A/N: Hello, people! NEW COVER ART BY: Niyuu_Trickster_Kat!
I don't own Naruto.
I have no beta.
ENJOY!
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON!
-On Tumblr I said I wasn't updating anything until the new year.
I had written a 70K oneshot in 6 days and my wrists were killing
me.
TAGS for this Chapter: SWEARING and HINTS OF SASUNARU.
12,000 Ryo = about $111.
"Okay, but what if I added some colorful streaks of red to my hair? That'd be okay, right?" Naruto asked, pouting his hardest at his best friend. They were in her kitchen and there was ramen being cooked on the stove. Yuuki said she'd try and learn for his sake and he was there to test it out when it was finished.
Yuuki gave him an assessing once over and shrugged. "Dyeing your hair wouldn't look bad. It's the whole warpaint thing that isn't a good idea. Trust me, one day you'll understand why it's such a bad idea."
"Do you think I'd look good with red hair?"
She looked him over again and shrugged. "I mean, you might have to get it professionally done. Your hair is such an intense shade of blond that you might end up looking orange instead of red. I'm not sure you'd want that. Unless… you do?"
He had to think about it for a moment. How would he look if he had orange hair?
And that was when the light-bulb hit him over the head! He could easily find out how he'd look!
Naruto crossed his fingers and made two Kage Bunshin. Both proceeded to use the Henge simply to give the illusion that they had different hair colors. One red and the other orange.
Together, he and Yuuki stared at them, determining which Naruto overall looked better.
Even he had to admit… the orange hair would make it too much orange. He already had his jumpsuit that he'd had for a long time. And the hair being the same color wouldn't go very well with his eyes. It would just look tacky.
But the red! Naruto could definitely be a redhead! Despite his tanned skin, it went pretty well with his clothing choices and the shape and color of his eyes! "I want the red! I want streaks of red! It'd be so cool!"
Yuuki nodded. "You sure? You can't go back once it's done and will have to wait months for your hair to grow out again if you want to cut it off to go back to normal."
"I'm sure," he nodded firmly. "I think it'd be a nice change of my own since I'm not buying a new wardrobe for myself or anything."
She patted his back. "The sales are already booming from the games, don't worry. I have many more for us to work through. I think the civilians were looking for new forms of entertainment because I've been seeing them everywhere! I guess they're good for bonding time with friends and family. The company is distributing them to shops in other villages, towns, and cities. In other nations, even."
Woah! That was a lot of people. Konoha had a few million people of its own. Like six or seven. He forgot the exact number since they'd learned that kind of stuff in their Second Year at the Academy. But other places were bigger. Tanzaku Gai and Otafuku Gai were almost as large and they were just normal cities in Hi no Kuni, used as tourist attractions!
"As the money comes in, things will begin changing, you'll see," she assured him. "In the meantime, I would like your assistance in this new game I'm calling Shujutsu."
He frowned as he thought about it. "As in… like, operating on a person?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "It came to mind last night while going over the requirements in the Med Courses at the hospital! The first page has a diagram of the human body and all I kept seeing was the same thing on a game board and all the places where major organs are or important bones are, were hollowed out with mini pieces representing that spot themselves, inside the holes. And each hole is outlined in metal because you have to use a pair of tweezers made of the same metal, to carefully go in and extract the item. It you end up touching the metals, they'll buzz on contact and you lose your turn even if you managed to grab the item!"
He had no idea where she got these ideas from but they were so different from each other! Monopoly one day and Chesu another! Now this!
It sounded fun though. Probably not something shinobi would be into if it required a steady hand. Shinobi had to have steady hands after all. But the civilians would lap it up! And if it would end up in other countries, then it would definitely be popular!
"Sounds cool!"
Name: Yuuki
Age: 12
Birthday: May 1st
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Blood Type: O-
Health Notes: Has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & Dextrocardia Situs Inversus. See Health page for additional details on what these are.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Skin: Fair
Distinguishing Characteristics: Single mole on the left clavicle, double jointed elbows, and a round scar on the inside of the left ankle.
