AN: Well... this is a thing now, I guess. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or RWBY.

Chapter 1: Laying the Foundation

So much was happening yet the clarity of it all felt practically nonexistent.

Noises were muffled, vision was incredibly obscured, touch barely breached numbness and the barest hint of aromas and tastes reached the tongue and nostrils. No sense was spared but nothing was fully registered, not even the passing of time.

Such was the state of any mind under enough, or even too little, stress. This could happen for various reasons and perhaps a specific one could be determined at a later time, but for the recipient of these sensations that scenario was put on the furthest backburner possible.

While his young mind couldn't properly comprehend a majority of what it took in, he was still able to pick out little bits and pieces, though it didn't help that whatever he managed to pick up kept… changing, for better or worse.

Blades of grass tickled his feet in one instance only to be replaced by tough gravel in another. Distant laughter was heard followed by echoed yells of various emotions. Warmth from what he guessed was a blanket covered him before changing to the warmth of… fire, maybe? A strong smell of fresh bread wafted in the air until it switched to… iron? It was all confusing, but nothing was questioned in his mental state. It was all simply there and then it wasn't.

That is, until something decided to stay.

A pair of red eyes.

They just stared and didn't convey anything. The sight was somehow simultaneously calm and intimidating while the mystery behind them only enhanced the sensation. Yet he only stared back, not feeling much of anything but idle curiosity.

Then they suddenly disappeared and he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"You have so much ahead of you, Naruto…"

"C'mon, Naruto. You need to wake up," a woman's voice spoke.

"Hm?" he groaned out unintelligibly.

She sighed before she shook his shoulder a little more. "We can't wait on you forever. Get your lazy butt up or I'm not making you any breakfast."

The groggy male let a yawn escape him as he stretched as best he could while his eyelids cracked open. "But… I can't see anything…" he muttered offhandedly.

The female rolled her eyes and reached forward to pull the object on his face down to his neck to join his other accessory, revealing half-lidded azure eyes drowsily looking at the ceiling. "There, I've granted you sight once again! Use my esteemed gift with the godly inventions known as arms and legs to lift thee from thy couch!" she replied in her best snobbish voice.

A smile formed on his tired face as he adjusted the cloth to comfortably wrap around his throat. It disappeared, though, as he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Really, five in the morning? I thought you loved me, Ayame. Why would do this to me?" he muttered in monotonous despair, accented by another powerful yawn.

He turned his gaze to said girl rolling her brown eyes at him again as she continued brushing her hair while decked out in most of her white uniform. With her long brown locks still holding moisture he guessed she had just gotten out of the shower.

"It's because I love you that I don't want you suddenly going back on your word. You don't want this to be the first promise you've ever broken, do you?"

"And remind me again what that promise was, please."

Ayame stopped brushing momentarily and gave him a faux glare with crossed arms. "You said you were going to help me buy more ingredients while dad gets the kitchen ready. Did you really forget?"

Naruto rubbed some of the crust from his eyes while sitting up, making the small blanket covering him fall from his torso. "Sorry, I was busy last night and I guess it might've slipped my mind."

With the blanket no longer covering his chest she glanced at his tattered black shirt and narrowed her eyes at him. "You went on another one of your outings, didn't you?"

Naruto looked down and saw a few small rips and tears in his clothing along with some dried blood spots in the fabric and on his arms. "Look, I just-"

"I know, Naruto, I know," she interrupted as her face softened. "It's just that knowing you're doing this without anyone watching your back makes me worried. You never know what can happen and I don't want you just up and disappearing one day."

With a sigh the male briefly ran a hand through his spiky blond hair before looking back at her with an understanding smile. "I'm sorry if it stresses you out, but doing this has helped me a lot in my training."

Ayame uncrossed her arms and plopped next to the blond on the couch after he moved out of the way, showing his pants weren't much better off than his shirt.

She leaned her head and back against the cushion and lazily glanced at him. "So which was it this time? Forever Fall or Emerald? Or did you decide to just tick off a bunch of criminals?"

He matched her position and waved her off. "I don't think messing with people in the city is exactly a good idea. I don't want to end up getting a criminal record if things go south and I screw everything up."

The brunette scoffed. "And sneaking by the police and huntsmen into Grimm infested areas is perfectly reasonable?"

"Yep." At Ayame's blank and pointed look he said, "Alright, it isn't exactly the best thing a law abiding citizen would do, but you know I can be real sneaky when I need to be and the forestry provides plenty of cover."

"Still think it's a really stupid thing to do considering what's in there."

"I don't know what you're worried about. It's not like I'm allergic to the red sap in Forever Fall," he replied indifferently.

She smacked his shoulder. "You know what I mean, you idiot! What if you ran into an entire pack of beowolves and they ganged up on you?! What about the same but with ursai?!"

Naruto placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Hey, take it easy. I stay as safe as I can." His words didn't exactly help but she calmed down a little until he easily said, "Besides, last night was the third beowolf pack I've run into."

"What?!"

"What's gotten you two so excited?" an older male voice asked.

Naruto and Ayame turned to see Teuchi Ichiraku emerge from the hallway in his full uniform and prepared for the day ahead.

"Nothing big, old man," Naruto replied with a greeting wave and squinted eyes to match the man's own.

"Yes, something big!" Ayame exclaimed. "He went to get himself attacked again yesterday and apparently his little trips have been more dangerous than we've thought!"

"Obviously you haven't seen me fight."

"That's not the point!" Ayame looked off to the side and muttered, "We should've found some way to get you into a combat school, I swear…"

"You know perfectly well I couldn't afford it or get any of those fancy scholarships that I'm sure go to people with connections to actual huntsmen. I had to spend what I had on my base weapon anyway, and it was less than the personal forging costs over at Signal." The blonde took a moment to glance at the rested scabbard on the coffee table in front of him.

Teuchi sighed. "Naruto, you know that we were perfectly fine with paying for it."

"And you know that I couldn't let you do that. You've been saving that money for years to improve the restaurant and expand, and I'm not gonna be the reason for you to wait longer," Naruto sternly retorted. He honestly didn't think he could sleep at night knowing he delayed their dream. They haven't exactly been a failing business over the past decade, but the positive incline in sales in their modest restaurant had been very slow, slow enough to save very little at a time while spending on the necessities and living comfortably.

