I walked to the Academy in somewhat of an irritated mood a week after the inaugural speech, having opted not to test into a higher grade because I wanted to pull Itachi along with me. The reason why, you ask?
PING!
[A skill has leveled up!
Chakra Cost Mastery (Passive) Lv 75 (0.01%)
Allows extremely strict control over chakra flow, allowing the user to lower the cost for jutsu by a large margin. Finely tuning chakra movement throughout the body is now second nature.
-75% CP cost for chakra-imbued skills.
Exercises Discovered – Leaf Balancing (2.5 CP/min), Tree Climbing (5 CP/min), Water Walking (7.5 CP/min), Chakra String (10 CP/min/string), Cloth Stiffening (12.5 CP/min/m2), Senbon Balancing (15 CP/min/needle).]
The damn skill was taking too long to level up! I grumbled as I shoved the sewing needles into my inventory.
To get the previous incarnation of the skill maxed out, it took me about three or so days. This time, I'd spent a week on it without eating or sleeping, just being locked up in my room all day practicing (and, initially, sleeping when my chakra got exhausted for an hour) and it advanced by only twenty-one levels! Fuck, I even sacrificed my allotted Naruto-time! I was missing the tyke like crazy!
And it was only going to get harder as the skill reached max level. This was so unfair!
Well, actually no. I sighed as my mind redirected my thoughts to exactly why. Normal shinobi don't advance chakra control so quickly. Normal shinobi would have their natural skill degradation rate against them, and they'd have to be overcoming that, as well as practice to keep up their current control level. I don't have that disadvantage because of a particular perk.
[Gamer's Body] had its pros and cons. The advantages of living in the body of a game character were many – I didn't have to eat or sleep, once I learned something, it would stay at that level no matter what, sleeping removed any diseases or injuries from me and replenished my health and chakra, and I didn't feel pain as normal people did since it vanished almost instantly. However, the flip side of the coin was pretty large too – I couldn't increase my strength or train my balance as normal people do, I couldn't study to increase my memory power or play games to train my mind to think better either, and I couldn't get hurt. While the first two detriments I could deal with, it was the last one that peeved me most.
I wasn't worried about a summoning contract since I didn't wanna be that guy who brings in a building tall dragon to devastate the battlefield or something, so no love lost there. But no blood meant a lot of suspicions since I already am under a keen microscope. How would a medical evaluation of me go? They'd try to draw out blood using a syringe, but would it actually come out? Would the damage just go to my HP bar and the needle be forcibly ejected? Would the needle sink into my skin at all?
Thankfully they aren't essential… or so I think, I'm not quite sure.
Argh! The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get. Thankfully, I had already leaped my way to the Academy, so I took a breath to settle myself and walked into the building proper. There was a student's list posted on the wall, one that showed which class I was going to be in, and it seemed I'd be sharing it with more than two clan members.
Itachi and Shishito's daughter (the only Yamanaka listed at all, named Mai) were in my class, yes, but along with them, there was a Kurama Kitsuna, a Nara Biko, and a Hyuuga Hideki. How amusing. It seems I already know what the teams are going to be, although that second one would be a strange combination indeed. A genjutsu user, a strategist, and a taijutsu specialist…? Actually, that sounds like a great idea! That team would be fearsome as fuck if they worked out the kinks!
Too bad I'm here.
I shrugged and began to make my way to class. I passed on the edge of every other child's notice, simply because I had worn such clothes – a dull green full-sleeved hoodie which was currently up, grey leggings, and black boots. I was not going to wear sandals just because Kishimoto loved to draw toes, thank you very much. Thankfully, I got the clothes as rewards from bonus objectives, and they were all muted dull colors. The only other things I got from bonus objectives were a sheaf of chakra paper (for which I had a plan), an ancient-looking old pocket-watch that remarkably still worked, and a pack of playing cards. For the other objectives, I'd received simple ryo. Currently, I had exactly a thousand one hundred and seventy-nine ryo in my money wallet. I hadn't actually gone shopping for anything, too busy training my control this week, but I did resolve to get it done sometime this week… right alongside working out a faster way to get my control to level up. I couldn't wait as long as it required me to! Getting my control to ninety-nine percent was looking like a real possibility now, and then leveling up my chakra-using skills would be much easier! It was a long-term investment, yo!
My class was located on the ground floor itself, but a few steps away from the entrance, so finding 1-A wasn't that hard.
It seems I was also a tad early to arrive.
Neither Itachi nor Mai was present. But who I could safely say was the Nara was lazing on the last bench, and there was a depressed looking brown-haired boy in the front row. They both looked up when I walked in, and one appeared curious while the other seemed to… recognize me?
As I made my way towards the center of the classroom (projecting an average outlook; not slacking and not too attentive nor eager to please) the brown haired boy got up and made his way towards me.
"Excuse me, might you be Gundan?" he asked, and fucking hell, even his voice sounded completely depressing.
"I might be." I allowed, turning to offer him a wry smile. "Who's asking?"
The boy stared blankly at me for a moment before the metaphorical light bulb seemed to go off. "I am Kurama Kitsuna. A pleasure to meet you. You may not know me, but my father who owns a joke shop spoke highly of you."
"Ah, you're Joka oji-san's kid?" I asked, smiling. I completely forgot that I have a level eight, i.e. friendly, reputation with six shinobi clans in the village. "Nice to meet you."
"Father allows you to call him 'oji-san'?" Kitsuna asked, voice providing no inflection whatsoever. In fact, his voice is what I imagined Professor Binns from Hogwarts to be like. "How unusual."
"Um… we spoke a lot while I helped him." I offered, gesturing to a seat on the same center bench as I was, and I took the other. There were three seats to a bench, and I knew who I wanted on the other side. "How is he these days? Does he require more help at the shop?"
"Not at all. With your aid, the clan's shop was able to bounce back from a record low in our sales in all our years being a part of Konoha." The boy spoke. Dear god, his voice was bugging me, though. I think it was only [Gamer's Mind] that allowed me to keep my cool. "Because our business has boomed, we were able to secure a deed to a building in Tanzaku Gai, hoping to expand. It seems that in the wake of such tragedy, the populace desired something to uplift their spirits."