STATISTICS:
Ninjutsu: 2.5/5
Taijutsu: 2.5/5(with an upgrade to 3/5 with chakra strikes)
Genjutsu: 1/5
Intelligence: 3/5
Strength: 2/5(with an upgrade to 3/5 with chakra strikes)
Speed: 2/5
Stamina: 1.5/5
Hand Seals: 2.5/5
TOTAL: 17(or 18.5)
EXTRA:
CHAKRA CONTROL:
Kunai Balancing: 5/5
Tree Walking: 5/5
Water Walking: 5/5
Katon Chakra Manipulation: 3.5/5
Shape Manipulation: 3/5
Chakra Threads: 2.5/5
Notes from Chunin Umino Iruka:
Yuuki-san has been an exemplary student despite her yearly grading outside her Genin Exam suggesting otherwise. She is quick to pick up on trends and question them. She is great at blending in undetected. Yuuki-san is blunt with her thoughts and opinions and is a master of malicious compliance to get her point across if necessary. While she declares herself lazy, I firmly believe the opposite even if she swears by the 'Lazy Man's Load'. I've never seen someone work so hard to not do work before.
She has always taken the shinobi path seriously and truly considers everything before she latches onto anything. Yuuki-san will not devote herself to anything carelessly. Expect her to seem uninterested, though I warn you that this is just her face. She is always calculating everything and pays close attention to minute details often overlooked by others. She is very invested in her surroundings, her resting expression is just naturally set against her intentions.
"Her stats are pretty good for a green Genin," said Shizune as she looked over her new Apprentice's paperwork. "The lowest stats from her class was 15 and the highest was 19. I'd say she's pretty promising. And the section on her chakra control is fantastic for a Genin her age who studied in the Academy outside of wartime!"
They'd make a medic out of her yet. And it wouldn't take as long as it would for many others. "She's already enrolled herself into the Medical Classes at the Hospital!"
Tsunade slung back a shot of sake. "Intelligence?"
"Three out of five."
"Ninjutsu?"
"Two and a half out of five."
"Taijutsu?"
"Two and a half or three out of five if we factor in added chakra. I suppose perfect execution means little when you can break someone's ribs with a single punch as a Genin."
The Hokage nodded. "Remember that she also chose to remain in the middle of the class when she would have graduated earlier. Poverty and laziness compelled her to not try as hard, but now that she's graduated and will have a well-paying job, she won't be getting chances to waste her potential."
That was true. If they got her to a certain level it didn't matter the mission rank, she'd be sent on the mission anyway if her skills qualified her for it regardless of her rank as a shinobi.
"I want the brat to be brought to my office when you collect her on Sunday. While you conduct your own test, I will be conducting one of my own."
Getting Shizune as a Jonin instructor basically meant getting Tsunade as well, so of course her shishou would join in. Tsunade made it explicitly clear that she wouldn't be teaching any Genin again or taking on personal students, but that didn't mean she wouldn't butt in if she thought she had to. Yuuki would be exposed to Tsunade more than anyone other than Shizune and that was a hard fact.
Of course this meant she'd probably end up fetching the woman sake more often than not.
Yuuki shivered, feeling as if she should be wary despite nothing in her immediate vicinity being concerning. Well, paperwork could totally be considered a concern as it was lengthy and had this sort of cocky attitude about it that made her want to rip her own eyes out.
With her new step into adulthood, she had to review her lease and set up a payment plan if she wanted to continue living in the apartment. they'd already gotten their first rent bills and hadn't even been given a chance to live in the dump for another month before having to pay either.
And so she was sitting in the manager's office, going over the paperwork because it was necessary if she wanted to get what she wanted out of this exchange.
"So you want 10,000 Ryo a month for a bed/bath/kitchen combo that has water damaged ceilings, chipping paint, rotting and creaking floorboards, no heat, painted shut windows, lack of water pressure, black mold in the bathrooms, and walls so thin we can hear the breathing of the other residents?"
The manager of the complex in question, one old bitch named Momo who had ties to Konoha's Council supposedly, sputtered at Yuuki's accusations. Like she'd never been talked to in such a way before. Well, if that was the case, her cherry was about to be popped.
Yuuki had come prepared for this meeting! Usually she'd be annoyed over having to do extra work, but when it came to ruining a terrible person's life, she wanted the revenge to be worth it.
