~NRK~

The wizard chuckled as Glynda shot Naruto a look, the boy Grimm rubbing the back of his head.

'There's not, like, a super-translation spell, right?' The former ninja asked and Fria hummed.

"If we could make one, as far as I know," she said, looking at Ozpin who hummed.

"Perhaps but it'd require myself to research it," the man didn't look the least put out by that.

In fact, he looked rather rejuvenated by the idea.

"He's really enjoying this," James said as Glynda smiled. "Still, will this get in the way of Naruto's tests?"

"Well, it stops an outright one but we can test his properties," the old man said. "For now, Naruto, I'd like Summer to try and teach you our alphabet."

"I've done this twice already, Lil Naru, this will be easy," the Silver-Eyed Warrior said with a smile as the former blonde chuckled nervously.

'R-Right.'

"Then, the next test would be to see what elements he coincides with, right?" Fria said and Ozpin nodded as he removed another piece of paper from his pocket before placing it down in front of Naruto.

"This one, you don't need to read," he said with a smirk as the Grimm stopped sweating. "You need to push your energy into this and it'll give us an idea of what element you're aligned with most."

'It's like Chakra paper.'

"Naruto, the more I hear about your culture, the more I think you all were wizards instead of ninja," Ozpin said with some surprise as he hummed. "The more similar it becomes as I learn about you. What could this mean?"

"Maybe mixing physical energy and spiritual energy, on Remnant, will make magic?" Summer suggested and Glynda tilted her head as she crossed her arms.

"... perhaps…"

"For now, let's focus on the tests then," James said as Naruto nodded before reaching his hand forward and pressed two of his fingers onto the paper.

The black vapors around him concentrated into the piece of parchment and the group watched as it glowed before spitting out several archaic words into the air.

Of 12 of them, four glowed brightly while the other words simply stayed normal looking.

"Well… that's… curious," Ozpin said with a blink of confusion, the others looking to him for answers even as Fria blinked.

"... Is that even possible?" The Maiden spoke. "Darkness, Wind, Life… Light," she declared to the others as the glowing characters faded away as Naruto removed his fingers from the piece of paper. "Those are your specialties, Naruto."

'Oh, hehe… that Life one… that's probably because of my former Yang Chakra,' he explained before explaining the basics. 'There are the five basic elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind with the two… I think they're called… 'a-abstracted' ones?'

"Abstract," James said with a nod.

'Right. So, those two are Yin and Yang, chakra that can create anything, kind of, and chakra that allows a person to breathe life into a thing that didn't have it, sort of.'

"Your explanations are as great as always," Glynda said and he chuckled nervously. "What are they typically used for?"

'Yin is kind of like illusions and stuff,' Ozpin's mouth opened in understanding, nodding as Naruto continued. 'While Yang release is sort of like my friends, the Akimichi and Inuzuka. Choji, the first one, could expand his body to the size of an entire forest when he was a kid and could become as big as a Summon during the War. Kiba, the second, could gain dog-like features and had the kinjutsu which held his clan's specialized jutsu.'

"... I see, it gives organic effects, most likely," Ozpin considered. "While Yin gives abstract effects. So, most likely, sounds, smells, sight, the five senses. Things in those two categories are the difference."

'Yup!'

"Fascinating."

"So, what about Naruto's Light element?" Summer asked. "I mean, is that my fault? From when we fused? Or did he always have it?"

"We have to assume that's the case," Fria said with a hum. "But your powers didn't work on him before, yes? If that's the case, his outer dark shell… is it really darkness? Or is it a living material that can't be burned away?"

"... I think it's the second one. Naruto's growing more alive every day, it seems," Summer said with a chuckle. "So, maybe this is because of his Life element conjoining with it? With those two powers… Naruto is giving himself life?"

The group just sat there in thought, the sheer idea of what Summer had just suggested being horrifying in concept.

'... why's everyone thinking that's so weird?' The living Grimm asked and Fria smiled shakily at him.

"Just think of it like this, Naruto. If you're giving yourself life… you're growing life-necessary concepts. Organs, breath, cells, blood, skin, and so on. You've become an impossibility."

'Right but we knew that before.'

"It's a bit more complex than that," James said with his chin in hand. "... Is it possible… that, say, if Naruto was fused with someone, their limbs getting removed wouldn't matter?" He asked with shock as Glynda flinched at the idea.

"... T-That's… the logistics of such a resource is terrifying," she said as Naruto tilted his head. "N-Naruto… you haven't, perhaps, regrown someone's limbs before, right?" The idea was fantast-

'Oh, yeah, I did that for Kakashi-sensei's eye,' the boy said with a smile and the group stopped. 'With my powers, back then, I could do lots of stuff like that. Old Man Hagoromo explained my skills-'

"Wait, please just, stop," Glynda said as she held her head. "What?"

'... Sorry?'

"No, Naru, this could possibly become some of the greatest news we've had in a while along with everything else."

"Regrowing limbs?! With how much ease?!" James asked urgently.

'I did it under a few seconds,' Naruto said and the General nearly collapsed. 'The way I get it is like, using my soul, I remold your own to include that stuff again before filling it with my chakra. That's how I did it before.'

Ozpin let out a long, shuddering, breath. "Naruto… if you can still do something like that… you can't just let that get out, okay?" He asked the Grimm who frowned. "I know, I know, you want to help people. I'm sure you will get to do it, one day… but not yet, not for a while, please."

Ozpin didn't want to think about the sheer headache Naruto's existence might cause with just that one skill alone.

Add in the potential extra power, possibility to breed, his fusions, his magic… Never before had Ozpin looked at an item, person in this case, more important than a Relic.

'... Alright, you did say I could eventually, right?'

"Yes, it's just figuring out how to introduce you to the world at large," James said. "You're still a Grimm, living or not, people fear Grimm and that's not going to change… if ever," he said flatly.

"We'd have to have you separate from normal Grimm but then the questions are going to flood in," Glynda said while massaging her forehead. "Questions that be, as such. 'Why did you hide him?', 'Exterminate ALL Grimm!', 'Dissect him while you have the chance'. More such things will be spouted and defending against all that will be difficult without a plan."

'... Yikes,' Naruto's ears flopped against his head as Summer placed it in her lap, rubbing his noggin as he paled. 'Um, yeah, please don't let them do that last one.'

Fria frowned. "They won't, at least, we can find ways to deal with that," she said as the werewolf went limp in relief. "Still, we don't know if he could or even how he'd apply such a skill."

"Then use it on me," James said quickly and possibly prematurely as Ozpin rubbed the back of his head. "It's… I've long since come to terms with myself, my body… but it'd be nice to have a normal body again," he said with a small blush.

'... Sure, I don't mind. I just never knew you were missing parts, James-ossan,' Naruto said and the military man smiled before undoing his top and lifting his shirt. '... damn, what happened?'

"An injury I don't regret getting," James answered with a nod and Naruto did the same.

'You're a cool dude, James-ossan.'

"Thank you."

"So, we still need to do so many steps before we know if he can do that, yes?" Glynda said with a smile. "For now, actual learning is required."

"... Not wrong, Naruto's going to need education about our world. Then he'll need magic lessons, a testing ground, space, and so on. Besides, Summer Rose needs to go home to her family, as well," James said.

"It has been some time since I've seen my family, you're right," Summer said with a smile. "Where's Qrow? Back at Patch?"

"Yes, he's informed your family today-" Ozpin said before Summer blinked as her Scroll rang. "... Once again, speaking too soon, I guess."

Pulling it out of her pocket, Summer's mouth set in a big grin as she opened it. "Honey?"

-Summer, Qrow just told us, thank the Brothers, you're safe!- Came Taiyang Xiao-Long's voice over her Scroll.

Summer's smile could have lit up all of Atlas. "I know, I know… Things just got… complicated."

-I'm happier with complicated and alive than otherwise- The man said from across the line. -I'm guessing you all are in the middle of a special talk-

"We are," James said. "We're just finalizing some things. And, I'd suppose that video calls are only allowed during these times."

Summer chuckled a bit as she turned it on and the sight of a tan, blonde, man with blue eyes came on screen.

Taiyang blinked as he looked around the room that Summer showed him.

-Okay, hello everyone-Is that Grimm?!- Tai's mouth dropped as she showed him Naruto's head in her lap.

Blue eyes met blue eyes and Taiyang blinked as Naruto waved at him from his limp position.

-... Sums?-

"It's… complicated," she reiterated. "For lack of a long explanation, Naruto is a special Grimm, he can use magic, and we're trying to figure out all of that."

