(AN: Review Answers! Hello all! First, I wanted to answer a question from ndjjdjsujsj before we begin with the story. First of all, to the comment about the academy years, I'm planning on tidying those up within the next ten or so chapters, hopefully. Secondly, as for the dungeons, they won't be too major. I plan on having him visit one every once in a while, especially Special Dungeons, but for the most part, dungeons will take a back seat to the story. So I Hope you all enjoy it. And I'll catch you at the end for a final AN.)
Naruto crawled through the air ducts, still trying not to laugh at the memory of that woman's face as his clone popped. Still, he needed to keep it together; otherwise, the so-called monkey king would notice him. He wasn't worried about the ANBU; they were chumps unless they were actively looking for him, and he knew they were too busy apparently looking for the old man, which was why he had to skip Sasuke's quest, at least for now. He'd deal with this so-called monkey, then hunt down the old man, and finally go fight Sasuke or whatever the boy wanted… or head up the monument for the Tear mission. That was also something he could do.
Ah, he was in the right spot. Taking a deep breath, Naruto rolled in the air duct and kicked down, breaking through the vent and screaming random mumbo jumbo, scarring the hell out of… a monkey?
Name: Enma, The Monkey King
Followed by a bunch of question marks, blotting out all of his stats.
"Boy!" the monkey shouted. Shouted!
"Monkeys can't talk!" Naruto pointed a finger at the man accusingly.
"And a child shouldn't be able to break in here!"
Naruto quickly retorted. "Oh yeah! Well, that's because I'm Naruto Uzumaki! The future Hokage! Nowhere is safe from me!"
The monkey man simply stared at him like he was an idiot.
[Urgent Quest Unlocked!]
[Priority Quest: Sage Advice From the Monkey King.]
[Description: The Wise Monkey King stands before you, the knowledge of the world at the tip of your fingers. Ask of him your wish and listen to his words.]
[Rewards: 1 Title or Perk, 25 EXP]
A Title would be nice, but there really wasn't much of a reward. "Soo… anyway. What are you up to Mr. Monkey Man? And why are you in the old man's office?"
"Getting some light reading in while Sarutobi plays his hide and seek game with the Anbu."
Light reading? Naruto squinted his eyes in the dark office and noticed a familiar orange book that his Jiji would always try to hide. But from the air ducts and from outside the window, Naruto had always seen the man giggling at the books. "Pervert."
The monkey's hair stood on end. "Pervert! Who are you to call me a pervert? I am Enma, the Monkey King! I—"
"Am a pervert!" Naruto finished for the man. Pointing at him accusingly. "I'm gonna tell everyone the self proclaimed Monkey King is nothing but a pervert!"
"You—!" The monkey took a long, deep breath, and Naruto knew he had won. "What do you want, boy?"
"No wonder the quest is only a 1/5 Difficulty. This was easy!" But what should he ask? "How about some advice?"
"Just advice?" The Monkey actually seemed interested now. "That's all?"
"Well, there's not much I'd want from you." He replied with a shrug.
"Not strength? No Jutsu? Not even the Monkey Summoning Contract?"
What the heck was a Summoning Contract? And while the Jutsu and strength definitely interested him, Naruto could get all that on his own. No, he just wanted an answer and some advice. "I just want to ask something, and you have to promise not to tell anyone else I asked this."
"So long as it will not hurt anyone else, I suppose I could promise that?" The monkey leaned over the desk now, gazing intently at the boy, who simply jutted out his hand.
"You have to pinky promise!"
Eyebrow quirked in confusion, the monkey slowly reached out, and sealed their deal. "Now tell me, child, what is it that you want?"
How to word it? Besides, 'Hey, I have a pretty cool ability that turns the world into a game, but it might be causing more problems than it solves, even though it says otherwise. It could be lying. What would you do?' "I—No. Well, if you had a gift, something that could save your friends, or cause them misery, would you use it knowing there could be consequences?"
The monkey's eyes were wide as saucers now, but Naruto didn't understand why.
