Maelstrom Hunter

by LoneWolf01

Summary:

Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains. One young man starts his journey at Beacon Academy. Rated Explicit. Naruto/Harem. Crossposted on FanFiction.Net

Chapter 1

Notes:

OK, this story is just to take the original's place as that story wasn't my idea but my beta's and with them not having much time on the computer for a year or over now with not talking much I decided to do this story for those that are only interested in my RWBY story.

Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past. Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction, the creatures of Grimm set their sights on man and all of his creations.

These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named "Dust".

Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.

But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

Vale, Night.

In an alleyway, a man smoking a cigar walked in front of four men who all have fair skin and are wearing black suits with red ties, black hats, and sunglasses.

The man has slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He's wearing a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. And he's holding a brown cane.

This is Roman Torchwick, a wanted criminal for multiple crimes.

Roman grins before walking down the road, frightening nearby citizens as they make their way towards the shop called 'From Dust Till Dawn. They enter the shop, not noticing a girl with a hooded cloak on reading a weapons magazine The henchmen look around and at the Dust crystals in the display when Roman approaches the elderly balding shopkeeper.

Roman then flicks his cigar as he looked at the various colors crystals in the displays. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?"

One of the henchmen points his gun at the shopkeeper having him raise his hands. "P-please! Just take my Lien and leave!"

Roman shook his head at that. "Shh, shh, shh, shh, calm down, we're not here for your money." He then turned to his men. "Grab the Dust."

A henchman opens a case and removes one of several cylinders, which the group uses to take Dust from the tube containers on the walls. One then placed another open case on the display to the shopkeeper. "Crystals. Burn. Uncut."

The shopkeeper proceeds to fill the case. As another henchman goes for another tube, he hears a muted song from the girl's direction and unsheathes a sword. He then walks over and points his sword at her back. "Alright kid, put your hands where I can see 'em. (no response) Hey, I said hands in the air! You got a death wish or something!?"

He goes over to her and turns her around, the hood dropping to reveal the girl is a fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and black, neck-length, choppy hair that graduates to dark red at the tips. She's wearing a long-sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with red trim. She also wearing a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top, and red soles.

Her outfit is topped by the red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appears as a large silver Rose brooch and is pinned to a wide black belt slung around her hips on an angle, which also carries bullets and a pouch and wearing headphones.

This is Ruby Rose, a student of Signal Academy.

He motions for her to lower them having her comply. "Yes?"

"I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

She gained a confused look at that. "Are you... robbing me?"

"Yes!"

"Ooohhh..."

Roman is waiting for his men to finish the heist when a "Hey!" and "Hyah!" are heard, and the threatening henchman flies past him. Roman calmly motions for another to handle Ruby.

"Freeze!"

Outside, a motorcycle drove down the streets with a fair-skinned teen boy driving it. He's 5'9" with blonde, spiky hair under a dark orange helmet and blue eyes He has three whisker markings on his cheeks and is wearing blue jeans with a black belt that has cylinders with glowing bullets in them in pouches around it, with two holsters with revolvers on each side in reverse grip and black boots. He has a leather jacket over a white T-Shirt with a black and orange sniper rifle hooked on the right side of the bike under his leg. (1.)

The motorcycle is a chopper/bobber-style bike with the tires and suspension of a dirt bike. It's black with orange lines on the top of the tank and back fender, an orange frame, rims with armor on the front of the tank, and the front fender covering the front half of the tire. (2.)

This is Naruto Uzumaki.

He came to the dust shop before hitting the brakes and slid to a stop as he saw a man and girl fly out the window. He looked over and saw Ruby pull a red rectangle box from her lower back and it extended to a large scythe. Its frame is colored rose-red with black trims, with its large scythe blade forged into a crescent shape before hearing music.

This will be the day we've waited for.

This will be the day we open up the door.

I don't wanna hear your absolution; Hope you're ready for a revolution.

Welcome to a world of new solutions.

Welcome to a world of bloody evolution-

Click!

Ruby turned her music off as she spun Crescent Rose and slammed the blade into the ground. The henchmen run out to the front of the shop and charge at Ruby, who spins around her scythe and kicks the closest assailant in the face.

She then pulls Crescent Rose out of the ground and fires a shot, revealing it's also a sniper rifle. Using the recoil, she slammed the butt of her weapon into the next henchman, sending him flying, before bringing it down on another after following through the motion. The final attacker opens fire on her, forcing her to evade the incoming rounds through a series of zigzags, propelled by a few shots from Crescent Rose.

This allows her to get close enough to knock him into the air. She then spins around and knocks him down, with the henchman landing at Roman's feet. "You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." Roman said sarcastically to his downed men. "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I like to stick around… I'm afraid this is where we part ways." He said and then takes aim at Ruby with his cane and had a crosshair come off the bottom before firing a shot.

One that she quickly dodges by jumping onto Crescent Rose and launching herself upwards. She landed before looking to see the shopkeep walkout. "You okay if I go after him?"

The shopkeeper nods before Naruto without his helmet ran up to her holding his revolvers showing they are average-sized double-barreled revolvers one on top of the other with a six-chambered cylinder. They also have two triggers and an external hammer. "Would you like help?" (3.)

She nodded before launching herself up having Naruto sigh. He ran to the fire escape before holstering his pistols and ran up the wall to grab the metal frame and pull himself up before running up to see Ruby stopping Roman who was at the edge of the roof. "Hey!

"Persistent…"

Ruby readies to fight him, but an aircraft rises and opens the hatch to allow Roman inside. Roman then turned around and held up a red Dust gem. "End of the line, Red." He throws it out at her feet and fires at her, resulting in a large explosion. "Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" He laughs before stopping as he sees a woman now in front of Ruby and Naruto, casting a circle of protection over them with her riding crop.

She looks to be a middle-aged woman that has very light blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wearing thin oval glasses. She has dangling teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her collar. She's wearing a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist.

Her lower body is covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings. She also has black boots with bronze heels and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape is stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appears an emblem of a tiara that is her symbol.

This is Glynda Goodwitch

As Ruby and Naruto look on, Glynda waves her weapon and summons several streaks of purple at the craft. Roman is thrown around in the back until he goes to the cockpit, where a woman in a red dress waled to the opening, her face in the shadow.

Glynda glows purple for a moment and aims another blast above the craft, resulting in a dark storm cloud right over the jet. With a flick of her wand, large jagged hail starts falling that pummels the jet and even breaks through the window, narrowly missing Roman's head.

The woman reaches the back and her arms and chest light up like fire, aiming a burst of energy at Glynda. She blocks it, but the flame splatters behind her and glows hot with the enemy's raised hand. Glynda back-flips out of the explosion, which destroys part of the roof, and magically gathers the shards to create a large arrow, which she throws at the craft.

The fiery woman shatters the arrow with several blasts, but it reforms just in time to hit the side of the jet due to Roman's quick aerial lean. The wreckage separates and reshapes into more arrows that encircle the jet, but the woman summons several glowing rings around herself that expand and destroy the shards.

Ruby, finally acting, reverts her scythe into its rifle form to fire at the woman with Naruto who was firing his pistols beside her. The woman just blocks each shot and creates several blazing circles around her opponents. Glynda telekinetically pushes the two away and rolls herself out of the explosion's radius; looking up to see the hatch close and the craft fly away.

Ruby then got up in Glynda's face. "You're a Huntress! Can I have your autograph?!"

Unknown Location.

Both Naruto and Ruby are sitting at a table in a dark room with a light on above them as Glynda, with a tablet computer, paces around the table. "I hope that you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly. You two put yourself and others in great danger."

"They started it!"

"I just wanted to help!" Naruto said before Glynda's crop hit the table in front of him. "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home... With a pat on the back… And a slap on the wrist. But... there is someone here who would like to meet you. Mr. Uzumaki, you'll wait outside."

Naruto got up and walked out and saw a man holding a plate of cookies and a mug of hot cocoa.

He's a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He has a light complexion and sharp facial features and black eyebrows. He's wearing shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consists of an unzipped black suit over a dark green buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wears black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants

This is Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

He sits and puts the mug and plate down before leaning in to look at Ruby. "Ruby Rose… You... have silver eyes."

"Uh, um..."

Ozpin then leaned back. "So! Where did you learn to do this?" He asked gesturing with his head at the tablet showing Ruby's fighting.

"S-Signal Academy."

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" He asked glancing back at her.

"Well, one teacher in particular." She said as he pushed the plate to her.

"I see…"

Ruby tentatively picks one up, eats it in a single bite, and then, not seeing any rebuttal, shovels the rest into her mouth before he spoke. "It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow..."

Ruby mumbles through her full mouth. "Mmh! Thash muh unkul" She then swallows and wipes her mouth, embarrassed at what she did. "Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!" She finished making karate-style poses and noises.

Ozpin smiled at her. "So I've noticed." He then leans in again. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Ruby looked back at him. "Well... I want to be a Huntress."

"You want to slay monsters?"

Ruby nodded at that with a smile. "Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal! And then I'm going to apply to Beacon!" She then starts to talk a little faster with her enthusiasm growing. "You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, Hey, I might as well make a career out of it! (giggles)"

"I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!" She said as she flips out at the last part, staring at the two with a wide, crazy smile.

"Do you know who I am?" Ozpin asks as she nodded.

"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

Ozpin smiled again at that. "Hello."

"Nice to meet you.

"You want to come to my school?"

Ruby nodded rapidly at that. "More than anything."

Ozpin exchanges a glance with Glynda, who shows her disapproval with a Hmmph before he turns back to Ruby. "Well, okay."

Ruby smiles, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

A Few Days Later.

A few days went by since Ruby stopped Roman's robbery and was moved up two years to join Beacon Academy.

Naruto was walking his bike to an airstrip with a backpack on as well as two roller suitcases hooked on top of the seat. He stopped at a pier-like sky port that has a downward-hinged exit ramp that mates directly onto the pier structure. He saw the airships that would take him and others to Beacon Academy.

"Here's to my start as a Huntsman." He said hearing reports on a Faunus incident.

They look very slow-moving and each ship has four huge, moving 'wings' that give the similarity of the wings' motions to those of turtle flippers.

In a design similar to a cruise ship, the stairs near the wings are used for boarding and lead up to the main part of the ship. They also have three clusters of three glowing nozzles each at the back, with another two below.

He walked inside the storage and put his bike beside a yellow one before walking up and saw a single viewing gallery, approximately 12 feet across, which runs along the bottom of the hull with four semicircular windows, mounted at a downward oblique angle, on each side. The windows also seem to have holographic projectors.

From the opening, He sees' that there is also an open-to-air observation deck at the upper front of the hull. This deck is immediately in front of a set of viewing windows.

He put his backpack and suitcases in a storage locker and walked around, looking at the other students that were going.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

"Please stop."

Naruto looked to see a girl hug Ruby. She is a tall, fair-skinned young woman with lilac eyes and bright golden hair that fades to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top. She's wearing a tan jacket that bares her midriff, and cleavage of her rather large breasts with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons.

Underneath this, she has a low-cut yellow crop top with a burning heart on the left breast in black. She's also wearing a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold.

Underneath this is a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of tight black spandex compression shorts that reach her upper thighs. She wears a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A gray bandanna is tied around her left knee and she has an orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves.

This is Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's sister.

"But I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed stepping back.

"Really Sis, it was nothing."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the "bee's knees", okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

Yang looked confused at that. "What's with you? Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I'm excited... I just... (sigh) I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

Yang gave her sister a one-armed hug. "But you are special." She said before looking over and saw Naruto who was looking around. "As is that guy you met last night (Purrs!)" She said with a purr at the end.

Suddenly, a hologram of Glynda came up around the ship. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen, and Huntresses, you must uphold it."

"You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world." She finished before fading out.

The ship then started to move slowly getting Naruto to sigh he puts his hands behind his head. He stopped as he heard retching and saw a boy throwing up in a trashcan from motion sickness that was beside the two girls.

He is a tall boy standing at 6'1" with dark-blue eyes that are emphasized by his short blond hair messily layered on his head with the right side of his hair nearing his right eye and the left side swept back.

He is quite toned, having strong muscles in his arms, shoulders, and upper chest. He's wearing a white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen and white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Underneath the armor, he wears a black short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves.

He's also wearing blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as black sneakers. He also has elbow guards with cords strung through them.

This is Jaune Arc soon to be a student at Beacon Academy. (4.)

Yang rolled her eyes at that. "Well... I guess the view isn't for everyone."

Ruby sighed before speaking. "It was a nice moment while it lasted."

The ship is seen approaching Beacon across a large body of water.

"I wonder who we're gonna meet! I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy." Ruby said before glancing down at Yang's boots. "Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!"

Yang then hopped on one foot while holding onto Ruby. "Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"Get-Get away! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

"Well, at least school won't be dull!" Naruto said before walking to the bathroom before seeing Yang hop past him.

To Be Continued.

---

1 Naruto's Sniper Rifle And its trident Form.

2 Naruto's Bike but black with an orange frame and rims.

3 Revolvers from the first story that I decided to use for close combat and its Knife Form (I will try to make the knife image bigger if I can)

Notes:

hanks for reading ad let me know of any mistakes.

4 as 1-3 are pictured above. Just to say I WILL NOT BASH JAUNE. I will never bash anyone in my stories regardless of how I feel for them.

Naruto Harem: Ruby, (Will wait until she's older before going past kissing.) Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha Coco (She will be Bi as they did a novel revealing she's a lesbian) Velvet, and Nora Valkyrie.

Some dialogue exchanges may be the same/similar to the first story. Like the first story, this story will be 2-3k long chapters (With 2k being the cut-off if I finished an ep there) since most of the episodes are only 10 minutes long until around season 3.

Again this story is just taking the 1st's place until my beta isn't busy to talk as that story is their idea and it doesn't feel right to continue. That's why most of the Ch's when getting into the seasons were mostly cannon as I couldn't think of anything to do because I didn't want to go against what my beta had planned.

PLUS it's still ongoing so sometimes it's hard to do something without screwing yourself over later when something new is revealed/introduced.

SO I will try to do OC stuff but anything for Naruto to do in school is greatly appreciated.

This Ch was quickly put together and I tried to do something different from the 1st of not having Naruto meet Team RWBY before Ep 1. And with it quickly being written out I'll try to think up a backstory for Naruto later on (Again, any ideas feel free to send.)

Chapter 2

Notes:

Sorry, the next few Ch's are mainly cannon, I did several polls on Naruto's team and if he should be from his world. Even scrapped another pairing poll for Nora and Coco but got Unanamnous adding both in Ch 4 on FF.Net. NOW again for Ruby, I will not do anything past kissing until she's 18. Which until I did this story about a month ago thought that was the age to get into Beacon since it's a Job school and I thought they were 18 instead of 17.

Beacon Academy.

The airship lands at Beacon Academy and the students of Beacon quickly leave the ship. Jaune runs to empty his uneasy stomach at a nearby garbage bin, while Ruby and Yang gaze at the large castle-like school in awe.

It's situated just before an impressive cliff's edge that overlooks the city across the sound. At the top edge of the cliffside are several large, circular aerial docking bays. At the base of the cliffs, a docking bay is also available for water-going surface vessels, and a path from there leads upwards to the top of the cliff. Where they are standing they can see the long, wide avenue leading up to what appears to be the main academy buildings and their large, impressive main doorway.

It's surrounded by a double ring of colonnades bisected by the main avenue with the outer ring rising high over the main entrance to the academy itself. The avenue is marked with trees and flag-draped light-poles, as well as several impressive aqueduct-like features and archways. In front of the entrance to the main amphitheater is a large statue and fountain of a Huntsman and Huntress standing atop a rock, beneath which wolf creature cowers.

There's also a large circular pond feature surrounded by a pathway and a garden of red trees. The main avenue is also referred to as the courtyard. The most prominent part of the academy buildings is a large tower. The tower was surmounted by several green spheres or lights, as well as an intricate clockwork mechanism consisting of many interlocking cogs and gears which sit high above the clouds.

Naruto meanwhile was looking at the schedule for when classes started in a few days.

7:30 am – Breakfast

8 am – Class

9:45 am – Class

11:15 am – Class

12:30 pm – Lunch

1:30 pm – Class

2:15 pm – Class

4 pm – Class

5 pm – Self-Directed Sparring

6 pm – Dinner

'Which gives us about 5 hours of free time.' He thought before seeing Yang running off with a group of teens leaving Ruby spinning and falls backward into a luggage cart, sending cases flying. Naruto saw another girl walk up to Ruby.

She is a pale-skinned young woman with pale blue eyes and long white hair that is pulled back into an off-center ponytail on the right side and pinned with a silver, icicle-shaped tiara. She's standing at 5' 3" due to wearing heels and has a scar that runs vertically down her left eye and face. She's wearing a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem.

A small piece of black lace sits in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress is scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this, she has a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar. On the back of the bolero is a snowflake emblem.

She also has a small apple pendant on a silver chain and thin, rectangular silver earrings. Her boots are white, wedged heeled, and higher at the back than the front. They have a small silver decoration across the top of the foot and are lined in red. A thin white sash is tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back.

This is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.

"What are you doing?!"

Ruby got up on her hands before looking up. "Uh, sorry!"

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" Weiss asked as Ruby picked a white case up.

"Uuhhh..."

"Give me that!" Weiss snatches the luggage from Ruby and opens it to reveal its Dust vials inside. "This is Dust mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"Uuuhhhh..."

"What are you, brain-dead?" Weiss asked holding out a vial of red Dust and shutting the case. "Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

Ruby then stood up at that. "I... I know… (Cough!)" She then starts coughing from the Dust pouring into her face.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!" Weiss asked shaking more Dust out.

Ruby, who had been receiving more and more said Dust to her face, finally sneezes. "Uuuuuaaaahhh-Chooooo!"

Boom!

Which erupts into a full-blown explosion of flame, snowflakes, and electricity right onto Weiss. The bottle she had been holding flies over the courtyard and at the feet of another girl, who picks it up and notices the Schnee Dust Company logo on the side as she reads from a book and looks over at the scene.

She's is a fair-skinned young woman with wavy black hair and amber eyes. She's wearing a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg, emblazoned with the YKK logo.

She also has black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. Her emblem, a belladonna flower is visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white. On her left arm is a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons are wrapped around both forearms.

A small, loose, black scarf is wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack is strapped to her back. A black ribbon is tied with a large bow on the top of her head, with purple eye shadow in a cat's eye style.

This is Blake Belladonna.

Weiss now covered in soot shook having it quickly disappear. "Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

Ruby looked up with an apologetic and embarrassed face. "I'm really, really sorry!"

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well, I-I..."

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so... watch where you're going!" Weiss aid getting Ruby to puff her cheeks.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"

"It's heiress, actually."

Ruby and Weiss look over as Blake approaches with the bottle. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss smiled smugly at that. "Finally! Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Weiss got angry at that as Ruby chuckles. "Wha-! How dare-! The nerve of... Ugh!" She gets up in Blake's face and takes the bottle from her, walking off in a huff as her helpers gather the luggage and follow.

Ruby looked at the storming Weiss, still sorry. "I promise I'll make this up to you! (sigh) I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day... So, what's..." Ruby trailed off seeing Blake walking off as well, then collapses to the ground on her back. "Welcome to Beacon…"

"Some people need time to warm up to others."

Looking up, Ruby saw Naruto smiling at her, with his sniper rifle slung over his back. "Nice to see you again Ruby.

"Naruto!" She gets up and hugs Naruto before seeing his weapons and geeks out. "Are those your weapons?"

"Yeah, my rifle is Fox Bolt while my revolvers are Sage and Shisui.

"That's so cool!" She said before Jaune stopped by them to look around. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

Later, the three are walking in the courtyard talking. "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

Ruby chuckled before speaking. "Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?" Jaune asked annoyed.

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby defended herself as kids waked by them.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue ladies love it!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that. "Do they?"

"They will! Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that... Never mind." Jaune sighed before Ruby giggles before a short, awkward silence falls between the three.

"So... I got this thing!" She pulls out Crescent Rose and stabs it into the ground.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A-wha...?"

Ruby cocks her weapon, smiling. "It's also a gun."

"Oh. That's cool!" Jaune said before Ruby continued.

"So what've you got?"

"Oh! I, uh..." Jaune then unsheathes a broadsword. "I got this sword!"

"Ooooohh!"

"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too!" Jaune explained as he gets his scabbard, raises his arm, and expands the metal into a shield with two curve lines on it.

Ruby touched the shield. "So, what do they do?"

Jaune fumbles with the shield as it retracts off his arm, expands, and retracts again before putting it back in place and finally shrinking it down for good, placing it on his belt. "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..."

"But... wouldn't it weigh the same?"

"Yeah, it does..."

"Why not have it on your back?"

The two turned to Naruto who was looking at them. "At least then it'll be better distributed for weight and won't throw you off balance when you don't need your shield.

"I'll… Look into that.

Ruby then turned to Jaune before speaking. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it."

"Wait you made that?!"

Ruby nodded at that. "Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune shook his head at that. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" She said with a laugh. "Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

Jaune then sheathed his sword and sighed. "Yeah, the classics…."

Ruby then started again before looking at Naruto. "So why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

"Why not? You're one of the few friends I have here in the school. Actually, you're the only one at school."

Ruby smiled before looking around. "Hey, where are we going?"

"We should probably head to the main building, I heard Ozpin likes to give a speech on the first day of school for the new kids," Naruto said hands behind his head.

Later, all the main hall the students wait for directions on what to do next as Ruby talked to her sister, Naruto saw Blake and another girl trying to blend in with the crowd.

She has long red hair in a waist-length ponytail, curled slightly into a loose ringlet. She also has light-green eyeshadow around the far upper corners of her green eyes. She is tall and quite muscular. As a top, she's wearing a brown overbust corset with a vertical strip of lighter brown in the center. Additionally, she has an elastic, black, A-line mini skirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She has a red ankle-length sash that is wrapped around her skirt.

For accessories, she has a small circular bronze plate on her right hip opposite two pouches with both connected to a belt. The plate bore her emblem a spear on a shield. Underneath her hair, she's wearing a brown circlet adorned with a pair of small, green, teardrop-shaped emeralds on thin chains. She also has a large bronze gorget around her neck and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm.

She's wearing elaborate bronze greaves that started below her mid-thigh before continuing downwards into her boots as well as a pair of cuisses that began mid-thigh and ended slightly above her knees. As well as a bronze bracer. She has a brown high-heeled with bronze trim, matching her skirt and sleeves and reaching up to mid-calf.

She also has a circular shield and short sword on.

'Wait… I've seen her on cereal boxes! Pyrrha something…' Naruto thought before seeing everyone had their weapons on.

Yang's appears to be a pair of large gold bracelets on her wrists. Blake's looks to be a black katana in a rectangular sheath. Weiss' weapon is a standard-sized rapier and is primarily silver-gray in color. The hilt possesses four prongs that encase the revolver-like chamber around the ricasso instead of a bow-type hand-guard.

Weiss then walked over to Ruby scaring her into Yang's arms. "Oh my God, you really exploded." She sid before Ruby got down.

"It was an accident." Weiss just holds up a pamphlet titled 'DUST for dummies and other Inadequate Individuals' to Ruby. "What's this?"

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

"Uuhhh...?"

"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Weiss asked having Ruby nod.

"Absolutely?"

Weiss handed the pamphlet to Ruby. "Read this, and don't ever speak to me again."

Yang then narrowed her eyes as Naruto walked over. "Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

Ruby put the pamphlet away as Naruto got behind Weiss. "Yeah! Great idea, sis!" She then holds out her hand as she clears her throat. "(Ahem!) Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and-"

"Hey, Ruby. You talking about me?"

Weiss squeaked before looking at Naruto and blushed. "N-No!"

"I will!" Yang said walking up to Naruto and held her hand out, having her ample bust jiggle. "I'm Yang Xiao Long. Ruby's sister!"

Naruto smiled before taking her hand then brought it up for a kiss. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

Yang smiled before Ozpin walked on a stage with Glynda and gained everyone's attention.

"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Glynda then walked up to the microphone as Ozpin leaves. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed".

Yang looked over before speaking. "He seemed kind of... off.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there."

"He's eccentric I guess," Naruto said with a shrug before jumping as he felt something on his butt before looking back to see nothing was behind him.

Missing Yang smirking.

Night.

Yang plops down next to Ruby, both in pajamas like the other student's boys on one side of the hall while the girls are on the other. "It's like a big slumber party!"

Yang's pajamas consist of an orange tank top with her emblem on the front in red, and black boy shorts.

"I'm not sure Dad would approve of all the boys, though," Ruby replied writing in a journal.

Ruby's pajamas consist of a black tank top featuring a heart-shaped Beowolf design on the chest and long white pants decorated with pink roses. She also wears a black sleeping mask decorated with triangular red eyes reminiscent of a Beowolf.

Yang winks at her sister. "I know I do… (Purrs!)" She trailed off with a purr at the shirtless boys, including a shirtless Naruto in dark orange pants who was walking into the hall out of the shower. She licked her lips as water beaded down his chest and followed them down his abs. 'Nice six-pack!' she thought before looking to Ruby. "What's that?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going." Ruby replied not looking up.

"Awww, that's so cuuuuute!"

Ruby throws her pillow at Yang in a huff. "Shut up! I didn't take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"What about Jaune and Naruto? That's a 200% increase!" Yang said as Ruby turned to lay on her back.

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend."

"Look, it's only been one day."

"Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them." Yang said before hearing a match strike.

The sisters looked to see Blake was reading a book by a candelabra.

Blake's pajamas consist of a black, long-sleeved, yukata-style shirt with white edging over a purple undershirt, and a matching skirt. A black obi is wrapped around her waist and tied with a black and white string. She is also wearing her bow.

"That girl..." Ruby said getting Yang's attention.

"You know her?"

"Not really… She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."

"Well, now's your chance."

Yang then hopped up to her feet and pulled Ruby with her towards Blake. "Helloooo~"

Blake looked up to the sister as they stopped in front of her.

"I believe you two know each other!"

"Aren't you that girl that exploded?"

"Uhh, yeah! My name's Ruby." Ruby extended her hand to the disguised Fanus. "But you can call me crater… Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

Blake went back to reading. "Okay."

Yang then leaned to her sister and whispered to her. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know, help me!" Ruby whispered back to her older sister.

"So… What's your name?"

"Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang! Ruby's older sister!" Yang greeted as she pointed at herself. "… I like your bow!"

"Thanks," Blake replied as she stared up at the busty blonde.

"It goes great with your… pajamas!"

"Right..."

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang asked Blake.

"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book… That I will continue to read… As soon as you leave." Blake said as the two stayed.

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause," Yang said to her sister as she put her hand on her hip.

"What's it about? Your book?" Ruby asked getting Blake's attention.

"Well… It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." Blake replied as Yang looked away.

"Oh, yeah… That's really lovely..."

"I love books," Ruby said before explaining that Yang used to read to her when she was younger about Huntsmen and women and wanting to be like them.

"That's very ambitious for a child. Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale." Blake replied looking up.

"Well, that's why we're here… To make it better." Ruby finished before Yang hugged her and lifted her.

"Ohhh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!"

They then started to fight waking up Weiss who stormed over. "What in the world is going on over here!? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?"

Weiss' pajamas consist of a faded blue nightgown with short sleeves and white trim and display the Schnee Crest on the upper-right chest. She also has her hair down.

"OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!" Yang and Weiss yelled at each other.

"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!" Ruby shushed them as she looked around.

"Oh, now you're on my side?" Weiss asked hands on her hips.

"I was always on your side!"

"Yeah, What's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!" Yang said clenching her fist as she brought it up.

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss yelled back as Blake blows out the candles, having the room go dark.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.
Again, Sorry this was mostly canon still setting up RWBY's plot plus there were the polls I had to do on Naruto and his team which by the tags, you can guess which characters won

Chapter 3

Morning.

Naruto woke up before walking to the bathrooms and was then stopped as Yang appeared in front of him, having her breasts bounce. "Morning~"

"Good morning Yang, how are you?"

"I'm good… You?"

"Yeah, a little tired from some of the guys snoring, but otherwise good," Naruto replied with a smile.

She chuckled at that before looking at him. "Yeah, I've gotten used to that as my dad snores."

"Oh," Naruto said before leaning up against the wall. "There anyone you would want on your team? I think we're supposed to get them today."

Yang smiled as she swayed while bringing her finger up to her lips for a faux thinking pose. "I can think of one." She smiled before turning around to walk into the bathroom.

Naruto watched her go and glanced down to check out her ass when it peaked out from her hair. And missed Yang looking over her shoulder and smirk. She then ran her hand through her hair and lifted it flashing Naruto her boyshorts-covered ass.

Later, Naruto after getting dressed and eating breakfast went to his locker and opened it up to find his holsters on a hook while his sniper was upright on a gun rack before taking the belt and hooked it on. He then took his rifle and put it on his back before hearing a girl hounding a boy about being teammates in the forest exams having him look over.

The young man has long black hair that ends midway down his back. There is a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His eyes match the streak in his hair, and his clothing appears to be influenced by Chinese culture. He's wearing a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and forms a black collar.

Along with this, he wears a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit and light-tan pants with black shoes. He has his hair back in a low ponytail. His color scheme seems to be influenced to some degree by the lotus flower, which is his emblem.

He picked up two, green automatic handguns equipped with long collapsible blades and extended magazines.

He then put them in his sleeves before looking at the girl.

She is a fair-skinned young woman with orange hair and turquoise eyes. She's wearing a collared black sleeveless vest, with a blue central front section with red accents, her vest has her emblem, on the back, a hammer with a lighting bolt. Under the vest, she has a white sleeveless t-shirt with a heart-shaped cutout above her breast line in the center accompanied by a pair of white detached sleeves on each arm, and a pair of light pink fingerless gloves.

She sports a short pink skirt with a single white layer under it. Her white ankle boots sport pink soles and low heels with pink laces, the tops are folded over revealing the pink lining. She also has a silver armor piece that wraps around her waist, under her breasts, and around the back of her neck with metal connecting each piece at the front.

She then picked up a grenade launcher before Ren heads out while a skipping Nora follows, passing Ruby and Yang as they are busy readying themselves.

"Wonder what those two are so worked up about?" Ruby asked unlocking her locker.

"Oh, who knows? So, you seem awfully chipper this morning!" Yang asked crossing her arms and pressed her bust-up.

Ruby smiled as she nodded. "Yep! No more awkward small talk or 'getting-to-know-you' stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." She exclaimed picking up and strokes Crescent Rose.

"Well, remember, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together." Yang said before seeing Naruto walk by, stretching his arms up, and had his eyes closed. "I found someone I want to work with..."

Ruby sighed in frustration at her sister trying to pawn her off on other people. "You sound like Dad!" She said shoving her weapon into the locker. "Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!" She smiled, putting her hands on her hips.

Yang mirrored the action but with a frown. "But what about when we form teams?"

Ruby suddenly gained a nervous look at that. "Um, I don't know, I... I'll just be on your team or something…" She trailed off looking down at the ground.

Yang Brought her hair around her shoulder and started stroking it. "Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?"

"My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

"What? No! Of course, I do! I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help you... break out of your shell!"

"What the-?! I don't need to 'break out of my shell'! That's absolute-"

"You can still be on a team together."

They looked to see Naruto appear by them. "Teams are a four-person group, you can still be on a team and have two other people."

"What about you?" Yang asked smiling as she leaned forward flashing her cleavage. "Any team you have in mind?"

"Not really," Naruto replied shrugging. "As long as they're people I can get along with."

"What about a team with me?" Yang asked pointing at herself with her thumb.

"I would like that," Naruto replied before walking off to see Weiss talking to Pyrrha.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"

"Hmm... I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may." She replied, hand on her hip.

"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." Weiss said with a smile

"Well, that sounds grand!"

Weiss: Great!" Weiss said before turning around and thought to herself. 'This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us now!'

"Oh hey, there."

Weiss stopped as Naruto spoke as he stopped when she started to smile while thinking to herself. "You... Alright? You're muttering to yourself."

Pyrrha then stepped beside Weiss before speaking with a smile. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too…."

"Naruto, is it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Weiss said having Naruto look over at her.

"Not in the slightest miss."

"This is Pyrrha."

Pyrrha just waved at that. "Hello again!"

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"

"I'm not familiar with that school."

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row! A new record!" Weiss scoffed as Naruto shrugged

"Never watched it. I'm more of an outdoor fellow."

Weiss then waved her arms rapidly in anger at that. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

"That's you?!" Naruto asked as Pyrrha chuckled. "I never tried that but I do see the box."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

"Well, I'll see you all for the test then," Naruto said walking away as Glynda's voice came out on speakers.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Weiss passes Jaune as he hangs from the wall of a locker on her way out. Pyrrha follows her, grabbing her spear and dropping Jaune to the ground.

"It was nice meeting you!" Pyrrha yelled out waving one arm in the air.

Naruto waved over his shoulder at that. "Likewise!"

Beacon Cliff.

Later, Naruto stood at the edge of Beacon Cliff, overlooking a forest, where several students are also standing beside him in a line on silver tiles in front of a mug-holding Professor Ozpin and Glynda with a large tablet.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." He said taking a sip before Glynda spoke.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."

"What? Ohhh…"

Naruto glanced to his left as he heard Ruby whine at that.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin stated having Ruby groan. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"Whaaaat?!" Ruby yelled out at that chance of not being with her sister.

Nora turned to Ren and smiled at him. "See? I told you-!"

Ozpin then interrupted her. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics."

"Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand at that. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"Good! Now, take your positions."

Everyone strikes a pose on their tile. Nora crouches low, Ren wields his weapons, Yang raises her fists, Ruby readies her body, Naruto bent his knees, and Jaune is still raising his hand.

"Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question." He said and misses the tile under Weiss rising into a springboard, sending her into the air and over the forest, as the platforms activate down the line sending other students flying. "So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

Ozpin took another drink at that before replying. "No. You will be falling."

Jaune looked confused as he missed more students being thrown into the forest. "Oh, uh, I see... So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

"No. You will be using your own 'landing strategy.'" Ozpin replied nonchalantly.

Jaune still not seeing an excited Nora and Ren getting launched nodded. "Uh-huh... Yeah."

Yang winks at her younger sister, puts on a pair of aviators, and flies off at her turn. "Woo-hoooooooo!"

She was then followed by Ruby and Naruto. "So, what exactly is a landing strategYYY!" Jaune yelled as he was flung into the air.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Chapter 4

Emerald Forest.

Naruto fell towards the forests before pulling Fox Bolt And took a shot. The recoil slowed him down before he got to the top of a tree then put the rifle over his shoulder, grabbed a limb, and swung to one on the bottom and ran across limbs before jumping to a lower tree then jumped off a limb and landed in a roll.

He then stood up and rolled his shoulder before hearing a growl.

Looking back, he saw a creature growling at him. It looks like a bear with black fur and bony spikes on his backs and arms, as well as white, bone-like masks with red detailing,

Naruto cracked his neck and pulled Sage and Shusui. "Haven't fought an Ursa for awhile… This should be fun!"

Naruto ran at the beast and took several shots before his weapons suddenly changed into combat knives with rings at the guard. He flipped over the Ursa and had his knives still shoot before landing then side flipped out of the way of a strike. Naruto then leaned back and fell on his back to avoid another strike. He kipped up and got on one knee before stabbing the Ursa in the neck having it growl before falling on the side and turned to dust.

"(Sigh.) I hate Grimm." Naruto sighed before hearing a scream.

Looking up, he saw a teen boy flying to him. "What the fu-!" He stopped as the teen crashed into him. "Ow…"

Naruto sat up before looking at the teen. He has spiky salmon-colored hair, eyes, before opening his mouth to show he had fangs. He has a muscular frame and is wearing a white scarf that looks like dragon scales, light brown and green leather vest that's openly showing his six-pack, light brown leather fingerless gloves.

He also has blue belted jeans with a big silver buckle and green leather chaps with two brown leather straps tied to his left foot and red flame-like designs. He also wears light brown steel-capped leather cowboy boots with spurs. His weapon is gauntlets like Yang's but red and has a sharp edge on them with two dragon claws on top of each.

"Watch where you're going!" The teen yelled at Naruto.

"You fell into me, you idiot!" Naruto yelled at him while both teens stood. "It looks like we're teammates. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Natsu Dragneel."

"Well, let's find the temple."

Natsu nodded at that before both started to walk in the woods while hearing gunshots.

Farther Away.

"Birdie, no!"

Ruby yelled out as she flew into a blackbird. She then pulled Crescent Rose out and fires off a few rounds to slow her down, then turns the weapon into its scythe form to catch the branch of a tree in her blade and fall downward at a slower pace from a spin.

Several yards away, Weiss, armed with Myrtenaster, summons a white snowflake circle under her and leaps off of it to the forest below.

Farther away, Ren descends and spins in the air, eventually using Storm Flower's blades to spiral around the trunk of a large tree and hit the ground, brushing off his clothes before looking up to see Yang flying overhead.

"Woo-hoo! Yeah! Alley-oop!"

Yang soars right over the treetops, had her bracelets turn into gauntlets, and had it shoot out a shotgun blast having the force push her through the air further and further north, spinning and laughing with each blast, even when she crashes through the leaves of a tree and leaps off two trunks to tumble to the ground.

"Nailed it!" She yelled while rolling before running off.

In the air, Pyrrha, her weapon in sword form and armed with a shield, crashes through several trees and rolls on a branch, immediately shifting her blade into a rifle and looking through the scope at Jaune as he continues to scream and fall. Pyrrha coolly transforms her weapon again to its spear form, takes a moment to evaluate her throw, and rockets the javelin deep into the forest. A moment passed before she heard a noise.

THUNK!

"Thank you!" Jaune yelled over as she waved.

"I'm sorry!"

Ruby Rose.

In the middle of the forest, Ruby lands in a crouch then darts off. 'Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find…' She thinks to herself before yelling out. "Yang! Yaaaang!" She then sighed before thinking to herself again. 'Oh, this is bad, this is really bad... What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first? Well, there's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny! I don't think he's very good in a fight, though. Ooh! What about Blake?!'

'So mysterious, so calm... Plus she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her... Ugh! Oh, Naruto! He helped me out when we met Ozpin!'

She smiled to herself and intent on finding Naruto, opened her mouth. And skids to a halt in front of Weiss as she is turning to face her. She stops just in time for their eyes to meet. After a moment, Weiss turns on her heel and walks the other way. Ruby took several steps after Weiss. "Wait! Where are you going?!" She then stops and kicks the ground. "We're supposed to be teammates…"

A moment goes by before Weiss walked back, and pulled on Ruby's hood to drag her. "By no means does this make us friends."

Ruby threw her hands in the air with a large smile. "You came back!"

Just up ahead, Jaune is stuck on a tree as Pyrrha's spear s imbedded into his hood

"Jaune?"

Jaune looks down to see Pyrrha looking up at him, arms crossed. "Do you... have any spots left on your team?"

Jaune crossed his arms at that. "Very funny..." He trailed off before looking down at her and gives a smile, which she returns.

A mile ahead, Weiss trudging through the forest, has Ruby following a little behind her. "What's the hurry?"

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow! I swear if I get a bad grade because of your-!" She trailed as she looks to see a smiling Ruby suddenly appearing next to her. "What the...?"

"I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!" Ruby chipped out closing her eyes in a wider smile.

Weiss looked back where Ruby was, slightly amazed. "When did...?"

"Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters!" Ruby then puts an arm around a skeptical Weiss' shoulders. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool... and I wanna be her friend!"

She then disappears in a shower of rose petals, which Weiss waves away from her face just as she hears crackling and rustling in the bushes around her. "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" After a moment of no response, Weiss then looked ahead where Ruby ran off in. "Ruby?" She asked pushing limbs out of the way and saw red glowing eyes. "Ruby...?"

Multiple pairs of red eyes stare at her from the bushes and a deep growl is heard. She turns around until she spots a large Grimm emerging from a bush and approaching her.

It's a werewolf creature with bones on its body as well as a mask.

"RUBY!"

Weiss yelled out just as Naruto landed on it holding a black trident with an orange forkhead before stabbing the creature through the neck.

Natsu ran out hitting another having shotgun blasts come out of his gauntlets before uppercutting it having a hole appear in its head.

"You OK?" Naruto asked pulling his trident out and had it turn into Fox Bolt and walked over.

Yang.

"Helloooooooo?" Yang yelled, with her sunglasses put away... "Is anyone out there? Helloooooooo? I'm getting bored here."

Rustle!

"Is someone there?" She asked as she heard rustling. She walked over and looked through the bushes. "Ruby is that you?"

(Snarl)

She then looked up as she heard snarling. "Nope." She said looking at an Ursa.

Yang then dived out of the way of a swipe before the Ursa jumped forward intend on slicing her. Immediately readyingEmber Celica, Yang intercepts another Ursa's lunge before the first jumps at her.

BANG!

And she sends it flying with a shot to the gut. The second one soon follows, and Yang uses her gauntlet's recoil to propel her through the air to deal a strong kick to the other Ursa, sending it back as well.

"You guys wouldn't happen to see a girl in a red hood, would you? Or a smoking hot blonde-haired boy?" Yang asked jokingly.

(Growl!)

"Could just say no!" Yang yelled as the first Ursa gets back up and swipes at her.

"Hyuh!" Yang easily backflips out of the way. "Geez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a bar..." She trailed off seeing a gold strand of hair float down in front of her. "(Sigh.) You..." She said, eyes turning red. "You monster!" She yelled as fire covered her for a second.

Infuriated, Yang dashes for the Ursa that grazed her hair. She proceeds to first launch the Ursa into the air with an uppercut, and a barrage of bullet-enhanced punches at staggering speeds. "Hyaaaaaah!" She sends the Ursa flying back before closely following after it. This barrage ends when Yang delivers a particularly powerful punch that sends it through multiple trees and leaves a trail of fire behind it in the process.

With the first Ursa out of the picture, Yang immediately turns her attention to the second. "What? You want some too?!" She asked purposely provoking it.

However, before either can act, the Ursa falls over dead, with Gambol Shroudin its kusari-gama form embedded in the back of its shoulders. Blake is revealed standing behind the fallen Ursa and casually retrieves her weapon by yanking the ribbon.

"I could have taken him."

Weiss, Ruby, Natsu, And Naruto.

Weiss used Myrtenaster to block a strike from a Beowolf's claw, with the force of the blow causing her to slide back a good distance. 'Remember your training Weiss. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward, not that forward. Slow your breati-!' She stopped her thoughts as Naruto jumped on the Ursa and slammed his knife in the skull.

BANG!

And pulled the trigger before jumping off to cut into another Beowolf as Natsu hits it in the stomach. Weiss assumes her combat stance and sets Myrtenaster's revolver to the red Dust slot.

She then dashes forward, aiming to kill a Beowolf that is much larger than the others, directly in front of her. Much to her surprise, Ruby suddenly appears right in front of her and strikes the creature with Crescent Rose before Weiss can reach the Beowolf, and the large Beowolf puts its arms up to block Ruby's strike.

"Gotcha!"

Hastily diverting her strike, Weiss ends up sending a wave of fire towards where Naruto was standing before he jumped out of the way. The fire then hits a tree and sets it on fire. Ruby, who is distracted by the sudden burst of flames, is hit by the Beowolf she attacked and knocked into Weiss.

"Hey, watch it!" Ruby yelled out as she stood up.

"Excuse me, you attacked out of turn. I could have killed you."

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that," Ruby said looking at the group of Grimm.

Naruto threw his knife that hit one Beowolf in the side of the head before turning to throw the other knife in its chest. He dashed over and grabbed Sage and Shusui.

After a quick argument, the girls prepare to face off against the pack of Grimm once more; however, they are suddenly forced to stop because the fire from Weiss' diverted strike has spread, causing several burning trees to fall. As the Beowolves retreat from the area, Weiss grabs Ruby and pulls her away as well.

Naruto flipped over a burning tree and caught up with the girls. "You two alright?" He asked as Natsu puts Ignis Scales in bracelet form having the claws be pulled into it slightly.

"Yeah, thanks," Weiss said after they panted.

"What was that?! That should've been easy!" Ruby yelled out as Weiss looked to her teammate.

"Well perhaps if you exercised even the slightest amount of caution with the placement of your strikes, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

"(Scoffs) What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just surprised that someone who talks so much would communicate so little during an encounter," Weiss said throwing her arms out.

"Well, I'm sorry that you needed my help during a fight."

"We're all on the same side here. Helping each other is what we do." Naruto said getting the girl's attention. "So let's save the angry for the Grimm."

"Yeah, and let's get to the temple!" Natsu yelled as he ran forward, having Naruto and Weiss follow.

Ruby then cuts down a tree in anger. All of them missing a giant black feather fall to the ground.

Jaune And Pyrrha.

BANG! BANG!

"You hear that?" Jaune asked as he and Pyrrha hear gunshots.

"Gunfire. It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy." Pyrrha replied walking past a tree branch. And had it hit Jaune.

"Jaune, I'm sorry," Pyrrha said to Jaune who got up.

"Heh. It's okay. Just a scratch."

"Why didn't you activate your Aura?"

"Huh?" Jaune asked staring at the redhead.

"Your Aura."

"Gesundheit."

"Jaune, do you know what Aura is?" Pyrrha asked as she stood in front of the blonde.

"(Scoffs) Of course I do… Do you know what Aura is?"

"Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?" She asked getting Jaune to nod.

"Uh, yeah."

"With practice, our Aura can be our shield/ Everyone has it. Even animals."

"What about monsters?" Jaune asked Pyrrha who started to walk.

"No, the monsters we fight lack a soul. They are Creatures of Grimm. The manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness and we are the light."

"Right," Jaune said following after his teammate. "That's why we fight them."

"It's not about why it's about knowing. Understanding both dark and light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both. By bearing your soul outwards as a force you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are our conduits for Aura. You project yourself and your soul with fighting."

"It's like a forcefield!" Jaune exclaimed after Pyrrha finished.

"Yes, if you want to look at it that way," Pyrrha said putting her weapons away and walked over. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."

"Uhh… Okay." Jaune said as Pyrrha put her hand on his cheek.

Pyrrha utilizes her aura to unlock Jaune's, which immediately heals his cut.

'… For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.'

After they finished, she seems somewhat drained by the experience but recovers a few moments later. "Pyrrha?!"

"It's alright, I used my Aura to unlocks yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own. You have a lot of it."

Lie Ren.

Ren was walking in the woods before stopping as a large snake-like creature rose out of tall grass.

It's a very large Grimm, easily dwarfing Ren. It sports many fangs in its jaws, with a long, black forked tongue to boot. It has two halves, a black one and a white one, that are joined in the center.

The black half is primarily black in color, though it does contain a few speckles of white on its underbelly, as well as some isolated areas along its body. Its color scheme is very similar to that of the Beowolves and Ursa. It has large, blood-red eyes and a white bony covering with red markings on the top of its head.

The white half is essentially the inverse of the black half. It also has large, blood-red eyes; however, the bony covering on the top of its head is a primarily deep gray with red markings. Also, toward the end of its body, its scales appear to have a checkerboard design of gray and white, before turning black and white, then turning completely black as the other half's design comes into play.

The black half attacked with two large strikes with its head. Ren avoids the first and blocks the second, sending him sliding a good distance. The snake-like Grimm immediately coils itself around Ren, prompting the Huntsman-in-training to draw Storm Flower.

As the King Taijitu continues to coil around him in an attempt to smother him, Ren leaps upwards and narrowly escapes the snake's efforts. While in midair, he fires many rounds from his weapon, and when the Grimm retaliates, he kicks it in the face.

As the Grimm starts to get up from the hit, Ren closes in and cuts it with one of the blades on Storm Flower. Managing to get up anyways, the King Taijitu gains some distance before making a fast charge at Ren. Ren jumps over the strike, which was so fierce the impact zone began to splinter and crumble

Using the momentum from his jump, Ren lands on the King Taijitu's head, impaling it with both bladed ends of Storm Flower. The white end of the King Taijitu becomes active, and strikes at Ren, forcing him to gain distance. Both heads of the King Taijitu become active and move in concert to attempt to kill Ren.

Using their smooth scales as a makeshift slide, Ren moves around the coiled mess, dodging strikes and firing his pistols. Eventually, the white head finds an opening and hits Ren out of the air, also causing him to drop Storm Flower. Immediately following up, the blackhead dives at Ren with its mouth open. Projecting his Aura as a shield, Ren manages to block the King Taijitu's charge.

Grasping at the fangs in the Grimm's open mouth, he tears both fangs right out of their sockets. Despite its pain, the blackhead attempts another charge at Ren, but he easily dodges and stabs one of the fangs into the King Taijitu's eye. Swiftly, Ren deals a vicious palm strike, charged with Aura, to the fang in the creature's eye.

The force is so great that the fang acts like a bullet, surging through the King Taijitu's skull, utterly destroying it and effectively killing the black side. He then dashes toward the white end with a slash.

After The Battle.

"Qrrraaww! Qrrraaww!"

After Ren slays the beasts, Nora calls out to him using her "sloth call" before swinging upside-down from a nearby tree.

"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like," Ren comments as Nora tapped his nose.

"Boop." Nora merely replies, earning a smile from Ren.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Chapter 5

Beacon Cliff.

Ozpin is looking at his Scroll, a large tablet with a transparent screen before Glynda walked up to him. "The last pair has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy... I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos."

"Mmmm…"

"I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." She said as she deactivates the tablet. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?" She asked as he stayed silent. "Professor Ozpin?"

Ruby, Weiss, Naruto, And Natsu.

The group sat on a log watching Weiss looking around. "It's definitely this way. I mean... This way! It's definitely this way. Alright, it's official: We passed it."

"Weiss, why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?" Ruby said standing up followed by the two boys.

"Because I know exactly where we're going! We're going... to... the forest temple!"

"Right!" Natsu yelled before taking off running.

And was held in place by Naruto grabbing him by the collar. "We don't know where the hell it is."

Weiss sighs, before spinning around and walked in another direction. "Just keep moving!"

Ruby then brought her hands up and spoke in a fake Weiss voice. "Oh, just keep moving! Hurry up! Waaaah! Watch where you're going!" She then crossed her arms before speaking regularly. "Why are you so bossy?"

"I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!" Weiss yelled as she turned back around.

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Stop acting like a kid!"

"Should we stop this?" Natsu asked scratching his face.

"No, they should probably get this out of their system. They're now teammates." Naruto replied as Ruby glared at Weiss.

"Well, stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet... But I'm still leagues better than you." Weiss said back before she turned to continue walking away.

"You don't even know me…" Ruby said lowly before Naruto pats her on the shoulder and they continued walking in the forest.

Yang And Blake.

Yang and Blake walk out of the forest and into a clearing that reveals a circular stone temple, broken and decrepit but for the platforms around its inside, holding several black and gold objects.

Yang looked at Blake before speaking. "Think this is it?"

In response, Blake gives Yang an incredulous look and heads down the hill, her partner following. They walk across the floor and observe the items on each pedestal, now shown to be chess pieces. Blake looked at a black king in confusion. "Chess pieces?"

"Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." Yang commented looking to see

"Well, I guess we should pick one," Blake said as Yang approaches one of the relics.

"Hmmm…" She hummed as she studies the golden knight, then picks it up and shows it to Blake. "How about a cute little pony?"

Blake smirked at that. "Sure."

"That wasn't too hard!"

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find," Blake commented before they share a smile.

Jaune And Pyrrha.

Jaune and Pyrrha are standing at the mouth of a dark cave, where drawings are seen to the side involving armed men against giant beasts.

"Think this is it?" Jaune asked Pyrrha before hearing a male voice

"Ozpin said it was a temple, not a cave."

The two turned to see two teen boys walking towards them.

The first is a lean toned young man of average height with spiky black hair which partially covers his ears, slanted dark eyes, and thin eyebrows. He dons a small, white bandage on his left cheek. He's wearing a red vest opened showing his bare chest, black fingerless gloves with rings on top of each. He has loose pants that are black on his right leg, and white on the outer thigh, and white on the left leg with it being black on the inner thigh, and red boots.

The other boy has spiky silver hair and gray-blue/dark-purple eyes a silver necklace a bracelet and a ring on his right middle finger. He has two earrings in his left ear. He's wearing a dark purple sleeveless turtleneck sweater, pauldron, and black pants and boots. He also has a huge sword on his back with a slot in it. Its rain-guard is triangular, with intricate patterns embellished on it and vertically reaches his torso.

"I doubt this is the way." The first boy said before glancing to the entrance before looking back. "I'm Shiki, this is Haru."

"Hi." Pyrrha greeted before they heard hissing from the cave, they looked to see red eyes.

"AAH!"

Yang And Blake.

"Some girl's in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?" Yang asked Blake who doesn't answer, staring at something in the sky. "Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?"

"Heads uuuuuuuup!"

They looked up to see Ruby falling towards them. Just as she's about to hit the ground panicking, Jaune comes flying through the air and crashes into Ruby, knocking her off course and sending them both into a tree by the temple.

"Oohhhh... What was that?" Ruby asked as Naruto was running along the treetops and stopped beside them.

"You two alright?"

"Eh-hem!"

Naruto looked up just as Natsu jumped out and into the temple and picked up a golden king. "Got one!"

Naruto jumped up and pulled Jaune down to the lower limb as Blake looked over at Yang. "Did your sister just fall from the sky?"

"I…"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Before she can continue, crashing noises are in the forest stops her, and an Ursa comes out, claws swiping, just as a pink blast of energy hits it in the back and it crashes to the ground, revealing Nora was on its back. "YEEEE-HAAAAW!" She then rolls off of the creature's back and looks back. "Awwww... It's broken." She said saddened just as Ren comes up behind her

"Nora! Please... Don't ever do that again." He looks up again and notices Nora is now in the temple, staring at a golden rook relic.

"Oooohh…" She then grabs it and starts singing.

I'm queen of the castle!

I'm queen of the castle!

"Nora!"

Nora stops dancing with the rook on her head, then salutes, dropping the relic into her hand. "Coming, Ren!"

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked as Naruto side flipped off the branch and landed in a roll.

"I…" Yang is once again interrupted as a screech is heard from their right, as Pyrrha, Haru, and Shiki comes onto the scene as a large scorpion creature uproots entire trees in its chase after her. Pyrrha narrowly dodges its giant claws and keeps on running.

The scorpion has a jet-black exoskeleton underneath several large, white, bone-like plates upon its back, which is adorned with red markings. It has a glowing golden stinger on its tail, a pair of large pincers, and ten red eyes.

"Jaune!"

"Pyrrha!" Jaune said as he came down while Ruby jumps off and lands in a roll on the ground.

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned to see her sister was by her. "Yang!" She then raises her arms to give her sister a hug

"Nora!" Nora got between the two smiling as the scorpion Grimm continues to follow Pyrrha, Shiki, and Haru as they run.

"Did they just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Blake asked as Naruto and Natsu walked up to stand by the others

Yang then erupts in a small burst of fire, eyes flashing red. "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

After two seconds, Ruby tugs on her sister sleeves. "Umm... Yang?"

Up above, Weiss is revealed to be hanging on a talon the size of her entire body that belongs to a gigantic Bird Grimm with bones on its body. "How could you leave me?!"

"I said 'jump!'"

"She's gonna fall," Blake commented as Naruto ran to a tree and quickly climbed it just as Weiss fell.

He jumped up and took a shot with his rifle and took a shot to push himself up in the air and caught Weiss before falling. He then reached out and swung off a limb to and on the ground, taking several steps forward.

The Death Stalker still hunted the trio in front of them, but they manage to land by the heroes.

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang sarcastically said before Ruby stepped forward.

"Not if I can help it! YAH!"

"Ruby, wait!"

"Let's help her!" Naruto yelled pulling Fox Bolt out and ran ahead.

Ruby, still screaming, fires Crescent Rose and charges at the oncoming Death Stalker. When the two meet, the Grimm swipes Ruby away and she is knocked back. "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!"

Naruto jumps over and takes a shot with Ruby, both hitting the Grimm in the skull. "Ruby!"

"(CAW!)"

Ruby rushes towards Yang, but the Nevermore caws above them, flapping its wings and releasing lines of sharpened feathers with points that catch on Ruby's cape and prevent Yang from reaching her.

"Ruby, get out of there!"

"Explosion!"

Haru pulled his sword from his sheath and placed a stone in it at the hilt having the sword change into a blunt orange blade with "EXPLOSION" engraved near the tip and a black curvy pattern near the hilt. The sword's hilt is a rusty red, with the crossguard pointing diagonally away from the blade to the hilt.

The Death Stalker approaches, raising its golden stinger above a scared Ruby and heading down on the helpless girl.

"Ruby!"

Haru jumped in front of Ruby and swung his sword having an explosion hit the Grimm.

BOOM!

Shiki flipped over Haru and kicked the beast in the face having a gunshot come off his boot as Natsu followed with an uppercut. Weiss ran over and froze the Death Stalker's stinger to the ground

"You're dim-witted and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer." Weiss said pulling her sword up and walked away.

"I want you to know I can do this."

"Ozpin knows you can Ruby, otherwise he wouldn't have let you in early," Naruto said pulling the bolt on his rifle and took another shot at the Grim.

Yang rushes up to Ruby and hugs her which Ruby grunts at upon receiving. "So happy you're okay!"

"Guys?"

They looked to see Jaune walking to them. "That thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?"

"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss said having the teens stare at the relics.

"She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the Cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things." Ruby said as the others ran to pick up their relic, Haru and Shiki getting a gold king.

Ruby and Weiss picked up the gold knight and Jaune and Pyrrha pick up a gold rook. The Death Stalker continues to fight its bonds, cracking the ice a little in the process. "Time we left!" Ren yelled out having the others nod.

"Right. Let's go!" Ruby said before everyone minus her sister and Blake followed.

"What is it?" Blake asked as Yang stared proudly at Ruby as she leaps on a boulder and motions the group onward.

"Nothing…" She moves on as Blake smiles in realization and follows.

The group headed out of the forest and into another abandoned series of structures as the Nevermore follows them from the air. They spread out when it passes above, concealing themselves behind some of the stone blocks with their allies as it perches on a high column and caws.

"Well, that's great!" Yang yelled as Naruto glanced around for a vantage point Jaune looks behind to see the Death Stalker bursting onto the scene.

"Ah, man, run!"

The group emerges from their hiding spots, causing the Nevermore to rise into the air. Naruto rolled over a column before jumping up blocks going to the top of an arch before kneeling and aimed his sniper at the Nevermore.

Bang!

He took several shots as the others ran dodging feathers before Shiki, Haru, and Natsu all attacked the Death Stalker at the same time at the head. Haru looked up at the stinger before jumping up and cuts it having it fall on the Grimm's head. And had Nora, her weapon in hammer mode hit it into the head, killing it.

Ren looked back at Nora before yelling. "Nora, distract it!"

Nora obliges, running out from her block and jumping through the feather projectiles before reaching behind her and launching several heart-topped shells from her grenade launcher, bursting into pink electricity when they hit the Nevermore and causing it to retreat.

The group race over the ancient stone bridge, not noticing the Nevermore closing in on them until it uses its giant wings to shatter the path right in the middle, forcing, Ruby, Weiss, Shiki, Natsu, Haru, Yang, Nora, and Jaune closer to the central collection of columns and leaving Blake, Naruto, Ren, and Pyrrha on the other side.

Ruby fires at the retreating Nevermore while Blake jumps off the edge. Blake sees the Nevermore above her and launches her whip so the gun's blade sinks into the edge of the bridge, circling around and leaping onto the aerial Grimm's back. She dashes all over its body, slashing the entire time, before jumping off and landing on the ruined platform at the top of the columns next to Ruby, then going over to Yang and Weiss. "It's tougher than it looks!"

Yang, readying her Ember Celica looked at the Grimm. "Then let's hit it with everything we got!"

The Nevermore approaching, Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang set their weapons to fire a barrage of blasts at the bird, which it either dodges or takes harmlessly until it crashes through the columns and platform. The girls leap from one section of falling stone to the next until they reach the higher bridge on top, just below the cliffs.

"None of this is working!" Weiss sighed watched the Nevermore fly around.

Ruby, watching Blake whip over to another section of the area and Yang firing round after flaming round at the Grimm. "I have a plan! Cover me!" She blasts away as Weiss raises her blade and heads into the fray.

Yang is still burning through her ammo on the beast, landing a blow at its face and causing it to head right towards her, but she leaps for its open maw and forces the beak wide as she attacks. "I! Hope! You're! Hung-gry!" She looks behind her and jumps back from its mouth onto a ruin, causing the creature to crash into the cliffs

The Nevermore recovers quickly, and Yang smiles as she spots Ruby and Blake on the broken columns with Weiss rushing to the battle. Yang passes her while the Nevermore starts to fly back up, but Weiss hops over to the ruin it's lifting off of and freezes the tip of its feathery tail to the ground, leaving it stuck in the same spot despite its flapping. Weiss back-flips into a snowflake-circle jump and lands on the other side, running to the group.

Blake fires the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to Yang, and the two tighten it between the columns so Ruby can jump on the center with Crescent Rose and bend it back into Weiss' black sigil, right next to the caster. "Of course you would come up with this idea."

Ruby just got ready at that. "Think you can make the shot?"

"Hmm! Can I!"

"Can't?" Ruby asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I can!"

Ruby looks forward and pumps Crescent Rose as Weiss turns the circle from black to red and releases Ruby at such a speed that the ground behind her launch cracks, rose petals flying from her ascent. With each new shot, she gets closer and closer to the trapped Grimm until her scythe catches the Nevermore's neck in its blade and causes them both to fall to the cliff wall. Weiss raises her sword and creates a series of white circles up the wall, which Ruby dashes through by firing the entire way up.

Yang, Blake, and an exhausted Weiss watch her climb up with the bird in her grasp until, both warrior and monster crying out, Ruby reaches the top of the cliff, circles up, fires one last shot, and rends the Nevermore's head from its shoulders in a shower of petals. She lands beside the severed head as the body of the giant Nevermore falls lifeless to the ruins and crevice below while the girls and, farther away, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren watch in amazement.

Ruby, her cape and petals flowing with the wind, looks down to her friends as they peer up. "Well... That was a thing!" Yang yelled up

Beacon

Ozpin stood in front of the others as he formed the teams for everyone. He then looked to four boys standing beside him on the stage. "Russel Thrush."

Russel is a slim boy of average height. He stands at the same height as the other boys but one. His head is shaved with a light-green mohawk on the top of it.

He's wearing a hoodie with the sleeves cut off, and two bracers on his arms extending from the wrist to just below the elbow. These bracers have a silver-colored emblem printed on them.

Beneath the hoodie, Russel's wearing a pale-green, long-sleeved shirt. He has a brown strap around his chest holding a spiked spaulder to his left shoulder. He also has dark-gray pants. His boots seem to be made of a thick brown material and go up to his knees.

"Cardin Winchester."

Cardin has burnt-orange hair that is combed backward with a slight peak at the front and indigo eyes. He's wearing silver-gray armor with gold trim.

The chest plate sports a bird with its wings outstretched. Underneath the armor, he is wearing a black shirt with red trimmings and black pants with a red belt tied around his waist.

Cardin is very tall as he is standing at least a head above the rest of his teammates.

"Dove Bronzewing."

Dove has light-brown hair that is combed to the left. He keeps his eyes nearly closed, at a very noticeable squint. He's wearing tan-colored armor with a belt that bears a dove on its buckle.

He also has vambraces on his arms that are the same color as the rest of his armor. Underneath the armor, he has a black shirt and black pants with a black scarf around his neck.

"Sky Lark."

Sky has blue eyes and long, combed back, dark blue hair. He's wearing dark gray armor with light gray edges, as well as vambraces of the same style. Underneath his armor, he has a black, long-sleeved V-neck shirt and black pants.

"The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team CRDL (Cardinal)."

The students that were already placed in a team politely clapped at that before Ozpin continued. "Lead by… Cardin Winchester."

They walked off the stage as Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune walked on the stage.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team JNPR (Juniper.)" He said as Nora hugged Ren and giggled. "Lead by… Jaune Arc!"

"Huh? L-Lead by…?" Jaune said as Ozpin nodded.

"Congratulations, young man." He said as Pyrrha punched Jaune in the shoulder, knocking him over.

They left as Ruby, Yang, Weill, and Blake walked up.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as… Team RWBY (Ruby.) Lead by… Ruby Rose."

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang yelled hugging her sister before Naruto, Haru, Shiki, and Natsu walked up.

"And our final team, Shiki Granbell, Haru Glory, Natsu Dragneel, and Naruto Uzumaki, you four picked the white king pieces. From this day Forward you will work together as Team SHNN (Shin) led by, Shiki Granbell!" The team walked off the stage as he took a sip of his cocoa and looked through a window. "Looks like things are shaping up to be an… Interesting year."

Unknown Location.

In a room filled with shelves and a desk in the back, Roman Torchwick is talking on his phone. The conversation ends, and Roman angrily slams the phone down, sighing. He holds a cigar to his mouth and puts his lighter to the end, just as a man in a gray mask and black hood comes with a trolley. Roman holds out a collection of Lien, which he places on the table and the man takes. "Open it."

The masked man does so with a crowbar, revealing a large number of Dust crystals of varying colors, orange, blue, white, red, green, cyan, gold, yellow, and more. Roman picks up a blue gem in his hand and looks at the loot. "Roman: We're gonna need more men…"

He then looks to a map above the desk, showing Vale and various districts and areas of crossed-out locations, all leading into a specially-circled place, Beacon.

To Be Continued.

---

Naruto's Teammates for those that may not have read/watched the anime/manga they're from. BUT NOT WITH THE CLOTHES THAT ARE IN THE PICTURES.

Shiki Granbell.

Haru Glory.

Natsu Dragneel

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes/tags/warnings to add

Chapter 6

Notes:

Sorry, this was slightly late had both power and internet problems and family and friends needed help over the past two weeks. Also, this might feel slightly rushed too as we're going to be getting weather from Hurricane Ida today/night so I rushed through the start and ending as I was a little short and added the next ep at the bottom as I tried for an Oc Ch.

Beacon Dorm.

"Think it's a big room?"

Naruto asked as he carried his luggage beside his team.

"It should, they house four people," Haru said before they got to a room by the end of the hall.

"I guess this is us," Shiki said before opening the room and showed a bare room with four beds along the back wall as Naruto walked in.

"Well, it's not that bi-!"

"It's awesome!" Natsu yelled running in and bumped past Naruto.

"We don't have that much room. I guess they think we wouldn't be in here that much." Shiki said dropping his luggage.

"Maybe we could move them?" Haru asked dropping his luggage as well.

"Or have bunk beds on each side?" Naruto asked before Natsu got up on one bed.

"Let's make our own!"

"What?/What?/What?"

"Yeah, I can get posts to make these into bunk beds," Natsu said before he took off having his teammates sigh.

An hour passed before Natsu came in with eight 6' posts before they broke the ones on the beds then nailed the beds to the new posts one on top of each other. Naruto and Natsu are on the right wall while Shiki and Haru are on the left with Shiki and Naruto taking the top bunk. After Naruto fixed his bed, he saw the TV was on with two men in space armor on top of a base in a canyon.

One had maroon and the other, orange. The marooned armor man then turned to the one in the orange.

"Hey."

"Mmyeah?" The orange one replied looking over.

"D'you ever wonder why we're here?"

"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some... cosmic coincidence? Or is there really a God, watching everything, you know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night."

"… What? I mean why are we out here, in this canyon?" The Marooned armored man asked looking out at the canyon.

"Oh. Uhhhhh. Yeah."

"And what was all that stuff about God?"

The orange one then started panicking at that. "Uhhhhh. Hm? Nothing."

"… Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." The orange one replied shaking his head.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

The marooned armored man sighed before looking up. "Seriously though, why are we out here? As far as I can tell, it's just a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. No way in or out."

"Mmhm."

Naruto turned the TV off before hearing someone knock on the door frame. He looked up to see a group of two girls and two boys.

The first girl has fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. She has wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts as dark brown and transitions to caramel.

She's wearing a long, cocoa-colored shirt with an upturned layered frill collar with a black single strapped waist cincher. She also has tight black leather trousers that have golden lining around the pocket and ribbons attached to the back of a golden zipper seam around her knees with a large cocoa-colored belt with gun cartridges on the left side with a large golden crosshair buckle.

She also has a large piece of black fabric is attached to her belt hanging down on her right side, a pair of dark black, high-heeled leather calf-high boots with golden buckles. She also has several accessories, such as a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these are accompanied by black gloves and three beaded necklaces alongside a black scarf tied around her collar. She also has a black beret with a cocoa brown trim and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

The next is a boy with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair that has a long fringe and a cowlick. He's wearing a sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. His eyes are pure white and his arms are covered in scars, and he has a vertical scar on his lips. He also has a pair of long black gloves and has several pouches attached to his belt.

The third is a girl who has long, brown hair and brown eyes. She also has a pair of brown rabbit ears.

She is wearing a cropped brown jacket over a thin black top and brown pants almost entirely covered up by thigh-high black boots. Accenting her brown and black color scheme are gold pauldrons, cuffs, a belt, and the trim of her boots.

And the last boy is a tall and athletic-looking young man with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, wearing mostly pale-green and brown attire. He has a long short-sleeved robe, which he wears on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. The robe is fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He also wears brown pants and black-and-green boots. His left arm bears a 5-layer sode which extends up past his shoulder.

"Hi, guys." The short-haired girl greeted. "I'm Coco Adel, and these guys ate Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi. We're team CFVY (Coffee)."

"Nice to meet ya!" Natsu greeted after he got up from doing push-ups.

"We were just going out to eat before school starts tomorrow, wanna come?" Coco asked as the boys shrugged before nodding.

"Yeah, I gotta stop by the armorer and pick up my outfit," Naruto spoke up having the others look at him. "What? Yeah, I have an outfit to fight in, I just had to have some repairs done to it. This is just what I wear when I'm just riding my motorcycle." Naruto finished before they all walked out of the dorm.

Naruto then noticed several students already in their school uniforms. 'Most likely because they're washing their other clothes.' He thought as they walked the halls.

The Boy's consists of black suits lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie. The girls are wearing a red plaid skirt, stockings of various lengths, and a brown jacket with a tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar.

Later, Café.

The two teams sat outside at a large circular table with Naruto having a black suitcase under his chair. "So, why did you want to become Huntsmen?" Coco asked the other team before Shiki spoke.

"I wanted to travel the world meeting all kinds of people and help them out." Naruto then punched his palm before he spoke.

"I've always wanted a challenge. And fighting bad guys and Grimm seemed like it would be perfect to test how strong I've got."

"My village had gotten attack when I was young and we didn't have much money to help with repairs. I decided to do it to have money to send back."

"I just wanted to help people," Naruto replied as plates of food were dropped on the table by several waitresses.

Next Morning Team RWBY's Room.

Weiss is sleeping soundly in her bed before she wakes as the sunlight wakes her up and she stretches her arms above herself, yawning. Ruby, dressed in her school uniform customized with her hood, creeps up on her side

Prreeettt

She suddenly blows a whistle, causing Weiss to fall off the bed. "Good morning, team RWBY!"

Weiss looks up from the floor, annoyed. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business."

Weiss then gets up and brushed herself off. "Excuse me?"

Yang appeared in uniform smiling holding pillows, pamphlets, a candle holder - in her arms, also dressed alongside Blake. "Decorating!"

"What?!"

Blake lifted her suitcase. "We still have to unpack." She said as the suitcase opens, spilling its contents. "Aaaand clean."

Weiss does not look enthusiastic at that.

Pwwwreeet!

She winced as Ruby knocks her back again with the blow of her whistle."Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!" She exclaimed as she raises her fist into the air. "Banzai!"

Ruby with Blake and Yang followed doing the same at her sides) "Banzai!" They turn at an angle as Weiss lays on the floor before getting up ad changed as well before they started to work on their room.

Yang places a poster of six guys in various poses on her part of the room. Weiss positions the painting of the Forever Fall forest as Blake is busy putting away her books on the shelves, picking up a copy of Ninjas of Love, and widening her eyes as she warily looks around before putting it back. Ruby positions Crescent Rose at an exact angle against the curtains before she slashes a diagonal portion off.

The girls admiring their handiwork but stop when they noticed the beds are cramped together in the center of the floor.

Weiss sighed before speaking. "This isn't going to work."

Blake nodded at that. "It is a bit cramped."

Yang puts a hand on her hip before she looked at the others. "Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff..."

"Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!" Ruby exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air.

Weiss looked worried at that. "Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous."

Yang smiled as she pumped her fist. "And super-awesome!"

Blake calmly looked over at the heiress before speaking. "It does seem efficient."

Weiss just sighed again as she crossed her arms. "Well, we should put it to a vote!"

Ruby smiled at that. "I think we just did."

Blake thumbs up the idea, Yang makes a double-rocker gesture, and Weiss angrily curls her fists at her side. Decided, they rush to the beds.

"Objective: Complete!" Ruby yelled after thirty minutes go by as they looked at the new bunk beds.

Weiss' bed is simply on the ground next to her art and luggage, Blake's bed is next to her books, which are used to raise Yang's bed over it by placing the novels on the posts, and Ruby's is hanging from ropes on the ceiling with a blanket used as a tent over it.

"No next we've got classes," Ruby said before Weiss looked at the clock and widened her eyes.

"Which we're late for!"

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Something I forgot to ask/do a poll on is should Naruto keep his semblance after he gets his memories/powers back? (As he will get them back too) and for this Ch until the next to give ideas out. People have given out clones but would that work with him getting his powers? (If keeping it wins) or not with Blake having a similar one?

Sorry, this was slightly late had both power and internet problems, and family and friends needed help over the past two weeks. Also, this might feel slightly rushed too as we're going to be getting weather from Hurricane Ida today/night so I rushed through the start and ending as I was a little short and added the next ep at the bottom as I tried for an Oc Ch.

So if I don't update by... Mon. that might be the reason with the power/internet going out. Mostly the internet.

Chapter 7

Beacon Gym, Next Morning, 8:00 AM.(1.)

A man stood in front of his class. He's 6'2" with short white hair, tan skin and is wearing a white A shirt showing several scars on his arms and chest, black track pants, and shoes. (2.)

"Alright class, I'm Mr. Vajo… Your hand-to-hand teacher."

Weiss raised her hand as she and the other students wore black pants and white shirts. "I thought the sparring was in the evening."

Vajo shook his head at that. "To practice your Semblances and weapons. I'll handle hand-to-hand for the times you're found without your weapons as certain business and areas forbid them without a Hunter/Huntress license. And even then you may be asked to keep the weapons upfront as not to cause trouble. I'll be teaching you all how to handle yourself without them and even your semblance!"

"So from 8-9:45 anyone caught using anything other than your fists is disqualified for the day and will clean the gym at the end of the day!" Vajo then pulled a clipboard and look through some names. Naruto Krim Uzumaki!" (3.) Naruto stepped inside a circle behind the teacher, "And Raldo!"

Raldo, a young man with dark skin and green hair and eyes walked up and stood in front of Naruto. (4.) "Ready, fight!"

The two walked up and circled each other before Naruto threw a fist that Raldo dodged. Naruto threw several more before dodging a punch from his opponent. He dodge another aimed for his chest before bringing his arms up to block several more punches before being hit in the ribs. Taking several steps back, Naruto threw a right hook only for Raldo to duck under it. Raldo then punched Naruto in the ribs and uppercuts him.

Raldo punched Naruto in the stomach several times before hitting him in the face with each hand, hit him in the stomach again then uppercuts Naruto again. "Come on Naruto!" Yang yelled out arms in the air as Naruto kicked Raldo in each knee before bringing his knee up to Raldo's chin.

Naruto then wrapped his right around Raldo's head for a face-lock and kneed his chest several times before flipping him over his shoulder having Raldo roll back to his feet. Naruto gave a roundhouse kick that Raldo ducked before punching Naruto in the face. Naruto jumped in the air for a spin kick having Raldo duck before being hit with Naruto's other foot having him stumble back.

Naruto, who fell on his back, kipped up then kicked Raldo several times before they locked up for a moment then broke up taking steps back. Naruto threw several kicks at Raldo who leaned back from them before they circled each other again. They each threw several punches at each other having them dodge before Naruto did a 360 kick knocking Raldo out of the circle.

"Winner, Naruto!" Vajo spoke out as Naruto walked back before calling out another name. "Natsu Dragneel and Cardin Winchester!" The two got into the ring before Vajo yelled again. "Begin!"

Cardin threw several kicks at Natsu who dodged by going back steps. They both then traded punches before Natsu hit Cardin with a right hook before going into a side flip and kicked Cardin who blocked it by bringing his arms into an X. Cardin kicked Natsu's knees before punching him several times. Natsu followed before kicking Cardin in the chest with his right leg.

Cardin caught it before Natsu punched him with both fists then brought his leg up to Cardin's head. Cardin ducked having Natsu lad on his foot facing away before flipping and then turned to kick Cardin in the chin having him stumble back. Natsu blocked several punches from Cardin before both threw a punch with their right hands and hit each other's fists before Natsu grabbed Cardin's arm.

He twists it and knees Cardin in the chest before Cardin twists out and elbows Natsu in the side of the head. He wraps his arms around Natsu's shoulder and knees him before Natiu broke out and they circled each other. Cardin dashed forward and grabs Natsu's left arm to flip him. Only for Natsu to follow and land on his feet then kicked Cardin in the thighs.

Cardin grunted before turning to grab Natsu who grabbed him instead and lifted him before dropping him on his back then threw him out of the ring. "Winner Natsu!" Vajo yelled before looking at the class. "This is the basics of what we'll be doing as well as learning any new techniques, for now, form groups to stretch before sparring.

Later, Grimm Studies Class.

Naruto sat beside Velvet in the middle row as a man was giving a lecture on Grim as behind him are posters of various Grimm and weapon schematics.

He's in early old age wearing a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His pants he has tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots. He has gray hair and a gray mustache and is a fat man with his build similar to an apple shape, where he is chubbier on his top half, with a bit of a belly.

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" He finished with a laugh as Naruto yawned. "Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces!"

"And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." (gives Yang a wink, which she groans uncomfortably at) "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He finished as a student behind Naruto yelled getting caught up before sitting back down.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he remembered hearing those who just graduated talk around town of one professor who tended to be long-winded before focusing back on the 'lecture'. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

The teacher takes a bow as Naruto heard Weiss grumbling as Ruby was playing with her stuff on the table."The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Weiss then raised her hand. "I do, sir!"

Port nodded at that "Well, then, let's find out!" He then turns to gesture at the glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow shaking the cage it's in. "Step forward, and face your opponent!"

Later, Weiss in her fighting clothes held Myrtenaster as Peter, holding an ax blunderbuss went to the cage as her team cheered, Blake having a small flag with RWBY on it.

"Goooo, Weiss!"

"Fight well!"

"Yeah, represent Teeeeam RWBY!"

Weiss lowering her sword and looking over at Ruby. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh, um... Sorry..."

"Allllright! Let the match... begin!" Peter then opened the cage having the Grimm come out.

It's a quadruped with many features associated with a real-world boar, including cloven feet, a line of hair sprouting from its spine, snub snout, and tusks. It has four eyes and a bone-like mask that seems to be strapped to its face by a black vein-like organic tether. It has a series of plates along its back and on its thighs, and two extra sets of tusks, including two large curving tusks.

The Grimm dashes as Weiss before she uses Myrtenaster to deflect its attack and roll to the side.

Port laughed before speaking. "Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby yelled out as Weiss stood up.

Weiss speeds towards the oncoming Boarbatusk, sticking her blade straight at its skull until they meet and Myrtenaster is trapped in the beast's tusks. Weiss is still hanging on to the hilt, and is tossed around as she struggles to get the rapier back."Bold, new approach. I like it!"

"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!"

Weiss turns to glare at Ruby, only for the Boarbatusk to turn its head and knocks the sword away and hit Weiss back with its tusks. "Oh-ho! Now, what will you do without your weapon?"

Weiss looks up just in time to see the Boarbatusk charge again, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid getting trampled and make it crash into a desk. She then runs to her sword and slides to pick it back up.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

Weiss then turned to Ruby who spoke up. "Stop telling me what to do!"

Ruby looks hurt at Weiss' rebuttal. Meanwhile, the Boarbatusk leaps into the air and rolls into a ball, and launches itself at Weiss. It comes closer and closer, but Weiss activates one of her blue-white circles and blocks the roll, leaping up into the now-black snowflake symbol and turning it blue again so she can drive the blade into the Boarbatusk's stomach.

Port nodded at that and clapped his hands. "Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Weiss glares and turns away, walking hurriedly to the exit past her teammates. "Sheesh, what's with her?"

Naruto turned to see Jaune who was walking down the steps. "She needs to learn to take orders now."

The remaining members of Team RWBY look at each other before getting up to leave.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

NUMBER THREE WILL HAVE A SLIGHT SPOILER! If you don't want to be spoiled skip three, non-spoiler is that's his ruby name for crimson, and didn't want to mess with the real name.

1. A class I thought of if you have any feel free to send any.

2. OC I thought up with his name from an RWBY name generator meaning Navaho white.

3. Since Naruto's reincarnated that's his RWBY name for crimson If you want to know he'll get his memories and powers after the fall of Beacon.

4 Another OC of mine with the name meaning Emerald from an RWBY name generator.

Chapter 8

Notes:

To those that may not know I take the week off before the holidays to get t east 1 Ch for each story in case I get company during the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year To those that celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Beacon Academy.

Weiss, still storming off in the hall turns a corner before Ruby runs up and stops her. "Weiss!"

"What?" Weiss asks as she turns around.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?"

"What's wrong with me?" Weiss interrupted her. "What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

Ruby scoffs at that. "What did I do?"

"That's just it! you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team." Ruby said to the heiress.

"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better." Weiss then turns her back to Ruby, who tried to reach out but dropped her hand with the following words. "Ozpin made a mistake." Weiss then walks away as Ruby looks dejected before turning to see Ozpin standing with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and his cane in the other

"Hmm... Now that didn't seem to go very well."

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" Ruby asked Ozpin who closed his eyes for a moment.

"That remains to be seen."

Naruto walked around the corner, hands behind his head before hearing Ozpin explain to Ruby that Ozpin confesses that leaders are rarely perfect. He admits to having made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet, but also states that he does not believe making Ruby a leader was one of them.

He then tells her that being a leader is a badge that she will wear constantly, and if she does not perform at her best, others will not have a reason to follow her.

Outside.

Meanwhile, Weiss walked into Port and explains her belief that she should be the leader of Team RWBY, but Port disagrees. Port states that he has worked underneath Ozpin for many years and the headmaster has never given him any reason to question his judgment. Port continues explaining to Weiss that she has gotten everything she has ever wanted her whole life, and now that something she wanted has been given to someone else, she is throwing a temper tantrum.

He goes on to tell her that, instead of fretting about what she does not have, she should savor what she does have, by being the best person she can be. Although Weiss insists that Port's statement about getting everything she ever wanted is not entirely true, she considers what Port has told her.

Dorms Night.

Later that night, Weiss returns to Team RWBY's dorm room to find Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby already asleep. Ruby is surrounded by several textbooks and papers, implying that she fell asleep studying. Though Ruby apologizes for her sloppy behavior, Weiss, taking Port's advice to heart goes to get Ruby a fresh cup of coffee and admits that she has always wanted bunk beds. Ruby smiles as Weiss leaves to change into her nightgown.

Next Day, Afternoon.

Naruto in his gym clothes laid on a hill looking through the scope of Fox Bolt with Ruby who was also in her gym clothes with Crescent Rose in its gun form with a scope took shots with other students that uses a sniper rifle did the same to hit metal Grimm targets that are 200 meters away as young men and women sat behind them with spotter scopes on tripods.

Walking the line is a woman with tan skin, long blonde hair pulled in a ponytail in a black baseball cap. She has a black eyepatch over her left eye with her right showing it's blue wearing a green shirt, black pants, and boots. (1.)

"Alright class, I'm Sunny, your long-range instructor. Now, this class will be teaching you how to use your sniper rifle outside of the blade portion." Sunny explained before stepping on an upturned foot of a boy so it was now laying flat. "Don't give your enemy anything that they can see." She said to the student before continuing walking and came across more upturned feet that she pressed down.

"Feel your breath filling every cell in your body." She said as several students took shots. "This is a sniper's ritual. We master our breath, we master our mind. Pulling the trigger will become an unconscious effort. You will be aware of it, but not directing it. And as you exhale, find your natural respiratory pause… And the space between heartbeats." Sunny finished as she got to the end where Naruto and Ruby lay.

"Why do we need to do this?" Ruby asked looking over her shoulder.

