And we're here! Welcome to Embers of a Shinobi, Chapter 1!
This is my second story! I never really thought I would do something besides Twilight Key.
I was reading some Naruto/RWBY crossovers recently and I was hit with the idea to start this. I dunno if what I have planned is the most original thing ever, but I'm still doing it.
Fair warning to you, Twilight Key will probably be my priority over this. I will do my best to keep them both up, but that story comes first…Unless I change my mind. Then this one will take priority.
Naruto is probably a bit OOC in this.
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto or RWBY. I'm just a broke college student...
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Biju/Diety Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Diety Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
"This battle…It's finally ending…"
"…"
In a location known as the Valley of the End, two figures stood across from one another as they prepared to finish the battle they have been waging. Both of the figures were on their last legs, and they knew it. While the two of them normally looked like a pair of normal thirteen year olds, their appearances were distorted due to the powers they were using.
The first figure was a blond boy with crimson eyes with slits for pupils. On either of his cheeks were three thick whisker marks. He had on an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulder areas and around the waist. It had a white swirl with a tassel on the left side and a red Uzumaki swirl on the back, with the collar being white while the pants were a matching orange. He also wore blue shinobi sandals. He had on a forehead protector with the symbol of a leaf on it. His entire body was shrouded in an orange cloak of some kind. It was shaped to look similar to some kind of fox.
Across the valley was another boy. His appearance was distorted to a much greater degree. His skin had changed color to greyish-brown and his hair had grown longer and shaggier. Across the bridge of his nose was some kind of four pointed star and his eyes were red with three tomoes in either eye. He had on a blue top with a high collar and white shorts. Coming out of his back were two giant wings that resembled hands. He wore the same forehead protector as the blond boy.
"Why? Why would you do this? How could you just throw everything we've been through away so you could go join that freak?!" The blond boy shouted.
The other boy shook his head. "You would never understand. I need power! And this is my ticket to get it! Stand in my way and I will kill you, Naruto!"
Naruto looked pained to hear that. "You are making a mistake, Sasuke! Power isn't worth betraying all of your bonds!" He took a deep breath before glaring. "I'll just drag your ass back home!"
Sasuke's glare turned even colder. "I won't deny that I enjoyed some of the moments we had as a team. But those bonds make me weak!" He crouched in preparation. "Killing you will provide me with the strength I need!"
The two of them glared at one another, knowing that the next move would end the battle. At the same time, they started to prepare their last attacks. The blond boy raised his one good arm and created an orb of blue spiraling energy.
The other boy flashed through some hand seals before gripping his wrist with his free hand as the other generated black lightning.
They glared at each other again, waiting for the right moment to strike. Then as one, they both leapt towards one another!
"Chidori!" "Rasengan!"
Boom!
Their attacks met head on, creating an explosion of energy with the two of them at the center, struggling to overpower each other. All of that rampaging power formed a purple condensed sphere around them.
Seeing an opportunity, the avian boy broke his attack off from the struggle and redirected it towards the chest of the blond boy. Squelch!
As his attack dissipated, Naruto could only look on with shocked eyes as the boy he saw as a brother attempted to kill him again. Grunting in pain as the blood started to pool in his throat, he made a last ditch swipe, but only managed to scratch the forehead protector of his enemy.
'I…I can't believe it…He went in for the kill…again…' Feeling his consciousness fading, Naruto weakly glared at the black haired boy.
He only got a crazed grin in return.
BOOM! His world turned black.
Naruto groaned as his consciousness slowly returned. "...Ugh, what the hell happened?" The first thing that came to his attention was that he was laying on his back.
The second was the pain.
"Son of a..." Naruto grit his teeth and tried to ride out the pain. He could do nothing but remain there for several moments as he waited for it to subside. Eventually, the pain started to clear and he was able to think clearly. "That freaking hurt..."
Groaning again, Naruto became aware of the feeling of dirt and leaves under his body. This realization made him frown. 'Did I fall asleep while training again?' He cracked a blue eye open and was greeted with red. Naruto frowned in confusion. 'Red leaves? It isn't the right season...' He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position.
