RWUBY

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Naruto x Pairing

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Story Start

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Blake clearly remembered the sunlit morning when Naruto vanished from the White Fang outpost. The base, tucked away in Vale's sprawling outskirts, was always bustling with activity—Faunus recruits training in the courtyard, couriers delivering messages, and various cells discussing the next protest or mission. Amid that commotion, Naruto had quietly slipped away.

She replayed the final moments they'd shared: a casual greeting over breakfast, his playful grin as he teased her about their upcoming spar, and the warmth of his voice as he promised they would meet in the courtyard after lunch. He'd left to "help out with a supply run," or so someone mentioned. But he never returned. By nightfall, no one had answers. Panic churned in Blake's chest, but the White Fang's schedule demanded her attention.

"Have you… seen Naruto? He was supposed to be back by now." Blake asked a nearby faunus guard.

"No sign of him. Maybe he got delayed."

"He's not coming back, is he?" Blake's whisper echoed in the empty storeroom. She didn't expect an answer—not from the crates, not from the shadows, and certainly not from Naruto.

Adam found her there, his towering frame blocking what little light filtered through the doorway. For once, those dangerous maroon eyes of his held something close to sympathy.

"You know what the worst part is?" Blake's voice cracked. "The silence. He didn't even say goodbye."

"Some people can't face goodbyes," Adam said, crouching beside her. "They think it's easier to just... disappear."

"It's not easier. Not for those left behind."

Adam's hand found her shoulder. "Then don't let yourself be left behind. Stand up. Fight with me."

And she did. Days blurred into weeks as Blake threw herself into the White Fang's missions. Her father, Ghira, watched with growing concern as she partnered with Adam more frequently.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Ghira cornered her after a particularly risky mission. The worry lines around his eyes had deepened.

Blake squared her shoulders. "I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Are you? Or are you running from something?"

"I'm not running," she snapped. "I'm finally standing for something."

Adam's voice cut through their tension. "She's one of our best, Ghira. You should be proud."

But pride wasn't what Blake saw in her father's eyes when he and her mother left the White Fang months later. Kali's final plea still haunted her:

"This isn't the path we fought for, Blake. Come home with us."

"The White Fang is my home now," Blake had answered, even as something inside her screamed this wasn't right.

Under Sienna Khan's leadership, everything changed. The mission briefings grew darker, the objectives more violent. Blake found herself in Sienna's war room, listening as their new leader outlined their next target.

"The Schnee Dust cargo train," Sienna announced, her orange eyes gleaming. "We'll hit it at dawn."

"What about the crew?" Blake asked.

Adam's laugh was cold. "Since when do we care about human casualties?"

"Since we promised to be better than them," Blake shot back.

Sienna's gaze cut through her. "Better? They put shock collars on Faunus children in the mines. Tell me, Blake—what's better than that?"

"There has to be another way," Blake insisted.

"There isn't." Adam's hand gripped her shoulder—harder this time, possessive. "You're either with us or against us. Which is it?"

Blake felt the weight of every eye in the room. She thought of Naruto, of her parents, of everything the White Fang used to stand for. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was:

"I'm with you."

The words tasted like ash.

Later that night, Renji found her in the training room, her knuckles bloody from hitting the punching bag.

"You don't have to pretend around me," he said quietly. "I see it too—how far we've fallen."

Blake's fist connected with the bag one last time. "Then why are you still here?"

His answer was barely a whisper: "Same reason as you. I'm afraid of what happens if I leave."

"Afraid?" Blake's laugh was hollow. "We're supposed to be fighting fear, not living in it."

"Maybe that's the problem." Renji slumped against the wall, his bear ears twitching in the dim light. "We've been fighting so long, we've forgotten what we're fighting for."

A shadow passed the doorway—Adam. His mask gleamed in the darkness as he paused, watching them. Blake felt her spine stiffen.

"Strategy meeting. Now," he commanded. "Sienna wants everyone there."

The main hall was packed when they arrived. Sienna Khan stood at its center, her presence electric. Maps and diagrams covered the tables—train routes, security positions, weapon caches.

