What if Naruto had The Mommy Harem | Part 2

hello and welcome back everyone V online and today I'm going to continue the story what if Naruto got the mommy harm part two if you enjoy this video please give it a big thumbs up and to watch more videos like this subscribe to my channel and turn that Bell notification on so you never miss an upload now wasting no more time let's begin I must admit that I was impressed the Hokage sent sunade herself to me with the title to a sizable plot of land close to the Village Center in a matter of hours land that has belonged to the Village since its founding and has never been put to any use since it was the only area of the village that had not been developed before the caubi attack it became a housing District in my timeline as a result it was best to begin building right away in order to house everyone who lost their homes in the attack because before they could begin a reconstruction almost every other area of the village was either in poor condition or covered in debris that needed to be cleared away it takes a lot of time in order to save time and give the people a new roof over their heads it was decided to skip clearing those areas and just begin construction on new housing the original intention was most likely that the land would eventually be required for some significant infrastructure which has never materialized considering the prime location The Village's price was reasonable overall I agreed and gave her a copy of my sunade and Sakura's Collective knowledge Sakura used the much enhanced regeneration Jutsu toward the end of her life which had none of the drawbacks of tsunade's original Jutsu she would undoubtedly benefit greatly from it I only hoped she wouldn't recognize the hand hand that put together the Scrolls one gave her I tried my hardest to confirm that everything in them was written by Sakura even going so far as to make a copy using seals but in the end I wasn't certain it would be sufficient to allay her suspicions it shouldn't really matter because the seals I put on the Scrolls made it impossible for anyone other than her to open them much less read them there was no one to whom she could show this consequently any suspicions she might have would be unfounded the evidence indicated that my fears were merely an overreaction as I had not yet met her again after giving her the Scrolls the Sakura and Tsunade dream Hospital blueprints were delivered to the construction Crews I hired that same day I even offered to double the workers pay for this project which included paying them for all overtime and to give them an extra bonus if they finished it earlier than expected the Uzumaki Clan could easily afford it and the sooner the village had access to those facilities the better for the impending War I always had the financial resources I brought with me which were nothing to laugh at in case I needed them the fact that food was the only item of any value to us was one of the few benefits of the future I came from since the ashes of our civilization were more valuable than gold and gems it was relatively easy to gather a sizable amount of it before returning in time after my body had completely recovered from the stress of losing kurarama and the strain of getting him back the remainder of the week was pretty uneventful I gradually became acquainted with my chakra and what it meant to be a ginu as someone whose character control was comparable to the late Sakura the effects of my condition were evident even though it only lasted for 2 days restoring my chakra control to its pre-departure level took several days and a significant number of clones I was surprised to find that the benefits of being made a ginu again were the same as the first time with my tenketsu and chakra pool being forcefully expanded after investigating it to satisfy my curiosity I found that the effect was not as strong as I had thought but it was still discernable maybe my Advanced age for jinu had something to do with it relearning and switching into sage mode without going into stone mode was easy after that I began modestly letting only small intentional amounts of nature energy enter my system I maintained a firm hold on this energy prepared to quickly remove it from my system if needed after all there was a significant risk so I took every precaution to avoid becoming a statue without fukasaku and his stick it turned out that I was being too cautious because Sage Mode came to me so effortlessly that it was like breathing the speed at which I could now enter it was the biggest change overall a single moment of focus was barely perceptible this gave me new hope that I might be on the verge of accomplishing the legendary feat of becoming a perfect Sage who absorbs nature energy while in motion I worked on kash's skills in the interim her throwing and tautu skills were lacking where they should have been since the J and Sensei typically uses those exercises as team building activities I didn't teach her any advanced chakra control I reason that it would be best to avoid tampering with that and angering kash's future Sensei even even though it took me a while to realize what Kakashi had in mind when he handed me to eisu I knew from experience how crucial those are for every Shinobi the children sporting brand new forehead protectors rushed out of the academy building to their eager relatives interrupting my thoughts a redhead jumped into my weighing arms with a chesher cat smile she joyfully told me I did it I'm a full-fledged Shinobi Oni Chan see I told you so and with that you have taken your first step to Greatness so what does the future first female hope K want for dinner I inquired Ramen was the obvious answer she gave what was the point of my inquiry after a few minutes we made it to ichiraku after warming our way through everyone else I said hello Tui San to the chef of the ramen Tui said a my best customers what can I get you to I glanced at kha and said to Mis so Ramen for me causing her to place her own order I nudged her a little to get her to look away from her new shiny forehead protector what oh three miso Ramen please she positioned the forehead protector counter directly in front of her spaying the band of cloth and using her fingers to trace the village symbol as we sat down on bar stools next to each other an amboo shunshine from the house across the street from us as she was about to grab some Chopsticks Uzumaki Sama said the Anu the Hokage requires your presence in his office I replied irritably really now can it wait until after I have eaten the individual in the white mask which was painted with a large toothy greenish creature that most likely looked like an alligator or crocodile said nothing here you can have mine to you earned it I said as I shoved my piping hot bowl of ramen to kha she grabbed it right away and protected it from me as she slurped noodles from her Bowl obviously determined to keep the bowl in her possession if one couldn't get back to her in time those were my noodles I sighed I got up bowed my head and walked toward the Hokage Tower the amboo vanished before I could even give him a demonic glare to vent my frustration all I could hope for was that the Hokage would want to talk about something significant so he could yank me from my meal I saw that there were other people heading to the Hokage when I walked into the building I encountered numerous Shinobi who were traveling in the same direction as me curious I was pretty sure they were all Janan without exception all of the Janan including jariah and Orochimaru were lined up in front of the hok desk and the doors to the Hokage office were open when I finally arrived at the h ha secretary's desk kna was not there I made the decision to participate I caught a glimpse of Kana standing to herzen's right with a clipboard clasped between her crossed arms in front of her chest as I made my way to an empty spot the stream of new arrivals dwindled shortly after I got there and the door was shut behind the final person to enter as probably most of you know today the newest batch of Jen and hopefuls graduated and every one of you here in this room was picked as a John and Sensei for one of the teams the Hokage continued that clarified the reason we were all present I wasn't totally sure how to interpret the fact that I was regarded as a John and Sensei and I questioned his intentions after all I could always fail them if the limitations of being a member of a genen and team conflicted with my plans a few well-known graduates from a particular Clan might make me reconsider since it would entail upsetting their parents in Clan how I detested politics or was this something else when I had a chance to see who would be assigned to me I suppose I would know when I call your name please step forward to receive the dossier about your team you have until tomorrow to familiarize yourself with their file one day Sensei I was led to believe it is a week until the team placements jiah asked this was true in the past the Hokage answered the idea was to give the graduates a little downtime until they are confronted with the harsh life of being a Shinobi but recent circumstances made this change necessary and it is not like the vacation we usually grant them is strictly necessary just consider this an opportunity since you were granted a week's worth more time to train them jiah inquired what special circumstances here isan exhaled as some of you might know Uzumaki Mito the wife of the First Hokage hashirama senju and one of the founders of this Village died in her Ward a recent graduate of the academy wants to attend her funeral in uzushiogakure her absence would have fallen in the first week of the teams being formed consequently it would have disrupted the team building of the team she would have been placed in we deemed the risk that she would be unable to seamlessly reintegrate after she was away for weeks as too high so instead of risking the Integrity of a team or leaving her team aen and short we decided to prepone the team placements this should allow their team leader to complete enough d rank missions to get his team eligible for C ranks and therefore allow for her whole team to escort the Ashen remains of Mito Uzumaki to USU Shakir and attend the funeral together you cunning Fox here Isen I see was there more to it than just three birds with one stone it would also clarify zade's absence she probably had a lot on her plate and didn't have time for a few jenin of course we entertained different options he continued like ignoring the ward for team placements which would have resulted in a three-man cell and her being sidelined without it being her fault we could have postponed the funeral to a time when her team could take a C- rank Mission delaying the ceremony and in the process potentially insulting Uzu Shakir by not bestowing the honor upon Mito Uzumaki she was due we also could have postponed the team placements until after she would have returned I think it is clear why we couldn't do that there were more suggestions on how to handle the situation I won't bore you with the details ultimately we decided the best course of action would be forming the teams early I see jiah remarked with a laugh hereen added as if he saw something in his face oh and don't think just because you got a few jenin to care for you are exempt from the training exercises the third's lips curled into a tiny Smile as jiah's shoulders drooped after the hok began calling out the names of the Shinobi in attendance each of them went to Kana to pick up the file pertaining to their team they went through the list alphabetically which greatly irritated me because I was the second to last person to be named only yamanaka who are easily recognized by their light blonde hair would be called after me I let my thoughts wander until Uzumaki narut was said which snapped me out of it I moved forward and accepted the provided folder I had to stifle a groan after taking a quick look inside as if being an all female team wasn't awful enough they were also wellknown I had the odd feeling that excluding sunade in order to create a medic Department had backfired and I was left in charge of the team that was meant for her having the most talented kunoichi take care of those who are thought to be able to outperform her would make sense according to this Makoto uch who was at the top of her class did not have an active Sharingan I pondered the reason behind that bringing it forth should be easy it should be enough to elicit a strong emotional reaction from from some of her Elders it was a startling piece of knowledge considering how highly valued the Sharingan was in the eyes of every ucha I have encountered thus far perhaps this generation of Uchiha were more sensible was this a fabricated report that minimized her skills or did they realize the potential harm that an excessive dependence on their eyes could do to their Shinobi in any case I would be certain in a few days ultimately if my understanding is correct Makoto was Uchiha kagami and is currently the head of the uch clan he should therefore be motivated to highlight his daughter's skills as his sole child and Heir despite having the same total number of points as Makoto Akiko hyuga the second best in her class only finished second due to a head-to-head record she had lost to Makoto in a taijutsu sparring match it should come as no surprise that the hyuga are prohibited from using the gentle fist in the academy because of the high risk of harm and death until they have mastered their craft additionally it would be harmful if it were displayed in such a setting that is relatively easy to observe allowing both The Villages enemies and other resident Clans to dismantle it there was no question in my mind that the village expected them to perform well as they ended up being the best kunoichi and the best of their class overall therefore I the person who became Hokage without ever having trained a jenin team am under no pressure yes I have occasionally offered advice and taught a few Jutsu but managing a team full-time is very different another is Team Dynamics where members build and refine their strengths while concealing their weaknesses apart from their success in the Academy I didn't learn much from looking through their records the information provided in those files was rather deficient in hints regarding their observed personalities and speculation about their potential it appeared that I would have to make my own judgment about them in contrast the final member of my team was expected kha easily made Jenine according to a quick review of her file but she finished last in her class because she missed the entire year of classes because the total points earned by the students from all of the tests they take throughout the year serve as the foundation for the team placement as a result she was unable to avoid having a small portion of what her classmates had amassed during that period that fact was unaffected by the bonus points she received for being aware of the advanced cage bunin given that her circumstances were not all that different from my own genen and days I pondered how long it would take her to overcome the stigma associated with being the last to die and for people to begin acknowledging her as the dark horse that she is it appeared that I ended up with sas's mother my own mother who despite being the ays somehow failed to become a clan leader before her future husband took it for himself it must have been a story sadly I never made the effort to learn about the inner workings of a konaha clan that is no longer in existence by the time I received the Hat I had already been occupied with keeping the remaining shenobi alive so I learned about Clans and their Customs from the various campfires where the surviving members reminisced about the past then there was a Kiko whose name somehow sounded familiar there was no doubt that I had heard it before it dawned on me as I looked more closely at the main Branch's photo of the girl her eyes were what convinced me that she was a hybrid of hanata and hannaby her facial structure was too similar to those of those two to be a coincidence even among the closely related hyuga they were kind to them something I've only ever seen in hanata if their personalities were similar to those of their children that would be fantastic if kha and I were any indication I would have a lot on my plate in my opinion my first team was a disaster waiting to happen because of sas's arrogance not's reserved demeanor and kash's ragus demeanor however if Akiko was more like hannaby or had the same steel underneath her delicate exterior as hanata she might have discovered it earlier in life a lot would change the same could be said of Makoto if she were more like Itachi than sake preferring selflessness over egoism and love over hate this team could succeed serut toi Sensei is there a reason why my request of whom I wanted to in my team wasn't granted in its entirety asked Orochimaru it was a lastminute request of her parent to have her on another team besides I think you will have your hands full by dealing with the sanjuan all on its own and his big sister should you not treat him well here is in caution Orochimaru sju the big scary sister could only refer to noaki did Orochimaru have an early interest in Bloodlines washa the other genine he was pursuing then naturally Makoto the clan Chief's daughter and noaki the first hokage's grandchild I squinted because it felt like I had to watch Orochimaru even more intently than I had planned to even worse this question was now bothering me in order to obtain noak's body could Oro chimaru have been involved in his demise was he even pursuing his own body in a drunken days sunade once told me that even she was unable to identify the few remnants of him that were displayed to her Oro chimaru there would be hell to pay if this suspicion proved correct as improbable as it may seem in order to avoid being tempted to squash a snake I left the office after the other Janan I could feel kosha returning to the Uzumaki compound by the time I left the Hokage Tower I was about to accept that I would have to eat alone when I noticed tsunade's signature among the thousands of others gathered around me she looked exhausted as if she hadn't eaten or slept for days nevertheless she continued to be the workaholic I knew with the occasional diversion into drinking and gambling I had better take care of her and fulfill my commitment to Meo I had more than enough ghosts haunting me already for this reason I didn't think it was necessary to add a furious Meo to the ones that were pursuing me I crossed the street and went inside a sushi restaurant I had barely entered when I was welcomed by the mouthwatering aroma of sushi luckily there was no line because every customer was seated with their food in front of them and I could approach the elderly akamichi behind the counter he said good day esteemed customer what would you like to order I looked at the menu and couldn't think of anything to say in addition to the large selection I was by no means an expert on Sushi the number of times I had it with the fingers remaining on both hands was enough to count my guilty pleasure of ramen didn't exactly help finally I decided to take the safe route give me one of everything to go I replied sure akamichi said with a Sly smile I looked around while I waited for the order to be prepared and couldn't help but notice that looking back I hardly recognized any of the customers that also applied to everyone back in the Hokage office the fact that all of those people people would undoubtedly perish as a result of two Shinobi world wars between now and my youth struck me once more I pondered how many of them would be safe from my actions without ever knowing when the akamichi put everything on the counter and said that makes I didn't wait for him to finish and just placed the stack of cash I was carrying in my pocket a few hundred R bills next to the food I said to him keep the change and walked away leaving a stumped akamichi in my wake in comparison to the building complex constructed following the caubi attack the konaha hospital at this time was inadequate and Tiny granted it made sense to have beds for people who would never need them in the first place because in the absence of adequate Medics on every team few injured people survived long enough to return to the Village The Village's view of its Shinobi is Expendable resources nevertheless left me with a bad taste in my mouth I believe that danzo was the only one who had such a disregard for life as opposed to hin who was constantly informing us about the will of fire sending people to their deaths was nothing new to me but this was wrong I knew from the stories that the third was much harsher and more merciless before he retired and his age caught up with him but I was still coming to terms with the fact that the village Chief was a war veteran who had been through a lot of hardship in a similar Spirit it has only recently dawned on me that his actions toward me were mostly unrelated to his dislike of me conversely it originated from his natural tendency to defend his charges the villagers why did he soften I wondered was it an epiphany of some kind or did he simply lose his touch or was it the few years he spent in retirement that finally caused the change in his manner with the sole goal of passing the time until the next namazi manado appeared to relieve him of that burden ultimately danzo only became significantly more powerful during his second term I halted my thought process it was useless to worry about it even if I hadn't been actively trying to prevent those things from happening my very existence would have ensured that they never happened when I got there I saw a plain door I reached for the door handle and was about to apply pressure when I paused and changed my mind I came here to take care of sunade and make friends with her the whole point would be lost if I unexpectedly entered what was likely to be her new place of employment and made her feel offended she was never amenable to anyone invading her privacy therefore going back to my younger self who didn't care about manners especially around people I assumed were members of my extended adopted family wouldn't be appropriate first of all this time around sunade and I weren't that close I couldn't hope to get away with any boy ous Behavior without suffering the consequences because we didn't share some life aldering moments together and I no longer had access to my most devastating weapon my youth cuddliness and puppy dog eyes in any case I felt compelled to admit that I needed to start behaving like a grown-up around her I sighed deeply then raised my hand and gently knocked on her door while hovering over the handle I waited the usual few seconds for a response but it never came I just opened the door since I didn't hear back from the other side during the traditional waiting period that was was required by dorum without raising her head to the door she yelled didn't I say I don't want to be disturbed for any reason short of an invasion what's necessary to get you to follow orders she was likely upset that her assistant had interrupted her work she finally turned to face me when I cleared my throat you really shouldn't let your guard down this much even in familiar surroundings she growled at me and asked what do you want wo how about a bit less hostility I hope I'm the only one you treat in such a manner otherwise I probably should reconsider placing you in charge of the new medical program because if this is anything like your bedside manner you'll make your patients suffer then they in for a ride worse if this gets passed down to your students konaha is going to need another hospital just to cure the mental wounds inflicted upon those that found themselves in your care I laughed if you are here to make fun of me behind you as the door use it and leave me alone I'm not in the mood for any games she cautioned oh I know I just stepped through in case you haven't noticed but no as fun as it is to bicker with