A few weeks had passed since Itachi had suddenly found himself in the world of Remnant and experienced a crash landing in an airship. He thought the name was a rather distasteful thing for people to name their world. It evoked the depressing notion that the world was nothing but the pitiful remains of something that was once great and now irrecoverable.

During these past weeks, he had busied himself with mundane housework to make himself useful to the people who were letting him stay. Sweeping, mopping, and washing the dishes, Taiyang happily delegated all the work to him. Itachi didn't mind this, as it helped keep his mind distracted from the harsh reality of his situation.

Itachi also spent his spare time researching a possible way to return to his world. Leaving Sasuke behind was not an option, otherwise everything he did would have been for nothing. Nonetheless, the more time he spent investigating the topic, the more it became increasingly clear that it was an act of futility. Any sources he found about world travel were mere works of science fiction or fantasy novels such as the story of when a girl named Alyx fell through the world and ended up in a fairytale-esque land. The 'web', as it was called, was also mostly filled with unusable junk. If there was a way to return, he would have to dig deeper to find it.

His life was a lot quieter and more peaceful when compared to his days in Konohagakure. Here, he didn't have to live under the constant threat of his clan lashing out against the village and starting a civil war or the heavy expectations placed upon him by everyone. He found it almost tranquil to not be constantly worrying about things, aside from when Zwei spontaneously decides to run off on some great big dog adventure.

However, this didn't mean that Itachi neglected his training. In his free time, he practised in the forest next to the house he was staying at. His exercises mainly were focused on keeping his physical condition at its peak. Additionally, he ensured he wouldn't lose his edge from being out of combat for too long by practising his Taijutsu and various other shinobi skills.

"Mornin' Itachi." Ruby yawned, wandering into the kitchen in her Signal Academy uniform. Dark bags had formed under her eyes, and she appeared to be half-dazed since she struggled to even take a seat at the dining table.

Itachi glanced at her from the corner of his eye before drawing his attention back to a batch of eggs cooking in a frying pan. For a brief moment, he wondered how certain people would react if they saw him, an S-Rank wanted shinobi, casually cooking eggs while wearing a pink apron.

Funnily enough, when questioned about why the only apron in the house was pink, Taiyang claimed that "Pink is as manly as any other colour."

"Good morning, Ruby. Did you stay up tinkering with your weapons again?" he asked.

"Maybe…" She gave a sheepish look. "Okay, I stayed up to add the final touches to my masterpiece."

Ruby was truly a maniac when it came to her obsession with weaponry. It was quite an odd thing for a young girl to be enraptured by, even by shinobi standards.

Ever since he had moved in, she had been bugging him to take a look at his gear and various equipment non-stop. After about a week, he finally conceded and reluctantly presented his whole arsenal of kunai, shuriken and of course, his straight-edged sword that he used on Anbu missions.

She had many questions, such as why he would use them as opposed to something known as a 'gun' and was even more shocked when she found out he did not even know what firearms were.

"I see." Itachi cracked another pair of eggs and added them to the pan. "While it is good to show dedication to your hobbies, neglecting your sleep will only harm your health."

Itachi felt somewhat hypocritical for lecturing Ruby about this. On some nights, he barely even managed to get a wink of sleep as the day of the massacre still haunted him. It gave birth to gruesome nightmares that felt like he there all over again. As if he was still standing over the corpses of his parents as their blood sank into the tatami mats of their home and light faded from their eyes.

Now is not the time to get lost in my own thoughts. He refocused onto Ruby.

"But-"

"A lack of sleep can stunt your growth-"

"Eek!" Ruby was horrified by the thought. "I'll make sure to go to sleep extra early tonight!"

He gave her a doubtful look. "So, what is this new design you've made? It must have been very complex if you spent your whole night working on it." Itachi eyed the red rectangular object attached to her back.

