Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY nor Naruto, all credits go to their respective creators.

As always, my replies to your reviews and some clarifications are at the bottom.

Reminders:

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

"Jutsu"

Chapter 6: Annoying Woman

Revulsion and anger—the two strong emotions welling inside Sasuke's head as he walked through halls of Beacon Academy. There were hushed whispers around him, some students even looked and pointed at his direction. They were either recalling him from his fight with Goodwitch the day before, or with the stunt he pulled earlier at the cafeteria. He ignored them all as his mind is still processing everything the headmaster told him.

Ozpin. Sasuke's mind wandered back. He was right on his assumption of the headmaster, that beneath that façade of a protector lies his true nature, a crafty manipulator. A snake. He who uses his students for his own benefit, whispering sweet lies to their ears that it's for 'the good of mankind.' A liar. He who sent Ruby's mother, Summer, as Ozpin named her, to her early demise. A coward.

The shinobi's hand tightened, pure anger welling behind his stoic façade. He's no better than Danzo—No, he's exactly like Danzo. A man who thinks he's doing the world a favor but ends up ravaging it more. A man who thinks he's protecting the world but ends up creating more conflict and death behind him. A self-righteous fool.

He could kill him and burn everything he planned—it's as easy as snapping a finger—but doing so would only garner trouble for him. The headmaster had a lot of allies across Remnant, allies who would hunt him down if something happened to Ozpin. Being afraid had nothing to do with his hesitance, he could easily crush them along with their pawns… but he won't because he changed… if only by a slight. He changed… or at least trying to.

Burning everything on his path for the sake of his mission… that's his old and younger self, his old way. He refused to go back down that dark and cold path. Returning to that road filled with so much hatred and isolation would tarnish what Naruto worked so hard to show him, the truth that took him several years before he finally opened his eyes, uncovered his ears, and acknowledged. Doing what is right is better than forcing to others what you think is right.

Besides, Ozpin is an immortal, killing him would only cause his parasitic soul to find and latch to another host if not sealed. How troublesome…

Sasuke closed his eyes, unconsciously moving to the right to dodge a speeding student, before opening it once again. What would Naruto say to him if he told him of what he did to the headmaster? He would probably scold him—something along the lines of "Sasuke-teme! How many times do I have to tell you that there are other more peaceful ways to do your mission!"—then try to beat him for doing something as stupid as that.

His lips twitched slightly at that thought, before being overcome by a frown when his thoughts returned to Beacon's headmaster. He did not expect that development. He didn't expect to know that the headmaster is an immortal, a supposed reincarnation of his previous characters. If he himself isn't a reincarnation ofŌtsutsuki Indra, Hagoromo's first born son, then he would outright call the headmaster a liar. And to make matters worse, Salem, Ozpin's ex-lover from what he told him, is the 'Queen of Grimm,' the very enemy of both faunus and humans alike.

How very troublesome—even a certain Nara would agree.

And then there's Magic? He scoffed. The buffoons in this world called Chakra as Magic? Irritation clawing at his mind, the more and more he thinks about what Ozpin revealed to him. Things were getting far too complicated, and it irked him. It was supposed to be simple. His plan was simple: gather information on this unfamiliar world then tie the headmaster so that he doesn't get in his plans. Getting tangled into a supposed century-old, hidden war, is not included in his plan.

If only things were as simple as he imagined. The Shodai Hokage was right, there's always conflict no matter what era, and apparently, the same rang true no matter what world he is in.

Sasuke took a turn on the hall while still ignoring everything around him. The chatters were unimportant just like the unnecessary details he got from Ozpin. Afterall, he didn't come to this world to save its people from the threat of the Grimm nor their queen.

Apathy had nothing to do with his hesitance to step in, nor was it plain ignorance, no. His hands were already full of his mission, so much that he couldn't afford to be distracted by anything else. And with the looming threat hiding in the shadows of their own world… it's quite obvious that he has no time to play hero in Remnant.

Despite all this, confronting the headmaster served to be the best course of action he could take. He gained something he wanted, an important piece of information he needed in his mission: The Brother Gods.

