Chapter 1: One More Day

Today was the day!

Uzumaki Naruto ran top speed towards the academy, excited about his future as a shinobi of Konoha. Sure, he had failed this exam the years before because the ninjutsu portion was rigged against him somehow, but this year he would take the world by storm! Nothing would hold him back. Not whatever situation that had put a lot of the elder shinobi on high alert this week, not the smugness of his rival, or the secret plots of his teachers. He was ready for the first step to becoming Hokage!

In his excitement, Naruto failed to notice a small pail in the road and ended up tripping over it. He flailed valiantly but still ended up with his face in the dirt and his pride shattered to pieces. Slow to get up while mumbling curses, Naruto searched for the offending object in order to teach it a lesson in manners. Without wasting too much time, he kicked the pail clear over the fence and began to brush the dirt of his jumpsuit before taking off towards the academy. In his frenzied state, he almost did not register the feeling of something crawling on his skin.

It still was not enough time to stop the strange looking arachnid from biting him, pumping his veins full of venom.

OoOoO

And with the rain, came the pouring.

Naruto had never been sick a day of his life, excluding the times he had eaten rotten food because he did not understand that dairy and produce expires after a certain amount of time. Even then, he would only have a stomach ache and maybe a slight woozy feeling for about an hour before a bathroom trip or four brought him back to full health. Somehow, the venom from that spider had done what every other pathogen had failed to do: put him in the hospital overnight. Luckily, no lasting damage had been detected and he had been allowed to leave that next morning.

Because of that, he was unable to take the Genin Exams due to his being incapacitated during the scheduled slot. While there were provisions in place for retakes in case of emergencies like this, Mizuki had been arrested for treason after being discovered with stolen materials from the recently built Ninja Research Center the same night. All the teachers were currently undergoing the mandatory two month ANBU surveillance procedures, and all retakes were postponed until this period was over.

He pleaded and pleaded with the Third Hokage to be allowed to retake the exam, but the old man's hands were tied with the situation being so strange. Hiruzen promised to find a way to help Naruto as soon as he could, but it all sounded like more excuses to keep him from becoming a shinobi. The world seemed to be conspiring against him, and he knew the perfect way of getting back at it.

OoOoO

Well, it might have been perfect before he put the plan into motion.

Painting the Hokage Monument...again...sounded like the sweetest revenge ever. Naruto thought he would prove his resourcefulness, ninja skills, and willingness to be a ninja in both the crime and his escape, and it didn't seem like a dumb idea until he was met by ANBU the moment he opened his first paint can. In the chase that followed, Naruto had managed to get much of the paint he'd brought all over one small area and himself while not providing much resistance. His stealth skills were well enough to fool some Chuunin that weren't searching too hard for him or were distracted by the sheer ridiculousness of his antics, but that wasn't the same as a pissed off elite who had gotten stuck with guard duty the third time that month.

So, here he was, cleaning up his mess while being watched by the Third Hokage.

"Naruto, I know that you may be feeling down because of what happened around the time of the Genin Exams," said the old sage, grabbing Naruto's attention almost instantly. "I express my most sincere regrets that you missed out on your opportunity in order to become a shinobi for this great village, but you cannot take out your frustrations in this way, anymore."

"It's just plain not fair! I'm better than anyone that graduated! I should be a shinobi, I should be on my way to becoming Hokage!" exclaimed Naruto, letting out some previously unexpressed emotions.

Confirming both the Hokage's and his own suspicions about his emotional state, Naruto reset to his previous state of disinterest without a word. He began scrubbing the paint a little harder, barely even noticing some of the actual rock he was casually scraping off without noticing.

"Yes, while I'm sure you're confident in your abilities, you will have to wait just a little while longer, Naruto. I assure you, you will get your chance to prove yourself soon," said the Hokage in an attempt to placate his young ward.

"How soon? How many times do I have to try that stupid jutsu? How many more stupid history lectures-"

"Patience is a virtue, Naruto. Nothing good has ever come from haste. Though you were a day late this time, I'm more than certain you will surprise us all the next time your name is called," said Hiruzen, cutting off his young ward.

"One day, huh?" asked Naruto, his posture slumping from the gravity of the situation. "Just one stinkin' day."

The paint had finally been cleaned off, and Naruto was dismissed by the Hokage to return home. As he made his way through the streets of Konoha and eventually back to his apartment, Naruto's mind wandered all over the place. His body felt...different somehow. It wasn't as much paint as he usually had to clean off, but yet he didn't feel the slightest bit fatigued. While he had not made a full note of such while he was out, Naruto began to notice subtle sounds were louder and his vision seemed to be clearer than normal. He shrugged it all off as adrenaline

Finally laying down in bed once more, Naruto asked himself, "How could one day change someone's life so much?"