Everything had become a whirlwind and had swept Cinder into the storm. She was just along for the ride now. A ride she was comfortable staying on.
Now, if he hadn't disappeared on her for training...
Alas, all Cinder could do was sigh and explore this small, cozy town Naruto and Adam had decided to travel to after being accepted into the Atlas Academy.
Cinder found it curious that they were accepted without a test and were placed in the same unit, awaiting their fourth member to be chosen. Classes didn't even start until a few weeks after the Vytal Festival, which was still ongoing!
She didn't mind leaving the city. Cinder actually preferred to be away from that place. She liked the cool, fresh air of this podunk little town without anyone keeping an eye on them.
It was nice.
Naruto's mother had stayed in Atlas. Cinder gleamed at that.
Oh, she could get so much closer now...
IF HE WAS HERE!
Cinder glowered, glaring toward the nearby mountains. She knew that was the direction he went. What kind of training could one do by themselves, alone in Grimm-infested territory?!
She wished Ilia had come... At least then she would have company. Adam was...
Cinder's eyes sharpened. Her body went stiff, and the hair lifted on the back of her neck. Her hearing focused, and she heard something disrupt the gentle breeze.
She snapped the foreign object out of the air that had been haphazardly tossed in her direction. The tension in her body eased, and confusion followed as Cinder stared at the wooden bokken.
"Huh?" Cinder blinked at the wooden sword before gazing in the direction it came from to see Adam.
"I heard from Naruto that you were trained how to use a sword," Adam stated, his gaze intently focused on Cinder.
Unnervingly so.
"Uh, I was." Cinder flinched, leaning away.
She didn't like his gaze! Only Naruto could look at her in such a manner!
...He had been stealing precious time from her... If she could make him... Disappear...
"Show me," Adam caused Cinder to recoil as he drew a second bokken, pointed directly at her.
"Here?" Cinder questioned before she squinted in annoyance.
She had been wandering and checking out the farmland by the windmill. There was nothing here to harm...
"Unless you want to wander into the frigid wastelands nearby, yes." Adam simply answered.
Cinder frowned before clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. Oh, how she wished Naruto were here. Instead, she had to deal with this... This stoic bull.
"Fine." The answer rolled off Cinder's tongue with a hint of agitation.
She flipped the training sword and grasped the handle, swinging it down by her side. Her amber eyes sizzled with heated intensity. "If you so desperately want to see what I am capable of..."
"I have time to kill"
[ X ]
Water trickled down his brow.
It washed away his concentrated sweat. The ice-cold water chilled him to the bone as it coursed over him, pounding away at his skin, leaving numb bruises on his head, shoulders, and bare chest.
Yet all that pain had become numb. Was it from the cold? Perhaps, but with his eyes closed, Naruto took steady, deep breaths.
The water drowned out the world around him, allowing him to focus. Concentrate on himself.
Find his center.
Only then could he focus on the world around him. See the world as it was.
Or he was supposed to. Everything was muddled and cloudy. He couldn't make any distinctions.
And he felt strange. He wasn't quite sure, but something was...
"Ow!" Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he whipped back his hand. A malevolent pulse replaced the strange sensation he had felt.
His eyes sharpened as he glared at the small orange fox sitting in the pool of water before him, snarling at him.
"Again," Kurama growled from the clone body Naruto extended to him.
Naruto grimaced, shaking his hand for a moment before taking a deep breath. He couldn't think of what his mistake was. He simply closed his eyes and focused, searching deep within.
To find his core before he expanded his presence outward.
And only when Naruto mastered this skill could he even hope to tame the powers he held within.
[ X ]
"That's enough..." Adam flipped his bokken, holding the blade down toward the ground, signifying he was done.
Cinder grinned. She may have been gasping for air. Had her muscles aching wearily, burning just enough that it hurt... That it hurt so wondrously!
But he was hurting worse than her. And that feeling satisfied her.
Cinder basked in this sensation, standing before her opponent, who felt far worse. It was magnificent! It was almost blissful...
There was only one problem. He was not him.
