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Naruto couldn't stop the tears that formed in his eyes at he stared at his friend. A haze of red covering his vision, the chakra of the Nine-Tails flowing all around him creating the outline of a miniature kyubi. One red tail swaying behind him as if affected by the wind. The sound of rushing water and a thousand birds chirping filled his ears. He looked at the person in front of him.
Sasuke, his closest friend, his rival had almost killed him. The new scar on his chest being a painful reminder that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
His best friend wanted to kill him.
The thought still hadn't fully registered as he stared at his friend. Perhaps it was just a horrible horrible nightmare that he would wake up from. Back to a world where his friend wasn't going to be used and killed by the snake Sannin.
Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts. Getting distracted and caught off guard was a prime way to find an early grave. Kakashi had taught him that, he had taught all of team 7 that. He held out out his right hand to prepare for the inevitable clash of jutsu. A dull buzz began as an uncountable number of purple spirals started to form. A sphere starting to take shape and grow as chakra span rapidly forming the Fourth Hokage's jutsu. It was his most powerful technique and Naruto was sure if he had used anything less he wouldn't survive. He looked at Sasuke, trying to get a read on him. Desperately hoping for some kind of hint of remorse or regret.
Anything.
Yet his face was perfectly blank. A level of apathy that Naruto hadn't ever seen on the avenger before. The power of the curse mark in full effect. Two webbed hands had sprouted out of his back. His left fist covered in silver lightning. Naruto grit his teeth and prepared for the inevitable.
The last Uchiha lunged at the Uzumaki. And under the threat of a lighting covered fist Naruto did the same.
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
The two attacks collided. A battle wills ensued as chakra and lightning flew everywhere. Pieces of rock flew in all different directions. Ever so slowly a black sphere started to come into existence as it slowly grew until it destroyed the waterfall and the statues below it. An explosion ensued that would no doubt be felt for miles and the world faded to black.
The last thing Naruto Uzumaki saw however was a tear of blood and a strange pinwheel pattern.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first thing Naruto felt when he woke up was pain.A lot of it pain.His chest feels like it’s on fire and every bone in his body aches. The feeling in his right arm was completely gone. A dull ringing fills his ears as cerulean blue eyes began to flutter open.The first thing Naruto sees is the sky. It was night and the stars shone brightly against the endless emptiness of space. Everything was relatively normal. There was just one teeny tiny little detail in the night sky that caught his eye. And so-"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE MOON, DETTEBAYO!"-were the first words out of his mouth.The moon was much bigger then he had remembered, at least 3 times bigger then normal yet that wasn't what stood out to him.The moon was shattered.Chunks of rock that previously belonged to the moon drifted away. While most of the moon seemed to be somewhat intact Naruto was pretty damn sure it wasn't supposed to look like that. Another oddity that he picked up was that the moon seemed to slowly get smaller. In fact, most of the sky seemed to be getting smaller while his view expanded. Almost like it was getting further away.Strange.And now that he thought about it further, his body did feel of weightless. He felt a constant pressure against his back, comparable to a low level wind jutsu. A moment passes without anything happening.Naruto turned around."FUCK!"A dense pine tree forest laid right below him getting ever closer as he continued to fall. His hands snap to his hip pouch to look for anything that could be of use. He swore again when he realizes it’s completely empty. Not a foot of ninja wire, a single kunai or shuriken. Naruto grit his teeth as he tried to think of a plan yet nothing came to mind.His chakra reserves where the lowest they had ever been, even after his fight with Gaara he had some chakra to spare. He didn't even have enough chakra for a rasengan. Clones were completely out of the question in this case. Splitting his chakra now while suffering from severe chakra exhaustion would instantly knock him out or could even kill him. Summoning a toad big enough would result in the exact same way. The kawarimi no jutsu and the Shunshin no jutsu that Kakashi-sensei had taught him wouldn't work since it required for the person to be completely still.Naruto swears loudly once more as his mind races for some kind of plan. Anything that would prevent him from dying. He looks at the ground once more.A minute.By the rate he was falling he only had a minute to think of something before he becomes nothing more then a red smear on the ground. Yet despite desperately trying to think of a plan he only reaches one conclusion.Naruto was an optimist at heart but he knows what was going to happen next. He had no chakra, no jutsu, no tools. A pit formed in his stomach as the odds of him surviving started to set in.He was actually going to die.The thought certainly wasn't unfamiliar to him or any real shinobi for that manner. Death was in the job description and he'd been close a handful of times before. Yet even with his fights with Gaara, Haku and Kabuto he was filled with hope and resolve. He would always pull one last trick when the odds seemed impossible. He feels tears from at the corner of his eyes and a lump grow in his throat.Not this time.He draws in a slow breath and closes his eyes. The wind rushing all around him as he fell. He idly wondered if they were going to write his name on that stone that sensei always visited. The villagers would probably celebrate but he found that he couldn't give a damn about what they thought.His throat eases as he thinks about his team. The closest thing to family he had ever gotten. Naruto feels himself plunge into a negative spiral. He'd failed them. Couldn't keep his word to Sakura and let his best friend be taken. Orochimaru might have been killed Sasuke. And that thought alone hurt more then any chidori could ever. He wouldn't ever see any of th-"Ow!"Naruto's eyes snapped opened and glared at what had smacked him in the face. It was a blue necklace, Tsunade's necklace.A memory flashes before his eyes.
"Just get out of the way Naruto!"

A kunai headed towards him. Yet he refused to move, he held out his hand instead and blood splattered against his face. Despite the pain that filled his hand he couldn't help but smile. He latched onto Kabutos fist and held on with an iron grip.

"Until I become Hokage I don't care what happens I'm not gonna die!"

Kabuto tried to move but it was too late. He held out his right hand and started to channel all the chakra he had. A dull thrum started to fill the air as his shadow clone began to compress the chakra. A full blown grin made his way onto his features.

"RASENGAN!"
Naruto's eyes go wide as he holds the necklace. The world around him quiets for a moment as he stares at his palm. His purpose.He still had to become Hokage. There was still so much he wanted to do, so much he had to do. His mind wanders to his pink haired teammate. He'd made a promise to her about bringing sasuke home and he never went back on his word. Besides, he can’t just die here, not after everything he'd been through. When he dies it was going to be in a blaze of glory, not like this. He rapidly wipes away his tears as he feels his determination soar. Naruto looks at the ground once more and came to the realization that he only had a few seconds left instead of the full minute. He feels his heart race.He knows only only one method that would save him now. Something extremely dangerous and that might just kill him instead of the fall.He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Concentrating, letting the world around him fade for just a moment. His hands clasp together as he forces his body to  mold chakra. Chakra was created with a mixture of spiritual and physical energy. Forcing the body to create physical energy when it didn't have any strained the body and put stress akin to that of the eighth gate technique. Forcing the body to create spiritual energy damaged chakra points as well as ran the risk for permanent mental damage. And messing up while forcing chakra could result in death.Overall none of these were worth the risk when soldier pills could do the same thing but hundreds of times better. But he doesn’t have a soldier pill and he needs chakra now.So with his eyes closed and hands clasped Naruto began. Each chakra point in his body strained as it went into overdrive. He grunted as he forces his body to create energy it simply didn't have. Naruto's body, which had already been damaged from his fight with Sasuke, began to deteriorate further. The pain in his chest feels unbearable and his exhaustion grew. The air itself starts to shimmer as wisps of blue energy circled around his body. It's potency palpable as it shone brightly against the midnight sky. Yet he didn't stop, he strained his chakra points as he forced them to produce more energy.Something inside him shifts.Blue chakra changes to a golden yellow and shines brighter then before. Wisps of golden energy began to take shape. The only thing that could have been comparable was activating his chakra for the first time. Energy that had laid dormant for so long seemed to spring to life. The now golden chakra pulses brightly for a second before it settles down.Chains.Ethereal golden chains sprout into existence all around him. Well, more accurately from him. His back, palms, soles of his feet and even his stomach sprout golden chains. The end of the chains having a sharp and deadly edge. It feels as if he had gained control of a new limb as each chain formed. Naruto quickly counted six in total. They moved in the air like snakes without any regard for the wind pushing against them.It was almost beautiful.Naruto looks at the ground once more and finds the tallest tree. He waits for the moment he gets close enough.700 meters away.500 meters away.300 meters away…
'Now!'
The chain from his left hand shoots forward at break neck speeds to the top of the tallest tree. It wraps itself around the top of the tall pine tree and Naruto pulls himself to it before he swung. His body swinging around the tree and hitting every branch. He feels new cuts open all over the front of his body. Although planned to help slow down his momentum each hit still hurt like hell. The fact that he had just gotten out of the hardest fight of his life certainly didn't help things.As he approaches the bottom Naruto retracted all chains back into his body and lets himself go. He does his best to roll and hits the ground at full force._________________________________________
Drip.
Naruto slowly regains consciousness and immediately wishes he didn't. A low painful moan escapes him. He slolwy  gets up despite his body's protests. A sharp pain from his chest completely stops him for a full minute. He's never been in such bad shape. There wasn't anything he couldn't heal from of course but this? It was going to take a while.
Drip.
He looks around and finally notices the shallow murky water that covered the floor. A sigh escapes his lips, he knew where he was. Ripples in the water turned to waves as the fox expressed his ire.
"JAILOR!"
Naruto slowly looks up and rows upon rows of iron bars filled his vision. Each the diameter of his waist. Each bar part of the worlds largest and most important cage. A pair of red eyes that elicit more fear than any Sharingan stare hatefully at him. Rows of teeth, much larger than he was, formed into a deep snarl. A growl filled the air, completely feral in nature and Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine. A thought passes through his mind.‘He seems angry’"WHAT DID YOU DO?!", each word emphasized and dripped with spite.Naruto wasn't ashamed in the slightest to admit that he was more then a bit terrified at the moment. The demon that had killed the greatest Hokage to ever live seemed more than a little upset with him. But fear and whatever self preservation instincts Naruto Uzumaki claimed to have fly straight out the window as anger started to quickly replace it. That fox was accusing him of doing something? A tick mark forms on his forehead and Naruto clenches his fist. So Naruto did what he did best, be loud as hell and annoy whoever he was talking to."I didn’t do anything you dumb fox!”The fox respondes with a yell of his own, much louder than Naruto’s could ever hope to be.
"WE ARE IN A COMPLETELY DIFFRENT DIMENSION YOU MORON!"
"I don’t know what the word dimension is but what I do know is that you’re the moron here!"Silence fills the sewer as the two glare at each other. The fox seems to be the first to relent let out a deep sigh. Naruto recoils slightly and furrows his eyes brows, the fox seems almost sad?
"What it means is that we're not in the Konoha or any hidden village anymore. We're in a completely different world from the one you know. Something happened during your fight with the Uchiha. We're stuck here and we can't go back."
Silence descended upon the sewer once more. He feels a certain numbness wash over him as he starts to think.A different world.The phrase seemed to reverberate in his mind. A different world?One with no Konoha? The same Konoha that he'd grown up all his life in. The one where his dream was. The Konoha were all his friends were. This wasn't true, this could not be true.It just couldn't. His hands shake without him noticing, a desperation slips into his voice."You're lying! You have to be lying!", his voice hitches but he yells all the same.A scoff escapes the Fox's mouth and its face contorts into an ugly sneer.
"If you want to keep lying to yourself, do as you please. I couldn't care less. I still have more to tell you."
Naruto listens to the Kyuubi but can’t help his body’s shaking. He tries to push  the horrible lie the Kyuubi had told him out of his head. 'It was just a lie, nothing more.'He repeats the line in his head. 
'It was just a lie, nothing more. The fox just wants to mess with me.'
The fox speaks to Naruto once more, noticing but caring very little for his jailers emotional state.
"I want you to touch the top of your head.”
Naruto processes to give such a deadpan expression he was sure Shikamaru would be proud. The giant fox lets out a low growl and Naruto gets the message. He raises a hand moves it towards the top of his head."Ya happ-"Naruto stops mid sentence, simply freezing. Instead of spiky golden hair at the top of his head he feels something else entirely.Honest to god ears on the top of his head. Naruto quickly looks down at the water to see his reflection. They were pointy and the same color as his hair as well. Naruto will forever deny that anything other than a manly scream of concern came out of his mouth. The tailed beast rolls it’s eyes and spoke again.
"There is one last thing we need to talk about before you go back to do whatever your kind does in it's free time."
Naruto mentally prepares himself for whatever was coming next before asking."What is it?""I'm going to train you.", the serious tone indicating there was not an ounce of trickery."Huh?”, is Naruto’s intelligent response.He can’t help but feel throughly confused, and the Kyuubi speaks again. 
"Your an idiot as well as a horrible ninja-
An indignant cry is promptly ignored by the fox as he continued to speak.
"-and because your an idiot you're easy to kill. I am unsure of this new world and its dangers, so I will train you as there is no else too.” 
He immediately tuned out the foxes words about a new world and began to think. His first impulse was to instantly agree, learning new Justus and training had always excited him but he was also a shinobi. A ninja trained under Kakashi, he had to always look underneath the underneath. But he couldn’t see how the Kyuubi could benefit from this. He thought for a moment before speaking. A small grin of excitement on his face.”Alright, when do we start?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Naruto wasn’t sure what he was expecting when the Kyubbi had said he was going to train him but it certainly wasn't this.

