The Prince of Beacon

by Arkisenn

Heroes and Villains, Myths and Legends, this is the tale of one boy's quest to find his place in the world and the four girls who help him on his way. As they journey, they'll meet many people along the way and learn just what it means to be a Huntsman and Huntress.

2. The Prince's Peerage

(Chapter 2 The Prince's Peerage)

Naruto groaned in his bed the next day as a chiming from the scroll on his bedside table went off. His arm blindly reached out and felt for his goggles before he put them on and answered the scroll never taking his head off his pillow. Last night had been more trouble than it was worth and all he wanted to do was sleep, thus he kindly asked.

"Who's the dead son of a bitch waking me up after a night of babysitting?"

"My dear boy, haven't I told you the values of answering your scroll politely? What if this had been an emergency? Or what if I had been a beautiful young Huntress wishing to spend time in your company?" A deep spoken voice answered.

Naruto looked up and saw the face of an elderly gentleman well into his fifties with grey hair and a bushy mustache of the same color. He was a hefty man wearing a burgundy suit with gold trimming and buttons. Naruto blew out a breath before laying his head back down and responding.

"Sorry, Pete. Last night sucked."

Pete, or Peter Port was one of the oldest professors of Beacon. Both in age and in tenure. He was also one of the few people Naruto got along with exceptionally well and thus Peter was rarely the victim of his pranks. The man was just too polite to not like and the few times Naruto had pranked him when they first met ended with the obese professor laughing it off and praising Naruto as a true Huntsman for managing to get the drop on a much more experienced colleague. The blonde had quickly warmed up to the man and the two would usually be seen together eating, discussing lesson plans, and sometimes even doing a collaborative class as their two subjects could be easily applied to one another. Peter being Beacon's resident expert on Grimm hunting and tactics while Naruto was the expert in field survival and weapon engineering.

"Ah yes! The infamous first watch of the new crop of students. This was your first time, was it not?"

"No…well it's my first time with the first watch, but last year I had third watch so most of the students were asleep and those who weren't were just getting up to use the bathroom."

It was to be expected. Naruto was still only twenty so he hadn't exactly been a teacher at Beacon for long. This year would be the start of his third year teaching.

"So how was it? I heard one first year ended up in the infirmary."

Naruto turned so he was laying on his back before answering with more than a hint of annoyance. "Three arguments, one fist fight, seven make-out sessions, and a lame attempt at a subtle petting an hour after lights out. The student in the infirmary was the boy in that last incident whose ass I broke my foot off in."

"And the girl?" Peter asked more than a little interested. Naruto let out a heavy sigh. Why were all old men perverts?

"I figured she was embarrassed enough having been caught by a professor who ultimately caused a loud enough commotion to wake up all the nearby students. So I told her to get into her sleeping bag with the threat that if she got out for any reason whatsoever, even if it was to take a piss that I would break my other foot of in her ass."

"I'm sure they're both already kicked out. The coed sleeping arrangement is the first test in the students' initiation. Most of what you mentioned would be classified as minor offenses that are only punishable on repeated occurrences, but major offenses like that last one you mentioned are ones that end in expulsion. If they can't control themselves in public, imagine what would happen when they actually got to the dorms!" Peter paused for a moment and the blush on his cheeks told Naruto he really was imagining it. At least now it made sense why Beacon would put all the first years be they boy or girl in the same sleeping space.

"Wait, I mentioned a fist fight too. That's classified as a minor offense?"

Peter was broken from his musings and answered sounding slightly flustered. "Of course! This is a school where students dedicate themselves to the fine art of combat. It is to be expected that tempers will occasionally flare. What matters is that fights between students do not end in maiming or any serious injury for that matter."

"Huh," Naruto said thoughtfully. "So is there any reason you're calling me so early? Or were you just checking in on me?"

"My dear boy, I'll have you know it is ten after noon."

"Oh." Naruto mumbled sheepishly. He hadn't meant to sleep in that late.

"But now that you mention it, Professor Ozpin did ask me to wake you up. Apparently first year group C is about to begin their initiation and he said you would probably want to be there for it."

"Boring~"

"He thought you might say that. He told me to tell you group C is the group with one Ruby Rose in it." Peter quirked an eyebrow as he watched Naruto shoot up out of bed and begin throwing his clothes on. "I see this means something to you. Care to enlighten me?"

"Ruby is the girl Ozzy and I went to check out the other night. I saw a recording of her in action and wanted to see her initiation for myself. But since she was a last minute addition I figured she'd be with a later group." Naruto said as he pulled his black shirt over his head.

"Hmm, Professor Ozpin must have plans for her if he added her to an earlier group."

"The man does love to scheme." Naruto commented as he threw on his coat and walked over to the scroll. "Thanks for the wakeup call, Pete. I would have hated to miss Red's initiation."

"Anytime my friend! Do enjoy yourself."

"Thanks!" Naruto said about to click the scroll off, but was stopped by Peter.

"Before you go, could you stop by sometime later? Last year's collaborative classes were a big hit with the students and I had some new ideas I want to run by you."

"I can't guarantee a meeting tonight, Pete. Ozzy has been pushing me to take on a squad this year and if Red passes I might just take him up on that offer."

"Then maybe later in the week. There isn't any rush."

"Sure thing! Catch you later, Pete."

"I shall cheer for your potential future protégé, Naruto."

Naruto thanked the man and clicked his scroll off before he rushed out of the room. With any luck he'd catch Ruby before her initiation started.

XxX

Ruby had just finished leading a disoriented Jaune Arc to his locker after another one of his failed attempts at flirting. This time his target had been Weiss and Pyrrha Nikos, a red hair Amazonian looking girl in bronze color armor. The end result had left him pinned to a wall thanks to Pyrrha's javelin. At least the girl apologized for pinning Jaune to the wall, though Ruby did consider that a little odd. If she was sorry, why did she do it in the first place? Ruby shrugged it off as she approached the exit of the locker room where she saw Naruto leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?" She asked. It would have been a lie to say part of her wasn't still annoyed with the blonde hair professor, but she had managed to vent a lot of her anger last night when she slapped him around.

"I came to wish you luck and offer you some advice." He answered with a grin.

"Huh?" She eloquently asked in confusion.

Pushing off the wall Naruto took a few steps towards her and bent over so his face was level with hers. "Contrary to what you might think, Red I do like you. You may think otherwise since I tease you a lot, but I tease all the people I like. Even my boss if you recall."

"I know," Ruby giggled as she remembered Naruto telling her how much Professor Ozpin hated being called Ozzy. "I know you aren't trying to hurt my feelings when you tease me. You actually remind me a lot of my older sister, Yang. Just don't think I'll let you get away with it!"

Smiling he continued. "I'm glad to hear that because I want you to know that I want to see you succeed, Ruby."

Hearing him call her by name rather than the nickname he seemed to prefer caused Ruby to pay him even more attention.

"I want you to remember that you belong here and that no matter what happens during your initiation, never lose faith in yourself. Unfortunately I can't tell you anything specific about your mission since we professors are discouraged from showing favoritism. Still…"

Naruto stood up and glanced around making sure the coast was clear before stepping closer to Ruby and leaning over once more to whisper in her ear.

"…I'm rooting for you regardless."

Ruby was surprised by his words and watched his face as he pulled away to see the same kind smile she saw the first time they spoke to each other at the Vale City Police Department. She gave him a massive smile of her own before nodding to him.

"Well, let's get going. Wouldn't want to be late now would we?"

"You're coming too?" She asked.

"Of course! All professors are allowed to watch the initiation ceremony. But between you and me, most prefer to only watch the ones that involve the students they favor or have some connection with. I favor you, therefore I'm going to watch you."

Ruby beamed up at him as they walked side by side. "You know you're not so bad when you're not being such a meanie."

