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.

21. Is it Seriously Still Raining?

A/N: So, here's chapter 21. The last chapter was a doozy, wasn't it? Glad you guys seemed to enjoy it.

Just a heads up, I'm starting a new job and have been training for the past 3 weeks, so finding time to write might be a little tricky until I can acclimatize. Usually, when I publish a chapter, I already have half of the next chapter finished. This time around, I barely made the deadline. As in, I'm posting this immediately after editing... I promise to do my best, but the next chapter might be a little delayed :(

A few people seemed pretty upset that it was Sakura, of all characters, lol. Hopefully, some minds have changed by now. Just so you all know, I don't really have a character I dislike in either of these series (aside from characters that are made to be disliked). I think they all have value in some way. Sure, some more than others. And while my method of writing a character might not always reflect that I like them, it's just the nature of storytelling. Can't shine a spotlight on every single one of them. And yeah, every character has certain things I don't like about them, but I still like them overall. I think there's just too many haters around.

So, to anyone who dislikes Sakura, Jaune, or Cinder... tough stuff.

xXx

Weiss gazed intently as she watched the pink-haired woman, Sakura, continue to heal her boyfriend's body. He'd always looked Fine. He'd always acted fine. And he had sure as hell always fought fine. In fact, based solely on how he fought and how effortlessly he could outmaneuver his opponents, it was easy to forget how damaged his body truly was.

Not that she'd ever really understand just how strong he was. She simply took his word for it. To think he used to be so much more powerful than he already was. It bordered on the realm of fantasy. But then again, with hulking soulless creatures that fed on negativity, refined powder that allowed one to harness the elements, and the weaponization of the human soul, what was life in Remnant if not a fantasy?

The heiress eyed the blond shinobi. His face was stoic, if not tight. She was worried for him. Terribly so. How could she not be? The amount of absolute... lunacy that had been dropped on him. The sheer information overload... And none of it was good.

Quite horrible if she was being generous.

Honestly, she could scarcely imagine the turmoil he must have been going through. To hear that every single person he'd ever known, loved, or even met was long dead. Yeah, he was compartmentalizing far better than she would have ever been able to.

But there was a danger to that method of coping. If it wasn't adequately addressed, it could fester. Turn into something ugly. And while she wasn't a therapist, maybe she could find someone for him to talk to. Someone professional. Sure, the subject matter was strange, but it would probably be okay if she drowned them in non-disclosure agreements.

Weiss sighed sadly. It was easy to get lost in such plans. Here and now, though? She needed to focus on what was in front of her. But what exactly was she supposed to say? Or do, for that matter. Another one of those pesky, awkward silences had begun to blanket the area. Before she could even start to brainstorm on how to remedy this, the soft yet oddly authoritative voice of the pink-clad woman broke the silence.

"Hey, Naruto," she spoke, catching the room's attention. The blond shifted appropriately, indicating he was listening. "Tell me about this place. What have you been up to since coming here?"

The shinobi was silent for several moments, contemplating the request. "You really want to know?" He asked. His tone was tired, and his energy seemed depleted. It was difficult to stomach.

"Of course," the medic replied kindly. "I've told you everything worth knowing on my end. I want to hear about your time here. Clearly, things have been going better for you."

The weak attempt at humour was almost surgically administered. Not too much for it to feel forced, not too little to fall flat. The Jinchūriki didn't laugh. But he didn't shy away, either. That was good.

"C'mon," Sakura pushed. "This'll take a while. Do you really want to sit here in silence until I'm done? If you do, I'll just ask your friends. I'm sure your pretty little girlfriend would love to tell me all about your time here."

Another attempt at humour. This time, the blond cracked a small smile.

"Alright, alright," he muttered. "You may as well hear it from me. Kami only knows what kind of lies this one would tell," he replied while tilting his head toward his white-clad other half.

Weiss offered a slight smile. "I would never."

Seeing some semblance of a spark return to his tired blue eyes was good. It really showed how much his former teammate meant to him if she could so easily elicit such a response.

"Well," the Uzumaki began. "After I landed here, I..."

xXx

Weiss watched him speak, observing how his eyes crinkled as he told his story. She focused on how his smile threatened to bloom across his birthmark-stricken cheeks. He was such a simple man, and she meant that in the best way possible.

He sucked at lying. She loved that about him. All her life had been spent around liars, bullshit artists, and sycophants. There was none of that with Naruto. There was no subterfuge with him. No ulterior motives. No dishonestly or manipulation. Even when concealing his past, he hadn't lied about it. Not really. He'd simply told them he didn't want to talk about it.

Things always felt so simple with the blond, and simple was appreciated. Ironic, given the nature of his origins and their current situation.

As the conversation unfolded, an idle sense of melancholy took hold of her and the rest of the team. None of them wanted to speak up for fear of interrupting the two shinobi's waning time together. The two were interacting like family, and the Remnant natives felt like wallflowers intruding on a personal conversation. But at the same time, they felt privileged to be there — at least Weiss did. But she was pretty sure the others felt the same way.

Her eyes softened as Naruto laughed at something. A joke, perhaps? Or just something he found amusing about his time spent in Vale. Wait? Was he already talking about Vale?

"Wait!" Ruby shouted, surprising the room at the outburst.

"Qrow?" She exclaimed. "Qrow Branwan? Tall, grey hair, has a crippling alcohol addiction?"

Naruto's eyebrow arched in surprise. "You know him?" he asked dubiously.

Ruby stared blankly.

"Know him?" Came Yang's equally shocked voice. "He's our uncle!" She cried. "I mean, not by blood, but he healped raise us! He taught us at Signal Academy, too. I can't believe it was him you were travelling with!"

Weiss blinked. Ah. So he wasn't quite at Vale yet, just at the start of his journey to the Kingdom. The Dust expert knew the story, of course. She'd asked, and he'd answered. But she hadn't realized the blond's one-time travelling companion was related to Ruby and Yang. By the looks of it, neither did Naruto.

Naruto nearly choked on his saliva. "He was serious about being a teacher?" He cried in surprise. "Oh, Kami..."

Ruby chuckled awkwardly. "I can't believe you spent weeks on the road with him!" She echoed her sister's sentiments. After a moment, she frowned. "So... the thing is, he may be a little rough around the edges, but he's an awesome uncle. Surprisingly reliable, too."

The shinobi chuckled at her words. At the very least, he didn't seem to outwardly reject the claim.

After a moment, Ruby turned to face Amber, the realization of something sparking in her eye. "Hey, Miss Amber, you never told us you knew our uncle."

The brown-clad girl tilted her head and smiled. "Eh, what can I say? Qrow always said you two idolized him," she hummed. "I couldn't bear the thought of shattering whatever imagine you might have had of him."

Yang snorted, then released a low bark of laughter. "Fat chance there. We're well aware of the old man's vices."

"So it seems," Amber nodded. "I'll tell you a few more of his vices another time. On the condition that he's also present. I so need to see the look on his face."

Weiss smiled at the candid interaction.

"What a small world," Sakura chuckled. "He sounds quite similar to a certain scarecrow, wouldn't you say, Naruto?" While she still appeared to be focused on her task, she wore a soft smile on her lips.

The comment elicited a bark of laughter from the blond. It was surprisingly genuine. "Well, if you replace the alcohol with a questionable choice of literature..." At the group's looks of confusion, he smiled. "Remember when I mentioned my old Jōnin instructor, Kakashi?"

At their nods, he smiled. "Well, one of his many, many nicknames was..."

xXx

Weiss continued to listen to the conversation. She could see the tension in the shinobi's shoulders lessen with every sentence. Perhaps this was all he needed? To just... talk and relax. Reminisce about good times.

At least for now.

She was not so foolish to believe there wouldn't be hard days to follow. The kind of information that had been dumped on him and the pain that was sure to accompany it wasn't something anyone got over in a day or two.

But for now, it seemed that talking about the more recent past, of better memories, was helping.

xXx

"I can't believe I forgot about that book," Blake muttered with a smile. "Are you willing to lend it to me now?"

Naruto huffed in mild amusement.

"I can't believe you still have a copy of it," Sakura said. After a moment, she shook her head. "Well, it beats the old pervert's other books."

Just how many perverts did Naruto know?

The blond chuckled and reached into his inside pocket. "Right..." he muttered. "Not just any copy," he slowly grinned while shuffling around. "The original, signed copy." His tone turned triumphant as he fished out a curious little book from his breast pocket.

The book was small and unassuming. It was a brown hardcover, frayed around the edges, with a well-worn spine. Naruto stared at it deeply, sighing as he thumbed the pages. After a moment, he tossed the book towards Blake. Despite her surprise, the ravenette quickly caught it and cradled it reverently.

