Soulbound

The Chthonic Professor

AN: Quick author's note before we move on to the story: Holy Freaking Cow! I've never received such a positive response in such a short amount of time to a story! It's genuinely heartwarming for me too see, you guys, because I've been planning this story for months. To see it actually be well-received is a relief. In fact, I was so happy, I pumped out this monster chapter in under a week. On top of that, this is the longest chapter I've ever written! It's 10'000 words!

Edit - December 4th, 2017: It has been brought to my attention that I made a couple of glaring mistakes. Not just grammar mistakes (of which I've found and corrected a few), but in the fact that not once, but twice I forgot that Naruto only has one of his arms. You know, no big deal, just a major part of the story's plot. Thank you MASSIVELY to Kyo no Kitsune for pointing out the times I slipped when it came to Naruto's arm - or, rather, lack-thereof. I just hope I caught them all…

Also, extra Edit: I figured out how to do line breaks! Look at them! Hehe~ I'm so excited~

Chapter Two - Arriving in Atlas

Naruto walked through the village with a frown creasing his brow and his hand in his pocket as he made his way towards the Hokage tower. Ever since Winter and her fellows had arrived from overseas, life had been hectic for Naruto. He and his unit had been tasked with guarding the militaristic woman throughout the duration of her stay in Konoha. After only three days of this her talks with the Hokage were finally settled. She was ready to leave Konoha and deliver her findings to her superiors. This was where Naruto's absolute headache of a mission truly began. Unit Seven was tasked with escorting Winter back to her homeland. Once they arrived, they were to scout out their new surroundings, all while trying to convince Winter's superior, General James Ironwood, that they should be allowed to escort him to Konoha, where he would continue negotiations with the Hokage in person.

Having first seen their flying ships, and then having to fly across the ocean inside one of them, still wasn't enough to prepare Naruto for the technological wonderland that was the Kingdom of Atlas. The tall impersonal buildings reminded him far too much of Ame, and the weather reminded him of Yuki no Kuni before he and Princess Koyuki came along. The incredible chasm between Remnant's level of technology compared to their own was astounding to witness first-hand.

Another shock that visited them while they were learning the basics of Atlesian culture were the people. Ino had an absolute field-day walking around the city and taking in the incredible fashion sense of their new foreign friends. The greatest shock of all, however, had been meeting a Faunus for the first time. To know that there was an entire race of people with distinctive animal features, a people who were heavily discriminated against by a large majority of the population, was disheartening to see. It had thrown a lot of things into perspective for Naruto. He wondered how many people who hated the Faunus would be just as xenophobic towards learning about the Shinobi, and their way of life.

In the end, they hadn't been able to do nearly as much reconnaissance as they'd wanted. The General was all-for meeting with the Hokage in person, and it took only two days for him to prepare for the the journey overseas. The man was very impressed by the professionalism displayed by Naruto and his team, and the first thing he did upon meeting with the Hokage was compliment their discipline. It seemed the man would be very open to negotiating with the Shinobi of the Elemental Nations.

That was the extent of Naruto's knowledge about the talks between the General and his sensei. Just as they'd been tasked with guarding Winter during her stay, Unit Seven was trusted with protecting the General from the shadows. Of course, with Kakashi issuing the orders, that meant even though they were the most knowledgeable group of people about the situation after the Hokage, they still knew very little as a whole. Naruto grumbled, kicking a loose stone on the path in front of him as he walked.

"Stupid sensei and his stupid games." He muttered, then yawned. He didn't bother covering his mouth. It was too early in the morning for anybody to be out and about to make comments about his lack of manners. "What'd he have to wake us so early in the morning for anyways?" He whined.

That is, there was nobody there to witness his rude manners and imbecilic whining aside from his three friends trudging alongside him. Sasuke and Kiba looked just as tired and bitchy as Naruto felt. Lee, however, was wide awake. The damn training-nut was probably used to waking up at this hour without prompting from anyone else.

Having been woken up well before four in the morning, Sasuke looked ready to murder someone with his glower alone. His eyes were red and rimmed with dark circles, but for once, that had nothing to do with the Sharingan. Kiba was out-cold, snoring loudly as he piggy-backed on Akamaru, who had gone through another small growth-spurt in the last couple of months. Naruto remembered Kiba bragging about how Akamaru was officially the largest ninken ever recorded in his clan's history. The mutt was the size of a damn pony already, and Kiba had a hunch his partner still had a bit more growing to do.

As the tower came into view, Sasuke decided Naruto's whining and complaining deserved a response.

"Maybe sensei has finally realized how much of an idiot you are, and has decided to place someone with half-a-brain in charge of our Anbu Unit." Sasuke received a kick in the heel for that one.

"Shut up, ya damn bastard." Naruto grunted, pushing past his partner and heading for the front doors of the tower. "And anyway, your stupid comment doesn't make any sense. If that's the case, first of all, what are Kiba and Lee doing here? Second of all, that would place Hinata in charge of the unit, not you." He stormed off in a huff and pushed his way into the tower, a lazy Akamaru trotting in right behind him. This left Lee and Sasuke to stand awkwardly side-by-side in the still-star-lit streets of Konoha.

"Normally I would call your words un-youthful, Sasuke-san," Lee finally decided to speak his minds, "But I can see why you do it."

Sasuke's smirk was smug enough to start another world war.

"It's hilarious."

"That it is, Sasuke-san. That it is."

"Alright, Kaka-sensei, we're here. What'd'ya want already?"

Let it be known that, as much as Naruto respected his Anbu training too much to goof off while suited-up, that did not, by any means, indicate he was any different from his normal self while outside his military gear.

Kakashi just sighed, having already anticipated Naruto's antagonistic nature for having been woken up at such an ungodly hour. He shuffled around with some of the documents on his desk, then picked up a pen and signed a couple of others. Naruto would need to be patient while Kakashi punished him for his impatience. It was only once he noticed that the other three began to shuffle due to the uncomfortable atmosphere (and that Kiba had finally woken up from his nap) that Kakashi decided to begin speaking.

"I finally finished my talks with General Ironwood just before midnight last night."

