Chapter 6: Anko Plus Training Equals Pain
(Konoha: Three Weeks Later)
Naruto huffed and puffed as he tried to inhale the sweet taste of air. While air lacked taste in general, the overall training – the definition of it was still a topic of debate in his personal opinion – was unlike any he had ever experienced.
"Not bad, Gaki. Not bad at all" Anko told him. "Only two seconds short of passing the six-and-a-half-minute point that time."
"You are getting better, Naruto-san," Midori hissed. "You didn't even have to resort to the chilli pepper bombs this time."
Naruto shivered at the snake's shift in tone. The chilly pepper incident had occurred the first time he faced Midori.
(Flashback: Three Weeks Previous)
As Midori used her sensitive tongue to try and locate her prey, part of her couldn't help but think that this was a tad unfair. Midori had twenty-three years of experience under her belt. Even when she was little she was a deadly predator. Granted her poison back then wasn't as potent, for summons at least.
For her to be hunting down an academy student like this was embarrassing in her books. True, Naruto had potential and his unique ability would allow him to grow stronger at an accelerated rate, but even with his current improvements the boy didn't stand a chance against her. He had even less chance if she shifted to her larger form, and that form is currently only a fourth of her original size.
Little to no ninjutsu, his taijutsu had many flaws, the list went on and on. Forking her tongue out once more Midori managed to pinpoint Naruto's location within a tree, "Poor boy must still be exhausted from Anko's training."
She would admit that Naruto's stamina far surpassed that of any academy student and most Jonin, but she supposed that even he had his limits, especially when it came to performing exercises his body wasn't accustomed to.
Either way, the serpent sighed. The game, as Anko so affectionately called it, was over before it began, "For him to have lasted fifty-six seconds is not bad for a start ... granted, I'm going easy on him."
Had she taken this seriously it would have been over much sooner. As soon as she came upon the tree where Naruto's scent was at its strongest, Midori sped up in the blink of an eye and found herself quickly wrapping around a log instead of her prey, "What? How… Ah, the boy's more clever than he looks."
The log in questions was about Naruto's height and covered in his scent thanks to the torn clothing he wore in the dungeon, "He cleaned himself off with them to use my senses again–"
BOOM!
Midori's thoughts were cut short as she found herself enveloped in an explosion. Being a summon her skin and bones were much denser and tougher than a regular snake. Furthermore, the exploding tag was of the lowest caliber, it wouldn't be enough to kill or hamper her. Sting and give her light burns, yes, but not much else.
However, Midori soon realized that the explosion lacked the tell-tale sting of fire and concussive force associated with an effective exploding tag, a cloud that had a slightly red hue to it began to form around her, "WhaaaAHHHHHHH!"
Midori soon began writhing and hissing in pain. Her senses, tongue, and eyes felt like they were on fire from whatever was used in that explosion. Midori could only curse her careless behaviour for allowing herself to believe this would be simple and quick. She had forgotten how Anko had informed her of the boy's pranking habits and now she was suffering for it.
"Not as much as he'll suffer after I catch him!" the angry serpent thought as she got as far away from the cloud of red as best as she could, her senses still impaired and her eyesight and tongue still burning. Forking her tongue out, it took several tries before Midori managed to catch the scent of water from a nearby river. Making her way towards it, and bumping into many things along the way that hampered and only served to enhance her anger, Midori dove headfirst into the water to cleanse her body of the powder that hurt her.
As a minute passed, Midori realized that the boy had managed to evade her for a little under three minutes thanks to the stunt he pulled, the serpent pulled her head out of the water and forked her tongue to try and catch his scent once more.
"That damn cloud is making this difficult," currently the trees were the only areas where Naruto's scent was at its strongest. "Where could he have-"
Whipping her head around Midori realized what Naruto had done, "He dove into the water to mask himself."
Midori had to admit that despite wanting to rip him to shreds for what she suffered, she was beginning to become more and more impressed with Naruto. From her observation, he boy wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she greatly underestimated his ability to formulate plans on the fly. Such a skill was of great importance for shinobi.
"But now this ends," she was done taken fooling around and hissed as she dove back into the water and swam with the current, her natural speed and the swiftness of the river made her seem like a blur and invisible to the eye.
Gasping for air as he came out of the river Naruto dragged himself to shore, the action taking some effort due to him still being a bit winded from the previous exercise.
|Three Minutes Have Passed!|
Naruto allowed himself to smirk as saw the words, "Looks like my plan wo-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed as he flew through the air like a bird and smacked into a tree with all the grace of a boulder rolling down the mountainside.
"Owww," he groaned and saw that the stunt had cost him a good amount of HP.
Getting to his feet as quickly as he could, the blond's actions were for not, as he found himself bound tightly to the tree. Using [Kawarimi] was now out of the question, as it was meant to be used before being captured or before a technique struck them, with only those who mastered the advanced version being capable of replacing themselves out of certain confinements.
Hearing a particularly vicious hiss Naruto came face to face with a very angry looking snake, "Heh, heh … I surrender?"
Midori merely smirked before opening her mouth, showing off a series of very sharp teeth. "...Oh, shit. Can we talk this over?"
Her vicious grin was her answer, "Uh-oh," was all he managed to utter before she lunged, "AHHHH!"
(Flashback Ended)
What followed had not been pretty and Naruto still shivered at the memory of it all. While there were no rules to the game, unofficially that is, Naruto knew that chilli powder bombs were off limits unless he desired a good thrashing like no other.
[QUEST COMPLETED!]
Snake and Mouse [Beginner Level]
Main Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for three minutes. (Accomplished).
Side Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for four and half minutes (Accomplished).
Side Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for six and half minutes. (Failed).
Main Quest Completion: +750 EXP, +150 Reputation [Anko] and [Midori]
Side Quest 1 Completion: +350 EXP, +75 Reputation [Anko] and [Midori]
Total Rewards Earned
(1100 + 10%) = 1210 EXP, +225 Reputation [Anko] and [Midori]
"So what does that bring your level up to now?" Anko asked.