The shinobi's eyes gained a hardened look. From what Ozpin told him, the Brother Gods are the creators of Remnant. The God of Light supposedly created the forces of life, while the God of Darkness created agents of death, including the Creatures of Grimm. They were also the creators of Humanity, following their compromise at ending their 'brotherly' feud.

Yet the most harrowing aspect to Sasuke wasn't any of that nor what accompanied their founding of humans, no. It was the description of the Brother Gods he got from the headmaster that truly unsettled him. Grey hair, almost ashen, snow white skin with two small horns protruding from their forehead, white intricate, foreign clothing, unsimilar even in Mistral, and cold, pale white eyes.

'The Byakugan, there's no doubt.'

The pit of his stomach dropped at the thought. That settles it, the proof is there to piece the puzzle once and for all. It explained why this world's energy, Aura, is similar to Chakra. The Brother Gods are Ōtsutsukis, the very beings he is searching for. They were the ones who bestowed Aura to the people of Remnant. Though where does the Gods now reside, and why Aura is incomplete unlike Chakra… A new mystery that presented itself for the shinobi.

Still, those questions can wait. In the meantime, he has his sights set upon the other half of what Ozpin told him: The Relics. The Relic of Knowledge in particular.

Sasuke stopped his stride as he neared the outdoors. He looked upwards, the last rays of the sun melting upon the open skies greeted him, shining his form with its dying warmth. The afternoon is nearing its end, and night will soon approach Beacon. He frowned. Though his time was not wasted, it still annoyed him that he failed to manage his time efficiently, spending all day at Ozpin's tower instead of doing more of his tasks.

Suddenly, an unexpected rush of memories invaded his mind and caught him off guard. For the umpteenth time that day, his lips formed a frown. Those memories that came, they were his clone's. He sighed; a gesture foreign to the members of his clan.

For some reason, his day just keeps on getting troublesome. His eye twitched in irritation. Maybe it was the universe's sick way to punish him for his previous misdeeds.

"Yang, what did you do!?" Ruby shouted in horror as Sasuke erupted in a cloud of smoke, following her sister's 'friendly' punch. "You killed Sasuke!"

The said sister's eyes widened in terror; face paling as numerous sweats formed on her forehead. "I-I Uh—I-I didn't think he's that fragile!" Ruby faced her; tears forming on both their respective eyes for the same reason. "W-What do I do!? I don't want to go to jail!"

Her mind went blank. And then…

Jail. 'No!' the red caped huntress immediately thought. She didn't want that! But her sister killed Sasuke, a friend—no! Yang didn't mean it! It was an accident! She doesn't want her sister to be sent to jail!

'Ruby, think!' she pushed her mind to overdrive, cogs in her brain turned fast at the thought that she can still save her big sister. 'Maybe if we explain it to headmaster Ozpin—'

"It's a clone," came the deadpan reply of Blake.

"Huh?" both sisters uttered dumbly as they turned to their black-loving teammate.

"Hn," and came the grunt of their formerly blown-up friend, Sasuke.

"Sasuke!?" the sisters shouted in surprise as they watched the shinobi approach them. "Y-You're not a ghost, are you?" Ruby asked abruptly before poking his arm, though quite hesitantly. "You're—You're real!"

"Idiots," Ruby heard Weiss say, yet she was too caught in the moment to fully pay attention to. Afterall, Sasuke is alive and well! Even more, her sister won't go to jail!

The contact came abruptly, so fast that her mind failed to process it. Then came the realization that her face is pressed on something, something warm, something fleshy soft yet firm at the same time. She froze for a moment, everything coming to a screeching halt, before everything hit her. She is hugging Sasuke!

"Eh!?" she uttered in a panic, heat rushing her cheeks as she let go of the shinobi. She hugged a boy! She hugged Sasuke!

Hesitantly, she willed herself to look at him, and his blank façade is what greeted her. "I-I—uh," she mumbled incoherently, cheeks still red hued as she demurely avoided his visible eye. She is making everything worse, and she knew it! 'Come on Ruby, snap out of it!' Luckily, she was saved from further embarrassment.

