The corridor outside the amphitheater was a storm of activity as students dispersed toward the ballroom where they would spend their final night before initiation. Naruto slipped through the crowd with practiced ease, his eyes fixed on Glynda's retreating form. The professor's normally measured stride had quickened, her shoulders tense beneath her cape as she headed toward the administrative wing.
Naruto waited until most of the students had filtered away before he made his move, quickening his pace to catch up with her. "Professor Goodwitch," he called out, his voice low enough that only she would hear.
Glynda stopped, her back stiffening before she turned. Her green eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she recognized him. "Mr. Uzumaki. Shouldn't you be preparing with the other students?"
"Something's wrong," Naruto said, stepping closer and lowering his voice further. "Ozpin isn't just busy with 'urgent matters,' is he?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Glynda's face before her professional mask slipped back into place. She glanced around the now-empty corridor before responding. "I don't know what you're talking about. The headmaster simply had pressing business elsewhere."
Naruto crossed his arms, his blue eyes meeting hers directly. Even without his former powers, years of shinobi training had taught him to read people. "With all due respect, Professor, you're not being truthful. Your heartbeat increased when you mentioned Ozpin during the speech. Your colleagues are on high alert. And Ozpin wouldn't miss welcoming new students—it's too important to him."
Glynda's grip tightened on her riding crop, and for a moment, Naruto thought she might use her telekinetic Semblance to send him flying down the hallway. Instead, she exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.
"You're unusually perceptive for a new student," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But this doesn't concern you, Mr. Uzumaki. Whatever your background, whatever skills you brought to Vale, you are now a student at this academy. Your focus should be on tomorrow's initiation."
"Ozpin gave me a chance when I had nothing," Naruto replied, his scarred face solemn. "If he's in trouble, I want to help."
Glynda studied him for a long moment, as if reassessing him entirely. "You can help by succeeding at initiation. The Emerald Forest can be dangerous, particularly for someone still adjusting to how Aura works. Focus on that." Her expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Ozpin saw something in you, Mr. Uzumaki. Something worth taking a chance on. Don't waste that opportunity."
"But—"
"That's enough," Glynda cut him off, her tone brooking no argument. "We have the situation well in hand. Port, Oobleck, and I have been handling crises since before you were born."
Naruto bit back a response about actually being thousands of years old before Stephen King's intervention. That would hardly help his credibility.
"If you really want to help," Glynda continued, "then be ready for tomorrow. The Emerald Forest contains dangers beyond the obvious Grimm. Keep your wits about you." She adjusted her glasses, a hint of genuine concern showing through her stern exterior. "And watch out for your fellow students. Some of them may not be as... adaptable as you seem to be."
Naruto recognized the dismissal in her tone but pressed on. "If you find anything—anything at all about what happened to Ozpin—will you tell me?"
Glynda raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"
"Because whatever happened in that office wasn't normal," Naruto said, choosing his words carefully. "And I have experience with... unusual threats."
A ghost of a smile touched Glynda's lips. "I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Uzumaki." She turned to leave, then paused. "One more thing. The weapon you were issued—that small knife..."
"The kunai," Naruto supplied.
"Yes. It may be insufficient for the challenges ahead. Visit the armory before curfew. Tell them I sent you." With that, she continued down the corridor, her heels clicking against the polished floor.
Naruto watched her go, a familiar determination building in his chest. Without his godlike powers, he was just one more student at Beacon—weaker than many who had trained their Semblances for years. But he still had his mind, his experience, and now, his newly unlocked Aura.
"Emerald Forest," he muttered to himself, turning toward the dormitories. "Guess I'd better get ready."
As he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever had happened to Ozpin was connected to his own encounter with Stephen King. The timing was too convenient to be coincidence. First, an interdimensional entity strips away his powers, then Beacon's headmaster vanishes overnight.
What had Stephen called himself? "The editor making some revisions."
Naruto's hands clenched at his sides. If that editorial process included removing Ozpin from the story, what other changes might be coming? And how could he possibly fight back against someone with the power to rewrite reality itself?
These thoughts churned in his mind as he made his way toward the armory. Whatever tomorrow brought, he would face it as he always had—with determination, ingenuity, and an unbreakable will. Godlike powers or not, Naruto Uzumaki did not give up.
