The remaining part of Ruby and Weiss's path had been almost the same as before, completely uneventful, with the Grimm ignoring them at every encounter. Still, they did not let their guard down and stayed alert at all times.
You never know when these things will go crazy and attack again.
That anomaly aside, there was also the uncomfortable silence that had persisted between them since their earlier conversation about love.
Each of their conflicts was motivated by something different, but they shared the same origin: a boy whose face remained a mystery.
It would be funny if it weren't so worrying.
Either way, this wasn't the time to focus on that kind of stuff, and it wasn't long before a welcome change of scenery occurred.
"Weiss, look!" Ruby spotted the ruins, and there were even a bunch of students present in the area! "We found it!"
Finally!
These last few minutes had felt like an eternity!
"Considering the way the Grimm are acting, I'm not surprised to see so many people arriving at the objective." Weiss shrugged, indifferent to it. "You'd have to get lost not to find this place."
Nevertheless, she didn't like not being the first to arrive.
Even that stupid blond boy was there, but what surprised her most was the fact that Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
That could only mean two things: either he had already taken his relic and finished the exam, or he hadn't arrived yet.
The first option was the most likely given what Weiss knew about that boy, while the second option was worrying on a personal level.
Despite her reluctance to develop feelings for Sasuke, the last thing she wanted was for something bad to happen to him. If anything, Weiss wanted to get to know him better and see what he was really capable of.
"You mean getting lost as we did?" Ruby flashed a nervous smile, remembering the wrong turns they had taken...more than once. Her sense of direction isn't the best.
Considering this princess's origins and that this must have been the first time she had ever set foot in a forest, perhaps this outcome was only to be expected.
"Ruby," Weiss replied to this girl with an icy stare. "Not another word about that."
The last thing she needed right now was to deal with criticism about her lack of outdoor skills, especially when she had lived her life incarcerated.
Ruby let out a small laugh, glad they were talking again, but that happiness was short-lived when she saw her older sister.
Here we go again...
She had just gotten out of one uncomfortable situation only to fall into another.
Really, this whole love thing was so complicated!
"Hey, Sis!" Yang smiled when she saw her little sister, accompanied by a familiar face, and approached to test the waters. "Did you pick Weiss as your partner?"
As expected, there was no response, and that in itself was an answer, almost like the conflict in her beautiful silver eyes.
She's still mad at me... kind of? Yang hated it when this happened, especially over something so stupid. It's not like I lied to her... it was more like omitting a half-truth.
After all, she was confused about her feelings towards Sasuke, and this wasn't the time to fight over something so superficial.
They were family, for God's sake!
"I got lucky too!" Yang kept trying and pulled her new partner closer. "Right, Blake?"
While she still didn't know anything about this girl, she had cat ears and was hot as hell, so Yang trusted her.
"Hmm?" Blake snapped out of her trance, looking at her enthusiastic partner and the new students she hadn't even noticed until now. "Y-yes, I guess."
Her mind was on the anomaly unfolding in this forest, to the point that she ignored the cold look Weiss Schnee gave her.
Worse still, the reason Blake was acting this way wasn't because of the Grimm.
It must be that boy. There was no other explanation for this discomfort she was feeling. This never happened before.
Blake had been in the presence of some Grimm and extremely dangerous people before, but never to the point where her senses screamed danger as they did with the boy known as Uchiha Sasuke.
Worse still, this was happening without her even being in his presence!
It was quick and momentary, but for a second, Blake almost felt her heart stop as she was hit by a sensation that screamed death and destruction.
Whatever Uchiha Sasuke was, she wanted nothing to do with him!
"Are you okay?" Pyrrha couldn't help but notice the slight tremor in this girl's hands. She looked scared.
Given the pair of ears on top of her head, this reaction could have a profound meaning, especially in this situation.
The instincts of a faunus were that keen and should never be taken lightly.
"She's right, Blake." Yang wasn't blind and could see that her partner wasn't beating the scared-cat stereotype. "You've been acting weird since the Grimm started ignoring us."
Which was a strange event in itself and worthy of concern.
But hey, she wasn't complaining.
Not every ride had to be dangerous to be fun.
"Ha!" Cardin scoffed as he played with his chess piece. "Of course she's scared! She's a faunus, after all!"
Only members of this inferior race were frightened by a few Grimms acting strangely and fled like a bunch of cowardly animals!
"Hahahah!" A shared laugh came from the other three accompanying Cardin, all of them moving together to finish this exam as if it were a walk in the park.
One of those guys...
That was a unanimous line of thought among the others present regarding this open display of racism.
"Wait," Weiss ignored what could very well have been a reflection of herself if she had remained under her father's tutelage and addressed Yang. "Did the Grimm you encountered ignore you, too?"
As expected, this had nothing to do with Ruby's overly positive emotions and created a pattern, proving that something was very wrong with this exam.
