Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 7:

Neopolitan, also aptly known as the shortened version of Neo, brushed some of her multi-colored fringe away from her eyes and leaned back in her chair. At the moment she was just one of many individuals using Vale's Cross Continental Transit during the middle of the day. Despite being a member of Torchwick's tiny group, and by extension Cinder's, she was still a veritable unknown. Nothing besides her appearance to make anyone look at her suspiciously, nor an arrest record that would make walking around in public a thing of difficulty.

Her boss' boss had just finished a transmission from where she was currently located, spewing out orders from behind doublespeak in case of any potential eavesdroppers and a thin veneer of control. The other woman looked perfectly fine but Neo was the silent imp, spending her time surveying others while everyone else was more focused on other things. There were signs of wear on Cinder Fall's face. Incredibly faint, but Neo's sharp vision had sussed them out while the two engaged over the long-distance phone. The slightest fatigue darkening her eyes. Dry and cracked lips, even with the normal layer of gloss Cinder loved to wear. The biggest tell was the slight hoarseness to her normally smoky voice.

Cinder merely spoke, and Neo merely listened. It helped that the person Cinder went to see seemed to have enough pull to grant the older woman complete privacy within a sibling CCT. The commands were nothing new though...keep Roman on task and continue monitoring the blond boy when the situation permitted. She enjoyed their last (and technically first) encounter; his look when she used her Semblance to vanish and he never noticed had been delightful.

The pinkette/brunette blinked as she pursed her lips. The moment her eyes reopened, the coloration between the two switched. It was an old illusion she pretty much did passively nowadays...seeing her pink eye turn brown and vice versa unnerved those who weren't close to her...and there weren't many who had that benefit.

Grabbing her favorite umbrella, the young woman hopped off the seat and strode over to the elevator. It was a short but speedy ride to the ground floor where she cheerfully made her way back to the 'hideout'. But some hideout it was. Containers of Schnee shipping containers stuffed with Dust were stacked from floor to ceiling of the warehouse left near the edge of town. But that wasn't the only thing; it doubled as a recent safe house for other...less reputable beings in this section of Vale.

Male and female Faunus donned in the hooded uniform of the White Fang walked around planning, resting, and muttering about their current lot in life. Especially since their human hating organization was currently partnered with humans. Stalwart criminals who had a common goal, but still humans nonetheless. Neo received a few looks from behind the faux Grimm masks as she sauntered towards the back of the building where it connected to a second warehouse, but ignored the subtle hatred sent her way with a mocking flare to her hips.

Quiet as a mouse, she moved up to the 'brains' of the operation as he stood staring at a ledger illuminated by a desk lamp. Roman Torchwick was a master thief, capable in a fight, and a snappy dresser, but at the moment he was grinding the butt of a spent cigar between his teeth in irritation. The last raid to gather Dust had seen him nearly be bested by a pubescent kid and the loss of every single stooge borrowed from that club owner, Junior. Suffice to say the man hadn't been in the best of moods since then.

Flicking the dead smoke off into an unused corner he turned, his only expression of surprise manifesting as a slight widening of his eye. Using a black gloved hand to readjust the black bowler hat on his head, Roman turned fully and began searching the pockets of his long white overcoat with a high collar (and multicolored buttons) for another cigar. Unable to discover any, even in his black pants, grey scarf, and a desperate attempt to look for any secreted away in the ankles of his black boots, the older man gave up the search with a sigh. "Do you see how bad for my health this job is?" he complained in an oddly charming voice despite his exasperation, "I'm smoking out of stress instead of leisure!"

Neo gained a look as if to say 'what are you gonna do' before shrugging.

Running a hand down his pale face, careful not to disturb the long orange bangs covering his right eye from view, nor the dark makeup around his left, he leaned back against the desk. "So how did it go with our lovely employer? Have we been graced with any new info to make sense of all these illegally seized goods? Not that I'm really complaining, it's good practice, but a proper head's up on the big picture would be nice."

Neo slipped backwards to sit atop a small crate, the motion as fluid as water. She slowly twirled her lacy parasol while staring at Torchwick, her irises morphing as she blinked at him.

"I expected as much. I take it nothing else has changed either?"

Neo made a show of tapping her chin thoughtfully before tilting her head with an innocent smirk.

"So long as we're getting paid, this isn't as annoying as it could be." He waved an arm dramatically before turning back to the map. "Alright, go back to being a cheery little ghost. I'll call you if I need you."

The small but limber woman nodded before rubbing her hands together at the thought of how long she could go next without willingly revealing herself and/or Naruto noticing her presence. It was rather difficult considering he seemed to possess sensor abilities that far surpassed anyone else's as she had come to discover, and it kept her on her toes. At first it was easy to stay out of sight but once she allowed him to see her at the diner, it was as if he now had a general sixth sense about it. Neo likened it all to a game though; the girl enjoyed having fun at every turn and he was one hell of a challenge. It was the best assignment she'd ever been given, as well as the cleanest towards her clothes...compared to plenty of other jobs where things wound up turning messy.

Neo's smile gradually grew crueler before her pink and brown eyes suddenly flared silvery-white as the illusion broke completely, and she closed her umbrella and spun it around. Leaping forward, the acrobat jumped and suddenly blurred before her entire body vanished in a flash of silver. No sign of her remained and Roman just sighed at the grandiose departure. Of course she had to show off...but that would be calling the kettle black.

