A Drop of Poison
Chapter Twenty-Four: The C-Rank Curse
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Ramen belongs to Naruto. Enough said.
This time, credit goes to Archeo Lumiere and Essex on SpaceBattles for Beta. This chapter wouldn't be as good without them.
Prank Day 170
Team One managed to go through the two D-ranked missions their sensei had chosen today in half the time they normally took, and Ebisu was kind enough to give them leave to prepare for their C-rank instead of going back for a third mission.
As such, the group split up shortly before five, each going in their own direction. Naruto was headed straight to Ichiraku Ramen, to bolster himself against a long period without his favorite food, while Muremaru went directly home to 'prepare'. The three Narutos would clearly see each other later today in the Uruhara basement, but for now each had things to do.
Which was why Ariko was waiting in front of the Academy, counting down the time before classes ended.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Hey, genin, bunny!" Ringo said as she came out, the rest of the Fashion Club behind her. "Long time no see!"
"Hello girls," Ariko responded more calmly while Ichibo waved. "How goes?"
The students looked at each other. "Could be worse, could be better," Fumishi replied with a shrug.
"I can't wait until they find a more permanent replacement as Taijutsu teacher," Mihoshi whined. "Having a different one every couple of days is a pain!"
The rest of the group nodded at that.
"How about the new Maths and History teacher?" the genin clone asked. She, like all Naruto clones, had been informed of the man's treachery and disappearance.
"You won't hear a complaint here!" Mihoshi replied with a smile.
"Same here," Fumichi added, echoing her fellow student's reaction. "Ren-sensei's somewhat harsher than Kazuki was, but a much better teacher."
Ariko forced down all the comments she had about how the man had treated Naruto, and how harsh he'd been. It was the past, and it should stay there. "Glad to hear that, at least," she finally answered.
"So, what allows us the honor of seeing you here, on a Wednesday no less?" Nishi asked.
"My team finished early, and we have the evening off," she explained, taking a deep breath. "Team One has a C-rank mission starting tomorrow."
Mihoshi squealed and hugged her tight at those words. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed, and the rest of the group wasn't long in following suit.
"Nice, you're progressing!" Nishi said after a few moments of cheers and hugs. "What kind of mission is it?"
"Courier mission," Ariko replied.
"Tell us everything you can!" Ringo added.
"Better yet," Fumichi said with a smile, "Let's go get ourselves a table in a restaurant! We need to give our most advanced member a proper send-off!"
"Hear! Hear!" the rest of the group replied.
Ariko would last in the Uruhara basements that day, talking for hours with the Fashion Club. Some of them would even have tips on what to bring or on things to look for, but even without that the female clone would have appreciated the gesture.
It was nice having people behind you who cared.
Prank Day 171
Ebisu was glad to see his entire team present at Konoha's east gate, five minutes before seven. While lateness had never really been an issue with them, today was more important than any day before. Sure, they had leeway on their travel time, but it was always easier to start with a reputation for professionalism than to build back to one.
"Good morning team," he said as he stopped before his students. "I see everyone is ready to go," He said as he took out a sealed scroll. "This is the document we are to bring to Fumoto-cho, the closest town to our border with Yama no Kuni."
"Are they secret mission plans, or a treasure map of some sort?" Naruto asked, clearly intent on adventure.
"Nothing so grand," the special jonin replied. "These are answers to questions the lawman in Fumoto-cho had, along with orders, updates and the like." Naruto's face fell. "Do not be disappointed. While this is clearly not the most important of documents, one must start somewhere. You wouldn't expect a capital dispatch to be given to unproven ninjas, would you?"
"No," the three answered.
"There you have it," Ebisu replied. "Even if this is routine communication, treat it as if it were the most important decree of the Hokage. Outside these walls, you never know what can happen."
"Aye!" the team answered in chorus.
The sensei took a good luck at his three students. All seemed well prepared for the trip, holsters full and backpacks not too light or too heavy. "Any other questions before we depart?"
Muremaru raised his hand. "How long do you expect the trip to take?"