"Where am I...?" He made to get up, but stopped when another wave of pain hit him. "Gah..." He grasped the area that was in pain, his chest. "Why the hell am I in so much pain?" He closed his eyes and thought back.
Getting woken up by Shikamaru.
Being informed that Sasuke left the village.
Sakura asking for him to bring the asshole back.
Having to leave his teammates behind one by one to fight.
Catching up to the bone guy.
Sasuke running away.
Fighting in the valley.
One last attack. They jumped at each other.
Naruto gasped as a sense of betrayal hit him. 'That jackass betrayed us! He spat on all of our bonds for power! And...He tried to kill me!' The hurt from the betrayal gave way for rage. 'The bastard didn't even hesitate! He was grinning while he did it!' A low growl escaped his throat.
'I ask and beg for him to stop, but he rams TWO fucking fists full of lightning through my chest!' The anger in him just kept growing. 'He was willing to kill me! What the hell does Sakura-chan see in him? And why the hell am I going so far to 'save' the ass?' That question made him pause. Why was he willing to do so much to bring Sasuke back?
Naruto frowned as he thought about it. 'He doesn't give a shit, so why should I? Why should I care about a traitor?' This train of thought turned to his other teammate. 'And Sakura must be as delusional as I was. I thought she was the smart one?' Naruto let out a derisive snort before looking around again. "Now, I should probably get back to the village..." He gingerly got to his feet.
Once he was standing, Naruto looked around with a frown. "But where the heck is the village?" Taking a closer look at the forest he was in, Naruto realized that there weren't any trees like this anywhere near Konoha. Irritation flashed through Naruto. He just wanted to go home and forget about the entire crappy mission.
Spotting a tall tree nearby, Naruto ran towards it before jumping up and into its branches. Using his chakra to aid him, he was easily able to run up the trunk of the tree. He soon broke through the layer of red leaves and got his first look at the night sky. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.
"Why the hell is the moon broken?!"
High up above him was the moon, but it was partially shattered. Naruto gaped at it for a minute, his mind attempting to process that what he was looking at was real. 'I don't think I'm dreaming…' Shaking his head and deciding to worry about it later, Naruto started to look around in an attempt to spot some familiar landmark. A scowl was slowly making its way onto his face as he realized he had no idea where he was. 'Damn it all…' Turning his head in the other direction, he paused when he saw something in the distance. It was a city, but a weird looking one.
It was huge!
Just from where he was Naruto was able to tell that the city was at least as big as Konoha. And some of the buildings in it were way taller than what he was used to. 'I guess that's as good a place as any to get some directions…'
Later
Naruto was able to reach the city quickly by hopping through the trees. Taking up a leisure pace as he took in his surroundings, Naruto marveled at how advanced this place was. Just with a single glance, he saw all kinds of devices that seemed like was even beyond the Land of Spring. Heck, these people were speeding around in giant metal boxes!
"Hey, look at that kid…Doesn't it look like he crawled right out of the gutter?" A frown appeared on his face as he heard that whisper.
"Well, what do you expect from an animal?" It took all of his self-control not to turn around and lash out at the speakers right then and there. Looking around discreetly, the frown on his face deepened when he saw that multiple people were sending him disgusted looks. Not everyone was, but definitely enough for him to notice.
'These people don't even know me and they treat me as less than human…' It was just like some of the people from Konoha…Too scared of the Kyūbi to see him for who he was.
Shaking his head, Naruto sped up a bit to turn a corner and put some distance between him and the whispering people. "Oof!" He was in such a hurry that he didn't notice the woman rounding the corner. Naruto stumbled back, but was able to stay on his feet. He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry…about…that…" He trailed off when he got a good look at the woman.
The woman blinked in surprise before sending at small smile at him, not noticing his reaction to her appearance. "Oh, it's not a problem. But do be more careful in the future." Naruto barely heard this as his eyes were glued to the top of her head.
'Are those dog ears?' Realizing that she had spoken, he shook his head. "Right, I'll be sure to do that…"
It was at that point that the woman got a good look at him. A small frown made its way onto her face. "I can't believe it. No mercy, even to children…" She muttered.
