It's All About the Money, Naruto!
Growing up poor was in no way, shape, or form included in the perfect life Naruto envisioned for himself. Parents – yes, his parents would be the best with a mom to cook for him and tuck him in at night and a dad to train him in the ninja way; A House – sure, anything would beat this ratty orphanage and he would, indeed, need somewhere for his dream parents and himself to live; Friends – he would love to have some, but having parents would be his first wish; Money – of course!
Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness, in Naruto's ten-year-old opinion, was just a plain fool. Realistically, Naruto was aware he would never have the parents he dreamed of and would be lucky if he ever figured out their identity, and as far as friends went, Naruto was a ten-year-old, friendless ninja in training. With the way both adults and kids avoided and ignored him whenever he was around, he was lucky he even knew how to talk let alone converse and make friends.
But money! Dear sweet, sweet money, was a very obtainable thing for the blond boy and would solve so many of his problems. Naruto, though young, knew he would never be able to buy family or genuine friends, and while that was disheartening, it was not a total downer.
With money, he would be able to feed his – more often than not – aching belly and buy clothes that fit and didn't look like they'd been through two wars. He could rent, if not buy, his own place away from the greedy dozens of children and apathetic caretakers. He could do anything with money, but most importantly, he wouldn't have to be in the ninja academy right now struggling to finish the written portion of his genin exam.
Nope. Instead, he would have hired someone smart and powerful to teach him everything the academy had to offer and then some. Perhaps he would've hired someone like the Hokage, who was not only the strongest person in the village, but also so old, there was no way he couldn't be smart! Then, he would make Naruto… smarter (because there was no way Naruto was dumb – no way! – the teachers just made the tests unnecessarily hard).
Question #17, What countries border the Land of Fire? If applicable, name the hidden villages located in each.
He wasn't a walking, talking map for heaven's sake! He was a ninja in training who would, however, buy a map if he passed this examination and became an authorized genin capable of doing missions and earning money… Drool dribbled down Naruto's chin as he imagined gama-chan full of money. He'd probably have to open his very first bank account to hold it all!
"5 minutes remaining!" reminded one of the teachers, snapping Naruto out of his money-induced daze.
Crap! After finishing (more like guessing) his last three questions, the test was over. Papers were collected and everyone was escorted outdoors for the combat portion of the genin examination. Now, while taijutsu wasn't his best subject, he was far from a failure in it. He had been in enough fist fights (over food usually) with older kids at the orphanage that he knew how to properly deal out a nice butt kicking.
When he'd first joined the academy a couple years ago, he'd been heavily criticized on his taijutsu form by both students and teachers, however after seeing him hold his own (and realizing he was too stubborn to correct his stance), they let the issue go. Naruto had a strange feeling they also thought he wouldn't be skilled or smart enough to make it to the graduation exam, especially at such a young age, for his taijutsu to even matter.
He showed them! The bastards!
"Uzumaki Naruto, step forward. You will be facing…" the sensei looked down at his paper and cleared his throat. "Fuun Akio, step forward."
To the world, Naruto jumped into the dirt-drawn ring with only a toothy smile, above average-sized canines on display. Internally however, he was madly cackling at his amazing luck. Saying his opponent was unskilled in taijutsu was like saying the Land of Fire had a few trees – a gross understatement! Akio Fuun was the worst combat fighter in the entire graduating class – probably the whole academy, including the first years.
It really was a shame for poor Akio Fuun to be paired with Naruto. With the blond's unrelenting and unforgiving brawler style, it took a whopping 32.8 seconds for him to knock his classmate out and not just out of the circle. He knocked him out cold. Poor fellow probably wasn't going to be coherent enough, if awake at all, to participate in the final round of the examination.
As Naruto walked back inside for said final exam, he wondered how much the medical bill for Akio Fuun's broken nose would be.
More money than the blond had seen in his life most likely.
"Uzumaki Naruto," a teacher called from a door, "you're up."
Naruto, who at this point had been leaning against one of the walls of the hallways with several other students, slinked forward to follow the chunin. Inside, he realized he was in one of the academy's many dojo facilities, one he'd never used before. Off to the side of the dojo area, a desk with a panel of three chunin sat with papers in front of them, talking between themselves.
"Uzumaki Naruto, there are three basic jutsu taught to every student in the academy. In order to pass this exam, you will need to perform the…"
Please not the clone technique. Please not the clone technique. Please NOT the clone technique! Naruto begged in his mind to whatever god would hear his plea.
