James Ironwood felt utterly betrayed.
To think, after all these years—after all the years of blood, sweat, and tears... Time and resources spent protecting Remnant from an unstoppable threat... One whom he believed he could find a way to defeat and end the Grimm crisis...
To become the hero Remnant deserved...
Only to be told by a person he had considered his friend that all his effort was meant to stall her until the arrival of the new King of Remnant. A mixture of emotions mired James.
Anger. Bitterness. Confusion. Jealousy. Resentment.
He felt a gamut of tumultuous emotions rumbling within as James seethed, looking out upon Haven from his airship. To see the damage caused by such reckless use of power. Reliving what this single individual had done to his home to protect a friend.
The boy was no hero, much less fit to be a king. He was a liability, one who threatened the stability of Remnant with his actions despite the good that could come from them.
He was a reckless wildcard. One that James felt was too unpredictable.
"James," James heard Qrow's voice as his old friend approached from behind.
"He's never trusted us. He hid everything from us." James spoke sternly, refusing to look back at his friend.
Or someone he considered a friend. Someone who was likely going to try to reason with him.
"Look, I'm not going to defend Oz. I'm pissed at him, and the next time I see him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." Qrow scowled, looking at the back of his friend through slitted eyes. "I know you, James. That's why I didn't just leave after that meeting with Oz... I don't want you to do anything stupid."
"I will do what is necessary to protect Remnant. That is all." James scoffed, his gaze shifting behind him as he glared at Qrow. "Do we have an understanding?"
"Yeah, we have an understanding." Qrow's displeasure was evident, having a gut feeling he knew what James was about to do, and he knew it was a mistake. "Do what you think you have to do... Just leave me out of it. I've seen what the kid can do."
"And what worries me is I don't think he's shown us everything yet."
[ X ]
With Neo off to the side, having a conversation with Roman over her scroll, Naruto kept a close eye on her while scanning the school grounds as dusk faded to night.
Something felt off to Naruto. He had this nonstop ringing in his ears. It almost felt like a bad case of tinnitus. However, despite his head throbbing in agony, he could hear a shrill sound in the distance along with a negative tinge in the air. Not quite to what it felt like when Salem was here, but still quite foul.
And to see Blake as unsettled as he was while waiting for Neo to finish her call, Naruto felt like something was about to happen.
"Something feels wrong... You hear that?" Blake whispered, her ears folded while she bit her lip.
"Yeah, stay alert. Something doesn't feel right." Naruto nodded, concealing his agitation and remaining stoic as much as he could.
Blake gave a short frown, scanning the dusk-lit campus with scrutiny, but nodded and followed Naruto's example and relaxed her features. "You think the General might do something?"
"Wouldn't doubt it," Naruto exhaled before scowling upon feeling his pouch vibrate. Knowing it was his scroll, Naruto squinted as he withdrew it, and his expression darkened. "Okay, they're up to something."
"Up to... Are you kidding me?" Blake curiously looked over Naruto's shoulder to see what the message sent to him was before distastefully scrunching her face.
"Seems like we're gonna have some company soon," Naruto muttered before taking a deep breath to meditate and closing his eyes, his eyelids and the ring around his eyes turned orange.
He might not have been able to see the problem physically, but with his connection to the world thanks to Sage Mode, he could see everything in his mind.
To see what they were doing. Naruto scowled.
What was that device? Was that what they were using to create this sound?
Wonderful... Human fallacy at its finest. Kurama grumbled upon seeing the image along with Naruto. What's the plan, kid? What do you want to do?
I got an idea. Take the fight to them. Naruto opened his eyes as he saw Neo close her scroll and approach.
"Alright, I sent the message to Roman that I'm returning soon. He said to call when I arrive to meet up at Junior's. Cinder will likely be there too, so what's the plan?" Neo strolled back to the group after provocatively sliding her scroll into her cleavage.
"Why do you do that?" Weiss gave Neo a nasty but flushed glare.
"Jealous that I can use mine for utility?" Neo responded with a wide grin, flexing her chest while placing a hand on her hip.
Weiss recoiled, looking away and focusing on Naruto, while Ilia simply raised her eyebrow after a curious glance.