"For any regular mission of protecting someone. A sniper's role is to protect from afar, you do reconnaissance and get the threats in the backline for your comrades." Sunny replied before looking to see Naruto hit a Beowulf target on the lower chest. "Aim small, miss small. If you aim for a shirt button you might miss by two inches. You aim for a shirt, you might miss by two feet." Naruto took another shot before she looked at him. "Close those groupings Uzumaki."

"Yes ma'am."

Naruto took another shot and missed before Sunny looked at the spotter who sighed. He has black hair wearing a black shirt and dark green pants with black boots. (2.)

"Are we looking at the same target? You're spitting dust. Got your off-eye shut?"

Sunny looked down and saw Naruto had both of his eyes open before he spoke. "If I close my off-eye, I can't see what's out there."

"There's nothing out there but the target." The spotter said as Naruto pulled the bolt back on his gun.

"Negative, sir. There is something out there."

The spotter stood at that and looked at the blonde. "Show me."

Naruto moved his gun to the left and shot a small bird-sized Nevermore.

In a room of the academy, the rest of Team RWBY, SHNN, and Team JNPR was hitting or cutting dummies for their training with Vajo. "Jaune, a little faster on the downswing," Vajo said to the tee who nodded as he hit a dummy with his sword as Haru followed with his.

Yang, Natsu, and Shiki were hitting/kicking their dummies as Weiss got in her stance and stabbed hers in the chest. Blake was hitting her dummy before jumping back and threw them at the head and slicing it off.

Beacon, Morning.

On a stage, Naruto in his new combat attire looked across from him to see Cardin.

Naruto's new outfit is an armored dark orange jumpsuit that's black on the stomach, with shin guards, armor on his forearms, and top of his hands with black fingerless gloves. (3.)

Naruto picked up Sage and Shisuithat changed into their knife form before dashing at Cardin and swiped at his chest. Cardin blocked with the Executioner before kicking Naruto onto his back. Naruto followed by spinning to get back on his feet, kicking Cardin before landing on his feet and gripping the knife in his right-hand reverse grip. He dashed forward again and clashed with Cardin's weapon with both of his.

Naruto smiled before kicking Cardin in his knee and spun kicked him onto his back before dropping down on his knee and placing Sage at Cardin's throat.

Buzz!

A buzzer rings out, as the lights came on before Naruto heard Glynda. "That's enough!" Naruto pulled his knife away and stood up as Glynda comes onto the stage, tapping her tablet. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Winchester's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-style duel, this would indicate that Cardin is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match."Glynda turns to look at the losing warrior before looking back to the class.

Yang was punching the air in anticipation; Weiss was shaking her fists with an excited smile, and Ruby's whole body was shaking with enthusiastic energy while squealing softly. "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

Rrrriiiinnnggg!

The bell rings, and students start leaving for lunch.

Later, Naruto and his team were sitting at a table beside Team RWBY's and JNPR as Nora was telling them a story. "So! There we were, in the middle of the night..."

"It was day," Ren said with a sigh from his spot.

Blake was paying no attention as she is lost in her book, and Yang, who was hanging on her every word with her hands cupping her face. "We were surrounded by Ursai..."

Ren then picked a coffee cup up. "They were Beowolves."

Nora then stands at that with her arms raised. "Dozens of them!" Weiss was also ignoring Nora while filing her nails, Ruby and Pyrrha are listening politely, while Jaune is messing with his food.

Ren then closed his eyes before speaking. "Two of 'em."

"But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now," Ren said dropping the cup to rub his face.

Naruto then turned to see the members of Team CRDL, standing around Velvet with Cardin laughing at her, and Sky Lark holds up his hands to his head in a mock interpretation of her unusual features.

Naruto walked over and stood in front of Velvet. "Better than your ugly mug that even your mother can't stand."

"What'd you say?" Cardin asked standing as Naruto crossed his arms before Vajo and Sunny appeared.

"Team CRDL, report to Ozpin's office, now," Vajo ordered before pulling the team up as Sunny pointed to the door.

While they left, Cardin looked back at Naruto who smiled giving a mock salute.

To Be Continued.

---

3. Naruto's Outfit.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

1-2. OCs of mine.

Chapter 9

Notes:

Apologies for the quality, I hurried this to get it out today.

Beacon.

"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him."

Naruto got back to the table to hear Pyrrha peak up after Cardin and his team left.

"He's not the only one…" Blake spoke up looking over.

Yang sighed sadly as she rests her head on her hand. "It must be hard to be a Faunus."

Having gotten up from the table, Jaune looks back at his friends and sighs to himself before moving on with his tray table.

Later that day, Naruto was sitting beside Velvet on his left with his team at other places in the rows listening to their History Teacher drone on.

He has messy green hair and brown eyes. His attire is disheveled: his white shirt partially tucked into his dark-green pants and its collar raised, showing a slack yellow tie, along with mismatched brown and black shoes. He also has round glasses that appear to be opaque and hold a mug of coffee.

"Yes! Yes, before the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War-!" Naruto followed him as he zooms up to the front of the class. "Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He points at the map of the said area with his stick, then zooms off to the side for a sip of his coffee before appearing in front of the desk.

"Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" He then looks around the classroom more, sipping his coffee again before continuing. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"

Naruto glanced to Velvet who hesitantly raised her hand after another male student did. "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" He asked before Weiss raised her hand quickly. "Yes?"

"The battle at Fort Castle!"

Oobleck nodded at that. "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

"Night vision." Naruto raised his hand at that. "Lagune tried attacking at night thinking they would be asleep.

"That is correct Mr. Uzumaki, Mr. Arc Mr. Winchester, I've noticed you've both have been slacking. Can both of you see me after class for additional readings? Now! Moving on!"

When the lesson ends, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren come out of the classroom, only for Pyrrha to stop near the doorway. "You go on ahead. I'll wait for Jaune."

Naruto and his team walked out and down the hall as Pyrrha waited by the door for her Captain to come out.

Later that night, Naruto was walking down the hall before seeing Cardin at a window in a cleaning closet. "Cardin, get the hell out of there!"

The teen turned and saw Oobleck walking around the corner. "Mr. Winchester, that room is off-limits to students, kindly get back to your room."

Naruto walked to close the door as the teacher walked with Cardin before stopping as he overheard June tell Pyrrha he cheated to get in and declined her offer to help. Closing the door, he walked and saw Pyrrha walking out of the stairwell. "Give him time." He said having her stop as he continued. "Some guys have trouble accepting help."

A Few Days Later.

Pyrrha was sitting in her teams' room with Nora jumping on one of the beds that are pressed together on each side.

"How come Jaune gets home so late?"

Pyrrha looked over at her teammate as Ren was working on one of his guns. "He's become rather scarce."

"That's weird... Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" Nora yells as she twirls in midair so her back hits the covers)

"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing," Pyrrha said turning fully.

Outside, Jaune closes the door, just as a voice interrupts his thoughts.

"Hey, Jaune!"

Jaune jumped at that and turned to see her in her pajamas. "Long time, no see! Did you lock yourself out again?"

"Oh, uh, nope! Got it!"

"So! Where have you been lately?" She asked before hearing a voice.

"Late night training with me."

She turned and blushed as she saw Naruto in black pajama pants and was shirtless. "He asked for help so we've been training at night the hour before we have to be in our dorms."

"Oh, why did you want to keep that a secret?"

"Because Jaune thinks he'll get expelled if he isn't a decent fighter," Naruto replied before walking to his room.

The next day, Forever Fall Forest.

In a forest bustling with red leaves and gray trunks, Glynda is leading the teams SHNN, RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL in their combat clothes through the area."Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!"

Later, all the teams are collecting jars before hearing a scream and growl. Naruto dashed ahead followed by his team They got over a hill and saw an Ursa was attracted to the sap being collected attacking Team CRDL. Naruto pulled his pistols off as Haru pulled his sword and placed a stone at the bottom of the blade having it change.

It's now a large metal sword, vertically reaches Haru's torso. It has a rain-guard that is triangular, with intricate patterns embellished on it. The sword has a Musical note at the central axis of the blade. (1.)

He ran over and sliced at it as Naruto jumped over swiping at the eyes before Shiki and Natsu punched/kicked its ribs. Naruto then stabbed it in the eyes with his knives before Natsu jumped off his back and came down for a punch having his gauntlets shoot off part of the bone before Shiki came up and did a crescent moon kick breaking the rest off before Hatsu came down and sliced its head off.

A Few Days Vale.

Team RWBY is walking down the streets of Vale that is decorating for the upcoming festival. Hearing an engine roar, they turned to see Naruto in his riding clothes driving his bike before seeing them and stopping. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"Going to the docks, you?" Yang asked as she sauntered up to him.

"Taking my bike out for a drive, can't let them sit or it'll seize up."

"Could you give me a ride?" Yang asked before jumping on the back and wrapping her hands around his waist.

Naruto blushed as he felt her chest pressed against his back before speaking. "Sure."

He took off albeit slowly so they wouldn't wait long for the others. Later, the group was looking out at the docks from the street. "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked crossing her arms under her bust.

"Ugh, they smell like fish!" Ruby whined holding her nose closed.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" Weiss exclaimed before walking away having Blake look over.

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

"You can't prove that!" Weiss said before Ruby looked behind them having the others follow to see two detectives looking at a broken window at a store.

"What happened here?" She asked walking over as one spoke up.

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."

"That's terrible." Yang sighed out before the other detective looked at the first.

"They left all the money again."

"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"

"I don't know, an army?" The second one said having the first raise an eyebrow.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

Weiss crossed her arms at that: "Hmph! The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates!"

"They started out peacefully against the inhumane treatment they got," Naruto said before looking at Weiss.

"Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!" Blake interrupted the two having Ruby look down in thought.

"Hmm... Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy Naruto and I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss said as Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Some of my best friends growing up were Faunus' Weiss. I don't take kindly to you badmouthing them."

"Hey, stop that Faunus!"

They looked back to see a Faunus teen boy running from a ship. He has tan skin with short spiky light-blonde hair and blue eyes. He's wearing two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and an open loose-collared white jacket with no shirt underneath, displaying his muscular physique. He also has blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt. He has white bandages on his legs and has a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his pants.

He has on black and yellow sneakers and a twisted golden necklace around his neck, with a round pendant bearing a monkey emblem. He also has a long prehensile monkey tail the same color as his hair.

He ran past them winking before turning around a corner. "Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..."

"Quick! We have to observe him!"

Weiss, Yang, and Ruby give chase. Blake stands still, lost in thought, then comes back to reality and follows her friends. The team rounds the next corner, but then Weiss bumps into someone and trips. She looks up only to see Sun jump onto a building and disappear from her view.

"No, he got away!" Weiss spoke up before Yang raised a hand.

"Uhh... Weiss?"

Weiss finally sees that she fell on a smiling girl, which startles the heiress and she hastily gets up.

She has short, rather curly orange hair that reaches down to her chin with a small cowlick on top, and a pink bow on the back of her head. She also has bright green eyes, light skin, and freckles. She's wearing an off-white old-fashioned styled off-the-shoulder blouse with frill detailed trim and frill flared cuffs that half-covered her hands alongside copper button detailing on the lower parts of her sleeves.

She also sports a short gray pinafore dress with golden trim on the hem alongside four light green stalagmite styled stripes on the lower half of the dress, two on the front and two on the back, accompanied by two matching colored circles above the tips that had a stripe that ran around her waistline, with golden outlines, and a detachable black and light green collar.

She also has on a pair of black thigh-high leg pieces that seemingly are attached to black shoes. The leg pieces had a single green stripe up the sides that appeared to be lit up.

She smiled widely at them. "Sal-u-ta-tions!"

"Um... hello." Ruby waved as Naruto walked around the corner.

"Are you... okay?"

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking."

The team looks at each other in bewilderment before Yang speaks up. "Do you... wanna get up?"

"Yes!" She leaps back on her feet while the team steps back a little. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi, Penny. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Naruto." Naruto waved as Yang stood next to him.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head-? Oh, I'm Yang." She greeted after being elbowed by Blake

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" The girl said smiling as Weiss rose an eyebrow.

"You already said that."

"… So I did!"

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Blake spoke as they turn around and start walking away while Ruby waved.

"Take care, friend!"

As they walked a few feet away, Penny appeared in front of them. "She was... weird..."

"What did you call me?" She asked before walking up to Ruby. "You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?"

"Uuuum… Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?"

"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Penny rattled off before Ruby leaned over to Weiss.

"Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?"

"No, she seems far more coordinated."

Yang then looked over as she crossed her arms. "So... what are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament."

Weiss then appeared in front of her. "Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?"

Penny saluted at that. "I'm combat ready!"

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part," Weiss said looking at her attire before Blake rolled her eyes.

"Says the girl wearing a dress."

"It's a combat skirt!"

Ruby speeds over to Weiss' side "Yeah!" She and Weiss then low-five each other.

"Wait a minute." Weiss walks over to Penny and grabs her by the shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"

"The who...?"

Weiss then produced a poor drawing of the 'criminal-in-question'. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!"

Weiss turns her attention from Penny to Blake at that. "Huh?"

Blake walks over to Weiss, glaring. "Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss releases Penny and motions to objects around her. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

"You ignorant little brat!"

Weiss looked offended at that, but when Blake walks away, she follows. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"

"You are a judgmental little girl."

"What in the world makes you say that?"

"Um, I think we should probably go…" Yang said uncomfortably before Penny pops up behind Ruby, smiling.

"Where are we going?"

"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!" Weiss said gaining their attention.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Night, Beacon.

Weiss and Blake in their dorm are still arguing. "I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"

"That is the problem!" Blake yelled having Weiss stand up from her bed and walk over.

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates Humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang is pure evil!"

"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?" Weiss asked her teammate.

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss yelled as they stare each other down in silence, Weiss leans in close, leering as she speaks lowly. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember."

"And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood."

"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

Blake then stood up at that. "Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Silence drops down as a surprised Weiss backs away slowly, and Blake realizes her mistake as she looks around at her teammates before bolting for the door, running past Naruto.

"Blake, wait! Come back!"

Blake runs outside and arrives at a statue of an armored man with a sword and a hooded woman wielding an ax on an outcropping, staring at the Beowolf under the stone heroes in particular. She closes her eyes and slowly lifts her arms to her bow and pulls the string to release the bow from her hair. She wipes away a tear as the moonlight reveals her black Faunus cat ears.

"You would look better without the bow."

Turning, she saw Naruto was behind her smiling.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

1. His different sword forms are from his manga.

Apologies for the quality, I hurried to have this out today.

Sorry Ninja in the Web isn't up, when seeing how close I was to this week I decided to work on the others. The only ones I'm not 100% sure will be up is the Star Wars as I got another beta and they have limited time on the computer at the moment and the USM due to still needing to write out 4 episodes.

To those that celebrated it, I hope you had a safe and Happy Hannuka, and to those that celebrate it, I hope you have a safe Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate, and if I don't put up a chapter of a story you read by then, I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year.

Chapter 10

Notes:

Sorry this was slightly later than I wanted. As I said I won't have much time on the computer most days for the foreseeable future. Also, I wrote out the next Young Justice Ch as that's on a schedule and I would like to keep it on it. Plus I did take a break from writing as we all need that from time to time.

I even got called off from the computer or I would have uploaded this sooner on this site

Naruto, And Blake.

The duo sat at a table sipping tea after a couple of days from first finding her. "Look, I know you ain't ready to talk to the others. But you do need to open up."

"Is she speaking?"

Naruto looked to see Sun walking up, holding a teacup in his tail. "Nearly two days and you've given us is nothing but small talk and weird looks!" Blake just looks at him sternly gives Sun a firm look. "Yeah, like that."

"Are you familiar with the White Fang?" Blake asked the two.

"Of course! I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me!"

"Didn't always start like that."

The two looked at Naruto who crossed his arms. "I know they started as a peaceful organization to protest how Faunus are treated. I believe the newest leader started the attacking when taking over."

Blake takes a sip of her tea before sighing. "I was once a member of the White Fang."

"You were a member of the White Fang?!" Sun blurted out while couching on his drink.

"That's right. I was a member for most of my life, actually. You could almost say I was born into it… Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people. And I was there." Blake explained as she dropped her cup before continuing.

"I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist. Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks."

"We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated as equals. But not out of respect... Out of fear. So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow."

Naruto and Sun noticed her bow move a little. "Your team will understand. I mean Weiss was just fed that crap from her father but she likes you." Naruto said before pulling his scroll out.

City.

"Blaaaake!"

"Blaaaake!"

Ruby and Yang yelled out with Weiss before Haru ran up. "I just got a message from Naruto, he's with Blake. Says she just needs time to sort everything out."

"Oh! That's good." Ruby spoke before they turned to leave. And saw Penny was behind them. "Penny! Where did you come from!?"

"Hey, guys! What are you up to?" Penny asked with a salute.

"Uhh..."

"We were looking for our friend Blake. But Naruto just gave-!" Yang was then interrupted by Penny.

"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!" Penny smiled as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang stared at her.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby asked her having Penny point at her head.

"Uhh, the cat ears?"

"What cat ears? She wears a... booooowww…" Yang trailed off realizing what the bow was for as her sister looked down.

"She does like tuna a lot..."

"So, where is she?" Penny asked them before Haru spoke up.

"Somewhere with Naruto. Said she needs time to herself."

Naruto, Blake, And Sun.

Naruto, Sun, and Blake are walking down an alley as Sun has his hands behind his head. "So, what's the plan now?"

"I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before."

"What if they did?" Sun spoke getting the two's attention. "I mean... The only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there! Right?"

"The only thing is, I've no idea where that would be," Blake said as they got to the street where Naruto's motorcycle is.

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas."

"How huge?" Blake asked looking over.

"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter."

"You're sure?"

"If you guys are sure about this."

The Faunus' looked at Naruto as he got on his bike. "I won't stop ya. Just be careful Blake I don't want anything to happen to you."

"What about me?"

"… Sure," Naruto replied to Sun before starting his bike and drove off.

Night.

(A/N: This, until Ruby comes in, is canon feel free to skip.)

Later that night, Blake was looking at the shipment from a rooftop before hearing Sun.

"Did I miss anything?"

Blake looked up as Sun drops down to her right with green apples in his arms. "Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there."

"Cool," Sun spoke before holding out one of the green apples in his arms. "I stole you some food!"

"Do you always break the law without giving a second thought?"

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun defended himself having Blake give a glare. "OK, too soon!"

Suddenly, the winds blows all around them, and they look up to see a Bullhead's searchlights flashing around for a landing spot, descending in the middle of the cargo containers and extending a ramp for a black hooded individual with a metallic fanged mask to come out of.

"Oh no…" Blake spoke as she got up on her knees.

"Is that them?"

Blake stares at the bloody wolf on the back of the man's outfit before sighing. "Yes... It's them."

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked Blake who was looking at the scene sadly as the group started getting the crates.

"No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right." She replied before hearing a voice.

"Hey!"

They turned to see Roman walking out of the aircraft. "What's the holdup!? We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that." Blake said as she stands up and unsheathes the Katana of Gambol Shroud before walking off the edge of the roof.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Blake falls to the ground in a crouch, then continues on to hide behind one of the containers, peeking around the corner to see Roman berate a White Fang member holding a coil of rope. "No, you idiot! This isn't a leash!" Roman yelled looking around. Suddenly, Blake appears behind him with her blade at his throat. "What the- Oh, for f-"

"Nobody move! The White Fang soldiers ready their guns and equip their swords in response."

"Whoa! Take it easy there, little lady." Roman turned to look at her.

As the White Fang closes in on her, Blake uses her free hand to go for her bow and remove it, causing the ribbon to fall away as her Faunus ears are shown to the world. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?"

The White Fang members lower their weapons a little at this development when Roman laughs. "Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked looking at Roman.

"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!"

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation."

Suddenly, the air is filled with more turbines blowing the wind wildly around the holdup. "I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation…"

Two more Bullheads start hovering above the heist, and as Blake watches in horror, Roman smiles and manages to fire his cane at Blake's feet, resulting in a large explosion.

BOOM!

Blake, dazed but relatively unhurt on the ground, quickly rolls and runs out of the way of Roman's continued attacks, flaming missiles destroying cargo behind her as she flips and uses her semblance to dodge then retreats behind more containers. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…" Roman then trailed as a banana peel fell on his head.

"Whoo-hoo!"

Sun leaps from the container above Roman and drops down on the criminal's face feet-first, rolling up and readying himself to fight. "Leave her alone!"

The Bullheads open to let more White Fang members out, standing by Roman as he gets up and surrounding Sun. "You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?"

The White Fang then charges at the monkey Faunus, but he manages to dodge slashes and get some of the soldiers with his fists and kicks until he rolls out of the way of one's sword. "Ha-Ha!"

Pulling out a collapsible red staff. He quickly uses this to beat down on each opponent that nears him, felling each one in a single flaming blow when he twirls it around, even creating a scorching shock-wave to beat the last of them. Blake peers around the corner of the container to watch Sun jump around and beat another White Fang soldier, landing on his back and causing him to fly over toward Roman's head.

The crime boss ducks then growls in annoyance and aims his cane at Sun, firing a shot that he defends himself from just when Blake leaps into the action. "Blake: He's mine!"

Blake goes in close and becomes a blur of afterimages as she slashes both blades at Roman, who backs away and deflects each blow with his cane. Blake continues to dash, hop over, and slide around Roman to try and hit him. Finally landing a blow after using her Semblance but he quickly recovers, deflecting several more attacks before attempting to punch her in the face. Only to hit a clone as she flips away. The two clash weapons again, then Torchwick jabs her in the side.

He lands a few more hits on Blake until one final beating to the head with his cane causes her to go down. Just as Roman deals with one opponent, Sun appears right behind her. Vaulting over Blake he kicks Roman in the chest and disconnects his staff into two spinning circles of flame-firing shotgun nunchucks before becoming twin arcs of offense again.

Sun swings each gun at Roman while firing at him, but Roman manages to defend himself against every bullet and hit until a millisecond-long pause allows Blake to get a slash in and knock him back. On his back, Roman notices a container hanging by a crane right above the two, and gets up to fire his cane at its supports.

Blake leaps behind it, but Sun barely misses when he jumps forward, ending up right below the nozzle of Roman's cane. Just as he's about to fire, his and Sun's attention is drawn to a voice.

"BASTARD!"

They looked to see Naruto landing on his motorcycle before Natsu jumped off having his vest open up revealing scales on his ribs.

"Didn't miss the party did we?" Natsu asked bringing up his fists and cocking Ignis scales.

Naruto got off his bike and pulled his revolvers up and spun them. "Well, the heroes always show up late."

Naruto then turned and shot a man that tried to attack from behind before having his guns turn into their knives and clashed with another. Natsu punched another man before tuning to uppercut another sending him into the air having Naruto jump in the air and kicked at him having a blade of air shoot out and hits the man in his chest. (1.)

Naruto shot at several more men by pulling the trigger in his ring on his knives and kicked the man into Natsu who punched him several times and kicked him away.

Hearing an engine, Naruto saw three Bullhead's flying to them. Holstering his guns, he pulled Fox Bolt out and quickly shot the three windshields and hit the pilots having the aircraft's crash.

"These kids just keep getting weirder…" Roman mused as he ran to one of the grounded crafts, closed the door, and left.

Later, a handful of police cars are at the docks, where Naruto, Blake, Sun, and Natsu are sitting on boxes. "You're a Faunus?" Blake asked Natsu who nodded.

"His scales are usually hidden by his clothes," Naruto spoke up as Fox Bolt was propped by him. "Wouldn't stop annoying me about helping you until I brought him here due to having a bike."

"While I'm not ashamed of being a Faunus, I know I can avoid a headache by not bringing it up," Natsu spoke up arms crossed.

Suddenly, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby came over after hearing police while eating at a restaurant. "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-!" Blake stopped as Weiss interrupted her.

"Stop! Do you have any idea of how long we've been searching for you...? Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided… "I don't care."

"You don't care?" Blake asked having the heiress nod.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

Weiss then raised a finger stopping Blake once more. "Ah-bahp-bahp-bahp! I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up... You'll come to your teammates. And not some…" She trailed looking at Sun behind Blake. "Someone else."

"Of course." Blake nodded looking at the others

"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" Ruby yelled out arms raised in the air.

Weiss then points at Sun before speaking. "I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you!"

Beacon.

Meanwhile, Ozpin is seen holding a Scroll showing a "LIVE FEED" of the teens at the docks. He closes the video and opens up a communication.

Qrow.

Team:_

MSG: QUEEN HAS PAWNS.

"Hmmm…" He trailed off before looking out the window.

Unknown Location.

Roman walks into a large warehouse with a shadowy interior. He goes over to a table and places down a case of mysterious contents, sighing in tiredness.

"How very disappointing, Roman."

Roman turns around suddenly when he hears the voice. "Whoa! Hehe... I wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon..."

He sees three figures in the dark, two women, one man before the woman in the middle's eyes glow yellow.

"Hey! You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang." He said having the woman chuckle.

"And you will continue to do so." She said as she summons a fireball in her hand and stepped out of the darkness with her two companions. "We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is... A little cooperation."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

1. His Semblance will be the same as with the first story and use wind. If you'd like to give your thoughts on him using his Semblance when getting his jutsu back, feel free to send.

Sorry, this was slightly later than I wanted. As I said I won't have much time on the computer most days for the foreseeable future. Also, I wrote out the next Young Justice Ch as that's on a schedule and I would like to keep it on it. Plus I did take a break from writing as we all need that from time to time.

Chapter 11

Notes:

Sorry the majority of this is canon. I always end a Ch right before a big canon ep/part of an arc happens. And this did "Introduce" Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder aside from just being in the shadows.

Vale.

The Dust Til Dawn owner is hanging a re-opening banner over his store before climbing down the ladder. Once getting to the bottom, he stumbles and falls as a young girl stopped beside him.

She has medium-brown skin and dark-red eyes. Her hair is light, mint-green with a straight fringe and bangs as well as two long locks on each side in the back. She's wearing two bronze-colored rings on her middle fingers as well as a pair of strappy high-heeled pumps. As well as an intricate white top and an olive-colored crop top, on the back of which is her emblem a stylized cut emerald. She also has white cropped pants with brown chaps that attach to her brown belt.

"'Scuse me, sorry. I'm not really from around here." She smiled as she helps him up. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?" She asks handing him a piece of paper.

He nods and points behind her having her nod and walk away. She then stops at an alleyway where she heard a male voice.

"I knew you were lost, Emerald."

He has fair skin, and grey hair wearing a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that covers his upper body. He also has a single notched belt with what appears to be a sash or bandanna draped over it. Protecting his arms are a set of rerebraces and vambraces.

"Mercury, I will seriously pay you to shut up," Emerald spoke as she produces a wallet with Lien and waves it in Mercury's face.

"That's not your money." Mercury deadpanned as she took the money out and dropped the wallet.

"But it can be yours for 5 minutes of silence."

"Mmmm... no deal."

"Fine," Emerald replied and walked away.

Mercury then followed after. "Whatever. You want me."

They walked several blocks before stopping at a used book store and walked inside. Mercury stops near the door to look at books while Emerald approaches the counter and rings a service bell.

Ding-Ding!

"Be right there!"

A male voice spoke up as Emerald looked back for a second before the shop owner walks through the set of double doors carrying stacks of books as he walks backward and out toward the counter. "Welcome to 'Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" He said dropping the books down. "How may I…" He trailed as he turned and recognized the two.

He has fair skin, short black hair, and is wearing a short-sleeved quarter-zip burgundy and black shirt with a visible white undershirt. His hair was cleanly cut, and he had noticeable sideburns, along with hairy, muscular arms.

"How may I help you?" He asked as Mercury looked over.

"Just browsing."

"I was wondering, do you have any copies of 'The Thief and The Butcher'?"

The man nodded at Emerald. "Yes, we do."

"That's great."

Tukson looked at her before speaking again. "Would you... Like a copy?"

"No, just wondering. Oh, oh! What about 'Violet's Garden'? In paperback?"

Mercury closed a book before glancing over. "He's got it. Hardback too.

"Ooh, options are nice."

"Eh, no pictures. Hey! Do you have any comics?" Mercury asked Tukson who pointed ahead.

"Near the front."

"Oh, no, wait! What... About... 'Third Crusade'?"

"Um... I… I don't believe we carry that one."

"Oh," Mercury spoke closing another book.

Emerald smiled before speaking. "What was this place called again?

"Tukson's Book Trade."

"And you're Tukson?"

Tukson nodded at that. "That's right."

"So then I take it that you're the one that came up with the catchphrase?" Emerald asked him as he nodded.

"Yes."

Mercury then looked over dropping another book. "And, what was it again?"

"'Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun.'"

"Except the Third Crusade."

"It's just a catchphrase," Tukson replied as Mercury glared.

"It's false advertising!"

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Tukson," Emerald spoke as Mercury activates a switch near the entrance causing the front window to darken. "I hear that you're planning on leaving. Moving to Vacuo." Mercury then activates another switch and the window in the front door darkens. "Your brothers in the White Fang won't be happy to hear that."

She smiled as Mercury activates the third and final switch, darkening the last window as he smiles creepily at Tukson. "And neither are we... You know who we are, don't you?"

"Yes." Tukson nodded at that.

"And you know why we're here?" She asked having him nod again.

"Yes."

"So... are you going to fight back?" She asked as he had claws come out of his fingers.

"Yes!"

Tukson leaps atop his counter. Mercury and Emerald back up slightly and he leaps at Emerald and slashes at her, but she dodges. He looks forward and is surprised at Mercury as he raises one leg for a kick.

BANG!

Beacon Academy Cafeteria.

"Whatcha doing?"

Blake, who was looking at sketches in her notebook jumped as Yang leaned to look at her. "Nothing. Just going over notes from last semester."

Yang then moves back to catch a grape that was thrown at her by Nora in her mouth. "Lame."

Nora giggles as she continues to toss grapes at Yang with her spoon. Yang catches the fruit with ease, giving Nora the thumbs up.

Naruto who was eating with his team looked back to see Ruby talking to the others with a large binder on having 'The Best Day Ever before looking back to see Shiki and Natsu wolfing down their food, even attacking each other when trying to take something off the other's plate.

"Why did we get on a team with them?" Haru asked as he took a drink."

"(Sigh) Because someone upstairs said they're our responsibility."

"Boooooooooooooooo!"

Naruto looked to see Nora booing a pun from Yang and threw a tomato at her before hearing Ruby.

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great! But, classes start back up tomorrow! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today."

Naruto then saw Yang throw an apple over having Nora laugh as someone else got hit before a pie hit Weiss. "… Crap..."

Nora is shown to be the one who threw the pie, she sits down and points at Ren who has his head in his palm. Pyrrha's hand is over her mouth and Jaune simply sits staring wide-eyed while covering his ear with his palm.

Outside, Sun was talking to his teammate about what happened with Blake. Both missing food and drinks start to hit the windows as students start running out.

He has tan skin, blue eyes, and messy light-blue hair in the form of an undercut. He has a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket adorned with a wide, upturned, black collar and a silver reticle across the back. He also sports a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides as well as black shoes fastened with straps instead of laces.

His attire includes black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles typically worn on his forehead.

"Man, that's harsh."

"I know, we were fighting side by side. She was super fast and I threw a banana at the guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome."

"Nice!"

Sun nodded at that. "Right? And the best part is, she's a Faunus. But that's a secret, okay?" Sun spoke as his friend nodded.

"Got it."

"And not a, 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back secret', I'm talking secret, secret."

"Whoa, chill out, man, okay? I got it."

Sun narrowed his eyes at that. "You better. I just don't want to screw this up, you know? The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys."

His teammate nodded. "None taken."

"They're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool, okay? You're gonna be cool, right?"

"Dude." His friend deadpanned as he smiles.

Sun even swore he saw a shine come off them. "Good point."

They then enter to see JNPR on one end, Naruto's team on the other, Natsu laughing evilly with what appeared to be fire coming out of his mouth both on tables stacked up.

Naruto meanwhile was eating his lunch as team RWBY stood in the middle before Nora yelled out. "Off with their heads!"

Nora jumps down from the top of her tower, grabs a ridiculous number of watermelons, and throws them at Team RWBY.

"Yang! Turkey!"

Yang rolls over to the turkeys and sticks her fists inside them, proceeding to block and punch the melons as they speed toward her. Blake then leaps in front of Yang and picks up two baguettes. Yang then throws her turkeys at Pyrrha, who dodges out of the way and grabs a single baguette, leaving Jaune to take the blows.

Pyrrha and Blake duel in a one-on-one fight. Despite Blake's attempt to disorient Pyrrha with her shadows, Pyrrha knocks her back and throws three more baguettes at Yang, with the last knocking her down as well.

Ruby uses a food tray to slide towards Pyrrha across the table and hits a baguette back at her with the same tray; Pyrrha manages to dodge the shot but is unable to stop Ruby from knocking her backward with the same food tray. Ren and Nora then charge at Ruby, but Weiss intercepts them and uses ketchup to cause Ren to slip and crash with a group of tables that are launched because of the impact.

Nora jumps through these tables to grab a metal flag pole and attach a watermelon to it. She attacks Weiss but hits Ruby instead, knocking her down. Weiss grabs a swordfish and engages Nora in a one-on-one, but ends up being defeated after Nora throws her against a pillar, knocking her down, and causing the pillar to break. Before the pieces crush Weiss, Ruby jumps in and saves her partner. "Weiss, Weiss! Don't leave me! Nooo!"

Naruto looked up as he saw his team jumping over to fight as well before sighing as he caught a can of soda from the air. Yang grabs two more turkeys and duels Ren, who is wielding a pair of leeks. Ren is overwhelmed by Yang's reflexes and takes a lot of hits before being sent a few meters into the air by an uppercut.

He was then hit in the head by a watermelon kicked by Shiki as Natsu punched Yang with two chickens in his hands.

Nora intervenes immediately afterward and hits a baguette wielded by Haru who pushes her back and blocks a punch from Yang. Nora spun hitting Haru into the wall then uppercuts Yang sending her flying through the roof with her hammer but destroying the weapon in the process.

Blake gets back up to dodge the debris of the roof and grabs a link of sausages. She whips it at a disarmed Nora, throwing her against two soda machines. These leak some soda cans that Nora throws at Blake, who manages to dodge them all. Pyrrha then uses her Semblance of polarity on the puddle of soda, causing all the soda cans on it to rise after Blake, Haru, and Shiki barraging them with soda.

Ruby, the last remaining member of RWBY, then uses her Semblance of speed to dash through the food court, causing everything to follow her through the tailwind caused by her overwhelming speed. Naruto looks up just in time to be blown off his seat to follow the food. "What the heeeellll?"

Ruby spins like a torpedo, creating a hurricane of food that comes back at JNPR, knocking all four members out. Naruto hit the wall and slowly slid down before falling onto the ground.

Glynda then storms in angrily, fixing the cafeteria with her Semblance just before Yang comes crashing down through the roof, much to the amusement of the team. "Children, please. Do not play with your food!"

Ozpin approaches and places a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go."

"(Sigh) They're supposed to be the defenders of the world." She replied with a sigh.

"And they will be, but right now they're still children. So why not let them play the part?" Ozpin walks away from Glynda as the teams start laughing as they grouped up. "After all, it isn't a role they'll have forever."

Warehouse.

The White Fang is moving crates as Emerald and Mercury enter. Roman then looked over at them. "Oh, look! She sent the kids again! This is turning out just like the divorce!"

Roman approaches the two from behind and wraps his arms around them in a group hug. "Spare us the thought of you procreating." Emerald shivered in disgust at that while she and Mercury pull away from Roman.

"That was a joke. And this... Just might tell me where you two have been all day." Roman spoke as he produces a piece of paper as Emerald groaned. "I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention, maybe you'll learn something… Why do you have this address?

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald spoke as he walked back to them.

"Yeah, I would. Now, where have you been all day?"

"Cleaning up your problems. One of them, at least." Mercury replied crossing his arms.

"I had that under control."

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."

Roman narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Listen, you little punk. If it were up to me, then I would take you and your little street rat friend here and…"

"Do what, Roman?"

Roman turned to see the woman walk to him. She has fair skin with ashen-black hair that covers her left eye. She has lipstick and violet eyeshadow a dark red, off-the-shoulders v-neck mini dress with yellow designs. There is a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip at the top of an open portion of her dress. The dress ends in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, ending just above the knees.

There is a quarter-circle-shaped keyhole on the dress' upper back at the same height as her chest. The sleeves end in a triangle shape, which is wrapped or tied around her middle finger, with the gold designs of the sleeve taking over at the wrists. Her fingernails are painted dark red.

She has a black choker on her neck a gold loop earring with a black gem dangling from it on her right ear. She has dark, glass, high-heeled shoes and a jeweled anklet on her right leg.

On her upper back, in the keyhole of her dress, she has a black tattoo of what appears to be a pair of high heel shoes placed sole to sole, forming a heart shape inside.

"I'd, uh... not kill them?" He said nervously as she walked to him.

"Cinder!" Emerald excitedly said to the woman.

"I thought I made it clear that you would eliminate the would-be runaway."

"I was going to…" Roman said before Emerald spoke up.

"He was going to escape to Vacuo! Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat." Mercury mused, hand on his chin.

"What? Like a puma?"

Mercury nodded at that. "Yeah, there ya go."

Cinder raised a hand at them. "Quiet. Did I not specifically instruct you two to keep your hand's clean while in Vale?"

"I just thought..."

"Don't think... Obey." Cinder said as Roman was taunting them behind her back.

"Yes ma'am. It won't happen again." Emerald said looking down.

"And you. Why wasn't this job done sooner?" Cinder asked Roman as she turned to face him.

"Uh..? Eh..? Eh..? EHHHHH! Sorry if I've been busy stealing every speck of Dust in the Kingdom!"

Mercury then deadpanned at him. "You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask."

Roman narrowed his eyes at that. "Look around, kid. I've got this town running scared! Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof, and we're sitting pretty on an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with! Speaking of which, if you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grand master plan, it might make my next string of robberies go a little smoother!"

Cinder then walks up to Roman at that. "Oh, Roman. Have a little faith." She said as she places her hand on his face. "You'll know what you need when you need to know it. Besides, we're done with Dust." She finished before turning to walk away.

"O-OK, then what now?"

"We're moving. Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight." Cinder said over her shoulder.

"Coordinates?" He asked having Cinder look over her shoulder.

"We're proceeding to phase two."

Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald begin to walk away as Roman attempts to light a cigar, but realizes can't find his lighter. He looks at Emerald who turns back to face him and sticks her tongue out as she held up the lighter.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Sorry, the majority of this is canon. I always end a Ch right before a big canon ep/part of an arc happens. If I remembered this I would have just added it to the last ChAnd this did "Introduce" Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder aside from just being in the shadows.

Chapter 12

Notes:

Sorry, I Kinda rushed through this when noticing I was close to the update for the YJ story so sorry again.

Beacon, Ozpin's Office.

Ozpin looked out his window at the airships flying around. Before hearing Glynda. "Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels."

Ozpin turned to the teacher to speak to her. "Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man. But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore."

Chirp-Chirp-Chirp!

Ozpin, turned to his desk as he heard a chirping alarm before seeing he had a holo-message. He then hit allowed before speaking. "Come in."

A man then walked into the office.

He has fair skin and short black hair with graying temples. He's wearing a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, a black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants shared the same color as his overcoat and they are tucked into silver boots accented in gray.

"Ozpin!"

"Hello, General." Ozpin greeted as he walked up in front of his desk.

"Please, drop the formalities," Ironwood said before he walks up to Ozpin and shook his hand. "
It's been too long. And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."

"Oh, James!" Glynda waved before looking at Ozpin. "I'll be outside." She then walks outside at that leaving the two to talk.

"Well, she hasn't changed a bit," Ironwood said to Ozpin who turned to walk to his desk.

"So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin asked before picking up a mug and a kettle and poured into it. "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students, for the Vytal Festival."

Ozpin hands Ironwood the mug who takes it and pulls out a flask before pouring his own drink into the mug. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up." Ironwood

Ozpin sits and pours himself a cup. "I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends, however, a small fleet outside my window has me concerned."

"Well, concern is what brought them here."

"I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult," Ozpin spoke taking a sip from his mug.

"Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men."

"We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression." Ozpin spoke as he sets the mug down with Ironwood doing the same.

"But if what Qrow said is true…"

"If what Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity and peace. So I suggest that you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."

Ironwood sighed at that. "I'm just being cautious."

"As am I. Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."

"Believe me, I am." Ironwood replies before he turns and walks away. He stops near the door and looks back. "But ask yourself this: Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" He asked before leaving.

"I hope they never have to."

Beacon Library.

Naruto, in his Huntsman clothes, yawned as he picked up a book for a class before seeing Team RWBY playing a game of Remnant: The Game. "Hmmmmm... All right... All right! Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

Naruto looked up as he was walking by just as Ruby pointed at her sister while they all held cards. "Bring it on!" Yang pounds her fist as Naruto walked by making him stumble as her chest jiggled.

The four stared at him on the floor while Yang also smirked before he stood up and quickly walked out. A few minutes later, as Naruto was in the hall reading, he looked up to see a tired Blake walking out. "Hey, everything alright, Blake?"

She jumped at that before looking at Naruto. "… Yeah Naruto."

"You sure? Those bags say otherwise."

"I'm fine Naruto."

"OK, OK." Naruto raised his hands at that. "Just don't like you messing that pretty face up."

"P-Pretty?"

"Yeah…" Naruto shrugged at that. "You are pretty."

"But I'm a Faunus." She replied having Naruto smile.

"So? You're still pretty." He said with a smile. "Look, you can talk to me about anything… My door's always open." He finished before hearing Natsu yell in the library before there was a crash. "When I'm by myself at least." He sighed before leaving as she went the other way.

Outside, Naruto put the book in his bag before someone jumped on his back. "Whiskers!"

Naruto sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the smiling face of Nora. "Hey, Nora."

"I need a buddy to play with."

"Why not your team?"

"Pyrrha's helping Jaune and Ren's studying." She replied before Naruto sighed.

"OK-!" Naruto was pulled by his fellow classmate before coming up to a basketball court.

Later, Naruto waited at a bench in red shorts and a white sleeveless shirt before jumping as a black basketball was thrown at him, He caught it and looked up to see Nora in pink shoes, pink gym shorts, and a white shirt with a heart hole on the chest revealing her cleavage.

As they played for a while, Naruto did take peaks at Nora's ass several times when he got behind her or when she jumped for a shot.

"I win!" Nora yelled out as she glistened in the lights.

"Maybe I let you win," Naruto said before seeing a bead of sweat drop into her cleavage.

"That's what all losers say!" Nora yelled before turning to pick up the ball.

Unintentionally showing Naruto her ass. Naruto took a calming breath before shaking his head to calm down.

Team RWBY Dorm.

Blake was sitting on her bed deep in her thoughts. 'Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?' She remembered her talking to her fellow Faunus before hearing Roman. 'The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together.'

She then sighed before remembering talking to Ozpin about the dock fight.

(Flashback.)

"Well, this has certainly been an eventful evening."

Blake sitting at the table in an interview room looked up at Ozpin. "Hmph."

"I'm sure that after a night of thwarting attempted robbery, you probably just want to go home and take a nap. But, I was hoping that maybe we could have a chance to talk."

Blake nodded at that. "Of course."

Ozpin smiled at her. "Wonderful. As you know, in order to enroll at my academy, students must first pass a rigorous entrance exam. Most applicants spend years of preparation training at one of the many combat schools around the world. You are one of the few that did not. And you passed the exam with flying colors."

"I was raised outside the kingdoms. If you can't fight, you can't survive."

"Well, you have most certainly survived, Blake. I admire your drive. And I am proud to run a school that accepts individuals from all walks of life. Rich, poor, Human…" He stopped to take a sip f his cocoa. "Faunus…" Blake glares at him at that before he continues. "Why do you wear that bow, Blake? Why hide who you are?"

Blake sighed and looked down at that. "You may be willing to accept the Faunus, Professor Ozpin, but your species is not"

"True, but we are continuing to take strides to lessen the divide."

"With all due respect, you need to start taking some larger strides. Until then, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary attention. I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am." Blake explained having Ozpin nod.

"And what are you?"

"I don't understand what you're asking." She asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"How did you know the White Fang would be at the shipyard tonight?"

"I didn't. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"You wouldn't have been the first. But what happened tonight was not an isolated incident. I may be your headmaster, but I am also a Huntsman, and it is my sworn duty to protect this world from the forces that conspire against it. Blake, are you sure there is nothing else you would like to tell me?" He asked leaning forward as she looked down.

"I'm sure."

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin stands and heads to the door. He stops and turns to Blake. "If you ever need to talk to me. Please, don't hesitate to ask. (Ozpin shuts the door behind him.)

(Flashback End)

"Ugh, we should have never let him play!"

Blake was pulled from her thoughts as her team walked inside the room.

Ruby waved her sister off at that. "You're just mad cuz' the new guy beat you! See, if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."

Blake then gets up and walks to the door. "Stop." Blake looked over her shoulder to see Weiss pointing at her. "Lately you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody!"

"Uh, have you met Blake?" Yang asked raising an eyebrow.

"Which I get is kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual! Which quite frankly, is unacceptable! You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong!" Weiss yelled before bringing a chair over to stand on it and point at Blake again. "So, Blake Belladonna, what is wrong!?"

"She quickly puts the chair away and returns to stand near the girls. "I just, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm," Blake said as Ruby walked over to her.

"You're still thinking about Torchwick?"

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"

"Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it." Yang walked over to stand with her sister at that.

"Well, I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do!" Blake yelled out throwing her hands down, missing Naruto and stopping at the door so as not to go by it.

"Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think that you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells!" Weiss yelled at her confusing Ruby.

"Uh, who?"

Weiss ignored her teammate to continue. "But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"

Ruby sighed at that. "Well yeah, but…"

"We're not ready!"

"And we may never be ready!" Blake yelled out again. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"

Ruby raises her hand and does other random gestures at that. "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly taking down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... Say aye."

Yang: Pumps her fist enthusiastically and points at Blake. "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!"

Weiss sighed and crossed her arms at that. "Well, I suppose it could be fun."

Ruby's shoulder's slumped at that. "None of you said aye!"

"Alright then, we're in this together!" Blake said perking up Ruby.

"Let's hatch a plan!"

"Yeah!"

"I left my board game at the library!" Ruby gasped at that.

"No, I got it."

They looked to see Naruto holding the game. "Sorry, had to go back to get another book and saw it there." He said before looking to his left to see Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury on the other side of the hall in school clothes.

Mercury is wearing a black jacket with a light gray outline around the edges, a white undershirt, and a white band around the student's left arm.

The women are wearing the same shirt with a gray and black checkered skirt.

"You're here for the festival, right?" Naruto asked before thumbing over his shoulder. "Exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess we just got turned around," Mercury said with a smile while the three walk towards him while Ruby quickly takes the game back.

"It happens all the time. Your building is just East of here."

Cinder smiled as she passed him. "Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto said looking over his shoulder before saying goodnight to Team RWBY.

Only to blush as Yang had her chest bounce a little to fluster him again.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Sorry, I Kinda rushed through this when noticing I was close to the update for the YJ story so sorry again.

Chapter 13

Beacon Academy.

Naruto stood outside of Team RWBY's door dressed in a black vest over a dark orange shirt, black jeans, and a dark orange belt with orange sneakers.

He heard them talk about their plan of hunting Torchwick.

"Alright, guys, today's the day! The investigation begins!" Ruby yelled out having Naruto chuckle at her enthusiasm.

"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously." Weiss sarcastically said as Naruto heard one of them jump on the floor.

"Hey, we've got a plan! That's... Moderately serious." Yang said with a slight pause.

"Right! Everyone remember their roles?" Ruby asked before Weiss started to explain.

"You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning." Blake picked up after Weiss.

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard…" Yang trailed off before Ruby yelled.

"Great! We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"'

Naruto blinked at the male voice that spoke before pushing the door open to see Sun was at the window hanging by his tail and the girls in new outfits.

Blake is now wearing a white, v-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three-quarter sleeves. Her emblem is printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt. She has black pants that have a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt.

Attached to the rear of the belt is a black piece of fabric that covers her from hip to hip. Underneath this is a longer, translucent, purple piece of fabric. She's also wearing black high-heel boots with two straps and buckles and purple underoles, reaching to mid-calf. She still has her black ribbons on her forearms and her black bow.

Ruby is wearing a long-sleeve, light gray shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over the top of the gray shirt is a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resemble the lacing on a corset. She's wearing a red skirt with a large black print of her emblem on the side and matching black tulle underneath.

Her stockings and shoes are still the same, though the boots lack the red trim that decorated the top. A few pieces of metal arranged in an abstract shape are attached to the shoulder of her left sleeve, and her cloak's hood has been wrapped around her neck in a scarf-like fashion, while the rest hangs down like normal.

Weiss is wearing a white, double-breasted pea coat with black piping, cuffs, and buttons over a white, pleated full skirt with black lace trim. She also has on a pair of white, thigh-high boots with black heels and lace-topped black stockings.

Yang is wearing a deep-collared cream vest worn over a low-cut black shirt; both are covered by a dark gray shrug with a raised collar, three-quarter sleeves adorned with a single black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A black mini skirt is worn under the cream vest.

She has a pair of crooked black belts with gold accents that are slung around her hip, with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She's wearing thigh-high stockings attached to a miniskirt by garter belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold.

She also has black ankle boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back tied in a bow. Around her neck is a purple pendant set in silver.

"Sun!"

"Naruto!"

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked the Faunus who smiled.

"Ah, it's easy; I do it all the time."

"You do what?!"

"I climb trees all the time! So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"We are going to investigate the situation... As a team." Blake spoke up as she gestured to her team.

"Sorry, Sun, Naruto. We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to." Ruby said as Sun smiled, flipped in, and thumbed over his shoulder.

"Psh! That's dumb! We should always get friends involved! That's why I brought Neptune!"

The girls lean out the window on top of one another having Naruto turns his head as he saw Ruby's and Weiss' panties for a split second.

"'Sup?"

He heard Neptune speak up before Ruby raised an eyebrow. "How did you even get up here?"

"I have my ways. Seriously, though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now.

After getting in, Ruby sighed before speaking "Alright, I'll go with Weiss; Sun, you can go with Blake. And Naruto…"

"Can come with me!" Yang appeared beside her fellow blonde with a smile.

"What about your team Naruto?"

"I told them that I'll call them if I got into trouble… I'd rather not involve them in case this gets up in trouble with the school."

"I'm surprised Natsu was OK with that," Weiss spoke as Naruto shrugged.

"Again, told him he could be banned from being a huntsman."

Ruby And Weiss.

"Woooow! I forget how big the Transmit tower looks up close!"

Ruby said looking at the large and tall tower. "You should see the one in Atlas!"

"That was the first one, right?"

"Correct." Weiss nodded as they got close to the building. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

"Oooh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I know facts! I'm rich!" Ruby teased having Weiss huff.

"Don't be a pest! Besides, the only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library!"

"I know, but it's so coool! Ooh, I'm going to take a picture!"

She grabs her Scroll from a pocket in her clothes, but the device is launched from her hands, bouncing along the pavement until it lands at Penny's feet.

"Oh!" Penny picked it up and held it out to Ruby. "You dropped this."

"Penny?!"

"Uuuh…"

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since we were looking for Blake!" Ruby spoke as Penny threw the scroll in Ruby's hands.

"S-Sorry. I think you're confused. Uh... I've got to go!"

"What was that about?" Weiss asked her leader who shook her head.

'I don't know, but I'm going to find out. You go make your call! I'll meet up with you later!" Ruby ran off after Penny at that.

"Wait!" Weiss yelled before sighing then walked to the tower to go inside.

Ruby ran up to Penny and caught up with her. "Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"

"There seems to be a... misunderstanding."

"What?!" Ruby asks as Penny continues to walk away down stone steps. Ruby follows by sliding down the rail next to her. "Penny... Is everything okay?" Penny continues having Ruby grab her arm. "Penny, please stop! Look, I don't know what's wrong, but I need you to tell me what's wrong. Please... As a friend."

Penny sighs before leaning in close. "Isn't safe to talk here."

Inside the tower, Weiss walks through the grand, glowing lobby of the tower, avoiding the central terminal and heading straight for the elevator doors, which slide open automatically and close when she's inside. She then heard a female's voice from the speakers.

"Hello. Welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to go to the communications room, please." She spoke placing a hand on her hip.

"Absolutely. Could you please place your Scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?" Weiss retrieves her Scroll and places it on a pad. "Perfect! Thank you, Miss Schnee."

Once getting to the room, Weiss walks up to the front desk where a holographic secretary appears in the seat. "Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?"

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas," Weiss replied as the hologram nodded.

"Absolutely. If you could head over to Terminal 3, I'll patch you through."

"Thank you!" Weiss smiles and nods before walking over to her assigned cubicle-like computer. She sits down and takes a deep, unhappy breath. The face of a short-haired brunette appears on the monitor with the Schnee snowflake rotating behind her. She does not realize who she is talking to until she looks up.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh!" She stopped and recognizes Weiss. "Miss Schnee! Good afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."

"No, thank you! I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." Weiss puts her Scroll into a slot on the keyboard, creating a series of noises as the Operator looks at the data from her side of the screen.

"I see. If you don't mind... what may I ask is this for?"

"School project."

The Operator looked nervous at that. "Um... There are some sensitive documents on this list, ma'am."

"Well, then, I'll be sure to treat them with care," Weiss said with a smile.

"Right... Very well. The data is being transferred to your Scroll now."

"Wonderful! That will be all, then."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?" The woman asked as Weiss loses her smile but quickly replaces it.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, then... Have a nice day!"

Back outside, Penny stands alone near a two-story building with patio furniture and she is looking around nervously when a hand grabs her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turns to see Ruby grinning. She smiles in return before the two strolls down the street. "I wish I could help you, Ruby, but I don't know anything about those men."

"Then where did you go?" Ruby asked after question Penny if she knew anything.

"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but... You have to understand, my father loves me very much; he just worries a lot."

Ruby nodded at that. "Believe me, I know the feeling. But why not let us know you were okay?"

"I… Was asked not to talk to you. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody, really."

"Was your dad that upset?" Ruby asked in confusion as Penny shook her head.

"No, it wasn't my father…"

Before she can continue, she and Ruby heard someone announcing something, turning around the corner to look at the platform in the center of a plaza where the holographic image of James Ironwood is seen before six Androids, who are in turn standing in front of two large metal storage cases with the spear-and-shield emblem on their doors.

Ironwood then started to speak. "The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant for several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?" He asked the crowd who clapped as the drones take a jerky bow. "But… The kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'... Well, that's just not good enough, is it? Presenting... the Atlesian Knight-200!"

The doors to the cases roll up, and six new, bulkier, shinier automatons stand at attention before knocking the others down. "Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly, a little less scary. These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone! Now, the Atlesian Military has always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that will undoubtedly require… A human touch."

"Ruby...?" Penny nervously asked Ruby who looked at the hologram.

"So, our kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce... the Atlesian Paladin!"

Ironwood is replaced with the hologram of a robotic white behemoth, featuring hinged piston legs, large guns for hands, and a rectangular head, standing at least twice as tall as the Knights below it.

"Now, we couldn't have them here for you today, but these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!"

"Whoa…" Ruby spoke out in awe before Penny spoke.

"Ruby? Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"At the side of the stage, two armored soldiers see Penny. Penny backs away and then breaks into a dead run, which snaps Ruby out of her weapon-awe-induced stupor. "Penny! Wait! Where are you going?"

Ruby turns to look back at the soldiers chasing after her friend and swiftly follows her in an attempt to catch up down the winding alley. Penny and Ruby run across the street with the soldiers following them, though a honking car nearly runs one over. He manages to brace his hands against the hood, which somehow stops the vehicle, and his partner runs along after the girls.

Ruby is still trying to catch up with Penny, but a high stack of crates on a flimsy support is easily cut down by Crescent Rose, causing a wooden avalanche of boxes to block the path. Seeing Penny right ahead of her, Ruby leaps into the air and lands on the alley wall, ricocheting off to grab Penny around the middle. "This way!" She grimaces before they disappeared in a flurry of petals.

Ruby dashes away as fast as she can while carrying Penny, but they crash to the ground a short while later, with Ruby falling into the street. She gets up slowly and doesn't notice the large truck coming up from behind her until the honking is too late of a warning. She stands up just as she's about to be hit, but from out of nowhere, Penny pushes Ruby out of the way and holds her palms out.

The ground beneath Penny cracks and crumbles into pieces, and the truck is lifted a little way into the air. She puts it down, and the driver stares in awe at the crumples in his hood, with Ruby mirroring. "Penny...?"

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver seeing it was the Dust store owner who nodded.

Penny backs away, looking at Ruby's frightened expression, then at the bystanders murmuring to each other. Penny then runs from the Atlas soldiers still chasing her down and bumps into Ruby, knocking her out of her stupor. "Penny! Come back!" She yelled chasing Penny who stopped. "Penny! Please! What is going on?! Why are you running? How did you do that?!"

"I-I can't! Everything's fine! I-I don't want to talk about it! (Hiccup!)" Penny replied with a hiccup at the end.

"Penny, if you can just tell me what's wrong, I can help you!"

"No! No, no! You wouldn't understand…" Penny backed away from Ruby at that.

"Let me try! You can trust me!"

Penny finally relents, coming up to Ruby. "You're my friend, right? You promise you're my friend?!"

"I promise."

Penny, after staying silent for a second, then, looks down at her hands. "Ruby... I'm not a real girl."

Penny shows Ruby the toll of stopping the truck that would have killed her: Parts of her palm's skin have ripped away, revealing the gray metal underneath. Penny stares sadly at Ruby's face, now completely astounded by her friend's secret. "Oh."

Penny explains that she is an artificial life form, more specifically the first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. Ruby takes the information calmly and in an accepting matter, causing Penny to be overjoyed. However, their moment of celebration is cut short just as the two Atlas Soldiers pursuing them earlier manage to catch up with them.

Penny quickly hides Ruby in a dumpster and asks her to promise not to tell anyone that she is a robot. The soldiers arrive, and Penny agrees to leave with them, allowing Ruby to evade getting into trouble with the Atlas military.

Naruto And Yang.

The duo rode to Junior's club on Bumblebee with Naruto riding his, with Fox Bolt in his holster before they stopped at the door. Getting off they walked to the club and inside where Yang threw her hands up. "Miss me?"

She asked as the security aimed at them with their weapons. Just then a man and two young twin women walked toward them. The man is standing at 6'11" wearing a black vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves, and black dress pants. He has gray eyes, and short black hair, along with a matching beard and mustache.

The first twin has long black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy cyan makeup. She's wearing a white, strapless dress with cyan lining.

Her accessories include a large white flower hairpin above her left ear, a white feather scarf, a silver pad with cyan and red feathers on her left shoulder, white gloves, a small silver bracer over the glove on her left arm, a bow in the center of the top-most part of her bodice, a silver chain belt, cyan wings on the lower back, and long white boots with blades at the heels.

Her sister has short black hair and pale green eyes, highlighted by heavy red makeup. She's wearing a red strapless dress with black lining.

Her accessories include large red and white feathers above her left ear, black fur hanging off her shoulders and held at the front by a dark gray chain, red gloves, a black bow tied around her waist, and long red boots with very high stiletto heels. Her dress seems to be made out of, or is decorated with, newspaper articles with the heading 'A New York la pop art di Alborghetti.' on the skirt.

"Stop, stop! Nobody shoot. Blondie! You're here. Why?"

"You still owe me a drink," Yang said as she drags Junior to the bar.

Yang proceeds to interrogate him about Roman Torchwick. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Yang asked as Junior cleaned a glass.

"I haven't talked to him. I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid upfront, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back."

Naruto sighed at that. "Any idea where they went?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? They never came back! I haven't seen him since that night! Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them. WHICH IS SOMETHING I CAN RELATE TO!" He yelled at his men who looked sheepish.

Blake and Sun.

The two found the warehouse where the White Fang is meeting before putting on white Grimm masks to not only hide their identity but also to get in by pretending they were White Fang members.

Inside, they saw a man on a stage in front of a black banner with the red White Fang logo. "Thank you all for coming. For those of you just joining us allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours." He said as Roman walked out. "I can assure you he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long."

"Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause." Roman said to the crowd.

"What's a human doing here?"

"I'm glad you asked, dearie. Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans are the WORST. Case in point." Roman said tapping his hat. "So I understand why you would love to see us all locked away, or better yet: killed! You and I ALL have a common enemy. The ones in control, the people who pull the strings, the dirty rotten humans who run our kingdoms. Government. Military. Even the schools they're all to blame for your lot in life."

The Faunus started to cheer for Roman who continued. "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around. No offense to any rodents in the room." He said turning to walk onto the stage and saw a woman standing off to the side.

She has half-pink and half-brown hair, with white streaks on the pink side. She has heterochromia iridium eyes one brown and the other pink. She's wearing a white cropped wide, broad-tailed jacket with a pink interior, collar, a single gold button, and large pink cuffs. She's wearing brown pants with a dark belt that has a gray buckle and an additional narrow belt under it.

Under her jacket is a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also has a multitude of black beaded necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck. Neo also wears black and white spat styled under-the-knee boots alongside black gloves.

Roman then snapped his fingers having the banner fall revealing a giant mech suit. Inside there is a cockpit that houses and secures one pilot, with several holographic displays available to monitor the status of the suit. It's equipped with two arm-mounted energy guns, rear-mounted rocket launchers, and double-barreled guns attached to the aforementioned energy guns.

He explained it's one of Atlas' newest weapons to combat Grimm and was able to steal a few of them with the help of his boss so the White Fangs who decide to stay in the city can use them. Blake saw a circuit breaker before hitting it and had the lights go out before she and Sun started running to an exit. They broke through a window where Blake quickly called the others to her location.

Everyone met up on the highway where they saw Roman in the suit chasing after Blake and Sun who were running on cars. Yang and Naruto arrive on their bikes. "We gotta slow the mech down."

"Got it!"

Roman is alerted to their presence by an alarm, so he uses the mech's arms to knock cars backward at the bikes. Yang and Naruto drive around the cars before Naruto hit a button with his right thumb.
"WHOO-HOO!"

Blue fire shot out of his exhaust while he sped down the road and pulled a wheel stand for a moment. He looked to see Sun and Neptune on the roofs. Neptune unfolds his gun into its glaive form, but quickly transforms it into its trident form and proceeds to twirl it around himself before jumping and stabbing the mech in the head area.

After the initial thrust, Neptune is thrown about on top of the mech due to Roman's efforts to dislodge him by rotating the mech erratically. Sun then draws and straightens his staff and leaps across to the mech, while Neptune is thrown off with his weapon. The two collide in mid-air, and they fall off the raised motorway, disappearing from the fight.

Naruto went to the edge and saw them land safely. "They're alright!"

Naruto pulled away before hearing Ruby. "Blake, I'm in position!"

Weiss jumps down from another raised motorway, and she proceeds to stare down Roman before using Dust in Myrtenaster to create a circle of ice on the ground. The Paladin then slips and flips over Weiss, sliding through and breaking a holographic barrier and off the motorway. Below, Ruby Rose waits for the mech to fall, and it lands upright.

The rest of the team joins Ruby below and reloads while the mech slowly advances. Naruto slid to a stop by them and pulled his pistols out and aimed it at the bot. "What's the plan?"

"Freezer burn!" Ruby yelled at Weiss and Yang to team up.

Weiss creates another circle of ice, which Yang smashes with Ember Celica, creating mist around the mech. Roman activates the mech's lasers to locate the team, but the cloud is effective at screening their movements as they quickly circle him. Naruto takes shots as he ran around as Blake and Yang are almost hit by the mech's main arm cannon fire.

Naruto then fired on the cockpit having Ruby score a hit on the mech. Ruby reloads her gun and looks up. "Checkmate!"

Blake, Naruto, and Weiss move forward to the mech, attacking its legs. Blake uses her Semblance to create copies of herself to confuse Roman while Weiss jumps and stabs the laser emitter before backing off. Roman then tries to stomp a distracted Blake, but Weiss uses a white glyph to move Blake backward and dodge the foot.

In response, he launches shoulder-mounted rockets at the pair, but they dodge the rockets with a well-timed glyph and a series of gymnastic back handsprings. However, Roman fires the mech's main arm cannons after Weiss and sends her backward. Naruto caught her as she uses Myrtenaster to fire yellow energy toward Blake, a mixture of yellow Dust and her Semblance creating a haste glyph beneath the Faunus.

As Roman fires missiles at her, Blake glows yellow and rapidly swings Gambol Shroud through the air, creating countless purple strikes with her swings that slice the incoming missiles in half. With the rockets destroyed, Ruby reenters the fray. "Ladybug!"

She uses Crescent Rose to swing off the mech groin area to send herself behind it. She then fires to propel herself back toward the mech, passing through and slicing at its legs, while Blake does the same. Naruto dropping Weiss started firing at the cockpit again to gain Roman's attention as Blake and Ruby switched back and forth repeatedly, slashing at the mech's legs with each pass.

Then, Roman tries to shoot Ruby, but she jumps upwards and dodges the shot. She and Blake strike down with the moon behind them, slicing off the mech's left arm. Yang then jumps onto the mech and punches it repeatedly on the back, but Roman quickly launches it backward, slamming her through two pillars and into a third.

As she falls, the mech's right arm shifts to form a fist and punches her through the weakened second pillar. This onslaught activates her Semblance. Ruby explains Yang becomes stronger after taking damage. Roman attempts to punch Yang again as she slowly gets to her feet, but she catches it, creating a shock wave that breaks the ground. Eyes red and hair glowing brightly, Yang punches the mech's fist, shattering its arm.

Roman responds by kicking Yang away, past Ruby and Blake. "Bumblebee!"

Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Yang in its chain-sickle form and then forcefully yank back on the ribbon, righting Yang to her feet. This enables Yang to orbit around Blake, using her as a pivot, and she speeds up by firing backward with Ember Celica. With another pull from Blake, Yang lifts off the ground and swings towards the mech at high speed, but it leaps backward, avoiding her strike.

"We need to slow it down," Ruby yells to the others as Naruto was beside her shooting at the mech.

"How do we do that?!"

"Ice flower!"

Ruby sets Crescent Rose parallel with the ground and Weiss charges her Semblance, a white flare edged with dark blue streaming through the air with Myrtenaster. Weiss creates three white glyphs in front of Crescent Rose's barrel, each smaller than the last. When Ruby fires, the bullet passes through the glyphs, and it becomes a blue streak of energy with a swirling trail of smaller cyan-colored streaks.

Upon striking the mech, the shot produces a large number of ice crystals that prevent it from moving. Three more shots of ice follow, completely freezing the mech in place. Blake helps Yang swing around again, and Yang fires a shot, once again lifting off. A trail of gold light following her hair, Yang speeds toward the mech and punches the cockpit, visibly deforming the metal and sending the mech crashing to the ground.

When it hits the ground, the mech shatters into a scrap with Roman in the middle, somehow almost instantly gaining his footing. "Just got this thing cleaned!"

Yang then fires a shot at Roman, but Neopolitan drops down in front of him and completely blocks it with her lace umbrella Hush. Roman calls upon Neo, who takes a slow bow. The team regroups before Yang rushes forward to punch Neo, who moves to block the attack with her umbrella.

"Ladies, gentleman… Ice Queen."

"Hey!"

"Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would."

Yang makes to strike Neo, only for a cyan wall to appear for a split second, and the wall, Neo, and Roman appear to shatter like glass. The shards collapse to the ground and Yang looks around for her enemies, only to see them already escaping in a Bullhead.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed before spinning his pistols and then puts them in his holsters. "(Sigh) Guess we should head back." He said walking up to the others.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of ay mistakes

Chapter 14

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Beacon Academy.

Naruto sat beside his team before turning to the stage to see Pyrrha standing in front of Cardin with low lights surrounding them. She suddenly strikes Cardin who tries to counter only to hit her shield before getting driven back. He falls to one knee and then rolls to dodge as she comes down from above. Eventually, Pyrrha launches her spear at Dove Bronzewing and then knocks him down.

Next, she fires a shot at Sky Lark and then blocks Feather's Edge with her shield. Switching from sword to spear and driving him back, firing another shot before knocking Sky to the ground. She attacks Cardin again who unleashes a short column of fire from the red Dust crystal in The Executioner by smashing the floor. She dodges the blast and then blocks Cardin's swing before he and Sky attempt to double-team Pyrrha.

Only for her to avoid them both before vaulting over Cardin. Pyrrha throws her shield, which hits Cardin in the face, and bounces back to hit Sky as well. She then flips back through the air to catch it then lands on Sky, incapacitating him. Dove and Russel rush her together, but she drove them back. Kicking Dove away who manages to recover, landing on his feet as Cardin leaps in to smash at her with his mace.

Pyrrha dodges and opens fire with the rifle-form of Miló, but Russel defends Cardin, deflecting every shot with Shortwings. He and Dove charge at Pyrrha, with Russel leaping into the air and performing a triple somersault. However, the double-kick attack is easily blocked with her shield. Russel and Dove proceed to strike at Pyrrha together.

She falls back still managing to parry every blow, as Cardin attempts to capitalize on the distraction. Pyrrha opens fire again but this time Cardin deflects the bullets with his weapon. He charges at her only to be met with a knee to the chin, the two clash with Cardin receiving several hits. Russel ducks in under Cardin for a surprise attack, but also proves himself unable to wear her down.

Pyrrha dodges every slash and then hits him with her shield, Dove moves in after Russel is knocked to the ground. After a couple of deflected swipes, he fires on her with Hallshott, but she goes right through using her shield. Dove was then knocked out of the fight by an errant swing from Cardin, who moves in for another assault.

Pyrrha knocks Cardin into the air and then leaps after him. Cardin blocks a few hits but she quickly maneuvers herself to slam him into the ground.

"And that's the match."

Lights came on showing they were on the stage for fighting as Glynda walked up to them as the other students watched from the seats in their Hunter clothes. "(Groan!) Lucky shot." Cardin said before falling on his side. "Ugh."

"Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament." Glynda praised the redhead who nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, professor."

Glynda then tapped her scroll at that. "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?"

"I'll go." Naruto raised his hand and then flipped over the railing and landed in a crouch.

"Ms. Belladonna?" Glynda asked Blake who slams the book she was reading shut and stares wide-eyed at Glynda. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-!"

"I'll do it." Mercury raised his hand at that.

"Mercury, is it? Very well."

Mercury struts into the arena, visibly sizing up Naruto. Their spar begins when he makes the first attack and is knocked down. Recovering quickly, he deflects an attack from Naruto and kicks him. Naruto catches the kick and then leans under it before jumping p to kick Mercury in the back of the head for a Pele kick.

"Look out!"

Naruto heard a voice in his head before rolling out of the way of a stomp. "Use your knee!"

Naruto brought his knee up to hit Mercury's chin before jumping back from another kick. Naruto saw barrels around his shin, showing his weapon was similar to Shiki's. "Focus!"

Naruto jumped over another kick before spinning for one of his own having Mercury jump back. They continued throwing punches and kicks for several minutes before Mercury forfeited having Naruto look at him in confusion. As they all left, Naruto sighed before an image of red slitted eyes appeared in his mind for a second.

Team RWBY Dorm Room.

Upon returning to the dorms, the others talk to Blake, insisting that she goes to the dance, citing their concern over her not sleeping and barely eating. Blake insists that figuring out what Torchwick and the White Fang are up to is more important than school. They mention they have already learned that the White Fang are operating out of Southeast Vale and that Vale has been the primary target of Dust robberies, but Blake is not satisfied.

Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long push for Blake to relax for at least the night of the dance and state that they can resume their search once they are rested. However, Blake refuses, calling the dance a waste of time, and leaves the room.

Rooftop.

On the roof of the Beacon Academy dorms later that night, Pyrrha and Jaune spar. Jaune has improved a lot since arriving at Beacon but is hesitant to begin training in Aura use, despite Pyrrha's assurance that he will soon discover his Semblance. Jaune is too distracted by Weiss' rejection to concentrate, to which Pyrrha responds by urging him to ask someone else to the dance.

He claims that someone as popular as Pyrrha could never understand the rejection he has to face, sarcastically saying that if she does not arrive with a date to the dance he will wear a dress. As he heads back inside the building, Pyrrha frowns to herself. She turns around to look at the school, not noticing the door opening.

"Oh, Pyrrha?"

She turned to see Naruto standing at the door as it closed. "What's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing."

"Come on, we're friends, you can tell me," Naruto said walking over.

"It's… It's the dance."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure I'll be going."

Naruto blinked at that. "Really? Can't dance?"

"No… (Sigh). I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. (turning back to Jaune) Everyone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people."

Naruto shrugged at that. "Wanna go to the dance with me?"

"W-What?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm not much of a dancer so I been going back and forth on going… So, you wanna go?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Later, Naruto was walking back to his dorm before looking up to the sky and bumped into something soft on his chest. Pulling back, he saw Yang smiling as her chest jiggled slightly as Naruto stepped back. "Hey, Naruto."

"Hey, Yang."

"I was wonderin'… Did you want to go to the dance?" Yang asked as Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"I… Asked Pyrrha out."

"Oh," Yang said, dejection in her voice as Naruto looked at her.

"Yeah, she's never gone to one before."

Yang blinked at that. "Really?"

"Yeah, she said since she started tournaments and got famous, guys either think she intimidating… Or a stuck-up bitch who let her fame go to her head."

"Well, it's nice that you're taking her then."

"I can save a dance for you. I have great stamina so I'll be ready."

"I bet you say that to all the ladies," Yang said with a grin before crossing her arms under her bust pushing them up and exposed a little more cleavage.

Naruto tilted his head at that before realization dawned on him. "I did not mean it like that."

"Sure ya didn't~" She sang before elbowing him. "I'll wear my sexiest dress for you." She said before turning to walk away, pulling her hair out of the way so Naruto could stare at her short shorts-covered ass before he continued walking away.

The Next Day.

Team RWBY minus Blake got the ballroom ready for the party with Weiss making sure everything's perfect. Later, Yang goes to find Blake and talks to her alone in an empty classroom. Blake is still unwilling to stop her efforts in finding and stopping Torchwick and the White Fang, despite the protestations of her teammates. Yang tells her that she does not need to stop, merely slow down, and not let her obsession take over her life.

Yang explains that she and Ruby grew up in Patch, an island off the coast of Vale, while their father was a teacher at Signal Academy and their mother, a Huntress, would take on missions. One day, though, their mother did not return from a mission, leaving Yang, Ruby, and their father heartbroken. Yang then reveals that Ruby and Yang's father had lost another lover once before: Yang's biological mother, who had left shortly after her birth under mysterious circumstances.

Yang explains she became obsessed with finding her mother, to the extent that it took over her life entirely. And that one day, as a child, intent to follow a possible lead, Yang journeyed out with Ruby to a remote area, where they are unexpectedly attacked by Grimm. Exhausted from the journey, Yang was powerless to fight back, and both sisters would have died if not for the timely intervention of their uncle, who killed the beasts and saved the pair.

Yang confides that she still continues her search, but does not recklessly let her obsession drive her life, and urges Blake to do the same and calm down for just one night. Blake still resists, causing Yang to become angered. Yang claims that in her current state, Blake would not be able to fight her, let alone Torchwick.

Yang hugs Blake and asks her to slow down, not just for herself, but for the people she cares about then promises her a dance. Blake softens and agrees to slow down, following up on her partner's proposition.

Next Night.

In the ballroom with streamers hung through glass chandeliers, pink and blue balloons are everywhere, and students in dark suits and bright dresses are stepping with each other to the music between the white-clothed tables, Yang stood at the door in a white dress before Ruby came in. "Ooohh, you look beautiful!"

Ruby's wearing a short, red, sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. The bodice of the dress is split vertically to the sash and laced with black lacing. The yoke of the dress is transparent mesh with an opaque collar and hem, as well as opaque lines connecting the collar to her shoulders, black stockings, and pumps.

Ruby groans as she looks distressed. "Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" She asks as she tries to maintain her balance as she walks to the podium.

Just then, Naruto in a black suit with an orange tie walked in with Pyrrha. She's a turtleneck sleeveless red dress with her back exposed.

Natsu just work the jacket revealing his bare chest as a girl walked with him in a black dress.

She has brown eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that is tied by black ribbons in a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest of the hair loose.

Haru walked in a blue suit with his date who was wearing a dark blue dress and is average in height.

She sports her brown locks in a short hairstyle, falling barely past her nape, with fringes running above her eyebrows. She also has a curvaceous body and large breasts with ELIE tattooed on her left arm.

And Shiki in a black suit walked in with his date wearing a red dress.

She is a young woman who has blue eyes, fair skin, and wavy ash-blonde hair that reaches to her waist, fashioned with a red clip on the left side of her head. A pair of triangle-shaped earrings hang from her ears along with a necklace displaying an image of a heart circling her neck.

They all took their dates to the dance floor, Naruto missing Yang checking him out. Naruto danced with Pyrrha as a slow song started before smiling at her.

Later, after dancing with not only Pyrrha but Team RWBY, Naruto walked out to get some air to cool down before seeing a woman in a black bodysuit and domino mask running along the rooftop. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto unbuttons his jacket before jogging after the woman. He saw her go into the communication tower before calling his locker.

After a minute, the locker landed and he picked his holster out leaving his rifle. Putting the belt on, Naruto took the revolvers out and walked inside. Looking around, he saw knocked-out guards before seeing the elevator floor light stop at the top. He walked over, got ion ad went to the top.

He got out in a computer room before looking around, bringing his guns up by his head. The woman then stood up from behind the desk. "You know… I'm sure you're not supposed to be here."

The woman just smiled before she uses Dust to form glass crystals and blasts them at Naruto with Aura. Naruto jumped back to fall on his back and retaliates by firing rounds at the woman. She blocks the rounds reminding Naruto of the fight he helped Ruby with before coming to school. "Oh, you're that woman from before. Been itching for a rematch!"

Naruto spun in a break-dance style to get back on his feet and fired at her again as the woman then summons her weapon, two blades that look like dark glass.

The woman dodges and forms a bow with the blades. She fires three arrows that explode on impact with the floor, pushing Naruto back.

Ding!

James Ironwood arrives at their floor in the elevator, and Cinder retreats when Naruto turns to address the new arrival.

Up ahead, the woman had her clothes change to a black dress and removed her mask revealing Cinder who walked to the dance hall and started dancing with Mercury as the computer blinked with a black Queen chess piece before turning off.

Morning Ozpin's Office.

James and Glynda stood at the desk where Ozpin's sitting. "They were here… Ozpin, they were here!" James yelled as he angrily slams his fist against Ozpin's desk.

Glynda sighed at that. "We're very much aware of that! Thank you, James."

"Fantastic! You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?!" James asked before a ding went off having them look to see Naruto in his Huntsman clothing with Fox Bolt over his shoulder.

"Sorry, it took so long… Natsu wouldn't leave me alone."

"Thank you for coming, Naruto. How are you feeling?"

Naruto shrugged at Ozpin's question. "Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if we got her."

James then walked over. "Naruto, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntsman is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could."

"Thank you, sir." Naruto nodded before Ozpin spoke.

"Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that... transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."

"Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?"

Naruto shook his head at that. "No… She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. And her clothing lit up whenever she attacked."

Glynda looked down at that. "Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby."

"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone." James sighed as he walked back to the desk

"I thought she was connected to Torchwick and the White Fang." Naruto sighed before speaking. "Blake told me there was a possible hideout in the Southeast… A tip she picked up on when going to that White Fang get-together if that helps."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Naruto. Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you."

"Naruto turned to leave at that. "Any time."

"And Mr. Uzumaki, please try and be… Discreet about this matter."

"Yes sir." Naruto nodded before getting in the elevator. Once going down, he saw Ruby in her Huntress clothes before speaking. "Hey, Ruby."

"Hi, Naruto. Was that about the woman you fought last night?"

"Yeah, it was the same woman we fought before joining the school." He replied having her eyes widened. "So be on the lookout for her or anyone acting suspiciously." He finished before walking away with her to the dorms.

To Be Continued.

---

Lucy (Natsu's date)

Rebecca (Shiki's Date.)

Elie (Haru's Date.)

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Chapter 15

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Sorry for the quality, trying to keep it at 2k word length as the eps for the time being are around 10 minutes.

Beacon Academy Ozpin's Office.

"Well, there we have it. We send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out exactly what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way." Ironwood spoke up looking out the window he had his arm leaning against before Glynda sighed in frustration.

"Why must your answer to everything involves a triumphant display of military bravado!? You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring di-"

"Glynda!" Ozpin turned in his chair at that stopping the blonde.

"Well, he does."

"She's right. As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic." Ozpin sighed as James walked over to stare at the two.

"I have served you faithfully for years... but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to really hold the defenses, and wait-!"

Ozpin abruptly stands from his chair interrupting the general. "It is not! You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"

SHNN Dorm.

"That was a risky move."

Haru said before Shiki shook his head.

"No, I think you handled it well."

"I hope so." Naruto sighed as he was looking out of the window before hearing Yang's voice yell out.

"Oh, I know what will cheer you up!"

Blinking, Naruto moved to walk out in the hall and then to RWBY's dorm to see a black and white Corgi dog fall out of a cylinder tube.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed jumping in the air.

"He sent a dog?"

"In the mail?" Weiss asked as Yang waved her off.

"Oh, dad does stuff like this all the time!" She said before Blake hid behind Naruto as Weiss looked at Zwei who was picked up by Ruby.

"Are you telling me that this mangy... Drooling... Mutt is going to wiv wif us foweva? Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!"

Naruto blinked at the way Weiss changed her tune before hearing Blake from behind him speak up. "Please keep it away from my belongings."

"Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?" Glynda spoke over the intercom before Naruto's team, walked as Yang picked up a letter from her father.

"'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.'"

Dozens of cans of dog food spill out of the small package, piling up around Zwei. "What is he supposed to do with that?" Naruto asked as a can opener fell from the package, bouncing off Zwei's head.

"Well, that settles it! Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!" Yang bumped past Naruto as she and the others walked down the hall with Weiss talking to Zwei.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much, we're going to be best friends, I can't wait to see you."

Ruby was the last to leave before glancing at the panting dog for a moment, before smiling sneakily.

In the amphitheater, Ruby is wearing a large backpack as she enters the auditorium with other students. She then puts it down next to other students' luggage before rejoining her team, who are standing in front of Team JNPR as Yang stood beside Naruto and the rest of Team SHNN.

"Quiet! Quiet please." Glynda spoke on the stage quieting the teens down. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." She finished before letting Ozpin on the stage and at the microphone.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself."

"We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come."

"And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first-year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission."

"Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." Ozpin steps away as the students all begin to file out of the amphitheater.

"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!" Ruby spoke up having Naruto glance over.

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!"

While the teams looked at the screens for missions to shadow, Ozpin pulled Naruto's team over to Team RWBY before speaking. "I'm still curious how you all found yourself at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

"Um... well…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head at that.

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" Ozpin selects some things on his scroll, and the hologram screen makes a noise. "Take Team SHNN with you since you're first years."

"We won't let you down. Thank you, professor." Naruto spoke up having Ruby nod her head.

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, that the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. Good luck."

The two teams left the auditorium and are on their way to the airship that will take them to Quadrant 5 and saw Team CFVY.

"Hey! Team CFVY is back!?"

Beacon students gather around to witness the return of Team CFVY as Blake goes up to Velvet. "Velvet? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me."

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago! What happened?" Weiss asked as she walked up.

"Nothing happened. It was just... There were just so many…" She trailed off looking at the worried expressions and then looked at Naruto. "Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Right."

"Talking to your boyfriend, Velvet?"

They looked to see Coco sauntering over. "You know you shouldn't hog him all to yourself right?"

"W-What?" Velvet asked blushing as Naruto blinked.

Coco winked at Naruto before turning to walk away with a sway in her hips before Velvet pushed her faster.

"We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now." Ruby spoke up at the Teams having them nod.

"Right."

"Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"

Later, the two Teams looked at Oobleck who was wearing a jacket and safari hat with a backpack.

"Why, hello there! Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"Professor Oobleck?" Haru asked before the professor started talking quickly.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, that we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And…" He trailed off before quickly getting in the boy's face. "It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the Ph.D. for fun, thank you very much!"

"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind!" He said before raising a hand. "Schedule!" Oobleck then zips off to the airship docked farther ahead in a second.

"Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck… OK yeah, when you say it out loud it sounds worse."

Naruto lurched forward as he was tackled by Nora, breasts pressing on his back. "You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not my fault, though, Ren..."

