Inspired by a clever D&D game, where my DM ran three overlapping games at once.
I do not own Naruto, nor would I want to.
A big thanks to NurseBold, Nicolas H, Tim M, ncskeeter56, Thomas D, Avo, S. Nutter, Lucy B, Lars H, Jesper B, Frogsamurai, Bunny Waffles, Lizard Messiah, Chymor, Kalafalafakah, Fabhar, Zach C, Dicky W, Sashank U, Patrick I, Mario C, MidnightJayguar, Tyric Gaias, No Thanks, Dominic C, Michael M, Yeno M, and Jeremiah Z for being patrons.
An extra big thanks to Spartanstoryteller, Drekin, Teigen S, HyeoJ, Lennert B, K, PolarFlame, and Andres for being high-level patrons.
Last but certainly not least, a very special thanks to BrokenOlive and Kendelle T for being top-level patrons.
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Naruto cries out as he crashes painfully into the grass of the training field. He coughs and looks in the corner of his vision at his flashing HP bar.
-Quest Update!-
A Long Way To Go
Spar with Archibald Jones to prepare for team placements!
Complete!
Reward: 1000XP
You are now Level 12!
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Level 12 Genin of the Hidden Leaf (+10% to all Leaf Shinobi rep gains)
EXP: 100/7,800
HP: 2,158/6,800
MP: 2,673/13,300
Money: 25,620 Ryo
STR: 22
DEX:18
VIT: 68
END: 85
INT: 23
CHA: 22
LUK: 41
Available stat points: 20
Naruto groans and slowly rises to his shaky feet, still spasming slightly as his muscles tingle in pain from the abuse he's been subjected to. He places his hands on his knees and bends over to catch his breath.
"Not bad," a male voice laughs. "We'll make a fighter out of you yet."
The blonde boy sucks in a hissing breath and stands straight, glaring at his grinning tormenter on the other side of the field. Accidentally, he casts [Observe]
Name: Archibald Jones
Level 81 Lord of Cinder
HP: 3,141/3,253
MP: 37,050/38,000
STR: 39
DEX: 40
VIT: 11
END: 193
INT: 115
CHA: 38
LUK: 50
FTH*: 115
-[Traits Hidden]-
Standing several inches shy of six feet tall, a slim man no older than twenty years throws his head back and laughs openly. The man is clad in a simple black sleeveless shirt tucked into baggy cargo pants His hands and feet are protected by a standard set of full-fingered, steel-backed shinobi gloves and open-toed shinobi sandals respectively. Around his waist acting as a belt, a leaf-marked hitai-ate rests. On his head, a loose beanie hat covers most of his dirty blonde hair. Archie coughs into his left hand to stifle his mirth after a second, but still smiles as if he wants to giggle. "C'mon, I told you training with me would be electrifying. You even got a level!"
Naruto glares even harder, his gaze shifting to the short, western-styled sword the man holds in a lazy grip with his right hand. It's nothing impressive looking, with a double-sided blade of two feet, a short and undecorated crossguard, a cracked wooden grip, and a plain pommel like a tarnished coin. Most eyes would pass right over it, yet...
Lightning Short Sword+1
D-tier Sword
Scaling: E | D
Attack Rating: 41 (20+6+15)
A simple sword made of standard steel. Short but unintrusive, this sword is usually issued to officers or non-frontline fighters of applicable armies. It excels in powerful thrusting attacks. This [Short Sword+1] is imbued with elemental lightning, which means a nasty shock for any foe struck. Lightning damage has D-tier scaling with FTH*
"Go to hell, Archie..." Naruto grumbles, finally shaking away the unsteadiness of his limbs.
Archie snickers again. "Aw, don't look so sour. Look! You even landed a hit on me!" He says, pulling at a cut in his shirt with no wound underneath.
A hit, he says. A hit that didn't even break skin. Bah!
"Six levels in a week's time is nothing to sneeze at. Enjoy it now, because when you catch up to the rest of the party, you'll be lucky to get a level every few weeks unless you're really throwing yourself into grinding," Archie says with a nod, raising his sword and resting it on his shoulder. "You're a natural, you know that?"
The genin blushes under the praise, his ire long forgotten.
Over the last week, Naruto has spent day-in and day-out training with The Game and found himself delighted the more he learns. His END and VIT rise so dramatically each level that he can keep his other stat points to put them elsewhere as he pleases. He dumped some into his INT and was a little disappointed to not feel any immediate change, but decided against throwing everything into one stat.
"Thats a stupid idea, kid." Dakki said when Naruto asked about having one overblown stat several days back. "It's a one-way ticket to death, and even Players can't cheat death forever. Wait until you can count the threats to yourself on one hand before trying anything dumb."
Mollified, Naruto kept his stat points for a rainy day since hard work makes stats go up anyway. That's where Naruto found the next thing that he could scarcely believe.
Reading books can level up his skills and give him new skills.
An old textbook from the Academy proved it. He swiped the book earlier in the year only to be dismayed at how hard it was to read, and it promptly went into a pile with other unread books in his apartment. With his INT bumped up though, things made just a bit more sense when he read it, just enough that he understood most of it. After reading a section on circulating chakra to the body, he got a new skill.