"You just had to be the stubborn type," Ayame whispered offhandedly.

"Damn straight, dattebayo!"

Ignoring the familiar verbal tick, the father continued the topic when he first walked in. "How bad was it this time, Naruto?"

"I… may or may not have had a tree fall on me more than once and a dismembered claw possibly found a temporary home in my thigh," he admitted sheepishly.

Ayame gaped at him. "You were out there for so long that your aura actually went down that much?! You never run out!"

The blond shrugged. "I was working on something special and it sorta drained me faster since I used it so much."

"Maybe you should tone down the training. You usually only have torn clothes, but if you can't be safe enough to stay away from physical injuries without proper control of whatever you're working on then you need to reconsider your options. We don't need a repeat of the first time you sneaked out on your own a few years ago," Teuchi ended grimly.

Naruto and Ayame flinched a tad thinking back to that memory, the former out of embarrassment and the latter just from the sight of the blond when he got back after the long trek.

Once Naruto was finally able to afford a quality weapon by working with the Ichirakus and doing odd jobs around Vale he got the smart idea to make his first excursion to the borders of Forever Fall. Long story short, Naruto got his ass handed to him since management of his aura was still rough and he had practically no fighting experience. He escaped with his life and his injuries weren't overly threatening due to his freakishly large aura healing him right away after the fight, but when it lowered enough he took some nasty shots. He didn't know how he managed to travel so far back without grabbing too much attention, but he sure as hell got an earful when he got caught going to his room with large portions of his shirt and pants hanging by mere threads with bloody stains.

He wasn't the brightest thirteen-year-old at the time… probably not even the brightest seventeen-year-old presently depending on who was asked…

And that was only with two beowolves. He'd be prouder of his progress since then if he didn't have such a rocky start, but he wasn't half bad without formal training in his humble opinion. He could've gotten an easier ride to combat schools by committing to the police or basic military service in places like Atlas, sure, but that wasn't what he wanted nor where he desired to travel at the moment. No, he wanted to stay in Vale and be among the best of the best in the world, perhaps the best if he had his way.

And to be the best he had to be a huntsman, something that made Ayame overly anxious ever since the day he told her. Teuchi was more accepting, but he always figured it to be a possibility ever since the blond was younger. When asked by the female brunette as to why he chose the dangerous profession when he was twelve, he gave a short and sweet answer.

To protect, and to make them proud.

So without having a completely beneficial way into Signal without making the Ichiraku family pay for it he just had to prepare himself for the combat tests anyone could take. For that to work he needed to be able to at least fight a simple damn beowolf without joining the great ramen goddess in the sky.

And what better way to prepare than to force himself into firsthand experience? It was ten times better than hitting a dummy or something, even if the general populace would agree he was as many times as stupid for doing so. Maybe he should've worked more to get a tutor…? Oh well, too late now. He already had to worry about paying rent and saving up for upgrades anyway.

Naruto shook his thoughts and gave the elder male a cheesy thumbs up. "I'm fine, old man! I'm not dying any time soon!" He paused to scrunch his face in thought. "At least not until I actually become a huntsman."

Ayame groaned and held her face in her hands. "You're going to give me gray hair soon, I just know it…"

Ignoring her, Naruto shot up from his seat to his six foot height and started making his way towards the room he rented in the little family home. He could've stayed for free but insisted that he would at least work for it and earn some extra money on the side along with whatever jobs he could do when he wasn't training.

"And take a shower! I'm not walking with you smelling like the rear end of a boarbutusk!" Ayame shouted behind him.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Cracking a smile Ayame stood up and made her way to finish getting ready herself.

Teuchi remained where he was, an amused smirk stressing tanned wrinkles while adjusting his signature hat. It was little moments like this that made him think of how less bright his and his daughter's lives would've been without the blond around.

He figured it was good for the young man as well. After all, he couldn't imagine what would've happened had he not found him on that day.

"Is strawberry shampoo seriously all that's left?! You used the rest of mine, didn't you, ya old fart?!"

"Ha!"

Teuchi chuckled while walking downstairs to the kitchen.

Oh yes, couldn't imagine a life without him.

The pair briskly walked along the sidewalk, both sharing idle conversation while their hair smelled gloriously of strawberries. Ayame had her arms locked behind her back only to be broken from waving to the occasional early bird that greeted them. Naruto joined in the greetings as well but he was more cheerful about it with his bright smile and hands behind his head carelessly.

"So, is going to the market all we're doing?" Naruto asked with a single brow raised.

"Nope. Since you gave me extra sewing work for later along with the fact you happened to forget helping me today, I suddenly had the impulse to make more stops along the way and back. Doesn't that sound fun?" she asked while giving him an all too sweet smile.

Oh, he definitely knew that expression… It was used whenever she was giving him some sort of punishment and it looked like this time it was as a human pack mule. He just prayed he wasn't going to be convinced to cough up some lien of his own for her devices. The last time she did after he made her mad, his poor little Gama went from her fat and happy self to a shriveled green husk.

He swears to this day that the little toad wallet's eyes have never looked the same.

"Yeah… total 'yippee' and 'wahoo' kind of fun," he replied with his best fake smile.

He knew she saw right through him yet she didn't change her chipper mood. "Well, I'm glad you think so since I've had my eyes on some stuff for a while and have even saved up a good amount of spending money. I think some of it's on sale too!"

"Yay…"

And on they went, taking the better part of three hours walking around, browsing and purchasing whatever caught the brunette's eyes with Naruto carrying it all. They both knew they had to be back by ten, but Ayame was making the most of whatever shops were available.

It was when the blond could barely see over the pile of goods wrapped in his arms that he was led into their apparent last stop.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. How can I- oh, good morning, Ayame," a slightly rough male voice greeted.

"Morning, Tukson. Rearranging things again?" Ayame responded with a polite smile.

The muscular man set down a large stack of books he was carrying from the back and gave the young woman a slightly abashed grin. "Hopefully for the last time, yes. Unfortunately, having so much product come in makes organizing everything a little annoying."

"Is that why you said that line or whatever that was? To show you have everything?" the other male questioned.