”So you want me to cut a leaf with my imagination?”, disbelief and confusion laced in his every word.

Twenty five blonds stare dumbly at the leaf in their palms and one Bijuu smacks his forehead.

It had been six days since Naruto Uzumaki had fallen straight out of the sky. His body had taken the beating of a lifetime and needed ample time to heal. So the first and second day were spent unconscious with his body working furiously to repair itself. The third day was when he had woken up.

Waking up could only be described as absolute hell by the blond. He'd found himself in the middle of the forest lying in a pool of his own blood. With every part of his body hurting and soreness in his muscles.

He laid on his back in the forest for a good half an hour before mustering up the will to even move. All shinobi were taught basic survival training so he got to work, instinct more than anything taking over. Catching some fish, starting up a small fire to cook them and keep him warm when night came. The small fire and cooked fish reminded him of the old man hokage which brought a small smile to his face. Despite its overwhelming blandness, the fish had been good.

It was no ramen though.

The biggest thing that had happened that day however was the Nine-Tails had suddenly started speaking in his head. Naruto thought he was going insane until the voice called him a 'stupid sack of flesh' that he'd realized exactly who it was.

The Kyuubi warned him from using any jutsu that day since his chakra network was severely damaged and his reserves were dangerously low. He'd spent the rest of the day fidgeting with the new fox ears on the top of his head for over an hour with childlike fascination in the meantime. The rest of the day passed by in a blur and he quickly got ready to sleep. He found no comfort in sleep however.

The events of the Valley of the End, almost falling to his death replayed in his mind throughout the night. It hadn’t been as prominent when he had woken up because he had been distracting himself with tasks but in the middle of the night there was nothing else but him and his thoughts. He briefly thought of the lie that the Kyuubi had told the day he fell out of the sky. He dismisses it near instantly.

It just couldn't be true.

When sleep finally did come his dreams were filled with the sound of a thousand birds chirping and wind rushing all around him. Images of sparks flying everywhere and the ground rapidly approaching indicating his inevitable demise. The feeling of utter helplessness and despair.

The fourth day began with him waking up in a cold sweat. The image of a chidori heading straight at him burned into his mind.

After a few moments the Kyuubi made itself known and told him that his chakra reserves were at a little over a third of their total capacity. Despite this, he’d told him to rest. So the fourth day went much like the third and Naruto started to really hate the nighttime.

It was the day after that he was finally capable of using chakra. His chakra control had been messed up severely. So he began chakra control exercises. It had taken a couple of minutes to do the water walking exercise but everything else went well.

The next day was when training truly began. The Kyuubi woke him up the moment the sun rose. Making him do the water walking exercise and the leaf sticking exercise at the same time for around an hour. He had fallen into the lake more times than he could count. And every time he did he could swear he heard the old fox laugh his ass off.

‘Sadistic bastard.’

The Kyuubi had then ordered him to create twenty clones, take some leaves, place them between his hands and cut them with his mind!

The fox swiftly corrects him, “No, what I’m telling you to do is to cut the leaf between your palms with only chakra given your chakra nature is wind, this is a good place to get started on your affinity.”

Naruto feels his confusion grow, sincere unfamiliarity with the terms being thrown around.

“What is a ‘chakra nature’ and an ‘affinity’?”

Silence fills the air as the Bijuu sighs.

“Did you ever pay attention to class, Naruto?”, frustration apparent in his voice.

Naruto huffs, ”Not my fault they made the classes so boring, dettebayo!”

A sigh was heard as the fox feared by entire nations was relegated to an academy teacher to the world's biggest idiot.

“There are five basic chakra natures that anyone can use or master. They are each strong and weak against each other. Wind beats lightning, but fire beats wind. You have two affiliates but they aren't equal. Your strongest affinity, the one which will come easiest to you is wind. Humans use wind chakra in many ways to make themselves less…”

The Kyuubi takes a slight pause, looking for the right words.

“… overwhelmingly pathetic.”

Naruto feels a spike of annoyance but he holds himself from interrupting.

”Some wind attacks can be used defensively to block projectiles and large scale wind attacks can cut down anything. I once saw a wind dragon in the warring states era that shredded through over a hundred shinobi in just a few seconds. It was very fun to watch until that damn tree hugger of yours came and ruined it. He really does ruin everything.”,  the foxes' own annoyance dripping through.

However Naruto pays no mind, his mind races at the thought of mastering wind chakra. A tinge of excitement courses through him as well.

Mastering it would make him much stronger. Plus he had two chakra nature affinities! But as much as all of that sounded great Naruto couldn’t help but obsess over a seemingly small detail. Wind beats lightning! With his new weird glowing chain powers and mastering his wind affinity there was no way he wouldn’t get Sasuke back. He promised Sakura that he would get Sasuke back and Naruto Uzumaki didn’t go back on his word. All he had to do was master wind chakra…

His mind goes blank for a moment. How the hell would he master wind chakra?

“I can tell what you're thinking, dumbass and I was just getting to that.”

Naruto feels his spirits soar despite the insult. He was going to master this wind chakra thing and bring the bastard back home! The Kyuubi rolls its eyes at the blonds obvious excitement but continues anyway.

”To start off channel a bit of chakra into your hands, around the same amount that you use to walk on water.”

Following instructions clones quickly take leaves from a tree before putting them between their palms. Naruto takes a deep breath before channeling a small amount of chakra into his palm. He slowly focuses until all the chakra in his hands was aimed towards the leaf in his hands.

“This could take you days or even weeks as it takes some serious control. Wind chakra is often described as swift, unpredictable, wild and above all else sharp. As opposed to fire users superheating their chakra to create fire. Wind users force there chakra to thin and become sharp. If you manage to cut this leaf in half then it will show that you’ve managed to create a form of wind chakra. After that we’ll move onto cutting wood then rocks and only then will I teach you jutsu.”

Naruto nods in understanding but still has one last question.

”Why did you make me waste my chakra on some clones then?”

The fox resists the urge to bang his head against the bars if only barely.

”I’m not sure how but somehow you managed to gloss over one of the reasons the shadow clone jutsu is so special. Each clone has its own experiences until it ‘pops’ as you say. The memories and experiences that clone come back to the original. We’re using them for training so that something that would usually take months only takes a week or two.”

Naruto nods rapidly and his face takes on a serious expression. 'I'm gonna master this in no time!'

He looks at the leaf in his hands before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He searched inside himself and almost instantly finds what he was looking for.

Chakra.

It was potent and saturates every part of his body. Chakra flows through every vein and was just waiting to be released, practically rolling off of him. He slowly lets some flow towards his hands. Less than a year ago his chakra control had been horrible. But almost a year of training under Kakashi-sensei had helped him immensely. The Copy-nin wasn’t one to accept mediocrity and made him train chakra control every day.

He feels some chakra rush to his hand but held most of it back. A soft blue glow starts  to emit from his hands. Although good, it wasn't good enough.

He was emitting chakra and keeping a steady stream of it but he wasn’t channeling it properly. He focuses all of the energy to a single point in his hands.

The leaf.

It was an admittedly a slow process, letting out a grunt of effort but it was done after just a minute.

A deep voice startles him and nearly disrupts his concentration. ”Good enough. Now thin your chakra into a completely straight line. This is how you make chakra sharp. Having a mental picture of a sharp object usually helps. Once you succeed there should be a cut in the leaf.”

Naruto nods and lets a grin make its way onto his face. Cutting a single leaf? Easy. How hard could it be after all?

Unbeknownst to the blond a grin made its way onto the fox's face as well. A much more sadistic in nature.

_________________________________________

Naruto Uzumaki collapses to the ground as he sucks in greedy breaths of air. The grass softened his fall as he fell like a puppet with its strings cut. After hours of training he's come to one conclusion. 'Whoever made this leaf cutting thing is the worst!'

A small comment is left unheard, “Madara made it so I guess you aren’t too far off.”

It sounded so easy! What an idiot he had been. Five hours later and his clones had all dispelled themselves in sheer frustration and honestly Naruto can’t blame them.

The exercise required the user to sharpen their chakra to create wind chakra which would cut the leaf. Problem was the way wind chakra behaved. Wind was just too wild, unpredictable and swift to be controlled so easily.

Channeling his chakra into the thinnest line possible? Not too hard, it took him an hour.

Making his chakra move quickly across to mimic the cutting motion of a sword? Hard but not impossible.

Creating a steady stream of chakra to his hands for hours on end! Consider it done!

But doing those all at once? Impossible! He’d come so close to cutting the leaf but something always went wrong. His chakra control would waver for just a second and then he would have to start all over again.

Naruto knows he has inhumane levels of stamina but not only was his body exhausted but his mind as well. He had trained the equivalent of 5 days straight mentally in less than a day! Yet after all that effort he hadn’t been able to make a single cut on the damn leaf.

Not a single damn cut.

He glares at the leaf and started to unconsciously produce trace amounts of killing intent. An absolutely murderous feeling fills him as he goes through days worth of Wind Chakra training in his mind.

‘Naruto seems really mad’ a giant fox noted as he falls asleep.

He slowly gets up from the ground and his chakra flares with strength. Wisps of blue power started to make a circle as Naruto stood. He holds out his right hand and a clone appeared. Swirls of blue chakra started to spin in his hand at impossible speeds. A sphere growing in size as a dull hum filled the air. The tell tale sound of a Rasengan being completed fills his ears.

His eyes home in on his mortal enemy, “DIE!”

The ground explodes under the pressure of such a powerful jutsu as debris goes everywhere. Maybe he was being a bit childish, but Naruto didn’t particularly care at the moment. The dust settled down for a moment and all that remained was a meter wide crater.

A single leaf was slowly falling down in front of him.

"What is this leaf made out of?"

Naruto glares at the stupid leaf which had caused him so much trouble. He misses the sound of footsteps behind him.

A deep growl fills the air.

He feels a sharp stabbing sensation fill the back of his head as his sixth sense practically screams.

’MOVE!’

He spreads out his senses towards the trees before forming a single hand seal in less than a blink of an eye. Yet the blond didn’t appear to move, not even an inch. A pair of claws viciously tore through him splattering the ground red with blood and what were once vital organs. The claws sank deep into the blond.

A puff of smoke.

Claws which previously tore through flesh now tore through wood. Naruto watches wide eyed. At first he thinks it might be a bear, maybe even a wolf. Yet that wasn’t close to reality. Naruto has heard of the word monster before, even been called it at times but it perfectly describes what attacked him.

Bones jut out everywhere, instead of them being on the inside of the body they cover it’s skin. The skull was outside of its head forming a type of mask with red markings. The rest of the body was covered with black fur. Standing awkwardly on its hind legs imitating that of a human. Pairs of teeth that can only be described as knives make themselves known quickly as well. More come out of the forest Naruto feels his heart race. Soulless red eyes glow and look around for a moment before settling on him.

Naruto always describes himself as fearless in the face of death. Someone brave that could be depended on when things got tough. The traits of a future Hokage. He was a shinobi, a damn good one at that but he was still only twelve years old and completely alone in the face of a group of monsters. Fear runs through his blood and he can hear his heart pounding.

He knows what they’ll do if they get too close.

A growl is heard and Naruto cringes. It was such a guttural sound similar to the Kyuubi’s except it was right in front of him. Naruto feels his breathing pick up as he stares at the creature. It seems to stare right back for a while before its legs shift slightly.

It lunges at him in a blur.

Naruto freezes for only a second but it's enough. He moves too late to completely avoid the attack.

Its claws tear through fabric just barely scratching the sides of his torso. It's not a deep cut yet blood spills out all the same. Naruto hisses in pain. The left side of his orange jacket dawns a new color. The wound began to rapidly repair itself  but the damage was already done. Another creature rushes him and Naruto isn't one to make the same mistake twice.

His knees bend slightly before he jumps to the highest tree in the vicinity. Claws swipe at nothing but air. Naruto doesn't even think twice of his next move, he wasn’t in any condition to fight.

He runs and the monsters chase.

He jumps from tree to tree with practiced ease as he attempts to just get away from whatever the hell those things are. But with each jump, each step he takes he hears the sound of branches being torn, wood being shattered. He begins to think about his situation.

He was tired. Training wind chakra for hours has exhausted him greatly. He wasn't even going half as fast as he was capable of. A pit forms  in his stomach as a thought comes to mind. He does one particularly strong jump before taking a glance behind him midair.

His suspicions turn out to be true.

