[Ʀ1 = ryo = $1.00, 1ŗ = koryo = $0.01]

Slug Princess

Lucky S.O.B.

The beautiful, buxom blonde, sat across the table from her opponent, her expression was unreadable. They were playing a friendly game of Nijuichi (21), the dealer had just dealt his own hand, and busted. The dealer turned the woman's face card over, she got a Ten of Shuriken (Clubs), and the Empress of Kunai (Spades), equaling twenty, only one number could beat that hand. The dealer turned over her adversary's cards and they read, Deuce of Diamonds, Nine of Hearts, and after requesting another card, the Emperor of Kunai, for a total of twenty-one. The woman's eyes were wide with surprise, it was not because she lost, which happened a lot, it was the fact that this was his fiftieth win in a row, while playing, Black Jack. They had been playing gambling games for a few hours now, and the only time her opponent was never assured of victory, was when they played poker, but even then, he got the cards he needed, more than eighty percent of the time.

"Unbelievable," she exclaimed, "I've been gambling since I was a small child, but I've never seen a streak like yours! I've never lost as many rounds in even my worst trips through the casinos," Tsunade Senju, the only kunoichi among the Sanin declared, "as I did this morning."

Her opponent just grinned, "Kami and her siblings have always smiled upon me during these games," the ginger shinobi told her, "by the way, we weren't introduced when my esteemed teacher, sat us down here to play games. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, from Two Rivers and as of this morning, a shinobi out of Ryōzanpaku," he introduced himself, "and I already know who you are, Tsunade-sama."

The Kunoichi of the Sen'nin's mouth quirked into a small, upturn of her lips, "are you talking about my reputation as the Legendary Sucker," she asked suggestively, which caused Naruto to blush at some of the thoughts a name like that conjured in his mind, her mouth widened into a true grin, "or are you referring to my power as a ninja? You shouldn't let your imagination runaway with you, Naruto-san, I wouldn't want you to become a hentai-maniac, like my incorrigible teammate."

"That'll never happen," Naruto assured her, "I have a vendetta against perverts, I had to contend with my fair share of them while I was on the road, after fleeing that village your grandfather founded."

"If you don't mind me asking," Tsunade asked reticently, he indicated for her to continue, "what made you decide to leave the village?"

"The citizens of Konoha decided they wanted to band together to murder me," he said, "for something that wasn't my fault, and to kill the biju within me."

"What," she asked, "surely the Hokage would have protected you, and my grandfather gave the biju to the villages to maintain a balance of power…," Tsunade trailed off at the glare she got from the young adult across the table from her?

"Unfortunately, the Hokage wasn't there when it happened, he was away in Sunagakure, attending the Chunin Exam Finals," Naruto exclaimed, "and among the ANBU, there were only a handful of them to ever protect me without direct orders from the Hokage, but none of them ever showed up that night. I don't know why, and nobody from the Uchiha Police Force ever lifted a finger to help me," the red-head informed her, "the other 24 times, the citizens of Konoha tried to murder me after I was evicted from the orphanage, I lived in for three-years of my life."

"And, Senju Hashirama, had no right to do that to sentient beings," Naruto calmly informed her, "the biju were charged, by the Sage of Six-Paths himself, to act as a balance to the power humans had gotten through the use of chakra. When the Shodaime, used his wood release to ensnare and imprison the tailed-beasts, he wasn't ensuring peace, he was altering the nature of our world to suit himself."

Tsunade was breathing hard, she may not love the village of Konoha, but she did not like when anyone attacked a member of her family, especially her grandpa. She stood up, slamming her fist into the table, driving it into the floor of the room they occupied, and leaned over to glare into the face of the upstart, "how would you know it was Rikudō Sen'nin, nobody knows where the biju came from, how would you know anything about the biju, and sentient, don't make me laugh, they're nothing but unthinking Beasts?"

"If anyone ever bothered to read the histories about sightings of the biju, they could put the pieces together for themselves," Naruto stated calmly.

"Oh really," Tsunade challenged, and sneered, "and I suppose you, a whelp, wet behind the ears ninja, have in your great wisdom put the pieces together, when people three-times your age have not?" He just nodded, so she challenged, "well then lay it all out for me, scholar-san, what have we all missed that you have finally come along to educate us over?"

"Very well, listen closely, Senju-sama," Naruto told her with a neutral tone of voice, "Fact 1: there were no mentions of the biju, during any of the events that the Sage of Six-Paths is said to have acted. In fact, nobody even mentioned them, until right after the founder of our civilization's reputed death, but they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, as soon as he died. According to nearly everybody who has studied the biju, they are walking forces of nature, and take pleasure in causing destruction, surely if such beings existed before that time, there would be some mention of the Sage doing battle with them? My hypothesis is this: biju were created by the sage to keep humans in check, since we're the only other creatures on the planet that can use chakra like we do, in fact with some of the things we can do with chakra, if left unregulated, we could render this planet, barren of life."

