RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (rest in peace). All that belongs is my OC.

The Vale Orphanage was a fairly quaint location, nothing fancy due to the budget being focused on keeping its inhabitants cared for. Sure, some of the auburn paint was worn away by the elements and the wooden walls began to chip in some areas, but it was structurally sound and well-kept all things considered.

Still, as it was a place that cared for many children of less than fortunate backgrounds, there would always be some level of distress among the residents. The fact that its location was fairly close to the edge of the main city warranted concern, specifically since Grimm were known to come by now and again due to the traces of negativity.

As such, Huntsmen and Huntresses were hired on a semi-frequent basis as bodyguards to ensure the building wasn't ravaged by the savage monsters.

Three year old Chrome, as he had been dubbed, stared out the window as a Hunter cleaved through another Creep from neck to mid-torso. The fact that the toddler hadn't showed any signs of discomfort at the violent scene let alone cried would have worried something was wrong with him.

Technically, he was perfectly normal. Well, as normal as a child could be when he had been somehow reincarnated into the world of Remnant several years prior.

Chrome broke away from the fight scene to look down in thought. His entire situation screamed typical self-insert material.

Live a normal life, get crushed by a drunk driver, get reborn as a baby in an unfamiliar world.

He was greatly vexed not only from such an unoriginal demise, but from the fact his death was caused by someone else's stupidity. Plus, living for nearly two years without bladder control was rubbing salt into his now nonexistent wounds.

Waking up as a baby in another world after he died, let alone a world that was home to one of his favorite web series was unbelievable. If someone had told him that his soul would be transported to another dimension into a new body upon his death, he would've dismissed the speaker as wrong in the head. And yet, his senses all proved that Remnant was no longer just a work of fiction.

The sight of Grimm, the sheer wrongness he felt whenever they got a bit too close for comfort, the smell of ozone or smoke that permeated from the lingering use of Lightning or Fire Dust crystals, it was all real.

And the Aura. Of course, how could he forget such a critical component to this world? The first time he witnessed Aura healing the Hunters whenever they were injured, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The life force that existed within all living beings. A power anyone could unlock.

Even himself.

Wandering over to a worn bean bag, Chrome plopped down to continue his train of thought. If he was going to be stuck in Remnant for the remainder of his second life, then there really was no alternative.

He had to become a Hunter.

Certainly not the most original goal since aside from any self-insert, many of the children idolized their battle-hardened saviors to the point he was certain the Hunter Schools would receive a massive influx of new students next decade. Honestly, Chrome felt that he should be more excited to have the chance to live out an adventurous fantasy.

If he had to live as a normal civilian, he'd be kicking himself for the rest of his days. There was no freedom, no fun, and no true acknowledgement received being another face in the crowd. Not to mention, it would be a waste of an incredible opportunity.

Oh, and he'd probably live a very short life due to the present dangers.

Adam Taurus, Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrati, the list went on. And who could forget Salem, the Queen of the Grimm herself, and her merry band of psychotic followers to round out the rouge's gallery?

Yes. Those individuals certainly had a way of raining on his fun-filled daydreams with their scheming, planning, and incitement of mayhem and catastrophe.

Granted, Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan might count, but they were strong-armed into helping bring Vale to ruin out of self-preservation. They'd probably be doing nothing more than robbing more Dust facilities otherwise.

Chrome made peace with the fact that he was trapped in a death world very quickly and decided that the only way to proceed was to get stronger as fast as possible. And what better way than to join a Hunter Academy? Learn the basics of fighting Grimm, build your own weapon, and get your Aura and Semblance unlocked. A simple enough plan with heavy emphasis on 'simple,' as he soon noticed that there were quite a few holes in such a plan.

First off was the plot itself. Since he had been reborn in the continent of Vale, he'd be stuck at ground zero for the main events. Already, there was plenty of motivation to get his tiny butt into gear. The villains were not going to make things easy by any means. No no no, they were going to make things a literal nightmare for everyone.