Naruto ruffled her hair with a laugh. "Love you too, Red."

Ruby growled as she fixed her hair while glaring at his back. But even she knew her glare was forced.

XxX

First year group C were lined up on the cliff near a massive forest known as the Emerald forest that was just on the outskirts of Beacon Academy and was often used as a training ground for the students. Naruto was closer to the cliff edge standing beside Ozpin and Glynda as he took a look at the lineup and noticed a few familiar faces. A number of whom had interacted with Ruby the night before. Naruto glanced over at Ozpin who was watching him out of the corner of his eye with a small smirk.

So that's your game. Naruto thought. Put, Red into a group with people she'd be most comfortable with. Though it's a little too convenient that they are all in the same group. Which can only mean that she wasn't the only one you switched out.

Stepping forward, Ozpin began the initiation ceremony. "For years you have trained to become warriors. Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda took over where he left off, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…"

Queue dramatic pause. Naruto mockingly thought. And…

"…Today."

There it is.

Naruto took in the various faces of the students. Some looked pleased, others appeared neutral, while there were a few, like Ruby who looked nervous.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon." Ozpin continued. "So it will be in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you will work well."

Oh look, Red's turning white.

"That being said, the first person you make eye-contact with will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin concluded.

"What!?" Ruby cried out, but was ignored. She glanced over at Naruto and saw the blonde give her an apologetic look. She knew he had to at least appear to be impartial, but would it have really been too much to ask for a little bit of a warning.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern part of the forest." Ozpin said as he explained the first years' mission. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."

Dust, you're such a drama-queen, Ozzy.

Since the Emerald Forest was a training ground for students it was carefully monitored to ensure there were no Grimm ranked higher than mid-C class. Any time a Grimm higher than that made it into the forest one of the professors would go out and deal with it.

"You will be graded and monitored for the duration of your initiation." Ozpin continued his explanation gesturing to Glynda and then Naruto who waved his scroll at the students with a cheerful smile. "But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and bring it back to the top of the cliff. Glynda, Naruto, anything you wish to add?"

Glynda remained silent whilst Naruto happily told the students to not die.

"Great advice, Naruto." Ozpin commented in the same dull tone. What fun was being a teacher if you couldn't screw with the students? "Now any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand. "Um, yeah, sir?"

"Good!" Ozpin praised, completely ignoring Jaune. "Now take your positions."

"Um, uh, sir? I got a, um question." Jaune tried again as the platforms started launching the students into the forest. "So this a, landing strategy thing. What is it exactly? You're just dropping us off?"

"No, you will be falling." Ozpin answered dispassionately.

"Oh, I see…so did you like, hand out parachutes for us?"

"No," Ozpin stated sounding uninterested. "You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Ah-huh, yeah." Jaune said sounding uncertain. Ruby was just about to be launched when Naruto waved at her and gave her a thumbs up. "So what exactly is a landing strategeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy!?"

Naruto snorted as he and the other two turned to watch the students as they flew off into the Emerald Forest. Jaune's cry was heard the whole way.

"You're such a dick sometimes, Ozzy." Naruto said with amusement. Ozpin smirked back at the blonde and took a sip of his coffee. Naruto clicked his scroll on and started cycling through the students. When he got to Yang he couldn't help but laugh at how much fun the girl was having blasting her way over the forest.

"So have you taken any consideration towards my request?" The Headmaster asked as he clicked on his own scroll to monitor the students.

"Ask me again at the end of this groups' initiation."

"Already have your eyes on a student?" Ozpin asked while Glynda occasionally spoke up with status updates.

"Two…possibly three at the moment."

Ozpin looked actually surprised at that. "I must admit, I suspected Ruby but I didn't expect anyone else to catch your attention."

Naruto looked over at his older friend with a frown. "I'm starting to think you had ulterior motives in mind when you had me escort Ruby."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee mug and mirthfully answered. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Beacon's Prince grumbled. "My other primary prospect would be Jaune Arc, but Ruby's sister, Yang Xiao Long looks like she'd be fun to train as well. Her personality seems to match mine."

"That's a frightening thought." Glynda remarked. "Thankfully, the two sisters are paired up already. Miss Rose with Miss Schnee and Miss Xiao Long with Miss Belladonna. So the odds of them being together on the same team has now dropped. Also Mr. Arc has formed a pair with Miss Nikos. So there is now a certainty that one of the three you've set your eyes on will not be part of your potential squad."

"You're such a buzzkill," Naruto moaned. "Besides I haven't yet decided if I'll take on a squad yet."

"Yes you have. You're just being difficult." Ozpin said as he took another sip from his coffee. "Oh look, a part of the forest is on fire."

Naruto cycled through the cameras on his scroll to find who had done that, but was forced to look up when one of the monitors had caught sight of a massive feather almost as tall as a tree fall from the sky. The three professors watched in shock as a Giant Nevermore took flight.

"What the hell is that thing doing in the Emerald Forest?" Naruto shouted. "That thing is at least a B rank!"

"This certainly doesn't bode well." Ozpin said softly.

"Who was in charge of monitoring the forest this morning?" Glynda asked.

"Bartholomew Oobleck." Ozpin answered with a cringe.

*POW*THWACK*

The Headmaster quickly found himself on the ground groaning in pain. He knew the appearance of the Nevermore spelt trouble for him.

"You put that coffee addicted, hyperactive, speed freak in charge of monitoring the Emerald Forest!?" Naruto yelled down at Ozpin while Glynda glared. She refused to say anything less she agree with her fellow blonde. That would have been a personal travesty. "The man can't sit still for thirty seconds! There's no way in hell he could have managed patiently combing through the various monitors in the forest!"

"While I'll admit that may have been an oversight on my part," Ozpin started as he picked himself up, but Naruto's rising fist quickly made him reiterate. "Was a mistake that is completely my fault, there is a chance that the Nevermore will not go after the students. It hasn't seemed to notice them yet based on its current lack of aggression."

Naruto and Glynda glanced back at the forest and sure enough the Nevermore was swooping in to land. That behavior certainly indicated it hadn't noticed any of the students since Nevermores never engaged in combat on the ground preferring to instead kill from the air.

"Should one of us go into the forest to deal with it?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin frowned, "I would like to say yes, but there is a good possibility that your battle would draw the students' attention and risk them getting caught in the crossfire. Let it be for now. The students were told their only objective was to pair up and grab a relic. With any luck, should they encounter the Nevermore they will do their best to sneak away without it noticing."

Naruto and Glynda sighed in frustration but agreed. Nevermores had poor hearing and their vision got worse the closer they got to their prey. So long as the beast wasn't antagonized it would be easy to avoid.

Not ten minutes later saw all three professors looking at the sky in exasperation. Somehow Ruby and Weiss stumbled upon the Nevermore and thought it would be a great idea to take it for a ride since they couldn't figure out where they were or how to get to the temple housing the relics. Now the giant bird was pissed and flying around trying to get the two girls off its back. Glynda and Ozpin turned to look at Naruto who continued watching the flying Grimm with annoyance.

"…And that's the girl you want on your squad…" Glynda deadpanned.

"Glynda, don't even start with me." Naruto said irritably.

Glynda nodded. "At least you understand how foolish-"

"Wait for it…" Ozpin said to her before she could finish.

"I mean come on!? How come I never thought of doing something like that!? That's awesome!" The boy exclaimed.

"…And there's the Naruto we know."

Glynda gave a heavy sigh in annoyance and not for the first time began to wonder if she was the only one with any real intelligence at the academy. A warning chime from her scroll caused her to investigate what was going on and what she discovered only made her sigh harder. "And it appears Mr. Arc and Miss Nikos have discovered the Deathstalker nest and have angered the brood mother."

"Didn't we have warnings posted at the entrance of that nest?" Ozpin asked.