"Sounds exciting. Where ya going?"

They turned to see Jaune walking up to them with Pyrrha. "Oh, just outside the kingdom…" Ruby explained as Nora smiled.

"Hey! So are we."

"Nora and Ren wanted to shadow the Sheriff of a nearby village," Pyrrha explained, hands on her hips.

"We set out tomorrow."

"Then you can party with us tonight."

They all turned to see Sun and Neptune appearing beside them. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."

"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... Normal." Sun explained uncrossing his arms.

"Four minutes!" Oobleck shouted from the ship getting the two teams to look over.

"Well, uh... Wish us luck!" Ruby said as the friends disband, either back to Beacon Academy or towards the ship.

Later, Naruto sighed as Natsu was laying on one of the benches, green-faced.

"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter."

He looked over to see Oobleck talking to Team RWBY. "I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked tilting her head.

"Those are truffles," Blake explained leaning over

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are Brussels," Yang explained also leaning over.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... Assignment!"

"What does history have to do with this?"

Shiki asked the Doctor who looked back.

"Why, what a preposterous question! Why history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."

"And that means…?"

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location of one of the kingdom's greatest failures!" Oobleck explained to the two teams.

"Mountain Glenn." Ruby mused as Natsu puked out the door.

"That's right! It was an expansion of Vale... But in the end, it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang explained having Oobleck nod.

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder."

"And a likely place for a hideout," Naruto said as Oobleck adjusts his glasses and smiled. "Precisely!" He said as they landed by destroyed buildings.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Sorry for the quality, trying to keep it at 2k word length as the eps for the time being are around 10 minutes.

Chapter 16

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king

Mountain Glenn.

Team RWBY and SHNN landed from the ship weapons drawn as Oobleck dropped down, taking a sip from his thermos before speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" He asked having them nod before he looked at Ruby. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school."

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

Oobleck looked down before whispering to himself. "She's not wrong... Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return."

"But I, well uh-"

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-" He stops as the bag's zipper opens, and out pops Zwei's head, causing everyone to stare at the uninvited guest.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispers at Zwei who merely barks in response.

"(Woof!)"

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... A dog?"

"THAT'S A DOG?!/THAT'S A DOG?!" Haru and Shiki yelled out pointing at Zwei.

"Yeah… Why you've never seen one?" Naruto asked the two.

"Dogs have carrots for noses where we're from," Haru replied having Shiki nod and Naruto facepalm.

"Did I do something in a past life to deserve this?" He asked looking up at the cloudy sky.

"Genius!"

Naruto looked back to see Oobleck snatching the pet away from Ruby, who tumbles to the ground as Oobleck spins Zwei in the air. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" He exclaimed as Zwei barked happily.

"I'm a genius!" Ruby said after a moment of confusion as Weiss and Yang both facepalm at their grinning leader.

"So, what are your orders, Doctor?" Blake asked after a sigh.

"Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" Oobleck lets go of Zwei to put his hands behind his back. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being…" He trailed off as he stared behind the two teams. "Grimm."

"Uh, what?"

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment."

"What?!" Yang asked as they turn to look to see a lone Beowolf wandering into the street.

They then pulled out their weapons before Oobleck spoke. "Stop!" They lowered their weapons having the teacher continued. "There are several reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"Then what now?" Natsu asked the teacher who pushed his glasses up.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Naruto asked as he held Fox Bolt.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months… And there's the whole pack." He finished as five more come out as well.

"What the fu-!" Naruto stopped as Oobleck interrupted him.

"And now they've seen us."

"What's the plan, then?" Yang asked as Naruto put his rifle on his back and pulled his pistols out from the holsters.

"Show me what you're capable of."

Naruto ad his teammates ran up with their weapons ready as Ruby pulled Crescent Rose up. "Cover your ears, Zwei!"

The dog does so, by curling up into a ball.

Yang ran to one Grimm, knocking it out in one fiery punch. Several stop chasing after the party girl to focus on Blake, who stands and waits with her hand on her hilt until one of the enemies swipes at her afterimage, the real Blake slicing her would-be attacker in half before slashing through another and cutting down on one more.

Naruto shot one towards Haru who sliced its head off with a new mode of his sword. It is slender with a U-shaped guard on each side.

Shiki then kicked one in the chin before Natsu jumped over him and slugged the Grimm having its head explode.

Weiss runs from several of the beasts before jumping in the air and taking one down with Myrtenaster. She dashes towards them with rapier held high and slays four of them in a straight line until she stops. A wave of Beowolves are converging on Ruby, but the scythe wielder shoots multiple bullets at the oncoming force while Zwei is busy chasing his tail.

He stops to watch his owner fire forward and, sees Naruto stab it in the head and fire shots into its skull.

"Heh. Piece of cake!" Ruby said resting her weapon on her shoulder.

"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?" Oobleck asked as they walked away.

They look around, attacking any Grimm as they searched the buildings. Later, the two teams panted before Oobleck spoke up. "Excellent work! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!"

"Hey, Doc, y'know, I was looking forward to seeing a "pro Huntsman" in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?" Yang asked as they holstered their weapons

"Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity! Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."

"O-Of course!"

"He's right."

Yang turned to see Naruto walking up behind her. "Most jobs for us, especially after graduating will most likely be just body guarding and we most likely won't see any action."

Later, Oobleck came up to Yang who was finishing a Grimm off. "Tell me, Yang: Why did you choose this line of work?"

Yang looked over her shoulder at him. "Huh? Well, to fight monsters and save-"

"No, that is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."

"The honest reason?" She asked after a moment of thinking. "I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"

"I see." He then went to Weiss at that before picking out a journal and wrote in it. "And you, Miss Schnee? A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So... why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"

"It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty."

Oobleck nodded at that. "Interesting." Oobleck walks to where Blake slashes a door down and releases a swarm of small Nevermores from the building, which she back-flips under before she shoots them all with her blade's pistol form. "And what about you, Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it."

"Very well. How?"

"I, Uh…" The Faunus trailed off as Oobleck hummed before he dashes away, leaving Blake to bow her head in troubled thought.

At the next building, A Beowolf fell out of a window as Naruto landed on it. "And you, Mr. Uzumaki? What does being a Huntsman mean to you?"

Naruto stood up and pulled his knife out of the Grimm before looking up at the sky. "… It means to put your life on the line for those who need you for those who can't protect themselves because everyone is a friend and family and I will protect them while trying to bring balance and peace to the world… That's my Will of Fire."

"What do you mean by that last part?"

"I dunno… Came to me last night and it felt right."

Oobleck ran off as Naruto's team stared at him.

Later, Ruby is using her weapon to lift a whole turkey on the sharp end of her gun to tease a jumping and flipping Zwei until she spots her teacher watching, quickly sheathing Crescent Rose. "Sorry! Uh... Are we ready to keep going?"

"Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon" He replied as he throws his bag over to Yang. "You all set up camp in that building. Oh, and please make sure there are no more of those... Creatures. Ruby and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby."

They start walking away and turned the corner of the building to see the wide forest stretching below the ruin, and in the midst of it, a line of giant elephants Grimm's. "What is that? It looks awesome!" Ruby asked as Oobleck looked at her,

"That, my dear girl, is a Grimm."

Ruby stares at the lumbering mass of monsters in amazement and awe before pulling out her gun. "Let's kill it."

"I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size."

"But... What if it attacks us?" She asked as he raised a hand

"Fret not, Ruby; those Goliaths are not concerned with us. Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtedly lived hundreds of years, and in that time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they have done one important thing: They've learned."

"They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength, we make up for in will and that killing one human will only bring more." One Goliath swivels its thick neck to look at the figures watching their procession, eyes glowing a fiery red.

Ruby then looked at her teacher after looking at the Grimm. "Then why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"

"Waiting," Oobleck replied as the Goliath turns its head forward again and moves on with its kin. Oobleck turns around and walks away as well, and Ruby puts away her weapon, not moving.

"Doctor Oobleck?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering…" She trailed off as Oobleck stops walking and turns back to her.

"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?"

"A-Actually, I was wondering... Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"

Oobleck motioned to the ruins before looking back at her. "Look around and tell me what you see.

"Lots of old buildings, uh, empty streets..."

Oobleck then speaks up as they continued to walk back. "I see lives that could have been saved. As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom."

"I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger." He then stops at that. "I am a Huntsman, Ruby because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." He finished as they walked back to camp.

Back at the building, the teams have done as instructed, building a fire in the center of the room and huddling around it or standing up. "I can't believe we didn't find anything…" Yang said as she sat beside Naruto… Rather close.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side." Blake said from Naruto's other side as she poked the fire with a stick.

"That's not what I meant."

They looked up at Weiss at that. "Earlier, about... upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that."

"Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know." Yang said head dropping down with Blake nodding.

"I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."

Naruto wrapped an arm around their shoulders and pulled them in close. "Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?"

The girls merely stare in silence. Oobleck suddenly comes rushing into the room. "Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!"

"Fire!" Ruby yells as she dropped to the fire and had Zwei sit as well. "So... warm..."

"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for the first watch?"

Ruby lifts an arm while still looking into the fire. "Yo."

Oobleck rushes off, and Ruby gets up to go over to her lookout point. "Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?" Yang asked her sister, not moving to keep Naruto's arm wrapped around her.

"Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!"

Without a second thought, she continues on her way. Yang looks disappointed in the lack of an answer. Blake is similarly troubled as she moves to unroll her mat, Weiss tries lying down but fails to sleep, and Yang half-heatedly eats her dinner of bread rolls. Naruto stretched as Natsu was demolishing his dinner while Haru and Shiki were already asleep.

Soon, all the Huntsmen and Huntresses are on their backs around the fire, weapons within easy access.

Ruby, meanwhile, is sitting on the vacant windowsill of the room as Zwei goes over to her upon hearing the howling of Beowolves. She pets her pooch on the back. "Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow."

Beacon.

Ironwood is looking out from the landing docks of Beacon Academy to the city of Vale, a few airships before Glynda walked up to him. "Trouble sleeping?"

Ironwood looked back and gripped his left shoulder. "Arm was acting up."

"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely, and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance. What's wrong?"

"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just... I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark." Ironwood replied looking back to the city.

"Don't be ridiculous! You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark."

Ironwood chuckled at that. "That makes it worse! I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so... Passively."

Glynda puts a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it." She drops her hand at that before continuing. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering."

Mountain Glenn.

A Beowolf is searching through the rubble before it looks up briefly at Ruby who has it in her red crosshair scope, but she just lowers Crescent Rose and sighs.

At the campsite, the rest of the teams are lying down on their sleeping mats around the fire with their weapons nearby, and Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck is higher up, slumped down against the wall next to the hole in the ceiling/floor.

"Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked as she looked at the ceiling.

"Yeah."

"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"

"Maybe he was just curious." The Faunus replied as she moved to lay on her side.

"You think?"

"No."

"Weiss, are you awake?" Yang asked the heiress who looked over.

"Of course I'm awake! You two are talking. And I think he... When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... Moral gray area."

"That's putting it lightly," Blake spoke having Weiss sit up.

"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

Blake sighed before she spoke up. "All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the noblest warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I… How can I undo so many years of hate?"

"I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." Yang said before moving to lie on her side as well.

"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!"

"At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring." Yang said turning to lie on her stomach and had her breasts squash out revealing more of her cleavage.

"And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today." She finished leaning back on her side and rests her head on her hand.

"Well, she's still just a kid," Weiss said looking over as Blake sat up.

"She's only two years younger. We're all kids."

"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a war zone and armed to the teeth!" Yang motioned around them at that.

"It's the life we chose."

"It's a job," Weiss spoke up raising her hand. "We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second."

The apparently-sleeping Oobleck has a small smile when she finishes.

Later, Yang has taken up watch, allowing Ruby and Zwei to sleep on the sleeping bag Yang had been lying on before Zwei suddenly woke up and stands up, causing Ruby to wake up. "Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed." She moaned having Zwei runoff. "Zwei! Zwei! Ugh!" Ruby gets up and wanders out of the building, looking for Zwei. "Zwei! Zwei, where are you? Zwei! Huh?"

She spots Zwei urinating on some ruins before speaking. "Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!"

"(Bark!)"

"What was that?"

Ruby stiffened as she picked Zwei up and heard a male voice and hides behind some ruins. Looking out, she saw two White Fang members holding rifles. "What was what?"

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something."

"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps." The second one said before they turned to walk away.

Ruby took a step to follow only to stiffen as a hand grabbed her shoulder and another was placed over her mouth. She looked to see Haru behind her before he spoke. "Let's get the others first."

After waking the others, Ruby brought them to where the White Fang members walked in and saw a door leading down before Oobleck hit his palm. "Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!

"What is it?"

"How could I be so stupid?!"

"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?" Shiki asked the doctor who pointed at the door.

"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

"Doc, what are you saying?" Natsu asked tilting his head in confusion.

"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!"

"They've been working in caves?" Naruto asked crossing his arms.

"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start!"

"As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!"

"An underground village?" Yang asked having Oobleck nod.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb.

Down below, Roman was giving orders to the White Fang by a train before several explosions. Multiple White Fang members come running around the corner, some firing at Teams RWBY and SHNN who run around the corner. "Somebody kill them!"

Roman and the White Fang members around him open fire on the teams, missing their shots which she dodges and weaves between. Roman turns angrily to the White Fang member next to him to speak. "Attach this cart and spread the word: We're starting the train."

"But we're not finished!"

Roman pins the White Fang member up against the wall with Melodic Cudgel. "Do it or you're finished!"

"Looks like they're loading the cars up," Naruto said firing a round from his right revolver then brought it down to fire his left.

"Ahhhh, that's ridiculous. These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead-end." Oobleck said holding his thermos that changed into a torch.

"Get to your places, we are leaving now!" They heard Roman on a loudspeaker at that.

"Well, it sounds like they're going somewhere," Natsu said hitting one member away with his sword.

"Stop that train!" Ruby yelled as the train moved to a tunnel, loaded with mechs. They ran and jumped onto the last car of the train before Oobleck looked back. "Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!"

"Err... Professor?" Weiss spoke up, holding a door that led to the car from the roof.

"Doctor…"

"What's that?" Weiss asked pointing at a silver bomb.

"That my dear... appears to be a bomb."

"We've got baddies!" Shiki yelled seeing White Fang members on top at the front as the bomb underneath them charged up and starts beeping.

"Time to go! Blake! Detach the caboose! It will kill us all!" Oobleck ordered Blake who nodded.

"On it." Blake jumps down onto the connectors and gets ready to cut the connection, but as she does, the connection comes loose on its own. "Huh? It decoupled itself!"

"What?!" Oobleck asked after the others jumped onto the next car.

"I guess he really doesn't want us on this train," Yang said as Oobleck looks back at the detached cart, it explodes in the tunnel.

"That's not good..."

"Err, neither is this!" Ruby yelled ut after opening the hatch to reveal another bomb.

"Another bomb?!"

Oobleck looks around and runs to the next train car. "No. No. No." He opens the hatch and looks in. "They ALL have bombs!"

The bomb under Team RWBY charges up and starts beeping and the cart they're on detaches itself, forcing Team RWBY to run to the next cart. "This doesn't make sense!" Haru yelled out as they looked back to see the White Fang members climbing the train.

"Get the humans!"

The two teams jump forward to attack the incoming White Fang members. Oobleck turns around and watches the detached train car explode. Only this time it creates a hole allowing multiple types of Grimm to emerge. "Oh, dear…" The horde of Grimm begins advancing quickly toward the runaway train. "He's leading Grimm to the city!"

"What?"

"It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!"

"That's insane!" Naruto yelled as another train car detaches itself.

"We have to hurry!" He turns to Naruto, Natsu, Haru, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "You six, go below and try to stop those bombs!"

"What about us?"

"We're going to stop this train," Oobleck replied before Ruby sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I said that earlier."

The group moves forward. As the train continues towards its destination, White Fang members start to pilot multiple Atlesian Paladin-290s and jump to the top of the train. Shiki, Ruby, Zwei, and Oobleck run ahead. "Up ahead!" Oobleck said as he saw a Paladin start charging towards them. "We got a problem!"

Oobleck takes a sip from his thermos before transforming it into its weapon mode, a small flame burning at its tip. Zwei barks jump and flip in the air, and Oobleck bats him, turning him into a small fireball. The Paladin starts shooting, only for it to get knocked off the train by the combination attack. The Paladin tumbles on the train tracks and explodes when it hits a barricade. Another Paladin appears in front of Zwei, its guns aimed at him. Suddenly, multiple fire attacks hit it, and Oobleck swiftly knocks it off the train as well.

Down below, Haru, Natsu, Yang, Weiss, and Blake enter the train car. Weiss reaches into her pouch and gives Blake a magazine filled with Dust vials. "Here, this should help you."

Blake slides the mag into Gambol Shroud and then charges forward. Naruto and the others ran ahead, only for a White Fang member to tackle Naruto to the railing. "Go!" Naruto yelled before being pushed off and grabbed the member to pull him down as well.

"Naruto!" Yang yelled as the others hesitantly ran forward. Suddenly, Neopolitan drops from the ceiling and blocks their path. "You two go, I got this."

As Blake and Weiss run past Neo, Yang unleashes a shot from Ember Celica, prompting Neo to flip back to avoid the blast, landing in a crouch. Yang proceeds to walk up to Neo as she stands up, and the two stare at one another. Yang throws a simple forward punch toward Neo's face, which is deflected with a white flash, causing Yang to stumble back.

Yang dashes forwards, unleashing a flurry of several punches, resetting each time instead of redirecting her blows, as Neo simply dodges each attack, moving her body swiftly to avoid them in a very laid-back, but extremely effective style. With every unsuccessful punch, elbow, and kick, Yang continues moving forward as her last three blows bring her to a knee, where she attempts a roundhouse kick, allowing Neo to deliver a spinning hook kick, knocking Yang to the ground.

While on the ground, Yang growls in anger, to which Neo responds by performing a drop kick. However, Yang dodges by rolling away and subsequently springing up to attack once again. Neo counters through a pull-in redirection of force technique, pulling Yang's arm in with her left arm, and performing a well-executed ax kick to hit Yang on the chin, before kicking Yang in the stomach with a side kick.

Neo then begins pushing Yang back via her umbrella, now on the offensive, as Yang tries to counter her movements. Neo is able to effortlessly push Yang back against a wall until Yang shoots a blast at Neo's feet. Neo, however, backflips effortlessly, and she lands on a metal container, before sitting

Bang!

Only to jump away as Naruto landed in a roll, got up, and spun his guns before turning them into their blade forms. "Sup?"

Naruto dashed forward, only for Neo to jump over him and attack Yang kicking her back. Yang unleashes another blast from Ember, which Neo blocks. She then turns to deflect Naruto's attack and trip him up before hitting him in the ass with her umbrella. Yang grabs Neo's foot and pulls her closer to throw her, only for Neo to perfectly counter, before grappling Yang and using her momentum to throw her into the ceiling, knocking her unconscious.

Suddenly, a red portal opened up before a woman walked out. She has fair skin and is wearing a V-neck black and red wrap style top with a black pleated skirt that has black shorts underneath, with a series of beaded necklaces. She also has a red obi sash around her waist alongside a red tasset wrapped around her waist that carries a weapon's sheath.

Attached to it is a long black object that is either fur or feathers, with a red and white bandanna material hanging from behind her. Her forearms bear red armored gauntlets that protrude outwards and black fingerless gloves. She wore black mid-thigh high boots, that had armor plating with red splatter patterns and black heels. She has long black hair and is wearing a Grimm face mask that has four red eyes.

Neo looked at her as she hit a button on her sheath and pulled out a long red katana. Neo then jumped and disappeared as the woman looked at Naruto who picked Yang up bridal style before creating another portal by slashing the air with her sword. "Not gonna help? Those who don't, are lower than trash."

The woman said nothing and went into the portal disappearing.

In the next train car, Blake and Weiss are seen running, and then look at each other when they hear the sound of revving up ahead. They look to see a muscular White Fang member dragging a chainsaw along the floor. The camera pans up, revealing the White Fang Lieutenant. "You go on ahead!" Weiss said to Blake who nodded.

"You two go as well," Haru said as he gripped his sword.

The three ran as Haru hit the chainsaw before Weiss hit the man forcing him on his back. Weiss holds up Myrtenaster en garde as the man got back up. The two attack together keeping the man unbalanced before he blocked a strike from Haru. And was hit by Weiss knocking him back. He looked up to see Haru in the air dropping down holding his sword.

In the next train car, the three stop when they see Roman. "Hello, kitty cat. You miss me? You know, we really gotta stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk..."

"Blake charges forward to attack, and knocks him down, when he attempts to get back up, Blake steps on his chest and points her sword at his throat. "Why are we fighting? I saw you at the rally, we're on the same side and you know it…" He grunts as she points her blade at his throat. "Oh, still feisty. Soooo, what are we gonna do now? You think a little bow on top is gonna make people forget who you were? What you've done...?"

Natsu punched him in the head knocking him out as Weiss and Haru ran inside. Only to fly forward as the train crashes. Outside, Naruto groaned as he slowly got up to see they were in Vale before Grimm ran out of the hole.

The teams find themselves surrounded by numerous Grimm, including Beowolves, Creeps, and a large King Taijitu. Naruto picked his revolvers up and pulled the hammers back. Quickly springing into action, the teams began making short work of the assembled lower-level Grimm.

Ruby embeds her scythe into the ground and uses it as support to kick away at the Grimm around her. Yang uses a Creep as a springboard to jump high into the air and bombard the Grimm with her gauntlets until she is brought down by three small Nevermores. Naruto jumped over, slicing the throat of a Grimm, and caught her bridal style having her smile before getting down.

Blake dodges a swipe from a Beowolf and kills it by stabbing it in the head, then proceeds to shoot the Creeps that are charging at her with her weapon in pistol mode. Weiss kills three Beowolves with Myrtenaster and kills a few other Grimm with a giant ice sword she conjured. Then Yang sends a car flying toward a few Grimm while Ruby kills two in front of the King Taijitu.

Team JNPR then joined the battle, heralded by Nora's dynamic entry, smashing the King Taijitu's head with Magnhild, instantly killing the beast. Ren and Nora continue to thin the ranks of the Creeps and Beowolves, while Jaune Arc looks for a Grimm as an opponent and is promptly confronted by an Ursa. At first, Jaune backs away before he pulls himself together and manages to defeat the Ursa with a series of quick slashes, much to Pyrrha's delight.

Neptune and Sun ran up to 'help', flashing their Junior Detective badges, but are immediately upstaged by the Atlesian Military, who deploy their air fleet which consists of an airship and several dropships, one of which shoots an Ursa that was about to pounce Ruby. Platoons of Atlesian Knight-200s are then airdropped and begin to battle the Grimm.

One Atlesian Knight shoots a Creep in the head, three bring down an Ursa, two are attacked by a Boarbatusk with its roll charge and one punches an Ursa across the street where it lands at Cinder Fall's feet.

Subsequently, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald join the battle, followed closely by Zwei, who emerges in an Atlesian Paladin amongst a group of Atlesian Knights battling the Grimm from the underground tunnels and proceeds to headbutt a nearby Beowolf. Another bullhead flew down with Professor Port and Team CFVY. The new arrivals continue to clear out the masses of Grimm without much difficulty.

Coco sauntered up to a tall Grimm and pulled her glasses down. "You just destroyed my favorite clothing store." She said before fixing her glasses and spitting to the side. "Prepare to die."

She blocked a swipe with her bag and then kicks the creature in the crotch before leaning down, hand on her knee. She then slammed the bag on its head cracking the pavement and killing the Grimm. Looking up, she saw a group run to her before grabbing the bag and starts hitting them away before jumping back where Velvet was holding her camera box.

"No, you've built that up the whole semester, don't waste it here."

Coco then stepped forward, held her bag in front f her, and had it open up into a gold and black gatling gun that decimated the rest of the Grimm, cutting the King Taijitu in half as well as a large Nevermore. Up ahead, Port and Oobleck clear a street of Boarbatusk, as well as several Creeps and Beowolves, before Glynda walks over, and threw her crop around sending Grimm flying before she uses her telekinesis to seal off the breach.

They all celebrated the victory before stopping as they heard a roar. Looking up, they saw a large snake/dragon Grimm with a slim body, wings, spiked bone tail, and gold eyes. (1.)

"What the fuck!?" Naruto yelled before leaning down as the Grimm flew by and had wind pick up.

The groups started firing at the Grimm only for nothing to happen before Naruto pulled his rifle out and took a shot hitting an eye. The Grimm screeched as it flew up before diving at Ruby and Weiss. Naruto turned to run over and push the two out of the way and was hit, flying back into a wall. Naruto groaned as his vision was doubled before seeing his team run over.

They kept their eyes on the Grimm as Ruby and Weiss ran over to look at Naruto. As well as Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, Coco, and Velvet. They then looked at each other for a second before Naruto passed out. Soon, several ships flew over to attack the Grimm sending it flying away as they chased after it. Emerald and Mercury grabbed Roman and handed him to Atlas robots as medical men ran to Naruto.

A Few Days Later, Beacon Night.

Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald meet on a rooftop. "All in all, I call today a success." Cinder said to the two.

"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things." Emerald sighed as she crossed her hands before Mercury spoke.

"Yeah. A lot of Faunus didn't make it out of the tunnels. You still think the White Fang's gonna listen to us?"

"No, but they'll listen to me."

The three turned to see a Faunus man walk up. He is a tall man with red and brown hair that spikes backward in a windswept way. While most of his hair is red, a portion of it in the back and several streaks are brown. A noticeable trait of his appearance is the mask he wears, which obscures his eyes and upper face. His Faunus heritage appears to be that of a bull, with two horns. One on each side of his head.

His mask is whitish-tan with red, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front, and two slits on each side. He's wearing a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and more red designs and a white symbol on the left side. His trench coat is red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and a red wilting rose emblem on the back over a white floral design. His trench coat is half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it.

He's wearing long black pants, black shoes with red soles, and black gloves with more red emblems on their forehand, appearing to be a variant of the Greek letter 'Ω'. He's wearing a black belt with white domino marks on it.

In the courtyard, Yang is walking in the Beacon Academy courtyard towards the mysterious swordswoman from before. "Who are you?" She asked as the swordswoman removes her mask, revealing she looked similar to Yang in appearance but with red eyes.

"Yang, we have a lot to talk about."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. OC Grimm from ANUBIS.

Chapter 17

Notes:

Sorry, this was slightly late, been busy and fighting a cold now. It's nothing serious just coughing/congestion that makes it hard to write for more than several minutes before coughing So I also rushed the ending apologies for that.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Later, Amity Colosseum.

Naruto and his team sat in the front row in a flying coliseum as they watched Team RWBY face off against another team. The arena is octangular shaped and half is lava torn while the other is ice covered/

The first is a young woman who has a dark complexion, platinum blonde hair, and olive-green eyes. She's wearing a yellow robe with only one wide, loose-fitting sleeve over a black tube top. She also has black pants and shoes and a red sash embroidered with a white "endless knot" on it. She has bandages on both her legs and arms as well as a red necklace and what appears to be two matching red sticks on the back left side of her head.

The next is a young man who has lightly-tanned skin, amber eyes, and black hair. He's wearing two yellow sashes, one around his waist and the other over his shoulder alongside a dark blue vest and gray pants with yellow lacing up the sides. He also has black boots and black fingerless gloves, and a dark gray beaded necklace.

The third appears to look like a young girl with light green hair swept to her right, teal eyes, and a fair complexion. She also has two black facial markings on her cheeks. Her attire reflects a skater motif with a dark purple hoodie over a mauve sweater. She also has black shorts as well as knee pads and elbow pads on her arms and legs. She wears black shoelace high-top sneakers

And the final member is a young man who has long pink hair tied back into a short ponytail, with an undercut, and the undercut portion of his hair is black. He has a dark complexion and blue eyes.

His outfit consists of a cream-colored short-sleeved jacket with yellow details and a black, long-sleeved V-neck shirt, with cream-colored fingerless gloves. He has black medium-length pants and cream-colored sneakers

"Hello!"

Naruto looked up to see Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck via holograms as announcers for the fight. "It seems that we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"Doctor... And yes Peter, I think it's safe to say this match may be the closest we've seen of the four-on-four round of the tournament!" Oobleck replied looking over.

"For those of you just now joining us, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament, broadcast live from the Amity Colosseum! If this is your first time watching, allow us to break down the rules." Port said before Oobleck held up three fingers.

"The tournament is divided into three distinctive rounds; teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested... is skill."

Port nods as another hologram pops up to do the same thing. "Correct! The winners of this battle will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of that round choosing one member to advance once again. The remaining combatants will then fight their way through the final bracket in the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!"

Oobleck pushed up his spectacles at that. "And yes, Peter, these certainly are some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate! I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that!"

"Ahh, and why would they? Now, let's get back to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon, and Team ABRN, of Haven."

The hologram cuts off at that as Naruto turned back to the action. Reese steers her board through the ice and she twirls herself until the board gets launched at Blake, but she's able to knock it away, only for Reese to direct it back at her. Blake blocks it again, but the board rotates back to its wielder just in time to defend Reese as Blake delivers several slashes and kicks.

Reese deflects each attack and spins her weapon around until she can flip away and ride it again, rushing towards a smirking Blake. She collides with Blake and reveals it's a shadow clone, and Blake uses this opportunity to slice the board in two, only for the halves to become dual katars that in turn fold up into bayonet-bladed revolvers. Reese manages to fire off a few green rounds before her tailbone collides on the cold ground.

Meanwhile, Yang lands mere feet away from Arslan, who backs away before being pounded by two punches. The pair dodge each other's kicks then Arslan delivers her hits, launching a series of hammer blows. Yang defends herself and retaliates, the clash ending with the two smashing fists and creating a shockwave from the impact.

Yang and Arslan are both thrown back, but Yang reaches her and tries delivering more blows before Arslan flips away then uses her rope dart to tangle up her adversary's leg and land a kick of her own to send Yang skidding on the ground. While Yang tries to get her balance back on the slippery surface, Arslan rushes forward and knocks her back even further.

Nearby, Nadir tries aiming with his assault rifle at Yang before a sudden burst of frosty blue explodes behind him and leaves the gunner in a block of ice up to his thighs.

"Got your back!" Ruby yelled from her spot after aiming Crescent Rose.

"But who's got yours?"

She looked back to see Bolin twirling his staff, right when a black snowflake glyph appears to his left and Weiss kicks him through it into a rock. "My BFF!"

"No." Weiss deadpanned before running off as Ruby pumped her fist, and whispered.

"Yes."

Bolin crouches with his weapon as he sees a white glyph appear in front of him. A second later, Weiss dashes by and slashes at him, then leaps up and attempts an aerial attack, which he's able to block. She readies her sword while preparing a glyph behind her, and Ruby uses it to launch herself straight up and come down spinning on Bolin, who manages to block the curved blade.

Ruby grimaces and blasts herself away to Weiss' side, and Bolin rushes at them, rolling away from the shards of ice that rain on him and jumping over Ruby's swing as he continues running.

"Whaaat!?" Ruby asked as she threw her hands up.

Bolin manages to reach an orange crystal deposit and slice off a shard, which he throws to Reese over in the icy half of the stadium. With Dust in hand, Reese fuses it with her board, turning the aqua lights to a crimson shade. She winks at Blake, then uses the board's heat to free Nadir from his icy snare. "Thanks, Reese!"

She comes back to Blake and slams her board into her enemy's blade, but propels herself backward and knocks Blake through a frozen pillar. Reese attempts to use her board to slam her foe into the ground, but when she dodges that, she spins around in a flaming arc that Blake narrowly misses thanks to her shadows.

Blake launches the pistol part of Gambol Shroud at a nearby glacier and launches herself behind it, as Reese follows her and sees Blake with her back turned to her under an arch. Reese grins before riding in to deliver a flaming spiral at the shadow clone, only to see the ribbon Blake is launching to trap her opponent a moment too late.

She pulls tightly and causes Reese to slam body-first into the string, only to use a final kick to knock her out of the stage. Reese crashes into the wall of the stands before landing on the ground.

"Ooh, a double whammy! Reese Chloris is eliminated by ring-out and Aura level!" Port said as Reese punched the ground.

"Oh, she really should've worn a helmet!"

Arslan uses her rope to swing around and avoid Yang right behind her, using shotgun blasts to propel herself forward. Nadir aimed his rifle at Weiss as she summons another glyph and launches Bolin at him. Weiss then creates a whirlwind from underneath them and slams the two together until she forms a giant ice fist straight up from the ground to trap the two.

It reforms itself into a ball that rolls around the field, and when Arslan sees her team, she rolls her eyes, annoyed, before changing direction and sliding into the path of the ball. She readies her stance and drives her hand into the sphere, which cracks under her power and frees her allies.

"Yang!"

Yang turns to look just as Weiss creates a large frozen slide-like shape. "NOW!"

Yang blasts herself forward and skims over the wall of ice, catching Blake's pistol as her teammate uses Ruby as a launch pad to jump off of towards the remaining members of ABRN. Blake whips a screaming Yang around to land a devastating punch that sends the trio flying into their elimination.

"And that's the match! Team RWBY is victorious!"

After the match, Naruto and his team walked the grounds of a festival for the tournament and saw Team RWBY at a noodle stand.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please," Yang ordered as she sat at a stool in the front of the stand. A second later, a large bowl of noodles slides in front of her.

"Oohhh... I'll take the same," Ruby said before a second large bowl of noodles slid in front of her, as she clasps her hands in excitement.

"Do you have anything with a low-salt...?" She trailed off as the man drops a large bowl of regular noodles in front of her instead. "Um... OK..."

Blake nods and smiles to the Shopkeep, who returns the gesture as he rushes through one door of his shop and comes out the other to leave a large bowl of noodles topped with fish in front of her. Blake's eyes immediately light up as she drools over her order. While Weiss looks strangely at her teammate, she gladly offers her Schnee Dust Company credit card to the Shopkeep.

"Aw, Weiss! What's the occasion!?"

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round," Weiss explained as they chose her and Yang for the doubles portion of the tournament. Suddenly, the card is flung back at her, and the annoyed Shopkeep points to his register as it beeps.

DECLINED

"What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!"

Blake looked around in a panic before she attempts to slowly slide her bowl closer to herself before the Shopkeep takes her food, causing the poor girl to slump over. "Nooo!"

"Mind if we join?"

"Naruto!" Yang yelled throwing her hands up and having her chest bounce.

"Nice to see you too Yang." Naruto greeted sitting down on the side opposite of her and looked at Blake.

Before swearing, he saw a thundercloud over her. "I'll pay for us."

"I'm sure we can help."

They looked to see Team JNPR walking over.

"Pyrrha!"

"Aw, you don't have to..."

"But they could!" Blake blurted out as she looked at her blonde teammate.

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle," Pyrrha spoke as she and Naruto threw a card down to split the bill.

Later on, the bowls are empty, and each student is either content with their meal or holding their stomach sickly. Though, Yang and Pyrrha looked as Naruto ate his 11th bowl. "Do you have four stomachs?!" Nora asked raising her hands.

"Nah, just skill. Plus I haven't had my favorite food in a while."

"Would Team SHNN please report to the battlefield." They heard Oobleck over the speakers.

"Yes, it's time for your battle." Port followed after the doctor.

Later, Naruto held Fox Bolt in its rifle form in the arena and stared at the other team also all male. (1.)

The first has tan skin, brown eyes, and green hair wearing a dark green jacket, black pants, and boots. He's holding a red compound bow with a quiver on his back.

The next has fair skin, red hair in a buzz cut, blue eyes, and wearing a red vest over a bare chest black pants, and shoes. He has a bone-like spear with a spark of electricity off the top.

The third has messy red hair, dark skin brown eyes, and wearing a red shirt with black shorts. He's holding a twin-bladed scythe.

The final member has light blue hair and eyes. He's wearing a light blue shirt and black pants holding twin swords.

"Team SHNN of Beacon Vs Team HAZE of Shade," Port said as holograms came up of the different environments before spinning.

One landed on forest while other, ocean.

The arena behind SHNN opened to trees while behind HAZE came a beach with pools of water and a ship.

"3… 2… 1… BEGIN!"

Naruto quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a ball that he threw down to explode in smoke. The others ran to HAZE as Hunter pulled his bow and quickly shot an arrow that exploded. Amaz spun his bone staff and hit Natsu shocking him with the tip and revealing it was a taser. Zure put dust on his blade to spin it having flames come off. Elec followed as electricity sparked on his swords.

A glint came from the trees as Hunter took a step back from a shot. In the trees, Naruto, on top of the one in the back re-chambered another bullet with the bolt as he rests his sniper rifle on a limb. He looked through the scope and took another shot. Hunter ran back before going to the side of the arena, slid on one knee, and shot another arrow that exploded near Naruto who didn't flinch.

"That's my student!" Sunny yelled out pumping her fist as Vajo sighed and pinched his nose.

"Sit down Sunny."

"No way! One of the few snipers who entered is fighting!"

Back to the fight, Natsu jumped over Amaz's staff and punched him back. Shiki then kicked him off the arena resulting in a ring out. Hunter ran into the trees and hit a tripwire.

BOOM!

And an explosion sent him back to the edge before Naruto dropped down and kicked him out of bounds. Haru clashed with Elec having electricity explode in the air Natsu and Shiki attacked Azure back to the edge before Naruto's trident hit him in the chest sending him out of bounds. All four ran at Elec and sent him out of bounds as well.

"Winners Team SHNN!"

Port announced as the stadium cheered.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. OC from us to use.

Sorry, this was slightly late, been busy and fighting a cold now. It's nothing serious just coughing/congestion that makes it hard to write for more than several minutes before coughing So I also rushed the ending apologies for that.

Chapter 18

Notes:

I hope you all have a safe Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and if I don't update a story you'll read by then I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year.

And I apologize for this Chapter and Naruto on Board's Ch, got some freezing rain on Wednesday, and yesterday that made me really rush through this and that one due to them being the last to work on.

Beta: ANUBIS the god-king.

Arena.

"Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ (Bronze) of Shade!"

Naruto looked at Team BRNZ as the fields were being chosen.

The first is a young man with dark purple eyes and short black hair that graduated to gray with his hair slicked toward his left. He's wearing a sleeveless top that graduated from gray to purple, a purple scarf, black pants with bronze kneecaps and a bronze buckled black belt, and a dark purple scarf that wrapped around his right leg and black boots with studded strap detailing. He also had three black straps, one studded, on his left arm.

The next is a dark-skinned young man with green eyes and brown hair styled in cornrow dreadlocks tipped in gold clasps. He's wearing a green vest buckled closed on his left shoulder, over a black T-shirt and loose white pants rolled up to his knees. He also has on a pair of fingerless gloves with white armor pieces that were the holsters for his weapon and olive canvas sneakers.

The third teammate is a dark-skinned young man with green eyes and brown hair styled in cornrow dreadlocks tipped in gold clasps. He's wearing a green vest buckled closed on his left shoulder, over a black T-shirt and loose white pants rolled up to his knees. He also wore a pair of fingerless gloves with white armor pieces that were the holsters for his weapon and olive canvas sneakers.

And the final member is a young girl with light tan skin, dusky rose hair, and gray-blue eyes. She's wearing a red and white hoodie with blue tracksuit pants and a distinctive black beanie that covered her left eye. She also wore a large black scarf and red canvas sneakers.

As each team readies themselves, a circle of holographic roulettes starts spinning frantically through various symbols and colors before finally landing on a green pine tree and a gray thunderstruck mountain. With these random selections, half of the field opens to reveal a tree-filled forest, while the other raises a small rocky outcropping to fill in the circle.

"3... 2... 1..."

Jaune then raised his sword. "Come on guys!"

"BEGIN!"

All four members of JNPR charge forward, but only three fighters from BRNZ do the same as May turns around and heads into the trees, cocking her rifle.

In the center of the field, Brawnz delivers a knee kick to Pyrrha's shield that sends her skidding back, right before she blocks the claws on his fists with her xiphos. She jerks her sword away and makes him leap back, just as May jumps up into the branches of the forest with the bladed butt of her rifle.

Ren readies StormFlower to attack Nolan, who almost gets blindsided by Nora's swing with Magnhild before he ducks under the attack and attempts to hit her with his cattle prod. May aims her spot and manages to fire off two rounds near Ren, destroying the rocks behind him.

Jaune manages to block the buzz saw glove of Roy with his shield before he notices the bullets flying and sees the glint of the gun in the leaves.

Ren glances back at his leader as a shot hits the ground by his feet. He and Nora start running back into the mountains as Jaune and Pyrrha cover their escape by blocking the bullets with their shields. The four leap over a rocky outcropping for cover.

May gets even higher in the tree and smiles from behind her scope as she looks at the fight belowBrawnz and Pyrrha continue to duke it out while Nolan slowly advances on Ren when he slides into his path. The prod-wielding warrior looks back at the trees and nods to his hidden ally, who shoots at Ren's feet again and makes him jump around trying to dodge them.

Just as he lands, Nolan hits him upside the head with his weapon and can miss the retaliatory kick with another blow to the knee and a final hit to the chest using the business end of his prod. Electricity shoots through Ren's body before he collapses to the ground beside his childhood friend.

Scowling, Nora takes a swing at Nolan, who promptly dodges it and again unleashes his weapon's power into her corset, though this causes a quite different reaction from the grinning redhead. Announcers Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck explain that Nora's Semblance allows her to produce and channel electrical energy to her muscles, giving her increased strength and speed.

Nolan finally takes his cattle prod away, but the damage is done: Nora flexes her arms as pink lightning is seen coursing through her body. Nolan attempts to lift his hands in surrender, but thunder starts sparking from Nora's Aura as she rushes at him.

Nora brings her hammer down and hits Nolan having him bounce back across the field, crashing through rocks. Jaune looks back at the mountaintop on his team's side as a dark storm cloud appears over it, crackling with lightning. He looks over at his energized teammate and she sprints off to start climbing the mountain.

As Ren distracts May, the remaining three members of JNPR run forward as Nora hops up and rapidly ascends the mountain. Roy throws the saws from his gloves into Jaune's shield, which still manages to bend the metal and slam the leader's defense in his face before the weapons return to their master. Pyrrha gets up close to him, and he delivers a series of spinning swings with his arms into Akoúo̱ as Jaune shakes off his disorientation and charges into battle yet again.

Pyrrha takes on both Brawnz and Roy, delivering a kick to one as she deftly dodges and blocks the discs of the other, throwing her javelin to distract Roy while she somersaults back to use both feet in landing a blow on Brawnz.

May attempts to shoot Ren while he dashes his way toward her position, leaping out of the way of her shots, the flying saws, and even sliding under Pyrrha before he runs at Nolan, weapons blasting until he is close enough to start swinging his blades away. He ducks and deflects each of the cattle prod's attempted hits until he manages to hold it in the pistol's blades and double-kicks his opponent.

Allowing him to catch Nolan's weapon on his own as the prod is forced onto Nolan's throat and leaves him trapped in a chokehold. Ren hides behind the teammate the sniper, who stops aiming at him and lifts her barrel to another target. The sniper spots Nora, who's about to reach the top, and aims but not before Ren attempted to warn Nora makes Jaune aware of the danger.

Jaune captures one of Brawnz's claws with his sword, giving him enough time to address the situation and order his partner to perform a special movement together. His partner rushes towards him, dodge-rolling to avoid a launched saw until she bounds over Brawnz and lands on Jaune's shield. He manages to throw her into the air with her shield raised to block the kill shot aimed at Nora.

This gives the redhead just enough time to reach the peak, and she lifts her hammer as a bolt of lightning hits the weapon directly. She changes it back into grenade-launching form and pops the front off to reveal six explosives that shoot out over the field in a heart-shaped formation onto the sniper. May leaps over to a nearby tree just as the one she was in goes up in pink flames, leaving only a giant scorch mark billowing smoke to block out the coughing May's view.

She jumps down from the branches just as her three teammates look up and behind them at Nora coming down on them like a meteor, slamming her hammer into the ground and sending the enemies back at the feet of their disoriented teammate. Jaune attempts to lead his teammates into finishing BRNZ off with code-named team attacks, "Flower Power" for Ren and Nora, and "Arkos" for himself and Pyrrha.

But his teammates do not understand his instructions, even though they went over this previously according to him. After failing to explain his battle plan to his teammates, he, in frustration, simply orders Nora to hit BRNZ with her hammer. Before anyone can react, Nora jumps over in front of Team BRNZ, then brings her hammer around to collide with all four screaming fighters as they soar straight into the force field surrounding the arena's rim, sliding down to the ground.

"And with that, it appears Team JNPR wins by knockout, literally!… Can someone go make sure they're okay?" Port asked before Oobleck nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, well, Vacuo fans are sure to be hurting after that one, but this next one will have them on the edge of their seats!"

"Team NDGO (Indigo) of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite, but these lovely ladies are going against some of the toughest, testosterone-filled teammates we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about... Team SSSN! (Sun) Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and although he'll be representing the Mistral Academy of Haven, I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo will be cheering him along!" Port said as Sun and Neptune walked out with their teammates.

The first has red hair that comes down over his right eye, with a complete undercut. There are several red markings around his left eye. He's wearing a green, mulberry, navy color feather earring on his left ear and has a red military pelisse-like jacket draped over the left side. He also has a gray bandanna around his neck.

On his right hand, he has a fingerless glove, and on his right bicep, a gray band. A white sleeveless shirt and light gray pants. He also wears a pair of long, brown, laced boots. Around his waist, he wears a brown belt and a slightly slanted gray belt that his weapon holster is attached.

And the next is a teenage boy with dark skin and gold eyes. His hair is sage green, and he appears to have tattoos of wings on his chest and tattoos of Roman numerals, matching those on his sword, around his neck. He's wearing a white long coat with asymmetrical sleeves, a green wing design similar to his tattoos, and no shirt underneath, displaying his tattooed chest.

His jacket also has a golden pauldron on his right shoulder and a golden cuff around his left wrist. He also has on a pair of black pants fastened by a white belt with a yellow buckle.

The first member of Team NDGO has lightly tanned skin, indigo hair brushed over to her left side, and olive eyes. She's wearing a high-necked, tight-fitting gray shirt with dark gray accents, along with a long, lilac coat with one long sleeve and the other rolled up. She also has on a leather bandolier with a steel gray pauldron on the right shoulder, which also appears to hold her weapon.

A slanted dark gray belt on the second notch alongside a breastplate that matches her pauldron. Gray pants with dark gray boots with light gray laces alongside dark gray forearm-length gloves with the left glove being fingerless and having a cuff. She also has a dark gray band around her right elbow with a smaller band on her upper left arm.

The next is a young woman with lightly-tanned skin, dirty blonde hair swept to the left, and violet eyes. She's wearing a sleeveless green dress with an asymmetrical hem, what appears to be a golden scale one-sleeved high neck top underneath her dress, a lighter green sarong tied around her hips, and a golden spaulder.

Two thin chain loops run from the front of her spaulder and around her torso to the back. A pair of over-the-knee scale stockings and armored calf-high boots that match her spaulder through the rear of her calves are exposed and a simple chain bracelet with a ring connected to it on her right hand as well as a brown band around her left wrist with two beaded bracelets.

The third is a young female with lightly tanned skin, curly black hair pulled back from her face into ringlets, and brown eyes with purple eye shadow. She's wearing a black corset dress with a dark gray front, purple hem, and purple laces on the back. A light gray top with short sleeves and black cuffs. Her top also has a high gray collar that appears to be armored.

Her belt is a long purple ribbon edged in gray, with a bow in the back and tied in the front, and connected to the belt are a pair of armor tassets that also act as storage for her weapon. She also has light gray stockings and pale gray ballet flats, with ribbons around her lower legs.

And the final member is a young woman with fair/lightly tanned skin, brick red hair left loose with swept fringe to the right, and olive green eyes. She's wearing a teal blue waistcoat with two long tails and a dark brown strapless top. A cropped sleeveless vest of the same color is worn over the top and waistcoat.

Her skirt is pale green and graduates to a cream with a zigzagged pointed hem accompanied by an open front layer that graduates from brown to light brown. A pair of navy belts crossed in the front and back and a pair of sky blue layered spaulders, held in place by a dark brown leather strap across her chest. Her shoes are a pair of simple, navy blue ankle boots with folded over top and brick red lining. She also has a navy blue choker.

The field is half desert and half tropical ocean, scaring Neptune who has a fear of water.

"3… 2… 1… Begin!"

Neptune scrambles to the top of the opposing team's terrain to get away from the water, to the confusion of both teams. Dew threw Sage with her spear clear out of the ring by creating a huge gust of wind and dust devils while Octavia easily navigates the terrain thanks to her Sandskating Semblance.

With help from Neptune, Sun manages to defeat Octavia Ember using his nunchucks rather easily, evening out the match. Scarlet is thrown onto the mast of the shipwreck by Dew's spear but manages to land to safety thanks to his Gliding Semblance and is pursued by Nebula. He bests her in a sword duel, however, atop the mast of the shipwreck, throwing her into the water, before immobilizing Gwen above him using a grappling shot from his flintlock pistol before landing on the ground under her.

However, after doing so, Gwen's knives fall out of their pockets and onto Scarlet. Scarlet, noticing this, panics and poses in response, his pose luckily saving him from every one of the knives. Sun attempts to take out Dew by throwing a pair of coconuts from a tree at her, but she deflects the attack towards Scarlet, hitting him in the face and groin and exhausting his Aura, eliminating him from the match.

As the remaining three members of NDGO, who are still undefeated, regroup in the ocean, Sun finally convinces Neptune to gingerly approach the water's edge. Using electricity from his trident, Neptune electrifies all three opponents in one powerful strike, ending the match.

"That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Coliseum IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!"

"Come on, let's go congratulate 'em," Yang said as her team and Naruto's walked out.

"WHISKERS!"

Nora jumped onto Naruto wrapping her arms and legs around him forcing Naruto to grab her by the butt.

"H-Hey, Nora." He stuttered as she smiled at him after leaning back. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Whiskers, let's celebrate!"

"… OK," Naruto said before being pulled away by the girl.

Later, they're at another stall eating pancakes. "And then I did the final moves!" Nora said mouth full of pancakes as she was going over her fight play-by-play.

"Yeah, Nora… I was there." Naruto smiled as he took another bite. "It was something. I know I didn't do too much but I'm a sniper, my role for my team is to provide cover, recon, taking care of the back line."

"Uh-huh." She replied not paying too much attention. "This is a nice date." She finished as Naruto was taking a drink.

And spat it out. "W-What? Date?"

"Yeah, that's what you call a guy and gal hanging out."

"I-I wouldn't call it a date." He said reaching for his fork.

"If you want me to forgive you for cupping my butt you will."

"… OK, it's a date." He finished with a sigh before smiling as she followed with one of her own.

"Can anyone join this celebration?"

Turning, they saw their teams walking over. "You mean our date?" Nora asked having Naruto sigh.

The others sat down, with Pyrrha sitting beside Naruto on the other side as the two teams talked about the upcoming matches for the doubles. "I guess your opponents will be pancakes if you're using the pancake queen here." Naruto joked to Pyrrha as she and Nora were going into the double round.

Nora laughs and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "I knew there was another reason to keep you."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes

Beta: ANUBIS the god-king.

I hope you all have a safe Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and if I don't update a story you'll read by then I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year.

Chapter 19

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Beacon

"Weiss! What is the big deal!? Who is it? Who is she!?"

"Winter… My sister."

Ruby and Weiss ran up to a ship as it landed just outside of the school as a woman walked out with the security bots.

She is a tall and fair-skinned young woman with slate-blue eyes, dark eyebrows, and long white hair. The latter of which tied back in a bun that is high on the left side of the back of her head, along with bangs along the right side of her face and a small curled lock of hair down the left just above her shoulder.

Her outfit consists of a white long-sleeved coat with a single dark blue clasp around the center waist holding it shut alongside a red jeweled brooch on the collar. The coat's length runs down to her ankles and the sleeves are split from shoulder to elbow. She wears a white pleated sleeveless blouse with a dark blue waistcoat. A pair of white trousers with dark blue garters alongside a pair of gray thigh boots with black detailing around the knees. She also has a pair of black forearm-length gloves with gray trimmed cuffs.

"Wait... Your sister?" Ruby asked as they walked up before Naruto jogged over after seeing the two run past the booth he and the others were eating.

Weiss cups her mouth to yell out. "Winter!" The two then run up to the elder Schnee as she turns to see them. "Winter! I'm so happy to see you! Oh…" Weiss then curtsies at her. "Your presence honors us."

"Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... Different."

"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder," Ruby said thinking she meant the weather.

And had Weiss punch her in the shoulder. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Classified," Winter replied, arms behind her back.

"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?"

"Classified," Winter replied again as Weiss smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

Ruby looks pensively around in the silence. "Well... this is nice... I think."

"Yeah…" Naruto said getting her attention.

"You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it!? I-"

"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... Bureaucracy. That is not why I came." Winter replied again.

"Right! I'm sorry!"

"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter."

Weiss looked puzzled at that. "But, we won!"

"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed... Leave us." Winter said to the robots. And they obey, walking two steps backward into formation as she sighs and smiles a little more warmly at Weiss. "How have you been?"

"Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-"

Smack!

Winter slaps Weiss upside the head stopping her. "Silence, you boob! I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?"

"Well, there's Ruby," Weiss said making Ruby giggle as she pushes the lump back into Weiss' head.

"Heh, boob."

"I see. So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately... underwhelming."

"Uh... Thank you!"

"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

"Oh! Uh, yes, of course!" Ruby nodded as she tried to curtsy. "The honor is in my... court!" She yelled out as she nearly lost her balance, waving her arms until she can get back up.

"And this?" Winter asked looking at Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, you're Weiss' boyfriend she told me about last we talked on the scroll."

"Boyfriend?" Naruto asked as Ruby gained a shocked look.

Weiss looked over with pleading eyes as Naruto sighed. "… Yeah, I'm her boyfriend." He replied walking over to wrap an arm around her waist.

"I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?" Winter asked Weiss before looking at Naruto. "If I could steal her away that is."

"She's all yours… Bye, dear." Naruto kissed Weiss' cheek getting her to blush

Winter nodded as she and Weiss begin walking towards the Academy, followed by the androids. "I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards."

"Of course. Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only look unstable."

"Bunk beds?" Winter asked as Ruby waved goodbye.

"We'll catch up I mean, we will... Reconvene with you both... At a later… Juncture! At a juncture. Yeah." She and Naruto then walked away at that. "Why would she say you were her boyfriend?"

Naruto shrugged at that. "I don't know, maybe sister was talking about having one and she just blurted it out."

Up with Weiss and Winter, the androids are walking towards the courtyard, before someone dizzily sneaks up behind the AK-200s and promptly decapitates one, before kicking its head toward the group.

"Hey!"

The group turns around to see a man dropping the robot's body. He has graying black, spiky hair, faded red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. Along with a red, tattered cloak, he's wearing a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

He's also wearing a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right ring finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" He said slightly drunk.

"Halt!" Winter raised her hand as Weiss walked over to the man.

"Excuse me! Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?"

The man then places a hand on Weiss' face. "Sssshhh. Not you." He said bringing a finger to his mouth and then pushes her out of his way as he moves forward.

"Hey!"

"You." He said to Winter as a crow caws and flies off. "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here, too."

"I'm standing right before you." Winter deadpanned as the man squints through his hazy state of mind.

"So it would seem."

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property." She said as he glanced around before speaking in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of... Sentient garbage."

Winter then turns to face the man. "I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asked as she walked back.

"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?"

"It's in the title."

"Well, you know what you are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."

Winter narrowed her eyes at that. "I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh, I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin."

"Ozpin?" Weiss asked before her sister shoves her to the side.

"Weiss, it's time for you to go."

"What-"

"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow asked as Winter grits her teeth.

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" She then draws her sword as Qrow slicks his hair back.

"Alright then… Come take it."

The square clears before Winter charges at Qrow, making several quick, but futile thrusts at Qrow's head as he swiftly bobs away from the blade, teasing her with several faces until he mockingly bows towards her. A downward strike is blocked by the base of his weapon.

It's a folded single-edged great sword with a clockwork mechanism of indeterminate nature built into the space above the hilt and a pair of parallel hand guards are set beneath. A pair of shotgun barrels are also situated on either side of the main blade.

He then tosses it in the air and points it toward Winter. The two openly clash blades as Qrow lands a downward strike, and aggressively swipes at Winter, forcing her to do a series of back handsprings away from the great sword and eventually block it. The camera then cuts to the two spinning and trading blows as Ruby and Naruto enter the crowd next to her teammate.

"What's going on?!"

"Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister!"

Ruby gasped at that. "Oh no! Who would do such a th-" She stops as she sees Winter's opponent. "That is my uncle!"

"What?!"

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!"

"Uh... Teach him respect, Winter!" Weiss yelled out her encouragement at that.

Mercury walked by before looking and noticed Qrow before walking off.

Both Winter and Qrow parry each of their foe's strikes with rapid speed, as Winter dodges a two-handed swing before smacking Qrow's left cheek with the pommel of her saber. But Qrow grins as his left eye flashes brightly and Winter is forced to leap away with a glyph as Qrow slams his sword on the ground, shattering the pavement. Winter then breaks away from the mid-air crane stance and lands near a lamppost, which is subsequently destroyed with a swipe from Qrow.

Winter then leaps above him and dodges his swings, finally leaping on top of his sword, then kicks him in the face. Winter backflips onto the stump that used to be a lamppost, but then leaps off onto a railing high above, right as Qrow throws his sword at the stump. Qrow transforms his weapon by folding the blade down, firing a cannon shot at Winter, and forcing her to jump onto the side of a concrete, arched pillar.

She uses her sword to stay on the vertical surface until Qrow runs forward and tries firing more blasts at her, which she dodges by scaling the pillar's face and eventually leaping onto the archway itself. Qrow follows suit on the opposite structure, firing off round after round at his opponent. Qrow then searches for Winter as he sees a cloud of white steam consumes her, narrowing his gaze.

Suddenly, Winter flies towards him, separating her bifurcated saber into two, and Qrow blocks her attack. The arch collapses from the force, causing the two to crash back down to ground level, continuing their furious attacks toward each other. Qrow is forced backward and drags his sword to the ground to slow to a stop before holding it in a one-handed stance, to the cheer of the audience.

Winter then stabs the ground with one of her swords, summoning a glyph that creates a flock of small white Nevermores, which begin flying toward him. Qrow swings his sword at the flock, causing a few to burst into small clouds of steam. He then sends an Aura arc at Winter, causing her to jump back and put an end to the birds.

Winter angrily summons a second glyph behind her, and the blade of Qrow's sword begins to transform in a sequence initiated by its clockwork gears. But suddenly, his gaze travels elsewhere, and he suddenly sheaths his sword, instead beckoning his bewildered opponent to come at him with his right index finger. The glyph fades away, and there's a bright flash of light, followed by Winter speeding forward with light trailing behind her. Just as the tip of Winter's blade closes in on Qrow's throat, she stops as she heard Ironwood.

"SCHNEE!"

Winter looks behind her to see General Ironwood standing behind her, with Penny behind him. She then lowers her blades as she addresses Ironwood at about face. "General Ironwood, sir!"

Ironwood approaches Winter with Penny by his side. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"He started the altercation, sir!"

Qrow puts his hands behind his head in a relaxed stance. "That's not true. She attacked first."

"Is that right?" Ironwood mused looking at Winter who searches for words, only to realize Qrow is right before she looks down in shame. "And you." Qrow points to himself in mock confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing."

"I-"

"Now, now, everyone."

Ozpin intervenes beside Glynda. "There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats... And popcorn." He smiles and swirls his cocoa.

"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Glynda spoke as she glares at the three.

"Let's go."

As Ironwood and Winter leave, Penny notices Ruby and quietly waves to her, while Ruby waves back getting Naruto's attention. Ruby then leaps giddily onto Qrow's arm, shaking her legs in delight. "Uncle Qrow!" She yelled as she hangs on Qrow's outstretched arm. "Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"

"Nope." He replied before they shared a grin as he patted his niece's head.

"Qrow!"

The Huntsman turns to look at the Headmaster as Ruby gets dropped. "A word, please." He said as Glynda then repairs the courtyard using her telekinesis.

"I think I'm in trouble," Qrow said quietly to his niece.

"You did kinda tear up our courtyard."

"Yeah, I did." He winks and gives her a fist bump. "Catch you and your boy toy later, kid."

He walks off to join the others as Weiss walked up beside Ruby, arms crossed. "And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense."

"You're just mad because he whooped butt."

"That was a draw, at best!"

Night, Ozpin Office.

Ironwood is waiting with his arms crossed while Winter is impatiently pacing about. Suddenly, a smirking Qrow, accompanied by Glynda and Ozpin, arrives in the elevator. "What were you thinking!?" Winter asked turning to face Qrow as James followed.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!"

Qrow pulls out a flask as the three enter the room. "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself."

Glynda walked over to the desk and crossed her arms before sighing. "While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating as you did certainly didn't help the situation."

"He was drunk!"

"He's always drunk!"

The four then turn to Qrow to see him drinking from a flask. His eyes widen when he notices them staring, and he holds the flask out to the side, looking at it awkwardly before grimacing. Ozpin stares at Qrow in shock then sighs and sits down. "Qrow, why are you here?" He asked before James spoke.

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!"

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!"

"General." Winter corrected Qrow who shrugged.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here."

"We know," James spoke as he leaned back against the desk.

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

"Qrow-"

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" He asked as he pulls out his Scroll and pointed to it. "That's the SEND button."

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised," Winter said walking up to Qrow.

"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?" Qrow asked as he pointed at Winter.

James, after a moment of silence, and without looking at her spoke up. "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship."

"But sir!"

"Winter. Leave."

Winter salutes Ironwood at that. "Yes sir."

She turns on her heel and gives the winking Qrow a dirty look as she exits via the elevator. "Go on," James said to Qrow who picked his flask up.

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the ones responsible for Autumn's condition." He explained before taking another sip as Glynda looked surprised.

"What?"

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or Generals, or Headmasters. The people in this room, The leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about! It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn!?"

James stares down at Qrow as he places his Scroll on Ozpin's desk. "Discreet wasn't working." He said as the center of the room projects a hologram of Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum, and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships, which he gestures to. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!" Qrow bit back from his spot.

"And I am grateful."

"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." Qrow deadpanned at the General.

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength."

Qrow just laughs at that. "You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you... They are fear."

Ozpin then stood up to speak at that. "And fear will bring the Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds... 'If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?'"

James glares at them before sighing and walking forward, picking up his Scroll just as it flashes with the image of a Black Queen. "So then, what would you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we find our guardian," Ozpin said turning to the window.

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury's room.

Mercury is sitting in a chair, reporting on the fight he saw earlier, while Cinder walks back and forth, interrogating him with Emerald resting on a bed nearby. "And you're sure?"

"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him."

"What do we do?" Emerald asked looking up.

"Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. Besides, the last of the heavy lifting is being taken care of thanks to our clever little friend." Cinder replied as she picks up her Scroll as it too flashes with the Black Queen. Speaking of which... it appears we have a new access point." Ironwood is shown on the Scroll as an icon, along with a curling "W" in the other corner.

"Anywhere good?"

"You could say that. Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Got it," Mercury said before the two left.

The Scroll reveals the roster of the Vytal Festival Tournament doubles round, which includes CRDL's Russel, and Sky, SSSN's Sun, and Neptune, Penny, and Ciel. "Let's give the crowd a good fight."

Cinder scrolls down each pair until she selects Mercury and Emerald to face off against Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi in the doubles round. She looked up missing the screen glitch for a second.

Morning, Colosseum.

The next morning, the crowd sees the rigged match-up on the screen at the Amity Colosseum. "The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament line-up!" Peter said through the speakers.

As the announcement is heard, RWBY cheers with arms raised, JNPR is seen providing applause, and SSSN is sitting in front row seats.

The first match is Coco, Yatsuhashi and Emerald, and Mercury."

"Emerald and Mercury of Haven, versus Coco and Yatsuhashi of Beacon!"

The Colosseum chooses four fields to rise from below in quarter sections: A patch of tall grassy plains which has a single tree and some rocks; the ruins of a city, complete with buildings holding shattered windows and rubble among the pavement; a hot spring containing geyser spots along a small river and some blue Dust crystal growths; and a section of dense forest.

Coco lowers her sunglasses as she eyes her opponents. "Hey! Love the outfit, kid!"

Emerald smiled at that. "I'll try not to get blood on it."

Yatsuhashi who was sitting, stood as he removes Fulcrum from his back. "I can't promise you'll leave without a scratch."

"I won't be the one bleeding."

"Ooh, I like her!" Coco smiled at that.

"Three, two, one, begin!"

Emerald and Mercury casually walk backward into the concealment of the long grass in the savanna biome behind them. Coco and Yatsuhashi share a brief look before Coco turns Gianduja into its gatling gun form and sends a hail of bullets toward the grassland, trimming its grass short. But once all the grass has been cut, Mercury and Emerald are nowhere to be found.

Coco and Yatsuhashi glance at each other in confusion. At that moment, Mercury appears from the sky, jumping to the ground to ambush them. Yatsuhashi manages to preempt his attack and pushes Coco out of the way, blocking his kick with Fulcrum. As Mercury jumps back from his attack, Coco begins to fire on him with her gatling gun, but he can deftly evade all of her shots.

He then lands in between his opponents and lands a flurry of kicks on Yatsuhashi. As Coco tries unsuccessfully to get a bead on Mercury, he jumps up high in the air and lands on her gun. Yatsuhashi then tries to attack Mercury but he dodges and uses the force of Yatsuhashi's second hit to get behind Coco, thrusting her weapon into Yatsuhashi's stomach.

Realizing using her gatling gun in close quarters is awkward, she switches back to her handbag form and takes an ineffective swing at Mercury. Mercury jumps back doing a few back handspring walkovers and, performing a kick-up, fires a pair of projectiles from Talaria, which take an unpredictable, spinning trajectory towards Coco and Yatsuhashi, who deflect both shots without much difficulty.

However, when they turn their attention back to Mercury, they see that he has fired dozens of other projectiles from his boots whilst performing a flair, which spirals around him like a storm. He sends the storm of projectiles flying towards Coco and Yatsuhashi by flaring into a spinning handstand, landing around them, and creating a haze of smoke.

When Coco and Yatsuhashi regain their composure and vision from the smoke, Mercury immediately appears behind them, grabbing hold of them and delivering a series of kicks to both. Thief's Respite's chain springs out from somewhere in the forest biome, ensnaring Coco and yanking her into the forest. With his opponents separated, Mercury attempts to press the attack on Yatsuhashi, landing a kick on his opponent.

Yatsuhashi pretends to use his sword but manages to grab Mercury by his neck and flings him far into the geyser biome. Yatsuhashi then jumps high in the air and attempts to land a devastating over-the-head blow with his sword, but Mercury can nullify the hit with his boots. The shockwave of Yatsuhashi's attack causes the rocks in the biome to shatter all around him and the geysers to erupt, but Mercury is unaffected.

The two exchange a series of blows, with Mercury using a piece of rock from the shattered ground as a projectile, which Yatsuhashi deflects with his sword. However, in the melee, Mercury manages to hit his opponent down to the ground, his head landing directly above a geyser vent. At that moment, the geyser erupts. Disoriented and attempting to regain his balance, Yatsuhashi is easy prey for Mercury, who lands a Webster kick on him.

On the other side of the arena, in the forest biome, Coco is slammed against a tree and falls after being dragged through the air an incredible distance by Emerald's chain. Glancing around, she realizes her sunglasses have been broken, much to her chagrin. Suddenly, a green bullet comes flying toward her, but Coco narrowly manages to evade it.

Coco realizes that Emerald has taken position and is firing at her from the treetops. After dodging a burst of fire from Emerald's fast-firing revolvers, she turns her handbag back into its gatling gun form and sends a barrage of bullets into the foliage. Emerald moves between the trees with great agility, pausing occasionally to counter fire, before disappearing somewhere into the trees.

"Damn!" Cursing, Coco loses track of her target.

Unexpectedly, from behind her, Yatsuhashi emerges and calls her name. Coco warns him that Emerald is hiding in the trees, but at this point, Port announces that Yatsuhashi has already been eliminated by Mercury on the opposite end of the field. Alarmed and confused, Coco turns back to see that Yatsuhashi is no longer there and that she has been tricked.

Cursing again, Coco looks around cautiously, her hands wavering from fear or anger. Emerald emerges from behind and attacks her with her sickle before she has a chance to react. With one blow, Coco is thrown clear out of the forest and lands in the center of the arena, next to the incapacitated Yatsuhashi. Emerald and Mercury join back up, triumphant, as Oobleck announces their win, to the great uproar of the spectating crowd.

Later, she and Yatsuhashi walked to the locker entrance where Naruto and Natsu stood. Hey, tough break."

"Thanks." Coco smiled as Yatsuhashi continued walking. She then leaned up and kissed his cheek. "For luck." She winked before walking away with a sway to her hips.

Naruto's eyes drifted to her ass and saw her pants were low-riding revealing black thong bands. He took a calming breath before Natsu punched his fists together with Naruto swearing he saw fire around his teammate. "Let's go!"

The two walked in to see two young men.

The first has dark skin with white hair wearing a blue jean shirt and black pants with boots. He also has a blue scythe.

And the second has tan skin with blonde hair wearing a brown vest with blue jeans. He also has a broad axe.

"The next match is Naruto and Natsu of Team SHNN Vs Navajo And Danny of Team MDRN (Mandarin)!" (1.)

The two teams got in the middle as a forest came up behind Naruto and Natsu and the ocean behind Navajo and Danny.

"Three… Two… One… BEGUN!"

Naruto dropped onto his back to dodge Navajo's scythe before rolling back to his feet to jump over another. He ran to the forest and vaulted over a rock before side-flipping over a log and hid behind a tree as bullets grazed the trunk. Naruto brought his revolvers up by his head and grinned as he cocked the hammers before turning to take several shots at Navajo.

Natsu was spinning break dance style kicking Danny and shooting him from his gauntlets before flipping onto his feet and then dodged a down swiped from the axe. Danny then turned the axe into a shotgun and fired fire rounds that Natsu dodged. Hatsu fired shots of his own before blocking the blade of the gun with his gauntlets.

Naruto ran through the treetops as Navajo shot at him from below in his weapons rifle form. Suddenly, Naruto's trident hit by Navajo before Naruto dived firing his revolvers. Natsu then traded punches with Danny having blasts fire off from his fists before he was kicked to the edge of the arena. Natsu waved his arms to get his balance before he glowed as a fire shot got near him before he ate it.

He then grinned before dashing forward and kicks Danny out of the arena as Naruto hit Navajo out as well.

"WINNER, Naruto, and Natsu of Beacon!"

Winter And Weiss.

"You're... leaving?"

In an elegant twilit pavilion area of ivy-covered pillars, rounded archways, and lion-decorated fountains, Weiss, and her sister Winter are sitting at a simple table with a plate full of croissants and strawberries. Winter is sipping from her teacup as Weiss repeats the news she was just told before setting her cup down.

"Yes. I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost to an ambush. I believe you had a run-in with its cargo. Fortunately, those Paladins were in the prototype stage; otherwise, your team may not have fared so well." Weiss sighs and looks down dejectedly before Winter grabs her sister's hand reassuringly. "Weiss, you've done... Well, out here, on your own. You should be proud. I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon!"

Weiss straightens up and smiles. "I can't wait to show him what I learned!"

"Oh? Then what do you think you've learned?"

"What do you mean? I'm getting better and better with my glyphs! I've even started Time Dilation!"

Winter just stares intently at her sibling. "And what of your Summoning?"

"I... You know I can't." Weiss sighs at that.

"Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee can summon. We have for generations."

"I've tried! It's just... it's the one thing I've been having trouble with!"

"We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily." Winter lifts her hand to summon a small, elaborate glyph over her palm. "Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it…" She trailed as the glyph expands suddenly in a bright flash, causing Weiss to turn away before looking back up in awe at the white-and-blue Beowolf now at her sister's side. "If you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible, then you'll never truly grow."

Weiss smiles at this display of power she hopes to achieve.

RWBY's Dorm.

Ruby was playing a fighting game with Qrow, both using their Scrolls as controllers. "You'll never beat me, old man!"

"You're nothing but talk, kid!"

"You can do it, Ruby!" Yang yelled from the bed.

"SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!"

Qrow grins at his victory as Ruby lowers her head in shame. "And by the way, don't ever call me old," Qrow said as Yang pushed her sibling out of her spot as she grabs the spinning controller from the air.

"My turn!"

"Now, where was I?" Qrow asked as Ruby sat up.

"You were telling us about your last mission!"

"Right, right... I'd come across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something wasn't right." He told a story while fighting Yang.

"What were you doing there?"

I needed information. Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn. The place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs, even a few Huntsmen that I could only assume had been hired by less-than-reputable people for less-than-respectable jobs. And that's when it happened."

"What happened?" Yang asked as Qrow looked down.

"I was defeated... by the mere sight... Of the innkeeper's skirt length!"

The very happy Qrow is interrupted by a thrown dog-head pillow, which Qrow deftly catches much to Yang's ire. "SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!"

"You are the worst!"

"Best two out of three?" Qrow asked as Ruby sat on the bed.

"So, Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?"

"Nah, me and Oz go way back. We're cool." Qrow waved her off at that.

"(Scoff!) Cool for an old guy."

"Not funny."

"So, what are you doing here anyway? I thought Dad said that you would be on a mission, for like... Ever." Ruby said leaning back on her hands.

"Well, a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

"Yeeeeaaaah, I get that. Ha-Ha! We're pretty much pros, too." Ruby nodded at that.

"Oh?"

"Psss!, yeah! Read the news sometime. We saved Vale while you were gone." Yang said as they started the game again.

"Funny, because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train… But they don't give out medals for almost."

"They do, and it's called silver!" Ruby raised her hand at that.

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick! He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!"

"Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like one. You think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a Kingdom?" Qrow asked after the round ended.

"I mean, I did until you said that…" Ruby replied poking her fingers together

"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed; it's stopped, completely. No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. You cut off the head of the King Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

"You... know the General?" Yang asked after looking at Ruby

"Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team that graduated Beacon!" He said as he reached behind him into one of his pockets and pulls out a photo lined with stains and of age of four figures, himself, on the far right.

Beside him is Yang's mother, Raven.

Beside her is another man. He has blond hair that has two small strands sticking out from the top and blue eyes and a soul patch. there's an orange bandanna around his left arm and he's wearing cargo pants.

And finally, a short woman who's wearing a white hooded cloak and a black skirt.

"Hah, Team STRQ... That's where I met your parents. We were pretty well known back in the day."

"Well known for crummy fashion sense!" Ruby said as Qrow stood and pocketed the picture.

"Hey, we looked good! And I have several inappropriate stories to back that up! But, I'll save those for when you're older."

"Oh, gross!"

"You'll have stories too when you get a boyfriend."

"Well, there is this one guy-!" Yang stopped as Qrow spoke.

"Anyways, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're gonna cramp my style." He turned to leave before pausing in the doorway and sighs before addressing his family, Ruby, and Yang looking up at him and Zwei sleeping on Blake's bed. "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go… And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning; if you never stop moving forward."

Night.

Later at night, Weiss is in the school courtyard, waving goodbye at the airship carrying her sister. She stops just as her Scroll starts vibrating with an incoming call with "FATHER" on the screen, and her finger hovers over the screen in uncertainty until she closes her eyes and forces herself to press it. Suddenly smiling at the sight of her closed Scroll and she puts it away.

"What's up, girlfriend?"

And stopped as Naruto appeared beside her. "Uh, sorry about that."

"No worries figured you blurted it out if your sister was teasing you." He said as she looked down.

"No… Nothing like that… I lied as I do want a boyfriend."

"And you chose me?"

"Because I like you."

Naruto blinked at that. "You do?"

"Yes."

"You wanna go on some dates to see how it is?" He asked with a shrug as she smiled.

"Sure."

"Don't tell Nora, I think she'd kill you as she's telling people I'm her boyfriend."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. OCs of mine.

Sorry for the canon got to the part of the show that's mostly plot/exposition drop. The next Ch might be long as well.

Chapter 20

Summary:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Beacon Arena.

Naruto watched as Penny and her teammate fought Sky and Russel.

Her teammate has dark skin, short, Dark Teal hair, and blue eyes. She also has a gold marking consisting of an oval shape surrounded by four smaller circles in the center of her forehead. She's wearing a blue beret, a plain off-white golden button-down shirt with an asymmetrical collar, a blue combat skirt with a black waistband and fingerless, elbow-length black gloves with a wristwatch on her left hand and black shoes alongside white, golden buttoned boot chaps.

Russel and Sky are running for cover in the mountain biome as several explosions go off behind them. The two dive behind large boulders in the mountain biome and exchange looks of terror. Penny uses Floating Array's swords and embeds them in the rocks that the pair are hiding behind. Ciel gets her attention and taps her watch meaningfully.

Using her strings, Penny lifts both the boulders and Russell and Sky-high into the air before slamming them both down into the floor violently, knocking them out.

"And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!"

Penny placed a fist in her palm and bowed in respect to her fallen foes, still smiling. "Thank you for a wonderful time."

The two victors turn to leave the stadium as Russel feebly reaches out, only to get hit in the head by an errant stone. Watching from the stands, Ruby Rose sees them start to walk away and excitedly gets up from her seat with the rest of her team to meet them at one of the exits. "Penny!" She yelled out as she caught up to the two.

"Ruby!" Penny lifted her arms, and she tackles her friend into a hug that leaves them both of them on the ground.

"… Why..."

Penny gets up energetically and gestures to the other girl. "Ruby, this is my teammate."

"Ciel Soleil." Ciel greeted with a bow.

Ruby raises her hand in greeting at that. "Hi! I'm Ru-"

"Ruby Rose. 15. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: Questionable."

"Sooo... Penny! You two were incredible out there. How do you keep control of all those swords? It's so cool!"

"Penny?" Ciel asked as she looks at her watch and gestured at it. "I believe it is best if we move on to our next location."

"Could we have just a minute to talk?"

In response, Ciel checks the time, then takes a step back and nods, starting the countdown as Ruby looked at Penny.

"So is she... Your friend or..."

"Well, in a way. She's like Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with you."

"Oh. So, Weiss." Ruby said with s smile.

"Precisely."

Ruby then leaned over to whisper. "Does she know about... Y'know... Beep boop bop, does not compute?" She said moving like a robot.

"Oh no. General Ironwood doesn't want anyone to know. There was an incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off." Penny replied smiling. "Ruby, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about… I want to stay at Beacon." She finished looking at Ciel for a moment.

"Penny, they'll never let you do that."

Penny frowns but then grins. "I know, but I have a plan."

"It's been precisely one minute, ma'am," Ciel said walking over.

"I'll talk to you more soon, Ruby."

Later, Naruto was watching Team RWBY's doubles match before seeing Weiss and… Ruby. 'Huh, thought they would have Yang.' Naruto thought as he glanced at the other doubles team.

The first is a young, dark-skinned man with dark brown eyes. He's wearing rectangular sunglasses and a dark fedora with blue trim on his head as well as an earring on his right ear. He also has a dark vest over an untucked white dress shirt, with a loose tie wrapped around the collar. Completing his attire is a pair of dark dress pants, silver dress shoes, and a dark glove on his left hand.

The second is a young girl with a light complexion. She has sea-green eyes and moderate red-orange hair with light blue streaks in her bangs. Naruto noticed she was a feline Faunus, due to her cat tail that was covered with pink fur that becomes lighter toward the tip.

Her outfit has a large range of bright colors, a light blue cropped tank top over a dark purple bra, showing her upper cleavage. She also has dark purple short shorts under a pink combat mini-skirt and a white belt with a yellow winking smiley face on the buckle. Two buttons are fixed to her tank top over her right breast, one purple with a cat design and another green one with a heart.

Her hair was done up in two pigtails. She also has a white cat bell collar around her neck, a pair of bracers on her arms, and pads on her shins and knees. She's wearing red trick rollerblades, the roller blades each only have two wheels. A tattoo of a shooting star with a red, green, and yellow trail winds around her right arm. And two small gold earrings in her left ear and one in her right.

Flynt opens up the fight with a massive blast from his trumpet, aiming to push Weiss and Yang back with its sound waves. Weiss anchors herself in place with a glyph, and Yang throws two punches, attempting to fire Ember Celica, before being hit into the urban biome by Neon. With the Team RWBY pair split up, Flynt ceases his trumpeting, and Weiss stands up to face him.

An ice-dust crystal terrain came up behind Team RWBY while a fire came up behind the other team.

"The match between Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Flynt Coal, and Neon Kat will begin in three… Two… One… Begin!"

Flynt opens up the fight with a massive sound wave blast from his trumpet, aiming to push Weiss and Ruby back with its sound waves. Weiss anchors herself in place with a glyph, and Ruby uses her weapon to stay in place, before being hit into the urban biome by Neon. With the Team RWBY pair split up, Flynt ceases his trumpeting, and Weiss stands up to face him.

Flynt begins blowing into his trumpet again, and Weiss uses black glyphs to push against the sound waves., slowly making her way toward her opponent. Seeing this, Flynt quickly stops trumpeting and watches as the sudden lack of resistance sends Weiss speeding toward him. As she nears him, he turns and kicks her in the back, sending her crashing through a large orange Dust crystal cluster and skidding across the ground in the lava biome.

Meanwhile, Ruby fires Cresent Rose bullets trying to hit Neon who was skating around. Ruby then chases after, continuing to fire at her elusive opponent, who grinds across a rail while making a rude face. Neon then hops off the rail, does a handspring off a roof onto another roof, and leaps over another barrage of bullets while chanting "Never miss a beat."

After dodging a few bullets, she lands on the edge of a fallen support beam and grinds across it, before skating down another structure. Neon quickly zigzags her way to Ruby and begins repeatedly speeding past her opponent, hitting her with her nunchuck each time.

When the assault comes to an end, Ruby reloads and turns to face Neon, who bends her nunchuck, activating a light blue glow. Neon charges forward, skates along a vertical wall, and hops off it toward Ruby, who slices at her. However, Neon leans sideways, ducking under the swipe and taking a swipe at Ruby's right leg with her nunchuck.

Ruby looks down to see her right leg covered in a thick chunk of ice. Neon once again taunts her, and Ruby hits the ice with the end of her scythe having it crack before breaking free. When she looks up again, Neon has disappeared. Surprised, Ruby turns around to see Neon heading toward her and gearing up for another attack.

Neon skates past Ruby hitting her arm then grinds across a rail, and performs some maneuvers through a pair of arches, stopping once she is far enough away to have a running start. She then charges toward Ruby, the expression on her face growing wilder as she accelerates. Once she has gained substantial speed, she leaps, places her feet on Ruby's stomach, and kicks off, sending Ruby flying backward against a wall.

Ruby then has her blade hit a beam and spins around to face Neon as the beam then fell over from being sliced through. In the lava biome, Weiss summons four vertical glyphs around her and spins around, repeatedly passing Myrtenaster through the glyphs. She then points Myrtenaster at Flynt, and each glyph produces and launches a large, pointed chunk of ice toward him.

After noticing some bubbling magma on the ground, Flynt drops to his knees in front of it and blasts his trumpet just as a pillar of lava spews up from the ground. The sound waves. from his trumpet direct the lava toward the ice projectiles, melting them before they can reach him. He then insults Weiss, causing her to take things up a notch.

Weiss spins Myrtenaster's revolver and directs a funnel of wind toward Flynt, who fights back with another blast of his trumpet. While the sound waves and wind remain at a stalemate, Weiss creates a loose ring of nine vertical glyphs around herself and Flynt, then uses the one behind her to launch herself to another glyph.

She begins hopping from glyph to glyph, each glyph she visits forms an ice projectile and then launches it at Flynt, who is unable to keep up with the attacks coming from all sides. Flynt activates his Semblance, forming three clones of himself. The four of them combine the sound waves. from their trumpets to catch Weiss and throw her across the biome. After checking the scoreboard, Flynt absorbs his clones and begins walking toward Weiss.

Flynt steps on Myrtenaster to keep it from a collapsed Weiss, but he is soon distracted by a frustrated shout from Ruby. He glances at Weiss, then turns his back to her, activates his Semblance, and gears up to attack Ruby. Before he can pull off his sneak attack, Weiss tackles him, into bubbling magma, which soon erupts into a pillar of lava. The lava takes Weiss' Aura down to 0% and Flynt's to 16%.