Naruto tilted his head. "I'm sorry?" What did she mean by that?
She shook her head. "It's nothing…" She smiled at him. "Where are your parents, honey? They must be worried about you if you're out this late at night…" The look of sadness that flashed across his face wasn't covered quickly enough. The woman sighed sadly. "I see…" She reached into her purse and pulled out a few coins. "Here, you may not want to take this, but I insist. You look like you can use a good bite to eat…"
Naruto frowned at the strange currency. He did not do charity. He opened his mouth to deny the offered money, but was interrupted by the loud growl his stomach emitted. Blushing up a storm, even as the woman smiled sadly again, Naruto shook his head. "Keep your money, I'm fine. I still have my own." He pulled out a ryō coin to prove his point. The woman quirked an eyebrow at it.
"I don't recognize that currency…But either way, I don't think you will be able to find a place that will accept it…"
"Oh…" Naruto slowly lowered his hand.
A slow smirk made its way onto the woman's face. "How about this, I'll trade you. My husband happens to collect coins. I'll give you this money if you give me some of yours. Sound fair?" Naruto frowned in thought.
"Sure…" If what she said was right, then all of his money was no good here…Wherever here was. It would be better to have at least some money compared to nothing. This was still closer to a handout than he would have liked, but at least he was paying her as well.
The woman brightened. "Great!" They swapped the money and she smiled at him again. "Now be careful on your way home." She waved at him before she continued on her way.
Naruto pocketed the money and glanced around. 'Now, where can I get something to eat?' After a few minutes of wandering around, he spotted a local sub shop. With a mental shrug, he walked over to it.
A bell rang out when Naruto walked through the door. The man behind the counter didn't turn back from what he was doing. "Welcome! What can I get for you?" He asked.
Looking over the menu, Naruto realized that he wasn't sure how much the money he had on him was worth. He spoke up with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but I'm not used to the local currency. How much can I get for this?" He held out his hand with the money the woman gave him.
The man hummed thoughtfully before he turned around. He paused when he saw Naruto. He quickly combed over Naruto's outfit and the state it was in before landing on the whisker birthmarks. His friendly demeanor disappeared instantly. "What do you think you are doing?"
Naruto blinked in surprise. "What? I'm-"
"Get out! How do you expect people to eat in peace with you here?!"
"What was that?"
"I said get out! We don't serve animals here!"
Shaking in rage, Naruto glared at the man. Looking around, Naruto saw that the people sitting at tables were giving him disdainful and wary looks. Turing his head back to the man behind the counter, Naruto spoke up. "I didn't want to eat the crap here anyways-ttebayo!" He promptly stormed out and away.
Losing himself into a haze of anger, Naruto didn't pay any attention to where he was walking. 'It's all the same! The looks. The whispers. The treatment! I hate it!' Naruto was eventually able to reel in his anger and look around. "Now where am I?" He sighed. This entire situation sucked.
Suddenly, a certain aroma reached Naruto's nose. He instantly perked up and tried to better identify it. 'This smell…I know this smell…' A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. He spun around and raced towards the source of the scent, a small stand. The name on the stand was A Simple Wok. The grin on Naruto's face grew as he saw what was behind the counter. "Ramen…"
The man who was eating a bowl of ramen behind the counter blinked at the weird kid that just ran into the stand. "You want some kid?" He had short brown hair that was combed back, dark eyes, and had some stubble on his chin. His outfit consisted of black pants and a white shirt worn under an apron.
Naruto nodded eagerly, happy to see he wasn't about to get kicked out. Sitting down, Naruto pulled out some of the money the woman gave him and held it out. "Please get me as much miso ramen as this can buy me!"
Smirking at the order, the man took the money. "You sure you can eat all that? This is good for at least a few bowls…"
"It's no problem-ttebayo!"
"Hahaha! Alright, kid. Just give me a second to grab the fire dust…" He turned away as Naruto blinked in confusion.
'Dust? How can dust do anything?'