"I present the Crescent Rose, the greatest thing I've ever created." The object suddenly transformed into a rose-red scythe with black trims and a blade shaped like a crescent. "I've spent weeks designing and putting it together. It's a super scythe with a built-in high-calibre sniper rifle and storage form for easy access. It'll also be able to fire dust ammunition once I'm allowed to buy some. Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Hmm... it looks too conspicuous."

As a shinobi, he would never use such a weapon. Not only was it easily identifiable, but it was too large and cumbersome to wield as opposed to a regular sword. He guessed that complicated weapons like these were just a quirk the people of this world had developed in their endless war against the Grimm.

"Conspicu-whatever." Ruby poked her tongue out. "My baby is going to be the ultimate Grimm-slaying device, whether you like it or not."

"Were you inspired by your uncle to also use a scythe? Has he taught you how to wield them?"

A few days after had settled down in Patch, Qrow was called for another mission and had to depart the instant he got the message. He never gave any details about the contents of said mission nor how long he would be gone for.

"I've already been practising with them for a while now." Ruby grinned. "Uncle Qrow's just going to help me get even better."

"Is that so? A scythe is an unconventional weapon that will require you to work harder than most to master it. You have a long journey ahead of yourself."

Itachi had never faced a scythe user himself due to how unusual of a weapon it was. Although, he had once read about a rogue ninja in the bingo book named Hidan, who wielded an even more flamboyant crimson triple-bladed scythe and was wanted for mass murder.

"By the way, your sister and father have already left for school. She had an early assessment, and your father had to do something before classes began."

"Now it all makes sense why Yang, of all people, was studying in the middle of the night."

Itachi placed a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of Ruby and took a seat opposite her with his food. Using cutlery as opposed to chopsticks came quite easily to him, and he demolished his plate in less than a minute. Ruby also mimicked his appetite and rapidly finished her food.

"Thanks for breakfast. I better get a move on or I'm gonna be late for class. See ya later, Itachi."

Itachi waved, "Have a good day at school."

Now that he was home alone, Itachi allowed himself to relax in the lounge room for a couple of hours. Zwei took residence on his lap and took a nap while Itachi lightly petted him. He could see why people decided to keep dogs as pets; just the mere act of patting them was able to soothe one's soul.

Before Zwei had sat on him, he had planned on browsing through the television to kill some time. In truth, its mere existence still fascinated him, as technology was nowhere near as advanced in his world. Now he was stuck with the news channel, as even the slightest movement to reach the remote would wake the dog.

"Schnee Dust Company accused of exploiting Faunus laborers by making them work in inhospitable conditions. SDC representatives deny the allegations, claiming they are baseless and a petty attempt to slander their good name. Further reports have since..."

"Faunus..." He had yet to meet one of them firsthand. Their case was strange. Aside from their animalistic traits, they were practically the same as regular human beings. But instead of being treated equally, they were discriminated against as a lesser lifeform and alienated from society.

It was this type of prejudiced behaviour that saw his own clan isolated from the rest of the village until the only feasible option they saw to gain respect was through violence and bloodshed. Then they would be the propagators of the same cycle of hatred that had them treated as such. He hated that no matter what world he was in, people always acted the same.

After a few more moments, Itachi glanced at the time and realised he could maintain this state of relaxation forever, as he still had things to do. Earlier in the morning, Taiyang had requested that he do some grocery shopping in the town and take Zwei with him on a walk. The man had also been kind enough to give him enough money to 'treat himself' for his work.

"Come along, Zwei. We have work that needs to be done."

"Woof."

Letting Zwei off his lap, Itachi switched the television off and exited the lounge room. As he was slipping on his sandals at the front door, he noticed multiple pieces of paper sprawled across the ground. Upon investigating the contents of the papers, he discovered that it was homework that belonged to Ruby, and it was due today.

"Oh Ruby." He sighed, "I suppose we will have to make a trip to the academy."

Itachi and Zwei left the house, bound for the town located a kilometre away. Itachi used this as an opportunity to enter a 'light jog' as the aura enhanced Zwei was easily able to keep pace with him. They soon reached the town and saw that Signal Academy was located right at the end of it, on top of a hill.

