1
The Smuggler
It was a cold wintry night. The biting wind blew harder as most Konoha residents opted to stay in the warmth of their homes rather than lose their fingers and toes in the below-freezing temperatures.
Although, as everyone knew, Naruto wasn't like most people. In fact, he quite liked the cold. It wasn't because of the weather specifically, rather it was because of the atmosphere of the village.
The streets were mostly deserted which meant he wasn't constantly bombarded with glares and whispers; the training grounds were empty which allowed him to train in the best ones there were; and most of all, he got to cuddle with his pet fawn in their 'super-secret super special awesome base' as he'd like to call it.
Tonight, however, Naruto wasn't with Kiku – his little animal friend. Instead, he decided to merely roam the streets, taking in Konoha's beauty. He usually never got to do this since he normally just wanted to get away from those mean glares as soon as possible.
A small smile graced his boyishly cute face as a snowflake landed on his nose. Snow during Konoha's winter wasn't really an uncommon sight. It fell a few times every winter, but it rarely ever piled up, much to Naruto's disappointment. He wished to one day make a snowman with lots of friends, if possible. Although he had a feeling that'd remain a distant dream even if his desire for more snow came to fruition.
As he walked through the poorer parts of town, Naruto fidgeted as he came across an ANBU checkpoint. He wasn't a stranger to these. After all, he passed one almost every day to and from his home and the Academy. What he was scared of though were the attitudes of the ANBU.
Typically, the ANBU at the checkpoints would be the usual emotionless law enforcement machines and merely waved him through without a second thought. But sometimes, they'd be like the other civilians. The 'Bad-BU' as he had called them wouldn't ever stop him at the checkpoint, but after waving him through, they'd sometimes trip him and make him fall, just to humiliate him and take their frustrations of the day out on him.
"H-Hello," he said meekly and breathed a sigh of relief as the three elite shinobi stationed there nodded at him and motioned for him to continue. Good. These are the nice ones, he thought as he happily crossed.
With a smile back on his face now Naruto continued on his way to his apartment. He reaffirmed his goal to go home and study a little bit more so that he wouldn't be the dead last again this year. He still had six years until his graduation exams, but he vowed to be the best student ever every year until he became a genin.
However, in his happy mood, the six-year-old Naruto didn't notice a person's eyes subtly observing him.
...
"Oi, Sei! Ya comin'? Or are ya too pussy to join?" came the booming voice of one of Seichi's... business partners, shall we say, from the room.
Seichi smirked as he narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Naruto Uzumaki... Like everyone else in the village, Seichi also knew exactly who, or rather, what Naruto was. Although unlike almost everyone in the village, he knew the difference between the Kyuubi and its Jinchuriki.
However, he still wondered why the Hokage let the boy roam free in the village, not to mention even join the shinobi academy. Even if the seal on the boy was probably made by the Fourth Hokage, it didn't change the fact that the container of the Kyuubi was still just a little kid. There was still the possibility that the murderous beast that was responsible for the death of thousands could break out at any minute... Right? After all, how the hell was some ink and some chakra supposed to keep a calamity at bay!?
However, Seichi couldn't help but doubt his knowledge as he witnessed how Naruto was just let go freely through the ANBU checkpoint that was meant for himself and other civilians that looked suspicious.
"Sei, you comin' or nah?" the boisterous voice of his colleague asked again.
"No," Seichi answered calmly as he rubbed the scar that stretched from his right temple to just the beginning of his neck. "You guys continue. I'll be back," he said as he stopped leaning on the window sill and made his way out the room.
It was time for another 'big dig' as Seichi called it – he would dig deep and either dig himself into a hole, or he would either hit gold. Seichi was going to take a huge risk once more, just like he had done dozens of times before. These types of huge risks were exactly how he had grown his organization to such a size. And as all risks, if this one backfired on him, the consequences would be dire, if not lethal. But if he was successful, his organization had the potential to become the largest, and maybe even the only one of its kind, in the entire Fire Country.
...
"Hey, kid!" Seichi said cheerfully, waving at the blond as he walked towards the rundown apartment building.
Naruto was just climbing the stairs when he heard the voice and halted. He turned around and eyed the stranger calling out to him warily. Naruto had learned from a young age – since all the way back in the orphanage if he remembered correctly – that kindness from strangers always came with a price.
"Me?" he asked, making sure he was the one being addressed. Any other kid wouldn't have asked that. They would've known that they were the only 'kid' in the vicinity. But Naruto was the village pariah. It was surprising that this man with a strange scar wanted to talk to him.
"I don't see any other kids around. Do you?" Seichi replied with a hint of mirth.