"Hn?" Yang grunted out as she looked at Sasuke heatedly. "Is that all you have to say for yourself, bastard!?" Her usual lilac eyes burned red.

Confused, Ruby tilter her head at her sister, an epitome of innocence. "What do you mean, Yang?"

"You scared me, bastard! I thought for a sec that I killed you!" she replied angrily.

Ruby watched as she approached the unfazed shinobi, noticing how her sister's hands tightened. 'Uh oh, this can't be good.' She needs to defuse this situation now!

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, bastard!?"

"Hn."

'Sasuke you're making matters worse!' she scolded in her head. If the situation were different, Ruby would have sweat dropped at his nonchalant reply.

"That's it!" Yang exploded into action, and Ruby's eyes widened, ever so aware of her sister's fist raising towards the shinobi who didn't even looked fazed. 'This is bad! This is bad! I need to stop this!'

"Wait."

Yang stopped. Just when all hope is lost, a shining new light appeared. Ruby quickly turned her head, ready to thank the hero who saved the day, though what greeted her wasn't the face of a savior who willingly stopped the upcoming conflict. Instead, it was Blake's suspicious glare burning through Sasuke.

The earlier conflict quelled, only to be replaced by another. 'This really can't be good,' Ruby thought to herself. Why can't her new friend stay out of trouble!

"Since when did you copy my semblance?" She heard Blake question sharply, eyes narrowed heavily, as if her deepest secrets were breached, and pointed unconditionally at the stoic Uchiha.

"Hey! Back off, Blake! I got a beef with him first!" Yang retorted impatiently, glaring at her partner.

Sensing the brewing storm, the young leader looked towards her partner for help. The heiress' face is indifferent, but when Ruby met her eyes, it was clear what she's thinking: 'Don't drag me into this.'

She deflated, but quickly bounced back. With her partner not wanting to lend any help, she was left to clean up the mess herself. 'Come on, Ruby, act like a leader!' Finally mustering up her courage, she interfered, "Okay, okay. Let's all calm down."

'This is getting ridiculous.' Sasuke mused to himself as he watched the circus in front of him. No matter what he does, so long he's with team RWBY, trouble always has a way of finding him.

"And why shouldn't I punch him, Ruby? He scared me!"

'I don't have the patience nor energy for this.'

And so, he chose the best route to resolve the problem facing him. He turned around and walked away. Nuisance solved as easy as that… at least that should've happened if it weren't for the tiny hand that grabbed his own to stop his stride.

"Sasuke wait!" the hurried voice of Ruby reached his ears before he was pulled back.

"And they say backing away is the best solution to avoid conflict… apparently not,' he thought irritatingly before turning and facing team RWBY.

"Sasuke didn't mean any of that! This is just one big misunderstanding! Right, Sasuke?" the red themed huntress looked at him, and she didn't need to utter any more word. The message was awfully obvious from her eyes alone, eyes pleading for him to say his part. He looked away, prying off the small hand clasping his own, before looking towards Blake.

Silence. The four girls' attention were directed solely on him, each barring different features. There are no other options left. 'Fine.'

"You misunderstood me—"

"See!"

"—The clone semblance that I've used may be similar to yours, though it isn't copied from you, Blake," he skillfully weaved, staring at the bow wearing teen's eyes for added effect. "It's a copied semblance of a friend of mine back at the village."

Her bow twitched. He aside from others noticed it. It took a second, eyes narrowed lessening to a degree, before he saw realization spreading upon her. It was well hidden, yet he saw that too.

"I-I guess you're telling the truth…" she replied, expressionless as a stone, yet her tone was enough to show a hint of shame. "My semblance allows me to create clones, though only for a very short time… Yours, however, managed to last the whole day."

"Hn." 'That's one problem down.'

"See! He didn't copy your semblance without permission, Blake!" Ruby added, quite happily too.

"I-I apologize for overreacting," the faunus in disguise—he's sure of that now— curtly bowed her head.