you that is not why I'm here I moved forward and set the bags on her table in an empty space I brought you something to eat I had the suspicion you might lose yourself in the vast knowledge I provided you with and therefore the responsibility to take care of your well-being Falls to me since I didn't know what you like so I brought a little from everything I can take care of myself just fine I'm a grown woman and no one's responsibility but my own I placed the bags on her table and she looked at them carefully pointing to the food in front of her she said you can take this and leave my office I have work to do I inhaled deeply you can't help yourself don't you I responded you have to make this complicated well I intended to hold on to it for a while longer but you leave me no other choice she demanded to know what the hell are you talking about you owe me a meal I'm calling it in I replied problems with your memory I already paid that debt you and your little red-headed Shadow ate on my tab yelled I concurred oh we sure did but such a wager always implies the loser is present to endure the winner rubbing it in where is the fun in it if the loser just weasles her way out of it she attempted to refute it by saying that wasn't part of the agreement unfortunately for her I didn't intend to let her which is why I cut her off before she could go very far wasn't it asked I well since we have two conflicting versions of the events the only way to find out who of us misremembers the wager would be to consult the only other person present at the time we made it I already know what she is going to say so why don't spare yourself the humiliation and just accept your fate and eat with me she didn't find it funny that was evident from her nashing teeth you going to regret that to make it easy for each of us to enjoy all the treats I remov the food from the bags and spread it out on the table oh I don't doubt that I will especially if your mood isn't caused by low blood sugar and I have to suffer through the whole meal with no improvement in sight but hey what can I say I'm a hopeless optimistic so eat up I picked up some Chopsticks and began to eat ignoring the vile look she was giving me in between bites I uttered the words that's really good my mouth full of food don't you have any manners even my kid brother knows not to talk with a full mouth you worse than jiah she said she was not mistaken I made a special effort to irritate her I had no other means of reaching her even before noak's death she struggled to express emotions other an annoyance and rage with all the tragedies she experienced and resentment controlling her life it wasn't as clear as it would become in her later years however as a person she was not the most amiable she gritted her teeth and grabbed some Chopsticks herself ts's she said because my mouth was too full to express my surprise I arched an eyebrow at her what replied she if I don't help you eat this you just going to end up scattering the food over my work with those non-existent table manners of yours sunade finally joined in after I Shrugged and went back to eating based on the way she devoured the food in front of her one might have assumed she was going to starve almost embarrassing my Ramen eating habits after a prolonged period of abstinence in order to give her a better selection the next time I got her something to eat I made a careful note of the foods she liked and avoided when we were finished we silently ate the food to Oblivion it took her a long time to speak you really care about that red-headed brat saying she has a name you know she simply Shrugged her shoulders in response to the reprimand yes yes I do care about her she is family that still doesn't explain why you were here she snorted as I spoke over her attempt to express her disapproval she was about to open her mouth to respond in a way that was probably hosle it doesn't you know for a person hailed as this genius doctor you happen to be quite dumb sometimes Meo was family too and as far as I was concerned that means you and your brother are also part of my family and what kind of family would it be if we didn't care for each other she simply stared at me utterly surprised by what I had said and with her mouth slightly open you know kashen thinks the same I replied your attack on her was made worse by the statement she of course would never admit to it but she thinks of you as the big sister she never had and you're fortunate that she wasn't a vindictive person I added in my head she shut her mouth slowly I see she stumbled and based on her Expressions since our conversation turned to kha she sincerely regreted what she had done with pride being the only thing preventing her from making genuine apologies as I picked up the food cartoons and placed them in the bag I said well I think I took enough of your valuable time and brought them inside get some sleep your work isn't going to run away I'll see you tomorrow same time she looked at me curiously I told her nobody will if I don't keep you fed with the hand on the handle I turned back on the last time I collected the trash and walked to the door you should start with the section about poison and Venoms and make sure you have enough of the ingredients to combat vast use of them at hand you might need it I warned her about it in the hopes that she would heed my warning I departed without waiting for her response people's lives would be at stake I made sunade eat the same dinner every day after the first one I made her eat a few days ago she grew closer to me each time to the knowledge that she could rely on people besides nuke and the few senju who were still alive she convinced me to let her accompany me and even managed to be polite to kha de in tsunade's speech basically meant that she began to like her this may have been related to the fact that they spent most of their time together teasing one another with me in the middle trying to prevent their bander from getting out of control it was actually a pretty nice meal despite the subsequent conversation I had with kha in which she attempted to have sunade arrested as a fraudster because she didn't think the sunade she learned about had a nice bone in her body I was determined to make it a habit for the three of us to eat together whenever we were all in the village because this one outing alone had a significant positive effect on both of them they may even refer to one another as sisters in the future I was brought back to reality when I heard the chunin calling out my team I briefly squinted and allowed my gaze to wander over all of the pupils seated in the grass directly outside the academy building team seven consists of Uzumaki kashina Uchiha Makoto and hyuga Akiko under the JN and Sensei Uzumaki narut aunan read aloud we John and Sensei formed a line behind the chunin announcing the teams and I moved moved forward I gave them the order meet me at training ground 7 in 5 minutes and left without waiting for them I tried to convince myself that I wasn't running from the crowd but I wasn't very successful even though I had been back in time for a little more than a week I still felt uncomfortable around strangers and there weren't many people who weren't considered strangers if I had to deal with civilians it wouldn't be an issue because they wouldn't be able to sense that I was tense and prepared to strike at the first sign of trouble Shinobi on the other hand had enough instincts to recognize this and their natural reaction was to act accordingly raising their defenses which made matters worse in any case I settled in leaned against a tree that protected me from the warm Autumn sun with its Leaf canopy and bited my time until the trio arrived they landed directly in front of me a few minutes later a little breathless but well within the time limit I gave them I said sit down letun talk rather than hello I bited my time until they found a spot in the shade Makoto and Akiko both took seats on a Fallen Tree having no such misgivings kosha simply stepped inside the shadow of the tree I was leaning against and took a seat on the grass Akiko was dressed in matching pants and a long Loos sleeved white kimono shirt that hung down to her thighs she had on a mesh shirt that peaked out from under her v-neck kimono her right upper arm was secured with her headband this was consistent with my observations that members of the main house Never flaunted Their elevated status by wearing it around their foreheads her dark blue hair which was evocative of Hinata's hair color was intricately braided between her shoulder blades and fell shoulder length and arm thick Moto on the other hand wore black form-fitting long-legged pants and shirt highlighting her developing body without revealing a single strand of skin she covered her outfit with a pocketless flack jacket and black features for protection like Itachi she wore her hair dark black letting it drape in strands down to her chin framing her face and around her forehead protector I think it would be best if we start with introductions I replied after they had all settled in I'll go first so you get an idea of how it is done as you already know my name is Uzumaki Naruto Jan of konaha I just returned from a long-term classified Mission and with the passing of Uzumaki Mido I have taken up the mantle of Uzumaki clan leader from her I have the pleasure of living together with the future first female Hokage of konaha hearing me say that in front of the others caused kash's cheeks to flush I'm well versed in the art of sealing and I have a good grasp of the other Shinobi disciplines my favorite food is ramen my smile was directed at the redhead whose skin was on the verge of turning the same color as her hair Heim why don't you go next tell us about your likes dislikes and dreams I said my name is Uzumaki kashina my favorite food is the Divine creation called Ramen my hobbies are Fu Jutsu pranking and training I hate waiting in people who look down upon me my dreams and the people I care about about my dream is to become the first female Hokage Makoto said given your Academy ranking that is highly unlikely kashen erupted saying it is not you will see you damn waa letun not start our first team meeting calling each other nameshe Makoto San I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't interrupt your teammate's introduction I'm sure it is a courtesy you would like bestowed upon yourself right I prompted her to nod continue I nudged her gently her face turned redder and redder for some reason when she muttered something too faint to make out I started to worry about her health what was that sorry it was too quiet for me to hear could you repeat it himim I inquired Akiko remarked she said and I quote I like my own Chan naturally I could clearly hear what she was saying since she was obviously too shy to publicly acknowledge it I tried to spare her the embarrassment but my Keen senses wouldn't let me miss it unfortunately for kha Akiko had no desire to appease K's feelings she made a mistake Akiko was struck hard in the side of the jaw by a fist just as she had closed her mouth she was pushed off the log by the hit and landed on the ground in an ugly way to continue beating The Living Daylights out of Aiko kha leapt to her feet and attempted to LEAP on her it didn't go that far suddenly I was between them catching kha in the air and gently lowering her to the ground her feeble attempts to break free from my hold were only halted when she heard me say that's enough kha in a firm voice and she eventually gave in I looked at Akiko who was glaring at kha and just getting her bearings Byakugan was active being struck without any prior knowledge must have hurt her Pride as a prominent member of kah's taijutsu Clan and the fact that she struggled to stand up suggests that the blow had an effect yeah didn't think the academy allowed rabid dogs to graduate she said her teeth clenched I could hear kha halting in midep to take a deep breath and sit down again a little farther away well since they allow dogs and their masters to graduate I don't see any problems doing the same with rabid ones the trick seems to be not to antagonize them or their pack so you don't end up Savage but I don't see why you would bring up the inuzuka right now I asked her she froze obviously sensing the underlying meaning of what I had said and quickly saw the way out of the hole she was about to put herself in I was relieved that she had the common sense to accept it no reason she said but before Dawning the hyuga mask of indifference she couldn't resist giving kha one last glare I said to her why don't you introduce yourself next as she worked on her jaw which would undoubtedly bruise if left unattended she took her time and went back to her spot my name is hyuga Akiko I'm the daughter of hyuga Haku I investigated her family to support my suspicions that she was closely related to hanabe and The Unborn hanata she could be considered a princess of this hyuga clan generation because as it turned out she was the daughter of a hyuga Elder a distant cousin of the current Clan head Hikaru hyuga who was the father of twins named hasashi and haishi it's no wonder she became the future head's wife my favorite food are cinnamon buns she stated which demonstrated that like her two eventual daughters she had a sweet tooth my dream is to advance the jukan to a never-before-seen level and make it into not just the strongest taijutsu but the most effective combat form there is wow that was an ambitious goal before he passed away even a true genius like Nei had only touched the surface of something like that it was interesting to observe that Makoto did not make any derisive remarks this time however I couldn't help but wonder why weren't those two konaha Clans that used dojutsu in competition with one another I despise being anything less than perfect in all things that I do and ultimately gave Makoto a stern look while she was saying that with Makoto smirking to make her words seem more serious as a result of not graduating first there is no inter-clan competition but rather a personal one fascinatingly because hanata seemed to live up to the hyuga stoicism I found it difficult to reconcile herself self- portrayal with what little she remembered and told me about her late mother the devoted and selfless caring woman did motherhood have something to do with revealing her kindness I drew lead okay this was supposed to be a lot of fun but it wasn't Makoto San you were up she looked at Akiko and said my name is Uchi Makoto I am the heys of the uiha clan with a smile on her lips my dream is to earn the title of the best Jutsu user of the elemental Nations Itachi said if his mother had achieved her goal before retiring that could account for Itachi's extraordinary ability to create Illusions I looked at her questioningly and she added my favorite food is dashiki I inquired what about your dislikes I do not have any she said bloodly I couldn't believe her and asked none whatsoever a food an action a person perhaps she repeated no I do not in response strange particularly when combined with her emotional reaction or lack thereof but for the time being nothing to be concerned about after saying let's get to the core of things I turned to face my teammates who were proficient in dojutsu the two of you are probably aware that you aren't full-fledged jenin at this point startled kha stumbled what why not what was the point of the Academy I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning wasn't that how I felt when I heard this I gave kha a semi-serious glare that at least made her look sheepish and make a muttered apology well before I was so rudely interrupted I was going to tell you I said why don't you to share with your teammate what you know about this according to my father Makoto began the Academy's sole purpose is teaching the Jen and hopefuls the basics to get them to a level where specialized training can be applied fashion towards the individual strengths of the respective jenin to make them the best they can be since such training is timeconsuming and in certain cases dangerous it simply can't be done in a classroom with one teacher overseeing a great number of students the danger of serious injuries would just be too great should a judum is fire squandering all the time that has already been spent on their training also the teacher would not be able to give enough assistance to every student because of their numbers it would be detrimental to the Village if the next creator of an unbeatable Jutsu failed therefore teams are formed in a teacher assigned to every three students in order to allow for enough time to develop their pupils the information she Prov ided was accurate enough to be recorded in a guide book I said something to add a Kiko San her response was no I was told something similar well both of you are correct that is the ideal scenario of what a John and Sensei should provide their charges with opportunities to help them develop their own style and cater to their individual needs allowing them to grow as you so excellently put it into the best they can be I sto to consider tell me does any of you think that is realistic or is it just a pipe dream of those who came up with the concept cept in the first place I mean did one of you ask yourselves why you were at this point still Jen and hopefuls after all you went through the basic training therefore shouldn't you possess everything required of you to be eligible for further training so why add this additional Gateway I asked them no need to be shy tell me what do you think kashen reluctantly clarified the Jan have different views on what it takes to be instructed by them I insisted was that a statement or a question a statement she said her confidence restored when Akiko gave me another explanation I nodded curtly not every Jan is fit to help his students to develop their talents some non-clan Affiliated Janan might want a team with at least one jenin in it capable of inheriting their judu Makoto stated how unexpected that the team's lonu Chi tackled the issue from a judu perspective there are some Shinobi who don't have any family for whatever reason but at the same time don't want their achievements they invested their time sweat and blood into reaching to be forgotten I affirm you all make valid points and at least one if not all three apply to every Jan's decision to accept a team as their own take Aiko For example do you think the regular Jan could help her with her Jukin or Makoto with her Sharingan it is also true that there is no small number of Jan as kha suspected who take teams in the hope of finding an heir they can pass their knowledge and Jutsu onto however there also is a third category of Jan who have a very different view on what it takes to be called Shinobi I thought for a moment take hold take the third for example do you know what test his gen and hopefuls had to overcome for him to accept them as His students I responded each of them shook their head no it was the so-called Bell test he showed them two Bells like these I said holding up two tiny bells that I had kept as a momento after Kakashi passed away and told them that only those who could manage to snatch a bell from him would be passed and accepted as a genine by him while the rest would be sent back to the academy kash's face was twisted already as she plotted get get a bell before her teammates could although her teammates were better at hiding it they may have reached the same conclusions and wondered why she brought those bells if I hadn't been conducting the same test I asked Belling her expectations do any of you know what purpose this test served what was the third looking for in his students the three of them gave me a silent response with their foreheads furrowing indicating that they had given it careful thought after waiting for a moment and not hearing back I said take the problem apart step by step only then you will get to the bottom of it I said kashim you are up what is it you can you tell me she responded there are only two bells for three jenon meaning that one can't get a bell which prompted Aiko to make a mocking remark amazing inference J and obvious she said rolling her eyes I asked Makoto San are they right no the existence of Two Bells does not mean two get pasted it only means two might get ped they still required to bring a bell into their possession a difficult task facing a j and even for a complete team let alone three lone jenon she concluded I asked so what do you take away from that the third only wanted the strongest in his team those who were not he would fail really I replied how many students does the third have Makoto blurted out three and her face lit up with realization I told her why don't you educate your peers the test is a ploy designed to focus the attention of the jenin on the existence of the Bells and the perceived passing condition to get one for themselves meanwhile diverting them from the real problem three Jen and having to fight an experienced Jan over the mission objective an already hopeless undertaking under the most favorable of circumstances becomes utterly impossible the moment the Jen and decide not to work together as a team against the overwhelming odds of Janan as opposition presents Makoto clarified so you are saying the whole test was designed to pit the jenin against each other while the only hope for them to succeed would be for them to work together with each other does this mean in order for them to pass this test they required to see through this Ploy Akiko inquired no it's about teamwork said kha the test is about putting the needs of the team the needs of the village above your own exactly that is all the third cared about in his team even my Sensei was an adamant believer in this very notion the personal Credo he decided to live by was those who break the rules are trash but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash it was something I tried to live up to to the very best of my ability and in doing so betrayed it kha asked how that doesn't make any sense there was a faint smile on my face it doesn't doesn't it I responded well to understand it you first need to understand how my teacher came to believe in this he was what most would call a prodigy he was an early graduate of once in a decade genius and was on his way to becoming a legend like his late father was before he committed suicide after no longer being able to stand the ridicule of his fellow Shinobi after he decided to abandon an important mission to save his comrades instead even those whose lives he ended up saving did not stand by him all things that didn't escape the notice of my teacher as a child consequently he became a stickler for the rules the very same ones you were taught in the academy you most likely memorize the entire list the mission must always come first for a Shinobi Shinobi are not allowed to cry while on a mission Shinobi are required to do as their Commander says this and that nonsense is necessary for a Shinobi I concluded my recital with annoyance even before I met hku I had no idea how important they were he became a walking rule book unflexible in every sense of the word he would have rather broken or died than to bend or disregard any of them well until a certain event took place I stopped for a moment one of his teammates was captured while on a critical Mission and he as the leader commanded that what was left of the team my teacher himself and one other Shinobi were to complete the mission instead of trying to rescue their teammate disregarding her his comrade who was aware of what happened to his father thought differently in his opinion there was nothing more important than the life of a comrade well to be fair it didn't exactly help matters that the teammate was hopelessly in love with the one who got captured so instead of following the orders of my Sensei he said to him those who break the rules are trash but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash and in his eyes the father of my Sensei was a hero everyone should look up to he had the truth of it exclaimed