Beacon – Grimm Studies

Naruto would be the first to admit that he'd never been a model student. It was an outright miracle that he'd managed to graduate from the Shinobi Academy at all and even after that he'd found he still had a difficult time when it came to mastering various forms of ninjitsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. That's not to say he hadn't put in the effort. He'd spent countless hours outside of school applying himself, focusing on his own personal studies and attempting to master even the most basic of Shinobi skills. It had been a long and arduous road, one he later found out had been complicated by the existence of a tailed demon sealed within him. After discovering that little nugget of information he'd found himself wondering just how differently life might have been for him had the events that had taken his parent's lives away and found him tied to the fate of Kurama. It was pointless to complain about it now but it was nonetheless something he occasionally reflected on.

This was one of those times where he found himself with ample amounts of time to reflect on his current situation. Despite its name Grimm Studies felt less like an in depth look into the creatures of Grimm, what they were and how they could be killed, and more like an hour where their instructor Professor Port, a portly man with a handlebar mustache and an eccentric ego to match, used the time to regale them with greatly exaggerated stories of his youth. It didn't take long for him to notice that such a thing must have been common place as many of the older students were already fast asleep, no doubt having learned early on that the class could be conveniently utilized to catch up on lost sleep. Not everyone was asleep, however, as he could see that Blake had a copy of her own Grimm Studies text book propped open, though this was mostly to hide the copy of Ninjas of Love she was currently reading, the title giving him the sneaking suspicion it was closely related Kakashi Sensei's own Make Out novels. Next to her Yang was already fast asleep, her snores somehow NOT betraying her to their instructor. On either side of him his partners, Weiss and Ruby, were busying themselves with their own tasks. To his astonishment Weiss was somehow finding a way to glean notes from the lecture while Ruby in contrast was doodling.

"Kurama," he said, attempting to get the Nine Tails' attention.

His call was meet with snoring and not from Yang. While he couldn't exactly see him in his cell (Naruto assumed the moment he closed his eyes he'd fall asleep) he could hear the creatures distinctive snoring echoing from within.

"Kurama," he said, again trying to rouse him.

"Snort, grumble," was all he heard in reply.

"Kurama!" he shouted.

"What!?"

Naruto jumped in his seat, caught off guard by the tailed beast's snappy reply, and banging his knees on the underside of the desk as a result. His reaction didn't go unnoticed as Professor Port had ceased his lecture to regard the young man along with several other members of the class including his teammates. While most people would have found the situation embarrassing, Naruto wasn't one of them. He was used to being stared at like this as he often found himself in such situations back at the academy. As such he had also developed a knack for getting out of them. Well, to be fair, it was somewhat successful, just not when Iruka Sensei was involved.

"Is something the matter my boy?" Professor Port asked, gazing at him with concern (or so he assumed. It was difficult to tell given how bushy the man's eyebrows were).

"Not at all sir," he replied, quickly formulating an excuse, "I was just so enamored by your story that I got excited and tried to leap out of my seat from all the excitement."

Stares met him, the most notable coming from Weiss. His lackluster excuse didn't have any of them fooled and a few people actually starting chuckling to themselves, expecting Port to call his bluff.

"Splendid!" Port cried, silencing much of the laughter and leaving them all dumbfounded. "It's always wonderful to hear that my experiences can still illicit feelings of excitement and determination from my students. Why it's one of the core reasons behind my decision to leave the field and start shaping young minds. That said I would ask that you try to keep such feelings contained. Save them for when we face the Grimm for you'll need them more so then than in here my boy."

"Of course sir, sorry for the interruption."

"Not at all. Now, where was I? Ah, yes," Port said, immediately picking up from where he'd left off.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto glanced around at those still looking at him. Several people were dumbfounded, having a difficult time figuring out just how he'd managed to evade a detention. A few of the older years gave him curt nods of acknowledgement, as if he'd passed some unwritten test and impressed them as a result. Of the stares he was most curious about, his partners' were at the forefront. Weiss' jaw had hit her desk, broken through the surface, and continued on down to the floor. Ruby, in contrast, was grinning from ear to ear, obviously proud of what her partner had managed to accomplish. Even Yang and Blake looked impressed, the latter having actually put her book down to regard him. Once their attention returned to their previous tasks, however, Naruto rounded on Kurama.

"Kurama, what the hell was that?" he snipped.

"Hey, you deserved that. You should know better than to wake me from my nap," he countered.

"That's all you do is nap," Naruto pointed out.

"Not like I have much else to do. This cell didn't exactly come with an exercise room and entertainment center attached to it. Besides, listening to this guy droll on and on is enough to put the recently deceased out of their misery."

"So, I'm guessing this guy is all hype and no skill?" Naruto asked. He wasn't certain but he'd heard it said once that those who can't do, teach and Port seemed to be one of those individuals.