Ruby then fires upon Flynt and Neon, who dodge her bullets. Flynt and Neon team up, with Flynt blasting his trumpet toward Ruby while Neon skates over. Ruby dodges and rushes to Flynt before dodging a sound wave. Neon skates over and hits a glyph on the ground having her speed up into Flynt having them hit a geyser that sends them up in the air and having Ruby shoot them causing an explosion for the win.

Later Ozpin's Office.

Qrow walks in, flask in hand before seeing Ozpin looking out at the clock face. "You know, he's making you look like a fool."

"His heart is in the right place. He's just... Misguided." Ozpin spoke from his seat.

"Sometimes, I'm not even sure he has a heart," Qrow said as he takes a drink from his cup and shifts his weight before asking. "So, have you chosen your guardian yet?"

Ozpin swirls his chair around to face Qrow. "Maidens choose themselves. I simply believe I've found the right candidate. Ever since the day I met her, I had the feeling she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring... but most importantly, she's ready."

Unknown to them, Pyrrha was getting in an elevator smiling as she hit the button to Ozpin's office.

A few minutes go by before she comes in and sits at the desk in front of Ozpin who spoke. "Well, it comes as no surprise that they've chosen you to move on to the final round of the tournament. Your performance was exemplary."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I would never have made it this far without my teammates," Pyrrha said with a smile before Qrow spoke up from behind.

"I think it's the other way around."

Pyrrha turns around and gets up from her chair. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Name's Qrow."

"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine," Ozpin spoke as Pyrrha looks at Qrow for another moment before looking back. "Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?"

"Please, take a seat," Ozpin replied with a smile. When she does so, he puts his fingers up to his lips and leans back. "What is your favorite fairy tale?"

Pyrrha gained a confused look at that. "I'm... Sorry?"

"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them."

"Well, there's The Tale of The Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower…" She trailed off as Ozpin leaned forward.

"What about The Story of the Seasons?"

"Well, of course! A callous old man, who refuses to leave his home, is visited by four traveling sisters. The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him."

"And the fourth and final sister begs him to look at all that he has, and be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accept and promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant 'til the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; the four maidens. My mother loves that story."

"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?" Ozpin asked as Pyrrha laughed.

"You're not that old, Professor."

Ozpin gained a serious look at that before speaking. "Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?"

"… I beg your pardon?" She asked nervously after a moment.

"What if I were to tell you that four maidens were existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without Dust?"

"You mean... Like a Semblance?"

"Like Magic," Ozpin replied with a smile.

"I..."

Qrow then spoke up at that. "Yeah. First time hearing it's pretty crazy."

Pyrrha turns her gaze from Qrow back to Ozpin. "You're serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Ozpin asked with a straight face.

"… No. Why... Why are you telling me this?"

Ozpin glances at Qrow, who nods his approval, before looking into Pyrrha's eyes. "We are telling you this, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers."

Pyrrha's eyes grow wider and wider until she realizes... "We?"

At that moment, the elevator doors open, and she sees Glynda and James stepping out. "Sorry, we're late."

Pyrrha was overwhelmed, then narrowed her eyes at Ozpin. "Wait, what is this? Who are you?"

Glynda then walked up at that. "You know who we are. We're still the same teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."

"'Cept we've got a little part-time job," Qrow said moving off the beam.

"We are the protectors of this world," James spoke up before Ozpin stood.

"And we need your help."

They then get in the elevator then go down as Pyrrha looks at Ozpin and Glynda. "Where are we going?"

"The vault. Under the school." Ozpin replied as they went past the ground floor.

They then stop after another minute before the door opens to reveal a large, sparsely-lit hallway. "I'm sure you must have questions," Glynda said as they walked down the hall.

"Maybe one, or two… I still don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"

"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold on to that power forever." Glynda explained before Pyrrha looked over.

"So, how does the power choose?"

Qrow then looks over his shoulder. "Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules."

"Qrow," Glynda spoke as he shrugged.

"Hey, don't get mad 'cause I'm right."

"At first, the only certain thing was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more... Intimate." Glynda continues before Pyrrha looks over.

"… Intimate?"

"As we understand it now when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag. Then the power goes to someone random, and our job gets a lot harder." Qrow spoke up hands in his pockets.

"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?"

"Honestly, we've run out of time," Ozpin explained as they came to the end of the hall. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, and more prevalent. And it's not going to be much longer before the peace we've been enjoying so much goes out the window."

"You're not... Talking about a war?" Pyrrha asked before James looked back.

"Not a war between nations."

"We can fill you in on the details once we know that you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens has been attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen." Qrow explains before they heard a humming of electricity.

They see a large machine at the wall with lit screens hooked up to two rectangular pods, one of which is upright to show through the glass window a young girl dressed in minimal clothing with a burn scar over her left eye and across her face.

"Is that…" Pyrrha asked as Ozpin sighs heavily.

"The current Fall Maiden, Amber."

"She's... still alive."

"For now," Ironwood spoke. "We're using state-of-the-art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is... Unprecedented."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't know what will happen if- when she passes," James replied closing his eyes after sighing again.

"Won't... her power... just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked as Qrow looked back.

"Look who's been listening!" He sarcastically spoke before leaning to whisper to Ozpin. "She is smart."

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." James explained before looking at Amber. "And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"... Her assailant."

"And that would not bode well for any of us," Ozpin said turning to face Pyrrha.

Pyrrha lowers her head in thought, then suddenly comes forward and places a hand on the glass of Amber's pod. "If all of this is true, why keep it secret!? If this girl is so important... if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"

"From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge," Glynda said shocking the redhead.

"Excuse me?"

Qrow then pulls his flask out at that. "How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest ones come from somewhere." He takes a swig as Glynda continued.

"Our group was founded to protect both mankind and the Maidens. Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength."

"And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power." Qrow wiped his mouth after taking his swig.

"And so this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend."

"The things we're telling you to go against hundreds of years of human history, religion," Glynda spoke before James nodded.

"No one would want to believe us. It would cause an uproar."

"It would cause panic. And we all know what that would bring to clawing to our Kingdom's walls." Ozpin said before he turns his gaze away from the others. "Which is why we would like to..."

"I'll do it," Pyrrha said as Ozpin looks up, surprised, as she stares at the ground, continuing. "If you believe that this will help humanity… Then I will become your Fall Maiden. She stated as the others silently turn to each other with wary faces. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Ozpin then steps towards her. It is, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used. We've made... significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it." James explained before Qrow spoke.

"Capture it and cram it into something else." Qrow gestures to Pyrrha as she takes a second to realize. "Or in your case..."

Pyrrha then looks at Ironwood at that. "That's..."

"Classified."

"Wrong!"

"The feeling is mutual," Glynda said glaring at James before she switches her gaze back to Pyrrha. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And these are indeed desperate times," James said looking over. "We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"... Her Aura."

"Her life…" Ozpin spoke getting her attention. "Would become intertwined with yours. The question is..."

"What's that going to do to you?" Qrow finished before Ozpin looks at Pyrrha.

"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos. There's no guarantee this transfer will work. And there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer." Pyrrha doesn't respond, instead placing her hand on the glass, seeing her scared expression reflected on the scarred face of the dying girl, before turning away as Ozpin gives one final warning.

"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move. And there's no telling when their next move will be."

Later, Pyrrha stood with the other finalists, Naruto, Ruby, Penny, Mercury, and three young men. Soon they randomly chose the first fight before seeing it was Naruto and Mercury having Mercury look back at Cinder who was typing hard on her tablet when she saw the pictures.

All but the two boys walked off as lights moved to shine down on the field. They dashed at each other as Naruto threw a haymaker and Mercury launched a jumping back kick. Mercury then rushes in and attempts to aim for Naruto's foot with a running jump back kick, but the latter leaps in the air behind him and attempts to land a right jab.

The two each land a spinning back fist that is both blocked. Naruto jumped back before stumbling. He glanced around as everything went in slow motion before seeing Mercury be replaced by another boy with red eyes for a split second. Naruto took a breath to calm down he closed his eyes before snapping them open.

Mercury dodges a barrage of rounds from Sage and Shusui while closing the distance, jumping into a downward axe kick blocked by Naruto. He then leaps into the air to evade a low roundhouse and spinning back fist with a Dust blast, before delivering a kneeling flash kick to his opponent.

Naruto lands in a crouch then dashes with several jabs at Mercury, who continues to block with his arms, before the two exchange a spinning back high kick. Mercury then forces Naruto back by striking the back of his knee with a low side kick, before forcing him away with a front flip that sets up his Capoeira-style Macao kick.

Mercury uses the momentum to perform a break dance air twist, balance himself on one hand, and land two more chapeau de couro kicks to Naruto, who continues to block the attacks. He then launches a spinning back high kick, with his right leg that pivots into an axe kick with the instep, cracking the pavement as Naruto is forced to backflip away.

Mercury then launches a back kick, before dodging Naruto's spinning back high kick as he sets up his next offensive combo. Only to jump up to dodge an air blade that Naruto threw with his semblance. After he falls flat on the ground, he finds himself shocked as he is forced to back flip. away from the following salvo of rounds fired from the blades, until one round nearly sends him off the arena, forcing him to propel himself back up the stage using air blasts from Talaria.

The silver-haired fighter then immediately launches a lightning-fast flurry of kicks, starting with a triple-turn kick at the legs, followed by two roundhouses and a front kick at the blonde's sides and arms. He then performs a spinning low back kick to force Naruto's foot back, before landing both a high and regular roundhouse at his arms.

Naruto then spins and hits Mercury with his elbow before performing a Pele kick. Naruto then kipped up and dashes at Mercury to drop kick him in the stomach and off the platform. "WINNER NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Later, in an empty storage room, Mercury picked up a screwdriver and moved to his robotic right leg, and started tightening bolts on t as Emerald and Cinder looked at him. "I don't know what happened, all of a sudden he got faster." He said as Cinder waved him off."

"I don't know what happened, you were supposed to fight that blonde chick with the temper so people wouldn't think twice when Emerald used her powers to make it seem like she attacked after the match."

"We should be careful then," Mercury said as Cinder once again waved him off.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Sorry for the canon parts, got to a section that was a plot dump So this time tomorrow I will have a poll over on FF.Net to choose the next story so if you want this time tomorrow remember to go vote in the next story poll!

Chapter 21

Notes:

I have a new story poll up now on FF.Net! There are 19 choices (Small because two stories is ending close together) and YOU CAN CHOOSE 5!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king

Beacon.

“You heard the lady!”

Naruto walking the hallway, stopped as he heard Nora speak. He looked into their room and saw Nora back to him in her gym clothes talking to Pyrrha. And blushed as he saw her ass in the tight shorts with a panty line.

“No more moping around! We gotta get your butt in shape for the big fight!” Naruto blinked as Nora starts doing random exercises like running in place, pushups, and jumping jacks while she speaks. “It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be the most important fight of your entire life!”

She culminates this demonstration by lifting a barbell tipped with 1000-pound weights on each end, holding it in the air, and sweating profusely before she starts to fall backward. And had Naruto catch her grunting from the weight. “Hey, boyfriend!”

“Boyfriend?!” Pyrrha asked as Naruto sighed.

“I’ve learned to put up with her as you have… Nora, I’m going on dates with Weiss now.”

“I don’t mind sharing~” Nora smiled as she leaned her head back and flashed him her cleavage.

“Nora's right.”

The three looked to see Ren walking in with a pink apron on with black writing.

PLEASE DO NOTHING TO THE COOK

“About Pyrrha… I don’t know about her ideas with Naruto.” He clarified as Naruto helped Nora put the weight down. And blushed as he swore she started grinding on him. “You can't let your concern hold you back. You need to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy.”

“Of course. I-!”

Ren cuts her off as he holds a glass filled with a green liquid making bubbling noises in front of her face. “This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well-being.”

“Oh, that's-”

Ren leaned back and smiled at that. “Please, there's no need to thank me.”

“Thank you?” Nora asked as she leaned back up. “Ugh, that looks like slime from a lakebed!”

Ren turns away from her, cradling his creation. “Algae contains numerous spectacular properties. See for yourself.” He said lifting the cup to Nora’s mouth.

Nora sips it down and immediately regrets it, as her face turned the same sickly green as the healthy sludge. “BLEGH!” She goes straight over to the waste basket and dunks her head in, getting all of the liquid out while continuing to make disgusted noises as Naruto pats her back. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Ugh…” She moaned as she lifts her head.

“Me? You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice.”

“We're supposed to help Pyrrha, not poison her!”

“There was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

“If it looks the same coming up as it does going down, then there's something wrong!”

“I see your team is just as lively as mine,” Naruto said looking at Pyrrha who smiled.

“Stop flirting with her Whiskers! We need her to be leveled headed not thinking of your big d-!” Naruto clasped his hand on Nora’s mouth at that.

“I’m not-!” He stopped before pulling his hand back as she licked it. “Why?”

“Bet you’d like me to lick something else~”

Neither of them notices Pyrrha's smile at their antics before it fades, though their leader does from the doorway.

“Hey, how about we all get some fresh air?”

Out in the hall, Naruto walked down and bumped into Yang who just got out of the girls' bathroom wet, wearing nothing but a towel over her shoulders coming down over her breasts and black boyshorts. “Uuhh…”

“Hey, Naruto.” She greeted holding on to both ends of the towel having her breasts squash out as beads of water went down her cleavage. “Like what you see~?” Naruto didn't answer as Blake in a black towel, hair wet walked out with Ruby in a red one and Weiss in white. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You know Naruto and I are dating Yang,” Weiss said as she held her towel.

“I don’t mind sharin’ maybe I like girls too~”

They all turned and walked away, though Yang smiled as she pulled the back of Blake’s and Ruby’s towels up getting them to squeak.

She just smiled as she put an extra sway in her hips and moved her towel up to her hair having her breasts jiggle. Naruto took a calming breath as he saw the sides before Yang smacked her left cheek. “I need a cold shower.”

Later, as the sun started to set, Pyrrha sat alone outside the dining hall, head bowed as the wind rises. She sees the air blow a single orange leaf onto the cobblestones at her feet, and she looks at the fall colors with a face of total fright, remembering the sight of Amber in her comatose state and the choice weighing her down.

“Hey.”

She turns her head up to see Jaune smiling with a large cone of cotton candy. “I-It's no green goop, but I think it still might do some good.”

Pyrrha stares at the offered treat before hesitantly taking it. “Um, right. Thank you, Jaune.”

Jaune's smile fades as he sees her still-tormented face, and takes a seat next to her. “You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that? Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. How depressing is that?”

“I'm sure they didn't mean it that way.”

“I guess... I'm just trying to say that... you've always been there for me... even when I didn't deserve it. And I can tell there's something on your mind, so... I don't know. How can I help?” He asked looking over.

“Jaune…”

“Hmm?”

“I don't know what to do.” She sighed as she took a bite.

“W-What do you mean?”

“Do you believe in destiny?”

“Um... I-I don't know. I guess that depends on how you view it.”

Pyrrha looked as the wind blows the two leaves away. “When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... Some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life.”

“Okay. Uh, yeah. I can see that, sure.”

“Well... what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?”?

Jaune looked at her before speaking. “Like what?

“Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?”

Jaune leaned over and attempted to place his hand on her shoulder. “Pyrrha, you're not making any sense.”

Pyrrha stood up, holding herself as if on the verge of tears. “None of it makes sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen!”

Jaune gets up as well. “I'm sorry! Please, I-I'm just trying to understand what's wrong.”

“I've always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress, to protect the world... (Sigh) And it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But… I don't know if I can do it.”

“Of course, you can. The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you believe it's your destiny to save the world… You can't let anything stand in your way.” Despite Jaune's intentions, this doesn't bring her relief. Instead, Pyrrha looks shattered, covering her mouth as she begins to sob. “Pyrrha?”

“Stop...”

“Did I say something wrong?” He asked walking over.

“STOP!”

She holds her hand out, black energy surrounding it as she unintentionally uses her Semblance to push Jaune's armor and its wearer into the dining hall column. He weakly watches her from his spot above until she opens her eyes and realizes what she's done. “Jaune!” She lowers her hand and lets him fall to the ground, finally letting the tears come as he looks up. “I'm... I'm sorry…”

“Pyrrha, wait! (his outstretched arm does nothing to stop her from running away, and he faces the ground, cotton candy still discarded beside him. “What did I say?”

“She must just be upset at something.”

He turned to see Naruto and Haru there. “We'll find her.”

They ran ahead and saw Pyrrha leaning against a tree face first, forehead resting on her arm. “Pyrrha?”

She jumped at that before looking back to see the two. “O-Oh, hello.”

“What’s wrong?” Haru asked Pyrrha who sighed before looking at Naruto.

She looked down and explained what she told Jaune. “What do you want to do?” Haru asked as she looked up.

“Yeah, I mean from what I’ve seen you’re like us and our teammates,” Naruto spoke before continuing. “I mean we all want to become Huntsmen and Women to help people… And sometimes that means we put others before ourselves and become a doormat.”

“Yeah, so think of what you want to do, not anyone else.” Haru finished as she looked at them.

Docking Bays

At the cliffside docking bays down the main alleyway and under the floating Amity Colosseum, Ruby walks up to the end of the line waiting to get in the transport up to the arena. She turns her head to see Brawnz Ni and Nolan Porfirio talking outside the line, and beyond that, Sun Wukong walking away, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang over his shoulder, with a familiar rabbit Faunus snapping photos of him. Ruby steps out of line and approaches her from behind as she continues taking pictures with her camera until she notices who's behind her.

“Ruby, how are you going?”

“Hi, Velvet! What're you up to?”

“Oh, you know. Just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?” Velvet offers her camera to Ruby.

Ruby immediately notices that Velvet didn't even get all of Sun in her picture, cutting out his head and feet, and showing just his weapon.

“That's... better.”

“Hey, guys.”

Ruby looked to see Naruto walking up and blushed having Velvet notice. “Yang embarrassed her earlier.” He said before they walked back to the Colosseum.

Back in the Colosseum, people are back in the stands cheering and ready for entertainment as Ruby descends the steps to an open seat. She looks around before seeing Emerald on the other side of the arena. “Emerald's... Here?”

Emerald leans forward to look up and glare at Ruby, who suddenly gets up with a worried expression and runs towards the exit tunnel. Checking to see if no one's around, she enters a door labeled with a yellow maintenance sign and finds herself inside the Colosseum. She walks forward with determination as the announcers' voices are heard, muffled behind the brick walls.

The sound of the roulette is heard faintly, but what makes Ruby stop in her tracks is the sight of another unexpected person stepping out from a nearby tunnel, completely unharmed and not going home. Ruby squints her eyes before speaking. “Mercury?”

“It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina from Atlas…” Port said as Mercury look at the wall

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked Mercury before Port continued.

“And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!”

Ruby dips her head in thought until she realizes... “No...”

“Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad.”

Ruby glares at him, reaching back to grab Crescent Rose, only to remember she doesn't have it on her. Mercury simply grins maliciously and sets himself up in a fighting pose.

Outside, the arena's center is lifting back into the air, and an oblivious Penny is grinning wildly, with her fellow redhead Nora cheering excitedly from the stands, even getting Ren to let out a reluctant cheer as Pyrrha looks at the ground.

“Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos! It's an honor to finally meet you!” Penny smiled at Pyrrha. Pyrrha doesn't respond, looking at her hands as she clenches them in attempted determination. This is going to be so much fun!”

Inside, Ruby is still facing down Mercury, who's smugly smiling at the younger girl's confusion.

“Mercury, what are you doing? You were hurt! What's going on?” Mercury doesn't answer, still grinning. “Fine. If you're not going to tell me…” She attempts to move around him, but he blocks her path, then does it again when she sidesteps.

Outside, Penny beams widely in anticipation, but Pyrrha is still looking around as if in a daze, though she manages a small scowl at her opponent, her weapons Miló and Akoúo̱ already in hand.

“3, 2, 1… BEGIN!”

Suddenly, Penny is surrounded by Floating Array, gesturing the swords around to her command before launching a volley of them at Pyrrha, who runs towards them and leaps through or deflects each aimed blade. The swords fly into the air until they turn around and come back to the fight.

Inside, Mercury goes forward, blocking Ruby's path with his arms outstretched, restraining her movements no matter where she moves. Panicked, she grimaces and spins forward, becoming a blur of red and petals rocketing toward Mercury, only for him to kick her twice mid-dash with Talaria and knock her to the ground. He advances on her just as she gets out her Scroll, about to push the button to call for help when a bullet sends the device flying out of her hand.

“Let's just keep this between us friends.”

Outside, Pyrrha, now having returned the shield to her back, twirls the javelin to block each sword swipe of Penny's, dropping her weapon when she needs to somersault away after being hit by a slash, only to magnetically return it to her hand as Penny readies another wave of blades.

“My word! What a tremendous display by Miss Polendina!”

Fully glowering, Pyrrha rushes forward and jumps on an incoming sword, swinging down on Penny, only to have the assault halted by a collection of blades, though she leaps away from the retaliatory slice as Penny backs away as well. She tries to defend against the multitude of swords with the length of her weapon but is forced back regardless, prompting Pyrrha to roll the shield from her back onto her arm with her polarity as Nora wildly cheers.

Despite the cheers, Pyrrha isn't doing well, looking down to see her Semblance's black energy bend the weapons in her hands unnaturally for a split second. Emerald narrows her gaze further, continuing to concentrate on Pyrrha.

Inside Ruby attempts to block a kick from Mercury with her arms, but gets a face-full of boot. 

“Always have to face an asshole who picks on girls.”

Mercury turned to see someone walking from the shadows.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king

I have a new story poll up now on FF.Net! There are 19 choices (Small because two stories is ending close together) and YOU CAN CHOOSE 5!

Chapter 22

Notes:

THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE SO READ THIS CH (22) FIRST!

For my Korra story, I'll be focusing on that story on its next update to finish the show and take a slow update as little time on the computer will make doing the sequel comics which are two parts each that have 3 80-100 pages issues for them longer to do.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Backstage.

Naruto walked out of the shadows and up to Mercury. "Why the hell are you here?"

"Just watching the show."

"From backstage?"

Instead of answering, Mercury dashed forward for a kick having Naruto block it by bringing his arms in an X. Naruto then threw his arms up before kicking Mercury back before running over, jumped at him, feinting a kick, then punched him. Ruby tried to run, only for Mercury to get up and trip her before the three started to fight.

Outside.

Pyrrha spins wildly as she deflects and dodges each sword, until she gets close enough to Penny to deliver a few slashes with the spear, sending her flying back as Pyrrha bats aside the blades called to their wielder's aid. Penny slides to a stop and makes a new series of motions, the weapons folding up until she's circled by several laser rifles, a few of which open fire on the approaching champion.

Pyrrha avoids the blasts and fights off the remaining swords with her blade until she slides into position to charge at Penny and knock her back. Pyrrha straightens with a victorious grin that disappears into dizziness, just as she sees Penny rocketing forward, weapons firing behind her like a jetpack so she can leap into the air, then come down as an energized meteor on her opponent.

Rolling back to her feet, Pyrrha doesn't expect a sword to knock her shield off, then another to do the same for her blade. She tries to get the latter back with her magnetism but has to use the power to send a flying sword back to Penny's side. It disappears behind Penny, only for her to grin and raise her arms as several appear above her, aimed to strike.

With Emerald still squinting down on the arena, the sharp sound of Emerald's Semblance is heard as Penny's eight swords double, then triple, multiplying into an unreal thicket of blades. At the sight of this, Pyrrha unsteadily steps back, both in reality where the eight swords are ready to go forth, and in the hallucinated world, where the cloud of weapons thickens to even block the crowds around her.

Penny sends them all forward, a few in reality and hundreds strong in Pyrrha's mind, who is left with no choice but to spread her arms and send out a magnetized shockwave. Each blade is sent reeling back to Penny, who is also unintentionally affected by the Semblance attack clutching her chest in pain. Pyrrha only has a brief moment to understand what's happening before Penny's arms are spread wide as she gasps, the strings attached to her weapons curling around her left arm and midsection, which are crumpled by the force with ease.

There is a moment of silence, cut by the wire slicing through the electronics in Penny's torso as a shocked Pyrrha looked, and the entire stadium watching the now unmoving swords drop to the ground. A piece of fabric flutters to the arena floor, only to be pinned by the point of a falling blade, away from the torn halves of Penny Polendina. Pyrrha stares in abject horror, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Port straightens in shock at the revelation alongside Oobleck. "No!"

While the remains of Penny's missing arm spark with electricity from the exposed wiring inside, her big green irises, now looking like camera shutters, slowly expand so her dark, lifeless pupils take up most of her eyes with the sound of a machine shutting down.

The crowds are still terrified by the sight, as miles away in Mountain Glenn, Grimm of all kinds turn toward the Colosseum, and begin to charge. Finally, Naruto and Ruby turn a corner and emerge from the service tunnel, only to see that they're far too late. Ruby would have fallen if Naruto didn't grab her. "Penny…" She begins to cry, the tears fall as she sobs miserably

The levitating arena is lowered back into place under the spotlights, and Mercury appears behind the weeping Ruby, before stepping back into the Colosseum's maintenance area. Oobleck puts a hand up to his ear. "Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!"

"Something's wrong! We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even stop the broadcast!"

"What!? How is that possible!?" He asked in shock.

In answer, the background behind the two teachers changes to the video feed of the sight before them, tinted an ominous bright red with a black queen chess piece hovering over the scene. They turn back to the arena as Cinder's voice rings out throughout the Colosseum and the rest of the world watching these events.

"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, and your children, to men who claim to be our guardians." Several audience members look uneasy, while Jaune has his mouth agape in shock. "But are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."

Pyrrha continues to stare at the remains of Penny in dread and guilt. Her lips parted as she raises a hand to cover her mouth. Then her eyes start watering, a single tear falling. Back in the fairgrounds, a gaping Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna watch the hacked screen of the Shopkeep's stall. The owner and several others including Roy Stallion are gathered nearby. Blake's expression becomes a glare as the speech continues.

"And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither." The two teammates share a look. "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets."

"Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

Ozpin watches the screen intently, The Long Memory at his side and Atlesian Airships hovering beyond his window. Amid the silence over the Colosseum, as they absorb the revolutionary words, no one notices Emerald exit the stadium. "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... Equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark."

Two blue Atlas Soldiers watch the message on their Scroll, not noticing the wave of Grimm coming out of the mist-shrouded treeline until they hear growling. Both turn and open fire the best they can, shooting down a few. But many more rush past them with Cinder's voice still stirring up trouble from her position with a malevolent smile.

"So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... Who do you think you can trust?"

In the Colosseum, the screens cut from red and black to complete static. "The feeds are all jammed! We can't get a message out!" Oobleck said turning to Port.

"Will somebody tell me what in the world is happening!?"

AWOOOO!

The question is answered with the sound of a wailing alarm throughout the structure, with humans and Faunus and even a Henchman holding a tub of popcorn looking up in alarm at the orange flashing screens reading "CAUTION".

"Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

The crowds begin to flee, wild and screaming, through the exit tunnels, while Ironwood enters the announcers' box and grabs the microphone from between Port and Oobleck. "Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic."

"With that said, a Giant Nevermore appears atop the arena's domed force field, giving a series of deafening screeches as it claws and pecks at the defense with its beak."

Sun stood up at that. "A Nevermore!?"

Coco lowers her sunglasses as she followed. "How did it get past the Kingdom's defenses!?"

"It wasn't alone."

In the headmaster's office, Ozpin is gripping his cane tight, watching the city come under attack with a horrified expression.

Just then, Qrow runs in with Glynda. "Oz!"

"Get to the city!"

"But-"

"NOW!" Ozpin yelled as he turned towards them.

Qrow and Glynda exchange a look before going back the way they came.

Back at the Colosseum James is watching the Nevermore attack the shields until he answers his Scroll, stammering. "Ozpin, the girl... I-I can explain!"

"You brought your army to my Kingdom, James… Use it."

Ironwood's worry turns to determination. His fleet of ships is being attacked by even more giant Nevermores though to minimal effect. The bridge of the last ship is wrecked, computers sparking and men down as a pair of high boots walk through the destruction. Dressed in an Atlas uniform and holding both Hush and Melodic Cudgel with a feathered hat on top, Neopolitan opens the door of a familiar-looking cell with a devious grin.

"Well... it's about time…" Roman leans out into the light with a smile of his own.

With the Airships, the furthest craft suddenly turns towards its allies and fires several bright red lasers at the engine of the one closest to it.

"We're hit! What's going-"

Before he can finish speaking the flaming ship crashes into another in a series of explosions and sends both of them tumbling toward the waters below.

Boom-Boom-Boom-Boom!

Roman laughs manically at the controls as Neo watches from the side. "Woo-hoohahahaha! Oohh, it is good to be back!"

Finally, at Beacon's cliffside landing platforms, three Bullheads arrive, the middle one opening its hatch to reveal four members of the White Fang, and their leader Adam. "Bring them to their knees!"

Another Bullhead opens its door, this time with several creatures of Grimm inside. A growling Ursa jumps from it and lands on Academy grounds.

At the fairgrounds in chaos as civilians run away from the hordes of Grimm. Atlesian Knight-200s are seen firing at the dark creatures, and a vendor hides behind his booth when a group of Ursai runs past. Several Nevermores fly across the sky, one holding Roy Stallion in its talons. Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee are then shown watching in horror at everything going on around them. Civilians continue to flee as Grimm continues to run amok, and a dead Creep on the ground starts to dissipate.

"I don't believe this…"

Blake pulls out her Scroll. "Yang, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her Scroll." Yang explained as she panted while Yang heard her running.

"No, she isn't. Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader. She can take care of herself. Plus she could be with one of our friends."

"… Right."

"This can't be happening…" Weiss said before looking over at Blake. "Penny..."

"I'm headed to the docks near the courtyard. The White Fang is releasing Grimm into the school!" Yang said over the scroll.

"The White Fang is here!?" Blake asked in surprise before she hears the sounds of Grimm growling, over the scroll and her expression grows ever more worried. "Yang!"

"Ugh! Gotta go! Be careful!"

"Blake, what are we going to do?" Weiss asked looking over as Blake sighed.

"We're going to the docks, and we're doing our job."

Blake uses her Scroll to call upon her rocket locker, which lands behind her and opens up to reveal Gambol Shroud. Weiss gives one last look at Blake before nodding in agreement.

Back at Amity Colosseum, the Nevermore screeches as it continues to weaken the force field that's keeping it from getting in. "Warning: Safety Barriers Failing." The computer voice said over the speakers.

As civilians run past in a panic, Ruby Rose has her head down, her expression a mixture of shock and sadness. As the Nevermore circles around the colosseum, Pyrrha struggles to stand as she looks in shock at the torn-apart Penny Polendina.

Jaune, who's in the stands with the remaining members of Team JNPR then yelled out. "PYRRHA! Pyrrha, that thing's going to break in! You've gotta move!"

Jaune, Ren, and Nora look up and see the force field flash as the Nevermore rises back up before diving back in. Wasting no time, the leader of Team JNPR jumps from the stands into the arena. "Jaune!"

Jaune runs towards Pyrrha at that. "Pyrrha, please snap out of it!"

Suddenly, the Nevermore completely breaks through the holographic barrier, and the force of its landing on the arena floor knocks back Jaune, Pyrrha, and the pieces of Penny. The Nevermore screeches and lunges toward Pyrrha. Suddenly, the Nevermore is knocked back by a red, twirling blur of roses, with the cause of the blur gripping one of Penny's swords and stabbing into the Nevermore, before jumping back down in front of Pyrrha.

"Ruby?"

Ruby with an angered, determined expression on her face, pointed Penny's sword toward the Nevermore. "Leave her alone!"

Naruto dropped down beside her and looked at Pyrrha. "You alright?"

The Nevermore rises and circles around the arena before lunging back down. Ruby holds Penny's sword defensively. Suddenly, the Nevermore gets pinned down by a barrage of rocket lockers and screeches out in pain before going unconscious. The lockers then open up, revealing the weapons of various students, and the visiting ones.

The respective owners then grab their weapons as Naruto put Fox Bolt on his shoulder and Sage and Shisui on his waist. The students are then suddenly shaken when the Nevermore starts to get back up. Ren then leaps up into the air and uses the blades of his weapons to slash at the Nevermore's eye. Arslan uses her rope dart to swing down and grab the towering Yatsuhashi from the ground carrying him upward.

Sage also leaps up into the air, and Nora runs up to the Nevermore's head and hit it with Magnhild in its hammer form. When Arslan reaches peak height, she lets go of Yatsuhashi, who is then joined by Sage, as the two broadsword wielders slash down and decapitate the Nevermore.

Causing its head to land near Ruby before dissipating into black particles, while the students form a perimeter. As Arslan lands back on the ground next to her teammates, Ruby looks over to the teary-eyed Pyrrha.

Pyrrha, still kneeling on the ground looked up. "Ruby, I…" She stops and holds a piece of Penny's torn cloth in her hands as her eyes continue to well up. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too. But it wasn't your fault."

"She's right."

They looked up to see Jaune walking over to Pyrrha with Miló and Akoúo̱ in his hands. "Whoever was on that microphone... They're the ones that did this. And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else."

Pyrrha stands back up and takes her weapons back from Jaune, the two of them exchanging determined expressions. They then look over to Ruby, who smiles at the impressive ensemble of students. Their moment is cut short when they notice hippogriff-like Grimm land on top of the Colosseum. They fly towards the group of students as Ren spoke. "Griffons.

"Has anybody got a plan of attack?" Neptune asked before Ruby looked over on Sun.

"Sun! I need your Scroll!"

Sun uses his tail to flick his Scroll to Ruby, who catches and uses it to summon her locker, which opens up revealing Crescent Rose inside. However, Ruby is stopped when a Griffon lands on her locker and roars at her before being scared away by the sound of a gunshot.

Port holding Blowhard in hand, with Oobleck holding Antiquity's Roast in its club form. "Students! I think it would be best for you to leave."

"Ruby: But we did a-"

"Miss Rose! This day will surely go down in Remnant's history. I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it." Oobleck said to her having Naruto look at her.

"Let's go."

Ruby nods words before grabbing Crescent Rose and twirling it into its scythe form. "Let's go!"

As all the students leave, Ruby gets distracted by the flash of Velvet Scarlatina's camera. She stops to look at the photograph she took but is interrupted when her leader calls out to her. "Velvet!"

With the students clear of the arena, Port and Oobleck stand back-to-back with their weapons in hand as the Griffons circle them while Port laughs enthusiastically. "One final match, Barty! Place your bets!"

Civilians continue to run and flee in panic as they reach the docking bays of the Colosseum. Atlas Soldiers are seen directing civilians to calmly step into the Air Buses. A female student is seen breaking down in tears as another person tries to comfort her. Suddenly, White Fang Bullheads are seen dropping off more Grimm at the docking bay.

Two Atlesian Knights escorting General James Ironwood effortlessly gun down an Ursa. As they proceed forward, the Knights are suddenly brutally ripped apart by a much larger, armored Beowolf variant. The Beowolf then notices Ironwood as the General starts to run towards it, gradually picking up speed as he nears the charging Beowolf.

He screams a loud battle cry as he pulls out a pistol from his coat. Ironwood ducks and slides under the Beowolf's swipe and shoots at it twice. Pivoting as he skids across the floor, and using his free hand as a break. The Beowolf lands and shakes its head then charges at Ironwood again, who fires his revolver three more times before having to duck under another swipe.

The Beowolf attempts to swipe at him again with its left claw, but Ironwood effortlessly stops it with his right hand. The General then fires at the Beowolf's feet, the explosion causing it to get airborne, and still gripping its claw, Ironwood proceeds to swing it back down to the ground with his brute strength.

Ironwood then picks up the Beowolf, aims the revolver at its skull, and shoots it, causing black blood to splatter from it. Ironwood then watches the body of the Beowolf dissipate before leaving. The students are then shown exiting the arena entrance and gathering together in front of Ironwood. "What's going on!?"

"Grimm is crawling all over the city. The White Fang's invaded Beacon, and to make matters worse, some... vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm..." Ironwood pauses as he notices a Creep advancing on the group from behind, and shoots it. "Going to take it back."

As Ironwood turns for his ship, he is stopped when asked a question by Jaune. "What should we do?"

Ironwood turns and faces the students. "You have two choices. Defend your Kingdom and your school... Or save yourselves." The students exchange looks with each other at that. "No one will fault you if you leave." Ironwood then proceeds to climb up on the dropship in front of him, as he addresses the crowd. "Let's move out!"

As Ironwood leaves, the students look at each other and murmur before a certain monkey Faunus speaks up. "I mean... come on!"

"We can take a ship to Beacon!" Jaune said as they ran to a ship.

While the students head to the nearest airship, Roman Torchwick is seen giddily fidgeting around with the controls of the Atlesian Airship. "Hmm... Let's see, What Does... This button do?" After the button is pressed, a noise is heard. "Oh, fun! How about... This one?" As he pressed another button, the airship suddenly empties its cargo of Atlesian Knights, all on standby, as they fall to the ground with a massive thud. "Hm. Alright, nothing."

Neopolitan, still wearing her Atlesian military disguise, hands Roman a Scroll with the Black Queen virus, as he inserts it in the console. "Oh-ho-ho! Now this one, this one's gonna be fun!"

As a squadron of Knights shoots down Grimm, they suddenly stop as their visors and LEDs turn a dark crimson, and turn around, pointing their guns at Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen as they continue to fight the Grimm, the realization shocking them as they see the Knights now turned against two of their now former allies. "What!?"

On the courtyards of Beacon, Weiss, and Blake are nearly caught off-guard by the local Knights also succumbing to the virus and turning towards them, fortunately, Blake reacts quickly. "Look out!"

Blake manages to push Weiss aside to dodge incoming fire, but the Knights surround them, forcing the Schnee and the Faunus to draw their weapons.

Meanwhile, the oblivious general, still en route to the Airship, gets a nasty surprise when the Knights on his dropship suddenly activate and turn on him. "No!"

As Ironwood reaches out, the dropship suddenly loses altitude, plummeting from the ground as two flashes can be seen from the cockpit. The students watch in horror as they see drop ships fall from the sky. Ruby decides to run to the bay doors of their Air Bus. "Ruby! What are you doing!?"

Ruby then jumps off the Air Bus as it barely takes off, using her Semblance of speed to safely land on the runway after free falling in the sky. As she runs to the stadium, she finds it nearly empty and full of brown dirt, where she sees a locker. She punches in the code, latches on with Crescent Rose, and immediately takes to the skies, landing on top of Roman's stolen airship with a thud.

"Ugh... go see what that is." Roman groans as Neo simply nods at Roman's command and leaves the control room."

Back at Beacon, the hacked Knights continue to fire, but they are cut up by a flurry of slashes. Weiss is seen taking down a sizeable group of knights using a combination of Myrtenaster's strikes as well as her using her Glyph Semblance, while Blake fights off a group of White Fang soldiers, before using her Semblance to dodge a dual sword-wielding soldier, more White Fang grunts charge at her, but they are all suddenly knocked back by Weiss.

Afterward, Weiss and Blake stand back-to-back but notice a group of human Atlas Soldiers fighting off an Atlesian Paladin, which has also been affected by the virus and turned rogue. The Paladin easily bats aside several of the soldiers. "Come on!"

Before Weiss and Blake could assist the soldiers, they notice a Bullhead about to crash land. An armored Beowolf is seen jumping out of it before it could crash with the aircraft. The view shifts to look down from above, and more soldiers can be seen continuing to fight the Paladin. The Beowolf lands on the ground and starts to chase after fleeing civilians. Weiss and Blake exchange one last look with each other before parting ways. "Be safe."

Sharing a nod the two split up, Blake is seen running just outside the dining hall. However, she stops when the Beowolf from earlier latches onto the side of the building above her. Her attention is then drawn away from the Beowolf when she hears a wounded scream inside the burning interior of the dining hall. She turns fist clenched then looks in horror when she sees a familiar figure throwing an Atlas soldier.

"No... Adam?"

"Hello, my darling."

All across the Academy, various students battle the many Creatures of Grimm: Jaune is charging at an Ursa then delivers a slash that knocks it back, while Neon rollerblades away from a Boarbatusk. Coco opens fire on a Griffon as it lands, while Arslan is seen fighting an Ursa Major before it runs off to attack Nora, who fires at it with her grenade launcher. Ren is firing his guns at a retreating Beowolf before it drops dead.

Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black standing on the rooftop, the latter filming the chaos with his Scroll.

"Beautiful." Cinder smiles as Emerald looked down.

"It's almost sad." It's horrendous. Focus on the Atlesian Knights.

"Oh, I'm getting all of it."

"Good. Continue the broadcast until the end." Cinder said before a tremor rocks the three of them. "And do not miss what happens next."

Cinder walks off as Mercury continues filming with an evil grin on his face, while Emerald's expression only grows more worrisome.

Inside his office, Ozpin watches the battle on three video feeds, one showing some buildings, the middle showing a group of Atlas soldiers struggling against a Deathstalker on Beacon's main avenue, and the last showing civilians stuck on a rooftop waving for help, while an Ursa slowly crawls up the side of the building.

Ozpin then starts to walk away from his desk, grabbing his cane in the process, before proceeding to the elevator. However, he is stopped in his tracks when a sudden tremor shakes the ground.

Back in the city, Glynda and Qrow continue fighting, before they too are shaken by another tremor. Qrow stabs his sword into the ground to keep himself standing. "No…"

Another tremor shakes Jaune as he battles an Ursa Major, with Sage and Scarlet piggyback riding on it with worried expressions on their faces.

Elsewhere, a mountain starts to violently shake and crumble, as various body parts of a monstrous-looking Grimm are revealed, before the mountain completely breaks apart, releasing a titanic Wyvern. The Wyvern roars and flies over the abandoned Mountain Glenn, heading towards Beacon. As it flies, it exudes a black, tar-like substance that drops to the ground in the city of Vale and spawns various Grimm.

Ozpin approaches the window of his office, noticing the Wyvern getting closer. The massive Grimm excretes more of the black substance, which drops to the ground and spawns more Grimm near the base of the CCT. As the Grimm charge forward, the camera pans across the members of Team SSSN and Team JNPR in a lineup as they prepare to battle the incoming enemies, with Jaune and Pyrrha exchanging a smile with each other as she adopts a pose similar to his.

Before they can go forward, Pyrrha notices Ozpin standing by the entrance of the tower, while Team SSSN runs off to continue fighting. Pyrrha then walks towards her headmaster without saying a word to her teammates, much to their confusion. "Where's she going?" Nora asked as Jaune looked at her.

"I'll go find out. You two stay here and keep fighting."

The Wyvern flies past the hijacked Atlesian Airship, and as Ruby Rose looks on, with the surrounding Griffons roaming the skies. A Griffon lands on the airship, but Ruby easily cuts it down with Crescent Rose, causing it to disintegrate into black particles. But suddenly, she hears a snap, turning to see Neopolitan, now changing into her standard attire with a wave of light washing over her from bottom to top, as she winks after taking a picture of Ruby.

Having realized his old foe is interfering yet again, the wanted criminal quickly picks up Melodic Cudgel and walks up to the top of the airship.

Right outside of Beacon's dining hall, Blake backs away from the shattered window, staring in horror at her old partner. "Running away again? Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?"

Blake just glared at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution!" He stops to stomp on a downed Atlas student's chest. Consider this... The spark."

As a horrified Blake watches Adam draws Wilt, preparing to stab the student. Blake charges into the dining hall, drawing her sword in a flash. Her blade clashes with his as she pushes him away from the student, and they stand with their blades locked. "I'm... Not... Running."

"You... Will." He kicks her away, knocking her onto the floor. A nearby Creep runs toward her, only to be shot by Adam. "But not before you suffer for your betrayal, my love."

Back outside the Beacon grounds, Velvet groans as she struggles to get up. Naruto helps her before turning to grab Coco as she was knocked away from a Paladin. Neon Katt and Reese Chloris dodge and weave between groups of students fighting against Grimm plus the infected Atlesian Knights and Paladins.

Naruto hit one Grimm with his two knives before pulling the trigger on both and pulled his knives back. He crouched as Shiki rolled on his back and shot up to throw his teammate in the air before he came down with a kick on a Beowolf and had a gunshot ring out as Shiki shot it in the head. Natsu laughed as he ran around attacking Haru followed by strikes from his sword.

The rest of Team ABRN surrounds a Griffon attacking it with bullets and fireballs, as Bolin knocks a Knight aside. Reese spins her board and slices through another as she passes by it. Nearby Sun and Neptune try to hold back a Paladin, while Nora and Ren decimate another group of Knights. Yatsuhashi is fighting another Griffon while Fox dashes over from a pile of robot parts.

Two Creeps rush at Flynt Coal who uses his trumpet to send the first one flying. Neon and Reese use their weapons to freeze a second Paladin's legs in place. Weiss then arrives on the battlefield, and charges in but gets swatted aside by its arm.

"Weiss!"

Naruto dashed over and grabbed her as Haru and Yatsuhashi tries to hold back a Paladin's fist with their swords, but gets overpowered and knocked back. The Paladin then turns and starts approaching a distracted Ren.

"Look out!" Nora yelled before she pushes Ren out of the way of the Paladin's incoming strike, taking the hit instead.

The others fired at the Paladin, only for nothing to phase it. "Uh, this is bad."

"Well, I guess now's a better time than any. Velvet!" Coco looked over at her teammate and smiled.

"Really?"

"Just make them count."

Velvet nods and she walks up to the Paladins. "What are you doing!? She's going to get hurt!" Weiss yelled out as she and Naruto ran up.

"Just watch."

Velvet holds her hand out as Anesidora glows, forming a blue transparent scythe. Grabbing the copy of Crescent Rose Velvet leaps into the air, dodging cannon fire as she imitates Ruby's overhead spin, she descends slashing at the Paladin. She then replicates Myrtenaster to deflect the Paladin's punch and land a few blows before pushing it back with an Ember Celica imitation.

Once she lands a few shots, she slides under the Paladin's fist, similar to Blake as she uses a Gambol Shroud copy and uses its string to trip over the mech, before moving to the second Paladin by lopping off its hand and jabbing it in the head with the cleaver.

Before it can react, it is immediately peppered with holographic bullets, thanks to a copy of Gianduja. As it moves forward, Velvet switches to using Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang to counter a blow, as she lands another few hits while landing a downward blow from above with a copy of Magnhild, severing a limb. As the first Paladin attempts to recover, Velvet immediately copies Floating Array, as she leaps off the second Paladin and slices apart its legs before blasting it at full power.

However, the first Paladin sucker punches Velvet. "Aah!" Naruto caught her as she was sent skidding from the blow.

Coco unloads her weapon on the Paladin to no avail, Neptune, Nadir, and Reese rush to her side and add their firepower. But the barrage has little effect and the Paladin continues to loom over Velvet. Furious, Weiss immediately rushes in past the others, as she instinctively uses a summoning glyph, confusing her.

When she gets in between Velvet and the Paladin about to bring its fist down, she raises Myrtenaster defensively then closes her eyes and grits her teeth. A thud is heard as she looks up and discovers she summoned the arm and sword of the Arma Gigas she fought before, which blocks the Paladin's fist and bisects the machine in half. She takes a brief look at her summoning before being surprised by a camera flash, which was taken by a smiling Velvet.

But before they can take a breath, another advanced Paladin rushes in from the corner and begins to charge at them. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Back at the airship, the battle commences as Ruby performs a low swing, with Neo somersaulting over it, and ducking the next swing, before performing another backflip to dodge the third. Ruby then twirls Crescent Rose before attempting another low sweep, only for Neo to back-flip away from her consecutive twirls.

Once Ruby finishes spinning her weapon, she lodges Crescent Rose on the hull and fires a shot, only for Neo to shatter in an illusion, revealing Roman as he fires a shot back with Melodic Cudgel, sending Ruby flying several feet, before she lodges Crescent Rose to safely grip herself from the surrounding gales, while Roman walks up to her. "Little Red, Little Red, you are just determined to be the hero of Vale, aren'tcha?"

"What are you doing!? Without these ships, the Grimm will destroy everything!"

Roman grinned at that and points his cane at her. "That's the plan!"

Ruby then swats aside Melodic Cudgel just as he attempts to fire it at her, causing him to move a few feet off-balance, before Neo returns and leaps over her, kicking Ruby's left cheek, and using the momentum to flip her over and sending Ruby tumbling on her back. Neo then follows up with a roundhouse to the face, and a rear horse kick to nearly send her careening off the hull of the airship. "But why!? What do you get out of it!?"

"You're asking the wrong questions, Red! It's not what I have to gain, it's that I can't afford to lose!" Roman turned at that to answer.

As Ruby charges, Neo vaults over Roman for a powerful kick. She then leaps up, grabs Crescent Rose, and slides under, flipping Ruby once more with the hook of her parasol. As Ruby spins midair, the pint-sized powerhouse finishes with a roundhouse to the abdomen, as Roman slams the barrel of Melodic Cudgel to the ground and fires, causing the cane to ricochet and hit Ruby, before catching it and firing the weapon once more over his shoulder.

The blast is enough to send Ruby holding on for dear life, with the embedded blade of Crescent Rose the only thing preventing her from falling. "I may be a gambling man, but even I know that there are some bets you just don't take." Neo then extends Hush's hidden blade and drags it on the surface, as she holds Ruby at sword-point. "Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world! You can't stop 'em, I can't stop 'em!"

As Roman continues, Ruby kicks away a Nevermore and notices the button on Hush. You know the old saying, 'If you can't beat 'em-'!" Suddenly, Ruby reaches for the parasol, causing it to open and send Neo flying off the airship, leaving her with a frightened gasp as she is pulled off. "NEO!"

Ruby got up at that to glare. "I don't care what you say! We will stop them and I will stop you! BET ON THAT!"

As Ruby charges at top speed with the use of her Semblance, Roman grips Melodic Cudgel with both hands, the left hand holding the shaft, as he quickly catches the projectile with the hook end and hurls it at Ruby, knocking her away, before smacking her with the business end of the cane, ramming the weapon in her stomach, and firing another shot, sending her on her back once more.

"You got spirit, Red. But this is the real world!" Roman then whacks Ruby with the butt of his cane, sending her back a few feet. "The real world is cold!" Roman lands another coshing, this time on Ruby's legs. "The real world doesn't care about spirit!" Ruby then kicks him in the knee, causing him to lose balance as he prepares a downward strike. "You wanna be a hero!? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history!"

He then proceeds to smack Ruby with the butt end of the cane. "As for me, I'll do what I do best: lie, steal, cheat, and SURVIVE!"

Just as Roman prepares a final, overhead swing, an Alpha Griffon suddenly appears from the sky and swallows him whole.

"(ROAR!)"

The roar sends Ruby back a few feet, before the two charge at each other. Ruby prevails when she kicks the beast in the head, sending it through the hull and causing it to crash. And then, she grabs Crescent Rose, leaps off the falling airship, and propels herself in the air, shooting at the ground as if her weapon was a pogo-stick, before landing safely on the rooftops of Vale.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king

THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE READ THIS CH (22) FIRST!

For my Korra, I'll be focusing on that story on its next update to finish the show and take a slow update as little time on the computer will make doing the sequel comics which are two parts each that have 3 80-100 pages issues for them longer to do.

We decided on finishing the Volume and I decided to split it into 2 6,000 chapters to keep the smaller chapters for this story.

Chapter 23

Notes:

THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE SO READ THIS CH (22) FIRST!

For my Korra story, I'll be focusing on that story on its next update to finish the show and take a slow update as little time on the computer will make doing the sequel comics which are two parts each that have 3 80-100 pages issues for them longer to do.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Vale.

Back in the city, Glynda uses The Disciplinarian to knock back a few Creeps, while Qrow slices and blasts at a few infected Knights with Harbinger. Nearby, Cardin giddily knocks back an Ursa with his mace but then gets held at gunpoint by a few infected Knights. Suddenly, their heads are shot off, surprising Cardin.

As the smoke clears, it is revealed that Ironwood miraculously survived his crash, his damaged uniform exposing the entire right half of his body is cybernetic. He then shoots down all of the infected Knights with Due Process. Flipping it into his right hand to club the last one as it leaps at him. "This area's secure! We need to-"

Suddenly, Qrow's expression changes into anger as he turns. He transforms his sword into a scythe and charges toward Ironwood. "Qrow! This isn't my doing!"

Qrow continues charging, despite Ironwood's words. James flips his gun in his hand and gets into a battle stance, preparing for the perceived attack. However, Qrow leaps past Ironwood, who turns around just in time to see a large Griffon lunging at him. With one swing of Qrow's scythe, the Griffon is sliced in two. Upon landing, Qrow turns around to address Ironwood. "(Scoff!) You idiot. I know you didn't do this."

Ironwood relaxes and sighs, while Glynda places her hand on his shoulder. "So what now, General?" Qrow asks as he walked up.

"Someone's done the impossible and gained control of my machines. And that enormous Grimm seems to be fixated on the school. Glynda, form up the local Huntsmen and establish a safe zone here in Vale. We need to evacuate Beacon. Qrow, I'm leaving that to you and my men. I still need to get to my ship."

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The three hear a loud noise and turn to see his ship slowly nosediving into the ground. "Well, it won't be much of a walk." Qrow joked as the Atlesian Knights that are still functioning attempted one last time to harm the Huntsmen, before powering down.

In the Beacon courtyard, the students stand prepared to fight the Atlesian Paladin that is charging toward them. However, electricity arcs across it and it suddenly powers down, collapsing and sliding to a stop in front of them. "Hm. That went better than expected.

Naruto Shiki, Haru, and Natsu panted as sweat fell down their foreheads as Weiss doubles over, exhausted, leaning on her sword to keep herself standing.

"Weiss!"

They look to see Yang running up to Weiss. "You're okay! Have you heard from Ruby?" Weiss shakes her head. "What about Blake?"

"She went after an Alpha..." Weiss points in the direction that Blake ran. and some members of the White Fang."

"You look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake." Yang said as she turned. Se then turned back and pulled Naruto in for a kiss. After a moment, she pulled back and winked. "Just in case."

She ran off as Naruto blinked. "What the fu-!" He stopped as Nora turned him around to kiss him. And when she pulled back, Coco followed before getting a kiss on the cheek from Velvet. "(Sigh) Haru, Natsu, can you go help them?"

"… Yeah." Haru got up and jogged as Natsu followed.

In the Beacon vault, an elevator opens up to reveal Ozpin, Jaune, and Pyrrha. The three immediately sprint out of the elevator and down the corridor. "What is this place?" Jaune asked as they ran down the hall.

"It's... a type of vault," Pyrrha replied as she looked forward.

"You've... been here before?" Pyrrha stayed silent at that. "What would this school need to... hide?" Finally, they came to the end where Jaune saw the Aura transfer machine, Jaune stops in his tracks, gazing wide-eyed at the strange contraption and the comatose girl inside. "What? Who?"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha trailed off before Ozpin went to the controls.

"Pyrrha! Get to the pods!" Pyrrha looks at Jaune, then runs to the second pod. "Mister Arc, if you'd like to help, you can stand guard here."

Jaune looks at the two before he turns around and gets into a guarding stance. "What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked Ozpin.

Ozpin types on the machine's hologram keyboard before answering. "We, do nothing." The second pod opens, and Ozpin turns his head to look at Pyrrha. "You, Miss Nikos... Have a choice to make.

Pyrrha looks at the pod, then at Jaune, hesitating. Her expression changes from uncertainty to sadness, and she wipes a tear from her eye, still looking at Jaune. She then climbs into the pod, which closes.

Blake Vs Adam.

"This could've been our day! Can't you see that!?"

"I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!"

Blake yelled at Adam as she raises her sword, its blade folding into sickle mode, and shoots at Adam, who blocks both bullets with his sword. "What you want is impossible!" He sheathes his sword and backhands Blake across her face, knocking her over. "But I understand because all I want is you, Blake." She begins to raise her sickle again, only for him to kick it out of her hand, knocking her over once again. "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."

"Blake!"

Yang's voice draws their attention to one of the broken windows. She soon comes into view and shoots a White Fang member, before looking around for her teammate. "Blake! Where are you!?"

Adam looks at Blake to see her terrified expression, then returns his gaze to Yang. "Starting with her."

Just then on the other side, Natsu and Haru ran to a window as well.

Ozpin, Jaune, And Pyrrha.

"Are you ready?"

Ozpin asked as Pyrrha looks at him and gives a slow nod. "I... I need to hear you say it."

"Yes."

"Thank you, Miss Nikos."

Ozpin presses a few more buttons on the screen, and Amber's pod raises. Amber begins glowing orange, and her eyelids begin fluttering. The orange glow travels along the pipes connecting the two pods, first up to the ceiling, then down to Pyrrha's pod. An orange glow surrounds Pyrrha, who begins screaming out in agony.

"Pyrrha!"

Jaune runs over to Pyrrha's pod, moving his gaze back and forth between Pyrrha and Amber's pod. While Jaune panics, trying to understand what's going on, Ozpin looks away. "I'm... So sorry."

Suddenly, an arrow pierces the glass of Amber's pod, striking her in the chest. Amber gasps, and her eyes open, then begin to close again, while the machine begins beeping an alarm. Ozpin and Jaune turn around to see Cinder standing halfway down the corridor from them, an obsidian bow in her hand. She lowers the bow, a tiny smirk creeping across her face.

Amber struggles to breathe, her eyes wide, the machine's alarm still playing. Finally, all her breath leaves her. Her eyes drift closed, and her head leans to the side, her whole body going limp. The green flames that light the torches throughout the vault suddenly snuff out.

Haru, Natsu, Blake, And Yang VS Adam.

Adam draws his sword and stabs it into Blake's abdomen near her left hip, causing her to shriek in pain. The cry catches Yang's attention. "Huh?" Adam stands upright, pulling his sword from Blake's flesh and turning to face Yang. "Get away from her!"

"No... please…" Blake reaches out as Adam sheathes his sword, smiling.

"RAH!"

Yang screams, her eyes turning red and a burst of flame erupting from her. She leaps at Adam, drawing her fist back with tears in her eyes. Adam swiftly draws his sword, swinging it through the air at Yang, as his Semblance activates.

Clang!

Only for Haru to hit it up and had the tip stab Yang in the shoulder. Yang flies through the air, and lands beside Blake, hitting her head on a beam, and began to lose consciousness.

Adam slowly turns and was hit in the stomach by Natsu who glared. "Come on bastard!"

Haru's Ten Commandments changed to have a rectangular hilt with chains and a black double edge.

(A/N: The Gravity Core Version)

He ran at Adam followed by Natu and attacked. Adam jumped back as the two destroyed the floor he was standing on before running off.

Ozpin Jaune, And Pyrrha.

Pyrrha frantically beats her fists against the glass of her pod. The orange glow leaves Pyrrha and travels back through the pipes into Amber. The glow then bursts out of Amber, shattering the glass in its way, and enters Cinder. The murderer glows, begins floating, and gains long trails of flame around her eyes, with orange energy swirling around her. Pyrrha beats even harder on the glass, her stress increasing. Jaune raises his sword and charges toward Cinder. "Stay back!"

Cinder summons a large fireball casting it toward Jaune, who blocks it with his shield and is blasted backward, landing on his back. "Jaune!"

Finally, Pyrrha uses her Semblance to rip the pod's door off its hinges, throwing it at Cinder, who knocks it away like it's nothing. As Cinder begins to descend to the floor, Pyrrha leaps out of the pod and charges, calling her weapon and shield to her with her Semblance. However, Ozpin puts his arm out, stopping her.

"Take Jaune and get out of here! Find Glynda! Ironwood! Qrow! Bring them here right away! The tower cannot fall!"

"But I can help."

Ozpin slowly turns his head to stare Pyrrha in the eyes. "You'll only get in the way."

Pyrrha hesitates for a moment but obeys Ozpin, scooping up Jaune and running away. While she does so, Cinder descends to the floor and watches them leave, with the glow, the swirling energy, and the flames around her eyes all disappearing. Cinder turns her attention back to Ozpin, her eyes still glowing for a moment. "This whole time... right beneath our feet. She was right about you." Ozpin turns his cane in his grip, staring hard at Cinder. "Such arrogance."

Ozpin and Cinder clash weapons against each other. After a clash, Cinder slides back, using her hand to melt the floor below her, and summons ice crystals from the newly-formed substance, hurling them toward Ozpin. Ozpin deflects them all by moving at superhuman speed, and then darts forward and delivers a bunch of strikes at Cinder with his cane, with the last blow launching her back.

Cinder then floats mid-air by unleashing her Maiden power. Ozpin then slams his cane into the floor, forming a spherical force field around him. Cinder then unleashes a powerful fire blast, with Ozpin leaping into the attack with the barrier protecting him.

Outside of Beacon, airbuses are picking up the last few civilians and students. Peter and Oobleck oversee the evacuation. "That's it! Everybody is on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!"

"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!"

With the students who fought, Weiss stares at what happened, in disbelief. As Ruby Rose comes running down the path, Zwei barks to alert Weiss to her leader's presence, and Weiss turns around to greet her. "Ruby!"

"Oh, I found you!"

"Ruby, where have you-"

"Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?" Unsure of what to say, Weiss lowers her gaze sadly. Ruby: Weiss? What is it?"

Weiss steps aside, giving Ruby a clear view of Blake and Yang both girls have bandages wrapped around their wounds, and the latter is unconscious as Naruto held her with his other arm around Blake. Behind them sit Nora, Ren, and Naruto's teammates who are too battered and bruised to fight. Blake reaches over and places her hand on Yangs.

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." Naruto looked down and held her tightly.

Ruby reaches out and opens her mouth to say something, but stays silent. "Yang..."

Sun walks over to them at that. "Hey. She's gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale."

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing." Nora attempts to stand, but she quickly sits back down, groaning and holding her side.

Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes and took a breath. Suddenly, orange came over his eyes for a second and he opened them to show they became yellow for a split second before slowly getting up. "Pyrrha's in danger!"

"What!?"

"We gotta get to her fast!

Weiss then raised her sword. "I can use my glyphs."

Naruto kissed her before smiling.

Smack!

"(Squeak!)"

Weiss jumped as Naruto smacked her ass. "Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!" Sun aid as they saw the large Grimm.

"We'll find them... And bring them back." Ruby said as she followed after Naruto.

"Watch over the others," Naruto said to his team who nodded. "We will," Haru replied as the trio ran back toward Beacon Academy, while Sun watches them go.

At the Beacon Tower, Jaune and Pyrrha run out of the front door as they heard the muffled sounds of Ozpin and Cinder's fight. "Okay, I think I have Glynda's number... Oh, where is it?" He said as he walked away trying to get a signal. Pyrrha turns and stares silently at Beacon Tower. Jaune's voice soon breaks her concentration. "Pyrrha? What was all of that?"

"I..."

BOOM!

Their conversation is interrupted by an explosion, followed by Cinder using fire to fly up through the elevator shaft. The two teens stare at the tower in surprise. "But... Ozpin..."

"There's no time." Pyrrha shakes her head, then looks at Jaune, quickly adopting a determined tone. Go. Get to Vale and call for help."

"Huh? What are you gonna do?" Pyrrha slowly turns her head to stare up at the top of Beacon Tower. Following her gaze, Jaune realizes what she plans to do. "No... no, Pyrrha, you can't. You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do-" Suddenly, Pyrrha grabs Jaune and then uses her Semblance on his armor, pushing him directly into a nearby locker, which slams shut from the impact. "Hey! Wait! Stop, stop! Pyrrha, please don't do this!"

Pyrrha walks over to the locker and begins typing coordinates into it. She looks him in the eyes, before stepping back and watching the locker fly away. Once it vanishes into the distance, she clenches her fists and, once again, adopts a determined demeanor as she walks toward the tower. Once she steps through the entrance, she runs to the nearest elevator and uses her Semblance to force the doors open.

Inside, she finds that Cinder has left a large hole in the floor and roof of the elevator on her way up. Pyrrha steps inside the elevator closes her eyes, and begins mustering all of her strength. The elevator begins shaking. She focuses even harder, straining herself until the elevator begins a quick ascent toward the top.

Meanwhile, Naruto, Ruby, and Weiss are on their way back to the Beacon campus, when Weiss' Scroll begins ringing. "It's Jaune!" She then answered and put it on speaker. "Where are you?"

"Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!"

"What!?"

"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"

"Jaune, what are you talking about!? Where are you?" Naruto asked before Jaune yelled.

"Don't worry about me!" They then hear him start to cry. "Please, you have to save Pyrrha."

"Oh, we will… Are you okay?" Naruto asked only to get silence as the call then ends. "Damn."

The ground shakes, alerting the trio to the danger that approaches them. The Wyvern flies circling Beacon Tower with black ooze dripping from it. It perches on one of the arches stemming from the tower and utters a screech. "(SCREECH!)"

Ruby draws Crescent Rose, shifting it into its scythe form in preparation for the Grimm spawning from the ooze. "I have a plan."

The other two grabbed their weapons and Naruto grabbed his rifle as well. "You always do.

At the top of the tower, in Ozpin's office, a large amount of smoke flows out from the elevator, masking the entrance of Cinder as she confidently strides to the window across the room, a smirk on her face. As if sensing her presence, the Wyvern climbs up to the top, peers at her through the window, and screeches. "Shhhh... This is your home now."

The Wyvern stares at her and utters a shorter, quieter screech. Cinder backs away from the window and holds her hand out to the side, creating a fireball in her palm. The sound of sparks distracts her, and she looks over her shoulder at the elevator, her fireball dissipating. After a few moments, the sparks come to a stop, and immediately upon the elevator doors opening, Pyrrha's spear flies toward Cinder, who casually leans to her right to dodge with a smirk on her face.

The spear is soon followed by Pyrrha's shield, backed by Pyrrha herself, and Cinder puts her arms up, blocking it and pushing it away. While Cinder uses fire to hover in the air, Pyrrha calls her spear and shield back to her with polarity, staring down her opponent. Cinder gains a fiery glow around her eyes and swipes her hand through the air, attacking Pyrrha with an arc of fire.

She then shoots a stream of fire, which Pyrrha dives over. Six small fireballs form in a circle behind Cinder, and she sends another streak of fire toward Pyrrha, who barely avoids it. Once again, the Maiden sends a stream of fire the young redhead's way, but this time, Pyrrha blocks it with her shield. She leaps toward Cinder, powering through the flame, and as soon as the fire stops, she spins around and slashes Cinder's arm with her spear.

However, Cinder catches the blade and pulls it, turning Pyrrha around. Cinder slams her palm into Pyrrha's stomach, and fire bursts forth, blasting Pyrrha away. Pyrrha slams into a wall and falls to her hands and knees. She then stands back up and faces Cinder with determination still in her eyes. Cinder propels herself forward with flames jetting from her hands, smirking once again.

She attempts to slam into Pyrrha's abdomen, but Pyrrha leaps into the air above her and wraps her arm around Cinder's. As Cinder slows to a stop, Pyrrha positions herself to place her feet on the wall behind her and pushes off, flipping herself over Cinder. She uses the momentum to flip and toss Cinder across the floor.

Cinder lands on her front and, as she slides, she pushes off the floor to get back on her feet and perform a back-handspring. Her smirk turns into a look of slight concern upon the sight of Pyrrha charging forward to slam her shield into Cinder's abdomen and push her over. As Cinder stumbles backward, Pyrrha hits Cinder's right hand with the blunt end of her spear, then slashes Cinder's left hand with the spear's blade. She then spins around and slashes across Cinder's abdomen and legs.

Pyrrha spins around to attack again, but Cinder performs a backflip whilst kicking Pyrrha, with flames trailing behind her foot. The kick knocks Pyrrha into the air, and Pyrrha quickly rights herself. She flips her spear in her grip, holds it back, and then tosses it toward Cinder while firing the gun mechanism. Six fireballs appear around Cinder again, but they dissipate when Cinder backhands the spear away.

Pyrrha's shield then flies toward her, and she hits it away, as well. After being momentarily distracted by the shield, Cinder returns her attention to Pyrrha and gains a look of slight surprise, then annoyance. Pyrrha launches herself toward Cinder and puts her arms around her, tackling her. The two turn each other in mid-air, fighting to be the one on top.

Upon their landing, the room fills with a white cloud. When the dust settles, Pyrrha has Cinder in a choke hold, and Cinder is barely managing to hold Pyrrha's spear away from her neck. The Wyvern flies away, and Cinder's eyes begin glowing as she applies heat to the spear in her hands. Her grip tightens as she heats the spear more and more, staring over her shoulder at Pyrrha.

Upon hearing a loud screech, Cinder turns her gaze ahead and smirks, while Pyrrha gains a look of fear. While Pyrrha sets her focus on the Wyvern that is flying toward the tower, Cinder finally snaps the spear's melted blade into pieces. Just before the Wyvern slams its wing into the roof of Ozpin's office, Cinder elbows Pyrrha in the abdomen.

The room fills with a green glow as the windows shatter and Pyrrha goes flying across the room. Giant cogs and debris come crashing down in the office, and the structure containing the CCT's transmitter falls to the ground outside, in pieces.

Pyrrha crawls toward her shield, while Cinder watches on from her position levitating off the floor with flame jetting from her feet. While looking for a way to distract Cinder, Pyrrha notices Ozpin's collapsed metal desk and uses her polarity to throw it at the corrupt Maiden, knocking her to the floor.

She then quickly grabs her shield and rolls across the floor, sitting up on her knees and holding the shield up. With a burst of flame, Cinder throws the desk off of herself and levitates in the air. Pyrrha rolls out of the way of two streams of fire that Cinder sends her way and attempts to block a third. However, the force of the third sends Pyrrha tumbling backward, and the floor momentarily catches fire while Pyrrha rolls to her feet.

From behind the wall of flame, Pyrrha throws her shield at Cinder, who confidently backhands it away. She then looks up in surprise to see a multitude of giant cogs floating in the air around her. Using her polarity, Pyrrha directs her shield to knock Cinder's feet from beneath her and then slams a cog down on Cinder's abdomen to pin her to the floor.

She calls her shield back to her arm, then brings the cogs together into a pile on top of Cinder. However, Cinder blasts them away with a powerful burst of fire, sending them in all directions. One of the cogs flies toward Pyrrha, who raises her shield to block, but in vain. The force of the impact slams her into the remains of a wall, taking away the last of her Aura.

On the ground below, the trio fights off Grimm. Naruto took several out with shots to the head. "We've gotta hurry!"

Weiss looks around for a moment, before casting a series of glyphs up the side of the tower. "You can do this."

"Back in a flash!" Naruto ran to the glyphs and ran up the tower.

Ruby runs forward, then uses her Semblance to propel herself up to the first glyph. She then sprints up the wall, the glyphs propelling her forward and keeping her from falling off.

Inside, Cinder forms an obsidian bow in her hand. As she raises it and draws back an obsidian arrow, Pyrrha charges forward, spins, and throws her shield at her. Cinder loses the arrow, which shatters upon impact with the side of the shield. However, as the fragments part ways above and below the shield, they glow orange and rejoin each other on the other side. The fragments melt into each other and cool into the shape of an arrow, which continues on its path.

Suddenly a concrete block gets in its way having it explode as Naruto lands and holds his revolvers up. "Sup, bitch!?"

Cinder responds by throwing fire at the two having Naruto grab Pyrrha and jump back to the edge and fell off as Ruby lands and saw Naruto falling. "NARUTO!" She yelled as she clenches her fists, curls her arms to her body, and then suddenly flings her arms out to the sides, beginning to levitate slightly off the ground.

Brilliant white light flows from her eyes as she screams. The white light envelopes her, spreading out to the Wyvern and Cinder.

"WHAT?!" Cinder yelled as everything became white.

Down below, Naruto held on to the ledge and Pyrrha before being blinded by the white light and fell. They hit a beam and rolled into the lower floor, breaking through the window and hitting the wall on the other side hard, cracking it. They both then cover their eyes as the white cover the room and area. Naruto blocked Pyrrha as he closed his eyes before hearing a deep voice in his head.

"Welcome Back... Friend."

After a moment, he heard Qrow speak up. "It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya."

"Who's there?"

"What?" Qrow asked turning as white and grey dust covered the tower, and the frozen Grimm looked down to see Naruto panting ad bleeding. "Well damn!"

A Few Weeks Later, Ruby's And Yang's House.

Ruby's asleep in a bed, wearing gray pajamas. Birds are tweeting as sunlight is streaming onto the wall behind the bed's headboard. After a few seconds, she wakes up and looks over to see her father asleep in a chair.

She sits up and sighs quietly, causing Taiyang to stir awake. "Ruby!" He gets up and runs to kneel by her bed. "You're awake!"

"Ugh... what happened?"

"Your uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. He got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe."

Ruby looks down in thought for a split second, then looks at Taiyang. "Wait! Yang! Is she alright!?"

"Uh... She's uh... She's gonna be alright. I think she's just... I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her…" He trails off as he covers his eyes for a moment, sniffling, then looks up, smiling. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home."

"What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?"

Things at Vale are under control, but the school... It's... it's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. But it's not disappearing. It's... kind of... frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school.

Ruby tilts her head before speaking. "I did... What?"

"Hmm?"

"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?"

Taiyang sighed at that. "I... Look that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just... kind of a mess."

"It's always a mess."

Ruby and Taiyang look to see Qrow suddenly standing in the room, near the door. He finishes off the contents of his flask before continuing. "Mind if we have a minute?"

Taiyang raised an eyebrow at that. "What, I can't stay here?!"

"Tai. Please."

Taiyang stands up, sighs, and then leans in to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "I'm glad you're alright. (He starts walking away. "I'll go make us some tea."

Taiyang glares at Qrow on the way out, but the latter doesn't appear to care. As Qrow approaches Ruby's bed, he grabs the chair and drags it with him. He then spins it around to face the bed and sits in it with a significant slouch, crossing one leg over the other. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Um... I kind of hurt... all over."

Qrow chuckles at that. "That makes sense, after what you did."

"You guys keep saying that! That I did something! What are you talking about?!"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Ruby looked down at that. "I ran up the side of the tower, and when I got to the top, I... Naruto! Is he...?"

"A little banged up."

She looked to see Naruto at the door, in his leather jacket, black sleeveless shirt, and blue jeans. "But I've lived through worse." Ruby got up and walked over to hug the blonde. "Heh! Easy, still tender with my stitches." Naruto hugged her back before looking at Qrow. "I gotta see Yang, I think your uncle still wants to talk."

"Pyrrha?"

"Fine as well, she's in a hospital since her hometown was too far."

Naruto then lets her go and walks out as Ruby went to sit on her bed.

Qrow then explains to Ruby that she's 'Special'. That her silver eyes, a trait she shared with her mother, are extremely rare. He continues that in an old legend that pre-dates Huntsmen and the Kingdoms, it is said that those with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior and that the creatures of Grimm feared them.

Qrow continues explaining that he had been investigating the enemy under Ozpin's direction, but with him gone, Qrow will have to continue Ozpin's work in his stead. Just before leaving, he deliberately mentions that his investigations led him to Haven.

Yang sits alone in a spare bedroom, staring out a window. Her remaining piece of Ember Celica rests on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Knock-Knock."

She turned to see Naruto walking in and up to her. "Holding up OK?"

"(Grunt!) As best I can." She replied as she was in her tank top her shoulder and upper arm bandaged.

"Yeah, I know Blake would be here, but after her birthday, she wanted to go talk to her parents about the White Fang's involvement with the attack."

"She just disappeared Naruto, but why would she go to her parents on that?"

"I didn't ask, all of you but Ruby are 18, you're free to do what you want."

"Weiss?" She asked as he sat beside her.

"With my teammates… They'll hide low for a bit I guess as her father's looking for her, we're planning on meeting at Haven as that's the closest place from here."

"Pyrrha?"

"Still recovering… I know Jaune's talking about going out to help get the person who did this, I'll be taking her in a few days when she's well.

"Yang?"

The two turn to see Ruby standing in the doorway. "Ruby."

"Ruby runs over and hugs her. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Could be better." Ruby frowns and releases the hug. It's all gone, the school, Penny..."

"Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?"

"Blake went to talk to her father about the White Fang's involvement in the attack, and Weiss is with my team on the way to Haven as her father tried to get her and go back home to forget becoming a Huntress."

"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here." Yang picked up after Naruto. "Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust."

"So, what do we do now?"

"You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here and heal." Yang said as she laid down before Naruto left.

"Not gonna tell them?"

Naruto heard the voice in his head. "No… They wouldn't believe me… Kurama."

Later that evening, Ruby steps outside, wearing a backpack, and quietly shuts the front door.

"Hey."

She turned to see Jaune with a pack as well.

"Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go."

"I know. It's the only way we have. Plus Naruto's team will be there with Weiss and he'll come with Pyrrha in a day or two."

"Are you sure you want to come along?" She asked as Ren and Nora walked over both with packs as well.

"The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain," Ren said holding the straps.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora grinned as well.

"Then let's get started." Ruby nodded before the four begin their long trek, down the road leading away from Taiyang's home.

Unknown Location.

A woman stood on a small bank overlooking a lava river in a dark area.

Her skin is a deathly pallor, with jet-black sclera in her eyes and glowing crimson irises. Her bleached, pale white hair, is styled into a large bun with six offshoots wrapped together that also suspends several obsidian-colored ornaments. She has dark purple veins that line her face and arms, and now a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead.

She's wearing a very long, short-sleeved black robe that obscures her feet and partially drags across the ground, with its distinctive feature being a curved high collar with dark red trim bordering the outer edge of a narrow window exposing her bust in a vertical ellipsis resembling an eye and completed with a long shawl emblazoned with three interconnected, maroon-colored vertical elliptic sigils resembling a trio of overseeing eyes above a series of maroon-colored diamond emblems.

She also has a ring resembling a Beetle on her right hand, and long fingernails with jet-black nail polish.

She smiled before she spoke looking down. "A smaller, more honest soul... A simple spark can indeed ignite hope, and breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power... to snuff it out. How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing?"

"That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes? Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away. Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move."

"So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin... And I can't wait to watch you burn." She turns to see a castle before her eyes glow ominously as she gave an evil grin

Later, Woods.

On a cliff, Qrow is watching Ruby and her friends continue on their journey. He then holds up Ozpin's cane, before jumping from the cliff.

"(Caw!)"

A crow flies up from where he fell and flies toward Ruby's group.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE READ THIS CH (22) FIRST!

For my Korra, I'll be focusing on that story on its next update to finish the show and take a slow update as little time on the computer will make doing the sequel comics which are two parts each that have 3 80-100 pages issues for them longer to do.

We decided on finishing the Volume and I decided to split it into 2 6,000 chapters to keep the smaller chapters for this story.

Chapter 24

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Unknown Location.

In the large castle on red and purple barren land, Mercury and Emerald look as Beowolves emerge from black slime pools. Emerald has her hand to her mouth while Mercury seems slightly disgusted.

Snap!

They turn and saw the room is a large windowed room, at the center of which is a long purple, crystal table. Four people sit at the table with seven chairs, one of them is Cinder. Emerald and Mercury move away from the window.

Cinder's hair is much shorter and she has a mask that appears to be made of black glass over her left eye and the scarring from said injury extends into a slight x-shape over the bridge of her nose, as well as having deformed and degraded the tissue of her left ear.

She's wearing a long, dark red dress with one long, wide sleeve hiding her left arm. The edges of the collar and the opening for the right arm are gold-colored, and the upper chest and left sleeve are decorated with golden designs. The right side of her dress is open from the hip down with two gold-colored straps made of interwoven ropes connecting the front half to the back half of her thigh.

Under the dress, she appears to have on black pantyhose. On the right hip, the dress has a black rhombus-shaped gem set in a gold-colored metal of the same shape, with feathers of varying shades of blue extending from the bottom of it. On her right arm, she has a long, gray glove, the top of which has a gold-colored metal ring with curvy branching extensions going up to her arm. Her right ear has a new ring-shaped earring higher up than the dangling black gem earring.

To her right is a pale young man sitting on the chair in a crouch with gold eyes and a brown ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. He's wearing a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, along with white pants. His jacket is left open, exposing his bare chest, which is crisscrossed with prominent scars. His arms are covered with cream-colored bandages and leather vambraces. He also has leather boots covering his entire shin with knee guards.

On each earlobe is a silver, ring-shaped earring, and near the top of his left ear is another matching earring.

In front of him, is a tall and muscular middle-aged man. He's also unusually large and broad and has short dark brown hair, a beard, and hazel eyes. He is wearing a two-tone olive green coat over a black ¾ sleeve shirt, and a large belt. His pants are black, with a pouch strapped to each pants leg, and his boots are brown with white fronts. He also has some scars near the edges of his sleeves that are visible.

Beside him on his right is a tall middle-aged man with a slim build and slightly tanned skin checking his scroll. He has short black and gray hair as well as a thick mustache and eyebrows, and green eyes. He's wearing a grey overcoat with yellow linings, a yellow dress shirt, and a black necktie. His pants were the same color as his overcoat. His yellow-buttoned undercoat and fingerless gloves matched his cordovan shoes, under which he has yellow socks.

"Yes, yes, please keep your posse in check." Arthur, the man in front of Cinder said as the two walked to her side. Mercury grunts and makes a move toward Watts, but Emerald holds him back. Do you hear that? Silence... I've half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you."

"If I were you, I'd hunt her down. He-He-He! Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?" Tyrian, the man beside her asked with a crazed grin and chuckle

Cinder just stares at Tyrian while he cackles at her. Cinder tries to speak but only manages to make quiet exhaling noises. Emerald leans in to hear her.

"Pathetic. Why did you even-!" Arthur stops as the door at the end opens and in walks the pale woman.

She glides alongside the table with soft footsteps before reaching the head of it, jewels jangling from her hair. Salem stops, facing away from them and toward a candle and crystal display. "Watts." She spoke as Watts straightens, looking toward her. "Do you find such malignance necessary?" She asks as she gestures for all to sit down."

"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure."

Salem sits followed by Arthur. "Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin. So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?"

"Well, the girl with the Silver Eyes. And that boy with spiky hair."

"Yes. We've dealt with their kind before. How is it a novice was able to best one of us?" Hazel, the other man asked crossing his arms.

"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power, it should have been effortless."

"It is because of the Maiden's power. Make no mistake, Cinder, you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment." Salem explained as Cinder is unhappy about this and lowers her head. "Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral."

"Very good." Watts nodded at that.

"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden." Salem continued as Tyrian laughed.

"Gladly."

"And Hazel, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

Hazel nodded. "As you wish."

Cinder raises a finger, but Emerald fails to notice this gesture for a moment. "Oh!" Emerald exclaimed and leaned in to hear her.

Cinder rasps into her ear, and Emerald straightens. "Speak, child."

"She wants to know... What about the girl?"

Watts scoffs at Emerald. "What about her? Seems to me that this is Cinder's problem, not ours."

Cinder slams her fist onto the table and glares at Watts, who grins at her before Salem spoke. "That's enough. Tyrian?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder." Tyrian giggles elatedly and claps. And bring her to me." Tyrian freezes groans disappointingly, pouts for a second, then looks back up at Salem with an acquiescent shrug. "Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And Haven will be next.

Everyone rises as Tyrian snickers at Cinder and points to his left eye. "Eye for an eye."

Tyrian goes into an uncontrollable fit of manic laughter, while Cinder grits her teeth.

Farm.

a boy with freckles and hazel eyes wakes up in a panic and sighs in relief after looking around. He emerges from the loft of a barn and climbs down a ladder. The boy is wearing patched khaki pants, a white shirt, and orange suspenders and gloves. Tucked into his pocket is an orange-based multi-colored cloth.

He opens the barn door to a peaceful country scene with a rising sun and birds tweeting. The White Mountains are a background to a dirt road, grass, a few trees, and a green water pump. He smiles and pumps water into a blue bucket. As his gaze wanders the landscape, he becomes distracted from the pump and utters a quiet sound of surprise upon realizing he has overfilled the bucket. His shoulders fall with a sigh.

Later, the boy is turning a green compost tumbler that is marked with a yellow crown bearing the initials CK. Later, while hoeing rows in a garden, he suddenly straightens up and looks out into the distance.

Naruto And Pyrrha.

Naruto drove down a dirt road on his motorcycle as Pyrrha held onto him from behind. "You alright?" He asked as he turned to the left and avoided a pothole.

"I've been better." She replied holding onto him as her black helmet shined with a glare from the sun.

"Yeah, a lot has happened these past couple of weeks."

"Like you getting a harem?"

"What?!" Naruto glanced back at that.

"Yeah, Nora told me she, Yang, Coco, and Velvet kissed you and agreed to be with you."

"I… Don't know what goes in that head of hers." He sighed as he turned to focus on his driving.