"Tomorrow's raid isn't just about Dust," Sienna announced. "It's about sending a message. The Schnees think their precious cargo trains are untouchable. We're going to prove them wrong."

Someone in the crowd shouted, "What about the guards?"

"Show no mercy," Adam answered before Sienna could. "They chose their side."

Blake's voice cut through the murmurs. "That's not what we stand for."

The room went silent. Adam turned to her slowly, his smile dangerous. "And what do we stand for, Blake? Peaceful protests that got us nowhere? Begging humans for basic rights?"

"We stand for justice," Blake shot back. "Not revenge."

"Justice?" Sienna's laugh was sharp. "Look around you, child. Every Faunus here has scars from human 'justice.' Ask them if they want peace."

The crowd growled in agreement. Blake saw Renji shift uncomfortably, but he remained silent.

"Fine," Blake said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "Then tell me how this ends. We kill their guards, they kill more of us. We burn their cargo, they burn our homes. Where does it stop?"

Adam stepped close—too close. His whisper was for her alone: "It stops when they learn to fear us more than we ever feared them."

Later that night, Blake found herself on the compound's roof, staring at the shattered moon. Footsteps approached—Renji again.

"You shouldn't have challenged them," he said quietly.

"Someone has to."

"Adam won't let this go. He sees you as his... his partner. Your doubt is a betrayal."

Blake's hands clenched. "I never asked to be his anything."

"No," Renji agreed. "But that's how he sees you. And Adam... he doesn't handle betrayal well."

A cold wind whipped between them. Below, White Fang members prepared for tomorrow's raid, checking weapons, reviewing plans.

"Tell me something, Renji," Blake said finally. "If you could leave—really leave, start over somewhere else—would you?"

His silence was answer enough.

"I used to think Naruto abandoned us," Blake continued, her voice barely a whisper. "But maybe... maybe he saw what was coming. Maybe he was braver than all of us."

Renji's hand found her shoulder. "Blake... whatever you're thinking of doing—"

"I'm not thinking of anything," she cut him off quickly, too quickly. "I'm loyal to the cause."

But as she said it, her eyes drifted to the horizon, where the first hints of dawn were starting to break. Tomorrow's raid would change everything—one way or another.

The question was: who would she be when it was over?

The night air bit through Blake's clothes as she crouched by the tracks. Beside her, Adam's breathing was steady, controlled—too controlled. She knew that rhythm. It meant he was excited.

"Remember," she whispered, "we're just here for the Dust."

His mask caught moonlight as he turned. "Of course."

But there was an edge to his voice that made her skin crawl.

The train's whistle pierced the darkness. Right on schedule. They moved like shadows, leaping onto the speeding freight car with practiced grace. Inside, the Dust crystals cast an eerie glow across stacked crates.

The first guard never saw them coming. Blake's strike was precise—enough to knock him out, nothing more. But when she turned, she saw Adam's blade already slick with red.

"They were surrendering!" The words tore from her throat.

"They'll radio for backup if we let them live." Adam's voice was cold, detached. He stepped toward another guard who was backing away, hands raised.

"Please," the guard begged. "I have a family—"

Adam's sword flashed.

"Stop!" Blake threw herself between Adam and his next target. "This isn't what we came for!"

"Move, Blake."

"No."

Their eyes locked. In that moment, she saw something in him she'd been trying to ignore for months—maybe years. A darkness that had always been there, growing like a cancer.

"They deserve this," he snarled. "Every human who works for the SDC deserves what's coming to them."

A guard tried to run. Adam's blade found him before Blake could intervene.

"This is murder," she whispered.

"This is justice!"

The cargo car detached with a metallic screech. Their mission was technically complete. But Adam wasn't finished. He never would be.

Blake backed toward the door. "I can't do this anymore."

"Blake..." His voice softened, and that was almost worse. "We're changing the world. Together. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not like this." Her eyes stung. "Never like this."

She turned and ran, her footsteps echoing through the train's corridors. Behind her, Adam's voice rose:

"If you leave now, you're no better than him! You're just another coward, like Naruto!"

