Naruto moved through the Emerald Forest with practiced stealth, his footsteps barely disturbing the undergrowth as he navigated between towering trees. Years of shinobi training had ingrained in him the value of silent movement, even without chakra to enhance his abilities. His senses, though diminished from their godlike heights, remained far sharper than those of an average person.
A distant scream caught his attention—high-pitched and unmistakably terrified. Naruto altered his course, sprinting toward the sound. He leapt over fallen logs and ducked under low-hanging branches, his new combat suit allowing for fluid movement through the dense forest.
The screaming continued, growing louder as Naruto approached a massive oak tree that towered above the surrounding foliage. Looking up, he spotted the source—the lanky blonde boy from the launch platforms, pinned to the trunk by a familiar bronze-and-red spear that had pierced his hoodie.
"Hello?" the boy called out, his legs dangling helplessly fifteen feet above the ground. "Is anyone there? Can somebody get me down?"
Naruto stepped into the clearing beneath the tree. "Need a hand?"
Relief washed over the boy's face. "Oh, thank God! I've been stuck up here for like ten minutes!"
"Hang tight," Naruto replied, unable to suppress a smile at the unintentional pun. He examined the situation, noting how securely the spear had pinned the boy to the tree—a perfect throw that spoke of exceptional skill. In his former state, Naruto could have simply teleported up or used chakra to walk vertically up the trunk. Now, he would need to rely on more conventional methods.
Channeling Aura into his legs, Naruto made a calculated leap, grabbing onto a lower branch and swinging himself upward with gymnastic precision. Two more agile jumps brought him level with the stranded student.
"I'm Naruto," he said, balancing effortlessly on a branch beside the pinned boy.
"Jaune Arc," the blonde replied, attempting a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." His bravado faltered as he glanced down at the distant ground. "Or at least they would if I wasn't stuck to a tree."
Naruto examined the spear, impressed by its craftsmanship. "Nice weapon. Not yours, I'm guessing?"
"No," Jaune admitted sheepishly. "Some girl named Pyrrha threw it. I was, uh, having some trouble with my landing strategy."
With careful movements, Naruto gripped the shaft of the spear. "This might pinch a bit," he warned before yanking the weapon free with a single smooth motion.
Jaune yelped, suddenly finding himself without support. Naruto's hand shot out, catching Jaune's hoodie before he could fall. "Got you," he said, helping Jaune find his footing on the branch.
Their eyes met for the first time, and Jaune let out a nervous laugh. "So, I guess we're partners now, huh? That's what Professor Goodwitch said, right? First person you make eye contact with?"
Naruto nodded, handing Pyrrha's spear to Jaune. "Looks like it. You should probably return this to its owner when you get the chance."
Jaune took the weapon, examining it with a mixture of awe and nervousness. "Yeah, definitely. Though she's probably already found a partner by now."
Together, they made their way down the tree, Naruto helping guide Jaune to sturdy footholds. When they reached the ground, Jaune brushed leaves from his armor, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"So," Jaune began, clearly trying to recover some dignity, "what's our plan? Find the temple, grab a relic, head back to the cliff?"
Before Naruto could respond, a low growl emanated from the bushes nearby. Both young men turned as a massive Ursa emerged from the foliage, its bone-white mask and red eyes gleaming in the dappled sunlight. The bear-like Grimm stood on its hind legs, easily ten feet tall, its body covered in bone spikes and dark fur.
Jaune fumbled for his sword, a look of panic crossing his face. "That's a big one," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.
Naruto calmly extended his staff, channeling Aura through the weapon until it glowed with a subtle golden light. "First rule of combat," he said quietly, moving into a defensive stance, "assess your opponent before engaging."
The Ursa dropped to all fours, its massive paws leaving indentations in the soft forest floor as it circled the two students. Red eyes, filled with primal hatred, remained fixed on the potential prey.
"What's the second rule?" Jaune asked, his sword and shield at the ready despite his obvious fear.