[Surface Cling] - Lvl 9 | 20MP | Ninjutsu
Circulate MP through your skin and into an object in a looping pattern to cling to it. Can be used to scale sheer surfaces and keep an ironclad grip on objects. Higher levels reduce wasted MP and count towards leveling up [Basic Chakra Control]. Costs 20MP to cast + 20MP upkeep per min.
And what a fun skill it was!... Until he found out that his MP regenerates much slower when he has a jutsu in use. An hour of playing with his new power showed his MP bar depleted a little bit when he knows it should have regenerated.
Well, there have to be downsides. Idly, Naruto is glad he found out then rather than on a mission.
He scoured the rest of the textbook but learned nothing new. He'll have to visit the library at some point.
Yeesh. Uzumaki Naruto? In a library? Things really have changed.
Naruto blinks and is pulled out of his thoughts when Archie taps on his headband. "Earth to Naruto. You there?"
When did he have time to walk up?
"Yeah, just thinking is all." Naruto shakes his head. "The last week has been crazy."
"I said the same thing after I awakened, too." Archie comments, slipping his hands into his pockets, jostling the short sword now sheathed cross the small of his back. The man glances up at the rays of sunshine beginning to poke through the forest canopy. "Your team placement is today, yeah? Nervous?"
"Not at-!" Naruto stops his shouted denial short and lowers the fist he raised in exclamation.
Friends should not lie to friends, at least he thinks so.
"Urm... Maybe a little...?" Naruto corrects with a sheepish smile that he hopes hides how nervous he actually is. "I mean, these will be the people I spend my genin days with. What if Sakura-chan isn't on my team? What if that prick Sasuke is?"
Archie rolls his eyes. "I still don't get what you see in that girl."
Naruto instantly feels his smile shift into a frown. "She's the smartest and prettiest girl in class! She's never gotten a single thing wrong and can do everything right in just one try! She's the best!"
"Never gotten a single thing wrong, eh?" Archie shakes his head. "Naruto, she got the whole 'treat others as you would want to be treated' thing wrong over and over every time she shoots you down by hitting you. That's not normal nor should you think it's normal," he says seriously. "For real, don't tell Laura what this Sakura girl does to you. It'll be ugly..." He mumbles the last part almost too quietly for Naruto to hear. "Sakura isn't the perfect being you make her out to be, and I can guarantee this crush will pass."
"It's not just a crush!" Naruto insists, his face heating up from how flustered he is.
"Do you know what her birthday is?" Archie asks suddenly, his eyebrow raising.
Naruto racks his brain for the answer, only to come up short.
"Do you know what she does for fun? What is her favorite color or food?" The other Player asks rapidly. "I'm waiting."
The genin frantically combs his mind for an answer, then it hits him! "Oh! Sakura-chan likes reading!" He smugly replies.
"Okay, what genre?"
Naruto is stumped again. He glances around the training ground and tries to think of something, but can't. He growls and clenches his fists. "Does that even matter?!"
Archie's brows furrow and he opens his mouth to answer but stops and closes it again. "Look," he starts after a moment. "Just think about it, okay? Sometimes it isn't meant to be, and I think this is one of those cases. You've got all the time in the world and literally infinite options when it comes to romance, and your first love won't be your last. Now, how about this ramen place you're always talking about? I'll treat you to breakfast as a congrats for being a genin."
The argument is instantly pushed to the back of Naruto's mind at the offer of free breakfast, and ramen to boot!
"Now you're speaking my language!" Naruto grins. "C'mon!"
Before Naruto can turn and leap into the trees to make haste to Ichiraku Ramen, Archie's hand falls on his shoulder. "Hold up, let me fix you up first."
Naruto looks at the hand stopping him, then down to himself. Shortly afterward, a grimace crosses his face.
His orange jumpsuit is all torn up and covered in stains from grass, dirt, and blood. All the flesh visible in the tears is either bruised or cut. The injuries are slowly fading, as evidenced by his health bar slowly ticking back up, but it will still be some time before it all is completely healed.
"Aww..." Naruto groans. "This is going to take forever to clean..."
"Well, since we're short on time and all, let me show you something cool." Archie smiles. He takes a deep, calming breath as the hand on Naruto's shoulder glows a captivating gold. "[Med Heal]."
Naruto's eyes widen.
A golden circle of light flanked by runes and symbols the genin has never seen before blooms to life around his feet, and the light it generates snakes up his body. The light seeps into his wounds like a liquid, washing away the aches and pains like they were never there. Near instantly, a portion of his HP is restored as the magic circle fades away
+1500 HP
HP: 3,990/6,800
Archie frowns. "One more time. [Med Heal]!" He chants again.
The golden circle comes back to life around Naruto's feet, and the liquid-like light once again seeks out the remaining injuries on his body, making his muscles slacken with relaxation as nearly all his remaining aches vanish.
+1500 HP
HP: 5,500/6,800
"That'll have to do for now..." Archie sighs. "One more. [Repair]!"
