Corvid [RWBY/Naruto]

[Salius]

I try as much as possible to avoid authors notes so just advanced warning. This is an insert fic of a character from Naruto into RWBY, and will have lots of elements of fix-it and things along those lines.

I wasn't a huge fan of the story beats of RWBY after S3 and kinda fell out of love with it over time but wanted to write a fic in the universe for the longest time so i picked this idea out of my idea trash and decided to try and flesh it out. As as a warning this will be flagrantly AU, mostly using worldbuilding and characters from RWBY but not much else especially after S3 (Though i may be a filthy character thief later on). I usually exclusively post to AO3 but i wanted to try a different source of criticism for this one.

Please let me know your thoughts. Story itself is outlined through to arc 7 and i'm pretty set on a path, but if you have any advice on SPAG or tenses and especially on characterisation and dialogue then please feel free!

My first time posting here so please be gentle

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Prelude

"You know you may just be one of the more unique clients I've seen come through here."

I awaken with a start, heart racing as I gasp for breath. I was fading away and then without any transition at all suddenly I am jumping to full wakefulness.

"Brother!?" I look around in a panic.

The strangest part is waking at all.

…I'm pretty sure I just died for the second time.

What?

I'm sat in a basket chair of some sort, at a desk, in some sort of busy terminus. Undefinable shapes of people wander the hall, moving paperwork or sitting in front of desks. The room seemingly stretches on for quite a distance.

I don't recognise this place at all. Where am I?

I reach for a weapon, anything to arm myself with to feel less out of place, but all I have is a plain white jumpsuit.

Is this hell?

"No it's not hell."

I turn to the desk with a start.

On the other side of the desk is a person, I can't quite make out features or gender, and though I know they have a face, I can't seem to process it.

"You are a bit of a conundrum aren't you?"

"You know who I am?"

"Of course. I know everything there is to know about you."

A heavy red book slams on the table. Long skeletal fingers open the book and starts to browse.
Even with my head seemingly trying to hammer nails into itself, I recognise some of the pictures. I can feel my heart racing as I try to make sense of my surroundings. Where am I? What happened to me? The stranger's words only add to my confusion. How could they know me? The weight of the red book on the table seems to press down on my chest, and I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

"Genocide, murder, multiple times over. Torture. Child killer. Destroyer of villages. Working directly against the free-will of the human race of your little planet."

The being stops reading. And looks at me over glasses that definitely weren't there before.

"You do have a rather varied rap sheet don't you."

I sit in silence. If I am to burn for my sins. If Yomi is my final end, then it's nothing I don't deserve.

"And there it is, that self-sacrificing stoicism that you are famous for. As I said, 'unique'. Never before have I seen someone who made literally every wrong choice for the right reasons. This-"

The being gestures at the book.

"-should be condemning you to the deepest darkest pits of the bowels of hell itself. And yet somehow. You. You of all people will be offered a chance most can only dream of."

The being shakes its head.

"You were a child yourself when you were trained to kill. You were a child when you followed the order to eliminate your entire clan. You were an adult when you committed the crimes in assistance of the upstart Sage's leftovers. But then you had to go and kill yourself trying your very best to atone. Twice."

It sighs.

"Like I said. Unique."

It turns it's full attention on me, and suddenly I feel naked before its gaze.

"One chance at redemption. One chance to wipe that red from your ledger. What will you do little raven? Will you stay true to form? Live a life of deception and self-sacrificing pseudo-pacifism?"

The being sighs.

"Usually we offer a choice to take spiritual punishment until you atone, or enter a mission of reincarnation for us, but well, child killer. So unfortunately you aren't getting the choice."

I sit for a while in bemused silence as the being observes me, I feel like it is waiting for me to speak. My tongue is thick in my mouth, had I the option, I would not reincarnate.

"What do you require of me?"

I feel, well not approval from the being, but a slight self-satisfaction maybe.

"How very dutiful. That attitude has gotten you in trouble before little raven. Be careful with that in future."

The red book jumps from the desk and slams into my chest, disappearing into my body with a sharp shocking pain.

"We bear our sins. We carry them with us until they are expunged. I have to wonder, with everything you have wrought, can you truly wipe the book clean? I suppose we will see won't we."

And with a startling burst of clarity, as my headache clears and my vision unblurs, I realise exactly who this is.

"Shinigami?"

I sense a smile, toothy and beastly, and hear the swish of a blade deep within my being.

"And now the 'hero' realises the truth."

A new book appears on the desk between us, this one is green.

"You have no choice in your fate, so I will offer you this one single choice."

Two images. One, A city by the ocean, bigger than anything by far in the nations. Despair and pain in equal measure. A world desperately crying out for a hero. An enemy to end all enemies. A world of decay, where hope itself is under siege.

The second, much the same in peril, but a world of wonder and fantasy. Beset by beasts of fairy-tale and legend and defended by desperate souls. A remnant of a once great world, crying out for a chance for more.

"One of these worlds will offer you the quicker, but more painful path to redemption. It will tempt you and challenge you in equal measure. This is the world the person that you became would choose. A world where a man like you can thrive in the darkness assisting the light as you have for your entire adult life so far."

The Shinigami gestures to the other image.

"The other, will offer you slower, and dare I say more relaxed path to redemption. This is the path of healing, of truly becoming something other. But it is also the path that will challenge your core beliefs most strongly. This is the path of the idealist. But in neither of these worlds will your particular brand of pacifism be your saviour."

The God of Death looks me in the eyes, and the shroud preventing me from perceiving them drops for just an instant as black eyes surrounding a yellow sclera look straight into my core.

"So what will it be, little raven. Will you walk the darkened path, and drag them back to the light from within your own darkness? Or will you walk the shattered path, and help them and yourself to heal? This is your last opportunity. There will be no other chances at redemption after this."

"Will I retain myself?"

"You will, in your entirety. Better, even. As you won't be weighed down by disease, and especially by the curse of your family any longer. Once pulled from the heavenly path of Samsara in your own world, you will no longer be haunted by those two endlessly warring brothers, as you and all of your extended bloodline are."

"What would you advise?"

"Me?"

The Shinigami chuckles and shakes it's head. A murmur. Something I possibly wasn't supposed to overhear, but one that resonates through my soul regardless.

"Don't make this harder than it already is."

The chuckle ends, and the God turns a knowing eye to me.

"It's not for me to decide, I will however say this is not a trick question. Both options are right. Free will means that it is perfectly acceptable to live within the darkness or light. A great man once said, "It's not about what you've got, it's about what you use." A man of darkness who yet fights for the light will be thought of more fondly in judgement than a man who hides within the light but refuses to tender aid."

We sit in silence as I ponder the choices set before me. I was aware my afterlife would be unlikely to be a friendly reunion with the family I slew, or the brother I tortured into near insanity. But this place, this choice, this being.
This was not what I expected. I expected my actions to be inflicted upon myself, the great wheel of Karma taking the debt from my soul.

But the chance to live again? The chance to make the right choices? Do I even deserve it? Am I mentally sound enough to even take it in my hands?

I want to pick the first world. Living how I have for the past seven years makes it the logical choice. It is the choice that will match up to my natural skillset best. Some of the threats depicted are beyond even my power as it is now, but my clans legacy would possibly allow me to reach this level eventually as the leader did with eyes that weren't even his own.

But is that truly what I want? I already gave up my childhood to be the warrior of the dark.

The second world looks magical, it looks almost too inviting. But then I suppose that is the point of a fairy tale. The threats shown are far more numerous, but comparatively much weaker than the first. The threat being more societal and mental than physical.

I could make a truly massive difference in this world even if I never got any stronger than I am now. With a clear breath and free of that damn disease I feel better dead than I ever did alive.

My mind is made up. I do not shy from a challenge. And I would rather take the chance and fail to change, than condemn myself to another life like the past seven years.

"I will take my chance to be better."

The Shinigami's expression turns to a soft smile, almost human in countenance.

"You know, I bet you would pick that one, but I assumed you would pick the other. Your personal struggle will be greater but hold fast. I look forward to seeing what you teach this world."

The world starts to grow, or am I shrinking?

"What is happening?"

"Your true crimes started at fourteen, when you slew your clan, but this was a manipulation. Your unforgivable crimes started when you were sixteen, and you had the choice to spare innocents, but refused to risk it. So you will start somewhere between those two points."

"You said I would retain myself."

The Shinigami chuckles.

"And you will, I'm just taking a little off the top. You will get it back. Well, most of it. Some of it will come when you deserve it."

My eyes start to burn.

"Your little brother left these lying around. Would be a shame to see them go to waste."

Wait.

"The Etern-"

It interrupts me.

"Not straight away of course. In this there will be no negotiation. Some power is granted, and some is earned. And young one. There is no generational curse of reincarnation forcing you to witness tragedy in this world. Find the other way."

I slump in relief. I won't have to lose anyone else to be what I need to be.

"Goodbye little raven. Hopefully next time we meet the slate will be clean."

I nod.

"You have my word. I will find the path to peace."

The sad smile is back again.

"Do not be so obsessed with finding peace for others that you fail to find it for yourself, or this lesson will have truly been in vain."

My vision fades as my eyes roll back, and I feel myself falling.

"Good luck, Uchiha Itachi. I place you at a great schism in fate. Make the right choice this time."

…

"Are you sure this was a good choice Hagoromo? You could have nominated the Namikaze instead."

"A good choice? No, this was the final act from a theatre performance of bad choices. The redemption arc at the end of the story."

"For the boy, or for you?"

"For both."

"And the Shinigami?"

"They've agreed, as long as I agree to project my power no further than this single dimension while he is alive."

"I wouldn't think you would be happy about being confined to this world for any amount of time?"

"I just want to rest now brother. I've done my part; I've elevated our replacements. Now it is time for me to seek."

"I'm surprised that you managed to deceive the god of death. His brothers eyes?"

"The Shinigami knew exactly what I was doing. The boy won't succeed with Indra's heritage alone."

"I hope you made the right choice brother; the boy is damaged in a way that makes him… volatile."

"No more than you were when we fought mother. He reminds me of you more than anyone else."

"I suppose we will see then."

 

[Salius]

Prologue Arc – A New World.

Chapter 1 – Summertime Sadness

I am falling seemingly forever, light, sound and scent pass me by as a black chill in the air arises. I feel cold all the way to the center of my being, curling into myself to try to ward off the endless biting chill of winter.

Then, a transition. From spirit to solid. So quick it almost leaves me with whiplash. I awaken in a snowdrift, frozen to my core.

As I rise to my feet, trying to find my strength. I look over myself, seemingly in the body I left to join Akatsuki in, cloak included. As the windchill hits me I frantically start channelling my dwindling chakra to ward off the insane cold.

The moonlight is thankfully enough to navigate by, but something is wrong. The moon has been shattered. Not entirely, no, but something has happened here that has completely shattered a part of the moon, massive chunks of a full half of its surface can be seen in the sky floating next to the lunar satellite.

What could have such power as to do such a thing here. Even in the world I come from, I cannot fathom this level of destruction.

I am shocked out of my investigation of the moon by the sound of the clashing of metal not far away, through the dark and snowy woodland. Checking my gear I start to stumble toward the only sign of life so far.
"A schism in fate. I suppose this is my cue then." I murmur to myself.

I am thankful beyond measure that at least I am fully equipped.

Finally managing to start cycling my chakra to my legs, I take to the trees. My chakra is sluggish, my body bruised and painful. As I tumble through the branches within the darkened woods, the sound of combat gets louder.

I finally arrive at some sort of large, ruin dotted clearing. Two women, surrounded by a pack of snarling beasts, are facing each other over the clearing while I observe from a large tree above. The beasts feel incredibly off to my chakra sense. It feels like they are literally made of killing intent and not much else.

I make sure to shroud my presence, I have a feeling being caught here would not be a good idea. Thankfully chakra presence suppression seems to be keeping me covered.

"I'll never give up Salem!"

One of the women, deep red haired and draped in a white cloak, with some mechanical contrivance in her arms is killing monsters, every recoil of the object in her hands preceded by the sound of an explosion. It seems to be some sort of boregun, but nothing like the ones we had back in the elemental nations. Those unwieldy things the samurai load with a ball and a stick is a far cry from this monster.

The other woman, pale skinned, white haired with eyes black as coal watching over the fight with a cold, calculating expression that wouldn't be out of place on Madara's face.

With a swipe of her hands more of the beasts appear, walking wolves with red maws, hulking boars and bears. All matter of beasts swirl from the shadows surrounding the clearing.

The red-haired woman is a ballet in motion, her rifle, now suddenly in the form of a spear twists in her arms as she appears and disappears in a scatter of petals. Not a Shunshin, but something similar.

Watching her puts me in mind of Shisui.

I am entranced by the fight as the woman, a veritable reaper, twists and twirls through the clearing, her spear seemingly lengthened into the form of an immense scythe, bladed on both ends.
I've seen faster, but I don't think I've seen more graceful.

"Enough."

The pale woman, Salem, swipes her arm and a black portal rips itself in the air between the two women.

Out of the maw comes a beast comparable to a small scale Summon. A great ape of purest black, plated in white bone armour and possessed of two massive wings of shadow.

"Why did you come here Summer Rose? To commit suicide for that fool? Did he make you believe that your eyes would put fear into me?" the pale witch sneers at the other woman, regal and imperious.

"I came here to put an end to your schemes Salem. I came here for my people!" her opponent yells back at her, panting, trying to draw breath but struggling.

"Then die for your 'people'." The witch replies with a tone of finality.

No more words are exchanged, the beast bounds across the clearing, far faster than its size would suggest.

The girl freshly identified as 'Summer Rose', however, is faster. In a burst of petals that brings to mind the cherry blossom of the Konoha spring festival, she engages in combat with the beast.
I want to jump in and help but with my chakra severely curtailed as it currently is, I need to pick the correct opening.

Summer Rose dances with the great ape, as they exchange blows, her weakness becomes apparent.

She can hit incredibly quickly, but the attack momentum has to be built up between movements. She can't hit hard enough to penetrate the beasts armor, and it can't move fast enough to hit her.

Then a sudden strike, a rumble of lightning as she does something and empowers her weapon with pure electricity. I raise myself in interest, she isn't using Chakra, I would sense that! But she manages to use the strange power to remove the beasts arm.

Unfortunately she fails to dodge the return attack, a roaring burst of shadow from its mouth and catches her in the face.

As she ragdolls backwards, the beasts around the circle close in on her. However they stop at a hand signal from 'Salem'. Her expression twisted in a rictus of fury as she gestures casually at the ground.

Summer Rose is spent, lay on the ground panting as the earth itself moves to bind her. The seems out of it, head lolling back as if boneless.

"That fool of a man should pick his tools better."

With nought but a gesture, a conflagration of sickly green fire erupts, bearing down on the woman in white.

I don't have any time to think, calling up a shadow clone I have it use the replacement technique to replace itself with the woman, while draping itself in an illusionary copy. Chakra reinforcement will hopefully allow it to remain long enough for the conflagration to cover its popping into smoke. For good measure I place a secondary illusion over it on the ground of Summer Rose writhing on the ground. I wince as my already abused chakra system protests at the overuse.

Unfortunately I am unable to retrieve her weapon. But hopefully she will forgive me for making the more prudent choice.

Placing the barely conscious woman over my shoulder, I flee into the tree canopy. Thankfully for now, seemingly undetected.

…

I run for what feels like hours, Summer Rose is thankfully light as I don't think with the energy I have remaining I could have run for very long with someone much heavier on my back. My only navigation tool is a small frozen river running downhill. If I follow survivors logic, the river should eventually terminate at a lake or an ocean, both of which increase my odds of finding civilisation.

The sky is brightening, which is at least in my favour. I don't think I could have continued if it were to get darker, or colder. As it is I am already severely underdressed for this weather, as is my unaware partner.

Before long I find myself on the precipice of a truly enormous cliff, below me stretches a valley, and a very wide river. Across the valley, set lower than the icy plateau I am stood upon is what looks like the start of a much more inviting forested flatland.

The valley seems like some ancient fault in the terrain. It reminds me a little of the Valley of the End had the valley formed naturally.

Behind me, I can sense the beasts still roaming the terrain, something clearly has them riled up and while they aren't following me directly, they are definitely following something.

Possibly sensing Summer Rose? Maybe the presence of life itself. Regardless, I'm not sure but I'm not taking chances. The cliff is steep but not quite vertical. If I take it slowly I can use Iwa's mountain goat chakra technique to descend to the valley floor.

The trip is perilous, but I've suffered worse in the past. Some of the missions for Root had me navigating terrain much more dangerous than this, and in a much worse state.

The woman over my shoulder is delirious, babbling and muttering in her unconscious state. I don't know if she is under the influence of some sort of technique from the witch, or if the beasts shadowy roar had some other form of mentally damaging technique, but I can't risk diagnostics or healing this close to the enemy.

I cross the river at a clip, water-walking making short work of what would otherwise be impassable terrain. I also take the opportunity to seal some water away in my survival kit, no idea when I will have opportunity to gather running water again.

I'm getting hungry, and my bone tiredness is not getting any better with the forced march through sub-zero temperatures. I simply don't have the chakra to compensate with how drained I was on my bodies formation here. I have some survival rations, but given there is no sign of civilisation here nor any sort of distant landmark that could identify a direction to move in, it likely won't be enough. There are signs of animals however, so I have to just hope they aren't beasts of shadow like the ones I have left behind in my mad dash.

I need to find shelter as soon as I have mounted the other side of the valley, I cannot risk passing out in the open. The terrain here is warmer and though that dark presence still lingers in the air it feels slightly lighter here.

What happened to this world for it to be so choked and corroded by this ever-present darkness? My chakra itches as if warding off an attack constantly.

Even Kabuto didn't feel this slimy.

The climb feels much longer going up, even though the distance is lower. My legs are like jelly and my head is an ever-present ache. But I grit my teeth and press on. To be a shinobi is to endure. I have faced narrower odds before.

Finally cresting the other side of the valley I take stock. Quickly eating a survival bar I rehydrate and then attempt to call up my chakra.

My capacity is incredibly low, though taking in the fresh calories has kickstarted my regeneration. I don't have enough to keep warming myself and Summer Rose the way I have been.

The trees here are old, and very large. Some form of oak though I don't recognise the genus. Which makes sense given this isn't even my own world.

Looking round I identify a tree large enough to make a blind in. Using a wind enhanced kunai I quickly cut back branches up near the canopy and lash them by the trees massive roots into a loose shelter. Slow and careful chakra manipulation allows me to sink and compress the ground down as much as I dare.

In the morning fire will at least, come incredibly cheaply and easily given my blood.

Looking over my work, I am satisfied. It's nothing long term, but I've slept in worse on a mission. I need to stay close to the valley edge as I will be following along the large river below come morning.

Hopefully my unwitting partner will be awake and cognizant by then.

Weary beyond all comprehension, I cover Summer Rose in an a freshly unsealed seal-heated blanket. A quick set of seals to set a perimeter so wake me up on movement, an absolute requirement on solo missions, Then, finally I am able to set my head down inside the wood and leaf shelter.

Her breathing is at least evened out. I fall asleep uneasily to the sound of nature, wary of the days to come.

 

[Salius]

Chapter 2 – Red Like Roses


I awaken with a blade to my throat.

With a very careful swallow I open my eyes to a set of glaring silver orbs. I didn't notice her eyes last night while she was fighting, but her eyes are uncommonly attractive. Her eyes bring my mind to a Hyuuga, but the presence of a pupil takes the eyes from creepy and cold, to expressive and frankly, quite beautiful.

"Who the fuck are you, where the fuck are we, and where the fuck is Salem?"

I am a little taken aback that somehow she managed to get a blade to my throat without me waking up. But sleeping within the detection field of my seals means that they wouldn't have covered her actions within the boundary anyway.

It's still a little embarrassing that she's snuck up on me though, I must have been more tired than I thought.

"I am Uchiha Itachi, I don't know where we are because I don't know where I am, and if by 'Salem' you mean the white witch who was about to incinerate you, then if she hasn't moved since last night she will be about sixty miles in that direction."

I indicate with my eyes, as the knife is still digging quite tightly into my trachea.

"Are you one of her little minions then? Did you bring me out here to kill me, huh?"

I look around the wooden lean to with a deadpan expression. She mirrors my look before putting her other hand on the back of her head in an apologetic expression.

"Uh right, you are right this doesn't look like an evil minion castle. What happened last night?"

The knife loosens slightly. In all honesty I could disarm her at any time but I need to establish trust first, which is easier from a position of weakness at this moment with how frantic she seems.

"I was lost in the woods and followed the sound of fighting, I came across you and the pale witch in a fight, you lost, badly. She was about to incinerate you after the ape thing knocked you out with its breath. I used a technique to pull you out of the fight with an illusion, and carried you here with the beasts at our back?"

She looks at me in frank disbelief.

"You expect me to believe you, a little kid, carried me over what? Sixty miles, more? Away from Salem, with the Grimm at our backs? Without being found?"

"I don't know what a Grimm is, but if you mean the beasts then I am very very good at hiding."

She drops the knife and backs away from me an expression of stark shock on her face.

"How can you not know what a Grimm is!?"

…

After finally getting out of the lean to, and lighting a fire, I try to come up with the words to explain to Summer Rose the situation I am in.

I find I can't. She will think me frankly insane. Instead I tell her that I fell into a strange portal near my hometown and ended up out in the woods here.

She can't quite believe that not only do I not know what a 'Grimm' is. I also have no sign of having something called 'Aura'?

"So let me get this right, you use something called 'catra' to use your abilities?"

"'Chakra' and yes. Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energy and is required to use my techniques."

She sits back deep in thought as we share my rations.

"Can it be taught?" She asks me with a slightly giddy expression on her face.

"Yes, anyone with Chakra can be taught to use it which is everyone since…"

She has no Chakra signature.

None.

Impossible in my world, but this one must run off different rules.

"You don't seem to have Chakra however, so I wouldn't be able to teach you to use it. As far as I was aware that was impossible though so something must be different here."

She slumps.

"Damn, seemed like it would be a good addition against Salem and the Grimm."

She munches through another ration bar, and I end up having to put them away given she's just eaten about ten thousand calories of rations in one sitting. I have quite a few, but not enough to keep up with that rate.

She pouts but nods in understanding not long after.

"So what is Aura?"

She coughs and ration bar fragments burst out of her mouth, hitting me in the face. As the remnants of now wasted survival food bounce off me, her expression turns sheepish as I turn a dry look to her.

"Imsorryimsorryomigoshimsorry." She's wiping my face with her cloak while fretting with her other hand.

"Please calm down, it's fine, I'm clean now." I hold both my hands up in a calming gesture and also to ward of her ministrations.

She slumps back against the tree, red-faced with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, it's just… shocking to find someone so far out in the frontier without knowing what Aura is. Especially someone armed like you. Even if you are a kid."

At the word armed, she looks around in alarm.

"Where is Piercing Rose??" she starts frantically looking around the small camp. I'm not sure where she thinks I would have hidden her weapon.

I feel like I'm about to be in great pain.

"I'm sorry, I had to leave it behind, it was you or the weapon."

Her shoulders slump as she turns to me with a dead expression.

"I'm glad you chose me, b-but my baby!" she sinks to her knees and seemingly sinks into a deep sadness.

"I apologise." I'm not sure what to do she seems very attached to the weapon.

"You're pretty well spoken for a kid aren't ya?" Her mood snaps back to happy as she seems to be watching me carefully. Her moods change like the wind.

"My Father made sure I could converse well, yes." I'm not sure what she's alluding to.

"He must be a cool guy, would love to meet him one day if he raised a kid like you."

"He's dead, both my parents are." I state back calmly.

She looks back at me with wide eyes, cheeks once again reddening.

"Im sorry, I cant seem to stop dropping myself in it."

"It's no problem, they died a good while ago." I leave out that I was the one to pierce their heart. I feel like it would be a poor start to communication.

I turn to break camp and feel her move behind me. Her arms wrap around me from behind but I feel no threat.

"Thank you, for saving my life." She whispers into my back.

"You are welcome but thank me by not dying."

She backs off and nods, before reaching her hand out.

"We didn't get introduced properly yet, so let me do it properly. Hi Uchiha, I'm Summer Rose, Huntress extraordinaire!" she looks from her hand to me and back as if encouraging me to shake it.

She is as excitable as a fresh born kitten.

"My given name is Itachi. Shinobi of Konohagakure."

"Ohhhh you do the family name first like Mistral! Good to know! Just call me Summer!"

I'll need to remember that, given name first, family name second. Unusual, but likely not the first lesson I will need to learn. I also make a mental note about Mistral.

"So why were you fighting the witch?"

Her expression sets into a frown as we sit back by the fire, thoughts of moving on abandoned for now.

"If you don't know about Grimm, or Aura, then you really aren't from around here and there's too much to explain right here and now. I'll summarise, humanity exists on ten percent of the world that we know of. The rest belongs to the Grimm. And she is either the source or directly connected to it. I've been hunting her for a long time. But she wasn't supposed to be here. This was just a lead so I could find where her base is supposed to be." She grits her teeth and clenches her hands, seemingly done for now.

"Alone?" I state calmly.

She looks at me in askance.

"You have been hunting the source of, if you are correct, a force that has infested ninety percent of this world's land, on your own?"

"Remnant."

I look at her questioningly.

"The world is called Remnant. And yes. On my own. Everyone else gave up or was too cowardly…"

I won't back down from this.

"Not cowardly. Sane." I state calmly.

He eyes seem to light up as she glares at me. Something in her expression tells me to move carefully.

"Do you have a family Summer?" I ask.

Her expression softens, and she nods.

"A husband, Taiyang. And two daughters. Yang, my oldest, is eleven. And my youngest, Ruby, who is nine. Yang is my stepdaughter but I love her as if she were mine."

She is bound by duty. I can see it in her bearing and I can't judge her. She left her family behind to go and hunt the source of danger to them. Can I really say I had done any different? I ended my entire clan to safeguard my brother, and my village.

I'm no hypocrite.

"You shouldn't have been alone, but I won't judge you. I would have done the same."

She seems taken aback.

"That bastard Qrow wouldn't agree with you." she spits out through gritted teeth. "He was supposed to be my damn teammate but he just followed the headmasters orders like a good boy, I left Taiyang to protect the girls and hunted that bitch myself. The headmaster said my eyes were one of the keys to beating her." She seems on the edge of tears.

"It may surprise you to know, I have my own history with eyes of power."

She looks over at me in surprise. In response, I activate my Sharingan, black bleeding into red as my perception of the world shifts. She rocks back in response.

"Wow, they're so pretty." Suddenly she's in my face with her hands on my cheeks looking into my eyes.

Sharingan…pretty?

I body flicker to the other side of the fire as she pouts.

"No fair. I wanted to look at the pretty eyes."

"Most people say they are intimidating." I reply.

"How could glowy purple eyes be intimidating?"

…Purple?

I pull out my forehead protector, buffed to a mirror shine and look at myself in it.

My Sharingan is activated, but no longer the blood red it was previously. Instead the eyes are a deep glowing lavender purple, with the three tomoe present, but black lined white instead of pure black. And I can unfortunately see what she means by pretty.

Am I wrong for being annoyed? Red was much better for intimidation purposes. And what else is now different about them other than color? I will need to do some testing, and make sure they work the same way before I utilise them in combat.

Summer looks over my headband with undisguised interest, before looking back into my eyes.

It's easy to forget this is not my world, people don't know not to look us in our cursed eyes here.

"So, I'm pretty sure you have no idea where we are do you Itachi?" Summer interrupts my pou- , no, musing on the changes to my eyes.

"I have no idea, apologies. I was going to follow survival logic and follow the water downhill to the ocean.

She laughs, but it's a humorless thing.

"Right idea usually, not here though. This is the continent of Umbral which is the most north-westerly continent of the civilised lands if you weren't aware. Which you probably aren't because let's face it you don't seem to know anything about the world. We are in southwest Umbral to be exact. People… don't live here. Haven't for a very long time. All you will find here on this continent is ruins and extremely powerful Grimm."

She pulls a map out of one of her pouches and shows it to me.

It's a rough, hand drawn thing, but the point is made. She quickly points out a few points of interest for me on the map.

"So to our south-west across the sea is the Kingdom of Vacuo, that's where I was before I was here, I was attacked by assassins there and one thing led to another and I ended up getting some intel that there was a major bandit hideout here on the edge of Umbral that had connections to Salem, didn't think she would be here herself though."

I hum.

"It was likely a trap, difficult to believe assassins would be stupid enough to carry clues to their origin."

She sighs.

"I knew that that was likely, but it was the only lead I found in the past two years of travelling and searching backwater and ruin for any trace of her." She slumps down next to the fire and blows an errant piece of hair from her face.

"I have a question burning in my mind. Why aren't there literally armies of people hunting for this woman if she is connected to the Grimm, and they are such a problem?"

"Because only about eight people know she even exists, and of those eight only two really have any chance against her in combat. Me and Headmaster Ozpin." She replies flippantly.

I think there's probably a piece of info I am unaware of that makes her so casual about that. I can only deduce there is some sort of Op-Sec reason for keeping the queen of the Grimm a secret.

"Why wouldn't you tell more people so they can prepare though?" I question her earnestly.

In response, I get another sigh.

"Itachi I don't know where you are from, but I know that wherever it is you somehow don't have any Grimm. You have to understand that that is… unbelievable to me. So I may say things thinking you have basic understanding of something. Im sorry if I do that, let me know if I do okay."

I nod, as she reaches her hands out to warm them on the fire.

"The Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, if people knew that there was a dark queen of the Grimm, and that she was so powerful that there were maybe two, possibly three people on the planet who could probably face her in combat and survive, then the feelings of negativity would spike, and the Grimm attacks would increase. We could possibly even end up with another Grimm tide or two, which is where a massive congregation of Grimm attack a location all at once.