-... well, that's certainly more information-

-Hey, Sums on the phone?!- Qrow's voice came out of the corner of the screen and Taiyang rolled his eyes. -What's going on? Did our black wonder start being potty trained?-

Naruto's cheeks reddened and he grunted in response.

-He can blush?-

"There's a lot of weird things he can do."

-hahahahaha-

'Tell him to shut up, please.'

"Naru says to shut up," Summer said cheekily as Qrow smirked. "Where are the girls?"

-They're currently playing upstairs. I'd grab 'em but seeing big, scary, Naru Grimm wouldn't do them any good-

'Oi.'

-When do you think you'll be back?- Tai asked, kind of impatiently, and Summer blushed a bit.

"Well… we need to teach Naruto how to read," Summer said and Tai's eyebrow shot into his hairline. "So, he's special, Tai. He's about 17 so teaching him shouldn't be hard."

-... I mean, I could give it a shot- He said as she giggled. -We've taught Yang and Ruby before so, Naruto was it, should easily be able to pick it up. It might even be insulting-

'Trust me, it won't be,' the former blonde said and Summer translated.

-How are you speaking with him?-

"He's got telepathy."

-... He is a Grimm, right?- Taiyang asked in confusion and she chuckled.

"He's just a little weirdo," she said, rubbing the boy's head.

His tail wagged lazily, much to Fria's fascination.

~NRK~

They carried Naruto, in his box, towards the mostly finished biome that James's people had built.

"The biome is made up of several forms of nature," James said as they traversed past a decent amount of people who looked at the box curiously before then looking at the people carrying it. "Pay no attention, we'll be looking at the recently built biome."

Many made understanding sounds while others still looked curious but left regardless.

As they made it to a large glass window, the group saw what was to be Naruto's home for the foreseeable future.

"A large canopy, a fake pond that's made via Water Dust, and several rocks through the use of Earth Dust, it's all Dust made," James said.

'It's weird…' Naruto spoke from within the box. '... This whole place feels like it's full of energy. Different nature transformations and stuff.'

"That's Dust for you," Ozpin said with a smile. "Energy-based miracles that popped out of the ground."

'... Really? It's just… it kind of feels like there's a bunch all over this place.'

"That's because Atlas is a Dust-empire, basically," Summer said with a smile. "Why, you'd be surprised… Wait, Naruto, what'd you just say?" She whispered in confusion as James stopped in his tracks, blinking before his eyes widened and they snapped back to Naruto's crate.

'Well, yeah, now that I've felt this, I can feel this stuff all over. Some of it is pretty far away but I can feel it.'

"... My word," Glynda had realized what Naruto had done.

He could feel out Dust.

"... L-Let's get inside the biome first and foremost," James coughed into his fist. 'This just became more interesting.'

Naruto had just made them realize he could not only sense Dust but all forms of energy.

'He's becoming more valuable by the second,' James realized with some horror. 'And if he's capable of breeding…' He shook his head in disgust at the 'thought' that hit him. 'Dammit, no, I'm better than that,' he told himself.

But if a willing participant came forward… James found himself worried at how okay he was with this idea.

They made it down a hall by the glass and then looked at a mechanical door by it.

Sliding his ID card, from his pocket, into an ID scanner, James placed his eye by a retinal scanner before the doors opened.

"As always, it's like in movies," Summer said as James snorted.

"You'd be surprised to know that, sometimes, we take ideas from movies. People are so creative, we'd be fools not to," James answered. "Mind you, we credit them if they work out. That's why Atlas can be so widespread, on occasion."

"The people working together is always a good thing, James," Ozpin said with a chuckle as the group went into the containment.

James led them further in, away from the seeing glasses all about it.

When they got to a thick canopy, they released the Grimm who rolled his shoulders before shaking his fur off.

'Okay, whoa, this feels nice,' he said, running his hands on the grass. 'Uuummmmm…' Naruto flopped down on it. 'It's been almost a month… God, I missed grass.'

"It's supposed to be the most realistic that can be had here, in Atlas," James explained in amusement as Naruto let out a long breath.

'It's certainly close,' he said before sitting up. 'So, the tests, right?'

"Yes," Ozpin said, sitting down cross-legged in front of the Grimm along with Fria as Summer sat beside him and Glynda and James sat at the sides of this circle. "Since we know your elements, we should see how you handle the basics of the spells. I told you to read that paper but that was because reading a spell from parchment is when it's at full effectiveness. You can still call it into existence if you've awakened channels."

"When you're given a spell and cast it, you'll feel it in your body," Fria continued. "The spell engraves onto you the more you use it. What Ozpin said earlier wasn't wrong, it is most effective in the book… until it's engraved upon you, inside your soul," she said before raising a finger. "Ignis."

A ball of fire flickered to life from her fingertip before burning there steadily.

Naruto blinked at it. 'So, I just say it? But I'm kind of doing the telepathy thing, will it work?' He asked with a hum and Ozpin cupped his chin.

"... There are spells you can cast mentally but those are typically engraved upon your soul. That's the requirement… Try it anyway, yes?"

'Alright,' Naruto said before assuming a meditative stance. '... Ignis,' he 'said' as he raised his hand.

The vapors coming off his form shifted oddly before funneling into his arm.

Bone shot up his claws before forming over them into a more sleek-looking, scale-like, gauntlet than the one from earlier.

'I guess that didn't work,' he said and Ozpin hummed in thought.

"... Ventus," the wizard said as he raised his hand.

A sphere of wind swirled to life, the green color allowing them to see how the winds pulled in from the world around his palm to form it.

"Perhaps starting with an element not your own was a bad idea," Ozpin said with a chuckle as Naruto nodded before holding out his hand.

'Ventus,' he thought with a slow draw of breath.

And then the group blinked at his gauntlet's covering.

It began to be covered in light green lines, marks, and symbols before abruptly stopping a third of the way.

"What?" James blinked, coming around to look at Naruto's arm while Summer traced the lines with her finger. "Is something amiss?" He asked and Naruto tilted his head.

His eyes narrowed and his sclera burned with the color of the skill before he clenched his hand and the marks pulsed.

Then the boy's claws glowed with condensed winds, Naruto lifting his arm up to show his claws had remained glowing green, brimming with energy.

'... I think my body uses spells differently,' he realized with a sweatdrop as Ozpin observed with a hum.

"... with this, our theory on your body being a physical shell for your soul might be more true than we expected," Ozpin said, gaining the group's attention. "Naruto is using the spells with his body as a medium, no different than I or Fria… but his entire body works as a medium and those bones are apparently a big part of that along with his eyes."

Summer hummed as she touched his arm before blinking at the light green lines shooting up it like circuitry.

Moments later, she jumped as a ball of wind appeared in her off-hand.

"Yipes!" She squeaked as Fria chuckled.

"It seems that Ozpin is correct. At the moment, Naruto's outer shell, his body, is a medium for magic. So, touching his body is like using a wand, you can use the spell that's locked into his body as long as you're in contact with Naruto," the old woman explained.

'... I can feel you pulling on my energy,' Naruto explained. 'The energy is all in my eye even if I can feel a bit in my head.'

"I see… your eyes, Naruto, they're glowing," Glynda told him and he blinked. "They really are like a Maiden's."

Fria nodded as she closed her eyes before they opened once more, flames appearing around her eyes. "Like this, Naruto."

'... Whoa, seriously?' Naruto touched his face with his other hand before shrugging. 'I can't really feel them but they look cool,' he said as Fria chuckled.

"With this, he can use magic," she said with a hum. "Still, what about Darkness-element spells? Do you have any of those, Ozpin?"

"Sadly, I don't… but I question if Naruto even needs a spell," he said. "Naruto can shape his 'darkness' at will and it's capable of altering his body to some extent of his specification. He might be a darkness spell for all we know. This is still all new to us."

"Yes, so Naruto is capable of other elements, why not them?" James asked and Ozpin nodded before turning to Naruto and Summer, the woman aiming her palm to the tree.

"Shoot… expel… Fly!" She tried to shoot it but the group chuckled as nothing happened. "Ozpin, magic man, give me pointers!" Summer whined.

"Hmph, you Ventus can fly by mentally telling it to," he said in amusement as Summer frowned.

She focused with her arm outstretched before the ball exploded away from her palm to the point that she held Naruto's arm for stability.

The ball of wind ground into a tree's side before fizzling out of existence.

"Oh… well, it's not that powerful," she said with a small blush as Naruto chuckled before doing as she did.