"We did, apparently they were either overlooked or ignored." Glynda replied.

"Why didn't we kill that thing again?" Naruto asked.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "Because the cave it resides in is linked to a series of underground tunnels so there is no way to tell how large the nest is or what other Grimm could be inside. We had considered collapsing the entrance but that would likely aggravate the Deathstalker brood mother and cause it to burst through the cave-in which would have rendered the whole operation pointless."

"So now we have two B rank Grimm that are pissed and on the prowl for first year blood…that's just fan-fucking-tastic." Naruto groused as he put his scroll away. "That's it, I'm heading in there."

"You can't." Ozpin said causing Naruto to freeze. "They're two miles out. You'd never reach them in time and even if you did this is still their initiation."

Naruto rounded on him. "Fuck the initiation! The rule about us not intervening was in regards to stupid shit like Beowolves and Ursai! I can excuse the Deathstalker, but that Nevermore is there because you made a stupid call!"

"And both Grimm are now aggressive because of the stupid decisions made by the students going through initiation." Ozpin responded calmly.

"I can't believe you!" Naruto said before turning to Glynda. "Glynda! You're the voice of reason, tell your boss he's being an idiot!"

Glynda sighed, "Professor Ozpin is right. Neither beast was a threat until the students engaged them. By engaging the Grimm the students have made them part of the test."

Naruto was at a loss for words. The raging fire that had been his anger was gone leaving a cold, seeping fury in its wake. An orange glow started to emit from his body as his aura started responding to his feelings and began putting pressure on the two older professors. However, they were more experienced than he was and didn't buckle under his aura's presence.

"You're telling me that you will just calmly stand there and do nothing as a group of first years die?" The young blonde asked them harshly.

"They wouldn't be the first to die during the initiation, nor would they be the last. Now let me ask you, why do you have so little faith in them?" Ozpin questioned, his eyes boring into Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened at the accusation. The sudden shift in his emotions caused his aura to buckle as he protested, "This isn't about a lack of faith! This is about them facing something out of their league!"

Ozpin took another sip from his mug before his voice and eyes hardened. "And when has that ever stopped you from doing the same thing?"

Those words took all the wind out of Naruto's sails. He hadn't gotten to where he was as both the youngest Huntsman and teacher in recent history by doing what was within his capabilities. He had constantly strived to do his best, reach his limits, and ultimately blow past them. Time and time again he did whatever it took to succeed and didn't let the opinions of others hold him back and now here he was playing the role of a naysayer. He tried to console himself, say that this situation was different. Ruby was down there and he feared if he stood by and did nothing he would be abandoning her. But every argument he tried to make just made him sound more and more like a hypocrite.

Naruto soon realized he was caught in a dilemma that had no right answer. If he didn't go and help the first years and they died then he would have abandoned them when he could have done something to save them. But if he did go down there and dealt with the two monsters it would be like saying he didn't believe they had what it takes to survive on their own. He had learned from personal experience that not every mission would be as simple as it first appeared and that sometimes you would be forced to deal with something you weren't prepared for. How was that any different than what the students were facing now?

Naruto pulled out his scroll and checked the situation to see that eight first years, Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Blake, Ren, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora were all running for the cliff using the trees for cover from the Nevermore. Back at the temple with the relics he saw the Deathstalker had its stinger trapped in ice, but would soon break free. He knew the area the students were in and where they were headed. They were headed towards the ancient ruins of an old tower that he suspected they would try to use to make it to the cliff. Naruto shut the scroll back off and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Glynda interrogated.

"To take a leak! What? Do you want to hold my hand and watch?" He responded still more than a little angry.

Glynda scoffed at his crude remark before noticing that he didn't head towards the locker room, but instead followed the cliff. "Professor Ozpin, isn't that…"

"The direction of the tower ruins? Yes, it is."

"Shouldn't we stop him?"

Ozpin smiled as he returned his attention back to the scroll. "No. He won't intervene unless the students are in absolute peril. This is just his solution to a question he didn't know the answer to."

XxX

Naruto began running when he was far enough from his two colleagues. The tower ruins were still a ways off and he knew the students would reach it before him. He still wasn't certain about what he was going to do nor did he know how he felt about Glynda and Ozpin's rather clinical approach to the situation. Student death during the initiation was actually quite rare. At worst a student may be scarred for life or injured badly enough to end their careers as potential Huntsmen or Huntresses. So the fact that his two colleagues seemed to be content to sit back and do nothing while a large number of students were in danger left him more than a little unsettled.

One thing's for certain. Naruto thought. Assuming nothing bad comes of this, their lives will be very miserable for the foreseeable future.

The call of the Nevermore grabbed his attention and Naruto was just in time to see it swoop low into the central tower. He ran up to the cliff edge to assess the situation and saw four figures quickly scaling the falling debris to a more stable section of the ruins. He glanced over at the Deathstalker to see the other four students fending it off. He was still a bit of a ways off, but at least he could see the eight students were holding their own.

He continued his rush towards the ruins and used his scroll to monitor the fights. Jaune's team seemed to be in the most danger when the Deathstalker freed its stinger from the stone it had been stuck in causing the section of the bridge they were on to become unsteady. The blonde first year lead the charge with his partner to fend off the claws and expose the creature's face for Nora to unload her grenade launcher on. In an attempt to continue attacking the students, the Deathstalker used its stinger once more but Ren grabbed hold of it before the beast could pull it back and began firing pointblank at the joint connecting the stinger with the rest of its tail.

The Deathstalker was overwhelmed and quickly tried to remove one of the threats by wildly swinging its tail to shake Ren off and toss the boy away. Naruto watched on the scroll as the black hair boy slammed into a stone wall. He cringed knowing the boy would be hurting, but Ren had shown an aptitude for aura and Naruto knew that it had likely absorbed most of the impact. He honestly felt Ren got the last laugh however when Jaune ordered Pyrrha to finish what he had started and severed the stinger causing it to pierce the bone-plate and ended the beast with Nora bringing the hammer down on it after an assisted high jump thanks to the red hair amazon. The heavy impact from the hammer turned the already unstable bridge into a see-saw and launched Jaune and Pyrrha over the Deathstalker's body and back to safety. Nora pulled the trigger on her hammer launching her over the Grimm while sending it into the chasm below. Ren managed to stumble over to them before collapsing and now there was only one B rank Grimm left.

While Jaune's team had been fighting, Ruby had approached Blake, Yang, and Weiss with a plan of her own. Weiss, Blake, and Ruby regrouped to prepare while Yang continued launching blasts from her gauntlets aiming specifically for the creature's head and managing to land a shot at one of its many eyes causing the massive bird to fly towards her and attempt to swallow her whole. Yang leapt up and used her left hand and both legs to keep the beast's beak open where she proceeded to send blast after blast down its throat. The blasts themselves didn't seem to do too much damage but they did cause enough pain to distract the Nevermore into crashing against the cliff face after Yang leapt out of its beak.

From there, Weiss moved in to freeze the bird's tail feathers to the ground and quickly moved back to the rest of the group where Blake and Yang created a makeshift slingshot using the elastic ribbon of Blake's weapon. Ruby used her weapon to launch herself up to the ribbon and let gravity pull her and her weapon back towards Weiss who caught the younger girl in a glyph and took aim. Not a moment later, Ruby was catapulted forward and managed to hook the blade of her scythe around the Nevermore's neck. Weiss then drew upon her semblance to generate a line of cliffs to hold Ruby to the cliff face. The young Huntress-in-training proceeded to use a combination of Weiss' glyphs and the high-velocity firing capabilities of her own weapon to drag the beast up the cliff and behead it.

Ruby landed on top of the cliff and let the adrenaline slowly leave her body. She was startled when she heard one person clapping. Looking up she stared face to face with Naruto.