Add on to that that Salem is literally immortal and can only possibly be killed by someone with my eyes as far as I know, then you have a recipe for disaster if more than a few people know about her."

I nod, and rest back against the tree deep in thought. I've dealt with immortals before, Madara and Hidan come to mind as does Orochimaru. But something tells me that this is a different situation altogether.

Summer joins me and starts explaining the map she has with her while I analyse the situation.

She points out all the major city states, Vale, Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo and Menagerie. Spread across five continents of varying size. She then explains to me the academy system.

"So, usually people have a pretty standard route, you go to a primary combat academy till ya hit seventeen, and then you attend one of the main schools where you will pass or fail with a team of three others. Hunter teams always work in fours as Aura has a magnifying effect on the Grimm negativity attraction thingy. We only unlock the Aura of as few people as we can to get by so that we don't end up overwhelmed."

She pauses to make sure I am still listening.

"The main schools are Beacon, for Vale, Haven, for Mistral, Atlas, for Atlas, and Shade, for Vacuo. I'm from Beacon, and was on a team with my Husband, and a brother and sister from a family called Branwen. Raven and Qrow. Raven is Yang's mom and was my best friend. The four of us worked closely with the headmaster against Salem. Well until we split up."

I don't pry, I want to but I sense she wouldn't appreciate it right now. She ends up rambling about Beacon, and the staff and lessons and I let her. Content to absorb more information about my new world.

Dawns light is fully upon us and the sun is raising up into the sky.

"So what are you going to do now Itachi? With your family gone as you said and with you having no way back home?" She asks.

"I will probably hire myself out as a mercenary, I have no friends or family in these lands, and no other way to make a living as it stands."

"That's not going to happen." She retorts.

I look to her in askance.

"You saved my life dummy, did you think I was going to leave you to make your way in the world all by yourself? Especially when you don't know anything? No. You are coming home with me."

"Uh" Is my eloquent reply.

She smiles at me, but I don't understand the emotion she is trying to convey.

"I'm not letting a fourteen-year-old boy out into the world on his own with no support. Especially not after what you did for me. You will come home with me and I will introduce you to my daughters and Tai and we can make room for you to stay until you are sure about what you need to do. Qrow sometimes teaches at the Signal primary academy on Patch so I can ask him if he knows about any other portals too."

I feel bad about lying about the Shinigami. But I have a feeling it won't be impressed if I reveal its existence here. A cold shiver up my back tells me I am correct in my assumption.

"Anyway, let's head out, the forests will be filling back up with Grimm if Salem has left and dropped her close control. We need to get ahead of their spreading back out. I have a boat down by the tip of the south-eastern peninsula!"

She orients herself somehow and dashes off without a second thought. There's nothing left in our temporary camp so I quickly move to catch up. Taking to the trees I catch up with her and then overtake her.

"Hey no fair!"

 

[Salius]

Chapter 3 – Beneath Courage, Nothing


The trip southeast is perilous, as we get close to the coast the constant patrols of Grimm thicken. Multiple times we are forced to stop and take stock. Illusions, at least the ones not empowered by my Sharingan are tough to use on the regular Grimm. I am thankful that the Illusion I used when rescuing Summer was instinctively cast using my eyes or I would have been in real trouble.

Using my eyes brings a whole other set of problems though. The chakra cost is astronomical.

I suppose it makes some sort of sense, the Sharingan specifically gets stronger and more efficient with age and experience and technically this body is new. At least I hope that's the reason because I'm probably burning Hatake Kakashi levels of chakra when I keep my eyes activated at the moment.

For now I will stick with regular shinobi skills, they seem effective regardless.

I was worried that the Grimm would be reporting back what they knew to the witch, and that we would be in trouble with her learning of Summers continued survival, however Summer assures me that they don't seem to work that way. More like mindless soldiers directed to a place, they get more intelligent with age but seemingly have no reporting structure.

That's not to say it's impossible, just unlikely from what she knows.

That…doesn't fill me with confidence but I suppose I don't really have much of a choice but to believe it. We just have to make it to the coast and we should be clear. Even if I have to grab Summer and run on the water under the cliffs.
Hopefully it won't come to that.

The terrain roughens and the treeline becomes much sparser as we leave the blackened icy ground behind for intermittent grass and snow. The terrain finally turning to something more familiar.

The temperature however is still burning through my chakra like nothing else. Whatever this 'Aura' is of Summers it must be having a similar effect as she isn't showing any sign of being affected by this insane cold.

Then we arrive at 'The Wall.'

A sheer cliff of ice, jutting out at an angle that makes descent impossible on foot. And I don't see any ropes or stairs anywhere. On my own I could likely fashion a descent gear from wire to allow me to reach a point that I could chakra walk down at least part of this.

But with my chakra store as low as it is combined with the increased chakra cost that seems to be in place here, it just doesn't seem like a good idea.

"We made good time Itachi." Summer says though heavy breaths.

"So how do we get down, head up the cliff line until we hit a descent?"

She chuckles.

"Only if you want to travel the same distance we just did again. No, we are headed through a cave system, a remnant of some old ruins that cuts through the ice."

Not at all ominous.

…

The ruins lie not far from where we are, south along the cliff edge from our initial arrival point.

When she said 'ruins' I expect a few ancient decaying houses, maybe a temple or something along those lines.

What I didn't expect was a large metallic structure, made of some unknown metal and dotted with green lit crystal. Carvings and scripture of a sort I have never before seen dot the cracked and crumbling stone pillars that are seemingly haphazardly placed to support the creaking and rusting structure above.

"What is this place?" I query.

She just shrugs in response.

"Who knows? There are things like this all over Remnant. Maybe something from the ancient days, could be some sort of aura tower or something someone tried to build to fend off the Grimm. That's a job for dusty old archaeologists like Prof Port at Beacon. For a Huntress, all we need to know is 'Are there Grimm or bandits around.' And in a place like this the answer is almost always 'yes' to Grimm.

My curiosity unsated, but without the time to really explore, I sigh, and follow Summer to a stone and metal inlaid door, at the center of one of the many metal spires dotted around. The door is already ajar.

"This is how I came up originally, there wasn't much inside, a few small Capyvara, burrowing rat-like Grimm. But nothing major. With them all riled up from the fight at the black ruins though…" she trails off looking uneasily at the blackened depths ahead of us.

"We move with stealth?" I ask, a feeling of unease deep inside my chest as I look to the threshold.

She nods and moves into the door. As she moves to enter, I slap my head as I remember my scrolls.

"I have a spare weapon for you while we move, give me a moment."

I pull out my storage scroll. Only there's an extra scroll here. The symbol on the scroll is the Shinigami's symbol. With a note.

"Open me."

Shuddering internally I move the scroll to the bottom of my pack. I think I will leave that one for later. Grabbing my regular scroll I pull out my backup ninjato and hand it to her. She looks over my scroll in interest.

"Cool trick." She says, undisguised curiosity clear in her expression. "Thanks Itachi, been a while since I've used a sword but I think I can make it work."

She inspects the blade in interest, pausing over the hiltless handle seemingly expecting something different from the weapon, before nodding and sheathing the weapon at her hip.

Sword in hand, she makes her way into the doorway, and to a set of stone steps below.

…

A large and winding spiral staircase opens up into a cavern of pure black ice below. For what purpose would such a structure be made? The carving of the tunnels seems deliberate, some sort of defensive fortification? Against what? The Grimm? Are they so powerful to require geological engineering of this sort?

Regardless, the tunnels are warmer than they should be, so something strange is afoot. The tunnels ripple and shimmer as we walk in silence.

Most of the caverns are lit through some unknown source, flat green lights embedded in some of the walls, no source of energy discernible.

Summer stops every so often to pick something up from the ground. A trail maybe? I'm glad she seems to know where we are going as I am beyond lost. Maybe I should have used the Sharingan to memorise the route so far. Well hindsight will not aid me now. I just have to rely on Summer.

As we walk, we are occasionally harassed by rats, black as the night sky with great bleached bone masks inscribed with red symbology. Summer flickers up the tunnel taking them out one by one, but I can tell she is tiring. Still nowhere close to recovered from yesterday, even with the nights sleep.

Occasionally I catch her looking at me, deep in thought. She is still wary of me, I can tell. But she tries to cover it up with jokes and overacted smiles.
I don't blame her.

The rumbling of rocks is our only warning before a veritable avalanche of ice is charging towards us from further up in the tunnels.
"RUN!" Summer screams and starts flickering forward in a burst of petals.

Not needing to be told twice I start body flickering after her. I am no Shisui, but I can hold my own. We flicker down the main tunnel, deeper and deeper into the ground before Summer stops at a junction and grabs my attention.

"We cant go any deeper! This part goes properly underground. It's not safe!" she screams, darting into a side tunnel marked with a red piece of cloth.

We charge into the side tunnel intent on continuing our mad dash, however we are blocked by a writhing mass of umbral flesh. A veritable avalanche of Capyvara is undulating towards us.

Without pause summer reaches into the pouch at the side of her chest and pulls out a red vial.

"Was hoping I wouldn't need to use this."

She holds the vial and her borrowed blade together, before popping the cork and pulling out what looks like shimmering red grains of sand. She glows red as the blade lights up in an inferno.

Flashing forward the air between us and the mass of rats is lit up with blazing slashes of fire. Their bodies dissipate in a cacophony of screeches as she clears the way.

She wavers, exhaustion clear on her face but she turns to me with a nod as we continue our mad dash through the tunnel system, slightly uphill this time.

As we reach the end of the lit part of the tunnel we are in, a light ahead promises freedom. Natural blue light from the daytime sky outside.

The ground crumbles as a black pit opens beneath our feet. I am able to stop in time but Summer is not so lucky. She falls into the blackened pit with a scream.

Not today. I didn't save her life from that pale Oni to lose her here. I pull my ninja wire and attach it to my kunai. Diving into the pit after her I start layering thrown wind enhanced kunai into the icy ceiling above.

I catch her halfway through her fall into the cavernous pit below, the ground below scattered with hundreds, no, thousands of Capyvara, screeching and hissing all the while. My cable pulls as I desperately channel chakra to winch me in. My arm yanks painfully before a snapping sensation at the shoulder tells me I have just dislocated my shoulder.

The chakra cost of everything is cursed! My damn control is in the wind as I fail a basic chakra control exercise I learned in the damned academy. The cracking of my shoulder indicating an improperly applied winching manoeuvre. What the hell is going on with my chakra. Control is my speciality!

She gasps in relief clutching her ribs where I grabbed her non too gently as I gasp in pain from my currently useless arm, hanging from ninja wire as an avalanche of snow and ice pours from the hole we fell through, crushing the beasts below.

Summer grasps onto my chest looking at my dangling arm in fear as blood drips from the wire lashed wounds on my forearm.

"Summer, I need you to move to my back and grab on as tightly as you can so I can swap arms on the wire."

She nods, white with fear and clutched onto my back in a piggyback as I gingerly swap my left arm over to carrying my weight and uncoil the cable from my right.

My arm is a mess, but we have bigger things to worry about right now than a bit of blood.

"Summer, can you reset my shoulder from there or will we need to be on the ground."

She looks a little green at the thought.

"I – I can do it here Itachi. But it will hurt, don't drop us ya hear!"

She puts on a faux tone of humour but I can tell the fear is real.

I wrap the wire tightly and brace myself as she yanks my shoulder back into the socket. I hiss as the joint pops from being relocated. Channelling my rapidly dwindling chakra to the area I start the healing process.

The pouring snow and ice has stopped now and I should hopefully be able to pull us up to the original tunnel. It's slow going with one properly functional arm, but the chakra winching technique carries me through and I manage to get us back up into the tunnel.

Summer drops to her knees on the solid ground offering a prayer to some unknown deity.

Then she glomps on to me in relief.

"That's two I owe you kid." She whispers as she clutches me like a floatation aid.

"We need to move on, get into proper light so we can check our injuries." I don't miss how she is clutching her ribs, likely one or more cracked from the force I stopped us with and how hard I grabbed her.

She lets go and with another worried glance at my arm, she leads the way up the tunnel, slower this time. The way behind us is blocked now, filled with ice. We were lucky in a way that the hole on the floor opened up as it allowed the avalanche to drain into the caverns below instead of blocking what looks to be our only way out.

We exit the upward tunnel into another cave of ice, but this one has a vista out to the open air below. Looking out of the gaping hole in the wall, we are at an equivalent ruin as the one above, this one an outdoor staircase and bridge structure leading over to thankfully green woodland.

The terrain and weather in this world is wild. Seeing no movement behind us but not wanting to take the chance, we close and bar the inner door behind us, and take stock.

My arm is thankfully not broken, I may have messed up the winching technique somehow but my reinforcement at least saved the bone. The muscle wasn't so lucky I have strains and sprains up and down my arm from my wrist to my shoulder.
Summer unlatches her outer vest and pulls up her shirt at the side to show black bruised ribs on the lower left half of her chest.

"I don't think theyre broken Itachi but cracked is a certainty. My Aura will heal it but I don't think we have time to stop, and I am low on Aura as it is." She says while wrapping her ribs and reclothing herself.
Wrapping bandages around the wire burns and cuts on my arm, I nod in acknowledgement.

"My chakra is low, and my control is not working properly in this place. I don't know what is going on but everything is incredibly expensive compared to how it usually is, and the control ratios are completely different."
She grimaces.

"It might be because we are on Umbral. Aura doesn't work right here either, I usually have a lot more staying power than this. Something about this continent saps energy from people, it's why there are no settlements here, well of anyone not aligned with Salem anyway."

I pull out some more survival rations and hand a few over to Summer before taking a soldier pill and more than the usual amount of rations myself. My food is half gone now, but after that experience we need to move with alacrity and I don't have time for natural restoration. The combination of added calories and the chakra pill gives me a much-needed boost.

Finishing our meal, I check over my wounds for one last time, comfortable that I am at least fully combat fit, if a little in pain while my chakra heals me.

"Let's go."

 

[Salius]

Chapter 4 – A Paragon of Virtue


After escaping the ruins and finally making out way to properly green lands, we pick up speed. Summer is not comfortable at first given the state of her ribs, but for every mile that passes our speed increases as our amplified healing starts picking up some of the slack.

Our run is going well, and we are making good time to the coast. Summer is unbelievably fast for someone without a hint of Chakra.

Inevitably however, we are stopped by one of the roaming packs of Grimm at a narrow pass without a reasonable way around. And I finally get my first up close daytime look at the full-sized Grimm.

They are disgusting, both in bearing and to my chakra sense. Something about them causes my very spirit to recoil in utter disgust. The rats were bad, but their size made them much harder to sense as individuals, feeling more akin to a rolling tide of corruption. These ones that actually have an individual presence of their own feel much worse.

And there are people who ally themselves with these… things. Willingly?

Despicable.

This is a pack of 'Beowolf' according to Summer. Though more armored than the usual sort apparently.

"Let me deal with this Itachi."

She smirks and reaches back to her holster. Her weapon-less empty holster. Then she sinks down to the ground in despair.

"I promise Piercing Rose, even though your new little sister will be an upgrade in every way I will never forget about you." she whispers.

"Do you need a moment?" I ask her in a deadpan voice. She looks at me with a playful glare.

"I'll deal with them with the sword!" she suddenly exclaims.

"Don't bother, you said yourself your Aura is still quite low and your ribs aren't in a great condition. Let me handle these."

I draw a kunai in my left hand. Let's test the durability.

I flicker to the rear of the pack, quickly stabbing my Kunai into the back of one of their necks between bony spines where there is no armor. It drops like a stone.

Flickering back to Summer I have to ask.

"Are they usually this fragile?"

She looks on in disbelief.

"They act like injuries that should affect them in certain ways do. If you black out an eye, they get less accurate almost mathematically to the percentage of eyes you have taken out as an example. Take an ear and they'll barely be able to hear you. Don't assume they will act like a real beast or follow real life logic; they're not made of flesh. So yeah, giving them a spine severing injury should dissipate them like it would end a normal person."

Good to know.

"How are they with fire?" I smirk.

"Normal fire doesn't do much. Dust enhanced fire it depends on the potency really."

I speed over to two stragglers and take them out in the same way as the first. The rest are grouped up which means one thing. I need to test my core techniques anyway.

I weave my signs and incant.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Leaping in the air I aim the technique down into the pack, controlling the technique for heat intensity rather than size. I don't technically need the hand signs anymore, but for tweaking the output on the fly it's much less taxing on the chakra. Taking a deep breath and breathing out the Uchiha signature technique into the crowd, the beowolves go up in a massive gout of red-hot flame without any chance to dodge.

When the fire burns out, there is nothing left of them.

Flickering back to Summer, I nod at her and indicate for us to move on. She doesn't listen though just stares at there the pack was previously stood with her jaw dropped.

"That. Was. Amazing!!" She grabs me by the shoulder and starts recounting the fight. "You were like bam pow swish zoom. 'I'm not taking any crap from you today Mr Beowolf, eat weaponised sign language!' Fwoosh boom! And without dust too? Is this your semblance? Do you even have semblances wherever you are from? Can you make more fire? Bigger fire?" She continues on like this at a breakneck speed I can barely understand for a few minutes before I finally manage to get a word in edgeways.

"I can show you more later, we need to make toward your boat do we not?" I ask in exasperation.

"Why didn't you do that in the tunnel though? Burning rats and all?" she pouts.

"I was low on Chakra, and while the pill I took at the ruin exit kickstarted my chakra regeneration you can only take one per day and I won't be able to make more once I run out unless you have equivalent plants here somewhere. In addition, firing off fireballs in a tunnel made of ice feels like a poor plan. And with my control shot how it is I'm not using nonprimary elements until I can test them, thoroughly."

She nods in understanding, and we make to move on.

With nothing more to say, we head for the coast. The tree line is thin enough here that I can see glimmering snippets of ocean off in the distance, downhill from us the bay is quite a way ahead of us still.

While we run I reflect on the chakra usage from my fireball test. It used roughly what I expected it to. Compared to back at home.

There's some sort of theme here I know it. I just need to tease out the connection. Illusions and elemental techniques come easily, more easily than they should given my apparent age. Non-elemental techniques and personal enhancement is much more expensive than back home, even compared to back in the academy when I was barely five years old it was easier to enhance myself than it is now.

…

After a long dash punctuated by dead Beowolves, we arrive at the bay as the sun hits passes its zenith. Intermittent attacks by Grimm are fended off with relative ease and Summer seems pensive the closer we get.

"We will be sailing straight for the island of Patch, where Taiyang and the kids live and where I am from..." She says with a tense expression before continuing.

"I've… not been back in over two years now. I've been a little obsessed with my hunt. Tai might not be happy to see me so im just letting you know in advance in case it ends up in a spar or something. Don't want you jumping in you hear!"

I nod, it's reminiscent of how father and mother used to resolve arguments.

"Good, because when I tell him I've basically adopted a fourteen-year-old, oh boy he's gonna be maaaaaad." She chuckles.

"Adopted?" I look at her in disbelief.

"What else do you call inviting a fourteen-year-old kid to live with you when he has nowhere else to go?"

Okay so maybe she has a point. But I don't need a replacement family.

"Let's not move too fast, I will stay with you for a few days but I don't promise any more than that. I refuse to sit idle nor will I go to one of these "primary combat schools" you speak of. My schooling was over seven years ago I have no interest in returning." I make my point cleanly. 14 years old this body may be, but I am a twenty-one-year-old man and I don't need adopting or schooling."

She nods knowingly.

"Trust me kiddo, once you've eaten my cooking for a few days, you'll never want to leave."

She smirks and dashes off toward the beach with me stuttering in tow.

She trusts too easily. If she knew what I was…

…

"What is that?" I question her in disbelief.

The 'boat' she mentioned is basically a skiff, barely seaworthy from the looks of things.

"This is my Braver, she's sailed me through thick and thin she has." She nods with a self-satisfied look.

"Please tell me you are joking and this is just a raft we are using to get to the real boat." I plead with her.

She laughs uproariously.

"Itachi my boy, let me introduce you to the wonders of MECHASHIFT!"

She kicks out at the skiff and it starts to change, nothing major, it's still a very small vessel, but it at least doesn't look like a collection of scrap metal and prayers anymore. It even has some sort of engine on the back. And an actual mast.

Without realising it I sigh in relief.

This just makes her laugh all the more.

"When we get back to Patch, I am putting you on some sort of remedial education. The books won't kill you, but it will feel like they will!"

I shake my head as she pushes the boat into the ocean waves.

I take a seat opposite her as she starts the engine and deploys a sail from somewhere in the mast. The mechanics of it hurt my eyes.

Maybe I do need some sort of education on the things possible in this new world.

"Hey Itachi, do you trust me?" she asks as we move out to sea.

"I do." And it feels strange that I can genuinely say I do. She reminds me heavily of my mother, crossed with Uzumaki Kushina. Maybe that's why I find it so easy to travel with her.

"Close your eyes and reach deep into yourself for your very core."

So when she says trust she means actual trust. Thinking back to the Shinigami's last words to me, I decide to take a leap of faith.

I close my eyes and feel Summer reach out and put her hand on my face.

…

I want to trust Itachi. I really do. His eyes are so sad, too sad for a kid his age.

He's powerful too, in a way not many people are. Strength comes easily to him, you can just tell. No-one is so quietly competent at what they do without a long story behind them. And to be this powerful at his age? Those stories aren't the ones with happy beginnings.

But it's too convenient. He has no Aura at all, I'm pretty talented at feeling Aura and his is non-existent. Whatever he uses to do all the crazy shit he does, some of it casually and without thinking. Well, it definitely isn't Aura.

But that gives me an opportunity.

The kid needs a family, you can see it in every glance, In every action. He's like a cat, that was abused for too long and doesn't know how to live with a family anymore. And he saved my life too! Twice! Plus, cool fireballs are always a great addition in my eyes.

But I can't bring him near the girls, near Tai, without being sure of his intentions. He was lying about the portal but I got no sense of lies from him when he said he wasn't with Salem. His lack of knowledge… It's strange, and unnerving.

It's almost like he's from another world entirely. But that's stupid right? Maybe he's from some distant unknown village in Mistral…

Him not having his aura active is an opportunity. If I activate his Aura for him, then I will get to feel his soul brush up against mine.

And I will know for sure. Hopefully he will forgive me for not trusting him, especially after he saved my life twice over. But weighing up my daughters lives, I have to know.

What are you Itachi Uchiha?

He closes his eyes; I knew he would. We've come to understand a little of each other on our long sprint through the wilderness.

"Reach down into your very depths and feel for that thing that makes you, you. You will know when you find it."

I put my hand on his face, as I did for Ruby all those years ago.

"For it is in loving that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a protector, of friends and of family. To give acceptance above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and within my arms, accept thee."

And then I feel it. The core of his being.

The warrior, the guardian, the orphan, the reaper.

The pacifist.

I feel his love for a lost family member, I feel the heartbeat of his soul, beating through his being. Beautiful and boundless. The remnant of an ancient curse, broken through will and way.

His Aura is a beautiful shimmering light blue-violet colour. He is incredibly powerful, his Aura vast and full of that spark of life.

This is no servant of Salem, no infiltrator or assassin sent to end me and mine. This is a kid who took on too much, too soon. A proud and fearless warrior, protecting the light from within the depths of the dark.

He opens his eyes and looks into mine in fear, and not a small amount of longing. As I feel his soul, he too feels mine.

I take him in my arms as he weeps openly, for the first time a soul free to experience the world from the black cage it had been locked within.

And I feel love once again for another kid, again not one I made myself, but no lesser because of it.

Then his eyes roll back into his head and he faints. Breaking the moment.

I have an awful lot to teach you kid.

…

I don't know what to expect when Summer puts her hand gently on my cheek.

What I don't expect if for her soul to brush up against mine. I feel warmth, and love as she teases out the very core of my being from deep within my hara. My chakra explodes within my coils, surging and crashing like waves against the eight gates as the ceiling on my capacity is shattered, and images flash across my mind.

I see love, and family. Duty and honor, all warring with innocence and hope. I see conflict and care but above all a deep longing for safety. Not for herself, but for the people she loves. I see a pair of silver eyes looking deep into the very core of my being, and accepting what I am. They tell me that I am not irredeemably evil, not broken by the tragedies I have witnessed, and caused. But tempered by them. In one solitary moment they accuse me and then absolve me as if in a single heartbeat. And I am washed away with the immensity of love.

Is this how other people love all the time? I only ever got close to this with Sasuke.

I feel a strange heat, a power raising up from my feet and raising to my head. It caresses me, free like the wind but hot like the fire of my family. It wraps around my eyes, around my chakra coils. It's curious, almost, innocent. Teasing and tugging at me, touching my chakra and almost jumping back with a laugh as the chakra chases it around my body. My spiritual energy surges and I almost feel the laughter as they entwine and reinforce each other.

I feel physical manifestations of Susanoo, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu leap to my defence from behind the cage protecting my mangekyo, and then lay quiescent inside my very being, content that this is not an attack. I feel the latent Kamui, and Izanagi and Izanami rest in fitful sleep as if realising they are not needed right now. I feel the corpse of Kotoamatsukami as the fear of that kind of power being too powerful for any hand to wield is washed away by the very power of my soul itself burning it from existence.

And I feel beyond it, to a library of other Mangekyo abilities, not native to the main branch of the Uchiha but lying dormant for every Mangekyo Sharingan. Sat just outside space and time. Waiting for their call to arms.

And I finally feel at peace, for the first time since father first took me out onto the battlefield and forced me to commit every death to memory, until the stress was too great and the Sharingan was awakened, committing every death and every tragedy to its photographic memory. And as I bask in a feeling I have never felt before in my life, tears stream down my face.

And it is glorious.

I feel myself passing out from the sheer weight of knowledge, as Summer looks on in panic.

…

I awaken to the sound of waves, lay in the core of the boat I look up to see Summer concentrating and looking forward.

I groan as my muscle protest at me.

"Hey sleepyhead, welcome back to the waking world. How are you feeling?" she asks, with a guilty smile.

And I feel better than I ever have before in my life.

"I feel…incredible. It's like I've eaten sugar and caffeine and had stimulants injected directly into me. What in the world was that you did?" I am more open and animated than I've ever felt like being but something about this feeling just makes me want to shout it to the world.

Summer looks down in guilt.

"I had to be sure you know, I'm thankful for what you did but I had to know. So I activated your Aura for you. When our souls touched, it guaranteed we would feel the intentions of the other. I wouldn't have done it Itachi, but I had to be sure before you met my daughters. I hope you understand."

And I do.

I don't feel angry, I don't feel betrayed or hurt. I don't feel that Uchiha madness, that dark angry flame that comes with betrayal is absent.

And in spite of myself, I laugh out loud. Not a cruel and mocking laugh as I was wont to use previously, but a real laugh.
"Thank you for this gift." I reply.

And I actually mean it. I feel like I've spent my life until now as a blind man. The height of irony given my family.

I sink into meditation as I look to wrench my hyperactive chakra back under control.

There is another energy there, lay just under the surface of my skin, just waiting to be unleashed. I won't be touching that until I get some proper answers.

…

Finally coming down from my soul induced sugar high, I take stock of our situation. My skin is itching and my chakra is incredibly overactive at the minute, jolting through my coils like lightning looking for something to ground on.

We have been at Sea for a while it seems, the coastline behind us is barely even a blip in the distance, the great black mountains of Umbral slowly fading off into the sea mist.

Ahead of us, the open water, though somehow Summer seems to know where she is going. Not long into the journey she takes a strange device out of her pouch, but glares at it and murmurs to herself.

"Damn, still out of range."

She looks at me apologetically.

"I usually use my scroll to navigate on the longer trips but the network doesn't reach out this far so I'm kinda playing it by ear right now. As long as we keep sailing in this general direction though we should get a network soon and then I can veer us toward Patch." She explains.

"Are we at full speed?" I query her.

"Wind's not great, but engine power should get us there soon enough, I have enough fire dust in the engine to keep us going for a good while."

I really need to learn the intricacies of this 'dust'.

"How much wind can the sail take? I am assuming it isn't as fragile as it looks?"

She returns me a flat look.

"My baby can take any wind thrown at her." She states imperiously.

Let's test that and give my hyperactive chakra an outlet shall we.

I start making hand signs as Summer looks on in undisguised interest.

"Wind Style – Great Breakthrough"

A gale picks up, toward the direction we are currently sailing. I hold the final seal of the sequence to keep a constant wind going. The technique is a lot cheaper than I remember but controlling it is taking all of my concentration. It's almost like my chakra is eager and alive and desperate to fuel the technique and is falling over itself to be consumed.

"Wahooooo yeah now this is what I'm talking about." Summer has her hands in the air and is yelling in happiness as the sail billows and we start moving rapidly.

She turns to me, red faced and grinning.

"If nothing else Itachi, you have a lucrative career as a sailor in front of you if you are ever low on cash."

I nod and smile, too engrossed on keeping my unruly chakra in line and controlled. The strange pattern continues, the elemental technique being incredibly easy, almost eager to be utilised and costing barely anything, but in exchange being heinously difficult to control. The secondary energy, my 'Aura' content to simply experience the technique, touching itself to my chakra but not immersing itself within it.

I feel strangely excited to see what aura can do compared to my chakra.

 

[Salius]

This chapter kicked my ass, the next one is kicking my ass worse. Chapter 7 and 8 are technically ready to post now and that should wrap up the prologue arc before the timeskip to 'Canon' times but damn is writing meaningful dialogue and personal interaction a killer. Please let me know what you think about the dialogue in this one and especially in the next one because it is literally my biggest weakness as a writer and i want to get better at it.


Chapter 5 – A Return of Sorts


Once the wind technique was in place, it was only a matter of time before we made our way back to signs of civilisation. Summer has warned me that there are aquatic Grimm the size of the ruins we left back on Umbral so while I handle the propulsion, she is keeping watch.

