The Rinne festival was coming up soon and I was getting desperate.

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"The Rinne festival, huh?" Large expressive eyes in a tawny face looked skeptical at me. "Isn't it too late to ask vendors for that?"
I nodded.

"Yes, that is. But I have heard some great stuff about your fireworks. And thought to myself why not give…" I glanced up at the front of the store. "Uhm… Chichibu a chance to show their amazing fireworks to the whole of Konoha. You have never participated in one, right? I have even heard the Daimyo might come this year and I thought why not show the court what Konoha has to offer. Besides the ninja of course. Could you imagine what that could do for your business?"

He scratched the top of his head.

"I see, but I think we will have to pass. It isn't enough time to make all preparations, you see. Especially with the Daimyo coming."

My eye twitched. Don't mention the daimyo the next time. A change of game plan is needed.

Rejection number: 11

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I smiled brightly and leaned forward.

"Sooo…. What do you think?"

He tugged at the collar of his bright yellow shirt.

"Well, I dunno. It is kinda soon."

"True. True. True. But Takashi-san. Can I call you that or do you prefer Watanabe-san? You see, I am not a big fan of formalities."

Jovially, I slapped him on his arm.

I could do this. The price was right before me. I knew exactly what I wanted and I was going to get my price. I would finally succeed.

"I really think that your dancing trope could be phenomenal at the festival. Konoha has never seen anything like it before."

A weirded out but flattered look appeared on his face. This was not the time to overdo it. I almost had him where I wanted. So close. I was so, so, close I could almost taste it. Just one more push. Just a tiny one.

"Thank you, Tano-sensei."

"No need to call me Tano-sensei. Just call me Amaya-san or even Amaya-chan. I don't mind. Honestly."

"Of course… Amaya-san."

"Do I detect a faint Northern-Iron drawl in your accent? I've always wanted to visit. They say the area is magnificent."

Success was mine. I forced a smile on my face. His eyes widened.

"Tano-sensei, I am flattered by your advances. You are… You are a beautiful woman, but I'm a happily married. To my wife." he sputtered.

I went too far. I could still succeed.

"That is not what I…"

"Have a good day, Tano-sensei!"

Watanabe-san made a shallow bow, before he turned around and with a bang shut down the door of his gym.

SHIT

I threw my hands in the air.

"Ugh! I fucking hate my life. Fuck!"

Behind me I heard the typical 'tsk' sound of disgust. I turned around and saw the face of a typical old crone that I could find at any random civilian tea shop in the Northern district gossiping about her lazy daughter-in-law. I wasn't in the mood for this bullshit.

"Can I help you?"

"Young ladies do not-"

"I apologize, but I am going to stop you there. My life is already a mess. Go bother someone else."

Her face twisted.

"I can't believe-"

I gave a dismissive wave in her direction.

"No."

She made another 'tsk' sound and left with a huff. It wouldn't surprise me if later today I would hear something about a woman of my description in Konoha's infamous gossip circles. News travelled fast among the civilian quarters. It was kind of surreal how accurate they tended to be.

I looked up and saw Takashi-san shooting at me behind the large poster of the dancing troupe in his gym.

I sighed. Rejection number: 42.

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Real desperate.

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"I think the two of you would be a fine addition to the festival."

"You want me to perform some tricks at a civilian festival." The rugged looking Inuzuka guffawed.

My shoulders slumped.

"Yes."

"Are you desperate, girly?"

I squeezed my eyed shut. This was not the time to give up all hope.

"Please."

My voice sounded dull and flat in my ears. He gave me a once-over. I couldn't read the look on his face, but I could imagine what he was thinking. If I looked as pathetic as I felt…I… I clenched my fists.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. I'm not going to repeat it twice. If you don't want to help, just say so."

"I thought I detected some spirit in you. Fine. You can contact me about the details."

Surprised I looked up. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Really? You will not regret this."

"I think it is already too late for that."

I gave him a lopsided grin.

