When I woke up this morning, I felt that today was going to be a good day. I didn't care that I was the last one to wake up, so everyone got to see me drooling in my sleep. I'm more surprised that Kakashi was still with us and not off doing his usual thing, which is visiting the memorial stone and losing track of time. I'm not complaining, though, because that meant Sasuke, Naruto, and I didn't have to wait for him so we can go get our first D-rank mission from the Mission Assignment Desk at the Academy.
Then I found out what our first D-rank mission was. I was not happy, neither was Sasuke, and Naruto was honestly eager. Kakashi was currently talking it out with the Sandaime, probably something that had to do with the fact that he finally passed a team. And poor Iruka-sensei was trying and failing to convince the Sandaime to give us a different mission. Kakashi honestly seemed amused.
Just what was it that we were given? A job babysitting a war veteran's grandson—why the hell are they trusting us with a child?! "Have you not seen what Naruto's done with Hanabi?!"
"Or Konohamaru…" Sasuke added.
Naruto laughed at the mere mentioned of Konohamaru. The Sandaime coughed, most likely having dealt with Konohamaru's recently learned technique.
"I am quite aware what has been done with my grandson…" Unfortunately, Hiruzen seemed to want to say, but stayed quiet. "However, I have already made my decision and it is final. Here is your mission scroll—good luck."
Well, fuck.
…
…
Manabe Masamune was a disgruntled war veteran from the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi World War. He lost his right eye in one of the wars (which war, Kakashi didn't say), which is the reason why he wears an eye-patch. He works as a blacksmith with his own metal works shop, which was stationed in the house he lived in.
Recent events have left his three-year-old grandson, Manabe Kazuichi, orphaned. Due to the complexity of his work schedule that his profession has given him, Masamune was in need for assistance in caring for his grandson. It wasn't as if Masamune couldn't watch over Kazuichi, but after a close call while working in the forge, Masamune wasn't taking any chances.
Though, I'm pretty sure Masamune was rethinking his decision to request for assistance when he saw that Naruto was with us. He sure didn't seem happy when he gave us the dos and don'ts of watching over Kazuichi. Masamune left to work at his forge after that, with Kakashi following after him—most likely to explain the situation.
That left us alone with Kazuichi, who was just glaring at us. He seemed to be in a much similar mood as his grandfather, though for different reasons…possibly. Whatever the case was, it still didn't make the situation any less awkward.
"So…I'm Akimichi Chōko!" Let's try to break the ice!
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke gestured at himself.
Naruto smiled widely. "And I'm Uzumaki Naruto-ttebayo!"
"…Manabe Kazuichi…" Kazuichi said after a couple of minutes of silence.
Kazuichi sure didn't like to talk much, but I guess it could be assumed he was just being a shy, little boy…heh, Shy Boy… Okay, that's enough of me reminiscing K-Pop, now let's get to—
"I don't like any of you…" Kazuichi suddenly said.
Oh, come on!
…
"How long are we watching this brat?" Naruto turned to Sasuke.
Sasuke sighed. "We're checked in for six hours…"
"Welcome to hell…" I was not looking forward to this— "OW!"
Kazuichi just kicked me in the shin! That little—
"Oh, you b—" at this point, Sasuke took the initiative and clapped his hand over my mouth as he said, "Now, now, it's not nice to hit girls!"
"Yeah, they can kick your ass-ttebayo!" Naruto nodded his head.
I blinked a few times before licking the palm of Sasuke's hand, thus effectively grossing him out and succeeding in my attempts to get his hand off my mouth. "Bluh, human flesh…"
"Pfft…hehehe…" Kazuichi covered his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter.
I looked at Kazuichi for a moment and smirked. "So you thought that was funny, huh?"
Well, I sure didn't! You're lucky we're getting paid, otherwise I would've smacked you by now, Kazuichi…
"So what do you wanna do?" Naruto asked Kazuichi.
Kazuichi stopped laughing. "…P…Play?"
"Play what?" Sasuke asked.
Kazuichi looked down. "…"
"Heeeey, wanna play ninja?" Naruto seemed eager to try and make the day go by faster.
Kazuichi made a face. "How do you play?"
"How about we go to the backyard and find out?" Assuming there is one…and it better be a nice-looking one, otherwise playing a game of ninja is out of the question.