The shop owner curiously looked behind Ayame only to see the legs and arms of someone carrying a hefty load even bigger than the one he just let down. Thankfully, the spiky yellow hair peeking over the top tipped off the mysterious guest instantly.

"Do something stupid again, Naruto?" the black-haired male asked with some amusement.

"You can't prove anything, dattebayo!" He would probably be more embarrassed if he actually cared that much of making an image. Sure, he was eccentric and had his moments, but he doubted the older man would ever treat him differently regardless. He could honestly say that Tukson was a cool guy after he did some small jobs for the shop when he first got settled into the city a little over a year ago. Plus, it helped that the man had awesome sideburns.

Tukson chuckled lightly. "And yes, I'm trying out a catchphrase. Have to make the business more legit somehow, right?"

Already going through some of the new selection of books Ayame said, "I'm sure you'll be fine without it, but I guess a little flair never hurts."

"That's what I'm going for. Anyway, what can I do for you both?"

The brunette audibly snapped a book shut and quickly replaced it with another. "Just looking, and giving Naruto some strength training on the side," she said cheekily.

"You say that as if this is heavy for me!" the blond retorted smugly before continuing curiously. "But since we're here, are the new comics in?"

"Already piled up on the counter for ya," Tukson replied with a head gesture behind him, not that the blond saw the action.

"Thanks!" He would've gone to grab them if not for his current predicament, something he realized quickly. "Um, Ayame?"

"Hm?"

"Can you please get them for me?"

She took a moment to maybe find a way to mess with him further, but figured he'd been good enough so far and decided against it. "Sure." She went and grabbed the colorful pile of pictured fantasy and action before speaking to Tukson again. "So, has the Third Crusade come in yet? It feels like it's been forever since I requested it."

Tukson frowned ever so slightly. "Sorry, not yet. There was a mishap with the ordering so it's gonna take a while longer, especially with the delivery route being as long and risky as it is."

Ayame let out a minor sigh. "Oh well, I have some others to finish anyway."

"You'll be fine being a little more patient. It's not like being without it for now is the end of the world," the man replied.

Ayame walked over and placed the comics on top of everything else Naruto was carrying. "I guess so, but you might want to rethink that slogan then," she said jokingly.

"Nah, that took too long to figure out the first time. It'll work itself out."

"Hopefully it does. Well, we probably wasted enough of the morning. Naruto and I should get back before the stand opens. Hope you have a good day, Tukson," Ayame waved as she made her way to the front door.

"Later, sideburns!" Naruto added while following the female's lead.

"Have a good one," Tukson replied. As he watched them leave he took a moment to think to himself. Naruto and Ayame were two of the many local people that brought joy to his everyday life ever since he moved to the city. Surrounded by all kinds of literature and sharing it with others that enjoyed it was certainly a living he could see himself carrying on as long as he could.

It was definitely better than what he was doing before… which reminded him, he needed to check with his friend about any word of his presence attracting any attention.

If all was well then he didn't have to worry about using his backup plan and running to Vacuo.

"We're back!" Naruto shouted while aggressively passing through the hanged flaps at the front of the ramen stand, recently bought goods still held firmly in his arms.

"Good, I was beginning to think you two somehow got lost!" Teuchi exclaimed from the kitchen, visibly chopping up some vegetables.

"Well, we're not and we got everything." Ayame grabbed the three large paper bags of produce, spices and meat from Naruto. "Take the rest to my room, if you'd be so kind," she told the blond pleasantly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and mock bowed. "Of course, my queen! As a slave it's my bestowed duty, after all!" He started making his way to a doorway at the back of the kitchen that opened up to stairs. "And maybe after that I could clean the lady's personal quarters if she'd give me the honor?!" he echoed haughtily midway to the second floor.

"Sure, why else would we keep you around?!" Ayame exclaimed teasingly back while washing her hands. A smile formed on her face when she barely heard him grumble to himself before saying, "And since when do you use words like 'bestowed'?! Did you see it in a comic and look it up?!"

"Maybe!" he called back.

Ayame giggled to herself and stepped right into her duties alongside her father.

As usual the workday went by smoothly with Naruto helping in any way he could like cleaning the dining area and organizing whatever stock wasn't being used. He even made a few deliveries for some regulars that couldn't be bothered to face the lunch rush. They didn't necessarily have a delivery service for their business, but the people they did it for knew them pretty well and always gave a nice tip.

While all went by normally for everyone, Naruto was mentally planning out his own personal business for when he was no longer needed in the stand.

"Alright, everything seems ready…" Naruto muttered to himself while checking his supplies.

Fingerless black gloves fit well, the metal guards sewn over his knuckles and plates on the backs of his hands shiny to his liking. His unzipped and burned orange hoodie hugged him snugly and went well with his black shirt and its lone orange swirl in the middle of his chest. Black pants covered his legs and fit loosely over the black boots on his feet.

He turned to the mirror in his room to take this all in. His gaze momentarily lingered on the unique three facial marks on each cheek he'd had as far as he could remember and gingerly traced one with a finger.

If only he had a lien for every time he was confused for a faunus…

However, his eyes stared at something else longer, that being the pair of his most prized possessions securely wrapped around his neck. A dark blue cloth with a metallic plate sewn in the middle was easier to spot, as was the symbol of a swirl with a triangular tail of sorts hanging off of it engraved into the metal. Hidden underneath the sturdy cloth was most of a silver necklace chain that held its ornament just below the larger square piece of metal. The ornament itself was of round silver to match the chain but proudly displayed an orange swirl not unlike the one on his shirt along with an outer ring surrounding it of sky blue fading into black.

The headband and locket were the last remnants of his parents that he had besides what memories he could conjure up. He wore them everywhere he went and served as constant reminders of his goals and efforts. Both the symbol on the headband and swirl in the silver were even etched onto the metal plates on his gloves; swirl on the right and the other on the left.

The blond stared into his own eyes one last time before whispering, "Make 'em proud…" Walking by to quickly grab his blade resting on his dresser he started to walk out of the home and downstairs through the conjoined ramen stand. He tried to look as uninteresting as possible but he just had to love orange too much.

"And where are you going?" Ayame asked sternly behind him right as he was about to reach the exit.