... Perhaps now that this imposter had lowered his guard, she could dispose of him and her Naruto all to herself!
...
A cold shiver tremored along Cinder's spine. This sensation wasn't new. It had been there in the back of her mind. It intensified when Rhodes first started to train her.
For some time, Cinder idolized him. In the early days when she had stayed with Madame, he was her white knight in shining armor. That feeling eroded with time, but a part of her still held onto that hope...
And then Naruto entered her life.
He consumed Cinder's world. No, he was her world.
It wasn't because, in essence, he helped her escape her old life. Picked her up when she most desperately needed someone else in her life. Fought for her and showed her what a life without being under Madame's boot was like.
No... It was none of those reasons.
It was because he was the first person that Cinder could remember who made her smile. Genuinely smile.
For that, Cinder would incinerate the entire world if it would make him happy. To make him smile...
As he stood next to her.
"You guys training too? Cool!" Naruto's voice snapped Cinder from her thoughts.
"You're back! I found a lovely isolated spot nearby! We could watch the sun set... Alone." Cinder carelessly tossed the bokken away, directly at Adam's face, as she vividly greeted Naruto.
"You could say that..." Adam ducked under the bokken and wearily kept a careful eye on Cinder.
If he didn't know any better...
"Oh, you'll have to show me that in a bit. I'm kind of hungry, and from the look of it, you two are probably starving as well! Let's get something to eat." Naruto grinned before laughing as his stomach rumbled.
Cinder's eyes dimmed in disappointment before her brow knitted furiously in thought. "Dormir is nearby. We could see if they have any nice restaurants there?"
"Sounds like a plan to me! Good for ya, best buddy?" Naruto chirped and nodded before turning his attention to Adam.
"Whatever," Adam rolled his eyes, still carefully gauging Cinder.
Cinder scrunched her face and glared back at him. If he didn't stop looking at her like that...
A happy little accident would take him out of the picture.
Permanently.
[ X ]
Oh, why did it have to be this way!
All she wanted to do was spend time with him! Yet every morning was the same! They all ate together and went their separate ways, with Naruto heading into the nearby mountains.
Cinder tried to follow him! Oh, how she tried! But alas, the place where he trained was very isolated, and the terrain was a challenge to navigate on foot. Perhaps if she could scale vertical cliffs in the same manner he could, she could follow; alas, she was doomed to wither away in town without him.
This routine had gone on for days! She wanted something different! To spend more time with one another!
She had tried to sneak into his room at night! Oh, how handsome of a knight he was as he lay in bed, blissfully unaware of her presence. She could just crawl on top of him and squeeze his cheeks!
Cinder scowled. If his training was going to be this much of a problem, she was going to have to resort to something drastic to get some alone time! Perhaps she needed to tie him up and steal him away so she could have him all for herself...
That could work. Cinder cruelly smirked before slumping over, defeated.
"No, that wouldn't... He would hate me if I did that..." Cinder muttered before exhaling, shaking her head.
She had to curb the thoughts. This way of thinking. It wasn't healthy...
...If only Ilia were here to lend an ear to her venting.
[ X ]
"Again!" Kurama bitterly snarled, squinting at Naruto.
Naruto dutifully obeyed with a grimace and groan, but closed his eyes and concentrated. It didn't matter how many times he failed; the boy continued to persist. To keep pushing forward after every failure.
That was an admirable trait. One he shared with Ashura.
Kurama sighed. He could sit here all day and name the similarities between them. He was his heir to his power, his pseudo-reincarnation—someone he chose to continue his path.
He had picked well; however, there was a fatal flaw...
In this world, Naruto had come by everything too easily. He wasn't challenged nearly enough. If he were truly put to the test, how would his resolve stand up? Could he stand before the hatred of the Moon and end the cycle once and for all?
Kurama was not sure, and he hated that. It felt as if he had failed in some way in mentoring the boy. Teaching him his father's ways instead of relying on the hatred that fueled him...
And he was strong. Upon learning the technique of harnessing the world's power, he could stand before almost any adversary...
Except this one.