"So it wasn't just us." Ren had a similar experience when he encountered a King Taijitu after his landing. It even looked like I was using my Semblance.
No, it was even more extreme than that.
His Semblance could only hide his emotions and not eliminate his presence from the world.
The Grimm acted as if he didn't even exist!
"Own..." Nora was still sad that she couldn't play with any Grimm. "My teddy bear ran away before giving me a ride..."
That was like not having syrup on her pancakes, a tragedy of apocalyptic proportions!
"But that's a good thing, right?" Jaune was glad it turned out that way, or he could have become giant scorpion food earlier! Thank the gods I picked Pyrrha as my partner!
This girl who pulled him out of that tree was strong as hell!
At that moment, when the Death Stalker smashed through that cave like it was nothing, Pyrrha saved him from being crushed by a rockslide and was ready to fight without missing a beat!
Fortunately, that wasn't necessary since that thing suddenly stopped attacking and then ignored them completely!
That could only be luck!
Or so he wanted to believe, not realizing that this attitude did nothing but reveal the extent of his physical and mental weakness.
"Only someone ignorant would think that way." Weiss already didn't like this boy very much for his stupid and insistent attempts to court her, but his complacency was at a level that was dangerous. As expected from someone who cheated his way into this academy.
If there was one thing she still couldn't accept, it was Ozpin's decision to keep a civilian around, regardless of any ounce of potential he might have seen in this boy.
"Okay, you don't have to be rude," Pyrrha said as she stood before a dejected Jaune, letting some of her emotions show as she saw him like that. "He's my partner now."
This was her chance to defend him against this mean girl who had rejected him and to score some points!
Unfortunately, all she managed to do was turn herself into a target for this resentful blizzard.
"My condolences," Weiss said without missing a beat, almost feeling sorry for the girl she once admired. "Someone as talented and hardworking as you deserves better."
However, considering the falseness of her smile and the reason behind this aggressive attitude, maybe these two deserved each other.
No mercy.
Some laughed nervously at the visible way Pyrrha and Jaune flinched at Princess Schnee's brutal honesty.
This was a reminder to never get on her bad side.
"No..." Blake bit her lip, not even paying attention to the prejudiced little group from before; she had dealt with countless others who were much worse in her life. "I think this is all happening because of that hooded guy."
It had to be, because this feeling of imminent danger was something she had only felt in his presence.
"Wait, you mean Sasuke?" Yang's attitude changed immediately; concern was evident in her expression and voice, revealing what she wanted to deny. "I know he's not exactly normal, but there's no way he's causing all this!"
Because the implications would be tremendous and beyond the level of what was considered human!
"Yang is right," Weiss had to agree with this sinful girl whose feelings couldn't be more evident. "Sasuke is powerful, but not powerful enough to create an effect capable of influencing all the Grimm in a forest as large as this one."
There had to be something else going on here that could be explained by logic, but not by random, meaningless accusations.
Unfortunately, feelings and emotions were anything but logical.
"Even so, doesn't that mean Sasuke could be in danger?!" Ruby didn't hesitate to turn in the same direction all the Grimm had gone, ready to use her Semblance. "We need to help him!"
Like hell she was going to let her first love die in a place like this!
If only it were that simple.
"Not so fast!" Yang grabbed her little sister's cape, stopping her in her tracks by force. "I told you to stop doing that!"
Running without thinking or having the slightest consideration for her own life!
That was a bad habit of this hyperactive and overly altruistic little sister that would end up killing her someday, but not today!
"Yang, let go of me!" Ruby yelled at her sister for the first time in years, her eyes flashing silver for a second. "Or I'll make you let go!"
She wasn't kidding, and as proof, her hands were ready to draw Crescent Rose!
This extreme reaction made Yang hesitate, not expecting it, and the meaning behind this reaction was clear.
Ruby really cared about Sasuke to the point that her love for him was genuine.
Otherwise, she wouldn't threaten to fight her own sister.
She's not a child anymore...
Unexpectedly, this realization sparked a smile that confused Ruby and everyone watching the scene.
"I think you've got the wrong idea, Ruby," Yang said as she let go of her little sister's precious cape. "I just don't want you to try to do everything on your own." Now she was smiling wildly as she slammed her hands together and showed a pair of red eyes. "So let's go, together, just like always!"
It took Ruby a second to understand what was happening, and when she did, she could only return her sister's smile.
At the end of the day, regardless of their disagreements, they were family and had each other's backs!
That and feelings for the same boy!
What's more, they weren't the only ones.
"You two have a beautiful bond." Weiss was also smiling as she thought of her own sister and the possibility of having a more honest family relationship like these two. "But enough of that, we need to find Sasuke."
The last thing she would do now was let the first boy who caught her interest perish without doing anything!
With that decided, the three moved together and left everyone else behind in a sea of confusion.