Naruto froze in his tracks and slowly turned around to meet the brunette's suspicious eyes with her hands firmly on her hips.

It didn't help that she had a big ladle at the ready…

They stared at each other in silence, one more anxious than the other.

"Um… out?" Naruto responded.

"Uh-huh, so what requires you to take your weapon along?" she asked pointing to the hilt peeking over his shoulder.

"Y'know… stuff… totally safe and family-friendly stuff… Besides, it's a habit for any huntsman to take his weapon everywhere, right?"

Ayame marched right to him and poked him in the chest with conviction. As she looked up to his taller frame she said, "You are not seriously taking off again when you were out just last night… are you?"

The blonde repressed a shiver. "Oh, sweet, lovable, beautiful Ayame-"

"Don't you even think of buttering me up!" she interrupted before calming down. "You don't need to push yourself this hard. Will you please take it easy this one time?"

Naruto sighed before taking her into small hug, which was returned after a small pause.

"I'll be fine, trust me. I've gotten used to what I've been trying to do and I need all the practice I can get."

He felt her sigh into his shoulder. "Just… please promise to be extra careful, alright? I really don't need to see you coming back looking like you were thrown into a garbage disposal."

He squeezed her reassuringly. "Promise." He pulled back and said, "I'll get back as soon as I can."

"You better." She gave him another quick hug and returned back to the kitchen where Teuchi was not so stealthily watching. The two males made eye contact and the elder Ichiraku made a shooing gesture with an encouraging smile.

Naruto nodded and parted the flaps of the shop's entrance to make his way east.

Ayame looked at his retreating back and let out a final sigh before turning to get started on washing the dishes at the back of the kitchen.

"It never changes," a middle-aged mother with her young son on the stool next to her let out wistfully.

"What doesn't?" Teuchi replied while wiping the counter.

The woman nudged her head to the entrance. "Saying goodbye to your loved ones as they go away on a mission. I should know, my husband is a huntsman and he's out of the kingdom at the moment."

Teuchi looked thoughtful for a moment then turned slightly to see his daughter tensely scrubbing a pot while completely stone-faced. He looked back to the mother and said, "I suppose so, but as long as he's still around to say goodbye to, we'll be fine."

The wind always felt great against his face. It never failed in giving a sense of freedom and adventure to the day ahead, or evening in his case. From rooftop to rooftop he continued running and jumping to his heart's content, feeling his hyperactive giddiness rejuvenate with every leap and pulse of aura to his feet. Some of those on the streets below gave notice as they watched the yellow and orange blur go by overhead, but most if not all were used to it. None were unfamiliar with the more eccentric tendencies a huntsman or huntress might display, but Naruto seemed to have cemented his presence over the years; enough to be ignored or even given a small greeting if the mood permitted it.

Arriving at the edge of the commercial district Naruto leaped off the roof of a small tailor shop and landed on the other side of the street. He took a second to lean his elbows on the guardrail bordering one of the many cliffs that separated each of Vale's districts. A large body of water was in front of him, one that connected westward to the vast ocean and directly toward the large island of Patch, a place still on his bucket list to visit properly someday.

To the east, however, simply made him smile before he took the initiative and vaulted over the safety rail to leap off the side of the rocky ridge. He heard a few squeaks of surprise from some bystanders behind him but didn't pay them any mind. He was sure that they would just dub his actions as simple 'huntsman' things, and they would be right to an extent since he wasn't exactly a student yet, let alone an official monster slayer.

To an outsider his little two hundred foot freefall might've seemed absolutely stupid, if not outright lethal, but his face was the epitome of calmness and even excitement. Immediately after his decent he managed to easily find a solid rock large enough to hold him as his body was hugging the massive wall. He landed with a minor thud and looked to have securely stuck to the boulder without any trouble or misbalance. He continued his downward journey in the same manner with rocks of all sizes until he reached a short slope of dirt and gravel. As if riding on a snowboard he slid on the loose dirt and launched himself off the small incline and fell a short drop to the tiny beach below.

After a satisfying landing he walked forward jauntily to the shore and didn't stop even when he was well within the water's domain. The thing with Naruto, though, was that his feet didn't sink. It seemed that he didn't follow the laws of nature as he seemingly continued to walk on the ocean's surface with nary a problem or second thought. Even when the particular spot he was walking on was disturbed by a wave he rode it out calmly without losing stride.

The action always made him mentally smirk. To think this was practically a mere passive ability.

He smiled when one of his favorite parts of the day was upon him. To his right the sun started to set upon Vale and he was already midway across the water. The great orb of fire cast its radiance on him and projected a sparkling sheen on the water's surface along with a magnificent yellowish orange glow. He turned his gaze to the left and watched as the newly colored water lead to one of the highest cliffs upon which rested Beacon Academy. Imagining the water as a road of yellow brick to the castle-like school seemed to click perfectly to him for some reason and was a sight surely to be admired by all.

Letting the moment pass after the last specks of daylight wasted away he started to pick up the pace by running along the water to meet the land of the Residential District. Just like before he defied logic and casually scaled up another rock face like he was taking a stroll on a sidewalk. No one noticed when he arrived at the top or even when he started another roof hopping trip. This time he went eastward and once again scaled a cliff, one that easily matched the tallest in the area. When he reached the top at his usual spot well enough outside of the academy proper he switched to tree hopping and headed towards the Emerald Forest.

"He's doing it again," a slightly annoyed female voice stated.

A short sipping sound was what responded first. "It appears so. He's certainly a dedicated one, isn't he?"

A frustrated sigh escaped the lone woman in the room. "I simply don't understand why you've let this go on for as long as it has."

Shaded spectacles turned away from the live camera feed on a personal scroll to the stern woman at his side. Her light blonde hair was in its usual bun with a curl framing the right side of her pale face—almost hiding her teal earrings—while her strict green eyes behind ovular glasses stared at the scroll's holographic screen. Her crossed arms along with the rest of her torso were held in a long-sleeved white pleated blouse while bronze buttons adorned the high-waist black pencil skirt she favored above her dark stockings that led to heeled brown boots. Covering her back was a uniquely styled cape that was internally purple while black on the outside. The tattered fringes on the bottom proudly displayed shapes of fire and arrows while aligned with her shoulders for all to see was a bronze tiara symbol above a line of similarly colored diamond-shaped beads. The last notable thing about her was her weapon firmly squeezed in her right hand. It wasn't a sharp blade of some sort or other kind of deadly instrument, but was in fact a black and purple riding crop.

