No Holds Barred

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, RWBY or any of the characters I use in this story, neither do I make any type of profit in the name of either franchise.

~Chapter(2) - Rebuilding~

Ducking under the roundhouse kick aimed at his temple, Naruto stepped into his attackers space feinting a right hook and instead going for a left jab. The attack was near instantly read and the blondes jab was redirect with a backhand. Immediately after, he was hit in his solar plexus with a quick but powerful palm strike and was sent soaring a few yards back. Landing on his back Naruto rolled himself with the blow and into a low crouch ready to pounce.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to hit me boy." The man chuckled in a jolly tune.

It had been six months since had first found himself in the small hospital room. He never would have guess so much could happen, some things he was still working on wrapping his head around. In the first week the man he had seen the most of was named Ozpin, the man had taught him the world language. It turns out the language 'Remn' was a globalized language and the one taught by default. Naruto was not surprised, as the Elemental Nations were the same way, he was however surprised he had been able to pick up the language so easily.

After learning the language he had been more or less interrogated by Ozpin. The man had asked him many questions and Naruto would responded with mostly half-truths. Naruto knew he had been pushing his luck and he knew Ozpin knew what he was doing. But still he was hesitant to reveal anything. He had lived in a world of people whose jobs were back stabbing, subterfuge, sabotage and gathering information could cripple countries. So cut him a break if he was a little reluctant to give much information.

Even though Ozpin knew the boy had not told him everything he had visited often and would sit around to keep the boy company. He would slowly inform Naruto of the world events and seemingly judge his reaction to each piece. He had been thankful for the man's visits and company but couldn't help falling into a slight depression every so often. He was alive but he was lost, far away form home, the seal holding the Nine Tails broken, his chakra pool was lessened and he no longer knew what happened to his old world.

"Keep your head in the game lad or you might get it taken off!" A gruff voiced called to him snapping Naruto out of his musings allowing him to jump avoiding the quick kick that would have most likely, taken his head off.

Still suspended in mid air Naruto brought his arms up across his body blocking the fist that was sent towards the center of his chest. The blow was hard and he was once again sent flying backwards but this time hit the wall. Bringing his arms down Naruto couldn't stop them from shaking as the last hit had nearly made his arms collapse. The man in front of him was ridiculous, while he seemed like he would be one of those big guys who hit hard, he was instead a big guy who hit extremely hard and was incredibly fast.

His name was Peter Port a friend and colleague of Ozpin's he had been introduced to Naruto along with Oobleck the doctor part he seemed adamant about and Glynda Goodwitch which had reminded Naruto oh so very much like Tsunade it was almost painful. While she seemed more strict, cold and closed off he could see a motherly kindness in her eyes that betrayed her at times.

Ozpin had introduced the three to the boy in an attempt to gauge how Naruto would react and handle himself with people other than himself. Ozpin had almost, almost, been jealous. The boy was good, no, dare he say great with meeting people. He had wormed his way into their hearts moments after meeting them. Glynda had even smiled at the boy! He was a natural conversationalist and he could see how the young blond could see the boy being a great leader one day.

"Alright that's enough for now, your strength and speed have improved by quite a bit. Not to mention your reflexes are much more accurate. Why I say, if you keep up the good work you may be ready for the next level of training lad." Peter complimented.

Falling to his knees Naruto attempted to calm his breathing "Thanks . . . I . . . appreciate you're. . .help." He spoke through gasps of air while nodding somewhat absently.

"Well let's get you back to your room, hopefully I don't earn Glynda's ire as she's become somewhat fond fond of you." Peter said cheekily earning a small laugh from Naruto.

"You know this remind me of the time me and my old pal Jonathan had been lost deep in the forest of Va-" Peter began another one of his stories as they made their way to the boys room.

Though many would tune the man out, Naruto couldn't help but listen intently. He had always loved when the old Hokage had told him stories as a child and he while he was older now, he still very much enjoyed that nostalgia the man's tales brought him. When Peter had noticed the boy had actually listened to his tale and even asked question, well the man had instantly put Naruto on his favorite list.

