Sneaky Edited A/N: Story has been cleaned up as best as possible atm. Extraneous notes have been deleted.

Two Step-Goodbye is produced by SneakyDevil and CruelRuin collab

PROLOGUE START

Naruto sprinted through alleyways, fleeing his pursuers. They did this every damn time, and he never knew why. His breath rasped as he rounded another corner, hoping not to run into another dead end. Thankfully the path was open. He'd reached the home stretch. He dashed. Just a little further and they wouldn't be able to catch him.

He made it! Looking over his shoulder, he snickered. "That'll teach the—"

Hands clamped down on his shoulders.

He froze, spine stiff in fear.

"Did you really think you could get away from us?"

Well, yeah. Okay, so they did catch him once every ten times, but this time the prank he pulled wasn't even that bad. They weren't angry about a harmless exploding melon, were they? Just a joke, that's all it was! That shopkeeper shouldn't have short-changed him.

The irony of that line of thought was lost on Naruto, as the danger some of his pranks carried in them wasn't something someone his age could quite grasp yet. No one, to the young orphan's admittedly poor knowledge, ever got hurt by his pranks. Never did he stop to think why they reacted so negatively to certain pranks...

He slowly turned around, dreading what would meet his eyes once he did. His apartment was mere meters away from where he now stood, yet he knew that he would never be able to make it. The voice he heard was all-too-familiar to him. Too dangerous. Chiba Korefusa and Konishi Mitsuteru. Shit.

They were two missing-nin that were all the merchants could talk about for a while. They both joined Konoha a while back by - if he could believe anything he heard - just by walking up to the gate and asking to join. Ever since then it was way harder for him to get away with his pranks. Ten percent harder, but that was still one time more then he would typically be punished.

"You… do know I was born and raised right here, right Naruto?" Chiba spoke, but Naruto would not believe his honeyed words. It was a lure. Many times had Naruto asked to be tutored by them, Chunins that they were. Each and every time, they would deny him. What kind of loyal, village-loving nin could refuse that request of their future Hokage?

"Umm, I've told you, I can't train you cause I'm actually just a recently-promoted Chunin..." reasoned, pointing at his teammate. "Hell, Konishi didn't even pass the exam!"

Konishi gave Naruto a dry glare. "You do know that you've been speaking out loud, right?"

Well, that explained why they could understand his inner monologue. No Genjutsu necessary! Maybe he shouldn't have nicked those hidden special cookies from the stall…

"Anyways, that's beside the point. The Hokage has told us to keep you out of trouble. Being recent hires, if we fail a mission this simple, what hope do we have of advancing in rank?" Konishi complained while Chiba nodded sagely.

"Listen to him, kid. He knows a thing-or-two about failing to advance."

Konishi glared at Chiba. "Oh yeah? Well, I don't have a fancy-schmancy clan skill to my name."

Chiba shrugged. "Hey, don't blame me for your 'humble' beginnings. Ain't my fault you decided not to get into your family business."

The two ninjas continued to engage in their well-practiced verbal routine, something Naruto learned to tune out with practice. This time though, Naruto had already found something exciting, something he hadn't heard of before. Sure, he knew about clans. You couldn't really live in Konoha and not. The fact that clans had super-secret skills...that came as a surprise.

"Clan skills? Oh! That sounds super cool! Do I have one?" Naruto asked, and the ninjas put a quick end to their fight, which at this point had gotten pretty physical.

"Yeah, about that, kid. I always meant to ask you something." The two ninja brushed themselves off and straightened their jackets, "Why in the name of all that's holy do you call yourself an Uzumaki?!" Chiba asked while Konishi tried to hold back a laugh.

Naruto was confused. "Huh? You got a problem with my name? It's my name; it's always been my name!"

Konishi shrugged, "Well, there aren't many Uzumakis around anymore. They kinda all went down with their homeland. We do know how they look, though. They all had hair as red as blood, and a propensity for the sealing arts like no other clan we know of."

"Sealing arts?" Naruto asked. That's all he gained from Konishi's info-dump, and the only thing he really cared about. It sounded super-ninja cool.

Chiba nodded and brought out a scroll from his waist-pouch. He rubbed his thumb over it, and it disappeared into a puff of smoke. When the smoke dispersed, there was a kunai on top of the scroll. "Fuinjutsu, the art of sealing. It's one of the hardest skills for a ninja to master, so most just leave it to the experts… or really old people. It doesn't have much use in combat. You can count all the useful combat seals on one hand."

Konishi slapped his partner on the back of the head, "Don't let Jiraiya hear that you idiot! Just because you suck at seals doesn't mean they're shit!"

Naruto didn't hear a word of that. His concentration hadn't left the kunai since it had appeared. Taking out a weapon from a piece of paper? That sounded like a cool skill to have!

"Teach me seals! I want to learn how to make weapons from paper too!" Naruto pointed imperiously at the duo.

Konishi palmed his face in disappointment. "I… don't even want to explain why that is so wrong. Anyways, didn't you hear Chiba? Sealing is practically useless in battle. Unless you're some sort of prodigy like the Fourth Hokage or dedicate your life to it like Jiraiya, all you'll ever use it for is carrying stuff around."

"Or blowing stuff up." Chiba helpfully supplied.

Wait, so these papers could summon weapons and blow stuff up?! Now Naruto had gained a gleam in his eyes, one that unsettled the two nin quite significantly.

Konishi slapped his partner again, "You moron! The one thing he doesn't need to know!"

"TEACH MEEEEE!" Naruto yelled, surprising the two ninjas. At this point, they knew that Naruto wasn't going to give up. They'd dealt with the brat long enough to know how stubborn he could be. Thankfully, Konishi had a plan.

"Alright, fine. We'll teach you, but on one condition." Naruto nodded eagerly, ready for anything. Konishi pulled out a book from one of his vest pockets and handed it to Naruto. The book itself was unremarkable, covered in cheap animal skins and featuring yellowed pages. "If you can master the seal on the… uh... fifth page of this book, I'll teach you everything I know. Deal?"

Naruto took the book and looked at it with wonderment. He opened the book and noticed that it was handwritten. He had never seen a book like this in his life! He had never read a book in his life either, and that brought him to his next problem.

"Um, I don't know how to read…" Naruto grumbled. Konishi smirked, this was much too easy! Both him and Chiba had tried to make sense of the garbage in the book but had no success. They didn't expect Naruto to make sense of it anyway, but the fact that he couldn't even read it was just icing on the proverbial cake.

