Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto, nor RWBY. Both works are the property of their respective owners. This story is a derivative non-commercial piece.

AN: This is my first story, please be gentle. Also special acknowledgment to AdamTobiasGrayson, without whose patience and input this story would not have made it to paper.

Shadows & Dust

For Monty, Austin, and Erin, the brilliant creator of RWBY, and the people that took me to Remnant in the first place…

Legends… stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains. But legends are rooted in truth. Stories and lessons worn away over years like rocks in the surf until all that remains… is Dust, and a shadow of the lesson once learned in the telling.

But mankind, born from Dust, is too young to remember. Living in a hostile world, Man learned through change. For their strength lay not in force, but in ingenuity, and endurance. In time, mankind discovered its salvation, and light remained.

But all lights fade, and as the sun rises so will it set. But there is a time in between, a twilight hour when shadows grow ever longer. Few remember shadows are born from light, sowing distrust and fear. Now is a time of shadows when the world, its rise or fall, will be decided. A time of shadows and Dust…

Naruto's jaw clenched as leaped from the ancient pine, heavy winter cloak billowing around his body. Arm outstretched, a clone arrived at his side, molding chakra to unleash at the masked figure below him.

"Hiding Mole Jutsu!"

"Rasengan!" Ground shattering under the jutsu, the young blonde was near snarling at his evasive opponent. "Quit fooling around!"

"Too slow Naruto..!" The masked man Tobi chattered with glee, surfacing from the earth with a pop.

Naruto spun on his heel, frustration mounting as he threw his clone like a pinwheel at the erratic Akatsuki member, only to see his opponent evade in the most absurd way possible. 'Who IS this guy? I can't seem to land a damn thing!' This fight was taking too long, he needed to catch up to Sasuke! Naruto rushed forward, aiming blow after blow at his adversary before attempting to sweep his legs. Tobi easily jump over the obvious attack, and Naruto grinned. 'Gotcha.' Pulling his knees the blonde twisted into a mule kick, his sandal poised to shatter the gaudy past protecting the ninja's face… Only to watch in horror as his momentum carried him through the body of his opponent.

"Fang Over Fang!"

The sudden force of impact hurdled Naruto farther across the clearing, stopping with an audible crack as his back met the sturdy pine. Whether the sound was Naruto's ribs, or the wood at his back he really couldn't tell. Rising slowly, he could see dust billowing around the familiar twister that was his friend's signature attack.

"Kiba what the hell was that?!" Naruto's eyes bulged, shaking his fist and screaming as his teammate completed his blitz. "You nearly hit me Dog Breath!"

The wolfish boy dusted his leather jacket beneath the heavy cloak, looking up and growling. "Shut up Idiot, you're the one that missed."

"MUTT!"

"CLUTZ"

"GO CHASE YOUR TAIL!"

"GO CRY TO SAKURA!"

Tobi just looked at the two ninja, bewilderment spreading over him. The pair didn't spare as he slowly eased himself away from volatile Leaf shinobi, the pale ninja hound barking between them. If they wanted to slam their heads together and do his job who was he to argue. After all, his mission was to keep them from reaching Sasuke, not beat them. His ears pricked briefly. To either side he could see large hands closing on his position.

'I can't move!' The S-rank criminal panicked, flailing his arms madly as the gigantic fists slammed around his body, oblivious to the narrow shadow stretching from the treeline. "Gah! Ow, is this really necessary? I can't breathe! Owowowowow OWWWW!"

"Shadow Possession complete," a lazy voice droned dryly, three more ninja appearing from the snow covered trees.

Tobi knew them immediately, the same way he knew and anticipated the loud Inuzuka. Akatsuki had extensive data and briefings on all the Leaf clans, courtesy of not one, but two of its members. The disinterested brat, based on his jutsu, could only be a member of the notoriously unmotivated Nara clan. To find him working with a fatty Akimichi was no surprise either, given the well-known Ino-Shika-Cho combination. Indeed the real surprise was the lack of a Yamanaka at all.

But as the team regrouped, it was the fifth and final member that commanded the criminal's attention. This was a proper Jonin, all business and red eye staring as he spoke. "So, you're Madara Uchiha."

If it were possible, the very temperature of the glade dropped even further. A change came across the rogue ninja, suddenly still and a red eye staring back through the mask. A new menacing voice emerged. "Kakashi of the Sharingan, I must say I'm surprised to find the great pretender so far from home. Did that sorry excuse Tsunade really send you all the way out here just for me?"

