Once out of the Academy, genin hopefuls were placed under the tutelage of a jounin sensei, on the condition they passed their sensei's test. If it happened, the sensei then had the obligation to make decent ninjas out of their students. It didn't mean teaching them everything they knew but firming and developing the newly minted genins' basics and encourage and guide their foray into various domains to allow them to become viable soldiers and reliable comrades.

The formation often lasted two to three years, depending on the team's fortune - while it was rare, genins did die while on missions during peacetime, the sensei's personality and the strategic bureau's overall expectations before jounins were recalled to more standard duties. A lucky and particularly talented individual could sometimes be taken as an apprentice by the jounin or - and it was done that way often to avoid jealousy - recommended for an apprenticeship to another jounin.

Apprenticeships were, however, extremely rare and more often than not, the teams were placed under the command of a chuunin or another jounin, depending on availability and then sent on a mission. At this point, it was estimated that a team whose members were still together after two to three years was functional enough.

It didn't mean the mission bureau couldn't assign a genin with peculiar talents to a specific mission with a different team. At this point, they were expected to be drilled in Konoha standard formations and tactics. They could also be mandated to solo missions inside Konoha: stuff like manning the mission desk, working in the hospital or taking care of routine investigations on why a long-standing contract wasn't renewed.

All these considerations, cross-examined with Yoroi Akado profile, had led Naruto to where he was now.

And now, he was following Yoroi's teammate, a genin named Misumi.

Misumi just happened to be a regular of the mission bureau, employed especially by the business analysis office, the team tasked with understanding how business opportunities were gained or lost. In simpler words, the office tasked with investigating why long-standing contracts weren't renewed.

Misumi basically had the same uninteresting profile as his teammate: a "career genin" who, at twenty-three years old, had been considered for chuunin last year as the standard promotion given to people who didn't really deserve it but had reached the last level of the genin pay-grid.

In other words, another seemingly talentless ninja whose promotion had been considered only so he could get a raise.

Yes, Naruto had also discovered that only fresh-faced genins were paid by the mission. It was a way to force them to do the D-ranks. Any other ninja received a pay adjusted according to their rank and experience plus a bonus that depended on the level of each mission they did. He was glad being apprenticed to Ibiki and his Jiji meant he was receiving regular pay.

Anyway, Misumi ticked all the right boxes. He was an unremarkable man in an unremarkable team whose members just happened to work regularly in various important institutions of Konoha's bureaucracy. Misumi was a favourite from the mission bureau and that gave him access to all long and short-term missions classified blue and red.

All missions were kept as secret as possible, of course, but blue basically meant "don't speak about it and we'll be fine" while red necessitated an accreditation. The true shady business, the top-secret stuff, the operations classified black, the kind that was known only by a few, was handled directly between the Hokage and the ANBU.

But selling even routine ops to the highest bidder was dangerous for Konoha. Red missions included patrols and if every single patrol orders were given to an enemy, then with enough time and effort, the holes in the net could be found.

Coincidentally, Misumi had the necessary accreditation to access all ops classified red. Also coincidentally, Misumi had a weird ability that allowed him to dislocate his joints. While at first glance it didn't give him any other advantage than frankly creepy flexibility, it had an interesting implication.

It helped the genin modify his writing.

The official "author" of the falsified investigation report on the Funadamari contract had been discreetly interrogated a while ago by T&I obviously. According to Anko, both Ibiki and a man named Hiro Yamanaka - a mind-reader - were absolutely positively certain that the author, a chuunin named Kiki Shimue, wasn't the author.

If only because at the date the report had been submitted, Kiki Shimue clearly remembered being treated for mild training injuries in Konoha Military Hospital, as could be testified by the service of ambulatory care.

However, Kiki Shimue was a regular coworker of Misumi, also working for the business analysis office. They weren't friends or anything but the two also happened to be regularly seated not far from each other.

Not even factoring in the joint-dislocation ability, faking someone's writing and their signature wasn't an incredible skill for a ninja to possess. True masters weren't easily found but one didn't need a doujutsu like the Uchiha or the Hyuuga to become good at it.

At this point, it wasn't smelling fishy anymore, it absolutely reeked of shit. The only reason Misumi wasn't in Ibiki not-so-tender care was that Ibiki and Anko both agreed Misumi was a lead to other potential spies. If they disappeared him too soon, who knew how many spies could go to ground, causing T&I to miss them.

