18 -Chapter 18-

-Last Time-

[Professor! I need your help! This is an emergency! Naruto's missing and we can't find him ANYWHERE!] Nora yelled, her face full of worry and fear as various crashes, ripping noises, and indignat yells could be heard behind her.

"Mh-hmm…" Casually strolling over to Coco and Shizune, Ozpin promptly handed the scroll to the former and said in a completely straight voice. "I believe it's for you."

…

"You get it now, don't you?"

"He's… He's…"

"He's a Branwen, just like me and you."

-And Now-

"Where the hell is Shizune and that Ozpin guy?" Tsunade asked irritably from the couch as she took a sip from a sake saucer. "It's been almost an hour since they went to get food." She said while watching some reporter chick on the TV talking about yet another dust store getting robbed blind of the precious mineral.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon Tsunade-sama, they're probably just having trouble getting all the food here without spilling it." Karin said from her seat next to her as she gently rocked Mito to sleep in her arms.

"Yeah, that's most likely it." Tsunade said as she idly patted her apprentice on the head right between her fox ears with her gloved hand, making Karin's head loll slightly as she snuggled into the elderly blonde's side slightly. 'Damn, I'm really getting soft.'

"If you want Tsunade-sama, Mizuki and I can go look for her and see what the hold up is." Iruka offered from the dining table where he, his partner, and Qrow were playing a game of poker to pass the time.

"I wouldn't recommend that. Neither of you know your way around the place yet and it's pretty large so you would probably get lost. Not to mention Ozpin said that they haven't informed the students of us being here yet and they'll probably be suspicious of two unknown men wandering around looking for someone." Qrow said bluntly, making both men nod in acceptance before turning back to their game…

…for all of two seconds until the door beeped indicating it had been unlocked and it opened enough for Shizune's head to peek in.

"Speak of the devil, what took you so long Shizune?" Tsunade demanded, her eyebrow and guard raised when she noticed the nervous expression on her older apprentice's face.

"My apologies Tsunade-sama, I ran into a bit of a… delay while at the cafeteria." The raven-haired woman said, making her master even more uneasy.

"And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"Well you see, I kinda ended up with a patient." Shizune said with an awkward smile, making Tsunade groan tiredly with a facepalm.

"Seriously Shizune, why is it every time I leave you alone you end up finding some poor fool that needs medical help?" The busty blonde asked exasperatedly. "So what is it this time? A broken arm? Dislocated hip? Some idiot cut off a finger again?"

"It'll be easier if I just show you." Shizune said while opening the door the rest of the way and walked in. Tsunade's eyebrow vanished into her hairline as she saw the large bundle of red fluff held in her apprentice's arms, with her other one quickly joining it as said fluff stretched behind her several feet before ending against the rear end of…

'Oh you have got to be shitting me.' Tsunade thought as an odd combination of a deadpan and total shock spread across her face as Coco waltzed in with Naruto in her arms while talking on a scroll in cellphone mode.

"I get it, I'll keep him in my sight the whole time till you get here Nora… Not even for a moment… Seriously I've told you three times, third floor, first wing, room 324… look we're here already, I gotta go."

Even though his eyes were red instead of blue, those whisker marks on his cheeks were a dead giveaway. The fact he also just happened to have NINE long blood red FOX tails sticking out his ass only solidified that fact given what was sealed in his stomach. 'What are the fucking odds?'

Seriously, she's barely here a few hours and already the very brat she was supposed to be on the lookout for is practically delivered to her on a silver platter.

Shaking these thoughts off for the moment, Tsunade went into medical mode as she and Karin moved out of the way for the two women. Coco settled herself onto one end of the couch as she set Naruto down so that his head stayed on her lap, where she proceeded to stroke the whimpering child's back soothingly while Shizune laid out his tails. Meanwhile, Ozpin wheeled in a tray of food that nobody paid any mind too and Karin quietly moved to a corner of the room with Mito.

"Alright, what's wrong with this gaki?" Tsunade asked as she went across the room and carried over a large white bag with the Kanji for 'Medical' stitched on the side in red.

"Tail is dislocated in three places." As she spoke, Shizune shifted the uninjured fluffy appendages out of the way to show the kinked tail.