He focused before the wind around his claw built up and shot off in a stream of green that snapped the tree in half and only stopped when it hit the second, causing a small crater into its trunk.

"It's different," Glynda noted obviously with a smirk as Summer burned bright red. "It's probably the medium… but maybe it's the user."

"H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Summer whined as Naruto chuckled, the woman crying into his side. "Naruto, stop her, she's being mean to me!"

'Nothing I could do, I don't have any of my pranking materials-' Naruto was saying before he froze at the feeling of a shiver going down his spine. 'Nothing! Nope! Absolutely nothing!'

"Hmph."

"Let me teach ya about women, Lil Naru, they can be ice cold a lot of the time," Summer stage-whispered and he began to sweat bullets as the ice returned again!

'Oh, uh, hey, let's do those other spells, yeah?!' He asked an amused-looking Ozpin as James and Fria smirked. 'Time for lessons!'

~NRK~

A week had passed and, in that time, Naruto made amazing progress under the tutelage of Taiyang and Summer.

Soon enough, with James bringing some books for him to read in the meantime.

But, things had… changed, for lack of a better word, when they finally had that little robot thing start searching around.

~NRK~

Naruto watched the small machine from above in the canopy, an earpiece in his right ear.

-Just stay out of her sight- Summer whispered as she, James, and Fria watched as a man by their side smiled.

He was more robust than the average person with a dark complexion, brown eyes, and dark brown hair that was neatly combed and matched his beard & mustache combo.

He dressed in dark grey pants, black shoes, a red vest over a yellow-tan dress shirt, and a large lab coat over his shoulders.

His wheelchair was more than Naruto expected wheelchairs to be, the thing being silver in color, shiny, and all machine-like with two large silver wheels on its sides.

-Penny is quite the creation, James. My aim is to make her the most complex machine in our kingdom- The guy, Pietro Polendina, said with a chuckle. -Still, this biome is so large, I worried you overdid it-

-It's fine, Pietro, I simply wanted enough space for when Penny was supposed to advance, yes?- James said.

-Indeed! I've already lined up her next various forms, it's just rough not having the perfect materials for her creation-

-Yes, the right wiring is difficult-

As they spoke, Naruto moved in silence, watching the robot and grimacing every time he remembered he couldn't feel her location.

Just in case, just in case, the blonde had been given a mask, cloak, and belts to lock both in place on his body. Just in case, so you know.

They'd taken as many safeties as they could, lest all the other scientists found out about him.

… Still, this thing was pretty cool as it rolled around on its tank-like, that'd been a new thing he'd learned, legs.

Naruto hummed quietly as its head turned.

[Doctor, I'm going to make my rounds.]

-Take your time, Penny- Pietro said and Naruto heard in his earpiece.

As he waited, perfectly still, he considered something.

This thing was going to get bigger, right? How big? How much more space would 'she', Penny, get?

~NRK~

A week later, past the demonstration, Naruto was left alone… truly, for the very first time.

Summer rubbed his cheeks together, looking saddened by her departure, wearing her clothes from before. The articles of clothing fixed and cleaned.

"I promise, I'll come back. I-I'll probably let Rubaby and Tangy-Yangy be babysat so you can meet Tai!" Summer wailed as she rubbed her face into his noggin, the Grimm patting her on the back with a chuckle.

'It's fine, it's fine, I know,' Naruto said even if he knew he'd be a bit lonely for a LONG time. 'I'll just keep practicing magic. Maybe I'll have a super cool transformation to show you when you get back.'

-He's not going off to college, Summer, geez- Qrow said from her phone with a snort. -God, she's already accepted this one, Tai. You have a third kid-

-... I don't know how to feel about that- Taiyang said with a horrified look as Summer snickered. -H-He's 17, that's fine. And he's a boy, so no more dresses and tea parties-

"What exactly do you remember from Yang and Ruby?" Summer asked with a sweatdrop.

-Those count as all my memories-

"Okay," she stood. "Lil Naru, I think I need to save Tai," Naruto snickered as James smirked. "My word is as solid as my eyes are silver, I will come back."

'I know. I know.'

~NRK~

A month. A month later, Naruto was left to rest within the biome.

Recently, he'd actually taken to sleeping underground in the place, much to James's fascination.

When asked 'why?', the former ninja said that it was both safer and cooler down there.

James had quickly marked that he felt temperatures.

In that time, that little robot had come around the place numerous times, always looking around for things… and, being honest, Naruto found her to be pretty funny as she observed the trees and always found something new about them.

Still, he was getting bored. Ever since Summer left, he'd done as he said, practice magic.

Lux, Ventus, and Anima, the three spells he'd gained and the alterations they caused him gave him an understanding of them all.

And, as he used them more, the changes they caused were more pronounced.

At present, he was meditating underground again and… well, he'd learned that he did, in fact, have junk… but he hadn't needed to use the bathroom, thankfully.

Ignoring his nethers, Naruto had begun… testing things out in his 'dreams', with James's permission.

It was night and he was looking at all the dark pathways around him.

He could only see, give or take, ten but he was looking at them all with interest.

Then he heard voices.

"Run! Run! Don't let them get to the shelters!"

"I-I don't wanna! I don't wanna die!"

"Move it! Slowly, yeahhh, take it off."

"I have decisions to make… I'm sorry."

"Aster! Wait, please, I-I know! We'll find someone!"

"Jaune! Jaune! N-Nicholas, I can't find him!"

"D-Dad?!"

More things like that assaulted his senses… and Naruto's hackles raised.

'I… I have to do something!' Naruto thought as his fists clenched. '... time for some adventure,' he declared with narrowed eyes.

He followed his instincts and raised his arms before black vapor shot out of his body, leaving behind… a white werewolf whose eyes glared at the ten holes.

~NRK~

Dammit! Dammit!

She cursed in her mind as the tears fell, her tiger ears flopping against her head.

Before her, in a bed covered by sickness and blood, was her… her damn sister! Blood be damned!

"S-Sie… Come on… I know… but, it's too late," the large bear Faunus in the bed of nastiness said slowly, weakly.

"H-Hey, don't say that… fuck!" Sie cursed. 'Something! I need anything!'

Someone save her-

The two Faunus blinked as something… black formed above them.

Then that black circle deposited a horror they couldn't prepare for.

"G-Grimm?!" The bear said but her limbs twitched weakly, one of them doing their best to push Sie away. "F-Fuck! Get away, Sie!"

"No!" The tiger Faunus growled, eyes narrowed as she stood up to the Grimm, a Beowolf, huh? "I'mma kill it-"

"H-Haaa!"

"Aster!" Sienna choked as she looked at her pained friend before going back to the Grimm. "H-Hold on, I'll-"

Then she paled as the Grimm leaned down to the injured Faunus, the woman's blooded bandages around her stomach gaining its attention.

Sie slammed into it… to little effect. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She cursed time and time again as the Grimm held strong. "Look at me ugly!"

Its ears flickered at her… but it ignored her entirely, blue eyes narrowing at the wound on the down Faunus.

Then it raised a paw and Sienna reached out in horror… before light spilled into its palm.

Aster and Sie balked at the golden light that lit up the room, nearly blinding them both, their enhanced eyesight causing them to squint.

And, moments later, it ended, leaving Sie's eyes wide as she snapped her head back to her…?!

Aster the bear Faunus choked as she looked into the eyes of the Grimm… the 'eyes' eyes of the Grimm?

It snorted in her face and she waved away the hot breath before freezing as she laid a hand on its snout.

It blinked at her and she swallowed before looking down at her… not painful stomach?

"What… did you do?" She asked the question to herself, verbally, as she sat up. "... The fuck?" Aster gaped in disbelief as she completely forgot about the Grimm and stood up… perfectly. "What the fuck!?" Her eyes turned to the Grimm who turned away.

It then vanished into another black portal, leaving the Faunus to stare in total confusion.

"... S-Sienna, what the fuck just happened?"

"... I don't know."

~NRK~

He stood there in horror as that big Grimm, that humanoid-horse hybrid of terror, raised its front legs.

"DAD?!" He reached out, his small hands stretching out as he was carried away by his mother. "No!"

His father smiled as he raised his bow at the Grimm's falling hooves.

'Live strong, Ren, my son,' he thought as the hooves slammed into his face with a harsh CRACK. 'Odd, I expected being crushed to death would hurt more on my face and not my ears,' he thought in confusion, opening his eyes to see…?

His eyes widened at the sight of a black-furred figure who struggled with the hooves of the abomination of Grimm.

The Beowolf's eyes narrowed before green light sprung from its right arm.

