Disclaimer: Familiar characters and references you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
Chapter 4: Ninja Academy Preparations
Eri's POV:
Another parent came by the orphanage to drop off a child because of financial difficulties. That's the fifth one this year.
The name of this particular child left behind is named Genji. The mother Miya named him after a character believing he'll be talented.
Of course, all children are special and unique in their own way. But little Genji had an immense drive to learn unlike the others of his age group.
He repeatedly tried to learn how to stand on his own two feet and walk eventually succeeding in his task. After taking his first couple of steps, he giggled like he's proud of himself.
After we celebrated Genji's second birthday, he was old enough and showed enough mental development for him to listen to my kindergarten session to learn basic things. He listened to my lesson lectures on how to read, speak, and write with rapt attention.
I understand wanting to learn, but Genji is inquisitive about everything. He would read out loud all the books in the orphanage to practice his speaking and reading abilities.
Every now and then, he'll encounter a word that I haven't taught him or forgot the meaning of and will come running to the nearest adult asking "What's this word?"
In his quest to read out loud every book without making an error, I saw him waiting patiently for others to finish reading some books he hasn't read yet. If he the book he wanted was unavailable, he would reread a story he already finished. Such a nice and polite boy he is.
When he successfully read all the books without making a speaking error, he smiled like it was his greatest achievement of his life so far. In fact, every time he learned something new and be successful at it, he will be joyful.
I could imagine the words "Mission Accomplished" appearing above him every time he achieves an objective. After introducing him to the playground, he was a bundle of energy unleashed.
He ran around the playground until he tired himself out. Soon it came time to teach the kids how to eat on their own and Genji showed he could use a fork and spoon easily, but struggled with the chopsticks.
Once in a while, he'll get frustrated and just shovel the food in his mouth with a spoon. He wasn't the only one to struggle, but he managed to do it with his right hand.
As he got more used to it, he tried practicing by lifting a single slippery grain of rice that hasn't been cooked. I then scolded him just a little for playing with food. Then I saw him switch to his left hand and learn how to use chopsticks with that hand too.
To top it off, I noticed he switches his utensil hand every time it's time to eat. I thought it was weird for a moment, but concluded he's trying to figure out whether he's right or left handed.
That wasn't the only odd thing I noticed. One day, I saw him doing some stretching exercises before running about and wondered where in the world did he learn how to do stretching exercises?
The answer revealed itself when Kari stretched and flexed her body before playing tag with the children. To think he's copying our attitude and actions because we're his role models makes me proud of raising Genji and all the other children.
His odd habits intrigued me so much that I secretly spied on him, when he wasn't looking. Those sneaking tips from retired Kunoichi mothers who in their youth stalked their lovers/crush/husbands came in handy for this situation.
He plays with the other kids, but hasn't developed any sort of friendship. Is his mind growing so rapidly that it explains why he's so curious and hungry for knowledge? Maybe?
At nighttime, I'd take a peak and sneak on him to see if he's sleeping. Sometimes, I will hear him mumble and sleep talk random things. Most of it was gibberish, but some phrases that stuck out.
Such phrases included "Kill or be killed. Get strong, live long. Live and learn. Life is a game, play to win." The words he said made me remember his reaction when some shinobi came over to tell them stories.
Some three year olds asked the visiting shinobi "What's a ninja and what do they do?" The man didn't mince his words and bluntly told them "Ninjas are heroes and they beat the bad guys or die trying."
Most of the other kids thought ninjas are cool and ignored everything said after the word 'heroes' was mentioned. But Genji looked disturbed at the part of 'die trying'.
As smart as Genji is, I believe he figured out the cold reality of what a ninja really is. Seeing those who recently turned 4 years old leaving the orphanage must have had an effect on him.
If only these children be given a chance to enjoy their childhood, instead of being forced to grow up early.
Genji's behavior changed after I took him and some others for a field-trip to the local library. Everyone picked up a children's book and Genji found a philosophy book somehow mistakenly mixed in the kid's section.
He struggled to read some of the contents and dedicated the entire time there trying to translate what's on the first page. So determined that he didn't notice me standing right behind him.
The title was [The True Path to Enlightenment] written by Lao Z, a supposedly famous person in the past. He was a philosopher, religious founder, and a ninja monk. The sentence Genji was trying to translate was "He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty."
By the time it came to leave, his demeanor changed after he closed the book. Like he was planning to do something tonight.
Later on at that night, I took a peak in his room and saw him imitating the lotus position the figure sat in. But he failed because he drifted off into dreamland.
Time passed quickly and he seemed to struggle with the concept of not moving and ignoring outside noise such as his snoring roommates. Then he managed to get both concepts down, but it still needs improvement.
