The next morning. 4:00 AM

It was dark outside, and Jaune was peacefully sleeping. He was blissfully unaware of the horrors that were about to befall him. Akisame stood over his sleeping form and checked the time. He nodded to himself before he pulled out a paper megaphone. "WAKE UP!" He shouted, his eyes glowing menacingly at Jaune. "WAHHHH!" Jaune yelled as he fell out of bed, nowhere near prepared for the sudden shouting of his newest master. "What!? Where is the fire!? What's going on!" He yelled as he scrambled in the dark, tripping over his blanket and falling face-first into the wall.

Akisame only looked down at Jaune and smiled at him, amusement plastered on his face before he answered nonchalantly.

"Morning training; I hope you've gotten plenty of rest because your training begins now." He declared and threw Jaune a clean Gi. Jaune groaned before he got dressed. And followed Akisame. They started off with the same run they did last night. By the time Jaune was finished, the sun was barely rising over the horizon. Akisame led Jaune to the courtyard and let him rest. For five seconds. Then he made Jaune continue his next exercise. Jaune was carrying two large earns filled with water and shuffling between posts barefoot.

"Your heads too high! Keep your hips down low." Yelled Akisame as he swiped at Jaune's head. Jaune ducked under it and kept his head low. "That's much better now. Shuffle your feet quickly and move between the posts." Jaune tried to shuffle his feet but ended up tripping on a post. "Sorry!" He yelled. "Again, from the beginning!" Yelled Akisame. "Yes, sir!" Yelled Jaune. He pushed himself back up and went back to the beginning.

Akisame watched quietly as he trained Jaune. Despite how hard the training was, he always got back up and pushed himself. IT was a rarity to see such drive from people so young. Akisame wanted to test the boy more; however, it wasn't the first time they had a disciple. Nor was it the first time they've been wrong.

Two hours later

Jaune was doing push-ups on four wooden stalks. The kicker was that he had to keep his back perfectly straight with two earns full of water. "Alright, give me two hundred weighted push-ups, then one hundred one-handed push-ups and switch hands." Said Akisame. "Yes, sir!" Yelled Jaune as he pushed up and down. He felt the sun beating down on his back as sweat began to coat his form quickly, his pale skin turning pink under the sun.

Yet despite that, Akisame could see a Genuine smile on the boy's face as he trained, Groaning through each push.

"Well, now Jaune, why don't you tell me why you want to be a huntsman?" He asked as Miu walked by, handing him a cup of tea. "Thank you." Jaune groaned and started to train. His hands and feet were aching, but he kept on training. "I'm kinda curious about it, too, actually." Said Miu. Jaune smiled, never leaving his face as memories flooded back to the surface of his mind.

"…Well, I want to help people. I've always been so weak and pathetic. I was always bullied by the other kids. But I still tried to make a difference...one day, my friend went missing, and I went into the woods to look for her... alone... yeah, I know it was pretty stupid, but still, she was the only friend I had. Growing up." Akisame nodded, and Miu frowned at that. He felt his body ache and burn in protest. But he eventually made it to the one-handed push-ups, which was hell for the boy; he was a somewhat athletic dude by usual standards. After all, you didn't work on a farm without putting on a little muscle. But he was straining and testing powers that he was unaware of in unique ways. Each exercise was a challenge in itself. Altogether was a rigorous and exhausting Gauntlet of Physical and mental Training. Yet despite that, the memories shined clear in his mind. Fueling his desire and drive to push past the pain.

"I stole a broomstick and taped a kitchen knife to the end of it and searched for hours, and I found here hiding in the old watchtowers basement. But it wasn't long until a Boartusk found us. We locked ourselves behind the rotting door; we were terrified when it started bashing against the door. Until a huntsman with an Axe and a big mustache heard us screaming for help. HE saved us." He felt like his arms were about to dislocate at this rate. His entire form was dripping in sweat and agony, yet still, he pushed as droplets of sweat dripped to the dirt.

"He saved my life, and I asked him why. He told me. 'Because I'm a huntsman protecting people is what I do.' He inspired me to become a huntsman. To help people the way he helped me... Because even right now. There is probably a scared, weak kid... that could use a hero to look up to and a symbol to find strength in." Jaune smiled fondly at the memory. Before he grimaced. He groaned and switched to his left hand, almost falling off but catching himself.