The man seemed to notice the confused look on Naruto's face because he smirked before answering the unasked question. "I know, I know. It's weird to use fire dust for this, right? Well, I like to think that it add a bit of an extra oomph to the ramen!" He reached below the counter and pulled out a small container of some red powder before opening it. "Just watch."
Naruto watched with wide eyes as the man seemed to glow with some strange energy. 'I'm pretty sure that's not chakra…' The man directed the energy towards the container, and the powder started to glow. Naruto barely repressed a flinch as a small vortex of fire shot out of the container.
"Don't try this at home, kid!" The man waved his glowing hand at the pot of ramen, and the fire followed its direction. The heat of the flames instantly cooked the ramen to perfection.
Naruto couldn't help the drool that dripped from the corner of his mouth. "That's awesome!"
"I know, right?" The man smirked as he slid a bowl of steaming ramen at Naruto. "I don't get why the actual owner of this stand doesn't do this…Well, I guess he might be a bit too old for it…"
Not wasting another second, Naruto grabbed the bowl and dug in. "This is really good! Ichiraku is still better of course, but this is still good!"
"Oh? That sounds like a challenge!" The man nodded. "Just you wait, before you walk out of here, you'll have no choice but to admit this is the best ramen you ever had!" This declaration brought a grin to Naruto's face.
While eating his current bowl, Naruto thought over his current situation. He was in an unknown city, in an unknown region, and was unable to even use his normal form of currency. He didn't even know any place that didn't use ryō! "Hey, old man…"
"Who the hell you calling old?! The name's Jack, kid."
"Whatever…" Jack grumbled a bit. "What city is this?"
Jack paused what he was doing and turned his head around with a raised eyebrow. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the look, but didn't elaborate on why he didn't know where he was. "This is the city of Vale…"
Naruto nodded while taking another slurp of his ramen. "Right, right…And which country is that in?" Was this still the Land of Fire?
Jack slowly turned around completely and crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean which kingdom?"
"Yeah, that. Country is just what I'm used to calling it."
"This is the kingdom of Vale. You're in the capital…"
Naruto blinked. 'What? Where the hell am I?' A frown appeared on the blond's face. He really didn't want to do this, but it was the only way he was going to get any answers without asking people questions that were going to make them suspicious. "Cool, thanks…Can you tell me where the nearest library is?"
Jack frowned. "It's not that far, only a couple blocks. I'll tell you the way, but it is probably closed now. You'll have to stop by tomorrow." Naruto nodded with a wide grin.
"That would be great, thanks!" His grin grew. "Now keep the ramen coming-ttebayo! Or are you admitting that Ichiraku is better?"
"Like hell I am! Keep your ass in your seat, brat! One awesome bowl of ramen coming up!"
One Week Later
Naruto felt his frustration growing as the week went by. Just like Jack had said, the library was nearby, so finding it was not a problem.
The first hitch came when the librarian by the door took one look at his appearance and grimaced. Luckily, the old bat seemed to be able to at least act professionally, so Naruto wasn't kicked out. The second hitch came soon after Naruto started to look through the maps and atlases that were there.
He wasn't in the Elemental Nations anymore.
Understandably, a small sense of panic began to rise within him, but Naruto managed to stay calm and continue looking for any clues as to where he was. After a day of research, Naruto had attempted to summon a toad...Only to get nothing out of it but a puff of smoke. That was the final straw in making him admit to the small thought that has been in the back of his head since he saw the shattered moon.
He was in an entirely different world.
This revelation opened the gate for a mad dash to try and gather information about where he was. There had to be something that would help him get back. While he came across many things that caught his attention such as dust, aura, huntsmen, and the Grimm, Naruto was unable to find anything mentioning another world.
The only good thing that happened that week was the accidental discovery that he gained the memories of his clones when they dispelled. He only found that out when a clone that was carrying a bunch of books for him tripped and popped. He spent all of ten minutes hating himself for not noticing sooner before creating a small group that were quickly ordered to help in the search and go back to look up the information about the new world he found himself in.