"Not my problem kiddo. Do we have a deal?" He asked one more time. Naruto looked at the book, then at Konishi, then back at the book, then at Chiba. Finally, he nodded.

"Deal! I'll read this book, master this seal thingie, then you'll have to train me!"

Konishi nodded. "I'll look forward to it. Now, be a good boy and try not to cause trouble for us. Now, run along!"

As Naruto ran off towards what Konishi presumed to be the local library, Chiba gives his partner a mischievous smile. "You're a genius, Konishi! Naruto's going to be dead-set on getting that seal mastered. He won't have time to do more pranks!"

Konishi nodded. "Well, it isn't like it took much to get him out of our hair. Plus, that book was worthless to me. Kami knows why I picked it up when I did...or think of this before."

Chiba shrugged, "Who cares? Let's go have some dango to celebrate our bright, prank free future!"

Konishi nodded. Sure, giving someone with no chakra-control training a book about seals wasn't the brightest idea, but the two of them had been fairly sure it was just the scrawlings of a madman at this point rather than something actually worthwhile.

Plus, even if Naruto did mess up somehow, what damage would someone with the chakra-reserves of a child even be able to do?

...right?

Sou Musu was apathetic about her lot in life. Sure, she was the assigned librarian for the Konoha public library. Sure, she had to deal with idiotic civilians and children day in and out. But, at least she didn't have to worry about dismemberment...and it was usually quie-

"Hey! Do you have any books I can read about reading?"

What.

It took her a good second to register what she had just heard, and another good second to bend down and actually catch a glimpse of the kid on the other side of her table. Naruto Uzumaki, the prankster himself, in her sacred house of learning and boredom?

Must be an illusion. Could just be her ex messing with her, sending in a henge'd clone. She could reach across the table and punch him, or she could fling a kunai at him and leave him with some bittersweet memories.

Or, she could just ignore him. Yeah, that sounded good.

"Umm, miss? Are you one of... those... people?"

Sou tried her best to ignore the energetic henge. She had no clue that her ex was into method-acting, but his clone certainly did put up a very believable act. Still, she wasn't falling for it.

"Hey! Is anyone else in here? The lady at the desk is deaf!"

That brought her feigned ignorance to a screeching stop. How dare this kid call her deaf? She wasn't even considering the fact that this kid could - in fact - be the real Naruto. Why would that kid ever come to a library, after all?

"I hear you, brat, what the hell do you want?" Sou growled, mustering all the icy-cold contempt she could into her voice. Her face morphed into what her academy-friends once lovingly called 'the ultimate resting-bitch face.' If this didn't get her anger through to her prank-loving ex, nothing would.

"Umm, I want a book about reading!" The kid answered, and Sou finally realized what was going on. No, this wasn't a clone. This was the genuine fucking article, in the flesh, standing in a library.

Hence, her anger dissipated, and her boredom returned full-force.

"Yeah, we don't have those here. Try the academy library." She answered, returning to her newspaper. She ran through her words once in her mind and realized one vital fact that she had forgotten entirely. It was too early in the day for any kids to be in the library. It was a weekday, else why'd she be working? That meant that school was on.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Naruto?"

The kid's skin paled. He ruffled the back of his head, nervous about being caught. "Y-yeah! Class let off early today! Sensei was sick!"

Sou gave Naruto another disinterested gaze. "Oh, is that so? Well, I'll just give your sensei a call, then. He'd be more than glad to recommend you a book about reading."

Naruto slowly and hesitantly started to backpedal out of the building. "Umm, no! I'll just go and get the book myself! Thank you for your help miss!" with that, Naruto turned on his heels and ran out of the library like a man possessed. As the sound of his footsteps petered out, Sou allowed herself a light chuckle.

"Too fucking easy." She reclined back, "Ah~ Silence~."

Naruto finally got enough paper and some crayons together. If he couldn't read the pages, then he could just copy it right? If those two ninjas couldn't do sealing, then there is no way they could tell he only copied it! He nodded to himself, it couldn't fail.

Of course, there was a fatal flaw in his reasoning, but there wasn't anyone around to tell him that… he wouldn't have listened anyway.

He got everything placed on his table, and some instant ramen cooking as a reward once he finished copying from the book. "Okay, so the seal thing on page uh…" Shit! He didn't know! Naruto frowned, he was never going to get that training now.

But…'How would they know the difference? I'll just pick uh…' He flipped through the pages for a seal that looked like the 'coolest.' "This one!" He shouted, pointing at an overly complex depiction of what could be described as a Gordian Knot tangoing with a Celtic Knot drawn by an over-enthusiastic artist going through an 'Abstract' phase. Even if he forgot to do what they told him, there was no way they wouldn't be impressed by him mastering this!

Sticking out a tongue and grabbing a crayon he 'Carefully' copied the page as accurate as a six-year-old with a dull crayon who barely writes could. What he ended up with could give the most 'interpretive' of art critics a brain aneurysm. He held it up and gave it a critical eye, "Perfect!"

Somehow, he believed it would work.

It didn't.

Naruto frowned, his ramen ended up burned, and the seal didn't work. This might take more time than he thought.

He eyed the stack of paper he gathered, he...might need more. That was a problem for another time, thankfully. Hence, another brick of instant ramen found its way into boiling water, and another paper took the burden of Naruto's determination-fuelled artwork.

This was definitely going to take some time.

"Gaaaaahhh! Why isn't it working?" Naruto was practically pulling his hair out now.

It was three in the morning, and Naruto had spent almost all day either drawing seals or cooking ramen. Sometimes, combining the two into a rather messy singular activity. He had learned the hard way that ramen seasoning and paper don't mix.

Paper was his problem, specifically the lack of it. He'd run out of paper with the last seal he'd drawn, so this one was sketched into the back of the paper used for one of his earlier attempts. This seal… this seal was special. It was the closest he could get to faithfully reproducing the design in the book. He had to admit now after so long, it looked like dog shit, but from a more art-minded dog… like a poodle.

Still, it refused to work. Why!?

Naruto grit his teeth. Maybe, just maybe, he was doing something wrong. Maybe he was missing a step? Maybe the seal in the book was just wrong, to begin with? He couldn't know for sure. It couldn't be his fault, as this copy of the seal had to be his best yet. In the end, it didn't matter, because his anger was rising slowly, like water behind a dam.