An immortal threat with an intangible soul and magic of this world was not a threat Kurama would take lightly. Especially if they had the power to summon the Sun to their world.
It would only be a matter of time before the Moon was drawn over as well. Their fates were inevitably intertwined.
Kurama feared that day. And if his boy wasn't ready...
"Dammit!" Kurama snapped, biting Naruto's hand once again and pulsing his chakra through him, staring directly into his eyes. "You're too damn soft! You need to focus!"
"Mah, what does that mean?" Naruto glowered and met Kurama's stare.
"It means I made a mistake and coddled you, boy! Everything has come too easily for you! Dark days lie on our front door, and you are not nearly as battle-tested as you should be to meet them." Kurama growled.
"I know, I know! I'm trying my best, dammit!" Naruto angrily snapped back.
"Your best isn't good enough." Kurama snarled as his eyes burned crimson, his gaze burning intensely, the world around the two of them fading to black. "So allow me to fix that and force you to face your toughest opposition yet. Who you should have become."
Kurama's image wavered and changed as the world around him changed to a flowing river in a canyon. Two massive statues stood beside a roaring waterfall.
And Kurama's image finally turned into a near replica of Naruto, but not quite. This version of Naruto wore an orange jumpsuit... And the headband of his mother's village?
"Genjutsu?" Naruto raised his brow before attempting to dispel the illusion.
It was to no avail, much to Naruto's bewilderment. "Huh? That should have worked."
His doppelganger stood before him, head tilted in confusion as they stared directly at him, crouched defensively, seeking answers. "Nani! Imposter!"
"Who do you think you are copying me?!"
[ X ]
This place was quiet. Too quiet.
That wasn't a bad thing. After having to deal with the city of Atlas during the Vytal Festival, this was a welcome break. With having to deal with him for so long, this was also quite nice.
Unfortunately, that would not last. They were assigned to a team together, so he would be forced to deal with him on a daily basis. Joy.
At the very least, Naruto was giving Adam time to himself. Unfortunately, Naruto was leaving him with her, and that led to a very new set of issues.
Adam was quite sure she was a psychopath. There was something wrong with her. He could see it in her eyes.
He couldn't judge her due to her circumstances. Any sane person would have snapped in those circumstances. The fact that she nearly burnt down the hotel and everyone inside just to get back at the Madame was extreme.
Adam was almost impressed. He would have called her an honorary Faunus if it weren't for the murderous stare she gave him.
He was pretty sure the one time he sparred with her, she was trying to kill him by the end of it.
"Why does he always attract the crazy ones?" Adam muttered before breathing deeply and concentrating on the wood stump before him.
Tightening his grasp on his sword handle, the world stopped for an instant. It bled red as he stepped behind the stump and sheathed his blade. And as it clicked, the stump was shredded into dust.
"Slow," Adam growled and shook his head.
He needed to be faster. Stronger.
If he were ever to challenge him...
"Hm?" Adam raised his head, searching his surroundings, for he heard an unfamiliar rumbling in the distance.
And trumpeting?
Adam scanned the flat farmland, seeking the direction the sound came from. It didn't feel natural. It didn't sound like a caravan or an incoming aircraft. It sounded like...
"Megoliath?" Adam hissed, alarmed, for in the distance, he saw the beast charging through the tundra.
Towards the town of Essen.
"You've got to be kidding me." Adam deadpanned before clicking his tongue.
If only he were just a member of the White Fang, he could ignore...
No, no, he couldn't. Not only would he and his master hold him accountable, but there were innocent Faunus lives at stake.
The only reason he was even tempted by the offer of being a Huntsman was to have the power to help his fellow people. What good was having this shiny new license if he didn't put it to good use?
Besides... If Naruto wasn't here, no one could take his glory.
An amused smirk graced Adam's lips before he rushed toward the town.
Oh, how he could lord that over him for a long time.
[ X ]
Shit, shit, shit!
The same thought ran through Naruto's head repeatedly as he weaved between attacking clones made by his other self.
There were so many! Why were there so many?!
Naruto knew he could make a ton of clones, but somehow his opposite created a flood of them and erased his army in the process. It was almost absurd how many he made! He swore he even saw a few run off and beyond the horizon!