"And what were they made from," the Kunoichi of Sanin asked, "something like a being made of pure chakra couldn't have just come from one old man's imagination, there had to have been a model, or prototype to work from," she saw the look of uncertainty cross his face, and thought he could not answer her question, "didn't think of that one, did you, brat?"

"Actually, I have, but this is more of a guess than a hypothesis, the Kyūbi refuses to answer any questions about its origins," Naruto stated. "I believe that Rikudō Sen'nin was a Jinchuriki, the first Jinchuriki, and he housed a being within him, that was more powerful than all of the current biju in existence today combined, by a factor of ten." That widened the eyes of all the other people in the room, who had been in the room with them to watch their game, and were now witnessing their argument, "if the biju of today are called demons, because of their power, then this being could be considered a devil for its power. I believe this being was not just the template for which the sage created the biju but was also, the carving tool he used to make the biju we know of today."

Noting there was no way to prove or disprove said hypothesis, or their true purpose, Tsunade chose to back off, and get to the other part of their fight, really, unless there was a written record, or we have testimony from the Sage himself, we'll never know if the brat is right or wrong. "Let's table that discussion for now, because there really is, no way to prove or disprove your beliefs," she suddenly sounded calm, which narrowed Naruto's eyes at the sudden change, "Rikudō Sen'nin lived over four-thousand years ago, any evidence had to have been washed away by the ravages of time. What about their sentience," she asked, "what makes you think they have any form of intelligence besides that of an animal?"

Naruto just smiled, and it was not a pleasant smile, "this is easier to prove, Tsunade-sama, in fact if you deny it, you will be denying your own grandfather's reputation, because it's the catalyst for his famed battle at the Valley of the End, with Uchiha Madara." Tsunade waved her hand for him to go on, as she understood the stakes, "we all know how that battle played-out, with Madara losing to both of your grandparents. Kyūbi was placed in a genjutsu by Madara before the battle, to increase his chances of winning, that's a fact that your grandfather never disputed, do you," Tsunade shook her head, granddad, never failed to mention that whenever he told the story to me as a child? "Well, Kyūbi was used in that battle, and if it wasn't for Mito-sama sealing the Fox within herself, Hashirama-sama would have lost, or at least it would have taken longer to finish and would have probably taken a toll on both of your grandparents."

"I know all of this, brat," Tsunade huffed, "I don't need a history lesson, it just so happened that at one time, Konoha held two of the powers that could be used to control the biju: Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan and grandpa's kekkei genkai: Wood Release; what is your point, and what does it have to do with the issue of biju sentience?"

"If the tailed beasts aren't sentient, how could Madara put them under a genjutsu in the first place," the boy now turned legal adult asked her? Tsunade's eyes could not get any bigger, why have I never noticed that, but someone else attempted to answer the question, another student of Ryōzanpaku?

"Because, they're still animals," the nameless man stated, "they may not be as smart as humans, but they still have a mind, and senses…" this person trailed off as others were looking at him, then turned to the instructors of Ryōzanpaku, "did I say something wrong?"

Susumu smiled benevolently, "no, it just marks a gap in your knowledge we still haven't covered yet," the nameless student was curious, "but no time like the present. For one thing, humans are animals, we all come from the earth, are made of atoms, and we're made of meat, just like any other animal that exists upon this good Earth. That, however, is beside the point of this discussion, the truth of the matter is human-beings and now biju, are the only creatures on this planet that can be placed under a genjutsu. The other creatures of Earth, experience the world through their instincts, and senses, which are usually more powerful than ours. Genjutsu, even sensory-genjutsu, takes over our reason, it takes our common-sense and redirects it along the avenue the genjutsu user wants it to travel," Kōetsuji instructed his students, the one who asked the question had his head down in shame.

At this, Naruto spoke up to him from his position at the table, "Hey, dude-san, don't be ashamed of not knowing something, that's why you're here, to learn things like this," he rebuked his junior in the school, "the only shame, is in refusing to learn these things and willfully remaining ignorant. Don't worry, kohai," he said with a grin, pointing to the instructors of Ryōzanpaku, "they'll make sure you know everything they have to teach you, and genjutsu basics is one of the first things you learn here." The junior student, who was older than Naruto by three-years, but dwarfed by Naruto in sheer prowess at the moment, returned the ginger's grin with a grateful one of his own.

