Chapter 4: It ain't much but it's honest work

"Aww c'mon Taru-teme! I want to keep practicing lightning style!"

"Shut up Naruto! I'm trying to work here!"

Sasuke, that piece of shit just nods in agreement with Naruto that we should keep practicing lightning style.

"Why are you working anyway? You have stipends, right?"

Sasuke, asking the sensible questions.

"Yeah! I got like 5000 ryo a week!"

To make it easy to understand, 100 ryo is about 1 USD. Basically Naruto's lunch money is about 50 bucks a week.

"Unlike you assholes, my caretaker is an embezzling dick and just give me enough money to buy a pack of instant ramen. I need to work if I want to eat more than just expired noodles."

Welp, that make them shut up, giving me some peace as I setting up my booth in the Konoha Plaza. My trade?

Music and children stories in manga format.

While being a super ninja is cool and all, my real inclination is with the fine arts. I have this lingering regret that I didn't achieved my dreams back in Earth. Now, with ninja dexterity coupled with more matured mind from my Earthly enlightenment, as well as a toddler neuroplasticity, In the span of two years I quickly learn how to draw and play music.

The Shinobi contract stipulate 10 years of mandatory service. That means once I am 22, I can retire and become a mangaka. It sucks to find out that this world had yet to discover the concept of anime. So my long term goal is to eventually make my own anime.

What? Become a Shinobi god and rule over the elemental nations? That's such a boring goal. I aint that kind of OC, fam.

"Hey, this is pretty good!", Naruto read a book called the Hare and Tortoise.

"that's 100 ryo, jackass"

"tch, fine. Hmm… I like this too. Ooohh, your drawings are nice, Taru-teme!"

I whacked him at the back of the head and look at him sternly.

"My mom named me Hotaru and you better call it properly. I never made fun of your name, so you better do the same"

Naruto looked like he sucked a really sour lemon.

"O..oh…. Sorry…"

"Fine."

Sasuke, who also reading out my works, then asked me,

"How did you keep drawing the same pictures over and over again?"

"Iruka sensei taught me Copy-paste no jutsu"

"oh"

"you better pay for that. No free reading."

"tsk, I was planning to anyway."

Naruto, who has put 5 different short manga into his bag and paid me 500 ryo, then fiddled with the violin and guitar.

How the fuck there's violin and guitar here, I will never understand.

"Hey don't touch that, that's rental!"

"Sheesh, it's not like I gonna break anything." He pouted.

"I think you should have spent more time to train instead of learning music. You would been stronger if you weren't losing time with other crafts", Sasuke helpfully added.

"Wow gee, great advice. What part of I am a penniless orphan you don't get, Uchiha-sama? Would you like to sponsor me?"

Sasuke grunted.

"You could report your caretaker to the police…"

I just stare deadpan to Sasuke. He quickly realized how stupid that sounded.

There is no police in Konoha. Not since the Revolt. The village law and order is now held barely by overworked career genin, which lead to corruption. My caretaker is hardly the only corrupt embezzler. There's a whole web of them, draining orphan funds like the vampire they are.

Naruto was hilariously enough, is the only one not being ripped off. Hell, he wasn't even getting hunted down by crazed mobs like in fanfics I usually read. Aside from the loneliness, Naruto lived a pretty privileged life for an orphan. All because he is under constant ANBU protection.

Clanless rat like me? They wouldn't bat an eye if I get mugged in the streets.

We live in the same apartment building, you know. Turns out, it's the cadet dormitory. While I was surviving like a rat scraping for whatever food I can get in the overcrowded orphanage, Naruto was getting free subsidized ramen from Teuchi and sleep comfortably in his own apartment he get before he even become a cadet.

Naruto has time to mull about loneliness because he doesn't need to work for food and fight other orphans to get a proper bed and blanket every night instead of sleeping on the cold, dusty floor. Kids like me has no time to worry about loneliness.

In case you didn't catch my drift, I low-key resented Naruto. I read my fair share of fanfics you know, and I was actually expecting the cliches. Before I actually met Naruto for the first time, I fantasized that we met as we struggle in this shithole part of town, only for me to find out that really, Naruto had it pretty good. Sure, he has no family, but at least he wasn't rotting in the streets.

I had to live a whole year as a street rat before finally got an escape via the cadet program.

If he wasn't such an obnoxious brat pranking people left and right, I doubt people would actually hate him that much. They're content to just leave him alone.

Logically, I know it's none of Naruto's fault. He's just a kid and has no control over anything.

I just can't help but resent him a little.

"kyaaaaa!!! Hotaru-kun!"

"hmph! Popular bastards." Naruto is dejected as my fangirls began to crowd as my late evening show is about to start.

Sasuke just nodded. At least, with the bad rep, he was freed from the curse of fangirls. No parents will allow their girl to get close to Sasuke, the Uchiha Scum.

Me? cute face plus playing music equals popular material. F class be damned.

I starting to consider to change my career choice.

My children stories mangas quickly sold out as these damned girls devour it like piranhas. I was pretty sure they had bought like 10 copies of the same books by now. Welp not my problem. Their loss, my gain.

I just stare at them until they get a clue to make space. Since I gonna be popular anyway, I take Sasuke's playbook of just be an inconsiderate asshole and set that as my diva personality, which ain't much different than what I really feel about them anyway. Being adored by kiddy little girls does not bring me joy, okay. I am dying of cringe inside.

I can't wait to grow up and have proper grown up fangirls. I never wished to be a Disney kids idol.