Didn't have to deal with those! Great!
What Naruto could hang his hat on was that he was far more polished and skilled than this version of himself. He hit harder and was faster. Had a few more techniques and tricks up his belt.
He could pick off clones with them while trying to decipher the true one and end this fight. From his arsenal of jutsu to his available Dust on hand, he could wield the elements over his doppleganger.
"If you would all listen, this would be a lot easier, ya know?!" Naruto grunted as he used a substitute to avoid being piled on by a group of clones.
That then ignited due to the Dust and explosive tag on it.
"Quit stealing my phrases, dammit!" The other Naruto yelled from beyond the horde.
"Found you!" Naruto leapt in that direction, hitting the water and dashing forward between all the clones.
He caught the other Naruto off guard with a solid knee to the chin, sending him flying. His opposite skidded and rolled across the water, finally coming to a stop as all the clones dispersed. "Gotta work on toughening your clones! They're too easily dispersed with a good... Hit?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. His opposite dispersed just like the other clones.
Did that mean...
"Shit!" Naruto cursed, recognizing the trap as one he had played earlier in his life on his mother when she first tested his skills.
He wouldn't fall for it either! His opponent was coming, and he would stop him with one hit! Or if he knew himself well enough...
Match himself blow for blow!
Naruto outstretched his right hand, and chakra began to swirl into his palm, a sphere quickly taking shape and condensing into a powerful orb. His eyes sharpened as the smoke cleared from his whirling force, giving him a clearer view of where this other version of himself would come from.
And he spotted him through the smoke, spiraling orb in hand, leaping at him with intent to end this fight.
Naruto countered.
"Rasengan!" Both Naruto's cried, and their orbs collided in a violent storm that parted the river they were on.
Each Naruto was flung back and into the opposite cliffside, crashing into and creating a crater. Both grimaced and stared at each other in wonder.
"Okay, maybe you are me..." The opposite Naruto squinted from across the river.
"That's what I've been trying to say this entire time! You just wouldn't listen!" Naruto exasperatedly complained.
"Would you if another version of yourself suddenly appeared in front of you?!" The other Naruto yelled, clearly annoyed, standing on the opposite end of the river.
"Okay, that's enough..." Naruto muttered and grimaced, standing out of the crater.
He hadn't taken a hit like that in some time.
"So what happened for you to end up here? A bad guy and an illusory world? Some weird technique gone wrong? Got attacked by a zero-tailed bijuu? ...Computer program hacked your world and brought you to some sort of bizarre wonderland?" The other Naruto asked, scratching his head before grinning and jumping over to him, offering a hand.
"What kind of adventures have you been on?" Naruto blanched after accepting the offer, stepping out of the crater.
"You don't even wanna know." The other Naruto laughed and shook his head. "What's your story?"
"Long story..." Naruto muttered, rubbing his temple.
"Mah, I got time. Konoha is rebuilding after the last attack. The guys wouldn't let me join in the rebuild and are keeping me out, training." The other Naruto scratched his head before a sullen expression washed over his features.
"Konoha?" Alarm bells rang in Naruto's mind, knowing that name.
"Heh? What? You don't know the name of our village or something?" Naruto raised his brow, his depression lifting a worried curiosity.
"I know it... I just was never raised there. A bastard attacked mom and dad when I was born, and somehow we ended up in another world." Naruto explained.
"Never raised...Attacked... You know who our mom is?!" The other Naruto's expression furrowed deeper and deeper into a frown. Then his expression shifted into utter joy as he exclaimed.
"Uh, yeah... You don't?" Naruto blinked, surprised by this fact.
"No... A part of Dad's soul just told me what happened that day when he stopped me from breaking the seal. I never knew who they were before because they both died that day." The other Naruto somberly recounted, causing Naruto to wince.
"Okay, you have been through a lot..." Naruto winced, grimacing at the idea of having a life without his mother.
"Tell me about it..." The other Naruto exhaled before forcing a smile. "Yeah, let's skip that bit. You can tell me later about what happened. What were you doing before you showed up here? Maybe we can figure out how you ended up here!"