"What is this… gift?" He asked, trying to sound sure of himself, But Naruto knew something else was up.
"I'd rather not say." Naruto hoped the man wouldn't push any more, and thankfully, he didn't.
"You could say I had a similar experience."
"Really?"
"Not necessarily the same, but… I am Enma, the Monkey King. My strength can rival those of the Three Great Summons of this age, Gamabunta, Manda, and Katsuyu. I was born with great strength, gifted it by my ancestor, Sun, who came down from the heavens just to bless my birth. It was a gift, and one that I have strove to use for good. I could have been lazy, like my ancestor, or evil like my two brothers, yet I wished to use my power to help. It is one of the main reasons I allowed Hiruzen to sign out contract, when the Sarutobi clan hadn't had a Monkey Summoner in two generations. He was a kind and just man, who, like me, was gifted with strength and a wish to protect."
"The Old Man got something too?" Naruto pushed aside the strange story about a dead relative coming to bless someone with strength. It was probably just a tall tale.
"Of course. While the Sarutobi Clan were once considered vassals, or even allies, to the Senju, Hiruzen was a prodigy. His strength gained him the favor of the Second Hokage, and later the First. Learning under them both sent him on a path to who he is now. He was… I suppose you could infer that he was lucky when he was chosen as their student. And he now uses that strength to rule this great village."
"But… those were all choices, right? What if you don't make a choice to hurt someone with your gift? What if… what if people still get hurt?"
The man almost seemed sad at his words, as if he could understand what Naruto truly meant. "I have injured people who did not deserve it, and I have their blood on my hand. It was not by my choice, but accidents do happen. When in battle, you cannot always know exactly what your ally will do. One second, they could be behind you, so you spew out a fireball, hoping to knock or scare away your enemy. But suddenly, your comrade is jumping forward, readying their own jutsu. It is a horrid situation, yet it still happens."
"What if it's not within your control at all? What if something else hurts them, but it's because you exist?"
"You should ask Hirzuen more about this, Naruto-san. He will be in a far better position."
"But you said to ask you."
The monkey shut his eyes and finally leaned away from him, crossing his arms and breathing deeply. "If you believe yourself, or someone else, to be a danger due to this power, then there is truly only one answer."
"And what is it?"
"Become stronger."
"What?
Waving his hand while forming a sign with his spare, the monkey summoned a large scroll and slammed in beside the wooden desk, shaking the room. "Become so strong that no one will ever be a threat to you again. To you, or those you call family. Rise above your own weaknesses, so that none can exploit them."
"Is that even possible?"
"I thought you were going to become the greatest Kage to ever exist?" The Monkey smiled, showing off his teeth. "To do that, you must surpass even the First, something that no one has ever yet to do."
Naruto fell silent, staring at the floor in thought. Could he do that? Surely with the system at his fingertips, but… him? The failure, the dead last? He always said he'd become Hokage…
"I'd like to offer you something, Naruto." The Monkey King stepped around the desk and showed him the giant scroll.
"Eh? What is it?" Naruto set aside his conflicting thoughts, his gaze fixed on the scroll.
"Would you like to sign this summoning contract for the Monkeys?"
"What would that do?"
"Well, you would be able to summon me and my kind to help you in the world. You would gain access to our strengths, our jutsu, and our knowledge. Of course, you could say no as well."
That was definitely something nice, but what would that mean for the system?
[Note: Summons are allies that you can call forth to attack, defend, or support you. You can buy certain scrolls and summons in the Skill Purchase list. You can only have one contract at a time until you reach Level 50.]
Which means he would be locked into this for who knows how long. Though the old man used them, so maybe they wouldn't be so bad.
"If you need more time, you are always welcome to come back and simply ask Hiruzen. In the meantime, I would still like to give you a gift, something I'm sure you'd enjoy."
[A Choice has been offered.]
[Choice One: Sure, I'd love to be the Monkey's Summoner!]
[Reward: 1 Title, ?, ?, ?, ?]
