Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto franchise or any of its characters.

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Rewarding Day

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!"

The audience went into a loud cheer as they watched the conclusion of what was easily the most entertaining match so far. Even the adults who hated Naruto for his more infamous status could do nothing but grudgingly applaud his fighting ability.

"The brat actually did it, huh," Kakashi said thoughtfully. "I wonder who trained him..."

"Who cares!" Sakura exclaimed. "Naruto seriously got a whole lot stronger!"

Kakashi's eyes glinted as he saw the fire of determination light up in Sakura's eyes. Your win may have more of an effect than you think, Naruto.

Kiba looked miffed. "When did the dead last get so good? I for sure thought he would lose that one."

Ino crossed her arms, her gaze contemplative. "Same here."

Shikamaru lazily placed his hands behind his head, leaning back onto his chair. "Naruto is easily the most unpredictable guy I've ever met. It's never safe to count him out."

The Inuzuka reluctantly agreed with a nod. "That may be true…but the way he's improved makes no sense! How can one person improve so much in so little time?"

"Stop crying, Kiba." Sakura rebuffed with a snort. "Maybe our team just put in more effort."

Kiba's eyes lit up in annoyance. "Hey! If that was true then shouldn't you have been way stronger as well?"

Sakura's hair stood up with a blazing fire as Kiba felt a chill go over his skin.

"Care to repeat that?" The pink-haired Genin sweetly requested as she cracked her knuckle bones.

Kiba paled dramatically as the others laughed at their antics.

Kakashi merely chuckled at the Genin, reminiscing about his own younger years for a brief second. He looked back at the stadium, where Naruto was helping Lee onto his feet. The silver-haired Jonin's eyes zoned onto his student, who was all smiles after his triumphant result. He recalled the variety of techniques he used, eyes narrowed. I wonder…

Naruto stood still after helping his fallen opponent, basking in his victory. I actually did it. He was still surprised himself. The adrenaline from the fight continued to pulse through his veins, the fact supported by his still wide and bloodshot eyes.

[Congratulations! You leveled up! Player is now LV14.]

Nice!

[Congratulations! You leveled up! Player is now LV15.]

Naruto cheered loudly with his fist in the air as he finally saw the fruits of his effort bloom. He glanced towards Lee, who had a slightly defeated look in his eye.

"Good match, Lee!" Naruto remarked. "I was worried there at the end."

Lee smiled. "Yes, if I had managed to pull off the Gates then maybe the result would have been different. Your fire of youth certainly burns brightly, Naruto-san. If I may be honest, I thought this fight would be a simple warmup for the next one, and I prepared more to defeat Neji for the previous month."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, that didn't seem to go to plan did it?"

"Yes…I must say, the way you took advantage of my weakness was eye-opening, to say the least." Lee began stretching his legs, looking for any possible injuries he may not have noticed. "I have always struggled against ninjutsu, and in some ways even more against Kenjutsu. To have learned just such a difficult form of Kenjutsu in a rather proficient manner in a mere month…you have more than ordinary talent. I'm ashamed to say that Neji will be the perfect opponent for you, more so than me."

[Ding!]

[Skill: Battle Strategics has increased by one level.]

[Battle Strategics is now LV4]

Naruto looked aside briefly as the notification appeared, before discreetly swiping it away with a finger.

What Lee said was true. His entire game plan (something which Bee left to his own volition) was to bombard his opponent with a variety of techniques. Lee was quite literally only proficient in Taijutsu, which left various gaps in his defense that could be exploited. What Lee lacked in his bag of techniques he usually made up for in speed and strength through his rigorous training. And that was still true—Lee was certainly stronger and faster than Naruto now. But Naruto knew he could at the very least keep up. The disparity in their physical prowess wasn't large enough to cause immediate defeat, and that was all Naruto needed.

Against someone such as Gai, whose stats Naruto couldn't even see, the results were obvious.

"Nevertheless, I look forward to fighting against you again, Naruto-san!" Lee exclaimed brightly with a bow.

Naruto grinned. "Same here, Lee!"

Gai felt tears run down his face as he watched his beloved student take his loss so well. While he hadn't expected his prodigy to lose so soon, he should have known to not underestimate his rival's student, let alone the Fourth Hokage's blood. The future of Konoha is in good hands. He thought proudly.

Neji simply scoffed. "A foolish fight. Lee should never have been in defense in the first place."

Tenten hummed, trying to find any holes in his statement. "True. If Lee had been more aggressive from the start, he could have prevented his opponent from launching more jutsu, or even getting his swords in place."

The Hyūga leaned forward, eyes narrowing on the blond who walked away from the center of the stadium.

"Our fight won't go the same, Naruto Uzumaki," Neji whispered. "I am not Lee, and victory is my only path. Fate deems it so."

Naruto waltzed up to his team, who stood patiently waiting for him to come. "You saw that, sensei?" He asked his silver-haired teacher emphatically.