Kakashi was cut off by Naruto saying, "Yeah, so? What's that got to do with us?"

"Since then," He continued, raising his voice to talk over Naruto but acting like he hadn't been interrupted in the first place, "I've been in a meeting with the council, deciding on our best course of action to take in relation to both our new neighbours overseas, and our new red-eyed residents roaming Hi no Kuni's countryside."

That finally got Naruto to shut up and stand at attention. He was just as concerned about these new monstrosities as Kakashi.

"From my talks with the General, I've discovered that these creatures, called Grimm, are very prominent on the rest of Remnant's continents. In fact, they're so numerous that most of each Kingdom's population resides in a single, massive city protected by high walls and constant patrols. Any smaller towns or settlements that come about are expected to survive on their own against the Grimm. Most do not."

"That is… concerning." Lee was frowning just a bit more than the rest of them, his code of honour unable to take the fact that the more superior Kingdoms would not protect their weaker charges.

"Mm, that it is." Kakashi agreed. "I have also learned that, in order to combat these Grimm, young warriors are sent to major Academies where they learn to fight against the creatures of darkness, protecting their Kingdoms. These young warriors learn to wield an energy called Aura, and fight with unique abilities called Semblances in conjunction with using powerful weapons. They believe that aura comes from a person's soul, and is the reason that nearly all Semblances are unique in some way or another. However, the most interesting thing I've discovered about aura is the fact that it exists separately from chakra."

Kakashi allowed them a moment to let that sink in.

"Separately from chakra?" Sasuke was the first to question his Hokage's statement.

"Yes. Essentially, it means that a person can have both aura, and chakra. They are separate energies."

"Is that really possible? Do we know for sure, or is it just a theory?" Sasuke asked again. Though few knew it, both Naruto and Kakashi were aware that, during his apprenticeship to the Snake Sannin, Sasuke had enjoyed developing quite the well of theoretical knowledge about chakra. He liked to laud himself as an intellectual. Naruto knew otherwise.

Sasuke was a nerd.

"We know for sure, Sasuke. As part of our negotiations, I had General Ironwood unlock my aura. Here, allow me to demonstrate."

With that, Kakashi closed his eyes and held out his palm. Slowly, almost sluggishly, white light started to pool in his palm. It settled into a thin film, wrapping around his fingers and snaking down his wrist. Eventually, it covered his entire arm like a glove. In the darkness of the morning and the low lights of the office, Kakashi seemed to glow, lighting up his surroundings. Then, with a heavy sigh, Kakashi slumped forwards and the glow vanished entirely. For a moment, darkness engulfed the room.

"What was that." Kiba whispered in wonder.

"That was my aura. It is a Huntsman's first defence against the Grimm; a sort of forcefield that protects and heals them from most damage. According to Ironwood, even a child who has only just unlocked his aura, and has yet to discover his semblance, has a greater chance of surviving a Grimm attack than a trained warrior without an aura."

Kakashi leaned back in his (admittedly very comfortable) chair, sharp gaze taking in the sleepy, but alert, forms of his soldiers. As much as he wanted to say they were the four he would trust most with this mission, he would be a liar. They were simply the four he could most afford to not have in the village at the moment.

"Now, there's one little tidbit I've learned that makes this all very interesting. As much as those with chakra can also have an aura, that does not mean that chakra is a requirement to unlocking one's aura."

Sasuke rocked back on his heels, the implications of Kakashi's words hitting him first.

"So, that means…"

"That means, shinobi, two very important things. The first, is that civilians and, more importantly, samurai, can learn how to become a Huntsman. The second, is that one does not need to have chakra to survive."

That sent all four of the boys reeling. Even Lee, who's chakra network was so damaged he couldn't perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu of any kind, still needed his chakra network to survive. Then, Naruto came to a realization.

"The people from overseas… Winter, and the pilots that flew her over to the Elemental Nations… not a single one of them had any chakra. Hinata said as much when she first spotted them."

"That's correct, Naruto." Though it wasn't obvious, Kakashi was smiling at him from behind his mask.

"That… doesn't make sense, though." Sasuke was frowning. "How is it possible to survive without chakra? I thought all shinobi learned that, without chakra, even a civilian wouldn't be able to live."

Kakashi nodded sagely, with his eyes closed. "And that is true. In the Elemental Nations, even a civilian could not survive without chakra, but that's because our bodies have, over time, grown used to having chakra as a necessary organ." Seeing the confused faces of his subordinates (even Sasuke), Kakashi decided to elaborate. "Alright, think of it this way. Imagine chakra was a drug. Before anybody knew it existed, people were perfectly capable of getting by without it. However, one day, someone introduces chakra to everybody else, and they all become hooked. In fact, they become so hooked on chakra that without it, instead of going into withdrawal, people die."

The looks on his four subordinates' faces were priceless. Kakashi wished he had a camera, just for a moment.

"This is actually what happened to us. At one point in time, before Kaguya came along, people were living perfectly normal lives without an ounce of chakra in their systems. However, she eventually gave birth. Her children were able to use chakra, and they began teaching others how to use this gift. Soon, there were so many people born with chakra that even civilian families had someone, somewhere in their genetic line, who had chakra, introducing it to the rest of their descendants."

Sasuke had pieced the rest of the puzzle together by now, so he decided to jump into the explanation.

"The reason people can live without any chakra at all, is because nobody in their genetic line was ever introduced to it, right?" Kakashi nodded, confirming his theory.

"Yes, exactly. Though this is only a theory, General Ironwood and I believe that, upon discovering chakra, either Kaguya or the Ten-Tails erected a barrier between the Elemental Nations and the rest of the world. This served to keep chakra contained on our continent, making it easier to keep track of. On the other hand, this means that nobody but those native to the Elemental Nations have any chakra, and with a threat like the Grimm roaming the rest of the planet, the people of Remnant had to discover some other way to protect themselves."

"Okay…" Naruto rocked back and forth on his heels, a single finger pushed up against his chin. He was thinking so hard, he looked constipated. "I get that this is important stuff and all… but what's that got to do with us?"