"Not bad, Red. I gotta admit I was worried when I saw those two Grimm over the monitor, but you and your friends handled yourselves well."

Before Ruby could respond they were interrupted by a chime from Naruto's scroll. The blonde answered it and saw Ozpin staring back.

"I see everything went well after all." He said.

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "Ruby made it up the cliff and considering what they all just did I feel that concludes the initiation so I'm going to guide the others to the next area of ascent."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well, Glynda and I must monitor three more groups so we'll see you later at the ceremony."

"Right," Naruto said with a nod. "Oh! I promised you an answer by the end of this initiation, didn't I?"

"Indeed you did."

The young professor glanced over at Ruby and smiled before turning back to Ozpin. "The answer is, yes."

XxX

It was later that evening when everyone was gathered in the assembly hall where the teams were being announced. Naruto stood at the back of the stage alongside Peter and the other professors of the school as each group was called up, given their designation, and assigned an advisor. Ozpin stood front and center as the announcer of the ceremony.

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as, Team CRDL. Lead by Cardin Winchester. Your squad commander and advisor is, Professor Peter Port."

Naruto looked over at his elderly friend with surprise amidst the applause.

"A last minute decision." Peter said giving him a friendly wink before stepping forward to greet his new squad.

"I was impressed with your showing during the initiation. Your fierce tenacity on the field has inspired me to take on a team once more! With your youthful talent and my vast experience I promise you all that you will reach your full potential and make true Huntsmen out of you!" Peter declared jovially. The four member of Team CRDL gave a short bow to him and followed him off the stage.

As they left Ozpin started calling the next team forward. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as, Team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc."

Naruto smiled at the bewildered expression on the boy's face. It was clear he hadn't expected to be named team leader. It was a shame the boy lacked the confidence he needed to see just how much potential he had. He suspected Team JNPR's advisor would have the compassion to bring out that talent.

"Your team commander and advisor will be, Professor Glynda Goodwitch."

Or not.

Guess it will be the tough love route for Jaune. He thought to himself as Glynda stepped forward.

"At the start of the initiation I wasn't sure what to think of you four, but I feel you have shown your true talent and potential at the end. Together I will seek to hone your talent," She said glancing at Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. "And further develop it." She sternly finished looking hard at Jaune who gulped in fear.

Very tough love.

The four students gave a slight bow to Glynda and followed her off the stage.

"And to finish off first year Group C we have Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as, Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."

Naruto noted the shocked look on Weiss and the neutral one on Blake. Ruby seemed surprised while Yang looked proudly at her sister. Weiss quickly schooled her features, but Naruto could see the repressed resentment in her body language.

Power dynamics…what a pain in the ass.

"Your team commander and advisor will be, Professor Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto stepped forward as all the girls looked at him with surprise. The shock quickly ended when Yang threw her fist in the air and shouted. "Yes! We got the Prince of Beacon!"

Naruto snorted as Blake elbowed Yang's side getting the girl to quickly get back in formation, but nothing could keep the self-satisfied grin off her face. Ruby was also smiling while Weiss and Blake maintained their professionalism having not really gotten to know him yet.

"Unlike the other professors I saw your performance at the end of your initiation first hand. You played to your strengths well and did a fantastic job relying on your teammates to cover your weaknesses. Teamwork of that level rarely comes naturally and is something I hold in high regard. Your unconventional plan at the end is also one that should be highly commended as it would have never succeeded had even one of you doubted the capabilities of your comrades. Together, I will strengthen your skills both as a team and as an individual."

The four girls gave him a short bow and followed him off stage while Ozpin moved on to the next group. He led them out of the assembly hall and outside to the fountain in front of the school.

"Why didn't you tell me you would be our advisor, Naruto?" Ruby asked and received a light smack on the back of the head from Weiss. Glaring she said. "What was that for?"

"Don't call our commander by his first name! He's a professor you dunce!"

"Actually, Weiss I have no problem with being called by my first name and even told Red to do it when we're alone." Naruto said as he took a seat on the edge of the fountain.

"Huh?"

"I'm not a fan of titles. Even the "Prince of Beacon" is kind of embarrassing." He said feeling slightly self-conscious. "When it's just the five of us, I expect you all to call me Naruto. Save the titles for people who actually care."

"So…why are we out here?" Yang asked looking around. "Not that I don't like the mood, it's kind of romantic."

"Yeah, I can see why guys like to bring girls out here to make-out and here I have four." Naruto agreed receiving a scandalized look from Weiss, a roll of the eyes from Blake, and a blush from Ruby. "But seriously? This is supposed to be a meet and greet. Most professors introduce themselves and get to know their new squad members. However, we won't be doing that today."

He received four confused stares and decided to elaborate.

"You four had a rough day today and I can see the exhaustion in your eyes. So we'll save our introductions for our first training session on Wednesday. Instead I'll give you my contact information and send you on your way so you can get to bed early."

The four girls gave him a thankful look.

"So, as we've established, I'm Naruto and my office is in the South Hall of the academy, first floor, room nine. You can usually find me in my office most weekdays when I'm not training myself or teaching a class dealing with the bane of human existence known as paperwork. Weekends can be hit or miss as I have a lot of business in Vale that requires my attention. As members of my squad, my door will always be open to you and you won't have to make an appointment. With that said and done, I bid you ladies goodnight and will see you either Tuesday for Field Survival or earlier should you feel the need to stop by my office."

The four girls bid him goodnight and made their way to the first year dorms. Tomorrow would mark the first day of Team RWBY.

XxX

That same night in a warehouse, Roman Torchwick was looking over a map of Vale analyzing the plans he had been given when a man in white armor and a grey faceplate rolled up a crate to him. Roman handed the man five cards loaded with enough lien to cover the cost of the job he had the White Fang do.

"Open it." He ordered. The man did so and revealed layer after layer of Dust crystals. He studied the crate and considered how much Dust he currently had in his possession as well as the end game he was working towards. "We're going to need more men."

The white armored foot soldier nodded and left the room. Roman glanced over at a shadowed section of the warehouse where a man with two large black wings stood with his arms crossed.

"I don't suppose you would be able to get us more help." Roman said to him.

"Konoha is here to oversee your operation's success and keep you from procrastinating in an attempt to milk more profit. We are not your errand boys." The figure said uninterested.

"The operation would go faster if your little Faunus kingdom would take a more prominent role."

"We don't care for how soon the operation is completed, so long as it is."

"With that kind of attitude is a surprise the beasts get anything done." Roman said in annoyance.

"If this operation is too much for you, we can always find a replacement." The man said with an underlying threat in his tone.

"Relax, I know when not to break a deal. The plan will be completed, it would just be quicker with Konoha's assistance."

"So long as we're clear." The man said before leaving.

XxX

The next morning Naruto was walking beside Ozpin and Glynda as it was his free period that day with his first class not taking place till ten in the morning. Ozpin and Glynda were feeling slightly on edge in the blonde's presence. The boy was way too cheerful considering how upset he had been with them the day before.

"I must say, I was surprised you chose to take Team JNPR as your squad, Glynda." Naruto happily commented. "I don't think I've ever heard of you taking a team before."

"I haven't," She answered keeping a careful eye on her fellow professor. "But most of Team JNPR are already well off, it is Mr. Arc who is behind and I feel a strict hand will be just what he needs to get into shape. Also, from what I've seen, Miss Nikos will take him under her wing if she hasn't already."

"Hmm," Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "Oh look, there are our teams now! Seems they're running late already on the first day."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee while Glynda looked down at her watch and sighed.

"I expected this sort of behavior from your team," She said getting an annoyed look from Naruto. "But for my team to act in such a manner as well?"

"Oh get off your high-horse." Naruto commented. "I swear if you were any more of a hard-ass you would be able to kill Grimm with just a bum rush."