Kakashi chuckled. "Of course I did, Naruto. Congratulations on your win. Of course, you still have a long way to go. Don't take this victory as a sign to start stagnating."

"I won't," Naruto replied confidently. "But it was still awesome, wasn't it?"

Sakura, of all people, seemed to agree. "I'll admit, you were cool for a brief moment there."

Naruto grinned widely. "Hehe…I guess I am. Thanks for that jutsu you taught me, Kakashi sensei. If it weren't for that technique I probably wouldn't have been able to finish him."

Naruto had cashed in the favor he got from Kakashi when he learned how to water walk during the Wave mission. Regardless of the completely opposite nature of jutsu, he managed to brute force through the technique with continuous hours of training sessions, managing a rather broken version of the jutsu that used very unnecessary amounts of chakra. That was fortunately not a problem for Naruto Uzumaki.

The blond looked around for a second before noticing something. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Training," Kakashi said without even looking over his brand new edition of Icha Icha Paradise.

Naruto looked affronted. "Eh? Now? He missed my entire fight!"

"He said something along the lines of, 'I have enough faith in my teammate to see that he'll manage to beat Lee. If he doesn't, I'll kick him out of our team myself.' Be glad your teammate has such confidence in you, Naruto."

Sakura giggled as Naruto's eyes took on a look of disgust.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "The bastard didn't even come to my match for fifteen minutes! Let's see if I come to his match!"

"You wouldn't want Hinata to feel sad that you weren't there to cheer her on, would you?" Sakura immediately countered with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Hmm…I guess that's true enough," Naruto admitted. "Whatever, I'm out of here."

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Ah…you know the usual…places to be, people to meet," he casually drawled out with a wink. "Cya!"

Naruto quickly ran out of the stadium, ignoring the onlooking and startled civilians nearby, and jumped acrobatically to an otherwise normal-looking building with a bright red roof. The next match would be in an hour, allowing the audience to get food and rest while the participants would get prepared for their match.

Shikamaru versus Kurotsuchi, an interesting match. On paper, Kurotsuchi was more likely to be the favorite due to her overwhelming speed and strength in comparison to Shikamaru. However, underestimation of Shikamaru's abilities was something the spiky-haired genius desired. The outcome of the match would depend on whether or not Shikamaru would be able to pull out a miracle through the machinations of his brain.

Naruto absentmindedly opened his status window while waiting for a certain someone to reach the destination.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Title: "Stormbringer"

Occupation: Genin of Konoha

Level: LV15

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 2000/2000

STR: 14

VIT: 13

DEX: 12

INT: 6

WIS: 4

LUK: 2

Class: Necromancer

Attribute Points: 2

Naruto quickly placed his attribute points into intelligence, wanting to balance out the stats that were lacking compared to his main physical ones. He still wasn't entirely sure what to do with wisdom and luck. While it certainly would be useful to have great luck, it still felt wasteful to spend points on something he couldn't really use himself. He also noticed that his "Current Skills" tab was missing, most likely because he has a few too many skills to fit in a single column now.

While he was musing about the state of his stats, pressing and scrolling here and there, Naruto felt his ears twitch as the soft sound of feet moving on wood entered his ears.

Long arms enveloped him from behind as Naruto felt his lungs squeeze uncomfortably for the longest three seconds of his life.

"Great job on the win, Naruto!" Fuu congratulated with a wide grin. "I was rooting for you the entire time."

Naruto kneeled, wheezing as he tried to get his breath back. "Thanks a lot, Fuu."

She looked confused. "Eh? You don't look too happy…."

"Well, there's still a lot of the tournament left. Neji isn't an opponent to scoff at, either."

"Neji?" Fuu scoffed. "You'll wipe the floor with him!"

"If you say so," Naruto replied nonchalantly, agreeing that he would win but not assuming it would be easy at all. He understood the dangers of underestimating the enemy more than anyone, mostly since that's what his opponents usually did against him, resulting in their loss.

"Besides, you just need to worry about the finals. It's gonna be me versus you, after all. Don't get too disheartened after I win—I've had a lot more practice than you, Naruto~" She sang the last word with a smirk on her face.

Naruto felt a surge of annoyance at her confidence. "And what if I beat you?"

Fuu arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? I could've beaten Lee with one hand! Let's not have this argument again—"

The blond didn't budge, taking a step closer, staring directly into his fellow Jinchuuriki's eyes. "The odds were against me for this match. I improved and won, dattebayo! The odds will be against me for our match as well. What's not to say I'll do the same thing?"

Fuu looked flustered, her face turning a bright red. She quickly took a few steps backward, pointing her finger at the advancing ninja. "Wh-what are you—"

Naruto looked absolutely serious. "Fuu. The reason I asked you to come here after the match—it's my answer to what you asked a month ago."

