My third story, and don't worry about the others my phone just was broken so I'll update soon. Anyways Naruto and everyone relevant is 3 years older as per my preference. Ryo equal dollars in value. Hope you enjoy. BTW THERE WILL BE LEMONS!

I do not own Naruto, yet.

"Arrrgh!" Yelled an orange clad blonde as he cocked back his bloody fist and launched it toward the face of a smirking boy much larger than himself. The taller boy easily sidestepped the sloppy punch from the 5'0 Naruto Uzumaki, driving a front kick into the blonde's exposed side. As three more boys quickly converged on the fallen form of the dead last academy reject, they let loose a series of stomps into his bruised body, covering his worn orange jumpsuit with even more dust and grit. After what seemed to be forever to the battered Uzumaki, the boys finally stopped their assault, but not before insulting him.

"Tch, Hokage!? You'd be better off just trying to make Genin you fuckin loser!"

"Oooh I think the little pussy's gonna cry!"

"Hahaha I'll tell you what Narutard I'll be nice and become Hokage for you! I did pass the graduation test after all, not to rub it in." The boys taunted as they walked away, spitting on his jumpsuit and leaving him in the grimy alley.

Naruto layed in the alley for what seemed like days, the pain from his fight eventually diminishing but the stinging sensation of his shattered pride still very fresh. As the boy finally rose to his feet and hobbled off, he couldn't help but to sulk because of his constant failures and treatment in the hidden leaf village that was his purgatory. Earlier that day he had once again failed his academy test, making it his second time and despite his never give up attitude it just hurt. While jiji had treated him to ramen at Ichirakus to cheer him up, even that couldn't help the Hokage wannabe get stronger and reach his goals. He had asked the old man for advice, and the aged Hokage had told him to make his weakness his strength and to put his entire being into everything he did. While Naruto knew it was sound advice, he had to question if he had any strength at all! The old man once again came though and informed him that his chakra was twice as much as his own and when Naruto showed his henge he had also learned that he wasn't using the academy jutsu but the jonin variant the transformation. He could literally transform into solid objects, but what did it all matter if he never even made genin!?

As he walked through the village ignoring the harsh glares and open hatred of its residents, he pulled his hand out of his pants pockets and played with the small leaf he was supposed to work on rotating with his chakra. The old man's final bits of advice to him were to eat healthy and work on his chakra control, but it was like even the simplest tasks were near impossible for him. He couldn't enter any stores in the village and every time he attempted the stupid leaf exercise it just ended up shooting away from him. Taking a large breath to relax his troubled mind and focus on what he could do for the next 10 weeks until the next term at the Academy, he continued wandering about aimlessly pondering his hopeless situation. If he couldn't do the clone jutsu, the only way to go appeared to be to practice everything else until he was so good he would pass like that kid Rock Lee had. They let him graduate and he couldn't use any jutsu at all, and despite his skill in taijutsu it really didn't make sense. Why him and not Naruto, the boy with more chakra than even the Hokage himself? Sure he sucked in taijutsu, written tests, and shuriken jutsu, but he could tell you anything about any of the Hokage that could be asked. And didn't they create the village? That definitely should have counted a lot more than some stupid essays on the flight path of a kunai!

"Things are gonna change, I gotta believe it!" He declared to himself.

Focusing on rectifying his predicaments and fantasizing about the respect he'd finally get when he took jiji's hat, the young boy failed to notice the flock of crows that flew over him, until he was hit with a barrage of white goo that ruined his only orange jumpsuit.

"Aahhh! You assholes are gonna pay!" He screamed pulling out a dull shuriken and throwing it at the flying perpetrators. The spinning object flew considerably short of his targeted area, but the epiphany the boy had was well worth his favorite and only article of wearable clothing.