A blue glow radiates out from the man's hand and travels down Naruto's jumpsuit, and before the boy's wide eyes, the tears fuse back together. The threads around the ragged cuts actually unweave and weave back together, generating new threads from nothing. The stains, meanwhile, just lift out of the fabric and roll down in dirty droplets like rain off of a tarp, dropping to the ground and staining the grass.
Archie lets out a breath and removes his hand. "I forgot just how restrictive this level is..." He says, his hand shaking a little.
Silently, Naruto scans his guildmate, zeroing in on his MP.
Name: Archibald Jones
Level 81 Lord of Cinder
HP: 3,253/3,253
MP: 19,090/38,000
Nearly half his MP for just three jutsu?
"What were those?" Naruto can't help but ask, his mind whirling with the possibility of such powerful healing techniques. "I mean, I know they were healing jutsu, but..." He trails off
"They looked different from what you expected?" Archie finishes with a raised brow. "The first one, [Med Heal], was a [Miracle], and the second one, [Repair], was a [Sorcery]. They're kind of like jutsu, but from my homeworld." The man explains, looking away for a moment. An expression Naruto can't place flies over Archie's face quickly. "Before you ask, I can't teach them to you. Not yet. Maybe when your level is a bit higher. Anyway, breakfast?"
Naruto's follow-up question dies in his mouth. "Oh, right!" He grins. "I gotta show you Ichiraku's! It's the best in the whole village. C'mon!"
The boy turns and leaps high into the trees, bounding off of a thick limb without waiting for his guildmate. Archie isn't left behind for long and Naruto spies him leaping through the air in the edge of his vision.
Naruto lands lightly in the nearly deserted morning street, the shock of leaping off a three-story building doing little to his chakra-infused limbs. At his side, Archie lands much more roughly, stumbling somewhat with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
"Don't tell me a little jog like that tuckered you out!" Naruto teases with a wide smile. "That was just a few miles!"
Archie glares at the young boy and takes a moment to catch his breath. "I'm a ranged fighter, kid..." He takes another deep breath and finally steadies himself. "All this ninja stuff? Not for me."
"What's that for, then?" Naruto snickers, pointing to the headband wrapped around the man's waist.
"So I don't get harassed for being your 'summon' or something," Archie replies, rolling his eyes. "Your grandad wants Laura, Dakki, and I to have one to be sure. Apparently this thing," he taps the steel plate of the headband with a finger, "-has some kind of seal slaving it to yours, so we count as summons and get a modified copy of your ID... And I didn't have a [Tree Hopping] skill until I followed you, so bite me."
Naruto folds his hands behind his head and begins walking with Archie half a step behind him. "Seals? Like [Fuinjutsu]?"
"Beats me, you're the one with the special talent for it," Archie shrugs. "Check the back of the metal plate on your headband, under the cloth when you get a chance. After breakfast, I'm going to hit up your village library for a bit, then I've got an urgent quest to take after that. Do you want me to find some books on seals for you?"
"Yeah, that would be great!" Naruto smiles brightly. It becomes a little brighter when Ichiraku's street-corner stand comes into view. Naruto eagerly runs the rest of the way, throwing the kanji-marked flaps covering the stand's open-air entrance out of the way, showing Naruto a man in a white apron monitoring a boiling pot with his back turned. "Morning, Teuchi-oyaji!" Naruto loudly greets, taking his favorite center stool.
The man turns his head, showing the smiling, weathered visage of Teuchi Ichiraku. "Good morning to you, Naruto-kun! You're here awful early," He says jovally. The older man puts the ladle in his hand down and turns the heat on the stove down somewhat before fully turning around.
Naruto grins. "Yep! My team placement is today, and I gotta have the energy for it! Plus, my friend offered to pay, so how can I say no?"
"Your friend, Naruto-kun?" Teuchi raises a surprised eyebrow, one that rises a little further when Archie finally catches up and takes a seat next to Naruto without any hesitation.
The orange-clad genin's smile only gets brighter. "Yeah! Teuchi-oyaji, meet Jones Archie! Archie," the boy turns to the amused foreigner. "Meet Ichiraku Teuchi! The best ramen chef in all of Hi no Kuni!"
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far, my boy," Teuchi bashfully smiles before turning his attention to the older of his two customers. "It's a pleasure, Jones-san. I don't think we've ever met before." He says with a slight incline of his head, stumbling only slightly over the unusual name.
"Thank you, Teuchi...san," Archie stumbles a little bit himself. He clears his throat. "Teuchi-san is okay, right? As you can probably tell, I'm not from around here. Oh, and feel free to just call me Archie."
The older man nods. "Certainly, Archie-san. Now, what can I get for you boys?"
"Miso ramen for me, please!" Naruto can feel his mouth watering already.
"Erm..." Archie looks up at the menu posted across the back wall, and Naruto notices Archie's eyes don't move across the kanji in the right direction before he stops and corrects himself. "A miso for me as well, thanks."
"Coming right up!" Teuchi smiles and turns back to his cooktop.
'I wonder what Teuchi-oyaji's stats look like...' Naruto wonders to himself as they wait for their meal. '[Observe]!'
[Observe] has leveled up to Lvl 13!
Name: Ichiraku Teuchi
Level 21 Expert Chef
HP: 400/400
MP: 200/200
STR: 17
DEX: 15
VIT: 10
END: 10
INT: 30
CHA: 29
LUK: 20
Rep: (Honored) 449/500
'Teuchi-oyaji is so fragile...' Naruto blinks, unsure how to take the info presented to him. Silently, he looks around and scans several other civilians. An old woman, a man with several shopping bags, a pair of children running by...
The adults often have higher levels than he does, but his own stats dwarf theirs easily. And their HP is so low! Just two days ago he sparred against Laura again and got a lucky critical hit with his sealing chains that dealt a whopping 500 damage.
500 damage is total overkill for nearly any civilian.
"So, Archie-san," Teuchi's voice interrupts Naruto's morbid thoughts. "How did you meet Naruto-kun?" The chef asks without turning away from the cooktop. Despite his casual tone, he still comes off a touch suspicious. Naruto isn't sure whether he should be touched by the gesture or annoyed that his friend is being questioned.
"I'm actually a part of Naruto's summoning contract," Archie says with a lopsided grin. "He contacted me and my, uh, clan on total accident. We decided to ally with him. He and I were doing a bit of early morning training before his genin placements."
Teuchi looks back with a confused frown. "Summoning contract? I thought those were usually used by, well..."
"Animals?" Archie finishes with a nod. "Well, that's not too far off. We're not human, we can just mimic the look."
'They're not?' Naruto opens his mouth to ask what Archie means, then a little message in the chat window in the corner of his eye stops him.
Archie: Just go with it.
The boy plays off his almost-question as a yawn.
The ramen chef turns back to his work with a quiet hum. "I don't think I'll ever understand ninja..."
Archie openly laughs. "Probably better for your sanity that way."
"Probably," Teuchi agrees with a smile. He turns and sets two steaming bowls of ramen down before his customers. "Alright boys, dig in!"
"Itadakimasu!" Naruto snaps his chopsticks apart and gladly tucks into his meal, savoring every bite.
From the corner of his eye, Naruto watches Archie's eyes glint at the bowl of ramen for a moment, then for his eyes to widen slightly. "Huh. Ita-itadakimasu," he mutters, stumbling again before he starts eating with gusto as well.
'Was he using [Observe]?' Naruto wonders between mouthfuls. He looks down at his half-eaten bowl with newfound curiosity. '[Observe]'
Ichiraku Miso Ramen
B-tier Consumable.
Restores 20% of HP and MP instantly once consumed.
The secret and delicious recipe of the Ichiraku family, as created by Ichiraku Teuchi. This ramen is the favorite of many important figures, like the Yondaime and Sandaime Hokages, Uzumaki Kushina, ?, and ?. It has been refined over many years and now is beloved by Konoha despite the regular patronage of a certain person.
Naruto can't help but frown at the last line of the description, but that is swiftly overpowered when he goes back and re-reads the second line. His parents both liked Ichiraku's! Truly, his lineage is great!
The genin finishes his ramen in his usual record time just as Archie passes the halfway point in his bowl. After drinking the last of the broth, Naruto sets his bowl down with a satisfied sigh. "The best, as usual, Oyaji," he says, leaning back on his stool with a content smile.
"Glad you liked it!" Teuchi smiles as he collects the empty bowl from the counter.
Naruto glances up at the clock on the wall, then double-takes when he sees the time. "Oh shoot! I gotta be at the academy in ten minutes!"
Archie swallows his latest bite. "Phew. Good stuff, Teuchi-san," he tells the chef before turning his head to Naruto. "Go on, you don't want to be late for your first day on the job. I'll pay and send those books your way. DM me or someone else if you need anything."
Naruto turns and bolts from the ramen bar, but not before turning and saying; "Thanks, Archie!" With a spring of his legs, Naruto is on the nearest roof and takes off towards the academy at top speed.
"Oh man, I hope Sakura-chan is on my team, or at least someone cool like Shikamaru or Choji..." Naruto mumbles to himself as he flies over the rooftops.
Sakura isn't the perfect being you make her out to be...
Naruto lets out an annoyed growl as Archie's words ring in his head. "What does he know..."
Naruto throws open the sliding door to his classroom with a handful of minutes to spare, finding all his classmates chattering scattered around the tiered desks with excitement. Most don't even notice him entering. For some reason, that doesn't annoy him as much as it used to.
The orange-clad genin takes the first open seat he can find, too preoccupied with the excitement bubbling in his gut to notice the other occupant on the far side of the three-seater desk. He closes his eyes and a grin comes to his face, daydreams of glory and heroism making the feeling in his stomach that much more intense.
"Huh?"
Naruto looks up at the voice, finding Nara Shikamaru half-way ascending to steps to a higher desk.
The Nara boy is several inches taller than Naruto, with his dark hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail and equally dark eyes regarding Naruto with vague curiosity. The boy's torso is covered by thin mesh armor overlaid with an open, short-sleeved vest. His legs are clad with simple brown cargo pants and his feet sport the standard open-toed shinobi sandals. Tied to his arm and his leg are his leaf-marked headband and a kunai holster respectively.