"It is too late to take it back."

"Really."

Unimpressed he looked at me. This was not the time to screw things up.

"I was just joking. It was just a joke. I am going to leave right now."

Victory: 1
Rejection: 103. I was so screwed.

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"I am screwed."

I added the finely chopped chicken to the pan. My stomach grumbled violently. It smelled so good. My eyes darted around the room. I picked up the large wooden spoon and took a bite. Delicious. I couldn't wait till the bestilla was done.

"Don't be so dramatic." My mother said as she washing the dishes in the kitchen sink. "And stop eating! You aunt is here."

I dropped the spoon in the kitchen sink and took place at the table.

"She is used to it. She knows how classy we are."

"Surely, there are some places that might be interested?"

My aunt looked up with a concerned smile. Her black hair was neatly pulled into a bun.

I hooked my feet around the chairs legs.

"I went to over a hundred places and almost all of them said no. To be honest, I didn't even know there were so many businesses in Konoha, Rina."

"You said almost all of them. So, there are some that said yes."

I snorted.

"Only a single Inuzaka said yes to me. He felt sorry me."

My mother drew nearer and tucked a wavy lock of hair behind my ear.

"No, you just made him an offer he couldn't refuse." she said gently. "You can be quite persistent. When you were a kid, I always almost wavered when you looked at me determinedly with those chubby cheeks."

"She still has chubby cheeks." My nephew said from below the table.

I looked down and saw that he was playing with his plushy kunai. With a big smile, I squeezed his cheek.

"So do you. It runs in the family."

His nose twitched, and his large eyes looked at me irked.

"I don't. Kaa-san tell Amaya that I don't have chubby cheeks!"

Rina laughed heartily.

We heard him grumbling underneath the table.

"And if you don't stop eating sweets, you will still have chubby cheeks when you are my age. I would look out if I were you, Kazuki."

His head popped up from underneath the table. My mother ran her hand through his dark hair.

"Stop teasing your little cousin."

The corners of her eyes crinkled. Kazuki took a place on her lap and leaned forward. For a while he looked at the plate on the table, before he grabbed the largest cookie on the plate.

Rina shot me a glance and the both of us burst into laughter. With my hand I wiped the tears on my cheek.

"But seriously I admit. I was a mess before him. I am not ashamed to admit it." I said when we calmed down.

"So what are you going to do now?"

I hung my head.

"My first meeting with Izumo-sama will be in two days. I was thinking about resigning. It is better than being fired."

"The Aburame could probably help you out. I can ask Jirou…"

"There is no need to ask him that, Rina. Even if they helped, it wouldn't be enough."

"But tou-san is awesome. He can fix everything!"

I wiped the cookie crumbs on his face away, before ruffling his hair.

"Your tou-san is the best. You know he helped me find my job. No one wanted to hire me before he helped me out."

His eyes widened, before his whole face lit up. I smiled sadly at him.

I was glad he wouldn't find out how discouraging it could be to watch your well-connected peers get a helping hand into their first job, while no one wanted to even give you a chance. If he decided to not become a shinobi, despite how tiny that chance was, he would have a bright future ahead of him.

My aunts eyes blazed with indignation, but there was also a knowing look in her eyes.

"You don't have to worry, Amaya. Jirou can help you out. You are a hard worker. And the brother of my sensei is also looking for people in his store. I can put a good word for you there."

"Oh, what kind of store is it?" my mother asked her.

I sighed. At times like these, I wondered if I did make the right decision in not becoming a ninja. There were plenty of cushy and well-paying jobs that were not available for civilians.

A hand squeezed me tightly. I looked up and saw my mother smiling brightly at me. No, I couldn't have done that to my mother.

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Don't worry guys. If everything goes als planned Naruto will be in the next chapter. So what do you guys think of Amaya and her family? Also this might seem real soon, but I was wondering if there were any characters you would like to see in this story? Perhaps even love interests? This story can still go into any direction.