The Akatsuki were a rampant threat, according to Fuu, anyway. Initially, he had taken her worries to be a slight exaggeration. S-rank ninja, they may be, but Konoha had those in spades, didn't they? The Hokage, Kakashi, and some other shinobi he probably didn't know the name of. Fuu had asked him to run with her away from Konoha until the Akatsuki were dealt with. He was going to deny her, of course. Run away from his home? Become a Rouge shinobi? All because of a random foreign shinobi's (even though she was his friend) worries?

Then Killer Bee came into the picture. He had nothing to add, but could only support Fuu's statements. The Akatsuki were serious. Bee himself hadn't encountered any of the terrorist shinobi but had heard accounts from other Jinchuuriki that were more than telling of the grave situation.

However, Konoha was his home. It didn't matter that the civilians didn't treat him properly—Naruto couldn't care less about how they treated him. Once he became Hokage, they had no choice but to acknowledge and respect him. It was because all of his friends, comrades, and teachers were in this country. He still had so much to learn, so much to experience here. If he left…and Kamui forbid, never came back…he wasn't sure what to think.

Naruto took a deep breath. "I won't be able to leave Konoha yet."

The girl opposite him let out a frustrated groan. "Do you seriously not understand the situation, Naruto? These people…they can raze your entire village in a matter of hours! It doesn't matter if they eventually lose, think of the lives lost!"

Naruto growled angrily. "You think I haven't thought of that? This is my village, Fuu! But I can't just leave without a proper reason!"

"Proper reason?" Her eyes narrowed angrily. "These…monsters…will hunt you down and kill you! How is that not a proper reason?"

"Maybe it is! But I won't, and can't just leave everything behind just because of the possibility of something happening," Naruto rebutted, waving a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm down. "You may not have such a deep connection to your village, but this is my home."

Fuu laughed. "Your home? The same 'home' filled with people who hated and shunned you for your entire life? The same people wouldn't care a damn if you died tomorrow?"

"What about my friends? The people who took care of me when no one else did? How would they feel if I ran away, ignored everything, and hid who knows where?" Naruto asked, his hands now clenched by his sides.

"Ignore everything, huh? Hiding?" Fuu repeated monotonously, her eyes seemingly lacking any emotion. "Is that what you think I'll be doing?"

Naruto sighed, wincing at how his sentence had turned out. "I'm not…the most well-spoken of people. You know that's not what I meant, Fuu."

"So what exactly did you mean, Naruto?" Fuu asked sharply, already turning around. "I thought…whatever. I understand. Today is the last day I'll be seeing you then."

Naruto felt an uncomfortable emptiness appear in his stomach. "What? Why?" He asked, confused.

Fuu looked back, smiling bitterly. "I'll be leaving after the finals. Back to hiding, as you say."

This can't be how our last meeting goes! Naruto thought angrily, both at himself and the circumstances he found himself in.

The blond stepped forward, grabbing her hand. "I said 'yet'. I'll probably try to leave Konoha eventually. And I'll definitely have to eventually if this group isn't taken care of soon."

She chuckled, squeezing his hand. "And I thought I was an idiot."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, affronted and confused.

Fuu just smiled. "Don't worry about it. Take this as a warning. Everyone knows that the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki is somewhere in Konoha—not just the Akatsuki. I wouldn't expect one of your civilians or even Shinobi to keep it secret forever. Be careful, idiot. The longer you stay here, the bigger of a target you become." She let go of his hand and leaped onto the ledge of the roof. "Cya."

Naruto watched her go with a conflicted expression. The empty feeling once again made its presence known with a vengeful resurgence. The blond winced when he felt blood leak from his right palm from how hard he had clenched his fists. He wiped the blood onto a nearby metal railing.

He wasn't sure whether or not he made the right decision, but then again there was no way for him to know.

Let's just see where this all goes.

[—]

Naruto went back to the stadium a few minutes later, immediately taking a seat next to Sakura, his Uchiha teammate still nowhere to be found. Kakashi didn't even look up from his book.

"What's going on?" Naruto questioned curiously, an odd lilt to his voice.

Sakura seemed to notice the difference in his behavior instantly. "Are you okay?"

"Why'd you ask?"

"I'm not sure…something about you just feels different," she noted silently. It's extremely easy to notice when you're not your usual self when you're normally so outward, Naruto. Sakura thought with a grimace.

Naruto knocked off her concerns with a wave of his hand. "Nah, I'm fine. When's the fight starting?"

Sakura shrugged and motioned towards the stadium. "Right now."

"Eh?!"

She was right. Shikamaru and Kurotsuchi were already squaring off in the arena below, a determined look on the latter and a rather annoyed expression on the former as the crowd shouted and rumbled their support, with a few choice words from the minority which had bet their savings on the match. The crowd surged with electrifying energy, a palpable current of excitement that crackled through the air. Hundreds of voices melded into a single, thunderous roar, a relentless wave of anticipation that reverberated through the arena. Naruto felt his adrenaline rise from just watching everything unfold.