"Hmm, that's sounds pleasant," Tsunade said sarcastically as she crouched to eyelevel with the limb and very gently ran a hand over it.

"Be extremely cautious around the end Tsunade-sama, it's… dangerous." Shizune told her with a slight pause as she tried to think of a way to put it, making the blonde look at her with a raised eyebrow again.

Looking towards the darkly glowing tip, she reached down and cautiously prodded it, making it pulse a soft purple while the cushioning around it suddenly caved in slightly. "Noted, get the bite guard ready while I give him some anesthetic." She said handing the bag to Shizune after she got out a small pre-prepared syringe and jabbed it into the base of the tail.

Shizune rifled around inside the large medic bag for several moments before pulling out a quarter inch thick metal rod wrapped in leather. Having already figured out what she was going to do with it, Coco coaxed Naruto's mouth open as the woman walked up to them.

"I'm not going to lie Naruto, this is going to hurt a bit. But I promise that when it's over we'll go out and get some ramen." She said into his ear, remembering the story Ruby told her on how much Naruto loved the noodle dish.

"Ahd canfy?" Naruto asked weakly through the leather with a hopeful look, making Coco giggle softly as she nodded.

"And candy, lots of candy." She said, giggling even more as Naruto smiled around the bar in his mouth before putting on a brave face that was absolutely adorable.

While they were waiting for the anesthetic to take effect, none of them noticed the expression of dark glee on Mizuki's face as he stood up and went to the bathroom. 'Kukuku, looks like I'll be getting that bonus earlier than I thought.' He thought, remembering the 'side mission' he had been discreetly given by one of the more extremist members of the civilian council.

Confirm if one Naruto Uzumaki was truly deceased… and if he wasn't make it so that he was.

'And I have just the tool to kill that little monstrosity.' He thought while pulling out a small vial filled with a sickly green liquid and a kunai. 'I just have to wait for my chance.'

"Okay you two, I'm going to count to three before me and Shizune pop the bones back in place at the same time to get this over with quickly. Ready?" Tsunade asked, getting a reluctant nod in response from Naruto, who's eight other tails were now tied together and held down by Qrow, Ozpin, and an uneasy looking Iruka. "Good, here we go… one-"

*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* "MMMMPH!" *Crunch*

Coco couldn't help but wince in sympathetic pain as the trio of sickening clicks of the bones realigning filled the air along with Naruto muffled yell as he thrashed in her arms. However, this quickly turned to surprise as the metal bite guard in his mouth barely lasted five seconds before snapping into pieces.

"Damn… gaki's got quite the jaw there." She wasn't the only one as Tsunade gave a low whistle, picking up one of the fallen pieces while Shizune quickly and expertly bandaged the now straightened tail up. "That bar was pure titanium, even I have a little trouble breaking it that fast." She said in an impressed tone while Coco's, Qrow's, and Iruka's eyes bulged.

"It would make sense though," Ozpin said, calmly sipping a cup of cocoa he got… somewhere after he and the others let the rest of Naruto's tails go. When everyone gave him confused looks, he shrugged and said. "His favorite snack is dust after all."

Coco had to give him that one, dust was made of crystal after all and Naruto could chew through a solid chunk of the stuff with complete ease.

"Seriously? That gaki eats those highly volatile magic rocks as a snack?" Tsunade asked, getting a nod in response. "Okay, as a medical professional I have to ask. Who's dumbass idea was it to feed those to him in the first place?"

"A very stupid old man who got what he deserved." Qrow stated coldly. 'Raven took care of that personally.'

-Flashback, Seven Months ago, Riverside Fishing Village-

Inside a small shop near the port of the village, a man in his early forties was hard at work gutting and cleaning the fish he'd caught today with a confused and angry expression on his face.

"How the hell did that freak not die? I fed it pure fucking ice dust for Oum's sake!" It had been over a week since he'd tricked some random fox faunus kid into eating ice dust, and it still baffled him that he had lived.

It had been the perfect opportunity for him to rid the world of one more of those filthy animals when it had hitched a ride on the ferry downstream. It was clearly an orphan so he didn't have to worry about it's parents and they were in the middle of the river and late at night so disposing of the body would have been a snap. Even if someone had caught him he would have the perfect excuse since it ate the dust willingly. The hardest part was the acting all nice and kind to it in order to get it to trust him.