A dam that was this close to breaking.

His rage, fueled by the tireless effort he put forth and all the emphasis a child his age would put on it caused Naruto to punch his hand into the seal, and by proxy, the ground. He regretted his decision seconds later when he felt his skin tear over his knuckles. He yelled out and cradled his injured hand with his other. Drops of his blood peppered the paper in front of him, ruining his hard work.

First, he tried hard, and the seal wouldn't work! Now, his hand was bleeding! The anger rose again, and this time, it didn't rise alone.

Unconsciously, dark crimson wisps of malignant energy begun to coat his body as pain racked his mind. He put his bleeding hand down to steady himself, and that was his mistake.

He put his bleeding, energy-coated hand down on the seal that he had just finished, and the scribbles on the paper began to glow… on both sides. If there was a seal master nearby, he'd take this time to lecture Naruto on the subtleties of seal-layering and complexities the process entailed. Or he would take one look at the ominously glowing seal that was overlapped by another ominously glowing seal on the other side… and run like his life depended on it. Which - in this theoretical case - it would.

Sadly, there wasn't one, and Naruto wouldn't ever meet one either.

Rays of light shot out of the paper and forced Naruto to cover his eyes. He tried to stop whatever was happening, Kami knows he tried, but there was only so much a six-year-old cum inexperienced seal master could do, and things had already been set into motion. Wind erupted around him as the light began to intensify. Naruto yelled, but his words were lost in the noise the paper was now emitting.

With a noise like a hundred people saying the word 'Wop,' the light disappeared, taking Naruto with it.

Never to be seen in Konoha again.

The ANBU that was on watch sat there stunned, never having the chance to interfere. He made the better decision of valor and fled the village. The incident wouldn't be discovered for many hours when his replacement watch would come to relieve him.

He was stumped. No amount of huntsman training could have prepared him for this.

Taiyang had - like every other graduated huntsman - four years in a highly reputable academy. They'd been rigorously trained for every possible scenario they could possibly face, including evacuation procedures for entire metropolitans. Yet, currently, his situation wasn't one any amount of schooling could prepare him for.

Imagine being out-and-about, getting one's daily training in the woods around Patch. Imagine hearing a sound eerily similar to a hundred people saying the word 'Wop' at the same time. Imagine tracing down said sound and finding a child that looked almost exactly like you did when you were a kid. Now, imagine that situation to be real, yeah... that.

So, Taiyang did what every huntsman was taught to do when faced with the unknown… Consult the one member of your team you believe gives the lowest amount of fucks, for they will have the answer.

Hence, he phoned up Qrow, already dreading the confrontation.

"I swear, Tai, if you've called me in for babysitting duty, I'm going to kill you," Qrow growled as he burst through the door. Unlike Taiyang, Qrow never had an interest in settling down, having a family. He was a huntsman through and through, and like any huntsman worth his name, he noticed the… anomaly… in the room straight away.

The anomaly being the child who looked almost exactly like Taiyang once did...

"... who did you fuck this time?" Qrow asked, weary indignation dulling his eyes as Tai sputtered. He took one more look at the kid. There were no physical injuries on the kid himself, but his right hand was caked in dried blood. The child had no features that could give him a clue as to where he came from, except his striking similarities to Taiyang. "He looks older than the other two kiddos. Who'd you fuck when you were back home, huh? Can't control your dick?."

Taiyang scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, about that. I know you think I'm a womanizer and all, but I'm honestly not kidding when I say that this isn't my kid. I was dating Raven back then, do you honestly think I had the guts or strength to cheat on her?"

Qrow was reminded of his childhood with his dearest sister, and the answer was obvious. "Fair point," Qrow nodded, "plus you're too bad a liar to have kept it hidden this long." He moved the child's head on the pillow, noticing that his face had whisker marks, as opposed to proper whiskers, which wouldn't be odd on a Faunus child. Maybe he had some form of Faunus ancestry? God knows pretty much everyone on Remnant did.

"Plus, he speaks in a language I cannot understand, and I like to consider myself an authority on languages."

Qrow raised his brow, "Tai, there is like...two...three? Four languages tops. And everyone only really speaks one these days."

Tai shook his head. "Yeah, and the one he speaks is unlike any of them or any other that I know."

Qrow grunted. "Yeah, so, you found a kid that looks like you. So either you time traveled, came from an alternate reality, or you had another kid that you never knew about." Qrow delivered a dull glare, "Why'd you think calling me was a good idea?"

Taiyang shrugged. "I dunno. I thought you'd know what to do, considering Summer always asked you for advice when we got stuck."

Qrow groaned. " Yes. Stuck. Killing Grimm. Not playing 'Who's your Mommy.'" He sighed, "We were on the same team for four years, Tai. In four years, you were unable to understand the fact that I've only ever provided Summer with one singular piece of advice when it came to anything else."

Taiyang shrugged. "What would that be?"

"Take it to Ozpin, duh."

They both let that hang in the air. Taiyang coughed into his hand, "So...you still showed up when you thought it was going to be babysitting?"

Qrow pinched his nose, "I'm not dealing with this right now." And walked into Tai's room. A soft whoomph followed.

Tai's eyes widened, "He-hey! Not the bed! You are covered in dirt! I just washed the sheets! Damnit, Qrow!"

"Your wifely duties are much appreciated." Came the muffled response.

Ozpin was a busy man.

To arrange a meeting with the much-renowned headmaster of Beacon Academy, one would have to register an appointment with the academy's PR unit(Glynda) three months in advance. As the date for the meeting would draw closer, it would be delayed by another month every single time(by Glynda). The Headmaster would then make the visitors wait a good eight hours in the academy reception (with Glynda) for no real reason at all. Only then would the person in question get to meet Ozpin (while Glynda hung around).

It was an easy way to make sure that only people in dire need would ever truly make an effort to personally reach out to him (Glynda). So when two of his most well-known and trusted students (Other than Glynda) called him in, citing an emergency, he only took a week and a half to respond (Personally).

Only a week and a half. (Thank Glynda)

He sipped some coffee, this better not be another 'Who's the Mommy' incident. Peter would be insufferable.

"So, umm, we found a kid…"

Ozpin was not a very lucky man. Somewhere in Vale, Glynda smiled.

He sipped some more coffee. It wasn't terrific. Just like this situation.

Taiyang and Qrow both waited for Ozpin's reaction, "Tai, I am...disappointed in you."