This… was odd. Wasn't the Kurama clan almost extinct by the time Naruto was fifteen? "I am glad to know that… I… helped." I trailed off because HOLY FUCK I just altered history for the first time! At least… I think so. Just by doing simple shop-quests, the butterfly flapped its wings and now we have a clan well on their way to becoming well-established, again! Wow. "If there is anything else I can do, please let me know."
"Our clan head would like to speak to you." Kitsuna dropped the bomb. "I know not why, but I am certain I can guess. I would request you to accompany me to our compound after the Academy has let out for the day, Gundan-san."
"Of course. And please, call me Gundan." I replied easily, offering my hand. "I hope we become friends."
The boy was silent for a few moments before he took my hand. "Then you must call me Kitsuna; I also hope for the same."
In spite of Kitsuna's monotonous droning voice, we managed to hold a conversation about menial things. Apparently, he didn't know I was an orphan. I also didn't know that his mother was dead. While we spoke, I took the time to discretely scan him.
[Kurama Kitsuna – Level 9
HP – 120
CP – 270
Constitution - 2
Strength - 3
Agility - 6
Intelligence - 27
Luck - 5
Wisdom - 34
Kurama Kitsuna is a member of the Kurama Clan who has inherited their kekkei-genkai. Having lost his mother at a very young age, he grew up jaded and adopted an unflappable demeanor… to the extreme. He looks forward to being a ninja in order to raise his clan to the height of their greatness again.]
PING!
[Scan has leveled up! MAX level reached!
Scan (Active) Lv MAX (100.0%)
Allows the user to understand the world around him by taking a closer look.
Choose an evolution path:
Mild PsychometryYou understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the inanimate, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the past of the object you touch.
Mild TelepathyYou understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the living, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the mind of the person you are observing.
ExamineAttuned to neither the inanimate nor the living, your scrying skills allow you to see limited information on both classes.]
Holy FRICKING SHIT WHAT?! I could become a telepath?! Or a … person with psychometry?! I should have leveled this skill up sooner! Wait, did this mean that every single skill in the world could evolve into something awesome?!
Okay, wait. Wait. Let's calm down here, okay? Let's weigh the benefits and risks of each, draw out a carefully calculated analysis, and choose the best for my ninja career.
Screw that shit! I know what I'm choosing!
PING!
[Skill evolved!
Mild Telepathy (Active) Lv 6 (0.00%)
You understand the world around you by taking a closer look. Attuned to the living, your scrying skills now allow you to see into the mind of the person you are observing.
300 CP per second while looking into someone's mind .]
… Crap. That cost was way too damn high! Since my [Chakra Cost Mastery] already cut off seventy-five percent of all chakra costs, this meant the original cost was… 1200 CP?
I'm so glad I started my self-imposed shinobi training with chakra control.
Anyway, so I can't really use the telepathy part quite so soon, at least until I finish up my control training. It was already priority one, but now it just got all the more important. This skill could give me an unprecedented advantage! The Sharingan allowed one to predict movements… but what about predicting strategies? Predicting decisions? Being informed beforehand that you were walking into a trap?
And I don't even need Yamanaka jutsu for it. Wait. Was it something similar?
"-undan-kun?"
My attention snapped back to reality, and I almost immediately felt horrible. I forgot that I was having a conversation when faced with the possibility of reading people's minds! Well, I wasn't feeling all that guilty, but they say that feeling is believing, so. Plus, the lass sounded pretty abuzz, so I had been thinking for a while. Crap.
I sighed and turned to apologize to Kitsuna before anything else. "I'm sorry, Kitsuna. It's just… I often wonder what my life would be like if… certain people had lived, you know?" I said, not wanting to elaborate in front of a stranger.
[Wordplay successful!]
The boy simply nodded, his expression not shifting in the slightest. If it weren't for my notification, I wouldn't even know it worked! That's… honestly pretty useful. I wonder if my [Gamer's Mind] was a toggle-based ability, would it work like that?
That done, I turned to the person who spoke, who turned out to be none other than Yamanaka Mai. At her side stood none other than Uchiha Itachi. While Mai looked a bit uncertain, Itachi was looking at me with… understanding? What the fuck? "I apologize. I have been a bit out of it today. Could you please repeat what you said?"
Mai seemed to gather herself at that and spoke much more confidently next. "I just said 'hello', Gundan-kun. Mother and uncle speak quite highly of you."
I tilted my head. "Uncle?"
"Uncle Inoichi." She clarified, and this cemented that her mother was actually the sister of the current Yamanaka Clan head. "He said you helped out a lot around our shop right after the Kyuubi attack."
I offered her a wane smile. "Ah, yes. Yamanaka flowers… forgive my phrasing, but I'll be glad to be as far away from the greenhouse behind your shop as possible."
She chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, kaa-chan told me about what happened between you and fluffy. I'm really sorry about that."
I blinked. "You named a corrosive-sap-dripping plant fluffy?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "Ah… yes… by the way, this is Uchiha Itachi. His mother and my own were on a team together." She said, lackadaisically gesturing to the future prodigy and unsung hero at her side.
I turned on the charms and smiled. "Ah, yes. We saw each other during the inauguration speech. Pleased to formally meet you." I turned and gestured towards Kitsuna. "This is Kurama Kitsuna."
"A pleasure." He droned. I had to suppress a grin when his tone of voice cause Mai to almost double-take.
"Pleasure to meet you as well." Itachi quietly spoke, bowing a little. How formal! And chibi Itachi was totally cute. Between Naruto and him, though, there would be no contest. "Please take care of me."
"Eh, something tells me we're all going to be buddy-buddy pretty soon." I shrugged. "It'll be fun to see who'll be placed with whom when we graduate."
"That's four years from now, though." Mai sighed. "Honestly, aren't we all a bit young to be in the Academy? Itachi and I are five. Gundan is three. And… how old are you, Kitsuna-san?"