From opening until closing, Naruto spent all of his free time in a secluded corner of the library. He wanted to keep out of view because he was growing increasingly annoyed with all the looks that his appearance got him. It wasn't like he wanted to walk around in a tattered tracksuit!
Not having anywhere to go, Naruto slept in a tree in a nearby park. He had done so many times in the past, so he didn't have a problem with it. Getting food on the other hand was something that had him worried for a bit. He had quickly spent all of the local currency he had, so he had nothing to buy food with.
Luckily, Jack seemed to be someone who was able to get a good read on people. He had noticed instantly the next time he saw Naruto that the blond looked a little hungry, but knew that any handouts would likely be rejected. So he came up with a compromise.
Naruto would work for his food. Jack assigned him miscellaneous jobs and would pay Naruto with food. These jobs ranged from taking out the trash to distributing flyers advertising the stand. Naruto was thankful for the chance to earn his meals, and even more grateful that Jack withheld from asking questions.
Currently, Naruto was walking down the street on his way to A Simple Wok after getting shooed out of the library when it closed. His mind was on his situation. 'I've looked through all those books and I still haven't found anything that could help me get home...' He didn't want to give up, but it was hard to ignore his slowly discouraging thoughts.
His eyes lazily took in his surrounds as he walked down the street. It always slightly interested him to see all of the different stores and the odd items they sold. He had even gone into a few shops when something peaked his curiosity. The presence of the blond got mixed reactions by the employees. Some stores treated him normally, but with others he was given more of those wary looks or even kicked out.
"Ow!" He stumbled back when he someone walked into him.
"You should really be more careful, kid. The late night streets are no place for a child. There are all kinds of dangerous people lurking about..." Naruto glared at the speaker.
He was greeted with the sight of a man with green eyes and orange hair. One of his eyes was covered by his long bangs. His outfit was made up of a white suit that was lined with red, a small grey scarf, and a black bowler hat with a ring of red around it. He also had on black gloves, pants, and shoes. In his hand was a dark cane.
Behind him were several men dressed in black suits with matching hats, shoes, and red ties. Each of them looked extremely similar to one another, the only variation being that some of them wore red sunglasses or had facial hair.
The man shook his head when he noticed the glare. "Kids these days, no respect for their elders…" He stepped around Naruto and continued on his way towards a dust shop across the street. "Keep moving, boys. I don't have all night…" The men soon followed after the man with orange hair.
'I don't like him. Even with his awesome hair color, he seems to be a bit of an ass…' Naruto frowned when he scrutinized the man in the white suit. 'I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before…'
The group of men walked up to the dust shop and entered. Through the window of the store, Naruto was able to see the men walk up to the counter. His eyes widened when the men in black suddenly drew swords and pointed them at the woman behind the counter. 'They're robbing the store!' Naruto scowled and dashed over to the store before running in as the woman started to load the dust crystals into a box. "Hey! What do you think you are doing?!" He yelled.
The orange haired man turned with a raised eyebrow. "Um…I think I'm robbing the store?" Growling, Naruto pulled out a kunai and slid into a battle stance. The eyebrow climbed higher as some of the men in black turned their weapons to Naruto. "What, you want to try and be some hero, kid? That's pretty dumb of you…"
"It's dumber to think that you are gonna get out of this without having your ass kicked-ttebayo!"
"I don't know why you care so much…" The man shook his head with a sigh before pulling out a cigar and putting it in his mouth. "It isn't any of your business…" He lit the cigar. "I'm just reacquiring the dust so it can be put to…better use…"
"You're stealing!"
A shrug. "Maybe so, but that hasn't stopped me before." He tilted his head. "But again, why do you care? I'm not stealing from you. Besides, I hear that this lady has a bit of a mean streak. Just think of this as payback for all the crap she puts the people she meets through…"
Naruto blinked and glanced over to the woman being held at sword point. His eyes widened when he recognized her. 'She's one of the people who threw me out of the store the moment I walked in!'