"…transformation technique," the chunin informed. "Please transform into one of us."
The blond burst into a brilliant smile, wanting to scream his excitement but not wanting the panel of chunin to rethink their decision with his outburst. So wisely, he controlled himself although in another world, he could've hugged the scarred chunin who just made this the easiest test in the world.
Naruto would be sure to remember this man when he became a billionaire.
With very little effort or concentration, Naruto shouted, "Transformation Jutsu!" and in a poof of smoke, transformed into the scarred chunin, his new favorite person in the whole village.
"Oh! The best we've seen so far of you, don't you think, Iruka-san?" the female chunin asked.
"Agreed," mumbled the scarred chunin. "You may cancel the jutsu." Naruto did as instructed while committing the name and face to memory, momentarily content to watch all three chunin once again shuffle through papers and mutter amongst themselves.
"Uzumaki Naruto," the woman addressed, "to graduate from the academy, it is necessary to score at least 120 points of the total 150 points possible. For the written exam, you scored 31 of 50 points." A bead of sweat trickled down Naruto's neck. He had done better than expected, but he'd had a small hope he'd get top marks on the first exam. "In the combat exam, for not utilizing the standard academy style or a clan recognized style, you were penalized 10 points. You earned 40 of 50 points. For the ninjutsu test, we agreed full marks were deserved, bringing your total scoring to 121 points. Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto and welcome to the ninja ranks –"
"Hell yeah! I did it!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist into the air. Two of the judges watched in mild amusement as Naruto did a little jig around the dojo; one judge sneered slightly in mild disgust, however no one paid any attention to the white haired man. "I did it!"
Iruka coughed, gaining Naruto's fleeting attention to say a final few things. "Team assignments will be held in 3 days at 0800. In that time, you will need to report to the Ninja registration office located in the Hokage Tower for your official Konoha headband, as well as your identification number and photo. Dress appropriately as this will be how the village sees you for many years to come. As it is late in the day, your academy paperwork allowing you to register will not be sent over until tomorrow, so please... Don't rush to the registration office at this very moment."
Naruto visibly deflated but that didn't last long before happiness overtook it. He was a ninja now. He was one step closer to the money. Oh sweet money…
"That is all," Iruka dismissed. Naruto snapped back to reality, a huge grin fixed on his face.
"Yahoo! Gama-chan, you're gonna be so fat now!" he laughed.
The smile lasted all the way to the orphanage that day, despite the stares. Even when the crabby caretakers kicked him out of the orphanage for being an "adult" by Konoha law, he kept the smile. Nothing could bring him down. Today was life changing and while tomorrow wouldn't be great, his future was set – set in the money.
But first…
"Aw man, where am I supposed to sleep now?!"
First, he needed to survive his present.
Early the next day, walking out of the ninja registration office with his new Konoha headband in hand and identification card in his pocket, was a satisfied blond. Not many ten year olds could say they were a certified ass kicking ninja beast, and probably none of them could say they achieved it all on their own. Naruto would pride himself on that feat for the rest of his life (and would likely brag to whoever would listen). If he had money, he would celebrate with a big party, a buffet, and some live entertainment, but since he didn't have money, he was content to celebrate in the next best way.
A mission.
His very first mission. Team assignments wouldn't be for another couple days, but Naruto was a ninja now. He should be able to do at least some solo missions before meeting his team. Just to get the hang of things. After all, he did not want to look like a fool in front of his new sensei and teammates. He was a man now – a man who wanted to have respect and be well off.
And he had a master plan for it all.
Step One – become a ninja. Check.
Step Two – missions, and that just happened to be staring him in face as plainly as he stared at the shogi doors that led into the mission office.
Sliding the door to quietly enter, Naruto was mesmerized by the giant room with wooden paneling. On each side of the room, excluding the wall with the door, were long tables each manned by a single, bored-looking chunin. Each had piles of neatly organized scrolls in front of them, the table to the left having the most, and the table to the right having the least. His gut told him to walk up to the table on the right.
"I'd like a mission… Please" Naruto requested, deciding to use the manners he'd seen other people have when they wanted something desperately.
The chunin raised a brow at him and said, "Ninja ID." Hurriedly pulling out and handing over the new card, Naruto waited for the ninja to inspect it. "Genin, eh? Heh, you're a little too under qualified to be at this mission desk, blondie. These are B-rank missions. You need to go to that one over there," he finished, looking to the desk straight across from him.
"Er, I knew that… I was just testing you! Yeah," he laughed with a slight blush on his face, "that's it. And you passed!"