"I wouldn't say that," Kurama replied. "I can definitely sense a great deal of power emanating from him. To be honest, I noticed it from several of the teachers already. It's different from how you Shinobi feel but, if I were to compare them, most of these kids here are all on the same power level with only one of you being significantly different."

"Who would that be?"

"That Pyrrha girl, I think. The power I sensed from her is definitely greater than her fellow students, at least twice as much. Still, she's significantly weaker than this Port guy."

Naruto looked, giving the man a scrutinizing look. At first glance he didn't seem all that strong but, then again, that was a hallmark of the Shinobi. Making themselves appear weaker, more off balanced or unassuming were all useful tools they utilized to throw their opponents off guard before taking advantage. Port could possibly be the same way. His boisterous demeanor coupled with his appearance would no doubt leave many opponents skeptical of his abilities and skills. This was a Huntsman Academy, after all, so it would make sense that those who taught here had the knowledge, skills, and experience to back it up. Still, Naruto couldn't be quite certain of how true that statement really was.

"Are you able to get in touch with Hyorinmaru?" he asked.

"What do you take me for, a telephone operator?" Kurama snipped.

"So, what, can you or can't you?"

"Just because he and I are both comprised of spiritual energy doesn't mean we can openly chat with one another regardless of the distance between us."

"You did it before."

"Yea, because you had a physical connection to the sword, his conduit, or he was at least close enough for us to communicate with one another. Currently, the best I can do is tell you that he's stowed away in your locker and dormant, like I would like to be right now."

"Fine, fine, I was just curious," Naruto groused.

"Well once you actually have a physical connection, ask him his thoughts rather than interrupting me. Next time I won't stop at scaring you."

"I wasn't scared, I was surprised. Besides, what could you possibly do that would be worse?"

"You remember the ordeal you were put through when you drank that expired milk after being made a part of team 7?"

Naruto scrunched up his face, trying to recall what had happened. It was shortly after graduation and not long after they'd found out who their teams and instructors would be. Having been placed on the same team as Sakura he'd transformed himself into Sasuke, using the guise to get close to her and attempting to steal a kiss. He'd been thwarted, however, when his stomach had rebelled and he'd found himself on the toilet soon after, suffering in ways he wouldn't soon forget.

"Yea, I remember," Naruto replied with a grimace.

"Wake me again and I'll put you through something similar but worse in ways you can't even begin to imagine."

Naruto scoffed, assuming the Kyuubi was just making baseless threats, but he couldn't help the feeling of unease that followed. Kurama's chakra had a way of seeping out of him, especially when he was under great stress or pushed to the edge emotionally. Not only that but, because he was sealed within him, that meant they were technically the same being. All in all, it meant they shared the same experiences and there was no telling just how much of his own body the Kyuubi was capable of manipulating.

"Fine but if it's an emergency you better not give me any flack."

"I can agree to those terms."

/-/

"So, as impressive as it was to see you talk your way out of a detention, are you going to tell us what caused you to jump in your seat?" Yang asked as they walked down the hall towards combat class.

"It's like I said, I got excited," Naruto said, knowing full well that the truth would sound ludicrous to them.

"Yea, no. I know how boys get when they're excited. I happen to have a natural talent for that," she said with a sly smile, "but what happened back there seemed more like surprise than excitement."

"As much as I hate to admit it, especially given the crass nature of Yang's explanation, that didn't seem at all like excitement," Weiss weighed in.

"Ah, you're just jealous that boys find me physically attractive," Yang replied.

"I'll have you know there were plenty of suitors vying for my affections back in Atlas."

"Were those affections genuine or did your daddy have to pay them to act like that?" Yang shot back.

"Wha- how dare you!"

"Girls, please, can we save the fighting for class?" Naruto wedged in, hoping to cut them off before they started yet another fight.

"I suppose I must agree with my partner's guidance," she said.

"Our partner," Ruby corrected, earning a searing glare from the heiress that she simply shrugged off. "Seriously though, if something was wrong you'd tell us, right?"

"Of course I would. There's really nothing you need to worry about," he assured her, though from the look he received she wasn't at all convinced.

Truth of the matter was there wasn't much he could say that would be accepted by his teammates. Anything he confessed to them from his origins to how he came to be in possession of Hyorinmaru to the fact that he shared a body with a demon in the guise of a nine-tailed fox wouldn't be accepted without proof. Even if he had something to show for it, he wasn't quite sure they'd readily accept him afterwards. Even he would have had some misgivings about sharing a room with someone who was essentially harboring an uncontrollable beast inside him.

"Hey, I resent that comment!" Kurama complained.

Oh, and said creature was also privy to his inner most thoughts which made things that much more complex.

As it was they were all making their way to combat class. As per the requirements of their lesson they'd changed into their combat gear and had also grabbed their weapons. With this being one of the first days of class Miss Goodwitch intended to use their lesson to get a baseline of their abilities and skill, molding future lessons to fit with the needs of each student as they were paired against an opponent that could challenge them. Oddly enough Naruto felt better now that he had Hyorinmaru in hand, something might which have seemed odd at first given that it meant having a total of two other voices in his head aside from his own. Still, the calm, collected nature of the spirit was a good contrast to Kurama, something which the young Shinobi greatly appreciated.