Thankfully, this time our luck does hold. Summer switches her 'scroll' back on and jumps in glee as she gets the connection she is looking for.

And before long, following her directions, the glimmering lights of Patch are lit up on the horizon.

She starts talking, mostly to herself but I obviously can't help but overhear.

"Maybe I should call ahead, but its been over two years summer don't be stupid. They probably hate you by now. What do I say. "Sorry Tai, I did exactly what Raven did to you even if it was for a different reason.". What if he has moved on already?"

I interrupt her before she gets herself locked in a loop.

"Summer, are you okay?"

She looks over at me with a look of dread.

"I've been gone for over two years, closer to two and a half now and I haven't called or written or anything. I had my crusade and until nearly dying snapped me out of it I've not cared about anything but killing that bitch to fix my te- to save the world."
She hangs her head.

"I hope they can forgive me." She says in an extremely depressed tone.

"Listen, you are probably in for trouble. You know that. So face it head on. It's not going to get any better if you leave it another two and a half years. Unless you plan on dying and leaving your daughters without a mother, then you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from just ripping off the bandage."

She looks deep in thought.

"You are right, but I never thought it would be so hard. Part of me thinks 'Did I ever expect to return?' Ya know?"

I have no answer to that.

…

The main town on Patch seems … eclectic. Not that we actually enter the town itself. Probably not much smaller then Konoha all told, though much looser packed on the outskirts than Konoha is. Many of the houses are simple log cabins, but there are all sorts of differing forms of architecture interspersed including higher rise buildings off in the distance toward what I assume is the town center.

The only overarching theme is that everything seems intentionally designed to be quick to rebuild. But given the state of the world I have to assume that that's the case mostly everywhere. There's a palisade wall of sorts, of a technology i do not recognise, but I have to assume that Grimm attacks are quite rare here as it isn't very large. Well patrolled though, I can make out three separate angles of guard coverage only from the small segment I am observing. So they take defense seriously at least.

Summer docks us at a wooden jetty, not far outside the town limits and far enough from the wall that even if we are seen we are unlikely to be recognised. Well Summer anyway, if anyone recognises me here then there are bigger things to worry about.
We head out into the woods, far enough that the sounds and signs of civilization are far behind us. This place is a huge contrast to the forest we left back on Umbral, even the green forest. The evil in the air is much thinner here, and we have seen no sign of Grimm whatsoever.

And the for the entire trip Summer is mumbling, wringing her hands. A few times she seems like she is going to turn back. Only to square her shoulders and push forward. Freshly determined all over again.
Then I see it, a large wooden cabin in the woodland, a garden, signs of children and dogs scattered around the expansive yard. Smoke billows from a large chimney as we approach. The lights upstairs are dimmed but there are still lights illuminating the ground floor.

We stop at a shaded door, lanterns flutter on either side of us as Summer builds up her courage.

She knocks. Once, a determined and yet hollow thing. And I hear movement and grumbling inside the expansive building.

"Who the hell is knocking at this time, this better not be those punks from town playing pran-"

The door cracks open on a chain, inside a blonde man of imposing figure is stood, looking at Summer with a look of utter shock on his face. As pale as if he had met evil spirits at his door.

Then the door slams shut and I hear the frantic sound of fumbling with a chain on the other side of the door, before the door slams open again fully this time.

The man, Tai reaches out as if to touch Summer, before pulling his hand back and simply gaping.

"Hey Tai, hows everything go-"

He snaps his hand up and Summer closes her mouth with a gulp.

"It must be the first of April or something because I'm pretty sure a dead woman just knocked on my door as if she didn't abandon her family three years ago." He spits out through gritted teeth.

"Well it's closer to two and a ha- okay shutting up now." She grimaces as his expression twists between grief and rage.

He continues to just stare, his eyes flickering to me and then back to Summer.

"Are you just going to make us stand on the doorstep Tai or can I come in and explain myself."

He steps aside.

"Feel free, its your house as much as mine isn't it. Don't wake the girls. I don't want them getting their hopes up for the third time they get abandoned by a mother."

A flicker of hurt on Summers face, replaced quickly by acceptance.

All I can think is 'third time?'.

…

Taiyang leads us through the door into an expansive living room. It's well furnished, Bookshelves and paintings dot the outskirts of the room and a strange illusionary screen rests on a wooden shelving unit seemingly dedicated to it. A green lounging set dominates the center of the room, arrayed around a low table.

The decoration couldn't be more different from home, but it is homely for certain.

"Hey, you decorated, it looks good!" Summer cringes at herself as she sits down on the bigger of the two cushioned chairs and pats the seat next to her in invitation."

Taiyang is in what looks to be a kitchen, off through an open threshold to our immediate right, puttering around and muttering to himself around what looks to be a kettle of sorts. Before long he returns with a teapot and cups, hands shaking and shoulders tense as he pours.

The tea is strange compared to home, but quite delicious as he pulls a single person chair to the opposite side of the table from us and sits, watching us drink without saying a word.

He seems to be waiting for Summer to speak first.

"She was going to come for Ruby, Tai. I had to find her first and at least try to use my eyes to stop her." Summer starts, but he simply rolls his eyes.

"You are a fucking idiot Summer." He growls out.

She's taken aback for a short moment, before getting a dangerous glint in her eye.

"An idiot for protecting our daughter Tai?"

"Did you come here to give weak excuses Summer? If that was all you wanted to do you may as well have skipped us and headed out to Beacon. Ozpin might accept your weak shit but I won't. The girls. Come. First. You don't understand. Just like Raven didn't understand."

Raven?

As each second passes i feel more and more out of place witnessing this argument. I should have stayed outside while they hashed this out.

She rears back. Unwilling to back down.

"And why do you think I left! I had to basically exile myself to the other side of the fucking continents after Tyrian fucking Callows himself cornered me in Windpath and told me his goddess wanted my eyes to disappear. I barely got out with my life!"

Taiyang however is absolutely not backing down.

"And what did you think we would think when Qrow found your fucking backup weapon abandoned in a destroyed Inn in Mistral? Your old clothes, covered in blood? An entire village, massacred! Did you not think it was maybe a good idea to call?"

"We don't know if the network can be trusted! You know that! Ozpin told you himself about his worries about what Atlas or Mistral could do. If Tyrian wanted my eyes to disappear, then he had to want to come for Ruby as well. I had to make the first move. I had to lead them away. I had to Tai I can't lose anyone else."

She starts to sob and I see a flicker in Taiyang's expression.

He still cares for her.

"It's not enough that I couldn't even see you or the girls for the best part of three years. Couldn't even risk contacting Oz as you know how trusting he is of Ironwood and how much I can't stand that man. Lionhearts a nonentity and who knows what Vacuo are up to at the best of times. I've almost been assassinated four times! And I finally find a lead to where Callows is holed up and instead I run into Salem herself!"

He goes white. Before looking at me and frowning.

"Is it safe for the kid to be here listening to this? Who the fuck is he anyway? You picking up strays Summer?"

She turns red with rage.

"Don't disrespect him. He's the reason I'm still alive. Twice. When Salem ambushed me with an army of Grimm he was the one who extracted me. When I fell into a fucking alpha nest of Capivara he was the one to dislocate his arm pulling me out."
He looks to my bandaged arm and then back to me.

"Kid, can you clear out for a second, I need to talk to my wife in private."

Summer goes to yell again but I hold up both my hands in a disarming gesture.

"You two clearly need to talk. I'll be on the roof keeping watch, shout me from the door if you need me."

I body flicker to the door, before leaving and flickering to the roof.

Things are far too complicated right now. Emotions are too high. They need to hash this out between them.

There are two more life signs in the house, both upstairs directly under me for the moment. Must be the two daughters. How they've remained asleep is beyond me. I can still hear bits of the argument from here though my senses are probably a lot more advanced.

I lay back on the metal eaves and stare up at the fractured moon above. This place is truly beautiful.

The sound of arguing continues below me as they whisper yell back and forth at each other. I catch the odd word. Something about not being able to trust me because of where she found me. When she explains about my Aura it seemingly shocks him though.

…

"I'm going to ask you one question, and I want an honest answer Summer. You know I will know if you lie."

He will, he always has. I could never hide anything from him.

I nod in agreement.

"Is he a Branwen?"

…What?

"What, no! Of course not, what do you think I am?"

He looks wound up and ready to burst.

"Have you looked at the kid Summer, I mean really looked at him? He's literally a male clone of Raven when we were in Beacon."

And he catches me cold. He's right. I don't know why I didn't see it before. He really is the spitting image of my ex best friend.

"I can promise you Tai, regardless of the resemblance. He is not related to Raven. In fact. I suspect he isn't from this world or possibly this time at all!"

Now it's his turn to be shocked.

"…What?"

"Tai, he could throw massive Grimm slaying fireballs and move faster than me without his damn aura activated. He appeared, apparently from a portal of all things, bruised and exhausted in the middle of nowhere and only managed to help me by sheer chance."

"He could have been lying!"

"Tai, he isn't lying. I activated his Aura on the boat on the way over. You know the rules. You can't activate it twice. I saw everything Tai. He is deep. Not like a well, but like an ocean. There's so much to him he's almost bursting. He's got more of a past than all of us put together. He needs help. And I don't know if the brother gods put him here, or if some twist of fate put him in my path. But if it wasn't for him I would be dead twice over."

He rests his head in his hands and taps his forehead. Its one of his tells, always has been. When he agrees to something but doesn't want to appear too hasty.

"How old is he, thirteen?"

"Fourteen or fifteen, I'm not quite sure. Whatever he is though Tai, don't treat him like a kid. He's been fighting as hard as any hunter for a decade."

"Since he was FIVE?" he almost yells out.

"At least. He's an orphan now, but if whatever family he came from is alive anywhere I hope they all burn in hell."

He nods. His teeth gritted and hands clenched. He hates child abusers more than almost anyone.

"Tai, if you want me to leave I will. I won't challenge you on the girls, as long as you let me see them I don't have any right to. But you have to believe me, I didn't leave because I don't love you. I left because I couldn't risk losing you. It tears me up every day. It is killing me inside. I can't even promise I would have come back had what happened over the past few days not happened. But I can promise you I love you and I didn't want to hurt you."

He sighs.

"There is a gravestone out in the shrouded wood for you. Qrow takes Ruby and Yang out there at least once a month when he has time. If they forgive you, I can work on forgiving you. If they don't. That's your answer."

He heads for the kitchen. "Call the kid back in. He can stay for as long as you do. I can already see he has a place in your heart. I won't stop you. I suppose it's karma. You became the mother to my daughter. I suppose I can see about forming a relationship with your new kid."

And you know, even though that wasn't really what I intended.

It feels right.

…


After what feels like hours of restless meditation, Summer gently calls my name from the front door.

Making my way back into the living room, Taiyang pours me another drink.

"Okay kid, Summers explained for you, and me and the girls at least owe you one for making sure there's someone for us left to yell at so you can stay for now. She's explained some stuff and I'm a teacher of hunters, so maybe when you heal we can see about your abilities yeah?"

I nod, sipping from my drink.

"Must be from a long way away if you didn't even know what Grimm are, but the soul doesn't lie. We will need to speak to Headmaster Ozpin though, that's non-negotiable."

He waits for me to acknowledge.

"That is agreeable, I have no idea what to do with myself as it is anyway. I graduated a long time ago."

His expression feels a bit like pity, but something… deeper.

"No problem. Anyway, Summer will be sticking around for a while, she has a lot to make up for to the girls and that's my condition for letting her move back in. And while im still not happy with her, I'm not going to keep the girls from their mother. She said you were looking to stay for a few days and while my brain tells me to leave it at that, my heart tells me that you have to stay. So kid, don't feel for one second like we are in a rush to have you go. She told me what you did. Crazy stuff. And I owe you big."

He puts a meaty hand on my shoulder and squeezes.

"Sleep on that couch for now, I have some old sleeping gear that should fit you, if loosely. I will clear out the attic for you tomorrow and we can look to get you something proper bought up from Patch."

...

 

[Salius]

Chapter 6 – What is found in Family


Sleep came poorly last night. Between frantic whispered arguments between Summer and Taiyang, followed by tearful murmurs of desperate forgiveness and reunion followed by… another type of reunion. There wasn't much chance of me getting a decent sleep in an open room seemingly connected to every other room in the house.

I suppose things move a little faster in a world where death was never far away. Not like ANBU was any different though.

The walls in this house are thick wooden logs and yet are still far too thin for someone with my senses. And pulling them in is utterly worthless for some reason. Either the strange behaviour of my chakra or possibly something to do with this 'Aura.'

With no chance of getting back to sleep regardless of how early it is, I take a quick shower in the downstairs facilities that were offered to me last night, before heading outside for my morning routine. The family dog follows me but I pay him no mind.

It's warm here, even more so than in Konoha. Leaving my robe and clothes folded with the rest of my gear, I head out in my warm weather training gear. Long shorts and a vest should be acceptable in these temperatures.

I've always found meditation in training easiest, and I need anything to take my mind off things. I just need some time to relax.

Next to the house is a fenced off area, straw dummies and dumbells litter the area. I have to assume that this is a sort of training area. If not then hopefully Taiyang won't take issue with me treating it as one.

Starting my Uchiha Kata, I allow myself to flow into the motions. Thought suspended as I sink into my training.

Not too long later I am joined surprisingly by Taiyang.

"You a martial artist too kid?" He queries, watching my kata with interest.

"Itachi." I state plainly.

He chuckles warmly.

"Fair enough. Itachi it is. Are you a martial arts enthusiast?" he asks again.

"I… find it soothing. The kata are like meditation for me. I prefer to fight with misdirection and illusion due to a previous illness. But I am competent with Taijutsu and Kenjutsu."

He nods, seemingly satisfied.

"That's good, always better to have as many strings in your bow as you can.

He launches himself into a series of kata, much more energetic than mine. Seemingly primarily an elbows and knees art, interspersed with low, heavy kicks. His center of balance is low, he definitely likes to stay on his feet and control fights through overwhelming force. A wooden contraption with variable arms is currently the target of a series of rapid guard and parry combinations.

I continue on with my morning Kata as Taiyang works out not far from me.

"Fancy a light spar?" I am interrupted from my meditation.

Raising an eyebrow, I indicate down at my still bandaged arm and look at him questioningly.

"Rules?"

He follows my look down at my bandaged shoulder and arm and frowns.

"I forgot you are completely new to Aura and aura channelling. If you channel it to your wounds you will heal a lot faster. It will shield you in combat and you can actively channel it for a stronger shield though that is kinda advanced. If you took those bandages off then most of your skin level wounds are probably already cleared up."

He looks me up and down.

"Martial arts only. Technique sparring only. No enhancements, semblances or similar. Passive Aura shielding will keep that arm from slowing you down. You can work on channelling later to try and help that clear up."

I nod. Testing yourself against another opponent is a preferable training method to running kata. Rolling my shoulder I feel for any injury that could prevent me from light sparring, no sharp shock of pain greets me so I should be fine.

…

We face each other across the fenced off yard. His stance is loose, hands in a loose and wide guard.

But his eyes are flickering around. He is watching me like a hawk, sunk into a low stance keeping his balance steady.

I take the stance of the academy standard. It is designed by its nature to be of more use against physically superior opponents and with my arm still healing as it is it will allow me to take the passive role in the spar while maintaining a momentum advantage. Depending on his skill anyway.

Then he moves, and my understanding clarifies. This is a man who rests his life on his martial arts. A specialist.

Taiyang opens the spar with a low sweeping kick to test my reaction time. I lightly hop the blow, being airborne in a taijutsu spar is one of the worst ideas possible so minimising airtime is key. He seems reluctantly impressed with my dodge and throws a back elbow at me as he continues his spin. Parrying the elbow with my left hand I use the bled off momentum to return with a low knee, aiming to take him in the kidney as he spins.

Leaping back he attempts a high snap kick, which I dodge under and send a feint towards his groin.

Flinching, he moves his guard lower. Sensing a gap in his previously impenetrable guard, I attempt to take advantage with a spinning elbow to his now exposed collar. Only to take a knee to my elbow due to the counter feint he pulled off with his guard. It smarts, but not enough to prevent me returning my own kick to his bicep.

He smirks, and I find myself returning the expression. This man is an artist.

He returns at a much higher speed and I ramp up to match, exchanging a flurry of blows, parries and guards with him as he probes my defences. Delving deeper into the Uchiha style and even pulling from Kakashi's ANBU playbook I transition into a more utilitarian mixed arts style of fighting.

Smiling in approval Taiyang shifts his style to a more forward one, exchanging parries and probing strikes for blocks and brutal counters, aiming to tire out my guarding arms. I shift to the gentle fist I copied from ANBU on Danzo's orders, utilising pressure point finger strikes and flowing movement to dance around his much stronger attacks. We shift styles constantly, each looking to counter the others advantage.

However under the rules of the spar, there's only really one possible winner with his physical advantage. Too slow on a dodge Taiyang's knee catches me in the cheek as I spin from the blow.

My nose is bleeding and I am sweating like I ran a marathon but that was some of the most fun I have had in a long time. He calls the spar and I unwrap a length of bandage from my arm.

"And you say martial arts aren't what you specialise in?" he asks.

I nod my head.

"Never had time to specialise in physical arts, I had a chronic lung disease that forced me to adopt a combat style in which I didn't move much under my own power and would simply run rings around people with illusions."

He chuckles in response.

"Remind me never to face you in something you do specialise in then. You are better than Qrow."

"Qrow?" I ask?

"An old friend, my ex-brother-in-law. Used to be on a team with me, Summer and Raven, my ex-wife." He explains.

I flinch. "Sorry for prying."

He laughs at that. "Don't worry about it Itachi, if you end up sticking around Patch you will see him around, he teaches at Signal sometimes."

Plugging my nose with the torn bandage I bow to him which he returns with a smile. Turning back to the fence I catch sight of two young girls, watching us from the fence intently.

One, a redhead with silver eyes like Summer seems excited. Cheering and animatedly waving her arms in our direction. The other a blonde like Taiyang is leant back against the fence, watching me with narrowed eyes, arms crossed in front of her.

"Who are you and why are you fighting with my dad?" She challenges.

I look to Taiyang in askance but he subtly shakes his head. "Breakfast." Is all he says. But I understand.

"I'm a family friend, just getting some sparring in with Taiyang."

She scowls at me.

"Your clothes are in our living room; did you sleep here last night?"

"Yes, is that okay? I did have your fathers permission."

"Hmph. Good fighting. I can't challenge dad like that yet but im getting better!"

Oh, she's jealous. I had these in the academy. Never did learn how to deal with them gracefully. She's fearless though. Staring me down without a shred of worry in her eyes.

She brings to mind another loud blonde fighter with a big heart and a bigger attitude. Despite myself I chuckle.

"As long as you train you will get there in the end."

She looks at my face suspiciously before nodding and reaching out her hand.

"I'm Yang. Don't ya forget it!"

I shake her hand with a smile.

"Itachi, a pleasure to meet you."

The other girl however is Summer incarnate. If the blonde is fire, then this girl is like lightning. Bouncing around like a catnip drugged kitten.

"Howdidyoukeepupwithdad?Canyouteachme?Youfightreallygood!Hii'mRuby!"

More painfully, she reminds me of Shisui in our younger years. Before ANBU had stolen this heart from him.

There is no opportunity to introduce myself in return through the verbal torrent and shake my head in disbelief.

I look to Taiyang for aid as she continues to speak at a pace I can't honestly believe even she understands. But he just laughs and walks back into the house.

Traitor!

I follow him in with a red and black haired limpet attached to my arm asking me how to fight. I do my best to answer her questions as Yang also smirks and looks anywhere but at us.

…

Sitting at a large kitchen table after cleaning up again and replacing my bandages, Taiyang puts some concoction of bread in front of me. Apparently this is a 'pancake', a popular breakfast food here.

It is sweet for a morning food and despite myself I find myself enjoying it. I need to see if they have dango and pocky in this place…

If not, I may have to 'reinvent' them.

Breakfast is a loud and messy affair, with Taiyang trying his best to corral the two girls into eating, both hyperactive in entirely different ways. But something about this atmosphere is soothing nonetheless.

Maybe it's just nice to see a family not bound by duty and honor, not eating in stilted silence punctuated by the tapping of chopsticks.

You can really tell how much they love each other. And how much Taiyang idolises his girls.

I can't sense Summer anywhere in the house, and I am a little wary at the situation I am currently in. Three strangers and me at a dining table is a little uncomfortable. Catching Taiyang's eyes I attempt to signal my confusion but he shakes his head and mouths 'soon' over the girls heads.

Ah, there we go, I can faintly feel Summer on the edge of my perception, making her way back from toward the town.

Tai's 'scroll' device beeps and he looks it over, before looking to me and then over at the girls.

"Girls. I have some important news to share with you."

Ruby and Yang immediately stop bickering and look to their father.

"You might be confused by why Itachi is here with us, he arrived in the middle of the night last night with someone else."

The girls look at me in confusion.

"At some time in the days past, Itachi saved the life of someone very important to us all, someone who has been gone for a long time and who we didn't think would be coming back."

Ruby gasps, face lighting up.

"I didn't want to blindside you with this last night girls. Im sorry I didn't wake you straight away but we had some stuff to work out first."

Summer walks in through the kitchen threshold with bags in her arms. I can see her from where I am sat at the table, but the girls have their backs to her.

"Hi girls. I'm sorry I'm late."

They both freeze in shock, before Ruby twists in a flash, and bounces out of her chair like a missile.

"MOM!" she flies into her mother's arms in a flash, tears of joy streaming down her face as Summer drops the bags she is carrying and catches her mid-flight. A petal floats past my face in her wake.

As the two hug and murmur at each other, Summer reaches out to Yang. The blonde girl sprints toward them, at first I think she is going to throw herself at her mother too.

Instead she dodges round the two of them and dashes out of the room and upstairs, tears streaming from her face.

Summers face sinks. A range of complicated emotions playing across her face.

"I'll go after her." Taiyang murmurs as he slips from the room as the sound of a door slamming sounds from above.

Ruby is still oblivious, clutching to her mother like a lifeline as Summer buries her face in her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I feel like an interloper again, unsure as to why I am being included in such intimate moments, yet rather than flickering out I feel paralysed to the chair.

Summer rises to her feet carrying Ruby in her arms and walks over to me taking the chair next to me. She rests Ruby on her far knee, still sobbing over her shoulder, and puts her left arm over my shoulders.

"Thank you Itachi, you made this possible and I don't think we can ever repay you."

I don't know how to respond properly to this, so I nod my head.

"You are welcome."

She gently prises Rubys arms from around her neck and stands up, placing Ruby down on the chair next to me. Ruby reluctantly lets go of her mother as she places a kiss on her forehead.

"Ruby do you mind looking after Itachi while I go to check on Yang? He can tell you a story about we braved an ice cave together."

She looks at me with mischievous eyes.

"A kid friendly retelling."

I feel a shiver down my spine.

"Yes of course!" I smile and nod emphatically as Ruby sits back on the chair next to me and Summer quietly leaves to head upstairs, a lingering hand dropping between her and her daughter.

Ruby makes to follow, but sniffles a bit. Then straightens her shoulders and turns to me with red rimmed eyes focusing her attention on me as I attempt to retell our mad dash through the icy caves in a non-traumatic way.

How hard can it be? I used to do this after missions with Sasuke all the time.

…

Ruby is asking questions about my weapons when Summer returns with Yang in tow. I have kunai, shuriken, wire and senbon out on the table while I explain the differences in aerodynamic profile and ideal use cases.

She nods along with my explanation with great interest. She really loves weapons. My main chakra alloy ninjato is out, sheathed of course but she is cooing over the embossed hiltless guard and the hand wrapped handle.

Literally cooing. What is it with this mother-daughter combo and weaponry??

Yang has clearly been crying as has Summer but they seemingly have worked out at least part of whatever caused Yang to retreat upstairs. Yang has her fist clenched in Summers shirt at the hip as if hanging on to a life raft. Her cheeks are blotchy and her eyes are red rimmed but she has a defiant expression on her face.

She nods at me as they join us at the kitchen table and I return the gesture with a smile. She scowls and looks away but I catch her sneaking questioning looks at me when I am not looking.

Soon enough Taiyang re-joins us and I simply bask in now much more positive tone of the family reunion. Slowly putting my weapons away while Summer works on baking something all I can think to myself is that I could possibly get used to this.

I feel a sharp pang of loss at the thought, and my mind turns to my foolish little brother. Did he find the answers he sought in the end? Did they manage to dispel Madara? I feel my fists clench at the thought. If only I could have stayed behind to help him just a little longer.

My thoughts are interrupted by Summer. She is looking at me from the stovetop worry clear on her face.

"Are you okay Itachi, you were glowing a little. Rough thoughts?"

"Just thinking about my family, I will be fine." I reply.

She smiles, a soft sad thing before nodding and turning back to her work. I appreciate that she doesn't attempt to give me pity.

Taiyang chooses to speak up now.

"Ozpin is coming to see you in a few days Itachi. He has some questions for you about the you know what and the you know who."

I nod.

"That's fine, from what you and Summer have said if anyone has a chance to unravel what has happened then he will likely be the headmaster."

Not that I don't already know what happened, but if this man is as influential as these two make out, then having an in with him will likely pay dividends down the line. Especially as I will need my presence her in this world legitimised. Add on to the fact that he leads the line against this 'Salem' witch and it feels like all roads lead to Ozpin.

…

In the afternoon Taiyang heads out for firewood and I decide to accompany him to make myself useful and ask some questions about hunters and hunter life.

It also feels like a good idea to leave Summer and the girls to spend some quality time with each other without me present.

"So what do fighters typically do as a career if they don't work as hunters?" I ask as we load logs onto a rickety wooden cart.

"If you are talking from a purely money perspective, mostly prize fighting. Mistral and Atlas have regular arena fights and you can make good money in those but the tournaments are typically side projects for hunters or hunter trainees with the odd professional soldier sprinkled in."

He throws a log onto the cart with a grunt and continues.

"A lot of fighters teach, with a good reputation teaching is incredibly lucrative. One of the highest paid jobs is private trainer. Then you have the usual fighting heavy jobs. Mercenaries and soldiers are the ones who typically go after non-aura using bandit gangs and rogue encampments." He replies, dragging a massive log under each arm.

"Seems very much similar to back home." I reply.

"It's rare for anyone with active Aura to not work as a hunter in some fashion given how amplified the Grimm attraction is on them. Only the elites in the armies typically have Aura but don't spend much time hunting. It's simply a way of life, if you have Aura and aren't a criminal, you work to thin out Grimm. The academy system accounts for 90% of the hunting population but there are other ways to get a license that allows you to take official missions." He states casually while preparing another log for transit.

"Such as?"

"Exemplary service to one of the city states, apprenticeship, really impress one of the headmasters. There are probably others but licensing is done by the academies or by the central governments. So there is a layer of bureaucracy to dig through if you don't work to license in one of the common ways."

It seems much like my old world, much of the world revolves around fighting and learning to fight. At least there's a good reason for it here. Even though the skills learned to fight Grimm will inevitably be used to hurt other people.

I just have to find something to do that gives my life meaning. I don't want to fall into the same trap as before, fighting for the sake of fighting, never knowing peace.

Even if the Shinigami does have other plans for me here, some greater mission. I want my new life to have a meaning other than that of the destroyer. He sent me here for a reason, he gave me a choice, for a reason. I do not want this second chance to be in vain.

As we head back toward the house, I notice a crow following us. At first I thought It may just be a normal bird if a little curious, but there is a clear pattern of evasion and observation.

"Taiyang, is it normal for the fauna here to stalk you?" I grab his attention quickly.

"What do you mean Itachi?"

"There's a bird following us. A common crow it looks like."

He chuckles.

"So you noticed did you? That's Qrow. He does that."

"I know it's a crow…" I don't quite get what he is getting at.

At that he laughs outright.

"No Itachi, not 'a' crow. That's Qrow. As in my best friend, ex brother in law Qrow. He's probably scoping you out. Probably saw you at the house and wanted to check out who you are." He replies with a chuckle.

"He can turn into a Crow? That's impressive. I tend to use Ravens as one of my core illusionary constructs due to my contract."

He tenses at that.

"I wouldn't recommend using that on Qrow, his sister, my ex-wife Raven, can turn into a Raven and they aren't on good terms." He grimaces.

"Wait, you have a friend called 'Qrow' who turns into a Crow, and an ex-wife called Raven who can turn into a Raven… Isn't that a bit…" I trail off unsure as to how to finish the sentence.

He just laughs again.

"On the nose you mean? Yes me and Summer used to give them no end of grief about it."

Before long the crow seemingly loses interest and flies off over the treeline. Taiyang tells me I will likely meet Qrow with Ozpin.

Interesting people here it seems.

=================================================================================================

I've been agonising over this chapter for days, everything else to the end of this arc has been mostly an editing job but writing this reunion has killed me. I know it's probably not perfect but I think i hit a point i just had to get something out.

 

[Salius]

This chapter is an amalgamation of what used to be two different chapters. Neither flowed quite right so last night i threw out the plot outline for this part and decided to merge them and tweak the timescales. Let me know your thoughts, as this one is very raw from an editing perspective. I usually make about four passes over any given chapter but this was only edited once. I don't currently have a beta so flying by the seat of my pants here. And as always, thanks for reading.

====================================================

Chapter 7 – Of Legends and Myth


A few days later, I find myself amidst another mind draining Aura control session.

"Okay Itachi, take a deep breath, and imagine your aura filling your arm like a cup. Don't try to use too much, only the smallest amount is required. It won't feel like it's enough but Aura is very efficient at its job." Taiyang says in a patient tone. Over the past few days both Summer and Taiyang have been eternally patient with my struggles to master something that seemingly comes easily to the whole family.