…
Fortunately, for all of us, the backyard was moderately big and green. There was even a tree with a swing much like the one on the Academy courtyard. After resisting the urge to swing on said swing, I helped Naruto and Sasuke explain the rules of ninja to Kazuichi. He caught on pretty quick and after nearly an hour in which many games were played, Kazuichi ran over to the swing and demanded to be pushed.
Naruto and Sasuke had it in their heads that my strength would make me a good swing pusher. I was…then I overshot a push and accidentally launched Kazuichi into the air. I expected the worst to come right after that.
Sasuke managed to catch Kazuichi before he landed, so no injuries, at least. I bit my lip in anticipating, expecting Kazuichi to start crying. Of course, what happened next caught us all off-guard.
Kazuichi started laughing out loud and gleefully exclaimed, "Again! Again! Again!"
I stared wide-eyed at Kazuichi and looked at Naruto and Sasuke, who both just shrugged at me. I guess we found And so, for the next hour or so, Sasuke and Naruto took turns catching Kazuichi each time I launched him into the air. My heart did not take this too well, as I kept expecting the worst to happen, but Sasuke and Naruto never let Kazuichi hit the ground, so I was extremely relieved for that.
Afterwards, Kazuichi decided that food was more important that entertainment, so lunchtime was a thing and…Sasuke ended up covered in food or rather, the leftover rice from the onigiri I made for Kazuichi (all he did was eat the filling, which was salmon, the punk!). Kazuichi thought it was funny and I was about ready to smack Kazuichi over the head for wasting food, but then Kakashi decided to drop by—just in time to stop me.
"Now, now, Chōko-chan—hurting the client is bad for business! I'm not sure how Manabe-san will react." Translation: Hit the kid and we'll get in deep shit.
I had almost forgotten that Kazuichi was a war veteran's grandson for a moment…and thank god Kakashi stopped me when he did! I don't know what Masamune would have done if he heard I hit his grandson. Bluh, that was a close call…
Though that brings up something I should have noticed, but didn't until now…Sasuke, Naruto, and I have to put up with Kazuichi's shit. And if it means getting covered in food, then oh well! Until our six hours are up, we're this kid's bitch…
"Welcome to hell, indeed…" I huffed as I followed Kazuichi out of the house, while Sasuke and Naruto stayed behind to clean up the mess at the table. Kakashi followed me out, probably not wanting to take chances with my short-temper around Kazuichi.
I should've known something was up from the way Kazuichi wanted me to follow him in a certain direction. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot, so when I fell into the kid's pitfall trap (which was surprisingly well-hidden), I only had myself to blame for not suspecting anything—I'm a fucking Genin, for crying out loud! I'm extremely lucky that it was a child's trap I fell for!
Still don't appreciate the muddy landing I had when I fell into the pitfall…and great, look at all those leaves in my hair…I'm gonna have one hell of a time cleaning up after this…at least my glasses are clean…
How the fuck did a three-year-old child even managed to create a pitfall that deep?! I'd honestly be impressed if I wasn't pissed off at the fact that I let myself fall into the kid's trap… Welp, it at least looks like Kazuichi will have the makings of a future shinobi. Meanwhile with me, I should honestly pay more attention where I'm headed.
Before that, I should probably crawl out of this stupid pit, first and—stop laughing, Kazuichi!
"Ahahaha, I still can't believe you fell for it!" Kazuichi was laughing so hard, he was crying. "Jii-chan never falls for it!"
Oh, you better not be comparing me to a war veteran, little boy! "Your grandfather is a Tokubetsu Jounin, you jerk!"
"Whaaat? I can't hear you from all the way up here?!" Oh that ass—he's mocking me!
"When I get out of this pit, we're gonna have some serious words!" Too bad I can't even make it a couple inches climbing up before falling down!
SPLAT!
