Ozpin was pleasantly surprised by young Sasuke's actions, helping one of his peers before he even touched the forest ground.
Just as a true Hunter and protector should, especially if he wanted to become a leader and change Konoha for the better.
As for young Jaune, despite his incompetence and lack of preparation, he was in no real danger. A fall like that would have taken a toll on his Aura and left him disoriented, but it wouldn't have killed him... probably.
You never know.
Very different from the absolute death that awaited Young Jaune if his Aura hadn't been unlocked.
As a result, the Arc family would have one less member, and Ozpin would have a headache as big as an endless pile of paperwork to deal with.
Hopefully, Young Jaune would find a partner competent enough to help him overcome this ordeal. After that, he would have four years to polish his skills and become a Hunter worthy of his family name.
Just as Uchiha Sasuke was proving himself to be.
"Such a level of precision and skill," Glynda commented as she adjusted her glasses, impressed to see the Kunai being redirected in an unexpected way and in such an erratic scenario to pin Mr. Arc against a tree. "I don't know anyone who would be able to replicate that feat."
In fact, she had never seen throwing knives being used like that before.
With just this much, it seemed that Mr. Uchiha wasn't lying, and he really did surpass his peers, including Pyrrha Nikos.
This was especially true with what happened next.
As if the creative method of using a Kunai with strings to redirect himself and control his landing wasn't enough, several Grimm were there to welcome him and help demonstrate his skill.
Let's just say that as soon as Sasuke's feet touched the ground, Ozpin and Glynda forgot that other students were participating in the Initiation.
This boy was a genius!
While defeating dozens of Grimm in a matter of minutes was nothing new, the almost casual and indifferent manner in which Sasuke was moving while doing so was hard to find even in veterans twice his age!
This could only mean one thing: Uchiha Sasuke had field experience, and perhaps more than the five years he had mentioned.
Something a child his age shouldn't have, and that bothered Glynda deeply, especially since she was the only one who saw a problem with this.
"Truly superb." Ozpin was smiling in a way he hadn't done in a long time. "It seems I made the right decision."
Rejecting Sasuke could have sent him down the wrong path, especially with his involvement with a crime lord, and the whole world would have lost because of it.
In a way, a similar scenario had happened before with Qrow, so who knows, maybe Uchiha Sasuke would also join them more directly in the war against Salem.
"Still, something's wrong here." Ozpin narrowed his eyes, noticing that the intensity of this boy's battle was only increasing rather than decreasing. "The Grimms are too aggressive."
Normally, something like this only happens when they feel large amounts of negative emotions.
While Ozpin was aware of the darkness present in Young Sasuke's heart, it wasn't to such a degree.
Maybe it's because of the hood enchanted with runes? He pondered, trying to find an explanation for what was happening. I know it's not the same as magic, but Natural Energy in its purest form is similar enough to be mistaken as such.
Add that to the negativity present in Young Sasuke's heart, and you have a beacon for the Grimms.
This could be a problem, and Ozpin hadn't even considered that possibility.
In his mind, there were only the problems that this boy's good looks could cause. Whether it was attracting and distracting girls, or the resentment and envy of other boys.
Letting Sasuke keep the enchanted object and hide his face was way more convenient.
Now, Ozpin could see how foolish and unworthy that line of thinking was, especially when it came from someone who held the position of protector of this world.
"You're right," Glynda didn't like what she was seeing; concern laced in her voice. "If this continues, genius or not, he'll get tired."
Then the future of a brilliant young man would come to a premature end, and that couldn't happen.
Unfortunately, this situation would get much worse before it started to get better.
It was quick and momentary, almost imperceptible, but there was a spark of power that was more than familiar and capable of stirring Ozpin's numb heart.
Magic!? Instinctively, he looked toward the school, where Amber should be on her deathbed, but it couldn't be her, since that power had come from the Emerald Forest! Is there a Maiden among the new students?!
While the chances of this being true were slim, there were two Maidens lost in the world and an incomplete one who stole half of Amber's powers.
But who was it? Ozpin was frantically looking through the forest cameras to see the girls taking the exam, trying to find the source of this anomaly and failing. Strange, none of them are using magic, let alone facing Grimm.
With a sign of power like that, however small it may have been, these creatures would have gone even crazier than they were doing with Uchiha Sasuke and attacked everything in sight. After all, the Grimm were attracted to more than just negative emotions; there was also Aura and anything related to the Brother Gods.
The Relics were a prime example of this, and the reason why they needed to be kept in separate dimensions.
This was especially true with magic, the blessing that originated from the God of Darkness himself, and the creator of the Grimm.
"S-Sir!" Glynda didn't understand why Ozpin was acting this way, but it didn't matter in the face of the madness taking place in the forest below! "The Grimm! They're all attacking Uchiha Sasuke!"
To the point that they were ignoring the other students!