[Choice Two: I'd like to take the time to think it over. Perhaps another time.]
[Reward: 1 Perk, ?, ?, ?]
So a title and more rewards, or a perk and less rewards. Still. The title probably had something to do with becoming a summoner, which meant he could just try again later. So for now. "Give me some time. I'll think about it and ask Jiji."
"So be it." The man rolled up his scroll, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I will be sure to get you that gift at another point in time, Naruto. Perhaps tomorrow? I will need Hiruzen to get the materials."
That was fine, so Naruto simply nodded.
"Now…" the monkey began once more, "I hope you take my words to heart, my boy. Do not let your so-called gift weigh too heavily on your mind. Powers are meant to be wielded. Whether they seem good or bad, it all means nothing when wielded by someone with a good heart."
"Thanks… monkey." Naruto turned, thinking over the words, and slowly made his way to the door.
[Urgent Quest Complete.]
[Rewards have been deferred.]
He'd collect the EXP and RYO with the rest later, and for now, simply opened the door to the room, walking past the Anbu with a quick, "Pardon me." And continued down the stairs.
"What the hell?" He heard one of them whisper and quickly booked it down the stairs, heading for the dot that was his Jiji.
"Someone grab Naruto!" He heard someone shout.
He couldn't help but taunt back, shouting, "Suckers!"
They'd never catch him, even with the Flaw from his clothing. And soon, he was standing in the middle of a crowded area, looking around for the old man. The area on the map was small, but the quest was certainly interesting.
[Urgent Quest Unlocked!]
[Priority Quest: Your Jiji Always Knows Best.]
[Description: Speak with your Jiji and listen to his words. The only trouble you have is finding the sneaky old man. Discover his location before the Anbu finds you.]
[Rewards: 25 EXP, 1 Random D Rank Elemental Ninjutsu Scroll]
The reward was nice, and if he remembered correctly, that meant he'd get a D ranked Ninjutsu out of it, no taijutsu, genjutsu, or kenjutsu. It was a Ninjutsu only scroll. Which was fine in his book.
Still, how was he going to find the old man? The street was crowded, and all sorts of people were walking about, sitting, dancing, or eating. A lot of weirdos as well. Some creep sat on a bench nearby and wouldn't stop staring at him. A couple couldn't keep their hands to themselves while blocking foot traffic, and finally, it looked like a pickpocket was walking in and out of groups, counting out his winnings.
Naruto ignored them for now, choosing instead to check out the normal-looking civilians. Jiji wouldn't try to stand out, that would get him caught immediately. He'd have to do something about that pick pocket sooner or later, though. But he could wait for a second while Naruto used observe on everyone.
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Naruto blanched at the horrific realization. His observe was locked! Why!?
[This quest has locked your Observe in order to act as a real challenge.]
"Boo!" Naruto involuntarily shouted, accidentally causing the one frisky couple to turn and glare at him.
Blowing a raspberry at the two, Naruto glanced back around at the people, rechecking.
There was an old man running a gold fish game nearby, which probably wasn't the Third, as Naruto doubted the man had time to set up a whole stall just to prank his Anbu.
Another older person was throwing bread at some birds that fluttered near the edge of the street. Still, Naruto waved the woman off. "The old man always talks crap about those things. Say's they're nothing but rats with wings."
He turned his gaze to the other side as a disgusted shudder ran down his spine. As that same creep continued to stare at him. He let his hand fall to his kunai pouch for reassurance.
"Hey anyone see a red cloth pouch anywhere!?" a man shouted over the crowd. "It's got my id and money in it! Please, can anyone look around?"
Naruto sighed and looked around for that pick pocket. Sure enough, the man was discreetly reaching for a woman's backside, or at least the pouch draped over her shoulder and fall near her butt. Naruto pulled out a kunai, planning on scaring the bastard and make him reveal himself, but something beat him to it. A gust of wind blew through the area, kicking up all the fallen leaves and dust in the area as it slammed gently into the pickpocket. He tripped and fell forward onto the woman, who simply whipped around, socking the man and screaming out. "Pervert! The hell do you think you're doing!?"
