Thank you all for the support.

Still no word on any consistency of updates at this time.

Don't expect updates as quickly as this.

This was simply a treat for giving me such an overwhelming response.

Updates might be more frequent due to the planned chapter length of this story.

Easier to write and edit smaller chapters than the larger chapters of my other works.

This very well might become my main project due to that reason.

So we shall see.

Hope you enjoy.

Random Naruto/Neo Fact: Pre-Shippuden Naruto stands at 4'9" inches. Canon Neo is stated to stand at 4'10" with heels.

Pre-Shippuden Naruto is as tall, if not taller than Neo as an adult without heels.

Let that sink in.

Why?

Why was it like this? She only wanted to do something, anything other than lay around in this stuffy, extravagant room filled with things she mostly didn't care for or had long since grown tired of!

Even reading didn't bring her joy. She slammed her book on the bed beside her in frustration. As much as she loved fairy tales and stories, she had read every book in her room several times and was bored with them. She could recall most of them by memory, and if she could speak, cite them line for line.

It was all she could do when her father locked her in her room like this! To punish her for her misdeeds.

What of it?

What if she did those things? So what if she knocked over those bins? What would that change? Maybe it would make her feel better and relieve her pent-up frustration of being trapped. Longing to escape this confided prison that her father locked her in her room while her mother played jailor with her pacifism and need for luxury and simplicity!

Maybe she was one of those fair maidens locked in the tower like in many fairy tales? Where was her white knight in dazzling armor to rescue her from this plight?

To let her experience the outside world on her own for a change…

Friend? Where did you come from? And why are you beside the window?

No, it's not time to play! Father is upset with me because of you due to that stunt! Again!

What do you mean that was me? I did not knock over the bins! Whatever, stop pointing outside, Neo! We can't embark on an adventure now! Father locked me in my room again, and I am tired. Don't want to play…

Trivia's eyes shimmered angrily as Neo huffed at her, placed her hands on her hips, and shook her head. She then pointed outside the window and beckoned her to follow. Like many times before, she hopped upward like she had done so many times in their many games and unlatched the window.

She snapped! Her friend was trying to get her into trouble again! She didn't want to be in trouble! But every time Neo showed up, something terrible happened to her. She was so tired of it!

Her throat burned, and she clenched tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks as she grasped the book beside her, silently screaming as she stood up. With a heave, she tossed it at her friend in rage. And the glass shattered as the book sailed through the window.

And her friend shattered to pieces and scattered like glass.

But the pieces didn't splinter and fall like the broken fragments of the window she threw one of her favorite storybooks through.

They hung in the air and fluttered about, strewn throughout where she was moments earlier. Then they dissipated as she heard thunderous stomping footsteps. Her eyes flickered in utter horror as the echoes stopped in front of her room. She listened to the fiddling of her lock, knowing who it was on the other side.

She couldn't explain this! He wouldn't accept her answer! He refused to believe her!

What more could and would he do to her? She was already locked up in here for punishment! What was next? Would he take her books away? No, she cherished them the most!

"Trivia Vanille!" The door slammed open, and her father stood before her, his eyes seething at the sight before him, seeing the shattering window before tracing his eyes over to the form of his cowering daughter.

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in annoyance, he sighed and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Lashing out in frustration? For once, you're speaking a language I understand."

"Trivia," Her father's voice softened. "You are old enough, so I shouldn't have to do this. I do this because I love you, and you leave me no other choice, but I can see it's no longer working."

"We will have to try something else since you have proven to be such a stubborn, disobedient child." His voice lowered an octave which felt like he was snarling at her, and she knew what was coming next. "Something far more stringent is in order."

Trivia's shoulders depressed as she continued to look down and away, afraid to meet her father's gaze. Trembling violently as her eyes quivered full of tears as she choked back gasping sobs that threatened to clench her throat as sound tried to resonate through, she could not meet his gaze.

It would only make things worse!

"Jim, that's enough." Her mother's voice spoke from behind as she silently stepped forward, appearing from the shadows as if she had been there all along.

Almost startled by his wife's sudden and silent arrival, Jimmy only grunted as he turned his back on his daughter. He then proceeded to walk away, letting his words speak for him. "Indeed. A few days sleeping in the cold should sort her out while I prepare to replace such an expensive window. I heard it was snowing in Patch this morning. The winter storm is certainly heading our way."

"It is going to be uncomfortably cold the next few nights." Jim's voice trailed as he left Carmel and Trivia alone in her daughter's room.

