Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Team Rooster Teeth, while Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I own only my OC and my fic.

This story is dedicated to Monty Oum. May he and his legacy live forever.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality, through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all."

From Darkness to Light: Prologue

"The coffee you ordered sir."

"Thank you." I smile politely at the waitress who handed me the cup. Once she walks away I take a quick sniff: no suspicious scents. My middle finger traces a quick, minuscole Seal on the cup's surface, which glows first blue and then green before fading. Absence of poison: confirmed. Good.

Aaah, this stuff is great, way better than tea. It warms your belly and drives away wariness like nothing else.

It had been four months since my arrival in the kingdom of Vale. A big cultural shock, a different language, no usable money and a lot of security-checking devices for which I had no experience. Any other man would have ended in troubles, likely arrested, locked in a madhouse or forced to sleep under a bridge while starving. So for once I was thankful for my ninja training; if nothing else, it made me adaptable. And the Henge (Transformation), let's not forget the Henge: in a place without Sensors it's almost like cheating. Not that I have any qualms about cheating.

So, making a liberal use of standard infiltration techniques and memory-copying Seals (which I am never, ever going to reveal to the Yamanaka), a week after my arrival I could pass for a native, I had a house and there was a document inside the registry office with my name and the strictly necessary information to make it legal. And just like that Jin Araya became one of the many, many normal citizens of Vale. No more dangerous missions, no more deadly battles against insane enemy ninjas, no more assassins coming into your house trying to kill you, no more being stuck behind enemy lines in a barren earth country with only paprika-flavoured rations because someone, not me, fucked up big time. I finally had a safe and respectable life.

The last part is, of course, a lie. I look out of the window and behold my latest 'target' at the other side of the road. At first glance it's only an old, shabby building which may have been once an office complex, with next to it a little and very, very cheap looking garden items shop.

Now, one needs to consider this: it's past midnight, it's raining and the only people still around outside are hobos and the occasional security guard for big and rich places.

So why the hell is this particular garden items shop still open? I know the answer, and I have to suppress a grin at the thought.

I stand up and go to the counter to pay the coffee. Putting a guitar case on my shoulder I open my umbrella and leave the bar. I cross the road to reach the shop, pushing open the door to enter. The products displayed inside are all old and covered in dust. One would question why it has not yet close for bankruptcy, but I know better.I reach into my pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes.

At the counter a roguish bald guy wearing red sunglasses and a green tracksuit is reading a magazine of...questionable tastes. Hearing me enter he lowers it and looks at me with a bored face. "Can I help you?"

"Got a light, man?" I say cheerfully while I take out a very specific cigarette and hold it between my index and middle right fingers. "It's the last one before hitting bed."

The shopkeeper shrugs. "Sure. But you can't smoke here." He takes out a lighter and leans forward. With my thumb I tap the end of the cigarette, sending a small pulse of Chakra.

Sticpfh!

The guy stares in disbelief at the tiny needle piercing his hand's skin before dropping to the ground like an empty sack of potatoes. I chuckle, unable to restrain myself now that one one is watching me. "Don't worry Sam. It's just a sedative. You will wake up tomorrow, with a big headache and missing the memories of the last two hours before falling asleep." I drag his body behind the counter and cover him with a plastic coat. "How do I know your name? Why, it's because I spied on you and those employers of yours for quite some time, waiting for the right moment to strike."

I open the door to the back of the shop and step inside. I close it and apply a Seal on the lock, making impossible to open the door again without dispelling it first.

Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)

"That moment is tonight." I conclude, now with Sam's voice and appearance. I move to the side a flower pot, revealing a keyboard built in the floor after removing a brick.

"32-47-5-5-89." I type. "Next is 90-12-33-3 aaand...13." With a satisfied smile I watch as the wall behind the pot shifts and retreats to the side, revealing a staircase with faint music coming from below.

After descending the staircase and walking through a short corridor the reason for the music becomes apparent: a night club. From what I found out they took the old building's basement, sealed all the old entrances and remodelled it into what it is today. Nothing illegal, except the entertainment and beverages aren't the only sources of income.

Ignoring the dance floor full of galvanized people I walk toward a quieter part of the club, one where a lot of guards in sharp black suits discourage the clients from entering. But I, as 'Sam', have no such problems. Some of them nod to acknowledge my existence, the rest outright ignore me.