Grabbing his combat cane, the dapper criminal pushed his favorite bowler down farther on his head and turned away from his plotting. He'd spent too much time cooped up inside after the barely lackluster heist at From Dust Till Dawn. Sitting around on his ass planning could only keep him entertained for so long. Roman Torchwick was a man of action and his standing orders were to get out and steal. Jabbing his cane at the nearest White Fang member, the man never broke stride as he started to move towards the door. "Perry! Grab some of the henchmen! We are hitting the tooooooown tonight!"

The veiled Faunus, who was only discernible from his peers by the round glasses set over the mask, gave the dramatic man a silent thumbs up. It seemed by tomorrow the police were about to find another store hit with a mysterious lack of Dust to sell.

Well, two. Roman needed to restock his cigars and there was this lovely little smoke shop at the corner of Cyprus and Wells that was just begging to be cleaned out. Maybe theft at a place other than a Dust store would throw the cops off the trail, at least momentarily. Whatever little bit helps!

Naruto strode down the halls of Beacon with purpose in his steps. It was finally time. Despite it being an informal appointment, he'd been up most of the night fidgeting over his choices and then spent a fair amount of time in the shower attached to the room he was invading while here at Beacon. Instructors lived in the Headmaster's tower; Ozpin had the room at the top while everyone else was somewhere below that. There were plenty of empty spaces though, but with the constant influx of guests from around Remnant the rooms were usually filled in some capacity.

Stepping outside, the blond inhaled deeply before steeling his expression and vanishing from sight. To those walking by, they saw a faint blur and something shoot out of the campus. Huntsmen and Huntresses could really move when they wanted to, especially augmented by their aura, but shinobi training involved gaining highly developed leg muscles and stamina for distance. It was a must when you needed to run from one country to another as fast as possible, usually across environments that were covered in dense forests, uneven deserts, vast plains, and craggy terrain. Not everyone followed that regime though...and they suffered for it in the long run.

Suffice to say he was at the training ground in less than a minute.

Ah good, everyone was here already. And the smarter ones were stretching. Pointing towards the closest student, Pyrrha, Naruto raised his voice and gave the first order of the day. "You're gonna want to follow her lead. Muscle cramps can take you down in an instant."

There was some half-hearted grumbling but the teens complied. The blond in charge was the only one still in his regular gear. Everyone else had followed his advice and changed from their academy uniforms into something less formal for the inevitable exertion.

Cardin, Dove, Russel, and Sky all wore sleeveless jerseys and jogging shorts in their respective color schemes. They kept surreptitiously flexing whenever one of the girls wound up looking in their direction. Yang was the only one to actually stare back, but that was because she simply enjoyed a nice show when it was freely given.

It kept encouraging CRDL though, to the annoyance of the rest.

Jaune had on a short-sleeved shirt and loose pants; he appeared somewhat uncomfortable trying to copy what everyone else was doing to relax their muscles. The clumsy blond must have never really prepared himself like this before...well, he was in for a surprise then. Ren's clothing was green/black and loose but cinched against his body. It reminded the Uzumaki somewhat of Neji's outfit, with all the fasteners they both seemed to favor.

The six girls were a bit more varied in appearance. As predicted, the buxom blonde of the group had slipped on one of her new orange sports bras and spandex shorts that were surprisingly a bit longer than her normal set. Blake had on tight leggings down to her ankles and a white t-shirt with her flower emblem dead center in black. Ruby...it was essentially her pajamas, but with the printed pants and thin tank top exchanged for drab, thicker garments since the girl seemed to take his advice to heart. She also had her hood still on but that just seemed impractical. He'd see how it went though, considering she always seemed to wear it and had yet to cry about any problems.

Pyrrha wore a form-fitting red t-shirt with spandex that stopped just above the knee. Nora had picked up a regular short-sleeved shirt and pink booty shorts, wiggling in her spot as she was wont to do, occasionally poking the redhead's aptly exposed curves to elicit a squeak that made Nora giggle.

And then there was Weiss.

She looked the most out of place among the lot while gracefully stretching out her legs. Perhaps it was because she had forsaken her beloved heels for plain sneakers. Or the full tracksuit that replaced her lacy dress. It must have been a special rush order since the ninja didn't remember Yang picking that up anywhere...plus it was completely white with light blue stripes up the sides. The silvernette had kept her hairpiece in place though, same as Pyrrha and her circlet. She must have had the need to maintain some sort of link to her upper-class roots.

A loud whistle made them all eventually stop. The twelve students lined up in a row, and Naruto had to hold back a snigger. Without her heels...Weiss had lost some stature. She was a little under Ruby's height now. Apparently the girl knew exactly what he was thinking because she started glaring at him the moment the first noise escaped his lips. The others, or more likely Yang, must have already pointed that out.

Clearing his throat, Naruto straightened his posture and held his arms behind his back while he began walking back and forth in front of them all. Every once in awhile he would look around curiously before centering his attention again. "Alllllllright! I hope you've warmed up enough! Welcome to Naruto-sensei's first day of class! First up? Seven laps around the lake! Not too bad for a start!" Everyone looked towards the somewhat large source of water, before turning back to the waiting blond. No one actually moved until he threw out an arm impatiently. "What the hell are you waiting for? GO!"

Ruby vanished in a whirlwind of rose petals in response to the sharp order, forcing Naruto to cup his hands and yell out, "NO SEMBLANCE!"

The youngest Huntress reappeared at the edge of the lake with a sheepish expression. "SORRY!" she yelled back before restarting her jog.