There were around a dozen chasing him, each determined to make him their next lunch but to Naruto that isn't important. He's figured out something much worse.

They were faster than him.

Not by much but they were, given enough time they would eventually catch up to him and fighting would be inevitable. Naruto tenses slightly, preparing himself. He was going to have to fight them. Either kill them or hurt them enough to back off. He doubts the second option would happen under any circumstances.

Naruto glances down at Tsunade’s necklace. He can’t doubt himself, can’t hesitate, freeze or he would surely die. He recalls the words that he said when he first froze in the land of waves.

‘I’m not gonna run away. I never go back on my word! That’s my nindo, my ninja way.’

He lets a smile make its way into his face, it Tsunade’s necklace has been helping him a lot these days. Naruto makes a mental note to thank the old lady when he gets back home.

He jumps towards the highest tree he could before turning around towards his attackers. Resolve fills him, replacing any trace of fear.

Boned claws come barreling towards him and Naruto jumps to a nearby tree, swiftly dodging. His hands come together to form a familiar cross.

”Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Puffs of smoke covered the forest and dozens of clones came to existence, perching on the trees. Most immediately launch themselves at the monsters landing a good punch or two before being forcefully dispelled. Each death producing more smoke which covers the area like a thick fog. Naruto holds out his right hand and calls his chakra.

The clone he held back begins to compress the chakra in his hand as a blue sphere starts to form. Once the smoke lifts he searches for the closest enemy and rushes with his hand jutted forward.

”RASENGAN!”

The Yondaime’s jutsu grinds through exposed bone tearing like a drill. He lets it disperse after a while causing the monster to fly away and... disintegrate? Naruto feels confused at the effect his Rasengan has but refocuses on the fight.

1 down.

Three of them lunge all at once forcing Naruto to duck while quickly forming a tiger seal. He covers entire body in chakra, focusing on his legs and his vision turns to a blur.

A swirl of leaves.

They all swipe at each other instead and slam together. Despite avoiding the fatal attack with the shunshin he wasn't safe. The moment he reappears another attacks him almost immediately after. He ducks and enchanted some chakra into his fist before giving the most brutal uppercut of his life. The monster flew into the air, the force of his punch counteracting gravity for a moment. However it wasn’t enough.

’No matter how hard I punch or kick they aren’t going to die.’

Naruto decides he needs a plan to get rid of them quickly. He has a lot of stamina but after training for hours it had been reduced.

Naruto starts to think as he dodges, flowing between attacks like water. Making a clone to create a Rasengan each time to take them out was time consuming and ris-

A puff of smoke as another log was torn to shreds.

-ky. He doesn’t have any kunai or shuriken to stab or throw with. So he would have-

The spot he had previously been standing on was destroyed as he narrowly sidestepps the monster's razor sharp teeth.

-to improvise. The glowy chains that he had sprouted while falling was the only thing he could think of at his disposal that could really kill these things. There was just one probl-

A backflip and Naruto defies gravity by hanging upside down by the soles of his feet.

-em. He has absolutely no idea how to summon them on command. The first time was a welcome surprise as well as a complete accident. He thinks back to how they had first appeared.

The feeling of wind rushing all around and drawing as much chakra as he could. Maybe if he saturates his body with enough chakra his weird chain powers would appear again?

He decides to take the riskt. Monsters rush him but he forms a hand seal just as quickly. A swirl of leaves and he was gone once more. He temporarily hides behind a tree to provide concealment while he gathers chakra. It would only keep hidden for a short amount of time but it would be enough.

Naruto clasps his hands together forming a snake seal before beginning the process of gathering chakra.

The air around him shimmers as his body begins to emit a bright blue light. The ground bends slightly under the pressure. He strains his chakra point, he feels it. Something brushing against the tips of his fingers. Naruto channels more chakra and his body shone brighter than before. Chakra rushes through every point in his body.

Chains begin to form.

Although not as big or as many as the first time golden chains began to sprout from both his palms. They fell to the ground yet felt weightless. Naruto turns around and sees that 2 of the monsters were once again rushing at him. He wills the chains to move and they blur into motion.

The monsters were fast but not fast enough. The tips of the chains pierce through black fur. It goes completely through its neck and goes out the other side. He wraps the golden chain around his hand before pulling back. The two monsters collapse with a thud.

3 down.

Naruto steals his nerves before running towards the rest. Once he’s close enough he slides right under one. He quickly turns around as he slows down before he jumps on its back. Careful not to hurt himself by the bones that were sticking out like spikes. He channels chakra to the soles of his feet to stick on as he stands on what could be considered as its shoulders.

Chains extend once more and Naruto grabs the end of the chakra construct before wrapping it around the neck of the monster. He pulls with all of his strength.

A screech was cut off as the head and body were separated. Naruto feels nauseous but moves forward anyways

He jumps off the monster's back and sees another claw swinging towards him. The blond acts on instinct and shot forward a golden chain from his right hand that wrapped itself around the claw. The beast roars, violently tugging back at the chain. Promptly sending Naruto flying towards its mouth.

Rows of razor sharp teeth fill his vision and Naruto just acts.

In a state of utter panic he holds out his left hand and rushes through the steps of the Rasengan. Swirls of blue chakra start to rotate at impossible speeds. He pushes as much chakra as he can into the growing sphere. The next step would be keeping its shape and containing the chakra which he needs a shadow clone for.

He doesn't have one.

The sphere explodes in a blinding flash of white and a loud ringing sound fills his ears. Everything in a ten meter radius was violently pushed back. The monster in front of the Rasengan began to disintegrate and Naruto was sent flying. His back slamming against a tree at full force. He feels a few of his bones crack but he grits his teeth. He quickly adjusted himself and got back on his feet. To stay still for a couple seconds would mean death. He observes the monsters before grunting.

5 down.

Naruto steadies himself before forming a cross symbol as they rush towards him once again.

“Kage Bushin no Jutsu!” He feels the start of a grin forming.

Two puffs of smoke signal the creation of clones. Two clones hold out their hands and chakra flares to life. Naruto helps contain the chakra but not complete the Rasengan.

The two clones make a few half hand seals before shouting out the most awesome name of any technique ever created. Sources being himself.

“Dual Orange Uzumaki Teleporting Rasengan Exploding Clones!”, a technique he created himself.

It had come to him one day when he tried the body flicker technique while holding a Rasengan. The Rasengan immediately destabilized before exploding right in his face when Shunshin ended. But it had also done a lot of damage to the surrounding area. So Naruto tested out with a clone further.

Kakashi-sensei had told him to ‘just use explosive tags Naruto’ but he ignored him. Kakashi-sensei was probably just jealous.

Two clones disappear in a swirl of leaves before reappearing right next to 4 monsters. The ground shakes. The monsters were pulverized in a few moments. The resulting explosion left two large craters in the ground signaling where the clones had gone.

9 down.

Naruto summons a single clone with a cross symbol. He looks at the remaining monsters for a second before exchanging a nod with his clone. Chakra flows into his legs.

He shouts,”Now!”

Naruto and his clone burst into action. Blitzing the monsters with all of his remaining strength he appears nothing more than a yellow flash. Each Naruto got in between two monsters before extending their chains pointing at each of their heads. Soon enough the rattling of chains was heard as the four remaining monsters fell over before beginning to disintegrate. He let golden chains retract back into his body. The clone dispelled as it used up the last of its chakra. Naruto raises both hands above his head shakily before giving a victory sign.

”Didn’t even break a sweat!”

He lets out a weak chuckle as exhaustion starts to set in. His everything hurts and breathing was really difficult at the moment. He walks over to a tree before resting against it. The jacket that he had been wearing wasn’t in the best condition he duly notes. With a hole right through it, claw marks on the side of it and covered in blood.

Naruto takes a look at the disintegrating formsin front of him.

‘How the hell am I gonna explain this to the Hokage? Would anyone even believe me?’

A pause as the blond thinks about telling the Hokage about pitch black monsters with massive claws, razor sharp teeth and with bones outside instead of in. They would probably send him to a Yamanaka for a sanity check. Naruto shakes his head and dispels the thought.

’I’ll worry about it when I get back home.’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rays of sunlight slipped through leaves hitting blades of grass. Tall pine trees towered over the surrounding area as a man walked through the forest. The sound of leaves crunching filled the air with every step he took. A small sigh escaped him as he felt a tiny part of himself die of sheer boredom. He felt his mind wandering as he continued his journey home.

It had been a perfectly normal day for Qrow Branwen. He had been assigned a mission to aid a small village in the outskirts of Vale. The village itself was only a few years old and lacked any real capable fighters yet it survived throughout the years due to the areas geography. The town rested atop a large hill making it easy for the people to shoot Grimm down from above compensating for the lack of skilled fighters. The small town had thrived compared to other settlements and it was relatively safe.

At least it was until a couple of days ago.

Grimm activity had spiked dramatically in the area for reasons unknown. Hordes upon hordes of Grimm came out of nowhere and attacked the village. Even with the geological advantage it became clear that it was too much for the town to handle on their own. So after a few days of nonstop Grimm attacks they had requested help from an experienced Huntsman. So Ozpin had sent him.

When he first arrived the town had been on the verge of being overrun. Grimm surrounding all sides eager to kill the town’s inhabitants. So Qrow quickly pulled out his scythe, Harbinger and went to work. Droves of Grimm were cut down and shot with ease by the veteran Huntsman. With the aid of an actual Huntsman the town was able to regain control quickly. He then went on to clear the Grimm in the surrounding area just to be safe. The mission had gone perfectly expect for one thing. When he landed the Grimm swarmed him and destroyed the Bullhead he used to get there.
So instead of leaving right away he rested in the town for a few days because (they gave him free drinks) he had been extremely tired. Finally after a few days he hit the road and started his journey home.
Walking.
Traversing through the forest on foot was more of an inconvenience then anything. And as he quickly found out was also boring as hell.  Other then the occasional Grimm there really wasn’t anything interesting, just an endless sea of green. ‘ Maybe I can use my scroll? ’ he idly thought.
His left hand moved to the right side of his chest, slipping under black cloth and pulling out a scroll. It was one of the older models but it worked and that’s all he cared about. He clicked the power button.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.
“Damn it, I knew I should have charged this stupid thing.”
With a sigh he shoved his scroll into his pocket before continuing his walk. He resigned himself to the most boring walk of the century. He idly took note of his surrounding. Pine trees that towered over him and blocked out most of the sunlight. The sound of the birds chirping and rushing water near by. The smell of the air itself as he took a deep breath. Even the feeling of a light breeze that gently hit his skin.
It was kinda peaceful now that he thought about it. ‘Maybe this isn’t so bad. I could actually enjoy th- ‘
A flash of light and a deafening boom.

Aura flared and quickly covered his entire body before a shock wave rocked the forest. The ground shook violently like an earthquake had just hit. Trees were pushed back and a wave of debris flew everywhere. He quickly raised his arms in an X formation to cover his face. He grunted as he felt a few branches hit him. Aura prevented it from actually doing any damage but it still stung. The wind rushed through his hair disheveling it slightly before it calmed down.

He waited a moment before lowering his arms. A pillar of smoke rose into the sky signaling where the explosion had come from. He let out the third sigh of the day.

“Just my luck.”

His right hand swiftly moved to his back and pulled out his weapon, Harbinger. The weapon currently in its sword form as clean steel seemed to almost glow under the sunlight. With his weapon in hand he began to approach the origin of the explosion. He calmed his breathing and silenced his steps as he got closer. He felt his heartbeat pick up slightly as he got closer to the smoke. His grip on his weapon got tighter as he stood only 30 meters from where the explosion had come from and his body tensed ready to move at the drop of a hat. There was a clearing in the forest revealing what had caused the explosion.

He felt his jaw drop and his eyes bulge.
Now Qrow Branwen was prepared to find a lot of things. A lot of things. Someone doing things with dust they shouldn’t, a fight, a very destructive semblance or maybe even just some crazy guy playing around with explosives.What he wasn’t prepared for was a kid .
In the middle of the clearing sat on the grass looking down was a boy. He couldn’t have been older than 12 judging by the boys height. With spiky golden hair that reminded him of Yang. A pair of fox ears on the top his head and three whisker marks on his face making it clear to anyone the boy was a fox faunus. He wore a blue headband with a metal plate on the front with a symbol he couldn’t quite make out. The boy also seemed to have looked for the brightest and ugliest orange jacket he found and put it on with a pair of orange pants to match. He slowly put away Harbinger as he continued to look the boy over.
He noticed there was a hole in his jacket and shirt which made him pause momentarily. The size of a fist and that came out both ends. ‘It looks like…’.  He immediately shook his head and chastised himself. Anyone who had been injured like  that  would be dead. There was no way anyone or anything could survive from such an injury and it was crazy to even entertain the idea. 
Qrow looked at the boys hands and froze completely. The kid seemed to be ’drawing’ indecipherable lines, circles and symbols on a piece of cloth from his jacket. Now this by itself wouldn’t have elicited such a reaction from the hunter but it was how he was doing it. 
The kid was writing with his own blood.
”What the fuck?”