While on his way to his room, with assistance from Peter Port, they happened upon Glynda who had seemingly just arrived. Glynda Goodwitch was one of the few who had been completely up in arms about the boy initially. While she had become fond of the boy is hadn't started that way. Actually talking to him however had completely changed that. Though he may have been secretive at times, she could tell he was obviously scared and had little idea of what was going on.

What surprised her was how cheery the boy's demeanor always seemed, he would have an ear to ear smile that was so infectious you couldn't help but want to smile as well. He had also been extremely polite for someone his age. Glynda had easily come to enjoy the blondes company and would often stop by after her daily classes to chat with him.

Naruto had been out of the hospital bed after the fourth week. So he had only truly remained in the hospital to rebuild his strength and speed, as Naruto had lost some strength and speed from lack of muscle usage. He also learned his chakra had been messed up slightly. He had originally had chakra levels of that supposedly greater than Kakashi's own and close to Jiraiya. Now he was only around high Chunin to low Jounin. Overall it wasn't horrible but he had lost a good amount still, in the end he could most likely work it back up.

The problem was however his now even more terrible chakra control, he would have to work his chakra control from scratch again. That was not a pleasant thought, seeing as how hard it had been first time. All of things he had lost and may never get back had almost crippled his will. Ozpin had noticed right away, soon after his colleague's seemed to pick up on it too.

No one had talked to him about it but Peter would begin sparring with him from time to time to distract him. Even Glynda found she occasionally would want to cheer the boy up, but would usually bring him a treat to help. After Naruto had completed all his physical conditioning he was free to leave the hospital. However, he had not even the slightest clue on what to do. He had been just getting by day by day. Now that he was free to do whatever he chose, he felt extremely lost.

He found himself sitting on a lunch table directly outside the hospital lost in his own musing, that is until Ozpin sat down next to him. The man decided to give the boy and offer he had been holding onto. He was unsure if the boy would take it but he thought he'd might as well try.

"Naruto." He spoke said in a monotone..

The boy who previously was so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed the man sit down let alone approach shook his head to clear his mind before mentally scolding himself on being so oblivious.

"Whats up, Oz?" He asked nonchalantly.

Ozpin could only smirk slightly at the use of his nickname, funny how he and the boy and he had become so friendly in such a short time.

"Well I had been wondering if you had somewhere you planned to go after this or maybe something you planned to do?" The man questioned while pulling a coffee mug to his lips that was assuredly not there before.

The blonde flinched slightly at the question he didn't have anywhere to go, anything to do, at this point he was lost, he'd failed his friends, being Hokage was basically a no go, what would he do now, what could he do now?

"N-no . . . I don't have anywhere to go after this and no plans." He mumbled out somewhat sadly while lowering his head.

Seeing the horribly sad look in the boy's eyes Ozpin spoke up before the boy began to wallow to much. "We'll would you like to live with me, it's on a school campus and while it's not a house it's mildly spacious. You would have your own room of course with it's on bathroom and-"

"Why . . Why have you been so nice to me." came a choked voice of Naruto.

Ozpin's only response was to quirk an eyebrow and to set his coffee mug off to the side.

"I-I mean you know nothing about me, I told you the least amount of things I could, I hid so much and you knew I was doing it! But you still came to talk with me and even brought your friends. I mean I had almost . . . Aaaarghhh! You know what I mean!" The boy shouted getting completely flustered

"You mean the time you nearly attacked me with a butter knife the time when surprised you? Or are you referring to how you would get snippy with me when I had been teaching you. Maybe " Ozpin inquired in a blank tone and unreadable face.

Naruto started to slump over slowly and nodded meekly.

Humming in thought Ozpin spoke up a moment later "You know what I see when I look at you Naruto. I see a boy who was forced to bear a tremendous weight, a weight you had to lift alone and carry everywhere you went. All you have ever wanted was to make the people who forced you to carry this weight happy when all you truly needed was someone to help you lift it." Ozpin explained.

"You see we all have a burden we carry, some many times greater than others. While I would like to say we can all carry out own weight, sometimes we can't. Sometimes it's just too heavy and threatens to crush us. In spite of that we fool ourselves into believing that we can hold it or we can do it all alone. In doing so however, you hurt the people who care about you and yourself. In the end you lose everything either way." Ozpin continued.