Naruto turned back to the blonde kunoichi and looked at her fully, for the first time. She was wearing a forest-green jacket, over a gray kimono top with short-sleeves, which was held closed in such a way as to emphasize her bust, without revealing anymore flesh than she wanted, it was held closed by a blue-gray obi, and matching pants. While on her feet was a pair of open-toed, strappy, high-heeled, black sandals, red nail polish on her fingers and toes, and wore a soft pink lipstick. Naruto noticed a necklace around her neck, disappearing between her cleavage. She was a lithe woman and in spite of her top heavy attributes, possessed a lean muscular frame, he could tell that much from the impressions he got from how her body displaced the atmosphere. Yet, there was something… off about her appearance, how she appeared on the exterior to his enhanced fox senses, did not harmonize with what his metal-sense was telling him about her body chemistry.

Two of the businesses that were a steady stream of income for Ryōzanpaku, before the sudden influx of students was Susumu's bone-setter, chiropractor clinic, and Huan's acupuncture, acupressure clinic. Both required extensive knowledge of human anatomy, and when Naruto was not training, or working in his apprenticeship, he helped them in their clinics. This was where they found out Naruto's metal sense was as good as an x-ray when looking at the body, even better because he could assess their body chemistry, and aid in any diagnoses. Naruto learned how to take someone apart through his two sensei, he also learned how to put them back together again, mostly. Naruto looked at the time and shrugged, whatever it is, it's her business, and now I've got to go attend to my business, my last days as an apprentice metalworker and metallurgist.

Naruto stood up, and stretched his own swimmer's build body, today he wore a navy-blue, one-piece, jumpsuit, what he normally wore when he worked for Moon-sama. He picked up a utility belt and buckled it on, then spoke, "this has been fun, Tsunade-sama," he said to her, "I hope I passed whatever you were testing me for," her face, revealed nothing of her opinion of him, "but I've gotta get to work, it wouldn't do for me to be late on my last day as an apprentice, tomorrow I begin my journeyman training as a metalworker. It's also the day I begin my obligatory, contractual year of service to Ryōzanpaku," he told her, "I wonder what their first mission for me will be," he wondered with excitement? Naruto turned and walked out the door, with a jaunty wave behind him.

After Naruto left for work, the instructors ushered their other students out of the room. They were in the private residence of the instructors, and while it was an open door policy, the staff of Ryōzanpaku liked their privacy. Once the other students were all gone, they invited Tsunade to eat and drink with them, and she accepted, but asked for non-alcoholic beverages, which brought her a surprised look from some of the family. "Shizune's off at that medical school for the next two years, it's not as much fun drinking alone," Tsunade smiled, "I actually miss her nagging me about my bad habits. I'll have to double up on that kind of stuff when she gets back to make-up for all that I missed, while she was gone," she chuckled.

Haru just guffawed, "you really like abusing that woman, Tsunade, don't you?"

Tsunade just laughed, "it's good for her, if she can put up with me, she'll be able to handle any man she may end up falling for, and any grandkids she gives me, will be a snap to deal with compared to me."

"Ha-ha-ha," Hayato chuckled, "in your own way, cousin, you're as incorrigible as Jiraiya-san," he declared, "with your drinking and gambling."

Tsunade scoffed good-naturedly, then got serious, "so, yesterday, Huan-san and Haru-san told me about coming here to help me get a handle on my debt situation," she explained, "but I'm not okay with borrowing money from family. Hayato-kun, you and Miyoko-chan, may she rest in peace, may be the offspring of Great Uncle Tobirama, but you're the only family I have left, and I couldn't take it if we let money come between us. Plus, I know Ryōzanpaku, even with the influx of students, is still not totally solvent, so you cannot give me anything that would do more than keep me in living expenses for a few months, so what did they have in mind to help me get out in front of my finances?"

"You saw the first part of our plan earlier," Huan reminded her, "when we had you play, Naruto-kun. We think… we believe, Naruto could help you out of your debts."

"How exactly, can he help me," she asked apprehensively, "if you're thinking he could use his shinobi skills to get me enough money to pay them off, I could do that myself, if I really wanted too? The only reason I haven't tried that is I am still, technically, a kunoichi of Konoha, and missions like that would have to go through them, which would give them grounds for calling me back. So, what can the brat, do that I can't," she asked looking between them all?

"He can go to all of the places you owe money, play them, and instead of collecting his winnings, he can ask them to forgive your debts," Huan gave her the barebones of their idea.

Tsunade's jaw dropped open at the idea, and she was not blown away with the idea, "Now, hold on, just because I lost to him today, doesn't mean anybody else will. I'm not the best gauge on the outcome of these kinds of games," she advised them, "even if I was, there's no reason why he would win every game he plays, let alone every hand of cards, roll of the dice, or rotation of a roulette wheel. I need a sure thing to get me out from under my debts, not a reliance on faith."