"At a good walk, we should arrive at our destination in five days," Ebisu answered. "With a day or two in Fumoto-cho and five days to return, that gives us two days of leeway in case of unexpected happenings." Muremaru nodded at that.
"Have you ever done this specific mission before, sensei?" Ariko asked.
Ebisu was about to answer when his watch beeped. Seven in the morning; time to go. "We'll discuss this on the way, if you don't mind." His female student nodded, shouldering her backpack as she turned.
The two others did the same, and the group left the village for the first time.
"No, I have never done this specific mission," Ebisu replied once they were away from Konoha's gates. "I became a genin before the third ninja war, and courier missions near the border weren't given to genin then, when they were even given. I did, however, do quite a few of this type of mission, carrying messages back and forth to various other groups. Now, this was more dangerous, because..."
Prank Day 172
Kyuha dodged back, narrowly evading a spike of rock that erupted right below his feet. The rest of the clones beside him spread out, only for a burst of wind to bring up a cloud of dust.
The Doukeshi leader reacted instantly, and did a blind substitution straight up. That was a new variation of the technique the Naruto clones had developed in reaction to the rising skills of the new members of the Doukeshi.
Some of the clones didn't react in time; they died instantly. Kyuha himself did a second Kawarimi, landing on the side of a tree, and waited for the dust to settle. With the rain, it wouldn't stay up long.
When he could see the ground again, only a single person remained standing. Most people wouldn't be intimidated by her, but the Naruto clones had learned their lesson harshly. Kyuukei Konjou might be less than a meter and a half in height, but she made up the difference in ferocity. Among Kyokuba, the new team, she was the close-range specialist.
Surprisingly, she was the only one of the team that wasn't from ANBU itself; she was a medic, who'd wanted to be moved to a more active (i.e. less boring) position, and she had no problem in using the medical techniques she knew to cause horrible damage. When under her cherry red mask with attached antennas, she went under the name of Seed.
Kyuha counted the leftover markers on the ground, proof of fallen clones. Five more of them had succumbed, bringing their number down to fifteen.
Of course, these losses didn't go unanswered; a rain of kunai and shuriken surged from the trees, going straight for the land-bound ninja. Kyuha did nothing, expecting what would surely follow.
He wasn't disappointed, as the weapons never reached her.
A big boom rang through the area, and all the flying projectiles flew off-course in the shockwave. Seed used the distraction to disappear, leaving only the fallen markers behind. A second later, a second explosion was heard, and one of the trees fell under the attack. One of the sources of projectiles, of course.
Trunk's handiwork.
The former male ANBU was, surprisingly, the team's defensive specialist. Normally, people specializing in fire techniques weren't much for defense, but Sorairo Ikkei wasn't anything near normal. Almost two and a half meters tall, he towered over near-everybody, and was so talented in causing explosions that he could and did annul attacks with them. He was the one who wore a sun yellow mask with a lion's mane attached to it.
A single clone managed to land safely after dropping from his fallen perch, only to disappear a second later. Kyuha caught a flash of antlers, clear indicators of Root's presence.
Born Kon Nekko, he was the closest thing to an assassin in the group. He was somehow as comfortable underground as above, and was very good at erasing his presence. Forgetting to account for him was a mistake you didn't do twice, as he could attack from ambush like nobody else.
The Doukeshi leader summoned another wave of Kage Bunshin, then did a trio of switches in quick succession. With the rain serving as radar for Flower, the new clones were quickly found and dispatched, mainly with more explosions. The clone leader had no choice but to continue on that route, as the flagging numbers of his team forced him into summoning more clones and moving after each wave. The battle quickly became a stalemate, with neither side having the upper hand.
The alarm rang after ten more minutes of jockeying for advantage.
The few remaining clones dropped out of their hiding places, while the four Kyokuba members did the same. Flower rose from the middle of a pond that didn't look like it could hide a fish, and Root rose beside her.
"You're getting better at that, Flower," he said. Her nickname had stuck.
The woman sighed deeply. "I couldn't have managed two more minutes of this. Between the stealth jutsu, my rain sense and manipulating the puddle to give targeting indications, I was just about to fall unconscious."