Whatever they were expecting, that was not it.

He looked to Qrow, "Do we know who the mother is?"

Tai sputtered, again, " I-I! HE IS NOT MINE!"

Taiyang was not a very lucky man either… in the eyes of some. Apparently, he was an incredibly unlucky guy today, because this was the exact moment when four-year-old Yang succeeds in teaching the next word to Naruto.

"Daddy!" chorused the two kids, as Yang looked at Tai, Naruto's gaze following her's.

Ozpin merely looked at Taiyang with his eyebrow raised as he took another sip of Tai's horribly-made coffee.

Tai's only repose was to place his head in his hands.

Naruto was a lucky boy.

"He gets on pretty well with little Yang, doesn't he?" Ozpin commented. It was obvious to see that both Ruby and Yang felt pretty comfortable around Naruto. Sure, he didn't understand their language, but that didn't stop him from being a sweet friend to the girls.

Taiyang pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's… an extremely independent child. Makes his own meals...or tries to at least, does all his chores himself or at least the ones I can explain with miming, and I've caught him trying to help with both Yang and Ruby too. He's a more effective babysitter than Qrow sometimes if I'm, to be honest."

Qrow growled. "You take that back, I'm an excellent babysitter." A petulant frown graced his face in the most unflattering way. To see a grown-ass hunter of all things malicious to humanity make such a childish expression filled Tai with amusement.

Something he'd missed, ever since Summer's disappearance.

Ozpin nodded. "Well, that settles it. He's actually good at caring for himself, so his chances of being your offspring are slim, even if his looks state otherwise."

Taiyang huffed in relief. "Finally! Someone sees the tru-" It was then that the meaning behind Ozpin's words hit him. "Wait, are you implying that I can't take care of myself?"

Ozpin looked at the kitchen. The dishes piled in the sink. Then turned his head to look at the laundry basket that only made it halfway to the laundry room. Then, he turned back to Tai, "Yes."

Sip.

"... Fuck you, Ozpin."

Ozpin sipped his coffee once again.

"Still, the main issue isn't whether or not the kid's related to you. The main issue is where do we go from here?" Ozpin spoke, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "I can help get him records, but he's too young to join Beacon, even by my standards."

Taiyang snarled, "You… you're suggesting putting him in an orphanage, aren't you?"

Ozpin shrugged. "I can't think of anything else, really. When he's ten, I can get him enrolled in Signal so you and Qrow can keep a closer eye on him."

Taiyang shook his head. "Oz, this kid...I've barely been with him for a week and a half, and I can already tell that he's never had a family. He doesn't need to speak my language to tell me that much."

"He will have a family at the orphanage. He'll have as many siblings as he could ask for." Ozpin countered, and Tai's snarl deepened.

"A family of others like him, kids of huntsmen and civilians who will grow up hating the system that let their parents die. Remind me again how many of these kids get into crime?"

Ozpin was silent, and that silence was all the answer Tai needed. Qrow - on the other hand - was not convinced.

"So, what's your idea then? You gonna adopt the kid when you can barely care for your own?" Qrow countered, and he fully expected Tai to get angry, which is why he was surprised when Tai's snarl turned into a determined grin.

An expression he knew all too well.

"See, now that's what I've been thinking. Naruto's a natural at keeping the kids entertained. He's used to household chores to some extent, and unlike a certain drunkard, is also useful to have around." With every word Tai spoke, his plan became more evident to both Ozpin and Qrow, and they did not like it. There was something in the way Taiyang explained it, though, that caught their eye. This wasn't the defeated Taiyang left behind in Summer's wake. No, this was Taiyang Xiao Long, pro-Huntsman and loving father.

Not even two weeks and the kid had already managed to get the oaf out of his depressive slump.

"So, you plan to adopt Naruto, do you?" Ozpin asked, and Taiyang nodded. "Very well then, grab a jacket, and we'll go to my office and get the paperwork out of the way."

With nary a word, Taiyang shot out of the living room, leaving Qrow and Ozpin alone with the kids. With Tai gone, Qrow gave Ozpin a questioning look. "You… gave in pretty easily. Why?"

Ozpin smiled as he gulped down the remainder of his coffee. "You saw what I saw, Qrow. The child got Taiyang moving again. He did in a few days what we haven't accomplished in months."

"As the saying goes: Time mends all wounds." Ozpin glanced at Naruto miming something to Yang and Ruby, "People can make that time pass faster."

"So, today's the day, huh?"

Taiyang and Naruto sat in the living room of their house in Patch. Two years was all it took for him to catch up on all things Remnant. As the child that he was, his memories of Konoha were already like a distant fever-dream to him. Why wouldn't they be? Here in Patch, he had a loving father, an eccentric uncle and two amazing sisters and today, he would finally take the first step towards his new dream.

"Yes! I'll become the best huntsman in the world!" Naruto spoke, giving Tai his patented 'thumbs up' pose. Tai gave him a kind smile as he ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Now listen here, Naruto Xiao Long. Aura is as much of a curse as a gift. It will protect you, make your stronger, keep you warm when the world becomes hostile." He spoke, his features hardening ever-so-slightly. "But it will also make you a target. It will make your life harder. You'll become a vanguard for mankind, and it will be your job to keep the darkness at bay."

"Knowing all this, do you still wish to have your Aura unlocked?" He finished and was instantly answered by Naruto's enthusiastic smile.

"Well then, we have an accord," Taiyang spoke, placing his palm on Naruto's head. He remembered the words perfectly, every person who had his or her aura unlocked always did.

Taiyang then said the words that his father had told him when he chose the path of the Huntsman:

"I name thee: a bulwark against the dark. A torch that guides. From humble beginnings, we forge the path for others to follow. Unafraid of death, we fight to protect. By my words and my action, I lift thee upon the shoulders of the giants past, so you too can become a shoulder for the future."

Nothing happened. Naruto stood there as Taiyang's expressions went from confusion to thoughtfulness to understanding and then to acceptance.

"Now, that wasn't something I was expecting, really. I must say, I've never seen something like this in my life." Taiyang murmured, confusing Naruto.

"Is everything okay, dad?" He asked, reasonably hesitant. Aura was supposed to make him stronger, but he didn't feel any different.

Taiyang shook his head. "The ritual happened as well as I could have hoped, but the result was… wrong. Your aura feels like it has already been unlocked, yet it feels… different. It doesn't flow like aura is supposed to. It's solid, almost completely so." He looked at Naruto and tried again, this time trying to merely inject his own aura into Naruto's body. Again, nothing happened.