The larger Grimm was thrown back off its feet, rolling into a tumble that it barely recovered from onto its hooves.

The man was left there, stunned, as the 'protective' Grimm looked back at him.

Blue eyes met pink and it turned away before forming a symbol with its hands.

Dark shadows sprung out at the 'attacking' Grimm, taking them down with precision or just by crashing into the heads with enough force from their expulsion.

"What… are you?" He spoke the words but the Grimm snorted and the human saw the abomination of a Grimm in the distance getting up. "... Are you here to help?!" He asked the Beowolf who looked back at him.

A single nod was all he received and the man grimaced before coming to stand next to it.

"Then, we shall-" He was stopped with a wagging finger. "W-What?! This one is clearly bigger than you."

"...No…," it spoke and his mouth fell. "... leave…" Was all it said, looking at him before looking back at the man's wife and child who were frozen in shock. "... Family…"

The man clenched his weapon with… shame.

"No… shame… Family… important…" The Grimm said before crouching. "Go…"

The floor beneath its feet exploded as it launched its body at the charging Nuckelavee.

The force knocked the man back onto his rear and he grimaced before getting up and running towards his son and wife.

"An! Ren! Come!" The man said with a determined frown. "We're going to get out of here!"

"L-Li?! W-What's going on?" Lie An said in confusion as she looked back to see the Beowolf fending off the Nuckelavee. "I-I'm confused! You don't know that Beowolf, do you?"

"No, I… I don't understand it myself," he said as the smaller category sent its bony arm up and into the back of the Nuckelavee's knee.

Then it uppercut the horse head of the creature before jumping off it to crack the humanoid head to the right, a burst of green sending the Grimm to the floor with a loud crater.

"... But we'll leave things to it," he said with a nod. "Right now, we need to get out of here and call a Hunter!"

The mother of one swallowed before nodding, the two of them running as she held their child in her arms.

All the while, young Lie Ren stared at the back of the Grimm.

The curling light green emblems on its back facing him, the image of a blooming fox with nine tails imprinted in his mind.

It looked back at him with blazing light green eyes… and threw him a thumbs-up.

Pink eyes shined at the sight.

The Grimm nodded before he blinked and looked to his side.

A small dirty child peered back at him from beneath a house. The Grimm's eyes widened in horror as the Nuckelavee charged him.

He vanished in a burst of wind, sliding under the home she was under and snatching her up before getting up into a run on the other side of the home.

The Beowolf looked behind himself to see the bigger Grimm heading his way and cursed with the girl in his arms.

The small child stared up at him in shock, confusion, worry, and sadness, her face falling into his chest.

The Grimm frowned before he sensed that family.

He leaped high into the air and held the child close as he raised his bony gauntlet.

The powered-up structure gaining a large hole by the knuckles that filled with windy light.

The girl stared as he unleashed it.

"Kazeken!" The name of the attack rang in her ears along with the explosion of wind from his knuckles.

The attack slammed down onto the opposing Grimm's body, cratering the ground beneath its hooves as it hit the floor.

"H-Huh?!" The girl uttered a confused sound as his body flew back before they hit a large number of houses and their roofs. "Ahh!" She clutched onto soft fur as the Grimm's arms wrapped around her.

Their crazy tumble came to a stop a moment later after they went from roofs to stone ground.

The Lie family jumped as they barely made it to the other families of Kuroyuri, the decently large crater rose with smoke and dust behind them.

"Huh?" Li grimaced placing his arms out to usher his wife back. 'Did it die and the big one-' He began thinking only to visibly relax as a familiar Grimm came out of the dust… with a 'package'. "Huh?"

The Beowolf stumbled over to them, the families behind screaming bloody murder as he got close.

Li blinked as it was barely a meter away before collapsing.

He hesitated… before going forward only for the Grimm to release a girl shakily towards him.

Pale gold eyes widened as the girl looked at him in shock, her dirtied state not distracting him from what the Grimm had done.

"You protected her?" The Beowolf struggled to its feet before collapsing again. "W-Wait, you're clearly injured…"

"... Take… girl…" It said as it struggled to its feet, the sound of shrieking from afar causing the families' horror to climb. "Leave… stop fear… it stop coming…" He said, his voice distinctly male to Li's ears. "I… stay…"

Li was left with a situation he'd never considered minutely possible.

A Grimm was telling them to leave from the danger while it basically went off to die for them… what kind of sick joke was this?

"... I can't!" He declared. "Our home… you fighting for us… you look like you're about to die!" Li said but the Grimm looked at him and the man gasped as it smiled but one of its eyes… closed, the light within it fading.

"... Not… going to live… I know."

"... There has to be a way," the man said as the Grimm frowned, the two looking to the loud crash in the distance. "Dammit!" Li threw caution to the wind and lifted one of the Grimm's arms.

"... What… are-"

"Don't… You can do something, I can as well…" Li said as his wife choked at him. "We're leaving, now!" He shouted to the people who jumped. "Did you hear me?!"

They ran and he chuckled morbidly before blinking as the Grimm held up his fist.

"What?"

"I will die… but… we can… protect your home…" He said, a smirk on its muzzle. "Bump fists with me… and I'll… give power."

An stared at it in confusion. 'What am I witnessing?' She didn't understand.

There was no such thing as a 'good' Grimm… so why was this one giving up its life for them? Why fight? Why protect?

Li grimaced before the sound of charging reached his ear and he grimaced.

Their knuckles met and he stared as a form of light green energy sprung from his body, much to his wife's shock.

"A-Aura?!" She choked and he was no better… but then the Grimm's body began to break down. "... Y-You're dying…" An said to the Beowolf who chuckled.

"Yes."He said with a smile as he looked at the dirtied girl who came up to them.

She shook her head and he nodded.

"Take care… of girl," he said to Li whose eyes narrowed in determination.

"I will… I swear on my name as Lie Li! I won't forget this!"

The Grimm then broke apart into dark motes of light before running up his arm.

The man's form became covered by a black material as the Nuckelavee was right behind him, its long arm swinging for his head.

A bone-covered hand halted it with merely a raised arm, the force erupted behind Lie Li as he gripped the Grimm's arm.

Ink-black hair shifted as two small horns grew out the front of his head, pale gold eyes burning against black sclera.

Wearing a pair of black ninja sandals with talon-like bone coverings over his feet, his form was covered by a black kimono and hakama.

Over his face, an oni's mask sat, stark-white, as blue marks formed over its cheeks in swirls.

"I see… this is power," he clenched his hand. "To protect my family."

He pulled on the Grimm's arm and its body followed.

Li raised his right arm and the bone covering on it burned with the light green wind.

The technique… he could hear it in his mind.

As the Grimm's humanoid head came into view a tower of green light erupted around the empowered man.

"KAZEKEN!" He swung out with all his power.

All the protection he'd just been given. The life passed onto him.

Even if he could feel it far away, he used this 'kindness' to remove the blot from his village.

A tower-high explosion of green force erupted over the Grimm's body, tearing down the stone streets, destroying what was left of houses, homes, and shops.

But that could all be rebuilt, a living life could not!

Li opened his fist and twisted.

The attack ended with an explosion of light.

He let out gasp after gasp as the power began to fade away, as that piece of a kind Grimm left him.

Li collapsed to his hands and knees, sweat dripping from his body, soaking his garments.

"Haa… Haa…" He looked up at the sheer destruction he'd caused. "... I… believe he didn't explain this part to me…"

"Li!" Came An's call as she skidded to a stop by her husband. "... Are… you alright?" She asked nervously.

He let out a sigh. "Not really," Li said and she looked into his eyes.

An bit her lip before nodding.

This kindness was likely a miracle in and of itself. They had to make the most of it.

"Young lady," the dirty girl jumped as she turned to him. "I… hope I'm not rude asking for your name," Li asked.

The girl blinked before shaking her head.

"N-Nora."

~NRK~

Jaune Arc wasn't a courageous boy.

In fact, he'd been called a wimp, geek, crybaby, and a lot of things that had nothing to do with courage!

B-But… With the Grimm nearby in the Mistral forests. He couldn't just let his little sisters get eaten!

So, he'd ran when he saw it, his family busy doing all the other things. So, he'd ran off with three of his sisters.

"D-Did we lose it?" His third-oldest sister asked as she swallowed, glasses hanging off her nose haphazardly. "J-Jaune? Blanche? Blanc? Are you alright?"

"W-We are, Sarcelle," came the boy, one male in a little of eight children, Jaune. "I-Is it gone?"

"I-I think so," Sarcelle swallowed nervously, going over a few steps before hissing as she hit her knees. "Ah!"

