The next week had seen me fall into a comfortable routine for me where I had woken up with the dawn and immediately left my home for an extensive séance of physical exercise.
Every day, it would take about three hours before I returned home completely exhausted and disgustingly smelly, until I took the time to clean myself extensively and applied some scentless talc, like I knew Shinobi did before going on missions.
I would then practice the Leaf Sticking Exercise while cooking myself a meal.
I wasn't yet at the level where I would consider the exercise completed, but I had reached a point where I could hold onto a single leaf and make it dance on my body for about twenty minutes.
Afterwards, I would then practice doing the Transformation technique as often as I could, making me prouder than I had ever been in the improvement of my skills, though the feeling was tempered somewhat by the knowledge that the real Naruto had been just as good at the technique, seeing as it was the simplest one to master, and only required a vivid imagination to function properly.
At first, I had only been able to slightly alter my appearance, but I had recently achieved a breakthrough where I could alter my form, making myself into both an adult and a girl.
The transformations were still extremely fragile, the second I moved even slightly it broke, but that wasn't all bad as the level of detail I was showing with every wrinkle, hair and mole was quite frankly spectacular.
It really paid to have a photographic memory when doing exercises requiring visualization and imagination.
The most progress I had achieved, however, was in the studying department where I had finally finished going over the academy materials I had scanned upon first moving into my new home.
Even discarding all the Geography and History books which I had asserted contained the same material as the books Hiruzen's ANBU had provided me at the orphanage, the Shinobi academy taught much more in depth about the human body, even branching into common diseases, their symptoms, cause and known remedies to go with the botany materials I had already studied independently before.
It didn't stop there, however, as a veritable trove of trivia was hidden among the pages, from survival guides, different ways to fish, tie knots, pitch tents, make campfires, track clues from the forest, use the constellations to locate one's self in the wild, or even cryptography protocols required to master for all Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, which I was most excited about, though that had been purely based on my enjoyment of the subject in my previous life.
I could now easily understand how children with higher cognitive abilities, like Kakashi and Itachi had managed to blast through the academy in less than a year, as beyond some memorization, it was not a mental challenge whatsoever.
Besides the basics of Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu I knew the books had purposefully omitted to diminish the risks of chakra-using bandit dropouts, most of the curriculum consisted of protocols and guidelines to follow in numerous scenarios.
The textbooks explained how one was to identify him or herself at the border, how to address a superior officer, what made a good report, as well as how to behave properly during diplomatic missions or while in enemy territory.
I hadn't realized how many different rules there were for Shinobi to follow, but I took some pleasure in learning the proper distance to keep from enemies while trailing them during the day, at night, or what type of formation to adopt depending on whether speed or stealth was the objective or if the team was in pursuit or flight mode, which would require diversions and decoys.
All in all, it was pretty interesting and I had no doubt it would prove useful in the field one day.
It was true that I was cheating with my memory, but even then, I was almost confident the four years curriculum at the civilian academy was much more difficult from a purely pedagogic point of view than the Shinobi one, even as someone that could probably ace those exams whenever I wanted.
To be fair to the academy, I knew the practical side of things was the main focus, and as I had discovered lately, it was completely useless to know all the instructions and regurgitate the steps from memory if one wasn't able to fully execute them.
Even then, however, I knew I would not graduate early no matter what. It would be an absolutely idiotic decision from my part, as all it would do would be to push me earlier into the field where the risk of death would be greater, while limiting my free time for no discernible benefit.
I was still too young to want the freedom of travel, and I strongly believed I was better off mastering the basics as much as I could and only enter the official Shinobi ranks at the same age as my peers, even if it was at a much higher level than any mere Genin had any right to be.
I did not want to die stupidly because I rushed in like an idiot.
One benefit of spending a lifetime stuck motionless in bed was learning the virtue of patience, after all.
Still, it was insane to me how much perfect recall impacted the time I took to learn new concepts.
If I ignored the practical side of things, a four-year medical doctor education could probably be achieved in two weeks of eighteen hours reading and I was more than willing to hunt down the books required for me to achieve that result over the next decade of studies and training I had at my disposition.
I had been slightly shocked when among my materials were tutorials on how to escape any form of bindings, including breaking fingers to escape handcuffs, as well as where to bite my tongue to ensure I lost consciousness to save energy as well as a list of the most efficient suicide methods to make use of following capture by the enemy.
The Naruto world was much more hardcore than the world had given it credit, which made it strange how sheltered Sakura and Naruto had been after their graduation, requiring their Jonin teacher to open their eyes to the darkness of this world.