A genuine smile spread across Naruto's face—not the confident smirk of his godlike days, but the determined grin of a shinobi facing a challenge. "Work together. I'll take its attention; you go for the legs when it's distracted."
Jaune nodded, his grip on his sword tightening. "Right. Together."
The Ursa roared, charging forward with surprising speed for its size. As Jaune braced himself, Naruto sprang into action, demonstrating that even without his former powers, he was still a formidable warrior.
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The Ursa charged forward, its massive paws tearing up the forest floor as it barreled toward Naruto and Jaune. Jaune raised his shield, his stance uncertain but determined, while Naruto's eyes calculated distance and timing with the precision of a seasoned warrior.
"Remember the plan," Naruto called out, his voice steady as he channeled Aura into his staff. "I'll distract it; you go for the legs."
The beast lunged at Naruto first, perhaps sensing the greater threat. With fluid grace born from millennia of combat experience, Naruto sidestepped the attack, his movements a blur of orange and black. The Ursa's claws swiped through empty air as Naruto vaulted over its back, striking the creature's bone mask with his Aura-enhanced staff.
The hit barely cracked the armored plate, but it did what Naruto intended—it enraged the Grimm, drawing its attention fully to him and away from Jaune.
"Now, Jaune!" Naruto called out, dancing backward as the Ursa turned to pursue him, red eyes burning with hatred.
Jaune hesitated for just a moment, his face a mixture of fear and determination, before charging forward. His ancestral sword slashed across the Ursa's hind leg, cutting deep enough to draw a howl of rage from the monster. The Grimm whirled to face this new threat, momentarily forgetting about Naruto.
That moment was all Naruto needed. In his former godlike state, he could have obliterated the creature with a mere thought. Now, he relied on speed and precision, using his environment to maximum advantage. He leapt onto a low-hanging branch, using it as a springboard to launch himself directly at the Ursa's exposed back.
"Aura Strike!" Naruto shouted, channeling as much energy as he could into his kunai. A golden glow enveloped the blade as it plunged downward, striking between the Ursa's bone plates and into the vulnerable flesh beneath.
The Grimm roared in pain, rearing up on its hind legs. Jaune, seeing an opening, thrust his sword upward into the creature's exposed belly. Dark ichor sprayed from the wound as the Ursa staggered backward, its movements becoming sluggish.
"Together!" Naruto called out, landing beside Jaune. "One more hit!"
Side by side, the two charged forward, weapons held high. Jaune's sword found the Grimm's throat while Naruto's staff smashed into its bone mask, the combined Aura-enhanced strikes shattering the protective plating. The Ursa collapsed with a final groan, its massive form already beginning to dissolve into wisps of black smoke.
Jaune stared at the disintegrating creature, then at his sword, as if surprised by what he'd just accomplished. "We... we did it," he breathed, a hint of wonder in his voice.
Naruto nodded approvingly. "Good job, partner. You've got more potential than you give yourself credit for."
"Thanks," Jaune replied, sheathing his sword. "But I just followed your instructions. You clearly know what you're doing in a fight."
"Come on," Naruto said, collapsing his staff and securing it on his back. "We need to keep moving. The temple can't be too far from here."
As they continued through the forest, Jaune seemed more comfortable, though his eyes still darted nervously at every snapping twig or rustling leaf. "So, uh, where are you from?" he asked, clearly trying to distract himself from their dangerous surroundings. "I don't think I've seen fighting like yours before."
"Far away," Naruto answered vaguely. "A place called Konoha, though it doesn't exist in this world." He paused, realizing how that sounded. "I mean, it's really remote. Different fighting styles, different traditions."
Jaune stopped walking abruptly, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, what? 'Doesn't exist in this world'? You must be messing with me." He let out an awkward laugh, clearly uncertain if Naruto was joking or not. "What does that even mean?"
Naruto realized his slip-up and quickly backtracked. "Sorry, poor choice of words. I meant it's really isolated—almost like another world compared to the kingdoms." He continued walking, hoping Jaune wouldn't press further.