"Sarcelle!"

"Sister!" Came two twin girls as they, and Jaune, ran over to their older sibling. "Snff… w-what are we going to do?" Blanc asked with a sniffle as they saw the redness in their older sibling's ankle.

"Snff… I-I don't know," Blanche sniffled back, tears in her eyes before the four jumped at the sound of something moving around them in the dark forest. "I-I'm scared!" She screamed, bawling as the others weren't far behind.

Jaune sniffled before swallowing and steeling his resolve as best he could. "W-We need to get back to camp… R-Right?" He asked Sarcelle who trembled before nodding. "C-Come on-"

There was a crack of a branch underfoot and the four turned pale as ghosts as they saw something step out of the underbrush.

It was a small and reptilian-looking Grimm. One with no legs and a b-big, scary, mouth!

The Grimm sniffed around and its head perked up at the four.

Jaune trembled, sweaty, but took a courageous step forward with a thick branch in his hands.

"I-I've got this!" He told his sisters shakily, will weak but apparent. "A-And if I beat it! I-I can be a Hunter like d-dad!" Jaune trembled more, nose runny as the lizardy Grimm made clacky sounds with its mouth. "I-I'm over here!" He shouted at it.

And it locked on, leaving him pale as a sheet and peeing his pants.

Then it ran at him and he cried, swing the branch randomly as it came close,

THWACK!

He kept swinging, and swinging, and swinging! H-He didn't think he'd died yet so he kept-

The stick stopped, not because he did… b-but because something else stopped it.

He squeaked and teary blue eyes opened to stare up at the… Grimm?!

Jaune choked and the Beowolf observed him, its blue eyes locked onto his own.

It looked up and down his form before picking up by the scruff of his shirt and carrying him over to his terrified siblings.

"E-Eh?!" He shrieked before being placed down gently, collapsing to his knees as he looked at the Grimm with a swallow. "Y-You're gonna eat us like fruit?!"

The Grimm's eyes went flat and it pinched the bridge of its nose as Jaune was crawled over to by his older sister who shakily took a stand in front of him.

"B-Back o-off!" Sarcelle tried to shout at it but she was crying, she was snotty, and she was shaky. "S-Shoo-Ahh!" She tried to shoo it but hit her knees as she held her ankle. "Snff! Snff!"

The Grimm frowned, coming down to her eye level, shocking her still, before looking at her ankle.

The twins ran at it before trying to beat up its head.

"S-Stop picking o-on our sister!"

"Y-You stupid G-Grimm!"

They were crying as they tried as snorted, lifting both by the scruffs of their shirts and placing them by Jaune with its powerful-looking limbs.

"Snff, we failed!" They cried in unison.

Jaune couldn't move as the Grimm held its hand over Sarcelle's injured ankle… before gold light filled their eyes and the siblings covered them as it hit them.

When it ended, though, they looked back in horror. Expecting their older sister to be missing, probably abducted by that weird Grimm to be its bride or something!

So, when they saw Sarcelle just sitting there, frozen in shock, they relaxed a bit.

The Grimm moved out of her personal space and the oldest of the four blinked at it, tears flicking away as it sat in front of them.

"Snff…" She sniffled and it raised a brow. "W-What did you do?" She asked it like an idiot.

The Grimm pointed at its ankle before pointing at her.

Sarcelle blinked as she looked at her foot before gingerly getting up, prepared for anything.

… "H-Huh?!" She looked at her foot and blinked at the lack of pain. "W-What?! I-It's healed?" Sarcelle balked in disbelief, eyes going back to the Grimm who wore a satisfied look on its face. 'W-What's going on?' What was happening right now?

Had the Grimm just healed her?

Its head snapped up as the four kids froze, the sound of howling reaching their ears.

"W-What's that?!" Jaune shrieked as he pulled his little sisters over to Sarcelle, the four huddling together as the howls came closer. "W-We need to get back to mom and-"

The four hadn't expected to be scooped up but they were and the area around them blurred by as they blinked.

Jaune blinked once more before feeling the furry hand holding him and his sisters.

He looked up to see that the Beowolf was carrying them… what?!

"I-I don't know what's going on!" He squeaked like a girl as the Grimm snorted. "... H-Hey, that's not funny!" Jaune pouted a bit, embarrassed to no end.

Even a Grimm laughed at him! How was he supposed to take that?!

"... Courage," it said and the four children stared at it in shock. "You… brave…" He said as Jaune's eyes widened.

Then they watered and his head fell. "N-No… snff, no I'm not! I-I couldn't even help my sisters!" Jaune cried.

"... You make time… Even that… enough," the Beowolf said and Jaune shook his head before they entered a slow trot. "Bravery… not normal… few have."

"... H-He's right," Sarcelle said even as she sniffled some more. "Y-You were super brave… I-I'm your older sister a-and I couldn't…"

"Fear no weak… Not doing anything with fear… make you weak."

"I barely did anything."

"You did something," it shot back and she stared at it. "All you did."

The twin sniffled.

"No shame… in fear… don't be cowards, though."

"W-What's that mean?" Jaune asked, confused by both the words and the fact a Grimm was giving life advice. "A-Am I crazy, s-sis?" He asked and Sarcelle kept shaking her head in as much shock as he.

"Cowards always run… hide. Fear make one scared… but not coward," he said as they stopped. "Brave people, scared… but they still brave."

The four were confused by what that meant before the Grimm ushered them forward in confusion-

"Jaune! Sarcelle! Blanc! Blanche!?" There was a familiar shout of their names and the four scrambled out of the treeline. "My babies!" A blonde woman cried at the sight of them as a large, hulking, blonde man rushed over before scooping all of them up. "Thank the Brothers!" The woman collapsed to her knees.

"Dad!" The four cried into the large man's embrace as he let out a long, relieved, sigh.

He blinked at the sound of something leaving and looking up to see black fur in horror.

"Kids, back up-!" He tried to tell them but they shook their heads. "Look, I'm glad you're safe-!"

"N-No, dad, t-that Grimm… i-it helped us," Sarcelle said and the man, his wife, and the three other girls by the woman's side stared at the four in confusion. "H-He even healed my ankle!"

"H-He did!" Blanc said. "H-He beat that scaly Grimm in one punch!"

"Yeah!" Blanche declared as the man stared at the four in disbelief.

"... Kids, you might be feeling… off, right now," he said with a grimace. "T-There's no way a-"

"Dad," Jaune spoke up, head still towards the forest where that Grimm had left. "W-What's the difference between a brave person and a c-coward?" He asked and the man frowned.

"Why?"

"T-That Grimm said the difference is one doesn't run."

Nicholas Arc's eyebrows shot into his hairline as he looked back to the treeline…?

A thumbs-up was all he saw before it vanished into the greenery.

"... The hell?" He gaped in disbelief.

"Dad?"

"... The difference… yes, well, that's a good way of seeing it," Nicholas said with a frown at the treeline. "... A brave man is one who fears, for many things, but still fights. Because his fear will destroy him if it doesn't."

"... Y-Yeah, I think I get it," Jaune said and Nicholas let out a long sigh, rubbing the boy's head.

"Maybe, you do, haa," the Huntsman frowned still. 'A Grimm that helped them? That's… impossible.'

Wasn't it? But, then, he had to wonder… how the hell four children left a forest that clearly had a Grimm in it… and if what they said is true what the hell had that thing been doing there?

Those were some worrying questions he didn't have answers to.

"Nicholas!" His wife found the strength to come over with the rest of her children. "What happened?! Are you four alright?!" She asked instantly, kneeling and holding all their faces in seconds.

"Umm… we got saved by a Grimm," Jaune answered hesitantly and Nicholas sighed as their mother shrieked.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

~NRK~

Naruto awoke the following day with a groan and headache.

Well, guessed everything came with a price, right?

~NRK~

It was another month later when he saw Summer again with a familiar blonde and scraggly-faced man.

Sitting in his, and Summer's, former room, Taiyang Xiao-Long crouched as Naruto meditated, watching the 'boy' focus was rather intriguing.

Wearing a long-sleeved auburn top, brown pants, and white and brown boots, he hummed as Summer giggled next to him in her usual outfit, cloak fastened into a jacket around her form.

Qrow chuckled in a gray jacket, black pants, brown dress shoes, and a beanie. "So, in the flesh, he's, what, fluffy?" He asked with a smirk as Summer squealed.

"He is!" She declared and moved behind the former blonde to rub her face into his shoulder, much to Tai's amusement. "You've gotta feel it!"