Inhaling deeply at her husband's exit, Carmel tenderly looked at her daughter's fragile form and expressed her displeasure with a sigh. Then, moving to her bed and sitting down on it so she could minimize her height toward her daughter and not loom over her in an overbearing manner, she quietly spoke. "Trivia, dear. I know you're upset. You're at that age where it's expected. But, honey, we are only trying to do what's best for you."

"You are special, dear." A shadow of a smile crept on the edge of Carmel's lips as she gazed at her shivering daughter. "And I mean that. It isn't some tripe speech a mother gives their daughter to make them feel better…"

"I see so much of myself in you. Such a strong and rebellious heart."

Trivia looked up at her mother with distrusting eyes. When she was berated by her father, these moments always happened.

It just didn't seem genuine. It felt like her mother was holding back. She didn't know what, but there was more to her words despite feeling the care. That was true, she believed.

"If only you could tell me what you saw in detail. Maybe Jim would be a bit more cooperative." Carmel shook her head, understanding her daughter's plight well enough. "Do you think you can tell me on your scroll? Maybe you would like to practice sign again? Or is it just going to be her name again?"

Her shoulders slumped as she broke eye contact with her mother. It was the communication they needed. Carmel closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "I thought as much. What was it this time? An accident in the middle of a game? Her lashing out in anger…"

Carmel stopped as she saw her daughter retrieve her scroll from her chester wardrobe, quickly flex her thumbs through it and show her the screen. The response surprised her. "You threw something at her angrily because she got you in trouble? And then she shattered into glass before your book flew out the window." Carmel frowned, a deeply perturbed expression crossing her features.

After a moment of silence, her mother's gaze deepened and twisted, looking positively vicious for a moment and frightening Trivia as she took a step back. She simply shook her head, sighed, and took a deep breath before rising back onto her feet. "Well, thank you for telling me, dear."

"You know your father. I'd suggest you pick up the glass that fell inside your room. You don't want to step on any pieces and cut yourself later accidentally." Carmel slowly strode to the door, stopping one last time at her door, turning her head, and wistfully gazing back at her timid daughter. "Do remember tonight is our party. So be on your best behavior…"

"And stay in your room tonight, please. Let's not rile up your father any further."

This seemed familiar, but…

So foreign.

Everything in the room was something he recognized as the medical devices he was accustomed to. But the room was not the one he had hoped for.

It was still unfamiliar to him. Not that he liked visiting the hospital or anything like that.

No, he had hoped everything he experienced was a fever dream, and he would wake back up and be back in a Konoha hospital room. Perhaps some of his friends surrounding him or even coming in to see him. To see Sakura and give her the news about Sasuke…

It seemed that was not the case. He had wound care bandages on his collarbone and leg, places where he had been bitten. He felt more on his back where it was clawed up, but that only meant one thing…

His imagined nightmare turned out to be a reality. Those wolves were real, and he was somewhere new.

Now he had to figure out how to get back home.

Well, after figuring out where he was. That would be a useful starting point.

But it was strange. He had to admit. It wasn't winter, so why was it so cold and snowing? Was he back in the Land of Snow again? Where did those creatures come from? If that was the case, they weren't there when he and the rest of his team were there before. He was sure of that! He might not be the most observant person, but he was pretty sure he would notice something like that or pay attention to hearing something about creatures like them if they were mentioned!

At least he liked to believe that much.

So if it wasn't the Land of Snow, where else could it be this cold to snow during the early spring months? The Land of Clouds, maybe?

Oh, he didn't want to be there. Even with his limited knowledge, he knew there was bad blood between Konoha and Kumo. What happened to Neji's dad and his ordeal with his clan was proof of that whole issue…

Not to mention he did know they were at war with them most recently. Therefore, being a shinobi in the Land of Clouds unannounced could start an incident, and he didn't want that.

Nevertheless, he would think he would have heard about these weird wolf creatures! At least he would hope so, as rumors about something that fearsome not spreading was negligent!

"Ow, ow, ow!" Naruto coughed as he heard his heart rate meter accelerate as he held out his fist in mach anger and shook it before recoiling as his entire body rejected the motion. "Okay, everything still hurts like a ton of bricks. Got it. Thanks, Sasuke, you jerk. Where in the world did you leave me?"

