Chapter Text
Team RWBY was starting to get annoyed. They had been searching Mount Glenn for days with no sign of Torchwick or the White Fang anywhere.
Just as Ruby was about to give up, Zwei caught sent of something. She gathered up Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Oobleck and they went to investigate.
"Weapons at the ready ladies. We have no idea what might be waiting inside." Oobleck instructed as Zwei led them into a building.
The crept forward, slowly clearing the building until eventually, they found a man with scraggly blond hair, sitting against the wall not moving. It was clear he had been living here for a while. There was food and supplies scattered around the room, as well as the remains of a fire.
"It's rude to wake a man when he's sleeping you know. Even more so to intrude uninvited." The man said, not yet raising his head.
Ruby spoke up first. "Uh we didn't mean to bother you. We're looking for someone and when Zwei, thats our dog, caught scent of someone we thought they might be here."
At that the man looked up, and Ruby found the dull blue gaze staring back at her...unsettling. "And what exactly is Beacon doing here?" The man asked.
Blake and Yang looked at each other. Their posture shifting. "How do you know we are from Beacon..."
"Ah my mistake. The local architecture club coming to visit then? Tell me. Who else would send a group of armed kids here?" The man said, rolling his eyes.
At this, Oobleck grew tired of beating around the bush. "*Ahem* I am Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, Huntsman and Professor at Beacon. We have intel that the White Fang had set up a base of operations in the area and were sent to investigate."
"Ah." The man said in realization then he slowly stood up. Team RWBY all took a step back and got into a fighting stance while Oobleck didn't flinch. "Naruto Uzumaki." He said, holding his hand out for Oobleck to shake which he did.
He looked at the girls with a mischievous smirk. "See, even out here it is still possible to act civilized." Naruto said. Turning back to address Oobleck, he said "Follow me. They are in the tomb."
At this Oobleck's eyes lit up. "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" And with that Oobleck followed Naruto out.
Team RWBY, a bit confused, were broken out of their stupor when Oobleck, already down the hall called back to them. "Hurry up ladies!"
While they walked, Ruby was examining the man leading them. He didn't look much older than her, probably around the same age as the rest of her team. His hair was a bit wild and scraggly and the stubble on jis face suggested he hadn't shaved in a few days. He wore a black jacket with orange trim open with some kind of mesh shirt underneath with black pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots.
But what really stuck out to her was his eyes. The way the light in them had seemed to have just...dulled. It reminded her of the look on her Uncle's face around the anniversary of her mom's death.
She was brought out of her thoughts by Weiss asking a question. "Where are we going? What even is this tomb?"
Seeing that their host had no interest in the question, Oobleck chose to answer in his stead. "We're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!"
There was a collective "Huh?" From the girls.
"Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!"
"So...like a hidden village?"
Nobody except Ruby notice Naruto suddenly stiffen when she said that.
"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb." Oobleck finished, his energy tapering off as his impromptu lecture ended on a somber note.
At that Naruto snorted with derision. "What he means to say is, the city became an expensive inconvenience and, rather than waste manpower and resources saving the people they had herded out here, the city decided to bury the "problem" and forget about it."
They all looked at Oobleck hoping he would refute the statement but he stayed silent and kept his back to them as he continued walking.
"That's...dark." Blake said, horrified at the thought of all those people left to die.
"That is why what we do matters so much." Oobleck said, his voice laced with steel.
"You, blondie." Naruto said out of the blue after they walked for a while.
"Huh? It's Yang. What's up?"
"Why did you choose this line of work?"
"Well, to fight monsters and save..."
"I am well aware of what you are meant to do. I asked you why do you want to do that."
"The honest reason? I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"
He turns to Oobleck. "I see those promotional vids are still working. Telling kids about the exciting world out there waiting for them."
Yang frowned heavily hearing that.
"How about you Schnee? A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So... why choose this over a cushy job in Atlus?"
"It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty. And my name is Weiss." She ended with a bit of sass.