Even the Season 3 episodes probably glossed over how bad the situation was. Sure there were people shown onscreen getting killed, but the number of actual deaths were likely not shown. It was safe to figure the situation was rather dismal to say the least.

All the more reason to be prepared for that disaster.

Chrome had to go beyond the regular standards of a Hunter. He'd have to settle for nothing less than becoming the best of the best. Mediocrity would definitely be the death of him in a world like Remnant. Plus, ranking among the most powerful Hunters would likely allow him more leeway for actions.

Qrow Branwen came to mind with his task of guarding the Fall Maiden despite being known as a notoriously sharp-tongued alcoholic. It helped that he was one of the most powerful fighters in the series so far, not even mentioning his one-in-a-million Semblance.

Or Ozpin, the cryptic headmaster who could bend the rules to allow Team RWBY to take on missions beyond their skill levels or allow Jaune Arc to remain in Beacon. Yet his only shown fight with a fully empowered Cinder Fall proved he earned his position as the academy's headmaster.

The now toddler shook his head at the thought of being able to do almost anything just by possessing enough power. Such a mindset seemed so alien to him when he had only known a life constantly governed by strict laws and adherence to bureaucracy and authority figures.

In the more morally grey territory, Raven Branwen deserved mention. While he was no fan of her dog-eat-dog lifestyle and the fact that she led bandits to further worsen a world suffering from constant Grimm attacks and species prejudice, her power could not be denied. Neo, one of the few enemies that came close to killing some of the main heroes, fled the moment the bandit leader entered the scene. Anyone who could remain leader of a likely opportunistic bunch of murderous thieves for so long and utilize portals for transportation was not the type to cross without extreme caution or considerable armament.

Of course, the world would have to be saved if anybody wanted a happy ending. He had a feeling that the heroes would eventually overcome Salem and whatever villains rose from the woodwork, no matter what losses they suffered. Granted, the series hadn't finished prior to his death, but the eventual triumph seemed set in stone.

If not, he'd have to lend a hand when he could. And who knows? Maybe he'd have the opportunity to right some wrongs, make things better than before.

The moments of such tragedies ran through his mind. Tukson, Penny, Pyrrha, heck, even Roman. The Fall of Beacon, Yang's crippling injuries, Blake's near death, the fall of Vale's CCT, and… whatever happened to Ozpin.

He had to find some way to prevent those from happening.

Tempting as it was to spill future events to the most important people or anyone in sight, that would be an exercise in futility at best and a suicidal venture at worst. Granted, he might be able to get away with it among the general populace if he had proven he was a capable Hunter. After all, powerful people had lots of influence. And if anyone questioned him, he could pass it off as his Semblance.

But the pale queen of darkness had eyes and ears everywhere. That kind of paranoia easily squashed any temptations to divulge such sensitive info. Plus, spreading the thought of a human being able to control the Grimm would incite nothing short of mass hysteria across the continents.

Frequency of Grimm attacks would skyrocket and multiply in intensity. Ozpin's future plans would be in shambles. Salem might send a squad of quality Grimm to overrun the orphanage, murdering everyone he cared for and – if he lived through it – potentially be branded a pariah for life.

Worst case scenario, Chrome would probably be taken hostage and become brainwashed into serving her while telling all his secrets, ensuring misery and destruction for all.

Oh, and he'd never get to meet the heroes or get a crazy awesome weapon. Missing out on those two bucket list items would suck to high heaven.

So, Chrome supposed he would have to keep his mouth shut for the sake of all. His pudgy face frowned.

Great, he was starting to become just like Ozpin.

After taking a moment to reroute his train of thought, Chrome got back to the matter of gaining power. RWBY wasn't a universe where power multipliers – as some people termed them – really existed. Unlike worlds like Bleach, Naruto, or Dragon Ball Z, power ups like Kaioken or Sage Mode or Bankai were nonexistent. There was only Aura, Dust, and Semblances.