The ears on top of the blonds head twitched and the boy looked at the source of the sound. Blue eyes met red and for a moment nothing happened. Qrow saw the boys face shift through emotions.

Alarm.

The kids eyes moved to his weapon and grabbed the bloody piece of cloth he had been writing on.

Anticipation.

Then his eyes widened and seemed to snap back to his red eyes.

Recognition. 
He jumped on his feet and pointed one bloody finger accusingly at him.
”Naze anata wa Sasuke no bukimina me o shite iru nodesu ka!”
Qrow blinked at the absolute gibberish that had just come out of the kids mouth. An accusatory finger inches away from his face like he was the one doing something wrong. The blond menace was full on glaring at him and Qrow, for the first time in a long time, was lost for words. Some blond kid setting off explosives in the middle of the forest while writing with his own blood and speaking gibberish was accusing him of doing something wrong?
”Nope. Not nearly drunk enough for any of this.”
His left hands swiftly moved to his flask to fix his problem. He idly noted that the kid physically recoiled when he spoke and seemed to furrow his eyebrows as well as follow his hand movements. ‘Guess he doesn’t understand me either’.  He took a long drink out of his flask while keeping his eyes on the kid the whole time. The boy stared confusingly at his forehead like it missed something.
The boy didn’t appear to have any weapons on him at all. Not one gun, speck of dust or even knife on him. After drinking what he deemed ‘enough’ for the current situation he put the flask back in its place.

He raised his right hand up to his chest before pointing at himself.

”Qrow. Qrow Branwen.”

The boy seemed to understand what he meant but also appeared to be confused. Like that wasn’t the name he expected to hear from him. The bloody finger lowers as the boy scans his face once more.

Particularly his eyes.

A realization occurred before his eyes as the boy blushes and sheepishly rubs the back of his head. A nervous tick that he’d seen Ruby do from time to time.

”Gomen! Uchi wada to omotteta.”

Now Qrow didn’t have the slightest clue what was just said but judging by the tone, facial expression and body language he’s pretty damn sure that’s an apology. So he just nods and waves it off. His right hand points at himself once more.

”Qrow. Qrow Branwen.”

Before pointing at the blond. The kid seems to light up like some kind of fucking Christmas tree before the biggest grin Qrow has ever seen took place on the boys face. He raised his left hand and points his thumb to his chest. Apparently not taking any notice that his bloody hand stained his jacket.

”Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!”

Qrow isn’t sure how the kid makes it sound like his name is some kind of statement and a promise at the same time he manages it. He takes a glance at Naruto’s hands once more. The right hand still clutching a piece of bloody cloth and the other was covered in blood. He feels his confusion grow. All things considered the kid doesn’t look crazy or anything and other then speaking some language he’d never heard of the boys is completely normal.

So why the fuck is he writing with his own blood?

The now identified Naruto apparently was more observant then he seemed and noticed him staring at his hands. The boy, instead of doing the normal thing and maybe trying to wipe the blood off his hands or maybe even hide them, shoved them into face and presented the cloth like it’s some kind of trophy to be proud of.

“Fūinjutsu! Bakuhatsu tagu tsukurimashita!”

The smile Naruto gives him makes him pause. It just felt so out of place that it was a bit disorienting. The boy tilts his head slightly before opening his mouth once more.

”Nani o miru?”

The boy practically vibrates in excitement as he waits for a response and Qrow doesn’t have the heart to say no. So he nods his head as if he understood anything of what had just been said and the boy takes off. A yellow blur goes to the nearest tree before jumping surprisingly high and taking a branch right off.

He proceeds to wrap the cloth around the stick before putting his fingers on a spiral on the cloth. Qrow watches as Naruto shuts his eyes in concentration and scrunches up his nose. One by one each finger starts to glow ever so slightly. Like a miniature blue fire at each finger tip. 
The cloth started to produce sparks and the end set on fire. Like a firework being set off, a fizzling sound fills the air and Qrow watches in mild interests. ‘ He can set small fires? Not a bad semblance but nothing special.’
Then Naruto threw it.

The stick flew through the air as the cloth started to completely disintegrate and Naruto turned back to look at him. The boy grins at him, watches his reaction and covered both his ears. Qrow feels his confusion grow for a moment before realization sets in. He summons every last bit of aura he can in a second and quickly covers his ears. His eyes follow the stick and watched as the last piece of fizzles out.
The sky positively burned.
He felt himself getting pushed back by the shockwave but stayed in place. His feet planted firmly on the ground as tremors rock his entire body. His aura prevented any actual damage but it didn’t stop the overwhelming heat that flooded him for a moment. A second pillar of smoke rose into the sky as the effects of the explosion faded and Qrow let his Aura drop. He uncovered his ears and took a glance at Naruto.

The boy in question was grinning like a loon and beamed with pride at the explosion he had just set off. His hair somehow even messier then before but otherwise completely fine.

Naruto Uzumaki was troublesome as hell.
Qrow took a very long drink from his flask before he began to think about what to do next. ‘I can’t just leave a kid setting off explosives and writing with his own blood alone in the middle of the forest.’. He was huntsman after all and that just wasn’t his style. Plus the boy was Ruby’s age and Grimm were sure to come soon. He took a deep breath and sighed before uttering his next words.”C’mon kid. You’re coming with me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A boy walks through the Grimm infested forest with his hands behind his head. Eyes closed and posture completely relaxed as he walked without a care in the world. A clear sign of complete faith in his ability to defend himself from monsters of darkness… or a sign of utter stupidity.
Right next of the questionably intelligent boy and leading him was a man. Or as Naruto had come to know him.
Qrow Branwen.
Qrow stood at just over 6 feet tall with grey clothes covering most of his frame and black pants that covered his legs. A crimson red cape hung off his shoulders that waved behind him whenever the wind picked up.
Now Naruto thought a lot of things about Qrow. Mostly that he was a bit weird. No, that didn't do it justice. Qrow was the weirdest person he'd ever met-
A memory of a man in a green jumpsuit and a blinding smile...
Qrow was the second weirdest person he's ever met. Everything about him was just strange. Even the way he met him was weird!
It had been his ninth day in the forest and wind chakra training had been moving painfully slow. He had managed to make a small cut on the leaf but it still wasn't enough. There was also the problem of monsters constantly attacking him during training. They never came alone, attacking with the ferocity that only an animal could. Uncaring of whatever happened as long as it's meal ended up dead. A mixture of clones, Rasengan and chakra chains held them off but it was getting a bit too close for comfort in the blonds opinion.
It was beginning to become a real problem and Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit worried. No matter how many he killed a wave of them would always come hours later and with more. It was just so unnerving to the blond. He really hoped his mind was playing tricks on him because he was starting to notice they were getting larger.
The Kyuubi had noticed all of this, put a temporarily pause to wind chakra training and 'offered' to teach him some Fūinjutsu instead. Specifically paper bombs.
The process itself was a relatively simple yet had a rather large margin for error. The kanji for 'explode' in the middle with semicircles surrounding and a myriad of other symbols connected to it. If he drew so much as one extra line... at best it just wouldn't do anything, at worst it would blow up in his face. The Kyuubi had told him to use the cloth from his jacket for paper and his own blood for ink. He'd been more than a bit hesitant at first but had eventually gone through with it when he'd been called a coward.
Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a coward dammit!
So with that he made a small cut on the tip of his index finger, tore off a piece of his already ripped jacket and started to write. Letting the smallest amount of chakra he could manage flow towards his fingertips.
Naruto had expected a lot of things when the fox gave him instructions on how to write Fūinjutsu. He knew he wasn't the smartest or most talented by a long shot. He'd failed the academy 3 times before graduating. He hadn't really expected to get Fūinjutsu at all and just go back to wind chakra training.

So imagine his surprise when he'd gotten it prefect first try. 

Writing every symbol, line and kanji felt so utterly natural. Like assembling a puzzle he had already done before. The ease at which he'd done it was surprising to the blond. Him, Naruto Uzumaki, the dead last was talented at something! In all his excitement... he accidentally activated the paper bomb in his hand.
After almost dying in the lamest way possible, getting laughed at relentless by the fox and getting his ears to stop ringing he immediately tried again.
Then out of nowhere he saw Qrow. Well more accurately, he heard him.
Being an actual shinobi, one trained under Kakashi freaking Hatake, the first thing he noticed about the man was his sword. Four feet of steel that seemed heavier than he was and memories of a certain demon in wave had immediately put the blond on alert. His hands snapped to the explosive tag just to be safe and he immediately drew on his chakra in preparation for a fight. His history with swordsman wasn't the best and he really didn't expect this to be any different.
His eyes had gone upwards to look at the man's forehead in search for a headband but got distracted halfway. Because the man had eyes, blood red eyes that Naruto would never forget. He had immediately asked the man in the most polite way he could muster 'What the fuck are you doing with sasukes freaky eyes, asshole?'. It was then that Naruto learned three very important things about the man in front of him.
His name was Qrow Branwen, he was a damn drunk and couldn't speak.
At first Naruto had thought he was just some kind of moron but Qrow spoke a completely different language. It was so strange and unlike anything he'd ever heard.
It was just so weird, almost alien in a sense.

"It's a different world, obviously it's going to have be weird to us."

A familiar low grumble broke Naruto out of his thoughts while also managing to earn his annoyance. The corners of his mouth sunk into a small scowl.
"I'm not in a different world you dumb fleabag."
The condescending scoff that followed only served to annoy Naruto further.

”If you say so."

A roll of the eyes was made by both fox and unknowing fanuas. Naruto refused to keep continue talking with the idiot, the Kyuubi could have the last word but he would laugh at the dumb fox when he reached Konoha.
Naruto took a glance towards at Qrow, the man he'd been following for the past hour and paused for a second.

'Was Qrow taking him to Konoha?'

He thought for a second before waving the thought away. Following Qrow was better than being all alone in the middle of a forest and lost.

They'd come across a river.
It wasn't long by any means and was better described as a very large stream with rocks littering across the floor. The water was relatively shallow yet the current fierce. There weren't any trees covering the water like on land causing the sun light up the surrounding area creating a beautiful effect.
They had stopped just at the edge of the water confusing Naruto. He took a glance at Qrow and while his face wasn't the most expressive but compared to people like Neji and Sasuke, Qrow was an open book.
Qrow seems to look at him with slight worry which only served to confuse him further before realization set in. 'He's not sure if I can water walk!'. Naruto couldn't help but feel annoyance, did Qrow really think he was that bad of a ninja? He was gonna be the future Hokage!
Naruto storms up to the stream of rushing water before lifting his right leg over it. His leg hovers over the stream for a moment before he calls on his chakra.
It comes up quickly, bubbling to the surface. Practically begging to be released and dense beyond belief. It's nature not to dissimilar to the stream his leg hovers over. He guides it to the soles of his feet keeping the amount as low as he can mange before letting it fall. His leg doesn't sink in the stream, no it holds firm and sticks on the water. His left leg follows the others example and Naruto doesn't just stand on the water. He walks right over it. Each step Naruto takes causing ripples in the water that quickly swept away by the current. Some water inevitably hit his ankle but throughout it all he remains mostly dry.
Once he reaches the end of the river Naruto turns back to look at Qrow. He can't help the few snickers that slip out at the look of utter confusion and surprise. The sound of laughter seemed to break the man out of his sputter and making him grumble under his breath. Naruto felt the ears at the top of his head twitch minutely and faintly heard Qrow's words-
"Nmad uifnogscn rbta."
yet still didn't understand them. He saw Qrow continue to just stand there on the edge of the stream. Naruto waved him over.
“Hurry up you damn drunk!"
Despite the language barrier the intent was pretty clear and it wasn't lost on the huntsman. Qrow walked to edge of the stream before doing something weird.

He doesn't walk on water.

Qrow just walked through it without the use of any chakra. Like some kind of civilian. Naruto eyebrows furrow as he thinks. Any adult shinobi knew water walking and Qrow appeared to be a ninja... unless he'd been wrong? Kakashi-sensei had taught him a lot of things, one of them being how to spot a shinobi and Qrow fit the description.
So why couldn't he water walk? It just didn't make any sense? Unless... he felt his eyes widen as he came to a stunning conclusion.

Qrow Branwen was samurai! 