"I am seven." The Kurama replied, eyes still showing nothing.
"And I'm five." My face twisted into a fragile smile. "I'm just small for my age."
Itachi seemed to find this amusing if the small smile he showed was any indication.
"Ah… well…" I didn't even need telepathy to know that she was feeling awkward. Did her mom put her up to this? "I'm just happy we have four years to graduate. It will give us time to get used to all the ninja stuff."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, mentally slipping into planning mode. Here was my first chance to convince these people to graduate with me. "Can we not graduate before that?"
"We can." Itachi agreed. Oh, wait, he did graduate in two years when compared to the standard four, so I guess he must have looked this stuff up. "However, we must prove to be far beyond the year in which we wish to pass onto. There are quarterly exams allocated for this purpose, but rarely are they taken."
"Good." I nodded. "I aim to graduate within a year."
Silence.
"I- isn't that too fast?" Mai asked, tone filled with dread. Odd. If I wanted to graduate, why was she so… oh wait. If her mother put her up to talk with me, she probably wants her to be on my team as well. Good grief, I was going to subject this girl to great exhaustion… indirectly, of course. "I mean, we do have four years to go at our own pace…"
While simultaneously thinking how to best spin this, I spoke. "I know. But still, I want to become a ninja as soon as possible, and the soonest that I can do it is a year."
"Why?" It was Kitsuna who spoke this time, and even though he showed nothing, I could tell he was interested in my answer. "What reason is behind your urgency?"
"Well…" I 'sighed', "during the Kyuubi attack, we were quite out of the way, but one of the windows in the orphanage showed a direct view of the beast. It was… it was massive. It destroyed buildings just by flinching or flicking one of its giant tails. I had a front row seat to all that chaos; well, as much as I could while being safely out of harm's way."
Silence.
"After the attack, I walked around the village and… I saw all the consequences. The livelihoods destroyed, the lives lost, the… the sheer…" I gulped. "I don't want that to happen to anyone again. I want to be a strong ninja who takes care of problems from the shadows so that others don't have to."
The three others still did not speak.
"I mean, I tried to do my best, you know." I laughed a shaky laugh. "I couldn't just walk up to homes and ask if they wanted help without appearing odd, so I went to all the stores instead. I tried to do my best to help people get back on their feet but… it's not all I can do. I can do more… I can be more… so that the next time someone needs my help, I can be better prepared to deal with it before anything is lost at all."
Itachi nodded at that. Never before this moment had I regretted not watching the Naruto extras. If I knew what happened during his Shinden, maybe I could know what was going on through his mind… and I can't even use [Mild Telepathy] to tell since I don't have enough chakra for the cost that the skill demands. "That… is a sound reason."
"I agree." Kitsuna said, and for once his face wasn't empty. He was looking at his hands as if he had seen them for the first time. "I… did not think of it that way before. The faster we become a ninja and grow stronger, the faster we can accomplish our goals."
I turned to Mai, who was looking at me with teary eyes. Ouch, did I lay it on too thick? "That's why I want to be a ninja as soon as I can. So that I can bear the burdens that no one else should."
There was a PING in the background, but I ignored it because it was at this point that I realized that we were in pin drop silence. I looked around and saw that… everyone was looking at me. Ugh! Quickly ducking my head, I opted to fiddly with my sleeves instead. "So… um…"
I was eternally grateful to whatever god ruled my afterlife that a Chunin seemed to enter the room without much fanfare. "Hello students, I'm so sorry I'm late for your first… day…" he trailed off, looking confusedly at the class, who had now turned to stare at him with the same wide-eyes expressions they were giving me a moment ago. "I… I did apologize…"
For being that start of the ninja academy for my peers, the class was oddly silent that day. No one raised their hands to answer a question from the teacher, and even lunch was subdued. I felt mildly shitty for bringing the ambiance of their first day down like that, but hey, if I wanted what I want to happen to happen, I've gotta just not give a fuck about what the other mites think. Besides, I haven't even heard of any of these people, save Itachi, throughout the Naruto series at all. Either they become an unremarkable ninja, or they die. I hope it was the latter, because if it was the former then WHAT?
How does one take an affinity for tactics and spin that into one's death? Genjutsu that can inflict damage in reality – that alone is a super OP skill, far more than most bloodlines. And the ability to read someone else's mind and posses them? How do people ever turn into a mediocre ninja with skills like those?
Eh, I may be being too harsh on them. After all, there are clans full of people with the same inclinations, right? To rise above that, you'd either need strong convictions or a second bloodline. Hmm…
Right now, thinking of anything to get me out of this boredom would be welcome, harsh or not. Given that the Academy had four years to drill how to be a shinobi into the minds of impressionable children, the syllabus was laughably easy. Year one opened the doors, so to speak – aptitude tests, language, math, tactical planning, and chakra theory were what we were going to be studying. Year two broadened our horizons – higher-grade language, harder math, basic science, village laws and economics, and advanced chakra theory would be learned. Year three would begin to delve into the practical side of things by offering taijutsu training, ninjutsu classes, genjutsu escaping, bukijutsu throwing practice, and chakra control in addition to teaching us the basic sealing dialect, and a little something on every single hidden village currently in existence. The last year would include a revision of everything done in the past before the rest of the year is spent to refine techniques while mixing in the history of Konoha.
Knowing that I totally sympathize with Naruto skipping the crap out of his classes. The Academy Syllabus wouldn't even take me a month to learn! I'm sure Itachi already knows his stuff – but why he would stay behind for an entire extra year is a mystery…. Ugh, I should have scanned him when I had the chance!
Regardless, the day ended without much fanfare. Remembering Kitsuna's request, I accompanied his fast gait out of the Academy and into Konoha, waving back at Mai who waved at me when I departed.
We took the shorter route, none of us wanting to initiate a conversation since we were more than comfortable to remain in silence. Eventually, though, I began humming a song as I stared at the setting sun.
"That song sounds… different."
I almost stumbled, too far away in my thoughts to be snapped into attention like that so abruptly. "I beg your pardon?"
"We of the Kurama clan are gifted with instruments." Kitsuna elaborated, eyeing me with that same monotone gaze. "We find ourselves easily picking up an instrument which we wish to learn, and, in the past, would perform at the local theatre. After all, playing an instrument holds many benefits for ninja such as ourselves. I, too, play the flute. I can confidently say I have never heard a tune such as that."
Ah… I'm pretty sure dubstep isn't as widespread in the elemental nations as it was in my world… which is to say, at all. "It's just a tune I hum to myself when I am bored."
"It feels as though it is missing something." He spoke, blinking. "Perhaps the pitch is too high…?"
"I think it requires a solid beat." I offered, wondering how we ended up talking about music of all things. "I repetitive beat in sync with the melody, but with a large difference in pitch… possibly even on the opposite side of the scale."
"An interesting concept." He spoke, right as we nonchalantly walked onto the much emptier roads of the Shinobi District. There were kids out and about, and a couple of adults, but very few in number. "Perhaps, one that requires investigation?"
"In my free time, sure." I shrugged. I was missing a couple of my tunes, anyway. "However, I doubt I will have much of it, considering."
"Yes. You wish to graduate in a year… a feat only accomplished by as many ninja as there are fingers on my hand." He spoke, turning back to look at the road.
I smirked. "Hey, if they can do it, why can't I? Besides, the syllabus sounds far too easy."
"If the syllabus is, in actuality, far too easy for you, perhaps I am currently speaking with a future Hokage…?" he trailed, voice devoid of inflection. In spite of my earlier reservations, though, it didn't really bother me much.
Shaking my head vehemently, I waved my hands for emphasis as I replied. "Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how much paperwork is heaped onto the poor guy who takes the hat? The whims he has to cater to, and the images he has to uphold? And he must answer to the Daimyo, the horror! Or even a she, I'm not really discriminating. Plus, having all that responsibility on one's shoulders is bound to be exhausting. I want to help people because I want to, not because I'm supposed to."
He did not react much to my passionate rant. "I see."
I sighed almost dreamily. "I'll probably end up like one of the Densetsu no Sannin. Uber powerful, but free to do as they wish."
"A high bar. Meeting such an expectation will require hard work." He commented.
"Of course." I nodded. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
We lapsed back into silence after that. Since individual clan compounds were so big, the tall walls that surrounded them seemed to extend on for a long time, with only wide gates interrupting the long stretches of tall white walls, guarded by one or two clan-members. All of them tried to eye me nonchalantly, but I didn't react. When we passed by the Inazuka Clan compound, though, one of the guards actually oversaw my work at the pet store, and we waved at each other and offered a grin. The guy was pretty fun.
The Kurama Clan compound was actually on a hill, since star-gazing was another skill the clan cultivated. No one guarded the gates, and there were few houses, a testament to the fact that the clan had precious few members in the active ninja force, or even in population. How depressing. The clan head's house was no grander than the rest, and even painted a common brown and red.
Respectfully removing our footwear outside, we made our way in after Kitsuna knocked on the door.
It seemed, however, that we were interrupting something. The man who had to be the clan head was sitting calmly at a table, having tea and some form of snack. A woman around his age was pouring him a cup when we made our way in.
"Ah, Kitsuna-kun! Come in, come in! Would you like some senbei?" he jovially asked, face devoid of deceit or calculation. I knew better than to believe people at face value, so I observed him.
[Kurama Katsuhiko – Lv?
CON - ?
STR - ?
AGL - ?
INT - ?
LCK - ?
WIS - ?
?]
Well, that was useful.
"No, thank you, Katsuhiko-sama." Kitsuna, who I could safely say was my friend at this point, politely said. "As requested, I have brought along Gundan. He is, indeed, in my year of the Academy."
"How many times must I tell you to call me uncle?" Katsuhiko almost whined.
"There, there, dear." His… wife, I think, patted his shoulder. "Not everyone can be as irreverent of social niceties as you.
"I'm being bullied by my wife." He bemoaned, then shook his head and looked at me, beaming. "Ah, so this is the Gundan-kun I've been hearing so much about! Come on, you two, have a seat!"
I pulled my hood down and took the offered chair, blinking when the wife placed a cup of tea in front of me with a smile. "Would you like some senbei? It is from the Uchiha shop."
Oh crap, I totally forgot that there was an Uchiha shop too! Only that it was in their clan compound, which meant I wouldn't have been able to access it anyway. "Thank you, ma'am." I accepted, not wanting to give rise to a faux-pas. "You are very generous."
"So polite!" she gushed, reaching forward to pull at my cheeks. "And so cute! You look like a mini Niidaime!"
"Now, now, Kiko, don't rip his cheeks in two." Katsuhiko laughed. "You take a seat, too!" he turned to me before continuing. "Ever since we learned that you were instrumental in bringing in customers at the shop, we've been wanting to speak with you. You're the reason our clan is rising from the ashes again, as it were!"
"I only did a few menial tasks." I weakly protested. Casting a glance at Kitsuna, I internally screamed betrayal when he seemed to not regard me at all. Such a traitor!
"Ah, but you see, that is where the beauty of the situation lies." The clan head explained, pulling the tray closer for his wife to serve herself when she sat. "Allow me to explain. While our clan really does have the best kekkei-genkai" here Kiko rolled her eyes, "in the elemental nations, we've always had something of a… lack of… when it comes to spirit. It doesn't help that almost all of our active-ninja clan members were killed when the Kyuubi attacked."
"My condolences." I offered.
He waved me off. "Worry not. Due to the reputation of our clan's ability being a double-edged sword, we didn't have that much of an income anyway, since our members usually were on the reserve roster. This discouraged us from trying to be active ninja. In fact, almost all of the females and few of our males were once Jonin and Chunin of Konoha. But… seeing that we weren't really… relied on by the public, let's say, we chose to retire."
"What does me working at the shop have to do with how people see you?" I asked innocently, although I knew where this was going.
I think he knew that I knew too, because his eyes were positively twinkling. Because of your presence at our shop, people who saw you seemed to think less of us as monsters ready to snap at a moment's notice, and more of a harmless sort. The sales at the shop since you were spotted there have actually reached a record high! And only last week, a clan member of ours was requested for a mission specifically by the Hokage!" he beamed.
Ah. Um… no actually what? Why would me working there led to the Hokage asking a clan member for a mission? Was he …?
Was he trying to see why I was interested in the clan?
"In short, many of our clan members have taken to thinking of you as an omen of good fortune." Kiko spoke, sipping her tea delicately. "I was skeptical at first, but the numbers really do speak for themselves. Many of our retired members" here she offered a pointed look at her husband "are actually switching back to the ninja lifestyle after last week's request. What's more, we're practically being welcomed with open arms."
"Our clan wanted to thank you as a whole." Katsuhiko said, smiling. "We were hoping…"
"Katsuhiko…" his wife spoke, warning in her tone. I involuntarily gulped.
"Ah, of course not dear, not that." He chuckled weakly. "We were hoping we could offer you something as thanks…?"
I took a long sip of tea to think. Okay, here was a chance for me to get something, almost for free, actually. What could I ask that may actually be of use? They were a clan of genjutsu users! An awesome one, but still… there's nothing that they could give me that I can't find on my own, and I don't want to come off as a greedy brat by asking.
But… these were people. Who knew whether they were a figment of my imagination or fellow human souls trapped in my own afterlife, but as they were now, they were people to me. If I played my cards right, I could deal with a few upcoming issues right now.
"Before I ask my request… I would like to know something." I 'hesitated', squashing the urge to poke my index fingers together as that would be too Hinata. "How are your relations with the Uchiha Clan?"
Katsuhiko blinked. "The… Uchiha clan?" he repeated, as if not sure why I brought them up. "Why, we used to be bitter rivals, once upon a time." He sighed, eyes drifting to something far away. "The Senju, Uchiha, Hyuuga, Kaguya, and Kurama clans were bitter enemies ever since the warring era. Wherever our clans would clash, you could be certain most of our combatants would perish in the battle that followed, such was our rivalry. In fact, we tended to stay away from each other just to preserve our numbers."
That piqued my curiosity. "Is that so…? Then, to have almost all of them under one village…"
"Such was the might of Shodaime-sama." He smiled. "It is said that he, with Uchiha Madara at his side, took on the other three clan heads in direct combat, and emerged victorious. While the Kaguya took it as a personal insult and vowed to never join Konoha, the other two clans say wisdom in his words – that a village with out combined might may just be capable of bringing about peace so that none of our children would grow facing life as we did, once." He sighed. "Now, it seems that his legacy is all but lost. There have been almost as many wars as there have been Hokage, the Senju are all but extinct, and our clans… are not doing so well."
I had many questions brimming in my mind but stayed my tongue. I had all the time in the world to find the answers I want. "Then… you respect each other?"
"Of course!" the man answered almost immediately. "We may have hated each other, but the powers we wield… in fact, when there is are any number of our clan children in the academy, it is customary for them to be put in a team together. We also help each other out when we have clan disputes with another clan, or when personal issues are involved."
"Then why won't you help them now?" I asked, 'curious'.
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Pardon me, Kurama-sama, but you cannot be as blind as that question implies." I spoke, making a small show of clenching my fists in anger. "In my years in the orphanage, I have heard of the Uchiha legacy. The civilians fear them. The shinobi are weary of them. I even overheard that the Niidaime handed control of the Police Force over to them so that there would be less of them in the active ninja roster and be easier to monitor. I don't know whether that's true or not, but can't you see what this means?"
A frown was slowly replacing the jovial smile he had on since I came in, something that was being reciprocated on his own wife's visage.
"They are slowly being pushed out." I breathed 'weakly', wrapping my hands around myself. "Because of my hair in the orphanage, I know what it feels like to be bullied, or worse… overlooked. Treated as something less than normal because of something I can't control." I shivered. "I can only thank the gods above that I had Aoi oba-san and Mika oba-san, as well as the other orphanage staff, who took care of me. But… what about the Uchiha? Who do they have? The Hyuuga most certainly do not share your respect of them – this much I can say from what history has shown me alone. The Senju are not here anymore to lighten their days. If the village keeps pushing them away… keeps alienating them… what do you think is going to happen?"
For the second time today, silence was brought about by my words. I heard a few PINGs in the background but ignore it flat out.
"I want to protect people from the shadows so that others don't have to do the things I no doubt one day will." I said, reaffirming what I had made up on the spot in the Academy. "If you think you must repay me at all, I have only one request. No… I beg you." I said, rising from my chair and bowing very, very low. "Please help the Uchiha clan feel welcome. Please… make Konohagakure no Sato home for them again. Please, because I can't do it myself."
Actually, I was pretty sure I can. My wordplay was already quite levelled, and the amount of influence I already carried in Konoha, even in my small, five-year-old body, was frightening in and of itself. It would be a breeze to talk up the Uchiha Clan and get them back on the pedestal they were before the Tobirama's rule. But that's not all I wanted. I wanted the clan to form bonds with people here in the village. Not just me, hell, not even just the Kurama Clan. I want them to be close to everyone in the village, so that people like Danzo couldn't take advantage of them needlessly.
Don't get me wrong, I respect the dude. Fuck, who knew the amount of work he put into actually ensuring Konoha remained free from harm? But the way he went about it was too… I wouldn't know how to describe it, honestly. It wasn't heinous, because this was a world where five or six-year-olds were given licenses to kill. It wasn't merciless, because there were far worse entities than him, like Zetsu. I guess it just wasn't palatable by my standards.
It apparently remained silent while I was thinking, because it was broken when Katsuhiko spoke. "You… have given me a lot to think about, Gundan-kun." He said, tone distracted. "But… I can honestly say that I accept your request."
I straightened with my best smile. "Thank you, Katsu oji-san!"
That seemed to snap him out of it because he beamed and reached forward to ruffle my hair. "There, at least someone knows when to drop the formalities."
"Men." Kiko sighed.
I stayed for a cup of tea with the clan head. This time when we spoke, Kitsuna joined in as well, offering monotone comments on our topic of conversation. Kiko slyly looked at him with sympathy a few times, so I guess everyone knew exactly why he was talking like this and were trying to help. I fleetingly contemplated trying to find out why, but then I shrugged it off. If he wanted to tell me, he would, someday.
Soon after, Kitsuna was walking me back to the Clan Compound gates.
"You are an odd person." He said bluntly after we wore our respective footwear and began walking. "Where most would look for their own gain, you look for that of others."
I shrugged. "I told you my goals, Kitsuna. I'll do anything to see this village prosper as it should – like a family." Yeah… right. I just didn't want innocents to end up dead. Or worse, used as a spare-Sharingan free-for-all. "Would you fault me for following my own dream?"
"I do not fault you for it." He said, eyes facing straight forward. "It is simply strange. You could have asked for a genjutsu, you could have asked for a share of profit, you could have asked for many things other than what you did. I am almost certain that if you spoke of your request afterward, Katsuhiko-sama would still consider it."
"Those are nothing I can not obtain on my own." I smirked. "Genjutsu is an interesting art, but I'm not looking to be an illusionist, so it's rendered moot. I can earn money on my own. As for the last, nothing is more important to me than my dream." Of stopping the very possibility of Kaguya being revived before she ever even is.
He looked at me intensely, as if weighing my worth. Then, he turned to the gates. "I hope to find you in good health tomorrow, Gundan."
"I'll probably be up and early at the library, so if you find yourself there before time, then you can join me if you wish." I said, offering a salute as I turned and made my way home. "See you tomorrow!"
I thought I heard him whisper something faint behind me, but since I didn't have my [Eavesdropping] skill on, I didn't catch it and shrugged it off.
I turned to look at the various alerts I had gathered.
[Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up!
Wordplay has leveled up! MAX level reached!
Wordplay (Passive) Lv MAX (100.0%)
Allows the user to twist words effectively.
25% chance of working.
-5% chance of working for every five levels the target is beyond you.
+15% chance of working for every positive REP with target.
Choose an evolution path
CompelThe commands you speak drill themselves into the target's mind, forcing them to do as you will. However, this is not infallible, and the target will remember your actions if compelled.
Silver-tongueYour mastery with words allows you a greater chance to persuade targets, allowing them to see your view of thinking and, more often than not, gently tugging them onto your path.]
Okay. Did the system just try to hand me complete control over people around me? Tempting, but honestly, even a one percent chance that it could backfire on me is something I don't want to take.
My choice was obvious.
[A skill has evolved!
Silver-tongue (Passive) Lv 51 (0.00%)
Your mastery with words allows you a greater chance to persuade targets, allowing them to see your view of thinking and, more often than not, gently tugging them onto your path.
26% chance of working.
-5% chance of working for every five levels the target is beyond you.
+15% chance of working for every positive REP with target ]
Sweet! Now it added a whole percent chance to success rates! If I maxed this now, I'd be unstoppably charismatic-
Oof!
"I'm so so… rry?"
I blinked, not sure what my eyes were seeing was true. I internally smacked myself when I realized that, yes, at this point in time she should be alive.
[Hyuuga Hitomi – Lv ?]
The woman in front of me could only be described as an angel. She had bright purple hair that fell down to her waist, pale Hyuuga-like skin, and a sense of brightness that she exuded, like a miasma of happiness. Even her uniform inactivate Byakugan eyes didn't seem as cold as I would have thought they would in reality, but they felt super weird, lemme tell you.
"It's not a bother, young one." She spoke, a melodious tilt to her voice as she smiled kindly down at me. "Are you well?"
"I... I guess I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going, Hyuuga-sama. My apologies." I quickly tacked on, bowing. This seemed to placate the vibrating mass of fury at her side, who was holding a basket of fresh apples. He was tilted with, [Hyuuga Mo – Lv ?].
"Please pay attention to where you walk." He bit out, eying me with disdain. Yes, his eyes were something I'd imagine on a Hyuuga – cold and far from sympathizing. "You may have cause harm to Hinata-sama."
I blinked, and then looked at Hitomi closely. True to form, a gurgling little bundle of happiness was babbling away, titled [Hyuuga Hinata – Lv 1].
I couldn't stop myself from whooping. "She is adorable!"
Hitomi actually laughed, drawing me out from my fanboying. "Indeed, she is. Say hello to the young man, little Hinata." She cooed, lifting her daughter's hand for her to make her wave at me.
Hinata looked at me and gurgled the sort of gibberish that only babies understood, reaching out for me. Chibi Hinata was just too adorable for words. Just like chibi Naruto. Would Sasuke be so as well? Damn Asian babies, making me feel the cuteness. I'm supposed to be a ninja, not a pseudo-mother-hen!
"Would you like to hold her?" Hitomi asked, eyeing me strangely. I couldn't spend the time to decipher her expression as I was currently extremely surprised.
So was Mo, apparently. "Hitomi-sama, I don't think-"
"I believe it will be fine, Mo." The lady waved him off, turning to look at me with kind eyes and offering me her just-born daughter.
Carefully, slowly, I grasped Hinata tightly and pulled her to my chest. "Who's the pretty little baby?" I cooed, making funny faces. The little one seemed to like that, giggling and tugging on my hair. "You're just like Naruto, aren't you?"
"Is this 'Naruto' your brother, little one?" Hitomi asked, pulling me once again from my little spiel. Dammit, the cuteness was just too damn strong! I absently noticed that Mo seemed like he sucked on an unusually sour lemon.
"Um… no, Hyuuga-sama. He's a little ball of hyperactive energy who was just only admitted into the orphanage." I explained, turning to look back at Hinata, who seemed to be looking at my hair as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world. On that note, I also need a haircut – I hate having to maintain long hair. "I think of him as my brother, though. When I become a strong enough ninja, I will adopt him."
The woman hummed. "So, you will be joining the Academy in a few years, then?"
"I already have." I smiled, a little peeved that my stat investments still meant that I was shorter than normal and a tad too thin for my age. "The first year, although that will change soon. The curriculum is so dreadfully boring…"
"Oh my." She laughed. This sound seemed the get Hinata's attention again, and she reached out for her mother. Carefully, I handed her over, and she instantly began to pat around her face. I couldn't exactly blame her, Hitomi was beautiful in an unnatural sort of way. "I hope to see you sometime. Little Hinata has not warmed up to many of our members in our compound, and I would be happy to have someone new join her circle."
Internally, I was confusedly cheering. I was just a no-name orphan. Why was she extending what was basically an offer of friendship on behalf of her daughter? "I would be honored, Hyuuga-sama."
She smiled warmly, freeing a hand to ruffle my hair. Damn, even that felt warm. Now that I think of it, even when Katsuhiko ruffled my hair it felt… nice. I wonder if it's because I didn't have much positive attention during my life. "Call me Hitomi oba-san, if you wish. I am not one to stand much on formalities."
"A- ah." I stuttered, a little thrown off at a Hyuuga being so nice. Maybe this was where Hinata got her innate kindness from. "Pleased to meet you. I am Gundan."
She stood up straighter. Damn, I didn't even notice when she bowed a little to be more at my level! "Gundan-kun. It has been a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps we will see you at the compound next week?"
"Sure." I offered and waved at her as she walked passed me, heading to the Kurama Clan Compound. Mo shot me a curiously disdainful look over his shoulder, and they both soon devolved into whispers after they were past my hearing range. I wish I could hear what they were saying.
I shrugged but then turned to walk back out of the Shinobi district. This was undoubtedly an effect of my [LCK] stat. Charming the Kurama Clan head and the Hyuuga matriarch in a single day? The odds were slim to none. Damn, but was that an investment or what?
However, my objectives just got a bit shuffled. Hanabi was about five years younger than Hinata, which means she's born after the Kumo kidnapping attempt that will occur in four years. I am not sure when Hitomi died, or how, but it has gotta be after then. Keeping her alive just became important – her presence was uplifting; I wonder if her loss is what made the clan devolve into statues of propriety. A living Hitomi would mean a somewhat better Hyuuga clan. Who knows what changes her continued existence would bring? Plus, Hinata deserves a loving living mother.
As I thought out my objectives in a more linear manner, I was already in my room at the Orphanage and working away at chakra control. As they were, it was easy to compartmentalize and focus on each and the best way to proceed with them.
First came killing Danzo. I don't know how he keeps Konoha afloat, but I'm sure Shikaku can handle Root until Jiraiya feels he's ready to take over, the man being the supposed tactical mastermind that he is. For that, however, I need to get away from a Hyuuga ANBU watcher. Sounds impossible, but… if I max out my [Stealth] skill and the [Kage Yosuru], I think it will be manageable. Plus, seeing how my menial skills have evolved, something is telling me that the [Kage Yosuru] is going to be a kick-ass skill. So, currently, along with maxing out my chakra control, my priority is mastering those two skills.
It's probably why I'm crouching underneath my window while balancing ten senbon needles on my fingers. I theorized that being observed by ANBU aside, I'm effectively remaining undetected by anyone I can see from my window; thus, it should count towards [Stealth]. If the notifications are any indication, it's working.
Second priority was bringing Itachi with me to graduate in a year. I'm not at all unsure whether Mai will be joining us. Something has the Yamanaka Clan interested in me, but I'm unsure what. Oh well, I can't be all-knowing. Anyway, to do that, all I have to do is befriend him, which seems surprisingly easy given what he grows up to be. The Uchiha competitiveness should do the rest.
Speaking of Uchiha, my third goal is to save the clan from themselves. This I can easily do by subtly forming bonds between them and the village. The more friendly they end up being to each other, the less they feel excluded, and the less the chances are for Obito to use the planned coup to his advantage the neutralize the clan. So that's pretty important too.
PING!
Yeah, yeah.
Anyway, I think those are it for any goals that can be completed within the year. The rest of my goals are too long-term to bother thinking about now. Saving Hitomi, destroying the Akatsuki, and subjugating the other Hidden Villages imply for the hell of it seem like missions that will be far, far into the future. Hn. In fact, tackling the Akatsuki might tame the villages by itself, accomplishing both at the same time!
Wait… something about that… both at the same time…
I dropped the needles in my hands to facepalm. Hard. I'm such an idiot.
I quickly moved to my bed and lay on it after kicking off my boots and socks. Laying the soles of my feet securely on it, I slowly began to stiffen the cloth with chakra. Chakra threads shot out of my fingers and to the needles on the ground by the window, sticking to them and pulling them closer to me. I carefully deposited them on my finger pads, starting the senbon balancing exercise. Then, I lifted up a leaf each with each thread and began to make them dance in front of me.
The last time I leveled up my control because, at one point, I combined several exercises to perform them at once! I don't know how this slipped my mind! But, now that I did, I think I should be able to max out the skill extremely soon, given that they're harder to perform. But then again, I'm sure it would take a lot to level up my control, too. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Currently, I have six points in [WIS], which makes my CP regeneration rate out to be 60CP/min. The exercises that I'm combining right now need 100, 12.5, and 150 CP/min in the ways I'm using them, which means I should pass out… any minute now. Thankfully, though, I was leveling up the skill fast, if the rate of notifications was anything to go by. Damn, I should have done this from the start!
PING!
[Afflicted by debilitation: Chakra Exhaustion!]
The leaves and needles dropped as if their strings were cut as lethargy crept into my being. Luckily, I had already planned for this, and as quickly as I could, chose to sleep for an hour.
PING!
[Affected by Active Effect: Trans-dimensional Convergence]
Wait, what?