"Also you may tell me your story if you choose too, I won't bother you about it otherwise. Now let me ask you a question."

At this Naruto slowly lifted his head to meet Ozpin's gaze only to see the man give a smile the most likely no one else but he himself had ever seen. It was one Naruto would be unable to put words to and unable to ever forget.

"Would you like some help carrying that burden you have?" The man asked sincerely.

Finally it seemed the wall had broken and tear began to flow down Naruto's cheeks like a dam that had finally broken. Slowly but surely the blonde tried to compose himself but every second passing seemed to tear down the walls more and more until finally he couldn't hold it all back. A choked sob escaped his lips before he started wailing and tears seemed to stream faster down his face. Ozpin placed a hand on the boys shoulder and as he did the boy lunged into the man's arms clinging onto him as if for dear life.

For some time they sat there as Naruto sobbed into Ozpin's suit, while said man would occasionally pat the boys back in reassurance. In this new world Ozpin, a man who knew hardly anything about him and had absolutely no reason to trust Naruto let alone help him. It all proved to be too much for the boy as he could no longer handle the emotional stress he had accumulated. Nothing more needed to be said, Ozpin had unknowingly lifted a huge weight off the boy's shoulders.

Incredible. That was the only word Naruto could manage at seeing Beacon Academy in all it's glory. The place was massive, easily the school itself was comparable to that of Konoha. It was a beautiful and looked more like a castle than a school. Though it was lacking in the color orange. A thought for later however as the bullhead himself, Ozpin and the man's colleagues had been riding in touched down. The hospital he'd been using was a distance aways from the academy and Naruto had been unconscious the first time he'd arrived so he had been unable to see it. Until now.

Taking his first step off the aircraft and onto the academy grounds Naruto felt like he had when he had first joined the shinobi academy. A tingle of excitement ran through Naruto before it died down and a sadness swept over his being. Thoughts of his old home reminded him of his former treatment in the village. The few times he had been attacked, the hate filled stare, the empty home he always returned to and the loneliness.

Before he could delve farther into his mind a hand placed itself on his shoulder breaking him of his musings. His eyes following up the arm he met gazes with the man who had brought him here. Ozpin. The man held a knowing and reassuring smile on his face before patting the boys shoulder and motioning for him to follow.

After taking the tour of the school Naruto had noticed the lack of people to which had explained that the student had all been on vacation at this point. Naruto already knew about hunters from the history and current events Ozpin would tell him of. To Naruto it sounded a lot like what shinobi in his world had been, just less . . .humane? Honestly he liked the idea though, he would be a hunter to protect others and not have to do the more dirty shinobi jobs. The tinge of pain in his chest at the thought of failing to protect people once however halted that idea slightly.

He wanted to try, but he didn't think he could go through failing again. One time hurt enough as is.

Ozpin was, dare he say, excited at the way Naruto had taken interest to hunters originally. He had set the boy up to spar with Peter and Bartholomew a number of times to gauge his capabilities. The boy had obviously been previously trained, he had good reflexes, some obvious conditioned movements and had good instincts. The only thing that was halting the boy was his speed and strength. While he was quite strong and fast it was obvious he was used to higher levels of both.

His movement we're like his own when he had gone through rehabilitation after a more serious injury. While he had still retained the instinctual reflexes of his former speed, his body greatly lagged behind. The boy would often be too slow to react, block or counter. It made Ozpin wonder however how fast the boy had been if his reactions were anything to go by. While they had worked and improved it there was still work to be done.

Other than his physical capabilities Naruto had shown good mental potential but was not using or training it. While the boy could think on his feet and adapt in a fight faster than any person he'd seen, the boy nearly never used his mind outside of combat. The boy was a fast learner, adaptive, wise and clever. A true diamond in the rough if he'd ever seen one

The only thing that truly bothered Ozpin was the boy's obvious emotional turbulence. Naruto was a kind, generous, caring, understanding and loveable person. It was like an innocence that had an amount maturity to it. It was a wonderful change from the strict and stern officials he dealt with weekly. The boy was like a little light in the dark world they lived in. Even Glynda had agreed with that statement. The boy could make her smile, which had been happening more and more frequently.