kha did he I raised an eyebrow of course she protested seemingly with strong conviction I asked even if the mission they abandoned was really important and in doing so could have cost thousands their lives would you still say he was right and she stammered apparently raising doubts about her belief I I don't know Makoto who was always the pragmatic one asked what happened she was more concerned with the results than the ethical question of whether the acts themselves were right or wrong well my Sensei ultimately decided to abandon his mission too and together they succeeded in rescuing their teammate I replied with a joyful yes kha halted my recitation of the events and balled her fist I ignored her outburst and carried on with the story adding but in the process my sensei's other teammate the one who persisted in rescuing their female teammate lost his life oh escaped kashina who was obviously taken aback by the development and possibly hoping for a happy ending she had not yet discovered that happy endings are not the norm in life on the contrary they were the exception it was much more likely to end violently and early I reminded myself that I was here to change that so I closed my eyes and forced those Sinister thoughts back beneath the surface of my mind to keep her from going through this especially her several moments after I reopened my eyes calmly kept saying it didn't end there with his dying breath my sensei's comrade made him promise to take care of the girl something he failed to do not a year later I'm going to spare you the gruesome details of this particular Story the point I'm trying to make is that the experiences my Sensei went through shaped his perception and formed this codex of his never to abandon a comrade ever was what he lived by a codex I adopted for myself without fully understanding it and its implications see in the case of my Sensei he would have gladly have given his life for each one of his students I said with a voice that barely concealed my sorrow he was barely holding himself together after already having failed in protecting his team mates twice and a third time would have been too much for him to bear I visualized how a Jutsu intended for Sakura who was hunched over a dying tomori attempting to save her tore his body to Pieces so if he had died along with his teammates he could also have easily taken their place I groaned this defined how far he would have gone for any of us and I foolishly tried to do the same for a comrade who deserted the village and tried to kill me on five separate occasions but no matter what he tried to do to me I always thought of myself as worth less than him the lengths I went through to get him back and the sacrifices I made nothing no matter how much it cost me could dissuade me from trying up to my teachers expectations I exhaled deeply until one day I found out that there was a limit a line I was not ready to cross in the pursuit of getting my wayward teammate back when he killed other friends of mine friends who would have lived had I just opened my eyes to the truth of things to the reality and would have stopped living in my little makeb believe world and just accepted that my teammate was long gone I allowed it to sink in before saying perhaps he wasn't even there in the first place and the person I thought I knew him to be was nothing but a figment of my imagination nothing but a mask he wanted me to see because I couldn't accept the truth that he never cared about me about the village and that the bond I thought we shared was just an illusion I put myself under I wanted nothing more than to live in a world where my dearest wish was a reality and that the one person I wanted to acknowledge me as an equal did I snorted I ended up losing true comrades people who stood by me and cared about me the more I talked the more sorrowful it became so in my pursuit to live up to the one rule my Sensei imparted me with that there was nothing more important than comrades my stupid idealistic younger self followed after someone who at the very moment he abandoned me and the village severed his bonds and no longer saw himself as my comrade and in order to get him back I endangered those true comrades I had left my hardheadedness to give up someone who wasn't even worth it in the first place was responsible for the death of those deserving my loyalty and my friendship and it took me losing them to see my former teammate as the traitor he was for a brief moment I battled the feelings that came back with those unpleasant memories you probably asking yourself why is this guy telling us this on the eve of his becoming jenin I went ahead and told them since none of them seemed to react to my implication the lesson I want you to take away from this is the following rules are static they were made with a certain situation in mind to which they are applicable but you won't ever come to be in the exact same situation for which they were made there will be Devi ations in some cases they might be minor and in other cases major but these deviations will make all the difference so I urge you never to follow any rule or codex to the letter bend and break those rules to fit your needs to fit the situation you find yourself in the only thing that really matters is if you can still look at yourself in the mirror the day after everything is over and done with after all at the end of the day you have to live with the decisions you made in the hopes that some of them would also take away from my little tale that an enemy killed today won't bother you tomorrow I asked you think you can do that otherwise there would be plenty of time to introduce them to that specific idea I was reminded of that I emphasized this by evoking a good dose of murderous intent oh and by the way I added if I wasn't clear by now if you ever betray me or the village I will personally end you Makoto and Akiko both instantly activated their respective dojutsu in response the two girls didn't even move a single muscle the fear that took control of them proved to be too strong for them to overcome on their own and they were only focused on me their animal instincts were likely screaming in their brains for them to move and break away from me I led my desire to kill fade when I realized that none of them had breathed since I had said my final words they all gasped for air as soon as they were no longer afraid with their guard up iiko and Makoto cautiously scampered a few inches away from me she asked angrily what the hell was that onchan I said earnestly a little reminder so that you won't forget my words she clearly didn't believe my explanation based on her expression and it certainly doesn't hurt to make acquaintance with killer intent early in your Shinobi career and allow you to get used to it believe me this is far better than the alternative I said I see Akiko thought so what is our test going to be for you to accept as your students no test I responded as far as I'm concerned you are my students already besides I doubt I would be allowed to fail you ignoring my little Heim and the fact that she would make my life a living hell if I dared fail her your Clans have far too much clout for me to get away with it the worst case scenario for if I could make a convincing case in front of the Hokage why you were unfit to be Shinobi would result in you just getting assigned to another Jan I on the other hand would face repercussions for my actions which quite likely would extend even to my clan so you see you never had anything to fear Makoto asked isy so it is just politics and nobody is judged on their own merits oh I wouldn't say that was my puzzled response there is no small number of Academy graduates without the backing of a powerful clan in addition you also seem to forget an important aspect you do stem from a clan tell me would your clan tolerate one of your kin becoming a Shinobi without the skills to do so no it would be seen as a disgrace for the family name Akiko replied exactly the major clans of konaha Pride themselves on the superior abilities of their children so any inep child of your Clans would have been weeded out long before the graduation in in order to spare the clan the embarrassment of having a child in their midst not up for it and children such as you fit to become shobi receive additional training to put you above the curve of those with no plan backing I replied kha pondered what happens to those children not up to it from what I deduced such rare cases end up in some civilian profession I replied it varies depending on the clan right both Makoto and Aiko nodded I looked questioningly at Makoto and said well with that out of the way I think we should start with our first lesson why don't you deactivate your dojutsu for a while until I'm done explaining you might need the chakra you were burning through right now Sharingan what she asked opening and closing her hands as she gazed down at them captivated by what her eyes were revealing Akiko was very helpful and gave her a polished Kai so she could see her eyes reflected in it when how I was shocked to learn that the rumors were accurate and she didn't actually have an act of Sharingan since I didn't anticipate a s of you Clan the ays specifically with her family still alive not having activated her Sharingan at the age of 12 I assumed it was an oversight or a secret that was purposefully kept secret internal Clan rivalry in my opinion would only enable the clan heirs to succeed and prove to the clan that they are deserving of their position by outperforming their peers there was no better way to demonstrate Mastery of dojutsu in a clan that used it I vaguely recall hearing that the UA assessed their Clans men's potential based on how old they were when they activated their Sharingan I don't think activating some fancy eyes is even remotely related to one's Talent so it's probably something SAS said and believed to be true the first thing you need to learn is how to sir I sighed bringing my attention back to the task at hand my chest started to sting all of a sudden as I looked down I noticed a hand covered in lightning protruding from my torso right where my heart should have been what the [ __ ] and darkness began to descend upon the world I inspected this so-called Sensei I wasn't impressed who would cover his Shinobi clothes with a long black coat it had no purpose because it was a hazard that could cause someone to become Tangled or trip according to him my name is Uzumaki Naruto Uzumaki perhaps he must be kash's relative he was potentially the worst John and Sensei I could have gotten if he was anything like her he was a blunt instrument with all the power without any finesse he most likely lived by the tenant that if Force isn't enough to solve your problem you're not using it enough at least his wild yellow hair gave him that appearance although kha had previously shown a concerning lack of self-control hitting a teammate was surprising because she was a wild card pairing with her drastically decreased the likelihood of becoming an adult Makoto San you are up the others had already squandered enough of my time by sharing that useless information so I suppose it was my turn if you weren't going to poison someone what good was it to know what their favorite food was my name is Uchiha Makoto I am the ays of the uch Clan I said grinning towards Akiko my father says that if someone's competitive Behavior was already present needling the person with the most skill in their genine cell can intensify it if done moderately this would improve training outcomes with kha on my side I would desperately need to improve both my own and my teammates abilities in order to survive who wouldn't want the ability to manipulate the sensory perception of others around them my dream is to earn the title of the best jinjutsu user in the elemental Nations one's fighting time could be extended if they achieved a certain level of Mastery in that field which allowed them to eliminate enemies with little chakra usage after all it was common knowledge that the main cause of a Shinobi's death was either chakra exhaustion or being outlasted by an opponent my favorite food is des Shiki I replied it wasn't quite accurate food was food and food should be evaluated according to its nutritional content I said to Shiki because for some reason I didn't think that simply saying rice would be accepted it was the food I had consumed the most of since I could remember and regularity of consumption was a determining factor in a person's favorite food according to Uzumaki Sensei what about your dislikes why was this question asked did I say something incorrectly most likely just curiosity no one could reasonably noticed during our Brief Encounter so far since I was unlikely to have aroused his suspicion this early saying I do not have any I addressed him why did he keep asking none whatsoever a particular kind of food an action a person perhaps was it his opinion that I didn't want to tell or keep it a secret I probably ought to have thought of something to dislike given that Ken's presence on this team constituted a threat to our lives naming her as such might have been effective it would be best if I didn't alter my response because it might be misunderstood telling him now after he applied gentle pressure could be interpreted as a sign that I am easily broken even if he thought I was holding something back I stayed with my decision because I felt it was better not to give him that impression no I do not he didn't show any signs of Suspicion toward me so why was there this uneasiness even though he seemed content with that oh and by the way if I wasn't clear by now if you ever betray me or the village I will personally end you my body stopped responding to the commands my mind gave it after I was struck by something my body trembled my heart rate was high I felt paralyzed and I had an inexplicable urge to cut my own throat looking at my new Sensei made me feel something I believe it was a feeling at least when I tried to listen it it instructed me to run as quickly and as far away from him as I could it vanished as fast as I was overcome by that effect taking with it the small splash of color in my cliched world my interest was peaked most of what he had previously told us I did not understand it did not seem like a worthwhile hobby to chase after a traitor after all he would have had to deal with the Fallout from his actions when he returned to be honest I have not yet heard of a situation in which betrayal did not result in death or permanent incarceration I had what I could only imagine people who were emotionally dominated would refer to as a gut feeling from that point on I listened intently to what he had to say because even before that it wasn't meaningless jargon like what we were taught in the academy and frequently had to memorize for no apparent reason I even answered his questions in an attempt to make him laugh but I already knew that Clan children had a lot of benefits from access to Clan specific Jutsu to tutoring and everything in between the comparison between Clan and non-clan children was unfair they rigged the game our advantage I pondered so it is just politics and nobody is judged on their own merits or were there other ins spoken benefits how about the Sensei of the Janan what criteria were used to choose those did we benefit from being assigned to the most prestigious Janan Sensei to improve our chances of survival and growth it would make sense logically the hokagay would not want to jeopardize the children of powerful individuals what did it say about this Jan that he was assigned to the only Uzumaki in the village in two high ranking bloodline possessing Daughters of two of kah's most prestigious and Powerful Clans since he was years younger and I had never heard of him it was obvious that he was not a hitaki sakumo this was odd in and of itself because out of pure principle father had his sights set on the best for the village one of two things was typically implied by the term no moniker either the person was so dangerous that no one was ever left to tell the story or they were barely making the cut and not worth mentioning given the scant information I had I had to concede that the latter was the case which ultimately implied that he was probably an U agent I also had to retract my previous assessment of him because of this although he had the potential to be one if kash's endurance was any indication and it was actually a genetic characteristic of all Uzumaki and not just a rumor with her being an exception U does not use blunt instruments this simply made him much more dangerous in my opinion someone with deadly efficiency and the ability to throw Jutsu like candy it appeared that I would not pass away too soon apart from the short have already observed in kha he could easily compensate for all of them why don't you deactivate your dojutsu for a while until I'm done explaining you might need the chakra you were burning through right now his remarks startled me Sharingan what I cried out in shocked I scolded myself for losing myself in my own thoughts to the point where I failed to notice that everything seemed to be moving a bit more slowly I looked at kha and Aiko and noticed a hazy color surrounding them a hue that was entirely lacking on sensei kha dwarfed what I could see from Aiko by a number of magnitudes upon closer inspection I saw that was untrue I had to look closely to see it but it was there blending into him almost imperceptibly who was he I was interrupted from my thoughts by a liquid that was sprayed on me and streaming down my face so I didn't have time to think about this question the spot where his heart should have been was pierced through his torso by a hand covered in lightning as the entire scene burned into my mind with the unwavering Clarity that only the Sharingan could give my Sensei was able to glance down at his chest his eyes already growing glassy a moment later the hand that had been sticking out of his torso was taken away and Uzumaki sensei's body fell to the ground leaving behind a motionless pile of Flesh I saw our as salent for the first time and he treated our Sensei who was supposed to protect and lead us like yesterday's garbage without any delay I grabbed the canai that was fastened to my thigh the as salent ran at me before my hand could reach halfway around the tree which now had a hole the size of of a tangerine my newly awakened eyes could hardly follow him and I could only manage to block his knee partially which allowed him to easily breach my defenses with devastating Force striking my solar plexus directly my body was thrown away as all the air was blown out of my lungs I landed hard in the grass because I couldn't reign in midair my thorax tightened painfully and even though I needed air and my mind was trying to make my lungs start up again my lungs were still painfully empty I lay on the ground curled into a ball with tears in my eyes watching helplessly as our attacker dismantled the kiko while kha stood there immobilized she must have put up some sort of Defense during the time he was tending to me no that wasn't it she quickly reverted to using her juken in this stressful situation demonstrating that her trainers were at least successful in creating a significant amount of muscle memory in her she was totally unprepared and only on the defensive responding rather than attacking she would not win even if she had unrestricted talent in her clan style which was far Superior to anything I had ever seen her use she was already losing ground and falling behind she had no bite to defend herself each time a hyuga repelled or deflected an attack it also gave them a chance to attack the nearest appendage a single fingertip touch was sufficient to remove limbs enough to kill because of this it was incredibly unpredictable an attack could be made to hurt without the need for wildly dramatic movements to gain momentum Akiko held herself back by not taking advantage of the opportunities that were given to her but that was wasn't all it was already visible to me her body and mind were gradually catching up she began to reflect and question herself which made her slower and less precise she would eventually lose and I would be left Lying Here Helpless and gasping for air we would essentially be dead if this kept up Akiko was a fraction of a second too slow to move her head out of the way of a punch which clipped her chin and upset her carefully maintained balance she had to rebalance herself by shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet and readjusting her center of gravity to avoid the middle kick she jumped backwards in the wrong moment the full force of the kick struck her thigh just below her pelvis and instead of barely dodging as she had planned it connected perfectly her other leg gave way exposing her vulnerable side to her asent and she was swung halfway around her axis this gave him a great opportunity which he seized right away he closed in grabbed her arm and dislocated her shoulder with a sickening crunch after the first punch struck her head and dazed her as she staggered she was eating a mouthful of grass and dirt after receiving a kick to the ribs her asent leapt on her back pulled out a canai and cut her Achilles tendons twice with accuracy he could have killed me with a canai just as easily as he could have disabled me with his knee so I assumed that he was captured at that time still struggling to breathe I lay where I had fallen with this I knew it was all but over he was already approaching me just a few meters away and I wouldn't be able to recover quickly enough he had only a few more steps to finish us off I glanced over at kha who was just what I had anticipated a liability all I needed was a bit more time the clearing was filled with the sound of a primordial scream it came from the city of kha her Twisted face had an air of wildness and Untamed I saw her Chalker Spike as it took shape and then finally woven chains appeared from her body and slashed out against our enemy like whips in a breathtaking show of speed his initial shock lasted only a split second barely long enough for kha to land a blow before he ducked out of the way of the chains that were attempting to cut him in two our attacker could consider himself fortunate if the only thing that happened to him if the chains connected was that he was severed or sliced into bite-sized pieces based on what happened to the ground each time a chain touched it one could probably call it a mercy considering that kha was yelling like a madman as she approached him I had to get moving because this could be our only chance to win this battle he stayed away from the chains out of caution she might buy me enough time to recover and join her if she could continue this how however witnessing her struggle made me doubt that idea I needed time she was careless and it grew worse with each attack our enemy found it easier to avoid the chains after each failed attack so kha continued to strengthen them while sacrificing accuracy and dexterity for more powerful attacks instead of hurting him and controlling the amount of space he could occupy she was simply swinging them around giving her opponent more room to move with each swing eventually she put him in a corner with nowhere to turn allowing the chains to remove him she was squandering the best opportunity we had to win this battle since it started at least she was useful I was able to take a tiny breath at last and it became easier after that as my lungs limitations decreased with each intake to get my lungs to stop hurting I would have liked to wait a few more seconds but since I no longer felt like I was on the verge of suffocating I could not afford to wait any longer kha couldn't be allowed to fall either and the gaps she had were sufficiently large that given the speed this guy had shown earlier he would have no trouble catching up to her for the time being he was just waiting to be sure he didn't miss anything not believing that she was luring him in because he probably thought it was too simple hold on a second something