"Am I in?"

Naruto sighed again before looking back. "You wanna be?"

"Maybe."

"If you want," Naruto spoke again as he shifts into a higher gear. 'Same as in my old world.'

"Cept the Blonde is the only one with big tits."

"Thank you, Kurama."

"When are you gonna tell them?"

"When we're meeting up at that school, don't wanna repeat myself too much," Naruto replied as he came up to the gate of a small town.

Stopping, Naruto turned the engine off and kicked the kickstand down.

They walk through the village and see people buying fresh produce from a cart, standing and chatting on open balconies overlooking the roads, tending to their horses, and going about their daily lives peacefully. They walk up to a man with fair skin wearing a black suit and short cyane-colored hair and shook his hand. "Took care of the Grimm Ciane." (1.)

"Thanks, Naruto, they've been a nuisance with everything being down and most Huntsmen are busy."

"Ah, no problem, it's my hometown." Naruto turned and walked to a clothing store with Pyrrha.

Later, he walked out in a black uniform jacket with an orange zipper and buttons on the waist and sleeves, and dark orange pants. (2.)

Pyrrha followed by walking out wearing dark color armor of dark grey mixed with red with an orange sash the armor is a little bigger than her older being medium built with a small group of spikes on each shoulder and on her elbow protectors. She also has a helm that's the same color and leaves her face free. (3.)

"OK, one more stop," Naruto said as he walked to the back of the village.

Later, they came up to a small two-story house before Naruto knocked on the door.

And had a man open the door. He has blue eyes and spiky, blond hair. He also had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face making him look like an older version of Naruto. He's wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and black pants.

"Hey dad, mom home-!"

Naruto stopped as he was tackled in a bone-crushing hug by a woman.

She's a fair-skinned and slender woman of feminine build with violet eyes and red hair. Her hair is straight and reached her ankles with shoulder-length strands that framed both sides of her face and a black clip that parts her hair to the left. She's wearing a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard shinobi sandals.

"C-Can't breath!" Naruto grunted as he started to turn blue.

Later, Naruto explained to them that he was from another world and was reborn.

"We know," Minato explained as Naruto blinked.

"What?"

"We know," Kushina said from her spot at the kitchen table. "We got our memories back right before you started school at Beacon."

"Then why didn't you tell me?!"

"You didn't get your memory back yet," Minato replied before Naruto sighed and rubbed his hands.

"He also has a harem," Pyrrha said getting Naruto to stiffen as Kushina looked over.

"Here?"

"I guess though I didn't get a say as I did in the old world," Naruto explained leaning back in his seat as Minato crossed his arms.

"… Was this that old law the first two Hokages (Fire Shadows.) law thing when the villages were founded."

"Yeah."

"Who was with you there?" Kushina asked as Naruto leaned his head back.

"Hinata Hyūga, Ino Yamanaka, Tenten, Anko Mitarashi, Hana Inuzaka, Samui, Pakura, Mei Terumi, and Ameyuri those last four were helping peace as I saved them while I was out training for a few years, and during a mission after."

"Any redheads?" Kushina asked as Pyrrha raised her hand before Naruto spoke.

"Mei, and Ameyuri."

After conversing and telling his parents he'll be heading to Haven to get Pyrrha back to her team, Naruto unlocked his parent's chakra who wants to help in the upcoming battle and will meet him later after they train.

Outside the village, Naruto started his bike before Pyrrha got on. "Where to now?" She asked as Naruto looked back.

"Towards Haven and help anyone out for cash… Maybe visit Coco and Velvet first before moving forward at their new school." He replied before driving off past a sign.

MISTRAL HAVEN ACADEMY→

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. OC mayor for Naruto's hometown.

2 Naruto's The Last movie outfit.

3. An outfit Anubis thought of and he's currently looking for someone to draw it if you or anyone you know would, contact him or let us know via review.

Chapter 25

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Naruto And Pyrrha.

Naruto parked his motorcycle under a tree and turned it off before getting off, and pout his kickstand down. "Why are we stopping?"

Naruto turned to Pyrrha at that. "Taking a break, plus I gotta check on someone."

He walked across the road to a small house before walking in and saw Neo on a couch. Her clothing is torn up, especially on her jacket's left shoulder revealing a broad shoulder strap of her corset, her coattail, and leggings.

"How are you holding up Neo?" She opened her mouth and had raspy whispered something. "Don't worry Neo, your throat still needs practice for lack of a better word after healing from my powers." Naruto smiled as he walked in.

"Who's this Naruto?"

Naruto turned to see Pyrrha walking in. "Neo, I found her after taking you to the hospital after that attack."

"I don't remember seeing her at the attack."

"Because she was with the guy Ruby fought. It's OK." Naruto said as Pyrrha stiffened. "She won't attack as I saved her so she kinda owes me. Oh speaking of which." reaching in his coat, he pulled out a bowler cap. "Not sure if it's his, but here."

He tossed Neo the cap before she caught it. He turned before Neo hugged him from behind.

Ruby And The Others.

In a forest in Anima, Nora, and Ren argue about the name of their new team. Nora argues that it should be called Team JNRR (Junior) since it consists of three members of Team JNPR, but Ren thinks that it should be called Team RNJR (Ranger) as they are assisting Ruby. However, Jaune calls them to action as an enormous Grimm, made of boulders, bursts out of the foliage chasing Ruby.

The Grimm, known as a Geist, is capable of "possessing" inanimate objects, such as stones, and integrating pieces of the landscape into its body. Its stone body is impenetrable to attacks from Ren's StormFlower blades, and while Nora can remove one of its limbs with her hammer Magnhild, it simply replaces its lost limb with a nearby tree. Ruby attempts using Lightning and then Fire Dust ammunition against it, but these attacks prove to be equally ineffective.

Jaune, taking on a more strategic role in this fight, formulates a plan to take down the enemy by destroying all of its limbs at once, exposing its only vulnerability – its face. The group finishes the Geist with a coordinated team attack involving Ruby's Semblance and Nora's upgraded Magnhild, shattering its limbs. The Geist leaves its stone body, and once exposed, Ruby finishes it with a single shot from Crescent Rose.

Later.

The Mayor of the nearby village thanks Team RNJR for destroying the Geist, which had been attacking their village for weeks. Ruby offers to escort them to the safety of the walls of the Kingdom of Mistral, but the official declines, stating that the villagers are accustomed to their way of life and the journey would be too long for them to survive.

At a blacksmith's, Team RNJR accepts their payment in the form of a new set of armor and an upgraded Crocea Mors for Jaune. Continuing their journey to Haven Academy, the team leaves for the next village in high spirits, but Ruby grows somber at the mention of the Schnee Dust Company.

A Few Days Later.

Ruby, Jaune, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren come upon Shion hoping to use its airship only to discover that the town has been destroyed. The only survivor is a dying Huntsman who shares that the town was attacked by bandits and the ensuing panic brought in the Grimm. He dies soon after letting RNJR know what destroyed the town, and when Ren and Nora start to leave, they discover a hoof print on the ground that they recognize.

Blake.

Blake watches the ocean water as she journeys on a passenger ship. As the trip continues she jumps at minor noises several times. The Captain of the ship approaches her, looking to befriend her and learn her story. He quickly realizes to his amusement that she would rather be left alone. After he departs, Blake removes her bow and lets the ribbon loose on the water.

She turns, not seeing the hooded figure watching her, or the moving scales in the water.

Yang.

At her home in Patch, Yang watches the news on television. Updates are provided on the lack of access to Vale, the efforts to restore the CCT, and that Adam Taurus was confirmed as present during the Grimm attack on Vale. Yang reacts to seeing Adam on the news and turns it off as Taiyang Long returns home with several packages.

Blake.

Blake realizes that someone has been watching her when a Sea Feilong Grimm attacks the boat. She immediately goes into action, as does the boat Captain. The hooded figure is revealed to be Sun Wukong when he tosses off his disguise to join in on the action. Blake is not happy to see him, but she accepts his help.

As the fight continues, the Sea Feilong reveals its hidden wings within its dorsal fin and attacks from the air, sending electric blasts at the ship and the two combatants. However, the Captain comes up with a plan, and together they take out the Grimm. Everyone onboard the ship celebrates. Blake, however, wants answers from Sun, after giving him a solid slap to the face.

Sun states that he had been following her ever since she left Vale the night Beacon Tower fell and he figured that she was on a one-woman mission to attack the White Fang and would need help. Blake reveals that she is just going home to Menagerie so that she can think things through. For better or worse, Sun is coming along.

Salem's Castle.

Inside Salem's meeting room, Cinder Fall and Salem sit alone at the table. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai wait by the door. Cinder is breathing heavily with effort while Salem has her right hand casually held out. "Do you feel it? Don't fight it, girl. It can sense your trepidation. You must make it dread you."

A soft clicking sound makes Cinder turn toward the door. All is blackness but for a slowly moving forward yellow glow. It is revealed to be inside a jellyfish-based Grimm with long red tentacles and a black and white body.

Emerald and Mercury react fearfully to it and pull back as it enters. It glides its way over to Salem at the head of the table. Once the Seer Grimm reaches her side, she leans closer to it. After a moment, she puts her hands together. "Cinder, I am going to ask you this one more time, and I expect a clear answer.

"Did you kill Ozpin?" Cinder holds her arm out, about to call Emerald over to speak for her. Salem slams both hands onto the table, eyes glowing as she speaks. "No! I want to hear you say it.

Cinder rasping a few times first before speaking hoarsely. "Yes."

Salem looks at her for a long moment before speaking. to the Seer Grimm. "Reinforce our numbers at Beacon. The Relic is there."

The Seer Grimm glides away. At the door, Emerald and Mercury draw away from it just as they did before. Salem turns her head thoughtfully, looking in the direction away from Cinder and bringing her fingers to her chin. "What are you planning?"

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Chapter 26

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Naruto's House.

In the bathroom, Neo was taking a shower washing her hair as the bowler hat was on the sink.

Downstairs, Naruto was talking to Pyrrha. "Are you sure you can trust her?"

"Yep," Naruto said as they sat at the kitchen table. "Besides, from that attack, we can use all the help we can get."

"Wasn't she a part of it?"

"I also saved her so she owed me. Besides, that Roman prick is dead and she seems to be loyal to him and not the White Fang." Naruto replied as he stood before Neo walked down the steps. "Welp. we gotta meet up with Coco then head out to Haven if you wanna help."

Neo nodded before speaking in a raspy voice. "O…K…"

Naruto smiled at her getting her to blush before they walked outside and got on the motorcycle. "Oh, so I don't forget…" Naruto handed her a paper with an odd seal on it. "As soon as I get my powers trained, that'll have me come to you… I gotta meet a blacksmith to make kunai so you can call me if you're in trouble."

She smiled at him before he took off as she looked to see a carport at the house with another motorcycle on it.

A Few Days Later, Vale Train Station.

"You're going that far?"

Naruto asked Coco who nodded. "Yeah, I still wanna finish school."

"With what's goin' on, that'd be a little hard," Naruto spoke before Coco leaned against him to give a peck on his lips. "Why not Haven?"

"No openings." She replied before Naruto reached around to squeeze her cheeks.

"Well, I got a way to get to you and help get you back if we need the help." He reached up with his right hand and gave her the paper. "Maybe you can even help me with my clothes. Incorporate my favorite color in them."

"Gladly." She smiled as Naruto walked to Velvet who looked away from him.

"Oh come on, Velvet… I don't blame you for what happened."

"But-" He silenced her with a kiss and a grope of her ass.

"It's OK, you and Blake have too nice of an ass to be mad at." She blushed at that before he walked back as the train came to the platform.

Oscar.

(A/N: This is canon, feel free to skip.)

Oscar finishes his work on the farm and walks back into the barn with his tools when he notices something in the mirror. Looking at his reflection, he nervously calls out. "Hello?"

"Hello! I'm Professor Ozpi-!" Ozpin stopped as Oscar jumped back before hearing a woman call him outside.

Later, Oscar is reading a book until his aunt calls him to dinner. Just as he gets up to leave his room, Ozpin's voice tells him that they have to leave. Oscar argues with Ozpin about his situation and tries to rationalize Ozpin's presence as him losing his mind, but Ozpin tells him that he is sane. Ozpin continues to talk about how Oscar's and his souls are linked and the importance of getting to Haven Academy.

Yang.

Hearing noises from downstairs, Yang heads to the kitchen to find Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port enjoying a drink with Taiyang. Joining them, she learns that Glynda Goodwitch is still performing repairs on Vale and that Oobleck and Port are taking a brief rest.

Relaxing after laughing with her father and the professors, Yang returns to her room. Looking out her window, she sees her father saying goodbye to Port and Oobleck. The professors ask Taiyang if he plans to go after Ruby, who has not contacted her father since she left. Taiyang replies, glancing up at Yang's room, stating that he has some things to look after.

The next morning, the two start training and working on her arm which still acts up from the injury.

Team RNJR.

Team RNJR is on the road, approaching the village of Higanbana, which is well-protected and has an inn they can stay at. They comment on how they have not encountered many Grimm on their trip, deciding they have a lot of luck. Unbeknownst to them, Qrow Branwen is watching from a cliff-face above, having killed several Grimm that were stalking the team. He turns to notice a raven staring at him. After a moment, it flies off after Team RNJR.

Later.

In Higanbana, Qrow stays at a bar across the street from the inn. He is served a drink he did not order, which the waitress explains is from a lady upstairs with "red eyes". He goes up the stairs and is met by Raven Branwen, his sister, and Yang's mother. Raven wants to find out if Salem has Ozpin's relic, but Qrow is more interested in criticizing her for not being there for her daughter, as well as her leading the tribe of bandits that attacked Shion.

Raven, in turn, chastises him for leaving the tribe behind, their "family", a term Qrow objects to her using to describe "killers and thieves." Not giving her an answer she likes, Qrow asks if she can tell him where the Spring Maiden is. Raven refuses to answer and exits through one of her portals, leaving an annoyed Qrow and a startled waitress. Noticing the waitress' presence, Qrow asks her to make his drink a double.

Blake And Sun.

Blake and Sun arrive at Menagerie, where Sun is noticeably surprised by how crowded it is. The two make their way to the largest visible building and knock on the door, resulting in Blake being reunited with Kali and Ghira Belladonna, her mother and father, respectively. The four share tea while the Belladonna family catches up on what Blake has been doing, during which Blake's parents express great relief at her return, but have mixed feelings toward Sun, who is noticeably nervous.

Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Corsac and Fennec Albain, two representatives of the White Fang, who reveal that Ghira is the former leader of the organization. Their conversation is quickly interrupted by Blake and Sun, who are distressed at Ghira talking to members of the organization who contributed to Beacon's fall.

Ghira demands the truth from the White Fang representatives, who pass the actions off as those of a splinter group led by Adam Taurus. They offer to show him their plans to take action against the Vale branch, but Ghira sends them away to spend time with his daughter instead. Before the two leave, they also offer Blake an opportunity to return to the White Fang, mentioning the possible delight of another member named Ilia Amitola as they do so.

The Albains, as they walk away, comment on Blake's presence as an interesting development and decide to tell Adam Taurus about her, revealing that they are not actually at odds with him.

Higanbana.

The waitress was cleaning up before Tyrian walked up to her with a grin. "Excuse me. I was hoping you could... help me find someone."

Team RNJR.

Team RNJR came to an abandoned town and Ren explained the town was trying to become its own Mountain Glenn as the richest of Minstrel didn't like the way it was run and tried to create their town. As well as his parents were there before just one Grimm wiped the town out. As they walked, they suddenly tensed and pulled their weapons out as Tyrian jumped in.

He immediately takes out his weapons in a seamless motion and, laughing eagerly, moves to attack Ruby. Ren intervenes, StormFlower clashing with Tyrian's claw blades. Ren attempts to both kick and shoot Tyrian, but he dodges. The two have a couple more attacks and parries until Tyrian kicks Ren several feet away.

Tyrian turns to go after Ruby again, who rushes forward with Crescent Rose to meet him. Tyrian uses his blades to block the scythe and kicks Ruby backward. She easily remains upright and they clash again. Tyrian manages to land a strike on Ruby's right arm, causing her to cry out at the pain and him to laugh.

She doesn't break stride however and leaps back to take a swing at him with her scythe. He dodges and then lands a moving blow against the body of Crescent Rose, causing a red shimmer to cross her Aura in the area of the strike. Jaune steps in at that moment and Tyrian climbs onto his shield and grins at him.

Nora rushes in with Magnhild, but Tyrian just leaps from Jaune's shield to her hammer and up through the top story of a narrow, rectangular building. Holding himself up with his feet on wooden frames to either side of him, Tyrian looks down at Team RNJR as Jaune yells up. "We're not looking for a fight!"

"Who are you?" Ren asks as Tyrian leans forward, drops from the tower, does a front flip, and lands on his feet in front of them.

"Who I am matters not to you. Or you. Or... Well... you do interest me." He said pointing to Jaune who gasps nervously. "No, I only matter to you." He points to Ruby, and the rest of RNJR turns to look at her. She tilts her head in confusion.

"Me?"

Tyrian breaks down into laughter. "You, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be."

"What do you want?" Ruby asks as Tyrian begins acting dramatically in response to her tone of voice.

"Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flower, I'm here to whisk you away with me!"

"Well, what if she doesn't want to go with you?" Nora yelled gripping her weapon.

He stares for a moment with his lips scrunched up before answering. "Well, I'll take her."

Jaune walks over and stands between him and Ruby, his shield held in front of him. "We're not going to let you do that."

Tyrian closes his eyes and inhales through his teeth. His eyes slowly open, and he happily growls a single word with a dark grin. "Good."

Delighted that they're willing to fight, Tyrian moves fast to attack Jaune from behind before Ren yells shooting. "Jaune!

Ren deliberately shoots Jaune's shield so that the ricochet hits Tyrian. Tyrian covers his eyes with his arm and then cartwheels onto Jaune's shield, using his claw blades to spin in the air against it. Ruby steps in to face Tyrian on his descent, but he just kicks her to the side. She regains her ground by using Crescent Rose to steady herself.

Jaune takes a swing with his sword at Tyrian, but he simply dodges and kicks him away as well. His next move is to run toward Nora. From across the way, Ruby grins and shoots Nora with lightning Dust. It passes just over Tyrian's left shoulder, and he turns as he senses it. Nora gets knocked down when the bolt makes contact, dropping Magnhild in the process.

Mistaking the move for an error on Ruby's part, Tyrian gives Nora a baffled stare and laughs while Ren, Jaune, and Ruby simply watch and wait before speaking. "Well, if that isn't ironic."

He senses something is up and loses his mirth. With a determined, satisfied grin, a now upright and supercharged Nora rushes Tyrian from behind, moving over his right shoulder and coming before him just in time to hit him with Magnhild. The blast from the contact has the other three covering their eyes from the backwash of dust and air, Jaune taking cover behind his shield.

The air clears to reveal a perfectly fine Tyrian in a crouch, using his now unveiled scorpion tail to block Magnhild. He giggles and curls his fingers at Nora. "Surprise."

He kicks Nora twice in the face before leaping backward and upward onto a roof, leaving his coat behind. "He's... a Faunus," Ren said seeing Tyrian's tail.

"What is this about? The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?" Ruby asked the man.

"Plastic soldiers and pawns. My heart and body belong only to our goddess!"

"Cinder..."

"Hmph, only in her wildest dreams," Tyrian said with a roll of his eyes.

Tyrian leaps back into the fray. He uses his tail to knock Crescent Rose down. Though surprised, Ruby doesn't lose her grip on it. The two both attack each other and miss until Tyrian kicks Ruby backward again. Tyrian uses his tail to go after Ren before finally kicking him away and attacking Jaune next. A crow flies determinedly toward the fray while Tyrian kicks Jaune back and then Nora, and then Ren returns for more only to leap away again.

Without missing a beat, Tyrian lets Ren be and goes after Ruby again. In quick succession, he delivers a right hook to her face and a left blow to her torso, causing red shimmers on her Aura on her head and chest respectively. He turns and swings his tail to knock her back into the air. She flies back several feet and he rushes forward to meet her before she lands.

While Ruby's still in midair, he kicks her right in the abdomen, causing a large red shimmer over her abdomen and hips. The incoming crow turns into Qrow Branwen who keeps running forward after landing. Tyrian approaches Ruby on the ground and raises his stinger, his eyes turning dark purple. Nora, who is comforting a fallen Ren, and Jaune both look on in horror.

Laughing, Tyrian is about to strike with his scorpion tail when Qrow bursts through a building and inserts himself between them, holding his weapon behind his back. He lets out a nervous giggle of surprise while Ruby and Qrow make eye contact and smile at each other. "Hey."

Tyrian pulls his tail back as Qrow turns around, swinging his weapon and holding it at the ready by his side before Tyrian mock bowed. "As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman has entered the fray!"

Ruby gets up and sets Crescent Rose on its end while Qrow glances back at her. "I don't know, this guy's weird."

Qrow turned to look at Tyrian. "Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone."

"Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked with a confused look.

"Salem."

"Who?"

"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?"

Tyrian assumes a crouching position as Qrow narrows his eyes. "You took the words right out of-"

Tyrian rushes Qrow before he can finish voicing the thought and the two begin fighting. Qrow blocks two strikes with Harbinger, then slashes at Tyrian who jumps trying to pierce Qrow as he lands. Qrow dodges then swings but Tyrian back-flips away and rushes back in. The two clash as Tyrian goes flying, he comes to a stop digging his weapons into the ground.

He ducks to avoid a slash from Qrow then leaps aside to dodge a horizontal strike. He follows up with a slash, using the force to transition into a kick that Tyrian slides under, then the Faunus tries to strike his back but it is stopped. Tyrian attacks again as Qrow parries several thrusts of his tail. As Tyrian blocks a downward strike pinning him on his knees a roof gets damaged by the shock-wave and Tyrian uses The Queen's Servant built-in guns to get free.

As Qrow blocks the shots with Harbinger Tyrian circles him firing a steady barrage, Ren and Nora join in, but Tyrian catches their sneak attack and dodges then easily knocks them away. He moves to chase them as the two land back near Jaune and Ruby, but Qrow intervenes to hold him back. "Don't come closer!" Qrow warned as he dashed to fight again.

"Fine!" Ruby yelled as she took Crescent Rose to the top of a building and waited for an opening to shoot Tyrian.

However, both he and Qrow move too fast for her to get a clear shot. Ruby grimaces in frustration. Qrow blocks a jab from Tyrian"s tail then counters, Tyrian parries before retaliating with a slash followed by a kick. Qrow ducks before swinging three times as the Faunus avoids them all, before using his tail as a spring to gain altitude as he opens fire again.

Qrow blocks the attack fires a shot of his own then dodges another thrust. Tyrian manages to use his tail to disarm Qrow flinging the sword away as he rubs his wrist. This slows things down enough for Ruby to repeatedly shoot at him from the roof, but after the first shot misses an amused Tyrian just deflects each with his tail.

Qrow curls his hand into a fist then switches to punching Tyrian in the face. He groans in pain backing up before Qrow lands a few more hits. With a final kick, he manages to send Tyrian flying and casually moves to retrieve Harbinger from where it is embedded in a wall. A frustrated Tyrian waits crouched until Qrow has his back turned before striking, but Qrow merely leaps on top of his weapon and partially changes it to scythe mode.

Using the gun barrels he propels himself to a rooftop, Tyrian follows as their battle continues. They appear evenly matched until Qrow notices a damaged beam. He tricks Tyrian into landing on it and the Faunus descends into the building and uses his tail to drag Qrow down, too. As the two lands, the remaining roof collapses inward.

This is enough to make Ruby decide to no longer stay back. Staring at the dust cloud in concern she descends to street level. Just as she reaches the building, Qrow comes crashing out through a wall, his body bouncing. He tosses Harbinger which lands with its blade in the ground, and Qrow perches atop it. Red flickers of damaged Aura move over his body twice.

Tyrian comes out of the floating dust and grime inside the building, purple flickers moving across his body. As the two begin to strike again, Ruby jumps in between and deflects Tyrian's blades with Crescent Rose. "Ruby!"

Ren held Jaune back from moving forward as Tyrian looked over. "Do you wish to be taken?"

"No! But I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!"

Both Qrow and Ruby move in to attack Tyrian who parries both weapons and the three clash. He kicks Qrow away then shoots and jabs at Ruby with his tail, she blocks and tries to counter but the blow is knocked aside. His eyes are purple again, Tyrian closes in and almost gets her with his stinger, but Qrow blocks it. "Ruby! What did I say?! Get back!"

"This is my fight, too!"

"She attacks Tyrian while he's still locked blade-to-blade with Qrow, but his legs arch away from the swing of Crescent Rose. "No, it's not that. It's-" Qrow stopped as Ruby attacked again, and Tyrian moved to her.

He flips and sends her back with a two-footed kick. She slides closer to the building and gains her ground, but the wooden beams near the roof have been shaken up too much and a heavy one breaks and descends upon her. Qrow slices it in half so it falls in pieces to either side of Ruby without touching her. She smiles at him in gratitude and affection, and he raises his head from his stance to look at her, only to gasp in pain as he is immediately cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger.

Tyrian chuckles while everyone but Ruby pauses in shock. She, however, immediately cuts off the stinger from the rest of Tyrian's tail. It bounces, spurting purple liquid, to the ground. Tyrian reels back and cries out from the pain. Standing, he whirls to face Ruby, infuriated. "You bitch!"

He takes a couple of steps forward but is off balance. Nora, Ren, and Jaune all move to block his path to Ruby and Qrow. Tyrian takes a few awkward steps, not engaging before whispering to himself. "She'll forgive you."

He runs away as Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapses to one knee and clutches at the wound, panting heavily before Ruby runs over. "Uncle Qrow! Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine. He just grazed me."

"He pulls his shaking hand away to show the blood on it. The other three arrive at his side.

"Who was that guy?"

"How did you get here?"

"Why are people after Ruby?"

"Uncle Qrow? What's going on?" Ruby asked as Qrow, breathing heavily and clutching his abdomen again, looked at her. "What's your favorite fairy tale?"

Later that night, at a campfire, Qrow explained the true story of the Maidens. While they try to comprehend the things said, Jaune Arc is noticeably upset at the realization that they tried to force Pyrrha Nikos to become a Maiden. Qrow rebuts by stating that Pyrrha made the choice herself.

With the topic seemingly dropped, Ruby decides to ask Qrow questions on why Tyrian was after her, which escalates into Jaune asking how that was connected to the attack on Beacon and everything else. With a heavy sigh, Qrow tells an ancient tale about one of Remnant's religions.

According to what Ozpin told him, there were once two brothers. During the day the older sibling created life, while during the night the younger sibling attempted to destroy everything his brother had made. The younger brother's action proved ineffective at first, though in time, he created the creatures of Grimm.

The two brothers eventually decided to make peace with one another, by creating together the Human race, beings that could choose to do good or evil. The Human race was bestowed with knowledge, choice, creation, and destruction. These were not gifted merely metaphorically, but physically as well in the form of four Relics. Each of the four Huntsman Academies was tasked with keeping safe one of the four powers, and Salem's goal was to possess all of them.

Team RNJR expresses uncertainty about the things they were told and confusion about what to do next. Deciding after some advice from Qrow that the best course of action was to continue on their path, Ruby is left to ask Qrow a final question. Why did he follow them in secret instead of just joining them? After some pushing for an answer by Ruby and Nora, Qrow reveals the nature of his Semblance: misfortune to those around him.

He walks away from the group, ending the long discussion, but not before noticing a raven landing in a tree nearby.

Blake.

Blake can be seen on the balcony outside of her father's office being approached by Kali carrying a set of tea. Her mother picks up on Blake's nervousness to go chat with her father and gives her the tray before seeking out Sun Wukong to hear more stories about Team RWBY that her daughter most likely would have described in less detail.

Blake does manage to muster the courage to approach her father, during which they share several moments of awkward small talk before Blake reveals the reason for her nervousness. When her parents decided to leave the White Fang, she called them cowards, among other things and stayed with the faction.

Ghira comforts his daughter, reassuring her that everything is fine neither he nor Kali held any ill will for her and that they are both so proud of her for her strength in not going down the wrong path. When Ghira asks why she left her team behind, they are interrupted by Sun crashing through the balcony door.

Later, Blake repeatedly slaps Sun in the face for his earlier interruption and invasion of privacy. He tries several times to warn her that he saw a masked White Fang member after Kali informs him the masks were not part of the attire worn by the Menagerie branch. Sun attempts to show her an image from his Scroll, but in her anger, Blake throws Sun's Scroll into the trees.

The Scroll hits a lurking female Faunus, dressed in black and wearing a white mask. She flees and is quickly chased by Blake, who is outraged at being spied upon. Sun follows quickly, giving a worried Kali a very hurried explanation before departing.

Blake and Sun chase the spy as Sun uses his clones to hold her down while Blake retrieves the spy's Scroll, breaking her mask in the process. The spy is revealed to be Ilia Amitola, a Faunus from Blake's past. Ilia wounds Sun and informs Blake that she should never have returned. After Ilia disappears, Blake races to Sun, who is unconscious and bleeding. She covers the wound with her hand and cries out for help.

RNJR Qrow Morning.

"(Cough-Cough!)"

Team RNJR woke up to a coughing Qrow, where they all realized with horror that Tyrian's tail, much like his animal counterpart, was venomous. Qrow's abdomen is leaking purple fluid and he is coughing it up. "Well… That's unfortunate." He joked before leaning back against the tree.

Yang.

Taiyang and Yang spar with Zwei watching. Tai gains the upper hand and gives his daughter a speech about how her Semblance is a temper tantrum that she has been using without considering how much it can exhaust her. He accuses her of always trying to brute force her way through problems, which puts her at a disadvantage.

He also opens up about Raven, revealing the traits he admired about her that he also sees in Yang. Tai mentions that her flaws were what broke up Team STRQ. The two spar again, this time Yang using the same balance trick on Tai that he had pulled on her, and he smiles in approval.

Team RNJR.

Ruby and Jaune are carrying Qrow on a stretcher with Ren leading the way and Nora guarding the rear of the party. They come to a fork in the road and have to choose between the easier path that leads to a destroyed village, or the mountainous route that goes to Mistral. They reluctantly decide to split up to increase their chances of finding aid for Qrow. Ren and Nora take the mountain path while Jaune and Ruby carry Qrow toward the reportedly destroyed town of Kuroyuri.

Oscar.

Oscar, now wearing a backpack, is walking along a dirt road away from the farm he was at. He stops and looks over his shoulder, then faces forward, adjusts the backpack, and resumes walking. "I'm sorry." He heard Ozpin's voice making him sigh.

"You know... The weirdest part is how it feels. Leaving home is crazy. Going to the city is crazy. Everything you've told me is completely crazy. But it doesn't feel crazy anymore. It feels like I'm doing the right thing."

"Well... I suppose that's good."

"No. It's scary." Oscar bows his head as he speaks, then lifts his head and looks nervously at the sky as thunder crackles in the distance. He quickens his pace down the road.

Later, at a train station in a storm, Oscar hurries to the covered platform, holding his hands over his head. When he gets there, he walks up to a large machine with a screen on it, which reads:

"Welcome! Scan Lien to begin."

He rests a Lien card against a scanner. The screen displays an error message that reads:

"ERROR Unable to complete the request. REASON GIVEN: Insufficient Funds (Code: 726)"

"Stupid thing. I'm assuming whatever weird magic this is doesn't come with an infinite supply of money?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to solve this one on your own," Ozpin said as Oscar suddenly became more alert.

"Huh?"

"Be on your guard," Ozpin whispered as Oscar blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Hazel Rainart is walking toward Oscar. "Here."

Oscar turns his attention to Hazel, who continues to approach him. Hazel stops near the machine and raises his fist. In response, Oscar flinches away and widens his eyes, uttering a small noise. Hazel then slams his fist down on the machine, which beeps and makes the sound of dispensing paper, while Oscar straightens up and stares.

As Hazel moves his fist, the machine spits out a small ticket. While Hazel walks away, Oscar picks the ticket up and then looks at him. Hazel then stops and looks back at him. "Don't let such a small obstacle block your path." He resumes his way, while Oscar watches.

"That man. I felt... Who is he?" Oscar asks as a train whistle goes off.

"Someone from my past. Someone who should not be taken lightly."

On the other side of the train tracks, the silver-gray train arrives. Its engine has glowing cyan markings, each in the form of two parallel lines with a series of evenly-spaced diagonal lines connecting them.

Team RNJR.

Jaune and Ruby arrive in Kuroyuri, carrying Qrow. The village is desolate, and they comment about Ren's unwillingness to be there. Jaune and Ruby do not find medicine and return to where they left Qrow propped against a tree. The ominous cry of a Grimm in the distance causes them to react, though there is no current threat.

Ruby feels the burden of having brought so many people into this situation but Jaune refuses to accept her apology, telling her that she gave all of them courage by doing what she is doing despite so much loss.

Up with Ren and Nora, they happen upon a cave in the mountains after a Shion flag hits Ren in the face. Inside it are the scattered weapons from battles and dried-black blood, as well as the hoof-print of the Nuckelavee. Among the weapons, Ren finds one of his father's arrows. Through the other side of the cave, they can see movement in the trees below.

Land Of Darkness.

In the Land of Darkness, Cinder Fall trains under Salem's guidance in using her Maiden powers. Tyrian returns, fearful of displeasing Salem by not returning with Ruby Rose. He defends his failure by informing her that he poisoned Qrow. Salem tells him that he disappointed her, and Tyrian takes out his grief on a Beowolf, much to Cinder's horror.

Blake.

Sun Wukong wakes up on a couch in Ghira Belladonna's study. Blake Belladonna is there, greatly upset about his injury and extolling about this exact thing being why she left the rest of Team RWBY behind. She had learned to love them, now missing them every day and hoping they hate her for leaving, accepting the consequences.

Sun points out that she is not being selfless like she thinks, saying that shutting her caring friends out hurts more than any enemy-inflicted injury. He overexerts his arm and then winces in pain, which manages to get a laugh out of Blake. Kali Belladonna falls into the room, clearly having just been eavesdropping.

Ghira delivers the news learned from Ilia's Scroll that Adam is planning a repeat of the Fall of Beacon at Haven Academy after overthrowing Sienna Khan. Blake declares that the best course of action is to take the White Fang back into their leadership.

Yang.

Yang gets ready to leave on her motorcycle. Taiyang Xiao Long arrives to wish her well in person, and ask if she is going to see Raven Branwen, or go after her sister in Mistral.

RNJR.

Ren and Nora run I the town and see that Ruby and Jaune are alright before hearing a screech as a Grimm comes inside.

It's a horse-like creature with an equine main body and a skinless humanoid creature that was fused with it. Its forelegs are shaped like claws and it has hooved hind legs. The humanoid body has long curved horns on its head, a mouth that looks almost sewn shut, and two long elastic arms each with two clawed fingers. On the back of the human torso are bony spikes along its spine and a variety of weapons stuck in it.

All four teenagers have their weapons out, Ruby having fired at the Grimm repeatedly with Crescent Rose. They end up falling back near the dead cherry tree and regaining their footing. The Nuckelavee comes closer, lifts its torso upright, and lets out a roar that sends out a sound wave. All four flinch from it.

While the Grimm straightens its head, Jaune sheaths his sword and runs to retrieve Qrow from the tree. The creature lashes out its arm, which can stretch much further than its apparent arm size would suggest, and Jaune has to dive and roll to avoid being grabbed. He manages to get Qrow upright, but the Nuckelavee is galloping right toward them.

Ren uses his Semblance, pressing his palm to the ground, to hide Jaune and Qrow from its sight, creating a shimmering desaturation effect. The Nuckelavee stops and looks around, trying to find where its prey went. At Ren's urging, Jaune walks away with Qrow. Nora distracts the creature by firing at it from Magnhild.

The creature roars, the horse rears and it goes after Nora. Battle noises can be heard while Jaune hides Qrow. Jaune rejoins the fight to see Ruby shooting at the creature and getting slapped into the ground by one of its extended hands. Nora is grabbed next. The Nuckelavee lets them both go and turns around when Ren fires at it from its other side with StormFlower.

It uses both hands to grab both of Ren's and prevent more shots as Jaune calls out advice for them all to move in a circle around it. Easily distracted, the Nuckelavee lets go of Ren when Nora fires at him. The team follows Jaune's advice and they circle their enemy, those with firepower firing and Jaune coming in to slash at the foreleg with his sword.

The Nuckelavee uses its hind hooves to kick Jaune back, and he lands near Ruby. He sheathes his sword and releases the side blades out of the shield, wielding Crocea Mors as a single weapon. Ruby fires as Jaune runs in, and he lands a successful slash on one of the hindlegs. The horse portion of the beast roars while the torso uprights and its head cocks to look at Jaune a bit stunned

It extends both its arms and swings them around, creating a rotary attack that knocks aside Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Ruby in that order. When it pulls back its arms, the torso curls in on itself, and the spines on its back extend several inches further out. The Nuckelavee roars into the sky, causing Jaune and Ruby to cover their ears.

Ren runs up the cherry tree and fires from one of the heavier branches. He is immediately pushed against a building wall by one of the creature's hands. Nora calls to Ruby for an assist and running toward her, she jumps onto the flat side of the scythe on Crescent Rose. Ruby spins and uses the momentum and the recoil of a fired shot to send Nora outward in time for her to prevent the Nuckelavee's secondhand killing of Ren.

Nora ends up dangling by her grip on Magnhild, which is pressed into the wall of the same building, slightly higher up than Ren. The creature twitches and jerks, flinging Nora about by Magnhild until she crashes into the ground, the impact enough to reduce her Aura. Ren slashes the blades of StormFlower at the wrist of the hand holding him to the wall.

He follows by sinking them into the Grimm's flesh and firing repeatedly at the arm. Jaune comes up from behind the creature and slashes at its hindleg again. It roars but does not release Ren. Ren digs in with his blade again and uses the leverage to shove the hand off of him. He lands on his back but quickly bounces onto his feet and runs in slashing at the arms.

It knocks him back, but Ren does not relent, running in yet again despite Jaune's caution not to. The Nuckelavee grabs Ren, slaps him on the ground, causing him to lose his grip on StormFlower, and flings him to land next to Nora. Ren's Aura also depletes, and he collapses next to her. Nora pushes herself up, and after a moment so does Ren.

His intent is entirely on the creature but Nora tackles him before he can do more and drags him under the nearby building. Jaune uses Crocea Mors to block the Nuckelavee's front hooves from its forward gallop toward Ren and Nora. It pushes him down and follows by extending its arm out behind him to Ruby, attempting to snatch her.

She evades by jumping onto a roof and firing at it and has to jump out of the way again as it makes a second attempt to snatch her. Nora holds Ren back when he attempts to rejoin the fight. She slaps him to make him listen to her about recklessness and the two of them working together. He heeds her words and takes out the knife his father gave him as a child from where it hid in his boot.

They emerge from under the building together, Nora picking up Magnhild. Jaune and Ruby are soon by their side. Ruby initiates a plan for each to attack different parts of the Grimm. Nora jumps to a roof and Ruby shoots from other rooftops, baiting the Nuckelavee into using its arms to try to snatch her. She succeeds in maneuvering it so that she uses the tip of her scythe to pin one of its arms into the ground.

While the creature flinches and rages, Ren's knife boomerangs into its flank. It turns and attempts to snatch Jaune. However, using Jaune's shield, Ren launches from the roof to force the limb to the ground before it can touch him. Jaune runs in and uses his sword to stab through the arm and hold it to the ground.

From the roof, Nora free falls and spins to smash Magnhild into the horse's head and eliminate that portion of the creature. Restrained and half-destroyed, the Nuckelavee's roars of anguish continue but weaken. Ren walks up to it and takes his knife back, slashing more at the flesh in the motion. He stands before it and its humanoid head looks back at him.

It roars into Ren's face, but the roar is too weak and does not even cause Ren to flinch. Ren detaches the arm held in place by Jaune. He grabs the Nuckelavee's right horn to hold it off as he spins to detach the arm held in place by Ruby. He follows with a slash to the body of the flailing torso and finally finishes by decapitating it as the Grimm dies in a large pillar of black smoke.

Ruby runs into the alley where Qrow was left during the fight. She breathes a sigh of relief that he is still alive. "It's quiet. Good job, kiddo."

"Guys! I think I hear something!" Jaune yelled as they saw airships landing in the courtyard. A man in a brown flight suit with an air tank on his back carries Qrow on a green stretcher with Ruby walking alongside them, her hand on Qrow's shoulder. The two rescue ships take off with everyone on board. "How did you find us out here?"

"We were on patrol and saw the smoke. Nobody's been out here for years, thought something might be wrong."

Ruby crouched by Qrow and held his hand. "What if we don't make it in time?"

"Ruby," Jaune spoke as she looked up and saw the flourishing city before them.

"We made it, Uncle Qrow."

Nora and Ren sit on the edge of the open rescue airship, their legs dangling. Nora is looking out at the city, feeling happy. Ren is watching her and begins smiling.

City.

Ruby walks into a double bed accommodation room. It has barren furnishings: two beds, a large desk, and a nightstand. Qrow sleeps under the blankets of one of the beds. Ruby sets the collapsed Crescent Rose on the empty bed and walks over to Qrow, putting her hand on his head. She walks over and sits at the desk, picking up the pen and writing on the notepad.

Later, Bar.

Qrow fully healed sat at a bar holding Ozpin's cane.

"Excuse me?"

Qrow turns around to face Oscar. "You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."

Oscar looks at his left arm as it moves. "Shut up, I'm getting there." Qrow gives him a questioning look at that. "Um, I'm supposed to tell you, I'd like my cane back?"

Qrow's eyes widen for a moment in surprise. "It's good to see you again, Oz."

Qrow withdraws Ozpin's Cane in its compact mode and tosses it to Oscar, who presses a button on the hilt, extending the baton. Oscar grasps the baton with the other hand, surprised, before looking at Qrow with a determined face.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Sorry for the long canon exposition, just wanted to show where we're at story wise.

Chapter 27

Notes:

Here's a mass update for the holiday, to those that celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Haven.

"I'm coming!"

Ruby yelled out as both Yang and Weiss were in the room with the others with Naruto's team.

Yang's wearing a tan jacket with orange lining and gold edging unzipped halfway to show an orange crop top. The coat has darker brown short sleeves, a thick collar that completely encircles her neck, and two long gold-trimmed rectangular tails. She also has fitted black pants, and around her hips and over the tails of her coat is a brown belt, which has two pieces of dark brown material trimmed in gold attached to it.

The first covers from her left hip to the back of the belt and is folded over the belt, and the second is attached from the right hip and almost around to the other piece of material. She has on knee-high brown boots with gold caps on the heel and toe, with the heel cap attached to a gold strap across the front of her ankle and a gold zipper on the upper half of the front of the boots.

A single small buckled strap is on the upper outside of her boots, and a purple bandanna is tied around her left knee. A pair of black fingerless gloves with long brown cuffs reaching mid-forearm complete the outfit.

Weiss is wearing a short, glittering dress with a color gradation of gray-blue to pale blue at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, and a white, tulle petticoat. A white sash is wrapped multiple times around her waist, and over the outfit is worn a slightly sheer long-sleeved gray-blue bolero fastened at the collar with a large sapphire broach that has three pendants dangling from it. Printed on the back of the shrug is the Schnee Crest. Completing her attire are gray-blue wedge heels and sapphire drop earrings.

Haru's wearing a black tux with a white undershirt.

Natsu's wearing a black coat with a hood up, matching pants, and red armor on his arms with red boots.

Shiki's wearing a black bodysuit with some silver armor over his chest shoulders and waist with matching knee-high boots. He also has a black metallic-looking eyepatch over his left eye after losing it in the battle of Beacon.

Ruby looks and gasps as she drops the tea tray and its contents, which shatter on the floor. She stares in disbelief at the sight of not only Qrow but of her older sisters Yang and Weiss before Yang approaches her. "Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just… I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-"

Suddenly, Yang gives her a strong hug. Ruby's lips quiver, and she looks toward her sister. "I love you.

Ruby sobs as she leans into her sister's hug. "I love you too."

Jaune, Ren, and Nora enter the room, smiling at the sight of the two sisters embracing each other. Qrow smiles as Oscar enters the room. "Uh..."

He looks up, sees Ruby and Yang hugging, and smiles. Weiss smiles as she wipes a tear from her eye, before frowning while looking down. "Weiss."

Weiss looks up and sees the two sisters open their arms up for her. She smiles and eagerly joins them in their hug. Everyone smiles as they watch three of the four Team RWBY members embrace each other.

"What'd we miss?"

They turned to see Naruto and Pyrrha at the door. "Foxy!"

Naruto lost his balance Nora jumped on him wrapping her arms and legs around him before shoving her tongue down his throat for a kiss.

As Naruto pulled back and let her down, he looked at his team. "Why a tux?"

"Haru shrugged at that. "Clothes got torn in a fight then when shopping, we came across Coco who got one for the whole team. Since the towers were down, she couldn't contact you and said she sent them to your last known address."

"He would have gotten another set but we've been busy," Shiki said crossing his arms.

"... OK."

Later, they all have dinner together, sharing stories of what they have been up to since they last saw each other. Weiss on training with Naruto's team, Yang on meeting her mom before coming.

Ren then reflects on how everyone has changed and grown in their ways in comparison to when they all started at Beacon Academy, and that they will only continue growing. Qrow Branwen complains about all the noise the kids are making.

Later on, Yang and Weiss fill in on what the others currently know, including information about the Maidens, magic, and Salem. Yang confronts Ozpin about him giving her mother and uncle their abilities to transform, to which Qrow responds that they made their choice. Ozpin then shares that aside from his curse, he has the benefit of using magic himself, although said magic is currently dwindling.

He shared a small amount of power with Qrow and Raven to give them their transformation abilities and shared a large amount centuries ago with four young women who would become the first Maidens. He then offers everyone a choice to stay and fight or leave. Everyone chooses to stay, but Yang demands that Ozpin stop keeping secrets from them and he agrees.

"Then I gotta say something."

"What? Are you reincarnated?" Natsu asked looking over as Naruto nodded having everyone look at him in shock.

"Yeah, though this is what I looked like before… Same for my parents as well. I'm still relearning my powers though."

"You mean Semblances?" Haru asked as Naruto shook his head.

"No, Chakra… I'm not originally from this world…. Though mine had a Salem of its own that I had to beat."

"Ooh. Raven? Qrow? They're birds! Cracked it!"

Naruto turned as his girlfriend spoke up getting him to blink as she crossed her legs and smiled. "Her?" Shiki asked as Naruto shrugged. "You know what they said about being with a crazy woman, right?"

"The sex is good?" Naruto asked as Nora smiled

Later, Naruto was outside with Ozpin. "Was that everything?"

Naruto looked over at Ozpin. "Yeah, though with the Grimm and the negative emotions they have is giving Kurama power… Says he'll get another tail…."

"What?"

"The Ten-Tails is what Kaguya needed to take over my world… Guess I'm a little worried about what'll happen.

"Come on Naruto, we're partners now."

"I know, just don't know what Salem's capable of is all." Naruto thought to Kurama.

"Hopefully beating her will be like a hive mind ending."

Branwen Tribe Camp.

At the Branwen Tribe camp's entrance, three bandits stand guard, conversing with each other. Suddenly, a voice calls out from the forest.

"Hey ugly!"

With the bandits' attention drawn, Mercury, and Emerald, walk out from the forest toward the camp's entrance. "Is Raven Branwen home?"

"Ya know, I've had a real bad week. So I think I'm gonna take it out on you-"

The man stops mid-sentence when he notices Cinder and Arthur walk out of the forest and join the two of them. "Hmph, doesn't look like he wants to cooperate, Boss." Mercury crossed his arms at that.

"Then make him."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Emerald proceeds forward as the other bandits hold their ground while Emerald unsheathes Thief's Respite, twirling them before they transform into their sickle forms.

Haven, Morning.

"You're up early."

Yang fully dressed walked over to his sister who was sitting on the deck looking at the sunrise. "Hey, sis."

"Boop."

Yang lets her hair down and uses it to tickle her little sister's nose. Ruby giggles affectionately at her older sister's action. Ruby then sits up as Yang sits down next to her. "What are you doing up?" Ruby asked as Yang sat down beside her

"Can't fall back to sleep."

"Ah, me neither."

"Well, fortunately, coffee exists."

They turned to see Naruto and Weiss walk up with a tray of coffee. "No, please!"

"Don't worry, I put in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar, just for you," Naruto said as he crouched and kissed her forehead handing her a cup.

"Can't believe we're actually in Mistral," Yang commented as Naruto sat between the sisters and had Weiss sit between his legs as Yang and Ruby rested their heads on his shoulders.

"That's what you can't believe?" Ruby asked as Yng hummed.

"Well, yeah! And all the other magic and stuff and our… Predicament. But... Okay, you know what I mean!"

"I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever see you two again," Weiss said taking a sip.

"Well, here's to defying expectations."

Yang and Weiss clink cups together, while Ruby gulps her cup down in one go, opening one eye to glance at the others' cups.

"I just wish Blake could be here with us."

Menagerie.

In Menagerie, Blake and Sun Wukong prepare to go recruiting again, but Blake receives a note from Ilia Amitola to meet with her alone. At first, Blake believes that Ilia regrets her actions in the White Fang, but the meeting turns out to be an ambush, and Blake is subdued by Ilia and her cohorts. Ilia then reveals to Blake that she plans to kill her parents and send Blake to Adam Taurus.

Before she leaves, Ilia confesses that she had romantic feelings for Blake in the past, but Blake had been too busy going after Adam to notice. However, Blake had anticipated the meeting would go wrong and had brought Sun. Just as she is about to be taken away, Blake calls out to Sun, and together, they knock out her captors.

Both of them rush to aid Blake's parents, who are fending off an attack by White Fang insurgents led by Corsac and Fennec Albain.

Haven.

"Oh, what to do?"

Naruto asked as he, Shiki, and Haru grinned at the still-sleeping Natsu without his shirt on showing several scars. "I know, this is a silver platter," Haru said as they looked down.

Outside, Yang sits alone on a bed looking at the "New Friends!" photo of Team RWBY before hearing a noise.

"Quiet!"

Blinking, she looked up to see Naruto and the others carrying Natsu who was on a mattress. "Don't ask," Naruto said as they past Pyrrha having Naruto kiss her on the cheek.

To Be Continued.

---

Natsu's Outfit.

Shiki's Outfit

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Here's a mass update for the holiday, to those that celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 28

Notes:

Here's a mass update for the holiday, I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and if I don't update anything you'll read by then, I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!

Sorry for the quality, this was one of the last Ch's I did on Friday (22nd)

Decided now to upload for those who'll travel tomorrow for Christmas.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Haven.

SPLASH!

"AAHH!"

Naruto Haru and Shiki laughed as Natsu jumped out of the fountain before giving chase. "Come back you bastards!"

Later, Qrow was sitting talking to Ozpin in Oscar's body. "Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"Ever the optimist. While I would not say our current predicament is... Ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."

Qrow looked over as he took a sip from his mug. "Oz, pro-Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day. What does that say about Humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it."

As Ozpin is about to take another sip, Ruby Rose is heard walking into the room. "Um, excuse me?"

"Ah, Miss Rose, join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps."

"Oh, uh, great." She said from her spot.

"Something on your mind kiddo?" Qrow asked her.

"Uh... uh, it's... if it's okay to ask."

"Of course."

"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven... and the Spring Maiden, but... what about the Fall Maiden?"

"Cinder?" Ozpin asked her.

"Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon Relic?"

Ozpin and Qrow share a brief look. "Very astute, Miss Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she does not. The Relic at Haven is indeed very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... Bit more challenging than at the other schools."

Ruby sighed in relief at that. "Oh. That's good to hear."

"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us." He said as Ruby nodded. "Now is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question."

"No, my cane is not a Relic." He smiled at that

"I have no more questions."

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that – precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

Suddenly, Qrow's scroll is heard vibrating. He takes it out of his pocket to see 'LEO LIONHEART'. "Yeah?... Okay... yeah, we'll be there."

"Who was it?"

Qrow sighs while taking out his flask. "It was Leo, says he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it."

"Really? Oh, that's great! I'll go get the others." Ruby runs out of the room while Qrow takes a drink from his flask.

"Mmm, that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?" Ozpin said to him

"It does."

"Cause for concern?"

They turned to see Naruto walking in, hands on his pistols. "Gotta be ready for anything now… Even betrayals… I know from experience."

Earlier, Raven's Camp.

At the Branwen Tribe camp, Raven Branwen is confronted by Cinder Fall, Arthur Watts, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black. Their objective is to take Vernal and use her power as the Spring Maiden to access the Vault containing the Relic of Knowledge at Haven Academy. Raven initially refuses, wanting to remain neutral of Salem and Ozpin, but then reluctantly accepts when she is told of the White Fang's plan to attack Haven in a couple of days, but not before bargaining that she wants her brother dead. Cinder also sees this as an opportunity to get to Ruby Rose as well, much to Watts' dismay. After Cinder and her group leave, however, Raven tells Vernal that she plans to use the chaos to take the Relic herself and flee with her and the tribe.

Later, Haven, Lionheart's Office.

At Leonardo Lionheart's office, the Haven headmaster sits at his desk in front of a blue holographic screen with the text "CALL END" before deactivating. Raven stands a few feet away from him, arms crossed and smiling. "I still have questions for you."

"You're not alone in that."

Raven walked in front of his desk. "You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz. Which makes me wonder, what does she have on you?"

"I'm helping her for the same reason you are. I'm afraid. We... we can't stop her... no one can..."

Raven looked at him before continuing. "That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart."

"You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't matter. We're here... helping her. I've crossed a line... I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't! I don't know where I go from here."

Raven placing her hands on his desk, glanced up to look him in the eye. "Man up! You did what you had to do to survive, there is no shame in that."

"Who are you trying to convince?"

Raven doesn't say anything, she just leaves the room while Lionheart sadly leans back sighing.

Menagerie.

Ghira continues to defend his home from the White Fang insurgents led by Corsac and Fennec. Sun and Blake arrive in time to aid him. Blake inquires about her father about her mother, and Ghira tells her to help her out while he and Sun deal with the Albains. Blake proceeds and runs into Ilia Amitola on the way. The two former friends then prepare to battle each other.

They then started fighting which caused the house to be set on fire. Ilia is then torn between helping Blake or the White Fang. As the battle progresses, Ghira Belladonna, Sun Wukong, Corsac, and Fennec Albain join the fray as well. Ghira and Sun save Ilia from being crushed by a collapsing balcony, only for Fennec to be killed by it in his attempt to kill Ghira.

Ilia then electrocutes Corsac into unconsciousness while he tries to avenge his brother. Kali arrives at the scene dragging an unconscious Yuma. Ilia tearfully breaks down, remorseful of her actions.

In the aftermath, a large crowd gathers outside to witness the scene. Blake gives a speech to rally them and gains the support of many Faunus, including Ilia. Ghira then notes that Adam Taurus' attack on Haven will happen in approximately two weeks, and advises that they should use the time to prepare. Blake also helps arrange for transportation.

Haven, Night.

The full moon illuminates the night sky above Haven Academy. On the school grounds, Qrow leads the currently present members of Team RWBY, SHNN, JNPR, and Oscar Pine follows close behind. Ruby stops and looks up to admire Haven's CCT tower, before following the rest of the group to a nearby building.

They enter the building and are greeted by Leo, who is standing on a terrace at the top of the stairs that is being held up by a statue of a woman in chains.

"Why hello. Thank you for... coming. There... seems to be more of you than last time." He said with a nervous chuckle.

Qrow and the rest of the group stop to look up at Lionheart. "Eh, you know what they say, "The more the merrier". So what's going on with the council?" Qrow asked the lion Faunus.

"Why... did you bring your weapons?"

"Because there's always the chance to be attacked," Naruto spoke from his spot as his teammates nodded as Natsu punched his fists together.

"You okay?" Qrow asked him.

"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee."

"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?"

While the two talk, Yang notices from the corner of her eye a black bird perched on a balcony railing. "Mom?"

Everyone's attention is turned to the bird. It flies away just as Qrow shoots at it, but he misses. The bird flies down behind Lionheart, transforming into Raven Branwen, and donning her mask. Everyone glares at her.

"Raven…" Ruby said as Nora gasped.

"They... they are magic..."

Raven taking her mask off smiled as she looked down. "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting."

Bang!

The helmet was shot out of the hand as Naruto held Shusui. "How's that?"

"What are you doing here?"

Raven started walking down the stairs. "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your sister."

"Leo... what have you done?!" Qrow asked him.

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position... he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too." Raven explained as Qrow looked at her.

"You have the Spring Maiden."

"I do."

"Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!" Qrow yelled at her.

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!"

Ruby shook her head at that. "You're wrong. We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, and we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please." She holds her hand out as Raven glares at it.

"You sound just like your mother."

Suddenly, Raven draws Omen and creates a portal with her Semblance. A fireball is launched from the portal and hits Ruby square in her torso. She lands several feet back. "Ruby!"

While Yang runs to her little sister, Cinder Fall exits the portal. "Hello, boys and girls."

She is then joined by Vernal, Emerald, and Mercury as they too step out from the portal. Cinder and her group line up alongside Raven, while Ruby's group gasps. "C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?"

Suddenly they hear the doors behind them open up. "Oh no…" Oscar says as he turns and sees Hazel closing the doors behind him as he enters. "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss asked as Naruto pulled Sage out and spun both pistols before pulling the hammer back.

"Raven, tell me... how long have you been with them?" Qrow asked as Cinder smiled.

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?"

"Stop it..."

Qrow looked at Leo before speaking. "It was you... you sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her? I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!"

"Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart, I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

Jaune transforms Crocea Mors to its two-handler form and advances. Cinder summons a glowing scimitar and blocks Jaune's attack. "Jaune!"

Ruby leaps into the air, but a chain wraps around her and she is pulled to the ground by Emerald. "You're not getting near her."

Jaune is then pushed back by Cinder and the two begin their duel. Yang runs forward to join the fight, but Mercury lands in front of her.

Naruto and his team ran at Mercury and started attacking. Shiki dropped down to sweep and kick Mercury who jumped only to be punched by Natsu as Haru dropped down, his sword now black, and sliced at Mercury.

"Take out the heiress. Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it." Raven said only to jump back from Fox Bolt's trident form.

Raven then draws her sword as Qrow uses Harbinger to lock blades with his sister. "Running away was one thing, but this... you've crossed the line!"

"Sorry, brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that."

"We're not family anymore."

The two then proceed with their fight, Qrow ducks under a slash and then jumps back. He dodges two more swings as Raven follows and clashes blades one time before she kicks him away. While the siblings battle Vernal draws her weapons and confronts Weiss.

Weiss activates a glyph below her and projects herself forward to fight the Spring Maiden. Meanwhile, Oscar sneaks up the stairs to Lionheart while Hazel confronts Ren and Nora, who hold up their weapons defensively.

"I don't wish to fight either of you."

"Nor I, you," Ren said walking beside Nora.

"But we will if you're with her!"

Hazel cracked his neck and knuckles at that. "Very well, then."

Hazel proceeds forward as Lionheart nervously watches the fights going on, he then notices Oscar walk up behind him. "Young man, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave. Now." Oscar defiantly remains stationary before taking a few more steps toward Lionheart. "I'm warning you!"

Lionheart holds out Stalwart which switches to active mode, while Oscar prepares to draw something from behind him. "Lionheart: That's enough!"

Lionheart rotates his weapon, having a glyph appear above it which then conjures a flaming rock that launches at Oscar, who holds out his arms in front of him defensively as the attack explodes. Oscar is unscathed, though his Aura shimmers. He continues to proceed up the steps and draws The Long Memory. "Ozpin?"

"Not quite."

Oscar then proceeds forward as his attacks force Lionheart on the defensive. Lionheart blocks or dodges most of them, one drives him against the rail. Oscar hits it as Lionheart avoids another strike, then follows up with a swing that sends Lionheart staggering down the steps. He jumps down to continue attacking and eventually manages to whack Lionheart back a few steps. "This can't be... I knew you would be back, but... you made it here! You found Qrow! How?"

"Wait. You can't have had this form for long. You're... not Ozpin right now. Boy. Child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this! I can finally be free!" Lionheart, now determined, preps his weapon again as Oscar proceeds forward.

Meanwhile, Weiss leaps around on her glyphs, dodging Vernal's weapons as she throws them like boomerangs. After backing into a pillar Weiss is then forced on the defensive and creates a large ice wall. She then stabs Myrtenaster into the ground as her Arma Gigas summon crawls out of her glyph. Suddenly, a large beam destroys the ice wall as well as the Arma Gigas before it can be fully summoned. One of Vernal's weapons knocks Weiss back several feet.

Vernal, catching her weapon looks at Weiss. "Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out."

Elsewhere, Jaune is knocked to the ground.

Cinder chuckled at him. "I'm starting to remember you, you're the dense one who can't tell when he's out of his league."

She was then hit with Pyrrha's shield having it bounce off her and hit onto a pillar to bounce back into Pyrrha's hand. Pyrrha twirled her spear before glancing at Naruto, remembering him training her at a field with padding on trees to get her shield to come back to her without her Semblance.

Ruby looked at Emerald as she dodged an attack. "Why are you doing this?! Salem's-"

"I don't care about Salem! But I owe Cinder everything. You want to fight her that bad? Be my guest."

Emerald then activates her hallucination Semblance, creating a wall of fire which Cinder emerges from and charges at Ruby. Suddenly, Cinder's form disappears, while Emerald trips Ruby. Ruby fires a bullet that narrowly misses Weiss, who is blocking Vernal's shots with Myrtenaster. Weiss attempts to summon, but Vernal is too quick and prevents her from doing so with a shot to the back.

Eventually, Weiss manages to launch Vernal out of the way using a glyph and prepares to summon again. Suddenly, Vernal appears in front of her and lands a point-blank attack that depletes Weiss' aura. Cinder then ignites her scimitar, which is now fully coated in flames. Cinder and Jaune proceed forward to clash as Ruby yells out. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

A bright light engulfs the area but dies down when Ruby is knocked unconscious by Emerald. Suddenly, Cinder falls to her knees, holding her arm in pain. She looks up, and barely misses Jaune's attack as it chips her mask that conceals the left side of her face. As Cinder moves out of the way, Jaune trips and falls. Cinder gets back up enraged, activating her Maiden power while doing so. She then steps on top of Jaune to hold him down.

"Did you think you had a chance against me?! You?!"

"He has friends!"

Pyrrha dropped down to stab Cinder only for her to jump out of the way having the tip crack the floor beside Jaune.

Nora jumps up attempting to bring Magnhild down on Hazel who grabs it. He tosses her aside then uses his arms to block Ren slashing with Stormflower. Mercury blocks Yang's attack then ducks under a shot and leaps back. He launches himself up but only hits the floor as she moves. Before smiling evilly as she looks back down to him.

Cinder then notices Weiss get knocked back several feet away, and begins to slowly proceed toward her while she conjures an obsidian spear. She throws it only for Naruto to push Weiss out of the way and take the spear to the side under his ribs. He screamed before grabbing the spear, had red energy cover him, then roared while he pulled it out as they saw the wound heal with steam.

Cinder then saw his eyes flash red and become slitted. "W-What are you?"

"I'm complicated." He grinned before pulling his guns and took several shots at her.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king

Here's a mass update for the holiday, I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and if I don't update anything you'll read by then, I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!

Sorry for the quality, this was one of the last Ch's I did on Friday (22nd.)

Chapter 29

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Oscar looks over to the unconscious Ruby Rose. Angered, he smacks Leonardo Lionheart with The Long Memory, causing him to fall down the stairs and into Hazel, who remains unfazed as Lionheart falls to the ground. Oscar quickly runs over to Ruby, with Nora joining him. "Ruby, get up! Get up! We need you!"

Hazel picks up Lionheart by his collar, lifting him off the floor. "You're lettin' that boy make a fool of you."

"That's not just a boy! It's Ozpin. He's already reincarnated!"

Hazel drops Lionheart and looks over to Oscar, who is still trying to nudge Ruby to wake her up. He then notices The Long Memory being held in the young farm boy's hand. "Ozpin?"

Suddenly, Hazel turns infuriated as Ruby stirs for a bit. "Ruby! You-"

"OZPIN! You thought you could hide from ME?!" Hazel rips his coat off and then grabs a pair of lightning Dust crystals from a couple of pouches on his legs. "You'll pay for what you did! You'll die over and over again!"

He stabs the lightning Dust into his arms, with his blood vessels turning yellow and popping out from his skin as well as having some lightning coat them. His eyes glow yellow, and he lets out an intimidating roar. Oscar slowly backs away, holding his cane up cautiously. "Do-do we fight?"

"No, run!"

Hazel leaps forward to charge into Oscar, but Qrow gets him out of the way in time. Qrow transforms Harbinger into its scythe form while Cinder watches. Raven and Vernal walk to her sides. "Ozpin is here?!" Cinder yelled out as Raven looked over.

"Is that a problem?"

"I'm not sure, but right now we got the upper hand. Let's not waste it. Leo! Open the path to the vault!"

Lionheart gets back up and approaches the statue in the room. He takes out his pocket watch and places it in a small niche on the statue. The hands on the watch gradually spin faster and the statue lowers. Yang watches the situation in front of her. She looks to Jaune and Ren as they tend to Weiss and then looks over to Nora who is still trying to wake Ruby up. "Stop them! We've got your team covered!"

Yang lingers a bit before heeding Nora's advice, but she gets kicked to the ground by Mercury who is then joined by Emerald. Naruto growled as he had red chakra cover him before rushing to Hazel and punching him back. Unfazed, Hazel walked as Shiki jumped over for a kick Haru dropped down with a slash while Natsu yelled and punched Hazel in the stomach.

BANG!

"You wanna get to them? You're going to have to get through all of us." She said as she used her Semblance to create multiple copies of Mercury, which surrounded Yang.

Cinder steps onto the platform. Raven looks back a bit as she hears her daughter fighting vainly, shaking her head before she steps on the platform too. The platform then lowered down as Naruto dashed around to punch the real Mercury before rolling his neck. "That felt oddly satisfying… I think because you remind me of Sasuke."

"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy?"

Naruto turned to see Hazel talking to Oscar as his team was batted away and he injected more dust into his arms. "I thought you looked familiar, to think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed. Your blood won't be on my hands, it'll be on his."

Qrow jumps in the way to block Hazel's attack, but he slams his fist into the ground, the shockwave knocking both him and Oscar back. They both get back up as Qrow engages Hazel. Qrow dodges a punch and then slashes at Hazel, who blocks the sword with one arm.

"Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you KILLED HER!"

"Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel... holds me responsible. Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed."

"You know now! You can forgive me for what I'm about to do." Hazel said after knocking Qrow away and began approaching Oscar.

"Did she know?" Hazel stops in place at his inquiry. "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?"

"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!"

"She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself! So do I."

"Then you've chosen death!"

"Nah, you did siding with Salem!"

Naruto ran at him and they saw a blue ball of energy in his right hand before hitting Hazel in the stomach. "Rasengan! (Spiraling Sphere!)"

Hazel screamed as he was sent back spinning and went through the wall to the woods outside crashing into several trees.

Down in the Vault, Cinder, Raven, and Vernal approach the chamber containing the Relic. Just as Vernal's hand is about to touch the door to the Relic, Cinder freezes Raven in place and impales Vernal in her stomach with her left arm, which is revealed to have been replaced with that of a Grimm. As Vernal collapses, Cinder expresses confusion over the fact that she cannot detect any of the Spring Maiden's power in her.

"You won't find it."

Cinder turned to see Raven was free and dropped her mask before looking up showing her eyes were glowing. "Because Vernal's not the Spring Maiden… I am!"

Outside, Adam and his followers are walking towards the school before hearing a yell.

"ADAM!"

"They all look up and see Blake standing proudly on top of the roof of a nearby building.

"Blake?"

"Stand down!"

The White Fang soldiers aim their firearms at her. "Wait!" Adam yelled putting his hands up as the White Fang soldiers stood down, before laughing evilly. "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me."

"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully."

"You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us." He yelled up at her.

"No, I can't. Not by myself."

"That's why she didn't come alone!"

Adam and his followers turn to the left in surprise, seeing Sun standing in front of a massive legion of Faunus all armed with blunt weaponry, their shields bearing the old White Fang symbol. "What?!"

"Who's there?"

They then turn to the right and see Ghira leading another massive legion of Faunus. "Your brothers and sisters."

One of the White Fang Soldiers lowers his weapon, recognizing one of the Faunus in the crowd. "M-Mata?"

Mata is holding a club and shield. "Please... stop this..."

Adam and his followers look all around them assessing the situation. "Make no mistake, brothers! These are our enemies! And we will not let them ruin-!"

"Suddenly, Adam is interrupted when a Mistral airship shines its searchlight down on Adam and his group. The Mistral police captain is seen on the airship with Kali Belladonna.

"Adam Taurus, this is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully."

More Mistral airships arrive. Back inside, Ruby knocks Emerald back a few feet. Emerald then hears the sounds of the Mistral airships as their searchlights shine through the windows. Everyone stops what they are doing and looks out as Blake lands on the ground from the roof as Adam growles. "How?! How did you do this?!"

"Adam, it's over."

Adam looks around as the crowds of Menagerie Faunus get closer to him and his group. He then pulls out a detonator. "Then it's over for all of us."

"Hey wait!"

Adam's followers hold up their arms as they brace for the impending explosion. Adam presses the button, but nothing happens. "Huh?"

He presses the detonator button a few more times, but nothing happens as a White Fang Soldier looks at him. "What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed?!"

Suddenly, Adam grabs his collar at that. "I am making humanity pay for WHAT THEY'VE DONE!"

Adam lets go and pushes the White Fang soldier back when Blake speaks. "We sent someone over to confirm your explosives, and once we did, she disarmed them." Ilia walks out from around the tower, dropping her black camouflage as she holds the wires in her hand that disabled the bombs. Adam seethes, realizing that the situation is no longer in his favor. "I told you, Adam. It's over..."

Adam yells out in frustration and charges forward toward Blake. He takes out Wilt from Blush to slash at her, but Blake uses her Semblance to get out of the way and she knocks him down by balling her fists together and hitting his back. Adam falls to the ground on his knees, before yelling out to his followers. "KILL THEM!"

The White Fang soldiers draw their weapons and attempt to fire at the Mistral airships. Sun leaps around twirling Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in its staff form, landing on one's shoulders to shoot them. A Faunus with a club battles one soldier, while Ilia fights two more with Lightning Lash. Sun knocks another down before shooting at a second, nearby a horned Faunus strikes her opponent and drives them back.

Hazel, walks up and observes the situation in front of him but is then suddenly impaled by a white, glowing stinger. He is then pulled back inside the building and sits up to see Weiss with a summoned Queen Lancer flying above her. As she prepares to fight again, she gasps as she notices someone entering the building. Yang and Ruby look back as well and gasp when they see Blake, her eyes widening as she sees all of her teammates in the same place.

"Yang?"

Yang stares back at her in disbelief, before her sister snaps her out of her trance. "Yang! Go!"

Yang runs forward as Naruto walks up to Blake. He smiled as he cupped her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb before pulling her in for a kiss. He pulled back as she smiled up at him before running back out.

"Naruto, You should help out Blondie."

Naruto turned to run to the opening and jumped down. He brought his arms to his sides and pulled his legs together to dive faster, passing Yang before landing in a roll to see Raven fighting Cinder. The two Maidens strike at each other with a flurry of vicious sword strikes. The two eventually clash, the strike breaking her weapon and the shrapnel hurting her Grimm's arm. She holds her arm in pain.

The two proceed forward to clash again. During their bout, Raven quickly switches between the various colored blades in her hilt to counter Cinder's various weapons that she conjures. As their battle intensifies, Cinder conjures a giant flaming sword while Raven uses her Maiden powers to create a massive ice sword.

Their clash creates a massive shockwave that shakes the cavern, with the combatants above ground also feeling the tremors. Due to their battle, the giant stalactites hanging from above start to drop. Both Maidens jump back to dodge out of the way. As Raven prepares for her next strike, Cinder's Grimm arm elongates through the dust and grabs Raven's neck.

As the Grimm arm slowly drains her powers, Raven notices something and smirks. She sends out a frost-like attack from her palm and freezes Cinder's feet in place as more boulders from the cave-in crash down on her. Raven, now free from her grip, makes a massive leap into the air and lands on top of one of the falling stalactites.

She looks down and notices Cinder survived the cave-in, using her fire powers to fly up to her. The two fight their way around the falling stalactites. Eventually, the stalactites land back on the ground, and both Maidens are on their knees, panting in exhaustion while their Auras shimmer as they are about to break.

"I'm sorry to cut in..." The two look to see Naruto walk up and before Cinder freaks a bit.

"No what are you doing here?"

"I got three options for you. One: You can leave and let us have the Relic and walk away. Two: You try and take it and run and get captured. Three-!"

"Do you really think you can stop me you might have gotten lucky with the Grimm but I'm a different level.

"Three: You can hand me the Relic and come with us." He said as Yang dropped down and looked at her mother before walking up. "It's OK babe, they used most of their powers… We're just talking." He said to his girl before looking back to Cinder. "You can start over and have a better life and help stop Salem."

She goes wide-eyed at that. "Are you stupid? Why would I swap sides?"

"I see it in your eyes your scared of Salem and her power you want to be strong so that you survive but you don't have to be afraid anymore if you don't want to… I know how it is to be afraid and not have anyone to help."

She goes silent for a moment before looking at his eyes. After another moment, she spoke again. "I don't know I have to think… Take the Relic… if I see you again I will answer you."

"Even in the darkest of night if you have even a tiny flicker of light you can weather even the darkest of nights until the day breaks and a new day begins." He said stopping her for a moment before walking to the elevator and going up.

Naruto turned to see Raven leaving after her daughter talked to her before Yang looked to the large door on the other side and saw a desert with rocks leading to a lamp.

It's a golden ornamented lamp with a blue sphere in the middle. Yang walked in and grabbed the handle as it shrunk while she walked back. He walked up to see tears before wiping them away and pulled her in for a hug as she cried.

Up with the fight, Natsu grinned as he slammed his fists together. "I'm fired up!"

He and his team ran to Hazel and attacked with a punch, kick, and swipe hitting him into a wall. Hazel growled and punched them away as Nora pulled her weapon up and walked over.

In another room, Lionheart bursts into his office and runs behind his desk, frantically opening drawers and trying to look for something. Suddenly, he hears ominous clicking noises and looks up to notice a Seer floating menacingly in front of his desk. A familiar voice comes from it. "And where might you be going?"

"Uh, your grace! I was just looking for something."

"Leonardo, do you have something you wish to tell me?" Salem asked him.

Lionheart doesn't say anything for a bit, before telling Salem his response. "It was Cinder! She altered the plan! Huntsmen showed up here! Qrow! Several students, one with the Silver Eyes! The White Fang attack was stopped! I don't know that they'll be able to recover the Relic... Your grace, I can still be of assistance! If I leave now, I-I can avoid the authorities and come find you, I'll do whatever it takes! Your grace?"

Lionheart aims his weapon at the Seer, but it uses one of its tentacles to knock it off his wrist. Lionheart tries to run, but the Seer wraps one of its tentacles around Lionheart's ankle, causing him to trip and fall. "Please, ma'am! I'll do anything! I can still be useful!"

The Seer aims its sharp tentacles at Lionheart. He tries to crawl away, but more tentacles wrap around his body and pull him back before being stabbed multiple times.

Back to the fight, the platform leading to the vault is heard coming back up. Everyone stares as Yang and Naruto come back up with the Relic of Knowledge in her hand.

Hazel seethes while tears stream from Emerald's eyes not noticing Cinder came back up.. Yang smiles back down to her friends and shares a glance with Blake, who looks down for a bit before looking back up at her. Emerald falls to her knees and begins to sob as Mercury and Hazel slowly back away.

Emerald looks around as her breathing gets frantic. She holds her head and lets out a scream, activating her Semblance. Suddenly, the room turns dark as black smoke rises from the ground nearby. From it, a giant effigy of Salem, limbs bent and deformed, towers above everyone in the room. The giant Salem opens her eyes and lets out an ear-piercing scream as it swoops down over everyone.

Moments later, everything returns to normal, Ruby shakes in fear as she comes to terms with what she had just witnessed. Everyone in the room is still present, except Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel, who have disappeared.

"Wha-what was that?"

"An illusion. But an accurate one. That... was Salem." Ozpin said to them.

Blake sighs in relief now that the battle is over before she hears the sounds of her parents and Sun running into the great hall. The Belladonna's share a hug together while Sun looks on. "The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members. Haven is safe." Kali said before her husband continued.

"Unfortunately, it appears that Adam escaped."

"It's OK."

Ilia walked into the building at that. "He was the only one to escape tonight. Those in the White Fang that followed him? Won't support a leader who abandons his people. He won't have their help after this. He'll have no one at all. And the White Fang will be left divided."

"We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long. Perhaps it's time for a new brotherhood. A new family for Faunus truly working towards a better world."

Kali looked up at her husband at that. "And they'll need a new leader."

Ghira nods in acknowledgment. Sun peeks behind Ghira and notices his old friends from Beacon, waving to them. He then wraps his tail around Blake to turn her around and have her see her old friends too. She slowly walks towards them nervously while Sun and her parents smile. Yang walks down the stairs and hands the Relic to her uncle.

"What happened?"

"I don't know exactly. When I got down there, Cinder was gone, Naruto said he convinced her to stop and Vernal was dead."

"And Raven?"

"Gone."

Qrow sighed at that. "Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker."

Suddenly, Ruby groans and falls to her knees. Weiss catches her. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like I should be asking you guys."

They both look up to see Blake approaching them. Yang walks over and drops to her sister's side. Naruto walked up to her and hugged her before feeling a chill go down his spine.

"Oh yeah, that's Blake's boyfriend."

He turned to see Sun yelling that out to her father before he kissed her and ran off as Ghira yelled and ran after him.

"So Blake, what're you doing here?" Ruby asks as Blake watches her boyfriend climb a pillar.

"I... I was gonna ask you three the same thing."

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang share glances. "That's... a looooong story."

"Well... I'm not going anywhere."

"That's all that matters. (giggling) That we're all here together. Right? We might be down a boyfriend though." Yang said as Naruto got to the top before leaping off and ran outside.

Ruby looks at Yang as she says that. Blake briefly looks away with a sorrowful expression on her face. Yang looks up at her and smiles. Blake looks back over to them and smiles. Weiss offers a hand out to her, and the cat Faunus eagerly joins in Team RWBY's first group hug after a long time of being apart. The four girls embrace each other while their friends look on smiling. Qrow, still holding the Relic, then approaches a panting Oscar, who is kneeling on the ground.

"I don't know how, but we did it, Oz. You okay?"

"I'm alright," Oscar said in his voice

"Kid?"

"He's resting. Too much energy fighting."

"Hey, don't strain yourself!"

Oscar shook his head at that. "No! He had... a message... We must... get the Lamp to... Atlas."

Oscar groans and falls, but Qrow catches him. He lays the exhausted farm boy on the ground and looks over as Team RWBY finishes their embrace. Qrow then stands back up and looks at the Relic he holds in his hand. The lamp is seen glowing brightly as the indistinct whispers are heard again. Qrow sighs as he leans his head back.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Chapter 30

Notes:

THERE'S A NEW POLL UP FOR TOP 7! The top 2 were only apart by 2 votes so we decided to update it to do the top 7 YOU CAN PICK 3! It will go down after a round of updates when Ninja in the Web is done, so that'll be a couple of days after the A Fox in Middleton gets the update after that story ends.

This would have been up slightly earlier but had internet issues with it being off for a day by accident and helping friends/family IRL.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

(Flashback.)

A Day After Beacon Attack.

Naruto walked into his house holding onto an unconscious Neo before placing her on the couch.

The next morning, she woke up to see she was in a house rather than the woods as that was the last thing she saw while falling before seeing Naruto walk in wearing nothing but black pants. "Hey, you're awake." She said nothing as Naruto sat a tray down at the coffee table. "You should eat up."

Neo stared at Naruto for a moment before reaching for the plate of pancakes.

(Flashback End.)

Train Station Mistral.

In a busy train station in Mistral, people are going about their business whether they be buying a train ticket, going shopping, eating food, and more. Holographic screens show different locations, amongst them are Argus, Wind Path, Kuchinashi, Shion, and Vale, the latter shown to be crossed out with an "Out of Service" message next to it.

'It's been two weeks since the attack on Haven. The official report states that the plot to destroy Mistral's CCT Tower was thwarted by Ghira Belladonna and the Faunus militia group from Menagerie. A Huntsman and some students coincidentally visiting the headmaster were also able to lend some assistance.'

'Unfortunately, Leonardo Lionheart lost his life while trying to defend his school. And those responsible for organizing the attack managed to escape. As I'm sure you can guess, there's a lot more to this report than I'm willing to say in this letter. But for now, what I'm trying to say is that we're on our way to Atlas, James. There's a good chance we'll get there before this letter does, but in case we don't, I need you to know that we're bringing a lot more than bad news with us. See you soon, Qrow.'

Qrow re-reads and places his letter in a mailbox. Suddenly, his niece runs by and bumps into him. "Hey, what's with the running?" He asked Ruby who turned to look at him.

"And what's with the standing? It's almost time!"

Ruby sees the people chattering in the station lobby. She uses her Semblance to get something and fly through the gate. She then emerges smiling and humming, approaching the benches where her boyfriend, and companions, minus Blake, are waiting.

"And?" Yang asked arms behind her head thrusting her chest out.

Ruby grins and shows them a bag. "Ahh!"

"What an absolute waste of time-!"

"What did you get me?" Yang took a step forward having her breasts jiggle and interrupted Weiss in the process as Ruby smiled.

"You'll have to wait and see~!"

"Even me?" Naruto asked as he hugged Ruby from behind.

After Ruby sticks her tongue, Yang attempts to snatch the bag from Ruby, who recoils; having Naruto kiss her sister as Nora jumps from between them to kiss Naruto herself and then grins.

"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline... You think it's too early for beach season?"

"Unfortunately, but we will be one step closer to Atlas," Ren spoke up looking over as Pyrrha walked over.

"Everything seems to be running on time." She said dropping her weapons on the bench.

"Well, I'm glad you're all excited. But I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas." Weiss crossed her arms as Yang grinned.

"Didn't Naruto promise to do something for ya at night?"

Weiss blushed at that before turning away.

"I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise." Ruby replied before Naruto kissed the top of her head.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around."

A pair of Huntsmen, confront Ruby and her friends with proud looks on their faces, holding their weapons.

"Aaaand you are?"

"Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory." Dee smiled at them.

"But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous." Dudley finished as Qrow and Naruto's team walked up.

Dudley winks as Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Nora give unamused looks; Nora has her arms crossed and Weiss rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I got a tip for ya."

"Huh?"

Qrow, who had spoken, has his hands in his pockets and gives Dee and Dudley a frown. "Buzz off." He stands between Ruby and Yang as they make faces, mocking Dee and Dudley behind him. "Looks like Mistral's scraping the bottom of the barrel these days."

"Hey! You're talking to a!"

Qrow holds his huntsman license, showing Dee and Dudley. "A professional Huntsman, right? Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." Dee and Dudley turn around to the left in surprise at this revelation. "It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started."

"I... I didn't do it!" Dudley said as Dee scoffed.

"Come on, dummy."

Dee and Dudley walk away from them as Oscar watches the two leaving. "You know sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our jobs and theirs."

Everyone collectively agrees with Oscar as they nod at him together. "So, you kids ready to go? Bike all loaded up?"

"Yep!"

"Just waiting on Blake. As usual."

"I'll check on her," Naruto said walking back as his team sat on the bench.

Up in the walkways above them, Blake is conversing with Ilia Amitola, who is no longer wearing her usual White Fang garb and is in something more casual. "I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me."

"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it." Blake replied with a smile.

"Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." She runs up to Blake and gives her a big hug. "Thank you, Blake, for everything. I wish you didn't have to go."

"I know, but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven and the fall of Beacon."

"Always trying to save the world." Ilia smiled at that.

"More than you realize."

"Hey, I know your parents already saw you off, but where's-?"

"Sun? Oh, he's right here!"

Sun shows up a few feet away from them before Blake walks over to him. "What? You didn't think I was gonna miss your big send-off, did you?"

Neptune suddenly pops up from behind him. "He overslept and almost missed this," Sun growls at Neptune before shushing him as Blake laughs. Neptune shoves Sun forward. Hey, Blake. Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?" He asked before noticing Ilia. "Oh, I didn't know Ilia was gonna be here. I'll, uh, I'll give you two a moment... Hey, almost didn't see you there, 'cause, you know, the camouflage?"