So Naruto was tailing Misumi and Naruto was also tailing Kabuto, the man's third teammate while Naruto was tailing Yoroi.

Naruto had never been so grateful for shadow clones, especially as it meant he could spend the day with Anko drinking tea and eating dango or train with the Hokage or see Shino and Shikamaru. Doing a mission without really doing it was definitely that proof he was awesome, as far as he was concerned.

The real him was currently arguing with Anko about the place for their next lunch in the middle of Konoha main street. Naruto had had an intense ninjutsu session in the morning with the Hokage and after the effort, he craved ramen comfort. Anko was much like him in that she went by one holy food only. It was just a shame, Naruto thought, that it wasn't ramen.

"You can't survive on dango alone, Anko-Nee, you'll get fat." Naruto was saying, returning the glare the purple-haired woman was sending him.

"Don't make a scene Naru-chan and come with me to the tea shop. Also, don't you dare call me fat!"

"Who is making a scene here?!" The blond protested loudly, causing several people in the street to send a curious glance their way, glances that were immediately averted elsewhere when they realized who was talking. "You're making a scene Anko-Nee! We've eaten enough dango for life already, you need to vary your food a bit, Ibiki told me that." Naruto explained sagely.

"Ah! You need to do that if you don't want to stay a shrimp!" Anko mocked. She then gestured suggestively towards her chest and hips. "I'm all grown up in the right places, mister whiskers."

Naruto jabbed a finger in Anko's side, causing her to fold almost in two from the sudden, ticklish contact. The blond refused to stop there and tried to grab at the woman's belly.

Anko was lean. No ninja had overgrown muscles but, apart from the Akimichi, who had this peculiar "meaty" build, shinobi all had clearly defined muscle. Naruto's endeavour hence failed, only tickling the woman until she slapped his hand away.

"You're definitely getting fat," the blond lied through his teeth. "You need ramen."

"How does that brain of yours work if you believe ramen is a healthy food that makes people lose weight?"

"Hey, Ichiraku ramen is the best in town and Teuchi-Oji never puts too much salt. It's all greens and good fats." Naruto winked. "You can even order diet ramen."

"What's up with you insisting I'm fat?" Anko growled menacingly.

"It's not about insisting you're fat, it's about insisting we eat something else than dango." Naruto joined his hands in prayer. "Please?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "Fine but we're having dango for dessert at least."

Naruto smiled. "I'm cool with that. Now come on!" The blond exclaimed before taking Anko by the hand and dragging her along with him, intent on not leaving her the time to change her mind.

Anko smiled amusedly, maybe even fondly, behind the blond and followed, offering only token resistance. She was being forced to consume lesser food, after all. She had to pretend to disagree at least a little.

A few minutes later, they entered one of Naruto's favourite places in Konoha. Ichiraku Ramen was a little restaurant on the side of a street perpendicular to Main, close to the village's gates. It was actually small enough to be called a stand, with only six seats proper. It was nonetheless popular because of the quality of its food, the relatively cheap prices and the fact there was a small park right next to it and it was pretty popular to take away some food and eat it there.

With a motion practised by a long, refined habit, Naruto flipped one of the five flaps enclosing the little space and fluidly took a seat before he loudly announced his presence.

"Heya Teuchi-Oji, Ayame-Nee!"

"Hello, Naruto!" The owner and his daughter answered together, not at all startled by Naruto.

"One day I'll get you!"

"I'd make you pay whatever damage you cause!" Teuchi warned with a mock scowl.

"That'd be worth it."

"You're years from that, Naruto-chan," retorted Ayame with a smirk. "What is it going to be?"

"Miso with extra pork." The blond answered with a challenging look.

"Comin' right up," announced Teuchi. And for you Kunoichi-san?"

"Anko and I'll have whatever Naruto is having," answered the tokunin. "Also I'd like some gree-"

"Lemonade! She wants a lemonade like me!"

Anko glared at Naruto but relented. She would have her green tea with her precious, delicious dango for dessert. She just had to endure this food for lower beings for a bit and then, true nirvana would be achieved.

An hour later and stuffed to the brim with ramen, Naruto and Anko exited the little stand, the blond extorting a begrudging "it was delicious" from the woman before both directed their steps to Anko's favourite dango shop.

"So, by the way," began Naruto, his hands behind his head and a large smile. "I think we need to discuss our respective cuts of the mission bonus."

Anko cocked an eyebrow. "The hell are you on about?"