There was other things he did at night like stand in poses or balancing himself on one leg and placing the heel on the ankle. But his dedication to learning meditation finally paid off the day before his fourth birthday.
I congratulated Genji with a big bear hug as my birthday present for his hard work. But since he turned four, he's now going to be conscripted into the Ninja Academy.
I'm going to miss watching him grow up and succeed at various tasks. At least he'll be getting an education to satisfy his curious nature.
So I told him everyone will miss him and that he'll be a future genius in the making. He was surprised by my words, but he thanked me, Haru, and Kari for taking care of him before he said goodbye.
You're going to have to improve on your sensing Genji. If a common civilian like me could sneak on you, then you'll be in trouble when it's a ninja.
Genji's POV:
Just after the ninja said "Let's go", the scenery all around me turned into a sandy blur. It's like a first hand experience of being Sonic the Hedgehog after he does a sonic boom.
All three of us arrived at our destination in a few seconds and they dropped us onto the ground.
You received the status effect (Motion Sickness: Attacks have a 25% chance of missing).
Due to [Gamer's Mind] the dizziness effect of (Motion Sickness) has been negated.
Wow, this skill is quite overpowered. Checking the other two orphans, they were experiencing motion sickness.
Some of the ninja found it strange that I'm not heaving onto the ground like my fellow peers. But they chalked it up to me having my eyes closed.
The team's captain loudly declared "Alright kiddies! This place will be your new home! You're all quite lucky to live in a place that's only a few blocks away from the Ninja Academy. Follow us into the building so you can meet your new caretaker."
Checking out the building itself, it's five stories high, shaped like a cube, and in good condition. Everyone entered through the front door and we found ourselves inside the main lobby.
Sitting behind the front desk with a bunch of papers scattered about, there's a middle-aged man doing work. Observe!
Name: Katsuo
Level: 10
Class: Civilian
A diligent man in his late 30s who believes that "Good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up."
Well that's good. Working hard and not showing any laziness will easily allow me to be in his good graces. I can easily take advantage of him and learn several skills too.
Just use the excuse 'I want to be a big boy and do it myself'.
Ding!
[Observe]'s level has risen by 1!
[Observe] has reached level 25 and a bonus effect has been granted.
So what's this bonus effect I got then? Show Observe skill!
Observe (Passive/Active) Level: 25 EXP: 0.15%
-Enables [The Gamer] to see and read detailed information of an object, person, living being, and etc he's looking at. The higher the level, the more information about your target is revealed.
+CP Cost: 0
Level 25 Bonus: You can now see the information of people's names, level, and special characteristic above their head. This feature can be disabled if its too distracting or enabled by mentally willing it.
Looking at Katsuo again, I saw this hovering above his head.
Hardworking Apartment Complex Owner
Katsuo
Level: 10
Willing for it to be disabled for now, the captain announced our presence to the building's owner.
"Hey Katsuo! Here are the new brats assigned to your place. Could you sign our mission report confirming we performed the mission as stated? Thanks, have a nice day!"
The shinobi trio left and Katsuo stood up from his seat approaching us.
"So you three are my new tenants? Well then, welcome to my apartment complex kids!"
"My name is Katsuo and I'm the caretaker of this place. Each of you will be getting your own personal room to live in by yourselves and a monthly paycheck from Sunagakure to pay for living expenses, items for the Academy, and whatever else you need. I hope your potty trained or you'll have to pay me money to clean up your mess."
"We get our own rooms and we get paid money to go to ninja school?! Cool!" Exclaimed one of the two boys. The other nodded in agreement and I just remained silently still.
"Of course, though some features of the room will be disabled like the gas pipe connected to the stovetop oven. Wouldn't want you to accidentally blow everyone up because of your carelessness."
There goes trying to learn the [Cooking] skill by myself in my room. Guess I'll have to make Katsuo teach me himself.
"In addition, I'll be subtracting some money from your paycheck as payment for your room and board fee. You won't have to worry about cooking any food for yourself as the kitchen staff and I will be providing the meals for you."
The excitable boy in our group then shouted "Yay! Thanks mister."
"Follow me and I'll show you what you need to remember during your stay." He took us to the cafeteria where there are several people busy cooking lunch and spoke up again.
"Here is the cafeteria where you'll be eating your food. Meals will be served as buffet style and at 7:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 6:30 PM. Only pick up as much as you need cause we don't waste food here."
"Please be here on time or there won't be much or any food left for you to eat. Because its a first come first serve basis. Over here is where you pick up and leave behind your food plate."
"The next place to be seen is where the Ninja Academy is."