"What?" Ozpin paused for a second, trying to process more than just Glynda's words. "That... shouldn't be possible."
For it meant that Sasuke, a boy, was the source of the power he felt just now and had magic in his body.
As far as Ozpin knew, of all the men in the world, besides himself, only Qrow had magic, and so little that it was almost inconsequential.
That's why Uchiha Sasuke couldn't have magic.
Unless... this boy is the son of a Maiden? Ozpin had switched to the cameras where this boy was, focusing on his fight against a horde of Grimm. Although it had never happened before, I suppose inheriting magic from a Maiden through birth is not impossible.
In fact, he was surprised that it had never happened before.
Certainly, there were rules in place that prevented the passing of power before the death of the Maiden in question or even to a man, but nothing in this world was set in stone.
However, considering that most Maidens didn't survive long or even had the opportunity to become mothers after receiving this power, perhaps it was indeed a miracle.
A gift to the world.
"Glynda, prepare to intervene as soon as necessary," Ozpin decided, leaving any other questions for later. "We cannot let this boy die."
-----
No matter what.
Deeper in the Emerald Forest, just as with Ruby's plans for earlier this morning, the initiation wasn't going as expected.
At least, she would admit that her dissatisfaction wasn't motivated by anything bad, but rather by an unexpected anomaly and personal reasons.
When Ruby woke up, Sasuke had already disappeared without a sound, again using his ninja skills, and it didn't take long for Yang to drag her away to start the most important day of their lives.
After what happened the night before, they couldn't make the same mistake and disobey the Professors' instructions, especially when they seemed to be keeping an eye on them.
Very different from Sasuke, who clearly didn't care about the possibility of being expelled.
At the same time, his absence could also mean that he was talking to the Headmaster again.
After all, it wasn't every day that a new settlement was discovered, and that demanded the attention of the authorities, and Ozpin was on top of the world.
So, after a super awkward breakfast with Yang's insinuations about Sasuke's "anatomy," which almost made Weiss spit out her tea, Ruby was dragged away by her sister a second time and taken straight to the showers.
According to Yang, they needed to look pretty for the initiation.
Ruby highly doubted that.
Like, who needed to look pretty to kill Grimm? Hunters had to be cool!
Just like heroes!
However, Ruby assumed this was just Yang being Yang, but only until Weiss flashed a mean princess smile and made a comment that changed everything.
"I'm sure this has nothing to do with Sasuke~."
Ruby had never seen her sister blush like that and get so defensive!
That reaction alone spoke louder than words ever could!
Just like that, it seemed that Yang had lied, and her interest in Sasuke was much greater than she would ever admit.
Suddenly, the way her sister had been acting around him, hugging him and teasing him, made sense.
Yang liked Sasuke.
This bothered Ruby for so many reasons, especially now that the relationship between those two no longer seemed like that of best friends, but rather that of boyfriend and girlfriend.
Considering the way those two interacted, it even seemed like they had known each other for years!
If she had no reason to feel jealous before, now Ruby had every reason in the world.
No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, and regardless of them being sisters, the difference between them couldn't be greater.
This was true in much more than just their personalities.
Even if Sasuke had feelings for Ruby, Yang was much prettier, more mature as a woman, and bolder in her advances.
In that case, it was only a matter of time before they started dating for real!
Ruby didn't want that, to lose to Yang, especially after finally finding a cool guy who liked her.
With that in mind, she needed to show Sasuke her cool side, and the initiation was the best place to do it!
However, Ruby had to be careful not to seem desperate or too clingy, like Vomit Boy was doing.
His persistent attitude was so bad that Weiss literally ran away after taking her shower and getting dressed for the initiation.
As Yang said, some people didn't know how to read the room or when to stop.
Love was so complicated.
So it would be better if Ruby could become Sasuke's partner, making her time with him much more natural.
Unfortunately, Ruby was unable to become his partner, as she had initially wanted.
Fortunately, she managed to find Weiss!
Of all people, this beautiful princess and best friend-to-be was the third option on her list... Well, second now, after finding out that Yang had lied to her.
Now, Ruby could only cross her fingers and pray that Sasuke hadn't teamed up with her sister and was part of the other duo that would complement her team.
That would be like a dream!
Almost like this initiation, being so easy that it was boring.
For some reason, all the Grimms Ruby had encountered so far had openly ignored her as they ran in the same direction with a certain degree of madness in their red eyes.
Apparently, this didn't happen just to her.
"This doesn't make sense!" Weiss had to say, feeling like she would go crazy otherwise. "The Grimm shouldn't act like this!"
Ignoring humans with Aura, especially when they were clearly outnumbered!
Normally, Grimm wouldn't miss an opportunity like this!
"I know, right? And I wanted so badly to use Crescent Rose!" Ruby hugged her scythe; the poor thing didn't even get a chance to shine! "Sasuke hasn't seen you yet, but I haven't seen his weapon either. Speaking of which, what weapon does he use?"