Unsurprisingly, the little Rose was the first to finish the long haul, and only slightly winded from the effort. She was a runner after all. All her strength and musculature was focused in her lower half, while in battle Ruby needed to use the momentum of Crescent Rose's gun recoil or her bursts of speed to get more than enough power to cut through Grimm. The rest finished less than ten minutes later roughly around the same time, all breathing heavier than the norm due to the distance traveled. The lake had a wide circumference after all. Jaune crawled into last place like a man who'd been lost in the desert for days...mercifully, he was allowed a slight break to dunk his head in the lake and get some new water into his system.

While the boy struggled to stand and rejoin the line, Naruto already had them starting the next set of exercise: pushups and sit-ups. Start with one, then flip over for the other, then restart with two...and keep raising the number. Huntsmen and Huntresses were all incredibly conditioned, even the older ones kept themselves in great shape aided by their aura for as long as they could maintain it. Students were required to keep up a certain amount of physical fitness (far exceeding that of a regular person) and so as Naruto was starting to learn, it would take more than that to exhaust them.

But that's why they were doing the combo until he said to stop. Legs, and now core and arms too to keep their muscles guessing. The grumbling made him chuckle and he had them go up to fifteen count before calling it quits. But that wasn't the end. He had the group go through jumping jacks, lunges, pull-ups on a nearby tree branch growing at oddly convenient height, and so on, at numbers a bit higher than normal...and with the bare minimum of time to find their breath in between. Even these people had a limit to their endurance and Naruto made sure to no one was left out.

Also unsurprisingly, Pyrrha was the one whose stamina was the greatest. As a renowned warrior/tournament winner, her experience gave the redhead the power to complete each and every directive without complaint. Well that, and her overly polite nature made the Nikos do so without a fuss. Three hours of constant exercise later and she was the only one besides Yang to be sprawled out upon the lawn, chest heaving for air and muscles screaming for rest.

Those two were back to back, uncaring of the sweat sticking their skin and hair together.

"Really, people? I thought we'd be able to go longer than this." Naruto gained some glares for that but he shrugged them off with ease. "Seriously. I've gone all night training my ass off before but you all look ready to drop."

"Because we're not idiots," Weiss grumbled quietly, silver hair disgustingly plastered against her forehead and neck.

"Being an idiot's what pushed me to where I am today." The blond then set his fists against his hips and looked around. "It seems like this is the limit for now, since you have other things to focus on as well. I'd rather not have Glynda chewing me out because you were super exhausted in class. You're all done for the day. Go clean up and whatever else. And be back here in two days so we can do it all over again."

There were a couple groans but Naruto just rolled his eyes. Compared to the stuff he used to do, this was nothing. But he had to take into account their non-shinobi bodies. This was actually 'light' compared to the way some people worked their asses off. The blond had yet to see how they trained out here but with his 'supplementary' lessons it was going to be a heavier burden.

"Actually wait. Before you all go, who here is good at taijutsu?"

No one raised their hands. He even got a 'what?' from Jaune and Ruby.

"Hand-to-hand fighting. You know, throw a punch or kick with actual skill?" This time somebody did. "Only Yang and Ren? That's not good."

"Not all of us want to fight like savages," Weiss uttered as she grimaced; her tracksuit was sticking everywhere and she just wanted to go wash up. That girl had a sarcastic quip for everything though it seemed. Luckily Yang was a good sport about her teammate's put down of her fighting style and just rolled her violet eyes over it. Yeah, she was one of the rarer few who liked punching and kicking to crush Grimm with blunt force trauma instead of slicing, dicing, exploding, or shooting. But it worked with her Semblance, and it wasn't the first time the silvernette had a problem with something another person did.

As for Ren...he was just a mellow person.

"Weiss' opinion aside, it looks like I take back what I said the other day about ignoring fighting styles. So we'll be adding more to the list of things to do. Basically anyone here besides Yang is screwed if they get in a fight without their weapon, yes? Against Grimm or even other people, it doesn't hurt to learn and have some kind of counter."

He'd put them through the ninja academy's taijutsu course then. It was basic but it would give them substance and act as a workout deviation so their bodies didn't get used to the same exercises. And if that worked...

Hmmm...

Naruto needed to find an armory or blacksmith.

They had to exist since the people of Remnant needed to get their weapons from somewhere, right?

As it turned out, they did indeed have some sort of armaments manufacturer here in Vale. However the concept behind it was rather different from what Naruto was used to. It was essentially all special order. All transforming weapons were forged by their owners at a designated Hunting school but they had to get the parts from a distributor. Regular, cheaper weapons though...those were mass produced in Dust-burning factories or a rarer smithy. It actually made them more durable than most too but still nothing close to a Hunter's.

Naruto wasn't looking for anything that could change shape though, which meant it shouldn't be so hard.

Or maybe not.

"I just need them in bulk. Kunai and shuriken. They don't have to be super good quality, but at least made well enough that they're properly balanced."

"No one's in the business to buy or sell something so expendable, besides bullets," the supplier answered. He had the air of a man who never had to worry over such a question before. "Never had anyone ask for a shuriken so small...or without another form to turn into. Them's rare like those scythe-users. And I haven't rightly heard of a kunai before, neither."

"Okay, well. They look like this." He then promptly created two clones, having them transform into the small metallic blades, ignoring the other person's confusion and awe. "The shuriken don't have to be fancy. Four points with a hole in the center, sharp enough to cut, and can hit a bull's-eye when thrown. This, though, is a kunai. It can be held like a knife or thrown as well. Not too hard."