The night air hit her face as she burst through the roof hatch. Without hesitation, she leapt, letting the darkness swallow her.

Hours later, she stood in her small room at the compound, shoving essentials into a bag. Her hands shook.

"So." Adam's voice froze her in place. "This is your answer? Running away?"

She didn't turn around. "You know what happened on that train wasn't right."

"What I know is that you're weak." His footsteps drew closer. "Too weak to do what needs to be done."

"Killing unarmed people isn't strength!" Now she did turn, fury burning through her fear. "It's cruelty. It's everything we used to fight against."

"Used to?" His laugh was bitter. "Wake up, Blake. This is who we've always been. You just didn't want to see it."

"No." She shouldered her bag. "This is who you've become. And I won't become it with you."

His hand caught her arm. "If you walk out that door..."

"You'll what?" She met his gaze. "Kill me too?"

The silence between them stretched like a blade.

"I loved you," he said finally.

"No." She pulled free. "You loved what you thought you could make me into."

She was at the door when his voice, suddenly raw, stopped her: "He left you. Naruto left you. And now you're leaving me?"

Blake's hand tightened on the doorframe. "Maybe Naruto saw what I couldn't. Maybe he was braver than both of us."

She stepped into the darkness, not looking back. Behind her, Adam's whisper carried like a curse:

"I'll find you."

The corridor seemed endless as Blake ran, her footsteps echoing off cold walls. No alarms rang. No one chased her. Somehow, that felt worse.

Days later, she found herself in a dingy motel on the outskirts of Vale, staring at her reflection in a cracked mirror. The girl looking back seemed like a stranger.

"What now?" she whispered to her reflection. It didn't answer.

She thought of Naruto—his laugh, his stupid jokes, the way he could make anyone believe in a better tomorrow. "I get it now," she said to his memory. "Why you left. I just wish..."

Her voice trailed off. Wishes didn't matter anymore.

In the motel's common room, two travelers' conversation caught her attention:

"Beacon's accepting new students next week," one said. "Even Faunus can apply."

"A Huntsman academy?" his companion scoffed. "That's dangerous work."

"Better than living under SDC's boot. At least Hunters protect people—all people."

Blake's ears twitched under her bow. Protect people. When was the last time she'd done that?

The next morning found her standing before Beacon's towering gates, clutching a small bag of belongings. Students streamed past her, their excitement electric in the air.

"Name?" A staff member's voice snapped her from her thoughts.

"Blake Belladonna."

He checked his scroll. "Provisional acceptance pending examination. Headmaster Ozpin will address new candidates shortly."

The exam itself was brutal—simulated Grimm attacks, combat trials, Aura manipulation tests. But for the first time in years, Blake felt clean. No innocent blood. No "necessary sacrifices." Just her skills against virtual monsters.

"Impressive technique," Ozpin said afterward, his voice soft but carrying. "You've clearly had... extensive training."

Blake met his gaze, wondering if he knew. If he could see the White Fang's shadow in her movements. But he just smiled and welcomed her to Beacon.

Her assigned dorm room was small but bright. Nothing like the dark compounds she'd grown used to. She unpacked her meager belongings: some clothes, a few books, and—

A knock at the door made her freeze.

"Coming," she called, heart racing. But it was just an administrator with orientation details.

Alone again, Blake pressed her forehead against the cool window glass. Below, students gathered in the courtyard, laughing, making friends. Normal people living normal lives.

"I can do this," she whispered. "I can be... better."

She thought of Adam's final words: "I'll find you." Of Naruto's unexplained disappearance. Of all the questions still unanswered.

But for now, she had a fresh start. A chance to protect instead of destroy. To become someone who saved lives rather than took them.

Blake adjusted her bow one last time and stepped into the hallway. Orientation would start soon. New faces. New challenges. New life.

"Thank you," she whispered to Naruto's memory, "for showing me there was another way."

The morning light streamed through Beacon's windows as she walked toward the auditorium. Whatever came next—Adam's threats, the White Fang's shadow, the mystery of Naruto's disappearance—she would face it as a Huntress-in-training.

For the first time in years, Blake Belladonna felt something like hope.