Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I do not own RWBY
AN: I planned for the poll to only last 3 chapters, but after seeing the almost tie coming into closing time, I decided to postpone it just a bit to get a slightly more clear winner. One day after this chapter is posted I'll be closing the poll. If you haven't voted in the poll and wish to, please do so now. Every vote will count.
I don't think it was ever stated what missions are ranked, but missions will be ranked the same as Naruto ones for simplicity's sake. This is just based on difficulty, not that only those of the actual level will be able to do those missions. This is also only how it works in Beacon. Other schools could have different ways of ranking missions or have different ranks.
D is for first years.
C is for second years.
B is for third years.
A is for fourth years.
S is for graduates or experienced hunters that are capable of such a challenge such as Qrow. Rare mission rank.
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Reviews
Killing - Experienced Hunters aren't as adverse to the idea. I made a mistake with Glynda early on, but Ozpin had no negative reaction to it. Most of the older characters won't really be affected by the news. Yes war was a thing the Remnant has experienced, but how long before the start of the story was the last one? It wasn't like they just came out of war, they've had "peace" for a long time now.
Puns - I'm sorry for the lack of puns to the disappointed reviewer XD I'll do my best to get Yang and my own worked on I'm the coming chapters :D
Pairing - I appreciate any reviews, flame, criticism, or even just a good job. If you are just voting for your pairing through reviews though, it won't count in the poll. Please vote in the poll as it will end tomorrow afternoon.
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Chapter 4: Mission
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Naruto was envious of the teams. Able to stay in a place with a roof. The storm turned out to be nothing more than a decent rain, but it still was annoying. He packed up his things before heading back inside the school, on route to Ozpin's office. The man would either give him a dorm room or give him a mission to make money.
"Damn weather." Only one rainy day and he was already cursing the sky.
"You must have grown weak. You used to be able to sleep through snowstorms as long as my chakra kept you relatively warm, now a little water angers you? You're worse than when Matatabi was young."
"Can it Kyuubi, I know that. It's just annoying is all."
"Fine fine, be like that." He disappeared from Naruto's thoughts, letting him finish walking to the elevator. The doors slid shut behind him as he rode the metal cage to the top floor.
He stepped out into the headmaster's office, glad he was actually here. The blonde figured he might have been gone at such a late hour.
"Ah, Naruto. What can I do for you?" The man nodded in greeting as he continued sorting papers.
"Give me a dorm room." Ozpin looked up from his work.
"A dorm room? Well I'm afraid those are reserved for teams only."
"Then give me a mission that pays well so I can rent a place."
The man shook his head. "Students are not allowed outside of the school grounds except for missions and during breaks and vacations."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "So I am to sleep outside for the rest of the foreseeable future?"
"Perhaps." Naruto grit his teeth. "Why don't you take a mission since you are so eager and we can talk when we come back. After that you can show me those skills I have been wanting to see." The blonde reluctantly nodded. It wasn't like he had anything else to go off of, and at least a mission would give him a good excuse for getting wet.
"Excellent. I have an D rank that will fit you nicely." He handed over a small silver object. "That's your scroll, I meant to give it to Glynda this morning to give to you, but I must have forgotten. Your mission will appear on there. Complete the task and earn the reward, fairly similar to his your missions work I believe."
Naruto nodded. "Yes. Thank you, I'll be heading out now." He turned swiftly, leaving the office. Ozpin watched as he disappeared, smiling to himself.
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Naruto rushed off to the front of the school, ready to leave. He pulled out the scroll and opened it. It was definitely different than anything he had ever seen in Konoha.
"Hello!" The scroll talked, making Naruto stumble, almost falling over in surprise. "This scroll has never been activated. Would you like to activate it now?"
"Yes?" Naruto wasn't sure if speaking to it would work, but he needed to get it working so he could do this mission.
"Thank you, your scroll will activate momentarily." He waited a few minutes before he heard a bell. "Please enter your personal information below so you can be identified."
He looked down at the small page of requirements. Name, birthdate, blood type. It seemed like normal stuff.
He poked the name slot and a jumble of letters appeared on screen. He hesitantly pushed one and saw that it appeared in the bar next to where his name should go.
A few minutes, and grueling backspaces, later, he managed to complete what was needed. He clicked the confirm button only to be brought to another page. Naruto hung his head. He really didn't know if he could do another one.