Later, the train, Argus Limited, is traveling in the snowy countryside along a mountain. Inside, passengers walk through the halls. An elderly woman is passing by a room that Team RWBY is staying in.

She has dark skin and long silver hair, which she wears in a single braid down her back. She is of small stature and appears to be hunched over, requiring the use of a walking stick. She's wearing a full-length dress in the traditional Tabasco style, consisting of a dark blue top with full sleeves and a skirt comprised of alternating light and dark blue layers.

In addition to her dress, she wears thick brown gloves and a heavy blue cloak trimmed at the edges with a pattern of white, hollow triangles on a light blue background. A similar white and blue trim is around the neck of the cloak. The cloak is secured to her shoulders with ornate white pauldrons.

She has goggle-like prosthetic eyes that are dark gray with cyan-colored lenses, each of which is equipped with a set of adjustable shutters, four rectangular cyan lights create a partial ring on the outer bottom edge of the eyes, while a single cyan nodule on the top outer edge overlaps slightly with each lens. Two small antennae protrude vertically from the upper left side of the prosthesis.

The four girls are all on beds reminiscent of their old dorm room from Beacon. Weiss is reading a book, Ruby plays a game on her Scroll, Yang is reading a magazine, and Blake is looking out the window.

She then falls asleep before having a nightmare of being on a train and fighting Adam who was winning and exclaims he will have her under his control before waking up. She felt hands around her before opening her mouth to scream before a hand clamped over her mouth before hearing Naruto. "Shhhh it's OK I don't know what have you this hell-bent afraid but I will never let you get hurt please calm down and tell me what's wrong."

She turned to explain her nightmare and after, the train jolts, causing Qrow, who got to the door, to drop his drink as passengers can be heard screaming in fear.

Qrow runs out and Team RWBY follows suit with Naruto, grabbing their respective weapons on their way out the door. Qrow climbs to the top of the train and notices a group of Grimm approaching from the back.

They have the body and head of a lion, the wings of a predatory bird, and the tail of a scorpion. They also have black fur and feathers, with white bone-like spines on their bodies, including a white lion skull and a large, crown-like mane of bone. A pair of bull horns also protrude from their skulls.

Dee and Dudley are already up top and prepared to fight the Grimm. A much larger Grimm lands on the train and lets out a roar.

It's slender with a feline body and large feathered wings. It has a round head with a very short, somewhat narrow snout and a four-crested bone mask that takes the form of some feline. Each paw has three toes, and its tail is a white snake. Its mane appears to resemble human hair.

A few train cars down, Team RWBY joins Qrow as they too arrive on top of the train with their weapons out. Dee charges his weapon, an electrical spiked club, and charges forward to attack. The Sphinx roars and a Manticore flies by to snatch up Dee.

Dudley watches helplessly while his partner is dragged down to the forest to his unfortunate death. The Sphinx roars again and all of the Manticores fly forward to attack.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked as Naruto's team ran up with their weapons.

"Don't let anyone else die!"

With that, Team RWBY, SHNN, and Qrow charge forward into battle. Down below in the train, Oscar opens up a window to see the commotion, a Manticore barely missing him. Oscar walks out and bumps into Jaune, with Ren and Nora behind him.

Back outside, Team SHNN, RWBY, and Qrow get to work on cutting down Manticores. Dudley runs toward the front of the train and takes his scroll out, activating the train's defense systems.

The train's armor activates, with reinforced plating covering most of the train while metal bars crisscross the windows. After that, a series of turrets rise above the train and begin targeting the midair, Grimm. A group of Manticores get shot down.

Meanwhile, Qrow engages the Sphinx, using the scythe form of Harbinger to attack. The Sphinx tries to crush Qrow with its paw, but Qrow manages to transform into his avian form before changing back to land an attack from above. The turrets fire at the Sphinx from behind, causing it to let out another roar. Two Manticores fly down, one does a tuck and rolls into a turret, destroying it. The other evades turret blasts and spits a fireball at one, destroying it. The passengers inside the turret's train car scream as it jolts from being destroyed.

Oscar and Team JNPR climb up to the top of the train to join the battle, Pyrrha shooting Grimm before tossing her shield having it bounce off several heads before Natsu dropped on one that tried attacking her. Haru slid down, cutting the stomachs of several as Shiki kicked the heads, knocking them off as Naruto used his pistols on the ones that were flying.

Oscar runs forward, dodging Grimm's attacks along the way. He manages to approach Dudley, who is firing at Grimm with his rifle. Suddenly, they notice the Sphinx and the rest of the Grimm fly off the train, keeping their distance.

"TUNNEL!"

They take notice of the fast-approaching tunnel. Oscar quickly gets below the train. Dudley does the same, but inadvertently leaves his arm stretched out as it impacts the wall of the tunnel.

Team SHNN, RWBY, and JNPR quickly run into the train car as Oscar tends to Dudley, who holds his bruised arm in pain. Qrow enters and approaches Dudley.

"I said, turn those damn things off!" Qrow picks up Dudley and shoves him into the wall.

"Those things are keeping us alive!"

"Us, sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!"

"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!"

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured."

While the two argue, Ruby looks out the window and notices the Manticores enter the tunnel, continuing their pursuit of the train. She then looks behind her friends at the passengers, a baby can be heard crying as passengers murmur among themselves. Ruby then walks forward to her uncle and Dudley. Ruby stops her uncle and walks up to Dudley. "Please just shut off the turrets."

"Trust us, we know what we're doing," Jaune said as he activated his Semblance to heal Dudley's arm. Dudley looks to the students before giving his answer.

"Fine."

"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora asked Ren who brought a hand to his chin.

"Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people."

"Well, you've never had Jaune's help before," Ruby said pointing at Jaune.

"He could amplify your Aura!"

"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow sighed as the others checked their weapons.

Oscar's eyes glow as Ozpin takes over. "I'm afraid there's one complication... The Grimm are also attracted to this." He gestures to the Relic of Knowledge on his hip.

"Why wouldn't you tell us that?!" Yang asked Ozpin as Naruto got in front of her.

"Not now, we gotta keep calm or we'll just attract more... Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, and you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus."

Upon hearing this, Jaune finishes up healing Dudley's arm and walks over to Naruto and Ruby who stand beside him with a conflicted expression. "Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there."

"Defiantly."

"Promise."

Naruto kissed both Nora and Pyrrha for luck before Team JNPR began evacuating all of the passengers to the front half of the train. The elderly woman from earlier is walking, taking a look behind her.

Outside, the turrets are shut off. Blake jumps down and decouples the train, allowing the front half to continue forward. When she looks up, she notices a hooded figure resembling Adam in front of her on the next train car. Blake prepares for a fight but then realizes that no one is there and it is just her imagination.

Blake sighs before jumping back up to the top of the train. Ruby is seen a few train cars down looking at her scroll, which shows portraits of her teammates and Nora, the latter's signal low compared to the rest. Ruby looks back up and notices the Manticores and Sphinx exiting the tunnel and taking flight once again. The Sphinx lands on the train.

"Now!"

Nora gets Ruby's message and gives the okay to Jaune and Ren. The two boys combine their Semblances, with Jaune enhancing Ren's Aura to the point where the entire front half of the train is grayed out by Ren's Semblance. Oscar watches the train as it disappears into the snowstorm, before being attacked by a Manticore.

He manages to fend it off temporarily while team RWBY takes out several Manticores one by one. Ruby notices Oscar's struggle and takes advantage of Weiss taking one down to send it crashing into Oscar's Manticore. Meanwhile, Qrow is seen struggling against the Sphinx. Ruby notices this and she and her team go to assist him.

"We need to ground it!"

"On it! Yang, Natsu!"

Both Natsu and Yang take out a Manticore before launching off it and running towards the Sphinx, ducking under it. Blake spins her weapon, with Yang punching it back and forth with Natsu, the ribbon wrapping around the Sphinx's torso. Yang punches Gambol Shroud one more time, embedding the blade in the train's roof, and she and Blake pull the ribbon together, keeping the Sphinx down. Natsu landed and started pulling with Haru and Shiki helping as well.

Weiss uses her Glyphs to freeze the Sphinx's wings, with Qrow and Ruby shooting at them, shattering them. The uncle and niece ready their scythes as the Sphinx prepares to launch one more fireball. Qrow and Ruby launch forward, spinning their scythes together rapidly as they bisect the Sphinx's torso, finishing it off for good.

Before it dies, however, the Sphinx launches the fireball, destroying the rails in front of the train. Weiss activates her black Glyphs to hold everyone in place as the train derails and crashes into the snow.

The back half of the Argus Limited is completely derailed, with the train cars crashing in the snow. Qrow, Oscar, Team RWBY, and SHNN all get back up.

"Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah."

"So are we." Naruto groaned holding his shoulder

"Still alive!"

Everyone looks up and notices the elderly woman. "That sure was a close one, huh?"

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and Let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

THERE'S A NEW POLL UP FOR TOP 7! The top 2 were only apart by 2 votes so we decided to update it to do the top 7 YOU CAN PICK 3! It will go down after a round of updates when Ninja in the Web is done, so that'll be a couple of days after the A Fox in Middleton gets the update after that story ends.

This would have been up slightly earlier but had internet issues with it being off for a day by accident and helping friends/family IRL.

Chapter 31

Notes:

For any that hasn't heard, RoosterTeeth is shutting down... Can't say I'm surprised after hearing their decisions/behind-the-scenes stuff... If RWBY doesn't get picked up/finish the story I guess except OC stuff for a "Last Volume"

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

(Flashback.)

Mistral

"We need to take the Relic to Atlas?"

Team SHNN, RWBY, JNPR, and Qrow Branwen are in the house in Mistral.

"That's what Oz said," Qrow replied as Weiss was putting Dust in a case.

"You've got to be joking..."

"I mean, bright side, we finally get out of this house!" Nora said as she was on Naruto's back as Weiss sighed.

"Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the Relic back in its Vault, it's our best option." Qrow picked up his flask at that.

"There's really no other way?" Haru asked as he sat on the armrest of the couch.

"Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but their borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back." Ren explained as Pyrrha walked in.

"He could have a vault that'll protect it."

"The city of Argus is a ways north of us and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside the kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned, and if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood." Qrow explained as he showed a hologram map to them.

"I mean, we do have the missing Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Ex-Heiress, probably now."

"True, true. But if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it." Yang shrugged having her bust bounce.

"Hopefully the first option will suffice," Ozpin said walking in holding the lamp and having it grow.

"Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Likewise, and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence."

Blake glanced over at him at that. "Right, as long as that thing's out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands."

"Speaking of, what does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us." Jaune said as everyone looked at Ozpin, who turned around to face them.

"Of course. The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the Lamp will provide an answer."

Ozpin places the Relic down, and it floats on the table. "Intriguing..."

"That's incredible..."

"Indeed. However, it's not without drawbacks. The Lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions every one hundred years." Ozpin explained as Yang looked up.

"Well, I guess that's not so bad. Adds a lot of pressure though."

Nora smiled as she jumped off Naruto and ran around. "Then let's put it to a vote! What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask more questions? CAN WE ASK FOR MORE QUESTIONS?!"

"They're not wishes…" Ren sighed as Shiki looked up.

"Kinda useless if you can only ask about stuff that already happened."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment. The questions were used before I sealed it away."

"Well, at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!"

(Flashback End.)

Train Crash.

Ruby scours through the train wreckage and picks up Dust bullets, before looking to see the Relic of Knowledge slightly buried in the snow nearby. Yang's complaining as she struggles to get Bumblebee out of the snow. "Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!"

With one final heave, Yang manages to extricate Bumblebee but falls into Naruto's arms as he catches her. He smiled as he kissed her before pulling back. "Better?"

"Slightly… There's another place you could try~"

Naruto smiled before pulling her up as the elderly woman beside Ozpin turned and tapped her goggles. "My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that is in desperate need of repair… OK, I'm starting to see your point."

"Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm." Qrow grunted as he walked up.

Haru and Shiki rolled their shoulders as they walked up. "Not much survived the wreck. Haru said as Shiki nodded.

"Yeah no food… but some bags we can put snow in to melt for water if we need to."

Natsu was yelling as he tried to clear some rubble before kicking the metal and screaming out in pain.

"We've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven," Blake said as Naruto got his bike out and turned to them.

"Could that Salem woman know where we're going and is attacking us?"

"What happened to no more lies and half-truths?" Yang asked looking at Oscar.

"Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation…" Oscar sighed before his eyes glow as control of his body is switched to Ozpin, who furrows his brow at Yang's accusations.

"I did not lie to you..."

"Well, you certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic," Weiss spoke hand on her hip as the others walked up before Shiki looked at Naruto.

"What? I'm keeping quiet… I was married before you know."

"Please, now is not the time."

"No, we're past that! I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!"

"It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option." Ozpin explained to the group

"You know, I got real tired of people choosing what's best for me," Weiss spoke up as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" Yang asked Ozpin who turned to walk with his hands behind his back.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."

"Missteps?!"

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."

"Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you."

"Do you think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin yelled stopping them. "That he didn't say those same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I… Where's the Relic?"

"Right here." Ruby holds the lamp in her hands. "It got scattered in the crash."

"Please, hand it over."

Ozpin reaches his hand out, but Ruby hesitates. "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?"

"(Sigh) That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."

"But, you said it couldn't do anything right now," Ruby spoke as Blake looked over.

"Why does it matter who carries it?"

"I need you to listen to me-"

Ozpin reaches his hand out, but suddenly is stopped, stuck in his position."

"Oz?" Qrow asked as Oscar spoke up as he started struggling.

"Hurry... he's... trying to stop you!"

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked as Oscar looked over.

"He's afraid... you'll find out what he's... hiding!" Oscar suddenly collapses, Yang, Weiss, and Blake glare at the boy with intense looks while Ruby holds the Relic of Knowledge defensively.

"OK, stop with the glare."

They turned to their boyfriend at that. "Oscar's in control at the moment. I'm like Oscar in that I got the giant Grimm that attacked the school in me and was treated like I was a Grimm by my hometown for my first 16 years of life. You can be mad at Oz but not at Oscar. He didn't ask to have Oz in him."

"Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her." Oscar said as Ruby blinked.

"Her name?" The wind picks up much more gradually, blowing snow even harder. The Relic starts to glow in Ruby's hands. "Jinn?"

Suddenly, the snow stops, floating in midair. The wind stops blowing too. "What?" Qrow asked as everyone looked around.

Ruby then lets go of the Relic as it floats a short distance away, cyan smoke emanates from it. Suddenly, the lamp is enveloped in the smoke, and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerges. Her skin and hair are colored blue, and decorated with gold jewelry and ornaments. The figure stretches and moans as she has been awakened once again.

"Wonderful. Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?" She asked looking down at them.

Mistral

Cinder, now dressed in a cloak, steps out of an alleyway. Her Grimm's arm is bandaged up. She looks to her left and notices a holographic screen showing portraits of her and her allies before hearing a radio. "The perpetrators, Cinder Fall, Hazel Rainart, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black have still not been seen since the attack and are presumed to have fled the city. The Mistral police department is offering a reward to any citizen…"

Cinder, realizing she's a wanted criminal, puts her hood up to conceal her identity. She walks out into the rainy streets of Mistral, among crowds of people with umbrellas up. As Cinder continues walking, she notices a symbol, a spiderweb with a spider in it, etched into the wall. Cinder then walks into a restaurant, with some of the customers bearing tattoos similar to the symbol she found.

She then walks up to a woman, who she presumed is the leader of the gang. She is a heavy-set middle-aged woman with light skin and short blonde hair kept in a bob haircut. She has a spider in its web tattooed on her left shoulder, a beauty mark under her right eye, lipstick on her upper lip, and purple nail polish on her fingernails.

The top of her dress is white and backless, with long sleeves and details, such as beads and straps, in purple. Below is a purple corset, and a long pleated skirt that is yellow on its top layer, purple in the middle one, and white in the lower layer. Her shoes are brown and decorated with a green ribbon.

"That's far enough." Her two bodyguards walk up to Cinder, blocking her way. Cinder tosses down a sack full of Lien on the table. "OK."

The bodyguards step back and Cinder takes a seat across from her. "You're Lil' Miss Malachite?"

"I'm Lil' Miss Gon'-Skin-You-Alive if you ever take that tone with me again… Looks like your life's savings."

"It was somebody's."

"Ha-Ha! Cute. What do you want for it?"

Cinder pulls out her scroll, showing portraits of Team RWBY, SHNN, and JNPR. "I'm looking for these travelers."

"Well, sweetheart, you came to the right place." Cinder jolts a little as she looks behind her, noticing a man entering and being greeted by his group of friends sitting around a table. "A little jumpy today, hmm? You know, I used to be afraid of spiders. Want to know what I did about it?"

"Learn to kill them?"

"Oh no, the world needs spiders. I just made the spiders work for me." Lil Miss replied to her. Cinder looks around, noticing all of the customers have the tattoo of spiderweb, insinuating that they all work for Lil' Miss. "Give us a week, we'll find your travelers."

Cinder then gets up and leaves. "Lil' Miss, we already know where they are. That big guy asked about 'em last week." One guard whispered to her.

"I know we know, but what we don't know is who here in Mistral might be asking about her…"

The Others

Maria adjusts her goggles to get a better look at what's in front of her.

"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"That's enough!"

Everyone looks to Ozpin, who managed to regain control over Oscar's body. "Two questions this era." Everyone is shocked, despite Ozpin telling them that the Relic won't work for them beforehand. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man."

"Ruby, please... Don't."

Qrow glances at Ozpin, and steps forward. "Hey." Suddenly, Yang, Weiss, and Blake get defensive at Qrow as Ruby stares in disbelief. Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."

"Jinn?" Ruby turns around to face Jinn, who has a curious look on her face, while Ozpin grits his teeth in anger. "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"NOOOOOOO!"

Ruby gasps and looks behind her. Ozpin lunges forward and is about to touch her, but suddenly, Ruby finds herself alone in a blank white space.

"Wha-what? Weiss? Yang? Naruto?"

Naruto looked around at the space before hearing Jinn. "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower… that sheltered a lonely girl." A rather beautiful blonde woman sitting in front of a mirror then appears. "Named... Salem."

Jinn explains that Salem, who was once completely Human, in an era when magic was available to all Humanity, is kept isolated in a tower by her father, desperate for freedom. A knight, Ozma rescues her, and the two fall in love.

Sometime later, after Ozma dies of an illness, Salem petitions the god of light to resurrect him, and when he refuses, she goes to the god of darkness, who agrees. Before she and Ozma can leave, the god of light arrives and destroys Ozma again, the god of darkness again resurrects him, and the two fight. Their difference is resolved, however, when the god of light reveals to the god of darkness that Salem only came to him upon the god of light's refusal to resurrect Ozma.

The god of darkness then destroys Ozma, and Salem flies into a rage and attacks both gods, only to be teleported to a great height above a pool in the Domain of Light. After nearly drowning, she awakens on the surface, which supports her body like land, and the two gods tell her that she is now immortal, and so can never be with Ozma, until she has learned "the importance of life and death".

After several failed suicide attempts, Salem realizes that she, as a mortal, having lied to the gods and turned them against one another exposes their fallibility. She goes to the three monarchs of the world, the Fat King, the Stern Queen, and the Zealous King, claiming to have stolen her immortality from the gods, and raises an army, thus learning from her curse that "The hearts of men are easily swayed"

The army sends a volley of magic at the god of darkness, which he easily dismisses, and right after wipes out all of Humanity except for Salem. the gods leave the world, the god of darkness shattering the moon as he does so. Salem, now completely alone, still refuses to blame herself for her fate. She returns to the Land of Darkness, and in yet another suicide attempt, leaps into a Grimm pool, which does not kill her, but corrupts her, giving her chalk-white skin and hair and red eyes.

Jinn then continues explaining that "Between realms", the god of light tells Ozma that his brother has destroyed Humanity and that while it will one day return, it will return to a world without their presence. Instead, he leaves behind the four Relics, saying that when they are brought together, Humanity will be judged, and either the brothers will return to guide Humanity again, or, if they find them still fighting among themselves, the world will be destroyed.

Until this happens, he will reincarnate in a way that ensures he'll never be alone. He refuses at first, saying he would prefer to join Salem in the afterlife, but accepts upon being told she's still alive, despite the god of light's warning that she is no longer the woman he loves.

Ozma awakens in the head of a Human man during a Grimm attack. Upon getting his bearings, he takes control of his host to save the life of another man, who asks his name, which Oscar observes Ozma doesn't know. The world he's now in is different from the one he knew, with Grimm attacks frequent, Humanity lacking innate magic, and the Faunus now living among them, kept in cages.

Hearing of a woman called "The Witch", Ozma, correctly thinking her to be Salem, goes to find her, and upon reuniting with her, asks what they do now, to which she echoes his response from the tower, saying "Whatever we like".

Ozma laments the state of the world to Salem, to which she responds that Humanity needs "Someone to guide them", as they once had, and that she and Ozma, the only two with magic, should take on that role. As Jinn repeats Salem's past lesson that "the hearts of men are easily swayed", the two of them theatrically destroy a Nevermore attacking a village, leading the villagers to bow down before them. They soon use their influence to find a kingdom, which they rule over as they raise their four daughters.

As Ozma becomes increasingly concerned about the harsh means by which he and Salem have come to enforce their rule, one of their daughters interrupts their discussion to show that she's learned to do magic. Ozma tells Salem the mission given to him by the god of light, only for Salem to respond that there's no longer any point to redeeming Humanity, but that rather they should replace them with their line.

This prompts Ozma to attempt to sneak their daughters out of the castle, but Salem stops them. Salem and Ozma fight. Back in the present, the teams look on in abject horror, and at the end are shown the burnt doll of one of the daughters before Salem kills Ozma's incarnation.

As Ozma reincarnates again and again, he decides that Humanity cannot be redeemed without destroying Salem. Knowing that this cannot be accomplished by mortal means, he hunts down the Relic of Knowledge, and asks the location of the other Relics, their powers, and how to destroy Salem, to the last of which Jinn responds simply, "You can't." Ozma falls to his knees in despair, becoming a similarly dismayed Oscar kneeling in the snow.

Naruto then caught Qrow's fist from hitting Oscar. "Not yet, Oscar still has his body… He did not ask for this but just woke up one day with Ozpin in his head. I don't know if, or when Oz will fully take over but right now you will not hurt Oscar. Now, look for any food that may be in the wreck and if not, let's go." Letting go of his fist, Naruto turned to go to the wreak for one more look over.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Remember to vote if you haven't!

Also, for any that hasn't heard, RoosterTeeth is shutting down... Can't say I'm surprised after hearing their decisions/behind-the-scenes stuff... If RWBY doesn't get picked up/finish the story I guess except OC stuff for a "Last Volume"

Sorry for the canon, mostly exposition for these last 2 episodes, and trying to not go past 3k outside of ending a volume.

Chapter 32

Summary:

I've decided to focus on Ninja In The Web as I had to skip to the Lizards episode as I thought Naruto would easily handle the previous episodes as I am someone who believes that Naruto especially after the two-year training can easily take out most villains without any chakra and only needing chakra (Or his cloak for the very powerful ones/gets so pissed off and do it for a one-hit knockout punch)

That's why I usually give Naruto a weapon in superhero stories. So I do have a chapter for all but one story written out but needs to be beta'd. Mainly did that as email alerts are down again so wanted to wait for a bit. So after A Fox In Middleton gets updated, that will be the focus until it's finished.

Shouldn't be super long as I'll probably have to skip one or two episodes or quite a few will be short with Naruto handling them. Plus I like doing the multi-parts as one chapter too. Then the poll will go down at Midnight after A Fox in Middleton's next update (Ch 11) then I'll leave it up for a rotation, taking it down the day after Ch 12 of that story.

Then shortly after the new story should be up

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

I've decided to focus on Ninja In The Web as I had to skip to the Lizards episode as I thought Naruto would easily handle the previous episodes as I am someone who believes that Naruto especially after the two-year training can easily take out most villains without any chakra and only needing chakra (Or his cloak for the very powerful ones/gets so pissed off and do it for a one-hit knockout punch)

That's why I usually give Naruto a weapon in superhero stories. So I do have a chapter for all but one story written out but needs to be beta'd. Mainly did that as email alerts are down again so wanted to wait for a bit. So after A Fox In Middleton gets updated that will be the focus until it's finished.

Shouldn't be super long as I'll probably have to skip one or two episodes or quite a few will be short with Naruto handling them. Plus I like doing the multi-parts as one chapter too. Then the poll will go down at Midnight after A Fox in Middleton's next update (Ch 11) then I'll leave it up for a rotation, taking it down the day after Ch 12 of that story.

Then shortly after the new story should be up

Beacon Group.

"We need to get move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity!"

Maria said as she walked to Oscar as Naruto and his team started putting snow in plastic bags. "There's a trail over there, trails usually lead somewhere."

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but-" Yang stopped as Maria slammed her cane on the ground.

"No buts! I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!"

"She's right. Come on." Ruby spoke as Everyone grabbed their belongings and whatever Dust they could carry with them.

Later, Maria sits on Bumblebee as Yang walks her bike. "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?"

"Of course not. You're your person." Ruby said to Oscar as Qrow took a drink from his flask.

"Don't lie to him, Ruby. We're better than that."

Land Of Darkness.

Five Nevermores are perched on a rocky outcropping with large purple crystals. They fly away when an airship flies by them heading towards a large purple castle. The airship lowers down to an outcropping that serves as a dock, and Hazel, Mercury, and Emerald hop out. As they proceed forward, they notice Tyrian leaning against the entrance at the bottom of the stairs. His scorpion tail now has a spiked, metal tip covering it from where it was cut off.

"Welcome back, welcome back! I do hope you missed us as much as we missed you."

Emerald and Mercury glared at Tyrian as Hazel walked forward. "Let's go."

The three proceed forward past Tyrian. "Speaking of which, where is our Fall Maiden?"

Emerald stops upon hearing this, prompting Tyrian to giggle, causing Emerald to growl as Mercury looks at her. "Emerald, come on."

"Don't tell me something happened to her?" Tyrian mocked bringing his hands to his face.

Emerald turns around and draws her weapons at Tyrian. "I will cut off more than just your tail." She threatened him.

Tyrian chuckles as he slowly walks toward Emerald. "Careful, little girl. Cinder isn't here to protect you anymore."

Tyrian gets close to Emerald, causing her to back away. Tyrian intentionally cuts his cheek with the blade of Emerald's weapon, smiling as Emerald has a disturbed expression, and Mercury steps up to hold Emerald's shoulder. "Back off, freak."

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I am in mourning just like you. Because it appears you've failed our Queen, and that is a tragedy."

A moment later, Tyrian drops his sympathetic facade and starts to laugh maniacally. Mercury looks back at him in disgust while Emerald has a fearful expression. The two of them and Hazel turn around to proceed up the stairs as Tyrian continues laughing.

In the meeting room, Salem opens her eyes and glares at her subordinates. Tyrian and Arthur are fearfully sitting at the table while Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury are kneeling at the other end of the room. "I would like you to explain to me... how it is you failed so spectacularly?"

"The Faunus Militia split our forces-!"

"Stop."

Hazel remains silent with a fearful expression on his face. "Let me rephrase the question... who is responsible for your defeat?"

Emerald and Mercury stay kneeling as Hazel stands up to give his answer. Salem listens intently. "I take full responsibility."

Crack!

Suddenly, Salem flips the table over, knocking Tyrian off his chair. Arthur hastily stands up from his seat and backs away. "But that wouldn't be fair now, would it?! We all know who's truly to blame…" Salem walks forward and menacingly holds her hand out in front of her.

"I don't-"

Salem motions her hand, and a glyph with her symbol appears underneath Hazel. Multiple Grimm arms come out from it and grab Hazel, forcing him down on all fours and suffocating him. "Emerald…" Salem looks over to Emerald, who is still staring down with a fearful expression. "I want you to tell me whose fault this was." Salem slowly walks over to Emerald as she breathes heavily. "Now."

Emerald closed her eyes in fear. "Cinder! We failed because of Cinder..."

"That's right," Salem spoke placing a hand on Emerald's shoulder, causing her to flinch. "I want you to understand that failure. I want you to understand why Cinder must be left to toil in her isolation until she redeems herself."

Salem walks away from Emerald. Both she and Mercury look up in surprise. "You mean-"

"She's alive?" Emerald finished as Arthur looked over.

"You're joking, how could you know that?"

"Are you questioning our divine savior?!"

Salem looks over to Watts and glares at him. "Of course not, forgive me."

"It's important not to lose sight of what drives us: Love, justice, reverence…" Salem trails as she meets Emerald's eyes briefly. "… But, the moment you put your desires before my own... they will be lost to you." Salem releases Hazel from her grasp and walks back to the other side of the room. Hazel catches his breath. "This isn't a threat. This is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found... through me."

Hazel stands back up, Tyrian lets out a small chuckle, and Watts straightens his coat. Salem glances outside, where several Nevermores are flying, before looking down and closing her eyes. "And so we must... press on. The Sword under Vacuo's academy, Shade-"

"Ma'am."

Everyone looks at Hazel, with Tyrian glaring. "I have... more to report."

Salem's eyes narrow, and she spreads her hands, causing the Grimm arms to appear around Hazel's feet again. Hazel looks down at them nervously before explaining himself. "Qrow and the children are taking the Lamp to Atlas."

"Not if I can help it." Tyrian chuckled at that.

"And they're being led... by Ozpin."

At this, everyone slowly looks toward Salem with fearful expressions on their faces and Mercury notices the windows starting to crack. "So soon?!" Tyrian asked looking over as Arthur looked down.

"He's the only man with a chance of getting through to Ironwood. If that happens..."

Watts suddenly stops as he and everyone else notice the windows cracking. They then look at Salem, and dark smoke emanates from her. "Leave..."

"Your Grace, I can-"

Salem glares at Tyrian, causing him to reel back. Emerald looks on in fear before Hazel puts a hand on her shoulder. "Come on.

Everyone quickly proceeds to exit the room as the windows start to crack even more. Emerald takes one last look behind her as the doors close. Salem left alone, seethes with anger before calming herself down. Everything is seemingly quiet, but then all of a sudden, Salem yells out in rage and the windows shatter.

Teams RWBY, SHNN, Qrow, Oscar, And Maria.

Back in the snow, Teams SHNN, RWBY, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria proceed on the trail. as The snow starts to pick up even more. "Doesn't look like this is gonna let up." Qrow sighed as Yang grumbled

"Just wanna get this stupid Relic to Atlas."

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there."

"I thought trails led somewhere." Yang sarcastically asked her passenger.

"Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?"

Creak!

"Everyone, quiet. Do you hear that?" Ruby asks as everyone stops in their tracks.

They looked ahead to see a large farm, one of the front gates swinging back and forth with the wind.

Naruto pushed his bike ahead and saw a large sign above the entrance that reads

BRUNSWICK FARMS

Everyone proceeds through the farm's gates, with Qrow being the last to enter. The snow starts to pick up even more as he closes the gate and lets out a metallic clang.

The snowstorm started to pick up as they looked at the house before Naruto saw the barn. He walked over and pushed open the door and saw the walls starting to rot before seeing a trailer. He walked in before reeling back at petrified corpses of animals in the stalls before glancing around. "This seems familiar."

He walked to push the double doors open before walking back to the house and stopped to blink. "Wait… Mom told me about something she came across… Shit!" He ran through the snow and up to the house before barging in. "We gotta get the hell outta here!"

"Why?" Shiki asked as Naruto closed the door. "I saw corpses of animals in the barn that reminds me of a Grimm attack Mom dealt with.

"Grimm?" Natsu asked as he warmed by a fireplace.

"Called Apathy… They drain your will to live or some BS to kill you easily or just die in your sleep."

"Like the people upstairs," Yang spoke walking down from upstairs.

"I'll barricade every door here until the snow dies down hopefully by morning." Naruto walked down the hall and to a staircase leading down. As he got to the bottom he saw a wine cellar with Qrow at the bar before sighing. "I think there's a Grimm called Apathy here Qrow."

Looking to see cellar doors that were chained Naruto took two of the bar stools and broke the legs off them to wedge in the handles before jumping back as the doors moved. "Yeah, something's here."

He then walked up to see his teammates nailing boards on the doors and bottom windows before taking more legs he broke off and threw them in the fire.

Morning.

Naruto walked out to see Oscar filling the flat tires before breaking beer and wine bottles on the floor and picking up a match.

"Why are you doing that?"

Naruto turned to Haru and used his thumb to light the match. "These people deserve a burial and I want to make sure no one stays here if they're traveling." He threw the match in and lit every room on fire as he used every alcohol bottle to douse every room.

Later, Yang pulled the trailer with Bumblebee as Naruto rode beside her on his bike before hearing Ruby ask Maria about her knowledge of not only Grimm but her silver eyes as they talked through the night as a precaution. "Isn't it obvious? I had silver eyes too."

Naruto blinked as he glanced back just as Maria's goggles squinted when she smiled.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 33

Notes:

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Maria tells the story of when she was younger, under her huntress alias, "The Grimm Reaper", who was ambushed by a group of assassins after single-handedly defeating a Nevermore using her silver eyes. The leader of the assassins, a crocodile Faunus named Tock, explains that she has been ordered to kill her because of her eyes. Maria manages to kill them all, but not before Tock slashes her eyes out, blinding her.

"I went into hiding soon after."

"I can't believe it. You…"

Naruto turned to look back for a second as Qrow spoke. "You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared..."

"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asks before Qrow continues.

"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper."

Maria sighs as she looks back. "Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way."

"How can you say that?" Blake asks her.

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already. It's… comforting, to see that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Ruby speaks and as Maria looks back at her, a Scroll's ringtone can be heard. Ruby pulls her Scroll out and gasps in excitement. "It's Jaune!"

Naruto and Yang stop their bikes, to look back in surprise. "How?" Weiss asks as Ruby answers her Scroll.

"Uh, hello?"

"Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!"

"The city? Wait…" Ruby looks at her Scroll, then looks at the little signal symbol under Jaune's portrait, watching it get better as she points her Scroll toward the road ahead.

The group sees a hill where the snow ends. Yang proceeds forward to drive them up the hill. At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus." She smiled before Naruto jumped past her and landed halfway down the hill to continue to the city.

At the entrance to the city of Argus, Yang inputs a code, to lock Bumblebee, Naruto's bike, and the trailer in a garage. Team RWBY, SHNN, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria take the time to admire their surroundings. Through the crowd, a certain bubbly ginger-haired girl in pink zooms in.

"Whiskers!"

Naruto was tackled by his girl forcing him back several steps before stopping as he cupped her ass under her skirt. Nora then kissed him forcing a make-out session before moaning as he griped her panty-clad ass.

Pyrrha, Jaune, and Ren also arrive. "Are you all OK?"

"Yeah," Haru replies walking as a green Natsu was lying on the ground.

Later on, the group is traveling through the city on a trolley. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be," Yang said as she stood beside the bench Naruto was on as Nora sat in his lap.

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant," Ren explains as Ruby looks over in shock.

"No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?"

Jaune looks at her to speak. "Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide."

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under the Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady." Ren finishes as Nora sighs from her spot on Naruto.

"Well, until recently..."

The trolley makes a stop and everyone hops off. "We should probably start looking for a ship," Blake says as the trolley leaves.

"So, where have you guys been staying?" Shiki asks as Jaune chuckles nervously.

"There you are!"

They turn to see a blonde woman, holding a baby boy, in her arm is seen on the other side of the street waving to Jaune.

She's a young woman with wavy, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She's wearing an orange sleeveless top with a beige sleeveless vest, light brown trousers with orange stitches on each side, and dark brown boots. In addition, she has a wedding ring on her left hand and a bootlace necklace around her neck.

The baby has short black hair and brown eyes. He wears a white and blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls and white socks.

"Is that...?" Yang trails as Jaune waves at her.

"Hey, Saph."

Later, the group reconvenes in a living room at a home. "I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions." Ruby exclaims as Yang and Weiss play with the toddler.

"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora spoke from her spot on a chair.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asks as Saphron pinches his cheek.

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother."

Jaune groaned while also flailing his arms at his elder sister. "I am not a baby! That is a baby." He says pointing at Adrian, who huffs back at him

Yang and Weiss get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian. Both of them then look back at Naruto.

"No… Put him back."

"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asks looking at a picture on the bookshelf of the Arc siblings all together can be seen, with the young Jaune at the center with pigtails and a deadpan expression while holding a sign that says "HELP" on it while his sisters do various crazy things around him.

Saphron nods with a smile. "Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home. I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis."

"I, uh..."

"Aw, you didn't deny it!" She teased and the two siblings played fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks.

Then, a door is heard opening. A dark-haired woman with glasses is seen walking in with bags of groceries. She has a single smooth bang that goes down her forehead and in between her eyes. She's wearing a dark navy collar shirt with a light blue cardigan, dark gray jeans, and red sneakers.

"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta."

"Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Terra asks before Saphron quickly runs over to help Terra in the kitchen.

Later on, Jaune, Ren, and Nora are seen preparing sandwiches for everyone. "And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?"

Saphron nods at that. "Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Terra nods as well with a smile. "You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do." She then looks at Qrow. "Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even… legal?"

Qrow, not paying attention, gets his arm bumped by his niece. "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age." Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and Nora walk back into the room with plates full of sandwiches. "Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students-"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby shoots past him to said food.

Everyone eats as Saphron and Terra share a look before the latter's Scroll is heard buzzing.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Terra stands and answers her Scroll while walking out of the room "Hello?"

"Is everything OK?" Blake asks Saphron who nods.

"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." She then starts making baby talk at Adrian. "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed."

Terra peeks back into the room at that. "Me."

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?"

"Well... We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base." Ruby says as Pyrrha sighs.

"That may be a problem."

Next Day.

The next day, Team RWBY and SHNN walk up to the Atlesian Military base on the island off the coast of Argus, only for the gates to abruptly close on them before they could even enter. "Come on! You didn't even hear us out!"

Yang yelled at the two identical guards. "Our orders are clear: The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!" One explains before the other speaks up.

"Please!"

"Have a good day!"

"But-"

"A good day!" Both yells as Qrow sighs.

"Hey, if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood-"

"General Ironwood!" The two correct as Qrow palms his face.

"Yeah, General Ironwood, then fine. But look, we have Weiss Schnee with us and we're trying to get her home safely."

Weiss looks down with reluctance upon hearing Qrow say that. Naruto grabs her hand and squeezes it to assure her as the two guards look at each other before turning their attention back to the group. "Approach!" Weiss shares a look with Naruto who nods Weiss then walks up to the gate and the two guards step up and bend down to inspect her. After a moment, both guards stand straight back up. "Very well!"

They speak before the second guard continues. "You may speak with our commanding officer!"

"We will fetch her at once!"

The two guards turn around in sync and chant "Hup hup hup" and "Atlas Atlas Atlas" as they run to get their superior.

"They were... kind of…" Blake trails off before Ruby finishes

"Super weird? Uh, yeah."

"Not the weirdest I've seen.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asks when noticing Maria looking down in thought.

"Well, I... may know this commanding officer..."

"That's good, isn't it? If she's your friend, then maybe she'd be more willing to help us." Ruby says looking down.

"I wouldn't exactly call us... "friends"," Maria replies to her.

"Acquaintances?" Weiss asks walking back to the group.

"Not quite."

Blake places a hand on her hip before speaking. "Colleagues?"

"Warmer."

"Enemies?" Yang crosses her arms at that.

Maria smiles at the busty blonde. "That's the one!"

"Wait, what?"

Maria nods and then explains. "Oh, yes. I come through here about once every ten years to get my eyes checked up in Atlas. You bring outside cashews on one flight, and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Qrow sighs at that.

"Now, now, let's not give up hope yet... Maybe she's dead!"

Suddenly, the gates open up quickly, and the two guards return. "Introducing!"

"Special operative!"

"Caroline Cordovin!"

They all hear footsteps before the guards turn to the side to reveal a short-statured elderly woman around Maria's age wearing the standard Atlesian officer uniform.

Cordovin steps forward and glares at Maria. "Witch."

"She-devil." Maria glares at her.

"Hm. I've seen you've chosen larger contraband to smuggle this time."

Maria chuckles at that. "Oh, Cordo. You know they say time changes people, but I see you've still got that stick right up your-"

"H-hello! Miss, uh, Cordovin." Ruby steps between the two. "My name is Ruby Rose, and I was wondering if you would hear us out about-!" Ruby stops as Caroline interrupts.

"I've already heard what your other little friends had to say, Miss Rose." She looks behind Ruby, noticing Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren standing a little ways away behind the group. "What are you doing back here?! I thought I told you to leave!"

Nora tries to charge forward, only to be held back by Ren and Jaune as Pyrrha waves.

"Hello!"

"And I told you we wouldn't rest until you let us through!" Nora yells as she struggles.

"You civilians are incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus. So allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: This base, that relay tower, and the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas! And it is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

"Such wit!"

"Such tenacity!"

The guards spoke as Maria stared at Caroline. "Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the kingdom as possible."

"You're just like the rest of these Argus ingrates! This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!"

Ruby waved her hands at that. "Please, we know your kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon. We were there."

"No one's happy about the Atlas borders or embargo, but I know General Ironwood is just worried. It's why we need to talk to!" Weiss was then interrupted by Caroline.

"The General is no coward! Atlas is strong. If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!"

"Atlas will prevail!" The guards yell out as Yang crosses her arms.

"Do you guys seriously have to do that?"

"(Sigh) If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then, of course, the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her "friends" of... questionable character." Caroline says then glances at Blake specifically upon saying her last statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked narrowing her eyes

"It means we're done here."

The gates to the base closed quickly, leaving the group outside once again. "Hey! Open up right now!" Natsu yells as he latches onto the bars and starts screaming obscenities as Haru and Shiki pull him back.

"I don't..."

"Weiss." Ruby stops her at that. "I told you we wouldn't leave your side for a second. We'll find a way to Atlas. Together." Ruby finishes as she places a hand on Weiss' shoulder. Weiss smiles and nods back at her friend as Qrow starts to walk away. "So… where are we going now?"

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Nora asks as she and her team walk up.

"The plan? The plan just got shut in our face three times over. I'm going for a drink."

Ruby runs over to her uncle at that. "Uncle Qrow, I really think we should try and come up with something…" She trails off as Qrow walks away before she can finish. "...together."

"What's his problem? It's not your fault we can't go on." Jaune walks over to Ruby at that.

"If he's gonna be a jerk then we'll just come up with something without him. I mean, we've got Ozpin with us! He usually knows what to do."

Upon hearing this, Oscar looks down sadly, and Weiss, Blake, and Yang exchange troubled looks. "What is it?"

Saphron's Home.

Back at Saphron's home, Jaune punches the wall, leaving a very large crack in it. "Jaune!"

"Everything we did was for nothing!"

"That's not true," Blake says as Nora sighs angrily.

"Really? Cuz it sure does sound like it."

"If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?"

"There's always a way to stop an immortal," Naruto says as everyone looks at him. "Face one in my world.

"Look, none of this is great, we know. But we're not the bad guys here." Oscar says as Jaune looks at him.

"Are we sure about that?"

"What?"

"He's in your head, isn't he? Did you already know about this?" Jaune asks as he angrily walks over to Oscar.

Only to be stopped by Naruto. "No, he's a kid who did not ask for this."

Jaune then goes upstairs and after a moment, they hear a door opening and slamming shut. "Is he... gonna be okay?" Yang asks as Nora leaves followed by Ren.

"I think it would be best if we had some time to ourselves."

Pyrrha followed kissing Naruto on the cheek as she left. "Bit of a jerk thing to do." Natsu huffed crossing his arms.

"Later on, Ruby heads outside onto the backyard porch with her Scroll to her ear. "Come on, please…"

Ruby takes away the Scroll from her ear, looking at the screen with Qrow's portrait on it and text above it in red letters saying NO ANSWER. "Where are you?!" She asks before she throws her Scroll into the yard.

"You know, I came out here to avoid the yelling."

Ruby notices Maria sitting next to a small table with a plate of fruit on it. "Sorry. The others went to get food for tonight."

"Why not go with them?" Maria asks as Ruby sits on the ground in front of him.

"I don't know… I don't know anything... What do I tell Jaune and his team when we don't even have a plan? Qrow's out drinking, Ozpin hasn't come back and even if he did, I don't know if I could trust him. And there's always Jinn, but... we only have one more question we can ask her. I feel like I'm letting everyone down…"

"You know, you don't give yourself enough credit," Maria said to Ruby who chuckled.

"Oh... Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Ruby blinked at that. "Uh... what?"

"If I have to explain it to you, it will just defeat the purpose. But if you're tired of not knowing anything, how about we discuss those eyes of yours?"

Ruby stands up at that. "Oh! Yes, ma'am, I would be honored!"

"Sit back down, for Pete's sake." Maria sighed as Ruby sat down. "Let's start with what you do know. Tell me."

"Uh... Silver-eyed people are supposed to be legendary warriors. Or something. And at the Fall of Beacon, I turned a giant Wyvern into stone."

Maria shook her head and sighed. "Oh, boy."

"Look, if I already knew everything I wouldn't be asking for help!"

"Yelling…" Maria sighs as Ruby looks back up with a sorrowful expression on her face. "It's not your fault. I had my father to teach me, and even he didn't have all the answers. But what he told me makes sense, given what I've seen."

"Was he a Huntsman too?" Ruby asks Maria.

"It wasn't really an official title back in his day. I only knew him as an old soldier and an excellent teacher. I never attended one of those fancy academies of yours, but I scored higher on the license exam than any other Huntsman or Huntress that day."

Ruby just smiles at that. "You must've been proud."

"Heh, he would've scolded me for showing off. He'd never been able to find much information about our abilities. Just legends of warriors whose eyes shone like mirrors, reflecting the light of the world onto darkness. He found so little that it made him cautious. How could such powerful bloodlines be so rare? Unless something was actively seeking to destroy them."

"Salem…" Ruby trails off at that.

"I tried to keep my powers a secret, but as you know, it wasn't enough. I owe my life to my training and my Semblance. At the end of the day, those are still your most powerful tools."

"What is your Semblance?" Ruby asks as a drop from the tree, which Maria catches before it hits the plate of fruit.

"Preflexes"! A silly name I came up with. Hard to explain, but I can sense everything better than most and react to attacks almost before they happen. Combine that with my training and secret ability to turn Grimm to stone, blind them, or vaporize them. (Ahem!) And that's how you become the Grimm Reaper!"

"So, how do I laser beam monsters with my eyeballs?" Ruby asks with a smile.

Maria just smacks Ruby on the head with her cane. "First, you stop thinking like that! I want you to think of all the times you've triggered your powers. What did those moments have in common?"

"I... was scared, and stressed. Is it emotional? Like unlocking a Semblance?"

"It's emotional but more focused than that. Think, what is it you wanted?" Maria asks her.

"I wanted to protect my friends."

Maria nods before speaking. "Precisely! It is the desire to preserve life that fuels the light inside you. And to make no mistake, it is light. Preservation is an extension of creation, or, at the very least, an enemy of destruction. The Creatures of Grimm were made by the God of Darkness, but your light comes from his brother."

"How do you know that?" Ruby asks looking up.

"I always knew how to use the light, but never why it only worked on the Grimm. Then, Jinn showed us her vision. Were you paying attention?"

Ruby closes her eyes and thinks back to when the God of Light destroyed all the Grimm in the Land of Darkness. The God of Light transforms into his dragon form, revealing his pair of Silver Eyes. "The God of Light... His eyes! Okay, where do we start?"

"Well, not here. The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. Meaning the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire. But, what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant." Maria explains to the huntress.

"But, that can't be right."

"Hm?"

Ruby walks over to explain. "You said the light only reacts to Grimm, but... I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."

"Interesting... Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

"Ruby!"

Ruby notices Yang at the door. Ruby walks back into the house to see Weiss and Blake present as well. "Oh, hey guys."

Jaune also walked into the room with Ren and Nora. "What's going on?"

"It's Oscar. He's missing." Blake explains as Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren become shocked as Ruby and Jaune look at each other with concerned looks on their faces.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Sorry for the quality of the Ch, these two episodes were mainly backstory/exposition.

Chapter 34

Notes:

Totally Spies won the poll. That story will go up tomorrow as I want a day to let you who only read this story see the poll. Also one for who Ron will be with will go up with that update. I'll probably only keep it up for a few rotations of chapters as I have another poll to use as well for the RWBY story if I don't get a lot of involvement in the reviews.

If I do get a lot I'll keep that poll up until Zita appears.

Also, the new story to take Shinobi on Board's place is up, Detentionairs, a NarutoxDetentionair story feel free to check it out if you're interested.

Sorry for the quality, had to rush due to getting weather from Debby and the power was out on Friday due to that.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Chapter XXXIV.

Last Time.

"Well, not here. The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. This means the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire. But, what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant." Maria explains to the huntress.

"But, that can't be right."

"Hm?"

Ruby walks over to explain. "You said the light only reacts to Grimm, but... I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."

"Interesting... Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

"Ruby!"

Ruby notices Yang at the door. Ruby walks back into the house to see Weiss and Blake present as well. "Oh, hey guys."

Jaune also walked into the room with Ren and Nora. "What's going on?"

"It's Oscar. He's missing." Blake explains as Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren become shocked as Ruby and Jaune look at each other with concerned looks on their faces.

Now.

Land Of Darkness.

At Salem's keep, Emerald is sitting on the floor while Mercury is training around the room with punches and kicks. "I hate being kept in the dark like this…" She sighed as Mercury glanced over.

"Yeah, Cinder was a pain, but at least she kept us filled in."

"Can I ask you something?" She asked as he turned to face her while continuing.

"You're gonna."

"Why did you come with us, the night Cinder and I found you?"

Mercury blinked at that. "Why are you asking-"

"Just answer the question."

Mercury continues before replying. "Just made sense."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "It made sense?"

"All my life, my father trained me to be a killer, an assassin like him. And then moments after I killed him, you two showed up looking for someone with my exact skills. Just felt like it was meant to be."

"incredulous That's it?" She asks with a blink.

"Hey, what's your problem?"

Emerald looks up with a shrug. "I mean, there has to be something you want from this, right?"

"Salem's promised us everything. We win this thing for her, we'll be top dogs in her new world. What more do you want?"

Emerald looks down and sighs. "I just… (Sigh) Cinder was the only family I ever had. She cared about me, taught me things... But without her here, I don't know if what we're doing-"

"Wake up, already…" He says as Emerald looks at him in shock upon hearing this. "Cinder doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about either of us!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" She bit back before he continued.

"You're in denial. And if you're gonna start having a crisis of identity or some crap... keep me out of it." At this, Emerald angrily jumps forward and starts to attack Mercury with punches and kicks, but he dodges them and catches her wrist. "I'm sorry you didn't have a mommy who loved you, but I had a father who hated me!"

Mercury shoves Emerald back a bit as she takes a defensive stance and he slowly approaches her. "He never went easy on me! Every day of training was a beating. And when I unlocked my Semblance, he stole it with his!" He explains as he throws a punch and a kick at Emerald, who dodges them, while he quotes his father's words. "'This is a crutch!' 'This makes you weak!' He told me I could have it back when I was strong."

"So I got strong, but I never got it back! I've had to work harder than anyone to get where I am. You may not like it here without Cinder, but I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be!"

"Ha-Ha-Ha!"

Suddenly, the two hear laughing as Tyrian steps out of the shadows with his new metallic scorpion tail. "Oh yes, the world is mean, and I'm a big, bad man now just like the others." He mocks before laughing again.

Mercury growls as he angrily walks over to Tyrian. "How long have you been standing there?!"

"All you ever learned was pain and violence, and now you're too afraid to leave it. Such a tragedy." Tyrian smiles.

"You don't know me!"

Mercury tries to kick at Tyrian, but he dodges and kicks Mercury back. Tyrian holds him down to the ground by keeping his tail a short distance away from Mercury's face. "Hey!" Emerald yells as Tyrian shushes them.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. I want to tell you both a little secret. Your question is all wrong."

"What?" Emerald blinks.

"'What do you want from this?' Children, please, if you're not loving what you're doing, then you're in the wrong field." He says as she glares.

"So, what? Are you saying we should just leave?"

Tyrian gave a dramatic gasp at that. "Oh no, no, no, no. chuckles You can't do that!"

Mercury narrows his eyes at that. "Then what did you come here for?"

"To say farewell. There's been a change in plans. Her Grace must act swiftly if we are to prevail. If General Ironwood comes to his senses and calls upon aid from Vacuo, all may be lost for us! And so the good doctor and I are being sent to Atlas... to prepare." Tyrian explains with a grin.

"Prepare for what?" Emerald asks before Arthur yells out.

"Tyrian!"

They look and see Watts at the end of the hallway leading into the room. "It's time."

Tyrian steps off of Mercury, who gets back up on his feet. "Do what makes you happy children... please? I'm begging you…" Tyrian gave an evil grin and held his new tail out threateningly, with purple liquid venom dripping from the stinger's tip.

Tyrian walks away towards Watts letting out a little chuckle as Emerald and Mercury watch him leave with disgusted looks.

Argus.

"Oscar!"

Naruto yells as he walks by himself down the street.

"Naruto?"

Blinking, Naruto turned to a patio. "What…?" He trailed off seeing his wives from his world. (1.)

'Hinata.'

Hinata is a slender girl of fair complexion with a large bust whose most distinguishing trait is her featureless lavender eyes. She has long dark blue hair that reaches her lower back with framing strands that reach shoulder-length. She's wearing a form-fitting light lavender, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with vertical lines, tied with a dark purple obi around her waist, and short dark navy shorts with knee-high sandals.

'Ino.'

Ino is a fair-skinned woman of average height with light blue eyes and long, platinum blonde hair that went to her calves with bangs framing the right side of her face. She's wearing a purple outfit consisting of a top that's sleeveless and bares her midriff with a long skirt that shows her V-line with mesh on her elbows and open-toed sandals.

'Tenten.'

Tenten has black hair and grey eyes, both of which are depicted as dark brown in the anime. She has her hair in two Chinese-style buns that are braided and held together by a short plait that falls just below her shoulders.

She's wearing a white sleeveless, high-collared qipao dress with red trimmings and a pink flame pattern on the left, tied with a maroon obi. Underneath, she has fishnet leg stockings and black high-heeled boots. A pair of black scrolls around her wrists like bangles, and has two scrolls in the color of green and light grey strapped on her lower back.

'Anko.'

Anko is an average-sized, young woman who was slender frame. She has light brown, pupil-less eyes. Her purple hair is styled in a short, spiky, fanned-out ponytail. She's wearing a custom-made outfit that is crafted of thin metal mesh to fit the lines of her body, which covers her from neck to thigh. Over this, she has a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam and a pocket on each side, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. She also has a small pendant that looks like a snake fang.

'Hana.'

Hana has long brown hair which she wears in a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face over her large, black eyes. She also has a light shade of lipstick and fang-like tattoos on both of her cheeks, in addition to a tattoo on her upper right arm that resembles a flower. She's wearing a brace on her left wrist, bracelets on her right hand as well as bandages and a form-fitting variation of a flak jacket that doesn't have any chest pockets and she keeps the front of her jacket unzipped, exposing her cleavage. She also has on a pair of form-fitting shorts cut just above the knee, bandages just below her tattoo, and wrist warmers.

'Samui.'

Samui is a tall, fair-skinned woman with a curvaceous figure with a stoic, aloof expression on her face. She has blue eyes and straight, shoulder-length blonde hair cut in an asymmetrical bob style and a large bust.

She's wearing a very low-cut outfit that displays her sizeable cleavage, with mesh armor underneath, a short skirt and red hand guards, high boots, and what appears to be a modified Kumogakure flak jacket that covers her stomach only, similar to a girdle. She also carries a tantō strapped horizontally to her lower back.

'Pakura.'

Pakura is a fairly tall kunoichi. She has fair skin and pupilless brown eyes, green hair that is tied in a bun on top of her head with a hair needle running through it, and one short and long strand of hair with orange tips framing each side of her face. Her attire consists of a sleeveless, backless top and short tight pants, with two lapels on the front and the back. She has an obi around her waist, as well as purple arm-warmers which extend up to her shoulders and has bandages around her tights and ankles.

'Mei.'

Mei is a tall, slender woman with fair skin. She has green eyes, and ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, and four bangs at the front. Two bangs are short, with one covering her right eye, and two are long, crossing each other on her bust, just below her chin.

She's wearing a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below the knees. It seems to be closed at the front with a zipper and is kept open on the front-right side from the waist down. The dress only covers up to the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. Underneath, she has a mesh armor that covers slightly more of her upper body than her dress.

She also has on a skirt the same color as her dress and, underneath those, mesh leggings reaching down over her knees. Around her waist, she has a belt with a pouch attached to the back on the left along with high-heeled sandals, shin-guards reaching up over her knees, dark blue nail polish on her fingers and toes, and is usually shown with purple lipstick.

'Ameyuri.'

Ameyuri is relatively short in comparison with the others. She has long, red hair, black eyes, and a simple cloth around her head, distinctively tied at both sides so that the ends of the material protrude upwards, while the remainder of the hair is allowed to flow downwards. She's wearing a loose, pin-striped long-sleeved shirt with a dark obi around the waist, black pants that got much looser near the ends, resembling hakama, and striped leg-warmers. She also has bandages loosely tied around her neck and smiles showing jagged teeth.

"So… You guys came here as well?"

"Yeah, we all met here after the attack on Beacon," Anko explained as Naruto walked up and leaned on the railing.

"I'm… Glad you're here then." Naruto smiled before Anko walked over.

"I bet you are~" Naruto smiled before speaking. "I do have girlfriends here."

"With what you're packing you can handle us."

"I… Didn't know how much I missed you Anko." Naruto grinned. "Now, there's a battle brewing… Think on the scale of what happened with Obito… Now if the leaders are here with Tsunade Jiraiya-"

"We haven't met them yet," Hana explains from her seat.

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed out at that.

"Or if they reincarnated like we did," Tenten says as Naruto throws his head back.

"FUCK! Now this universe decided to get lazy?"

Later, Saphron's House.

"Oscar?"

Naruto and his other girls walked to see Qrow on the steps. "You just got drunk?" Naruto sighed as Yang looked to see him and the others. "My reincarnated wives. Met them looking for Oscar.

"FOUND HIM!"

Natsu yells out from the door as Oscar is inside before they all walk in and see Oscar now wearing a fancy green coat.

"You had us worried sick!"

"Are you okay?"

Nora grins at him. "What are you wearing?"

Oscar smiles and rubs the back of his head

"Is something cooking?" Terra asks as Oscar nods.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after... spending all day looking for me."

Jaune walks up at that. "It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am so sorry for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said-"

"No, it's okay. These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be... me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left." Oscar says as they all smiled before the smoke alarm went off. "The casserole!"

"We're on it, chef."

Saphron and Terra step into the kitchen to take care of Oscar's cooking. "Uh, combat gear looks good," Ruby says as Naruto walks up to wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her in close as the group notices Qrow walking up the stairs. "Where are you going now?"

"I don't want to get in the way of your celebration."

Ruby puffed her cheeks at that. "You've been gone all day! Just sit with us."

Qrow sighs and looks at his niece. "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out, uh, whatever all that was. But the fact is, we're not a single step closer to Atlas."

"I think I have an idea. But... it's sort of a 'no-going-back' kind of idea." Jaune spoke up as they looked at him. "With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas. So... we... steal an Atlas airship. nervously shrugs at his last statement."

"I like ya." Anko grinned as Naruto facepalmed.

"Ignore her."

"That's not just breaking the law. That's... that's worse." Weiss says as Yang looked over.

"How would we even get onto the airfield?"

"That part I haven't quite figured out yet. But I-" Jaune stops as Qrow walked up.

"Okay, stop. Just... stop! Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas Military we're talking about. For your sake, just drop this."

Everyone looks down with discouraged looks on their faces. Ruby notices this and turns back to Qrow with a determined look on her face. "I want to hear him out."

"Ruby..."

Ruby stops her uncle at that. "I want to hear him out! I know you're trying to protect us, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't care what you think!" Qrow gains a shocked expression upon hearing this. "Just because you don't have an idea, doesn't mean we're out of options! Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway."

"We've been in bad situations before, and we don't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way! And I say we do it our way. everyone smiles And if you think you can keep up with us "kids"... we'd be happy to have you."

Maria laughs at that. "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. We decided on having Narutoverse characters popping up and I wanted to ask you all about Naruto's previous wives joining the pairing. NOW if I don't get a lot of confirmation or deny that. I'll do a poll BUT MAY NEED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THIS STORY as I'll be doing one for my Kim Possible story on who Ron'll be paired with.

Won't be a long break just several updates for each story to let everyone know and give time to vote. But again that's just if I don't get a lot of "yes" or "no" or it seems even. Then the KP poll will stay until Zita is introduced.

Sorry for the quality, had to rush due to getting weather from Debby and the power was out on Friday due to that

Totally Spies won the poll. That story will go up tomorrow as I want a day to let yo who only read this story see the poll. Also one for who Ron will be with will go up with that update. I'll probably only keep it up for a few rotations of chapters as I have another poll to use as well for the RWBY story if I don't get a lot of involvement in the reviews.

Chapter 35

Notes:

Good news everyone! I just did that for the new season that's out. I got my time back to write but I still will need to get into the habit but, expect updates to pick up to where they were in 2020ish on back for those of you who were reading back then.

For those that didn't, except for the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), I would update one or two stories a week outside of internet/power failures or family visits. And for the holidays I would take the first week of the month off at least to write a Ch for each story then an extra for the one that's getting updated so I could update all stories for the holidays for those times as a present in case there's a lot of family/friends visiting.

I have a poll up on who Ron should be paired with, I was going to have it be quick as I was thinking of doing one for my RWBY story but nixed that after talking with fellow writers and beta's.

Now I'll leave it up until Zita appears. BUT I haven't gotten a vote for it for a while and if I don't get many after a few rounds of updating all stories then I'll take it down.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Argus.

"This is what we need!"

Yang said stretching her arms out as she stepped on the beach by the city.

She's wearing a yellow bikini with black trim that looked a size too small on her as the top looked to be struggling to contain her breasts, black spiral on her right breast, and the back rode up to reveal more of her ass.

"I-I don't know about this." Her sister said with a blush wearing a bathing suit Yang bought her as well.

She's wearing a black bikini that has an orange spiral on the left breast.

"Oh come on Ruby, gotta show off for our boyfriend right?" Yang asked with a wink.

They all decided on some relaxation before doing the plan, and the women decided to go to the beach with their man. Yang went with the ones who needed new bathing suits to pick out the sexiest ones for Naruto. Hearing panting, they turned to see Naruto's hands on his knees wearing a black bathing suit with leaves on it while Coco and Velvet shook their heads.

"Damn, still out of practice for that." Naruto groaned as he used his father's technique Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) to get the two girls.

Coco's wearing a golden brown bikini with a black spiral on the left with the two pieces of fabric just covering her modesty with two straps around them and a see-through skirt covering her bottom that was also barely covering her with two straps around it and showing it was a thong from the back.

Velvet's is a white frilled top with a bikini bottom with gold strings on it, the back having a black spiral on it riding up to reveal more of her cheeks.

"I guess that means we'll have to work on that stamina~" Coco purred pulling her glasses down to wink at Naruto.

"Oh, I don't need help with that." Naruto smiled as he straightened up.

He walked over to pull her into a kiss and squeezed her cheeks through her skirt. Coco moaned through the kiss before he pulled back. Moving over, he pulled Velvet to him getting her to squeak before kissing her as well as reaching down to squeeze her cheeks.

"What about us~?"

Pulling back from the blushing Faunus, Naruto turned to see Yang hugging Ruby from the side before walking over. Yang smirked and wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him in for a kiss, her large bust pressing against his chest. Naruto's hands then trailed down her sides getting Yang to shiver at the touch before moaning in his mouth as he squeezed her cheeks.

Pulling back he turned, only to have Ruby jump in his arms to kiss him. Naruto stumbled back before gaining his balance then held her by the ass. "Heh! And here I thought Yang was the bold one." Naruto replied after ending the kiss.

"I-I…"

"I'm just teasing you, Ruby… Now let's have some fun." Naruto smiles before letting her down. "Why don't you guys go to the umbrella and I'll get the treats." He then started to walk towards a stand that was nearby.

Later, he walked to the four who sat under a large umbrella holding a tray of shaved ice of multiple colors before stopping under it himself.

"Naruto~ Could you put sunscreen on me~?" Yang asked after finishing her treat.

Naruto smiled and sat beside her as she laid down, and undid her top. Naruto squirted some on her back and his hands before he rubbed it on her skin. As he rubbed Yang's back, he looked up to see the others sitting on chairs leaning back, Coco taking her hat off and smiling at him. "You can get me next~" She winked at him as he chuckled.

"I'll work fast."

"Not too fast though." Yang groaned as he was massaging her as well. "No wonder the others gave you high praise."

Naruto shook his head with a smile as the others he found talked with Yang and the others. "I'm sure they just talked me up." He chuckled before he started rubbing the lotion onto her legs."

"Now can you get my front?"

Blinking, Naruto looked as she quickly turned and flashed him briefly before she placed her top over her breasts. She winked at him as he started on her shoulders and moved down to her stomach. Before he starts, he leans down to kiss her belly button having her suck in a breath as goosebumps form on her skin.

As he finished, he leaned up to give his fellow blonde a chaste kiss before walking to Coco who moved to lay on her back and then started putting the lotion on her. After finishing her, he went to Velvet to do the same before looking at Ruby who was finishing her ice having her blink and blush. "Would you like some sunscreen?"

"Sure." She nodded as Naruto walked over to start applying the lotion on her.

He blinked as he felt several hands on his back before looking over his shoulder and saw the other three applying sunscreen on him. "Wha-"

"Oh come on, you don't wanna burn?" Coco smiled.

"Plus we wanted to feel ya up as well." Yang grinned as Velvet blushed.

Naruto shook his head at the three as he went back to applying the sunscreen on Ruby. Doing his best to ignore the hands roaming over his back and chest. "Well, let's go to the stand and get some drinks," Naruto said standing up as the girls fixed their tops and bottoms that rode up.

The girls walked in front of him and he started at their swaying hips before sighing with a smile. "You trying to get a rise outta me?"

"You're allowed to look." Yang grinned over her shoulder and smacked herself on the ass. "And don't act like you're not enjoying four sexy ladies in front of you."

"Well…" Naruto trailed off as Coco looked over her shoulder as well.

"That's right… Plus you'll get to see a whole lot more when the time is right~"

"Ha! Plus with that clone technique you'll relearn, we'll be having a whole lot of fun in the bedroom!" Yang picked up having Velvet and Ruby blush at the image.

They got to the snack building and walked inside to order food to eat. Naruto, walking back, stopped as Yang and Coco ordered orange popsicles and started to slowly eat them having him take a calming breath before walking to the table. And took another breath as the two moaned lightly before handing Ruby and Velvet their burgers and drinks. "You're going to be the death of me. You know that right?"

The two just grinned at him after taking the popsicles whole with a wink.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please!"

As he sat beside Ruby, they looked up to a speaker on a pole. "Today at 3:00, we'll be having a swimsuit competition on our special stage! We'd like to take this opportunity to invite your participation, the winner will win 500,000 Liens!"

"This seems too good to be true." Naruto sighed before feeling something soft on his head.

"Come on, don't act like you won't like seeing us~"

Naruto turned to see Anko in a dark purple bikini with mesh connecting the top. "Well…"

"I thought so!" Hana in a black bikini said with a grin as she sauntered over. "I think we'll have a better chance if we all get in and then split the money."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Good news everyone! I got my time back to write but I still will need to get into the habit but, expect updates to pick up to where they were in 2020ish on back for those of you who were reading back then.

For those that didn't, except for the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), I would update one or two stories a week outside of internet/power failures or family visits. And for the holidays I would take the first week of the month off at least to write a Ch for each story then an extra for the one that's getting updated so I could update all stories for the holidays for those times as a present in case there's a lot of family/friends visiting.

I have a poll up on who Ron should be paired with, I was going to have it be quick as I was thinking of doing one for my RWBY story but nixed that after talking with fellow writers and beta's.

Now I'll leave it up until Zita appears. BUT I haven't gotten a vote for it for a while and if I don't get many after a few rounds of updating all stories then I'll take it down.

The next to be updated will be A Fox In Middleton tomorrow.

Chapter 36

Notes:

OK got rain from the hurricane so decided to wait and write ahead in case the power/internet went out... And then this site was acting up again for a day.

Remember to vote if you haven't. The poll got more votes but nothing for almost a week. I will try to keep it up until Zita comes in but if I get no votes for 3 rounds of updating then I'll take it down.

Also for this story if you all have any ideas on what to do for the beach feel free to send them.

Also sorry for losing any of you all for bringing Naruto's wives over. Bringing them and others over was something we've been planning since S2. One reason I'm doing the beach thing (Outside of getting the women in bathing suits) was to build up the relationships as that was a critique about bringing them over... Others were just not a big fan of large harems (More than 4-6 women)

Again any other ideas for being at the beach feel free to send them.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

"I'm so excited to spend the week on the beach."

Nora yelled as Naruto walked over with Blake and Weiss. She's wearing a pink strapless bikini with a ring connecting the top and the sides of the bottom.

Blake's wearing a small black bikini that looked small on her.'

Weiss is wearing a white one with blue trim and strings.

Naruto woke to a stand picked up ice cream cones and walked back, giving one to Nora and Weiss before walking to Blake sitting under an umbrella. Naruto sits back down next to Blake with two ice cream cones.

"I thought since it's so hot... here." He offers an ice cream cone, which Blake takes.

"Thanks. This is really refreshing."

"Yeah!"

They looked to see a teenager leap at a volleyball net to hit a ball before the ball was sent flying from his hit. "Hey, we're playing next," Weiss says and turns to Nora, Naruto, and Blake before the foursome gets together in a team huddle.

They then got to one side as the two teams at the ready. Weiss throws the ball into the air and she leaps up and hits the ball and the ball goes flying past the other team. Naruto sprints forward and dives down to hit the ball up. Weiss runs forward and hits the ball away as it falls. A teenage girl attempts to dive for the ball but misses. As the ball was hit to them, Weiss jumped on Naruto for a boost and hit the ball for the win.

Later, they're sitting by a food court stand under a roof with tables under it on a wooden deck. Nora made out with Naruto before he pulled back. "Nora." He smiled as she pressed herself up on him. "Calm down, I gotta get some more ice."

He pulled himself away and walked to the building. "Excuse me. Could you spare us some ice?"

"Sure!"

A woman replied picking up a bucket as a man cooked at a grill and stove while another was bringing a case of drinks in. She stopped by a man with white hair who was sitting by the wall. He then waved his hand and had ice appear in the bucket.

"Is it OK to use your Semblance for something like that?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" The man shrugged. "Make good business at the beach. Take it with you."

Naruto walked out with the bucket and looked to see Nora holding a flier. "The Inaugural Beach Arts Competition?"

"Essentially, it's a contest about building various objects with sand and choosing the best one," Weiss says crossing her arms. "OK, guess they need some other stuff to do before that bikini contest."

Later, the four finish their sand castle that's as tall as Naruto and rather large around 7' wide.

"Well, I think we have a good chance of winning." Naruto smiled before Nora jumped on his back pressing her bust on him.

"I think so too, Foxy."

Naruto smiled and turned to his left to kiss her making Nora moan. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "I think I have a type with you and Anko, she was the first to get with me."

"You really like us?"

"Well, the sex is great." He smiled before she pinched his cheek.

"(Ahem!)"

Naruto turned to see Blake in front of him. "Hey, I like you quiet girls as well… Plus if you take after your mom then-!" He stopped as she pinched his cheek at that. "Hey! It's not my fault all of your moms are hot!"

"Such a smooth talker." Blake deadpanned as Nora got off of Naruto's back before she was pulled into a kiss.

Her ears twitched before they lay down on her head as Naruto reach around to squeeze her plump ass cheek. She moaned as Naruto smiled in the kiss before pulling back. "Not so quiet now, are ya?"

"She blushed at that as she turned from him. "S-Shut up."

Naruto chuckled before pulling her in for a quick kiss then turned to see Weiss. "Saving the best for last." He says before walking to the Schnee and pulling her in for a kiss. "Gotta keep my first girl happy too." He pulled back and smiled at her blushing face.

"Winner!"

Blinking, the two turned to see they won the contest before being handed a plaque as Nora cheered by grabbing Naruto's head in a hug to her breasts. "OK, OK, there are kids present Nora!" He said chuckling himself as he felt her soft breasts pressing against his cheek. And made her moan as his whiskers brushed against the exposed part of her chest.

Naruto pulled his head off quickly as he felt something before blushing himself as she grinned and winked at him. "L-Let's go and get something to eat." He said before they walked down to the stand and saw Pyrrha waiting for them.

She was wearing a white bikini with red lines and was a size smaller on her as it barely covered her modesty and showed off her hard abs.

'She and Yang share that.' Naruto thought remembering seeing Yang's own hard abs she had.

Up ahead, Yang sneezed having her bust shake as sweat dripped down said abs.

Back at the building, Pyrrha smiled seeing Naruto, and waved at him, making her breasts bounce. "Hello!"

Naruto smiled at her as he got to the table before she leaned up to kiss him before moaning as he squeezed her right tit for a second and then sat down. "How's my warrior?"

"I'm good now that you're here~" She replied as Naruto saw Ino sunbathing in a black and yellow striped bikini before she leaned back to wink at him.

"Nice to relax and not have to worry about Grimm for now at least," Naruto said to the redhead as Nora sat down beside him on the other side.

"It's nice with you," Pyrrha replied as Naruto smiled before she rested her head on his shoulder as they waited for the waitress to take their order.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

OK got rain from the hurricane so decided to wait and write ahead in case the power/internet went out... And then this site was acting up again for a day.

Remember to vote if you haven't. The poll got more votes but nothing for almost a week. I will try to keep it up until Zita comes in but if I get no votes for 3 rounds of updating then I'll take it down.

Also for this story if you all have any ideas on what to do for the beach feel free to send them.

Also sorry for losing any of you all for bringing Naruto's wives over. Bringing them and others over was something we've been planning since S2. And one reason I'm doing the beach thing (Outside of getting the women in bathing suits) was to build up the relationships as that was a critique about bringing them over... Others were just not a big fan of large harems (More than 4-6 women)

Again any other ideas for being at the beach feel free to send them.

Chapter 37

Notes:

Remember to VOTE IN THE NEW STAR WARS POLL ON FF.NET IF YOU HAVEN'T! That'll stay up until the second to the last Ch for that which isn't too far away.

I'll try to get this updated for Christmas but just in case as it's close, I hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate, and a safe and Happy New Year!

I'll be taking up to the 23rd/24th off to work on stories for a mass update of everything hopefully as these OCs are hard to work on.

Again sorry for the lateness, just having a hard time thinking up different stuff and dialogue for everyone... The beach will end after doing something for everyone Naruto is with.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas Beach.

“How’s my favorite weapon?”

Naruto asked Ten-Ten as he walked up to the grass beside the beach. She’s wearing a white bikini with black straps and trim.

“Good.” She smiled at Naruto who walked up to her.

“I figured… You must be orgasmic being in a world where everyone uses a weapon that transforms into another.” She blushed at the teasing of her weapon love before Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. “Come on, I’m just teasing… I know how much you hated the peacetime and the weapon sales dropped.”

“We still had missions, just no one needed weapons as much.” She huffed as Naruto glanced down, staring at her breasts. “My eyes are up here.”

“I’ve made my choice and I’ll stand by it.”

“Still pervy?” She asked as he smiled and kissed her before pulling back and smacked her ass.

“Only for my girls.” He replied as she bit her bottom lip. “And don’t act like you don’t like it, you’ve always asked me to grab onto your buns for handles.” She blushed again before looking away from him.

“S-Shut up.”

“You always were cute blushing like that.” He smiled again before seeing Ino and Hinata running over, Hinata wearing an orange one-piece.

“Hey, Naruto, Ten-Ten, can you play with us?” Ino asked, right hand on her cocked hip holding a volleyball.

Naruto looked at Ten-Ten before Smiling. “Sure.”

Later, the four are playing, with Naruto and Ten-Ten as the opposite team of the other two."It's up!" Naruto called as he dived. He hit the ball up and quickly hauled himself up and readied himself back into position as Ten-Ten ran over. As soon as the ball was over the net, she shuffled back into her spot and crouched down ready to jump.

"I'm here," Ten-Ten told Naruto as she passed the ball to him when Hinata hit the ball over, having her large bust jiggle in her swimsuit.

Her blond teammate then set her up for a spike, which she slammed down on the other side of the court between Ino and Hinata.

"Nice!" Naruto shouted, giving her a high-five with both hands.

They got ready again and Naruto jumped and spiked Ten-Ten serve confidently. However, to his and Naruto's surprise, it's received successfully by Ino. Ten-Ten serves Hinata who sends the ball to Naruto. He quickly gets behind the net, jumps, and hits the ball over as Ino dives and hits the ball up to Hinata. Hinata then hits the ball to Ten-Ten who hits the ball back just as Naruto jumps up to spike it at the line.

The next move, Naruto runs to Ten-Ten to spike and Ino falls for it, yelling at Hinata to move closer so they could block Naruto. However, at the last minute, Naruto switches and runs towards the opposite direction and jumps for another spike.

On the side, Anko was sunbathing laying down with her top undone as Hana was applying suntan lotion to her back. “Hmm.” Anko hummed as Hana rolled her eyes.

“He’s not here to tease you know.” She said as Anko smirked.

“Gotta stay warmed up… Never know when he will~”

“I do like to surprise you.”

Hana stiffened as she felt arms wrap around her before Naruto kissed her neck. “Gotta keep you on your toes, right?” He asked before he leaned his head on her shoulder and helped rub the lotion on Anko’s back.

And stopped as the purple-haired woman turned and flashed him her hard nipples before Hana started on her front as Naruto applied some to her back. Anko smiled before pulling Hana’s top down having her breasts bounce and nipples harden before Hana covered them. “Anko!”

Naruto smiled before moving to pinch Anko’s nipples getting her to hiss. “Play nice Anko… it’s still public and I’m the only one allowed to see you all like that.”

“Like you don’t like it~” She teased as Naruto moved to work the lotion on her tits having her moan.

“I didn’t say I didn’t… I love you all and that includes your… Attitudes.” He replied before moving to work on Hana’s breasts having her lean her head back to moan in his ear. “You all spoil me.”

Hana smiled and turned to lick his ear. “I love you.” She said huskily. “I’m glad we got another chance.”

Naruto smiled at her. “As am I.” He kissed her again having her moan as their tongues dueled while he groped her tits.

Naruto then pulled back to have a tail of their saliva connect their lips before breaking off. He saw Anko's grinning face before pulling her in for a kiss as Hana trailed her hand up and down his back. Peppering his shoulder with kisses as Anko was Frenching their husband.

Naruto pulled back before looking at Anko. “Guess I gotta buy some new rings huh?”

“What about your new lovers?” Anko asked before fixing her top and pressing her tits together.

“I think it’s too soon for them, but I’ll buy something nice for them before we leave.”

“Speaking of that, we’ll be leaving before your plan,” Hana said as Naruto turned to her. (1.)

“Really?”

She nods before continuing. “Yes, we got train tickets as we heard where you were going.”

“Well, I’ll miss you then.” He said before Anko rubbed his groin.

“We got a room all picked out to get re-antiquated.”

Naruto smiled at her teasing before she gasped as his hand drifted lower to rub her slit over her bikini. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

He stands after reaching for Hana’s waist having her gasp as well as he rubbed hers.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. Just to say the Narutoverse girls will just go straight to Atlas and won't help much in certain battles as I think that'll be too OP... Only saying that as this show is still ongoing (Viz picked this show up now) and don't want to write myself in a box for something that'll happen later.

Plus, just to keep the focus more on the RWBY girls.

Remember to VOTE IN THE NEW STAR WARS POLL ON FF.NET IF YOU HAVEN'T! That'll stay up until the second to the last Ch for that which isn't too far away.
I'll try to get this updated for Christmas but just in case as it's close, I hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate, and a safe and Happy New Year!

I'll be taking up to the 23rd/24th off to work on stories for a mass update of everything hopefully as these OCs are hard to work on.

Again sorry for the lateness, just having a hard time thinking up different stuff and dialogue for everyone... The beach will end after doing something for everyone Naruto is with.

Next to be updated will be all on the 23rd or 24th, I'll do 23rd if I'll be busy ion the 24th otherwise I'll upload on the 24th since the 25th is the main day people will be busy.

Chapter 38

Notes:

Here's a mass update for the holiday!

To those who'll celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and a safe and Happy New Year! (Especially if I update something you haven't read before then.)

REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE NEW STAR WARS POLL! I'll skip updating the story for two rounds and then skip one round afterward, as I only have five chapters left until the last episode to stretch the poll out.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Beach.

"(Groan.)"

Samui wearing a small black bikini groaned as she sat at a table as Naruto was behind her massaging her shoulders.

Naruto smiled as he hit a knot and worked it. "You like that?"

She only moaned slightly as she leaned her head back. "I missed your hands really."

Naruto smiled as he looked down and glanced at her cleavage before leaning down to kiss her.

"Hope you can do me~"

Hearing a playful voice, Naruto turned to see Mei sauntering over in a rather small blue bikini with Ameyuri wearing tight black bathing shorts and a black bikini top.

"More than enough." He smiled as Pakura sat down wearing a dark blue tube top and bikini bottom. "So, you guys joining in the contest?"

"Yeah." Ameyuri grinned at that, showing her sharp teeth. "We don't really care who wins, we'll just split the money and use that to get to Atlas, get rooms, and any upgrades to our gear." (1.)

"Well, you're all winners to me."

"Someone fishing for brownie points?" Pakura stated until seeing someone walk up to Naruto.

"Neo?"

Neo blushed slightly and looked down, wearing a bikini with black on the right chest, and pink on the left, while the bottom is pink on the front and black on the back. And on top of her head was the bowler cap.

"Well, what are you doing here?"

"I… W-Wanted… To… Help… You."

Naruto smiled as he walked over to her and looked at her eyes. "You didn't have to… You have no obligation to help me."

"Maybe she likes ya," Mei said resting her head on her hand with a smile.

Naruto spent the next several hours massaging the group before the others ran over to get in on the action before finishing with Yang. And sighed as her left breast, 'accidentally' slipped out of the top to flash him before she winked and fixed her top. "You'll all be the death of me." He says as the woman smiles at him.

"Attention! The swimsuit competition will begin shortly…. All contestants please make your way to the stage!" The announcer said and the women all stood and kissed Naruto before leaving.

Naruto blinked as Neo kissed his cheek and walked off, unintentionally adding an extra sway to her hips.

The competition is finally ready to begin, and first up is Hinata, making an impression in her orange swimsuit.

Next to grace the stage is Anko, instantly captivating the audience in her revealing black two-piece bikini.

As a succession of beautiful girls parade across the stage with Hana coming out with others, the contest line-up is completed by Tenten and Neo.

Later, as the contestants wait, the judges finally make their decision- and the winner is none other than Neo having her blink.

Everyone clapped as she was handed the large stack of money before they all walked down and went to eat dinner that Naruto cooked on a grill before the fireworks went off when it got dark enough. Naruto smiled before glancing at his girls he'll be helping soon before getting to Atlas. And sighed knowing the burden that's been placed on them might be weighing them down.

He then focused on Ruby, knowing it's probably taken more of a toll on her assuming the leadership for the group so she might be putting more of a burden on herself due to that. 'I'll try to talk to her if I can after the operation of stealing an aircraft.'

Later, Naruto was talking to his wives with Neo in front of a new outfit.

She's still wearing Roman's hat. She's now wearing a chocolate brown jacket that starts just below her shoulders and above her chest and has a pink interior, two brown belt shoulder straps, and twin gray button seams. She has a gray scarf, and a white three-gray button-up vest style top that was strapless and cropped exposing her midriff and cleavage.

She's also wearing a pair of chocolate brown detached sleeves with puffy tops and pink trim alongside a pair of white funnel-cuffed gloves with gray button detailing. She also has on skintight white belted leather pants and black and white spat styled ankle boots with cutout detail just above the ankle. The back of Neo's jacket was shown to have a small, coned ice cream key chain when her hair blew in the slight breeze.

Notably, Naruto saw that Neo's eyes were no longer switching colors between each other and she kept her green eye shadow.