Tai did, hopping over, much to Qrow's amusement, and feeling the boy's elbow in fascination.

"Whoa, that… feels like cashmere," he said with some shock. "Hey, Oz, curious question. Have you guys ever considered seeing what happens if his fur comes off? Will it fade away? Stay? Because he could make some serious bank with this fur."

Fria chuckled as Glynda smirked while James and Ozpin hummed in thought.

"We don't know. Naruto doesn't shed, thankfully," the general said as Naruto snorted. "But his blood does stay in the real world. So, he might very well be able to 'donate' fur."

Hmm… I'm curious about just how tough his hide actually is," Ozpin said and Naruto spoke up.

'Um, actually, I might know,' he said, confusing them.

He then explained his one nightly trip to those sources of negativity, each experience explained, relatively, to them.

"Wait, you moved across continents?" Ironwood was shocked. "These… shades of yours, you're saying they can also apply your fusion?!" This might very well have been outstanding news!

'Um, right, that's true,' Naruto said as Summer ruffled his cheeks with a grin. 'Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought.'

"In that same fashion, I don't see any changes, either," Ozpin said as Naruto nodded. "I guess using your shades to apply it won't be as effective."

'Yeah, the one that aided that Li guy disappeared after one good blow,' Naruto explained and Glynda nodded.

"They're not the real deal, they're simply… facets, I suppose, of your strength… but your facets could make clones?" She asked and he nodded before crossing his fingers.

'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!'

The boy's form erupted into a black haze that faded away to reveal three Narutos, much to the general's interest.

"Wait, these copies, can they do the same as you? Fusion?" He asked and Naruto shrugged before one copy went up to James while the other went to Qrow. "Yes, this must be tested," James said as he and the copy bumped fists.

"Another thing we can learn from Naruto, he can awaken people's Aura," Fria explained. "It's likely that this means that he's balancing out the two powers of light and dark, perhaps."

Qrow hummed before he and the Naruto clone bumped fists.

Their point of contact glowed with black and red energies before the copy vanished and Qrow shivered as his form changed along with its disappearance.

Over his face came a half-crow mask, leaving his mouth and lower nose uncovered, that was stark white and covered in the Uzumaki swirl in blue lines.

His hands became covered by clawed gauntlets with black material that covered up to his elbows.

His feet were covered by similar clawed grieves that came up to upper-shin.

That was it, though, the man looking at his hands as James underwent a similar but outright different one.

He'd gained the grieves and mask, his being a large lion-dog's in traits, but his arms is where the difference became apparent.

His entire right side of his chest was covered by white plates and black material that formed a sort of skin-tight top with the bones over it.

His arms were covered by gauntlets as well, yes, but his were more armored, leaving him more protected than Qrow ever was.

"... It takes into account my mechanical parts?" James wondered out loud as Qrow snorted.

"Looking like Robo-Pup over there, Jamesy."

"Bite me, Harvey Birdman."

"Hah! I knew it! You do watch it!"

Summer and Taiyang rolled their eyes in unison, Naruto snickering at the two men. 'So, how's it feel?' He asked with a chuckle.

"It's… interesting," James said as he flexed his fingers. "... One moment," he said.

Then he ran his right hand all over the wall then his coat and then his boots.

He hit his knees. "I-I can feel with it?" He said in awe as he looked at his right hand. "I-I…"

"... If we consider it as Naruto's Life Shell," Glynda said with a small smile. "Then, this makes sense. He's filling you with his senses as well like he fused his muscles with Summer's. You should be able to feel, yes."

James was too awed to say anything.

"Heh," Qrow said as he looked at his hands. "I wonder what this does for us, though. How does this improve us besides giving me kickass armor?"

'... I don't know,' Naruto said and the man chuckled. 'Well, the trend is you all have increased stats… so…'

"Hmm," Qrow chuckled before he took up a boxing stance. "I guess this isn't so bad-" He'd said as he jabbed.

The wind blew Ozpin's hair back and the Branwen blinked.

"... Heheheheh," he chuckled before sending out jab after jab that tossed wind out the room. "Hahahaha! Yes, I'm all-powerful!"

"You think your power gives him an ego boost?" Tai stage-whispered to Naruto who snorted.

'Nope, that was clearly always there.'

"Yeah, I figured."

"So, increased capabilities?" Ironwood said as he sent out one punch that tossed up wind. "Yes, this is quite a valuable skill. Imagine an army of people who could use this. All the Hunters could increase their Semblances, no?"

"... Hmm, does it increase Semblances?" Fria asked Naruto who shrugged.

'Don't know, once again, new territory,' he said and she chuckled.

"Right, right."

"Well, unfortunately, Qrow and Ironwood's Semblances aren't ones you should boost," Ozpin said nervously as Ironwood rubbed the back of his head.

"I can feel my hair."

"Yes, you can," Summer said with a snicker. "So, with clones, how long do you guys think the clones last? They're closer to Naruto than mere shades but we also don't know how the power divide works."

"Wait, can I use magic?!" Qrow asked in delight and Ozpin hummed.

"Well, try it," the old wizard said with some of his own excitement.

"Um, it's, uhh… Right, Ignis!" The man said and his gauntlets lit up orange. "Hell yeah, I'm functional."

He held out his hand and allowed fire to form… before rubbing the back of his head. "Wait, I'm confused."

"You mean by the fact that you can use that spell but not Naruto, yes?" Glynda said and he nodded. "More conjecture… but what if Naruto's power allows you to use your affinities? That'd go along with all his other upgrades."

"Hmm, that spell is fire and the other is for wind, right?" James considered, feeling his chin stubble. "... the water would be… Aqua, right?"

His mask's lines glowed bright blue and a ball of water formed in his outstretched palm.

"It is."

"So, Naruto does awaken their affinities while allowing them to use magic," Fria said with a hum. "But then I'll have to ask. Naruto, how are you feeling? Surely this is draining, yes?"

'Oh, well, with the normal Shadow Clones they have their own chakra pools, typically I split mine in half for every clone I make,' he explained, surprising Ozpin.

"Wait, so these two are working off the copies' energies?"

'Yep.'

"My word," Ozpin was curious now. "... So, they both have about a quarter of your energy?"

'Yeah.'

"Man, this keeps getting better!" Qrow said with a chuckle. "So, what do we do now?" He asked.

"... Well, I'd love to test you all but we need a space," Ozpin said and James smiled. "You planned for this?"

"Of course. Naruto being in such close proximity to Penny is going to end badly one day. So, I bought a bit of land a bit to the north of the city. It's a wide field that's a good distance from prying eyes."

"Sounds good."

~NRK~

The travel with a private bullhead had been nice, no need to bunch Naruto up once he got on but they had to do so again when they got off.

Still, with the man on call whenever James did call him, they were left to their devices.

"Now, Naruto, can you re-up, so to speak, Qrow and James?" Ozpin asked.

The Grimm did as asked and the two chuckled when their forms altered once more.

"Alright, now, a race, you two vs Summer," the Headmaster of Beacon said with a chuckle as Summer grinned.

"Let's whoop her!" Qrow announced as James chuckled.

"I doubt I'll be a measure," he said. "But it'll be fun."

The three lined up by Ozpin who waved out his hands.

A thick blue ring of light appeared around the area and he hummed. "This is your starting line. Three laps are all you'll need to do," the wizard explained. "Now, on your marks!"

They leaned down.

"Get ready… GO!"

The three booms rocked the field of golden grass around them, Fria chuckling as Ozpin was passed once already. "They're eager," she noted.

"They've basically been given magic powers, I'm not surprised," Tai said as he sat near Naruto the Grimm assuming his meditation stance. "So, that's what yours looks like, huh?"

'Yup.'

As the two meditated, Ozpin brought his hand down as Summer and Qrow screeched to a halt while James joined them half a second later.

"Damn, you can match me, Qrow!" Summer said with shining eyes! "Imagine if we had all this when we were building our house?!"

"... Uh, Naruto, please tell me you're staying in Atlas for a good while," Qrow begged as the Grimm snorted.

'Most likely.'

"Thank the Gods."

"Hmph, so we know our strength and speed are increased. So, our durability as well, yes?" James assumed and Ozpin hummed before raising a finger and shooting a ball of Aura at the general.

He shot back ten feet before grunting as he flipped back onto his feet.

"... I barely felt that," James said with little care for the fact that he was shot. "... Hmm. Naruto, how would you like to donate your fur for the benefit of mankind, which includes Faunus in this definition?"

'Oh, sure,' the boy said and James cupped his chin.