"Who do you guys think will win?" Choji asked from a few seats to the right of Naruto, seemingly back from his injuries from his fight with Sasuke. "I think Shikamaru has this one!" He shook his fist in the air, the other hand deep into a bag of chips.

Ino nodded in support. "That's right! Our teammate has this in the bag!"

Kiba crossed his arms, clearly not as confident as the others. "I don't know…Kurotsuchi is seriously strong. Shikamaru's only win condition right now is his shadow possession technique—and that only works when it catches the other opponent by surprise."

Naruto nodded in agreement, surprised by the level-headed case presented by the normally arrogant shinobi.

Ino hummed thoughtfully. "So you're saying the only way for Shikamaru to win this fight would be to somehow catch Kurotsuchi with his jutsu, which doesn't seem possible with how infamous it is now?"

Sakura nodded worriedly. "Shikamaru is smart, but he isn't the most varied fighter."

Choji finished his bag of chips, crumbling up the container in his hands. "Eh…Shikamaru will think of something! He's the smartest guy I know! He's been training like crazy for the past month…something about his old man pulling in a favor."

Kiba was right. Shikamaru's jutsu was infamous by now, and the more people who knew about it, the easier it would be for people to evade his technique, rendering it completely useless. The importance of keeping your abilities hidden was becoming more and more apparent to Naruto. Imagine if I had revealed my necromancy by accident. What would have happened then? Or worse, someone like Orochimaru found out. Naruto shuddered at the thought.

The match began after the announcer did his usual routine. Immediately, Shikamaru found himself on defense as Kurotsuchi rushed forward.

"Earth Release: Ground Spikes!" Kurotsuchi intoned with a steady voice. Earthy, pointy appendages erupted from the ground and threw themselves towards the Nara, who immediately dashed towards the right as far away from the spikes as well. The field was now divided into two parts, interestingly enough.

Shikamaru threw a smoke bomb forward, disappearing into the gray mass that was produced on the stadium floor.

Kurotsuchi shrugged and crossed her arms, easily balancing on top of a spike while staring down at the gray mist that her opponent seemed determined to hide in. "You think I'm stupid enough to try and go into that smoke?" she inquired incredulously. She didn't get a response.

"What is Shikamaru doing?" Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto could only shrug.

Kurotsuchi's hands moved quickly. "Wind Release: Breakthrough!"

A gentle but strong gale of wind entered the arena, sweeping the mist along with it. Naruto watched with curiosity as the smoke cleared away, revealing…

Nobody.

The shadows around the earthly structures beneath the Iwa princess seemed to move as Shikamaru jumped from the darkness, almost as if he was born anew from the shrouded spikes. Kurotsuchi watched in surprise as her opponent appeared from underneath her with alarming speed, forcing her to jump upwards in response. A horrible spot to be in. She may have jumped too high. Her only option now…

"Lava Release: Swarming Ash Cloud!"

Smoky ash manifested from her mouth, flowing quickly towards Shikamaru from above. The startled expression on his face was indicative of his understanding of how dangerous the otherwise harmless mist was. Looks like Shikamaru isn't the only one whose techniques have lost their surprise factor. Naruto thought with a grin.

The Nara's hands flashed through signs as he desperately shouted, "Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

A meter-thick pillar of earth from underneath the tiles of the stadium emerged from the ground, pushing the tiles upwards with it. Either the jutsu seemed to be rushed, or Shikamaru wasn't very experienced with the technique as the wall looked almost crumbly in appearance. The cloudy ash struck the wall, and its movement suddenly slowed. Shikamaru leaped back without delay, rendering Kurotsuchi's jutsu pointless.

Shikamaru's hands went into their signature position, his shadow moving forward to grab their victim and take control of the falling Iwa Genin who had no other way to escape, uncaring of the continuously flowing ash.

The kunoichi simply had no other option than to land in the grasp of Shikamaru's shadow.

"Solidify!"

Or did she?

The ash in the air solidified into an almost staircase-like structure, supported by the few strands of ash that had traveled forward. Kurotsuchi landed on the newly formed path, preventing the immediate loss from occurring. She dashed forward on the thin strands of the congealed ash which almost looked like a golden pathway towards Shikamaru himself. The shadows attempted to follow their target by crawling onto the solid ash but were too slow to catch up to the bolting Kurotsuchi.

Shikamaru threw a couple of shuriken at Kurotsuchi, acting as a sort of entry attack as he rushed towards as well. The kunoichi deflected them casually with her kunai, a smirk on her face as her confidence began to grow. Taijutsu definitely wasn't Shikamaru's strongest aspect—shown by the utter beatdown he took a few moments later.

He tried his best, really, he did. Shikamaru managed to dodge the first few strikes but found himself a victim of a vicious hook to the stomach. He doubled over, one hand clutching onto his stomach, and another attempting to keep his guard up. Kurotsuchi grabbed his hand, and tore it away from his head, leaving him completely open for a spinning kick that launched him away. He landed with a thud with his back on the earth spikes from earlier.