"None of that," Seed said with a growl. "I'm the one who'll have to deal with you if you fall from chakra exhaustion, and after last time I will make you regret it, mark my words." Trunk simply grunted in agreement.
"Hai, hai," Flower replied, clearly too tired to argue.
"Fall into position!" Kyuha ordered, and the four Kyokuba members stood at the ready before him. "Great work, team. Another test passed. You're one step closer to being full Doukeshi."
That's what Kyuha had been doing for the past week. After discussions with Jiraiya and the Sandaime, he'd come up with a number of scenarios the new Doukeshi should be able to complete. Rescue missions, captures, scouting, invasion countering... They'd gone through fifteen different tests to make sure they'd be able to work properly together in all situations.
And they'd all passed with flying colours.
Everyone nodded, save Flower who fell on herself. "And how many are left?" she said, tiredness evident in her voice.
Kyuha had been waiting for that one question.
The other times he'd been asked this, his answer had always been "a few". And he could see in everyone face that this was what they were expecting.
As such, he answered differently. "None."
"What?!" Flower replied, eyes growing wide. And she wasn't the only one to react.
"There are no more tests," Kyuha said, waving for them to follow. "You've proven your ability to work together well in all situations. Now, all that's left is mastering the kinjutsu that make the Doukeshi such a danger on the battlefield, and that make us an endless army in combat."
Silence answered him. He clearly had the group's complete attention.
He pointed down toward one of the caves. "Go inside."
Everyone did so. The place wasn't one of the Uruhara pathways, but a new base the Naruto clones had built with Jiraiya's teachings and help. It was somewhat far from Konoha, being more than twenty kilometers away, but the Hokage was planning on a second base being built in the village itself. For the moment, this was perfect as a training area.
Inside, a dozen clones were waiting, scrolls at the ready. They split into four groups and waited.
"Now, the first technique you'll learn today is the most important, and the one that'll be used the most," Kyuha explained. "Like all jutsu you'll learn today, this technique is only to be used by clones and never by flesh and blood ninja. In humans, it has side effects that'll end your ninja career in months if not sooner. Clones, demonstrate."
One of the clones stepped forward and bowed. He then did a few hand seals, then slapped a glowing hand on the floor.
"As you can see, the technique drains chakra," the Doukeshi leader continued. "It affects everything: trees, seals, people, and even nature itself. With it, one of the main flaws of the Kage Bunshin, their limited chakra reserves, can be easily dealt with. I'm pretty sure everyone here can understand the implications."
Everyone nodded. Seed did so hard enough that Kyuha was afraid she'd broken something.
"Now, split up. The clones will teach each of you individually, and we'll move to the next technique once you've mastered this one."
It didn't take long for each Kyokuba member to join his trio of Doukeshi clones, calling a Shadow Clone as they did so. Even Flower managed to summon a bunshin regardless of her exhaustion, interested as she was.
Kyuha smiled. His team was growing well and fast.
Prank Day 174
"Thank you, come again!" Shou said as the two peasants left in a hurry after their purchase. The merchant clone sighed after they were gone; again, they hadn't learned a thing.
The place hadn't been open long; they were only on their fourth day of business.
Not that they had much.
The Torasen had been clear that this place wasn't a healthy city, and that could be seen in the habits of their clients, especially compared to those of the people in other cities.
Here, in San no Kuni, they had very little business. Nobody ever came alone, always in pairs or more, and never while there was any other client in the shop. There was no arguing, no window shopping, no haggling, just enough words to orders things (if there was even that). And when they left, the clients ran like the fires of hell were after them, sometimes not even waiting for their change.
Clearly, nothing good.
Unfortunately, that made it so that they could barely gather any information. There weren't any rumors going around, mainly because no one was talking.
Which meant they weren't of much help.
Shou was about to sigh again when the bell attached to the door rang once more. "Welcome to Kuroneko!" he said, looking at the pair who'd just entered. He then forced himself not to tense.