"Nothing. Still at fourteen," Naruto informed her. Three weeks and in that time, Naruto had only levelled up three times. However, lacking only approximately fifteen-hundred experience points, Naruto was well on his way to levelling up once more. But getting the required experience points was becoming harder and harder.
As it was the final year, which was only five months compared to the usual ten; Iruka was cracking down on slackers during classes, which meant Naruto couldn't skip any of them. Anko herself didn't mind if he skipped, but that was so long as he didn't get caught or he'd be punished by both senior ninjas.
Furthermore, much of his time after class was spent training with Anko for hours. And unless she was busy – but even then, she'd have Midori keep an eye on him – weekends were full day training and testing. Sadistic and crazy as she was, Anko was a dedicated teacher – though her methods would likely break lesser academy students.
And any of the spare time he had was in the dungeon grinding and farming, though now he did so solo. However, with his current level, the enemies now gave almost no experience until he levelled up his [IDC Skill]. Even then the amount of time he spent in them was minimal, as by the time Anko was done with him, Naruto could only spend an hour or two in the dungeon before he was forced to call it quits for the night, which meant he hadn't had the opportunity to fight the Legion Zombie once again. The only benefit was him increasing his skills to greater levels but that didn't last long as most of them were mastered or close to it. Either way, it would be a while before he earned enough to level up once more.
"And when that happens I can finally access the natural dungeons. Who the hell came up with that stupid level restriction rule?" he put that thought aside as it wasn't that big a priority to ponder on.
Two weeks ago, Naruto had made it his goal to see if Konoha had any natural dungeons and the fruits of his labour were met with mixed results. The good news: the search hadn't taken him that long. The natural dungeons were all abandoned training grounds, places that had either become too damaged and permeated by a large amount of residue chakra over the decades that went unchecked or were affected by powerful pockets of chakra, such as the Kyubi's. Overtime these places were deemed unsafe and not accessible to anyone below the level of an experienced Genin or above.
Which led to the bad news: the lowest level requirement was fifteen and each dungeon was somehow connected to one another. Meaning to get to the next one he had to clear and conquer the previous dungeon and then move upwards.
"Alright, enough daydreaming. Get up and clean yourself off," Anko ordered and extended her arm so Midori could slither inside her trench coat sleeve.
"Where are we going?"
"Well, you said you wanted to learn kenjutsu, right? Took a while and a lot of nagging and whining on my part but I managed to get a couple of people who are willing to teach you the basics. They're some of the best in Konoha. You're welcome," she informed him.
"Uh-huh. What's the catch?" while their time together was brief; Naruto had since learned that with Anko there was a catch to almost everything.
Anko cursed as she hoped he wouldn't find out till after she dropped him off, "Damn it. Okay, I may or may not have acquired their services in exchange for you offering your own at a significantly reduced if not imperceptible sum."
"Huh?"
"They agreed to train you and in you in turn perform chores for them," Midori translated.
"That's what I just said."
"Great," Naruto drawled. "More free time taken away from me."
"Better get used to it. Unless it's wartime, the only missions Genin are regaled to the moment they graduate are D-Rank ones. You poor saps are basically hired help for those too busy or incapable of performing everyday chores," seeing his aghast look, Anko began to laugh, "What? You honestly didn't think you'd be saving damsels in distress and beating up evil ninja on your first day on the job, did you?"
Naruto's face never changed for the better, "Oh, Kami, you did, didn't you? Oh, man, that's just priceless. Sorry, Gaki, but you gotta earn that right by waddling through the mud and crap like the rest of us first," Anko wished she had a camera to immortalize Naruto's look of horror.
Midori herself laughed, both at Naruto's face and Anko's deviousness for excluding the tidbit of information regarding the odd C-Rank mission for Genin. It wasn't Naruto's fault for not knowing, most academy students were never told as it was a running gag that had been going on from one generation of ninja to the next ever since Senju Tobirama founded the academy.
"Anyway, dust yourself off. We leave in two minutes," Anko ordered.
"Shouldn't I go shower?" Naruto asked, not needing to take a whiff to know that he stank.
"Not unless you want to take another shower soon after," was Anko's reply. "Trust me when I say that even with your stamina, from what I heard, you're gonna be sweating buckets."
Intrigued by the prospects, Naruto began to clean himself off as quickly as he could. Whilst he was doing this, Midori silently whispered into her friend's ear, "I don't recall any begging involved, Anko."
"Hush you! He doesn't know that," Anko told her familiar but could deny her words either. The entire exchange between Anko and the sword users was much different than how she described it to Naruto.
(Flashback: One Day Ago)
"Hmm, dango and sweet bean soup. A perfect combination," Anko purred as she noshed on her meal. At her left protruded a series of miniature skewers that formed the Konoha symbol.
"You keep eating those in excise amounts and you're gonna lose that figure of yours, Anko," Yugao spoke as she and Hayate sat down beside her.
"Yeah, like that will ever happen," Anko seriously doubted she'd lose her perfect figure, "What do you two lovebirds want?"
"Actually, this is Hayate's doing," Yugao informed her fellow purple haired kunoichi.
"Really? Mr. Ballerina here?" Yugao chuckled lightly.
"You're never going to stop calling me that are you?" Hayate deadpanned.
"Hey, you were the one dancing in the forest," Anko smirked.
"I wasn't dancing, I was – Ah, forget it," the man wasn't about to get drawn into this argument again. The incident had been him practicing his swordsmanship and the particular techniques he was honing had made it look like he was doing a series of feminine dance moves.
"Anko, be nice," Yugao told her friend. The woman knew it was merely Anko being herself; she and Hayate were good acquaintances despite always teasing him like this.
"Aw, you're no fun," she huffed childishly for a second before quickly changing the next moment, "So what's up?"
Knowing she was now taking this seriously, or as seriously as Anko was known to, Hayate began, "I want to know if the rumours regarding Naruto are true."
"Which ones?" there were several rumours revolving around Naruto so knowing which one he was referring to was sort of difficult to ascertain.
"Him no longer being a shoe in for Dead Last?" he elaborated. "Heard he also has a dual affinity for fire and wind. That true too?"