The other instructors at Ryōzanpaku were all grinning as she finished, and Mai spoke, "do you know how many hands of cards I've won since Naruto began living here," Tsunade shook her head, "zero," she answered, then turned to her colleagues, "gentlemen?"

"I've lost to him every time we play any kind of gambling game," Susumu answered, "dice, cards, the shell game, any result that could be left to simple chance, almost always falls in his favor."

"Sakchai, never wins money games with, Naruto-kun," the giant assassin admitted with a glum face.

"He beats me every time we play," Haru grumbled, "it's no longer fun to play when he's in the game, because he's almost assured of winning."

"We first began playing poker with him to introduce him to deception, and how to spot tells," Huan explained, "he could already read people fairly well, when he got here. We merely refined his instincts, and taught him how to hide his true emotions," the spymaster told her, "poker is perfect for learning how to bluff, but he never lost, not once, so we turned it into a way to manipulate people with just a look and an expression, to get them to put more into the pot than they realized. He got good at that," Huan told her with pride in his student, "very good."

Hayato was nodding in agreement, "that's how we introduced Miu, Kaname, and their new husband, Kyōi Shirakawa to deception as well. They played for chore duties around the school, certain chores were more onerous than others, once we introduced this method of deciding who did what chores, Naruto only ever had to do the easy tasks around the compound, and that's a fact."

Tsunade, eyed her cousin dubiously, "If I accepted his help, how much would you charge for his services," she asked, then reminded him of her monetary situation, "I don't have much in the way of cash on hand? Also, most places I owe money, don't even let me through the door anymore, they say it would be just a waste of time for me to play, because I owe so much in them."

Namikaze cupped his chin in thought, then looked up and answered, while still in deep thought, "I won't charge you any money, you can consider it a familial favor, that being said, we can't stake you. As you said, we're not in a position to spend money like that at the moment," then he remembered something. Hayato's head came up with a smile, "I've got it, and this'll be a good mission for the kid to get his feet wet with and place him in a true combat situation!"

"What are you talking about, Hayato-itoko," Tsunade asked irritably, finally becoming impatient, even with her Great Uncle's son? The family Tobirama Senju, raised away from Konoha, because he did not want them targeted like his brother's family.

"Huan has uncovered intelligence that, the thief Gosunkugi, aka, Neiru (The Nail), was recently seen in, Ishi-no-Kuni," he answered his cousin. "He stole the Misogi tea jar, owned by the Daimyo of Ocha-no-Kuni," Hayato told her, "the Daimyo is offering a Ʀ50-thousand bounty on his head, dead or alive, so he's keeping a low profile, somewhere in the Land of Stone according to reports. This would be a good first mission for Naruto to tackle, it'll allow him to test his skills, against a real opponent that's trying to kill him."

"Then what," the Slug Princess asked the older man, "what happens after he captures this Nail-guy?"

"We'll waive the usual 80% fee, and call it a stake, which will fund the start of Naruto's mission with you, cousin," Hayato replied, "then send Naruto with you, for as long as you need him, or until his year-long contractual obligation with Ryōzanpaku is completed, whichever happens first. Ryōzanpaku, won't be out any actual cash," he assured his fellow staff members, who all nodded in understanding. "After that, when Naruto is officially clear of us, he will have a nice windfall for this mission, until he starts working regularly, either as a shinobi or a metalsmith, and you'll have a healthy financial profile."

Tsunade was pinching her chin in thought, then turned to say, "I won't accept this service for free, I want to give Ryōzanpaku and Naruto something of equal value, for doing this for me. If not money then something else you need, a favor, to work as an instructor, anything so that I won't feel like a free-loader, if I go forward with this idea."

They all began to think of what would be equal to helping Tsunade get stable financial footing, when Susumu and Huan perked up as an idea formed in their minds. They looked at each other to be sure they had the same idea, and nodded, but it was Susumu who spoke, "there may be something you can do for us, similar to what this mission may do for you." Tsunade, waved her hand for him to get on with it, and that is just what the ninja-monk did, "any business suffers, if most people don't know about it, or have the wrong clientele, and ninja training is no exception, sadly, but we don't want every Chang, Lee, and Tanaka, walking in off the street and asking to be a ninja. As a ninja yourself, you would know, or at least be able to judge, whether an individual is a serious student, has the right temperament to be a ninja, or would use their skills to terrorize normal people, if you could mention our name and location to the first two types and not the latter type, that could generate the right kind of buzz for our school. Especially coming as an endorsement from Tsunade Senju, the Slug Princess, and Kunoichi of the Sanin, should we earn that of course, would go a long way towards getting us on firm, even financial footing like you, that would be payment enough, for us."