They took their seats in the stands, gazing down at the arena below. Just looking at it gave him flashbacks to the Chunin exams, a time in his life when he'd started to notice a change in his village as he'd slowly but surely begun to become someone other than the demon child. He wondered idly to himself if this arena would prove to be the same, giving him an opportunity to set himself apart from the rest.

Before long their sister team JNPR sat down beside them, each of the members giving them their own greeting with Pyrrha obviously maintaining her polite visage. Naruto nodded back to her, idly wondering if she would maintain that same persona even while in a spar. He wouldn't know without fighting her, however, and instead turned his attention to the floor where Miss Goodwitch was going over the rules. They were the basic things; fights being ended either through yielding of an opponent or aura going into the red. Her strict tone as she almost threatened to enforce her rules should anyone attempt to break them gave him the impression she wasn't kidding around. Once she'd laid down the ground rules, however, it was time to move onto the main event.

"Our first fight will be Pyrrha Nikos," she announced, to no one's surprise. Whispers and silent chuckles could be heard as people knew Goodwitch was starting things off with a show to set the bar and that whomever was chosen as her opponent would no doubt be trounced. "And her opponent will be Uzumaki Naruto."

No sooner had the words left her mouth when Naruto felt everyone's eyes zero in on him, including Pyrrha's. While he was used to being the center of attention, the fact that it had happened to him twice in one day and in back to back classes no less was a little disconcerting. He glanced over at Pyrrha, receiving a polite I'm sorry shrug from the girl. He gave her a smile and polite nod in return, acknowledging the fact that this wasn't her fault. Knowing there was nothing he could do about his situation, he rose to his feet, Hyorinmaru in hand, and slowly made his way down the arena.

/-/

"Go Naruto!" Ruby cheered.

"50 lien says he kicks her ass," Yang replied.

"Yang!" Ruby cried.

"You're on," Nora replied.

"Nora, please don't," Ren sighed.

"There's little doubt that Pyrrha will win this bout," Weiss.

"Weiss, you traitor! He's our partner, we're supposed to root for him," Ruby snapped.

"I'm not a traitor, I'm simply pointing out the obvious facts. Pyrrha is a four-time tournament champion and while I have great faith in Naruto's abilities, he doesn't have her level of skill. She'll defeat him just like she has every opponent before."

"There's a first time for everything, though," Ruby grumbled.

/-/

Naruto stood on one side of the arena, facing Pyrrha who was on the other. Wearing his usual orange and black jumpsuit, he felt right at home in the clothes he'd worn for some many years. Being a Shinobi it was well known that having clothes which allowed for optimal movement were integral to their ability to carry out a mission. The same could be said of the Huntsman life as their ability to hunt and kill the Grimm required they wore clothing that allowed them to move freely without restricting their actions. He just wondered why they had to wear those awful school uniforms which were so restricting and itchy.

"You ready to go Hyorinmaru?" Naruto asking, his gazing never shifting to his opponent as he watched her stretch while they waited for Miss Goodwitch to prepare the arena.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Naruto. A word of warning, your opponent is not someone to be taken likely."

"Yea, I know. Weiss gave me a lecture all about her exploits," Naruto groused.

"It would seem she's more than just talk. I can sense a great deal of power coming from this young woman. I advise caution when fighting her. Best to feel it out before making any invested attacks," he advised.

"I'll keep that in mind," Naruto replied, readying himself for the fight.

"Are both combatants ready?" Miss Goodwitch asked aloud. Neither Pyrrha nor Naruto answered, instead choosing to silently nod their approval while maintaining their gaze. "Begin!"

The words had barely left Glynda's mouth when Pyrrha shot off like a bullet towards Naruto. The young Shinobi noticed this immediately, instinct taking over as he drew Hyorinmaru to block her attack. He managed to bring it up just in time as the tip of her spear impacted the flat of the blade, preventing her from skewering him like a fish. She didn't let up, though, as she quickly shifted the spear into its sword form, using her shield to bat away his blade in the same movement before unleashing a furry of blows all meant to keep him from retaliating.

Naruto managed to parry most of them, receiving a few nicks here and there when her blade found an opening to take advantage of. Up above the aura meter slowly depleted, reflecting the same damage Naruto was taking as he fought off Pyrrha. After a while there was a lull in her attacks, one which Naruto took without hesitation. A swift slash from Hyorinmaru was followed by a wave of ice that pushed the young girl back and away, giving himself a moments respite.

"Well, any doubts I might have had about her abilities have been retracted. This girl certainly lives up to the hype."

"Indeed she does," Hyorinmaru commented. "I can't be certain but I may have ascertained what her power, her semblance, is."

"Really? What is it?"