didn't feel quite right I threw the idea away right away there was no time to consider intuition I had to do something we needed an opening right away so I molded my chakra in my lungs with the ease of practice I had gained from doing this hundreds of times before going through my hand seals knowing it would be murder to my lungs a 2 m diameter Fireball of fiery death was hurdling toward our adversary when I released my breath a seasoned Janan should be able to easily avoid it even when attacked from behind because it was relatively slow moving despite the Fireballs deadliness this is why I did not expect it to hit they could tell the Jutsu was coming because of the sizzling sound it made as it moved through the air this is precisely why it was typically employed as a diversion or to her the opponents they cannot afford to be struck and the jutsu's wide diameter guarantees that you can move them precisely where you want them to be all kha had to do now was exploit it he avoided all three attacks with a single flip over the chain aimed at his legs one of her chains moved to swipe him at his knee while another came straight for his head from the high right as the fireball approached beside him the fireball struck the ground exploding in a blast of heat and Flame that sent debris flying I knew that I would have another coughing fit which would not only keep me from doing some canai and shuriken but also threaten to overwhelm me he had already made progress toward Bridging the Gap between us when I opened my eyes again though I had no idea how long I had been closed during the process certainly no longer than it took me to cough four or five times my feet were kicked out from under me before I could even realize that and I was in midair with my body horizontally aligned waiting for another punch to land hard this time I was flung against a hard tree rather than the soft ground which prevented me from flying the force of the impact would have forced any remaining air from my lungs out of my body I roared out an agonized cry but it came out as nothing more than a hiss from my empty lungs and as soon as I touched the ground a sharp pain shot up my torso adding to the already agonizing one my rib cage was emitting he was on me again right away so I didn't get any reprieve my vision flickered for a second as he snatched my hair and slammed my head against the tree with a smooth motion pained confused disoriented and out of breath only when I felt another sharp pain in my body this time from a canai that had stabbed through my hands and sunk to the hilt into the tree shackling me to it did I realize that my hands were folded above my head against the tree he didn't waste any more time on me and I caught a glimpse of what was going on behind his back as he turned around through my tears I couldn't imagine another situation in which she would have canceled her attack so I expected to see a kushen lying face down in the dirt defeated in the instant I couldn't see particularly after I diverted his attention rather she was hunched over a Kiko shouting something at her that my confused mind interpreted as bite me do it but it made no sense why would she order a Kiko to hurt her during an altercation either I was already experiencing hallucinations from oxygen deprivation or I was still recovering from a severe concussion I put an end to that line of thought because I had more important things to do the second time air seemed to be easier to find I only needed a few attempts to get enough air into my lungs so that I wouldn't have to worry about choking like a fish on dry land but the issue of my being nailed to a tree persisted I had no leverage or wiggle room to loosen the canai with my hands in this awkward position and ripping them free would only cause such severe injuries that they would be useless for the rest of the fight now that there are no more hand seals it would be impossible to grab anything much less throw it kashina was trying to get Akiko to follow her orders but she was so focused on him that she did not notice his approach and I was in no position to speak to warn her I was stuck sentenced to watch as the opponent ran at the other two she was unprepared for the kick to her head and her aimless chains were merely swinging pointlessly in the wind a few meters away her body fell hard and she lay there still either dead or knocked out her chains just disappeared and Akiko who was in kash's arms when she was struck was spun around on her own axis twice before she stopped again and lay on the ground as defenseless as I was in the face of such overwhelming odds it made sense to concede our defeat to admit that we were being outclass and to conclude that any effort was pointless even so I wasn't prepared to die and the chance ever small still existed a canai sunk into the trunk directly next to my head severing my cheek as I braced myself for the agony of releasing myself with a single powerful yank the enemy ninja between me and my fellow jenin issued the command don't while holding out his empty hand in a finished throwing motion I would be dead long before I could free my hands that was the clear message I had nothing better to do than watch the enemy's appearance for the first time since the battle began on top of his long sleeved shirt and black pants he had a purple short sleeved sir coat that hung down to his knees and had slits on the sides a mask that covered his entire head except for two tiny holes for his eyes concealed his face for some reason he was still on guard and watching the three of us as though one of us would get our second wind he relaxed once he was certain that we were no longer a threat near my ear I heard someone say that was a rather pathetic showing wouldn't you agree I made an effort to bend my neck so that I could see the speaker anticipating the worst another adversary beyond the tree I was nailed against but the voice sounded familiar somehow because I had just listened to this voice a few minutes PRI I was able to catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye that explained this familiarity quite clearly behind me leaning against the tree I was nailed to was none other than my John and Sensei Uzumaki Naruto who was completely untarnished as though anticipating a response he lifted his eyebrows at me I remembered the previous few seconds in the interim it makes sense why I kept getting the uneasy feeling that something was a miss a Shinobi skilled enough to surprise Sensei with a first move while he took his time with the others launched an attack in the center of konaha his attempt to capture us a few clones and some Jutsu could have been accomplished in a fraction of the time without allowing us to reassemble or warn anyone so that couldn't be explained away we had obviously been put to the test good job I have seen what I wanted to see said Uzumaki Sensei as he stepped away from the tree and the enemy Shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke a bunch who could simultaneously fool the Bakugan and the Sharingan probably wearing a henge who was this man nothing was there when my gaze went to the spot where I saw his dead body drop to the ground my gaze returned to him and he said I recognize that expression you have questions you wish to have addressed wait a moment until the others are back with us without him using any hand SEALS or my Sharingan observing the chakra Spike that should occur when using Jutsu three bunin appeared directly beside him one for each of us the bunin divided up the original meanwhile strolled back to the tree he or was it a bunion had been impaled through and resumed his previous posture leaning nonchalantly against it the sensei's bunin approached me knelt down and put one hand on the handle of the canai that passed through my hands and the other close to the wound seems like I got you good I would offer something for the pain but I doubt it would make a good first impression on your clan if you come home drugged unfortunately I can't numb your pain receptors since I need them as an indicator to make certain that there is no nerve damage left wouldn't want you to be handicapped in our first training exercise I pressed do it okay he replied I'm going to slowly remove the canai while I heal it at the same time bear with it this is going to hurt I simply nodded and braced myself for the discomfort he wasn't joking it hurt like hell I had to work to stop myself from yelling I doubted I could have suppressed the scream if I had been less accustomed to pain one of the few Sensations I could actually feel Uzumaki Sensei declared good they should be as good as new if not better after he had finally taken the kai off my Sensei noticed that I was flinching as I leaned forward to cradle my now healed hands to check for any lasting effects are you hurting anywhere else he asked those body shots must have cracked some of your ribs I wanted to tell him that everything was fine denying him the opportunity to heal them and take away the pain this was the only thing that reminded me that I was still alive all of my possible objections perished on my lips I knew better than to push this agenda and see what would happen I would at most wind up in a yamanaka's therapy I would be kicked out of the Shinobi program at worst particularly if they looked more closely at my body and the obvious self-inflicted injuries that were concealed beneath my clothing his lips curled and his face changed the instant his hands stopped hovering an inch above my torso his face settled into a neutral expression and the faint smile that he usually wore vanished this isn't the first time I've wanted to understand what it means to feel as it might have helped me understand Uzumaki sensei's emotions they played a major role in motivating human behavior and aside from the most blatant example I was unable to notice or comprehend them I started to feel a tingling sensation all over it was particularly apparent near my ribs I must not have noticed it sooner because of the pain in my hands from the canai removal after the sensation passed Uzumaki Sensei silently got up and extended his hand to me I grabbed it and got back up with with his assistance eyes he uttered before Vanishing into a puff of smoke I realized then that my Sharingan was still active I cut the chakra to my eyes and looked at what I was seeing if her wildly moving hands were any indication kha was already up and from Where I Stood I could see that she was reprimanding Uzumaki Sensei for something a Kiko was lying in one of Uzumaki Sensei bunin's hands in circled by the same shade of green sitting in the grass with her left ankle uncovered the intense stare of his eyes held me in place as I took another look at the original at that point he was only partially paying attention to kha she not only observed this but she obviously objected to it as she pulled at his sleeves vehemently to get his full attention again I was holding my breath and didn't even realize it until I was finally able to release it what had gone wrong with me for me those responses were more than unusual why was I worrying about him and why did he care more about me than a stranger should even if he were to be my Sensei Akiko was lifted to her feet as as soon as I snapped out of that thought she tested the strength of her recently healed appendage by gradually shifting her weight on her feet while leaning on Uzumaki Sensei she released her grip on the Sensei and performed a brief kada after Shifting the weight on her back and foot several times evidently pleased with the outcome she approached the original and bowed to him as soon as the bunin disintegrated we went back to our original seating arrangement and I fell into step with her I only heard the last of their conversation as kha sat down herself and promised this is not over after she halted her reprimand with a pout as she saw us coming Uzumaki Sensei gave me another look as he considered something then turned away to speak to us all letun talk about what you did wrong and what you could have done better in response to his prompt neither kha nor Akiko responded they chose not to look at him instead however when he abruptly asked kha why wasn't the first thing you did to create more of you I considered what he had said she replied with an astonished huh cage bunin why didn't you create any he demanded the action economy alone would have given you the advantage not considering you could have sent at least one to get some help instead you relied upon an untested and obtained only seconds ago bloodline Jutsu which was a stupid thing to do you neither knew the limits strengths or weaknesses of your adamantine ceiling chains never use Jutsu in a battle when you don't fully understand them kha asked action economy and I could understand what he meant do you understand kosha he persisted in asking kash's hesitant reply was yeah I hope the others also take that lesson to heart he continued I had to acknowledge that he was correct there were many risks involved in using a new Jutsu and I had to question whether I was subject to his criticism because I was using the Sharingan I understand Uzumaki Sensei as much as it pains me to admit could you please explain what you mean by action economy I might have an idea but a confirmation would be appreciated Akiko responded when he sighed he looked at me again and said I was coming to that don't you learn anything in the academy nowadays told you the academy is stupid kashina interrupted he just rolled his eyes and then started to explain imagine you were fighting an opponent at your exact same level the same strength and the same speed this essentially means if we exclude factors like terrain and Jutsu for a moment that every attack you make can be met with an equal one performed by your enemy if on the other hand your opponent is let's say twice as fast and we say for simplicity's sake that he can make two attacks for everyone you make you will find yourself easily overwhelmed and beaten because he has a greater action economy stated Akiko exactly now consider you are facing such a superior opponent alone like I just said you are going to lose but what if he has to face two of you three five or even 10 what then the outcome becomes more uncertain the more enemies he has to face despite them possessing inferior power I replied we did as we talked about the Bell Test's hidden meaning this is one of the reasons konaha puts such a strong emphasis on teamwork a fact that I was certain we established not so long ago what you probably don't fully grasp at this point is that a team isn't necessarily required to create a situation in which your action economy can threaten to overcome an opponent since you have just graduated from the academy you are yet to be introduced to tangible clones those bunin or clone Jutsu as they are commonly called were created with the idea in mind to fill the role of a disp exposable surrogate teammate in a battle there is a reason so many variants of them exist their usefulness can't be rated highly enough Uzumaki Sensei asked you don't seem convinced Akiko San as realization dawned Akiko turned her head kashen away and said you with a glare you know another bunch in Jutsu actually I'm not I agree on paper your allegation makes sense but in a real fight the one with the greater skill wins moreover I'm not sure what this has to do with us none of us can kha rubbed the back of her head as her face flushed yes she does I taught her a few days ago Uzumaki Sensei replied and if she would have used the Jutsu this whole battle could have turned out differently the possibilities the cage bunin provides with their ability to use Jutsu were nearly endless you could have sent a few against the enemy to buy time for the rest of you to fall back and regroup you were off balance shaken surprised and worst of all separated from each other kashen Justified her actions by saying I thought the bunin wouldn't do much good in a fight they get destroyed by one clean hit after all just usumaki sensei's eyebrows went up sensei's eyebrows shot upwards when Aiko said wait a minute those bunin disappear with one solid hit are they even useful in battle Sensei how many hits does it take for you using the lethal variant of the gentle fist to take someone out of a fight how many to kill he was interested in knowing one she reluctantly said understanding what he was saying saying so I really don't see what difference it would make against a jukan user besides most other accomplished shobi are also able at least to disable a limb if not out tried kill an enemy with one of their attacks not unlike the juken Uzumaki Sensei said still skeptical he inquired of Akiko why don't we put it to the test if I remember correctly you were pretty much tied with Makoto and taijutsu right yes she forced out obviously still annoyed that I had outdone her so could say you both are on roughly the same level I replied to Akiko good Makoto kashina you both are going to spar against Akiko a taijutsu match no weapons Ninjutsu or jinjutsu just your Good oldfashioned brawl he said with a grin Akiko San you are allowed to use your disabling Jukin that should give you the edge above Makoto and since you don't think the concept of clones or action economy makes a difference adding kha shouldn't bother you after all both of you regularly beat her with little trouble kashina groaned MOA so mean Oni Chan Uzumaki Sensei simply approached her whispered something in her ear and laughed akiko's attempt to bring her head closer indicated that she did not hear what was being said and I was unable to hear it either whatever it was though kashina gave Uzumaki Sensei a thumbs up and a smile shortly after he backed off to ask while leaning on his tree he asked each of us are you ready and waited for a nod before saying begin I saw right away that kha had shifted to my left one step behind me kosha followed me at every turn as I edged closer to Akiko being careful to maintain the same distance from me the entire time with one leg facing the opponent with an open Palm pointing in the same direction and the other leg oriented 70° to the first Akiko stood motionless with his hands raised in the traditional jukan stance and his knees slightly bent the other hand remained near her body just above the waist waiting for the perfect moment to attack her eyes had SW Sten blood vessels surrounding them which was a sign that her Bakugan was activated this behavior from kha was truly peculiar she was the first person in the academy to charge someone with conflicting outcomes she didn't have much formal technique but you could feel it when she struck this could be one of the reasons she received such a low rating in taijutsu our test showed that she was a powerful fighter who always prevailed when she got her hands on someone and given her endurance it was only a question of time until she did we had sparring matches in the Academy but this was different simply put they prevented her strengths from being displayed Tim limited matches that placed a heavy focus on technique and the requirement that one not hit an opponent with full force were the main restrictions that likely had the biggest impact on her and that akamichi boy in our class who now that I think about it was also rated at the bottom of the class I put an end to that thought and focused on Aiko unopposed I approached close enough that I could attack her with a single step forward I was perfectly happy that she was just standing there happy to to defend my right fist sprang toward her face as I took a big step forward seeing it coming she sidestepped it with her left arm my momentum was pushing me forward straight into the Palm strike she was aiming at my torso and I was powerless to stop it even with my one Tomo Sharingan inhanced Vision however a fist flew out of the left corner of my eyes before she could launch it and a red-headed girl then struck Aiko Square in the jaw it was undoubtedly a forceful blow Akiko had to shift her weight to keep from falling after her left foot briefly buckled she refocused on the second as salent but she was only just able to raise her defenses in time to avoid the second fist that was thrown at her she was able to deflect that blow but she had to partially turn her upper body leaving her side exposed to me because she was unable to turn to face her completely akiko's Parry was clumsy I didn't hesitate at all and she wouldn't have been able to see or avoid my attack if it weren't for her 360° Vision granted this was a scenario where the Bakugan was superior to the Sharingan and had definite advantages when battling several attackers kha kicked her knee instead and she was about to attack me after moving her head out of the way her feet gave way under her this time she lost her balance and was on the verge of falling to her knee when my fist struck her face knocking her flat on her ass this was too simple despite her being limited to the academy style I have defeated her a good dozen times this year alone and I have never prevailed so quickly and decisively over her a smiling Kina stood who's the loser now b a hand cued around her mouth preventing her from saying anything more our Sensei was standing behind her as usumaki Sensei spoke to her she heard a brief mumbling of sounds if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all Uzumaki Sensei slowly withdrew his hand as though he didn't entirely trust her compliance and was prepared to reapply her muzzle should she cross the line a second time kha nodded in response to that reprimand he let the hand drop to his side after a few seconds of in action then knelled beside Akiko who was still working her jaw he placed his hands on her face encircled by Green chakra did Aiko lean toward them for what reason was kha clenching her fists do you now believe that clones can have some impact in a fight he inquired it took only two halfway cooperating enemies you could easily defeat separately to take you out this was a far more difficult achievement than say two of you going up against kha or Makoto because they can't see what is happening behind them so to beat either of them if should suffice to strike them once in their blind spot for it to be game over Akiko asked is there a way to combat this you could start using clones yourself I said if you are superior in skill it should translate to them area of effect attacks might work too under certain circumstances the words good analysis Makoto San were spoken by Uzumaki Sensei kashina abruptly interrupted asking does that mean you were going to teach them the cage bunch in too his response was no at least not now their chakra reserves are currently too small to get anything useful out of that Jutsu there's a distinct difference between being able to perform a Jutsu and it being useful in a fight we're going to revisit that in due time I questioned what about other clone Jutsu they're usually inferior to the one I taught Kina they don't allow for the transfer of memories which makes them rather useless for scouting purposes and neither can they use Jutsu meaning their use in combat is also limited to tautu Diversion and multi-prong attach most of them are even restricted on how far a distance they can move away from their creator without dissolving furthermore most other bunion are directly tied to an element while those usually have a lesser chakra cost which is an advantage in itself teaching you an elemental clone before any Elemental training is done is a tedious and time intensive Endeavor time that could be better spent doing something more worthwhile he was correct without the appropriate Elemental affinity and training learning and mastering an elemental Jutsu was not impossible but it required a lot more time and effort which is precisely why it shouldn't be done I couldn't help but agree with Akiko when she said so I'm unable to beat the dead last of our class the moment she uses clones that is unacceptable that's not what I said Uzumaki Sensei pointed out but you Akiko began as soon as Uzumaki Sensei gave her the order don't move or this is going to take forever he said holding her