"The plan is simple. We're gonna head back to Vale, meet up with Roman, and use whatever trap Cinder has planned to flip the script on her and the rest of her comrades, kick their ass out of town. If I'm lucky, after that, that might draw Salem back out. If not, I'm gonna have to go to that dark place I've been sensing for a while." Naruto stated as if it were the simplest plan.
"That's all? Draw her back out? Why didn't you just handle her here?" Ilia raised her brow incredulously.
"Needed a face-to-face with her, ya know? I can't break someone down if I don't know them. See if there is a shred of humanity left in them to know they can be changed and set that seed of doubt in 'em." Naruto grinned and chuckled.
"And you think you can change her? An immortal witch trying to take over the world?" Neo scoffed and gave Naruto a questioning glance.
"I mean, she's family, so yeah. I think I can reach her." Naruto responded with nervous laughter as everyone froze, and Blake gave a tired sigh. But he was far from done as his grin broadened. "And it wouldn't be the first time I reached someone badly damaged and twisted from the world who was trying to destroy and take over the world."
"Oh, that is a story I would like to hear more of!" Penny clasped her hand excitedly, her emerald gaze shining brightly.
"Family! Hold on, that needs some explanation!" Weiss exclaimed, her eyes shimmering in horror.
"Yeah, that will take a bit. I'll explain on the way. If you're coming with, we need to get moving. Can't afford to waste any time. The night won't stay young." Naruto exhaled before turning his gaze to the rising moon.
"It won't take that long to load the Bullhead and head out... It's a really long story, isn't it?" Ilia furrowed her brow at Naruto before she glanced over at Blake and saw her exasperated expression.
"Yes, yes, it will. It's a story that will take a long time to explain. It's quite a lot to sort through. That's why we took some time to talk about it." Blake grimaced, her gaze shifting to the Relic of Knowledge before reaching up and rubbing her temple.
"Oh..." Weiss blanched, her eyes still wide before frowning as she noticed the glance toward the magical item.
"And besides, we're not taking the Bullhead. We're taking that." Naruto raised his hand and pointed at one of the larger airships that James had brought to Haven.
"Oh... Ohohoho! I like where this is going." Neo grinned, giddy at the prospect.
"Wait, you're going to steal another airship?" Weiss recoiled in fear before she regained her courage and stepped forward. "Why? What possible reason would you need an airship that large?"
"Because he's about to attack us, so he's lucky I'm just gonna take a better ship to fly around in as payment," Naruto responded, his gaze sharpening as the wind flickered.
"What? What do you mean..." Weiss started before a sense of dread filled her expression, noticing for the first time that Naruto's features had transformed like a toad once more.
And before she could say anything, faster than she could see, Naruto crossed several meters, slamming something hard enough into the ground to cause it to crater. And with a mechanical crackle, an Atlas soldier's silhouette appeared in his grasp.
"Stealth tech!" Weiss let out a surprised yelp, alarmed at being surrounded by Atlas soldiers yet again.
"Oh, so they're using that junk!" Ilia sneered, her eyes sharpening in the fading light, catching the glimpses of others surrounding them. "That stuff is junk based on what my species of Faunus can do! I can see them! There are at least seven of them."
"Yeah, I can see them," Naruto responded, and in the blink of an eye, seven craters cracked into the earth, followed by seven unconscious Atlas soldiers being revealed where Naruto struck.
"Okay... You have really been holding back against us, haven't you?" Neo paled, her gaze wavering at seeing how easily Naruto dealt with soldiers sent with them.
"I was only using this form in training, so that I didn't have to worry about wayward blows hurting me. Some of your hits were starting to sting!" Naruto gave a sheepish grin before shaking his head, turning his attention to Blake and Neo. "Think you guys can take that ship while I go have a word with the General?"
"It's about time he understands precisely who he's dealing with."
[ X ]
Oh, how Neo wanted a job like this!
It had been so long since she had been asked to infiltrate and steal something of this grandeur! Stealing something of this magnitude was something she had wanted to do for some time. They had been planning on hijacking a military train for Cinder before she was forced to track Naruto...
A job she might have enjoyed, if it weren't for her.