"I believe it maybe magnetism," he replied. "Or at least some form of it. I'm not quite certain but I noticed something emanating from her the moment she began her assault. Her movements were fast but more so than is typically possible for a human. I believe that armor she wears is less for show and more to help her manipulate her movements."

"So, when she's in trouble or wants to get the jump on you then she uses her semblance to manipulate her armor and therefore her body," Naruto concluded.

"Precisely. I also noticed she attempted to do the same to me."

"Really?"

"Yes, though I only allowed her to have a small margin of control. I could easily prevent her semblance from affecting me altogether but, given the setting, I thought it best to at least let her maintain the illusion she has something of an edge over you."

"Huh, so if you're doing that then I'm guessing Kurama is the one messing with the aura meter?"

"That he is," Hyorinmaru confirmed.

"How are you doing that, by the way?"

"It's nothing overly complex. I'm just using your chakra to simulate aura just like the rest of these kids."

"Huh, really?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Yes, really. You've spent so much time around these people, I've been able to gain something of a grasp on it. As far as they're concerned, you have aura same as the rest of them."

"Then I'd better lay off the jutsu or my aura is going to drop fast," Naruto replied.

"Leave that to me. I won't give you complete use of my chakra but if you let me know when you plan on using a jutsu, I'll give you a hand to ensure you aura doesn't take a hit."

"Thanks, I appreciate your help."

While this lengthy conversation may have seemed to be going on for several minutes, the fact of the matter was it only lasted a few seconds. It ended at just the right moment too as Pyrrha quickly sprang back into the fight, unleashing a flurry of blows onto Naruto. Instead of simply defending this time, he instead met her blow for blow, forcing her to have to either parry his attack or block it with her shield. The interesting thing was, rather than get frustrated by this, Pyrrha seemed to be enjoying it. The polite smile she'd worn quickly gave way to one that was genuine and Naruto found himself starting to enjoy himself as well. There was just one problem he was having at the moment.

/-/

"Wow, look at them go," Ruby cooed, watching the fight with stars in her eyes.

"Looks like I'm going to win our bet," Nora said to Yang.

"What are you talking about, you're the one who's going to fork over 50 lien," Yang shot back.

"He's so cool, I had no idea Naruto had this much skill," Ruby whispered to Weiss, ignoring the bickering that was breaking out next to her.

"Neither did I," the heiress confessed, starring at her partner in confusion.

Up until now, she'd had no idea Naruto was capable of going toe to toe with Pyrrha. She figured she could be forgiven for having thought that. Pyrrha was, after all, a well-known tournament champion who'd been featured on magazine covers, cereal boxes, and had been interviewed on several occasions. Naruto, on the other, was mostly an unknown. Aside from the incident in Mantle where he'd taken on and defeated a Goliath, she really didn't know much about his skills. Even when she'd had a chance to find out just how good he was, she'd immediately assumed he was yet another suitor attempting to get into her good graces by choosing an avenue the others hadn't before. Color her impressed to find he was nothing like them.

What really struck her as odd, though, was the way the two were interacting in the fight. It didn't have anything to do with them holding back. It was obvious from the start that Pyrrha intended to do just that and not long after she noticed the same thing was happening with Naruto. The two were on a completely different level and they were slowly but surely warming up to the idea of taking off the restraints they'd placed on themselves, one at a time. No, what was odd about Naruto were his movements. They partially seemed like they were his own and at the same time partially like they were someone else's. If one were to describe it was as if someone was controlling his movements, guiding him per se, and then in the next moment they were his own, completely natural as if he'd spent countless hours honing his skills. She brushed the feeling off, assuming it was just her imagination. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why someone with his skills had never been discovered until now.

/-/

"She's so slow," Naruto remarked.

While that statement was mostly true, it wasn't completely correct when it came to defining what was happening between himself and Pyrrha. To everyone watching the speed at which he and Pyrrha were sparring was incredibly fast. Had anyone else been fighting her they might have been overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity and relentlessness of her attacks. The fact that Naruto was able to keep up with her and even match her speed was simply a testament to the training he had undergone. Being a Shinobi, speed was paramount to achieving victory. Being able to quickly infiltrate enemy territory without being noticed, escaping before they had time to react to your presence, and even being able to perform Jutsu signs before an opponent could react or counter them often meant the difference between life and death. However, Naruto had the distinct feeling that such wasn't the case here. While he knew for a fact he had a decent reaction time, the fact that he could easily keep up with Pyrrha was a bit difficult for even him to believe.

"Hey, Hyorinmaru, are you augmenting my movements or something?"

"If you're asking me if I'm doing something to help you keep up with the young woman then yes but only just. I'm merely adding to your overall skill set, not fighting your battles for you so you'd better not assume you can rely on my power to get you through all of your fights."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

As they were talking, Naruto and Pyrrha had been circling each other around the arena. Ten minutes had already elapsed in the spar but it somehow felt longer and more exciting. He could tell from their aura meters that they needed to end this soon and Naruto had already devised a way in which he might be able to end things quickly.