The man in white noticed the scowl that formed on Naruto's face. "You see? I can guess just by looking at your face that you know what I'm talking about. Doesn't seeing this happen make you feel good? At least a bit? It's like karma, in a way…"
Naruto hesitated before opening his mouth. But a shout cut him off before he could speak. "You will pay for this, you bastard! The world would be better off without people like you or those horrible animals! I'm already having trouble getting a steady supply of dust with all the White Fang raids, but now you come and steal what I do have?" The woman snarled. Her eyes turned to Naruto. "Your kind has always been nothing but trash that made hardworking people like me suffer!" A sharp shove from the man behind her silenced her and the red crystal in her hand fell to the floor.
"You see what I mean? Don't waste your sympathy on this." The orange haired man bent over to pick up the crystal at his feet. "Don't mind if I do…" He pocketed it. Looking around, he saw that all of his henchmen were finished raiding the store of the dust and tying up the woman. He tipped his hat to Naruto. "Well kid, it was nice meeting you. Think about what I said, okay?" He and the men quickly left.
Naruto just watched them go with chaotic thoughts. Part of him was screaming to go after them and turn them into the police, but another part was just as loud in voicing that it really wasn't his problem. That, and he wanted the woman to suffer…
It scared him when he realized he actually thought that.
Shaking his head, Naruto dashed out of the shop and continued on his way to A Simple Wok.
Park on the Edge of the City (A Few Days Later)
It has been a few days since Naruto witnessed the dust shop robbery, and his mind kept on returning to the things that the man in the white suit said. 'That guy…he had a point…why did I care? It had nothing to do with me…'
Naruto was currently relaxing in the branch of a tree in a park. This was one of the more secluded parks due to being on the edge of the city, so he often preferred coming here. He could see the edge of the forest he had learned was called Forever Fall off in the distance.
'That lady hasn't done anything for me, so why did I think of helping her? She was just like those damn villagers who hated me for the Kyūbi! She must have thought I was a Faunus or something…' Naruto had come across details of the Faunus and the hate towards them while in the library. He instantly likened their animal traits to his whisker marks, but he knew that he was still human. 'I hate the racism here. I haven't done anything to these people and yet some of them still treat me like trash…'
"Hey, wait up!" A childish shout drew his eyes to a small girl that was running around in the park. She was laughing as she chased after an equally small boy.
"Nuh uh! You have to catch me!" The boy shouted.
The sight of the two children made Naruto smile a bit. After a moment, he noticed the children both had rabbit ears on the top of their heads. Naruto was content to just watch the children play for the next few minutes, but his thoughts slowly returned to his situation.
'This all happened because the teme decided to betray everyone. I was so stupid to actually see him as a brother…Now I'm stuck in an entirely different world with nothing but the clothes on my back and the stuff I have on me…' A scowl was forming on his face again.
"ROAR!" A loud roar from the forest made Naruto bolt to his feet and spin around to face the forest. Scanning the tree line, Naruto spotted five identical creatures stalking out of it.
They were large, black, bipedal creatures that had a slouch to their postures and red eyes. On their faces were bone-like masks with red markings. They also had something that resembled bones shaped into spikes on their arms, backs, and knees. Even from where he was, Naruto could spot the sharp claws.
No doubt about it. These were Grimm.
Naruto noticed right away that they seemed to be focused on his location as they slowly crept towards him.
"KYA!" The fearful scream of the little girl made them pause. They looked between Naruto and the two cowering kids before coming to a decision. The group of Grimm spun around and charged at the two kids, who stumbled back and onto the floor out of fear.
"No!" Like hell he was about to sit and watch those kids die! Crouching low for a moment, Naruto rocketed out of the tree and over the Grimm. He landed between the pack and the two children. He turned his head slightly to address them while keeping his eyes on the Grimm. "Go! Get out of here!" Deciding to listen to the stranger, the kids scrambled to their feet and fled the park. Seeing that they were gone, Naruto turned back to the Grimm. "You want them? You're gonna have to get by me first!" He slid into a battle stance.
The lead Grimm growled at him before it pounced, but Naruto easily moved out of the way. He blinked as he got his first close look of the Grimm. "Whoa, you are one ugly dog…Grimm…thing…"
"Grah!" Naruto rolled to the side to avoid the lunging Grimm before jumping up and over the one that tried to slash at him from behind.
