Hollowed Martyr - Naruto X RWBY

Frozen Fire

The sun was shining the next day, the blue sky devoid of clouds as golden rays beamed down on Remnant. People cheered as they entered a massive floating stadium, in high spirits for the second phase of the Vytal Festival.

Madara was once again sitting in the stands of the Amity Colosseum. It seemed that his advice had really done Weiss good, and now she stood beside Ruby with a confident and proud grin. The two of them were on one side of the ring, facing off against the other team who Madara didn't recognize. One of them was a girl who had orangish-pink hair with light blue streaks in her bangs. The rest of it was styled in large pony tails, framing a light complexion and sea green eyes. She had a pink cat's tail as well as a multi-colored outfit that showed a lot of skin.

The other was a dark skinned boy with a black fedora and sunglasses, as well as sporting an elaborate suit with blue highlights. He wore a serious expression, brown eyes analyzing Ruby and Weiss from behind his sunglasses.

From above, Madara watched with intrigued eyes. He had actually been having quite a bit of fun at the tournament so far, even if he didn't get to do much. Watching his student and her friends get to show off what they'd learned was quite entertaining to him. He looked around, watching Adam and Amber who were on his either side, the former watching the battle field intently and the latter chowing down on a chocolate ice cream cone. He sighed, looking at the Fall Maiden in exasperation.

"Amber, you've had five of those today."

"Six."

"What?"

"I ate one in the bathroom."

"Where were you keeping- you know what, I'm not even going to ask. But pay attention, Ruby wants you to watch her and her partner." Amber rolled her eyes at her boss's monotone voice, but nevertheless focused on the battlefield. As probably the Akatsuki member closest to Ruby (besides Madara), she wanted to see how the girl had grown. She was almost like a little sister to her now. And although she hadn't talked to Weiss too much, she seemed like a responsible young lady who Amber trusted to keep Ruby safe.

'I believe... that I have figured out something while living here. The value of partnership and camaraderie... it is immeasurable. I can see it now, if I and Hashirama had truly been able to work together... we could have ended the cycle of hatred.' Madara looked down on the two girls as Professor Oobleck went through the pre-battle announcements. Ruby and Weiss were side by side, ready to fight not just as individuals, but as a unit. They understood each other, he could sense it with his Sage Mode.

'It's like they've shown each other their guts, but unlike the shinobi of the elemental nations... they have taken it in stride.' The Uchiha's face was expressionless as he sat deep in thought, unflinching from the loud noise all around him. Partly because of his thoughts, but also because of something else.

'But still, I sense something... something big. It's as if a shadow has been cast over me, and is closing in at faster and faster speeds with each passing second. After the festival, I'll need to start training even harder... I have no idea what could threaten me in this world, but I will not be taken by surprise again.'

Little did he know, the threat he felt coming was not of this world.

But shaking off his sense of foreboding danger, Madara settled in to watch the battle, eagerly awaiting the match so he could once more see with his own eyes just how much his student has grown.

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On the ground, Ruby stood side by side with Weiss, beads of sweat dripping down her face as she took another deep breath. To be honest, she was terrified. They had made it through the first round easily enough, but she had a feeling that this would be even harder.