"Are you sure?" She asked simply, not taking her eyes off the cover.

"I already threw it to you," the huntsman in training laughed. "Just treat it well. It's important."

Blake simply nodded, stashing the piece of literature away.

"You okay, Sakura?" Came Naruto's concerned question.

Only then did Weiss notice the pinkette had ceased her healing technique. She wore a look of surprise on her mature features, her eyes locked on the black-clad member of the group. Upon being called out, she shook her head and quickly resumed her jutsu.

"I'm good," she laughed. "Just surprised you're lending that out."

Naruto nodded. After a moment, his eyes met Blake's, and he smiled. "When you're done with that, I'll let you borrow a copy of one of Jiraiya's other writings. They're definitely more your style," he grinned knowingly.

To her credit, the cat faunus didn't even stutter, nor did she protest or otherwise make a scene. A faint blush was all that indicated her understanding.

"Ouch!"

The same could not be said for the team's resident time traveller as he released a pained grunt of surprise. Already, he was nursing a large goose egg on the back of his head, courtesy of his pink-haired teammate.

"That hurt!" The teen said in disapproval.

"Good, it was supposed to," Sakura replied in annoyance. "I can't believe you actually have those books on you." She paused. "How long have you been carrying them around?"

"Ah..." Naruto sighed and smiled sheepishly. "Well, what can I say?" After a moment, he hummed. "Jiraiya used me as a pseudo-editor?"

Sakura sighed in disappointment. "Kami, what did I expect from the student of both Kakashi and Jiraiya?"

A powerful flick on the head elicited another pained protest from the Jinchūriki. "Aren't you a doctor?" He grunted. "Wasn't there some sort of an oath you took to become one?"

"Don't worry. I'll heal this, too," the alleged doctor said sweetly. "Eventually..."

Weiss suppressed a smile as the interaction unfolded. Sakura was already raising her hand for another strike. Yang had begun to poke fun at her partner's taste in literature. And Ruby was now pestering an uncomfortable Amber about what kind of books were being discussed despite probably knowing the answer already.

Weiss had an inkling of what those books were about. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together. Maybe she could get the blond to surrender them to her. Just so she could read them over and make sure they were appropriate, of course. And if she picked up a few ideas along the way, who was she to let them go to waste?

xXx

Naruto released a deep sigh. After what felt like hours of conversation, the group had naturally settled into a much more comfortable silence. After all, they couldn't keep chatting all day, no matter how lighthearted things had gotten. Come to think of it, just how long was this healing process supposed to take? He hadn't asked Sakura, despite knowing he easily could have. Maybe he'd been scared of knowing. Would she be gone when the process was over? If that were the case, knowing would be akin to the countdown of a bomb going off.

Even still...

"How much longer is this going to take?"

Sakura remained silent for a long moment. "Why?" She asked. "Looking to get rid of me already?"

Naturally, the joke fell flat, and the tentative mood plummeted with it. That was another reason why he hadn't wanted to ask. But he couldn't put it off indefinitely, not when the question had already taken root.

"Sorry," the pinkette sighed tiredly.

He could feel the medic's chakra waver, indicating her rising stress. At that moment, he couldn't help but wonder about what came next. After Sakura was done. After they left the cave. After they finished their mission. After they returned to Beacon. What was he supposed to do? Live a peaceful life and move on?

As great as that sounded, would it really be possible? Would it be okay? Then again, he was already doing that, wasn't he? But this time around, he had to acknowledge it.

"It shouldn't be too much longer," Sakura finally answered his question.

What happens next? Kami, he wanted to voice the question.

"Any special instructions for the post-recovery, doc?"

He couldn't bring himself to ask.

Sakura snorted. "Would you listen even if there was?"

Probably not.

"This is the post-recovery," she sighed. "For the most part. It'd probably be best for you to take it easy afterwards. Use as little chakra as possible. But you should be okay regardless."

Naruto hummed. He could work with that.

...

"Listen, Naruto, I've been thinking..."

Oh boy. Here it was; the floodgates had been unleashed. The blond hummed in response.

"About my mission," the medic-nin sighed. "About why I'm here."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. Already, he could feel a lump in his throat begin to form.

Sakura, for her part, paused uncomfortably. Torturously. Damn her. No doubt she was struggling to find her words.

Did she expect him to continue her mission? To pass along the teachings of chakra and ninjutsu? Because, Kami, he really didn't want to do that. Like he'd said before, he wasn't the Sage Of Six Paths, nor did he want to be.

Besides, was there a point in reintroducing chakra to the world? It would be an exceedingly difficult and time-consuming process. It would be multi-generational at the least, and the effects would be subpar at best. He was no teacher, and even if he could successfully pass on his people's practice, the first generation to learn would be terribly underwhelming.

A shinobi's chakra system was unlocked at a very young age, and the training process took years, decades even, to produce any tangible results.

His first 'students' would have to start young. Very young. And they'd likely never achieve anything meaningful without the proper theoretical and practical knowledge. Who would want to undergo that when Aura was comparatively so much simpler and readily available?

Plus, there was the moral implication of it all. If he was somehow successful in the task, was arming future generations with the tools for mass destruction okay? He'd seen well enough what people did with charka during his time. Who was to say things wouldn't go down that same path?

...

Then again, one could easily argue that chakra, as a tool, would be perfect for helping defend this world against the creatures of Grimm. The Ōtsutsuki's were a non-factor. He'd never be able to get a chakra user up to par to face one of them, and with none of the otherworldly bastards seemingly around anymore, the point was moot.

...

His thoughts circled back to the pointlessness of it all. Aura and technological advancements were ever on the rise. According to the people of Remnant, the world was making steady leaps and bounds toward new breakthroughs on both fronts.

However, he was unsure how much of that was just propaganda to keep the masses from teetering over the edge of despair.

...

Kami, what if Sakura pushed the issue? How was he supposed to say no? Did he have the right to? Was it not his responsibility to continue the shinobi culture? Especially since he wasn't around to defend it when it died? Could he really just let his people's legacy fade away?

What if —

Naruto paused as pain blossomed across his cheek. He blinked dumbly as his eyes focused and met the emerald green of his childhood friend. He idly noted that she'd stopped healing him and was now crouched before him.

"Did you just slap me?" He asked his former teammate.

Sakura, face devoid of emotion, blinked blandly. "Yes."

"I see."

"You were zoning out," the pinkette frowned, answering his unasked follow-up question.

"Yeah, he does that," came the traitorous voice of his team leader. And here he thought Ruby was supposed to have his back.

Sakura sighed at the reaper's words. "Did you even hear what I said?"

...

Naruto frowned.

...

"No."

...

"Right," the medic rolled her eyes. "I was saying that I don't think my mission was a very good idea to begin with."

...

What?

"What?" came his dumbfounded retort.

"What?" Came his teammate's stupefied responses.

Naruto blinked in surprise. Just what was this woman thinking? She'd been entrusted with the hopes of an entire civilization and thought it was a bad idea?

It may or may not be making his life easier, but he couldn't help but wonder why that was the case.

"I don't understand," Yang chimed in. "Wasn't your entire purpose for being here to make sure your people's teachings survived?"

Naruto nodded. Yeah, that.

Sakura winced at the brawler's blunt question. Her jaw clenched, and her lips twisted like she'd just tasted something sour.

"Yeah," she sighed. "About that. The decision to send me here and the purpose behind it... it wasn't unanimous. A large portion of the survivors wanted to simply leave things be."

Naruto winced. Something specific in her words caught him off guard. Survivors. That's what they'd been reduced to, wasn't it?

It was Blake who spoke next. "I don't understand. Why wouldn't they want to preserve their people's legacy?"

The kunoichi wrung her hands uncomfortably. "Take a look around," she gestured to the cavern. "This whole project didn't come easily. It took a lot of resources. A lot of time. A lot of knowledge. Many of us thought those resources would be better spent elsewhere. Mainly the here and now. Why plan countless generations ahead when the people beside you are struggling to get by?"

"And you were one of those dissenters?" Weiss chimed in.

"Actually, no," the medic smiled sadly. "I wasn't particularly gung-ho about this, but I agreed with the basic principle. It wasn't that I thought our identity should survive indefinitely. After all, Kingdoms, Empires, and civilizations rise and fall throughout history. It'd be arrogant to assume ours should be any different. But to potentially lose out on chakra, arguably the greatest line of defence for the human race... it'd be irresponsible to allow that to happen."

"So... what changed?" Ruby asked. "Why go back on that now?"

Sakura blinked, then gestured to the assembled group as if it were obvious. Maybe it was?

"I still don't get it," Yang deadpanned.