It all made sense now! That's why he had a giant sword yet no headband or chakra control. He was a samurai! Naruto nodded to himself, feeling proud for being so smart. First Fūinjutsu now this? A smug smile made its way onto his face.
Maybe he was a bit of a genius himself!
Both of Naruto's set of ears heard the sound of water being splashed onto the shore signaling Qrow had reached the other side. The first thing the man did was reach for his flask and take a long swig. Qrow made a half hearted attempt to dry himself before looking at Naruto. A raspy voice filling the air when he spoke.
"Mceo on, etls og."
The blond just looked at Qrow blankly for a moment before nodding. A thought ran though his mind 'I have no idea what he's saying but I'm gonna act like I do'. Qrow made a motion to follow and Naruto did.
Their journey continued and Naruto could only hope that the rest of their journey went off without a hit-

They attack without so much as a warning.
It had been bound to happen eventually. Qrow had known it since he took the brat in on his trip to Vale but it had still taken him completely by suprise.
One moment Qrow is walking through a forest, the display of Naruto walking on water at the forefront of his mind. The blond in question appearing oddly proud of himself to his right. The very next moment Qrow fighting for their lives.
A King Taijitu springs at them from the forest with its fangs outstretched and it's a race to see who's faster. Qrow's hands or the Grimms fangs and Qrow just barely wins. Harbinger slices through the head of the snake splitting it in two down the middle between its eyes. Its remains fly harmlessly behind him before beginning to disengage, flecks of black floating into the sky but Qrow doesn't rest. He knows better than to think he's lucky enough for there to just be one Grimm. He's been a huntsman far too long for that to be the case.
His eyes scan the trees for Grimm and what he sees makes him feel a bit worried. Seven Urasas, four King Taijitu and at least a couple dozen Beowolfs all stare back at him with bloody red eyes full of contempt. Normally this wouldn't even be worrying to Qrow but he's not just fighting for himself, he's fighting for him and Naruto. It's too risky to tell the boy to run, he would be attacked by other Grimm and Qrow couldn't let that happen. He thought for a moment before coming to an obvious solution. 'I'll just kill them all before they get the chance.’
He turns to his side to look at Naruto. The boy stares at him wide eyed, appearing frozen in a sense. A citizens typical reaction to seeing a huntsman kill Grimm. He opens his mouth to putting more emphasis on tone than the words spoken.
“Naruto, stay right here and don't move."
No response but before he gets a chance to repeat himself the Ursas seemed to be finished waiting and charge at them, the ground noticeably shaking with each step they took as they approach.
Qrow clicks a button.
Four puffs of steam systematically shoot out from the gaps in the sword. He hears the sound of gears turning rapidly, the sound of machinery plays like music to the huntsman. The blade of the sword curves drastically into a scythe before the handle extends fully completing the weapons transformation.
Qrow stares back at the three rushing Urasas and does what any normal person would do... runs straight at them with his scythe held at his side as claws reach towards him.
The first Ursa to make it within his range gets a slash to the throat, the second loses its head completely and multiple cuts cause the third's stomach become very visible. He doesn't stop at all, he simply moves on to the next target in one fluid motion.
Qrow is the one to attack first this time as he rushes a group of beowolfs. He slices off the head of a Grimm and the hand of another that had been getting to close. But Qrow doesn't just use his weapon, he mixes it in with a myriad of aura enhanced strikes that are strong enough to kill a Grimm at first impact or at the very least stun them.
He's careful to not keep his focus on one Grimm for too long and uses his environment to his advantage. Occasionally using the bark of the trees as cover for attacks that are too hard to dodge.
He ducks, dodges and weaves throughout the fight in a way only achieved through grueling practice. Refusing to let even one of them to land a hit on him. Before long there are tens of Grimm on the ground turning to dust.
An absolutely feral growl alerts him of a boewolf that has gotten too close. It lunges at the huntsman and Qrow uses the inside of his sycthe to hook it around the back of the beast neck. He changes the Beowulf trajectory and slams it straight into the ground. Dirt and grass flies into the air at the impact before the Grimm starts to disintegrate. Another Grimm approaches.
He swings Harbinger upwards right under the jaw of another Ursa, the tip of the scythe pops out the other end, killing it instantly. Qrow pulls the handle to get it back but quickly realizes something.
His weapon is stuck and there are Grimm all around him. He turns his head to the side and realizes something else. There is a King Taijitu heading right towards him.
Very unlucky.
Qrow immediately lets go of the handle before attempting to dodge but it's a lost cause, he knows he's fast but not fast enough for this one.
So he summons his aura to the surface. A dark red layer starts to cover his entire body in a moment and Qrow tenses up as the King Taijutu's fangs get ever closer. He knows his aura will hold but it's still not a pleasant experience. He brings his arms up, crossing them to cover his face while forming an X and braces for the inevitable impact.

Expect there is none.

A sharp and hard sound reaches his ears, like that of two pieces of metal striking each other. Like the sound of chains rattling. He briefly lets his arms lower for a moment and what he sees gives him a pause.
Glowing golden chains wrap around the two headed snake. It struggles and squirms to no avail, the more it did the tighter the chains squeezed keeping it in place. The tips of the chains, sharp as any knife he'd ever seen, starts to dig into Grimm viciously. Tearing through its skin like tissue paper just trying to pierce it as many times as possible. The taijitu moves for a moment more before it went limp. The disintegration process already beginning. A very prominent thought runs through his mind.

'What the hell was that?'

His eyes follow the chains origin and he sees something he doesn't quite expect.

Naruto.

"What the fuck?"
Qrow blinks his eyes several times in rapid succession just to make sure he wasn't seeing things but the scene remained in front of him clear as day. Not far from him stood Naruto with fucking chains sprouted out of his back and ribs. His arms outstretched in front of him in a way that seemed like he was commanding the chains.
Now Qrow has seen a lot of weird things in his time and this doesn't even top his list. Normally he wouldn't bat an eye, assuming that it was just the boy's semblance.
But he knows its not Naruto's semblance. He's seen Naruto's semblance and this isn't it. Setting off small fires/explosives just doesn't relate or grant the ability to sprout chains out of your body. It also didn't grant the ability to just walk on water.

Why was the boy so damn confusing?

Qrow quickly shook his head in an effort to break himself out of his thoughts, thinking about this while fighting Grimm just really wasn't the right time.
He grabs Harbinger's handle while still lodged in the skull of the ursa and pulls with all of his strength. The Grimm's skull offers some resistance but by the end it's no use. With his sycthe back in hand he looks around for any more Grimm. His eyes settle on a group of beowolfs and he sprints right towards them. The rest of his surroundings seem to become nothing more than a blur as he moves.
His scythe cuts through the beowolfs with practiced ease before using one as a springboard to cut the neck of another Ursa.
The fight(read: slaughter) between the duo and Grimm continues for a several minutes. With Qrow cutting down Grimm with an efficiency of a professional with decades of experience and Naruto... just stabbing anything he could reach with his chains. Each leaving rows of cuts and stab wounds wherever they went. One a bit more destructive than the other.
Eventually after a while only one Grimm remains. A very large king taijitu, it’s size twice that of the others Qrow’s fought so far. Despite its size it’s fast, scarily so and it's strong enough to knock over a tree with minimal effort. Qrow tightens his hold on Harbinger and takes a look at Naruto to make sure the boy is okay.
A puff of smoke momentarily obscures his view before he seems something. 
Naruto stands there with his right palm open yet not empty. A glowing blue sphere hovers right above it made up of an uncountable number of blue spirals. The rotation much too fast for Qrow to keep up with and he can faintly hear a low drum sound coming from it. Naruto stares straight at the Taijitu, bends his knees and throws himself straight at it.
Qrow rushes behind the blond in an attempt to stop him but it's too late. The giant snake jumps at Naruto mid air with its jaw wide open. Naruto cocks back his right arm before shoving a glowing blue sphere straight into its face. The sphere drilling into the Grimms head for a moment before it happens.

The snakes head exploded.

The sphere seemed just to blow up after making contact, the sheer force of the resulting blast throwing the snakes whole body back. Qrow turns to look at Naruto and the only thing he sees is a massive grin on his face. He comes to a conclusion.
The boy is insane, he has to be insane.
How could he walk on water? Why did he have multiple semblances? What the fuck was that glowing sphere attack?
His right hand moves to a brown satchel. Digging around its contents for only a moment before promptly pulling a flask out. He unscrews the cap before chugging the rest of its contents in effort to deal with the absolute insanity that was Naruto Uzumaki.
Why'd he have to pick the weirdest kid in all of remnant!