Anko cocked an eyebrow at why he was asking this. Under her discipline, Naruto had showed decent progress that was reflective at school. He wasn't in the top rank, or even the middle rank, but he wasn't a shoo-in like before.
As she wondered about the man's sudden interest, it took the woman a few seconds before she realized where this was going. Yugao was an intelligent woman, too, having joined Anbu when she was just a child, and easily put two and two together alongside her fellow kunoichi.
"You're thinking about teaching him some kenjutsu, aren't you?" it wasn't uncommon to see Futon and Katon techniques being used alongside kenjutsu. Futon could be used to increase the cutting power of swords and create vacuum blades that extended their range, while Katon made the blade hot enough to cut through armour or weapons as if they were warm butter.
Hayate nodded. The man was one of the very few practitioners of the Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu (Konoha Style Sword Techniques), and likely the only one whose level was advanced enough to teach others. This made things difficult since except for the basics, kenjutsu techniques, much like other unique or significant ninja skills, in a ninja village were rarely passed down in a written format for security purposes. Doing it orally had its faults but there was less of a chance of another village learning them or developing counters that way.
The Konoha-Ryu Kenjustu was unique to Konoha and not to be looked down upon given its origin and when mixed with Hayate's own flair and prodigious skills in kenjutsu, the style had even more effective techniques added to it. Hayate had been looking to pass down what he knew to someone who could use the techniques to their fullest potential. Yugao knew some, but her duties as an Anbu, and him as a Special Jonin, made it challenging.
Passing them down was easier said given the requirements needed to use some of the techniques and most would be ninja in Konoha weren't disciplined enough or preferred using and learning ninjutsu or taijutsu than learn the art of the sword.
"The amount of Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu practitioners in the village are becoming fewer and fewer in number, Anko," Hayate muttered, "if this goes on it'll only be a matter of time before only the basics remain and everything else becomes a forgotten art."
Anko didn't need to ask since she knew some of the Konoha-Ryu techniques. Unless they had their own sword style or knew some bukijutsu, it had been made mandatory in Konoha that once a ninja was promoted to Chunin or Anbu they were required to learn the basics and be proficient at an acceptable level but no more than that.
Yugao understood why he was so passionate about the matter. The woman herself was a practitioner but she and others had to learn from Hayate instead from another Anbu superior; it was one of the reasons why they fell in love with one another. That and their love of kenjutsu and the amount of time they spent together.
Both were prodigies in kenjutsu and while Hayate was currently the better of the two in terms of skill, Yugao was ultimately the stronger of the two, a fact that Hayate wasn't ashamed to freely admit.
"I know, Hayate, I know," the small amount of practitioners was a combination of some dying, either of old age or in the field, or having no students or any interested in learning the art.
"You know nothing is set in stone, right? I can ask him but, ultimately, it's up to the gaki," Anko told him, "He's gotten better but what makes you think he has the discipline to learn kenjutsu? It ain't for everyone, you know."
"I know. But for some reason I have a feeling about this kid. He survived three weeks of training from Anko Mitarashi herself, the Queen Sadist of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Division," Yugao chuckled at that and Anko puffed her chest out with pride.
The sadistic woman had taken a liking to that particular title, even saying they should bow in her presence as a joke sometimes. "If he can handle that then maybe he has what it takes to learn this kenjutsu and make it great again," it was a gamble, there was a chance it wouldn't work, or Naruto not be interested, but at this point it he was willing to risk it. If Konoha academy students saw the Dead Last use the Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu to great effect and how strong he was it would drive many to start learning it themselves. It wasn't perfect, and he knew some wouldn't go far in it, but it was a step in getting a once renowned art back in the spotlight.
Yugao merely sighed. She knew that once Hayate got like this he was determined to see it through, "Besides, if that kid gets better at it he can teach other generations too," there was a hint of remorse in his voice as he said this and Anko winced, as she knew what he was talking about.
As the years passed by for the couple, the prospect of having children had often made its way into the conversation. Anko herself hadn't cared for the whole becoming a mother lifestyle like some of her female friends but that was their decision. During the Era of Warring States, shinobi often married in secret with few knowing, even the truly powerful, and had children at a young age, a practice that was still used to this day because a ninja's hazardous lifestyle often led to a reduced lifespan. It was much higher than what it used to be in the Era of Warring States, but still low compared to ordinary civilians.
It was only until recently that both discovered having a child would be difficult. Both were young, still in their early twenties, but each suffered from medical conditions. Yugao had a condition that while carrying a child would not be a problem, getting pregnant due to not being very fertile was. She was still capable of becoming a mother, but the chances were low compared to most women.
In Hayate's case it was similar. His chronic cough and somewhat sickly appearance compared to when he was younger were the result of a poisonous gas, one that Anko had found impressive, during an ambush some years back. Of the ninja that went on that mission, Hayate was one of the lucky few that managed to live to tell the tale. Being one of Konoha's best when it came to poisons, having been trained by the best, Anko and other medics managed to make an antidote in case it was ever used again and those that managed to escape recovered. Unlike the others who made full recoveries, Hayate, unfortunately, had been left with some ill side effects that were beyond the medics or Anko's ability to remedy. By the time a cure was found, the illness had progressed too far to do anything more than stop it from spreading any further instead of reversing the symptoms.
Though lucky to be alive, the man was left with a chronic cough from a damaged lung. Thankfully he had no fear of it turning malignant and it was doable to live with; the man having developed a way to stop the coughing when he needed to. It was minor really. The other effects hadn't been discovered until later. One being the poison greatly reduced his stamina, muscle strength and speed to the point he needed to compensate by augmenting them with chakra whereas before it was pure muscle work. It also impaired his ability to properly develop muscles and increase his chakra reserves. And lastly, it had greatly reduced the virility of his sperm.
All in all, and while Hayate and Yugao hadn't lost hope, the chances of either of them conceiving a child with one another in the future was extremely low. The doctor stating that the chances of them getting pregnant being less than thirteen percent. With medication and procedures, the chances were higher but still well below the norm.