"Maybe... For a while, I thought this was just an illusion Kurama created for me. We were just training to master natural chakra." Naruto mused, scanning the unfamiliar area.
"Eh, Kurama? Who is that?" The other Naruto frowned, not recognizing the name.
"You don't know the fox's name?" Naruto turned his attention back to Naruto, surprised.
"I'm more surprised you do! How the heck did that happen?" The other Naruto exclaimed, slack-jawed.
"Let's focus and forget about that right now." Naruto palmed his face.
He was sure the other Kurama wasn't too happy about his name being spoiled for this Naruto. It was a sign of respect for him to give his name...
"Oh, right... You said you were learning how to control Sage mode, ya?" The other Naruto snapped out of his stupor and concentrated.
"Yeah. I was struggling quite a bit, actually." Naruto grimaced at revealing that fact.
But if it meant finding his way back home...
"Eh, that isn't a big deal. I did too! Fukasaku beat me with a big stick every time I almost transformed into a statue until I mastered it!" The other Naruto grinned, recalling the event.
"Huh? You've mastered it?" Naruto looked astonished.
He had been struggling back home, yet this version of himself had mastered the technique he was trying to learn...
And didn't use it against him to end the fight quicker?!
"Yeah, here. Let me show ya!" The other Naruto quipped before taking a deep breath and meditating.
He didn't move an inch. He stayed seated in that position for an uncomfortable amount of time.
But slowly, his appearance changed as he stood up again. The tone of the flesh around his eye turned orange. And when his eyes snapped open, his irises had turned yellow and dilated in a fashion reminiscent of a toad.
And that wasn't the only thing.
He radiated with palpable power. He could feel how strong this version of him was...
Naruto realized he had never stood a chance in this fight.
"See? Pretty cool, right?" The other Naruto bragged, chuckling as he showed off...
And destroyed an entire boulder with a simple punch.
"How?" Naruto blinked, unable to comprehend the sudden power shift he felt.
"It's hard to explain... You said you were learning it too, so it might be easier for ya if you felt it." The other Naruto pursed his lips and held out his palm toward Naruto.
Frowning, Naruto gingerly followed this version's lead. He took a calming breath before matching his stance, holding his palm against the others.
And Naruto gasped as he felt the difference. His breath became jagged and labored as he felt the world around him.
He saw everything. His mother's home. People that he never had the chance to meet. Never had a chance to have a relationship with.
It left a pit in his stomach.
This was a world he never got the chance to know...
"Hey, hey! Calm down! You're starting to transform!" The other Naruto called out, trying to draw back the chakra, but failed. "Shit! You gotta master it here and now."
"I can't..." Naruto trembled, unable to control the natural chakra coursing through him.
"Bullshit! I did, so can you!" The other Naruto growled, using his other hand to reach out and clasp onto Naruto's collar. "I don't care what it takes, you gotta get back to your precious people! Think of them, dammit!"
Naruto's eyes opened wide. His precious people?
Was that...
"Focus! Get the rest of that crap out of your mind and think only of them!" The other Naruto broke him out of his thoughts.
Naruto gnashed his teeth. The other version of him was correct. He couldn't let them down.
Closing his eyes, closing his mind to the world, Naruto concentrated. He reached deep down within to find his core.
Find himself.
And at the center...
Two amber eyes glistened through the darkness before she stepped out of it.
Followed by Adam... Ilia... Blake... His mom...
Kurama.
Menagerie and all the Faunus back home!
He would not fail them!
But why could he see them?
And what were those? Megoliath? No!
"Yatta! You did it! Awesome... What the heck is that? And what's going on over there?!" The other Naruto cried out ecstatic at first before worry filled him.
Naruto's eyes snapped open to see a shimmering haze before them. But from within, he could see... No, he could feel his friends.
"That's my way back home." Naruto focused on the distortion, stepping toward it.
"Huh? I guess that makes sense... Maybe you were sent here to get the push you needed?" The other Naruto guessed, staring at the distortion. "So in another universe I was sent there, huh? Cool."