An envelope in a hideous shade of tan was slapped down on the desk between them. Out spilled dozens of incriminating photographs. "I took photos as proof and have copies. They're from two different apartments from two different floors in this complex. Black mold is a health-code violation in Konoha, let alone the substandard care you've given this place. I have someone ready at a moment's notice to barge into the Hokage's office and inform him that this building isn't being properly managed and that it looks like a serious case of landlord harassment if you've done nothing towards the proper maintenance of this complex. The other tenants don't have good things to say about their dealings with you and would be willing to write letters for me if you don't do what I want. The Hokage doesn't like his shinobi being so rudely treated."
Yes, she was blackmailing the woman. No, she didn't care about the old bitch's feelings. She was shit to Naruto and when it came to Naruto, he was Yuuki's main ride or die.
"What do you want from me?" the old woman demanded, looking at the photos in horror. Her face had gone deliciously pale and her hands had begun to shake in fear.
A sweet smile that was so fake it made her cheeks hurt, graced Yuuki's face. She was pleased to be taken seriously because she was being serious. "I'm so glad you asked!
First: You will cease secreting away portions of the rent for yourself. You don't own this complex, you were just put in charge of it and the village pays you handsomely for it. You don't need any money beyond that lovely check.
Second: You will lower everyone's rent by ⅝ the price you are charging them since I know you only raised their prices so you could keep their money.
Third: You will take the amount your have stolen up until this moment, and use all of it to fix this hellhole up the way it is meant to be fixed. I don't care if you go broke over it.
Fourth: You will not withhold on calling for maintenance whenever it is needed, nor will you question why it is needed or refuse to pay the prices hen they come up.
Fifth: You will not attempt in any way to sabotage this agreement either by your own hand or someone else's. Which includes telling no one outside of me - living or dead and animate or inanimate - about this conversation. Not to someone's face, not when they're in earshot, not in written form, not in coded form, not in any form of sign language currently existing or yet-to-be created, and not even under interrogation.
Sixth: You will put all of these expectations into writing and then sign it and hand it over to me for safekeeping. And know that if you renege on our agreement I will ruin your good reputation in this village without hesitation because it's nothing more than what you deserve."
The intensifying of the shaking of the old woman's hands was a pleasing sight. Yuuki felt like she'd just won a war.
"Hey, who's the kid?"
Naruto looked behind him, aware that Konohamaru wasn't visibly following him but was there anyway. "That's Jiji's grandson. Konohamaru. He's declared me his rival for the position of Hokage. We bullied his sensei because the guy was a real dick. And now he follows me everywhere and tries to catch me off guard."
He expected Yuuki to ask more questions, but instead, she just shrugged and looped an arm around his shoulders. "Be ready for low rent. I got what I wanted and the whole complex is going to see better days from now on."
She actually did it! Holy crap! He was kind of terrified.
"Are we getting ramen to celebrate?"
"Ugh! Fine. Ask the kid if he wants to come. It'd be a dick move to eat with him watching and not invite him along."
"Hey, Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder. "Want to come and get ramen with us?"
And just like that, the boy appeared in a puff of poorly executed smoke from where he'd been trying to blend into a nearby fence. The kid coughed for several seconds as he tried fanning the smoke away. "Sure thing, boss!"
"Boss?" asked Yuuki, a smirk on her face.
"He keeps flipping back a forth between boss and brother, I don't really know what to do about it," the blond confessed. It wasn't his fault the kid had a wild imagination!
"Let's hope your ramen addiction doesn't scare him away."
"It is not an addiction, it is a way of life! -ttebayo!"
"Addictions technically become routines and routines are ways of living, so I'm still right."
Technicalities sucked when Yuuki was involved! She was good at talking and naruto wasn't very good at listening, so it was a bit hard to work around her big words. Naruto learned by doing, not reading or hearing.
"Come on, Konohamaru! I don't wanna miss out on all the food!"
"You won't miss anything. If they can afford to make you seventeen bowls in a row during a lunch rush, you're not going to miss out."
"Three teams are already assured. They'll be you, Sasuke, and Sakura. Then Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. And then Hinata, Shino, and Kiba. There is no doubt in my mind with how ranking and clan history works, so stop worrying."
Yuuki also knew about Ino-Shika-Cho being a thing, so of course. And Sasuke and Sakura were technically at the top of the class even if they didn't have the best grades in everything. And Shikamaru was at the bottom, but since his team was settled before he even entered the Academy, someone had to fit in the place of 'worst' and Naruto was too talented to not give to a Jonin of good repute. Too many of the other students didn't give off the vibe of managing Jonin sensei for long.