"Hmm, I see. And what about those bullies. If you had the chance, would you harm them like they did you?" Asked Akisame. And Jaune answered in a heartbeat.

"No, I wouldn't...I would use whatever strength I had to prove them wrong about me. I'd become a huntsman, defend people, even them. And I'd show them they were wrong." Akisame hummed before he took another sip of tea.

Akisame smiled when Jaune wasn't looking.

'Well, now, this is surprising. I don't sense a hint of insincerity; perhaps it is worth training him.'

"Your form is terrible." He said, and Jaune could only groan before correcting it, to feel a refreshing amount of water drench his head as one of the earns fell over.

"Go refill that earn, then come back and repeat the whole exercise from the beginning." Said Akisame. Jaune could only grunt before carefully reaching behind him to place the other pot on the ground. Pulling himself up, he walked over to the hose. 'If nothing else, he is working hard and only complaining a little.'

'Not strict my ass!' Jaune thought as he begrudgingly redid the whole exercise, utterly oblivious to the presence of the other masters or the smile on Miu's face. They were all taking notice of the young boy as he trained.

Slowly but Surely, his drive was warming him up to the others, and as time went by, Jaune began to feel more at home with the Masters of Ryozanpaku.

One week later

Jaune had adjusted well to Ryozanpaku. His determination and drive to train helped him fit right in. He noticed that the masters never took a day off from training; he also noticed that a few of them would observe his own. He always felt like they were silently judging him a little.

He noticed master Sakaki always watched him train with a curious stare and would often scoff or chuckle at him. Jaune couldn't read him, but he had the strange sensation that the burly man was shy.

As for Jaune himself had gotten used to going to sleep with bruises and passing out the minute his head hit the bed. He was always a little happy, regardless of how exhausted he was. Every exhausting day was another step closer to his dream.

The Elder and Apachai were playing Othello and watching Jaune train.

"ARGHHH! Huff, I don't want to sound rude, but when will you teach me some techniques?" Asked Jaune as he slowly carried two earns through the stalks, his fingers curled, gripping the edges of the pot tightly in his hands.

"That comes later. Right now, we are building the foundation. An ant cannot defeat a goliath no matter how much training or talent he may have." Said Akisame, and Jaune's eyebrow twitched. "Are you comparing me to an ant?" He asked, and Akisame rubbed his chin and hummed. "That was an unfair analogy...to the ant," he said with an amused smile, and Jaune glared at Akisame. "Ok, THAT WAS JUST UNCALLED FOR!" Yelled Jaune and Akisame only folded his arms. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

"An ant can lift up to ten times its own body weight; there is much you can learn from it." He said, and Jaune let his words sink in. He supposed Akisame had a point, after all. He could barely lift his own body weight, let alone ten times. "...Why don't we take a break." He said. Jaune put down the earns and rubbed his shoulders. "Ok, breaks over, back to it." Akisame smiled, amused as Jaune groaned and picked the earns back up. "Lucky, he has disciples." Apachai sighed as he looked at Jaune and Akisame as they trained. "Hmm, well, why don't you ask to help Apachai?" The Elder smiled at him with a gleam in his eyes. He was happy to see Apachai take an interest in training a disciple. He was curious if doing so would help the Muay Tai fighter succeed in his own challenges. The master smile only grew as the Giant Warrior leaped from his game, landing next to Akisame with the expression of an excited Tiger cub.

"Oh-oh! Akisame, can I help!" Asked Apachai. Akisame nodded. "Yes, Apachai will help train disciples!" He cheered, getting an approving nod from the Philosophical Master.

A few minutes later

Apachai was pulling Jaune's arms and pushing his legs further out. Jaune groaned as he felt his muscles stretched to their limits before they started to burn. "AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

"One, two, three, one, two, three. Way to go, Journey!" Cheered Apachai. The other masters were standing around him with amused looks on their faces. "Hehe, I might just teach him a thing myself." Said Kensai as he watched Jaune struggle and his smirk grew every time he heard a large pop erupt from the boy's back.

