. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe a scroll or a book. A hefty tome filled with information. What he most certainly didn't expect was the sharp fist that rocketed outward. Was... there a person sealed in the scroll? Could that actually be done? Apparently so.

The thought terrified him, if only because of who it could have been. Had he just unleashed ruination?

He'd already been taking a step backward to avoid the smoke, but the fist careening towards him nearly sent him stumbling. His eyes widened as the vacuum caused by the punch split the air, leaving his left cheek stinging, the effect acting like a bastardization of his Kawazu Kumite. He caught himself before he fell and idly noted the sound of weapons being drawn behind him. At least his team still had his back.

As he regained his footing, his adrenaline reached its apex. Time seemed to slow as his mind hyperfocused. The wispy billows of smoke dissipated enough for him to thoroughly examine the unexpected opponent before him.

If his eyes were wide before, they were at risk of falling out of his head now. He felt his heart seize in his chest, and his throat swelled in emotion. Fear being chief among them. One thing was clear. The fox was wrong. Or he lied. Something terrible had been sealed inside that scroll. Terrible for him. As he was now? He was too weak. He wasn't up to par. Not even close. One punch would kill him. He was so fucking dead. No way in hell could he hope to face this kind of opponent.

Words were his only option. And historically? He'd never been successful with them when it came to her. But he still had to try.

"Sakura, stop!"

xXx

A/N: Haha, yeah. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning.