As I was walking through the village, I started to formulate a plan on what exactly to do. Naturally, since I am in a cliched neglect fiction my parents are busy on the weekend. Dad has a bunch of work to do running the village and meetings and what. Mom, well she's out with my siblings do whatever. I walk to my favorite spot in the village, ironically enough it's the Hokage monument. It has a nice view of the entire village and to be honest, I miss skyscrapers. Just being able to see all the little things happening in the village. Looking down and seeing people going about their business. Looking at the busy marketplace with vendors selling food and drinks. Looking beyond the walls to the massive forest that surrounds the village.

It certainly is the village hidden in the leaves. Well, if this is going to be a standard cliché fic that should mean I find some super awesome trainer and I become incredibly strong. But I am not exactly following the curve. I was supposed to shout out at my parents for "How dare they forget about me." When to be honest, I don't give a shit. Its what happens when I suddenly find myself back into adolescents. I was a fully independent adult living away from my parents, in another country. Paying bills and cooking my own food. Not some needy little brat who felt short changed by the world, even though that is exactly what is happening.

Speaking of which, should I even become a ninja? I did have that moment last night of being all gung-ho about being a ninja. However, I could easily become a chef with my knowledge of western food. I've had to cook my own lunches when Mom takes the others out for food. And I don't exactly want to kill other people.

However, because I am the son of Minato I'm sure I'll get enemies. No, no. I have to be at least competent in fighting with ninjutsu and its either go to the Land of Iron and learn to be a samurai or take up fighting for Konoha.

Well, that solves that. Well let's see, we all just turned six so we will begin our enrollment in the Academy in April. That leaves winter to start planning. It's not like cooking could be something I do on the side anyways. Training isn't the only thing ninjas do. Jiraiya for instance likes to go to the hot springs. According to last night, Kurenai likes to do tea ceremonies. I do plan to move out as soon as I can. Not like they do much for me, but staying someplace rent free is always a huge plus.

"Fucking hell. What's the point of going back to being a kid if you have to do everything yourself too! God. The best thing about being a kid is not having to worry about what you will eat, not having to worry about what your five or ten year plan is. You just DO things."

I really needed to vent. I get the worst of both worlds honestly. Having to take care of myself like an adult and people thinking I'm not responsible so I can't do jack shit. Fucking blows man.

I slap my cheeks a couple of times.

Refocus, focus. I need to find someone to train me.

The first clue that I was in this whole mess to begin with should have been obvious.

(Last Year)

"Mom? Can I train with you, Menma, and Naruko?"

Kushina looked back with a bit of hesitation in her eyes and quickly darting back and forth.

"Sorry sweetie. Menma and Naruko need to learn to control the chakra of the fox and it's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt. Perhaps some other time."

Menma and Naruko do that silly looking sticking their tongue out and a finger below their eyelid.

I pout a little and respond "Okay..."

They snicker in the background. The little shits.

Which brings us back to the now. Who should I go for to get some extra training? I am friends with Itachi and I have gone and watch them train a few times with Shisui and Sasuke. But he is a chunin. He does have his own responsibilities and isn't he going to be pushed to join ANBU soon? At least if this was still canon, he would be. Now? Well, I'm sure I could ask them, it wouldn't hurt too much I hope. Well to ask, my body will be a complete mess after just watching them train for a little while.

Kakashi. No. He isn't as self-loathing as his cannon counterpart at this point either, but he still isn't all too friendly either. I don't see him that much either. I'm sure he is still in Anbu. Guy mentioned last night that it was "Too long since their last fight, let the sunshine of our youth explode on this wonderous night!"

Jiraiya, no. I don't have respect for those types of people. He may be a strong shinobi and an easy-going personality, but I find some of his other traits abhorrent. Plus, he spends all his time training dumb and dumber. A little prideful to be asking for seconds. That and I don't think his teaching style would mesh really well with mine. Need to learn to summon the boss toad, throw me off a cliff please. Definitely works one hundred percent of the time, sixty percent of the time.

Who else does that leave now? Oh wait. That's right. These fics usually have some OC created to solve this problem. Maybe I'll go around the training fields or into the forest and an OC will magically appear and solve all my problems. Need one of those classic old man tropes to come in and save the day and then right when I need him the most, he vanishes and leaves behind a note saying that he believes in me.

"Hah. Like that will ever happen."

Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces past, and I'm going to Ichiraku's ramen. It is delicious and because our family wracks up insane tabs, they have an ongoing bill that gets paid off weekly so I can go there without having to worry about having money on me. Plus, they're nice and talkative people and Ayame loves cooking. We hang out sometimes and I cook some food for her.

"Ah, Naruto. Always nice to see one of our number one customers here! I'll get started on your usual."

He started reheating the water. As I had come just after the lunch rush he was busy cleaning his work station.

"Thank you, magnificent bringer of sustenance, may your pockets be full of my mom's cash."

"Heh, always the dramatic." He replies as he starts to get out all the ingredients for Chashu-men, my favorite.

"Why didn't you come by with your family earlier? They were just here 30 minutes ago."

I internally sighed. Unfortunately, this was a common occurrence. Mom and Dad had taken both of them out early this morning for some extra training. Judging by the extra packet of water balloons on the table this morning I'm pretty sure they were teaching the Rasengan. Oh dear. Why start with that? That's completely dumb. It's a good chakra exercise as it is the ultimate in chakra manipulation technique but a six year old? With a deadly technique. Oh wait...this is a neglect cliché world. Parental responsibilities thrown to the wind.

"Ah, ha ha ha." I scratched the back of my head. "They had? I was off at my usual spot looking over the village and I had lost track of time."

Teuchi replied, "That so? Well you do tend to do that often. Don't make a habit out of it."

"I'll try not to."

A comfortable silence passes between us as I watch him prepare the food. Its nice looking at him cut up the ingredients like the garlic and getting the roast pork from the fridge. My mouth is already salivating.

"Dad, I just came back from a supply run. I got more Scallion, Soy Sauce, Eggs, and noodles to prepare for the dinner ru-...Naruto! You made it."

Ah Ayame. A brunette that doesn't have any special features to remember her by. Just a background character from the Naruto world that I find to be one of my favorite people to talk to. In a world where everyone is super special and can achieve amazing feats, the ordinary people I find to be interesting.

"Ayame-chan, so good to see you. How was your attempt at making Pizza? You were very excited to try."

One of the reasons why we got along so well was our love of cooking delicious food. She cooked for me and I'd cook some western style food for her. Honestly, if I could room with these two I would do so in a heartbeat. Best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

"Well..."

Oh dear. Pizza is a little difficult to get down right, and a pizza oven is non-existent in this world and neither do stove top ovens exist.

"...I couldn't get the...what did you call it again?"

"Crust?"

"Yeah, that. I couldn't get that right and so it was just some sort of cake, pie thing? It didn't look at all what you described and was soggy."

Cake, pie? Could she of made a deep-dish pizza and not realize it?

Excitedly I replied, "Can you show me!?"

"Eh?"

"As there are many types of ramen there are many types of pizza. Please show me next time!"

"Order up." Ah damnit. Now I'm in the mood for pizza. All I have now is ramen.

"Time to eat. Thanks, old man." I say with a smirk.

Still as delicious as always.

"I'll try it again when I have the free time. It's hard to get all the ingredients for..." Ayame trailed off as she returned to cleaning the dishes from the lunch rush.

Meanwhile, I am quickly slurping my way though my bowl of ramen. Just content to be around people that enjoy my presence. I am not like the Naruto that I've read about in the manga where everyone talks about me in hushed whispers. I'm just unnoticed. When I am walking with my family all around, we get people greeting us left and right. Even if it's just my mom and my siblings walking around, they still get people asking how they are and what not. They are all celebrities it seems like. Me, I don't get any of the fanfare. I just fade into the background. I'm not one of the heroes who holds back the fox. I guess to the general populace, I'm just someone who happens to look like their leader.