Following Katsuo outside his building, we turned to our right walking straight ahead for two minutes and arrived at the Academy building. I wonder if there'll be a kid form my age group who'll act like Zoro from One Piece and get lost despite the simple directions?
"Okay boys, this here is the Ninja Academy. We'll need to go inside to register you all for school."
Inside there was a lobby with a secretary person sitting behind the desk. She noticed us and simply said "Are they here to register for the Ninja Academy?"
Katsuo nodded giving her our information and the kunoichi started filling out the required paperwork. Soon the kunoichi finished processing all three of us and gave us our next set of instructions.
"You three are now registered in the Academy. Please be big boys and show up at the Academy courtyard for the entrance ceremony and sorting at 8:00 AM on April 10. That's when the first day of school starts."
Ding!
You have been conscripted to the Suna Ninja Academy!
Gained Title: Suna Ninja Academy Student
Effects: +20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.
At least learning will be easier. Only a moron would choose to ignore this beneficial effect and spend a minimal amount of effort to train.
"Should you not show up on time, the Academy will send a ninja and you'll be in big trouble for being a bad boy. If you don't have any questions, then I'll see you next time."
The other boys shuddered in fear of being punished by a ninja and our group left the Academy. Inside the lobby after returning from our trip, Katsuo handed each of us a set of keys.
"This is your room key to your assigned room. You'll have to pay up for a replacement if it gets lost. Next up on the tour, I'll show each of you where your rooms are."
We walked up the staircase and he showed the two boys their rooms which are 201 and 202 of the 2nd floor. Mine was room number is 303 on the 3rd floor. Easy to remember right?
Not to mention it'll be helpful building up my physical condition and stamina too.
Subsequently, he showed us more areas of the building like rooftop, the kitchen, and the main floor bathroom. However, I was wondering where we'll get clean clothes since Eri isn't here to wash them.
So I felt the need to ask him immediately, "Mister Katsuo, where do we get our clean clothes from?"
He immediately replied, "That's the next place we're going to. The designated laundry area. From now on, you're all responsible for cleaning your own clothes. Ms. Eri will not be here to do it for you. So I'll teach you three how to wash clothes by hand."
The kid who was excited earlier now felt it's the end of the world, "But I don't want to wash my clothes. Hey mister, isn't there washing machines to do that?"
"Sorry kid, but washing machines are too expensive to buy as you'll only find those from rich people. So pay attention as I'll only do this once. Water is a too precious of a resource here, so don't waste it. Got it?!"
All three of us state out loud "Yes" to confirm we were listening. So he showed us how to do laundry using soap, washboard, tub, and other tools. Then he made us clean a full set of clothes including somebody's dirty boxers.
After finishing my portion of the clothes, I was rewarded with a skill.
Ding!
A skill has been created to wash fabrics of all kinds and remove stains faster.
Laundry (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%
-Allows the user to wash clothes and remove stains efficiently, while the (Active) ability allows you to power wash those tough stains away.
+1% STR, VIT, and DEX
+5% increase in laundry speed
Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current laundry speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.
*Washing a fabric longer than needed will reduce its durability by 2%*
It was a little annoying listening to the other two kids whining about doing hard work, but we finished up. Then we cleaned ourselves off before returning back to the main lobby to receive one more thing.
There he gave each of us an envelope. I opened it up to take a peek inside to see some money.
"This is your stipend payment for the month. I've already deducted the room and board expenses from it."
"Don't spend it all in one place now. If you don't feel comfortable holding money yourself, then I can hold onto it for you."
The two boys asked Katsuo to hold their money for them, since they don't know the value of money yet. On the other hand, I kept my money. He raised an eyebrow at my decision, but just shrugged it off.
"By the way, every resident here will receive one roll of toilet paper per week and laundry soap is free. The only things you need to buy is your toiletries like tooth brush and stuff."
"You can now go to your rooms, hang out here in the lobby with the other tenants, or hang out with those in the cafeteria. You can also go outside to explore the village, but remember lunch and dinner will be served at 12:30 PM and 6:30 PM."
"Another thing is I'll be knocking on your doors at 7:00 AM to remind you about your first day of school a week from now. If you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork to finish up."
Finishing his guided tour and letting us do whatever we want, I proceeded to head inside my room on the 3rd floor to see the inside. The room reminded me of Miya's apartment, but this one is in good condition.
The only things of below average in quality are the dining table, couch, and bed. Before I did anything else, I locked the door thinking Katsuo will be peeping like Eri.
Opening the stipend envelope and pulling out the money, I counted how much money there was and it totaled 5,000 Ryo. Depositing the money in my inventory, a new message popped up.
