Character Name: Ryo Kimura

Age: 11 months

Level: 2

Experience: 0/100

Stats: *Currently Locked*

Skills: *Currently Locked*

Special Abilities: *Currently Locked*

Reputation:

Konohagakure: 250/1,500 (Kyūbi Survivor)

The annoying ass screen vanished to reveal the depressingly familiar wooden rafters of the orphanage and a round-faced woman smiling down at him. She had spent a few minutes rocking him to sleep, though the orphanage was hard-pressed to find enough time to take care of Chaz along with the many, many other orphans left in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' vicious attack.

Even now he could sometimes feel the malicious touch of the chakra beast's vile power brushing over his skin like a swarm of biting insects. It was all in his head, of course, but Chaz wasn't too proud to admit that he still woke up screaming thanks to his baby brain panicking in the night.

But you know what? Fuck it! He wasn't ashamed to be afraid of the damn thing. If you weren't a little terrified of the mountain-sized demigod fox, then you weren't brave. You were just a fucking dumbass.

Chaz swore that he would become strong enough to spin in the damn thing's giant face one day, but for now he was still mostly useless. A little stronger, a little more able to control his own body, and a little more familiar with the gentle stream of chakra pulsating beneath his skin, but he was still trapped in this baby's body. He'd managed to take his first steps a month ago, but his muscles were still too weak even with his burgeoning chakra control.

It wasn't like the orphanage was awful. They were overwhelmed, sure, but the village invested heavily into their orphans. Who better to become shinobi than those who would have no other ties than to the Leaf?

They were well taken care of. Their food was good. They had plenty of caretakers, even with the massive influx after the village was attacked. Especially after the village was attacked. Plenty of volunteers rotated in and out on a daily basis to help support them. Hell, Chaz had even managed to overhear a few genin mentioning that assisting here had become one of the most common D-ranks assigned by the office.

He'd tried to make hand seals for some of the genin assisting around the place, but most were either too exhausted or too disinterested to pay much attention. A few had pointed and laughed, but only one bothered to mime a few - Ram, Ox, Horse, Hare - back to Chaz.

And that was really the problem with this place. It was fucking boring! Chaz couldn't do anything by himself, even if he pushed his body to the limits every day in hopes of developing a few weeks or months ahead of the normal milestones, so most of his time was just spent sleeping or waiting around in the baby brain. It left him with nothing to do but learn the intricacies of his chakra flow, although he still couldn't do much with it thanks to his meager supply.

His brain development had speedrocketed since the attack, however. He could practically feel his neurons weaving together. Chaz could stay active for longer and longer periods of time, even if that wasn't necessarily a good thing since his useless body was little more than a pudgy prison at the moment.

It gave him hope, though.

"That's a good lad!" The matron cooed at him. She burped him once (ugh, humiliating) and cleaned some of the spit dribbling down his chin. In the old days he would have thrown a fit and indulged in all sorts of stupid theatrics as an outlet for his frustration. Now he just waited it out, plotting and planning.

A pang ripped through him as he thought of that last night with his parents. Hiro vanishing off into the night to be boiled away by the Nine-Tails' potent chakra and Ichika shielding his body with her own.

They were good parents. They were what he'd deserved after his shit first runthrough of life that was already feeling more and more distant by the day. Naturally, they'd barely lasted six months. Poor bastards.

Be happy. Be loved. Be good.

Ichika's last words were etched into his brain. They ate at him.

… but there's more to life than strength.

But she'd said some stupid shit too, even if it half-killed him to admit it. If there was more to life than strength, then why was she dead now? An unrealistic standard, maybe - how many shinobi could have survived the full-fledged Nine-Tails? - but Chaz wasn't going to fall short.

He'd break the fucking game.

When he was grown-up, he'd have to give Kurama a good kick in the face for his new parents. That would be one hell of a road, though.

Chaz shut his eyes, ignoring the chatter of the other babies and nannies. He focused instead on the lulling rhythm of his pulsing chakra, immersing himself in the flow, guiding it to specific parts of his body, forcing it wild as a raging river (okay, maybe a slightly tumultuous creek) or slowing it till it was still as a frozen pond.