And while they were escaping, they were given the opportunity to take one of the biggest and nicest airships she had seen. Neo wasn't even sure if her piloting lessons would translate to this massive beast, but she wanted to give it a go!
So with a simple adjustment to her outfit thanks to her Semblance, the fools were none the wiser that Neo was an intruder as she strode by them. It was easy to slip in unnoticed when there were no guards to worry about.
Blake and Ilia saw to that and quickly tied those fools up. The guards were easily disposed of and tied up outside. It was nice to have competent back-up for once. She was so used to the incompetent buffoons Roman hired from the Xiong clan. Neo remembered when that clan was intimidating.
Oh, how the mighty fall. Not that she felt bad about their demise.
They stood in the way of her freedom.
Just like these fools currently were. And they would suffer the same fate.
Strolling onto the bridge without a care in the world, ignoring the officer checking the console, Neo's eyes gleamed at the empty cockpit. Oh, she wanted it, she wanted it, she wanted it!
"Hey, who are you?" The commander of the airship was barely able to get that statement out before an opening parasol slammed into his face with enough force to knock him into the wall.
The man slumped to the floor unconscious as Neo continued moving toward her goal.
"Commander Shephard!" Two more fools called out as their captain was knocked out.
Only to suffer the same fate as they rushed Neo, dropping to the floor unconscious with a heel kick to their chin.
"Well, that was easy." Neo rolled her eyes at the lack of security before her gaze settled on the cockpit. Withdrawing her scroll from her personal pocket, Neo clicked on the radio. "Bridge clear. Come clean out the refuse. I gotta figure out how this baby runs! This is gonna be fun!"
"I've never flown something this big in my flight simulators!"
[ X ]
Access to the airship was way too easy. There didn't seem to be too many soldiers on board, and Neo's infiltration went off without a hitch after Blake knocked out the guard stationed at the entrance and Ilia tied them up.
Sweeping through, there were a dozen soldiers at most. They were easy to corral and toss off the airship, but it was odd that there were so few. It almost felt like a trap... Or if someone had drawn most of the soldiers out before they arrived....
Blake's eyes sharpened as two unconscious soldiers lay in their previously unoccupied route. Both were wearing stealth gear.
Had they snuck aboard without them noticing? Were they after them?
"Huh, where did these two come from?" Ilia paused, scanning the immediate vicinity apprehensively.
"Gotta keep a better eye on your rear. These guys almost snuck up on you." Qrow stepped out from a blind corner and gave the two an exasperated eye roll as he took a swig from his flask.
Ilia jumped, spooked by the sudden arrival of the Huntsmen, while Blake simply lowered her stance.
"You're helping us? Isn't the General your friend?" Blake questioned Qrow's motivations.
"And I told him to leave me out of his dumb decisions. I'm not making an enemy of another force of nature." Qrow responded in a droll, drunken tone before shrugging his shoulders. "Kid has a good heart and is trying to do the right thing, even if he's too naive for my liking..."
"I don't completely believe you." Blake raised her brow, lowering her guard slightly.
"That's fine, you shouldn't. That's the correct response." Qrow gave Blake a slight grin before shrugging his shoulders, and then he venomously spat. "You kids don't know what's good for you, but I'm not going to complain right at this moment. I just so happen to need to return to Vale, and you're heading that direction."
"I have a few scores I need to settle there, and you lot just so happen to be leading me straight to them."
[ X ]
"They have quite a bit of Dust... What were they planning to do with all this?" Weiss glowered, glancing through all the containers and equipment that were stored in the cargo bay of the airship.
"There is quite a lot. From all the equipment stored, it seems the General was prepared for a large-scale encounter." Penny mused as her eyes glowed unnaturally while she hacked into the ship's system, now cataloging the inventory after disconnecting the ship from Atlas's server.
Weiss grimaced, but nodded as she could see that for herself. It worried her what the General had planned. Perhaps he had thought an encounter with Salem and the Grimm was a possibility, but surprisingly. She had expected there to be a lot of Grimm, and the lack of any was concerning...