Ozpin snorted into his coffee and earned himself a hit from Glynda's riding crop. She was about to assault Naruto when a moan drew their attention.

"Ozzzzzzzzpiiiiiiinnnnnn~"

"That's my cue. Have fun you two." Naruto said before running off.

"OZZZZZZZPIIIIIIIIIN~" The moan grew louder.

Ozpin and Glynda looked to see a disorderly Bartholomew approaching them. His green hair was pointing every which way with his shirt halfway tucked in and his buttons misaligned. He moved so slowly he was literally dragging his feet and looked ready to collapse at any second.

"By the Dust! Bartholomew, what happened?" Ozpin asked approaching the shambling professor. He already feared the answer.

"Deeeeeeeeeecaaaaaaaaaaffffffffffff~" He moaned as he reached for Ozpin. That wasn't quite the answer he expected, but it at least explained the man's state.

"Decaf? Who in the world…oh no." Naruto.

"Cooooffffffffffffeeeeeeeeee~" Bartholomew groaned lunging for Ozpin's mug. "Giiiiiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvvveeeeeeee meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~"

Ozpin used his foot to keep him at bay while holding his mug as far away as possible. Glynda tried to assist her boss by holding the shuffling professor back. Despite being two on one Bartholomew was putting up one hell of a struggle.

"This coffee is a special blend flown in directly from Atlas! Do you have any idea how much it costs!?" Ozpin said continuing to fight his faculty member off.

"COOOOOFFFFFFFFEEEEEEE!"

XxX

It was nearing the end of the day and Naruto had just finished with his last class. Unlike most professors who taught up to five or six classes a day two to three times a week, he only taught three classes two times every other week. Two of his classes dealt with field survival and was open to first and second years. It was a required course to better prepare the students for extended missions that they would receive in their third and fourth year where they would have to make camp rather than sleep at an inn. It dealt with many subjects such as foraging, trapping, tracking, navigation, field medicine, and the like. His second class was in weapon engineering and was an elective open to all years and was the class he had just finished teaching. It focused on the strengths and weaknesses in a student's chosen armament and focused on increasing their chances of success in battle my limiting or finding ways to counter the students' shortcomings. Shame none of Team RWBY chose to take it this semester. Oh well, he'd impress its importance to them on their first training session Wednesday.

Looking at the clock he saw Peter's last class would be starting in ten minutes and decided to pop in and watch. The man had wanted to discuss a few ideas on collaborating their classes and Naruto figured he'd talk to him after he finished teaching for the day. He left his classroom and started walking across the campus waving to the students that greeted him. He was halfway to his destination when his scroll gave a chime. However, unlike the normal chime this one was designed to alert the recipient that the call was an emergency. Clicking it on he was greeted by the haggard appearance of Ozpin with a loud banging in the background and some groaning he couldn't make out.

"Naruto Uzumaki! You will give Bartholomew back his normal blend of coffee or I will-"

*CLICK*

Naruto happily hung up on his boss and continued his stroll with a skip in his step. As he approached the door to Peter's class he ran into Team RWBY just as they were about to enter.

"Hello girls. I take it this is your last class for the day?"

The four nodded.

"What brings you here, Mr. Prince? Can't keep away from us?" Yang teased.

"What girl doesn't like seeing Prince Charming as often as possible?" Naruto countered with a grin to match Yang's. Being called the "Prince of Beacon" may have been embarrassing, but it did have its perks.

"Does that mean you're here to sweep us off our feet?" She asked leaning forward with her eyes fluttering.

Naruto stepped up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her close before bringing his free hand up to trace it gently down her cheek. Softly he asked her, "You mean I haven't already?"

The three other members of Team RWBY stared at in shock with varying shades of red on their cheeks as the two openly flirted with one another. Weiss' hand shot up as she pointed at them and angrily stuttered out. "In-in-inappropriate! You two are being completely inappropriate!"

Yang and Naruto stared at each other for a few more seconds before pulling away from each other laughing loudly bringing on a round of confusion for the others.

"Relax, Weiss we were only messing around. We weren't being serious."

"Aww, you wound me, Yang." Naruto said clutching his heart. Yang grinned and lightly punched his arm. "But she's right, Weiss. Besides I think you have something more important to worry about."

"Huh? Like what?" She asked as the bell went off signaling the start of class.

"Like being late twice in one day." He answered her with a knowing grin. The four members of Team RWBY looked at his with comically wide eyes before running into the classroom.

Peter watched them rush to their seats and was about to chastise them when Naruto walked in. "Sorry, Pete. My fault. I had some things to discuss with my squad."

Peter looked at him and smiled. "Ah, Naruto my boy. What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here today?"

"Since we didn't get to talk yesterday I figured I'd stop by so we could discuss that thing you wanted after class."

"Of course!"

"Right," Naruto said as he started climbing the stairs to the top of the classroom. "Don't mind me then, I'll just be sitting in the back."

Class started much as anyone would expect the first day of any class to go with Peter taking attendance, introducing himself, passing out a syllabus, and outlining the major assignments the students would have over the semester. While this was going on, Naruto took note of a steel cage that occasionally rattled off to the side of Peter's classroom. Once the pleasantries and paperwork were out of the way did Peter really begin to teach his class.

"Monsters! Deeeemons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey!" Peter exclaimed jubilantly. Naruto glanced down at his squad and was annoyed to see Blake and Yang paying little attention while Ruby had been sleeping propped up on her arm before Peter gave a cheerful cry. Weiss was the only one who seemed to take the class seriously.

Peter seemed to notice how unimpressed his class was. "Uuuuh…And you shall two upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now as I was saying," He said as he began pacing the floor. "Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our world is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in, Huntsmen, Huntresses."

Yang groaned when Peter winked at her and Naruto face-palmed.

Dammit, Pete. Did you just seriously hit on my student while I'm in the classroom? Now I'm obligated to prank your ass for that. He thought.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves," Peter continued unaware of the chaos he had cast upon his future. "From what you ask? Why, the very world!"

Naruto snorted as one student actually stood up and gave a cheer before quickly sitting back down when everyone started looking at him.

"That is what you're training to become. But first, a story." The elderly professor said before regaling the class with a tale from his youth.

Oh Dust, Pete! Not the wolf story again. Over thirty years of experience and you always tell the same damn story. Naruto cringed. His focus was drawn to his squad and he nearly slammed his head on the desk in front of him as he watched Ruby goof off much to the amusement of Blake and Yang.

"So," Peter said having concluded his story and expressing it's so called moral. "Who among you feels they are the embodiment of these traits."

Naruto wasn't surprised to see Weiss raise her hand and claim that she was.

"Well then, let's find out." Peter said as he gestured to the cage on the side of the room. "Step forward and face your opponent."

Weiss left to grab her equipment and to get changed while Naruto got up from his seat and made his way over to Peter.

"So, what's this idea you had in mind?" Naruto asked getting a quirked eyebrow from Peter.

"I thought you were going to wait till after class."

The blonde shrugged. "That was before I knew you were going to put on a demonstration. I'd say we have a few minutes to kill until Weiss gets back."

Peter stroked his mustache. "Indeed. As you know, I cover regional Grimm starting on the fourth week of class. Normally I must use a combination of the textbook, a slide presentation, and some old video footage. However, over the last summer break I managed to trap three Quetz-Coatals and figured a live demonstration would be in order. Unfortunately I'm not as spry as I once was so I was curious if you'd be willing to face them."

"Hmm, three isn't really enough to cover all your classes. I'm assuming you're just going to have them all come and watch the presentation at the same time?"

"You assume correctly." Peter agreed. "I have training ground thirty-one on hold at the moment and just needed to know your answer before I can officially reserve it."

Naruto looked thoughtful. Training ground thirty-one could project a force field so it would keep the students safe as they observed the match. "Sounds good, what day were you thinking?"