"So, you'll help the others in Atlas?" Naruto asked as Neo nodded before hugging him.

Naruto chuckled before hugging her back. "Just be careful, after what happened at Haven, we can't really trust anyone who knows anymore."

"We know…" Hinata said looking at him. "It's almost like we never left the ninja way behind."

Naruto took a step back and turned before hearing Anko. "Speaking of behinds… Naruto!"

Turning, he blinked as Anko turned Neo and pushed her hair and jacket out of the way and showed off that her pants framed each cheek of her ass having the woman blush feeling Naruto's eyes on her backside.

"Yeah… I missed you Anko." Naruto sighed as he checked Neo out again and saw her pants were riding low and saw the top of her crack before turning to walk to team RWBY, his team, and JNPR. "Let's go and steal an aircraft!"

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

1. Any ideas for weapons they would use feel free to send them.

To those who'll celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, and a safe and Happy New Year! (Especially if I update something you haven't read before then.)

REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE NEW STAR WARS POLL! I'll skip updating the story for two rounds and then skip one round afterward as I only have five chapters left until the last episode to stretch the poll out.

Chapter 39

Notes:

I apologize for the chapter. I rushed and decided to end it slightly early, as I'm getting snow on the 5th and 6th (Jan), so I decided to upload this. The other stories should be updated sometime soon. I'll update them over the next few days, as I'm ahead and have already written out KP's chapter.

Remember to vote in the Star Wars poll on FF.Net if you haven't!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Military Base.

At the Atlesian Military Base, various soldiers and guards work on their jobs. Weiss is walking with Caroline and Saphron, who is holding her son Adrian in her arms. The two Nubuck Guards also escort them as Weiss drags a large luggage case behind her.

"Ah, I was relieved to hear that you came to your senses, Miss. Many of us were devastated when we heard you would be attending... with disdain Beacon Academy. Knowing that you'll be returning to Atlas just warms my old heart." Caroline said to Weiss as they walked.

"It was... Time to get my act together and go back to my roots." Weiss lied as they got closer to a ship.

"Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps."

Weiss just gave an unenthusiastic smile. "Absolutely…"

"I'm sending two of my best guards to personally escort you. Make sure General Ironwood hears that part." Caroline winks and walks away

The first Guard came up. "Allow me to assist you with your bag." He hups over to pick up Weiss' luggage. "My, what a heavy bag!"

Weiss kept her grip on her luggage. "That's alright!"

"Nonsense!"

"Allow me to assist as well!" The second one said walking up as well.

"I can take care of it by myself!

As Cordovin walks away, she overhears Weiss and the Nubuck Guards' conversation. She stops in her tracks and gains a suspicious look on her face. Saphron notices this and whispers to Adrian. "Just like we practiced."

Adrian nods at his mother. The baby then lets out a loud wail that can be heard throughout the base.

"Oh no! Look at that, he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here!" She said dramatically.

"A crying child?"

"We must console it!"

The two guards hup over to Adrian as they perform weird poses to amuse him. Cordovin continues walking with an unamused look on her face. While they are distracted, Weiss quickly gets onto the airship with the luggage behind her. "That was close."

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asks over the earpiece.

"Call me heavy... It's all muscle! I'll show them a thing or two about heavy!" Maria said from the luggage.

"We're on board."

Shore.

Ruby, Team JNPR, Natsu, Haru, Shiki, Oscar, and Qrow wait along the cliffside between the forest and the ocean. "Alright, we'll all watch our scrolls. The second Weiss is out of range of the comm tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too." Ruby said to Yang as she, Blake, and Naruto traveled to the tower.

"And that's when Blake steps in. We're almost at the drop-off." Yang said over the earpiece.

Naruto, Yang & Blake.

In another area, Yang is driving Bumblebee with Blake sitting behind her and Naruto driving his beside her. Blake has her Scroll out receiving instructions from Terra.

"Okay, remember one, the radar box is separate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city. Two, this conversation never happened."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security," Blake said as Naruto glanced over.

"And I was a former ninja who did stuff like that all the time.

"Never. Happened." Terra said and closed the call.

Not too long after, they arrive at the drop-off point. Blake steps off the bike and proceeds forward. "You sure we shouldn't come with?" Yang asks crossing her arms under her bust.

"More intruders means we're more likely to be seen. Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um…" Yang stares back at Blake. "I mean, you're great! And I'll hurry back."

"Go."

Blake smiles before heading off. "Shit's gonna hit the fan… Nothing goes this easy." Naruto sighed as he walked to Yang. Over with Weiss, Maria was piloting the ship and was called before giving the correct replies, only for the plan to fail as they didn't have elderly female pilots before she started to fly faster before Naruto saw that Blake hadn't shut the tower down. "Let's go!"

With the group, they look over to the Argus base. Suddenly, the mountain at the base retracts, revealing a colossal mech that overlooks the city of Argus.

"Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!" Caroline said through speakers.

Cordovin charges up the mech's arm cannon, which lets out an electric burst that fires at the ship Weiss and Maria are piloting. The controls go critical as Maria's eyes spin. " Are you okay?"

"I am, but she's clearly lost her mind!"

"And that was merely a warning shot! All Atlas personnel stand by, and watch how your leader maintains order!" Caroline orders as she steps forward. Ruby and her group look over to see Weiss and Maria fly in, with Cordovin in her mech following close behind. "It's time you asked yourselves, children... Do you truly wish to defy me?"

"Hurry back, Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're gonna take this thing down." Ruby said to Weiss.

Blake.

Blake is running behind the cover. She looks next to her, only to discover the motionless body of an Atlas guard. Blake reels back in horror and is forced to take cover again when a gun is fired. She looks to the floor below her, with Adam Taurus sheathing Wilt into Blush. He has discarded his Grimm mask and now wears a black blindfold to cover his eyes.

"It's nice to finally have time to ourselves. Don't you think?"

"Leave me alone!" Blake fires at Adam, but he blocks and absorbs the bullets with his partial sword and sheathes it back in.

"But I've waited so long, for you to be away from them."

Blake runs over and uses a cable to zip wire herself down, but Adam cuts the cable with his Semblance, causing Blake to land on the same platform he's on. The two proceed to clash blades until Blake kicks him back a distance. "Why did you have to come into my life and ruin everything?!"

"You stalked me across Anima! I don't want anything to do with your life!" Blake yelled at him.

Adam proceeds forward and clashes swords with Blake again. Blake leaps up and uses her Semblance to land on the platform above. She looks over the rail and points her pistol down. Suddenly she looks behind and gets hit with the hilt of Wilt. Blake swings around and clashes with Adam again. Blake lands on the rail and dodges out of the way of Adam's Semblance, landing on the platform above.

Suddenly, Adam reappears and grabs Blake by the throat. He pushes Blake to the edge of the railing, but Blake stomps on his foot and both of them fall over the rail. The two crash through multiple tree branches, breaking their fall back to the ground. The two slowly get back up. "Let go of the past, Adam. Do it for yourself."

"Just forget it all? Is that what you did to me?! You just threw our memories away?!"

"Adam!" She exclaimed narrowing her eyes.

"I let you go once already, Blake. I'm never making that mistake again..."

"The two former partners take defensive stances and prepare for battle against each other.

Adam ferociously attempts to land fatal strikes on Blake as she diverts his attacks and uses her Semblance to avoid hits at the last second. As she locks blades with Adam, Blake hears an explosion from far away, almost allowing Adam to strike her down. After dodging more of his strikes, Blake then attempts to run away from Adam, switching Gambol Shroud in its kusarigama form and throwing it to swing from tree to tree as Adam gives chase.

Taunting Blake, Adam continues to pursue her until he launches Wilt to shoot down Gambol Shroud mid-air, throwing Blake off as he leaps into the air, attempting to strike her down. However, Adam only manages to destroy her tailcoat, which Blake takes off before kicking Adam off of her and shooting him several times once she lands.

Eventually, the two leap out of the forest and take the battle on a stone bridge near a waterfall. As they clash again, Blake uses the sheath of her weapon to steal Wilt away, at which point Adam is briefly forced to rely on Blush and attempts to shoot her down while Blake tries to drive him back. Once he catches Blake's wrist and locks Blush with Gambol Shroud, Adam continues to belittle Blake as he retrieves Wilt while throwing Blake's sheath away before knocking her down with its hilt.

As Adam throws more insults at Blake, he continues striking her down and knocking her away, not giving her the chance to evade his attacks. Blake calls him delusional in response, and Adam approaches Blake and points his sword near her scar, preparing to kill her once again. As Blake raises Gambol Shroud to defend herself, Adam slices it in half using his Semblance and then takes off his blindfold, explaining the pain and anger he felt when he was abandoned on the train and revealing a scarred Schnee Dust Company brand mark across his left eye, which was bloodied with a gray iris and a singed eyebrow.

Blake's ears twitch as she hears engines and after throwing his blindfold away, Adam raises his sword and seemingly impales Blake in the abdomen, only for her to trick Adam once again using her Semblance. As Blake picks up her sheath, she proclaims she's not alone, just as Naruto Yang bursts from above on their bikes.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

I apologize for the chapter. I rushed and decided to end it slightly early, as I'm getting snow on the 5th and 6th (Jan), so I decided to upload this. The other stories should be updated sometime soon. I'll update them over the next few days, as I'm ahead and have already written out KP's chapter.

Remember to vote in the Star Wars poll on FF.Net if you haven't!

Chapter 40

Notes:

Not going to apologize for how long this took, as after uploading the Detentionaire story, a friend and uncle passed so I took time off to mourn. Now, for most of my stories, I was ahead except for this one, KP, and the One Piece stories so I'll upload the others a day or two after each other.

REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE POLL IF YOU HAVEN'T!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas.

Cordovin controls the giant Atlesian mech, which trudges through the ocean and goes after the airship Maria and Weiss took before. "You're joking. You want to fight this thing?!"

"We've fought giant monsters before. This is just a tiny old lady... with one gigantic robot." Ruby said over the comms.

"You little spider-roaches thought you could creep your way to Atlas?! Well, let's see how your resolve holds out against the might of the Atlesian Military!"

Cordovin prepares to take down the airship with a missile that pops out from a slot on the arm cannon. The missile fires and tracks the airship, but suddenly, it explodes harmlessly just right behind it.

BOOM!

Cordovin turns to see Ruby with her Crescent Rose. Ruby lowers her weapon and glares at Cordovin while the others get ready to fight. "SO BE IT!"

Cordovin prepares to shoot the missile at Ruby and the others. Weiss and Maria see Cordovin doing so in shock. "Dive!"

Weiss unbuckles her seatbelt and gets off from her seat while Maria dives for the landing. As Maria heads to the others, Weiss approaches the airship door with Myrtenaster in her hand. She jumps off and raises her weapon creating a rock wall and protecting the group from Cordovin's ice Dust attack.

"That was close." Oscar sighs as Ruby looks back.

"We need to figure out how to stop Cordovin and protect the airship until we do."

Jaune nods at that. "Let's give her more targets to focus on."

"You mean us, don't you?" Nora asks him.

"Look at that thing. It's not designed for small enemies. It's probably meant for giant Grimm that come in from deeper waters. We can turn our size into an advantage. We have to be smart."

"Be a little hard seeing as it's giant." Pyrrha muses before bringing her spear out and putting it in its rifle form.

Ruby looks over at the ship. "Maria, can you keep the ship out of harm's way?"

"They can take my driver's license, but I won't let them take this ship!"

"Very reassuring…"

"Let me at her!"

Shiki and Haru held Natsu as fire seemed to come out of his mouth. "Calm down, we're close-range fighters, we can't help much here."

"I'll be more useful if I go with her. From up high, I can try to spot a weakness." Oscar says as he steps up.

"Well, he's not the only one who can grab a bird's eye view." Qrow smiles as he crosses his arms.

"You said you needed me on the ground?" Weiss asks Ruby who smiles nervously.

"Not exactly."

As the team strategizes, Cordovin keenly keeps an eye on their location. Suddenly, her eyes widen as the group splits into three Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren run down the left path along the cliff, Maria flies the airship to the right, and Ruby and Qrow fly straight up into the air using her Semblance and his corvid form, respectively. Ruby reforms from her Semblance and fires Crescent Rose, cracking the mech's windshield and causing Cordovin to growl. She fires a volley of missiles at Ruby's location.

Ruby lands on a tree branch and uses her Semblance to dodge the missiles. She eventually reforms and runs and jumps along the missiles before free-falling down to the ocean. Weiss freezes an incoming wave as Ruby slides along it. "Let's go!"

Ruby yells as Weiss also slides off the frozen wave before using Myrtenaster to freeze small patches of ice for her and Ruby to leap on toward the mech. As Cordovin keeps her attention on them, her mech is suddenly struck by a volley of pink grenades. "Hey! Over here!"

"What?!"

Cordovin looks over to Jaune's group as they keep running. "And you said it wasn't beach season!" Nora grins at Ren.

The four then take cover behind a boulder for each of them. Nora fires off more grenades from Magnhild, but suddenly, a hexagonal shield pattern appears protecting Cordovin's mech, doing no damage to her. "Ha-Ha-Ha! Surely you knew Atlas was the father of hard-light Dust, or do lesser kingdoms simply lack proper education?"

Cordovin charges up her mech's arm cannon again, this time firing rock Dust, forcing Jaune's team to abandon their cover. "Cordo just activated shields!" Jaune yells before Oscar speaks.

"I saw that. We need to find whatever's generating it."

"You know, in video games, the weak spot's usually on the back of the giant boss!" Ruby muses as Weiss looks at her.

"Ruby, this isn't a game!"

"I'm just trying to LOOK OUT!"

Cordovin's mech is stomping at a part of the ocean. Unbeknownst to her, Qrow flies around in his avian form. "You are ants! You are lower than ants!" Cordovin yells as Qrow flies through the clouds, he transforms back into his human form and takes out Harbinger's scythe form. He propels himself forward and grapples with the giant mech. "Ah! What was that?!"

"Until the shield's down, we're gonna have to get up close and personal with this thing." row says to the others.

Qrow starts to fire at the scratch he just made. Suddenly, he notices the mech's giant hand start to reach for him. Qrow dodges out of the way, transforming back into his avian form. "That's easier said than done!" Ren yells back at him.

"Weiss and I are on it!" Ruby and Weiss land on a patch of ice on the ocean together.

"Hold on!" Weiss stabs Myrtenaster into the ground, creating an ice attack that knocks Cordovin's mech off balance for a bit. Cordovin lets out a frustrated yell. As the airship flies by, Oscar realizes something.

"Wait, that's it. When she…" Qrow trails off as Cordovin aims her cannon at Ruby and Weiss.

"RUBY, MOVE!"

Cordovin fires a volley of missiles at Ruby and Weiss, creating a large plume of water. From it, Weiss and Ruby emerge unharmed as they ride Weiss' Queen Lancer summon. Ruby leaps off and uses Crescent Rose to propel herself onto Cordovin's mech, embedding the scythe's blade into it while Maria cheers Ruby on. The force of Ruby's strike knocks the mech back into the cliffside, and the citizens in Argus feel the tremors. Cordovin lets out an enraged scream.

"Go!" Pyrrha yells as Jaune, Ren, and Nora proceed forward.

Ren leaps onto the mech's arm and runs along it, while also using the blades of StormFlower to hang on. Jaune uses the two-handler form of Crocea Mors to slash at the mech's hip joint, while Nora uses the hammer form of Magnhild to smash at the arm cannon. Cordovin manages to stand the mech back up, causing Ruby to be lowered down into her view on the windshield. Ruby hangs on to Crescent Rose as she nervously smiles and waves at Cordovin.

"Get off of me!" Cordovin tries to grab Ruby with the mech's left hand, forcing Ruby to let go as she uses her Semblance to fly downward.

Luckily, Weiss flies by on her Queen Lancer summon and catches Ruby. "Heh."

"What if I hadn't caught you?" Weiss asks as Ruby grins.

"I knew you would."

Weiss just groans as they fly around the mech, Ren lowers himself down along the mech's back. He notices a panel with a humming machine sound coming from it. Ren uses one of his blades to pry the panel off but almost falls as the mech keeps moving around. Fortunately, Qrow appears and catches his wrist. "Gotcha. What'd ya find?"

Qrow tosses Ren back up as the both of them look at the panel he just opened. They see a whirring machine with the label "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, SHIELD GENERATOR" written on top of it. "Well, all right then."

Qrow and Ren draw their weapons and shoot at the machinery, disabling the mech's shields. Cordovin watches her screen as the shields are reduced to zero. "No, no, no, no!" Cordovin then feels a tremor as Nora fires a volley of grenades at her.

As Nora continues firing at Cordovin, Weiss and Ruby fly by to Ren and Qrow. "Jump on!"

The two men do so as Nora continues to fire until she runs out of ammo. Suddenly, Jaune notices Cordovin lifting the mech's arm and runs over to Nora. "I've had enough of you ingrates!"

Cordovin slams the mech's arm into both Jaune and Nora, knocking them back and breaking their Auras. The two struggle to get back up. Suddenly, Weiss gasps as Cordovin fires the mech cannon at her group at point-blank range, destroying the Queen Lancer summon and knocking herself, Ren, Qrow, and Ruby back over to the cliff. Ruby uses her Semblance to fly back over to the cliff but falls short.

Ruby embeds the blade of Crescent Rose into the cliffside and holds on for dear life. She notices Cordovin approaching her. "This is what happens when you think you know better than those rightfully in charge!"

From the airship, Oscar notices Ruby in trouble and runs over to Maria. "We gotta do something!"

Maria flicks some switches on the controls and flies back over to the mech. Just as Cordovin is about to fire her arm cannon at Ruby, Maria flies by and fires a missile. Suddenly, the mech grabs the missile with its hand, causing Cordovin to turn the mech around in Maria's direction. Everyone watches helplessly as Cordovin fires the missile in the airship's direction. The missile explodes in front of the airship, causing it to rattle.

Adam, Vs Naruto, Blake, And Yang.

Yang fires a shot at Adam, which he blocks. Yang then activates the shotgun in her weapons as Naruto has his pistols turn into their knife forms. Suddenly, Blake falls to her knee as she holds her stomach in pain. "It's OK. Catch your breath for a second. We can hold him off."

The combatants stare each other down. Adam makes the first move, delivering a series of quick slashes and Semblance arcs that knock Yang back a short distance. Eventually, Yang starts to strike back, managing to land some hits on Adam that he wasn't able to block.

Yang knocks Adam back a good distance before firing at him. He blocks and absorbs the shots with his sword. Adam then quickly runs in circles around Yang before letting out another Semblance attack that causes Yang to slide back a short distance.

"His semblance is like yours, Yang! He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up, and then sends it back when he's ready."

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it? (Sigh) That's just cheap..."

Naruto dashed and proceeded to trade blows with Adam. Yang jumps over and lands a series of punches and kicks on Adam, but he manages to send her back when she punches his sword. Naruto looks back to make sure she's OK and shares a look with Blake. Adam notices this and lets out an angered and readies his Semblance once again.

With a loud yell, Adam lets out a devastating attack with his Semblance. When the smoke cleared, Naruto had Fox Bolt in its trident form with scratch marks on it before looking up at Adam. "Give this up. This is your last chance."

Adam stares back as he grips the hilt of his sword again. "Heh, do you believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die trying to protect her?"

Naruto grinned at that. "No… I was sparing her seeing someone she once loved from dying."

Naruto then dashed forward and tossed the trident having Adam turn to dodge it. And dodged a swipe from Naruto's knife. Only to wince as he felt a burning on his cheek. Blood dripped from a curt as he saw blue energy on Naruto's knife creating another couple of inches on the blade.

Argus Base Fight.

At the Argus base, the Atlesian guards watch the screen as Cordovin's Colossus is seen trying to swipe at the airship Maria and Oscar are in. "You just couldn't keep this rivalry between us, could you, Calavera?! You had to rope in children to fail with you!"

The guards cheer on their boss as she fires another shot from the mech's arm cannon. Unbeknownst to them, a red dot appears on one of the radar's screens approaching Argus.

Back at the cliffside, Ruby Rose is still holding onto Crescent Rose for dear life. Oscar notices this from the airship. "Ruby!"

Ruby eventually makes her back up to the top of the cliff by using Crescent Rose's blade to climb back up. She regroups with Weiss, Ren, and Qrow. "Are we OK?!"

"I know, we were supposed to lay low, but listen! I think I finally found a weakness!" Oscar explains as Nora looks up at the ship with Pyrrha.

"Well, we're all ears."

"The cylinder on Cordo's cannon rotates and locks in a giant Dust cartridge every time she changes attack styles."

Weiss nodded at that. "We noticed."

"Right, but her missile launcher doesn't lock in, it pops out! Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they're still in the launcher!" Oscar finishes as Jaune looks down

"We could destroy the entire cannon... Oscar, that's brilliant!"

"Can you... make that kind of shot?" Nora asks Ruby before Pyrrha walks up.

"We have better chances if I take a shot after you in case you miss."

"We'll only get one chance before she catches on. I'd have to be practically staring down the barrel of her cannon." Ruby says as they nod as Maria speaks.

"Well, I've got a way to guarantee that."

Maria flies the airship back over to Ruby's group. She stops with the hatch doors open. Ruby runs forward with Pyrrha.

"Ruby, what are you doing?!"

The two hop into the airship and head off. The others watch the airship heading towards Cordo's mech. Ruby smiles at Maria and Oscar.

In the mech, one of the screens has a popup message saying "ARGUS BASE INCOMING CALL". Cordovin notices this, but her attention is then drawn away. "Hey, Cordo! I've got one missile left and I know exactly where I'm gonna stick it!"

"One missile you say? That's a shame, Maria, because I have plenty!" Cordovin has the missile launcher pop out from the mech's arm cannon while Maria continues flying toward her.

"ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!" Oscar yells as Maria smiles.

"Sometimes the best approach is simply the most direct!"

As the airship moves closer, Ruby and Pyrrha get into position and Ruby aims at Cordovin's mech cannon. Cordovin gasps as she pulls up a screen, noticing Ruby and catching on to her plan. Ruby pulls the trigger, but suddenly, the missile launcher retracts back into the arm cannon, and the bullet is deflected. Everyone gasps in shock.

"You thought you could fool me?!" She readies the arm cannon again, this time about to fire a lightning Dust attack.

"Pull up!"

Maria pulls up the airship, but it still gets partially caught in the blast. The rest of the group on the cliff move out of the way. The airship is affected by the electricity, and Maria screams in pain as her prosthetic eyes close shut.

"I can't see! My eyes!"

Pyrrha who was getting ready, ran over and grabbed the joystick. "We're gonna crash! We're gonna CRASH!"

The rest of the group emerge from the smoke on the cliffside, coughing. The group watches as the airship crash lands into the forest. As Weiss gasps, Qrow runs and transforms into his avian form and flies over to the crash site.

Over at the site, Oscar coughs before speaking. "We're... we're still in one piece!"

Suddenly, Oscar hears the stomping of Cordovin's mech. Ruby stumbles out of the airship before collapsing to her knees. "Very clever, but even the smartest apes can't compete with the intellect of man.

Ruby uses Crescent Rose to stand herself back up. She looks over to the airship to see Maria repairing her prosthetic eyes as Oscar watches in concern. "Come on, come on!"

Ruby then looks toward Cordovin with a determined expression and walks forward. Suddenly, Qrow appears and takes his niece's hand. "Ruby, stop!"

Ruby looks back to her uncle, still bearing her determined expression. "I need you to trust me."

Qrow closes his eyes and ultimately relents as Ruby pulls her hand away. She walks to the edge of the cliff and stands face-to-face with Cordovin's mech. "Surrender for your crimes, and accept your punishment."

"No!" Ruby yells as Cordovin gasps in shock as Ruby's friends look at her. "We're going to Atlas. Bigger people than you have tried to stop us and failed, but we're supposed to be on the same side! We're supposed to use our power to protect people, but you just use yours to look down on everyone! We didn't want to steal from you. We did it because you gave us no other choice! Now I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and hear us out."

"I've heard enough…" Cordovin then aims her arm cannon at Ruby. Ruby's friends run over to her in panic.

"Ruby!"

Qrow gains a look of horror on his face as Cordovin fires up the arm cannon. Suddenly Ruby uses her Semblance and flies into the arm cannon. "WHAT?!"

Nora looked up as they ran over. "She's NUTS!"

Ruby continues flying into the arm cannon. "The missile launcher springs out... but the raw dust gets locked in!" Jaune explains to them.

Inside the arm cannon, Ruby plants Crescent Rose into the ground and aims the buildup of Dust. She fires and uses her Semblance to quickly get out of the arm cannon. Suddenly, the arm cannon explodes, covering it in ice and stone.

BOOM!

"What?! No! NO!"

As Ruby flies backward, her Aura runs out, and falls unconscious. Her fall is slowed down by black Glyphs from Weiss, and Qrow catches his niece in his arms. Weiss collapses in exhaustion as Jaune, Ren, Pyrrha, and Nora run over to her. "Ruby? Ruby!"

Ruby opens her eyes and smiles at her uncle. "Told ya."

The Atlesian airship's engines can be heard coming back on as it hovers lightly above the ground. Maria managed to fix her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me I missed it!"

Naruto Vs Adam.

"You knew you couldn't win two-on-one at Haven. What makes you so sure you can win now?"

Adam said to them as Naruto gripped his knives. "I wasn't there… And I heard you got beat by my teammates."

The two combatants then take defensive stances as they resume their battle. Naruto rushed forward to strike at Adam with a series of back-and-forth blows and slashes. "Do you think you're faster than me?" Adam asks as Naruto smiles.

"Yeah, but if not I just need a lucky shot."

Adam rushes forward unsheathing his sword. Naruto manages to dodge the swing, then rolls away for a second. Adam lands two kicks before Naruto dodges a slash, followed up by another. Then Adam brings the sword down diagonally while Naruto backs away. But then Adam rams him and she is knocked to the ground. "Your Aura's bound to be running low."

"I'm just getting started… But what about you? What's your endgame? Showing everyone was right about their Faunus hatred? Killing, stealing… All that does is just show those that are neutral to you to hate you... And maybe turn those that are with you against you."

"What do you know?!"

"I know exactly what you went through! I was hated from the moment I was born… Know what I did? I showed them that I deserved their respect! To not be hated! To show them that they were wrong about me!" Naruto explained as he panted while he stood. "And you know what? It worked! I went on to be the most loved leader in my village, something I was told constantly I could never achieve!"

"So show those that hate you that they're wrong!" Adam roars as he dashes to Naruto who leans back, grabs him by the shirt then flips him over the edge of the cliff. Naruto rolled over onto his feet and ran over to see Adam was gone. "Damn." Naruto sighs about before Blake crashed into his back and hugged him.

He smiles and places his hands on hers.

Atlas Fight.

"No! No, no, no, NO! You! You're never getting to Atlas! Do you hear me?! NEVER! All forces converge on my position and eliminate these pests at once!"

"Everyone on board! We're making a run for it!" Maria yells out at them.

"What about Yang? Naruto, and Blake?" Jaune asks her.

At the Argus base, various Atlas personnel all rush to their battle stations. A pair of guards are seen looking out at the ocean. In the distance, a towering Grimm is stomping in the water towards Argus. It lets out a terrifying roar.

(ROAR!)

It's a gigantic, bipedal, aquatic sea Grimm with four humanoid limbs and a long tail. It has four gills on each side of its neck and a collection of dorsal plates protruding from its back, with red webbing between each plate. It has a dolphin-like head with a mouth filled with sharp teeth and three yellow eyes on each side of the head. Like many other Grimm, it has external ribs.

The Atlas guards then turn around and notice a massive legion of Manticores and Sphinxs in the air over the city of Argus. "It's a Leviathan! It began its approach during your battle! We need you!"

Ruby looks back to her friends in horror, who all share equally concerned expressions. They look to Cordovin's mech, still struggling to lift its arm cannon. Multiple Manta aircraft engage in dogfights against Manticores and Sphinxs above the ocean. The Leviathan itself slowly trudges through the water approaching the city. Some aircraft fly by for a gun run on the towering Grimm. The Leviathan, however, simply dives below the ocean and swims.

Elsewhere, Ruby Rose and her friends overhear the radio chatter with looks of horror on their faces. Cordovin continues to struggle to get the Colossus' arm cannon out of the water with it being covered in ice and rock Dust.

"This is your fault! Do you hear me?!"

"Ruby!"

They see Naruto, and the others at the cliff. "Are you OK?"

Naruto, Yang, and Blake notice the disabled mech. What the hell happened?"

(ROAR!)

The group wastes no time boarding the aircraft. It begins to fly away. Ruby watches with pity as Cordovin continues to struggle to move the mech. Cordovin herself yells out in anger. "This is your fault! YOUR FAULT! This is…" Cordovin trails off at that.

"I suppose I have to be the bad guy and say it, getting the lamp to Atlas is still our top priority, and right now we have the perfect opportunity to head straight for it. We may not get another chance like this." Maria says as Yang shakes her head.

"No way!"

"We can't leave, not like this." Weiss sais as Blake nods.

"It's like you said, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end."

Maria looks to Ruby, who just shrugs and smiles. Maria smiles back and continues to fly. "We need to head for the Leviathan. Jaune, can you and Ren be ready to mask our ship?"

"I think we can manage." Ren nods.

From the city, a large crowd gathers as they look out to the ocean with concern. Terra Cotta-Arc is seen making her way through the crowd, eventually reuniting with her wife Saphron and their son Adrian, before looking out to the ocean again in concern. As the Leviathan approaches Argus, a hard-light Dust barrier is erected, halting its progress.

A pair of Manta aircraft are seen firing shots at the Leviathan. Suddenly, the Leviathan unleashes an energy beam attack from its mouth. It shifts the beam over to one of the poles powering the hard-light Dust barrier, destroying it as Ruby and her friends watch in horror from their aircraft.

Ren and Jaune proceed to combine their Semblances, masking the airship as it weaves between the air battles between Grimm and Atlas forces. The Leviathan makes its way to the next barrier and charges its energy breath again.

The Manta aircraft pulls up out of the way as the Leviathan fires its breath, destroying the next barrier and toppling a cupola off one of the buildings in Argus. Ren and Jaune collapse as their Auras are drained. The Leviathan continues to approach Argus, but suddenly, the aircraft carrying Ruby's group opens up its hatch doors.

"Eyes on us, ugly!"

Nora and Yang fire their respective weapons at the Leviathan. Blake runs over to Weiss, who is maintaining a Glyph she activated as Ruby is riding on the back of Weiss' Queen Lancer summoning. "Okay, OK, you can do this... You have to do this!" She looks to see Naruto smiling and giving her the thumbs up.

Eventually, Ruby stops in front of the Leviathan. She closes her eyes and begins to concentrate, the noises all around her slowly muting out. Ruby takes out her earpiece and tosses it into the water below. She closes her eyes again to concentrate. As she concentrates, Ruby thinks back on various memories.

She thinks of her father and sister, when Zwei first arrives at Team RWBY's dorm room, when she and her team are about to start a food fight, and when they get noodles after their victory in the tournament. She then thinks of Penny, then to when she first saw Jaune, of Team JNPR, SHNN.

Suddenly, Ruby starts to frown as bad memories start to flood her mind the night when she saw her friends wounded as Beacon was being evacuated. Ruby whimpers upon remembering the death of Penny… Suddenly, Ruby opens her eyes again and notices the Leviathan standing face-to-face with her. Ruby then remembers she has the Relic of Knowledge on her belt, which caused the Leviathan to have its attention on her.

Suddenly, the Leviathan opens its maw and lunges toward Ruby. "J-JINN!" Suddenly, time stops. Everything slows down and freezes, even Yang who calls out her sister's name. Ruby then breathes a sigh of relief as she hears the rattling chains of Jinn. "I'm sorry... I don't have a question for you. I just... I just needed a little more time..."

Ruby looks to Jinn, who has a stern look on her face. "I know... and while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I shall give it freely. I will not allow you to use me without a question again... Even if this was clever."

Ruby nods at Jinn. She then turns to face the Leviathan again and closes her eyes to concentrate once more. Time slowly starts to go back to normal. She thinks back to when Team RWBY decorated their dorm room, when Weiss gave her coffee, when Blake cheered for Weiss in Professor Port's class when Yang was training her before leaving for Beacon, and when Team RWBY celebrated their victory after saving Vale.

Ruby smiles as she thinks back to the Beacon Dance and Team JNPR again, and then to when Qrow arrived at Beacon, to talking with Oscar, and then to Maria, and Penny again... Then thoughts of Naruto holding her after she started dating him and ending with their time at the beach.

And finally, Ruby thinks back to her mother, her white cloak blowing in the wind as she overlooks a cliff watching a sunset. She then turns around, offering a warm smile. Her own Silver Eyes reflect back to her daughter's...

Ruby's own eyes then shine bright, the brightest it has ever been. A massive white light engulfs the area, turning the Leviathan to stone. The citizens of Argus and the Atlas military cheer as the Grimm threat has been nullified. Ruby's friends give proud smiles and Maria breathes a sigh of relief.

The light retracts back into Ruby's eyes, and she turns around to look at the city of Argus still standing. Suddenly, Ruby hears a stone crackling behind her. The Leviathan's head manages to move and tries to aim at Ruby. "No…"

"I'll take it from here!"

Suddenly, Cordovin shows up in the Colossus, its arm cannon now detached. Everyone looks in shock. Without the weight of the cannon, the Colossus begins to run toward the semi-petrified Leviathan. "After all, I was sworn to protect the people!"

The Colossus' left hand then transforms into a giant drill. Cordovin uses the drill to destroy the Leviathan, causing it to dissipate. The people of Argus cheer while the Arc family looks on with stupefied expressions. The Colossus then walks over to Ruby. Its cockpit opens up revealing Cordovin herself standing in a stern military manner. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry."

"The Atlas military can handle the stragglers." She says as Ruby blinks.

"What, uh... What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my lengthy report."

Ruby smiles back at Cordovin, who then turns the mech around and runs off to join her men in taking down the remaining Grimm.

The airship Ruby and her friends are in flies through the night sky. "We should have just enough fuel to make it," Maris states to them.

"Thanks, Miss Calavera."

"Hey, Ruby. You did great out there today, kid. Just don't go giving me heart attacks like that again." Qrow is about to take a drink from his flask but ultimately decides not to before Ruby hugs her uncle.

"I love you, too."

Qrow smiles at his niece as she walks away to join her friends before hugging Naruto who hugs her back. "You weren't half bad yourself today, Qrow.

Qrow smiles before sighing after Maria spoke. "I feel like they did all the heavy lifting."

"But you were there to help when they asked for it, and you were there to catch them when they fell. If I recall."

"Thanks. You know, it was pretty incredible getting to see the Grimm Reaper in action."

Maria laughs at that. "Ha, you should have seen me when I was your age!"

Qrow smiles as the two of them look out the cockpit's window to the night sky.

In the back of the aircraft, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sit together before everyone then looks at Ruby. "Hey, stop it!"

"You petrified a Leviathan... after diving down the barrel of a cannon!" Ren states to her.

"Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before!"

The airship comes out of the clouds, and the floating city of Atlas is seen coming into view. "Wow!"

"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view," Maria states before her prosthetic eyes start to act up again. "Oh, come on!"

Weiss leaned forward and had a nervous look on her face before Naruto grabbed her hand in his. "What's up?"

Everyone looks up, and notices above the city of Atlas many Atlas Airships. "The Atlas air fleet... I knew all of our ships were called back, but..."

"They're set up like they're expecting an attack…" Qrow states as they all look forward as suddenly, the radio turns on.

"Air Control Manta 5-1, welcome home…"

Salem's Hideout Land Of Darkness.

In the Land of Darkness, Mercury Black is seen looking out the window in the meeting room as Emerald then walks in. "Mercury, I wanted to…" Suddenly, she notices Mercury's face has an expression of horror as he looks out the window before Emerald looks to where he's looking. "What is she doing?"

Outside, a Beringel is crawling out of one of the black, tar-like pits, with Salem herself standing close by. She then uses her magic as Nevermore's wings suddenly sprout from the back of the Beringel. The Beringel gets used to its new appendages, before flying up to join many other Beringels also grafted with wings as Emerald and Mercury continue to watch in horror.

"There's an old saying."

The two notice Hazel enter the room and stand next to them. "If you want something done right... do it yourself."

Salem looks up to the army of Grimm she has gathered, before turning around and using her magic on the black pools again.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Not going to apologize for how long this took, as after uploading the Detentionaire story, a friend and uncle passed so I took time off to mourn. Now, for most of my stories, I was ahead except for this one, KP, and the One Piece stories so I'll upload the others a day or two after each other.

REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE POLL IF YOU HAVEN'T!

Chapter 41

Notes:

OK, I worked slowly on this as beta's under the weather but said to continue without until they feel better and I slowly worked to stretch out the time until then.

REMEMBER TO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king (Habit to put this up)

Outskirts Of Atlas.

Manta airships patrol the skies around the City of Atlas, communicating with each other over the radio. As Maria pilots the group's stolen Manta toward the city, they receive radio contact from a female officer. "Manta 5-1. Welcome home. Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there. Over."

Ruby and the others aboard Manta 5-1 look around at the large military air fleet surrounding the kingdom's capital. "I don't understand. What's happening here?" Ruby asks from the front as she looks back.

"I don't know." row shrugs at his niece as Jaune steps forward.

"But we are here. We got the lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers."

"I'm not so sure." Weiss muses. "I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take me back to my father."

Blake gains a saddened look, while Ruby and Yang Long look at each other, uncertain of what to do. "So…"

Weiss, having gotten an idea, suddenly looks up. "Winter!" Weiss brings out her Scroll. "Put some distance between us and the fleet."

Maria nods at that. "You don't have to tell me twice."

As Weiss walks to the back of the ship, Maria steers the ship toward Mantle. As people wander the streets of Mantle, the group looks over the city through the Manta's windows. They fly past a giant screen on the side of a skyscraper. Ironwood's voice comes from the screen, catching Ruby and Yang's attention.

They see a video of James playing him now having unkempt hair and a beard.

"We cannot express our appreciation enough. Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise."

Ruby and Yang look saddened before the blonde speaks. "General Ironwood. He looks…"

"Tired."

Qrow sighs before speaking. "James, what have you been doing?"

They looked down and saw four Atlesian Knight-200s walking down a street in Mantle, while civilians around them complained about their presence.

Naruto looks back and sees a small drone floating along a sidewalk, while a pair of small children hide in an alley. One of the children picks up a rock and throws it at the drone, which spins around to look, prompting the children to hide against the wall. Weiss sadly stares out of Manta 5-1's window with her Scroll in her palm. Her Scroll is set to call Winter, who does not answer. "This isn't right. None of this is right."

Once again, the stolen Manta receives contact over the radio. "Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. Do you copy? Over."

"We're kind of running out of time here, kids," Maria says as Yang looks back.

"We need to ditch the ship."

"Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time." Qrow says as Weiss looks over.

"I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood."

Blake, who has been staring out of a window, looks over her shoulder and speaks up. "Uh, Weiss?"

Weiss walks over to Blake's side and looks out the window with her as a familiar voice plays from a giant screen. "A reminder."

"Huh?" She blinked looking at her sister who was on the screens now.

"Failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown…"

"Winter?" Weiss asked in shock.

"No offense, Weiss. I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore."

Weiss tenses her shoulders and turns to Qrow, fists clenched only to have a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Naruto before calming down and looked at Qrow. "There's something very wrong. If we can just talk to her, then we-"

"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle." Qrow interrupted her.

"But-"

"Everyone, calm down. (Sigh) I know someone who can help with both." Maria says stopping the conversation.

"Manta 5-1, you are to make your-" Maria shut off the radio, and gave an annoyed sigh.

"Geez, lady, take a hint!"

Later, after landing the stolen Manta in Mantle, Maria cautiously exits an alley by slowly shuffling along with her cane. When she sees the coast is clear, she picks up her cane and walks normally, and everyone else exits the alley with her. In the distance, a small group of Atlas soldiers run down a street in the direction that Maria and the others came from. "It landed over there, let's go!"

The group begins walking through Mantle together. Trucks drive past, and Atlesian Knight-200s stand on various sidewalks. Naruto sees a small child place a poster of a white-haired woman on a street lamp. Then, he sees a hologram board displaying news articles with the following headlines.

"Missing Journalist Found Slain"

"Election Imminent Mantle Hometown Hero vs Atlesian Tycoon"

"Embargo The Right Call? Pressure and Criticism Continues to Mount on Council"

"Outer Wall Damaged Resources Stalled"

The group walks past a garage with graffiti art reading "Show Your Teeth"

"Come on now, hurry! It shouldn't be much of a walk." Maria says as Jaune looks around.

"Is this many soldiers normal?"

"No." Weiss shakes her head. "At least, I didn't think so."

Naruto holds her hand as they continue to walk.

At the back of the group, Yang notices a whirring sound and stops to take a look. "Huh?"

There is a small drone hovering to her right. The camera part of the drone lifts focused on her. When Yang shrugs it off and resumes walking, the drone follows her. She stops again and looks at it in surprise and confusion. As she leans in to take a closer look, the drone takes a photograph of her face with a bright flash, which Yang recoils from. In response, Yang kicks the drone, knocking it out of the air and causing it to tumble into the street, where it is struck by a car.

"Ooh…" Yang turns to see everyone else in the group staring at her. She awkwardly shifts her posture with a sheepish smile. "Maybe we should pick up the pace."

"You have to remember, the Kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is as bright as it gets." Maria says as they continue walking.

They look up at the City of Atlas, while the earlier broadcast from Winter plays once again nearby. A pair of trucks drive by with miners, covered in black material, sitting in the beds. Posters depicting a white-haired woman are plastered across one of the buildings that the trucks pass, with the text "PROTECT MANTLE" printed on them.

"We are here for your safety. Thank you for your cooperation."

The Winter video plays again as Blake and Nora watch the second truck as it drives by.

Nora crosses her arms and looks away. "Unless you're the one having to look up at it."

"This whole city, it just seems awful," Blake mutters before they hear a drunk male voice.

"Yeah?"

They see a drunk man stumbling down from a porch. "You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra."

Blake sighs before speaking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, all right?!"

Ruby steps forward to confront him. "Hey!"

Blake steps forward ahead of Ruby, speaking quietly to her. "We can't cause a scene."

The drunk man's equally drunk buddy speaks up. "The embargo... The embargo's got us in a rough patch. But it'll blow over, you'll see."

"We try and help the other Kingdoms, and this is what happens? I say let 'em rot!"

"I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you." Blake says to him.

The drunk man spits on the ground, glaring at Blake. "Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't under-!"

He looks down to unscrew his flask and pauses when he sees a black glyph beneath his feet. His glasses hover off his face as his eyes widen in surprise. The glyph flings him into the air, and he falls into a dumpster in the nearby alley, his glasses and flask accompanying him soon after. Yang, Nora, Blake, and Ruby stare at the dumpster, then turn to see Weiss pointing Myrtenaster where the man had been standing with Naruto reaching for his revolvers.

"It was worth it."

The group flees while a pair of Atlesian Knight-200s investigate. The man's drinking buddy hurries down from the porch and looks around in thought, before reaching out toward the girls. "Hey, wait! You're- That was-"

The drinking buddy trips and collapses to the sidewalk as Winter's broadcast is heard playing once again. "We are here for your safety. Thank you for your cooperation."

The group approaches a building with a glowing green plus symbol above its front door. The side door opens, and a Faunus with a prosthetic arm exits, waving cheerfully to the man who speaks to her from inside. "And no more heavy lifting, yah hear?"

"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend," Maria said to an older man behind a desk, shuffling things around in a drawer. Maria clears her throat, startling him, and he lifts his head to look at her, shutting the drawer. Maria smiles at him.

He pushes papers aside revealing he has dark skin and short, balding white hair. He's wearing a green cap with oval-shaped glasses, a red vest over a cream shirt with a pink bowtie. His dark mustard pants and leather boots match his cap and red-brown belt.

"Ah, yes, yes. Have we met?"

"Well, this is off to a fantastic start." Ren muses as he walks in.

"Cybernetic optical implants." Maria deadpans as she points to her eyes. "You adjust them. Every ten years or so?"

He stares at her for a few moments before throwing his hands cheerfully into the air. "Maria!"

He comes around the desk revealing he's in a chair to aid himself with movement. This chair has four movable legs, and is white and green, with yellow accents.

"Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so." He offers his hand to her leads her to an examination table and laughs. "Oh wow, has it been that long already?"

"Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."

"Oh, did they?"

"No, no. They had much more complicated issues." Maria replies before Qrow clears his throat.

"And this is?"

"So impatient. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds."

"Working in a place like this?" Yang asks crossing her arms under her bust as the building creaks and a ceiling tile falls to the floor.

"He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about." Maria replies to her.

"You can call me Pietro." Pietro introduces himself.

"Finest heart, too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds." Maria explains to them.

"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun. I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?"

"YES!"

Nora exclaimed jumping as Naruto held her down. She puffed her cheeks before Naruto gave her a chaste kiss. "Before we get to that, we were wondering if you could help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but um…" Yang trailed off as Blake looked up.

"What exactly has been happening here?"

"Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's…" Pietro trailed off as Qrow sighed.

"He's scared."

"Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, that it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their play-thing, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general." Pietro explained to them as Ren put a hand to his chin.

"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought."

"After we came all this way, we can't just leave, can we?" Oscar asks them as Pyrrha takes a step forward.

"No, people are counting on us!"

"That's my Pyrrha!"

The redhead blushed at Naruto's words as Weiss stepped up.

"How does the council feel about all of this? Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"

"Well, the council's so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle… Wait, you're… You're Weiss Schnee!"

Weiss gasps and steps back, with her friends looking nervous.

"Wait, what was it that you were trying to say about Mantle?"

"You're Team RWBY!" Pietro exclaims as Ruby blinks.

"You know us?!"

"Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you."

"Your… daughter?"

AWWOOO!

Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of an alarm and people screaming. Outside, civilians are running, and the lights from the street lamps have turned red.

"Ah, trouble," Jaune says as the others readied their weapons and ran outside.

The group runs outside. "Wait!"

Everyone in the group draws their weapons. Upon drawing her katana, Blake looks at the broken blade, exhaling sharply before folding the blade down to wield it as a gun. "I guess the city defenses aren't doing much," Oscar says as Nora glances back.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

Down the road from them, growling is heard, and an Atlesian Knight-200 is thrown against a lamp post. Another robot is thrown, and three more back up into view, shooting at Sabyrs, who tackle and destroy them one by one. "Well, we didn't come this far to fail now!"

Ruby changes Crescent Rose into scythe form and aims the sniper barrel toward the Sabyrs, which finish destroying the Atlesian Knight-200s and charge toward her and her friends. Everyone readies their weapons. Yang charges forth using the recoil from her gauntlets, followed by Ren launching himself forward.

"Hey!"

Getting an idea, Nora looks at Jaune, who looks startled. She uses Magnhild to pole vault toward Jaune, who puts up his shield in response, allowing her to land on it. She then kicks off from his shield, launching herself. After Yang uppercuts a Sabyr, Ren lands on another one's back, stabbing his gun's blades into it, and it leaps into the air to knock him off, only for Nora to slam it to the ground with her hammer. Jaune beheads a Sabyr, and when a second one leaps at him, he blocks with his shield and stabs it just above its collarbone.

Qrow slices two Sabyrs in half and leans back to dodge a third as it attempts to tackle him. He transforms Harbinger into scythe mode and uses it to hook the Grimm as it makes another attempt to tackle him. As he finishes spinning his scythe, he plants its blade into the ground and punches another Sabyr in the head, then uppercuts it into the air. He then kicks Harbinger upward, catches it, straightens the blade, impales the Sabyr, and slices another one that leaps at him from behind the deceased Sabyr's smoke.

"Are we gonna let them have all the fun?" Naruto asks pulling Fox Bolt out and changing it to his trident form.

"Why not use those jujitsu's?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched at Natsu who readied his gauntlets. "Jutsu… I still don't know which ones, if any would be effective on Grimm… Or if they need a certain one to take them down. Weapons are proven to work."

His team ran forward and attacked while Qrow shot at more Sabyrs, and another one turned its attention to Oscar. It charges him, and he leaps into the air and stabs at its skull with Ozpin's cane. While he watches it die, another one leaps at him from behind, only to be sniped by Ruby, who smiles and nods to Oscar.

Ruby transforms her rifle back into scythe mode and runs forward. As a Sabyr leaps at her, she does a flip and slices it in half. She continues running, fires Crescent Rose, and begins using her Semblance to speed down the street, before appearing to split into three blurs of red that go around a Sabyr, which splits apart with a roar.

"(ROAR!)"

The blurs converge and transform back into Ruby, who stabs the tip of her scythe into the asphalt, swinging forward on it and landing on the ground. She fires Crescent Rose and lets go of it, sending it spinning through a Sabyr and into the air. She leaps onto and kicks off another Sabyr, spinning and catching her scythe.

She fires Crescent Rose to keep up the momentum and slams the blade into the ground, sending out a shockwave that takes out two more Sabyrs. After Weiss slices through a Sabyr, four more come running toward her from another street. She casts four black glyphs, using them to levitate the Grimm.

As they flail helplessly in the air, Ren leaps from Sabyr to Sabyr, cutting each of them in half as Pyrrha throws her shield to bounce off between several and then back to her hand. She threw it again then used her spear's rifle form to shoot at more before catching her shield and turning to slam it into a Sabyr as Haru dropped down and sliced its head off.

Meanwhile, another Sabyr attempts to run up behind Yang while she finishes one off, only to be shot by Blake, who smiles and nods to Yang. Suddenly, another Sabyr leaps into the air behind Blake, who gasps and turns to face it. Before she can fight back, a green laser fires from the sky, cutting the Grimm in half.

More lasers shoot from above, striking down the remaining Grimm. The alarms throughout the city stop and the street lamps change back to their normal color. Everyone watches as a figure with long hair flies into view, with green jets coming from her feet. She twirls in the air and slowly descends. Pietro and Maria walk outside to join the group, while Ruby stares at the girl before gasping and gaining a look of recognition.

"Penny!"

Penny's hair is significantly longer and curled inwards at the tips and she has on a black fabric bow under a pink metal bow that had a golden outlined green power symbol, but the ahoge remained and was more prominent. Penny also has on an olive green German-styled dress with a black hem that was striped with emerald green.

The abdominal region is black with four golden buttons with matching buckles on her shoulder straps. She also has an off-white blouse with puffy shoulders, frilled flared cuffs, and vertical black lining down the front center. Her collar piece did away with the green accents and was instead finished with a black ribbon, and black metal leg pieces that ran up to her thighs, both having a green stripe that ran down the sides, with a large green circle at the top and a small one at the bottom, both outlined with gold.

The knee pieces of her legs are heavily defined to look separate from the rest of the leg pieces. She has a trio of jets in the lower rear part of her legs and a pair of black low-heeled metal boots with the tops hidden by the lower part of her leg pieces.

In addition, she also wore a pair of black lacy cuffed gloves with golden stud detailing on the knuckles. She also retained her silver backpack on her back carrying Floating Array.

"Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?"

Penny turns to look in the direction her father's voice came from. Upon seeing Ruby, she gasps and her eyes shine with joy. Ruby smiles and puts her weapon away as Penny leans forward a little. "Sal…"

"Huh?" Ruby blinks in confusion.

Penny lowers to one knee as a high-pitched charging noise is heard. "U…"

"Uh…?"

Penny begins gleefully sprinting toward Ruby at high speed. "TATIONS!" Penny leaps and activates her jets, rocketing forward and tackling Ruby, who flails her hands around in front of her and screams, eyes wide. Upon crashing to the ground, Ruby groans in pain. Everyone else puts their weapons away and approaches the pair. Penny pops back up onto her feet, while Ruby slowly rises with her hand on her head. "It is such a pleasure to see you all again!"

"Penny, I… I-I thought you…"

"Died?" Pietro asks riding his chair over to Penny's side. "I guess she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took me some time, but…"

"I'm as good as new! Better, even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!"

"That's my girl. We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?" Pietro asks with a laugh then coughs.

"No sir!" Penny smiles knocking on her head with a clanking sound.

"This is…" Weiss trails as Blake looks over.

"Strangely wholesome."

"Sounds like Penny to me."

"A robot?"

Shiki appeared beside Penny pointing at her arm as Penny blinked

"Yep!" Penny excitedly grabs Ruby's shoulders. "We have so many things to catch up about. I cannot wait!"

AAAWOOO!

Just as Penny finishes her sentence with a grin, the city's alarms begin blaring again. "It seems we will have to wait." Penny bounces backward and salutes. As she charges her jets and then rockets off into the sky, she continues speaking quickly to Ruby even as she takes off. "Let's talk more later! I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures and tell you how I have been and I am just very excited about the whole experience!"

"I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on or have, like, a million questions." Nora walked up as Pyrrha sighed.

"Feel better?" Naruto asks placing a hand on her shoulder.

"A little yes."

Smiling, Naruto kisses the top of her head as he pulls her close.

"Let's get out of this weather first," Pietro says as Maria nods.

"I have absolutely no idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?"

"That was unexpected," Jaune says as Ren looks over.

"Never a dull moment."

"But I wouldn't say unwelcome. I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher." Qrow mutters as the group begins following Maria and Pietro.

However, as they walk, Ren senses something behind them. Before anyone can react, several bolases wrap around Nora, Oscar, Jaune, and Ren, the spheres at the ends of the ropes locking into place with Gravity Dust. Blake turns to look back at the commotion, just in time for all of Team RWBY and SHNN to be caught.

As Ruby lands, the Relic of Knowledge comes unhooked from her belt and clatters to the ground. Qrow draws his sword and looks for their unseen enemy before being captured himself. Five uniform-clad people come out of hiding and surround the group.

"Good work, team."

A man with short brown hair and teal-green eyes said. He's wearing a sleeveless Atlesian Specialist uniform that consisted of a white sleeveless double-breasted coat with red and blue accents with ornate detailing shaped to the form of wishbones, a broad tail with red lining and a four-leaf clover pin on the lapel. His belt has a rabbit's foot key chain hanging off it. White pants and covered his hands with brown fingerless gloves. He also has blue calf high boots with four dark blue straps and silver steel toe plating.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Oscar says as Qrow glared.

"Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?"

The man looks down at Qrow, twirling a horseshoe on his finger. He puts the horseshoe away and picks up Qrow's weapon. The other uniformed operatives begin gathering everyone else's weapons, while Atlesian Knight-200s approach, and the operatives hand the confiscated weapons to the robots. He then approaches Ruby, picks up the Relic, and looks at it.

"Hm. Let's get them loaded into the next transport."

"Please! We were just trying to help!" Ruby pleads as Pietro comes over.

"What is the meaning of this? (Cough!) What are the Ace-Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"

"Ace-Ops?" Ruby blinks as the man looks at Pietro.

"Doctor, good to see you. Well, we heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed Huntsmen."

Maria turns and walks away as Pietro speaks. "If we could just talk this out!"

The man tossed the Relic from one hand to the other. "They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas. Let's move out!"

The Ace-Ops split up and left the area. Team RWBY, Team SHNN, Team JNPR, Oscar, and Qrow are forced into the back of a secure van with their wrists bound.

"Hey, you motherfu-!" Naruto was silenced as the doors slammed shut on him and the others.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king (Habit to put this up)

OK, I worked slowly on this as beta's under the weather but said to continue without until they feel better and I slowly worked to stretch out the time until then.

REMEMBER TO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T!

Chapter 42

Notes:

Sorry for using just one ep last and this time... Trying to stretch things out until there's a volume 10 now that Viz has it. Plus there's a bunch of exposition so again sorry for how little is used.

I will be doing date chapters either before or after the training episode(s) the teams get with Ace-Ops, any ideas you want to throw for any of the girls feel free to send them... I don't know about lemons at least with the RWBY girls.

I want it to be realistic for relationships and let them date for a certain time before or for ones where the characters do age, and start at teens, then wait until they're 18.

Remember to vote if you haven't!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas.

Ruby gazes out the window of the police airship as it flies over Mantle, then turns and looks at her friends. Nora chewing at the bolas restraining her wrists, while everyone else sits silently, the only sounds being Nora's growling and the muffled chattering of the guards piloting the ship.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby asks before Natsu kicks the back door.

"We're innocent!"

"I'm gonna go with jail." Qrow sighs from his spot ignoring the pink-haired teen.

"I still can't believe that fishing pole guy took us out like it was nothing," Jaune said as Naruto leaned forward.

"He's a huntsman, he has more training than we do."

"Not if you used your ninjujitsu!"

"I'm still rusty with that Natsu!"

"Welcome to Atlas. Those were Ironwood's Ace Operatives."

"Hmm? Do you guys have a run-in with the Ace-Ops? Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."

Naruto jumped from the guy sitting by the front of the van. "I… Totally forgot you were here."

"They're not that big of a deal." Weiss sighs out.

"Not that big of a deal!? The Ace-Ops are the elite-of-elite military Huntsmen and Ironwood's personal attack dogs."

"So they got you too, huh?" Nora said stopping her chewing.

"Pfft! I wouldn't let myself get caught by them. I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas' exploitation of Mantle, and General Ironwood is trying to silence me."

"You threw a brick at her ship!"

One of the pilots said to him.

"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!"

The pilot just sighs in annoyance.

"'Our cause'?" Blake asked raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, the fight for better conditions in Mantle! Lead by the charismatic, talented, lovely Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses!"

The main pilot presses a button, causing the window between the cab and the back of the ship to begin slowly closing. Forest notices this, stands up, and begins frantically shouting to the window so the guards can hear him.

"They were all top Atlas Academy graduates, who could've signed up for the military, but Robyn and the Huntresses chose to stay in Mantle. She's gunning for a seat on the Kingdom's council, and when she gets it, she's gonna put an end to Ironwood's tyranny!"

"Happy… Huntresses?" Oscar asks as Yang leans forward.

"Is that their real name?"

"Don't you think "tyranny's" a little dramatic?" Weiss asks as the man turns.

The man turns around to respond and looks surprised upon realizing who has just spoken. "Easy to say for a Schnee heiress, living comfortably up in Atlas."

"(Sigh.) Not anymore." Weiss replies as the airship finally makes it up to the City of Atlas, and Ruby looks out at the city in awe, while Nora is once again chewing her restraints.

"Whoa, it's gorgeous up here!"

Ruby's comment causes Jaune and Nora to leave their seats and look out the window with her. "Don't let that fool you," Weiss says as the man looks as well.

"This isn't the police station."

"It's… Atlas Academy." Qrow says as the ship docks on a landing pad in front of Atlas Academy and is met by a pair of guards, who open the ship's rear double doors to let Team RWBY, SHNN, JNPR, Oscar, and Qrow exit. Ruby gazes up at the towering academy while more guards line up along the path leading to the building.

"I guess we will be seeing the General. For better or worse."

The group heads up to the school while Forest watches in confusion and curiosity from the airship. "So, what do we do?" Ren asks as Ruby sighs.

The group finds themselves riding a rising elevator inside the academy with their wrists still restrained, accompanied by guards. "I don't know yet. But we should be careful with what we say." Ruby says as one of the guards looks over his shoulder at them.

"We'll follow your lead, Ruby."

Ruby smiles at Blake but then starts to look worried again. The elevator beeps as it arrives at its destination, and the guards escort the group out into a hallway and down a flight of stairs. They arrive in a room just as Ironwood walks through, speaking to someone else.

"I swear if I have to sit through one more council meeting like that…"

He turns toward a small flight of stairs on his way to his office, accompanied by Winter and Penny. The latter notices the group and stops with a gasp. "Yay, you're here!"

Her celebratory greeting catches Ironwood and Winter's attention, causing them to stop and look. Weiss steps out from behind Ruby and approaches them. "Winter."

Winter gasps lightly in surprise, and the sisters' reunion is quickly interrupted by Nora leaning in and holding up her bound wrists, grinning and waving her fingers. "Anyone wanna give us a hand with these?"

Winter takes a moment to collect herself, returning to her usual stern demeanor and addressing the guards. "You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you."

"Huh?"

Finally understanding the situation, the guards frantically begin removing the bolases from everyone's arms, while Ironwood watches with a smile. The bolases fall to the floor, giving off a purple glow and retracting the ropes before emitting a beep noise. "Please, come in," Ironwood said to the group. The group follows Ironwood, Winter, and Penny into Ironwood's office. It is so good to see all of you."

Yang massaging her wrist looks over. "Our reception didn't really convey that."

"(Sigh) I sincerely regret how you were treated by my team," Ironwood says as Qrow rolls his eyes with a small huff. Ironwood walks behind his desk to sit down, and Penny and Winter take positions standing at either side of the desk. "When a rogue airship entered our airspace, it raised some… red flags. We assumed the ship was stolen."

"Stolen? Ruby laughs awkwardly, before taking an apologetic tone. "Okay, yeah, it was stolen."

Ironwood's eyes widen in surprise. He then smiles, and his shoulders move a tiny bit with a silent chuckle. Winter, meanwhile, finds no humor in the situation and begins scolding Weiss. "You stole an Atlas airship?" Weiss watches with a frown as Winter approaches her. "What were you thinking!? You might've been shot down! How unbelievably irresponsible-!"

Weiss surprises and interrupts Winter by hugging her. "I'm sorry I worried you. But we did what we had to do."

"I…" Winter sighs and hugs back, calming down. "I suppose I understand." She then turns her head to glare at Qrow. "But I cannot believe that you allowed this to happen, Qrow."

"You try stopping these kids when they have their mind set on something. Speaking of which…" He Trails off looking at Ironwood. "We have some important information for you that's… confidential."

Winter returns to her position beside Ironwood's desk as Penny moves beside Ironwood. "Oh, is it about the Relics?" She asks as Winter speaks.

"Or perhaps the Winter Maiden?"

"You told them?" Qrow asks in surprise.

Ironwood stands from his desk and retrieves the Relic of Knowledge from a drawer, making it grow to its normal size as he holds it up. "Did you really think you were the only one who got to work on a new plan after Beacon? With Ozpin gone, I needed my own team of people I could trust. So yes, I told them. The Ace-Ops too. Which is why I'm so glad you're here… with this." He says gesturing to the Relic.

"Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tide against Salem. Oz has pushed her back, has kept victory out of her claws, but she will keep returning stronger and stronger… unless we destroy her." He places the Relic atop his desk, while Ruby looks deep in thought.

"But… what about the Atlas Relic?"

"You mean the Staff of Creation?" Ironwood asks as Penny smiles.

"It's safe inside the Vault!"

"And the Winter Maiden?" Qrow asks as Winter is next to speak up.

"She is secure and in stable condition."

"Stable condition? What does that-" Yang stops as her uncle speaks.

"She's, uh, not exactly a spring chicken."

"I know how this all looks. Recalling my military? The embargo? I probably don't seem the most trustworthy right now." Ironwood said as Blake looked over.

"Then why continue it?"

"The people of Mantle are hurting!" Nora yelled after the Faunus.

"I needed to ensure Salem couldn't infiltrate Atlas. And I wanted my military here, protecting my people."

"But it's not protecting them! It's making everyone hate you." Yang explains.

"It's a price I'm willing to pay." Ironwood reaches over to a glowing panel of buttons on his desk and taps a button that resembles a table emitting light from its surface. "Just as you all have been entrusted with the knowledge of Salem's existence, I need you all to trust me. I have a plan."

Shutters come down outside the windows, darkening the room. A circle in the center of the floor bearing Atlas' emblem begins to rise, prompting Ruby and Oscar to step off of it. As Ironwood talks and makes his way over to it, the circle continues to rise and transforms into a table. "Ozpin believed the best way to fight Salem was to do so in secret. Whether that was the right choice or not isn't for me to say. But we find ourselves in a position of needing, well, a new approach."

"And what do you suggest?" Qrow asks Ironwood.

Ironwood brings out a tiny remote and presses a button, activating a hologram display of Amity Colosseum, which hovers above the table. "That's… Amity Colosseum." Jaune said from his spot.

"Where the Vytal Festival is held?"

Ironwood nodded at that. "Indeed. When Beacon fell and everyone on Remnant lost contact with one another, I knew our current system was outdated. Amity was built to bring the nations together, and it will serve that purpose once again." He presses the button again, and the hologram Amity Colosseum gains an antenna atop it. Ruby and her friends stare at the hologram and look at each other.

"Isn't it great? We're not going to just replace Beacon Tower. Building a new tower on top of Amity Colosseum will re-establish global communications!" Penny explained before Winter stepped forward.

"By launching the tower high into the atmosphere, our scientists believe we can create a sort of… satellite out of reach of the Grimm and capable of maintaining global communications even if we were to lose another tower."

"That is great." Ruby muses before Qrow looks at Ironwood.

"James... you don't need the entire military for this."

"I will for the next part, where I finally tell the people about Salem."

"Huh, so that's why you withdrew your troops, to handle the panic that would break out in Atlas." Qrow narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yes, panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to all of Remnant."

"But everything will fall apart. Grimm will be everywhere!" Weiss says as Winter nods.

"You're right, but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist."

"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all." Ironwood presses a button on his remote, and the hologram disappears, the table transforms and recedes into the floor and the shutters pull away from the windows.

"Oz spent his whole life, many lives, keeping this secret," Qrow says to Ironwood who nods.

"I know. But since Beacon, things have changed." Ironwood begins heading back to his desk. "Without him here to guide us, all I can do is use my best judgment. Behind him, Oscar shifts uncomfortably. As if sensing something, Ironwood stops and looks back. "What is it?"

"Actually, Oz isn't completely gone."

"Uh, Oscar here is… is the next Ozpin," Qrow said as Ironwood's eyes widened.

"Oz?" Smiling, Ironwood quickly and eagerly approaches Oscar, who looks nervous. "I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you-"

Oscar puts his hands up and interrupts Ironwood, as the latter crouches to Oscar's level. "Not quite. He's kind of, um, gone... at the moment."

Ironwood's smile fades, and he lowers his head. "That's not normal. (looking back up) How did he-"

"We don't know." Ironwood, Qrow, and Oscar look at Ruby. "We were in a train crash, and ever since, well… suddenly, Oz wasn't there anymore."

"That's the worst news yet. Did you learn anything from him about the Relics before…?" Ironwood asks before Ruby speaks.

"He told us the lamp can answer three questions. But all the questions were used up already."

Blake and Yang look at each other having Naruto glance over. "Right, right." Ironwood walks back behind his desk and stares out the window. "Ozpin told us that too, once upon a time." He explains before looking at them. "At least we have you, Oscar. You're safe here in Atlas. Maybe together we can figure out how to bring Ozpin back."

"Thank you, sir. I mean, uh, general. Uh, Ironwood?"

Ironwood picks up the Relic of Knowledge, walks over to Ruby, and offers it to her. "You're giving it back to me?"

"After what happened with the Ace-Ops, I don't want you to think I'm keeping anything from you, especially something as important as this. For the time being, I think it's safest with the people who brought it here." Ironwood explains as he hands her the Relic.

"Um, thank you."

She shrinks the Relic and hooks it onto her belt, exchanging a look with Oscar. "We must work together if we're to fight Salem and win. Now, if you're all on board…"

Ruby thinks it over for a few seconds, then looks at Ironwood. "Tell us how we can help."

"Good, because getting the Amity Tower ready to launch won't be easy." He said before walking back to his desk. "But first, I think we need to get those weapons of yours up to our standards."

A hologram screen appears, showing footage of Blake drawing her broken katana before their fight against the Sabyrs in Mantle. Blake reacts with embarrassment before Naruto holds her hand. "Remember, this is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise." Winter explained to them.

"Upon exiting Ironwood's office, the group encounters the Ace-Ops once more with the man that caught them and four others.

The first is a young male Faunus with long greenish-black hair tied in a bun and blue eyes. His trait is a dark gray canine tail. He's wearing an Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of a white double-breasted coat with silver buttons, dark blue accents, a collar, and shoulder flaps with matching cuffs that have two silver buttons.

The coat's tail splits, allowing his tail to move freely. He has a dark blue belt with a silver buckle around his waist with a dark blue pouch on the right side. He has a red ascot tied around his neck. A red shirt under his coat and dark blue trousers tucked into his black knee-high boots.

The next is a tall man with short shaved gray hair, deathly pale skin, and light blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including a third eye tattoo along the center of his forehead and chin. He has the Atlesian Specialist uniform, with a partially unbuttoned coat, a red sash running diagonally over his left shoulder meeting a second red sash around his waist under a large blue belt, and navy blue fingerless gloves that go up to his brachium.

He has on navy blue pants tucked into a pair of navy blue thigh-high boots with steel toe and heel plating, a small pouch on the sides, and kneepad detailing. Beaded necklaces around his neck and beaded bracelets around his right arm alongside two silver bands, one small, one large on his left forearm.

The next is a dark-skinned young woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides and dark pink eyes. She's wearing a very short-sleeved Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of a sleeveless white double-breasted vest with silver buttons and dark blue accents. It has a white and dark blue collar, a dark blue short-sleeved t-shirt, a red tie, and white shorts.

As well as dark blue chaps that look like they connect to the tops of her shorts. The chaps also expose the inner part of the thighs and the backs of her calves. She also has on blue fingerless gloves and dark gray trainers with black accents and a white stripe accompanied by red socks. She also has white calf pads and dark blue knee pads as well.

There are also dark blue straps fastened around the top of her vest. The blond portions of her hair are styled in a way that resembles a rabbit's ears.

The last is a tall young muscular woman with medium brown hair in a short ponytail, light brown skin, and brown eyes. She has on an Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of an open white, one-sleeved crop jacket with dark blue accents, shoulder flaps and collar, and a dark gray armor shirt. She has silver vambraces over her forearms. On her back, she has a magnet.

She has a red belt around her white pants and is barefoot save for some martial arts foot-wraps alongside dark blue calf plates that cover the tops of her feet, the plates have three red straps tied around them. She also has a silver hoop earring on her right ear.

On one wall in the room, there is a hologram displaying Atlas Academy News.

The first bulletin explains that the administration restroom is closed due to flooding from a "decimated toilet", followed by instructions to use the upper barracks restroom instead while the administration restroom is being repaired.

The second bulletin is about an upcoming "monthly all-hands meeting", during which they will honor Penny as employee of the month and show the results of a competition that was held. The bulletin also says that Ironwood holds open office hours once a month and to reach out to Stephanie Santiago to schedule a 15-minute slot with him.

The third bulletin reads as follows.

"ELECTION WATCH PARTY

Come join us to watch the results of Robyn Hill versus Jacques Schnee

Free food and drink in the Main Atrium of the Academy"

As Ruby and her friends walk down the stairs, the Ace-Ops approach them. "I'd like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication down in Mantle. We didn't intend to-!"

Suddenly, the tall woman pushes her way past the team and begins frantically shaking Ruby's hand, accidentally flailing her about in the air. "I feel so bad, honestly! If we had known who you were, we'd be laughing over a hot meal right now and-"

Partway through her second sentence, the woman drops the now-dizzy Ruby on the floor. "I understand. You were just following orders." Ruby gets to her feet, groaning, only to be spun around by Weiss.

"I mean, you could have asked us some questions first."

"Questions are for the weak. But we're all on the same team now. Not that I'm happy about it." The Faunus spoke crossing his arms and soon realized that his tail was wagging. He reaches back and grabs it, much to the short woman's amusement.

"We just wanted to say we're sorry. And that we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students, but you've been fighting just as hard as we have, if not harder." The first man said before the short woman spoke next.

"Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do."

"Not everything's a competition, Hare." The pale man said as they heard a voice.

"Figures you'd be a part of this… Dobe."

"Of fuck me." Naruto groaned recognizing the voice and saw a young man walk to the room in the Atlesian uniform. He has pale skin, black eyes, and spiky black hair with bangs.

"And here I thought I'd get some peace and quiet." Naruto sighed as he stared at the man. "But you got here as well, Sasuke?"

"Hnn."

"Still the talker I see."

"Naruto, you know him?" Pyrrha asks Naruto.

"Yeah, he's from my world… My rival and for a time… Enemy that tried to kill the leaders of my world to rule the world until I beat him."

"It was a tie Naruto."

"That's what the loser always says," Naruto spoke back. "He traveled the world after that stopping once in a while to start and check in on his family."

Suddenly, Penny enters the room and slides in front of Ruby, throwing her hands up in excitement. "C'mon! Let me show you around campus."

She enthusiastically marches away, with Ruby and friends following her. Ironwood exits his office just as Qrow begins to walk away from the stairs in front of the office. "Qrow."

Qrow stops and turns around, and Ironwood descends the stairs and approaches him. "I meant it when I said it was good to see you again."

"Uh, yeah, you too."

Ironwood steps forward and hugs Qrow, who looks confused at first but then hugs back with a smile and an eye roll.

Elsewhere in the school, Penny leads Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Oscar through various hallways, while the group becomes more and more tired as the tour goes on. "So that way's the cafeteria, and that way is the training rooms. Oh, and over there are the classrooms!"

Ruby stretches, yawning loudly and the group comes to a stop, with everyone looking exhausted. Nora leans against Naruto, asleep on her feet. "This all looks great, Penny. But where are we staying?"

"Remember, you're in Atlas now. As the most well-funded school on Remnant, every teen at Atlas Academy gets their own room! And if that wasn't enough-"

"So we're staying in the dorms?" Ren asks her.

"It'll be just like Beacon again!"

Nora collapses before Naruto catches her bridal style.

Down in Mantle, it has begun raining. Ironwood and Winter's broadcast videos continue to play on screens around the city. "The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise."

Carrying a bag and an umbrella, with a set of new rings on his fingers, Arthur walks along a sidewalk while talking to Tyrian through a communication device that is placed in his ear. "For the last time, a singular hideout makes us susceptible to discovery."

Watts hacks the traffic post across the street to change it to allow pedestrians to cross as he walks across the street. "But what if we're seen? What if we're recognized?"

"We stay mobile," Arthur replies as the sound of multiple stabbings can be heard over the communication device.

"We're walking around a city with a thousand eyes."

Watts changes another traffic signal and crosses the street without pause, causing cars to come screeching to a halt. "(Sigh) While cybersecurity has been stepped up in Atlas, as usual, none of the code was updated in Mantle."

He walks across another street, hacking another system to make a blockade of posts rise from the road, which a car crashes into as it swerves to go around him. "Oh no! Gosh! Are you okay!?" A woman asks running to check on the driver.

"That certainly sounds useful," Tyrian said with a chuckle.

"It should be." Watts pauses and presses his thumb to one of his rings, which glows cyan. All nearby security cameras power down. "I helped write that code, after all."

Down the road, muffled screaming is heard from inside a building, while the camera next to its door powers down. The door opens, and Tyrian steps out, shutting the door behind him with a happy sigh. "Well, I suppose we all have our talents."

Tyrian walks away down an alley, while a pool of blood flows out from under the door. The blood slowly makes its way into the view of the hacked security camera.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Remember to vote if you haven't!

I'm not going to bash Sasuke as I stated in Ch 1 regardless of how I feel about a character, I will not bash them... A "You need to put aside your feelings/be impartial to write a good story" for lack of a better way to explain.

I read something similar in an older story A/N about why the writer's not a fan of bashing in fics and I try to do that... Some may point to my Star Wars story on treating Sasuke but there I am trying to treat him like a missing-nin that can't be given special treatment.

I'm... In the middle on Sasuke in that, I'm not a fan of his, but I don't outright hate him either outside of me thinking it was BS that the Kages "Pardoned" him (Been a while since I saw the end so don't know if it was a full pardon or an X amount of time thing

Sorry for using just one ep last and this time... Trying to stretch things out until there's a volume 10 now that Viz has it. Plus there's a bunch of exposition so again sorry for how little is used.

I will be doing date chapters either before or after the training episode(s) the teams get with Ace-Ops, any ideas you want to throw for any of the girls feel free to send them... I don't know about lemons at least with the RWBY girls.

Chapter 43

Notes:

I'll somewhat apologize for how long it took to get this out. Had friends and family visiting, some bad weather on Sun.
Oh, for those who'll celebrate it, I hope you have a safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Remember to vote if you haven't!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Mine, Just Outside The City.

A strong wind blows snow across the cloudy sky while three Mantas fly together.

Inside one, Naruto looks at the RWBY, and his team all have a change of clothing.

Natsu's wearing a black long-sleeved jacket left open, untucked, and no undershirt with light-colored trimming and the sleeves rolled up to his wrists, black baggy pants held by a leather brown belt with a silver buckle around his waist, and a pair of dark brown, high-calf boots; there are several yellow, skull-like patterns on the jacket and pants.

Shiki's wearing a buttoned-up, short-sleeved, and copper-trimmed black tunic with an open high collar, has two black laces behind the neck of the collar, white round details on the sides, and a zig-zag pattern at the end of the sleeves on either side, a pair of white baggy trousers with a single line going down in the middle, and tucked into black-and-copper boots.

Haru's wearing a long-sleeved all black jacket with long grey cross along the sleeve on each side and a white shirt that's loose and a dark blue denim pants and black boots.

Ruby's hair is spikier and choppier with her bangs swept to the side. She has on a black and red lined lace-up corset with four buckles hanging loose over a mesh sleeveless top over a white low-cut long-sleeved blouse, as well as a black choker around her neck with Naruto's Uzumaki swirl on it. She has on a red pleated skirt that is split at the side with a small brown belted strap across the gap, and bright red shorts under it.

On her arms, she has black bracers with large brown buckled straps around the wrist as well as black fingerless gloves. Around her waist, she now has a brown belt with several bullets with a buckle of her emblem on it alongside a pouch on the right side with a Zwei-based emblem and she wears black, thigh-high steel-toe boots with red soles and heels.

As well as a single buckled strap, rear seam, and a large brown buckled strap with attached pouches near the top, over a pair of brown mesh tights. In addition, her torn cape is replaced with a new cape that has a hood.

Her sister has on khaki overalls, Naruto's Uzumaki swirl on her back, the gold zipper of which is unzipped just below the breast to reveal a white low-cut cropped tube top. Around the thighs of the overalls is a gold zipper and buckled strap that allows for the pants leg to be detached. The right leg is unzipped but still strapped to the overalls but the lower part is partially folded over.

Over the top of the coveralls, she has a baggy, dark brown crop aviator-styled jacket with fur trim around the neck and black-and-orange straps along the sleeves. Around her waist is a black-and-orange belt with black-and-yellow folded fabric on the sides, which runs behind her with a pouch attached to it and a golden buckle of her emblem.

She also has dark brown knee-high boots with black laces and top trim. For accessories, she has resumed wearing her orange scarf around her neck and her purple scarf around her right leg. She also has a black/brown strap with golden trim and a pouch wrapped around her left thigh. She is also wearing orange sunglasses.

Weiss' hair is now braided, and she has grown out her bangs and styled them to frame her face more closely.

She has on a pale blue sleeveless dress with deep red lining, a bow detail fixture, and two diamond-shaped pieces hanging from the corners of the hem, over a white diagonal hemmed strapless dress. Above she has a vivid blue shrug with a raised collar, Naruto's Uzumaki swirl on it, puffy sleeves, and the Schnee emblem on the left sleeve, fastened by a blue, silver outlined strap. On her arms are a pair of long navy blue gloves with silver top trim surrounding a red gem at the top.

Over her dress, is a light blue, corset-styled belt. Around her waist are three white belts with a medium-sized pouch attached to the lowest belt and another pouch attached to the middle belt. The lowest belt crosses over the middle belt. She is wearing long, pale blue wedge-heel boots with white frill detailing at the top at the front, alongside grayish blue coloring on the toes and navy blue wedged heels.

In addition, she has on a pair of ruby earrings that match her icicle-shaped tiara with a diamond-shaped ruby in the center.

And Blake has cut her hair to a shoulder-length bob. She changed her attire to a purple sleeveless leather catsuit with attached boots that have light purple soles and trim. The catsuit has a high neck with a single short silver zipper alongside matching zippers that run from her thighs to her ankles on the front of the legs. A pair of knee pads, matching color to the catsuit with silver studs on them are attached to the knees of the catsuit with Naruto's Uzumaki swirl on the knees.

Her long, white tailcoat has desaturated purple detailing on the chest, sleeves, sides, and collar alongside dark purple detailing on the back. It has a narrow belt around the collar and a wide white belt loosely secured around her waist through the coat's belt loops. The belt has two pouches attached to the back. The coattails end in a point and the inside lining is vivid purple.

The front zipper of the coat is upside down and extends to the very bottom of the coat, and there are additional zippers along the lower half of the sleeves with a single purple line running between the zipper and her shoulders. Around each wrist is a dark purple belted wristband, and has a desaturated purple magnetic backpack on her back.

(Flashback.)

"All right, gather 'round."

Shiki, along with Jaune and Ruby, looks at Clover as the leaders are in a room looking at a map with Qrow crossing his arms. "Our mission today is to secure the launch site for the Amity Communications Tower. The designated area is an abandoned Dust mine. Since its closure, the Grimm has moved in."

The screen displays a mission overview, a photograph of Huntsmen battling a Geist, a menu, a map of an area in the Kingdom of Atlas, a list of Active Huntsmen, and a list of Ace Operatives.

Reported Petra Gigas near Huntsman Post North. Huntsmen secured the area but were unable to eliminate Petra Gigas. The Grimm was seen retreating to abandoned SDC Mines No. 2 located in Zone 3. No casualties were reported, and three Huntsmen suffered minor injuries.

"The good news is all that untouched Dust is still down there, too. The science team says they'll need it for the first phase of their launch. Atlas military Huntsmen are already hard at work clearing out the surrounding tundra. But recon has identified a powerful Geist that's managed to evade destruction and take several lives."

"After we increased our numbers, the Geist was smart enough to retreat into the mine itself, meaning it's old and extremely dangerous. This is our target." Clover withdraws a compact Scroll and presses a button, causing the photograph of Huntsmen battling the Petra Gigas to take up the entirety of each screen.

The hologram screens above Ironwood's table have been replaced with a 3D hologram map displaying the SDC mine. "The mine was a labyrinth back in the day. There are all sorts of tunnels and chambers the Geist can move between, so if we're gonna kill this thing, we'll have to split up and corner it. General Ironwood says you've seen your fair share of combat. I trust that man with my life, so tomorrow, I'll be trusting you all, too."

Later, the team walks with Pietro into another room. "Apologies for the mess and for holding onto your weapons for so long. The upgrades you requested were, uh… well, they were more than I anticipated. "Your new weapons and armor should be as requested, but I also took the liberty of reviewing your combat footage from the Vytal Festival Tournament."

Teams RWBY, SHNN, and JNPR stand in front of a series of narrow shelves, each of which has cases on them. Nora shifts eagerly on her feet, letting out an excited giggle as she snatches up her case as everyone else calmly picks up their cases.

"There are some additional enhancements I'd like to suggest. Oh, but for now, these should serve you well enough."

(Flashback End.)

"Let's make it happen, people."

Naruto stood with his team as Team RWBY looked at each other, smiling. Yang chuckles, and Ruby nods. The teams leap from the Manta, with Ruby immediately using her Semblance, laughing as she falls. She draws Crescent Rose, changes it to scythe form, stands on it, and begins firing it, using the recoil to slow her fall.

Weiss makes her way downward while leaping back and forth between glyphs, having Naruto and his team follow before launching herself toward the mine and summoning her Arma Gigas' arm and sword. She then uses a glyph to send herself onto the sword and slides down the blade.

Blake draws her newly repaired katana, shifts it into sickle form, and throws it, hooking it onto one of the metal structures outside the mine entrance. She then uses it to swing from building to building. Yang free-falls, laughing as she does so, before firing at the ground and flipping to land on her feet. She slides across the snow between two mine cart tracks and is joined by Ruby, Weiss, and Blake when she comes to a stop.

Harriet lands nearby with a slight bounce, tucking and rolling. Marrow lands on his boomerang rides it across the snow, and leaps off of it, causing it to fly through the air and then return to him. The boomerang shifts into rifle mode when he catches it.

Team JNPR's Manta soars overhead toward the mountain. Inside the ship, Elm and Vine look at JNPR in their new outfits and prepare to jump.

Jaune, also cut his hair short and styles it to be upswept and somewhat spiky in a quiff-like style. He has on a high-collar black shirt under a re-modified pure white chest plate that covers a bit more of his upper abdomen and similarly colored bracers. Both the chest plate and the bracers are trimmed with gold, and he once again wears two shoulder pads. He retains his gloves and sash, except he now wears dark navy jeans and dark brown boots.