Ino gasped at every punch Shikamaru took, her eyes taking a look of worry. "Fight back, Shikamaru…" She begged quietly.

Choji had his hands gripped tightly onto the rails, completely forgetting about the half-eaten bag of chips that were on the floor. He glared intensely at the stadium like he was willing for the fight to end in his teammate's favor somehow.

Naruto shook his head. Shikamaru's opponent had a clear advantage at this point. Blood and dirt were plastered all over his face from the earlier kick, a small frown on his face as he watched Kurotsuchi saunter towards him with an almost bored expression on her face.

Shikamaru stood up, taking the form of the Academy Taijutsu Stance once again. That was practically asking her to finish the fight. A sign of giving up—a way of saying that he had nothing left in his sleeve.

"Wait, what's he doing?" Sakura asked, her index finger pointing.

He kept his hands behind his back, forming a similar position.

Kurotsuchi's eyes immediately went to track his shadow for any movements. "You think just because your hands are behind your back that I wouldn't know what you're doing? Konoha and their arrogance!" She looked back at Shikamaru's beat-up face with a smirk. "What? Not enough chakra for your 'secret' technique? Are you not able to move your pitiful shadow? Do yourself a favor and surrender now."

Shikamaru shrugged, somehow managing a wide grin showing all the teeth he had.

"Fuck off."

Kurotsuchi visibly bristled, before calming down. "It's your wish. Now I won't let you get the chance to surrender, Nara."

She began running, and it seemed like the audience was now simply waiting for Shikamaru's loss; a few members left their seats in silence. The Konoha Genin in the arena continued to watch with his hands behind his back as Kurotsuchi dashed towards him, not even attempting to retreat.

What the hell is Shikamaru doing?

Kakashi's ruby eye seemed to notice it without a problem. Whatever Shikamaru was attempting somehow got a chuckle out of the Jonin. Naruto looked at his friends, noticing their similar expressions of confusion.

That's when Naruto saw it.

His shadow…was moving.

Or more specifically…the shadow's hands were moving.

Kurotsuchi was now a few meters away from Shikamaru. Her eyes were wide with adrenaline, a look of triumph and the feeling of victory literally within arm's reach.

"Fire Release: Miniature Fireball!" Shikamaru all but shouted, the strain of dual casting jutsus evident on his sweat-riddled face that mixed with the blood and dirt.

The kunoichi seemed to think it was a bluff, for she continued to move forward without a care. That was her biggest mistake. At the last second, Shikamaru made his move. He stepped back, inhaling a short breath, and then released a small but blazing fireball from his mouth. The flames roared to life, illuminating the shadow cast by the spikes behind him and casting an eerie glow on both the contestants' faces. The fireball surged forward, an inferno of intense heat and light, catching Kurotsuchi completely off guard.

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in shock as the fiery projectile hurtled toward her. She tried to twist away, her agility giving her a slight edge, but it was too late. The fireball engulfed half of her body, its searing heat instantly singeing her clothes and scorching her skin. The fire didn't stop there, however. She screamed in agony, the sound echoing through the stadium as the fire ravaged her side without emotion or mercy.

The stadium hushed into silence.

"The fight is over! Shikamaru Nara wins by…"

Naruto zoned out the proctor's words, dread filling his mind. He couldn't keep his eyes off the half-burnt body of Kurotsuchi. Medic-nin immediately appeared on the stage, their hands growing a bright green as they talked hurriedly to one another, most likely planning what the best course of action would be.

Choji, who had been cheering when Shikamaru released the jutsu, was now dead quiet with his eyes closed. Ino had excused herself. Sakura trembled, but she tried to keep her hands from trembling.

It wasn't like they hadn't seen someone hurt before. Gaara had killed someone in cold blood in the same tournament. No…it was the fact that Shikamaru was the one who had inflicted the damage. Their teammate. Their friend. The Nara didn't do anything wrong—but the image of the half-burnt face of Kurotsuchi had trouble leaving their innocent minds.

Naruto wasn't too troubled by the injury. But when he looked over at Shikamaru, who stood frozen behind the medic-nin, he couldn't help but wince. There was a look of indescribable shame and regret on the usually relaxed and calm Shikamaru's face.

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "The burns won't be too much of an issue. Medical ninjutsu has evolved to the point where she will be completely fine, though a few scars and small burn marks will remain. I would worry much more about the mental health of those two. Take this as a reminder of what kind of profession you all are in…okay?"

No one responded.

[—]

Naruto was whistling to himself as he casually strolled through the streets of Konoha, ignoring the looks he got from the civilians as always. They weren't as much as they used to be, with how accustomed they were to his presence by now. If anything, there were now a few eyes of respect and contemplation among the usual looks of disgust.

