A/N-

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Check out my other stories as well.

DISCLAIMER- I OWN NOTHING AT ALL.

'ITALICS'- THOUGHTS

'BOLD'- POWERFUL BEING/JUTSU

A New crossover is out! It's a Naruto x My Hero Academia crossover with a NarutoxRei pairing. It's called 'The Shinobi and the Snow Angel'.

"Umm, Yo?" Naruto said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Summer was speechless. One moment, she thought she would die, and the next thing she knew, she was safe, sound, and healed. And the ramen stand owner from two years ago, Naruto, had saved her? In this frazzled state, Summer came up with the most eloquent reply.

"You- wha- how- eh?" She sputtered, struggling to come to terms with the situation.

"Woah! Slow down, Summer. You're hyperventilating." Naruto comforted the woman, "Deep breaths."

Summer reluctantly stopped her rant as she composed herself. She took a few long breaths as she regained her bearings. Having sufficiently calmed down after ten minutes, she began interrogating him.

"How did you come here? What was that knife you gave me? Why did I just remember it? What was that fire attack right now?" Summer blurted out, breathing heavily. To say that she was confused was an understatement, and she needed some answers.

Naruto heard all her questions with a straight face, but he was having an internal debate. He obviously wasn't going to reveal all of his abilities, but the problem was; Exactly how much to disclose? Some secrets were out, and Naruto wasn't going to make up some lies to explain them away. He would just answer sparingly, is all.

There was no advantage to stay completely hidden; he was entangled in this mess for good now.

"I hope we get some good fights now!" Son Goku spoke from his mind, with some others agreeing, "It's getting boring here!"

"Summer, I am not going to tell you all my secrets, but I will tell you some things." He began, ignoring Summer's instant retort, "I came here because you threw my knife. It's an ability of mine, which allows me to teleport to wherever my knife is."

He sat down next to Summer, who was still processing his words, "You don't remember me giving you the knife because I made it so that you would only realize it at the last moment."

"But what if I hadn't!" Summer shouted indignantly, "What if I had...died?"

"But you didn't, did you?" Naruto poked her forehead, "It was meant to activate as a last resort, to save your life."

She pouted. "But why make it so? Wouldn't it be easier to make me remember it, so I could have called you earlier?"

Naruto sighed at this. He didn't want to get into the whole debate about paranoia with Summer, so he just decided to be honest. "I did it so that you guys wouldn't reveal my existence to anyone, as I wanted to remain hidden, but that's a moot point now."

Summer seemed confused and turned somber. "Then why save me at all?"

"Because even though I wanted to stay hidden, I absolutely could not let a pure soul like you die, ya know?" Naruto said, with a soft smile, "The world needs people like you, Summer."

'And you remind me so much of myself as a child that it's not even funny.'

Also, Naruto's instincts were telling him that he had been found out already. That last Grimm he killed had been sketchy and warranted investigation.

Summer beamed at the praise, momentarily forgetting their situation. Then she realized their plight and spoke-

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't have needed help in the first place." She put her chin in her hands, "There was an unnatural number of Grimm here."

Naruto hummed. "It seems like the higher-ups are keeping secrets from you, Summer." In Naruto's world, shinobi who got too close to some dark secret were often given 'solo missions' to do, which mostly resulted in 'accidents'. It was an efficient way to silence people who got too snoopy for their own good.

"But why would Ozpin…" Summer was deep in thought, the facts of the situation contradicting with her trust in Ozpin.

"Well then, let's get you home, Summer!" Naruto grinned and gently grasped her hand. "Brace yourself; it gets nauseating for first-timers."

"How are you going to- WOAH!"

And they vanished in a flash of orange, their destination unknown.

The office of Ozpin at Beacon Academy was a mass of nerves and panic. Four people were present, out of which three were standing. Ozpin was sitting in his chair with closed eyes, drinking his coffee. Glynda stood behind Ozpin, looking no less distressed with the situation. She was idly fiddling with her riding crop in nervousness.

Qrow was pacing back and forth, taking swigs from his flask. "Oz, this doesn't look good. It's been a week. Where could she be?"

"We have to go find her. Let's assemble a search party!"