He quickly retreated to the table with the most scrolls, repeating the same process with the different chunin.
"By yourself, kid? Where's your team?" a purple haired woman dressed in a trench coat questioned.
"They're – uh, not here?" At the deadpan look the woman gave him, Naruto decided to elaborate. "Look, I need the money, ok? Can't survive without money and this is the only way I know how."
She stared him down for what seemed like hours before Naruto thought he saw a look of understanding cross her features for a brief second. He couldn't be sure because she scoffed immediately after. "You're gonna be doing a shitload of these D-Rank missions, kid, especially if you're just trying to survive but whatever. Suit yourself. I guess the highlight is you won't have to split the profit," she informed thoughtfully and slightly amused. "So which of these do you want?"
"Whichever one pays the most," he answered immediately.
"Ha! You wouldn't be able to handle a D-rank of that caliber! Better men have failed. So let's be realistic here, what mission would you like that you can handle?"
"Oh yeah, well what do you know, old lady! I could handle any mission given to me and complete it in record time! And you know why? Because I'm Uzumaki freaking Naruto, believe it!"
The purple haired woman's eyebrow twitched at the the insult, but other than that, showed no reaction. "You think so? Well alright then, Uzumaki, I'll make a bet with you. I'll give you the highest paying D-rank this time, and if you complete it within two hours, I will give you the highest paying mission whenever you come back. However, if you don't complete it within two hours, you're going to pay me the worth of this mission for wasting my time. Deal?"
"Deal!" an incensed Naruto said with no hesitation. "Hand it over, old lady." By this point, she was glaring at him, but tossed the mission scroll over to him.
"Tch. Good luck, brat. You're going to need it," she smirked.
"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed, unraveling the scroll.
Mission Type:
Search and Retrieval
Description:
Locate and capture missing pet.
Target(s):
Name: Tora-chan – cat, brown, white spot on belly, overweight, red collar. Last seen on the south side of Konoha's shopping district.
Threat(s):
Claws and teeth of target.
Parameter(s):
Target remains unharmed.
Naruto grinned after reading it. "Prepare to lose, lady. This is gonna be a piece of cake!"
"Glad you think so," smirk still on her face, "because time started five minutes ago."
She cackled as Naruto cursed and rushed out the room. It was the most fun all week for her, the only thing ruining it was her coworkers watching her and eyeing her as though she was a crazy woman. Which, in all honesty, she probably was, but she didn't appreciate being on the receiving end of those stares.
"What the hell are you both staring at!"
Meanwhile, Naruto, who had already begun wandering the village in the search of the cat, was beginning to think through the mission. What seemed like an easy task with easy money, was really more challenging than expected. Konoha was a large village – the largest in the elemental nations with a total population of about 40,000; approximately 25,000 being civilian. This wasn't the including the thousands of animals in village. Between the wild animals, strays, and pets, Naruto realized just how hard it was going to be to locate the target.
Just looking around the South side of the shopping district, he could already identify 7 stray cats walking around the area or digging through trashcans. Where to begin… Knowing he'd have a better view of the village from a high vantage point, he jumped on top of the nearest building. "Alright, I can do this! C'mere kitty, kitty."
As he begun his search, hopping roof from roof, he never noticed a pair of brown eyes staring at him, or more specifically, his new head protector.
One hour and a few scratch and bite marks later, Naruto had the cat firmly in a chokehold. "Ha ha, you stupid cat! No one gets the best of Uzumaki Naruto!" he cackled. "Mission complete! That old lady ain't gonna know what hit her, heh. Money missions here I come."
He adjusted the target in his arms, wishing desperately he had a cage for the beast (he'd remember next time). As he shuffled with it, his eyes caught the glint of something shining in the cat's fur. It was the collar! Taking a closer look, all around the collar was many colorful jewels embroidered in it. Mesmerized by it, his hand slowly reached for the expensive accessory.
"Wow!"
"Gah!" Naruto screamed in a completely manly manner, almost tossing the cat in his surprise.
"You really caught him! Tora-chan is mean to everyone, but you showed him who's boss! Nice!" a young voice continued excitedly, startling Naruto. "I tried to pet Tora-chan yesterday when Grandpa was in a meeting but look what he did!" The brown haired child turned his arm over to show Naruto an angry red scratch.
"Er… ouch? Who're you again?"