Learning to use Aura as more than a passive addition to my stamina and a slight boost to my ability to take a hit has been… an experience.

At first I thought that Aura, being the expression of my soul and my Yin chakra would be directly connected. I am a grandmaster of Yin manipulation, probably the second best ever to come out of Konoha after Tsunade.

But that's not the case at all.

Were I to ever return to the elemental nations and write a treatise on chakra use, I would completely rewrite the book on Yin chakra being commonly referred to as 'spiritual energy.'

It has nothing to do with the soul, and not much really to do with the spirit. It took Aura to let me see that.

A better description for the 'Yin' would be mental energy. Don't get me wrong, it's soul adjacent. Your yin chakra is build of your experiences and your knowledge, of which your soul is obviously a major part.

But having access to Aura, having that root deep connection into the soul itself?

I have to wonder if this is what the Sage of Six Paths was searching for, all those centuries ago at the genesis of the great clans, when he begged the world to embrace Ninshu. The connection between people.

And the techniques used to manipulate my Aura are completely at odds with the techniques to manipulate the split aspects of chakra.

Chakra manipulation is a science, it has a specific logic it follows. It breaks conventional physics but in exchange, has its own inviolable laws. Mostly in how it's manipulated rather than the form of the final effect.

But to someone who uses their mind as their primary weapon, chakra manipulation is easy. Sasuke's pink haired teammate is testament to that.

Aura manipulation is completely different. Were Uzumaki Naruto here, I could only think that this would be something he would excel at.

It's all instinct, a deep-seated connection into the heart of your own existence. Where chakra is a science, Aura is an art. They connect only loosely deep within your metaphysical self. And they directly influence each other in often illogical ways. Aura is incredibly draining on my 'Yang' chakra when overused, but it has a reinforcing effect on the same chakra when used in the proper way.

But I've never been a person who fought with their heart before. Strong emotion is detrimental to Chakra control. It's the opposite for Aura. Fighting using nothing but instinct and need is something I would have easily scoffed at before.

Now it might just be the hardest lesson I have ever had to learn.

It burns slightly, I've never struggled in an academic environment but again, it's easy to be naturally good at logic for Uchiha. Having that emotional, creative spark? I've never had a chance to cultivate that side of me.

My emotions, something locked deep within me by my Father, ANBU, Root training and the endless tragedy of life…

I have to find a way to access them properly again or I won't ever truly be able to master this skillset.

My arm starts to glow an iridescent blue-violet color.

I can at least do this much. Which is apparently a decent start.

I have a long way to go.

…

I'm reading a book on the history of Remnant when Taiyang enters the house.

"Ozpin is on his way from Patch." He tells me with a smirk.

I nod. Strangely nervous to meet the man who will likely define what my existence looks like here on Remnant. At least for the immediate future.

The way people talk about him is telling. Even my few forays into Patch itself on various errands you hear lots of talk about Beacon and inevitably about the headmaster.

He's a larger-than-life figure, famous damn near everywhere across the world if what people say is true. His reputation reminds me of Jiraiya, or even possibly the Yondaime. A figure that people respect for his power, but somehow don't fear for that same power.

Unable to concentrate on my book I find myself checking the time constantly, as the clock moves and my nervousness increases.

A knock on the door and my nerves consolidate into a singular feeling of dread.

I feel like I am waiting for an after mission review from the Hokage.

Summer lets him in, along with another man, tall and imposing, and looking a little like an aged-up Sasuke with greying black hair and a wearing a white suit with red accents. And a truly colossal sword on his back.

This is going to be fun.

Rather than an interrogation immediately as I expect, the headmaster simply sits in the living room with us, with Qrow by his side. We drink tea while Ozpin and Qrow catch up with Summer and Taiyang. I feel a little more at ease as they talk about their lives and casually catch up.

Then the headmaster turns his eyes on to me.

It would be hard for me to explain exactly what I feel from my chakra sense when it comes to this man. But it's enough that I wouldn't ever want to face him in a fair head-to-head fight if I had any other choice. I struggle to stop my Sharingan activating as a purely defensive mechanism as his presence wars with my own.

Uchiha cannot back down from being challenged, not even me who did my best to avoid that curse of my family. The air shimmers between us as he locks his eyes on mine. His presence is immensely vast, more so even than Danzo and the Sandaime put together. Not his power, I can feel he probably wouldn't quite match up with a Kage, but his presence in the world dwarfs theirs regardless.

He's silver haired with deep yellow-green eyes under small impractical eyeglasses that rest upon his nose. He seemingly favours the colour green greatly, wearing a suit of green and charcoal black. A walking stick but also certainly more rests close to hand.

The room gets tense as the other three pick up on our silent war as I lose control over my eyes and my Sharingan swirls into life.

Rather than look intimidated, he smiles and cocks an eyebrow.

"How very interesting. A unique energy source that I've never seen before."

His smirk turns into a smile as his presence recedes.

"So Itachi Uchiha. Tell me."

He leans in toward me, his eyes slightly glowing as the rest of the room fades out.

"What is your favourite fairytale?"

My eyes deactivate as I sputter.

"What?"

He chuckles in response.

"Fairytale, parable? Maybe some sort of moral story? You have those in the village you are from yes?"

I think we do. Not like I would have much experience with them.

"I started training for my role at five, unfortunately most of the legends or moral stories I know are long and not suited to be called fairytales."

"And which of those is your favourite?"

Now I have to think. Amaterasu and the Mirror maybe? Legend of Susanoo?

I don't think any of these are what he is looking for.

Ah. I know which one is my favourite.

"My people call it the "Fable of the Twin Dragons."

Now he seems intrigued.

"How does that go?"

I side eye him.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you a parable, wouldn't I be wasting your time?"

He leans back in his chair an indicates for me to proceed.

Fine, have it your way old man.

"A young boy approaches his grandfather, the clan chief, filled with rage at another child who had wrought upon him a great injustice.

The old man says to his grandson. 'I too at times have been filled with a great hatred toward those who have wronged me. That have taken from me without moral quandary. But hate wears you down, it eats at your soul and provides neither damage to your enemy nor bandage for your injury. I struggled with these feelings for the longest time. And it is as times like these you must remember the twin dragons that live within every person. The first, the golden dragon represents everything that is pure about us. Peace, wisdom, love, charity, forgiveness. The second, the onyx dragon represents everything that we need to purify from us. It is hatred, rage, greed, gluttony, jealousy. For your entire life you must guard against the great dragon of black, and make sure that it never wins the fight within you.'

The boy thinks for a moment, and then replies.

'But which dragon will win inside me grandfather?'

The boys grandfather smiles at him and replies.

'The one you feed.'"

The headmaster smiles.

"A good and quite fitting story."

I nod. It was a favourite of Uzumaki Kushina, and a part of the Uzumaki legends. I vaguely remember her telling it to me when I was very young.

"Do you know who I am, Young Uchiha?"

"Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon academy."

He nods in response, before fixing me with a much more serious look.

"And that is all you know. Yet you see more than most even without using your special eyes. Interesting."

I narrow my eyes as he continues.

"Why are you here Mr Uchiha?" he asks solemnly.

"I don't know Headmaster. I thought I was dead. Until suddenly I wasn't. Dropped into an icy wasteland on the outskirts of a fight with nothing but the standard gear of my village." I reply.

He continues to gaze into my eyes with a cold expression.

"And where exactly is your village? Konoha I believe you told Summer it is called, yes?"

I shrug.

"I wish I could tell you, none of the maps that Summer and Taiyang have shown me match up even partially to the maps of the world I know of. I'm from further afield than you have mapped it seems."

He hums, leaning back into the armchair he is sat upon.

"I find myself in a bit of a quandary with you Mr Uchiha, you aren't what I expect, but your connection to Umbral worries me."

He fidgets with the empty cup in his hands, before changing the subject.

"I suppose I have to default to a position of trust for now. Summer Rose has vouched for your soul and she is not easily misled. But there are other ways to take a man's measure. Summer Rose says that you have no interest in academy life?"

I nod in return.

"I finished the Shinobi Academy at six, I was a decorated veteran at nine, I was leading squads at eleven, and was a key member of the black ops at fourteen. I am way beyond regular schooling and frankly have no interest in it."

Summer and surprisingly Taiyang look distraught, Qrow's expression is unreadable but he seems angry.

I understand that children are treated with a lighter touch here, but what I went through was no different than any other talented clan child of my world.

Even the headmaster seems sad.

"Frankly if it were my choice Mr Uchiha, that would be enough reason on its own to enrol you into Beacon. You need to structure and bonds that a team would grant you more than almost anyone who walks through my gates. But honestly I can tell right now that if I try to force the matter you will simply take the life of a mercenary, regardless of how damaging that would be to your already precarious psyche."

He puts his drink down on the small table as I rear back. How dare he judg-

"I'm not judging you Itachi. I would very much like to meet the people that through it acceptable to turn someone barely out of toddler years into an assassin, if only to introduce them to my deputy. But regardless, what is done, is done. We cannot change it."

He nods at me, and I calm. He isn't trying to pity me or condescend to me.

"I know beyond any shadow of a doubt you aren't from this world, and I suspect that you also know for sure that you aren't of this realm. But I sense no malice from you, you are barely touched by the malice of the Grimm so you haven't spent any time within Salem's grasp. You represent a wild card. So tell me, what is it you want from life?"

I lean back in the chair.

"I want the chance to fight for peace. I hate war, I hate hurting people. But I hate people being hurt that I could have helped more than that. I am a pacifist. I refuse to compromise my morals any more than I already have."

I look him straight in the eyes.

"I want to make a real difference. To myself, and to the world. I want to be more than I have been."

The headmaster smiles. Then speaks.

"I offer you a wager. You will face me in combat. If you impress me, I will arrange a vocational education for you with Qrow. You will remain here with Summer and Taiyang mostly, save for a few trips around the city states to learn and acclimate. Once Qrow deems you ready I will test you, and should you pass I will grant you a hunting license for services rendered."

Qrow looks at the headmaster with a flat expression. I don't think he cleared this with him first. But the headmaster continues on regardless.

"Should you fail to impress me, or in the interests of fairness the three here with us today, then you will take a place in the penultimate year of Beacon when you turn sixteen. Teams inevitably lose members due to dropouts or attrition. You will take one of these slots and graduate the school properly with a team. The gaps in your education will be filled in the meantime."

I'm not sure this fight is in my favour in my current state. I'm all but healed from the journey down from Umbral, but I have no control of my Aura, I still have not found all the differences in my chakra, and I can feel this man's strength. And it is beyond me as I am right now. Maybe if I had access to my Mangekyo and my full skillset.

Maybe

But then again, I don't need to win…

What is one more roll of the dice.

"I accept."

He smiles.

"Excellent."

…

We head a good while away from the house. The family is present, including the girls. And the three adults will be refereeing.

Ozpin hands me a device.

"Your scroll. Summer said you didn't have one and we need to sync your Aura to something so the fight can be judged properly." He says with a smile.

"I apologise but I have no idea how to use this thing."

He winks in return.

"You know Itachi, neither do I."

If he fights as well as he lies I have this in the bag. He fiddles with the device and points it at me for a short while. When he hands it back the image of my face with a green bar underneath is present.

"All set Headmaster" Summer yells over while watching her 'Scroll'.

Before long we face each other across a woodland clearing. The family watches from the side-lines, kids firmly pinned to their parents sides.

Qrow raises his arm, and I prime my Chakra. I need to take it slow here, without mastery of my Aura I am forced to rely on a frankly volatile chakra system.

The headmaster's Aura explodes, as his presence grows.

Qrow steps between us.

"Combat is until either fighter's Aura is in the red, or until Headmaster Ozpin calls for a stop. Whichever comes first."

He drops his arm.

"Begin."

The headmaster is immediately in my face swinging his cane. I block with a kunai and immediately regret it as the chakra tempered extremely expensive kunai shatters.

I immediately body flicker to make distance, staring at the handle and ring left in my hand with wide eyes. My blocking arm is numb!

Okay so hand to hand is probably out. The headmaster is bursting toward me in green flickers of movement, a flat expression on his face. I immediately deploy a fan of Kunai and Shuriken, layering the thrown weapons for lethality.

The headmaster bats them away contemptuously, even the ones in the shadow of the first thrown.

What the hell is this man?

I immediately start layering basic illusions, once I feel the first Illusion take I dive underground and replace myself with an illusionary clone.

The headmaster thankfully takes the bait and engages my clone who I have dodging his attacks. Under cover of the illusion I emerge at the headmasters starting position and observe his combat style looking for weaknesses.

A hand on my shoulder interrupts my thinking, as the headmaster speaks from behind me.

"Quite a battle to watch don't you agree?"

I flicker into the air as he swipes at me and his illusion dissipates as my clone stops fighting against air.

Weaving through sixteen hand signs in half a second I incant.

Fire Style: Flame Dragon Bullet.

Blowing the technique down directly onto the headmaster, he looks up at me serenely before gesturing with his cane and creating an emerald-green shield. My technique dissipates harmlessly against the shield but it grants me the vision loss I require.

Flickering down to my original starting position, I make a fresh set of signs and incant

Earth Style: Mud Flow River.

The ground turns into a mudslide as the earth turns liquid and attempts to sink him. Putting his hand in his coat pocket he pulls out a red vial and pops the lid.

I've seen Summer do this! I need to dodge!

I flicker back behind him as he gestures with his cane but he turns on a ryo, pointing his cane at me as a colossal fireball emerges drying the ground and rapidly bearing down on me.

Thank you Kisame you beautiful man.

Weaving new signs I incant.

Water Style: Wall of Water.

I spit out the colossal water technique, one that I wouldn't have had the reserves for while under the effects of my previous illness, and the headmaster's expression finally changes from serene to thoughtful. The technique turns the battlefield to steam as both of us disappear into the thick clouds.

Okay, enough of this now. I have taken his measure. I think I can risk the expenditure of my eyes.

Activating my Sharingan I see the truth.

Is this how other people felt while fighting me?

Then the headmaster is charging at me from his original starting position, his illusion dispelled I charge to meet him ninjato in hand.

The next few minutes are a dance of steel, his cane against my chakra reinforced blade, one of the finest in Konoha. Thankfully it is holding up a lot better than the kunai earlier. He is incredibly fast, but thankfully not faster than my perception or reactions under reinforcement.
However as I am now without the body of the hardened mercenary I grew in to, he will win a contest of stamina.

As the fight wears on he continues to set small illusions, and illusionary snares which I return with enthusiasm. The fight becomes a spar of minds, who will bend first, who will break. Multiple copies of our fight spring up around us as we duel with misdirection.

This man would have made a fine Shinobi.

I need a decisive end and I have just the trick.

Engaging him in another round of melee, I start to layer an illusion, but instead of setting it on his perception of the battlefield, instead I set it on myself. Increasing the signs of exhaustion and amplifying mistakes I make, I weave multiple extra layers as we fight, subtly changing aspects of my own body to match his assumption of my capability.

Finally he takes the bait and attempt to take advantage of one of the 'openings' in my guard. Instead of parrying the attack though I engage my illusion to meet it head on. With no way to dodge at short notice, his cane enters through my shoulder and exits out my back. I cough blood in his face as his eyes widen in disbelief. Qrow looks at the Aura monitor in shock.

"But-"

I open my mouth, coughing up blood as a flock of ravens crawls from my mouth eyes and ears formed from the fountains of blood leaking from my face. Reforming after a body flicker behind the headmaster and dropping the fourth layered illusion, I put my sword to his neck.

He chuckles.

"Okay, I am deeply impressed."

The illusions on the battlefield dissipate as the truth of the battle is revealed to my eyes. The entire first half of the fight after the initial clash was an illusion. But not an illusion of mine. This man is an illusionist of no small skill. Even Kurenai would be jealous of the casual way this man weaves a narrative. Without my Sharingan he lead me around by the nose.

However I am under no 'illusions' that I won. With his aura almost full he could easily walk my blade off right now without thinking about it.

"Impressive illusions Headmaster. You may be the first to truly mislead me with one."

He smiles at me primly.

"I am quite adept at leading people to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, Mr Uchiha. However you are without doubt the first person to ever steal my curtain and use it as a club with which to beat me."

I smirk, panting with the exertion. And then bow deeply, to which he responds with a smile and a nod of his head.

"The wager is set, and I have lost. I will negotiate with Summer, Taiyang and Qrow to maintain your education. And then we will see where you end up won't we." He smiles as he pats my shoulder.

"And maybe we can bring those hopes of yours to life. Don't be a stranger Mr Uchiha. I have entered my scroll details on your personal scroll, feel free to contact me if you have any questions." He states warmly.

"And if I have questions on Sale-"

"Do not say the name here in the open." He interrupts me. "We can talk about her another time, in a much more secure place. For now, there is no need for you to know. All I ask is that you keep knowledge of her existence to yourself."

I can tell he has no intention of changing his mind so I let it drop.

For now.

…

"So what are your thoughts headmaster? Am I safe to keep him around the kids?"

Itachi, Summer and the kids have long since head off to bed, and Me, Qrow and the Headmaster have head out to a private bar for a serious chat.

"You intend on adopting the child, Taiyang?"

I shrug.

"It depends on a few things, but Summer has her claws deep and already loves the kid. He's been a big help to us for obvious reasons and he's not much of a burden as a houseguest. I'm not against the idea, maybe get to know him a bit first obviously."

The headmaster smiles. A surprisingly rare expression in a private conversation with him.

"He's a contrast of opposites. I've never faced someone before who was so utterly lethal in bearing and yet so completely unwilling to bring it to bear. He doesn't strike to kill, he specifically and intentionally brings exactly as much force as he believes needed to end a situation without serious injury to either party."

I snort.

"Headmaster that kid threw a house sized fireball shaped like a dragon, a mini tsunami, and a mudslide at you." I chuckle as he smirks back at me.

"And yet he was holding back. Severely. You forget I had him in the palm of my hand, I was stood chatting to you while he worked through the initial illusion and somehow he shattered my misdirection as if it were nothing. Even she never casually brushed aside my theatricality in such a manner." He laughs out loud, another uncommon private show of emotion from him.

Then his expression sobers.

"He could be our greatest hope or our worst nightmare. There is a part of me that thinks to end the threat right here but I know that even if it were a viable option, Summer would end me for attempting it."

I glare at him in warning.

"As would I Oz." I reply.

He looks me in the eyes for a moment, as if searching to see if I am joking or not.

"Sorry Headmaster, he saved Summers life, don't play games with him. I don't want another Raven situation."

He nods.

"Well said, I'll leave him to you."

Qrow takes the lull in conversation to slam his bottle down on the table.

"Why the fuck did you nominate me to train him and act as babysitter when he goes abroad? You know what my luck is like are you tryin to assassinate him passively?" he growls.

"I think the two of you will get along better than you know. Plus, don't complain. I know you like travelling more than staying in place and Summer will be here to pick up the slack at Signal." Ozpin replies with a shake of his head."

Qrow snorts in disbelief.

"Well I'll believe it when I see it, but you've not led me wrong up to now. Don't expect me to like the kid though. Too polite."

I laugh out loud.

"Qrow, if every second word was a curse he would still be too polite for you."

He smirks in response.

"I wonder if I can corrupt him? Someone who can lead Oz round by the nose. Imagine the pranks?"

===================================

This should be the final chapter of the prologue arc, I may do some intermissions but most of the fic now will move to around the canon timeline. This is where the AU really kicks in, i'll be maintaining most of the worldstate from RWBY initially because Itachi has mostly been working in the shadows while training with Qrow (Mostly ), but that will rapidly change track. Don't expect much of this to represent canon especially after the events of the third volume have passed but even before Itachi will be sticking his beak into quite a few 'Canon' situations. I'll be veering off in my own direction soon enough.

There may be a few future flashbacks where i cover important events in between, but i'm sure you guys dont want to read "And itachi trained for the fifth year on remnant" any more than i want to write it. If anyone wants to write omake though, feel free! As long as it doesnt include romance or drastically changing world events then anything goes!

I'm currently deciding if i want to write this as a genfic as all my fics are or if I should try for writing romance for once...

 

[Salius]

Chapter 1 – Fury


My scroll is vibrating due to an incoming call.

This wouldn't usually be an unusual situation, but it's 3am, and I'm currently asleep in cover while we overwatch yet another Mistralian Grimm worshipper camp on the outskirts of Argus.

At least this place is slightly warmer than Atlas.

Sleep is the only time I don't need to hear Qrows incessant grumbling.

Unfortunately I can't even ignore this as I spy the Headmasters portrait in the call box.

"What."

"Now now Mr Uchiha, is that any way to talk to your boss?"

"Ozpin, it's 3am, I've not slept properly in four days thanks to the lazy crows habits, I need warm food and a shower before I can deal with your usual verbal maze, so please, speak plainly just this once."

"Your youngest sister got into a duel with Roman Torchwick in the middle of Vale, caused a lot of property damage, nearly ended up on the wrong side of dead. Your other sister decided to go on a rampage in Junior Xiong's nightclub and nearly killed a man. Only the known criminality of the premises and my word has kept her out of jail. Taiyang and Summer are headed on vacation to Vacuo. There is no way the elderly Mrs Caype can handle discipline on this, so do you want to come and deal with the two of them, or am I to interrupt your parents first proper break in four years?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Why am I always cursed with siblings like this. Is this part of my penance?

"I'll be there in three days. Don't tell anyone I'm coming."

"Thank you Itachi. I will see you in three days."

I hang up my scroll.

"You hear that Qrow."

He nods.

"Need me to head back to Vale with you?"

I shake my head.

"No, the work here is too important. I may have dealt with Callows but the big one is still lurking since we escaped Mantle with Amber. Stay safe and don't be afraid to call Ironwood for backup. I know how antisocial you are but for once let it go and accept help. If you get killed Willow will use me as target practice."

He snorts.

"You aren't wrong, okay fine. Head back and sort out my wayward niece. Give her some extra hell just for me."

"There will be more than enough hell from me that I shouldn't need yours. But I believe your paramours daughter is on her way to join Beacon isn't she? So maybe you should come and give some step-fatherly advice?"

He shudders.

"Don't curse me with that goddamn, she's a nice girl, nicer still since Jacques popped his clogs but she does not like me."

I have to chuckle at that.

"She did walk in on you and her mother not two weeks after Willow ended Jacques. That would put a dampener on any stepfathers relationship with his new daughter."
He shudders again.

"Go fuck a cactus Itachi. Just a casual fling. Nothing like what you are implying." He says a look of clear disgust on his face.

Waving him off with a smirk I flicker off toward Beacon. Now how would I have dealt with this situation if it were Sasuke…


…


I step off the Bullhead to the crisp summer air of Vale west. It's been nearly six months since I was back here, and here I am days before my little sister heads off to Beacon. If the headmaster still lets her in of course.

And now I need to put the fear of the kami into my sisters so they don't get involved in potentially lethal fights before they even attend Beacon.

Looking up at the school I feel at peace, I may not have been a proper student here but I spent a lot of time with the professors in private lessons. It's almost a home away from home. The spires always instils a sense of awe within me. Being one of the headmasters apprentices keeps me very busy. I really should spend more time here.

Ozpin meets me at the outer gate. After greeting each other, I move right on to business.

"So what's the damage? What are we paying for?"

He chuckles in response.

"Nothing, I've committed Junior to neutrality on Yang. Your name was enough to make them reconsider revenge. You may want to go and lay down the law there in person and maybe drop a few Lien."

He stops to look me in the eye and puts a hand on my shoulder before continuing.

"Ruby saved a man's life and stopped one of the biggest dust heists in years so she's actually up for a reward more than a punishment. If Glynda wasn't there to stop Torchwicks associate though, she would almost certainly have at the bare minimum come out of the fight severely maimed." He looks at me with worry as he says this. He knows what I'll do if someone hurts one of the girls.

"I'll expect a full breakdown of any and all intel you have on the 'associate' by the end of the week of course." I manage to get out between gritted teeth. He seems perturbed for a moment before I realise my aura presence is rapidly darkening and my killing intent is ramped up to max. I draw back my chakra as we walk. Wouldn't do to kill off a first year with a heart attack.

"I'll send you everything I know once I have consolidated the info." He nods and agrees.

Ozpin escorts me into the guest quarters where my apprentice apartment is, while explaining exactly what my sisters have been up to while they've had minimum oversight.

I don't know what I'm going to do with them both, but I need to work it out soon.

Hopefully they haven't destroyed my apartment out of boredom…

"Let me know when you are done Itachi, I have a couple of requests for you before you head out again." The headmaster departs leaving me stood at my own door rehearsing the upcoming conversation in my head.

Give me a cat any day. Cats I can deal with. People? Not so much.

I walk in as Yang has Ruby in a headlock. Rubbing her knuckles across my youngest sisters scalp as Ruby laughs and is trying to tickle her.

"I hear the two of you have been up to some interesting things?"

They jump apart as if scalded before turning to me in shock. "Itachi!..." "Big Bro!..."

They dive over the back of my couch and then dive into me as I catch them both in a hug. I allow myself to enjoy the hug before disengaging and gently manoeuvring them over to sitting down on my couch, pulling up a stool to sit opposite them I fix them with my best disappointed stare.

"So which one of you wants to explain yourself first?"

They look at each other, back at me, and then simultaneously point at the other. I'm in no mood for games today.

"Girls, I just effectively sprinted here from inner Mistral leaving uncle Qrow to deal with bandits on his own. There's a time for games, this isn't it. Ruby. Explain why Professor Goodwitch had to stop you from becoming a barbecue smear on the rooftops."

"I stopped a robber!"

I nod.

"You did, and I am proud of you for saving the shopkeeper. You made a tactical error when you chased the perpetrator onto the isolated rooftops without any scouting or knowledge of potential backup. It's a little disappointing given our training."

She looks down at the ground, before I rub her head and smile.

"Seriously, Roman isn't one most will tangle with so good job, but engage your brain a little more so I don't have to come home and find out my foolish little sister has become my dead little sister. Ok?"

She nods and smiles.

I turn to Yang. Hers is a little less positive.

She glares at me with a stubborn look on her face.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, you aren't mom or dad."

Oh she's playing it like that is she? She knows full well Summer and Taiyang left me in charge if they aren't present.

"Ah okay, then that is fair enough. I'll get on the scroll to Summer then and explain why they both have to leave their getaway to come back and smooth things over with Junior so you don't end up blacklisted from half of Vale then? And of course you are all grown up now so you can be the one to debate with the headmaster as to why you deserve to still enrol this year yes?"

She continues her stubborn glare but her fingers are tapping and I know her tells.

"Okay fine. He's an info broker I picked up his info from a friend. I've been looking for mom. I asked him and he got smart with me so I thought he was hiding the info and tried to beat it out of him."

An inadequate retelling of events.

"That's an amusing summary. It misses out the part where you provoked, threatened, and then sexually assaulted a man on his own property, attacked multiple people who were completely unconnected at that point other than to rush to defend their boss, put one of his twin bouncers in hospital after you continued to attack after you broke her Aura, and broke a family heirloom weapon of the Xiong family."

She looks down fists clenched and teeth gritted.

"Yang. I've warned you about your temper and where it will lead. If I find out you've grabbed another man by the testicles and they haven't explicitly attacked you first I'll be mightily put out. Do you understand."

She nods, unshed tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Of course if someone attempts to touch you, you feel free to grab and tear okay?"

She chuckles at that with a sniff.

"I'm not angry with you Yang, the search for family, I can understand that. Believe me. But if you let your anger rule you all you will ever be is a berserker. It's why you've yet to lay a hand on me in our spars."

I reach out and put my hand on her shoulder.

"However while I may not be angry with you I am extremely disappointed."

She looks up into my eyes.

"You can stop attacking gangsters and info brokers. I already know where your mother is. I told you I would find her, and I have. Graduate Beacon and I will take you to her. But as you are, with this level of strength. She would break you and I would really not like to have to end your mother in front of you."

She looks like she has a million questions, but I shake my head before she can open her mouth.

"Take my advice please Yang. There are only two ways that I'll tell you the info now. One you beat it out of me." She shudders at that. "The second is you graduate and get strong."

She slumps. She won't thank me for it now, but she will understand when she meets her mother.

I've never been one for cursing, but that woman is a grade-a bitch. It's hard to believe her and Qrow are related. I think even Master Jiraiya would struggle to find anything about her redeeming.

"I won't stop looking Itachi."

I shake my head with an indulgent smile. Reaching out with two fingers I tap her on the forehead.

"Silly little sister. I didn't say stop looking. I said stop doing illegal things in the process. Just understand that you won't be getting the info from me."

She bats my hand away with exasperation.

"Itacchiiiiiiiii..."

I can't help but chuckle. The more things change the more they stay the same indeed.

"Is Professor Ozpin really going to not let me join Beacon?" She asks in a small voice, not at all like her.

"I think I can persuade him to let you still join up with your friends. Get involved in any other extra-curricular activity though and ill ask Taiyang to pull your enrolment himself. And then we can spend a whole year training in manners and following the law.

She shudders again.

"I'llbegood!"

Ruby laughs at her sister which prompts us all to dissolve into a chuckle.

"So anyway I'm here, tell me what else has been happening around Patch, and Vale. Staying with Mrs Caype must be enlightening?"

They both rush to tell me the latest gossip, I half listen while leaning back and absorbing the atmosphere. I've missed these two.

…

"Thanks for joining me Itachi, are your sisters suitably chastised?"

"I believe so. Ruby was minorly disappointing and I think I've got through to her but I'd appreciate it if you could ask Glynda to have a word with Yang about the inappropriateness of what she did to Junior. I tried but well, I think Glynda could impart that lesson better than me."

He nods. "I will ask her for a favour on your behalf. I assume she was looking for Raven again?"

I scowl in response.