The man who spoke was Taiyang Xiao Long, Summer's husband, and Ruby and Yang's father. He was understandably the antsiest of them all, as his wife had been missing for a week. Any attempts to contact her had resulted in failure. Her trail had gone cold.

"Now, now. Let's calm ourselves." Ozpin cut in, "I'm sure Miss Rose will be just fine."

"You don't know that, Oz!" Qrow shouted indignantly. "Why the hell did you send her solo to a Grimm nest anyway?"

"It was supposed to be a simple mission. I didn't know it would go awry." Ozpin defended himself. "Salem has probably acted; she must be hunting the Silver-eyed warriors."

The members of his circle tensed at Ozpin's words. Ozpin had told them about Salem and the Gods but had left out his past relationship with her.

"And what possessed you to send her out then?"

"I did not foresee Salem making her move so quickly, Qrow." Ozpin sipped his coffee, "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

"Bullshit! Are you saying-"

"Qrow!" Glynda cut him off harshly, "Can't you see that the Headmaster is just as distraught as you are? Lay off him, would you?"

One look at Ozpin confirmed that he was just as anxious as the rest of them. Ozpin never liked sending his allies to die, but he wasn't brave enough to face his past. Ozpin always knew that his secrets would get someone killed, and it would seem that such a future had come to pass.

Taiyang, who was silent till now, spoke up in a cold voice. "Ozpin, I don't care about your excuses." He whispered, "But if anything, anything happens to Summer, I will never forgive you." He finished while glaring at the Headmaster. His daughters would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to Summer, as would he. No one would be able to save Ozpin from him in that case.

Before Ozpin could retort, the occupants of the office were blinded by a flash of orange.

In the land of Darkness stood a massive castle built out of rock and purple crystal, glinting ominously in the night. It was an enormous structure, with haunting beauty much like that of the deep ocean. The castle was surrounded by Grimm pools, which were spawning everything from Beowolves to Goliaths. No other form of life was present; the area was entirely devoid of vitality.

It was the Evernight castle, where the Queen of Grimm resided and operated from. Said Queen was sitting on her ornate crystal throne in the dimly lit Throne Room of her lair. She was known by many names; The most notable of them being Salem, the lonely girl in the tower. She was wearing an elegant black robe, which complemented her white hair and red eyes quite well.

"Hmm… an interesting person has appeared." Salem said as she focused through the small Grimm she was using to watch the Rose girl die.

It had been a simple matter; Salem was remotely supervising a new type of Grimm in the nest, and Summer's arrival was little more than sheer luck. And the moment Salem had seen those accursed silver eyes, she had redirected all nearby Grimm to finish her off, once and for all.

But she had not anticipated the arrival of a new, unknown variable. Several things worried Salem about the occurrence, mainly the mysterious man's abilities.

'Magic, perhaps?' She thought, as she had no other explanation for the blonde's mastery over fire. But Magic was supposed to be extinct- Salem, Ozma and the Maidens were the only remaining practitioners in Remnant.

Then there was the matter of his teleportation ability, which allowed him to appear to aid the Huntress. That ability would prove extremely useful to Salem; it interested her. Imagine being able to go to any place, regardless of distance! And what if he could transport other people, too? Even better! This was a fascinating ability, indeed.

Salem needed that man on her side, and she needed him now. The blond did not appear to be allied to any faction- she'd have known of him otherwise. Good. That meant he was untethered, free. Such men could be bought over, if not threatened. And there was no price Salem would not pay for the man.

A pawn like that would be priceless for her future endeavors.

"Hazel." She said in a silky voice, "Find any information you can about this man." She displayed the man's image on the wall: blonde hair, blue eyes, and an impressive height. Salem had to admit, if she had any other emotions than hatred and anger, she might've even been attracted to him.

"As you command, My Lady." A deep voice said, belonging to a man. He could be described as a wall of muscle with dark brown hair and a goatee. His eyes, ironically, were hazel. Hazel was quite scared of Salem and knew that it would be better to obey her orders without question. He valued his life, after all.

"And little Cinder is in Vacuo. Tell her to keep an eye out for him as well." Salem said, "She might as well find some minions for herself."

"It shall be done."