Hayate had no intention of seeing another woman, Yugao was the only one for him, and the fact that he may not have children to pass on his art made him feel empty. There was no doubt in his mind that both he and Yugao had every intention of teaching their children kenjutsu. But at the moment it wasn't happening any time soon. "At least with this kid I can potentially pass it on, maybe even have him teach my kids when I end up having some."
While he could live to a ripe old age, few ninjas managed to live past their forties and Hayate was pretty much plateauing now in terms of strength, at least with Naruto and Yugao he'd have two who could teach his children should he die.
"I'll talk to him and see if he's interested. You know there's the chance of him not wanting to learn kenjutsu, Hayate," Anko informed him once again and the man chuckled, it was a possibility but a low one.
"I know, but you and I both know how that kid goes on about wanting to be Hokage and becoming an awesome ninja. If I offered to teach him kenjutsu I doubt he'd *cough* hesitate to learn."
The woman had to concede with that point. It was common knowledge around the village how adamant Naruto was about being Hokage. "Plus, it also gets Yugao and I free labour to take care of the house," he smirked and Anko laughed. At times she often forgot how cunning Hayate could be.
"All right, I'll talk it over with him tomorrow morning before I leave for my mission. Just don't get your hopes up in case the gaki doesn't wanna learn," she informed him.
"That's fine," Hayate would be disappointed if it was the case but could live with it. Now all they needed to do was see if Naruto would agree and plan accordingly.
(Flashback End)
Soon after he was done did Naruto begin trailing behind Anko, as the both of them made their way towards who knows where. The distance between the training area and the new location only took them about seven minutes using the shinobi way. Upon landing, Naruto was greeted by the sight of two individuals.
One was a man with short brown hair, a pale-ish complexion and prominently dark shadows under his eyes. In Naruto's opinion, the man appeared ready to keel over at any point in time and released a dry cough, as though dust was caught in his throat, every now and then. Beside the man was beautiful woman with long purple hair that looked very familiar.
While Naruto pondered, Anko began giving the introductions, "Yugao, Hayate, this is Naruto. Gaki, these ar–"
"Neko-chan!" Naruto declared as it finally dawned on him.
Before Yugao had the opportunity to deny it, Anko interrupted her, "You know her?"
"Yeah. She's the only one I know with that hair color… And I might have pranked her place thinking she was a Chunin… We're still cool on that, right?"
"That was you!" Anko looked bug eyed, "Oh, man! That was freakin hilarious. It took her months to grow her hair back to that length."
Eye twitching like mad, Yugao looked at Anko and said, "Remind me to drill into that concrete skull of yours the discretion of secret identities."
"Ah, come off it, Yugi-chan. If a Genin, and the former dead last at that, can figure it out so easily, what makes you think others haven't? Told ya you should have done something about your hair," once again Yugao's eye began twitching.
As a principle, Anbu identities were kept secret, as they performed covert operations that could implicate a village's reputation. Those that didn't bother were the ones that were powerful enough to be marked as either F.O.S. (Flee On Sight) like her former captain, Kakashi, or R.E.D. (Retired Extremely Dangerous) for those who no longer partook in active duty but were still formidable nonetheless.
"Anyway, back to the intro. Gaki, you've already met Yugi-chan, aka, Neko-chan," the purple haired kunoichi teased the Anbu operative, who looked ready to strangle the life out of Anko, "Beside her is Hayate, aka, Mister Ballet Dancer."
Now it was Hayate's turn to become annoyed, "How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me that?"
"And how many times do I have to remind you that I will never stop calling you that?" Anko countered with a cheeky grin.
Sighing at her antics, Hayate came forward before he stood in front of Naruto. Despite appearing sick, Hayate's gaze was sharp and calculating like a hawk's, and Naruto felt almost naked in front of the man that looked him over from head to toe.
Having finished his observations, Hayate commented, "A bit on the small side, isn't he?"
"Oi!" of all the things he expected the man to say, Naruto hadn't expected the man to talk about his height. Being the smallest academy student in his class, mentioning Naruto's small stature, while not a touchy subject, was something that irked him nonetheless.
"Yeah, he's a shorty. I mean, whatever's thrown at him has a better chance of missing but that's only if he's up against a greenhorn or some unskilled individual. His diet and eating habits haven't been all that great so I've been forcing him to cut down on the bad stuff."
"This coming from the woman who eats almost nothing but dango!" Naruto declared.
Anko shrugged, unbothered by the comment, "So? My physical growth peaked a long time ago and I'm pretty damn active. You're at that age where what you do and eat will have an impact on how tall you get. So, what if it means no ramen. You'll thank me later, Gaki."
Naruto did nothing but grumble at that last bit; he had heard it many times before but him being forced to give up his daily ramen was like a drug addict going cold turkey. Anko only let him have one large bowl a week. Worst yet, Anko had befriended Ayame enough to side with her on the matter. There were other ramen places and instant noodles, but they paled by comparison and for Naruto it was Ichiraku or nothing.
"You know that's not necessarily true, right?" Yugao whispered in Anko's ear.
"I know. But he doesn't," Anko grinned and Yugao smiled. Perhaps training the little troublemaker would be more fun than she initially assumed.
"Riveting as this is, I'd like to ask you few questions before we begin," Hayate told Naruto.
"Umm. Okay. Shoot."
"Have you had any weapons training before?"
"I used a pipe as a makeshift club. Does that count?"
"Did you have any proper training on how to use it or did you merely swing it around without any thought on the matter?" Naruto's silence was all the information Hayate needed before he moved onto the next question.
"What's your dominant arm?"
"My right arm, I guess?" truthfully Naruto could use weapons in both hands well enough, but he had a preference for the right.
"You guess? I don't want guesses, I want certainty," Hayate asked him the same question once more. Frowning, Naruto said he handled a weapon well in both but favoured the right.
"You're somewhat ambidextrous. Good," Hayate made a note. For the next twenty minutes this continued, and Naruto was seriously starting to become more and more confused and even annoyed by the whole thing.
"And finally, why do you wish to learn swordsmanship?"
"Cuz I can learn how to wield a zanbato," Naruto's answer caught Yugao off guard and Hayate cocked an eye.
