AN: I liked writing out a lot of the interactions here. Took me awhile though. Don't own Naruto, or RWBY.
It was just an absolute mess. Glynda couldn't help but think how incredibly lucky it was that every single student was accounted for in class today. Seriously. Usually, someone ditched at least once or twice in a day, but there was nothing like that today. Every single student was in the class they ought to have been in. That was, in the other direction, absolutely amazing. It would be for the best, too, because the woman found it absolutely trying to believe Qrow, the drunk fool, was still alive somewhere in that wreckage. She shivered at the memory of little Naruto's display and hustled all the more for it.
The facility was little more than a scrapyard when she arrived; granite and metal twisted and broken against cracked foundation and shattered glass alike. Some things were on fire, smoke a thick screen around around a few areas. Students crowded the perimeter while teachers pressed them back at a certain distance, each one making assurances about personal safety and the fact that the situation was under control. Glynda pushed whatever questions about Ozpin's sanity, capability and her own frustration aside almost physically with her riding crop. Narrowed green eyes slowly combed over the battered remains of Naruto and Qrow's incredibly short little duel, before the debris rose up in large, thick compact spheres. Four distinct piles were set aside while the woman systematically worked through the collapsed training arena, each sectioned portioned off across one section of the courtyard. The process had her quickly exhausted as she handled one set of gathered rubbish after another until the sound of someone retching escaped from a particular balled up sphere of what had essentially become trash.
It spun around to reveal Qrow's head, and his arms, from the elbows up, at least. The rest of him had disappeared into the debris around him. Blood painted his face from the beginning of his scalp and down across his forehead to drip droplets from his left brow. The man's face was a scrunched up mess of scrapes and bruises. He was definitely dazed, his usually dulled crimson eyes almost glossy as he frowned harshly and tried to focus on whatever was in front of him. Blurry, black drops of what could have been ink were in the way though, and the shining bright stars that passed by his eyes didn't help any. Fact of the matter was that the man just wasn't able to see well at the moment. Qrow couldn't even hear the woman shriek his name out, really. Didn't do much for his splitting fucking headache, though, either way.
Glynda went from a deer caught in the headlights to focused the moment the man groaned. Worry gnawed at her as her semblance worked to carefully draw the man out of his ruined prison and onto the ground. She immediately whistled for another teacher, but instead got a man she really didn't want to see. It wasn't that really, because powerful or not, there was still a little boy in there. As Ozpin approached, the blonde shaped her face into as neutral an expression as she could manage and marched towards the epicenter of it all.
"Naruto!" She called, semblance stretched to the limit to send the gouged layer of broken building rolling up like a blanket; the woman's rapidly depleted aura the only reason she wouldn't do this in a far safer manner. Everything took to the sky in a wave, and it didn't take too long to pick out a golden bundle of tails hurtling through the air, before Glynda dropped the weight of everything else with a gasp and snapped her whip down in an effort to will the boy into her arms. Hurriedly, her aura shot the blonde faunus back at her. Naruto practically slammed into her body like a bullet and knocked the air right out of her, but she grit through the force and tucked the boy to her chest. It was really all she could do, before her ass hit the grass. When she finally steadied herself, she scanned around for the headmaster. He and Qrow were gone, thankfully. Glynda let that particular weight off her shoulders and turned her attention back to the boy in her arms. Not a scratch on him, oddly enough. Or not, after what she and Ozpin saw. They'd have to get him more clothes though. They were all torn up, and some sections of his hoodie and shorts were just gone, entirely.
Glynda Goodwitch only sighed again and closed her eyes, before she really tried to reign in the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. After she had centered herself again, the woman turned on heel and stalked past the teachers and students alike. She glared at them on the way until the teachers dispersed the students back to their, mostly, daily schedules. The tall blonde really had to pull her thoughts together after all that. She tried to reconcile all that destruction with the face of this little faunus. It didn't quite work, even as her mind raced over what she had seen with Ozpin through their cameras. Naruto was just a boy, one that didn't even understand his own power, but still just a boy. Nothing made that more clear to her than the way the poor little blonde had practically screamed in pain and struggled under his own power.
Oh, yes. Ozpin and I are going to have words. She might have taken more satisfaction in the fact that her last thought had the poor headmaster suffer through a shudder.
Bleary eyed, Naruto awoke slowly under the touching caress of the sunlight that peeked through the window his hospital bed was beside. He rubbed at his eyes some, before he took the time to look around himself. The sight of Qrow in the next bed over pulled a guilty frown from his lips and made his heart stop briefly. He stared for a time, the man's limbs all wrapped up in bandages that disappeared beneath his hospital gown, before the presence that had pricked at his senses since he woke spoke up. "It looks worse than it is, really."
The boy swiveled then, a mixed look of surprise, fear and guilt all wrapped up in his expression. Ozpin just twitched at the sight, Glynda's words already pounding through his head. He is just. A. Boy. She hadn't spoken a word to him yet today beyond a question about Naruto and Qrow's health. He, honestly, understood what she said. It was just that it wasn't exactly true. "You, on the other hand, Naruto, are far more than you appear. Aren't you?"