Oh god, I got mud in my eyes that time! And my glasses—I don't even know where my glasses are! I can't see shit! Uuurrrgh…why the hell am I doing this?! Just what am I doing with my life to earn this sort of treatment from a fricken' three-year-old?! This isn't fair…and I can't do anything about it because I'll get in trouble and…ugh! I can't take this anymore…don't cry, don't cry, don'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcry— "S-S-Seeeenseeeeiiiiiii—uuuuwaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
…
"I-I'm s-sorry, N-Nee-san…"
"Don't touch me…"
My body is trembling, my head is pounding, my emotional stability is in shambles—I am not okay! I need a moment…
"It's not nice to make people cry, Kazuichi…" Kakashi said as he cleaned out the mud in my eyes with a damp washcloth. "Chōko can only endure so much…"
You better fucking believe it! I do not take well when I'm pushed into a corner that I can't fight my way out of…it just makes me feel helpless and I don't like feeling helpless. Though, I really do appreciate that Kakashi got me out of that pit the immediate moment he heard me cry… Still can't see…
And now I have to deal with Naruto and Sasuke, who are both overreacting to hearing me cry. God dammit, I can't even have a simple breakdown without—actually, never mind, forget that train of thought, Chōko. Appreciate what you have and—oh god, Kazuichi, please let go of me.
"I'm r-really sorry, Nee-chan…" Kazuichi had just latched onto my legs and was hugging them. "I didn't m-mean to make you cry…"
Oh god, genuine apologies from little kids—my one weakness. I still couldn't see, not yet…but if I could, I would have patted Kazuichi on the head. Instead, I just said, "It's fine…j-just don't do it again…please."
"I won't." Kazuichi sniffed.
That'll do, kid…that'll do.
…
Kazuichi became quite amicable after that. He wasn't as much of a little shit as he had been earlier, much to our relief. He still held an interest in traps, which Naruto was quite quick to pick up on and just—those two got along. Sasuke and I actually took the time to take a break while Naruto kept Kazuichi entertained…then story time happened and everyone, except Kazuichi, looked to me for a story.
Times like these, I really regret being quite the bookworm. At the same time, I also regret having memories of my past life because for the next half, I ended up telling what could be considered a reimagining of a typical Disney animated film. What is my life? To be recounting past memories under the guise that I had weird dreams for the sake of entertaining a child?
It just only made me realize I had no originality (I AM A SHAM)…but Kazuichi didn't seem to care, as he was having the time of his life hearing what I had to say. Even Naruto and Sasuke were into it. And, try as he may, Kakashi was actually diverting his attention away from Icha Icha Paradise.
God damn, is the concept of a magical flying carpet too surreal for people who live in a world where we can do many things, such as shoot fire from our mouths?! I don't even know…
"Again! Again! Again!" At least Kazuichi is happy, based on the wide smile on his face and—holy shit, look at those teeth!
Had it not been for Masamune entering the room at that time to tell us our job was over, I would have ended up blurting out something that would have probably come off as insulting toward Kazuichi. Thankfully, Masamune's gruff-sounding voice caught me off-guard as he said, "Well, I'll be damned. That's the first time I've seen the brat smile in months."
"M-Months?" Are you fucking kidding me? "Months—who doesn't smile in months?! I mean, it's not like there's anything wrong with not smiling, people have their reasons and all, I just think it's absurd to keep such a cute smile hidden—" Oh my god, Chōko, shut up! "I mean, I think it's cute and—uh, I'm gonna stop talking now…"
…
…
I don't think my face could be any redder. The embarrassment burns and the tears are starting to come. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but nooo, I had to say all of that. What is wrong with me? I just hope I didn't annoy anyone with what I just said…
"Y-You think my sm-smile is cute?" I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel as if someone had just punched me in the gut when I heard Kazuichi asked that question. "You don't think its freaky, right?"
"Why would I think that?!" Oh god, what the hell has happened to make you even think that, Kazuichi?!
"It might be hard to believe, but children are prone to rejectin' others based off of appearances," Masamune explained. "Some are subtle about it—others are not. Kazuichi doesn't go out anymore because of them."
I wasn't that surprised to see Naruto looking sympathetically at Kazuichi after hearing all that. Naruto would know what it meant to be rejected…
"They called me f-freak and wouldn't let me play with them because of my t-teeth…" Kazuichi frowned. "Wh-Why are they so mean? They're just teeth…teeth that I don't want."
"That's enough!" Masamune snapped. "Yer teeth are nothin' to be ashamed of! Look at me—ya don't see me hidin' my teeth!"
