17So, here is a new project. Don't worry I haven't abandoned any of the other ones yet, and I've finally been inspired by reading so many RWBY crossover fics. One of which is the inspiration for this story, Hunting or Bust, written by Master Attlon. Check it out. It's so good. The writing style and the character relations are always interesting and natural. I love their story, and you guys should really check it out. Also, because of the nature of this fic, and its birth, I will not be including everything from the original work. If you would like to learn more about the story, then I suggest going to the original author.
Think of this as a fanfiction of a fanfiction, with permission from the author themselves to do so. Which would be the reason for similar dialogue, as I don't want to change too much from the original. This is more of a Sasuke-centric piece, as I wanted to focus more of a change in background and how that might change the story. Well, hope you guys enjoy!
Prologue-
A young boy was being held close to an older boy, tears streaming down his cheeks. The older male held his father's bloodied sword gripped tightly in his hand, while his other covered the younger one's eyes.
"Don't look! Don't look, Sasuke! It's okay. It's okay. Big brother's going to protect you. No matter what!"
With the boy in his arms, the older male ran away as fast as he could, away from the carnage that was his parents, their family. Unfortunately, they became surrounded by Beowolves. Sasuke clung tighter to his brother.
"I-Itachi…"
"Don't worry. I said I'll protect you."
His eyes bled red, and the Beowolves pounced.
…
It's been years since then. Sasuke doesn't remember that night, aside from what Itachi told him. The two have constantly been on the run, making lien by turning in bounties here and there. This time was no different. Itachi picked up a job to hunt a certain pyromaniac named Deidara. But it's been a while since he left and he hasn't come back yet. Sasuke was starting to worry. Itachi's strong, he'd be back soon. But this is the longest he's ever taken on a job…Sasuke continued this internal argument when he heard voices. One of them was…Itachi!
"I'm still gonna get out of these things!" one of the voices he didn't recognize he assumed was the target screamed.
The twelve year old smirked. Him? Escaping? No way.
"Good luck with that" He approached from behind. "If Itachi doesn't stop you again, I won't mind taking my turn."
He watched as the two turned around to see him. He looked to Itachi.
"What took you so long? I thought you'd come back way sooner," Sasuke asked, curious.
Itachi smiled, "Sorry, he was tougher to catch than I thought."
The boy hummed as he looked the bounty over. "Doesn't look all that tough."
"Wanna test that theory little man?" the Deidara growled, angry at the thought that he was being underestimated. "Undo these bad boys and we can have a quick go. See if you can put some action into those big words."
Sasuke replied condescendingly, "Sure, we can do that." He smirked, "And after I'm done you can know that you got your ass handed to you by the both of us."
The bomber was about bite off the twelve year old's head off before Itachi clamped a hand around his mouth, holding him back.
"Sasuke, don't instigate fights. You don't want to start anything when you don't even have your semblance yet."
Sasuke shot up straight before looking to the side with an angry pout at the bounty's laughter. "He didn't have to know that."
Of course, Sasuke only got his Aura unlocked recently, so it was understandable that he hasn't found his Semblance yet. But Itachi knew that whatever it was, it was going to be amazing. He wanted his younger brother to become strong, so that he would be safe even without Itachi's presence. Though that didn't stop Itachi from worrying any less. He wanted Sasuke to be happy, but he couldn't help but believe he has failed in that aspect, as they didn't have a stable home. Always moving, sometimes even camping out in the woods because they didn't have a faster travel method. They were nomads. But they were able to master these skills while travelling with their parents back when they were alive.
Their parents…Sometimes, Itachi wondered if Sasuke was lucky to have forgotten them. Itachi wished he could forget to, but he couldn't. Someone had to remember them, to keep their memory alive. To keep their promise. Itachi smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's go turn this guy in and get paid."
Sasuke looked down at the hand on his shoulder then looked back to his brother strangely. "Is something wrong? You're acting kinda weird…It's a little unnerving."
"I'm fine. Just thinking about what we're going to eat tonight."
The two were interrupted by the screaming blonde as the older Uchiha finally released his hand.
"Uuugh…You're breath stinks…And what's that?"
The brothers looked at the direction he was pointing, seeing the smoke rising from behind a few buildings. It wasn't long before the screams and sounds of explosions could be heard. Tossing the bounty aside, Itachi ran towards the smoke.
"Sasuke, stay here and watch over him!"
Usually, he'd be far more attentive about leaving his younger brother with a dangerous criminal, but he trusted his brother enough to be able to handle himself. There was also the fact that something inside him was screaming that something was wrong.
…
Sasuke watched as his brother left him alone with the pyromaniac. Should he follow? But he had to watch the blonde…But Itachi might be in danger! But he's strong. He won't die…will he? No never!