Oh right, there were mechanical prosthetics too. But Chrome didn't fancy the thought of enduring a gory amputation to earn one. That would be a definite last resort. Besides, the good ones were probably way out of his price range.

And since he was a guy, the Maiden powers were already off the board. Well, not unless he underwent gender reconstruction surgery. But that would be too costly in terms of money and time. And that didn't even account for his personal reservations.

And the Silver Eyes? He already checked his eyes once before. No silver. Just a striking shade of steel blue.

Weird how reincarnation worked.

So that left utilizing Aura, Dust, and Semblance as his main methods for power. Learning to harness those factors would give him a foothold in this uncertain world to help ensure his survival.

But then Chrome was struck by a thought: what could Aura do?

Tapping into his memories, Aura was a power wielded by every living being that could act as a passive defense and healing factor. And as Lie Ren demonstrated, it was able to enhance strength too.

Chrome ran a stubby hand through his shaggy hair thinking about how much strength Hunters passively gained from Aura. Maybe it was a trick that had to be active to work, but he'd only know if he learned about it.

So perhaps the best he could do now would be to learn as much as he could about whatever Hunters used in their jobs. Learning the basics of Aura would be the first step. Canon info only divulged so much and even that seemed pretty vague to him.

Like, how could a person's aura increase? Through rigorous exercise? Meditation? Harrowing life experiences? He shuddered at that last thought. The last thing he wanted was a power source that evolved like the Sharingan. Chrome preferred to keep his sanity as intact as possible.

But Aura was essentially using the power of one's soul, so perhaps spiritual and physical exercise would help? If not, at least he'd be more physically and mentally adept.

Speaking of, he realized he'd need to get into shape. Push-ups, sit ups, squats, running; he wasn't expecting to turn into the next coming of Saitama, but a Hunter's lifestyle was very active and a couch potato regiment would do him no favors. But even though the thought of hellish workouts sounded horrible, dying due to lacking athletic ability would be even worse and exceptionally embarrassing.

Chrome knew it would be easier said than done, but improving his physical abilities would be a necessity. Maybe he'd luck out and find someone who would be a great trainer?

That brought up another point of interest: unarmed combat. The series always seemed to place a special focus on crazy awesome weapons that could leave expert engineers drooling in envy. However, many of the fighters seemed very dependent on their custom arms and were rarely shown to get down and dirty with brawling. Yang, Ren, Taiyang—

Eyes widened at the realization. Taiyang! He could serve as a teacher for fighting. Even if he wasn't the world's strongest man, he certainly knew his stuff being an experienced Hunter and pugilist. Seeking him out would be a quest worth taking. Well, so long as he wasn't depressed out of his mind. He apparently took Summer's loss really bad.

Maybe if that were the case, he could recommend a therapist for him?

Intrusive as it would seem to pry on such sensitive matters, Chrome was willing to overstep personal boundaries if need be to get stronger faster. Remnant depended on it. Besides, it would probably help the poor guy out of his funk.

Next on the mental checklist was figuring out which weapons to specialize in. RWBY ran the gamut with all sorts of exotic weapons from simple broadswords to giant scythes and even a trumpet.

Oh yes, there was the infamous tagline. 'And every weapon is also a gun.' Magnums, SMGs, shotguns, rifles; glossing over the dangers, this was truly a gun enthusiast's dream come true.

And Chrome had to decide which weapons to pick above all else. Becoming a jack of all trades would allow him familiarity with many weapons and some versatility if he were in a pinch, but that was a situation he'd prefer to avoid. Every style had its strengths and weaknesses, there was no avoiding that. He'd just have to choose a style and stick with it.

Oh right! Students at Signal Academy had to build their own weapons. Ruby said that, didn't she? Apparently that meant engineering classes were in his plans now.