It was possible, but it was exhausting. His baby brain began to take over, his consciousness slipped away -

A warm presence washed over them. For a moment Chaz's heart pounded as he was reminded of the Nine-Tails' overwhelming power, but he stilled as he realized this was something entirely different. If Chaz's own chakra was a shallow puddle and the Nine-Tails' was a stormy sea, this was something in between.

Vast, soothing, and composed with the depth of a great lake. It filled the busy halls of the orphanage in an instant. Babies went quiet, basking in the warmth, and the chatter of adults was snuffed out instantly. Nannies stumbled and slid to their knees as their eyes became glassy and their breath slow.

Chaz had never felt so comfortable in his life. Sleep began to take him -

Release!

It had been a while since he'd watched Naruto, but he remembered that much. Weird feeling? Interrupt that chakra flow or you're fucked.

The calm lake still radiated out warmth and power, but it was no longer enough to force him asleep.

"Hokage-sama!" The matron squeaked, adjusting her headband quickly to straighten. What, you couldn't expect a ninja village to leave this place to a civilian, could you? She was a mature woman of forty or so - basically like a girl-next-door who had grown up into a MILF - but she sounded like a fresh-faced genin again as the new presence entered.

Chaz's eyes snapped open.

This was what he must become, must surpass. For a moment Chaz couldn't imagine growing past this, but he shut that pussy talk off with a sneer. It probably looked stupid as fuck on his baby face, or else he just looked constipated, but who gave a shit about that?

The God of Shinobi. That was a worthy goal.

For now, anyway.

"Do not mind me, Inoko-san." The Third Hokage's voice was low and calm, not as weathered as it was in the anime. Guess ten years of being yanked out of retirement took its toll on a dude. Chaz strained to get a good look and even pulled himself to his feet. "We won't be long."

The Third Hokage was joined by a spindly ANBU in a dog mask. Wow, who could that ever be? Chaz just rolled his eyes. That spiky silver hair was a dead fucking giveaway. They glanced at him momentarily, perhaps surprised that he wasn't passed out like the rest, and Chaz felt the silver-haired ANBU - obviously a young Kakashi - rest his lone eye on him.

Of course, he also couldn't miss the dozing baby with the brightest yellow hair that he'd ever seen nestled in the crook of the Third's elbow. Chaz's breath hitched.

It was him.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Somehow, seeing the blond baby and his whiskered cheeks made this more real. Naruto was right there in front of him. Sleeping, sure, and younger than Chaz himself, but he was here! Had he lived in an orphanage in the show? Chaz had no clue. He'd been in an apartment at the beginning, right? But there was no way he'd been placed there from the beginning. Still...

Holy fucking shit.

The matron hissed. Her knuckles were white as she clutched at the hem of her heavy dress. "Is that…"

Chaz caught the steel in the Hokage's eyes. "Yes."

Remember the law was what he seemed to be hinting. The matron was smart enough to shut the fuck up. Good. She'd been decent enough to him. It would be a shame to see her killed.

A civilian might have given away a hint of their displeasure: a curled lip, a narrowing of the eyes, a pounding of the heart. Any might have proven fatal depending on how the Hokage felt. Chaz remembered the dude being pretty chill, but who knew how the Third would act right after the Nine-Tails had ravaged the village?

The matron was a jōnin. She made no such mistakes. Every expression was cleared from her face. Her only tell was that she was very, very still.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto. He is a hero of Konoha. Naruto is to be treated like any other child who passes through these doors."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

The Third Hokage rested a withered finger above Naruto's face, a wan smile crossing his features as the baby reached curiously for it. Naruto yawned as he clutched the finger, then sniffled as the Third pulled away with a sigh. Kakashi watched silently from behind.

Part of Chaz expected the kid to say something, to show some sentimentality for his old teacher's child, but there was nothing. Kakashi was like a statue behind that dog mask. Whatever was going on in the kid's head wasn't about to be shared here.

Oh, that's right. Kakashi was still in his edgy phase right now. Whatever.