'At least she has the decency to apologize for her mistake,' he eyed her before turning to Yang. 'This on the other hand…' Yang's arms were crossed, eyes narrowed at him, and foot tapping impatiently on the ground. She's waiting for his apology, that he can easily tell. His eyes twitched in irritation. 'Forget about it.' Forget about playing nice.

"Your overreaction is, by no means, my fault," he stated while narrowing his eyes at the blonde. "You're delusional if you think I owe you an apology."

"Sasuke!" came Ruby's voice.

"That's it, you bastard!" Yang burst towards him, intent on plowing him down to the ground with her fists.

Alas, if only he bit his tongue and swallowed his pride then everything would be over already. The annoying woman would be less irritating.

Upon a dark room with barely a hint of daylight seeping from the window, three figures sat. The room was nothing out of the ordinary. There were three beds, occupied accordingly by the persons, and three desks, though with minimum content. No, what's out of the ordinary is the person sitting on the left side of the room, that even if the shadows conceal the person's face and figure, one can easily tell the malice seeping from within just by being close.

The person slowly stood up, garnering the attention of the two. The feeble light from the window shined upon the person's face, revealing the beautiful yet sinister smile plastered upon. "Mercury, Emerald," the person spoke in an alluring manner.

"Yes, Cinder?" a feminine voice answered with palpable respect.

"Roman isn't answering any of my calls," the now named Cinder spoke with a smile on her face, though from her tone alone, and the small ball of fire that bloomed from her hand, her companions could easily tell she was anything but happy.

"Get ready, we're going to Vale. It's time to pay the dog a visit."

And they followed without question.

"You know, everything would already be over if you just apologize earlier, Sasuke," Ruby mumbled, eyebrows furrowed as she munched on her cookies—what? Why the hell is the cafeteria serving cookies during dinner? And why the hell is Ruby eating such treats during dinner? An incredulous thought, one he didn't dare voice out.

"I won't apologize for something I didn't do," he curtly responded.

"You apologized to Blake," the leader of team RWBY pointed out with a half-eaten cookie on her hand.

"I didn't. I simply cleared the misunderstanding."

"Then why not clear the misunderstanding for Yang?" she pressed on, though without any heat or bite, simply wanting to understand.

"I won't waste anymore of my time talking to that annoyance."

A spoon was thrown with great force towards him, one he easily dodged without looking. A few people looked towards the commotion on their table, hushed whispers were exchanged. He didn't pay them no mind, and so did team RWBY which he assumed were used to the outbursts of the blonde.

"I've had it with you, you bastard!" Yang growled out, hands clenched, and eyes burning red as she glared at the shinobi.

"You've said that trice already when you failed to hit me countless times earlier," he coolly replied as he took a bite of his meal.

"Do you really have to antagonize her more?" Weiss asked as she rubbed her temples, feeling the growing headache from the continuous bickering of the two. "You two have been going nonstop for what now? Twenty minutes!? For the love of the gods, just stop already!"

"It would be over already if you helped me earlier, you know?" the young leader mumbled, mouth still filled with cookies.

"Ruby!"

Admittedly, he didn't know why he keeps on responding to her with equal amounts of bite. Had it been any other person, he would simply scoff at them or ignore them. Maybe it's because of her annoying personality, one that reminds him of his equally stubborn best friend. Maybe it's just payback for the times she annoys him. Or maybe he's just a sadist who sickly enjoys the amounts of frustration he can impart on her.

'Doubt it,' he easily dismissed the last one.

"I agree with Weiss, this is getting annoying," Blake stoically added as she took a bite from her tuna.

"He started it!" the blonde brawler retorted angrily.

"And you continued it," the Schnee heiress countered as she narrowed her eyes at her blonde teammate. "Just let it go—for the sake of everyone's sanity—just let it go… please."

By her features alone, Yang looked like she wanted to say more, that is until a hand from Ruby softly landed on her shoulder. She turned, and was met by her sister's wide, pleading eyes, practiced enough to effectively impact one's emotions, Sasuke noted. The anger quickly mellowed into a small annoyance. "Fine!" she finally concurred.