"Hyorinmaru, I've got a plan on how we can end this but I'll need your help to pull it off."

"I'll help where I can. What did you have in mind?"

Having chosen a strategy of her own, Pyrrha once more shot towards her opponent. Naruto saw her coming and, with a swipe of his katana, sent a wave of ice over the area floor. Rather than targeting Pyrrha herself he instead targeted the floor, covering it in a thin sheet of ice that would make it difficult for her to traverse. Pyrrha continued on unimpeded, though, as her semblance allowed her to maintain her balance despite the treacherous terrain. Naruto didn't seem at all perturbed by this, however. In fact, he seemed almost pleased. She wouldn't understand why until he brought the tip of his katana straight down onto the ice. In the next moment the ice itself melted before a wave of mist erupted from the ground. She came to an immediate halt, unable to see very far in the thick fog that surrounded him. It was a clever ploy, one that she hadn't seen used before but would undoubtedly look out for in the future.

"Now onto phase 2," Naruto said to himself, bring his hands up to make a cross sign with his finger as he spoke.

/-/

Pyrrha moved cautiously through the mist, her shield held at the ready for any surprise attacks and her weapon in its spear form, ready to skewer her opponent when she next caught sight of him. Typically, a tactic such of this, while unorthodox, wouldn't be as advantageous as someone might think. Typical mist didn't obscure a person's vision very much. A few feet outside their normal vision but even then it didn't provide much of an advantage. It was, after all, just water and water had a tendency to flow around objects and get absorbed by them. What's more the environmental features would usually have cleared most of this away. While the arena was closed off with a barrier to prevent stray bullets and debris from hitting the audience, it could just as easily clear away this mist. Funnily enough, it was sticking around and was as thick as pea soup. Pyrrha figured it must have something to do with the type of Dust he'd used. While she didn't use Dust, aside from her bullets, she was fairly certain ice Dust didn't have this sort of lingering effect.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of movement and she quickly turned to face it. A wall of mist greeted her and she strained her ears, hoping to pick him out from his foot falls before he could attack. She quickly realized that wouldn't be the case as a dark shape could be seen making its way through the wall of fog. Brandishing his katana, Naruto leapt out at her but Pyrrha was ready. Deflecting the blow aside with her shield, she quickly countered with a thrust to his chest. Naruto was thrown back into the mist but for a moment she could have sworn she'd seen a puff of smoke after he landed. She quickly moved to overtake him but found he was already gone, having managed to recover and disappear back into his cover.

"I must admit; this is a cleaver tactic. Most opponents wouldn't have thought to use something like this," she said, glancing around.

"Given that most tournaments are held in open air stadiums I wouldn't imagine this being very effective," she heard him say, turning her body to face the direction of his voice when he spoke.

"Indeed, it would have dispersed by now. Is it some new form of Dust?"

"Something like that," he admitted.

"It's very useful for taking your opponents by surprise," she said, drawing closer to where she thought he was.

"True," he said. At that moment she felt something tickle the side of her face and she glanced over only to see the sharp blade of his katana sitting next to her. Too close for her to react, she felt him lean near closer before saying, "especially when they think they have the drop on you."

In the next moment the mist dissipated and their reveal was accompanied by sharp gasps and murmurs. Naturally, no one had expected Naruto to come out on top, especially against someone like Pyrrha. She hadn't expected it either but somehow this felt less like a loss to her. If anything it felt liberating. Having her first spar against an opponent who'd she'd greatly underestimated and rendered her first lose in a while was quite satisfying. It would certainly go a long way to putting to rest the talks of her being the "Invincible girl" for one.

"We should probably end this," Naruto said.

"Indeed," she agreed.

"I forfeit," he announced.

To say everyone was dumbstruck by this statement would have been an understatement. Pyrrha herself was so taken aback that she whipped around to look him in the face, just to make sure she'd heard him correctly. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten about the katana blade that was almost kissing her neck and soon found she'd sliced her neck along its edge when her aura flared from the exposure. Despite her hope that Naruto had been pulling her leg, she could see from his expression that he was indeed serious about forfeiting the match to her.

"Mr. Uzumaki, I must admit, I'm rather surprised that you would forfeit the match, especially when you had a clear advantage. Care to explain your reasoning?" Miss Goodwitch inquired.

"I didn't to cause Pyrrha any undo harm," he replied.

Snickers and chuckles could be heard from the audience. Even Pyrrha felt a little annoyed, finding his explanation to be more of a manner of mocking her rather than giving an actual reason.

"Care to elaborate?"

"My skills with my family's sword are of such that I'm well suited to taking on large groups of enemies and acting as crowd control. However, when facing off against a single opponent, unless I'm absolutely certain that I won't harm any innocent bystanders or don't have to worry about collateral damage, my skill set is fairly limited as a result and given that we're fighting one on one in an enclosed space, I was fairly certain one of my more destructive attacks would have done more damage than I'd intended."