Between the Fashion Group's teaching and Jiraiya's training, the Naruto clones had gotten pretty talented at reading people. And the two civilians who'd come inside rang alarms.
As usual, it was a man and a woman, but they weren't like the ordinary clients. The man wore a sword at his belt like he knew how to use it. He wasn't the first to come with a weapon, but the others who'd entered armed clearly had them on only to comfort themselves. This guy was visibly ready to draw at any moment, and the clothes her wore did nothing to hide the fact that he was a warrior. Loose clothes that wouldn't hamper movement, good quality sandals, hints of something rigid under his shirt... Even without the fact that he was looking everywhere as if seeking sources of danger, Shou would bet his life he was a bodyguard.
The woman was no better. First, she wore a kimono (which was the first he saw in this place outside the lord's mansion) with a purse hanging to the side without care. In other places, that would have seemed normal, but here it was another first. He even detected a hint of perfume.
It was more than suspicious.
"Good day, shopkeeper," she said, bowing very slightly. "Am I speaking to the owner of this place?"
"You are." Another first; nobody had asked this question before in this building.
"Good, good," she looked around, stopping when her eyes fell upon the stacked bottles of alcohol behind the counter. "What alcohol selection do you have?"
Shou recited his stock from memory. With the small number of sales he'd done, there was nothing he'd lacked stock of.
"How about... five barrels of rice country sake?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied automatically. Inside, he was goggling. Five barrels? Even if that was the only suspicious action she'd taken, it would have been enough. His biggest sale had been three bottles, and this was more than an order of magnitude greater. He then turned to the bodyguard. "Does mister need anything?"
He caught a hint of a scowl before the woman smothered it. "He won't be taking anything." The man just grunted.
"I see," he said, tallying the price. She paid without argument, something that raised alarms since he'd put a good thirty percent markup compared to the normal price, and she didn't even react. He'd expected an argument at the very least.
"Will you be taking it with you, or will you need it delivered?" Shou asked.
The woman shook her head. "No need for delivery. I'll have someone come get them."
"Your receipt, then," he said, handing her the paper. She grabbed it and tucked it in her purse without looking. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Come again," he said, waving. As soon as the door closed behind them, however, he did the cross seal of the Kage Bunshin and informed the other members of the Network of what had just happened. He was pretty sure there would be a cat or dog trailing them in the next few minutes.
He then set himself to wait. Rare was when they had two sets of customers one right after the other, and three had never happened. He probably had at least a good thirty minutes before anything else happened.
Maybe he could find a way to train that wouldn't be immediately visible.
Prank Day 175
By the afternoon of the fifth day, Team One had left the main thoroughfares for smaller roads, those being wide enough for only a single cart to pass. The land was getting bumpier, and the ground less maintained, while dense forest surrounded them on both sides.
And, after a good two hours' march on said road, the group arrived in Fumoto-cho at last.
"That's the city we were waiting for?" Naruto said, turning toward his sensei. "It's barely bigger than a village!"
Muremaru had to admit Naruto was right. The place from what they could see was only somewhat bigger than the roadside villages they'd passed on the way. One could see farms just off the main road, and there were very few businesses on the main street. The only one that drew attention was an inn barely a block away, as it was the tallest building in sight.
"Indeed, this is were our mission leads," Ebisu replied. "While I will agree it is much less populated than Konoha or other such towns, it is still the biggest city in the region. As such, this is the place were the region's administration is concentrated." He looked around. The few people in the street flinched as his team's eyes went over them.
The teacher then turned toward his students. "Unfortunately, there will be no training while we are in Fumoto-cho. While larger cities tend to have no issues with ninja due to seeing them more frequently, remote places like this tend to have superstitions regarding our presence. We tend to be associated with death, and that simple fact makes the common man fear us. No need to pour oil over the fire by openly practicing ninjutsu."
"Hai," his three students answered. Fact was, they didn't mind too much. Ebisu had used the five days on the road to teach the group a number of low-level ninjustsu that were useful for a ninja on mission. Nothing one would use in combat, but rather small techniques that made life easier. A jutsu to purify water, another to create heatless light, one to blow away dust and remove tracks... All sorts of useful things that made life outside cities easier.