Jaune had his legs splitting as far as they could stretch, and Apachai pushed them further apart while pulling his arms, making him stretch down. "GGGGGRRRAAAA!"

"Haha, you should count yourself lucky, Jaune; even a king would be lucky to have so many masters." Laughed the Elder, much to The Blond teen's dismay, as he felt his joints cry for mercy. "THIS IS HELL-GRAAAA!" Yelled Jaune as he felt a sharp jolt of pain as his body stretched in ways he didn't think it should. As he trained, Sakaki was watching him. 'Heh, the kid probably won't last three more days.' He thought absently while drinking another beer.

Three days later

The sun had set, and Jaune was still training into the night. He had just returned from his last run and was about to start the wood stalks again. 'He's not dead yet.' Thought Sakaki as he leaned against the wall with a can of beer. He really thought the kid would have quit or Keeled over by now. Yet here he was still kicking; oh well, it wasn't like the karate master cared all that much.

He watched as the kid cleaned himself up, washing his head with a hose. Once he was done, Sakaki tossed the kid his towel showing the slightest compassion for his newest housemate.

Jaune quickly dried his hair and turned to the Grizzled fighter.

Sakaki Paused as he looked at the blond boy. His hair was all messy and sticking up randomly now.

'He looks like Hajime.' Sakaki somberly realized he remembered his dear friend. In a lot of ways, Jaune reminded him of Hajime. He was eager to learn, a bit scared, yet more than once he caught the boy stopping to watch him train just like...' No, No, This is precisely why I don't do Disciples. '

Jaune saw some kind of recognition in the man's eyes for a brief moment before scratching his nose and scoffing.

"Ah thank you Sakaki sensei." Jaune said, fixing his hair a bit.

"What with the sensei title? I don't remember taking you on as my Disciple kid."

"Oh, sorry, a slip of the tongue," Jaune admitted sheepishly.

"Hrm...I see you not dead."

"uh..yeah, hearts still beating."

"Good. I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

"uh...Thanks?"

There was a tiny bit of awkward silence before Jaune spoke up.

"If you don't mind me asking. when did you begin training as a Martial Artist?" Jaune asked, catching the Karate master a little off guard.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Uh, just well... I feel like I'm starting my training later than most, aren't I?"

"is that what you worried about? Look, kid, every Martial Artist walks their path differently. What will set you apart is the effort you put in and the training you receive. and since you've made it this long, I think you'll be fine." The karate Dan shrugged, opening another can of beer before receiving a smile from Jaune.

"Thanks, Sakaki Sensei. I better get going before Akisame Sensei chews my head off." June bowed and ran off towards the judo master, leaving Sakaki to watch Jaune shuffle through rows of wooden stalks. Much easier than he did the first time. Only to duck under another swipe from Akisame. "YOUR HEADS TOO HIGH!"

'...Maybe it wouldn't be too bad taking on a Desciple.' Sakaki thought as he sipped his drink.

The Elder came over and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Akisame, I think we should call it a day. Jaune has school in the morning." Said the Elder as he handed Jaune a folded-up uniform. "You'll be going to the same school as Miu. Since you're a runaway, getting in took a little effort." The Elder held out Jaunes school schedule; the Young Desciple was slightly surprised by this. He never even thought to try attending school again. His plan was to self-study and hope.

"Thank you, Master." Said Jaune as he bowed. The Elder only chuckled. Jaune walked back to his room and crashed into bed.

The Elder stroked his mustache before he looked at Akisame. "Well, what do you think about our young disciple?" He asked both Akisame and Sakaki. "Heh, I'll give the kid props. He hasn't died yet." Said Sakaki before he finished his beer. "I'm actually surprised he hasn't quite yet either. Considering what the philosopher is putting him through"

Akisame folded his arms into his sleeves and nodded. "Hmm, he has a good heart, and no matter what I throw at him, he meets it head-on." Said Akisame. He was against taking another disciple. So he was throwing his most challenging and most grueling workouts to get him to give up. He was actually surprised that Jaune hadn't given up yet. Then he started to test his character, asking him what his goals were and why. He even had Jaune take routes that would have him past Faunus. Even when Akisame told Jaune to keep running, he still stopped to help a Faunus child when they were crying.