Kakashi took a moment to let Naruto's question hang in the air.

"I know that look, Naruto. Why don't you tell me why you think I've called you here?"

Blue eyes blinked slowly at him. He stared back, impassive. Sighing, Naruto nodded his head and then closed his eyes.

"Well, let's see. People with chakra can use aura. People with aura are called Huntsmen, and Huntsmen fight against the Grimm. Ever since Kaguya died, the barrier between the Elemental Nations and the rest of the world has fallen, allowing Grimm to make their way over here…we're shinobi. We're not Huntsmen. We can't spare all those shinobi in order to protect people from the Grimm, and anyway, Shinobi are loyal to their village alone. The Grimm are a threat to everybody, collectively."

By now, Lee and Kiba were staring at Naruto with awe in their eyes. Sasuke was smirking, having already seen this calculative side of Naruto. Kakashi was just smiling softly at his student. It was times like this, more than any other, that Kakashi realized Naruto was just as much his father's son as he was his mother's.

"That means you want some shinobi, I'm guessing us four since we're the ones here, to learn how to become Huntsmen. We can only do that overseas, since that's where all the Academies for Huntsmen are located. Then, once we've learned how to fight as Huntsmen, we can come back and begin setting up our own Academy over here, one that'll teach anyone from any country, even Samurai or civilians, how to become Huntsmen."

Naruto's eyes snapped open, boring directly into his sensei's slightly mis-matched charcoal grey ones.

"The only thing I can't figure out is why you picked us four specifically, and why you picked four of us."

The Hokage's office was silent for a moment. Then Kakashi started laughing heartily.

"Well done, Naruto," He finally managed to get out between chortles, "It looks like those Shogi sessions with the Anbu commander have really done you some good."

Naruto blushed bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head, a small grin on his face.

"Hehe, thanks, sensei."

"You're correct on all accounts except one. I actually hadn't thought of creating a single academy that would cater to all prospective Huntsmen in the Elemental Nations, but it's a good idea. I'll have to use that one." He muttered quietly to himself for a moment while marking down a note for later reference. "Also, I'll have to get in contact with the other Kage, see what their take on this is. I don't know if any of them will want to send some of their shinobi to one of these academies…"

As Kakashi devolved into ramblings and note-taking, his four subordinates (and one dog) stared at him with totally deadpan expressions.

"Ah… sensei?" Naruto finally remarked, causing Kakashi to look up from his new notes with an owlish look on his face. "We're still standing here, y'know."

"Oh. Right. Yes, of course." He gathered all of his papers together, rapped them twice against the desk to make them neater, and then placed them off to the side. "So… the reason I picked you four, and the reason I picked four of you, go hand-in-hand."

He cleared his throat. "Naruto, I picked you because, one day, you will be my successor. As Hokage it will be your duty to protect the people, as you already know. In sending you overseas, I hope you will both grow stronger from this Huntsmen training, as well as develop some political connections that will benefit Konoha."

Naruto nodded. Kakashi had really been pushing him to become a proper Hokage, worthy of the seat and hat he'd revered for so long. This, it seemed, was just another one of his hair-brained schemes.

"Sasuke, the village still doesn't trust you very much. I believe sending you on such a politically important mission, and having it be successful, will be the final push needed to cement your place as a Konoha citizen amongst the rest of the populace." Kakashi's look was cold and hard as ice. "Also," And suddenly, the look was gone, "I don't trust Naruto not to do anything idiotic there without you or Sakura to reign him in, and Sakura is needed at the Hospital."

Sasuke shrugged. Fair enough. They all decided to ignore Naruto's indignant "OI!"

"Kiba, you were chosen because of your partner, Akamaru, and your animalistic features. Due to your close bond with your ninken, we're not sure if unlocking your aura will affect either your or Akamaru in any way. Essentially, you will be the pilot project, testing whether or not your family members, or others, like the Aburame, would be eligible to become Huntsmen. You were chosen over an Aburame due to your more apparent animalistic physical features. You four will be the first team sent over to the other continents, and you will be representing all of Konoha, if not the entire Elemental Nations. There is an entire race of people out there called Faunus, who bear a single animalistic feature. They're heavily discriminated against, but a large number of people are trying to change that. If possible, the council and I would like you to make contact with the Faunus, and see if you can convince them that we mean their kind no harm."

It took Kiba a little while to absorb all that information, but eventually he nodded his affirmative. He would do the best he could.

"And finally, we come to you, Lee." Kakashi sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. He looked tired, and older than his years actually suggested. "Lee, you were chosen as a favour to your sensei." The other three had no idea what Kakashi was talking about, but it seemed Lee had caught on, as he developed a fiery, defiant look in his eyes. Before he could say anything, Kakashi cut him off by speaking again. "Lee, listen. Gai could not be more proud of you, but as someone who is both a master of Taijutsu, and someone who has taught you for so long, he can see you plateauing, Lee. There's only so much further you can go before you hit a wall, and honestly, Gai is afraid of what that will do to you. Already, he's confided in me that you're finding it more and more difficult to keep your upbeat attitude."

Lee's three friends looked at him in startled surprise. Even Sasuke wasn't afraid to hide his shock. Lee just looked away, opting instead to stare at a picture of the Yondaime on the wall of the Hokage's study.

"Lee, Gai and I have discussed this in great detail alongside the General. All three of us believe that you should have absolutely no problems unlocking and utilizing both your aura and your semblance. Gai thinks learning to fight as a Huntsman would be good for you, and honestly, I agree with him. I think it would benefit you greatly. However," Something in Kakashi's tone prompted Lee to look right at him, "You do have the option to deny this mission. I will not force one of my best shinobi to subject himself to something he's completely unwilling to do. We can always find someone else to take your place."

Lee's tense posture softened at his Hokage's words, and as he took some time to think, he glanced down at the office's floorboards. Kakashi let Lee think, holding up a hand towards his other three subordinates in order to keep them quiet. Long minutes passed, enough so that Kakashi was about to suggest Lee take some more time to think about this later, when the black-haired teen suddenly looked up.

There was a fire in his eyes.