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Qrow holds a bag high above his head, his arms outstretched in an effort to keep it away from him."I said no you damn brat!" He yells, despite knowing none of his words were understood.In front of him was Naruto, hands clasped together in a begging motion. Glistening eyes and flopped over fox ears weaken his resolve ever so slightly but Qrow holds strong. He's seen that same look on Ruby's face before and he refuses to give in. He gives a more stern response this time."No!"The blond holds the expression for a few more seconds before finally letting out a defeated sigh. Naruto puts his hands behind his back as his head hangs in a resigned manner, causing golden locks to cover his face. It really is a pitiful sight and for just a moment Qrow feels the slightest bit guilty...The three puffs of smoke that burst into existence right in front of him immediately change that.Qrow leaps in an attempt to avoid the multiple clones that now throw themselves at him but it's too late. The kid is damn fast and Qrow had lowered his guard. Two clones slam there hands onto his ankles with an iron grip while another completely launches itself towards the bag. The ones attached to his feet immediately pull him back down to the ground with a vengeance. A loud thud sounds out as his back smashes into the dirt floor. The impact causes harbinger to get pushed into his back, the feeling isn't a pleasant one.The third clone soars overhead and rips the bag from his hands before throwing it to the original. The obnoxious laughter that rings out signaling that Naruto had caught it.Naruto opens the bag with gusto and shoves his whole arm into it. He searches around the bag for a moment before pulling out a handful of bars. He rips and tears at the wrapping. Scraps of plastic go everywhere before revealing what's underneath.Chocolate.A stupid grin makes its way onto the boys face as he stuffs his face, smearing his face in the stuff while he does so. Qrow just feels tired as he laid splayed out on the floor.They had been traveling for a few hours and Qrow had realized Naruto was hungry. So he'd quickly hunted down some animals, set up a small fire and cooked something up for both of them. They'd eaten uneventfully in silence and he'd decided to throw in a treat at the end, just a single bar of chocolate.The kid went nuts. Naruto had immediately scarfed it down and tried to grab more, he acted like he'd never had a chocolate bar before!Qrow let out a deep sigh before deciding to get up. He shifted his leg slightly before pushing himself back up, the clones attached to him quickly turning to smoke. Qrow makes his way towards to the blond, still preoccupied with stuffing his face, before getting behind him and snatching the bag away."Oi!"Is the muffled sound that comes out in response but Qrow doesn't pay any mind. Qrow takes a look into the bag and his eyes narrow.There weren't any bars left.Naruto had eaten seven chocolate bars in less than a minute. How? Those were full sized chocolate bars! How was that even possible? Even competitive eaters didn't eat that damn fast! He turns back around and glares at Naruto which only causes a small chuckle to form up. The boys right hand rubbing the back of his neck."Ē to, soreha mōshiwake arimasen. Yokattadesu." Naruto says, a sheepish expression written on his face.Qrow decides to just assume that the brat was apologizing for going crazy over some candy and nodded."Alright kid, I forgive you. We're going to start walking again though."Qrow holds a bag high above his head, his arms outstretched in an effort to keep it away from him."I said no you damn brat!" He yells, despite knowing none of his words were understood.In front of him was Naruto, hands clasped together in a begging motion. Glistening eyes and flopped over fox ears weaken his resolve ever so slightly but Qrow holds strong. He's seen that same look on Ruby's face before and he refuses to give in. He gives a more stern response this time."No!"The blond holds the expression for a few more seconds before finally letting out a defeated sigh. Naruto puts his hands behind his back as his head hangs in a resigned manner, causing golden locks to cover his face. It really is a pitiful sight and for just a moment Qrow feels the slightest bit guilty...The three puffs of smoke that burst into existence right in front of him immediately change that.Qrow leaps in an attempt to avoid the multiple clones that now throw themselves at him but it's too late. The kid is damn fast and Qrow had lowered his guard. Two clones slam there hands onto his ankles with an iron grip while another completely launches itself towards the bag. The ones attached to his feet immediately pull him back down to the ground with a vengeance. A loud thud sounds out as his back smashes into the dirt floor. The impact causes harbinger to get pushed into his back, the feeling isn't a pleasant one.The third clone soars overhead and rips the bag from his hands before throwing it to the original. The obnoxious laughter that rings out signaling that Naruto had caught it.Naruto opens the bag with gusto and shoves his whole arm into it. He searches around the bag for a moment before pulling out a handful of bars. He rips and tears at the wrapping. Scraps of plastic go everywhere before revealing what's underneath.Chocolate.A stupid grin makes its way onto the boys face as he stuffs his face, smearing his face in the stuff while he does so. Qrow just feels tired as he laid splayed out on the floor.They had been traveling for a few hours and Qrow had realized Naruto was hungry. So he'd quickly hunted down some animals, set up a small fire and cooked something up for both of them. They'd eaten uneventfully in silence and he'd decided to throw in a treat at the end, just a single bar of chocolate.The kid went nuts. Naruto had immediately scarfed it down and tried to grab more, he acted like he'd never had a chocolate bar before!Qrow let out a deep sigh before deciding to get up. He shifted his leg slightly before pushing himself back up, the clones attached to him quickly turning to smoke. Qrow makes his way towards to the blond, still preoccupied with stuffing his face, before getting behind him and snatching the bag away."Oi!"Is the muffled sound that comes out in response but Qrow doesn't pay any mind. Qrow takes a look into the bag and his eyes narrow.There weren't any bars left.Naruto had eaten seven chocolate bars in less than a minute. How? Those were full sized chocolate bars! How was that even possible? Even competitive eaters didn't eat that damn fast! He turns back around and glares at Naruto which only causes a small chuckle to form up. The boys right hand rubbing the back of his neck."Ē to, soreha mōshiwake arimasen. Yokattadesu." Naruto says, a sheepish expression written on his face.Qrow decides to just assume that the brat was apologizing for going crazy over some candy and nodded."Alright kid, I forgive you. We're going to start walking again though."And Naruto... just stares at him. Qrow felt exasperation grow, language barriers were the worst. If he can't talk to him how would he make him follow? He thought for a moment until a solution came to mind. He slowly begins to walk and makes a waving motion behind his shoulders to follow. Luckily the boy seems to understand and soon a secondary pair of footsteps resonates behind him.Their trek to Vale resumes once more, each step causing the ruffle of leaves. After a while his gaze wanders up towards the sky which made him come to an annoying realization. A frown starting form on his face.The sun was starting to set, night would come, they'd have to sleep soon and all progress to Vale would come to a halt.Qrow sighs.He supposed it didn't matter much anyways, they'd reach Vale by tomorrow but right now they would have to set up camp.Naruto lays in a sleeping bag, Qrow not too far away in one of his own as a small campfire lit up the surrounding area. His hands behind his head as he stares up at the night sky. As he does so his eyes can't help but fixate on one point in particular.The shattered moon. It's size larger three fold then before, and it's brightness much more than he was used to. Chunks of it seemed to drift away and millions of smaller pieces floated near it. He'd never really thought about it all his time in the forest, he'd been preoccupied with the monsters and just trying to survive, but now that he laid down he couldn't help but question.Why was it bigger? What was strong enough to shatter the fucking moon. Did the shinobi at Konoha know? Even though he was a total perv, maybe Kakashi-sensei knew?Or maybe they were just as confused as him?He had so many questions but there was no one to answer them. The shattered moon had been the first thing he'd seen after his fight with Sasuke.Sasuke.He felt a certain pain start to form in his chest at the thought of his teammate. Was he okay? Naruto prayed to Kami that Orochimaru hadn't gotten him. If he had...Naruto shook his head, there was just no way that Sasuke would give in so easily to that monster. Sasuke Uchiha was a prideful bastard that was hesitant to bow even to the Hokage. Always rambling on and on about the the power of the Uchiha and his 'visual prowess'. He wouldn't just give his life to some other guy.Not Sasuke.And with that thought in mind, Naruto decides to do something that he hasn't done in weeks. He lifts up his head slightly and unwraps his headband. The knot dismantled, he grabs it from the metal plate, and takes it right off with his right hand. His wrist flip over the headband so it now faces him. The symbol of the village hidden in the leaves proudly etched on the plate of metal. Naruto's left hand slowly slides under the metal plate and pulls out something. One of his few material possessions that held any value to him.It's a picture.The picture contains four people, all people he knows very well. It was the first picture taken of Team 7. He takes a breath."I promise that I'll see all you guys soon so theres no way it's not going to happen cause I never go back on my word," a small smile starts to form "because it's my nindo, my ninja way."Promise made, he carefully puts the picture back in its place. His worry for them and his desperation to get back home felt just a little bit lighter. Naruto lifts his head once more and ties his headband back into place before laying down.A drawn out yawn escapes him and his eyelids feel much heavier. His breathing slows and he closes his eyes. Sleep quickly over takes Nar-Drip.Naruto opens his eyes to an unexpected scene. There is no blue sky and the sun doesn't shine overhead to signal a new day. Instead his surroundings are almost pitch black and the only source of light is a dark red that glows ominously below him. A sense of familiarity starts to take hold.
Drip.
Water, there is so much damn water. A theory starts to form, was he dreaming? He looks around at his surroundings for just a moment and promptly realizes he's wrong. He tilts his head up to look at the the source of the sound.
Drip.
A pair of red eyes stare straight back at him, the irises alone bigger than Naruto himself. He knows who's those belong to and he holds back a sigh. God damn it.
"You're a moron."
Naruto recoils, a sense of annoyance filling him, causing him to insult the fox back."You're the moron!"Not very well but he does.
"I teach you how to make paper bombs and you get caught by a drunk with a massive knife. How utterly incompetent and idioti-"
"Would you shut up?"
"-c do you have to be?
The Kyuubi stares at Naruto with narrow eyes and nostrils flared. Naruto suddenly feels his appreciation for the metal bars separating them grow immensely."Are you just going to keep insulting me! What do you want?"A scoff escapes the massive creature, an annoying habit Naruto notes.
"No, I could curse you just fine without you here. I've been doing that since you were born, brat. I brought you here to tell you something." 
The fox informed, the tone of his voice lowering as he continued. Naruto feels his anxiety spike and heart rate pick up, the kyuubi had something to tell him? That wasn't good, that could never be good. Naruto nods for the fox to continue and he does.
"After Qrow killed those creatures I sensed something, an energy like I'd never seen before, and it is everywhere. The closest thing I can describe it as is strong nature chakra. It's mostly undergroundand usually in small pockets for the most part. But the place Qrow is leading you to is filled to the brim of it boy. I'm warning you, the amount of energy there is larger then even that of the Gyūki or any of your Kage. An epicenter of raw energy. You must be careful, this new worl-"
"We're not in a new world." Naruto said, his words slightly unsteady but convinced.
"Are you fucking delusional? Explain the broken moon? How about the soulless monsters that attack you? Or maybe the fact that you just fell out of the god damn sky?"
Naruto averts his eyes momentarily. Still not willing to even entertain the possibility. Because it just couldn't be. He tries to reassure himself. He takes a breath."I'll figure it out when I reach Konoha."The fox was unimpressed with the answer. He stayed silent for a moment before beginning to speak again.
"You never will, the elemental nations are gone. You'll know when you reach the epicenter and when you do, you'll know I'm right."
Naruto grits his teeth in frustration and immediately goes to deny it. However, he's cut off before he can even make a sound."I'm done with you for now, goodbye Naruto."Quickly and without warning his surroundings start to disappear. The light that emanates from the cage simply fades away. Then suddenly he's back in his sleeping bag. The sounds of birds chirping replacing the dripping of water in the sewer. When he opens his eyes a blue sky and a beaming sun is all he is met with. He huffs."Bastard." The word escapes his mouth, another voice responds"Lwel, soklo ohw kwaea?"Naruto almost jumps, his eyes swirl to the source on instinct. To his left was a fully awake Qrow, with his red cape drifting in the wind and his sword at his side. The huntsman raises his right hand and makes a gesture to follow before he begins to walk.Naruto forces all sleepiness out of his body before getting up. He quickly slips on his sandals and follows the man. The events of his dream still on the forefront of mind as he walks.The fox's words are hard to forget.It's a slow realization.The first thing Naruto notices is the trees. The difference is subtle, but he's grown up surrounded by forest his entire life so he sees it.With each mile, each step, the forest becomes less dense. Just a little bit emptier. The trees around them also begin to seem smaller, some of them looking to be only a couple years old. Even the scent of the forest starts to smell different, the air feels more...Polluted?His initial thought was that they were exiting the forest, yet it never happens. Every mile he and Qrow travel is still forest, just a little bit less. It was odd, but it didn't really mean anything. Just something strange that caught his attention. Nothing more. So Naruto and Qrow continue walking without a word.Night comes quickly as the sun sets which causes Naruto to notice two other things.Qrow doesn't stop. The samarui continues to walk through the forest, completely undeterred by the night. It honestly confuses the blond for a moment, they had set up camp last night? What made this one different? It was in this confusion that he sees something else.The only source of light during the night should be the moon that hangs overhead.But it's not.The faintest of glows emanates from up ahead, its reach far as it covers every tree top he can see. It's not bright by any means, more like a far away candle, barely visible but noticeable nevertheless. Naruto's first explanation is fire, but there's no smoke in the sky, not a speck.It's even more confusing to the shinobi than the first, and his mind struggles to properly explain it. Not only that, but the light also seems to be getting closer. Naruto guesses it's only a mile away.Qrow clearly notices it too."Vael, infally." The man utters, the words barely audible.The duo continue to walk and Naruto's eyes fixate on the light ahead. Soon, it's no longer just illuminating the tops of trees. The ground floor starts to get more visible as well.It's then something really fucking weird happens. A quater of a mile away from the light, the air around him changes. It becomes charged, like a shinobi to preparing a raiton jutsu. He can feel the raw energy up ahead. Naruto's breathing quickens and his heart rate almost doubles. The bijuu's words begin to replay in his mind.
"You'll know when you reach the epicenter and when you do, you'll know I'm right"
It wasn't possible-Naruto looks ahead and inhales sharply. They're was just enough forest left to cover the scene in front of him but it was clear that the end of the tree line was near. He decides that he has to know what was behind it now. The crunching of leaves sound out as he runs ahead. He crosses the tree line and gets his wish. He'd never seen anything like it before and for a moment he just stares.Buildings, buildings made out of materials he doesn't recognize stretch to the clouds above and take up more space than the village center back at home. And next to those buildings are roads devoid of any people. Instead, they're taken up by boxes of metal that go faster than most shinobi. No inch of the area is unlit, lamps cover every corner. Above it all was a broken moon, creating an image he would remember for the rest of days.Behind the village where vast mountains that made the hokage monument look tiny in comparison and a lake behind that. It was all so new.Naruto stares for a moment more before a realization finally hits him and reality catches up with him. He wasn't in his world anymore. The Kyuubi was right. This wasn't Konoha, this wasn't even the elemental nations anymore. There wasn't any way to deny it, no matter how hard he tried. It was then that Naruto felt something inside him irreparably break.
He couldn't handle it.

So he ran.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Naruto runs for a while after the realization.There's no specific purpose to it. Not really, he simplydoes. His body moves and his mind simply processes it. The Kyuubi tries to speak to him, the burning feeling through out his stomach is a familiar one, but he's ignored. He's in no mood to talk to the fox.Eventually however, Naruto slows down and stops running.He finds himself collapsed on his knees on a grassy floor in the middle of a forest. The realization finally hits him then and there, it hits him hard. The thoughts weren't new but they had never been so terrifyingly real until now.He wouldn't ever see Konoha again and there wasn't anything he could do about it. There wasn't any jutsu he could cast to reverse it or any amount of hard work that could be done to change it. Tears come as his breath hitches. He tries to hold them back, tries to be strong, but they come regardless.Life had been fucking awful for the first 12 years. Born an orphan, people hating him for having a demon in his stomach, no friends, completely and utterly alone. Then things had finally started to get better. He become a shinobi, a shinobi part of team 7. It wasn't perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. But things were going well and he was finally feeling happy. Then it all came crumbling down. Gone.His body trembles, overwhelmed with it all. He wipes his eyes of tears and looks up at the sky. At the broken moon above in some vague search for answers."Why?" He whispers, it's small and barely audible but it's the only thing he can ask."Why me?" Desperation begins to slip into his voice as it shakes.Silence is the only thing that greets him. There is no response. His hands quickly ball up into fists as more tears come.It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. It was then that Naruto thinks something he hasn't thought in a long, long time.Why was he even alive?When he had been young, he'd been despised and desperate for any kind of attention. So when he heard that there was some title called 'Hokage', who everyone admired he made that his goal. He'd made that his purpose. He'd tell anyone and everyone that someday he'd be Hokage. They laughed of course which only motivated him further. To prove them all wrong, he wasn't a failure and when he did become Hokage they'd eat there words. Later he'd find other stuff that motivated him, the bonds between friends, protecting Konoha and the people in it. He'd found purpose.But now, stuck in an entirely different world, the dream of becoming Hokage and protecting the village was worthless now. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest, a wound that even the Kyuubi couldn't hope to heal.It hurt, it hurt so much.What was the point of it al-A noise reverberates throughout the forest. The ears on the top of his head twitch in response and his head turns to look at the source. He feels his heart accelerate.Monsters. Quite a lot of them, more than he's used too. They're sprawled all over the section of forest in front of him and the trees hide some of them so it's hard to get an exact number. They're are differences in size and appearance but they all share similar qualities. Bodies coated in the darkest black he's ever seen with heads that look like skulls and a red glow that extends from the eye. Foul intent practically leaks from them as they begin to move closer. There's no question what there here for.Naruto simply stares.Growling is heard, it's clear some of them haven't eaten in a while. They sound hungry.Naruto doesn't move, he's not sure if he will.A few of them begin to close in, the hungry and impatient ones. They move slowly and with purpose as they start to move around him. They're beginning to surround him.A burning sensation suddenly flares up from his stomach, the Kyuubi. The fox offers him it's chakra, Naruto denies.The monster in front of him lets out one last growl, it's done waiting. It can't control it's hunger any longer, if begins a charge towards Naruto. The monster opens its mouth to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth. Naruto feels the ground below him shake slightly as the monster hits the floor hard, trying to get to him as fast as possible.Naruto takes a deep breath before he closes his eyes.He hears it, the loud stomping of the monsters feet. Letting him know how close it is, how much time he has left. He's scared, how could he not be? His heart beats quicker as the sound gets louder. Naruto tries to find some sort of peace, it's a half hearted attempt at best. He braces himself and hopes it's over quickly.