Instantly the man hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, spilling his pilfered items, and Naruto couldn't help but snort.
Who had done it, though? "Definitely the old man." But who was he?
Wait. He turned toward the creep from earlier, and watched as the man slowly turned away from the fallen pick pocket, and starred at Naruto.
"Hey! This guy's got a lot of stuff on him!"
It couldn't be.
"Hey, everyone! Check your pockets and pouches!"
Naruto moved forward, stopping just before the man.
"Can I help you, brat?" the creep said in a deep baritone voice, sounding every bit unlike his Jiji. But something told him to smile. So he did.
"Hey, Jiji!" He struck a pose, giving the man a thumbs up. "Your henge almost got me! But I knew I'd find you before your ANBU!"
Silence was his answer, and Naruto almost reconsidered. Until his observe of the man finally began working once more.
Name: Hiruzen Sarutobi
"My Anbu have been scrambling for two hours now, Naruto and yet you find me in… how long?"
"About five minutes!" Naruto grinned as the man's henge poofed away, allowing him to finally see his Jiji face to face. Eagerly, Naruto jumped onto the bench beside the man, and swung his feet as they sat beside one another, enjoy the peace between them.
Two or three minutes passed before the man finally broke the silence, asking, "How can I help you, Naruto?"
He turned to grin brightly at the man, a question already on his lips. "Jiji! I need some advice."
"I'm sure these old bones of mine could find something to answer any question you need. Tell me, what type of advice do you need?"
"How did you get so strong, Jiji?" That was the first question he had for the man. The Hokage was the strongest person in the village, right? So he needed to know.
The man blinked in surprise. "Oh? And what brought this on?"
"Can you just tell me? Please? I'm trying to work on something." Was it because he trained, because he knew cool jutsu? Because he simply got lucky, like the monkey said, and learned from the first two Hokage?
"Well, that's a simple answer, Naruto. I became strong due to the people of this village."
"?" Naruto looked at him in confusion.
"I wanted to protect people, my friends, no, my family. I became strong for the sake of others. To protect my dream."
"Your dream was to protect people?"
"Indeed, Naruto. A dream can give you strength, even in your darkest moments. So I chose one that would always make me stand back up."
"A dream…" Naruto frowned.
"Finding a dream is always good. The right dream can make all the difference for someone."
"But I already have a great dream! I need to be Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed.
"And why do you wish to be Hokage?" The old man said and quickly held up a hand to stop the boy. "I know you wish to be seen, but being seen is not a good enough reason, Naruto. To become Hokage doesn't mean that you are simply the best. It means that you shoulder the entire village upon your back, that you do not back down when faced with adversity. That the Will of Fire burns within your very soul."
"The Will of Fire?"
"Yes. It is the hopes and dreams of everyone in the village. It is the will to protect them, the drive to shield Konoha's people from worry. The Will of Fire burns within all those who see this village as their home, and their comrades as their family. We of the older generation stoke the flames until one day we can pass them on to the next."
"Do you think… that I have the Will of Fire?"
"Since the day you were born, Naruto. You've had it since the first time your drew breath, I am sure of it."
"But I don't think I do."
"Just look at what happened with the Theater fire. If that was not the Will of Fire burning brightly, then I do not know what it was. Did you not put yourself in harm's way? Even for those who once beat you down?"
"I—"
"Naruto, I'm not sure where this darkness has come from in the last week that has clouded your mind, but I want you to know that no matter what, I will help you. All you must do is ask."
Naruto had to bite his cheek as tears began to burn in his eyes. "Jiji…"
A hand ruffled his hair, and Naruto sniffed, fighting back the tears.
"You are one of my most precious people, Naruto. There isn't a day that goes by where I do not think of you. You're like my grandson, you know. Though we may not be related through blood, the Will of Fire still connects us."