"I see," Miss Goodwitch said, making a note on her scroll pad. "That is an acceptable answer, thank you. I'll trust that you'll endeavor to remedy this weakness in the future? You won't have many opportunities in my spars to face off against opponents who are willing to respect your boundaries."

"Noted," he replied.

"As for you Miss Nikos, I would advise that you be more mindful of your opponent's overall skills and abilities. While you may have been a prodigy in the tournament scene, you'll find your fellow students are not constrained by the same rules you were as Mr. Uzumaki demonstrated when he used that fog to conceal his movements."

"I'll be sure to learn from this experience," Pyrrha replied, somewhat glad to have an assessment that wasn't all praise.

"Very well, take your seats. Our next round of combatants will be as follows," she announced.

Naruto returned to his seat, ignoring the overall looks and comments from the other students as he reached his team. He glanced over at Pyrrha, giving the girl a warm smile which she returned. Her smile, however, seemed rather forced and he got the impression that she was rather annoyed by something.

"What was that?"

"Hmm?" he said, looking over at Weiss who was giving him a critical look. "What was what?"

"That. You had the fight in hand and yet you forfeited at the end. Why?"

"It's like I said, my skills are too overpowered to be used in a one on one setting. A lot could go wrong so I opted for the safer route instead."

"Hmm," she mumbled, starring at him intently as if she were trying to discern if he was lying or not.

"Look, if you're still not convinced, we'll do some training as a team this weekend in the Emerald Forest. I'll show you how destructive my abilities can be."

"Very well," she said, satisfied with his answer. "I'll be holding you to that."

/-/

The rest of their day went fairly smoothly after that. The spars that followed were fairly interesting aside from the match that included Jaune Arc, Pyrrha's partner, and Cardin Winchester, the leader of team CRDL. To say that the match had been one sided would have been an understatement. It was obvious that Cardin held the advantage with Jaune doing everything he could to try and stave off the attacks or simply survive. At the end of it he was given some rather harsh criticism by Miss Goodwitch before being sent back to his team with a rather dejected look on his face. All the while Pyrrha sent him awkward glances, telling him that she still felt bothered by their spar.

He didn't pay it much attention, though. He was more concerned with his connection to Hyorinmaru and the fact that he was able to give him such an obvious advantage (at least to him) in their spar. While he'd normally find this a boon, he wasn't one to take the easy way simply to achieve victory. All the obstacles he'd overcome, the distance he'd brought himself to, had been accomplished through hard work and training. Sure, his shadow clone jutsu helped him to gain experience quicker and thus could be seen as something of a shortcut at times but all the work he'd accomplished up to that point had been his own. It was because of this that he found himself secluded on Beacon's roof, holding Hyorinmaru in his hands as they discussed the connection they'd made.

"So, tell me, have you always been able to increase my abilities like that or was this a recent development?"

"I wouldn't call it recent. While I wasn't able to do this in the beginning, overtime our connection to one another grew stronger and with it my ability to increase your own abilities through my own manipulation."

"Then the simple fact that we've been together was all it took to put me on the same level as Pyrrha?" Naruto concluded.

"Not exactly. While simply being within one another's vicinity allowed us to establish a connection, the simple fact of the matter is that it required much more effort on your part for me to create a tangible link that enabled me to lend my strength to you."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Tell me, Naruto, as a Shinobi, did you find you were capable of performing the same techniques as your piers simply by viewing them or being around the tools that enabled them to accomplish their mission?"

"Of course not. I had to really work hard just to keep up with everyone," he admitted. He'd had the same trouble when learning how to perform the jutsu that allowed him to walk up the side of trees. He'd spent a good afternoon landing on the back of his head before he'd finally asked Sakura for some advice.

"Indeed. While my presence is all that's required to create a connection between the two of us, in order for me to gain greater control and thus offer a greater portion of my power to you I required you to train and hone your skills. By doing that we were able to strengthen our bond, ensuring that I could give you greater aid when needed."

"I see. So all that training we did while living in Raven's camp was meant to do more than simply teach me how to manipulate rishi," Naruto realized.

"Exactly. While I do intend for you to gain a greater mastery over those abilities and thus increase your overall skills and ability to rely on your own strength, I also felt it was necessary to strength our bond as well should you find yourself in a situation where my interference would be necessary. Understand, however, that I will only lend you my aid when I feel it is needed, not simply because you desire it."

"I think I understand," Naruto replied. "Though, to be honest, your interference during the spar may have made things that much more difficult for me. Goodwitch probably thinks I have the skills to hold my own against Pyrrha. Knowing that she's probably going to become a regular opponent for me in the arena."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

"What do you mean?"

"The connection you and I have established also allows me to see into you memories. I've gleaned a great deal of knowledge about you, including your work ethic. I'm glad to see you're not one to slack in their training. While you may have some difficulty handling the power you now wield, in time you will gain a greater grasp on it and require my interference less and less."