"Well," the blond answered with a predatory smile. "I've used shadow clone non-stop since the beginning of the operation, meaning I've done five times your work approximately. Hence why I believe I deserve a larger cut."

"You deserve nothing Naru-chan," Anko dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I was the one who taught you how to even do the mission in the first place. Plus I'm your senpai, you should have more respect."

"I respect you, Anko-Nee, it doesn't change the fact I'm getting eighty-two per cent of the cut." The blond insisted.

Anko snorted. "And my first child maybe? I need money for my dango fill. Plus, these shadow clones don't cost you anything."

"Ha, maybe they do, maybe they don't. It doesn't change the fact I did the work while you were drinking tea and eating dango."

"You ate them with me, Kiddo." The tokunin pointed out.

Naruto's smile turned from predator to outright devilish. "What if I had an alibi saying I didn't?"

"The hosts of the dango shop saw you there with me for two weeks already."

"Which is incredible because I have at least as many people who can confirm I was never there but rather in the T&I learning from Tonbo-senpai and Iwashi-senpai."

"Nice try Naru-chan but they are too afraid of me to do that to me. If they told you otherwise, they lied."

"That's the beauty of it all, Anko-Nee, they don't know I'm also working with you. I just told them Ibiki was too busy to take care of me and asked for help."

"They won't back you up when I pay them a visit. And Ibiki is fully aware of my working habits." Anko retorted with a smile, which made Naruto pout.

"Well then, I'm not using any shadow clone anymore! I'm doing all the job here so I want a larger cut."

"Tut tut tut, Naru-chan, I never took you for a greedy one," joked Anko.

"Money is always useful and if you take it like that," Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, "No more free hands to help you with the op. Do your own shadow clones."

"Yes, still free hands to help us with the op. Otherwise, I'll let slip you tried to blackmail a superior officer." Anko suddenly placed the back of her right hand against her forehead and faked a tragic fall. "All that for money. Naru-chan, I thought our love was worth more than that!"

Naruto shrugged. "I mean… Have you seen how much the bonus is?!" He shouted excitingly. "You may be used to A-rank missions but it's my first and that's. So much. Money!" The blond exclaimed, his blue eyes momentarily transformed in the Ryo sign.

"Mooh, Naru-chan, poor Anko-Nee needs money to live too you know?" The woman said with a laugh. "Why are you so insistent on it anyway? You'll get fifty per cent of it, that's already a lot."

"Ah but it's all a matter of fairness, Anko-Nee. I did more work, I deserve more in payment. That's only logical, correct?"

"What about my undying gratitude?"

"It doesn't pay for ramen." Naruto deadpanned before he looked at Anko in the eyes. "It doesn't, right?"

Anko shook her head in the negative. "No, given how much you can eat, I'm not paying for your ramen anytime soon."

The woman appeared to think for a minute before she bent down and kissed the blond on his cheek. "How 'bout that?"

Naruto reddened before he shook his head violently and jumped away, warding off evil with a motion of his hands. "You won't buy me with your charms, vixen!" He exclaimed like some monk practising abstinence. "I want a cool jutsu!"

Anko grimaced and shook her head. "Sorry, Kiddo but that's a no go." The woman took a thinking pose for a few seconds before she smiled. "I could teach you about poison though. You interested?"

Naruto relaxed and flashed her a smile. "Sure, sounds good!"

Anko tousled the blond's hair. "You don't have to attempt to blackmail me if you want to learn something from me, you know? I'll gladly teach you," said the purple-haired woman.

Naruto gave the purple-haired woman a wide-eyed look of surprise and confusion before he blushed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I… Thanks Anko." The blond smiled. "It's not like people fight to teach me stuff so I appreciate it but I'll have to refuse."

Anko cocked one eyebrow at that. "Huh? Why?"

Naruto smile turned sad. "I don't have anything to repay you for what you would teach me. That's wrong," affirmed the boy.

Anko frowned. "That's okay, Naruto." Before the blond could say anything, the woman rose a hand, palm towards the blond, to placate him. "Really, I mean it. Think of it as a gift."

Now Naruto looked entirely uncomprehending. "A gift?"

People didn't offer him gifts. It was a well-established truth of his life. The Hokage paid for his ramen occasionally because Naruto had behaved. Iruka did the same because he had paid attention in class. Ramen was part of an exchange. Much like ryos were exchanged against foodstuff in a store.

The blond shook his head. "But a gift for what?"

Now it was Anko's turn to look at the boy in confusion. "What do you mean a gift for what?"