"Sarutobi Konohamaru, boss!" Naruto eyes widened slightly, knowing this young, scarf-wearing boy was in some way related to the Third Hokage. "I know who you are though because I've been following you this whole time. You know you talk to yourself a lot? Ebisu says that means you're going crazy, but I think you're super cool, boss! I don't what he says…"
Naruto stopped listening after hearing he'd had a stalker this entire time. This little kid was able to sneak up on him, and he'd been none the wiser. He would definitely need to up his training – especially awareness. When he got his team, it would certainly be the first thing he addressed with his teacher.
"So how do you know Tora-chan, Konohamaru?"
"Well whenever Grandpa has a meeting with Daimyo-sama, his wife, Shijimi-sama, always brings Tora-chan with her. Tora-chan never looks happy either. He's just a fat, grumpy cat all the time."
There was only one person in Konoha the daimyo would want to see..
"And who's your grandpa?"
"The third Hokage!" the boy said proudly with a beaming smile.
Jackpot.
"Tora-chan! My sweet, pretty kitty," the rather plump woman purred with a sniffle. "Mommy missed you. Don't you ever run away from me again!" She snuggled the the struggling cat to her bosom, kissing it's head repeatedly. "Thank you, shinobi-san. This is the fastest Tora-chan has ever been returned to me."
At this, Naruto smirked cockily at the purple haired chunin from earlier, radiating pure satisfaction at her grimace. "You're welcome," Naruto finally said, smirk turning into a brilliant smile. The woman, Shijimi-sama he reminded himself, wobbled out immediately after.
"Pay up, old lady. I beat you, so I want my money for this mission, and another high paying mission," he demanded with the smile still on his face.
"Look here, brat," her brow twitched a few times, "I'm not old. So stop calling me old. Plus, we all know you got lucky with this mission, so don't act like you're some hot shit now, got it?" Her face was scrunched up like she had eaten something sour as she threw one of the scrolls on the table at his head. With reflexes she wasn't expecting from the young blond, Naruto caught the high speed scroll easily. "Now get out of my sight."
"Now wait just a minute," he said, deep frown etched into his face as he held up the completed mission scroll. "What about my payment? I completed the mission!"
Huffing, she snatched the scroll from him and across the top of it, stamped in bold, red lettering, 'COMPLETE'. "Next room over, brat."
The woman watched him go with curious eyes. He was an interesting kid. Young enough to be annoying, but spirited enough to give her some entertainment at this boring desk job. She'd never seen someone so enthusiastic about D-ranks before, especially since they were just glorified chores, but she could relate to having to do whatever necessary to survive. Being a clanless orphan was not easy in any sense of the word. In addition, she was also the former apprentice of the vilest and most traitorous man to hail from Konoha, so nobody even attempted to make things easier for her either. So really, she understood the blond genin's struggle completely, but if he thought that doing D-ranks was going to be enough to lead a grand life, he was going to be in for a rude awakening.
"What do you mean I only get 400 ryo!?"
She cackled as she heard the yell school throughout the tower.
Maybe, if she was feeling generous one day, she'd inform him how mission payouts worked. Maybe.
Naruto did three more missions that day, earning a total of 1,600 ryo, which was more than he started with but much less than he expected. He would've done more, but he'd made the mistake of accepting a several-hours long fence painting job (which he'd be sure to avoid in the future). For a first day on the job, it was an eye opener as well as a disappointment. He'd have to kiss his "Two-Year Billionaire" plan goodbye for the foreseeable future based on those D-rank wages. Perhaps if he chose lower-paying, less time consuming missions he'd be able to make 3,000 ryo a day… It was something to sleep on.
Dusk had settled over Konoha, and before he headed to his new home, he wanted to make one quick stop. But first…
"Don't you have to get home, Konohamaru?" He inquired, looking at the shadow hiding in alleyway. The kid had been following him all day, commenting on every mission he did and chatting his ear off.
"Nah, they won't even notice I'm gone."
Naruto looked at him skeptically. "Yeah, I doubt that. They're your parents, of course they're going to notice you're gone."
"But I'd rather hang with you, boss! You're much cooler than my mom and dad and way more fun, too! They worry too much and always ruin the fun," he whined with a pout most would've considered cute. Instead, Naruto halted in his steps, breathing deeply.
"Don't be an idiot! They're your parents; they're worried 'cause it means they care about you and want to make sure you're safe. Take it from me 'cause I don't have a mom or dad to do anything for me or wonder where I am and how I'm doing, and I'll never get a chance to have any either! So don't take them for granted, got it?" His voice was raised and his fist clenched as he struggled to regain himself, blue eyes almost seeming to glow in the darkening skies. The intense stare down had the young brunette frozen in place. "Now go home, and don't make them worry. See ya around, Konohamaru."