"Yes. And I'll be having a word with Tai again about it when he gets home. I understand he is in pain with her abandonment but he hasn't even told Yang what her mother is like at all and it's not for her adopted brother to say "Hey Yang, your mother is a cowardly bitch who would rather run a bandit camp of weaklings preying on the innocent than be a mother or take any responsibility at all."

His eyes seem sad.

"You know Itachi, it's been five years since your adoption, I don't think Taiyang would mind if you called him 'Father'." He says in a gentle voice.

I can only shiver at that.

"The words 'Father' and 'Mother' have… connotations for me. Not positive ones. I use their names out of respect for the relationship between us and they know that I acknowledge them as my adoptive parents. I'm not ready to take the next step yet and may never be."

He nods in response.

"That's fair enough, maybe one day you will trust me enough to let me know your story so I can help you to heal."

I nod, but my tongue feels thick in my mouth at the very thought of explaining the Uchiha Massacre to him. He's done a lot for me since I arrived here and I don't think I could bear to see him look at me with the same eyes that Uzumaki Naruto did all those years ago.

"Moving on, I have two requests for you. These aren't orders, they're requests. Friend to friend."

If he's putting it that way, he knows I won't like these requests and that I won't let him force me.

"Okay, what do you need?"

"The first, is I would like your support to enrol Ruby into Beacon this year-" I go to interrupt him with an emphatic no but he holds his fist up. "Let me finish."

I glare but indicate for him to continue.

"She is far beyond the Signal curriculum, I've seen some of the footage of her fight with Torchwick. She reminds me of you and I honestly can't see her being held back any longer. Add in the fact that it will be safer for her to learn and graduate with her sister. Well-"

He shakes his head.

"I need your support Itachi. Taiyang will agree, Summer will not. But she listens to you."

"Headmaster, you know my opinion on early education for prodigies." I reply with a cool tone.

He shakes his head.

"Itachi, she has no friends at Signal due to her immense talent. She's languishing in a worthless wasteful education when she could be moving on in her education. Two years early is not the same as the eleven that you were burdened with."

I hate it but he's right.

"Fine. I'll give you my support on one condition. You have to manipulate things so that Yang and the strongest student are on her team."

"I don't interf-"

I fix him with a sardonic smile.

"Headmaster, respectfully, don't lie to me. I know for a fact you pick the teams somehow."

He leans back in his chair with a proud smile.

"Fine, Ruby enrols, I will manipulate things so that Yang ends up on her team but I won't interfere with partner selection. The strongest incoming student is Pyrrha Nikos. If she ends up as Ruby or Yang's partner, so be it. But I will not force the issue."

Pyrrha. Now that's someone I've not seen In a few years.

"Probably best you don't put Pyrrha on a team with my sisters actually." I let out a nervous laugh.

The headmaster smiles a mischievous smile.

"Oh, is there some history I should be aware of? First love?"

I stare at him with wide eyes.

"Me and Pyrrha? Vale would be burning the next day. I beat her in an initial private spar a few years ago while Qrow was catching up with her father and then she nearly gelded me in a second spar. We are currently one win to me and one draw, and I would prefer to keep it that way."

Pyrrha Nikos is one of the scariest people I have ever had the pleasure of sparring with and that is saying something given I've sparred with Hidan and Tobi. She takes losing as a personal slight. She is like the Gai to my Kakashi.

At least she's a lot more attractive than Kakashi's eternal rival. No less competent, however.

The headmaster is laughing outright now.

"If you were trying to persuade me to not put her on a team with your sisters Itachi, you didn't do a very good job. This could be like my own personal soap opera."
I smirk in return.

"You get to referee our next spar when it all ends in tears then, boss."

"Yes well, first love can indeed be passionate, so I will understand."

Qrow taught me a middle finger gesture that transcends language on Remnant. I deploy it with aplomb.

And yet the headmaster continues to laugh.

"What is your second request Headmaster? Given you always tend to lead with the more palatable request I find myself fearing the second."
He nods.

"I know you like to travel and help people around the continents. But I need you in Vale for the Vytal Tournament. I'd like you to take a part-time position as an Assistant Professor to Glynda until the end of the tournament. You wont be expected to run regular lessons, maybe teach some of your shinobi skills to an advanced class, I will leave the format to you. But I need you here."

I'm actually a little shocked. Ozpin is about as open to new teachers at his school as he is to reconciling with his ex-wife.

"I'm a little honoured you would ask. Did the old dog learn new tricks and put the more palatable request second?"

He smiles.

"We'll given your, not insignificant growing fame and the fact you'll be dealing with our student body without your usual mask, and only being a year older than the graduating class, I'd say you'll probably find this request significantly less attractive."

Fangirls. Fanboys.

But, I can be here for the girls in their first year.

They come first. It's not even a question.

"I accept."

He turns a proud look to me.

"Thank you Itachi. I'll send the details to your scroll. Just be here on opening day but I'll leave you free until then."

"Thanks Headmaster." I bow, and make ready to flicker.

"If anything happens to Ruby, you know what I'll do right?"

He nods.

"I won't even attempt to stop you."

Then I am in the wind.

…

"Strawberry Daquiri please."

The bartender brings me my drink with haste. I tend to stay away from alcohol at most times but I can engage my sweet tooth while waiting for Junior to realise I am in his nightclub.

Looking around I find myself cringing internally. Walls are cracked, ceiling decorations are damaged. Some of the speaker equipment is destroyed.

Maybe I was a little too lenient on Yang.

It doesn't take long until Junior sits down next to me.

"Ya here to warn me off ya sister?"

I shake my head.

"I don't need to. You already know what I'll do to anyone who touches one of them."

"Oh yeah, what was it you said to Fiore when she threatened to get your family involved when you turned her down? 'Three generations forward, three backward' right?"

I turn to him with a glare, ramping up my killing intent.

"That's just to start."

He chuckles but holds his hands up.

"I won't mess with your sister Itachi. No-one in town will after what you did to Cheshire. But there's a fuck ton of damage and I know you are a reasonable man."

I hand him a Lien card and he boggles.

"I could buy another club for this." He stutters.

"That's not just for the damage to the club. Its for the damage to your pride and also for info." I murmur.

"Oh, you need info huh? Your clones not cutting it."

I turn a flat look onto him.

"Roman Torchwick has a friend who likes to throw lethal amounts of fire at a fifteen-year-old. They're on borrowed time. Get me a name, a location, or both."

He shakes his head.

"Neo won't like me sniffing around her man's business."

I let out a dry laugh.

"Then remind her what happened the last time she tried to cross me."

He snorts.

"I wouldn't survive reminding her of that. But I'll do my best. Usual info drop?"

"No, just send it to my scroll. I have no need to hide now. I'm no criminal and my undercover days are seemingly over."

"Oh, is the mask coming off finally? Going to let the world see what you can really do?"

"I've hidden long enough, time to step out of the shadows." I reply coldly.

"Is there something you aren't telling me Itachi?" He asks warily.

I pull out my scroll, and flick to a preview of an article that will be released tomorrow.

"Call this, an info exchange. You are the first to see this other than the network and the Headmaster, but it will be public tomorrow."

His eyes widen in shock.

"You…killed Tyrian Callows!?"

"I did."

He gulps.

"Do you realise the mountain of shit coming your way once people see this. You won't be able to shit without three cameras and a voice recorder analysing your ass."

I nod.

"I'm not fully in agreement with the headmasters logic, but he wants me to step into the light and start making a public reputation."

"And you being a scary masked ninja motherfucker isn't really conducive to that."

I nod again.

He whistles in return.

"Well, feel free to come back for a drink or three I could use the popularity boost." He looks at the card I gave him then nods to the bartender. "His drinks are on me, pretty much forever."

He turns back to me and holds out his hand to shake.

"Thanks for dealing with that monster, not many in my line of work won't sleep easier tonight now that he's gone."

I shake his hand and he leaves as I get back to my drink.

I consider hunting Torchwick but I have a curriculum to read, and I have a feeling he will come to me once he finds out what I've paid for info on his friend.

 

[Salius]

Chapter 2 – Duty


"Councilman Argilla. The answer is still 'No'. I will not pull my apprentice from his duties so he can come and act as your bodyguard for your trip to Shade. He has duties to attend to at Beacon for the foreseeable future and I am not restaffing my school when the new term starts in mere days."

I can hear a diatribe on the other end of the call but the Headmaster chooses to leave the scroll off speaker mode.

"Regardless my answer is still no. Whether you think the PR will be good for your image to have the killer of the 'Hunterbane' on your right hand for six months. The PR gain will still be much greater having Itachi at home in Vale, teaching the children of some of our most influential citizens. Regardless of that, he is a free man, not a servant that I can barter around like some form of chattel."

The diatribe gets louder and Ozpins expression darkens. The walls start to churn as the atmosphere turns dangerous.

"Are you threatening me councilman?"

The line goes silent as whoever is on the other end of the call seems to realise their mistake.

"Don't call my line again unless you have something reasonable to say. If you want my apprentice to work for you, wait for him to finish his assigned duty and then approach him with a reasonable monetary offer. Unless you would like me to speak with the full council on the dire circumstances that require my student to be illegally forced to be your performing monkey, taking him away from teaching and hunting."

He hangs up the scroll with a forceful push.

"That sounded fun." I interject.

He turns a glare to me, he's actually steaming mad which is not usual for the headmaster. He's always been a paragon of emotional control.

"Three approaches I've had to bat away this past week for your services. The councillors seem to be living in the days of the old kingdom where an apprentice was basically a personal attendant and servant."

I chuckle in response to which he turns a betrayed expression to me.

"Don't give me that look." I shake my head, pouring him a cup of his favourite tea. "You warned me what would happen with me, you didn't bother to think about what the consequences on yourself would be?"

He takes the cup and sips, eyes closing in relief.

"I may have slightly underestimated the effect of Callows being put down. Do you know Grimm attacks in the frontier towns are down 20% in the week since the news released?."

It makes sense, negative emotion attracts them and with everyone being ludicrously happy negativity is at an all-time low.

"Callows must have been a real monster, I knew of him obviously from training with yourself and Qrow, but it was always in the abstract. 'Stay away from this guy he's dangerous' but I mostly sunk myself into training or general history."

He nods.

"As you should, at your level of training Tyrian was well beyond you. You are lucky beyond all else that Tyrians semblance had no effect on your Chakra."

And he is right. The fight against Tyrian was like fighting Hidan if Hidan had guns attached to his wrists and more than a single digit brain cell count. I survived by the skin of my teeth and only his hesitation at not expecting my sheer strength via chakra reinforcement allowed me to decapitate him in a flurry of surprise attacks. He arrogantly stood to absorb my attack expecting that my lack of Aura would cause me to bounce off his.

I rapidly disabused him of that notion.

Which left me in my current predicament. The headmaster interrupts my musing by continuing with what he was saying.

"Tyrian was a monster among monsters. A large portion of the fear of Faunus in Atlas and western Mistral can be laid at his feet. At my estimate over a hundred hunters have lost their lives to that man over the years. Nearly three times that in civilian casualties. Two now abandoned frontier towns, solely his responsibility. He would allow himself to be seen approaching an area to increase negativity and would slip in while active Grimm attacks were ongoing to hamstring the guardsmen so the townspeople could see their fathers and sons devoured in front of them. I expected that you would gain no small amount of fame for ending him. I should have expected that fame to spill over to myself."

Which is why I am currently camped out in the headmasters office double checking his onboarding paperwork for the incoming students.

Looking over the set of papers I am working on I spy something rather interesting.

"Headmaster, this student apparently attended lessons at Oscuro and Higanbana at the same time."

"The Arc boy?"

I check the name. 'Jaune Arc'.

Nodding at the headmaster I make to pull the transcripts for deeper inspection.

"Don't bother Itachi. They're fake."

I recoil.

"They're in the 'Approved' pile. You've already sent invitations to attend!"

He simply smiles and indicates for me to return the transcripts to the pile.

"I owe his grandfather a debt, just paying it forward. I have a good feeling about this one."

Holding myself back from rolling my eyes I double stamp the paperwork and move on. Let him play his games.

"Itachi. I appreciate your assistance with preparing for the new term, but I am an old hand at this. Enrolment is tomorrow, then the Emerald Trial the day after. Go outside and have some fun. And no training!"

I rub the back of my head with a perplexed expression on my face.

"What do people do for fun that isn't training?"

He turns a deadpan expression on to me.

"Of course you would ask that. Why would I expect different? Pick up an instrument, paint, find some sort of hobby that doesn't relate to throwing garden trowels at oblique angles. Take one of your admirers out on a date. Go and dance in Juniors club and get into trouble with his bouncers. I don't care as long as it doesn't relate to fighting or getting me in trouble with Glynda."

At that he gathers up his paperwork from my desk and drops it on his.

"Shoo."

I flicker out.

Now what the hell can I do that doesn't involve fighting or training…

...

"He said what?"

"Yeah you know that red midget with a reaper fetish that you attacked. That's Rook's little sister. You know the guy that crucified Cheshire in his own gangs heartland. The guy that just got announced as the ender of Tyrian fucking Callows?"

I nod, and swallow deeply. Cinder is not going to like this. Not for the first time I consider getting my perfectly formed ass out of Vale.

"What's he offered?"

"Let's put it this way Roman. I could buy the building next to me and make a copy of my club in there."

My head drops, this is not good news.

"For the name and location of my 'friend?'"

"Yes. I highly recommend you take your hat in hand and get your ass up to Beacon while he is likely to be in a charitable mood with his sisters entering the school. If the Rook has to come and find you, you know how that worked out for the last guy to breathe funny in his families direction."

The story of Cheshire is an abject warning to the gangs of Vale. Rook wants nothing to do with us. But if you look at his sisters or family in a vaguely threatening manner. Well.

Cheshire was an idiot. A reviled gang leader even among gang leaders, a killer of no small reputation amongst other things, he made the small mistake of watching the Rose family a little too carefully on one of the families trips to Vale. Rumour was he was going to attempt a hostage job on one of the more well know hunter families.

He was found contorted into a modern art sculpture nailed to his own bedroom door with kunai in the courtyard of his gangs main base of operations.

There was never any confirmation of who did the deed of course. But only one person uses kunai in this area of the world and the warning was easily read.

'Do not fuck with my family.'

To be fair to me, I didn't even recognise the girl decked out in huntress gear and carrying a six-foot scythe! Seriously who uses a weapon bigger than them?

"Thanks for the heads-up Junior. I need to go and find a vault to hide in. See you later."

I better call her and then try to speak to him before I wake up with a new set of piercings.

The scroll rings once before she picks up.

"Roman. How nice to hear from you. I'm currently busy whipping some amateur terrorists into shape so make it very quick. No problems I hope."

"Uh yeah about that Cinder, we have a pretty big problem actually."

She turns her face to the screen.

"Explain."

"You ever hear of Rook? Or as he's now publicly known, Itachi Uchiha?"

"No, but given your tone I'm sure you are about to disappoint me."

"Well I live to disappoint women you know that. You might want to get out of town."

Her voice turns, if possible even more dangerous.

"Oh?" she purrs.

"You watch the news recently?" I ask.

"No?" She seems confused.

"Go check the scrollnet. World news. Then check your mail."

"This had best not be a practical joke Torchwick."

I hear movement and rustling in the background.

A few minutes later she picks the scroll back up.

"So let me get this straight. I have to bail you out of a failed robbery at a backstreet dust store, after you somehow lose a fight with a fifteen-year-old girl, only for you to then tell me she is the sister of Ozpin's apprentice? Someone strong enough to kill the Hunter's Bane?"

She does not sound happy.

"Well it gets a little worse than that boss." I tell her nervously.

Her eyes start to do the creepy glowing thing they do.

"Worse?" she hisses.

"He's put a bounty out on your name and location. Seems he's pretty angry about you attempting to tenderise his little sister and well. Look up the name 'Cheshire' in your spare time. Safe to say I'd recommend you get out of the country while I try to smooth things over." I attempt a soothing voice but it's not really in my wheelhouse.

"I don't run." She snarls.

"Neither do corpses and we bury them all the same. Call it a tactical retreat, take a few weeks out of town for his temper to blow over. You might be able to beat him in a fight with your power. Ya took down me and Neo easily enough. But so did he. You wanna risk an angry brother strong enough to kill Callows hunting you down? Methinks not."

She literally growls.

Growls.

Like an angry dog.

"I'm stuck out in the woods with this little cabal of animals at the moment until Taurus returns. I'm sending Emerald and Mercury early to keep things moving with the White Fang and to investigate this apprentice. Keep things moving your side, get me the damn dust. Once I am finished here I will head out to Mistral and work on the rest of the plan there. If you let me down Roman, It won't be one of Ozpins pawns you are afraid of."

"Rooks actually. Seems like the headmaster is deploying some of the more powerful pieces. Junior says he's teaching at the school this year."

She looks thoughtful at that.

"Maybe a little seduction is in order?"

I snort at that.

"He's never so much as sniffed in the direction of a woman for as long as Junior has known him, and that's not for lack of trying on the twins part. Junior would swear he plays for the same team except he's never had any interest in men either. So good luck finding the key to that padlock. Maybe we could make it a competition?"

She scowls at the camera.

"We shall see."

The line goes dead.

Well how's that for appreciation? Save a girl's life and she just hangs up on you. And I was just about to tell her about the green haired witch not being the best trump card to deploy against Rook after what he did to Neo.

Shame that.

Well, time to get incognito and head up to Beacon. Need to head this off before the chopping block grows legs and heads in my direction.

It's exhausting keeping all the players happy at once.

…

Heading into the streets of Vale without a plan in mind seems like a poor idea. Given that the furor about my actions in Mantle is still at its highest I feel like it's probably a recipe for annoyance.

I could transform, but non-elemental chakra usage is still the most overly expensive usage of chakra at the moment. Not as much as when I arrived here and it gets better as my Aura control gets better but still.

An expense I would prefer not to pay for such banal purposes.

I would prefer to just go and train, I still need to get proper control over my overactive dual energy sources, but the headmaster is right. I do need something to do that isn't combat.

Were my clan around I would be encouraged to play my Shamisen, or Kagurabue. The Uchiha have a long and tempestuous history with music. Our eyes, sense of rhythm and near photographic memories making us quintessential players of instruments of all kind.

But it's been literally years since I picked up an instrument, and I don't need another burden on my time. If I learn something, I intend to master it completely.

If Summer and Taiyang weren't away I would go and catch up but there's no-one but the house sitter back in Patch so no point in heading out that way.

Am I really so sad that my only real friend in Vale is the headmaster?

Damn. I've become a recluse. At twenty. You were right after all Shisui. I did need you to talk to people for me first.

Looking down from the rooftops I can only sigh at the crowds below. Everyone is getting their shopping finished before the new school year starts. The smiling happy crowds are a contrast to when I was in Mantle. Everything seems so peaceful here.

I think I will head over to the book store, and see if there are any interesting fiction books to catch my eye.

With a few quick flickers, I am above one of the local book traders. I've been here before years ago but at the time for reference guides and non-fiction learning material.

Pulling up my hood to try and avoid being recognised, I make my way inside to see a room literally filled to the brim with books and bookshelves. Behind the counter a dark haired man with a mutton chop beard tends to the counter.

"Hello, welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun." He turns to me with a warm smile before taking a step back at seeing my shrouded face.

"Hi, I'm not sure what I'm looking for but could you recommend any particular fiction books?" I attempt a disarming smile but if anything he seems even more nervous.

I pull my hood back slightly to show my full face.

"I'm trying to not be recognised outside, if you could keep my presence secret it would be appreciate it.

He's taken aback when he recognises me, but then with a firm nod of his head he agrees.

"Sorry about that, get a lot of dodgy types around here, always wary if I can't see a face but I understand. Your that 'Itachi' guy. Good job on Callows, guy gave us all a bad name."

I nod. He doesn't look like a faunus but his feature could be hidden and it wouldn't be polite to ask.

"Well I've got all the usuals. Top tier fiction is on the shelves to the left, bestsellers and such like The Boy who fell from the Sky. Separated by region. I've got some of the more popular young adult series like Violet's Garden over on the wall by the door."

He looks me up and down.

"You are 20 yea?"

I nod.

"21 soon."

He chuckles.

"I also have some of the popular mature fiction like 'Ninjas of Love', 'Cold Heart/Hot Love' and 'My Sweet Samurai' if that's your jam."

What's 'mature' fiction I wonder? Like blood and heavy action type books or closer to what Master Jiraiya would write?

Well in for a lien I suppose.

"I'll take the top ten from each section please, Young Adult, Bestsellers and Mature."

He goggles a little.

"That's a lot of books, do you have the money?" He rattles off a total.

I nod, pulling out my cards and sliding them over the counter.

Thirty books bagged up, I thank Tukson, and make my way back toward the bullhead station, stopping on the rooftops to seal my new acquisitions.

As I flicker across Vale, sun setting in the sky, my scroll vibrates with a message.

"I'm at the Bullhead station in Vale. Heard you were in town. Meet? R."

Interesting, now how did he know I was here?

"On my way." I send off my reply and head for the station.

Arriving at the station, I notice he's wearing a jogging outfit and a beanie that covers his hair entirely.

Roman Torchwick, athlete?

But I'm not here to joke. Taking a seat next to him, he takes a drag of one of his horrible cigars. It doesn't quite fit the image.

"She's left town."

I raise an eyebrow but don't say anything more.

"Just to get it out of the way, I had no clue she was your sister, you know I want absolutely no part of that and I wasn't going lethal anyway. So if you need to break something go ahead but preferably not me."

"Who was your 'friend'" I ask calmly.

"I can't tell you Rook. I really can't. You might kill me, true. But she definitely will kill me. She's got two minions heading in to take control of her operations and she's retreating to either Mistral or Atlas, not sure yet but you've got her wary. She won't be attempting to kill any more teenagers put it that way."

Hmm. He's telling the truth mostly. Or at least he believes he is.

"Is she a threat?" I ask.

"To you? Possibly she's an AOE fighter if you get her pissed off and she's got more Aura than anyone I've ever met and yes that includes you. Enough control of it to casually take me and Neo down at the same time. Martial artist, weapon master. You name it. I get the feeling she isn't quite used to fighting people on her wavelength though and she's both wary and intrigued."

"Intrigued?"

"Enough to consider seduction." He grimaces.

No-ones tried that on me since. Hmm. The Cloud kunoichi waitress in Tanzaku Gai back in the Akatsuki days maybe. The one who wanted me to get her pregnant and to take my eyes, and not necessarily in that order.

"I'm not worried about seduction. If she's out of town then she's out of my range for a few months. I'll have some associates look into her. I've got friends in Atlas and Mistral."

He nods at me and his hands stop shaking.

"Roman, I'm not going to kill you because my sister beat you up. I'm only interested in your friend. I wasn't lying when I said I hate killing. I have a few people I'll scour the world to protect and anyone else will get the soft touch."

I tap him with a lightning chakra enhanced finger and he goes slack as the accompanying illusion takes, and his body is tricked into believing the nerves in his extremities lost the ability to carry signals.

As he slumps over toward me I head the shattering of glass behind me and I hold my hand out in warning.

"Stay out of it Neopolitan. I'm simply giving a warning."

She materialises behind us with her umbrella pointing at me but she doesn't make a move.

I lean down to Torchwick's ear and whisper my warning.

"Next time you see one of my sisters, retreat. I don't care about the circumstances. Are we clear?"

His eyes twitch and I take it as a surrender.

"If your friend shows back up in town, call me. Immediately."

Neo nods and grabs her partner, disappearing in a shattering of glass. Like I don't see her shadow sneaking away.

Even on my day off drama seems to find me. I wonder what Summer and Taiyang are up to on their vacation. I should probably call them soon and let them know that the girls got in trouble but I just want to let them have a bit of peace. I'll give them a week and then let them know.

I'm interrupted from my bored, waiting for the bullhead thoughts by a brown-haired missile stopping in front of me.

"Like, omigod you're that Itachi guy aren't you!"

I forgot to put my hood back up. Well I did this to myself. Plastering on my best fake smile, I nod. No point in being rude and damaging the headmasters reputation.

The girl puts her arm over my shoulder and puts her scroll right in our faces. Just before she takes the photo she turns and kisses my cheek as her scroll flashes.

I turn a flat look to her as she rubs the back of her neck.

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission right?" she says, giggling as she runs off into town.

Next time someone asks me for a selfie they're getting the 'hell viewing technique' used on them.

===============

Little more slice of life than i was expecting to write but should get to school life after the next chapter and then we get start pushing some of the plot points up. Most of you can probably see the open plot threads and such comign together, and some of the butterflies that are starting to form.

 

[Salius]

Yep, Double Chapter. Read the previous one first

========
Chapter 3 – Watcher


Observing the enrolment ceremony from next to Ozpin and Glynda is an experience to remember. The sheer scale of the halls and building here still fills me with awe even these many years later.

The auditorium from which Ozpin makes his preterm speech is a truly cavernous room made from beautiful marble and granite panels with interspersed brickwork. High set seating above interspersed arches surround the upper tiers. Blue panels and strip lighting dot the room giving a vague 'technological' vibe to the otherwise quite old-fashioned space.

Architecture is… eclectic here. But it seems to work for the school.

As a crowd of prospective students starts to arrange into ranks arrayed around the stage, I see my sisters having a verbal slapping match with what looks like Weiss Schnee.

Oh do I have some ammunition to use on Qrow later.

I'd rather not be here on a stage in front of a bunch of strangers, but apparently as the now publicly acknowledged apprentice of the headmaster, this is one of my duties as long as I am at the school.

I catch Glynda's eye and she rolls her eyes indicating at Oz. Seems like she doesn't want to be stood up here either.

Looking over the crowd I receive more than a fair share of speculative looks and murmurs.

"Killed Tyrian Callows…" "Headmasters first apprentice in a decade…" "Youngest professional hunter in history…"

It seems like history does indeed repeat itself.

Unfortunately fame travels fast in this world. The invention of global real-time communication for the masses means that news travels faster than a shinobi.

Junior was, if anything, understating the public reaction to my ending of the Callows psychopath.

…

Vale Herald

Tyrian Callows reign of terror ended by Beacon headmaster Apprentice!

In a stunning development out of Mantle, Vale's own Itachi Uchiha has put an end to the seemingly impossible to end killing spree of notorious serial killer and mass murderer, Tyrian Callows. The twenty-year-old Itachi, who has been recognized as the youngest ever huntsman to receive a professional hunters license, has become the talk of the city states.

Further to this sensational news! Beacon headmaster, Ozpin, has publicly acknowledged Itachi as his own apprentice. The first such apprentice in a decade!

The young huntsman carries a spotless record, earning his hunting license at the age of sixteen after single-handedly taking down a hive of Geist, saving the Arblight estate, part of the city of Kuchinashi from certain destruction. With a 100% success rate across numerous small to moderate hunts, Itachi has proven himself to be a hunter who cares about getting the job done, and not about the reputation he seems to scorn.

Itachi is believed to be taking up a position as an assistant professor this year at Beacon, following his heroic takedown of Callows. Callows, who was responsible for the confirmed deaths of over four hundred citizens across the city states, including seventy hunters and huntresses, will certainly not be mourned! An unnamed assistant to General Ironwood of Atlas has hailed Callows' death as "one of the most important events of our time," and the man himself has allegedly even offered Itachi a position in his personal group of Atlas specialists. However, Itachi has turned down the offer, choosing to rejoin his teacher at Beacon to continue his work, much to the relief of the people of Vale.

What's next for Vale's young hunter of killers? This reporter will be watching closely to see how his career develops. In the meantime, the people of Vale can rest easy knowing that their hometown hero is keeping them safe.

Since the news cycle picked up on my victory, the past week has been utter madness. Even if you discount the Vale Council suddenly deciding I would be the perfect gopher and having to help the headmaster with his work while he takes them to task. That wasn't the end of it.

My scroll is inundated with requests for interviews, thanks, and offers. Some of a dubious nature and some of a more… well, not so dubious as more… lascivious nature… I've no idea how most of these people got my scroll details but I suspect the Headmaster knows. Not that he would tell me.

In the elemental nations you never had to deal with this when dealing with a bounty, but then again killers with kill counts in the hundreds were commonplace. Callows was an outlier even in a world of outliers. The "Hunter's Bane" had a kill count theorised to be in the high hundreds.

You would think that would have been the hardest thing I had to do in my career here but standing under the eyes of all these prospective students, I think I'd rather go back and fight him again.

Ozpin clears his throat into the microphone. A little theatrical but it gets the point over and the hall quietens as me and Glynda take up position as his left and right hand.

"I'll, keep this brief."

Adjusting his ridiculously impractical glasses, he looks over the assembled ranks and continues.

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

He makes a point to sweep his gaze across the entire rank of prospects as people start to whisper.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose. Direction."

He straightens, and Glynda and I straighten to match.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

Ruby is practically vibrating in excitement as Yang looks on in boredom.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

The headmaster walks off to the side of the stage as Glynda steps up to the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." She states sternly to the assembled crowd.

As Glynda walks off stage to follow the headmaster I look over the students.

Many of them do not look ready, I am thankful my sister isn't one of those.

The Arc boy doesn't even have an aura presence.

Wait.

What.

The blonde fraudster doesn't have any Aura.

I body flicker away to the gasps of the students.

…

"Hmph. He is still showing off at any chance I see." Weiss sneers with a disapproving tone.

I'm struggling with this girl. Really struggling. Mom says I should be "empathic" and "reasonable" but I'd rather just crack heads.

She's been a grade-a bitch since Ruby tripped her accidentally while she was carrying dust. Seriously who carries dust around in public? Especially at a busy school? But noooooo Ruby sneezing was totally my little sisters fault when there's fire dust in the air.
I wonder if I could get away with just outright telling her to get bent.

No, Itachi would probably somehow hear it with his stupid bat ears and then he'll do that disappointed face and poke me in the head and make me feel about a foot tall.