"So… let me get this straight," Tai said, looking at Naruto and Summer. After the two had suddenly appeared in the office, pandemonium had ensued. It had taken Summer stepping in and shouting at her teammates to calm them down. Now they were sitting in line, waiting for an explanation.

"You run a ramen stand in Vacuo."

Naruto nodded.

"These three visited you two years ago."

Nod.

"And you gave them a magic knife, which Summer used to call you to her."

"Essentially, yes." Naruto agreed.

The four went silent, trying to process this information. Glynda looked at Naruto and gave him a small wave, which he returned. Her gaze then turned stern, making Naruto inwardly sweat. This was going to be a tedious explanation.

"You really expect me to believe that!" Qrow shouted, "You barely beat me in a spar the other time!" Then he paused. "Wait… you beat me, didn't ya? Why'd I just remember that!" He shouted, pulling on his hair.

"See, I told you so." Naruto snarked, grinning madly. It was always fun to pull one over others. It reminded him of the not-so-good old days.

"I am also quite puzzled by this development." Glynda chimed in, pushing up her glasses with a finger, "But I suppose I believe you." She gave Naruto a look, which told him that their conversation wasn't finished.

"If you had magic all along, why'd you do a mind trick on them?" Taiyang narrowed his eyes at him. "And how can we trust you now? Couldn't it just be another trick of yours?"

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at them. "Look, guys. The 'magic' was only to hide my existence." he said, making air quotes for 'magic', "And as for trust, has my behavior warranted otherwise?"

"That's the thing, it hasn't!" Tai retorted, "This could all be another trick."

Glynda looked ready to come to her friend's defense, but Naruto cut her off. "Look, Taiyang, was it?" he asked, getting a nod. "I knew this would happen. Any ability involving the mind is accompanied by a fundamental level of distrust." He looked at Tai pointedly, "So answer a few questions for me."

"If I can't be trusted, why are we even having this conversation? Couldn't I just wipe your memories and leave?"

"You could have some other endgame!"

"Okay, next question. What endgame can't I accomplish by simply subjugating you four completely?" Naruto asked, gaining apprehensive looks from those present. "You don't know my abilities, aside from memory control and teleportation. What can you give me that I can't just take myself?"

"Well, you've gotta want something…" Taiyang retorted weakly. He didn't want to admit it, but the blonde's arguments were sound. He couldn't fathom what use they could have to someone not bound by geography or liability.

Naruto's point seemed to hit home, as the other occupants seemed to relax as well. Seeing as he was winning them over, Naruto decided to go for the cincher. "And if I can't be trusted, why did I save Summer and return her to you, safe and sound?"

That removed almost all distrust they had about Naruto. It was true; he could have simply left Summer to die, or killed her himself, or converted her into a sleeper agent. There was no need to show himself. But that lingering feeling still remained. It was natural to feel anxious in the presence of someone who could freely manipulate minds.

"I trust you, Naruto."

Everyone looked at Glynda, who had spoken. Naruto had an absolutely beaming grin on his face, conveying his happiness.

"I have become good friends with him ever since we met all those years ago." She said, "We regularly correspond with each other on our scrolls. He is a kind man, and I trust him." Glynda finished with determination.

"Thanks, Glyn!"

Summer timidly raised her hand as if she were in class. "Umm, I-I also trust him. He had no reason to save me, after all." She said softly but then gained fire in her eyes. "And when I asked him why he saved me, you know what he said?"

"What?"

"That I could not, and would not, let a pure soul like Summer die." Naruto interrupted her, making Summer nod vigorously. The action caused her hood to flutter behind her.

"Aww, that's so cute~" Matatabi purred in his mind, "She's like a cute puppy. And coming from me, that's saying something." The rest of the Bijuu gave her weird looks as they scooted away from her.

"I don't trust you fully, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my wife," Taiyang spoke, a bit begrudgingly. His reservations aside, Naruto had been a massive help to him, and Taiyang appreciated that. "And hopefully, we can become friends in the future."

"Looking forward to it!" Naruto grinned. If this were two years ago, Naruto would have deflected and evaded the topic until it died. But due to Emerald, he was slowly returning to his older self. He could do with a few friends. He only knew Glynda so far.