"Very well," the Third's eyes shut briefly as he passed Naruto to the matron. The thrum of chakra stiffened and swelled, perhaps trembling with some hesitation, but the matron accepted Naruto as she would a live bomb. She clutched him close under the Third's stern gaze. "Farewell, Naruto. We will be watching over you."

The matron stiffened, said her respectful farewells after a brief bow, and the Third turned away with a swish of his voluminous robes. Kakashi followed as his shadow, casting one last glance behind before the shinobi left them.

Soon the pressure ebbed and the subtle genjutsu faded away like dying embers. Infants stirred. Nurses climbed to their feet. The matron was left holding Naruto stiffly while Chaz stared at them both.

That sleeping baby was one of his childhood heroes.

That sleeping baby had a chakra nuke sealed inside his gut.

That sleeping baby was going to be strong as fuck in a few years.

"Izumi-san! What happened -"

The matron scowled and shook her head at the young nanny who rushed up. She was still blinking the sleep from her eyes. "We have a new arrival." The young woman gaped as the matron stuffed Naruto into her hands as if he was covered in filth. "Take him to the examination room. We can't let him come to any harm, do you understand?"

"That's -" the girl's hands trembled. Chaz babbled angrily at them, already sour and getting salty as fuck. It was a goddamn baby, not a monster! Jesus fucking Christ! "It's the -"

A hand clasped over her hand. "Are you mad, girl?" The matron hissed, eyes like slits. Her hand brushed a satchel over her hip - Chaz knew that it held a number of kunai, mostly because he'd tried to steal one several times (unsuccessfully) in hopes of inspiring her to give him a practice one for a toy or some sht. "Remember the law! If you say those words, I'll have to enact it. I don't want your blood on my hands."

She gulped. Naruto began to slip before she caught him. "Understood, Izumi-san. I - I'll be going now."

The nanny began to carry Naruto away. Chaz wailed like his life depended on it, grabbing for the kid and babbling every word he could shape. "Mine! Mine!"

"What on - little Ryo?"

The name's Chaz, bitch.

"Mine!" He grabbed toward Naruto, not that his stupid little arms were going to reach him. The nanny was deaf to the world, probably terrified that a giant demon fox was going to burst out from Naruto's stomach. "Naruto!"

The matron's face went cold. She picked him up and hefted his little body onto her hip, carrying Chaz away from the nurse and Naruto. Chaz tried to make a fuss, but the matron was quick to shush him.

"You're a good boy, Ryo. You don't want to get mixed up with that one…"

Fuck that. He was Chaz Dickson, and no one told him what to do.

That little blond baby? That was his fucking future. Chaz was a pragmatic dude. He had to be or he'd be fucked.

Naruto Uzumaki was the main fuckin' character. The world quite literally revolved around him… well, Sasuke too. That son of a bitch got hella screen time.

"Another one."

Sweat poured down his brow. His limbs quivered with exhaustion. Chaz gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut tighter and tighter as the strain piled on, but nodded.

"Okay!"

Another leaf was stuck to his skin. The burden nearly dragged him down to the floor. His concentration was strained horribly, but Chaz bore through it. He'd gone through worse. His chakra stuck the leaf to him like glue. Extending it from his body to bind to the leaf was miserable, at least when he was already stretching himself so thin.

But every little bit counted. A pretty big part of him wanted to call it quits and go back inside to grab lunch. He'd already been at it for hours, after all. But fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"Wow, that's your new record!"

Naruto, please shut the fuck up.

"That's so cool, when can you teach me to do it? I'll stick a hundred... no, a thousand leaves to me, dattebayo! And then we can go to Ichiraku and say hi to Ayame-san and Teuchi-san, and they'll think I'm so cool, and then we can go train and you can show me how to throw kunai again -"

Fucking hell. It had been five years since Chaz had decided to stick by Naruto and pay off one of his mom's hopes - Be good. He had to admit, it was pretty gratifying seeing Naruto grow up. Chaz was pretty sure he'd had kids in his past life, even if he never met them.