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Shikamaru asks with a raised brow. "I thought you became a drop-out."
Irritation replaces Naruto's anxiety, but he refuses to let his smile fall. "Don't you see this headband?" He points his thumb at his forehead. "Open your eyes, Shikamaru. It's regulation and all!"
Naruto fails to notice the elation that young Hyuga Hinata's face shows at his words several desks away.
Shikamaru's eyebrow raises a little higher. "Whatever you say," the Nara heir says with a small shrug before he returns to his seat by Choji, the rotund Akamichi heir.
"First!"
Naruto and several others turn and look as both Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino push past each other to be the first one in the classroom, both panting from the exertion.
Sakura's long, bubblegum-pink hair is pulled back into an unbroken wave over her back thanks to her hitai-ate being tied back like a hairband. The only hair the escapes are the bangs framing her fair face and seafoam green eyes. She's garbed in a long red dress that splits on both sides all the way up to her hips, which shows the dark, modesty-protecting shorts underneath.
Ino, meanwhile, is clothed in a midriff-exposing sleeveless purple top with a matching purple skirt. White, bandage-like martial wrap is wrapped around her midriff and thighs while her headband is tied around her waist. The girl's platinum blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail with a single bang escaping.
Naruto can't help but feel himself smile when he looks to his side and notices an open chair. Then Sakura starts walking towards him!
"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waves happily. "There's a spot right here if you wan-"
"Out of the way, Naruto!" Sakura almost spits his name as she pushes past him and takes the offered seat.
Dejected, Naruto looks over at her and instantly feels his ire rise.
Just beyond Sakura in the 3rd seat of the desk, Uchiha Sasuke sits silently, his chin resting on his laced fingers as he stares aloofly at chalkboard in the front of the room.
The pale Uchiha boy is dressed rather simply. A baggy, blue shirt with a wide collar and the Uchiha's red and white clan symbol on the back is paired with plain white shorts. His arms are covered with arm-warmers separate from his shirt, no doubt hiding weapons or tools underneath. His headband is tied around his head as most would wear it, and a kunai holster is secured to his thigh.
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura greets the Uchiha heir with cheer. "I sure hope we end up on the same team, don't you?"
Sasuke's onyx eyes don't even bother looking over at her.
Sakura deflates somewhat.
For a second, Naruto debates hopping on the desk and tearing Sasuke a new one for blowing off Sakura so rudely, but resists the urge. "Hey, bastard. Normally you're supposed to greet someone back when they tell you 'good morning'."
This time, Sasuke actually looks over. Slowly, his gaze shifts to Naruto for exactly one second, then Sasuke returns to his own thoughts without any further acknowledgment.
-50HP
HP: 6,750/6,800
"Ow!" Naruto holds his stinging head and looks at the offender.
Sakura holds her fist up and glares at the blonde. "Naruto! You can't just call Sasuke-kun names like that!"
"But he-!" Naruto bites his tongue and lets his words die when Sakura growls and raises her fist a little higher. Naruto sinks to the desk and lets his head rest in his arms, watching his health bar tick back up to full. 'That's not fair...'
He glares at Sasuke, silently blaming the Uchiha for the entire ordeal. 'Who does he think he is?' Then a thought strikes Naruto. '[Observe]!'
Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Level 20 Last Uchiha
HP: 3,600/3,600
MP: 3,300/3,300
STR: 39
DEX: 45
VIT: 36
END: 37
INT: 55
CHA: 40
LUK: 22
Rep: (Disliked) -40/-100
Traits
Uchiha Heritage: +30% to Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu skill gains. +1 to all stats per level. Grants [Sharingan] skill. Grants [Fire Affinity].
Minor Prodigy: +20% to all skill and stat gains.
Avenger: +50% damage against ?
Fragile Heart: Inflicts poor emotional control. -50% to all attempted rep gains with [Uchiha Sasuke] until (Friend) or higher, then +20% to all rep gains. May gain Trait: [Insanity] at the loss of someone with the reputation of (Friend) or higher.
Naruto can scarcely believe Sasuke's stats. They're crazy! And the traits, too! It's so unfair! Free stat points for every level? A bonus 50 percent for learning all the core shinobi skills? Naruto looks away, burning with jealousy.
That Fragile Heart one though...
Naruto silently scans around, finding the average level in the room to actually be closer to a mere level 10 to his relief. Most of the civilian kids are nothing special, but all the clan kids boast higher levels than him.
He won't let it stay that way. Just you watch...
The sliding door to the room opens again, and in steps Umino Iruka with his usual chunin attire and a clipboard held under one arm. Naruto lets an elated smile form on his face when he sees Iruka is free of any injury from the Mizuki incident.
"Alright, alright! Quiet down and find a seat!" Iruka calls to the class as he walks behind the teacher's desk, making the chatter die down and everyone scramble to seat themselves. The teacher smiles with pride as he looks around the room, taking the time to be sure he meets everyone's eyes. Iruka's smile grows a little bigger when he sees Naruto.