"I will do this mission, Hokage-sama. If both you and Gai-sensei think it's something I need to do, then I trust your judgement. He has never steered me wrong before."

Kakashi's smile was warm and proud, and it made Lee stand up just a little bit straighter, a small smile gracing his own cheeks.

"Good. That allows me to move on to my final reasons for picking the four of you." Once again sitting back in his chair (this time for dramatic effect), Kakashi steepled his fingers in front of his chest. "First of all, Remnant's four Huntsmen Academies sort their new students into teams of four, each through their own unique initiation process. Second of all, each academy has a minimum age limit of seventeen, and it is only under extreme circumstances that this age limit is broken. At the moment, the academies are still in the middle of their school year, and will not accept new students halfway through. However, that benefits us. By the time the new school year rolls around, Naruto, Sasuke and Kiba will all be seventeen years of age. Lee, I know, will be eighteen, but it's been agreed that he's close enough in age to you three for it not to matter. We couldn't really pick anyone any older, as Huntsmen only go through four years of training before they graduate, and thus are trusted with the responsibility of taking, and successfully completing, their own missions."

The four boys took a moment to look at each other. They'd be stuck together for the next four years. As three sixteen year olds and one seventeen year old, that was quite the length of time.

"Now, there was a very good reason for me waking you all at such an unholy hour of the morning to dump all of this information on you. As much as you four will be attending one of these academies, you will do so as regular students and citizens of Remnant. Ironwood and I have agreed that the rest of the world is not quite ready to learn about the Elemental Nations, and we believe having a recognizable and trustworthy team of Huntsmen already in the public eye when we announce ourselves to the rest of the world would be the best course of action. As such, you will be given five months to acclimatize yourselves to your new surroundings before attending a Huntsmen Academy. I'm telling you all of this now, at…" He briefly glanced over at a clock hanging on the wall of the office, "… ten minutes to five in the morning, because General James Ironwood is returning to Atlas. He leaves at 0600 hours, today. That gives you each an hour to get ready and be here, atop the Hokage's tower, to leave for Atlas alongside the General."

He tried, he really did, to not smirk at the synchronized widening of the four boys' eyes. He failed. Epically.

"You'd better move quickly, boys. Time is ticking."

They were gone with a boom, leaving behind quite the dust cloud to settle on his office floor. All the while, he was laughing uproariously to the sound of Naruto's "Fuck you, damn lazy-sensei! We're gonna be late!" echoing across the village.

As Ironwood ascended a set of stairs, Kakashi walking beside him, he wondered at the 'surprise' the silver-haired leader had in store for him. He tried not to sigh. Why must the man be so vague? James didn't know if it was something to do with the hair colour, but he knew far too many silver-haired leaders who enjoyed being cryptic with their words. Yes, two was too many.

Whatever Ironwood had been expecting when he finally reached the top of the stairs, it wasn't this.

Standing on the open roof of the Hokage's tower were four boys, each with a packed bag slung over their shoulders. Every one of them was different in way Ironwood had come to expect of most Huntsmen. From what he'd seen of standard shinobi life during his time in Konoha, that was a little odd in and of itself.

The first boy he laid eyes on needed some serious help when it came to fashion-sense. He was wearing far too much orange. Ironwood wondered how someone could possibly be considered a successful shinobi, a ninja by all rights, while wearing such a thing. He counted himself lucky that, atop a good chunk of the orange attire was a deep red coat with black flames coating the edges. The boy wore the cloak over his shoulders, a black tassel in front of his neck keeping it in place, leaving the sleeves empty.

The second was dressed far more sensibly. He was wearing a high-collared black shirt, of which only the collar was visible, because it was all hidden beneath a ragged brown poncho. Otherwise he had simple pants taped to his legs and the shinobi sandals Ironwood had become familiar with over the last few days.

The third he nearly mistook for a Faunus. The boy was grinning wide, showing off his pronounced canines and warping the two red tattoos on his cheeks. He had on a grey coat with black fur lining the edges, and he was seated astride the largest dog Ironwood had ever seen.

The final boy, Ironwood surmised, also needed some fashion tips. Dressed in skintight green spandex, hideous orange leg-warmers and a darker green combat vest, he was a walking disaster. The bowl-cut and massive eyebrows didn't do the poor boy any justice either. However, beneath the eyesore he seemed to be at first-glance, Ironwood did take note of the boy's bandaged knuckles and visibly athletic body. Eyesore he may be, but this boy was a hard worker. That, at least, Ironwood could respect.

"General," Kakashi spoke up from beside him, "It has been decided by both myself and my council of advisors that these four boys are our best bet at introducing the Huntsman way of life to the Elemental Nations. They have orders to accompany you back to Atlas, familiarize themselves with your way of life, and join one of the four Academies as soon as they are eligible."

James took another moment simply to observe the four boys. Already he could tell they wouldn't have too much trouble fitting in. He turned his gaze on Kakashi.

"You say they will be coming with me back to Atlas. Do you expect them to join my academy, or one of the others?"

"That has yet to be decided." Kakashi's answer was immediate, as if he'd already been expecting the General's question. "I must convene with the other four Kage, in order to determine whether or not any of them are willing to send some shinobi overseas to become Huntsmen. When a decision has been made, I will relay new orders to the four boys, so they can respond accordingly. Until then, they are simply to familiarize themselves with and prepare themselves for this new way of life."

James nodded in understanding. It was all a little last-minute, and just a tad bit unprofessional, but he respected Kakashi's blunt nature. The man wasn't hiding any of his plans. He was laying everything out on the table for James to see. From what he'd learned during his short visit to Konoha, he could understand why. These people, so used to lying and deceiving each other, finally had enough. They'd experienced a war that would have left every man, woman and child on the continent dead at the hands of a madman. They were tired of war. It had taken a single, decisive enemy to unite these lands, and now that enemy was gone. Kakashi was afraid they'd begin returning to their old ways, spying on each other, lying and deceiving and killing all in order to further their own selfish agendas.