"Wow, that's… cool, though a bit disturbing," Naruto said, wondering just how many of his memories he had actually seen. "Why can't you just take control all the time? You know, autopilot or something like that?"

"You mean use you like a puppet?" Hyorinmaru asked. "I could, it wouldn't be difficult, but certainly not something that I would recommend doing."

"How come?"

"Do you recall the few times Kurama's chakra leaked out and overtook you?"

The question, while seeming odd, caused Naruto to reflect on the few times it had happened. At best he remembered how overcome with rage he'd been at the time and the innate desire he'd had to kill whomever had wronged him or his friends. It hadn't been a pleasant experience, especially considering his body had paid the price for it in the aftermath, but all in all it had helped him at the time.

"Yea, I remember."

"What you were probably unaware was the toll it was taking on your body,"Hyorinmaru pointed out. "While you were sore after the incident, allowing Kurama's immense chakra to overwhelm your body was taking its toll on you in ways you wouldn't be able to physically see. To put it in layman's terms, the act itself was causing you more harm than good."

"Really?"

"Indeed. While the earlier incidents were minimal in their damage, had more of his chakra leaked out there was a good chance you'd start to notice lasting effects. Before long it might have killed you."

That statement got Naruto's attention. "So, does that mean our connection could have the same effects?"

"If you were to allow me to take full control, yes. The sword itself, while acting as a conduit, also enables me to establish a connection and regulate how much of my power you wield. With time and training you'll begin to gain access to more and more of my powers until you reach a point where you can wield it completely, unimpeded by any detrimental effects. However, if I were to take over and use my power unimpeded, I'd all but destroy you as a result. That, of course, would be just as bad for me as it is for you."

"I see. Then it's a good thing we spent so much time training before coming here."

"Indeed and, as you pointed out to your partner, you'll need to do more training to ensure you don't over compensate with your attacks. Unleashing immense amounts of energy into a single attack is easy. Honing it into a fine edge where only a certain amount is expended against a single opponent is the difficult part."

"No kidding," Naruto agreed, reflecting on everything they'd just discussed.

"We'll continue this conversation another time. It appears you have a guest."

Before he could ask who it was, Hyorinmaru cut their connection and went dormant. His mind quickly returned to the rooftop where the night sky above and the cityscape down below could be clearly seen. Considering that only his team members knew he was up here, he figured it must be either Weiss or Ruby who'd come to see him, no doubt looking for a way to monopolize some time with their partner. He was understandably surprised when he turned around and instead saw Pyrrha Nikos standing in the doorway.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said.

"Not at all," he replied, shifting so he was in a sitting position rather than a lotus stance. "Something you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, yes, actually. When I came by your dorm your teammates told me you'd gone up to the roof," she replied, answering one question he had. "I have a few questions for you, Naruto, and I'd appreciate it if you answered me honestly."

"Of course," he said, waiting for her to ask her question.

She didn't ask right away. She starred at him for a long moment, studying him. He looked back at her curiously, wondering when she was going to ask her question or if she'd somehow forgotten. Patience hadn't always been his strongest trait and sadly his attention span was beginning to wane. Pyrrha must have found what she was looking for, however, as she took a breath and asked.

"Our spar this afternoon, did you forfeit on purpose?"

Naruto stared back at her, visibly confused by the question. Did she think he'd not been serious when he'd given in? He didn't think she did. He'd explained his reasons why shortly after to Miss Goodwitch so there shouldn't be any confusion about his intentions. Still, he wasn't certain that was what she was getting at.

"Could you elaborate? I'm not quite sure I know what it is you're asking."

"Oh, yes I can see how you might be confused," she replied. "Did someone ask you to throw the match or threaten you in any way if you didn't?"

Naruto's eyebrow's rose, realizing exactly what she meant. She was asking if he'd purposely given up to make her look good.

"No," he replied flatly. "Everything I told Miss Goodwitch is the truth. No one put me up to it or asked me to lose or made any threats. Would have been hard given the fact that the matches are all random or at least to the extent that only Miss Goodwitch had any idea who would be fighting whom."

"True, you have a point there," she replied, visibly embarrassed by the conversation at this point.

"I take it that's happened one more than one occasion," he concluded.

"Unfortunately yes, it has," she replied.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, patting the spot next to him on the roof.

She glanced at the spot and then back up at him. Giving her a warm smile, she returned the gesture and went to sit down on the roof with him.

"I take it this has something to do with your title of the Invincible Girl?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"I see you've heard about that," she remarked with a wince.

"Weiss gave me a lecture not long after we became partner's. She was rather scandalized by the fact that I had no idea who you were despite having come from Mistral. Honestly, I never cared for the popular people. Never really understood what all the fuss was about anyway."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said, smirking in spite of herself. "Meeting people who think that way is one of the reasons I came to Beacon."

"Oh?"