"Now, while we camped outside the last few nights, we will be staying in an inn tonight," their sensei said, pointing forward at said building. "Please remember that you are still on mission, and that you are representing Konoha. As such, no pranks, fooling around or anything of the sort."
"Hai," the trio repeated, following their teacher.
The inn was basically the same thing the many Narutos had seen all over the continent: a bar with tables on the first floor, and a staircase leading to rooms on the second. The place was actually quite clean, compared to the many other examples the Narutos had seen, which boded well.
"Hello, hello," the old man behind the counter said as the four came in. Then his eyes went wide. "Shinobi-san!" he exclaimed while bowing. "It has been a long time since any shinobi stayed at my humble inn. Welcome to the Bottom of the Hill, sirs, miss."
"No need to bow before our group, innkeeper," Ebisu replied as he stepped forward. "We are simply travelers. Tell me, do you have any rooms you might rent us?"
"This is not the busy season, shinobi-san," the innkeeper answered. "All my rooms are open. How many would you need?"
"Two please."
The old man grabbed a few keys from behind the bar. "Please follow me."
The civilian stepped out from his workstation, doing a bizarre clacking sound at every step. As he came out from behind the bar, the three genin couldn't help but stare; the man had a wooden leg!
"Eyes front!" Ebisu whispered harshly, and unfortunately too late.
The old man stopped, realizing he was being stared at. He then smiled. "No worries," he said. "Everyone stares at first. I'm more than used to it."
"What... What happened?" Muremaru asked.
"Well, when I was younger, I was a somewhat skilled hunter," the man explained as everyone walked upstairs. "One winter however, while I was coming back from a hunt, a starving wolf decided that what I'd caught was exactly what he needed. He took me by surprise, and we fought for a while. I ended up killing him, but by that time the wolf had taken a big bite out of my leg. I made it back to the city, but by that time my leg had gotten infected. It was beyond the skills the resident healer, so she cut my leg just below the knee to save me. I carved this leg while I was recuperating in bed, and I've been walking on it ever since." He stopped, and pointed to the rooms on the opposite sides of the corridor. "These are yours. Two beds in each. Supper is included and at six tonight. How many nights will you need?"
"One should be enough," Ebisu replied.
"Please pay at supper, then," the innkeeper said, walking back toward the bar. "I'll leave you to your things, then."
"One last detail, if you will?" Ebisu asked.
"Yes?"
"Where could I find the person in charge of this city?" the special jonin said.
"Old man Chouchou?" the innkeeper replied, stopping. "Four houses down, on the other side of the street. You can't miss it, it's the only place with two floors outside the inn." He paused for a moment. "It's been a while since I've seen the man, though, and usually he comes every evening. He might not be in."
"Where could we find him, then?" their sensei asked.
"He might be in one of the smaller towns around here, or in one of the surrounding farms," the old man mused. "Outside of that, no clue."
"Thank you," Ebisu said with a small bow.
"No need, no need," the old man replied, walking away once more. "Just happy to have business."
The innkeeper had said it true; the lawman in charge was absent when the team visited, and no one had any clue where he might be found.
Between training and missions, Sasuke didn't find much time to look into the mystery that was Naruto's graduation. Kakashi could be a slave driver when he was actually training people, and on some days he couldn't help but fall directly into bed after the team disbanded.
Still, he did what he could to listen for whatever was happening in Konoha, hoping for more information. Unfortunately, he'd missed the days directly after the invasion, when the news was fresh, and very little could currently be heard about his blond classmate since, as he'd found out, the boy was outside the village on his first C-rank.
Luckily, after a few weeks, he finally got the opportunity he was waiting for. Kakashi had finished the training early, since he needed to accompany Sakura for med-nin testing, while Sakaki had a training bout with Rock Lee, who he saw as a rival. That left him with all the time in the world to go directly to the best source of information.
Umino Iruka.
This wasn't the first time he'd tried to talk to his former teacher, but the man had been absent repeatedly. It seemed that some days he left the academy at the same time as the students, only to reappear home hours later.