He walked off not waiting to hear or see a reaction from the boy.
An unaware Naruto didn't realize that, from across the village, an old, graying man was watching the scene from a powerful crystal ball with a sad smile. "I should've done more for you, Naruto. Forgive me, Minato."
Meanwhile, on the east-side of Konoha (also unofficially known as the Shinobi district), Naruto walked into a well-kept building. Kenbuki's Shinobi Shop, a sign on the building read. lined up on the walls were a couple dozen of a variety of weapons, some the blond knew – swords, bo staffs – others he wasn't even aware existed. He'd walked past this shop on many different occasions, but never been inside, and he was mesmerized by everything he saw. A variety of ninja gear on shelves, even more ninja clothing styles on racks. When he obtained enough money, he would definitely invest in a similar sort of shop.
"Like what ya see, youngin'?" A scratchy voice said behind the counter. He was a middle aged man, brown hair, and an eye patch covering his left eye. Naruto bobbed his head up and down, slightly surprised he hadn't immediately been kicked out the ninja shop.
"Yeah! I didn't know there were so many different ninja things out there!"
"Heh, well this shop is the best ninja store in the whole of Konoha. We've been collectin' and manufacturin' weapons for six generations, before even the formation of hidden villages."
"Oh very cool, ojisan!" He grinned.
So maybe opening his own shop to compete with this place wouldn't be the best idea, but he could definitely buy them out once he had the finances. More food for thought.
"What's this weapon called, Ojisan?" He asked, pointing to a pair of short-handled, curved blades. From the way light caught the edge of the blade, it reminded of a smaller but definitely more dangerous version of a farmer's scythe.
"That there is a set of Kama. Great weapons if ya ambidextrous. Easy to blend in as a civilian too without having to seal them. For a shorty like you –"
"Hey! I'm not short!"
"– they'd be perfect since ya much too young for somethin' like a katana and a specially customized one is a little on the expensive side. But, correct me if I'm wrong, ya didn't come here lookin' for a new weapon did ya, youngin? So tell me, what can I do for ya?"
"Well… I guess I'm going on an extended camping trip for a while, so I need a tent to sleep in. You got those here right?"
"Of course we got those! Whataya take the great Kenbuki shop for, ay? We got basic tents, dome tents, small tents, big tents that can fit up to 10 grown men! All depends on what ya lookin' for."
"Er… I never really thought about it," he laughed sheepishly. "I guess just a basic tent. Maybe medium-size so I can hold my clothes and supplies and stuff."
The man raised his brows and shook his head in disappointment. "What are they teachin' kids in the academy these days, my dearest Yumi-koi?" he said to no one in particular since it was just him and Naruto in the room. "Maybe I should do some remedial trainin' with our sweet Tenten-chan, hmm…"
"Um… What?" Naruto asked confusedly.
"Nothin', nothin'. Never mind an ole man's ramblings. Movin' on, this way…" The man ushered Naruto to a large bookcase stocked with scrolls. "These," he began dramatically, "are the under-appreciated hero's of the Elemental Nations. They're storage scrolls, and as the name implies, they store things – Just about anythin'. Gear, clothes, weapons, bodies, money, and if you're ambitious enough, a house, or even a…" he paused, staring at the boy, then coughed to cover it up. "Seals are a powerful thing, so if you're worried about having space, don't be, youngin'."
The man had Naruto's complete and utter attention at money. Forget opening a bank account! He'd just store all his earnings in scrolls! His money would probably be much safer that way anyway. "Oh wow! That sounds awesome! How much for one these storage things? It'll definitely come in handy!"
"They start out at 2,000 ryo per storage scroll. Dependin' how much ya trying to store, ya might want a scroll with more capacity, which means higher price."
Naruto was scandalized by the amount and visibly deflated. He didn't have the lowest offering price, let alone something more, and he couldn't forget that he desperately needed a tent. He'd used the survival training taught by the Academy to sleep in the wilderness after being kicked out of the orphanage last night. He had severely miscalculated how much each mission would be worth, so while sleeping in a tree yesterday hadn't bothered him because he thought he'd be making enough money to rent an apartment today, it definitely bothered him now. Trees weren't comfortable in any sense of the word.
So a tent was a priority in the longrun (after all, the weather was unpredictable) even if he really wanted those storage scrolls. "Why're they so expensive?" he whined. "I don't have that kind of money."