"You saved my teammate, so we're smooth, blondie!" Crow slurred, slapping Naruto's back. The man was still drunk.

Throughout this conversation, Ozpin had remained silent. He was deep in thought concerning recent developments. This man was very powerful, and Ozpin needed his help. His vast range of abilities would surely go a long way in ridding the world of Salem and securing a new era of peace.

His supposed power over memories was frightening, but Naruto had made his case sufficiently. What was the ability he had, exactly? A semblance, perchance? No, surely not. His semblance was teleportation, wasn't it? Or was it control over fire?

Then, something in Ozpin's mind clicked. Vacuo… Ramen shop… Blonde owner… By the Gods! How had he missed such a crucial detail!

"Mr… Uzumaki, was it?"

"Just call me Naruto; I prefer it."

"Mr. Naruto, you say you run a food establishment in Vacuo?" Ozpin queried, ignoring Naruto's twitch at the deliberate use of 'Mr.'.

"Yes, why?"

"Would it happen to be named 'Ichimaki Ramen'?"

Naruto stiffened unnoticeably, but Ozpin wasn't some wee tot. Being alive for eons had its perks, and analyzing subtle body cues was one such skill he had acquired. Pressing his advantage, Ozpin continued.

"I only ask, as I have recently witnessed some most interesting news." Ozpin then got his scroll out and played a video. A video Naruto knew all too well.

For the next two minutes, the Huntsmen watched as Franklin Winchester confessed to many crimes, issued a formal apology for his misdeeds, and practically turned himself in. And in a couple of frames, Naruto could be seen in the back, tending to the shop.

Four sets of eyes rounded on the blonde shinobi, who was sweating in nervousness. Naruto had been caught red-handed. There was no escape. The incident with Winchester had happened just this morning, and here he was. Still, Naruto tried to defend himself.

"Umm… he was being a meanie?" He whimpered, hoping they would let it slide.

They did not.

"Ugh! Fine! I did it. He insulted my daughter, ya know?" Naruto bit out, not at all happy at being put on the spot.

"So much for Mr. Cool Ninja! Hah!" Kurama jabbed at him, "You should have a thousand quips and excuses ready for any situation, *ya know*?" The mocking tone was not lost on Naruto, who swore to kick the furball's ass after this was over.

"Your… daughter?" Glynda whispered, looking lost for the first time. "When did this happen?" The others were just as interested.

As the subject was changed to his daughter, Naruto's face burst into a bright grin.

"Yes, my daughter!" He chirped. "Her name's Emerald, and she's seven years old! I love her to bits. Here, look! Isn't she just the cutest little thing?" He gushed excitedly.

Naruto then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He got out a photo and showed it to the four. It was a picture of Naruto and Emerald, and Em was riding on his shoulders. She was wearing her green sundress and a red hair clip, which matched her eyes. The two were grinning at the camera, holding out peace signs.

"See? She's adopted, but I still love her as my own, believe it!"

The Huntsmen had to admit, it was an extremely cute sight. Summer cooed in delight, saying that the girl was just as cute as Yang and Ruby. Ozpin was silent, plotting away. Even Glynda let out a small 'Aww!' in the adorable picture. Naruto was apparently a good father, a point to be noted for later.

Qrow just let out a hum of agreement, while Taiyang gave a begrudging nod. He did not like the fact that the little girl was as cute as Yang and Ruby, but he'd never say it out loud. His girls were the cutest! Still, he couldn't resist.

"My girls are cuter!" Taiyang boasted, puffing out his chest in pride.

Naruto's grin died faster than his Hiraishin.

"Care to repeat that, Xiao Long?"

Instead of cowering before the demonized Naruto, Tai just glared at him. "Did I stutter? I'll admit your daughter is adorable, but Ruby and Yang are cuter!"

"Oh yeah? Show me a photo then!"

Taiyang did. It was another adorable photo. Summer was carrying Ruby, whose mouth was stuffed with cookies. Little Yang was hugging Taiyang's feet, grinning brightly.

Naruto's confidence took a brutal blow. Damn. 'The moe is strong with this one.' Just like Tai, he didn't want to admit that any girl could be as cute as Em. But before he could give a snarky retort-

"As amusing as this debate is, I believe we are getting off-track." Ozpin cut in, smiling.

