The Shadow of War

Hello, as some of you know, Orpheus has given me the responsibility of continuing this story as he's been struggling to work on other stories and deal with problems in the real world and work. So, I just wanted to let you guys know, I will try my hardest and do my best to bring forth the story that had gained the attention of many readers. And just to note, I have made a couple changes to some of the details compared to the original.

*Update – 09/05/17

Hey just wanted to let you all know, I'm still here and am writing the story, I've just hit a few road bumps in the creation process and have upcoming classes to attend as well. Nonetheless, Chapter III will be posted within the next month or so, hopefully within the fortnight. But getting to the point, the reason for this update is because looking it over, and getting some criticism from my colleagues, they've mentioned it would be best if I adjust the first chapter, shred down some of the unnecessaries, and make Naruto more into the version I wrote in the second chapter.

Enjoy.

Chapter I: To Beacon

The sun rose peacefully to the sound of chirping songbirds and shone its orange light on the autumnal leaves that painted the wizened oaks. The August breeze cooled the dawn in a calm serenity of balance and life. Disgusting…

The origin of that thought came from a teenage boy of what appeared to be fifteen years old with long, blonde hair to his upper-back in a ponytail tied with a white ribbon and intelligence shining behind his eyes - the right one was a deep, icy blue while the left one was reminiscent of an emerald - where a pair of pince-nez glasses sat. Adorned in a zipped up, snow-white jacket with gold lining as well as gloves, boots and a pair of white pants beneath a trench coat of the same color, lined with the same sun-golden color. A symbol was sewn into the trench coat's shoulders and the back, his Emblem. An upward facing crescent with two spikes lodged into it at forty-five degree angles and a third, shorter spike in the exact center pointing up at an eye that sat above the crescent, the entire symbol in jet black thread. Naruto Namikaze painted an interesting figure to say the least and held himself with the confidence of someone who knew he was better than everyone else. It was an undeniable fact, after all.

From the window of his room he observed the activity, or rather lack of with a certain level of dissatisfaction and revulsion, drumming his fingers upon his desk to signal his indignation. A very apparent part of Naruto wished to see the streets emblazoned with banners and flags of his nation, uniformed soldiers marching in orderly formation, even singing military cadences as they advanced in lockstep.

Feeling a small pain in the back of his head, or rather his mind, another part of his conscience - one thought to have been buried deep in the vaults of his psyche - made itself known in the young man's thoughts. This part of Naruto, sought chaos in the form of brutal and unrelenting warfare, where the streets would flow red with crimson ichor, illuminated by the blaze of torchlight and the rising embers that followed.

There was a distinct lack of anxiety and fear. No fires. No chaos. There was no struggle for survival. It was stagnation. Stagnation was the opposite of evolution, the opposite of progress. Without the progress war and strife brought, how could humans possibly reach the next level of their forms?

The simplest answer is that they can't. If they stagnate, they will die. There was nothing simpler or more obvious in this world to young Naruto. Even the more orderly side of his mind understood that there needed to be some kind of change to initiate what he saw in his daydreams. It was for this reason - among others - that he had chosen to become a Huntsman. He threw himself into his studies, not bothering with the affairs other children his age might have. He had a mere handful of 'friends' at Sanctum and did not even bother to try and bond with his parents, his older sister or even his twin since his enrollment, particularly due to the distance.

His teachers even allowed him to take the graduation examinations a full two years earlier than usual thanks to his mentorship by a former huntsman turned blacksmith, and he would join Shiro at Beacon Academy. He had known that the entire summer and today, today was the day that they traveled by airship to the flying fortress of a school. Recently, he also found out something that annoyed him to no end.

His other sister also made it in early along with her scythe-wielding friend by stopping a robbery of one of the Dust shops. Tsuki was more skilled than the average student, surely, but to skip two grades off of one incident without all the hard work… the Headmaster certainly had strange ideas running through his head. Complaining brought no results however, so Tsuki and Ruby would just have to keep up with everyone else.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a sensation of vibration run through his left side. Reaching into one of the pockets in the left side of his trench coat, he pulled out what appeared to be a white rod about eight inches in length and an inch in diameter. Stretching it apart, a holoscreen was revealed in between the two ends. A picture of two girls standing back to back could be seen on the screen as he did so.

