A/N Kinda a filler chapter lol. I have one more chapter after this pre-written which takes us up to academy graduation. I may not carry on this fic after the next chapter because my motivation is non-existent but we'll have to see what happens.

It has been a year and a half since I joined the academy, and now I'm a 9, soon turning 10-year-old, final-year academy student. Fuji-sensei continued being nice as always, and he kept teaching me outside of the academy like we always did. It was really nice, he treats me like a father would their son, and it makes me happy I, an orphan, was lucky enough to find a man like him.

Fuji-sensei actually offered for me to live in the apartment above the shop since its previous tenant moved out to be closer to the town's centre. I of course accepted, and now instead of the run-down apartment I could barely afford, I live for free above the shop, albeit I have to work more than I used to as a simple apprentice.

The guide continues to be helpful, giving advice on what to do in social situations is a godsend, by the way. It turns out I'm pretty hopeless with people, so he jumps in and gives me a hand.

I continue to train my skills as much as I can, and have maxed out all of them other than the crafting ones and chakra control.

My skills page:

-Skills-

-Shinobi Skills-

-Chakra Control, LEVEL 10/20-

-Taijutsu: Strong Fist, LEVEL MAX, 10/10-

-Ninjutsu: Henge, LEVEL MAX, 5/5-

-Ninjutsu: Kawarimi, LEVEL MAX, 5/5-

-Ninjutsu: Bunshin, LEVEL MAX, 5/5-

-Shuriken Throwing, LEVEL MAX, 10/10-

-Kunai Throwing LEVEL MAX, 10/10-

-Kenjutsu: Fuji Tanto Style, LEVEL MAX, 10/10-

-Other Skills-

Weaponsmithing: LEVEL 14/25, Apprentice (can make up to 'rare' grade items.)

Armoursmithing: LEVEL 13/25, Apprentice (can make up to 'rare' grade items.)

tailoring: LEVEL 21/25, Master (can make up to 'legendary' grade items.)

Wood Carving: LEVEL 19/25, Skilled (can make up to 'epic' grade items.)

I started enjoying tailoring and clothes making a lot more than I used to as an apprentice to Fuji-sensei, with who I would help make clothes designed for the battlefield. It's relaxing, and keeping up with civilian fashion trends kept me entertained, so I started using my spare money, which Fuji-sensei paid me whenever I worked, for my new hobby of fashion designing. It was fun, and on one occasion one of our regular customers, Anko, saw me working on a dress and decided to buy some of my previous works.

Anko started coming by quite often to buy clothes she put in orders for, she told me my prices were amazing, saying that for the quality of my work I should be charging multiple times the price. It was flattering, to say the least.

Because of Anko's influence, a few other kunoichi came by the store, asking to look at the clothes I made and placing orders, some even requesting more battle-oriented design, which I did to the best of my ability.

I learnt that even with a level 21 tailoring skill, not all clothes I make are of 'legendary' quality, with most being rare or epic, unless I really tried my best. It seemed to use a system based on luck and effort, rather than all clothes guaranteed to be of legendary quality.

One of the kunoichi who came in to order clothes, 'Yugao', saw me cleaning and sharpening Hogomaru, my tanto, after a training session, and asked about it. When she left, I scanned Hogomaru out of curiosity:

-Hogomaru (Tanto), Epic-

-This Tanto was made by Nakamura Haruto and his teacher, Fuji. it has been used for light sparring, but no real combat and looks new, it won't break soon.-

-This weapon has 1 renown.-

It seemed Yugao seeing, and seemingly holding respect for the weapon increased its renown, which was nice.

I continued selling my clothes to kunoichi and a few male shinobi who came into the store for about six months, always giving half of the profits to Fuji-sensei, who reluctantly accepted, when a group of civilian girls, all teenagers, entered the store and asked to buy. This apparently was when Fuji-sensei knew I was on to something.

Before, when I was only selling to Shinobi, it was a nice hobby that also made me some money, but now that civilians were interested, Fuji-sensei was interested too, from a business standpoint.

So, Fuji-sensei used some of his saved money and built a small extension to the shop with a door to the outside, practically building a second store beside the first, where my clothes were sold. He hired a kid around my age, the daughter of his 'old friend' who ran the store when he was at the academy, to run the store whenever one of us couldn't and had me start teaching her how to sew and make clothes.

Overall, I was now making half of the profits from the clothing store, with Fuji taking a quarter and the rest going into the businesses account. It was a very popular store, and the girl, Aiko, who was working there was a natural at making clothes, I would say most of what she makes would be at least 'rare' quality, if not higher now.