Chapter 3: venison stew.

[ Y60 / M10 / D2 | 1:12 PM | Yūgao Uzuki's Apartment]

—Naruto Uzumaki—

I let my body fall on the wooden chair and winced as it was pushed back, its legs scraping the hardwood floor.

"Shit, sorry Yūgao."

"It's ok Naruto."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's fine," Yūgao replied as she stirred the pot on the stove. "The floor under you is already scratched up, you can't ruin it," She continued. I've had many meals with Yūgao this past year, more than with the Hokage, though that doesn't say much considering that I have not seen the old man this year. All this to say that I know she's more amused than annoyed by me ruining her kitchen floor but that doesn't make me feel less guilty.

"I'm sorry, promise I'll be careful in the future Yūgao."

"I told you it's ok. I know you're tired after training all morning."

Yūgao is really the best.

"I'll just take the money for the repairs when I sell the meat you catch next time," she said as she glanced back at me with Yūgao's version of a smirk.

I sighed and shook my head in faux disappointment at her. I couldn't help but smile as she glanced back once more before going back to cooking. Yūgao might be a little stiff at times, but she might be the nicest person in the village. Any money I have made so far from hunting, I only made because of her. There isn't a single shop around here that would buy meat from 'the demon brat', and those that do give me scraps in return. Yūgao isn't around all the time, but the few times I see her a month she helps me sell the meat from my hunts. I've made a lot of cash over the year, well a lot more than what I would have from only my stipend, I'm not rich or anything.

At first, I was barely making anything, hares didn't sell for much and I ate a few of them a week so I didn't sell as much. But after selling a few hares I took all the money and bought myself a hunting knife, that's where the real hunting began. With an actual weapon, I started hunting some bigger game, boars. Those brought in a lot more money, both its pelt and meat sold for more than the price of a few hares. The first boar I hunted was… in a rough shape, so was I. I grimaced as I recalled the events. Turns out boars are fast, I got out of that hunt with quite a few bruises, and Yūgao was not as happy as I was with my catch that day.

I don't get why she was upset, I won, the other guy is dead, and I was fully recovered before the end of the day even.

"And here we go, deer stew," Yūgao said as placed a bowl in front of me. She must have finished cooking while I was spaced out. I looked down at it and took in the deep flavorful aroma. "Thankfully, the recipe isn't as hard as skinning the deer, so you won't totally butcher it if you want to try doing it yourself," She taunted as she took her bowl from the kitchen counter and sat down in front of me.

"That was the first deer I hunted Yūgao, and you only taught me how to skin hares and boars," I whined. "I think I did a good job."

"The pelt was completely ruined Naruto, there isn't a big enough piece that is worth tanning." She looked at me and smirked. I groaned as we went back to this topic. She's been poking fun at me for ruining the pelt of the first deer I caught. We had kept the pelt of the hare I brought her the first time, and then the first boar, so we were going to do the same with the deer… before I ruined it.

"I told you I skinned the deer just fine," I whined as I scooped a piece of meat from the stew and lifted it to show her. "Look, the meat is proof. If I had skinned it wrong it would have been ruined. The pelt was ruined because I couldn't hit an artery when I dropped on its back." She raised an eyebrow at me, so I continued.

"It's way harder to sneak around a deer so I hid in the trees above their feeding grounds, and when one was finally below me, I dropped on its back." The idea was ingenious if you ask me, its execution… "I tried to go for the jugular like I did with the boars but I was basically sitting on its ass-"

"Language." She interrupted, squinting her eyes at me.

"…I was basically sitting on its rear so I couldn't land a hit on its neck. Sitting as I was on its rear after dropping down on the beast's back, I didn't have time to think about the pelt. I was too busy trying to hold on as it ran and jumped around in a panic. So, I just stabbed at where I thought the lungs would be, but the knife was too dull a- an- AND—"

"Naruto, breathe." Yūgao giggled at me. "I'm not upset about the pelt. I didn't catch it and the money it would've sold for would have been yours." I lightly shook my head and took a few deep breaths to calm down, the topic has been working me up.

I knew that Yūgao wouldn't be upset but… I thought as I looked at the hare and boar pelts hung on her wall. I really wanted that pelt.

"Naruto." I looked back at her, dragging my gaze away from the wall. "It's ok, I'll hang the pelt of the next deer, just don't ruin it," she said playfully. "Now eat the stew before it gets cold."

"Ok," I said, as I took a scoop of the stew and stuffed it in my mouth.

It's really good, way better than my cooking. I thought to myself as we ate in comfortable silence. I looked around the familiar space as I ate. Yūgao's apartment was practically empty, with no decoration or personal belongings, probably what all shinobi apartments look like.