You've gained 5,000 Ryo!
Haha! Now I don't have to worry about being pickpocketed because of my inventory storing my money and items in a pocket dimension. I then experimented trying to depositing and withdrawing money from Tanu-chan and it worked.
Currently on my HUD it's 1:15 PM, so I'll head down to the cafeteria to spam [Observe] on everybody I see. In the cafeteria, I spotted Katsuo and his assistants cooking a variety of dishes.
Spotting a line forming up, I join them and imitated the actions of the older boy in front of me. Apparently you grab a tray, take whatever food you want, and place them onto your tray. So I chose several dishes like rice, green beans, miso soup, and ate them all after sitting at a table by myself.
Looking back at the food served, there wasn't any kind of meat dishes offered. Maybe meat like beef and fish are considered a luxury ingredient?
The food was fulfilling and I put the dirty dishes in the designated spot. The lunch I ate made me think I could learn the [Cooking] and [Dish Washing] from Katsuo. But now that it's 2:00 PM, what else can I do?
Let's go explore the village of Suna. The purpose is to see the market prices on various items and estimate the value of monetary currency of Ryo.
I don't have to worry about getting lost from exploring the village because of the mini-map on my HUD. To describe the layout of the display I'm seeing, picture this.
There's my face, a green HP bar, and a blue CP bar in the top left hand corner of my vision. In the top right hand corner, there's a circular mini-map, my position on the map, compass direction, and above the map is the current time.
Entering the Food Market, I visited some grocery stalls and store buildings to browse their products.
Vegetables and fruit are priced between 8 to 85 Ryo. Meat is around 30 to 200 Ryo. At some restaurants, the prices on their menu ranged from 30 to 100 Ryo depending on the dish.
For example, I saw a bowl of ramen for 90 Ryo and a beef steak for 300 Ryo. Another is a large chocolate cake for 255 Ryo.
With an overall idea of how much food is going for, I entered the Shopping District that allowed solicitors to view their general products and wares. At the general store, their products ranged from 15 to 1,000 Ryo.
There is one weapons shop advertising a set of 10 kunai at 500 Ryo and 240 Ryo for re-sharpening them. Thanks to my findings, I've now have a general estimate from all the items, products, and services I've seen.
For your wise decision of familiarizing yourself with this world's currency, you've gained +1 WIS!
Another point in WIS? Okay.
Now how much income am I looking at? If I continue to receive 5,000 Ryo per month from my stipend, then I'll receive 60,000 Ryo per year.
What about the cost of food? Let's do some mental calculations.
A cooked meal from a restaurant costs 50 Ryo and I eat three times a day. That will be 150 per day and assuming a month has 30 days, then I'm looking at spending above or around 4,500 Ryo for food alone.
However, that amount can be reduced if I do the cooking myself in the future. Making it all the more important that I should learn the [Cooking] skill. On the other hand, I don't have to worry about food expenses since Katsuo and his staff are doing the cooking.
Going back to the general store, I picked up all the toiletries I'll need to buy like toothpaste, toothbrush, towels, rags, and etcetera. Also picked up some other items like a calendar, clock, and stepping stool to reach the sink.
Before checking out, I made sure to use [Observe] on everything to make sure I'm not buying any defective products.
Placing everything in front of the clerk, he responded "That'll be 400 Ryo boy." Paying the required amount, I left the store heading to the nearest deserted alley.
Looking around and checking nobody is around, I shoved everything I bought into my inventory space. So far, I haven't seen it reach its limit. Maybe it's unlimited?
Next on my agenda was buying some clothes and shoes.
As I continued wandering around, I found a thrift store and remembered how Miya saved money by getting my make-shift diapers from here. Besides, there's no point in buying expensive clothes if I'm going to outgrow them anyways.
Entering the establishment, I searched and used [Observe] to find the best child sized clothes and shoes that isn't crappy.
One hour of browsing later and these are what I found and decided to buy.
Dark Blue Bandana
-A regular dark blue cloth.
+1 DEF when worn.
Child Sized T-Shirt
-A plain light brown T-shirt.
+1 DEF when worn.
Child Sized Cargo Shorts
-A khaki colored cargo shorts with lots of pockets to store things in.
+1 DEF when worn.
Child Sized Boxers
-Just regular colored underwear.
+1 DEF when worn.
Child Sized Shinobi Sandals
-Dark brown boots sized for a child's feet and provides comfort to your soles. It's designed for traveling on uneven terrain.
+2 AGI when worn.
I've bought shirts in several different colors because I wanted to wear something different every day. I also picked up multiple sets of clothes too.