Chrome's little head sank further into the bean bag, dreading the thought of doing advanced calculations and mechanical construction. While he believed his mathematical skills hadn't abandoned him over the years, they were certainly not genius level. Certainly nothing compared to Ruby's savant-like knowledge. Plus, he had almost no experience building anything.

Chrome shot up from his vegging position when he heard more roars and loud cursing from outside. It sounded like there were more Grimm now and with them, a renewed battle. He then paused in uneasy thought. Did his self-deprecation attract the current wave of Grimm?

Shit.

He desperately began attempts to calm himself down, attempting to ignore the savage snarls and wails of primal darkness and heavy gunshots reducing them to whimpers and pained roars. Breathing exercises, thinking happy thoughts, trying to find a silver lining to his negative thoughts.

What was bringing him down? His lack of engineering skills and experience.

What kind of upside could he find to keep his sadness and depression away? What was it?

Then it hit him like Yang's finishing blow in the Yellow Trailer.

Signal Academy. Its purpose was to teach students how to fight. And it was the place they would build their weapons. Even though it was a Hunter's school, it was a school nonetheless.

And schools would teach students new skills.

At that, his dread started to abate though it never left him completely. The realization that he could develop engineering skills never seemed to cross his mind until now. How could he have missed such an obvious thought? He may not have been an engineer in his previous life or even right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't become one.

With renewed determination, Chrome made sure engineering knowledge would be on his list of skills to learn.

As he sat back down in the bean bag again, he realized that if his dread spike had attracted more Grimm, then he had realized another valuable skill: an improved mentality.

A Hunter's life was going to be dangerous. And knowing that Grimm would flock to any source of negativity, Chrome knew that allowing himself to succumb to depression, anger, sorrow, or regret would make him a hotspot for danger. Plus, there was also the fact that the Grimm were not his only enemies. Just that they were the only enemies that were the least capable in the fields of intelligence and tactics.

Fighters like Adam or Cinder were hard as steel, completely dedicated to their unscrupulous goals and more than willing to murder anyone who opposed them… and maybe even those who didn't. If he faced them with a half-hearted mindset, he'd die.

The thought of fighting for his life made his pulse pound, not a pleasant feeling. Call him weak or any derogatory term, but how many people had been conditioned for a life of combat, to face down people who had amassed massive body counts? Sure, people could boast about having the brass balls to face down murderers, but the actual act would surely sober the cocky.

So mental conditioning would be needed too. He'd need to harden his heart like Ramses and not let himself be shaken.

And somehow, when the little 'boy' thought of 'mindsets', he thought of politics which led to talking, followed by debating, and as he heard from one teacher, 'the power of bullshit.' With such a strange chain of thoughts, 'the power of bullshit' led back to talking and finally to socializing.

When Chrome thought of socializing, he realized the importance of making friends if not contacts.

Something so simple yet so valuable. A skill said by Dracule Mihawk as one of the most dangerous skills on the seas.

He had to make friends. There was no avoiding that. Not that he didn't want to make friends; the course of action was tempting even without pragmatic benefits. Life would be so much easier if he had some people to watch his back and support him through the inevitable hard times to come.

However, he needed to have plenty of contacts in high places. Aside from the benefits of being able to warn people of potential threats before they came to pass, he'd likely be able to build a good rapport with them and gain access to less than public knowledge. Though proving his skills would be necessary to get their attention.

General Ironwood of the Atlesian Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy.

Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy.

Qrow Branwen, Headmaster of Signal Academy and bodyguard to the Fall Maiden… provided she wasn't already comatose.

Glynda Goodwitch, Deputy Headmistress and Professor at Beacon Academy.

Of course, he couldn't deny making connections with people from more humble walks of life. Even beyond the students, there had to be some people he could at least forge deals with.

Junior, the bartender/club manager who was an ear for countless underworld contacts. Despite his horrible luck with Yang and possible vitriol, he was still pretty reliable with info on shady targets.