"Geez…Leaving the Great Deidara alone with a puny kid like you. He must trust you a lot."
Sasuke just glared at him, but let a smirk cross his face. "Of course he does! And when he comes back, you'll be locked up in jail for who knows how long."
But for some reason, Sasuke couldn't help but worry. He could still hear the screams, and the sounds of battle could be heard faintly. He wasn't going to leave this spot though, because Deidara needed to be watched. Speaking of, he was still struggling. Sasuke would have laughed if he wasn't so worried. Something felt off. That was when Deidara let out an undignified shriek, which caught the young Uchiha's attention.
"Dammit. Well, at least one of my hands are free…"
Sasuke's eyes widened. One of the constraints were broken. Which only fueled his worry. It wasn't the fact that Deidara now had a chance of escape, but more of the fact that the way the handcuffs broke was unnatural. First of all, how is it that only one of it cracks without any prompting?
Something bad was gonna happen. He knew it. He didn't know how but the broken cuffs proved it. He took off running towards the battlefield. He had to find Itachi. He had to find him before something bad happens…
"Hey, wait! Where're you goin'? Hey! Come back!" Deidara noticed the almost panicked look Sasuke had before taking off. Without thinking, he began chasing after the younger Uchiha to see what was up.
…
As Sasuke approached the city square, the first thing he noticed was the wrecked buildings and automobiles, and the dead bodies. He searched frantically for his brother before he found him, on the ground with a red-headed Faunus standing over him menacingly. Sasuke's body went into autopilot.
"ITACHI!"
The red headed man looked up, blocking the knife that was aiming for his head. Masked eyes met red, as the boy used the knife to fight off the red bladed katana. Itachi instantly recognized the knife as the one he had used previously to murder the two soldiers. The older Uchiha was both proud and terrified. Proud that Sasuke was able to activate his Semblance, despite the dire times, and terrified that his little brother had charged into a fight that he may not win. But as they continued to cross blades, Itachi noticed how Sasuke's body began emitting a light purple glow, similar to what the red-haired man was doing. Could it be…
'Is Sasuke copying the man's semblance?'
After a moment, the Faunus jerked his blade aside, completely shattering the knife in the young Uchiha's hand. Shocked, he fell back with a broken hilt as the Faunus prepared to finish him off.
"NO!"
Itachi charged in once again, knocking the blade out of the Faunus leader's hands, forcing him to retreat. Itachi retained his protective stance in front of Sasuke, aiming the tip of his blade at the masked swordsman, his own eyes bleeding red.
The Faunus frowned. "Two of them?" He let out a frustrated sigh, and shook his head with a scowl. "I guess the stories that your bloodline has been wiped out was just a fantasy." He was alerted to the sounds of Bullheads above and sirens. Sheathing his blade, he called back the remaining Faunus soldiers. "THAT'S ENOUGH! FALL BACK, WE'RE RETREATING!"
Itachi made a move to stop them, but was interrupted by the redhead.
"Don't worry." He slashed at a nearby car with his blade. "We'll meet again."
The car exploded and the brothers were blinded by the smoke and explosion. Once everything settled, the White Fang were nowhere to be seen. Itachi finally noticed his heavy breathing, and put his sword away, turning around to see Sasuke taking deep breaths of his own to calm himself as well. He looked up, allowing Itachi to get a better look at his younger sibling's eyes. They were exactly like his father's. Itachi deactivated his own eyes, watching as Sasuke struggled to do the same. Finally, both their eyes were back to their original black.
"W-woah…"
The two brothers looked over to find Deidara standing just a few feet away, staring. Both his freed and unfree arms hung at his sides. The blond bomber looked around, letting out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Who are you guys."
Now that…was a very good question.
…
A few more years pass. Deidara somehow ended up joining their little family as well, though Sasuke would never admit it. In fact, their group began gaining a lot of followers over the years. Ever since the attack of the White Fang, the Uchiha have been training and growing in numbers to fight them off. This was one of those days. After his morning training, Itachi called Sasuke over, saying that he wanted to give him something. Despite his curiosity, Sasuke asked to take a shower first, which he was allowed. After the shower, he went to meet with his brother in his room.
"Brother? What is it you wanted to give me?"
Itachi smiled, taking off their father's sword, and attaching it to Sasuke's hip.
"W-wha…Brother? Why…"
"I thought it was time for you to inherit the blade."
Confusion was evident in the younger Uchiha's face. "But this is…This is your most precious…"
Itachi's smile only grew more amused at the flustered Uchiha as he simply nodded. Sasuke
"This—This feels weird…"
"Oh grow up, it looks good on you."
Sasuke continued to fiddle with the sword and sheathe, struggling to get used to having a weapon heavier than a knife. One hand on the hilt, he looked up at his brother. "A-Are you sure…? About me sticking with this thing?"