Weiss shook her head, continuing to glance around at the cargo bay to see what was stored. She needed to stay focused and busy, helping Penny inventory what they were procuring from this piracy. She didn't want to think too much about that, or that by assisting the group she had been staying with, she was hurting her father's bottom line...
And that she was most definitely becoming a criminal! Oh, the cruelty! She was becoming a degenerate by hanging around these people and sympathizing with them...
Yet, for some reason, not only did Weiss feel like it was the right thing to do... She kind of liked doing it.
Oh no! They were corrupting her!
And she didn't care!
What was wrong with her?
"Hm?" Weiss was shaken out of her musing upon hearing her scroll chime.
She frowned for a moment, worried about who could be sending her a message at this very moment. There was no reason for Blake, Ilia, or Neo to do so, as they were on active comms and radioing in any new information.
It worried her who it could be. It could be her father, but he tended to call incessantly at that. He didn't like that she was off on her own, forming her own opinion of the world just as Winter had done years before. He wanted her to be a good girl and listen...
Father didn't like that she wasn't under his thumb any longer.
Weiss bitterly glanced at her scroll as her thoughts soured. However, her mood shifted to confusion upon seeing an unknown number with the message "Go now. He will be here soon."
"What... Who is this?" Weiss narrowed her gaze, confused by the message. She frowned, unsure what it meant, before another message followed, and she understood who sent it.
We will see each other again. Stay safe.
"Winter..." Weiss's heart ached as she muttered before she staggered as the earth began to shake. "What the... What is he doing?!"
"I don't think that's friend Naruto..." Penny snapped out of her analysis and grimaced as she came to Weiss's aid. "If my scanner is reading correctly, that's friend Naruto's... Friend."
"His friend..." Weiss muttered, startled, before scrunching her face. "We need to get to the bridge, now!"
"Understood." Penny nodded, swiftly following after Weiss as they bolted through the airship, quickly arriving at their destination.
Only to stand in awe at the scene before them, watching Neo frantically crank the engine while staring out of the cockpit fearfully.
And a giant demon fox larger than any Grimm she had heard of roared, causing everything to shake violently.
"What is that?!" Weiss cried, stumbling and nearly falling onto her rear, with Penny's support keeping her on her feet.
"I don't know, and I don't care! We're getting out of here!" Neo hopped into the pilot seat, and with a quick few button presses, the engine flared to life.
"Negative! We're not going anywhere!" Blake snarled as she stepped onto the bridge, glancing out the windshield.
"Are you insane?" Ilia shrieked, looking at Blake as if she had grown a second head.
"We're safe! That's Naruto's other half, Kurama. He wouldn't hurt us." Blake glowered and turned her attention back onto the rest, staring at her with trepidation.
"That thing has a name?!" Weiss shrilly shouted.
"And what do you mean by other half?" Ilia exclaimed, and her tanned features paled dramatically. "Oum, are you saying that thing has been a part of him this entire time!"
"It would explain why he's as strong as he is! He has a damn Kaiju at his beck and call!" Neo sharply replied, staring in horror at the monstrous beast.
"It's... Complicated." Blake exhaled, staring over at Kurama and grimacing. "It's a long story, but I can say that he was one of the most impactful individuals in all of Naruto's life..."
"And that he waited for him to return all this time."
[ X ]
This would not end well.
Stepping into the bridge where General Ironwood overlooked the screens of their command center, Winter's outward appearance remained cold and stoic despite her concerns. She shared a glance with Clover, who discreetly shook his head as she slid his scroll back to him.
The General's actions did not make sense. They already had a preview of how this would end when they tried to stop him in Atlas. They simply didn't have the resources or the power to handle him. He was so fast that Harriet could not keep up with him. He was so strong that he caused the ground to shake. He was so durable that he allowed several powerful strikes to land to show they didn't faze him.
And despite all the analysis from their researchers and scientists showing flaws and weaknesses, and their efforts to find advantages and strategies to exploit against him, there was one thing they were missing. Naruto held back.
That alone should have been enough of a message to be cautious. This wasn't a person they were dealing with. This was a force of nature. One that they were not prepared to face.
"What is the status report?" James requested, staring at the various holograms.
"Deployment of the sonic destabilizer was unsuccessful. Target's capacity was not diminished in any meaningful capacity. Deployment of shock troops was insufficient." Winter gave a monotone response.