"That's… not a bad idea," Tsunade agreed, "but what about Naruto, he should get something extra, in addition to the money he makes gambling, which is not a sure thing." She saw their protests but overrode them, "whatever it is that allows him to win repeatedly could turn on a dime, it may not like that Naruto is using his luck to simply make money, or in this case help me out of my debt situation. Either way, he needs something guaranteed to him, whether he can deliver me out of my money troubles or not."

"Tsunade-chan, right," Sakchai rumbled, "Naruto-kun, need something that stays with him, for all time, not just for mission!"

"We thought of that," Ma jumped in, before an argument could break-out, "during that entire year he's with Tsunade, she could take him on as an apprentice, not just for shinobi work either." At the same time, the rest grinned a knowing smile, but he continued without prompting, "as you know, Tsunade-chan, Kōetsuji and I, have run a pretty successful pair of health clinics. Susumu-kun, manipulates the skeletons of his patients, while I concern myself with pressure-points and the muscles of the body, all of which we've taught Uzumaki, and have even certified him to practice without us being present. He has a sensory jutsu he calls, metal-sense, which allows him to determine the blood chemistry of a patient, and deliver fairly accurate diagnoses in seconds, that would take minutes using medical chakra, which he can also use by the way. We taught him everything you've taught us, about medical chakra," he informed Tsunade, who nodded for him to go on, though she had an inkling as to what they wanted her to teach him, "but as accomplished as we are with medical chakra, we still pale in comparison to the Mistress of Medicine herself. Therefore, as compensation for his help in this matter of your finances, we want you to train him as a medical ninja," Huan concluded, but then added, "does that sound like fair compensation to you, Tsunade-chan?"

"I'd be delighted, and I'll train him for as long as he wishes me to," she answered immediately, "regardless of the mission's status." The staff of the Ryōzanpaku smiled, great big smiles, "now, before we begin, tell me how much he knows about his family?"


Bounty Hunter

It was an idyllic summer day, the sun was directly overhead, the flowers of the plains resting just before the border to Ishi, were in full bloom, but the heat was not too oppressive. The winds were howling right out of the north, which cooled the skin enough to make the last part of the journey to Stone Nation, rather pleasant, for the traveler approaching the border. This drifter was dressed ideally for long treks, in a forest-green, one-piece, jumpsuit, with a pair of brown, flexible, workman's boots, a brown utility belt, on which he wore a pouch carrying an alloy of metal pellets, he invented called, mangalloy-titantung, with a tanto-blade, purely utilitarian, no frills, and a stout, blue, denim jacket with a canvas hood, which at the moment was thrown back, and on his head was a red, ball cap, with the symbol for journeyman, and another for metalworker across the brow.

The cap, rested upon the red-hair of Naruto Uzumaki, which was gathered into a ponytail by a black hairband, and fell to be even with his shoulder-blades. Naruto was tall, five-feet-five-inches, muscular, nimble, and quick as the wind he now mastered, for a twelve-year-old preteen. His violet-eyes were clear of any vestiges from his past, and now looked upon his years in Konoha as a proving ground of sorts. Naruto still has not forgiven the Leaf for the way they treated him, but has accepted those events, as a part of his past, and has made his peace with them. He no longer hates Konoha, because to hate something, means to care about it – in a way – hate, means to care about the well-being, and health of a thing, you wish for its destruction.

Well, Naruto does not wish for the Hidden Leaf Village's destruction, because as long as the Ichiraku's remain there, especially Ayame – whom he writes every month, and received similar letters – he will pray to the Three Pillars for that village to remain as strong as possible. Though some of his prayers were answered with a no, when the Uchiha clan, was wiped out in one night by the clan heir, leaving only one survivor. Other than that, the village appeared to remain strong, and it was that perception at least, which stayed the hands of most of the villages, as only Cloud seemed to have tried to kidnap the heiress to the Hyūga clan, an incident which seemed to change the girl somehow. Details were sketchy, and the fall-out was kept quiet, if there was any from the regular citizens of Konoha, at least according to Ayame's account. Not that Naruto cared about that either way, other than to shake his head in sympathy for the little girl, just a year younger than him, or the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, whomever it may be. As long as Ayame-chan, and Teuchi-san were okay, Naruto gave no thought to the stability of the Leaf.