Still, it feels nice in here… warm.

"Thanks, Yūgao that was delicious," I said as walked past the apartment door and turned around to face her. "Do you know when you'll be around again?" I asked, feeling a bit hopeful after a good meal.

"No Naruto, I'm sorry." She looked down at me with a slight frown and I looked away as I felt my disappointment worm its way onto my face. "I told you Naruto, even I don't know when I'll be back. Missions outside the village are complicated."

"D- do you know when you're leaving at least?" I said, feeling apprehensive, the nerves making me tap my foot on the floor.

"The day after tomorrow," She replied and my head involuntarily lowered as my feet stopped tapping. "Why do you need something?"

I lifted my head, forced a big grin on my face, and said, "I was hoping you'd teach me a fire Jutsu or water JUTSU or LIGHTING! OR—" She interrupted me, roughly ruffling my hair.

"Naruto, I told you, it isn't allowed until you are a genin. Even academy students are only supposed to get instruction from teachers and mentors."

"Right, right. I just thought I'd ask anyway." I chuckled at her as she rolled her eyes. "Now did you give me everything you wanted to sell?" I nodded at her. "All right then, you can go train again but remember to eat more meat than ramen, and do not sleep in the forest." She warned.

"I promise!" I lied and she squinted her eyes at me for a few seconds, searching my face, before nodding. Good, I'm getting better at this.

"ALRIGHT BYE YŪGAO!" I shouted as I ran away before I gave myself away, slowing down as I went down a few floors. I looked up towards the apartment I was just in as I left the building, letting the grin on my face die. My feet carried me through my usual route to the forest, moving on autopilot.

Damn, I wanted her here for my birthday. I clenched my fists and violently shook my head, trying and failing to shake off the disappointment. Why did I even hope it would be any different this year? Whatever maybe Gramps will show up instead. I felt sick, my chest tightened as a murky heavy feeling weighed me down. I wanted us to learn how to tan the deer pelt together, damn… damn… DAMN IT! I wanted to run to the forest and get my blood pumping to get rid of the lethargic feeling in my body, but I couldn't. I could feel my heartbeat, it was slow, yet strong. I could feel the blood pumping in the tips of my fingers, but it didn't feel energizing, it felt tiring.

As I made my way to the forest, I tried to think about something else. Training, hunting, skinning a deer, and then RUINING THE DAMN PELT. My fingers twitched as frustration and self-loathing mixed inside of me, it made me feel heavy like it was zinc that was running through my veins, not blood. It was slowing me down.

Why did I have to ruin the stupid thing…

"Hey, you freak!" My thoughts were interrupted when I almost walked into a pair of kids who looked older than me by a year or two. The event got me out of my head, letting my brain reboot and start processing what my senses are telling it again. I didn't like what it told me.

"…What?" I replied as I looked at the one that spoke in the eyes.

He better not have, not right now. I thought to myself as my heavy breathing took on a different rhythm. My gut twisted. I didn't need to know what he said or what would come out of his mouth, I knew what was coming. My heart rate picked up as I looked the dipshit in the eyes and wished he'd say it again.

"I said 'Hey, you freak!'. Aren't animals supposed to have sharper ears, or are you a mixed breed with only the negatives of each side?" He said while cackling. His friend followed suit.

I looked at them as they laughed, holding their stomachs. The sight felt like a spark, all the lethargic frustrated energy that had me dragging my feet while walking ignited. The emotion almost felt physical, hot anger coursed through me like a fire, it almost felt real.

I didn't think twice, I didn't think at all really. I twisted my body, leaned back, and delivered a front kick to the approximate location of his liver. He let out a wheezing cry and began whimpering in the same way the animals did when injured. I left him behind as I sprinted towards his friend, he didn't get far, only a few steps. I slowed, lowered into a half squat, and lunged, digging my knees into his back. With him screaming below me, face smashed into the dirt road, I reached towards the knife holstered on my lower back before pausing and clenching my jaw.

I managed to control myself, holding back an action I knew would get me in trouble. Instead, I grabbed a handful of his hair and made him twist his head enough to see me in his peripheral.

"You guys say that I'm an animal but still decided to mess with me, are you all stupid? Do you even know how to hunt?" I growled out then pushed his face back into the ground when he didn't say anything. "Fuck you, your hide isn't worth the trouble," I said as I pushed myself up, making sure to drive my knee into his spine as I do so.

I looked at their pathetic appearance, groaning on the ground, helpless. Now both frustrated and angry, I left the pair and ran to the forest, fully intending on training until I collapsed.

I'm sleeping in the forest today. I thought, before glancing back at the pair. Tomorrow too.