Naruto and Taiyang blushed before glaring at each other.

"Boys." Summer sighed, palming her face. Glynda just nodded.

"Yeah, blondie, did ya do that to him?" Qrow asked, pointing to the scroll.

Naruto hummed. "Yes, I did. But I did not control his memories or anything, ya know? It was just a compulsion to confess to his crimes." Naruto clarified their doubts "He has actually done all those bad things, I just made him more… contemplative of his actions."

"But how did you know that he was a criminal?"

Naruto leaned in, beckoning them all to do the same. As they huddled up, Naruto made some dramatic gestures and whispered in a hushed tone.

"It's a secret."

The occupants comically fell from their seats before righting themselves. Qrow glared at the cackling Naruto, rubbing a bump on his head.

"Dammit, man, be serious!"

Naruto just shrugged. "What, do you expect me to tell you every single one of my abilities? If so, you're sadly mistaken. We aren't that close yet."

Glynda and Summer actually looked hurt at that, but Naruto couldn't be sure.

Naruto clapped his hands. "Now then! Mind telling me what this whole mess is?"

Ozpin and his group tensed marginally, but Naruto caught them. The most telling reactions were from Glynda and Summer, who couldn't look him in the eye.

"Look, guys. Since I am involved in this mess for good, I think I deserve to know anything of importance." Naruto sighed, "I can't put my daughter in danger of unknown threats."

Ozpin looked hesitant, while the others just waited for what he would say. Ozpin was torn between recruiting this man for his own cause and just lying to him and sending him on his way. But lying to him was practically useless, as they didn't know the full extent of Naruto's abilities.

"What will you do if I were to refuse?" Ozpin asked, sipping his coffee. "Will you just forcibly take the information?"

Naruto looked affronted at the veiled accusation. "Of course not! That would defeat the point of this whole meeting!" He then scratched his cheek, "And the last Grimm I killed seemed fishy. Like it wasn't made for combat, but… surveillance."

Both Naruto and Ozpin knew that it was a test, which Naruto had passed. Ozpin then decided to take a gamble and try to recruit Naruto to the cause of justice. From his last statement, it would appear that Salem had already gotten wind of him. She would be sending her minions to recruit Naruto soon enough, as she would come to know about the video as he had. And if she told him the truth about Ozpin, it was as good as over.

Ozpin placed his coffee on the desk and got up. "Very well, Mr. Uzumaki. Have you heard of the tale of the 'Lonely Girl in the Tower?'

After a lengthy explanation, Ozpin had left the office to give Naruto some time to mull over the new information. Summer and Tai had departed to check on their daughters, and Qrow had gone off to some tavern.

"Naruto, you do realize that he was hiding a lot, don't you?" Gyuuki said, "There is more to that man than meets the eye." He finished, making Naruto hum in agreement. The man was sneaky, and Naruto would not be working under him if he could help it.

It was just him and Glynda left in the office. Speaking of Glynda, she was sternly looking Naruto in the eye, not too happy about the situation.

"Glyn-" Naruto began, but was cut off.

"Don't, Naruto. Let me speak." She raised her hand. "While I am hurt that you didn't trust me enough to reveal your abilities to me, I can see where you're coming from." She adjusted her glasses slightly.

Glynda then sat next to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But I'd like to think that we've become good friends in the very least, and I can only hope that you'll open up to me in the future." She finished, smiling softly. "But for now, tell me about your daughter."

"It will take some time, but I'm going to make an effort." Naruto said softly. "My daughter has helped me in that regard. I only ask that you give me the time I need." He looked her deep in the eyes, "Can you do that for me?"

Glynda didn't even think about her response. "Take, however long you need, I'll be right here with you."

"Thanks, Glyn!" Naruto grinned, and then he turned happy. "Oh, yes, my daughter! Let me tell you…"

And the two friends spoke for hours, catching up on lost time.

A/N-

Review, please.

Check out my new crossover as well; it's a Naruto x My Hero Academia fic, with a NarutoxRei pairing.

Sadists, Ramen Chefs and Others was also updated a few days ago, but the mail hasn't gone out for some reason. A New story has been started there.