Then the Grimm had come along. Once James explained to Kakashi just how much of a threat these creatures represented to the population as a whole, Kakashi had seen a path to lasting peace. The Elemental Nations had little use for the shinobi way of life if they were looking towards lasting peace. However, they still need protectors, warriors to defend the innocent from a single, united evil. Huntsmen were perfect for such a task, and so Kakashi was trusting these four young men to be successful on a mission that would most likely go down as the most important undertaking of their generation.

It was inspiring. These young men were inspiring. Though he did not smile, James did stand just a little bit straighter. He squared his shoulders, staring down the four boys as though they were his own soldiers.

"Are you four ready to go?" He asked, expression stern. None of the boys were fazed.

"Yeah, you bet'cha!" The blonde one chuckled, throwing passionate thumbs-up and grinning wide. The stoic dark-haired one grunted noncommittally, but there was a self-satisfied smirk on his face. The one with the tattoos was showing off his prominent canines while roughly patting his massive mount's side. The fourth was giving a grin just as wide as his blonde friend's, with an enthusiastic double-thumbs-up being thrown James' way.

No fear. These boys showed no fear whatsoever.

James stepped past the four boys, leading them onto the waiting Bullhead. The Elemental Nations no longer needed Shinobi. He couldn't help but be thankful for such a thing. From what little he'd seen of the Shinobi, James had already realized that they were truly utterly terrifying in every way possible.

Atlas was just as impressive as the first time he'd seen it, but it still reminded him just a little bit too much of Ame. For the briefest moment, an image of a man with wild white hair and a wide smile flashed before his eyes. His heart clenched painfully in his chest. He shook off the image of his dead godfather and turned, deciding instead to take in the expressions of his teammates.

Sasuke, of course, looked as emotionless as ever. (Though, Naruto had expected as much. He and Sasuke had already seen Atlas once before). As much as he'd been improving in the last couple of months, Sasuke still had the Uchiha propensity towards stoicism and apathy. One of the greatest accomplishments he and Sakura made since Sasuke's return was getting the boy to open up about his thoughts more often. They'd been quite proud of themselves… right up until they realized that a Sasuke who spoke his mind was a sassy motherfucker. Either way, it was something they'd learned to love about their Uchiha teammate. He and Sakura couldn't exactly call him out for having odd personality traits, after all. That would just be hypocritical.

Naruto's other two teammates, however, had much better reactions than Sasuke. Kiba's jaw had dropped wide open the moment Atlas came into view, and Lee's already wide eyes had grown to even-more-epic proportions. It truly was astonishing to see the difference between the technological advancements of Konoha compared to Atlas. The way Naruto understood it, because chakra was so versatile when compared to aura, the people of the Elemental Nations had no need for ingenious leaps in technology. A large chunk of Remnant's mundane technological wonders were by-products of developing weapons made for technological warfare. It just hadn't been a necessity in the Elemental Nations. However, that would change, and soon. Kakashi had spoken with not only Ironwood, but Hi no Kuni's Daimyo as well. Ironwood had agreed to connect the Elemental Nations to the rest of Remnant as far as basic technology goes. In exchange, all the Daimyo had to do was pay for it. It was expensive, incredibly so, but it would be worth it in the end.

From the little Kakashi had been able to tell them before they left, they'd only be ready to announce the existence of the Elemental Nations to the public once they'd been connected to 'the grid'. That could take up to a year to accomplish, so until then, he and his team would have to learn enough about the 'modern world' to fit in just as well as the rest of them.

Naruto grinned to himself. He couldn't wait to find out what Remnant had in store for them.

The Bullhead finally landed after its long flight. Ironwood led the foursome of boys through the halls of his absolutely massive academy. It was quite the sight, but like the rest of Atlas, it sent the smallest of shivers down Naruto's spine. Atlas Academy was built like a fortress of hard stone and cold steel. It was impersonal, rigid, and practical to the highest degree. At the very centre of the academy was the General's office. Just like the academy, and the General himself, the space was organized and entirely sterile in nature.

When they entered the room, there was a person both Naruto and Sasuke recognized standing beside Ironwood's desk. Her white hair, straight-backed posture and icy blue eyes were more than familiar to them.

"Boys, allow me to introduce you to Specialist Winter Schnee. She'll be the one to bring you all up-to-speed on the world's current technology, as well as escort you to the quarters where you'll be staying for the next few days. According to your leader, all of your basic necessities and expenses will be paid for as part of your 'mission.' If you have any questions at all during your stay here, Winter would be more than happy to help you." With that, the General moved around his desk, sat down, and began going through his paperwork.

Naruto raised a single eyebrow and glanced sideways at Sasuke, who was standing beside him. From the look on his face, they both had doubts that Winter would be 'happy to help' any of them.

Winter stepped forwards, her heels clacking against the metal floor and echoing through the room. "Well then, our first order of business shall be escorting you four to your quarters. You will have exactly ten minutes to unpack your things and be ready to leave once more. From there, we'll be heading somewhere I can best show you how to work the technology that you'll quickly need to become familiar with in the coming days."

Without sparing a single one of them a glance, she walked right in between Sasuke and Kiba before marching out into the hallway, expecting them to follow her immediately. They followed, but as they did, Naruto snuck another glance at Sasuke.

They were both suppressing identical smirks. It looked like Winter didn't recognize either of them. Naruto really shouldn't be surprised. Being unrecognizable outside of uniform was meant to be one of an Anbu's defining features.

The four of them followed Winter through the half-academy, half-military-base until they came upon an unmarked door. It was one in a series of hallways filled with doors. Naruto gave an educated guess and surmised that these were the academy's dorms. They were probably given one of the spare rooms for their short stay in Atlas.

"This is where you will be staying for the next four days. Try not to forget where it is." Winter's tone was clipped and professional, but the bored sarcasm was definitely there if you looked for it. Naruto decided to thank her anyway, then opened the door and led his team into the room.

It really wasn't anything special. There were four beds and a couple of dressers where they could put away their clothes. Other than that, there seemed to be a door leading into a personal bathroom, and nothing else. The beds had black pillows and white sheets, fitting in perfectly with the whole monochrome theme Atlas seemed to so thoroughly enjoy. With the time allotted to them, the four super-powered teens unpacked their bare essentials, claimed a bed, and then shuffled out of the room to follow Winter once more.