The man tentatively accepted the fakes before his sense of detail kicked into play and he began examining the cloned weapons with greater scrutiny. "Hmmm...I see. There's weight behind them but nothing serious. Yes...I believe it's possibly to make 'em and their simple shape but my question is why? Ain't gonna do much against a Grimm, 'specially if you want cheap metal."

"I'm currently working up at Beacon and it involves teaching some students how to use these properly, since it never hurts to have some sort of backup. That's why I wanted to get a bunch made."

The supplier peered at him oddly but this entire meeting had been strange the moment the boy walked into his office. His clothes were shabby and worn, and stating he was an instructor at Beacon of all places... "You don't mind if I...confirm your employment with the headmaster, do you?"

"Go ahead."

"Right. Well. If'n you're actually tellin' the truth, we'd have to outsource the manufacturing to Signal Academy in Patch. None o' the factories would be willing to halt a production line for any momentary work. And if they did, it'll cost ya more to make up for the lost profit."

"That's fine. I'm making less than the other teachers but it's still pretty good...I think."

As it was, Naruto only ordered a complete set of twenty each for his own personal use first. It was a test of sorts, for the ninja to see the finished work and compare it to what he was used to. Using his clones Naruto gave a brief demonstration on the effectiveness after scrounging up a makeshift target. While the supplier recorded the display for reference alongside the pictures already taken, the blond chucked his pretend weaponry, emphasizing how the kunai were meant to slice through the air in a straight path while the ninja stars could also curve. It was almost like his own academy days again...except he wasn't being graded and his accuracy was now pretty damn good with adequate materials.

If this panned out, it would be good to have a loaded pouch tied to his thigh again. Naruto lost the last one during the war...ah, he would need sturdy holsters as well if that was the case.

Dammit. Maybe another trip to The Dusty Thread was in order? The wayward Uzumaki would need to remember exactly how the inside of the bag was fitted, since it held both shuriken and kunai, and could actually hold a bunch of the pointy objects without trouble so long as it was packed correctly.

Naruto sighed. Being all responsible-like when the world wasn't on the line was actually pretty time-consuming. But it would be worth it once he got everything he needed. Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL would be some of the best damn students to ever graduate, with unique skills that would (hopefully) assist them both against the Grimm and outside the profession.

The jinchuriki was beginning to already deviate from what he told Ozpin...but he was pretty sure the older man was crafty enough to already take it all into account.

He was conniving like that, but in a good way.

"Try it again! Don't think so much! Just let your body move!"

Jaune winced as his misstep was called out (again), and he felt his chest throb in tandem. If there was one thing the students training under the shinobi had learned, it was that he learned by example and therefore taught by example. The last few meetings for Naruto's 'class' had taken a different turn than any of them were expecting. While he still ran them all through their paces, a portion of the time was now directed towards teaching them some sort of basic fighting style that was actually harder than it seemed.

Yang took to it pretty quickly though, but then again this was her thing.

It involved getting in an unfamiliar stance before running through a set of movements, weaving and attacking an imaginary opponent. The struggle for most of those involved was that of flexibility; the body was expected to be loose but limber like that of a ninja. Most found themselves feeling the pull on certain muscles that weren't normally stressed so intently. Once again, there was complaining. And once again, Naruto told the three groups that if they didn't want to be here then get lost.

None had yet to do so though. Like it or not...especially since it was so damn tiring...but the exercise intensive workouts was exactly what they felt they needed.

Students were required to keep up on their physical conditioning. There were different gymnasiums and/or training facilities built around the school specifically for such a thing. But without a watchful eye, the learners were also expected to be responsible. This was difficult for many since Beacon was a new sort of freedom for them, away from their parents and acting as a show of independence on their part.

But they were teenagers. And laziness was ingrained even in the hardiest of young adults.

Having Naruto barking orders under his watchful eye and actually getting in on the action kept them all on their toes. Even the most ardent of complainers such as Weiss and Team CRDL continued to hack at it over the following weeks. Weiss though...it was also a matter of pride. Quitting while the rest of her squad didn't could not be tolerated for her perfectionist attitude. And if an idiot such as Uzumaki could survive this then obviously a Schnee could as well.

Jaune groaned as a fist connected with his chest and sent him sprawling across the grass yet again. This was followed by a couple of hands jerking the timid blond boy to his feet before his fellow fair-haired male moved across from him and took Pyrrha's spot, with said redhead concerned over once again hurting her partner so effortlessly. "Attack, Jaune," Naruto ordered as he dropped into Konoha's fighting style. Boy it had been some time since he actually used this properly. Frog Kata was pretty much his go-to now but he could still join in with the quick sparring motions he had everyone doing.

Sucking in a breath Jaune nervously copied the stance as best as he could, before leaping forward with his fist cocked back. The whole time Naruto never flinched, watching the other boy's arm up until the knuckles were sent towards his whiskered face. As expected, he knocked Jaune's strike off to the side with little problem and pushed him away before standing up properly and scratching his head for a moment.

"Oh. Yeah, I think I've got it. You're holding back at the last second."

"But..." The Arc furrowed his eyebrows. "I am?"

"It throws your balance off when you do that. Makes it easier for Pyrrha to knock you away. Good for her, I guess, but not for you. You're not afraid to hit her, are you?"