Perhaps used to the slow-to-grasp nature of a certain blond, Sakura answered without pause. "You guys," she stated. "All of you, Naruto included, are living proof of how unnecessary my mission is."

That... sounded kind of harsh.

"More specifically, your Aura."

Oh?

"Huh," Yang grunted. "And here I thought you were implying the survival of humankind made your mission irrelevant."

Sakura shrugged. "That too. But that's kind of a given. If humanity died out after I was sealed, that would have been the end of it. I would have just dispelled myself. No, it's your Aura that has me convinced."

The kunoichi paused as she waved a hand across Naruto's torso, the gesture accompanied by an iridescent green glow.

"I wasn't just healing you this whole time. Do you really think I wouldn't check out the mysterious new power you so casually mentioned?"

Ah. That made sense.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Are you implying that Aura is a suitable substitute for chakra?"

A look of conflict passed across the medic's fair features, and she released a sound somewhere between a whine and a hum. "I wouldn't put it quite like that," she sighed. "From what I can gather, chakra is much more potent and versatile than Aura. Would you agree, Naruto?"

The blond nodded immediately. Of that, there really was no doubt.

"But that's part of my point," the pink-haired woman added. "Chakra is volatile and dangerous. Its primary purpose is for killing. Maybe there are other uses," she gestured to her glowing green hand. "But so long as there's conflict, people will, and always have, found ways to weaponize it for the worse."

"But what about Kaguya? Or the other Ostuki's?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Ōtsutsuki," the woman corrected. "And what about them? No amount of chakra was ever going to beat them back. Not even when Naruto and Sasuke were at their strongest."

Sakura glanced at her fellow shinobi meaningfully. "And Naruto's nowhere close to where he was before."

Also, no more Sasuke. But that went unsaid.

"I think, for the sake of all future conversation, we should assume the Ōtsutsuki are out of the picture. Which is yet another point. I don't know where Kaguya and her kinsmen went, but they don't seem to be around anymore. And it was chakra that brought them here in the first place. The way I see it, no more chakra, no reason for those bastards to show up."

Naruto blinked. Oh. OH. Could that... Could that be what happened?

The results of the battle between Kaguya and her clan were irrelevant. There was a good chance whoever won had finished Kaguya's mission. So, was it possible that once all chakra had been harvested from the planet, they no longer had a reason to stay around? He really wished he had the whole picture. Maybe an official mission statement from the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Meh.

Maybe he was better off not knowing. Ignorance was bliss and all that.

"Well," Naruto sighed. "Aura is a lot easier to get the hang of. Just look at me and Jaune."

Really, they'd only had their Aura unlocked for a few months, and already they were closing the distance between them and their peers.

"And," Sakura added, squinting slightly at the unfamiliar name, "It seems like Aura is much more stable than chakra."

Ruby released a dull hum. "What do you mean?"

The pinkette contemplated her answer. "Naruto, you mentioned that Aura was made of purely spiritual energy, right? This is in contrast to chakra, which is a mixture of both spiritual and physical energy."

Naruto nodded in confusion. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Those are opposite energies," Sakura stated. "They're two sides to a coin. To properly use chakra, you need to be able to properly mix those energies. To find balance. Plus," the medic added, "What happens when you use up all your Aura?" She asked, addressing the Remnant natives.

...

"You lose access to your Aura until it replenishes," Weiss answered hesitantly.

Uh oh. Naruto could see where this was going.

"Naruto," Sakura addressed him. "What happens when you use up all of your chakra?"

The blond winced. Oh, man. He could sense an earful from his teammates coming.

"You die," he sighed.

...

"What!" Shouted his teammates in alarm.

Great.

Recovering the quickest, Weiss scowled deeply. "Excuse me," she hissed. "What do you mean you die if you use too much chakra?"

Damn. She'd turned her irritated gaze solely onto him. What the hell? Sakura was the one who brought it up!

"Look," the blond tried to placate the girl, idly noting his teammates' distressed glances. "Chakra is basically life energy. If you use it all up, you have... no more life."

...

"Was that explanation supposed to make me feel better?"

...

"Look, it's a super rare occurrence," Naruto tried again. "I've never even seen it happen to anyone."

Weiss eyed him in suspicion. "Is that so?" She asked.

Well... there was that time when Lady Chiyo transferred all her chakra to Gaara. And when Nagato used the last of his chakra to revive the village. And Kakashi definitely died of chakra exhaustion during his fight with Pein, albeit temporarily. And maybe, just maybe, Itachi died of chakra exhaustion against Sasuke. Or was that his illness? Hmm. He supposed it was never confirmed. Besides, he hadn't actually seen the last two himself.

"I promise!" Naruto grinned weakly. "Look, dying of chakra exhaustion only really happens in the most extreme cases. Odds are if you get pushed to the point of that, then you were probably going to die anyway."

...

"Well, isn't that comforting to know," Weiss scowled.

The rest of his team didn't seem to like the fact that his primary source of energy could incur such a heavy toll.

...

"Anyway," Sakura interrupted. "As if my point wasn't proven enough, Aura takes it on that front. You don't die if you run out of Aura. How many fatalities do you think there will be when trying to teach chakra to a civilization that's used to running their Aura to depletion?"

Probably a lot.

...

"Okay," Naruto breathed. "Okay. Point made. So where does that leave us? Where does that leave me?"

Sakura eyed him critically. As she made to answer him, she paused, her eyes widening in alarm. In less than a second, she sprung backward from her spot.

Naruto himself registered the coming storm a fraction of a second later and, in a quick, if not disorganized jerk or movement, stumbled back.

A moment later, the ground beneath them fractured.

xXx

Weiss eyed the two shinobi with bated breath. To say she was particularly invested in Sakura's reply would be underselling it. Was the woman seriously about to say that Naruto should just let bygones be bygones? That the past should stay where it was?

The heiress didn't quite know how to feel about that. But before she could even begin to process those complex emotions, she was startled out of her reverie as the two shinobi suddenly leaped apart.

Why were they —

Following their immediate separation, the ground beneath where they once occupied splintered.

Oh.

From the cavern floor emerged a profoundly unpleasant sight. A bone white beak broke through the earth, followed by deceptively sharp ebony claws.

A Creep. And not your 'cross the street to avoid the trench-coat-wearing weirdo' kind of creep. This one was of the Grimm variety.

Truthfully, Weiss still didn't fully understand how the little bastards were subterranean beings. They only had one set of legs. Arms. Leg-arms. Did they use those things to dig like a mole? If so, how did they both dig and propel themselves so quickly? Maybe it was the tail? Or did they chew through the earth like a worm and propel themselves with their limbs?

Whatever the answer, she wasn't about to see it in practice as a loud, high-calibre gunshot quickly silenced the screeching Grimm, courtesy of her partner. Ruby was always the fastest to pull the trigger.

Also, Naruto was absolutely rubbing off on her. Since when did she spend so much time running an internal monologue?

The newly deceased Grimm barely had the chance to register its death before its corpse was unceremoniously shoved to the side, another thirsting beast clawing its way out of the ground.

Only now did Weiss, and likely the rest of the group, notice the telltale rumble that so often served as the harbinger of a large-scale underground Grimm attack.

"Uh, guys?" Ruby cried in concern. "We've got a problem!"

All around them, geologic fissures began to spread across the floor.

"Yeah, no shit, sis!" Yang barked back.

Oh, man. That was a lot of entry points. Had the Grimm hollowed out the entire underground?

In a voice that entirely betrayed the seriousness of their situation, Sakura called out to her shinobi teammate, "So, I take it these are the Grimm you were talking about, huh?"

A glance in the woman's direction revealed she'd dropped into a low, ready stance. Her form was wider than expected, but it bled strength. The pinkette smiled fiercely as she adjusted her gloves.

Now, that was a power stance.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed as he leapt over the emerging maw of one of the aforementioned beasts. He landed to the side and drove one of his trench knives clean through the protective plate on the creature's head. "They're pretty varied. This one's called a Creep."

Already, Weiss had drawn Myrtenaster, the revolving chamber of the weapon rotating to her Fire Dust cartridge.

"Huh," Sakura grunted. "I guess they're a little creepy. Not as bad as a White Zetsu, though." The kunoichi stomped on the nearest beast emerging from the ground, a sickening crack announcing its demise.

Even as more and more Grimm began to carve their way out of the igneous rock around them, Naruto found the time to simultaneously laugh and shudder at his teammate's words.

"Yeah, the Zetsu's were a different breed of creepy. Though they leaned more into Uncanny Valley territory than anything!"