head still he let her go a moment later and got to his feet he said said why don't we try this again with a dejected Huff Akiko folded her arms across her chest and said I'm not their punching bag no you're not which is why this time you are going to win or have you already accepted defeat without even trying he pondered of course not was the expected answer from Akiko Uzumaki Sensei gave the order good then get back to your positions kashina and I separated I noticed Uzumaki Sensei bending down a little and Whispering something into akiko's ear out of the corner of my eye unfortunately I couldn't use my Sharingan to read his lips because he had his back to us since he was still in the middle of it when we arrived at our positions whatever instructions he gave her must have been more detailed than those he gave kha I watched Akiko nod resolutely at him and then step back Akiko returned to her position Uzumaki Sensei called for the match to begin after confirming that we were all prepared once more similar to our previous encounter kha and I headed toward Aiko but this time Akiko changed our strategy while kha followed me she moved back and back until she was facing away from the tree with the hole in it she stopped running away from us as if she was happy with the situation she was in now I walked toward her but she took a step to the side and back before I could reach her she was now closer to kha and me and the tree was to her left I moved forward and she did the same slowly going around the tree in a clockwise Direction I could see now what she meant all she had to do was step back from the tree which was a solid barrier and my line of attack was severely constrained because the tree protected her left side allowing me to attack only straight she might then cut me off entirely if she took another step around the tree leaving me with no choice but to follow in kash's wake or go around the tree the other way she would have been able to keep us apart for a brief period of time if I had gone around the tree until we were surrounded during that time she would have surely attempted to remove one of us kha would be kept between US just Out Of Reach if I followed behind which would prevent from attacking until Aiko took care of her clever I couldn't step in in either of those situations however it wouldn't function if we when kha took two Swift steps forward and engaged Akiko who simultaneously retreated around the tree I was unable to stop thinking as I had predicted I was suddenly cut off and unable to block the tree in my path after kash's initial blow was deflected I rounded the tree to flank Aiko rather than attempt to get between them as I turned the corner and saw Akiko once more k China was already on the ground moaning and motionless I decided to attack Akiko since she was still facing away from me she ducked under my punch with ease and slid to my side in a single fluid motion after only half a turn I experienced a stinging sensation in my leg which was immediately followed by another stinging sensation in my arm I instantly lost control and sensation in those limbs a palm strike fell short of my chest causing my foot to buckle and me to sink against the tree as he clapped from the side we all turned to to face Uzumaki Sensei an excellent implementation of my suggestion AK Kiko San he replied would you be so kind as to reopen their tenketsu of course Uzumaki Sensei she replied her face wearing a noticeable smile the sensation in my limbs gradually began to return after akiko's hands gave me two more tiny stings she approached kashina and gave her several prods as well when he asked Uzumaki Sensei waited until she was standing again so can you you to tell me why Akiko was suddenly able to defeat you she used the terrain to her advantage and in doing so prevented us from taking advantage of our greater numbers I responded with a good analysis Makoto he said with praise this is exactly what you should do when you are faced with more than one enemy don't fight them on their terms one versus 5 10 or by however many they outnumber you instead find a way to make the engagement into five or 10 One Versus One fights you need to separate them or failing that limit their ability to work together by any means necessary this is in most cases the only chance you have to win in such situations kha pondered what if I'm the one with the greater numbers obviously you don't allow them to use such strategies against you replied Aiko Akiko is Right such engagements quite regularly turn into battles of wits don't worry Heim we're going to train this a lot when we are done you will work like a well-oiled one woman Army there will be no fleeing from you he said said you had better on Chan she said laughing well with that out of the way as I remember we were discussing what you could have done better we now know what kha did wrong but what about you he glanced at me in Aiko what was it you did wrong we looked at each other while we were both on the spot but in the end I couldn't think of anything and Aiko Shrugged her shoulders so did I nothing not even an idea continued Uzumaki Sensei I gave a headshake he then flung something at me after reaching into one of his pockets I caught it out of instinct the spherical object in my hand caught my attention it was easy for me to recognize as a smoke bomb how could I have missed that of course when I looked up Uzumaki Sensei made it obvious he wanted me to share my realization by waving his hand Akiko as a ban wielder can ignore any form of sight obstruction if she had used a smoke bomb she could have easily robbed the enemy of his sight thereby creating an advantage for her this could have even been enough to defeat him as even CES and Janan have trouble overcoming the loss of their most dominant sense which happens to be sight I looked at Akiko who appeared to consider what I had said she is right you know Uzumaki Sensei told her your clan is far too reliant on your special brand of tautu while I give you that the juken is quite effective it isn't all powerful any longrange fighter who manages to stay out of close combat against members of your family could overcome The Best of You Meanwhile your eyes provide you with so much more than just the the ability to see tenketsu they can penetrate anything and do that at incredible ranges for your clan to only use them as a means to perform Jukin is such a waste I shudder at the thought of a long-range fighter with your eyes I'm sure your teammates would also welcome it if you wouldn't hamstring yourself I gave his words a nod then in front of Aiko he tossed a piece of paper the size of a palm onto the ground the words Channel a bit of chakra through that Akiko sand were written on it and she complied by crouching down she channeled a small amount of chakra into the paper by moving her fingers to its Edge abruptly a tiny luminous ball of fire burst out of the seal and shot Skyward during its Ascent It produced a fiery tail and when it peaked over a few hundred feet above the ground it began to descend gradually with a fiery trail that was visible from a great distance it continued to Glow brightly I overheard kha mutter so pretty to herself he asked something to say Akiko San Makoto's Caden gokaku no Jutsu she should have aimed it in the sky we are in konaha surrounded by allies after we thought we were attacked by an enemy within the confines of the village we should have done our utmost to alert someone a fireball straight up would be seen for a dozen kilometers in every direction within seconds an Ambu Uchiha police force Squad could have arrived and dispatched the enemy yep here he said passing piles of the seal he had a Kiko activate to each of us for those of you who can't use fire Jutsu this way you can all alert your allies just keep in mind not only your allies can see the fireball in the sky so you should refrain from using it in enemy territory if you can help it but I'm sure you figured that out kha pointed to the fireball that was still falling and said Oni Chan won't we get in trouble for this she was correct the village was where we were the U police force must undoubtedly be on Route already a false alarm will not be well received by them don't worry I went head and warned the U and the ucha we would do this as part of a training exercise he assured her I think that was enough for today I want every one of you to take the rest of the day and think long and hard about everything that happened here today perhaps you might find some other mistakes you made he stated starting tomorrow we will meet at the small bridge spanning over the sidearm of the Naka river near the Hokage Tower 2 hours after Sunrise we will then take a d rank Mission which should at most last until midday and then proceed to a special training ground where I'm going to start teaching you how to survive an encounter like the one you had today according to Akiko isn't that a bit presumptuous Uzumaki Sensei we are only jenin after all why would the first thing you teach us be how to survive going against a Janan simple really because of what happened today the scenario I presented you with is something that can happen at any time after our team leaves the safe confines of the village just because our first mission outside of the village is supposed to be a c rank doesn't mean it actually is one the outside is unpredictable anything can happen and the better prepared you are the more likely you will return alive and whole furthermore it wouldn't be the first time other Villages put a bounty upon the heads of a jenin or a jenin team either in the hopes of killing a promising Shinobi before he or she could fully realize their potential and become a threat down the line or to abduct them all three of you are the future of your respective Clans and bearers of a bloodline which means our team is ATT tempting Target he was correct we were the most alluring member of this year's graduating class not a particularly attractive Target no other team had two AES three bloodline wielders and a member of an Elders family from a major konaha Clan they could kidnap us for a variety of reasons such as breeding Ransom demands or blackmail hey what is with those glum faces the Shinobi profession is dangerous you already knew that going in so don't sweat it I'm going to make sure by the time we leave the village for the first time no pesky Johan will manage to beat you three I promise so how about you go home and rest you will need it then come tomorrow I'm going to put you through your Paces hearing him say that with that menacing Sparkle in his eyes made me shudder I was startled awake by the sound of the seal I had placed on my wrist I turned over on my back and looked up at my room's white ceiling damn I swore I had just woken up from a fantastic dream in which my new Oni Chan and his toned body were featured I felt the dampness between my legs as I slid my hand down into my underwear even though I had been rudely awakened from a fantastic dream I was grinning broadly I made the decision right away that this would be a fantastic day my first day as a full-fledged jenin my first real steps on the arduous path to becoming Hokage however being on the same team as Naruto Onan made me feel even better if only it didn't have those two with them around how could I possibly hope to get his attention I was thinking when I bit my fingernail and I just realized that my fingers were still wet from I jumped when that happened and the second time seal I had put on me to make sure I wouldn't oversleep was activated with a higher voltage at the same time the involuntary twitch caused my legs and body to Buck against the mattress Tangled into my blanket and I fell head first from my bed already unbalanced while my legs were motionless on my bed pointing up at the sky I struck the back of my head against the floor that hurt damn it I untangled myself from my blanket tossed it onto my bed and rubbed my head this would undoubtedly turn into a bump I briefly thought about asking Naruto on Chan to heal it and threw that idea out of my head right away because I knew he would ask how I got it and the mere thought of telling him the story made my face burn nope I will not share that with him I also didn't feel bad about doing my own hair care for the first time if Naruto Oni Chan only thought of me as his younger sister that wouldn't be enough to win his affection I placed them on the nightstand after taking off the seals from my right wrist and hip I was a little groggy so I carefully walked around the items on the floor in the direction of my War wardrobe scratching the spot beneath my shirt where the seal had been a few seconds before I went to the bathroom after grabbing a towel some underwear and my typical outfit which was stuffed full in my wardrobe I sighed stupid recognizability rule I would really like to change my clothes occasionally I've already become far too used to my current wardrobe as well as their Hues maybe I should alter them and I already knew exactly what I wanted to do I thought of a happy blonde with a black coat well maybe red instead of black similar to my hair yes that seemed appropriate not the monotonous Hues that Makoto Baka and Akiko Baka consistently wear given that red is a signal color it might even help Naruto Oni notice me since I stand out from the others yes I told myself with a smile that's what I was going to do I was very intelligent Uzumaki kashina was going to become Hokage and was gaining the man she had her sight set on when I closed the door behind me the thought of Naruto onchan burst through the door into world where I might have forgotten to lock it made my cheeks flush and my still present arousal Spike then he would abuse me with his I scolded myself to clear my head by striking my cheeks with the palms of my hands however I had to take quick care of the reoccurring wetness in my underwear every step I took toward the tub as a girl on a mission caused a piece of my clothing to slip from my body and be halfhazard thrown onto the floor behind me I sat down on a chair after following the mouthwatering scent from the kitchen I felt a little worn out from my experience and a warm light came from my heart wide awake Naruto Oni Chan stood at the stove stirring and adding ingredients to his pan given the abundance of food already on the table he must have been working on it for a while the sight of them made my mouth water I was unsure whether I should wait for him to finish so we could share a meal he didn't turn just called over his back go ahead I won't be long I just have to get the seasoning right I refused to listen to him twice when Naruto only Chang arrived with the table pan in his hand I had already filled my plate with something from each dish and was ready to start eating his smile was slight as he said here you've got to try this I tilted my head looking up at him from my piled plate after giving it a sigh he proceeded to Heap some of his pan contents on top of it when viewed closely it appeared to be fried rice with a variety of vegetables in addition to having a pleasant scent he walked around the table to the chair covered the armrest of his black coat and heaped a generous amount of rice onto his plate after setting the pan on the ready-made placem he took a seat I kept my gaze fixed on him the entire time I could see every muscle in his body without the armor and mesh shirt he wore over the black material of his undershirt he smiled when I heard the words eat up you will need the energy for your very first mission I snapped out of my revery correct I scowled inwardly it seemed that my efforts to calm him down had been in vain when he showed me his ocean blue eyes and his Godlike body I needed to perform better for now though I relished the spectacle of his flexing muscles as he ate as I did as he suggested I discovered that I was eating the second best food after Ramen everyone knew that a girl's stomach was the way to her heart so I had to give him the gift of cooking to be able to continue eating his food until the end of my days a girl might have dreams at about the same time we finished our plates as I got seconds Naruto Oni Chan cleaned his at the sink it was simply too good I couldn't help but over stuff myself even though I knew I would probably regret it he had a serious expression on his face when he went back to his seat his words we have to talk himim AB what I said my mouth hanging open yesterday during the fight against that Jan when you cradle the Keiko you wanted her to bite you I have a pretty good guess as to why the thing is that ability of yours is dangerous I objected ient and bits of food dropped from my lips I put my free hand over it and wrote shy I'm aware it isn't for others the ones biting you tearing into your flesh and drinking your concentrated chakra it is dangerous for you easy to give away more than you can spare thereby hurting yourself Beyond The Bite itself even more dangerous is if the information of this ability of yours were to spread there are many out there who would do a lot to get their hands on it I was able to swallow his words I cocked my head and asked we are a team why does it matter if the others know he breathed deeply you are right we are a team team and you are also right that it shouldn't matter that they know it is usually even in the best interest of each member of a team to be aware of the capabilities of each and every one of the others usually this ability on the other hand is one of the exceptions he said leaning forward in his chair and staring at me with a sharp gaze let me ask you this do you trust your teammates with your life I wanted to answer yes but before I could do that I caught myself after all Makoto and Akiko were people I hardly knew nothing noteworthy happened during our Brief Encounters at the Academy the memory made me Grimace we were at best acquaintances and most definitely not friends no I didn't entrust my life to them your hesitation tells me enough by letting them know about your ability you were doing exactly that entrusting them with your life an inconsiderate comment here or there mentioning it in the presence of the wrong kind of people and the secret is out and people will come after you I know you thought you were in a life or death situation and I can't fault you for falling back on this ability under those circumstances Naruto Onan said sharpening his voice but those are the only circumstances under which you should ever use those abilities if your life or that of a teammate is hanging in the balance understood I opened my mouth to respond but he stopped me with a raised hand he said I don't understand and I thought about it slowly who would come after me we're in konaha we're all on the same side right we're supposed to be granted Naruto on Chan unfortunately in an organiz ation as big as konaha made up of a variety of different groups the interests of said groups don't always align well there are also spies to consider while it gets increasingly harder to put a spy in a position of power the higher it is low-level spies are to be expected some are even tolerated tolerated I cried out unable to control myself he left strange right the thing is if you know about a spy you can use him to your advantage by feeding him the information you want his Superior to have of course that is a balancing act you can't always be 100% sure the Spy doesn't pick up anything he shouldn't and then you can only use him so many times to deliver wrong or faulty Intel until the other side gets suspicious or even eliminates the spy for presumed inability or betrayal it is tough work being a spy I gasped eat up we don't want to be laate on our first day as a team he said I looked out the window we had more than 30 minutes until our team meeting time according to the sun's position huh it's too early I didn't say anything about directly going to meet the others there's something I have to do before that but if you don't want to go with me I shoved the food into my mouth and begged nope I'll go with you wait for me after a few moments I realized that all of the food in my mouth had caused my cheeks to Puff out Naruto Oni Chan let out a loud laugh bewildered I looked into his mischievously sparkling eyes he pred my right cheek with his hand from across the table you look like a chipmunk huh time am not a shipmonk i swatted his finger away in embarrassment he just laughed harder in return I muttered to myself I'll get Yao forw what was that time I didn't get that nothing moving more slowly I cleared my plate Naruto onchan snatched up my empty plate and everything else on the table while I was waiting for that after saying why don't you get yourself ready I'll take care of this he cleaned the remainder and sealed the leftovers I forced myself out of the chair and walked back upstairs to my room where I found my utility pack ceiling kit and canai Holster on the floor the exact spot where I had thrown it away the day before when I reached the door Naruto Onan was already there leaning against the wall and wearing his shoes waiting for me I took a seat on the Jenkin stairs and put mine on as well he said letun go little chipmunk with a laugh I jumped to my feet and protested I'm not a chipmunk if you say sohe he sang then made a fictitious bow before turning around and walking out the door I yelled I saw that a moment later saw what he asked pretending to be uninformed stopping half turning his body and looking back Youk regret making fun of me I said referring to your smirk he ruffled my hair and made a friendly joke I'm shaking in my boots before leaving I scowled and silently vowed to exact my revenge just as he had silently we made our way to the main gate via the little paved path that wound through the forest following our departure from the compound Naruto Oni Chan proceeded past the Hokage Tower I asked where are we going on ichan he said that himim is a surprise and I frowned even more I looked around and realized that this was a new area of the village to me that piqued my interest and I lost one little sleep I had left Naruto Oni Chan led me down a few side streets we stopped in front of a store selling Shinobi weapons and supplies he turned and asked me you want waiter come in with me he finally gave in my dead pan expression which seemed to convey enough of my annoyance that he even asked me to wait and not see what he was doing there he then raised his arms and spoke sorry I should have known I huffed and snorted as though I would throw away the opportunity to learn more than those two Baka on my team a doorbell signaled our arrival and I trailed Naruto as he entered the store a drowsy old man hobbled through the door behind the counter a short while later I was reminded of my uncle by the sound of wood on wood which he made whenever his right leg touched the floor as well as his wooden leg unlike konaha where it was more common he was one of the few people in Uzu Shakir with one even though forced retirement was cruel it was better than the alternative according to my uncle who worked in her own the majority of the stores I had visited we the lucky ones we only lost a limb others lost their lives Naruto Oni Chan opened his mouth to say hello but the Man's eyes widened in recognition on Naruto AMA are you here to fetch your order yes I am K San KO said just a moment and he leaned over the counter he put two Scrolls on the counter when he came out 1,000 blunted canai of the highest quality quite the unusual order he thought as he handed the first scroll to Naruto and this here if I may say so is the best work I have ever done I have to thank you Uzumaki Sama for being allowed to work with those materials Naruto Oni Chan then put a few gold sticks on the counter and said there's no for thanks if it's truly your best work then it's me who has to thank you I hope that's enough to pay for your services KO responded I can't accept that kind of money Uzumaki Sama as his eyes widened in a humorous manner sure you can I insist Naruto Oni Chan pronounced besides I also need three sets of adjustable ankle and wrist weights with spare parts when Oni Chan