I almost burst out laughing. This infiltration is going so well!

"Oh hi Sam! What's up?"

Tsk, talking too soon. But I predicted this could happen. Standing before me is a huge and muscular blond man with a well-trimmed beard wearing an expensive suit. Each arm is embracing a different girl in very revealing clothes. And, judging from the idiot smile and the smell of alcohol, he is wasted like a sailor. Perfect.

"Sorry Boss." I grumble in a respectful tone, sticking to 'Sam's character. "I need to use the toilet, but the one in the shop is broken. I swear I'll be quick."

"Pfh! Just that? Take your time; nothing is going to happen in your absence." You're right. Because it already happened. "By the way, did you see John? He should have come through your entrance."

...Who the heck is John?! I've been watching the movements around this place for a week, I've been there already disguised to study the layout, I listened to a lot of calls and I never came across a 'John'! Someone new? Did he come before me? Has he arrived yet?

Plan number 3 then: first part, give dear 'Boss' a reason for not searching for this 'John'; second part, do the job at the speed of light and be out of here even faster.

By the way, Plan number 2 was to use a Genjutsu, but there are too many people around: unless they're all in my field of vision I can't cast it on all of them, and I am not risking one of them raising the alarm before I can get to him.

"I saw him just a minute ago. But I don't think you will find him." I smoothly reply. "He was with a girl, you know, and they seemed eager for a...certain' kind of action."

"Ahahahah! That John! Always a Casanova! What was the girl like?"

Uh, need to think on the fly here. "A pretty tall blonde with a green and white dress full of pompons. Blue eyes." I put a finger under my chin. "If I'm not wrong he called her 'Jade'."

"...Sis?" Boss says in disbelief.

What?

"That mongrel dared to put his hands on my sister!?" He roared in anger. Waitaminute! His sister?! "I will kill him!" With a final shout he lets go of his escorts and dashes away.

...Did I just, by complete coincidence, describe his sister? What. The. Hell? This is ridiculous.

But also an opportunity.

"What are you doing? Stop him or it'll be a bloodbath!" I tell the flabbergasted guards. "I'll tell the others!"

Still surprised they nod and chase after the howling blond.

"Hey, what about-"

I jab both girls on their foreheads with two fingers, Kanji briefly glowing on my arms as I cast a Genjutsu on them. With eyes now dull they walk towards the dance floor, chatting as if nothing happened.

I run in the opposite direction, make a turn at the second right corridor and arrive before a huge metal door. In front of it there are only two guards, but they are heavily armed.

"What's going on?" One of them asks.

"The boss is going berserk! He wants to kill John over a misunderstanding!"

They look at each other. "Shit! We better go." The second one curses. "If those two fight they'll destroy the hall." He turns to me. "Stay here and keep watch. You know what's inside."

"Okay." I watch them leave. Then, after making sure I am alone, my hands flash through a complicated combination of hand seals.

Doton: Kōgeki Bōshi no Jutsu (Earth Release: Attack Prevention Technique)

I phase through the metal door, sealing it from the inside like I did with the one in the shop. "Of course I know what's inside." I drop the Henge and concede myself a satisfied short laugh as I eye the large warehouse full of crates.

In ideal circumstances- like, say, world peace-there is no doubt that I would lead a safe and respectable life, but sadly the only craft I know is the one of the ninja. Coupled with the massive Grimm presence outside the four kingdoms and the fact that, no matter how much you sweeten the pill, in this world humanity is on the bottom of the food chain it can't be helped that I need to defend myself by any means necessary.

That I steal way more than what I need and sell it is just a minor detail. Honest!

Opening one of the nearby crates, dozens and dozens of sparkling Dust Crystals of all sizes and colors greet my eyes. I pick up one and examine it closer. "Gotta admit it, dear 'Boss' has good tastes. This Dust is high quality." I look at the symbol on the crate. "Of course, Schnee Dust Company. They know who to rob. Or to buy from. But who cares?"

I take out an empty scroll and lay it out on the ground. Then I take out all the Dust from the crate and put it over the first seal. A hand seal and the huge mass of crystals disappear in a puff of smoke. "Storage Seals." I grin. "If you know how to use them, they are so useful."