"Yet, your aura is definitely there. It sticks to mine, almost like glue."

Naruto's smile dropped. "Wait, so I can't get Aura?" His fear was confirmed almost immediately as Taiyang shook his head.

"No, you can't get something you already have. We'll visit an aura specialist next week, but I'm not going to lie to you, I don't expect them to say anything different." He answered, and realized that it wasn't the answer Naruto was looking for. Thankfully, Naruto was anything but not tenacious.

"So, does this mean I can never become a huntsman?" Naruto asked, his lips quivering as he held on to one last bastion of hope. Taiyang wanted to tell him the truth, of course. He tried to tell his son that without aura, the possibility of Naruto surviving the life of a huntsman was next-to-none, but he couldn't. A small lie here would go a long way, so he did exactly that.

He lied.

"No, Naruto. You can always become a Huntsman! You'll just have to train twice as hard!" He lied and did so with a simple rationale. No matter what walk of life, Naruto chose, having combat experience would never be unwanted. When he'd grow up, he would realize the truth behind the simple lie and would understand why Taiyang made it.

What Taiyang didn't expect was for Naruto to thank him with a small hug and run off to train…

But..he did have Aura, it was just different. So was it really a lie?

The jungles surrounding the quaint island-town of Patch weren't really home to many Grimm. The fact that most of the residents of said town were Huntsmen - both active and retired - really helped keep it that way. Sure, the odd oceanic monstrosity did land ashore every once in a while, but hunting it down was generally trivial when over thirty pro-huntsmen got the job.

The place where Taiyang did his morning training was located in these very woods, not very far from the cottage. It was a simple clearing, made by Taiyang himself. As Naruto was a morning person - unlike his sisters - he would watch as his father trained early every morning. Hence, he knew exactly what exercises to do, and how to do them.

Sadly, he wasn't Taiyang: his body wasn't jacked like Taiyang's, and he didn't have the same level of discipline as Taiyang.

Which explained why he lay spread-eagled on the ground, staring at the sky. Training was a lot harder than Dad made it look, but Naruto couldn't deny that it was fun. Every punch he threw made him feel exhilarated, every kick he launched made him feel more alive, and every time he slipped and fell, he felt like a damn idiot.

Still, self-betterment was a process, and he was already handicapped.

"I'm finally getting the hang of this!" Naruto yelled out loud as he was able to follow the forms his father practiced every morning, even though they were kind-of butchered in execution. Given enough time, water, love, and caring, this had the potential of blooming into a new style of combat, all made by Naruto himself, or at least, that what he told himself.

So lost was he in his thoughts that Naruto didn't notice the young Beowolf when it initially ran into the clearing. It wasn't till the Grimm growled at him that he realized that he was - in fact - thoroughly fucked.

To give Naruto due credit, he actually managed to avoid the Beowolf's first lunge. It wasn't an intentional dodge, mind you. Naruto naturally panicked and tripped, allowing to Beowulf to pass through thin air. He scrambled up quickly as the Beowolf turned around, menacingly moving to attack again.

Naruto knew he couldn't survive long. Age-old fight-or-flight instincts informed him that he wouldn't be able to escape either. The Beowolf was lanky and robust, and the forest was its ally. If Naruto turned and ran, the creature of Grimm would be on him in seconds.

The only option was to fight, and with only his sticky/solid aura, the mere idea of that, more or less, was suicidal. Sadly, it was his only option, so he settled into something that half-resembled a combat stance.

This time, when the Beowolf lunged, he rolled.

He was rewarded for his efforts as the Beowolf lost sight of Naruto. He took this chance to sweep the Beowolf's legs out from under him, but it was a mistake. The Grimm's legs were the width of his body, and kicking them only resulted in a dull ache in Naruto's own right shin.

He needed more power, he needed his aura if he was to get away from this alive. Father had told him that his Aura was definitely unlocked, but felt sticky, unlike an average person's Aura. So, if he could grasp it, he could pull it out. Before the Beowolf could regain his bearings, Naruto reached out with his mind, deep into his body, looking for his unique aura.

Unknown to him, he had forced both mind and body to mix.

What came forth was anything but Aura. It was corona of blue, for one, and it didn't feel much like a protective shield like father said it would. It did provide warmth, but not a feeling of security. This… power... he could feel it provide what he wanted.

Raw, unadulterated strength.

Visions of the past ran through his head. He'd seen such a power before. He'd seen the ninja in his old home use something very similar. He didn't remember it's application, he didn't know enough about it to truly understand it, but he knew its name.

"Chakra."

This time when the Beowolf lunged, he felt less like a black blur and more like an easily matched opponent. Naruto was able to sidestep its lunge and plant his right fist directly into its jaw.

It gave way instantly.

Naruto's fist eviscerated the Beowolf's head, it didn't just crush its jaw, it fragmented his entire upper body. Sadly, that wasn't the only thing it fragmented.

"Aaaaagh!" Naruto yelled as he felt his right arm collapse, his muscles torn at the sudden exertion and his bones snapped unable to handle the pressure. The pain racked his mind, and the terror drew other Grimm to the clearing. Subconsciously he pulled on his Chakra, wanting nothing more than the pain to stop...for his arm to be healed.

Something chained deep inside him answered his plea.

It didn't come out as smoothly as his chakra had, neither was it blue and warm. It was red, deep crimson. It felt far more sinister and wasn't quite as ethereal as his own chakra. Most importantly, it felt foreign, like Naruto was drawing from a source that wasn't his own.

Most of all, it was agonizing. The Crimson power ran hot through his body like he had jumped into an open fire, yet healing him as fast as it hurt him in an unending cycle.

It was like a pain one couldn't get rid of, but the power that came with it was exhilarating.

This time, the Grimm looked like they were moving in slow motion. Another punch landed, and another grim was utterly demolished. His fist shattered on contact, but healed almost instantly, only to be lodged into an Ursa's gullet, leaving a hole as wide as a tree-trunk. Naruto moved through the Grimm, and they fell like flies.

He felt invincible. The power ran through his system like a drug, making him want nothing more than to beat down his enemies in front of him.

It was at the ninth Grimm - another Beowolf - that his body finally gave way.