"Hokage-sama." Naruto scrapped away the tears as a large group of Anbu finally appeared, surrounding the two.
"Ah, it seems I've finally been caught. They're getting faster." His laughter was loud and infectious, quickly spreading to Naruto.
"There's been some incidents, Lord Third. Your attention is required… sir." The front most Anbu spoke up while sending a side eye to Naruto.
"Including two incidents with Naruto." Ah, he was one of the guards for the office. Naruto cheekily waved, using it as an excuse to distract himself from the tears.
"Ah well, Naruto here is quite tired. Perhaps we can reconvene then for his issues? No?"
"But, sir—"
"Tomorrow does sound good to you, right, Naruto?"
Said boy smiled brightly up as his Jiji stood tall, "Hai, Jiji."
The Anbu bit his tongue, but followed his leader as Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his back to the boy, and walked away.
"Jiji!" Naruto suddenly shouted, halting the man. "Thanks for the chat!"
"No worries, Naruto-kun. My door is always open to you."
A dream. That's what he needed. Or… a reason to dream, really. Why did he want to become Hokage? Sure, he wanted to be seen and recognized by everyone, yet was that really a good enough reason? He glanced down at his map and noticed that the dot of Sasuke was beginning to blink faster. Perhaps his rival would know, or at least tell him, his own dream.
Yeah, he had until morning to get up to the cliff and to the park for the tears. Fighting ghosts or impressing someone wasn't as important right now. He had Something to find.
[Three of the Eight Quests have been completed. Would the Player like to end the mission?]
(Yes/No)
Naruto shrugged and hit no. His goal was to finish as many as possible, leading to his current situation.
By the time Naruto arrived at their usual training grounds, Sasuke was already looking half dead on his feet. "When had it become ours?" Naruto asked himself, though to be fair he had been coming here often after the System first appeared. The EXP bonus he received wasn't half bad… did his clones get a bonus for leveling skills at one?
"Man, I've got to check that tomorrow." He spoke out loud.
"Dobe?" Sasuke was huffing, trying to catch his breath, and Naruto couldn't help but toss an observe his way. Only to blanch at how low his physical stats were.
"Getting good use out of those gravity seals?" He threw a Hail Mary. It was probably those new black bands around his wrists and ankles.
"How'd… you know?"
"Lucky guess I've got my own set." Naruto rolled his pants up, revealing the leg warmers. "Got them off Bushy Brow's sensei last week."
"His sensei?"
"He's apprenticed to a Jonin. I think they're actually related, but I'm the only one. They're practically exact copies of each other."
"Hn." The brunette merely grunted and turned away. Naruto frowned. The quest hadn't appeared yet, so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.
Though maybe it had something to do with that large bruise poking from behind the teme's collar.
"Oi! Teme. How about a spar?" The bastard simply ignored him and took a taijutsu stance before a training dummy.
"I don't have time for you tonight, dobe." The duck butt was absolutely vicious as he struck the dummy. Several cracks echoed throughout the woods, but Naruto wasn't sure if they were all from splintering wood or something else.
"Oi!" Naruto shouted again and took two steps forward.
"Get out of here!" Sasuke snapped his gaze toward Naruto for barely half of a moment before returning to his imaginary spar.
Crack! That was definitely bone. Naruto was quite familiar with the sound at this point in his life. And he immediately rushed forward, grabbing the last Uchiha before he could continue his assault.
"Let go of me!"
"You're injured, teme! Calm the hell down! You're gonna make the injury worse!" He had done it more than once, and it always screwed him up for a couple of days.
"Get off of me! I need to keep training!" a knee caught his hip, nearly taking Naruto out of the fight all together as it neared a different spot. But he was able to mitigate the damage.
"The hell's wrong with you! You weren't like this when we practiced out jutsu earlier!" The boy was so weak at this point, that Naruto was able to get one up on him, spinning him and putting Sasuke in a headlock.
"Dobe! Stop it! I have to keep going!"
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -5]
"Shut the hell up and let me take you to the hospital!"