Weiss registered the distinctive sounds of shotgun shells being discharged, as well as the visceral whooshing of blades cutting through both air and flesh. Not looking to be the weakest link, the heiress directed a well-calculated amount of Aura and Dust directly into the nearest emerging Grimm. Hot flames poured forth in the wake of her hereditary Semblance, burning a hole clean through the struggling monster. The fire continued onward, flowing into the recently dug tunnel like molten iron being poured into a cast. A moment later, several other Grimm, each in the process of extracting themselves from the ground, found themselves incinerated from below.

It looked like quite a few of their tunnels were interconnected.

Sakura laughed at her former teammate's reaction. "Uncanny Valley?" Her eyes zeroed in on the Grimm closest to pulling itself out of the ground, which she then dealt with accordingly. "Didn't think you knew the term! Have you been reading books?" Before the blond could answer, the medic laughed again. "You've really changed, Naruto!" She delivered a brutal punch to another Creep, which had actually managed to free itself from the earth. For all the good it did the monster. "I'm proud of you!"

The two shinobi certainly had their banter down. Even moths apart — decades in Sakura's case — they spoke to each other as fluidly as they fought. Maybe that was a byproduct of having fought and survived so much worse?

"Hey!" Yang bellowed. "Do you think these Grimm were the ones we were supposed to hunt down?"

"Unlikely!" Amber shouted back. She then grunted, and a beastly shriek of pain sounded from somewhere behind them.

Huh. It looked like their Huntress examiner had joined the fight. Was that a bad thing, considering that earlier, she'd declared a laissez-faire approach?

Weiss glanced at their evaluator and smiled slightly as the older woman directed a torrent of flames from the tip of her staff into another tunnel, seemingly inspired by the heiress' previous move.

"Our targets were mostly Beowolves and Ursae!" Ruby cried. With a grunt of effort and the subsequent beheading of another Creep, she turned to her sister. "Why do I even bother forwarding you the mission briefings?!"

Yang laughed deeply at her sibling's tone. "I have no idea!"

Banter aside, Weiss frowned as she took in the scene unfolding around her. Even with seven combatants, they could only cover so much ground. The cavern was vast, and at every second, a new Creep would attempt to claw its way onto the field. They needed to figure something out, and soon. And while the granite beneath their feet was one of their primary environmental advantages, it wouldn't last much longer. Creeps were excellent diggers but moved at different speeds depending on the material. They could practically swim through the softer ones, such as dirt, clay, and sedimentary rock. But denser materials such as igneous and metamorphic rock, or even metal, took a noticeably longer amount of time. And, well, that amount of time was coming up fast. No doubt the sheer amount of Grimm played a significant role in that.

Naturally, it was down to Blake to say it like it was. "While I'm enjoying this game of deadly whack-a-mole just as much as the next guy —"

"— That's me!" Yang laughed. "I'm the next guy!"

"We should really relocate if we don't want to get overwhelmed!" The faunus cried.

Naruto turned to their team leader. "Blake's right, Ruby!"

The blond emphasized his point as five copies of himself sprung into action, each moving towards a particularly tenacious Grimm — the ones that had broken through and found even footing.

Ruby's eyes scanned the room.

Naruto frowned at her minor hesitation. "It's going to get cramped in here pretty soon, and we've got limited maneuverability! Me and Sakura can't really cut loose unless we want to bring this whole place down on us!"

As the younger girl began to organize her thoughts, Weiss was forced to jump back as a clawed appendage swiped for her throat.

Yeah, they were definitely running out of space.

The white-clad girl drew her rapier horizontally to eye level and glowered at her beastly opponent. With a surge of Aura and muscle memory, she dashed into the creature's guard, delivering a precise strike to the Grimm's thick neck. The blade, thin like a needle and twice as sharp, easily pierced its target between its armour plating and drove in deep.

Creeps were generally rather stubby creatures. They were short and squat, with wide frames that could, given the specimen, rival that of an Ursa. This one was no exception. As it released a pained shriek, it threw out one of its powerful hind legs in an attempt to create distance, using its tail as a counterbalance.

The effect was surely not what the creature intended. Instead of withdrawing as it likely hoped, Weiss simply ducked low, her blade tearing a nasty groove down the beast's collar; all the while, the monster's deadly appendage passed harmlessly overhead.

Now, with significantly more damage done, Weiss allowed herself to disengage. As she leapt back, the Creep released a wet gurgle, then collapsed.

Being vivisected tended to have that effect.

The fencer allowed herself a brief smile. Not at the fact that she'd killed a Grimm, those of which she'd long since lost count of. Instead, she smiled at the fact that she'd done so without a shred of Aura or Dust.

She was refining her fighting style quite nicely.

As of late, that'd been the goal: fight more often without using Dust or her Semblance. It wasn't lost on her how often she relied on either source in a fight. And that was fine. She was, after all, an area-of-effect and support fighter.

But what happened when she was out of Dust? What would happen if she overused her Semblance and subsequently lost too much of her Aura? Naruto wasn't shy when he made her aware of how often she incorporated both into her fighting style, even during her one-on-one fights such as this.

So, it was with his helping hand that she worked on a more sustainable fighting style.

As evidenced earlier, she wasn't disbarred from using her entire arsenal. But for small, borderline inconsequential fights such as a single Creep? She really needed to conserve resources.

And it seemed to be working. It almost came naturally now.

Excellent.

What was less excellent was the spiked tail that snapped at her from the side. Weiss leaned deeply to the right, almost needing to use her free hand to catch herself lest she fall. The armoured tail passed over her, missing her by millimetres. She felt the air crackle as it passed, almost like the sting of a whip.

Before she could retaliate, the white-clad girl was forced to dodge yet again. Unfortunately, the room had officially become too crowded. While she successfully dodged the first Grimm lashing out at her, she was left entirely too vulnerable and unable to dodge the second monster that lunged at her.

The newest beast collided with her roughly, the motion somewhat similar to a sports tackle, though the sharp stinging on her midback reminded her that this wasn't just a bit of recreational fun. They rolled awkwardly, lacking any semblance of finesse, and as each of them clawed at the ground for purchase, Weiss was forced to improvise. As their momentum died out, she pushed off the beast, granting herself a few extra feet of space. They each scrambled to their feet, the heiress a fraction of a second faster.

With a surge of Aura and a controlled pulse of Dust, an icicle the size of her leg was propelled through the Creep's snapping maw, drilling a neat hole out the back of its throat.

Yeah. Things were getting —

A blast of wind cut past the white-clad girl, ruffling her ensemble. Less than a second later, the pained death throes of the first Grimm sounded from behind her. Before Weiss could blink, Naruto was in front of her.

"Watch your back, snowflake," he grinned cockily.

The Schnee rolled her eyes. How cliché. She wasn't some damsel in distress, and what was worse, he knew that just as well.

Weiss' eyes widened as movement exploded from behind the blond. Another of the subterranean monsters had launched itself from the ground, like a dolphin leaping between ocean swells, aiming to cut its way through her boyfriend's back.

Said monster was intercepted by a golden gauntlet, the well-worn plating of which easily shattered the monster's mask. The following explosive discharge was just icing on the cake.

"Watch your back, lover boy," Yang grinned.

Weiss bit back her grin as she watched Naruto frown.

While the battle had only started mere minutes ago, the chaos was expanding exponentially. What the hell was Ruby doing? She needed to make a decision quickly. She needed to take charge. Granted, it'd only been a few seconds since things had gotten so out of control, but that amounted to a lot in a fight.

As if summoned, Ruby called out to the team. "Alright, guys, fighting retreat! Fall back through the entrance!"

Okay, good. That was a start.

Naruto, Yang, and Weiss followed the girl's instructions without delay. Slowly and methodically, they backpedalled toward the cave entrance. They needed to be smart about it. Disciplined. Turning around and running wouldn't do anyone any good. It'd only put everyone else in danger. So, for the next 30 seconds, the three slowly fought backwards.

Ironically, Yang's shotgun gauntlets provided the most range among the three. Weiss frowned. Maybe Naruto needed an actual ranged weapon. In tight quarters like this, when the Grimm were swarming, he didn't have the luxury of throwing his chakra knives. He couldn't afford to disarm himself, no matter how temporarily.

The fighting became methodological. Naruto and Weiss handled the Grimm that managed to get too close, and the occasional high-powered shot or spay of small arms indicated that Ruby and Blake were further back, covering them.

As it turned out, the group of three was the last to regroup. Ruby, Blake, Amber, and Sakura had indeed been waiting for them, the latter grinning at her shinobi counterpart.

"You know," Sakura chuckled lowly. "They may not be on par with White Zetsu, but damn if they don't have numbers. And what the hell's with them turning into smoke when they die?"

Honestly? Weiss was glad to have never met a White Zetsu. They sounded bad.