"So, where are we headed next, Winter-chan?" Naruto, ever upbeat and cheery, practically seemed to bounce out of the room. He was more than ready to start learning how to use Atlas' amazing technology. Winter sighed imperceptibly before addressing Naruto.

"We will first be heading towards a store that sells Scrolls." Before Naruto could ask why they would need scrolls, of all things, Winter continued. She pulled a rectangular piece of metal out of her pocket. "This is a Scroll." She pressed the diamond-shaped button in the middle of the Scroll and it extended outwards, revealing a semi-transparent screen between the two pieces of metal, with the golden diamond now resting midway along the bottom half. "The primary use of a Scroll is as a communications device. Each Scroll has a personalized ten-digit number. By plugging in the personal number of a different Scroll, one can send what is referred to as a 'call' to another person. If the person with the other Scroll decides to answer their call, then a connection is made between the two Scrolls, allowing for verbal communication between the two."

Everyone but Sasuke looked a little dazed by the long explanation. This time Winter's sigh was just a little more audible. "If you didn't understand everything, or have questions, please hold onto them until we reach the store. There I will demonstrate both the primary, and the most significant secondary characteristics of your Scroll."

With that, Winter spun on her heel and started marching down the hallway. As they slowly began to follow her, Naruto turned to ask Sasuke a question.

"So, did you really understand all that, or were you just being as emotionless as always?"

Sasuke's smug smirk made Naruto impulsively itch to throw a punch at his arm.

"The way I see it, these Scrolls are a lot like the radios we use in Anbu, just a little more personalized."

"Okay, never mind. I take back what I said earlier. These things are far more sophisticated than our radios."

Naruto would normally have taken the time to enjoy Sasuke admitting he was wrong about something, but there was too much information swimming around in his head for him to care at the moment.

From video-calls to texting to the internet, there was a whole lot of awesome packed into these tiny, unassuming devices. Winter had taken them to a store filled with all different kind of Scrolls, and then proceeded to completely blow their minds with the amount of information she'd dumped on them. Once she was done explaining and demonstrating, the cashier had given each of them a Scroll to fiddle around with. Naruto marvelled at the semi-transparent screen without any buttons on it, watching as he swiped back and forth between different screens, the device responding to nothing more than the touch of his thumb. By accident, he pressed down on a little box in the bottom corner, and suddenly he was staring down at his lap through the Scroll.

It took him a moment (and a little bit of panicking) to realize he'd discovered the phone's camera feature. With a suddenly wicked smile on his face, Naruto held the Scroll up at chest-height and primed his thumb over the small circle at the bottom of the screen.

"Hey Sasuke, check what I figured out!"

Sasuke looked up at his blonde-haired leader with an exasperated expression on his face. He, like his teammate, had been having little success thus far in figuring out how to work the device on his own.

"What?" He bit out, head cocked backwards to look at whatever Naruto had found exciting.

"Say cheese!" Naruto crowed happily. For the briefest moment, a look of utter confusion and surprise crossed Sasuke's face. It was all Naruto needed. With the finger speed of someone incredibly proficient in Ninjutsu, Naruto snapped a photo of Sasuke's expression. There was a brief flash of light, and suddenly, there it was. Forever immortalized on the Scroll held in Naruto's hand, a picture of Sasuke caught completely off-guard.

This, Naruto decided, was the greatest moment of his life.

Absolute gut-busting laughter burst from between his lips. Tears streamed from his eyes as he stared at the picture of his best friend. Immediately he had the attention of everyone else in the store. However, most importantly, he had Kiba's attention. The Inuzuka, from halfway across the store, could almost smell a quality prank in the making.

"Oi, dobe, what'd you just do?" Sasuke ground out, a little startled by his friend's sudden, genuine, laughter.

In seconds, Kiba darted through the aisles until he'd come up behind Naruto. Leaning over his laughing friend's shoulder, Kiba got a good, long look at the picture Naruto had taken.

Then he, too, burst out laughing.

Sasuke got close enough to get a glimpse of the photo, seeing his stupid expression for only the briefest of moments, before he was on Naruto like a bloodhound. Naruto, however, was a slippery one. He weaved between Sasuke and Kiba, then took off like a shot through the aisles of the store. He was howling with laughter the entire time.

"You damn fool, get back here!" Sasuke rushed off after him, leaving a near-hyperventilating Kiba behind. "Get rid of it! Don't you dare show anyone else that damn picture!"

"No way!" Naruto threw over his shoulder. "Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei are going to love this!" He cackled some more, taking sharp left and right turns around tall shelves in an attempt to keep Sasuke away from the Scroll.

Sasuke, though, was on a war path. Coming up behind Naruto like a predator on the prowl, he pounced. Naruto went down with a squawk, and the two went tumbling about. They just barely managed to keep any merchandise from falling off the shelves in the process.

From the other end of the store, Winter was staring at the pair of boys in complete shock. Not because of their behaviour, no. She was shocked because, in their mindless roughhousing, the pair had revealed something Winter wasn't even aware that they'd been hiding. Without taking her eyes off of the tumbling duo, Winter dialled the number to the General's personal Scroll.

"Winter?" She heard Ironwood answer on the other end of the line. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "Winter, what's happening? Is everything alright? It sounds like there's a fight going on in the background."

"Oh, there's no trouble, General. Just… boys being boys, I guess you could say."

"Ok, that's… good, I guess. If there's no trouble, then why did you call me, Winter?" His words might have seemed harsh to another, but the General was a busy man. Winter didn't take it personally.

"General, were you aware that two of the four boys sent over from the Elemental Nations, boys who are meant to become warriors representing the strength of their home, are amputees?"

"What! Really?" The line went silent for a moment. "I didn't notice any prosthetics when I was looking them over… which two boys are you talking about, Winter?"

"The blonde and the stoic one. And I would be surprised if you'd noticed a prosthetic, General. Neither wears one. They both seem to be missing an arm. From what I can tell, it begins either from the shoulder, or mid-bicep, but no lower."