Older brothers are so frustrating man.

Oh no, Ruby is engaging with her again.

"Who do you mean Weiss?"

"Itachi Uchiha of course, teleporting away in front of everyone."

Oh boy. She just dissed big bro in front of Ruby. That's not a mistake you'll make twice.

I swear actual lightning bolts bounce between their eyes as Ruby rears up and glares at her.

An actual glare too, not one of those 'Ruby' glares that makes you think about puppies.

"Itachi is not showing off he's just super cool like that! And it's not teleporting he's just super-duper fast!"

Weiss scoffs.

"Hmph he's a brute and that uncle of his is even worse. Always clomping around like they own the place."

"UNCLE QROW IS NOT A BRUTE!"

Damn, Ruby might actually get in her first cat fight here.

Do I stop it?

Or do I make a quick popcorn run?

Popcorn. Obviously.

"Uncle Qrow?" Weiss looks Ruby up and down. "You mean to tell me that Uchiha is your brother???" she actually looks a little green.

Ruby gives out a satisfied nod.

"He taught me half of what I know." Ruby says with a smug face.

Weiss turns her nose up.

"Well, he's still a brute!"

Before Ruby can work herself up to the point Schnee ends up with a scythe shaped implant, I have to interrupt.

"How do you know my brother?"

She looks me up and down, before looking at Ruby.

"You two are sisters? I can see the resemblance between Itachi and Ruby, but you look nothing alike." She looks between us with a squint.

"Different moms jackass. Mines not around anymore and Itachi is adopted."

She at least seems a little sorry at that. She turns to look at me fully and I notice she has a gnarly scar down her forehead and onto her lower left cheek, she must have only just avoided losing the eye but even with the scar she still looks more like a princess than anyone else here.

"Hmph, My apologies then. In answer to your question your uncle helped my mother out with something sensitive and your brother was there showing off. My father died and your brother was the one to take me to hospital. His –" She puts on a squeaky mocking voice. "super-duper speed" – "made me throw up."

"I'm sorry about your father."

She snarls.

"I'm not. Surely you saw the news about him? It's all over the Atlas newspapers like the rest of my families business."

"Uhh no sorry, doesn't ring a bell but I don't really read the news much ya know?" I say. Something rings a bell about Schnee but I'm just not that interested in international news.

She looks me in the eyes as if to check if I am mocking her, before nodding.

"Jacques Schnee. He did this to me." She points at her cheek.

I wince.

"I'm sorry for asking. But that doesn't explain why you hate my brother? If anything he helped you right?"

She sniffs.

"He made me throw up on myself when he moved me. It made me feel weak."

I don't think I was supposed to hear the last part, But I nod in condolence anyway.

"Join the club sister, he makes us feel weak every week but, he always makes you feel like you can catch up with him, ya know?"

She looks thoughtful at that.

"Still a show off."

I grab Ruby by the collar as she dives for Weiss.

This girl might not be so bad after all.

I do have to wonder why the girl I now recognise as the invincible Pyrrha Nikos is doing everything in her power to look like she isn't eavesdropping though.


…


"The Arc boy doesn't have his Aura unlocked." Is the first thing I say to the headmaster.

He nods. Of course he already knows.

"So when the boy hits the emerald forest at terminal velocity, do you have the condolence letter pre-written or were you planning on ad-libbing it?"

He looks at me with a dry expression.

"If none of the other students intervene I will make sure his landing is a safe if uncomfortable one. I have a good feeling about him."

I want to say 'Maybe you are just intrigued by mind shattering idiocy' but then he took me on as a student so that might be a little too on the nose.

"And when he ends up without Aura and semblance in the emerald forest, surrounded by whatever Grimm Port has managed to lure into the area?"

He steeples his fingers under his chin.

"I won't allow him to perish if that is what you are getting at. The boy chose to enter the trial without Aura. I want to see his resolve."

I sigh.

"Headmaster is this one of those games where one of us ends up having to sneak into the police station and doctor the reports again?"

He smirks.

"What do you mean 'one of us'? I have a minion to do that kind of busywork for me now, you may have met him."

I glower at him but the infuriating smirk does not dissipate in the least.

"Next time you prank Glynda, I'm going to record evidence that it's you. Then I will laugh when she makes you cry."

No. No effect. The smirk is still there.

I decide to change the subject, he isn't going to give me anything else on this one.

"I'm not a fan of the attention I'm getting Headmaster."

He nods.

"That's why I gave you a few years to prepare, but with Tyrians end we had to take advantage with both hands. Having a global reputation for competence will open a lot of doors. Not just for you but for me and the school as well."

He's right, but I don't have to like it.

"I'm not doing any press conferences."

He snorts.

"You'll choose to do one yourself before long. Trust me. You think it's bad now, you're just 'new and exciting' currently. Wait until you are the 'dark and mysterious stranger', you will not get a moments peace."

Damn him.

"If the Arc boy ends up on Ruby's team you know who I am going to blame right?"

He laughs.

"I'm planning on putting him with your 'mystery Mistralian'."

I glare at him in silence until he stops chuckling.

"Pyrrha has a kind heart and an immense sense of duty, and Mr Arc has a very large Aura potential and the backing of a powerful bloodline. It's a good match."

I have to agree, if you look at the students purely as chess pieces it is a good match. Looking over the teams he is planning to put together I have to disagree though.

"Maybe put Arc with Belladonna. Put Lie Ren and Valkyrie with them. You'll have a team of two potential heavy hitters and two infiltrators with each set paired off. The other three won't care about her past with the Fang and putting her with Weiss with her current outlook on faunus would be a minefield."

He hums, "And your sisters team? I though you wanted them away from Miss Nikos."

I grit my teeth.

"It will be uncomfortable but it makes the most sense. Pair off Ruby and Weiss, they will act as a foil and a rival for each other pushing each other to new heights. Then pair Yang and Pyrrha. Yang's aggression and wilful 'live life to the fullest' attitude will temper and be tempered by Pyrrha's overly self-destructive sense of personal duty. They'll help each other be much more grounded and they will find common ground in their competitiveness."

He looks thoughtful.

"A little hypocritical for you to be criticizing someone for a 'self-destructive sense of personal duty' don't you think??"

I turn a flat expression to him.

"How do you think I recognise it so easily? She reminds me far too much of myself."

His expression turns thoughtful.

"It's less beneficial to the school, Ruby's team will be a little overloaded in talent with the other being a little underpowered, but I can see a certain attraction to the layout."

He starts muttering to himself.

"RSPY and ABRN, Raspberry and Auburn. Hmm it might work. Would need to come up with a different development schedule. And possibly a personal trainer for the boy. Hmm."

"Headmaster?" I interrupt him before he gets on a tangent.

"I'll take it into consideration Itachi."

I nod. I'll take what I can get when he is in one of these kinds of moods.


…


"So uh, how do we get down? There a lift somewhere?"

There are a few loud bangs behind me but I ignore them as I look to the headmaster for answers.

This is a very large cliff, and everyone is just stood looking over it like we aren't on the edge of one of the biggest drops I've ever seen.

I almost feel airsick all over again...

"No Mr Arc, you shall be falling."

More loud noises behind me as my vision kinda, tunnels at the headmaster.

Did he just?

"Did I miss the parachute handout?"

There's the barest hint of a smirk on the headmasters face.

"No Mr Arc, you shall be deploying your own landing strategy."

Oh

Is this counted a suicide or murder?

I feel the platform below my feet starts to vibrate.

More bangs sound out behind me.

"Uh, Ok Headmaster, than-"

The platform below my feet explodes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Okokokokokokok Jaune you can do this. People have to get those crazy powers somewhere right? Maybe it's stress.

Reaching my hand out I make horns with my index and little fingers.

"Go web go!"

Nothing.

Damn okay.

The ground is coming awfully quickly.

"Magic! Shazam!"

Nothing again.

I grit my teeth.

"Abracadabra!"

White circles appear in the air around and in front of me as I start to slow down.

Wait WHAT!

My falling is slowing down! I'm saved!

The circles start to angle lower as my falling continues to slow.

Am I a wizard?

I hold my hands out and feel around for my great power to channel.

I feel my feet touch the ground as I acknowledge my own power as the worlds greatest falling wizard.

However when I open my eyes, I see ice princess glaring back at me. Vice I think her name was.

"Are you an idiot? What kind of pose is that? Why did you force me to slow you down wasting my own Aura? Why did you force me to become your partner?"

"Uh, I thought I slowed myself down…"

Her glare slips and she tries not to laugh.

"You thought you called the Schnee glyphs? You?"

She snorts again.

"Hey I don't know any of this Aura or Glyph voodoo all you crazy people use."

She stops laughing at least.

"You don't know what Aura is?!? How did you get into Beacon without Aura?" She shrieks loud enough to wake the dead.

"Raw animal magnetism?" I reply with my best hero pose.

The looks she gives me could freeze me dead.

"Great. I'm dead. I have a deadweight partner who for some reason I decided to save from his own idiocy. I'm stuck miles from where I need to be and I'll have to do all the work and stop this idiot from dying because I probably can't pass without him." She mutters.

"Hey I'm not that bad! I know how to swing my sword!" I yell at her.

"Great. So the Grimm get dinner AND a show. Fantastic."

She claps sarcastically.

"So uh that 'Aura' stuff. How do you use it? Maybe I could learn as we go so I'm not such 'dead weight'" I ask hopefully.

She cocks her head.

"I don't know how you don't know this, but you don't 'use' aura. Aura is your soul. Its in you. You unlock it. Before you come to school preferably."

She starts muttering again.

"It might be the only way. But I don't have any connection with this idiot and I don't want one. Well. Other than to pass initiation. It that enough of a connection? Mutualism maybe?"

She reaches her hand out.

"Stand still you idiot. I can't believe my first time will be you."

Does she mean, what I think she means?

My face must have given something away as she has turned neon red.

"Not like that you pervert."

She reaches out to touch my face, her hand glowing a light crystal blue.

And then I feel her touch me inside as her other hand touches my heart.

"For it is in solitude that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become an icon of self-reliance. Infinite in potential and unburdened by loss. I empower your soul and by my will, uplift thee."

She opens her eyes and looks straight into my heart.

Then her eyes roll back and she passes out.

…


Watching the Emerald Trial is nail biting to the extreme. Watching my sisters and the annoying little Schnee who kind of grew on me after torturing Qrow is not as easy as I assumed it would be.

Watching the Schnee girl unlock the Arc idiots aura was at least humorous. Watching him flail about and protect her accidentally from a Beowolf was even funnier.

Watching Ruby and Pyrrha become partners was less funny. The headmaster smirk was particularly pronounced.

Then Yang meets Blake Belladonna and I think I'm going to pop a vein. That cheating little…

Then Lie Ren, possibly the only shinobi worthy first year I can see meets up with Nora Valkyrie and in turn they meet up with Weiss and Arc and it all starts to come together.

It takes everything I have to not charge into the forest when the Nevermore shows up.

It takes everything the headmaster has to stop me charging in when the Deathstalker backs it up.

"Itachi you've trained those girls to within an inch of their lives. Taiyang has. Summer has. Qrow has. Now it's time to let them stand on their own two feet. Do you want to baby them forever, never allowing them to grow into their own power? How far do you think they will go when you are there to remove any form of consequence and therefore any form of lesson from them? Are you really so arrogant that you think you can be there to deflect any challenge for them. Would you not rather them learn to look after themselves. So you can fight at the side of them instead of constantly placing yourself ahead of them?"

He says this while pinning me to the ground with his cane. I think I've never wanted to attack him more.

But if I'm truly honest with myself.

I can't really say he is wrong can I? They're technically hunters now. Even if only in training.

But after Sasuke… how can I consider letting them face the world on their own. After what I did to him. Forcing him to bear the clans curse of hatred on his own.

But then they aren't Uchiha are they…

I need to speak with someone about this. I'm struggling to divorce myself from the protective brother role.

"And their skill wins out. Nora Valkyrie has killed the Deathstalker and Ruby Rose has killed the Nevermore."

Looking over the monitors, half with pride, half with fear.

I need to learn to let go.

"Itachi, Glynda, let's head out to receive our new students."

I put my hands on their shoulders and flicker us out.

=================

Not completely happy with this one, it feels like its missing something but i was letting perfect be the enemy of good so i've decided to release it as is.

 

[Salius]

Chapter 4 – Teacher


"Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, the four of you retrieved the 'white knight' pieces. Going forward, you will work together as, Team Watermelon. Lead by Weiss Schnee."

Weiss looks over at him in shock.

"Congratulations young lady, fine work."

"And finally. Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the 'white rook' pieces. From now on you will work together as team Raspberry. Lead by Ruby Rose."

He steps back onto the forefront of the stage, the new teams arrayed behind him.

"This year is going to be an 'interesting' year.

My sisters are finally on the pathway to their dreams.

Gods help us all.

I resisted the urge to go and visit them to congratulate them in their dorm last night. I think the headmaster is right, I need to find a way to step back and let them breathe a bit. Not distancing myself, but just being available for them rather than stifling them. I just sent them a scroll message instead.

It was so easy when I was out on mission with Qrow. Out of sight and out of mind was how I dealt with leaving Sasuke to his own devices back in Konoha too. Compartmentalization was a key skill for ANBU. But being back at home it feels like I should make up for lost time.

Like I never did for Sasuke.

Instead I need to finish prep for this afternoon's lesson.

How did I let Ozpin talk me into becoming a teacher. Sure back before the massacre I would have loved to have been teaching at the academy instead of running back-to-back wetwork ops.

But now, with this much blood on my hands…

Well I agreed. No backing out now.

…

Standing in the corner of the first-year combat class is enlightening. It's amazing how susceptible aura users are to environmental illusions if they aren't specifically trained to combat them. Given that personal illusions require physical touch here, it's become incredibly important for me to master my environmental illusion weaving. It's exponentially more expensive the larger the illusion gets, but it doesn't require me to put my Chakra into someone.

Back in the elemental nations it was much easier to use personal illusions, I just used my eyes or fingernails or some other focus to manipulate the other persons chakra in their coils to mislead them through a sympathetic chakra connection.

Here? No-one but me even has Chakra, so the only way to enforce an internal illusion with Chakra manipulation is to inject them directly with my own Chakra, as I did with Roman, using the lightning technique to bring down his aura so I could touch his skin directly.

It's actually been a fun challenge, I've always excelled at illusionary arts so having to switch my speciality over was no great chore. I wonder how Tsukuyomi would function here given it hijacks the opponents mental energy via their eyes bypassing Chakra entirely. I have to assume people here still have the basic energies of life within them even if they cannot mix or manipulate them.

I don't miss my Mangekyo, if only because it's nice to not be blind and in constant agony.

Turning my attention back to the class, Glynda is wrapping up, and about to introduce me. The first test.

"Okay good work today class. You all for the most part" she says with a sly look at Jaune "have at least a rudimentary mastery of your personal weapons. Next Combat class we will work on basic dust infusions via weapon enhancement so come prepared accordingly."

One of the students puts their hand up.

"Uh Miss Goodwitch, our schedule says our next class is "Advanced Survival and Combat" but it doesn't list a room. Do you know where we are supposed to go?"

She smirks.

"Why yes, the advanced class will be held right here, your teacher has been here for the past twenty minutes."

She then turns to leave.

"Enjoy your class children and be respectful of your new teacher."

She leaves the room as I watch the kids look around the room and at each other in confusion.

"But the schedule doesn't even list a teacher." Yang says to Blake as her partner starts looking around the room.

They slowly start to relax, maybe believing that Glynda was lying.

Time to start messing with them.

A flicker of a senbon pins a book to a desk as the student gasps at the sight of the large needle stuck in the desk in front of them.

Then I am flickering up to stick on the ceiling as a red and gold spear pierces the wall where I was.

Pyrrha looks up at exactly where I am with a smirk.

How the hell does she do this?!

Ruse already discovered I drop the illusion and hold my finger up to my lips. She smiles and nods as the rest of the class looks on in confusion.

Then a gasp, as Ruby spots me hanging above them.

"Itachi!"

She points up at me and the rest of the class looks up at me and gapes. Flickering down to the edge of the combat stage I face the class.

"You are all, with the exception of one person, hilariously susceptible to illusion."

I didn't even work hard on the illusion, there were multiple mistakes they could have picked up on. No illusion is perfect, not even semblances. They rely entirely on the brainpower and imagination of the caster. Even Neopolitan, who has by far the strongest illusionary ability I've faced in either world leaves specific tells.

Had I cast the illusion on myself, fair enough they miss a man sized illusion I wouldn't expect anyone without training or expertise to find me. But I used an illusion on the entire room, including the desks they were sat at!

"I am Assistant Professor Uchiha Itachi. You can call me Itachi-Sensei, or Mr Uchiha. Your choice. I will be teaching you advanced survival and combat in the style of Shinobi. Many of you may know my name. However I have been working as a hunter since I was sixteen, mostly from the shadows as I am primarily a ninja, before I am a hunter."

One of the boys in the back of the class raises his hand.

"Yes Mr?"

"Pontus Norwood sir! I was wondering what you meant about being a ninja sir! As far as I think most of us know, ninja are mostly from fiction."

I smile.

"I was raised in a village far outside the frontier. I trained as a shinobi from the age of five, before joining Professor Ozpin at 14 as his apprentice. I can assure you Mr Norwood, that while rare, shinobi are anything but fictional."

The Belladonna girl snorts, quietly, but I still hear it. Turning my eyes to her she looks at me with wide eyes before looking away rapidly, cheeks darkening.

"This class will be the last we spend in a classroom. Today we will be checking your stamina and general fitness. In future classes I will be teaching you skills I was raised with. Skills I have used to survive and thrive. You will learn the core hand to hand combat style of my village, open leaf hand. You will learn survival techniques, how to throw generic throwing weapons. You will learn to lay traps and snares. How to recognise illusions. I will teach you advanced aura control exercises that will allow you to manipulate and navigate your environment. But make no mistake. I will teach you to fight, and more importantly to win, in the direst situations you can imagine."

I look around the room to an enraptured audience.

"You will not spend much if any time on your personal weapons with me. Those will be saved for Professor Goodwitches core combat class. Please note that this class is not a core part of the curriculum. You can and will be ejected if you are disrespectful or should you abuse what I teach you."

I am interrupted by an extremely arrogant tone.

"Why do we need to learn to fight with our hands anyway. That's the kind of thing animals do. All I need is my Executioner and a single shot to blow away anyone who comes at me with their hands."

"Mr?"

"Cardin Winchester. Of the Winchester family." He ends his introduction with a smirk.

"Firstly, please raise your hand if you wish to speak in my class. Secondly, are you saying that you could beat any opponent in hand to hand combat with your mace?"

He looks down on me, not for the last time I curse the slight build I inherited from my mother. I never got past 5'10 in my previous life and he stands at least 6'2.

"Yes. Filthy animal fighting will never beat a good weapon."

I nod and he smirks, seemingly thinking he has made a good point.

"Gear up Mr Winchester and meet me on the combat stage. We will put your theory to the test in a quick spar."

He looks me up and down and has the temerity to smirk. Dismissing me.

Well then. That was a poor choice from him, I feel my Uchiha blood sing in my veins at the challenge.

He returns from the locker room in plate armour and carrying a very large mace. Still nothing compared to Samehada of course, but impressively large, nonetheless.

Syncing our Aura up to the wall monitors, I indicate over to Pyrrha.

"Miss Nikos, if you could referee for us please. The first to drop below, shall we say 30% Mr Winchester?"

He nods with a smirk.

I can feel a fire beating in my veins and I know I'm going to have to be careful here. Something about this arrogant eighteen-year-old rubs me up the wrong way.

"Begin."

"Now class, notice that Mr Winchesters weapon is quite heavy, even with Aura, there is a slowing effect in place when he swings it sheerly from the air resistance."

I weave out of the way so his initial swing moves past me. But I don't counterattack at all simply weaving my body like a puppet with Chakra.

"This means that many openings will present when the weapon is swung. Heavy weapons without a large arc of control are the weakest against hand-to-hand combat."

He attempts to backhand me with his gauntlet as I pass but I flip over his arm and land back-to-back with him. Striding away and turning toward the class, I continue my lesson.

"When fighting a weapon user in hand to hand, first you have to analyse the weapon type you are facing. The most dangerous, outside of ranged weapons, are short, bladed weapons such as a dagger or a knife. A sword is of course dangerous, but conversely easier to deflect due to the increased surface area."

He attempts a two handed swing at my head but I don't even need to dodge this one, it passes over my head due to his overswing and my hair ruffles slightly in the wind.

"The most important facet of facing any opponent is to of course, pick your battles. It is obviously not ideal to face someone with your bare hands if they have mastered their weapon, but outside of a few wild options-" I duck under his next swing and use chakra strings to look like I casually dance out of the return attack. "-like the chain whip, the kusarigama, or other weapons of the unpredictable movement type, mastery of hand-to-hand combat will allow you to face the vast majority of handheld weapons without much of an issue. If you are smart.

I look up at the aura monitor. I'm still sat at 100% while he's drained 10% attempting to hit me.

The end of his mace glows as he attempts to use fire dust to catch me in an explosive attack.

I use the barest minimum chakra to leap over the attack, the explosion on the floor missing me, already in the air and landing further away on the stage. I need this to look a casual as possible so they buy in. I'm already at a disadvantage being barely older than them.

"A civilian with martial arts mastery almost always loses to a civilian with even a spear carved from a stick. But Aura is the great equaliser for hunters."

He screams and charges at me, all caution thrown to the wind. Desperate to land just one hit.

"Arrogance is the biggest killer of hunters ahead of any Grimm."

Instead of dodging I grab the haft of his weapon next to his hand and layer my chakra into my fist as I jab a single casual uppercut into his diaphragm. His Aura craters, sinking from 84% to 28% in the single chakra enhanced blow. He folds over my fist feeling the full effect of the punch due to the critical loss of Aura.

I flicker around him to his back as he hunches over trying not to vomit.

"Winner, Itachi-Sensei." Pyrrha says dutifully.

"Any questions?" I ask the class.

The class is silent as a tomb, staring at me in wide eyed wonder.

A gasp from Yang and an alarmed look from Pyrrha is my only warning as the boy behind me attempts a golf swing at my head.

I catch the flange of his mace in my bare hand, as my aura dips a single point. Pulling the mace from his hand as he goes slack-jawed in shock I grab him by his leading arm and shoulder throw him off the combat stage and onto the walkway between desks. Charging after him I sweep his legs as he attempts to rise, and place my knee on his upturned chest.

"Did you just attempt to attack my back unprovoked Mr Winchester?"

He coughs and splutters, then turns his head away refusing to look me in the eye.

Placing my hands in a familiar cross sign I bring out a shadow clone. Another gasp from the class, and an interested look from Belladonna arise from my action.

"Ten laps around the outer ring of Beacon for bad sportsmanship. Fail to complete them and you will be ejected from the class and I will report to the headmaster that you attempted to attack a teacher. Go." My clone follows him out with a glower.

As if some pissant fresh student is going to challenge me.

My eyes flicker to Pyrrha.

Well, most of them anyway.

With three percent of Winchester's aura left after my counter, He will get through two or three of his laps before his aura enhanced stamina fails. A fitting punishment.

"Now, any questions?"

A sea of hands is raised before me.

"Miss Nikos, you refereed I will give you the first question." I point to her and take a seat on the edge of the combat stage.

"How did you stick to the ceiling?" she asks.

"I have access to a unique form of energy through my semblance that allows me to manipulate my environment in many different ways, similar in a way to Professor Goodwitch. I can use this energy to stick to surfaces and even walk on water. There is a away to partially emulate some of the techniques with Aura, though it is expensive. Some of those will be a part of this class."

The semblance excuse is one that the Headmaster has asked me to use. I have not found my own actual semblance yet, if I even have one given my unique situation. There aren't any semblances quite as wide ranging as chakra, but the headmaster thinks the excuse should hold.

Aura being used to emulate chakra control exercises was surprising even to me. It's extremely draining but I managed to teach the Headmaster to walk on walls with his Aura. It requires large reserves and immense control, however he believes it could be the start of a new frontier of Aura control and expansion exercises and this class will be the blueprint.

She nods at my answer, seemingly satisfied.

"Mr Ren." I point to the quiet young man sat in the back with his partner.

"How did you use so little Aura, you caught his weapon twice but showed no loss in Aura."

"Most of the technique I used was simply a reinforced martial arts technique for catching weapons. I barely needed any aura because the fulcrum of his first attack was weak and the second attack I used my semblance given he had decided to cheat." I reply with a smile.

"Okay, one more question. Miss Schnee."

Ruby looks disappointed I didn't pick her but I can't be using favouritism. I'm already only teaching first years, I don't need a bigger target on my back.

"What if we have no desire to learn hand to hand combat?"

I point at the door.

"The door is there. The techniques I teach you will save your life should you ever be captured or otherwise left without a weapon, but I won't force anyone to learn them. This class is optional, and only graded as an extra bonus to your core combat grade. If you don't want to learn, leave. I won't stop you."

She glares at me a while before turning up her nose and seemingly deciding to stay.

I clap my hands together in a chakra enhanced clap, and everyone jumps.

"Now, everyone go and get your workout gear on and meet me back here while we work through stretches and a fitness test so I can see where you all are."

The groans are music to my ears. I can do this. Just treat them like ANBU newbies.

Well maybe without the hazing.

Okay a little hazing.

…

I leave behind me a pile of quivering sweat soaked flesh as the class curses my name. Even my sisters have bowed out, only Pyrrha and Lie Ren are still going as I work through the final set I have for them. Lie Ren is tired however and pushing through it with experience.

"Mr Ren, I'm impressed by your flexibility, do you practice martial arts already?"

He nods.

"Mostly meditation and sport arts rather than combat though, Tai Chi and Qigong learned through reference manuals. I also practice Yoga regularly."

I nod.

"Speak to me after tomorrows outdoor class, I want to see how you take to the kata but I might have a side job for you to earn a little extra lien."

I know from the records he is an orphan and that him and Nora support each other. So every little helps.

"Miss Nikos, impressive stamina shown you have barely worked up a sweat so I may have to tailor a routine for you closer to my own. Is this acceptable?"

She nods, I offer her the option in case special treatment makes her uncomfortable.

Clapping my hands again I call in the class. They groan and moan as they line up in ranks on the stage.

"Good job class, I got more than I expected, you are all beyond the fitness standard expected of Beacon first years. So that puts the majority of you about twenty five percent of the way to my own standard. The next two lessons this week will be outdoors in the eastern plaza. Check your schedules and do not be late if you intend to attend. If you choose to drop out of class note I only teach full teams, so if one of you goes, you all go. Dismissed."

The class all file into the locker room to shower and get changed after their workout as I return to my desk to work over the copious amounts of notes I need to transcribe.

I wave at my sisters with a smirk as the class files out and they glower at me in return. I sense much pain in my future with those expressions.

As I continue with my work I notice Pyrrha has not left yet and is seemingly waiting for the class to empty out.

Once the last student has left she approaches my desk.

"Sensei, can I speak freely?" She asks politely.

"Go ahead." I reply with a smile.

"You owe me a rematch."

"Oh?" I reply glibly.

She seems frustrated but trying to remain polite.

"We never got to even the score. We need to finish our best of three?"

I chuckle at that.

"I need a few student teachers to help me with hand to hand, you interested?"

She's taken aback by the change in subject.

"And my rematch?" She pushes again.

"We can have a proper fight outside as an exhibition for the students in a few weeks. When I have time."

She turns to me with a glare.

"Don't hold back this time." She says sternly.

"Oh don't you worry about that. We will be fighting, not sparring this time. But Pyrrha, be careful what you wish for."

She shudders, whether in fear or anticipation I don't know.

"I intend to offer Lie Ren a position as Student teacher once he has the kata down, his body control is impressive and he has a natural talent for it. I obviously already know you are skilful at combat so I will likely offer the same. There will be extra credit and some small amount of lien involved if you accept."

She looks at me thoughtfully.

"If you beat me, then yes. Once I have learned the combat style you wish to teach."

She crosses her arms and glares at me again.

I hold my hands up in surrender.

"Fair enough, and it is good to see you again Pyrrha, I genuinely had no intention of insulting you the last time we met, it was stupid misspoken words. I apologise unreservedly."

Her expression softens, and she turns to look at me fully.

"I forgive you. I still want my rematch though. Thank you for apologising. I know I'm technically your student so it is appreciated."

I hold out my hand for he to shake and she returns the gesture.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, now excuse me for dismissing you but I need to consolidate my notes from today's class."

She nods and turns to leave as I get back to work with a lighter heart.

 

[Salius]

Chapter 5 – Partner


The passing weeks have been a whirlwind of lessons and training my own body to make up for lost ground.

As time has passed and I've had a lot more free time than usual to work on training my Chakra, instead of solely working on Aura or assisting Qrow with missions.

Well.

I've steadily have to come to the realisation that I may never be the same type of fighter as I once was.

What once was a battle between capacity and control, has instead become a dichotomy. And one that greatly favours capacity. Had I these reserves back home, I would possibly have been able to stop Madara myself.

Instead I am caught in a mad dance between practicing control of my Aura, and having to submit to the fact that every time my control of my aura increases, my control of my massive chakra pool decreases.

If I don't find a solution to this issue soon, I may one day end up unable to use even the basic techniques of my fighting style. Instead restricted only to flashy and vulgar displays of power.

I'm missing something. Something that isn't obvious but something both my chakra and my aura is trying desperately to tell me.

As I continue my musing while jogging, I notice Yang whispering to her partner.

"If you have time to talk, you have time to run!" I yell, increasing my pace and expecting my class to follow.

As we jog the outer ring of Beacon, many of the older students watch us with perplexed expressions on their faces. Some of the wandering students even point and laugh.

However my students are concentrating on one thing and one thing only.

Surviving.

