When Sasuke returned to the cliff where the initiation started, Weiss was already walking on her own two feet, and there were a few reasons for that.
To begin with, she was too embarrassed by the prospect of being seen by more people in his arms and the repercussions it could cause for both of them.
Of course, that would probably help with the whole "keep other girls away" plan, but it was not worth the hassle.
That and she was already healed.
Just like Sasuke had learned in his studies about this world and its people, it seems that Aura has a passive healing factor that's better than regular Chakra and could rival the one he had after absorbing Orochimaru.
It was quite an advantage that this incomplete form of Chakra possesses, he would say, and was worth his attention. Who knows? Maybe Sasuke could find a way to replicate this effect and enhance the healing factor of his Six Paths Yin Chakra even more.
That would be of great help and make his stay in this world far more meaningful.
As for the other reason Weiss insisted on walking on her own, it was because of the lesser Grimm that were roaming the forest.
Even after killing so many of these things, there are still some more left to annoy them.
At least, these things have calmed down a little and stopped chasing after just Sasuke now that he has lost his cloak, suppressed his Chakra, and emotions. Better yet, the number and the types of Grimm left were almost inconsequential and nothing to worry about.
Just like that, you could say that the initiation was over, and Weiss even made a staircase with her hereditary Semblance for them to use instead of waiting for Professor Goodwitch to fetch them.
Good, because Sasuke was about to walk up that cliff, and that could get some unwanted attention.
As for Ruby and Yang, they followed close behind and without saying anything while casually dealing with the Grimm that came their way, but something about them seemed to have changed.
That concern, disbelief, and even jealousy from before were nowhere to be seen. If anything, all of it had been replaced by a cheerful attitude on Ruby's end and a smug one on Yang's.
Both were acting like children who knew some sort of secret and couldn't wait to talk about it.
Whatever it may be, Sasuke was sure he was going to find out soon enough, whether he liked it or not.
The problem now was the greatest consequence of losing his cloak: the reveal of his face.
On one hand, Sasuke really didn't want to deal with any of this nonsense and the multitude of students that were gathering at the top of the cliff. On the other hand, he was bothered by the fact that something so stupid as this bothered him in the first place.
For Hagoromo's sake, he was fighting literal gods lately and even died in combat!
Fangirls and haters should be nothing!
"It's okay," Weiss said as she noticed Sasuke's discomfort and even went as far as taking his hand. "As I promised, I'll help keep them away from you."
Even if they are not dating...yet.
The mere thought made Weiss more conscious of her actions and how bold she actually was.
Well, I'm a Schnee! Despite the bad reputation that normally comes with her family name, she was proud of it and what it truly entails. We go after what we want!
No matter what or at any cost!
And now, for the first time in her life, she wanted to get close to this boy!
As for Sasuke, normally, if anyone tried to do what Weiss was doing, his first instinct would be one of pure annoyance and even deadly hostility. Unexpectedly, that was not the case, and he even found himself reciprocating the gesture by gripping her hand back.
First, he carried Yang in his arms, then he comforted Ruby more than once, and now this... what was this world doing to him?
Sasuke was getting soft, or perhaps...he was just returning to being like he used to be before any chance of having a normal life was taken away from him.
Whatever it may be, it doesn't matter. At least, not now.
Besides, enjoying a little bit of this normality wasn't going to kill him... hopefully.
But it may kill Weiss, as she felt her heart beat so fast that it couldn't be healthy!
Even so, she couldn't help but have a timid smile as she sensed Sasuke's strong grip around her hand. Somehow, being carried in his arms didn't make her feel this way, and that could only mean one thing.
It seems that I'm already falling for him... Weiss was blushing really hard and feeling like a pushover for being unable to hold her heart before receiving one as she intended. I blame my father for this!
Because of him, she grew up in isolation and didn't know how to deal with a boy who wasn't after her for some ulterior motive like those idiots from the high society of Atlas!
I need to talk with my sister! Weiss decided after doing her best to get a hold of herself. Even if Winter has never experienced love, she is older and should know what to do!
Hopefully, her sister would be reasonable and not overreact when she heard about this.
A problem for later.
As for now, they're already jumping from the least Glyph and landing in front of everyone else present on the site.
Immediately, the heated conversation between the students about the initiation and all its craziness ceased, and the focus was on the beautiful combination of black and white.
While almost everyone there knew or came to know about Weiss Schnee since the day before, the boy beside her was mostly unknown, but not for long, as he quickly became the central topic.