"Stupid fairy tale wolves. Gonna kick all their butts when I'm back to full health. Shove my sandle up their…"

Hearing the door click open, his eyes curiously glanced over to see who was coming in. Maybe he could get a glimpse of the first person and figure out some clues about where he was and proceed from there. It turned out to be a middle-aged man wearing blue scrubs, checking why his monitor was going haywire, not the sure indicator he had hoped for.

He wasn't expecting to find Naruto wide awake, staring at him, and that alarmed him, given the boy's condition and the heavy sedation he was put under. He stumbled as two cerulean eyes gazed at him curiously, catching himself on the nearby wall.

And then he spoke in an audibly surprised tone. But it wasn't his tone that caught Naruto's attention. Instead, it was the words that he said.

He had absolutely no idea what the man was speaking!

Why did he not understand what he was saying? There was no reason for that! Everyone spoke the same language as far as he knew back home, even in the other villages. Yes, there were code and sign languages, but that was not the case here as the man was trying to communicate with him.

It alarmed him!

"Why can't I understand the words coming from your mouth?" Naruto yelled as he sprang out of bed, taking his medical attachments with him.

And as he looked at the man, his eyes widened as his heart beat fervently, ignoring the pain coursing through his body. What was he going to do? Where was he…

"No, don't you panic! I'm the one that has the right to panic here! I don't know what's going on!" The man looked astonished at what was happening and stumbled backward at Naruto's words and actions.

Then a disconcerting expression graced his face as he watched Naruto's movements for a moment longer before he sprinted to the bedside and pressed a button. Then as another voice echoed on what sounded like a speaker, he spoke through it!

All of it Naruto couldn't understand, and it drove him crazy. But he understood exactly what that meant.

A guard was coming.

That meant he had to get out of there! There was no time to waste.

Walking through the stained white halls that smelt like cleaner, a blonde-haired man gently held the hand of his youngest daughter. Tai knew Ruby was nervous, as she always was when they came into Vale. So he provided her with what comfort he could as they made their way through the hospital. However, he had the strain on his back ever so slightly to hold his daughter's hand as she was stubborn and wanted to walk.

At least Ruby would take a solid nap later after this much exertion.

Yang walked behind him, walking in pace with her uncle. Qrow had joined them this afternoon. He was sure his brother-in-law wanted to keep an eye on him after yesterday's events. No matter how much of a hard-ass he portrayed himself to be, he cared deeply about his family. He could dispute it all day to prove otherwise, but he did.

It was why he didn't return to his clan. It was why he stayed.

And she didn't.

"Kiddo, don't look so down in the dumps." Qrow's voice echoed behind him as he gazed over at Yang, his hands in his pockets. "I told you he was going to be fine. Got the first word when he was able to receive visitors."

"Don't think that's the issue, Qrow." Tai could feel his daughter's sullen state.

She had been in this lull since he was airlifted and brought here. Stopping and turning to his eldest daughter, Tai knelt before her so he could meet her at eye level. Using his one free hand to place on her left shoulder, as Ruby refused to break her grasp, he gazed into her lilac gaze. "Yang, I want you to understand that nothing you did is why he's here and hurt. You are not at fault for anything that happened. It was all an accident, and that's why we have a great need for trained Huntsman."

"So don't let it get to you. That kid is a Huntsman through and through. He knew what he was doing when he jumped in." Qrow finished with a grin as he placed his hand on Yang's other shoulder to add further comfort.

"So, no tears when we check on him!" Tai smiled as he could feel his eldest was on the verge of crying again as she struggled not to break. "You must be strong and hold it together if he's awake to see us. Don't want to make things harder on him, alright?"

Feeling her father pat her on the shoulder and the strength of his warm gaze, something she hadn't seen in some time, Yang weakly nodded and mumbled. "Okay…"

"Good girl." Tai slowly stood up, adjusting as Ruby clutched tightly onto his hand and was still seeking comfort of her own before he shot a glare at his brother-in-law. "Shut up, Qrow.

Qrow raised his eyebrow at his brother-in-law's statement to his niece before shrugging off Tai's comment. The irony of those words coming from him, given where he was mentally only yesterday, did not incite any faith from him. But he let it pass momentarily as he took his crimson gaze off his friend. "Didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it." Tai bitterly responded as his eyes squinted as he looked forward and continued their march ahead, making sure to keep his pace slow for Ruby as her tiny steps could barely keep up with his.

"Fair enough."

Their walk was kept in relative silence as they moved to the section of the hallway where they had been given his room number. That's when Qrow frowned, noticing a commotion in front of them. "Say, what's the kid's room number again?"