Most of them are relatively fit, but only my sisters, Lie Ren and Pyrrha make the run look anything other than torturous.

Or rather they did, until I made them wear heavy ankle weights. If the murmurs behind me ever come to pass they may never find my body as my class conspires against me.

My sisters of course were already a little used to my idea of training. I bet they regret not joining me on my daily runs now!

I never knew teaching could be such fun. I know why Kakashi was such an unrepentant monster when training us in ANBU.

It was his hobby.

I wonder how Ozpin would react to me sparring with my students while wearing an eye patch and openly reading 'Ninjas of Love'? Kakashi certainly found it fun to beat his squad bloody while reading Icha Icha. Maybe I could even blame the headmaster and tell him "Well you told me to find a hobby."

Thoughts for later maybe when my position is more secure.

"Okay class, cooldown pace, lets head back to the plaza."

The plaza is on the opposite side of the school.

Cardin Winchester leans over to my sister and I tense up for a moment, before almost immediately relaxing. He doesn't have the testicular fortitude to attack my sister in front of me.

I vaguely catch the low murmur as he takes his attention off me.

"Hey Rose, Sensei is your brother right? Is he always like this or does he just hate us in particular?"

Winchesters sudden respect for me comes after a very interesting conversation with the boys father. As it turns out, rich well to do governors of frontier towns very much like it when their children are taught by the kind of person who can kill Callows. When Cardin reported my behaviour to his father, Flavius Winchester proceeded to call me on my scroll, bought his son into a conference call, thanked me for my actions, and then told me to beat him twice as hard if he tried to attack me from behind again.

The look on the boy's face I have to admit, sustained my good mood for days. I know the old coot was just trying to butter me up, his snooty, holier than thou attitude left a bad taste in my mouth But I will take wins where I can get them. At least for now the boy knows no help will be available from home.

He has also turned out to be an adequate student. Though his first impression will be difficult for him to overcome.

The rest of the class is talented. RPBY has the skill edge while WARN definitely brings the firepower. Team CRDL takes up a solid third in the rankings. Two of the other three teams initially in my class have since dropped out. They were… talented, but a little dull in comparison. Which does feel rather unfair to them, but with the main three teams being exceptional, it left the others lagging a little bit behind. The remaining team, POMR, Team Pomegranate is struggling to keep up with the work but I appreciate their effort in working to catch up with their peers.

Sixteen students is more than enough for the test class anyway. Though things may change if the headmaster sees value in the class and takes me on full time in future.

We finally arrive at our usual training plaza, an isolated, turf covered courtyard surrounded by hedges that the headmaster has granted me as my primary classroom.

"Okay teams, ranks. We will be working on the second set today. Ren, Yang, with me."

My two little helpers take up ranks in front of me, having already mastered this exercise they help me to correct and instruct the others. Ren is an extremely fast learner, and Yang mastered the main steps of open leaf hand years ago.

Ruby has told me since we started training she regrets not spending more time on hand to hand with me and Yang, but it isn't like I didn't warn her! At least she will excel when we move on to Kunai and Shuriken techniques.

Thirty minutes of kata later and the class are flagging.

But I am unbelievably proud of all of them.

"Okay class, that's all we have time for today. Finish off your cooldown stretches and go and get cleaned up. Coming up in week or two we have a special treat for you. Pyrrha and I will be facing off in an unrestricted, all-out exhibition fight at the outdoor fighting arena, with Professor Goodwitch as referee. An example of hunter vs hunter combat that you will be expected to observe carefully, and take very thorough notes on. So be warned."

Excited murmurs pop up as Ruby starts looking between myself and Pyrrha in worry.

"Dismissed."

The class disperses as the four teams rush to get back to the showers in time to catch their last lesson.

Ruby lags behind seemingly waiting for me to catch up, speeding up my walk I catch up with her and rub her head playfully.

"Good job today Ruby, I'm seeing some real improvement in your hand-to-hand skills and general stamina recently. How are you doing with school?"

She smiles a radiant smile in my direction, before frowning.

"Schools okay, its just a bigger Signal really, at least right now. The Grimm class is pretty boring though. Professor Port just talks about his fights."

She stops and hesitates, before finding her courage and moving to the subject that is clearly bothering her.

"I wanted to ask, are you still mad at Yang and me? You've not been round as much as you usually are when you are at home. You usually always bother us to train and to read and learn things with you, but since you came back and told us off we haven't really seen you much!"

She tapers off with a raised voice, clenched fists to her side. This has clearly been bothering her.

I put my hand on her shoulder and smile at her.

"When you were having your induction test in the forest and the giant nevermore appeared, I tried to charge into the forest to help you both but the other teachers stopped me. After a conversation with the headmaster I realised I had been babying you both, and that if I didn't take a step back and give you some room to grow it could really hurt your development into hunters. I'm always here if you need me little sister, you know that. I just won't be stifling you constantly. But if you need me for anything or even if you just want to talk, just give me a call."

Her shoulders relax as she understand what I am saying, and her expression turns from the uncharacteristic frown, to the smile I'm used to seeing on her face.

"It's never bothered me; I think Yang probably will be happier but I still have lots to learn! I'm glad you aren't mad at us though! Yang was super worried!"

Without warning she kisses me on the cheek.

"Don't be a stranger big brother, Love you!" Looking at her scroll her eyes widen "I'm going to be late for professor Goodwitch!!"

Then she disappears in a swirl of rose petals.

That girl I swear.

Chuckling I make my way back to the school, I have my own lessons to get to.

…

"Yang! He isn't mad at us!"

She rolls her eyes.

"I told you he wouldn't really be mad at us Ruby. Maybe still a bit pissed at me about Juniors club but Itachi doesn't hold grudges. He's probably just busy!"

I shake my head at her.

"No, he said he's just worried that he was spending too much time protecting us and not enough time letting us grow up so he's taking it easy on us now so we can do our own thing."

Yang pumps her fist in response.

"Finally! It's nice having someone so protective at ya back but none of the guys back in Patch would even look at me without pissing themselves!"

I laugh at her before bouncing over to Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha are you and my brother enemies or something?"

She frowns which isn't a good sign.

"Not enemies Ruby. We had some spars a few years ago that ended… unsatisfactorily, and he was rude to me. He agreed to clear the air with a proper fight."

Yang's head emerges from the towel she was using to dry her hair, and even Blake looks intrigued.

"You fought with Itachi? Which one of you won!?"

She frowns even deeper at this.

"He won the first spar, the second was a draw because I let my anger get the best of me."

I look her up and down with a questioning expression.

"Pyrrha I've never known you to get angry, ever."

She reddens.

"He made me very angry. He spent a whole fight making me fight the air while he stood making illusions. Then he arrogantly told me how he beat me as if I couldn't beat him without him spilling his secrets nor work it out for myself. Then he let me challenge him again and still didn't go all out. He was incredibly disrespectful and insulting of me. Father later told me that Itachi wasn't a Mistralian, or a tournament fighter and didn't understand our culture. But I was still mad! He was the best fighter I had ever faced and he didn't even take me seriously!"

Me and Yang look at each other, before nodding our heads in unison.

"Yeah that sounds like big bro. He once made our dad fight a bunch of trees while he drank tea with mom and laughed. He likes his illusions." Yang chokes out. "You remember that Ruby?"

I laugh, remembering back to dad chasing Itachi around the woods after he realised.

"What about when him and mom were trying to pick his weapon and he kept using his kunai to block instead of whatever crazy weapon mom had picked up for him to try? Then when she got spitting mad he dropped the illusion and he had been using the weapon all along."

Now we are both laughing.

Pyrrha's head snaps up.

"He doesn't use a weapon?" she asks.

I'm about to answer but Yang beats me.

"He has a sword now, not really mechashift because he doesn't like it. Does funny things to his head if he watches it while his eyes are purple. But it's super high quality, mom got it made in Atlas especially for him off his own design. Not sure on all the features but he only pulls that thing out if things are really bad. He quartered a Grimm Alpha with it once. Just like *swish* and it was in pieces. We didn't even see him move."

She hums.

"So he is a swordsman as well. Interesting…"

Me and Yang have one of those moments of sisterly mind reading.

"Itachi doesn't really lose, as you probably know. So for the rest of this week me and Yang are gonna drill you on all the different ways our brother fights. You really have some work to do if you've only seen the illusion stage. We saw him fight the headmaster once. He spat a fireball at the headmaster that was bigger than a bullhead." I say with a firm nod.

She looks between us with a confused expression.

"But he's your brother? Why would you help me?" She asks.

We both laugh.

"Itachi has never lost, ever. He's like your reputation, but also our big brother who makes us spar with him if he thinks we aren't taking our training seriously." Yang says.

"We love our brother, but being able to potentially give him his first loss, that's real payback for all the training pain." I add on.

Blake takes her turn to interject.

"I'm confused Pyrrha, isn't your reputation 'The Invincible Girl' because you've never lost a fight. But you lost to the professor right?"

She shakes her head.

"My reputation only applies to tournaments. I've never been touched there. If it applied outside of tournaments then I would have lost it when I was losing to my father back when I was nine."

She slowly nods in acknowledgment, before returning to whatever book she is reading.

"You'll help too Blake won't you? Big Bro uses clones so Pyrrha will need your semblance to practice." Yan says to her partner.

She looks between us, before sighing and nodding.

"Invincible Girl vs Invincible Teacher does sound like an interesting fight, kind of like something from one of my books."

Yang laughs out loud.

"Are you comparing Pyrrha and our brother to two of the characters from your porn?"

Pyrrha turns a deep maroon colour as Blake sputters.

"It's not porn!" She shrieks.

"Ah so you just read it for the articles?" Yank winks at her partner to let her know she isn't being serious.

Deciding to throw Blake a bone, I turn to Yang with a pretend confused expression.

"Yang, what's porn?"

She looks at me out the corner of her eye, her expression turning white.

Dashing for the door she turns to Pyrrha. "You're her partner, you explain."

Then she's gone, and I burst out laughing as Blake looks over at me with a thankful expression.

"Thanks Ruby." She smiles. Probably the first time we've actually got a smile out of her.

"What's a team leader for?"

…

"Still having trouble with your control Itachi?"

I stop channelling my aura and turn to the headmaster in exasperation at the interruption.

"It's like every time I channel my chakra, my aura gets jealous and starts to fizz. Conversely if I channel my aura, my chakra becomes extremely turbulent in response. The gains I am making In control in one of them leads to a capacity increase and volatility increase in the other. Which then negates the control I gained in that same energy. It is incredibly vexing."

He pats my shoulder with an empathic look on his face.

"The good thing is at least your capacity continues to rise apace. If nothing else it will at least make up for your lack of control. In aura at least, I'm not sure how chakra works but I have to assume bigger is better?"

I shake my head.

"My primary technique set is based around mastery of control, rather than expression of power. Due to my previous illness, I was working off about ten percent of my total capacity available with the rest focused on keeping me alive. It means I had to be extremely frugal with energy. With my control as it is I'm even struggling to layer my illusions properly. I cannot even currently use two of the basic techniques we teach to beginners with any reliability. Even my sensory skills that I developed to bypass my blindness have lapsed into a mess of confusing contradictions."
He sits down opposite me looking thoughtful.

"Have you ever thought that that might be a part of your problem? If you are psychologically afraid of expressing power and always trying to hold power back to heal yourself, that would partially explain your issues with expressing your impressive pool of aura properly. I've never met someone of your level of intellect who couldn't enhance their strength or speed with aura, nor use dust with anything resembling reliability. You are lucky that your chakra allows you to cover these weaknesses but I think you may need to look at your combat philosophy to make any proper gains in aura control as it stands."

I sigh.

"It was never needed when I was out with Qrow, he taught me how to be a hunter, and my chakra skills combined with my aura shield were more than enough to complete the challenges he put before me. But something smells rotten in Vale's underbelly, and with the reported restlessness of the Grimm on the frontier I feel like now I need to make the next step."

He nods and turns a genuine smile to me.

"Itachi I have no doubt you will find the answers. You are already impressively powerful for your age and you will only grow more so as time goes by. Work on more widespread usage of your power. Work on your meditation and maybe work with Doctor Bianco in the clinic to see if you can nail down the chakra healing you were practicing. Your need to vary your experiences to try to find your semblance. And you need to find your balance."

Nodding in return I sink back into my meditation pose as the headmaster makes his way out.

"Your request for a field trip to the falls is approved, pending the signature of another Professor to act as backup. I recommend asking Professors Oobleck and Greene if either is interested."
Good, I need to get my students out somewhere for their test.

He stands watching me wrestle with my energy for a short while, before clearing his throat. Something is clearly bothering him.

"Are you sure the fight with Miss Nikos is a good idea?" he finally asks.

I turn a perplexed expression in his direction.

"She asked, and I agreed. A good idea? Probably not all things considered but I disrespected her greatly back then, and I owed her an apology. If she wants that apology to come in the form of a fight then so be it. She asked me not to hold back, and the students need an idea of what unrestricted hunter vs hunter combat looks like in case they end up facing a rogue. So I am happy to be an example. Glynda wasn't enthusiastic but she appreciates the chance to teach a lesson too. Her cost was letting the students watch, which I'm not happy about but I will have to deal with it. Plus I know you'll be hiding somewhere to make sure things don't get out of hand too."

He nods.

"Being straight with you, the two of you represent two of the greatest warriors from the upcoming generation I've seen in a very long time. I know I have a tendency to treat people as game pieces and I know you are aware of this so I'll just put it plainly for once. I do not want my two greatest chances for resistance against her legions taken out of the game by their own pride. Are you doing this for the right reasons?"

I flinch in understanding.

"The reasoning is not right or wrong, but I understand your position. If the fight ends up looking like it could cause permanent injury to one of us, I will subtly concede. Does that work for you?"
He frowns but nods anyway.

"I can see I won't dissuade you from fighting, your blood sings with anticipation to fight a worthy opponent but be wary that in your haste to test your capacity that you don't extinguish the fire of someone else's."

I nod with a frown, before turning back to my work.

Sinking back into meditation, I don't even hear him leave.

The pale blue glow of my chakra and the deep blue-violet of my aura rise up around me as I attempt to broker peace between the two warring energies. Desperately wrestling with them at the same time I try to stop them from rubbing against each other, in order to grab at least some rudimentary form of control back.

My mood is unfortunately no longer conducive to the effort and I give up in disgust.

If this continues I may have to enlist some outside help.

 

[Salius]

Interlude – Rival


I'm interrupted from my weekend training by a loud beep from my scroll.

Not many people message me on the weekends. My sponsors know better, and my friends…

Well less said about that subject the better.

'Pyrrha, meet us in Ruby HQ for a strategy meeting!'

Maybe this time I can build a friendship that actually lasts.

Public smile engaged, I make my way out into the halls and toward our dorm. The only place Ruby would call 'Ruby HQ,' People get out of my way in a hurry as I pass, and whispers behind unsubtly placed hands erupt.

I almost lose my public smile.

Why can't they just let me be a normal person? Is it so hard?

...

Ruby has seemingly gathered all eight members of Raspberry and Watermelon together in our small dorm room, and as I walk in they all turn to me with a critical eye.

What?

Ruby has somehow set up a group of whiteboards, on which I see my name, and Itachi's. Below each grouping is a blank lined list waiting to be filled in.

"Okay fruit gang, our lady Pyrrha has a fight with my big bro coming up an-" Ruby tapers off as Weiss interrupts her.

"Fruit gang?" she questions with a disgusted tone?

Ruby smiles and nods.

"Raspberry and Watermelon! Fruit gang! I was gonna go for fruit salad but who makes a fruit salad with only two fruits!"

Ren chooses to interject.

"Technically, Watermelon is a berry, so we could be called "Berry Bunch?"

Ruby looks thoughtful, and Weiss expression if anything looks even more disgusted.

"Okay, 'fruit gang', why are we all gathered here?" Weiss quickly locks in the original name.

"Maybe if you let Ruby finish we would all know by now." Blake interjects.

Despite myself I snort in laughter, until everyone turns to me with a weird expression and I feel myself turning red.

After a quick chuckle from everyone, Ruby continues.

"Well, I thought we could go over strategies and stuff. Weiss I was hoping you would help expand Pyrrha's dust usage, she will need it if she's going to face off with my brother."

"I've fought him before, he uses his illusionary semblance and throwing weapons. I almost had him in the second fight."

Ruby shakes her head as Yang takes her turn to snort.

"Pyrrha, that was a spar. Itachi doesn't use his destructive stuff in spars. His semblance is a pool of energy that lets him 'manipulate the world and terrain around him'. We've seen him 'fight' with the headmaster, our parents, and Uncle Qrow, who is a high tier professional hunter. He's taken wins from all of them. Even beat the headmaster once on a technicality."

A feeling of anticipation shoots up my spine unbidden. A real test of my ability. I've been training almost without cease since that second fight. Spurred on to even greater heights by the loss.

How much can I grow if I force him to go all out?


"So what can I expect to face if he is true to his word and treats it as a fight."

Ruby and Yang mirror smirks, and for a moment, I truly see the resemblance between them.

Yang pulls out her scroll and expands it into tablet mode. From there a video is loaded.

"I spent some time in yewedit last night pulling clips of all the fights and spars we have managed to record when we were allowed to watch."

On screen a truly colossal dragon of fire is coiling around a battlefield as Itachi and what must be their Uncle Qrow clash blades in the eye of the firestorm. The dragon rears up into the air and crashes down on 'Qrow' ending the fight. The clips continue, from blazing fast sword combat against an older version of Ruby, to a barrage of rapid fire martial arts against what must be their father.
Seeing this I truly realise the enormity of the job ahead of me.

"So I'm going to teach you some of my gravity dust tricks, you have better control than me so you can do some of the really wild stuff with it if I get you up to scratch. I'm hoping Weiss will work with you on hardlight and ice." Ruby turns to Weiss with a pleading expression at that.

Weiss nods with a hard expression.

"I will even fund the dust myself, even if only to put that man in his place."

Ruby's eyebrow twitches, but she continues on regardless.

"Ren and Yang will work with you on hand-to-hand, you'll need to spar both of them at once to get the full Itachi experience, but we need to get you comfortable with people being in your face while you are unarmed."

She turns to Nora.

"Can you work with her on lightning. I know your dust is limited so I'll chip in, but she will probably need it for personal enhancement at least if Big Bro really drops his restraints."

Nora nods as Weiss opens her mouth.

"I will provide the dust. Fire, Lightning, Ice, Gravity and Hardlight."

Ruby nods.

"Thanks Weiss, I'll find a way to pay you back!"

Weiss shakes her head.

"No need, it's for a worthy cause."

Ruby starts writing peoples jobs on the whiteboards as Yang moves to sit next to me on Ruby's bed.

I'm still struggling to find my voice, the words choke in my throat as seven people, four of which I barely know volunteer to help me train.

Jaune then interjects.

"What can I do to help? I know I'm not very good yet but even if it's just carrying bags, I want to be useful."

Weiss turns to her partner with a complicated expression.

"You'll be training alongside me, while observing Pyrrha's training in the meanwhile. If im training Pyrrha on hardlight dust then you are also going to learn. It's impressively powerful with a shield, for you with your brute force especially. You won't be able to make constructs with it like Pyrrha likely will once I show her how, but you will be able to enhance your combat effectiveness which we need."

A confident smirk appears on his face.

"You got it ice princess."

Weiss scoffs and slaps the back of his head.

"Every time you use that obtuse fake hero tone with me im going to stab you from now on. Somewhere where, and i can sssure you of this, Aura will not assist with growing back."

He cringes and covers himself as I laugh out loud.

These people are amazing.

"Blake, I need you to go at Pyrrha like your trying to end her in the spars. Of all of us here you fight the most similar to Itachi in his close up style when he has his sword, especially with your clones." Ruby pipes up while writing 'Blake stabby stabby pyrrha clone zone' on the board.

Blake looks at me with a question in her eyes, as I nod in acknowledgement.

"Pyrrha." Yang is looking at me intensely.

"I don't mind helping you fight big bro, and I don't mind spending my time training with you especially given how strong you are. But I have to know. What did Itachi actually do to piss you off so much. You kinda gave Ruby a summary, but what actually happened?"

I sigh.

"It was almost four years ago that I met your brother. I was recently turned fourteen and had just won a tournament championship for the first time."

I lose myself in my reminiscing as I tell my story.

===

Four years previous.

"Pyrrha, can you come inside for a minute please, I need to speak to you!" Mom yells from inside our kitchen.

I end my sparring against the wooden dummies, my stamina is still suspect in protracted fights so I need to keep pushing my boundaries. That trainee almost took my eye out in the final round. But I sent him back to Atlas Academy with a bloody nose and a new respect for girls three years younger than him.

"Honey, one of your fathers contacts is coming by with his apprentice in a short while. He's just like you, a prodigy of the arts and recently graduated early as a hunter at sixteen! Your Dad found out he will be in the area for a while and asked if he could set up a spar."

I feel giddy with anticipation, someone on my level! Maybe a mentor, or even a rival. Someone who won't be jealous of my being strong or look down on me for being a girl like the idiots from Vacuo sometimes do.

A knock on the door barely 15 minutes later heralds the arrival of our guests.

"Can you get the door dear, I just want to finish up lunch."

I nod, and make my way over to the door, as I get to the door I can hear voices on the other side.

"Qrow. Is this not a waste of my time. I'm already sparring with you, Taiyang and Summer. We have work to do in Mantle. Those disappearances are not going to solve themselves."
A deeper voice chuckles and replies.

"Itachi, you have literally no friends. I'm your mentor, Tai and Summer are you parents. Ruby and Yang are your sisters. You. Have. No. Friends. This girl is probably not as lethal as you are, but she is absolutely a prodigy. Maybe you can finally make a friend if they are on your level."

A derisive snort erupts and I feel myself getting irritated.

"Qrow, I don't need friends. I need to finish my training and get working on the real problem."

"Give her a chance Itachi. According to her dad this girls almost as good at making friends as you are. Maybe you can find some common ground?"

"I came to Mistral with you because you wanted to see your sister. Not to attend a play date with a junior tournament fighter."

I open the door with a wooden smile.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Pyrrha. Mom is in the kitchen and Dad is just finishing up in his workshop so let me lead you to the dining room and show you where you can freshen up."

I turn away without acknowledging the small one. I'm not sure if I could keep my tone clean.

'Give me a chance' as if I'm some sort of a burden.' Will you.

My hand tightens around an imaginary handle.

===

"Wow big bro was a bit of a dick!" Yang exclaims.

I nod, but then qualify.

"In his defense, I later found out that Qrow had made them walk from the coast, he had traipsed through half of Mistral at that point and was exhausted. He ended up falling asleep at our dining table."

Ruby shakes her head. "It doesn't excuse him though, he's always been super polite with us!"

I nod in reply.

"He's always been polite with me in private, but I feel like his relationship with your uncle is a little different. It feels like he doesn't clamp down so hard on his inner thoughts when it's just the two of them. He was very polite to me in person. Well, until the fight."

===

Nikos private training ground - Mistral

How did he win so easily? He seemed to barely even move but he still had me dodging and weaving around the arena.

He is stood exactly where he started, with the haughty blank smile on his face I've come to hate.

Unbidden I hear him turn to his master. I don't think I was supposed to hear, but he wasn't exactly subtle.

"As I said Qrow. A waste of time. I didn't even need to move, just sent her chasing an illusion. Can we head back to mantle now or are you going to make me engage in any more playdates?"

"Excuse me!?"

He turns to me wide-eyed, he was so engrossed in his conversation he didn't even notice me behind him.

"I'm sor-"

"Arena. Now."

I stomp back to my starting point and ready my weapon.

I can't trust my eyes. There aren't any illusionists in the current circuit, but they aren't completely unheard of.

He's covered in metal though, weapons seemingly weaved throughout his gear.

Perfect.

We clash again and again, his expression one of shock when I bullrush his fake copies and false surroundings and move through the illusions, Lashing out at him for a final time he kicks my shield in a panic, but it only causes my spear to run up his inner thigh and bounce off the aura, barely missing his… private area.

His concentration lapses from the near miss, and I take the opportunity to grab him by the collar and headbutt him in the eye socket.

"Draw! Both combatants are at critical Aura!"

My head aches from the reverberated pain of the last ditch headbutt, but from the way he rubs his eye he got it worse than me.

He looks at me with a confused expression as I turn to return to my father.

"Give that a chance you arrogant braggart."

His expression sinks as I leave him behind me.

I remind myself not to feel guilty, he was rude first. Hand grasping about the hilt of my blade I storm out of the practice ring and head to the changing room.

By the time I leave they have already left.

"Where's the boy wonder gone; I wanted a third round."

Father snorts in amusement.

"We weren't sure if either of you would survive it so Qrow admonished his apprentice for his rudeness, apparently the boys from some backwater and had no idea of Mistralian customs, and they left.

He apologised for what it's worth. Holding back against a Mistralian isn't a mistake I feel he will make again."

I give a firm nod.

"He's the Beacon headmasters apprentice did you say during dinner?"

"Yes, Ozpin and Qrow are his teachers, mostly Qrow at the moment." Father replies.

I sit and think for a while. I wrestle with my thoughts and emotions for a while before making up my mind.

"I'm going to Beacon. If the headmaster can make someone like that then that's where I need to be."

Him and mother look at each other with a smirk.

"Fair enough, you have three years yet. Let's see what you can learn in that time. Maybe during the next fight you'll be the one giving him a chance."

He turns a knowing look to mother that I don't understand.

===

"I never saw Itachi act like that to someone before, like, dismissive isn't really his thing. He tends to either act polite, or act like you are the worlds greatest threat, without much in between." Yang says with a confused look.

I nod.

"Like I said, he apologised and it's water under the bridge now. Once I get my fight the issue is ended between us. He was obviously out of sorts and I won't hold it against him."

However I think I made a mistake in my retelling as Nora pipes up.

"Hey Pyrrha, I noticed you said you came to Beacon because of Sensei. He must have made quite the 'impression' on you."

Yang cackles and Ruby giggles as everyone else picks up on what I said.

I turn up my nose in an overdramatised expression of haughtiness.

"I'm here more for Headmaster Ozpin than your brother. If he can produce a warrior like Sensei, then like I said. His school is where I want to be."

Left unsaid is that if I went to another school, I wouldn't be in a position to get my rematch.

And I will pull out everything i have to win.

 

[Salius]

Triple chapter release warning! Go back two chapters

===
Chapter 6 - Warrior


The day of the fight arrives and my class have been almost vibrating in anticipation.

In a few short moments I will be facing off with possibly the strongest student in the school, a duel of pride and respect. And contrition.

I have a tendency to compare the people I meet in this second life to people I knew in my original life. But I struggle to think of many people who remind me of Pyrrha Nikos. The fourth Hokage maybe? He also had a battle lust that he tempered with politeness, kindness, and charity. She's a kind and honourable girl but beneath her surface rests a warrior who itches for the thrill of battle. To constantly test herself and her capacity.

Just like myself.

Her competitiveness unfortunately stokes my own, and my Chakra bubbles beneath my skin in anticipation of the upcoming fight. My Aura is sparking and rolling and my hands twitch in anticipation.

As I look outside I see the seating around the arena is dotted with Students. Most classes are suspended for the duration of the fight, as this is being used a lecture and lesson opportunity by Glynda for all of her classes.

Students at this level don't usually get to see high level Hunter fights, mostly being relegated to student spars unless their community work happens to include bandits and something goes really wrong. So this is being seen as a real opportunity to teach some harsh lessons.

I center myself and relax into my breathing. In and out.

It's almost time, I'd better get changed.

I think this will be the first time anyone in Vale, including my sisters, has seen me in my full hunter gear. My old Akatsuki gear is long burned and in its place something that looks similar to the Uchiha Jonin uniform, but with the vest replaced with a high collared long robe in the standard Uchiha blue. The Uchiha crest on my right shoulder is the only reference to my old clan, and instead of red clouds, my new outer robe has a red, orange, and silver dragon coiling around me, with scattered rose petals interspersed around the coils.

My way of honouring Summer and Taiyang for adopting me.

The standard complement of belts and pouches finish the look, before I look to my sword.

Kogarasumaru. The melted down remains of my old Anbu swords including the sword that ended my clan. Reborn in fire with the help of Summers training in weapon crafting. A straight bladed hiltless ninjato, black bladed with a black hilt, a chain hanging off the hilt with raven feathers on the end. The sheathe, blood red decorated with black rose petals.

Summer wanted to add some mechashift abomination, but looking at a complex active mechashift with my Sharingan gives me an incredible headache. Instead I conceded to a wire reel in the handle, that carries much more ninja wire that it looks like it should, and a contraption to rapidly winch the wire.

I think she's probably trying to stop me from dislocating my arm again, which while unnecessary, is an appreciated sentiment.

Sitting in Seiza, with my sword across my knees, I recite the old blessings of the Uchiha clan. Offering honor and glory to the old gods of the clan, from before the Rabbit Goddess ended the age of spirits.

The gods from which our Mangekyo techniques take their names.

She asked me to take her seriously. It's time to let people know exactly what they are getting in to if they challenge me.

"Itachi, we are ready." Ozpin nods. "Have a good fight."

I nod and make my way out into the arena. On a whim, as I approach the exit I pull out my forehead protector. And tie it around my head.

I will face her as a Shinobi of the Leaf, honoring her request fully.

As I exit into the cool morning air, a flash of red from the opposite side of the area heralds Pyrrha's arrival. She looks tense, wound up tight and ready for the fight.

She's in her standard armor, with some new embellishments on the arms. Some form of metallic, full arm gauntlets in segmented gold similar to her leg armor.

As I am observing her she is observing me, taking note of my pouches and checking me over for hidden weapons. In spite of myself I smile, and nod in approval.

She scowls at me and I smile back in return. Illusions and head games don't always start after the start of the fight is called.