This time, however, he was there right as classes ended, pushing his way in while all the students did the opposite. Finding Iruka's office wasn't an issue, as he hadn't moved in the past year, so Sasuke when straight there and knocked.
"Come in."
The genin did so, seeing his former teacher for the first time in months. He wasn't sure, but Umino Iruko seemed in better shape than he'd remembered from his classes with the man; perhaps the rumors of intense training were true. It would explain the absences, also. "Good day, Umino-san."
"Uchiha Sasuke," The man said, rising and extending his hand. Sasuke saw no reason not to shake. "I don't see former students often. What can I do for you?" he said, indicating an empty chair.
Sasuke sat down in the offered seat. "I seek information," he said. "Just to confirm: Naruto was promoted to genin, correct?"
"Yes," the teacher replied. "Him along with two members of the latest class."
"Did they get the authorization to take the exams early?" Iruka shook his head. "Then, how did they get promoted?" It ate him a little inside that Naruto had found a way to bypass the exams. If he could have started earlier, he'd be that much closer to his brother, he was sure.
Iruka took a deep breath. "What do you know about the invasion?" he asked.
"Not much," Sasuke admitted. Most people were reluctant to talk much about it, after all the losses. "I know that it was Sand and the new village Sound against Konoha, and that Sand surrendered while Sound was beaten back. I don't know most of the details."
"Ok," the teacher said, preparing himself in his mind. "There were multiple hot spots during the invasion: the walls, the summoned snakes, the hospital... but the most important was the stadium."
"Where the last round of the chuunin exams was happening," Sasuke interjected.
"Exactly," Iruka replied. "The reason was clear: that was where the Hokage was, and he was one of the main targets of the attack. Now, the invaders were well prepared, with a sleeping genjutsu over the entirety of the stadium and infiltrators all over the place. I was there myself, with Naruto, and everyone was caught completely by surprise."
Sasuke's eyes focused. While he agreed the Iruka was a good teacher, Sasuke wouldn't expect the chunin to come out undamaged out of such an attack. He'd thought the man had been far from the fighting. "Continue."
"I can't say everything that happened in that arena with all the fighting," the chuunin explained. "But one thing was clear: Naruto filled the place with as many Shadow Clones as he could, taking the fight to the infiltrators. They died in droves, but that way they kept Leaf losses to a minimum."
"Shadow Clones?" Sasuke asked.
"Think regular clones, only with the ability to affect reality. Not any more solid, but they can still fight and use techniques." Sasuke nodded at that. "Now, I ended up escorting some members of the nobility to a shelter, so I missed the end of the battle, but I've heard that it was Naruto that broke the jutsu the held the Hokage prisoner, which forced Orochimaru to retreat."
The Uchiha genin couldn't believe it. Dead last, saving the Hokage? That was preposterous. He had to agree, though, that this was the kind of action that deserved promotion. "What about the others?"
Iruka continued. "Muremaru, the boy in Naruto's team, reputedly saved the Hokage's life while also helping civilians to safety, while Jodan Ariko, the girl, took out ten or so enemies of higher rank, and also assisted the Hokage in his battle."
The fangirl, with ten kills? He couldn't believe it. But Naruto's exploit was even less believable. "How could Naruto have..."
Iruka interrupted him. "Did you ever see Naruto shy from combat?"
Sasuke couldn't say he did. The blond boy had many flaws, but fearful had never been one of them. "Still, he was dead last! How?!"
"What makes you say he was dead last?" Iruka asked.
"Everyone said so! Even the teachers!"
"Then, I have an exercise for you, one that should help become a better ninja," Iruka said with a smile. "You had top marks in memory exercises, so you clearly remember information well. Ignore what everyone said about Naruto, and focus on what you saw and lived through. How would you rate him, using only that?"