Naruto hesitated. "Well… I'm not familiar with gifts but isn't that something you make for a special occasion? Like, I don't know, celebrating something or as praise?"

The blond refused to mention the word "birthday". Birthdays weren't a thing as far as he was concerned. He knew as, in theory, that they were supposed to be happy events celebrated with family. As far as Naruto was concerned, birthday equated misery.

Anko scratched her brow as she frowned, considering the blond's question. Naruto seemed truly uncomfortable with the idea of receiving something just because. Apparently, the very concept of gifts was even unknown to him; any exchange seemed rooted in fair retribution. A prank if you were mean, a service if you helped. The woman breathed deeply.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

Anko licked her lips. She wasn't even sure how to broach the subject. "I consider you a friend," she eventually said with honesty, realizing it was true. The blond had grown on her in the almost two weeks they had spent together. "As well as an adorable little kouhai. I don't really need a reason to share some of my knowledge with you. That's my choice. And you don't need to repay me for it." Anko explained carefully.

Naruto looked at her like she was some sort of exotic alien. "Are you sure about that?"

Truly, the blond Uzumaki was lost. Nothing in life was free, that was a hard lesson he had learned very early. Either one could afford the price of the things they desired or they couldn't. Favours were earned or exchanged. His entire life was proof of that.

The Hokage had told him his very apprenticeship was to repay him for his years of continued service defending Konoha from the Kyuubi. Asuma-Oji had taught him Fuuton because he had previously acceded to his request for help concerning his team's training. The same was true for Kurenai.

Wasn't that the case for his friendship with Shino and Shikamaru as well? He played shogi and watched the clouds with Shikamaru and discussed genetics with Shino in exchange for their company. He enjoyed doing these things, of course, but if he didn't do them, he was quite certain the two heirs wouldn't be as willing to be his friends. But that was natural, give and take and all that. Once again, it was the same for Anko. He enjoyed being with her and it was natural he went along with her mild craziness. Otherwise, she would have done her thing.

For a second, he considered the possibility of Anko trying to trap him, teaching him something now and calling a favour much later down the line. He eyed the woman in front of him intently. He saw her as genuine but he didn't forget she was a tokunin, an experienced kunoichi. If she wanted to mask her true feelings from him, she would have no problem to do so.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to think like that but it had happened more than once. In the Academy, he had been once offered friendship by a trio of boys. A few days later, they had asked him to go in the Forest of Death to retrieve something one of the boys had "lost" there.

"Naruto?"

The boy eyed Anko warily. "No going back on that? I owe you nothing? No "oh Naruto, remember when I taught you that well now I need your help" kind of stunt?"

Anko seemed truly offended. "No you brat! Who the hell do you take me for?!"

"Well sorry if I don't believe someone offering to teach me something for free!" Naruto retorted heatedly. "No one does that, that's not how it works! If I want something, I have to pay for it somehow, that's how it goes! So name your price now or I won't learn anything from you."

Anko exhaled noisily. "You realize you were ready to blackmail me into teaching you something?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

Naruto cocked one of his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're ninjas, blackmailing is a valid strategy to get something out of someone. You're just the one dictating the deal in its entirety and it's an unfair deal but it's still a deal."

Anko gaped at him, breathed in deeply, exhaled noisily again and rubbed her temples with a groan. "Urgh. Okay. Come with me Naruto. There's something we need to discuss. The Hokage and Ibiki need to be with us too. Follow me."

Now beyond mere confusion that could properly be put into words, Naruto followed the purple-haired kunoichi as she made way towards the Hokage Tower.

AN: So there are two things to take care of. Firstly, given I'm trying to update every day (and failing) I'll release 3k+ words chapters every other day and "Meanwhile" chapters the rest of the time. That's way more manageable for me.

Secondly, I like to make you contribute so here's an ending I scrapped for this chapter. Given I want to go fast I make fast choices which aren't necessarily the best ones. I thought it would be interesting to present you with the alternative. It continues from the first line break. I felt like it was an over-the-top escalation but at the same time, the very nature of the situation allows for it. Would you be so kind as to say which end you prefer and why?

Naruto looked completely surprised for three long seconds, something Anko easily picked up from his stunned face before he gave her a smile as he reddened. "Ah, thanks." He said, scratching the back of his head. "It's just… Sorry. It's not usual for people to offer to teach me stuff for free. It's actually the opposite if they can help it. So I appreciate it."