"Friday, what better way to end a week than with a good old fashioned Grimm hunt?"

"A little monster slaying to kick off the weekend. What more could I ask for?"

"Great!" Peter cheered. "I'll be sure to let Professor Ozpin know as soon as possible."

"Yeah…about that," Naruto said. "Might want to wait until tomorrow. I hear he's pretty busy today."

Peter gave his young counterpart a knowing look. "What did you do?"

XxX

At the top of Beacon's tower Ozpin sat cowering under his desk holding five tin cans filled with his special blend of coffee. His jacket sleeve had been torn off, the rest of his clothes were mussed up, and his hair was in disarray. He was rocking himself back and forth and flinched every time he heard a bang on his office door.

"Cooooooffffffffffffeeeeeeeeee~"

Ozpin wanted to cry. He barely escaped Bartholomew this morning and now he was trapped in his office as the man attacked his door. The headmaster prayed the magnetic locks on his office door could keep the man out.

"Ozzzzzzzzzzzpiiiiiiiiiiiin~"

"Go after Naruto, Bartholomew! He's the one who switched out your coffee!" Ozpin shouted.

"Cooooooffffffffffeeeeeeeee fffffffiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrsssssssssttttt~" The man groaned.

"No! You'll drink it all and this stuff is worth a small fortune!" He yelled back.

The banging stopped, but only for a moment before it came back with a vengeance.

"COOOOOOFFFFFFEEEEEEEEE~"

XxX

"Oh…nothing too bad." Naruto said with an overly innocent smile.

"My instincts are telling me otherwise." Peter deadpanned as he grabbed his blunderbuss-axe. Further conversation was ended as Weiss reappeared dressed for combat. As she took her position the other members of Team RWBY cheered for her.

"Go Weiss!" Yang.

"Fight well!" Blake.

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby. However her cheer seemed to set Weiss off.

"Ruby! I'm trying to concentrate!" She harshly chastised.

Naruto sighed to himself. It was clear to him now Weiss wasn't fighting to show herself off as a Huntress. She was doing it to prove to herself that she was a more qualified leader. He didn't hold it against her, she clearly took her training more seriously than Ruby seemed to. But at the same time he didn't hold that against Ruby. Ruby was still young and needed time and proper guidance to help her mature. Neither side was wrong, per say. Weiss was being too quick to judge and Ruby had yet to truly realize the burden of leadership. He knew he should have talked to them last night, but had put it off. Now he vowed to speak to each of them alone after class ended.

"All right," Peter called getting the class' attention. "Let the match…begin!"

Peter uses his blunderbuss-axe to cut off the lock on the cage revealing an enraged Boarbatusk that immediately locked its eyes on Weiss and charged. The Schnee heiress waited till the last second to pivot to the side and slash her rapier against the beast, but failed to penetrate the bone plating on its side.

"Ha, ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Peter commented.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby cheered. Naruto continued to watch the battle and analyzed Weiss' performance. He watched with a frown as she used her semblance to meet the creature's charge with one of her own and cringed when her weapon slid off the beast's faceplate and became wedged between its massive tusks.

"Bold, new approach! I like it!" Peter cheered.

"That wasn't bold, that was stupid and reckless." Naruto quietly whispered to the man. Peter sent him a sideways glance before quietly speaking back.

"I know that and you know that, but right now she is the one fighting and criticizing her actions during the battle would only serve to hinder her. Remember, Naruto these are students. Not fully trained Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"I know that." He said with a huff. The look on Peter's face told him the man doubted him. Even after two years of teaching, Naruto had a tendency think of the students the same way he thought of the Huntsmen and Huntresses he once fought alongside.

Ruby cheered for her teammate again causing Weiss to glare in her direction and lose her focus on the battle at hand. The Boarbatusk took advantage of her distraction to jerk its head back and to the side to unbalance its opponent before swing its head back and sending Weiss' weapon away. It followed up with a quick lunge and struck the girl hard enough to send her a good distance back.

"Ho, ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Peter rhetorically asked her. Weiss managed to push herself up to her hands and knees and looked up with frightened eyes to see the beast baring down on her. She threw herself to the side narrowly avoiding its charge before getting to her feet and running for her weapon. The Boarbatusk was unable to stop itself in time and slammed face first into the first row of desks before losing its balance and rolling onto its side.

As Weiss reclaimed her weapon, Ruby spoke out once more. "Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor unde-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" She yelled back at the younger girl. Ruby clearly looked upset, having no idea why Weiss was yelling at her.

The creature of Grimm went berserk at its multiple failed attempts at killing the girl before it leapt in the air and started rapidly spinning forward like some sort of demonic wheel. Despite having yelled at the younger girl Weiss seemed to accept her assessment and used a glyph to create a wall for the beast to slam into. As the beast fell on its back the young heiress back flipped up to a second glyph and used it as a launching point to bury her blade deep into the beast's exposed belly, finally slaying it.

"Bravo! Bra-vo!" Peter cheered. "It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings. Class dismissed."

Naruto watched his student stomp out of the room and quickly noticed Ruby watch her go spending a few moments thinking to herself before saying a quick goodbye to her other teammates and getting up to go after her.

"Sorry, Pete. Wish I could stay and chat, but something important has come up."

"So I saw," He said walking to his desk to gather his things. "This will be your first true test as a Squad Commander, Naruto. Be sure to handle it with care. You can't treat the students like you would a fellow Huntsman or Huntress."

"I'll be sure to remember that." Naruto said before heading out. Peter watched his young friend leave before glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. If he hurried, he'd still be able to watch the sun set over Vale.

XxX

Naruto sought out the two girls of his squad, but had lost sight of them. By the time he did manage to locate them he was just in time to catch the tail end of their conversation.

"Not a team, led by you." He managed to hear Weiss say causing Ruby to look downtrodden. "I've studied and trained! And frankly, I deserve better!"

Ruby tried to say something, but Weiss' final words crushed whatever she had to say.

"Ozpin made a mistake."

Naruto waited for the Schnee heiress to leave before approaching the leader of Team RWBY. Ruby turned to walk the other way, but was caught by surprise to see Naruto behind her.

"Well that could have gone better." He said.

"Is she right? Did Ozpin make a mistake?"

Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't see how he could. He wasn't the one to make you Team RWBY's leader."

"Huh?" The girl asked looking surprised.

"Ruby, why don't you follow me to my office. We have a few things we need to discuss." He said leading her away. Weiss would have to wait. The sooner he spoke with Ruby, the sooner he could set her on the right path. Once that was done, dealing with Weiss would be a much simpler matter.

"By the way, Naruto. Where is Professor Ozpin? I haven't seen him since this morning?" Ruby innocently asked as she followed behind him. Naruto didn't answer her. He just smiled.

XxX

Meanwhile at the top of the Beacon's tower in the Headmaster's office, Ozpin's scroll gave off the emergency chime prompting him to answer it at once.

"Glynda!?" He cried out amidst the constant thuds on his door.

"Sir! I have returned from Vale after hitting every shop for as much coffee as I can!" She decreed. "The chefs are currently preparing it as we speak and we will have it brought up to your office as soon as possible!"

"Commission as many low ranking missions as you can to get assistance from the students!" He ordered. "The magnetic locks are failing and I will not let Naruto have the satisfaction of seeing me lose my precious coffee!"

"As you command, sir!"

Glynda hung up to carry out his orders while Ozpin pulled his five tin coffee cans closer. "You will pay for this, Naruto. You have crossed the line on this one and you will suffer!"

The Headmaster cackled with maniacal laughter as plans of retaliation formed in his head. Being trapped in a single room at the top of a tower with a crazed caffeine addicted zealot banging on your door could crack the sanity of any person.