I open another crate. "And what's this?" I lift up a long rifle. "A Marlen 336-HCR?" I make a quick search on my Scroll, and the results make me grin. "Capable of a rate of fire of ten bullets at second with sufficient power to reduce a Beowolf into swiss cheese? What a bad boy! In the scroll with you!"

For the next two minutes I proceed to empty all the crates and transfer the contents inside my scrolls, neatly storing them in the secret spaces I have all over myself. "Yup, this life is great." I blissfully sigh as I take out more Dust. "Nothing can go wrong."

BOOM!

"My sisteeeeerrrrr!"

"I told you, I didn't touch her even with a finger!"

The wall in front of me explodes, opening a hole from which stumble out two men fighting each other. One is the 'Boss', armed with a bazooka doubling as a mace, and the other is a lanky guy in a brown suit fending off his opponent's furious assaults with a cane. Behind them quickly follow a large group of guards.

"Don't lie! I..." The blond stops as his gaze falls on an empty crate. Slowly, very slowly his eyes scan the area before making contact with my own. The lanky guy and the guards also stop and follow their leader's gaze. For a few seconds we all stand completely immobile, looking in each other eyes.

The 'Boss' is the first to break the silence. "...What the fuck are you doing?"

I look down at the Dust in my arm and back at him like he's an idiot. "...I'm robbing you?"

How was that saying? 'Prodding the sleeping lion'? Yeah, I think I just did something like that.

I really need to stop talking before thinking.

"Get him!"

There are...thirty guards, excluded the 'Boss' and who I assume is John. Oh yes, staying here is bad for my health, since I know for a fact one of the prerequisites for working in this place is to be able to use Aura.

Aura. Neaty little thing it is. The people of this world think it's the manifestation of the soul, working primarily as a barrier, boost to healing abilities and source of unique abilities. Me, I call it Chakra with a heavy imbalance of Yang (physical energy) compared to Yin (spiritual energy). It's only a theory based on observation anyway. The thing is, those who can use Aura are a cut above those who cannot, making the numerous guys changing at me with close ranged weapons and guns a higher threat compared to the common bandits of my own world.

So as the first to arrive raises an axe I step inside his guard faster than he can react and slam my knee into his stomach, the force strong enough to blow him away and into a pile of crates from which he doesn't get up.

A threat which maybe be very well inexistant considering I am a Chunin with a lot of experience in the field and this is like handling Academy Students. But one of my principles is to run if I have the chance and the risk is not worth it.

Stunned by the easy way I took out one of them the goons hesitate for an instant, which could very well be an eternity for me.

Raiton: Bushin no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Lightning Clone Technique)

"The hell?!"

Five copies of myself appear and engage the guards. Compared to Shadow, Earth and Water the clones made with Lightning Chakra are incapable of physical attacks, but compensate with the ability to electrocute those they touch. Their highly unstable nature make them easy to dispel with ranged attacks, but those guys don't know that. Now that they are occupied it's time for me to bolt: leaving behind the rest of the goods is a waste, but my life is more important.

"Where do you think you're going?" Correction: not all of them are occupied with my copies. The two guards I sent away are in front of me. The first raises a shotgun and fires. I block the shot with my guitar case- my steel-reinforced case -and jump forward, slamming it into the guard's face. Before the other one can use his own shotgun I whip out a kunai and toss it at the weapon, piercing straight through it. A kick in the face sends him into the land of dreams.

Annoyances removed I run towards the hole in the wall. At least! Freedom!

Only to find my body ducking down on its own accord as my instincts scream danger!

"Got you!"

Buwah!?

BOOM!

That new hole in the wall probably means the boss wasn't too occupied either. That was close!

"Gah!" I cry and roll to the side as another rocket from the bazooka narrowly miss my head. "Are you crazy?! Watch where you aim-!"

Again my instincts scream at me of imminent danger. I quickly look behind me, watching the shot sailing in the air and realizing with sinking horror where it's going to land: a large pile of crates containing Dust. Black Dust to be precise.

One of the most unstable and explosive types in existence.

A Seal Array appears all over my body.

KA-KA-KRAABBOOOOOMMMMM!