The red chakra disappeared within a second, leaving his body feeling leaden yet again. This time, though, he didn't even have the energy to stand up. He fell to his knees, and his face hit the ground. From his position, he couldn't see the Beowolf, only hear it's rasping snarl as it moved in for the kill. He braced for the hit.

The hit never came.

He heard a pained snarl first, then another, then a whimper that sounded like a death rattle. Within seconds, the clearing was silent again, and Naruto felt a hand grab the back of his neck and set him upright. Finally able to see, his eyes met eyes just as blue as his own.

"Daddy…" Naruto whimpered. Taiyang stood in front of him, his gauntleted hands smeared in the black blood of the Grimm held Naruto's face gingerly.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. I should have realized that Grim had breached our walls. I let you get in danger. I'm so sorry."

Taiyang hugged Naruto, who was completely confused. He couldn't - for the life of him - figure out how any of this was his father's fault. Young Grimm got into the township every now-and-then. Why'd his father blame himself for it?

"Dad, why're you sorry? It was a coincidence! Plus, Grimm are attracted to sad and bad things!" Naruto pulled away from the hug and gave his father a smile, letting him know that he didn't blame him.

"Sad and bad things, huh? That's an interesting way for your aura to manifest." Taiyang spoke, a strained smile on his face. Again, Naruto was confused by Taiyang's words, until he was able to put two-and-two together.

"Wait, dad. Are you saying that the Grimm were attracted to my Chakra?" He asked. Taiyang shook his head.

"Well, I saw you manifest this… 'chakra' for the first Beowolf." He answered, letting Naruto know that he'd actually been there all along. "It was calm, serene. Sure, it felt volatile, unlike aura, but similar in many aspects. What I'm talking about, Naruto is that red… shell… you manifested when you got injured."

Naruto nodded. "I don't know where that power came from, daddy. It came from inside me… but not from me…"

Taiyang rose an eyebrow. Two sources of energy in the same body, each that felt like a complete opposition of the other. He had heard of people with multiple personalities developing similar but different Semblances but this... What exactly was this 'Chakra,' though? By the confused look on Naruto's face, Tai could already tell that he wouldn't be getting any answers from the confused boy.

The power itself was fascinating. Naruto had expelled that power from his body explosively, and the kind of strength it provided him beggared belief. Sadly, it was too volatile - unlike aura - and Naruto's body would need a lot more conditioning to make good use of it. Even the red energy could be useful if Naruto learned how to keep its negativity amplification in check.

It had - after all - helped an eight-year-old kid with no combat experience cut right through a horde of Grimm. It would be a shame to let such potential go to waste.

"Well then, Naruto. Let's get you to bed." Taiyang spoke as he picked up his eldest child. Naruto groaned. Of course, he would. It was six in the evening, and even though he was physically exhausted, he was still a kid. Of course, he would want to stay awake and play until the last minute he could.

"No arguing, Naruto. Tomorrow, we're going to train before you go to school!" Taiyang promised, and Naruto's grumbling stopped immediately, replaced by curiosity.

"I'm going to be training with you, daddy?" he asked, and Taiyang nodded. There was no time to be lost. Naruto's power was great, but it lacked a defensive component. Before Naruto went off to a huntsman academy, he would have to train.

And train. And train. And train. With that powerful healing and strength it granted him, the only thing holding him back was how long he could use it for. Taiyang was going to try his damndest to see his son running laps around him by the time he was done with him.

Taiyang frowned, it was happening again. The training with Naruto had done him good, and he proved to be a good and scaling opponent for the girls. He looked over the spar again to confirm his fears, yep, it was happening again.

To help Naruto train his endurance and to support the girls by balancing the scales and make them work on their teamwork, he would have them double team against Naruto. It worked...until Naruto got used to the girls and then all three would plateau as Naruto would just eventually outlast them.

He sighed, it was a never-ending cycle over these past four years. Ruby and Yang would try something new and take Naruto by surprise. With each spar, Naruto would get better at countering the new plan. Then it would be back to square one, where Ruby and Yang cover each other too well but Naruto knows all their moves.

Unstoppable force, immovable object.

"You have to-" Naruto ducked under Yang's kick "-try harder-" A sidestep took him out of Ruby's trajectory. "-than that." A kick was launched, posted and delivered into Yang's abdomen, sending her crashing into her dear younger sister.

"If you plan to take me." He finished, gloating as his sisters scrambled to their feet. He was bruised and battered, sure, and his sisters looked positively immaculate. To the casual observer, he'd look like the fighter on the losing side, but for someone experienced - like Taiyang - things appeared differently.

Ruby and Yang were running on the fumes of their Aura, while Naruto still had a good twenty minutes of high activity left. While Naruto was susceptible to injury, he healed at a rate that made medics redundant. Sure, every spar meant that Naruto was pretty much putting his life on the line, but that was the core of a huntsman's life in general and the path he chose to walk.

In Taiyang's mind, it was a lesson Naruto learned quick.

However, now it was obvious that Ruby and Yang had something up their sleeves. Today had been a rather remarkable spar. Never had Taiyang seen Yang willingly take so many hits while making sure Ruby took as little as possible. Generally, it was the faster Ruby running interference while Yang scouted for openings.

His conjecture was proven correct when the two girls winked at each other, and Ruby hunched over like a greyhound, ready to lunge at Naruto.

"Going all out, huh Ruby?" Naruto moved into a defensive position, eyes trained completely on Ruby. What was her game here? She was a fast little scamp, sure, but Naruto had already proven to be faster when needed. There was no way a reckless charge would go unpunished. Naruto spaced out his feet, ready to sidestep and counter.

He didn't even see Ruby move.

A literal flesh, bone and rose-petal missile slammed into his chest. At this speed, had Ruby been any larger than she was, she'd have broken something. Naruto was able to pivot just enough for the Ruby-missile to not carry him off. It was then that he realized that he'd momentarily lost vision of Yang.

That was never a good sign.

"Looking for me?" Yang's voice was too loud, too close for comfort. When he finally faced his sister, he saw something extremely different. It looked like her entire body was on fire. The smile on her face made it very clear that she felt no pain.

The fist closing in on Naruto's jaw promised that he would definitely feel pain.

The fist's impact could be likened to being struck by a cannonball. A hundred-pound cannonball, shot from a rail-gun, at point-blank range. Naruto didn't fall, he flew. He felt his Jaw shatter, followed by his shoulder-blades as he crashed through a tree. He didn't stop there as his body bounced off the ground and finally crashed into a much larger, older tree.