nodded KO returned through the door he had come from those are in the back if you would excuse me for a moment uzum Maki Sama I will bring them to you right away he said I questioned why do you need weights to train you Akiko and Makoto of course why not just use seals I asked out loud perplexed by his response good question while resistance and gravity seals are better suited as a training tool simply because once applied they're infinitely adjustable and can be deactivated in an instant making them Superior in any way that matters they are not a tool I can use something in my face must have revealed it because his explanation only made me more perplexed I should have worded that better they are a tool that I'm not allowed to use the problem stems from the fact that they are seals I don't understand right he murmured you haven't been in konaha that long the hyuga the clan Akiko belongs to have a rather dark history when it comes to seals their main house is used to essentially enslave part of their family so it wouldn't have been well received if I had attempted to give her one no matter its function in addition those seals are interlined with a person's chakra Network albeit in the loosest sense of the word which makes it even more problematic add to that the need to get the permission of the village to apply a seal to somebody outside of your Clan's perview which by the way is a very sensible precaution and this whole thing would have been far more trouble than it was worth just to get the permission to do it which by no means would have been a certainty I'd wager it would have been forbidden and the act of asking would have angered the hyuga so I asked myself why bother the weights although nowhere nearly as good will do at least for now I asked in Hope couldn't youve used seals on me of course I could have but then again that would have been preferential treatment wouldn't it not to mention that the others would have asked me the same thing you did and Makoto could have insisted that she gets the seal and then Akiko might have pushed the issue he stopped and simply replied nope not going down that route at that point KO came back and set three sets of ankle and wristbands that could be adjusted on the table along onside them were little pockets for each of them it was the same size as the pile of thin tiny metal slabs he carried Naruto Oni Chan examined the slabs after lifting one of them those will do thank you K San he hummed to himself before pulling a small storage scroll from his back placing the items on it and puffing them shut he placed it in his belt along with the other two Scrolls I wish you a good day Naruto Oni Chan said as a parting greeting the pleasure was all mine Uzumaki sama thank you for your patronage after exchanging those final words we walked out of the store and this time Naruto Oni Chan led the way directly to where we would meet the little bridge that crosses the Naka River's sidearm Makoto and Akiko had already arrived Akiko was sitting beneath the railing of the little Bridge wearing a loose fitting white kimono a couple of inches above the water's surface her feet were hanging down the side standing nearby leaning her back against the railing Makoto dressed in black kept a close eye on the few people crossing the bridge and going by Makoto tapped akiko's shoulders lightly when she saw us in response she got up and brushed herself off after confirming with her own eyes that we were getting close by the time we stopped in front of them she was done ready for your first d rank Mission Naruto on Chan asked everyone Makoto and Akiko both responded with a straightforward nod what had gone wrong with them this marked the beginning of our Shinobi careers and the beginning of our journey to Greatness how could they be IND what we signed up for rescuing princesses and defeating the bad guys was simply deflated hell yeah I'm ready I yelled compensating for their lack of urgency on my own I caught a glimpse of some individuals staring at me oddly out of the corner of my eye Naruto Oni Chan simply laughed to himself and said I hope you can keep this Zeal up his tone and the emphasis on Zeal gave the impression that he knew a joke that I and the others didn't I was about to ask him what he meant because I was suspicious I was shocked when it Kiko used the word idiot to describe me she was practically begging for a remedial course and I was more than happy to give it to her because it seemed that she still hadn't learned her lesson and needed one badly the only thing preventing me from hammering Her Marble face into the ground and exposing her as the complete idiot on our team was Naruto onan's hand resting on my shoulder enough of that the man cautioned letun go inside removing his hand Naruto Oni Chan passed us on his way to the Hokage Tower the Arrogant Akiko joed him without saying anything and I glared back as I said to myself you better watch yourself you [ __ ] we ascended the hok tower spiral staircase and stopped in front of the mission room's closed door from the opposite side came faint shatter a well-built man with spiky white hair emerged from the room laughing just as Oni Chan had signaled for us to wait until it was our turn he wiped the tears from his eyes smudging the goofy red paint he was wearing over his green shirt kimono and matching pants he wore a red how that extended past his hips three kids from my Academy days whom I vaguely remembered came after him in class I was seated two rows behind this blonde wimp the [ __ ] Mio who was hanging from another boy every other week and the jackass KGO who gave me the nickname tomato when he saw me the wimps eye widened in Surprise and he nodded and smiled encouragingly he had the audacity to respond with a huff but Mio did what I expected her to do her lips formed the word tomato then she grabbed keo's arm and pulled him away from us as though I'd be interested in that guy tisk without even trying my foolish teammates could perform better he was a [ __ ] even weaker than a wimp after all now that the extras were out of the way we could finally start our first task I was completely taken aback to see the Hokage sitting behind the desk in his red robes and the recognizable hat after following Naruto Oni Chan into the room I was startled out of my revery by Makoto and Niko's words hok Sama as they were already bowing to him I quickly repeated after them almost stumbling over what I had said I looked up and noticed a twinge of amusement in akiko's eyes at my side I clenched my hands into fists the hok handled it amicably it seems you are surprised to see me here Kash Chan did you expect to see someone else it was definitely odd yes I mean it's great that you were here hok Sama but why are you here there was always a tunin at the mission desk when I went with Meo obah Shan to the hok tower he laughed it's an old tradition upheld since the conception of the village that the reigning Hokage himself hands out the first mission to the newly minted jennin not only does it allow me to see kah's future up close but it also presents me with the opportunity to thank you in a more intimate environment for your commitment to serve in konah his forces in the years to come it is after all not something that should be taken for granted but if you prefer to get it from somebody else I can arrange for that popping the P I replied nope I'm good Akiko responded what my teammate who is obviously lacking in manners meant to say was that it won't be necessary to accommodate us on the contrary we are honored to receive our first mission from you hok Sama and I deeply apologize on her behalf the hell you are I erupted stopping her as she was about to Bow the entirety of my Savage response was muffled by my onlyi chan which closed over my mouth and only mahaha ever made it to the light of day in a slightly more dangerous tone Naruto Oni Chan said Thank You Akiko San but I think it might be a bit presumptuous of you to speak on behalf of your teammate it's even more presumptions of you to speak in the name of this team I am its captain and therefore it is my place to do so after struggling for a few words I stopped and cheered him on as Naruto Oni Chan chastised her this [ __ ] thought she could take some absolutely ridiculous Liberties she declared humbly I apologize Uzumaki Sensei I didn't mean to offend no you made me look like a Savage and then attempted to discredit your commanding officer tisk as if anyone would fall for her pitiful performance we were all staring at the Hokage as he laughed behind his desk that takes me back to the times my pupils were jenin their bickering was legendary it sounded like Naruto Oni Chan was accusing the Hokage of something when he said I can't say I remember my days as a jenon as fondly hok Sama his tone was dry and uninflected in the process the sand Dame wiped away the slight smile that was on his lips I didn't understand the conversation until I recalled what he had told us about his teammates perhaps we are comparable to no I threw that idea away even Aiko that [ __ ] wouldn't betray The Village surely Naruto Oni Chan took his hand off my mouth and said I hope you're ready for the absolute joy that is drank missions diverting our attention for whatever was going on between him and the hokages I exclaimed excited to begin at last I said facing the Hokage we I started but stopped myself when I thought about the punishment Akiko had received for speaking for our team I'm ready what does the mission entail you'll send us on are we going to fight a legendary monster I tried again the hokagay responded to me with a nervous chuckle I made another hopeful guess saving a princess only to see that as my expectations for an exciting Mission began to wne his laughter grew fighting enemy Shinobi I repeated a little discouraged even that was shot down with a tiny Shake of the hog's head Bandits was the last thing I could think of desperately trying to guess please at least tell me we are going to fight Bandits and protect some folk from them he shook his head again stupid Akiko blurted out I balled my fist at my side and gave her a glare I asked helplessly raising my hands in defeat then what is it we are going to do the Hokage began to outline our options when Naruto onichan interrupted him well you have the choice between babysitting the kids of the akamichi hotaru catching Torah the dunk wife's cat looking from one to the other I couldn't believe what I was hearing no they aren't ready for that hell spawn of a cat I pondered whether this was a tiger or some other type of cat for which we weren't prepared I mentally repeated babysitting as the rest of their conversation sank in you've got to be kidding I cried out clutching Naruto on Chan's coat tell me this isn't true tell me our first mission isn't catching a cat or baby sitting with a serious expression he said don't worry Heim I won't allow for that to happen while gently placing his hands on my head and ruffling my hair hok Sama I asked one of the missions to look after the orphanage he said turning to face the elderly man I turned to face the Hokage and reiterated the command it wasn't until I said the words that I realized what I had said yes wek take the orphanage Mission wait what orphanage I said turning to face Naruto on ichan what orphanage one of the two orphanages that were placed under the egis of the Uzumaki Clan he said I want to take a look at them I deduced that orphanage must be a code Naruto Oni Chan's mildly amused expression made me so upset that I begged him our mission is so secret that we can't discuss it in the open please onchan don't tell me our mission is to look after snot-nosed BRS Akiko mockingly said don't be so overdramatic I gave her a glare in return Naruto Chan smiled as he said to the elderly man I think I finally understand why the Hokage personally hands out the first missions the look on their faces when they realize what d rank missions are all about is just Priceless I know the elderly man said grinning smugly me I was incredulous I watched in my mind's eye as all of my fantasies of Adventure crumbled my mouth hanging open everything I had imagined would happen on our first mission after saving someone from certain death defeating the villains and ultimately realizing ing his feelings for me Naruto Oni Chan simply disappeared Into Thin Air and remained only a fantasy it was a pointless attempt to look into my teammates faces in the hopes of eliciting some empathy for my pled because they also met the same end while Makoto stood there indifferently Akiko displayed a smirk that made it clear to everyone that she felt Superior to everyone else anger took the place of the heartbreaking disappointment anger at myself for being duped but especially at Akiko Makoto the Hokage and Naruto on Chan for deceiving me before I realized what had happened I acted instinctively and struck Naruto Oni Chan in the hip he hissed oh I instantly felt bad about what I had done particularly after witnessing akiko's grin widen I hit him again carefully limiting my strength having already committed and muttered jackass in his Direction even though I knew it was a joke it hurt a lot I wouldn't have had any issues if Naruto on Chan hadn't played a practical joke on me even sharing these kinds of moments with him would have been nice it was hurtful that others were involved they teased me just like they did to the outsider in the academy he promised that Naruto Oni Chan would be there for me I swallowed my raging emotions and buried them deep inside I wiped away my eyes growing wetness with a swipe of my sleeve I looked up again and tried to hide the smile I was wearing I hoped it would be sufficient to conceal my eyes redness I vowed not to give in to their bullying and taunts when I returned home from my first day at the Academy in tears and distress yes I promised myself that I would never cry again and that I would never allow them to feel like they had touched me I made a self- promise to get stronger and make them regret everything they said the last thing I wanted was for that [ __ ] shaiko to see me in that state I'd rather die than be humiliated like that she would never allow me to recover from that humiliation when our eyes locked Naruto Oni Chan gave me a look that told me I had failed his facial features softened which said a lot to draw attention to himself Naruto only ch and said hok Sama could you please hand over the mission scroll so that we can be on our way he replied of course and threw the scroll to Naruto onichan who easily caught it hok Sama he nodded briefly to the elderly man before saying letun go Makoto and Akiko were the first to leave the room and I came after them as the door closed behind us I had just crossed the threshold when I felt a gentle squeeze on my shoulder even though it was only a small gesture Naruto on his silent assurance that he would report me meant the world to me he smiled encouragingly at me when I glanced over my shoulder we followed Naruto Oni Chan out of the building and down a side street that was less crowded there he gave Makoto the mission scroll go ahead read it when you are done hand it over to your teammates we all need to know what our mission entails she handed it to Akiko when she was finished and he gave it to me help the matron at the konaha willow tree orphanage as I returned the scroll to Naruto Oni Chan I asked out loud that's it what does it even mean to assist her I have to agree with Kash San Makoto responded the mission parameters are too unspecific making it impossible to guess what lies in store for us you better get used to it he responded most missions you will be sent on will be sparse on details like this simply because they often are unknown and the clients aren't always very forthcoming or unaware of any details themselves because of this it is important that every single one of you goes with your eyes open to a mission don't assume what's written in the mission scroll is all there's to it most importantly of all take everything you were told by the client with a grain of salt they known to be unreliable better yet assume they are lying or withholding information and double and triple check everything they say never take it at face value our clients really that bad I responded I mean why would they lie aren't they paying for us to do a mission why would they make it harder for us to complete it there are many reasons it could be like I said that they're just unaware themselves biased or just misinformed all can be factors that make their statements unreliable then there are those who lied to obfuscate something Makoto repeated obfuscate following Naruto Onan it happens clients who have something to hide the most common reason is that they're criminals of some kind and don't want us to look into matters because we might take offense and then there's a lack of funds from the client as you know the price of hiring a team of Shinobi mainly depends on what rank the mission gets labeled is so clients occasionally try to save money by playing down the danger a threat of Shinobi could become Bandits for instance lowering the mission from at least a b rank down to a c rank given the sharp increase every increment has on the price it can save them a lot of money and in some cases it's the only way they can even afford Shinobi in the first place won't they be punished for doing that I inquired it depends stated Naruto on E Chan it isn't often cut and dry that a client lied to us and without definite proof it's hard to take action it doesn't help that quite often you won't be able to figure out that something's wrong until after you are well on your way on the mission and it comes down to the question of what to do in most cases as I said if you've no definitive proof of the client misrepresenting the mission you can't just abort it even if you do have proof it might not be the best idea the word might spread and in case it is it would reflect badly on the village it would suggest that we are unreliable that's not something any shobi Village wants to be known for from that alone there's some pressure to continue the mission despite the lies or omissions of the client if it isn't a times sensitive Mission the standard procedure would be to pause the mission until such a time the request for reinforcements could be answered if it is he Shrugged you better hope the one in charge is someone sensible who knows what he's doing I questioned why because otherwise we die Makoto added in a supportive manner what she's trying to say is that in such a situation the decision of what to do has to be made on the spot do you continue with the mission and potentially die or do you abort and the village suffers a loss to its reputation either way whatever you choose to do it will have consequences my next question was what's that got to do with who is in charge inexperienced or arrogant commanders will almost certainly continue the mission no matter the odds fearing the ostracization of their peers more than getting themselves and their team killed said Naruto Oni Chan that's Oni Chan began to give me options as I was at a loss for Words unbelievable Preposterous crazy take your pick they all fit I had discovered the ideal word to describe it idiotic I was shaking my head violently well that too said Naruto onchan sardonically but it can't be helped this is just the world we live in some would even endorse such a decision after all what's the life of one Shinobi or his team compared to The Village's reputation in the grand scheme of things it would be a small price to pay for an unblemished track record We Are Soldiers first and foremost the mission therefore always has higher importance than our survival what could she possibly think do you think that too Akiko asked that we are expendable pieces on a board our lives just a means to accomplish a mission I sneered and I'm the stupid one I said I never answered that question yesterday did I he replied what do you think I'm would I place your life over the success of a mission I spat at Aiko saying as if that deserves an answer the reply I got was a smile that said it all I know you would he reached into his coat and produced a scroll with a well practiced motion saying with that out of the way there is one little thing we have to take care of before we can start with our mission after rolling it out on the ground he let go of one of the seals three sets of wrist and ankle weights then materialized in front of us he said put those on ordering weights asked Aiko the first to reach for one they are a great training tool for helping develop muscle and and one of the easier ways to increase one's speed said Naruto on Chan she said I'm aware with annoyance but we aren't training we are about to start our mission drank missions are training he informed her of besides it takes time to get used to wearing them so by putting them on now the time spent on doing the mission isn't wasted it also allows us to save the time it would take you to do this later two birds with one stone as they say with a lack of enthusiasm for the idea Akiko question you want us to wear them throughout the whole day you make it sound like it's something bad trust me it isn't you all are going to like the results moreover you won't even notice they're there after the first week Akiko said weeks with a strong tone you want us to wear them for weeks holding up one of the metal slabs he purchased with them he explained of course a training tool is only beneficial if you actually use it incidentally the greatest results using weights are achieved by incrementally increasing their load continued smiling as he continued it seems that you already realized what that will mean for you every day before we set out for our daily d rank Mission I will increase the weights you are wearing by adding more of these eventually in order to avoid the ankle and wristbands becoming too cumbersome I will resort to using Fu and Jutsu on the slabs to the same effect so you'd better get used to wearing those fashionable accessories because they will accompany you for a long time Akiko let out a soft groan when she heard that he ushered enough talk up put them on so that I can explain how the release mechanism Works after fastening the weights to my wrists and ankles I performed a few trial motions such as stretching my arms raising my legs and taking a few steps despite only weighing a few pounds it was surprisingly hard to move with them on they caused my body to become unbalanced and made it more difficult for me to control my limbs my movements were jerky due to the extra strength needed to slow them down and stop them as well as to overcome the increased inertia to get them moving not at all like the grace that most Shinobi took for granted I had to relearn how to walk like a toddler carefully measuring each step to avoid falling on my face I was expecting to see a patronizing smile from Aiko when I looked up to check on my teammates instead I was surprised to see her bracing herself against a wall taking slow deliberate steps one after the other her forehead furrowed in concentration I felt incredibly satisfied after watching her performance which in contrast to my own thrashing seemed like the fluid motions of a professional dancer little hyuga Heim we are not so great now it became painfully clear to me why she was struggling as I began to observe her stumbling around more closely her kimono usually concealed it well but her slack sleeves which hung Loosely from her elbows revealed her stick thin hardly muscular underarms it was understandable that she struggled to raise her Souls off the ground if the rest of her body appeared the same if those who practice had only develop their bodies to the point where they have the minimal strength required to use it effectively then it appeared that her much lot of juk wasn't all that great after all not that it was all bad I was certain that she was more Nimble than I was but Makoto who also paused to watch Akiko seemed to agree that this was pitiful her face was still as unreadable as ever so I assumed so as I cast a sidelong glance at her but