The bandana's purpose was to cover up the reddish circles above my eyebrows as it's a noticeable clan trait. I didn't have to worry about my reddish eyeliner because I've seen multiple people walking about with various war paint designs on their faces.
The clerk rang up my items and I owed a total of 850 Ryo. Paying the man and repeating what I did earlier, I ran back to my apartment room, locked the door, and dressed up in my new clothes.
To pass the time, I trained the [Meditation] skill until it became dinner time. After eating dinner and placing the dirty dishes in the drop off section, I approached Katsuo. He turned to me and asked "Is there anything you need?"
I asked with a curious tone, "Mister Katsuo, can you show me how to wash the dishes? I want to be a big boy, pretty please?"
Katsuo thought for a moment to decide whether he'll teach me or not. Then he nodded and said "I'll show you how to wash the dishes. Now come over here and let me show you how it's done."
He then found a nearby stepping pedestal for me to be able to see the sink and dishes in it. Then demonstrated and explained I needed to wash the dishes, pots, pans, and utensils properly.
He handed me a sponge and dirty utensils for my first test run. Of course he didn't let me wash something valuable first, that would be too risky. The first thing he made me wash are the utensils because even if dropped them, they wouldn't break.
Ding!
A skill has been created to wash and scrub dishes, utensils, pots, and pans faster!
Dish Washing (Passive/Active) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%
-Allows the user to wash dishes and remove burnt baked on food efficiently, while the (Active) ability enables you to power wash away those tough to remove food.
+1% STR, VIT, and DEX
+5% increase in dish washing speed
Active Effect: Power Wash - Doubles your current dish washing speed for a flat cost of 25 CP per minute.
Finished with the utensils and placing them in the drying section, Katsuo inspected each one to make sure I didn't leave behind a single speck of left over food. Once his inspection concluded, he congratulated me for doing a good job.
"You've done a fine job washing these utensils. Could you tell me your name?"
"Genji."
"Genji huh?", muttered Katsuo. "Well then, Genji. If you want to, you can volunteer to wash the dishes until school starts."
Quest Alert!
Katsuo's Offer
Katsuo has offered you the chance to wash the dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until school starts.
Bonus Objective: Do the tasks assigned to you without whining or complaining.
Quest Reward: Increased relations with Katsuo and dorm staff.
Bonus Reward: Doubles the quest reward.
Quest Failure: None
[Yes] or [No]?
"Yes!", I said. Katsuo smiled in appreciation of my go getter attitude and told me to meet with him here in the same spot tomorrow.
Leaving the cafeteria satisfied with what I ate and gained, I saw the time is currently 7:20 PM. There's nothing much I can do except my usual routine of [Meditation], stretching exercises, and balancing yoga poses until 9:45 PM.
At 9:45, I cleaned myself off and went to bed. As I laid on the mattress, I had several thoughts on my mind. What am I going to learn and who will I see a several days from now at the Academy?
Character Status
Name: Genji Kaguya - Class: The Gamer - Age: 4
Titles: [Suna Ninja Academy Student] (+20% proficiency learning Academy subjects and skills.)
Status: Normal, +1.5% Evasion, and +4 DEF.
Level: 0 - EXP: 40/100
HP: 206.5 - HP Regen: .28 per 5 seconds
CP: 384.25 - CP Regen: 1.51 per 5 seconds
STR: 4 + (4 X .02) = 4.08
VIT: 5 + (5 X .13) = 5.65
PE: 9.73
WIS: 10 + (Meditation 4) + (14 X .08) = 15.12
INT: 8 + (Meditation 4) = 12
SE: 27.12
DEX: 5 + (Ambidextrous 5) + (10 X .02) = 10.2
AGI: 5 + (Sandals 2) + (7 X .11) = 7.77
LUK: 5
Fame/Infamy: 0/0
Unspent points: 0
Money: 5,00 Ryo - (Toiletries 400) - (Clothes & Sandals 850) = 3,750 Ryo
Author's Note:
I'd like to thank the guest for pointing out a potential plot-hole as I had stamina listed under the category of VIT in chapter 1.
llat-2: No Han Jee-Han making an appearance in this or any characters from The Gamer, though I'll be using some of the skills from it like for example [ID Create]. Maybe even an offshoot of spinning mana arrow to make spinning iron sand nail, something like that.
Kine X: I didn't explain the [Ambidextrous] skill very well, So I've rewritten it.
Kinunatzs: The way I listed the skills and the way I worded it is why it looked like he didn't get [Flexibility] first. It should have been that he learned [Flexibility] first, [Balance] second, and then finally [Meditation].
The wording was supposed to suggest that he learned these three skills at different times of the year. Thanks for your review and will use the advice you've given me in the next chapter.