When I woke up it I found myself lying, battered and bruised, at the edge of what was once an illegal nightclub-slash-black market storehouse and is now a large crater, surrounded by policemen pointing their guns at me and the other survivors. Lacking the mastery necessary to use the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) in time, as I never use it in a fight, I activated one of my pre-prepared Seals to create a barrier.

And now I am here, sitting alone inside an interrogation room in the nearer department of Police.

"My first arrest." I comment morosely while leaning back in my chair. "It had to happen one day, but damn..." They also confiscate all my scrolls. I hope they are not idiot enough to damage them or later I will bomb this place.

The door opens. I look ahead, thinking they finally decided how much of a fine I have to pay. As far as they know I have no connections with the other criminals so they can't accuse me of smuggling. And no one but me is able to access my scrolls: for them they are just fancy piece of paper with unknown symbols on them.

I expected a cop. Instead the man who enter is not wearing a uniform but black and green fancy garments. Middle-aged, he has grey hair, brown eyes and wears a dark green scarf with a small purple cross around the neck in a classy way. His left hand holds a mug, while the right one holds a Scroll.

For some reason the moment my eyes land on him I feel a shiver going down my spine.

This...this can be bad.

"Jin Araya..." He leans in to look at my face. Okay this is creepy. "You...have red eyes. How peculiar."

"Yeah." I lean back. "I'm also hetero. Which is not peculiar."

"Eh." He snorts like he finds my answer amusing, sitting on the other side of the table. "Do you know who I am?"

You're dangerous. "Not a single clue."

"My name is Ozpin. Professor and Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

Beacon? The school famous for producing the best Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale, the equivalents of ninja and samurai in this world? And since he is the Headmaster this guy can be considered to occupy the same position of a Kage, if not in authority at least in strength.

Oh, for the ghost of the Yondaime.

I have no idea how strong an experienced Huntsman is, but even if he is not Kage but just Jounin level the chances of me defeating him...are next to nil.

I'm so dead.

"Nice to meet you." I reply with false calm while inside I shaking in fear. "If I may, what are you doing here?"

"That's an interesting story." He takes a sip from his mug. Mmh, the smell of coffee-not now Jin, not now. "I was already here for another matter, when I happened to stumble upon an...interesting video." He passes the Scroll to me. With a certain trepidation I take it and look at the screen.

My jaw drops. It's an almost perfect record of all I did last night at the club, from disguising as 'Sam' to the battle in the storehouse. How it is possible? "How? The entire place blew up."

"Yes." He folds his fingers together. "But it seems they were paranoid enough to put the recording room in another building. Crafty." What the hell! Since when the criminals in this city use their brains?! "It's also interesting to note your modus operandi resembles greatly the one of another person, someone that in the last four months caused a lot of troubles all around Vytal. A thief famous for stealing large quantities of goods without none the wiser, for being able to assume the identity of basically anyone and for the liberal use of explosives to cover his tracks." He smirks. I gulp. "They call him many names, such as the 'Phantom with a Thousand Faces' and 'Trick Magician', but the most famous is-"

"'Human Weapon of Mass Destruction'." I finish for him. I sigh, musing over the irony of one of my old nicknames being used here too. What a screw up: not only there is a video showing my ninja techniques, powers totally unknown in this world, but I caught the attention of an individual so powerful he could likely kill me in ten different ways before I could even grab a kunai.

At least I am still breathing, meaning whatever he wants he needs me alive. I look at him with defiance. "What do you want?"

He smiles. "I want you to attend my school."

"...Excuse me?" I wasn't expecting that.

His fingers brush over the Scroll, where a guard struck one of my copies, only to end up electrocuted when the Lightning chakra that formed the clone is released inside him moments later. "Your talents...interest me."

A statement which can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, some of which gives me the goosebumps. Because a protector of humanity doesn't just offer to hide legal evidence of criminal activities out of the goodness of his heart. And like hell I am going to become a Huntsman and spend my life taking massive personal risks in order to protect the faceless masses.

I am done with that kind of life.

Then again, a life sentence in jail isn't much better.

"...Can I go to the bathroom?"