However the boy had moments where he seemed lost to the world. When no one would usually notice it, he would slip into a blank expression and his eyes would glaze over slightly. It was like he had been reliving some type of past trauma over and over. Ozpin had tried to pull him out of it but it always seemed to linger with the boy.

He knew now Naruto was no threat by now and in the end that had been good enough for him. He had some ideas surrounding the boy's past and history but nothing concrete yet. Hopefully the boy would tell him some day. For the time he would help Naruto and it seemed the boy was interested in hunters. So he had invited the boy to live with him at beacon and hopefully in a year or so induct the boy into beacon.

A few weeks later Naruto could be found sparring with Ozpin, or in the blonde's own words getting thrown around like a rag doll. Ozpin was even worse than Peter had been. While Peter had to actually had to dodge Naruto, Ozpin merely stood in one position knocking the boy around with his cane looking as if he was just reading the news. Slowly he was improving however as the man would take time out of batting him around to help him adjust or correct his form.

This went by day after day until Ozpin one day had a change of plans. When Naruto had arrived at the sparring ring Ozpin had informed him about aura. Naruto had only ever used chakra and and was sure he didn't have aura. However that was quickly proven wrong when Ozpin placed a hand on the blonde's chest.

At first Naruto was confused, until a green glow came over Ozpin being. He was stunned as he began to feel a warmth burst into his being, like a small campfire being lit inside him. Lifting his hands up to inspect himself he found he had a blue glow radiating off his form. He could still feel his chakra but there was this new sensation covering him and it felt amazing.

Smiling down at the boy Ozpin observed the boy's aura. While it was light and would probably only provide minor shielding he couldn't but be amazed at the brightness of it. Aura really did speak of the soul originated from. Naruto's aura was bright, not overly but it would definitely stand out. The boy really was a kind soul and is aura showed it quite well.

The unlocking of his aura had settled it for Naruto, he would start opening up and hopefully everything would turn out alright. Tomorrow Naruto will finally open up to Ozpin about his past.

Knocking on the door leading to Ozpin's office Naruto waited momentarily before receiving a 'come in" and entering. Seeing the man sitting at his desk with the classic coffee mug he always used the blonde relaxed slightly before moving to sit in the chair across from the man. Seeing Naruto enter Ozpin had been ready to greet him before he saw the anxiety the boy had. He'd never seen the boy like this with him and could tell something was up.

"Hey, uh . . . I wanted to talk to you." Naruto spoke up rather hesitantly.

"I assume you want some privacy for this?" Ozpin asked earning him a small nod.

Pressing a small button under his desk the rooms windows closed along with both it's doors locking. Nodding for the boy to continue Ozpin propped his fingers in front of his face, ready to listen.

Taking a breath Naruto began the story he'd dreaded telling. He could only hope the man believed him. He was however scared the man may reject him. He told him of the Kyuubi and how he had become the Jinchuuriki of said beast, how the villagers treated him. He told the man of Wave mission, the Chuunin exams, Suna Invasion, his fight with his best friend at the valley of the end, his reason to become stronger and his training with Jiraiya.

Finally he told him of how the first year in his training trip he had been found by the organization of Akatsuki. He explained what he had known of their goals. He explained how he had fought their members before finally being being overwhelmed by their immense power.

With tears beginning to fall form his eyes he explained how he had been unable to do anything as Jiraiya died. The sannin had been rather odd the morning of the attack and had put an odd seal over the Kyuubi's. The man had called it an extra layer of protection and left it at that. After that Jiraiya had been like a hawk, always serious and always on alert. It wasn't until an hour later the attack started.

The Akatsuki had found them in a small town they had been passing through and surrounded them on all sides. There was no hope of escape. For nearly an hour they fought and by the time they had finished the village was gone left in it place a crater that had been a few miles wide.. Naruto now knew that Jiraiya had known they would be attacked and would be unable to escape no matter how they moved. He had probably placed the seal on him as a last resort.