"You won't be able to hit me that easily…" Once he landed, Naruto formed the hand seal he was the most familiar with. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four clones popped into existence around him. None of the clones needed any instructions before they each launched themselves at a Grimm. Naruto himself dashed at the nearest Grimm as well.
He ducked under the slash it made and sent a strong punch to the Grimm's chest. "Grah!" The punch was strong enough to send it back several feet.
"You aren't so tough…" Not giving the Grimm a chance to recover, Naruto pulled out a kunai and dashed at it. In one swift motion, the kunai was stabbed into the center of the Grimm's head. Naruto tugged the kunai out and jumped back as the Grimm began to dissolve. Looking around, Naruto saw that his clones were also easily able to kill the Grimm.
Naruto nodded to himself as his clones dispelled. "Well, that worked out well…" Naruto turned when he heard sirens approaching. There were several police cars speeding towards the park. They screeched to a stop when they reached it.
An officer quickly got out of his car and looked around. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the disappearing Grimm, and then he looked to Naruto and stopped on the kunai in his hand. "Hey, kid!" He called.
Naruto frowned. While he was sure he didn't do anything wrong, this could lead to the discovery that he had no records. And that would be a problem. Deciding on his next course of action, Naruto turned and ran full speed out of the area.
"Wait!" The officer cursed. 'Damn! That kid is fast. He must have a speed semblance!'
"Well, that was…interesting…"
"He has two semblances?"
"I didn't know that could happen…What do you think?"
"I think…That we might get a new friend soon…It shouldn't be hard to find him…"
City Streets (A Few Days Later)
'Kami damn it! I can't find anything useful in those books!' Naruto had a scowl on his face as he walked towards A Simple Wok. He really did not want to admit it, but he might be stuck. He was unable to find any leads in the library after two weeks of searching. 'At this rate, I will have to leave the city and start looking for leads somewhere else…'
"Excuse me, do you have a minute?" Naruto blinked and turned towards the speaker.
It was a young woman with ashen-black hair and bright amber eyes. She had on a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, V-neck dress with yellow designs that ended with an upside-down triangle tail on the back, just above the knees. Around her neck was a black choker and she wore gold loop earrings with a black gem dangling from each along with a jeweled anklet on her right leg. Her choice of shoes were dark, glass high-heals.
Naruto turned and frowned slightly with his arms crossed. "Yeah?"
The woman smiled. "I was hoping I could get a chance to speak with you for a bit."
Something about that smile set Naruto on edge a bit, but it also gave a safe feeling. He slowly nodded. "That's…fine."
"Excellent. As thanks for speaking to me, I will treat you to dinner. There's this wonderful restaurant down the street…" Seeing the frown on his face deepen, she continued speaking. "Don't worry about the money, I was really hoping to talk to you."
"And why would you want to speak with me?"
She smiled again. "Why don't we talk about that while we eat?"
"…Lead the way…"
In the Restaurant
Naruto had restrained himself from ordering anything too expensive and stuck to a relatively cheap item on the menu while the woman just ordered some wine. "So…what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked.
She didn't respond right away. "Well…I find myself curious about you…"
"Is that right?"
She nodded, her amber eyes never moving from his cerulean. "You have some…interesting abilities…"
Naruto stiffened before quickly relaxing again. "I'm not sure I catch your meaning…"
"I happened to be in the area when those Beowolves appeared a few days ago…"
"And…?"
"I am curious as to how someone so young is so powerful. That, and how you appear to have more than one semblance…"
Naruto frowned again. "Sorry, but I'm not going to be spilling my past or my abilities to a stranger."
Instead of reacting in a negative manner like he expected, the woman actually seemed pleased with his response. "That's a good idea. It is never wise to reveal all your cards too early…"
Naruto was getting seriously confused by this woman. 'Didn't she want me to answer her questions?'
"There's something else that I wanted to ask you…why didn't you step in to stop the dust store robbery that you witnessed? Given what I saw, it would have been simple of you to do so…"
He wasn't expecting that. "…You…know about that?"