"Back home, I was placed on a pedestal. From the moment I became a competitive fighter I was seen as untouchable, in more ways than one. People who claimed I was their friend only sought to use my fame for their own gain and people I wanted to be friends with saw me as someone too far above them to be considered worthy. On more than one occasion I wanted to just take all the fame and notoriety I'd accumulated and cast it aside. I wanted to be normal for once."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because it was impossible? Because no one would believe me? Because my every move would have been questioned, scrutinized, and over exaggerated to either mean something outlandish and completely off the mark? The list goes on and on. I had very few options, if any. Beacon was one of the few I felt was marginally possible."

"And then we sparred," Naruto said, putting the pieces together.

"And then we sparred," she agreed. "I have to admit; your forfeit was so out of left field that I started wondering if someone had paid you off or threatened you in some way."

"I take it that's happened in the past?"

"More than you think. Anytime I've found myself facing off against a challenging opponent I've heard of them being sent death threats by fans or offered large sums of money by sponsors, all in an attempt to get them to forfeit or throw the match entirely."

"I can see how you would think that of me," he admitted. "I can honestly say, though, that none of those were what happened today. I haven't been using my family's sword for very long but I learned early on just how powerful it can be. Out in the middle of nowhere, facing down Grimm, it's easy for me to simply unleash its destructive power without any thought to the consequences. In a closed ring, however, one on one and with an audience, I found it much more difficult to keep that power contained."

"You say that but I remember you managing to keep up with me in that fight of ours. Not many people are able to do that," she pointed out.

"That's because I had a good teacher, one who showed me how to properly wield this type of weapon, and before that I was given some… specialized training every since I was little. Combine all of that and I was able to hold my own, at least for a little while. I ended up having to even things out when I initiated that smoke screen."

"Yes, that was a cleaver tactic," she said, thinking back on it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered something and she fixed him with a questioning gaze. "During that fight, I remember striking you in the chest only to have you come up from behind a moment later. Was that really you or was I imagining things?"

"No, I remember that as well," he said, rubbing the area on his chest where she'd skewered him. "You made it pretty clear that a frontal attack was the wrong idea. Besides, if you still don't believe me, I did promise to show you all this weekend in the Emerald Forest."

"I suppose and I will be holding you to that," she said, still unsure of what she'd seen. "Well, I should probably go. I didn't expect to have to hunt you down just to talk. My team will no doubt be wondering where I am."

"And I should get back before Yang starts coming up with theories of her own. Knowing her, she'll use it to rile up Weiss and Ruby and then I'll really be in trouble."

"I must admit, you are in a really unique situation," she commented with a laugh.

"Unique? Try torturous. Either one of them is difficult enough but dealing with them both is going to lead me to leaping out the window just to escape their arguing."

Pyrrha laughed at that, biding him goodbye. He waited a few minutes for her to be out of sight before beginning the journey back. He could already feel Kurama's presence as he waited for an opportune moment to butt in with his own opinion.

"You keep making promises like that, kid, and pretty soon you're going to owe people more favors than you can keep track of."

"It's two promises, one to Sakura and the other to Pyrrha. That's not a whole lot to keep track of," he pointed out.

"Don't forget you promised to find a way to get us home and you made the same promise to Pyrrha as you did the girls," he countered.

"That's only three. The last one counts as the same thing," he argued.

"Maybe to you it does," Kurama said with a huff.

Naruto didn't answer. He knew what Kurama was getting at. While he was starting to enjoy himself, things were starting to get complicated. He had a mission, a goal, and sooner or later he would have to end up leaving all of this behind. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't leave things on good terms. Even if it was only for a few years, he'd at least make sure to fulfill any promises he made and see to it that his friends had only good memories of him to look back on. That was his Shinobi way, after all, and nothing was going to stop him from keeping it.

Man, I'm rather surprised and proud of myself for actually making this chapter happen. I'd initially skipped writing this chapter to instead work on MSK (My Sister's Keeper) and came back round to it hoping to have a fresh idea of what I should write. Thankfully everything started to piece itself together as I started writing and before I knew it I had everything lined up.

So I know there's going to be some complaints about the fact that Naruto could hold his own against Pyrrha. Given that this is the Naruto before the first time skip and therefore lacking in many of the skills he acquires later, I can see the point. That said, I figured by adding Hyorinmaru as something of a crutch who made him more skilled than he actually is was a good way of explaining it. I also wanted to make it believable and not something that he'll rely on so, when he faces tougher opponents like Adam Taurus for example, he won't be OP and capable of of owning him in one shot. He's given given a skill boost, not a guaranteed win for every battle.

Archangel will be following this. Vale portion of the story is starting to wind down and honestly I'm looking forward to it. I already have some plans on how I want it to end as well as some of the events that will take place in the Mistral arc. You'll see some familiar OC's of mine, mostly there to help realistically fill in some plot holes I created (though I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket with them), as well as some interesting developments. Expect a really hard ending, emotionally. Not going to spoil anything but even I know I'll have a tough time just writing it.