After all, his good appearance aside, holding the Schnee princess's hand and the way she was trying to hide her embarrassment was just too much to be ignored.
If anything, this was super news that would easily trend worldwide, and it didn't take long for some students to try to capitalize on it by taking photos with their Scrolls.
Others, like Pyrrha and Blake, had a completely different reaction to this reveal.
The Invincible Girl was surprised at first, even feeling her heart flutter a little with how handsome this unknown boy was, but she was mostly pleased to see the attention shift away from her.
Whoever he may be, if he passed the initiation, he would certainly keep being the hot main topic, and Pyrrha couldn't thank him enough for his sacrifice.
That, and maybe he could be a potential friend. After all, how else but her could understand the feeling shown in that single black eye? Maybe the Schnee girl on his side, but not to the same extent as Pyrrha.
Yeah, that's right, she was the only girl who could relate to him...
Blake, on the other hand, knew exactly how this boy was and still couldn't believe it. Not about how hot he was, being her type from head to toe, but because this was that hooded guy from before!
The same one that blew up her cover and that was accused of being a faunus by the very girl who now held his hand with a love-struck face!
What the hell happened overnight for such a shift?! Blake remembered seeing Weiss and that pair of sisters sleeping around him and being confused by it, especially today during the initiation, when they all ran to help him without hesitation. I bet that this sinister boy must have shown his face and used his good looks to seduce them!
For nothing else makes sense!
Uchiha Sasuke, you truly are terrifying! Blake could feel her body heating up as the plot from some of her favorite books seemed to come to life right in front of her. I need to keep an eye on him!
To make sure that he is not planning anything bad, and for no other reason at all!
"Okay, that's enough!" Glynda wasted no time in putting an end to this commotion, almost cursing Ozpin for not letting her send them away earlier. "The initiation is over, so all of you get moving and go gather in the main hall for further instructions!"
Just like that, the students stopped gossiping and did as ordered without complaint. Such viral news was important, but it wasn't worth getting in Professor Goodwitch's bad side, which was a one-way ticket to her blacklist and a hellish school life.
Looking back, Glynda focused on the Uchiha boy and the Schnee girl.
So it has already started... She sighed and could feel her head hurting from what the future had in store for her. I really need to get that sex education class ready.
That, and have a private talk with every girl who has fallen prey to Uchiha Sasuke's out-of-this-world looks.
With that in mind, Glynda moved to lead her students and make sure that they didn't cause any more trouble until this whole initiation was sorted out.
Meanwhile, Sasuke didn't move, and neither did Weiss, Ruby, or Yang, who had just joined them. The reason for that was because of the Headmaster, who was standing in their way, and looking directly in Sasuke's eye, as if he had something to say.
They had no idea just how much.
"So, as expected, you made it out of there safe," Ozpin broke the silence as soon as the other students left the area, showing some relief as he focused on this boy whose face was in full display. "And by the looks of it, not without losing something important."
Or problematic, given the chaos it caused, but that still had immense value. After all, it wasn't every day that an object enchanted by old runes of such high quality showed up. However, a 1000 cloaks like that couldn't compare to the life of this living miracle.
The boy who possessed magic, and a lot of it, from what he could tell.
Now that Ozpin was conscious of this fact and actively searching for it, he could sense the power suppressed deep inside this boy.
With this confirmation came two findings: First, Ozpin couldn't sense the true extent of this boy's power, only that it was at least on par with a full-fledged Maiden. And second, and more importantly, it was the dark nature behind Sasuke's power.
To be honest, that was just to be expected of someone who lived such a terrible life and had lost everything. However, there was something else attached to his power, and it felt very similar to... the God of Darkness.
A spark of divinity, just like the one present in the Silver Eyes, and it was mostly coming from his left eye, which was well hidden behind his hair. As for the rest of that power, it was focused on his left hand, which Miss Schnee refused to let go.
The mere possibility of such a thing was absurd and raised so many questions that couldn't be asked without revealing more than any child should know, especially one who was forced to grow when he was but 7 years old.
"Yeah, but it couldn't be helped." Sasuke was almost indifferent about it, even if he noticed the way Ozpin was behaving. He probably saw everything.
Explaining why this man was so restless in his presence.
Despite his efforts, Sasuke still stood out like a sore thumb.
"So, what happens now?" he asked, and for good reason, given the turn of events that the initiation took. It would be disappointing if they just accepted these results.