As for Yuuki, she was enrolling instantly in the medical courses at the Hospital. She'd already read through the introduction to the basic course and prepared her chakra control exercises ahead of time. Her grades from the Academy would be passed along and get her into a good class. The chances of her being relegated to Genin Corps were low as her chakra control made her someone worth taking a chance on.
So even if she didn't get a Jonin sensei or got one the didn't want students of their own - which was an all too common thing among shinobi - then she'd be set.
Naruto was too busy worrying about everything to really calm down though. He'd confessed to wanting to be on Sasuke's team, but then also wanting to be on Sakura's team. Finding out he'd be on both made his face go red and saw him collapsing dramatically on the ground with his hands over his face.
"Are the theatrics necessary?" she asked, wondering just what was so wrong with him getting what he wanted.
"It's so hard! Sakura-chan is so pretty!"
Well… she wasn't exactly Yuuki's type but her coloring did make her stand out and her obsession with her appearance made her put way too much effort into maintaining perfect skin and makeup and hair and stuff Yuuki never cared to learn about. So yeah, Naruto wasn't wrong.
She certainly wasn't ugly, but Hinata was cuter by far. Of course Yuuki could just be biased because Hinata was actually her friend and a good person.
"And Sasuke is pretty too!"
Her head snapped around, eyeing the blond up in a new light as understanding flowed forth. He had crushes on both of his future teammates. That was unexpected.
Sasuke though? He was just so… broody.
"What do you see in the Uchiha that makes you so tongue-tied?" she asked, wanting to understand. He was far more attractive than Sakura or Hinata, which was just the plain truth, but his personality was just so… one dimensional at the moment.
Though she didn't have much to talk about when her crush on Shikamaru came into the picture. He was pretty one dimensional too come to think about it. No effort was put into anything, even portraying a character to the world. So yeah…. Maybe Naruto saw something she didn't, since she something in Shikamaru other's apparently didn't.
"I gave him a tomato on February 14th and in return he gave me all the chocolate he was given. And days after we sat side by side in an abandoned classroom, just eating. And it was quiet. And nice. And he thanked me out loud and asked me to go spar with him so I did. And we sparred and he gave me advice on how to make my flow better, and has really soft hands and asked if I wanted to do it again some time, so every now and then we spar together and it's fun and he's really strong and pins me a lot and I get a really good chance to notice things in that kind of position, you know!"
All in one breath.
Naruto's sexual awakening. At age twelve. Not shocked, she'd had hers at ten. And Sasuke was about to be thirteen with Naruto not far behind so basically teens if the months in the womb counted.
"This isn't gonna like, affect your teamwork, will it?"
"I don't know!"
"I'm ready to pick up the goods."
Tenten beamed. "I think you'll like the hatchets! They were really fun to design!" She went to the back of the shop for a few minutes and came back with a tray that had said weapons lined up evenly so she could see them all clearly.
Yuuki took up one of them, testing the grip which was made with detachable rubbed string. Heavy duty by the looks of up. This would protect her hand if she ever lost her gloves. The holes were in the handles, just as she wanted. She quickly tested how useful the Chakra Thread(*cough* rope *cough*) would be. The chakra form held even as she swung the weapon around several times for good measure.
"I like your new clothes," commented Tenten. "The others looked really tight on you and you looked very uncomfortable."
"I was. I wanted to wait until I actually graduated before spending the money though. How much do I owe you?"
Her wallet was ready to be hurt.
"Originally it was 15,000 Ryo but with your first time discount, it's 12,000 Ryo. We do sharpen and polish any weapons that were purchased from us for free though. Any time you want."
That was pretty good. The kunai and shuriken pack cost only 1/12 of that price she knew. Custom-made weaponry always meant more money would be spent. "Thanks for helping, TenTen-san."
She waved Yuuki off, accepting her payment with a grin. "We should go train. I get off in a few minutes anyway and I've been looking forward to a rematch. Sparring my teammates gets a bit dull because both are just so obviously better than I am."
"Sure." She had nothing else to do and it would be a good chance to get used to the hatchets and integrating them into her fighting style.
The hatchets were hooked onto the packs on her thighs by their rubber strings. Perhaps she should get a custom-made holder for them?
Either way, her Genin outfit was officially finished and she was ready to take on any challenge!
A/N: Another chapter is done!
How was it? Let me know.
Ja ne! :D