The girl on the left had long, raven hair with two bangs framing her ivory face, a white flower in her hair on the left side just above her ear. Emerald green eyes with cyan eyeliner shone with mischief as she looked in what was presumably a camera when the picture was taken. She wore a strapless snow white dress with silver lining, cyan wings on the lower back, a bow on the bodice and a leather belt around her waist, two chains hanging off the front of it. On either hand she wore gloves that almost reached her elbows, her right glove equipped with a silver bracer while her right shoulder had a pad of the same material protecting it. Around her neck was wrapped a boa with a white and red feather. Her dress itself ended just before her knees with a a few layers of frills, a pair of knee-high heeled boots with red laces tying them.

On her right was a girl who was definitely her identical twin. She had a shorter hairstyle, the back barely touching her neck but with the same style of bangs framing her face as well as the same raven color. A foot-long red and white feather was placed in her hair, extending far behind her head. Her teal eyes had red eyeliner and a look of boredom as she looked expressionlessly into the camera. Around her neck was a black choker with a fur collar hanging off of her back. Her dress was also strapless, but red and black with a black bow around her waist before it ended at her knees. She also wore gloves, though hers were a deep crimson and only extended up to her wrists, black lace extending past their end. As for her knee-high heeled boots, they were red with white laces, black lace leggings extending past their pinnacle and up her dress, where they were lost from sight.

Looking at the holophone's screen, Naruto sighed but accepted the video call with a touch of the screen. "This is Naruto. What do you want?" Through the screen, he could see the two twins that were pictured in the exact same outfits from the picture. In the background, he noted the dance club their mutual employer owned, only in a much worse state than he remembered. "What happened to the club?"

The one in red looked behind her back before sighing. "You tell him Melanie…" She did not sound happy, though her tone was still bored.

"Fine, Miltia…" The girl in white, Melanie, shrugged. "There was these two girls that came here for Junior and they ended up fighting everyone in the club when he didn't have an answer they liked. We fought them too… but they were, like, really strong." Her voice had a distinctive sound of a high-class, spoiled teenage girl.

Naruto thought a moment before sighing. "Were these girls both about the same height, one weari-"

"Dammit you two, give me the scroll!" A rather aggravated man yelled out, causing the twins to grimace in worry.

"Sorry Junior," Melanie said quickly, losing the spoiled tone in her voice almost instantaneously. "Naruto's on the other line."

"Yeah, no shit. I'm the one who told you two to call him." Movement flashed across the screen as the device was given to another person, revealing a man with short black hair, a goatee and sideburns and wore a black vest over a white button up shirt, a crimson tie hanging from his neck as well as a pair of ruby-colored shades over his eyes. Although he could not completely see his eyes, Naruto could make out faint traces of bluish-black spots extending beyond the frames.

"Hello Junior, you look deprived, and as though you were dying." Naruto pointed out, knowing it was likely to provoke the information broker.

"Yeah, well you already know what happened. Those two girls came in here and destroyed my place, do you know how much it'll cost to get everything repaired?" Junior sighed exasperatedly. Giving one final huff of distress, he fixed his tie and recomposed himself into a more professional manner. "But onto the matter of business, did you retrieve the package?"

"I certainly did, and the Schnee's were more than happy to provide it. A small fee was all that was required." Naruto said, although there was no pride in his voice, for his actions were less than worthy of praise - in his standards that is - and more deserving of shame. He was never one to steal, however the pay for the mission had been exceptionally high.

Junior nodded, keeping his head lowered while he wrote something down out of the sight of the camera. "Excellent. See to it that you get the package delivered within the week. Our client is refusing to make the payment until they know that we have it."

"Understood. I shall be there before the week's end."

Junior said nothing more, nodding in response before the camera shut off leaving Naruto to his own devices once more. Looking at the menu of his scroll, he noted the time in the upper right-hand corner and closed it before standing. "Time for breakfast… one last time for at least a year." Just the barest trace of a smile touched his lips. "Splendid."

Walking out of his room, the blonde descended the stairs down to the first floor of his family's estate. Arriving in the combination kitchen-dining room, he found a seat on one end of the table, already set with silverware and plates. "Morning, Naruto!" A woman stated exuberantly.