"Ah legacy and duty. The classics. And you, Faunus girl, your footsteps are heavy like you carry a great burden. Why did you choose this life?"
"My name is Blake, and how did you even know I was a Faunus?"
"Your bow twitches at sounds your teammates can't even hear. Either you have some kind of antenna hidden in there or your hiding another set of ears. I haven't met the former yet. So why this?"
"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it."
"A noble sentiment. How do you plan to do that?"
"I, uh..."
"Naruto? How much farther do we have to go?" Ruby said, rescuing her teammates.
"Couple more hours." Naruto replied.
"Hm then I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon." Oobleck said causing Naruto to change his path and go into the nearest stable building. "You four, set up camp. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... creatures. I am going to set up a perimeter. If you need something to eat for the night, I have extra which I can share Mr. Uzumaki."
With that, Oobleck left.
Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, Naruto walked out after him. "I'm going for a smoke."
"You three set up camp. I'll take Zwei and see if there are any Grimm near by." Ruby said, and then she left too.
Ruby patrols the perimeter until she gets to the edge of the ruin. Looking out at the forest, she sees a line of giant creatures marching at the edge of the trees. "Woah, what are those? They look awesome!"
A voice from behind her startled her a bit. "Those are Grimm." Naruto said, cigarette in hand as he walked over to the edge and sat down before taking a long drag.
Ruby watches them for a while before pulling out Crescent Rose and taking aim with her rifle. "Let's kill em."
"Hah. With that thing? All your gonna do is piss them off."
"But... What if it attacks us?"
"They won't. A Grimm that big has lived for centuries, has been fighting for centuries. And in that time, it has learned from those fights. It knows that attacking us isn't worth it. Even if it wins, it would now have the attention of Beacon and they will keep coming until its dead."
"Then why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"
"Waiting for the moment where, if it attacks, it knows that victory and survival are assured." Naruto said and flicked his smoke off the edge.
"Ain't that right Doc?" Naruto said, suddenly speaking louder.
Ruby was surprised, she hadn't noticed Oobleck at all but right on que he stepped out of the shadows.
"Very good answers to all her questions. While your word choice may be less than ideal, the content was superb."
"So Doc, why this?" Naruto asked.
"A-Actually Doctor Oobleck, I wanted to ask you that as well... Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"
"Ruby, look around and tell me what you see."
Ruby takes a look around, while Naruto lights another smoke still sitting on the ledge.
"Uhhh lots of old buildings, empty streets..."
"I see lives that could have been saved. As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger. I am a Huntsman, Ruby, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be. Will that answer suffice Mr. Uzumaki?"
Naruto stood up and began walking away. "First good answer I've heard to day."
Oobleck and Ruby followed him back to their camp.
Meanwhile with WBY,
The girls were discussing Naruto's question when he walked in.
"Yo" He said announcing his presence before jumping up to the roof, one floor at a time, through the hole which ran the height of the building before laying back and finishing his smoke.
"Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!" Oobleck said, zipping into the room.
"Fire!" Ruby darts out from behind Oobleck to sit next to the fire, with Zwei plopping in her lap. "So... warm..."
"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"
Lifts an arm while still looking into the fire, "Yo."
Oobleck nods at her. "Mr. Uzumaki, would you like some food?"
The words "Toss up a bread roll." came down the hole.
Yang, feeling cheecky, did literally that.
Tossing a bread roll up through the hole, a hand darted out to grab it as it reached the roof.
"Thanks."
Yang pouted at having been beaten already in round one.
As Ruby starts climbing up to the roof to start her watch, Yang stops her.
"Hey, did Naruto ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?"
"Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!"
Without a second carefree thought, she continues on her way.
Yang looks disappointed in the lack of an answer. Blake is similarly troubled as she unrolls her mat, Weiss tries lying down but fails to sleep, Yang half-heatedly eats her dinner of bread rolls. Soon, all three Huntresses are on their backs around the fire, weapons within easy access, wondering why they are there.