Naruto approached the border to Stone, and came upon a marker of stones, piled high, leading to an apex, and next to it was a stone-marker, that looked eerily like a tombstone, with 'Ishi Kuni' inscribe upon it. He passed through a narrow pass, making sure to remain alert with all of his senses, there was a surprising amount of metal deposits saturating the walls of the pass. I don't need to carry any obvious weapons with me, our world is my weapon, and so is my body; [Don't get cocky, Naruto," Kyūbi rebuked him, "you never know what tricks an enemy will employ.] {Thanks, Kyūbi, I was in danger of going Uchiha on you, Naruto retorted sarcastically.} [No charge, Kit," the fox replied, appearing to miss Naruto's tone of thought, but really, the biju could see his thoughts, so it read Naruto's moods as easily as one might read a book, "it's my job as your conscience to keep you from getting a big-head.]

Naruto traveled out of the pass and came out over a ridge, looking down upon a small, one-horse town. From his position on the ridge, it was completely made of wood, and only had one street, "There's Boseki," he said to himself, "this is a good place to start my hunt. [This shithole looks a little rough, kit," Kyūbi warned, "keep your head on a swivel, and your senses peeled.] Naruto nodded to acknowledge his tenant, and was about to head on down, when from below his position, some crows flew up into the sky, with startled cries. Naruto barely reacted to the surprising birds, as he continued to stare down the ridge at the town. A murder of crows, not a good omen.

The Bounty Hunter from the Leaf

Naruto walked into the town of Boseki, quite easily, it seemed to be devoid of life, and the only moving things he could see at first was a single tumbleweed crossing the street. He made it a little further in, and felt more than saw, the fellows loitering along the boardwalk. They were dressed in drab clothes, ideally suited for a border town like this. They all looked at him with hard looks, which he ignored, dismissing their perceived danger as easily as he had the wind that blew along the street of the town.

He knew why they stared, a twelve-year-old kid, a new face, was willingly walking into their town at the ass end of the world, with no back-up, and no parents. Only two types of children would do that, runaways and ninja, and Naruto was too confident in himself to be a runaway. [Since they know what you are, it would be foolish to act meek toward them," Kyūbi offered, "would it not?] {Yep.}

"Don't all these deadbeats have anything better to do with their time," he said in a normal voice, "than stare at strangers?" He did not raise his voice, but spoke at normal volume, either way, some of the loiterers heard him and began grumbling. None of them chose to accost him, which at least saved them their dignity, not to mention their lives, because while Naruto would never seek to add to his body count, he would not hesitate to do it, if he needed to fulfill his mission. As a Ronin, he would need to cultivate a ruthless reputation, but also be willing to show mercy, if he was given the opportunity, because only the strong may be merciful.

Naruto was passing by a particular section of wall, when he came upon a wanted-poster of the man he was looking for: Gosunkugi. Because only his head was visible, Naruto could not tell much, except his appearance, was that of a greedy, and ruthless man, where the notion of mercy was alien to him. His steel-gray hair, cut just above his pitiless-eyes, and to his mid-back, he also wore a mustache and chin-beard connected to ensnare his mouth. On the poster, was a description of what crimes he has committed, other than the theft of the Misogi Tea-set, which resulted in the deaths of the men guarding it, he is also wanted in connection to the brutal slaying of four people: a family of three, and a local artisan, named Tokichi, who stumbled upon the crime as it happened.

Naruto walked a little ways down and found another poster. This one was of a man, Naruto met while he still lived in Konoha, he had bluish-green hair, and purple-eyes, which Naruto knew first-hand, hid a cruel mind. He was wanted for the theft of an artifact, and the murder of a genin in the Leaf, which was offering a 25-thousand ryo reward, for the return of Aoi Rokushō's head, and an additional Ʀ5,000 for the artifact's return. "By the Three, let me run into that asshole, someday," he swore fervently, but he's not part of this mission, so maybe once I'm done with my obligation to Ryōzanpaku, I can keep my eyes peeled for him. I wonder what he took from Konoha?

Naruto moved past the wall, and found a saloon, which seemed to be the hub of this particular community. He came through the batwing doors as bold as you please, and made it up to the tavern-keeper, leaning his elbows on the bar. Who leaned down and asked, "Can I help you," he asked?

"Milk," Naruto ordered, without a care at how he looked, an affable grin plastered on his face! This caused the entire pub to crack-up laughing, which caused Naruto to visibly sulk with his arms crossing over his chest. He had memorized the layout of the room as he approached the bar, which was like a long barrier at one end of the room, facing the door, with a smaller section at right angles, ending at the back wall. There were four sets of tables and chairs in the room, one closest to the front entrance was occupied by four gents, all hard cases from the looks of it, the only one to stand out was a big, fat, round guy, the others were forgettable. Another two were occupied by a single gentleman each, one a burly, bearded brute, with a club, the other seemed to be content to keep to himself, they both were, or at least appear to do so, they both gave the impression of looking at the full table. Hm, more bounty hunters, but not after my prey, at least not yet.