"I can't even begin to state how proud of all of you I am," Iruka begins. "Today begins your career as true shinobi. You've all worked hard, and now you take your first steps. You all will be assigned a jonin-sensei to work under in three-unit teams. I know you're all eager, so let's not delay any further." Iruka clears his throat and begins reading off his clipboard. "Team One..."
Naruto tunes out much of the team announcement, not caring about many of his classmates. Most of them are civilian children who were either indifferent or made their dislike of him plain to see.
"Team Seven will be Uzumaki Naruto..."
Naruto perks up at his name.
"...Haruno Sakura..."
Holy...! Sakura-chan is on his team! Naruto can't help but stand and pump a fist with a loud whoop, scarcely noticing Sakura's groan of despair.
"...And Uchiha Sasuke."
More cheers from Naruto stop dead as he sinks into his seat. 'No... not him!'
"Yes!" Sakura lets out a victorious laugh and turns to smirk at an annoyed Ino several seats back. "Take that, Ino!"
Sasuke just sighs, his brow twitching.
"Quiet, please!" Iruka orders firmly, making Sakura blush and sit back down. "Moving on..."
"So this is his home?"
Kakashi follows half a step behind the Sandaime as the pair let themselves into Naruto's apartment. The copy-nin's single exposed eye takes in the apartment that he's only ever seen from the outside.
As ANBU agent Inu, he knew a younger Naruto's old apartment down to the square inch.
"It's rather clean for a boy that lives on his own," Kakashi idly notes, dragging a finger across the kitchen counter and finding no dust.
"That might be due to me."
Kakashi tenses slightly when an unknown female voice calls to them from behind the partially closed door of the bedroom.
"Laura-dono, is that you?" The Hokage asks, motioning for Kakashi to relax.
The door opens, revealing the gently smiling visage of Laura of Gloam. Her blouse and skirt are covered by a white apron and under one of her arms is a hamper of wrinkled clothes. Behind her, the bedroom is near spotless. "Hello again, Hokage-sama. It's so nice to see you again," her smile widens a little more. Her amber eyes move to Kakashi. "Oh, I don't think we've been introduced before. My name is Laura, a friend of Naruto's, and you are..?"
"Hatake Kakashi, a pleasure," the jonin replies with a nod, not letting his eye leave the woman.
...The woman who went undetected until she revealed herself.
"I wasn't aware that you would be here today, Laura-dono," Sarutobi says cordially, folding his hands behind his back. "I know Archie-dono is out and about. Is Dakki-dono here as well?"
Laura shakes her head. "No, Dakki is a bit of a homebody. He prefers to stay home unless needed. Now, please let me get these in the wash," she shakes the hamper under her arm, "and I'll be glad to visit with you."
"Of course, my dear. We apologize for interrupting," Sarutobi smiles.
Laura giggles. "It'll be just a minute!" She says, walking past them to the back of the apartment.
Both shinobi watch her go. Then: "She's one of Naruto's summons I take it?" Kakashi asks quietly.
The Hokage nods. "Indeed. You read everything in the file I gave you?"
"And promptly destroyed it, yes," Kakashi confirms.
"Good," the older man nods. "Naruto-kun is even more special than expected, it seems. I want you to be aware of the gravity of the situation. If what I've learned about this Game power is correct, then Naruto has the potential to be the strongest shinobi the village has ever seen."
Kakashi's eye narrows. "Are you certain, Hokage-sama?"
The old man is quiet for several seconds. "A few days ago, I asked Naruto if I could meet Archie-dono, one of his three companions, in person. Archie-dono obliged, and even agreed to showcase several of his powers for me. Even with his power limited by rules saying he must be scaled down to match Naruto, he accomplished things I can only call magic, Kakashi, for I do not understand how such powers could exist otherwise."
To hear Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Kami no Shinobi, The Professor, say "I don't understand" is chilling in a way Kakashi isn't prepared for.
"And as Naruto-kun grows, his companions in clan Raldoth Magaza can call upon more and more of their power in this world. You do see how this can snowball uncontrollably, yes?"
Kakashi is silent for a second. "I do."
Hiruzen sighs and walks to Naruto's kitchen table, taking a seat in one of the rickety chairs as Kakashi follows. "I stand by my decision years ago to deny the guardianship of Naruto to you, Kakashi, as you were not in the right frame of mind to be caring for a child and the village was in sore need of manpower. Many mistakes have been made regarding Naruto, however, most of them made by myself, and now we're forced to confront those sins. Should Naruto ever lose faith in Konoha, or gods forbid, grow to resent Konoha..."
Sarutobi's hat shadows his eyes. "I fear the result will be on par with the Kyuubi attack."
For the second time in just a few minutes, a chill runs down Kakashi's spine, and he finds he doesn't care for the feeling.
The Kyuubi attack was the worst thing to ever happen to the village. Thousands died in a single night. Countless nin were killed by the beast, turned to stains on the ground by the fox's hateful attacks. The sheer killing intent it radiated and burning chakra that hung in the air like an oily mist was responsible for numerous dead and stillborn infants, whose little bodies simply went into shock from the overload of vile chakra. The elderly were similarly affected, and many families lost their learned elders. Konoha was on the verge of collapse for months after nearly thirty percent of the shinobi perished and only after twelve years has the village recovered somewhat.