"A zanbato? Why that particular sword?"
"Nunya business, pal. Look, I came here to learn swordsmanship, so I can defend myself, not to waste my time answering stupid questions. You want someone that will bust their ass off till they're dead and tired and still say I'm good and ready to go, I'm your ninja. I don't believe in the whole answering questions thing; actions speak louder than words in my books. You give me a sword or whatever and I guarantee you that I'll be kicking your ass sooner or later. You just watch," Naruto finished.
Hayate for his part remained silent for a good minute before he looked at Anko, "You're right. He does have a lot of piss and vinegar in him."
"Told ya he'd do that. Pay up," Yugao groused as she handed over several bills in Anko's hand.
"What just happened?" Naruto was confused.
Rather than say anything, Hayate threw something at Naruto. The blond was caught off guard and fumbled a bit with the object before he managed to catch it, "What's this?"
"A bokken," Hayate answered. "You prove you have the bark for swordsmanship. Discipline is another matter but that can be learned and beaten into even the thickest skulls. And trust me, I will beat it into your head, make no mistake of that."
From the sidelines, the man's lover lowly muttered, "He's not lying," Yugao still had phantom pains that liked to flair up on various parts of her body, mostly the back of her head.
The kunoichi remembered that even after they began to develop a mutual attraction to each other during her tutelage under Hayate, Yugao hadn't been spared the pain that came with it. Hayate was a harsh teacher when it came to kenjutsu but his methods got excellent results from those who not only put in the time but also put up with the pain associated with it.
Muttering a quick [Observe] onto the bokken, Naruto was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.
Hayate's Training Bokken – Uncommon Quality
Item Type: Blunt Weapon
Item Modifier Rank: STR [D]
Durability 40/40
The bokken is an edgeless sword made of durable wood that is used by many when training to become swordsmen. While lacking the ability to properly cut, and used primarily as a tool for training and performing exercises, the sword is still quite dangerous in hands of those who know how to use it. The quality of this bokken surpasses ordinary ones due to Hayate's dedication in becoming a sword master.
Attack Power: 19–26 + (Modifier) = 30-37
Bonus Perks: [Aspiring Swordsman]
"Now then, the sword style I am about to teach you is called the Jinbuyo (Blade of the Dancing Leaf), more commonly known as the Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu. It was developed by Senju Tobirama and emphasizes speed, feints, and confusing your targets so you can expose and strike important areas of the body with incredible precision. These cuts can be used to swiftly kill an opponent or hamper them to the point that death will be imminent," Hayate informed him.
Hayate quickly demonstrated this by instantly appearing in front of Naruto with his sword drawn, poised to sever the boy's jugular.
"Gahh!" Naruto shouted as his mind finally registered the danger he was in.
"Dead," Hayate informed the ninja in training. "Your lessons from here on until I deem you ready will revolve around conditioning your body, so it can move and react at incredible speeds."
"When will that be?"
"Until you can block two consecutive strikes with me going at full speed," here Naruto shouted out in pain as he felt his right leg begin to throb unpleasantly. "What the hell!"
"Pain is a good motivator, Naruto-san. And for the record, I just landed three blows on you. Check you arm and left leg," Hayate informed him.
Though still ticked off at the action, Naruto did as Hayate asked and sure enough did he see two cuts on his clothing, "Never even felt a thing. And he's not even using a real sword!"
"So, after experiencing a taste of it, are you still interested?" Hayate asked him.
|The fighting style known as the Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu (Novice) has become available!|
|Do you wish to learn it?|
(Yes/No)
Naruto didn't even think twice before he wholeheartedly accepted the fighting style that presented itself.
Congratulations! You've learned the fighting style [Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu (Novice)]!|
|Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu (Novice). Lv 1. 0% to Next Lv| A sword style that allows the user to learn the novice level sword techniques exclusive to the Konoha-Kenjutsu Ryu. Once used and created by Senju Tobirama, this sword style places a high emphasis on speed and deceit in order to properly utilize its techniques in order to land critical or life ending blows. The current level of the sword style mainly focuses on honing one's speed and reflexes.
* Passively increases Movement Speed and Evasion by 1%
* Passively increases the striking speed of bladed weapons by 1%
* Passively increases the critical hit rate of bladed weapons by 1%
"Be grateful Hayate's not the Nidaime, Gaki. During his time, Senju Tobirama was not only recorded as the fastest ninja in Konoha but the world, too. The Nidaime was said to be capable of landing nine strikes simultaneously when he went all out, few have come close to performing that. The only ninja that's said to surpass him in terms of speed was Yondaime-sama, and even that's a topic for debate," comparing one Kage's feat to another usually was, especially when one side favoured the other and said Kages' feats were either exaggerated upon or not fully understood.
"Its true. Nidaime-sama based this sword style on a forgotten fighting style that was categorized in The Black Ships of the Land," Hayate told him.
"The Black Ships of the Land? What's that?" Naruto wondered what that meant.
"Part legend, myth and truth. During the Era of Warring States the Black Ships of the Land are what many called fighting styles that offered such tremendous power to its user that a master of them could secure near absolute victory for whichever side possessed one in a conflict. The only ones I know of are the sword styles that were held by the samurai back when they were a dominant superpower. The Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu (Flying Heaven Honorable Sword Style), the Tengu no Oroshi-Ryu (Heavenly Dog's Katabanic Wind Style), Niten no Ichi-Ryu (Two Heavens as One Style) and the Santoryu (Three Sword Style)."
"Santoryu? How did that work?"
"No idea. However, if the tales about it are anything to go by, I'm pretty sure that last one is more fiction than fact to be honest. But enough talk. Shall we begin?" Naruto was smart enough to know it was a rhetorical question.
(Hours Later)
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Owowowo!" Naruto grimaced whilst Anko grinned. "You're pure evil. You know that, right?" the blond winced once again as he took another step.
"I try," Anko continued smirking. "If it makes you feel any better, Yugao said you showed promise."
"She did? Didn't really feel like it," Naruto groused and winced once more.