As everyone finally regrouped, Naruto grunted as Ruby discharged her rifle upsettingly close to his ear. "I have no idea," he answered his friend's question. "It's one of the many mysteries of this world."

Sakura shrugged. "Whatever. Less mess to clean up, at least."

True enough.

"Come on, guys, time to move!" Ruby barked.

Weiss glanced at the party, paused as she noticed none made to move, then frowned. With a sigh and surprisingly more willpower than expected, she ducked her head and crossed the entrance's low threshold.

xXx

Naruto stepped past his pink-clad teammate reflexively. After a moment, he noticed she hadn't made to follow. He turned back and eyed her as she dispatched another Grimm effortlessly. To someone like Sakura, creatures such as these were child's play. Though she was fighting with a handicap. A single strike, and she'd be gone forever. Really, she shouldn't be nearly so far out. It wasn't worth it.

Weiss and Yang had already moved into the narrow passageway as they were more suited to close-quarter fighting. Naturally, being cut from the same cloth, Naruto and Sakura were to be next while Ruby, Blake, and Amber covered the final retreat.

"Come on, Sakura, let's go," the Jinchūriki called out.

The kunoichi simply shook her head, legs remaining rooted to the ground.

...

Fuck.

Naruto knew what this was. He wasn't stupid. The brief moment of silence lasted forever, almost deafening in its oppression. It was made all the worse by the fact that dozens upon dozens of Grimm were pushing towards the group, of which only three were actively defending against.

...

The blond offered a pained smile. "I'm sure I could get Weiss back in here. She could put up an ice barrier to give us all enough time to get out."

He deftly ignored the quiet, 'Why didn't I think of that?' from Ruby.

Sakura simply smiled; it contrasted prettily with the deep sadness in her eyes. "And deny me going out with a bang?" She asked, brow raised.

Naruto knew that tone — sadness and humour — made for a suitable, if not stereotypical, goodbye. "It's not really necessary," he argued weakly. There's no need to sacrifice yourself when we can get out just fine."

"It's not really a sacrifice if I'm already dead," she countered. "Besides, I'd rather not waste away in your school dorm."

Naruto remained silent. No, if he was in her shoes, neither would he. Despite his silence, he could feel his eyes watering. Damnit. He knew it was coming. He knew it'd be coming soon. But still...

"It's better this way, don't you think?" Came Sakura's melancholy question. "I couldn't do anything for anyone during my time," she said bitterly. "At least this way, I can make things a little easier for you guys."

...

At least this wasn't some bullshit, teary-eyed sacrifice to save everyone. Those were way too overdone. Sakura wanted to go out on her own terms. To do some real damage. Make her last moments something to remember. Though her eyes were sad, her smile was genuine. It suited her.

Ruby, Blake, and Amber, bless their hearts, remained steadfastly silent as the two shinobi shared their last moment. Even as they snuck worried glances between themselves and the two relics from the past, they held their tongues and continued to fire into the Grimm hoard — the rattling of submachinegun fire, the heavy thuds of high-calibre rounds, the heated whoosh of moulded flames echoed throughout the room.

"I'm glad you're not alone, Naruto." The combat medic glanced at his remaining teammates and smiled. "You're going to be okay," she said.

Naruto glanced down. Kami, it hurt. His mouth was dry and sticky, a sign of his dehydration. It was probably the only reason he wasn't crying again. He glanced at his hand, which shook minutely. This wasn't how he wanted to say goodbye. But then again, how did he want to do it? He supposed it didn't matter anymore.

Kami, he'd missed Sakura. He'd only just gotten her back, and now he was losing her the same day. It may have sounded stereotypical, but she was the sister he never had. She was family. He loved her. So, so much.

...

Lightly scarred knuckles, skin the colour of peaches, entered his lowered field of vision. When had he started staring at his feet? He glanced up at Sakura's extended fist. She'd removed her glove. His eyes trailed up and met her emerald green orbs. There was affection in those oceans of green. Love. Though he hadn't said a word, she nodded softly.

"I know," she whispered.

Naruto's fist reflexively raised to meet hers, their knuckles bumping lightly. Call it something supernatural. Call it an unnamed jutsu. Call it some stereotypical rainbows and butterflies bullshit. But at that moment, with their fists connected, he knew she understood. And so did he.

"Oh, before I forget," Sakura smiled awkwardly. She pulled her fist back and made a quick one-handed seal, which was followed by a familiar puff of smoke. "You should take this with you, just in case."

Naruto stared blankly at the large scroll in her arms and then glanced at the cavern's entrance. He frowned at the apparent problem: would it even fit through the proverbial door?

"What exactly am I supposed to do with that?"

Also, he didn't particularly want the responsibility.

The kunoichi stared at the exit behind him and rolled her eyes. She fished through her pocket and retrieved something he couldn't quite see. With a flurry of movement in both upper body and hand signs, the scroll disappeared in a puff of smoke. She quickly tossed him something small.

His automatic response was to catch it, and catch it, he did. He glanced down in confusion, then sighed, realizing what it was — a scroll. Not the dead brick of electronics in his pocket, but a more traditional scroll — a sealing scroll.

Of course.

"I'm sorry," Ruby interrupted tersely, the mixture of sadness and stress in her tone unmistakable. "But we need to move." The order was followed by the mechanical thump of her rifle discharging.

...

Yeah. Right. They had other, more immediate concerns besides heartfelt goodbyes. With one last pained look, Naruto turned and ducked his head into the cave. Amidst the furious cries of dozens of Grimm, he sensed three — not four — people following close behind. Further back, he faintly heard the sounds of cracking bone and splintering stone.

The three manoeuvred quickly throughout the labyrinth. Luckily, there was only one way to go, so their only trouble was maintaining their hurried pace. The low-hanging ceiling, sharp and tight walls, and awkward twists and turns made moving quickly difficult. At least the 'lights' were still on. Though he wouldn't put it past the ancient seals to spontaneously die. Maybe he was just being pessimistic.

The further away they travelled, the fainter the sounds of fighting became. Naruto briefly wondered just how long Sakura would keep going. Would she fight until she was overwhelmed? Would she consume all her chakra and fade away? Or would one of those foul beasts score a lucky hit, ending the fight prematurely?

Part of him hoped beyond measure that they'd exit the undermountain, wait around, and Sakura would simply join them after killing every last Grimm. She certainly had the skill. Though he wasn't naive enough to believe that'd be the outcome. Still, it was a nice thought.

As they turned the next corner, natural light began to spill into the cave. The proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel,' as it were.

He emerged to blinding light and chirping birds. The environment's natural beauty didn't seem to match their situation's atmosphere. At least, that's what he thought until a Beowolf attempted to sink its teeth into his throat. Naruto grunted as his forearm, which he raised reflexively, bore the brunt of the attack.

The beast's bite force was impressive. Thousands of PSI concentrated across dozens of teeth. The Grimm's bite was like the grip of a vice, unyielding and hungry for resistance. His radius and ulna would have splintered like brittle wood if not for his Aura.

Before the shinobi could retaliate, the sharpened tip of a blade pierced the side of the beast's neck, killing it instantly. The creature slumped to the side, revealing a familiar head of snow-white hair. Concerned blue eyes met his surprised azure, and he tilted his head in confusion.

After a moment, Weiss smiled demurely. "Watch your front, idiot."

Naruto blinked at his girlfriend's words. "You know, that's not a very affectionate nickname."

The blond ducked upon seeing the girl's eyes widen as they flicked to his left. He saw her raise her blade. He felt the oppressive nature of a Grimm sail cleanly over his back. And he heard the distinctive sound of metal piercing flesh. As he straightened back out, he idly noted the medium-sized Beowolf slide awkwardly off his girlfriend's weapon and onto the ground.

"Even if I say it with the utmost affection?" The white-clad girl asked in mock surprise. "Also, watch your back."

Naruto frowned. Could you really call someone an idiot affectionately?

...

If anyone could, it'd be Weiss. It sure as hell beat 'sweetheart.'

Maybe.

"Sorry for the lack of warning," the girl continued, eying a pair of encircling Beowolves.

At the same time, Naruto's eyes began to track a larger-than-average Ursa approaching from the opposite side. He briefly noted Yang shouting in the distance. It was only the excitement in her voice and the subsequent shotgun blasts that prevented him from worrying.

Naruto and Weiss braced themselves back to back, eying their opponents with cool gazes. Instead of staying on the defensive, the teens pushed off each other, propelling each other toward their opponents.