"I'm sure you can think of something, Glynda." A hint of a smile made its way onto the male's sharp face. "By this point you should have some inkling of an idea."

Glynda moved to place her hands on her hips and gazed into his thinly opened brown eyes. "That's just the thing. Even now I still don't know exactly what's going on in that mind of yours, Ozpin."

The silver-haired man sounded out an amused grunt while adjusting the green cowl around his neck and taking a moment to play with the cross-shaped pin attached to it. "Care to take a guess anyway?"

The blonde rolled her eyes before she started waving her riding crop nonchalantly in the air while she said, "Oh, probably something to do with a huntsman's potential and embracing his youthful spirit or something else along those lines."

Ozpin kept his small grin and shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Sure, let's go with that."

Glynda looked at him blankly but couldn't retort when the man now looking at his scroll spoke again.

"Ah, it seems it's going to be another pack of beowolves tonight," he said as if talking about the weather.

"All the more reason to stop him before he does something stupid and gets himself seriously injured! No one other than official huntsmen, huntresses or students with permission are allowed to be in the forest near school grounds."

"You give Mr. Uzumaki too little credit. I know you've been watching his progress as well as I have and it's easy to see he's certainly grown," he replied while watching the young man in question leap from a tree branch and straight into the pack of Grimm. "He definitely has the spirit to become a fine huntsman someday. It'll be interesting to see how far he'll progress." He took that time to take another sip of his favorite brew.

"That doesn't mean he can blatantly break the rules as he pleases! Are you even the tiniest bit concerned about what would happen if the public found out you were letting someone not even in combat school face Grimm like this?"

The headmaster brought his mug to his lips once again, secretly enjoying how annoyed the blonde looked at his laidback attitude. "Not in the least," he replied easily.

The huntress looked ready to lash out again but didn't let her emotions get the better of her. Instead, she let out a big exhale and rubbed her temple to ward off any hint of an oncoming headache. "At the very least can we take some sort of precaution in case he comes across something he can't handle? Just watching him shouldn't be enough to ensure safety." When she didn't get a response she opened her eyes and looked at the tousled silver hair on the back of Ozpin's head, showing his eyes were completely glued to the live video. "Professor Ozpin?" she questioned.

What the blonde couldn't see was the male's smile widening just a tad at seeing the enthusiastic Naruto suddenly becoming enveloped in an orange glow as he faced down a few leaping beowolves. "Looks like he's finally gotten the hang of it…" he mumbled to himself.

"Professor Ozpin?" the woman stated a bit more sternly.

His attention back to his companion, Ozpin merely graced her with the barest of glances as he said, "Oh, you need not worry." He pressed the holographic screen to bring in another feed in a split screen view. "He's well supervised, I assure you."

Not knowing what he meant, Glynda took a step forward and looked down at the scroll. What her eyes saw made her internally groan as she brought her hand back up to cover her green orbs in exasperation. "I don't necessarily think that's supposed to calm my nerves," she groused. "Did you know about this? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Ozpin was silent, but the easygoing atmosphere he exuded spoke volumes. "It's like you said. Maybe I'm just trying to see potential blossom from a youthful spirit. It is basically what our positions are about, isn't it?"

"Within proper means, yes. This off the books activity isn't something that should be encouraged and could lead to trouble," she replied smoothly.

Ozpin turned his seat to her. "Wouldn't be the first time we've had to keep secrets."

Glynda sighed. "You know what I mean."

Yet again another sip. "Don't worry too much. It'll all be fine." The man looked back at his scroll and relaxed himself in his seat, looking all like the calm professional his black suit and natural presence permitted him. "Now enjoy the little show he's putting on. It looks like he finally managed to control one of the abilities he's been struggling with. Seems he's been practicing somewhere else since the last time he's been in Emerald Forest."

Even if her face didn't show it Glynda was at least a bit interested in the young man's development. After seeing so much trial and error why not see the fruits of his labor and quell her curiosity?

"Let's see if he manages to not blast himself through a tree this time," she stated.

He could never hold in his excitement whenever his skills were properly put to the test, especially if the fight he was in wasn't overly life-threatening and he remained in control. Thankfully he was able to use that excitement to fuel his combat hardiness and focus instead of being sloppy and impatient. This was unfortunate for the pack of Grimm he was engaged in battle with, as shown by one of the young beowolves having its right arm slashed off by the same blade that immediately found its tip stabbed through its canine skull and out the bottom of its jaw.

With a quick squelch the short blade was pulled out of the quickly fading body before its dull side was gingerly rested on the blond's shoulder. "Alright, which one of you ugly bastards want to go next?!" Naruto hollered with a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. The only response he got were growls from about a dozen sources, yet he wasn't deterred at all. These were relatively young and therefore less tactful examples of their species, so there wasn't much to worry about as long as he didn't make any stupid mistakes. Even so, it seemed they learned at least a little bit as three decided to quickly charge in together as opposed to the one on one fight that ended quickly prior.

Seeing the perfect opportunity Naruto prepared himself as he stood still. Almost instantly a protective shield of orange energy surrounded his body and the light it protruded seemed to move wavily in several layers before it settled into one solid cover. It was almost unnoticeable if not for the occasional sparkle of orange shining on random parts of his body. His opponents didn't notice the action or they simply didn't care enough to deem it a threat, so they pressed on with full intent to kill.

When they were within striking distance they lashed out with claws extended, one going for his face while the other two went for his left and right side. Even with the attacks coming Naruto didn't falter or even attempt to raise his weapon now placed at his side. That was all well and good to the oncoming Grimm, but they didn't expect the outward force and simultaneous orange flash that blasted them backwards once their claws tried to pierce the young man's skin. Now stunned on the ground, the three monsters didn't have a chance to defend themselves from the quick execution of slashes to their throats, ending their lives and making their bodies start to evaporate in shadowy flakes and wisps.