"Sealin' is a tough subject to learn. Requires a lot of brains most people don't have and a deep understandin' most people don't wanna set aside the time for. Seal masters are a dying breed; makes anything with a seal on it highly valuable."
Naruto pondered this. Perhaps, he could learn to make them himself and save money all around… He definitely had the time now that he didn't have to go to the academy, and he was by no means dumb. He would definitely look into it. Frowning thoughtfully, Naruto said, "I only have enough for a tent, Ojisan, but I'll definitely come back for a storage scroll later on after I do some more missions, believe it!"
"Suit yourself, youngin'. Over this way," the man led him to the other side of the room, "is where I have what ya looking for. Basic, single-man tents. Good for the elements – rain, wind, heat, snow, no matter where ya are, this tent will be ya best friend. Easy set up, easy take down, ya really can't find anything better. All around, the best buy for a tent. These go for 1,500 ryo."
Naruto was once again flabbergasted by the price. In a civilian store, he could probably get it for a third of a price, which was tempting considering his currently tight money situation. However, knowing he would be able to use this tent on future missions, he was obliged to say to the man, "Deal."
The man and himself walked over to the counter with a nicely packaged tent where Naruto unloaded the full contents of his Gama-chan. Breaking the silence, the man proceeded to ask his name.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Well, Uzumaki Naruto, call me Kenbuki. Ya've made this an interestin' night for me, and it's always nice to help the next generation of Shinobi, especially the young ones, so let's make a deal because ya seem like an honest lad. I'll give ya just one of these storage scrolls – the smallest one, mind– and when ya go on some more missions, ya pay me back my 2,000 ryo. Sound like a deal?"
"Really, Kenbuki-ojisan? Yahoo! Thanks so much!" he yelled, grateful for the man's generosity. This was now another one of his favorite people that he'd have to remember when he became a billionaire.
"Think nothing of it youngin', just don't forget to come back and pay for it, alright?
"You got it! I swear I'll come back as soon as I have the money, and I always keep my word! Believe it!"
The man chuckled, "I believe ya, Uzumaki. Anyways, here's ya change and tent, and ya storage scroll. This is a non-combat, long-term level one storage scroll, so the way it works is ya set what ya want in the scroll on top of the seal. Push a little chakra through and like magic, everything is sealed. To unseal, put ya hand on top of the seal, add a little chakra, and there ya go. It holds a max weight of 20 pounds. If there's any problems with it or you you need anything else, you know where to find me." The man smile as Naruto nodded.
"Yeah. Thanks again, Kenbuki-ojisan, I'll definitely be back soon!"
Naruto left the shop with a wide grin, truly prepared for another night outside.
These were the best days of his life. He knew becoming a ninja would be the best decision he could ever make.
"…Team 13: Uzumaki Naruto, Muto Shin, and Nakata Hisa under Jonin Mimura Hamaki. This concludes team assignments. I wish you all the best of luck in your Ninja careers, it was a pleasure being your sensei. Please wait here for your sensei's to arrive."
Jonin instructors came and went, but Naruto and his new teammates weren't waiting long. "Team 13, come with me," said the deep voice of a thinly bearded man who wore his head protector as a bandana to cover his hair. He led them down the hall to an empty classroom where he sat on teacher's desk at the front of the room. He analyzed each of them from head to toe, eyes lasting a few seconds longer on Naruto, making the boy uncomfortable with the attention.
"Let's not beat around the bush as my time is very valuable. My name is Mimura Hamaki, and in order for me to become your team's Jonin sensei, you must past my test."
"What! But we passed the genin exam! What was the whole point of team assignments!" The boy, Shin, yelled out. Hisa and Naruto nodded along vigorously.
"Having a Jonin sensei is a luxury, Genin. The village can't afford to saddle down every Jonin with a bunch of snot nose kids who will either – one, quit after their first dangerous experience; or two, not take their training seriously enough to become an elite in the ninja ranks. This second test weeds out the weak and saves both of our times, mostly mine."
"But that's not fair!" the girl spoke up this time.
"Life's not fair. The sooner you get that through your head, girlie, the better. You should be thanking the village as this next hour could very well save your life and future. Continuing from where I left off, of all the teams formed, it is estimated that 66% of you will fail your Jonin-sensei's test. Usually, the team would be given a day to prepare themselves for failure and consider alternate options, however you are the 4th team that's been assigned to me, and I've found prolonging the inevitable doesn't help. So your team will be given this test now.