So, all in all, Akisame figured that he should start the technique training soon and teach Jaune how to actually fight. He had shown heart, dedication, and natural philosophy that corresponds to the teachings of RYOZANPAKU. "...It's about time we started his technique training." Shigure's head popped out of the tree as she hung from a branch upside down by her legs. "Let... I train him...in the art of...weapons...tomorrow...when he returns." She said, her stoic face revealing no emotion, only the slight glint of curiosity in her eyes.

The next morning

Jaune and Miu were walking to school together, the two talking freely. he was a little surprised to see Miu change her look. Instead of letting her hair out like she usually did, she tied it in a ponytail and wore a pair of round-rimmed glasses.

He was surprised to find that the Elder was able to enroll him in school. He really owed the Elder and everyone a great deal, especially since they took so much time to train him.

"It is nice to walk to school. With a friend for once. I'm so glad Grandpa could get your transfer cleared in time for my first day." Miu beamed at him as if the experience was truly remarkable.

"Yeah, I didn't even think to try enrolling in any schools nearby," Jaune Admitted sheepishly. He was so determined to train that he forgot to approach the topic of his education. It certainly would have been embarrassing if he made it to the Academy tryouts only to flunk the written portion because he never studied.

"Good thing Grampa thought of it." Miu chirped as the two of them walked towards the school. Jaune gave an amused chuckle as Miu occasionally stopped to try and pet some of the Neighborhood Cats.

Jaune was pleased he came to Ryozanpaku. And he was excited to see what this new school had in store.

Meanwhile, in the Arc Household.

Christiana was nervous; it's been weeks since her brother had run away, and they had found nothing. They had no idea where he was if he was ok, if he got hurt. They had called everyone in the family to check if he had contacted any of them for help. Yet now, after weeks of worrying, she wondered how things came to this. It was so unlike her brother to do something this reckless and stupid. What would make him risk traveling on his own like this out of the blue?

She paced back and forth in her room, packing her things; her aunt would pick her up to continue her training in an Atlas. As much as she wanted to dedicate her time to find her twin brother, she needed to return to school. She would just need to look for him during her spare time with her aunt. Most huntsmen Training schools had mentor programs where you could miss school for a few weeks at a time with a Licensed Huntsmen/Huntress's permission. Usually, it was just for specialized training or Hunting trips. She would have to utilize hers to find her brother and her own training.

The Huntress in training paused as she passed her desk, staring at the unopened letter. She hadn't tried reading it; she was afraid he hated her. she knew her parents treated him differently than his sisters. She knew how much it hurt when their aunt chose to train her while their parents made empty promises to teach him soon. She knew, yet she never seriously spoke out; she always trusted that they knew better and would train him when he was ready.

She gingerly held the letter in her hands, tapping the edge slowly as she battled her fear. There may have been a slight chance there was a clue in the letter.

"Please...Don't hate me, Jaune."

Dear Chris,

There isn't an easy way for me to break this news to you. But I will try to be as transparent as possible. As you've no doubt discovered, I have run away from home. This was not some spur of the emotional moment like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I took my time to think about what I want from life, where I want to go in my future, the kind of man I want to be, and who I want to stand beside me.

Mom and Dad gave up on me before ever trying to train me. They were just going to keep making empty promises and pushing the timetable further and further until I failed or gave up. I know they have reasons for wanting me to have a peaceful life.

But I want to be a Huntsmen. I want to save people. I want to become a strong man like Granpa, Father, and uncle Alex. I want to help you fight off grim. I want to protect our home and family.

I am tired of being weak.

That's why it became clear that I needed to take my future into my own hands. I have found a master to train me. I plan to get where I need to, and one day you will get a letter to let you know I am alive.

I hope you can forgive me for this.

But I need this.

Love Your Brother

She looked over it once...twice, and three more times. Helpful, nothing in the letter, no clue, no idea where he went. Only that he found some kind of teacher. Dammit, think Chris, Jaune wouldn't just trust the first stranger that promised to train him. Someone had to recommend this teacher. Someone he trusted.

She knew it wasn't anyone in the immediate family. Everyone was too shocked to find out he had run. It could have been Alex, but she was almost sure he would have just shown up and taken Jaune under his wing himself.