"You Shit heads are lucky I can't fly or I'd! Wait-"

A large smile gracing his face for the first time that day, he quickly put his hands together in a seal and focused. In a plume of smoke, where the teenage boy was standing now stood a small black bird, identical to the crows that had just passed overhead a few minutes ago. As Naruto took in a world that was suddenly much larger, he made his first attempt to do something inconceivable, fly. Flapping his wings furiously, the boy lifted off into the air momentarily before jerking around and crashing face first into the ground, breaking his concentration and cancelling the jutsu. As the smoke cleared once again revealing a young man wearing an orange outfit with white stains, the wide grin plastered on his face was completely contradictory to how his visage had been only a minute earlier.

"Hell yeah I did it I I did it!" He screamed out to the sky jumping around and waving his arms wildly in celebration. The boy had started walking again with renewed vigor and a bounce in every step he took. Thinking about how he had started flying with only the flapping if his wings and wondering what else he could possibly transform into, he almost missed the wave of a young woman standing in a small shop of some sort. She was a cute petite young woman with black hair and dark eyes and she wore a white and yellow Sun dress and sandals. What stood out the most was the large smile and kind look in her eyes, a look that Naruto had rarely received in his entire 15 years of living. Automatically drawn toward the nice looking lady, the blonde opened the door to the shop and was surprised by the warm greeting he received.

"Hello there cutie and welcome to Cloud 9 Manga. I'm Rukia and since I'm going to be moving to a different location soon I'm having a little sale here. Look around for something you like."

Blushing at the young woman calling him cute Naruto replied," Hey Rukia Chan I'm Naruto Uzumaki and it's nice to meet ya!"

Placing his hands behind his head he continued," Umm..What's manga?"

"You mean you don't know!?,", she exclaimed gripping him by his hands and all but dragging him throughout the store, telling him everything about whatever she showed him and about all the different genres and the mainstream giants that dominated the business.

"Wow!" Naruto said stars in his eyes from the huge collection he could select from. Reaching into his his frog wallet and pulling out an impressive wad of ryo, the blonde was brought back down to earth by his budget.

"Umm Rukia Chan I can only spend about 70 ryo, do you have anything with lots of action that you think I'd like?"

Placing her hand on her chin and thinking she replied," Hmm, well some of the more popular ones have hundreds of books you'd have to read, but I have two in mind that I think are excellent and you can buy the entire stories with your spending limit. Let me go and get them for you."

As she went and searched in the back of the shop Naruto couldn't stop blushing as he watched her for some reason, the older girl was just so cute and had been so nice to him. When she had pulled him around the store, that had sadly been the most physical contact he had ever had. He snapped out of his trance when she approached, a stack of mint condition books in her arms. Paying for his purchases at the counter, Naruto decided to ask Rukia what had been bugging him with a growing blush in his face.

"Hey Rukia Chan why are you leaving, I mean your store is awesome?"

With a sad smile she answered," The economy here in the leaf just isn't that good Naruto kun, and business has gotten a little rough lately. That's why I'm headed to Port City, it's a lot more stable there and I hear a lot more diverse. The ocean and warm weather doesn't hurt either. I don't have a family or anything so it's not like I have a reason to stay."

"You don't have a boyfriend?" Naruto asked without thinking.

With a knowing smirk Rukia teased," Aww does Naru kun have a crush on little old me?"

His face turning bright red Naruto started stammering and waved his hands in front of his shaking head in embarrassment.

Laughing at the boy she continued," No I don't have a boyfriend Naruto kun, I haven't really met the right person yet and besides being single is better anyway, trust me OK."

Slowly nodding his head as she handed him his bags he said," Thank you Rukia Chan, I hope you find someone who will love you like you deserve one day. If I'm ever in Port City I'll be sure to come visit you and buy some more manga! That's a promise and I never break my word!"

Smiling brightly at her new favorite customer Rukia waved at him saying," I'll hold you to that Naruto kun, and I know you'll love those books, they're my faves!"

Running through the village at high speed Naruto arrived at his apartment building in record time. The boy had ignored the dark atmosphere of the slums he resided in as usual and quickly entered, ecstatic about the cool new reading material he now had. Sitting down on his couch and carefully unloading his bags to keep the books in good condition, he grabbed the first one since Rukia had arranged them in order for him.

"Alright lemme see what I got here!" He loudly said in barely restrained anticipation.