Naruto easily ducked the Ursa's broad, telegraphed attack. He brandished his blades and pushed upwards while swiping. His knife cut cleanly into the beast's thick arm; when he felt resistance, he applied the faintest amount of wind chakra and found the resistance evaporate like water on a summer day. Without giving the Grimm time to process the loss of its arm, he stepped inward and drove his second blade into its throat. Clearly, he'd cut something vital as the Ursa crumbled like a puppet with its strings cut.

Naruto took a deep breath and then glanced at the girl behind him.

Sure enough, she'd dealt with the two Beowolves in the same amount of time he'd taken with the single Ursa. Good. It was good to have reliable teammates. While they'd been a team since starting Beacon, this was still one of the few times they'd actually fought together. Training could only go so far. And aside from the Torchwick battle, this was shaping up to be the most significant conflict they'd faced.

From the corner of his eye, the blond spotted Ruby, Blake, and Amber emerge from the cave, finally making their group whole again. He glanced at the empty entryway behind them.

Well, almost whole.

"What the heck!" Ruby cried. "Where did these guys come from?"

A miniature explosion, no more than a dozen feet away, caught their attention. "Come from?" Yang called, waving away the smoke from her gauntlets. Several evaporating corpses lay broken at her feet. "They're still coming! Look sharp, Rubes! We're going to have to fight our way out!" Following the brief lull in combat, a cacophony of growls, yips, and barks emphasized her point.

"Looks like we found the pack we were originally supposed to take out," Blake muttered.

Amber stepped forward, twirling her staff. She made a point to separate herself from the rest of the group as if she were afraid she would catch them in her crossfire. "Hopefully," she sighed.

Ruby looked at her strangely. "What do you mean, hopefully? Why hope for that?"

"Because there's the chance that this group isn't our original target. Which would mean there are a lot more Grimm out here than we thought."

Hmm. How troublesome.

"We should head back to town," Weiss suggested.

Whatever they ended up doing, they needed to come up with a plan of action. While they still had time, that was. The fact that the surrounding Grimm weren't charging in blindly and were seemingly consolidating their power did not bode well. The Jinchūriki let his team know as much, earning several worried looks.

"We can't go back to town," Ruby eventually broke the silence. We can't risk civilians getting involved."

Before Weiss could argue, Amber cut in. "That might be a moot point," she frowned. "It took us, what, 40 minutes of leisurely walking to get here? How long do you think that translates to a run? Or a sprint?"

The point was clear. They weren't nearly as far away from Redgold as they would have liked to be. If the Grimm were amassing this much force right now, who was to say Redgold was safe? Hell, these numbers didn't just come out of nowhere. It was possible that the Grimm had already steamrolled the village on the way over here.

As the group drew together, compiling their defences, several more Grimm emerged from the woodwork. The forest's dense foliage helped conceal the overall extent of their numbers, which was another thing to worry about.

Beowolves, Ursae, and Boarbatusks. All with the odd alpha sprinkled in. Underneath their feet, a telltale rumble signalled approaching Creeps, and the distant, aggressive cawing of Nevermore's brought with them a wave of angry feathers.

Now, wasn't this oddly familiar?

Naruto swallowed uncomfortably. "No matter what we do, we should keep an eye out for more... exotic Grimm."

The group did not miss his tone or words, causing them to tense in silent acknowledgement. Even Amber seemed on edge. Something was happening. Something even more unnatural than usual.

...

"Okay," Ruby grunted. "We don't know Redgold's status. So, the way I see it, we either draw in as many Grimm as possible, away from the town, and hope Redgold stays safe. Or we fight our way to town and hope we don't bring with us a tidal wave of Grimm, subsequently endangering the townspeople."

The team exchanged glances. They knew the score. The unsaid possibilities. Were the townspeople safe and ignorant of the threat nearby? Was the town already gone? Were they currently under siege? If the latter was the case, staying here would surely doom them. But, if the former was true, staying here and fighting would save them.

It was safe to say the burden of leadership was weighing heavy on the young scythe-wielder. Heavy was the head that wore the crown.

"I say we stay," Ruby frowned. She glanced at their provisional instructor. "I'll bear the consequences."

Amber looked at her in interest. After a moment, she sighed. "I think it's safe to classify this situation as an emergency. Given that, my word supersedes yours."

Ruby's eyebrows crept to her hairline.

"Luckily," Amber sighed. "I happen to agree with you. So this is my call."

Their redheaded leader's face scrunched in confusion. She might not have known it, but this was Amber's way of taking that responsibility off Ruby's shoulders. Despite the brown-haired girl's earlier talks of bravado, consequences, and a laissez-faire approach, she was still looking out for her students.

Maybe she wasn't a bad instructor?

Regardless, the small nuances of Amber's mentoring capability and Ruby's decision making skills faded away as the surrounding Grimm had seemingly grown tired of waiting. With a long, deep howl, the not-so-proverbial hoard of monsters charged with reckless abandon. Naruto caught Weiss' eye as the fight rapidly approached. She nodded subtly. He nodded back.

Kami, he had a bad feeling about this.

xXx

Naruto grunted as a golden chakra chain impaled the Boarbatusk charging directly at him. Well, really, it was more so the Boarbatusk that impaled itself, what with its reckless charge into the deadly appendage. The creature died painfully, its wretched cries of agony almost deafening. The chain whipped carelessly to the side, flicking the corpse away where it no doubt collided with another raging Grimm.

All around him, the sounds of combat stretched on. Things had been hectic so far. The fighting wasn't difficult, but it was exhausting. It'd been, what, an hour? More? Not long in the grand scheme of things, but when it came to constant, high-intensity fighting, it was longer than any of them would have liked.

Fortunately, everyone was holding their own, no doubt due to the nature of their teamwork and the grace of the fact that the variety of Grimm had remained tame. Plus, there was no doubt that Sakura had done more than simply 'help them out.' Over the past hour, they'd all felt the presence of Creeps burrowing underground, yet none had surfaced.

So unless the subterranean little terrors were planning something sinister, Sakura was still in the fight, and they were hyper-fixating on her. Besides, Naruto didn't believe the creatures were intelligent enough to plan anything. At least not on their own.

It really made him wonder why they'd separated from his fellow Konoha shinobi in the first place. Granted, none of them could have predicted the level of opposition upon exiting the mountain. And they couldn't exactly go back inside and get her. There was too much going on for that.

Be it subconscious effort or simple happenstance, the fighting had slowly progressed away from the mountain, transitioning further east. They were still a reasonable distance from Redgold village, but there was now some breathing room between them and the cavern where they'd found his former teammate.

Well, her shadow clone, he begrudgingly reminded himself.

...

As the combat raged on, Naruto's eyes widened as something unexpected occurred.

It happened faster than he would have preferred. One minute, he was rhythmically cutting through the Grimm; the next, he nearly lost his footing. It started as a low rumble, like an explosion going off underwater. The following shockwave was felt only through his feet, the reason for which quickly became apparent.

The mountain beside them shook. Countless fissures adorned its exposed surface, reminiscent of the fleeting moment just before a glass vase succumbs to shattering. Briefly, Naruto swore the thing was about to erupt like a volcano. Or fragment like a grenade. To his credit, the stone briefly expanded. As much as stone could, at least. In the next moment, a deafening boom sounded out, and the mountain collapsed in on itself.

A poignant silence blanketed the battlefield, something that even the Grimm were affected by. It wasn't lost on the shinobi that Sakura was the cause of the event. It certainly wasn't lost on him that this signified her end. Gone was his friend. His sister. What was worse, he wasn't given the opportunity to cope with that knowledge.

At least, if the reinvigorated Grimm had anything to say.

Indeed, the malicious beasts seemed to revel in the destruction, conveniently ignoring or perhaps unable to comprehend that the pink-haired woman had likely taken out hundreds of their brethren with her.

He didn't snap like he expected to. He didn't see red. His vision didn't explode into white, nor did it fade into black. There was no electrical discharge within his core. There was no freezing of his limbs. Instead, it started as a dull ache. It started as heat. At first, it was in his stomach, then slowly crawled up his neck and across his cheeks, almost like he was blushing.

Naruto swallowed heavily. He may not have had time to acknowledge his feelings, but he had more than enough opportunity to vent the frustration that arose from them. And the Grimm made a fine outlet.

Amongst the gathered humans, it was he who moved first. Looking back, he was being reckless. Foolish. Dangerous. But that's what he became when he was sufficiently frustrated. All those things and more.

The shinobi exploded into action, rapidly advancing into the thickest concentration of Grimm. He couldn't feel his limbs move, yet he could see them flowing gracefully through the unfocused lens' of his eyes. In fact, all of his senses felt dull. His hearing was shot. Everything was muted. Yet he knew there were Grimm crying out in pain. Pain he was causing. He should have been able to smell the battle. The sweat on his person. The gunpowder in the air. The soot from Amber, Yang, and Weiss' fire based attacks. Yet he smelled nothing.