Then the world shifts.

The sound of the monster disappears, it's replaced by the faintest hum."Huh?" Naruto lets out, an undignified sound.He opens his eyes, it was bright. It was very, very bright. The previous setting of a forest changed to a golden one with what looked like yellow clouds all around. It was a beautiful place, ethereal in nature. It was a place we he wouldn't mind staying in forever. He briefly stops his admiration for his surroundings as a question begins to come to mind."Am I... am I dead?" Naruto asks to no one in particular.Which is why the responds that comes is all the more surprising."No, you're still alive silly." A voice calls out from behind.Naruto turns around to the source of the sound in a rush. He's not quite prepared to what greets him. It's a woman. She was fair skinned with straight red hair that flowed neatly all the way down to here legs. She also had two stranded of hair that went down to her shoulders on her front. She wore a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress. However, all of this didn't really matter to Naruto. Just details that he noticed about her. What caught his attention was her face. It was oddly similar to his and her expression seemed almost sad in a way, her smile soft with violet eyes that held regret as well as something else we couldn't quite put his finger on."Where am I? Who are you?" He asks, an accusatory tone slipping into his voice.The woman's smile stayed but seemed to falter slightly at the second question. She seems to think for a moment before answering, choosing her words. Preparing herself."We're in the seal, a part that you haven't seen yet. And to your second question..." she pauses, smiling seems to be an active struggle. "I suppose it's my fault we've never met and for that I'm sorry."Her voice shakes at the end of her sentence and Naruto's defensiveness drops but his curiosity skyrockets. He asks again, much more softly this time in an attempt to show compassion but still in search for answers."Can you tell me who you are?"She doesn't hesitate to answer this time. Violet eyes meet blue."I'm Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki." She says the last word slowly, emphasizing it as she looks at him.Naruto freezes. His eyes widen as he stares at the woman in front of him, as if really seeing her for the first time. He makes the connection but she says what he was thinking. What he was hoping."Hehe, that's right. I'm your mom, Nar-" She's abruptly cut off by the hug Naruto gives her.She feels her son shake in her arms as her shoulder begins to dampen.Naruto feels his eyes water, he hates how often that happens these days but he just can't help it. Mom. He, Naruto Uzumaki has a mom. He'd always known he had one, everyone did. But he'd never met them, never even heard their names. Secretly during his childhood, he would dream that they came back. Make fantasies of what it would be like, what they would look like. But he didn't have to imagine anymore. The tears in his eyes were happy ones for the first time in a while. He gathers the strength to speak."I've wanted to meet you for so long." He hugs her tighter and Kushina returns it tenfold.Kushina smiles brightly as a wish of hers since she learned she was pregnant is finally fulfilled."Me too, Naruto. Me too."Naruto feels a weight on his shoulder he didn't know he was carrying drop. Everything he'd been through the past month seemed a bit less heavy, a bit less overwhelming. They both stay like that for a while. Neither keep track of time, just enjoying finally meeting each other, even if it took much longer than either of them would have liked. Eventually however, Naruto breaks the hug and speaks."Oh god, where to start? There's so much I gotta ask you!" Naruto says, his voice brimming with excitement.Kushina smiles warmly, simply happy at the sight of her son."You can ask anything you want, Naruto." Her fellow Uzumaki seems to get even more excited which she didn't think really think was possible."How are you here, how am I even seeing you?"Naruto quickly asks, his words practically overlapping as he rushes them out."Some of my chakra into the seal so I could meet you someday, even after my death." Kushina responds.Naruto's excitement is briefly soured by the last part but he doesn't let it stop him. He still had a lot of questions."Were you a shinobi?" Naruto asks eagerly.Kushina doesn't hesitate to let out a full blown grin."I was a shinobi, a damn good one at that. I could take down 10 Jonin at once with my hands tied using only chakra chains."Naruto feels pride at his mother being such a badass shinobi. But his mind latches onto the chakra chains part however."Ooo! I have chakra chains too!" Naruto exclaims.Kushina seems to be pleasantly surprised at the new information."When you'd unlock them?" She inquires, curious as to the response."Uhmm, about 12 days ago." Naruto answers.He'd unlocked them when he'd first fell out of the sky and landed into the forrest. He'd practiced them everyday after he regained control of his chakra simply because he thought they were awesome."Hm, chakra chains are some of the most versatile things out there. Having access to them in any fight is always a plus and they're virtually indestructible. I've never heard of them breaking."Naruto takes note of the virtually indestructible part. He knew they were strong, he had felt that whenever he used them but he didn't know they were that strong. However, his mind begins to drift and he starts to think.Those questions had all been the first ones that came to mind, but it wasn't the one he wanted to know the most. Not the one he was dying to know. He takes a breath. This question was."Mom, who was my dad?"Kushina doesn't answer right away, she seems to be a bit nervous at this one. It's slight however so he doesn't worry too much. He's too busy waiting on her answer to care."You might have already heard of him" Naruto perks up at that "Your dad's name is Minato, Minato Namikaze. The Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."Naruto pauses. He stares at her for a moment before speaking slowly. Kushina looks on sympathetically as he processes it, fidgeting slightly with her hands."But, I thought that the Fourth Hokage was the one who sealed the Nine-Tails in me?" Naruto asks, hoping to be proven otherwise.Kushina nods in confirmation however. Naruto tries to contain the wave of emotions that flood him, he doesn't want to assume the worst. But his dad shoving a demon into him is hard to rationalize. He had understood the Fourth Hokage doing it once he first found out, but his dad? He asks before speaking his thoughts out loud, a rarity for the blond."Why?"Kushina takes a breath, her smile fading as she begins to explain."To understand why your father sealed the Nine-Tails into you I'm going to have to tell you what really happened the night the Kyuubi attacked. You're also need to know about the Uzumaki's, are you ready?"Naruto prepares himself before he nods and Kushina continues."I'm going to give you a simpler version of events since some of the details aren't really important right now and we only have a limited amount of time. To start with, I'm going to tell you who the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before you was."Naruto's eyes turn to saucers."The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before me?" He repeats incredulously.Kushina nods, she smiles a bit in an amused manner before responding."Me."Naruto's mouth drops, he really didn't expect that."You were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before me! Really?"She nods before continuing on with her tale."We both come a clan, the Uzumaki clan, a very old clan that used to be quite large. Unfortunately, that is no longer true but that's besides the point. There were two things that really set the Uzumaki clan apart from other clans. An incredibly potent life force that shows itself in multiple ways and sealing. Sealing was our clan's specialty, they're the ones who designed the first Jinchuriki seal in fact. As you know, the Nine-Tails is the strongest of the tailed beasts. So for the seal to really hold, it would need someone with an incredibly strong life force and chakra. The First Hokage's wife was the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails and when she passed, she handed down the responsibility to me as my chakra was exceptionally strong, even for an Uzumaki. I moved to Konoha to become the second Jinchuriki. My seal was strong, but it had a flaw. It would weaken during childbirth."Kushina pauses for Naruto to digest it all and for her to take a breather. He seems to know where it was going. It wasn't pleasant talking about these things but it had to be done and her son deserved to know given he was the one with the Kyuubi now."Lots of stuff happen between me becoming the jailor of the Kyuubi so I'll just skip to when I married your father. After I married your father, I got pregnant. That baby being you, Naruto. When the time for you to be born came, we prepared for the seal weakening. Your father, the third Hokage and his wife were all there. Standing by in the case something went wrong. And something did, someone managed to get through all our defense and even your father to weaken the seal keeping the Kyuubi at bay. The bastards plan being to release the fox to cause chaos. It worked. Your father quickly took care of the intruder, he didn't last very long against him."Kushina seems to smile at the fact but her smile doesn't stay."Jinchuriki seals are very special, they're tied directly to a Jinchurik's own chakra. Their life force. So when it is broken a Jinchuriki's own chakra system is damaged beyond repair, the body loses the ability to create any more chakra and we both know what happens when someone runs out of chakra. I didn't have much time left. The Nine-Tails started attacking the village so your father quickly made a plan. Minato would seal half the Nine-Tails into you and take the other half to shinigami, the drawback being him not surviving the sealing process. He really thought that he was doing the best for both you and the village. Thinking that the village would hail you as a hero for keeping the Nine-Tails at bay. His biggest worry between you and the village being that maybe you grew a bit too large of head."Naruto focuses on the last part of her speech."Hail me as hero?"She smiles sadly, seeing his shock. When Kushina first heard of Minato's plan she wasn't quite sure if the village would treat him as a hero, but she'd never been able to predict the way they really treated him."That's what he thought, yeah."Naruto stays silent for a moment. His father was the the reason he had grown up so isolated but he didn't expect it to happen. He was the Hokage as well, so he saved the village at the end of the day. Did he really do anything wrong other than miscalculate? Naruto looks up at Kushina."He loved me right?" He asks, just wanting to hear her say it.She understands what he's looking for."Yeah, just as much as I do."Naruto takes a deep breath and nods. He seems to accept it and after a while even smiles. Both his parents loved him, something he'd been desperate to hear, to know since he'd found out both of them were gone."Naruto." Kushina says, her voice soft and tone gentler.Something's off. Naruto can easily tell."Yeah?" His own tone tentative."I'm beginning to run out of chakra."They both understand what that means. The only reasons she's here is because of chakra. Kushina takes a deep breath."From the seal I get glimpses of your life. There often short but I still get to see parts and bits. The seal wasn't supposed to activate until much later, ya know. But I saw those monsters coming at you, and you didn't move. So I forced the seal. I don't know entirely what's happened, I wish I did. God do I wish even more that I could be there to help."Kushina's voice really begins to shake as she continues and for the first time since meeting her eyes dampen."But please don't give up, okay?" The last parts barely a whisper but it's audible all the same.Naruto feels a burst of shame and guilt and nods rapidly. He begins to call back on words he's said at least a dozen times. A very small smile starts to form at the corner of his mouth."I promise I won't give up mom, and I never go back on my word. It's my ninja way. Believe it, mom."Kushina lets out a small laugh and begins to smile as well."Had a feeling you'd say that." He can tell there's pride in her voice and it fills Naruto with a warm feeling he's never felt before.Kushina begins to speak again."From the seal I've seen some of the stuff you've done. I want you know that I couldn't be prouder of the person and Shinobi you've become. You've helped so many people and endured so much. And I really do believe that if fate wasn't so cruel you really would have become Hokage someday."If the feeling before was warm then there's no words to describe this one. But then it happens. Kushina's form begins to waves as golden chakra emanates from her body.This time, it's Kushina who hugs Naruto."Thank you Naruto, thank you for letting me become a mother, thank you for being born. I just want to tell you something that I'll never be able to say enough. Even if I was still alive."She tightens her grip on him and Naruto shuts his eyes."I love you, ya know."Slowly, the hug loosens before it vanishes completely. He hears the chakra fly away as if of being pushed by the wind. A single tear flows from his eye and he begins to open them. Naruto lets out a deep breath.He looks at his hands briefly and prepares himself. He returns to the real world.Naruto doesn't think, he doesn't even have the time to open his eyes, he just acts. He shifts his feet in an instance and jumps as high as he can to avoid the charging monster, he's successful and for that he's unbelievably grateful.The monster below comes to a halt as Naruto disappears from its viewsHe brings his two hands together and forms a cross symbol with his fingers."Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"A clone forms in the air with him and the original hold out his right hand as the begin to fall. The familiar hum of a Rasengan sounds and hundreds of chakra spirals rotate rapidly to form a sphere. The clone takes his left hand and throws the original towards the monster below. Naruto pushes his right hand toward and the monster looks up at him right before contact."Rasengan!"It drills clear into the bone before it explodes pushing everything back. The monster is absolutely destroyed, even its remains being scattered around.He looks at the others, around two dozem red eyes stare at him while he only grins. He flys through the hand signs for molding chakra and simply prepares for a moment.A couple take there chance given his lack of movement. He waits for them to get a bit closer before summoning chakra chains from wherever he can and launching them straight towards them. The speed and unexpectedness of the chains allow for them to pierce right through the monsters without giving them a chance to dodge.Naruto continues to do this, falling into it like a rhythm of attacking and dodging. He moves with precision and strikes hard when he attacks. Like he was taught, like a shinobi. He improvises and launches chains where he would normally use kunai.The advantage the monsters have is the ability to blend in with there surroundings. Naruto doesn't quite have that luxury, never really did given what he wore. But it doesn't matter, he fights all the same.The sheer number of them all is more than a bit annoying but he chips away at there total. With Rasengans, chains, and clones.They almost get him at times, some come close to crushing him, others come close ripping him to shreds, but none hit. It takes him 15 minutes to take them all out and by the end he's pretty tired.He doesn't even bother to look for a decent place to rest, just takes off his dirty jacket to use as a pillow and lies down. He's out like a damn light.But just before he goes into a deep sleep a question came to mind. A very, very important one.
'Wonder if mom likes ramen?'