She had long, waist-length hair the color of blood that flowed freely without obscuring any part of her face. Violet eyes shone with maternal care which fit the image of housewife she wore. She wore a green, sleeveless dress over a white shirt, a yellow apron over even those as she brought a plate of eggs to the table in front of the only other person currently present.

Exactly across from the table as him was a man with tall spikes of sun-golden hair, two long bangs framing either side of his angular and lightly tanned face. A pair of azure eyes, gleaming with pride regarded the fifteen year old boy as he put down a book he had been reading. "Thank you Kushina." He said gratefully as he looked at her cooking. "How do you feel about your first day, Naruto?"

Naruto put on as much of a smile as he could muster in front of the two before responding to his parents. "I am looking forward to becoming a Huntsman. This is just another step in the stairway of my dream and I will handle it just as I handled my studies at Sanctum." Without warning, he felt a hand ruffle his hair as another girl walked past him and took a seat.

"You know very well it won't be that easy, you little bookworm." The girl stood at least as tall as their father, Minato, with short, blonde hair that ended at her shoulders and dark blue eyes deep as the ocean. She wore a conical, black hat atop her head that bent downwards about three-quarters up with a thick, white band going around the base and a wide brim meant to shield her eyes from the sun. Her dress was a matching shade of black, ending just below her knees with black, knee-high socks and a pair of heeled boots on her feet. The sleeves of her dress ended just an inch after her shoulders with white sleeves extending down to her wrists. Two, matching chain bracelets with a cross charm hanging off of each adorned her wrists.

"I will do my best regardless, Shiro." He replied evenly. "That is all I can do." His tone was given with such finality, such matter-of-factness that Shiro couldn't help but smirk at her little brother. She was proud of him, just like the rest of the family. That didn't mean she could give him any slack though. That was their mother's job.

"Your best just might not be good enough. I heard that the Entrance Ceremony has an exam that actually kills one-third of the entrants. There's three of us. You know what that means right?" Naruto simply smiled back.

"I suppose you should keep your eye on Tsuki then, shouldn't you?" As if on cue, he heard an indignant growl.

"Take that back, you idiot!" The last of the trio of siblings arrived right on time, sitting across from Shiro. She had a ponytail of auburn hair that went barely past her shoulders, two spiral clips on either side of her bangs that kept them out of her eyes. Her violet eyes glared at him even while he gave no reaction. Unlike her older sister, Tsuki wore a sleeveless, red shirt with two, silver-colored shoulder plates embedded with the same spiral insignia as her hair clips. A pair of blue hakama pants finished off her outfit with a sash tied around it. On either of her wrists she wore bracers that extended from her wrists back to her forearm, a pair of black, fingerless gloves on her hands. Even though she currently didn't wear her weapon, Naruto knew that she usually had a katana strapped across her back and a wakizashi hanging from her hip.

"I cannot take back something so steeped in the truth, Tsuki. I have my standards to keep and you know it." Tsuki felt so infuriated at that arrogant smirk! She couldn't wait until she got to spar him in combat class! She would wipe it off of his stupid face!

"And what about you two?" Minato asked, trying to diffuse the situation before Kushina returned with the children's eggs. He would prefer that they not go to school with fresh emotional scarring from her scolding. Shiro smiled sedately while Tsuki wore a large grin on her face.

"I am excited, to be perfectly honest. Not only do I get to be in the same year as my two siblings but also my best friend as well. The odds are good I will have at least one of them on my team." She spoke with a certain grace that reminded those at the table of another witch who worked at Beacon.

"I can't wait to show Ruby that size isn't everything!" Tsuki exclaimed. "She thinks that her scythe can beat mom's style, but I'll show her who has the superior teacher! Her weapon might look cool, but my swords are much, much stronger!" Minato couldn't help but let a small smile touch his lips at the very different reactions of his children about their first day at the very same Academy he had attended with Kushina and his team. He knew they would enjoy their time just as much as he had. There was no doubt in his mind they would each find their path at Beacon Academy.

"All the strength in the world is worthless when placed in the hands of someone without brains." Naruto told her before taking a bite of the eggs Kushina had placed before him without him noticing. Shiro and Tsuki had similar plates as well.