Ahh….I could get used to this.

[Ding!]

[New Quest: "Talking with the rocks." Created]

[Quest Details: Convince Kurotsuchi to not give up on her shinobi dreams.]

[Quest Rewards: Exp. 2500, Kurotsuchi's respect, Reputation Meter Unlock, New Title Unlock, "?" Unlock]

[Failure: Kurotsuchi lives in depression for the rest of her life.]

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

Me? Why me? Naruto asked his system incredulously. I barely know her. How does it expect me to convince her?

Kurotsuchi must have taken the loss hard if she was going to take such drastic measures. She was so close to advancing to the next round, losing to an unpredictable gimmick (regardless of how impressive the technique looked) at the last second.

Naruto had wanted to congratulate Shikamaru for the tough win, but the boy looked like he didn't want to communicate with anyone. It would probably be crass to congratulate him on a win that emotionally scarred him, anyway.

He looked over the quest details with his hand rubbing his chin. "Hmm…"

The blond accepted the quest with haste, his mind scrolling through all the possibilities. The quest was rather straightforward, with a clear-cut goal that came with clearly amazing benefits. He wasn't sure what the reputation meter exactly was, but he could more or less guess its function. A new title unlock as well—it's been a long time since he got one. Along with the mysterious '?' reward, the quest was truly generous. He just wasn't sure how he was going to accomplish such a feat considering his and Kurotsuchi's rather…rocky relationship.

Then again, when has he been the type of person to shy away from a challenge?

—

In a medical room…

Kurotsuchi sat on the edge of her bed, glancing occasionally at the bandaged half of her body. Her teammates had just left the room, leaving her alone to wallow in her self-pity. It took time for her loss to sink in, but she more or less accepted it. And with the acceptance of her loss, also came the startling realization that maybe she wasn't fit for the kunoichi path.

To most people's surprise, her family had no say in her decision to become a kunoichi, in fact, they had repeatedly asked her to rethink her decision, stating that they would be happy with whatever career choice she partook in.

Kurotsuchi, however, knew her fate was to become a warrior from the beginning. She wasn't the most talented nor the most intelligent. But her will to become better was second to none, quickly earning her the Rookie of the Year in her class without much competition. She found her home in training, fighting alongside her comrades, and learning from her teachers.

Then the qualification test for the Chunin Exams started. She wasn't a stranger to loss, but neither had she been outsmarted in such a manner before. 'Ryuji' had been a permanent stain on her record, forcing Kurotsuchi to apply for another test, which she managed to pass much easier. Her father had the gall to ask if she was interested in quitting her shinobi career, stating that a Genin would be respected among civilian circles already, resulting in a heated argument that was pacified by her mother.

She had planned to find Ryuji in Konoha, to get her well-needed revenge against the tall ravenette. It was all she thought about for a good couple of days while they traveled to Konoha, the desire for vengeance burning brighter and brighter as they got closer. To her extreme disappointment, Ryuji was nowhere to be found. Dissatisfied, she had then set her eyes on winning the tournament entirely.

Then she met Naruto and Fuu.

The latter was a complete monster. Her loss to Fuu was more than demoralizing—it was a complete disaster. Never had she been so utterly outclassed by someone of her age. Never had she felt such hopelessness fighting against another shinobi, except for those few practice spars she held with her grandfather, where he chuckled and laughed after every hit she managed to land. Then there was Naruto, who had fooled her in a similar way to Ryuji, further pushing her into a state of depression. Never mind the fact that she felt a flash of annoyance every time she saw Naruto for some strange reason.

She put the losses behind her, instead deciding to work hard for the tournament, deciding she would try her hardest to get as far as possible. Only for that to end in complete failure as she lost to Shikamaru in the first round. Kurotsuchi could only thank Kami that her grandfather wasn't there to watch her loss.

All this bad luck started when I met Ryuji. She thought with an angry sneer. If I ever see him…

"Doesn't matter in the end," Kurotsuchi mumbled to herself bitterly, lying prone in the bed. She sighed. "If only I never met Ryuji in the first place. Guess father was right after all…"

The door suddenly burst open with a bang. "I WON'T LET YOU GIVE UP, KUROTSUCHI!"

She immediately tried to get up but stopped herself from doing so when she remembered the medic-nin's advice to not move at all to prevent any further injuries and for the treatment to heal as fast as possible.

The blond opposite to her pointed at her face with a pale finger, a serious expression on his face.

Huh?

—

Naruto suddenly realized why plans were made prior to doing something stupid.

He immediately cringed as he said his line, but quickly squashed away the expression, letting something more akin to confidence bleed onto his face.

The jubilant ninja continued a second later, not letting his finger drop. "I won't let my rival quit after a single loss!"

C'mon…Talk no Jutsu work your magic! As it was a passive skill, Naruto couldn't activate it, but he tried his best to be as charismatic as possible.