Naruto took out his wallet and laid a Ʀ20.00 note down on the counter, "keep the change," he grinned. The bartender reached out to take the money, Naruto laid a heavy hand down over the paper money. The man looked at him in surprise, "say, you wouldn't know where a young artisan like myself, could find employment around here do you," he hardened his eyes to convey his true meaning, as he finished, "doesn't have to be anything permanent, just something… new and transient, my feet aren't nailed to the floor after all?"

The tavern owner knew what this kid was asking, and for him to ask indirectly, meant this child was more shrewd than he looked, dangerous too. "There's nothing around here like that," Naruto's hand increased the pressure he placed on the bartender's hand, causing the adult male to wince, "yet, but there are rumors of an outfit passing through this way, sometime tonight." Naruto, still keeping an affable expression on his face, tightened his grip on the older man's hand, scrutinizing his features, and finding no deception loosened his grip on the man. The bartender took his hand back and began to get Naruto's milk ready.

Naruto was about to put his wallet away, when a presence approached him as he spoke to the bartender, grabbed his hand in what to some adults would be a vice-like grip. Naruto looked at him, more curious than anything, "you shouldn't carry such a big bag of coins around," the fat guy began, "it ain't safe. Why don't I do you a favor and hang on to it for you," he asked, not really hiding his true intentions, "you wouldn't want one of these ruffians gettin' his paws on your dough, would you?"

"Hey, hurry up, man," another of the men from the table called, getting impatient, "these cards are gettin' cold."

Fat Guy, thinking he had the upper-hand looked away from Naruto, who just studied him like one would examine an obstacle in one's path, and determining the best way to remove said obstacle. "I'm comin'," fat guy called back, "just keep your pants on, you want some of this money or not?"

Naruto's affable grin returned to his face, this one had an edge to it though, "No, you're right," he stated, sounding like he was the most agreeable person in the world. Fat Guy turned back to Naruto, surprised at what he said, "it's not safe for you to keep your hand on me," Naruto stated, "not when I can do this!" Naruto quite easily broke the asshole's grip on him, which surprised, Fat Guy, which was more than the shinobi needed, because still maintaining contact, Naruto gripped the man's wrist, and using Fat Guy's arm as a lever, while sweeping his legs out from under him, brought his head slamming face first into the counter top.

The man was dazed, his nose and face were a bloody mess, but Naruto was not finished with him, quickly putting his money pouch away, Naruto pulled the man back and into the middle of the room. Fat Guy's face had a literal crease in the shape of the bar's edge, such was the force Naruto's maneuver imparted on the giant man, running from forehead to chin. Naruto began punching the man all over his torso, he was not just wailing on him though, his knowledge of anatomy, plus what he learned from Huan-sensei and Susumu-sensei's clinic, taught him that the same places he would handle gently when healing, could also be used to destroy someone when you wanted to hurt them.

Naruto was not doing anything permanent to the big ox, but he would be down and out of commission for a few weeks. Healing, when done without medical chakra, could be just as painful as receiving the injuries themselves, because it took longer. What Naruto was doing was making an example of fat guy, establishing a baseline of pain to anybody else who would see him as prey. When Naruto was finished, he stood back and fat guy just stood there, then like the felling of a great oak, the big oaf keeled over to the side. The entire establishment was silent, the other three friends of Fat Guy, and the bartender, just looked at the scene with slack-jawed wonder, they had just watched a kid, take apart the biggest guy in town with ease. He turned to them and threading fingers together, he cracked his knuckles as he stared at them with no emotion showing in his face, like a predator at his prey, and asked, in a monotone voice, "who's next, boys?"

The other three at the table scrambled to their feet, picking up their winnings from the table, and hurried out the door, without even looking at their fallen comrade. Naruto turned his back to his downed enemy, and walked back to the bartender, "where's my milk, pub guy," he wondered? The bartender jumped to get Naruto's drink, and delivered it to him with shaking hands. "Hey, dude, no need to worry," Naruto stated, looking the man in his eyes, "I'm no psycho, nor am I a bully, I'm just a journeyman metalsmith looking for certain work," Naruto ducked his head humbly, "I just also have a side business, which you only saw a small portion of just now. If you treat me with any respect that I earn, in either trade, then we will not have issues. I don't like the taste of alcohol, so I doubt I'll ever order it in places like this," he added with a grin, "it tastes like I'm drinking out of a toilet whenever I drink booze. I also, despite my sideline, never go back on my word," he stated, getting deathly serious for once, "and I promise, to always pay each kindness in kind, and visit each slight into the teeth of the miscreants. Remember that," he ordered, and the bartender nodded frantically, as Naruto picked up his milk and drank it down fast.