"It will last about one hour. Each member of the team will be given a paper with a single word written on it." From one of his many jacket pockets, he pulled out three folder papers, all identical. "The word on the paper will be one of the clues needed to find the rendezvous point where I will be waiting for your team. If you do not find the rendezvous point before an hour is up, you will fail. The last person of the team to reach the location will definitely regret it. Don't forget: 33% success rate. Logically, only one of you in the team will have the chance to train under me, so be smart about this. Questions?"
No one responded.
"Good," he said, handing each of them a paper. "Test begins now." With that, he disappeared in a shunshin.
Naruto looked down at his paper, which read 'Academy', before staring at his stony-faced team mates. All that could be heard around the room was breathing before one breath hitched. It was all the warning Naruto got before the other boy launched himself in at the blond. Surprised, the blond could only brace himself to be tackled and stuff the paper into the pocket of his pants like he'd seen the other two do.
When he felt his body come into contact with the ground, he quickly tried to take control of the fight by rolling over and pinning the larger twelve year old boy underneath himself. They struggled for dominance and Naruto got two strong punches in before he felt a hard kick slam into his head. He went reeling across the floor, eyes unfocused. Attempting to regain his bearings, he held his head gently trying to stand up.
He really should've seen this coming. Of course he'd be seen as the weakest, and therefore easiest, target being the youngest of the graduating class. Spitting out some blood, he kept his eyes trained on the two genin. One of them he could take on his own without a doubt. While he was lacking in form, he could easily over power them individually. Together, however, he knew the odds were against him. He couldn't focus on both simultaneously to prevent getting surprise-attacked again.
But luckily, he had a good clue, and he knew that the rendezvous point was going to be somewhere in the academy. He'd also manage to pickpocket Shin's paper in the midst of the turning and tossing. Hopefully, it'd be enough because sticking around would be extremely detrimental to his health.
With light feet, he bust out of the room with the two of them hot on his heels. Left, right, right down a corridor and entered an empty classroom. He could hear their footsteps, indicating they were close. With the brief moment he had, Naruto fished out the papers from his pocket. The new one read 'OUTSIDE'.
He wondered if it was perhaps the side of the academy building. Knowing he didn't have much time, he gently opened the window of the dark classroom and jumped out of it. Strategically, it would be best to scout out the building from a higher vantage point– like the roof – to prevent accidentally being spotted by his competitors, and to search for his jonin sensei.
For 45 minutes, he scouted the outside of the building, even traveling as far as the tree line, but saw nothing that would make him the victor. It was then he decided he would have to obtain the last clue. Funnily enough, it was when he had returned to the roof that he saw his two teammates walking casually around the building. If he timed it just right..
Jumping from the roof, he landed on the other boy, delivering a devastating blow to his face. Hopefully it would keep him occupied for the time it took Naruto to get the other paper. Not bothering to stand up, Naruto moved to deliver a sweeping kick at the girl's legs. She dodged it, stepping forward to deliver a knee to his face. Blocking it, Naruto grabbed hold of the leg twisting so she spun down to the ground – either that or risk having it dislocated at best.
She was better at taijutsu than he thought, able to evade a lot of his attacks and sneak weak punches in. They struggled for the upper hand for what felt like seconds but must've been minutes, because the next thing he knew, they were being pulled apart by strong hands.
"Enough. Looks like you were all smart enough to realize the rendezvous point was outside the academy, so for that I should pass you." He paused to let that sink in. The two children in his hand that we're still struggling to get at each other, stopped abruptly and the boy on the ground stopped whimpering about his broken nose. Slowly they all started to smile, and just as they're grin got large enough, the Jonin continued casually, "However, for missing the point of the entire exercise, you all fail."
"What! Why?!" All three courses together.
"You just said we met at the rendezvous point like you said! We did it!" Naruto yelled angry.
"You also fought one another and attempted to sabotage the other. You two," he pointed to Naruto's competitors, "immediately teamed up, which is a good start, but you left out one key element. Team assignments put you into three man teams for a reason, and that's not so you can turn your back on each other when the going gets tough. You," he pointed to Naruto, "held up well in the face of trouble, retreating was a good move. Thinking about the purpose of the test would've been heaps better, however. Instead, you repay your teammates with broken noses and bruises."
Naruto was speechless.
"But-But you said…" the girl stuttered.