Sasuke sat down and thought. "Bottom of the class in maths and history..." He remembered a few of the exams the blond had received. "Can't use the clone, unreliable substitution..." He's seen many examples of both, though he had to agree that he had memories of Naruto succeeding at the Kawarimi. "Average weapon throwing..." Again, many examples. He then started scowling. "Decent taijutsu..." While Naruto's forms were horrible, the Uchiha had to agree that he was clearly above Sakura's level, and he'd had some victories against talented students like Sakaki. "Very good transformation..." Which were mainly used for pranks, but credit was due there. "That's all, I think."
"You're missing trap evasion, where Naruto is among the best in the class, but that's a valid evaluation," the chuunin replied. "Now, taking all that into account, what would be your opinion?"
Now that he thought of it, the only things that really pushed Naruto down were his maths and history grades, which even he believed were overly represented in the exams at a third of the grade. Outside of that, with some good points and some bad ones, Naruto sounded pretty much... "Average."
"Good," Iruka said. "Making valid evaluations of allies and enemies is capital both in battle situations and not. Also, one should always re-evaluate facts based on one's first hand experiences. Also, there are facts that you are not aware of."
"Do tell."
"Some are not mine to tell, but I will tell you what is commonly known," the teacher said. "Naruto had special issues that were not caught until recently, and was also the target of deliberate sabotage by at least two teachers." Unfortunately, with Kazuki's escape and the need to bring back the students whose last exam had been sabotaged, the manipulations in the academy hadn't stayed secret very long. Keeping things hidden in a ninja village when students were involved was nearly an impossibility.
"What?!"
Iruka nodded somberly. "I've gone over the numbers, and the Konoha analysts agree with me: Naruto should have scrapped a pass the first time he did the exam, had his notes not been tampered with. And he wasn't the only one."
"That's..." He didn't have words for it. The idea that a paper-pusher might have managed to force him to fail, if he'd decided to do so? It made him sick to think about it. "Were my own...?"
"No," the teacher countered. "Your grades were untouched. The group who did this targeted mainly students of civilian families or orphans, people who had no resources to fall back on for shinobi subjects." That was another fact that had managed its way to the rumor mill.
Sasuke was silent for a moment, then rose. "Thank you sensei," he said with a bow. He had to agree, he'd learned more the he'd thought coming here. "I have much to think about."
The teacher smiled. "Don't be a stranger. Do come back."
"I think I will," the Uchiha replied. "Good day, Umino-san."
"Good day yourself, Uchiha-san."
Walking outside, one thing stuck to mind. Sasuke agreed: things seen first hand were the best source of information. As such, he'd have to see Naruto once he was back and test the blond genin himself.
Yes, that was the best way to go.
Team One came back to the inn as the sun was coming down. As they had no indication that the lawman was even in the town itself, it was decided that the group would sup and sleep before starting the search the next day.
The innkeeper clearly knew shinobi; he gave the ninjas the table farthest from the door, back to the wall. He then delivered a complete roasted chicken with gravy and side dishes for the group.
After a few days of travel rations, Naruto had to agree that it looked delicious.
However, before the could even start eating, people started streaming in the inn, some going to the bar and some to tables. The old man and a boy, who they supposed was the cook, went back and forth brining food.
Ignoring them, Naruto started on his own meal, only to be interrupted by Ariko. "Are they all... looking at us?"
Naruto turned around and noticed that, yes, Ariko was right. Each and every person at the table was staring in their direction, eyes barely blinking. Even the people had the bar did the same, ignoring their glasses.
Turning back to his team, Naruto shivered. "Creepy."
"Ignore it," Ebisu said, seemingly unaffected. "Reactions like this one are unfortunately common in isolated regions. This is actually not the worst case I've lived through."
He then launched himself into a retelling of one of his missions deep in fire country. The people there had been even worse than the citizens of Fumoto-cho, blaming the passing ninjas for everything that had gone wrong in the last two years. It had gotten to the point where Ebisu's team faced a lynch mob, and only the fact that Ebisu's teammate Might Guy had been especially talented in knocking out adversaries instead of killing them had kept the situation from become a bloodbath.
"I get that," Muremaru said, trying to ignore the looks, "Still, it's disturbing." Ariko nodded, handing Ichibo a second carrot.