Anko returned his smile to the boy. "Don't sweat it."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I appreciate it. What would you want in exchange though?"

Anko rose a hand to stop the blond in his tracks. "It's okay, Naru-chan. You don't have to repay every little thing you receive. Or rather, try not to think of it as payment." She grimaced. "It's too business-like. Presentation matters so say it's in appreciation." Before the blond could say anything, Anko made a shushing motion. "Also, sometimes, it's the thought that counts, Naru-chan so don't try to always match what I give you in term of value."

Naruto looked at Anko, puzzled. "I don't get it," he said after a moment.

It wasn't how things worked at all. It wasn't right and fair. He had never handled things like that. Outside of the Hokage, the only exchanges he had known for a long time were with store clerks, with whom he traded his allowance for foodstuff. The Academy hadn't been a happy place, full of unfriendly people who either didn't offer or asked for too much. Then, Kakashi hadn't given Naruto anything either and it would have stayed this way had the bullshit not been too much for one of his clones.

You never get anything for free in life. That's how things work: you pay to get them. A small voice in his noted and Naruto couldn't help but agree. What Anko had said sounded nice but he knew for a fact things did not work that way. Everything had to be exchanged against something else at least of equal value.

Now that he was thinking about it, the way the Hokage had worded it also framed his apprenticeship as a transaction. "You have defended the village since birth, here is the payment for your continued service."

Naruto liked Asuma-Oji and Kurenai-sensei but he hadn't dared to ask for anything if it wasn't in exchange for something else. Kicking their genins' asses or whatever. Even his friendship with Shino and Shikamaru, he had worded it as an exchange of a sort: "you helped me with this jutsu, what do you want in exchange? If you become a friend of mine, I'll watch clouds with you."

The blond scratched the back of his head. Anko was right. It was very business-like but he wasn't sure how to be or do any other way. Suddenly, he felt worried. Would his friendship with Shino and Shikamaru end if he couldn't match what they offered him? Would Konohamaru not want to see him anymore if he hadn't anything to teach him?

What happens when they get bored of you? What if Shino and Shikamaru ever felt they were somehow losing in their relationship? After all, they were ninjas and ninjas didn't do anything graciously, Shino himself had confirmed it during their last mission together. What if Konohamaru found a more interesting teacher? There was no way friendship was free, he knew it for a fact: he had never been able to afford it up until now. What if Anko ever felt like it too?

Face it, you don't bring much to the table. Orphan, no money, no skill. Forming a bond with you is worthless. Friendship was supposed to be about accepting someone for who they were, right? And that was what he was. No one. Nothing. Who would ever accept someone like that without anything in return?

The old man said it: you have value for what you are, not for who you are. Would the Hokage ever say to him that the debt was settled and that they were done?

The price for their acknowledgement is to become the Hokage. Who else has to pay such a ridiculous price just to be seen? How will you even afford it? And that's only the start. Once they see you, how will you ever pay for their love?

"Hey! Naruto, you hear me?!"

The blond took a deep breath. It felt like he had been holding it for too long. Anko was shaking one of his shoulders.

"Are you alright? You look sick."

Naruto nodded. Anko sounded as if she was talking in water. Or maybe his own head was in water somehow? "Y-yeah, it's nothing," he assured with a small, fragile smile. The blond swallowed thickly. His head felt light and he had a strange urge to vomit. "Say, Anko?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You… You like… Being with me?" The blond asked, suddenly looking very lost and unsure to the kunoichi. "I mean, I'm not a bother to you, right?" He continued, sounding almost desperate, his breathing short and unnaturally hastened.

"Hey, Naruto, breath deeply, it's alright, calm down."

"You'll stay with me, right? W-What do y-you want in exchange? I'll give you money!" The blond exclaimed, almost shouted, looking at the woman hopefully like a child before he shook his head. "I'll go eat dango with you, please don't leave!"

"Naruto, calm down, I'm not going anywhere," Anko affirmed in an even tone, holding the boy firmly by his shoulders.

The blond, desperately hyperventilating, eyes wide, shook his head furiously. "I'll be good so please tell me what you want, I won't disappoint you!" He gripped the woman's trench coat forcefully.

Anko engulfed the blond boy in a hug. "It's okay Naru-chan, relax," she whispered in his ear before she sent a jolt of chakra in the base of his neck, knocking him out. Transferring Naruto on her back, she darted to the hospital after two snakes slithered out of her sleeve, going straight to the Hokage Tower.

AN: Don't forget to share your thoughts. Best,