"No! I have to train! I need to get stronger!"
Naruto groaned but held fast as Sasuke slammed his head into his nose, nearly breaking it, but definitely busting a blood vessel as blood leaked out. "Go to the hospital."
"Let me go! I have to beat him! Let me go!" Sasuke's eyes were red and burning but… his iris' were too. Was that even normal?
"Beat who!?"
"Let go!"
An elbow slammed into Naruto's side, and he grit his teeth. "Come on, damn it! What the hell's gotten into you tonight!?"
"I need to—need to…" Finally it looked like the chokehold was working as Sasuke began to lose strength. Naruto let go of the boy, allowing him to fall to his knees as gasp for air.
"Who the heck are you trying to fight?! I'm the only one here, teme!"
"Ita—Itachi. I need to… beat Itachi."
Finally, the boy was calming down, and even his eyes were turning back to their normal color. Maybe it had just been a trick of the light?
"Who's Itachi?"
Sasuke's glare came back, but he quickly looked away as Naruto hovered over him. "No one… dobe."
"You need to get to the hospital, teme. You've got at least three broken fingers." Probably four with how his pinky was twitching.
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -5]
"No. I need to… keep training."
Naruto rolled his eyes, and opened his skill purchase list, looking for any medical ninjutsu he could learn, but all he could find needed at least High chakra control.
[Would the user like to check the perk list for relevant skills?]
Was there one that increased control?
No, the only one that showed up cost 5 whole points! That was crazy. Though it did bring up many, many questions.
Genes of the Uzumaki (Part 1): Unlock your dormant Uzumaki genes and bring to light your family's name once more! Unlocks the Healing Blood skill! By feeding your blood to someone, you can cure them of almost any injury! (Note: Due to the system, this has been converted into a skill tied to this perk. The higher the level, the less blood needed to cure.)
He couldn't even purchase it. So with a sigh, Naruto summoned a group of clones.
"Alright, teme. You can either come to the Hospital with me willingly, or get dragged there by me and my clones. Which would you choose?"
The boy lashed out with a kick, instantly dispelling a clone, and causing Naruto to curse.
[Urgent Quest Unlocked!]
[Priority Quest: Fated Meeting of Rivaled Steps.]
[Description: Beat Sasuke before he beats himself! Get him to the hospital with minimal injuries. The more injuries, the longer you'll have to stay with him.]
[Rewards: 1 D- Rank Taijutsu Style Scroll, 50 EXP.]
A whole style? Not just a move?
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -5]
He could do this. And with how low the boy's stats wer—he blurred, faster than Lee, and Naruto gasped as a foot connected with his stomach.
DEX: 41
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has increased, 1]
How the hell was the Teme so strong already! He had only just started using those weights! And why did he enjoy kicking him!?
He barely blocked the next strike and grimaced as his HP already fell below half.
"Teme—Sasuke! Stop. I don't want to hurt you… Much!" He shouted.
The brunette ignored him, cradling his broken hand and lashing out at the advancing clones with kicks.
"That's it! Oi! Use the sphere Jutsu!" Naruto ordered his clones. "Just hit him from close by!"
If they just dropped the jutsu or canceled it, the water might at least knock or shock some sense into the boy.
Naruto definitely wasn't expecting the boy to pop two with a pair of kunai, and then launched himself at the real Naruto. Oh wait, he had!
Switching with a nearby clone with the Kawarami, Naruto spun in the air and caught the boy in the chin with a spinning kick.
"Ha!" Naruto celebrated as the teme dropped like a sack of potatoes. He had injured himself so much with his training that a single kick knocked him on the ass.
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -5]
While not unconscious, Sasuke was definitely out of it when Naruto picked him up, and slung him over his back. "Oi, Clone #1, run ahead to the hospital and let them know that Sasuke got injured training and that I'm on the way." Ah dang, he hoped he didn't run into the crazy snake lady. That would suck.
But, pushing those thoughts from his mind, Naruto ran as fast as he could towards the Hospital, hoping no one stopped him.