"You think you're so smart just because you skipped two grades, don't you?" Tsuki asked as she began eating her own food. "Rell, fu hart zat 'preshal!" Naruto didn't respond, merely waited as Kushina smacked Tsuki in the back of the head.

"Don't speak with your mouth full! You are supposed to be starting Beacon today. Act your age." Kushina scolded her, successfully causing Tsuki to become meek and nod obediently. "Good, now hurry up and finish your breakfast or you'll be late for your ride." The last line had been meant for all three of the children, not just Tsuki.

"Your mother is right." Minato agreed. "You know how she gets if everything isn't exactly perfect. I do love her like a sister but she really needs to learn how to relax…" Shaking his head with a light chuckle, Minato stood with his plate in hand. "I hope you three already packed before you came down here."

"Mhm!" Tsuki announced. "I got everything I'll need for the whole year already! I just gotta get my luggage when she gets here!"

"I am well-prepared." Shiro spoke. "I also got things Tsuki no doubt forgot in lieu of more… trivial items she deemed more important." The eldest of the trio wore a small smile as she said it, which was the only thing that kept Tsuki from exploding in anger at such a comment.

"I hardly had to do much packing." Naruto stated as he finished a bite. "I am ready to leave though." Minato chuckled at that.

"Yes, I suppose you don't really need to pack with your Semblance, do you? Seeing as how you three are now finished, gather your things and make your way to the living room. Her timing is always perfect so she might already be here." As if on cue, a loud ringing echoed through the house. "See what I mean?"

"Come on Shiro, let's go get our stuff!" Tsuki said excitedly, running up the stairs with energy akin to a certain girl with a red hood. Naruto grabbed his plate as well as those of his sisters. Making a stop in the kitchen to drop them off in the sink, he walked into the living room where Minato had already let the guest inside.

She had platinum blonde hair tied in bun with a single curl hanging down the right side of her face and wore thin glasses in front of her emerald eyes, a pair of teal earrings hanging from her ears.. Standing with perfect posture, the woman wore a white, long-sleeved suit with a circular opening that exposed a small portion of her chest, puffy sleeves that tightened around her wrists. Her lower body was covered by a back business skirt, red buttons in a vertical line in the front, dark brown stockings underneath it and black boots with brown heels. She also wore a cape that was violet on the inside and black on the outside.

"Good morning, Aunt Glynda." Naruto greeted the blonde woman politely. Glynda looked to the younger blond, approaching him with a light smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Naruto. Are you ready to start attending Beacon? I think you will find it enjoyable just as your father, mother and I did when we attended." He nodded once to the woman, a small smile on his lips as he thought about the school.

"Yes, I am looking forward to it. I know that all my training was child's play compared to what is to come once I start at Beacon but I am prepared to work as much as I may need to so that I can become a properly trained Huntsman." Glynda couldn't help but smile at his resolve as the other two girls arrived.

"Shiro, Tsuki, good morning to you two as well." She greeted them as they entered. "I trust you are ready as well?" Shiro nodded while Tsuki grinned. "That is a relief to hear. Shall we make our way to the airship then? I have a jet outside to take you three to the rendezvous point where the other freshmen of this district will be awaiting transportation to Beacon."

"Let's go then!" Tsuki agreed, rushing out of the door first, followed by the quieter trio who walked at a more even pace.

"Thanks for taking them again, Glynda." Minato said with a smile.

"It is no problem, Minato. I will talk to you and Kushina later." As they walked out, Minato and Kushina watched them make their way to the jet Glynda had spoke of. They waved goodbye to their children up until the moment the jet left their sight, though they could still hear it long after that.

"How long will it take to get there?" Tsuki wondered curiously as the vehicle began to dart past trees and hills.

"It will be at least a few hours." Glynda commented plainly, the ship finally keeping a constant, if blurring, speed. Hearing this, Naruto pulled out his scroll and a pair of headphones. Opening up the music player, he shut his eyes relaxing to the ominous melody of an organ. (2)

Sic filii scite tibi vi sacramentum.

Erit premium sanguine sanctum,

Erit premium sanguine sanctum absconditum.