As Itachi entered the campus, he saw many students buzzing around trying to get their classes. Some leisurely strolled with their clique of friends while others frantically ran across the area. He assumed it was the changeover between periods like what happened at Ninja Academy. Unfortunately, he could not spot Ruby within the crowd.

"Zwei, find her." He trusted Zwei would save him the hassle of having to go to the office, prove who he was, ask where Ruby was, and then find where said place was.

Zwei barked in response to his orders and began to sniff the ground and air to pick up her scent. He received a few odd looks from some students wondering why some random kid was walking their dog around the school, but he paid no mind to them. It only took a few moments for Zwei to have a solid lead and so Itachi followed him until they eventually reached the entrance of a combat gymnasium.

The clashing of steel against steel reverberated through the door as Itachi opened it. The door made an inconveniently loud squeak that echoed and drew the attention of everyone in the area aside from the two individuals fighting in the arena. He walked in, Zwei trailing behind, and eyes scanning the area.

"Who is he?"

"Who cares? More importantly, who's the dog?"

Some of the students whispered among themselves as he passed by. It wasn't every day someone and their dog randomly entered in the middle of their class. As per normal student behaviour, they used this as a chance to mess around and not do what they were supposed to.

"Itachi? What're you doing here?" Ruby waved from one of the spectator seats.

"You left your homework behind."

"WHAT?" She snatched the papers from his hands. "Oh my god… I'm such an idiot. How could I forget this? Thank you so so much, you're a lifesaver!"

"Please be more careful next time."

"Don't worry."

"Mrs. Rose, who's this that you've invited to this class?" The instructor asked, moving towards them.

"He's a… umm. A friend?"

"And why is your friend here?"

"He came to deliver my homework that I left… at home."

"If that's the case then he can leave now." The teacher frowned. "This is a dangerous place after all, swords and objects go flying all the time. I would be held responsible if someone without their aura unlocked was injured in here."

Ruby shot back, "Actually, he does have aura."

"Still-"

"Please let him stay for my turn. Please please please please please."

"No-"

"Please please please please please please."

"What about the dog? Surely it can't also have its aura unlocked?"

"Zwei also has his aura unlocked."

The man stared at the dog and was left speechless.

"Okay… wow, fine. Your friend can stay but for this class only. Got it?"

"Yay!"

Ruby still had a bit of time left before her turn, so he observed the pair who had been fighting since he had arrived.

One of them was equipped with a lengthy spear while the other was dual wielding a pair of daggers. Both their aura metres were evenly levelled however Itachi could already predict the victor, even with what little he had seen of their duel.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Ruby asked, shooting a curious glance at Itachi who was busy observing the fight.

"While the person with the spear does have an inherent advantage, due to the reach of his weapon, his opponent with the daggers is superior in strength, speed, and strategy. He is likely to win this duel." Itachi matter-of-factly stated.

"Really? It looked pretty close to me."

"You need to look beneath the surface of their fight. The individual with the daggers has been dictating their movements all throughout the match and is consistently forcing the spear user to react to whatever he desires. All it takes is one slight error and the dagger user will be able eliminate his opponent with a single critical strike."

"You got that just from watching only a little bit?"

"Don't worry, with enough training and experience it will come to you naturally."

The boy with dual-wielding daggers finally forced the spear user to commit a grave blunder. Feinting an opening with a weak swing, he goaded the spear user to fully commit to a thrust for his stomach. However, he expected this and dodged at the last second by quickly manoeuvring behind the spear user and then pelting his back with bullets from his daggers that apparently had guns in them.

"End of the match," The instructor loudly announced. "Cole Wight's aura has dropped below the twenty percent threshold. Matthew Obsidian is the victor."

As expected. His prediction was spot-on.

A few more matches played out, none as interesting as the first one he had seen. I wonder if this is all Signal Academy has to offer. Although, I have yet to see Ruby or Yang fight. I wonder if their uncle's skill has carried over to them.