"We're here for Sasuke, dealing with you is just a bonus."

The ominous chuckle that followed chilled all but Kakashi himself. "Well then it appears you've failed again Kakashi. Not only is Sasuke out of your reach, you've brought me the Akatsuki's greatest prize…" Madara's eye shifted, and everything started to spin and twist towards him.

"Everyone get back!" Kakashi commanded, trying to leap forward as he activated his own ocular jutsu. This was a win or die fight, and Kakashi knew it. But it was too late. Standing between simultaneous space-time techniques, the group of ninja were trapped. Kakashi could feel his hold on the jutsu failing, his chakra couldn't sustain Kamui for long. Kakashi felt spinning as his chakra ran out, a strange pulling sensation, and weightlessness. Then, it was black.

Once Naruto's vision managed to stop spinning, and his stomach was thoroughly vacated, he was finally able to get a bearing on his surroundings. To say he was shocked was akin to saying Pervy Sage was a passable ninja.

The snowy landscape of the Land of Iron was gone, and rather than sharp bite of winter air, everything felt… warm. Finally looking up Naruto found himself surrounded once more by trees, but different from those of the Land of Fire. Every leaf was red. Another cursory look around himself shook Naruto in his bones and his head spun once again. His friends, his whole team, unconscious on the blanket of crimson foliage that covered the forest floor. The young blonde bit his lip. The coppery taste on his tongue confirmed one thing at least, this wasn't genjutsu.

Arms shaking, he managed pushed himself upright, only for his chakra to betray him. While his hands formed the same seals he'd used since the day he put on his headband, it felt… different, wrong somehow. The amount of energy he'd used should have created enough for at least a dozen clones, but there were only four. Regardless they wobbled to their task, nearly popping as they knelt to check his teammates.

While Naruto was no medic, he knew enough to inspect their condition, stable. With the exception of Kakashi-sensei this is. The jonin's skin was deathly pale, and his chest moved just enough to support his vitals. Both were telltale signs of chakra exhaustion, the same way Choji claimed he'd looked after Nagato attacked the village. Doing the only thing they could imagine, all the clones immediately started searching bags for soldier pills. Naruto sat, leaned against the nearest tree as he supervised the remaining clones do their work. Truthfully their condition was no better than his, and proceeded to dispel one by one. Once the soldier pills had been found though, it was a simple matter of crushing them with the ring of a kunai, and mixing them into a canteen.

Dismissing the remaining clones, Naruto could hear his team stirring around him as he forced the bitter mixture into his teacher's system. What was surprising was that it was Shikamaru, strangely enough, who was first to try and rise. Though it took a couple attempts, the lazy chunin finally managed to regain his feet. Naruto couldn't help but smirk a bit, Shikamaru even had the sense to vacate his own stomach before shambling over to their squad leader's side. Neither of them said a word, simply exchanged a look, before choking down their own soldier pills. After all, they were still on mission, and that meant they had to be ready regardless of their condition.

The soldier pills were quick to task, and while Naruto knew he wasn't going to be his usual self without rest, the spinning and shaking had ceased within minutes. Even Kakashi, though still unconscious, was breathing steadily from the medicinal effects of the Nara Clan's secret recipes.

The faint rustling of leaves was all the warning Naruto had that something was about to go terribly wrong. But years of training and experience were on his side, and a kunai was in his hand just as a massive sword crashed down on him, the sheer weight of the swing forcing him to take a knee under his readied kunai. He hadn't felt a swing like that since his first mission against Zabuza. But that was where the comparison ended. This blade tapered straight from the hilt, with a long parallel handguard. It also, from what Naruto could tell in that brief moment, had almost a clock into the back end of the blade.

But even stranger than the blade, was the man behind it. In that moment on contact, Naruto could see beneath a mop of grey-black hair, eyes of such cold intensity, the hair on the back of his neck rose. But there wasn't hate in those hate, just calculation, the same way Neji's eyes had been during the Chunin Exams. Teeth gnashing together, he managed to force himself to his feet, a raised eyebrow the only response from his opponent, but he smelled like explosive tags, and liquor.

The blonde was practically vibrating, his voice a scarcely contained growl. "Who the hell are you? What are you attacking us for?" Shifting his weight, Naruto managed to deflect the large sword to the right, and while his opponent managed to duck the massive kick aimed at his temple, there was a satisfying crack as Naruto's fist connected.