"Please activate your aura and place both hands on the scroll. It will take a few moments to gauge your aura level." He raised an eyebrow. There was that word again. He should have asked Ozpin while he was in his office, but it was kind of late now. He placed his hands on the side of the scroll and waited.
"Please activate your aura and place both hands-" Naruto groaned.
"I don't know what aura is!" He yelled at the scroll. The voice suddenly cut off.
"Aura is the physical representation of one's soul. It is used to heal minor wounds and protect the body during combat. All living things have aura." Naruto cocked his head. It sounded similar to chakra. Could he use his chakra?
"Please activate your-" he channeled chakra to his hands as he gripped the scroll tightly. The voice stopped. A few seconds later it resumed with its cheery tone.
"Your aura level had been gauged. Thank you for activating this scroll. Would you like a tutorial on how to use a scroll?"
"Yes." The stupid thing began rambling, bringing up several screens and highlighting the parts it was mentioning. Naruto thought his killing days were over, but the scroll voice had certainly made him rethink that option.
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After an hour long session spent growling and yelling at his scroll, the voice finally quit talking. He sighed in relief. Now he just had to find his mission… somewhere.
His eyes scanned the screen until they found the school's symbol. He pressed on it, hoping to find what he wanted there. If it was about the school it should at least be close.
A mission board appeared in front of his face and he smiled. This was definitely the right path.
It took a bit, but he finally found his assigned missions and saw a single one. He tapped it and it opened, revealing the mission's details and notes. Along with them was estimated time spent on the mission, the grade, and the payment. Lein? Was that this world's money? He'd ask Ozpin about it when he got back.
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Luckily for him, the scroll had a map of Vale in it. He would have spent hours searching the city for the place he was looking for. Apparently a few Grim had started showing up near the edge of the city. It was his job to look into it and eliminate the Grim of he came across them. Seemed simple enough. Now he just needed to find the exact people that sighted the monsters.
He jumped across rooftops, scanning the area for the bakery where said people were supposed to be.
"D-Ranks again? I thought you were done with these after you proved yourself."
"Only Ozpin knows what I am capable of, and that's only through my exploits. I have yet to show him any skills. This is probably a test. It would be best to just finish this as quickly as possible and head back."
Naruto landed on a rooftop, turning to his right. This was the place. He hopped down, startling a few passerby's with the sudden entrance. Opening the door, he entered the shop. The smell hit him immediately. It was definitely a place he wouldn't mind spending time at. Somehow it reminded him of Ichiraku's, quiet, cozy, and full of good food.
"Excuse me, is anyone here?" He called out. He heard a clatter from the back and soon after a young man rushed out to the counter.
"I'm sorry! We are short handed today." He smiled at Naruto. "How may I help you?"
"I was sent about the Grim." His smile fell as the man nodded.
"I see. I can show you where they were at if that will help." Naruto nodded, letting the man lead him out of the shop.
After the quick explanation, he thanked the man before rushing outside of Vale's border, into the woods beyond. It wasn't much to go on, just that a few have been seen in this area. No direction towards where they went, no idea on how many there were, not even what kind of Grim. Sighing, he pushed on. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long, the rain wasn't doing any good for his only set of clothes.
Putting his hands together, he called out the familiar technique used in many of his battles.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A dozen clones burst onto the scene next to him. "Alright, we're looking for Grim. Just pop when you find any." They all nodded, running in different directions. Naruto continued straight into the forest. Not long after, he felt the memories of a dispelled clone come flooding back. After correcting his course, he dispelled the others.
Before he reached the place his clone saw them, he could sense them. It was faint, and his sensory skills weren't the greatest with unfamiliar targets, but as he drew closer, he recognized them as similar to the first Grim he encountered.
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Sitting in their dorm room, Team RWBY played a board game, finding some time to spend with each other outside of class. It was getting late and the game was drawing to a close.
"I wonder how Naruto's doing?" Ruby asked aloud. She hadn't seen the man since their last class together. "Do you know Yang?"
"At the fountain." She spoke absently. "He was doing homework when I left."
"Speaking of, what exactly did you two talk about? I didn't think you liked him that much, if at all." Weiss questioned the blonde girl.
"Stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Stuff." Blake looked up from her hand to watch Yang's expression. It didn't seem like her smile was her normal one, but it was still a happy one.
"What did he say?" Weiss tried to pry once again.
"Stuff."
"Will you stop avoiding the question?"
"Nope. Ask him the next time you see him." Yang smiled at the glaring heiress. "It wasn't anything really special. I just asked about the fight and he explained it to me."