to me that was the only plausible explanation before continuing Naruto Oni Chan waited for Akiko to get close to being able to walk while wearing those weights strapped to her truer words were never spoken I'm sure You' noticed by now that those weights can have a serious impact on your fighting capabilities I said nodding with my two teammates since there's a chance that you might find yourself in an unfavorable situation while wearing them say an ambush for example in which being at your best is the difference between life and death the Fasteners of those weights can be opened by channeling a little chakra into them ultimately a necessary addition because we obviously can't reasonably expect our enemies to pause the fight to give us the time to remove them that made a lot of sense after he had said it try it he made the command yes we did the first thing I noticed was that it needed very little chakra so little that every time I tried to use a Jutsu with my terrible chakra control I was afraid I would unintentionally lose them I grimaced as I understood that if only to avoid any unlucky mishaps I really needed to investigate that I had to make sure of that because Akiko was failing at the weights I could barely use anything that she and I failed it so I was determined not to give her any more ammunition to use against me and not to be denied my own either he made us do it five more times for whatever reason before he was satisfied and said letun go we all fastened the weights onto our limbs again only to hear him say again we arrived at the orphanages Gates though it was difficult to walked I realized painfully as I stood in front of its wooden enclosure that had Naruto on Chan not returned to the Village at that time I might have found myself in this situation at least temporarily I realized then that I had never truly expressed my gratitude to him for it so here we are expressed Naruto onich Chan before we enter I need to remind you that the purpose of those d rank missions is to simulate real missions to further teamwork and to let us get to know each other all without risk to our lives in order for us to make the most of this I expect you to treat this like a real Mission like our lives could be in danger and that we might need to defend ourselves at a moment's notice this means stay alert at all times carefully watch your surroundings and watch each other's backs he opened the double doors and entered the orphanage after we nodded in agreement we heard him say over his shoulders before the first of us could follow him inside after all I look forward to your detailed reports of today's Mission be mindful of what You observe even though I thought it couldn't get any worse I moaned at this we were burdened with paperwork in addition to babysitting a middle-aged woman with a toddler in her arms came up to us as I was already feeling guilty about getting out of bed this morning she almost got hit by one of the kids playing all around us on multiple occasions s the reason her head was tilted to the left away from the toddler on her right arm became evident as she Drew nearer keeping her Brown shoulder length hair out of the child's reach was only partially successful a step that only served to increase the child's interest in it a fasination that I didn't think would endure considering that the child clearly did so to consume them the child would be sorry he kept trying I had no doubt about it I always have my hair in my mouth when I wake up they taste awful which is a regrettable consequence of having long hair she greeted Us by saying You must be the Shinobi for this morning her gentle voice caught my attention right away because it didn't fit with her severe demeanor Naruto Oni Chan affirmed we are with a disarming grin allow me to introduce ourselves my name is Uzumaki Naruto the John and Sensei of Team 7 Uzumaki you wouldn't happen to be the one responsible for those recurring missions sent our way she asked before he could say anything more with a hint of trepid Naruto on Chan responded I am somewhat surprised by the bite of her question finally I get to meet our benefactor In the Flesh I was wondering when you would turn up she looked him up and down and almost purred and what a fine specimen you turned out to be my imagination couldn't do you justice her response was as abrupt as it was unexpected her austere demeanor giving way to a warm smile haha he responded with an unsteady laugh I made a clear threat saying you better keep your hands to yourself or you might lose them kha hissed Naruto Oni Chan that is not how we should handle our client she isn't our client you are I responded and even if she were it still wouldn't give her the right to Lear at you like that he was about to speak again probably to reprimand me when the last person I expected to assist me did so with a wave of her free hand the woman said oh my it's fine and then added conspiratorially she was just staking her claim before abruptly Shifting the subject I'm sure you want a tour of your new acquisition why don't you allow me to show you around while your Jen and entertain the kids Naruto Oni Chan took a moment to gather himself because he was so overwhelmed which was fortunate because I had to suppress my blush oh no that woman he concurred that sounds good just allow me to finish introducing my team i' wager we will be here and in the other orphanage quite often in the future the little redheaded Whirlwind you already had the pleasure of talking to his named Uzumaki kashina and I can assure you that she isn't normally that ill-mannered at what he said I snorted I'm not little you are just huge he teasingly said whatever you say Heim that was all it took to get my blush back to its peak oh my how precious insisted the woman the young lady in all black is named Uchiha Moto and our last team member is named hyuga Akiko she bowed as much as the child in her arms would allow and remarked that is quite the assortment of kah's most prestigious Clans it is my pleasure to meet you all as she raised the child in her arms for everyone to see she said my name is Yum sake and I'm the matron of this orphanage the little one here is called Kazo I tried to get the child's attention by waving briefly in his blue rompers he simply looked adorable confused as to where the hair he was after vanished too the child looked for a moment before deciding to suck on his thumb completely ignoring me in the process the child simply turned away and rled in the matron hands trying again she was forced to draw him near to her body once more as a result being refused the opportunity to play with him made me sigh angrily the matron half turned straightened her body and said please Uzumaki Dono follow me Akiko Makoto you both stay here with the kids get a lay of the land and remember to treat this like a real Mission so stick together he told them he turned to face me and said kha you are with me okay so I could defend my onchan from whatever the woman tried to do to him as you can see the orphanage consists of this singular complex it was one of the first non-clan buildings erected in the village with 200 rooms over three floors at the moment we are accommodating 293 children of various ages meaning that most rooms have two inhabitants she said luckily for us the First Hokage was generous enough to also allocate a large patch of land surrounding the orphanage for its use I can only imagine how hard it would be otherwise just to get a semblance of control over those children without presenting them with an outlet for all the energy they have in abundance aside from you I counted five other caretakers surely that can't be all there are wondered Naruto on Chan taking care of that many children would take more than twice that many at least oh you are indeed correct our full staff including myself consists of 21 women I blurted out horrified that means every one of you has to take care of more than 10 children but H your reaction is more than Justified Naruto Onan corrected actually it is 13.9 five children he asked the matron am I right to assume that of those 21 employees not all are here working all the time of course not she replied most of us have homes with Children of our own to care for and this is just their day job if I had to guess on average you'll find five of us here during the day he asked and at night before continuing there were two or three she admitted I was appalled to hear that she said something that upset Naruto Oni chan oh you find those numbers bad back during the first Shinobi World War we had more than five times the number of children to care for and only half the staff he clenched his jaw if only briefly and got that distant look we literally had stacked the children on top of each other just so everyone had a roof over their heads that bad he muttered absorbed in Ry you have to understand that we do the best we can with the resources at our disposal she said in defense saying I'm not blaming you Naruto Onan added it is The Village's fault for not providing you with the funds needed to do your job rest assured that is the exact reason why I took over the egis of the orphanages from the village in the first place things will be different from today on tell me what else do you need besides a larger staff asked him she responded it is probably best if I show you and ushered us into the structure we stepped into a tiny Lobby lined with name plate tagged cabinets containing shoes there were five other exits from the lobby besides the door we entered ahead an open double door gave me a good view of what I thought was the dining room which was crowded with rows of chairs arranged around tables in addition to two lengthy hallways with doors spaced every few meters there were staircases on the left and right of the dining hall that led up and down in order to draw our attention to our surroundings which I must confess I didn't pay much attention to the matron said as you can see while making a sweeping motion with her free hand we lacking in more than just Personnel she looked more closely and was correct the wooden panels on the wall balls were strewn with cracks and tears we learned more from a few shoddy patch jobs over the worst marred area than we could have ever learned from words I glanced at a few of the tattered shoes that were crammed into the cabinets and scarcely deserved to be referred to as anything other than trash show me one of their rooms insisted Naruto Oni Chan there was no longer any playfulness in his manner she led us to the first door on the left in the right Corridor two steps ahead of us then she moved to the side and signaled us inside Naruto Oni Chan accept accepted her invitation without needing a second invitation as I followed him inside I was immediately struck by how small scary the room was upon closer inspection I saw that it was in comparable shape to the lobby on either side of the room the two futons were positioned directly adjacent to the walls only a narrow Corridor barely wide enough for an adult to walk through unhindered could be found between the empty spaces Naruto Oni Chan approached the wall across from the door and gently touched one of the cabinets at the futon head rests following it even as I stood directly beside him I could barely make out what he was saying when he muttered to himself seems like nothing much is going to change I had no idea what he was getting at with that with a sigh he withdrew his hand and looked around again eventually his gaze settled on one of the futons and remained there I followed his eyes and saw the issue he had found he pulled the covers to the side and knelt down to examine it exposing the full extent of its problems the futon even had some holes in it and the linning was matted and torn an obvious example of irreparable damage after restoring the futon to its initial condition Naruto Onan got up and ushered me out of the room he asked shutting the door behind him do all the rooms look the same in a sense she acknowledged which I mistook for the beginning of her attempt to sidestep the question before providing a thorough explanation every single room we have is damaged to a different degree we are hosting children with ages ranging from just being born up to 12 the age they either become a Shinobi or start an apprenticeship it can't be expected of them to be considerate of their surroundings especially since we can't offer them much we have barely any toys or other means to keep them busy let alone any books as a result whenever we can't simply rely on Sunshine in good weather to allow them to spend their energy running around considering the extremely limited space at our disposal we're pretty much forced to co them up inside which for the most part means inside their rooms as a result they find other outlets for their urge to move continues Naruto Onan she gave him a strange look and nodded that is exactly what happens they run against the walls climb on top of each other or do some other Shenanigans of the week with our current staff it is simply impossible to watch them all she acknowledged and resigned what about the dining hall I asked myself if you move all the furniture away wouldn't they give you the space you need she sneered you think we wouldn't have thought of that we have hardly enough space as it is to allow half of our children at time to just sit down and eat it's a far cry from being large enough to provide twice that number with enough room to play nevertheless it's far better than nothing and we make extensive use of it but you are doing the best you can with what little you have been provided so far rest assured that is definitely going to change she assured her what about the rest of your children's needs can they be met barely The Village provides us with a fixed amount of money for every child in our care the money doesn't account for age gender or anything else that has an influence on their needs this is why it is not uncommon for us to struggle with the Necessities just having to replace a futon unexpectedly amidst all the other expenses can pose a problem it makes sense why the bedding was in such terrible shape that's an easy problem to solve Naruto Oni Chan contended how he smiled and said by just giving you the much needed money the matron was suddenly placed under guard as though to protect him she even turned the child away from her what's the catch she asked her anger barely contained though I was surprised Naruto Oni Chan answered with a question of his own what did he make you do I had never heard his voice sound so solemn I would have been certain that he was going to murder someone if I hadn't known any different I I can't talk about it she said almost begging holding the child to her chest please don't make me Naruto Oni took a deep breath to calm himself before giving in and saying don't worry I won't I know that it would be you or the children that would suffer the repercussions as I struggled to understand what they were saying Naruto Oni Chan continued after a brief pause actually he is the reason why I'm here in the first place to end his minations the children have suffered for far too long under his capriciousness it is time to put a stop to it once and for all the matron features displayed a variety of emotions they included surprise disbelief apprehension hope acceptance and Trust though I couldn't identify them all she tried to be sure you aren't lying to me I'm not confirmed Naruto Onan I eventually had enough of this exchange even though I had no idea what they were discussing what is going on here and who the hell is this the person you mentioned you can't just exclude me like this datab Bane I was angry with them you were better off not knowing the matron said in an attempt to talk me out of it I growled back at her I'm not talking to you the matron began to chastise me saying that is no way to address your ELD to get her to stop Naruto Oni Chan had to lift his hand Palm toward her I challenged Naruto Oni Chan to be honest with me while I stared into his sapphire blue eyes it only took a few seconds and he groaned as his conviction wavered I couldn't understand the mumbling he did to himself as he turned away from me this is no game Kina what I'm about to tell you can get you in big trouble if the wrong people learn about you having this kind of information are you sure you want to know he said searching my eyes once more before making the poignant observation yes I said after looking into my eyes for a while he finally admitted defeat and after letting out a long sigh started to explain I nodded in response to his question remember when I told you about the various factions making up konaha as a whole there's a man named shimura danzo a clan leader in Village Elder who uses his considerable influence for dubious means what has that got to do with anything you were talking about I replied I simply snorted in response I was coming to that patience kashina a bit more it would undoubtedly suit you I said as I learned just recently this individual is in charge of an Ambu training program called root whose sole purpose is to turn children into emotionless killing machines to that effect brainwashing and other harsh conditioning methods are used with a complete disregard for the recipient lives rumor has it there is less than a 50% chance of survival of the basic training how could he does the Hokage know about this I gasped in horror he does he said candidly at least the basics are to him shocking isn't it he inquired yeah of course it was he cautioned never judge a book by its cover established Shinobi often develop a certain Persona they use in public to hide behind make no mistake behind that carrying grandfatherly mask of the sand Dame lurks one of the most dangerous and accomplished Killers the elemental Nations have ever seen as long as you don't end up becoming the mask by constantly wearing it it's in fact a good idea to remain approachable by not giving off the air of a killer it makes people underestimate you I didn't know that I uttered pathetically you weren't supposed to it would invalidate the point but I digress we weren't talking about the Hokage but about this elder I gave shimura danzo however right those children were supposed to be trained by him and then directly introduced into U to allow for a faster replenishment of our troops he succeeded in that cutting down the time required for a child to get to that level by about half his methods despicable as they might be got the en Vision results FASTT tracking those children to be capable enough to be considered for the ranks of Anu the issues of erasing their personality and individuality were considered a small price to pay in exchange for a loyal Soldier without moral inhibitions I'm not sure I follow I have reason to believe that the Loyalty of those rude Shinobi is not one to the Village but solely to danzo and that he is using this organization to further his own goals even to the detriment of the village as a whole so you are saying that he's a traitor yes I am I don't know to what extent but he definitely is one I still don't understand why all this why take over the orphanages if the higher ups are behind this and as you say tolerated or supported will this even make a difference that's where you are wrong root was only given the allowance to recruit children if their Guardians had given their consent the idea behind it was to recruit from the pool of jenin as you know a jenin is considered an adult according to the law exactly restricting the children they could get their hands on to jennin and to those parents who could be convinced to give up their children it was both a concession towards the will of fire allowing for a choice and also an attempt to preemptively nip any attempts of a draft danzo might have come up with in the bud of course danzo found ways around it the orphanages go on urged Naruto Onan all the clues are there you merely have to connect them they're the legal Guardians of the children meaning that the matrons could hand them over to him so he just needed to get his people into those positions and he said Naruto Oni Chan stated he can't because they are thoroughly vetted so he needs the matrons to give them up but why would they even consider doing it funding if he couldn't get his people to do it he must be in a position of power from which he can exert his influence to cut down on their funding blackmailing them into compliance give up all the children I want or the other children will suffer for it very good he said glowingly this means that by placing the orphanages under our supervision we also became responsible for their funding thus robbing him of his leverage I said impressive what I don't understand is why doesn't he just get his children elsewhere I responded that's a good question the answer is quality shobi or bread I missed the point it must have been something in my face he clarified his meaning without asking any more questions children with even just one parent being a Shinobi or one of their parents coming from a line of Shinobi possess on average denser muscles and greater chakra reserves among other things those advantages of for civilian born kids become more distinct the longer the line of Shinobi on both sides of the family they stem from and that is without accounting for things like Bloodlines what you're saying is that children born to two Shinobi parents stemming from a line of Shinobi make the best Shinobi themselves I concluded yes good said I then this will hurt him oh I very much hope so Naruto Oni Chan commented with a laugh from the side the matron remarked I'm happy it's your clan taking over now that I've met you Uzumaki Dono I had totally forgotten that she was present on behalf of the children thank you thank you both there's no need for that I'm just doing what should have been done a long time ago he said downplaying the controversy enough talk of unpleasant Village Elders letun focus on your needs can you show me your books he inquired sure was her reply they in my office please follow me I asked modestly tugging at Naruto on Chan's sleeve do I have to you know come with you you don't but it certainly wouldn't hurt either our clan is responsible for this institution from now on among other things this means that we have to ensure that every child living within it is taken care of for this reason alone you should attend this meeting to be aware of the intricacies involved the what intricacies it means details or finer points he clarified ah I replied with comprehension but I pleaded again please I'll be there with you the next time I said I was in dire need of air it was chilling to learn about the inner workings of a Shinobi Village okay he conceded but I will take you up on that promise no excuses next time besides you'd better get used to this a great deal of a hokage's job consists of such meetings I know I said without emotion you also don't become Hokage for being nice rather than waiting for his answer I simply Turned and Left I needed to think for a while when I walked back outside through the doors I heard the happy cries that only children could make I could couldn't help but Smile as I watched them run around they were so naive as I looked around I saw Makoto and Akiko watching the kids from the shade of a tree in an instant my positive attitude vanished they made no attempt to interact with the kids they didn't engage in play or conversation with them rather they watched and lurked over them as if they were prisoners in their custody they seemed to be the embodiment of all that was wrong with our society at that point and I was filled with anger at the Injustice of it all I shook my head violently trying to shake those thoughts out of my head this was no place or time to give in to those gloomy thoughts a smile split my lips calm again it was time to teach those children how to have fun I yelled as I took a few more steps out into the middle of the field away from the building all right children come around gather up it's time that I show you to have fun I reprimanded a child half my height for ignoring me saying hey you I said to gather