Watching his attacker tumble up and backwards from the uppercut, white-red jacket and all, Naruto spared a glance towards his only conscious teammate, shedding the heavy cloak. Shikamaru wasn't precisely steady, but his jaw was set, eyes steady with trench-knives at the ready.

Turning back, the blonde ninja watched his opponent lean over his sword, pushing himself up and spitting a mouthful of blood to the side. But something had shifted. Where his face had been expressionless, there was a faint smirk breaking through the stoic expression.

'He's enjoying this,' Naruto puzzled grimly. 'Well we'll see how much he enjoys This.' With a burst of speed Naruto rushed the Hyuuga wannabe, a handful of shuriken preceding him. But the hesitation apparently was a feint, the dark-haired swordsman simply side-stepped his attack, a large sweeping strike forcing Naruto airborne. But what happened next, Naruto wasn't prepared for.

The sword, transformed. Rather than staring down a large sword, Naruto found himself flanked by a large scythe. "My name is Qrow, and you're going to tell me exactly who you are, and what you're doing in Forever Fall." Before Naruto could react, Qrow somersaulted in mid-air, with an axe kick reminiscent of Rock Lee sending him crashing to the ground.

Forcing himself to rise to his feet, Naruto locked his gaze with the strange fighter in front of him.

"Naruto, that's enough," Shikamaru's voice was firm, though few that didn't know him could tell the difference from his usual drone. Gripping Naruto's shoulder, the Nara stepped forward, watching the man called Qrow. "We're not doing anything, we don't even know where this Forever Fall place is."

"Shikamaru! He's the one that started it, let me kick his ass already!" Naruto's head still hurt from that kick, and he was chomping at the bit to show this guy just how much.

Qrow returned the blondes glare, but his gaze shifted to the new speaker, sarcasm piercing what could only be a blatant lie. "I find it hard to believe you don't remember this is one of the most notable places in Vale, and crawling with Grimm."

But the quiet ninja's expression didn't slip, instead his voice was level. "I'm going to pretend I know what either of those are, but for now, I have three teammates in need of a medic." His gaze shifted to his loud-mouthed companion, "right Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated, but looking back at his team, his face fell. A determined nod the only real answer required. Regardless, the words were bitter as they left his mouth, and the blonde wouldn't look Qrow in the eye. "We surrender."

Shikamaru wasn't sure what to expect when their 'captor' explained that they needed to have their friends flown to a hospital. But by the look on his companion's face, it shocked even Naruto, despite the blondes repeated misadventures. Shikamaru had assumed the flight would entail riding some sort of summon, a bird or insect. He hadn't anticipated a flying ship, or airship as the strange Qrow put it. Regardless Shikamaru had larger issues on his mind than reverse engineering a new machine. Not only was his captain incapacitated, but Akamaru was missing. "Troublesome."

Still reeling from the effects of whatever jutsu or effect that had placed his team in such an unprecedented position, Shikamaru opted to do what he did best. He thought about it. Hand's forming their signature circular sign, Shikamaru tried to deduce everything he could from their engagement with Madara.

The few previous encounters with Akatsuki, and the even fewer battle reports than managed to make it back to the Hidden Leaf, indicated that Madara, aka Tobi, utilized some sort of time-space ninjutsu. What had initially appeared to be evasion or genjutsu, had only been re-categorized based on the enemy's ability to absorb, summon, and displace both weapons, and shinobi. Kakashi's Kamui fell into the same category. While seemingly unable to recall targets of the jutsu, the famous Copy Ninja had indicated the jutsu 'banished' its target to an entirely separate dimension. Space-time ninjutsu were so complex, taxing, and simply rare however, that their simultaneous use was unprecedented, much less tested or documented. 'So why wasn't Madara in that forest with the rest of us?'

There were only two logical options really. The first was that Kakashi's Kamui had failed, and the entire squad, short one ninja-hound, had been pulled into the Akatsuki technique. While plausible, it couldn't explain the fantastic reality they'd found themselves in, and genjutsu was out, because Shikamaru had never seen Qrow in his life, and psychological principles dictated that the mind was unable to construct completely new faces it hadn't previously encountered. Shikamaru's head snapped up. 'Chakra exhaustion.' The only other explanation was a completely unpredictable outcome. The simultaneous use of two space-time jutsu had somehow cast them adrift in reality. While both jutsu were fuelled with the necessary chakra to activate, Kakashi's reserves left him unable to properly control the technique. Madara on the other hand, had likely maintained his jutsu, shielding him from the effects and grounding him there, in the Land of Iron. 'If I'm right, and I really hope I'm not, the probability of successfully getting back to the Hidden Leaf just drop substantially.