"Next up is Ruby Rose, who are you going to challenge for your match?"

"I want to challenge… you." She pointed directly to Itachi with a serious look on her face.

Itachi exhaled; this was bound to happen eventually.

"Uncle Qrow told me all about your skills and I want to see them for myself. Please accept my challenge."

"Are you certain you want to do this?"

Ruby nodded in response.

"Very well. If the instructor permits it, then I will spar with you."

"Yeah, do whatever you want." the instructor in question dismissed him suspiciously fast. Itachi stared at him and was met with the sight of Zwei subjugating yet another man with his overflowing good-boy charm. The dog had rolled onto his back and was accepting tummy rubs from a sizeable group of students. "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are."

Ruby grinned and gave a thumbs up to Zwei who responded with a sly bark, they had both conspired against him. The fight was unavoidable from the beginning.

"Do you need to borrow any weapons? They have some spare swords and other weapons in the storage room at the back. You can use my ID to get in."

"No need to worry, I have my own."

"B-but you aren't carrying anything on you."

"You state the obvious while failing to realise the truth."

"Oh yeah…" Ruby awkwardly chuckled, recalling his tendency to hide his weapons rather than to display them in plain sight. "I forgot about that."

The pair stepped into and stood on opposite sides of each other. The aura bars on the display soon received the information from the new contestants and displayed their percentages. Itachi wasn't even sure he had aura of his own due to his otherworldly origins. Yet, the computer also displayed his 'aura' at max capacity.

"Is this what they refer to as a 'glitch'?" He murmured to himself.

[Ruby Rose: 99.9%]

[Unknown: 100%]

Itachi understood how serious Ruby was about this just from the mere fact that she challenged him to this. If he were to go easy, it would only gain her ire as she clearly wanted to prove herself.

Ruby transformed her Crescent Rose into its scythe form and took a battle stance. Her mind entered a state of concentration that focused solely on their upcoming battle. When their eyes met, he could already see she had the makings of a fighter, despite her often cheery and naive attitude towards life.

A monotone robotic voice spoke, "Match begins in 5… 4… 3…"

Ruby's legs were slightly bent at the knees which suggested she was going to leap towards him as soon the timer hit zero. Or she would activate her semblance in an attempt to blitz him with her speed. Either way, he was ready.

"2… 1… Fight!"

Before the announcer's voice had finished echoing through the hall, Ruby had already appeared in front of him, with a burst of rose petals, and swung her scythe in a wide arc. Itachi's eyebrows slightly raised at the speed she exhibited.

"Impressive," he said, slipping a kunai out of his sleeve and using it to block her attack. "However, charging in like that is foolish if you are unaware of the full extent of your opponent's abilities."

Ruby's little stunt had left her wide open. Any attempt to dodge would take too long to execute as her Crescent Rose weighed her down like an anchor. Even a split-second was too long in the context of this duel.

Itachi took advantage of this and slashed his kunai down her chest but was met with the fierce resistance of her aura. It prevented even a slight scratch from forming on her jacket, but this came at the cost of its own capacity.

[Ruby Rose: 75%]

[Unknown: 100%]

"What the!" Ruby swung her Crescent Rose once more, using the recoil from her gunshots to propel her strikes forward.

Itachi knew his kunai wouldn't be able to withstand the blows head-on without eventually shattering so he opted to deflect the blows by redirecting their momentum. It soon became a blur to those who weren't accustomed to such speeds. While Ruby was fast, she still wasn't at the level where he needed to use his sharingan against her.

"Holy…"

"Damn, I can't even see what's happening. They're too fast for my eyes."

Their match had garnered quite the attention of Ruby's peers. Yet, she couldn't even make a chip in Itachi's defence even after putting all her effort into every single one of her attacks.

It's like I'm facing a brick wall! She swung harder out of frustration. Everything I do gets blocked like they're the weakest thing in the world! How is he able to do that with just a small knife? Who in the world are you, Itachi? Even Uncle Qrow has to put some effort into sparring with me.