"Of course I am," Itachi nodded, "That sword has been through a lot of battles and wars, and its always done the job in the hands of the Uchiha. Dad fought with it. I fought with it." Itachi patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "Now it's your turn to be protected by it as well."
Sasuke was still uncomfortable, his face twisting in uncertainty.
"I still think you should-"
"Sasuke," Itachi's voice was stern, "It's your blade now. You use it. End of discussion."
The younger of the two still looked uncertain, but relented, tapping the hilt of the sword as he sighed.
"Let me ask you something in return," Itachi looked down at the new sheathe, "Are you sure you want to use the same weapon as that guy?"
Sasuke nodded firmly. "Yeah, this will remind me of what we're up against, and who we have to fight at the end of this fight."
Itachi smiled, proud of his little brother's determination. He looked so much older with the sword by his side. Itachi had no doubt that Sasuke would be the mightiest warrior Remnant had ever seen.
"That being said…Are we seriously letting these people tag along?"
Itachi looked up at the large group of people that were going to fight alongside them. The older Uchiha rolled his eyes with a sigh and spoke in hushed tones.
"Don't start again. You know as well as I do that we'll never have a fighting chance with the White Fang with just the two of us."
"But these people?"
"We're orphans travelling like nomads about to form a team to counter a terrorist group," Itachi continued with a hopeful smile, "We have to believe they want the same as we do."
"But can we trust them?
"We can watch them for now, and we'll see if they have our trust after."
"…Fine," the younger Uchiha relented. He then pulled on the new black jacket with their symbol on the back, brows raised. "But do we really have to wear these silly uniforms? They look so stupid and ostentatious…I mean, I don't know what I was expecting, but he could've at least tried…"
"HATE! ALL MY HATE!"
Itachi attempted to ignore Deidara's fiery temper and exclamation while the others held him back from mauling Sasuke. Itachi fiddled with his own jacket lapel.
"Well…the White Fang is dressed in white with their emblem on the back, so Deidara thought it'd be poetic if we were in black."
Sasuke merely stared blankly at the explanation, causing the older male to sag his shoulders with a sigh. "Yeah, I don't know either."
"YOU TOO ITACHI?!"
Itachi looked up, ignoring the outburst, to find everyone had already finished packing. Nodding his head, he picked up his own bag.
"Okay, everyone, are you all ready?"
The large group merely stared at him, as if waiting for something.
"Is…Is something wrong?"
"Speech!"
Someone yelled from the crowd, and the noise of agreement that followed surprised the Uchiha, but nonetheless, he offered one. He stepped forward as everyone silenced themselves, eagerly awaiting the Uchiha's words.
"I guess I should start by saying thank you all for coming…"
…
The group began filing into the forest as Itachi and Sasuke brought up the rear. The younger male chuckled a bit, looking up at the older one with a smirk.
"Good speech. But aren't those the same words that Father always told you about our ancestors?" The awkward silence that followed was answer enough. "Don't worry, I won't tell."
"Same goes for you, Sasuke." He looked up to find Itachi's eyes narrowed. "If this isn't what you want, turn back now." Even if Itachi had made up his mind, he still wanted Sasuke to have choice. "So, what'll it be?"
"Does it even have to be said?" Sasuke pounded his chest, eyes looking up at his older brother with a confident smile and proud eyes. "I'm by your side, Itachi. Through and through…Until the end."
…
Sasuke and Naruto were currently held at a police station, separated into two interrogation rooms. Both were more than a little peeved at getting caught so easily, despite all their other jobs. Sasuke sighed. This wasn't how things were supposed to end. Oh well. He could practically hear Naruto screaming from the other room about not judging him since he was also caught. The door opened, pulling him out of his thoughts. A middle-aged man with unkempt silver hair and glasses entered, carrying a coffee cup in one hand, and a cane in the other, with a Scroll underneath his armpit. Once he sat down, he began reading the information from his Scroll.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Age 17. Sasuke Uchiha. Age 17. Apprehended at two sites where a large quantity of Dust was being stolen and transported. One in a warehouse owned by the Schnee Dust Company. Another, several blocks down the street in a van that crashed into the wall. From the items taken off your person, we have a Scroll and a katana with what appears to be a gun sheathe. That's quite minimal compared to your partner, no?"
Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. "Naruto just likes using tricks to fight with his opponents. I'm guessing you also took his boots?"
The man smiled. "Of course, since he had concealed weapons in them."
Sasuke just hummed. "So, what now? You don't seem like a policeman. What do you want?"
"Under most circumstances, it would be written that you two were just passing by before you tried to take the Dust and make off with it to sell a good profit. But, after finishing the robbers' treatment before arresting them they said you two were there to steal the Dust for yourselves before the local Law Enforcement came to the scene. Also…" the older male brought up another file on his Scroll, "we have reports that two criminals matching your descriptions have been spotted in surrounding areas, committing auto theft and minor counts of Larceny. There's also one that states a figure matching your description running away from scenes of assassination…"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything.