That was the plan at least, so imagine his surprise when instead of dying via internally freezing into a block of ice, the freak just gulped the ice dust down and asked if he could have some more.

The man was broken from his thoughts as a soft jingling of bells alerted him that someone had entered his store. Turning to the door, he couldn't help but smile widely as he saw a beautiful raven-haired woman with piercing red eyes and a large bosom walking towards him with a sensual sway of her hips. So busy with his ogling, he didn't even notice the weapon strapped to her side or the disdain written all over her face.

Raven's nose crinkled in mild disgust as she felt the old man undress her with his eyes, but otherwise didn't react as she approached him.

"A fine hello to you madam, welcome to Samuel's Fish and Shrimp. How can I help you this lovely day?" The old man asked in a 'suave' voice once Raven reached the counter that she had to visible resist rolling her eyes at.

"I'm looking for the owner of this store, Samuel Whetstone." She said bluntly, making the man's smile widen.

"Well, you're looking at him." The now named Samuel said. "What do you need me for?"

"I've been told you've had a run in with a peculiar boy recently. About six years old, fox faunus with nine red tails." She described, making the man stiffen.

"I… might have. Why do you ask?" He asked in a forced casual tone that Raven easily saw through.

'Definitely a racist,' She thought calmly, already having a plan to make this work in her favor. Putting up a perfect face of disgust and anger, she said in a faux angry tone. "The little street rat stole something of mine and I intend to collect it from the little abomination with interest. I'll be very thankful for any help you could give." She said in a sultry tone while placing a stack of lien on the counter.

The act worked perfectly, as a wicked grin slowly formed on Samuel's face while he nodded in agreement. "Ah yes, I believe I will be able to help you then. He took the ferry inland towards Outskirt Village." He said while sliding the pile of money to his side.

Nodding in thanks, Raven started to turn around as if to leave, only to snap back and grab the man by the throat faster than he could blink. "You know, there was also something else I heard about you." She said coldly as Samuel flailed in her grasp. "Apparently you like to give out candy to children, so I figured I'd return the favor for them."

While she spoke, Raven reached into the pouch on her hip and pulled out a clear bottle filled with a familiar light blue powder. Pulling the cork out with her teeth, the red-eyed woman remained completely expressionless as she shoved the now open end in Samuel's mouth and forced the contents down his throat.

As soon as the last grain was gone, she released her grasp on both the man and bottle before turning around and walked away. She completely ignored Samuel's gargling screams as he clawed at his throat and his skin rapidly turned to a deep shade of blue. Raven didn't even flinch as his entire body exploded in a gory shower of frozen flesh, leaving a giant blood covered chunk of ice in the place he'd been.

-End Flashback-

There were very, VERY few times in the last several years that Qrow approved of something his sister did, and that was admittedly one of them.

"If you say so, I'm going to get some more Sake" Tsunade said with a shrug while heading to the kitchen area. "Stop hiding in the corner with Mito and say hello, Karin."

"Y-yes Tsunade-sama." Coco blinked in surprise as she finally noticed the said glasses wearing redheaded faunus as she shyly walked up to her and Naruto with her baby and bowed slightly. "N-nice to meet you, my name is K-Karin."

"Nice to meet you Karin, the name's Coco and this is Naruto." Coco said with a smile as she hugged Naruto, who had just finished spitting the last bit of metal out of his mouth, before pointing to the bundle in the girl's arms. "And I'm assuming that's Mito?" When Karin nodded, the chocolate themed girl made a 'come here' motion with her free hand. "May I see?"

Karin looked uncertain about this, Karin looked to Shizune who nodded her head encouragingly before slowly walking closer and adjusting the blanket. As soon as Mito's drowsy face became visible though, Coco completely froze up and her eyes widened as much as they could, flickering from her to Naruto and back several times.

Naruto on the other hand, leaned forwards with a look of fascination as he watched the baby rub her eyes with a cute yawn. Glancing around blearily, Mito's gaze soon settled on Naruto, where she visibly paused with a confused expression on her face. Without realizing it, both slowly leaned their heads to one side in perfect sync, then the other, before returning back to normal.