As he passed out of consciousness, the last thing he was was his family running towards him.

It took Naruto a full week to recover.

A full week, for someone who had a natural healing factor that could give self-healing semblances a run for their money. Thirty broken, cracked, or fractured bones, a jaw that looked like shards of broken glass and pulverized shoulders. Thankfully, with a light application of the Crimson Chakra, his healing not only sped up but also seemed to come with a guidebook for the body when it came to putting his bones back together. Which also hurt an unbelievable amount as the bones shifted in his body, causing new internal wounds. Yay.

Taiyang had been furious about the whole ordeal. Not only had the girls hidden their semblances from them, but they had also decided - in their infinite wisdom - to train them in absolute secrecy. The result had ended up giving Naruto injuries that would normally signify the end of a huntsman's career.

Yang and Ruby were horrified. Sure their older brother seemed to bruise, cut, and scrape like he didn't have Aura shielding, but he had always recovered super fast. Never before had he taken so long to heal, 'and never before did I hurt big Brother so badly' Yang thought glumly. It had taken Tai the whole week Naruto was recovering, especially near the end where he looked no worse for wear, to convince Yang to even think about punching anything again.

Yet, Naruto was stronger for it, if not a bit jealous. He knew he didn't have Aura the same way the rest of his family did, and that no one else had access to this Crimson Chakra of his, but the jealousy was there.

Normally, whenever his cute little sisters unveiled a new tactic he would just go and train harder to counter it...but how do you counter a Semblance that makes you hit harder the more you are hit? How do you counter instant speed? He had a week of doing nothing to think it over. Training harder wouldn't cut it anymore. It was a grudging realization that he came to near the end of his mind-numbing recovery. He couldn't make a mistake like this again in a spar.

What if he died next time?

It was something over the years he had come to terms with. Death. He didn't have a shield to protect him, only his healing...and healing wouldn't matter if his head was crushed or if his heart was destroyed.

He needed to fight smarter…

Naruto glanced down at his healed hand, no sign of the damage that started it all. His Chakra could do things Aura couldn't. Aura could do things Chakra can't...or could it? Dad told him his Chakra still felt somewhat like Aura, just stickier and more solid.

Stickier...Naruto grinned. He knew what to test first.

After making his way to his now quite worn and personalized clearing, Naruto put his foot on a tree. Maybe his Chakra would help him stick to it? So he just...pushes his Chakra into the tree with his feet? With that simple thought and a bit of concentration, the Chakra flowed from his foot into the bark underneath.

The only warning he had that something may have been amiss was the Crack that reverberated through the clearing. It was only seconds later the general area he injected the Chakra into violently exploded, sending him rocketing across the clearing.

With a resounding boom, the tree he had been practicing on crashed to the ground, it's trunk having been reduced to pulp.

Naruto gulped as he got up. The explosion - for all its severity - had barely scuffed him. This was the byproduct of pumping too much chakra into his legs. As his chakra had gone through into the tree, though, he had felt the 'stickiness' that his father spoke of. So, maybe the entire problem behind his approach was the abundance of chakra?

Convinced that the reason was that simple, Naruto began to try again. If he succeeded, he'd gain an advantage both inside and outside of combat. If he failed, his father wouldn't have to cut trees for a few weeks.

It was a win-win situation, so he'd better get started.

"Alright kids, line up."

Naruto did so. He was super stoked for this class. For one, it was his first class with Uncle Qrow. Secondly, he'd been taken weapon-shopping by father last evening. He got to pick out a weapon for himself. After an hour of browsing, and much helpful advice from Ruby, he had picked up a katana. It wasn't an expensive weapon, but it had been authentically crafted, with its metal being folded a thousand times to guarantee its strength.

"Alright, kids. Welcome to weapons training. Congratulations on picking the Huntsman electives for your course, I hope you signed the waivers that came with." Qrow drawled. It was rare to see his uncle sober, even more so to see him up this early in the morning. A TA then came around to pick up the waivers they were supposed to get their parents to sign.

The TA passed the stack of waivers to Qrow, who put them away without giving them another look. "Good, you kids and your parents have just given me express permission to make your coming four years absolute, living hell. Don't worry, you'll be stronger for it… I guess."

Real reassuring, Uncle Qrow. Sure, Naruto could tell that his uncle was simply trying to gauge their convictions. After all, the premier Huntsmen academies only took the best-of-the-best, and training over a hundred students to get to that level was a technical impossibility.

In the end, only the best would get that coveted letter of recommendation.

Tired of the students mumbling to each other, Qrow slammed his hands on his desk. He was rewarded by instant, pin-drop silence. "So listen up, kids. Treat today's class as a taste-test. If you can't stomach the training I'm going to put you through, I'd consider not showing up next week."

Qrow then got off his desk and walked into the middle of the arena. His weapon looked wicked in his hands. Just to add a sinister effect, he had it transformed into its scythe form. While Naruto didn't respect scythes quite as much as Ruby did, he did have to admit, there were few weapons in this world that looked as intimidating.

"Now, I need a volunteer. Get someone into the arena now, or I'll pick one of you to fight." Qrow sat down on the ground, laying his scythe on his lap. Now, he would wait. In all his years of teaching, never had the class ever produced a 'volunteer.' He couldn't blame them, after all. Not many kids had the guts to face a pro huntsman.

"I'll go!"

But of course, this year was an exception, or at least, his nephew was.

"Alright, Naruto. If that's how you want to play it, I'm game." Qrow spoke as he stood up. He hadn't seen Naruto for the better part of the year, and the kid had grown. He stood at a good 5'7 at the age of fourteen. Tai's training was showing through in the kid's build. If Naruto ever decided that he didn't want to become a Huntsman, he'd have a pretty great career as a male model.

"I've been waiting for this, Uncle Qrow," Naruto spoke as he drew his katana. Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Have you named your weapon yet, Naruto?" He asked. Naruto shook his head.

"I will…" He smirked, "after I beat you." He boasted, his smile brimmed with confidence, and it irritated Qrow immensely.

"We'll see about that," Qrow answered, leveling his Scythe with his body. Naruto gripped his sword with both hands, ready to react. Qrow shot forward with Naruto was ready to intercept.

What he didn't expect was for Qrow's scythe to bisect his katana.

Naruto just stared dumbly at his already destroyed weapon, "Bwuh?"

Qrow relaxed back into a hunch as he turned to the class, "Rule #1 of being a Huntsman: Always make sure your weapon is in proper maintenance and stress tested before you bring it into the field."