That only left 2 teachers at his school and Malon. Who hadn't told them anything they didn't already know.

Still, Chris quickly walked out the door and made her way towards the Ranch, Malon was considered a good friend to the Arc sisters, and most were secretly rooting for the girl to go out with their brother. Even the oh-so-protective Mama Arc herself Approved of the girl. It wasn't a wonder why the girl was a literal angel and cared for Jaune. Always coming to check on him whenever he had to call out sick or Bandaging him up when he tried to do a stupid stunt as a child. Like when he tried to beat the other kid's record for the longest skid mark only to end up scratching up his entire leg. Malon must have spent a good half-hour picking pebbles out of his leg. Or when he and Jaune would sleep over at the ranch. The three would set up a little tent inside the Barn and tell scary stories. Jaune would cheer Malon up whenever she got too scared, saying if any Grimm came, he would Defeat them. Like a real knight/huntsmen/Superhero or whatever he thought was cooler at the time.

Chris smiled at the memory. They had sleepovers way less as they got older. She started training, Jaune began to work, and Malon took on more responsibilities at her family's ranch. At the least, Chris has grown a little more distant from the two than she realized.

She was brought out of her trip from memory lane as she saw the girl in question. She was ripping out old nails from the somewhat weathered fence, a whole wagon of replacement boards and Nails at the ready.

"Good afternoon Malon. Do you have a moment?" Chris asked, getting malon to look up as she tossed the old plank to the side.

"Sorry, Chrissy, I have to finish this fence before it gets dark." The farmgirl tried to excuse herself to return to work, but Chris was stubborn.

"How about I help you, and we chat a bit while we work." The blond girl said that Malon looked like she wanted to protest, but looking down at the rest of the fence caused her to sigh.

"Alright, Fine, you can help. There should be a spare hammer in the toolbox. Careful jumping the fence. I'm not replacing it for laughs." The Brunnette warned, receiving a nod from Chris, who merely took a few steps back before gracefully jumping over the fence.

The two worked in awkward silence for a while, Neither of them knowing how to start.

"So...did Jaune leave you a letter too?" Chris asked, finally breaking the silence. Malon tapped her finger against the board before she shook her head.

"No. He said goodbye in person."

"Did you tell him how you felt?" She asked, seeing Malon's already red face flush a little more.

"..."

"Oh, my gods, you did!" Chris said excitedly, Malon trying to hide her blush from her crush's sister. "Come on, give me details! What did you say? what did he say?"

"Well..." Malopn returned to work, explaining how they both told each other their feelings. Al the while, Chris was grinning.

"You're telling me even after all that he left?"

"I didn't want him to give up his dream for me. It felt selfish."

"Is there anything wrong with being a little selfish with love~" Chris swooned teasingly as Malon gently bonked her head with an old blank.

"You're just saying that cause your love life is nonexistent."

"Hey, I can get a boyfriend if I want to!"

"Sure you can~"

Even when he walked into the Dojo again, he was in a perfect mood. He promptly went up to his room and changed into his GI. He walked into the Dojo to where the masters were gathered. "Alright, Akisame sensei, I'm ready for today's hell!" he said.

"Actually, Jaune, today we will begin technique training. In other words, you're going to learn how to fight." He said, and Jaune grinned.

"Alright, bring it. I feel great today!" he said, excited to learn how to fight. So you can imagine his confusion when they handed him a rolled-up newspaper.

"Your first lesson will be with Shigure, followed by Kensai Ma, then myself, and finally Apachai." Said Akisame. Shigure stood in front of him with a rolled-up newspaper.

"And we're using rolled-up newspaper because?" he asked. Akisame nodded to Shigure as she pulled out her katana and then sheathed it. Jaune jumped when the statue next to him fell apart into little pieces.

"Oh, just a safety precaution." Said Akisame with a bit of amusement.

"Ok then uh…what's first then, Shigure sensei." Asked Jaune.

"I will…teach you…how to use …a knife." She said. "Get in a stance."