The retelling of everything took close to 3 hours and Ozpin had said nothing the whole time. Paying rapt attention and nodding along occasionally to show his understanding. When Naruto finished he sat back to observe the blonde for a moment before unlocking the windows, doors and standing. Naruto lowered his head awaiting for the judgement he would receive.

Moving to the window Ozpin gazed out watching the evening sun paint the town in color. Complete silence reigned for what felt like hours before he finally spoke up.

"It seems my earlier statement was right." Ozpin spoke turning to look at the boy

Slowly lifting his head to gaze at the man "W-what do you mean." The blonde anxiously questioned.

"You are a boy who was forced to bear a tremendous weight, a weight you had to lift alone. You needed someone to help you carry it but in the end no one truly offered and as such you were nearly crushed by it." Ozpin spoke as he made his way to stand in front of the sitting boy.

The boy flinched as he was reminded of his failure.

Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder Ozpin took a knee to meet the boy at eye level. "You never chose to carry that burden and you never asked for help. Now that burden is gone and you have survived and now have another chance to live again. Will you take it?" The man asked with a serious inflection in his voice.

"I-I I don't know if I should, I mean I failed! What would my goal even be and do I deserve another chance!?" The boy question pleadingly.

Ozpin hummed for a moment before meeting Naruto's gaze with a somewhat mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, would you say we're close?" Ozpin questioned making the boy do a double take.

"Uh . . . W-what?" The blonde asked, completely lost.

"Do you believe we are close? I mean I see you as a son of sorts but I'm not entirely sure of how you feel about me." Ozpin explained with a small tilt of his head.

"O-oh I mean you've been the nicest person too me yet, you always came to keep me company in the hospital, you taught me so much and even given me a home, I mean if you're the closest person to a dad I've ever had . . . " Naruto answered spoke somewhat meekly with a small nod.

"Well then, as your father I'd say you have earned a shot at a new life. You are but a child and have so much to see and learn, as such I'm making a rule you must follow. The rule is you must live how you choose to from here on and or are forbidden to call your past experience failure, think of them as knowledge you have gained."

"Oh and as your father I also recommend you join Beacon Academy. It's the top school in Remnant for training to be hunters. I think you would enjoy making friends there. Also fighting for the good guys is a nice feeling." The man finished with a humorous but kind and sincere smile on his face.

Naruto had been speechless and could only stare at the man in awe. He didn't even know what to think, so many thoughts were flying through his head. Finally the boy broke into a light chuckle and tears began spilling from his eyes. Finally conjuring up some words he spoke up through light sobs.

"Ahah I-I'd love to join b-beacon and make friends. I-I'm going to take your a-advice and t-try to be happy." After a light pause and a deep breath he continued.

"Thank you, dad . . ."

~Author's Notes~

Reply to: KHARAKI TAKAN and Witty Banter - The idea behind removing Naruto's link to the Nine Tails was based on the idea of Naruto having to fight completely by himself. So in a one on one situation he would be unable to rely on the Kyuubi for a comeback. He either wins the fight or loses it, his actions in the story are based on how he would have to fight if he was suffering from a mild handicap.

I realize some people don't like Naruto being 'nerfed' in stories but to balance him more accurately with the characters of RWBY I felt it was necessary. Like I said before I want to use Naruto's ingenuity instead of overwhelming powers.

Also some things that may not get explained very well is how I will have Chakra and Aura work for Naruto. Basically they amplify certain aspects of each other, specifically because Naruto has the Uzumaki bloodline his Chakra and Aura combined multiply the healing properties. So wounds heal faster than even with the Kyuubi, however his chakra pool was damaged slightly from the removal of said fox.

So all in all.

1, Naruto will be able to use Aura and Chakra.

2. Naruto will get a Semblance.

3. His Aura shield will be weaker as it instead feeds his increased strength, speed and healing instead. Kind of like a trade off.

I want to know if you enjoy the story flow, if it reads well, if you can picture the situation, if things stay in bounds of the story or character to an extent and if you're enjoying it.

If you have questions please leave review or message me directly. Thank you!

P.S: To any other story related questions I haven't answered they will probably be answered later on. Thank you!