With those three gone Naruto decided to cut any more waiting and charged right at the other snarling beasts that started to surround him. With a quick battle cry he and one of the creatures quickly met in the small clearing they were engaging each other in. Predictably the beowolf tried to slash at him with its claws but the whiskered teen deflected their sharp points to the side with the metal plate on the back of his left hand. Before the beast could attack again Naruto thrust his right hand forward, punching it in the jaw with the blunt handguard on the blade's handle covering his fingers. Its face knocked to the side, Naruto took the opening and fatally stabbed it straight through its chest.

Not wasting any time Naruto spun himself and the Grimm still stuck on his blade around to block another clawed attack. Withdrawing his weapon from the dead beowolf the blond jumped high over the corpse and chopped the head off of his next opponent, looking like a human guillotine as he came down with a downward cut on the back of its neck.

Half of his enemies now defeated Naruto surrounded his body once again with a quick glint of orange aura and charged at three others. The dark monster up front tried to sink its jaws into the blond but Naruto simply leaned forward with his shoulder like he was going for a tackle. What happened instead was both satisfying to the lone human and deadly to one of the many monsters of Remnant. The moment their bodies made contact an orange flash once again enveloped the dark area before the beowolf was launched back to where it came from. With the speed behind Naruto's run there was more force put into the controlled blast, causing his opponent to crash into the two others along with one of the many nearby trees.

Splintered wood resembled shrapnel as the three bodies halved the large trunk instantaneously. Some luck seemed to watch over Naruto as two of the Grimm started fading away once the dust settled, one from a visibly broken neck while the other had a particularly big chunk of wood piercing its sternum. The creature that took the force of the orange blast firsthand was slow to get up, ultimately costing it when Naruto quickly launched forward and roughly stuck his weapon through the natural white armor on its cranium.

Satisfied with the Grimm's sudden stillness Naruto moved to take the blade out of his kill, but found the angle a little awkward and started to annoyingly struggle. It took a few adjustments and a couple of hard pulls but he got it out with a rough cleaving sound.

Righting himself from the short wobble the blond weighed his partner in crime in his hand and muttered, "This will all be easier when I finally get you to a forge soon." He didn't feel any of the other beowolves behind him move to attack and smirked. "And you'll be an even bigger threat than you are now, won't you, sweetheart?" He rubbed the metal fondly and was about turn around to attack the rest when a sudden presence made itself known.

He didn't see what happened right away, but he sure as hell heard it. Two quick slashes through flesh followed by a loud bang shook his ears and the surrounding forest. Realizing the intruder was definitely not just another Grimm, Naruto slowly turned around to gauge the possible threat.

The shattered moon in the night sky shined its light on a single man standing in front of the three fading beowolves, and the first thing that caught the blond's eye was the weapon he wielded. It was an intimidating single-edged greatsword relaxingly held in his right hand. The long handle was red, the blade and handguards silver and the hilt interestingly filled with some sort of cog system being black. When Naruto looked closer he saw what looked like two gun barrels still letting out some smoke resting on either side of the large blade.

The man himself had graying black hair, a pale complexion with a slight stubble lining his jawline, a tattered red cloak hanging over his back, a gray dress shirt that had a long tail, and black dress pants and dress shoes. The blond could also barely make out the reflection of several rings on his right hand along with the crooked cross-shaped pendant around his neck. The last feature that was taken in were the crimson eyes he had that seemed to be taking him in as well.

After the stranger sized Naruto up, the weapon retracted to a more manageable traveling size and was placed securely at his lower back. After the quick action the two males simply stared at one another. Naruto was tense since it didn't take more than a few brain cells to realize the man was a fully-fledged huntsman and who knows what kind of trouble could come of this. The man, however, looked utterly calm and didn't really show any outward emotion. The silence was agonizing to Naruto but it kept prolonging until the huntsman reached behind him and pulled out a flask. He took a long swig from it and gave out a satisfied sigh when he was done. Another moment of silence passed until the man gestured to the flask and spoke.

"You want some?" he asked in a slightly scratchy and naturally slurred voice.

Naruto didn't know what to say. "Um…" he sounded in reply.

"Well too bad because it's all gone," the man quickly interrupted as he gave the empty flask a quick shake to show what remained of its contents before he put it back in its proper place. "What're ya doin' out here, kid?"

Naruto didn't speak immediately but found his voice after a moment. "It's a little obvious, isn't it?" he countered.

The older man gave a quick once over to what was left of the fading Grimm in the clearing and indifferently shrugged. "I suppose it is. I guess the real question is why?"

Naruto gave his own shrug and mirrored the man's laidback posture. "Have to stay in shape somehow."

"And with that little machete of yours you thought you might as well slay some monsters in the middle of the night by yourself?"

Naruto looked down at the short and straight blade. His right hand squeezed the comfortable black grip protected by the melee capable handguard of the same color while his left fingers tenderly ran themselves along the blade's black body, sharp and silver edge, and the curved tip. "Not all of us need to overcompensate for something," Naruto replied easily.

A hint of a smirk showed on the man's face while a small chuckle rang from his throat. "All I'm hearing is jealousy, but I guess you have to work with what you got."

Naruto felt a grin of his own form from the wordplay. "Well-" He tried to talk again but flinched when the huntsman was suddenly in his face with the greatsword drawn. A loud clang echoed when the blond managed to block the attempted slash on his person with both hands holding his weapon firmly. With arms slightly buckled Naruto quickly pushed away and backed up a couple of steps. "What the hell was that for?!"

Like before the man was calm with the exception of a raised brow. He retracted his weapon to half its size once again and put it away. "Good reaction time and some decent muscle," he muttered to himself.

"What are you going on about, old man?!"

This time there was more of a reaction in the form a small frown and the twitch of a brow. "First of all, it's Qrow, not old man. Second, why should I tell a rude brat anything?"

"Wha- becau- how the hell am I the rude one?! You attacked me, dattebayo!"

Qrow broke his frown and simply looked a little curious while whispering 'dattebayo' to himself questionably. He broke that train of thought and gave Naruto a slow realization expression. "Oh yeah," he slurred, "still rude, though."

The blond was at a loss for words. He didn't have the slightest clue on how to judge the situation. Should he just run? Attack him in return? No, that would probably end with him getting his ass kicked… and wow the guy really reeked of alcohol now that he thought about it.