Naruto and Sasuke stick around for a while, watching my performance for the first time. From the looks of it, they're pretty impressed. Considering ninja eugenics is actual science here, maybe I really got the music genes from my mom.

I played the violin and covered a number of anime songs that I know off. Then when my neck get stiff from playing the violin too long, I switched to the guitar and sing some anime songs, lyrics all rewritten coz I sure as hell don't remember the original. Ryo piles over in the donation box as I continue my performance for the next three hours. It was 8pm when I finished.

I crammed my money into my bag and start packing up my booth, which Naruto and Sasuke arrived back at me.

Actually, now that I think about it, Naruto and Sasuke hang out a lot these days. Even outside training. Guess they really become friends huh?

They just start helping me pack up out of nowhere.

"I can pack up on my own, you know", I commented, but not really making an effort to stop them. I was tired from performing.

"We're friends, Hotaru! Just let us help out!", Naruto cheered.

Since when we're friends, I eyed Sasuke.

Sasuke just shrugged, as he fold the portable table.

"Hotaru, let's have some ramen! I'll show you the food of the gods!"

At this point, I am too tired to run away from Naruto's bullshit. Besides, Ichiraku Ramen was a legend and as a proper weeb, I need to at least try it once. See if the legend is true.

"Eh sure, why not."

Naruto has this surprised face, like he didn't expect I accept the invite at all. Then he has the brightest smile ever. What a weirdo. He must really like ramen.

"This will be the best night ever, Hotaru! Believe it!"

"if this is my best night, I dread my future standard of happiness.", I replied in monotone.

(Naruto and Sasuke POV)

(One hour after Hotaru starts his music performance)

Naruto and Sasuke left as the plaza began to be more crowded with audiences. Hotaru has been doing this street performance weekly since last year, but this was this the first time they actually seen him performing.

"I thought I was going to make fun of him when he plays, but I didn't expect that Hotaru is actually good at singing and playing music"

"Hn."

"Sasuke, Hotaru hates me, isn't it."

Sasuke doesn't reply. Makoto Hotaru is… odd to say the least. He's always quiet, never ever talk and interact with anyone, unless it's about schoolworks. He always seem detached, like he's not really there. He always seem like he doesn't feel anything for anyone.

Except Naruto. It was faint, but it's like he has a dim hatred in his eyes whenever Naruto comes around.

"I'm used with people looking at me with hate you know. But, it's always a bit different with Hotaru. Like it's personal for him."

Being 10 years old kids, the two of them doesn't have enough emotional maturity to recognize that what Hotaru is feeling is resentment. Naruto know enough that the hate in Hotaru's eyes are different, but he did not have enough emotional complexity to understand it yet.

"If I am to be honest, Hotaru kind off scares me." Naruto confess.

2 years ago, Sasuke's hate and resentment burn bright. He despise his father for trying to revolt and betray his own village. He resents Itachi who choose to side with the village and fight their own father, resulting to their mutual death. He grieve for losing his family for reasons he doesn't understand. He was a confused mess, and would have spiraled down into the abyss, had it not for his mother. With her guidance, he slowly able to resolve the conflict in his heart, and mould it into determination to restore his clan honor.

He has his mother and the clan.

Naruto has the Hokage, Iruka sensei, and the ramen guy and his daughter.

Makoto Hotaru? He has no one.

"When he actually talked to us, I was… surprised. I worried all this time that he just going to explode at me, but it turns out he could've just talk casually with us. He was kinda an ass, but he wasn't that bad."

Honestly, Sasuke was surprised too. He just pointed Naruto at him out of a whim, not feeling like fighting Naruto for the day. Then out of nowhere, Hotaru just…. Talked to them.

Like he was a ghost this whole time and suddenly he just decide to be alive.

Then, he proceed to electrocute himself.

Worried would be an understatement. Sasuke was already on thin ice with the academy. Hotaru's accident could easily be pinned on him as excuse to expel him.

"After that, I thought, maybe we can be friends, you know. Maybe I pranked him a long time ago and he just angry. And then, I… we heard his songs, Sasuke."

Sasuke remain silent, already drawing the same conclusion.

"He sounds so sad Sasuke. I don't think he's ever been happy. If he wasn't training, he works. If he wasn't working, he trains. He… I don't see him as much as you Sasuke, but I never seen him eat anything more than plain, cheap food. I don't think he ever eat anything good. Even I splurge sometimes, Sasuke, and I am an orphan like him."

Not like him, Sasuke didn't voice it. Even an idiot can see Naruto had it better than other orphans. Most orphans don't get to call the Hokage as old gramps.

Shinobi at the highest caliber can read each other hearts with the trade of a fist, Itachi once told him. Sasuke doesn't think he is a high caliber ninja yet, but after many spar against Hotaru, he think he can tell what Hotaru thinks a bit. It's one of the few moments Hotaru would 'exist', and Sasuke vaguely felt like Hotaru is like… resigned if he had to describe it. Like he was halfway given up already. It's honestly what prevents him from really approaching Hotaru outside of spars. It's like Hotaru doesn't want to really beat him. It's kinda infuriates him.

"So I decided Sasuke. I'm going to be friends with Hotaru! I'm going to make his stupid girly face to smile for once!"

Sasuke just snorted. Well, whatever it is wrong with Hotaru, he's shit out of luck now. Naruto has set his sight on him and there's no way he's getting rid of him.

Trust him. He tried.