For my part, on the other hand, I already knew my flaws could, should and would all be fixed in due time, anyways.
Back to the present, I had continued making sure to be seen around the village, smiling and greeting anyone I made eye contact with, seemingly uncaring whether they returned my cheerfulness or not, even if my blood was boiling underneath the facade.
It was why one day, as I was returning from my run around the village, jogging lightly down the street and absorbing as much fresh air as I could, that I approached a middle-age woman I had noticed repeatedly struggling to hold up five bags of groceries, while trying to juggle two boxes of what appeared to be pastry cakes in her arms at the same time.
Of course, I had seen an easy opportunity to build bridges and start planting the seeds of my acceptance into the populace of the village, and therefore, silently made my way towards her, affecting as friendly an expression and tone as I could before addressing her.
"Would you like any help, ma'am?"
As expected, she stopped walking, immediately at the sound of my voice, letting out a relieved sigh and started accepting my offer "Yes, thank you so much young..." before immediately freezing in place as she turned around and noticed whom had just offered her to help.
"I was just coming back from my run and you look like you really need a little help." I said quickly with as sweet a smile as only my adorable young self was able to produce. "It's no bother, really, I was already going in that direction and it would be a shame if you dropped any of your food."
Not deterred by the uncertain countenance she exhibited, I preyed on her distaste for the idea of letting her purchases go to waste, determined to not let her brush me off for no reason, and quickly held on four of her bags for her, gently picking them out of her tired hands, allowing her to still carry one bag along with her two boxes, making use of a psychology trick I had read about, where letting her share the task would allow her to feel like we were equally sharing the task, rather than her being entirely in my debt.
Similarly, I did not wait for her to answer one way or the other before taking slow but determined steps in the direction she was going, urging her to follow along with me, lest I run off with her belongings and I was happy to see her do so, though she remained silent as we walked awkwardly together for a few seconds.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." I let her know after a moment, keeping a close attention to her facial expressions from the side of my eyes, making sure not to turn towards her. "I plan on becoming Hokage one day."
Once again, she remained silent, though I saw her eyebrows furrow a moment and I almost snickered imagining the rebuttal she had probably just barely stopped herself from letting out past her lips.
"It's the Hokage's job to protect and take care of the village and its inhabitants." I continued when it was clear she wouldn't be interjecting anytime soon. "One day, I will reach that level, but for now, I am just a child, you know? So the best I can do to prepare for the job is help others anytime I can."
I had turned towards her at the end of my declaration smiling as wide as I could, knowing I was laying it a bit thick, but also aware that I was still a child and this level of sloppiness would be forgiven and excused as my being charming. I was pleasantly surprised to actually see her eyes soften a little at my words, doubly so when she actually answered me this time.
"Why are you preparing for its so early? Shouldn't you be enjoying your childhood instead of worrying about the future?" She asked somewhat sternly, and I felt myself almost bristle at the audacity of this woman, not even introducing herself before she started questioning my life choices.
I knew I was reading too much into it, and she probably was idly curious, but the tone was grating on my nerve at a primal level.
"There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage." I let her know seriously. "I am going to study more diligently and train harder than anyone else to become the greatest Hokage of all."
Seeing the opportunity, I decided to go for it, hiding a mischievous smile before adding the last part.
"I am going to prove to everyone wrong about me. I am just a child that received a weird tattoo thanks to the Fourth. I don't deserve this village's hatred. I have never done anything wrong."
I made sure to crack my voice and take the correct inflections to sound as melancholic as I could, staring resolutely at the Hokage monument and despite no longer monitoring her expressions, I was elated to hear the gasp she let out at how pathetic I sounded.
Internally smiling at her clear surprise, but eager nonetheless to keep playing on her heartstrings, I kept my mouth shut and stared forward for a few seconds letting the silence gain an uncomfortable weight.
"My parents both died to protect this village, so I am going to make sure to become the strongest Shinobi around and ensure it survives for a few generations longer for their sake." I explained, happy to see her now paying close attention to every word coming out of my mouth. "I will make them proud."
"I would like to apologize, young man." The woman interjected suddenly, much friendlier and respectful than even I had dreamed she would be after only a few words and some acting from my part. I could see now why Naruto's talking jutsu was truly the most powerful tool in his arsenal.
"What for?" I asked her, my genuine confusion at her change of tune channeled into the question.
"You have been helping me and I haven't even introduced myself yet, it so very rude from my part!" She said contritely, inclining her head in my direction apologetically. "My name is Kaori. It is a pleasure meeting you."