"I need to pay him, somehow," he said to the others and they considered it. "I'd love to just give him this field… but I can't be around to stop any unnecessary intruders. It'd be too risky."

"... Hmm," Fria considered it. "Then how about you change things up a little? How about you buy him some land on an island and take him there every so often?" She suggested with a smile as James snapped his fingers.

"You're a genius, Fria."

"I try."

'That sounds cool,' Naruto said with a chuckle. 'I could plant a whole bunch of fruit on the island and use Anima!'

"... huh, I wonder what that'd look like?" Qrow wondered as Summer grinned.

"I bet it'd be super colorful!" She said.

"It'd certainly be the healthiest island known to man," Tai said as Glynda smirked.

"And if it could be really taken care of… quite a vacation spot," she inputted and Naruto chuckled.

'I'd like visitors.'

"Then I'll work on it. There are a few off the side of Solitas. It's closer to Vacuo so the temperature is perfect but that makes it a scarce resource that most want. So, I'll have to haggle," James said.

'I can be patient, promise,' Naruto said. 'I'd just like more space.'

"Then it's done."

"So, how about we focus on some magical skills now that Naruto can read?" Ozpin suggested with a book in his hand, a grin on his face, much to the others' amusement.

~NRK~

And so, Naruto enjoyed so many years of relaxing, learning, and just helping.

It was maybe 3 years later that he made a slight hiccup.

~NRK~

It hadn't even been one that he could have planned for, the boy had simply been going through his exercises in his room in the lower facilities, seeing if he couldn't get some gains as a living, breathing, Grimm.

He was here because the others were supposed to come today.

James didn't visit nearly as much due to his workload and his helping with the lower city of Mantle.

Naruto wanted to help, one day, as well.

For now, he was simply working out as he waited for Summer and the others.

Then there was a knock on the door as he was in the middle of his 500th push-up, the Grimm frowning as he flopped against the floor at his lack of strain.

'Am I really unable to train?' The idea had never been more damning than now. 'Dammit! I want to workout!'

There was a whirl by the door as it slid open slowly.

'Haaa, dammit,' he thought as he closed his eyes. 'Dammit.'

[Goodness! A Grimm?!] Came a small familiar voice that caused him to frown. [What are you doing here?!] She shouted as he turned onto his front to see… Penny.

'Oh, fuck.'

[Language!] She said before holding one of her thin arms to her face. [Or, that's what I read in articles, vulgarity is wrong.]

'Um, well, that's not wrong but sometimes it just comes out,' Naruto explained and her eye visors glowed.

[Really?! I was of the opinion people could turn off their vulgarity settings!]

'Um, no, that's not how it works for living things.'

[... You're… weird.] Penny said in confusion, rolling over closer as Naruto sat up in seiza style. [... You're sitting like a Mistralian?]

'It's the most comfortable position when I'm not meditating… And, uh, if you don't go screaming. You can go and talk with General Ironwood… And, I know how this sounds but please don't tell anyone.'

[This is a secret?] Penny whispered and Naruto chuckled.

'For now,' he said. 'I'm not… normal,' Naruto found the words. 'The idea of a non-violent Grimm isn't exactly… going to be believed. He wants to find a way for me to actually go outside without being… well, killed or kidnapped.'

Penny's rotors whirled and she tilted her rectangular-shaped head. [... Kidnap?] She was confused. [Are you super special?]

'From what I'm told.'

[How? I mean… you can talk! Of course!]

'Yeah but that's only the tip of the iceberg.'

[Really?]

James hurried with the others in tow.

"So, he's been practicing well, right?" Summer asked with a sad smile. "It's been almost five months since I last saw him, James."

"You'll see him again, that's why we're here," Taiyang said and she chuckled as she pat her stomach. "Now, that, you'll tell him. I'm sure Naruto will be happy."

"Hehe~"

Ozpin, meanwhile, hummed as he held a small package in his hands.

"Three years of the only magy, how does that translate to job experience?" Qrow asked with a smirk as the wizard chuckled.

"He'd still be an apprentice but moving onto intermediate apprentice, he'd need to master a second-level spell," the old man said with a relaxed smile that the group had long since started seeing.

Ozpin had taken to teaching Naruto with a gusto that had surprised them even to this day. The boy's patience, willingness, and excitement probably really ignited the teacher in the magic man.

And that was also why he had that 'package'.

So, this would be interesting to the Branwen… until they heard voices, sounds, from Naruto's room?

[...]

"..."

'...'

"Fria is probably inside," James noted with a raised brow. "Still… I thought I heard something… someone else," he said with a wince as the group sped over.

Opening the door with his card, James grimaced as he looked in with some worry… before gaping as Naruto sat in front of a familiar small robot as Fria sat next to her.

"P-Penny?!" James's voice hiked up as the others came in.

[Oh, hello, General!] The robot greeted cheerily as the man grimaced while the others chuckled nervously. [Is Nar… He really that special?] She asked, rolling up to him as James sighed before kneeling.

"Yes, he is," the man said and her rotors whirled.

[So, he's kind of like me!] She said and he blinked, leaning back with some surprise.

"You're not… afraid of him, are you? Penny?"

[I don't really know what fear is.] She said and James rubbed the back of his head as Qrow cackled. [But, all I know is what I can read in articles and files about Grimm. They seem dreadful… but Naruto doesn't.]

"He's not," Summer said with a smile, crouching down to Penny. "All things considered, he's a bit more complicated than that and a whole lot more kind."

The Grimm blushed in embarrassment as Fria chuckled.

"He's honestly a lot more alive than you think," Tai said.

[Oh, I know! I could read his heartbeat and heat signatures. It was odd because I was told Grimm without fire capabilities are all cold to the touch.]

"Oh, well, that's comforting," James said. "Now, I'm sure he either told you or forgot-"

[Those are the only options.]

"Yes, they are," James said with a smirk as Ozpin chuckled and Glynda smiled. "But this is a secret. Finding a way for Naruto to live a quote-unquote 'normal life' is one of my priorities due to how special he is."

[Naruto is a literal living being, he has biometric readings. I was so confused but he's so polite and friendly… I've never had friends before!]

'You can consider me one,' Naruto said with a chuckle as she gasped for joy. 'You were right, me and you are more alike than expected. So, nice ta meetcha, Penny.'

[Salutations!] She said before tilting her head. [That is a way to say 'hello', I think.]

"It's one way," Ozpin said before humming. "Well, Penny, Naruto's typically alone during most of his time here… so, while I'd like you to leave, for now, know that you can come back almost any time if the general allows."

James hummed. "You see, Penny, Naruto normally stays in the biome you've been exploring over the years."

[Really? I always found it weird that there was a heat signature in the area but father just said it was the artificial sunlight.]

"Hmm, be careful of coming here if you do, Naruto is secret, after all."

[Understood!]

"Okay, take care, Penny."

[Good evening, everyone.] Penny said before waving at Naruto who waved back. [Bye!]

She rolled out and Summer giggled a bit. "She's adorable," she said as Fria chuckled and James snorted.

"Penny seems to become more indistinguishable from a normal human child the more she learns. It's fascinating how 'human' she is but then I'm looking at Naruto. While not the same, the humanity in how a Grimm like himself gestures makes life so much more interesting."

"Hm, hm, life's more interesting than we could ever imagine," Ozpin said before smiling as he came towards Naruto, a small box in his hands. "I want you to have this, consider it your progression ceremony.

Naruto received the claw-sized box before opening it… 'Old man, this is…' In Naruto's hands was a scarf that was dark blue in color and embroidered with gold borders and several marks on the tail end.

The marks formed a cog-like shape in gold and around it were several ticks that were on the four corners of the cog.

"That is a denotation of you being my apprentice," the old wizard said as Fria chuckled. "I give these to all of the Maidens I've taught and I'll pass this on to you as well, as my student."

'... Thanks, Ozpin-jiji,' Naruto said with a grin, tying the item around his neck. 'Feeling good!' He declared as Ozpin chuckled.

"Indeed. Now, let's try those second-level spells," the wizard said with a smirk as Naruto perked up.

'YES!'

Summer giggled as they all sat in a circle.

"Now, second-tier spells, of those you know, differentiate only a bit," Ozpin said. "Magna-Ventus."

The blue-eyed Grimm balked as the air around Ozpin's body circulated. The winds were a bright green that barely allowed his outline to be seen.

"This is the next level to Ventus," he said as he allowed the winds to fall away. "The second-tier spells are different. They're pulling more from within and outside your body, from the air, the ground, the planet."

'It's like Natural Energy,' Naruto said and Ozpin nodded.