"Then, let us focus on something else," Ebisu said, putting his half-full glass of water at the center of the table, out of sight from the rest of the room. "Look here." He did a pair of hand seals, then put his hands at both sides of the glass. Nothing happened.
"Was... something supposed to happen, sensei?" Ariko asked.
"No," the special jonin replied. "But watch this."
He reached into his pockets, withdrawing a clear vial. Opening it, he let a single drop fall in the glass before putting back in its place. He then made the same set of hand seals once more, and this time, the glass shone clear blue when he put his hands on it.
"This jutsu has the following florid nickname: the poisontaster's nose," he explained. "And it is a simple one that detect dangerous components in liquids. Ninjas in bodyguard missions use it regularly, and with experience one can even learn to identify what type of poison is inside based on the color of the light. Now, your turn," he said, waving to he rest of the team.
Each of the genin tried in turn, though none managed the technique that night.
It did allow them to ignore the looks, at least.
Prank Day 176
The four of them were down at breakfast (alone, thankfully) when a man entered the inn, coming straight for them. The genin all tensed for combat, but the man stopped a few feet from the table. He was clearly old, based on the wrinkles and white hair, but was still visibly in shape. He had the tan of a person who worked long hours in the sun, and had an air of authority along that.
"I heard you were looking for me, shinobi-san?" he said, turning toward Ebisu.
"You must be the lawman, I suppose."
"Indeed," he replied with a booming voice. "I am Choujirou, and I've been placed in charge of this region by the Fire Daimyo. Call me Chouchou, everyone does." He looked at everyone. "Now what can I do for you sirs, miss?"
Ebisu stepped forward. "We have a dispatch from Konoha for you," he said, withdrawing and handing the document.
Choujiro waited no time, breaking the seal and quickly reading the missive. "I see," He finally said. "I have the requested documents in my office. Come with me; I'll get them for you."
"Team, follow!" Ebisu ordered, and the three genin rose instantly.
"No need, no need," the lawman quickly replied. "My office's not big enough for all of you anyway."
Ebisu thought for a moment, then turned to his team. "Pack everything," he said. "I want to leave as soon as I return." He made a signal offhand, one of the few he'd thought Team One. 'Keep together'.
He had a bad feeling about this, somehow.
The three genin did as ordered, gathering everything in their rooms. Muremaru took Ebisu's backpack, and the three retreated in the two male genin had used last night.
"I'm not the only one who doesn't trust this, right?" Muremaru said.
"Nope," said both Ariko and Ichibo.
Naruto shook his head. "No, I didn't like this place from the moment we got here. Anyone getting flashbacks of San no Kuni?" The clone network had already gotten a good number of updates from that region.
Both clones nodded. "There's clearly something wrong with the people. That level of silence, for so long? Not possible."
Muremaru was about to reply when Ebisu's voice rang out. "Team, to me!"
"Let's go," Naruto said, rising.
The three genin were halfway down the corridor when Ichibo whistled, before jumping intently. Ariko's eyes went wide, and she flicked two fingers at her nose. Rabbit-speak for bizarre or uncommon smell.
The three quickly took combat positions. "I don't smell anything," Muremaru said, and Naruto nodded in agreement.
The innkeeper walked out of Ebisu's room. "Your sensei's downstairs waiting," he said with a smile.
Naruto saw something wrong in that smile, and dashed forward. "What did you..." He started, only to fall on his knees short of his target. Behind him, Ariko and Muremaru fell to the ground, unconscious. "You ninjas are all the same," he man said, no longer hiding his disdain. "Always underestimating the weak." He tapped twice of his wooden leg for good measure.
Naruto tried to grab the man, but he was losing strength too fast. He left face first to the ground, and could see no more.
"I love binary poisons," was the last thing Naruto heard before he blacked out.
Late, yes, I know.
I ended up having issues with my last scene, which ended up being split into two at the last minute. So you at least get an extra scene as a bonus instead.
Next chapter is currently named 'Depravity', expected late on the last day of August.
As always, thank you for reading and have a good month!