If his teammates noticed his impetuousness, they didn't voice it. Instead, perhaps somewhat mistakenly, they supported him. They did their best to keep up with him, even though he was moving too fast. They tried to cover his openings, which should never have been there. They aimed to anticipate his next move, despite knowing he was acting irrationally.

They couldn't keep up with his erratic actions for much longer, and eventually, something had to give.

Thank Kami it was Kurama.

'Kid, you need to focus.'

The voice in his head nearly caused him to trip over the decaying remains of a King Taijitu. Funny. He didn't even remember killing it.

'Are you listening, Naruto? You need to slow down.'

It was strange having the fox's voice in his head again. He couldn't quite say why. Ever since the bijū had woken up, they'd been talking a lot. Quite Frequently. Some might even consider it unhealthy. The fox had only been absent over the past two hours. His tenant had withdrawn into the recesses of his mind the moment Sakura appeared.

Naruto wasn't blind. He wasn't dumb. It was painfully apparent that Kurama knew much more than he let on. Maybe everything. The fox knew about the genjutsu. He knew about Sakura being sealed away. He probably knew more than Naruto could even think to ask.

It certainly explained why he'd been so adamant that Naruto build a life here.

'Kami damnit, kid! Stop! You're going to get one of your teammates killed!'

Naruto didn't want to hear anything coming out of the fox's maw. Not yet. In fact, he missed the silence. But those words pulled harshly on his emergency brakes. He blinked in confusion at the Beowolf before him. A large, rabid snarl adorned its frozen face. Half a second later, the blond regained enough of his senses to wrench free the chakra knife buried in the beast's temple. It released with a wet plop, and the wolf-like creature collapsed in finality.

Within another second, he was surrounded by ragged pants and sighs.

"Okay," Ruby wheezed. "That was cool. Alternatively, let's never do that again."

A cool hand anchored itself on his shoulder. Even as the murderous growling quickly caught up to them, Amber found the time to lean in and whisper into his ear. "You need to cool it," she stressed. Long gone was her lighthearted airiness. She wasn't entirely mad, but she certainly wasn't happy. "I know you're emotional right now, but you need to stay focused."

Naruto bit back a slew of unkind words. Not at Amber, but at himself. Sure, he could get emotional when he fought. Sasuke at the Valley of the End. Gaara during the Kazekage Rescue Mission.

Pein.

But he had others to keep in mind now. More so than ever before. He wasn't a battlefield monster who could win wars on his own. Not anymore. Kakashi had instilled teamwork into him at a young age. He needed to utilize those teachings now. He wasn't a lone wolf. He always fought better when part of a team. His Kage Bunshins were a monument to that.

So why was he neglecting his greatest strength?

"Look," Amber addressed the group at large. "I've already put in a request for backup. Whatever's going on, it's way more than we signed up for. Not to mention, we don't even know the status of the locals in the area."

Her words were enunciated as she swiped a sharp hand through the air, a torrent of flames following its wake. Several howls of pain sounded out from the treeline and were quickly silenced. Strange. He thought the source of her flames was her staff.

"So all we need to do is hold out until reinforcements arrive. That means conserving our energy," she said, frowning in Naruto's direction.

Now that she mentioned it, the shinobi began to feel the heaviness in his limbs become just a little more burdensome.

"And conserve our ammo," Ruby sighed while cycling in a new high-calibre round.

"And Dust," Weiss added. She rotated her revolving Dust barrel for good measure; the ominous click of an empty chamber made her frown even more pronounced.

Yang's laughter was somewhat diminished as she coughed. It was wet and crackly, like someone who'd only just renewed their cardio routine. As she stretched out her legs, she smiled. "Look on the bright side. That little mad dash put a decent amount of distance between us and the main hoard."

Naruto grimaced at the word 'hoard.' But what else could it be if not that?

"That's not how it works," Blake sighed at her partner's words. "Sprinting to the finish line just to catch your breath sooner isn't how you conserve energy."

The two blondes winced at her words.

"Yeesh," the brawler muttered. "I was just trying to make Naruto feel better for his reckless actions. You couldn't let us have it, could you?"

An awkward silence permeated the area. After a moment, the awkwardness was shattered and replaced by anticipation as heavy, skittering footfalls thundered through the forest.

It was clear that something was coming. Not only that, but the distance between them and whatever it was was rapidly depleting. Even still, it was pretty obvious what was approaching. They'd fought one as a team before, after all.

From the treeline emerged a larger-than-average Death Stalker. Expected, but unwelcome. Its carapace was thick yet lightly dented, with all the telltale scars of previous combat. This one was old and experienced. Great.

Naruto eyed the beast as it slowed to a stop. Somehow, that simple action was enough to unnerve him. It would have been better if it simply charged them mindlessly. Stopping to think was an indicator that this creature would be more cunning.

Once again, the Doppler Effect came in full force as the sounds of growls, howls, and snarls rose in amplitude as their sources rapidly approached. Naruto eyed the oversized scorpion in displeasure. Was it waiting for reinforcements? They needed to remove it from the equation before the rest of the Grimm showed up.

One thing he noticed was that the bastard looked heavy. A heavy hitter, if you will. But as it turned out, Naruto was quite the heavy hitter himself. Keeping that in mind, an idea quickly began to take root. The Grimm was indeed heavy, but maybe he could fix that.

As it was, he'd spent a fair bit of chakra up until now. He'd been regularly enhancing his movements and strength. He'd made several clones over the course of the hour, something he was beginning to regret. He'd used wind chakra to sharpen his weapons for the Grimm that posed difficult to fully cut through. And he'd been using his chakra chains on and off. He didn't want to acknowledge it, but he'd burned through more chakra than he'd meant to. He still had enough to keep going for a while; the results of Sakura's Mystical Palm Technique were already paying dividends. And he always had Sage Mode — though finding some privacy for his clones to gather the necessary senjutsu would be a pain.

But there was another resource he'd neglected up until now. Untouched as his Aura was, maybe he could use it to alleviate some of the burden on his chakra system.

...

He'd used his Semblance on and off during training but never really in a proper fight — aside from when it was unlocked and against Torchwick's little minion, Neo. Frankly, he thought he'd gotten much better at it. And while his most common method was to increase the weight of his opponents or the objects in their vicinity, he had other options.

Death Stalkers were heavy, and it was well known that their most prominent weakness was their unarmoured underside. But, again, they were heavy. And the multiple, multi-jointed legs made them hard to flip. Maybe, just maybe, he could change that.

Naruto reached out with his hand, focusing on the eight-legged beast. He could probably just crush it. Increase its weight to a degree that its armour shattered or its legs crumpled. But there was no telling just how much force the bastard could handle. It might take a great deal of effort and, subsequently, Aura.

So why not go in the opposite direction? If you can't go right, go left. Or, in this case, if you can't go down, go up.

The shinobi didn't quite know where to start. He'd only done it a few times and never on anything this massive. He thought of a feather. He thought of air. He imagined the weightlessness of freefall. And even as he felt the eyes of his teammates on him, even as he tasted the question on their lips, he smiled as he felt results.

"What the hell are you doing, blondie — oh my gods, it's floating!" Yang cried in shock.

Naruto would be the first to admit that it took considerable effort to not laugh at her tone. Sure enough, the Death Stalker was lazily floating off the ground. While only a few inches in the air, the distance between it and the forest floor was slowly increasing. All he needed to do now was tilt its axis to expose its unprotected belly.

"Quick!" Ruby shouted, coming to the same conclusion. "Yang and Weiss, we're going to hit its underside once it's exposed! Blake and Amber, discourage any Grimm from interrupting us!"

As if summoned by the little Rose's words, the approaching Grimm seemed to recognize they were about to lose their heaviest hitter and redoubled their efforts to close the distance. Naruto tuned out the rattle of automatic gunfire and the roar of scorching flames. He needed to focus, and the thrashing of the Death Stalker was not making things easy.

Surprisingly, it was rapidly becoming easier to manipulate the Grimm. Well, his Semblance was gravity, after all. It wasn't just intended to make things heavier. He wondered if this was similar to how Nagato managed his Paths.

'Watch out!'

"Watch out!"

Naruto nearly dropped the scorpion at the dual warning shouts. The first was obviously Kurama, but the second was overpowered by the bijū's voice. Before he could refocus and determine the threat, he felt a sharp, stinging sensation encircle his upper body. There was pressure followed by a thunderous force like he'd just been struck by a semi-truck.