Smash and dash, baby. He wasn't gonna get hooked on child support back then, even if five years steeped in this universe and taking care of a baby who nobody else give a shit about had kind of made him realize that he was a bit of a cunt.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. All that mattered was that he'd grown very, very patient. And hell, it was even a little rewarding watching the little brat develop. Chaz wasn't sure how to define the relationship. He had the mind of an adult, after all. His body was still just about to turn six, but he'd been taking care of himself for nearly three decades now. It's not like his old parents had been worth a damn.

The fates of Ichika and Hiro still ate at him after all this time – nope, nope, nope! He wasn't going down that road. Fuck that! Just a moment's distraction would break his control over his chakra and send these leaves scattering all over the place.

He'd been here for over an hour now, constantly dealing with Naruto's ultra ADHD distracting him. Chaz thought that Naruto was in a better place even at this young age, not being quite so desperate for everyone's approval, even if it was still a strong factor.

Having someone in his corner from the beginning had blunted that hunger for recognition. Naruto was getting to the age where he realized something was wrong with how the villagers treated him, though, and Chaz sure as fuck wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

How did you explain to a kid that a village-crushing monster (who had just so happened to kill both of their parents) was stuck inside his stomach? Fuck, and Chaz thought the sex talk would have been awkward to give.

A horrifying thought struck him. Chaz had set him up as some sort of bastard mix of a brother-uncle-parent… was he going to have to do that as well? Not that Chaz was all held up about any of that shit, but he'd never had to explain it to anyone else.

God damn it. At least he could put that off for like another five years at bare minimum. When did you even tell kids about that shit? Chaz wasn't going to go off his childhood because fuck that. He was self-aware enough to know that wasn't the normal route to go off, and sure as shit not the best either.

"Yeah, you can do it! Wanna add another one? C'mon!" Naruto slapped another leaf onto Chaz's face and giggled as he twisted his face up. "I wanna do it too. Gimme gimme gimme!"

"Naruto, please shut up." Chaz grit his teeth as a gust of wind brushed through the park's courtyard and threatened to undo all his hard work. His chakra quivered as it reasserted control. Not a single leaf came undone thanks to a herculean effort on his part.

Chakra was composed of both spiritual and physical energies. Thanks to his awareness of it from such an early age, Chaz had the opportunity to become intimately familiar with its growth over his lifetime. It had been meager as a baby, barely more than a drop, and he'd felt it grow deeper and denser as his body had developed from an infant to a toddler to a young child.

It was still nothing in the grand scheme of things, but that progression was satisfying as hell. He could hardly compare since he didn't have the Byakugan to check out the chakra networks of others, but he was certain that his chakra was several times more potent than any other kid his age. He'd overheard enough chatter from the orphanage workers who'd caught him practicing to know that even the most devoted clans rarely started chakra training until the kids were around Chaz's (well, Ryu's from their perspective) age.

Just physically developing was enough to push him above. But the constant exercises he did such as the leaf training and meditation where he immersed himself in the flow of power thrumming within his body honed the spiritual aspects and control as well.

Naruto probably had more chakra in his little finger than ten of Chaz, but that was fine. He was taking it slow with Naruto, focusing on developing his awareness and control before all else, but he had some ulterior motives as well.

He liked the little shit, but he was hard enough to handle now. Tossing full blown training at him would either completely exhaust him while Naruto broke his head against a figurative brick wall or it would leave him completely amped up like he'd just snorted a line of coke.

Did cocaine even exist in this universe? Questions for later. Chaz would be up for trying some crazy chakra-based ninja drugs later on. He'd just have to find a path to immortality first to make sure he didn't fuck up again.

Still, the thought of dealing with Naruto water-walking or being able to climb any surface he could find was a little horrifying. The ANBU constantly watching over them (well, Naruto and Chaz by proxy) were going to have a fucking heart attack. It was hard to pick them out, but his senses had developed just enough to where he could detect them every now and then if he focused.

It was a little uncomfortable having them watch over him. Who knew what they were reporting back to the Hokage? Chaz tried to keep his new techniques to a reasonable level, mimicking a young genius' natural exploration in the hopes they'd just write him off as a freak like Itachi. He'd still earn plenty of attention (and maybe some lucky opportunities) but not so much that he'd appear unnatural.