He was quite impressed. Who knows that such an innocent girl could manipulate someone easily? Granted they are sisters, it doesn't change the fact that Ruby can use such technique with enough finesse to make it extremely effective, and even better than some of the shinobi back home.

Ruby let out a sigh, before looking at her partner. "Thanks, Weiss." The heiress merely nodded in acceptance but didn't say anything else.

"Aaaaaanyyyyways, now that that's done," the young Rose started as she looked at the shinobi who's busying himself with his meal. "What are you gonna do this evening, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha stopped his chewing and quirked an eyebrow. Now that Ruby mentioned it, he didn't really plan anything for the evening. His newfound goal, obtaining the Relic of Knowledge, isn't really something he needed to search for as Ozpin already told him of its location, Haven Academy. However, the key to open the said academy's vault is entirely a different problem.

'The Spring Maiden,' he tested the word in his mind, a title entirely foreign to him. A title that holds power in the world of Remnant, one that's shrouded in mystery that even Ozpin, the origin of the magic didn't have a single clue as to who the bearer is. 'Troublesome.'

He already ordered Ozpin to do what he can to gain information about the identity of the maiden, but even a man of his position has his limits. An individual with high power can't just launch full scale operations, lest he draw suspicions to himself… even if he has a lot of allies. And so, he himself will have to gather intel, like any shinobi would.

"Uh… Sasuke?" Ruby's voice snapped him out of his stupor. He looked around the table, noticing the attention of team RWBY pointed solely on him. "You kinda blanked out there," Ruby's brows furrowed, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered curtly, "Just… lost in my thoughts."

"You don't say," Weiss said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Sooooooo…"

"I'll head to Vale after dinner," he answered artlessly after picking his utensils and continuing his meal. It was the truth, after all, he needs to gather information on the identity of the Spring Maiden, which someone even of Ozpin's position nor his equally powerful allies didn't have a single lead on. And if that's the case, then he'll have to lean more towards the opposite, a place where even the prying eyes of authorities can't reach. A place where secretive information runs rampart in exchange for a coin or two. A black market, some syndicate or organization, the slums—it doesn't matter as long as he gets his lead.

…But if even those options fail, if even those can't give him what he needed…

His eyes gained a hardened look.

He can and will scour Remnant himself.

…Though, will it be worth it in the end? Will losing himself in his mission once again be truly worth it? The steel in his eyes softened at the that, melting into a wave as he remembered the answer.

'No', he admitted. He learned his lesson. He is very much aware it would only make things worse, hence why he doesn't want his current options to lead towards dead ends, lest he take matters into his own hands.

… But… if the safety of his world is on the line, if the safety of the people in Remnant is to be traded for the safety of his friends … then maybe…

He will have to get his hands dirty, once more.

'For the greater good, huh?' A stray thought came to him, as he looked down at his hand. Maybe Ozpin was right, maybe he really is a hypocrite. His hands tightened.

Ruby brightened up upon hearing his answer, oblivious to the dark thoughts welling in his mind. "We'll go with you!" she answered excitingly, and a bit hastily. That snapped him from his musing.

"What?" came the response of Yang.

"No," he answered. He won't come to Vale to sightsee; he will do intel work. And team RWBY would only hinder his movements with their nonsense.

"Oh, come on!" came Ruby's indignant cry.

"I refuse," the heiress replied. And Sasuke was quite thankful for that.

"Not you too, Weiss!"

"Ruby, we still have a lot of assignments to do for Professor Port's class," Weiss scolded sternly, "One you haven't started yet."

"Uhhh… that can wait?"

"It's due tomorrow morning."

"Oh, come on, Weiss… can't we take a small break?"

"No."

"Just a little?"

The stern frown of Weiss answered all for her.

"Ugh, fine… killjoy," Ruby relented. "Sorry, Sasuke… maybe another time."

An empty seat is what greeted her as she looked towards the shinobi. "… Where's Sasuke?" she asked confusedly.

"He already left earlier when you were bickering with Weiss," Blake supplied for her.

And with that she deflated once more.