"Hayate wouldn't have continued training you if you didn't. Don't get me wrong, Gaki, you suck balls at kenjutsu. You suck elephant sized testies, for sure, but Konoha wasn't built in a …" given how powerful Hashirama was she wouldn't doubt it if his Wood Release did manage to build Konoha in a day, "… Okay, bad analogy. But you get where I'm going with this, right?"
"Yeah, I suck according to you," his eye twitched as a spasm shot through his spine.
"For now, yeah. Yer no prodigy, Naruto, accept it and get used to it," Anko decided to throw the boy a bone, "Life's not fair. Trust me, I should know. But it doesn't mean you can't do something about it. Train your heart out. Break through walls like no tomorrow but accept the fact that there are just some things you can't control or change no matter how hard you sweat, bleed or break yer bones over. Maito Gai sucked at Taijutsu when he was your age almost as bad you are now with kenjutsu. And now he's Konoha's number one go to guy when it comes to Taijutsu."
"Why are you telling me this?" Naruto couldn't help asking, "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful."
"Really? Pretty sure it doesn't sound like it," Anko countered but snorted to stop Naruto's parry, "I'm kidding, Gaki. I get it. Truth is, I like you. That's why I'm telling you. You've earned my trust but don't push it."
|Congratulations! Your reputation level with Mitarashi Anko has increased to [Liked]! You have unlocked the necessary requirements to activate the quest [Trust Earned Quest: Anko]!|
Trust Earned Quest: Anko
Main Quest: Earn Anko's trust even further by increasing your reputation level to [Friendly] with her.
Main Quest Completion: 10,500 EXP, +2 Attribute Points, Character [Anko] History Revealed, "?"
Failure: 350 EXP, Character [Anko] History Not Revealed, ?
Accept? (Yes/No)
|Congratulations! You've completed the challenge [I Like You]! You have unlocked the challenges [I Really Like You] and [Well Liked]!|
|I Like You|
Challenge: Increase your reputation level with one person to [Liked] (Accomplished).
Challenge Reward: 1000 EXP
|I Really Like You|
Challenge: Increase your reputation level with one person to [Friendly].
Challenge Reward: 2500 EXP
|Well Liked|
Challenge: Increase your reputation level with five individuals to [Liked].
Challenge Reward: 6500 EXP
|Congratulations! Your level has increased by one!|
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Job: Academy Student
Level: 15 Next Level: 27/10,800
HP: 5075 + [350] ~ 5425
CP: 8900? + [625] + [Chakra Affinity: Basic Rank] ~ 10,001.25?
STR: 23 ~ 23?
VIT: 147 + [10] ~ 157?
END: 207 + [15] ~ 222?
DEX: 43 + [1] ~ 44?
INT: 39 ~ 39
WIS: 16 ~ 16
CHA: 10 ~ 10
LUK: ? ~ ?
DEF: 23 ~ 23
Attribute Points: 21
Ordinary Perk Points: 1
|Congratulations! Due to passing the 150 point mark on VIT, you've gained the perk [Vigor Affinity: Basic Rank]!
Adamant Vigor: Basic Rank
[HP Regen] Increased by 5%
Total HP Increased by 5%
[Physical Damage] Taken Decreased by 5%
Fatigue Levels gains Decreased 5%
Tolerances Increased by 5%
|Congratulations! You are now level 15! New boons and options have become available to you! You have received the [Bronze Abyss Auction House Membership Card] & [Abyss Auction House's Bronze Coupon]!|
Bronze Abyss Auction House Membership Card
A special card that allows you to use the [Abyss Auction House Window Skill], where you can buy, sell, or even acquire services so long as the price is right. Your current membership is at the basic level, as such the guild's full cut of the profits earned and services rendered will not be discounted and you only have access to the most basic of services and information. The more you use the guild, the closer you get to upgrade your membership and the greater the boons you will receive.
Special Note: Items of higher quality that sell well will enable you to upgrade to a higher form of membership much more quickly. Any items authenticated as fake or junk by the guild will result in penalties such as loss of points and even a reduced membership level.
Abyss Auction House's Bronze Coupon
Item Type: Special Merchant Item
Durability: One-Time Use
Description: An item that is used to buy two C-Rank item at a discount price of thirty-five percent or three D-Rank items at sixty percent. Item is only useable with the Abyss Auction House.
|Abyss Auction House Window Skill: LV MAX| A unique skill available only to the holder of the [Gamer] perk that enables them to use the services of the Abyss Auction House anywhere in the world rather than through a medium such as a computer. The skill functions in a manner similar to the Status Window, where it pops up upon being called and items from the Inventory Box can be transferred. Money will then be transferred, minus the guild's cut, after the items are verified by the guild.
·17.5% interest on items sold
·No discount on services and information
"Guess that means I can spare the bokken," while the zombies didn't give much experience now a days the money drops had improved a tiny bit due to the bonus granted by his weapon and his recently acquired [Expert Zombie Slayer] title, "But what the hell is reputation anyway?" like before, his question was answered via pop up.
Reputation
Reputation plays an important factor in the world. The more well liked you are with a faction the more benefits and easier time you will likely have with them such as discounts, missions, etc. In contrast, being hated with said faction will have the opposite effect. Reputation also plays a major role in future events that can and may not occur, so make your choices carefully. However, the world is an imperfect place, so any good you perform with one group can still result in a negative reputation with another.
Negative Reputation
There are three levels of negative reputation: Abhorred, Hostile, and Disliked. In this category your chances of working well with others are very low and the likelihood of being betrayed or attacked increases the lower your reputation score is with them. Be cautious around these types of individuals as you may find yourself with a weapon in your back or worse.
Neutral Reputation
Not everyone hates you but that doesn't necessarily mean they like you either. This faction doesn't know you or could care less about you, so your chances of becoming friends or enemies can go either way depending on what you do.
Positive Reputation
There are three levels of positive reputation: Liked, Friendly, and Cherished. In this category your chances of working well with others are very high and the likelihood of being betrayed or attacked decreases the higher your reputation score is with them. Working with them is like having someone who is willing to risk their life for yours and can be trusted to have your back through thick and thin.
Note: While it doesn't happen for all of them, depending on the individual, this form of reputation can evolve even further as a result in finding a special someone.