And somewhere in this world, he suspected, was a certain "author" who needed to learn that lesson the hard way.
ttt
Morning sunlight filtered through the trees of the Emerald Forest, casting dappled shadows across the cliff edge where Beacon's newest students stood in a neat line. Each student occupied a metal platform, their weapons ready and expressions ranging from excitement to thinly veiled terror. The forest stretched out below them, a vast expanse of green hiding untold dangers.
Naruto adjusted the weapons harness strapped across his chest. The armory visit had proven fruitful—he now carried a set of throwing knives reminiscent of his shinobi tools, along with a collapsible staff that could channel Aura for enhanced strikes. His tattered outfit had been replaced with a sturdy orange and black combat suit that offered protection without restricting his movement.
Glynda Goodwitch stood at the edge of the cliff, her scroll in hand as she surveyed the students. The absence of Ozpin was conspicuous, and Naruto noticed the subtle tension in her stance. Dark circles beneath her eyes suggested she hadn't slept, likely searching for the missing headmaster through the night.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors," Glynda began, her voice carrying across the cliff face. "Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
She explained the rules—find the temple, retrieve a relic, return to the cliff. The first person they made eye contact with would be their partner for the next four years. Naruto listened intently, his mind already mapping potential strategies. Without his chakra-enhanced senses or shadow clones, he would need to rely on his basic training and newly unlocked Aura.
"Are there any questions?" Glynda asked, her stern gaze sweeping across the line of students.
A lanky boy with blonde hair raised his hand. "Um, yeah, so, how exactly are we getting into the forest?"
"You will be launched," Glynda replied matter-of-factly.
The boy's face paled. "Launched? You mean, like, with a parachute or something?"
"No. You will use your own landing strategy."
Ruby, standing a few platforms away from Naruto, leaned forward with a grin. "Wait what!" Ruby said.
Then her silver eyes widened as she spotted Naruto in his new gear. "Wait, is that the guy from the Dust shop? What's he doing here?"
Before Yang could respond, the first platform activated with a mechanical click, catapulting its occupant—a stoic girl with long red hair and bronze armor—high into the air. One by one, students were launched toward the forest.
Ruby's shock turned to excitement as her turn approached. "See you in the forest!" she called to Yang before being flung skyward, her red cape fluttering behind her like wings.
Naruto felt a familiar rush of adrenaline as his platform clicked beneath him. In his former godlike state, being launched would have been trivial—he could have simply floated down or teleported. Now, it would be a test of his most basic shinobi skills.
The platform sprung upward, catapulting him into the open air. Wind rushed past his face as he soared over the forest canopy, the ground a dizzying distance below. Without chakra to cushion his landing or create clones as safety nets, he would need perfect timing and execution.
At the apex of his trajectory, Naruto spread his arms and legs to control his fall, angling his body toward a particularly dense section of treetops. As he descended, he drew the collapsible staff from his back, extending it to its full length. Using techniques ingrained through thousands of years of combat, he calculated his approach, waiting for the precise moment to act.
Fifty feet from the canopy, he channeled his newly acquired Aura into the staff, surprised at how naturally the energy flowed in response to his will. The staff took on a faint golden glow—nowhere near as vibrant as his former Nine-Tails chakra, but comforting in its familiarity.
Naruto struck the first branch with his staff, using it as a pivot point to swing himself in a controlled arc, bleeding off momentum. He continued this pattern, bouncing from branch to branch with practiced precision, each impact absorbed by his Aura-enhanced body.
For a fleeting moment, he felt a shadow of his old self—not the god-like being who could reshape reality, but the young shinobi who had relied on skill and determination before accumulating his vast power. There was something refreshing about the simplicity of it, about feeling the limits of his body and working within them.
His final leap brought him to a clearing where he landed in a crouch, his Aura flickering briefly as it absorbed the remaining impact. Rising to his feet, Naruto surveyed his surroundings, listening for any sign of Grimm or fellow students.
The forest was alive with sounds—distant roars of Grimm, gunfire from other students, and the rustling of leaves in the morning breeze. Somewhere out there was a temple with relics, and somewhere among the trees, a partner waited to be found.
Naruto took a deep breath, centering himself. "Alright," he muttered, a familiar determined smile spreading across his face. "Let's do this the old-fashioned way."
With that, he dashed into the forest, moving with the silent grace that had made him a legendary shinobi long before godhood had ever been within his reach. Behind him, at the cliff's edge, Glynda watched the students' progress on her scroll, her thoughts divided between the initiation and the mysterious disappearance of Ozpin.
And somewhere, unseen, Stephen King and his purple companion observed it all, their editorial revisions to the story of Remnant only just beginning.