"He was pretty cool wasn't he?" Ruby sighed. "He kicked your butt sis."
"I know that, no need to remind me." Yang stuck her tongue out at her sister.
"So do you not hate him anymore?" Ruby inquired.
"... No." She didn't hate him. After he explained the fight to her, she understood that he really wasn't as heartless as she first thought. She still wasn't sure if what he said was completely true, about him just trying to fit in, but for now she was willing to give him the chance everyone else was going to give him.
"What brought on the change?" Weiss asked.
"He explained some stuff to me." The heiress groaned in exasperation.
While Yang was normally the sharing type, she didn't feel right telling them what Naruto said. He would tell them all eventually, so she had no need to.
"Blake you've been quiet." Weiss noticed. "More quiet than usual lately. Is something wrong?"
"No." She wasn't lying, but she wasn't exactly sure if what was happening could be considered a problem right now. There was something about him that made her feel weird. She was jealous when she saw him with Velvet and she felt sympathy when they first brought him to Beacon, but she didn't know what that meant. Not yet at least.
"You know it's not good to keep feelings bottled up." Ruby told her. "It makes things easier if you tell others."
Blake nodded. While Ruby may be correct, she wasn't ready to tell anyone about what she felt just yet. That could wait until she could ask Naruto a few questions. Maybe then she could understand her own feelings about the blonde.
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The cave was dark. It seemed obvious to say, but he couldn't see more than a few feet inside. This was where the clone saw one of those wolf Grim, walking inside. He could only assume this was a nest of sorts. He made a shadow clone to scout out the inside. Even if he was prepared, all it took was one blindsided hit to put anyone out of commission.
While waiting for the clone to report, he leaned against the cave entrance.
"Something is bothering you."
"How could you tell?" His words were dripping with sarcasm.
"Don't take that tone with me, you know as well as I do how. Now are you going to whine about it, or are you going to tell me so you can stop moping."
"I'm not moping." The fox snorted at his declaration.
"You're mind begs to differ." The blonde was silent for a minute, his thoughts drifting towards Beacon.
"Do you think I made the right choice?"
"Concerning?"
"Letting myself be led to Beacon. It wasn't necessary, but running away didn't seem like the right thing to do."
"Only time will tell. It isn't like you to worry about things like that. Push through as you normally do. Eventually it will work out. Do you think you made it this far by planning every step of everything you have ever done?"
"No, but I'm not doing life or death missions right now. I'm not in the middle of a world changing war. This place is peaceful. Only these Grim seem to be a problem."
"Every place has corruption and deceit, no matter how hard they may try not to. Just because you haven't found the problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Worry about it when it arrives. For now, kill those creatures and get back to that school. I don't want to hear anymore whining about the rain."
Naruto shook his head at the fox as he retreated further into the seal. Whether or not he would admit it, Kyuubi seemed to know how to get his mind off of things without being overly caring. It was an endearing trait, one he knew had helped him before.
He felt his clone disperse and stood up straight. five of those wolves at the back of the cave. He smiled as he walked past the shadowy entrance. Sounded easy enough.
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"Is it about… Jaune?" Ruby asked impatiently. While they agreed to let Blake deal with her feelings at her own pace, Ruby wasn't entirely ready to let it go. She had been asking about her problem for the past twenty minutes, their game long since over, as they lay in their beds.
"Why would it be about Jaune?"
"I don't know, but since it's not about anyone else we know, it must be him." Blake rolled her eyes. She knew Ruby meant well, but she wasn't just going to give in, even if she did correctly guess what her problem was.
"Fine, if it's not Jaune, then what is it? Is it because we haven't had much team training recently?"
"No Ruby, it's not that."
"Ruby let Blake be." Weiss groaned from her bed. "She'll tell us when she is ready. Besides, it's past eleven and I'm tying to sleep." Blamed nodded in appreciation to her teammate as Ruby pouted.
"Fine."
Blake kept on reading, despite Weiss noting the late hour. She couldn't sleep anyways. Yang was already snoring away above her. Without the distraction of Ruby she could finally get back into her reading.
The story was just finishing up too, the main protagonist having just saved his love interest from the villain. The man held her close as he proclaimed his love for her as she thanked him for rescuing her.
Her ears twitched. While she loved reading these stories, she couldn't help but wonder if that would be how her romantic life would end up. Her masked hero rescuing her from the bad guys and proclaiming his love for her.
She doubted it.