After a skeptical look, Jaune shrugged and followed. "You're a weird guy, you know that?"
They continued through the dense undergrowth until they came to a natural stone formation that opened into a wide clearing.
"I think we're close," Naruto said, pointing ahead where broken columns were visible through the trees. "That looks like ruins."
The ancient circular temple stood in the center of a grassy clearing, weathered by time but still largely intact. Stone pedestals lined the perimeter, each holding a chess piece—the relics Glynda had mentioned.
"Chess pieces?" Jaune observed as they approached the temple. "That's... simpler than I expected."
Naruto surveyed the options, noting that several pieces had already been taken. "Looks like we're not the first ones here. Which one should we take?"
Before Jaune could answer, a blood-curdling screech echoed across the clearing. Both young men whirled to face the source of the sound—a massive Death Stalker bursting from the treeline, its golden stinger gleaming in the sunlight. The scorpion-like Grimm was easily twenty feet long, its armored carapace covered in ancient bone plates and its pincers large enough to snap a person in half.
"That's... a lot bigger than the Ursa," Jaune whispered, his face paling as he raised his shield.
Naruto's mind raced through options. Without his former powers, taking on something this size would be challenging, especially with Jaune still finding his confidence. "We need to grab a relic and go," he said, backing toward the temple. "We're not equipped to fight that thing head-on."
The Death Stalker scuttled forward with alarming speed, its multiple eyes fixed on the potential prey. Naruto reached into his weapon pouch, drawing out one of his modified kunai—heavier than his traditional ones, with channels designed to conduct Aura along the blade.
"Jaune, grab a relic—any one," Naruto instructed, positioning himself between his partner and the approaching Grimm. "I'll buy us some time."
Naruto channeled Aura into the kunai, causing it to glow with the same golden light as his staff had earlier. With practiced precision, he hurled the weapon at the Death Stalker's face, aiming for the junction between armored plates.
The enhanced kunai struck true, penetrating deeper than it should have been able to and drawing an angry screech from the massive creature. It paused its advance, pincers clicking in agitation as it assessed this new threat.
Jaune, meanwhile, had darted to the nearest pedestal, grabbing a white rook piece. "Got it!" he called out, retreating back toward Naruto. "Now what?"
"Now we—" Naruto began, but was cut off by the sound of battle from the far side of the clearing. Another group of students was emerging from the forest, pursued by a flock of Nevermores. Among them, Naruto recognized the distinctive red hair and bronze armor of the girl whose spear had saved Jaune earlier.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune called out in surprise, momentarily forgetting the Death Stalker bearing down on them.
The champion fighter turned at the sound of her name, green eyes widening as she spotted Jaune and the massive Grimm behind him. Without hesitation, she altered her course, sprinting toward them with her shield raised and spear at the ready.
"Jaune! Look out!" she shouted as the Death Stalker, sensing Jaune's distraction, lunged forward with surprising speed, its stinger arcing down toward the blonde boy's unprotected back.
Naruto moved in a blur, shoving Jaune aside and barely avoiding the stinger himself. The golden barb embedded itself in the ground where Jaune had been standing just moments before, spraying dirt and stone in all directions.
As Pyrrha reached them, her spear already drawn back for a throw, Naruto met Jaune's frightened gaze with a reassuring nod. "You can do this," he said firmly. "Trust your instincts—and your partner."
Jaune swallowed hard, his grip on his sword tightening as he turned to face the Death Stalker. For a moment, something shifted in his stance—a flicker of the warrior he could become with proper training and confidence.
"Thanks, Naruto," he said, his voice steadier than before. "Let's show this oversized bug what we're made of."
As Pyrrha joined them, her spear finding a vulnerable spot in the Death Stalker's armor with unerring accuracy, Naruto felt a stirring of something he hadn't experienced since losing his powers—genuine connection, teamwork born not from godlike abilities but from trust and shared purpose.