The redhead standing behind Naruto's pursed her lips slightly. "It is admirable that you do not want to strike a woman, but we are all warriors here. This is no different from class with Professor Goodwitch. We are just using our bodies instead of weapons."

"N-no! No, it's not that! I know Pyrrha is super strong and can take care of herself...it's just...I mean, I guess I'm more worried about myself," Jaune said quietly, twitching again as Cardin and his buddies scoffed from nearby, "I never had my aura work as a shield until recently, so I'm used to my skin taking the full damage. It's a reaction against pain."

Naruto and Pyrrha shared a quick look before the sage nodded slowly. "Ahhh, I gotcha. Well, I never had aura to protect me either so you're not the only one. You'll get used to it. But...I don't want to wait that long so we're going to speed things up. Ero-sennin called it...im-im...im-something therapy, where you're put in the situation and made to adjust."

"Immersion?"

"Yeah, that." Naruto said offhandedly before he turned towards the elder of the step-sisters under his tutelage. Her and Blake were going through the motions farther a bit farther away than most, and both had seemed to have picked up the flow of strikes and deflections with relative ease. Just what he needed. "Oi! Yang! Come here a minute!"

The buxom blonde turned her head at the call, only for her partner to take advantage of the distraction and place a strike right at her jaw, with her knuckles barely kissing against Yang's pale flesh. Blake earned a dirty look for that but, as Naruto had briefly explained to her before during their short conversations through Scrolls, the view on battle where he came from wasn't really about acting with honor. Ninja fought to win and used as many dirty tricks as they could to do it. A diversion could cost you your life...or in this case, a free hit.

The black-haired beauty shrugged her shoulders as a cop-out, but there was a hint of a smirk on her lips as she followed Yang when the other girl walked away.

"What do you need?" Yang asked as she joined the small party.

"Jaune is still not used to having aura as a shield for taking damage. He needs to get over flinching in general. So, what better way to do that than have him sink or swim in a fight against someone who seems to have trouble holding back?"

"I'll take that as a complement. And...you still want me to do this?"

"Yes."

"Why not you?"

"Because I'm not a student."

"...so just keep attacking him then?"

"Yup."

A set of purplish eyes blinked before Yang shrugged her thin shoulders. "Alright."

Jaune looked exceedingly against this idea but his strangled voice went unheeded. Naruto made them both lift their right hands in front of their chests and make a fist, save for the first two fingers pointing upward, and explained this was what students at his school used to do before a spar. It was called the Seal of Confrontation, and acted as a symbolic gesture before the start of combat.

Then the—ahem—beating began, a spectacle of Jaune trying to fight back against a seasoned taijutsu pro while his pretty opponent held back a tiny bit to give him a chance, since this was mostly for his own benefit. It still wasn't pretty though since she could hit like a truck. Every time he got a look of concentration and threw out a punch or kick the move would falter somehow. Yang would then break through whatever guard he had up. It was completely one-sided and the other boys in attendance besides Ren made sure to let the knight know throughout the spar.

"Why did you call for Yang? I could have helped Jaune instead," Pyrrha asked the teacher as her teammate was sent reeling from a boot to the side of his torso. Naruto's jaw was set but as he turned to look into the gladiator's emerald irises, his own face dropped into a matching frown.

"Jaune needs to be pushed, and while I know you enjoy helping others, sometimes people need a good kick in the ass to get moving. You're really nice Pyrrha. Right now I feel Jaune doesn't need 'nice' to help him put aside his fear."

His terrified yell as he barely dodged a punch to the chin probably begged to differ.

"While I disagree on the method...I suppose I see your point."

Even Nora flinched when Jaune tried to jump and knee his opponent in the face, only to have Yang easily slip to the side, grab a fistful of his shirt, and slug him right into the ground like she was hammering a railroad spike. "Ouch. Okay, I think he's done for now." Aura probably diminished a portion of the damage but that was still a heavy attack. "And that sure wasn't anything I taught you to do."

Or at least, yet, anyways. That was more a move Naruto himself would have used, without studiously following what he learned in school. Something the blond never did anyways...because while it gave him a bit of structure, he had learned more by figuring things out on his own than anything else. Others might think he had proper style...but he was the one who always came out on top, didn't he?

The fist-fighter grinned sheepishly at his remark but seemed wholly unconcerned. "Sorry. Total reaction."

Naruto paused for a moment before giving a minor shrug. "Eh. It's not like I'm trying to change how you fight. Just giving you another option is all. Although I don't think it's fair to Jaune since you slipped up."

"Ah, but you never said I couldn't stop using your style during the fight. In fact you never actually said to use them at all. We just did because that's what we've been doing anyways."

Blue eyes blinked as their owner froze, before the ninja squinted intently at the grinning girl. "...shut up."

"Sis, don't antagonize him!" Ruby exclaimed hurriedly. He might tack on some more stuff and she still wasn't used to their current curriculum.

"Anyways, is Jaune awake? Just groaning? He can still hear me then so good enough. I want both of you to make the Seal of Confrontation again but link your fingers together like this." Grabbing the nearest person, Pyrrha, Naruto showed them all what he was expecting as he maneuvered her digits into the proper place. "This is the Seal of Reconciliation. It's to show that, even after the fight, you're still comrades. It's like a sign of respect and acknowledgement."

From where he remained, Jaune's digits slowly curled around Yang's after being supported before the arm fell limply to his side.