Almost half way there, Naruto had to slow down as Sasuke finally snapped out of his daze, and mumbled into the blond's ear.
"Huh!?" Naruto shouted back.
"What are you doing… dobe?"
Naruto rolled his eyes at the stupid question, "Helping you, duh!" He shouted over the wind as they traveled over the rooftops.
"Why?"
"Why not!?"
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -3]
Naruto rolled his eyes at the notifications… "You don't have to hate me when I help you!" Their relationship had definitely decreased from Friendly Rivals at this point. But it didn't matter, the teme still needed help. Physical and mental, apparently.
"What's in it for you!?" Sasuke had finally found his voice.
"Helping a friend!"
"We're not friends!"
Naruto shrugged. "We could be!"
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has decreased, -2]
Naruto had to snort at that one. "You need help, teme! I don't care if you think you don't! You really injured yourself out there!"
Silence reigned, and Naruto finished the last ten minutes of his journey in silence.
The second he arrived through the doors, glares of all shapes, sizes, and ages found their way directed at him. But he didn't care. He had done what needed to be done. No matter the issues. Was that what the old man had meant by the Will of Fire? Protecting those even if they hated you? Helping when needed.
"Don't thank me too much, teme." He said, letting the boy stumble off of his back.
"Hn."
"Uchiha-sama, are you okay!?" A nurse was already rushing forward, eyes filled with worry that was quickly replaced by hatred as they turned toward Naruto. "Did this de—boy do this to you? Do you need me to get one of the—"
"No!" the brunette snapped, surprising Naruto. "Just… get me a room… I'll wait out here."
"Are you sure, Uchiha-sama? If he hurt you—"
"Can someone else help me!?" Sasuke stepped around the nurse, angrily barking out the question.
"I'll get a room prepared and see if there's a doctor available." A different nurse spoke quickly and rushed off.
The first nurse didn't take her eyes off of Naruto at that point, probably blaming him for everything. But… Sasuke also turned his venomous eyes at him. Or… was it something behind him?
"Dobe… Naruto… Itachi is…"
"You don't have to do this, Sasuke." Naruto shrugged. He wasn't going to force him to reveal whatever secrets he had.
Those eyes faded, and Naruto allowed his shoulders to relax. He didn't want anything dumped on him right at the—
"Today's the day my brother, Itachi ki—the day he left the village." It was practically said with a whisper, and Naruto couldn't help but feel something tug on his heartstrings at that. "Thanks, dobe…"
The second nurse had returned, and was escorting Sasuke away at this point, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the notification that popped up. "Talk about Emo."
[Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha has increased, 50]
Relationship: Friendly Rivalry 40/200
The teme was always switching up his attitude.
Shaking his head, Naruto turned and left the Hospital, picking up the pace when he saw a shock of purple hair smoking outside with a bandaged arm.
"Oi! Brat!"
But he was already hightailing it toward the Cliff. The important ones were done now at least, but those tears in space and time were pretty interesting to say the last.
Still…
Still.
"I think I know what you meant now, Jiji. Maybe." Perhaps something in these next quests would really give him what he needed. But until then, he could settle with his current dreams. Dreams to get stronger, to surpass the System like the Monkey King had said. To grow strong, to beat its supposed problems, and also to help those he considered his family, like the Old Man's Will of Fire.
"Just you wait, Jiji. I'll make you proud."
(AN: I never got Sasuke not getting his Sharingan from the massacre. Sure it was when he was young, but I think it makes sense for him to have learned it back then. In this story, it's just his trauma keeping it locked away. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Don't forget to leave a review, and I'll see you all next time!)
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Title: Spring's Showers
Job: Academy Student
EXP: 215/800
Level: 9
Health: 49/49
Chakra: 1100(5500)/1100(5500)
STR: 23
CON: 25
DEX: 31
INT: 16
WIS: 16
LUK: ?
Attribute Points: 3
Skill Points: 2
Perk Points: 2