AN: Hello there! I apologize for the very very late update, being a college student is just too busy. Though there were times when I had free time, I just opted to rest as the stress is gnawing at my sanity and draining my creativity. Furthermore, I also experienced a small writer's block as when writing this chapter, so I had to remove and rewrite certain parts to make this chapter better.

Now, if you're using desktop version of the site, then you would've probably notice that this story finally got some cover art. I did it myself, not my best work, as I did it in a rush, but it'll do for now. I can always change it in the future, anyways.

Again, thank you all for the continuous support! This chapter is the shortest chapter I've ever made, as it will serve as the "mellow" chapter, you know, the calm before everything goes full throttle once again. But don't worry, the next one will be better and a lot less boring! Who knows? Maybe Sasuke will meet Cinder? Anyways gotta go, I'll see you soon, Buh Bye!

REPLIES:

Dagsun: Is that a way to bookmark the last chapter you've read? Or am I just reading too much on it?

Darth Lelouch: Thank you!

Wolf1741: Thank you! I apologize for the late update, but here ya go!

Giblenator: Thank you! I've removed the Raven part for reasons that you will see in the future, and I've shortened Ozpin's story very much for Salem and him will not play a huge role in this story. Cuz to be honest, Sasuke would just steamroll Salem very easily if she's the main antagonist.

Cloverhead123: Yes, but not too soon as there really isn't any enemy or situations, he encountered in the story that pushed him too far for him to use those. I'm still carefully planning when, so stay tuned!

rvala117: Thank you!

Restia32: Oh! I'm sorry for not knowing it was Spanish, my bad! Anyways, thank you! And regarding Ruby… hmm… Who knows?

Greer123: Thank You!

RyuNoYami666: Quite Interesting, as I still don't know how to mix the history of dust in the story. I'll be sure to hit you up soon!

Henry Townshend1: Here you go!

The Baz: Who knows?

Parker112345: Sasuke is the greatest prankster! And regarding the maiden powers, Vernal is just the decoy used by Raven to trick Cinder, so yeah. Raven is the real spring maiden all along.

pokemonrot377: Thank you!

candrariski155: Thank you!

Axccel: Killing everybody isn't always the best move, I guess?

gogo bananas: Thank You! His clothes are just from Boruto, yet his age and looks is from Sasuke Shinden.

daggercloak000: Ozpin just got pranked hard.

Vsauce: Thank you! Regarding the flow of the old chapter 5, eh, it was bad, I get you, also the reason why I revised it. I've explained it in the first chapter that he used the Naraka path to fix his stump and return it to a hand, so yeah, he has his both hands.

: Thank you!

Guest: Now!

candrariski155: Your wish is my command.

: Now!

Restia32: Yes, my friend!

Blood050820: Thank you! And uh, that was too predictable, eh?

: Yes, I'm back!

Flowjam: Thank you!

AzazelTheFallen: Though that could work, it seemed Sasuke had different plans. But you're correct, Salem isn't a threat to him at all.

AtomicGod666: Thank you!

ArrowsToAthens: Dagsun 2.0

Beast Mode92: You said it! And eh, I guess he's restricting his anger for his plans?

: B-But I've revised it -kun!

AfterlifeXD: Thank you! And here ya go!

Blood050820: To be honest, I find Sasuke the most shippable to Weiss also! But we'll see how it goes. And don't worry there won't be bullshit plot armor in my story, team RWBY will have to work hard if they want to be stronger. And eh, team CRDL is quite prideful even when losing LMAO. Thank you for the support!

black luster: Thank you!

A kid: Yeah, he'll be steamrolling everyone if he's serious.

HeheeeB: Thank you!

Danish78: As always, thank you! And regarding Ozma, from my understanding of Ozpin's reincarnation (and with the help of the wiki) when Ozma died and latched to a new soul, the two souls were separated at first, we saw this with Ozpin and Oscar, wherein the one can switch with another. However, as time goes by, the two souls become one, so there is no more Ozma, as his soul was long mixed with his previous reincarnations, before he even became Ozpin. Hope I explained it very well, I'm quite tired as I'm writing this at 3:49 in the morning. And once again, thank you!