Predictably, he felt his concentration break and knew the Death Stalker was back on solid ground. At the same time, the proverbial semi-truck carried him away, the force of which snapped his head back. Were it not for his Aura, whatever was holding him would have pierced his skin. Were it not for his chakra, whatever was holding him would have crushed his body.

He heard an angry "No!" shout out. It was Blake.

A subsequent hiss of pain followed, though it wasn't from him, Blake, or anyone else present. It was loud and guttural. And he felt... a blanket of humid warmth coat his back as the hiss dragged out.

...

Was he in something's mouth?

Wrenching his neck to the side, his eyes widened as he saw ebony-black scales. His vision traced the outline of those scales, which led to the wide-open jaws that had ensnared him and the wickedly sharp fangs struggling – and failing – to snap him in half.

It was a King Taijitu. A big one. It had somehow gotten behind him and stolen him away, though that surely wasn't its intention. It'd probably wanted to rip him to shreds, maybe eat him whole.

Fuck that.

He'd been there, done that. There was no way in hell he was being eaten by another snake. Before the blond could free himself, he hesitated as his eyes caught something further back. Further along the great snake, near the white scales of its second head, was a familiar black-clad cat faunus, dangling dangerously. Apparently, at some point, Blake had attached herself to the Grimm via Gambol Shroud, its blade dug securely into the monster's hide. That explained its hiss of pain.

Man... what the hell had they gotten into here?

xXx

"Did that Grimm just eat Naruto!?" Weiss cried in alarm.

"Shut up and fight, princess!" Yang barked back. "We've got a Death Stalker to deal with!"

"But —"

"— No buts!" Ruby interrupted. "He'll be fine! Blake went with him. Now shut up and cast Ray of Frost!"

The heiress blinked. "What!?"

xXx

Naruto released a deep sigh. His back hurt.

It was probably from when the King Taijitu pile drove him into the ground. He supposed that was technically his fault. He could have waited until they'd slowed down, but he didn't want to be carried too far away from his team. He could have waited until the beast spat him out, but there was no guarantee when that would happen. He could have waited, but he hadn't.

He had been in the mouth of a Grimm. Most would consider it a poor position to be in. But not him. Not to a trained shinobi with both chakra and Aura. To him, it was the Grimm who was in a precarious position. A genuinely vulnerable position. An open, unarmoured mouth was a vulnerability, a weakness to exploit.

And exploit he did.

The shinobi needed to work on the name, but the move reminded him of a porcupine. Or, to compare it to something more familiar, Jiraiya's Hari Jizō. But instead of hair, the blond had conjured as many chakra chains as he could and sent them outwards from various points of his body. He'd made them smaller and thinner and, therefore, had been able to form nearly two dozen. The chakra constructs easily sliced through the snake's unprotected inner mouth, only finding resistance as they pushed against the underside of the beast's scales on their way out.

The effects had been as devastating as they were predictable.

A pale hand reached down. Naruto eyed Blake as she looked upon him with concern. She seemed alright, if not a little dishevelled. He took her hand gratefully and used it to haul himself out of the Grimm's slackened jaw.

"Are you okay?" She asked with a raised brow and a grunt of effort.

Naruto nodded as he pulled himself up. "I think so. As good as can be given the situation."

The faunus nodded. She eyed the pincushion that was the Grimm's skull, inky black smoke already filling the multitude of holes in its head. "Nice move," she muttered.

Naruto laughed.

The two gazed around the area as the brief lull of humour died down. There were suspiciously few Grimm around. That was, there weren't any Grimm around. They could faintly hear the hateful beasts, so they were definitely somewhere in the vicinity. But they weren't getting any closer. And they most certainly knew where the two ninjas were. But for whatever reason, they were choosing to be discreet.

Grimm being discrete was not a good thing.

"We need to head back," Blake urged, feline eyes darting around the small clearing.

The distant sounds of combat emphasized her point. Just as the two were about to turn and do as suggested, a low growl sounded out. It was low and guttural and carried with it a cross between a series of clicks and chirps.

The sound was entirely alien, something Naruto himself had never quite heard before. The closest thing he could relate it to would be that of a large cat. A lion or tiger. But the clicking was new. New and a little unnerving.

"Don't suppose you know what that is?" The blond asked his black-clad teammate.

Blake readied her blade in anticipation. "No," she whispered.

As Naruto eyed her in concern, his eyes widened as a bone-white projectile was launched from the foliage behind her. Before he could call out, the jagged spear sliced through the ravenette, cutting a neat hole through her neck and nearly hitting the shinobi as collateral.

Blake's Shadow Clone fizzled out of existence at the same time she tackled Naruto to the ground. The rapid sequence of surprises left the Jinchūriki stunned. It wasn't often he froze, but he wasn't exactly in the best state of mind.

They slammed into the ground hard. Numerous razor-sharp missiles streaked through the air, coming to a halt after just a brief moment. Nearly two dozen had been fired within that span, at least judging by the distinct sound of the air being cleaved apart. The projectiles were fast, toeing the line between sub and supersonic.

The growling returned, this time taking on a distinct tone of frustration.

The two students pulled themselves to their feet, glancing in different directions. They both noticed, with varying degrees of concern, that both the growling and the projectiles had come from multiple points.

That meant that whatever kind of Grimm had engaged them was either extremely fast, had some sort of unique gimmick, or they were surrounded.

The answer was worse than all three possibilities combined.

Naruto felt a cold dread pass through his gut. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar yellowish-orange glow. Instinctively, he stepped to the side, putting himself between the Grimm and Blake. The action caught his teammate's attention, diverting it to the unique Grimm.

Baleful, burning eyes stared at the duo from the bushes, projecting an air of otherworldly intelligence. Slowly, tauntingly, it stalked out of the greenery, exposing its short, ashy fur. Glowing cracks marred its body, covering it entirely and speaking to a familiar, unrestrained power.

Blake's breathing sharpened in recognition. Naruto had made sure to tell his team about his previous encounter with a similar Grimm. An encounter that had pushed him harder than anything here should have.

This one was similar. But not the same.

It was large. Not quite as big as a Beowolf but twice as intimidating. If Naruto had to settle on its normal animal counterpart, he'd have to go with a panther. While sleek, its body was wrapped in a sinewy bundle of muscles, rippling with all the efficiency of its tentative counterpart. Its face was feline, barring a set of overly long fangs.

That was where the similarities ended.

Instead of four legs, it had six. The extra pair sprouted from the creature's ribcage, undoubtedly aiding in both speed and maneuverability.

Its most distinctive features were a bundle of six long, flexible tentacles extending from the top of its backmost limbs, seemingly replacing its tail. Each tentacle ended in a jagged tip, the same shade of white as the projectiles launched earlier.

No mystery about where those came from.

Surprisingly, it lacked any bone plating typical of most Grimm, though Naruto couldn't say whether that was due to its nature or its strange transformation. Speaking of, he briefly wondered what this Grimm had mutated from. Whatever it had once been, it wasn't any Grimm he recognized.

"I have no idea what this is," Blake added as if reading his mind or, more likely, sharing in his confusion.

"Shit," the blond breathed. He could feel his teammate tense where their shoulders touched.

"Do we fight it?" The faunus asked.

Naruto eyed their opponent. He wondered if they had a choice. This thing was undoubtedly built for speed. Its physiology, physique, and lack of armour were each on their own dead giveaways. Should they risk fighting it alone? There were still more Grimm around. Could they outrun it? Could they make it back to the rest of their team?

Before they could decide, the creature made the decision for them. With naught a sound, the lighting around the Grimm shifted, and its image disappeared before their eyes.

xXx

A/N: There it is. Yes, this new enhanced Grimm is based on a Displacer Beast. I changed it a bit, basically adding the bone-slinging trait of a Flood Ranged Form from Halo. I kind of like it.

Anyway, I'll knock this out of the way as I can smell the disapproval already: yes, Sakura stated that Naruto and Sasuke weren't strong enough to beat Kaguya. Obviously, as the audience, we know that's not the case. But this is from her perspective. The fight wasn't exactly an easy one. In the actual Manga/Anime, they struggled quite a bit. This was just Sakura making a (not implausible) assumption. Don't be mad; I had this version of Naruto doubting his ability to handle Kaguya from the story's beginning, anyway.

Here, we have the exit of Sakura. I don't really like how I wrote it. I had it all planned out in my head, but I just couldn't write it correctly for the life of me. It felt clunky and disjointed, but eventually, I just had to cut my losses and move on. Otherwise, the chapter never would have come out. As rusty as I felt, I really enjoyed the fight sequences. Again, a little clunky, and the flow was a little in question, but I hope you guys liked them to some degree. They're not perfect, but I'm satisfied.

Hope you guys enjoyed this one. I'll see you in the next one!