Leaning closer until his nose was barely a centimeter from hers, Naruto stared into her red eyes and Mito into his for several tense moments. Then, ever so slowly, the larger whiskered blonde raised a hand and stroked the little blonde's cheek, making her giggle happily and latch onto a finger with her small hands. This in turn caused Naruto to smile in return as he continued to pet the baby's cheek while Karin unconsciously moved closer.

'Amazing… they only just met, and they already instinctually trust each-other.' Shizune thought with a smile as she watched the heartwarming scene while finishing up the last wrapping.

Said scene came to an end though just as Coco was coming to her senses when there was a sudden loud banging on the door. Startled by the loud noise, Naruto accidentally pulled Karin and Mito close as his tails curled around them all protectively, leaving nothing but a shaking ball of fur and bandages.

It visibly settled down though, if only a little, as a familiar voice yelled through said door. "COCO! OPEN THIS DOOR BEFORE I BUST IT DOWN! NOW!"

Snapping out of her daze, Coco quickly shot up from her spot and rushed to the door. Naturally not thinking to straight at the moment, she simply opened the door like normal and paid the price as before she could make a sound, the fashionista huntress was bowled over by a very panicked Nora.

Eyes zipping across the room at a manic pace, they instantly zeroed in on the bundle of fluff and Nora zoomed over. "Naruto! Are you okay!?" She asked worriedly as she hugged the ball and stared at it as one of the tails shifted to allow a pair of certain glowing red eyes to peek out.

"Kaa-chan!" Naruto cried happily as his tails started to unfurl and he hugged the orangette, which she happily returned.

"Oh I was so worried about you! Are you okay? How's your tail?" She asked while pulling out of the hug and looking the boy over with a critical eye.

"I'm fine Kaa-chan, the nice ladies made me all better." As he was talking, Naruto pointed over to Shizune and Tsunade who waved in response then pulled a still partially wrapped up Karin and Mito to his side. "And I even made new friends like you wanted me too!"

Just like Coco, Nora's mind blanked out as she saw little Mito as the baby gazed up at her with innocent eyes and a wide toothless smile as she babbled in baby talk. However, she was quickly brought back to reality as a confused Naruto poked her cheek repeatedly.

"Are you alright Kaa-chan?" He asked with a tilted head that Mito copied.

"Oh, um yeah, sorry, just a little surprised." Nora said with a shake of her head while trying to get a closer look at the infant, only to fail as Karin quickly backed away. "It's nice to meet you all, but we should really get going, it's pretty late and I need to put Naruto to bed." She said quickly while scooping up said boy and quickly rushing back out the door.

…

"Well I have to agree with Ms. Valkyrie, it has gotten pretty late and I have an institution to run." Ozpin said as he headed for the door, pausing to glance at Coco's groaning form as he passed. "And could one of you help Ms. Adel?"

-Meanwhile, Vale-

Yang was riding her motorcycle Bumblebee back towards the Bullhead docks, her body running on auto-pilot as she mulled over what her mother had told her.

Not only did she discover that her mother was essentially the leader of a tribe of bandits that she was related too, but said tribe had been almost entirely wiped out last year leaving her, Raven, Qrow, and Naruto were the only remaining members of. Oh yeah, let's not forget that she was apparently also related to Naruto, with him being a distant cousin on her mother's side.

While part of her doubted the truth of this due to Naruto being from the other side of the Veil, the sheer similarities that they shared appearance wise just seemed to be too much for a coincidence.

Finally, there was the fact that Yang had just fulfilled her life's greatest goal, finding out why her mother had left her. And now that she had, she was left with one big question… what now? Sure she had always planned to be a thrill seeking adventurer that traveled the world, but even then that had been influenced in no small part as an excuse to look high and low for Raven. Without that added motivation, the idea suddenly seemed to be extremely dull and pointless to her now.

To put simply, Yang was going through one hell of an identity crisis.

She was however snapped from these thoughts as she finally arrived at the docks and was moving to load up her bike when she saw something in the corner of her eye that made her pause. 'Wait a second, wasn't that…'

Slowly turning her head, the bodacious blonde's eyebrows vanished into hairline at what she saw. "Dad?"

-End Chapter-