Honestly she had never really given any thought to her romantic partner, or lack thereof. She had been more focused on training to even notice if any guys were interested. Maybe there wasnt even a guy out there for her. Maybe she would end up living alone, living out her days as one of those crazy car ladies. She smirked at the thought.
Her gaze turned from her book to her teammates. Hopefully they would at least find someone to love them like the characters in her story.
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Yang awoke with a yawn. She turned, bleary eyed, around the room to see her teammates moving around and getting dressed.
"Do we have… a mission or something?" She yawned again, pulling herself into a sitting position. "I thought we didn't have morning classes today."
"We don't, but Professor Ozpin called us to his office." Weiss spoke as she checked her rapier. "It might be a mission so we are preparing for it." After rubbing her eyes a few times, she managed to drag herself to the bathroom for a shower.
"Do you think it's a mission?" Ruby asked the other two still present.
"I don't know, but we wouldn't be going to Ozpin's office unless it was important." Weiss stated. "That should do it." She finished examining her weapon.
A knock at their door echoed throughout their room. Blake went to open it, surprised to see all of Team JNPR standing there.
"Hey Blake." Jaune smiled. "Sorry that it's so early, but Ozpin called us to his office so we might be late to the training session we planned this morning."
"That's okay." She let them into the room. "We were called there as well."
"Huh." Jaune scratched his chin. "Wonder what for."
They sat quietly and waited for Yang to finish so they could leave.
"I'm ready guys, we-" She exited the bathroom to see four new people in the dorm. "Is this an intervention?"
Ruby giggled at her sister. "No Yang, they got called to the office as well. We were just waiting for you." Yang raised an eyebrow, but didn't day anything. She grabbed her gauntlets before following the other seven out of the dorm.
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"Thank you all for coming." Ozpin greeted the two teams as they stood in front of his desk.
"It's no problem Professor Ozpin." Ruby smiled. "What did you need from us?"
"I wanted to speak with you all about Naruto Uzumaki." Tension filled the room at the mention of his name. Did he really do what they thought he might? Was he on the run now? Were they supposed to go and track him down? "It seems as though Team RWBY has let slip to Team JNPR about his past activities." They understood what he meant. While they never spoke to anyone else about it, they told their closest friends.
"I want you to know, while it is nice to see you don't keep things from your friends, spreading this information to anyone else is something I would highly discourage." The two teams looked confused.
"What do you mean sir?" Pyrrha spoke.
"Naruto isn't a bad person. I won't say anything that isn't mine to say, but you shouldn't judge him based on just what you know." Team Ruby nodded, having already discussed this themselves. Team JNPR never really thought to ostracise him in the first place, so that wasn't a problem.
"What should we do then?" Blake asked.
Ozpin smiled. "Do whatever it is you feel is right. You need not be his friend, but I think he would appreciate it, even if he wouldn't say as much. From what he told me, he hasn't lived the best of lives and he did everything he has with a purpose. Treat him like any other student. In time you may find that he will surprise you."
Naruto was an enigma to them. They knew his name and little else, but he never once tried to actively hide anything. What little they did ask him, he answered. Truthfully or not, they didn't know, but from what Ozpin had said, maybe their first distrust was wrong, as they had already found out.
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Naruto stepped back into Beacon earlier that night. The Grim put up much more of a fight then he was expecting, but he cleared the nest in the end. The baker had thanked him for his troubles, and had given Naruto a small box of sweets as a way of showing his appreciation.
He held the box in his hand as he walked into the quiet building, heading towards the familiar elevator to see Ozpin.
"You are back sooner than expected." The voice made Naruto stop. He turned to see Ozpin approaching him from across the hall. "Did you come back for directions?"
"I found and cleared the Grim nest. The mission is completed." Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"That was rather fast. How did you mange to get to the outskirts of Vale so quickly without a bullhead?"
"I ran." The simplicity of the statement almost made Ozpin laugh.
"I see. I suppose congratulations for a quick and successfully completed mission are in order. You'll receive your pay tomorrow morning, unless you need it tonight for some reason?" Naruto shook his head. "Very well. As for your living situation, I recently found that dorms are for students, not teams. In light of that, I made sure you were assigned one."
Naruto grit his teeth. "You didn't just find that out did you?"
"Forgive me, my mind must be slipping. Age does do that to a person." Naruto sighed as Ozpin smiled. "Come, I'll show you where you'll be staying."
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Coming Soon - Chapter 5: Learning
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