"On both of them?"

"Yes. In fact, they seem to be missing opposing arms. The… right for the blonde, and the left for the other."

"Hm. I'll have to speak with Kakashi about this as soon as possible. Thank you for informing me, Winter."

"It was my pleasure, General."

With that, the conversation ended. Winter put away her Scroll, looked back at the boys, and sighed. How Sasuke had managed to pin Naruto to the floor, keeping him in a headlock with his arm, pinning his arm with one leg and reaching for the Scroll with the toes of his other foot, she would never know. How Naruto managed to keep the Scroll away from Sasuke when his only useful arm was occupied and the Scroll was in his mouth would mystify her for weeks.

"Okay, that's enough out of the two of you. We've wasted enough time here, let's purchase your Scrolls and move on. The General still wants you four to blend in a little better, and that means you'll need to begin dressing like Huntsmen. Once we finish up here, I'll be taking you four shopping."

While she was speaking, Naruto managed to wriggle free from Sasuke's hold (another mystery she would never solve) and pop back up to his feet. His whiskered cheeks were red from exertion, but the smile on his face was nearly blinding. If it weren't for her strict training and nature as a Schnee, Winter would have found herself smiling right along with him.

"Assuming you're the leader of the four of you ("Yup, that's me!), I will be putting you in charge of this." Winter pulled out a golden strip of plastic from one of her pockets. "This is a Credit Card. Almost all shops, on all three continents, will accept this as currency. It is connected directly to a bank account, and so while it technically does not have a limit, it is, in fact, limited by how much money is being stored in said account. All of the money connected to this credit card was supplied by your village, in order to pay for your 'mission expenses.' The currency we use here on Remnant is called Lien, and looks very similar to a credit card. The different currency amounts are denoted by the different colours on the cards."

Finished with her speech, Winter moved to hand the credit card to Naruto. Instead, she found it snatched directly from her by Sasuke. Once again, an indignant squawk left Naruto's lips.

"Oi, teme, I'm the leader here! Give it back!"

"Dumbass, you never had it in the first place. Besides, knowing you, you'd spend all our mission money on ramen the moment you got the chance."

"I would not!" Naruto went to cross his arms, realized he only had one of them to cross, aborted the movement, and pouted. He was unsuccessful in changing Sasuke's mind.

"Yeah, you totally would, Naruto." Kiba decided to chime in. Winter made an effort not to jump in surprise. He'd managed to sneak up behind her while she was distracted with the two buffoons in front of her.

"I have to agree with Sasuke-san, my friend. I fear you would spend all of our money on your ramen addiction before we could acquire our more necessary supplies." Lee put in his two-cents from behind Naruto, causing the blonde to slump to the floor, a cloud of depression almost visibly hanging above his head.

"Mou, all my friends are mean to me." He mumbled while drawing circles on the floor with his finger.

That brought rounds of laughter from the other three boys, and another exasperated sigh from Winter. What had she done wrong for Ironwood to subject her to such torture?

Winter hadn't realized just how much of a chore it would be to shop with four teenage boys. She'd thought boys would be simple. They would pick something they thought looked cool and was functional, and then everything would be over and done with. She could go back to her apartment to finally relax and unwind.

She was wrong. She was so, so wrong. Winter was convinced she would have had an easier time going shopping with Weiss. With Weiss.

Kiba was, rather unsurprisingly, the easiest of the four of them. He seemed to be the most stereotypical guy, knowing what he likes and not being afraid to buy it. Of course, that ended up with him having the least functional clothes of the four of them, but at this point, Winter couldn't care less. Kiba ended up buying a couple pairs of black skinny jeans, the type that were fashionably ripped at the knees. Being in a store for Huntsmen they were made of far more flexible material than standard jeans, but that still didn't make them the most functional pair of pants around. He also ended up getting himself a wallet chain and a pair of thick black biker boots. To finish it all off, he decided to buy himself a new, all-black, fur-lined coat. It was the kind with fur going around from zipper-to-zipper.

That was all he wore. His friends had ribbed him for walking around with nothing but an unzipped jacket and no shirt, but Kiba liked his new look and was sticking with it.

For all their ribbing and joking, the other three ended up being far more bothersome than Kiba.

Sasuke, at least, wasn't too bad. He'd wanted to cover his entire body in a simple black cloak, but Winter wasn't going to let that fly. There was no way the public wouldn't feel uneasy if they ever saw him fight in such a get-up. He looked far too much like an assassin for comfort. However, his reason for wanting to wear a cloak was sound, so she couldn't exactly fault him for that. One of Sasuke's stipulations for clothing was that he wanted to hide his missing arm from view, believing that it would be too obvious a weakness to simply show off out in the open. That, Winter could agree with.

In the end, they compromised on a half-cape, one that clung only to his left side through the use of a fancy white pauldron. The cape itself was black, with the Uchiha clan symbol stamped right in the centre, while the inside was a deep red. Then he'd gone for a black high-collared coat with a single long sleeve that only covered his right side. It came together at his hips, before flaring out on either side down to his mid-calves, leaving only the front open. Beneath that were a simple pair of white pants, and red open-toed sandals.

Naruto, she'd found, was an absolute nightmare to shop for. The fool wanted to wear far more orange than was necessary, and fighting him on the topic was like trying to argue with her stubborn-mule of a father. In the end she'd managed to curtail the amount of orange on his person, but only by so much.

Her greatest success with Naruto was actually getting him out of that accursed jumpsuit. She eventually got him into a simple skintight black tank-top covered by a functional piece of grey armour. There were black combat pants taped to his shins, and a metal greave covering a separate sleeve on his left arm. The sleeveless tank and armour left his tattooed shoulder and amputated arm completely bare to the world, but Naruto didn't seem to care. The one area where Winter finally lost an argument to Naruto was on the scarf. Though she didn't know it, Naruto's new look greatly resembled Kakashi's old Anbu gear. In order to honour his sensei, Naruto decided to take up the tradition of hiding his face. However, he was still faithful to his own sense of style and his love for the colour orange. So, instead of finding a cloth face-mask, Naruto ended up wrapping a burnt orange scarf around his face, letting the single long tail trail behind him. To finish off the look, Naruto had commissioned a cloak similar to his old sage cloak. The thing was a solid black, with the Uzumaki symbol emblazoned in bright orange on the back along with orange flames, once made iconic by his father, lining the bottom hem and the edges of the sleeves. Like his previous cloak, he simply wore it clasped over his shoulders, leaving the sleeves empty.