Fucking hell, I was not expecting Masamune to be sporting the same set of shark teeth his grandson had! Though, it did explain where Kazuichi got his teeth from, with the way genetics work and—stop being a nerd, Chōko!
"Your Kirigakure heritage is definitely showing itself, Manabe-san." Kakashi sighed. "Not saying that there is anything bad with it, but if I recall, others questioned your loyalty because of it during the Third Shinobi World War."
"Yeah, that did happen…but they stopped givin' me crap after I lost an eye for 'em." Masamune huffed. "Paranoia can sure be an ugly thing, though…I'm just glad it isn't like it used to be."
I…am learning a lot of things right now…just from listening in on this conversation. Apparently, Masamune is from Kirigakure or at least, is of Kirigakure descent, which would explain the sharp teeth he and his grandson possess. Considering the teeth that most characters from Kirigakure possessed (characters such as Hoshigaki Kisame, Momochi Zabuza, and Hōzuki Suigetsu, for example), I guess it's safe to say that sharp teeth are a trait that exists in the village's gene pool. Also, found out which war Masamune lost his eye in.
"I probably shouldn't be sayin' this to ya, but be glad that people ain't questionin' yer loyalty, Kazuichi," Masamune said as he ruffled his grandson's black hair. "Words can hurt, but distrust hurts even more…ya got that?"
Kazuichi looked up at his grandfather and nodded his head. "Got it, Jii-chan…"
Masamune smiled upon hearing his grandson's response. "Now why dontcha smile for the little lady? She seems to like yer smile. Be proud of it for once."
Kazuichi blinked a few times before looking at me. He stared at me for a moment before grinning widely, his shark-like teeth very much visible. His smile was contagious, as I soon found myself smiling back at Kazuichi. He really did have a cute smile…
…
For our first D-rank mission, babysitting Manabe Kazuichi could have gone wrong in so many ways. Fortunately, for us, it went well, despite the differences we all had initially with Kazuichi. For a kid who said he hated us right from the start, he sure was quite emotional to see us leave. I was almost sad that our mission was over…almost.
To be honest, I'm just glad that we managed to even finish a D-rank mission…because let's just say that it's quite possible to actually fail a D-rank mission. And yes, I should know because Hyuuga Natsu had pretty much confirmed that when their Jounin-sensei, Mimura Hamaki, had his name put down as one of two Jounin-sensei who have ever managed to fail a D-rank in the entire history of Konohagakure. Who was the first?
Apparently, whatever team Umino Iruka was assigned to during his pre-instructor days, with a Jounin-sensei who was banned from ever taking on another Genin team because of the shenanigans they and their Genin team had caused. The sheer irony that Iruka, of all people, had been on such a team, was hilarious.
That aside, I was hoping that after we returned to the Mission Assignment Desk at the Academy to turn in our mission scroll and receive our pay that that would be all for today. Because Sasuke and me—especially me—needed a bath. Unfortunately, Kakashi decided that we were still capable of doing a couple more D-rank missions.
So for the next four hours, Naruto, Sasuke, and I were stuck doing minor chores, such as weeding a garden, in which I was quite glad that our time with Ino and my knowledge with plants left us able to distinguish what was a weed and what wasn't. Painting a fence was another, which was a pain in the ass. Picking up trash in the park was something I wasn't expecting because the trashcan was fucking there, so how the hell did the park get so dirty with trash?! And our last mission of the day, washing dishes at an Akimichi clan restaurant…so many dishes.
Sasuke and I didn't really get a chance to take a bath until after we received our pay for our last mission of the day. By then, Naruto was just as dirty as we were from when we were weeding the garden, picking up trash in the park, and even washing dishes, because someone (*cough*Sasuke*cough*) had to slip on a fallen bar of soap and drop food-covered plates on Naruto. We were only lucky that none of the plates had been broken, otherwise that would have seriously docked our pay…
And Kakashi did nothing, but watched us suffer, the bastard! I was seriously in a bad mood by the time I returned home—my home at the Akimichi compound. I would have stayed with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi, but I'm pretty sure my parents and Chōji want to at least hear what happened the other day after I had left so early in the morning.