up why aren't you doing what I said he poked in his nose and turned around not bothered by what I said instead of responding to my question are you deaf kid he pulled a finger away from his nose a pebble clinging to it he was examining it as though it were something he had never seen before only to abruptly grab my shirt and use it to wipe the pebble off his finger it took me a moment to comprehend what had just transpired the child merely glanced up at me his mouth pulling back into a smile that revealed the spaces left by his milk teeth falling out I guess something on my face told him because he turned turned and ran without warning I gave him a little Advantage before pursuing him even with the weights I was wearing the squirt could not compete with me even though he gave it his all with his short legs so I had him hanging in midair supported by his shirt collar in just a few dozen feet you little [ __ ] I'm so going to make you pay I was proud of what I had managed to achieve despite the fact that neither of my teammates knew how to treat children they were even more useless than a bag of fleas just standing around making meaningless unprompted remarks about what did the carrot and stick approach was still very effective using Tuma as an example was sufficient to convey to all the children who saw him hanging by the Scruff of his neck that I was not someone to be messed with after I incited him to fear God for smearing his pibble on my shirt I gained their reluctant respect as a result which was all I needed to move on to the carrot the next part of my strategy to do that I made a shadow clone and sent her along with all of my cash and a ceiling scroll to get some candy while I gathered the majority of the children in my vicinity they were all significantly younger than my team and I and their numbers were at best 40 far below what I had anticipated all of the children older than six must be enrolled in school or the academy before I could begin to wonder about it that worked out perfectly for me and wouldn't significantly deplete my savings as I had initially anticipated to get them to sit still long enough to teach them how to play Shinobi I offered them candy in exchange for their attention when I eventually finished responding to those snotty brats questions my shadow clone came back with a ceiling scroll brimming with bribes she dispelled it after returning the ceiling scroll in my purse which was much lighter than it had been just a few minutes before my first action after this was to fulfill my promise and give each and every one of them some of my candies more than what the matron told us the way their eyes widened in a humorous way after they held the candy in their hands and several of them repeatedly asked me if it was truly okay to eat made it clear what these kids were denied they worshiped the ground I walked on and obeyed my every command without protesting after I repeatedly reassured them that they could eat those candies that I had extras in stock and that I would be happy to share them with them after we had played together they even began to refer to me as their Oni sh however my attempts to change their pronunciation to the proper Oni Sama were unsuccessful Oni sha rang through the air a dozen times over destroying my previous work and the child who I suspected had the short-term memory of a fruit fly once again called me Oni shama this was the moment I fixed one child's form of address which was no easy task because most of them had missing teeth after trying it a dozen times and realizing that the only progress I was making was my growing rage I decided it would be best to stop both for the sake of my mental health and the hairs on my head as I nearly tore them all out several times due to the growing frustration unfortunately this Choice didn't stop me from squirming inside whenever they said something incorrectly but I assumed I would eventually be able to accept it there was something Charming about it with a smile on my face I thought like being cim increasingly anxious cries of H H H startled me and almost made me jump out of my skin abruptly Naruto on Chan appeared before me gesturing with his hands up and down before my eyes how could he have gotten so close did he not accompany the matron Akiko was laughing at my predicament in the background into the Hem of her white kimono her usual stoic self Makoto just watched Naruto Oni Chan asked his concern fading now that I had responded to him everything all right I said to him without yeah stupid just letting my mind wander a little after I crossed his arms in front of his chest he repeated you let your mind drift a little is that right Makoto San what was it I told you to do we are to treat this Mission despite it being a training exercise as if it were a real Mission with our lives on the line she said I'm sorry I muttered blushing at my mistake and then looking up I promise it won't happen again he continued to stare for a moment before letting his arms drop and saying you better or we'll do nothing but drank missions for a very long time despite the fact that this Mission wasn't as horrible as I had assumed the idea still made me shudder I wanted to know how did it go good he replied simply I asked again expecting him to be a little more direct that's all well he continued if you wanted to know more you could have just stayed that's why I took you with me in the first place you know please I tried once more looking him in the eyes he sighed and said I've always been weak to beautiful girls I smiled at his remark and he continued to spoil me let's see given the state of the building and the fact that they are hopelessly overcrowded new and larger ones able to comfortably accommodate all the kids with room to spare will be built unfortunately such a venture takes time which is why for immediate relief I greatly increased the funding it should help with expenses for food and most importantly clothes books and toys in addition to that I authorized the maidon to multiply her staff ensuring that for any time of the day there is one caretaker for every five children the word reasonable I hummed that's not all we the Uzumaki Clan agreed to sponsor the kids be it for the academy or other civil apprenticeships to help consolidate their Futures whatever they might be I exclaimed that's great and embraced Naruto on Chan enthusiastically only realizing what I had done when he wriggled in my arms shily I said sorry and let him go fortunately he changed the subject and ignored my inappropriate behavior other than a quick pad on the head he pulled out a purse and tossed it at Makoto saying here you'll need that it's getting close to lunchtime I said what that money consider it an incentive for what was my question I couldn't help but notice that there are some issues you have with each other they might get in the way of your teamwork which revolves around trust and understanding one another so from now on you all are eating together on my tab to give you the chance to resolve them away from me look looking over your shoulders and the time to get to know each other I had to let out a moan I have to eat with those two jerks really on each Chan kill me now please someone Makoto handed the pouch to Akiko who said Thank You Uzumaki Sensei I said what are you doing taking the money I know this restaurant where they serve the best uni you have ever eaten I asked who says you get to decide where we eat I do she said drawing the pouch holding hand back toward her body the patronizing tone she used with me almost made me hit her again it certainly won't be you who knows what you would make us eat my hand was only restrained by Naruto on Chan's moan seriously sighing he continued since I suspect you won't reach a compromise by yourselves we'll settle the issue with jenin the one to win decides where you go to eat today the second place gets to decide tomorrow and the loser the day after that and from there the order is repeated understood Makoto and Akiko echoed my Oni Chan by saying yes Uzumaki Sensei good now form a circle and get started you've also got a report to write and it's your time you're wasting with your bickering following his advice we gathered in a circle all of us prepared to leave we all exclaimed Jen and Pon together in the end Makoto had scissors and a Kiko and I had Rock we both said Jen and Pon again with me settling on scissors and a Kiko on paper both of us determined to win I was aware that she would would misjudge me and think I would repeat the same move twice the great Uzumaki kashina s jenin skills were clearly unknown to her sucker with a smile that made my mouth drop I reveled in her Priceless look of shock I yelled handed over and took the pouch away from her ichiraku Ramen here we come he was about to leave when I asked we meet up again at the Village Gate in 2 hours that should give you more than enough time to eat write your reports and bond where are you going to eat do you have to ask sunade was my own response to the query I begged Naruto on Chan do I have to go with them or I'd much rather go with you he was chuckling as he said well then I'll have to tell sunade that you prefer her company over your teams she no doubt we be delighted to hear it no I pleaded please don't okay okay if you are this insistent I won't tell her but you should know she is quite intelligent your sun act will only work for so long on her until she sees through you if she hasn't already yeah I know he looked at me strangely as though he was anticipating something from me have fun Was His mid-turn Wish as he grimaced and walked towards the hospital after whatever it was he had been waiting for failed to materialize so you Philistines get ready to be introduced to the food of the Gods by your dear kha Sama I declared turning back to my teammates akiko's scoff was the only response I got ignoring her I headed for the gates but a crowd of children stopped me a good distance away way where are you going Kash shama can I get some more sweets can you take us with you they were arguing their case and pulling at my clothes to get me to listen to them but those were the only questions I could make out as they spoke over each other my heart was tugged by the renewed hope in their eyes hey slow down I will be back with more sweets and then we will play some more okay I said kneeling in front of them the smallest one roomie said you pomas after saying I promise I gave the child a hug I let roomie out of my arms and got to my feet after a lengthy moment during which she sniffed and got closer to tears I ruffled her hair as I sliced through them I accelerated as soon as I got past them it would be better if Akiko didn't see my tears there was no doubt in my mind that I would fulfill my commitment the willingness of Naruto on Chan to indulge me was something I was uncertain about ultimately it might be construed as me speaking out of turn in the team's name that's what he warned us about it would make a difference I would not permit it all commitments had to be fulfilled at worst I would simply visit the orphanage either prior to following our training they were now under the control of the Uzumaki Clan and I would contribute my body had moved on its own in the interim I was only distracted from my thoughts by the aroma of The Delectable ichiraku Ramen that was being prepared I bridged the final few Mires to my favorite stool and sat down on it picking up my Pace again to a light jog Kash Chan what a surprise to see you wasn't today your first mission smiled nitsuko Oni San who was behind the counter it was I came directly here after completing it she replied a success then of course who do you take me for mitsuko onisan leaning closer she pondered so where did you leave your very good-looking Onan did you run ahead again or did he send you to get the order for you to in sunade San's meal she asked laughing the future first female Hokage I said none of that to please he went to eat with Tsunade alone and made me eat with my new teammates she pulled my arm in a conspiratorial manner and said ah you had better make sure that is all that is going on between them not even considering the possibility you don't think when I saw her tittering into her hand she retreated back as I asked in horror so easy she said teasing me while shuffling my hair so mean I'm not coming here again I said crossing my arms in front of my chest Moa nsuk Co Oni San she responded by laughing uncontrollably as if she exclaimed as she laughed you wouldn't make it through a week without the unique Ramen that only your nitsuko Oni San can prepare she had me damn it just thinking about her special ramen made my mouth water and I was already losing my will okay I take it back but in exchange you've got to add extra toppings deal she said smiling smugly speaking of your teammates I guess those are them she said pointing to Koto and Akiko as they approached the stools slowly yeah the one wearing white is Akiko Baka and the one in black is Makoto Baka that's no way to behave kashina she reprimanded she raised an eyebrow and said do I need to have a talk with your Oni Chan about your lacking manners no please don't I begged as she fixed me with her gaze she cautioned then watch your manners young lady we don't tolerate hoodlums as customers got it nitsuko Onan got what asked toiko who had heard the last part of my response in the previous conversation I just explained the changes to our menu to Kush Chan you must be her teammates Makoto San and Akiko San it is a pleasure to meet you nitsuko Oni San stepped in my name is nitsuko your Ramen Chef what can I get you shrimp ramen I said Akiko Makoto took her time choosing carefully reading the menu before she said one serving of vegetable Ramen natsuko San coming right up I grumbled what about me you didn't ask what I want with a chilling look nitsuko Oni San halted her work behind the counter and said and what is it you want let me guess am miso followed by pork shrimp vegetable and beef in that exact order the exact same thing you have ordered every single time you have come here without restrictions put on you perhaps I'd like to eat something else for a change I cowed natsuko Oni San inquired do you no I said then what are we talking about kashina Chan nothing sorry that's my girl now sit tight and wait for your delicious Ramen natsuko Oni s skilled hands quickly brought our first cups of steaming hot Ramen to each of us I grabbed some Chopsticks and shattered them we repeated itat aimos before I started by the time nitsuko Oni San off Handley commented I had already finished half of my bowl your team is full of beauties Kash Chan one more beautiful than the other excuse my asking but you must be a hyuga she assumed addressing Akiko and you given your raven black hair I'd wager that you were I the words your assumptions are correct said Makoto I'm Uchiha Makoto and this is hyuga Akiko when nitsuko onisan said oh you are even well-mannered I know someone whom it wouldn't hurt to take you as an example I almost choked on my Ramen it wasn't happening at all to learn from Makoto that stick in the mud who doesn't even know how to spell the word fun nitsuko onisan ignored me and puffed out the glare I gave her you too must attract a lot of attention from the boys I'd wager you even have to constantly beat them off with a stick she thought and with a conspiratorial grin replied or do you already have a sweetheart you can tell your on San with my help I can get the boy in question to eat out of the palm of your hand in no time Makoto stated my father alone has the final say over who will be my husband before returning her Focus to her bowl of ramen as though she had nothing more to say right nobility and their Petty rules only marrying to further the family goals never for love but that doesn't mean that there's no one who holds your fancy does it nitsuko Oni San encouraged her to continue unconcerned Makoto took her time chewing and swallowing the ramen in her mouth refusing to be hurried by natsuko on San's curiosity no there is no male I have a romantic interest in the number of males that annoy me constantly however is quite numerous if you could provide me some insight into how I could get rid of them permanently without suffering any repercussions I would appreciate it all the options I came up with did not provide adequate Solutions of what to do with the body she replied dry she is kidding right natsuko Oni San whispered as she slowly cocked her head looking at me after staring at her as though she had never seen her before I simply Shrugged as I slurped my first bowl of broth with great pleasure you are kidding right natsuko onisan asked Makoto incredulously as he turned back to face her in an attempt to gauge the mood of the stool Makoto let her gaze wander before responding somewhat uncomfortably and keeping an eye on our reactions yes I am just kidding she said trying to fake a smile that turned into an unsettling Grimace not much better was nitsuko onian's apprehensive laugh I asked a cheesy smile on my face seconds natsuko on San as I slammed my now empty bowl on the counter to get her attention when she finally got over her confusion and understood what I had just said it took a moment for her distorted facial features to change into something else s Sure Kash Chan I said and proceeded to make my second bowl while keeping a close eye on Makoto here you go Kash Chan she exclaimed placing the bowl of pork Ramen before me my mouth was already watering so I wasted no time in getting started Akiko suddenly remarked I wouldn't mind some advice all it took was for nitsuko Oni sand to stop fumbling with ingredients out of nervousness wait are you telling me you can choose your Future Husband by yourself nitsuko Onan asked startled I always thought Yuga were more Antiquated than all the other clans she blurted out but then added sorry that came out wrong there was no offense intended none was taken a pacified Aiko said you are not wrong we strongly adhere to tradition and the customs of our forefathers not much has changed in that regard for hundreds of years then isn't it up to your father to decide who you shall marry it is I don't understand why the interest curiosity for the most part acknowledged Akiko you see children of my clan are usually betrothed early on in their lives in most cases shortly after they born as was the case for my two older sisters I on the other hand have yet to be promised to anyone so you were hoping that since your sisters are already furthering the clan you will have some leeway possibly even being allowed to have a say yourself natsuko Oni San believed yes she said I mean the match of my oldest sister couldn't get any better so in the eyes of my parents no matter who I'll end up marrying will be considered inferior so he has to be grand understandingly nitsuko onisan said good enough to pass don't worry who am I to deny a young Maiden the great wisdom I have to offer so tell me who is the boy or is it a man you want me to help fall for you she attempted to protest mman there's no such thing as she turned away from nitsuko Oni San nitsuko Oni San leaned her head on her elbows hunched over the counter and prodded oh really like a blood hound when it came to Juicy rumors and stories she was undoubtedly smelling blood in the water I had endured enough of her interrogations to know that once she found a trail there was no getting away from her so dish who is this mysterious man who has your fancy she plated him by saying it's not like that I don't know she said lowering her eyes as she used her Chopsticks to stir her Ramen this guy is so different from what I'm used to I want that too the way he treats his family when nitsuko onisan asked is he good-look why yeah I think so his warm smile and that spiky blonde hair of his spiky blonde hair man I made a loud noise as the Chopsticks in my hand snapped in my grasp every person in the room looked at me I was suddenly the center of attention and there was an awkward lull until I realized why you hussies better stay far away from my onchan or I'm going to break you he's far too good for a [ __ ] like you I slammed both of my fists down hard on the counter so hard that my bull jumped in front of me my shot turned to rage he deserves someone better said Aiko someone like you isn't that what you wanted to say no yes I stumbled lost for a moment I gestured to her and said it doesn't matter you stay away from him or you'll break me I got that the first time I'm not mentally impaired like you dead last there is no need to repeat things for my sake on the other hand I'd really love to see you try she persuaded because as far as I'm concerned you have it backward it would be me that would break you I jumped off my stool and wiped some broth from the corner of my mouth yeah I said but don't go crying to Daddy after I've beaten you into a bloody pul Akiko also slid down from her stool straightening her white kimono as she went and then she assumed her position feet slightly apart and crouching one hand out in front of me and the other kept near her hip ready to strike natsuko Oni San yelled girls girls this has gone far enough stop at this instant I reassured her don't worry Oni San this won't take long Akiko grinned and said of course it won't this will be over in a Flash I baled my fists until they began to hurt at her words and I shuffled my feet slowly to a better position I was going to harm her Shinobi regulation 7 to4 states that unsanctioned matches between Shinobi are punishable with up to 6 months in prison Shinobi regulation 8 to9 states that jenin are only allowed to spar under the supervision of at least a chunin Shinobi regulation 2:1 States that any attempt made at seriously injuring a konaha Shinobi and thereby removing him or her from the konaha forces for an indefinite amount of time as punishable by I yelled damn it at Makoto for bringing up all those rules I sighed I understand that I'm not permitted to slam her dumb face in I turned to my seat my fists clenched and I hardly moved when Akiko said it seems like you're in luck today I halted in the middle of my stride turned around and gave Aiko a Bladen glare but she continued to smile at me I promised myself that I would make her regret what she had said as I sat down nitsuko Oni San was staring at me with a mixture of guilt and hesitation after giving me a napkin to wipe up the broth that had spilled during my Outburst wasting my valuable food was just one more reason to be angry at that [ __ ] she squeezed my shoulder and mowed the word sorry on the contrary she had nothing to apologize for because of her I was able to see Akiko reaching for something that wasn't hers and understand her intentions with my Naruto on Chan of course because I would never let someone like her near him I noticed a smirking Akiko behind nitsuko onian's shoulder Whispering under her breath he is going to be mine loud enough for us all here even though hitting her would have meant separating from nitsuko Oni San and possibly hurting her in the process I wouldn't have cared less about the repercussions if it weren't for nitsuko onian's hand pressing down hard on my shoulder at that precise moment consequently I let myself be calmed while that milky Eyed [ __ ] gazed at me I glared back at her in return it was only when nitsuko Oni San handed me another pair of Chopsticks and said your Ramen is getting cold that I managed to turn away from my hateful stare and start eating again the ramen didn't taste as good as it had just a few moments ago for some reason the opposite of what I'd learned it was flat and stale sitting here with a Kiko I realized that the idiom having a bad taste in one's mouth was actually meant literally even though I had always assumed it was meant metaphorically it wasn't nitsuko Oni Sans fault that I had to eat her ramen in the company of strangers but I continued to eat anyway I gave her and her Ramen my undivided attention and I indulged her to the end anyway all I wanted was to be able to write my report without her around I will continue the story in next part till then we we offline