The child in question nodded slowly, before he hugged his knees to his chest and let his tails wrap around him like a protective veil. "The moon hurts." He murmured, then, "Everything hurts. But, I dunno why."
Ozpin hummed and let the puzzled feeling wash over him. Here was an opportunity for answers. "What were you looking at before you tried to show Qrow what you can do?" That got the boy's attention real quick, those wide, oddly slit blue eyes naught but a reflection of uncertainty until he dipped his gaze low, unable to meet the headmaster's gaze for much longer. In a softer, smaller voice Naruto asked, had to really, "Do you hate me now?"
Ozpin winced and mused a little, This boy is dangerous. "No." He replied in kind, patient smile on his lips as he swirled the contents of his brand new coffee mug. "I want to help you, really. You, and the People of Remnant. Do you know what I see when I look at you, Naruto?" And just like that, those furry tails unwound, a wary sort of hope in the boy's eyes. Slowly, the blonde faunus shook his head and sent his hands over one of his tails. Something in his gut curled, told him that there was more to it than that; it made him feel worse, and yet something else said it was okay. This was okay. The child didn't know what to make of the conflict.
Ozpin saw that and only smiled again, Glynda's words practically spilling right out of his lips, "I see a little boy. One that might be indescribably powerful, but still. Just a little boy. One that doesn't know where he is, let alone what he is, and yet has all the potential in the world." Truly, a sobering thought, "You may not know this, but the world is always on a scale, constantly about to tip one way or another in the favor of dark forces, or in humanity's." Something in the way Naruto's eyes seemed to glaze over then told Ozpin that Naruto had understood, at least in part. Curious indeed. That was when the man stopped speaking to really look at the boy. Here was a power that even he might be incapable of defeating, in the form of a child, a faunus child at that. His thoughts diverged from there to something of unity. For as dangerous a threat as the Grimm were, they were not the only concern. The forces of Light, human-kind and faunus-kind, humanity as he took it, have been at each other's throats for awhile now… Maybe, this was the key. Naruto Uzumaki, child of peace. That certainly had an interesting ring to it.
"The world is a dangerous place, and Glynda would hate me if I simply left a child all by his lonesome in it. I would like to offer you a place here." He glanced towards Qrow, and his mind towards the aforementioned professor, "Maybe, you'll find something more during your stay."
Ozpin may have had greater plans, but all Naruto saw was a man that had come to accept him, even after he had hurt his friend and broke his… Things. Someone that may even embody breaking… The Cycle of Hatred. His mind tried so hard to draw him back into a web of odd, broken images and words, but the little blonde was nothing but absolutely enthused. His uncertainty disappeared under the rise of vivid happiness, a bright grin stretching his lips and crinkling his strange eyes. "You don't hate me?!" He asked again, just to be sure.
It was such a sharp explosion of emotion that Ozpin had to backpedal the slightest bit, before he coughed into one hand and leaned his weight over his cane. "Not at all, Naruto. Truly, the fault is mine. We should have tested your abilities out with less combative means first. Be that as it may, Qrow was still hurt pretty badly." The man admitted, "Perhaps, you can make it up to him when he wakes, yes?" The little Uzumaki only nodded eagerly while all his tails, save for one, whirled around behind him; the other was caught in his arms, hugged tight to his chest, "Um! Ohkay. I'll wait right here. Believe it!"
Ozpin sweat dropped and nodded, "Good… Now, I must return to my office, Naruto. The school certainly doesn't run itself." Briefly, the man glanced around to make sure Glynda wasn't around yet. He wasn't quite in the mood for dealing with what she might have to say on that particular matter. Naruto, on his part, looked a little down when Ozpin mentioned departing, "Qrow's relatives will be by, as well, and I'm sure Glynda Goodwitch will want to see you herself as well. Do try to remain in bed, Naruto."
When all was said and done, it was just Naruto and Qrow, now. But, really, it was mostly just Naruto. The huntsman hadn't made a sound, so the boy figured he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. That left the blonde faunus a bit of a dilemma. What was he to do now? He glanced outside, then back at Qrow, before he frowned and shook his head. Naruto Uzumaki doesn't go back on his word. So, his attention swerved into taking in the infirmary. It was pretty clean. There were plenty of beds, and the opposite wall was snug with cabinets and this long stretch of a counter top. Boring stuff, frankly. The boy blinked slowly, before turning to the wall he was right up against. His gaze flickered between the window and Qrow once more when the image of another blonde and a particular hand seal flashed into his mind. It was hard to stop the cheeky grin that spread across his lips then, so he didn't bother with it.
It was many hours later that Qrow finally awoke himself. The man had to pry his eyes open so painfully slowly. He hissed at the burn of light some, but settled back down quickly enough to take stock of his situation. His whole body hurt, like someone had taken him into a back alley and beaten him while he was drunk; because, he was always drunk. Except for now. He would have grumbled about it, too, if not for the fact that his whole thought process flew out the window. He hadn't realized it at first, to out of it really, but there were children just… Sitting on the ceiling. Many, many, many children.