That sort of explains his mannerisms, but doesn't exactly help the situation much.

Getting to the point, Naruto asked, "So what now?"

"Hm?"

"Am I in trouble or something?"

Qrow took a second to hum to himself. "Probably not," he answered.

"…"

"…"

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yep."

"So… am I free to go?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh." Naruto blinked a few times and steadily sheathed his blade into its leather home. "Welp… I guess I'll go then…"

"Uh-huh."

Naruto carefully turned and began to walk, taking a moment or two to look over his shoulder every few steps to make sure the man didn't move to follow him. It was when he was about to reach the heavier foliage that Qrow talked again.

"Y'know… trespassing on some major private property isn't exactly good to have on record, especially for someone who wants to be a huntsman." His voice stopped Naruto dead in his tracks. "You never know when someone might have a reason to sabotage the initiation grounds, or maybe even map out the area to attack the school or something."

"And who said I was doing that?" Naruto called out after a pause.

Qrow shrugged. "No one, but the possibility is still there and that alone is a huge concern for any self-respecting huntsmen academy."

Blankly looking at the screen, Glynda plainly asked, "And how concerned are you?"

Ozpin smiled. "I'm not, and Qrow knows it."

"Can't I just get a warning or something? Isn't that how these things usually go?" Naruto replied.

"You're saying that as if this is the first time you've been out here."

Naruto quickly turned and faced him. "And how do you-"

"Wave to the audience, kiddo," Qrow interjected while casually waving to a nearby boulder.

"What?" the blond uttered before quickly walking to the waist high rock and leaning in for a closer look. It was hard to pick out at first, but he was able to barely see a concealed camera refocusing its lens as his face got close. Naruto stepped back and silently took in the information. "Well, shi-"

"Yep." Qrow stood next to him and planted his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Like I said, on record."

"And what does that exactly mean for me?" Naruto asked while blankly staring at the camera.

"Can't say for certain. Different kingdoms mean different rules." Qrow broke physical contact and innocently looked at the moon while exaggerating a thinking posture. "Could've possibly been shot on sight in Atlas, accepted with open arms and a gift basket in Vacuo, and I wouldn't put it past some of those cultural types in Mistral to ask you how you felt while fighting and then writing a poem about it." That was a very simplistic way of putting it given Atlas's militaristic outlook, Vacuo's acceptance of those that could survive in their harsh environment, and Mistral's very artistic community, although for the latter that only really applied to the upper class of the population.

Not that Qrow cared. He just said what his buzzed mind could quickly think of.

"And Vale?" Naruto sounded.

Qrow shrugged and lazily looked at him over his shoulder. "You'll probably see soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hell if I know," Qrow replied. With hands in his pockets he started to walk away towards the clearing where he made his entrance.

"Then why did you even come out here, dattebayo?!" Naruto called to the retreating man. "To get into my head before you assassinate me or something?!"

"Or something," the man retorted casually and continued his leisurely stroll.

"That doesn't help anything, dattebayo!"

"Gesundheit!" Qrow exclaimed before his body disappeared into the forest.

"I didn't sneeze!" Naruto yelled. After letting out an aggravated sigh, the blond teen pseudo-glared down at the rock camera and pointed at it. "If I get killed, I'm gonna haunt the ever loving hell out of whoever's watching. And trust me, I know I can be an annoying ghost!" He then walked backwards while still pointing and gave his best 'I'm warning you' stare until he was officially out of its range of sight.

Now making his way back home after the little bit of excitement, all that could be heard from Naruto were some mutterings about some of his possible ghostly provocations, such as hiding someone's scroll or turning a sink faucet on in the middle of the night just enough to wake the home's occupants up or even force them to leave the comfort of their bed because they suddenly had to relieve themselves.

Yeah, that'd show whoever was messing with him that he meant business.

Sadly, thoughts about ghosts and the paranormal in general didn't mix well with a walk in a dark and dangerous forest…

"What was the point of involving Qrow?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin leveled his gaze on the screen while his many security cameras kept up with the wandering teen as he started his tree hopping journey back towards the general public of Vale. The blond also seemed a little on edge as he rapidly looked around at his quickly passing surroundings warily. The headmaster didn't think the change in mood had anything to do with their viewing of him so he mentally shrugged it off. "Simply making a connection."

"For what exactly? With him taking care of the beowolves that easily it doesn't seem like he'll have any trouble passing the combat tests."

Ozpin sipped his mug. "All around the world there are many talents just waiting to come into their own. Whether they are able to grow by themselves or with some instruction doesn't mean they can't get a little push once in a while to help them become something greater."

"But why him?" She didn't have anything necessarily against the young man—well, besides his apparent lack of attention to rules—but she was genuinely curious.

"Let's just say I have a good feeling and leave it at that." He watched as Naruto continued his anxious jumping through the trees. The blond's tempo was completely halted, however, as a flying squirrel whizzed on by his face, causing him to simultaneously reach for his weapon in panic while also tripping over a branch. The result was him letting out a shout of fright as he careened towards some bushes below.

Watching dust and leaves explode from where Naruto made his rough landing, all Ozpin said was, "Something greater indeed."

"Naruto, I need you over here!" Teuchi shouted from the living room of his small upstairs home. It was a mere hour before he was going to open shop and what he saw on his computer immediately got his full attention.

The sound of footsteps followed by a yawn was heard from the hallway. "What is it, old man? You know I like to sleep in whenever I get back late."

The elder Ichiraku turned in his chair to meet Naruto's drowsy eyes. "I'm pretty sure you already had your eight hours since you got back at midnight."

Naruto shrugged. "I'm a growing boy."

Teuchi mentally rolled his eyes. "Anyway, that's not important. Do you have anything planned today?"

The blond blinked. "Besides the usual, not really."

"Good, because I have a very important delivery for you."

Naruto walked up to the computer screen that was mainly used for the business. He could easily make out the online order page that was occasionally used by people wanting to make a quick pick up or even delivery if his availability permitted it. Naruto leaned over Teuchi's shoulder and began muttering the information to himself.

"Let's see… five bowls, so it's not some catering thing, and it was ordered by…" Naruto's eyes widened, "Qrow Branwen?!"