Glynda calls us to the center of the field.

"Combatants, rules are set to the same rules as the Mistral tournament finals. That means no techniques are restricted, combat is until critical aura, as defined by the rules of the Mistral circuit, or surrender. Any attacks launched after aura has sunk below 10% will immediately disqualify the aggressor. Leaving the ring for greater than ten seconds will result in disqualification. Do you both agree to this ruleset.

A formality, we know the rules going in.

We nod.

"Then face each other, and bow."

We bow to each other, as Glynda speeds over to the referee's podium.

"Three, Two, One, Fight!"

She's on me instantly, her sword speeding toward my head in a flash.

"Too slow."

Her eyes widen as I catch her blade on my partially drawn sword. Half drawing my sword and twisting at the waist I catch the blade at the back of my neck and lash out with my elbow in a counter.
She leaps back and throws her shield at me, as I throw a brace of kunai at her. Rolling under her shield I charge at her as my kunai miss her by a hair.

She disengages as I charge, her sword changing into a rifle as she starts shooting at me as she leaps back. Hearing the swish of wind at my back, I dodge as her shield nearly clips me in the back.
Drawing a kunai I start defecting her bullets, as I did the last time we fought.

She smirks as the barrel of her rifle glows black, she braces herself and fires, as a massive black streak crosses the air between us, shattering my kunai and exploding in a wave of force that pushes me back across the field.

That was a damn gravity dust round, unbidden my eyes turn to Ruby, who is cheering and hollering at the attack.

"You've been taking lessons from my sister I see." I murmur.

Well okay then if you are pulling out the dust, then I suppose I can escalate.

Her barrel glows black again as she lines up another shot.

Earth Style:Granite Rampart.

I slam my hands into the ground as blocks of hardened earth start raising up between us.

I hear the explosion of another gravity round hitting one of the walls as the crowd cheers.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

I shimmer into three clones and start layering illusions around the arena. The rustling of metal heralds Pyrrha vaulting over the last rampart with her weapon in spear form. As she descends her eyes widen at the sight of three of me.

Myself and my clones weave through signs as she falls toward us.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!"
"Water Style:Mist Waltz!"

The combined attack flies up toward her as she braces her shield and a bright shield erupts ahead of her.

Hardlight dust as well! She didn't use this last time!

The wind enhanced fire technique slams into her shield and the force launches her up into the air as the water technique reacts with the flames, flooding the battlefield in a thick mist.
"Earth Style, Shrapnel Grenade!"

The walls I raised earlier crumble into sharp shrapnel that is launched explosively towards her. She deflects the ones that would hit with her sword before switching it back to rifle form.

This time the barrel glows white as she starts firing ice shards at me. The shards explode and freeze as they hit the ground.

I won't even be attempting to deflect these with a kunai. I test the waters with a fan of shuriken, with her sword in rifle form it should be easier to land a hit.

They miss by a whisker again, but the hidden wire allows me to pull them back toward her.

Only for them to miss again with a tug on my wire.

Okay, what. Something is going on here.

"Earth Style – Shrapnel Bullet!"

Stamping my foot on the ground my chakra disperses into the ground around me, hardening and then firing off small sharp stones at her.

She takes cover behind her shield again and my understanding clarifies.

She's the damn third Kazekage.

She controls metal! That's why my illusions aren't working on her, that's why I cant hit her with ranged weapons.

She lands on the ground with a flourish and dashes into the dust cloud and remnants of steam left by my previous attacks.

Slamming her way through the remains of the previous barriers she charges at me with a smirk.

Reaching out to my shoulder I cut the leather strap holding my gear pouches to me and drop my boots. If my suspicion is right my sword *should* be fine. Chakra Alloy isn't magnetic.
She pays no attention and continues her rapid charge at me, raising her sword she stabs out as I move to parry and attack.

Only for my attack to pass right through her! It's a damn hardlight construct!

The swishing of air heralds the arrival of her spear to the center of my chest with insane force. My aura holds but that definitely wiped out a chunk. The phantom pain that accompanies a blocked attack feels like a heart attack.

I clutch my chest while putting my other hand on the handle of my sheathed blade.

She smirks.

"Thanks for the inspiration. Illusions really are a fun way to fight."

Did she just. Challenge me at illusionary arts?

I activate my Sharingan and am satisfied to see her flinch as my glare hits her.

"Well done Pyrrha. You surprised me."

I release my restraints designed to preserve my chakra reserves and allow my Sharingan to spin, fully empowering all three tomoe.

"You truly were ready for me to not hold back. So behold, the consequences of receiving exactly what you asked for."

I body flicker at her, she tries to dodge but I see her move almost before she considers moving. I spin and kick out as my bare heel catches her in the jaw. Her eyes widen as she realises I have dropped my shoes and she has no metal to catch on to.

The blow staggers her, but I don't let up. Immediately keeping on top of her I uppercut her in the stomach, before flickering to her back and grabbing her arm. I use the leverage to throw her up into the sky.

Leaping into the air, I grab her by the waist with my left arm as I go to slam my right elbow into the side of her head. Her gauntleted hand rockets up to block the blow and she kicks out at my groin. I lower my hands to defend myself, but she manages to call her shield, forcing me to dodge.

We hit the ground at almost the same time as I flicker back toward her. She glows red before almost matching my speed and flickering back at me. Her sword arm comes down and I draw my own sword to block, but the sword is fuzzy and I realise it will go right through my sword to no effect.

My eyes catch the shimmer in the air, allowing me to catch the truth as she aims a stab right at my throat. I deflect it with my blade and the next few moments are a flurry of blades and shield as she tries to break through my guard to no avail. My eyes are copying her movements and I have to admit, she's efficient if nothing else. Using the minimum of force I weave and dodge where possible and deflect where it isn't. Her expression, a firm expression of absolute concentration flickers as the exhaustion caused by high speed sustained combat starts to catch up with her.

I could do this all day. Not in an arrogant way, but in an 'I am really enjoying this fight' kind of way. Her moves are perfect, every single one trained to absolute perfection. Whatever her semblance is, magnetic control or something else, she has perfect control over it. She uses it to make atypical slashes and to manoeuvre her body into unwieldy and unnatural positions to dodge against.

My return attacks are deflected, either by her forcing her shield into place, or by her deploying hardlight constructs out of her gauntlets.

I draw my sword in a rapid-draw movement and aim to reverse slash through her remaining aura with the backside of my blade, but at the last moment the handle flickers and the blade flies over her head.

The blade might not be magnetic, but the pommel chain is! She uses the distraction to stab through my chest, the blade enters and pierces straight through the middle of my sternum as her eyes widen in shock.

Then my shadow clone disperses, and seemingly she remembers that earlier in the fight there were three of me.

Bracing herself to guard, my other clone launches itself at her from behind, as I emerge from underground.

"Water Style: Shockwave!"

I spit out a small but deadly burst of water, one that will explode as soon as it hits a solid surface. My expectation is that she will block with her shield and It will launch her into my clone.

What I don't expect is for her to launch her shield at frankly insane speed, dispersing my clone while she deploys her rifle and fires an ice dust round directly at my technique, freezing it in transit.

She drops to a knee panting as I risk looking at the aura board.

She's down to 31% while I am sat on 55%. That stab with her spear earlier in the round did me no favours.

I decide to end the fight quickly, charging at her ready to engage in taijutsu.

She stands and bellows, her aura glowing a bright crimson as the air behind me hums.

My utility pouches, dropped with my gear earlier shred themselves into nothing as the kunai, shuriken and senbon all fly at me at incredible speed.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

I actually yell the technique instead of incanting it in my head as panic starts to rear it's head. These are chakra hardened but still steel weapons and they are incredibly sharp. The sheer amount of them near darkens into a solid wall of steel as she holds out her hands, fingers twisted and crooked as she summons my own weapons to destroy me.

My gale force winds slam into the construct, but against all odds it does nothing but slow them down.

I have to attack the source, my chakra is getting low and If this hits me it will almost certainly break my aura.

I throw myself at her, trying to knock her out, but to no avail. The wall of metal slams into me from behind as the full force of my own weapons starts to burn through my aura.

Then I am lay on the ground coughing with multiple kunai stabbed through my limbs. She staggers over to me exhausted, looking at the board in confusion.

Itachi Uchiha: 7%
Pyrrha Nikos: 17%

She looks to Glynda in confusion wondering why she hasn't called the match.

The scoreboard flickers, and her understanding crystalises.

Itachi Uchiha: 37%
Pyrrha Nikos: 17%

My body on the floor lifts an arm to the sky, Pyrrha follows the hand as it points back toward where I entered the arena.

Her eyes narrow as she sees me stood in the same spot I started the fight. My last clone, the one she didn't see me make disperses on the floor next to her after my replacement swaps us in the middle of her barrage.

She charges at me with a wild scream of rage, Spear leaping to her hand as she tunnel visions on ending me. She burns her aura charging at me at incredible speed, before thrusting forward with wild abandon.

Only to pass through my illusionary clone as I flicker to her back and chop the back of her neck, dropping her aura to 9% and ending the match.

She drops to the floor in exhaustion, feeling the phantom blow and listening to Glynda as she calls the match.

Winner: Itachi Uchiha!

I reach out a hand to her as the crowd of students cheers. She glares up at me for a moment, before snorting, and starting to laugh.

"I never had a chance did I?"

I shake my head.

"You had me twice. Inexperience lost you the fight if you blocked my kunai instead of using your semblance to deflect them I never would have realised you could control metal. After that, you allowed me to control the flow of the fight, misdirecting you. I know of one other metal manipulator before you and if I could offer some advice. Iron filings. He dispersed them into a cloud around the battlefield so he could never be taken by surprise."

She nods and reaches up to grab my hand.

"Next time, I will win. I promise."

I nod my head.

"Your work with the hardlight dust was sublime. You really got me. The only other person to manage that was the headmaster. Who gave you the idea?"

She smiles.

"Your sisters drilled me on how you fight with your parents and the headmaster, and Weiss ordered me the gauntlets and the hardlight dust to help 'Put you in your place', Ruby taught me how to manipulate gravity dust in ways I never thought of before, and Weiss and Blake helped make the other bullets I used on you. They use too much aura to prime though."

I nod.

"That's what our class is for. Your aura stamina will improve over time. Come see me on Thursday evening and I will teach you some advanced aura control techniques that you can do daily to improve your capacity."

She nods. Then bows deeply.

"Thank you for the lesson. Sensei."

Then she turns and walks off down her tunnel with a smile on her face.

The illusion on the board shatters as she leaves.

Itachi Uchiha: 11%
Pyrrha Nikos: 9%

If she realised how close it was, she might have gone for the double knockout again. I managed to replace myself out of that storm of metal at the last possible moment. Thank the gods and Tobirama Senju for the shadow clone technique.

Hell of a girl. I almost can't wait to fight her again.

Glynda walks over with a smile.

"Well, that was a fight to remember. I almost want to challenge you myself now."

She smirks as she says the last part.

After seeing how she fights that's an emphatic no from me.

"No thanks Glynda I like my limbs where they are."

She laughs out loud and starts repairing the arena behind me.

Gathering up my abandoned gear and calling off the semblance twisted throwing weapons a complete loss, I head off for a shower, truly content for the first time in a long time.

---

Did you ever accidentally write a 4k word fight scene? This was originally part of the previous chapter until time somehow warped and it ended up beign a chapter of its own!

 

[Salius]

The penultimate chapter of the Arc and this one really fought with me. A lot of this was planned since the prologue, i'm sure some of you were wondering what was going on with this as i never touched on it again previously so there you go. This should have been out on thursday but it's been deleted and rewritten three time since then. Couldnt quite arrive at a personality for our friend here.

As always, let me know your thoughts. I'm sure anyone with rudimentary knowledge of either series knows where this is kinda headed.
============

Chapter 7 - Master


It's not often I'm surprised.

It sounds ludicrous to myself even thinking those words. I spent an entire career as a shinobi being surprised. It became my default state at one point. Surprised that Shisui would make the choice he did. Surprised that Danzo cared more about personal power than the well-being of the village. Surprised that my brother followed the opposite of the path I laid out for him. Surprised that the blonde idiot that used to prank ANBU for fun ended up being a genuine threat to me at my most powerful. If anything my greatest strength was that I could roll with the surprises. And come out on top almost every time.

They called me a 'once in a generation' genius at one point. The worst part of that is I never felt particularly intelligent. My lauded 'genius' was a simple and practical application of logic. I always had a strong grasp on logic, even from a young age. Fathers lessons crystallised that logic into fear and naked grasping for the power to assert my own beliefs.

It's probably more truthful for me to say 'It's not often I'm surprised in combat.'

Which is at least mostly true.

Pyrrha surprised me. Twice.

The Third Hokage used to say 'Once teaches, twice kills' in regard to surprises.

The ability to control metal, I'm not sure of the limitations of her technique but if she's even halfway to the third Kazekage's mastery, she's a future S-Rank threat on her own. I want to tell myself that I didn't start the fight with the Sharingan, and i'm half energy crippled, and I was fighting to match her power rather than overpower.

But it would all be worthless excuses. It would also be disrespectful to her. She came at me with everything she had. She reviewed every scrap of intelligence she could gather on my fighting style, and in the short time before our fight she made intelligent and well thought steps to counter them.

If we ever fight again, the Sharingan will need to be in play from the start.

As with every time I fight, I find myself reviewing the battle in my head. What could I do differently with greater knowledge of the steps she took. Anything control heavy is out so what raw power applications can I use. What deficiencies did I note in my style and what do I need to shore up.

I could use lightning, but it's by far the weakest of my elements. I could use electromagnetism to possibly interfere with or interrupt her power. So lightning alignment training is in my future.

I also need to spend a not inconsiderable amount of time on replacement and illusionary clone training. They are too key to my effectiveness and it took me far too long to replace out of Pyrrha's iron storm. Had this been the old me I wouldn't have even taken a hit. Instead I took too long and nearly lost my Aura in a single attack.

So weak. This cannot be allowed to stand. It's time to do what I should have done three years ago, the moment I realised this problem existed.

Looking down at the black scroll in my hand, I search for my courage within myself.

But all that I can find are questions.

Pulling out my scroll, I send a quick message out to the headmaster.

"Headmaster, I'm heading out to the Emerald Forest for some personal training, If you need me try to message me early as I will be a while out."

It takes moments for him to reply.

"Noted Itachi. And do try to get some rest at least some point this weekend if you are intending to take a field trip in the coming week."

Smiling and shaking my head, I flicker off into the woods, bouncing between tree limbs an old familiar routine. As I move, the rain burdened clouds above start to release their gift.

Of course It would rain today. He will not be happy with me.

…

Looking out at the shaded glade deep in the Emerald Forest, as the rain falls, I work to find my center. I'm well away from civilisation here, almost on the far edge of the forest from the school.

Grimm are not as numerous out here, the strange borderland where the Grimm are close enough to civilisation to be drawn to attack, but not so far away as to be pulled by the ebbs and flows of negative energy seeping through the world. These places exist all across the world, strange eyes of the storm where weak Grimm are common but powerful Grimm are almost unheard of.

An as to why I'm all the way out here in a rain sodden forest out of the way of civilisation?

At a loss as to how to fix whatever is going on with my Chakra, I've decided to try something… risky.

Since Shisui died, I had never again during my life attempted to call upon the boss summon nor any of the talking summons of the corvid contract. Shisui was their favoured summoner, I was simply an addition to the contract.
Even though he asked me to kill him, killing the scroll holder has consequences.

How can I still summon in Remnant? With my own world and seemingly the summoning plane long behind me?

It turns out, the god of death favours the corvids greatly, being one of his primary symbols and one of the myriad mortal representations of his form. When I arrived in this world I did so with a black scroll bearing the Shinigami's symbol.

The scroll was the master contract for the corvid clan, one that allows me to retain many of my old techniques. The true crow clone that I have sorely missed as just one example.

It also means that I can technically call upon Yatagarasu. The boss of the contract.

As a boss summon, and a disciple of death he will likely have insights to my chakra that I can't comprehend.

But that doesn't stop the dread that pools in my stomach like acid. The crows in particular loved Shisui. Their most favoured summoner in their recorded history.

But I'm out of other options. Ozpin is evasive, Oobleck is without any fresh ideas. I need to find balance, or I need to find a way to temporarily suppress my own chakra expression while I master my aura. Otherwise I will be relegated to being a hammer, a blunt instrument to throw at the legions of Grimm but unable to take on the real monsters.

The story of the crow contract is an interesting one, the Uchiha were blessed with a multitude of summoning contracts over the years but we only ever defined ourselves by two of them. The cats, and the corvids. With a preference for the crow clan, the ruling class of the corvid contract.

Legend has it that we were contracted to the two clans long before the Uchiha merged with the family of the Sage via his oldest granddaughter. In the misted times lost to history.
But enough pontificating with myself.

Time to grow a spine. I came out to this isolated forest for a reason. I've agonised over this scroll for five years. Hand refusing to sign it, knowing what reopening this bond represents.

Girding my courage, I sign the contract with my blood. Not allowing myself time to talk myself out of it this time I bite my thumb, and slam my hand into the ground.

"Summoning: Yatagarasu!"

An explosion of smoke and ebon feathers, and a disdainful, soul-piercing caw greet me.

"It has been a long while since you summoned us boy."

While not quite as ostentatiously large as the bosses of the Sannin's contracts, to call Yatagarasu a 'crow' is akin to calling Beacon a 'building'.

Standing at least six feet over me, jet black feathers interspersed with grey, foot long ebony talons on the end of yellow scaled feet. And a black and yellow beak large enough to eat me in a few bites, wickedly sharp and slightly hooked.

As I take in the now much larger boss summon, he turns his lethal beak rapidly in my direction. Heterochromic eyes, one the colour of blood, the other a sharp entrancing yellow lock on to me with a look of disdain.

"Where are we boy? What godawful chakra-less wasteland have you banished yourself to here?"

I rub the back of my head.

"Ask your boss. It was the one to drop me here."

His eyes focus back on to me like a laser.

"Shinigami-sama, deigned to give one such as you a task?"

Ignoring his question, I drop to my knees in a formal bow of submission.

"I apologise Lord Yatagarasu. In my ending of Shisui I did you a great wron-"

"Get up you fool."

I rock back on my knees in surprise, before rising and brushing myself off as he continues to berate me.

"We know Shisui committed suicide via idiot you damned lackwit. The clan were there when that bastard Danzo took his eye. We were there when you continued to 'honor' his legacy by torturing your brother into near insanity. You only had to call us! We would have helped bear your burdens!"

"But Shisui was your greatest sum-"

"Stop putting words in our mouths you barely formed hatchling. Shisui was our heart. You were our heart. Flocks contain more than one member. We loved you equally. Instead we lost both of you on that fools quest for peace regardless of cost. You restricted yourself to summoning the mundane members of our murder, neglecting those of us who wished nothing more than to help."

I bow my head in shame as he continues.

"Shisui didn't need to die. He killed himself for the good of your village. You were an instrument of suicide. Not a murderer. Trust that we, of all clans would know the difference. Murder is our domain after all."
And it was. At the unjust end of mortal life the crow will judge all takers in the end.

"So what has the great lord tasked you with?"

"To help bring balance back to this world, and to save it from the powers that have cursed it."

He looks around in utter disdain.

"I've never seen a bigger fixer-upper. Where is the chakra?"

"It doesn't exist here. They use the raw power of the soul instead. In fact that's why I called upon you. My powers are fluctuating and I'm worried."

He rears back in shock.

"Raw unaspected soul power? The domain of the Shinigami? I can feel it pouring off you? How did they mutilate their souls so?"

I shake my head.

"They didn't. They seemingly have no access to their physical and mental energy, in exchange they seem to have the ability to connect their souls together in an oath of protection. It brings their enemies down on them in amplified amounts, but it allows them to protect themselves to a much greater effect."

He seems more shocked if anything.

"A truly unbound soul? Are they even mortal? The body is a vessel for the soul and it leaking out without form or aspect is unprecedented!"

I shrug.

"Feel free to turn your eyes upon me, you have my permission. I have both chakra and 'aura' as they call it. I'm probably the only example of that in existence."
He dips his beak at me as his red eye glows balefully and I feel stripped bare as he starts to mutter.

"That's impossible, the godhead? But why. It's incomplete. Which vile godling would wreak such havok upon the soul. To expose all the negativity of the soul to leak into the world like this. To allow mortals to touch upon the power of the gods in some cruel mockery of the ancients."

His eye dims as he turns the other side of his head to me.

"Get me any books or scrolls that deal with this 'aura' urgently. It reminds me of something from the ancient times. Something that we thought had died out a long time ago in the mortal realms. This "Remnant" is more than it seems. Shinigami-sama has not picked this world idly."

"I will, you have my word. However I also called you for your help in fixing my issues with taming my chakra and my aura, do you have any insights?" I try to keep the tone of pleading out of my voice.

If a giant Crow can look evasive, then this is how it would look.

"If my suspicions are correct you have a *much* bigger problem than you comprehend. chakra is mixed physical and 'spiritual' energy but as I'm sure you've worked out, the spiritual energy it uses is just the collected experiences of the singular existence. More correctly termed 'mental' energy. This 'aura' on the other hand is directly manipulating soul energy in raw form. It isn't supposed to be possible. At least, not in the realm you previously inhabited."

He takes a few tentative steps across the clearing, pecking at the ground and examining the trees as he continues.

"In the ancient times of the gods, mortals could use a form of energy that mixed mental energy with an expression of soul energy similar to a heavily restricted version of your aura. They called it 'Qi'."

He looks deeply troubled.

"But those times are a millennia of millennia ago and the power was stripped from mortal kind! You have all three energies warring inside you, and your aura is trying to unite with your physical and mental energy and is trying to purge your chakra to enable the merge, via form separation. Your chakra is growing in response to a threat and they are waging a silent war under your skin."

I feel myself pale.

"But that will eventually kill me!"

He dips his beak toward me.

"You need to find a way to integrate your chakra with your soul energy in a singular form. The old Otsutsuki bastard could do it. That's how the old geezer created matter from nothing after all. But no-one here likely knows how. And you don't exactly have access to the archives.

He turns his focus straight on to me now.

"Be wary Itachi. The combined three core energies will trespass on the domain of the gods. I have no doubt Shinigami-sama has planned this, but to what end is beyond me."

He looks away from me.

"You'll likely need to learn Senjutsu to even have any chance, but I am forbidden by oath to the elders of the clan to teach anyone the arts of the sage. There are trials you need to pass now that you have re-signed the contract."

"And there are no exceptions for these exceptional circumstances?"

He shakes his head mournfully.

"No. Not after the war with the rabbit, and the schism with the Sage's sons. None of the clans would dare teach a mortal the ways of the Sage without them passing the tests."

"Then what am I to do? Slowly die from the conflicting energy within me? Attempt to pass your trials while my capacity grows out of control and I head toward an early grave once again? My ability to manipulate aura is already crippled compared to the people here! My chakra unravels every time I attempt to make any progress!"

He hesitates.

"There has to be examples of physical and mental energy usage somewhere on this world. I don't know where, I couldn't begin to tell you. But someone on this plane must know how to achieve the final design you are looking for. I can taste it in the air. Look to the scholars of this place. Find out Why they have no access to their physical and mental energies, every living being has them. Find someone who uses Yin or Yang. Or something close to it."

"And these trials? Am I to know what I am being tested on?" I plead.

"We will be watching. Do not disappoint us, these are all the words I can utter."

I rest my hands over my eyes for a moment, before burying a kunai up to the hilt in a nearby tree. Gather my courage to summon, only to have my questions answered with more questions.

"Itachi, I'm sorry fledgeling, I truly am. I know how important your clan legacy is to you, but have faith. Death may come to us all and may not always be kind, but the Shinigami never gives an unwinnable task. Put a pause on developing your old skills and delve into new arts. You are effectively on the pathway to power overdraw like a Jinchuuriki, so learn how to leverage all of that power so it doesn't kill you. Surely your time straddling the dusk and dawn has not left you without inspiration?"

I snarl, before remembering who I am speaking to and drawing back my temper.

"I will pass your trials and then I will get my answers."

He laughs, a rasping and cackling thing.

"That's the spirit boy. Fight, struggle and survive, the way of all mortals who endure. Be a shinobi, and not a wimp."

A cloud of smoke and a voice on the wind heralds his unsummoning.

"Call if you need, the murder will answer, and don't forget my books. I leave you a gift, and a warning."

A sizzling clawing pain in my arm erupts as a summoning tattoo inscribes itself up the underside of my left forearm. A stylised top-down image of a crow in flight, with a red and yellow eye looking up from the center of the wings.

"Forget us this time boy, and you won't be able to hide from our aid again. If it takes another five years to remember the scroll, get back in contact and stop being a coward? Well. I will send all my children to make your life a living never-ending series of pranks and crowsong."

Maybe this was a mistake, I've ended up with more questions than answers.

But somehow, knowing the path make it a little easier. At least I know I'm not going crazy, there isn't some inherent thing wrong with me that is unfixable. A self-destructive power and a slowly decaying physical presence?

Not like I haven't won through worse.

…

I know who I need to speak to first. The man who started me down my current path. One of the people I most respect here.

But first I need him to stop treating me like an unruly child. I've humoured him up to now, I've followed his rules. Now it's time for him to reciprocate.

"Headmaster."

He looks up from his paperwork with a perplexed expression.

"Are you well Itachi?"

I shake my head.

I'm struggling to find my words. How do you say 'I'm dying and I suspect you know why but you won't tell me' to someone you respect? I'm not academy student, I know the importance of information compartmentalization. But he's holding back a lot.

While I wrestle with my thoughts the headmaster is watching me carefully. Laying down his pen, he steeples his fingers, looking me in the eyes as he has a tendency to do.

Even after all these years, having someone look me in the eyes is strange. It wasn't the done thing in Konoha, for obvious reasons. And the only ones who looked me in the eyes after were the people I was there to end.

"You are tense. Something has you worked up. Okay. Ask your questions. I will not lie, but I cannot promise to answer."

I shake my head.

"I made contact with my summons."

He leans back in his chair, expression thoughtful.

"The Corvids? You explained your contract previously, but you were under the impression the bond was severed."

"It wasn't. I needed to speak to their leader. My powers are growing more and more unruly, I was barely able to keep my aura up as a shield during the fight with Pyrrha, and passive shielding is randomly switching between 'barely there' and 'My own aura is providing me resistance training as I can barely walk through it it's that tough.'"

I sit down on the chair opposite him unbidden, and continue.

"The crow clan has always been rumoured to be able to look into the soul of any being that made eye contact with them. They are inherently connected with death and rebirth. So lacking any other option I made the attempt."

He nods.

"And I suppose this was successful, and your summon was helpful?"

"In a manner of speaking. He was angry with me for leaving them for so long. But we made a tentative peace. The boss of the corvid clans is not an easy person to placate."

Unbidden I rub my new tattoo, which draws the headmasters attention.

"And their verdict?" he prompts.

I sigh.

"In short? He believes I'm dying. It's nothing to be worried about in the immediate short term. But for all intents and purposes my aura and my chakra are at war. And no matter who wins, I lose. Chakra wins and my soul gutters out. Or the more likely scenario, aura wins, purging my chakra and my body becomes no longer capable of sustaining my life."

He narrows his eyes and lets out a low hiss.

"And their solution? Assuming they have one that is."

I shake my head.

"I need to find out if anyone on this realm ever used any form of physical or mental energy instead of aura. The reason my aura doesn't like my chakra is because my chakra is the refined combination of my physical and mental energy, and my aura wants those two energies for something. But he doesn't know what. It's unprecedented for a regular person in my realm to have all three energies accessible. We have no access to soul energy except in very limited circumstances."

At that he sinks his head into his hands looking at his desk.

"As far as I know, and the reach of my knowledge is long, we never had an ability to use energy the same way you do, but there were at one-point users of another form of energy, with the power to bend and shape the world around them. It could be that this is what you seek. Though it was a lot more volatile and a lot freer with power than what you have demonstrated up to now."

I feel the stirrings of excitement within me.

"James is arriving for the festival in a few weeks, I will gather my council of associates and discuss this matter. There are unfortunately oaths of secrecy and respect involved so I cannot give you any sort of answer right this second. If I do not have any luck I will point you at a few ancient ruins for you to check on the term break. There are static examples out in the world of non-aura based energies that might assist your search."

He's hiding something, and infuriatingly he knows I know he's hiding something.

Seriously, I would love to have introduced him to Danzo sometime. A conversation between them would be hilarious.

"Headmaster, you wouldn't hide something that could potentially save my life would you?"

He smiles sadly at me.

"If it was truly life or death, no, but at the moment it isn't and there is a severe level of danger attached to even knowledge that the knowledge itself exists. You've never met some of the more virulent and powerful Grimm, and prey you never do. But there are some potential memetic hazards attached simply to the existence of some of the knowledge. I do not keep secrets idly Itachi."

He sighs, before continuing.

"If it comes down to your life or not, there are some extremely risky measures I can potentially take. But they would likely cost one or both of us more than we are likely willing to pay so let's leave that as option Z please."

I nod. My relaxation must have been noticeable as he smiles at me. Just the knowledge that he at least has some potential inkling of my problem is smoothing out some of the tenseness in my shoulders.

After a while in silence, punctuated only by the tapping of his fingers on his keyboard as he works on paperwork, he finally speaks again.

"Moving onto another subject. Your fight was rather disappointing. I know I asked you to fight in a way to reduce injury but you could have at least tried to hit the poor girl. We will be sparring every Tuesday and Saturday so that I can make sure you know how to leverage your increased levels of power properly. Poor control is no excuse for poor performance after all. "

I feel a cold shiver trickle down my spine at the look her turns on to me. The look in his eyes could be described as feral.

Then he smirks as if he can read my mind.

Damn interfering headmasters.