Jaune held out his rolled-up newspaper. Shigure rolled her newspaper around his hand. "You want me to hit your hand like that? Your vitals are completely exposed." She tapped Jaune where his kidney, liver, lungs, and heart were. She walked behind Jaune. "Here's the right stance. Turn your body sideways and bring your free hand to your hip." She adjusted Jaune's body, the boy letting her guide him into a proper stance.

"Better... now can you... hit me?" she asked. Jaune nodded and lunged forward, thrusting the end of the newspaper forward like a knife. Shigure rolled the newspaper away and held her own at his neck effortlessly.

"I... win." She said while staring into his eyes. Jaune swore he saw a glint of playfulness in them before gulping, feeling the paper's edge.

"Ok, can we go again, please?" He asked. Shigure nodded and showed Jaune how to properly parry and attack with a knife. The spar went very slowly to start getting Jaune used to the stance correctly. Jaune paid close attention to Shigure's words, getting used to the odd pauses she would do. He treated the lesson seriously, and even though he couldn't come close, he still felt like he was making progress.

"Alright, your turns over. It's mine now." Said Kensai as he led Jaune outside. "Now listen very carefully when evading. Never step back. You must charge forward and wait for your opponent's attack." Jaune watched the old master technique and tried to mimic it.

"Um, Ma sensei, what kind of technique is this?" asked Jaune.

"It's a defensive and offensive technique here. I'll show you…Miu do mind coming here for a moment." He waved to Miu, who begrudgingly came over. "Now, Miu, I want you to attack me." Miu nodded and tried to kick him with a side kick Kensai moved forward, locked her leg with his arms, and planted his head into her sternum.

"Now, with this technique, I can not only avoid the attack but get into my opponent's guard, shoving my head into their chest where I can counter-attack." He rubbed his head around Miu's chest, and she tried to punch him, only for him to run away.

"Practice that technique!" He ran away from Miu as she tried to swat him with a broom. "You're a dirty old man!" Jaune did as instructed but found the technique a little odd.'

Jaune had a little difficulty with the motion trying to imagine a kick coming at him. Once Miu had finished his, his master returned to fix his form. And sooner than Jaune realized, the time came, and he followed the Jiujitsu master.

Akisame brought him into the Dojo, where a stone statue was waiting for him. "Um…sensei uh…what's with the statue?" he asked.

"Well, I call it the great throwing deity, so I think you can figure it out. Comprehension of your opponent's mass is crucial. Now try to throw this statue." Jaune nodded and grabbed the Gi the statue was wearing before he tried to throw it, only for the figure to tilt back into place.

"How am I supposed to throw this when it's so heavy!?" He asked as he kept attempting to throw it. Grabbing his gi and trying to kick the bottom of its legs, he only lifted it an inch off the ground before his grip slipped.

"Try focusing on its center of gravity. On the human body, it's just below the naval. If you simultaneously attack your opponent's center of gravity and throw them off balance, you can throw them easily." Said Akisame as he swiped the feet of the statue, causing it to spin in the air before landing back on its feet.

"Ok, I think I understand." Jaune got closer, grabbing the statue's belt and pushing its lower half. It took him a couple tries to throw it, but he grinned triumphantly when he finally threw the figure to the floor.

"That throw was sloppy. Do it again." Said Akisame, words cutting into his slightly growing pride, forcing him to do it repeatedly.

Next, it was Apachai's turn. He wasn't quite sure why he felt such a heavy dread. The giant had been so kind to him while in Ryozanpaku. Yet despite that, he saw Shigure mouse bring its hands together as if to pray for the boy.

"Right, it's Apachai turn next!" He cheered Jaune, smiled, and nodded, shaking off the dark feeling he was getting. He seemed so excited to train Jaune. How bad could it be?

"Alright, sensei, what should we do first?" Apachai put a pair of red boxing mitts on his hands.

"Today we're doing mitts. It's too early for sparring." Said Apachai as he patted the mitts in his hand. Jaune nodded and started to punch the mitts.

"Yes, that's right! That's it! Now get your forearm in there!" The giant encouraged the blonde disciple. Jaune shoved his forearm into the mitt while punching the other. "You're not good at all, but I think it's great! Instructors need to give positive feedback! Now you're going to dodge this." Apachai pulled back his right mitt. The boy failed to sense the incoming danger in time.