Taiyang Xiao Long, former member of likely now disbanded Team STRQ and…was he a teacher at Signal? Either way, he was a cool guy and good mentor candidate.

…And maybe that one old guy who switched jobs nearly every episode. His luck might be crap, but he seemed to be everywhere. Not many would suspect an old man of aiding a potential Hunter.

Tukson, owner of Tukson's Books, home to every book under the sun.

Chrome blinked as he replayed what just went through his head. Accuracy be damned, that was a catchy slogan.

Getting back on track, Tukson would be a great asset even if he were only an informant. If Cinder was willing to send Mercury and Emerald to kill him, then he might've known some valuable information about the White Fang during his time with them. Maybe the now – or soon to be, time travel was messing with his head – terrorist group just had a strict 'no resignations' policy, but keeping the bookstore owner alive would be high on his priority list.

Maybe he could convince Ozpin to give the guy some protection. Set up a job at Beacon, maybe get a room on campus, the works. Tukson did seem like librarian material.

Again, Chrome couldn't believe his luck when he realized he was in Vale. Fate could've unceremoniously dumped him in another continent or even the wild. The latter would've certainly ensured he'd live a short life.

Life beyond city borders usually carried good odds for becoming Grimm bait.

As for living in another main kingdom, each had their own advantages and perks. Although out of the three other kingdoms, Atlas was arguably the worst. Just watching the Season 4 episodes proved that the icy continent held a cutthroat atmosphere.

Greedy bigwigs and fair-weather corporate partners seemed to be everywhere there. Plus, the Faunus were probably being treated like garbage there. And considering all the animal hybrid folk suffered throughout Remnant, that was saying something.

The SDC and its lack of an OSHA equivalent spoke for itself.

Genuine kindness was an apparent rarity.

The only altruistic people he could remember from that continent were Weiss, Winter, Ironwood, and Team FNKI. Even then, the sisters were already warped to some level no thanks to their piss poor excuse of a father.

Chrome realized that if he was going to start planning for the future, writing down his thoughts would be a necessity. Well, unless someone discovered him writing. A three-year old writing detailed notes about things to come would attract attention best avoided.

As much as it pained him, he'd have to rely on his memory to not fail him until he was a bit older. Old enough to ask for a notebook for free writing without arousing suspicion.

Chrome took a moment to breathe slowly to compose his thoughts. Aura knowledge, deciding a weapon combo and fighting style, physical and mental conditioning, making contacts/friends.

Chrome's breathing became deeper and focused to alleviate any oncoming stress at the thought of socializing. He was far from an extroverted person in his past life and breaking out of that shell would likely prove to be daunting.

So, he decided to dig deep and harden his heart once more. If Remnant were to survive, he would make sure he could hold a good conversation. Hell, he'd make himself the goddamn life of a party if need be.

Banishing his doubt once again, Chrome decided to focus on his potential Semblance. As the Semblance was like an extension of Aura and the depiction of one's personality, he hoped to heaven and back that fate would grant him a reprieve there.

An ability that would yield great versatility in the martial and mundane aspects of life. An ability that could prove beneficial to his survival, not burdened by specific criteria for activation or maintenance. Certainly one that would allow him to preserve his dignity, or at least a vast majority of it.

Note taking was definitely in the cards if he wanted to explore possibilities for versatility. In a way, a Semblance seemed to function like a Devil Fruit; the best users were the ones who got creative. If his Semblance wouldn't grow stronger with time, then he would ensure he found countless uses for his innate ability. If it did, he'd devote time to improving it.

Either way, the Hunter-to-be would ensure his Semblance training was done in secret or under the vigilance of trusted friends. The fewer who knew, the better. Cinder had exploited Pyrrha that way.

As much as he hoped, Chrome doubted he'd get The Gamer ability. After all, fate rarely seemed that magnanimous.