"Thank you pop up," Naruto thought.
"GAKI!"
"Gah! The hell was that for!"
"Other than me enjoying screwing with you, I've been trying to get your attention for the last two minutes," Anko responded.
"Oh, sorry. Was distracted," were the wrong words to say in Anko's books.
"You know the rules, Gaki," Naruto groaned. He did know them. He had no choice, really. One of the many rules of being a ninja: never become distracted. A distracted shinobi was an ill-prepared or dead shinobi. The only exception was when one was pretending to be distracted. But Naruto hadn't done the latter and Anko had stressed many times that if she caught him distracted that he was going to pay for it.
"Luckily for you, while you were off kami knows where, I was told something came up and I've been asked to come in. You're off the hook, for now," she finished with a grin that made his spine tingle.
"See ya when I see ya," she said and then disappeared in a whirl of leaves and dust.
"Guess that means I have the rest of the day off," neither Hayate nor Yugao had any chores for him to do today so that was a plus. Plus with him levelling up, his fatigue, CP, and HP levels had reset to normal so it left him ready to go. Naruto might think it unfair for others but so what. Ninja didn't play fair and took advantage of whatever gifts they possessed.
"Guess I can go to the training field dungeons," but first Naruto decided to test out the [Abyss Auction House Window Skill]. After calling it up, Naruto began to browse through some weapons and items that might aid him. There was just one big problem he hadn't counted on.
"Holy crap!" the boy cursed that pretty much everything he wanted was expensive to the extreme.
Skill Scrolls|
| Ninjutsu | Genjutsu | Taijutsu | Bukijutsu | Profession | Miscellaneous |
| D-Rank |
10,000 Ryo ~ 29,999 Ryo
| C-Rank |
30,000 Ryo ~ 99,999 Ryo
| B-Rank |
100,000 Ryo ~ 999,999 Ryo
| A-Rank |
1,000,000 Ryo ~ 9,999,999 Ryo
| S-Rank |
10,000,000 Ryo +
The Abyss Auction House apparently dealt in quality goods only so everything being sold was ranked as [Common] or higher. But even then the lowest price for a technique was listed at ten thousand ryo. From grinding in the zombie dungeons, Naruto currently held close to 74,137 ryo. Even if he got the lower tier stuff ranked at [Uncommon] it would take more than two thirds of that away after buying one or two.
"I knew it was too good to be true," Naruto groused. Overpowered as it was, Naruto was starting to realize that even the [Gamer] ability operated on the grounds of reality at times, "'Kay. How much does this stuff go for," here he shifted the items he had acquired from the zombie dungeon into the Abyss Auction House screen.
|Following Items are being Appraised|
·Zombie Rib x 98
·Basic Grade Armor Acid x 21
·Rotten Flesh x 31
·Unstable Cocktail x 6
·Basic Grade Health Potion x 8
|Appraisal Commencing|
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…
…
…
Appraisal Complete!
·Zombie Rib x 98 [54 Ryo]= 5292 Ryo
·Basic Grade Armor Acid x 21 [560 Ryo] = 11,760 Ryo
·Rotten Flesh x 31 [0 Ryo} = 0 Ryo
·Unstable Cocktail x 6 [1500 Ryo] = 9000 Ryo
·Basic Grade Health Potion x 7 [110,000 Ryo] = 770,000 Ryo
Total Potential Worth
796,052 Ryo – (17.5% Interest) = 656,742.90 Ryo
Special Note
While the [Appraisal] function of the [Abyss Auction House Window] gives you an idea of what the items are worth, the rules of supply and demand play a factor as well. Ultimately, the price of the items that you put up for sale is up to you and you alone.
"Supply and demand?" the concept was foreign to Naruto as none of the video games he played ever really dealt with that. However, the concept of an auction house in video games was something he was familiar to. Rare or unique items generally went for a lot of money that many charged well over the listing price since they couldn't be found quite easily.
"The potions' price is nuts," Naruto muttered with excitement. He had expected them to be worth something but well over one hundred thousand ryo was insane.
"Then again, it does restore thirty percent of my health in an instant," having been to the hospital, Naruto knew that medical ninjutsu was not a quick process, nor was it a skill just anyone could learn because of how finely tuned one's chakra control had to be without posing a risk.
The potion more or less made the need to learn medical ninjutsu obsolete. Naruto actually had money signs in his eyes as he realized that future dungeons would likely have stronger versions of the stuff, too.
"I'm rich!" his grin threatened to split his face in two. While he had no intention of selling all of them – four or five at most given he had only been able to find three more despite entering the zombie dungeon over a dozen times – the money he'd earn from the potions would enable him to afford some of the more expensive of items.
Putting that plan into action, Naruto placed the other items he had gathered, keeping a few on hand to be safe, and five of his potions into the auction window with increased prices.
|Following items are being Auctioned|
·Zombie Rib x 98 [Enter Price per Unit]
·Basic Grade Armor Acid x 16 [Enter Price per Unit]
·Unstable Cocktail x 2 [Enter Price per Unit]
·Basic Grade Health Potion x 5 [Enter Price per Unit]
|Auctioning Commencing|
…
…
…
…
…
|Auctioning Complete|
·Zombie Rib x 98 [59 Ryo] = 5782 Ryo
·Basic Grade Armor Acid x 16 [729 Ryo] = 11,664 Ryo
·Unstable Cocktail x 2 [2100 Ryo] = 4200 Ryo
·Basic Grade Health Potion x 5 [145,000 Ryo] = 725,000 Ryo
|Total Potential Worth|
746,646 Ryo – (17.5% Interest) = 615,982.95 Ryo
|You have successfully created an auction. Items and payment of items will be held in trust for a period of forty-eight hours for authentication.|
"Of course they will," Naruto muttered. Naruto wanted money now but soon realized that couldn't take the items back either without suffering a penalty, "Ah, perfect."
Putting the thought aside for now, Naruto browsed through the Ninjutsu's C-Rank section to find anything of value. Naturally the C-Rank techniques cost more than a pretty ryo bill but some of them were very appealing nonetheless.