I blinked, and the world around me turned to black. Wait, wasn't I lying down a second ago? Why does it feel like I'm standing? Quickly checking my HUD in the corner of my vision, I was relieved to find my health and chakra were full. I looked at my hands curiously; in spite of being in what I think is pitch darkness, I could see myself clearly. I looked around, unable to see anything.
"Hello?" I called out, and the sound echoed. Was I in a giant cavern or something? Scrunching up my face, I took a step forward.
That's when the ground erupted.
I shielded my face instinctively as the sounds of what I could only equate to multiple flapping of wings echoed around me. I felt feathers brush against my bare hands, and small breezes ruffle my hair. Even through closed eyelids, I was aware that there was now a source of light.
I lowered my hands… and my jaw popped open.
I was standing on a large luminous circular platform. The platform had detailed grey artwork on its face. I could definitely recognize me, leaning against the drawing border and apparently asleep. There were fours circles in the remaining space – one of them had the baby Naruto's face, while the other three were blank. I looked up form the art and noticed that I could now see dark clouds above and around the platform, and the ravens were already fading into the distance.
Then the familiar background music began to play, and I mentally kicked myself for not realizing where I was before.
A [Location Collectible] hovered in the air in front of me, so I walked forward and tapped it. If I wasn't sure I'd never be back here again, I'd have left it for when I was stronger, but eh.
PING!
[You have discovered: Dive to the Heart! ?/? Trans-dimensional locations discovered!
Please select one of the following –
2000 EXP
500 Perk Points.
25 stat points.]
Holy shit! Trans-dimensional locations give super-awesome bonuses! I honestly don't know what to choose at first glance.
The experience was out almost immediately. It was of a lesser proportion than the other two bonuses. The question lay between perk points or stat points. Five hundred perk points were nothing to scoff at. It would take me leveling five skills from beginning to end to obtain those many points. But…
I couldn't train my stats manually, for now at least, so my choice was the latter.
PING!
[You have selected 25 stat points!]
That being done, I immediately moved to my [Character Page] and assigned them there.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 11
Title: Orphan
Next Level: 20/600xp
HP - 200
CP - 200
CON - 10
STR - 10
AGL - 20
INT - 10
LCK - 20
WIS - 10]
High rogue stats and balanced others. Patterns soothe my soul, and though I'm straying a little bit with what I thought my character was going to develop as, seeing these numbers satisfy me, somehow.
The moment I closed my system menu, three pillars of light appeared and vanished, leaving three hovering objects. The one in the center of the platform was a plain looking sword. The one on my left was a pair of daggers, and the one on my right was a simple wooden stave.
Up until this point, I was honestly sure that the moment the options presented themselves, I'd pick the one that most coincided with my character plan – the staff. After all, the Kingdom Hearts games never really had a 'rogue' option, but I hadn't really gotten the chance to play KH3 before I died so I'm not entirely sure about that. Seeing the pair of daggers though, threw me off a bit.
To be sure, I walked forward and made to grab them, when a screen popped in front of my hand.
[This pair of daggers calls to the darkness; being near it gives you a sense of safety.
Choose the path of the Rogue (+2 to AGL and LCK on every level up)?]
Holy. Fucking. Hell.
When this option presented in front of me in KH2, it basically controlled how and when my character obtained support skills. Given that I can learn and/or create any skill whenever I want in the system, it couldn't do that here, so it was giving me stat points! And a whole lot too, adding two points to each stat! I gained 5 stat points per level, so this meant I'd be saving those for another stat!
I was just going to accept when I paused.
Yeah… but why rogue?
Look, the village has clearly been keeping an eye on my chakra via a Hyuuga. If I don't assign a point to [INT] every level, I'm only going to come under more scrutiny. Should I really choose the path of a rogue when a simple choice can mean automatic points?
I declined and walked over to the staff, slowly reaching forward for it and waiting for the screen to pop up…
[This staff exhumes the potential of anyone who wields it; empowering even the weak.
Choose the path of the Mage (+2 to INT and WIS on every level up)?]
This was a Sophie's choice moment. Ugh!
Do I take the rogue path and manually assign a point to [INT] every level? Or do I take the mage path and manually assign points to my rogue stats?
I took a deep breath in and out, then focused.
Taking the mage path would give me more CP to spend and raise its regeneration rate. However, I'm already close to maxing out my chakra control to the point where chakra costs are a joke. If I require more CP at any point in time, I can always spend stat points to the effect. But if I choose the mage path, three points will be essentially wasted on parts of my character I will not really rely too much on.
Taking the rogue path, on the other hand, would enhance my speed, balance, dexterity with weapons, and also increase my luck alongside that. As I saw today, my luck stat is probably the most underrated thing in the entire system. If I can boost it up, and then bolster it by manually assigning points whenever…
My decision was made.
I declined, walked back over to the pair of daggers, and accepted.
PING!
[You now walk the path of the Rogue (+2 to AGL and LCK on every level up).]
For the single moment the daggers were in my hand, I felt… complete. My eyes wouldn't leave the simple weapons, allured by their sheen and the fact that, used right, these were the single most devastating weapons in forever.
Then they vanished into motes of light.
The other two weapons vanished in pillars of light, similar to when they appeared. In another pillar of light, a simple looking double wooden door appeared.
"Walk forward, and don't look back. Ahead lies the future full of peril, but you now have been armed, and are prepared."
The voice echoed in my mind, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Was it male? Female? Someone else's? My own?
I gulped, remembering that this is where Roxas would face that Nobody behemoth. Seeing no other path, though, I steeled myself, walked forward, and stepped into pure, bright light. It burned. It burned my skin, my eyes hurt, and something in my very being seemed to revolt…
And then I jerked wake on my bed.
I blinked, unsure for a moment, but then I sat up and looked around. Sure enough, it felt like only an hour had passed, the amount of time I had set to wake up in, and I was momentarily confused. Did that actually happen…?
However, since the only way to be sure was to check when I leveled up, I shrugged it off and continued working on my chakra control in the combined way. It was the best means to boost my power, after all.