Part of me was completely disgusted with the new respect I was being addressed with, no matter how much I intellectually accepted the situation of the villagers and the hatred that accompanied their instinctive fear of my tenant.
As the wronged party in this situation, it still felt terrible that for the majority of the citizens of this village, I was not even considered a proper human being, and while I understood people couldn't realistically be held too highly accountable for their natural fears, or human instincts, it did not mean I had a responsibility to forgive my mistreatment either, even if they apologized or changed their views later, regardless of how petty it was.
"It really is no trouble, Mrs. Kaori." I lied instead, as determined as ever to make a name for myself in this village, no matter how distasteful it was to be a hypocrite and pretend to respect the cockroaches. It was a necessary sacrifice to not end up dead in a few short years. "But please, tell me more about yourself." I smiled helpfully.
"I own a clothing shop." She admitted. "Not quite as impressive as being Hokage, but it is quite the fulfilling career." I rewarded her little joke with a small grin, which apparently pleased her enough to offer me the privilege of being a client.
"I doubt it would be a great fit for all your future needs as we do not cater to the ninja lifestyle, but as long as it's for everyday wear or only for non life-threatening training, I would be quite grateful if you chose to do your shopping with us."
My eye twitched at her offer, knowing she would never have considered allowing me into her store prior to today, probably preferring seeing me drown, but now that she had seen I was a regular human person, she had the shamelessness to request I spend my limited funds to support her finances.
The audacity of this woman truly had no bounds.
"It would be an honor, Mrs. Kaori. I will make sure to make my first stop here anytime I need something new." I said instead, bowing politely, even as we reached said store and I handed her back the four bags I had carried so far.
"I always start my runs about the time the sun rises so I have the time to shower and prepare breakfast and lunch before having to study, so if you ever find yourself in need of someone to help out with some errands, feel free to call upon me." I added, and she thanked me profusely for my help, promising to do so if she ever saw me walking by.
Luckily, she was somewhat in a rush and did not hang around for much longer, bidding me to have a good day and entering her establishment, which like most shops in the commercial district was a store on the ground floor with an apartment on top.
The further I walked away, the further my smile dropped from my features, leaving only my neutral expression towards the rest of the world.
I was not entirely certain why I was having such a visceral reaction, I knew what I was getting into from the start, and I had been fully expecting to see such a flip, even if I expected it to take longer and require more effort from my part.
Rather than be disgusted by the whole ordeal, I should be happy as I now knew for a fact that most villager's reaction towards me was shallow and that as long as I managed to get my foot in the door, I would be easily capable to flip it on its head.
The real Naruto had been an immature child, too honest and trusting, lacking the little finesse and manipulative touch to make a first good impression. I wasn't him and I would never be held back by the reputation of prankster and general public nuisance he had brought upon himself, so why was I so offended for actions that didn't actually affect me that much?
I planned on becoming a Shinobi, so lying and influencing others' through subterfuge was par for the course, and it had never bothered me at all to play dirty if it ensured my survival in this world, so why was I finding it so hard? Was I still being too sympathetic to the little boy whose life I had stolen? Was this guilt for the fact that I was being gifted a second shot at life while he had been denied his only one?
Or was I simply disgusted by the villagers as a whole?
Over thinking things was become quite exhausting, really.
One could say it had been lucky for me that Kaori owned a clothing store, in the end.
Of course, anyone that said such a naive thing would be wrong for believing it had been a coincidence that I had approached her in the first place.
Kaori had been one of the women I had scoped from behind the counter of her store as she glared at me when I had first started doing my shopping on my own.
She was only the very first domino in a list of many important villagers I wanted to turn into completely indifferent if not sympathetic towards my existence before I even set foot in the civilian academy, two months from now.
Honestly, it mattered little to me that she owned a clothing shop from a commercial standpoint, I could easily shop anywhere I wanted with a simple little transformation and never have to worry about being discriminated against. Especially in the civilian stores where they were generally unaware of chakra usage, but the idea of being sent around on errands, presumably to purchase materials or deliver clothes was quite enticing in the sense that it would give me an excuse to meet and convince as many people as possible of my good character and garner even more sympathy through my charming ways.
All in all, I really had no reason to complain with how the interaction had gone, and the day was shaping up to be a bright one for me, my mission being successful and having unearthed more possibilities to achieve my objectives.
Really, there was no real reason to be angry or disappointed with how things had gone and I did my best to swallow any such feeling as I made my way back towards my apartment where I knew a hot shower would undoubtedly improve my mood.