A Schnee... is taking the lead to help someone she herself had accused of being a faunus? Blake felt like she was seeing things. Well, it seems like the world is really going crazy.
Either that, or maybe what Uchiha Sasuke had said was true after all.
Defining all members of a group as the same was pure ignorance.
After all, it was clear that Weiss Schnee was different from her father.
Still... Blake hesitated to follow her new partner and these girls on what felt like a suicide mission. Nothing good would come from getting involved with what's going on out there.
Considering that no one else was moving, it seemed that the others shared her opinion.
The situation was that dangerous.
So the only thing Blake could do was wish these girls good luck and hope that nothing bad happened to them.
-----
On the other side of the forest, Sasuke was having a completely different experience from the other students participating in the initiation. While everyone else was taking a walk in the park, he was putting his physical abilities to the test, frantically jumping from tree to tree while dodging a seemingly endless wave of attacks.
These Grimms were all insane!
No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming!
More and more, Sasuke could see why these things were considered such a threat to the people of Remnant. Even after he had cut down countless Grimm, the rest trampled over the bodies of those who had fallen without fear or even hesitation to continue attacking.
These things could be considered true killing machines, making many leaders in the Elemental Nations jealous.
Now, regarding his current situation, it was clear it wasn't normal, even by this world's standards.
As Sasuke moved through the forest, he saw other students taking the exam, and, surprisingly, all of them were being completely ignored by the Grimm.
Which was good, meaning that Ruby, Weiss, and Yang weren't in danger as he had initially imagined.
Still, Sasuke decided to head in the opposite direction of where the initiation was taking place and keep the Grimm away from anyone who might get caught up in this conflict.
After all, it was clear that he was the target of these things, and it wasn't hard to understand why.
His ominous Chakra.
Just as it was with the faunus, it seemed that merely suppressing his Chakra almost completely was not enough to go unnoticed by the Grimm. Then, to make matters worse, Sasuke had made the mistake of letting his emotions get the better of him and manifested some of his Chakra.
It was quick and momentary, but it had been more than enough to alert all the Grimm in the forest.
Worse still, even after he realized his mistake and suppressed every last drop of his Chakra, the damage was already done.
As a result, Sasuke fought solely with his physical abilities to the point that he deactivated his Sharingan and closed his Rinnegan.
In fact, Sasuke took a step further and calmed his emotions until he reached a state of neutrality normally seen only during meditation.
Quite an achievement, he had to say, and one that was extremely effective in combat. At times, it even seemed as if his body moved on its own to dodge, defend, or even attack.
Who knows, maybe this state would become a focal point in the next part of his training.
That aside, I can't keep this up forever. Sasuke had already used up all the Shuriken and Kunai that weren't in his storage seals. There must be something else that is attracting these things towards me.
Merely hating humans and faunus didn't make sense since the Grimm were ignoring easy targets.
Could it be that these things are being controlled? Sasuke couldn't rule out this option entirely, especially since he was an anomaly from another world and practically an invader. If that is indeed the case, then that person or divine entity is making a terrible mistake by making an enemy out of me.
Call him arrogant, but Sasuke was not weak, and even a goddess like Kaguya considered him a threat.
That, and he was known for holding grudges in a way that no one could rival.
But then it happened.
When a black bird the size of Garuda, a Grimm known as Nevermore, made feathers rain from the sky, and Sasuke was unable to dodge while receiving simultaneous attacks from below, a part of his Akatsuki cloak was cut off. For the first time since this madness began, some of these Grimm had stopped attacking and shifted their focus to destroy a mere piece of fabric.
You've got to be kidding me. Sasuke looked at his damaged cloak and only now remembered the last option that could still be attracting these things. The concealment seals!
Often, Fuinjutsu remained active passively, sustaining itself on Natural Energy. Considering that only Sages could detect this energy source, this method was the best for this ancient art.
Since these Grimms were basically made of Natural Energy, it was no wonder they could sense the effect on the cloak and be drawn to it.
That complicated things.
Now, Sasuke was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision.
Either he used his power to deal with all these Grimm and became a target of interest for those at the top of this world, or he got rid of his cloak and became the target of a bunch of hormonal girls.
A difficult decision, but not that difficult.
While fangirls were annoying, they didn't destroy his life as those in positions of power did.
Well, it was good while it lasted. Sasuke sighed as he removed his Akatsuki cloak in one swift motion and bid farewell to the peace of his temporary stay in Beacon. Even so, I'll make you all regret forcing my hand!
With that decided, with no turning back, he used all his paper bombs and threw the cloak into the midst of this crazed horde of Grimm.
"What was it that Deidara used to say?" Sasuke leapt away as they fought each other for his cloak, then twisted a smile as he made a hand seal. "Katsu!"
What followed was an explosion that shocked the entire Emerald Forest and sent pieces of Grimm falling from the sky like black rain!