XxX

Weiss had walked out onto one of the verandas of Beacon where she spotted Professor Port. He looked like he was enjoying himself staring out over Vale and she didn't want to disturb him, but she also wanted to hear his evaluation of her performance. Working up her courage she approached him and called out his name.

"Ah, Miss Schnee! And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?" The man asked with a polite bow.

"I-I enjoyed your lecture."

"Of course you did, child. You have the blood of a true Huntress in you!"

"You really think so?" She asked happy for the man's praise. However, his praise for her talent as a Huntress also reminded her that she wasn't the leader of her team.

"Hmm, something's troubling you." He hummed. It was clear that Naruto had yet to talk to the girl. Odds were he was currently speaking with Miss Rose, but perhaps he could help his fellow professor out with Miss Schnee.

"Yes…sir." Weiss hesitantly stated.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife." He already knew her problem, but needed her to air it out in the open before handling it.

"Well…sir, I feel I should have been made the leader of Team RWBY."

And so, here we go. He thought before boldly saying. "That's preposterous."

"Excuse me?" Weiss nearly shouted shocked at the man's words.

"If there is one person in this entire academy that understands leadership as well as Professor Ozpin, it's Professor Uzumaki."

Now Weiss was really thrown for a loop. "Wait, what? What does Professor Uzumaki have to do with this?"

"My dear girl, who do you think is in charge of managing the team you find yourself on? He is your commanding officer and as such he is the one who handle's your team's affairs."

Weiss huffed before crossing her arms. "Well that explains it."

"I'm sorry?" Peter asked suddenly confused.

"He's clearly playing favorites!" She accused. "He knew Ruby before she came to Beacon and just before your class he was flirting with her sister!"

"Miss Schnee," Peter started with a hardened tone. His sudden change of demeanor left Weiss feeling unsettled. "I understand you're upset, but I would advise you to think carefully before accusing Professor Uzumaki of playing favorites." Weiss noted he said nothing about the flirting. "While my young counterpart still has a lot to learn about being a teacher, I've already told you he ranks second to the Headmaster when it comes to understanding leadership. You may know him as the youngest Huntsman in recent history, but do you know how young he was when he earned his liscence."

Weiss slowly shook her head no.

"Sixteen." Peter answered much to her surprise. "He didn't start teaching at Beacon until he was eighteen and that was only after repeated requests from Professor Ozpin. For two years that boy was out on the field fighting Grimm you aren't yet ready to face, killing both man and monster in order to keep this world safe, and being forced to sacrifice his fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses in order to ensure the safety of the people he was tasked to save. And he did it all while you were still learning the basics and preparing yourself to eventually come to this esteemed academy. Now you tell me, does that sound like someone who would make such a foolish mistake as to play favorites with a team of future Huntresses?"

Weiss shook her head with more fervor this time. She still wasn't sure what to make of Naruto as a teacher, but she could say she had a newfound respect for him as a Huntsman. Truth be told she had always assumed he had gotten his license as a Huntsman and had become a teacher as soon as possible. Hearing he'd been fighting for two years before coming to Beacon against greater threats than she had ever faced was certainly a shock.

"I'm glad you understand. However, we've gotten off topic. You claim that you should be the leader of your team, but you seem to fail to grasp just what it means to be a leader. Much like Miss Rose."

"How dare you!" Weiss raged. How could he put her in the same boat as that immature child?

"My point exactly," Peter countered. "Here we are less than a day after the teams have been formed and you're already making judgments about the members of your own team and its commander in a manner that paints you in the best light never once considering your own faults."

"That isn't even remotely true." Weiss protested. However despite that she remember Ruby calling her out on her attitude in the Emerald Forest as well. Seeing Professor Port stare her down made her shoulders slouch before she reluctantly admitted. "Well…not entirely true."

Peter gave the girl a small smile at her admittance before continuing. "So the outcome didn't fall in your favor. Do you really think acting in such a manner will cause those in power to reconsider their decision?" Weiss quietly shook her head as her posture became less defensive. "So instead of fretting over what you don't have, savor what you do. Hone your skill, prefect your technique, and become not the best leader but the best person you can be."

Weiss gave the hefty professor a small smile. He had a point. If she could choose between being the best leader or the best person, she'd rather be the best person.

"Now I believe it's time I grab some dinner, but before I go I have one more piece of advice for you," Peter said. "Go and speak with your commander. See for yourself that he is more than you man you seem to think he is."

Weiss looked hesitant at that idea, but slowly nodded her head before walking off. As Peter watched her leave he said quietly to himself. "The rest is up to you, my friend."

XxX

Ruby followed Naruto into his office and took a moment to look around. It was fairly bare of any personalization in her mind. A few shelves held books and a couple of picture frames housed his license as a Huntsman as well as a few awards he won. Off in the corner was a workbench with an eight inch long ornate cylinder a little larger in circumference than a soda can with a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and some wires around it. On the wall facing the desk was a dartboard housing three throwing knives centered on the bull's-eye. Another wall played home to a large map of Remnant with different colored pins decorating its surface. Nowhere did she see any pictures of family or friends.

Naruto walked up to the front of his desk and turned to lean against it before motioning Ruby to take a seat in one of the two chairs before him. She did so and looked up at her commander to see him staring back at her with a neutral gaze that soon had her fidgeting.

Sighing, he asked. "Ruby, do you know why Weiss was upset with you?"

"She said she didn't feel I should be leader of Team RWBY…" The young girl answered pressing her fingers together and looking at the floor.

"And do you know why she felt that way?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Well let me make it easy for you. Care to show me the notes you took during Pete's class?" Naruto asked her knowing she didn't have any.

Ruby flushed and tried to sink further into the chair. Quietly she admitted, "I-I don't have any…"

"I see..." He said with a pause. "What about your other classes?"

She hesitated before reaching into her bag and pulled out a couple of her notebooks before handing them to him. Naruto took them and flipped through them. Many of the subjects appeared to have gaps in the information and instead played home to a bunch of doodles. He sighed once more before handing them back to her. "Ruby, Weiss doesn't respect you as a leader because she doesn't feel you take the position seriously and from what I saw in your notes and in Pete's class I can't say I blame her."

Ruby's head shot up and she was about to protest when Naruto raised his hand gesturing for silence.

"Being a leader isn't exclusive to the battlefield. You don't just lead your team against your enemies and hang up the responsibility after the fighting ends. Leadership is a responsibility that is constantly resting on your shoulders. Take your professors for instance, do you think we ignore the students the second we exit our classroom?"

She shook her head no.

"That's right. Even outside of class or on our own personal time, we dedicate ourselves to you, students. We offer whatever advice we can and do everything we can to ensure you will always be at your best. That very same notion applies to you as well, Ruby. If you aren't doing everything you can to show your teammates that you take your position seriously, then what reason do you give them to take you seriously?"

"Are-are you going to take the position of leadership away from me?" She nervously asked.

Naruto laughed. "Hardly. This is still the first day, Ruby and nothing you've done isn't something you can't fix or learn from. Now let me ask you, do you think I should take away your leadership?"

Ruby surprised him by actually taking a moment to seriously think about what he asked. She considered her actions and applied his evaluation of her performance to them. He was right, while she could have done better, nothing she had done was irredeemable. If anything it gave her an idea on where she could start becoming a better leader for Team RWBY. Looking up at him she shook her head with a smile.

"I'm glad you agree." He said before a knock came from his door.

"Professor Uzumaki? Are you in?" Weiss asked from the other side of the door.

"Just a moment, Weiss." Naruto said before looking down at Team RWBY's leader. "Be sure you keep my words in mind, Ruby. I made you leader for a reason and still believe you will lead the team well."

"Thanks, Naruto." Ruby said before standing up and walking to the door. She opened it and came face to face with Weiss. An awkward tension passed between them before Ruby quietly left and Weiss entered Naruto's office. Like Ruby had done before her, the Schnee heiress took a second to study the room before letting her eyes fall on Naruto.