To say Naruto's newfound friends could cause a disaster of such scale...
Sarutobi watches as the thoughts run through Kakashi's head. "You understand the severity. Good. You must give Team Seven a fair chance, Kakashi-kun. Naruto-kun must become a shinobi one way or another, but just as I worry about him, I worry about Uchiha-kun as well."
"They don't get along if their files are correct," Kakashi comments. "I understand that Naruto isn't impressive right now, but if all of this is true, then he should become a powerhouse. Team Seven seems... unbalanced, Hokage-sama."
"Indeed," The Hokage nods. "But, I am hoping Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun can push past their differences to see that they aren't so different and form a kinship. It would do both boys good... And just as powers watch Naruto-kun, so do other powers with Sasuke-kun..."
Kakashi silently nods with a sigh, understanding the order for what it is.
Both men look up when they hear Naruto's old washing machine churn to life, and after a moment, Laura emerges from the small laundry room in the back of the apartment.
"I'm so sorry about that," she smiles. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Water?"
"Thank you, Laura-dono but our visit here will be brief," The Hokage turns her down. "I was just bringing Kakashi-kun here to help him get an insight into what sort of student Naruto-kun will be. I expect that you might be working with him in the future since he is to be Naruto-kun's sensei."
Laura nods. "I see. Is there anything in particular you would like to know, Kakashi-san?"
"Ah, that can wait until the teams are officially formed, Laura-san," Kakashi waves the question away. "Thank you, though."
All three people turn to the front door when footsteps sound outside followed by the doorknob jiggling.
The door opens, and in walks Archie with several books under one arm. He smiles at Laura, who smiles back, then turns to Sarutobi and Kakashi. "Heya, old man. What brings you to Naruto's place?"
Kakashi's eye narrows a little at the blatant disrespect shown to the Hokage, but he doesn't react when the Hokage simply nods in greeting. "Archie-dono, a pleasure to see you," he says before looking at the books under Archie's arm. "Interested in fuinjutsu?"
"Eh, these are more for Naruto than me," Archie shrugs and sets the pile on the kitchen table. "He's got a special trait for it, so he should milk it for all it's worth I think. He wanted me to get some for him. Considering I acquired a [Fuinjutsu] skill just cracking open this one," he taps the topmost book. "It must be for beginners, right?"
Sarutobi can't help but smirk a little at the title of the book, reading 'The Basics of Seals for Dummies. By: Jiraiya.' "Of a sort."
"Naruto has an interest in Fuinjutsu?" Kakashi asks, his one visible eyebrow raised.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Kakashi-kun, please meet Archie-dono, another friend of Naruto-kun," Sarutobi begins. "Archie-dono, meet Hatake Kakashi, one of my finest jonin and Naruto's prospective sensei."
Archie raises a hand in a lazy wave. "Nice to meet you. I hope you're a little more skilled than the tail the old man had stalk me in the library."
The Hokage frowns under his hat.
"I like to think I'm pretty okay," is Kakashi's casual reply.
Archie can't help but laugh. "Considering the almost thirty level difference between miss lizard-mask and you, I hope so."
Kakashi isn't sure how to interpret the statement and thus decides not to comment on it. "So, like I was saying, Naruto and fuinjutsu?"
"Ah, right," Archie crosses his arms and nods. "The kid has got a plus two-hundred percent skill gain modifier for [Fuinjutsu] which is some big shit that only has the chance to improve. And if he uses his [Kage Bunshin] to help him power level..."
The room is silent for a moment. "My oh my," Sarutobi says after a moment, a thin smile rising to his lips. "Naruto-kun will certainly be a force to be reckoned with if he can master fuinjutsu as the Uzumaki before him did..."
"Speaking of Uzumaki stuff..." Archie catches Kakashi's eye. "Naruto is really starting to pick up skill with his [Adamantine Sealing Chains]. Take care that he doesn't accidently disembowel someone in a spar, as he can do some nasty, life-ending damage with them. He nearly speared me this morning."
The revelation that Naruto can use Kushina's chains on top of everything else makes Kakashi unsure if he should sigh in exasperation or be proud of how far the boy has already come.
"Say, if you're his sensei..." Archie begins. "Shouldn't you be picking him and his team up? The assignment was like an hour ago."
"Oh, I'm just indulging in some tradition, is all." Kakashi smiles under his mask.
At the two hour mark, Naruto is officially beyond bored.
Everyone's sensei had come to pick up their teams over the first hour or so, leaving Team Seven behind. Their sensei, someone named Hatake Kakashi, is nowhere to be found.
Naruto looks to his left.
Sakura-chan had given up trying to talk to Sasuke when she could not even get a grunt from him, leaving her to sit and idly twiddle her fingers with little else to do.
Sasuke, meanwhile, kept his gaze locked forward, not bothering to grace them with so much as a glance. From the way his eyes narrow a little bit more as time goes on, the aloof bastard is getting annoyed too, Naruto can tell.