[Ruby Rose: 65%]

[Unknown: 100%]

"You have allowed your frustration to take over and as a result, you have become predictable."

"Huh?"

"You telegraph your attacks too openly which makes them trivial to read. You mustn't let your emotions take control of your actions in battle, or your opponent will dominate you."

"Hmm."

Listening to his advice, Ruby used her semblance to retreat to the other side of the arena. Itachi let her do so without pursuing a counterattack. He reasoned it was best she learned to control her emotions in a safe environment rather than to suffer its consequences in a life-or-death situation.

Ruby then took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions and when she opened her eyes they were renewed with vigour.

"Are you ready to continue?"

A genuine smile had unknowingly appeared on Itachi's face; Ruby definitely had the talent needed to be a powerful Huntress.

"I'll wipe that smile right off your face."

The entire gymnasium was silent from the spectacle they had just witnessed. Ruby was by no means weak; she was actually one of the top students in her year level when it came to their skill in combat. To see someone like her get entirely demolished spoke volumes of Itachi's skill.

"Match over, Ruby Rose's aura has dropped below the threshold of twenty percent. Unknown wins without any damage to their aura."

[Ruby Rose: 20%]

[Unknown: 100%]

Ruby was a mess. Her hair was dishevelled, and she was completely out of breath. The poor girl was so tired she was clutching to her Crescent Rose for dear life so she wouldn't tumble to the ground and make a bigger fool out of herself. In stark contrast, Itachi hadn't even broken a sweat throughout the entirety of their match.

"You did well." He offered her his shoulder to support her.

Ruby had a disappointed gleam in her eyes, not being able to land a single blow on her opponent had crushed her confidence.

"How… how did you get so strong?"

"I trained hard."

"Ugh everyone says that. Tell me for real!"

"…My strength came from a goal I once possessed," Itachi spoke in a sombre tone. His dream to become Hokage and create a world free from fighting had been impossible from the start. In the end, the strength he sought to use to bring peace ended up sewing destruction instead. How ironic.

"Even though it was unrealistic and ignorant of the harsh reality of the world, I still put every ounce of my being into achieving it. What about you? What motivates you to fight? You said you wanted to be a huntress, a hero, like in the stories you read as a child, but is there something more to your aspirations?"

"I… want to be the best huntress there is." She paused for a moment. "I-I want to be strong enough, so people won't lose their loved ones to the Grimm. So, when brothers, sisters, fathers, or… mothers go out, their family won't ever have to live in fear of never seeing them again. That's why I want to be a Huntress."

Itachi was aware of what she was talking about when she said that. He had seen the photos around the house of an older-looking version of Ruby who was distinctly absent from their household. Taiyang always had a sad look whenever he gazed at her, so he knew the woman had already passed away.

I guess we're similar in a way. Itachi surmised. Like his dream born from witnessing a battlefield littered with corpses at the age of four, Ruby shared an innate desire to prevent others from ever going through what she had to.

"I see. You already possess something that many others do not have. Use it as motivation to surpass your limits and only then, will you attain the strength you desire."

This path you have chosen… is one of sacrifice. I hope you will never have to make the same choices I had to.

The two of them walked off the arena and were met by a crowd of excited students. Ruby just sort of smiled as they sent praises about how cool the fight was as well as trying to pry as much information about Itachi as possible.

"He's… so strong."

"And kinda cute…"

"So how old is he anyway?" One of the many students asked.

"I'm not sure." Ruby titled her head in a thoughtful manner. "Itachi, how old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"Yeah, that's about right… wait what? YOU'RE THIRTEEN?"

"How old did you believe I was?"

"Probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, seventeen at most! You're pretty tall and talk more like an adult than most adults do. Of course, I wouldn't think you're the same age as me."

"..."

"Alright everyone, enough crowding around." The instructor attempted to disperse them, "Itachi's your name, right? You're one damn good fighter, likely the best I've ever seen at your age. Have you ever given any thought to becoming a Huntsman when your older?"