Kurotsuchi had her mouth open as she also raised her hand at him. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

Naruto crossed his arms, not letting any emotion peak through his stoic face. "I was walking by when I heard you mutter that you would quit as a shinobi. And now I'm here to persuade you to not do so."

"You…you, a Konoha Genin, are trying to convince your enemy to try and continue being a kunoichi? Are you insane?"

Naruto didn't falter at her disbelieving tone. "That's right, dattebayo!"

She chuckled. Her chuckle slowly grew in volume until it eventually became a full-blown laugh. Naruto stood flummoxed for nearly a near minute as the laughter slowly quieted down.

"Let me get this straight," Kurotsuchi said, wiping a stray tear from her eyes as she smiled. "You, Naruto Uzumaki, the person who backstabbed me while in the forest, think you can persuade me from leaving this career—a choice I had to make with a very heavy heart and through lots of thinking and self-doubt?"

Naruto blinked. Well, it sounds a lot more idiotic when you point it out like that. "Um…yeah?"

"What makes you so special? Why is it that your will has to be imposed on someone else? Why can't I choose for myself?"

Naruto pondered for a moment. She's right. I can't force someone else to bow down to my wishes like some noble brat. Unless…

"But do you truly want to quit on your dreams, Kurotsuchi?"

The girl in question stiffened. "That's none of your business."

He grinned triumphantly. "Aha! So you don't want to quit, do you? So why?"

"Like I said, it's none of your business," Kurotsuchi grounded out with gritted teeth.

"Not my business? My rival is planning to retire! Who else would I be able to torment for the rest of my shinobi career? Now, tell me the actual—"

"It's because I'm weak," Kurotsuchi interrupted with a whisper. "Not everyone has the ability to improve so much in a mere month like you. I'm simply not fit for this job."

Naruto started to sweat. He was going nowhere with this route of attack. Looks like the supportive rival act isn't going to work out….I'll have to get serious now. Even if it results in a few uncomfortable moments. I need those rewards!

He sneered, an expression that rarely found itself on the blond's face, so much so that he legitimately found it difficult to keep the haughty look for longer than a second. "So that's it? You're weak? What a pitiful excuse! Just say you're scared, Princess, and I'll gladly—"

Anger flashed like lightning in Kurotsuchi's pink eyes. "Don't you dare presume to know anything about me!"

"I can presume that you're a coward, at the very least! Running back to Grandpa as soon as you lose a few times…what else am I supposed to think? I expected more from my rival!"

Confusion briefly crossed Kurotsuchi's infuriated visage.

This is it…

"Rival? Why do you keep calling me that? I barely know you, short stack! You barely count as an acquaintance!"

Naruto smirked, holding up a hand sign in response. Henge!

Henge!

[Henge Detected.]

[Does Player want to use the Character Customization Menu?]

[Yes/No]

Yep.

[Opening…]

[Henge Menu]

[Ryuji]

…

Equip Ryuji!

Smoke filled the room, before slowly dissipating away, revealing an awfully familiar figure in front of her. Tall, dark hair, pale skin. Ryuji stood in the flesh before the Iwa Genin.

Who currently had murder in her eyes.

She leaped from her bed, aiming a punch at the smirking, arrogant face of Ryuji.

Naruto watched the slow approach of Kurotsuchi with a bored expression. In her injured body and mind sporting a muddled mental state, she was only slightly better than a Genin fresh out of the Academy in terms of effectiveness. Regardless, she was still fast. So he wouldn't take her too lightly.

He caught the incoming fist with his right hand, ducked the swerving hook, and immediately locked her arm from behind in one fluid motion.

For a brief second, all that could be heard was the rustling of a blanket and a faint panting.

"Y-you were Ryuji?!" Kurotsuchi asked in shock, struggling to get out of his hold. "So that's why you mentioned the pre-examination in the forest! Let me go! I'm going to end you, bastard!"

He shook his head disappointedly. "End me? You can't even touch me in the state you're in, Kurotsuchi! I knew you were a coward, but a liar too? Tch."

Kurotsuchi went red in embarrassment, growling in frustration at her newfound weakness. Naruto let her go, carefully noting whether she would attack again or not.

She turned to face him, her eyes sparkling with restrained anger. "I'm going to kill you the next time we meet."

The certainty that she spoke with did nothing to calm Naruto's heart. But he had to continue. "Big words for a retiree. While you help your Grandpa with paperwork, I'm going to be training as a shinobi. What gives you so much confidence, Princess?"

Her fists tightened. "I'm going to train harder than all of you. I'm going to train until my bones crack and my chakra gets depleted to the minimum. Then I will rest and train again. If I don't kill you the next time. I'll repeat the process." She walked forward, placing a menacing finger on Naruto's chest. "Oh, I'll retire, Ryuji. But I'll only do so once you're on your deathbed!"

[Ding!]

[New Quest: "Talking with the rocks" Completed!]