Lots of them, in fact. They weren't even all on the ceiling, no, there was a blonde, horned ten-tailed faunus wherever there was space to take up. Qrow, eyes like saucers, just balked at the sight of all of them paired off in groups of twos or threes, playing what looked like rock-paper-scissors. One group was having a burping contest, and another was apparently… The judges for it. There was even an announcer for it. He was wearing some rad sunglasses that looked wildly familiar. In fact, Qrow had a pair just like them. The huntsman was considering giving them to Yang in the future…
Then it all clicked, before he felt like he was forced to gape at the sight of it all again.
"What the hell is going on?!" He practically screamed.
The sound of his raspy voice made every last Shadow Clone stop, and a pair of glasses clatter to the ground. As one, the Legion of Naruto's turned to face a very unnerved Qrow, before their faces broke out into a sniveling mess of tears and guilt. Again, as one, Naruto came at the man like a swarm of locusts. Qrow had never let out so girly a scream in his life until a mass explosion of smoke filled his lungs and forced him to let out a hacking cough.
Nothing made any sense, and by this point, Qrow didn't care to try and make sense of it. He waited and swiped away at the quickly dissipating screen, only to find himself surrounded by a far smaller council of the boy. Still bewildered at this point, the man tried to ask again in a far calmer voice, but found that it was just out of reach. Each of the five Naruto's jumped on him, the man hugged from all sides. In unison, they all cried out, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was gonna do, before I did it!"
"O-Okay, okay! Geez, kid, let go already!"
Another explosion of five little smoke clouds left behind just one little Naruto instead. The interesting thing was, though, that the kid had just clambered through the window; his face filtering through an odd twist of emotions that settled on guilt, sadness and worry. Tears had already formed at the corners of Naruto's eyes, before he very slowly shuffled up to meet the seemingly stern gaze Qrow set on him. He wrung his hands out and breathed out a very soft, "I'm sorry."
The huntsman couldn't help but think of his youngest niece though. That girl wore her emotions on her sleeve just as much as Naruto did. Only thing was his niece didn't almost kill him. At the same time, he was still in one-piece, and man, was that lucky. The thought gave Qrow pause as a slight frown framed his scruffy visage. The sight of it made the little blonde flinch, before he ducked his head and balled his hands up in one of his tails; the very slow, somber sight of the boy with a tail soon hugged against his chest just enough to make the raven-haired defender laugh, "Sheesh, kid. I knew you were going to be a handful."
Qrow leaned back in his bed, content to see Naruto peeking up at him in mild confusion instead of moping like the picture of depression he was becoming. "It was… An accident. I understand that, kid. Maybe I rushed into things a little, too, but even if I didn't…" He paused, lips thinned out and all like he were about to frown. The man flashed a lazy, if somewhat awkward grin instead and shrugged, "Look, what I'm trying to say, is that it's fine now. I appreciate the apology, kid, really. No need to be so over the top about it."
Naruto nodded slowly, one of his own sheepish smiles cast while he rubbed the back of his head a bit. The blonde shuffled closer, eyes wide as he let his hands grip onto the edge of the bed, "Um. Mister Crow..." The boy tried awkwardly, to which the addressed just raised a brow at, "Is there anything I can do to, uh, make it up to you? The Ozzy guy said I should try, but I dunno what ya like. I drew something, but..."
Qrow snorted and grunted in mild amusement, before he stifled the slight trembling of his hand and raised it up to ruffle the kid's full head of hair, "Drew something, huh? We'll get to that, then, kid. Why don't you tell me what you were doing outside first?" He queried slowly, voice steady as he drew his hand back and rubbed at his forehead a bit. Man, his headache was killing him.
Naruto just blinked and stared at the man like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I was bored, so I went outside." Qrow blinked back, and let out a delayed chuckle, "Figures. What about all those other yous?"
"My Shadow Clones?"
"Sure. What was that all about?"
Naruto rubbed at the back of his head again, "Well... I really wanted to go outside, but I told Ozpin I'd wait for you to wake up. Then, I 'membered them, and I made so many, but then I made too many and I didn't know what to do about it so I just told them 'member that Naruto Uzumaki doesn't go back on his word." The kid frowned a little bit when his eyes started to cross some, "... I kinda wish I stayed behind and played with them, though. All I did was cwimb up the buildings."
Qrow nodded somewhat absently, his mind moving onto other things, namely Ozpin, when something that Naruto said snapped to the fore of his mind.
"You climbed up the building?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, kid. You better hope Glyn-"
Too late. The woman of the hour practically flung the door to the infirmary open, "Naruto UZUMAKI!" Qrow sighed and buckled down for the oncoming lecture, the kid, however, was screwed. Not even his ten-tails tried to conceal him as he backpedaled into the wall.