Another skill dawned upon the new toddler like the light of the early sun, bathing him in the radiance of enlightenment. One he had overlooked in favor of the specific worldly mechanics of Remnant. One that could further aid him in self-preservation and self-respect.

Or rather, it bitch-slapped him upside the head for his ignorance.

Never tempt fate.

An action so simple yet so powerful. A stray thought leading to a cataclysmic chain of events ending in a disastrous train wreck of tragedy, misery and pain for all.

Too often had he read fanfictions and novels, witnessed in countless movies and shows, sometimes even experienced in reality where a moment of blind faith, naïve optimism proved to be a person's downfall. Worse were the cases where others fell too.

Fate was omnipotent. Any and all thoughts – spoken or otherwise – would be noted and could be used against him or his allies.

The brainy toddler tempered himself to keep his mindset in check. His one chance at a new life, at becoming a legend, at saving his home from destruction depended on his self-restraint towards thoughts of nonchalance.

At that moment, his stomach decided to intervene with a noisy gurgle.

Chrome started at the sudden break in tension, caught off guard by his body's cry for sustenance. This had the effect of sobering his mind from a state of distress. Maybe he didn't need to be high-strung 24/7. Even if danger was already looming in on the horizon, it didn't mean he couldn't have fun and relax.

Forging himself into one of Remnant's finest would be a long-term project. For now, there was no reason to stress over things yet. He had time to plan. Time to grow and learn. Time to enjoy being a kid once more.

With his spirit refreshed, Chrome waddled his way towards the kitchen. It was time for a cookie raid.

And with any luck, he could invite one of those Faunus kids into the heist as well. Help for these matters would always be appreciated. Besides, they usually got the short end of the stick around snack time.

That got the toddler's mind onto another train of thought. The discrimination and overall prejudice Faunus faced on a daily basis was nothing short of horrible. Such short-sighted hate was directed upon individuals with no control over how they were born. Not only was it horrible, it was horrendously stupid.

The cycle of hatred being sustained by the bigoted humans and the White Fang was only furthering tensions between human and Faunus relations. Grimm attacks were undoubtedly rising in frequency and ferocity because neither side was willing to understand the other nor make any attempt to offer an olive branch.

If only the malicious masses had heard Mewtwo's words of wisdom.

'I see now that the circumstances one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.'

As the famous quote echoed through his mind, Chrome realized that his old life was nothing more than mediocrity, a mere shadow of what could have been something amazing. But his weakness held him down, a soft heart beaten down by the cruelty of peers and curbed by a lack of worldly experience.

Who was he before? Just another face in the crowd.

Now? Now, he had another chance. A chance to make things right. A chance to finally unleash his potential, to blossom into a mighty tree that branched in many directions of skill and wonder rather than wilting like a weed drowning in poison.

Life was a gift only given once. Yet fate decided he would be gifted once more.

Chrome felt his heart ache in gratitude at receiving the realization that he, of all people, was granted such a valuable opportunity. He could already feel the tears ready to stream down his face, tears of appreciation of that one moment of fortune.

He would not waste this chance. Chrome would move onward and live, refusing to be conquered by his sorrows. A staunch refusal to let the past hold him back, to break free of his former misery and emptiness.

Chrome still planned to become a legend in Remnant, one of the most powerful Hunters to ever live. He vowed to one day aid the heroes in the triumph over Salem and the Grimm, the corrupted White Fang, and aiding in the mending of fences with the Faunus.

But he would never allow himself to forsake the wonders held by this new planet.

For now, he would live day by day. And it would start by reaching out to a potential friend to pilfer some cookies.

End

I'd like to give a big shout out to SixPerfections for her one-shot 'What Every SI Should Think About' based on the Naruto world. It was a major inspiration for this fanfic. Please understand that this wasn't meant to be an act of plagiarism, but its own work. After all, Naruto and RWBY have different situations, different politics, and different powers at work in their worlds.