"It's very similar to Mana. The fact that we can still even use spells means that Mana, on a whole, exists, somehow," Ozpin said with a shrug. "Time passed when I was reincarnating time and time again. I never saw another person using magic but then Semblances came about almost a century ago. Before that, mankind used Dust which became apparent a thousand years ago. The way things went, I believe that these are connected. Dust and Semblances."

'... I think they are,' Naruto said with a nod. 'Dust feels like magic, like Fria-baa-chan… but it's limited.'

"That makes sense," Fria said. "They all can only use ONE element, concept, or nature. For example, Hard Light Dust isn't unusual, of course, it isn't," she said sarcastically as Naruto, Summer, and Qrow snickered. "The concept of Barrier Dust is still something I feel people just skim over like it's normal. No, Dust is very likely old spells that are lost in the dirt."

"Wait, in that case, why aren't there more kinds?" Taiyang asked. "Surely there's, like, a Dust for darkness, isn't there?"

Summer had been giggling… before she and Naruto froze.

'W-Wait.' Naruto started.

"We might have seen those!" Summer finished, surprising the others. "Salem's island is full of all kinds of purple, red, and black, rocks, ground, and cliffs. There might very well have been such a Dust over there."

"In that case, where the hell is Light Dust?" Qrow asked. "What about Life Dust? If what you two said about Salem's pad is true then shouldn't there be Dust in those categories?"

Ozpin frowned at the idea. "... If that's true… they'd probably be by the old altars of the Gods, no?" He suggested. "But then… I've no idea where those areas are anymore…"

"... If they'd been found, I doubt we wouldn't know," James said. "But then isn't it possible it's the same as Salem's island? A piece of land that's simply bordered by an endless amount of Grimm?"

'... Hey, I have an idea!' Naruto said with a grin as they looked at him. 'If that old lady hasn't singled me out, I might be able to go to these places, right?! Grimm would totally ignore me unless they were super mad already!'

"... We could," Ozpin considered as James smiled. "That said, we'd have to check where the Light Brother's altar is and I don't want to send you back to Salem's clutches in worry of her finding you."

'Gotcha.'

"Still, this is a good asset to have, Naruto. If you can explore places others can't go, you could find so many things we may just not know about. What if there is Light Dust and it's just buried too deep?" James said with a smirk. "Naruto, I think I now know how we can bring you into the public, you just need to go and find something extremely valuable out in the world."T

'... W-Wait, so you're saying?'

"Yup, you're going on a road trip," James said with a smirk as Taiyang chuckled. "And I have a good idea of where."

~NRK~

Lie Ren, a boy with white skin, pink eyes, and slightly long black hair with a pink streak in it, smiled as he and his… sister? Friend? Step-sibling?

As he and Nora played.

Wearing a white shitagi, green pants, and a pair of brown shoes, he ran after her in their rebuilt town, Nora wearing a pink tunic, blue pants, and white sandals.

She'd grown far more bubbly ever since three years ago, her fair skin now clear of dirt, her blue eyes shining with the joy of life that he was happy she'd gained ever since, and her short orange hair bobbed as they played Tag.

They laughed as stopped by a bench by a monument.

A Grimm monument.

Of course, many would scorn them, Ren wasn't naive to how Grimm were viewed, much less how almost all of them were monsters… but not this one.

Not their Blue-Eyed Savior.

That was probably the most striking thing about the monument, the little statue, its bright blue eyes, and markings.

Never before had a Grimm looked so heroic with its powerful bones and gauntlet.

"Hmm… I wonder where Grimm go…" Nora said as she and he looked up at the monument. "... Do Grimm go to Grimm heaven?"

"Um, well, I know most Grimm don't have a soul," Ren said and her head fell. "B-But dad said this one did! He felt it and everything! He said it was super nice and warm!" The boy quickly added as Nora blinked and looked up.

"... He was," she murmured, touching the stone beneath the sculpture. "... Haa, I hope we can have more good Grimm."

Ren found the contradictory statement true. "I do, too."

Then the two of them blinked as they sat something in the shadows of a building, something that caused their eyes to widen as it waved at them.

They ran towards it before tackling the blue-eyed Grimm to the floor.

'Easy! Easy!' It spoke and Nora's eyes wobbled. 'Hold on, hold on, please, don't cry. Remember, I'm still a Grimm,' Naruto pleaded and she sniffled before nodding as she wiped her eyes.

"W-We thought you were dead," Nora said and he sighed before ruffling her hair gently.

'It's a bit more complicated than that, sorry,' the teen Grimm said. 'But, well, I'm not. You met a piece of me, I guess a piece of my soul who helped out.'

"R-Really? So… Grimm have souls?" Ren asked but the blue-eyed Grimm sighed.

'I wish I could tell you 'yes' but most Grimm, damn near all of them, don't,' Naruto answered with a shrug. 'Sorry.'

"No, it's fine, I just wish we could have more nice Grimm."

'Ain't that an ironic sentence.'

The two giggled. "So, what are you doing here? H-Here to stay?!" Nora asked, hopefully, and he smiled shakily. "... No?"

'I'm sorry but, remember, still Grimm. It won't be a good idea for now.'

"But you will later?" Ren asked and Naruto nodded, causing Nora to perk up.

'I'm actually working on that fact as we speak,' he said, taking out a Scroll, much to the disbelief of the children, and turning it around to them. 'Um, you guys know of a place called… Kuromon?' Naruto asked.

"... I-I think that's an old place," Ren said as Nora stared at the word on his Scroll. "My dad said there are tons of places lost to the Grimm called 'Black Gates'. It's said that way due to the darkness of the Grimm always changing the landscapes there."

"... I-I think I've seen one before," Nora said with a pale face as Naruto and Ren grew concerned. "M-My… a bandit dropped me off near a village and I saw one."

'Where?'

"... I-I… I think it was," Nora racked her brain before Naruto crouched down.

'Take your time. Can you give me a direction?' He asked kindly and she bit her lip before nodding.

She pointed to the west and south. "It was by the water in a little bit of Mistral."

'Gotcha,' Naruto said before messing with his Scroll and sending a text. 'I've got people who want to help me, help others, so they might know.'

Holding out the Scroll for the two to see, the three saw the text from 'Ironman'.

If that's true, there's only one place I can think of. Umikaen. It was taken over years ago by a rather concerning Grimm.

'Then I'm going there,' Naruto said, replying back. 'I need to show I'm a nice guy. So, we figured, I can try and find something important for humanity.'

"Y-You're leaving? R-Right now?" Nora asked and Naruto nodded.

'I promise, I'll be back. For now, I'm on the clock,' he said, tapping his wrist like it had a watch on it. 'I'll see you guys later, alright?' Naruto spoke.

"... W-What's your name? Um, do you have one?" Ren asked as Naruto chuckled.

'Yup, the name's 'Naruto'. Naruto Uzumaki.'

He vanished in a burst of wind, leaving the two kids' clothes to settle down from his departure.

"W-Whoaaa…" Nora said in awe as Ren nodded.

"Come on! We should tell dad!"

"Yeah!"

~NRK~

So, we come to the end of the second chapter of A Grimm Light. So, this one was far more 'full' if you will and several things happened.

One, Naruto's learned his magical affinities which reflect his past life save for the new Darkness element.

He also learns about three spells while the Darkness one is all up to him, being a being of darkness as is. So, we've seen a bit of his skill with it as is as he followed paths of darkness.

Helping Sienna Khan and her friend, saving Ren's family and giving Nora a home, and helping the Arc siblings, on their camping trips in Anima, get back to their parents.

He's becoming a known quantity even without the Oz Crew's involvement. That'll have interesting effects in the future.

Also, sadly, can't save Cinder this time around. The time had passed and she's on her path to becoming a slave to Salem… if the story doesn't alter that a bit.

Let's see… right, he's met Penny! And our favorite little robot's as kind, clueless, but eager as always. Especially since Naruto is officially her first friend who's more like her than anyone else.

Following that, Ozpin's sentimentality is showing as he hands Naruto a scarf of apprenticeship. As has been said before, Ozpin's never had a male apprentice and it does get lonely being the lone male magic-user so Naruto's a way for him to enjoy his life as one as well as give our former blonde skills that helped him to the current time.

And, not only has Naruto learned second-tier spells but his time to show in the public will come soon. As he said, they're working on separating his existence from that of normal Grimm so what'd be better than having him give humanity back something worthwhile?

Oh and he's going to get an island. Sounds rad.

Ciao, see you all next time.

Words: 14.1k

~NRK Out~