His three friends are all marked 'busy' or 'away' for their statuses in his social menu, so he doesn't want to bother them with idle chit-chat.
...Oh! Archie said something about a seal on his headband! That might preoccupy some of his time.
Naruto unties his headband and holds it by the metal plate, then pulls back the fabric resting along the back. Sure enough, there is a little circle of symbols and kanji on the plate, though Naruto can barely tell what they do.
'Duh. [Observe]!'
Summoner ID Seal
C-tier Seal.
Understanding: 10%
This seal ties the headband and ID of the wearer to any subordinate headbands, identifying them as friends. (Further information locked)
Level up!
[Basic Fuinjutsu] is now Lvl 9!
Level up!
[Basic Fuinjutsu] is now Lvl MAX!
[Basic Fuinjutsu] has ascended to [Beginner Fuinjutsu] - Lvl 1!
[Beginner Fuinjutsu] - Lvl 1
The ascended version of [Basic Fuinjutsu] Allows for the creation and dismantling of low level seals. User can glean more about seals using context learned from similar seals. +6% to seal creation, identification, and dismantling.
Naruto blinks at the sudden dump of info. 'Woah... All I did was scan it. That was enough to get me two levels in [Fuinjutsu]? With a grin, he scans the seal again.
Summoner ID Seal (Master)
C-tier Seal.
Understanding: 25%
This seal ties the headband and ID of the wearer to any subordinate headbands by way of a chakra signal that somehow resonates with the ?, identifying them as friends. One master seal is good for up to 5 subordinate seals (Further information locked)
To Naruto's astonishment, he somehow understands what parts of the seal do now, though how they all work in tandem is still lost to him.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto turns and finds Sakura looking at him with suspicious eyes. "Please tell me you didn't sink so low as to fake a headband to pass..."
"No! I was just looking at the seal on the back, see, Sakura-chan!" Naruto hastily shows her the little circle of symbols.
She gives him another suspicious look, then turns her eyes down to the presented headband. A second later, she blinks in astonishment. "Huh... there really is a seal there..." she mutters. The young girl takes her own headband off and pulls the fabric behind the armor plate back, only to scowl when she finds it bare. "Naruto!" she yells, making the blonde flinch back. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull!?"
"It's a ninkin seal."
Sakura turns so fast it's a miracle that she doesn't get whiplash.
Finally moving, Sasuke folds his arms across the desk and stares at the headband in Naruto's hands. "It's a seal used to identify ninkin like Inuzuka dogs... Or summons."
"I've never heard of this seal," Sakura blinks. "Was it ever covered in class, Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura is ignored as Sasuke stares a hole into Naruto. "Something you're not telling us, deadlast?"
Naruto bristles at the insult. "As a matter of fact, asshole, I have a summoning contract!"
Sasuke raises a thin eyebrow just a fraction of an inch.
"Get real, Naruto! What animal clan would want to contact you?" Sakura huffs.
The blonde genin can't help but wilt at Sakura's scathing tone. "But Sakura-chan, I'm telling the truth! Really!"
With a click of his tongue, Sasuke looks away. "I'll believe it when I see it, deadlast."
Dejected, Naruto turns away and leans back in his chair. He isn't idle for very long before an envelope icon flashes to life in the corner of his HUD.
New message from: Obbie
'Obbie? Didn't Archie mention this guy the first night I met them?'
With just a thought, Naruto opens the message.
Greetings Naruto.
My name is Obbie, and I am one of the administrators of Guild Raldoth Magaza. I meant to contact you earlier, but circumstances prohibited me from doing so. I would first off like to welcome you to the guild, as it's not often we get new members. Your guild dues have been waived until Level 25, after which, you will be required to contribute to the guild vault and complete guild missions. We will discuss the details later. Secondly, I would like to schedule a face-to-face meeting, so that I can get to know you. Voice chat is acceptable if you cannot make time, but I find it to be too impersonal otherwise. Please respond back at your earliest convenience.
Regards,
Obbie
Naruto re-reads the message to fully take in what was sent to him. Obbie is a bigshot leader in the guild it looks like, kinda like a jonin. With some concentration, Naruto formulates his reply, the words taking shape in the 'reply' field as he thinks them.
Hi Obbie.
I dunno what my schedule is like since I just got my genin team but I'll let you know ASAP when I can talk okay?
From Naruto
With a mental nudge, the 'send' button is depressed and the mail takes off through the...Universe? Multiverse?
Bah...
All three genin jump when the sliding door to the classroom opens suddenly.
In steps a tall, silver-haired man in the standard-issue jonin outfit with the addition of a face-mask that covers the entirety of his lower face. His Konoha headband is pulled down at an angle, covering his left eye. The visible eye, a lazy dark brown, looks over them dismissively.
"Are you Kakashi?" Naruto asks loudly. "Cus if you are, we're gunna have words for leaving us here for almost three hours!"
"My my," even the man's voice is devoid of energy. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, your sensei, and my first impression of you three?" He hums. "I don't like any of you. Meet me on the roof in ten minutes."
With that, the man vanishes in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto to catch a glare from Sakura and an annoyed stare from Sasuke.