"Ninpo: Chakura Nagashi (Ninja Art: Chakra Flow), Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Gunshot), Futon: Reppusho (Wind Release: Violent Gale Palm), Ninpo: Satsuriku Ran-jin (Ninja Art: Hail of Carnage), Doton: Doran (Earth Release: Earth Riot), Raiton: Senko Retsu no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Light Spear Rendering Technique), Katon: Inka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Shadow Fire Technique)," so far Naruto was mostly interested in these techniques but each one were priced at well over thirty-five or forty thousand ryo.
While he could afford them, Naruto had no intention of spending money on techniques that would become accessible to him in the Konoha Archives once he graduated. At the same time, he didn't want to forgo techniques that could prove essential early on, nor their upgraded versions down the line.
"[Chakra Nagashi] is a weapon booster," Hayate or Anko would probably teach him the skill if asked, so he put that in the no pile along with [Teppodama] and [Hail of Carnage]. Naruto meant no offense to the former technique's creator, despite its potential for crushing bones when mastered – but the whole concept sounded like him hocking one big giant loogey. The latter one sounded cool as hell for its destructive properties, especially for mere shuriken. Unluckily for him, it required knowing a prerequisite skill that Naruto currently lacked.
[Reppusho] was a maybe given it was a wind technique, and the fact that wind-based techniques were scarce outside of Kaze no Kuni was a bonus. But as it was mainly a weapon buffer that accelerated the speed and force of thrown weapons like shuriken, it, too, was currently placed in the maybe pile. On its own it merely stopped and stunned its targets, but that was at the maximum level. It was a decent beginner technique nonetheless in Naruto's opinion as he already thought of a few creative uses for it.
[Earth Riot] was a sneak based attack that caused thrown up rocks to become enlarged and dagger-like or caused small stalagmite spears to suddenly sprout out from the ground. The downside was that it was only really effective at short range, but Naruto had no problem getting in close and personal.
[Shadow Fire] was a unique fire technique that shot watermelon sized fireballs that would suddenly take the shape of a nightmarish yokai when it got close to the intended target. This had a chance to cause fear-based status effects, even more on those they hit, and had a chance to light them on fire and the distraction making the target more susceptible to critical hits. The only downside was that it was not easy to master, required a decent amount of control, and at sixty-eight thousand ryo it was the most expensive of the six skills.
"Thank kami for coupons," Naruto grinned and made his choice. Selecting both [Shadow Fire] and [Earth Riot], and applying the coupon he had just received, Naruto paid a total of 73,450 Ryo, effectively wiping out all but six-hundred and eighty-seven ryo.
|Thank you for your patronage! Your current upgrade progress has increased to 7.9%/100%! Please allow for your payment to be processed.|
|Payment Processing|
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|Payment Processing Complete|
|Your payment has been approved. Please wait for your items to appear.|
Naruto didn't have to wait very long, as a box suddenly materialized in front of him. The container looked like a present with the box being gift wrapped and tied up with a bow ribbon. The blond didn't have to rip into it, however, as the lid slid off quite easily. Neatly organized within its contents were two scrolls: one blue, one red.
"Colour coded. Neat," taking both of them, Naruto agreed to learning the two techniques and watched as both dematerialized into nothingness.
|Congratulation! You've learned the [Katon: Inka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Shadow Fire Technique)] and the [Doton: Doran (Earth Release: Earth Riot)] skills!|
| Katon: Inka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Shadow Fire Technique) Lv 1. 0% to Next Lv| Skill Modifier: END [E] CHA [C] Mastering Speed: D|. A fire based skill that launches large balls of fire that has the chance to not only set its targets on fire but also put them into a state of fear that makes them more susceptible to attacks. |CP Usage: 355 – (Affinity Bonus) - (Perks) = 301.75 CP|
· Launches one fireball per use
· Damage: 88–101 + (Modifier) + (Affinity Bonus) + (Perks) = 165.74 – 180.75 per fireball
· Success rate to cause [Burning] status effect [11% + (END *.25) + Affinity Bonus + Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (VIT)]
· Success rate to cause [Stunned] status effect [31% + (CHA *1) + (END *.25) + Affinity Bonus + Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (WIS *1)]
· Success rate to cause [Unconscious] status effect [1% + (CHA *1) + (END *.25) + Affinity Bonus + Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (WIS *1)]
· Success rate to cause [Hysteria] status effect [–31% + (CHA *1) + (END *.25) + Affinity Bonus + Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (WIS *1)]
· Range: 10 Meters
| Doton: Doran (Earth Release: Earth Riot) Lv 1. 0% to Next Lv| Skill Modifier: END [D] Mastering Speed: D|. A close range earth based technique that can work in two ways: transform kicked up rocks into dagger sized stone knives that can cause bleeding or sprout stalagmites from the ground that have the potential to impair its victim's ability to walk or run or skewer charging foes unexpectedly. |CP Usage: 245 - (Perks) = 232.75 CP|
· Launches one stone dagger per use
· Dagger Form Damage: 44–55 + (Modifier) + (Perks) = 162.75 – 174.3 per dagger
· Stalagmite Form Damage: 121–137 + (Modifier) + (Perks) = 243.6 – 260.4
· Success rate to cause [Bleeding] status effect [11% + (END *.5) + Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (VIT)]
· Success rate to cause [Slow] status effect [11% + (END *.5)+ Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (VIT)]
· Success rate to cause [Immobile] status effect [-31% + (END *.5)+ Perks] +/- [(Caster Level – Victim Level) + Victim's (VIT)]
· Range: 1 Meter
Finally having some decent techniques in his arsenal, despite his wallet being many times lighter now, Naruto proceeded to speed from rooftop to rooftop until he arrived at the first natural dungeon. Walking up to it with purpose, Naruto watched as a message popped up in front of him.
|Would you like to enter the natural dungeon [Training Area One]?|
(Yes/No)
No hesitation was displayed the moment Naruto's finger pressed on the (Yes) option. A flash of light soon blinded his vision and Naruto found himself eagerly awaiting the challenge that would present itself.
Thank you all for the wait. Please enjoy.