"What was Ruby doing here?" She asked with curiosity.

"I never kiss and tell." Naruto teased getting a scoff from the girl. Weiss turned to leave. She should have known this was a waste of time regardless of what Professor Port had said. Naruto sighed and was beginning to wonder if he would ever do anything, but sigh when dealing with his team. Just as Weiss was reaching for the door knob he spoke. "If you must know, I was reprimanding her for her performance today."

Weiss turned and looked at him with surprise. "What? But I thought she was your friend?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, not that she could see with his goggles on. "She is, but she is also my student and the leader of my squad. This is a combat school, Weiss. Regardless of what you may think of me, I won't stand back and be negligent when it comes to my responsibilities to you or the rest of Team RWBY. The minute I chose to become your commander, I made an unspoken oath to ensure your all's safety and survival. To see you become the best Huntresses I could and to assist you in any way possible."

Weiss stepped further into the room and away from the door until she was only a few feet away from Naruto. Unlike Ruby, she didn't take a seat. She was finally beginning to see the man Professor Port held in high regard, but wasn't quite satisfied. At least, not yet. "If you don't mind my asking, why did you make Ruby the leader of Team RWBY?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. Seems she had spoken with someone before coming to him. Smirking he said. "I see you've learned it wasn't Ozzy who made that call."

Weiss blushed. "You heard that?"

"Amongst other things," He admitted dismissively causing the girl to redden further. "But to answer your question, I made Ruby the team leader because she was the one who would benefit from the position the most."

"Huh?"

"I could cite her performance and plan against the Nevermore, but that was just one instance and wasn't enough for me to choose her over the rest of you." He started crossing his arms over his chest. "The truth is, Ruby has confidence issues. Being two years younger than the rest of you plays heavily on her and she is constantly trying to live up to the self-imposed expectations she believes you all have of her…at least on the battlefield."

"That's it!?" Weiss asked annoyed that that was his reason.

"Of course not, if anything this mentality of hers will also better her development as a leader. In my experience, there are two types of leaders. The ones who listen to the concerns and ideas of their comrades and those who don't, thinking that their answer is always the right one. The first kind of leader is the one who will almost always be successful on the field because they have more than one perspective to draw on, the second may succeed, but that success can and will come at the cost of people's lives. People who didn't have to die had they been more willing to listen to others."

Weiss' annoyance was curbed at that explanation. There was a lot of logic there and she suspected it came from Naruto's many experiences.

"As I told you, Weiss. My job is to make Team RWBY the best team of Huntresses I possibly can. And making Ruby the leader is one way I will achieve that goal, at least with her. That being said, when we start to run missions I will always consider the talents and skills of the rest of the team and if I feel they would be better suited to lead during the mission I will temporarily promote them."

"You can do that?" She asked in surprise.

Naruto pointed at his self and deadpanned. "Team RWBY's commander."

"Right…" She sheepishly said.

"Anything else I can answer for you?"

Weiss took a minute to think before shaking her head. "Thanks, Professor. You know, you're not so bad when you aren't acting like a fool."

Naruto chuckled. "Ruby said something along the same lines. Though I believe she said I wasn't so bad when I wasn't being a "meanie"."

She smiled before heading to the door. As she opened it she turned to give him one last look. "Thanks again. I'll see you in class tomorrow…Naruto."

Naruto waved goodbye and waited for the door to close before sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. What an exhausting first day.

(End of chapter 2)

OMAKE The Student ALWAYS Surpasses the Master

A tall man with long white spiky hair and a pair of stylish sunglasses made his way to the last office of a building located in the Kingdom of Vacuo. It was a publishing office and the man was a well-known author to a series of books with some rather suggestive content. Not that the opinions of people who weren't his fans mattered to him. Only his dedicated readers mattered and that was why he was walking to the end of the hallway to his publisher's office with a skip in his step and a very eager smile. He had just released his latest novel and no doubt his publisher was calling him in to tell him he had another massive success on his hands.

Knocking on the door he entered and jovially walked to the desk to take a seat. The man behind the desk was a stocky middle-aged man in his early forties and was nearly a decade younger than the writer with a bushy mustache and receding hairline. He was just finishing up a phone call before hanging up and turning to face the writer.

"Ah, Jiraiya. So glad you could stop by." He greeted.

Jiraiya grinned. "Let me guess what this is about, Garret. My book is flying off the shelves and you're here to renew my contract!"

Garret cleared his throat. "Quite the opposite, actually."

Jiraiya's grin fell. "Come again?"

"It seems there is a new writer on the scene and he has already published three books. All of which have been outselling even your latest Icha Icha release."

"So we have another upstart. Let him have his five minutes of fame." Jiraiya said waving his hand to dismiss the new writer. This wasn't the first time someone tried to steal his thunder. They'd have a hit or two, but would quickly fade into obscurity.

"Upstart…yes. Well, you see, Jiraiya. This "upstart" has managed to succeed where you have failed."

"…What?"

"I'm afraid unlike your novels, his has managed to bring in a female audience."

"…What!?"

"Also, unlike your novels, the reviewers have described his works as "erotic art" and claim that in comparison to his work, the Icha Icha series is just "pathetic smut fantasies from a perverted old man well outside his prime"."

"WHAT!?"

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya. You've been a treasured client of ours for many years, but the company feels it is time to let you go."

Jiraiya stood up, slammed his hands on the desk, then grabbed Garret by his suit jacket and brought him nose-to-nose. His glasses slipped down his nose revealing two angry yellow eyes with horizontal bar shaped pupils. "Give me his name! I want to meet the little shit who thinks he can ruin me!"

"I-i-it's a pen name, I don't know his real name!" Garret pleaded.

"Give me the damn name of this little upstart bastard!" The white haired toad Faunus raged.

"G-G-Gama Bakatchu." Garret stuttered out.

Jiraiya ran the name through his head countless times. Something about it nagging him.

Gama Bakatchu

Gama Bak atchu

Gama Bak at chu

Suddenly it clicked.

Gama back at you.

"Oh that little son of a bitch!" Jiraiya roared rushing out of the office. He needed to schedule a flight to Vale and kick a certain student's ass.

(Omake End)

And there you have it boys and girls, chapter 2 and holy shit are you guys awesome! Seriously, my email was flooded with alerts from you all. Now, let me know what you think, because I'm a little uncertain with aspects of this chapter. Also, since this is the first time we got to see Naruto act more teacher-like with Ruby and Weiss tell me if you feel I hit the mark or not. Some of you may have noticed I have basically rushed through the first half of volume 1, but rest assured there is more to come. The next 3-4 chapters will be original content before Jaune's story arc. One of my few gripes with RWBY volume 1 was how more than half of the episodes were dedicated to the first couple days at Beacon. It feels like we missed out on a lot of content.

Also, just saw the first two episodes of volume 2 and here are my comments. First, most epic food fight ever and I can't wait to throw Naruto into the mix since I'm teeming with ideas for that. Second, I friggen love Emerald. Her personality is great and she looks adorable when she gives you a friendly smile. So yeah, can't wait to see more of her. Moving on, we have a couple of teases here including the first glimpse of Naruto's personal weapon which won't be revealed until chapter 4 or 5 as well as a new(?) player assisting the bad guys. Since he hasn't been fully revealed his allusion will be kept hidden. That being said…

Jiraiya the Gallant – Okay seriously? Did anyone not expect this? Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru are all allusions to a folktale in Japanese history. I didn't have to do shit with him. Despite Tsunade and Orochimaru being part of the same tale I'm not certain if I'll use them in this story.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review. Seriously, those are like crack to me and I'm an addict! Also, next update may not come as fast as this one did since again, original content. I have to make it up and plan it out first. I have some ideas in mind though.