"I have considered the possibility…"

Qrow had told him that he would be able to easily get his Huntsman license if he brushed up on his general knowledge of the world and theoretical aspects of fighting the Grimm. He also agreed that it would be the only career where he could use his shinobi skills for an honourable purpose.

"Well if you ever decide to become one, this academy is open for you. You could probably get in on a scholarship with your skills."

"I will think about it."

"Anyway, I doubt Ruby's going to be able to do anything for the rest of the day in that condition. I always tell you brats not to overuse your semblance, but you do it anyway!" He narrowed his eyes at Ruby. "Just take her home, I already know you live at their house since I messaged her father asking who you were."

"Hehe, sorry…" Ruby looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"I believe it's time for us to get going. Thank you for allowing us to spar within the facilities of the academy."

"No problem."

"Come Zwei." Itachi motioned towards Zwei with his fingers who responded by hopping out of the man's arms.

"Woof woof!"

"You me, outside, now!" Yang banged her gauntlets together with a vicious smile on her face. She had seen the video of his match with Ruby, it had spread throughout the whole academy in less than an hour, and she was now raring to get her own piece of the action. It wasn't everyday she got to fight an opponent of his level.

As Yang continued to barrage him with forceful requests to fight, Itachi simply sipped on some tea he managed to procure from his trip to the town. The quality wasn't anywhere near what he was used to back in his village, but it was sufficient for now.

He had heard that the culture of Mistral was similar to what he was accustomed to back in his original world. Perhaps I should visit it at a later date.

"Maybe later, Yang."

"No fair! Why does Ruby get to fight you, but I don't?"

Itachi took another sip. "It's nearly dark outside, now isn't the appropriate time. Resting is also an important aspect of training, as is patience."

"No, I'm not waiting. Why can't you fight me now? Are you scared that I'd kick your ass?"

"Your sister had the manners to properly request a spar. All you've done is disturb me by yelling in my face."

"That's it? Well why didn't you say so?"

He had a bad feeling about this. Yang moved closer to him than he would have liked until he could feel her chest pressing against his back.

"Itachi would you… please~ spar with me~." She breathed into his ear, her voice a higher pitch than usual.

He responded in an unimpressed tone, "I'm aware of what you're trying to do."

"Aww, but it always works on the guys. Well, that or threats of violence." She raised her arms up in defeat. "Fine, you win for now! But you better promise to fight me later, you hear me?"

Yang trudged out of the longue, the almost palpable fiery energy within the room followed with her.

"Is it safe for me to come in?" Taiyang asked, peeking from the other side of the room.

"Taiyang." Itachi greeted him a nod.

"Sigh, my sunny little dragon can be a real handful sometimes. I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Her passion towards training isn't something to apologise for."

"You're right. I just hope she'll learn that in life, not all battles are fought with your fists, but instead with words. Or her fiery attitudes going to get her into some real trouble later." Taiyang took at a seat on the couch, allowing his body to sink into it.

"Speaking of life, what are you plans? How much longer do you intend to stay here?"

"…" Itachi set his empty cup on the table and blankly gazed at the TV.

"Not that I'm saying your bad or anything." He hurriedly waved his arms. "You've made my life a lot easier hell, you're already part of the family in my books. But you have your own life to get on with, Itachi. I don't know what happened to you before coming here but there's no point getting bogged down in this place."

"I don't know what to do anymore." said Itachi. Ever since that day, everything has changed, the world I once knew is no longer the same. Now I'm living my life without direction nor purpose. How long can I keep this charade up?

Without Sasuke, what reason did he have to keep going on? What else did he have? Itachi asked himself that question every time he stared at the shattered fragments of moon floating in the night sky. The hard truth was that besides the faint glimmer of hope that he would somehow return to his world, he had nothing.

"I was in your situation once, after… I lost Summer."

"I-"

"Don't try to deny it, I know a depressed man when I see one. I am one, after all."