"Soooo...I guess we can wrap it up for today then. I think two or three more classes can be used to keep practicing the movements before we try anything else. We'll continue increasing the exercise at the beginning like normal, then move into sparring and muscle memory. Good job, everybody."

Naruto watched as his peers limped away (and one was dragged), each looking to be rid of the sweat and grime accumulated during that time. He was getting used to teaching a group of people his own age but the experience was still somewhat strange. Everyone followed him before because he was the man with the plan, actually had the means to win, and gained the trust of the entire army (which in hindsight was truly amazing). Here, they were just...kids, lacking the same experiences he had. The jinchuriki only hoped they were actually taking it all seriously.

Then again...none had yet to drop out, as was their right.

Naruto guessed it was working after all.

His head darted to the side reflexively as it occasionally had over the weeks and he jumped away, darting in that same direction and stopping in front of a tree. He peered at it intently, circling the trunk and looking it over in a suspicious manner. The Uzumaki swore he felt someone watching him from over here but there was absolutely nothing. Perhaps some kind of genjutsu? But...nah. Then again, it was possible since this world was so similar to his own.

But his resistance to illusions was no longer the shit it once was thanks to nature energy. Plus he could immediately say there was no people, no Grimm, no sounds of breathing or clothes rustling...he considered entering sage mode momentarily but ultimately decided against it. He was just feeling paranoid again; Glynda had flat out already explained she would still be keeping an eye on him, even now. There was probably more cameras put up at inconspicuous places to watch the progress.

Had he not already shown his worth though? Naruto assumed Ozpin already got her up to speed on the addition to his curriculum.

That woman needed a hobby. Or a boyfriend.

Shaking his head after one last wary glance the ninja walked away. But when he was only a few steps away from jumping over the fence surrounding the school (because why walk all that way to the gate?) he swiftly turned back around and looked at the tree again from afar.

Still nothing.

Content for now but wholly unable to shake the nagging feeling he was being too complacent, Naruto hopped over to Beacon's inner grounds and headed for his room.

Once Naruto finally took his leave, mischievous mismatched eyes peered from around the very tree he had been checking out with the air of victory. Neo had been there the entire time, watching and observing. Multiple times she noticed him look in her general direction, mostly when she reinforced the illusion keeping herself completely cloaked. The constant use of her Semblance to change the entirety of the tree's base throughout the entire training session was a bit of a drain though.

And the blond would get antsy and look over his shoulder whenever she did a bit of extra aura manipulation.

Little did the ninja know but as he eventually checked out her hiding spot, Naruto had actually stared right into Neo's eager face multiple times before finally walking away. It had quickened her heartbeat, nearly being caught so many times, and the short girl wondered if perhaps he had actually heard the pounding in her chest instead of anything more rational. She actually had a gloved hand against the exposed skin above her corset, feeling the heavy thumps as the adrenaline in her bloodstream slowly dried up.

Neo was a bit weird...but then again, all the big players in Cinder's game were considered 'off'.

Shaking her head, the multi-toned woman brushed some hair over her shoulder and leaned back against the bark. That had been a real close one. It really was far too exciting to meet someone who could work against her illusions, and even if this was her outstanding orders had any of her comrades known the risk she was taking by pushing the boundary of her game, at least two would be sorely...disappointed in the un-professionalism.

If Naruto actually tried, Neo had the feeling her powerful Semblance wouldn't stand a chance.

Sighing without a sound, she drew the camouflage down to only the space around her body and left. Time to go log another day of the blond training a bunch of other kids and send it off. When Cinder returned Neo wondered how the other female would react to the news. After all, gauging the strength of up-and-coming Hunters was a part of the fiery woman's mysterious master plan. Having them suddenly gain additional strength could blow everything out of proportion.

Eh. No skin off her cute lil' nose.

These kids getting stronger was actually a very, very good thing in the span of all things.

Schnee Dust Company Main Branch, Kingdom of Atlas:

Tired eyes stared into the holo-screen as the clear and crisp font began blurring together. Yet another important email she was expected to respond to ASAP, in spite of the late hour. But that was how life worked when you were employed by the Schnee Dust Company; widespread conglomerates constantly required everyone to do their part with 100% effort. Even at...ugh, three in the morning?

Screw it. Winter Schnee was going to pull on her vacation time as soon as the finer points of the latest sale/expectancy numbers were crunched and put in the system. Considering this was essentially her life (and the fact she was the daughter of its current head), the young woman believed she could simply say she was taking some time off and no one would refute her. They wouldn't for fear of their jobs anyways...but Winter hated the fact employees walked on eggshells around her. Or Weiss. Or their father.

Especially their father.

Eis Schnee first created the family business, had it succeed where others failed and upon his deathbed, transferred leadership to his son Fraust. Things were touch and go in the beginnings of the company...mining for Dust was still a tricky business even though it had been done for generations but Eis had been ambitious. He pumped all his Lien savings into finding ways to take the natural energy sources at a faster and more efficient rate. He succeeded, and from there the rest was history. He employed Faunus more than regular humans to excavate the gems, but he possessed logical reasoning for such a thing even with all the backlash it caused.

The animal-human hybrids were simply superior. Their senses were greater and it allowed them to react better to things other people wouldn't notice. A gas leak, or the minute but telltale signs of an imminent cave-in. Eis also held a natural aversion to Faunus like so much of the world but he couldn't deny their usefulness, and he paid better than many other places that were actually willing to hire anyone with horns or a tail. And yet it was that belief, along with how safety protocols back then were much more lax, which started the whispers of racism that would hound the Schnee Dust Company till this very day. The White Fang were the biggest source of disagreement back then; they denounced the treatment of Faunus employees while simultaneously (and secretly) approved of how at least their wages matched the danger all the Faunus faced everyday in the tunnels.