"You would have loved it..." Naruto sadly smiled.
"For what it is worth, you would have loved it here, too, man. Now go help out your friends." The other Naruto patted him on the shoulder, giving him a closed-eyed grin.
Naruto could only nod, stepping into the distortion. The world shimmered around him before he felt his world for the first time.
And could see everything.
"Kid, what the hell happened? I tried using an illusion on ya, and I lost the ability to contact you after you blacked..." Kurama rapidly began to speak, alarm evident before he growled. "When the hell did you perfect this?! How?!"
"And tell you in just a bit." Naruto's attention focused on what lay ahead, and he leapt forward. "But what I can say..."
"Is that it was a crazy story."
[ X ]
"Nothing is working!" Cinder snarled, skidding on the ice.
She narrowly avoided being skewered by one of the Megoliath's tusks as it charged her.
All of her attacks were ineffective against this Grimm. Its hide was too thick. She couldn't cut through it effectively enough to wound it. And that was before her sword snapped and broke!
She was without a weapon, and what was worse was that there were three! If they couldn't take down one...
"Give me time!" Adam called out as he swept behind the charging Megoliath, sheathing his sword.
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Cinder bitterly snapped.
"Figure it out!" Adam snarled, hoping away and onto one of the villagers housed to try and give him another moment.
Cinder hissed, watching as the Megoliath turned and retrained its focus on her. Oh, she was going to burn him alive for this!
Burn...
Her Semblance was always heat. She could melt anything and bend it to her will... Especially...
"Glass." Cinder's gaze hovered on her bracelets.
It was the easiest material to work with. She found it relatively easy to manipulate to her will and forge gorgeous sculptures...
Until her sisters broke them.
Cinder's heart winced as she managed to avoid another stomping charge. The brute was easy to avoid, but she couldn't dodge forever. She didn't want to do this; it was a gift Naruto had given her...
However, as the Grimm turned and charged again, Cinder acted.
The glass bracelets scalded her skin as she superheated them, but they obeyed her whim, morphing into a sword in her grasp. One that cut deep into the Grimm as she slid beneath its trampling feet, avoiding that fate as she sliced into the last ankle before the blade shattered.
But she could still feel the heated glass in the air. It still followed her command. So she melded it together into an arrow and snapped it out of the air as she came skidding to a halt on one knee.
The Megoliath hollored, stumbling as Cinder stood up. She scalded her hand as the glass pommel that hadn't broken yielded to her control, elongating and forming into her weapon of choice.
One she hadn't wielded since she lost her mother.
A bow.
Sliding the arrow onto the glass drawstring, Cinder inhaled deeply. She was rusty, but old habits died hard.
With a glass strum, the arrow zipped through the air as the Megoliath tried to turn. She struck true, hitting its one actual weak point.
The eye.
The arrow pierced through and into the hollow skull beneath, bringing the creature down with a single shot.
"Didn't even need you..." Cinder snarled, turning toward Adam only to feel the world turn red around her.
And upon the click of his sword, her amber eyes shimmered.
The second Megoliath that had been charging her from behind disintegrated into the wind as if it were made of dust.
"You're welcome." Adam scowled before snarling. "Heads up. The next one is coming."
"Joy!" Cinder sarcastically replied, shifting her bow into a glass sword as the arrow returned to her side as the Grimm rapidly approached.
She was tired of...
Her heart skipped a beat as snow splattered like water as a figure impacted it, stopping the Megoliath with a single hand wrapped around the tusk.
"Naruto?" Cinder's tone was incredulous, staring in awe at what was transpiring before her.
Naruto was strong... But he wasn't so strong that he could stop a charging Megoliath so effortlessly!
"Sorry, I am late," Naruto whispered, his right fist clutched at his side before he drew it back.
With a single punch, Naruto parted the Megoliath as if it had never been there in the first place before he turned around to face them, a stupid grin on his face.
But a grin that caused Cinder's heart to skip a beat as she watched his features morph and return to what she knew.
"But heroes always arrive at the last possible moment."