"Dodge?" asked Jaune before his face kissed the mat Harder than a Mistralian Prostitute. Jaune flew into the air and briefly scared a small robin as he blacked out mid-air.

"Jaune!" Yelled Apachai as he caught him in his arms before he hit the ground and screamed into the air Cradling his fallen disciple as he lay in his arm unmoving. causing his master to call into the air dramatically. "Nooo, not my first disciple!"

"Jaune! Akisame, come quick!" yelled Miu as she ran over. Sakaki was leaning against the wall and grimaced as the newest disciple slowly came into Apachais arms looking around confused.

"Humph." He chopped off the neck of a glass bottle of beer and started to drink. "At this rate, he won't survive."

"If you're that worried, why don't you show him a thing or two?" The Elder asked with a knowing grin.

Sakaki merely waved him off

"Because I don't do Disciples, old man."

1 hour later.

Jaune was panting hard as he was hunched over. The poor boy was covered in dark bruises, and he had to pause a few times for master Akisame to fix a dislocated shoulder. Even with Apachai unable to hold back, Jaune kept getting back up and working on his form with the matts. He couldn't dodge a single Apachais punches. The man was too fast for Jaune to even react in time.

He looked up as a shadow loomed over him and saw Master Sakaki looking down at him sternly.

"Come on, kid, if you're gonna be a martial artist, you at least have to breathe with more dignity than a dog." The intimidating master crouched down and gave Jaune Diaphram a pat. "Breath from your Diaphragm. You'll get more Oxygen in your system and recover faster."

"o...ok," Jaune panted, taking a deep breath in trying to use the diaphragm as Sakaki instructed. It took him a few tries, but after a few mouthfuls of air, he could feel his energy return quicker.

"That...that was very nice of you, sir. Thank you for teaching me that." Jaune smiled, standing up and noticing the karate master's ears turning red before he tossed Jaune a brand new water canteen.

"It was nothing to look into. I just got tired of hearing you pant like some exhausted stray."

'He's surprisingly nice.' Jaune thought as he caught the water bottle taking a grateful swig of water. His masters made sure he kept up with brakes for water and food. They ensured he had the proper nutrition and rest to make their strict regiment viable.

"Still, thank you very much."

"Don't get used to it. I don't do, Disciples." he turned away from Jaune and walked towards the Dojo. "go freshen up. Miu's almost done with dinner."

"I understand, sir," Jaune said, following the tall man before excusing himself to clean himself off in the hot spring.

He had to admit. The hot spring alone nearly made it worth it. He could just feel the pain ease away as he soaked in there. He always felt much better after he washed in the hot spring. It was surrounded by bushes and some relatively large Japanese red maple trees. The boy leaned back, letting out a long sigh, only to glance down to see the familiar mouse floating in the bath. Typically you'd freak out seeing a mouse bathing with i=you. Still, Tochimaru was just another thing you got used to while living in the Dojo. He was usually always with Shigure, but Jaune would occasionally see him just chilling in the Dojo.

"Hello, there, little guy. Enjoy the spring too?"

the mouse let out a cute little sigh and nodded contently.

"Still a little weird. You can understand me so well. but your alright for a mouse." Jaune said, letting the mouse float into his hand. "Come on, the others will be ready with dinner soon. We should dry off.

Jaune carried the mouse into the doors and stared as it dried itself off with its own little towel.

'That one Brilliant mouse.' he thought before joining the masters for dinner.

Hello, I apologize for the long wait. my job needs me to travel often for work, and I accidentally left my personal laptop at home. Just got back with enough free time to sit down and write. To clarify. Yes, Jaune is replacing Kenichi. I will be fixing that little mistake in the first chapter soon. I just wanted to post this chapter because you've all been patient with me. I appreciate all the support I've gotten for the reboot and am excited to explore these characters more in-depth than before. I'm especially looking forward to brand-new arcs and pairings. I feel like I'll be able to flush out more of Jaune's family story and his own growth. So far, I've been making small, subtle changes, but the fundamental differences will begin in the next chapter. I hope you all look forward to it.

and Don't worry, you'll see how he interacts at his new school next chapter. This was Done on purpose.

until next time

-Later Days

~Wiseotaku