First, model awareness. Then develop exploration. Then develop applications. It was a bit of a pain in the ass, but better than having some Yamanaka spook digging around in his head. He'd made it a personal mission to steer clear of anyone who could pick out the truth. Those were questions he didn't want to answer, not until he was powerful enough to take care of himself.

So S-rank. Even an A-rank shinobi would probably be pretty easy pickings for a devoted squad, and if the Leaf ever thought that Chaz knew something really valuable (such as the plots of every serious threat that could ever appear) then they'd throw everything they could his way.

Ideally that wouldn't happen, but Chaz wasn't a dumbass. He'd prepare for the worst.

He became lost in his thoughts, fully in tune with the energies straining within to keep the leaves stuck to his skin, and another breeze, weaker this time, threatened his control.

"Damn it, Naruto! Stop blowing on me."

"But I'm bored!" The little brat whined pitifully. He rocked back and forth on his heels, never able to stay completely still. Naruto's big blue eyes peered down at him. "C'mon, show me how to do it! Pleaaase, Ryo!"

"Stop calling me that. You know my name."

"But it's a dumb name!" Naruto's nose wrinkled up. "And Izumi-san and Ai-san say your name is Ryo."

"I'm Chaz," he grumbled, but didn't say anything else. Maybe it was stupid to cling to his old name, but it was his. He wasn't Ryo. Hopefully he could get away with it just being some weird quirk. He couldn't resist what came next. "Believe it, kid."

"Believe it! Believe it! Believe it!" Naruto mimicked, eyes lighting up. He must have liked that. Ugh, now Chaz would be hearing it a hundred times a day for the next ten months. Fuck, he should have known better than to give Naruto his catchphrase.

More leaves were tossed at him in a shower. Chaz snarled something at Naruto, buckling under the strain, his mind straining to control his chakra. It was fatigued after so long managing the first few leaves, and this extra effort made him want to scream the vilest things -

Something snapped. A euphoric rush filled him. Power thrummed as if something had been unlocked in Chaz's spirit. Ugh, that was the stuff. It had been years since he'd last felt that amazing feeling.

Level-Up! Congratulations, you are now Level 3. You have unlocked access to the Stats and Skills page. Would you like to view them?

(Accept/Decline)

Holy shit. It was actually giving him a choice? Maybe he was actually making progress in this twisted game.

Naturally, he accepted. The strain of maintaining the leaves was still intense, but noticeably easier than before. Chaz hid a grin. Man, if only working out in real life had been that fucking easy. He loved the grind, but there was nothing like that quick hit of immediate progress.

Character Name: Ryo Kimura

Age: 6 years

Level: 3

Experience: 0/100

Stats:

Chakra Capacity (32/300)

Chakra Control (64%)

Skills:

Taijutsu (41/100)

Ninjutsu (59/100)

Genjutsu (11/100)

Special Abilities: *Currently Locked*

Reputation:

Konohagakure: 318/1,500 (Kyūbi Survivor)

It was both satisfying and a little disappointing to see what had been revealed. At least he had access to that information, and it was interesting to see his skills broken down into that sort of format, but it seemed… incomplete.

The analytical side of his brain was always working overtime. He took in and broke down everything - people, places, words. It had been a boon while studying for the LSAT and his more advanced classes, and not it went to work on the little scraps he'd been given.

Chaz still had no clue how to actually level-up. Clearly there were quest rewards of some sort. He'd made it to Level 2 by surviving the Nine-Tails attack. Perhaps he earned experience for training his skills as well? Still, it couldn't be that much if he'd only gained another level after five years of regular training with his chakra.

As for his statistics and skills themselves…

For one, there was no fucking way that 300 was the limit for chakra capacity unless it was measured on a logarithmic scale. Naruto alone had a disgusting amount of chakra, even if Chaz couldn't really measure it without an outside tool. Would the game provide one at some point? Chaz could only wonder.