[Quest Details: Convince Kurotsuchi to not give up on her shinobi dreams.]

Naruto internally cheered at the quest's completion. His mood dimmed down after he realized he might have just created a mortal enemy for himself. Eh…doesn't matter too much. I just won't let her catch up. Naruto laughed evilly at the thought.

[Ding!]

…

He quickly looked away from the rest of the notifications, hoping to end his conversation with the previously retired kunoichi. Previously retired…huh. I guess she's a retired retiree now.

Naruto continued the act. "I look forward to it, Kurotsuchi. Try your best."

Looking to annoy her some more, he flicked her forehead with a decent amount of strength, watching her gasp in pain before quickly lunging forward to inflict some damage of her own. Naruto easily dodged her advances and fled the room with a second thought. He might have felt bad for hitting her unexpectedly if she hadn't already tried to do the same thing.

Frustrated shouts sounded out from behind him, which he dutifully ignored, before rushing towards a relatively isolated area where he used to hang out with Shikamaru when they were kids. He needed somewhere peaceful after that whole fiasco. Naruto didn't like acting like such a douchebag (that was Sasuke's role), but he did end up enjoying her genuine annoyance. I might be a psychopath. He thought with a startled expression.

If Naruto was being honest, other than the acting part, the quest was relatively simple. Kurotsuchi never truly wanted to give up on the shinobi career, only viewing that as the only option due to a string of unfortunate failures. He simply had to hook her in by using Ryuji as bait, making Ryuji a sort of goal in her head. Knowing her, she would have started training again with or without Naruto's help—he only accelerated the process. He sighed, deciding not to think of the dangerous enemy he had made any longer.

The grassy slope was perfect for cloud-watching. Something related to the angle, as Shikamaru put it.

With a sigh of relief, he sat down and opened his status.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You leveled up! Player is now LV16.]

Naruto was shocked. Just how much experience did he get from beating Rock Lee? Leveling up from 2500 experience was impossible, meaning the remaining amount must have been from the earlier fight. This wouldn't have been surprising if it wasn't for the fact that he had already gained two levels directly after the fight.

Level sixteen, eh? It seems like a decade ago when I was outraged when the system assigned me to level four the first time I opened it. Nice. I'll give the attribute point to strength.

[Ding!]

[New Window: Reputation Meter Unlocked!]

[Info: This meter allows the user to understand their standing or reputation with the desired target.]

Interesting…I could technically use this to see who likes me and who doesn't. Which isn't too useful right now, but will come in handy in the future.

[Ding!]

[New Title: "A Sorrowful Titan Dancing In The Rain" Achieved.]

What a weird title.

[Title: "A Sorrowful Titan Dancing In The Rain" gives +35% Chakra Efficiency when using either Water-Style Jutsus or Lightning-Style Jutsu during a rainstorm, along with increasing all other stats by 10%.]

That's seriously overpowered! Naruto thought with a grin. I'm practically invincible if it starts raining in the middle of a fight. I'll have to remember to equip the title beforehand, however. He could also wait for rain to occur, and attack an opponent then.

Naruto was more than happy with his rewards. He was starting to make even greater progress at a faster rate, which was needed now more than ever. "Now for the last reward. I wonder what those question marks were hiding…"

[Ding!]

[Special Quest: "A Forgotten Relic Of Time" Created]

Hmm?

[Quest Details: Uzushiogakure, led by the legendary Uzumaki clan, was once a glorious village testing the capabilities of mankind to its very limit. Discover the ruins of the forgotten village and the reason for their untimely destruction.]

[Quest Rewards: Exp. 25,000, [?], [?], [?]

His eyes widened comically. "What the—"

[—-end—-]

Yo!

Let's address the elephant in the room first.

Where have I been?

To put it shortly, I've been studying a shit ton for an exam that would quite literally decide my future. I can happily say that the hard work came to fruition. It was hard to leave these stories for such a long time, but I simply didn't have any time to spare with constant traveling to and fro. I'd like to apologize for leaving so suddenly, and I hope you understand! I'll make sure to work hard to make up for my absence!

What's next?

A weekly upload schedule, that's for sure. I have an abundance of free time now, which I'll be using to write this story. The other stories will have to wait a bit longer (Sorry, MPGTOI fans). So next Tuesday, expect another chapter! (I'm actually writing it as you read this).

With all that out the way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Things are back to normal (for now).

As usual, the questions of the chapter!

Question one: Do you guys prefer to see Naruto leave Konoha and explore the rest of the world or advance while he's still here? Your choice won't affect what happens but I'd still like to see your reasons.

Question two: Do you prefer these 7K chapters or 5K chapters that I used to do? I noticed that the 5K chapters tend to be more of higher quality but can be disappointing for people who waited a week.

Make sure to follow, review, and favorite to keep up with next week's chapter!

Cya' next week.

Review down here, it really makes my day! Next chapter is releasing on Tuesday, 9th of July.