I spent some quality time with my parents and brother after I arrived home. I talked to them about what happened the other day and today's D-rank missions—oh right, I'm an official Genin, that's a thing, ahahaha…
I wasn't that surprised to hear from Chōji that he, Shikamaru, and Ino were also official Genin. Their Jounin-sensei was Sarutobi Asuma, as predicted, and their test had been to work together to incapacitate Asuma, using only their respective clan's hiden techniques. It was basically a test made specifically for the new Ino-Shika-Chō team.
"So how did your D-rank missions go?" I found myself asking Chōji as I braided my hair. The two of us were now in our room, just killing some time before going to sleep.
"Oh, we don't start those until next week," Chōji replied as he opened a bag of chips. "Asuma-sensei wants to train us a bit before we start any D-rank missions."
…
"Chōji, you really suck sometimes." I puffed up my cheeks in annoyance. I was hoping to have someone to relate to after today's hell!
Chōji just laughed and held out the bag of chips in his hand. "Chip?"
I pouted for a moment before snatching a couple of chips from the bag. "Sure…"
I really can't stay annoyed at my own brother for too long…
…
…
The next day started off rather well. Kakashi was still at home with Naruto and Sasuke, so when I arrived, we immediately left for the Academy to pick up our first mission of the day from the Mission Assignment Desk. I was expecting a different set of D-rank missions…what we got instead was another babysitting job. This time, Team 7 was specifically requested for it by Manabe Masamune, yesterday's client.
And so there went another six hours babysitting Kazuichi, who was quite happy to see us. He was at least behaving better than yesterday, but he was still a little shit when the opportunity came up—such as when he was being picky with his food. Kazuichi was quite the carnivore and refused to eat anything that didn't consist of meat. I didn't really think much of it at first…until after full week of babysitting the kid. A full forty-two hours out of a week spent watching over Manabe Kazuichi…plus twenty-eight hours spent on doing other D-rank missions. It was a pretty tiring seven days (seven days…), and I was starting to grow concerned about Kazuichi's obsession with meat. So when I brought up this concern with Masamune, he just waved it off, saying it was a phase.
"How do you know?" I shouldn't be prying, but I'm honestly curious.
"Because his father and uncle were the same way when they were his age," Masamune replied.
I see, I see—wait… "Uncle? You mean there are more of you?"
Wow, Chōko…you could have totally worded that question better than that.
"I expected that to come out of Naruto's mouth, not yours." I know, Sasuke, I know.
"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I apologize on behalf of my student, Manabe-san." Kakashi sighed. "She's prone to saying things without really thinking."
"Nah, it's fine…" Masamune reassured. "And to answer yer question, yes…there are more of us. You think Kazuichi is the only brat I'm a grandfather to?"
Silence…
Masamune let out a puff of air. "I guess it wouldn't be that obvious, since my other son took on his wife's surname… He's Munehisa Iwai, the man currently running the Munehisa weapons shop. If you haven't met him now, you will eventually when you need to stock up on weapons."
I'll keep that in mind…
…
Kakashi called it a day after that, much to our relief. I was honestly getting tired of those damn D-rank missions. They. Suck. Ass…like so much, it isn't even funny…
Well, it is to Kakashi, who was still enjoying our suffering…the fucking sadist. Speaking of him, he went off to god knows where (probably staring at the memorial stone—I honestly think that's a coping mechanism for his trauma and loss), while Sasuke, Naruto, and I just spent the rest of the day, laying on the pillow-covered floor in the living room at Naruto's house.
"Why?" I found myself asking.
"Because we are Genin…" Sasuke sighed.
"Imagine if we weren't official Genin, dattebayo…" Naruto remarked.
We all visibly shuddered at that thought. After a week's full of D-rank missions, we had everything to hate about them… We still haven't had our encounter with Tora, the demon cat of Konoha, so I guess we could consider ourselves lucky. Still, even with Kazuichi being probably the highlight of our D-ranks (he was the only thing making our jobs easier for us), it still wasn't enough to cancel out the four extra hours' worth of D-ranks Kakashi made us take after babysitting the kid.
Unfortunately, for us, today was our last day babysitting Kazuichi, as Masamune had finished this month's quota's worth of forging. That meant those four hours were now going to turn into a full ten hours, of which were all meant to be spent doing miscellaneous D-rank missions. Just thinking about it made me want to scream into a pillow—which I did.