Whatever it was, it must be something as cool as he was!
"Ruby, I know you're in love, but can you focus?" Weiss was having a hard time trying to understand this situation, and her partner was more concerned with fantasizing about a boy. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the natural order of the world is contradicting itself!"
This had to be more important!
"In-in love?!" Ruby blushed immediately, almost fainting from embarrassment right there! "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
The way Weiss was looking at her spoke for itself.
It seemed that the cat was out of the bag.
"Is-is it that obvious?" Ruby was playing with her fingers as she shyly shifted from side to side. "Do you think he knows?"
After all, after what Yang had said, she had also been trying to look pretty and combed her hair to be complimented by Sasuke.
Heheh, that was such a girly thing to do!
In fact, this was the first time Ruby had cared so much about her appearance.
Now, she was just like the other girls!
Still, imagine her disappointment when Sasuke didn't say anything.
Well, there wasn't time to do more than say good morning, but her heart felt illogical.
"It would be ironic if he didn't know, especially considering how good his eye is." Weiss had a small smile, amused by the extent of this younger girl's naivety. I'm sure I wasn't like that at her age or even when I was much younger.
It could only mean that Ruby grew up being overprotected... in a home full of love.
Once again, Weiss found herself envying this younger girl.
Not only was Ruby living every teenage girl's dream of being in love with someone amazing, but she also had a loving family to protect her innocent heart.
Even so, Weiss was glad to have this little genius as her partner.
Besides Pyrrha and Sasuke, Ruby was her third choice. Maybe second, since Pyrrha turned out to be different from what Weiss expected.
That, and to be honest, as long as her partner wasn't that stupid blond guy, she'd be satisfied.
Hopefully, the other duo that would complete her team would have Sasuke and someone equally dedicated.
"S-so... he knows?" Ruby was boiling now, her heart pounding like crazy. "W-what do I do?!"
She was almost freaking out!
Weiss, on the other hand, was beginning to believe that all this love was the reason the Grimm were running away from them.
"Speaking of which," she cleared her throat to get Ruby's attention and calm her down a little. "How does it feel?" Now it was her turn to be shy as she expressed her curiosity. "You know, being in love?
It sounded like a hypocritical question on her part, since she had just said they needed to focus on the anomaly with the Grimms, but this subject was getting the better of her.
After all, it wasn't often that Weiss could talk about this kind of thing like a normal girl.
As for Ruby, it took her a second to process her partner's question, and when she did, her eyes lit up in a way that was second only to her happy smile.
Girl talk!
The door that could turn them into best friends!
"It's amazing!" Ruby jumped up and down as she held Weiss's hands, excited to the point of being contagious. "Suddenly, you feel like everything has changed and the whole world has become a more beautiful place!" She calmed down a little, her shyness returning to make her face glow red once again. "Then... your heart starts beating faster, your mind feels lighter, and your body feels warmer just from being near him or hearing his voice..."
The more Ruby talked, the more she wanted to put on her hood and hide.
This was so embarrassing!
At the same time, being able to talk about this kind of thing with a friend was so cool!
Weiss could only listen in silence, her blue eyes wide in fascination as her heart beat faster and her face grew warm.
Just as expected, love was something truly magical and unique.
Something Weiss had almost experienced in its entirety earlier in the library while she was talking to Sasuke.
Ba-dum.
Just remembering that moment made a warm feeling rise through her body, and the implications behind it were tremendous.
No, I can't fall for him so easily! Weiss let go of Ruby's hands and shook her head to regain her senses. I know very little about Sasuke, and almost nothing about what he looks like!
While yes, developing feelings like that would be something pure and devoid of ulterior motives such as lust or greed, it was too dangerous.
Images of her mother broken by a bad relationship were there to help harden her heart and push these feelings away.
"I'm happy for you, Ruby." Weiss forced a small smile and quickly moved away from her partner. "I hope everything works out for you."
With that, and without waiting for a response, she continued walking toward the altar on the north side of the forest to complete the initiation.
Ruby reached out her hand, but stopped as she sensed that she shouldn't say anything.
For some reason, Weiss seemed sad.
The strange thing about it was how happy she was just a moment ago, almost as if...
...she was in love, Ruby concluded, and her eyes widened as she put the pieces together based on what she had seen last night. Weiss loves Sasuke, too?!
It wasn't just Yang!
Well, that certainly complicated things on a whole different level.
After all, Ruby wanted to be Weiss's best friend, not her rival in love.
Having Yang in the fight for Sasuke's heart was problematic enough.
On top of that, there was also the side of love that Ruby hadn't considered until now.
No matter who ended up dating Sasuke, the others would be hurt, and she didn't like that.
I hope there's a solution to this. Ruby sighed and decided to follow Weiss's example. For now, let's focus on the initiation.
There would be time to think about everything else later.