Ren braided his hair and he has on a sleeveless turtleneck dark green top, white long sleeves underneath, the black half of a jacket/arm guard combination on his right arm with his father's dagger attached to it, a single detached long black fingerless glove on his left arm, and black leather boots.

Nora trimmed her hair to when they were in school and has on a long, pink and white sleeveless coat with light blue lapels and a white belted closed by a black belt with a pouch on the left side, over a black short dress. The front of the coat has two heart shape cutouts near to the bottom. On the upper back of her coat is a small pair of decorative metal wings with a magnet in the middle that she attached Magnhild to.

She also has long detached white sleeves with black fingerless gloves, white stockings with Naruto's Uzumaki swirl on them, light blue socks, and black boots with silver heels, soles, and toe plates. In addition, she wears matching metal bands on her upper arms with her emblem on them alongside silver metal bands around her thighs.

Pyrrha, still has on her armor, rthough it was upgraded to be lighter and stronger, and on her thigh is Naruto's Uzumaki swirl.

"This is my favorite part!" Elm grins and jumps.

Vine steps out of the ship, while Elm leaps backward. Ren hops out, followed by a laughing Nora. Jaune takes a deep breath, gets a small running start, and leaps out. He dives for a moment, then deploys his shield while activating its new Hard-Light Dust upgrade. The shield begins acting as a hang glider, with the sudden slow in momentum causing Jaune to yelp.

He then drifts over to the cliff, before turning his shield downward and using another Dust upgrade to create an outward burst that cushions his landing. Standing alongside Nora and Ren, Jaune draws his sword. "Ha ha! Perhaps you kids won't get yourselves killed after all!" Elm enters a tunnel, while Jaune looks disappointed, and Nora pouts.

"She meant that as a compliment," Vine says with a shrug.

Qrow and Clover slide down a sheer icy incline, landing on a cliff just outside of a tunnel opening. Clover activates a communication device in his ear while Qrow brushes off his new outfit. "This is Alpha squad. LZ's clear. Proceeding on foot. You've all got fancy new Scrolls, so don't forget to use 'em. Keep your eyes and ears open. I want an update if you encounter the target. Alpha out."

While Clover speaks, Blake brings out her new Scroll, deploying the hologram screen from the small device. She taps on an icon with a mugshot of Yang, which brings up a screen showing her teammates' Aura levels. Weiss has 96% Aura, Yang has 97% and Ruby has 98%. She taps the hologram again, making it recede into the device, which she turns horizontally in her hand. The built-in screen displays four small meters, one on top and three on the bottom.

The top meter is labeled B, while the other three are labeled R, W, and Y. The B meter is full. Once Clover finishes speaking, Blake's left cat ear twitches and she looks ahead of her.

"Huh?"

Blake looked to see Sasuke walking forward as Naruto sighed and looked up. "What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

"Man, I did not sign up to be a babysitter." Marrow sighs out as Harriet looks at him, grins and elbows him.

"Yeah, well, the rest of us babysit you all the time.

Harriet walks away, and Marrow crosses his arms and pouts, following her.

Weiss wipes the snow off of a piece of metal, revealing the Schnee Dust Company logo. She looks down at it with a frown and lets out a small, sad groan. Harriet and Marrow head into the mine entrance, with Team RWBY following at a distance. Ruby comes to a stop, shivering with her arms crossed across her chest.

"It's freezing!" Natsu groaned as he rolled his arms. "Even I can feel it.

Weiss stops, and Blake and Yang soon stop, as well. "I suddenly don't feel as bad about leaving Oscar behind."

"(Sigh) Can we talk about that again?" Yang asks, hands on her hips.

Ruby glances over at Harriet and Marrow, who have gone ahead to the opening of the mine. "What about it?"

"We're not gonna tell Ironwood about what happened to Oz? What we learned about Jinn? About Salem?"

"We are," Ruby replies before sighing. "We will. But you saw how things looked when we flew into Atlas."

"The General's heart seems to be in the right place, but that doesn't mean we should trust him yet."

"Especially after Haven."

They turned to see Naruto walking up. "Look, we should at least wait and keep an eye on Ironwood. He seems to be making his people mad at him, telling him could make things worse."

"OK. How did Oscar feel about that?" As she asks her question, Yang looks over at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. Ruby lowers her eyes a little, thinking back to her conversation with Oscar.

"Ruby…" Naruto walks over to her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He walks her to the side behind a train car. "How are you holding up?"

"… Fine."

"Come on, I know how tough this leader thing is… I'm with you now, you can have me shoulder some of the burden."

"It's hard, Naruto."

Naruto just pulled her in for a hug and rested his chin on her head. "I know, the burden of a leader isn't easy, but you don't have to shoulder it alone."

Up ahead, Qrow and Clover walk through a long tunnel with different colors of Dust's veins in the walls. "Gotta say I'm still not used to working with other Huntsmen in the field," Qrow says as Clover looks over.

"But you were on a team before, weren't you?"

"(Sigh.) A long time ago. I just found working alone tends to be for the best."

"Well, I think that's a shame." Clover muses as Qrow slips and falls forward, but Clover catches his arm and pulls him back up. Qrow frowns, while Clover walks away, using his communicator. "Alpha here. Give me an update."

In another tunnel, Vine brought a hand to his comms. The connecting ice tunnels seem clear. We should be approaching the actual mine any minute now."

Vine, Elm, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren walk through an ice tunnel, which has metal arches supporting it. While Nora and Jaune are smiling, Ren is frowning. "This is so exciting! It feels like we're an actual Huntsman team!" Nora excitedly said clapping her hands. "Though I wish Whiskers was here."

"He had to talk to Ruby about something.

Over with RWBY and SHNN, Harriet brought a hand to her comms. "Bravo checking in. Hit a bit of a snag." Harriet, Marrow, Team RWBY, and SHNN arrive at a wall of boulders in the main mine tunnel. "There's been a cave-in in the main entrance. Not sure if it's recent or was caused by the original accident." Blake suddenly pauses, her ears perking up and her eyes widening. She looks all around her. "Either way, we'll have to do a little problem-solving."

"Understood. Let us know if you need anything." Clover replies as Yang looks at Blake and uncrosses her arms. "You OK?"

Blake looks away sadly. "I just realized where we are. This mine was closed after an explosion."

"I remember this disaster. Or rather, I remember how furious it made my father." Blake and Yang look at Weiss, who grips her wrist, looking away. She then approaches Blake. "(Sigh) I wish I could take back the years of pain my family has caused the Faunus and all of my complacency in it." She crosses her arms, and Blake rests her hands on Weiss' shoulder, giving a small smile.

Marrow approaches the two. "This society is set up for Faunus to be at the bottom, and humans are willing participants. They benefit from doing nothing to help us." Blake looks past Marrow at a large case labeled SDC. "But there are still those who actively abuse us. Anyway, I didn't come over here looking to solve systemic societal issues. Harriet found a gap in the rubble we think one of you could fit through, ideally someone with a knack for seeing in the dark."

He looks at Blake, who seems lost in thought. She soon snaps back to reality and looks at Marrow. "O-oh. Of course."

Yang looks around and then frowns before walking forward. Blake makes her way through a crevice between boulders, drawing her katana once she has room. "All right, Blake. Take a look around." Marrow says, and she shifts her katana into sickle form, ready to fire her gun. "Is there any Dust in the immediate area?"

"Mine carts… debris… no Dust, though."

"Great, then it should be safe to blast our way through."

"OK. Heading ba-AAH!"

Blake yelps as a Geist suddenly swoops down and reaches for her. She reflexively uses her Semblance and then jumps into a back handspring while the Geist swipes its claws at her clone. Immediately upon landing on her feet, she begins firing at the Geist. Harriet, Marrow, and Blake's teammates look at the boulder pile with widened eyes.

"Damn it. Blake, stand back."

Harriet deploys her weapon onto her arms and blasts through the boulder. As soon as the rock is cleared, SHNN, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang run forward, weapons drawn. The Geist moves back and looks, then flies away down a tunnel while Blake continues to shoot at it. "Don't let it get away!"

Team RWBY runs after the Geist but is soon stopped by a Centinel burrowing its way out of the ground in front of them. The four stare at the Grimm as it makes its way up from the ground and looks at them. Sasuke then slices its head off with his katana before having the grey hilt glow yellow as electricity covers the blade for a second from Dust.

Another Centinel lunges at Yang, who yelps and shoots it directly in the mouth. It throws its head back with a pained squeal, then looks at Yang with a hiss, its wound dripping with green fluid. It was then stabbed by Naruto's trident, Haru then jumped over to slice its head off as Shiki kicked another in the head.

Team RWBY gets into battle-ready positions. Ruby zooms away with her Semblance, while Weiss and Blake charge forward. Ruby slams into a Centinel, while Blake and Weiss slash at more of the Grimm. Harriet punches, and Marrow and Yang shoot. Two Centinels get ready to attack Yang, who readies her weapons and repeatedly punches them each in the head.

Beep-Beep-Beep!

A slight beep-like noise is emitted with each hit, as she attaches small devices to the Grimm. She hops away while firing two more devices at the Grimm and then thrusts her arms backward, causing all of the devices to beep rapidly and then explode.

Weiss uses Myrtenaster to send an ice crystal at a Centinel, while Ruby beheads another with her scythe. However, the Centinel head, which still has a few legs attached, is still alive. Ruby smirks and engages Crescent Rose's upgrade, which makes the scythe head rotate 180 degrees. She fires the rifle component while swinging her weapon, slashing and finally killing the Centinel head.

She then rotates the scythe head again and slams it down to the ground, steadying her weapon to be parallel with the ground, and begins firing the rifle component. Ruby gasps as Marrow jumps ahead of her. Marrow guns down a pair of Centinels then shifts his weapon into boomerang form and throws it. The boomerang bounces off a wall and flies against the back of a Centinel, before returning to Marrow, who has leaped into the air. He slams the boomerang's blade down on the Centinel, cutting it in two and killing it.

Ahead of Marrow, a pair of Centinels twist around each other and head for him. He holds out his hand and snaps his fingers with a smirk. "Stay."

The two Centinels suddenly slow to a stop. Marrow holds his pose, while Harriet speeds over to the Grimm, trailing electricity. She brushes her nose with her thumb and smirks before grabbing the two Grimm and slamming them to the ground. She then straightens up and uses her communicator.

"This is Bravo! We found the target, but it fled deeper into the mine. Engaging Centinels!" Harriet yells into her comms.

In the ice tunnels, Elm, Vine, and Team JNPR listen to Harriet's report. "Let's pick up the pace!"

The group runs over to a decline in the tunnel, and Elm, Vine, and Jaune jump, sliding along the ice. Nora smacks Ren, sending him down the decline with a small shout, and then follows, laughing. Below, the ice tunnel gives way to the Dust mine, and three Centinels begin burrowing out of the rock. "Contact!"

Vine deploys his Semblance to grab onto the walls of the ice tunnel, stopping himself. Elm stomps on the ice, deploying her Semblance to root herself to the spot. Jaune, Nora and Ren continue sliding past the two, Nora laughing with her hands in the air.

As they approach the bottom, Jaune deploys his shield's Hard-Light barrier and stabs the ice with his sword to slow himself. He then slams his shield down, using Dust to send out a blast that knocks the Centinels back. Catching up to Jaune, Ren leaps into the air and activates his weapons upgrade, his guns fire their blades at one of the Centinels, with wires keeping the blades tethered to the guns.

Pyrrha threw her shield having it bounce off several Centinels heads before pulling her rifle up to take shots and caught her should as it bounced back to her. Ren pulls himself to the Centinel slams his feet into it to knock it down and fires his guns at it. Another Centinel rises behind him, only for Nora to slam Magnhild down on its head.

The hammer emits a blast, allowing her to swing it backward onto the remaining Centinel's head. With all three Centinels dead, Vine and Elm slide down the ice to meet up with Team JNPR. "A very… head-first approach."

Vine and Elm begin walking past Team JNPR, who try to act confident. "Yeah, well, that's just kind of our style."

As soon as the two Ace Operatives pass them, JNPR relaxes their shoulders and sighs with relief.

Team RWBY, Harriet, and Marrow have whittled down the pack of Centinels to one remaining. Weiss raises Myrtenaster and prepares to charge. "One left!"

"I got it!" Ruby yells as Harriet speeds past both of them and plunges her fist straight through the Centinel, killing it. Ruby rises beside her, eyes filled with amazement. "Whoa! Your Semblance makes you super fast, just like me!"

"Very cool. Though, based on your reaction time, I'd say I'm a little faster."

"This is Alpha! We've engaged the target!"

In another tunnel, Qrow fires repeatedly at the Geist, which swerves and spirals around in the tunnel, avoiding the bullets. "All squads head toward our position!"

Clover deploys his fishing rod and sends the hook out at the Geist, just barely missing it. The Geist swoops into a giant chunk of ice with a mine cart embedded in it and rises, gathering more ice, rocks, and metal to form its body. Clover runs forward to combat it, while Qrow stands back and observes. Qrow notices a chunk of ice pressing against a metal support beam, steadily pushing the beam off of the tunnel wall. "Wait, stop!"

Clover turns to look at Qrow, then notices the beam, which falls and lands between Clover and the Geist. The impact creates a large cloud of dust, and when the cloud settles, it is revealed that the ground beneath the Geist collapsed. Clover looks down the hole, frowning, while Qrow runs up beside him. "Darn it." Clover then puts a hand to his ear. "Target escaped, last seen headed east." He then turns to Qrow. "Thanks for the call-out. That could have been bad."

"I wouldn't thank me. My Semblance brings misfortune. Sometimes I can't keep it under control."

"That so?" Qrow looks at Clover, who is looking at him with a slight smile. Clover checks his Scroll, then looks up at a bent support beam next to the hole in the ground. "Well, hey, don't beat yourself up about it." He casts his line to wrap around the beam and jerks it down, and the beam pulls a large amount of rock down with it. He then turns to Qrow with a smile. "My Semblance is good fortune. Lucky you, huh?"

Clover walks on ahead, using his communicator, while Qrow stares at him. "Charlie, Bravo, you should be able to cut off the target at the heart of the mine. Qrow and I won't be far behind."

Qrow looks away, then hurries after Clover.

Up ahead, team JNPR, Elm, and Vine exit their tunnel onto a raised walkway in a giant mine chamber filled with Dust veins and huge Dust crystals. Raised mine cart rails, walkways, and stone arches span across and around the edges of the chamber. As Ren comes to a stop, his foot slides across the ground, and the dust particles he kicks up drift slowly into the air. A bead of sweat drips from Jaune's forehead and evaporates upon hitting the ground.

Team RWBY, SHNN, Harriet, and Marrow arrive in the same chamber at the bottom level. Ruby looks up toward JNPR. "Guys!"

"Everyone uses caution. This room is highly active with Dust energy. Triggering it could ruin the launch site."

"And vaporize us. How is that always second with you?" Marrow asks him as Nora looks around.

"I thought the target was supposed to be in here."

A low rumbling noise from above causes everyone to look up. The Petra Gigas Geist is clinging to a chunk of ice on the ceiling. It turns to look down at everyone, showing purple Dust crystals embedded in its body. It jumps down from the ceiling, crashing through a stone arch on its way to the ground in front of Team RWBY and SHNN.

"It added Dust to its body? How are we supposed to-"

Harriet speeds past Ruby, and Marrow follows suit. Elm jumps down from the cliff and runs toward the Petra Gigas, as well. "Elm!"

Vine reaches out with his Semblance, wrapping an Aura arm around one of the Petra Gigas' legs. With his other Aura arm, he reaches behind him, grabs onto a support beam, and pulls. Elm runs over to the leg, stomps to root herself in place with her Semblance, and grabs onto the leg. "Vine!"

Vine lets go, leaps off the cliff, and uses his Semblance to swing onto a minecart bridge. He then uses his Semblance to grab onto one of the Petra Gigas' arms and pull. "Marrow!"

Marrow throws his boomerang at the exposed Geist arm between pieces of ice and rubble, severing it. A Dust crystal flies out from the released rubble, and Marrow's eyes widen. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke started to slice the Geist in various places as Harriet charged her Semblance and then sped after a crystal that got cut off, maneuvering around falling rocks. She runs up a rock, jumps off the side of a raised walkway, and catches the crystal in mid-air, landing on another walkway. Teams JNPR SHNN, and RWBY watch the Ace-Ops in amazement as they continue fighting. Marrow cuts off the Geist's other arm, sending another Dust crystal flying through the air.

"Crap!"

The crystal is caught by Clover, who just arrived with Qrow. "What would you guys do without me?"

He tosses the crystal to Qrow, who looks at him with an eyebrow raised. Clover salutes to Qrow and jumps backward off the cliff. Harriet speeds around Petra Gigas' feet, while Vine swings himself around and punches Petra Gigas in the chest. Harriet speeds to the middle of the room, whistles and waves at the Petra Gigas, then speeds away when it tries to hit her.

Elm takes this opportunity to slam her hammer onto the rock composing part of the Petra Gigas' arm. The rock becomes stuck, and as the Petra Gigas struggles to pull it up, Marrow and Sasuke sever its arm once again. Clover lands on the ground, deploys his fishing rod, and runs over to the Petra Gigas. He jumps off its leg, launching himself into the air.

He bumps his clover pin with his thumb, swings his pole, and pulls on the fishing line, directing it to wrap around the Geist's mask and hook onto it. Team RWBY's eyes widen in amazement, and Clover pulls, forcing the Geist out of the ice block. Harriet runs into position and uses her Semblance to launch straight up into the air, punching the Geist with her weapon, and killing it.

As purple Dust crystals begin raining down, the Ace-Ops catch them. One crystal is sent flying through the air on the other side of the chamber. "Harriet!"

Harriet uses her Semblance to speed across the room, but she has to maneuver around the falling ice and rocks. The crystal comes close to hitting the ground and with Harriet mere feet away. Suddenly, a red blur flies past, taking the crystal with it. Surprised, Harriet tumbles and stops. Ruby deactivates her Semblance and falls to the ground in a sitting position, hugging the large crystal tight.

She opens her eyes and laughs as Harriet walks over and pulls her to her feet. "Thought you said your Semblance was like mine."

"It… is?"

"I've seen other speed Semblances before, but that was different. I think there's more going on than you think."

Yang then walks over. "Wait until she sees what she can do with her eyes.

Qrow jumps down to the ground next to Clover, who puts his weapon away. "Lucky catch, huh?"

"Hm. No. I'd chalk that one up to talent." Clover shrugs as Ruby and Nora begin celebrating on the other side of the chamber, with Elm holding Ruby on her shoulder. "Atlas Control, this is Clover. Mission accomplished."

Mantle.

Down in Mantle, a police airship drops off Forest, the man who was with the teams when arrested, and flies away. "Yeah, thanks for the lift!" He walks into an alley, kicking a rock and muttering angrily to himself, heading toward a door. A sound behind him causes him to stop and turn around. "Huh?" He looks around and backs up toward the door. As he nears the door, Tyrian Callows appears in front of it, smiling menacingly.

Forest turns around, sees Tyrian, and stumbles back against a dumpster, startled. "Whoa! Who are you?"

"Me? Oh, well, I'm… someone just like you." As he speaks, Tyrian approaches Forest. "Someone who… wants to mix things up around here."

Tyrian's eyes turn purple, and he begins laughing darkly as he lowers his tail, its needle coming out. Forest looks down at the tail, then at Tyrian. He screams as Tyrian swings his tail forward to stab him.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Again sorry for only one episode, but saw the Chs at 6k and trying to stretch this out at least until Volume 10 starts or the official cancellation.

I'll somewhat apologize for how long it took to get this out. Had friends and family visiting, and some bad weather on Sun.

Chapter 44

Notes:

Remember to vote if you haven't! It'll go down with Maelstrom Jedi's next update after I skip it for a rotation of updates.

The next CHS are the dates, any ideas are welcomed. Probably no lemons for the RWBY girls til next season.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

The Mine.

Naruto, who was outside, saw four trucks drive up the road to the mine entrance and Amity Colosseum floating toward the mine. Unbeknownst to them, two people in the shadows were lying with binoculars watching.

Soon after the trucks arrive at the mine entrance, Team RWBY, SHNN, Team JNPR, Qrow, and the Ace Operatives walk outside. Smiling, Marrow looks at Clover and then attempts to act more seriously. Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Nora Valkyrie come together to gaze in dramatic admiration at the Ace-Ops, while Lie, Blake, Weiss, and Yang watch the three with wide eyes.

Jaune rushes over to Clover's side. “You guys were incredible!” He switches to being in front of Clover and begins energetically gesturing as he talks. “Oh, the way you took down that Geist without needing to plan your tactics out, you just knew exactly what to do!”

“Well, Ace-Ops are hand-picked to perfectly complement one another. So we can focus on our assets and leave our liabilities behind.”

Naruto sighed before Pyrrha sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thought you’d be geeking out like Jaune.”

“No, I wanna be with you.” She said, not moving her head as Naruto saw Sasuke talking to the others on his team. “So he was your rival?”

“Yeah, turned enemy for a while,” Naruto replied as Marrow walked over to Jaune with a confident smile.

“Some of us are all asset, zero liability.” He poses with a salute and a grin, looking at Jaune. Elm scoffs, catching Marrow's attention. He moves over to her, leaning in to confront her. “Wha- Yeah? Think I've got some liabilities, Elm?”

“Your brains, for one.”

Clover, Elm, and Harriet laugh, and Marrow groans and pouts as the former three walk away. “You did ask.” Vine walks away, and Nora approaches Elm with wide eyes and a smile.

“Hi. Do you need a new best friend? Our pair name can be…” Nora's eyes spark with pink electricity, and she lifts her hammer into the air with both hands. “THUNDER THIGHS!!!”

Harriet watches this with a sigh, and Ruby runs over to her. “Perfect complementary teamwork. Oh, yeah, I want to have my friends' backs just like that.”

Harriet raised an eyebrow at that. “Friends?”

“This isn't the schoolyard, kid.” Elm laughs as behind her, Nora is still posed with her hammer in the air.

“Thunder Thighs…”

Ren walks over, lifts the currently stiff Nora under his arm, and walks away. Ruby's teammates join her.

“But, I mean, when you go through so much with someone, it kind of changes things, doesn't it?” Yang asks as she and her other teammates walk up to Ruby.

“We get along well enough, sure. I count on them to keep me alive. They do the same. But that's the job. We don't confuse the two.” Harriet turns and walks away, leaving Team RWBY to look on sadly.

“Speaking of the job…” Clover says, turning to look at them.

Further down the way, James is talking on a communicator. He gives a brief order to a soldier, who walks away. “Duty ever beckons. You all hang back a second.”

The Ace-Ops walk over to Ironwood. Ruby watches with a sad sigh, then looks away, thinking. She then gets an idea, smiles, and hurries over to her teammates. “What do you guys want to do when we get back to Atlas? Sightseeing? (Gasp!) Oh, what should we visit first?”

Blake yawns as she walks up. “How about our beds?” She asks and walks away.

“Oh, come on, guys! This is a great time to go exploring! We haven't done that in so long!”

“Ruby, we just explored a whole continent on foot before flying to this one. And we had a beach vacation.” Weiss said, hand on her hip.

“Well, yeah, but... it was only the boring parts… And a date.”

“I’ll be taking you all out once we get back to the city,” Naruto said, standing up before his scroll beeped. Opening it, his eyes widened at the nude selfie of Anko and Hana on a bed, legs spread with Anko having a strip of hair over her pussy and Hana having a trimmed bush. Hana is twisting her right nipple and uses her left to twist Anko's right as Anko uses her right hand to twist Hana's left and her left to twist her left nipple. As well as the name of the hotel they and the others are staying at on the wall above.

Come get it, Big Boy~ 💋🐾

“Which we’re doing ASAP.”

“Heads up.”

Qrow points his thumb over at Ironwood, who is talking to Clover while the other Ace-Ops walk away. “Can I get the team leaders over here? There's something I'd like to discuss with you. You too, Qrow.” Ruby, Jaune, Shiki, and Qrow walk over to Ironwood, who looks at Clover. “I need you on the ground, but be subtle. If people see too many Huntsmen milling around, they'll get nervous.”

Clover salutes, nods, and begins walking away. “And Clover?”

Clover stops and looks back. In the background, Marrow is in front of an open airship, talking to a military Huntsman, while miming punching imaginary targets and waving his arms. “Don't take Marrow.”

Clover looks over at Marrow, then looks at Ironwood, smiling and chuckling with a nod. Marrow recreates his pose from when he froze a pair of Centinels, and then turns around and mimes shooting something. Clover heads in Marrow's direction, and Ironwood turns to Qrow, Jaune, and Ruby. “New problems in Mantle?” Qrow asks him.

Ironwood sighs before replying. “More of the same, unfortunately.” Ironwood withdraws and deploys his Scroll, using it to generate a hologram screen in the air in front of him. The left side of the screen displays an Atlas Military Police mugshot of Forest, while the right side displays a photograph of Forest's corpse in an alleyway somewhere in midtown Mantle.

“Someone in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas. Specifically, people who speak out against me. It didn't look like a pattern at first. But this is the third murder of its kind in the last week.”

Jaune steps forward at that. “Wait a minute. That's the guy who rode with us after we were arrested.”

“He died?” Ruby asks him.

“Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead isn't exactly a good look for you, huh?” Qrow asks, crossing his arms.

Ironwood deactivates the hologram screen and puts his Scroll away. “Not really worried about my public image, but it is causing unrest. I think someone's trying to frame me and, by extension, Atlas. And it's working.”

“Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody so mad, people probably wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything else,” Jaune explains to Ironwood, who frowns and looks at Jaune, who awkwardly clears his throat and stands at attention. “S-sir.”

Ironwood, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, sighed. “No. No, you're right. Things in Mantle have been... hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about.” He turns and looks up at the Amity Colosseum. “With the launch of this mobile communications tower and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here.”

Ironwood's communicator beeps, and he puts his fingers to it, listening. “What? Already? Here? No, it's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself.”

Qrow and Ruby look at each other, and then at Ironwood. “More Mantle problems?”

Ironwood watched an airship fly by on its way to the landing pad and looked back. “No. This one's an Atlas problem.”

The ship, bearing the Schnee Dust Company logo, descends onto a landing pad, where Ironwood and Team RWBY are already waiting, with Team JNPR, SHNN, and Qrow standing further back. A ramp extends from in front of the ship's double door, which opens to reveal an angry Jacques Schnee. As soon as the doors begin to open, he starts talking and makes his way down the ramp.

“So let me get this straight, James. In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?” He stops in front of Ironwood, who calmly stares at him, arms folded behind his back. “When the Council hears about this, you will never-” He said aggressively, pointing at Ironwood.

“Actually, I've already informed them. As this is now the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote.” James replies calmly.

“Didn't require a vote?!”

“You might want to brush up on Council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacques. Now. I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception.”

Jacques glares at Ironwood at that. “Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that Council seat, James, and maybe then, you'll-” Jacques becomes distracted, his eyes widening when he realizes Weiss is present. They stare at each other for a moment. “You...”

He walks past Ironwood, glancing at him as he does so. “You roped my missing daughter into these schemes of yours, too?” Naruto held Weiss’ hand at that and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He turns back around to look at Ironwood. “How long has she been back in Atlas? Did Winter know about this?”

“It was my decision to come here. Just like it was my decision to not come back. Or have you forgotten all about that?”

“If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've misjudged the man your father is.”

“Believe me, I know exactly the kind of man you are.”

“How dare you speak to me that way!? I have half a mind to-” Jacques stopped as James spoke up.

“Half a mind to what, Jacques?”

Jacques narrows his eyes, then adjusts his cuff link, sighing angrily. “You know... your mother was devastated when you didn’t come back. “Didn't leave her room for days. You know how… she gets... when she's upset.”

Jacques acts sad while he speaks, taking a moment to peek at Weiss' reaction. Her eyes glimmer with sadness, and she looks down, frowning. Ruby looks upset, and Blake and Yang glare at Jacques, Blake glaring far more intensely than Yang. Jacques smirks as he turns to face Ironwood again. “I knew one day, you would overextend your reach. I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. I came here to thank you…”

Weiss looks around, noticing that her teammates, as well as Naruto and his have come to her side. Blake holds her hand and gives a comforting nod. “For personally handing me the noose to hang you. Blake and Yang glare at Jacques, while Ruby looks at Weiss with a smile. “You'll regret this.” Jacques turns to look back at Weiss. “So these are the little friends you threw everything away for?”

Weiss shakes her head at that. “Not friends.”

Ruby looks at Weiss, frowning a little, and Weiss looks at Jacques. “Family.”

Natsu opened his mouth, only for Haru to put his hand over it to shut him up Ruby smiled wide, and Yang smirked. “Hmm…” Jacques returns to his airship and begins to take off.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang look at Weiss with concern, while she exhales and drops her strong and confident facade. Naruto pulls her in for a hug as the ship flies away, and a truck arrives on the platform. Once the truck comes to a stop, Winter opens the passenger side door and peeks out at the ship. “Oh, now you show up, Winter. You just missed Father.”

“I wouldn't say I missed him-”

From the sky, Penny comes crashing down, landing on one knee. The force from her landing sends Team RWBY and SHNN flying with a small scream, while Winter steadies herself against the shockwave. Penny straightens up and throws her hands into the air, the word "CONGRATULATIONS!" appearing above her head as a green hologram, with bright green hologram confetti spawning from it with a party horn sound.

“Surprise!” She looks around with a giant grin as the hologram flickers. When she notices Teams SHNN and RWBY on the ground, her grin and the hologram both fade. “Uh, did we not start yet?”

Winter puts her fingertips to her forehead in exasperation. Ironwood stares with a wide-eyed grimace, while faint groaning can be heard from Ruby. “Apparently, we haven't.” Winter sighs at her.

Nearby, Jaune and Nora laugh, while Ruby stands up with a look of confusion. “Start what?”

After the sun finishes setting, RWBY, SHNN, JNPR, Qrow, Winter, Penny, and Ironwood gather in the center of Amity Colosseum's arena. RWBY, SHNN, and JNPR stand lined up, with Ironwood, Winter, and Penny standing across from them and Qrow standing off to the side. The arena lights are on and pointing at the center of the stage where everyone is standing.

“It goes without saying that this arena holds significance to all of us. It's only fitting that we should be able to reconvene here. Now. When the world needs to be brought together more than ever. The road you traveled from our first meeting hasn't been easy.”

While James talks, he begins walking along in front of RWBY, SHNN, and JNPR. Penny, who is holding a tablet-sized Scroll, excitedly bounces up and down next to Winter, who places a hand on Penny's shoulder to hold her still. “You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon. You fought for the world and the innocent at Haven Academy and beyond. You faced down terrors people can't even fathom. That's not the behavior of students. It's the behavior… of Huntsmen and Huntresses.”

He looks over at Penny, who happily begins humming and walking past SHNN, JNPR, and RWBY, stopping in front of each person to tap on her Scroll. With each tap, her Scroll emits a beep, and someone else's Scroll buzzes. Ren's Scroll is the first to buzz, and he removes it from his pocket and opens it, checking the screen.

It displays his student license, which displays a photograph of him in his new outfit with his emblem in the top left corner and a bar code below the photo. The Vale symbol is in the background behind the license information.

STUDENT LICENSE BEACON

Name Ren, Lie

LN 63700-16778 - 13563

Place of Issue: Vale

Authority Beacon Academy

Restrictions Class C

The screen blinks, and the license suddenly changes. The Kingdom of Atlas symbol is now in the background behind the information.

HUNTSMAN LICENSE Atlas

Name Ren, Lie

LN 63700 - 16778 - 13563

Place of Issue Atlas

Authority Atlas Academy

Restrictions Class C

“Wait... what is this?”

Everyone else checks their Scrolls as Penny continues tapping hers. “You are being granted your Huntsman licenses, today.” Winter sad from her spot.

Penny finishes using her Scroll to grant everyone their licenses and walks away with a big grin. Her Scroll displays the Atlas Huntsman License Registry as James then speaks up again. “I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but Brothers, know you deserve it. I only regret that I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the occasion.”

“I… We… we're honored, General Ironwood. But you really don't have to do th-”

Ironwood stops Ruby at that. “Please. With the threat of Salem still out there and tensions rising in our Kingdom, I certainly could use more trustworthy fighters by my side.” As Ironwood walks away from them, Team RWBY looks at each other. Yang and Weiss' faint smiles fade, and Blake's cat ears droop. “I should be so lucky to have all of you.”

He stops for a moment, then looks at Team RWBY and smiles. “It's okay. It's a big moment. Walking again, and what better way than to celebrate here? When this tower is ready and communications are back up and running, we'll tell the world about Salem and face down whatever comes at us after that, together.”

SHNN, RWBY, and JNPR stand in silence. “That's… just about all the pomp I have in me. Awkwardly adjusting his tie, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation. Um… turning away. Well, then. Enjoy the cake.”

Ironwood walks away, with Winter following. Penny pops up with a hand raised in the air. “Your speech outros are improving, sir!”

SHNN, RWBY, and JNPR look at their licenses. “After everything we've been through, I almost forgot this is what I wanted in the first place.”

“When Beacon fell, I didn't think this would even be possible.” Blake said as Natsu whooped as Pyrrha looked at Naruto’s picture which had his face painted up.

“What the?”

“Never be dull.” He smiled and closed his scroll and kissed her as his right hand drifted to squeeze her left butt cheek.

“Geez, guys, lighten up a little. Enjoy yourselves for a change. You've earned it.” Qrow sighed at his nieces as Nora jumped on Naruto’s back and locked his neck.

“Finally! Someone said it. Let's kill some cake, huh?” She smiled, throwing a fist in the air. “Because I can eat two slices before Ren even eats one. Who says I can't? Who says it, huh!?”

“Nora, nobody is arguing with you about this.” Ren sighs as Naruto carries her to the table.

A short while later, all of the teens except Ruby gather around a cake. Ruby instead sits nearby in the bleachers. Penny uses six of her swords to cut the cake into even slices. Weiss and Ren stand together, eating their personal slices, and Nora moves over to them with a stack of six slices. Ren and Weiss stare in surprise as Nora eats an entire slice in one bite.

Blake stands alone, eating her cake in calm silence. Suddenly, Naruto swiftly moves up beside Blake, putting his arm around her and holding up her Scroll with the camera function on. Blake looks at Naruto with a smile, and when the Scroll's camera begins rapidly clicking, she turns her head and grins at it with a small, awkward laugh.

Ruby watches as Naruto continues to take selfies with Blake, Nora talks with Penny, and Jaune talks with Weiss and Ren.

“Big day for you, huh, kiddo?”

Qrow walks over and sits next to Ruby. “It's… definitely a lot to take in.”

“Which part? The finally getting to Atlas part, getting your license part, or the not quite disclosing everything to Ironwood part? Or… all of the above?”

Ruby soft laughs at that. “All of the above. I'm trying to do what I think is best, but I really can't tell if what's best is what's right, or if I'm no different from Oz.”

“Ruby, Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You're trusting others, but you're making sure they prove themselves first. I think that's a pretty big difference.” Qrow says to her as Yang walks behind Naruto and flashes the camera with a wink and a smile.

As well as Pyrrha, who was pulled over by the blonde and lifted her skirt for a picture.

“I hope so.” Ruby withdraws her Scroll and looks at her license. “This says I'm a Huntress now. But I don't feel like I know much more than I did at Beacon.”

Qrow laughs a little before speaking. “That feeling never goes away. Your mom, Summer, would be proud of you.

She smiles at him, but that smile soon fades as she thinks to herself. “Her… last mission. Was that another Oz secret?”

Qrow glances at her before speaking. “Hm. There were a lot of those back in our day. But this one was a Summer secret. When she didn't come back, Ozpin seemed just as in the dark as I and your father. Still, who knows what he may have hidden from us over the years.

“What do you think she would've done if she learned the truth about Salem? That she can't be destroyed.”

“Pressed on, I think. Like you. She was always the best of us.” He said to her, looking up at the night sky. He pulls Ruby over to rest her head against his shoulder, smiling. “Bit of a brat, though. But hey, I like brats.”

Ruby playfully elbows him in the ribs and laughs.

“Hey, Ruby! Come check this out!”

Yang points behind herself with her thumb. Ruby zooms over to the group, who are staring at something. (Gasp!) Oh my gosh, is that a mission board? It's an app now!?” She zooms over to the mission board, pointing at different missions. Can we ride a Megoliath? Stop an underground crime ring? Do I get to go-” She turns away, puts on her hood, and turns back to Penny, making a dramatic expression. “Undercover?”

Ruby flares her cloak out, knocking the hood off her head, and begins shaking Penny up and down. “Maaaybeee!”

“Hey, do you guys smell that?”

Marrow said as he and the Ace-Ops walked over. “Smells like… fresh meat.”

Vine sniffs as he looks around. “That's odd. I don't smell meat.”

“Neither do I.” Ren crossed his arms as well, and Marrow sighed.

“You know what? Never mind.”

“Let me get this straight. You've only been official for an hour now, and you're already looking for Huntsman work?” El said as Weiss held up a finger.

“To be fair, we've been official for a whole…” Weiss withdraws her Scroll and checks the time. “… Fifty-seven minutes.” She sighed at that as Nora playfully rolled her eyes at Weiss.

“I'd like to remind you all that the real mission here is ensuring the successful launch of the communications tower,” Vine said to them as Ren nodded.

“True, but we can also keep training and improving by helping where we can.

Elm does a fist pump at that. “The enthusiasm of youths!”

“Well, it's hard to argue with that. Okay, let me show you how it works.” Marrow walks over to the mission board, scrolls up on it, and selects an Escort mission. “Ooh, here's an important one. Who wants to volunteer?” He turns to look, and SHNN, RWBY, and JNPR all raise their hands. “We need someone to escort children to pre-primary school down in Mantle. There's not actually any danger, but the parents fret, and that attracts Grimm.”

Everyone but Jaune and Pyrrha drops their hands down. “Perfect! Thanks… uncertain Juan… Jwan… Jim? “Close enough, I guess. awkward chuckle Wow, my first Huntsman mission.” Jaune said as Pyrrha smiles as well.

Elm slides over and knocks Marrow aside with her palm, causing him to scream. “Next!” She quickly swipes down on the mission board, causing the missions to scroll by rapidly. She slaps one of the missions, bringing up a Search and Destroy mission with an image depicting a rotating 3D model of a Sabyr. “A massive Sabyr is loose in the Mantle sewers! We need two brave warriors to flush it out!”

Everyone but Jaune, Pyrrha, and Naruto raises their hands, gasping excitedly, and Jaune looks around, bewildered. “Wha-- But-- Why didn't I get a choice for that one?”

Jacques.

Jacques sits alone in his dimly lit office, drinking from a glass with a spherical ice cube in it. Suddenly, the door opens partway showing a teen boy walking in.

He has white hair and light blue eyes with a fair complexion. His hair is mostly pushed to the left, with a cowlick. He is fairly tall with a slender build and stands a few inches taller than Weiss. His attire consists of a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the sleeves fastened just above his elbows by navy blue cuffs, each with twin gold buttons.

Over his untucked shirt, he wears a light blue vest with a black handkerchief in his right breast pocket. He also wears a black necktie, navy blue trousers, and black dress shoes.

“Father, you, um… have a visitor.”

Jacques slams his glass down on the arm of his chair. “I told you I didn't want to be disturbed. Why did you let them in?”

“I didn't. He... let himself in.”

Arthur Watts grabs the door and pulls it the rest of the way open, walking into the room as Whitley moves out of his way. “A spitting image of you, this lad, Jacques. Creepily so, I might add.” Whitley stands in the hall, holding the door open and watching as Watts walks around Jacques' office. “He's definitely inherited your… affect.”

“Arthur.” Jacques looked surprised and he took a second to gather himself, then looked at Whitley. “Leave us. And shut the door.” Whitley looks confused and then looks suspiciously at Watts. “I said, shut the door!” Jacques once again slams his glass down, and Whitley closes the door. Jacques turns his attention back to Watts. “I... You're supposed to be dead.”

“That is what I wanted people to think. You're right. However, I've heard things about you, too, Jacques. Namely, that you have an Ironwood problem.” Arthur said to him.

“That bastard is costing me more money every day with this embargo. I'd lay off every employee in Mantle if I wasn't trying to get their damn votes for this Council seat.”

Watts sits in the chair next to Jacques' and smiles. “What if I said you can have your cake… and eat it, too?”

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Remember to vote if you haven't! It'll go down with Maelstrom Jedi's next update after I skip it for a rotation of updates.

UPDATE: The next CHS are the dates, any ideas are welcomed. Probably no lemons for the RWBY girls til next season.

Chapter 45

Notes:

Having troubles with FF.Net, I'm uploading this now when it is fully working for me. Sorry for the short chapter, a combination of wanting this up when the site's working and having trouble thinking up stuff for dates.

Also, I'll alternate dates in that one Chapter will be a Narutoverse girl while the next will be one or two RWBY girls as those won't have a lemon in them as I want to wait until at least the next season/volume.

If you have any ideas for dates, feel free to send them. I'll try for 1,500 words for each chapter.

If you haven't, remember to vote in the poll. It will appear in Maelstrom Jedi's next update.

And to those that celebrate it, I hope you have/had a safe and Happy Easter!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas Evening.

Naruto, wearing a black button shirt and dark blue jeans, held a door open to a restaurant for Anko, who was wearing a black tank top, low-riding jeans with her purple thong bands riding up. Going to a table, Naruto pulled the seat out for Anko, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks, dear."

As they reached at the stall, they sat down, her on one side, him, the other. "Well according to what I've found out, this place is the supposed to be one of the best in the city." As they ordered their food, and waited, a slow song came up, and Naruto glanced to the small dance floor. "Want to dance?"

Nodding, she took his hand, walked to the floor, and wrapped her hands around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. They swayed to the music, and Anko rested her head on his chest.

After the song ended, Naruto took Anko back to the table where they started to eat. "Did you get on a team?" He asks her.

"Yeah, with Hana, Yūgao, and Kurenai."

"So a lot of people from our world got here?"

Anko nods at that. "Yeah, we think so, though we only recently got our memories back… Like around the time of the Beacon incident." Anko replied as she took a bite of her steak.

"I mean, hopefully, we could get help with Salem then." He said quietly, as though his wives knew, he didn't want to alert anyone else.

"Maybe, but that's only if they all get their memories back." Anko shrugged before Naruto stood.

"Well, best we head to that movie, Anko," he said, as Anko grinned, pushing herself up from the table.

"Lead the way, Naruto. I can't wait to see if this movie is as fun and good as I hope it is," She said with a playful smile. "It's not adult, only is it?"

"Nope, that'll be for when we're alone." Naruto sighed as he was used to her antics by now.

The two walked side by side as they got out and walked through the streets. The two entered the theater for the movie. The dim lights of the theater welcomed them as they found their seats. Naruto couldn't help but steal a glance at Anko, and the duo settled in to enjoy the movie.

As the movie went on, Naruto couldn't help but notice more and more of Anko's teasing by flashing him slightly by pulling her shirt and showing her lack of a bra, or messing with the front of her jeans.

As the movie came to an end, Naruto got up. "Well, Anko, anywhere else to go?"

"Let's just walk." She replied as they walked down the street.

They took a walk around the city, seeing closed shops before they stopped by the park and decided to walk through it. "Today was great." He said to her. "Makes ya forget what's coming up."

They sat there in comfortable silence, their feet both grazing the sand as they embraced the moment. "The night sky is so beautiful tonight, right, Naruto?"

He smiles at that. "Look at you getting romantic."

"I can be romantic when I want to be, you know?"

Naruto shrugged at that. "Yeah, but that wasn't really why I got you."

"What was?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your tits and ass." She elbowed him at that. "Kidding, kidding… I like you, Anko. The fact that you dressed in see-through clothes was a bonus."

"Like your big di-!"

"OK, OK." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. "There are still kids around, and you gotta get used to having a clean act when we have kids again."

"Already thinking with your lower head?"

"With this ass, of course." He leaned down to squeeze her form ass having her stifle a moan as she blushed. "I can still get the big bad Anko to blush like a schoolgirl."

"Don't you mean a certain Hyūga?" Anko asks and over in the hotel they're all staying at, a certain blue haired young woman sneezed.

"The night sky is so beautiful tonight, right, Naruto-kun?"

A rosy blush spread across her face as she looked at Naruto. Is it me? She thought, flustered.

"And… who's that?" She asked, trying to keep her heart steady.

Naruto turned to her and grinned. "You, of course."

Naruto smiled at that as they got up and left. They continued walking until coming to a skating rink. Going inside, they got their skates and skated around for several hours. Naruto then pulled her in for a kiss before ending the skating and leaving.

They were walking on the road that led to the hotel. Suddenly, a bench came into view. Naruto let Anko's hand go and sat on it before he gestured towards Anko to sit down. When both of them adjusted, Anko leaned her head on his shoulder. Naruto breathed in the scent of her hair and looked up to see a shooting star appear in the sky.

Naruto looked down to his wife, the light of the star reflected in her eyes which made it more beautiful than it already was. Anko felt that she was being watched, so she turned her gaze up to Naruto before he leaned his forehead to hers.

Hotel.

Naruto carried Anko in the door as she was wrapped around him, hands kneading her ass before she pulled her shirt off. They continued their make-out session when he let her down to take his shirt off and then groped and kneaded her breasts. "Shit, I missed your magic hands." Anko hissed as Naruto smiled.

"I always aim to please my lovers." He replied before spinning her around.

Smack!

And smacked her ass having her jump, making her breasts bounce as well. He then pushed her towards her bedroom door and followed after her, eyes on her swaying ass before she teased him by pulling it down, revealing she had unbutton her jeans. And flashed him her ass with the string she called a thong.

He smiled before smacking her ass again having her give a moan before they got to the door and he pushed her inside before closing the door.

-LEMON-

Naruto had maneuvered Anko to the bed and, upon reaching it, pushed her forward until she supported herself by placing her hands on the bed. Kneeling behind her, he roughly pulled her jeans and thong down and had her step out of them. He took a moment to enjoy her scent as he stared at her wet pussy before diving in. Running his tongue along her slit, he reached forward to play with her dangling tits. Pulling her nipples towards him, he felt his arousal spike as she groaned in pleasure.

Anko reared her head back to moan and began to rock back and forth as she tried to fuck herself on his tongue. "I feel s-something co-cumming!" she started to say but screamed her release when he rubbed her clit.

As her orgasm faded, she sank to her knees with her top half resting on the bed. She was vaguely aware of Naruto standing behind her. Unzipping his pants, he allowed them to fall to the floor. Anko turned slightly and grinned at the sight of his erect cock. "Oh, I've missed you~"

He smiled down at her, saying, "How about you return the favor?"

She nodded, sitting up, and reached for it. Grabbing hold, she fisted it a couple of times she picked up her pace when Naruto groaned in pleasure. The desire to hear more such sounds pulled from his throat spurred Anko to go faster. She noticed his tool began to get slick, and as a particularly large drop of his precum formed, she stuck her tongue out to swipe it away. "Oh fuck," he moaned when after reaching the tip and swirling around it with her tongue surprised him by leaning forward to take it into her mouth.

She pulled off almost immediately to run her tongue around it some more, but staring up at him, said, "Did you like having this big thing in my mouth?"

Naruto nodded his head, bringing a smile to her face. She then leaned forward to do it again and began to bob her head back and forth. Naruto placed a hand on her head saying, "I missed your blowjobs Anko."

Anko smiled at his words and they only added to her lust causing her to begin rubbing her pussy as she blew him. Her other hand began playing with his balls, and she pulled her mouth back to the tip to run her tongue all along him. She felt his balls contract and he shouted, "Fuck, I'm going to cum."

When Anko didn't pull away but instead took more of him into her mouth, he placed his hand on her head and then let go. Blowing his load into her waiting mouth. Anko was surprised at just how much of it there was and feared drowning in his spunk. As best she could, she swallowed until he let her head go, allowing her to pull away.

Swallowing the rest, she stared up at him with hooded eyes before taking the hand buried in her snatch, and was coated with her essence. She wiped up some cum that had escaped her mouth to fall on her tits and licked the hand clean savoring their combined taste.

"Damn, do you just naturally secrete sexiness," Naruto said feeling his dick re-harden to the sight. Before she could reply, he picked her up and planted her on the bed.

Kneeling she looked over her shoulder catching Naruto rubbing her cheeks and admiring her slit once more. He raised her hips up and then pulled her back down onto his cock.

Anko moaned as she was filled with Naruto’s cock. He leaned down and rested her back against his chest as he gave her time to adjust. When she was ready, she bucked against him, having Naruto push forward. Naruto began rocking back and forth while occupying his hand with her tits. Kissing them and playing with her nipples.

She looked over her shoulder and ran a tongue over her lips. Naruto leaned forward to taste them once more and eagerly began dueling with her tongue. He felt the hand she had against his rear begin to try and pull him towards her faster. Responding to her silent request, he began moving faster as well as harder. His increased pace forced her to break the kiss as she moaned, "Fuck… it's so fucking good."

“Your pussy is wrapping around my dick like it was made for it.” She moaned as Naruto pulled her nipples.

She began tightening and releasing her pussy trying to keep the pleasure going, but when it didn’t compare whimpered, “Come on, fuck me, you big dick bastard!”

Naruto nearly relented, but held firm and instead slid his hand between her and the mattress to begin teasing her clit. He slammed his hips forward, causing Anko to arch her spine as she shouted out, “Yes!”

Naruto quickly put her mind at ease that it wasn’t going to happen as he began pounding her with long, deep thrusts. Anko groaned deeply into her mattress as he got to his feet behind her in a crouch and began pulling her hips back towards him causing his dick to poke her womb on every thrust. His pace eventually became too much for her, and she fell forward to rest on her forearms as he continued to pound her.

The new position allowed Naruto greater access to her as it exposed her deepest part further to his relentless assault. Feeling his dick against the entrance to her womb, Anko screamed, "You're hitting me so fucking deep. Oh…oh fuck…I'm …I'm fucking going to cum again."

"I'm going to cum too," Naruto said feeling his balls tightening.

"Good…I want you to cum inside. Give me every drop," Anko said, the pitch of her voice rising in volume.

Naruto held on as long as he could, delaying his release, but eventually, the need grew too great, and with a final violent shove buried himself inside her as far as his cock would go. Again, she felt him knocking at the entrance of her womb, but this time the sensation was followed by the feeling of a hotness that quickly entered and filled it.

The sensation of her womb filling with his semen caused Anko to arch her back as she screamed, "It's so fucking incredible," before collapsing into the mattress face first as her ass stayed up in the air.

Anko breathed heavily and felt Naruto fall backward into his bed his dick popping out of her snatch followed by some of his seed.

-LEMON END-

Later.

Naruto laid on his back as Anko moaned, not moving as she lay on her stomach, breasts squashed out to the sides as sweat covered her body. "Man, you really were pent up, huh?" Anko didn't answer and just moaned as Naruto swore he saw hearts in her eyes. "Well, I'll let you catch your breath, and we'll continue."

He said before smacking her on her ass having her give a loud moan. He just gave a chuckle at that. "I'll take that as a yes, I want more."

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Having troubles with FF.Net, I'm uploading this now when it is fully working for me. Sorry for the short chapter, a combination of wanting this up when the site's working and having trouble thinking up stuff for dates.

Also, I'll alternate dates in that one Chapter will be a Narutoverse girl while the next will be one or two RWBY girls as those won't have a lemon in them as I want to wait until at least the next season/volume.

If you have any ideas for dates, feel free to send them. I'll try for at least 1,500 words for each chapter.

Remember to vote in the poll if you haven't. It'll go down on Maelstrom Jedi's next update.

And to those that celebrate it, I hope you have/had a safe and Happy Easter!

Chapter 46

Notes:

The poll is down, and "Continue A Little More Book II" as the title won. It'll be up until I go with a rotation fo each story... Or until midnight after Detetionairs update as I'm having rain here and a chance for it for a week so don';t be surprise if stories go up quickly (Like an hour after each other) as except for this story, and KP I'm ahead in ATM.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Hotel.

Weiss paced back and forth nervously, wearing a light blue dress and strapped heels showing blue toenails with a snowflake on them.

"Weiss, you're going to wear a path in the floorboards," Blake said, genuine concern masked by a sarcastic comment.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Weiss apologized, deciding to sit on the couch next to Blake.

"It's gonna be fine, Weiss," Ruby offered sincerely, not sure how else to comfort the anxious Schnee.

"Hopefully….it's just that this is our first date… The first time we're hanging out alone." Weiss fretted as Yang sighed.

"You're his girlfriend, I think you'll be all right."

"Yes, but the school got attacked right when we got together, then we had to separate as I had with his team coming to meet up while he stayed to help Pyrrha.

"It'll be lots of fun, I promise," Yang assured. "It'll come easier than you think."

Weiss took a couple of deep breaths, feeling herself relax. Soon enough, Naruto was at the door, dressed up and sporting a smile that made. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Naruto kissed each of the other girls goodbye before taking Weiss out in the hall.

Later, the two walked down the quiet streets of Atlas in silence and stopped in front of a restaurant.

"Is this place all right?" Naruto asked, taking Weiss's hand.

"Looks fine to me," Weiss replied, as their fingers proceeded to lace together.

Inside, the waiter seated them at a booth, and Weiss bit her bottom lip nervously as she scanned the menu. There was a lot that looked good, but she had to consider the price. If this were truly a date, Naruto would likely be paying, and she would feel guilty about having him pay too much. She decided to go with something simple. She couldn't help but smile when Naruto ordered the same.

Naruto returned his attention to Weiss, flashing her that famous smile of his before they began, came and went quickly, much to the disappointment of both parties. Naruto found Weiss' hand again as they exited the restaurant. They walked back again in silence, enjoying the pleasant evening.

As they got closer to the hotel, Naruto grew anxious. "Umm, I had a fun time tonight, Weiss," Naruto offered nervously, "I hope you did too."

"I did," Weiss replied genuinely, giving a bright smile.

"Well….I guess this is where I say goodnight," Weiss broke the silence.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Goodnight, Snow Angel," Naruto smiled before kissing her.

She then walked away as Naruto stared at her swaying ass before she lifted the back of her dress flashing him her white lace panties.

Next Night.

"What should I wear?"

Nora asked, bouncing on her feet.

"I'd say something hot, but we are going to take my bike." Naruto smiled as he sat in a chair in her hotel room. "And I think I should be the only one to get a peek at the goods."

Nora smiled as she lifted her skirt slightly, flashing him her pink panties.

Naruto held Nora's hand before they walked into a theater. They paid for their tickets, popcorn, and drinks before going to the back of the theater, and after finishing their popcorn, they started making out. Naruto smiled in the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Later, Naruto drove them down the street to a restaurant. "So what restaurant are you taking me to?" Nora asked.

"That place that just opened," Naruto explained.

Later, they're sitting at a table as a waitress comes up to them.

"Welcome, take your time to look at the menu. Would you like some drinks to start with?" The woman asked, brushing her hair back.

"A cola for me, thanks." He ordered.

"I'll have a root beer!" Nora added. The waitress nodded.

"Okay, cola and root beer. I'll get those for me and give you a bit to oversee the menu," she said, before walking off to get their drinks.

Naruto took the two menus she dropped, and he handed one to Nora before he cracked his open. The prices weren't overwhelmingly expensive, but not what he would usually go for on a regular outing. But this was his first date with Nora.

"Ooh," Nora hummed, "Spicy Chicken Fingers? I love spicy chicken."

"Heh, I remember at Beacon, whenever they made those hot chicken wings in the cafeteria, I'd see you would get a trayful of them." Naruto smiled, having Nora mirror it.

"They were good, but honestly, I've had way hotter. There was this one place that Ren and I liked to go to before we came to Vale… Now that chicken was spicy as hell! Ren gave me a concerned look every time I ordered it."

"That's just how he is, right?"

"Yeah, and we love him for that."

The waitress came back with their drinks, and Nora ordered those spicy fingers with waffle fries, and Naruto ordered a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. The two spent the time in between flirting softly, playing footsies softly beneath the table, but stopped as she moved hers to his crotch. After several minutes, the food arrived. Naruto hummed happily as he took a big bite of his burger. Nora seemed to enjoy her food as well, bouncing in her seat with the first bite.

"How's it?" Naruto asked once his mouth wasn't full of burgers.

"Just right. Not too spicy for me to handle, not too weak for me. It's super good. Do you wanna try a piece?" Nora offered.

"Okay, sure." He agreed. Nora ripped a piece of one of the chicken fingers off.

"Open wide." Nora requested, and Naruto consented. Despite how widely he opened his mouth, he still felt a bit of the spice on his lower lip as Nora's fingers grazed it to plop the piece of chicken in. "Good, huh?" Nora asked, grinning. Naruto nodded, letting out a breath.

"Yeah. Like I stepped right into Hell itself." He joked, earning a giggle and a chuckle from Nora.

"Take a sip of your drink, you wimp." She said, the playful insult lacking punch with its affectionate tone. Naruto rolled his eyes and took a chug of his soda.

"Not everyone likes to set their mouth on fire." He bit back just as playfully, and the two devolved into giggles. Naruto then broke off a piece of the burger and returned the favor, Nora accepting eagerly. She also hummed happily at the taste of his food.

"Mmm, is that cheddar? S'good," she said happily whilst chewing.

"It is." He agreed with a smile.

"So, are you interested in dessert?" Naruto asked as they were finishing their meals.

"Yeah!" Nora cheered. She handed the two a single dessert menu before walking to use the restroom.

She came back as Naruto looked up. "You wanna share a milkshake?" He offered. Nora blushed a bit.

"O-okay." She replied.

Later, after they ate, he took Nora to the outskirts of the city to a field as the sun started to set.

"Oh. My. Goodness!" Nora cooed. Just outside the settlement gates was an open field and a large number of rabbits. And amongst them were several families and babies. Nora barely contained her excitement, likely not wanting to scare them. Naruto smiled softly at his amused girlfriend.

"They've been hanging around the outskirts for some time. A few weeks, I think. Some of the people mentioned them… I think Grimm scared them from the forest, so they've made their home here… For now, at least. I decided to take you to see them. I'll bring the others here as I wanted to make sure they stayed." Naruto explained in a hushed voice, his arm around her waist.

"I love them." Nora giggled as Naruto held her back and kissed her forehead.

They stayed there for a while and looked as the sky was pink and purple as the sun was beginning to set further.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

The poll is down, and "Continue A Little More Book II" is the title that won. It'll be up until I go with a rotation fo each story... Or until midnight after Detetionairs update as I'm having rain here and a chance for it for a week so don';t be surprise if stories go up quickly (Like an hour after each other) as except for this story, and KP I'm ahead in ATM.

Chapter 47

Notes:

The new "Choose The Next Story" poll is up! You can pick 5... Doing it now as I'm about halfway through Kim Possible, and that'll be the story that'll be done first, as I'll be doing the ten-minute episodes as one chapter, and that'll go by faster.

ALSO for this story will be out of rotation until I get out of the dates... Just a little hard to think up different dates so I'll work on a chapter for this for a day or two, then go to work on the other stories before coming back for a day or two.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas Restaurant.

Naruto looked up from the booth that had a grill on the table and saw Pakura, wearing a black shirt and tight jeans, sitting across from him.

“What is it, Pakura?”

“The waiter’s here.”

At that, Naruto blinks, then turns to see that a waiter is standing there. “I’ll just take a water and, uh… The short rib special. Thanks.”

“Thank you,” The waiter says and writes Naruto’s order down, along with Pakura’s

Later, as they talked, the waiter brought their drinks and meat platters to the table. “Thanks.”

Naruto sips on his water and puts the ribs he’s been given on the table grill. “I’m glad that we had another life together.”

Naruto smiled at that. “I love you, too.”

“Now,” Naruto said, raising his glass, “To a lovely night for the two of us.”

Pakura raised her glass, meeting Naruto's gaze with a warm smile. "To us," She said softly.

The two of them then started to eat their meals as they were ready. They ate quietly, simply enjoying the meal and each other's company, with occasional snippets of conversation flowing between them. As they finished, they each felt content, or mostly content.

“Would you like to order something to drink?”

The couple turned in sync towards the disturbance to find a young waitress looking down at them with a drink cart.

Naruto briefly glanced at his partner before ordering a bottle of soda, only for the waitress to speak up again. “We also have a fine selection of Vacuo wines if you would like to sample some,” she finished, her melodic voice containing a light Mistralian lilt.

“I’ll take one… My date is still underage for about a year.” Pakura smiled

As much as Pakura enjoyed the occasional glass of wine, she was more of a cider girl while Naruto got himself a pint of lager. After taking their orders, the waitress bounced off to prepare the drinks, leaving the two huntsmen to bask in each other’s company. Unfortunately, neither of them had the nerve to speak, which resulted in a somewhat silent affair.

As they finished, Naruto got up. “Now for our walk home, I’ve got dessert plans.” Naruto smiled as Pakura returned it, understanding the importance of those simple details.

“Oh, just us alone. That sounds like a perfect ending to a wonderful evening.”

The two enjoyed the night, the peace, and the quiet, the calmness as they walked. They however without knowing it were both thinking about something other than peace or quiet, or even the lovely meal they both shared. They were thinking as always about each other. “Are you going to take me to see the rabbits?”

She asks as he chuckles. “If you want to.”

He then takes her outside the settlement gates, and the large number of rabbit families and babies. "As I stated, they've been hanging around the outskirts for some time.”

Later, the Atlas Hotel.

Naruto put the flowers in a vase in the kitchen of the hotel room he's staying in and put chocolate in a fondue pot to melt before Naruto went to get ready for the rest of the date. He had just finished getting dressed when he heard a knock at the door. Naruto walked down the hallway leading to the restroom that led to the door and slid it open to see her standing there, in a black kimono with a red silk sash tied around her waist.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as Naruto shook his head to clear it before stepping aside.

"Sorry, I just...you look nice," Naruto said, trying to compliment her. “I’m still a bit rusty at this.”

"Thank you," She said with a smile. "You don't look half bad yourself."

"Thanks..." Naruto said, a little dumbfounded. Naruto walked her into the kitchen where the flowers sat in a vase and hurried to them, grabbing them and pushing them toward her. "I got these for you. I thought you might like them." God, this is going horribly.

"Naruto, how did you know those were my favorite flowers?" She asked, reaching out and gently taking the bouquet from me. She smiled and admired the flowers a little longer.

"I just thought that there might be something that you had at home." Naruto lied. Pakura had picked those flowers out, but her reasoning was as good as any.

"My mother grew these flowers. She loved them." She smiled again and looked up at me. "Thank you, Naruto. I love them."

"No problem," Naruto said before he motioned for Pakura to have a seat at the kitchen island. The fondue pot sat in the middle, and thankfully the chocolate had enough time to melt completely. Naruto put the tray of strawberries, marshmallows, and pineapple pieces out where she could reach them, the two skewers sitting at the bottom of the tray.

"You made chocolate fondue?" She asked with a smirk as she toyed with one of the skewers, side-eyeing me as she did so.

"I thought it would be a good snack," Naruto answered, sitting down beside her.

"You even picked a lazy food for our date. You're still going with that life theme, huh?"

"I heard that people eat fondue on dates, all right. You don't have to eat it." Naruto said, of course, she wouldn't like the fondue idea, it was a little cliché. At least I'd gotten one thing right with the flowers.

"It's not a bad thing, I like chocolate."

"What?" Naruto asked, a little panic showing in his voice. "That's not what I intended at all! I mean, yeah, I knew chocolate fell under that category, but I hadn't thought she would read that far into it. "No, that's not what I got this for. I didn't have any other food, okay? You warned me to make this a good date, and I thought good dates had food and flowers." Naruto said, pointing to the bottle off to the side, two wine glasses beside it. "I sometimes still don't know what the hell I'm doing. I just wanted to spend time with you."

I'm warming up to you. I think I’ll keep you." She smirked before bringing the strawberry to her lips and expertly maneuvering it off the skewer.

-LEMON-

Naruto pushed the door open as he made out with Pakura before getting to the bed, where she pushed him on and took off her shirt and black bra.

Pakura gets down on her knees and pulls down Naruto's pants and boxers until she is face to face with Naruto’s cock once it flops on her forehead. The musk hit her nostril, having her quiver before she leaned back and took it into her mouth.

Pakura was unable to get Naruto's entire meat down her throat, but that wasn't going to stop her. She closes her eyes and bobs her head back and forth, shoving more of Naruto's cock down her throat. “Shit, that feels good." Naruto groaned, both his hands gripping the sheets. "Your mouth is so warm, Pakura."

Pakura then started to move her head faster and faster, eagerly sucking harder and harder, savoring the flavor of his manhood and the sensation of it hitting the back of her throat while making lewd sounds. Her saliva trickled down his shaft. Pakura's eyes widened with euphoria as she felt Naruto's cock throb strongly.

"Pakura, I… can't hold back." He struggled to say.

Pakura pulls Naruto's cock from her mouth, "Then don't." She smiled and put it back in.

Without warning, Naruto gets up and grabs Pakura's head, thrusting more of his manhood more and more, shooting a huge torrent of his cum down Pakura's throat. Naruto continues to cum inside Pakura's throat for several seconds, while she keeps drinking it, struggling to keep all of it inside her mouth, leaving a trail of cum and her saliva down to her tits.

Pakura sips the last drop of Naruto's cum and moves her head back quickly while still sucking on his rod and takes it out with a wet pop sound, making Naruto groan. Pakura looked up at Naruto and licked the creamy sperm dribbling out of her lip while groping her breasts.

He then picks up Pakura and tosses her on his bed. He rips her pants off and smacks her ass before laying down beside her.

A few minutes later, Naruto is back on his back groaning as he watches Pakura titty fucking his dick, and licking his tip. "You like that, Naruto? Do you like the feeling of my huge tits rubbing your huge cock?”

"Y-yeah, I like that. It's so soft." Said Naruto, making Pakura grin.

Because of Naruto's cum and the saliva on her breasts acting as lube, it makes the titjob more satisfying, and she just had to rub her nipples against his manhood, further satisfying him. Naruto then tilts his head back and moves his hips a little. Pakura felt his manhood throb again and knew Naruto was going to cum again.

Pakura gets ready for the second load of cum and sucks a few more times before Naruto felt his milk was about to erupt. Naruto came again as Pakura happily drank it. “Ride me.”

Pakura looked at the cock in lust as it was still hard before she got up and straddled him.

The sound of the bed frame squeaking incessantly and Pakura moaned as she expertly thrust up and down, her pussy gripping tightly around Naruto's cock, while she held her breasts and bounced, hitting all her best spots. Pakura's tongue lolls out of her mouth as her eyes crossed. "Fuck!" Caught up by the pleasure, Naruto grabs onto Pakura's hips and moves his hips in tandem with hers. "Naruto!"

Pakura cries out and her hips twist and buckle as she climaxes hard again, further soaking Naruto's sack with her juices. Naruto then sat up, his hands now moved to Pakura's firm ass as he thrust faster and harder, on the verge of exploding again. This made Pakura gasp, then bit her lips, a trail of drool leaving the corner of her mouth.

Pakura grabs Naruto, implanting his face between her breasts, and bounces her ass at the same pace as Naruto's cock. Pakura wraps her arms around Naruto, one hand tangled in his hair while the other clawing his back. Both cried out in pleasure as Naruto came inside Pakura, painting her insides white.

Naruto then moved Pakura into the doggy-style position with her gripping Naruto's bed sheets before Naruto grabs her arms and starts pounding his cock in her ass. Her eyes roll up into her skull as her tongue lolls out. "Fuck me!” Naruto lets go of Pakura's arms, grabs her hips, and goes faster, making Pakura bite her lips. Pakura leans her back on Naruto's chest while he's still thrusting her anally. "Yes, Naruto, yes!" She screamed.

Naruto smashed his lips with Pakura as he cums in her ass, silencing her scream of pleasure and accepting the kiss, enjoying the warm substance shooting in her ass.

Later.

Pakura is now pinned to the wall, arching her back, and has her legs wrapped around Naruto's waist and her hands on his shoulders as she kisses him deeply while her blonde hero reaches her womb again and thrusts his cock upward roughly and strongly on her pussy.

As they separated from kissing each other, Naruto eyed Pakura's bouncing tits, leans in, and starts to suck on her nipples, having Pakura cum, with a fuck stupid face.

Naruto grunts as her pussy begins to choke his cock, he is going to cum soon.

A couple of minutes passed, and Naruto releases Pakura, unhooks her legs from Naruto's waist, and falls to the floor. After a few minutes to catch their breath, Naruto was on top of Pakura in the mating press, bottom, while he nibbled on her neck. Pakura held on to Naruto's head and wrapped her legs around his waist, and Naruto hugged Pakura tightly under her arms as they both moaned.

"Cumming."

Naruto bit down on Pakura, and Pakura did the same as Naruto sprayed his seed in her womb for the last time.

Minutes later, they lay on top of each other, sweating and panting.

Naruto pulls out of Pakura while her cunt began to leak out of Naruto and Pakura's cum combined.

-LEMON END-

Morning.

Naruto woke up to the smell of food before he groaned as he rolled out. He then walks out and down the hall. As he got to the kitchen, he was surprised to see Pakura in his t-shirt and an apron, humming to a tune he couldn't comprehend.

As if she sensed him, she looked back and smiled at him, “Good morning.” Pakura went to put the egg rolls and some bacon on a plate. “Grab me some bowls, will you?”

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

The new "Choose The Next Story" poll is up! You can pick 5... Doing it now as I'm about halfway through Kim Possible, and that'll be the story that'll be done first, as I'll be doing the ten-minute episodes as one chapter, and that'll go by faster.

ALSO for this story will be out of rotation until I get out of the dates... Just a little hard to think up different dates so I'll work on a chapter for this for a day or two, then go to work on the other stories before coming back for a day or two.

Chapter 48

Notes:

Apologies for the lateness. Working on this chapter was a pain. I worked slightly ahead on the other stories, and I have been rather busy IRL.

To those who sent weapons for this story, feel free to resend a message in the thread as that commission artist scamming thing had me forget some titles for PMs as when that whole thing started, I got 100 PMs from those in the first day alone... I'm also asking in case I accidentally deleted some PMs by accident.

Remember to vote if you haven't!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Atlas Hotel.

"Did you see that new X-ray and Vav movie that just came out?"

Ruby asked as she and Naruto were in his hotel room. "Yeah, but I didn't think it was all that good. They deviated from the comics so much."

"I mean, I guess. But the story wasn't that bad. And the action scenes were pretty awesome too!" She said, doing a few kicks and karate chops. He chuckled at her, loving the way that she was always animated in her descriptions.

"I'm not arguing that, Ruby. But if the characters and story are so different and are so far off the source material, why make it about X-ray and Vav in the first place? It could have been a standalone movie by itself and still worked."

She was going to say something, but thought about his words and couldn't see a flaw in his assessment. "Huh, I guess you're right. But we can both agree the second one was the best." She said, making Naruto smile and nod.

"Absolutely. While Vav's character wasn't the best, that one goes to the first movie, their rendition of Brain Splatter was top notch."

"I know, right! I still say that the first movie has the best rendition of X-ray, and you can't tell me otherwise."

Naruto smiled as he got to the door leading out. "Ruby, please. The X-ray in the first movie was clunky and stiff. The guy playing him didn't even read the comics before he was cast. A mistake on the director's part for not checking over his credentials. Now the fourth movie's rendition, that's a keeper." He said as Ruby rolled her eyes at him, giving him a sigh of exasperation.

They walked out as she looked up at her boyfriend. "Naruto, the only reason you say that is because you have a bias towards the actor that plays him. He was okay, but it was pretty obvious they shoehorned him in because he's popular." She argued, knowing that the actor who portrayed X-ray in that movie was a very well-known actor who had been in many other films in the past. Naruto shook his head again before continuing.

"Ah, you forgot, when that movie came out, he wasn't all that famous. The movie was part of why he started getting more and more opportunities in the first place."

"Whatever, Ninja-boy. We'll argue how you're wrong later." She laughed, bumping his shoulder as they got out. "I'm surprised you're still into our stuff.

"Of course, weapon mistress. I may have started getting memories back, but I still grew up here... We'll chalk this one up to a tie…again." He joked, bumping her back. They laughed together for a bit before receding to silence. It stayed like that, even as they quietly made their way to the gym that was attached to the hotel. "I know you're still uneasy about dating at this time, so I thought we'd take a different approach."

"I know I've never done this before. I just really, really, like you-" She ranted, talking faster and faster as she continued before Naruto stopped her by kissing her.

"I really, really, really like you too, Ruby." He said as he hugged her.

They stayed that way for a minute or two before he leaned back. "Let's get some training in… Light training, as I feel Yang may want to do this." He said as Yang, in short gym shorts, a tank top, and sneakers, came to mind.

Next Night Aquarium.

Blake was watching a tank of fish, ears twitching as she was imagining eating fish, before a voice pulled her out of her musings, and Blake noticed Naruto had turned to face her, a look of concern and affection gracing his features.

"What was that?" She asked, trying to control the butterflies fluttering in her stomach when he gave her that look.

She hoped to god she wouldn't accidentally break one of the tanks with her powers and flood the entire damn aquarium.

"I was just asking if you were alright?" Naruto repeated. "We can do something else if you want to?"

His concern made Blake blush slightly. "This is fine." She assured him with a small smile. "Besides, I like fish."

"No, really?" He smiled as she nudged him.

As the pair began to make their way into the exhibition room, a large area lined with fish tanks. Blake momentarily wondered at how big this place was and why she had never been here before. Together, they walked from aquarium to aquarium. The various fish and plants were really relaxing to watch, too, and Blake couldn't help the contented smile that slipped and stuck to her face. Of course, Naruto noticed, and it only made his grin brighter.

Blake desperately hoped the weird lighting of the aquarium would hide the fact that she was beet red by now. She never said these kinds of things out loud, but it felt oddly good to do so. Naruto hummed in response, looking back at the tank and glancing over it. He then bent down to capture her lips in his.

Later.

"Is this place alright?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence and taking Blake's hand.

"Looks fine to me," Blake replied, as Naruto's hand slipped into hers. Their fingers proceeded to lace together, and they went through the door.

The waiter seated them at a booth, and both Blake and Naruto thought to themselves that they were appreciative of the semi-privacy. Blake bit her bottom lip nervously as she scanned the menu…there was a lot that looked good, but she had to consider the price. If this were truly a date, Naruto would likely be paying, and she would feel guilty about having him pay too much. She decided to go with a simple fettuccine Alfredo. She couldn't help but smile when Naruto ordered the same.

"I'm just taking it easy for first dates for you all," Naruto said as she looked up from her plate.

"I know, right now isn't a good time to date with all that's going on." She said before they continued their small talk as the waiter came back to them.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Apologies for the lateness. Working on this chapter was a pain. I worked slightly ahead on the other stories, and I have been rather busy IRL.

To those who sent weapons for this story, feel free to resend a message in the thread as that commission artist scamming thing had me forget some titles for PMs as when that whole thing started, I got 100 PMs from those in the first day alone... I'm also asking in case I accidentally deleted some PMs by accident.

Chapter 49

Notes:

Again, sorry for how late this was, just hard to think up a date scenario and then a lemon that's on here.

Remember to vote in the poll on FF.Net if you haven't!

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

It was after eight when Mei emerged from her quarters wearing a blue dress with a slit on the right leg. She had memorized the name and address of the tea shop before leaving, but she wasn't familiar with the streets of Atlas. She'd never walked through the village unattended, and she didn't want an escort now. However, she still needed to have someone point her in the right direction if she didn't want to be late to meet with Naruto at nine.

Mei enjoyed not only a lovely long walk but a pastry along with it, thanks to Shikamaru's recommendation of a bakery on the way. Her nerves had calmed down after having had something to eat. She chuckled to herself that the head of the Nara clan was always solving problems for everyone; no wonder he was forever tired.

It was nearly nine-thirty when she rounded the corner to her destination. Mei stopped when she saw Naruto. He was standing near the door, with his hands stuffed in his pockets, looking in the opposite direction.

"Hi." Mei hoped she didn't sound as breathless as she felt.

"Hi." Naruto pulled his hands from his pockets as he walked towards her.

Going to a table, Naruto pulled the seat out for Mei, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks, dear."

As they reached the stall, they sat down, she on one side, he on the other. "Well, according to what I've found out, this place is supposed to be one of the best in the city." As they ordered their food and waited, a slow song came up, and Naruto glanced at the small dance floor. "Want to dance?"

Nodding, she took his hand, walked to the floor, and wrapped her hands around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. They swayed to the music, and Mei rested her head on his chest.

After the song ended, Naruto took Mei back to the table where they started to eat. "Open wide." Mei requested, and Naruto consented. "Good, huh?" Mei asked, grinning. Naruto nodded, letting out a breath.

"So, are you interested in dessert?" Naruto asked as they were finishing their meals.

"Yeah." Mei nodded as the waitress handed the two a single dessert menu before walking away.

Later, Naruto looks at her. "Well, best we head to that movie, Mei," he said, as Mei grinned, pushing herself up from the table.

"Lead the way, Naruto. I can't wait to see if this movie is as fun and good as I hope it is," She said with a playful smile. "It's not adult, only is it?"

"Nope, that'll be for when we're alone." Naruto sighed as he was used to her antics by now.

The two walked side by side as they got out and walked through the streets. The two entered the theater for the movie. The dim lights of the theater welcomed them as they found their seats. Naruto couldn't help but steal a glance at Mei, and the duo settled in to enjoy the movie.

Just as the movie started, Naruto lifted the thing in the middle of our chairs to be more comfortable for us and grabbed Mei's hand.

"Yeah, it's just that this particular scene was a bit too much, but I'm fine now. Don't worry about it."

"You know what? Come here," he says, putting his arms over Mei's shoulders, and she leans closer to him.

He starts rubbing Mei's arm, and Mei glances at him. He raises Mei chin with his free hand before Mei pulls him gently by the collar, crashing our lips together. Mei places her left hand behind his neck, playing with his hair as his hand goes to the side of her face, cupping her cheek.

After a moment of kissing, they eventually pull away, with their foreheads pressed together, and Mei closes her eyes to enjoy the moment. "That was... wow," he starts as Mei chuckles and pecks his lips.

"I liked it too."

They intertwine their fingers again and return our attention to the movie, which was almost at its end. As the credits roll up on the screen, they get up from their seats and walk to the exit. On the way out, they stopped to get some ice cream before they took a walk around the city, seeing closed shops, before they stopped by the park and decided to walk through it.

Later, after they ate, he took Mei to the outskirts of the city to the field as the sun started to set.

"Oh. My. Goodness!" Mei cooed.

"They've been hanging around the outskirts for some time.”

"I love them." Mei giggled as Naruto held her back and kissed her forehead.

Hotel.

Naruto sat on the bed and watched Mei shimmy out of her dress and smiled at her blue thong. “Well, were you hoping the night would lead to this?”

“Maybe~” She sang as she pushed her thong down.

-LEMON-

She rubbed her clit as Naruto removed his clothes before licking her lips at his erection. Walking between his legs, she knelt and began to suck his dick. Bobbing her head up and down, it took her a few tries, but she managed to get all the way down to the base.

"Oh Mei..." Naruto groaned as his eyes rolled to the back of his head a little.

Mei could feel his orgasm coming. She hummed, and then Naruto exploded in her mouth. She gulped it all down. Naruto groaned, feeling his cock being wrapped, and looked down to see his cock in Mei's tits.

She started to tit fuck him, slowly. After an up and down for a few minutes, she started to put the head in her mouth.

"Oh, Mei, I'm going to cum again!" He came all over her tits and face.

"My my Naruto. You're such a dirty boy." She joked as she used her finger to lick Naruto's cum off her face and tits. "But you're having all the fun. And that simple won't do." She sat on his face. "Eat me out, Naruto!" She ordered, and Naruto complied. Naruto began eating Mei out like she was an all-you-can-eat ramen dish. "Oh God, Naruto!" She screamed instantly. Naruto was using his tongue to go deeper into her pussy. He mumbled something then.

"Fuck!"

After several minutes, she came down from her high. Only to find herself under Naruto.

He smiled down at her. "No one can pin down a Uzumaki for long, Mei," Naruto shoved his dick all the way in on the first go. Mei went cross-eyed as Naruto started to hammer her with no mercy. He had her arms pinned with his own and was sucking on her big tits. "OH GOD! OH GOD! OH NARUTO! I'M CUMMMMMMMMMMMMING!" Mei came again. Naruto just smiled. Mei looked tired.

"Done already, Mei? And here I thought that the lady Mizukage would have more stamina than just 2 rounds." Naruto taunted.

Mei smiled back. "Who said I'm done?”

Naruto rolled Mei onto her back and quickly removed her pants and underwear. He pushed them off the bed before rolling her onto her knees. Naruto grabbed the chain with one hand and his cock with the other. Slowly, he began to push into her, feeling her pussy yield to him.

Mei let out a low moan as her torso was held up and the blonde filled her pussy. “Oh, Kami, give it to me, Naruto.” She begged. She had never needed to be fucked like she needed to be now.

Naruto grabbed a hold of the chain a little tighter before his other hand went to Mei’s breast and began to molest it, groping and squeezing vigorously. Naruto then rolled his hips, working his cock in and out of her pussy to get used to the tightness. Slowly, he began to thrust instead of rolling his hips, working his cock deeper and deeper. He picked up the pace, though, quickly giving Mei what she wanted.

Mei gave a series of low moans when Naruto first started. Her eyes widened a bit as he felt him go deeper and start to go faster. It was slowly driving her insane; the pleasure was getting to be too much. She felt his hand leave her breast, and she actually whimpered until she felt the hand hit her ass. She cried out, arching her back and letting her nipples scrape the sheet as she continuously got pounded into.

Naruto gave a small grunt as he felt her tighten up from him slapping her ass. It slowed him down, but he quickly worked harder to make up for it. His hand drew back and slapped her ass again, making her cry out again and tighten up again. Naruto gritted his teeth as she tightened up a lot and cried out even louder. He must have brushed her G-spot. With a smirk, Naruto shifted his angle and began to shove against that spot over and over.

Mei’s eyes widened, and she fell forward. It was getting to be too much. She felt the coil of her orgasm tighten up, and she rolled her hips back to the blonde, unable to take having her G-spot hit over and over again. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, thank you, Naruto, thank you. Fuck me, fuck me good!” she cried out. Her cries became a scream as a body-wracking orgasm washed over her, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Naruto gave a low groan of pleasure, feeling her pussy tighten up on his cock. She was like a warm velvet vice, and he couldn’t stop himself. He came inside of her, filling her up with his cum and feeling it slide out against his shaft and his balls.

He rolled her onto her back and spread her legs, spreading her legs far apart to show off her flexibility before thrusting in, having Mei squeal. He pounded her hard as his cock was covered in her arousal. Her eyes rolled back before Naruto pulled out and moved her to her hands and knees, and pushed his cock against her puckered hole. “Are you going to be fucking my ass, Naruto?” Mei asked, watching Naruto stand up.

“Of course, Mei,” He rubbed the tip against her ass, getting prepared to penetrate her hole.

He rubbed Mei's thighs and ass cheeks, trying to relax the muscles. “Don’t tense.” He told her

Mei nodded, taking Naruto’s words to mind before she relaxed her body and felt him slowly fill her ass. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head at the pleasure, and she rolled her hips.

Naruto smirked when he heard her whimper. He grabbed her hips and slowly began to pump in and out of her. She whimpered again, much to Naruto’s delight, as he finally bottomed out inside her, filling her with his cock before Naruto began fucking her faster.

Mei began to breathe a little more raggedly as she felt the blonde fucking her ass. “Oh, Kami, yes… Give it to me, Naruto. Fuck my ass!”

Naruto reached down with one hand and rubbed Mei's clit, still thrusting into her ass. Mei began to pant, trying desperately to get more air into her system, but the fucking was leaving her breathless. She thrashed and squirmed, tightening up her inner muscles to try to make the blonde cum faster. She couldn’t even speak; it was too much effort. “Cumming!”

Naruto cam filling her bowels as she came, squirting on the bed as her eyes rolled back and her tongue lolled out.

-LEMON END-

Later.

Naruto panted as he lay on his bed, back against the headboard, as Mei moaned, with her head down and ass up. “When you catch your breath, you up for another round?” She stayed silent as Naruto swore he saw a heart in her eye. “I guess that’s a yes.” He chuckled before rubbing her ass, getting her to mewl.

To Be Continued.

Notes:

Thanks for reading, and let me know of any mistakes.

Beta: ANUBIS the god king.

Remember to vote in the poll on FF.Net if you haven't!

Again, sorry for how late this was, just hard to think up a date scenario and then a lemon that's on here.