If Chaz's chakra was 32/300, then he'd expect Naruto's to be something ridiculous like 5,000/300. There had to be more to the scale. He'd done a good job of working on his chakra however he could, but there was no way he was ten percent to the limit. Maybe the average chūnin, but not the real monsters.

As for chakra control, that was more interesting. So it was measured based on a percentage? That could fit given that it wasn't necessarily something you could just grind out. Sure, you could train it constantly, but it would adapt based on the amount of chakra he had. Perhaps if he trained only his capacity without compensating with additional chakra control work then he'd see that percentage lower.

Chakra control was somewhat innate. The body and mind would adjust to whatever you had. But it wasn't perfect unless you worked for it, just like you had to train the body to use its muscles properly. Most people could go in and lift a weight, but he'd compare chakra control to training form. You got more from less and it kept you both from potential injury and from wasting energy.

He doubted that he'd ever turn into a chakra monster without abusing perks or the game system in some way (if it ever even let him choose perks instead of gaining them situationally like with his Killing Intent resistance) and so Chaz had focused on chakra control as his priority.

Train that and any limits on his capacity wouldn't matter so much.

His skills tracked as well. Chaz suspected that he could unlock more as he learned of new disciplines and esoteric techniques, but for now he'd received no training. All he really knew anything about were taijutsu and ninjutsu, with only the barest understanding of genjutsu.

The orphanage got its kids training young. It wasn't necessarily like the training that they would receive at the Academy. According to the orphanage, sparring and kata were just forms of exercise to help the orphans remain in good health.

Yeah fucking right.

Sure, they had that effect. They also ensured that the orphans who chose the Academy wouldn't go in at such a disadvantage to their peers. It was equitable. The orphans would be familiar already and the Academy wouldn't have to waste as much time on the very basis. Chūnin and genin instructors came by regularly during the week to lead sessions.

Ninjutsu wasn't offered, reserved for those who devoted themselves to the shinobi lifestyle, but Chaz knew enough. His dad had shown him the hand seals plenty of times and he'd trained relentlessly in them for speed and precision. A normal kid probably wouldn't have been able to pull off that kind of dexterity, but Chaz had the advantage of an adult mind and had already learned to mold chakra.

He kept his practice mostly secret, only revealing that he was aware of the hand seals. That was knowledge that could have come from anywhere. Everything else was difficult - all he could really do was practice the seals, feel their impact on how he moulded his chakra, and experiment from there.

Any actual ninjutsu were too risky to attempt due to the ANBU's eyes on Naruto. There was no good way to explain that. Even a genius would take time to develop jutsu from scratch. It was one thing to mold and be aware of one's chakra. It was quite another to manifest it in the form of a technique.

Best to hold off on all of that.

It was a little grating that even after years of practice his chakra control was only at 64%, but when he considered what 100% (or close to it) was capable of in the hands of a master like Tsunade… well, maybe he wasn't so badly off.

That gave him something to work for. Goddamn he'd love to break a mountain in half.

"Hey! I thought that would mess you up." Naruto whined, practically vibrating with energy. "Don't you wanna do something else?"

Chaz rolled his eyes and let the leaves fall away. His chakra coils instantly burned as the tension released, but soon felt better. He really did feel more powerful, even if only by a little. Were there more stats that he just wasn't aware of yet, or had leveling up boosted his chakra reserves enough to take away some of the pain?

Time for that later. He rolled his shoulders, stretched to get his blood flowing again, and rose to his feet.

"You know what, I'm in a good mood today," Chaz grinned. He was a little taller than Naruto thanks to the age gap, but Chaz could already tell he wouldn't have the same massive height from his previous life without a little enhancement. "Grab your allowance. Meet me here in five minutes. We're going to Ichiraku!"

That was all that needed to be said. Naruto's blue eyes bugged out, a massive smile spread over his whiskered face, and he dashed off like he'd just scarfed down a pound of sugar laced with meth. He practically vanished. The kid's excitement bolstered Chaz's own good mood.

Level 3, huh?

Not too bad. He had a long way to go, but he felt his chakra flowing denser already. More chakra meant more strength. More strength meant control. Control meant freedom.