"I'm gonna die of boredom-ttebayo…" Naruto rolled onto his stomach. "Hey, you wanna get some ramen?"
Growl…
"Do you even need to ask?" Kinda wished my stomach would stop talking for me, though!
Sasuke sat up. "We got paid, so we can splurge today…"
"Excessive spending, here we come!" I am so ready to spend some money today and—wait a second… "Sasuke, you still haven't paid up for losing that bet."
"Green tea daifuku?" Sasuke looked at me.
I grinned. "You know it."
"Can this wait after ramen?" Naruto asked as he pulled out Gama-chan from under the sofa.
"Naruto, why do you even keep Gama-chan under there?" I felt the need to ask.
"Because no one ever suspects the money to be under the sofa-ttebayo," Naruto said as if it was obvious. "Now are we gonna eat, or what?"
"Sure, let's go." My stomach is starting to annoy me— "Stop growling, stomach—ow!
Sasuke…did you just poke me in the forehead?
"You need to stop talking to your stomach," Sasuke said as he stood up, not even caring that he just finished poking me in the forehead like Itachi used to do.
I continued to stare at Sasuke for another minute before deciding to ignore what had just happened. I'm too hungry for this shit…
…
…
…
A/N AND SO BEGIN THE D-RANKS!
Yeah, it's a pretty short chapter and nothing much of interest happened, except the introduction of Manabe Masamune and Kazuichi. OCs that were meant to be references, but ended up becoming more and more developed the more I talked to ChibiFoxAI. It happens and I'm not really complaining.
So to recap, Naruto has started his work on yet another child, Sasuke has everything to worry about that, and Chōko is prone to breakdowns when pushed to her limits. And Kakashi is a sadist.
And before I forget, in regards to the Genin team Iruka was on, that was a blatant shout-out (and reference) to H.E. Gray's Things Team Nineteen Are No Longer Allowed To Do, which is a HILARIOUS read. You'll have to find the list on livejournal, though. In any case, I do not own that idea and I just wanted to make it known.
By the by, since I'm mentioning fics, I'm gonna confess here and now that I went on a Naruto SI OC reading binge and just—yeah, I got a lot more in my favorites now. I would like to recommend Death and Sake by Wyrvel, which has the world building and character development that I absolutely adore, Limbo by Aiyaki,Slider by My God Can Beat Up Your God,and In Their Eyes by NinjaChipmunk.
I would also like to mention that I am completely drawn to any SIOC!Kushina fics—such as Infamy - 汚名 by Orokashii. So if you guys know of any that I am not aware of, please suggest away because I have a mighty need for SIOC!Kushina…
Might as well bring up that, since I lost track of the current tabs on the shipping game Chōko is involved in, I'm gonna put up a poll on pairings suggested so far. Keep in mind, the poll is just to keep track of which pairing is in the lead. It won't determine the eventual outcome, it's just something to keep track of because I am intrigued. So keep an eye out for the poll on my profile.
In other news, I FINALLY updated Facade, so go check out chapter 50, Facade readers. Also, I still can't draw for crap so you guys won't get any drawings of Chōko from me. However, through the power of icongenerators, I managed to make a Chōko sprite so you guys have an idea of how she at least looks, which is basically a glasses-wearing Chōji after he's taken the last of the three-colored pills, with long hair tied into a braid. I'll eventually post up the link, but yeah…
Anyways, I'm quite glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I was almost worried about botching up Kakashi's character, but you guys seem to be telling me that I got him spot on, which is a huge relief!
So let's get onto the shout outs and damn, you guys were vocal this time around—in a good way, I mean. Shout out goes to Ryu Kitsune Bard84, for being reviewer #222, The Almighty Pyro for being reviewer #230, and Orion Heartling (nice name, by the way) for being reviewer #240. Since reviewer #250 was an anonymous reviewer by the name of Guest (wish your name was a little more distinctive so I could give a better shout out), a shout out will also go to FuujinNoKitsune, for being reviewer #251. A final shout out goes to Antex-The Legendary Zoroark for being reviewer #260 and an honorable mention goes to reviewer Uchiha Salad (nice name by the way).
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, so until next time, everyone! KD out! XD