He turned and walked toward the entrance, as he was passing the burly fellow at the table, he stated in a low voice, "the fellow on the floor is my gift to you, and a warning, I'm after specific work, he's not it, stay out of my way and you won't have to join him in dreamland, or meet the Three. Understand," Naruto did not wait for the man to answer him, before he walked out of the batwing doors?

Once outside, he noticed the wary glances coming from the other citizens of this place. Fat Guy it seemed, had a formidable reputation among the residents of this town, {it seems that old prison meme is accurate, to get a measure of respect, one needs to walk into a new place and take on the biggest guy in the place and beat him.} [Maybe, kit," Kyūbi no Kitsune agreed, "but that mentality, only holds true for criminals, prisoners, or former prisoners, and I believe the citizens of Boseki are a mixture of the first and third of those options.] Naruto decided to take a stroll before finding a room for the night, he had earned enough money from his work as an apprentice of Moon-sama to allow for a few accommodations on this mission.

Naruto had been walking for quite a while, he had picked up a tail, almost as soon as he had left the township. He had come to a lane with thick bushes on the sides, and a few trees in the distance, he had reached the place he wanted and decided, this would be the perfect place for his confrontation with the one following him. "You can come out, you bastard," Naruto said, whirling around to confront his pursuer, who had not even bothered to conceal himself!

The person that had followed Naruto was last seen on a wanted-poster, he had blue-green hair, and cruel, violet eyes, and was three inches taller than the Uzumaki. Aoi Rokushō was looking at the red-headed, purple-eyed, preteen, with a gleam in his eyes, and a leering smirk crossing his lips. "I have to say, the years have been good to you, Demon," came Aoi's confident voice, "all these years on the run from your crimes, and you've decided to become a bounty hunter. Now that's rich," Aoi chuckled, "a murderer catching murderers, and you appeared to have had some training too," he stated wistfully, "and may be by a ninja as well, but not a very good one."

Naruto remained expressionless, "it takes a murderer to catch a murderer, Rokushō-san," was all he said, as he drew his tanto. "What do you want with me," he asked, "I'm not wanted by the Leaf, so there can be no purpose for you following me," Naruto reasoned, "and as much pleasure as you always took to inflict pain on me while I lived there, you are too lazy to track me down just to harm me?"

Aoi just grinned, "you may not be on the Leaf's official wanted list, Demon, but there was a sort of S-ranked standing order, issued by the council," he said, "it stated that if any Konoha-nin found you out in the world, they were to take you down as an enemy of the village. If I bring your head back, then the council will have to reinstate me as a ninja in their ranks. I tried getting on with Rain village, but the leader of the village doesn't allow outsiders, especially traitors to enter her ninja ranks, even when I showed her what I could do," Aoi mumbled, "the red-headed bitch, probably wears the mask to hide how hideous she looks."

Naruto's ears caught what Aoi said, "or she knows damaged goods, when she sees them," he quipped, Ame is a small village, they probably wouldn't want to run afoul of Konoha, one of the Five Great Villages. "What about the Hokage, surely he won't allow you to come back after murdering one of his ninja?"

Aoi's mouth twisted into a sneer, "the Hokage has become little more than an ineffectual old-man, he's just short of being a figure head, these days, the real power is in the council now," then he sniggered, and looked at the red-head in front of him, "another reason I followed you out here, is because I know you are on a mission to collect Gosunkugi's bounty, and I felt the need to kill two bird's with one stone. I eliminate you, as competition and get a chance to go back home," he grimaced, "though I may have to endure some measure of abuse from Morino-san, it was his brother I killed after all." Aoi suddenly launched a flurry of shuriken, which Naruto dodged quite easily and flung a few of his own back at the Nukenin, but they did not come from the pouch at his waist, they came from within Naruto's arm, and were moving with pristine accuracy because they left a scratch on Aoi's cheek.

Aoi hissed and Naruto quickly closed the distance, he brought his tanto into play, aiming a slash at Aoi's flank. There was a sudden puff of smoke and Naruto, was just slicing into a log, of course it was a substitution, one of the most basic skills of ninjutsu. Aoi appeared behind Naruto with a humming blade, made of condensed lightning, raised and was already coming down on Naruto, "this is the end for you, Demon," Aoi shouted, then snarled, "go back to Hell, where you belong!" The Raijin no ken, sliced Naruto into two glowing pieces, and from the distance one heard two chunks hitting the ground heavily. Followed, by a wailing, as if all of creation shuddered as Naruto fell.