When Fraust Schnee took over, he attempted to emulate his parent and the way Eis handled such a delicate topic. It wasn't the best but it could have also been a lot worse. However after a time profits overtook decency, and those animal people who worked under the Schnee brand noticed a gradual change overcome their once edgy but consistent way of life. The amount of money in their checks was lowering. Safety procedures were becoming lax, and half the time their equipment was either inefficient or outdated without any whisper of when new gear was on the way.

And then one day everything simply went to shit.

Five years ago, the White Fang went from peaceful protesters to full-blown terrorists. It had been hinted at for years but it had simply been that, rumors. Yet no matter how much they complained, griped, and attempted to expose the injustice and paranoia over something so insanely trivial, the group never truly made any headway in changing the human collective's opinion of their race. Someone must have decided 'playing nice' was the dream of a fool because the moment the former leader stepped down from his position in disgrace it was manned by a new person with differing ideals. Signs and pickets were replaced by weapons and blood. Ironically, the constant shows of force did indeed start making some headway towards changing the world's view on the Faunus. They weren't going to be kicked around and kept as second or third-class citizens any longer.

A pity it also helped reinforce old views that the Faunus were a blight on Remnant.

Storefronts and other places who showed intolerance were destroyed or vandalized. The Schnee Dust Company specifically was targeted by the White Fang. There were assassinations, blatant destruction, stolen goods, and any other thing that could be done to fuck with the uptight Atlesians with a stranglehold on Dust revenue.

Fraust responded in kind, ordering lockdowns and other heavy measures meant to keep the Faunus (and a lesser extent, everyone else) in his employment to watch their backs. Security was doubled and if anyone showed even the barest hint of approval towards the White Fang they were relieved of their duty, usually in a very painful manner. Even so he continued to hire the 'creatures' and put them in the quarry. Despite all the trouble surrounding the company and its treatment of Faunus, it was still the number one place in the whole of Atlas for Fauna-kind to earn Lien. It barely supported a regular family and the hours were rough...but it was still a tried and true job.

It was legal and gainful service. Even under duress, not all Faunus had the heart to fight back against decades of abuse and instead were fine with the more peaceful, albeit tougher, lifestyle.

Winter and Weiss noticed a change in their father as well. Though it was very stressful at the top, the middle-aged man still had time during the day to spare at least a few minutes for his children. It wasn't ever enough but the two girls cherished the moments. But around the same time as the management change in the White Fang, Fraust simply...became cold. Ironic, but that was the best way to explain it. It was a marked difference from the person everybody knew. He was always firm and unmovable but still fair. Able to make the tough decisions and try to maintain some form of balance between all levels of workers.

One of the very first assassinations orchestrated by the activists took the life of his beloved wife and the mother of his two beautiful daughters. All who knew him would claim that her death was what turned his heart into a chunk of ice. The man never spoke about it, but from then on he became akin to an authoritarian ruler over everything he had in his control. Fraust never smiled or showed emotion. He just didn't seem to care anymore. Those tender minutes with Weiss and Winter whenever they sought him out were a thing of the distant past. Life in the corporation became harsher for all and if you couldn't hack the demands, you were gone. Any who thought they had what it takes could apply but only the best remained.

And from it all Fraust Schnee stood at the top and continued pumping out Dust for the world while growing ever richer.

Weiss had...gotten lucky, in a way. She was the firstborn by a year and it had been by chance that she discovered her innate skill with wielding a blade. Instead of choosing some type of lofty position here in Atlas and be set for life, the young woman decided she would go out and gain worldly experience before one day returning to act on her title of heiress. Winter though, was not one for battle. Honestly she disliked fighting although understood that some things like Hunters were a necessity. She had more a mind for mental exercises and the like, which was why Winter had instead done what Weiss had not and took a position in the company's upper echelon.

The second daughter liked being home though. It kept her close to her dad, and even though he shut down when their mother died she believed it did him some good to have at least one remaining member of his family around.

Winter leaned back in her chair and rubbed at her eye sockets, yawning and stretching out her arms before falling boneless into the seat. Like her sister she possessed light blue eyes, pale white skin, a willowy build, and silver hair, although unlike the other Schnee there was no mark to tarnish her face. Her hair also fell down a bit past her shoulders though at the moment the bulk of it was pulled back into a loose bun, and her choice of attire was more business-like in nature. A pencil skirt and crisp jacket, both whitish-blue in color, with the edge of a baby blue undershirt peeking out from under her coat, and white heels.

She wondered why Weiss was doing right now...besides sleeping. Obviously her sibling had passed and fully enrolled within Beacon since there had been no disappointed Cross Continental Transit call but Winter was curious over how the other gal was feeling. Her departure from the mansion had been tense but she put up a brave front. Winter had saw her off before Weiss left early that morning to say goodbye to her favorite spot, the opera house, but Fraust had already vanished for work. While the elder sister acted like such a thing was an everyday occurrence, which it was, the utter lack of caring presented by their father before one of his children moved to another continent had hurt Weiss.

But true to the theme of their family, Weiss put on a mask of indifference and walked away with her head held high.