Vel venio humanitas tendo pendere

Sanguine sanctum...

[Somewhere in Vale]

"Naruto, wake up…" Hearing his name, the blonde opened his eyes as Shiro gently shook his shoulder. Removing his earbuds, he looked out the window to see that the ground was nearing them at a constant rate; they were landing. He took that as a sign to place his earbuds back within a pocket of his coat and do the same with his scroll after compacting it.

When the jet touched down on the airstrip, the trio of siblings bore witness to several other models similar to the one they arrived in. Further down the strip, a small group of students Shiro's age were boarding an enormous airship with four massive wings, two horizontally placed to each side. They were motionless at the moment, but when they moved the three had no doubt the ensuing sound would be thunderous.

The jet finally did halt its movement. "That is the ship that will transport all of the students to Beacon that live in Vale. There are similar ones in the other three kingdoms to gather the students who wish to attend our school instead of the academies of their respective homelands."

Even as she finished talking, the jet's door opened up, a set of stairs extending to the ground for their use. The entire group exited the jet - including Glynda - and made their way towards the airship. "Does anyone not use the airships to get to Beacon?" Naruto wondered idly, capturing Glynda's attention.

"There are a select few, yes. Usually it is those from very wealthy families that own their own private airships that can travel long distances. I happen to know that Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Mining company is traveling that way instead of getting on the… communal transport."

"She's probably a rich snoot who thinks she's better than everyone else!" Tsuki assumed. "Doesn't she know that she could make friends on the trip up to Beacon!" Shiro patted the younger girl's head, causing Tsuki to huff in annoyance.

"You have a point Tsuki. The Schnee live in Atlas and I am sure that there are very few students in our class arriving from that kingdom. Even then, she likely was tutored privately instead of going to one of the Preparatory Academies with the… common rabble."

"I detect some personal experience with that type of person in your voice…" Naruto replied, receiving a sigh from his older sister. "Well, just think, there's a chance you might end up on her team." The grin he wore as he said that almost looked sadistic, though not quite.

"Heeeeeeeey! Tsuuuuuuuki!" Everyone looked up at the airship to see a girl in one of the windows, waving down at them. She had short, black hair with streaks of red mixed in and a pair of silver eyes. She was wearing a black dress with a red corset-like design over her stomach. The hem was ruffled with a red lining around the bottom. Around her waist was a belt that held several rounds of ammunition as well as a leather pack for clips. Under the skirt of her dress were almost translucent, black stockings and a pair of black boots with red laces that almost reached up to her knees. Around her neck was a red as roses hooded cloak that flapped as she waved her arm.

"Hey Ruby!" Tsuki responded in kind, waving back energetically. She rushed up the ramp that led inside the airship, leaving the other three behind in her wake.

"I had predicted that would happen." Naruto said evenly. "It is better than if we had gotten here before Ruby though. I have my doubts that, this ramp may not have been able to handle her hyperactive speed from that Semblance of hers. Shiro giggled, nodding her head at the thought of Ruby rushing up with a trail of petals falling to the ramp even as it likely became irreversibly damaged.

Somehow or another, Glynda had disappeared as the two were imagining that scenario, leaving the siblings alone to walk up the ramp at a rather sedated pace. "Well… it looks like we're finally going to be starting the final step to become Huntsmen and Huntresses." She commented to him, gaining only silence in response. She looked at him as they walked, worried for a moment that he might be overly nervous.

"Each step is only that… a single footstep." He replied finally. "Everything up until now has only been us taking that first footstep down this road. We do not know which way our footsteps will fall as we journey on the road, which forks in the road we shall take or who we shall meet… all we know is that when we get to the destination, there is no turning back. Beacon is where the path converges… the steps from there are up to us now. It's like they say… it is not the destination, but the journey that lies beyond."

The Mighty Morgoth: ~

Laurence, the First Vicar - T. Saitoh

Okay, the edits have been made, and it's ready to be reposted. Chapter three will be out soon, I promise you this much. Please leave a review if have any legitimate criticism, and if you have any questions regarding the story, send me a Private Message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I do seriously implore you to personally message me if you have any problems with the story. I'm willing to hear what you all have to say.

Auf Wiedersehen, and may you find good fortune upon your travels.