Naruto was getting paranoid. Shikamaru was so deep in thought, he didn't think his friend even realized that they'd not only left the strange ship behind, but had also been led into a large clock tower. The massive gears churned almost silently, a testament to the care in their design and maintenance. Naruto may not be a genius like his friend, but he'd seen enough, and orchestrated enough pranks to recognize quality workmanship. But beyond a handful of pillars supporting the raised catwalk, the large room stood Spartan, with only a large desk between them, and the face of the clock the tower housed.

Naruto felt a small sudden pang in his chest, a mix of nostalgia and guilt. The figure behind the desk felt so... familiar. The slouch, and silver hair screamed Kakashi, but there was something else. He wasn't imposing, but he held an air of subtle authority, and the way he fixated on what Naruto assumed to be tea was a habit of the preoccupied. But as they approached behind Qrow, the mystery figure glanced up, and the smile that crept into that face made Naruto feel like an academy student again. Then it hit him, 'this feels just like standing in Old Man Hokage's office.' With that realization Naruto felt at ease, even if this Qrow guy was an ass, whomever this other guy was, he could trust. He'd trust his gut, the contagious grin spreading to his own face.

Qrow stepped in, hands at his side in front of the desk. The stiffness in his manner was agitated, forcibly formal, and he hoped his friend noticed. "Ozpin, these are the individuals we spoke about, I hope you know you're doing." With a crisp turn on his heel, Qrow turned to leave. "I'll be-"

"I'd prefer if you stayed for this." Ozpin's voice wasn't harsh, not even agitated, but all four of them could tell, it wasn't a request. Qrow looked back with a scowl, retreating to lean in the shadow of one of the pillars. Ozpin's gaze shifted to the two teens in his office. "My name, as you've likely gathered, is Professor Ozpin. I'm the headmaster at this school. You two… aren't from around here are you?"

Naruto stared blankly at Ozpin, 'yep, definitely a lot like Kakashi.' The question bordered on ridiculous, even by Naruto's standards. But before anyone could interject, the headmaster continued.

"Then again, based on Qrow's initial report, and the footage of your exchange, I suppose the question answers itself. Not many Hunters could land a blow like that on Qrow, much less teenagers." Ozpin paused once more, his gaze piercing. "Indeed, I think the more pressing matter is, where are you from?"

Naruto's pride was chaffing, it was even worse than when Kiba coated his uniform in itching powder. "We're not teenagers, we're Leaf Ninjas!" His thumb rammed at the headband he wore so proudly before pointing towards a disgruntled Qrow. "And I could have beat that old man's ass easily if we hadn't just had to –"

"Naruto!"

XXX

Naruto hesitated, jaw set, and checked himself. His back straightened, and he returned to standing at the ready, eyes burning with determination. Ozpin's eyebrow rose quizzically, 'to command such respect from an impassioned fighter like this Naruto, this boy must be truly impressive.'

The young Nara stepped forward, speaking with all the diplomatic severity he could gamble under the circumstances. "As acting squad-leader on this mission, I am formally demanding an update on the status and update of my team." That being said, the cavalier response managed to fluster even him.

With a wave of his hand Ozpin seemed to dismiss the very idea of tension in boy's so-called demand. "Your… companions, are just fine. They've been hospitalized, and placed under the watch of a strict security detail. Whether further action is taken or not, will be decided largely by the risk assessment I procure. The contents of that assessment will in turn be decided by what happens now, in this room."

XXX

The last words were spoken with a weight Shikamaru immediately understood. They were an unknown factor, and the Hidden Leaf carried no weight here. His gazed flitted across the large desk, eyes resting briefly on a simple game set. 'Chess... It's time to take control of this situation.' It wasn't Shogi, but Shikiamaru knew the game. It was a faster paced game, and substantially simpler in its move trees. Shikamaru gestured to the board, eye's locking on those of the professor before him. "How about we play for it? You win, we tell you everything we know about how we got here. I win, you tell us everything I need to know about this place."

Ozpins eyes flashed behind his glasses, a smile returning as the board was brought to bear…