He'd be entering the Academy soon. Chaz wasn't sure how he wanted to handle that yet. Did he push for early graduation, or did he bide his time and master the skills he could? Sasuke hadn't graduated early, so maybe they weren't offering that after the war.

Speaking of which, Chaz expected to hear about the Uchiha massacre any day now. He was a little rusty and couldn't remember exactly when it happened, but he knew Sasuke had been young. Maybe some other dude would've been willing to get involved with that mess, but Chaz was steering clear.

For one, he was still pretty helpless. A green genin could slit his throat without much trouble. There was no fucking way that he was going to get mixed up in Hokage business or be in range of that little bitch Danzo. He'd rather not get conscripted into ROOT or whatever the fuck it was called.

He didn't want that edgy shit in his life, and Chaz wasn't about to take orders from anyone that he didn't want to.

Next, why would he bother saving the Uchiha? Not that he could anyway, but he wasn't really partial to them.

Seriously, fuck 'em. Sasuke would live and that was all he needed for his future plans. Any others were a liability. The only reason to try to sneak in (which would surely get him killed or captured) was to try and snag one of those sweet Sharingan for himself, although right now he couldn't even properly implant it.

He'd probably just end up stealing one from Danzo at some point, even if the logistics of that would be… difficult.

Ugh. Thoughts for later. Naruto was already bouncing back, probably ready to shout his head off about ramen, and Chaz shushed him.

"We have to sneak out, remember? Izumi will kill us if she catches us again."

"You got it!" Naruto half-whispered half-screamed. Chaz rolled his eyes as they snuck over to the courtyard wall. He was able to stick himself to it with chakra to pull himself forward, even if his technique wasn't perfect yet, and offered a hand to a fascinated Naruto to help him up. "Ryo-san, when can I do this? It's so cool!"

"Later," Chaz hissed as he hoisted the boy over the wall. They plonked down into an alley just out of sight of the main road. It was still early in the afternoon so all sorts of villagers were milling about going on their way. He pulled out a scrap of cloth. It wouldn't hide Naruto from the ANBU watcher that had no doubt already tracked their exact location, but it would keep his bright hair from catching the unwelcoming eyes of the villagers. "Here."

Naruto groaned. "Do I have to?"

"It's either this or I toss you back over that wall and get Ichiraku for myself."

"Fine!"

He waited for Naruto to throw the cloth over his head like a bandanna, rolled his eyes as the five year old made a mess of it, and tied it himself. It was dumb, but it was functional.

"You know what? Let's make a game of it." Naruto was all ears. "I'll follow you. If you can make it to Ichiraku without anyone seeing you, I'll buy you an extra bowl."

"You're on!"

Naruto didn't even hesitate before scurrying off. It was easy to bait him with ramen - he was able to put down a disgusting amount even at this age - and Chaz couldn't wait to offer him a little lesson in verbal contracts and the importance of precise wording. He had no doubt that Naruto, exuberant little bastard that he was, would manage to sneak there unseen.

It's like he was so loud most of the time so that he could bottle it up and go perfectly quiet for a bit. Someone so annoying shouldn't be able to creep around like he could. This was just extra training. Throw in a lesson about how anyone included Chaz and how Naruto had failed from the beginning and thus wouldn't receive his reward (at least until he wore Chaz down with his sniffling) and it was going to be a very educational day for him.

At least there was still a little bit of lawyer left in him. Turns out that transferred pretty well into the shinobi lifestyle. Who would have guessed?

But, more importantly, it amused him.

That was what this life was for, wasn't it?

A/N: Hey, sorry for the late chapter! I had a busy week and got held up. I'm going to try and work overtime on this so that I have at least one chapter in reserve and can maintain a regular update schedule on Friday.

We're getting out of the prologue now. I plan to do a series of time skips focusing mainly on key events over the next few chapters so that we can get into the meat. We'll see Chaz developing and starting to make an impact, although he's staying pretty lowkey for now other than trying to help Naruto.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review! This is a really fun story to write but I'm still finding my way on a few things. Let me know what you would like to see in the future or if you have any ideas!