I head to a training field as I don't find anything else that interesting to do. I go back to my hobby of collecting lost ninja tools and trading them in for some extra money. Tomato sauce doesn't buy itself you know. I keep some of the better condition ones for myself so that I can practice with them. I sell the poorer condition ones to the blacksmiths so that they can re-forge it into something useful again. So many different, peaceful careers people can have in this world, and yet they all want to be shinobi.

I look at the training field list and look at those that are not scheduled for use that way I don't bother anyone, but those that have been used since yesterday that way I'm not going around a huge training area for nothing.

I pick one of the favorites for genin teams since they're most likely to lose their things. Training Ground Five it is then, no one for the rest of the day. Plus, it is one of the premiere courses for shuriken and kunai training.

Training Ground Five. It is a rather narrow forest area with a couple of small streams and a couple of open fields. This training ground is mainly used for its target course. Target practice is good for Academy students to learn the basic form of how to efficiently throw a kunai but when you practice from twenty paces away and throw at a stationary target. However, that doesn't translate to real world application. Who cares if you can hit the bullseye 5 times from that distance if you then can't hit a moving target because you can't predict where it will be. Or if you have to do it from a standing position and not on the run or at an odd body position. That's what this course will do.

Twenty-five target circles. All on a weekly change. Some that are easy to spot. Some that are hard to spot. Some that even require a hit through a piece of wood to hit. Some that require a shuriken to get an angle on. Created by Tobirama Senju himself, he made his students Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado train here almost daily until they were all experts. Hiruzen became well known for his shuriken jutsu. Fortunately for me, it is now used by genin who are more likely to miss and then lose their equipment in the thick brush.

Ah there's one, but it's really rusted though. Surprised I haven't found this one before. The shape is pretty dated though. This one is more designed for slicing rather than power. Wind user perhaps? I would keep it if it wasn't so worn.

I run along the course looking at all the new places the targets have gone to. This will definitely be one of the places I will go to train. Nice and quiet with a course that will test endurance and useful practice at shuriken-jutsu.

After making 3 walk throughs of the course, my tally of lost equipment is only 3 kunai and 4 shiruken. A pretty good tally as I was here earlier this week. Well, time to go to Masamune's and see what he'll take for these.

"You're not lowballing me?"

"Do you think that little of me?"

"No, but when I've come here with around this amount of material the price is more. What gives?"

Masamune sighed as he realized he is bartering with a six-year-old. "Look, Naruto. The more rust a tool has the less value it has. It is more costly to get back to a pure state. I can honestly only make a single kunai and a couple of training shiruken with this. Not to mention the Suna kunai you brought me is made from an inferior quality."

So it was a wind user's kunai. Still though, I can't buy a can of tomato sauce with this. Pizza is going to have to wait. Although, I can by bananas with this.

"Uggg. Well, you wouldn't be one to rip me off."

"You can keep the rusted kunai though. It would be too much work for it to be useable and if you can get the rust off it, it would be a decent practice tool for you."

"Thanks for the advice, what can I use to get the rust off it Masamune-san?"

"Your father should have the tools in his collection, I made sure to give him one when he buys all his tri prong kunai is bulk. Ask him."

Always at it again. Trying to get me to talk to him. He's noticed I never come in with the family. Menma and Naruko must have been here recently. Now that I think about it, they did get a new training set included in their birthday present.

Hey wait. Wait one minute here. Right in front of me is an old man. He is an OC. He is friendly to me. Is he going to be my teacher? Am I going to be a sword wielding Naruto character.

"Thanks for the advice. Sayyyyy, could you train me?" Crap. I really could of phrased that better.

"Train? Well sure, I could use an apprentice to help me out with the business."

I shook my head back and forth. "No, not like in your blacksmith business. Although interesting, I need to learn how to fight. Can you train me in that?"

He sighed. "Listen, Naruto. I'm not a ninja. I'm not a samurai either. All I do is make the weapons. Sure, I know how to use one. But I wouldn't be able to help you."

"I understand. Still, can I come by and learn the basics of what you do?"

"Yes. Always nice to see people who have an interest in my craft."

I walked out. My mind was running. He's an OC. He was supposed to say that he was a super, secret, powerful samurai who had some amazing lineage and was more powerful than the current leader of the Land of Iron. How can this be?