Otherwise, the so-called defenders of this world would be composed of people who were undeserving and severely unprepared.
"For now, join the other students and wait for a decision to be made." Ozpin tried not to let his inner thoughts show and was already considering his options, but of one thing he was sure: "Given the circumstances, I intend to invalidate this initiation."
Otherwise, he would have to accept too many students who were not up to the task, and that would just end up with them dead. Accepting the Arc boy was one thing, as he had the potential, but the same could not be said about everyone.
That made Sasuke smile, satisfied to see the right decision being made.
Perhaps Ozpin could be a worthy ally as long as he keeps proving himself to be a good leader.
To the girls, on the other hand, the news came to them as if a bomb had been dropped without warning.
"What?!" Weiss, Ruby, and Yang screamed in unison.
But only then did they remember one important detail: they were so busy worrying about Sasuke that neither of them managed to get a relic!
Well, Black probably did, and by extension, so did Yang. But what about the others?!
"Then we did all of that for nothing?!" Yang couldn't believe this, and there were plenty of reasons for her to be mad! "Sasuke nearly died out there, you know?!"
A half-truth, but that no one could really refute, given the imprudence of the boy in question and how crazy that whole thing had been!
"Are you sure about that, Miss Xiao Long?" Ozpin had a smile as he was still replaying all of what had happened in his mind. "For a moment, I thought that I would have to intervene personally, but my concern was proved to be completely unnecessary."
If anything, Sasuke did the world a service with that one-sided massacre.
Now, Ozpin was sure of it, and this boy was by far the greatest genius that he had ever seen in his entire existence.
No matter what, he had to bring Uchiha Sasuke to his side!
"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Ruby chirped in, being really excited now that the worst was over. "Sasuke was like a ninja throwing those kunai, using wires, and even exploding stuff!"
And she hadn't even started to talk about his sword!
"Not like one, I'm a ninja," Sasuke corrected, and received only silence as everyone was looking at him in confusion. "What?"
Did he say something wrong?
Not wrong, just extremely surprising.
"So that's why you can walk without making a sound!" Weiss was the first to say something and point out one of the many anomalies that this boy had! "Or how good you are at sneaking around and jumping from trees!"
So much made sense now!
"And why are you so good in combat!" Yang should have known that just a good pair of eyes was not enough to make a monster this strong! "Damm, and with that Semblance of yours, make things so unfair!"
At least, she feels a little bit better about her defeat in his hands.
"A-a real ninja?!" Ruby had stars in her eyes as she moved fast to grab Sasuke's free hand! "Please, teach me your ninja way!"
A sudden request, but not a surprising one. Sasuke's reaction, on the other hand...
"My...ninja way?" he repeated in a monotonous tone of voice as his only visible eye narrowed dangerously. "Do you have any idea of what that means?"
Given the way Ruby's eyes widened and even let go of him said everything... including her fear of being hated by him.
Good one, Sasuke. He let out a sigh and calmed down, especially after feeling Weiss' grip over his hand. "One's ninja way represents a personal dogma, beliefs, and aspirations." Just thinking about it made him regret so much about his life. "For a long time, all I ever wanted was just revenge. So much so that I was willing to die to accomplish my goal."
Just like that, the mood had changed as the girls looked at Sasuke with their eyes open to the limit, trying to process the ramifications of what he just said.
"While that has changed into something less destructive, it's still a dangerous path." He took a step forward and rested a hand over Ruby's shoulder. "And it's one that I don't wish on anyone, especially not to you."
That kind of darkness had no place in the life of a girl as pure as this one, or the others as well.
With that being said, Sasuke just let go of Ruby's shoulder and Weiss's hand before following alone the same path as the other students.
As for the girls, they were left with more questions than answers, but one thing was certain: Sasuke was hurting, and that was all that they needed to know before deciding to ignore everything else and join him again for the rest of the way.
It was a silent walk, but there was nothing to be said as Weiss grabbed his hand again and refused to let go.
That was the only way she knew of showing support, and she was glad that he didn't reject her.
Yang and Ruby, however, chose to just walk close by like they were doing before. While Yang wanted to jump on Sasuke's back and Ruby could grab his other hand, this was not the moment for any of that.
I told you, didn't I? Ozpin was smiling as he watched the whole thing with a certain warmth in his old heart. There are things that you can't do alone.
Especially when it comes to the darkness inside, and that was something that Sasuke would find out about soon enough... whether he liked it or not.