"And you didn't attempt to contain him?" James repressed a snarl as he sharply glared back at his two most trusted soldiers.
"With all due respect, what chance did we have, sir?" Clover scowled, trying to remain respectful to his superior. "It wouldn't have mattered if we had intervened or not. It would have been a sound defeat. I ordered the retreat to avoid injuries and losses before we returned here to report."
James couldn't refrain from sneering as he focused his agitation on Clover. But before he could say a word, a piercing, metallic crack made everyone jump and face the noise.
To see a hole breached through the top of the airship hull and Naruto casually standing directly behind General Ironwood. A loud metallic clank resounded next to Naruto as he dropped the shattered sonic destabilizer next to him.
But the moment he dropped the device, James quickly drew his dual revolvers that swiftly combined into a single cannon, charging a massive ball of raw energy. Naruto simply stood before James, staring at him, before he gave him a cocky grin. "Cool gun. Give it a shot. I wanna see if that thing is any more effective than this hunk of junk."
James snarled at Naruto's audacity and, with a primal roar, squeezed the trigger and fired the plasma round into his opposition.
The wind whipped around as the round erupted and tore the bridge asunder. The sound of metal being torn and shredded filled the air. Many soldiers were knocked back by the shockwave, while Winter and Clover braced themselves to withstand the blast.
And yet, as the smoke started to fade and the full extent of the devastation of the General's reckless shot was visible, a shadowy figure stood at the epicenter of the blast, unaffected by the blast.
"That almost stung." Naruto snorted, wiping the scuff off his shirt before his features twisted as he glanced around the devastation and growled. "But all you have done is put your own soldiers at risk just to scratch me. You put your soldiers in jeopardy just for a grudge against me? Threaten my friends cause you have something against me?"
"Allow me to retort." Naruto's voice was barely above a whisper, but the raw fury in his voice had everyone on edge.
And in the blink of an eye, a roundhouse kick to the stomach area of the General, careened into and cratered the metallic wall directly behind Clover and Winter.
"General Ironwood!" Clover and Winter immediately rushed to his aid, noting how mangled he had become after a single blow.
James' entire robotic half of his body and his limbs had shattered and were barely hanging on. His breathing was labored because many of his vital enhancements were damaged.
But he was still awake, his eyes fluttering open fearfully as Naruto remained motionless, glaring at his defeated form. "To be honest, I don't care why you don't like me. It doesn't bother me. Many people have hated me before; it's not new to me. I can take that."
"What I will not allow, however, is for others to get in the way of whatever this feud happens to be. Leave between me and you, got it!" Naruto stated while leering at James.
James snarled, despite his fear, and glared at Naruto. "Look around you. Look at what you did to this school? All to send a message. You are not better than I am."
"Yeah, I left collateral damage, so what? Sometimes collateral is unavoidable. I already talked to some of the Professors, and they're good with me leaving clones behind to help them with the repair. I'm willing to do what it takes to make amends for my actions. Are you?" Naruto raised a brow before scowling.
"What is that supposed to mean?" James squinted.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Are you prepared to accept the consequences of your actions? You came after me and my friends. I don't take that lightly. And whatever I don't take lightly, he doesn't." Naruto crossed his arms momentarily before tilting his head behind him to the torn-open bridge exposed to the outside world.
And the question of who he was became known as a towering monstrous fox rose from the earth and roared. Its deafening roar was so potent that the world around it shattered, causing the earth to rumble.
All stood in terrified awestruck as what looked like a demon stood imposingly before the moon, its rage-filled gaze falling upon James as it snarled.
"Let me make this clear for ya so you don't make this mistake again. When it comes to my friends and to helping people, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. If someone gets in my way, I will go straight through them. That's just who I am." Naruto spoke with an unnerving calm as he steadily met James' gaze. "But I should thank ya. You showed me your true colors. You're just like those corrupt fools in charge back home... At least, now I know what it will take to fix this world."
"It will take some time, but I will show the world how it's done. I will rebuild Konoha and show everyone what a well-run and united village, nay, Kingdom is, and force everyone else to strive to be better!"