"You know, Summer was the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid my eyes on." Taiyang recalled fondly. "Her smile was able to warm even the coldest of hearts and I loved her dearly. When she left and never returned… I just shutdown. I wasn't even there for my own daughters. For years I was absent as their father and before I knew it, they'd already grown up without me."

"I consider that to be one of the greatest mistakes I've ever made in my life. I will never be able to get those precious years with my daughters back. Itachi, please don't be as dumb as I was and allow the past to dictate your life. It will only lead to suffering. You must keep moving forward, no matter how painful as it is."

"Moving forward… Is such a thing possible?"

"Only you can decide that for yourself."

"…" A moment of silence passed during which Itachi stewed in his thoughts. "Your words are correct." He relented. "I've been so stuck in the past that I have failed to realise what is truly important."

Itachi had come to the realisation that living like this was not going to cut it. If he could never return to his world, then perhaps he could start over in this one. But… am I allowed to start over, after all that I've done?

The thought of best friend, Shisui, suddenly popped into his head. Why am I thinking of you at this time? He wondered. Itachi could already tell what Shisui would say to him in this situation. First, he would likely start by slapping his back so hard, it would leave a red handprint.

Then Shisui would lecture him, "You're one real downer, Itachi. Of course, you can start over. That's why it's called a second chance. Now go on and take it."

But-

"Don't but me."

The image of Shisui faded to nothing and Itachi sighed. His friend's advice had always helped him, even if it was from an imaginary version constructed from his own memories of him. Thank you Shisui... I now know what I must do.

Itachi's face became resolute.

"It is impossible for me to return to my home; it no longer exists." In this world, he left out "As you have said, the only option I have is to continue moving forward. Taiyang, what are the prerequisites for taking the Huntsman license examination, is there a minimum age?"

"Well… surprisingly enough, the exam can be taken by anyone at any of the four major academies by directly applying. There are no age restrictions as its practically impossible for anyone below sixteen to even pass. Well, except for you."

"Based on your own experience, how difficult was it?"

Taiyang looked up, thoughtfully.

"I can tell you for sure that the theory exam is way harder than the practical. I remember back in my Beacon days one of the professors always used to say, 'A dumb Huntsman is a dead Huntsman' and that's the reason for the theory test. Sure, you can be strong, but if you're lacking in the intelligence department, you're probably going to do more harm than good."

"I believe it's a good precaution to have."

"Me too. Sadly, morons do weasel their way through the filter but that's just how it is. I take it you're asking me this because you want your license and skip the whole academy phase, right? In that case, you better start studying hard. I can probably go dust off my old textbooks that are lying around somewhere."

"I'm sorry for being a bother."

"It's nothing really, I'm happy to help. Although, what academy do you plan on taking the exam at?"

"I am in the process of deciding. The most obvious choice is to go to Beacon, due to how close it is to here. However, Atlas is also quite appealing for its own reasons. I admit that the allure of visiting a city floating amongst the clouds may have also contributed."

"Atlas?" Taiyang sounded midly surprised. "I guess they do like to brand themselves as being the best in the world. I've heard the Huntsman there get a bunch of benefits as well."

"Yes, including access to a large database of information and training facilities. However, for me to take the exam, one issue must be rectified: identification. I'm an undocumented individual which is likely to cause issues for me."

"Honestly, aside from Atlas, who are hard asses about this stuff, you should be fine. For you, I'm sure Ironwood would love to engage in some creative record keeping under the condition you join his special operations unit. Haven and Shade, on the other hand, deals with unknowns all the time."

"And Beacon?"

"Look at it this way, if you want to go explore the world a bit, I suggest heading off to Haven or Shade otherwise Beacon's your best bet. As long as you prove yourself, Headmaster Ozpin would have no problem with certifying you."

"I believe I would benefit from exploring the world on my own, but I am not too fond of deserts. I will have to settle with taking the license exam at Haven Academy for now."

End of chapter 3. Itachi's finally has plans for what to do with his life in this world.