"I'm aware of what I said and I distinctly remember saying you would only fail if you didn't show up within the hour. It was you all's own childish selfishness that triggered the fighting. Pass as a team, fail as a team. In this case, you all fail. From here you will have three options –"
"Wait, you tricked us! Give us another chance!" Naruto asked, desperate. He had plans that included getting stronger to earn more money. He couldn't accomplish that very efficiently without a sensei.
"Yeah, please," came the voice of the boy.
"Please, sensei?" the girl begged.
"Another chance? Hmm, no. You've proven to me how brainless you all are, so I'm just going to avoid the disappointment all together," he informed. "Now, your three options. One, you can be demoted and return to the academy one last time to join the new graduating class, so you can attempt another chance at being teamed with a Jonin sensei. Two, you can go to the Shinobi reserve force. You will not have a Jonin sensei to guide you so you will be expected to train yourself if you ever want to advance in rank. Or three, you can drop out of ninja program completely. I suggest the third alternative but the choice is yours. As this will be our last time seeing each other, you will report your decision to the Shinobi Registration office by tomorrow afternoon."
With that, the man disappeared in another swirl of leaves.
It was silent between the three genin, before suddenly Naruto heard the girl burst into tears. If he was being completely honest with himself, he felt like doing the same, but crying now wouldn't do anyone any good. He walked away, not once looking back at his ex-team.
It was their fault they failed.
It was his fault they failed.
Looking back, the Jonin had said team far too many times in his speech for it to not be the most obvious clue of the exercise.
But he couldn't think on his failures too much, he had to move, and he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes if ever given the same chance.
Standing in front of the door to the Shinobi Registration office, Naruto knew what he needed to do. He knew if he went back to the academy, he wouldn't be able to survive. The apathetic caretakers at the orphanage would never re-admit him; they hated him, always treated him as a burden. In fact, Naruto was certain they probably celebrated the day they kicked him out for good.
If forced to, Naruto could survive off of the land without any problem. He had his tent, he knew how to capture wildlife for a meal, the river brought fresh water were he could bathe and drink – it had been his plan if he had received a Jonin sensei, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was Naruto didn't have supplies or clothes to get him through the year. All he had was a couple dull kunai and shuriken and his orange jumpsuit (which he was currently wearing).
With the missions he had taken the last couple days, Naruto had managed to save 1,800 ryo after paying back Kenbuki like he promised. That definitely wasn't enough for an academy student.
So really, the choice was made for him.
Walking out of the office, his new ID saying STATUS: Reserve, Naruto found himself with a new resolve and determination as headed to the Missions Office. His life wasn't easy, and he had deluded himself into believing it would be after graduation.
"What's with the face, Gaki? You look like someone just threw a kunai up your ass," greeted the purple haired woman at the Missions Office. Knowing what he was there for, she held out her hand for Ninja ID card (as it was standard protocol), and raised a surprise brow at the change. "Damn, kid. Sorry to –"
"Yeah yeah, I don't need your pity. I'm still going to become the best shinobi even without a Jonin sensei! So what he gave us a stupid test with a stupid trick! It was only one test and I'm gonna prove that bastard wrong about me! I'll train so hard I'll be kicking his ass across Konoha for the world to see, and then the Hokage will be begging me to take triple S-Rank missions I'll be so Awesome!" he ranted, breathing roughly.
Anko had a look of surprise, slightly impressed with him. Most people would be depressed, resigned to a life behind a desk instead of the field (because that's what most of the reserve force did). "We'll see, kid. Here's your mission."
Naruto strutted out of the building with plans forming in his racing mind. If he wanted higher ranked missions that had a higher payout, he would have to get stronger. Meaning he'd have to set aside an ample amount of time to train. The only downside would be he wouldn't be able to accept more missions, however, in the long run, it would be better overall for his career and future bank statement.
So from now on, he'd only accept missions in the morning. In the afternoons, he would train his body and mind. He would have to become stronger if he wanted to continue to be able to overpower his enemies, and remembering his fight this morning with his ex-team, he would also need to improve his speed. One of the few academy recommended tools for speed training he could remember had been weights – something he'd never considered buying – which would help with strength, endurance, and speed. Later, he'd stop by Kenbuki's shop and see what he could afford.
Thinking of the weapons shop, Naruto remembered the conversation about seals. If he became proficient enough in such an obscure field, he'd be able sell a product that seemed to be in high demand. He had the smarts for it, and now that he was team-less, the blond would also have plenty of time. He'd have to ask Kenbuki about the subject and stop by the Ninja library he now had access to.
Plan in mind, Naruto set off to complete his mission. It wouldn't be an easy journey, but he knew, in the end, he'd succeed.