Seeing the boy grow irritated with his hair, which was hanging down to his eyes without his headband on, Winter decided to buy him a couple of hairbands, and then wasted an extra ten minutes teaching him how to tie back his hair. It was a feat made far more impressive by the fact that he could do it one-handed.

Winter would never admit it out loud, but of the four, she thought Naruto's change of wardrobe made him look incredibly attractive.

However, of the four boys, Winter was surprised to find that Lee was, by far, the most difficult person to take shopping. Fashionably speaking, the boy was an absolute mess. One of the greatest reasons for the trip taking so long was the fact that Winter had taken Lee to get a makeover. Just getting him to agree to go had taken an hour straight of arguing. Then, when she'd wanted to get rid of not only his silly haircut, but his horrific eyebrows as well, another argument had ensued.

Winter was very glad to say she had won out in the end. By the time they'd entered the clothing store, Lee was already looking like an entirely different person. Due to his practical nature, they ended up agreeing on a military-grade buzzcut for his hairstyle. Along with getting his eyebrows trimmed down to a reasonable size, Winter had to admit; the new look changed Lee in all the right ways. The buzzed hair and normal-sized eyebrows drew attention to Lee's defined jawline and wide, expressive eyes.

Once she'd won-out over Lee's stubborn duty to his sensei's 'good-looks' and finally gotten the boys into the store, she realized her troubles with the energetic boy had only just begun. Getting him to ditch his hideous green jumpsuit and orange leg-warmers was an exercise in patience of the highest degree. Winter hadn't even known before this encounter that she could have such a high level of patience when dealing with another person. Once again, however, her stubbornness and duty towards the General's wishes won out over Lee's stubborn sense of loyalty to his sensei's teachings. She'd only finally managed to convince him to do so (with a lot of help from Naruto, Kiba and even Sasuke) when she brought up the fact that Lee wouldn't have a choice in the matter. His clothes made him stand out, and if he wanted to blend in and complete his mission, a mission given to him by the Hokage, then he would have to change his wardrobe.

In the end, Lee had taken a strong liking to a pair of dark green pants that billowed out from the waist, only to wrap tightly around his ankles. He'd taken to wearing a skintight black sleeveless tank-top, almost identical to Naruto's, overtop that. Then he'd wrapped his fists, forearms, ankles and feet in orange bandage-tape. To finish off the look, he'd found a green bandana that he'd taken to wrapping around his head, leaving it tied in the back.

Once Winter walked them back to their quarters in Atlas academy, she watched the door close behind the last of the boys with an inordinate amount of relief. Now all she had to do was report to General Ironwood and then she'd be free to return home and take a nice, hot bath…

Naruto was just getting ready to hit they hay when a large puff of smoke exploded in the centre of them room. Sitting there with its breast puffed up in pride and a small scroll clutched in its talons, was a hawk. This little thing was Kaze, one of Sasuke's summons left behind in the Elemental Nations to act as a messenger between the boys and their leader. Kaze had been left behind specifically for the purpose of delivering the decisions made by Kakashi alongside the other four Kage during the Five Kage Summit.

With practiced fingers, Sasuke reached down and untied the scroll with one hand. He slipped his thumb beneath the seal holding it closed, allowing it to pop open and unfurl to its full length. For the sake of the others in the room, Sasuke decided to read out loud.

'It has been decided by the Five Kage of the Elemental Nations that the villages of Iwagakure no Sato, Kumogakure no Sato, Kirigakure no Sato and Konohagakure no Sato will each send four of-age shinobi to one of each of Remnant's four Huntsmen Academies. Sunagakure no Sato and her leader, Godaime Kazekage Gaara-dono, have decided to trust that their allies in Konoha will suffice as informants on the way of life in the rest of Remnant. They will not be sending any shinobi overseas due to concerns about their diminished military ranks.

In light of such information, the Kage have already decided upon which Huntsmen Academy they wish for their shinobi to attend. Iwa will be sending her shinobi to Haven Academy, in Mistral. Kumo will be sending her shinobi to Atlas Academy, in Atlas. Kiri will be sending her shinobi to Shade Academy, in Vacuo. Finally, you four will be heading to Beacon Academy, located in the city of Vale. You will be expected to leave as early as tomorrow afternoon, and no later than early morning the day after. Once in Vale, you are to find personal lodging, paid for by the village, for the next five months while you familiarize yourselves with your new surroundings.

Once you have found a place to stay, you are all to make your way to Beacon Academy, where I have arranged for your auras to be unlocked. Once that is done, you will each be expected to purchase and familiarize yourselves with a personal weapon typical of most Huntsmen.

Good luck with your mission, boys.

Hatake Kakashi, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato

P.S.

As proof of you orders, tear off this last strip and show the above to General Ironwood.

Personally, I want you boys to take these next five months as a vacation, of sorts. Have fun, make some friends, live a little. Kami knows the four of you deserve it after all that's happened with the Fourth Shinobi War.'

Sasuke finished reading and the room fell silent. He looked up from the scroll and took turns staring each of his teammates in the eye. When his gaze finally fell on Naruto, he found the blonde grinning.

"Hehe~" Naruto crowed, pushing his hand against his knee and hunching forwards from where he was seated on his bed, "This is going to be awesome!"

AN: So, I left a hint as to the identity of an unnamed character somewhere in this chapter. The first person to correctly identify who this character is will get some cyber cookies! Also, to the Guest who left me an absolutely incredible review about how much they don't want me to 'screw up' this story: thank you. I don't plan on it. I, like you, am not exactly the biggest fan of Harem stories, and I don't think I will ever write one.

Peace!

The Chthonic Professor