Once inside the bathroom- no windows and a cop standing outside to ensure I don't escape -I enter the further stall from the entrance, close the door and use a wind technique to mute all sounds around me.

I push Chakra into the Seal sewn into my jacket's internal pocket, unsealing a cell-phone, cast another wind technique to disguise my voice and type a certain number.

BEEP BEEP BEE-CLICK!

"Whoever you are-" Uh, he sounds pissed. "I am not in the mood to deal with your st-"

"The cuckoo makes fine nests." I interrupt him.

"...And I just have one at a very cheap price to sell you. Phantom, is that really you?"

"No, I'm his twin brother." I snark back. "Listen Roman: I need your help, and I need it badly."

"Ahaha! The ever elusive Phantom is in troubles? Who would have thought? Aah, ignore what I say, my evening was horrible: my latest heist went to hell because of, get this, a meddlesome kid."

"Not as bad as mine, I assure you."

"I heard there was a big explosion in the north district. Your doing?"

"Unfortunately, the answer is no." I sigh. "While I was collecting the goods the owner bursted out of the wall and started firing grenades. One landed into a pile of Black Dust."

"Ouch." I hear him wince. "So what, now you're in a wheelchair and need me to push you?"

"Again, no." I deadpan. "I am in the Police's custody, with the proof of my identity as the Trick Magician in the hand of Ozpin, Beacon's Headmaster."

A sharp intake of breath. "Ozpin? Fuck! What does he want?"

"He wants me to attend his school."

"...You, a Huntsman? Buahahah! That's hilarious!"

"Har har. Try taking my place and we'll see who laugh." I snap back. "Cut the crap and help me get out of this shit! You want the money? I have the money. You want the Dust? I have that, freshly stolen, Schnee production!"

"Ohoh, this is an appealing offer." Just how smug can he be? "But this is Ozpin we're talking about, a Huntsman of the higher caliber. How do you want him?"

"I want him under three feet of soil and all the evidence burning in smoke."

"That's what I feared. Sure, finding the necessary manpower is easy but convincing them is another-What?! P-Please wait a second!" Then silence.

...Did Roman's voice just changed from smug to afraid in the last part? Who, or what the hell has the power of making Roman Torchwick afraid?

What the fuck is happening over there?

"Phantom?" When he picks up again Roman's voice lacks all early bravado. "My...partner here heard of your predicament and wants to help you."

I gape. "Neo wants to help me?" The last thing I need is that psychogirl making this mess even worse.

"No, it's not Neo." Thank Kami (God), I missed a literal missile here. "It's...I will just let you talk to her."

"Hello." The moment I hear this new sensual, female voice I feel the hair on my back stand up. I know this type of voice: it belongs to those people you should never trust, but you are forced to do so anyway because they let you no choice. "It's a pleasure to meet the famous Phantom with a Thousand Faces. I heard so much about you."

Lady, we aren't exactly 'meeting'. "Likewise. With whom I have the honor of speaking to?" I reply in a cool voice. Show no opening Jin, or she will eat you alive.

"Call me Cinder. I recently became Roman's associate: he told me so much about you." What the heck Roman?! "And it so happens Ozpin is also a thorn in my side. It would be easy to secure your freedom."

"...What's the catch? Be quick: there's a cop outside the door, I don't want them to discover I contacted you."

"It's simple: infiltrate Beacon Academy. Discover everything you can about Ozpin and his allies and pass me the data."

And lose the head in the process if he finds out. Fuck. But it's true I'm better at information gathering than straight combat.

"Once I have enough I'll be able to remove Ozpin from the face of Remnant." I can just picture the smile she's surely making now, and it gives me the shivers. "What do you say?"

"...Pass me back Roman for a second."

"What?" The redhead answers after a second.

"Is this a good choice?" Meaning: is this Cinder trustworthy?

"It's the only one pal." Meaning: no, but all the other alternatives suck.

Damnation. I wait until Roman gives back the phone to Cinder, sighing wearily in my mind, and reply in a cool voice. "Miss Cinder? You have a deal: I will be your spy at Beacon."

May the Sage of the Six Paths watch over me, because no one else will in this Kami-forsaken world.

You will find an imagine of Jin on my profile.

Reviews are the lifeblood of an author. Good or bad, they tell me my work is appreciated.