At this point, Naruto seemed to have snapped out of his stupor, "Bu-But! One thousand folds!" He just couldn't wrap his head around the sword just being cut in half like a stick of bamboo.

Qrow leveled him an unamused stare, "Typically the one thousand folds is due to poor quality metal being used to make it. You don't block with a katana."

"Oh, okay." Naruto conceded, and started making his way back to the stands. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, so he did. It saved him a deal of injury as Qrow's scythe slammed into the same patch of ground that h was standing on moments ago.

"Rule #2: A fight isn't over until the Grimm has dissipated or your opponent is unconscious," Qrow answered, swinging his scythe again. Naruto dodged it by a hair's breadth, surprising Qrow with his speed. The ground below Naruto exploded as he dodged back, disorienting Qrow and allowing Naruto to gain some distance. This was new, definitely new.

"That's how it's going to be, huh?" Naruto answered, taking a combat pose that Qrow did not recognize. "Well then, that's how we'll play this. Fair warning, though-"

Qrow barely got a tenth of a second to block Naruto as he blurred from his position, blowing up the ground below him as he did. By the time Qrow managed to raise his scythe to guard his face, it was almost too late to block Naruto's fist.

"- even Dad takes me seriously now."

The force behind the blow was much greater than Qrow expected. He was actually flung back by it. By the time he stabilized, Naruto was already in his blind spot. So he decided to do exactly as Naruto asked him to.

He got serious.

Qrow took one step to the side, reading Naruto's blow. The power behind the attack was great, but once launched, it took too long for him to retract his fist. Qrow brought down the flat of his scythe and caught Naruto on the side of the face. The deflection, coupled with Naruto's own momentum, was enough to send the kid veering off.

"You're fast, Naruto, but I'm faster." Qrow boasted. Sure, he didn't have Summer's speed, but he was the second-fastest person on the strongest team to graduate Beacon. He was proud of that fact too.

Naruto stabilized his landing and wiped the blood that trickled from his mouth, "I convinced Dad to let me call my style the Two-Step Goodbye." He smirked, "Wanna see why?"

Qrow narrowed his eyes, that was a cocky name for a fighting style, but if Tai was convinced…"Sure brat, hit me with your best shot."

Naruto readied himself, "One.." and vanished. Truly vanished as far as Qrow was concerned, 'What the-.'

-and reappeared in front of Qrow, his first already driving into Qrow's stomach.

"Two." A bright blue corona of energy exploded from Naruto. Qrow knew what was about to happen and couldn't do a thing to stop it, stuck reeling from the cheap shot.

Naruto's blazing first connected with Qrow face, rocketing him back and through the wall.

Naruto stood there huffing, the classroom silent in both awe and terror, slowly the realization of what just occurred seeped into him. Holding a fist in the air, he cheered, "I Wo-" A cheer which was abruptly cut off as loose ceiling finally gave up and fell right on to his head, knocking him out.

Qrow hobbled back in through the hole, more or less fine with only minor scuffing, to see Naruto sprawled on the floor unconscious with the loose debris next to him. He sighed, "I've been telling them that needed to be fixed for a while now, ah well."

He looked back up to see the class just staring at him, "Class dismissed, see you next time...or not."

As they all filed out of the classroom, he redirected his attention back to his nephew out cold on the floor. "Don't think I didn't see what you did there Naruto. Seems I need to have a talk with Taiyang."

Copying his sisters' semblances? Qrow shook his head, This kid is going to be a monster by the time Beacon rolls around.

Ruby internally Squee'd.

Life could not be better.

It was her first 'official' day at Beacon. She had braved the Emerald Forest, she had brought back a relic, she had been paired with a bratty, yet competent, partner and her sister was on her team too!

Nothing could ruin this day! Nothing at all!

"There's another announcement we have to make," Ozpin spoke from his podium in his lazy drawl-of-a-voice. "Due to the high number of applicants we have accepted this year, we have requisitioned the aid of one of our fourth-year huntsmen to work alongside Miss Glynda Goodwitch, who will be teaching the first and second year's combat classes."

"A fourth year that has been requisitioned by the academy? Must have been an honors student." Weiss commented, listening to Ozpin with rapt attention. For some unknown reason, a pit of despair started to well in Ruby's stomach. A fourth year? She knew a fourth year.

"Part of team ORNJ, the winners of the fortieth Vytal Festival Tournament." Ozpin continued, and the pit in Ruby's stomach continued to grow.

"It can't be him! I mean, I wouldn't mind if it was him… but he's a battle nut! I don't wanna train all day again!" Ruby moaned, much to the surprise of Weiss and Blake.

"He's a fourth year, Ruby, how could training with him be bad for us?" Blake asked, genuinely curious.

"Hey, Blake, can you do more than one thousand push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and twenty miles of dashing just for a warm up?" This time, it was Yang who spoke. Blake and Weiss looked at her and were instantly shocked by how pale she'd suddenly gotten. It almost felt like she's seen a ghost.

"Umm, I don't think any normal human can do that, Yang." Blake countered, vaguely disturbed by the question. Yang shook her head.

"He can, and if he gets his way, you will too." She answered. "I love him to bits, but if he's going to be training us like he did before he went off to Beacon, I think I'm going to die."

"Naruto Xiao Long." Ozpin finished, but no one appeared on the stage.

"Boo."

Team RWBY almost shot out of their seats when the face of a blonde, blue-eyed boy appeared between Ruby and Yang. Before the team could react, the blonde simply disappeared…

...and appeared on the stage with a small scattering wind of green leaves, waving at the gathered first years.

"Nice to meet you all, kiddos. I'm going to make life hell for you. You'd better believe it!" Naruto spoke, with a cheery smile on his face. The majority of the class knew him from his interview at the end of the last Vytal festival, and they mistakenly believed him to be a friendly fellow that they would easily get along with.

Ruby and Yang knew better.

"We're so screwed." Ruby whimpered, even as she smiled.

"Yes, completely fucking screwed." Yang supplied, with the exact same expression on her face.

Blake and Weiss finally made the connection. Yang Xiao Long, Naruto Xiao Long. One of the teachers was officially related to two of the members of their team. This meant they'd get special treatment.

Little did they know, they'd come to dread this 'special treatment' in the months to come.

Naruto just looked at his two oh so loveable sisters and beamed.

PROLOGUE END