"I... Guess not," Naruto said with a quick glance around him. "Who are you?" he asked the man.
"You can call me Sei," Seichi said in a rare show of trust. He never gave out his real name so easily like that, but he reminded himself: high risk, high reward.
"I'm Naruto," Naruto replied with an acknowledging nod and introduced himself.
"Yeah, I know. You're quite infamous in the village," Seichi said, getting a small scowl from the blond. "But don't worry," he quickly added, holding his hands up by his shoulders in a placating manner. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Naruto still eyed him suspiciously but he was quite curious now. "What are you here for?" he asked.
Seichi smirked imperceptibly. "I'm here to offer you a job."
"A job?" Naruto asked inquisitively. "But I'm already in the Academy, and I'm gonna be an awesome shinobi!" he announced boisterously.
"I know. And that isn't a problem!" Seichi replied instantly in a cheerful tone. "What I'm offering is a part-time job that pays well and comes with benefits," he offered and smiled as he saw Naruto's curious look.
Before the blond could ask any more, Seichi continued with his enticing offer.
"Naruto, you're usually short on money, correct?" he asked seriously. Naruto's expression dropped into a troubled one and he nodded sadly. "And the store owners around the village usually also overcharge you or just straight away kick you out sometimes, right?" Seichi continued, knowing that he was hitting a nerve.
"Yeah," Naruto said in a depressed tone, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Right," he said. "Then what if I were to tell you that not only can you earn more money, but also be able to go into some stores and buy stuff at the normal price like a normal person?" Seichi asked and smiled brightly at the way Naruto jerked his head up surprised at the offer.
"R-Really?" Naruto asked, eyes as wide as ramen bowls.
"Yep! I promise!" Seichi said with an honest smile.
Naruto looked at the sky as he scratched his head with a thoughtful expression. "What is the job?" he asked, looking at Seichi again.
Hook, line, and sinker! Seichi thought. He was sure Naruto wouldn't refuse such amazing conditions even after hearing what the job entailed.
"You have to smuggle contraband through the village," Seichi said straightforwardly as he carefully observed the blond's reaction.
"HUH!?" Naruto nearly yelled with a bewildered look. "You want me to smuggle salad dressing and stuff!?"
"Eh?" Seichi said, confused at what Naruto was talking about until he realized it. "No! Not condiments! Contraband!" he said with an exasperated shake of his head.
"Ooh..." Naruto said with a thoughtful expression again before asking, "What's that?"
Seichi sighed. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.
...
A couple of hours later, in Naruto's living room, the potential employer and employee duo sat in silence.
Seichi continued calmly sipping on the surprisingly tasty tea that Naruto had made, with the blond in question sitting across from him on a dining table chair, contemplating the job offer.
"I like it," Naruto said after a long while. "I want to do the job. But I still don't know how you can say for sure that even if I get caught, they will not kick me out of the Academy or the Konoha Forces."
Seichi thought about what to tell Naruto for a second. "Naruto," he called out. "Have you ever tried asking the Hokage why everyone seems to hate you so much?" He asked.
Naruto stilled at the question. "Yeah, I have," he said, with a gloomy expression.
"And?" Seichi prompted.
"Jiji never tells me! He only says that they're all ignorant!"
"Exactly," Seichi said. "The reason I cannot tell you why I said what I said is that there is a law that says if anyone does tell you anything, they will be killed," he explained without mincing his words. At this point, the more discontent grew in Naruto's heart towards the Hokage, the better the situation would turn out for Seichi.
"W-What..." Naruto said, stuttering. "No, you're lying! Why would there be a law like that!? Jiji wouldn't do that!" he said, trying to convince himself rather than refute Seichi's words.
"Ask anyone about it. They'll all tell you the same thing," Seichi replied as emotionlessly as possible.
Naruto's arguments died down in his throat as he tried to make sense of this new information. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, what Seichi said sounded correct. Moreover, the worst part was that he couldn't even ask the Hokage about this since he would be questioned about the source of this new information and he was forbidden to tell anyone about Seichi.
"Listen, Naruto," Seichi said after a few moments of silence. "As much as I enjoy your hospitality, I really do need to leave. So I need your answer now. Are you willing to do this job or not?" he asked. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Naruto," Seichi added.
Naruto broke out of his stupor as he looked at Seichi. Ever since dodging a rock that was once aimed at him, Naruto had learned to trust his instincts. And so, that's exactly what he did this time. "Yeah! I... I'll work for you!" he exclaimed as a slow smile spread across Seichi's face.
And that was the beginning of Naruto's Criminal Empire.