Oh crap, exactly how much info did the drunk have?

"Do you know him?" Teuchi asked after being startled from the outburst.

"Um… sorta."

"And what does 'sorta' mean?" Ayame questioned while walking in from her room, white uniform on and blue apron tied securely around her waist.

"He… might be a huntsman that I may have run into at the forest last night…"

"Wait, you were caught?! What happened?!" the woman sternly asked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Pretty much nothing."

"Nothing at all?" she questioned with her hands on her hips.

"It was just some random talk."

"About?"

"Um…" Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "I'm not sure exactly. There was some stuff about weapons, the kingdoms, punishments like being shot- but it's okay!" he proclaimed in a rush when he saw Ayame's eyes expand in fear. "I'm pretty sure nothing is going to happen. I think the worst that can happen is blackmail."

"Why?" Teuchi inquired calmly.

"Well… it turns out I've been watched for a while in the Emerald Forest. Apparently there's cameras all over the place and from how he was talking, Beacon is definitely aware." He nervously smiled and tried to weakly laugh it off.

Ayame sighed. "I knew this was going to blow up in your face one day."

"Hey, look. I didn't get any threatening vibes from the guy, so there's probably nothing to worry about." He paused. "Well, he did try to cleave me in half with his giant sword- moving on!" He swore he was heightening the poor girl's blood pressure by the second if her facial expression was anything to go on. "What makes this so important?" he asked Teuchi hoping to get back on track before Ayame got on his case again.

"Oh, right," Teuchi started, "What makes it so important is what he wrote in the special request box."

Naruto leaned towards the screen once again and read where he left off. "Okay, if I get it there within an hour after opening then- wait, he's offering to pay how much?!" he shouted. "It's just five bowls! Why is there a comma in the price?!"

"I don't know, but if you do this it'd be a nice profit," Teuchi replied.

"And how do you know he's not just messing with us?" Naruto questioned skeptically.

Teuchi opened up another tab, this time showing a bank account. "Because he already forwarded the money, but it's only pending until it's delivered on time. If it isn't then with such a small order it wouldn't be a problem to demand a refund for being unsatisfied."

"Okay," Naruto muttered a little more confidently, "I don't know what he's playing at, but this could be easy money!"

"That's just the thing. It won't be as easy as you think, even with your speed." Teuchi pointed to the last bit of info on the screen.

Naruto looked closely before leaning back in slight confusion.

"He wants me to go to Patch?"

(Omake – The Hero Vale Doesn't Deserve… or Need)

It was another normal morning for Ayame Ichiraku in her small family ramen stand. She was setting up everything in the kitchen with practiced precision alongside her father and all was looking up to be busy as usual, even more so since it was the weekend.

They both had a nice rhythm going with the chopping of ingredients and the kneading of the dough that would become their signature ramen. It was when the young brunette was about to pick up the prepared dough that she and her father heard some muffled shouting from upstairs.

Knowing the exuberance of their other resident there wasn't much of a reaction, yet Ayame went to check just to be safe.

As she made her way up the stairs and past the living room the excited ramblings continued and were getting louder. When she reached the last door in the hallway she gave two firm knocks.

"Naruto, what are you doing in there?" she called.

"Ayame! You gotta see this!" the boy shouted with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Curiosity peaked, the girl twisted the knob and opened the door. The room was the same as the last time she saw it with the bed unkempt, some articles of clothing here and there, and a small leaning tower of comic books placed on the dresser.

But the room's resident wasn't in sight.

"Naruto?"

"Up here!"

Ayame let out a small shriek of surprise as the voice came from above her. She immediately looked up and was frozen where she stood. There, somehow standing completely upside down on the ceiling was Naruto. He had a big megawatt smile highlighting the remaining baby fat and whiskers on his twelve-year-old face.

"How are you doing that?!" Ayame yelled.

"I don't know but it's awesome! I tried to kill a bug on the wall with my foot and I somehow stuck before I walked up! This must be what a semblance is! It's like I have superpowers!" He took the time to crouch and maintained his position with a squinted thinking expression. "I should come up with a name if I'm going to become some sort of superhero huntsman, though. Maybe… Man-Spider! Or…" He stood and let his unzipped orange windbreaker fall. He grabbed the bottom hem of either side and spread it out, giving the impression that he had wings. "Man-Bat! Defender of-!"

Sadly, at that point whatever was keeping Naruto stuck decided to fail, causing the blond boy to experience gravity's unforgiving laws as he fell flat onto his back. Following the loud bang of the impact on the floor was the audible wheezy groan that usually came after someone got the wind knocked of them.

"Naruto, are you okay?!" the older teen shouted in worry as she doted on the blond and rested his head on her lap.

Taking a moment to get his lungs under control, Naruto hoarsely muttered, "The… the world isn't ready for me yet…"

Having felt the moment pass, Ayame smiled and calmly raked her fingers through his spiky hair.

"I don't think it ever will be."

AN: Hello there, readers. If you made it this far by actually reading this little opening chapter, I thank you for taking the time to do so. This was a little pet project that I worked on for the past month whenever I had the time between work and other life-related stuff. For those that are followers of my other stories, sorry if I've been pretty absent for a while, but that's just how my muse has been lately. Don't ever know when I'll have a strike of inspiration or how much I'll get written down when I do. For anyone who has never seen my work, welcome! I hope I don't disappoint.

Not much else to say besides this was to simply introduce some basic plot pieces, characterization and general world building. If you have questions about things like Naruto's weapon and semblance, hopefully they'll be answered in the coming chapters. And if you'd be so kind, let me know your thoughts of whatever came to mind in a review, such as opinion on the pacing and dialogue, personal speculation of what's to come, general reaction, or criticism. All is welcome to help me improve so don't be shy.

Oh, I'd also like to thank Fan-Of-FictionX01 for being a bud to bounce ideas off of and helping correct any grammatical errors that I didn't catch before posting. As a bonus he's also a competent medic in Battlefield 1 when my ass gets shot, so there's that.

Remember kids, if you're among the many that pass by my revivable corpse with nary a glance, I want your headphones to break. :)

Once again, thanks for reading! And if you celebrate it, I hope you have a merry Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever!

Later!