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Naruto walks slowly as he approaches, careful not to draw attention. The cover of the trees help in keeping his presence to minimum as he stalks forward. Every step taken is a silent one as he continues to grow closer and closer to his target. The targets movement is erratic, making tracking it all the more annoying. Once Naruto's in range he comes to a full stop and stills his body. He brings his hands up to his chest and flashes through two hand signs. His hands end up resting on a snake hand seal with his hands clasped together.Chakra builds up rapidly in his stomach, a familiar feeling to the shinobi, it begins to flow towards his sides. His eyes and mind dial in to the target, Naruto takes a deep breath of air.Focus.He lets out his breath, golden chains erupt from his sides and launch themselves. The target however reacts, shifting it's body at the last second and quickly flees. Light brown fur disappearing into the surroundings. The chains end up digging themselves into the dirt instead of food. Naruto sighs. Having cooked rabbit for dinner was awesome but catching the rabbit was the biggest pain in the world. They were just so damn fast and annoyingly small.Naruto calls back his chains and they quickly retract from the dirt, leaving small holes in the ground. He cuts off the snake seal which causes the chains to disappear.He reluctantly begins his walk to the river near by, flat grass marking the trail, a worn path by this point. He was eating fish tonight. It wasn't something he was excited about, but it was better than going to sleep hungry. It was while Naruto walks that he begins to think on the past couple days. The realizations.He was in a new world. A completely new one where he had no friends, no bonds, and no home. A new world where there was no Konoha. One where he couldn't even talk to the people around him even if he tried. A new level of loneliness that he'd never really experienced before.Naruto's pace slows.The headband around his forehead feels heavy all of the sudden. Being in a new world still hurts, it hurts a whole lot. All of it makes him want to give up as it begins to overwhelm him. But he knew he couldn't, he wouldn't. He'd made a promise and Naruto wasn't the type to go back on a promise. Especially a promise to someone he cared about so much.A promise to his mom.Naruto's mind still struggles to process the thought. It's such a foreign concept to the blond. The idea that he really had parents. It's even harder to process who they where when they were alive. His mother was the Jinchuriki before him and his father was the Fourth Hokage.He didn't know much about his mom other than what she told him but he knew a lot on the Fourth Hokage. Konoha's Yellow Flash, the fastest shinobi to ever live. The man who defeated the Nine-Tails and saved Konoha. The same man who created the Rasengan.Minato Namikaze.Thinking and knowing about his parents lessens the pain of being in a new world. It's still there. Like a wound that won't close, a wound that constantly makes itself known. But, it's manageable. He can exist with it.Naruto finishes his thought just as the river comes into view. The ground below him changes as he approaches. Rough gravel replaces ankle high grass. His steps make a small crunching sound that fills his ears along with the sound of water flowing. He scans the small body of water for fish but comes up empty handed. The blond lets out a small sigh before he sits down and waits.He looks around idly to his surrounding, his eyes taking it all in. It's beautiful, most forests are. But it's the same as yesterday, and it would be the same tomorrow. There's life everywhere of course, the ground with rich plants and even the skies with birds. But it's uninhabited. It's empty in the way that matters most.A small realization comes to him as he waits by the river, ’I can not stay here’He's sitting on a rock by a small fire as the sun sets when he hears it, a fish on a stick hovering just above the flames. The sound is faint but noticeable over the usual sounds of nature and the cracking of embers. It's a sound that Naruto knows very well actually, metal scratching against wood. A sound any Shinobi knows.He quickly sets down his fish and puts out his fire as he begins to follow the direction of the sound. It had emanated from within the forest so trees obstruct most his vision, the fact the sun was beginning to set doesn't help. Naruto walks cautiously, his body slightly tense as he approaches the area. His eyes catch movement between the gaps of the trees and he finally gets close enough to see what's happening.It's a man with a cast around his leg and long sword in hand fighting off a monster. The man looks absolutely exhausted, his movements sluggish as he tries to keep the monster at bay but it's clear he's fighting a losing battle. There are a hundred little other details that Naruto sees, that he notes down but they don't really matter. All Naruto knows is that they're people in danger and that he can help.He launches himself towards the scene without so much as a solid plan, putting himself right between the man and the monster. His feet slamming harshly into the dirt as he lands and he quickly positions himself in front of the two. His whole body acting as a sort of shield.Naruto turns his head to the two behind him and speaks, "Don't worry, I got this!"He looks back at the monster, definitely not the biggest he's ever fought but not the smallest either. It stares at him for a moment before it starts to attack and Naruto acts. He summons as much chakra as he can before two chains burst out from his sides, golden and glowing in nature. One of them blocks the claws that had been moving at him and the other finds it's way straight into the beast head.The monsters body stills as specks of black begin to hover over its from. Naruto retracts the chains from its head causing its body too fall onto the grass floor. A small thud is heard but other than that it's completely silent.Naruto shifts and turns around to face the person behind him. The man in question is much taller than Naruto, and by the looks of the beard in his face, much older as well. Perhaps 20 years his senior by the looks of it. There are two things that really grab the blonds attention however.The man's sword and his eyes.The sword is large, not quite as large as Qrow's, but it's still large nevertheless. The man's grip on the weapon doesn't loosen in the slightest. Naruto would be lying if he said it didn't put him a bit on edge. The man's eyes also aren't the most reassuring to the blond either. He looks at Naruto hard with hazel eyes, still on the defensive. Trying to make sure he's friendly, looking for any sign of malice. A certain hesitation in there as well. But Naruto isn't too put off by it however, it's a look he's seen on dozens of shinobi's faces and one he's had himself before. He can practically see the question running through mind.
'Can I trust you?'
Naruto lifts both his hands next to his head, attempting to communicate he's friendly. The man furrows his eyebrows for a moment, giving him one last look before deciding to lower his defenses. His grip on the sword loosens and he lets out a sigh, exhaustion clear.The man begins to speak, "sknaht rof gnivas em gnouy nam, I etaicerppa ti."Naruto just kinda stares at him. "Dude, I have no damn clue what your saying. I'm pretty sure I would understand a squirrel better."The man visibly recoils at Naruto's words, unsure if he'd misheard something. The blond sighs before deciding to take a page out of a drunks book. Naruto raises his right hand up to his chest before pointing a thumb at himself."Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He says it slowly, stressing every syllable as he does so.The man seems to understand his message as he gives a small nod, confusion still clear on his face however. Naruto then carefully moves his hand and points at the man. The man catches on and begins to speak."Maron, Maron Dine."Naruto nods, thinking his name was a bit funny. The newly identified Maron then begins to really take a look at him instead of trying to get a read on him. There's a slight pause as he does so before the man seems to come to a decision.Naruto feels an odd sense of familiarity.Maron begins to carefully moves his sword until the point is directed towards the ground. He moves his thumb on the bottom of the handle and presses against it hard. Naruto watches as the handle begins to extend and the sword retract in on itself. At the end of it all a cane rests at the palm of his hand.The man lifts his left hand near his head and speaks."Nom'c ikd, er'uoy gnimoc htiw em.”Naruto internally questions his new habit of following random people he meets in forests as he walks. He had followed the drunk because he'd assumed that he would bring him to Konoha. Naruto follows this man because he's pretty sure that leaving some guy in a cast in a forest full of monsters would send him straight to hell.The two of them walk for a while, it's a silent affair as neither really speaks to another. The only sounds heard as they move being their own steps and the animals around them. Maron struggles at times but leads the way nevertheless.Its after they follow a faint dirt trail for a while that their destination becomes clear.It looks similar to a cabin in the way it's built but it's much too large to be one. Wood and stone make up the majority of the structure with dashes of other materials in between. Windows on the sides let Naruto know that there's light in there as well, usually meaning it's also warm in there. He had noticed that it was starting to get colder, the trees around him getting there first tints of fall, and there were only so many fires one could light in a forest.Maron leads them straight towards the double doors and Naruto fidgets a bit with his hands as they walk up the porch.
'What now? Would Maron just shoo him away? 
He wasn't really the awkward type but he can't help but feel like it now. Then Maron does something surprising. He opens the door, turns back around towards him, and invites him inside. Holding the door open for him and gesturing inside with his other hand."Emoc ni." Maron says, the words still indecipherable but meaning clear.Naruto stares for a moment before speaking."Thank you." His tone is soft and he knows Maron won't understand but he says it all the same.Maron smiles at him, and tilts his head inside. Naruto nods, lightly returning the smile before walking in.There are small taps that ring out as his sandals begin to step on hard wood floor. Naruto looks around at his new surroundings in curiosity and can't help but stare. To his right is an open entrance towards what seems like a lounge area with a large window that grants view of the forest outside. Bookshelves cover the rest of the wall with the window on it. Sofas, tables, and chairs scattered all around making it clear it was a place where people hung out.To his left was a small dinning room by the looks of it, four small round tables each paired with a set of four chairs next them. Napkins and standard utensils rest on the tables but Naruto's eyes are unexpectedly teared away from the dinning room. His attention is transferred to the area in front of him, a large wooden staircase with a desk next to it, as Maron walks up the staircase.Naruto simply follows the man, a small creek rings out on a particular step as they make their way up which causes Maron to mutter under his breath."Attog teg enoemos ot xif taht." There's a tone of annoyance underlying his words and Naruto chooses to forget it.Eventually once all the stairs are climbed they enter a long hallway. Doors with symbols engraved elegantly on the top cover the hallway. Maron begins to make his way towards the end on the left side of the hallway. Eventually they make it towards the last door and Maron comes to stop. He shoves his hand into his pocket and searches for moment before pulling out a key. It had a string attached to the back of it, the string connecting to a small piece of paper with the same symbol as the door on it. The man unlocks the door quickly and pushes it open lightly.Naruto can't help but be a surprised, he points at himself with his index finger. His eyes wide and disbelieving as he does so. A silent question raised, 'for me?', to which the man just nods and hands him the keys. Naruto accepts and does something he really doesn't do often.He bows, it's not a full one but he leans forward with his eyes closed. It's the only way he thinks of to express how much he appreciates this without words. The man waves him off and smiles.Naruto then takes a look inside and and while there are many things he sees, there's only one he notices.A bed. An actual fricken bed. One with sheets to cover himself with instead of his filthy jacket. A bed with pillows to use instead of his arm at night. A bed with a mattress to use instead of leaves.Naruto doesn't feel shame when he throws himself onto it. It's soft of course, mainly just warm and unbelievably comfortable. He practically melts on impact.
Yeah, Naruto didn't mind staying here at all.
A room holds a conversation between two men.The room in questions is massive, circular in shape and with glass covering most of the walls. Letting the light of the shattered moon through to light the area. Letting the two men see. The two men seated, a glass table with gears in it being the only thing that separates them. The sound of a clock ticking reverberating through the room.One of the men speaks, beginning the conversation."Mission report." It's more of a statement than anything and the second man begins to speak."When I arrived at the town they were on the verge of being overrun by Grimm, swarms of them had gathered on the North side of the settlement and the townsman couldn't keep up. Don't blame them. They were able to regain control and kill most of the Grimm with my aid. My ride was taken out by those bastards when I landed so it took me a while to get back."There's a pause between the two and the first man speaks again. Preparing internally for any response."Any casualties?" A dark question but a necessary one."Fortunately no, some injuries were sustained but very minor."Both feel relief in the answer, causalities on a mission where almost always a tragedy. The loss of life tended to be. Reporting back no casualties was a luxury they didn't always get. The first man nods before speaking again."Is there anything else you'd like to report, Qrow?" He asks, not quite expecting an answer. It's why when there's no instant response he becomes curious.Qrow doesn't do anything for a moment. His mind goes to memories of the blond in the forest. Memories of a kid with a hole in his jacket and walking on water. Memories of a kid that looks the same age as Ruby destroying Grimm besides him. He can't help but let out a breath, one of exhaustion more than anything."Yeah Ozpin, I got something else to report."