"710." Tai noted the rush of people before looking around at the room numbers nearby and started to pale."Oh no…"

A strange voice screamed out, and the door where the contingency of nurses, doctors, and hospital security was gathered scattered as it came off its hinges and flew out into the hallway. Afterward, a spiky blonde-haired teen wearing blue hospital garb wrapped in bandages flew out of the room. His eyes were wide in panic as he looked around the halls, desperation written on his face.

And yelling in an incomprehensible dialect neither man could decipher.

Slipping and sliding between a security guard's legs as they tried to apprehend him, he ducked and weaved between many nurses and doctors attempting to subdue the boy. He was too fast, and before they knew it, he had leapt onto the ceiling and…

"All right, this is new!" Qrow looked surprised, and Tai looked startled as the boy sprinted on the ceiling to make his getaway, straight toward them while yelling something back at everyone behind him in the bizarre vernacular he was using.

Probably obscenities, given his tone.

"At least he's okay!" Tai tried to make the most out of the situation and keep his voice calm while watching the scene. "That is a plus!"

"Yeah, there is that!" Qrow responded as he bent his knees and growled, focusing on the young kid. "Don't want to do this, but…."

Suddenly lunging, flipping mid-air, Qrow wrapped his arms around the kid's torso. He flipped back down and dragged him back down to the floor. "Kid, you need to calm…"

Suddenly smoke erupted all around him for the briefest of moments and obscured his vision. It was like in the movies when someone used a smoke bomb. However, he noted something had changed, and what he was holding was not the same thing any longer…

"What the…"

"Why am I holding a log?" Qrow looked baffled as the smoke settled, and in his grip, there was simply a cut log clasped in his hands.

Where did it come from? He had no earthly clue. But he could hear the peculiar tongue of the brat in the distance as his crimson gaze turned to see the boy racing down the hall further away. "Hey, kid, come on! We're only trying to help! You're still recovering here!"

"I don't think he knows that." Tai grimaced as he held onto a distressed Ruby and Yang as they watched. "I don't think he speaks our language…"

"Yeah, I got that much!" Qrow retorted indignantly as he looked crossed at Tai before tossing the log down in frustration. "I'm going after him to make sure nothing happens! To either him or anyone around him!"

Without hesitation, he bolted down the hallway after the kid. He wasn't sure what the kid's deal was or what exactly his Semblance was. He had never seen something like this before, but he understood the panic he must have been experiencing through.

If only he could somehow explain to him that they weren't a threat…

He saw the kid's head turn toward him as they ran down the hall, evading and weaving through all personnel. He must have heard his footsteps as he was outpacing him. He had sharp senses about him. He was well trained for his age, something no twelve-year-old should be. They should only be getting ready to enter Huntsman Academies like Signal…

This kid's skill level indicated he was ready for Beacon, at the very least.

"Kid, wait… Qrow called as he attempted him when he noted him place his hands together in a very peculiar position.

Then say something in that odd language.

Smoke filled the hallway, and Qrow could not believe his eyes.

"What the hell? He can make copies of himself too?" Qrow cried out in frustration as dozens of the blonde boys rushed all over the hospital's halls and scattered about, and he cursed. "Diversion tactics! Which one is the real one?"

Trying to focus on his hearing, thinking it was possibly an illusion, he immediately knew that wasn't the case due to their movements' sheer volume of noise. They were solid if they were making that much ruckus! His aura sensory was never the best, and he could never really do the same things someone like Glynda could in a moment like this so…

"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way!" Qrow grabbed the first two blondes next to him, only for them to explode into a puff of smoke and obscure his vision. "Oh great! They do this too!"

Rushing out of the puffs of smoke, he sprinted forward and recognized the number of kids was declining and cursed. He could not track all of them down, not like this. He had most likely made his escape at this point.

There was only one way he was going to be able to do this.

"All right, kid, you win this round." Qrow made his way to the front desk, tripping up any of the blonde brats in the process to watch them go up in smoke to confirm his suspicion.

"Let's see what your next move is."

Chapter 3 Preview:

"Now to the bigger…"

"SHUT UP, STUPID BIRD!" Naruto screamed as the blackbird circled overhead, and he twitched at it. "I'm trying to think here, you flying monstrosity!"

"Gah! Can't think with your incessant…" Naruto suddenly stopped his rant mid-sentence and brought his hand to his chin to ponder a thought. "Is that the right word? I think it is. It's what Sakura calls me all the time." Then his eyes immediately lit on fire once more as he raised his fist at the bird. "Squawking!"