She nodded. "Yes, I heard about it recently." Her eyes seemed to be able to pierce right through him. "So, why didn't you?"
"I…" Naruto looked away. What could he say? That deep down, he felt vindicated to see that woman get robbed? That he actually considered the words of a criminal?
"Was it because of how she treated you?" Naruto froze. "It was, wasn't it? Do you get that often? I'm not sure if you are a Faunus, and you don't have to tell me. You have those whisker marks, sure, but they could just be some unusual birthmarks…But some people don't even think about it, do they? They just treat you like dirt and whisper behind your back…"
Naruto wasn't able to say anything in response. 'She…She's right…'
"Given that, it's only fair for some payback to come around, right?"
'Is it?'
The woman glanced over his outfit. "It looks like you've had some tough times recently…Where about your parents?" A flinch. "Oh, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked that. Let's change the subject. You have been spending a lot of time in the library, right? And if not that, then you often work at a nearby ramen stand? Do you not spend any time with friends? Do they not stick by your side when you get treated unfairly?"
Naruto flinched again. His hand moved to the hole in his tracksuit without him realizing it. The woman's eyes followed his movement and analyzed his response. "Oh, they tried to hurt you? Is that really a friend then?"
"S…Stop…" Naruto said quietly. 'But she's right! He isn't a friend! Only a traitor! And they haven't stuck by my side. They were all happy with their families while I was left alone! Some of them even laughed when I struggled!'
"Would you like me to be your friend?" Naruto's head snapped around with wide eyes. "I want to be your friend, if that's okay with you. I promise to never betray you like the others did. It isn't fair that you have been treated like this…You are a great person. You didn't hesitate to jump in and save those children, completely ignoring the risk you put yourself at."
"Wha…"
She smiled at him. "You have been living in the park right? Do you not have anywhere to go? Would you like to come with me?"
Naruto's mind was slowly crumbling as the woman continued to speak. Everything she said was true, and he couldn't deny it. Even if he really wanted to. "Wh…Why?"
She laughed softly. "Well…we're friends, aren't we? And because I'm your friend, I am going to help you." Her expression saddened. "Do you not want to be my friend?"
Naruto swallowed and his eyes darted around. After a minute of silence, he took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly nodded. A small smile was on his face. Something about this woman just made him want to stick close. "Sure. I'd be happy to be your friend."
The sad look faded. "Great. Shall we get going? I think you would like to sleep in an actual bed for once…"
Naruto grinned and stood up with her. "That would be nice. Thanks…" He paused with a small frown as a thought came to him. "Um…"
She blinked. "Oh, I never introduced myself, did I? Please forgive me." Naruto shook his head with a grin.
"Don't worry about it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
She smiled again. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto. My name is Cinder. Cinder Fall."
There we go! All done with Chapter 1!
Same rules apply here as with Twilight Key! I will set a minimum of 3k-4k words per chapter. Knowing myself, I will probably still get way more than that in each chapter. And like Twilight Key, I will post the word count progress for the next chapter on my profile along with any notes on when I will upload the chapter. (If there are any notes)
Not sure what the upload cycle for this will be. Twilight Key is like once a week, but this? I guess we'll find out together, huh?
I am in no way an all-knowing god when it comes to Naruto or RWBY. If I completely mess up in terms of how something works or say some wrong information, tell me! If I misuse something on purpose, I will normally say it in the AN. On that note, can fire dust be used for cooking?
Most people seem to have Naruto be the same age as team RWBY, if not older. So I thought, Why not make him younger? Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer has a good one, but I can't think of any others off the top of my head.
Aren't Beowolves super weak? I'm not going to have Naruto struggle to beat a few of them.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943
Shameless self-advertising!
As the battle ends with no victors, a decision must be made. Someone is needed to protect the balance of the worlds from the threat that looms before it. This person will be chosen by Kingdom Hearts as a champion to defend the worlds from the threat. This person will be the chosen wielder of twilight.
Go read my other story, Twilight Key! It's a crossover between Naruto and Kingdom Hearts.