"With assumptions like this," the man continued, "and the testimonies of the robbers, there could be a full out investigation on both your involvements in this case."
Sasuke remained silent, waiting for the inevitable. He knew that this would happen one day, but not so soon. Of course, he wanted to be free, but he would dutifully accept whatever punishment. Naruto would get off easily, but him? Probably not so much, especially from the extra jobs…
"Don't worry, I won't have you go to jail, unless you want to."
Wait. What? Did he just hear right?
"…Why?"
"Because I'm more interested…" he leaned back in his chair, "in the fact that an Uchiha is working with a Faunus."
"…Is that wrong?"
Ozpin shook his head, amused. "No, not at all, in fact, I approve of the sentiment."
"Then why…"
The man leaned forward, somehow becoming more intimidating in contrast to his previous demeanor. "Do you know who I am?"
Sasuke continued his silent treatment, but nodded his head.
"You're Ozpin, of Beacon Academy."
Ozpin smiled, nodding in confirmation. He raised his mug to his lips before continuing, "So you know who I am…That saves us the exposition."
"W-wait, hold on! That still doesn't explain why the headmaster of one of the most prestigious Hunter academy is here."
Ozpin finished sipping his mug and looked at the black haired teen in front of him. "I have made many connections in my lifetime, Mr. Uchiha. Connections that can get me information when I need it, and enough of it to know about you and your blonde friend's backgrounds."
Silence rang in the room once more. If he were Naruto, then he would have shot back some snarky retort, like he didn't know anything. But he wasn't, and he knew better. This man was strong and influential, and he didn't doubt the man's information network.
"If you know our backgrounds, then why are you here?"
"Because one of the acts I can't stand is watching people with talent such as yours go to waste like this. This world is at peace, but at a moment's notice that could change for the worse. So when I find two young men using their skills so recklessly like this, I take notice. And I don't waste an opportunity to change that."
Ozpin stared at the young teen straight in the eyes. "I want you and Naruto Uzumaki to attend Beacon Academy. I am about to ask young Naruto to join as well, once I'm done here."
To say Sasuke was shocked was an understatement. He was utterly speechless. The headmaster of one of, if not the most, prestigious Hunter school was inviting them personally to join his school. This had to be a dream.
"What about our criminal records? Surely you would have thought that inviting criminals into such a school would be a bad idea? I mean, Naruto is one thing, but me?" Sasuke looked down in shame. He couldn't accept this. Not after everything he's done.
Ozpin noticed the teen's internal struggle. He knew about the Uchiha's history. From the petty thefts to the more serious crimes.
"Of course, compared to Mr. Uzumaki, you are far more dangerous, activity wise. But that doesn't mean that you are a bad person. All criminals have a reason to do what they do, whether it be something petty such as wanting to humiliate someone, to something noble, such as protecting a loved one. While what you did was wrong, I wouldn't exactly want you to brand yourself as heartless criminals."
Sasuke still wasn't convinced.
"You're smart. You may think of a different way out of situations than I do, but from my point of view, you only have three options," Ozpin stared into his coffee mug, "One, accept my offer, try to overcome the odds, and hope for something good to come out of it. Two, get locked up for any crimes you may have committed, serve your time, and hope for parole. Or three, try to knock me out, escape this station without any gear, and stay on the run for the rest of your lives, hoping to never get caught. Preferably, I'd like to stay away from option number three."
He lowered his mug and looked at the hardened black eyes of the Uchiha. "I can't promise you a future. I can't promise you whether the choice you make will be the right one. But I implore you, make a choice that would benefit you and your future."
Sasuke remained silent, deep in thought.
"Well, it's about time I talk to your little fox friend in the other room. I will be awaiting your answer."
And with that, the strange headmaster left, leaving the teen to his thoughts. On one hand, he wanted this chance to change, to finally be free from the darkness, but on the other, he felt he wasn't deserving. Was this really okay? The headmaster certainly thought so. What would Naruto do? He would surely take the offer. But what about him? He wanted this just as much as Naruto probably does, maybe more. He thought of Naruto's most probable answer. And he thought of his own choice, to follow Naruto no matter where he went. He thought what he wanted. He thought about the happiness he sacrificed to get here.
"It's okay, right? I can have this one piece of happiness…Can't I? Hey, brother…what would you have done?"
Well, that's it. I'll see you guys next chapter. I tried to keep it in as much of the same universe as the original story's with minor changes. So what do you guys think? And don't forget to read the original story, Hunting or Bust by Master Attlon. I would never have been able to do this without them. See ya!