A muffled scrape of metal on metal from outside the room caused Winter to sit up and look around instinctively. She was the only one with the clearance to be in this part of the building, and the guard schedule wouldn't bring the next sweep around for another ten minutes. Plus the shutters on the windows of her private office were currently drawn closed so there wasn't much of a view both in and out. "Hello?" she asked quietly despite the slight feeling of dread and the fact no one would really be able to hear her. The female wasn't expecting a ghost or slasher creep straight from a movie to pop out from the adjoined bathroom and catch her off guard but it was in the human nature to fear the unknown.

No one answered obviously and if it was security they would have announced themselves, so Winter thought it to be a trick of her weary mind. But when she heard the slightest thump from outside the door the silvernette felt something was wrong. Powering off her computer and touching the panic button built in the underside of the table, she winced at the stark darkness now blinding her. But that's what she got for keeping the overhead lights turned off to try and conserve electricity. Still, the young administrator knew the contours of her office and quietly made her way to a blind spot from the door. In her hands now was a Dust saber, her own signature weapon. Just because she didn't revel in facing down opponents didn't mean she wasn't prepared for an encounter. Winter was a high-profile target after all and protecting herself was a must.

Holding her breath, she tensed not a second too soon as the doorknob turned at a snail's pace before suddenly shooting open with a loud bang. The pale-skinned woman had nearly screamed at the unexpected noise but thankfully clapped a hand over her mouth. Someone on the other side had kicked it open as two figures burst inside. Winter's eyes could only see their outlines in the darkness but the duo seemed to be clad in cloaks. They stopped, as if surprised by the lack of a Schnee, and they slowly inched forward further into the room. If they were some sort of saboteurs or spies then they'd have to be arrested. Knocking against the door so loudly would have worked against them...unless sabotage wasn't their aim.

What if they weren't here for company secrets?

Why would they come straight here anyways? Even if it was the office of Fraust's remaining kid, things were way too suspicious. All files on her computer were used for work, yes, but she did not use such a public means for storing anything incredibly delicate. Her father's office or even their home would have been the more logical choice.

Either way they had to be stopped. As Winter channeled her energy into the saber, one of the small canisters built into the hilt began glowing and with a sharp flick of her wrist, the weapon sang and sent beads of bluish orbs shooting through the air. Where they impacted created immobilizing chunks of crystalline ice. But in the inky blackness of their office, the objects were incredibly visible and therefore the two intruders knew when they were coming, even with their backs turned. They dodged around without much trouble and came at her with knives.

It devolved into a frantic two-on-one melee in the medium space of her office, in complete darkness despite having grown accustomed to the lack of light by now. Their shorter weapons meant Winter had to work twice as hard to parry and block their strikes. But she held on despite the lucky blows that broke through her defenses and drew blood; it hadn't been the first attempt on her life, sadly.

Driving her foot into the gut of the closest assailant, she drew satisfaction from the surprised and pained grunt. It was not 'classy' or 'graceful' but her own survival was on the line. Sadly this left her open for a rebuttal kick to the chest from the second assassin whose own heel hurt and likely bruised her skin despite the aura protection. There was some power in those legs! It drove the wind out of Winter and she staggered back, already feeling the strain of the prolonged battle on her muscles.

Sadly her stamina wasn't very high, but in her free time Winter still practiced the ballet and gymnastics lessons learned in her youth and that kept her in shape. It had been something the two sisters did together as children although it wasn't out of 'fun' but 'further expanding their ladylike qualities'. Someone of their stature needed to be nimble and quick, in control of themselves, with poise, and well-mannered.

The momentarily lack of concentration allowed the injured figure to snap out with his own leg. The attack didn't connect but there was a loud crack that reverberated in the quiet of the room. A jackhammer punched her in the gut as her aura failed. Winter gasped at the unfamiliar sensation paralyzing her and the next few moments were a blur. Something brushed against her chest as she fell that only added to the extreme discomfort, and there were additional thumps similar to whatever first injured her. Her eyes were unfocused and her hearing and feelings was starting to dull as well.

Something or someone grabbed Winter's shoulder and flipped her over, saying unintelligible noises to the young woman's ears. There was nothing to focus on, nothing but the fleeting worry of what was happening and...

Everything went dark.

Considering RWBY is only two volumes in at this point and the series lore is still not very expansive, it's safe to say that I'm making a lot of assumptions and original concepts over certain things. You can see it already with my little bit on the Schnee family up there. I'm only saying this though because the future of this story will have a lot of shit going on that most likely won't fit with whatever canon facts Rooster Teeth does to continue Monty Oum's legacy. Like what Winter and co. actually look like, or more history things, or Ruby and Yang's proper family tree, etc.

If it's close? Then holy crap, that's awesome, and I'm incredibly surprised I came up with the same sort of ideas that were already planned for RWBY. But then again I also have the Naruto element and that's already drastically changed some things involving this story.

Anyways...here's the new chapter.

I haven't been writing too much, obviously, but I've only got to finish up this one final class before I get my Bachelor's and I've started looking around at employment options. Plus it's getting warmer again (thankfully). That, and my friend and I have been goofing off with Youtube and made a few videos awhile ago which never really went anywhere. BUT we've finally started coming up with serious video ideas as of late and even made a few extra gameplay ones that should be going up soon. There's links on my page if you're interested...they're all pretty amateurish but like I just said these weren't meant to be professional.

Thanks for reading. Review, spread the word, let me know what you think, curse my name, whatever you want. See you next time.